[00:00:00] Zoom recording just in case. Hello, hello. Hello. Okay, I think it's recording on my end. I think we're good. But yeah, start the Zoom recording. Just awesome. Okay. We are a professional operation. We know what we're doing. We are technically savvy. Oh, my God. All right. Thanks for hanging in there, Mark. I'm ready.
[00:00:40] And then if there's a way to get it sort of underneath you and a little bit in front of you, that would be ideal. Yeah, you should just be able to email it to me or Sandeep.
[00:02:17] Hello, and welcome to the latest episode of Seattle Nice. I'm Erica C. Barnett, the editor and publisher of Publicola. He's political consultant Sandeep Kaushik. And our co-host David Hyde is currently at an undisclosed location. Maybe he'll tell you more about that next week. But it is not going to be just me and Sandeep yelling at each other this week because we've got a special guest, new city council member Mark Solomon. Welcome to the show, Mark.
[00:05:56] Is it true that you sold your comic book collection to send one of your kids to college?
[00:06:02] Okay, I might be mangling that story a little bit. You're going to say that you built the edition with the money from these comics. But I don't know what comic books are worth. I mean, unless it's like X-Men number one or something. So this is all we're going to talk about.
[00:07:18] I mean, I, I'm pretty sure that we have some, some nerds who listen to this podcast, just just a hunch that I have. So, so this is all this is all valuable stuff.
[00:07:41] So, so, so, so let's, I actually do want to switch over to, to council stuff for our other nerds, maybe for the same nerds. So you promised to be a caretaker in this position, meaning that you won't run for election later this year when the seat is up again.
[00:08:01] Why did you make the decision not to run? You've run before for this position. And how do you think that's going to impact your approach to serving on the council? I mean, beyond just not having to spend time campaigning?
[00:10:04] That's Sandeep's favorite word.
[00:10:05] So I want to talk about an issue that does impact D2. I mean, that's the comprehensive plan. Your time is going to coincide with the adoption of a comprehensive plan for the city, which is, you know, a growth plan, sort of deciding where growth will go, among other things in the city of Seattle.
[00:11:15] And I asked you about this last week, and you mentioned that you want to streamline permitting and improve the anti-displacement policy. And particularly with the anti-displacement policy, I'm wondering if you can elaborate on what that means to you, what is inadequate about it. And, you know, and then if you want to talk a little bit about how permitting could relate to the comprehensive plan, that would, that would also be great. But let's start with anti-displacement. What do you want to see change?
[00:15:20] Do you think that's true? I mean, not about whether there's a permitting problem, but I mean, I guess just to pull back a little bit, I mean, I'm wondering, like, well, first of all, this feels like a common frustration that I've heard, you know, a lot from people. I've never built a shed in my backyard or whatever.
[00:15:38] But my question, though, is, you know, that that does, I'm not sure how that relates to the comprehensive plan, so much as, you know, streamlining OPCDs process. And again, like, not to get too into the weeds on this stuff, because, you know, I know it's a very common complaint that it's impossible to build anything. But in the comprehensive plan, I'm not sure where that, where that, that specific thing comes in. I mean, since it's mostly about, or the big picture stuff is about growth.
[00:16:16] It's about 30. Yeah, I think it's 30. But it's in that neighborhood.
[00:18:06] Hey, Seattle nice listeners. Seattle politics got you low. We'll get high with Uncle Ikes. Pissed at the mayor? Relax with a dollar joint. Pop a tire in a pothole? Eat a $2 gummy and chill. Whether you need something to pump you up for Saturday's protest, or a mellow strain for your next sit in.
[00:18:30] Ikes is your best friend. Now is the time to roll up Seattle. Download the Ikes app today, or head on over to Ikes.com. That's Ikes.com.
[00:18:42] Well, there's, there's been a couple of instances where you've committed to not removing neighborhood centers. And I mean, I can identify like a couple of the pain points mean, literally geographically are, you know, Madrona, Maple Leaf, those are the one, those are the two of the communities that have had lots and lots of people show up at council meetings and sign petitions and things like that.
