Podcasts about seattle king county

The Urbanist hosted a “Future of Seattle Housing” panel discussion on April 23rd, alongside Seattle YIMBY, at El Centro de la Raza in Beacon Hill. The panel was moderated by Doug Trumm, The Urbanist's publisher, and our panelists are housing leaders in the private, non-profit, and public sectors:Patrick Cobb, developer, architect, and a founding partner of Stack, a firm specializing in urban infill development.Naishin Fu, Co-Executive Director at House Our Neighbors, a nonprofit focused on expanding social housing.Michael Hubner, Long Range Planning Manager at the Seattle Office of Planning Community and Development (OPCD).Jesse Simpson, Director of Government Relations and Policy at the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County and a board member at The Urbanist.The transcript was auto-generated and edited lightly for errors. Apologies for the errors that made it through.

We sit down with Julia Colson, the founder and executive director of the Seattle King County Clinic, to discuss the incredible journey of establishing a large-scale, volunteer-driven pop-up clinic providing free dental, vision, and medical services to thousands each year. She shares the clinic's origin story, spurred by a 60-minute episode that highlighted the healthcare struggles of everyday people and her realization of the parallels within her own life. Julia delves into the challenges of building such a unique healthcare initiative from scratch, emphasizing the essential role of openness, humility, and collaboration in shaping the clinic's success. Through heartfelt anecdotes and insights, we explore the powerful impact of the clinic in transforming both patient experiences and volunteer perspectives while also addressing how the initiative calls attention to the broader issues plaguing our healthcare system. To Volunteer: Seattle/King County Clinic - Seattle Center Foundation Overview: Transformed from watching "60 Minutes" to founding a clinic that serves 3,000 patients in four days Used event planning background rather than healthcare expertise to approach problems differently Created a collaborative model where diverse skills complemented each other's gaps Challenged stereotypes by showing diverse patients - teachers, tech workers with insurance, not just unhoused individuals Built community between patients and volunteers by midday of each clinic Used the clinic as both immediate intervention and platform for advocacy Incorporated storytelling through comics and patient narratives to humanize statistics Balanced meeting urgent needs while pushing for systemic reform Demonstrated how naivete and humility can be assets when creating innovative solutions Prioritized listening and supporting patients over rushing through care Helped providers reconnect with the human aspects of medicine, free from business metrics Next Step: Visit our website, Healthcare for Humans, and join our community to enjoy exclusive benefits at https://www.healthcareforhumans.org/support/ Support Our Mission: Non-clinicians, explore exclusive content and contribute to our collective journey. Be an Active Participant: Go beyond listening. Shape our narrative by co-creating episodes with us. Be part of our community by visiting https://www.healthcareforhumans.org/support/. Follow us on Instagram @healthcareforhumanspodcast

Rhythm & News Podcast interview with the Seattle King County NAACP President, L. Darrell Powell, discussing the NAACP's new leadership, intiatives, and more. Interview by Chris B. Bennett. 

On this week-in-review, Crystal is joined by staff writer at The Stranger covering policing, incarceration and courts, Ashley Nerbovig! They discuss: GOP Candidate Dave Reichert's Anti-LGBTQ Views Boeing Faces Scrutiny Over Safety Issues and Alleged Cover-Up Tacoma to Implement ShotSpotter Despite Concerns Local Guaranteed Basic Income Pilots Show Promising Results Seattle Police Officer's Troubling Past Revealed As always, a full text transcript of the show is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Follow us on Twitter at @HacksWonks. Find the host, Crystal Fincher, on Twitter at @finchfrii and find today's co-host, Ashley Nerbovig, at @AshleyNerbovig.   Resources Denver's STAR Program Offers Promising Alternative Response to Mental Health and Substance Use Crises from Hacks & Wonks   “Dave Reichert to Pierce County Republicans: "Marriage Is Between a Man and a Woman"” by Rich Smith from The Stranger   “Boeing whistleblowers describe ‘criminal cover-up,' safety risks to Senate” by Dominic Gates from The Seattle Times   “Tacoma police to test gunshot-detection system. Shotspotter has faced criticism elsewhere” by Puneet Bsanti from The News Tribune   “ShotSpotter is a Failure. What's Next?” by Hannah Cheves of the MacArthur Justice Center   “IMPD will not go ahead with gunshot detection system” by Sarah Nelson from The Indianapolis Star   Seattle Considers Controversial Surveillance Technologies with Flawed Approval Process from Hacks & Wonks   “ShotSpotter: Why waste money we don't have on technology that doesn't work?” by Marcus Harrison Green from The Seattle Times   “How King County's $500-a-month guaranteed income program fared” by Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks from The Seattle Times   Guaranteed Basic Income Final Evaluation | Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County   “Guaranteed income returned to Pierce County this week. Why free money deserves a shot” by The News Tribune Editorial Board   “Seattle Police Knew Officer Who Struck and Killed Pedestrian Had “Checkered History,” But Hired Him Anyway” by Andrew Engelson from PubliCola   Find stories that Crystal is reading here   Listen on your favorite podcast app to all our episodes here

Join Judy Kinney, Executive Director of GenPride, and members of the LGBTQ+ community for a lively discussion about how to stay proud and engaged as they age. GenPride advocates for Seattle/King County older LGBTQIA+ adults' unique needs through programs and services that cultivate well-being and belonging. Judy Kinney (she/they) is an experienced non-profit leader and community builder who has devoted 20 years of her career to protecting, supporting, and advancing the well-being of older adults, including promoting the equality, safety, and health of older LGBTQIA+ people. Judy is deeply committed to centering the intersections of age, race, and LGBTQ+ identities in GenPride's work. Presented by Town Hall Seattle and Northwest Center for Creative Aging.

Homelessness, and especially people living outside is a growing problem across the country. Seattle and other expensive cities feel the brunt of that rise, but the crisis is showing up in smaller, suburban cities too.Seattle Times reporter Anna Patrick explains how one King County city's experience details how things can cycle, and how we might be able to make change.Information on the free Seattle/King County clinic: https://seattlecenter.org/skcclinic/ We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. You have the power! Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/seattlenowAnd we want to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram at SeattleNowPod, or leave us feedback online: https://www.kuow.org/feedback

Thursday, December 21 on Urban Forum Northwest on 1150 AM KKNW/www.1150kknw.com on Alexa and my podcast 2:00-3:00 pm (PST) my scheduled guest for the hour are:*Wendell Stemley, President, National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) comments on the 1.75 trillion dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds appropriated to rebuild the United States infrastructure, he is confused by the success of Black Contractors and Truckers in the state of Florida, but the numbers don't reflect the same success for African American Contractors and Truckers in Washington State.*Bob Armstead, President, National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC)-Washington Chapter comments on his efforts with local and state government agencies to secure opportunities for his members and minority owned and operated construction firms.*Elton Mason, Owner, Washington State Sand and Gravel expresses his disappointment with showing up to an outreach sessions called to comply with federal regulations. The session he and 9 other Black Truckers attended in hopes of getting dump truck work on a contract that already been awarded and was not even put out for public bid.*Shaude' Moore, Chair, Seattle King County Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Coalition provides an update on the organization's plans for the January 15, 2024 MLK Holiday that will be held at Seattle's Garfield High School. She will lead the discussion with this years MLK Interns.*The following 2023-2024 Seattle MLK Interns comment on their experience to date and they are:*Misgana Kiflom 11th grade Shorewood High School-Principal:Bill Dunbar*Kobe Williams 11th grade O'Dea High School-Principal:Jim Walker*Abigail Ferrigno 11th grade Cleveland STEM High School-Principal:Jeff Lamm*Olivia Ferrigno 9th grade Cleveland STEM High School-Principal:Jeff LammUrban 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 (X)@Eddie_Rye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thursday, December 21 on Urban Forum Northwest on 1150 AM KKNW/www.1150kknw.com on Alexa and my podcast 2:00-3:00 pm (PST) my scheduled guest for the hour are: *Wendell Stemley, President, National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) comments on the 1.75 trillion dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds appropriated to rebuild the United States infrastructure, he is confused by the success of Black Contractors and Truckers in the state of Florida, but the numbers don't reflect the same success for African American Contractors and Truckers in Washington State. *Bob Armstead, President, National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC)-Washington Chapter comments on his efforts with local and state government agencies to secure opportunities for his members and minority owned and operated construction firms. *Elton Mason, Owner, Washington State Sand and Gravel expresses his disappointment with showing up to an outreach sessions called to comply with federal regulations. The session he and 9 other Black Truckers attended in hopes of getting dump truck work on a contract that already been awarded and was not even put out for public bid. *Shaude' Moore, Chair, Seattle King County Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Coalition provides an update on the organization's plans for the January 15, 2024 MLK Holiday that will be held at Seattle's Garfield High School. She will lead the discussion with this years MLK Interns. *The following 2023-2024 Seattle MLK Interns comment on their experience to date and they are: *Misgana Kiflom 11th grade Shorewood High School-Principal:Bill Dunbar *Kobe Williams 11th grade O'Dea High School-Principal:Jim Walker *Abigail Ferrigno 11th grade Cleveland STEM High School-Principal:Jeff Lamm *Olivia Ferrigno 9th grade Cleveland STEM High School-Principal:Jeff Lamm 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 (X)@Eddie_Rye.

Welcome to the December episode of the CEO Podcast with Washington Hospitality Association president & CEO Anthony Anton. This month, Anthony sits down with Director of Local Government Affairs John Lane and Local Government Affairs Sr. Manager Austin Miller. The three discuss local elections throughout the state and issues such as local minimum wages the team has seen spring up over the last couple of years. Find links to the drafts of our Indus-Trees here: Back of the house Quick service Front of the house Lodging Find the National Restaurant Association survey here. HR Suite of resources New retirement solutions for employees FICA gratuity tax credits from Adesso Get information about joining Seattle/King County grassroots campaigns by emailing autumnf@wahospitality.org. Thank you to our sponsor, Hospitality Health Insurance. Subscribe to Washington Hospitality Industry Podcast on Soundwise

Guests include: John Glynn, a leader in the Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Coalition's Opportunity Fair Bob Armstead, President, Washington State Chapter-National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) Clarence Gunn, President, Democrats for Diversity and Inclusion (DDI) Jessilyn A. Hall Head of Sound of The Northwest Tana Yasu, Treasurer, Seattle Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Coalition Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Guests include: John Glynn, a leader in the Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Coalition's Opportunity Fair Bob Armstead, President, Washington State Chapter-National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) Clarence Gunn, President, Democrats for Diversity and Inclusion (DDI) Jessilyn A. Hall Head of Sound of The Northwest Tana Yasu, Treasurer, Seattle Martin Luther King Jr. Organizing Coalition

Thursday, August 24 on Urban Forum Northwest:*Hayward Evans, Co Convener, Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee (MLKCC) "Dream Unfinished: Continuation not Commemoration". He will comment on the logistics of the full weekend of events.*Raymond Miller, NAACP, Area Conference (Alaska, Oregon, Washington) Chair, Armed Services and Veteran Affairs Committee is one of the organizers for the Snohomish County observance of the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington DC for Jobs and Freedom.*Tana Yasu, organizer of the Youth/ Young Adult Saturday program of "Dream Unfinished:Continuation not Commemoration" at the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) 10:00 am-5:00 pm. She will be joined by youth leader/speaker Lincoln Wilmore and Chardonnay Beaver the keynote speaker for the event. The Simply Soulful Brunch will be served at 10:15 am.*Stan Shikuma, President, Japanese Americans Citizens League (JACL) the oldest Asian American Civil Rights and Human Rights organization in the country. JACL was in Selma, Alabama with African Americans in 1965 and in 2015 for the 50th Anniversary.*Dr. James Carter, Director, Seattle Breakfast Group Project Mister Program, he comments on the historical significance of "Dream Unfinished:Continuation not Commemoration" and what role his organization will play in the 60th Anniversary observance this weekend.*Dr. Traci Harrell has played a significant role in interviewing individuals who were around during the August 28, 1963 March on Washington DC. She has scheduled interviews for Friday, August 25 10:00 am-5:00 pm at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Baptist Church in Renton.*Clyde Merriwether and Roger Evans of the Seattle Griot Project are videoing and conducting interviews to chronicle the Seattle King County events that will be held to observe the 60th Anniversary of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington DC.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 (X) @Eddie_Rye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thursday, August 24 on Urban Forum Northwest: *Hayward Evans, Co Convener, Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee (MLKCC) "Dream Unfinished: Continuation not Commemoration". He will comment on the logistics of the full weekend of events. *Raymond Miller, NAACP, Area Conference (Alaska, Oregon, Washington) Chair, Armed Services and Veteran Affairs Committee is one of the organizers for the Snohomish County observance of the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington DC for Jobs and Freedom. *Tana Yasu, organizer of the Youth/ Young Adult Saturday program of "Dream Unfinished:Continuation not Commemoration" at the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) 10:00 am-5:00 pm. She will be joined by youth leader/speaker Lincoln Wilmore and Chardonnay Beaver the keynote speaker for the event. The Simply Soulful Brunch will be served at 10:15 am. *Stan Shikuma, President, Japanese Americans Citizens League (JACL) the oldest Asian American Civil Rights and Human Rights organization in the country. JACL was in Selma, Alabama with African Americans in 1965 and in 2015 for the 50th Anniversary. *Dr. James Carter, Director, Seattle Breakfast Group Project Mister Program, he comments on the historical significance of "Dream Unfinished:Continuation not Commemoration" and what role his organization will play in the 60th Anniversary observance this weekend. *Dr. Traci Harrell has played a significant role in interviewing individuals who were around during the August 28, 1963 March on Washington DC. She has scheduled interviews for Friday, August 25 10:00 am-5:00 pm at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Baptist Church in Renton. *Clyde Merriwether and Roger Evans of the Seattle Griot Project are videoing and conducting interviews to chronicle the Seattle King County events that will be held to observe the 60th Anniversary of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington DC. 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 (X) @Eddie_Rye.

