.jpeg)
Seattle Nice
It’s getting harder and harder to talk about politics, especially if you disagree. Well, screw that. Seattle Nice aims to be the most opinionated and smartest analysis of what’s really happening in Seattle politics available in any medium. Each episode dives into contentious and sometimes ridiculous topics, exploring perspectives from across Seattle's political spectrum, from city council brawls to the ways the national political conversation filters through our unique political process. Even if you’re not from Seattle, you need to listen to Seattle Nice. Because it’s coming for you. Unlike the sun, politics rises in the West and sets in the East.
Seattle Nice
Council President Sara Nelson Gets Touchy-Feely on Treatment
PROGRAM NOTE: We hope all you Seattle Nice fans will join us for a live taping of the podcast at 7 pm on July 15 at the next meeting of the 43rd District Democrats, held at the Erickson Theater on Capitol Hill, 1524 Harvard Avenue. We’ll be previewing the upcoming primary, and there’ll be a chance for audience questions.
Council President Sara Nelson, flanked by homeless services and treatment providers and neighborhood representatives, held a press conference last week to announce that she is introducing a “Pathways to Recovery” resolution that would commit the city to use 25 percent of a future public safety sales tax toward drug and mental health treatment services. The legislature gave cities and counties the authority to pass a 0.1 percent sales tax for public safety earlier this year
Erica and Sandeep dissect Nelson’s proposal on the latest episode of Seattle Nice, and the mayor’s non-committal response to it. We take a close look at what the Council prez is proposing to fund and some of the backroom politics swirling around the proposal. And we look at how this proposed new public spending fits into the city’s overall budget picture and priorities.
Erica expresses some skepticism about the need for more funding for police, and about the impact of increasing the regressive sales tax, which is already the highest in the nation. (She was also alarmed by the presence of groups that don't support evidence-based practice at Nelson's press conference). Sandeep argues that 100 percent of revenues from the new sales tax—expected to be adopted as part of the budget process this fall— should go to Nelson’s treatment proposal, because the City isn’t facing the big budget deficit they claims they are. In the end, while there is a lot of process yet to go before this new treatment funding becomes a reality, and while there still unanswered questions about how this funding will be divvied up, both Erica and Sandeep agree this is a positive step forward and that Nelson deserves credit for building a broad coalition of support behind it.
Our editor is Quinn Waller.
Have a question or comment? Send us an email at realseattlenice@gmail.com.
Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com
Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and commentary you hear weekly on Seattle Nice.
Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice@gmail.com
Thanks to Uncle Ike's pot shop for sponsoring this week's episode! If you want to advertise please contact us at realseattlenice@gmail.com
Your support on Patreon helps pay for editing, production, live events and the unique, hard-hitting local journalism and commentary you hear weekly on Seattle Nice.
