King County Council

Report: Poor oversight of use of force by King County deputies

Gabriel Spitzer — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:51:00 +0000

King County needs to hit the reset button on how it deals with the use of force by its sheriff’s deputies, according to an independent report presented to County Council members.

Audit says oversight of King County sheriff's deputies is lax

Paula Wissel — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 23:29:26 +0000

The King County Sheriff’s Department does a poor job of investigating police misconduct complaints. That’s the conclusion of an outside audit of the department. This comes five years after the county pledged to implement improvements in the troubled law enforcement agency.

Seattle Council member worries arena deal could set bad precedent

Bellamy Pailthorp — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:43:14 +0000

More questions are being asked about the proposal for a new arena in Seattle to lure back the NBA. A public hearing on the deal takes place Thursday evening and Seattle’s City Hall is expected to be packed with people giving testimony for and against it.

Cities near Seattle may lose tax revenue if arena gets built

Ashley Gross — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:43:05 +0000

A new professional basketball and hockey arena in Seattle could steal tax dollars from neighboring communities. That’s according to the analysis of University of Washington geography professor Bill Beyers, who has spent a lot of time studying the economic impact of professional sports.

Beyers has done previous analyses about the Mariners and Seahawks, as well as KeyArena. As part of an expert panel, Beyers presented his initial thoughts on the proposed NBA and NHL arena to the King County Council.

Can Seattle sustain another major sports venue?

Ashley Gross — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:42:19 +0000

Could a new basketball and hockey arena hurt ticket sales for other teams in the city? That’s what some King County officials are worried about. The fear is that Seattle could end up with too many big-time sports teams and that there wouldn’t be enough entertainment dollars to go around.

ACLU opposes King County anti-gang proposal

Paula Wissel — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:05:07 +0000

A proposal to fight gangs in King County is coming under fire from civil liberties groups. Among other things, a proposed county ordinance would make it illegal to coerce someone into joining a gang.

King County Council members says they want to make the county unfriendly to gangs, but there isn't agreement on how to do that.

Bus route spared after public outcry; Metro adjustments enacted

Bellamy Pailthorp — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:20:44 +0000

Public outcry may rescue a popular South Seattle bus line. An amendment to the transit re-alignment plan passed by the King County council late Monday afternoon has temporarily spared the route.

Ten other bus lines that are considered inefficient have been eliminated.

It’s the first phase of a voter-approved plan to make King County's Metro Transit agency more efficient.

King County delays vote on digital billboards

Jake Ellison — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:06:21 +0000

The King County Council decided to take no action today on the contested digital billboards proposal. The vote will instead be held until Oct. 24, said Al Sanders, a spokesman for the council.

Racetrack’s expansion plans have enviros, neighbors worried

Bellamy Pailthorp — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:30:00 +0000

Plans to upgrade a dilapidated old race track near Kent are sparking an environmental debate. The owners of Pacific Raceways say that to stay afloat, they badly need an expansion that would bring thousands of new jobs to the area.

Neighbors are worried about impacts on surrounding wetlands and fish habitat, especially because they say special legislation King County is considering to facilitate the expansion may set a bad precedent.

Likely passage of car tab tax for Metro buses means no more free-ride zone

Bellamy Pailthorp — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:42:47 +0000

A grand compromise, showing that bi-partisanship and good government still exist. That's what members of the King County Council are saying after the announcement that they have a super majority to back a temporary $20 car tab fee and stave off massive cuts to metro transit.

Two Republicans - Jane Hague and Kathy Lambert - have agreed to back the deal when the council votes on Monday. Among other things, it will phase out Metro's subsidy for the free ride zone in downtown Seattle starting October 2012.