Thursday, August 24 on Urban Forum Northwest: *Hayward Evans, Co Convener, Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee (MLKCC) "Dream Unfinished: Continuation not Commemoration". He will comment on the logistics of the full weekend of events. *Raymond Miller, NAACP, Area Conference (Alaska, Oregon, Washington) Chair, Armed Services and Veteran Affairs Committee is one of the organizers for the Snohomish County observance of the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington DC for Jobs and Freedom. *Tana Yasu, organizer of the Youth/ Young Adult Saturday program of "Dream Unfinished:Continuation not Commemoration" at the Northwest African American Museum (NAAM) 10:00 am-5:00 pm. She will be joined by youth leader/speaker Lincoln Wilmore and Chardonnay Beaver the keynote speaker for the event. The Simply Soulful Brunch will be served at 10:15 am. *Stan Shikuma, President, Japanese Americans Citizens League (JACL) the oldest Asian American Civil Rights and Human Rights organization in the country. JACL was in Selma, Alabama with African Americans in 1965 and in 2015 for the 50th Anniversary. *Dr. James Carter, Director, Seattle Breakfast Group Project Mister Program, he comments on the historical significance of "Dream Unfinished:Continuation not Commemoration" and what role his organization will play in the 60th Anniversary observance this weekend. *Dr. Traci Harrell has played a significant role in interviewing individuals who were around during the August 28, 1963 March on Washington DC. She has scheduled interviews for Friday, August 25 10:00 am-5:00 pm at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Baptist Church in Renton. *Clyde Merriwether and Roger Evans of the Seattle Griot Project are videoing and conducting interviews to chronicle the Seattle King County events that will be held to observe the 60th Anniversary of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington DC. 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 (X) @Eddie_Rye.

In this episode, I interview Susan Millender, who shares with us information about a rare brain malformation (primarily diagnosed during pregnancy and sometimes diagnosed after birth). She wants us to know that her organization Families for HoPE is the only organization whose mission it is to support the entire family impacted by this disease.  She works, along with a dedicated Board of Directors and with volunteers to meet the direct service needs of the Holoprosencephaly community. Susan has always had an interest in community service and working in environments that have a strong mission to help ameliorate anxiety and isolation.  Susan is currently the Executive Director of Families for HoPE, Inc., an Indianapolis based nonprofit serving children diagnosed with Holoprosencephaly and related rare brain malformations.  She is the first person to fill the role in the organization's 17-year history.   Susan was born in East Chicago, IN and grew up in nearby Gary. She attended Ball State University and graduated from Calumet College, Whiting, IN, with a BA in Mass Communications.   Susan has worked as a health advocate in nonprofit settings in the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years, specifically among children and families struggling to gain and maintain well-being and resilience.  She is a member of the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health. Previously,she led Seattle-King County Washington's Guided Pathways nonprofit family support organization as Executive Director. She has served as Program Director for the American Diabetes Association of Washington and Northern Idaho, and directed marketing communications programs for Seattle Counseling Services, Sound Generations of Seattle-King County, and Seattle's Bloodworks.   She counts travel and reading among the leisure-time activities she most enjoys.   Susan can be reached directly through info@familesforhope.org

6am hour -- Kirby Wilbur in for John Carlson -- FL Gov. Ron DeSantis makes his presidential campaign official tonight, Republicans now have a wide choice among announced candidates, what DeSantis campaign now means for Donald Trump, what Trump needs to do now--especially if he keeps claiming the 2020 election was rigged/stolen, what happened with that Amazon/Seattle employee walk-out yesterday?, Seattle is the dog poop capitol of America according to new , um, research, a KVI caller suggests a Trump strategy for 2024, 7am hour -- congratulations to today's Carlson's Legendary Lyrics winner, how is Chicago doing after electing it's new mayor?, the venerable Chicago Mercantile Exchange has indicated they might move their operation from Chicago based on plans from the new mayor, a Western US governor is canceling the state gas tax for one year to provide taxpayer relief, Joy Behar's absurd comment about US Sen. Tim Scott, a Mick Jagger update..., four Good Guy With A Gun stories, a Michigan 13 yr old uses a slingshot to stop a suspect trying to kidnap his younger sister. 8am hour -- GUEST: attorney now author, Anne Bremner, tells KVI about her new book "Justice in the Age of Judgement", how social media and 24/7 cable news are impacting criminal/civil trials, prime examples are the Amanda Knox trial and the Duke lacrosse team rape allegation, a more recent case in the last week involves a viral video of a NY nurse and a group of young Black men arguing over a rental bike, the upcoming Moscow ID quadruple murder case will likely face a change of venue case and/or jury selection over news media coverage, the historic pilot of the SR-71 Blackbird USAF jet just passed away last week, Philadelphia just elected a new mayor (Black woman) who vows to restore the police department (including "stop and frisk"), what the new mayor says about police profiling of Black residents, what the Philadelphia mayoral election says about Seattle/King County elections/politics.

Rhythm & News Podcast interview with the Seattle/King County Clinic's Project Manager, Julia Coulson, informing the community about their clinic's offer of free dental, medical, and vision care services at the Seattle Center for those in need. Interview by Chris B. Bennett.

Thursday, February 23 on Urban Forum Northwest :The program today is dedicated to the Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee's Awards Ceremony and Reception being held at Seattle's Holgate Street Church of Christ on Saturday, February 25 beginning at 3:30 PM (PST), the following individuals are participants.*Hayward Evans, Co Convener, Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee (MLKCC) comments on the February 25 Awards Celebration and Reception.*April Sims, the first Woman and African American to be President of the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) AFL-CIO, she will present an award to Kevin Allen who is a leader in the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist and a Vice President, WSLC.*Reverend Dr. Carey Anderson, Pastor, Seattle's First AME Church will be the speaker on the MLKCC Black History Month Awards Celebration and Reception on Saturday.*Dr. Maxine Mimms talks about the recipient of an award named in her honor. That person is Mary Lude Flowers a longtime advocate for people in need.*Larry Gossett will present an award named in his honor to the Chair of the Tacoma Pierce County Black Collective, Lyle Quasim, who served as Secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), the states Mental Health Director, and the President of Bates Technical College.*Josephine Howell, Chandler Williams, and Butch Harrison will provide entertainment for the MLKCC Black History Awards Ceremony and Reception on Saturday, February 25.Urban Forum Northwest streams live at www.ii50kknw.com. Visit us at www.urbanforumnw.com for archived programs and relevant information. Like us on facebook. Twitter@Eddie_Rye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Thursday, February 23 on Urban Forum Northwest : The program today is dedicated to the Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee's Awards Ceremony and Reception being held at Seattle's Holgate Street Church of Christ on Saturday, February 25 beginning at 3:30 PM (PST), the following individuals are participants. *Hayward Evans, Co Convener, Seattle King County Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee (MLKCC) comments on the February 25 Awards Celebration and Reception. *April Sims, the first Woman and African American to be President of the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC) AFL-CIO, she will present an award to Kevin Allen who is a leader in the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist and a Vice President, WSLC. *Reverend Dr. Carey Anderson, Pastor, Seattle's First AME Church will be the speaker on the MLKCC Black History Month Awards Celebration and Reception on Saturday. *Dr. Maxine Mimms talks about the recipient of an award named in her honor. That person is Mary Lude Flowers a longtime advocate for people in need. *Larry Gossett will present an award named in his honor to the Chair of the Tacoma Pierce County Black Collective, Lyle Quasim, who served as Secretary of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), the states Mental Health Director, and the President of Bates Technical College. *Josephine Howell, Chandler Williams, and Butch Harrison will provide entertainment for the MLKCC Black History Awards Ceremony and Reception on Saturday, February 25. Urban Forum Northwest streams live at www.ii50kknw.com. Visit us at www.urbanforumnw.com for archived programs and relevant information. Like us on facebook. Twitter@Eddie_Rye.

It's no secret; the pandemic kicked off the great resignation. Organizations in all industries scramble for talent to fill open positions. One sector of vital importance in dire need of skilled workers to fill a talent pipeline in cybersecurity. A 2022 Cybersecurity Workforce Study concluded that the global cybersecurity workforce gap has increased by 26.2% compared to 2021, leaving a void of 3.4 million jobs.The threats to global infrastructures and organizational networks are never-ending, and without a fully stocked cyber workforce, those threats create untold damage.The question on Ron J Stefanski's mind: is there a talent pool waiting in the wings to answer the call, and what are today's disruptors doing to find this talent and bring them into the cybersecurity space? Two disruptors answered the call and joined Stefanski on DisruptED to talk about talent and to get the right people onto the bus.Mark Jaster, Founder & CEO of FOUR18 Intelligence Corp, and Marlena Sessions, CEO of NOVAworks, spoke with Stefanski about the situation.“The problem we are faced with today is there are way too many cyberattacks for our resources and our ability to defend them,” Jaster said. “We don't have enough people, we don't have enough knowledge about what's happening, and it's happening in real-time, incentivized by the payoff that the attackers have when they succeed.” Stefanski, Jaster, and Sessions discuss the following:• Developing talent to match job seekers• How to create skills to increase the talent pipeline in cybersecurity• Finding people who may not be thinking of a cybersecurity role but who could be great candidates“At NOVAworks, we are stewards of our taxpayer dollars,” Sessions said. “We don't say ‘no' to any job seeker. Anybody can come in. I could find myself out of work or a laid-off mid-level career professional, but we do focus on certain areas of folks who might have been historically excluded.”Mark Jaster is a growth strategist and innovator with a deep skill set and unique methods for solving the most complex problems of innovation strategy and product adoption in complex markets such as information systems, medical devices, biotechnology, and enterprise risk management. Jaster holds an MSE in Engineering Design & Management from Stanford University and a BSE in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University.Marlena Sessions has over two decades of experience working to change lives. Before her role with NOVAworks, Sessions was the Executive Director for San Bernardino County Workforce Development Board, worked in leadership roles for Grant Associates, and led the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County as the COO and CEO for seventeen years. She holds her BA in History/Political Science from Whitworth University and her MA in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

King County and City of Seattle employees will no longer be required to have the Covid-19 vaccine to keep their job. Originally put in place in 2021, the mandate required proof of the initial vaccine series as a condition of employment for city and county workers. On Monday, officials dropped it, effective immediately.

6am hour-- the Biden Administration looking more and more feckless with excuses about Chinese spy balloon discovered last week over Montana, Biden let the Chinese balloon "complete its mission" and then shot it down, MSNBC host unexpectedly grills House Democrat (on Intell. Committee) about Biden's response to Chinese spy bill, Seattle & King County both end COVID vaxx mandate for government employees "effective immediately", GUEST: ShiftWA.org's Randy Pepple, says two Legislative bills in Olympia offer real solutions for broad-based tax relief but they're being bottled up by Democrats (HB1483 would provide property tax relief. HB 1704 would reduce the state sales and use tax rate. HB 1011 would repeal the deeply unpopular state long-term care program and its payroll tax.), no inclination by WA Democrats to provide an ounce of tax relief during this WA Legislative session, Pepple notes that most states are awash in budget surpluses (including WA) because of extra federal funding related to COVID shutdowns and restrictions, the Columbia Journalism Review's assessment of the Russiagate 2016 collusion, its unsparing in its criticism of mainstream media "peddling disinformation for the better part of three years". 7am hour -- Olympia school facing claims of racial segregation over 5th grade BIPOC group, the Olympia elementary school principal rebuffs KOMO reporter/photographer asking questions about the criticisms of the 5th grade BIPOC group, "the entire school is supposed to be a safe space", an SI writer tells story about the ill-fated Russell Wilson 'special tent' at Broncos training camp last summer, RIP Bob Throndson a Seattle TV news icon from the late 1970s-2000s, Throndson was a field reporter at heart and could have worked in any news medium, Throndson understood the importance of writing good copy for viewers with straight-ahead reporting, Throndson covered the Mt. St. Helens 1980 eruption and the 1992 LA riots among his career achievements, 8am hour -- magnifying the importance of race and the general mantra of 'treat others as you yourself would want to be treated', Disney+ "The Proud Family" slavery reparations scene, new public records from Democrats in WA Legislature show numerous redactions regarding capital gains income tax law that was passed last year but is currently facing legal constitutional challenge in Supreme Court of Washington (SCOW), prominent Democrats not only want a different presidential candidate in 2024 but apparently they want a different VP too, only 22% of Americans think Biden should run again for President, Gov. Inslee's State DOT "slow walking" the clearance of an illegal homeless camp underneath I-5 at the Seattle Ship Canal bridge, Federal Way city officials dispute the King County Executive Dow Constantine claim that they were notified about King County turning the Red Lion Hotel there into a homeless hotel, violent crime in Seattle including murder, rape and aggravated assault are all up in latest round of 2022 stats, arsons and reported burglaries are down but car theft is up by 30%.

Today Trae gets a message from Brian on tonight's episode of Seattle News, Views, & Brews. She then sits with Faisal Khan, the new Director for Public Health- Seattle King County. We'll hear about the goals being set for the office and get an update on public health issues throughout King County.

Seattle's morgue is running out of room for bodies, which are piling up from fatal fentanyl overdoses, according to reports.Space issues have become so acute at the Seattle-King County morgue in Washington state that local officials are considering keeping bodies on gurneys and partnering with local funeral homes for storage as stopgap measures.“A key indication of just how bad things are … the medical examiner's office is now struggling with the issue of storing bodies because the fentanyl-related death toll continues to climb,” Seattle-King County Public Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan said at a Board of Health meeting last week, according to KTTH radio.“Obviously, they have finite space in the coolers they use, and that space in now being exceeded on a regular basis,” Khan said.Support the showSign Up For Exclusive Episodes At: https://reasonabletv.com/LIKE & SUBSCRIBE for new videos every day. https://www.youtube.com/c/NewsForReasonablePeople

Here are the top vote-getters in Washington state's 2022 general election, as of 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9. These are preliminary results, as ballots will come in by mail for several more days.

