Week in Review: September 24, 2021
Hacks & Wonks
Today Marco Lowe, Professor at Seattle U's Institute for Public Service, joins Crystal to discuss the extension of the eviction moratorium, the departure of Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff, City Council candidate Sara Nelson fudging the truth regarding laying off her workers, the increasing impact of climate disasters, and developments in the carpenters’ union strike.
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Chat with Hugo Garcia, Burien City Council Candidate
Hacks & Wonks
Today on the show Hugo Garcia, City Council candidate for the city of Burien, joins Crystal to discuss the planning for growth and justice in a rapidly changing city, how to create more housing and ensure residents are able to afford to live in a city, and the vital importance of parks and public spaces.
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Week in Review: September 17, 2021
Hacks & Wonks
Erica C. Barnett, editor of Publicola, joins Crystal to discuss King County's new vaccine requirements, the city attorney's efforts to hurry through his last priorities, political polling, misogynistic attacks on the carpenters' union leader, rerouting crisis calls away from the police, and wariness around quarantine shelters by houseless folks.
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McGinn Continued
Hacks & Wonks
On Friday, Crystal and Executive Director of America Walks (and former Seattle mayor), Mike McGinn, talked for so long that it made for a two-part show! They get into the SPD's calls being mostly non-criminal, the surge in gun violence, the lack of investigation into Mayor Durkan's alleged illegal deletion of text messages, and the need for the law to be applied equally.
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Week in Review: September 10, 2021
Hacks & Wonks
Executive Director of America Walks and former mayor of Seattle, Mike McGinn joins Crystal to discuss new Covid-19 vaccine mandates, planned walkouts by some workers in Seattle fizzling, rising gun violence and the conspicuous lack of analysis by the media and the mayor’s office, the knee-jerk desire for police presence when crime rises (in spite of it being ineffective), and the integration of Compassion Seattle into a certain mayoral campaign now that it’s off the November ballot.
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A Chat with Senator Karen Keiser
Hacks & Wonks
This week Crystal is joined by Senator Karen Keiser, Washington State Senate President Pro Tempore and one of the busiest women in the state legislature. Highlights include a dozen public safety bills, protection of essential workers, attempts to fix our tax code, passage of the Working Families Tax Credit, supporting childcare workers, and more.
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Week in Review: September 3, 2021
Hacks & Wonks
Today Crystal is joined by a new co-host, Rich Smith, Associate Editor of The Stranger! They discuss plans to tackle homelessness, a racist email from Bellevue School Board candidate Faye Yang, the need to center accessibility in transportation planning, and an alliance of landlords and renters threatening to sue to speed the distribution of rental relief.
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Consultant Roundtable Part 2
Hacks & Wonks
This week on the show we have the second half of the Consultant Roundtable, featuring Consultants Riall Johnson of Prism Consulting, Michael Charles of Upper Left Strategies, and Heather Weiner discussing the results of the primary elections, and what we can expect from the general election in November.
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Week in Review: August 27, 2021
Hacks & Wonks
Today on the show Marco Lowe, Professor at Seattle University’s Institute for Public Service, joins Crystal to get in to kids returning to school this fall without having had a Covid vaccine, the slow pace of rental aid distribution, the arrival of Afghan refugees in our state (and how you can help welcome them!), and the tragic rise in gun violence in our area.
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Consultant Roundtable: Part 1
Hacks & Wonks
Consultants Riall Johnson, Michael Charles, and Heather Weiner join Crystal to discuss the results of the primary elections this month, and what we can expect from the rest of election season. They discuss the mayoral primary results, Charter Amendment 29 / Compassion Seattle, and the results for City Council Pos. 9.
info_outlineLast Friday, Crystal and Executive Director of America Walks (and former Seattle mayor), Mike McGinn, talked for so long that it made for a two-part show! In the second half of the conversation, Mike and Crystal get into the SPD's calls being predominantly non-criminal, the surge in gun violence in Seattle and the need for the new mayor to respond with the police force they have (not the one they wish they had), the benefits of decriminalizing jaywalking, the continued refusal by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission to request an investigation into Mayor Durkan's alleged illegal deletion of text messages, and the vital importance that the law be applied equally to all people - regardless of whether or not they are a public employee or an elected official.
As always, a full text transcript of the show is available below and at officialhacksandwonks.com.
Find the host, Crystal Fincher on Twitter at @finchfrii and Mike McGinn at @mayormcginn. More info is available at officialhacksandwonks.com.
Resources:
“Nearly half of Seattle police calls don’t need officers responding, new report says” by Elise Takahama from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/nearly-half-of-seattle-police-calls-dont-need-officers-responding-new-report-says/
“Seattle police intervening in fewer mental health calls, data shows” by David Kroman from Crosscut: https://crosscut.com/news/2021/09/seattle-police-intervening-fewer-mental-health-calls-data-show
“Durkan Won’t Sign Crowd Control Weapons Bill, Raises Specter of Court Challenge” by Paul Kiefer from Publicola: https://publicola.com/2021/09/07/durkan-wont-sign-crowd-control-weapons-bill-raises-specter-of-court-challenge/
“Seattle gun violence surges in 2021, as police force dwindles” by Angela King and Dyer Oxley from KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/stories/gun-violence-surges-in-seattle-over-2021
“King County’s rise in gun violence doesn’t have an easy explanation” by Nate Sanford from Crosscut: https://crosscut.com/news/2021/09/king-countys-rise-gun-violence-doesnt-have-easy-explanation
“Our Letter on Decriminalizing Jaywalking: California Could Demonstrate National Leadership by Passing Timely Legislation” from America Walks: https://americawalks.org/our-letter-on-decriminalizing-jaywalking-california-could-demonstrate-national-leadership-by-passing-timely-legislation/
“Seattle 911 response times climbed in summer 2020. Now, police and activists debate what comes next.” by Lewis Kamb, Daniel Beekman, and Manuel Villa from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-911-response-times-surged-in-2020-now-police-and-activists-debate-what-lessons-to-draw/
“Recidivism and Reentry: What makes people more or less likely to succeed upon release?” from the Prison Policy Initiative: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/recidivism_and_reentry/
“Employees who blew whistle on Seattle mayor’s missing texts file lawsuit against the city” by Lewis Kamb and Daniel Beekman from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/employees-who-blew-whistle-on-seattle-mayors-missing-texts-file-lawsuit-against-the-city/
“Mayor’s office knew for months Durkan’s phone settings causes texts to vanish, emails show” by Lewis Kamb, Daniel Beekman, and Jim Brunner from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mayors-office-knew-for-months-durkans-phone-setting-caused-texts-to-vanish-emails-show/
“Obama leaves Trump a mixed legacy on whistle-blowers” by Eyal Press from The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/obama-leaves-trump-a-mixed-legacy-on-whistle-blowers
“Thousands of Washington state workers seek exemptions from COVID-19 vaccine mandate” by Joseph O’Sullivan from The Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/thousands-of-washington-state-workers-seek-exemptions-from-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/
“Seattle police union pushes back on Jan. 6 investigation” by David Kroman from Crosscut: https://crosscut.com/news/2021/07/seattle-police-union-pushes-back-jan-6-investigation
Transcript: