This Week’s Budget Update / Public Safety in Alki / Together We End Gun Violence Symposium / Alki Point Healthy Street Open House November 9 / Community Graffiti Clean Up in South Park / 5th Annual Seattle Black College Expo



Contents

This Week’s Budget Update

This week, the Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts, together with the City Budget Office, presented the November 2nd revenue forecast. Revenue forecasts are used to estimate next year’s revenues, and hence what can be funded in the annual budget. The forecast shows a projected decrease in general fund revenues of over $9 million over the next two years, and a reduction of $64 million over the next two years for the Real Estate Excise Tax, which is principally used for capital projects. The decreases are compared to the 2023-24 budget proposed by the Mayor in late September, which was based on an earlier revenue forecast.

Consequently, the Budget Chair has released a revised calendar to provide an additional week for consideration of the 2023/24 budget. The revised calendar is copied below. The Chair will now propose a balancing package on November 14th, and votes are scheduled for November 21st.

Next week the Budget Committee will hold a public hearing on November 8, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Information is available at the Council’s Budget Committee website. All nine Councilmembers serve on the Budget Committee.

Final action by the Budget Committee is scheduled for Monday, November 28, with final Council action on Tuesday, November 29.

Public Safety in Alki

I and other city departments (SPD, SDOT, Parks) recently met with some area residents about both dangerous driving behavior and other unlawful activity on Alki. Residents are promoting removal of back-end angled parking spaces because people gather there for hours and sometimes that activity results in disruptive behavior, noise and violence.

Chief Diaz briefed me last month that, though August was a tragic month in Seattle for gun-related homicides, citywide trends for violent crimes (aggravated assault, homicide, rape, robbery) overall are starting to show a slight decrease.  In the Southwest Precinct, the violent crimes from June through September showed a slight decrease compared to the same period of time in 2021.  Though crimes rates – whether they are up or down – are never a comfort to those impacted by violence, violent crime in the Southwest Precinct is 29% lower than the city’s overall average in 2022.  We have much to do as a city.  The Council, in 2020 and 2021, fully funded SPD’s staffing plan and is poised to vote to support it fully this year.  I sponsored legislation, and a majority of Councilmember voted to support, enacting Mayor Harrell’s SPD hiring incentive plan.

We have effective, evidence-based gun violence prevention programs aimed at young people under age 25.  Yet, more than 60 % of gun violence is happening in a population that we don’t have a gun violence intervention program for yet, people aged 25 and older.  I have been calling for an expansion of this gun violence prevention program since July when I heard a gun violence report in my committee from Seattle King County Public Health.  It is urgent.  I am proposing such a program in the Council’s budget deliberations, linked here. The most recent update from SPD today shows an increase of 23% in shots fired incidents during 2022 citywide, compared to 2021 (the Southwest Precinct rate of shots fired incidents is in line with the City rate).

At relates specifically to this senseless shooting on Alki on October 31st, Southwest Precinct Captain Rivera let me know that this shooting was the subject of SPD’s weekly Gun Violence Reduction meeting this week.  Prior to the shooting, SPD had already deployed an emphasis patrol throughout the area.  Detectives are actively searching for relevant video evidence and contacting witnesses.  They planned to speak with the victims as of yesterday now that they are both in stable medical condition.  32 casings were recovered on the scene.  SPD has no information at this time at the victims were connected to the shooters in any way and it seems that they were caught in the crossfire of at least three individuals who were shooting at each other.

Together We End Gun Violence Symposium

Today I had the privilege of participating in a symposium entitled Together We End Gun Violence, convened by King County Executive Dow Constantine, Mayor Bruce Harrell, and Renton Councilmember Ed Prince.  It was an incredible opportunity to learn from the people doing this work in our community.  Their experiences and expertise must lead the way.

Today’s gathering brought together thought leaders, community members, and local and national government officials who are leading the way in finding an end to gun violence. This one-day symposium is centered around amplifying commitments to working together to support community led solutions to combat gun violence in King County, and beyond.

The regional approach to gun violence is a multi-initiative, multi-organization, network that provides intervention, prevention, and restoration services, including critical incident and hospital-based care and resources to high-risk individuals and families most impacted by gun violence and unjust systems. The regional approach to gun violence seeks to prevent and eliminate gun violence, and ensure equitable health outcomes for all by providing life-affirming care and resources to the individuals and families who are most impacted by gun violence and unjust systems. Our work prioritizes a community violence, intervention approach that uses evidence-informed and data-driven strategies to ensure intensive support and wrap-around services for those most directly involved in incidents of gun violence.