Today's episode is a recording of a live debate between 37th LD Representative Position 2 candidates, Emijah Smith and Chipalo Street. The debate was hosted by the South Seattle Emerald on October 4, 2022 at the Rainier Arts Center. Hacks & Wonks' very own Crystal Fincher moderated the debate. Resources For links to the YouTube video, summary of lightning round answers and more, visit the debate's page on our website.   Campaign Website - Emijah Smith   Campaign Website - Chipalo Street   Register to vote, update your registration, see what's on your ballot and more - click here.   Past felony conviction? Information on re-registering to vote - Washington Voting Rights Restoration Coalition.     Transcript [00:00:00] Bryce Cannatelli: Hi everyone – this is Bryce Cannatelli from the Hacks & Wonks team. Today's episode of the show is a recording of a live debate between 37th LD State Representative candidates Emijah Smith and Chipalo Street. The debate was held on October 4, 2022 and was hosted by the South Seattle Emerald and was moderated by Hacks & Wonks' very own Crystal Fincher. We hope you find it informative and thank you for listening. [00:00:41] Crystal Fincher: Welcome! Welcome everyone to the South Seattle Emerald's 2022 General Election Candidate Debate. My name is Crystal Fincher. I'm a political consultant and the host of the Hacks & Wonks radio show and podcast, and I'm honored to welcome you all to tonight's debate. I'm also excited to hear from our guests running for State Representative Position 2 in the 37th Legislative District. Before we begin tonight, I'd like to do a Land Acknowledgement. I would like to acknowledge that we are on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Coast-Salish Peoples, specifically the Duwamish peoples, past and present. I would like to honor with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish tribe. We'd like to thank all of our partners here this evening, including the League of Women Voters of Seattle & King County for their support as well. Tonight's in-person show is following numerous COVID precautions. All in-person audience members, volunteers, staff, and candidates have either provided proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test upon entry, and all audience members in attendance are wearing masks. We're excited to be able to live stream this event on Facebook and YouTube. The debate also features questions from our audience members and voters like you. If you're watching the livestream online, you can submit audience questions by going to seattleemerald.com/debate. If you're in-person, you can write audience questions down on the note cards that have been handed out to you - or will soon be handed out to you - that will be picked up partway through the show. Volunteers will collect written questions at 8:00pm, right after the lightning round, and again at 8:30pm. Please keep questions to one question per card. A few reminders before we jump into the debate: I want to remind you all to vote. Ballots will be mailed to your mailbox starting Wednesday, October 19th, and you can vote anytime until election day on Tuesday, November 8th. You can register to vote, update your registration, and see what will be on your ballot at VoteWA.gov - that's VoteWA.gov. I also want to remind you that if you've had a previous felony conviction, your right to vote is now automatically restored after you serve your prison term, even while on community supervision. You do have to re-register to vote, but your right to vote exists. Go to freethevotewa.org for more details, and help spread the word. The candidates running for the 37th Legislative District State Representative Position 2 with us tonight are Emijah Smith and Chipalo Street - and we'll welcome them up to the stage right now as I explain the rules. So tonight's debate will begin with candidate introductions. Each candidate will have one minute to tell us about themselves. After introductions, we will enter a lightning round of yes/no questions, which candidates will answer silently by using paddles that indicate their answer. Just double-checking that you both have your paddles. Excellent, it's going to be a robust lightning round. Following the lightning round - at the end of the lightning round, each candidate will be allowed 90 seconds to explain anything you want to about what your answers were. Following the lightning round, we'll enter into the open answer portion of the debate. Each candidate will have 90 seconds to answer each question. Candidates may be engaged with rebuttal or follow up questions and will have 30 seconds to respond. Times will be indicated by a volunteer holding a sign in the front of the stage - right here. When a candidate has 30 seconds remaining, you will see the yellow "30-second" sign - right there. When a candidate has 10 seconds remaining, you'll see the orange "10-second" sign. And when time is up, the volunteer will hold up the red "STOP" sign, and I will silence the candidate. So now, we'll turn to the candidates who will each have one minute to introduce themselves, starting with Emijah Smith and then Chipalo Street. Emijah? [00:04:51] Emijah Smith: Welcome everyone. Thank you for being here. Thank you to all who are watching through the YouTube streaming. My name is Emijah Smith, please call me 'Mijah. I am raised and rooted in the 37th. I am a mother, I'm a grandmother, and a daughter of this district. Ever since I was a teen, I've been doing advocacy and community organizing - really seeing firsthand in real time that failed War on Drugs that is still continuing now, really seeing the devastation in my community. It was at that time that I said I want to bring healing, restoration, and resources back to the community. So my vision is healthy families and healthy communities, and in doing so, we have to look at multiple issues - prioritizing housing, fully funding education, pre-K, health equity, and really centering racial justice. I just want to highlight very briefly some sole endorsers within the 37th - Senator Saldaña, Girmay Zahilay - our King County Councilmember, Tammy Morales, Andrew Lewis, Kim-Khánh - thank you so much. [00:05:58] Crystal Fincher: Thank you so much. Chipalo Street. [00:06:01] Chipalo Street: Good evening. I'm an innovative problem solver, and I've been giving back to the South Seattle community for 15 years. We have some really pressing issues facing us, and we need to send a proven leader to Olympia to solve them. Housing prices are out of control, and it's displacing generational families and making renters pay more of their paycheck to skyrocketing rents. People are struggling to make ends meet, and the pandemic has only made this worse. The recovery, or so-called recovery from the pandemic, hasn't been felt evenly by all of us, and we need to protect working people so that we all come out of the pandemic better than we went into it. The pandemic's also made our schools worse and exacerbated existing issues. Just recently, Black and Brown kids tested three and a half levels behind their counterparts, and I want to make sure that all kids have a great public education system like the one that I went through. So I'm glad to be here tonight, and I'm honored to discuss how we move this district forward. [00:07:01] Crystal Fincher: Thank you so much. Also, it's a useful reminder that while you do have 90 seconds to answer, you aren't obligated to always take 90 seconds. Feel free to take it if you want to, but you will not be penalized for finishing early if you desire. So now, we will move on to the lightning round - making sure you both have your paddles in hand and ready. All right, we've got a number of questions to go through. So we will start talking about homelessness and housing. First question, are there any instances where you would support sweeps of homeless encampments? Yes or No? Looks like Emijah is waffling there, or landed on No. And we have Chipalo with No. Next question, will you vote to end single-family zoning to address housing affordability? Chipalo says Yes. Emijah says No. Would you vote to end the statewide ban on rent control and let localities decide whether they want to implement it? Emijah says Yes, as does Chipalo. Will you vote in favor of Seattle's social housing initiative, I-135? Both Emijah and Chipalo say Yes. Do you favor putting 400 additional units of housing and services for the unhoused in the CID? We've got a waffle with Emijah and a No with Chipalo. Do you rent your residence? [00:08:52] Chipalo Street: Sorry - as in, do I - am I a renter? [00:08:55] Crystal Fincher: Yes, are you renters? Both say No. Do you own your residence? Mortgage or outright. Chipalo and Emijah both say Yes. Are you a landlord? Emijah says No. Chipalo says Yes. In public safety, would you vote for a law ending long-term solitary confinement? Both say Yes. Would you vote for a law prohibiting traffic stops by armed law enforcement officers for low-level non-moving violations such as vehicle registrations and equipment failure? Both say Yes. Do you support establishing an independent prosecutor for cases of criminal conduct arising from police-involved deaths? Both say Yes. Do you support investments in the ShotSpotter police surveillance tool? Yep, it is in Mayor Harrell's budget that he just announced - so both say Yes. Do you think police should be in schools? Both say No. Would you vote to provide universal health care to every Washington resident? Both say Yes. The Legislature just passed a law that will cap insulin costs at $35 per month. Would you vote to expand price caps to other commonly used drugs? Both say Yes. Will you vote to ensure that trans and non-binary students are allowed to play on the sports teams that fit with their gender identities? Emijah waffled and Chipalo says Yes. [00:10:58] Emijah Smith: I waffle but I say Yes. [00:10:59] Crystal Fincher: Emijah waffles but she says Yes. For people wishing to change their name to match their gender, do you support removing the cost and need to see a judge for legal processing, name changes, and gender marker changes? Both say Yes. Will you vote in favor of an anti-extradition law that protects queer people, including children and their families, who flee to Washington from states where their gender-affirming care is punishable by law? Both candidates say Yes. Will you vote to increase funding for charter schools? Both Emijah and Chipalo say No. Will you vote for continued investments in anti-racism training for staff and students in Washington schools? Both candidates say Yes. Washington is facing a school staffing crisis and a funding crisis, especially with special education. Will you vote to increase funding in both of these areas? Both say Yes. Will you vote to enact a universal basic income in Washington? Both candidates say Yes. Our state has one of the most regressive tax codes in the country, meaning lower-income people pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes than the ultra-wealthy. In addition to the capital gains tax, will you vote for a wealth tax? Both candidates say Yes. Will you vote for any bill that increases highway expansion? Chipalo says Yes and Emijah is waffling. Would you vote to allocate state dollars to help accelerate the delivery of Sound Transit and other regional rail projects? Would you vote to allocate state dollars to help accelerate the delivery of Sound Transit and other regional rail projects? Both candidates say Yes. Will you vote to enact state investments and updating homes with more environmentally friendly utilities? Both say Yes. Have you taken transit in the past week? Chipalo says Yes. Emijah says no. Have you taken transit in the past month? Chipalo says Yes. Emijah says her family has, but not her personally, so that's a No. Elections. Potential changes in the way people vote for elections in the City of Seattle will be on the November ballot. Will you vote in favor of changing the system in Seattle elections? Both candidates say Yes. Will you vote in favor of ranked choice voting for Seattle elections? Both candidates say Yes. Will you vote in favor of approval voting for Seattle elections? You can only vote for one. So both candidates say No. Will you vote to move local elections from odd years to even years to significantly increase voter turnout? Chipalo and Emijah say Yes. In 2021, did you vote for Bruce Harrell? Emijah says Yes. Chipalo says No. In 2021, did you vote for Lorena González? Emijah says No. Chipalo says Yes. Did you vote in the general election in 2021? Emijah says Yes. Chipalo says Yes. In 2021, did you vote for Nicole Thomas-Kennedy for Seattle City Attorney? Emijah and Chipalo say Yes. Will you be voting for Julie Anderson for Secretary of State? Correct - she's running against Steve Hobbs. That is correct. Both candidates say No. Will you be voting for Steve Hobbs for Secretary of State? Both candidates say Yes. Will you be voting for Leesa Manion for King County Prosecutor? Both candidates say Yes. And that means that you will be voting No - you will not be voting Yes for Jim Ferrell. Correct - both candidates will not be voting for Jim Ferrell. Have you ever been a member of a union? Both candidates say Yes. Will you vote to increase funding and staffing for investigations into labor violations like wage theft and illegal union busting? Chipalo and Emijah both say Yes. Have you ever walked on a picket line? Both say Yes. Have you ever crossed a picket line? Both candidates say No. Is your campaign unionized? Both candidates say No. If your campaign staff wants to unionize, will you voluntarily recognize their effort? Both candidates say Yes. That concludes our lightning round. Thank you very much for that - helps to level set for the open-ended questions, but before we get to those, each candidate will have 90 seconds to explain anything you want about any of your answers. We will start with Chipalo. [00:16:40] Chipalo Street: Sure. I think the only one that I would like to explain is expansion of highways. The reason I answered Yes to that is the qualifier of is there any reason that I would do that. In general, no, I do not support the expansion of highways. However, if it is to help freight mobility that helps our unions, then that would be something that I would consider. If it comes back to our economy and helping union jobs, then we should definitely consider that. But in general, no, I would not vote to expand highways. [00:17:10] Crystal Fincher: And Emijah? [00:17:11] Emijah Smith: So I think there was a couple of questions there that I waffled on. And for me, when it comes - because I center racial justice - I'm an anti-racist organizer, I have to always look at what are the unintentional consequences of any decisions that's made. So there's this yes or no - we have to bring context into the conversation. So if it unintentionally or intentionally causes more inequities and more harm to people of color and those marginalized, I have to look more deeply into that before I could just say a quick, simple yes or no. So I just want to share why there might have been a waffle there. And also, if I don't fully understand something and I need to learn a little bit more and lean into community organizations and lean into the community - we talked about the ID - that's a very diverse community, they're not a monolith. So if there's an issue that's happening in the ID, I need to lean and learn from that community before I just make a decision as a legislator to do so. So I definitely - my style, my servant leadership is definitely to listen from community, learn from community, and be accountable to community. So I don't just do yes or no. Thank you. [00:18:13] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. So now we'll start the open answers portion. Our candidates will get 90 seconds to answer each question and they may be engaged with rebuttal or follow up questions and will have 30 seconds to respond. So starting out - in the Dobbs decision that obliterated the right to abortion - in Justice Thomas's concurring opinion, he identified decisions he felt should be re-evaluated after their ruling in Dobbs, cases that established our right to same-sex marriage, rights to contraception, and rights to sexual privacy. What can our State Legislature do to proactively protect these rights? Emijah? [00:18:55] Emijah Smith: Thank you for the question. And I definitely do not agree with the decision that was made. I think as state legislators and state leaders that we have to go directly and correct our Constitution to prevent these type of things from happening. Washington does a lot of talk. I think that our community, particularly in the 37th, is really intentional about our racial equity and about equity overall and fairness and all the great words. But we have to be actionable about that. And so putting something in the written language in our Constitution, we have to move in that direction. And I believe that our legislature for this 2023 session will be centering and very active around the Roe v. Wade and the Dobbs decision. [00:19:36] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Chipalo? [00:19:38] Chipalo Street: Yeah, what I found interesting about Justice Thomas's dissent or concurrence was that he did not also include same or biracial marriage into his writing, even though that is based on the same logic of the other cases. Ironically, he is in a multiracial marriage. So the hypocrisy there, I don't think is lost on anyone. And I'm a product of a multiracial marriage - and so making sure that these rights are protected is deeply important to me. In terms of gay marriage, I am glad that we have a strong legislature and that passed marriage equality. In terms of Roe, I think we should fund clinics to take care of the increased traffic that we'll see in our state from the states that have - around us - that have banned abortion. I have background in technology. I would love to make sure that our data isn't used to go after people searching abortions or providing abortions. There's plenty of providers who provide telehealth. And if they are consulting with someone across state lines into a state that has banned abortion, I would be super scared about whether I could be sued, whether my data could be subpoenaed, if I could lose my license. And so making sure that we protect our data and protect our providers, I think, is paramount. Also making sure that we have security around our clinics - just as we'll have more traffic from people looking for abortions, we'll have more traffic from people protesting abortions. So those are some of the things that I would do to protect gay rights and the women's reproductive rights. [00:21:12] Crystal Fincher: And I just want to circle back to one thing for both of you in a 30-second rebuttal. Specifically when it comes to contraception, is there anything that strikes either of you - we'll start with Emijah - that you think the Legislature could do to help ensure and guarantee access and availability? [00:21:31] Emijah Smith: Well, definitely education. I definitely think that we need to ensure and continue to make sure that we're educating our youth in schools and making - contraception needs to be available. It needs to be available to all birthing parents, but we also need to make sure that we are including and not fighting to have education for our youth to understand sex education. And so that's been a big deal before the Roe V Wade issue had came up, so I'm a supporter of making sure our families are talking to each other, because this is a family issue. It's not just a woman's issue. It's not just anyone's issue. It's an issue about our bodies and our rights of what we want to do. [00:22:06] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Thank you very much. And Chipalo? [00:22:08] Chipalo Street: Yeah, I agree. Education is a big part of this. Funding is also another part. Making sure that contraception is available to anyone who wants it. Making sure that preventative medications like PrEP is available to anyone who wants it as well - that goes a little bit past reproductive rights and into sexual rights for our folks, but making sure that it's just available to everyone, I think, is very important. [00:22:31] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Next question. What will you do when you're - [00:22:35] Emijah Smith: We need some call and response in here - this is, you know - [00:22:40] Crystal Fincher: What'd you say? [00:22:40] Emijah Smith: I need some call and response. We in the 37th, we are very diverse - this is how we move, so I'm just - go ahead, sorry. [00:22:48] Crystal Fincher: What will you do in your capacity as a state legislator to help small local businesses? Chipalo? [00:22:55] Chipalo Street: So, I'm a small business owner myself and I understand the problems of balancing books, the stress that the pandemic has put on different small business owners. And so - number one, making sure that when we look around at other types of businesses - like we have incubators for tech businesses, we have incubators in high-tech businesses. Why don't we have incubators for smaller businesses, for communities of color? Access to capital is one of the issues that holds businesses back - where I think we saw in the video - the guy who founded WeWork completely did a scam and then got another $350 million to go start Lord knows what. So making sure that we have access to capital in community is really important. Working with organizations like Tabor 100, who provide incubation-type services is really important. And then working to make sure that our communities foster businesses - so for example, businesses that are in walkable and bikeable areas get more traffic. Not only will that increase business to those businesses, it will also get us towards a greener climate future if we have an environment and community that encourages us to get out of single-occupancy vehicles. [00:24:11] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Emijah? [00:24:11] Emijah Smith: Thank you. I am a member of Tabor 100. And one thing I've learned - I've been a member for a number of years - is oftentimes the resources only go to a couple of places, right? So a lot of our small businesses are pop-ups. So a lot of, even through COVID, the money that's coming from the federal government or from our local government agencies are not making it to the small businesses. Similar to what Chipalo was saying, you need capital to even get a loan, but also the money that was coming to support the businesses, it wasn't reaching those businesses. It seems like the same million dollar companies, people who always were getting the money kept getting the money. And also, when I think about the displacement that's happening in our community, I would like to see some restrictions or some policy that is not targeting our small businesses in neighborhoods or communities that have been historically gentrified and displaced. Similarly like the Central District, but all throughout the 37th - all the constant building could be harming - it has harmed our communities, most marginalized, but it also, in some ways, makes it harder for them to start up and rebuild. So there's education and awareness. Sometimes small businesses do not find out about the funding until it's too late. And so I'm hearing from business owners all the time about they're seeing, they feel like it's a scam. They feel like even though they've had some opportunity to try to start something up in cOVID, that it's gonna go away. It's gonna be the same old, same old people getting it all the time, the same status quo. So we gotta figure something out. We have some small business owners here in the neighborhood. Even in my campaign, I learned, the small businesses cannot unionize because it costs so much money. We should be figuring out a way to make sure our small businesses can get themselves the access in the door. [00:25:49] Crystal Fincher: And that is time. [00:25:50] Emijah Smith: You said we can keep going. It wasn't a penalty, correct? [00:25:53] Crystal Fincher: No, the red is stop. [00:25:55] Emijah Smith: Okay. [00:25:56] Crystal Fincher: You get a 10-second sign. That 10-second sign is like, okay, we gotta wrap up. [00:26:00] Emijah Smith: Well, thank you very much. That's call and response. I just want to say that I definitely value our small businesses. I stay aware and I try to stay connected as much as possible. And I would do any and everything I could in my role as a legislator to make sure that those investments are being made in our small business community, particularly the 37th and people of color. Thank you. [00:26:18] Crystal Fincher: Okay. Chipalo. [00:26:21] Chipalo Street: Oh, sorry. Do we - I think we took a fair amount of time. [00:26:24] Crystal Fincher: Oh, yeah, we just did. Sorry. [00:26:25] Chipalo Street: I didn't necessarily have a rebuttal there. [00:26:26] Crystal Fincher: Okay. Next question. Washington State has seen an explosion of traffic violence in the last two years with an extraordinarily disparate impact on those who live in our districts - the 37th district. For example, there are major Sound Transit investments coming online in the district at Judkins Park that are surrounded by unsafe freeway entrances on Rainier Avenue. It's not if, but when that folks in the 37th will be injured or killed by cars at that station entrance. And I should clarify, this is an audience question submitted before. What will you do as a member of the legislature to ensure that our streets are safe for pedestrians and cyclists? Emijah? [00:27:07] Emijah Smith: I appreciate that question. Living here in the 37th, living here near MLK where the light rail has been placed on top, when the community organized to have that light rail put underground. And the community won that fight, but with promises of housing and business investments and all the things that did not happen from Sound Transit, we have it on top. And so there's been - I see, oftentimes, those accidents. I see those fatalities. My heart goes out to the family of the mother who was killed at the Mount Baker station. I knew her before she was a mother. So these things are near and dear to my heart. When I think about traffic safety, I think that we have the data - Sound Transit does. They have the data that we should be - as things are being built and created, they should be co-designed with community, and then we should be making decisions while we're implementing these light rail stations, these new highways, whatever, it's not a highway, but these new ramps. All that should be taken into consideration in the beginning because the lives that are being lost mainly are BIPOC lives, Black and Indigenous people. And so our lives are being sacrificed for something that we never even asked for here in South Seattle. But I also want to think about traffic safety. I think about when our young Black men, who are the most targeted to even get on Sound Transit, being harassed because they're looking for ID or for payment - that to me is a safety issue. That's why oftentimes you may see me driving or driving my children somewhere because it's a safety issue because they may be harassed by the police, as well as those who tend to cycle. [00:28:41] Crystal Fincher: That is time. [00:28:42] Emijah Smith: Thank you. [00:28:43] Crystal Fincher: I just want to double check just to be clear. So we got that yellow 30-second sign, the orange one - okay. [00:28:50] Emijah Smith: Thank you. [00:28:51] Crystal Fincher: Cool. Chipalo. [00:28:53] Chipalo Street: So bike and pedestrian safety is something that I lived on a daily basis. Before the pandemic, I tried to bike to work from the CD all the way to Microsoft two times a week. And that exposed me to some very nice bike trails, but also some very dangerous streets. And so if I'm elected into the legislature, I would want to make sure that we have a comprehensive network of connectivity. So regardless of what type of transportation network it is, it needs to be connected. We built a monorail from downtown to the stadium - like Climate Pledge - that doesn't do much. For a long time, our two streetcar networks weren't interconnected, which means people didn't want to use it. So we need to make sure that all of our infrastructure is connected. We need to invest in bike transit and infrastructure. And this is particularly important to the 37th, because we have two of the most dangerous streets in Rainier Ave and MLK Way, 40% of the injuries there are pedestrian. And I think this is a place where we can, I mentioned before, find a win-win with business, because businesses that are in bikeable and pedestrian-friendly areas get more business. So I believe this is a way that we can build a coalition around fixing the problem of safe streets in the 37th. And it's also an issue for our kids, because we have 10 or 11 schools that are on both of those two most dangerous streets. So we can make sure that our kids are safer today as well. [00:30:22] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Next question. One of the biggest things we can do publicly to fight the spread of all airborne illnesses, including COVID and the cold and flu, as well as protect against poor air quality days because of wildfires - which we've seen over the past few weeks - is to improve ventilation and filtration in public buildings. What will you do to ensure that public buildings, including schools in the 37th district, meet recommended air circulation and filtration standards for good health? Chipalo? [00:30:57] Chipalo Street: To me, that sounds like a question - if I could be appointed to the Capital Budget, where we have the power to change our physical infrastructure. I would love to set aside money for that. When I look at committee assignments, we can start all the great programs that we want, but if we don't fund them correctly, they will not have the desired outcome. So making sure that whoever comes from this district gets put on Appropriations or gets put on Capital Budget is really important so that we can bring the money back to the district to make sure that it is used in community to make us better. [00:31:30] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Emijah? [00:31:32] Emijah Smith: Thank you. In my experience being in Olympia, we can make the decision. So Senator Saldaña, of course, is leading the HEAL Act - that's an environmental justice issue, but it's about implementation. So it's easy - it's one thing to put in a law, then you do have to fund the law, but you also have to implement it. So when it comes down to the other municipalities locally, sometimes they're stuck. So we have to make sure we're following the legislation all the way down to the community or to the district that you want and make sure that it's being implemented in a way, in a timely fashion as well - not three years, four years, five years down the line, but immediately. That should be part of the planning. So of course we have to fund it, but if we're not able to implement it, it's just words. So I would like, in my leadership role, is to make sure that there's language in the bill that makes it more accessible to our municipalities so that they can actually do something about it. If you put in the bill and it can't be ambiguous, it needs to be really focused and maybe restricted funding to air quality in the schools, rather than just saying, Here's some money to your school for air quality. Because they'll use that money any way that they choose to use it if the legislature does not direct them with restricted funding. So I would target it. Thank you. [00:32:48] Chipalo Street: Can I provide an example of how we would do that? [00:32:51] Crystal Fincher: I will give you both 30 seconds to rebut. Go ahead, Chipalo. [00:32:53] Chipalo Street: So a good example of how we can do that and how that has been built into some of the laws that have been passed is - recently, we passed the cap and trade bill. And one of the things I liked about that bill is that it built equity into it, so 30% of the funds that are created from the cap and trade go back to investment in BIPOC communities and an additional 10% go into investment in our Native nations. So that is a source of revenue that we could use to improve air quality in our schools and I think aligns to the point of that funding. [00:33:26] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Emijah? [00:33:28] Emijah Smith: Yeah, my follow-up with that would be - I just want to also say I'm solely endorsed by the Washington Conservation Voters. So they're looking at this issue across - and so I would definitely, again, lean into the organizations and to the leaders to help direct being a servant leader into