Podcasts about Pioneer Square

Former UW and NFL tight end Cam Cleeland drops in each Thursday to discuss all things Husky football. Cam's visits are brought to you by 13 Coins, a Seattle favorite for over 50 years. Check them out in Pioneer Square, Bellevue, and SeaTac. Find out more at 13Coins.com.

Former UW and NFL tight end Cam Cleeland drops in each Thursday to discuss all things Husky football. Cam's visits are brought to you by 13 Coins, a Seattle favorite for over 50 years. Check them out in Pioneer Square, Bellevue, and SeaTac. Find out more at 13Coins.com.

King County to require proof of vaccination or negative tests for entry into indoor public spaces and businesses. Pioneer Square slashing victim recounts attack on him, his dogs amid area safety concerns // The Guardian dubs Fauci 'sexiest man alive' on Instagram, sparks viral mockery // GUEST: City of Winlock, WA demands mental health evaluation of Governor Inslee. Mayor Brandon Svenson joins. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former UW and NFL tight end Cam Cleeland drops in each Thursday to discuss all things Husky football. Cam's visits are brought to you by 13 Coins, a Seattle favorite for over 50 years. Check them out in Pioneer Square, Bellevue, and SeaTac. Find out more at 13Coins.com.

What's Trending: Surveillance video shows Renton shooting even though the suspect denies firing at officer and his mother is in denial, and Sen. Rand Paul wants to seen Gen. Milley should take a polygraph test. Anthony Fauci is named sexiest man of the year by the Guardian, and Facebook acknowledges that their platform Instagram is harmful to teenage girls. An attack victim in Pioneer Square wants action taken by the city. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What's Trending: City Hall homeless campers may have moved to Pioneer Square, Seattle to reportedly host MLB All-Star week in 2023, the Seattle Kraken get more woke, the DOJ removes chokeholds and neck restraints by federal officers. Following directions is white supremacy culture according to a Virginia teacher.  Jim Breuer cancels standup shows at venues requiring COVID vaccinations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former UW and NFL tight end Cam Cleeland drops in each Thursday to discuss all things Husky football. Cam's visits are brought to you by 13 Coins, a Seattle favorite for over 50 years. Check them out in Pioneer Square, Bellevue, and SeaTac. Find out more at 13Coins.com.

Former UW and NFL tight end Cam Cleeland drops in each Thursday to discuss all things Husky football. Cam's visits are brought to you by 13 Coins, a Seattle favorite for over 50 years. Check them out in Pioneer Square, Bellevue, and SeaTac. Find out more at 13Coins.com.

Mike-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic rejoins us to discuss the Seahawks’ preseason and moves to finalize their 2021 roster. Then we recap our trip to Lumen Field to see Sunday’s OL Reign-Sounders doubleheader with dinner in Pioneer Square in between. … Continue reading →

Former UW and NFL tight end Cam Cleeland drops in each Thursday to discuss all things Husky football. Cam's visits are brought to you by 13 Coins, a Seattle favorite for over 50 years. Check them out in Pioneer Square, Bellevue, and SeaTac. Find out more at 13Coins.com.

After a deadly weekend of gun violence in Seattle, many people who live in these impacted neighborhoods are now criticizing the City Council for not showing up to check on constituents or answer questions about public safety.“The silence is deafening,” says former City of Seattle Safety Advisor Scott LindsayCouncilmember Andrew Lewis represents Pioneer Square, the scene of several shootings on Sunday. Lewis also serves Belltown where one man was shot to death after a bar fight. Instead of directly answering our questions about the city's uptick in violence, a council spokesperson told us to watch pre-recorded messages by Lewis and Safety Chair Lisa Herbold on the topic.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW, and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/seattlerealestatepodcast)

Seattle is working overtime to bring its downtown back. The loss of tourists and office workers the past year and a half left the area struggling. The city is pouring $9 million into the revitalization of downtown, which includes the retail core as well as Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square.Some city leaders, including Mayor Jenny Durkan, say recovery of the area is vital as it accounts for the majority of the city's tax revenue. But some business owners are skeptical of Seattle's commitment and say underlying issues, such as public safety, need to be addressed.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.Support the show (https://buymeacoff.ee/seattlepodcast)

Seattle is working overtime to bring its downtown back. The loss of tourists and office workers the past year and a half left the area struggling. The city is pouring $9 million into the revitalization of downtown, which includes the retail core as well as Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square.Some city leaders, including Mayor Jenny Durkan, say recovery of the area is vital as it accounts for the majority of the city's tax revenue. But some business owners are skeptical of Seattle's commitment and say underlying issues, such as public safety, need to be addressed.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.Support the show (https://buymeacoff.ee/seattlepodcast)

Peak season Apricots! How we love to eat them // We meet Yasu Saito , managing partner of the brand new Saint Bread in Portage Bay and the lovely Pioneer Square destination  London Plane // All thing 4th of July RIBS // Great riffs on potato salad // Prosser Farm report from our favorite farmer Jackie Cross // Lastly, we will play Rub with Love Food for thought Trivia. Rub with love: hand crafted, versatile rubs, sauces and marinades to give you more versatility in the kitchen! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SpongeBob and Transformers cost U.S. taxpayers $4 billion. Judge releases man accused of killing victim's pet dog in Pioneer Square. Jeffrey's mystery girl from Saturday calls in. National Moonshine day. 10-year-old shot after man returns paintball fire with real gunfire. Dieter's Conspiracy Corner - NBA is rigged.

Today on the show Seattle mayoral candidate Colleen Echohawk joins Crystal to talk about her plans to tackle the homelessness crisis within 14 months, how she will reform public safety, and why indigenous perspectives and leadership are so important in our country. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's guest, Colleen Echohawk, at @ccechohawk. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Resources “The COVID pandemic split the King County homeless system in two. A year later, the differences remain stark” by Sydney Brownstone: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/the-pandemic-split-the-homeless-system-in-two-a-year-later-the-differences-remain-stark/ “COVID-19 and the overwhelming demand for basic needs” by Andrea Caupain Sanderson: https://crosscut.com/opinion/2021/02/covid-19-and-overwhelming-demand-basic-needs “How Compassion Seattle could shape the mayoral race” by Joni Balter: https://crosscut.com/opinion/2021/05/how-compassion-seattle-could-shape-mayoral-race “Echohawk Emergency Housing Action Plan” from the Echohawk campaign: https://www.echohawkforseattle.com/emergency-housing2 Community Police Commission Recommendations tracker: https://www.seattle.gov/community-police-commission/current-issues/recommendations-tracker “Where Seattle is on police reforms, one year after protests” by David Kroman: https://crosscut.com/politics/2021/05/where-seattle-police-reforms-one-year-after-protests “Afternoon Fizz: ‘A Dictator Posturing As a Mayor,' Another Preventable Disease Outbreak, and CPC Challenges Cops' Crowd Control Plans” from Publicola: https://publicola.com/2021/04/22/afternoon-fizz-a-dictator-posturing-as-a-mayor-another-preventable-disease-outbreak-and-cpc-challenges-cops-crowd-control-plans/#more-17527   Transcript Crystal Fincher: [00:00:00] Welcome to Hacks and Wonks. I'm your host, Crystal Fincher. On this show, we talk to political hacks and policy wonks to gather insight into local politics and policy through the lens of those doing the work and provide behind-the-scenes perspectives on politics in our state. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes.  Today we are so excited to have joining us, candidate for Seattle mayor, Colleen Echohawk. Thank you so much for being here. Colleen Echohawk: [00:00:59] Thank you. I'm so glad to be with you today, Crystal. Crystal Fincher: [00:01:01] Yeah. Okay, so I'm excited. What actually caused you to want to join this mayor's race at this time? Colleen Echohawk: [00:01:10] Well, thank you for asking the question because if you had told me like a year ago that I would be doing this, I would be surprised. I think that there's two things that really propelled me into this race. Number one is I work with our homeless community, I've supported our homeless community for many years now - believe in them deeply. And I am just so frustrated about what has happened. We've had almost six years of a state of emergency and the crisis has only gotten worse. There were moments through the pandemic - the second thing that just really pushed it - where our homeless community, our larger community, was just in pain and in agony because we were shutting down libraries, we were shutting down community centers, we were shutting down my own Day Center. Then we were telling people, "You have to wash your hands. That is sanitation. That's how you're going to keep COVID away." And then our homeless community was just left out in the rain to just have to poop on the sidewalk because there is no bathrooms. And it just got to a point where I just felt like - if I have some skill in this role, and I do, and if I can bring that to the mayor's office and offer that kind of leadership to actually solve this problem on behalf of the 12,000 plus people who are experiencing homelessness, then I should step up. There's just a real crisis of Black, indigenous, and people of color communities are vastly overrepresented and we haven't had enough leadership that represents our community. So that was the other part of just-- I was raised to step up to situations and that's what I'm doing. Crystal Fincher: [00:03:00] Well, you certainly bring up a lot of correct and valid issues that - man, this pandemic really did lay bare the inequities that already existed and then made them worse - and specifically with our unhoused community. There's an initiative right now, Compassionate Seattle that - frequently, initiatives are responses to a failure of leadership and as you said, we've had this crisis for quite some time. This initiative is now up. We've talked about it before on the show. I guess I'm wondering, one, do you support Compassionate Seattle? And if not, how does your vision differ? Colleen Echohawk: [00:03:39] Yeah. Well, I think that what we're seeing, and you've talked about this already, is that this is what happens when you declare an emergency and the problem only gets worse for the next five years. We have people trying to fill the vacuum that was created by years of inaction at City Hall. I, in some ways, and, well, in many ways, I appreciate that someone is trying to get something done. I appreciate that. That is a good thing. I think something that's really hard for me with Compassion Seattle is that people that I have worked with for years and years, people who are national leaders around homelessness, they helped really craft this. I saw the very first draft, and then I saw the last draft. We all can see the last draft, and it's night and day from what it looked like. But I think there's some very significant problems. The number one thing is that the funding - that is not at all adequate funding just to solve this crisis that we're in, so that's the number one thing. The second thing is it's weird to change the City Charter. I don't think that's a good way to do governance - it's like amending the Constitution. I just don't think that's the right way of doing it. And then, third and probably the most important piece, is that they did not spend enough time working with our Lived Experience Coalition. There were a couple of people who had lived experience of homelessness, who did give their opinions and were part of the final design, but I think that we have a very strong Lived Experience Coalition. I think they should have a say in this.  So, I am struggling with it because of all those factors. I don't think I will personally vote for it. But I am supportive that people want to do something and have pushed this forward - and we'll see what happens. I think that there is a lot of opposition - even on the right - to it, which is fascinating. But what I hear and I see from Compassion Seattle is that people are frustrated and angry that we have not done this work in the way that we should, and they want to get something done. Crystal Fincher: [00:06:00] Okay, so what I heard from you wasn't quite a No - you're struggling with it, and you've certainly identified some of the issues that a lot of people have with it. I guess one of the opportunities that you have is - if you're elected mayor, that you get to fill that leadership vacuum that created this initiative anyway. So why not just vote no and then do what you should be doing in the first place? Colleen Echohawk: [00:06:23] Well, I just said that I'm not going to vote Yes on it. I think that the hard thing for me, like I mentioned earlier, and we actually talked about this before starting - is I have some really good people, friends, who were a part of it and I see why it's so hard. But I think the funding mechanism is the main reason that I'm not going to vote for it. I think we have to have more robust funding mechanisms. In our plan, that we have on our website, and invite people to take a look at it - in fact, we're going to drop some really nuts and bolts things today - goes far beyond what the Compassionate Seattle initiative has. We're calling it 22 steps to get all the people that are outside into housing in 14 months. I think that having 1,000-2,000 emergency housing units is not enough. These are human beings, these are children, these are elders. We have to have initiative right now - treat this truly like the emergency that it is - and get people inside. And that's what I'll do if elected mayor. Crystal Fincher: [00:07:35] What are some of those steps? What are some of the specifics that people can see you take - that demonstrate you're treating it like the crisis that it is - and that actually work to solve the problem and you're laying out in 14 months? That's ambitious. Colleen Echohawk: [00:07:48] Yeah. Well, it's ambitious and it comes from years of experience of working with our homeless community. The number one thing, the moment that I am elected, we will use the transition period to identify hotels, identify unused land, identify - if it's tiny homes or whatever - find those spaces immediately so that the moment we get into office, we can just hit the ground running on getting this work done. We know that we're going to have to have an all-of-the-above approach on the emergency housing. And I do want to say something quickly - one of the answers and the biggest answer to homelessness is permanent housing. That's just the reality. We have to have that in our minds and recognizing that as a goal. But while we're doing that, we also have to have the emergency housing that gets up and running. And so, we will use all-of-the-above approach, find the land so we can move all the RVs onto that land, and offer really good services.  We have a plan for a 100 outreach workers to build those relationships. The outreach workers we help to hire from the Lived Experience Coalition and other folks with lived experience, and build those relationships. We saw, through the pandemic, the program Just Cares. I was honored to participate in that program. We were able to build those relationships in those encampments, move the entire encampment into a hotel. And they went willingly - we weren't sweeping people. They were just going because it was a better option. And so- Crystal Fincher: [00:09:37] Well, that's a good point. Colleen Echohawk: [00:09:37] Yeah. Crystal Fincher: [00:09:38] Do you ever see a reason to sweep people? Colleen Echohawk: [00:09:41] No. No. I think that with good engagement - with talented and good outreach - you don't have to sweep. You can go out there and build that relationship and get folks into housing and security. These are human beings. Let's not forget that. That's the other thing that I think - the reason I'll be a good mayor is that these are not numbers to me. These are people that I know, and love, and appreciate - and I'm willing to get out there and take the responsibility to find the kind of housing that's going to work for them. This is an opportunity for Seattle - we either can create the right leadership in the mayor's office or not. We have to do something. These folks deserve for someone to fight for them, and I will be that person to fight for them. Crystal Fincher: [00:10:39] When you talk about - certainly, permanent housing is the ultimate solution to homelessness - we also have an affordability crisis. How do you address that? What's the answer? Colleen Echohawk: [00:10:53] Yeah. We are quickly moving towards - only the very, very rich can enjoy this city. Honestly, that really bothers me. This is a Native city, this is a Coast Salish city. We have legislation in 1865 that said Native people cannot be in the city limits. We pushed out our Muckleshoot community, whose land we're on right now - the City of Seattle is. And so, we have to find ways to stop the gentrification and to bring back our community into Seattle. We need to really understand the affordability crisis, and that's going to be rezoning. There's just no way around it. We, in our campaign, are talking about the middle. What does that look like? How can we get there? There are ways that we can do the rezoning work with the neighborhoods, with public space designers, and make sure that we are doing it in a good way. But we cannot continue as we are. Crystal Fincher: [00:12:04] What is that way? We hear about NIMBYism. We hear people vehemently opposed to changing the culture of the neighborhood and wanting things to maintain exactly the way that they are. And people - they're afraid of their property values and all of that - so what is the answer? How do you see you can come to - what is that middle ground? Colleen Echohawk: [00:12:29] Yeah. You're hitting the proverbial nail on the head. I think a big part of what we are missing is vision. That has been something that was frustrating for me from our current mayor and the previous mayor as well - not communicating effectively about what this city should look like, and even not communicating what the plan is around homelessness or whatever issue that we're dealing with. As mayor of the City, I will be communicating - I will let people know what the plans are, and I also hope to really help people understand a vision for equity and racial justice in our city.  We have to realize - I drove through Ballard the other day. There's Black Lives Matter signs in so many houses all through Ballard. If you believe that Black Lives Matter, then you believe Black people deserve great housing in our city. If you believe Black Lives Matter, then you believe that that kid in the South End who has high rates of asthma and going back and forth into the emergency room all the time because of the air quality, you believe that we have to make changes and implement our climate policies. I am going to help our region - help Seattle - understand what it truly means when we grab onto these slogans. That will be my vision. That will be what I will be very clear about from the get-go and through this campaign. And so, we have to just understand, and if we really want to be a progressive city and live out these values, then we're going to have to change. Crystal Fincher: [00:14:26] You talk about that - so many people do have those signs in there. I've talked about before - allyship is a verb - and does raise the question, "Are you acting like those Black lives matter or is that just a convenient sign to have in the yard?" I do think that that value is shown through zoning. I also think that value is shown through how we keep each other safe, and protect our neighbors, and relate to each other. That certainly has to do with the conversation around policing and public safety here. You were appointed by the former mayor to the Community Police Commission. Just looking at the work that you've done there and the insight that you have - what do you think was positive - from what you did from the Community Police Commission? Where do you think we need to go, specifically policy-wise, with policing in Seattle? Colleen Echohawk: [00:15:21] Well, I love that you said the positive part of it. That's important. I want to recognize that. There are some incredibly dedicated people in the Community Police Commission - Reverend Walden. There's just a tremendous amount of people who have ensured that our police accountability that is in place right now through the consent decree - that it happened. We have certainly had rousing meetings. If you've never gone to a Community Police Commission meeting, they're lively - let's say that - because the issue is so close to home. As leader of the Chief Seattle Club, we serve the family of John T. Williams. It is very close - many of the people that I know and love walked alongside John T. Williams all the time, and they are petrified and afraid of Seattle Police Department. We have many people, and I don't know if folks recognize this - in our homeless community - sadly, we have physical and sexual assaults that happen. They will not report. They do not want to talk to Seattle Police Department and they continue to have to deal with so much trauma that we can't actually wrap our arms around because of the fear of Seattle Police Department. And so, the work there has to change. I'm also really proud of the Seattle Community Police Commission - that we stood against the 2018 contract. I personally went with members of the Commission to the mayor's office and we pleaded with her to not move forward with this contract. And now we can see, over the summer, the terrible outcome of that. I have competitors - opponents - in this race who voted for that contract. As we move forward in police accountability, we need to have a leader who is going to be courageous and take a stand. That's going to be with-- the two most important things we're going to see come out in the new mayor's office is hiring the chief of police and, of course, the contract. Both of those places will require community-led focus and work with the Community Police Commission. One of the things that has been hard as a Community Police Commissioner - is that we often are ignored by the mayor's office - time after time after time. In fact, there's now a dashboard on the Community Police Commission website that shows all the times that we've been ignored. I am committed to that commission. I'm committed to actually, having been there, increasing the power and authority of that commission. And not just the commission - I want to be working with the community as well. The commission can only represent so much. But we are committed, and you can see this in our plan on the website, to bi-monthly meetings with community around policing and making sure that we are understanding where we're headed as a city. Crystal Fincher: [00:18:48] Well, and you mentioned the two big things - they're huge - in terms of the Seattle Police Officers Guild contract, in addition to hiring a new police chief. With that contract, I mean, that dictates so much - even beyond the police chief's control. I guess the first question is, would you need the 2017 ordinance to be included in that contract? If it didn't include those elements, would you sign that contract? What are the bright lines for you when it comes to that negotiating and what you need to see from that contract - to make sure that it's going to serve the residents - all of the residents of Seattle? Colleen Echohawk: [00:19:25] I think that the crowd control issue is something that is on top of mind for our residents in Seattle. Demilitarizing the police. Those are the things, to me, that are top priorities when it comes to the contract. We cannot relent. We have to have better outcomes when we - we will have other protests. That is clear. We're going to have more protests. I am behind that. I know it can help, that it can make change. But we have to make sure that crowd control - what happened over the summer - never happens again. And so, those are two places in the contract that are going to be key for me. The other thing, and the state legislature has pushed some of this far, and hopefully we can go even further in future legislative sessions - but we have to hire a chief of police that will truly hold our police department accountable. And what I mean by that is that right now, when a chief... Which by the way, chief... That, to me- Crystal Fincher: [00:20:45] Yeah. You know what? Yep. Colleen Echohawk: [00:20:47] ... it's weird. It's weird. I think Toronto has changed that from a word that has been co-opted from the Native community. It's a very weird thing, but it is what it is. Crystal Fincher: [00:21:02] We could do a whole show. There is so much language that even just internally, in my business, that we've talked about, that is so common in business language and common language, that is just co-opted there. Colleen Echohawk: [00:21:15] It is. Crystal Fincher: [00:21:16] It really is discomforting. Colleen Echohawk: [00:21:20] It is discomforting. It's not something that is helpful in our work towards equity. But anyways, it is what it is. The chief of police will need to be holding folks accountable - that means disciplining and not being afraid of disciplining. That means when we fire someone, and then it goes to the arbitration board, and they come back and they say, "You know what? You have to keep this person in the department." Our plan says that person never goes near public. And I can tell you from personal experience about that - is that I have seen with my own eyes a Seattle police officer follow a native homeless man who is - he jaywalked in Pioneer Square. Everyone jaywalks in Pioneer Square. He's jaywalking and eventually they take him to the ground and I saw it, I put in my protest at Office of Police Accountability. They said, "No, sorry. The officer was fine. He was doing his job." But what was weird to me is that later on I had someone in our organization, another staff member say, "Hey, Colleen, look at this video." It was a YouTube video - that same exact officer and that same exact man - going at it again and taking him down to the ground again. I cannot believe that that was not intentional - that jaywalking, with the same guy, same officer. And so, when we know that an officer has been disciplined for something like that, that officer doesn't get back on the street. I'm going to hire a chief of police that will say, "You know what, I'm going to follow the direction of the mayor. We're not going to have bad cops out there on the street. We just cannot do it." That's something that is doable right now, right? Because the contract is the contract - I believe in arbitration, we've got to support our unions. But we can actually do something to keep bad cops off the street. And that's one of the key components of our plan. I feel it so deeply - I've experienced it myself and we have to do better. We have to change. Crystal Fincher: [00:23:33] So I just wanted to clarify - do you support the 2017 Police Accountability Ordinance and including that as a minimum or requirement in a new police contract? Colleen Echohawk: [00:23:46] Yeah. Absolutely, and I appreciate you saying a minimum because there are things about the 2017 accountability that we need to take further. I mentioned in our earlier conversation that I've put in my own complaints to the Office of Police Accountability, and I did not get responses that were adequate. So we need to change some of those things there. I think that the next contract - we should make it even stronger, have more accountability. Also, one thing that I really care tremendously about is that we find ways to ensure that the Community Police Commission has a stronger voice. That's something I would also be advocating for in the contract that's coming up. Crystal Fincher: [00:24:30] Well, we are also still in the middle of a pandemic. Colleen Echohawk: [00:24:32] Yeah. Crystal Fincher: [00:24:34] We can see the end, hopefully - and Seattle's doing a job that's better than most in terms of vaccination rates. Still, definitely, improvement can be made. But there's still a lot of people struggling. There's still a lot of people out of work. We saw where a lot of the haves didn't really feel much pain throughout the pandemic. But, man, the have-nots have been hurting, are hurting worse, and they're still hurting. People in Seattle, from service workers to artists, are still out of work. A lot of our small businesses are still trying to figure out a way to stay afloat, if they haven't already been forced to close. What do you see as the path forward? I guess, starting with, do you support the JumpStart Tax? Colleen Echohawk: [00:25:24] Absolutely. Yes. We have to have further revenue and we have to do better of ensuring that our communities - I come from the Native community - the Black community, the other people color communities, that we are accessing these resources that are coming out of City Hall. The Office of Economic Development - they had grants. But those grants - I'm dying to do an audit on those. I am almost sure that our small businesses who are BIPOC did not have fair access to those. I asked - I get my nails done, and I went and was talking to my friend who owns the business. She's Vietnamese, English is the second language - she's an incredible, incredible human. I said, "Well, did you get a grant?" And she said, "Nope." I said, "Did you get PPP?" "No." I think that as mayor, because I come from a place of working for some of the most vulnerable people in our community - that's my lens. Those are the people that I'm going to be thinking about and wanting to hear their voices, wanting to see their leadership, and make sure that that person out there in this nail salon and suffering through this crisis. I'm so glad that her business is up and running, but it is still - there's a lot of people who were getting their nails done who aren't back.  So that, to me, is of utmost importance. I am eager to get in there and be supporting communities of color. The other thing I'll add, just around the pandemic, is health equity. One of the things that just really pushed me into doing this, as well - is understanding how COVID impacted communities of color - understanding that as a Native woman, I was much more likely to be hospitalized If I contracted COVID, much more likely to die of COVID. That was something that was just so hard for us when we were working with our homeless community, who are Native - was we had people out there who their first language was their Native language, and there's not many people like that anymore. We had people who know the culture in a way that no one else knows because there's so few of us left. Keeping those elders alive was such a big priority for me during this pandemic. So health equity will be of utmost importance. I've been meeting regularly with Black birth workers and talking to them about what our plans could be in the mayor's office, and we'll continue to flesh out those policies. But I can tell you that health equity will be a lens for me. One of the folks that are endorsing me, that I'm very proud of, is Dr. Ben Danielson. I will be asking for his advice and mentorship through this process of what we should be doing to understand the health impact, and the long-term health impacts of COVID on our community, and especially some of our communities that were hit the hardest by it. Crystal Fincher: [00:28:53] Well, there are a few Seattleites with more credibility when it comes to health equity and just overall community health than Dr. Ben Danielson. So it would be great to know that he would be an advisor to the mayor's office. I guess, looking at that - what do we need to do, moving forward, in terms of - you talked about disparate impacts to BIPOC people in communities. Pollution - lots of times people think of climate change - in addition, pollution, are two big issues facing all of our community, but particularly the BIPOC community. How can you impact that? What plans do you have as mayor to reduce pollution and the effects of that - that are literally taking years off of the life of residents here in the City? It's very different, depending on what your zip code is. What can you tangibly achieve? Colleen Echohawk: [00:29:57] Yeah. There's a lot out there that is super exciting. We're working around food access and food sovereignty systems, working with the Muckleshoot tribe. We have Valerie Segrest who's supporting our campaign and is helping lead some of that policy. Public transportation is a big part of what we need to do in order to change our outcomes around carbon emissions. 60% of our carbon emissions right now are coming from cars. So I am a huge proponent of more transportation making Seattle truly workable. Right now it's too hard to connect to things. In 2018, my family and I were able to go to Japan. That city - man, it just - that country, Tokyo specifically, works. You can just be on public transportation. And so, we have to have vision for that. But beyond all that, there's a lot of policies out there - we're pushing out our own policies, everyone on the campaign trail right now is pushing out policies. But we've had policy after policy after policy - and every year, our carbon emissions get worse. I'm curious what 2020 will look like because of COVID. But there's a disconnect, and what we have to realize is that we need courageous leadership. We need someone who is going to say, "We are going to get there. We are going to become denser." That's the other issue - we have policy, we know what the policies are - but will we have the courage to change, is something that I am thinking about all the time. My whole career has been about making change. My whole career has been about standing up and saying, "Hold on a second. How can that be, and how can we ensure that our communities of color, our Native communities are going to thrive in these situations?" And so, I will bring that same lens to the mayor's office. It is time for us to get serious about climate change. And the other thing I'll add to that is - I'm really excited about working with our tribes who have a government-to-government relationship with the city of Seattle, which is Suquamish and Muckleshoot. I like to say that we'll know that we have turned the corner on climate change when you look at a Puget Sound and it's abundant, full of orcas - because then we know that our salmon are in clean water and they are thriving. And then we know that our kid out in the South End is breathing clean air - and it is a part of a whole system. That's where I want us to get to. That's my vision. We have to be able to make those changes, and have the vision for it, and make it happen. Crystal Fincher: [00:32:58] You mentioned that the proportion of pollution that is directly attributable to cars and vehicles - at least one of your opponents is highly in support of free transit for all. Do you also support that? Colleen Echohawk: [00:33:15] Yeah. I'm worried about the funding. But absolutely, I think that there is such - it would make the difference. I think that people would get out there and get on public transportation if it was free, but I don't know exactly how we're going to pay for that. But we do have - we have a friend in the White House, at last. And looking at those federal dollars is something that I will be aggressive about. I have a pretty good track record of raising money. My agency at Chief Seattle Club - we're raising tons and tons of money. I have gotten very good at doing that - and I will do that at the federal level, I'll do that at the local level - and get those dollars in. I'm sorry, I got a little sidetracked about raising money there because I get excited about that. But yes, free transit is a really, really great idea. But as the CEO of the City, the mayor of the City, you've got to know where the dollars are coming from, and that's the only concern. I would love to see that. And we already are doing some good things there. The ORCA LIFT program is really powerful, it's doing good things. And I think finding ways to make sure that that is more accessible to our community should be a priority of our mayor. Crystal Fincher: [00:34:39] So you wouldn't stand in the way of the policy, but finding funding for it may not be a priority of a Echohawk administration. Colleen Echohawk: [00:34:48] My first priority of an Echohawk administration is to solve the crisis of homelessness. Having 5,000-6,000 people sleeping outside - I feel like it's immoral in a city like Seattle. And so that will be my first priority. That's where any funding that we have out there - it's got to go towards that. And then, once we get that settled, we have a 14-month plan for getting folks who are living outside inside. Then I'll be looking at other priorities like free transit, because it is a beautiful idea and I would love to see that happen. Crystal Fincher: [00:35:26] So in a sea of candidates who are saying that addressing the homelessness crisis is also a priority, what will - from a voter's perspective, from a resident's perspective - how will an Echohawk administration be visibly, tangibly different than all of your competitors? Colleen Echohawk: [00:35:45] Well, I think number one is that I have a proven track record of solving homelessness. In the past seven years at Chief Seattle Club, we've housed 681 people. We're building $180 million of affordable housing. I'm the only candidate that's built affordable housing. It's also the main reason I'm jumping into this race. I am not going to be a career politician. I am jumping in this race because I am frustrated, I care about our homeless community, I care about our larger community, and I have the skills to get it done. I think that is something that truly sets me apart. No one else has ever been successful at actually housing people, and I care about them. I was taught to jump in when there is people who are hurting. I grew up with parents who literally would pick up hitchhikers off the side of the road, and then they would live in our house if they were homeless. That is where I come from. And so, that's what I'll bring to the mayor's office. Crystal Fincher: [00:36:57] I mean, and you say you don't want to be a career politician, so do you have a term limit in mind? I always wonder that when people say that. Is there a maximum term that separates you from being a politician to a career politician? Colleen Echohawk: [00:37:10] I don't know. This is hard. Everyone was like, "Colleen, campaigning is hard. Being in this world is hard," and it is. And so, I don't know how much of this I want to do. I think that if we're successful in our first year, which I think we will - in our first four years, which I think we will be. I think that the City of Seattle needs to have a two-term mayor. We haven't had one in a really, really long time, and we need some consistency. It's part of the reason that our climate policy hasn't gotten to where we want it to get. So that could be it.  But I don't have any ambitions to be a Governor or a Senator, or - I like Seattle. When I was thinking about doing this, I had an opportunity come up in DC. And I was talking about my sister who lives in DC - she's like, "Colleen, why would you do that? You love Seattle. That's your place." And I was like, "Okay." That was helpful for me. Seattle's my place. I look forward to - I have a lot of other things I want to do in my lifetime. But if I can support our community now, I really believe that you should do that.  Well, and the other thing that's exciting for me is that - to be the first woman mayor, indigenous mayor of a major city is really cool for me. I have a daughter who has the most incredible leadership skills. When she was three, she told me she wanted to be the leader who's in charge of the other leaders. I love that. I'll never forget it. I mean, she should be President of the United States someday. If she can see that her mom, a Native woman, was able to be the mayor of a major city in this country, and is willing to take on the hard parts of it - because it is hard. She's saying to me sometimes like, "Wait, you're not getting done with work until like 8:30?" or whatever. But I want her to see that Native leadership and indigenous perspective's important for our country, and I love that part of it. It's something that we need. I want my daughter to see that you can do it, and that you should do it - if you have a call for leadership and you have a call to serve the community, so that part is pretty cool. Crystal Fincher: [00:39:49] Well, thank you so much for taking the time to join us today and have this conversation, and look forward to seeing how the race unfolds. Colleen Echohawk: [00:39:56] Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it. Crystal Fincher: [00:39:59] Thank you for listening to Hacks and Wonks. Our chief audio engineer at KVRU is Maurice Jones Jr. The producer of Hacks and Wonks is Lisl Stadler. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii, spelled F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I, and now you can follow Hacks and Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Just type in "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar, be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our midweek show delivered to your podcast feed. You can also get a full text transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced during the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in. Talk to you next time.

