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-Hello.

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I'm your host,
Brian Callanan.

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Can Seattle revitalize
its downtown

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with a new plan
from Mayor Harrell?

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Why is it taking so long

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to stand up
an alternative 911 response

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for calls that don't need
a police officer?

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And does our Regional
Homelessness Authority

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need a multi-billion
dollar budget?

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I'm with Council member
Andrew J. Lewis

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to get answers
to these questions

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and the ones you're sending in,
top, next on "Council Edition."

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-This change of
the consent decree

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to the successor
agreement

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signals a continuation
of reform, not an end to it.

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All that and more,
coming up next

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on "City Inside Out:
Council Edition."

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♪♪

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♪♪

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♪♪

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And here I am with council
member Andrew J. Lewis,

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representing the city's
seventh district,

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from downtown
up to Magnolia.

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He's also chair
of the council's

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Public Assets
and Homelessness Committee.

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Council Member Lewis, thank you
very much for being here.

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-Great to be here.

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-Let me jump in
with you, here.

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I wanted to get with --
start with your reaction

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to an executive order
that Mayor Harrell made

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just a short while before
we recorded the show.

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So, Mayor Harrell
is talking about

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revitalizing downtown
Seattle

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with an emphasis on fentanyl
and synthetic drugs.

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Overdose deaths have been rising
significantly.

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Here's a brief clip
from his press conference.

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-If you are harming our
communities by this activity,

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we have to coordinate
our efforts

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in making sure
that harm stops.

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And that's dealing with
the selling and trafficking

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of these deadly drugs.

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We have to hold
those people accountable.

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-Well, the mayor called this
a two-pronged approach --

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working with
law enforcement

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to really crack down
on drug traffickers,

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and also helping people
with drug addiction,

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and saying
the Fire Department

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would have a special
Overdose Response unit.

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I wanted to get your overall
take on this plan.

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What's it gonna do?

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-Yeah, Thanks, Brian.

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So, anyone who's been to
downtown Seattle recently

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knows that there is
a very significant

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public drug use and public drug
trafficking problem

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that the downtown core
of the city has.

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That's not to say
it's not prevalent

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in other parts
of the county,

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but it's particularly noticeable
in parts of downtown Seattle.

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There is no
downtown recovery

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without focusing on
the public safety components

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of our plan to deal with the
situations in downtown Seattle.

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And part of that
has to deal with the --

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the use and distribution
of fentanyl in the city core.

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We know that the traditional
war on drugs doesn't work,

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that it doesn't work to punish
somebody for their addiction.

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You want to provide immediate
evidence-based treatment

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and assistance to people who are
experiencing addiction,

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to help get them
off the streets.

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Right now,
we don't have a system

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that can effectively
do that.

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We can't offer
on-demand treatment.

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Part of this plan
is gonna be introducing

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what an audit last year
recommended,

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which is a regime
of contingency management.

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So, it's a reward-based,

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incentive-based
treatment regime.

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-Gift cards, et cetera.

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I've heard about this.
What's this all?

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-Sure.

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As you go through
the treatment regime,

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if you are
producing results,

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producing negative urine
analysis, or what have you,

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demonstrating that you are
maintaining your sobriety,

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then, you get incremental
escalating rewards

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for the --
for your sobriety.

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This is a proven
therapeutic response

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that lots of other
jurisdictions use.

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It was recommended by an audit
last fall.

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And this is something
Mayor Harrell

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is moving forward on,
and that my colleague,

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Councilmember Nelson, has been
a leader on on the council.

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It's a very well-recognized
and peer-reviewed method

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of doing treatment
for drug addiction.

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-A lot more of a carrot
than a stick, I guess,

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in this situation.

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-Yeah.

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So, on that component,

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we're gonna really be
amping up how we respond,

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and have a responsive
treatment regime,

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to give people the tools
they need to succeed.

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On the other side,
on the enforcement side,

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we do need to hold folks
who are trafficking

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and moving
these large quantities

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of fentanyl accountable
for their actions.

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We have lots of people
in the downtown core of the city

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who are dealing drugs
with impunity,

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who are enforcing the rules of
that black market with violence.

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And we need to crack down
on that,

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not only to help
the rejuvenation

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of the downtown core,

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but also to save
the lives of folks

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who are overdosing, on
a daily basis, on fentanyl.

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-Thank you.

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And I wanted to
jump in, here,

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because I just wanted to know
what this is going to look like.

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I've had a number of questions
come in to me about this.

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I'm sure they've come to
your office, too.

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One question
went like this --

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"What SPD staffing level
is needed

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to have a permanent precinct
on 3rd?"

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I guess I'm just trying
to figure out

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what types of changes --
maybe physical changes,

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maybe police presence
from the city.

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What are we
going to see downtown --

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Third Avenue
or other places downtown, here,

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over the next
few months?

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Because the mayor was saying
this is gonna roll out

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into May, and June,
and beyond.

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-Well, you've probably
been reading recently

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about the Third Avenue project
that the mayor's office

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and my office have been
working together

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to scale up resources that are
available on Third Avenue.

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And that has mostly been
revolving around a organization

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that is new on the scene
called "We Deliver Care,"

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which is completely staffed
by people with lived experience,

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people who who are good at
building a rapport

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with the cohort of people
who have routinely used

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Third Avenue to engage in
the illicit economy,

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or other activities.

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And just on my way
to City Hall today,

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I ran into the
We Deliver Care team.

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They're very visible.

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They're out there
every single day,

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making connections
with people,

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giving people off-ramps
to get out of the ecosystem on

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Third Avenue, that is not good
for their long-term success.

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And more initiatives like that
being in the city core

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to provide
presence engagement.

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If you're not actually
talking to people,

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and helping them work through
their challenges,

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and giving them an opportunity
to do something different,

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we're never gonna
make progress on this.

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So, those resources
are gonna stay there.

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We've had a permanent SPD
emphasis on Third Avenue

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since March of 2022.

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There's no plan
to take that away.

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That's gonna
stay there,

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and remain there
as part of the operation.

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But we constantly
have to be changing up

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what our strategy is,
and what our personnel mix is,

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to make a long-term,
sustained difference.

