First things first: Per popular request (one person asked me to do this), I will now be using Accuweather for any forecasts on Slog. Expect on-and-off showers and temperatures in the low 50s throughout the day.
Pay Up: Later today, Council President Sara Nelson’s committee will look at legislation to roll back the newly established minimum wage for gig delivery drivers. According to Working Washington’s analysis, the bill would amount to a 24% wage cut. It would also slash mileage reimbursement to half the IRS mileage standard, causing workers to lose money with every mile they drive. On top of that, the bill does nothing to address what’s actually making the service too expensive—the retaliatory fees gig companies slapped on orders. AND the bill does not promote equitable job offers between drivers and bike couriers, which, as I wrote, is what actually contributes to bad outcomes for the minimum wage's most vocal opponents. Ultimately, the bill amounts to a total repeal because it would stifle the Office of Labor Standards' ability to enforce the law and eliminate a worker’s right to sue companies for breaking the rules. If this sounds bad to you, call Nelson at (206) 684-8809, or find your district rep’s contact info here.
One of these things is not like the others: The MLK Labor Council posted its "Labor Oscar" nominees for best elected official. I know it’s slim pickings right now with the corporate takeover on the Seattle City Council, but come on! Bruce Harrell? The Mayor who offered what amounted to a pay cut in negotiations with City workers? The Mayor who's not standing up to Council President Sara Nelson’s nutso quest to lower the minimum wage for gig delivery workers? The Mayor who the big unions spent a shitload of money against to keep out of office in 2021? He’s not your friend, and giving him an award will not change that.
Is this the same Bruce Harrell who offered City workers a 1% raise? https://t.co/CsXDI3ENTt
— Hannah Krieg (@hannahkrieg) April 24, 2024
ICYMI: You know how Seattle conservatives like to pretend their apprehension to density stems from genuine concern of displacement? Well, the Mayor showed his ass! PubliCola reported that the Mayor’s Office removed all new anti-displacement proposals from a draft of the comprehensive plan and instead promoted only existing strategies in his published version. This revelation comes after the Urbanist broke the news earlier this month that Harrell also scaled back density from previous versions of the plan. He doesn't like density, but he also doesn't want to combat displacement. Sounds like someone loves homelessness and poverty!
Cover-up: In their latest action to pressure Washington’s congressional delegation to stop spending money on the slaughter of Palestinians, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) hosted a “Seder In The Streets” on Tuesday. During the event, the group painted a mural outside the Federal Building to elevate their message. It didn’t last long. By yesterday afternoon, the City of Seattle scrubbed the words “No Funds For Genocide” and “Let Gaza Lived” but kept the rest of the mural whole. That move suggests the City’s problem lies in the message and not necessarily the vandalism (celebratory).
What they say: In an email, Seattle Department of Transportation and the Mayor's Office wrote, "We support artists and groups that create murals and other art displays, however art on public spaces including buildings, sidewalks, or roads requires consent from the appropriate managing entity, business owner, and property manager." JVP did not have a permit, and if they want to paint something, the City says they gotta apply. But that doesn't explain why the City scrubbed the anti-genocide message before removing the whole thing. I asked again, and I'll update you as always.
Appears that SDOT painted over the words "no funds for genocide" and "Let Gaza Live" on the mural that Jewish advocates painted at @JVPSeattle's "Seder in The Streets" yesterday. pic.twitter.com/jc6lxNNHAW
— Hannah Krieg (@hannahkrieg) April 24, 2024
The Bird’s back: The Seattle Storm announced yesterday that basketball icon Sue Bird will join the Storm’s ownership group.
Washington GOP officially comes out against democracy: At their kooky little convention last weekend, the Washington State Republican Party passed a resolution urging Republicans to call the US a "republic" rather than a democracy, adding that, “We … oppose legislation which makes our nation more democratic in nature,” reports Danny Westneat over at the Seattle Times. The GOP has been on this "we're a republic, not a democracy" schtick since the rise of Trump—surprised it took them this long to get their elitism down in writing.
Seattle-area Rep. Adam Smith weaponizes "democracy" against protesters: On a podcast, Rep. Smith, the #2 guy on the House Armed Services Committee, said the pro-Palestine protesters who shut down highways, disrupt public events, and demonstrate at the homes of politicians are participating in "leftwing totalitarianism" the Guardian reports. For Smith, such affronts present direct challenges to "representative democracy" and are evidence only of the protesters' desires to silence opposition. That's just a little bit funny, because when the Guardian asked for an example of the kind of protest that "might be appropriate," Smith cited a silent protest where demonstrators held up bloody hands in a committee hearing and immediately left House chambers after the chair told them to leave. I'll let Smith's protesters respond to all of this in their own words:
GUEST RANT: US Rep Adam Smith canceled a town hall after some members of the audience became verbally disruptive over his denial of the genocide in Gaza. In a press release afterward, he compared us to MAGA rioters who stormed the US Capitol. He's wrong. https://t.co/zCJkrB3kWq
— The Stranger 🗞 (@TheStranger) March 22, 2024
Baby jail: The King County Auditor’s Office released a report that found King County’s juvenile detention center holds fewer kids, but the kids stay in jail THREE TIMES longer on average compared to stats from 2017. Jail is no place for a child, and even jail-truthers will tell you that this detention center is designed for stays less than 30 days long. As of mid-2023, children stayed in jail for an average of 36 days. Since 2017, more than 200 kids stayed for 100 days or more, and almost 30 stayed for at least a year. This facility does not have the educational, enrichment, or mental health resources to accommodate stays of that length, according to the press release.
New York's highest court overturns Harvey Weinstein's conviction: The judges who run New York's Court of Appeals noticed that the lower-court judge in Weinstein's case allowed "prosecutors to call as witnesses a series of women who said Mr. Weinstein had assaulted them—but whose accusations were not part of the charges against him," which was unfair, according to the New York Times. While the prosecution attempts a retrial, the state will move Weinstein to a California prison, where he'll serve out his a 16-year term for a rape conviction in that state.
SCOTUS hears Trump immunity case: This morning the clowns on the Supreme Court are hearing arguments for and against the claim that presidents can do whatever they want to secure power so long as they do it in their official capacity as president. The court's response to those arguments will determine when Trump's other trials take place in Washington, according to the Washington Post. Elie Mystal, the Nation's justice correspondent, predicts the justices will think presidents have some immunity and then send the case back to a lower court to enumerate those, which would delay Trump's election-interference trial until after the 2024 election. But right now, Justice Amy Coney Barrett is making interesting noises, so we'll see.
KBJ: We know that the POTUS has the *best* *lawyers* *in the world.*
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) April 25, 2024
She deserves some kind of award for saying that with a straight face. :)
But she said it to attack Gorsuch's position that holding the president accountable would make them "fearful"
1864 vibes: After two failed attempts, the Arizona State House passed legislation overturning the long-dormant 160-year old abortion ban that the Arizona Supreme Court gave the go-ahead to enforce earlier this month. Now the state Senate needs to pass it, the Governor needs to sign it, and boom, the extreme ban becomes a less extreme ban at 15 weeks. Things could get better for Arizona residents in November if an initiative to protect abortion access to the point of fetal viability, about 22 to 24 weeks, makes it on the ballot.
Be free: Military horses covered in blood escaped and ran through London yesterday.
Rest in Peace: Today marks the 22 years since TLC member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes died in a car accident at the age of 30. In her honor, my favorite TLC song. It was a tough choice:
