Notes from today’s Council meetings

Here are my notes from this morning’s Council Briefing and this afternoon’s Full Council meeting.

• This afternoon, the Council approved the nomination of Nicholas Brown to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission.
• It also approved an update to its General Rules and Procedures, with two last-minute amendments: one allows Council members to participate electronically in Full Council meetings if they are called away for a situation that would qualify as family or medical leave; and the other clarifies the rules for when someone can be removed from a Council meeting for being disruptive. It passed by a 8-1 vote; Council member Sawant voted “no” due to a concern that a change that requires earlier submission of resolutions makes the Council less democratic.
• The Council also approved an ordinance designed to make it easier for the Office of Housing to acquire property for affordable housing projects.
• Council member Sawant announced that in her committee meeting Tuesday afternoon there will be a discussion of the recent clearing of an unsanctioned homeless encampment by the Navigation Team despite attempts by activists to block their access.
• Council member Juarez announced that at her committee’s May 3rd meeting there will be the first discussion of a resolution declaring the intent to create a Waterfront Local Improvement District (LID). That triggers the start of the official quasi-judicial process run by the Hearing Examiner, and at that point the Council members will be unable to discuss the topic with stakeholders until that process runs to completion.
• Council member Johnson noted that he would be introducing a tree-protection ordinance later this week.
• Council member Mosqueda announced that next week there would be a full week of May Day labor-themed celebrations. More details to come.