doing this work. But nevertheless, what I have found in my experience - when there's a law passed - it takes the community to still apply the pressure on the entities and organizations to make something happen. So I have that experience, that organizing experience, and building those partnerships on the ground level to make sure it's being implemented. Because once they move it from the state, the state lets their hands go. So they need more guidance and direction, and that direction needs to come from community. Thank you. [00:34:09] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Next question. How will people tangibly feel your impact as their legislator? What is one concrete thing that people will be able to see is different by the end of your term should you be elected? Emijah? [00:34:28] Emijah Smith: So are you asking what has been done already or what you plan to do going forward? [00:34:31] Crystal Fincher: No - if you are elected, what will people see is different by the end of your term than it is right now? [00:34:38] Emijah Smith: I think people will continue to see - at least for me - they'll see a continuation of the work. It's not something I'll start to do, it's something I will continue to do. So first and foremost, I think, doing racially justice-centered justice reform work - and that's all interconnected. So when I think about our healthcare and the doulas, the doulas have been seen as a medical profession led by Kirsten Harris-Talley, but we need to put money in the budget to make sure that they're being reimbursed for their services. I think in these two years - that you will see that that definitely happens. My granddaughter was born during COVID. My daughter almost lost her life during that birth. It is a well-known fact that Black women are three times as likely to lose their life during childbirth. So having a doula, having somebody there with culturally relevant care will make sure that the lives are not being lost. In addition to that, I am a board member of the Tubman Health Center - this is another place - making sure that we have capital investments to make sure that we create a clinic that is going to center Black and Indigenous community and bring culturally relevant care, and that will also serve our LGBTQ community. That's something that you will see, I believe, and I strongly believe within the next two years as a representative, if I am honored to earn your vote. Thank you. [00:36:00] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Chipalo? [00:36:03] Chipalo Street: So technology has been changing our lives from the way we communicate, to the way we move about the city, to how we get health care, or even go about banking. And I'm excited to bring my expertise in the tech industry to make sure that technology opens doors for all of us, but also prevent technology from rolling back the rights that we have. So I mentioned earlier that one of the first things I would do is work to make sure that our data is protected so that it can't be used to go for people looking for abortions or providing abortions - that is something I would start with. And then continue to do the work that I have done in the tech space. When I got out to Seattle, I volunteer taught computer science at a school in South Seattle. We started with a Intro to Computer Science program and then over six years built it up to an Advanced Placement program. So I would make sure that we distribute the wealth of tech to make sure that everyone in this community can take part in the industry that's been changing our region. The 37th has also been a strong supporter of kinship care, and so I would build on the work that Eric Pettigrew has done to make sure that kinship care and kinship providers are funded at the same rate as a foster care parent. [00:37:12] Emijah Smith: May I follow up? [00:37:13] Crystal Fincher: You may. I'll give you both 30 seconds to follow up. [00:37:16] Emijah Smith: Thank you. I, first and foremost, want to say that I would love to learn the school that you served, 'cause I think that's a wonderful thing that you've done. But just being a resident in the 37th and living in South Seattle for a number of years, it's important for me to know what school you're mentioning. Also with regard to kinship care, I've held relationships throughout the years with our grandmothers for taking care of their kids every single day. And so there has been a gap of care and service for our kinship care program once Representative, our former representative, Eric Pettigrew had stepped back. [00:37:50] Crystal Fincher: And that is time. [00:37:50] Emijah Smith: So I've been in relationship with the community and I am definitely going to continue to serve that community. Thank you. [00:37:56] Crystal Fincher: Chipalo? [00:37:57] Chipalo Street: So the school is Technology Access Foundation - it was started by Trish. When I was working there, it started on Rainier Ave - right on Rainier and Genesee - and now they have bought a building down a little farther south in South Seattle. So it is a very well-known technology - [00:38:14] Emijah Smith: It's not a school. [00:38:14] Chipalo Street: Excuse me? [00:38:15] Emijah Smith: It's not a school. [00:38:16] Chipalo Street: Technology Access Foundation is a school. Technology Access Academy is the school. [00:38:21] Emijah Smith: Yeah, it's not in South Seattle. And actually they started right up here. [00:38:24] Chipalo Street: It started on Rainier Ave. [00:38:26] Emijah Smith: But - [00:38:26] Crystal Fincher: Let's allow Chipalo to complete his answer. [00:38:28] Emijah Smith: Okay. [00:38:29] Chipalo Street: So, okay - [00:38:29] Emijah Smith: I just wanted - [00:38:29] Chipalo Street: Technology Access Foundation is the foundation that started Technology Access foundation Academy, which is a school that started on Rainier Ave - which is in the 37th - and then was moved down farther south, which is still South Seattle, and serves people who have been displaced in the 37th. So it is still serving our community. I served there for six years, which is a long time, to go from a start of an Intro to Computer Science to an Advanced Placement Computer Science program. [00:38:58] Emijah Smith: I just want to - [00:38:58] Crystal Fincher: And we'll call that at time, and that is the rebuttal time that is there - [00:39:00] Emijah Smith: Okay, but they're not a school though and my daughter went to TAF Academy -. [00:39:03] Crystal Fincher: Emijah, please respect the time limits. [00:39:06] Emijah Smith: We're going to center time, or we're going to center the issues that are really in the 37th. I live in the 37th. I raised my daughter here next door. [00:39:13] Crystal Fincher: I have a question from a resident in the 37th that I'm going to ask. [00:39:16] Emijah Smith: Okay, I'll be respectful, but I also want us to bring - let's bring the real issues forward. [00:39:21] Crystal Fincher: So how would you help address the affordable housing crisis? Starting with Chipalo. [00:39:27] Chipalo Street: So when I think about housing, I think about three buckets of issues. This is something that we hear at every door when we go out and canvass. We were just talking to an elderly gentleman who is part of - he was a state employee, and so he has one of the oldest pensions, but we have not funded that pension so that he cannot keep up with the rising housing prices. So when I think of housing, I think of how do we stop harm, how do we get more units on the market, and how do we tide ourselves to the way there. So stopping harm looks like anti-displacement measures, so making sure that seniors can afford the rising taxes, making sure that - right now what we have is we allow seniors to defer taxes, but once they die, then they have to pay all of those back taxes, which essentially forces a family to sell the house, unless you have $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 lying around. We also need to increase renter protections - landlords can do some crazy things. Even though I'm a landlord myself, I live that business through progressive values, so we can't allow felons to be disqualified from having housing. I have a tenant who's a felon, he's one of my best tenants. We should lift the ban on rental control, we should - rent control statewide. We should limit the types of fees that a landlord can charge their tenants. In terms of long-term measures, we need to invest in low-income housing through the Housing Trust Fund. We need to figure out something about workforce housing because even two teachers who are underpaid already - if they're living together, they can't afford housing in the district - and we need to invest in mass transit to increase density around it to get us towards a greener climate future and have more houses. [00:41:04] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Emijah? [00:41:05] Emijah Smith: Thank you. So what I've been doing and currently been doing is really - with community members, locked arms, going to Olympia, going to our state-level Washington Housing and Finance Commission - and demanding that they release the funds in our community. So what I have done with community, because it's a team effort, is to release the funds to make sure Africatown Plaza has been funded. Community development for us by us - the Elizabeth Thomas Homes of Rainier Beach, the Ethiopian Village here in South Seattle - these are all housing developments - low-income, stable housing opportunities in the 37th. That's one thing. The second thing is - I agree - lift the ban on rent control on the state level. Number two is definitely providing increasing - no, lowering the income level for seniors to qualify for these tax deferments. I've talked to multiple seniors who are living on Social Security and who cannot qualify for King County's tax exemptions or deferments, and so that's a hardship on our seniors. In addition to that, I do agree with middle housing, but what I want to see is that we're not continuing to displace community as we're bringing more density in. We need to be more equitable and look at the houses in the communities on the north side of the Montlake Bridge - let them carry some of the weight of some of the housing developments, because what we don't want to do is continue to keep displacing folks. But I've been doing the real work - I sit on coalitions that are looking to remove the barriers for felons or any person who's just trying to rent. But rent should not be our goal - home ownership is the goal in order to create generational wealth. Thank you. [00:42:41] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Next question - from the audience. What is the State Legislature's role and responsibility on digital equity and addressing the digital divide? Emijah? [00:42:54] Emijah Smith: This is a multi-pronged question or answer and solution, because it's around making sure that our kids' education is fully funded. Because in order to close the digital divide, which I have done and supported as a co-convener of the Black Community Impact Alliance. We have just recently did our open house in the William Grose Center - that is a hub to make sure that we have a think tank and provide opportunities for our youth for the tech world. But that took community building, going to the City's office to get the land transferred - that took organizing. It also means you have to make sure that our children are prepared for kindergarten and making sure their reading and their math is on par at third grade. Making sure our freshmen are finishing their freshman year. So really being an advocate in Seattle Public Schools, making sure the strategic plan and the resources are going to those furthest from educational justice. That's what I do in real time. But the William Grose Center is what the community locked arms and myself as a leadership on co-convening the Black Community Impact Alliance - that's what we've done for the digital divide. And my children have benefited from the opportunities from coding, from change makers, from all the different things that our public schools do not offer. And our school system needs to be fully funded, particularly making sure those who are receiving special education services get a real opportunity - because you can't close the divide if you're dropping out of school or they're sending our kids to prison. You can't get the opportunity if you're not graduating. So that's my goal - is to make sure that we're fully funding our education and utilizing our education system and doing community building at the same time to make sure we're closing this. Thank you. [00:44:32] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Chipalo? [00:44:35] Chipalo Street: Yeah, I agree. There's a ton that we can do for education. I'll speak specifically about what we can do to close the digital divide. It's crazy to think that more than 50% of our students aren't competent in math and sciences - that is just plain scary. And we have to change that. And that's in high school. And so we have to make sure that we improve our STEM education. We have to make sure that we do public-private partnerships to bring tech education into our junior highs and high schools. It's an embarrassment that we have so many resources here in this area, but yet our tech education lags behind many other places in the country and the world. When we also look at STEM and tech, we can't only afford to have people getting a good job out of tech. We need multiple ways for people to get good jobs. So to me, that looks like creating pipelines to the trades. For too long, we've sort of said, Oh, you went into the trades because you can't hack college. No, you went into the trades maybe because you like to work with your hands, or you want a job that can't get offshored, or you want dependable hours - two of my best friends went through four-year college, got jobs, hated them, came back, became journeymen electricians, get paid more than those jobs that they had going to college. One's about to start a business. And so making sure that the trades are a respected option for our kids is important, just like it should be an option to go into technology. And then we should also fund free two-year college. Free four-year college is great - we should definitely get there. However, we need to start with free two-year college, just like the Seattle Promise, because 50% of Seattle graduating seniors applied for that, and 1,000 took part in it. [00:46:09] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. [00:46:10] Emijah Smith: Can I follow-up? [00:46:11] Crystal Fincher: I'll give you 30 seconds each for a rebuttal - go ahead. [00:46:13] Emijah Smith: Thank you. I just wanted to also add - on the state level - that determines the college-bound scholarship money, right? And right now, it's saying you need to have at least a 2.7 GPA - it keeps going up every year. But also is saying that a young person cannot have a felony on their record. And so I really, truly want to get that removed, because how are we going to expect our youth to graduate and get to these opportunities, but we're already setting them back because they made a mistake? And we understand the brain science and the development there is that their brains are not fully matured. So we're kind of setting them up for failure, so that's another place I would like to work on. [00:46:49] Crystal Fincher: Thank you - Chipalo? [00:46:50] Chipalo Street: She's right. And it shouldn't only be our youth, it should be our brothers and sisters getting out of jail. We should not be limiting the professional licenses that people getting out of jail can attain. And then we should also make sure that University of Washington is funded with the Allen School. We have great resources there - or teachers and staff - but we don't have the resources to scale it out the way we would like to. [00:47:13] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Another audience question. Crime has been increasing across the state, and people are concerned about their safety and whether the right things are being done to address current levels of property and violent crime. Given that the Legislature has already voted to increase public safety funding, largely devoted to policing and prisons, do you feel that we need to invest more in that area, or would you also take a different approach? And we are starting with Chipalo. [00:47:45] Chipalo Street: So I think we need to think about public safety comprehensively as more than just police. This is something that is near and dear to my heart. When I was at Brown, we had an open campus - me and my best friend were walking around campus onto a public street and Brown police came and asked me and my friend for our IDs. I didn't do anything wrong, so I continued to walk. My friend stopped, told him who I was, showed him his ID, but that didn't stop Brown police from calling out for backup. Providence police got that call, caught up with me and beat me so badly that they had to take me to the hospital before they took me to jail. Despite that experience, I still think police are part of public safety, but we have to be able to hold the police force accountable, or we're not going to have trust with the police force. I want to work with them to make sure that we set them up for success, so that we are sending a mental health counselor out to mental health crises - because they are trained to deal with these situations - and the person receiving a service will get a better service than sending three or four cops. We don't need cops in schools, we need counselors in schools. And so I think if we think more comprehensively about public safety, then we'll get better outcomes for the community and a better relationship with the police force. We should also fund like violence preventer programs. We should get guns off the streets - one of the sad things about gun violence prevention is that there are very, very common sense gun laws that 60, 70, 80 percent of people agree on. However, federal legislators can't get their act together, so we need to make sure that those laws pass here in our state. [00:49:14] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Emijah? [00:49:16] Emijah Smith: Thank you. When I think about public safety, I think about community safety - it's not just a conversation just about what the police are doing in community. It's also about how does the community feel safe - with the police. So there has to be an accountability conversation. So on the King County Community Safety Violence Prevention Task Force that I've served on, really it came down - of all their research and all their conversations and co-design - it really came down to families needing their basic needs met. Housing, education, food security, the basic needs - they believe that that's what it's gonna take to really bring prevention. So our state has already been working at some things with regard to guns and taking, looking at how many bullets, a clip - I don't know, got so many words coming - reducing how many bullets that you can have. I think that we need to make sure that every person who gets a gun needs to have a class - similar, if you want to get your driver's license, you need to learn how to drive - we need to learn how to use a firearm. You also need to make sure that it is locked up. Again, I am solely endorsed by the Alliance for Gun Responsibility. So community safety, also - we need to look at the funding that's coming from the State Department - so there's federal money that was brought down to the state, they've started a new division. We need to work with that division to make sure that it's meaningful in the 37th, because the 37th has different issues. We're not looking at machine guns and going into the schools in that way. What we're looking at is handguns that we gotta get removed and get them off the street. Thank you. [00:50:53] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Next question - from the audience. Washington State funds only about half of what Seattle Public Schools spends on special education and only about one-third of what Seattle Public Schools spends on multilingual education. What is your commitment to fully fund public schools, particularly special education and multilingual education, and how would you get that done? Starting with Emijah. [00:51:20] Emijah Smith: We gotta get out, we gotta go on the state level, we have to be loud and proud, and we have to make sure that the funding is fully funded. Of course, special education is not being resourced. Our special education students tend to be the main students that are getting pushed into the prison pipeline. So I am definitely gonna be loud and proud up there to make sure that that occurs, because we can't waver there. But Seattle Public Schools is also advocating to our state legislators right now, because the issue is that there was a tweak in the formula - that Seattle Public Schools is not getting as much money that it needs, but we also want to make sure our teachers are getting livable wages. And so it's coming to a point that if something's not addressed and more funding doesn't come into the education system, then maybe the public education here at Seattle Public Schools may falter. They're not sure what to do, teachers may go onto a strike. So we will have to figure it out, and we're gonna have to figure it out without taking away our children's basic needs - we should not be taking healthcare out of our schools, we should not be taking our social workers and mental health counselors away from our students. We have to do all the things, and we just have to figure it out and get creative. There are some great leaders there around education, but I'm a fierce advocate as well, and I don't think we should leave any student behind, especially those who are receiving special education services. Thank you. [00:52:34] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Chipalo? [00:52:35] Chipalo Street: So currently there's a funding cap on how much Seattle Public Schools gets reimbursed for special education funding, and if we were to remove that, Seattle Public Schools would get another $100 million that it would be able to put towards that. That is just a start. We - McCleary got us closer to funding education, but we do not fully fund it, and this becomes a revenue issue. Washington State has the most regressive tax code in the whole country, despite how progressive and liberal that we claim we are. We need to make sure that every corporation and person pays their fair share - so that looks like closing corporate tax loopholes, making sure that we keep our capital gains tax, which is - the revenue from that is used to fund early education, which is a necessary part of the education system - and then also implementing a wealth tax. Personally, I would prefer an income tax because an income tax is - you can withhold that. It's been tried before, we know how to implement that - however, there are constitutional issues with that. So in lieu of an income tax, we should be able to try a billionaire tax. And the thing that gives me hope is while things get stymied on the federal level, we've seen localities and states try out new things, and so maybe this is something that we can pilot here in the state, and at the end of the day, a billionaire tax and an income tax aren't mutually exclusive. We can still work towards an income tax, even if we have a billionaire tax. [00:53:58] Emijah Smith: May I follow-up? [00:53:59] Crystal Fincher: Yep. You each can have 30 seconds. [00:54:02] Emijah Smith: Thank you. What I want to share is that our community - I agree - Washington has the worst tax setup and structure. And we have been, in Washington State, been trying to bring forth initiatives multiple times to the state to address this issue so that we can make our wealth more equitable. And our community members and residents and citizens have been voting it down. So I'm thinking with this inflation, with the impact of COVID - but now it could be a really great time that more of our citizens and our residents will see that this is really necessary and will vote in their best interest instead of voting it away. Thank you. As well as our legislators making a move in our best interest. [00:54:43] Crystal Fincher: Chipalo? [00:54:45] Chipalo Street: I'm good. [00:54:46] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Next question. What is your connection to unincorporated Skyway? If elected, how will you support the development and investment in this neighborhood? Starting with Chipalo. [00:55:00] Chipalo Street: So if I was to be elected for this State Rep position, I would basically be one of three elected representatives for Skyway. So Skyway is unincorporated - that means it does not have a city council person to whom they can go for local issues. That basically means that myself, Representative Santos, Senator Saldaña and Councilman Zahilay would be the elected representatives for that area. So I would love to work with them in partnership to understand what development needs they would like to see. It was great to see that we went through a community budgeting process where folks were able to actually vote on how money was spent. And so supporting community involvement in how money is spent, making sure that we can advocate to get money set aside for Skyway because we know that it is not going to come through the City of Seattle, it's not going to come through the City of Renton. Those would be the ways that I would partner with the community to make sure that we develop it in a way that the community members see fit. [00:56:00] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. [00:56:01] Emijah Smith: Thank you. I love that question - yeah. So I'm connected with Skyway for the simple fact that I shop at Grocery Outlet, I get my taxes done over there, I patron the restaurants over there. My mom has recently moved, but had lived there for about 15 years - family's there, people use the post office there, banking there, utilizing the library there - Skyway is my community. And so that's my relationship. Second part to that question is - again, part of being Chief of Staff with King County Equity Now and just having relationships in that community - making sure that we got money from the state level to support Petah Village - early learning development, and also just the new outside - door - preschool, right? There's leadership there, there's expertise there, there's churches there, there's a nail shop - there's all the things that are near and dear to my heart, to be honest. That community is mine - not mine, but it's shared. I was on the Community Investment Budget Committee for King County's participatory budgeting to make sure that money was stored in a way that was definitely led by community members and getting the input from community members to see how they want to move that and looking to make sure that King County does it again in the future. So that was $10 million. We had a celebration about a few weeks ago, naming the projects that were funded. So yeah, this is near and dear to my heart - has been neglected, Skyway has been ignored. I'm thankful to King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, another sole endorser, for the leadership that he's had there, as well as Senator Saldaña, KHT - Kirsten Harris - I gotta stop, but all the legislators who have been pouring into that district. And let me shout out to Cynthia Green Home there - Center. [00:57:45] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. Another audience question. Will you use your position at elected office to uplift more progressive voices in the office? And that question goes to Emijah. [00:58:01] Emijah Smith: Will you repeat that please? [00:58:03] Crystal Fincher: Will you use your position in elected office to uplift more voices into office, and how will you do that? [00:58:09] Emijah Smith: Yes, most definitely. I see this opportunity as being a bridge builder, right? If I'm in Olympia, you'll have a space in Olympia. The work that I've done over the years has definitely been providing workshops, not only in my professional capacity but in my personal capacity, to make sure that our everyday people understand how a bill becomes a law, right? Also the nuances - how to effectively communicate with your legislators - how do I go into those spaces and really center racial justice, knowing that I am a descendant of stolen ones in this country? I can't go into those spaces and just talk A, B. I have to go in there and really give them the nuances, the impact of what it means to be a Black mother in this community and navigating these systems. So I share that expertise and I share that knowledge with others, as well as being a pTSA president - always constantly talking to families about how they can strengthen their partnerships with their teachers, strengthen their partnerships with their principals. That's just the natural work that I do. So in order to be successful in this role, I need the community to come along with me. I need y'all to be the wind behind my back and be in locked arms. That space is our space. That's my plan - if I'm there, they comin'. [00:59:18] Crystal Fincher: Thank you very much. [00:59:19] Emijah Smith: Thank you. [00:59:19] Crystal Fincher: Chipalo? [00:59:21] Chipalo Street: For sure. Building a pipeline of people to come after is something that I've always done in everything that I've done. So for example, when I got to Brown, I noticed that the pre-med students had a great support group to help other students of color get through pre-med, but we did not have that in the engineering. So I restarted our chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers so that we had a community to not only get us through, but also pull in the next class of freshmen and sophomores to get them through. I've continued to do that in Seattle. I serve on the board of a program called Institute for a Democratic Future where the goal is to increase the Democratic Party across the state. I loved that program when I went through it, but one of the reasons I joined the board was to make sure that we had more equity in the fellows and the board members. And in my six years, we have dramatically changed what the class makeup looks like, both racially but also geographically, so that we have a stronger Democratic Party across the state so that we can win in every district. And then on the board itself, we have drastically increased the number of people of color and women of color on the board. And we actually now have our first woman of color who is the Board Chair. So this is something that I've been doing in all aspects of my life - even at Microsoft, equity was a huge thing for me. I required that we interview a person of color or underrepresented minority for every opening on the team that I led, and we ended with a team of 40% people of color or underrepresented minorities. So yes, I would continue to do that in Olympia. [01:00:55] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. [01:00:55] Emijah Smith: Follow up, please. [01:00:57] Crystal Fincher: You can have 30 seconds - yes. [01:00:58] Emijah Smith: Yes - I also wanted to just include that - in my organizing and advocacy work, it's definitely bringing the youth along. My children have been in Olympia with me since they were in preschool - up there advocating for better school lunches - really understanding that process and understanding that they too, at one point, will be there in a leadership role. So I wanted to also include - it's not just - families include the children and includes the elders in that space. Thank you. [01:01:25] Crystal Fincher: Thank you. Next question. What is the most important climate legislation that should be passed by Washington in the legislature? And what climate organizations will you partner with to make that happen? Starting with Chipalo. [01:01:43] Chipalo Street: So I am glad that we have passed cap and trade. I think the next hurdle there is to implement cap and trade, especially the equity measures around the money that is brought in through the tax on carbon. So making sure that we implement that holistically - and groups that I'd work with are folks like Washington Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, the Environmental Climate Caucus - those are all groups that understand what's going on and can provide guidance and have been working to move this legislation through Olympia for multiple years. I'm also glad to see that the HEAL Act passed - and one of the things I loved about the HEAL Act is that it specifically called out that we need to gather data. As a scientist, I have a background in using data to address problems and for too long we've just sort of waved o

