text:
Next Article in Security
ICANN Seeks To Dismiss VeriSign Antitrust Claims
By John P. Mello Jr.
The group empowered with overseeing administration of Internet domain names and addresses has asked a federal court judge to dismiss antitrust and breach-of-contract claims leveled against it by VeriSign, which runs the registry for two of the most popular top-level domain extensions on the Internet — .com and .net.
In an acerbic motion filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) argued that VeriSign, in its own filing with the court, failed to submit sufficient facts to support an antitrust case against ICANN.
In a copy of ICANN's motion-to-dismiss obtained by TechNewsWorld, the nonprofit group argued, "VeriSign has not alleged facts sufficient to show that anticompetitive consequences flowed from ICANN's alleged conduct, or that ICANN's alleged conduct is the kind of conduct that the antitrust laws are intended to prevent."
Indeed, the motion continued, "all VeriSign has alleged is that it has been 'prevented from competing' because ICANN has misinterpreted the contract." In its motion, ICANN mocked VeriSign's contention that the Internet overseer was part of a conspiracy to restrain trade.
VeriSign Versus World
"VeriSign's meager allegation of a conspiracy falls far short," ICANN said in its motion. "VeriSign identifies ICANN's alleged coconspirators only as 'its members, including constituent groups within ICANN and the members of those groups.'"
This allegation is "useless," the motion said. "ICANN has no members … and VeriSign offers no explanation of what it means by that term. Presumably, it could include any person or entity in the global Internet community that has participated in the ICANN process. But since participation in ICANN is open to any person or entity, the number of possible coconspirators equals the population of the earth."
Moreover, ICANN maintained, the fact that it conducts no commercial activity of any kind — and has no financial interest in the actions of VeriSign or any of its competitors — strongly undermines any notion of an antitrust conspiracy.
Ludicrous Claims
VeriSign's claims of breach of contract were also ridiculed by ICANN, which contends the dispute between it and VeriSign stems from a disagreement over contract terms.
"[I]t is ludicrous to assert that the existence of a dispute over the meaning of terms of the contract creates a breach of the contract or the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing," ICANN argued.
Summarizing the thrust of ICANN's motion, ICANN general counsel John Jeffrey told TechNewsWorld, "Disagreeing and stating someone should be responsible to their agreement does not constitute a breach of a contract or an antitrust violation."
According to VeriSign vice president for government relations Tom Galvin, the domain registry hopes, through the lawsuit, to gain clarity on the corporate role of ICANN in terms of its oversight of new services and the process for introducing those services.
He noted that it has taken as long as two years for ICANN to approve some new services. "Two years is a very long time for the industry to wait to hear if a service can be adopted or introduced or not," he told TechNewsWorld from his office in Washington, D.C.
"It's very hard to run a business if people don't have any sense of confidence about when you're going to introduce a service," he added.
SLAPP To Come
Galvin maintained that ICANN has overstepped its authority. "What we're asking a judge to do," he said, "is to look at the contracts that VeriSign has and determine what ICANN's appropriate role is."
This week's court filing by ICANN will not be its last. Jeffrey disclosed that the group plans to file another motion Monday asking the court to strike certain provisions in VeriSign's complaint based on a California law passed to prevent lawsuits aimed at quelling free speech.
Asked about that additional filing under California's Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) law, Jeffrey responded, "I wouldn't comment on that until we file the motion."
Observers Stumped
He noted, however, that the basis of the filing will center on correspondence between VeriSign and ICANN relative to suspending VeriSign's use of wildcard technology to redirect mistyped Internet domains to the company's own servers.
Playing the Anti-SLAPP card has some stumped some observers. "It seems like a stretch," observed Fred von Lohmann, a staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco.
"ICANN may be trying to stop discovery," added Lohman's colleague, Wendy Seltzer. "An Anti-SLAPP motion puts discovery on hold. We're seeing two big bullies up against each other here, so we'll probably see creative lawyering from both sides."
More by John P. Mello Jr.
Microsoft's New AI Can Simulate Anyone's Voice From a 3-Second Sample
Research Finds Many Workers Now Value Trust Over Money
More in Security
Pentagon Supply Chain Fails Minimal Standards for US National Security
NIST Action Will Heat Up Post-Quantum Cryptography Market: Report
Cybersecurity Tips for SMBs To Avoid Phishing Scams
Report Finds Biometric Data Threatened by Social Media
Coding Vulnerabilities, Linux Growth, FOSS Friction Cap Summer Highlights


text:
Glen Ruzicka
Anne Downey
Rolf Kat
Anna Yates Krain
A Yemenite Taj--A Case History in Cooperative Book Conservation
In 1991 the Annenberg Research Institute* asked the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts to prepare a condition report and treatment proposal concerning a manuscript book, a Yemenite Taj (figure 1). The main objective for treatment at that time was to make the book more accessible to researchers. Little information accompanied the book. It was believed to be a nineteenth century printed bible containing the first five books of Moses. The book was rebound in the beginning of the twentieth century in a quarter leather and cloth hard cover. The hardcover was partly detached from the textblock and the spine was glued up heavily with animal glue. Most leaves had suffered water damage along the gutter leaving the paper without strength and very pulpy (figure 2). Some pages were also loose. It was hard to open the textblock without doing damage and creating losses to the leaves. The initial treatment called for disbinding and non-aqueous deacidification, with an option for either foldering and boxing the leaves, or encapsulation of the leaves and then post binding.
The book returned with the condition report and treatment proposal to the Annenberg Center. The next year (1992) an Annenberg researcher identified the book as one of the world's most important specimens of late medieval South Arabian Hebrew manuscript writing. Among its distinctive features are the "peh-lefufah", the characteristic feature of the Ben Asher school of Masoretes, the scribal tradition of the bible which was maintained intact in Yemen even after it had been lost in Europe. The colophon bears the date of 1509 and is signed by the scribe, David ben Banayah ben Saadiah, of the famous Benayah family of Yemenite scribes. The text is also intricately decorated.
The client chose the encapsulation option and the book was returned to the Conservation Center in the spring of 1993.
In light of the 1992 research a re-examination of the object was warranted. The knowledge of its importance changed our perspective of what kind of treatment this manuscript should receive. After testing, it was decided that encapsulation was not a good solution for the manuscript and it should be conserved to the fullest extent possible. This would mean to strengthen and repair the leaves and rebind the manuscript in a new soft board leather binding.
Dismantling the Text - Rolf Kat
The first step in the conservation was the removal of the hard cover binding followed by the separation of the signatures and subsequently the leaves. As mentioned before, the leaves were severely damaged along the gutter. Turning leaves back and forth to find evidence of sewing or of signatures would have done irreparable damage to the felty paper. In book conservation, when dismantling a textblock, it is common practice to cut the sewing thread and then to soften up the adhesive layer on the spine using a poultice of methyl cellulose or starch paste. When the adhesive has softened sufficiently the excess adhesive is removed, usually by scraping. The signatures are then carefully separated. On this textblock, however, the animal glue on the spine was quite thick (up to an 1/8 inch) in places. Signatures could not be identified due to the felty paper in the gutter. It was therefore decided to remove the adhesive layer dry by cutting the glue off using a scalpel. If the adhesive could be cut as close to the glue as possible without too much paper fiber loss, there would be a chance that some evidence of the original structure of the signatures could be saved. This would be helpful in recreating the original book structure.
During the adhesive removal it was found that the book was "repaired" with a common book binders method. Three slots had been sawn into the spine of the textblock and hot animal glue was spread over the spine and cords were inserted into the slots. After the adhesive was removed the text was much more accessible and the textblock could be opened much further than before. Two places were identified near the beginning of the textblock that showed evidence of folded folios. From these two findings it was calculated that each signature consisted of five folded folios.
It was now important to find the middle of each signature because there would be most evidence of a fold with minimal loss of paper caused by the adhesive removal. One might even find sewing thread. Every time the calculated middle of a signature was opened there were signs of fully folded leaves and sometimes even some evidence of underlaying leaves partly connected. After all the signatures were separated the signatures were folded closed and laid down in sequence. What was striking now was that each signature was marked in the upper right corner with Hebrew characters. These Hebrew characters turned out to be Hebrew numbers (figure 3). The fact that the numbering of the signatures was discovered after dismantling and not before (in part due to our inability to leaf through the book more easily) would not have altered the adhesive removal procedure due to the spongy gutter and the end result would have been precisely the same.
Paper Analysis and Treatment Plan - Anne Downey
As previously mentioned, the treatment for the Taj textblock originally called for non-aqueous deacidification and encapsulation of the text leaves. Closer examination and rigorous testing revealed that a more aesthetically sympathetic and chemically stable treatment could be achieved.
Initial examination of the text block was conducted. The text paper was hand made, had rounded corners, and was burnished with a moderate degree of sheen. The paper was unevenly formed throughout the body, but was generally about 4 mils thick. The leaves of the text were severely degraded and pulpy along the gutter, with significant loss. The paper was weak, limp, and had a very soft and spongy hand. There was also severe discoloration and overall staining. Microscopic examination yielded some clues to the manufacture of the paper. In addition to the burnishing that is typical of Middle Eastern papers, fine raised striations, or laid lines, were apparent, suggesting that the paper could have been formed on a fine grass screen. Chain lines were not visible. Examination of the fibers with a polarizing light microscope revealed that the paper was composed of very long and fine flax fibers. The fibers were not at all macerated, suggesting that linen rags were retted or fermented, and not stamped or beaten, to produce discrete papermaking fibers. Traditionally, Middle Eastern paper fibers were stamped after retting. This fibrillation process increases the inter-fiber bonding, and ultimately achieves hardness and strength over the full sheet. Fermentation alone, as found in the Taj paper fibers, created less inter-fiber bonding, yielding a soft paper that was almost felt-like to the touch. As there is little source material on the manufacture of Middle Eastern papers, the rationale for the historic need and use of this soft paper remains a mystery.
