WHAT WE SAW
City Council voted 6-3 to approve SPD's contract, but it kind of sucks. It sucks enough that Rob Saka reached out to us to publish an op-ed about how much it sucks. Basically, this contract gives cops more money without asking for much accountability in return. At the meeting Tuesday, Saka spoke at length about how the contract didn't grant subpoena powers to civilian oversight. Without that power, they can't compel officers or third parties to turn over information they don't want to give up.
"Oversight essentially becomes guesswork," he said.
Where this Saka has been, we don't know, but we prefer it when he keeps his eyes above curb-level.
In the waning days of her City Council presidency, Sara Nelson's bill to regulate political consultants passed committee and is headed for a full council vote. On the surface, a bill banning consultants from working with the city and on a campaign simultaneously, and enforcing a one-year "cool off" between city and campaign work, doesn't seem all that controversial… unless it was personal. And, as Micah reported, it seems aimed at Christian Sinderman, Mayor Bruce Harrell's longtime political consultant, who just so happened to be working for the city while advising our new councilmember Dionne Foster, who kicked Nelson out of office in the general election. But Nelson was insistent: This bill has nothing to do with Sinderman. Riiiiight. And this totally-not-personal bill appears to be a lame-duck rush job. Because its definition of "political consultant" is so vague, consultants are worried it has the potential to affect more people than just high-up politicos like Sinderman. On Thursday, the council narrowed the definition of consultant to "compensated" consultants, so volunteers won't be affected. But low-level workers may still be affected.
Before anyone knew who was playing in Seattle's FIFA World Cup matches this June, the city's World Cup organizers planned a Pride-themed match with rainbow accoutrements and gay events to boot. Well, it turns out Iran and Egypt are playing—two countries that criminalize homosexuality. Whoops. As Nathalie reported, nobody is happy about it. But no amount of pressure or homophobic bellyaching is going to change organizers' plans, they say.
Senator Patty Murray wants ICE to release Wilmer Toledo-Martinez from the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma so he can get proper medical attention for the injuries he sustained when ICE sicced their goddamn dogs on him during his arrest almost a month ago. Toledo-Martinez's lawyer said her client has had a hell of a time getting proper aid, which is a pattern. One detainee, Greggy Sorio, lost a toe to a bone infection. Zahid Chaudry, an army veteran, might go blind from medical neglect. The US government claims detention is non-punitive. It seems pretty goddamn punitive to me.
Last year, the Yakima County coroner stole drugs from dead people, did the drugs, and got caught lying about it. A House Republican thinks that's bad, obviously, but that the real injustice here is how much the subsequent elections cost taxpayers. So, he's introduced a bill to eliminate those elections altogether. The coroners Nathalie spoke to think this idea is braindead.