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And I'll say this --
you know,

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Third Avenue has
a very long way to go.

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But year over year,
from where we were in 2022,

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it's getting
a lot better.

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But we can't --
we can't...

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take our foot off
the gas.

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The momentum -- We have to keep
the momentum going.

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We have to
stay in there.

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We cannot declare victory,
and leave.

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-Briefly, can I talk about
this part of it.

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Because I know the Downtown
Seattle Association

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has said Third Avenue
needs a complete redesign.

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Maybe it's less of
a bus corridor.

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Maybe we should be having
some more possibilities

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for people where it's more
comfortable for them to walk,

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et cetera.

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Any thoughts about that --
long, long term,

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what happens with
Third Ave?

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-Last fall, the council
unanimously passed a resolution

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endorsing the
Third Avenue Vision,

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which is a proposal from the
Downtown Seattle Association --

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actually a proposal from us,
now,

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since we passed the resolution
endorsing it --

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to reconfigure
the streetscape,

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not -- not to
remove busses.

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-I see.

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-We want it to stay
a transit street.

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But to enhance
the pedestrian experience,

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maybe make the sidewalks
a little bit wider,

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to lean in, actually, to the
transit identity of the street,

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to...

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have development agreements
for some of the new buildings,

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to have big,
open atriums,

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to really enhance the --
the bus shelter experience

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for people who are waiting to --
to catch the bus,

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to have a diversity
of storefronts,

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smaller storefronts
and more storefronts,

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to have a lower barrier to entry
for small businesses,

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especially bipoc-owned
small businesses.

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So, that's more of
a transportation

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and economic
development plan

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that we are working on
with the Herald administration.

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As you heard yesterday,
Mayor Harrell alluded that

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there will be
more announcements,

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on a rolling basis,
of initiatives

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that we're doing
downtown.

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And my hope is that
something significant

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around the built environment
of Third Avenue

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is gonna be
one of those announcements.

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And we're working in close
partnership with Mayor Harrell

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to try to bring
something like that about.

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-Thank you.

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I wanted to make sure
I pivoted at one point, here,

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because I had so many people
writing in

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about different issues for you,
Councilmember Lewis.

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One went like this --

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dealing with housing
and homelessness.

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You chair the council's
Homelessness Committee.

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So, here we go.

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"What are your thoughts on
what we can do

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to support
and protect renters

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and keep them housed
as inflation continues to rise?

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Additionally, what room does
the legislative branch have

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to prevent another year
of 900-plus sweeps?"

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Thank you very much
for that question.

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Councilmember Lewis, can we talk
about renters, maybe, first,

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because I know the council
is working on this measure

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limiting late fees
that renters would have to pay.

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Can we start there,
and then maybe move to

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the homelessness piece?

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-Right.

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So, the city council,
over the past several years,

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has passed a large suite
of protections and rights

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for renters
in the city of Seattle.

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I'm very proud
to have supported

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that entire package
of legislation.

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I know that doesn't make me
popular with landlords,

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but we are in
a situation

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where we have a growing number
of people in Seattle --

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it's a majority renter city --
who are rent-burdened,

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who are facing the possibility
of eviction.

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And we need to make sure that
we have more resources

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in this up-and-coming
housing levy,

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which emphasized --
for the first time, really,

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we're gonna have more resources
in the housing levy

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that emphasize short-term
diversion payments and payments

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00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:33,434
to keep people
in their homes,

249
00:09:33,434 --> 00:09:37,267
payments to make sure people can
access emergency rent support

250
00:09:37,267 --> 00:09:40,501
if they come up short one month
because of an emergency expense

251
00:09:40,501 --> 00:09:43,033
they weren't expecting to --
to take.

252
00:09:43,033 --> 00:09:45,567
And that has to be part of
our housing levy discussion

253
00:09:45,567 --> 00:09:46,868
as we deliberate,
as a council,

254
00:09:46,868 --> 00:09:49,467
to put that package
on the ballot.

255
00:09:49,467 --> 00:09:51,300
And for the first time,
it's gonna include

256
00:09:51,300 --> 00:09:53,901
a lot more mitigation
measures like that,

257
00:09:53,901 --> 00:09:56,701
that are specifically
designed around renters.

258
00:09:56,701 --> 00:09:59,467
When it comes to
encampment outreach,

259
00:09:59,467 --> 00:10:03,400
and the risk of displacement,
the first thing we need to do

260
00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:04,834
is really
define the problem.

261
00:10:04,834 --> 00:10:07,567
and the city, actually, until
the Herald administration --

262
00:10:07,567 --> 00:10:10,200
I give them a lot of credit
for this, last year --

263
00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:13,000
never really tracked
displacement.

264
00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,467
We never asked
the question,

265
00:10:14,467 --> 00:10:18,467
when people would
refuse services, why?

266
00:10:18,467 --> 00:10:19,901
Right?

267
00:10:19,901 --> 00:10:23,834
And, you know, when the Herald
administration came on board

268
00:10:23,834 --> 00:10:27,701
in early 2022, one of the
first things I said was,

269
00:10:27,701 --> 00:10:29,601
"We need to be
asking people 'why?'

270
00:10:29,601 --> 00:10:31,067
when they refuse
services.

271
00:10:31,067 --> 00:10:34,501
And then, we need to adjust
accordingly, to have a strategy

272
00:10:34,501 --> 00:10:35,834
that is responsive

273
00:10:35,834 --> 00:10:38,000
to why people aren't accepting
those services."

274
00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:39,367
-Right.

275
00:10:39,367 --> 00:10:41,200
-And what we've learned
from that has been very clear.

276
00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,367
It's that people who are
experiencing homelessness

277
00:10:43,367 --> 00:10:45,767
don't want to go to
a congregate shelter.

278
00:10:45,767 --> 00:10:48,634
But they will go to something,
like, a tiny-house village

279
00:10:48,634 --> 00:10:50,167
or a hotel, motel.