The Taj text appeared to be carbon black ink. An unusual white crystalline deposit was clearly visible on most of the ink surface. The deposits detracted visually from the elegant script. Although visually disturbing, it was important to determine whether these deposits were an integral component of the ink. If so, complete removal of these deposits during treatment would destroy historic evidence significant to this rare text.
In reformulating the treatment plan, washing was considered a preferred stabilization system over non-aqueous deacidification. The paper and ink were carefully tested to determine if this would be an appropriate treatment step. Initial spot testing of the paper support indicated that the burnished sheen and the screen impression would not be diminished by water immersion. Further full leaf testing indicated that drying against a tightly-spun polyester web support would effectively retain the sheen without disrupting the screen impression.
Testing the ink for immersion washing also presented a complex problem, in part due to the presence of the white crystalline deposits. Initial testing indicated that water, ethanol, and mixtures of the two would visually reduce the appearance of the deposits. Although this reduction would be desirable from an aesthetic standpoint, as mentioned earlier, removal of the deposits could be considered detrimental to the historic integrity of the ink. Using the x-ray detector of a scanning electron microscope, the components of the ink sample were evaluated before and after washing. It was concluded from this analysis that water immersion would yield an insignificant and acceptable weight change in all elemental components of the ink.
Testing, as well as consultations with colleagues, brought us to the conclusion that a full immersion washing of the text leaves would be desirable. The next challenge was to find a suitable method of filling the very pulpy gutter. Inserts were rejected as too time consuming: multiple layers of new paper would have to be built up on every leaf in these thinned areas. It was decided that leafcasting would be the most appropriate method for filling the loses to the paper. This method would achieve the dual effect of depositing pulp where there was a complete loss and also where the gutter was thin and pulpy. Abaca half-stuff, or partially beaten Abaca pulp, was chosen for the new fiber. Abaca is a bast fiber, like the linen rag of the Taj, yet would produce a softer paper than commercially available linen half-stuff. It was important to remember that the paper of the Taj was solely retted, a process that produced a distinctly soft paper. We wanted to match this soft quality with the new infills, and to produce a sound full sheet.
Paper Treatment--Leafcasting - Anna Yates Krain
In theory leafcasting could be likened to a Chinese stir-fry: turn on the heat, throw in all the ingredients, toss until done and serve immediately. Preparation prior to cooking or casting is the key to success. First a sample of pulp was cast to determine the slurry concentration. A working solution of 4 grams of dry pulp to 1,000 liters of water was determined. These calculations along with the calibrated thickness of a page were entered into a video digitizer computer program. Each folio was then scanned to find its missing mass. After this figure was calculated, the amount of pulp needed was cut, weighed, and hydrated. We were working with dry sheets of half beaten Abaca that were soaked overnight and further beaten in a blender. At this point the bucket of soaking pulp turned into a garbage pail of floating fiber ready for color. Water dispersed pigments were used with a retention agent to tone the fibers. Eventually the "Taj color" achieved its final rinse and the bulk of the pre-casting preparations were done.
The folios were sprayed with water and humidified between sheets of Mylar before going into their calcium enriched bath. The immersion was no longer then 30 minutes prior to casting. A tremendous amount of discoloration was released so a quick soak in a second bath was needed just before transferring the object onto a Remay support. The casting tank was bottom filled to about an inch above the grid support, which consisted of a metal egg crate covered by two screens. The object was laid on top of a Mylar window which masked out the area to be filled (figure 4). Another Mylar template, which outlined the final dimension, was placed over this to help position the folio according to its placement within the signature. At this point the small amount of water used to maneuver the object was removed by briefly turning on the suction, then a rubber brayer was used to expel any air from inside the casting area. The Mylar template was taken away and any bubbles remaining in the borders were pounded out with a vegetable brush similar to a nail scrubber. This is a very important step because bubbles can prevent the deposit of fibers, leaving holes instead. A plastic egg crate was laid on top of the object and the tank was top-filled. Bottles of water were used to weight down the crate. A beaker was placed under the faucet to temper the water flow. When the level of water was at least 3 inches above the crate it was time to cast. The prescribed amount of slurry was measured and blended again with additional water. The weights were then removed. Keeping one hand on the crate, the slurry was poured into the tank and agitated with the other hand. After a few seconds the suction was turned on, the crate was lifted and all you could do was hold your breath and watch it work.
A successful cast will look full and fluffy (figure 5). The pulp will be higher than its host until a series of gentle pressure and slow drying techniques bring it into equilibrium. A wet sheet of Remay was carefully couched onto the fresh cast. A rubber brayer was lightly drawn across the border easing the fibers towards the object and dispersing excess water. The brayer was also gently run down the gutter to secure the bond between cast and host. The manuscript was sized with a dilute solution of 5% methyl cellulose (400 cps) that was generously brushed across the Remay with the suction left on to help draw the size into the object. The Remay sandwich was slowly lifted and placed between blotters under a thick sheet of Plexiglas for the duration of time needed to cast another folio. The first cast was then moved from the blotters into a bed of thin felts, weighted and covered with plastic for a slow dry.
The folios were trimmed and mended in places where the border- fills had pulled away while most of the gutters stayed intact. A vinyl eraser was used to remove any unwanted fiber that was covering text. The pages were then humidified and a sheet of 5 mil Mylar was used inside each folio as a folding aid to prevent the soft Abaca from creasing irregularly. The signatures were put into the press for an overnight stay and then they were ready for binding.
After leafcasting the 78 folios for the Taj, we were better equipped to formulate an estimate for any future project of this size.
We'd like to offer the following suggestions for anyone considering a large leafcasting project:
plan on spending at least a half hour per folio for bathing, casting and drying.
working with the video digitizer averaged out to half an hour per 20 folios.
instead of dry sheets of half-beaten pulp, consider ordering fully beaten pulp in its wet state to be toned in house.
the set up and breakdown required at least an hour each day.
finally (and not to be underestimated), is the two to three hours needed to thoroughly clean the leaf caster when the job is finally done.
Rebinding - Glen Ruzicka
In every professional conservation subspecialty the conservator's task is to preserve the original. The conservator accomplishes this by making additions and alterations that are subtle, stabilizing enhancements to a vulnerable artifact. Ideally this is a nearly invisible function. Conservation bookbinding frequently steps far beyond this subtle ideal.
Professionally, the book conservator is a hybrid of the bookbinder and the conservator. The bookbinder's job is to create a durable and functional vehicle for the textural artifact. In performance of this task the bookbinder makes major additions and emendations to the core text, adding new pages, sewing and structural support, and a prominent new covering. In sum these binder's conventions, viewed from the perspective of artifact conservation, have altered the entire aspect of the original. The conserved and rebound book looks, feels, and works differently than before. What remains of the original is now the kernel, the conserved text, enclosed in this new object.
In part as a corrective to the radical remake of the original that a new binding and all its elements represents is the book conservator's reliance on historical binding styles. The limp vellum binding of the Italian Renaissance, the eighteenth century German paper case, the medieval beveled board binding, and other traditional styles and structures are imitated in efforts to furnish the artifact with a structure which is "sympathetic to the original text." The conservation binding of the Yemenite Taj was designed to be sympathetic with Middle Eastern binding styles, but also durable and functional. That no remnants of the original binding or sewing were extant was an advantage in this case. There were no fragments that would tempt one to imitate a previous structure or binding.
Middle Eastern bookbindings, it is safe to say, are typically structurally weak. The weak points in the classic form include the sewing (sometimes using silk thread, and no sewing supports), a flexible spine (using a single lining of cloth), and weak connections to the cover. Covers were usually made as a case, that is made separately from the textblock. For the Yemenite Taj an effort was made to incorporate aesthetic elements of the classical Middle Eastern binding. These included a thin flexible leather cover, and a square back. A key feature to be maintained was a page that was flat not creased by any sort of backing, and a opening that flexed to the spine.
Structurally, the means to attain this type of opening is referred to here as a "hinged hollow", for want of a better name. Gary Frost has previously referred to this construction, facetiously, we presume, as a Mexican hollow. A similar spine hollow structure is probably most familiar on children's board books (figure 6). There are other examples in trade publications. Recently a new paper back binding design was introduced called the "lay flat binding" that is based on the hinged hollow idea.
The traditional hollow tube hinges at two spots at the ends of the spine, or at the peak of the shoulders of the backed book. When a book with a hollow tube is opened these two hinging points act as pivot points for the hollow which arches the spine of the volume in one direction and the spine of the cover in the other. The hollow of book lying open does tend to a round tube shape. The hinged hollow, in comparison, by wrapping around the spine and onto the sides of the book, replaces the two hinges of the hollow tube with six hinging points (plus the hinge of the opening at the spine). The comparison of these two similar structures can be instructive in understanding the opening of texts and hinging. It is the common experience of preservation librarians that the two hinges of the hollow tube are the weak points of the structure. In the binding of the Yemenite Taj the hinged hollow was chosen with the idea of distributing the stress of hinging among the multiple hinges including the hinge of the opening.
The binding of the Yemenite Taj incorporated the hinged hollow into the structure of the volume (figures 7, 8). This design is intended to hold the square shape of the spine and allow a flexible opening. The hollow was constructed from the endpaper (figure 9) rather than applied to the text. The text was sewn onto three linen tapes and a continuous concertina guard of thin Gampi paper using Irish linen thread. The concertina guard acts as a barrier for adhesive separating the text from paste in the binding process. The endpaper is a double folio with a 2" wide strip of linen attached to the middle folio. The outer sheet of the endpaper becomes the hollow. The square back was lined with Kozo and Western handmade paper. These linings were extended onto the endpaper to stiffen the hollow. The endsheets were then folded back over the spine and adhered overlapping to make the "off" part of the hollow.
