Hopefully, this will soon be permanent.
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Andrew J. Lewis
@LewisforSeattle
Seattle City Councilmember, District 7
Andrew J. Lewis’s Tweets
The City has prevailed! Tim Eyman’s I-976 is officially unconstitutional! Great win today for transit and our environment.
Just a PSA to my fellow elected officials. It should not take political courage to be against tear gas. If there was ever an easy thing to ban from American streets, it’s tear gas. I am 100% in favor of banning tear gas and you should be too. End PSA.
I’m calling on to not charge yesterday’s resisting, obstructing, and pedestrian interference (one person ironically cited while standing in a crosswalk) arrests. Nobody should be prosecuted for being in a park in violation of an order they had no notice of.
If you are a District 7 resident, and identify yourself as such in an email, my office will work diligently to respond to your inquiry. But emphatically referring to yourself as a homeowner, taxpayer, and citizen will not make that response come any faster... just fyi.
This summer I was visited by Seattle Every Day March multiple times. We don't always agree, but those meetings were respectful and facilitated by passionate young people seeking to change the world.
What we are seeing in DC isn't activism, it is unconstitutional insurrection.
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2/ To be clear, I am 100% in favor of the demands, including the goal of a 50% cut of SPD's budget. I am committed to reinvesting that money in BIPOC led organizations, including many I have directly worked with like and Community Passageways.
1/ This is infuriating. We have the time and money, apparently, to expediently REMOVE a crosswalk, but it takes years to get around to actually painting one. No wonder neighbors took it upon themselves to act.
Both loitering repeal bills I introduced last week were unanimously passed this afternoon. Thank you and CM Pedersen for co-sponsoring. Also, , , , , thanks for your advocacy and mobilization. Unanimity is not easy!
Hey, , a column pitch re:Downtown coffee.
Local small business Monorail Espresso has opened two NEW locations Downtown during pandemic. Including this one with barista Danae near 4th/Union.
These are the people rebuilding Downtown. Let’s hear their stories!
SPOG President Mike Solan should resign from his union post and SPD, and if he refuses his guild should eject him. To peddle in conspiracy theories regarding the white nationalist mob that invaded the Capitol and murdered a police officer is a colossal breach of his duty.
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There is perhaps nothing more underestimated than the stark and immediate benefits of pedestrianization.
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Before the new closure of part of Pike Street, I don't think you'd have seen a group of seniors chilling at First & Pike.
This is unconscionable. The first amendment doesn’t stop at the door of the workplace. As the council representative for SLU I demand that all these workers be allowed to immediately return to work with their BLM face masks.
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URGENT: Workers at a @WholeFoods in South Lake Union were just kicked out of work for wearing face masks that say #BlackLivesMatter—today, on #Juneteenth. This is unacceptable! Call store mgr Larissa at (206) 621-9700 & tell management not to retaliate against these workers!
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More space for merchants, more space for pedestrians, festivals, bikers. Maybe host a pop-up night market? The possibilities are endless.
Just walked by four guys on their lunch break Downtown playing cribbage. First, massive FOMO I couldn’t stop and join. Second, it’s impromptu activations like this that place make.
2023 resolution for city planners, less hostile architecture and more cribbage.
1/ Really appreciated the opportunity to see so many of my neighbors advocating for the demands of today in the heart of Queen Anne. I want to thank for organizing and appreciated the opportunity to half multiple post-demonstration discussions.
Not for nothing, but, we recently compiled a report proving service resistance ISN’T the problem. There is 2.5X more demand for shelter than there is supply. THATS the problem.
seattletimes.com/seattle-news/h
1/ Today I'm announcing my intention to introduce a capital gains tax. The proposal will raise $37 million of progressive revenue a year for supportive housing and complement additional measures for progressive revenue. We need to tax wealthy individuals as well as corporations.
1/Today I introduced two bills to repeal loitering laws which have had a massively disproportionate impact on black and brown communities in Seattle. Thank you and Councilmember Pedersen for joining me in calling for the repeal of these harmful relics.
Rescind the curfew and on a related note decline any referral for criminal prosecution for curfew violations over the last several days.
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And, yes, secured with bollards
1/ Per our hearing, 911 dispatch is a 100% civilian workforce with sworn supervisors representing $36 million of SPD's budget. I completely support removing 911 dispatch, and that $36 million, from SPD's chain of command and budget.