280
00:10:50,167 --> 00:10:53,133
And we need to be investing in
those non-congregate,

281
00:10:53,133 --> 00:10:55,467
enhanced shelter options,
to make sure that people

282
00:10:55,467 --> 00:10:57,334
who are currently living
in encampments

283
00:10:57,334 --> 00:10:59,434
have a place
that they want to go to,

284
00:10:59,434 --> 00:11:00,734
that they will go to.

285
00:11:00,734 --> 00:11:02,701
And if we do that,
we are going to

286
00:11:02,701 --> 00:11:05,334
significantly reduce
the inequities

287
00:11:05,334 --> 00:11:07,200
in how our current
outreach regimes work.

288
00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:08,300
-Okay.

289
00:11:08,300 --> 00:11:09,567
I wanted to make sure
I shifted gears

290
00:11:09,567 --> 00:11:11,100
a little bit, with you,
and talk about the work

291
00:11:11,100 --> 00:11:13,434
of the King County Regional
Homelessness Authority.

292
00:11:13,434 --> 00:11:15,300
I think this intersects a lot
with this idea

293
00:11:15,300 --> 00:11:17,634
of preventing sweeps,
and also tiny-house villages,

294
00:11:17,634 --> 00:11:20,868
because we saw this five-year
plan to end homelessness

295
00:11:20,868 --> 00:11:21,934
from KCRHA.

296
00:11:21,934 --> 00:11:23,033
It came out
earlier this year.

297
00:11:23,033 --> 00:11:24,400
It's not
a binding document.

298
00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:26,534
It's more of an aspirational
statement, I would say.

299
00:11:26,534 --> 00:11:30,100
But it did call for $8.4 billion
in capital costs,

300
00:11:30,100 --> 00:11:32,901
and somewhere between $1.7
and $3.4 billion

301
00:11:32,901 --> 00:11:35,000
in annual operation
and maintenance costs.

302
00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,434
You're on the governing board
of the KCRHA.

303
00:11:37,434 --> 00:11:39,300
What feedback have you been
giving to the Authority

304
00:11:39,300 --> 00:11:41,267
about this plan,
the money talked about here,

305
00:11:41,267 --> 00:11:43,567
and also what appears to be
a reduction

306
00:11:43,567 --> 00:11:45,734
in tiny-house
village placements.

307
00:11:45,734 --> 00:11:47,968
-Yeah, well, the first thing
that I've been doing, Brian,

308
00:11:47,968 --> 00:11:51,000
is -- is acknowledging that
the number

309
00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:53,634
that the Authority put out
for the five-year plan

310
00:11:53,634 --> 00:11:56,767
probably is about what
the investment regionally needs

311
00:11:56,767 --> 00:12:00,334
to be in order for us
to end homelessness,

312
00:12:00,334 --> 00:12:04,033
to make homelessness
systemically brief,

313
00:12:04,033 --> 00:12:05,267
and to give us
the resources

314
00:12:05,267 --> 00:12:07,868
to immediately move people
into housing.

315
00:12:07,868 --> 00:12:11,868
And I appreciate the aspiration
and ambition of the Authority,

316
00:12:11,868 --> 00:12:16,868
but it is not a practical plan
for our immediate needs, right?

317
00:12:16,868 --> 00:12:20,567
I mean, the situation right now
is like a five-alarm fire.

318
00:12:20,567 --> 00:12:21,801
I mean, we have
community members

319
00:12:21,801 --> 00:12:24,868
who are living in isolation,
in encampments

320
00:12:24,868 --> 00:12:30,000
that are not safe
for people to live in,

321
00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:32,968
places where there's
a significant nexus

322
00:12:32,968 --> 00:12:34,200
with criminal activity,

323
00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:35,467
where the people
most vulnerable

324
00:12:35,467 --> 00:12:37,801
are people who are
experiencing homelessness.

325
00:12:37,801 --> 00:12:39,901
And we need a plan,
right now,

326
00:12:39,901 --> 00:12:42,701
to get people
out of those encampments

327
00:12:42,701 --> 00:12:45,701
into a desirable placement --
like a tiny-house village,

328
00:12:45,701 --> 00:12:48,667
like a hotel, motel --
that we know people will go to

329
00:12:48,667 --> 00:12:50,167
when we can offer them.

330
00:12:50,167 --> 00:12:51,868
People who are experiencing
homelessness

331
00:12:51,868 --> 00:12:53,467
want to get out of
encampments.

332
00:12:53,467 --> 00:12:54,601
They don't want to
stay there.

333
00:12:54,601 --> 00:12:56,000
That's a myth.

334
00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:59,701
They want to go to a place where
they're gonna have privacy,

335
00:12:59,701 --> 00:13:01,567
can realize
self-actualization.

336
00:13:01,567 --> 00:13:03,567
And that's like a tiny house
or a hotel, motel.

337
00:13:03,567 --> 00:13:05,400
It is within our means
to build a plan

338
00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:08,133
that can provide
that kind of support.

339
00:13:08,133 --> 00:13:11,000
What my feedback
to the Authority has been is,

340
00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,367
I want to do two things
to this plan.

341
00:13:14,367 --> 00:13:16,434
And I'm gonna introduce
some resolutions

342
00:13:16,434 --> 00:13:19,234
to the governing board
in the coming weeks,

343
00:13:19,234 --> 00:13:21,868
to force a conversation
on this,

344
00:13:21,868 --> 00:13:24,901
and hopefully help us
move forward.

345
00:13:24,901 --> 00:13:27,834
I alluded to those resolutions
in a governing board meeting

346
00:13:27,834 --> 00:13:28,968
a few weeks ago.

347
00:13:28,968 --> 00:13:30,234
But the first one
would be,

348
00:13:30,234 --> 00:13:32,901
to your point about
the tiny homes,

349
00:13:32,901 --> 00:13:35,367
we need to completely
reconfigure

350
00:13:35,367 --> 00:13:37,434
however they came up with
that formula.

351
00:13:37,434 --> 00:13:39,200
We need more
tiny homes.

352
00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:43,334
People experiencing homelessness
are demanding more tiny homes.

