Morning Fizz
The New Definition
Caffeinated news & gossip. Your daily Morning Fizz.
1. Fizz hears a rumor that extra-liberal 11th District state Rep. Bob Hasegawa plans to take advantage of the vacancy left by retiring state Sen. Margarita Prentice, who was bumped out of the 11th district (south Seattle and the south Seattle 'burbs) in the redistricting process. Hasegawa, we hear, plans to run for her seat. If Hasegawa goes for it, all three seats in South Seattle's 11th district would be up for grabs; Hasegawa's fellow state representative, Zack Hudgins, is running for secretary of state.
2. Redistricting has impacted more than just elected officials. It's also shaken up leadership at local Democratic Party organizations.
Locally, five Democratic legislative district leaders are either being redistricted into neighboring districts or resigning for other reasons, according to Chad Lupkes, chair of the 46th District Democrats. They are: 11th District (Southeast Seattle suburbs) chair Martha Koester; 37th District (Southeast Seattle) chair Susanna Williams; 45th District (Woodinville, Kirkland, Carnation) chair Martin Chaney; 47th District (southeast King County) chair Gordon Glasgow; and 48th District (Eastside) chair Santiago Ramos.[pullquote]Four "Roadkill Caucus" Democrats and three senate Republicans have introduced a bill that would short-circuit enforcement of the GMA by preventing citizens from challenging land use decisions.[/pullquote]
3. At a meeting of the Metropolitan Democratic Club yesterday, Mayor Mike McGinn hinted that the city might come back to the voters with another transportation ballot measure in the wake of the failure of last year's $60 vehicle license fee. McGinn, a vocal supporter of last year's proposal (and would have preferred a bigger package) said voters "didn't think the tax was fair. There wasn't a very clear vision of what we were trying to do. We got the message."
He added: "We're going to have to come back with a better way."
McGinn's's spokesman, Aaron Pickus, says McGinn is "not proposing anything specific right now."
4. On Tuesday we noted that the Republicans in the legislature planned to scale back environmental regulations as a way to save money. We'd like to amend that: Republicans and conservative Democrats plan to scale back environmental regulations as a way to save money.
Yesterday, four "Roadkill Caucus" senate Democrats (that's what the conservative Democrats call themselves) and three senate Republicans proposed a bill that would short-circuit enforcement of the Growth Management Act by preventing citizens, environmental advocates, and stakeholders from challenging land use decisions before GMA boards by removing those people (pretty much the only people who monitor such things) from the current definition of those who are allowed to file a petition.
The rewritten definition would still allow the state, counties, and cities, as well as any person who is directly impacted by a decision, to have standing, but it would delete the following folks from the current definition: "a person [who has proven a reasonable relation to the issue] who has participated orally or in writing before the county or city regarding the matter on which a review is being requested."
Oh, the new definition would also add a filing fee.
5. State lawmakers may introduce legislation cracking down on Village Voice Media's adult entertainment site Backpage.com next week.
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-36, Ballard) says she and a bipartisan group of legislators are nearly finished with a human trafficking bill, which "has to do with Backpage.com and age verification for minors for placing ads. Backpage.com has recently come under fire for its connection to juvenile sex trafficking.
Kohl-Welles declined to discuss details of the legislation, which she says has been "extremely challenging because of free speech and the first amendment."
6. At yesterday's meeting of the Seattle Metropolitan Democratic Club, Seattle Democrat Jack Whisner---a Metro transportation planner who out-nerds even the nerds here at PubliCola---handed Fizz a wonked-out crossword he wrote. Sample clues: "Quadrant of Seattle with routes 7, 9X, 36, and 42" (SE); "German area with joint bus-rail tunnel in 80s and 90s" (Essen); and "Former linebacker and corporate lawyer" ([Bruce] Harrell).
Fizz planned to fill in the rest on our light-rail commute home.
1. Fizz hears a rumor that extra-liberal 11th District state Rep. Bob Hasegawa plans to take advantage of the vacancy left by retiring state Sen. Margarita Prentice, who was bumped out of the 11th district (south Seattle and the south Seattle 'burbs) in the redistricting process. Hasegawa, we hear, plans to run for her seat. If Hasegawa goes for it, all three seats in South Seattle's 11th district would be up for grabs; Hasegawa's fellow state representative, Zack Hudgins, is running for secretary of state.
2. Redistricting has impacted more than just elected officials. It's also shaken up leadership at local Democratic Party organizations.
Locally, five Democratic legislative district leaders are either being redistricted into neighboring districts or resigning for other reasons, according to Chad Lupkes, chair of the 46th District Democrats. They are: 11th District (Southeast Seattle suburbs) chair Martha Koester; 37th District (Southeast Seattle) chair Susanna Williams; 45th District (Woodinville, Kirkland, Carnation) chair Martin Chaney; 47th District (southeast King County) chair Gordon Glasgow; and 48th District (Eastside) chair Santiago Ramos.[pullquote]Four "Roadkill Caucus" Democrats and three senate Republicans have introduced a bill that would short-circuit enforcement of the GMA by preventing citizens from challenging land use decisions.[/pullquote]
3. At a meeting of the Metropolitan Democratic Club yesterday, Mayor Mike McGinn hinted that the city might come back to the voters with another transportation ballot measure in the wake of the failure of last year's $60 vehicle license fee. McGinn, a vocal supporter of last year's proposal (and would have preferred a bigger package) said voters "didn't think the tax was fair. There wasn't a very clear vision of what we were trying to do. We got the message."
He added: "We're going to have to come back with a better way."
McGinn's's spokesman, Aaron Pickus, says McGinn is "not proposing anything specific right now."
4. On Tuesday we noted that the Republicans in the legislature planned to scale back environmental regulations as a way to save money. We'd like to amend that: Republicans and conservative Democrats plan to scale back environmental regulations as a way to save money.
Yesterday, four "Roadkill Caucus" senate Democrats (that's what the conservative Democrats call themselves) and three senate Republicans proposed a bill that would short-circuit enforcement of the Growth Management Act by preventing citizens, environmental advocates, and stakeholders from challenging land use decisions before GMA boards by removing those people (pretty much the only people who monitor such things) from the current definition of those who are allowed to file a petition.
The rewritten definition would still allow the state, counties, and cities, as well as any person who is directly impacted by a decision, to have standing, but it would delete the following folks from the current definition: "a person [who has proven a reasonable relation to the issue] who has participated orally or in writing before the county or city regarding the matter on which a review is being requested."
Oh, the new definition would also add a filing fee.
5. State lawmakers may introduce legislation cracking down on Village Voice Media's adult entertainment site Backpage.com next week.
Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-36, Ballard) says she and a bipartisan group of legislators are nearly finished with a human trafficking bill, which "has to do with Backpage.com and age verification for minors for placing ads. Backpage.com has recently come under fire for its connection to juvenile sex trafficking.
Kohl-Welles declined to discuss details of the legislation, which she says has been "extremely challenging because of free speech and the first amendment."
6. At yesterday's meeting of the Seattle Metropolitan Democratic Club, Seattle Democrat Jack Whisner---a Metro transportation planner who out-nerds even the nerds here at PubliCola---handed Fizz a wonked-out crossword he wrote. Sample clues: "Quadrant of Seattle with routes 7, 9X, 36, and 42" (SE); "German area with joint bus-rail tunnel in 80s and 90s" (Essen); and "Former linebacker and corporate lawyer" ([Bruce] Harrell).
Fizz planned to fill in the rest on our light-rail commute home.
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