This Week On PubliCola: April 26, 2025
Homelessness programs threatened, sex work crackdown fizzles, and Metro considers converting parking lots into housing.
Monday, April 21
PubliCola Questions: Seattle City Council District 2 Candidate Adonis Ducksworth
We sat down with Adonis Ducksworth—a longtime skateboarder and Seattle Department of Transportation staffer who’s running to represent Southeast Seattle—to talk about density, social housing, and how to address and prevent gun violence in the district.
Acting county executive Shannon Braddock, appointed on a temporary basis several weeks ago, remains essentially an at-will employee until (and unless) the county council appoints her as interim executive through November. They were supposed to make a decision this week (after declining to appoint her at an earlier meeting) but now won’t do so until at least early May.
Tuesday, April 22
Seattle Nice: City Council Shakeup in Southeast Seattle
On this week’s episode of Seattle Nice, we discussed the District 2 city council election, hacked crossing signals in Amazon’s neighborhood, and the potential closure of the Virginia Inn, an institution in Pike Place Market. Also, on this week’s episode of Are You Mad At Me?, the podcast Josh and I are doing about the movie Shattered Glass, we explain why everyone should watch this excellent movie.
When City Attorney Ann Davison and City Councilmember Cathy Moore pushed to urgently pass a new law allowing judges to ban sex buyers from Aurora Ave. N, they claimed the orders would help end gun violence and trafficking in the area. In the seven months since, there have only been five such orders, all issued after costly stings involving police pretending to be sex workers.
Wednesday, April 23
As Cuts to Critical Programs Loom, Latest Count Shows Sharp Increase in Homelessness
The homelessness authority released some new details about its latest statistical estimate of the number of people experiencing homelessness in King County. Unsurprisingly, homelessness has gotten worse, just as the state and federal governments prepare to make cuts to programs that bring people indoors.
State Budget Cuts Could Halt Successful Encampment Resolution Program
One of the programs on the state’s chopping block is an encampment resolution program begun during the pandemic. Unlike the city of Seattle’s policy, which mostly consists of designating people as obstructions and sweeping them from place to place, the state program involves weeks of outreach and provides both case management and temporary lodging as part of a path to housing. The state budget would eliminate funding to address encampments in the future.
Thursday, April 24
New Federal Homelessness Contracts Appear Designed to Exclude Undocumented Immigrants
New contracts from HUD’s Continuum of Care program, which provides about 11 percent of the region’s homelessness budget through grants to nonprofit providers, would require providers to check the immigration status of people seeking shelter and other services, and deny service to anyone who can’t prove they’re in the country legally. The regional homelessness authority hasn’t decided yet how to respond to the contracts, which also include anti-”gender ideology” language.
Friday, April 25
Turning Park-and-Rides Into Housing
In his “Maybe Metropolis” column, Josh Feit touts legislation that would allow King County Metro to redevelop up to three underutilized park-and-ride lots as affordable housing—the ultimate transit-oriented development.