Seattle, WA

Sara Nelson says Seattle City Council must reconsider budget priorities

Published

1 year ago

December 29, 2023

Press Room

Sara Nelson says Seattle City Council must reconsider budget priorities

Sarah Nelson has been on the Seattle City Council for two years and could be running for council president in January.

Talking to Matt Markovich on Seattle’s Morning News on Friday, Nelson made it clear she has a priority.

When it comes to the often criticized King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCHA), she said, “We need to reconsider what we’re spending money on and what they’re spending money on.”

Nelson said that because the KCHA is a regional authority and because homelessness is a complex problem, “I was concerned that council has been dictating how the dollars are spent by the KCHA. So we need to make sure that they’ve got some independence and how they spend that money.”

Her focus on proper budgeting doesn’t stop there. Nelson explained “For too long, we have used one-time sources of funding to fund ongoing programs. And so, personally, I think that we need to look at saving money. And as I said, reallocating resources if necessary, before thinking about new revenue, we have to make sure that we’re spending our existing revenue-wise.”

Other Seattle City Council news: ‘I don’t have regrets’: An exit interview with Seattle Council firebrand Kshama Sawant

In other words, Nelson said raising taxes is low on her list of priorities.

Five new council members will join Nelson come January. “These council members are fresh off the campaign trail, and they were voted into office because they were responding to the demands of an electorate that is pretty upset about our slow progress on crime, homelessness, housing, and affordability,” Nelson said. “And that’s on top of the livability issues like potholes, graffiti and all the rest. And so those will be top of the agenda.”

She explained that what’s even more important is “how we do business as a council.

“What I’m looking at is a group of incredibly accomplished and professionally diverse council members coming in, you know, there are five new people, that’s the majority, and then we’ll have a six when we fill a vacancy. If people didn’t take the typical route to Office. Many of them come from the private sector. They ran like I did, because they love our city, and they want to help fix it.”

DSA CEO on new Seattle City Council: Voters wanted change

Nelson said that everything is on the table moving forward.

“Specifically, I am concerned about the fact that our small mom-and-pop landlords are selling their properties because it’s been very difficult for them to continue to do business.”

Nelson said the city needs to create more opportunities for them.

“Then there are also the headlines that we saw yesterday of a small business that is pausing operations in Seattle, because recent legislation has made it too difficult if and when I say that everything is on the table. And if it’s proven that the laws that have been already passed, are doing more damage than good when it comes to preserving jobs in tax revenue in the city. They deserve in merit reconsideration.”

Nelson also said that council meetings will continue in a hybrid format, but “these council members heard loud and clear that their constituents want their council members to get back to work fully staffed in City Hall. And that is my expectation.”

Seattle’s Morning News is on KIRO Newsradio weekdays from 5-9 a.m.

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Seattle, WA

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Published

11 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Re: “Diesel or hybrid ferries? How about simply reliable” (Jan. 7, Opinion): Gov. Jay Inslee, Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson and The Seattle Times editorial board are asking the wrong question: diesel or hybrid ferries? Inslee and the majority of Democrats support…

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Seattle, WA

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Published

20 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Manhunt underway for Mason County shooting suspect

Manuhunt underway for Mason County assault suspect

Mason County deputies are looking for a man wanted in a shooting in Belfair on Monday.

MASON COUNTY, Wash. – The Mason County Sheriff’s Office is currently searching for a convicted felon wanted in a recent shooting.

The sheriff’s office says Michael Allen Beyer is wanted for first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Deputies believe Beyer was involved in a shooting that happened in Belfair on January 6.

Beyer is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, do not approach him and call 911 immediately.

Anyone with information regarding Beyer’s whereabouts is asked to call Detective Helser at 360-427-9670 x657, or Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

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Seattle, WA

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Two more Seattle restaurants close due to minimum wage hike

Two more Seattle restaurants are calling it quits thanks to the untenable minimum wage hike.

At the same time that the Seattle minimum wage rose from $19.97 an hour to $20.76 an hour, the city ended the tip credit of $2.72. Under the previous rules, restaurants were able to pay $17.25 hourly wage if their staff earned at least $2.72 in tips per hour. But as cost of business continues to skyrocket in Seattle, a minimum wage hike without a tip credit is simply untenable for many small businesses.