This week's episode, taped at ZINC contemporary art space in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood, highlights the gorgeous new group show "COLOR CURE." Then, "The Living," a punk band from the early '80s that included 17-year-old Duff McKagan, is finally releasing their debut record. Also, singer and songwriter Payge Turner recounts her 2020 appearance on NBC's "The Voice" and performs her original song, "Surrender." Plus, the charming and ebullient Jed Dunkerley leads a walking tour through the art-inflected landscape of South Lake Union.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said Tuesday that the city is working on new methods to protect freedom of speech while holding protesters accountable for acts of vandalism committed during demonstrations.Her comments come hours after store front windows were shattered and graffiti splashed on walls during a Monday night march to protest the shooting of Daunte Wright by a police officer near Minneapolis.“We will support those people who protest peacefully but the people who come just bent on destruction and committing crime, we won't condone that at all” Durkan said.No arrests were made and there were no violent confrontations between marchers and police that resulted in injuries. About 100 people dressed all in black had gathered at Pioneer Square’s Occidental Park before they later marched through city streets in the area.Support the show (https://buymeacoff.ee/seattlepodcast)

You've never met a more powerful pastry.    The buttery,  decadent (sometimes ugly delicious) goodies that come from the kitchen at The Pastry Project represent a fair opportunity for many to break into the pastry industry, and learn job skills that can propel them into a successful career.   That's the hope and mission that Heather Hodge and Emily Kim dreamed up and this social enterprise is nothing less than a phenomenal asset to our city's thriving food scene.    After leading social and kitchen staffing roles at Seattle's famed Molly Moon's Ice Cream Shop, these two saw barriers to entry and moved quickly to remedy with their own free 14 week training program.    The thoughtful insight in removing barriers for students - even beyond the immediate needs of a teaching classroom, exhibit the deep hearts of these women who care for the equity of human beings.   Through strong partnerships with local companies, new graduates can feel confident to pursue dreams in the industry and beginners can have an opportunity to learn thanks to referrals from contributing non-profits.   Our conversation occurred during the midday baking buzz, as you'll hear from their neighbor The London Plane.   It's about as authentic as it gets, and I love it.    Learn about Heather and Emily's admiration for each other and the real struggles they faced in their life's journey and Pastry Projects first year.   Emily also shares an intimate and personal process of a post she wrote regarding the recent tragedies in the AAPI community.   Her words prompted a thoughtful conversation in my own home regarding culture, discrimination, and our greater awareness to the pain and hate that has existed for so long.  This is a worthy listen. I hope you'll find time for it.For more information about The Pastry Project, or to order a goody box,  kit or take a class:www.thepastryproject.coFind them on Instagram at : @thepastryproject_Help support and fund their 14 week training program: https://www.thepastryproject.co/donateSo excited to have The Pastry Project as a collaborator for our Modern May Day  experience May 7, 2021.   Check it out, see their contribution, and register here: www.wearesocialcreative.com

