Tent City Gets a Reprieve, Council Rolls Back Ethics Rules, and Kshama's Back, Baby!

May 26, 2025

Guest

Erica Barnett

Guest

Sandeep Kaushik

Join Erica C. Barnett, a local political writer, and Sandeep Kaushik, a savvy political analyst, as they delve into Seattle's shifting council landscape. They discuss new ethics rules allowing council members to vote on financial conflicts after mere disclosure. Sandeep supports this move, while Erica advocates for stricter regulations. The duo also examines the impact of Kshama Sawant's activism as she stirs up tension over eviction laws, and they explore the complexities surrounding Tent City 4's recent reprieve, shedding light on the local activism scene.

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INSIGHT

Council Lowers Ethics Standards

Seattle City Council voted to lower ethics standards by allowing members to vote despite financial conflicts if they disclose them.
This is the first rollback of such ethics rules in Seattle since the 1980s, causing public concern.

INSIGHT

Disclosure vs. Recusal Debate

Disclosure of conflicts before voting is common in many U.S. cities and considered a reasonable standard.
Blanket recusals might disenfranchise districts though it raises ethical concerns when council members vote on issues affecting themselves.

INSIGHT

Recusal Concern Overblown

Recusals in Seattle city council have been rare and manageable under district elections.
The concern about losing representation due to recusals is overblown and invented for this particular situation.

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A Seattle City Council committee advanced legislation last week that will eliminate a requirement that council members abstain from voting on legislation that presents a financial conflict of interest. Under the new, lower standard, the council will merely have to disclose any financial conflicts before voting—allowing council members, for the first time since the 1980s, to vote in their own financial interest.

Sandeep thinks disclosing a conflict of interest before voting should be enough; Erica's with the haters who want more constraints on the council's ability to vote in their own self-interest.

The legislation is moving forward quickly and will probably take effect just before the council votes on the elimination of several anti-eviction laws passed by the previous council, which might not pass if everyone on the council who's a landlord has to refrain from voting to repeal these laws.

In related news, Kshama Sawant and her group Workers Strike Back are showing up to disrupt council meetings, antagonizing the council over the upcoming vote on the anti-eviction laws. David and Sandeep are fascinated by internal squabbling among Seattle's local socialists, while Erica argues that Sawant's latest "movement" is mostly bluster—and reminds everyone that Sawant worked tirelessly on Jill Stein's "Defeat Harris" campaign last year.

Also this week: Tent City 4 gets a temporary reprieve after a last-minute effort to keep the self-managed encampment from moving to the former Lake City Community Center. And we discuss Dan Strauss' effort to require all clubs and other "loud music venues" to sell earplugs. David calls it a "modest public health campaign" but Sandeep says it's a nanny state intrusion into our god-given right to destroy our hearing.

Our editor is Quinn Waller.

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