1. The King County Council voted yesterday to repeal the legislation they passed just last week putting an 0.2 percent sales tax increase for public safety on the November ballot, and replaced it with a different 0.2 percent sales tax measure that would include funding to replace the crumbling juvenile justice center at 12th and Alder.
Previously, the council rejected a proposal to put a separate 0.1 percent sales tax increase on the ballot, in addition to the 0.2 percent increase.
Under the new proposal, 100 percent of the county’s portion of the tax would pay for public-safety programs in King County. Forty percent of the proceeds of the tax would go to cities, which would have to spend one-third of the proceeds on criminal justice.
2. U.S. Sen. Patty is a main cosponsor of the DISCLOSE Act, which would force funders of independent campaign ads—like the one a group called the American Action Network took out against her earlier this month—to identify themselves at the end of the ad (much like the “I’m Barack Obama and I approved this ad” disclaimer that candidates are required to do.)
The legislation (New York U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is the main sponsor) is the Democrats’ response to the Citizens United ruling which allowed corporations to directly fund IE ads with unlimited contributions. (Previously, corporations could not put their own money into IEs.)
Republicans, including Rossi’s campaign, didn’t support the legislation because it included an exemption for unions.
However, Schumer got rid of the exemption. It’s queued up for a cloture vote today.
3. Central District activist Bill Bradburd is appealing changes to the city’s sign code on the grounds that they’ll harm views and “degrade” Seattle’s skyline. Bradburd’s appeal isn’t likely to get much traction—he’s appealing under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), and it’s hard to see what environmental harm signs cause—but his appeal does highlight one potentially controversial change being considered by the city: An amendment that would allow lighted signs above 65 feet on the side of large private buildings.
Currently, only hotels are allowed to have illuminated signs above 65 feet; the proposal would extend that rule to private buildings. The rules would only apply to buildings with “major tenants” (tenants who lease more than 200,000 square feet), and would only allow one major tenant to have a sign above 65 feet per building.
4. PubliCola reader Seth Geiser ( who lives on Capitol Hill and interns at the city while finishing his Masters of Urban Planning and Masters of Public Administration at UW) won our ticket giveaway yesterday by correctly naming the five Seattle-area state house reps who voted against the infamous tunnel cost overruns position—Reps. Reuven Carlyle (D-36); Bob Hasegawa (D-11); Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney (D-46); Sharon Tomiko Santos (D-37); and Scott White (D-46).
Congrats Seth!
The ‘Yea’ votes (putting unprecedented obligations on local residents for a state project) were: Reps. Eileen Cody (D-34, W. Seattle); Mary Lou Dickerson (D-36); Zach Hudgins (D-11), Sharon Nelson (D-34); Jamie Pedersen (D-43); Eric Pettigrew (D-37); Frank Chopp (D-43).