After the hollow was made the cover board was attached to the hollow and the linen hinge (figure 10). The cover board is a laminate of two pieces of 2-ply mat board. The upper board of the laminate is shorter than the lower to accommodate the hollow and an extra 1/16" gap to allow the covering leather to hinge without a sharp crease. In covering for aesthetics it was necessary to cover the inside edge of the hollow. This disguises, somewhat, the unconventional structure. The linen hinge of the endpaper was adhered to the inside of the cover and added strength to that hinge. The binding was completed with a leather doublure in imitation of Middle Eastern binding conventions. The cover was decorated with a simple design of blind lines that mirrored the unique calligraphic design of the text (figures 11, 12).
The finished cover and hollow acts to lift and turn the text as it opens. It is interesting how the cover and hollow shifts as the book is opened through the text. The long term durability of this design is, of course, something that can only be accessed by time.
Many conservation treatments proceed along familiar pathways of routine practice. In fact, the efficiency and effectiveness of conservators is founded upon establishing appropriate responses to typical problems. The treatment of the Yemenite Taj, in contrast, represented a complex object with unique elements and challenges: in reconstructing the text, planning paper conservation treatment, text repair, and rebinding. Such an object demanded treatment innovation in a number of stages of treatment. The team approach proved in this project to be a constructive means to develop new ideas and successful approaches to many treatment steps.
* The Annenberg Research Institute in Philadelphia is modeled after the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and similar postdoctoral research centers. Under the guidance of Einstein and his colleagues the Institute at Princeton made enormous contributions to our understanding of the physical world. The Annenberg Institute aims to expand the knowledge of our historical and cultural worlds as it strives to understand the development of Western history and culture with special emphasis on the Near East.
Al-Hassan, Ahmud Y. and Donald R. Hill. 1986. Islamic Technology . Cambridge Press.
Blunn, Denis and Guy Petherbridge. 1976. Leaf--The Mechanical Repair of Paper Artifacts. The Paper Conservator 1:26-32.
Bosch, Gulnar and Guy Petherbridge. 1981. The Materials, Techniques and Structures of Islamic Bookmaking. In Islamic Bindings and Bookmaking , ed. Gulnar Bosch et al. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 23-53.
Cote, and Wilfred. 1980. Papermaking Fibers . Syracuse University Press.
Pulp and Paper Microscopy . Institute of Paper Chemistry, 1967.
Downey, Anne and Frank Hengemihle. 1993. The TAPPI Standard Paper Materials Collection of the Library of Congress: A Photomicrographic Collection. Unpublished report and reference collection. Washington, DC: Library of Congress.
Downey, Anne, Anna Yates Krain, and Theodore Stanley. 1994. Leaf Casting Overview. Unpublished report. Philadelphia: Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts.
Futernick, Robert. 1982. Leaf Casting on the Suction Table. Book and Paper Group Postprints , p. 86-99.
Hunter, Dard. 1978. Papermaking: The History and Technique of an Ancient Craft. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. (First published 1943, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.)
Jacobs, David and Barbara Rodgers. 1990. Developments in the Conservation of Oriental (Islamic) Manuscripts at the India Office Library, London. Restaurator 11: 110-138.
Karabacek, Joseph von. Translated into English by Don Baker and Suzy Dittmar. 1991. Das Arabische Papier (Arab Paper) . London: Islington Books Ltd. (First published in Vienna, 1887).
Petherbridge, Guy. 1987. Analysis, specification and calculation in the preparation of leaf-casting pulp: a methodology. In Conservation of Library and Archive Materials and the Graphic Arts , ed. Guy Petherbridge. London: Society of Archivists and Institute of Paper Conservation. 153-179.
Rudin, Bo, Making Paper: A Look into the History of an Ancient Craft . Vallingby, Sweden: Rudins.
Wiesner, Julius. Translated into English by Gudrun Aurand. 1986. Mikroskopische Untersuchung Der Papiere von El-Faijum (Microscopic Examination of the Faijum Papers), Caber Press. (Originally published in Mitteilungen aus der Sammlung der Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer , Wein, 1887.)
Thanks to the following people and institutions for their valuable assistance in this project:
Hengemihle, Library of Congress; Martha Smith, Freer and Sackler Galleries; Ted Stanley, Princeton University Libraries; The Annenberg Center for Judaic Studies; The Free Library of Philadelphia; the staff of CCAHA.
CONSERVATION CENTER FOR ART AND HISTORIC ARTIFACTS
Glen Ruzicka, Chief Conservator
Anne Downey, Paper Conservator
Rolf Kat, Senior Conservator
Anna Yates Krain, Advanced Technician
Received: Fall 1996
Paper delivered at the Book and Paper specialty group session, AIC 24th Annual Meeting, June 10-16, 1996, Norfolk Virginia.
Papers for the specialty group session are selected by committee, based on abstracts and there has been no further peer review. Papers are received by the compiler in the Fall following the meeting and the author is welcome to make revisions, minor or major.
URL: http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v15/bp15-16.html
Timestamp: Wednesday, 03-Aug-2011 10:44:35 PDT

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Tag: Housing
Domestic Worker Anti-Discrimination, Retaliation, and Harassment Legislation; Move Levy Resolution to Address Implementation Challenges; King County Hotel-Motel Tax Legislation Update; August Break
Domestic Worker Anti-Discrimination, Retaliation, and Harassment Legislation
On Tuesday August 14th in my Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and Arts (CRUEDA) Committee we heard a briefing on a necessary legislative fix to Chapter 14.04, the Fair Employment Practices section of the Seattle Municipal Code. This change would protect domestic workers who are independent contractors from harassment and discrimination.
The Fair Employment Practices section (Chapter 14.04) of the municipal code currently only covers employees, not independent contractors. This section of the municipal code is enforced by the Office of Civil Rights (SOCR). You can watch the full briefing here. You can find a draft of the legislation as discussed in briefings here.
The reason this change is necessary is related to a bill recently passed by the Council, under the leadership of Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, the Domestic Worker's Bill of Rights legislation. This historic legislation guarantees that domestic workers earn minimum wage, rest and meal breaks and protects workers from both wage theft and from having their documents withheld.
As a part of the stakeholder engagement and listening sessions led by Councilmember Mosqueda, many domestic workers shared their experiences of harassment and discrimination they are subject to while working.
In exploring how to address the issue of harassment, retaliation, and discrimination legislatively it was discovered that making a change to the Fair Employment Practices section (Chapter 14.04) of the municipal code, enforced by SOCR would be important. Since my committee has legislative jurisdiction over SOCR, Councilmember Mosqueda reached out to my office asking us to collaborate.
In order to ensure that all workers exercising the rights under the new Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights will not be discriminated against, harassed, or retaliated against, we will work to amend this section of the municipal code. We will continue discussing the legislation with interested stakeholders. A vote on the proposed legislation is scheduled for my committee on Tuesday September 11th. To track this issue please sign up to receive CRUEDA meeting agendas.
Move Levy Resolution to Address Implementation Challenges
SDOT announced earlier this year that it was reevaluating implementation of the Move Seattle levy. In April, SDOT published a Work Plan Assessment Report. The report noted that of 31 program areas, 23 were on track, while 8 areas needed "further review and adjustment," meaning potential reductions or downsizing of projects.
This appears to be due to rising construction costs, the reduced opportunity for federal funding under the Trump administration, and overestimation of how much outside funding was realistic. I appreciate the willingness of Interim Director Sparrman to initiate this work, and speak candidly about it.
SDOT plans to propose next steps on August 23 for public comment for the 8 program areas under review, and publish an updated workplan later this year.
SDOT presented an update in the Sustainabilty and Transportation committee August 7, with information about the timeline, process, and recommendations of the Levy Oversight Committee. Also linked on the agenda are reports the Council required re: bridge safety and major corridors.
On August 13 the Council adopted a resolution establishing principles for the revised work plan, to ensure transparency, accountability, and community outreach. The resolution calls for using value engineering to reduce costs, and clear documentation and explanation for any project changes.
As Chair of the committee overseeing Seattle Public Utilities, I believe it's important to coordinate this work with SPU's Strategic Business Plan; at times SDOT projects can require or intersect with utility work. The recent SPU Strategic Business Plan included significant rate increases for $201 million in SPU projects related to the Move Levy. Changes in Move Levy projects could result in changes to the SPU projects related to the Move Levy, and potentially SPU rates as a consequence. For this reason, I introduced an amendment requiring SDOT to coordinate this work with SPU, specifying and documenting any potential impact on SPU's rate path, and report to the Sustainability and Transportation committee, and the Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and Arts Committee, with an initial assessment due to December 1, and a final report by March 1, 2019.
King County Hotel-Motel Tax Legislation Update
In late June, I wrote about the deliberations at the King County Council regarding the amount of hotel-motel tax that should be devoted toward funding for affordable housing. The bill as introduced would dedicate the legally required minimum of 37.5% toward affordable housing, with $190 million going toward Safeco Field.
In late July, CM Jeanne Kohl-Welles instead proposed to increase the proposal's investment in affordable housing by $184 million, and reduce the amount of funding directed toward Safeco field to $25 million.
Seattle City Councilmembers Mosqueda, Gonzalez, O'Brien, Harrell and myself recently sent this letter thanking King County Councilmember's Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Dave Upthegrove, & Rod Dembowski for supporting more of these funds devoted to build affordable housing.
As the letter states, "The investment in affordable housing would mark a major step toward addressing the growing crisis in Seattle and King County and demonstrate the region's real commitment to the issue."
The next King County Council hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Wednesday August 29th at 9:30am in which there may be a vote.