Gun violence is a fatal epidemic that continues to plague cities.  Across the US and in our region, we have seen alarming increases over the last three years, impacting our beloved communities daily and leaving many residents, wondering what actions can be taken to address the issue.  We believe that gun violence must be addressed through a robust public health approach that centers community-led solutions, enlists multi-sector supports, ensures broad investments, and garners lasting commitment.  We must do the work necessary to understand and address the causes.  We must work to prevent involvement in gun violence, intervene when necessary, and create pathways to restoration for all that are impacted by trauma, both generational and recent, for survivors, for people involved in the criminal legal system, and for families and community members.

We recognize the need for a comprehensive and collaborative, regional and statewide approach to addressing the public health crisis of gun violence and believe that by working together from the grassroots to the grasstops, we can identify and implement lasting solutions.

Alki Point Healthy Street Open House November 9

SDOT will host an in-person open house on November 9th on the Alki Point Healthy Street. Details are listed below:

In-person Open House

Stop by any time! Several SDOT team members will be at the event to share information about the project and collect your comments on the early design. Food will be provided.

Here’s information about the virtual open house:

Virtual Open House

Join any time! We’ll have virtual breakout rooms, where SDOT team members will be available for your questions and comments on the early design.

  • Location: The online meeting link will be available on our website in early November.
  • Date: Tuesday, November 15
  • Time: 12 to 1 PM

Questions and comments can be sent to AlkiKeepMovingStreet@seattle.gov or shared in a voicemail to (206) 727-3565. If you have a request for a public engagement event or would like SDOT to attend an existing community meeting, please email us at AlkiKeepMovingStreet@seattle.gov.

After the in-person open house on Wednesday, November 9, SDOT will send another email with the early design and post the design on our webpage for your feedback. SDOT is requesting you share your comments by December 9, 2022.

According to two SDOT studies and one SDOT citywide survey, Alki Point is the most used Stay Healthy or Keep Moving Street in the city.


Community Graffiti Clean Up in South Park

Last month I wrote about I a South Park Public Safety forum of residents and business owners in South Park.   Police Chief Diaz and Southwest Precinct Captain Rivera and I together answered questions from community members seeking to learn more about how SPD is investigating what appears to be an arson fire targeting a neighborhood business and an increase in gang recruitment of young people in the area.  The forum resulted in plans for a community graffiti clean up and was also a good opportunity to share information about public safety resources devoted to South Park and the Southwest Precinct, specifically the deployment of an SPD Community Service Officer to South Park, the South Park Public Safety Coordinator from Seattle Neighborhood Group, and the Southwest Safety Hub staff from the YMCA’s Alive and Free Program as part of the Seattle Community Safety Initiative.

These community resources came together this week for a community graffiti clean up.  The Community Service Officers worked with South Park community organizers to build a graffiti abatement program to augment the efforts of SPU’s Graffiti Rangers program who have a complaint backlog. The goal of residents is to create more awareness and empower residents and local businesses to reclaim their neighborhood, and have a more immediate, safe, and effective response to remove graffiti tagging around the neighborhood.

Thank you everyone for pulling together to support the Project #TagBack paint-out! Neighbors especially appreciated the sworn officers who came to assist, and special thanks to Captain Rivera for taking the time to participate.

 

5th Annual Seattle Black College Expo

The 5th Annual Seattle Black College Expo will take place on Saturday, November 5th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Renton High School, 400 South 2nd St., Renton, WA  98057. At the free event, students will have access to 30+ colleges, including historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and other educational institutions.

The 5th Annual Seattle Black College Expo™ presents an opportunity for students to be accepted to a college on the spot, have their college application fees waived, and receive scholarships. This event will help high school seniors and college transfer students looking to transfer to a four-year college. To promote college planning at an earlier age, parents are also encouraged to bring students as young as 6th grade.

For free registration visit: www.ncrfoundation.org or call 877-427-4100.

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Posted: November 4th, 2022 under Budget, Councilmember Herbold, District 1, Education, Seattle Fire Department
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