Latest news with #LisaBrown
Forbes
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Spokane Leads Nation With First Law Banning Address Bias In Hiring
The new ordinance recognizes that job seekers who are unhoused, including those using shelter ... More addresses or P.O. boxes, often face rejection based on perceived instability or stigma. The conversation around fair chance hiring continues to evolve, and the City of Spokane, Washington, has taken a groundbreaking step to push it forward. On April 25, 2025, Mayor Lisa Brown signed into law Ordinance No. C36666, known as the 'Ban the Address' ordinance. This first-of-its-kind law prohibits employers from asking about an applicant's address or housing history until after making a provisional offer of employment. It becomes effective 30 days after the mayor's signature, with a compliance deadline of May 25, 2025. Spokane is now the first city in the nation to treat housing status as a barrier to employment in the same way it has treated criminal history, by limiting when and how employers can consider it. For employers, this signals a major shift in how to approach candidate screening and job applications, especially when operating within the city limits. 'I am proud of the compromise and collaboration that got us to make history tonight in Spokane,' said Council Member Paul Dillon, who sponsored the bill. 'This ordinance represents a major step forward, providing hope, dignity, and opportunity to workers who have faced challenges due to not having a permanent residence.' Spokane is no stranger to fair chance hiring reforms. In 2018, the city enacted a 'ban the box' ordinance that prohibits private employers from inquiring about a candidate's criminal history until after a conditional job offer or interview. The law bars employers from including language like 'no felons' in job postings and limits the use of arrest and conviction records unless they relate directly to the job. The ordinance, codified in Chapter 09.02 of the Spokane Municipal Code, applies to most private employers and carries civil penalties for noncompliance. With 'Ban the Address,' Spokane expands its fair chance approach to include housing status, reinforcing its commitment to equitable access to employment. The new ordinance recognizes that job seekers who are unhoused, including those using shelter addresses or P.O. boxes, often face rejection based on perceived instability or stigma. According to the Spokane Human Rights Commission, individuals have reported being denied jobs simply because they listed an address associated with a shelter or temporary housing. 'This ordinance addresses a specific contributing factor: lack of employment,' said Council Member Lili Navarrete. 'We heard from many constituents who testified that they were denied employment because they lived in their cars or shelters. We listened to their concerns and took action.' By prohibiting address inquiries before a job offer, Spokane aims to ensure that employment decisions rest on skills and experience, not on where someone sleeps at night. The ordinance amends sections of the Spokane Municipal Code (SMC §§ 9.02.010 through 9.02.050 and §§ 9.03.010 and 9.03.020), and its requirements apply to all private employers operating within city limits. Public employers are covered by a parallel provision. Here are the most important takeaways: No address inquiries before a conditional job offer. Employers may not ask for an applicant's address or residence history, whether on a job application, during an interview, or at any point before extending a provisional offer of employment. While the ordinance does not define 'provisional offer,' the term can generally be understood to mean a conditional job offer contingent on other hiring criteria, such as background or drug screening. No disqualification based on housing status. Employers cannot reject applicants simply because they are unhoused, live in shelters, or use P.O. boxes. They may only consider housing status if it directly relates to job duties and doing so complies with state and federal laws. Mailing address fields are still allowed. Employers may ask for a mailing address or preferred method of contact, but not for information that would reveal an applicant's housing status before a job offer. Expanded protections in job advertising and disqualification criteria. The ordinance reiterates that employers cannot advertise jobs using language that excludes applicants with criminal records or those without a fixed address. Disqualifying someone based on housing status before determining they are otherwise qualified violates the law. No private right of action, but enforcement is local. The law does not create a private right of action. Instead, the City of Spokane retains enforcement authority through municipal court and complaints reported by residents. Spokane's new ordinance aligns with a broader state trend toward equitable hiring practices. Washington law already prohibits employers from seeking a candidate's prior wage or salary history and requires most employers to include wage ranges