Crystal is joined by Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis from District 7 (from Pioneer Square to Magnolia). They get in to Mayor Durkan's passed up FEMA funding, the removal of the Denny Park encampment, how the city council is trying to address our homelessness crisis, Seattle Police Officers Guild contract negotiations, and whether or not the city of Seattle should help bail out the convention center. As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii. Find today's guest,Councilmember Andrew Lewis, @CMAndrewJLewis. More information is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Resources Read about the FEMA funding Mayor Durkan turned down here: https://publicola.com/2021/03/04/mayors-office-says-hotel-shelter-service-costs-are-not-eligible-for-fema-funding-shelter-providers-and-fema-guidelines-disagree/  Learn about the removal of the Denny Park encampment here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/at-denny-park-city-is-quietly-trying-to-sweep-homeless-campers-without-police/  Read Danny Westneat's coverage of homeless encampment removal in John C. Little Park (referenced in the show as John Miller park) here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/the-story-of-one-ordinary-park-brings-new-hope-for-seattles-homelessness-emergency/  Read about Councilmember Lewis's “It Takes a Village” initiative here: https://www.seattle.gov/council/meet-the-council/andrew-lewis/it-takes-a-village  Learn about modular tiny homes being produced in Everett here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/an-everett-companys-tiny-homeless-shelters-pop-up-in-portland-more-cities-across-u-s/  Find out more about Capitol Hill's new supportive housing complex, the Clay Apartments, here: https://lihi.org/2020/12/10/the-clay-apartments/  Read about some of the moves made this year by the Washington State legislature on police accountability here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/washington-legislature-takes-up-excessive-force-by-law-enforcement/  Follow all things legislature at leg.wa.gov Learn about the CAHOOTS alternative to policing program in Eugene, Oregon here: https://www.npr.org/2020/06/10/874339977/cahoots-how-social-workers-and-police-share-responsibilities-in-eugene-oregon  Read about some of the challenges of negotiating the new Seattle Police Officers Guild contract here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/federal-judge-to-seattle-city-council-tread-carefully-with-efforts-to-defund-police-or-risk-violating-consent-decree/  Find out more about the convention center bailout here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/city-state-look-to-join-king-county-in-multimillion-dollar-washington-state-convention-center-bailout/    Transcript Crystal Fincher: [00:00:00] Welcome to Hacks & Wonks. I'm your host, Crystal Fincher. On this show, we talk to political hacks and policy wonks to gather insight into local politics and policy through the lens of those doing the work and provide behind-the-scenes perspectives on politics in our state. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. I wanted to welcome to the show, Andrew Lewis, the councilmember from District 7. Thanks so much for joining us today, Andrew. Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:01:02] Yeah. Thank you for having me. It's great to be here. Crystal Fincher: [00:01:04] Well, there've been a few things that have happened at the Seattle City Council lately. Certainly in the past year you have been busy dealing with the pandemic, the economic challenges covered by that, and then all the issues that we're dealing with in the City that have in many ways been exacerbated by both the health and economic crisis. And I guess I want to start out just talking about homelessness and trying to get people housed, which you've certainly done a lot of work on. So I just wanted to get overall - what have you been doing? Where does the City stand on helping get people who don't have homes into stable housing? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:01:50] Yeah. Well, that has certainly been the most defining thing that we've been dealing with at the Seattle City Council. It's something that predated my service on the Council and I'm hoping it will be a crisis that we've been able to resolve by the time that I leave. And I think it's best to talk about it in short-term and long-term things that we need to do. And like so many other things, COVID came along and made an already intolerable crisis of having so many of our neighbors live on the streets even worse. By some estimates we've lost as much as a third of our shelter capacity, as they've had to deintensify and kick more people out into the street who were in shelter before. We've had inpatient behavioral mental health programs shrink and deintensify. All of these things have added up to even more unsheltered homelessness in the City of Seattle at a time when we really didn't need it to be going in that direction. So in the short-term, we need to provide a lot more shelter. And I think we need to follow the lead of a lot of other West Coast cities and really lean into using emergency relief from the federal government and from other sources to stand up more emergency shelter. And that can come in the form of hotels, it can come in the form of tiny house villages. Just whatever it is - something that is desirable, something that has privacy, something that has everything that people need to be successful, to be warm, and to be safe. And we need to do that in the short-term, and we need to do that soon.  In the long-term, we really need to have a regional strategy around scaling permanent supportive housing. And the City Council passed last week a big bill that I put forward on permanent supportive housing to make sure that we are waiving every piece of red tape we possibly can in the City of Seattle to build more permanent supportive housing and build it faster. So that includes things like exempting it from design review. It includes removing certain development mandates that exist for commercial housing, like onsite bike storage, for example, or onsite parking, or things that are less relevant for supportive housing and that add extra expense and waiving those. And saving $45,000 per unit, not per building, but per unit in cost. So, for the long-term, we need to be building that permanent supportive housing. And in the short-term, we got to be standing up these shelter assets. We have stood up some shelter over the course of the last year and that's great, but as we can see visibly, the demand and the need is far greater and we need to keep working on that. Crystal Fincher: [00:04:47] And that's absolutely true. You brought up a point that's certainly been in the news lately - talked about following the lead of other cities and getting federal relief. Certainly has been a lot of conversation about FEMA dollars that were made available to reimburse, at least partially, housing and getting people at least into hotels - space where they do have shelter. But the mayor has been resistant to doing that, which has just seemed really confusing and strange to a lot of people. One of the biggest barriers that we're facing is the cost of providing this housing, and if there's the opportunity to get at least part of it reimbursed, why would we not move forward and do that? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:05:38] Yeah. I think that where the disagreement has been - and it's certainly true that it's complicated. It is not an easy process to apply, for example, for FEMA funding, which I think specifically is what you're referring to. And there's been some reporting by Erica C. Barnett about this and about the FEMA funding. And I think what we've heard from the mayor's office is that there are certain formalities that need to be followed. And my response to that, and I think the response of a lot of my Council colleagues is, "Sure, let's really dig in and let's do those formalities that are required. And let's take full advantage of it." We know that other cities on the West Coast are doing it. Los Angeles probably is doing it most prominently, although San Francisco of course, has been doing it as well. We also know that the scope is a little bit limited in who can benefit. It has to be limited to people who have a unique vulnerability to COVID. Now that conceded, I would venture to guess - quite a few of our neighbors experiencing homelessness under those criteria would qualify. So there certainly is a way we can design a strategy here and expand the scope of how many people we're getting inside. Crystal Fincher: [00:06:59] Have also been concerned - and I saw a Twitter thread you had about the Denny Park encampment removal from about a week ago. Do you think that should have happened? Do you think that's how we should be handling things? And how do you think we should be dealing with encampments throughout the city? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:07:25] I think that's best answered by looking at a tale of two parks. And I think a lot of people who've been watching Danny Westneat's coverage of tiny house villages in particular, has noticed that there was this common theme in the late fall, where he did a series of three columns chronicling what was going on at John C. Miller park in South Seattle, where the Low Income Housing Institute went down there, coordinating with Councilmember Morales' office. There were about 10 people that were camping there, and they were able to get everyone into a tiny house village - no sweep required. There's no tents in that park at all anymore. And all the people that were there are now in shelter.  I think contrasted with Denny Park, the thing that was frustrating to me - sweeps can actually, we've noticed, have an inverse effect where it can actually lead to more people hearing about the sweep and coming and congregating at the park because they think if they go there, they'll be able to get an offer of shelter. So Denny Park, there were maybe about 12 people that were still camping there when the notice of sweep was posted. On the day of the actual sweep, that number had gone up considerably. There were more people that were there because word had gotten out about it. And I think that that contrasts in a less favorable way with what happened at John C. Miller Park, where we were able to more lead with a matched offer of, "This is the amount of space that we have. Let's go out to John C. Miller Park, give everyone a tiny house." And people will accept it, people will accept something that's better, as Chloe Gale with REACH always says. And it worked - there's no tents in that park, there are still no tents in that park, but we know that people were turned away at Denny Park without shelter. And I'll say this - we know where those 10 people at John C. Miller Park were - we know where they are now, they're in a tiny house village. There's a lot of people who are at Denny Park that are now camping in another unsanctioned place, somewhere in the Downtown core, somewhere in South Lake Union. I think what we increasingly need to do is make sure we're scaling up, be it tiny houses, be it hotel rooms, but a space for people to go, because we've seen that that's what makes these things more effective. And it's been the case with a lot of these sweeps where we're just moving folks from one location to another. Crystal Fincher: [00:09:55] Right. And the CDC has recommended against doing sweeps, certainly in a pandemic. Do you ever see a justification for doing a sweep of an encampment? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:10:06] I think that there can be, in circumstances where someone has camped in a place where they're at an incredible hazard to life or health. And by that, I mean, we've had a lot of cases in the news over the last few years of people that are camping next to an off-ramp who get hit by cars and killed, for example. So I think that there's places there, where if there's an exigent risk, that it's a hazard, people could die from something like that, that I think it makes sense. I think it can also make sense in limited circumstances where, and there's been a couple of these recently too, where there's been encampments that aren't being used for shelter, they're being used for highly concerning criminal activity, be it human trafficking or whatever else, and they're not being used for shelter. And if you can establish that through careful investigation, then a removal can be warranted.  But in cases where people are using a tent for shelter, which is the overwhelming majority of tents, we need to be really intentional and leading with engagement and leading with outreach, because if we're constantly just churning people around in the community, we're not resolving the underlying issue. And indeed what we've been seeing, I think increasingly is, like if a business district or something complains about a particular encampment, I think that people are starting to understand that just moving that encampment to someone else's business district doesn't equitably resolve the issue from that standpoint. And it certainly doesn't do anything for the people living in the camp. And that is something that we need to continue to work on. And the only way we can get out of it is by scaling shelter to meet the scale of the crisis, which is what I've been proposing with my It Takes a Village initiative and a couple of other projects my office is working on, in collaboration I'll say, with a broad coalition at this point. It's no longer the case, I think, where there's this division where social justice advocates and service providers are advocating a shelter first approach, and business is advocating sweep first, ask questions later. I think increasingly what we're seeing now is an alliance of groups like the Downtown Seattle Association, which I would say in a lot of ways, it may still have an overtly pro-sweep policy, but have realized that outreach is a lot more effective if you have more shelter options. I think that the notion that used to prevail as recently as two or three years ago, that people living in encampments don't want help, has been completely discredited. Crystal Fincher: [00:13:04] So how many shelter spaces do we need? How can we get there in a... Is it possible to get there in the next couple of years? And what needs to be done to move people from, "Okay, we've got them in shelter and they aren't outdoors," to stable, permanent housing? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:13:27] Yeah. So, we can scale quite a bit of shelter pretty quickly by using a couple of different strategies. One is hoteling, like JustCARE has been doing. The JustCARE initiative, which is a county-funded program active in Pioneer Square and Chinatown ID, has been using hotels, which are really fast, right? We have this huge hotel vacancy rate because of COVID. No one's traveling for work, no one's going on vacation, so hotels are just sitting empty. You don't have to go through a whole process of building the hotel, you don't have to go and site a place to put a FEMA style tent or something. I mean, the hotel rooms are there, it's literally a turnkey operation to get some people in there and use them for shelter. So, I think that's part of it, is the hotels, that's just a matter of, doing a contract and then having a staffing plan and getting folks in there. And that can happen pretty quickly.  I think that some things like tiny house villages - tiny houses can be built pretty quickly. There's some designs out there like Pallet up in Everett, where those modular tiny houses can be assembled. Each unit takes about 30 minutes to assemble, so if you had a bunch of volunteers, you could scale them up pretty quickly. So, I think that we could actually move pretty quickly to scale a lot of these things up to meet the demand. The demand is approximately, based on the 2020 One Night Count, a little over 3,700 people. We have every reason to believe that it's probably higher than that in Seattle. And that's 3,700 people who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness. So that doesn't include our neighbors who are in shelters - they're still considered homeless because they're not in permanent housing yet, but not unsheltered. So the unsheltered homelessness number is around 3,700 or so, probably a little higher because of the challenges we're facing due to COVID. Crystal Fincher: [00:15:36] You're listening to Hacks & Wonks with your host, Crystal Fincher, on KVRU 105.7 FM. Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:15:46] There's some cause for celebration in the permanent supportive housing world in the last two weeks where LIHI recently acquired another permanent supportive building that was just built, The Clay up on Capitol Hill, which is great. It was reported in the Seattle Times. So that will have a pass-through impact, but I think the real key here is we got to be working on moving our bottleneck in that chain of how people get into permanent supportive housing, from these unsanctioned encampments into shelter. Crystal Fincher: [00:16:21] Well, there are certainly a number of competing priorities. There are also a number of candidates - we're going to have a new mayor and a number of people have announced for mayor. We're going to have a new City councilmember, and the other seat is certainly contested with an incumbent running. Have you endorsed anyone? Are you planning to endorse anyone? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:16:48] Well, I've definitely endorsed - my friend and labor sister, Teresa Mosqueda, is running for reelection. I think that she's an outstanding colleague - very excited to work with her and hope that she is resoundingly returned to the Council in the fall, and will be very strongly campaigning for her. My colleague, Councilmember González, who has been the Council President, definitely a good friend of mine - I haven't made an endorsement in the mayor's race yet. Crystal Fincher: [00:17:24] Well, and what do you think these candidates for, certainly the citywide council positions and for mayor, what do you think they need to demonstrate to the residents of Seattle to earn their vote? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:17:38] It's tough when you're in this COVID posture. And under ordinary circumstances, I'd be out at the Legislative District meetings and physical community councils. And I'm doing that kind of outreach right now, but it's all through Zoom meetings. And you know, Crystal, you don't get those opportunities to be in the back, and talk to people, and go talk to somebody after the meeting. So it's hard to know what the vibe on the ground is going to be in this election. I think certainly, there's going to be a lot of questions around public safety and the approach that we're going to take. I think there's definitely going to be a litigation over homelessness on - is homelessness, as I believe, a public health, public housing issue or is it a criminal justice issue? My hope is that it's a debate that will heighten what Seattle can be and not one that's going to be just limited, mired down in acrimony. Crystal Fincher: [00:18:48] I certainly hope so. You mentioned public safety and the direction that you're going to be heading. How do you believe we should proceed and how do you think the SPOG contract should be approached? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:19:04] Yeah. I'm on the Labor Relations Coordinating Committee, so I can't really talk too much about the bargaining. I can say kind of a broad... And actually, I should also clarify in terms of roles, the way the process works, the Council does not bargain itself with any union, but contracts need five Council votes to get ratified. And so, they're negotiated by the mayor. And we have this thing called the Labor Relations Coordinating Committee, where five councilmembers sit on it and we approve parameters so that the mayor can go and bargain. And they'll know if they're within those parameters, they have their five votes for ratification. I can't go too much into that. I can only say that historically one of the big challenges we've seen, and this has been from the federal judge, and the consent decree too, is accountability. The council has been very supportive this session, of a lot of bills that have been brought forward by Joe Nguyen and others down in the Legislature that would strengthen the city's hand in bargaining. We've all been on the record supporting those changes - I think all of us on the Council and the mayor. I think taking a step back and looking at the more broad area of public safety, we can see nationally and internationally, lots of really innovative best practices for how you can change what we have historically seen the role of police - by diversifying it and have a system that's very much informed by public health, where a lot more responders are not police, not armed - in some cases, not even official City employees. I think the good example of that is the CAHOOTS program in Eugene, Oregon, which has been in existence for about 30 years there, where crisis intervention workers and counselors and social workers and mental health clinicians go out and are the first responders on the scene, dispatched directly by 911. The STAR program in Denver is another really good example of this, which is a variation of CAHOOTS that was developed by Denver Justice Project. We really need to be leaning into models like that. So, I think we're seeing nationally a revolution in public safety that really is going to be changing a lot of the underlying assumptions and making the community a lot safer, and making services that are a lot more responsive. Crystal Fincher: [00:21:33] I did want to go back to just your conversation about the police union contract, which does impact so much of what's possible, specifically with discipline and oversight and accountability. And I know that you can't discuss the particulars of negotiation, but as far as your role as a councilmember and approving the contract and voting it up or down, there have been a couple of things that have been talked about for quite some time. One is the 2017 accountability ordinance. The other is whether or not the contract can supersede local Seattle ordinances. Will you be voting for a contract that doesn't include either one of those things, that doesn't include the 2017 accountability ordinance, or that supersedes local ordinances? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:22:26] Yeah, I can't answer that question given my position on the LRPC. What I could just say now is I think it has been clear from the feedback on that last contract from Judge Robart, who is overseeing the federal consent decree process, that there have to be significant changes to the accountability structure in order to comply and square our obligations with the federal consent decree. He's also said that it's possible, that if the city can innovate through our negotiations on other things that accomplish essentially the same goals in different ways, he's open to considering that too. I think that what we can all agree with is that the current accountability structures are not sufficient given what the federal court has said. Crystal Fincher: [00:23:19] That makes sense. And definitely going to be looking forward to seeing how that unfolds. One other issue I wanted to... I think has flown under the radar a little bit, but certainly is talked about in a number of circles, is the issue of the Convention Center bailout. Do you think the City should play a role in providing funds for a Convention Center bailout? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:23:44] I think in approaching that, the first thing we need to do is acknowledge at the front, I know there's been a lot of discussion about this, that the Convention Center is going to be a critical economic engine for our state and our region as we're coming out of COVID. And it is going to be a centerpiece of Downtown recovery, going forward at a time where Downtown, because congregate work, retail, all the things we - nightlife, entertainment, live music - all the things that have made Downtown hum, have been put on hold because of COVID. So, I think having a vibrant Convention Center is going to be a key part of our recovery. I really want to look closely if it comes to that. No specific proposal's been brought forward about the equity of the deal. How much is King County putting in? How much is the State putting in? I want to make sure that we're looking at how we're going to get the money back, because I don't think that it should just be a blank check that's written to the folks that are putting the Convention Center together. I think that there should be some kind of deal to make sure that anything we put in does get paid back. And that that's a realistic plan, not one where the expectation of getting paid back is dubious. But I think that it's definitely something that we should be considering, but those are going to be some of the criteria. So if folks are listening to this that are putting the details together before transmitting it to Council, make sure you incorporate that feedback if you want to appeal to me. Crystal Fincher: [00:25:26] Well, that is definitely getting useful feedback. And I guess in our closing time, I just wanted to ask you, as someone in your position who hears from so many constituents, has such a broad view of what goes into running the City - what should we be paying attention to that we're not, or what's flying under the radar that shouldn't be? Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:25:48] We do have a crisis of unsanctioned encampments that is not a crisis of some big moral failing. Homelessness is the aggregation of so many of the failures of American society and education and public health and criminal justice that all ends up getting visibly put in front of all of us in the form of chronic homelessness. It's something that we've been discussing, but I think we just need to be really clear with the narrative. It is not something that can be dealt with through a law-and-order strategy. And there's a lot of people out there that are using their platforms to either implicitly argue for that, or very explicitly leaving nothing to the imagination, doing that. And I think that it is what we see a lot - I think on the Council and also regional leaders on the County Council and the Legislature too - is people reaching out that have a very conclusory approach to this, which is, "Camping in public with a tent is illegal. And therefore this is very simple, and you're trying to make something complicated that is actually very simple. Enforce the law." I think that there's a lot more we could be doing to push back on that narrative, if only from a pragmatic area of saying like, "Well, look, King County Jail has been deintensified down to 1,400 jail cells. So if you want to go out and arrest 3,700 people for camping, that's not even something that you could do even if we wanted to." And to be clear, we don't, that's not going to solve the underlying issue.  But I think we need to be doing more as progressives, especially in Seattle, to push back on that narrative because I think it is having an impact and eroding our ability to build a regional strategy around homelessness. I think it is resulting in cities like Mercer Island passing these weird, legally dubious ordinances, cities like Renton evicting all homeless shelters out of their city limits. I think that that is the Seattle is Dying thing, it's not really effecting policy in Seattle, but I think we're starting to see it's affecting sentiment in other parts of the County. And it's eroding our ability, I think, to really build the kind of coalition that we need to, to solve this underlying problem. And I think we need to take that very seriously. Crystal Fincher: [00:28:37] Yeah. I completely agree with you, especially the observation that the Seattle is Dying narrative - it's not impacting Seattle. And I actually don't think it's crafted for Seattle. It is very much crafted for suburbs. Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:28:56] And one more point I'll add on that - I appreciate everything you just said - is it feels like every two years, and maybe there was a reset for this because of COVID, and we'll see how this year's election goes. But I feel like we relitigate the same conversation in our municipal elections every two years. I feel like in 2019, this was also the question. It was like, "Is homelessness primarily a law and order problem, or is it primarily a housing, public health problem?" And resoundingly, in that election in 2019, the candidates that were elected - myself and the other folks that won - generally speaking, held that view that it is a housing and public health problem and were successful. And I just get the sense now, going back to our earlier conversation, I think we're going to have a citywide election this year where some people are going to try to relitigate that conclusion. That's got to be the fight this year. And I hope that we can continue to fight for the better angels of the voters in our region on that. Crystal Fincher: [00:30:09] Well, I absolutely agree. And I thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. Look forward to having you back in the future and looking forward to just watching you work throughout the year. So thank you so much. Councilmember Andrew Lewis: [00:30:22] Okay. Thanks for having me. Crystal Fincher: [00:30:26] Thank you for listening to Hacks & Wonks. Our chief audio engineer at KVRU is Maurice Jones Jr. The producer of Hacks & Wonks is Lisl Stadler. You can find me on Twitter, @finchfrii, spelled F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I. And now you can follow Hacks & Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts, just type in "Hacks & Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our mid-week show delivered to your podcast feed. You can also get a full text transcript of this episode and links to the resources referenced during the show at officialhacksandwonks.com and in the podcast episode notes. Thanks for tuning in. Talk to you next time.

