(WSB photo – worker at High Point ballot box holding stickers offered to voters)

The voting is over and the vote-counting has begun in the April “special election.” The only measure on ballots in our area was the renewal of the levy that has funded the Automated Fingerprint Identification System for almost 40 years, starting at a rate lower than the just-expired version. The first vote count shows it passing with almost 60 percent approval:

KING COUNTY PROPOSITION 1
Approved – 151,495 – 59.72%
Rejected – 102,189 – 40.28%

17 percent of ballots were in by the time KCE did its first count. As of the latest ballot-return count, they’d received 20 percent. Next count will be out tomorrow evening.

(WSB photo, September 2023, tour of Myers Way encampment with then-Gov. Inslee)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Three Seattle City Councilmembers and three King County Councilmembers came to West Seattle this afternoon with a message intended for an audience in Olympia:

They gathered at Arrowhead Gardens to implore state leaders to fully fund the Right-Of-Way Encampment Resolution Program (explanation and stats here), which paid for the much-publicized 2023 cleanup across the street in the Myers Way woods, as well as others including one beneath the First Avenue South Bridge. They want the state to fully fund the program’s $75 million cost, instead of the proposed $45 million, which they say would only cover the cost of maintaining housing for the hundreds of people the program has taken off the streets so far.

Speaker after speaker emphasized that this is a program that works – and it’s not cheap, because it takes outreach workers a lot of time to develop relationships with clients and get them to “come inside.” First speaker, Carolanne Sanders Lundgren of Purpose.Dignity.Action, observed that “relationship is our special sauce.” Those who followed her included King County Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda, Girmay Zahilay, and Claudia Balducci (the latter two are also running for County Executive) and Seattle City Councilmembers Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Cathy Moore, and Dan Strauss. Here are the speakers in their entirety:

Mosqueda stressed that local leaders “need to have the antidote to what’s happening on a national level … (where) chaos is raining down on us,” and this program is “the gold standard … The way we get people inside is by maintaining those trusted relationships.” She said 91 percent of the people living in encampments taken on by the program left the streets, and that three-fourths of them “stayed housed.”

“This is not just another government initiative,” insisted County Council Chair Zahilay. “It’s one of the most effective programs in the nation.” Yes, he acknowledged, there’s a budget crisis at every level of government, “but when we’re talking about an effective program (that has) built trust and saved lives … let’s fund what works.”

One of the non-governmental speakers was Diane Radischat, president of the Arrowhead Gardens resident group. She talked about how difficult it was to initially get help for the campers in the woods across the street – where even now a new tent has popped up, with RVs nearby too – but “we cannot afford to give up on them … do we just think everyone will be fine? The state can’t just say no.”

If the ROW ERP program winds down, warned Balducci, “people will go (back) into the revolving door.” She said the program is “the win win win we all want … we cannot accept the (results) of failing to fund this program.”

“I hear from people who don’t want to see people go away, they want to see people get housed,”said Councilmember Mercedes Rinck.

Her council colleague Moore, who chairs the Housing and Human Services Committee, then explained that this is actually the second time the Legislature proposed reduced funding for the program, but the first time, they found other money to cover the gap – this time, they’re out of options. “If this budget is not restored, the. program will effectively end this summer, but we still have time to fix this problem – we can’t afford to slide backward.”

The third Seattle councilmember to speak, Strauss, agreed, saying hundreds of people have been brought inside and families reunited: “We have to keep this program running.”

A King County Regional Homelessness Authority rep with whom we spoke after the briefing said they’re working at a site in Ballard now but already making plans to ramp down in case the funding can’t be restored.

We asked organizers what they want constituents to do. The reply: Contact Gov. Ferguson, your local legislators (in our area that’s Sen. Emily Alvarado and Reps. Joe Fitzgibbon and Brianna Thomas), and three leaders in particular: Senator June Robinson, Representative Timm Ormsby, and Senator Jamie Pedersen. The budget goes to a final vote by April 27 – this Sunday.

As usual during the State Legislature sessions, the Monday afternoon City Council “briefing meeting” included an update on the status of bills of interest to the city. One of those bills, councilmembers were told today, “is not advancing” – HB 1423, which would have allowed the use of cameras to enforce vehicle-noise laws. The bill had passed the State House but didn’t come to a vote in the full Senate before the most-recent deadline for that to happen. It had been seen as a potential tool for street disorder in neighborhood such as Alki and Belltown. HB 1423’s sponsors included 34th District State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon of West Seattle, so we’ll be asking if he might try it again next year.