353
00:13:43,334 --> 00:13:44,667
And we can
mix and match it

354
00:13:44,667 --> 00:13:47,367
with other things,
like modular shelters,

355
00:13:47,367 --> 00:13:51,100
pallet shelters is another form
of a tiny home, hotels --

356
00:13:51,100 --> 00:13:52,167
hotels, motels.

357
00:13:52,167 --> 00:13:54,901
But a mix of
those products

358
00:13:54,901 --> 00:13:57,868
that can scale up to the level
of demand that we're facing.

359
00:13:57,868 --> 00:13:59,634
That's the first thing
we need to do.

360
00:13:59,634 --> 00:14:01,367
I don't care
what their formula is.

361
00:14:01,367 --> 00:14:04,534
My formula is talking to people
experiencing homelessness

362
00:14:04,534 --> 00:14:06,834
who are desperate to get
something like that

363
00:14:06,834 --> 00:14:08,000
as a placement.

364
00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:11,467
The second one is, sure,
we have that number of --

365
00:14:11,467 --> 00:14:13,267
I actually think
it was $12 million.

366
00:14:13,267 --> 00:14:14,300
-Yeah, altogether.

367
00:14:14,300 --> 00:14:15,434
Yeah.
Add it all up for the year.

368
00:14:15,434 --> 00:14:17,300
-Add it all up,
it was $12 million.

369
00:14:17,300 --> 00:14:19,234
One thing we did
in the city of Seattle

370
00:14:19,234 --> 00:14:23,200
to help lower that cost,
that I'm very proud of, in 2021,

371
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:26,434
is we passed legislation
reducing the cost

372
00:14:26,434 --> 00:14:27,734
of permanent
supportive housing

373
00:14:27,734 --> 00:14:31,400
by exempting them from things
like design review,

374
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,934
permitting,
bicycle parking --

375
00:14:33,934 --> 00:14:37,033
all sorts of red tape
that adds up to the cost.

376
00:14:37,033 --> 00:14:39,100
It -- It's gonna
reduce the cost

377
00:14:39,100 --> 00:14:40,634
of permanent supportive housing
in Seattle

378
00:14:40,634 --> 00:14:43,067
by about 15% per unit,
which is significant.

379
00:14:43,067 --> 00:14:44,434
-It's a big deal.

380
00:14:44,434 --> 00:14:48,300
-The Authority
should be promulgating

381
00:14:48,300 --> 00:14:50,400
those kinds of policy
recommendations

382
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,234
to the constituent cities
of King County.

383
00:14:53,234 --> 00:14:54,567
Every city in King County

384
00:14:54,567 --> 00:14:59,400
can pass those kinds of
red-tape-slashing proposals.

385
00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:03,634
So, $12 Million
can become $10 Million.

386
00:15:03,634 --> 00:15:05,334
I mean, it can --
the cost can go down

387
00:15:05,334 --> 00:15:07,534
through some deregulatory
actions, as well.

388
00:15:07,534 --> 00:15:10,100
It doesn't all have to come out
and money and new revenue.

389
00:15:10,100 --> 00:15:12,200
Those are
the two resolutions

390
00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:14,300
that I'm gonna introduce
to the governing board,

391
00:15:14,300 --> 00:15:16,567
to try to really
move the needle forward on

392
00:15:16,567 --> 00:15:19,534
how can we practically
and effectively move now

393
00:15:19,534 --> 00:15:23,000
to reduce the amount of chronic
homelessness in our community?

394
00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:24,601
-Thank you.
Looking forward to seeing that.

395
00:15:24,601 --> 00:15:26,100
One last note
on homelessness.

396
00:15:26,100 --> 00:15:28,300
I'm gonna open the faucet
on street sinks, here,

397
00:15:28,300 --> 00:15:29,334
Councilmember Lewis.

398
00:15:29,334 --> 00:15:30,667
And I wanted to
talk about this.

399
00:15:30,667 --> 00:15:33,801
The city set aside $100,000
for about 40 sinks --

400
00:15:33,801 --> 00:15:36,000
more than two years ago --
to help with hygiene

401
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:37,434
for people who are living
on the street.

402
00:15:37,434 --> 00:15:39,367
Right now,
we only have five installed.

403
00:15:39,367 --> 00:15:42,767
I know you know this.
What's going on with this.

404
00:15:42,767 --> 00:15:43,868
-Right.

405
00:15:43,868 --> 00:15:44,868
Well, you know,
I don't actually have

406
00:15:44,868 --> 00:15:46,434
a recent update,
unfortunately,

407
00:15:46,434 --> 00:15:48,868
on the whole situation
with street sinks.

408
00:15:48,868 --> 00:15:51,234
I think it's an example,
candidly --

409
00:15:51,234 --> 00:15:52,767
and I've been very public
about this,

410
00:15:52,767 --> 00:15:57,234
about the overly bureaucratic
approach that we have as a city,

411
00:15:57,234 --> 00:16:00,234
sometimes, in a state
of emergency, even.

412
00:16:00,234 --> 00:16:01,701
I mean, now it's
a little bit different.

413
00:16:01,701 --> 00:16:04,801
You know, the COVID emergency
has certainly ebbed down.

414
00:16:04,801 --> 00:16:06,534
It's been officially
declared over.

415
00:16:06,534 --> 00:16:07,834
-Right.

416
00:16:07,834 --> 00:16:09,100
-But at the time,

417
00:16:09,100 --> 00:16:10,734
it was incredibly disappointing
that we were --

418
00:16:10,734 --> 00:16:14,367
I mean, you remember,
we were on lockdown.

419
00:16:14,367 --> 00:16:16,901
We had a lot of people
experiencing homelessness

420
00:16:16,901 --> 00:16:20,801
who we were demanding
to observe certain hygiene

421
00:16:20,801 --> 00:16:22,400
and public health rules,

422
00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:23,901
but not really
giving them access

423
00:16:23,901 --> 00:16:25,501
to the resources
or facilities

424
00:16:25,501 --> 00:16:27,834
to effectively --
effectively do it.

425
00:16:27,834 --> 00:16:29,100
-And there was
hepatitis outbreaks.

426
00:16:29,100 --> 00:16:30,100
I mean, there were
some big problems.

427
00:16:30,100 --> 00:16:31,234
-Yeah.

