NEWS GLEAMS | City Scraps Proviso Threatening Equitable Development Initiative; Select Beaches to Close Early

A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle.

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Seattle City Council Scraps Controversial Proviso Threatening Equitable Development Initiative Funding

City Councilmember Maritza Rivera removed a controversial "proviso" in an amendment affecting the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) that critics said threatened funding to the City's efforts to reverse the effects of systemic racism in practices such as redlining.

On the Friday before Memorial Day, Rivera had submitted Amendment A, which would have potentially undercut funding for the city's EDI. But after an outpouring of protest last week, the amendment was rewritten to only request that the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) submit detailed reports on the status of EDI projects. Rivera said she continued to be concerned about OPCD's accountability and transparency on millions of dollars' worth of building projects.

Started in 2016, EDI is a program under OPCD that invests capital funds for construction, renovation, purchase, and preservation in historically underinvested communities and populations. It also offers capacity-building support for organizations that have no experience undertaking capital projects.

This year, $25.3 million in EDI funds had been committed to support such organizations, with $19.8 million from the JumpStart fund, $5.1 million from the Short-Term Rental tax fund, and $400,000 from the Community Development Block Grant portion of the General Fund. Rivera's amendment would have "imposed a proviso," or spending restriction, which would remain in place until the council took action through a separate ordinance or "prescribed conditions have been met."

The conditions of the particular amendment would have required OPCD to update the City Council by September on the existing list of projects funded through EDI, along with an evaluation and timeline of their development.

OPCD would also have been required to spend the entirety of a carry-forward amount of $53.5 million from the 2023 budget cycle by September, despite the fact that capital campaign projects often have lengthy, unpredictable timelines. If the proviso passed, any funds that were then left unspent — along with the $25.3 million allocated for this year — would then return to the general city budget.

According to reporting from the Emerald, the public response to the proviso was swift, and community members came out in large numbers to oppose it. Over 105 remote and 70 in-person speakers offered public comment in opposition of the EDI proposal or the other topic of the day: updated legislation around gig worker pay, which would lower a minimum wage implemented in January 2024. In all, the public comment lasted three and a half hours, and the council voted 6-3 in favor of postponing votes for both agenda items at a to-be-disclosed future time.

"As I said earlier this week, the ongoing projects were never at risk, but I understand that stakeholders needed a strong message of support for the EDI program. I look forward to continued engagement with community," Rivera said, regarding the public outcry. She also added that her office needed "time to correct disinformation that was irresponsibly given to the community about the proposed amendment," though she did not particularly disclose the sources of "disinformation."

By late Friday, May 31, Rivera announced that she would pull her initial proviso that would potentially freeze EDI funding, but she stated that she would still require OPCD to submit a status report of EDI projects.

Projects that benefit from EDI funding include notable BIPOC-led institutions throughout the city, such as Arte Noir, Black & Tan Hall, Casa Latina, Chief Seattle Club, Cham Refugees Community, Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center, El Centro de la Raza, Estelita's Library, Filipino Community of Seattle, Nurturing Roots, Queer the Land, Rainier Valley Midwives, Trans Women of Color Solidarity Network, Wa Na Wari, and the Wing Luke Museum.

Golden Gardens and Alki Beach To Close Early All Summer

During peak summer dates, from May 24 to Sept. 22, Golden Gardens in Ballard and Alki Beach in West Seattle will close an hour earlier than usual, at 10:30 p.m. The early closures are part of an ongoing pilot program from the City of Seattle, now in its third year, in an attempt to curb what the City calls "dangerous behavior." The Seattle Police Department (SPD) has stated that late-night activities seen in past years have included illegal late-night events, violence, noise violations, and illegal fires.

The beaches will continue to open at 4 a.m., though staff from Seattle Parks & Recreation and SPD will initiate daily park closures starting from 10 p.m. Firepits will be unlocked each day between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., and bonfires must be put out at 10 p.m.

Residents are encouraged to participate in an online survey about the early summer closures. Feedback will help determine whether these changes will be permanent in future years and will be taken into consideration during a fall meeting with the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners.

Washington State Youth Receive Free Rides on Amtrak Trains and Buses

Washington State youth under 18 can now ride Amtrak trains and buses for free, in celebration of two new hybrid diesel-electric Siemens Charger locomotives, which will come to the state in 2026. The free fares are made available via the state's Climate Commitment Act, joining Washington State public transit, including Washington State Ferries, which have also offered free youth ridership since 2022.

According to Washington State, 8.3 million free public transit rides were given to youth during the inaugural year of the program. Amtrak rides, which will be included as a part of the new program, will be valid in the 12 stations that run throughout Western Washington, from Vancouver down south near Portland, Oregon, up to Bellingham near the Canadian border. Though the free rides will only apply to travel within Washington State, youth who wish to travel south to Portland or north to Vancouver, British Columbia, can simply purchase the remaining legs separately.

The fares, which are estimated at about a million dollars in costs, come from the State's cap-and-trade program, which began in early 2023 and taxes corporations for carbon pollution, then reinvents those funds in environmental programs. It is considered by some environmental activists as an initiative that allows large corporations to pollute, while oil and gas companies say it causes gas prices to soar in Washington State.

More information about the program can be seen on Amtrak's website.

📸 Featured Image: Photo is attributed to h2kyaks (under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 2.0 license).

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