and benefits in job postings. Together with Spokane's existing fair chance hiring ordinance, Ban the Address underscores a growing expectation that employers evaluate qualifications and potential, not personal background or instability. While Spokane may be the first, it likely won't be the last. Other jurisdictions, especially those where homelessness intersects heavily with employment access, may look to Spokane's ordinance as a model. Much like 'ban the box' laws, which began as local experiments and then expanded nationally, 'ban the address' policies could gain momentum. Employers should proactively review their application materials, screening workflows, and recruiter scripts to ensure compliance. Employers should work closely with their ATS and onboarding system providers to ensure that application forms and internal workflows do not prompt address inquiries prematurely. When initiating background checks, employers must ensure that address information is not collected or submitted to screening partners until after a provisional offer has been extended. It also raises the question of whether broader fair chance hiring frameworks will continue to expand to cover other categories, including credit history and gaps in employment. For now, Spokane has taken a bold step toward reshaping what equitable hiring can look like in practice. As Dillon noted, the ordinance provides 'hope, dignity, and opportunity' to those often excluded. Council Member Navarrete echoed this message, stating, 'I hope this ordinance helps remove one more barrier to achieving a successful life for members of our community.' Employers in Spokane must act quickly to comply with the new ordinance. The law takes effect on May 25, 2025. As the legal landscape shifts, companies would be wise to treat this as more than a local ordinance, it's a signal that regulators are watching how employers treat applicants who are most vulnerable to exclusion. With this ordinance, the Spokane City Council has moved beyond legislative change; it has prompted a broader reconsideration of empathy and equity in employment decisions.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Homeless camping ban struck down by state Supreme Court
Apr. 17—The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday overturned Spokane's law banning homeless encampments from most of the city. Voters had overwhelmingly approved the ballot measure, called Proposition 1, in 2023. Justices, however, determined the measure exceeded the legal limits of local initiatives. which voters approved overwhelmingly in 2023. Justices determined that the ballot measure exceeded the legal limits of local initiatives. The city's previous camping ban, which is enforceable if shelters are not full, remains in effect. An ordinance making camping unlawful with the city limits that pre-dated Proposition 1, remains in effect and is being enforced by police, Mayor Lisa Brown wrote in a Thursday morning statement. "We know that enforcement alone is not going to solve homelessness," she said. Spokane City Councilmen Michael Cathcart and Jonathan Bingle criticized the court's decision and called on the council to immediately adopt the provisions of Prop 1 since the justices ruled only that it could not be implemented by a local initiative on the ballot. "This decision to silence the 75% of Spokane who demanded action to protect our kids and our community must not stand," Cathcart wrote in a Thursday morning statement. "The people spoke clearly, and they expect their leaders to act without delay." He also took aim at the mayor. "The lack of commitment in the Mayor's statement this morning to supporting an immediate reinstatement of this policy doesn't provide much confidence but I remain hopeful that the entire Council will stand with me in honoring the will of the people," he wrote. Council members Paul Dillon and Kitty Klitzke, who opposed Prop 1 ahead of the vote, said Thursday they would not support efforts to reinstate the ballot measure's provisions through local legislation. "I understand people's frustration across the political spectrum, but (the legal challenges) make it more challenging to know what ground you're standing on for citizens, businesses, law enforcement, outreach workers, providers and individuals experiencing homelessness themselves." Klitzke added that she wanted to see comprehensive reform of the city's camping ordinances, calling Prop 1 ineffective and "clunky to enforce." "I'm certainly not disagreeing with voter sentiment that we don't want people camping, I agree, and its had huge impacts on my neighborhood as well, but they're still there," Klitzke said. "Prop 1 hasn't made much of a difference." Councilman Zack Zappone, asked whether he'd reinstate the provisions of Prop 1, said he would "continue to work with stakeholders and staff to figure out the best way forward." About 75% of Spokane voters approved Proposition 1 in November 2023, banning the homeless from camping within 1,000 feet of parks, schools and licensed daycares, which covers most of the city with a few exceptions on the