428
00:16:31,234 --> 00:16:33,634
Even before COVID,
we had hepatitis A,

429
00:16:33,634 --> 00:16:37,601
which is a --
a fecal transmitted....

430
00:16:37,601 --> 00:16:38,601
-That's right.

431
00:16:38,601 --> 00:16:39,901
-So it connected
to hygiene.

432
00:16:39,901 --> 00:16:42,934
Where hepatitis C
is typically needle-driven.

433
00:16:42,934 --> 00:16:44,400
-Right, right, right.
-By contrast.

434
00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:45,567
-Thank you.

435
00:16:45,567 --> 00:16:48,734
-So, running water
is the best thing

436
00:16:48,734 --> 00:16:51,734
for observing
those hygiene practices,

437
00:16:51,734 --> 00:16:53,467
not just for hand-washing
during COVID,

438
00:16:53,467 --> 00:16:55,534
but also to avoid
things like hepatitis A,

439
00:16:55,534 --> 00:16:59,534
which tend to come about
from a lack of hygiene.

440
00:16:59,534 --> 00:17:04,434
And as a city, we were
completely unable to mitigate

441
00:17:04,434 --> 00:17:08,434
around, candidly, the very
simple logistical hurdles

442
00:17:08,434 --> 00:17:10,267
that these very simple sinks
made of, like,

443
00:17:10,267 --> 00:17:13,868
PVC pipes
and plastic wash basins.

444
00:17:13,868 --> 00:17:16,234
And it's amazing that
we're a modern American city,

445
00:17:16,234 --> 00:17:17,267
and we couldn't
figure out

446
00:17:17,267 --> 00:17:19,734
how to install
a couple of these sinks.

447
00:17:19,734 --> 00:17:21,934
And I don't know
what else to say about that

448
00:17:21,934 --> 00:17:23,167
except it was a shame.

449
00:17:23,167 --> 00:17:25,033
And I mean,
it's a little different now.

450
00:17:25,033 --> 00:17:26,467
We're not in
a state of emergency.

451
00:17:26,467 --> 00:17:27,901
-Right.

452
00:17:27,901 --> 00:17:29,968
-But back then, to be
so pedantic and bureaucratic,

453
00:17:29,968 --> 00:17:33,067
when there was a
once-in-a-century pandemic,

454
00:17:33,067 --> 00:17:34,767
was very discouraging.

455
00:17:34,767 --> 00:17:35,868
-Fair.

456
00:17:35,868 --> 00:17:37,234
I wanted to talk about
something else

457
00:17:37,234 --> 00:17:39,100
that I know is a little
disappointing, as well, for you,

458
00:17:39,100 --> 00:17:41,501
and that's public safety, and
what the mayor's calling CARE,

459
00:17:41,501 --> 00:17:43,300
the Civilian Assistant --

460
00:17:43,300 --> 00:17:46,334
Civilian Assisted Response
and Engagement Department.

461
00:17:46,334 --> 00:17:48,601
This is the alternative to
police to help with calls like

462
00:17:48,601 --> 00:17:51,601
well-person checks, where an
officer isn't always necessary.

463
00:17:51,601 --> 00:17:53,934
The mayor said last year we'd
see some progress on this team

464
00:17:53,934 --> 00:17:57,033
in the early part of 2023,
and we just simply have not.

465
00:17:57,033 --> 00:17:59,267
You've championed this issue
for so many years.

466
00:17:59,267 --> 00:18:01,834
I know you worked on funding
in the last last budget

467
00:18:01,834 --> 00:18:04,000
to work on a pilot program
for this.

468
00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:05,534
What's going on
with this?

469
00:18:05,534 --> 00:18:06,834
So, I think we're
on track.

470
00:18:06,834 --> 00:18:08,100
And the Herald
administration

471
00:18:08,100 --> 00:18:10,801
has been a really good partner
in this work.

472
00:18:10,801 --> 00:18:14,801
And we -- we now know
how it's gonna come about.

473
00:18:14,801 --> 00:18:17,300
And Mayor Harrell alluded to
this in the State of the City.

474
00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:19,100
The new department
is gonna be

475
00:18:19,100 --> 00:18:21,868
souping up
the 911 call center department.

476
00:18:21,868 --> 00:18:24,367
and it's going to be called
the CARE Department.

477
00:18:24,367 --> 00:18:27,534
That work is --
is going along.

478
00:18:27,534 --> 00:18:29,367
I mean, obviously,
everything is always slower

479
00:18:29,367 --> 00:18:30,367
than what I would like.

480
00:18:30,367 --> 00:18:31,701
But this is hard work,
right?

481
00:18:31,701 --> 00:18:34,067
And there's a whole team
on the mayor's side

482
00:18:34,067 --> 00:18:36,000
who is working through
all of the different hurdles

483
00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,167
that relate to bargaining,
to implementation,

484
00:18:39,167 --> 00:18:44,133
to hiring a new permanent
director of that department,

485
00:18:44,133 --> 00:18:46,067
and a deputy director,
to really start

486
00:18:46,067 --> 00:18:47,901
implementing a lot of
these initiatives.

487
00:18:47,901 --> 00:18:49,267
And I think we're in
a good place.

488
00:18:49,267 --> 00:18:50,534
I think that we are
gonna see,

489
00:18:50,534 --> 00:18:53,467
by the end of 2023,
something visible,

490
00:18:53,467 --> 00:18:54,634
that's out there
in the community,

491
00:18:54,634 --> 00:18:56,634
that is actually doing
this response work

492
00:18:56,634 --> 00:18:58,167
for the first time.

493
00:18:58,167 --> 00:19:01,000
And that's gonna be huge, when
we finally get that out there.

494
00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:03,100
-Is it contingent on
reaching a deal

495
00:19:03,100 --> 00:19:06,267
with the Seattle Police
Officers Guild beforehand?

496
00:19:06,267 --> 00:19:07,701
What can you tell me
about that piece?

497
00:19:07,701 --> 00:19:10,601
Because there's a lot going on
behind the scenes, here, I know.

