Council rebuffs Sawant’s rent control proposal
In an anticipated move, the Seattle City Council voted Aug. 1 to reject a proposal seeking to enact rent control citywide.
Sponsored by outgoing City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, the rent control ordinance would have sought to limit annual rent increases to the rate of inflation. However, Sawant’s proposal would only have taken effect if the Washington state Legislature repealed a 42-year-old ban on local municipalities’ ability to regulate how much landlords can charge for rent.
While advocating for her proposal, Sawant cited a national 2017 study from the Washington Department of Commerce showing that a $100 increase in rent was associated with an increase in homelessness of between 6% and 32%.
Locally, a recent analysis of census data showed that rental prices in the greater Seattle area spiked nearly 92% from 2010 to 2020. Inflation rose just 21% during the same period, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
City Councilmember Sara Nelson said she voted against the measure because of her concern that it might decrease existing housing stock.
With the measure failing 6 to 2 (only Sawant and Tammy Morales voted in favor, while fellow City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda was absent for the vote), it leaves the Legislature to potentially take up rent control proposals during its session starting in January.
Two more Starbucks stores plan to unionize
Workers at two Seattle Starbucks stores officially filed petitions on Aug 3. with the National Labor Relations Board to unionize with Starbucks Workers United (SWU), the union representing the coffee chain’s baristas.
Since December 2021, more than 330 Starbucks stores across the country have successfully unionized with more than 8,500 baristas joining SWU. The union says that Starbucks has fired more than 230 union leaders throughout the country and has retaliated against stores that have unionized by closing them.
Speaking to a local broadcast station, Starbucks said that it “respect[s] the right of all partners to make their own decisions about union representation and are committed to engaging in good faith collective bargaining for each store where a union has been appropriately certified.”
Appeals court says ‘obstruction’ sweeps can continue
A state appeals court suspended any enforcement of a King County Superior Court decision that found the city of Seattle’s rules on “obstruction” encampment removals unconstitutional.
Seattle currently defines an “obstruction” as any encampment, tent, person or property located on any personal space. The suspension is a result of an Aug 4. appeal filed by City Attorney Ann Davison’s office. and allows the city to continue its practice of sweeps without warning.
Read more of the Aug. 9-15, 2023 issue.