Caffeinated News & Gossip. Your daily Morning Fizz. 1. It makes sense that the Association of Washington Business, the lobby that represents big businesses like Boeing,would support Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposal (and they do) to centralize collection of local business and occupation (B&O) taxes at the state level. The plan is expected to simplify B&O tax collections, easing the burden on big companies by, for example, making it so they don't have to pay up in two jurisdictions. But does it make sense for the National Federation of Independent Business, the small-business counterpart to the Association of Washington Business, to support the plan? After all, the 207 cities that don't collect B&O taxes now are home to many of the state's small businesses. If Gregoire's proposal passes, those cities could decide to opt in to the new, streamlined system, on the reasonable grounds that the state would be doing all the work for them, simultaneously slamming small businesses with a new tax for city coffers.[pullquote]Does it make sense for the National Federation of Independent Business, the small-business counterpart to the Association of Washington Business, to support the plan?[/pullquote] However, NFIB state director Patrick Connor says the group is likely to support the proposal, saying, "In general, we are pleased at the direction" the legislation takes toward streamlining B&O tax collection. And parroting the AWB talking point, he told Fizz, "At this point, we're most concerned about the crushing burden of paperwork" associated with paying state and local taxes than whether additional cities decide to levy the tax. You can find our previous coverage of this increasingly entertaining story: here, here, and here. 2. Vancouver, WA, to the rescue? Fans of Seattle's Central Cinema were dismayed to learn that the local movie house, which serves food in addition to beer and wine, could be shut down by an obscure state law prohibiting minors in movie venues where beer and wine are served. However, they could get a reprieve from an unlikely ally: Vancouver Sen. Craig Pridemore (D-49), who's proposing legislation that would allow minors into beer-serving theaters as long as those theaters adopt a "minor control plan" for keeping minors from drinking booze on the premises. Evidently, there's a local angle for Pridemore. He hasn't yet returned a call for comment on the legislation, but his staff says a theater in Vancouver has tried unsuccessfully to serve beer and wine. 3. Although one of Washington State's US senators, Maria Cantwell, has come out against the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which would restrict access to sites that host or link to other sites that host copyrighted or pirated content, Washington State's other senator, Patty Murray, has been reticent. Asked to clarify Murray's position on the bill, Murray's aide Matt McAlvaugh told us, "Senator Murray believes that protecting intellectual property rights is critical for jobs and the economy in Washington state. However," he added vaguely, "she has concerns with these bills as currently drafted." Several senators, including cosponsor Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), withdrew their support of the bill yesterday after online giants such as Wikipedia, Reddit, Boing Boing, shut their sites down in protest.[pullquote]The bill would allow insurance companies to sell mileage-based insurance, instead of the flat-rate insurance.[/pullquote] 4. It's not all budgeting, gay marriage, and tax policy in Olympia this season. Legislators are also trying to save the environment. Remember that cause? A sampling: HB 2445, sponsored by Rep. Cindy Ryu (D-32), would allow insurance companies to sell mileage-based insurance, instead of the flat-rate insurance they currently sell. Environmentalists like the idea, because it creates a financial incentive to drive less. It's scheduled for a committee hearing on Friday. HB 1217, the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill—also sponsored by Ryu, and cosponsored by Seattle Rep. Jamie Pedersen (D-43)—would allow cities to lower speed limits to 20 mph on non-arterial roads without going through a costly engineering and traffic study. It does not yet have a committee hearing. SB 6120, sponsored by environmental leader Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-34), would ban the use of a set of toxic chemicals known collectively as TRIS---a replacement for flame retardants known as PDBEs, which were banned in 2007---in plastic children's toys. The bill had its first hearing this past Tuesday. It's not all hippy-dippy pro-environmental bills in Olympia, though. Conservative Democrat Brian Hatfield (D-19, Raymond) is sponsoring legislation that would change the definition of renewable energy to include wood products when utilities try to meet voter-mandated renewable energy standards. In 2006, voters passed I-937 to increase reliance on renewable energy, i.e. wind, solar, and biofuel, as opposed to relying on traditional industries like forestry. The legislature has been trying to weaken the voter-approved renewable standards (electric utilities get 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020) since the 2009 session.
At a public-safety forum held by the Downtown Seattle Association this morning, City Council member Tim Burgess rolled out a five-point proposal somewhat grandiosely titled “Addressing Street Disorder to Preserve Jobs and Improve Our Quality of Life.”
Number one on the list (which also includes adding more police officers downtown and increasing street outreach and housing capacity) was a ban on so-called aggressive solicitation, which includes not just panhandling but canvassing by nonprofit groups.
Burgess’ proposal would bar panhandlers and canvassers from blocking a person’s path; using gestures or language that cause fear or alarm; asking for money repeatedly after someone has said no; providing services that weren’t requested (a la NYC’s squeegie guys), or soliciting within 15 feet of anyone who is using an ATM or private parking pay station.
This morning, Burgess said he wasn’t aiming to “stop people from asking for assistance or money” or “criminalize homelessness,” but to deal with people he said were “basically street thugs who are preying on our preying, whether because of addiction or because of greed for money.”
In a press release, Burgess pointed to a DSA survey that found that “66 percent [of downtown residents] were concerned about aggressive solicitation.” What Burgess didn’t mention is, according to that survey, aggressive solicitation was a distant third on the list of downtown residents’ top concerns, behind drug dealing (75 percent) and dangerous drunken behavior (69 percent). And only 32 percent of downtown residents said they were “extremely concerned” about aggressive panhandling, compared to 46 percent who were extremely concerned about drugs.
Moreover, although Burgess cited a separate survey finding that 23 percent of Seattle residents “avoid downtown because of fear of crime or personal safety.”
The four-member panel—which also included city attorney Pete Holmes; King County prosecutor Dan Satterberg; and King County Committee to End Homelessness project director Bill Block—also talked about nightlife, low-level drug offenders, and the need for more cops downtown.
Holmes said he is in the process of coming up with new nightlife regulations, working with bar and club owners “who recognize that if they’re seen as having an unsafe industry… that is going to be counterproductive to their bottom line.” Holmes said the policy changes could include a proposal to stagger closing times so that some bars could close as late as 4am, to deal with “the problem of, how do you allocate your resources when demand is [spiking] at the same time all over the city.” A move to stagger hours would have to be approved by the state liquor control board.
Asked what he would do to improve the safety of downtown late at night, Satterberg said, “The concern I have about nightlife is not what happens inside the club, it’s what happens at closing time outside in the parking lot.
“A visible police presence is necessary outside clubs,” Satturburg continued. “People who are up to no good aren’t going to [engage in] criminal conduct if they see a police officer on the street. They’re going to move on.”
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