Thank you, Judge Robart, for recognizing that Constitutional policing (with a capital ‘C’) means we don’t tear gas peaceful protestors.
Heartbreaking to see the potential loss of an irreplaceable western red cedar in NE Seattle.
So, here’s a potential idea I’m workshopping.
What if we waived ALL on-site parking requirements to preserve Tier 2 trees? 🌲 > 🚗
Now the whole country knows what it’s like to wait for election results... take your time Iowa, lemme tell you about something called the 4:00 p.m. drop.
First, I’m sending a contribution immediately to . You can do so here. secure.ngpvan.com/pIz7OulPHk60zt
Second, this horrifying mailer calls for more than condemning Lambert. It calls for demanding and other endorsers pull their support.
For years I lived across the street from housing that included permanent supportive housing. They were great neighbors, they should be welcomed. Opposition of THIS nature is, frankly, barbarism.
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Replying to @ericacbarnett
A group called Safe Eastside is scaring the shit out of people by advertising (correctly) that there will be MEN there, including MEN with addiction and mental illness, and capitalizing on the belief that homelessness and behavioral health issues stem from being evil and bad.
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Yup. Meeting soon with the new traffic engineer to talk about next steps. Big priority for 2022.
In a 9-0 vote today the Council took our first step forward on decriminalizing entheogens! Thank you for all your work driving this critical conservation forward.
This amendment has my full support! Thank you for sponsoring ! Looking forward to voting for this tomorrow.
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BREAKING: @CMTammyMorales proposes adding funding to the Parks budget to create a new trail along Lake Washington Boulevard that can accommodate people using mobility devices, riding bicycles, from Mount Baker Beach to Seward Park! Take action to support: secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/
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Misinformation about Seattle Community Court success rates is circling in the media, so let’s get a few things straight.
Approximately 75% of people who enter Community Court complete the program, and 80% of them go on to commit no new criminal law violations / 🧵
1/ On Monday night, we lost community member Jaahnavi Kandula to the violence inherent from infrastructure built for cars instead of people. My heartfelt condolences and love go out to her and her family.
So, people like to dunk on the Seattle City Council… but, at least we can elect a presiding officer on our first day of session.
The Council unanimously passed a resolution today that I sponsored explicitly rejecting any dispatching of troops under the 1807 Insurrection Act to respond to ongoing demonstrations. We need de-escalation, not an unconstitutional military invasion.
Still a bit more to count but I think it’s a pretty safe call. MGP defeats MAGA Joe Kent in the biggest upset of the cycle in #WA03!
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3/ I further support, and am committed to fighting for, new public health and harm reduction informed first response modeled after Eugene's CAHOOTS.
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Tim Eyman addressing @SoundTransit Board—-
“You lost”.
And just announced he’s running for Governor in 2020.
#WaElex
61% of Seattleites support a capital gains tax on high earners. Good to know! crosscut.com/sites/default/
In the heart of Queen Anne today I doorbelled this beautiful craftsman fourplex. It’s hard to see the whole thing because of all the trees on the property. I met two of the tenants, a nurse and a musician. It adds character and affordability. We should have more of these.
That awkward moment when you file for PCO, and your partner files for PCO, but your partner doesn’t tell you they’re filing for PCO, so, now you need to endorse your partner for PCO and vote for them! Vote @Laura_Baird_ for PCO 36-1716!
Boy. Won’t Ann Sattler be disappointed when she learns homicide, rape, and burglary are felonies outside of the jurisdiction of the City Attorney. But, I guess that’s what happens when you’ve never been in a courtroom.
This Honey Bucket sink is on Pier 62 and leased by the City. You have to pump the water by foot. Is it ADA compliant?
We need innovative, affordable, and effective street sinks, and lots of them. If we can solve for this, we also can for a design akin to Clean Hands Collective.
The benefit of this sign is debatable, but there is no denying it is a “nice to have” rather than a “need to have”.
Going forward, car-centric “nice to haves” need to be the first thing we put on hold. It is infuriating to see this sign completed while Thomas Street is on hold.
Great to see a lot of merchants back in action this morning. Scored some Rainier Cherries at Sosio’s produce.
We just lidded one corner of the gross/weird Pine/Boren overpass thing with the new convention center. Let’s do the rest!
That intersection could be housing for hundreds of people and much needed open space between Cap Hill and Downtown.
We could build a whole new neighborhood!