August Break
The Council is on break through the day after Labor Day, so this newsletter will be taking a break for the next couple of weeks.
Posted on 08/20/2018 Author Joseph PehaCategories TransportationTags Councilmember Herbold, Housing
Housing for Tenants with Disabilities; Delridge Multimodal Corridor; One Center City Bike Network; Bike Share Program & Fees; July Constituent Email Report
Amending the Open Housing Ordinance for Tenants with Disabilities
On Monday July 30, 2018 the Seattle City Council passed CB 119309 amending the Open Housing Ordinance in Chapter 14.08 of the Seattle Municipal Code to increase the types of entities with an obligation to provide reasonable accommodations to tenants with disabilities.
This issue was brought to my attention as an area needing new legislation after litigation and a decision from the Washington State Court where a Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) voucher recipient requested a change in her voucher from a studio apartment to one bedroom as a disability related accommodation. SHA refused to grant her request. As a result, she brought her complaint to the Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR). Here's what happened next:
SOCR issued a finding that SHA had unlawfully denied the voucher recipient a reasonable accommodation and the case was sent to the City Attorney's office for prosecution.
The complaint was filed in the Hearing Examiner's (HE) office and the HE also issued a finding that SHA unlawfully denied the accommodation request. SHA was then ordered to issue the voucher recipient a one-bedroom section 8 voucher and to pay her $1,500.
SHA filed a writ of review at the county level, and moved to dismiss. The judge denied this motion and ultimately affirmed the HE's decision.
SHA then appealed to the Washington State Court of Appeals who reversed the lower court's decision. The Washington Appeals court decided that based on a plain reading of the language in the Seattle Municipal Code and the statutory context supporting legislative intent to cover only the landlord-tenant relationship and did not apply to SHA in its role as a voucher administrator in those cases that SHA isn't also the landlord.
In its ruling. the Washington Appeals court noted that "if the City wishes to extend the unfair practice requirement of SMC 14.08.040.D to include a requirement that Section 8 program administrators like SHA make reasonable accommodation….it can amend the SMC accordingly." This legislation is in direct response to this case and amends the SMC accordingly.
This bill makes several changes to the Seattle Municipal Code including:
Separating the obligation to provide reasonable accommodations from the obligation to provide reasonable modifications. These requirements were previously combined in the SMC and in separating the two it is intended to clarify the different responsibilities associated with each definition.
Revising the party for permitting reasonable modifications from "landlord" to "person" and including a Section 8 or other subsidy program administrator in the definition of "person."
Defining "Section 8 or other subsidy program administrator" to explicitly ensure the SMC applies in the case of parties who are administrators but not landlords or a party such as SHA who is both landlord and administrator.
Adding the term "prospective tenant" to any references to "tenant" to clarify that those applying for units and trying to obtain reasonable modifications are also protected. The Office for Civil Rights currently enforces this law protecting prospective tenants, and this bill will make that protection explicit.
Transportation Actions
The City Council approved three actions on at Monday's Full Council meeting. Below is a brief summary of each one; I sponsored amendments focused on accountability and oversight.
Delridge Multimodal Corridor
During the 2018 budget process, the Council adopted a restriction on spending on the Delridge Multimodal Project. The proviso required Council approval for any SDOT spending beyond 10% design. I sponsored this spending restriction to begin use of the "stage-gating" process for large capital projects. Stage-gating requires regular check-ins with the Council on project status, funding, and public engagement before proceeding.
The Delridge Multimodal Corridor includes improvement to Delridge Avenue SW designed to increase transit speed and access, in coordination with King County's planned transition to convert Bus 120 into the RapidRide H line in 2021.
The Sustainability and Transportation Committee received a presentation on the 10% design, and on Monday the Council voted to authorize additional spending, with a an amendment I sponsored.
My amendment requires a report to the Sustainability and Transportation Committee on 30% design, and Council approval, before spending additional funds. After getting input from community stakeholders, I included language in the amendment expressing an expectation the Council will receive from SDOT "a clear definition of the sidewalk and bicycle infrastructure improvements in the project scope," and anticipating that the 30% design package "will reflect continued community engagement and input in the project development."
This is a good example of how the enhanced oversight and accountability of the "stage-gating" process for construction projects should work, requiring regular check ins on progress and budget status. This also has the benefit of allowing residents and advocates to get their questions answered, and ensure Council hears their concerns early on.
Work on revising Capital Project Oversight began in 2016 with the North Precinct project cost increases. It started by first getting several departments to adopt common project terminology and defining approval phases, and quarterly updates to the Council to identify problems early. The enhanced quarterly reports will begin in the 3rd quarter of 2018.
One Center City/ Center City Bike Network
In anticipation of the "period of maximum constraint" Downtown, SDOT has partnered with King County Metro, Sound Transit, and the Downtown Seattle Association in the One Center City group. They have been meeting since 2016 to develop a series of planned actions to move people safely and efficiently through the center city from later this year until 2021, when light rail will arrive at Northgate, though a variety of planned actions.
In 2017, only 25% of trips Downtown were in single-occupancy vehicles. The period of maximum constraint will further stress the system, requiring alternative access to Downtown.
Downtown faces a high volume of projects: removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, opening of the SR 99 tunnel, reconstruction of Alaskan Way, all buses vacating the Downtown tunnel for expansion of light rail and expansion of the Washington State Convention Center. The Center City Streetcar project is currently on hold as the study ordered by the Mayor on construction and operations costs is completed.
Last week Mayor Durkan announced some of the early actions to implement the One Center City program. Transit enhancements planned before March 2019, when buses will exit the tunnel, include adding bus stops, adding ORCA car readers to allow for pre-paying on all routes, adding real-time arrival signs at all stops, and adding additional bus-only hours on 3rd Avenue. Signal enhancements are planned by March 2019 on 2nd and 4th Avenues, and transit pathway enhancements on 5th and 6th.
In June the Council adopted a resolution directing SDOT to provide quarterly reporting on: a. implementation of the One Center City program, b. the performance of the transportation system with these projects, and c. SDOT's intended actions to manage for the subsequent quarter. This came after the Council majority unfortunately voted against a motion to not allow buses to leave the tunnel, as necessary for the Convention Center expansion, until September 2019. I supported not allowing buses to vacate the tunnel until September 2019 as one way to reduce the combined impacts of these projects on commuters.
The success of the One Center City program is especially important for West Seattle commuters. The removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will require buses that access Downtown on the Viaduct to find another way into Downtown until Alaskan Way is re-built. Eventually, buses will access Alaskan Way just before the entrance to the tunnel, then turn right onto Columbia onto 3rd Avenue. During the interim period, buses such as the C Line will access Downtown via 3rd Avenue at first, then later on 1st Avenue. More specifics will be available on this later when WSDOT announces their timeline for Viaduct removal.
I've also heard frustration from West Seattle bike commuters about the lack of access across Downtown. Without dedicated access through Downtown, reaching areas to the north of Downtown, such as employment centers in South Lake Union, is difficult, and often unsafe. The Downtown bike network is designed to help provide this kind of access to bike commuters.
One result of the One Center City program is that the implementation of the Center City Bike Network included in the Bicycle Master Plan has been delayed. SDOT announced that the 4th Avenue two-way protected bike lane, for example, has been delayed from 2018 until 2021. While noting this, the Council passed a resolution in support of a Center City bike network.
Among other amendments to this resolution, I proposed an amendment to this resolution to clarify the broader context of the One Center City program. Bike network implementation must not compromise the One Center City goal of moving people safely and efficiently through the Center City.
With all the planning to date, we can't fully know what will happen when tolling begins on the tunnel next year. For this reason, some flexibility in implementation and scheduling of actions relate to the Downtown Bike Network may be necessary.
New Fees Passed to Support Free Floating Bike Share Program
After the demise of the ill-fated Pronto system that used fixed bicycle parking docks, Seattle became a focus for "free-floating" privately-funded bike share companies, since Seattle was one of only a few of the 50 biggest cities in the USA without a fixed dock system. Last year SDOT adopted a one-year pilot program under its existing street use authority, and charged the private-sector companies for use of city streets.
The use of these bikes has been much broader than the Pronto system, and the demographics of use have been reflective of the City's population; a survey found that 36% of Latino and African-Americans have tried the system, along with 32% of Asian and White respondents.
The Council approved fees for use of public right of way for what SDOT terms "free-floating bike share" bicycles. The legislation sets a fee of $250,000 each for up to four companies to provide bike-share bicycles, a similar fee to that the City charges Car2Go and other car-share companies for use of city streets.
Given SDOT's existing Street Use authority, the legislation by the Council is limited to setting fees. Some of the funds will be used to construct designated bike share parking. Bike parking will be developed in areas where car parking is currently prohibited, such as the 30-foot zone from stop signs. This is to ensure both that existing car parking isn't removed and ensure that bike parking doesn't block driver's views. Some of the funds will be used for enforcement of parking regulations
While the system is providing better citywide access than Pronto, and operates with no public subsidy, I do have concerns about "free floating" bikes blocking sidewalks, with impacts to pedestrians, especially to disabled and elderly persons.
In this spirit, I sponsored amendments to the legislation that:
1) limit the fee approval to bicycles and adaptive cycles to accommodate disabled riders, so that approval will not include other devices such as electric scooters (other devices would have been allowed in the original version);
2) request quarterly updates from SDOT about installation of designated bike parking associated with the free-floating bike share program;
3) request SDOT provide a written plan for sidewalk management and safety, addressing the increasing use of fast-moving electric-motor devices on sidewalks by December 31, 2018. Former WSDOT Director MacDonald has emphasized the need for a clear plan to address pedestrian safety on sidewalks with the rise in electric devices such as electric skateboards, hoverboards and uniwheels.
