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Forbes
4 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Ten Years After ‘Great Debate,' Rent Control Still Looms
Angela, left, no last name given, and Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, right, of Firelands Workers United, ... More write a note to Rep. Adam Burnbaum, D-Port Angeles, while advocating for lawmakers to adjust and pass House Bill 1217, a rent-control bill, at the Washington State Capitol Building Friday, April 18, 2025, in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) Well, it has finally happened. Washington State now has rent control, joining 6 other states that either have statewide rent control measures or have local jurisdictions that have imposed it. Oregon and now Washington are unique in that they have imposed and will regulate the measure at the state level. For me, personally and professionally, the passage of the measure leaves me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, it is regrettable that the efforts I put into opposing rent control in the state for years failed. However, there is a 'I told you so' sensation as well. I mostly stopped working in the state as the pandemic trailed off. It's hard not to feel that the real estate community got what was coming to it after not listening to advice to change their approach. On a hot summer day ten years ago next month, I debated socialist Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant. Sawant had many hobby horses, but her two favorites were raising the minimum wage to $15 and the other imposing rent control. It might be surprising to know then that I consider Sawant to be the greatest political actor (and I'll get back to that word later) that I have ever known personal or had the opportunity to work with. A century from now, the names of the politically pale and anemic players on the stage during her time in office in Seattle, 2014-2024, will be completely forgotten. Her name, while not eponymous for the era, will stand out as the most notable one. Sawant was peculiar but principled. I had strongly advised and warned the real estate community about her rise during the 2013 local elections. People in Seattle, as many on the left, have a charm bracelet view of electoral politics. They voted for gay marriage, legalizing pot, and now, here was the chance to add a new charm to the rest: an honest to God socialist! I made a winning bet with some big shots in town, never collected, that she would win. And when she did, I snuck into her election night party to hear her speak. Would she back down and deliver the usual bathos—milquetoast and deflated—that most lefty politicians in this town issue when they actually win? She didn't. She quoted Trotsky, a name most of the people in the room likely had to Google. And she was prescient. She had supported the idea of using local bonding authority to build housing on City owned land, and idea that I supported because it was a really good use of debt and surplus land. Part of that idea has become reality (sort of) with the passage of two voter initiatives in Seattle in the last few years. That summer I managed to get a meeting with her to discuss this idea, explaining my previous efforts to get the City to use its credit card to create some value capture with neighborhood scale district energy programs. My intention was to suggest a consensus approach that could overcome the stodgy staff guarding the City's credit rating to try something new. Instead of following through with that proposal – she eventually lost interest in it – she suggested we debate rent control. I thought it was a great idea. It would be a challenge and an honor to debate a local politician who might know Marx as well as me and who had some principles, the wrong ones in my view, but still principles. It would also be a chance to persuade the hoi polloi that would gather about how adopting a market-based approach to housing would both be profitable and reduce rents and costs for people making less money and even, eventually, help better allocate resources to people living outside in improvised shelter. Weirdly, as venues and rules were being negotiated, it became clear that Sawant didn't want to debate one on one. She wanted to have Nick Licata a Councilmember who was as much of a socialist as she was but far less flamboyant and loud. I said that would be fine, I would be happy to debate both of them. But they demanded I have a partner. I couldn't find one. Not a single member of the so call real estate community would step up. They were terrified. Most of them thought the debate was a mistake. They ran for the hills and left me to debate with a state representative from the east side of the state. Who one that hot evening? The room was mostly Sawant's red shirted followers who hissed and booed like they were attending a Victorian melodrama. I did paraphrase, much to my own satisfaction, Margaret Thatcher observation about 'a liberal policy,' that they would rather have the 'poor poorer, provided the rich were less rich.' I asked the crowd, 'Would you support a policy that would allow developers make more housing and profit while lowering rents for poor people?' Of course, they shouted 'No, never!' I think I said, 'Let the record show that this crowd would rather poor people pay more rent and have less housing to prevent people from making money.' However, we can truly say that Sawant and her act carried the debate in the long run. And I believe it truly was an act. While Sawant believed what she said, she was far better at the theater of politics than that grind of making policy. Most of her direct efforts failed, with her legislation being dismissed with a wave by one hand of the establishment, then enacted later with the other. Nobody ever picked up on how awkward it should have been for mostly white Seattle politicians to roll their eyes at Sawant – a native of India and a woman – and then pass the essence of her measures and demands as their own. Sawant was singular in Seattle. Much hated and imitated, she shifted the city's drab and handwringing establishment to the left, leaving real estate developers and landlords in the city and state with a choice, fight or hide. They hid. In the end, failing to address the real issues of poorer people struggling with rent with better ideas led to rent control which will make their lives worse. Ten years after the debate, the final passage of rent control and Sawant's relationship with resentful and weak Democratic politicians and landlords reminds me of the phrase variously attributed to Alexander the Great or Talleyrand: 'I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.' You can watch the whole debate here:
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tree-sitter enters third week in WA's Olympic Foothills to halt logging
The Brief A tree-sitter is protesting a timber sale in the Elwha River watershed, remaining perched 80 feet up. A judge declined to halt the sale, which aims to generate revenue for public schools. Environmental advocates argue the logging threatens rare ecosystems and restoration efforts. PORT ANGELES, Wash. - A tree-sitter who has suspended themselves more than 80 feet above the forest floor in the Elwha River watershed remains perched in protest after a Clallam County judge declined to issue an injunction halting a controversial timber sale. The protestor, whose identity has not been confirmed, has occupied the treetop for more than two weeks in a bid to stop the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) from logging part of a 314-acre section of state-managed forestland. The area lies just outside Port Angeles, in the foothills of the Olympic Peninsula. What they're saying Authorities escorted FOX 13's Lauren Donovan past two barricades, three miles up a dirt road so she could speak with the tree-sitter. They told her they were not pleased by the outcome in the courtroom Friday, and they do not plan on coming down from the massive Grand Fir anytime soon. "I'm not too worried about an extended camping trip," said the tree-sitter from their perch. "This is a sacred place, and you can look around here and see the scars of generations of clear cutting but there are a few places that are still intact on state land and one of them is up that road." The protestor's rigging system constructed with rope, tar, shards of glass and cement functions like a human booby trap, designed to collapse if tampered with. The setup, described as resembling a carnival game, is allegedly highly sensitive—any disturbance to the lines could trigger the platform to collapse, much like a dunk tank. "The rope could easily release, dropping me down to where you are," they told Donovan from above. Authorities have sealed off the area and stationed officers around the clock out of concern that someone could accidentally trigger the rigging. The DNR has stated that the sale of this forestland is part of its mandate to generate revenue for public schools and other state services. Environmental advocates, including the Earth Law Center, argue that the trees at stake are part of a rare and increasingly scarce ecosystem. This advocacy group is not affiliated with the tree-sitter, but they share the same mission. "The overarching argument is that this forest should not be cut down," said Elizabeth Dunn, Director of Legal Advocacy at the Earth Law Center. "These are very rare remaining forests on DNR state land. It's not about stopping all logging, it's about protecting these types of forests." Dunn argues that logging in the Elwha River watershed is especially misguided given the millions of dollars recently spent on restoring the area following the Elwha River dam removal. She contends that destroying the surrounding forest habitat undermines the restoration efforts and threatens the health of the watershed. Dunn contests, that the land slated for logging is also home to small river tributaries that flow into the Elwha. She believes that cutting down these forests, which are vital to the recovery of the river system, would be a step backward for the long-term environmental restoration of the region. Dunn said the group has formally appealed the timber sale and is seeking key records from DNR to support their case—records she claims have been slow to arrive. According to Dunn on Friday, a Clallam County judge ordered DNR to produce the requested documentation by mid-June but stopped short of issuing a full injunction on the logging operation. Dunn argues that while the trees may not be old-growth by strict definition, they are on their way. "The real point is these are on their way to becoming old growth," argued Dunn. "They're very different than a monocrop, blocked, plantation." DNR maintains that no old-growth trees are included in the timber harvest and that its policy strictly prohibits harvesting old-growth anywhere in the state. Still, the protestor—dubbed the "tree-sitter" has made clear they will not be coming down until DNR halts the sale outright. The Source Information in this story came from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Earth Law Center, and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews. Luxury Seattle hotel sues 'nuisance' building next door Firefighters in western WA train for possibility of 'above average' wildfire season Shawn Kemp lawyers claim bias in Tacoma Mall shooting case as trial nears Federal judge blocks Trump's dismantling of the Department of Education 'Where is Teekah?': Mother speaks out after Tacoma, WA cold case Activist marks 2 weeks in tree to protest logging near Port Angeles Driver arrested after deadly crash in Kent, WA To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