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NEW: Support for Freeway Lids Advances in Seattle Comprehensive Plan theurbanist.org/2022/12/12/sup
Channeling my inner . Is it too late to submit a form B to get some planters protecting this bike lane ? Hazard waiting to happen.
Proud to announce I am co-sponsoring the JumpStart Seattle legislation put forward by . Regressive problems will not yield to regressive taxes. We need bold progressive taxation and Teresa's proposal gets us there.
I love these pieces where pundits talk about the Council majority like we just apparated into existence… instead of, like, being convincingly elected by the people as the result of a super informed campaign…
Today , with my full support and a number of my colleagues, withdrew Seattle’s request to withdraw from the Federal Consent Decree. This is just the start, we have work to do.
At the NHL draft just now:
Person: “Hey, you’re that Council guy, right?”
Me: “Yes.”
Person: “I’m totally with you! Really like everything you’re doing for Ballard.”
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting food trucks AND cafe streets. And reject policies watering down advances in one at the expense of the other. Does that count for #300?
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Now we are up to 299 people writing in about food trucks and cafe streets! Who wants to be 300? twitter.com/SNGreenways/st…
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Soooooo, now we can rectify this, right?
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Ever wonder why the Occidental pedestrian street doesn't extend north from the park to Yesler Way? Because of three business owners in 1976, one of whom owned a parking lot.
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Or that time we funded over 1,400 additional enhanced shelter spaces and Mayor Durkan built less than 10% of them… and then blamed us for a homelessness crisis.
And, another corollary to this, nobody in the legacy media covered it…
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Replying to @GordonOfSeattle
The most recent illustration of this power imbalance is the stalled crosswalk project at Thomas and Dexter. The city council funded it multiple times (I was part of the coalition that fought for it) but Durkan and Harrell just decided not to build it.
Trend toward “yes” continues for Seattle Proposition 1 with the measure pulling into the lead for first time. Looks like it took a larger percentage of this drop relative to last couple days.
Seattle inching closer to RCV!
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4/ I continue to work toward exactly how to make those goals a reality. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and community to figure out our road map forward on this, because there are details that need to be worked out.
500 units of PSH is a great start, but we need another 6,500 to reach functional zero chronic homelessness. Excited to work with and many other local leaders to make it happen!
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I have an ordinance addressing this issue that is laying around my virtual office. Time to dust it off and introduce it? 
twitter.com/Ersilians/stat…
twitter.com/Ersilians/stat…Just now at Seattle Center:
“Good to meet you, Councilmember. Thank you for your work on street cafes.”
Can I take this to mean these guys will drop their lawsuit to get JumpStart thrown out?
First, we use the budget process to buy these 1400 units. Second, we legalize them so we can build more.
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Replying to @UrbanistOrg
Curious to learn more… twitter.com/lewisforseattl
Lot's of people have been asking me why I'm supporting JumpStart Seattle with
There are lots of reasons, but this is a big one. When nearly 18%, or 208,000, of the renters in our region are worried they won't make rent we have to act.
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2/ As we transition to a new system of first response centering public health, we also need dispatchers with a civilian public health informed supervisor team. I will fight for that in our budget process.
Seattle is thriving! Great to join at the ribbon cutting and grand opening for their new location at 4th and Pine!
I have sent several questions to the Parks Department regarding the encampment removal scheduled for Denny Park on March 3rd. The questions are as follows.
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4/ We are going to have a hearing of the Public Safety Committee tomorrow. These complaints, videos, and accounts will form the basis of my questions. This national political moment calls for nothing less.
1/ Leg folks, PLEASE pass SB 5428! We were able to get people into shelter at Ballard Commons and Bitterlake because of dozen of new tiny homes coming online in 2021. It should only take 5-6 weeks to build them… and it took over 12 months due in part to SEPA.
I bike/bus Downtown everyday not only for peace of mind (Every non-car trip reduces possible collisions) but because being on-the-ground helps me keep tabs on issues in District 7.
You learn a lot more about the community from the handlebars of a bike than the wheel of a car.
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Replying to @Danielhep
There's a big difference between riding transit when it's convenient for you, and riding transit even when it's inconvenient because there's no alternative. Big thanks to @LewisforSeattle, @Spottnik, @LizVogeli, @JulieETimm (I think?) among others for taking the challenge!
Judge Garland made a name for himself prosecuting the white nationalists who murdered hundreds of Americans in the OK City bombing.