I strongly believe we need much greater clarity about sidewalk safety before considering approval for other electronic devices.
July Constituent Email Report
Constituent correspondence is a very important task in my office. My staff and I spend time every day helping you improve our community, whether that's through getting you help from a city department with our constituent case management services or giving you information about legislation that the Council is considering. The unshaded categories and numbers are problem-solving emails answered in July, what I refer to above as "case management services." The shaded categories and numbers are emails answered in June related to policy or legislation the Council is considering.
Happy 2018! And a Look Back on 2017 Accomplishments
Happy holidays and new year from Councilmember Herbold's Office!
PART 1 // D1 TRANSPORTATION UPDATES
Sound Transit Light Rail
Lander Street Overpass Funding
Highland Park Roundabout
Mudslides
PART 2 // PUBLIC SAFETY IN D1
South Park Public Safety Task Force
Alki Public Safety and Health Survey/Budget Action
PART 3 // HOUSING HIGHLIGHTS
Housing Bond Update
Fair Chance Housing
PART 4 // LAND USE LATEST
MHA Rezones
Vacant Building Program
PART 5 // ACCOUNTABILITY IN GOVERNMENT
Police Accountability Legislation
Observer Bill of Rights
Duwamish Greenbelt Tree Settlement
Socially Responsible Banking Legislation/Fair Business Practices
PART 6 // ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EQUITY FOR A BETTER SEATTLE
OLS Funding
Priority Hire
Legacy Business Program
UDP Expansion
Eliminating the Subminimum Wage
Fixing Our Broken Tax Structure
PART 7 // ARTS MATTERS
Cultural Arts Spaces
Sound Transit Busker Program
Film in Seattle
PART 8 // BUDGET WRAP UP – D1 SPOTLIGHT
PART 9 // CONSTITUENT CONTACTS
In May, Sound Transit announced a Draft System Expansion Implementation Plan for ST3, including a schedule for light rail to West Seattle, to implement the 2015 ballot measure. The ST3 scope equals the first two Sound Transit measures (1996 and 2008) combined.
The starting point is the representative alignment in the ST3 plan approved by voters, including stations at Delridge, Avalon, and Alaska Junction, to "connect West Seattle to downtown Seattle via Alaska Street, Fauntleroy Way, Genesee Street, Delridge Avenue, Spokane Street, and the SODO Busway."
Scheduled to be the first Seattle project completed in ST3, the timetable could involve utility work as early as 2024, in anticipation of construction beginning in 2025. This creates a potential conflict with the Fauntleroy Boulevard Project. In recognition of these challenges, I sent a letter to Sound Transit regarding these issues, and recently received a reply.
In December, the Council approved an agreement between the City of Seattle and Sound Transit to guide cooperation, with clarity to budget and schedule, and with specific points for City concurrence.
The agreement acknowledges "that suggestions to study additional alternatives are likely to emerge during the alternatives development process," and "The target is to identify options to be investigated as soon as possible during alternatives development to support the goal of early and durable consensus on a preferred alternative." The agreement calls for the development of a preferred alternative, with city concurrence, during the 1st or 2nd quarter of 2019.
The Sound Transit Board approves the alignment. An "Elected Leadership Group" will make recommendations to the Sound Transit Board regarding the alignment and other issues and will include other local elected officials. As District 1 representative for West Seattle, I'll be serving on this board.
The Lander Street Overpass project over the railroad tracks in SODO has received $10 million in funding from the Port of Seattle. With this, the long-delayed project attained full funding.
In the City's successful request for federal funding, I added language emphasizing that the daily closures result in "hindering access to Downtown from West Seattle and South Park." The West Seattle Transportation Coalition cites a 45% reduction in north/south vehicle lanes over the last eight years through SODO. Closures due to rail traffic average 4.5 hours daily, affecting north/south traffic.
The schedule calls for construction in 2018, and completion in early 2020. The cost estimate is $125 million, reduced from the $142 million figure listed in the SDOT 2017 capital budget, due to design revisions by SDOT.
Highland Park Way SW is one of only a few east-west access points for the West Seattle peninsula. Dating back to 1941, the community has advocated for pedestrian and motorist safety at this intersection, the cite of numerous recent accidents.
During last year's Neighborhood Street Fund process the community proposed a traffic roundabout (as they had in 2013) at Highland Park Way SW and SW Holden Street. It was the highest-rated project of the Delridge District Council, but, due to cost, wasn't selected.
I supported funding for initial design work, and SDOT dedicated $200,000 of existing funds to advance design for a roundabout. Improving safety and alleviating congestion can also reduce the use of side streets, an increasing safety issue, especially during rush hour.
SDOT applied for funding through a state grant; including a letter of support signed by all nine Councilmembers. Numerous other elected officials and West Seattle community groups showed their support as well. Unfortunately, the application wasn't successful; we'll be considering next steps early in 2018.
In February, after a mudslide closed Highland Park Way SW for a few days during heavy rains, I investigated SDOT plans for landslide mitigation, and found that work identified in a 2000 report was not being adequately funded.
I worked with the City Budget Office to increase funding in the 2nd quarter supplemental budget by $1.37 million; the 2018 budget also included an increase. The 2nd quarter funding went to projects at SW Cambridge and California Avenue SW, the 10200 block of 47th Avenue SW, and Highland Park Way SW.
You may recall that during last year's budget, Councilmember González and I partnered to create a South Park Public Safety Task Force. South Park had the 3rd highest number of gunshots reported in Seattle neighborhoods during 2016, according to Seattle Police Department data.
The purpose of the task force was to formulate and report to Council recommendations regarding the public safety and vitality of that neighborhood, including strategies that are culturally and linguistically responsive data-driven approaches.
This summer, in response to community requests after a number of nights of vandalism against businesses, I requested that the Chief of Police convene a community meeting. The Department of Neighborhoods stepped in and brought other City departments. High attendance showed just how concerned South Park residents are with the ongoing public safety issues.
In September, the report and recommendations of the South Park Public Safety Taskforce were presented including funding for a Public Safety Coordinator; Improvements to Pedestrian Safety; Lighting Dark Alleys and Crime Spots; Providing More Frequent Garbage Pickup; and Funding Opportunities for Children and Youth.
The budget balancing package I proposed, with Councilmember Lorena González' sponsorship, included funding a South Park Public Safety Coordinator and pedestrian and traffic safety improvements. My office is working with Seattle City Light and a local business owner to light the alley between Cloverdale and Donovan.
Since taking office, I have heard concern from residents of Alki and adjacent neighborhoods regarding vehicle noise and other public safety concerns. As a beachside neighborhood and regional destination, there are unique public safety and health challenges from Beach Drive to the West Seattle Bridge. Earlier in 2017, I met with SPD about issues at Alki, and requested additional officers and use of the Mobile Precinct.
Later in the summer, I worked with community members to develop the Alki Public Safety and Health Survey. 1100 people responded. The results showed a high level of concern for vehicle noise; you can see the results here, including by neighborhood.
The survey results informed a budget action I developed with community members, which the Council adopted in November, requiring the Seattle Police Department to identify new enforcement policies and practices with respect to vehicle noise and cruising in the Alki neighborhood that could be used in other neighborhoods, such as Fauntleroy, adjacent to the ferry dock.
You may recall that last year I worked to expand financing for more affordable housing through utilizing the City's existing bond capacity. Using the City's bond capacity for housing was very controversial when the Council approved it in 2016. In February of 2017, the Affordable Housing Neighborhood and Finance Committee approved two pieces of legislation that helped the city move closer to using the financing.
Then, in July of 2017 the Office of Housing (OH) announced that some of that new funding would be available through its annual competitive Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) process. More than a dozen non-profit developers signaled their intent to bid. Finally, in December of 2017, the City of Seattle announced $100 million in affordable housing investments.
OH Director Steve Walker said that the availability of $29 million in bonding authority in 2017 allowed the City to "make commitments to two large-scale transit-oriented affordable housing developments at the Roosevelt light rail station and Northgate transit center…In total, the $29 million in bonding authority supports the creation of 300 affordable apartments that otherwise would not have been created."
In addition to $29 million in bond financing this allocation utilizes the first year of funding from the 2016 voter-passed Seattle Housing Levy, funding from incentive zoning payments, and proceeds from the sale of surplus properties. Leveraging additional local and federal resources, this will support more than $260 million in investments.
Back in 2012, Councilmembers Licata and O'Brien asked that the Office of Housing (OH) begin to address the barriers created when criminal background screenings are used to select tenants. The Fair Chance Housing Taskforce was a 2015 Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) taskforce recommendation to increase access to rental housing for people with criminal records.
In February 2016, after announcement of the task force, several Councilmembers joined me in writing to then Mayor Murray about the Fair Chance Housing taskforce, available here.
In May 2017, my Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and Arts (CRUEDA) Committee hosted its first conversation with members of the Fair Chance Housing Taskforce. Through the work of the Fair Chance Housing Taskforce and the Office of Civil Rights the Fair Chance Housing legislation was proposed. The final Fair Chance Housing legislation, co-sponsored by myself and Council President Harrell passed unanimously by Full Council on August 14, 2017. This ordinance prevents landlords from screening applicants based on criminal convictions; arrests that did not lead to a conviction; convictions that have been expunged, vacated or sealed; juvenile records; or status of a juvenile tenant on the sex offender registry. The bill also prohibits the use of advertising language that categorically excludes people with arrests or conviction records. The legislation does not apply to people registered as sex offenders who committed their crime as an adult.
The legislation goes into effect in early 2018, allowing the City to implement a new Fair Housing Home Program to help property owners adjust their practices and learn how to implement practices to affirmatively further fair housing by reducing biases in tenant selection.
