Here’s what happened today in Council Chambers.
Continue readingCategory: state government
Ferguson urged by legislator to defend statewide ban on taxing net income
Today Washington State Senator Steve O’Ban sent a letter to Attorney General Bob Ferguson urging him to defend the state law prohibiting taxes on net income, after a Court of Appeals invalidated the law on Monday.
Continue readingSeattle’s gun-safety law goes into effect tomorrow; more legal challenges sure to follow
This afternoon the Mayor’s Office sent out a press release announcing that tomorrow the city’s gun-safety legislation goes into effect. But even though it won its first round in court, the city’s legal battles over this ordinance have just begun.
Continue reading2019 is shaping up to be the year for eviction reform
There are concerted efforts underway in both the Washington state legislature and the Seattle City Council to reform the tenant eviction process this year.
Continue readingBill to expand camera enforcement introduced in Olympia
Earlier today, state legislators introduced a bill that would allow the City of Seattle to expand the use of cameras to enforce traffic laws, a priority for the city as it works to keep traffic on its downtown streets flowing.
Continue readingNotes from today’s Council meetings
Here’s what happened at today’s Council meetings today.
Continue readingMunicipal bank feasibility study says “theoretically yes, but realistically no”
At the beginning of 2018 the City of Seattle commissioned a study to look at the feasibility of creating a municipal bank. Those study results were released yesterday. It says that in theory the city could create its own bank, but there are significant legal, logistical, regulatory and financial challenges to doing so.
Continue readingCity quickly drafting state legislative agenda
On Monday, the Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR) delivered to the City Council a first draft of the city’s legislative agenda for the upcoming session starting in January.
Continue readingNotes from Monday’s Council meetings
Short and sweet today.
Continue readingCouncil passes gun safety regulation; on to court
This afternoon the City Council passed an ordinance requiring gun owners to securely store their firearms at home when not being carried. As I wrote previously, this is a perfectly reasonable idea, but it’s beyond the authority of the city to enact it because state law preempts cities from passing their own gun regulations. This afternoon in an interview I asked City Attorney Pete Holmes for his legal argument as to why the city has the power to enact this ordinance in the face of a state law that clearly prohibits it.
Continue reading