👮 City to pay for SPD delays

City to Pay 160K for SPD Public Records Delays

The City of Seattle is on the hook for $160,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the Seattle Times. The Times alleges that the Seattle Police Department’s policy of grouping multiple requests from the same person delayed the release of public records. [Seattle Times]

• Requests Relate to Tenure of Fired Chief: The requests, which came from the Seattle Times, were related to allegations of sexual harassment and favoritism that became the basis for the December 2024 firing of former police chief Adrian Diaz. The SPD was only fulfilling one request at a time before moving on to the next, which a judge ruled violates Washington’s Public Records Act.
• A Hefty Fee: The city is paying the Times a $70K penalty, plus $87K in attorney’s fees and over $2K for expenses. This is, of course, taxpayer money; lawyers for the city informed the court they are no longer grouping requests.
• Wilson Weighs In: In an email to the Times, the Wilson administration said: “Mayor Wilson believes in transparency in local government, and will work with all our departments on compliance with state public records law.”

Washington Could Have Its First Trans Lawmaker 🏳️‍⚧️

Lavender Rights Project executive director Jaelynn Scott is running for position 2 in Washington’s 37th District, which represents the Central District, Columbia City, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Rainier Beach, and Renton. If elected, she would be the first openly trans person in the Washington State legislature. The Stranger asked her about her positions on housing, surveillance, ICE, and trans rights. [The Stranger]

Seattle Area Gas Prices Will Be Affected by U.S Actions in Iran 🪖

About 20% of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow water passage between Oman and Iran. With bombings on Iran by the U.S. and Israel, less oil is moving through the Strait, meaning that gas prices will be affected locally. We are unlikely to see a major spike, but prices will move higher throughout the week. [KOMO]

Which States and Countries Have King County Residents Moved From? 🚛

In the 1960s to 1980s, around 50% of King County’s residents were born in Washington. That number has now dropped to about 38% — about 880K people of the county’s 2.34 million residents were born in Washington. But where are King County transplants moving from? The most represented U.S. states are California, Oregon, New York, Texas, and Illinois; others hail from India, China, Mexico, Vietnam, and Afghanistan. [Seattle Times]