In December, the Council took its final vote to complete what was two years of deliberations addressing how Seattle should regulate and tax short-term rentals (STR) out of concern that, with a projected loss of 1,000-1,500 additional long-term units in the next three years, continued growth of multi-listing hosts would undermine Seattle's long-term housing stock at a time when the market is tighter than ever. My primary goal was to return and maintain as many long-term rental units on the market as possible.
The bills cover each the taxing structure, land-use code, and regulatory structure related to short-term rentals. CB 119083, pertains to how the City taxes short-term rentals. CB 119082 addresses how short-term rentals are addressed in the land-use code. CB 119081 addresses the regulatory structure. Council will receive an implementation status report in June. The short-term rental regulations will not become effective until January 1, 2019.
The Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program requires developers in urban villages to contribute to affordable housing by either building it onsite or paying into a City fund for Affordable Housing. The city plans to develop 6,000 affordable units with the implementation of the MHA program. This year the Full Council adopted MHA for each the University District, Downtown & South Lake Union; 23rd and Union-Jackson Residential Urban Village, the Chinatown International District and Uptown.
You may recall that the broad principles of the MHA program were approved by the Council in the MHA framework legislation, in Fall 2016. This framework legislation laid out how all developers would newly be required to contribute to new affordable housing in all developments in exchange for additional zoning capacity.
I am concerned about the impact that displacement has on existing residents and neighborhoods. In February 2017 I sponsored, and the Council passed, Resolution 31733, to request an analysis of both physical and economic displacement as part of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in order to evaluate whether the proposed city-wide upzones would: (1) increase or decrease direct displacement due to demolition; and (2) either introduce or accelerate a trend of changing socioeconomic conditions that may potentially displace vulnerable populations. This resolution put the Council on record declaring its "intent to consider strategies to mitigate any loss of subsidized affordable units and naturally occurring affordable units resulting from an increase in development capacity." It also made very clear the kind of analysis that the Council expected as part of the of the Displacement Risk Analysis being done for the DEIS. Because the DEIS was not fully responsive to Resolution 31733, in July 7, I sent a letter to Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), Director Sam Assefa requesting again that this analysis be completed.
The comment period on the DEIS was announced in June and was extended a couple weeks to respond to requests for additional time. On November 9, 2017 the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was released. On November 27, 2017 an appeal of the FEIS was filed. This appeal adds a layer of uncertainty to the timing of future legislative action. You can follow this issue on the city's HALA webpage as well as signing up for Planning, Land Use and Zoning committee meeting agendas here.
In August of this year, the Council passed legislation to improve maintenance and demolition standards of vacant buildings. The City has experienced a significant increase of complaints about vacant building; between 2013 and 2016 we saw an increase of 58%. District 1 has the second highest amount of complaints between 2013 and 2016. You can see those here.
I worked to amend this legislation to require development of a Vacant Building Monitoring Program. Vacant building monitoring programs require property owners to register vacant and foreclosed properties. This allows the City to ensure they are maintained and secure and not a nuisance to the public.
The Department of Construction and Inspection (SDCI) will report in March of 2018 with proposal for an enhanced Vacant Building Monitoring Program. Such a proposal should: (1) establish triggering events for enrollment; (2) strengthen minimum standards for vacant buildings; (3) include a penalty structure for failure to comply; (4) minimize costs to owners when buildings are well maintained (5) allow owners of vacant buildings to have buildings occupied by caretakers.
I support strong police oversight, and co-sponsored police accountability legislation to create, among other things, a new Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and making the Community Police Commission (CPC) a permanent body.
The function of the CPC is intrinsic to the success of police accountability reform in Seattle. The 2012 Consent Decree process was begun in 2010 when 34 community groups called on the US Department of Justice to investigate excessive use of force. It is critical that the community retain a seat at the table.
I worked with the CPC to propose amendments to require 25% of CPC members on the search committees for future Directors of the Office of Inspector General and the Office of Police Accountability (OPA). Another amendment expanded the size of the CPC, in order to increase their ability to carry out police accountability work, now enshrined in city law.
Finally, I proposed an amendment to ensure that the CPC retains the authority that the Office of Professional Accountability Review Board (OPARB), the OPA's previous civilian review board, had to review closed case files. The OPARB emphasized the importance of this power in a 2014 letter. This kind of oversight power led to the discovery, for example, that SPD was doing criminal background checks on people making misconduct complaints (see 2003 annual report).
Thanks to SPD and Seattle's police officers for their implementation of reform. The Seattle Police Officers Guild collaborated in the work of the CPC over the last several years, and helped inform their recommendations with practical experience. The Court-appointed federal monitor ruled in April that SPD had reached initial compliance with the use of force reforms. The monitor will continue review the department for at least two years to ensure compliance.
In May, the Council passed legislation I sponsored to establish an Observer Bill of Rights for people to observe and record police activity. The bill establishes that, by law, the public has the right to observe police activity. It states that officers may not use physical force to punish or retaliate against observers, and must seek to minimize harm to bystanders when using less lethal tools like pepper spray or tear gas. In addition, if a person brings a claim that the law was violated, the Office of Professional Accountability must be notified.
Observation has always been an important element of accountability. Mothers for Police Accountability here in Seattle has, for decades, trained community observers to watch the actions of police in detaining suspects. Most police interactions with the public are fair and professional, but the observation is one way to reduce the chances that people are treated unfairly in their interactions with police. And when people are not treated fairly, or force is used inappropriately, observation ensures there is a witness.
At a time when we have an increasing reliance on cameras that police officers wear or have in their cars, the police activity that the public observes is still important. A Washington Post article from March noted that in a shooting in Albuquerque, the camera of the police officer who fired the shot wasn't recording, three missed the crucial moment, and three were either blurred or contained no record.
In April, City Attorney Holmes announced a settlement over the illegal 2016 tree cutting on City property in the Duwamish Head Greenbelt.
Two complaints were filed last fall, including for timber trespass, damage to land, negligence, environmentally critical areas violations, violations of the parks code, and violations of the city's tree and vegetation management in public places code.
Two couples paid City $440,000 regarding one of the decimated areas. The City's other suit regarding the other area is ongoing, and unaffected by this settlement. The Parks and Recreation Department has used the settlement funds for remediation of the property.
Hopefully this settlement—60% higher per tree than the similar 2003 case in the Mount Baker neighborhood—will deter future rogue clearcutting. Those with financial means can't count on small settlements to pave the way towards increased views and property values. Trees in our greenbelts are precious resources that maintain soil stability, lessen the risk of landslides, and maintain air quality by absorbing carbon. We must protect them.
In February, the Council voted to adopt Fair Business Practices for contracting, including banking. To give local, in-state banks a better chance to compete for the City's banking services, I sponsored an amendment increasing from 15% to 20% the amount used in scoring for socially responsible banking and fair business practices.
The City manages nearly $4 billion annually; during 2016 the average daily balance in the City's account with Wells Fargo was approximately $56 million. Integrating social responsibility with the City's banking needs, and relevant state law, is challenging. State law limits the use of credit unions to $250,000, which means the City can't use them for general-purpose banking.
My staff researched which banks are eligible for the City's banking services under state law. Of the 63 banks are registered with the state, it appears only between 8 and 11 banks are eligible, depending on whether the minimum threshold for managing City deposits is set at $450 million, or $300 million. Between 4 and 7 of those banks are in-state.
Bank of America and US Bank, as well as Wells Fargo, all received significant fines from the Department of Justice for mortgage fraud. This points to the challenges we face in selecting a City bank in alignment with the City's values.
The City will re-bid its banking services. The contract proposals include smaller chunks, to increase the likelihood of smaller banks being able to apply.
The Office of Labor Standards (OLS) is responsible for administering and enforcing six local labor laws: $15 Minimum Wage, Paid Sick and Safe Time, Fair Chance Employment, Wage Theft, Secure Scheduling, and the Hotel Employees Health and Safety Imitative.
The work of the OLS is vital to employer and worker education. A University of Washington study from April 2016, found that 72 percent of workers, including 91 percent of immigrant workers, did not know about or had only a vague understanding of their rights to a minimum wage. Outreach to workers is crucial for employees and employers alike because when all employees know their rights, businesses who do not adhere to our laws do not have an unfair business advantage over those good employers that adhere to our labor standards.
Early this year the Council passed a bill that I co-sponsored to ensure that the OLS would have a dedicated fund to support the operations and activates of the office. This revenue supports enforcement activities, including the investigation of complaints and directed investigations, as well as the education and outreach to employers and employees.
Two and a half years ago, the City adopted Priority Hire. The program works to maximize the City's investment in public infrastructure by helping local residents secure employment opportunities on City funded public works project contracts totaling $5 million or more.
Specifically, Priority Hire requires a minimum percentage of works being local residents from economically disadvantaged zip codes, and sets a minimum requirement for apprenticeship utilization from pre-apprenticeship programs. These requirements improve opportunities for un/underemployed workers and gives them access to living-wage careers.
In July of this year, my Civil Rights, Economic Development, and Arts Committee took up recommendations from the City Department of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS), and another report from the Priority Hire Advisory Committee. The Council voted to approve legislation I sponsored to a. increase hiring through the Priority Hire hiring process and b. improve participation by open-shop and Women and Minority Business Enterprise (WMBE) contractors.
You might remember that in the 2017 budget I sponsored a budget initiative to include funding for the Office of Economic Development (OED) to conduct a legacy business study. In September of this year the Legacy Business Study was published and included several recommendations on how Seattle could further support this work, including:
Refine or expand existing OED programs to better support legacy businesses.
Create new business assistance specifically targeted towards legacy businesses.
Work to create a comprehensive legacy program.
In continuing to move forward this important work, I made sure that the 2018 budget contains funding to develop and implement a new Legacy Business Designation Program and support for business entrepreneurs who are women and people of color.
