Looking more and more likely we get the model code on July 1

Yeah I wonder what our native community in seattle feels about the need to preserve single family housing in Madison valley

And no, honestly I haven’t been following his specific actions on transit. I have been following his actions on homelessness quite closely and I do believe he’s the only regional leader who has really gotten any positive results at all.

I also want the most effective leader we can get, but don’t see any particular issue with a board member becoming CEO if such person is that leader.

What does it mean to be well qualified? This is a political job, and a leadership role for a large organization. Project and planning expertise can easily be brought in at lower levels.

The alternative is sadly not going to be someone who believes in a transit-based revolution like you and I. It’s some other experienced “transit leader” from some other US agency who knows all the reasons why things can’t change.

Also I think it’s commendable that even after three terms he wants to extend his service to the region.

He would be great. He’s an effective leader who is pro transit with a track record of breaking through barriers such as what he did with the Health Through Housing shelter program. This was the only meaningful expansion of shelters in a decade in our county.

This article doesn’t actually say how the democrats should respond to trumps war on DEI

I heard that in typical times we have one laying hen for every American. Some 300M. It’s out of balance now, some of us have lost our chickens. But don’t worry, they will come back. Ultimately, each can rest at night knowing there is a hen out there laying for us.

It would be too good. We can’t.

I also don’t love my local grocery, the QFC on Capitol Hill. For similar reasons. I go there where I need to but order most things delivery now which I find saves time and money. It’s a shame as i always liked shopping.

Why do you suppose Safeway is banning backpacks? What kind of public policy changes might we make that would enable retailers to need to take less anti-shoplifting actions? Surely retailers would want to make their stores as accessible to as many shoppers as possible.

This is an incredible and very brave article.

Great article. Seattle has huge amounts of funding for housing. A few years ago we built an “affordable high rise” (there is no such thing). But we have basically opened no net new shelters, leading to an inhumane lack of progress for the neediest.

Boarding a train for our return trip. Two weeks driving means two hours on the train back.

Tho RENFE does the stupid Amtrak thing of making you wait in the terminal until the train arrives, then security checks. 15 late so far.

Additionally, there is no large-scale medicated treatment option available. It seems that meaningful progress on homelessness won't be achievable until this issue is adequately addressed.

4) Finally, drugs have become a critical factor, exacerbating all the issues mentioned above. drugs and alcohol have always been a factor, fentanyl presents a unique challenge. It's harder to quit and cheaper to sustain long-term, making it impossible to transition someone into a job or housing.

These factors combine to lengthen shelter stays, effectively reducing their reach.

b) Many housing providers view formerly homeless individuals as potentially problematic tenants, and with the ongoing de facto eviction ban, they are reluctant to take risks.

a) There's a prevailing mindset among service providers and potential residents that permanently subsidized housing is a right, leading people to remain in shelters until it's available.

3) Nowadays, exits from shelters are almost exclusively to subsidized housing rather than standard "cheap" housing. My company has apts under $800, affordable to anyone earning min wage. This shift is due to the huge increase in subsidized housing in our region, but it also highlights two issues:

(Although, it's important to note that not all providers follow this pattern, particularly those who take medical referrals like DESC or actively seek out challenging cases like PDA.)

2) Many service providers tend to focus on helping the "housing unstable" rather than street homeless. This is understandable since this group is easier to locate and serve, and outcomes are generally more favorable.

1) Key point: Despite the improvements made to our shelters, there hasn't been an expansion in their numbers. This, in turn, has not kept pace with the growth in homelessness and has led to a rise in street homelessness.

I really liked Greg Kim's article today in the times-https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/homeless/seattle-overhauled-its-homeless-shelters-did-it-work/

A few of my takeaways from the article:

All of this is just another reason why incentive zoning is a bad idea. Market rate owners and property managers should not be providing the essential service of an affordable housing. The Seattle model of a broad tax on new and existing housing to fund dedicated projects is much better.

Issues like the trash chute backing up and the elevator constantly failing are almost certainly caused by tenants. (Which is why it’s so rare to see a trash chute in affordable). Even the tragic death of a tenant which went unnoticed because his rent was vouchered is a uniquely affordable issue.

While this building appears to be particularly poorly managed, the broader context is that it is very difficult to operate affordable and market rate housing together. It’s entirely possible that the owner is spending more to maintain the affordable side even tho outcomes are worse.

I basically don’t use search anymore. Just for maps and news. I do pay the 20 bucks for a subscription to Claude, which I understand is still a heavily subsidized price. I am grateful