498
00:19:10,601 --> 00:19:12,501
-The only thing
I can really say, here,

499
00:19:12,501 --> 00:19:14,901
is the mayor alluded in his
State of the City speech

500
00:19:14,901 --> 00:19:16,167
that there would have to be
bargaining

501
00:19:16,167 --> 00:19:18,868
with our traditional
public safety partners.

502
00:19:18,868 --> 00:19:21,167
That work is going forward,
as I understand it.

503
00:19:21,167 --> 00:19:22,200
-All right.

504
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,834
-But I mean, look,
we are --

505
00:19:24,834 --> 00:19:28,767
we are not a
right-to-worse state --

506
00:19:28,767 --> 00:19:31,000
or a right-to-work state,
as some would call it.

507
00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,701
We -- We believe very strongly,
in Washington state,

508
00:19:33,701 --> 00:19:36,200
in collective bargaining --
rightly so.

509
00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:37,968
And sometimes
that leads to situations

510
00:19:37,968 --> 00:19:39,667
where we have to move slower
than we'd like to,

511
00:19:39,667 --> 00:19:40,834
as a government,

512
00:19:40,834 --> 00:19:43,434
even for really critical
and important change.

513
00:19:43,434 --> 00:19:44,701
-Okay.
Thank you for that.

514
00:19:44,701 --> 00:19:46,868
I wanted to talk about
a potential major shift

515
00:19:46,868 --> 00:19:48,267
for the police
department --

516
00:19:48,267 --> 00:19:50,501
the end of the federal
consent decree it's been under

517
00:19:50,501 --> 00:19:53,901
since 2012 for the
unconstitutional use of force.

518
00:19:53,901 --> 00:19:55,434
The city believes
it's in compliance.

519
00:19:55,434 --> 00:19:57,300
The Justice Department
says so, too,

520
00:19:57,300 --> 00:20:01,400
noting that the SPD has reduced
its use of serious force by 60%

521
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:02,701
over the past
several years.

522
00:20:02,701 --> 00:20:05,701
And Chief Adrian Diaz says
that's not all.

523
00:20:05,701 --> 00:20:06,901
-We reduced
our complaints,

524
00:20:06,901 --> 00:20:09,667
just in the last four years,
by almost half.

525
00:20:09,667 --> 00:20:13,133
So, our officers are making sure
that they're doing it

526
00:20:13,133 --> 00:20:15,167
in a professional
and equitable manner.

527
00:20:15,167 --> 00:20:18,000
That doesn't mean that we're --
we still have complaints.

528
00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,234
We still have other things
that we need to improve on.

529
00:20:20,234 --> 00:20:23,234
But their work
is exceptional.

530
00:20:23,234 --> 00:20:25,934
-Councilmember Lewis, I just
wanted to ask, are we there yet?

531
00:20:25,934 --> 00:20:27,634
Do you think the judge
is going to agree

532
00:20:27,634 --> 00:20:30,734
that SPD no longer needs to be
under a consent decree?

533
00:20:30,734 --> 00:20:32,834
And what does that mean,
I guess?

534
00:20:32,834 --> 00:20:34,400
-Yeah, I think
prognostications

535
00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:36,801
about what Judge Robart's
gonna do --

536
00:20:36,801 --> 00:20:40,868
[ Indistinct talking ]

537
00:20:42,567 --> 00:20:44,100
-Right, Right, right.

538
00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:48,267
-You know, I do think
the important part

539
00:20:48,267 --> 00:20:50,067
of this conversation
is not necessarily

540
00:20:50,067 --> 00:20:52,100
whether the decree
will or will not end.

541
00:20:52,100 --> 00:20:53,334
And the city has
a good case,

542
00:20:53,334 --> 00:20:55,901
and we have the concurrence
of the DOJ.

543
00:20:55,901 --> 00:20:57,367
-That's big.

544
00:20:57,367 --> 00:20:59,567
-So, we will see how that goes,
when we go to Judge Robart.

545
00:20:59,567 --> 00:21:01,767
I think that the question is,
how do we continue

546
00:21:01,767 --> 00:21:04,067
to move forward with a culture
and spirit of reform?

547
00:21:04,067 --> 00:21:05,501
Because at the end of
the consent decree

548
00:21:05,501 --> 00:21:08,367
does not mean the end of the
culture and spirit of reform.

549
00:21:08,367 --> 00:21:11,801
There's a subsequent agreement
that both the DOJ and the city

550
00:21:11,801 --> 00:21:14,100
are proposing to replace
the consent decree,

551
00:21:14,100 --> 00:21:17,400
which will still focus on
outstanding areas

552
00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:19,300
that -- that we need to
improve on.

553
00:21:19,300 --> 00:21:23,334
Our accountability system is
still not where it needs to be.

554
00:21:23,334 --> 00:21:25,801
And that is clear.

555
00:21:25,801 --> 00:21:28,100
There are massive
questions raised,

556
00:21:28,100 --> 00:21:32,834
as far as the department's
ability to respond to large

557
00:21:32,834 --> 00:21:36,634
demonstrations, that were raised
by the events in 2020,

558
00:21:36,634 --> 00:21:38,100
that...

559
00:21:38,100 --> 00:21:39,400
that still need
some scrutiny.

560
00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:41,100
-Police using ruses.
There's a bunch going on.

561
00:21:41,100 --> 00:21:42,767
-Yeah, yeah,
the ruse policy,

562
00:21:42,767 --> 00:21:44,234
which was in the news
again recently,

563
00:21:44,234 --> 00:21:45,868
that is being
implemented.

564
00:21:45,868 --> 00:21:47,567
So, there's a lot of
outstanding work.

565
00:21:47,567 --> 00:21:50,267
I think it's really important
to communicate to the community

566
00:21:50,267 --> 00:21:52,100
that...

567
00:21:52,100 --> 00:21:54,267
this change of
the consent decree

568
00:21:54,267 --> 00:21:55,701
to the successor
agreement

569
00:21:55,701 --> 00:21:57,434
signals a continuation
of reform,

570
00:21:57,434 --> 00:21:58,868
not an end to it.