In October 2016, a constituent let my office know that Medicare Part B premiums were being included as a source of income towards qualification to the Utility Discount Program (UDP). The UDP is a City program for low-income customers and offers a 60% discount on your Seattle City Light (SCL) bill, and a 50% discount on your Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) bill for eligible customers. The result of including Medicare Part B premiums as a source of income is that people who should have access to the UDP were being deemed ineligible.
Medicare Part B premiums are automatically withdrawn from Social Security and Social Security Disability income checks; residents never even see the funds.
I worked with both utilities and the Mayor's Office to remove the requirement to count Medicare Part B premiums as income. Both utilities implemented the new rules on June 1, 2017. SPU estimated that the change added an additional 1,1015 households to the UDP.
In July, the City announced an intent to end the subminimum wage for people with disabilities. Seattle's current law mirrors Washington State law which allows employers to pay less than minimum wage. The Commission for People with DisAbilities (PwD) voted unanimously, in June, to end this exemption.
After conducting a review of Seattle's policy, the PwD held a public comment session to hear from the community and organizations. Additionally, they reached out to all the businesses that currently utilize the subminimum wage. The PwD Commission received no comment opposing the elimination of the subminimum wage certificates.
All subminimum wage certificates which the Director had previously signed will laps at the end of 2017. The Council will codify this decision in 2018.
Washington State has the most regressive tax structure in the nation. People earning $20,000 a year devote two months of pay to their yearly tax bill, while the 1% pay their entire annual tax bill in only 6 days. Economist Dick Conway reports that across five different measures – fairness, transparency, adequacy, stability, and economic vitality – Washington State's tax structure is the worst of all the states in the nation.
Besides placing a greater burden on those least able to afford it, and straining the middle class, the dependence on property taxes makes it harder for fixed-income seniors to remain in their homes. We need a fairer tax system. To address this, I co-sponsored legislation for a tax on high incomes.
The tax of 2.25% is on only the income of Seattle residents over $250,000 for single filers, or income above $500,000 for married couples filing jointly. For a single filer with income of $300,000, only the $50,000 over $250,000 would be taxed, for a total of $1125, or 0.038 percent of their total income.
The legislation was designed to minimize the cost of implementation and reporting. Residents with qualifying incomes will file their income as listed on line 22 on IRS form 1040; early estimates indicate it would raise approximately $140 million from about 11,000 tax payers.
An earlier resolution noted that legal viability would be the primary consideration in developing the tax structure. The legislation is currently under legal challenge.
The tax revenue will be used to: (1) lower the property tax burden and the impact of other regressive taxes, including the business and occupation tax; (2) replace funding lost through federal cuts or respond to changes in federal policy; (3) provide services, including housing, education, and transit; (4) create green jobs and meeting carbon reduction goals; and (5) and implement the tax.
I proposed, and the Council passed, a follow-up budget measure requiring a report by the City Budget Office on use of potential revenues, including future consideration of reduction or elimination of property tax levies.
The 2018 federal budget released by Donald Trump earlier this year proposed elimination of federal support for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
In response, the Office of Arts and Culture, KUOW, and I co-hosted a forum in April, Why Does Art Matter, to bring awareness to this issue, and to call on federal representatives in Congress to not pursue this path.
The NEA supports numerous local arts groups, both large and small. One such group is the Creative Advantage arts education program in Seattle Public Schools, which has programs in District 1 schools such as Arbor Heights Elementary, Concord International Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Roxhill Elementary, Sanislo Elementary, West Seattle Elementary, Louise Boren STEM K-8, Denny International Middle School, and Chief Sealth International High School.
The National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are vital for our community's well-being. The President's proposed budget would have eliminated federal funding for these agencies, and brings up questions about how to continue this important work. Thankfully, Congress acted to not cut this funding.
Along with the crisis in affordability in housing, we have a crisis on maintaining arts and cultural spaces in Seattle. The Office of Arts and Culture released the CAP report: 30 ideas for the Creation, Activation & Preservation of Cultural Space. When the report was released, I requested an implementation plan.
Through the budget process, I secured funding to incentivize cultural uses in older buildings, where three-quarters of cultural spaces in Seattle are located, and space tends to be less expensive.
Secondly, I secured funding for a half-time liaison between The Office of Arts and Culture and the Department of Construction and Inspections to support nonprofit cultural organizations in the permitting process.
Finally, a budget action requires a report on creating a cultural spaces public development authority, to lease, develop, and purchase real estate to maintain cultural uses.
Last year I asked Sound Transit to allow buskers to perform at stations, similar to the successful program at Sea-Tac Airport, and to work with the Seattle Music Commission to establish this program.
They established a six-month pilot program at the Capitol Hill and University of Washington stations, and a performance policy, and followed up with a survey of transit riders and street performers, and researched other cities such as New York, Vancouver and the Bay Area.
In September, Sound Transit expanded the program, adding Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Othello, Tukwila International Boulevard and Angle Lake. Approved performance sites are designated by a silver star, to prevent performers and audiences from blocking station traffic. Performer guidelines and photos of silver star locations are linked here.
Prior to the program, Sound Transit didn't allow street musicians to perform at light rail facilities; thanks to Sound Transit for supporting buskers!
During the budget process, I secured funding from admissions tax revenues for the Office of Economic Development's Office of Film and Music (OFM) to support advancement of the film and media production sector during 2018. This is a core economic development funding of the office. However, due to management of the City's Special Events program moving from Parks to this OFM, they have been able to carry out only a small amount of this work.
In November, the Council adopted the 2018 City budget, and 2018-2023 Capital Improvement Plan.
As Chair of the Budget Committee, I assembled a final balancing package. Together, my Council colleagues and I passed several important amendments to the city budget that will meaningfully impact the lives of everyday people in Seattle, all while maintaining current service levels.
In addition to items mentioned elsewhere, here are a few of the highlights; a longer description is here.
Hiring more police officers: the budget adds 35 additional police officers positions, to stay on track to hire 200 additional officers by early 2020
Funding to implement police accountability legislation; the Council added two and a half positions and contracting funding for the Community Police Commission, and two positions for the Office of Police Accountability.
Expand the Ready to Work project into District 1: There are unique challenges facing immigrants and refugees living in SW Seattle. The Ready to Work model is designed to support English learners with an intensive centralized and neighborhood based support. The Ready to Work expansion is slated to open in April of 2018.
Funding to plan and design a walkable, bikeable path uniting the Georgetown and South Park neighborhoods to enhance walkability between Georgetown and South Park's historic "Main Streets" and connect the heart of the Duwamish Valley.
Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD): expansion of LEAD to North Precinct, and to begin taking referrals from the Southwest Precinct.
Addition of $1 million for participatory budgeting which, in 2017, funded projects in, Delridge, Westwood/Highland Park, High Point and South Park.
Vacant Building Monitoring Program Funding (written about above re: District 1 having the second highest number of complaints).
This year I hosted in-district office hours on nine separate occasions. There are three locations that I rotate between to help make it easier for constituents to meet with me in their own neighborhood. These nine meetings constituted a total of 43 hours where I met with 111 constituents. Issues ranged from traffic and sidewalk issues, to zoning and housing issues. Multiple groups utilized this time to connect with me about specific issues their organization or neighborhoods were facing.
In-District Office hours will continue again in 2018; please keep an eye out for my emails and on the blog to know when I will be in your neighborhood.
This year we received thousands of emails from constituents all over the city. By our rough count, we received and responded to nearly 7,000 individual emails on topics ranging from transportation, land use, utility, parks, and public safety, and other issues. Next year we will have a better ability to report on the number emails received according to topic, as well as the average time taken to respond.
This number does not include emails received and responded to where the Council was the subject of an organized email campaign. When we receive hundreds of emails on the same topic, we note every issue raised in each piece of correspondence, and then craft a reply that was responsive to all issues raised. While some folks express disappointment upon receiving an "auto-reply" to these, I hope to assure everyone that my staff and I read all of the correspondence I receive and I take the perspective and opinions expressed into account when a reply is carefully crafted.
Posted on 01/03/2018 Author Joseph PehaCategories TransportationTags Budget, Councilmember Herbold, Housing


text:
Meet the Reader: 8_Bit_Hero
Stefan L 03/06/12 36
Hello again! This week in the hot seat is Katherine, who you may know as 8_Bit_Hero in the digital world.
However, before we get to the interview, a quick announcement from me. Meet the Reader was an idea that sprang from Solid Steven's… brain, I guess, with the first interviewee being SpikeyMikey23 back on the 5th of June last year. Since then we've been on a five year mission to meet strange new readers, seek out long term regulars, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Just like Star Trek's original series, it's time to bring it to an end before those five years are up.
So, this interview will be the penultimate in the series, and the final interview will come along next week. Now, everyone say hello to Katherine.
[drop2]
Alrighty then, who are you, how old are you and where do you come from?
Well that's direct!
It always is!
My names Katherine Harrap, I'm 17 and I come from Cardiff.
Iiiinteresting.
I think there's few to many I's there.
I was kind of going for a pantomime villain voice. I guess it didn't work…
Haha. Well fine, I'll give up on that particular line of work. So anyway, whilst many a person has their name followed by a few numbers, you've managed to pick out for yourself quite an individual user ID on PSN and TSA. What's the origin story behind these?
Haha, not that interesting really. Rainydays458 came about when I was first picking out an email address, and me not being all that creative. It was raining at the time, so I went with that and choose a random set of numbers to go with it.
My PSN account ID came from a bit of a joke from me and my sister, we were playing one of the older Legend of Zelda titles (they came in a collectors edition which had Legend of Zelda 1 and 2, Ocarina of Time and Mojora's Mask) and I remarked that Link couldn't swim in the older games, but could in the newer ones. So, since they were 8 bit, we used to call any character we came across that couldn't swim an 8 Bit Hero.
