There are several pending allegations of law-breaking against Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant. Let’s get caught up on where they currently stand.
Continue readingCategory: ethics
City elected officials submit their annual financial disclosure forms
Each year, the eleven elected city officials in Seattle are required by law to submit a financial disclosure form by April 15, so that we can better understand financial investments, pressures, and potential conflicts of interest they may have. Here are this year’s forms.
Continue readingSawant responds to ethics commission charges
This afternoon, Council member Sawant issued a statement in response to the charges of ethics violations filed against her yesterday by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission.
Continue readingSawant and “Tax Amazon” campaign violating several state and local laws; Ethics commission files charges
As City Council member Kshama Sawant and other activist groups have spun up their “Tax Amazon” campaign, they have violated several city ordinances and state laws. Today the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission officially charged Sawant with one of these violations.
Continue readingThe legislative logjam has broken
By nearly all measures, the first month of the new City Council was quiet. Sure, there were a couple of controversial but legally meaningless resolutions, and Council member Sawant has pushed through some carryover legislation from last year. But a lot of committee meetings got cancelled, and few new bills were introduced. It now appears that was the quiet before the storm — and the storm just made landfall.
Continue readingCouncil passes two “Clean Campaigns” bills
This afternoon, the City Council unanimously passed two of the three bills in the suite of “Clean Campaigns” ordinances aimed to reduce the influence of big money — and particularly corporate money — in local politics.
Continue readingTwo thirds of “Clean Campaigns” legislation passes out of committee
This morning, the newly-seated City Council passed out of committee two bills that are part of Council President Lorena Gonzalez’s “Clean Campaigns” legislation package, leaving one more to receive additional tooling over the next three months.
Continue reading
Council has first discussion of “Clean Campaigns” bill
This morning, four City Council members took part in the Council’s first public discussion of Council member Gonzalez’s proposed “Clean Campaigns” bill to limit certain types of big money in elections.
Continue readingMcKenna responds to Holmes and Khandelwal
This afternoon, Seattle Municipal Court Presiding Judge Ed McKenna replied to yesterday’s letter from City Attorney Pete Holmes and King county Director of Public Defense Anita Khandelwal.
Continue readingCity Attorney and Director of Public Defense unite to call out municipal court judge on lack of impartiality and integrity (UPDATED)
In a rare moment of unity today, Anita Khandelwal, the Director of the King County Department of Public Defense, and Pete Holmes, the Seattle City Attorney, sent a joint letter to Seattle Municipal Court Presiding Judge Ed McKenna accusing him of violating the canons of judicial ethics, judicial bias, and undermining public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary. UPDATE #2: A spokesperson for the City Attorney confirms that their letter should have said Safe Seattle instead of Speak Out Seattle. “It was a mistake and we regret the error.” I have corrected the name in the story below.
Continue reading