571
00:21:58,868 --> 00:22:02,033
I don't think you'll find anyone
in City Hall who is saying,

572
00:22:02,033 --> 00:22:04,267
"Okay, it's done.
Victory."

573
00:22:04,267 --> 00:22:05,567
-Right.

574
00:22:05,567 --> 00:22:06,934
You know, like,
there's a lot more work to do.

575
00:22:06,934 --> 00:22:08,501
We can be proud of the work
we have done,

576
00:22:08,501 --> 00:22:09,868
but there's a lot more work
to do.

577
00:22:09,868 --> 00:22:11,667
And I know this was
talked about

578
00:22:11,667 --> 00:22:13,501
in a recent Public Safety
Committee meeting.

579
00:22:13,501 --> 00:22:16,367
It's just
the council continuing

580
00:22:16,367 --> 00:22:18,234
to have more oversight
over the SPD?

581
00:22:18,234 --> 00:22:21,434
Or what does that look like,
going forward, here?

582
00:22:21,434 --> 00:22:22,667
-Well, I think that
a lot of it

583
00:22:22,667 --> 00:22:25,467
is gonna come down to
the next contract

584
00:22:25,467 --> 00:22:27,968
between the Seattle
Police Officers Guild

585
00:22:27,968 --> 00:22:30,033
and the city of Seattle,

586
00:22:30,033 --> 00:22:31,868
as it relates to these
accountability measures.

587
00:22:31,868 --> 00:22:32,968
-Okay.

588
00:22:32,968 --> 00:22:34,167
-And that's gonna be
really important.

589
00:22:34,167 --> 00:22:36,734
That's gonna be something
the DOJ and Judge Robart,

590
00:22:36,734 --> 00:22:41,067
I'm sure, are still gonna be
very interested in monitoring,

591
00:22:41,067 --> 00:22:43,934
and working with us on,
under the successor agreement

592
00:22:43,934 --> 00:22:44,968
to the consent decree.

593
00:22:44,968 --> 00:22:46,400
-Okay.

594
00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,968
-And a lot of that has to come
through the process

595
00:22:48,968 --> 00:22:50,534
with the contract,
as we saw,

596
00:22:50,534 --> 00:22:53,634
before my time on the council,
when the last contract --

597
00:22:53,634 --> 00:22:55,300
I mean, to give a sense of
how long ago it was,

598
00:22:55,300 --> 00:22:57,400
I was not on the council
when the last contract was done.

599
00:22:57,400 --> 00:23:01,801
-Right, right, right.
-So...

600
00:23:01,801 --> 00:23:05,834
We're gonna have to continue
along on that path of that work.

601
00:23:05,834 --> 00:23:09,667
And -- And I look forward
to continuing to work with

602
00:23:09,667 --> 00:23:10,968
Mayor Harrell,

603
00:23:10,968 --> 00:23:12,968
who's shown a commitment
to continuing to pursue

604
00:23:12,968 --> 00:23:14,801
those same
accountability measures.

605
00:23:14,801 --> 00:23:16,000
When he was
a council member,

606
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:17,334
he voted for
the accountability ordinance...

607
00:23:17,334 --> 00:23:18,567
-That's right.

608
00:23:18,567 --> 00:23:21,133
-...that had the measures
that the DOJ

609
00:23:21,133 --> 00:23:23,601
and Judge Robart have opined
that they would like to see.

610
00:23:23,601 --> 00:23:24,934
-Right.

611
00:23:24,934 --> 00:23:26,200
-And we need to keep
working towards those goals.

612
00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:27,567
-Thank you.

613
00:23:27,567 --> 00:23:29,133
I would love to throw
a couple more e-mails your way,

614
00:23:29,133 --> 00:23:30,567
because we got
a lot of great messages.

615
00:23:30,567 --> 00:23:31,968
And thank you so much,
people,

616
00:23:31,968 --> 00:23:33,767
for sending in these different
e-mails and tweets, here.

617
00:23:33,767 --> 00:23:35,000
Here's one for you --

618
00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,200
"What's the council
doing to ensure SDOT" --

619
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:38,634
the Department
of Transportation --

620
00:23:38,634 --> 00:23:40,434
"...enacts changes
to street design

621
00:23:40,434 --> 00:23:43,601
to prevent tragic and needless
pedestrian and bicyclist deaths

622
00:23:43,601 --> 00:23:45,367
and injuries
across the city?"

623
00:23:45,367 --> 00:23:46,968
I know you're not on
the Transportation Committee,

624
00:23:46,968 --> 00:23:48,767
but this is
a huge issue downtown.

625
00:23:48,767 --> 00:23:49,934
Some thoughts
about this.

626
00:23:49,934 --> 00:23:51,901
Give you about two minutes,
here, if I could.

627
00:23:51,901 --> 00:23:54,567
-Yeah, I think that
what the pandemic

628
00:23:54,567 --> 00:23:55,801
really put
front and center,

629
00:23:55,801 --> 00:23:58,467
when we were spending
a lot more time outside,

630
00:23:58,467 --> 00:23:59,634
and needed more space

631
00:23:59,634 --> 00:24:01,200
so we could distance
when we were outside,

632
00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:03,467
especially in those early days
of the pandemic,

633
00:24:03,467 --> 00:24:08,534
is we really valued that time,
and that slowing down of things,

634
00:24:08,534 --> 00:24:12,667
to see what it was like
to use the streets

635
00:24:12,667 --> 00:24:17,267
in a way that would have been
common, you know, 115 years ago.

636
00:24:17,267 --> 00:24:18,467
-Right, right, right.
Okay. Right.

637
00:24:18,467 --> 00:24:20,334
-And I think that
some of our planning now,

638
00:24:20,334 --> 00:24:25,367
around transportation, sort of
is a reversion to how we used

639
00:24:25,367 --> 00:24:28,634
and shared our streets
in an era before cars.

640
00:24:28,634 --> 00:24:29,701
-Yeah.

641
00:24:29,701 --> 00:24:31,667
-This is
an international trend.

642
00:24:31,667 --> 00:24:34,434
People like to be near
pedestrianized squares,

643
00:24:34,434 --> 00:24:37,033
pedestrianized plazas,
pedestrianized streets.