Today Crystal and co-host Erica Barnett of Publicola give us an in-depth update on homelessness, and what is being done (or not being done) to address the underlying conditions that cause it. And they ask the question: can homelessness be an issue that is solved through a reginal commission, or is it something each city in the Puget Sound needs to innovate around on their own? As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii. Find today's co-host, Erica C. Barnett, @ericacbarnett. More information is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Resources Read about the Regional Homelessness Authority here: https://publicola.com/2021/03/02/fizz-as-homeless-authority-regroups-citys-homelessness-division-is-at-the-breaking-point/ Learn about King County's recent use of hotels in order to house those experiencing homelessness here: https://crosscut.com/news/2021/02/can-king-county-keep-using-empty-hotels-fight-homelessness See coverage of the recent Denny Park encampment removal here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/at-denny-park-city-is-quietly-trying-to-sweep-homeless-campers-without-police/ Learn about the continually changing way the mayor is seeking to address homelessness here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/seattles-homeless-shelter-surge-unveiled-with-fewer-shelter-beds-more-questions/ Dive into all Erica C. Barnett and Publicola's coverage of current events at publicola.com.   Transcript: Crystal Fincher: [00:00:00] Welcome to Hacks and Wonks. I'm your host Crystal Fincher.  On this show, we talk policy and politics with policy wonks and political hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on politics in our state. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today we're continuing our Friday almost-live show where we review the news of the week.  Welcome back to the program friend of the show and today's co-host, Seattle political reporter, editor of PubliCola and author of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery - Erica Barnett. Erica C. Barnett: [00:00:51] Thank you so much for having me. Crystal Fincher: [00:00:54] Thank you for joining us again. There's a number of things that happened in the past week to talk about. I wanted to talk about a story that you have been covering in detail at PubliCola, and that is funding for JustCARE running out and the mayor's office raising objections to taking federal money to run the hotels. So do you want to talk a little bit about just what has transpired? Erica C. Barnett: [00:01:20] Sure, so there is a program called JustCARE, which is run by the Public Defender Association here in Seattle, that moved about 130 people off the streets in Pioneer Square and the International District into hotels. And they are still there - they're staying in hotels with County funding, but that funding is running out on March 15th unless the County and or the City can come up with money to pay for it.  Separately, or separate and related, there is the issue of FEMA funding, which I've covered a lot on PubliCola - which is basically since the Biden administration came in, they have decided to reimburse cities for a lot of different things that are related to the COVID disaster. But one is shelter and specifically shelter in hotels, and everything that's reimbursable is reimbursable at a hundred percent and most things are reimbursable. The mayor's office has expended, I would say an extraordinary amount of energy, raising objections to this idea of taking this federal funding that is a hundred percent reimbursable. So the city could be spending money on hotels - and a lot of cities have done this already, San Francisco actually just expanded their program by 500 more rooms - and getting reimbursement of a hundred percent of the costs that are eligible, which again is most of the costs. This relates to JustCARE's because they say that the City should be seeking FEMA reimbursement to expand the program and to continue the program. But the city says that that's not possible for a whole host of different reasons, or rather the mayor's office says this. City Council disagrees with her position, pretty much across the board. But the upshot, I mean, is basically because the mayor is the one who makes these funding decisions ultimately, we have not sought FEMA funding for hotels, and we have not expanded the city's hotel based shelter program to anything remotely like what other cities on the West Coast are doing. Crystal Fincher: [00:03:36] Well, and that's really interesting. And one of the questions was - is there just a philosophical difference from the mayor's office and the approach that certainly Council has favored - for putting people without homes up in hotels. Does that seem to be a genesis of some of this conflict? Erica C. Barnett: [00:03:55] Well, I would say, I mean, I can't sort of get into the mayor's mind and her philosophy. The mayor, I should say, also doesn't talk to me directly. She has not granted a single interview with PubliCola or my previous website - it was called The C Is for Crank - since she became mayor. And I've asked many times, so I'm not going to get into her psychology, but I do think that her policy position has been that hotel based shelters are not a good solution. I mean, she obviously has supported other types of shelters for people experiencing homelessness during the pandemic. One is congregate shelter - she's opened up a lot of mass shelters run by mostly The Salvation Army. And she has expressed support for tiny house villages, which is another kind of non congregate shelter. But when it comes to hotels, for whatever reason, I mean, since the very beginning of the pandemic, she has vehemently opposed doing the kind of expansion that cities like San Francisco and LA have done. Now, the City is finally preparing to open its very, very first two hotels, hopefully later this month, at the end of March or so. That's going to shelter around 200 or so people. But I mean, we're talking about a year, more than a year, into this pandemic and we are just now getting the first couple of hotels that are being funded by the City. Now there are other hotels that various service providers have been running on their own and in some cases with City funds, but as far as these kind of federally backed hotels, we're just totally behind the curve on other comparable cities. And I don't know about the philosophical reasons, but certainly the policy has been, and the result has been, that we do not have many hotel based shelters and we have a lot of big mass congregate shelters. Crystal Fincher: [00:05:57] All right, from what I've read, it seems like the mayor's office has said, Well, this isn't something that FEMA can reimburse in full, so that's why we've decided to not go after it. Erica C. Barnett: [00:06:13] Yeah. Crystal Fincher: [00:06:14] But the City Council has said, Well, if we can be reimbursed in part, isn't that still worth it? What is the thought behind that argument? Well, I mean, obviously, again the mayor is not sharing her intimate thoughts with you, but what has been I guess, the basis of their argument there? Erica C. Barnett: [00:06:35] Well, a couple of things and I think it's actually even a little more complicated than that, because the mayor's office insists and has said over and over to me - and this is when I talk about extraordinary energy, I mean, I have just in my inbox just email, after email, after email from the mayor's staff saying why I'm wrong, and why the City Council is wrong, and why service providers are wrong, and why other cities are wrong, and why everybody is wrong, except the mayor. What they would say is that they believe that no services of any kind are reimbursable by FEMA, so staff at the shelters - the mayor's office says are not reimbursable. Just basically any kind of services beyond running a bare bones hotel, where they drop off a meal a couple times a day and provide security and cleaning, the mayor's office says nothing beyond that is reimbursable. That is not in my report, according to my reporting, according to looking at other cities and according to talking to multiple service providers, that is not true. What is not reimbursable is case management and things like behavioral health care. In San Francisco, that's amounted for about 15% of the total costs. So if you're talking about 85% of the cost of hotels being reimbursable at a hundred percent - so that's free money that San Francisco is receiving. And what they do have to figure out how to pay for is the remaining 15%. And that is not me making up a number. That is actually what the San Francisco Chronicle reported this week as what FEMA has, in the real world, chosen not to reimburse for. I mean, it's just a matter of whether you believe other cities' experience and service providers or whether you don't. The other objection the mayor's office has raised, beyond whether any of this stuff is reimbursable, is that it's onerous in their words, or in the words of a memo from their budget director - it's onerous to fill out all the paperwork and to kind of dot all the I's and cross all the T's to get FEMA reimbursement. It's extremely complicated. And from everything I understand, that's absolutely true. It's super complicated to get money from FEMA - we all know this. The question is, do you decide to do the hard thing and make that choice to do the complicated paperwork and to do all the documentation, or do you say it's too hard? And so far the City has said it's too hard. Crystal Fincher: [00:09:15] Well, I think, and correct me if I'm wrong - I saw statements from, I think Councilmembers Lorena González and Tammy Morales saying, Yes, it may be hard, but we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to fulfill our obligation to our tax paying residents. And try to do everything we can to jump through whatever hoops necessary to get this reimbursement. Has there been other statements on behalf of the Council, or what have they shown their direction will be with this? Erica C. Barnett: [00:09:53] Well, I think the Council - I mean, Andrew Lewis, Teresa Mosqueda, Tammy Morales, have all kind of expressed this frust... Dan Strauss. This week at Council - have all expressed this frustration with the fact that they can allocate funding, but in Seattle, the way our system works is whatever the City Council budgets in their budget authority, the mayor doesn't have to spend. And so if they were to say, We're going to allocate or we're going to express a policy position that FEMA funding should be used, the mayor's office doesn't have to pay any attention to that. And so I think they're using their bully pulpit to sort of say this should be a priority and it is a priority for us. But if the mayor's office chooses not to spend that money or not to seek that money, the Council really can't do anything. And that's just kind of a quirk of the way our system works. But ultimately it is in the mayor's hands. Crystal Fincher: [00:10:53] And is that where we stand now - the mayor has to decide or gets to decide what the direction will be, so we may not actually pursue getting this FEMA reimbursement? Erica C. Barnett: [00:11:04] Well, I think yes. And I also think that looking retrospectively, I mean, the problem too is that FEMA funding, and this is one of the objections they raised to the very concept. FEMA funding right now runs out in September - now that could conceivably be extended. But the problem is that we didn't do this from the beginning. I mean, the money was reimbursable at 75% even under the Trump administration. And now it's reimbursable at a hundred percent going all the way back to January 2020, so had we been funding hotels using this money from the very beginning as other cities have done, it would all be reimbursable now. Everything that is eligible would be reimbursable, so it's almost, I don't want to say it's too late to even be having this conversation, but this conversation definitely should have happened earlier. And I think we'd be in a very different place now if we'd had this conversation a year ago, instead of now. Crystal Fincher: [00:12:06] Yeah, it definitely would have been nice to have earlier. It feels like a lost opportunity and a really disappointing oversight on behalf of the mayor's office. But I guess we are here now and hopefully they will pursue moving forward with that. In a related issue, with the County, I wanted to talk about the Regional Homelessness Authority and where it stands, and what's next, and is there even a next? What's going on with that? Erica C. Barnett: [00:12:40] Well, as you know, Regina Cannon from Atlanta was offered the position - she's with C4, I think it's C4 Innovations. It's a consulting firm that works on homelessness, and she was offered the position of CEO of the Authority, which is basically the Executive Director. And she turned it down. And the reasons she turned it down are not entirely clear, but my reporting indicates that one is that this entity is maybe ungovernable because the idea of a regional authority is that you bring together all these disparate cities, and unincorporated areas, and Seattle, and the King County government itself. And they're all going to get together and agree on essentially a unified regional approach to homelessness. And we've seen again and again, that many of these cities do not agree with the quote unquote Seattle way of doing things, which has been a huge issue from the beginning. What are the right solutions to homelessness? Does it include harm reduction based drug treatment, all sorts of things. Right now where they're at is - they're basically going back to the drawing board. When I say they, I mean the implementation board for the Authority. They're going back to the drawing board and looking at the 17 applicants that applied for the position and considering are any of these folks qualified and somebody we would pick to fill that position. There's the runner-up - is a person named Marc Dones, out of Brooklyn. And I believe Brooklyn - in New York City. And they may decide to take the position, but I think the larger question is - is this authority going to work? Is it governable, and is it going to be a better system than we have in place now, which is essentially all the various cities doing their own approaches to homelessness. And I mean, I think the jury is very much still out on that. Crystal Fincher: [00:15:04] You're listening to Hacks and Wonks with your host Crystal Fincher on KVRU 105.7 FM. Yeah. And certainly I've noticed, and there's been lots of coverage on other challenges, not even on homelessness, but just on a variety of issues, whether it's transportation, the approach to COVID and quarantine sites - that there have been challenges between the County and Executive's office and communication with a number of cities in the County. Certainly with a number of South County cities feeling like they haven't had an adequate seat at the table for many decisions, so it seems like there are challenges overall in being on the same page regionally. And certainly with this issue, there has been a wide variety of approaches and stances with this. So what does it look like for a path forward? What are the options? Erica C. Barnett: [00:16:11] Well I mean, one option, the sort of nuclear option would be to say, Look, this regional authority is not going to work. Right now what it consists of is essentially two boards that are - there's like a governing board and an implementation board, and I won't bore you with the details of what the difference is. And there's some staff, but it's very bare bones at this point. It was supposed to be stood up many months ago. And the original plan - they're basically six months behind schedule now. And it's unclear how much this latest setback is going to put them further behind schedule. So nuclear option is saying, You know what, we need to go back to the drawing board. We need to sort of take all the homeless services that Seattle has been doing and retain them at the City of Seattle and beef up the division that actually does that work and is still doing that work now, and figure out a way forward. And I'll add, this is something I covered this week as well. The Homelessness Division within the City of Seattle's Human Services Department is down to about half of what it was a year ago. And they're doing more work than ever before. And people are leaving because they've gotten layoff notices because of this Regional Authority. And there's just like no certainty, so the more people leave, the more work is left for everybody else, the more burned out everybody gets. And so there's a real brain drain that's happening, as the Regional Authority process kind of continues to stall. Another option is hire somebody from that pool, maybe hire Marc Dones, the runner-up or somebody else who was in the pool, and just kind of keep chugging forward. But I think there's a tremendous amount of frustration among the people who actually provide services to people living on the streets and people living precariously unhoused, because ultimately that's who is supposed to be served by this governance board, governance authority, or the regional authority rather. And I think it's, I don't know. I think just personally I find these endless conversations about governance and structure and process rather frustrating, because what gets lost is that people are dying on the streets and there are thousands of people unsheltered. And the idea that like, there's going to be a perfect process that the County and the cities come to an agreement on that's going to solve the problem is just an illusion. I mean, it's about spending, it's about how we allocate dollars, and it's about getting people into housing and getting people into services. And I think that just really gets lost and has gotten lost for six months in these just endless discussions about how do we structure everything. Crystal Fincher: [00:19:14] I think that's an excellent point and true. That we've gotten away from the fundamental reason why we're having these conversations in the first place - is we need to get people into housing. And I almost feel like that getting away from the fundamental issue and talking about the scale of the problem, compounded by the current COVID pandemic and the challenges that we're facing with recent, very cold weather. And just how hostile it is to be outdoors, that this is a real challenge. And lots of people are interested in not necessarily continuing to talk about how we're facing a big, if not even bigger problem, four years after they talked about having bold big solutions that were going to make a big difference. It seems like this is going to be a significant issue once again, leading up into the mayoral elections. And so I guess, how do you see things moving forward in this conversation with the candidates who are running for City and Council positions? Erica C. Barnett: [00:20:34] Well, what's so interesting to me so far is I get information about polls all the time from - just from readers and people I know who've taken polls. And the issue that all of the polls I have heard about so far ask about - they ask about homelessness, but they also ask about the quote unquote state of downtown, which is I think related to homelessness, but is really conflated with homelessness in these polls. And is going to be a big issue during the campaign. So I think candidates are going to have to answer questions about what are you going to do to quote unquote clean up downtown? And by clean up downtown, I mean, what the sort of dog whistle is there is of homeless people. There's a lot of people living in tents downtown. There's a lot of people living in tents in Pioneer Square and there's just a tremendous amount of suffering and people living unsheltered. I think that's going to be a huge issue. And I think that the dividing line is going to be sort of what sort of approach are the various candidates going to take to this really kind of neighborhood specific question of cleaning up, quote unquote. Again, I'm putting giant scare quotes around that - downtown. Is the response, Well, the issue isn't downtown, it's homelessness and people congregate downtown for reasons. And if we address those reasons, they will not live downtown. Or is it we need to sweep the parks downtown. There was a big sweep of Denny Park, just north of downtown this week. Is it we need to - I mean, I think we'll hear people saying things like, on the more conservative side, saying things like we need to tell them that they can accept services or be arrested, or told to move along. And so I mean, this has been a dividing line, I think in recent elections, period. But I think the pandemic and the fact that a lot of businesses have been closed, and unsheltered homelessness has become more visible as we've talked about before. It's visible because we're not moving people from place to place as much. It's not that it was better before and now all of a sudden, we have this huge homelessness crisis. It's that it's visible to us. I think that's going to be the number one issue during the campaign - the sort of joint quote unquote public safety issue of having visible homelessness and the homelessness issue itself. Crystal Fincher: [00:23:15] Yeah. And I really appreciate you putting that in its proper context. In that those big scare quotes around cleaning up downtown, really being just a workshopped PR massaged way to say, What are you going to do to prevent me from having to see people without homes and to see people on the sidewalks? And that's a very different conversation than saying, How are we going to address the issue of people not having homes? How are we going to house these people and put them on a path to stable housing, stable permanent housing. And it is going to be a very big issue. And we hear the different shades of the Seattle is Dying narrative, which very much talks about homelessness as an issue of crime and vagrancy. And one, homelessness itself being compared to a crime. And two, people without homes being assumed to be hostile and criminal and needed to be dealt with by authorities in some way, instead of helped. They need to be policed or given ultimatums that they need to adhere to and abide by, or they don't have the right to not be in jail. Because they don't have a home or the ability to pay to afford one and so... Oh, no, go ahead. Erica C. Barnett: [00:24:58] I was just going to add, I mean, to the criminality question - it is absolutely true that people commit survival crimes all the time. I mean, I live next to a store that gets ripped off on a weekly basis. And I'm not saying that those are good crimes, or that it's okay to have a society where people shoplift and sell things in order to survive, or in order to sustain an addiction. That's not a good society to live in. And the root causes are not addressed by sort of saying, Well, the behavior is the problem and we need to police the behavior. No, the behavior is not the problem, the homelessness is the problem, the addiction is the problem. There are root causes to these things. And so this is me editorializing, very strongly, that I do think that we should have a downtown and we should have a city where people are not running shoplifting rings and where people are not stealing things to survive. But I don't think that the solution to that is criminalizing the root causes of that, which is what you do when you just throw people in jail and don't treat the underlying condition, which may be homelessness, which may be poverty, which may be addiction, or some combination of all those things and more. Crystal Fincher: [00:26:29] Absolutely. And definitely, we don't want anyone to be victimized in any way at any time. It is not more okay for one group to victimize than others. I think we do need to focus on root causes and solutions. And I also think that what is really easy to do and that we see flavors of the same story - is a person who is homeless committed this crime. We see that very often. That crime may be committed by other groups at a much higher percentage than people without homes. And that context is never provided in there either. And so there is also this inclination, more so by some elements of the media than others, to suggest that crime is being driven by homelessness when there are lots of other causes and lots of other perpetrators besides people who don't have homes. But what that does do - by perpetuating stereotypes that certain crimes are committed predominantly by one group of people when that's not the case, is it creates a lot more hostility towards people without homes. It creates, as we've seen, people who don't have a problem going up and harassing, sometimes assaulting, destroying the property, pushing for these sweeps - it creates victimization. And oftentimes we see people who are emboldened by believing what they hear when that's not true. And so I definitely appreciate you clarifying and speaking out against that and not being part of that problem. I certainly want to underscore, whenever we do talk about this, that the different ways that people talk about it - one, indicate where they're coming from or who their sources of information are. And two, we do need to put this information in the correct context - that we need to solve homelessness, we don't need to clean up downtown. And use that type of terminology for suggesting that we should just get people off of the street. And that you should be suspicious and not happy with people who put this problem in the context of, I want you to prevent me from having to be aware that other people are suffering, as if that in and of itself is suffering. The suffering is the actual suffering. Having to see the suffering is a signal of how bad that suffering is, and is not in any way justifiable to suggest that someone just shouldn't have to look at it or deal with it. We are responsible for solving this issue and that's where we should go, so that certainly is me up on a soapbox. I'm okay to be on that soapbox, but feel very strongly about that. And again, that type of rhetoric leads to victimization of people who were already in vulnerable positions in the first place. And I do not want to see more of that happening. With that said, we are right about at the time, we could certainly discuss a lot more, but time is preventing us from doing that.  I do appreciate all of you listening to Hacks and Wonks on KVRU 105.7 FM this Friday, March 5th, 2021. Our chief audio engineer at KVRU is Maurice Jones, Jr. The producer of Hacks and Wonks is Lisl Stadler. And our wonderful co-host today was Seattle political reporter and founder of PubliCola, Erica Barnett. You can find Erica on Twitter @ericacbarnett, that's Erica with a C and on publicola.com. And you can buy her book Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery wherever you want to buy your books. Lots of great independent booksellers here. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii at F-I-N-C-H-F-R-I-I. And now you can follow Hacks and Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar, be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our mid-week show delivered to your podcast feed.  Thanks for tuning in and we'll talk to you next time.

Pioneer Square business owner Hamza Albadan is at his breaking point and not mincing words."They are a bunch of idiots running this gorgeous city," Hamza Albadan said.He immigrated to Seattle to live out his American dream that now sits near South Main and 2nd Ave Ext. "I think we got to be out of business soon," Albadan said.He’s on the cusp of possibly shutting down Main Street Gyros after 17 years. Albadan said it’s not over the pandemic, but Seattle city politics and its handling of crime and homelessness. "They are like prostituting in it, in front of everyone, with people waiting in line," Albadan said.The restaurant owner said for many months, he witnessed not just prostitution but drug deals going on at some of the tents just across the street.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.Support the show (https://buymeacoff.ee/seattlepodcast)

The pay equity startup has decided not to renew its sublease in Pioneer Square, but the company still wants to stay in Seattle.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.Support the show (https://buymeacoff.ee/seattlepodcast)

Twenty years ago this Sunday, the Nisqually earthquake rattled the region. It registered 6.8 on the Richter scale and shook for 40 seconds. The damage was significant. Bricks flew. It caused cracks in the Capitol dome in Olympia and sealed the fate of Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct as well as many older buildings in Pioneer Square. But it was nowhere near as drastic as some of the other possible geological scenarios that could lead to truly devastating shaking.

with Co-Host Hayward Evans: ​ Thursday, January 28 on Urban Forum Northwest on 1150 AM KKNW/www.1150kknw.com 2:-00-3:00 pm (PST) Hayward Evans and my scheduled guest for the hour are: *Omari Salisbury, Founder, Converge Media will comment on his operation located in Pioneer Square. Converge Media is producing the February 1 Black History program that has been organized by the Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee (MLKCC). *Josephine Howell, one of Seattle's Best Vocalist is one of the performers in the MLKCC Black History event. She will also comment on the program and the significance of Black History Month. *Chandler Williams has been performing in major venues since he was sixteen, is a recording artist and songwriter will be one of the performers on Monday, February 1 MLKCC Black History program. *Chardonnay Beaver is a talented University of Washington student and a former Garfield High School Student Body President. She will deliver one of her spoken word pieces and comment on what Black History means to her. Her family owns the Seattle FACTS Newspaper. *Shaude' Moore, Chair, Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Coalition comments on Rally and March that was held on the MLK Holiday, January 18. Urban Forum Northwest streams live at www.1150kknw.com. Visit us at www.urbanforumnw.com for archived programs and relevant information. Like us on facebook. Twitter@Eddie_Rye. This program will also air on Saturday 7:00-8:00 am (PST).

