Expect to see more of Harrell announcing progressive initiatives & trying to sound like me in the coming months. But we need a mayor who will do the right thing by Seattle residents & manage our city budget responsibly every year, not just in an election year. #ThisIsYourCity /.

Harrell is backing this proposal from Rinck’s office — opposed by his usual allies, big business — showing just how terrified he is of our campaign. At the press conference he called this a way of “Trump-Proofing Seattle.” Where have I heard that before?

Now we’re on the back foot as the deficit has deepened and we face the additional threat of Trump cuts.

At that time, we already knew the City was facing a structural budget shortfall. But Mayor Harrell dragged his feet & refused to contemplate new revenue, instead stealing JumpStart funds away from affordable housing to fill the gap & finance new spending.

Restructuring the B&O tax to exempt more small biz & raise more revenue was one of the 27 options I and TRU proposed in our 2023 report Progressive Tax Options for Seattle, published alongside the final report of the Revenue Stabilization Workgroup.

I’m thrilled that Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck is taking the lead on raising new progressive revenue at a moment when the city is facing a massive budget shortfall and the threat of federal cuts. 🧵

If ArtSpace can’t responsibly run its three buildings in Seattle — which, again, have been supported by public funding — I’m sure there are local groups that can. /.

And the City can support innovative and successful models for developing new art spaces and housing for artists. I had a great time recently touring the Equinox Studios in Georgetown and learning about the amazing work of Watershed Community Development.

For example, the City can support the coalition fighting to turn the empty El Rey into art space & housing. Right now, they're still waiting for meaningful cooperation from the City. If we’re serious about revitalizing downtown, this is a no-brainer.

The bigger issue, of course, is the severe shortage of affordable housing in Seattle — for all of us, but also specifically for artists and arts and culture workers. On that front, the City can do more.

The current enforcement mechanisms are not working. In 2021, only five fines were issued from the 3,285 complaints and questions filed by renters with the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI).

The Seattle Times piece also details lax enforcement and lack of coordination among agencies that are supposed to protect renters. Seattle can do better — ideally, an office analogous to our extremely successful Office of Labor Standards would enforce renters’ rights.

The City can pass an ordinance banning unfair, abusive, and deceptive practices. Establishing meaningful penalties will help to change the risk calculation for those corporate landlords and management companies that currently mistreat tenants with impunity.

Last year, I wrote this piece for @PubliColaNews — which the Seattle Times article cites — about some of the problems faced by the ArtSpace tenants and what the City could do to help.

This is an excellent, in-depth article about chronic poor management at three publicly-subsidized ArtSpace apartment buildings in Seattle, and the struggles of artists to make it in this increasingly high-cost city. 🧵

Social housing — which Seattle voters have twice affirmed in a landslide! — is permanent public infrastructure and the City should be looking for every way possible to incentivize it in our zoning and land use laws. /.

The developer will balance income levels across its portfolio, with higher-AMI units (up to 120%) helping to cross-subsidize lower-AMI units. A strict building-level requirement like this doesn’t make sense, especially when talking about smaller developments like 12-plexes.

So far we have mixed messages as to whether social housing qualifies for this bonus at all. If it does, it would apply only to developments where 50% of units are 60% AMI and below. But the social housing model is different.

If Harrell really wants to support the new developer, he should work to ensure that social housing is fully eligible for the Comprehensive Plan’s Affordable Housing Bonus, which allows added height and unit capacity for affordable housing projects near frequent transit.

The $2 million loan is welcome. Harrell is granting the Developer's modest request for bridge funds while awaiting the voter-approved revenue. Harrell is also finally — long overdue — appointing a finance expert to the Social Housing Board, as directed in the 2024 legislation.