Cascadia today: Seattle mayor's public safety plan unveiled + will a third party candidate impact OR gov race? + The story behind Sen̓áḵw
Seattle mayor's public safety plan focuses on prevention
KUOW reports on Seattle mayor Katie Wilson's new plan to address gun violence and other crime by ramping up the city's Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) program, an alternative to police response, as well as increased patrols in certain neighborhoods and more services for youth in the city's south end. KING-5 has more details on the plan, which is thankfully not centered around SPD.
Will third party candidate affect OR governor's race?
OPB looks at the Oregon governor's race, where challenger Christine Drazan, a Republican state senator, is slightly ahead in polling against incumbent Democrat Tina Kotek. The article looks at the potential influence of a third candidate, left-leaning candidate Brett Smith of the Pacific Green Party, who supports universal health care. Kotek's campaign doesn't seem phased by someone who could steal off a few votes – hopefully that means she'll move to the left. In related local election news, KNKX reports that several legislative seats in southwest Washington once held by Republicans are now competitive for Democrats because of deep dissatisfaction with US president Donald Trump.
Evictions surge after Spokane Fires
RANGE Media reports that eviction proceedings in Spokane courts have climbed from an average of 40 per week to 138, with the loss of some 800 homes to wildfires putting pressure on an already stressed rental market. To help Spokane residents having trouble making ends meet after the fires, please consider making a donation to Second Harvest, a food bank serving residents of central and eastern Washington.
The story behind Sen̓áḵw, Vancouver's Indigenous housing project
The Tyee has a great, detailed story about the process of designing and building Sen̓áḵw, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Suquamish) First Nation's architecturally stunning 6,000-unit housing complex on returned land in Vancouver. The piece interviews Venelin Kokalov, the Bulgarian-born Canadian architect of the project, who say the process involved a lot of listening. "I don’t come with the best English, and I don’t like to talk too much neither. So I like to listen," Kokalov said.