Hour 1 -- GUEST: a retired US Army intelligence analyst on Cold War Soviet Union, Ralph Peters, talks to KVI about the passing of 91 yr old Mikhail Gorbachev, he says Gorbachev seemed like a typical Soviet apparatchik but turned out to be incredibly human, how freedom in Russia benefited former Soviet-block countries--particularly the neighboring European countries, Gorbachev was unwilling to slaughter his own people like prior Soviet Premiers, an analysis if Gorbachev would have reformed the Soviet Union with a President GHW Bush or Bill Clinton in the White House instead of Ronald Reagan; somebody needs to fact check Joe Biden about Jan. 6th mob attack, when was the last time you saw a kid drinking off a garden house instead of a water bottle, today's Carlson Legendary Lyrics contest, what makes America a great country are the everyday people and this week's story about a grocery store fatal shooting in Bend OR shows an example of that greatness, new report says an FBI agent actively prevented investigation into Hunter Biden laptop story before 2020 Presidential election. Hour 2 -- another Seattle repeat crime offender surfaces this week after a car chase hitting parked cars in the Greenwood neighborhood to arrest the rape/assault suspect, Carlson notes that the newly identified repeat offender is similar to the juvenile offender Billy Chambers who continues to be arrested/charged with serious crimes as an adult, why the WA ' three strikes' law reform is contributing to these stories of repeat offenders, Bellevue city officials distort the increase in bicycle commuting for work during the last 30 years but are caught by an eagle-eyed transportation analyst, 25 yrs ago today there was world-wide heartache as Princess Diana was killed in car crash, GUEST: reporter with the Discovery Institute, Jonathan Choe, examines the burgeoning story of transparency concerns over Seattle/King County's biggest homeless housing plan to date, it involves a proposed 500 bed homeless shelter complex and RV lot in SoDo, the giant homeless complex next to the Chinatown International District has neighbors/business owners nearby "going to war" to stop it from opening according to Choe, the complex gives "drug dealers a new location to prey on these lost souls". Hour 3 -- key question: is the Fischer scone the best food offering available at the WA State (aka Puyallup) Fair?, a KVI caller tells why she supports the Kent school teachers strike, says Kent school district is top heavy with too many administrators, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray has not agreed to any candidate debates with challenger (Republican) Tiffany Smiley, San Francisco business owners in the predominately LGBTQ Castro neighborhood vow to withhold city taxes if city doesn't fix lawless drug/crime public safety problems for their customers, Pierce County Sheriff's department warns the public about rainbow fentanyl as a deceptive attractant to little kids, a powerful and candid obituary of a 26 yr old Puget Sound man's death as posted by his grieving family, remembering and evaluating the life and legacy of 91 yr old Soviet Union Premier, Mikhail Gorbachev who died yesterday.