[00:20:38] I would personally argue that they're going to oppose more density, the people that oppose more density now are going to oppose it no matter how many times you have a public meeting with them. So I'm just wondering, like, is there a point where you would where you will say I'll hold the line? Or are you saying that you're open to cutting Maple Leaf out as Kathy Moore wants to do or Madrona out as you know, is being discussed as well? Open to removing those neighborhood centers from the comprehensive plan.
[00:24:52] Okay, sorry, I got a pause for one second. I'm going to start recording. My partner just found my phone. So I've got two, I'm gonna have two recordings going. Okay, here we go. Yeah, let's go to let's go to sure. So the council is considering and you know, has discussed new legislation about the use of left, let me say that over. It's such a hard phrase.
[00:25:19] Three, two, one. The council is considering legislation on the use of less lethal weapons during protests, including blast balls. Do you support allowing police to use blast balls for crowd control? And, and if so, you know, under what conditions and are there any other, like, kind of restrictions you'd support adding to this bill before it finally passes?
[00:25:39] Are you talking about like, specific restrictions, like underhanded throwing of blast balls versus overhanded or like what are
[00:29:54] Sandy, do you want to jump in or
[00:29:58] speaking of which, I wanted to pivot slightly and just ask about something that you said was one of your top priorities, which is, I think, broadly speaking, sort of cleaning up 12th and Jackson and, you know, ending the, the very long standing
[00:32:32] drug market and market and stolen goods there, etc. And, you know, I mean, this is something that obviously has been an issue for a very long time now. And I wanted to ask you specifically about, and I never remember what the acronym stands for, but, but crime prevention through environmental design is that did I get it right?
[00:32:50] So, you know, I don't know a ton about this. But I do know that, you know, some aspects of it of the concept are like, you know, putting lights so that people, you know, are seen and, you know, and adding, getting rid of bushes, adding fences, things like that. How do you envision that looking or working at 12th and Jackson?
[00:33:08] I mean, I think there's reasons that the city doesn't contract with either of those organizations, but they don't agree to participate in some, you know, pretty important data keeping systems and other reasons. But, you know, I mean, I hear you, I just, so are we done with the Sunday? Are we done to editor cut that up, but just place setting? Okay, great.
[00:37:54] Right. So the council is probably going to consider legislation sometime this year to roll back some of the renter protections that were passed by the last council. You know, I've heard the right to council maybe narrowed somewhat first in time law, which allows which requires landlords to rent to the first qualified candidate $10 late fees, things like that. I'm just curious where you stand on some of those, those protections. And if you think some of them need to be rolled back, I mean, a lot of affordable housing providers,
[00:38:24] for example, have been calling for, you know, the removal of some of these, these rules and saying that they, you know, don't accomplish anything and make it, you know, impossible to evict bad tenants.
[00:39:51] Sandeep, in the order of things, it's your turn now. Or I can keep talking.
[00:42:39] There used to be a grocery outlet down there and it closed, I think, because there wasn't, you know, enough people living around there to support it. So it's like it's a chicken and egg thing. Yeah, I love that place, but it's not a grocery store.
[00:43:03] Sure. So I guess this will be our last question. Sandeep, unless you I see you in the document and editor don't cut cut this business stuff.
[00:44:21] Okay, great, great. Okay. Mark, you were appointed to this position after losing to Tammy Morales in 2019. You tried for the appointment to the citywide position that ultimately went to Tanya Wu. And, you know, and I've certainly seen criticism that this current council has twice now appointed people who lost to Tammy Morales. And, you know, I'm wondering, what's your response to that criticism? And what do you say to voters who voted against you and for Tammy?
[00:46:02] Awesome. Well, Mark, thank you so much for coming on Seattle Nice and talking to us. And we really appreciate it and wish you luck as a council member. And that's it for this week's episode of Seattle Nice. I have been Erica Barnett. He's Sandeep Kaushik. Our special guest was city council member Mark Solomon. Our editor is Quinn Waller. And thanks for listening.
[00:46:31] So you can stop.