I never get allergies, but this year, they’ve just knocked me on my ass. I don’t know if it’s the warm spring or what looks like all of the world’s Scotch Broom growing by the building where I work.

The Obama administration’s administrative directive on trans students is great first and foremost on its own. It’s tough enough navigating high school no matter who you are. But if you’re a trans person and even pooping can be a mined field, this will hopefully make things a bit easier.

On top of that, it’s great for how much it makes the right people sad. Oh my God, do I love asshole tears.

The women on the Seattle City Council have written a nice opinion piece rebutting the garbage people have thrown at them over their stadium/land use vote. It’s sad that the article was necessary in 2016.

Oh man Don Benton’s make work job is going away.

Benton and three other employees’ jobs will be eliminated due to the reorganization, and could save the county as much as $1.2 million over the next two years, McCauley said. Benton’s salary and benefits package totaled about $154,000 in 2015, according to Clark County.

Benton’s position has been the subject of continuing controversy after he was appointed to lead the department in May 2013 on the orders of Republican County Commissioners Tom Mielke and David Madore. As the controversy built, both men, who at the time had sole authority to hire department heads, have denied their role in Benton’s hiring. Instead, they blame then-County Administrator Bill Barron for the action.

On the one hand, I know, I know. I know. There are all sorts of government orgs, non-profits, and businesses that hire legislators. It’s not really that different from the former members of Congress (even ones I like) who are now lobbyists. It’s not that different from Ed Murray’s job at the UW (Seattle Times link). It’s not the best look, but whatever.

But on the other hand, I am definitely petty enough to laugh when it’s an asshole like Benton. Especially given the process in the first place. So ha!

It’s been three years almost to the day since Madore and Mielke tapped Benton to lead the environmental services department during a now-infamous board time meeting in 2013. The issue has continued to be a popular subject for those who comment to the council, despite Madore and Mielke’s continued insistence that they never directed Barron to hire Benton in the first place.

Benton’s appointment also drew criticism from around the state, including a Seattle Times editorial headlined “State Sen. Don Benton for environmental post? Really?”

And I’m legit sorry to anyone else who got caught up in the restructuring.

I cast my second meaningless vote in the primary (my caucus would have been 2 delegates for Clinton, 4 for Sanders no matter how I voted; this one awards no delegates). Still, if the system is going to be this, I’m happy to participate at the cost of a couple weekend afternoons and a stamp.

Great news that the Army Corps of Engineers rejected a permit for the Gateway Pacific terminal. It’s still something that may be appealed, but for now it’s a good thing for those of us who have to live along the route. For anyone who has to breathe or to fish between Montana and Bellingham. It’s also pretty important for the climate impact going forward.

And it is important in a history of defining taking in the treaties. The right to take is pretty meaningless if what’s left to take is inadequate or non-existent.

I’ve been quite impressed by KUOW’s series on The Jungle. The most recent piece this morning on the social worker and the preacher who go into the jungle was just amazing. It tied those two to the larger situations and to the city’s looking at future policies, so well.

So, I get it. You like your arena, or at least the thought of it. You had to learn about street vacation. And you don’t like that the City Council voted against it. You or one of your Facebook friends, maybe someone on Twitter, noticed that all the women voted one way and all the men voted the other way. Instead of going “huh” and considering how to lobby for your preferred option going forward, things go off the rails.

But, you know what? Do fucking better. As a man who doesn’t take a position on street vacation, but generally supports efforts to get a men’s basketball and hockey arena, this is a disgrace.

Oh hey, it looks like people are using the Viaduct closure to bike from West Seattle to Downtown. Good news. Now that it’s overcast, maybe that number will go down a bit. But still. I hope some of them keep going.

Darryl mentioned it in this morning’s Drinking Liberally thread, but it’s kind of a big deal that the US Supreme Court won’t hear the Seattle minimum wage case. There are 2 reasons why it’s mass rad. First, for Seattle and other places where we want to set a minimum wage, and are going to have the sort of slow, multi-tiered implementation that we got. We can keep the law in place without this imaginary legal hurdle. For the fast food workers and other franchise employees who’ll get a raise going forward, it’s worth it on its own.

But, it also signals that with Antonin Scalia off the court, maybe the country won’t slip further into a new Lochner era. Maybe we won’t decide as many cases primarily on the basis of what’s good for business.

I hope you survived your May Day (or your m’aider as the news seems to think). For me it consisted of walking home and seeing a lot of cops, and wondering why there are so many. Then kind of remembering and keeping walking. And then having someone in my building freaking the fuck out. Also some people on Twitter. In conclusion, I almost feel like we need better shitty anarchists.

Oh hey, it’s super on-brand* if I talk about highways for 2 open threads this week. But here we are:

Are you planning anything different for when the Viaduct is closed? Going to telecommute? Going to tough it out? Live in the Tri-Cities and just going to laugh at us Wet Siders? Using this as an opportunity to start biking or walking to work? Going to take I-5 and hope for the best? Going to plan for some more time, and just make it happen? Unemployed? Taking the Light Rail? Working odd hours?

[Read more…]

Of all the books I’ve read while out to eat or on a bus, or whatever, I’d say this is the one that I’ve had the most people ask me about. I don’t know if the Supreme Court is an interesting topic generally. Or possibly it’s because you hear so many conservatives ranting about the court, a long haired Seattle person reading “Case Against the Supreme Court ” might seem incongruous.

Anyway, if you want to be super depressed, it’s one I’d recommend. Very interesting and really shows the importance of the court.

The Eastbound lanes of 520 are now open for bridgeness. Anyone taken them yet? Notice any difference in your driving experience?

While I haven’t read it, can’t imagine I won’t support the SEIU backed initiative to fund enforcement of the $15 minimum wage, of the sick leave/safe leave law, and other workplace issues in Seattle. While, generally I don’t think dedicated money is the way to go on those sorts of things, the city hasn’t been very good at enforcement so far. So better a dedicated tax than it being under-resourced.