Tuesday is when voting ends in the April 22 special election – and you have one measure to vote on, King County Proposition 1, renewal of the levy that pays for the Regional Automated Fingerprint Identification System. This goes back almost 40 years, first approved by King County voters in 1986. The renewal is for seven years starting at 2.75 cents (or less) per thousand dollars of property valuation; that’s lower than the 3.5 cents with which the previous renewal, approved in 2018, began (dropping to 2.9 cents by last year). So what is this used for? Not just criminal-justice matters, according to the FAQ on its website. It’s the only countywide measure on Tuesday’s ballot, but five school and special-purpose districts have measures to decide too. As usual, your deadline for turning in your ballot is 8 pm Tuesday at a King County Elections dropbox or getting it to the US Postal Service early enough to ensure it’ll be postmarked no later than Tuesday.

Shannon Braddock is now King County Executive, succeeding Dow Constantine, who started his new job as Sound Transit CEO today.

Both are West Seattleites. But the role will likely move to someone from another part of the county at year’s end; Braddock says she is not going to run for the job, which will be on the ballot this November.

Nonetheless, it was a jubilant moment as the King County Council – including two members running for Executive – voted unanimously to appoint Braddock as acting executive (with one more vote later this month to finalize the appointment until November election results are final). As she took the oath from Judge Ketu Shah, Braddock became the first woman to serve as King County Executive. You can see her take the oath, get a standing ovation, and then deliver her first speech, starting about 3:19 into our first clip:

Afterward, Braddock talked with WSB contributor Anne Higuera about the “200-day plan” she hopes to carry out if she is appointed to keep the job intil the election, as well as how the county plans to proceed constitutionally despite what’s happening in Washington, D.C., and her hopes for public-safety funding getting a state boost:

Until today, Braddock was serving as deputy county executive, an appointed position. That role in turn is now held by Karan Gill. (This page on the county website has been updated to reflect who’s doing what, for now.)

King County Elections is about to send out a new round of ballots. The April 22 special election is three weeks from today – and you have one measure to decide, King County Proposition 1, renewal of the levy that pays for the automated-fingerprint ID system. Here’s how it’s explained:

This proposition would reauthorize King County to levy an additional regular property tax to support the continued operation and enhancement of the regional automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) program and would replace the voter-approved levy that expired on December 31, 2024. The AFIS program is designed to improve the ability of law enforcement agencies within King County to aid in the administration of justice. Among other activities, the AFIS program provides enhanced forensic fingerprint and palmprint identification technology and services.

The proposed levy would be authorized for a seven-year period with collection beginning in 2026. During the first year, the tax would be levied at a rate of 2.75 cents ($0.0275) or less per one thousand dollars ($1,000) of assessed valuation on all taxable property within King County. For example, a home assessed at $885,000 in 2026, would have a maximum levy amount of $24.34 in the first year. Annual increases in each of the succeeding six years would be limited to the statutory rate set forth in chapter 84.55 RCW. Qualifying seniors, veterans, and disabled persons would be eligible for exemption from the levy under RCW 84.36.381.

The 2.75 cents is a lower rate than the renewal levy in August 2018, which started with 3.5 cents per $1,000. Meantime -oOnce you get your ballot, you have until 8 pm Tuesday, April 22, to get it into a dropbox, or you can send it via USPS Mail as long as it’s postmarked by that date.

As we noted after King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s appointment last Thursday as the new CEO of Sound Transit, he will likely be succeeded – at least temporarily – by Deputy County Executive Shannon Braddock, who like Constantine is a West Seattle resident. If the King County Council votes tomorrow (Tuesday, April 1, 1:30 pm meeting, streaming here) to appoint Braddock as acting county executive, she will make history as the first woman ever to hold that position. Braddock has worked in local government for 20 years, according to her bio on the King County website, including serving as chief of staff for both Constantine and for former County Councilmember Joe McDermott. Braddock is not among those who, so far, have announced they’re running for the executive position, which became up for grabs when Constantine announced – months before his Sound Transit appointment – that he did not plan to seek a fifth term.

