Morning Fizz
"Thank You, Bag Monster. I Need You to Sit Down Now."
Caffeinated news & gossip. Your daily Morning Fizz.
1. In marked contrast to the coalition that supported a proposed 20-cent fee on disposable plastic and paper grocery bags last year, which consisted almost exclusively of environmental advocates, a long line of representatives from grocery stores, the restaurant lobby, labor unions, ordinary citizens, two "bag monsters," and, yes, environmental groups testified in front of the city council's public utilities committee last night in favor of a proposed ban on plastic bags (and a five-cent pass-through fee for paper bags).
Josh MacDonald, a spokesman for the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, thanked council members for "bringing us in early, making us part of conversation and taking our feedback in. ... This ordinance and the way it's gone through the process is a great example of how we can all work together for a positive outcome." [pullquote]The legislation the council is currently considering, unlike the earlier 20-cent fee, would apply to all retailers, not just grocery stores.[/pullquote]
Holly Chisa, a lobbyist for the Northwest Grocery Association, which represents large grocery stores, called the proposal "reasonable" and fair, noting that the legislation the council is currently considering, unlike the earlier 20-cent fee, would apply to all retailers, not just grocery stores.
And an unidentified "Bag Monster"---wearing a costume made of 500 plastic bags---howled, tongue in cheek, that any efforts to ban bags at the city level would be defeated in the legislature and Congress. "We will have a nationwide ban on the banning of plastic bags!" he roared. After letting the Bag Monster go on for like that for about five minutes, a giggling council member Mike O'Brien said, "Thank you, Bag Monster. I need you to sit down now." The Bag Monster never did give his real name.
2. At 9:30 this morning, the city council's budget committee will take up a new set of rules aimed largely at preventing limo drivers from poaching fares from taxicabs, particularly at Colman Dock, where limo drivers routinely congregate and pick up ferry passengers.
Under state law, limo companies are only allowed to respond to calls for reservations; unlike taxis, they aren't supposed to solicit customers on the street. Until the state legislature changed the law last year, however, limousine companies were regulated exclusively by the state, which lacked the resources to crack down on limo drivers who abused the rules.
The new law would give the city's department of Finance and Administrative Services the authority to enforce state laws governing limo companies, inspect limos to make sure they're properly licensed and insured, and fine companies that fail to follow the rules. The added enforcement, FAS staff say, will be paid for by the state.
3. Proving that anything associated with the deep-bore tunnel is bound to stir up controversy, the state found itself in the unlikely position yesterday of defending a seemingly innocuous museum dedicated to the past and future of the downtown Seattle waterfront. The $490,000 Pioneer Square museum, called Milepost 31, highlights the human and archaeological history of Pioneer Square, the history of transportation in Seattle, and the technology behind the deep-bore tunnel.
In an unusually testy press release, WSDOT asked the media to "please be aware of some details that have not been included in some of the previous news coverage," including the fact that, as the agency's statement put it, "The Washington State Department of Transportation did not decide arbitrarily whether or not to spend money on the information center; it was, in fact, determined by a group of neighborhood and historic preservation organizations brought together as part of the Section 106 process for the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s central waterfront replacement."
The PI.com has more, including a harsh reaction to the museum from Washington State Republican Party Chair Kirby Wilbur.
4. Democratic gubernatorial candidate US Rep. Jay Inslee has challenged his rival Republican Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna to six debates over the next year, two each in eastern, central, and western Washington.
McKenna campaign spokesman Randy Pepple tells the Everett Herald, "I guarantee you that Rob McKenna will agree to more debates than Congressman Inslee will" adding that McKenna has already agreed to two other debate requests one in Yakima to be hosted by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and one in Spokane to be sponsored by the Association of Washington Business.
1. In marked contrast to the coalition that supported a proposed 20-cent fee on disposable plastic and paper grocery bags last year, which consisted almost exclusively of environmental advocates, a long line of representatives from grocery stores, the restaurant lobby, labor unions, ordinary citizens, two "bag monsters," and, yes, environmental groups testified in front of the city council's public utilities committee last night in favor of a proposed ban on plastic bags (and a five-cent pass-through fee for paper bags).
Josh MacDonald, a spokesman for the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, thanked council members for "bringing us in early, making us part of conversation and taking our feedback in. ... This ordinance and the way it's gone through the process is a great example of how we can all work together for a positive outcome." [pullquote]The legislation the council is currently considering, unlike the earlier 20-cent fee, would apply to all retailers, not just grocery stores.[/pullquote]
Holly Chisa, a lobbyist for the Northwest Grocery Association, which represents large grocery stores, called the proposal "reasonable" and fair, noting that the legislation the council is currently considering, unlike the earlier 20-cent fee, would apply to all retailers, not just grocery stores.
And an unidentified "Bag Monster"---wearing a costume made of 500 plastic bags---howled, tongue in cheek, that any efforts to ban bags at the city level would be defeated in the legislature and Congress. "We will have a nationwide ban on the banning of plastic bags!" he roared. After letting the Bag Monster go on for like that for about five minutes, a giggling council member Mike O'Brien said, "Thank you, Bag Monster. I need you to sit down now." The Bag Monster never did give his real name.
2. At 9:30 this morning, the city council's budget committee will take up a new set of rules aimed largely at preventing limo drivers from poaching fares from taxicabs, particularly at Colman Dock, where limo drivers routinely congregate and pick up ferry passengers.
Under state law, limo companies are only allowed to respond to calls for reservations; unlike taxis, they aren't supposed to solicit customers on the street. Until the state legislature changed the law last year, however, limousine companies were regulated exclusively by the state, which lacked the resources to crack down on limo drivers who abused the rules.
The new law would give the city's department of Finance and Administrative Services the authority to enforce state laws governing limo companies, inspect limos to make sure they're properly licensed and insured, and fine companies that fail to follow the rules. The added enforcement, FAS staff say, will be paid for by the state.
3. Proving that anything associated with the deep-bore tunnel is bound to stir up controversy, the state found itself in the unlikely position yesterday of defending a seemingly innocuous museum dedicated to the past and future of the downtown Seattle waterfront. The $490,000 Pioneer Square museum, called Milepost 31, highlights the human and archaeological history of Pioneer Square, the history of transportation in Seattle, and the technology behind the deep-bore tunnel.
In an unusually testy press release, WSDOT asked the media to "please be aware of some details that have not been included in some of the previous news coverage," including the fact that, as the agency's statement put it, "The Washington State Department of Transportation did not decide arbitrarily whether or not to spend money on the information center; it was, in fact, determined by a group of neighborhood and historic preservation organizations brought together as part of the Section 106 process for the Alaskan Way Viaduct’s central waterfront replacement."
The PI.com has more, including a harsh reaction to the museum from Washington State Republican Party Chair Kirby Wilbur.
4. Democratic gubernatorial candidate US Rep. Jay Inslee has challenged his rival Republican Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna to six debates over the next year, two each in eastern, central, and western Washington.
McKenna campaign spokesman Randy Pepple tells the Everett Herald, "I guarantee you that Rob McKenna will agree to more debates than Congressman Inslee will" adding that McKenna has already agreed to two other debate requests one in Yakima to be hosted by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and one in Spokane to be sponsored by the Association of Washington Business.
