Seattle, WA

Seattle considers $500 fine for owners of vehicles used in street racing

Published

7 months ago

June 19, 2024

Seattle considers 0 fine for owners of vehicles used in street racing

By David Kroman
The Seattle Times

SEATTLE — A new bill before the Seattle City Council would allow police to write a $500 ticket to the owner of any car being used in illegal street racing — even if someone else is behind the wheel.

The new citation is part of a larger bill, submitted by Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison this week, that brings Seattle in line with new state-level rules regulating street racing. The Washington Legislature last year expanded the definition of illegal street racing to include the takeover of intersections, dangerous displays (such as “donuts”), and racing in off-street areas like parking lots.

By adding the $500 citation, however, Seattle goes further than the state — and possibly gives the city another tool to go after the now-infamous “Belltown Hellcat” driver, who’s made international headlines for flaunting his Dodge Charger on Seattle’s streets and Instagram.

The motive for the proposed new citation, said Deputy City Attorney Scott Lindsay, is to help police crackdown on large street racing events, which are relatively common, especially in the summer months.

“This legislation responds to the recent rise in large street racing takeover events that pose a safety hazard to the public — pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers,” Davison said. “The new civil infraction will give police a tool to hold vehicle owners accountable when their cars are used at these events.”

City Hall has tried to wrap its arms around illegal street racing in recent years. The events, which can quickly swell to nearly 100 cars, pop up around the city — including recently in Wallingford, West Seattle, Lower Queen Anne, Capitol Hill and Rainier Valley. They’re loud, disruptive and, as occurred last summer in Auburn, occasionally deadly.

The city last year signed off on installing new traffic cameras in areas around the city to help crack down on illegal street racing. But individual officers are limited in what they can do to break up the events as they happen.

Under current law, officers must identify and try to arrest the person driving the car in an illegal street race. That’s difficult when a single patrol vehicle is dispatched to events with a large number of cars and people.

If passed, the new law would allow officers to write down license plate numbers and other identifying features and cite the cars’ owners — similar to how parking tickets or tolls are issued now.

While the so-called Hellcat driver, Miles Hudson, was not the motivator for the new law, it could be used against him. Hudson has gained internet infamy by speeding his noisy — and leopard-print — sport car down Seattle’s streets.

Hudson, 20, was charged in March with two counts of reckless driving stemming from a video posted in February that showed a driver racing at speeds up to 107 mph in an area where the limit is 25 mph. He has pleaded not guilty to both charges.

In May, he was sued by the city of Seattle and ordered to comply with the requirements of various traffic and city citations he’s received over several months. The Seattle city attorney later filed a court order demanding he pay $83,619.97 in civil penalties and other fees after he failed to respond to the lawsuit in time.

He was ordered to not drive the Hellcat, but in several videos posted on Instagram, where he has 759,000 followers, he’s seen in the passenger seat while others drive his car.

If passed, the new law would mean officers could write tickets to Hudson even as a passenger. Both he and his mother are listed as owners, according to the lawsuit.

Councilmember Bob Kettle is sponsoring the bill.

(Seattle Times reporter Paige Cornwell contributed to this story.)
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Seattle, WA

State ferries: A better idea from Nordic countries

Published

6 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

14 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

23 hours 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.

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