Thursday, August 25th on Urban Forum Northwest- Jessilyn Head pays tribute to Founder of The Sound of the Northwest, Juan Huey-Ray Hayward Evans, Co Convener, Seattle King County Martin Luther King JR. Commemoration Committee (MLKCC) talks about the Sunday, August 28, 2022 2:30 pm observance of the 59th Anniversary of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Minister Jimmy Hurd Senior Pastor, Holgate Street Church of Christ comments on the 59th Anniversary of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington DC for Jobs and Freedom and the Sunday, August 28 2:30 pm commemoration event at MLK Park Rodney Figaro a twenty year member of The Sound of the Northwest will be joined by Jessilyn Head to pay tribute to the late Choir Founder Juan Huey-Ray Seattle Port Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa ( GHS ‘06) She will also receive the Aki Kurose Award for Public Service on Sunday at the 59th Anniversary of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington DC Jobs and Freedom that will be held at Seattle's MLK Park at 2:30 pm. Lynn Jaffe (GHS'58), Chair, Garfield High School Centennial Committee that will celebrate the Centennial on Saturday, August 27 9:30 am-5:00 pm at Garfield. Dr. Ross Flowers graduated from Garfield High School (GHS ‘89) he served as President of the Student Association 1988-89.

Thursday, May 12 on Urban Forum Northwest : ? *Carolyn Riley Payne, President Seattle King County NAACP comments on the organization call for King County District Judge Susan Mahoney to step down after her use of the "N" word in the presence of a Black staffer. Judge Mahoney stepped down as Presiding Judge of King County District Court. ? *Attorney Lem Howell comments on the actions of the United States Supreme Court's action on Roe V Wade. He will also comment on the latest recordings of Republican leaders that have been made public regarding the January 6 attempt to overthrow the United States Government. ? *Bill Dickens, Chair, Tacoma Pierce County Black Collective-Economic Development Committee will comment on the goals and objectives of the committee and discuss the agenda for the Sunday in-person meeting. ? *Bob Armstead, Washington State Chapter National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) comments on the organizations efforts to get equity for NAMC Members. He will update any progress that's been made with local public agencies to gain contract opportunities. ? *Cathie Wilmore, Fathers And Sons Together (FAST) invites the community to their Saturday, May 21 Barbershop Cut, Chat at the Rainier Beach Community Center-Plaza. Youth and Family Led Conversations on Gun Violence and in support of families affected by gun violence. ? Urban Forum Northwest streams live at www.1150kknw.com. Visit us at www.urbanforumnw.com, for archived programs and relevant information. Programs are available on Alexa and my podcast 24/7. Like us on facebook. Twitter@Eddie_Rye. This program will also air on Saturday 7:00-8:00 am (PDT).

Feliks Banel on Canadian plans to repel a Russian invasion, 1878 // Dose of Kindness -- NY opera company celebrates Ukraine // Gee Scott on Ukraine's difficult situation // Hanna Scott on the Seattle-King County plan to address prolific offenders // Dr. Roni Cohen Sandler, author of Anything But My Phone, Mom! // Rachel Belle talks with the creators of Traveling While Black in Seattle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're so eggcited to finally be back! Thank you so much for pudding up with our long absence. We missed you a waffle lot! (Please don't leave…I'm sorry!) We're doing something a little bit different after our time off and are breaking our episodes up into seasons of several episodes on one topic. This season is all about food systems, food access, and food sovereignty. This season will be five episodes long, and a new episode will be released every other Tuesday. We're also actually talking to real people this season (even though Jen is terrified by real things) and we can't wait to bring you those interviews!This episode we're introducing the topic of food systems and food sovereignty and defining some of the main concepts. We are then joined by Nichole Garden, with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, to talk more about food access and different programs the State offers to help people access food resources.Food Systems OverviewJen and Amy talk about our current food system and some of the social and environmental problems that often crop up in it. We discuss some alternative food systems, as well as introducing the concept of food sovereignty. Amy starts us out with a quote from the future of food website. We define several parts of the conventional food system, including production, processing and packaging (see Season 1 Episodes 18 and 21 for more on plastic), transportation and distribution, and consumption and food waste.We then go into some of the environmental impacts of our conventional food system, including wasted water and other resources, livestock waste management and pollution (the Poop Detective's favorite topic!), and climate impacts from food production.We also talked a little about some of the impacts COVID-19 has had on food access (we referred to a news release from the University of Washington).But what are these things we're talking about??? We finally define and discuss concepts such as food justice and food sovereignty. We don't talk about the six pillars of food sovereignty in the podcast, but you can find them here.InterviewNichole Garden is a program specialist for the Washington State Department of Agriculture's (WSDA) Food Assistance programs. She graduated from The Evergreen State College with a focus in Food Systems Policy and Education. She has experience in community garden management, school produce procurement, as well as nutrition and garden based education. She has been with WSDA since 2015, first working with organic farmers and food processors, and now working to connect hunger relief organizations to local farmers. Nichole is committed to ensuring that healthy food choices are accessible to all Washington State residents regardless of income. Nichole and her colleagues administer a variety of food assistance programs, and she introduces us to several. Her pet project is the Farm to Food Pantry initiative (scroll down on the linked page to see the seal Nichole talks about). She cereal-sly loves this initiative.Nichole breaks down food insecurity to its simplest form, and states that if you're in a situation where you have to decide between buying food and paying bills, that's food insecurity. We talk about how easily people can fall into food insecurity, how much of an issue this is in Washington, and some of the indicators and populations at risk. Nichole shares a lot of statistics and information from Feeding America. She also references a Seattle King County report from 2019 (links to the full report and slides are listed towards the end of the article we linked to here). We then talked about some of the barriers to accessing food, including how people with income even up to 400% above the federal poverty level are experiencing food insecurity! There are several other barriers that WSDA is trying to break down. One surprising fact was that COVID-19 actually increased access to food (through more funding, more food access programs, and fewer regulations on who could access services).If you need access to food or other resources such as cash, child care, or health care, some resources available include Washington Connection and 211 WA (211 is a phone number you can call to access community resources and is available in all states). Nichole also mentions a relatively new movement of community resources such as little free pantries and freedges.The rest of our conversation revolved around food justice, food sovereignty, and food security, with some great examples about why these topics are important and why having strong local food systems is critical and what we should be moving towards.And as promised, here are some awesome TikTokers we follow (even though we're too old to be on TikTok):Black Forager is a funny woman who reminds me a little of Amy with her singing especially, and she forages in urban areas and when she travels and sometimes shares recipes: @alexisnikole (she's also on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and basically all over!)Crime Pays but Botany Doesn't is a funny (and sweary) guy who likes to talk about plants and rocks (NSFW): @crimepaysbutbotanydoesntDumpster Diving Freegan provides a lot of interesting information about dumpster diving, plus shares her finds: @dumpsterdivingfreeganLinda Black Elk is an ethnobotanist who speaks about food sovereignty and indigenous foods: doesn't post on TikTok but is on Facebook and Instagram @linda.black.elkWheat love you to join us next time for our interview with the former farm manager for Mother Earth Farm (part of Emergency Food Network)!Please don't forget to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts (like Tune In, Castbox Himalaya, iheartradio, etc). Please let us know what you think in the comments below or at facebook.com/WillWeMakeItOutAlive.

The Seattle King County prosecutor asked for bullet proof glass, Kevin McCarthy thinks we can fix tis country by firing Nancy Pelosi, committees in Utah are about to allow boys to play in girls sports, // The Fauci Off: John Curley vs Todd Herman Moderated by Dori Monson // JUST A FEW MORE THINGS See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, we experienced the highest annual increase in drug-related deaths in 50 years, nearly 30% higher than in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this episode, we will explore the opioid crisis at the local, state, and federal levels to learn what tactics are being utilized to serve different populations in response to today's deadly trends.Dr. Rachel Levine, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health and co-chair of the NAM's Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic, and Brad Finegood, Strategic Advisor in Public Health in Seattle & King County in Washington State, expand on the latest overdose statistics from the CDC, and how addressing these trends can help us better support individuals with substance use disorder. Assistant Secretary Levine offers insight into the federal response, which addresses the four pillars of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery. Working on the frontlines of the opioid crisis in Seattle, Brad shares his experience building community-first strategies to combat overdoes and the toll that increased drug use has had in his region. Listen for more about how we can turn the tide on the opioid epidemic in the United States at all levels.  Resources:Dismantling Buprenorphine Policy Can Provide More Comprehensive Addiction Treatment - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu)The American Opioid Epidemic in Special Populations: Five Examples - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu)Research, Data, and Metrics Working Group Research Agenda - National Academy of Medicine (nam.edu)Resources from the NAM's Action Collaborative on Countering the U.S. Opioid Epidemic Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and iTunes.

