Note: This episode was recorded Thursday morning, before Barnes's resignation was confirmed.

Hosts Erica C. Barnett, Sandeep Kaushik and David Hyde break down the chaotic 24 hours that preceded Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes's official ouster. Rumors of a forced resignation. A defiant chief and the NAACP and Urban League rallying to his side. The mayor's office went silent for hours. We were recording in the middle of the chaos, when it still wasn't clear how it would end.

Then we shift gears to Council member Eddie Lin's push to eliminate a key path for public appeals in the city's land use process, a fight that came down to a single swing vote from Bob Kettle, and pits housing advocates against neighborhood opponents.

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Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at realseattlenice@gmail.com

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This week on Seattle Nice, (the only podcast that tells you what's really happening in Seattle politics), we get into three topics:

• Should buying sex on Aurora Avenue be a felony? King County's top prosecutor is pushing state legislation to upgrade paying for sex from a misdemeanor to a felony. But some county public defenders are pushing back. We dig into the numbers and debate whether tougher penalties are the right approach.
• Mayor Katie Wilson loses press secretary. Sage Wilson is out in early August, weeks after communications director Seferiana Day resigned. Is this a sign of friction inside City Hall over issues like sweeps and renters' protections? That's what co-host Erica Barnett thinks.
• Seattle's housing pipeline has nearly dried up. We talk about why housing starts are down, the fallout from the failed MHA fee reform, and whether Council member Eddie Lynn has found a modest path forward to get more construction projects moving again.

Thanks to everyone who is helping Seattle Nice make the jump to video. If you know someone who loves this podcast and hasn't become a member yet, please suggest they contribute too, at: Patreon.com/SeattleNice

Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com

Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at realseattlenice@gmail.com

Support the show

Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and commentary you hear weekly on Seattle Nice.

Welcome to Seattle Nice, the only podcast that tells you what's really happening in Seattle politics. Join Erica C. Barnett (PubliCola), David Hyde, and political consultant Sandeep Kaushik as they break down the latest from City Hall.

In this episode:

• Transit Tax Showdown: Seattle's transit measure is poised to head to the November ballot. We break down the City Council's marathon Thursday meeting, including a failed attempt to "water down" the levy and a "shut up" maneuver that brought the speechifying to a screeching halt.
• Lunchroom Politics: Universal free school lunches or vouchers for low-income families? We dig into the clash between Mayor Katie Wilson's priorities and council members Joy Hollingsworth and Dionne Foster's push for means-tested support.
• The Denny Blaine Ruling: A judge has weighed in on Seattle's nude beach, addressing what counts as "lewd" behavior and what the ruling means for the future of the city's parks.
• Mayoral Travel Diaries: Why did former Mayor Bruce Harrell spend around a quarter of his time in the air, while Mayor Wilson travels far less?

CORRECTION: In this episode Sandeep mentioned that Council President Joy Hollingsworth previously worked at Food Lifeline. That was incorrect: Hollingsworth was previously affiliated with the Northwest Harvest Emergency Feeding Program.

Support the Show:

We're on a mission to bring Seattle Nice to video, since that's where podcasting is headed. But we can't do that without your support. If you value independent, deep-dive coverage of Seattle politics, help us keep local accountability reporting alive, become a supporter-listener-viewer on Patreon.

Patreon.com/seattlenice

Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts to help other Seattleites find the show.

#SeattlePolitics #SeattleCityCouncil #SeattleNews #SeattleTransit #LocalGovernment

Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com

Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at realseattlenice@gmail.com

Support the show

Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and commentary you hear weekly on Seattle Nice.