🧑🏻‍⚖️ Your right to counsel is underfunded

WA Public Defense Is at a Breaking Point

Every state in the US has a constitutional duty to provide an attorney to anyone who can’t afford one. But the public defense system in our state is in dire need of a new funding structure. It’s gotten so bad that the non-profit representing all 39 counties in Washington is suing our state for “violating the fundamental rights to counsel and equal protection.” This lawsuit could force the state to pay up. The Stranger’s Nathalie Graham joined us on the podcast today to discuss this issue in depth. Give it a listen 🎧 [The Stranger]

• 💰Counties and cities foot the bill: Washington is one of only ten states where local governments fund the majority of the cost of public defense. The state pays 6 percent, or $11.9 million, of the total cost. Counties and cities pay the other 94 percent, equal to $230 million. Counties get their budget money primarily from property taxes and sales taxes. To pass the millionaire’s tax, Democrats in the Legislature cut a sales tax hike. This cut axed about $300 million for counties statewide. And because of this structure, poorer counties get even less funding.
• 🧑🏻‍⚖️ Cases dismissed: Two counties in Washington have already dismissed cases due to the lack of funding for public defenders. Benton County in south central Washington dismissed nine felony cases and released three inmates accused of non-violent crimes. Clark County, in the southwest corner of the state, has dismissed 24 cases for the same reason.
• ⚖️ Caseload standards: In a move meant to protect public defenders from overwork, the State Supreme Court cut the number of cases public defenders can take by a third. Over the next decade, public defenders must reduce their caseloads by 10 percent each year. This means that cities and counties must somehow hire more public defenders with less budget. Though for King County, the wealthiest county in the state, lower case loads were actually a recruitment incentive – the county hired a record 88 new attorneys in the last 18 months.

🚍 Zero actual citations: Last spring, King County Metro restarted its fare enforcement. A new report shows they issued about 10 warnings a day, but only seven riders ended up receiving citations, and due to "unreliable methods of communication," those citations were left unresolved, putting the actual number of issued citations at zero. This year, Metro has budgeted $3.1 million for fare enforcement. [The Urbanist]

📸 Surveillance backlash continues: On April 10, Mayor Wilson hit 100 days in office. Her team has pointed to wins such as shelter goals and the renter survey, but many of her constituents, including the transit fairy who swore her into office, joined a rally outside City Hall against her decision to keep the majority of the city's surveillance technology online. [South Seattle Emerald]

🤼 Sumo wrestling returns: Rain City Sumo is bringing Seattle’s long history of the martial art back to life. Japanese Americans held sumo tournaments in Seattle until their incarceration during World War II. Seattle’s sumo community didn’t fully recover until more than 80 years later, when Rain City Sumo hosted its first annual Rain City Open. [KUOW]