outskirts. Violation of the law was a cite and release offense. Though overwhelmingly popular with voters, the law sparked a bitter political debate over the city's management of homelessness and has been ensnared in legal challenges since before it even appeared on the ballot. Jewels Helping Hands and Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium Executive Director Ben Stuckart sued Brian Hansen, the Spokane attorney who submitted the initiative, in August 2023. They argued the proposition could not be placed on the November ballot because it went beyond the scope of local initiative power, infringing on the city's administrative powers and thereby usurping the authority granted to the city by the state. In the lawsuit, Knoll Lowney, one of the Seattle-based attorneys representing the plaintiffs, argued in court that state law gives city councils the exclusive power to craft homeless plans and make land-use decisions. Hansen's initiative would supersede the Spokane City Council's authority and was therefore invalid, according to the lawsuit. Spokane Superior Court Judge Tony Hazel disagreed, and on Aug. 24 denied a request for injunctive relief, allowing the question to go before the voters. Jewels Helping Hands and Stuckart, a former Spokane City Council president, appealed the decision and again filed to have the initiative pulled before it could appear on the ballot. The appellate court commissioner initially granted the emergency injunction, allowing the initiative to be pulled the day before ballots were to be printed by the county while the case was being heard; however, Hansen immediately appealed that decision and succeeded in having it reversed in time for it to appear on the November 2023 ballot. As the case went through appeals, election day arrived and voters approved Prop 1 by a 50-point margin. In a December 2023 "post-election" review, the appeals court three-judge panel concurred with the lower court, ruling in favor of Hansen. Proposition 1 was not a land-use or zoning decision that could only be made by the City Council, but rather an exercise of police powers, which was an appropriate subject for the electorate to weigh in on, wrote Judge Rebecca Pennell. At the state Supreme Court, justices ruled 6-2 that homeless camping was already regulated in the city of Spokane, and therefore the initiative was not "legislative" in nature, but "administrative," in that it "administered the details" of an existing regulation rather than created a new policy. Justice Debra Stephens, who is from Spokane, wrote the dissent, arguing that Proposition 1 was not technical in nature but represented a significant legislative shift in city policy. She wrote that the majority's broad interpretation of what constituted an "administrative" change "effectively eliminated the local initiative power altogether." Stephens was joined in her dissent by Justice Helen Whitener. "The Hansen Initiative moves the public policy in a different direction, expanding the locations where the prohibition on public camping may always be enforced, to include certain areas close to where children gather," Stephens wrote. "This is a not a technical or a minor administrative adjustment within an existing comprehensive policy. The initiative embodies a new policy decision, the wisdom or constitutionality of which is not before us." In a statement, Julie Garcia of Jewels Helping Hands and Stuckart applauded the court's ruling. "This decision shows that the courts still matter and going through proper processes matters," Garcia wrote. "I'm confident the city will abide by this ruling and respect the court's decision," Stuckart added. "Our community and state have the opportunity to be an example of a functioning democracy at a time when respect for the rule of law, and respect for our shared humanity, is under attack from the highest levels of government." As challenges wound their way through the courts, the politics and enforcement of Proposition 1 faced a similarly winding path. Even as voters approved the measure with 75% of the vote, they also elected council members and a mayor who in almost every case had opposed it, arguing it would be ineffective at reducing visible homelessness and simply push people from one area to another. When the law was approved by voters, it also wasn't immediately clear whether it was legally enforceable. Brown's administration maintained for months that enforcing the law was complicated by the 2018 Martin v. Boise federal court decision, which ruled that cities could not criminalize a homeless person sleeping on public property unless shelter space was available. The exact limits of that restriction were a source of regular legal debate. Spokane has for years outlawed camping under or near a viaduct regardless of shelter capacity, for example, considered legally defensible because it covered a small area — but many believed that Proposition 1's wide-ranging boundaries that included no camping within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and day cares, could drag the city into the courts. The city's legal