Erica C. Barnett

Praising the rare women who managed to rise through the ranks of the boys' club is off-point anyway for a department that lags the rest of the country in recruiting women and has backed far, far away from its pledge to have a 30 percent female recruit class by 2030.

The beginning of a Facebook post by the Seattle Police Department that reads: "Happy International Women’s Day. We would like to honor four women whose leadership and contributions have shaped the Seattle Police Department. Thank you, Assistant Chief Skagen, Chief O’Toole, Chief Best, and Interim Chief Rahr for your years of dedication to the City of Seattle."

SPD posted a selective paean to four female Seattle police officials for International Women's Day. They skipped over former SPD assistant chief Linda Pierce, the highest-ranking woman as of 2009, when she left after raising concerns about how women were treated.
www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

wow so brave

And this is just a personal peeve, but it's something a group of professional writers and editors should know: The phrase is "here's hoping," not "here's to hoping."

Too many cooks: Seattle City Hall must straighten out crisis response | Editorial Problems with Seattle's CARE Team of civilian responders must be ironed out for the new department to be truly effective.

So it is ~interesting~ that now, more than four months later, the exact same editorial board has suddenly realized that this contract bars the CARE Team from doing their jobs. It's almost like they aren't aware enough of the news to be expressing opinions on it! www.seattletimes.com/opinion/edit...

Expanding civilian crisis response to 911 is a big win for Mayor Harrell | Editorial The agreement to expand Seattle's civilian public safety department is an impressive accomplishment that shows dogged leadership and a commitment to reform.

I was the first to report on this huge problem with the contract, which also gave cops massive raises (after a short training period, rookies make $126,000 a year). Meanwhile, the Seattle Times editorial board fell all over themselves praising former mayor Harrell as a negotiating genius.

New Police Contract Includes Few Accountability Concessions In Exchange for Another Hefty Pay Increase - PubliCola In theory, the new contract allows the CARE Team to respond to more call types. In practice, it says they…

Last October, I reported that Seattle's police contract effectively barred the CARE Team of civilian first responders from doing their jobs—they can't respond to a crisis if it happens in a car or building, if drug "paraphernalia" like foil is present, if a person is agitated, etc., etc., etc.

These people deserve restitution, not "I've been to therapy and am trying to be a better man."

Stop!
Worshiping!
Chefs!

nytimes.com/2026/03/07/d...

Meghan McCain Slams ICE Barbie as an ‘OnlyFans Grandma’ The conservative commentator called for an investigation into Noem’s $220 million ad budget.

meghan mccain can't even accidentally stumble into a good point without a heaping dollop of sexism and ageism

it's coming for you too, babe

www.thedailybeast.com/meghan-mccai...

I don't know if any of these "60-day pauses" on camera surveillance and license readers will ever be triggered by a federal subpoena, but the laws should include "gender-affirming care" in addition to reproductive care in case they're ever actually used

seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...

City Council's Legislative Aides Vote to Unionize, Police Chief Says "We Don't Take Sides" in Protests - PubliCola By Erica C. Barnett 1. Legislative assistants for City Councilmembers have voted to unionize, filing a petition for recognition with…

City Council's Legislative Aides Vote to Unionize, Police Chief Says "We Don't Take Sides" in Protests

Today's Afternoon Fizz!

publicola.com/2026/03/06/c...

Grandma here loves to remind the council that they used to allow press to roam the hall and pop our heads in office doors—which were all open! what a concept!—but Council President Joy Hollingsworth deserves credit for starting weekly media avails next week. Hope it sticks and others participate!

Review Finds Multiple Police Failures Preceded Violent Response to Counterprotests During Anti-LGBTQ Event in May - PubliCola Police didn’t engage with community before the anti-LGBTQ event, weren’t familiar with Capitol Hill and its history, and referred to…

"Perception sometimes is people's reality," Barnes said. "And you know, one photo of your back turned to the wrong person could give the impression that we are supporting one side or the other." In fact, an official review found SPD showed bias against pro-LGBTQ counter-protesters.

As context, Seattle police have a long history of pepper-spraying protesters in the face at point-blank range, tackling people to the ground, and being chummy with protest targets, like the organizers of a far-right rally at the heart of the city's LGBTQ neighborhood.

