Seattle Police Department 2022 Crime Report / Gun Bill Testimony / Seattle/King County Clinic 2023 Seeks Volunteers / Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission Seeking Two New Commissioners / Sound Transit System Expansion Committee Presentation / Duwamish River Basin Steward / Northwest Seaport Alliance Terminal 5 Quarterly Update



Contents

Seattle Police Department 2022 Crime Report

Earlier this week the Seattle Police Department released the 2022 Year-End Crime Report. I’ve invited SPD to present this report before the Public Safety and Human Services Committee at the February 14 meeting.

The report found an overall 4% increase in both violent and property crime in 2022, compared to 2021.

A summary of the report is available at the SPD Blotter announcement. Summary images note the increase in violent crime, gun violence, and motor vehicle theft, along with a decrease in bias crimes and response times to Priority 1 911 calls.

The report also notes that crime decreased during the fourth quarter of 2022. As the chart below shows, there was an increase in early 2022, similar rates in mid-2022, and the lower rates during the final four months of 2022 were reduced as compared to not only the rest of 2022 but also when compared to the final four months of 2021.

SPD also announced yesterday that the Tweets By Beat accounts will be continuing.

 

Gun Bill Testimony

On Thursday morning I testified before the state Senate Law and Justice Committee in support of SB 5232, enhancing requirements for the purchase or transfer of firearms. My comments are below:

“Good morning Chair Dhingra and members of the committee my name is Lisa Herbold and I am Councilmember for the City of Seattle . I am here today to speak in support of SB 5232, an evidence-based policy that will protect our communities from preventable gun violence.

Washington already requires safety training and a waiting period for purchasers of semi-automatic assault rifles; this bill would apply these same safeguards to all gun purchases. Requiring safety training will help ensure that all Washington gun owners understand the basics of how to handle, load, shoot, and safely store a gun. This will keep the gun owner, their household members, and communities, safer. 

In 2021, 68.9% of gun deaths in Washington were suicides. The requiring of safety training and an extended waiting period as part of the purchase process is proven to make an impact on both the firearm homicide and suicide rates. We can save lives with this policy.

Waiting periods work to help make sure guns don’t fall into the hands of people intent on causing harm by allowing law enforcement enough time to complete a background check and by serving as a cooling off period, allowing people in crisis to access help.

This bill will help codify responsible gun ownership in Washington. It will help keep our communities safe. Please vote yes on SB 5232. Thank you.”

 

Seattle/King County Clinic 2023 Seeks Volunteers

The Seattle/King County Clinic will be taking place from April 27-30 this year. This event brings together healthcare organizations, civic agencies, private businesses, and volunteers from across the state to produce a giant free health clinic at Seattle Center, including dental, vision, and medical care.

From 2014 to 2022 the clinic has provided care for 24,000 patients, and more than $20 million in direct services, with 23,000 volunteers.

The clinic is seeking volunteers. There are 2,446 assignments that need to be filled for the 2023 event. The highest need is for volunteers on Thursday the 27th, and Sunday the 30th, dental and eye care professionals, interpreters as well as social workers, and health insurance navigators. Here’s the webpage for volunteer information: seattlecenter.org/volunteers. You can click the button at the bottom of the page to sign up.

This flyer has a good summary of the types of volunteers needed, including set-up on April 25-26, take-down on May 1, and eyeglasses dispensing on June 2-5.

Outreach for patients will begin next month. The clinic is not limited to residents of Seattle and King County; there are no qualifying requirements related to income, insurance, housing, or immigration status. The clinic does not ask for identification of any type.

 

Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission Seeking Two New Commissioners

The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) is looking for two candidates to serve in City Council-appointed positions on the Commission.

The SEEC is a seven-member, volunteer body that interprets and administers Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program, as well as the Whistleblower Protection, Ethics, Elections, Lobbying, and Voters’ Pamphlet Codes. The SEEC advises the City Council and the Mayor on promoting ethics in government and appoints and oversees the work of an executive director, who is charged with implementing SEEC decisions. Commissioners act as judges when a person is charged with violating one of the Commission-administered codes and issue advisory opinions. Through staff, the SEEC publishes guides to the codes it enforces, and conducts educational programs on the Commission-administered codes.

The powers and duties of the Commission are listed in Section 3.70.100 of the Municipal Code.

The SEEC meets the first Wednesday of every month at 4:00 p.m.; occasionally Commissioners need to attend special meetings. Commission members usually spend between two and five hours per month on SEEC business, although the workload may vary. Commission agendas and minutes are available here.

Commissioners serve three-year terms and can be reappointed. The successful candidates will be appointed by the Seattle City Council. One will serve out the remainder of a term expiring on December 31, 2023. The second will serve a term starting on January 1, 2023. People of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences are encouraged to apply.