This week on the show Crystal is joined by co-host Erica Barnett, editor of Publicola. They get in to Mayor Durkan's floundering attempts to address homelessness, developments of the convention center bailout, and grocery store workers being granted a $4.00 and hour hazard pay increase. A full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Erica Barnett, at @ericacbarnett. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.   Articles Referenced: Mayor's Office Defends Hotel Shelter Plan as Council Pushes for Tiny Houses by Erica C. Barnett, Publicola https://publicola.com/2021/01/28/mayors-office-defends-low-budget-for-hotel-shelters-as-council-pushes-for-tiny-houses/ Seattle, state look to join King County in multimillion dollar Washington State Convention Center bailout by David Gutman, The Seattle Times https://publicola.com/2021/01/28/mayors-office-defends-low-budget-for-hotel-shelters-as-council-pushes-for-tiny-houses/ The convention business is cratering, and cities are getting stuck with the bill by Mike McGinn and Joe Cortright, The City Observatory https://cityobservatory.org/the-convention-business-is-cratering-and-cities-are-getting-stuck-with-the-bill/ Seattle City Council approves $4 per hour mandatory pay boost for grocery workers during COVID-19 pandemic by David Gutman, The Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-city-council-approves-4-per-hour-mandatory-pay-boost-for-grocery-workers-during-covid-19-pandemic/ Seattle ‘hazard pay' bonus for grocery workers likely to begin next week by Ben Adlin, South Seattle Emerald https://southseattleemerald.com/2021/01/29/seattle-hazard-pay-bonus-for-grocery-workers-likely-to-begin-next-week/   Transcript: Crystal Fincher: [00:00:00] Welcome to Hacks and Wonks. I'm your host, Crystal Fincher. On this show, we talk with Policy Wonks and Political Hacks to gather insight into local politics and policy through the lens of those doing the work with behind-the-scenes perspectives on politics in our state. Full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Today, we're continuing our Friday almost-live shows where we review the news of the week. Welcome back to the program, friend of the show and today's co-host, Seattle political reporter, editor of PubliCola and author of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse and Recovery, Erica Barnett. Erica Barnett: [00:00:49] Hi, Crystal. Great to be here.  Crystal Fincher: [00:00:51] Great to have you on again. Well there's a lot going on this week and I think we want to start out talking about Mayor Jenny Durkan's shelter surge plan that seems to be in trouble. What is the plan and what is happening with it?  Erica Barnett: [00:01:08] Well, the original plan was announced last year in October-ish. And it's to add a bunch of new shelters, mostly in hotels. The idea being that people will be taken off the street by outreach workers, put into hotels, and just sort of stabilize there - and move quickly to either permanent supportive housing which is a very kind of service-intensive, expensive kind of housing for people who can't live independently , or rapid rehousing using vouchers, essentially, that they can spend on the private market for a short period of time. And the idea is that they would then be able to pay market rate rent within a year or so. What's happening with it this week and as we reported exclusively at publiCola is that the plan is sort of or at least a large component of the plan - one of the big hotels - has fallen apart. And , and the city is scrambling to find somebody to provide those rooms. The issue is that the mayor's office and the city budget office have capped the amount that can be spent on these rooms at a rate that providers are saying is way too low for them to provide the kind of services that would actually make people ready to move into this market rate housing. And the difference, the money difference, is pretty significant. And so that - that larger of two hotels that they're planning, which is a 155-room hotel , has fallen through. And now they're scrambling to find a new provider. It was going to be the Public Defender Association, but - but no more. Crystal Fincher: [00:02:35] So they're at the point where they're saying they are getting ready to roll this out, and now they're down a provider. And the feedback that they've gotten from the providers that they're looking at moving forward with is that the money may be too low to actually provide the services and, and provide the outcomes that the program was supposed to provide? Erica Barnett: [00:02:59] Yeah, so the Public Defender Association does a program called JustCare, which got a lot of positive press. It's down in Pioneer Square in the Chinatown International District. And basically they - they cleared out a bunch of encampments there and moved people into hotels. And it's - it's an expensive program because you're talking about people who have really high needs, so they're providing behavioral health care, mental health care, addiction services. And and so the idea was to basically expand - at least the PDA's idea - was to basically expand that program. They're going to move it into the Executive Pacific hotel downtown. And this is all according to our reporting - the city has not actually said any of this publicly, but we've talked to the PDA. And they're saying we can't do this for $17,000 a bed, which is what the city is essentially willing to provide. You know, it costs - it costs about $28,000 - we need more money. And, and that's kind of where the impasse is - are we going to do this service-rich program that gets people ready to move into housing or are we going to do a low-budget program that, you know, we're just going to put people in hotels and move them on and hope for the best. I mean, I'm not saying that the whatever lower budget program they end up with, assuming this moves forward, is going to be a bad program, but it's going to not have all of the services that they were originally intending to provide when they started talking about this. Crystal Fincher: [00:04:21] One, and originally intending to provide - and that seemed to be necessary to successfully transition people out of homelessness into stable housing. You know, the, the goal of this, certainly, we want to get everyone off of, off of the streets , out of unsafe and unsheltered situations, and to have shelter first and foremost critically, but, but it is also important to provide people with the assistance that they need to transition into stable housing. And I guess the question is, as you referenced, there are different populations within the unhoused population. There are people who are recently homeless, who oftentimes just need some financial assistance to get back into a stable situation. Then there are people who have more , you know, intricate needs and more service needs, whether it's mental health issues, substance abuse issues, that, that really need those programs and support. So is there information on who our existing population is and, and does this solution work for them? Erica Barnett: [00:05:33] Well, I mean, what the - what the Public Defender Association has told me is that the JustCare clients that they've worked with have had very high needs. And, and I think you're - you hit on exactly the point. I mean, there is no one population of people who are unsheltered. But a lot of times when you're going into encampments and people who have been chronically homeless for a very long time and you know, are, are not going into the traditional shelters that are on offer, you're talking about people who do have high needs. And, and I think with anybody in the current housing market - I mean, yes, rents have gone down a little bit in Seattle, but anyone going into the current housing market with a rapid rehousing subsidy is going to need that subsidy for a really long time. And ordinarily, those are capped at three to six months. Now the city is saying they're willing to pay for more like a year, but - but then what happens when that year runs out? I mean, at that point as I've also reported, you know, you are expected to pay the full market rent for whatever apartment you've found and it's considered successful if you're paying 60% of your income on rent, which is very, very rent burdened. So there's just - there's just a lot of problems with the current sort of two tracks that we have, which are permanent supportive housing - very high needs, you're always going to have a subsidy for the rest of your life, or rapid rehousing - you know, 12 months and you better be on your feet and earning a high enough income to pay for that apartment. And there's not a whole lot for people who fall in between those two tracks.  Crystal Fincher: [00:07:03] But, you know, this seems to me - Jenny Durkan has certainly experienced criticism for not following through on the details or paying close attention to the implementation of her plans, and them not panning out as they were originally sold. This seems like it's heading in that same direction. What are the options that are available moving forward? Are they just trying to force it through as-is?  Erica Barnett: [00:07:30] Well, I think what they're doing is scrambling right now, as we're speaking, to find - to find another provider for that second hotel. And , and to - to maybe find a - there's actually supposed to be a third hotel. And so to maybe find a provider for that third hotel that'll, you know, altogether make up the 300 rooms that the mayor promised. But I want to pivot, if I can, to the tiny house village proposal that's on the table now, because you talked about Durkan making promises. She said in her campaign and, and during her first year, that in her first year, she would build a thousand new, tiny houses in villages around the city. So far, the city has less than 300 total and most of those aren't new. So Andrew Lewis on the council has proposed sort of on a totally separate track to build a 480 new tiny houses in 12 new villages around the city over a couple of years. And so that is another shelter option that's moving forward kind of without, without the, I mean, you know, with the mayor's cooperation, certainly, but the deputy mayor was talking at the council meeting the other day. And you know, he seemed to - just he was describing this as happening on a completely different track and, you know, and speculating about how it would work with the mayor's plans, which, you know, just really haven't gone anywhere as far as tiny house villages are concerned. Crystal Fincher: [00:08:53] Well, and, and Councilmember Lewis' plan is interesting and it looks like it is relying on a mix of city money, taxpayer money, and privately funded money - is that correct?  Erica Barnett: [00:09:05] Yeah, it would be city money for operations and private money for actually just the physical construction, you know - here's the land, money to build these these tiny house huts that people live in, and then, yeah - and then the city would pay for ongoing operations.  Crystal Fincher: [00:09:21] Okay. Well, I mean, it seems, at least it's - kind of the, the general conversation that has needed to move forward into more effective housing solutions. Even with the mayor's plan and where she originally started - it seems like that - and with the tiny houses, we are acknowledging that people need private spaces with shelter. That the big, huge congregate shelter settings are certainly not ideal and that hinder progress and the ability to get in a position where you can transition into more stable housing. Has that been an intentional focus? And are they looking at moving away from group shelters even more in the future? Erica Barnett: [00:10:03] Well, I think that that's a Council-Mayor difference in some ways. I mean, and there's - there's good and bad things about both approaches, right? I mean, on the one hand, everybody would prefer, I mean, pretty much universally - if you offer people tiny houses or hotels, they say yes, whereas if you offer people a bed in a shelter - and we are mostly doing enhanced 24/7 shelters now, so it's not so much the mat on the floor model and get out at 7 in the morning anymore - but people don't like those as much, for what I think are very obvious reasons. Which is that, you know, you have privacy, you have some dignity, you have a door that closes . On the flip side, I will say, that when you have - when you invest really heavily in these programs, you're investing in a program where people don't move out into housing very quickly. They tend to stay in tiny house villages for a really, really, really long time. And so there's not a lot of what they call throughput. And so, so the question is, you know, in my mind, is are we building, essentially, a, you know, an inferior form of semi-permanent housing by putting tiny house villages all over the city and sort of avoiding the larger issue, which is that people actually need permanent housing. I mean this isn't to demonize tiny house villages in any way, because I think they are obviously really desirable to people. But I think that one of the reasons they're desirable is they're kind of a quasi-form of housing. And you know, I don't know - I don't know that we want to be a city and you know, I'm gonna get in trouble for saying this, but where it's just Hoovervilles everywhere and no housing. Like there needs to be housing to move people into.  Crystal Fincher: [00:11:35] Well, there does and I guess that - that brings up the question you talked about - the city money being used for services. Are those services the types that have shown to be effective for transitioning people into permanent housing? Erica Barnett: [00:11:47] Are you talking about the hotel - the services in the hotels? Crystal Fincher: [00:11:50] The services for the, the tiny house villages. Are there going to be services provided there or is it just, Hey, here's a tiny house and, and we will leave. Erica Barnett: [00:11:59] Oh, absolutely. No - there's case management and they, and they certainly provide services. I mean, this is also the case with JustCares, which is hotel rooms. That's another option that people stay in for, for a long time. And I think it's not - the problem is not so much that the services aren't there and that - because people do stabilize in these situations where they have some privacy and they have some dignity. People get better in, you know, in their lives. But the main - the, you know, the overriding condition of homelessness, I mean, you're just never gonna address that unless you create permanent housing solutions. And I don't mean permanent supportive housing for everybody. I mean, things like long-term subsidies. I mean, there's a lot of people in this city, as we've seen with, you know, the eviction moratorium. There's a lot of people who just can't pay that last $500 a month. You know, or $200 a month or whatever it is, that's keeping them from, from, you know, from staying in their places and that's making them subject to eviction. You know, I don't know why this is something that the city has been so reluctant to do. I think it's 'cause rapid rehousing is just in vogue right now because it feels like a market-based solution. But when you're throwing people under the market, there's no safety net really if , if they fail.  Crystal Fincher: [00:13:06] That's definitely true. Well, I think that - well, I think your coverage on this, on publicola.com has been excellent. And I encourage people to continue to follow along with where this process is going and provide feedback to the council and to the mayor about how you feel about how this plan is proceeding. Are there any conversations about increasing the amount that's available per room, or is the mayor just saying, That's it, - you gotta make it work.  Erica Barnett: [00:13:36] Well, this is all - this is all happening, I should say, sort of internally right now at the city. The mayor's office will probably be willing to give a little bit. But the other day - there's this really interesting moment in the council meeting where Deputy Mayor Casey Sixkiller was saying that the - the DESC in Renton, Downtown Emergency Service Center - which has a hotel in Renton that they have - that they're using as a shelter is able to do it for super cheap so that's the baseline for what should happen in Seattle. And there's just - there's so many things wrong with that, with that line of thinking. I mean, one is that he's not comparing apples to apples in terms of what that money is paying for in Renton. The other is that Seattle is more expensive. And the other is that DESC actually put forward its own plan - and its own plan for this hotel in Seattle was much, much more expensive and very much in line with all the other plans that everybody else submitted for , for these hotels. So I think the providers are saying, Look, this actually does cost more money than you are saying that we can spend. And the mayor's office, the city budget office is saying, You know, sorry, but we need that money for rapid rehousing because the rapid rehousing component of the hotel shelter plan is about twice as much as , as the services component. So they're, they're spending pretty lavishly on rapid rehousing to kind of get people into apartments fast, but the sort of step zero of, you know, helping people with their behavioral health issues, helping people with , you know, all kinds of barriers to housing that people have , is just, is, is being kind of not invested in Crystal Fincher: [00:15:12] Just a reminder that you're  listening to Hacks and Wonks on KVRU 105.7 FM. I'm your host, Crystal Fincher, and today we have a guest co-host, Seattle political reporter, Erica Barnett. Part of the other issue with the DESC benchmarking it off of that was, was also - we want to pay people living wages. Seems like the focus is on just, Well, we just need to get people in - I'm sure the promise that she made is weighing heavily on her and the ability to say, All right, fine - there's more - we did it. I'm delivering what I said I would - is a motivating factor.  Well, we will continue to keep our eye on that and we'll transition to talking about the bailout of the convention center. Dow Constantine - I feel like it was about six weeks ago -  you know, somewhere around then, announced that he, from the County perspective, had put together a plan for a massive bailout of the convention center that is ailing and struggling. Obviously in this pandemic, there are not companies coming from across the country and internationally - to fly all their people in and have big conventions together. So they are struggling and the question is - looking forward, are they going to bounce back and be able to make good on these on, on basically this, this loan? And furthermore, does it even make sense to continue to invest in the convention center? Are we going to see a long-term shift in the way that, that these types of conventions have been? What's going on with that right now?  Erica Barnett: [00:16:51] Well, the the city, I mean, you've, you've basically laid out what the situation is. I mean, the city and state have both said that they are open to providing loans to , to bail out the convention center even further. The boosters of convention centers say that they are critical for the region's economy and they're where, you know, tourism comes from, and people could, you know, they can cite however many, you know, people come in here. I mean, it feels a lot like , like the way that boosters sell arenas - that they make their money back in the overall benefit to the economy from people coming into the city, et cetera, et cetera. I am not aware of a lot of research that backs that up. Admittedly, I'm not an expert on convention centers, but I think that by and large, the reason that people come to a city like Seattle is not to - what - to sit in, you know, a windowless meeting room. And that a lot of that stuff is being done online now and I think will continue to be done online. I mean, if you're talking about a large meeting of a you know, of the business affiliation group, for example, or a large meeting of a company - I think there are a lot of lessons that we've learned during the pandemic that are going to continue and persist after the pandemic. And one is that we don't need these large, you know, giant gatherings. And I think the city really should be promoting tourism in a way that is about what is good about Seattle, not, you know, this is a great place to have your convention because of this and such tax breaks or hotel breaks or whatever it may be. But this is a great city because of the outdoors, because of Pike Place Market, you know, et cetera, et cetera. There's lots of, there's lots of reasons to come visit Seattle. I don't think that giant conventions are by and large gonna continue to be among those in the future.  Crystal Fincher: [00:18:37] Beyond that, we are in a recession, which you know, doesn't have prospects of getting better anytime soon without any stimulus activity . Started at the federal level, which is looking bleak beyond the little $2,000 amount that they are talking about as a one-time thing. And so even, even companies' ability, even if they wanted to continue to do that, has been hampered. The convention center is in need of - they're saying a $315 million loan in order to be bailed out. The County started and said, Hey, we'll, we'll be in for a $100 million from its investment pool. And they're hoping to be paid back through hotel tax revenues from another industry that is definitely struggling. Erica Barnett: [00:19:26] I think that , you know, even if you look beyond - I mean, because I do think that it's important to look beyond, you know, current recessions and look at , you know, just kind of the, the ongoing, you know, up and down of the economy and, and assume that we will come back at some point. But even then, I mean, I would really like to know and I, and I haven't seen this, this analysis done - what would be the impact if we stopped? If we just - if we stopped building it . The argument for - from labor, for the convention center, you know, has been that it will create a lot of jobs in the short-term. And okay. So let's, let's count up what the impact of that is and then what will be the ongoing long-term impact? You can even make it the worst case scenario, you know, take it from the point of view of the convention center itself and, and, and just figure out what, what if we stop ? Because I think there is this tendency with huge projects to just keep going with the forward momentum. Because you know, we've already invested so much money, so we have to keep going, we have to keep going no matter what. Just pour, pour, pour more money into it. And and I, and I do think that the stop option is not one that we even consider because it just feels impossible. And, and I think that, you know, I, I think that the region should just take a breath and consider whether we need to keep pouring sort of infinite buckets of money into this one project in downtown Seattle that that so many people have staked so much so much on sort of mentally, emotionally , financially . You know, and maybe the answer would be, No, we absolutely have to keep going because we're almost there and it just needs this little push, but, but let's, let's find that out and let's just take a pause instead of sort of all these panicked infusions of money, which is what it feels like. And these are, these are loans, but you know, it is not unprecedented for loans not to be paid back. I mean, if, if the convention center fails you know, that is, that is a possibility. And so when the city, state, and county say, Well, these are all repayable loans and we'll, we'll make interest on them. You know, I think we need to consider that that is not a sure thing. Crystal Fincher: [00:21:28] It's definitely not a sure thing. And, and part of the, the consideration of spending, especially, you know, providing public loans is - is what is the benefit and what is you know, will it, what activity does it stimulate? How much money can we generate from this loan? And you want that to be moving in a positive direction and to have multiplier effects. And that we'll wind up further ahead in the long-term if we provide this loan right now. And it just doesn't appear that that is a solid calculation with this. But we will see - again, encourage people to continue to stay engaged with this. As always, we'll be putting links to articles and information about these in our show notes that accompany the podcast. So you will be able to get more information there. But it's certainly a challenge. But speaking of helping workers, there is a - in my view - was a very positive step taken this week. And that was by providing grocery workers with hazard pay. What ended up happening and what did the council approve?  Erica Barnett: [00:22:37] From what I understand - and I apologize, I did not cover this specific , this specific initiative because I was sort of deep in in homelessness land this week. But the upshot, as I understand it, is that grocery stores, which are defined as, you know, stores over a certain size that are, that sell groceries. Or stores over another certain size that sell, you know, 30% or something like that, of their , of what they sell, is groceries. So, so big grocery stores have to pay $4 more an hour to their workers because of evidence that, you know, well, first of all, they're essential workers. They are providing food that people, you know, obviously rely on - the grocery stores are necessary and these workers are putting themselves in harm's way. They get COVID at a higher rate. And so so this is, this, this is, you know, as, as the legislation says, it's hazard.  Crystal Fincher: [00:23:24] Yeah, absolutely. And, and it is Seattle grocery businesses with 500 or more total employees that qualify for this. So most of the grocery stores - and as we continue to learn, as, as we get further in the pandemic, just being indoors is a risk factor. And as customers, we can, you know, go in and go out. But, but they're forced to be indoors for, you know, hours and hours at a time. And so this is a recognition that they are facing an increased risk and they do deserve increased pay because of that.  Erica Barnett: [00:24:00] I totally agree. And, and slash, but I would say, you know, it does , it does feel like when we see these kind of one-off pieces of legislation that pick one category of worker , one category of essential worker ,to receive hazard pay or to receive benefits that absolutely makes sense and that are absolutely rightful. I don't know where grocery workers come from specifically as opposed to hardware store workers or other retail or garden store workers. You know, other retail workers who are also, you know, inside all day, coming into contact with people all day in the same conditions as grocery workers. And so it's , it's a little frustrating to me watching legislation being made in this way, because if the, if the conditions are the issue, let's make it across the board for every large business over a certain amount of employees, say , and that has employees that are in X condition, you know, standing at a checkout counter all day or in the indoors all day, you know, with a certain number of customers coming through. It seems to me that it is, it is very strange that I can go down the street to my QFC and the grocery workers there are rightfully getting $4 an hour more, and then I can go to Lowe's across the street and those workers aren't because they don't sell groceries there. So I just, I think if the issue is the condition - let's address the condition. If the issue is , is that people are being exposed to COVID let's, let's let's address that. Otherwise it feels a little bit like you know, like legislation being made at the behest of a particular, a particularly effective lobbying effort. And, you know, and I, I just, I don't, I don't want to see legislation being made based on lobbying. I want to see it being made based on, on, on science and fairness. Crystal Fincher: [00:25:54] Any person working in a retail or customer-facing environment that has to be indoors in that shared space should be receiving hazard pay. You know, the delivery drivers who are, who are interacting with us, bringing food and groceries and, and, you know, delivering packages and goods - in my view, deserve hazard pay. You know, this is a time when, when many people are fortunate enough to not have to have higher exposure to the virus. And we are counting on people to do that in our place in order to, you know, continue our quality of life, really. And so I think that's a very valid point. I do know that there has been data cited specifically for grocery workers. Now, whether that data is also a function of you know, industry supported research that others may not have access to is a very valid question.  Thank you for listening to Hacks and Wonks on KVRU 105.7 FM this Friday, January 29th, 2021. Our chief audio engineer at KVRU is Maurice Jones, Jr. The producer of Hacks and Wonks is Lisl Stadler. And our wonderful co-host today was Seattle political reporter and founder of PubliCola, Erica Barnett. You can find Erica on Twitter @ericabarnett and on publicola.com. And you can buy her book Quitter: a Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery at wherever your favorite bookstore sells books. You can find me on Twitter @finchfrii, and now you can follow Hacks and Wonks on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts, just type "Hacks and Wonks" into the search bar. Be sure to subscribe to get our Friday almost-live shows and our mid-week show delivered to your podcast feed. And as always, full transcripts and resources referenced in the show are always available at officialhacksandwonks.com and in our episode notes. Thanks for tuning in - talk to you next time. .

Eddie Rye with Co-Host Hayward Evans: Thursday, January 28 on Urban Forum Northwest on 1150 AM KKNW/www.1150kknw.com 2:-00-3:00 pm (PST) Hayward Evans and my scheduled guest for the hour are: *Omari Salisbury, Founder, Converge Media will comment on his operation located in Pioneer Square. Converge Media is producing the February 1 Black History program that has been organized by the Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee (MLKCC). *Josephine Howell, one of Seattle's Best Vocalist is one of the performers in the MLKCC Black History event. She will also comment on the program and the significance of Black History Month. *Chandler Williams has been performing in major venues since he was sixteen, is a recording artist and songwriter will be one of the performers on Monday, February 1 MLKCC Black History program. *Chardonnay Beaver is a talented University of Washington student and a former Garfield High School Student Body President. She will deliver one of her spoken word pieces and comment on what Black History means to her. Her family owns the Seattle FACTS Newspaper. *Shaude' Moore, Chair, Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Coalition comments on Rally and March that was held on the MLK Holiday, January 18. Urban Forum Northwest streams live at www.1150kknw.com. Visit us at www.urbanforumnw.com for archived programs and relevant information. Like us on facebook. Twitter@Eddie_Rye. This program will also air on Saturday 7:00-8:00 am (PST).

On the 119th episode of the Seattle Foodie Podcast, we sit down with Andy Gundel, owner of Urban Family Brewing Co. Andy and Nelson used to work with each other on the Eastside many years ago. Listen in as they reminisce about working together and how Andy went on to owning a successful brewery in Urban Family Brewing as well as what what they're working on in the taproom for the upcoming months. In addition, Monica and Nelson recap the week, which included grabbing takeout from Enzo's Bistro & Bar and sitting down with Chef Nick Novello for a slice of pizza, picking up meal kits from Joey Kitchen U-Village, and making signature cocktails from Empress 1908 Gin. As for what we're eating, Nelson picked up takeout from the Brick in Renton under new ownership, checked out Cookies Country Chicken's newest Pioneer Square location, had The Cookie from Metropolitan Market, grabbed lunch at Ma'Ono and Rachel's Ginger Beer, and picked up dinner from Xi'an Noodles. Meanwhile, Monica had Flamin' Hot Cheetos Sushi Rolls from Hissho Sushi, sampled fermented products from Firefly Kitchen, and revisited Kidd Valley, Tres House of Cheesesteaks, Pho Tic Tac, and Pop Pop Thai. Thank you so much for listening and we hope you enjoy the latest episode of the Seattle Foodie Podcast!