His first act as AG should be appointment of a special prosecutor to hold accountable all responsible for the 1/6 insurrection, including Trump.
I’m not done fighting on this ! We’re gonna get this done. The community expects nothing less, and I expect nothing less.
Or eliminate the parking mandate. I recently asked Council staff what it would take, and the ordinance is simple enough. Just repeal the section mandating parking…
BUT… 🧵
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This is unacceptable. I am committed to helping to build a coalition to pass a King County measure to fully restore metro service and create accessible, reliable, and fast transit service that connects all our communities and expands the workforce of bus operators. Let’s do this! twitter.com/pushtheneedle/…
Press at the scene of 3rd and Pine awaiting official comments. I cannot say enough about the professionalism of our first responders. Thank you , ,EMTs , nurses . Thank you for your great work tonight.
I know a lot of my neighbors are anxious, and I join them. A year ago tonight, I was behind by several hundred votes in my own election. I went on to win my over 2,000 votes. Until all the votes are counted this isn’t over. Hang in there!
1/ Last night I had the privilege of hearing speakers at City Hall exercise their right of assembly peacefully and powerfully with my constituent . I am saddened to see that same demonstration ended with tear gas and mace later that evening.
I always use the U District drop box due to fond memories of organizing with to get it placed. Get those 2020 ballots in! Let’s win this thing.
As if we needed another reason to tax capital gains!
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Your reminder that America's richest 1 percent now own half the value of the U.S. stock market. The richest 10 percent own 92 percent.
So when Trump says the stock market is the economy, know who he's really talking about.
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3/ The urgent repair of the West Seattle Bridge is no excuse. I cannot fathom that cannot do both. If a work crew can go out and scrape a crosswalk off the road, they can go out and paint one. For. Crying. Out. Loud.
Many thanks to my friend for working with my office to add a SEPA exemption for repealing parking mandates to the substitute missing middle housing bill!
Let’s get HB 1110 through!
With no notice to Council an important program making a difference in our community was disbanded today. / 🧵
I get emails opposing affordable housing in SFZ because they are typically too far from “services”, meaning mental health and addiction.
First, not everyone exiting homelessness needs PSH. Second, those service provides at $30-$40k a year need a place to live! And a raise!
And maybe Crockett on QA too! And others? Crowd sourcing ideas.
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This year Councilmember Lewis led the charge to triple the #VisionZero budget.
Next year he's going to pedestrianize Pike Place?
twitter.com/LewisforSeattl…
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Legislature likes local control? Let me pass my ordinance without all this process by creating a SEPA exemption for parking mandates.
SEPA shouldn’t be holding back critical climate legislation. We’re forcing the construction of more parking than market demand. Infuriating.
Taking the Uptown ballot drop box for a spin and throwing one more YES vote toward I-135! Get those ballots in!
Today my office announced our initiative "It Takes A Village" to scale from 294 to 800 total tiny houses. Check out more info on the initiative here. Please sign up and get involved to make this a reality in 2021! seattle.gov/council/meet-t
Despite the rhetoric from the “let’s make it a park” crowd, the reality is well over 50% of Fort Lawton WILL be open space once the 2019 plan is implemented.
And, there will actually be LESS pavement than there is now. Let’s get it done!
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Or more broadly making urban kiosks more common parts of parks/open spaces.
I was struck by the place-making impact of these kiosks in Lisbon when I visited.
People hang for hours drinking coffee, tea, beer/wine while playing chess or just hanging out. Simple w/ big impact.
Excited to vote for this common-sense and much needed slashing of red tape!
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New affordable housing is needed to drive sustainable progress on Seattle’s housing and homelessness crisis. This legislation will exempt affordable housing projects from design review, reducing permitting bottlenecks to swiftly stand up new units.
harrell.seattle.gov/2022/11/15/may
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2/ For years I’ve been fighting for really simple things like speed humps and traffic diverters to slow vehicle traffic and save lives. I even fought for and passed an increase in Commercial Parking Tax to create the first ever dedicated ongoing revenue for these improvements.
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Are you a WA local elected? Do you support a statewide lift of bans on middle housing? If so, join many others by signing onto this letter. Legislators need to hear that city councilmembers do support HB 1782! #Homes4Wa #waleg gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%
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Would add that I have been car-free for more than 10 years and it’s awesome. We need to build an urban environment where more people can make that choice.