Notes from this morning’s Council Briefing

Here are some quick hits from this morning’s weekly Council Briefing. Council President Harrell noted that this week’s Education, Equity and Governance Committee will have a  presentation from the FTC on combatting fraud in the African-American and Latino communities. Also, the Seattle Election and Ethics Commission will discuss their plan to roll out the Democracy Voucher Program. Council member Sawant mentioned that there are openings on the Seattle City Light customer review panel; in particular they are looking for a residential customer and someone with strong environmental advocacy interests. Sawant also said that at the next Energy and Environment Committee …

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Restricting move-in fees: a messy bill

The principle of restricting abusive practices by landlords in charging excessive move-in fees is great. In practice, it’s messy, and the proposed ordinance to do just that demonstrates that messiness in its full glory.  This afternoon, Council members Sawant and Herbold will hold a hearing to consider their proposed ordinance, the latest installment in what Sawant calls a “tenant’s bill of rights.”

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