Jackson’s Catfish Corner in Seattle’s Central District closed its doors in this new year. In an interview with Converge Media, owner Terrell Jackson argued Seattle is too expensive to operate in.

“I know that the minimum wages went up to 20 bucks an hour … I know that’s hard for my business as a small Black business,” Jackson said. “I’m not Amazon or Walgreens or Walmart who can pay their employees that much.”

Jackson isn’t alone in his complaints.

More from Jason Rantz: Panic as Seattle restaurants may not survive massive minimum wage shift

A second West Seattle eatery closes, citing the minimum wage hike

Bel Gatto, a bakery and café, became the second West Seattle eatery to close its doors over the Seattle minimum wage hike. The owner posted a sign to the front door to thank supporters but said she can’t afford to stay open anymore.

“Our revenues, unfortunately, are not able to cover the close to 20% increase in mandated wages, salaries and payroll taxes put into effect by the Seattle City Council effective 1/1/25. This ruling has made the continuation of our bakery operations untenable,” the sign read.

The owner, Peter Levy, explained to the West Seattle Blog that, “we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the city put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”

Last week, a video by Corina Luckenbach, owner of Bebop Waffle Shop in West Seattle, went viral as she said the minimum wage hike was forcing her to close after 11 years. She said she didn’t have an extra $32,000 a year to pay her staff what the city mandates.

More from Jason Rantz: Democrats blame Los Angeles fires on climate change to deflect from their own complicity

Will more restaurants close?

Ahead of the minimum wage hike, restauranteurs offered many warnings over what’s to come.

Ethan Stowell operates a number of Seattle’s top restaurants, including How to Cook a Wolf, Staple and Fancy, and Tavolata. He warned this change would be exceptionally costly for businesses in an industry notorious for razor-thin margins. And restaurants can’t merely raise menu prices again.

“I know everybody wants to say, ‘Just raise things (on the menu) a dollar or two,’ and that’s what it’ll be. That’s very simplified math. I wish it was that easy, but it’s not. This is a large increase that’s probably large enough to be equal to or close to what most restaurants in Seattle profit,” Stowell told “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Portage Bay Cafe co-owner Amy Fair Gunnar noted the minimum wage change will cost her about $45,000 more a month. She said restaurants will have to “seriously change what they’re doing or they’re going to close their doors.”

More from Jason Rantz: Here’s why Seattle residents vow to stop tipping in new year

Ignoring the warnings, mocking the business people

The warnings from restaurant owners were mostly ignored or mocked.

Efforts by the Seattle City Council to address the forthcoming crisis fell apart after activists said they didn’t want restaurants to get an exception. Council president Sara Nelson told “The Jason Rantz Show” they will take up the issue again this year but there’s no specific idea yet to forward for legislation. The Mayor of Seattle, Bruce Harrell, has been almost completely absent from the issue.

Left-wing voices, meanwhile, claim to not care. That if businesses “can’t afford to pay a living wage,” then they shouldn’t be in business.

One reporter with The Stranger mocked one of the closures, quipping on X, “Has anyone ever eaten at bebop waffle lol.” Left-wing Seattleites condemned the business for “creating a right wing media darling to complain about paying people a living wage.”

KING 5 reporter Maddie White helped elevate this talking point by citing the National Low Income Housing Coalition, claiming “the average renter needs to make upwards of $40 an hour to afford rent.” But she’s quoting a stat for two-bedrooms. Minimum wage jobs aren’t meant to cover the cost of a single person renting a two-bedroom home or apartment.

Ironically, as activists dismiss the concerns of small business owners, they fail to acknowledge the inevitable consequence: when those businesses shut down, people lose jobs. A $20.76 hourly minimum wage — even with a $2.72 tip credit — means nothing if you’re unemployed.

Listen to The Jason Rantz Show on weekday afternoons from 3-7 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason Rantz on X, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Follow @https://twitter.com/jasonrantz

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