Monday, July 22
When Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon didn’t get the swift response he expected to his non-emergency 911 call about unsheltered people he believed were using drugs, he went straight to the top, complaining to the then-police chief, Ted Boe, before going to Boe’s boss, King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall.
Tuesday, July 23
The city council continued to blame the actions of past council members for current issues in downtown Seattle during a public safety committee meeting this week. Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr said police hiring tests should be as easy to pass as possible, and City Attorney Ann Davison said the city has no way to hold people accountable as long as the downtown jail won’t book most misdemeanor offenders.
Wednesday, July 24
Facing Rising Costs and Dwindling Reserves, King County Audits Employees’ Health Care Coverage
A recent audit aimed at reducing the cost of health care by ensuring that employees aren’t falsely claiming dependents is one way the county is trying to address ballooning medical costs and a reserve fund that recently dipped below a critical level.
The downtown King County Jail has agreed to begin booking people arrested for misdemeanors committed between the Chinatown-International District and South Lake Union Seattle, including violations of the recently adopted law criminalizing drug use and possession. The decision reverses a policy, in place since COVID, that restricted downtown bookings to the most serious misdemeanors.
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Thursday, July 25
Interim Chief Rahr said she was “astounded” to learn recently “it actually takes five convictions [for firearm possession] before [young people] are actually held in detention. That’s astounding to me. That is absolutely frightening to me.” But it isn’t really true—kids can be held in the county’s youth jail without a conviction, and often are, and convictions often lead to more detention. The only thing that requires five convictions is a stint in the juvenile equivalent of state prison.
Friday, July 26
Burien City Manager Accuses King County Executive of “Establishing” Encampment Outside Courthouse
In another letter demanding action from the county, Burien City Manager Bailon accused King County officials of setting up an encampment at its courthouse in downtown Burien, and asked the King County Council to take action against County Executive Dow Constantine. The county executive’s office said they did not “establish” any encampment: “I can only assume that individuals began camping on this property given they had no place else to go.”