Less than one month to go for the State Legislature, and while the spotlight is on big concerns like the budget and education funding, other issues are moving along too. Among them, the proposal to allow cities to use cameras as a tool to enforce vehicle-noise rules. The city is backing and tracking that bill, with neighborhoods like Alki and Belltown complaining about vehicle noise. The State House version of the proposal, HB 1423 – with co-sponsors including 34th District State House Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon – is now making its way through the State Senate, where it has a hearing tomorrow afternoon in the Senate Transportation Committee (of which 34th District State Sen. Emily Alvarado is a member). If you’re interested in commenting, the bill’s official infopage has the link you can use (as well as full text of the bill); if you want to watch the committee meeting, set to start at 4 pm Monday, you can do that on this TVW page.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

State legislators are two-thirds of the way through this year’s session in Olympia – 71 days down, 34 to go.

And now they’re digging into the biggest challenge of all – the budget. Both houses released their proposals today (here’s the Senate proposal overview, and here’s the House proposal overview).

One week before that, our area’s three legislators – 34th District State Senator Emily Alvarado and State Representatives Joe Fitzgibbon and Brianna Thomas – held an hourlong “telephone town hall” last Monday night (March 17).

As each provided a self-introduction, Sen. Alvarado said the state budget challenges were among the major issues that constituents are concerned about. Balancing the state budget is the biggest focus of the session, added Rep. Fitzgibbon, who is House Majority Leader. He offered the perennial critique that our state’s “regressive tax system” is to blame for state revenues “not ke(eping) pace” with the cost of providing services, and said both spending cuts and revenue increases would be needed. Rep. Thomas, recently appointed to the Legislature in a domino effect from former Sen. Joe Nguyen‘s appointment as Commerce Department director, noted that “we’re behind on Idaho and Oregon in our tax structure,” and said she can’t imagine being behind those states in any other areas.

Their intros quickly segued into Q&A they opened up to questions.

Read More

The leaders of West Seattle Indivisible say their membership is continuing to grow, so they’ve announced a two-part meeting for tomorrow (Sunday, March 23):

West Seattle Indivisible Meeting
Sunday, March 23
South Seattle College CAB cafeteria [campus map]
Newcomers: 1:30-3:20
General Meeting (newcomers welcome!) 3-4:30
Use north entrance
Free parking in North Lot
Free, but donations are needed and welcome

(If you’re having trouble seeing the video, go here)

That’s the Seattle Channel recording of the meeting during which the City Council’s Transportation Committee, chaired by District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka, got an update on the Sound Transit projects intended to bring light rail to West Seattle in 2032 and Ballard in 2039. Briefers were two managers from Sound Transit and members of the city team that’s involved with various aspects of the projects (one noted that more than 20 city departments are involved in one way or another).

Toplines included Saka saying he had sent a letter to Sound Transit yesterday (we requested a copy and just received it) but also describing himself as a “proud and enthusiastic supporter” of the projects. Minutes later in the public-comment section, Jordan Crawley of the Alki Beach Academy day care/preschool, one of the dozens of West Seattle businesses facing displacement because of the project, told the council that while their predecessors had worked closely with him and others, these councilmembers didn’t seem interested: “We don’t need letters of support or kind words, we need action.” (Crawley also clarified that he too supports the projects, but businesses facing displacement need more championing from the city.)

When Sound Transit’s Brad Owen and Jason Hampton led their briefing (here’s the slide deck), money was a big part of the discussion. Saka asked them to clearly state the current estimated cost for the West Seattle extension (around $7 billion) compared to the previous estimate ($4 billion). What share of that cost would the city have to foot? Saka asked. The ST reps said the city’s contribution was primarily two-fold – the plan to speed up permitting would save time, and time is money for ST; there had been talk (as reported a few years back) of “third-party funding” to help cover the costs of preferred plans – for example, tunneling into The Junction rather than elevated. What would that look like? they were asked. “Various” possibilities was the answer – some of which “might require voter approval.” All this is expected to come into clearer view this fall.

The city team (here’s their slide deck), in addition to noting the breadth of city involvement, gave some West Seattle examples of what they’re involved with, such as planning Pigeon Point environmental mitigation (the preferred alternative for the light-rail-only Duwamish River bridge would cut into the forested face of the point).

SUPPLEMENTAL READING: City Council central staff’s memo for today’s meeting delves more deeply into some of the issues.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Whether he is or isn’t Sound Transit‘s next CEO, King County Executive Dow Constantine didn’t say much about ST when he spoke to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce this past Thursday.