Barnes agrees heartily that sometimes a "one-second clip or photo [is] given to the community" that suggests police are treating protesters differently than the object of their protest.

At a presentation by Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes, Councilmember Bob Kettle asked how, in the future, SPD will deal with the "visuals" that might give the false impression the police are helping the people who are being protested (whether it's ICE or an anti-trans rally).

Civil Rights Office Director Put On Leave Over Employee Complaints, Union Alleges Interference in Investigation - PubliCola By Erica C. Barnett Derrick Wheeler-Smith, director of the city’s Office for Civil Rights, has been put on administrative…

Civil Rights Office Director Put On Leave Over Employee Complaints, Union Alleges Interference in Investigation

The director, Derrick Wheeler-Smith, alerted the city's investigations unit in advance to expect some "false" complaints from what he described as "a few disgruntled staff."

I realize there are more pressing issues than City transparency, but it is wild to me that the city of Seattle, unlike the state and county, continues to keep this public information secret after promising to bring it back "soon" in 2021.

The reason for the delay is unclear. Ordinarily, the city has provided a .csv file within weeks of my request, but this time, they're saying it will be at least April, or 10 months after I requested a directory that was current as of last June.

If anyone has wondered why PubliCola hasn't updated our City of Seattle employee directory, which we've maintained ever since ex-mayor Jenny Durkan took it off the city's website 5 years ago), it's because the city hasn't provided the records. I asked in June, and just got another delay notice.

The Smart Home Never Quite Worked. Now It’s Getting an A.I. Reboot.

better headline: No One Needs This Shit

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/t...

The Seattle Social Housing Public Development Authority was established three years ago. In that time, it has created zero homes. It has created no development pipeline. It has, however, spent and obligated millions of dollars to hire and fire a CEO who never lived in Washington state, pay questionable consultants and embark on a hiring spree.

braindead argument. The social housing developer JUST got approval to receive its very first tranche of tax dollars LAST MONTH! The Seattle Times has no shame and will publish false information as long as it's under the banner of "opinion."

Just flagging this account, created exclusively to harass me, for folks to add to their block lists. And then blocking. 😘

Wilson Announces First Steps Toward 1,000 Shelter Beds: Simpler Leases, Larger Tiny House Villages, More Money for Shelter - PubliCola By Erica C. Barnett Mayor Katie Wilson introduced three pieces of legislation on Wednesday that she will reduce barriers to…

Wilson Announces First Steps Toward 1,000 Shelter Beds: Simpler Leases, Larger Tiny House Villages, More Money for Shelter
The package of proposals represents a subtle shift away from "housing first" to "enhanced shelter first" for people with behavioral health needs.

publicola.com/2026/03/04/w...

The press conference, at a warehouse in SoDo, started a little after 1. The mayor's office said she had a meeting scheduled at 2. Given that this is her number-one issue, I was very surprised that she didn't stay around to take questions from the many reporters who attended.

Staff didn't know answers to the questions reporters had afterward (they were swarmed), like whether land has been identified for these new, larger shelters; best practices for shelter size; and whether the legislation has a council sponsor yet, which it needs to move forward.

Just got back from a presser for Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's announcement that she's introducing three new bills to allow larger shelters/tiny house villages and expedite their construction. The only thing missing? Mayor Katie Wilson, who left shortly after she spoke and didn't take questions.

An Alternative Approach to Creating Affordable Housing: Inside-Out Urbanism - PubliCola By Josh Feit The city of Seattle was supposed to be done with its 10-year comprehensive plan update more than…

An Alternative Approach to Creating Affordable Housing: Inside-Out Urbanism
While Seattle continues to slow-walk its overdue comprehensive plan update, here are some things that could happen now to allow more housing.
New from @joshfeit.bsky.social
publicola.com/2026/03/03/a...

An Alternative Approach to Creating Affordable Housing: Inside-Out Urbanism - PubliCola By Josh Feit The city of Seattle was supposed to be done with its 10-year comprehensive plan update more than…

An Alternative Approach to Creating Affordable Housing: Inside-Out Urbanism
While Seattle continues to slow-walk its overdue comprehensive plan update, here are some things that could happen now to allow more housing.
New from @joshfeit.bsky.social
publicola.com/2026/03/03/a...