Support A Progressive Tax To Help End Homelessness: The tax proposal would raise $75 million a year, nearly twice the annual amount of the Seattle Housing Levy. The money would primarily be used to provide stable, affordable housing to those who need it most. However, public comment is still being collected and it’s critical that people show support. The city looks close to passing an employee hours tax. There’s a public town hall tomorrow at the Trinity United Methodist Church but there will also be a public comment period today at noon in City Hall.
Participate In the West Seattle To Ballard Light Rail Planning: Sound Transit is holding a lot of public meetings, two this week, about West Seattle to Ballard light rail. For optimal outcomes, advocates must get involved in the planning. There are rumors that Sound Transit may be considering cutting stations in dense neighborhoods in favor of tunneling in West Seattle. We’ve covered opportunities to better integrate the light rail with regional transit. And there’s also an effort to get Sound Transit to commit to a First Hill Station. Everything is still on the table so it’s critical your voice is heard. Join Sound Transit tomorrow Downtown or Saturday in West Seattle.
Join the National Effort for Affordable Housing: This week kicks off the Our Homes, Our Voices campaign. It’s a nationally coordinated effort, calling on the federal government to increase investment in affordable housing. You can help by signing this letter to Congress. Additionally, on Monday the 7th, there will be a national call-in and on Tuesday the 8th a national tweetstorm.
Attend a Red May Event: A month of talks about socialism (dubbed Red May) kicks off this week. There will be a lot of events that will likely connect the issues of class and urbanism, including an event about “Extreme Cities” on Sunday.
Help Name Three New Parks: Seattle Parks and Recreation is seeking input on names for three parks. They’re located in the Phinney/Greenwood, University District and Denny Triangle neighborhoods. Submit your proposal now, perhaps taking inspiration from Sound Transit and naming all three University Park.
Owen Pickford
Owen is a solutions engineer for a software company. He has an amateur interest in urban policy, focusing on housing. His primary mode is a bicycle but isn't ashamed of riding down the hill and taking the bus back up. Feel free to tweet at him: @pickovven.