Although over half the people incarcerated in America today have committed violent offenses, the focus of reformers has been almost entirely on nonviolent and drug offenses. Danielle Sered takes aim at issues of mass incarceration, insisting that we cannot just critique violence and mass incarceration, but must build practical, moral solutions to displace them. She joined us, drawing from her book Until We Reckon to grapple with the question of restorative approaches to violent crime in conversation with local grassroots community organizer and Creative Justice Executive Director Nikkita Oliver. Sered and Oliver explored whether the needs of survivors of violent crime are better met by asking people who commit violence to accept responsibility for their actions and making amends in ways that are meaningful to those they have hurt—none of which currently happens in the context of a criminal trial or a prison sentence. Sered argued that a reckoning is owed not only on the part of those who have committed violence, but also by our nation's overreliance on incarceration to produce the illusion of safety—at great cost to communities, survivors, racial equity, and the very fabric of our democracy. Together they illuminated how ending mass incarceration and increasing public safety is not just a local issue but is also very relevant to the Seattle-King County region. Join them as they ask us to fundamentally reconsider our relationship to and the purposes of incarceration. Danielle Sered envisioned and directs Common Justice, which develops and advances practical and groundbreaking solutions to violence that advance racial equity, meet the needs of those harmed, and do not rely on incarceration. Before planning the launch of Common Justice, Sered served as the deputy director of the Vera Institute of Justice's Adolescent Reentry Initiative, a program for young men returning from incarceration on Rikers Island. She the author of The Other Side of Harm: Addressing Disparities in our Responses to Violence, of Accounting for Violence: How to Increase Safety and Break Our Failed Reliance on Mass Incarceration, and the book Until We Reckon: Violence, Mass Incarceration, and a Road to Repair. Nikkita Oliver (they/them) is a Seattle-based creative, community organizer, abolitionist, educator, and attorney. They are the executive director of Creative Justice, an arts-based alternative to incarceration and a healing engaged youth-led community-based program. Oliver organizes with No New Youth Jail, Decriminalize Seattle, Covid-19 Mutual Aid Seattle, and the Seattle People's Party. They have been featured on the Breakfast Club, KUOW's The Week in Review, and The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert, and their work has been seen on the South Seattle Emerald, Crosscut, the Establishment, and more. Buy the Book: https://www.elliottbaybook.com/book/9781620976579  Presented by Common Justice and Town Hall Seattle. 

Today we had two amazing guests on the program. Eric Abel who is the President of Bellewood Farms and Distillery in Lynden Washington and Wes Anderson who has helped organize the Prayer Breakfast in Seattle King County and Nationally for many years.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we had two amazing guests on the program. Eric Abel who is the President of Bellewood Farms and Distillery in Lynden Washington and Wes Anderson who has helped organize the Prayer Breakfast in Seattle King County and Nationally for many years.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rhythm & News interview with Kevin Proctor with Public Health - Seattle King County about a series of upcoming events where people can get flu shots, COVID test and information on health insurance enrollment. Interview by Chris B. Bennett.

Today journalist Erica Barnett joins Crystal to dissect Mayor Durkan's decision not to run for re-election, Renton's continued attempt to use zoning laws to oust homeless folks, shelters, and services, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce's challenge to the JumpStart payroll tax, and the SPD being held in contempt of court for their use of force last summer. A full text transcript of the show is available below, and on the Hacks & Wonks blog at https://www.officialhacksandwonks.com/post/week-in-review-with-erica-barnett. Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and Erica Barnett @ericabarnett, and on Publicola.com. Find Erica's book, Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery, online or at your local bookseller. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com. Articles Referenced: Anti-Homeless Shelter Bill Moves Forward in Renton from Publicola https://publicola.com/2020/12/09/anti-homeless-shelter-bill-moves-forward-in-renton/ Federal District Court Judge Finds Seattle in Contempt of Crowd Control Injunction by Paul Kiefer https://publicola.com/2020/12/07/federal-district-court-judge-finds-seattle-in-contempt-of-crowd-control-injunction/ Find more work by today's co-host, Erica Barnett, at https://publicola.com/ Full Transcript: Crystal Fincher: [00:00:00] Welcome to Hacks and Wonks. I'm your host Crystal Fincher. On this show, we gather insight into state and local politics and policy through the lens of those doing the work and provide the behind-the-scenes perspectives on politics in our state. Today, we're continuing our Friday almost live shows where we review the news of the week with a co-host. 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: [00:00:40] Great to be here, Crystal.  Crystal Fincher: [00:00:42] And great to have you here. So we will dive right in. And big news of the week that we started off the week with is Jenny Durkan announced that she will not be seeking re-election - very consequential news for the city. And so just wanted to get your thoughts on what drove that decision and what does that mean now? Erica Barnett: [00:01:03] I mean, my thoughts, just having observed Mayor Durkan for three years are that she really didn't like the job. And particularly the job of being mayor in a pandemic, at a time when there is a racial reckoning taking place that involves protests, particularly protest against her and her leadership. And during a time of economic collapse nationwide - it's a time of a lot of bad news, as everybody is well-aware, and it's a hard job in good times and it's a hard job, especially in bad times. And I think she just, in some ways, was not really fully prepared for what the job entailed and the criticism that she would be subjected to in such a prominent position. She'd never held elected office before and, I think, came in believing that this was essentially a managerial job and a communications job. And in fact, it's much, much more than that to be the mayor of a major city with lots of problems, including, I didn't even mention, the crisis of homelessness which has gotten so much more visible on her watch.  Crystal Fincher: [00:02:09] Well, I think you nailed that analysis and kind of put your finger on what a lot of people don't pay much attention to is - what is the job of the mayor? And it's a lot more broad than when someone's just thinking about, off the top of their head - if they don't have much experience with it, there's so much more to it than just managing the city. And also in situations where someone's not used to being under a microscope with every decision that they're making, and criticism is coming, no matter what decision you make - to be able to accept that and deal with it and work with that - it seemed like that was always a struggle for her. Just dealing with criticism and understanding that that's something that happens and instead of trying to avoid it at all costs - not successfully, or adeptly, navigating through that. That seemed to be a continuing struggle for her and I think you nailed it - she seemed to just really not want to be there increasingly as time has gone on. Erica Barnett: [00:03:17] Yeah. I mentioned that I think that she sees being the mayor as largely a communications job and I want to expand on that a little bit. I think that if you look at her messaging and the messengers that she uses to get her message out and just, her general spin on every event, whether good or bad, has been that things are good and getting better. And that just simply doesn't work in 2020, and also it's not believable. And I think that that really hampered her ability to respond in real time to events like the Black Lives Matter protest, for example. Her response was essentially to double down initially and say, We're doing everything right and that Seattle is a model for police reform in the country. She said that many times, and then flipped it at a certain point and said, You know what? Fine. Here's a $100 million that we're going to spend - first, she said on black communities and then she said on BIPOC communities - without actually having any sort of plan for how to do that and just saying, We'll figure it out later.  As it turned out, that was a pretty rash promise because it relied on revenues that were already dedicated and promised to other sources, including by the mayor herself. There's $30 million in there that she had already promised to equitable development - and so, it just felt like a lot of her careening from position to position was based on, if not real polls, kind of an invisible poll in her head about what would make people react to her positively. I, obviously, I'm not inside the mayor's brain, but that's what it looked like from the outside and it often resulted in a lot of really inconsistent seeming policies. And it also led to, I think, a feeling that it's hard to trust what the mayor's position is, or policy is, on an issue and on any given day, 'cause it could change tomorrow, based on who she wants to please on that day. So I think that - no politician can ignore opinion polls and no politician can ignore what people are saying about them, but I'll just give one example. The mayor's office reactions to things on Twitter was pretty extreme. I think that - just the pushback that I would get personally, for stuff that I would say on Twitter, or things people would respond to me saying that I had no control over, was pretty strong from the mayor's office. And my advice about Twitter and I don't always take this is, It's like riding on a waterfall and it disappears after a minute. And, if you make an error, you correct it. If you don't like something, everybody's gonna be yelling about something else in five minutes. But I don't think the mayor was really able to heed that advice. Crystal Fincher: [00:05:53] I think you're right. And the issue of trust - when you talk about the community needing to trust the message that they're hearing from the mayor and from the mayor's office, eventually wound up being irretrievably broken. And I think that she eventually came to see that. But the struggle through that, like you were talking about - her responses to, during the protests, to what the police were doing and our ability to see something that she is denying while we're watching video of that thing happening - it was jarring for a lot of people and a number of her supporters that came in, as she came in, became disillusioned. People who were already frustrated with the messaging and pace of progress became even more vocally disillusioned. And it just continued to be a consistent problem.  We have seen, and it looks like there's going to be another rehashing of the "Seattle is Dying" - fabricated, largely exaggerated, I won't say documentary, but spin - on homelessness and crime in Seattle. And for residents of Seattle that never rang true. And so the effect that people thought that that would have on elections never materialized. I think on the flip side, with a number of the things, as you pointed out, Jenny Durkan saying, Things are great and they're getting even better. We're working on it and it's awesome and don't you believe your eyes. And people are looking around and going, No, it's not - the problem's getting worse and the things that you say are happening are not. And we understand this is a hard problem to fix, but we want to see you try and not just lie to us with a smile on your face. And that was continually a challenge. And especially in municipal positions, from big cities to small, you're living in the same conditions as your residents and you're telling them what's happening on their streets and in their neighborhoods. And they can see, outside their window, if what you're saying rings true or not. This is not like a legislative position or something in Congress where you can make a speech and take a vote and it just seems very disconnected and the expectation of accountability doesn't squarely land on you. That's the case in Seattle and it just seems like she wasn't prepared for her word and her actions to be the end-all and be-all, her needing to take a side, her needing to make definitive decisions and be accountable to those decisions in the public. So now that we are here and she has announced that she's not running for re-election - what does this do to the political landscape in Seattle? Erica Barnett: [00:08:31] Well, I think that it is going to be, I think it's going to be a very crowded mayoral race as it was last time. I wouldn't be surprised to see 20-25 people jumping in. I think that Lorena González - and I'm terrible, I should say, at predictions, I always need to caveat that - but I think Lorena González, City Council president, is likely to get in. And of course, Teresa Mosqueda is another council member whose name is being thrown around - I think that's a little less likely. I mean it's - running for mayor is a tough decision because it's a bad job and so, it's often hard to get that many really qualified candidates out of that 20 or 25 that we've been seeing in recent years. So I think it'll be really interesting to see - Jessyn Farrell, who ran last time and who PubliCola, then the C is for Crank, endorsed, is supposedly thinking about it, as is Brady Walkinshaw, who ran for Congress and lost. And so, I think it's going to be a crowded race with some familiar faces, probably some unfamiliar faces. And yeah, I mean, that's basically all we can predict right now.  Crystal Fincher: [00:09:40] Do you think there's going to be an advantage or a disadvantage to those running from their council positions, if one or more current council members get in? Do you think that's an advantage, a disadvantage, or how do you think that plays out? Erica Barnett: [00:09:55] Well, that's a really good question. The city council is broadly incredibly unpopular and the mayor is also not super popular, but in a way, these are judgements of positions rather than judgments of people. I do think if you're running as an incumbent city council member, that is a tough thing you have to overcome. I do think, though, that the citywide city council members may have a little more popularity - and I haven't seen specific polling on this, I just know that a lot of the district council members are less popular than they were when they came in and certainly than the mayor. So I think it is a disadvantage to run from a council seat, but on the other hand, you do have name recognition, so that certainly helps. I'm trying to think of the most recent council member who was elected mayor, if any, and I am drawing a blank right now. So, I'm not sure - it certainly doesn't convey any obvious advantages other than name recognition, obviously.  Crystal Fincher: [00:10:56] Yeah, that does seem to be the case and I'm drawing the same blank that you are.  Erica Barnett: [00:11:01] I can think of lots of them who've run - Bruce Harrell, Peter Steinbrueck - I mean, plenty of candidates for mayor among the council, but none successful.  Crystal Fincher: [00:11:10] Yeah, certainly going to be interesting to see how this plays out and how they engage with the competing and pressing priorities in the city. Well, talking about other cities, that brings us to Renton, and we talked about this a bit last week on the show, but Renton is adopting legislation that will effectively ban future homeless shelters and set an eviction date for the current tenants in the Red Lion. This certainly - my view is that this is a very bad thing, but also as you have pointed out and discussed, it's also bad for the regional approach to homelessness that's so often talked about. You want to give a bit of background on this? Erica Barnett: [00:11:53] Sure. So the City of Seattle and I believe 39 other suburban cities are joining into an agency called the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. And the idea is that having a centralized authority will create or enable a regional approach rather than the city-by-city approaches that we have had over the years. And that authority has had a lot of bumps along the way. The selection of a director for the authority, known as the CEO is very slow. It's been - it was supposed to happen in September. The latest timeline has it happening now in February. So, hard to say how that's going to go, but the problem with regionalism and the problem always has been that a lot of these cities that are outside Seattle want to have their own approaches to homelessness and a lot of times those approaches are a lot more punitive than what Seattle would like. So that tension does not go away just because you create a regional body and say, We're regional now. The cities did not initially want to participate unless they got a significant amount of leverage on the various boards that are on the governing board that oversees the authority. And they also didn't want to pay taxes to support the authority. They got both of those things, but now as we're seeing, individual cities, not just Renton, but, cities are cleaving off in various ways. One thing that happened recently was a bunch of cities, I think half a dozen, including Renton, adopted their own versions of local sales taxes to pre-empt the King County sales tax that's going to pay for homelessness. And those local versions can pay for things that are not specifically oriented to homelessness, like housing for essentially middle-income people. So I think that tension is going to continue and it's going to continue to hamper the ability to have an actually regional approach. Renton is already talking about sub-regional authority, which is, I think in some ways, a synonym for city authority, which is what we already had before this whole effort started.  Crystal Fincher: [00:13:51] Right. So how is Renton going about trying to evict these people from the Red Lion?  Erica Barnett: [00:13:57] This legislation is land use legislation and it is essentially zoning them out. So the legislation does two things - it says that everybody, that most of the people at the Red Lion currently, have to be out as of June 1st, so the end of May -  by putting a cap on the number of people who can be there. So it would be 125. Right now there's about 235 or so people living there. Then after that, at the end of the year, everybody would have to be out. So no matter what happens with the pandemic, which is the reason everybody was moved so swiftly from the Morrison Hotel and other DESC facilities in Seattle to the Red Lion. No matter what happens with that, they've got to be out. And then the second thing it does is it adopts new rules for - new zoning rules - for shelters, which Renton says - shelters are currently illegal 'cause there's no zoning that explicitly allows them. I think that's a novel interpretation of what zoning is for. We don't have any rules like that in Seattle at all. And the rules say that no homeless service provider can serve more than a hundred people total. And that includes shelters and any other homeless services you might have, either co-located or at a facility. So no more than a hundred - hard cap. And they have to be half a mile from each other, only in certain industrial zones, well-removed from people, and there's also tons of rules around how the shelter providers are supposed to manage the conduct of the people who stay there, which is kind of an outrageous demand in my view, because they are human beings and they have civil rights and I think a lot of the conduct requirements really infringe on those rights.  Crystal Fincher: [00:15:40] I completely agree with that. And this is just a reminder that you're listening to Hacks and Wonks on KVRU 105.7 FM. I'm your regular host Crystal Fincher, and today we have a guest co-host, Seattle political reporter, Erica Barnett. And so they are really appearing to use zoning as a tool to exclude. Which, certainly, zoning laws have a history of that use and then being wielded that way. But you talked about one of their interpretations being novel. How standard does what they're doing appear to be overall with how zoning laws are implemented and used? Erica Barnett: [00:16:20] Well, I think it's - I can't speak to every single zoning law in the state obviously. I haven't done a review, but I know that in Seattle, the biggest city in the state, zoning, and traditionally everywhere, zoning is used to regulate things like density and also environmental hazards. So you might have industrial zoning that says the buildings can't include residential and also it has to be far away from people because there are environmental hazards associated with a steam plant, or whatever, or manufacturing business. Zoning is not traditionally used to exclude - well traditionally, it was certainly used to exclude people of color from certain areas of cities - but today in 2020, we use it to do things like regulate height, and regulate density, and regulate how many people can live in an area versus what kind of businesses can be located in an area - do we let big box stores go there? We don't use zoning to say that if people are of the class that is houseless or homeless, they cannot be here. I think that is a really, really dangerous road to start going down, and the reason I say it's a novel interpretation is that the city of Renton, I think, really rushed this legislation. I think it's pretty poorly written and they revised it a whole bunch of times in response to specific legal objections that could open them up to lawsuits. And they have been trying to get the people kicked out of the Red Lion for a really long time. They initially said that this is a violation of a different part of the zoning code, saying that there's a dispute over whether it's a hotel use or whether it's a use that's not explicitly allowed, and that's happening on separate tracks. So, they're trying every tool they can and they don't have a lot of tools to ban homeless people because there aren't a lot of tools to ban homeless people. It's not people's fault that they become homeless, and tools that are laws like sit-lie laws and saying that you're not allowed to loiter, are increasingly considered to be civil rights violations and also racist. So this is a different approach that takes a very kind of, cold and analytical-seeming concept of zoning, and says that it applies here. But what they're really trying to do is send these folks back to Seattle and their comments at council made that pretty clear. Everybody said, This is a Seattle problem. Seattle created it. They need to go back there and that's what's really going on.  Crystal Fincher: [00:18:51] That does appear that is what's actually going on. They're attempting to act like their city doesn't have an inherent problem with homeless people, that they are somehow coming from different cities, and that if you treat them with full humanity and decency, that only entices them and incentivizes them to stay, when we know that's just factually untrue. So it looks like this is going to be taken up again on a meeting with the council on Monday night, is that correct?  Erica Barnett: [00:19:26] That's right. And that'll be a final action. Crystal Fincher: [00:19:30] So it certainly looks like this is what the council intends to do, but for people who are able - making comments, making phone calls, certainly making sure that people are on record saying that this is not the default position of the general public in Renton and in the area. And that this is really an inhumane response to a really human problem. So looking next - issues where residents and businesses are struggling. The JumpStart payroll tax was an attempt to generate revenue to help people impacted by COVID, the pandemic, and everything that has resulted. And the Chamber of Commerce has brought a lawsuit against it. What's happening there? Erica Barnett: [00:20:19] Well, the lawsuit - this is from the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce. And essentially what they're saying is that this amounts to, just getting outside of the jargon of the lawsuit, they're saying this is an income tax effectively. Specifically, they're saying it's a tax on the right to do business and they're calling on a 1952 precedent that involved a license that people in Bellingham, I believe, had to get to basically work and that was overturned. And so, again, speaking of novel approaches, I think this is a novel approach and I don't know that it will necessarily be successful. It seems like a pretty weak argument. But it's interesting - I mean, I think a lot of people at the city were surprised that the Chamber decided to take this kind of Grinch-like action, it was described to me by someone at the city, and sue over this. It only affects a small percentage of businesses in the city making revenues of over $7 million and with employees with pay of over $150,000/year. And as you said, the JumpStart Tax for the first couple years, it's COVID relief. And a lot of that is COVID relief directly to small businesses. And so, for the Chamber of Commerce to be opposing relief for small businesses is directly, it seems, conflicting with their mission, which is to support businesses of all sizes and not just the Amazons and the Facebooks and the Googles of Seattle. Crystal Fincher: [00:21:46] Well, and this is certainly that issue brought out into the light. This has been a criticism of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and of several - saying in larger cities, really saying, Who are you representing? The majority of your membership is small businesses and they oftentimes have fundamentally different challenges and concerns than the largest corporations in the world, like the Amazons and Microsofts and Googles. And the issues that they have pushed hard on or run on, oftentimes seem to have been at the direction of the mega-corporations and not of the neighborhood businesses that many residents patronize and who hire our neighbors to a large degree. And so there really does seem to be a real conflict of interest and a need for a reckoning and accountability for whose agenda are they really pushing. And I hope this is a conversation that the wider business community in Seattle has, because when we only focus on the mega-corporation interests, we all lose out, and it is small business who employs the majority of people. They're individuals and don't individually wield a lot of power, but collectively, they really determine the direction of our local economy. And so to see help - that are keeping the doors open in these small businesses and that are keeping people employed - being directly challenged and Amazon looking to snatch money out of people's hands and the hands of small business is pretty blatant and overt. And people are literally asking, Is this now an Amazon lobbyist? Or is this an organization that represents the biggest, the interest of small businesses in the city? So it'll certainly be interesting to continue to watch how that unfolds.  Erica Barnett: [00:23:46] Yeah, I'll just add one quick thing. I mean, the JumpStart Tax is explicitly designed to go - to have preference for brick and mortar businesses. And a lot of the complaints about what's happening "downtown", and what you're going to see in the latest KOMO propaganda film on Saturday is that there's - is that the downtown is dead, the businesses are boarded up, and there's too many homeless people wandering around, and all that kind of stuff. Well, guess what? This tax pays for brick-and-mortar businesses to help them stay open. It also pays for, specifically for homelessness programs, and homelessness prevention and rental assistance, so that more people don't become homeless. So I would say that even the non-targeted provisions of this legislation would actually help the businesses that are complaining about the state of downtown right now. Crystal Fincher: [00:24:40] Certainly appears to be the case. Now, this week, we also saw SPD have a case ruled against them and they were held in contempt by a judge. What happened with that?  Erica Barnett: [00:24:55] Well, essentially, there were a lot of complaints regarding the protests that started back in June about police use -  indiscriminate use - of weapons, so-called less-lethal weapons, like blast balls and tear gas and pepper spray. And several of those - the judge found several of those to essentially be credible and held them in contempt of this injunction that he issued back in June saying that SPD could not use force against peaceful protestors. So, it's a very, it's a meaningful ruling. I think we'll see what the penalties are and, and whether it has any kind of long-term impact on SPDs practices, but it is unusual for the city to be held in contempt in this way. So it's certainly meaningful in that way.  My reporter Paul Kiefer said that, reported that, the mayor's office couldn't find any similar cases like this in their review. So it's certainly unprecedented and unusual. But we'll see what the penalties are and we'll see what - whether it has any kind of impact on the upcoming police negotiations or on police practices. Crystal Fincher: [00:26:00] That will be interesting to see. And especially with some of the arguments that SPD was making - that as long as they can show that their officers were instructed not to do something - if they do it, then it's not SPDs fault. Even if that appears to be habitual behavior - just the throwing up of hands and say, Well, we told them not to do it. So what - how can we be responsible for that? How are we to expect that an organization currently under a consent decree for an excessive use of force would have officers that do that, despite being told not to several times? So it seems like there is a continuing resistance - none of us are surprised, right - about any kind of accountability, taking any kind of responsibility, for what officers are doing on the ground. And this contempt order also explicitly acknowledged that officers were acting independent of any regard for their own personal safety. So many defenses of this are like, Well, what do you expect if someone tries to assault an officer, which no one is condoning of anyone. But what we have seen several times is that there was no threat - no physical threat, no assault, no feeling scared that something imminent was about to happen - this was just a response and basically, explicitly said, a response to the message Black Lives Matter than to the protestors. Erica Barnett: [00:27:26] Sorry, sorry that I interrupted you there - just to your point - the judge noted that one of the officers ordered an officer to use a blast ball to "create space" between officers and protesters, which is not a response to any kind of use of force or any kind of bad behavior at all from protesters. It's just - it was just kind of indiscriminate - and blast balls are very potentially harmful and damaging weapons.  Crystal Fincher: [00:27:52] Extremely. There are instances of journalists' eyes being put out with blast balls and people of the public's eyes being just exploded by blast balls. There's actually a little support group just for that specific thing throughout protests in the country. It is an alarming and depressing thing. And what a lot of people wonder is, Okay, so a judge has ruled they've been held in contempt. So what happens to them? Is there a penalty? Is there a consequence? Erica Barnett: [00:28:21] I mean, there could be a financial penalty for sure. I think that - that again remains to be seen, but they could have to pay out. There's a lot of plaintiffs in this case, as you might imagine - not just Black Lives Matter of Seattle King County, but the ACLU and a number of individuals who say they were harmed by SPD's use of force. So financial penalties are something that the city is used to dealing with, but they also don't like to pay them. So conceivably that could change officer behavior, but I think, what it's going to come down to ultimately is the police contract, is police leadership. We have an acting police chief right now and ultimately whether we get a mayor, or whether this mayor decides to take a hard political and public stance against some of these actions, which the current mayor has not.  Crystal Fincher: [00:29:14] Got it. But I do want to thank all of you for listening to Hacks and Wonks on KVRU 105.7 FM on this Friday, December 11th, 2020. Our chief audio engineer is, 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, that's Erica with a C, and on PubliCola.com. And you can buy her book Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery on Amazon or through your independent bookseller. 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 you'll notice in the show notes there are now full text transcripts of the audio shows to further the accessibility of the podcast. So thanks for tuning in and we'll talk to you next time.

