🏳️‍🌈 World Cup’s Pride Match drama

Controversial Police Contract Passes City Council

The City Council voted to approve contracts for both the Seattle Police Management Association and the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) today. The contract passed 6 - 3 with Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Eddie Linn, and Rob Saka voting against. The former passed unanimously. [Seattle Times]

• What Does the SPOG Contract Do? The contract sets a starting salary of $120,000 with increases after six months, bumping up the salary by 13%. SPD officers already earned the most in the state before this increase.
• CARE Is Cleared To Operate (Somewhat) Independently: The city’s Community Assisted Response and Engagement department, CARE, which emerged out of 2020 protests, can now deploy non-police responders without needing a police representative to be present. This is a win for alternatives to policing and officers dealing with welfare checks and nonviolent crises. However, there are still limits on what CARE responders can do. They are unable to enter homes, encampments, and private spaces. Additionally, sergeants can veto the dispatching of civilian responders.
• Rob Saka Votes ‘No’: In a guest rant in The Stranger, council member Rob Saka detailed why he voted against the contract, saying that it doesn’t do enough to stop police misconduct and it doesn’t align with the accountability ordinance that passed in 2017. [The Stranger]
• How Will the City Cover the Increased Salary Costs? Money has been put aside to cover the up-front costs of this contract, but in 2027, more money will need to be allocated to the department. Where that money will come from hasn’t been addressed, but the budget deficit for 2027 is currently at $140 million.

Yes, It’s Still Raining 🌧️

On Wednesday, 25 rivers were on flood warning, including the Snoqualmie, Snohomish, Tolt, Cedar, Puyallup, Cowlitz, and Carbon. The Snoqualmie has reached its highest level in a decade. It’s expected to slow into the weekend, but heavier rain will return next week. [Emerald City Weather Blog]

• Some Nerdy Terminology: This storm counts as a ‘Pineapple Express’ as it has traveled from the subtropics and brings warmer and wetter air to the region. It is also an atmospheric river, as all Pineapple Expresses are atmospheric rivers. An atmospheric river can also come from across the Pacific, as well as from the south. [KOMO News]

A Historic Replacement for Zahilay ☑️

Girmay Zahilay was sworn in as King County executive on Nov. 25, which means his position on the Metropolitan King County Council had to be filled. The council voted 7-0 to put Rhonda Lewis in the position. Lewis, who has spent her career in public service, was previously Zahilay’s chief of staff and chief of operations for Dow Constantine. She is the first Black woman to serve on the council, which is now majority women for the first time. Lewis will take over the District 2 seat and urged her constituents to give her a call. [Seattle Times]

More Controversy Over Seattle's World Cup Pride Match 🌈

On Tuesday, we reported that a Seattle World Cup match between Iran and Egypt had been dubbed a Pride Match (this occurred prior to the teams being assigned). Now, representatives from Egypt, where queer people can be prosecuted on the grounds of ‘violating public decency’ and Iran, where gay people can be executed, have objected to the match as it ‘essentially signals support for a particular group.’ [ESPN]

HUD Pulls Funding Notice, Creating Confusion 🏠

In November, we reported on changes to funding for HUD’s Continuum of Care, which provides and operates homes for thousands across King County, meaning that nearly 4,500 households in Seattle are at risk. On Tuesday, HUD pulled the Notice of Funding Opportunity for homeless investments, further creating confusion and a lack of clarity for local agencies that rely on this funding. This comes as further limits are being placed on what HUD’s funding can be used for. [PubliCola]