This week on Jazz Northwest, memories of jazz in Pioneer Square including two tunes featuring bassist Buddy Catlett, and a couple of pieces by pianist/composer Jovino Santos Neto for this month's (virtual) Savassi Festival in Brazil. Also, on this show are four gospel songs inspired by the Golden Gate Quartet, transcribed and arranged for brass quartet and played by The Westerlies. Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by host Jim Wilke and airs Sundays at 2 p.m. Listeners may also subscribe to the podcast on Apple, or Google.

This is a special edition of the podcast that was recorded on Thursday, November 5th, two days after the 2020 election. While we now know the results of the election, this conversation still provides such honest and optimistic insight shared between three well-known regional leaders. We were lucky enough to have Colleen Echohawk, Executive Director of the Chief Seattle Club; Girmay Zahilay, King County Councilmember for District 2; and Markham McIntyre, Acting Chief Executive Officer of The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Spanning commerce, legislation, and Native-led human services; our guests come from a variety of backgrounds and expertise but what ties them all together is the push towards creating a more inclusive region where everyone thrives. That is the vision we need for 2021 and beyond! The trio shared their unsettled yet hopeful thoughts on the outcome of the 2020 election, the experiences and history that makes them who they are, and the exciting projects they are working on. Markham talked about Housing Connector, which bridges the space between landlords and those in need of housing. He also pitched the great work of Green Plate Special which operates in the Rainier Valley. They work with local youth and teach them how to farm, cook, and share through the power of food. Girmay spoke about the Youth Achievement Center which would provide housing and supportive services for young people in the Southend. They are currently working on a capital campaign to raise more funds and we will share more information when it comes available. The councilmember also highlighted two King County charter amendments that can reimagine how the county moves forward with public safety and makes the King County Sheriff an appointment position and not an elected one. Colleen talked about their ?al?al project to build housing in Pioneer Square. She talked about the park next to their location and how they are re-imagining from an indigenous land usage. You can follow this project on The Growing Old podcast (found on all major podcast services) and their Instagram account @GrowingOldProject. They will cover this development in their second season! She also spoke about the Equitable Recovery and Reconciliation Alliance. It’s a way to get past the lip-service of many well-intentioned white relatives but to actually follow the leadership of BIPOC peoples in a way that values that Coast Salish values of welcoming and inclusivity. This will show up on the Chief Seattle Club website in a week or two! Special thanks to Big Phony for providing music for the We Belong Here podcast. 

Black Lives Matter activists gathered in Seattle on Wednesday night, calling for every vote to be counted in the presidential election. But they stressed that their work does not end with the election. Leaders of the rally in the Pioneer Square neighborhood, titled “Count Every Vote, Protect Every Person,” tried to channel concern over the election into local causes they’ve been advocating for years. They made the argument that every vote cannot truly count if some people are disenfranchised or killed.

This week on the PIKE PLACE PODCAST, Jerry and Bob welcome ARTIST, ACTOR, PHILOSOPHER , and ORIGINAL MAYOR OF THE MARKET BILLY KING! BILLY takes us on a wild ride from PIONEER SQUARE, to the TAVERNS, HIPPIES , OLD FOLKS, SEATTLE CITIZENS. SAVING THE MARKET ARCHITECTS (EVEN AN ACID TAKING ARCHITECT) and says BEER is SEATTLES COMMON DENOMINATOR!! He even tells us of a LATE IN LIFE TRANSFORMATION into WHO HE IS TODAY! LETS LISTEN!

Seattle-based Cuban-American studio artist Hugo Moro draws from his childhood experiences in Cuba, his artistic awakening in New York City, and his work as a professor, graphic designer, and art director in Miami, to create unique, eclectic installations, as well as gallery pieces. At Project-106 in Pioneer Square, Hugo currently uses a wide range of media, including mixed media on panels, mixed media on chromogenic-print, found objects on panels, and even “burned chairs” to evoke emotion and create a sense of wonder.   What you will learn: What it’s like to live and work in an art-centered neighborhood; how he is able to keep creating despite pandemic-related restrictions; the hustle required to promote and sell artwork, as well as make connections with galleries. [0:00-14:16] What it was like immigrating from Cuba to New York when he was 12; how the New York art scene influenced his career trajectory; what early artistic influences shaped his artistic vision. [14:16-20:46] How his experience at the Pratt Institute and Fashion Institute of Technology helped him understand what he didn’t want to do just as much as what he wanted to do artistically; what it was like crossing paths with Andy Warhol in New York City; how his experience feeling like an outsider as an openly gay Cuban immigrant shaped his artistic choices aesthetically. [20:46-27:34] How collective trauma can influence political views and what process Hugo followed to forge his own path as an artist. [27:34-38:16] The advice Hugo would give to young people wishing to pursue a career in art. [38:16-44:02] The personal joys and challenges he has faced, and what upcoming projects he’s looking forward to in late 2020 and throughout 2021. [44:02-52:10] Resources Hugo Moro’s: Website, Facebook, LinkedIn

0:00-21:00: Hanna Brooks Olsen is here, just in time for plumes of ash to block out the sun and end humanity once and for all! As an Oregon resident, where does Hanna find the Mariners in the Oregon sports hierarchy? Hanna grew up in a household with dueling fandoms, which led to her grandfather’s ashes being scattered at a division rival’s field. After a brief rundown of the perceived itchiest player in Major League Baseball, we find out how Hanna fell hopelessly in love with baseball, which will always hit different on the radio. 21:05-45:20: Everyone’s got a beloved Mariner who wasn’t good at baseball. Hanna’s is a recently departed, perennially thicc middle reliever. During this segment, the concept of time takes Matthew behind the woodshed and absolutely beats him senseless. As Mariner fans, we have a protective turtle shell that shields us from danger but also allows us to hide in our own comforting isolation. Toomgis, Larry King, juggalos, and a Pioneer Square bar with carpeted tables also come up. 45:25-56:55: The Mariners, this year’s Mariners, aren’t a complete embarrassment! Thoughts? Feelings? We know we’re in a weird zone when Kyle Seager has a beard. Matthew and Hanna then talk about those moments where another person is confronted by the reality of how much you care about the Mariners. One more important announcement from this part of the show: Coors Light is good. 57:00-1:13:00: Asking Hanna about her favorite Mariner ever, the time she saw Daniel Vogelbach crushing chicken wings on Aurora, and Dave Niehaus’ death. Music: “Hella Good” by No Doubt // “Eugene” by Arlo Parks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ANEA'S FORMER ROOMIE WAS AXE MURDERED IN WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON. ANOTHER WALLA WALLA VICTIM WAS MRS. ZACHARIAS. THE COPS ARRESTED THE 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO LIVED NEXT DOOR AND CHARGED HER WITH THE BRUTAL SEXUAL ASSAULT AND MURDER. SHE WAS FOUND GUILTY AND GOT LIFE IN PRISON. (she was innocent.) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/burl-barer/support

Downbeat magazine's annual Jazz Critics Poll named an album recorded in Seattle as one of the top ten historical albums of the past year. It comes from a pair of 1962 radio broadcasts of Johnny Griffin and Lockjaw Davis playing at The Penthouse in Pioneer Square. An excerpt from the album which also includes Seattle bassist Buddy Catlett will air on Jazz Northwest this Sunday at 2 on 88. KNKX. Also, more music from the new Daniel Hersog Jazz Orchestra from Vancouver, as well as Greta Matassa, the band Oregon and more on this week's show. Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by host Jim Wilke and airs Sundays at 2 p.m. Listeners may also subscribe to the podcast at KNKX, NPR, Apple , or Google .

Lady Yum (Macarons and Mischief) 116 S. Washington St, Seattle, WA 98104 Episode 72  Endings and Entremets https://www.ladyyum.com Our last stop in season two led us to Seattle, and the very unique, one of a kind shop, featuring macarons,wine, beer, champagne, and great coffee. The shop is based on an original French cafe done in pinks and peach, with peacocks, furry chairs and chandeliers as accents. The owner Megan Wagstaff says Lady Yum is a perfect spot for a glass of champagne on a Wednesday afternoon. And yes they do have coffee! Our first guest was Michelle. Not being a coffee drinker, but lover of the aroma, she still knows how to make the perfect cup of coffee for her spouse. What magic ingredient does she add to his daily java and is it worth trying? When they moved to England these devoted dog owners faced a major dilemma, regarding their “children”. Quarantining of Molly, Fred, Zach and Bucky was the first challenge, and how do they get to England? Most creative answer ever ! It involves the high seas! And a “loophole”. Twilight, Seattle, and fan fiction, sometimes you just take a leap of faith. From Microsoft to Macaroons, Russell Wagstaff, husband and partner of owner Megan Wagstaff,left the corporate world to join his wife in this very successful venture. But how did he meet this future partner? Two people, 10 benches, possible budding romance.....and …nothing! Well something, but not your average dating time table. Listen to his story. There are movies that are made out of this scenario. Jeffery and Mitch, our next guests were first timers at Lady Yum, and it was our lucky day getting to hear their very different stories. “ I can tell you I don’t love or drink coffee but I’d be lying”. We had way too many guffaws, with this couple. They compliment each other in a very special way. Jeff works with nuclear fission and designs small modular nuclear reactors,( if he told me what he really did he would have to terminate me). Mitch changed careers and works with people in crisis, and loves it. His goal is to help his clients live independently. How did two opposites like this meet,and marry? Do you want the “official” or real story? That depends on who’s asking! When is the best time to come out to your mother? Why not while ice skating…no seriously, why not. We can tell you this, there was definitely a surprise that made him (and us) laugh. Imagine the scenario, you are on your way to North Dakota to meet the love of your life’s family, and most of them have been given very little notice of your relationship.Da..Da..Daaah. What is their biggest point of contention when it comes to having kids? Milwaukee, Pabst mansion, Aston Martin, and Lamborghini. What do these things all have in common? One WILD night. The stories they will (or will not) tell their children. Felicia, our final guest this week is one of our primary reasons for visiting this fantastic store near Pioneer Square in Seattle. How did she get from home schooling in the 100 plus acre woods of rural Pennsylvania, to urban Seattle? Was there culture shock? Not what you think! Just how did this beautiful (in every sense of the word) woman learn to not only traverse the United States, but end up navigating the world, and conquering a prestigious pastry school in France. Felicia creates, and adorns Seattle's most beautiful and delicious entremets. What you may ask is an entremet? You poor peasant let us enlighten and “entertain” you. Check out her Instagram page (@feliciayoder) to see these beautiful creations,and it will make you smile all day. Whimsical does not do them justice. And that’s without even tasting them. I always heard people say “that looks too good to eat” but never have I ever said this with any real conviction. You’ll find a visual vacation for your eyes on each page. (Ps good luck trying not to succumb to this delicacy) How did this “pastry terminator” end up needing to visit the doctor while in France?

What fear is holding back what God could do through your life? Walk with Phil McCallum as he pushes through his toxic thoughts about the growing homeless population in the city of Seattle. Phil was annoyed, until God’s Spirit started a conversation with him. During the COVID-19 outbreak, God led Rich Simms with REACH ministry through his social media feed and into Phil’s life. Walk with Phil as he ventures into Pioneer Square, feeding unhoused people, introducing himself, learning the names of people living on the street, and even witnessing police and EMT workers take a disturbed woman to help. Most of all, see what happens when we push past a toxic fear.Learn more about Rich Simms and REACH ministry. http://www.reachministry.org-----------------Here are THREE FREE resources to help you to reboot your brain.Sing Yourself Free https://youtu.be/bdLP6n_QIaEVision in the Dark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zBPrNYW7kk&t=21sFlip It Over https://youtu.be/33hScwI3BhgBONUSDownload the Alpha Bible App www.evergreenchurch.tv/bible-----------------The Five Steps of the 21 Day Mind Detox are:1. GATHER YOUR TOXIC THOUGHTSSay about yourself: “I’m an intellectual. I’ve been designed by God to capture thoughts.” See 2 Corinthians 10:5Read Dr Caroline Leaf’s book https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Your-Brain-Happiness-Thinking-ebook/dp/B00CIUJXAS2. REFLECT ON HEALING THOUGHTSSay “I think with God. I ask him, ‘What needs my focus?’” See Habakkuk 2:13. WRITE HEALING THOUGHTS DOWN TO MAKE THEM PART OF YOUSay “I do busy well. When I plan my work and I work my plan.” See Proverbs 16:34. REVISIT THESE THOUGHTS FOR 21 DAYSSay “I open one app at a time. I give my work and people the gift of focus.” See Luke 10:41-42Learn more about the study with sixth graders better able to read emotions without cell phones https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/in-our-digital-world-are-young-people-losing-the-ability-to-read-emotions5. REACH FOR THE GOOD TO OVERCOME EVILSay “I pay attention to people. I choose to be present.” See Matthew 18:20-----------------Subscribe to People Magnet School podcastsYouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWmFLtqFcIHOYZt-xyM1OJgiTuneshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/people-magnet-school/id1505275403Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/2tHekDtpRRUetgmpmm4rBJFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/peoplemagnetschoolInstagram @PeopleMagnetSchoolFind more https://linktr.ee/peoplemagnetschool-----------------Follow Phil McCallum on Social MediaFacebook https://www.facebook.com/philmccallumInstagram @philipmccallumLinkedin https://www.Linkedin.com/in/PhilMccallumTwitter @PhilipMcCallum

On the 76th episode of the Seattle Foodie Podcast, we're recapping all three days of the Seattle Wine and Food Experience. From Thursday to Saturday of last week, we're breaking down each day and giving you the highlights from each event. On Thursday, we kicked it off with Comfort: Feel Good Food and Crafty Brews at SODO Park. Then, Friday was Pop! Bubbles and Seafood at the Great Hall in Union Station. Finally, Saturday reached crescendo with the Grand Tasting at Bell Harbor. Listen to all our drinks and bites! In addition, Monica and Nelson recap other events during the week including dinner at Lazy Susan, brunch at Jack's BBQ in South Lake Union, and Star Chefs Seattle Rising Stars Awards Ceremony and Tasting Gala. Finally, we tell you about several events this up coming week including 2 leap day events. Wake up early in the morning for Theo Chocolate Broken Bar Day and then head over in the afternoon to Lady Yum in Pioneer Square for An Extra Day to Be Extra Event. In the beginning of the week, make sure you check out Restaurant After Hours at the Seattle Aquarium as well. Thank you so much for listening and we hope you enjoy the latest episode of the Seattle Foodie Podcast! Happy eating, Seattle!

Good morning! I’m Mary Regalado and it’s Wednesday, February 19th. Here’s your local news from The Seattle Times. Today will be sunny to partly cloudy with a high of 55. Tonight will be mainly clear and chilly with a low of 34. Our top story is: After enduring a year in Pioneer Square traffic jams, more than 26,000 bus riders will finally catch a break, when a dozen routes move into new Columbia Street bus lanes starting Saturday.

For this episode I had a fascinating conversation with Mark Lakeman about the power of public spaces in transforming neighbourhoods, small communities, and even cities. We journey together as he takes us around the globe for 7 years while he visited and studied indigenous cultures and their perspectives on public spaces, a voyage that was inspired by his disillusionment with the corporate architectural industry and in particular by a toxic cover-up underneath new Bank of America building, a building that his team was involved in designing. Mark is literally carrying on his parent's legacy as his father helped create Portland's Pioneer Square and his mother studied public spaces in Medieval and Neolithic villages. Now fueled by his own vision and applying principles of permaculture design, he is transforming cityscapes into public gathering grounds. Mark is an international leader in the development of regenerative public places, villages, and farms. As a revolutionary designer and urban permaculture activist, in 1996 Mark cofounded the City Repair Project in Portland, Oregon, where he has directed, facilitated, or inspired designs for more than 700 new regenerative projects. Through his leadership in City Repair and its annual Village Building Convergence, and his architecture and planning firm Communitecture, Inc., Mark has also been instrumental in the development of dozens of participatory organizations and urban permaculture design projects across the United States and Canada. Mark is a cofounder and lead instructor of Planet Repair Institute's Urban Permaculture Design Course (UPDC), and he is also a faculty member of Pacific Rim College's School of Permaculture Design. He is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions including the National Lewis Mumford Award for Social Justice Design. Mark works with governmental leaders, community organizations, and educational institutions in many diverse communities. If you value community vibrancy and connection and are interested in indigenous values of coexistence, this episode will hopefully give you a strong foundation for action in your own neighbourhood. Episode Links: www.communitecture.net www.cityrepair.org www.villagebuildingconvergence.com Mark's Workshop at PRC: Permaculture, Place-Making and Planet Repair Learning Links: Pacific Rim College's School of Permaculture Design Online Natural Building Workshops at PRCOnline

June and Jake dish on how the Seattle Underground got so haunted, which places to investigate, and some pro tips on gadget settings. They also let you know how you can investigate haunted places like:J&M CafeMerchant's CafeOccidental Park areaJune also talks about some notorious killing sprees and commonly seen apparitions in Pioneer Square.

June and Jake dish on how the Seattle Underground got so haunted, which places to investigate, and some pro tips on gadget settings. They also let you know how you can investigate haunted places like:J&M CafeMerchant's CafeOccidental Park areaJune also talks about some notorious killing sprees and commonly seen apparitions in Pioneer Square.Links to related material:Krampus poetryJ&M Cafe investigationChuckhole drowningsSpooked in Seattle for haunted toursAGHOST membership

Single Girl Jasmine from SeaTac is a personal shopper at a high-end department store. She’s looking for someone causal but cool to have some holiday fun and something more. We introduce her to City Boy Jim from Federal Way and Country Boy Tommy from Lake Stevens. Jim is a Computer Programmer who enjoys going out a having fun. His idea for a date is to take Jasmine on the Santa-themed Seattle bar crawl called “Santa Con.” He promises to watch over her as they cut loose and drink and eat their through multiple bars around Downtown, Belltown and Pioneer Square. Tommy is an Electrical Engineer who enjoys hiking and fishing. His idea is to take Jasmine to the Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach in Stanwood where they can stroll through the beautiful lights and drink hot cocoa (and maybe schnapps) and then see where the night goes. It all sounds lovely until Tommy reveals a potential, umm, fetish? We try and move past it and get on to what they are all gonna wear but it just keeps coming up. So…what will Jasmine do? Well, whatever she does, we hope she wears a hat…

This week I am recording the show remotely from Las Vegas because I am here for a conference. I had a beautiful interaction with an elderly women at a restaurant at the Bellagio called Lagos which resulted in her kindly buying us dinner. The show will dive deeper, but she ended it saying "the world would be so much better, if more people were as nice as you." The moment filled me with love, compassion, happiness and even a little sadness. I also enjoyed dinner at Momofuku and Milk Bar. The core of today's show is the wacky story of how Seattle actually has 3 birthdays. My story on the show is all over the place in terms of story tellings, but in short, here's the history of the three days. 1 Day recognizes the day the original settlers moved from their first location on West Seattle, into what is current Pioneer Square. The second birthday recognizes the first attempt at becoming an official city, which only last 2 years. The 3rd, and official birthday Dec. 2, 1869, happened when the city reestablishes they are Seattle, with a change in governmental structure having a mayor and city council. Ok, that was as winded as my talking in this show. Thank you for listeing to the Find Me in Seattle Podcast, Episode 004. See you next Friday. Please subscribe or leave a review for more episodes :)

Jake and June discuss 2 ghost hunts at the J&M Cafe, one of the first buildings built after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. This building has seen it all: It's been an Alaska Gold Rush hotel; a brothel; speak easy; gambling hall; and, then back to a hotel.Some haunting activity includes phantom footsteps and billiards sounds, naughty touching, and twirling hair. You can get details on EVPs, temperature anomalies, and ghost hunting tips. AGHOST members and tourists on the Spooked In Seattle Pioneer Square Tour can see the haunted spots in this podcast.To join AGHOST, please visit: https://www.aghost.org/become-a-memberTo read the ghost hunt report with EVPs and picture gallery, visit Ghostly Activities at https://www.ghostlyactivities.com/ghost-hunt-jm-cafe-in-pioneer-square/

Jake and June discuss 2 ghost hunts at the J&M Cafe, one of the first buildings built after the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. This building has seen it all: It's been an Alaska Gold Rush hotel; a brothel; speak easy; gambling hall; and, then back to a hotel.Some haunting activity includes phantom footsteps and billiards sounds, naughty touching, and twirling hair. You can get details on EVPs, temperature anomalies, and ghost hunting tips. AGHOST members and tourists on the Spooked In Seattle Pioneer Square Tour can see the haunted spots in this podcast.To join AGHOST, please visit: https://www.aghost.org/become-a-memberTo read the ghost hunt report with EVPs and picture gallery, visit Ghostly Activities at https://www.ghostlyactivities.com/ghost-hunt-jm-cafe-in-pioneer-square/

At the San Dimas City Council meeting on December 10, 2019, the Council will review proposals from three developers for the vacant Bonita/Cataract lot. Listen to this episode as I share about my personal experience with one of those developers, Creative Housing Associates, and their unique plan for Pioneer Square in downtown San Dimas. Visit IsabelinSanDimas.com for show notes and to share your thoughts on this episode.