I quite like that one! The silliest semi-sensical jokes with siblings are the best ones.
I'm trying to think of other examples… I mean, sometimes it just depends on the level, right? So Sonic sometimes just dies, but then he's got water levels, and he's fine? Happy as a hedgehog in a swimming pool.
Yeah, but then that terrifying music would play and he would end up dead…
Can hedgehogs swim?
I really doubt that was Sega's main concern.
Well, I guess they bend reality a teensy bit to fit.
If hedgehogs could move that fast you wouldn't find so many by the roadside.
Yeah, hitchiking hedgehogs are lame. So anyway, being really young when compared to all the old fogeys I usually get to interview, I'm quite curious to ask how you first got into gaming?
Umm…I think I was 6 or 7 at the time and we were on a carvan holiday, the best kind of holiday. I had fallen of my bike and I landed face first on the pavement, which broke my front tooth, so while trying to find something to calm me down we found an old Sega Saturn in one of the cupboards (it was my grandparents caraven), it was plugged into the TV, and I absolutely loved it.
Ouch! That must've really quite hurt…
Yes it did. Really not something I'd want to go through again.
At least it was presumably still a milk tooth?
Nope, full fledged adult tooth. I've got a cap over it now, so it doesn't look like there been any damage to it at all.
Teeth are rubbish, anyway. Always going and getting themselves broken. Useful, yes, but so troublesome and really high maintenance.
Who needs teeth anyway? It's not like they're needed for anything useful, like eating.
Mashed up food for the win.
Haha. So a Sega Saturn, eh? Certainly not the most popular console of its generation, but it did have some choice titles on there. What did you get to play?
The game I remember playing most was Sonic R, and then once we got a second pad I would play that with my sister. Same goes for WipEout and also Virtua Fighter 2, where we had the manual, so all we would do was pick our characters, look at the move set from the manual and then just pull off all the combos. Then there was also Virtua Cop, which used a light gun so that was tonnes of fun, and one of the Alien games, but I never actually played it, since I found it so scary.
Sounds like quite an introduction to gaming! How did you get from this old Saturn to where you are now with the PS3?
Well between the Saturn and getting the PS1, I got into playing quite a few games on PC. Things like Warcraft 2 and Alexander, amongst loads of other games.
Then, once I got a PS1, I played a lot of the Final Fantasy games. I think I've got almost all of them. The one I enjoyed the most was Final Fantasy IX, because of how harming all the characters and world was. I got really pissed once I got to the 3rd disk and *spoilers* I couldn't get past the cinematic at the begining, where Kuja destroys Alexandria…
Final Fantasy VII, which many people cite as the best game ever, I found quite dull.
Sorry, you'll have to help me fix "harming all the characters and world was." I don't think I can figure that one out!
Oh! I meant "charming"!
Hahaha. I've never played it, so thought there might be some crazy game mechanic in there?
Not really, just all the characters in FF7 can be summed up with one word, FF9 characters are a lot deeper.
I think there's a few other Final Fantasy fans on here that hold FF9 up above all the rest too. So, you like your RPGs quite a bit, then? Do you find yourself drawn to that genre over others?
I guess looking at my game libary you could say so.
Is there something about RPGs that you find really draws you in more than other genres?
I guess it's the story and how you can get attached to the characters. With a lot of games from other genres the story feels like an after thought.
So with that in mind, what would you say are your three favourite games of all time?
That's a hard one. I've played a lot of games!
It's always a tough one to answer. Is there anything that you think you could just go and play 3 or 4 times through and not get sick of it?
I guess based on that, it would have to be Final Fantasy IX, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker.
Going against the grain with the hardcore series fans a little there, but it's such an individual thing.
Go me!
Can Adam Jensen swim?
I don't think there are any opportunities to do so in the game.
I'm slowly working through it a moment, and haven't seen any. What about Link in Wind Waker? I mean, he's always on that boat, isn't he?
I think he can swim for about 30 seconds or so?
So, I guess he'd be a 16-bit hero?
Cue Sonic's drowning music!
Don't do that, it's bloody terrifying!
Page 1 of 2Next
Meet the Reader: The Quiz Results
Meet the Reader: A Great Big Quiz
Meet the Reader: Bunimomike
Meet the Reader: KAMIKAZE-UK
No more Meet the Readers? Nooooo
Origami Killer	 03/06/12, 10:46
Yay another Cardiff person :P Nice to know a bit more about you.
Shame there won't be MtR any more I'll miss Teflon's segue's
The Lone Steven	 03/06/12, 10:57
No more MTRs!? Wait, did i include a one year only run time in the contract then? *digs out the file and goes over the contract* There may be a spin off in the works followed by 7 films then a new series, a few games, a remake and lots of toys.
Rainydays, you may want to hide as Roy has been known to kill if someone doesn't like a FF game. ;)
We had a ton of fun during the UC meets. :)
I can say the same with FFXI it was a wonderful and very captivating game to experience the characters where so interesting. Some of the scenes was tragic but most of all the worst I've got is losing save data at the 3rd disc T_T…*quote* "Death would be a release next to this travesty"
Anyway its nice to read about you :3, it was good and a bit insane lol.
I think you mean 9, not 11 ;)
I knew I'd done that :/ hehe
wonkey-willy	 03/06/12, 11:27
ohhhhhh! 8-bits a girl…
my friends list has an ever expanding female vibe..
must be the you know?
yes the charm and wit and my gaming skills not the other you pervs.
theberzerka	 03/06/12, 11:33
I good read and nice to meet you/read about you rainydays. Why no more? Sunday will be soooooo boring now :(
teflon	 03/06/12, 12:55
Just time to bring it to an end, for me. Just quitting whilst we're ahead in many respects, and I still have a shred of insanity.
I'm sure there will be something new to come along and fill the space left by it in the not too distant future.
I get what you mean. Still sad to see it go, I'm assuming nothings really lived up to my interview ;)
I might start interviewing Harry once a week for his views on the latest child friendly game, might be interesting to have a nut job of a four year olds opinion on gaming.
McProley	 03/06/12, 13:19
That is a great idea!
Death_In_Flamez	 03/06/12, 11:38
NO more MTR? 0_0 Why? What happened to me year on inteview? ;)
Great read :) What about those Brotherhood times with my bushes! STAY AWAY :P
TSBonyman	 03/06/12, 11:57
Nice to meet you Katherine – Douglas Adams fan i see.. :)
I've enjoyed the MTRs although i've missed a few.. no hard feelings to those i missed.. just felt conscious of repeating the generic response even though the sentiment was genuine. :)
It was a great idea and thanks to Steven, teflon, bunimomike and indeed all those who were brave enough to take part! :)
blast71	 03/06/12, 12:16
Hello :) Still hungover so car b arsed 2 think of anything witty 2 say
Haha. Good effort, regardless. :D
Shakugan	 03/06/12, 12:21
Nice to meet you Kat! Honestly i choose Katherine over Catherine. :]
Scalpers claim to have bought 2,000 PlayStation 5's using bots from GAME


A wretched hovel in the middle of nowhere where you can expect to wait many hours for some of the most inefficient transportation service in America. Ancient, uncomfortable furniture, hideous lighting, irritating music, and no coffee. The people who "manage" this facility are unable to account for train delays, which makes me think they serve no purpose other than to water the two suicidal-looking plants. Seriously, avoid this place and this company, and take a plane instead.


text:
Video: GT – Say Yes
Artist: GT
Song: Say Yes
Mixtape: N/A
Related Topics:GT
Video: DannyAlwaysWin Feat. Team Eastside Peezy – Nothing Less
Video: ShredGang Mone – Dog Outta Me
Babyface Ray, Icewear Vezzo, GT, and Veeze drop "Meg Thee Stallion"
GT quips about real life in "Intro"
Schoolcraft Bone and GT question your pockets in "Last Long"
GT and B. Ryan relive a true story in "Supposed To Be Here"
Sean Money and GT spit some real spill on "Put You On"
E.Will and GT push mellow vibes in "In My Own Lane"
Upcoming Philadelphia-born artist King Rik released his new music video for his single "He A Prize". For those new to the wave of King Rik, He A Prize is a great first impression of him and his artistry, as melodic, up-beat and soothing are all words to describe his distinct sound.
"He A Prize" is almost a dedication to NBF LA, who is King Rik's late brother and partner in music. His prior release called "The Storm", is a dedication in totality, but "He A Prize" tops it all off. You can see King Rik paying homage throughout this new video to his brother, seen in several cameos. To stream "He A Prize" play below!
2021 was the year of consistency for Philadelphia naive artist Zir. So it comes to no surprise in 2022, that his growth as an artist has been beyond evident. He recently released his first piece of work in the new year, which happens to be a new single + accompanied visual called "Promise". The track is heartfelt, nostalgic and full of messages.
Zir's ability to tell a story is definitely a fan-favorite, and "Promise" is a lyrical testimony to that ability. A dedication to his lost friends, big goals and survival tactics, Zir is ready to take over the airwaves with his originality. Stream the official "Promise" visual below!
Upcoming Philadelphia, PA native rapper Heem Savage is back with the new visual release for his single "Cool Shit Pt. 2" — the second installment to his single "Cool Shit". Fun, upbeat, and melodic, "Cool Shit Pt. 2" definitely possesses the ability to make the room move. Embarking on his music career in a serious manner about 6 years ago, Heem Savage has managed to keep the heartbeat in his artistry, and his passion is creating a return.
He also recently released his debut EP, entitled My Way To Vent. "Cool Shit Pt. 2" is the leading single on this EP, so of course Heem Savage accompanied it with a creative official music video. The video was shot by prominent Philadelphia-based videographer VisualsByLuke. Take a look at "Cool Shit Pt. 2" below!