We covered ad nauseam how bad the principal transportation bill was. ⬇️ Linking it to climate policy would have undid a lot of progress the climate bills seek to do.
The transportation package crafted is climate arson and has no business being tied to climate legislation. It’d be wiser to take the win here the Governor gave them, walk away from the shame, and start anew next year with a progressive, climate-oriented transportation package.
Tacoma’s planning commission will take up consideration of vast residential rezones on Wednesday. It still will rezone all single-family and multifamily zoned areas.
The new map is somewhere between the two original alternatives. The commission received hundreds of comments on the proposals, which helped guide refinements.
Most everyone is appearing by Zoom. Some members didn’t mute their microphones and Rep. DeFazio gravelled them to shut off their mics or get the boot. 😳
Rep. DeFazio says they’re gonna do it all in an infrastructure bill: wastewater/sewer systems, airports, roads, public transit, and anything else in his committee’s purview.
Sometimes we wonder if we write the right headlines, but @EchohawkForSea confirmed priority number one is getting to functional zero on homelessness. #HouseTheHomeless
Edmund Witter, managing attorney of the Housing Justice Project of @kingcountybar sharply criticized means testing of right to counsel for tenants in comments to @SeattleCouncil.
Witter said a means test would place a huge burden on tenants undergoing an extremely stressful event to prove their poverty when they only get one shot at court to block eviction proceeding against them. @cmkshama is advancing the right to counsel bill. capitolhillseattle.com/2021/03/the-mo…
.@D5Juarez has backed a means test for the right to counsel bill. CM Alex Pedersen voted against the right to counsel bill in committee, so would likely support limiting it or watering it down. #TenantsRights#EvictionMoratorium
The Seattle City Council is getting an update on tree protection ordinance development. It's a perennial issue in the land use committee with never quite getting actual action.
A draft urban forestry management plan has been developed. A final plan will be transmitted to the city council this spring, but there are several steps remaining.
In terms of tree protection regulation, the city's planning department has made some progress. A draft ordinance updating tree protection regulations is due out in the latter half of the year.
Washington is so far off the mark, legislators have much work to do to even mirror Virginia’s contributions to public transportation, which are many times greater for a similar population. #waleg