On the 64th episode of the Seattle Foodie Podcast, we chat with Instagram Foodie, Brian Lam (@bambamlambchops). Brian joined the Seattle Food community earlier this year and has been taking epic food photos ever since. Starting out as a landscape photographer, Brian combined his passion for food and photography together. Listen to our interview as he talks about what he cooks at home and where he likes to dine at in Seattle and on the Eastside. In addition, Monica and Nelson recap a holiday week, which included a foodie get together at Heartwood Provisions, a visit to Seattle Pops for their new holiday popsicle flavors, and Pyramid Brewing's Keg Tree Lighting and Donation Celebration benefitting Food Lifeline of Western Washington. Finally, we tell you about several events this upcoming week including Cocopop at the Axis 1 in Pioneer Square, Winter Beerfest at Magnuson Park held by the Washington Brewer Guild, Holiday Cheese Board Making Classes at The Works, and the Winter Feast Food Truck Fest at the Fremont Sunday Market. Thank you so much for downloading and listening and we hope you enjoy our newest episode! Happy eating, Seattle!

Sounders will lose one player, but who will it be? Find out next week on true survivor! Or skip ahead to 24:00 as we dish out our end of season awards to see who won “Most Handsomest,” and the “Worst at Drug Tests” (really was a one-horse show). Come to our end of season party if you’re legally allowed to (21+) and beat us at games we were better at as kids! See you Saturday at Flatstick Pub in Pioneer Square.

On the 62nd episode of the Seattle Foodie Podcast, we interview co-owner and Head Chef of Soi on Capitol Hill, Chef Yuie Wiborg. Chef Yuie has been cooking at a very young age in Thailand and has brought her unique Thai food dishes to Soi focusing on Thailand's North Eastern region of Issarn. Listen as she talks about how she's created the menu at Soi and what new things are coming up for the near future and next year. Currently, Chef Yuie is featuring three different specials of Khao Soi for the next three weeks, Green Curry Khao Soi, Khao Soi Sai Uah from 11/18 to 11/24, and Pan-Fried Crab Khao Soi from 11/25 to 12/2. We let you know what we thought of the Khao Soi specials, but just don't listen to us. Check it out at Soi today! In addition, Monica and Nelson recap a busy week, which included the opening of Rachel's Ginger Beer in the SLU, an event at Salumi in Pioneer Square kicking off the Made in Washington Northwest Charcuterie Collection, an early morning trip out to Market Fishmonger and Eatery for a Keyport and Market Fishmonger Crab collaboration, the opening of Locus Wines in Pioneer Square, and our review of Abbio Cookware non-stick pans. Finally, we tell you about two events including Urban Craft Uprising's Gobble Up at Magnuson Park Hangar 30 and a French Macaron Workshop by Bells Pastries. Thank you so much for listening and we hope you enjoy the latest episode of the Seattle Foodie Podcast. Happy eating, Seattle!

Welcome to the first show of the Find Me in Seattle Podcast. This first show will be a solo episode with Conner Cayson, founder of Find Me in Seattle. This week, Conner talks about the MLS Cup Final between Seattle Sounders and Toronto FC and the following victory parade. Disney+ also launched this week and we noticed a new scramble between friends to share login and get access to the new streaming service. We also visited Salumi in Pioneer Square this week for an insanely large charcuterie board. Conner closes out the show by talking about Instagram getting rid of likes on their app and how that could change their business and how we use the tool.

Theresa Carmody, Stacey Katlain and Mickey Sanchez join host Alex Beeken for a special Pioneer Square episode! We meet many fun characters and learn more about Alex's dire financial situation.

Sports travel makes up a sizeable percentage of business for many hotel and resort properties around the country. So it’s time to cater to sports fans and those that work in the sports industry. Nick Kuhns, General Manager of the new Embassy Suites Seattle Downtown-Pioneer Square agrees with that statement as he joins Rick this … Continue reading Nick Kuhns, General Manager, Embassy Suites Seattle Downtown-Pioneer Square →

In 1996, Jay Boone founded Emerald City Guitars out of a funky storefront in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. These days, ECG may occupy the same address but it has evolved into one of the world’s great vintage guitar destinations, a place where Dumble amps, Blackguard Telecasters and ‘Bursts line the walls alongside more affordable electric and acoustic guitars and amps. On today’s Fretboard Journal Podcast, we talk to Jay about the growth of this family-run business; the sales trends he’s observed over the years; how a $400,000 'Burst gets sold; the vintage guitars he just can’t keep in-stock; plus a lot more. It’s a fascinating chat that covers a lot of ground: from vintage Gibson electrics to Martins, reverb.com and more. This episode is sponsored by Retrofret Vintage Guitars and Mono Cases. 

Show rundown:Beer: Jeff and Craig, on their way to midweek Seattle Sounders match, are recording together from Coug-owned Flatstick Pub in Pioneer Square! They're hosted by Flatstick's own Rob Forbes and Brian Largent, who hopped on to talk about beer and all the cool stuff going on at Flatstick. Featuring selections from Reuben's Brews and Skookum Brewery.WSU (16:00): Question time! "What's your favorite WSU football memory from a game you've attended in person?" Four guys who graduated in three different decades reminisce. You'll probably hate it. We don't care.  Subscribe to us on ... iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Show rundown:Beer: Jeff and Craig, on their way to midweek Seattle Sounders match, are recording together from Coug-owned Flatstick Pub in Pioneer Square! They're hosted by Flatstick's own Rob Forbes and Brian Largent, who hopped on to talk about beer and all the cool stuff going on at Flatstick. Featuring selections from Reuben's Brews and Skookum Brewery.WSU (16:00): Question time! "What's your favorite WSU football memory from a game you've attended in person?" Four guys who graduated in three different decades reminisce. You'll probably hate it. We don't care.  Subscribe to us on ... iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Show rundown:Beer: Jeff and Craig, on their way to midweek Seattle Sounders match, are recording together from Coug-owned Flatstick Pub in Pioneer Square! They're hosted by Flatstick's own Rob Forbes and Brian Largent, who hopped on to talk about beer and all the cool stuff going on at Flatstick. Featuring selections from Reuben's Brews and Skookum Brewery.WSU (16:00): Question time! "What's your favorite WSU football memory from a game you've attended in person?" Four guys who graduated in three different decades reminisce. You'll probably hate it. We don't care.  Subscribe to us on ... iTunes Google Play Spotify Stitcher  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today: Greg was starting to get his meth spidey sense that something was wrong and low and behold - he might be correct, how to properly handle the problem to make sure history doesn't repeat itself, and Craig Marquardo joined us to talk all things from getting Sarah her NKOTB Meet-and-Greet tickets, the defunct PMA's, and the first Portland Scooperfest, a bottomless ice cream festival happening July 20th & 21st at Pioneer Square! Have a great afternoon all!

In Episode Five of Downtown Stories from the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA), producer/host Feliks Banel sits down at Occidental Park in Pioneer Square with Kate Joncas, who served as CEO of the DSA for 20 years beginning in 1994. During that time, the Metropolitan Improvement District (MID) was formed, and the city faced challenges like the WTO and the Nisqually Earthquake, and opportunities such as the emerging new waterfront and continued economic growth. Downtown Stories is a podcast series exploring the past, present and future of downtown Seattle and commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Downtown Seattle Association (DSA).

Join us as we, members of the Advanced Ghost Hunters of Seattle and Tacoma, discuss the history of Seattle that has left spirits hanging around some of its oldest parts. Special guest Ross Allison examines Merchant's Cafe, the oldest continuously running restaurant/bar in the Pacific Northwest, and reveals evidence that he and his team discovered while doing paranormal investigations.

We are live from Simply Seattle in Pioneer Square awaiting the arrival of Lenny Wilkens as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Sonics winning the NBA Championship There was another incident of a fan interfering with a player in last night's game, only this time, he wasn't just a fan, he was an investor. Softy and Dick had a chance to catch up with David Moore and Duane Brown as we bring back Dick and Dave in the Locker Room. With KD still out, and Klay battling injuries, how confident is 95.7 The Game's Bonta Hill in the Warriors now? He calls in to let us know.

We are live from Simply Seattle in Pioneer Square awaiting the arrival of Lenny Wilkens as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Sonics winning the NBA Championship There was another incident of a fan interfering with a player in last night's game, only this time, he wasn't just a fan, he was an investor. Softy and Dick had a chance to catch up with David Moore and Duane Brown as we bring back Dick and Dave in the Locker Room. With KD still out, and Klay battling injuries, how confident is 95.7 The Game's Bonta Hill in the Warriors now? He calls in to let us know.

Singer, songwriter and guitar player Tim Turner has been a huge part of the Seattle music scene for four decades. From the highly successful rock band CHILD to his current Tim Turner Band, Tim has consistently performed on the leading edge of the local music scene. Give Tim a "hollow-body" electric guitar and a stage and the outcome is always the same: first-rate guitar playing, great singing and outstanding original tunes." The Crystal Sect., ca. 1968. Tim Tuner far right. Tim has been playing his unique and special brand of blues, rock and rhythm n blues since the 1970's, as a guitarist in Child, and several incarnations of his own Tim Turner Band. He has hosted several jams over the years and been a special guest host at local jams including Paul & Willow of the Unbound Blues Jam at the Madison Ave Pub in Everett, The Barrel Tavern Tuesday Night Jam, the J & M Cafe Jam in Pioneer Square, Seattle and the Lighthouse Sunday Night Jam in Des Moines, WA. Whenever he's on stage, he has the uncanny ability to bring out the best in whatever musicians are on stage with him. Tim also has a way of making the audience feel good and part of the music, asking various audience members to strum his guitar or inviting them to sing along with the song being played. Tim Turner has been a Northwest favorite for many years. As well as appearing at casinos, clubs, pubs, lounges and festivals, the band has also opened for the Dave Mathews Band at the Gorge, Johnny Winters at the Ballard Firehouse and many other venues as well. Tim and his players were honored to be the entertainment at the four day Seagate Convention and Awards Ceremonies in Seattle, performing at the Experience Music Project’s Sky Church for this international event. Tim also hosted the longest running Blues JAM at Larry's Blues Cafe in Pioneer Square for over 10 years. Thank you for your interest in the Tim Turner Band and support of live music!

Singer, songwriter and guitar player Tim Turner has been a huge part of the Seattle music scene for four decades. From the highly successful rock band CHILD to his current Tim Turner Band, Tim has consistently performed on the leading edge of the local music scene. Give Tim a "hollow-body" electric guitar and a stage and the outcome is always the same: first-rate guitar playing, great singing and outstanding original tunes." The Crystal Sect., ca. 1968. Tim Tuner far right. Tim has been playing his unique and special brand of blues, rock and rhythm n blues since the 1970's, as a guitarist in Child, and several incarnations of his own Tim Turner Band. He has hosted several jams over the years and been a special guest host at local jams including Paul & Willow of the Unbound Blues Jam at the Madison Ave Pub in Everett, The Barrel Tavern Tuesday Night Jam, the J & M Cafe Jam in Pioneer Square, Seattle and the Lighthouse Sunday Night Jam in Des Moines, WA. Whenever he's on stage, he has the uncanny ability to bring out the best in whatever musicians are on stage with him. Tim also has a way of making the audience feel good and part of the music, asking various audience members to strum his guitar or inviting them to sing along with the song being played. Tim Turner has been a Northwest favorite for many years. As well as appearing at casinos, clubs, pubs, lounges and festivals, the band has also opened for the Dave Mathews Band at the Gorge, Johnny Winters at the Ballard Firehouse and many other venues as well. Tim and his players were honored to be the entertainment at the four day Seagate Convention and Awards Ceremonies in Seattle, performing at the Experience Music Project’s Sky Church for this international event. Tim also hosted the longest running Blues JAM at Larry's Blues Cafe in Pioneer Square for over 10 years. Thank you for your interest in the Tim Turner Band and support of live music!

Hiba Jameel’s art serves as a way for her to process her world. Whether it is to fulfill her civic duty by criticizing the political climate or to express the sensitive sensual facets of life through painting flayed beautiful nude figures. Or painting to heal from her childhood wounds and engage others in art making via conducting interactive art events. You will see little glass cups decorated with gold in Hiba’s work, along with some mushroom clouds, gold leaf and lots of nude figures.  Hiba uses the traditional tea cup she grew up drinking from as a symbol of her heritage and as a part of her identity. She processes the world around her by painting her experiences, using distinct brush strokes, rich color palate, and exaggerated figures. Her paintings have a luster finish, gold, and luminescent hues. The human figure to her is a body of language that she can use to interpret experiences and convey messages. Hiba is a self-taught painter who identifies as a multidisciplinary artist - she paints, programs and leads community-based interactive art events. She enjoys involving the public in art-making as it elevates our culture and introduces a novel dialogue especially when it is discussing controversial topics. At the age of 8, life forced Hiba to explore the idea of hope through pain and fear. She found it by making sculptures using shrapnel she found on the streets of Baghdad near her house. Throughout her childhood and well into her adolescence she experienced a lot of disorder in the form of trauma, turmoil, fear, abandonment, instability, escape, terror, religious and traditional restrictions, cancer, death, and grief.  Despite all of this, as an adult, she arrived to some form of peace and order. She demonstrates this concept by deconstructing the traditional rules of painting and by creating order from disorder. She paints like she sketches - she starts with large areas first, prioritizing form, size or lighting. She makes many lines and images until they are combined into one idea. Shadows vary with the intensity of feelings in her work. She uses large amounts of paint, and layers to arrive to the core of her intention. Each painting is a theatrical scene that uses color, lines, disorder to find symmetry, normalcy and ultimately arriving to a cohesive order. What you’ll learn about in this episode: How Hiba connected with Gallery Erato in Pioneer Square in Seattle through her work at A/NT Gallery, a nonprofit gallery for emerging artists Why Hiba decided to do a showcase of art celebrating the beauty of the full-figured motherly body Who Hiba chooses to paint very large works, and how she is getting used to oil painting and its differences from the acrylic painting she is used to Why Hiba ignores uninvited criticism but seeks out criticism from people she respects and admires Why being a female Iraqi artist painting nudes has been received, and why she doesn't see herself as painting sexuality How Hiba's provocative painting of Donald Trump and Saddam Hussein titled "I Really Don't Care, Do U?", has received politically-charged hate from Trump supporters How Hiba's PTSD diagnosis comes from her experiences living in Iraq during the Gulf War as a child, listening to bombs explode around her Why Hiba uses art as a way to process her pain, and how she learned her art skills as a very young child from her family Why Hiba and her family had to flee Iraq to Jordan and later Syria when she was a child and young teen, to avoid the conflict What challenges Hiba faced after immigrating to the U.S., not speaking English and having to attend public high school in Michigan How the tremendous response to Hiba's art has continued to grow and raise her profile as an emerging artist Why Hiba attributes much of her art and its success to living in and embracing the city of Seattle How Hiba is working on a collaboration to preserve and restore Iraqi culture destroyed by ISIS, in the DNA of plants through encoding it in Morse code

In the 28th episode of the Seattle Foodie Podcast, Monica and Nelson interview Kai Ottesen, Farm Manager of Hedlin Family Farm and Puget Sound Food Hub Farmer. Kai has been part of Hedlin Family Farm for over 13 years and tells us what it's like to be a Washington State Farmer. We also learn more about the Puget Sound Food Hub, a farmer owned cooperative connecting Western Washington farmers with Wholesale buyers online. With over 60 farms and food producers participating in the Puget Sound Food Hub, Wholesalers can now purchase products all year long. Plus, Monica and Nelson recap a week that included a Foodie Influencer Event at Peony Kitchen in Bellevue, a private launch party for SeaBear Wild Salmon and Heritage Distilling Co. at their Capitol Hill location, and a sneak preview of the Spring Menu at Dead Line in Pioneer Square. Finally, we tell you about some fun events this week including Taste Washington, the return of Mike's Shave Ice at Café Kai in Bremerton, and the Plate of Nations in the Southeast Seattle Neighborhood. Thank you so much for listening and we hope you enjoy our latest podcast episode!

Welcome to the Culture & Cannabis podcast! The goal of this podcast is to show off the mover, shakers and money makers in the cannabis industry and the cannabis culture. David Tran (@thetranimalchronicles) in 1993, attended the University of Washington in Seattle. In 2000, started Old Skool Entertainment, an event and promotional company specializing in producing, promoting some of the biggest events in Seattle. In 2004, co-founded, Cowgirls Inc, a wildly popular bar in Pioneer Square blocks away from Seahawk Stadium, that just celebrated 12 years of business. In 2006, co-founded Venom Nightclub, a sleek New York Style club that hosted some of the biggest parties with artist such as LMFAO, DJ Am, Neyo, Far East Movement and some of the biggest Djs in the world. In the same year co-founded Amber Restaurant and Lounge, a sophisticated Northwest themed concept in the heart of Belltown. Amber is proud to celebrate 10 years of business this year. In 2011, co-founded Conscious Care Cooperative in Ballard, a marijuana dispensary that has served thousands of patients for almost 5 years. In the same year, co-founded DOPE Magazine, a Cannabis Lifestyle Brand that seeks to inform, educate and connect the ever growing Cannabis community. Served as the CEO until 2017 when DOPE was acquired by High Times Magazine and he currently is serving as the companies Chief Brand Officer. The two host are Anthony M. Lee (@fulltimetony) and JC Coats (@_jc_coats). JC Coats is a Las Vegas native who is an overall marketer and event planner. His resume is very long but he most notably started Culture & Cannabis event, which is one of the biggest monthly cannabis in the country. JC also does a ton of marketing consulting for cannabis companies, restaurants, nightclubs and a lot more. Tony is from Las Vegas but currently lives in Reno, Nevada. Tony is the founder of Reno As F***, Reno Cannabis Convention and Budtender Fight Club Reno. Tony also does marketing and sales consulting for cannabis companies such as Harmonious CBD.

Markham McIntyre, chief of staff of Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce jumps on and talks Seattle politics with David.  We start with what his organization does and how it relates to the restaurant industry.  We talk about working with Seattle Restaurant Alliance and current issues affecting them, namely staffing.  We talk comprehensive immigration reform from the local, state and federal levels.   Policy change.  And how individuals can affect those changes.  We get into homelessness.  Rent control.  Zoning.  Transportation.  Responsiveness.  And holding local politicians/city council responsible to the community.  Communication and frustration.  Transparency.  Talk a lot about leadership, and that anyone can throw their hat in the political ring.  We end with an example of Pioneer Square and how the Pioneer Square Alliance fostered the beautification of a historically shady area of Seattle.   This was a really informative conversation about passion for making your community better, the mechanics of policy change, and following your heart.

Chef Scott Carsberg joins David and Kalen for a fascinating conversation about passion and tenacity.  How continuously learning as a man, chef, and artist has shaped him.  And loving yourself is key to excellence. We start with Scott's background and the mentors that influenced his concept of cuisine and hospitality.  Quality over all else.  Not being motivated by money.  Making things exceptional by keeping them simple.  Not a job but a way of life.  The difference between good and excellent is in the details.  We talk about his relentless pursuit for perfection.  How its just something in him that manifested.  And leading by example as a working chef. How its more about sharing and teaching to him.  The type of people he wants to work with; those with dignity and pride.  How cooks hold themselves.   Kitchen posture. And how its all about language, how you communicate, dress, and function together as a team.   Travel.  Apprenticeship.  Culture.  Hospitality.  Professionalism.  Student debt.  Changing as a human being.  The life long journey.  Forgiveness.  Loving yourself.  Tenacity and passion. We talk Pioneer Square, organization, push, the old location and the affects of the last recession.  Holding himself accountable not only for him but to his employees.  His responsibility to his cooks by providing the tools to be successful.  We end with talking about being a good steward to yourself, to your employees and to the city.  Bisato reopens February 2.  84 Yesler way, Seattle, WA 98104

In our final episode before the yuletide break Topher tells of the ghosts that can be found in Victoria's historic Pioneer Square. Join our Patreon Community - https://www.patreon.com/BadCookiePictures Music by Kevin Williams (aka The Complete) - http://www.kevinwilliamscomposer.com/

Chef Wiley Frank sits down with David and talks about food, culture, travel, and opening Little Uncle.  Starting off as a pop up, farmers market, to a brick and mortar in Pioneer Square then returning to Capitol Hill; Wiley takes us on a "mom and pop" journey with Chef Poncharee Kounpungchart  (PK).  Their experience with attempting to get a small business loan; meeting the right people; high quality ingredients; staffing; money and relationships.  It takes two to make dreams work in the restaurant biz! This was a great conversation and covers the current state of the restaurant business and how chefs grind it out.  