Residency in the City of Seattle, while not required, is an asset. Per Seattle Municipal Code 3.70.060, Commissioners cannot be active in Seattle election campaigns during their time on the Commission.

To be considered for appointment to the SEEC, please send a letter of interest and resume by email to wayne.barnett@seattle.gov.

 

Sound Transit System Expansion Committee Presentation

On Thursday the Sound Transit System Expansion Committee heard a presentation going into more depth about the Further Studies recently concluded.

Here’s a link to the presentation, most of which covers segments outside West Seattle. The West Seattle section begins on slide 112, so here’s a link to the West Seattle section.

An online survey on the Further Studies is open through February 17.

The Sounds Transit released the following schedule for upcoming meetings regarding the recent Further Study results:

  • Thursday, February 23 | We will share a summary of community feedback on the Further Studies at the Sound Transit Board meeting.
  • Thursday, March 9 | The System Expansion Committee will again discuss the project and may provide a recommendation to the Sound Transit Board to identify the preferred alternative for the Ballard Link Extension.
  • Thursday, March 23 | The full 18-member Sound Transit Board may identify the preferred alternative for the Ballard Link Extension. As a reminder, the action on a preferred alternative(s) indicates a preference among alternatives but is not a final decision or obligation.

I testified at the meeting; my comments are below:

“Greetings Chair Balducci and members, thank you for the opportunity to thank you.  I am Lisa Herbold, Seattle City Councilmember representing West Seattle.

I want to thank Sound Transit, and the Board, for your work on the West Seattle segment.

First, thank you for considering an alternative alignment in Delridge that reduces the impact to a Transitional Resources building with services to vulnerable communities that cannot easily be relocated.

I also thank you for examining refinements to the Delridge station area including lower station height, better bus connections to the station, and addressing conflicts with freight movement.

As most riders will access the Delridge station via bus transfers, many from lower-income BIPOC communities to the south such as South Delridge, an excellent transfer experience, as highlighted in the Racial Equity Toolkit, is critical. 

I also want to highlight the importance of access for the lower-income High Point community should the Board not proceed with the Avalon station, as that community is adjacent to 35th Ave SW and would be served by transfers at the Avalon station.

Thank you for your time and consideration.”

Here is the final slide from the West Seattle section of the presentation:

 

Duwamish River Basin Steward

King County has announced the new Duwamish River Basin Steward. This position joins six other existing basin stewards who guide habitat protection and restoration work.

The position is jointly funded by King County’s Water and Land Resources Division, the Port of Seattle, City of Tukwila, and City of Seattle.

This steward will advance the community engagement necessary to get on-the-ground projects completed. As the Councilmember representing the South Park neighborhood and as a Co-Chair of the WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum, this position has been a priority for me.   Last year, the City Council adopted legislation that I sponsored to approve an agreement to create this Duwamish Basin Steward position.

The Duwamish Basin is at the forefront of environmental justice needs and we have much work to do together.

Creating the new basin steward position for the Duwamish River recognizes the decades of disproportionate impacts that the watershed’s residents have endured and will better align the multi-agency efforts along the industrialized river corridor.

The Duwamish-Green Watershed or Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 9 is defined as the area that drains to the Duwamish-Green River. It is located in the southern Puget Sound area, and comprises most of southern King County, including south Seattle and its adjacent suburban areas of Kent, Des Moines, Auburn, and Covington, as shown below.

 

Northwest Seaport Alliance Terminal 5 Quarterly Update

The Northwest Seaport Alliance has released a quarterly update for work at Terminal 5.

In the section on Major milestones for Permit Conditions and Lease Obligations through Q4 2022 it notes “Quiet Zone – design complete; City to advertise in Q1 2023 (delayed by a quarter).”

You may recall that I wrote this letter in 2016 expressing the importance of implementing a quiet zone, the use of shore power, and the addition of broadband backup alarms.  The letter was my comment responding to the Port’s Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS).  I felt it was important to give voice to the impacts of the project on behalf of District 1 constituents who live in the area.

As a result, the conditions placed on the Master Use Permit included the use of broadband backup alarms, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Seattle Department of Transportation to establish a railroad quiet zone, and a MOU with Puget Sound Clear Air Agency to implement an Air Quality Management Program to be consistent with the objectives described in the SEPA analysis.

You can view the update here.

Share

Posted: February 10th, 2023 under Councilmember Herbold, Police Department, Public Health, Terminal 5, Transportation
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

ADA Notice
Notice of Nondiscrimination
Privacy
© 1995-2018 City of Seattle