department advised holding off on enforcing the new law pending a U.S. Supreme Court decision. On June 28, that ruling came down, striking down protections afforded in the Martin case. That opened the door for cities like Spokane to enforce wide-ranging laws to ticket people sleeping outside, and by August police were actively issuing citations under the law. While enforcement of various ordinances outlawing the activities of the homeless surged, political opposition groups continued to claim Proposition 1 was not being enforced, noting the continued proliferation of visible homelessness. Notably, police officials had stated ahead of the vote that there would not be the resources to enforce the law in every case, arguing that the law would be another tool they could use at their discretion when deemed necessary. While Thursday's Supreme Court decision was focused solely on the legal power of the local initiative process, a pending lawsuit by the ACLU of Washington challenges the law on its merits. The ACLU, representing Jewels Helping Hands and two homeless residents, hopes to reinstate the protections that had existed under Martin v. Boise, but this time under the state constitution, rather than the U.S. Constitution. Lawyers point to sections of the state constitution barring cruel punishment and depriving a person of their property without due process of law, arguing that police unconstitutionally discard and destroy the property of homeless people without adequate notice or judicial hearings. The suit takes issue with three city laws. One allows the city to remove unauthorized encampments or individual camps, while the others prohibit sitting and lying on a sidewalk or unauthorized camping on public property, the last of which was greatly expanded last year by Proposition 1. If the suit is successful, it could have sweeping consequences for the entire state, potentially once again preventing any Washington city, county or other jurisdiction from citing or arresting someone for sleeping on public property. Dillon said he continues to question the effectiveness of the law, arguing in favor of focusing the city's efforts on expanding treatment and housing services rather than on enforcement of camping bans. "I think we can all agree that no one should be sleeping outside, but we keep pushing these issues around without telling people where they can go," Dillon said. "For the folks chronically homeless or cycling back and forth between the jail and the emergency room, it comes down to better case management and helping them climb out of the ladder of homelessness. That's where we need to go as a city."
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spokane leaders announce ban on right turns on red lights at some downtown intersections and other safety initiatives
Apr. 16—Noting a rising rate of traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Spokane, Mayor Lisa Brown, members of her cabinet and several City Council members announced a slate of initiatives aimed at making the city's streets safer for pedestrians and drivers. The city will soon roll out a pilot program banning right turns during red lights on Main Street downtown between Monroe and Division, as well as reprogramming crosswalk signals to give pedestrians a head start before vehicles get a green light. The Spokane Police Department will rebrand its traffic enforcement unit as the Traffic Safety and Education Unit, a four-officer unit on motorcycles focused broadly on traffic safety and another three officers focused on DUI patrols. Information from the unit and crash data will inform a new Traffic Fatality Review Team, which will have members from various city departments who will evaluate contributing factors to fatal crashes within the city and make recommendations to reduce the risks of further fatalities. Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall also reiterated ongoing efforts to expand the city's use of red light and speeding cameras. The first of these new cameras, which will be installed on two approaches to the city's most dangerous intersection, Mission and Greene, are expected to roll out this summer. Additional locations will be chosen later this year. These initiatives are "aimed at taking even more decisive action to protect everyone who uses our streets, including walkers, bicyclists, drivers, people who are in wheelchairs, the kids on their way from child care," Brown said Wednesday. The Spokane City Council also will soon consider rolling out a program to make it easier for neighborhoods to request to shut down a non-arterial street for community events, such as block parties, called the "Play Streets Program." The program is expected to start in June and run through the end of October. "Whether it's neighbors wanting to come together and close our street to allow kids to play on the street, do a spontaneous chalk art festival, close down the street and have a barbecue ... this is an opportunity for people in your neighborhoods to come out, meet your neighbors, have that connection and bring back that life to our