1. City council member Tim Burgess blogged about the homeless advocates who slept outside his house two nights ago (and last night) to protest the city’s refusal to provide $50,000, with no strings attached, for bus passes to and from homeless shelters. (The city has offered to advance SHARE/WHEEL, the groups that ran the protests, $50,000, but are requiring the groups to promise they’ll keep their shelters open through the end of the year).
Burgess noted, “The only restriction I’m aware of is the city’s expectation that the SHARE shelters remain open through the end of the year; the SHARE advocates couldn’t identify any other restrictions when we talked last night.”
SHARE’s concern is that they’ll run out of money and be unable to pay for shelter beds at their 14 shelters through the end of the year.
Think what you will of SHARE’s tactics, their shelters are the most cost-effective in the city. According to a city hall breakdown of per-bed costs, SHARE’s basic shelter beds come in at $2.53 per bed per night, or half the cost of the next-lowest-cost provider. Put another way, the $310,000 the city provides SHARE shelters 336 people per night all year.
2. Supporters of Seattle Port Commission candidates Rob Holland and Max Vekich charge that supporters of his opponent, David Doud, have been reporting every link on the Reform the Port organization’s Facebook page as “abusive,” which results in an automatic removal of the links. “It’s just seventh-grade stuff—it’s not like that’s going to win an election,” Reform the Port supporter Heather Weiner says. Reform the Port is not formally affiliated with either the Vekich or the Holland campaign.
3. Secretary of state’s office spokesman David Ammons seems to be missing at least one aspect of his old job at the Associated Press. Not the pay: The writing. Ammons has turned the secretary of state’s official blog into something of a mini-newspaper, complete with (mild) editorializing. From yesterday’s post about the specter of new taxes:
Gregoire has no particular tax proposal, and is looking for a new round of spending cuts. But she tells reporters she has signalled to legislative leaders she’s open to them making a case for fresh revenue, believing voters may be fed up with budget cuts.
Minority Republicans still suggest downsizing government a little more. Senate budgeteer Rodney Tom tells The AP that “sin taxes,” such as on tobacco, might be an option, and some lawmakers might tout a temporary sales tax surcharge. The tax package might be referred to the voters — dicey in an 2010 election year where all 98 House seats and half the Senate seats are on the ballot.
4. Due to (ahem) technical glitches, yesterday’s Press Release Roundup went out late in the day. But it’s a good one. Check it out.
This morning’s Morning Fizz brought to you by Washington Conservation Voters.
