1. I know, I know, Roger Valdez is a lobbyist for developers. But some times it’s hard to ignore his insights.

On last night’s city council “Grand Bargain” hearing on affordable housing, for example, Valdez sensed that the bargain—rather than being perceived as a historic win-win, is seen by the public as more as a deal with the devil.

The bargain, of course, ended a decades-long standoff between affordable housing advocates and developers (and with the public, which demonizes developers), bringing everyone together to support: fees on developers (a win for affordable housing advocates), upzones (a win for developers), a bigger housing levy (a hit on developers and Joe Public, and a win for affordable housing advocates), higher real estate excise taxes (a hit on developers), and an expansion of the multifamily tax exemption program (a win for developers because it’s voluntary, a win for affordable housing advocates because it creates more workforce housing than they’re able to produce themselves, and a trade-off for Joe Public who gets slightly higher taxes but also gets housing preservation added into the tax credit program).

However, last night’s testimony—which featured adulation for higher fees on developers and little if any excitement about upzones (or jobs)—revealed how tenuous Murray’s plan may be in front of a council that’s dogged by populist rhetoric and not by math. The grand bargain, for example, triples the number of rent restricted units the city can produce.

For an example of the populist take on the deal, check out Seattle Displacement Coalition leader John Fox's take in an email to supporters he sent out in advance of last night's hearing:

Bargains, of course, require something given back, in this case to developers. What these groups, [council member Mike] O’Brien, and the mayor are willing to trade away is nothing less than the heart and soul of our communities. Over the next two years, [the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda] would phase in upzones in every Seattle neighborhood, meaning more runaway growth.

2. Speaking of numbers: I’m sorry if this is old news, but it was new to me. I’ve been working on a story for the magazine this week and I discovered this statistic: After dropping during the recession, street crimes on Capitol Hill started to rise noticeably in 2011 and then starting in 2014 (and continuing this year) have skyrocketed.

The average number of street crimes (aggravated assault and robberies) on Capitol Hill in 2008, ’09, and ’10 was 146 per year. Over the next three years, 2011 through 2013, that number jumped to 187.

In 2014, there were 255. And we’re already at 206 so far in 2015.

(The SPD stats I reviewed did not include homicides and sexual assaults because they are considered statistical outliers in this traditional snapshot.)

3. Speaking of the magazine, my colleague Allecia Vermillion has a dynamite feature story up about Elysian's sell out to Anheuser-Busch told from Elysian cofounder Dick Cantwell's perspective; he was the lone no vote on the deal. 

From Allecia's lead: 

In Seattle, after all, beer is personal. People who drive Toyotas, text on iPhones, buy Diet Coke at Fred Meyer, and draw paychecks from Amazon swore off Elysian as soon as they heard the news, unable to stomach an IPA now associated with a multinational corporation. But Elysian’s journey from irreverent three-man startup to nationally respected craft brewery to property of the world’s biggest brewing company reveals a complicated mix of commitment, capitalism, personal loss, and adapting to the sort of breakneck growth that has seized the city in recent years.

Beer is exceptionally personal for 57-year-old Cantwell, whose brusque tendencies belie a tender core. While his participation was necessary for the Anheuser-Busch deal to go through, he resigned from Elysian just 13 days after the acquisition took effect. He never plans to speak to his former partners again.

4. Speaking of local culture going national: Kshama Sawant, featured most recently at a Chicago fundraiser last weekend, isn't the only city council candidate getting national support. Democracy for America, a national political PAC that campaigns for progressive candidates at the local level, endorsed Lisa Herbold in the District One (West Seattle) race yesterday.