Not that they asked him to – the announced theme was “King County Conversations,” and it was likely the last time Constantine would speak to the group as County Executive, a job he’s leaving after four 4-year terms. Here’s our video of what he said, after the Chamber’s executive director Rachel Porter introduced him; our summary follows:

He opened with some personal info, as if he were a new arrival introducing himself for the first time, rather than a quarter-century-plus veteran of elected office. He noted his dietary discipline (vegan, as was the lunch buffet catered by Peninsula Soul Food), his first job (Alki Spud), his daughter and parents’ ages (10 and nineties), among other datapoints. And he noted that he’s served as county executive through “global financial meltdowns, the pandemic, three governors, four presidential administrations, seven (Seattle) mayors … It’s been an interesting experience … the challenges we face are significant and often daunting.” Those challenges are ever-changing, he added.

First one he addressed was public safety, particularly on transit.

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State legislators are in the second half of a session with some huge decisions yet to be made, and you have the chance tomorrow night to hear updates from local legislators as well as ask questions and offer comments about what they should do. The three legislators who represent the 34th District – including West Seattle, White Center, and Vashon/Maury Islands – are having a “telephone town hall” tomorrow night (Monday, March 17). This is an audio-only event, 6-7 pm, with State Senator Emily Alvarado and State House Representatives Joe Fitzgibbon (who is also House Majority Leader) and Brianna Thomas. Many phones in the district should ring right at 6 pm with the invitation to join the meeting; if you don’t get the call, or if you just want to proactively call in anyway, at 6 pm call 855-756-7520 and enter 120781# when prompted for the extension number. (You’ll also find that info in our calendar listing for the “telephone town hall.”)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

What the feds won’t do – any more – the locals are going to have to.

That theme emerged in a variety of ways at Wednesday night’s meeting of our area’s largest political organization, the 34th District Democrats, facilitated by the group’s chair Jordan Crawley.

First, the pre-meeting presentation featured the local resistance group West Seattle Indivisible. Then, our area’s County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda touted local government’s support for areas hit by the federal budget ax – housing, worker protections, equity:

Two of Mosqueda’s fellow County Councilmembers spoke too, but in a different capacity – as candidates to succeed King County Executive Dow Constantine, who is not running for re-election. This wasn’t a formal candidate forum; 34th DD meetings often offer the microphone to candidates who want to make their pitch.

First was Councilmember Claudia Balducci from the Eastside, who declared, “I fundamentally believe in the powe of government, especially local government, to make lives better,” before decrying the federal slashing of services and spending. “We can’t do everything, but we can protect the people most at risk,” she said, adding that local government needs to “stand up for our values,” so if the president, for example, threatens to take away funding unless those values are cast aside, go ahead and dare him.

Balducci, a Sound Transit board member, noted that she might be “most famous for fighting and winning the battle of light rail” on the Eastside, and declared, “I can’t wait to push to get light rail to West Seattle!” (That was greeted by a whoop.)

Next was County Council Chair Girmay Zahilay, whose district is in South King County. He declared the KC Executive position to be the “single most important and powerful local office in the entire state of Washington.” He also said he’s running because of the potential of our region, which welcomed Zahilay and his family as refugees from Sudan when he was three years old. He then listed challenges – opportunities on the decline, the Trump Administration “threaten(ing) every value we have,” the housing shortage – and proclaimed that the next County Executive “has to ensure that King County is a beacon of hope and opportunity for the entire nation.”

Balducci and Zahilay were the only two County Executive candidates on Wednesday night’s agenda, but not the only candidates – five others running for election or re-election took the microphone too. Two were Port of Seattle Commissioners running for re-election – and they too spoke about defiance of D.C. Position 1 incumbent Ryan Calkins said that after “mourn(ing) a bit” following the November election, “we doubled down” on commitments such as green energy:

Position 3 incumbent Port Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed also observed that “local elected officials must hold the line” during “unprecedented times”:

Three City of Seattle candidates followed, starting with mayoral hopeful Ry Anderson. They warned of the dangers of hopelessness: “We have to empower the next generation to not give up.” And about services the feds may be abandoning: “The National Labor Relations Board may be (doomed), so we need to pick that up.”

Armstrong also nodded to the civil-rights curtailments of the D.C. administration, suggesting “the best way to give Trump (the finger) is to elect a trans mayor.”