In this week's episode of Podcast from Washington, NACCHO government affairs team members Ian Goldstein and Eli Briggs discuss the latest negotiations for another coronavirus relief package. They also discuss an imminent COVID-19 vaccine rollout and how NACCHO is working to ensure local health departments receive the federal resources they need.   Later in the program, Ian Goldstein interviews Director for Public Health Seattle-King County Patty Hayes, RN, MN and Program Associate at the Big Cities Health Coalition Gabrielle Nichols. They discuss Public Health Seattle-King County's response to multiple crises including COVID-19 outbreaks, smoke from neighboring wildfires, and civil unrest due to the ongoing impacts of racism. 

A special panel conversation with members of Black Lives Matter Seattle - King County. Dani talks with Marlon Brown and Ebony Miranda about collective organizing and the mobilization of Black voices. Conversation was recorded on June 7, 2020. About CD Forum: The CD Forum is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to present and produce Black cultural programs that encourage thought and debate for the greater Seattle area. Our vision is to inspire new thoughts and challenge assumptions about Black Culture.

Rhythm & News interview with Carolyn Riley-Payne, president of the Seattle/King County NAACP, about the formal removal of former NAACP President Sadiqa Sakin by the National NAACP from office and the suspension of her membership for five years, and the current work of the Seattle King County branch. Interiview by Chris B. Bennett.

Rhythm and News interview with Matias Valenzuela - the Director, Community Mitigation, Coronavirus with Public Heath of Seattle/King County - about the COVID-19 crisis in Seattle/King County, what we know and what to expect. Interview by Chris B. Bennett.

Oliver Scott from Urban Business Support joins the guys for this episode. He is the executive director of the organization, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit that gives businesses in gentrifying communities the resources to adapt, survive, and grow in the changing marketplace emerging around them to retain diversity of business ownership. The company services the Tacoma and Seattle/King County areas and offer training, personal credit counseling, and leadership skills in three flexible formats. Those that would like to get more information can do so by going to: https://www.urbanbizsps.org. 00:03 – The show kicks off with conversation on Hipster Dice, Justin shares how listeners can support the podcast through Patreon, and how Taco Bell is getting rid of their Double Decker Taco. Brogan offers to wear a Taco Bell jump suit if the company sponsors the podcast, Justin introduces Oliver, and Oliver talks about what the Urban Business Support does. He explains what gentrification means, what sparked him to start the non-profit, and the three pronged approach the organization takes with small businesses. 12:05 – Oliver talks on how Hilltop was one of the inspirations for him to start the organization, how the expansion of transportation is used as a metric for his organization to determine what businesses would be impacted by public transit improvement, and how their vision is ‘Development Without Displacement'. Justin talks on the balance that is possible when gentrification happens to communities, Oliver talks on doing this type of work in Oakland, and Justin shares where listeners can find Urban Business Support online. 26:25 – Oliver talks on how they want business owners to be able to work collaboratively to negotiate rent with developers, how the curriculum changed his life, and Brogan talks on the tough lessons he has learned since opening his business. Oliver talks on what sets their business apart from other businesses like his, how he finds locations to hold classes, and the program he started in Guatemala Mexico. 38:08 – He brings up the City of Tacoma's Economic Development's Facade Loan Program, the success he has seen with lending to businesses that weren't able to get traditional bank loans, and his goal to start a micro loan program. He talks about their lifelong commitment to business owners, how this is a labor of love for him, and Justin brings up how easily the things that are happening to businesses in Seattle can happen to those in Tacoma. Thanks Oliver for the great work you're doing in the community to help small businesses survive gentrification. Special Guest: Oliver Scott.

Seattle and King County officials plan to open safe-injection sites to help keep drug users alive. But Initiative 27 would block that from happening. Now public-health experts and proponents of the sites are suing to keep I-27 off the ballot. Seattle Times reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman hear from their lawyer, Knoll Lowney, and then talk to an I-27 booster, Joshua Freed.