Hilary Bailey Burnett invited us into her Seattle store for this edition of Regina’s Round Table and boy, was this a treat. I felt like Hilary was speaking my language, so I hope you enjoy it too. Hilary Bailey Burnett opens up about how a few major decisions and life changes, brought her to the place of “doing hard things”. Her insight of putting her relationship with her husband of 34 years before the needs of her 4 children is a breath of fresh air and something that me and my husband strive to do as well. She talks about transitioning her life and becoming a business owner at the young age of 56, and inspires us to also take leaps. Hilary is what I would describe as the definition of a “classy” woman. She is kind, confident, beautiful, stylish, and communicates in a way that makes you feel comfortable and not less then. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Hilary. Make sure to stop by her amazing store, next time you are in Pioneer Square.

Former teen crush Tiffani Thiessen has come a long way since her days at Bayside High. She's a mother, wife, cookbook author, and host of her own show "Dinner at Tiffani's" on The Cooking Channel. And her artistic outlet is also her last meal! We get tips from Tiffani on how to set up the perfect charcuterie board, and then Rachel heads down to Seattle's historic Pioneer Square neighborhood to learn all about the art of cured meats from Martinique Grig and Clara Veniard, owners of Salumi - a beloved salumeria and restaurant founded by Armandino Batali, father of celebrity chef Mario. Tiffani's characters on "Saved by the Bell" and "Beverly Hills 90210" spent a lot of time hanging out at diners, and when Rachel asks Tiffani if the food was better at The Max or The Peach Pit... it didn't bode well for either place. So Rachel tracked down one of Hollywood's favorite veteran food stylists, Chris Oliver, who has been making the iconic foods you've seen in TV and movies for over 30 years including Seinfeld, Friends, and even 90210. Check out Tiffani's new cookbook "Pull Up a Chair: Recipes from My Family to Yours." Learn more about culinary behind the scenes from Chris Oliver at hollywoodfoodstyling.com. Order some of the most delicious meats you'll ever eat at salumicuredmeats.com. And follow yourlastmealpodcast on Instagram!

Julie Dean took a job in the historic Smith Tower Building in the Pioneer Square section of Seattle, Washington. After a few weeks, Julie notice that something unusual occurred each time she was alone in elevator seven. Elevator Seven Paranormal Activity by J. B. Simien # 0000002 is part of a series of very scary stories. Please subscribe to this channel to see other ghost stories and paranormal activity.To see more stories, please subscribe to the Short StoriesMusic from Jukedeck - create your own at http://jukedeck.com

Julie Dean took a job in the historic Smith Tower Building in the Pioneer Square section of Seattle, Washington. After a few weeks, Julie notice that something unusual occurred each time she was alone in elevator seven. Elevator Seven Paranormal Activity by J. B. Simien # 0000002 is part of a series of very scary stories. Please subscribe to this channel to see other ghost stories and paranormal activity.To see more stories, please subscribe to the Short StoriesMusic from Jukedeck - create your own at http://jukedeck.com

Scott Armstrong is a seasoned general manager with extensive experience leading specialty consumer products companies. In 2004, Scott started CKA Capital, a private equity firm seeking to invest in consumer products companies in the Pacific Northwest. This venture led to the acquisition of Fairhaven Group Inc, dba Brenthaven (www.brenthaven.com). As the CEO of Brenthaven, Scott led the company to double-digit sales and profit growth, eventually selling the company to Gladstone Ventures in 2017. He remains the President and CEO of the new company called Pioneer Square Brands. From 2000-2004, Scott ran the merchandise division at Starbucks Coffee Company, a $200M business that includes all of the retail products found in Starbucks Cafes around the world. During his tenure at Starbucks, Scott and his team doubled the business and in 2003 achieved the best results the company had experienced in over a decade. Prior to joining Starbucks, Scott held several key roles in the Asia-Pacific Region for Bausch and Lomb’s Ray-Ban Sunglass Division. As the Regional Brand Manager based in Hong Kong, Scott directed the development and execution of regional marketing programs across twelve Asian countries. From there, he went on to lead marketing and product management for Ray-Ban Sunglasses in Australia/New Zealand. Scott began his career at Princess Cruises where we worked as an Operations Manager, planning and leading group tours around the world. He has traveled extensively and lived in several countries in Asia including China, Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong. From these travels, he gained a proficiency in conversational Mandarin Chinese and a global perspective on business. Scott is actively involved in his community and served as a trustee of the Make-A-Wish Foundation from 2004-2008. He holds an MBA from New York University and a BA from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. His is an avid tennis player and enjoys spending time with his wife Kim and three children (2 girls and a boy), ages 16, 14 and 12.

You heard us talk with him on Day Two of our San Diego Comic Con 2018 episodes and we were

"The seed for this book was actually a vacation I took to Seattle a few years ago when I stopped in Pioneer Square. There was a giant totem pole there and there was a ranger wearing a smoky bear hat. He told me that in 1899, there had been a brief fad of stealing totem poles from Alaska." Learn more: http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/539111/tip-of-the-iceberg/

Casey is back in the studio with our trusty photog Maurice riding shotgun, and this week along with a the catch up on what they're fuckin with, the stuff that Casey has to say about life lessons and the usual goings on, they're joined by Erica Daniels of Emazing Photography who has been turning her passion for pictures into a career and a brand new commercial studio in Pioneer Square!

Digital media, marketing, and public relations wizard, Darby Cox, lounges with us in the grey tower overlooking Second Avenue in Pioneer Square. She's a recovering addict, a member of Narcotics Anonymous, and a good friend of the show. She's also incredibly witty and ascerbic, like the daughter we never had, bless her.  Four-Finger Shotguns is a production of Zip! Bang! Wow! in Seattle. For more information abut this podcast, please visit our website at zipbangwow.com/ffs/ Shoebill Hamerkop joins us from our real news news studios for a feelings check-in. You can finally be rid of the dead weight of all that excess money you have. Please visit patreon.com/ffspodcast to unload your burden. These links got mentioned on the show and you can't click on sound waves: Chihuly.com  

BOOK LAUNCH PARTYBook launch party scheduled for J Glenn Evans latest novel, Wayfarers – Where No One Is an Outcast on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 4 PM. At The Merchants Café located in Pioneer Square, 109 Yesler Way, Seattle, Washington. Further information or questions call J. Glenn Evans, 360.459.9288 or email JGE2@poetswest.com. You are invited and hope you can come if you are in the area. No charge and no obligation to buy anything. Love to see you there. Merchants Café, Seattle’s oldest restaurant established 1890 was the inspiration for the Wayfarer Restaurant in the novel. In writing this novel, J. Glenn Evans was inspired to organize the non-profit corporation, Glenn Key Evans Farms, Inc.to launch a movement to help the homeless with food and shelter and training in no-till farming. You can also listen to a YouTube interview with Evans on https://youtu.be/Z_G-waX2QJM

BOOK LAUNCH PARTYBook launch party scheduled for J Glenn Evans latest novel, Wayfarers – Where No One Is an Outcast on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 4 PM. At The Merchants Café located in Pioneer Square, 109 Yesler Way, Seattle, Washington. Further information or questions call J. Glenn Evans, 360.459.9288 or email JGE2@poetswest.com. You are invited and hope you can come if you are in the area. No charge and no obligation to buy anything. Love to see you there. Merchants Café, Seattle’s oldest restaurant established 1890 was the inspiration for the Wayfarer Restaurant in the novel. In writing this novel, J. Glenn Evans was inspired to organize the non-profit corporation, Glenn Key Evans Farms, Inc.to launch a movement to help the homeless with food and shelter and training in no-till farming. You can also listen to a YouTube interview with Evans on https://youtu.be/Z_G-waX2QJM

This week Cobb is back in studio for the Holidays! We'll all be getting merry at King Street Bar and Oven in Pioneer Square, tomorrow (12/22/17) from 4-8pm for Thee Get-Together 2017. Hope you can join us!

John Scholes is President & CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association and give provides insight on how the magic of the season happens in downtown Seattle from Pioneer Square to Seattle Center, and all the places in between. The 'magic' is various entities and businesses in the City working together. There's a plan and we get to stroll the streets and enjoy the sparkle and sounds, the Carousel at Westlake Mall, the trees at Pike Place Market. John also provides some insight on safety and transportation in the City. Great parking rates on the weekend and bargain Link and bus rates, all day on one ticket. www.downtownseattle.org

In many cities and town’s there’s often a neighborhood where poverty is concentrated. At certain times in their histories New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Los Angeles’ Skid Row bore this dubious distinction as the synonyms for chronic, intractable, concentrated poverty and were held up as exhibit a as a built indictment of urbanism in general. Seattle’s Pioneer Square could easily have been on that list of neighborhoods, yet today’s visitors to the center of the neighborhood—at Occidental Park—would be astonished by the diversity of public life. Whether food trucks or foozeball, ping pong tables or public basketball courts the space is simultaneously filled to capacity, yet graciously accommodating to new arrivals. For communities wrestling with how to manage public space in the face of a rising tide of people experiencing homelessness, Pioneer Square’s story is one instructive for what it did and did not accomplish. Rather than ignoring, the community confronted. Rather than divesting, the community invested in relationships and each other, and, critically, rather than excluding, they committed to inclusion. The success of the neighborhood’s public spaces certainly rests on many people’s shoulders, but Leslie Smith’s shoulders may be the first amongst equals. As the Executive Director of the Alliance for Pioneer Square, she has helped transform Occidental Park into the destination that it is today. and her lessons, candor and insights are instructive for anyone trying to understand how to empathetically engage in the process of transforming urban space into welcoming place for everyone.

Colleen Echohawk is the Executive Director of the Chief Seattle Club in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood, a non-profit dedicated to meeting the needs of homeless and low-income urban Native people in Seattle. The Chief Seattle Club provides a sacred space to nurture, affirm and renew the spirit of urban Native people. Colleen Echohawk is an enrolled member of the Kithehaki Band of the Pawnee Nation and a member of the Upper Ahtna Athabascan people of Mentasta Lake. She serves on multiple boards, including KUOW (National Public Radio member station), All Home Coordinating Board, Metropolitan Improvement District, Pioneer Square Preservation Board and is the board chair at Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre. As co-founder and principal at Headwater People Consulting Group, she is interested in working with community to create systems and structures that help facilitate wellness and encourages kindness and courage. In this episode of RePlacing Church, she joins me to discuss: How the Chief Seattle Club provides a sacred space to nurture, affirm and renew the spirit of urban Native people. How a native song transformed a dirty downtown alley into a place of remembrance and empowerment What the Urban Relocation Act of 1956 was and its impact on Native communities 3 ways non-Native people can honor the Native communities that originally inhabited the particular places where they now live How to create a culture of wellness in a workplace that engages significant trauma What organizations can do to invite different cultural perspectives Why our world needs to hear the Native voice right now *Get your free RePlacing Church Resource List, a guide to being and becoming the church in the neighborhood. SUBSCRIBE, RATE, and REVIEW the RePlacing Church Podcast on iTunes, or listen on Stitcher, Google Play, or Podbean. Sign up for RePlacing Church updates at www.replacingchurch.org. Like on Facebook, Follow on Instagram. Episode Song Credits: "Another Wrong to Right" and "You Won't Walk Alone" by Mercir. "Closed" by Zadok Wartes. Used with Permission. Production Assistance by Nate Tubbs.

It all began in the late 1980's. Bob Dunbabin found a location for Cascade Yarns® in a vacant storefront, in Pioneer Square, Seattle. The space was modest, squeezed between a mission for the homeless and the main north-south rail line. To Bob, the modest but logistically well located space suited the company’s needs. Best of all, it came with a good price. Bob believed that knitters cared more about the quality of the yarn, than the prestige of the office location. Cascade Yarns® remains a family business with Bob's daughter-in-law, Shannon, joining the business in 2003 and his son, Rob, moving full time into the business in 2005. We love our yarns and we hope that you enjoy knitting with them. Listen Live for chance to win great prizes! Stay up to date with the Yarn Thing podcast with the App available on iTunes and for Droid.Find our more about Marly at www.MarlyBird.com or follow her on Facebook Sponsored by:  Red Heart YarnsSTITCHES.eventsCraftsyErin.Lane BagsCreativebugBuffalo Wool Co. 

When it comes to Seattle homelessness, most people want to help in some way but don't know where to start.  Do we give a few dollars?  Do we not?  And if we do, where is the money being spent?  One tech entrepreneur in Pioneer Square believes that technology can fix this dilemma we all face. Join Tyler and Phil's conversation with Jonathan Kumar, founder of GiveSafe.  A smartphone app designed to bridge the giving gap between people living on the streets and those who want to pass along a few dollars when asked.

In so many ways, 2016 has been the worst season in Seattle Sounders history. It started with one of the most tumultuous offseasons in their brief history as they lost several fan favorites, including Obafemi Martins. It continued with frustrating loss to Club America in CONCACAF Champions League and into the regular season with three straight losses, a 6-12-2 start and a week spent in last place. Even one of the biggest highlights — signing Nicolas Lodeiro — was preceded by nasty negotiations with Boca Juniors and followed by Clint Dempsey’s heart issues. There were off-field issues as well, starting with the whole mobile-ticketing fiasco and several public disagreements between the front office and supporters groups. Given all that, it’s not shocking that Adrian Hanauer still has mixed emotions heading into Saturday’s MLS Cup, as he admits that he takes each failure personally. We talked to Hanauer in his Pioneer Square office above The Ninety on Thursday for what we feel is some interesting insight into a season that may well end on the highest high in Seattle soccer history.

This mix was made live in the heart of Pioneer Square in Seattle, WA live! "Psy Ops presents: A very special gathering to raise funds for Operation Jungle Defense to provide ammenties for those in and around the Duwamish Greenbelt . THEY NEED FUNDS TO MAKE FLIERS TO DRAW ATTENTION AND TO PROVIDE TENTS, TARPS, AND DESPERATELY NEEDED SOLAR SHOWERS FOR HYGIENE. GET IN THE GROOVE TO HELP US MOVE (FORWARD). There is now an Amazon gift registry set up by Operation Jungle Defense! http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/1IXC40PIS1HL5/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_awwl_iEfBxbEVSTXME Please go to their page! https://m.facebook.com/FIGHTINGFORTHEHOMELESSINTHEJUNGLE/" - Psy Ops, Seattle WA Thanks again for all your support. Enjoy!

This mix was made live in the heart of Pioneer Square in Seattle, WA live! "Psy Ops presents: A very special gathering to raise funds for Operation Jungle Defense to provide ammenties for those in and around the Duwamish Greenbelt . THEY NEED FUNDS TO MAKE FLIERS TO DRAW ATTENTION AND TO PROVIDE TENTS, TARPS, AND DESPERATELY NEEDED SOLAR SHOWERS FOR HYGIENE. GET IN THE GROOVE TO HELP US MOVE (FORWARD). There is now an Amazon gift registry set up by Operation Jungle Defense! http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/1IXC40PIS1HL5/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_awwl_iEfBxbEVSTXME Please go to their page! https://m.facebook.com/FIGHTINGFORTHEHOMELESSINTHEJUNGLE/" - Psy Ops, Seattle WA Thanks again for all your support. Enjoy!

Seattle’s Elm Coffee Roasters opened their Pioneer Square roastery just over a year ago with a focus on light roast, sublime design, and friendly service. Links Elm Coffee Roasters Elm Coffee Roasters on Facebook Elm Coffee Roasters on Twitter Elm Coffee Roasters on Instagram Read More: unpacking.coffee/elm-coffee-roasters/

Paul Cheoketen Wagner of the Salish tribe performs a cleansing ceremony in the old upstairs of Pioneer Square's J & M Cafe.

From BCB... http://bestofbcb.org/out-005-christmas-bird-count-restoration-point/ In this episode of “Bainbridge Outdoors,” BCB host Annie Osburn joins Bainbridge Island’s premier birders George Gerdts, Brad Waggoner and Jamie Acker at Restoration Point for the 2014 Christmas Bird Count. Now in its 115th year, the first Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was taken on Christmas Day, 1900, by ornithologist Frank Chapman.  It was Chapman, an officer in the nascent Audubon Society, who proposed conducting a census of birds seen rather than a count of birds hunted and killed during the Christmas season.  Today, the CBC is the longest-running citizen science survey in the world. Administered by the National Audubon Society, the count provides critical data on population trends around the world. While the first CBC included 25 counts and tallied approximately 90 species, current CBCs amass data from more than 2,300 counts. On this cold, blustery morning of December 27, 2014, Osburn and BCB audio tech, Tim Bird, meet up with Gerdts, Waggoner and Acker at Restoration Point on the southeastern end of Bainbridge Island to conduct a portion of the annual Seattle Audubon Society CBC. Each CBC encompasses a count of species and total number of birds in a circle with a diameter of 15 miles, this one ranging from Seattle’s Pioneer Square, across Puget Sound and including the southeastern tip of Bainbridge Island. Because the Bainbridge count occurs in an area not generally open to the public, the invitation to join this merry group of birders for the count was an opportunity not to be missed. Gerdts, Waggoner and Acker have been passionate birders since their youth and lead private and organized group birding tours (some through Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District) to help educate others about birds on Bainbridge. In addition, Acker has studied owls on the island for nearly 20 years, banding owls and researching their habitats and behaviors, including the Great Horned, Barred and his beloved Northern Saw-whet owl. For this CBC, the team at Restoration Point counted 65 species and tallied 1,373 birds. Highlights of the count included Canada Geese (and one immature Canada Snow Goose in the flock), Harlequin Ducks, Surf Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, Bald Eagles, Red-tailed Hawks, Black Turnstones, California Gulls, a Red-naped/Red-breasted Sapsucker (hybrid), a Peregrine Falcon, and a Spotted Sandpiper.  According to Gerdts, in his 30+ years of conducting the CBC at this location, this is only the second time that an orca pod has joined the event. An hour into this portion of the 85th annual Seattle Audubon Society CBC, Gerdts notes: “We’re still in the early stages of this CBC. It’s too early to tell, but we can probably say it’s been a good start. The best thing so far is it’s not raining!” This is the second in a four-part series about birding on Bainbridge. Next up: Winter Owls on a very cold and dark February morning. Stay tuned. Credits: BCB host and writer: Annie Osburn; audio tech/audio editor: Tim Bird; social media publishers Diane and Chris Walker. 

The history of Seattle, of any city really, shows in the buildings that are still standing and the ones that have been torn down. In Seattle, the Pike Place Market came close to being demolished. That weird garage in Pioneer Square dubbed the sinking ship, it might've been the template for the entire neighborhood. The fact that it stands ugly and alone is a testament to the social and political activism of "Allied Arts." The group has receded in influence in recent years. But through the efforts of its eclectic members, much of what we value about the city still stands.R.M. Campbell arts critics for the Seattle P.I. for 30 years. He was around for many of the battles Allied Arts launched. Mary Coney, now a retired UW Professor , was one of the Presidents of Allied Arts. Campbell has written a history of the organization, "Stirring Up Seattle: Allied Arts in the Civc Landscape." Mary Coney provided a lot of history, facts and material for the book. When you read it, you might be surprised to find out who some of the Allied Arts firebrands were. Some names will be familiar, some will be new. But for almost 30 years, the one time "Beer and Culture Society" shaped the city we know today.

Your "first place" is home, where you kick back and relax. Your "second place" is work, where you probably spend most of your time. But where's your "third place?" If you're lucky, your town has plenty of third places to choose from - the corner coffee shop where you can nurse a latte all day, a neighborhood bar where everybody knows your name, a library, a church, or a park. On this recording you'll hear why third places are crucial to strengthening your town's economy, community, and culture - and how you can help to build them. Featuring Karen True, Business and Community Development at Alliance for Pioneer Square and Mike Knutson, President of MAK(e) Strategies. Call recorded on September 13, 2012. Notes available online at bit.ly/PIMNoh.

You might say Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Protest. Or, Jesus Christ Made Seattle Under Pressure. Either way, this provocative statement is a big help when you’re trying to get around downtown Seattle. It’s a mnemonic device, a sentence that helps you remember the names and order of the city’s streets. The first letter of each word corresponds to a pair of streets between Pioneer Square and Belltown. Jesus starts with a ‘J,’ which means Jefferson and James come first. The ‘C’ in Christ signals that Cherry and Columbia are next, and so on. You might’ve already known that, but do you have any idea where the memory trick came from? Or, why it remains so popular? A useful tool It doesn’t seem to matter if you’ve lived here for three years or three decades, a lot of Seattleites rely on the phrase from time to time. “Once in a while, I’m trying to remember what the next street is,” says Tait Bowers. “I’m like, J-J, C-C, M-M. So it makes it easy to know that they’re all paired up together”

James Howard Kunstler shares his observations of Seattle based on his recent trip to that city. He believes that the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood gives one an idea of what the best of American urbanism can be, inspite of some clunky housing types. Though downtown is active and fairly pleasant, JHK has ominous feelings about the future of its many glass apartment towers. Kunstler also describes the Capitol Hill neighborhood, University District, Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. He talks about riding the bus and the lessons we can learn from the lame monorail. Seattle is also home to the ubiquitous coffee chain Starbucks, which has many downsides to it, but which has also introduced some culture to certain places that had previously lacked any sort of "third place."