644
00:24:37,033 --> 00:24:39,234
One place that we might start,
as we're looking --

645
00:24:39,234 --> 00:24:41,100
you know, it's never too early
to look into the future,

646
00:24:41,100 --> 00:24:42,267
to the Move Seattle Levy,

647
00:24:42,267 --> 00:24:45,767
which we're gonna be
considering in 2024.

648
00:24:45,767 --> 00:24:47,467
Maybe there's
some resources there

649
00:24:47,467 --> 00:24:49,467
to lean into
some of the streets

650
00:24:49,467 --> 00:24:52,067
that were temporarily
Stay Healthy streets

651
00:24:52,067 --> 00:24:53,300
during COVID,

652
00:24:53,300 --> 00:24:55,634
that were quasi
or completely pedestrianized.

653
00:24:55,634 --> 00:24:57,467
Maybe that's a good list
to start with,

654
00:24:57,467 --> 00:25:00,267
to look at how we can take
a couple of these,

655
00:25:00,267 --> 00:25:02,567
and make them permanent
community spaces,

656
00:25:02,567 --> 00:25:05,367
where pedestrians,
where multi-modal transportation

657
00:25:05,367 --> 00:25:08,701
like bikes, or scooters,
or what have you,

658
00:25:08,701 --> 00:25:12,033
have more of a priority
than cars do,

659
00:25:12,033 --> 00:25:13,634
or where cars
are banned entirely.

660
00:25:13,634 --> 00:25:14,834
-Right.

661
00:25:14,834 --> 00:25:15,901
-And I think that
there's a way to factor that

662
00:25:15,901 --> 00:25:17,100
into our planning.

663
00:25:17,100 --> 00:25:18,367
And I look forward
to that.

664
00:25:18,367 --> 00:25:19,701
-Thank you.

665
00:25:19,701 --> 00:25:21,367
And one more question,
if I can squeeze it in, here.

666
00:25:21,367 --> 00:25:24,968
And this, again, has to do with
cars and transportation, here.

667
00:25:24,968 --> 00:25:26,934
I'd love to hear from
Councilmember Lewis

668
00:25:26,934 --> 00:25:29,000
why we cannot vacate
passenger vehicles

669
00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:30,534
from Pike Place market.

670
00:25:30,534 --> 00:25:32,767
Countless examples of this
being great for tourists,

671
00:25:32,767 --> 00:25:34,634
but especially locals,
elsewhere.

672
00:25:34,634 --> 00:25:37,300
Can we do a two month pilot
period to see how it goes?"

673
00:25:37,300 --> 00:25:38,534
You've talked about
this issue before.

674
00:25:38,534 --> 00:25:40,033
I can give you
about a minute or so.

675
00:25:40,033 --> 00:25:41,133
Can you talk about
this issue

676
00:25:41,133 --> 00:25:43,300
of potentially
removing passenger cars

677
00:25:43,300 --> 00:25:44,634
from Pike Place Market?

678
00:25:44,634 --> 00:25:46,667
-Yeah, it's something that
I think we should continue

679
00:25:46,667 --> 00:25:48,667
to have a conversation
with the PDA --

680
00:25:48,667 --> 00:25:51,100
the Public Development Authority
at the market -- about.

681
00:25:51,100 --> 00:25:54,400
They're currently engaging in
their campus redesign plan.

682
00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:55,734
And part of
our arrangement,

683
00:25:55,734 --> 00:25:58,901
when I started talking about
this in earnest, in 2022,

684
00:25:58,901 --> 00:26:02,834
with the Public Development
Authority at the market, was,

685
00:26:02,834 --> 00:26:04,067
let's have
this conversation

686
00:26:04,067 --> 00:26:05,934
as part of that campus
master plan.

687
00:26:05,934 --> 00:26:07,100
And we're there now.

688
00:26:07,100 --> 00:26:09,200
So, members of the public
can engage,

689
00:26:09,200 --> 00:26:11,767
and certainly any member
of the community

690
00:26:11,767 --> 00:26:14,834
who has feelings about
the campus master plan

691
00:26:14,834 --> 00:26:16,634
beyond just kind of
these conversations

692
00:26:16,634 --> 00:26:18,601
about the uses
of Pike Place.

693
00:26:18,601 --> 00:26:21,067
It's really a big opportunity
for the market.

694
00:26:21,067 --> 00:26:23,400
For the first time, they're
gonna have two front entrances.

695
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:24,501
They're gonna have
an entrance

696
00:26:24,501 --> 00:26:25,634
that's facing
the waterfront.

697
00:26:25,634 --> 00:26:26,667
They're gonna have
an entrance

698
00:26:26,667 --> 00:26:28,300
that's facing
downtown Seattle.

699
00:26:28,300 --> 00:26:30,234
So, there's a lot of
opportunity, there.

700
00:26:30,234 --> 00:26:33,734
And one of those opportunities
could be exploring

701
00:26:33,734 --> 00:26:35,200
different ways to use
Pike Place,

702
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,901
which could include a broader
emphasis on pedestrianization.

703
00:26:37,901 --> 00:26:39,634
-And is there going to be
a special lane

704
00:26:39,634 --> 00:26:41,234
for people to throw fish
across that?

705
00:26:41,234 --> 00:26:42,501
Have you looked into that
at all?

706
00:26:42,501 --> 00:26:44,367
I just wanted to ask
on that one.

707
00:26:44,367 --> 00:26:46,334
-Well, I would think that
that would have to be

708
00:26:46,334 --> 00:26:47,767
an essential component.

709
00:26:47,767 --> 00:26:49,601
-Put a stoplight in
for it.

710
00:26:49,601 --> 00:26:50,968
Councilmember
Andrew J. Lewis,

711
00:26:50,968 --> 00:26:53,000
thank you very much
for joining me, as always.

712
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:54,334
-Thank you.
-All right.

713
00:26:54,334 --> 00:26:56,334
And we will see you next time,
on "Council Edition."

714
00:26:56,334 --> 00:27:04,200
♪♪

715
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:12,000
♪♪

716
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:19,801
♪♪