neighborhoods," said Councilman Zack Zappone. There are already several intersections where right turns on red lights were recently banned, including at 29th and Perry, Cincinnati and Mission, and North River Drive and Washington Street. Those intersections also give pedestrians that head start on crossing ahead of a green light for cars, as do Desmet and Hamilton, 44th and Regal, and Main and Post. That head start also will be implemented this year at Monroe and Summit Parkway, various locations along Riverside Avenue, and where Howard intersects with Spokane Falls Boulevard, Main and Sprague. Interest in restricting right turns on red lights on Main Avenue grew after the death of 78-year old author and foster advocate Janet Mann, who was killed in a hit-and-run at the intersection of Main and Browne as she was crossing the street by 42-year-old Gary Burns. Burns had made a right turn onto Browne Street during a red light before striking Mann, Zappone said Wednesday.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Plains golf team optimistic despite low turnout
Apr. 9—Good things can come in small packages. In the case of the 2025 Plains High golf team, that could be a motto this year as just four players turned out for the combined boys' and girls' teams. And two of them are newcomers. Advertisement A daunting challenge for Plains head coach Lisa Brown? Depends on your perspective. If winning a state title is your sole objective, Plains is short the number of players needed to qualify for team honors. Fortunately for the Horseman/Trotters, Brown sees the big picture. "We have one boy and three girls golfing this year," said Brown, who is also involved in the Little Guy program, and it's end of season tournament, as well as a local hunter education program. "Some of last year's golfers are playing baseball this year, others are working and do not have the time to commit to playing golf, which is perfectly understandable". Advertisement The team will also be without graduates like Drew Carey, a mainstay of the team the last few years. This is an attitude that should be present in all coaches, not to mention a great work ethic. Of the four players who came out for golf, three are freshmen and one is a sophomore. "We are relatively young," coach Brown said. "Eleanor Babb and Cheyenne Littel Whirlwind are our returning golfers from last year. Grace Subatch and Jarrett Weeks are our two new golfers". Brown said the team has been working hard to "get their swings in the groove". Many of those practices have been in the school gym as Montana spring weather has forced most golfers off the links. Advertisement Still, Brown remains optimistic. "The weather has not been particularly cooperative for practice outdoors," she said. "We were able to get out to the course one day last week. We are all very excited about the season". Brown will be assisted this year by returning coaches Max Bebb and Rob Steenerson, both of whom Brown said, "bring great attitudes and a passion for the game of golf, which makes it fun for the kids". Attitude and passion for the game of golf pretty much sum up the approach this season, which is scheduled to begin today (April 1). The team hosts the annual Plains Invitational April 11 at Wild Horse Golf Course just north of Plains.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Spokane to release illustrated zine on civic engagement at April 17th Lilac City Live event
Apr. 4—It's not uncommon for people to express at Spokane City Council meetings that they wish it was easier to understand how the city's government works and how to get civically engaged with their elected representatives. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the formation of Spokane's neighborhood council system, the city will release a zine explaining city government and describing the different ways residents can get involved. Written by the city's Office of Neighborhood Services, the niche publication will launch at the April 17th Lilac City Live, the public library system's quarterly "late night talk show," which will be focused on the city's neighborhoods. The event, starting 8 p.m. at the downtown library, will also feature live music, refreshments and interviews with Mayor Lisa Brown, neighborhood services Program Manager Pollyanna Birge and Annica Eagle, dubbed "Spokane's punmaster" by The Inlander in 2018. "We have a really unique form of citizen government here in Spokane that a lot of cities don't have through the neighborhood councils and the Community Assembly," said city spokeswoman Erin Hut. "This zine is a really great way for folks to understand how an ordinance becomes a law, or how to contact your council member — just the basic civics that people don't get through school anymore." The zine was illustrated by Spokane artist Madison Merica, who was selected through a competitive process and will also speak at the Lilac City Live event. Merica also recently illustrated the Inlander's 2025 The Best Of edition. The publication is funded entirely by a $10,000 grant from Avista and other local businesses, according to Hut.