Two candidates for citywide City Council Position 9 were next, challenging incumbent Council President Sara Nelson. First, Dionne Foster told the 34th DDs that all three of the district’s state legislators already support her. She described herself as a “first-time candidate” (but former city policy adviser) and steadfast champion of “progressive values” and “real results”:

Another Council Position 9 candidate, Ray Rogers, also called himself a “first-time candidate” and spoke of people power: “With you, we can get the job done.” He promised he would work tirelessly – “the first one to get there and the last one to leave.”

We won’t know the full primary-election fields for these and other positions until after the official Filing Week in May; primary voting will end on

The final spotlight of the night shone on a former elected official, Joe Nguyen, appointed as state Commerce Director after serving a term and a half as 34th District State Senator. Aaron Garcia of the White Center Community Development Association was first to speak in tribute, declaring, “Joe showed up.” Garcia’s predecessor as WCCDA executive director, Sili Savusa, spoke too, as did Seattle Port Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa and former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels:

The traits they celebrated differed – Hasegawa hailed Nguyen as “a progressive elected voice” while Nickels said he became a “very enthusiastic supporter” despite having told Nguyen flat-out “you’re way too liberal for me.”

NEXT MEETING: The 34th DDs meet on second Wednesdays, sometimes in person, sometimes online only, so next meeting will be April 9th; you can watch for updates at 34dems.org.

During today’s weekly “briefing meeting,” the City Council, as usual, got updates on the State Legislature bills the city’s been tracking. Noting that legislators are now past the midpoint – 57 days into this year’s 105-day session – the city’s legislative liaisons said that the main bill to allow a “vehicle-noise enforcement-camera” pilot program has advanced; the state House passed HB 1423 57-40. District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, who’s been advocating for that bill as a potential tool for problems in neighborhoods including Alki, asked the briefers what’s next. They said that though there’s a Senate version of the bill, the House bill is the “main vehicle” for this proposal, so it will likely have a public hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee sometime soon.

P.S. Our area’s state legislators – Sen. Emily Alvarado and Reps. Joe Fitzgibbon (who voted for the noise-camera bill) and Brianna Thomas (who voted against it) – plan a “telephone town hall” next Monday, March 17, at 6 pm. People throughout the district will get a call at that time inviting participation, but you can also call in; this page explains how.

Another property-tax levy renewal is proposed for a vote this year. Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that he wants to renew the levy for the Democracy Voucher program, originally approved by voters in 2015 and launched with 2017 city elections. From the announcement:

… The program is administered by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) which sends four $25 democracy vouchers to eligible residents during municipal election cycles. Residents then donate their vouchers to qualifying campaigns, which are redeemed for the assigned value.

Since the program’s inception, Seattle has had among the highest rates of people contributing to candidates in the country. More than 106,000 residents have contributed vouchers to candidates, distributing over $10 million to local campaigns through 2024.

The program is also popular with candidates running for city office and has led to more competitive races. Between 2017-2024, 76% of candidates who appeared on the primary election ballot and 89% of candidates on the general election ballot participated in the program.

Mayor Harrell’s proposal would renew the program by levying a $45 million property tax over 10 years, costing the median assessed value Seattle homeowner about $12.20 a year. The proposal has been transmitted to the City Council for consideration and referral to voters for the August primary.

If voters approve the ballot measure, the Mayor, City Council, and SEEC will convene a workgroup in early 2026 to make recommendations on program improvements to reach more residents in diverse communities and empower local campaigns by addressing the role of Political Action Committee (PACs) in municipal elections.

The initiative that created the program was approved by 63 percent of city voters a decade ago. At the time, it was described as costing “the average homeowner about $8 a year.” raising about $30 million over 10 years.

That’s Seattle Channel video of today’s City Council briefing meeting, which – as is usual this time of year – included an update on proposed state legislation that the city is watching. Among the bills mentioned today: HB 1423, which would allow cities to try out vehicle-noise-enforcement cameras. District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka has taken extra interest in this one because of the issues on Alki and Harbor Avenues, so he asked for extra details. The council’s Legislature-focused staffers told him the bill was still alive, but with some changes, including redefining it as a potential pilot program expiring in 2028, adding various reporting requirements for cities that try it, and limiting it to cities of a current size (Seattle would still qualify). Meantime, Alki Community Council president Charlotte Starck sent a bulletin to other community advocates tonight urging wide support for HB 1423 and its counterpart SB 5417, as well as requesting signatures on this new Change.org petition.