Latest news with #TacomaCityCouncil
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-Tacoma police official went to court over racial bias. City settles for $500K
Tacoma City Council on Tuesday voted to pay $500,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a former chief of staff for the Police Department who claimed he was subjected to racial bias and discrimination before he resigned. The lawsuit in Pierce County Superior Court included allegations of a hostile work environment, hiring practices that were discriminatory to Black applicants and uneven discipline between Black and non-Black employees. Some of the claims described problems with the highest levels of department leadership, now-fired Deputy Chief Paul Junger and former Chief Avery Moore, who resigned in February with a hefty payout. Curtis Hairston, who brought the lawsuit, is Black and reported directly to Moore when he was hired in April 2022. Neither Moore nor Junger were identified as defendants in the legal action, but it described Junger, who is white, making racist comments to Hairston and implied Moore, who is Black, didn't do enough to step in. The City of Tacoma denied both those allegations. The settlement gives Hairston 'significant vindication' and allows him to move forward in his life, his attorney, Jeff Musto, said in a phone call with The News Tribune. Musto said it won't solve all of the Police Department's problems, but he said it was a step in the right direction. 'Tacoma Police Department has a history which continues to this day of allowing, if not encouraging, racial discrimination in the department,' Musto said. The settlement has yet to be finalized, according to Musto. A settlement in a lawsuit often means the defendant does not have to admit to any wrongdoing. Musto said it was likely the settlement agreement in this case would include that, too. A spokesperson for the City of Tacoma, Maria Lee, said the city does not comment on settlements. A spokesperson for the Police Department did not respond to a request for comment. The City Council's vote to authorize the settlement came and went quickly. After Deputy Mayor Kiara Daniels read the motion, there was an oral vote, and there appeared to be no dissent. The responsibilities of chief of staff included managing administrative workers and driving long-term planning, according to a now-closed job posting for Hairston's replacement. It's unclear if the department ever hired someone. According to Hairston's lawsuit, he also was brought on to address racial biases in the department. 'Curtis Hairston came to Tacoma, Washington in 2022 to try to help address racial biases and inequities within the Tacoma Police Department,' the lawsuit said. 'Unfortunately, over the next year and a half, Mr. Hairston would be yet another in a long line of victims of insidious racism and discrimination within (TPD) and the City of Tacoma.' The racist comments Junger allegedly made occurred when Hairston walked by the deputy chief's office and was abruptly told to retrieve a woman from downstairs and bring her to Junger in a conference room. Hairston told Junger he would this time, according to the lawsuit, but said, 'The way you asked you might as well have said, 'Boy go fetch me my guest.' Junger allegedly responded, 'No. You will go do it because I am your boss and if I said, 'Boy go wash my car,' you will do that too.' Later, Junger gave what Hairston described as an 'insincere' apology. When Hairston indicated he wasn't prepared to accept the apology, Junger allegedly said, 'You people are full of [expletive] and rude as hell.' Among other allegations, Hairston's lawsuit claimed he was fired in October 2023 after he was investigated over an ethics complaint that claimed Hairston used his position to try to get his stepson hired at the Police Department. The investigation was closed without discipline imposed, but Hairston claimed the Police Department still moved to fire him less than a month later. The City of Tacoma denied that allegation in a legal response to the lawsuit, instead contending that Moore was dissatisfied with Hairston's performance and gave him the option to resign instead of termination, which Hairston agreed to. Asked about recent changes to Police Department leadership, including whether it was moving in the right direction with its new chief, Patti Jackson, Hairston's attorney declined to comment. In regard to the case itself, Musto described how Hairston still felt the effects of his 18 months with the Police Department. He said a settlement doesn't take that away. 'The scars of racial discrimination accumulate over time,' Musto said. 'It's not the type of thing, it's not something where they just simply go away. And they certainly remain with Mr. Hairston, with Curtis and others like him every day.'
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tacoma braces for ‘diminished' ability to repair streets after defeat of Prop 1
The Tacoma City Council is exploring next steps after voters appeared to have rejected a tax hike to raise money for street improvements and repairs in Tuesday's special election. In a statement issued Wednesday, the city said it's concerned about maintaining the city's infrastructure needs – though it understands the tighter budgets that Tacoma residents are likely contending with. In the first round of results released on election night, 54.05% of voters had voted against the measure, with a roughly 19.17% voter turnout in Tacoma and roughly 200 ballots left to count. 'Looking ahead, we anticipate that the level of service residents rely on will unfortunately be diminished over time as maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure becomes increasingly more challenging,' the statement reads. Prop 1, if approved, would have been a permanent levy – whereas previous packages voters approved are on track to expire in December 2025 and February 2026. The council is 'actively exploring' next steps, including a potential revised measure that could come back to voters at a later date, according to the statement. The measure, known as Streets Initiative II or Proposition 1, proposed increasing property taxes by 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value and increasing the utility-earnings tax by 2% for natural gas, electric and phone utilities – up from the 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed value and 1.5% utility-earnings tax hikes that voters last approved about 10 years ago.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tacoma appoints first Samoan fire chief in city history: ‘I'm very proud'
The Brief Sionna Stallings Ala'ilima became the Tacoma Fire Department's new chief on Tuesday, breaking ground as the first Samoan to hold the position in the city's history. She says she wants to inspire kids and has a lot of goals for the department, including finding funding to replace and repair fleets, and more community engagement. TACOMA, Wash. - The Tacoma Fire Department has sworn in its new fire chief, and she's already breaking ground as the first Samoan to hold that position in the city's history. On Tuesday, Tacoma City Council appointed Sionna Stallings Ala'ilima as the new fire chief. "It's amazing, it's amazing," Stallings Ala'ilima said. "I really want kids to know that you can do anything, and I want young girls and Polynesians of all types that the sky is the limit so aim high." She was previously Assistant Chief in 2022 and has been serving as interim fire chief for the past nine months. "I'm happy to be stepping up into this role because I'm 100% Tacoma fire department through and through," Stallings Ala'ilima said. Her appointment, not just an honor for the fire chief, but for Samoans like Faaluaina Pritchard, the Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Culture Center in Tacoma. "I was just so thrilled and also, I'm the older generation I want my young people, my young Samoan people to grow and go as far as they can," Pritchard said. "There was a time that no one knew who we were and if you said Samoa, they would look at you funny and say, 'where is that at and what is that?'" "I'm very proud and I'm very proud to be a representative for the Samoan and also the Polynesian culture that reside here," Stallings Ala'ilima said. Some of that culture was on full display at the city council meeting on Tuesday. "Some of my family members, they did the Haka which is from the Māori culture in New Zealand," Stallings Ala'ilima said. "It's a show of strength, pride and unity and a lot of times it's used right before going into war and battle, but also for celebrations." A celebration and show of pride for the new Tacoma Fire Chief. "There's thousands of firefighters that came before us, our department started in 1880, so our family business has been around for a long time and this is my time to try and usher us into the future," Stallings Ala'ilima said. She told FOX 13 she has a lot of goals for the department, including finding funding to replace and repair fleets, but also collaborations with community partners as well as fostering more community interaction. The Source Information in this story is from the Asia Pacific Culture Center, the Tacoma Fire Department, Tacoma City Council and FOX 13 Seattle reporting. ICE arrests 37 people at Bellingham, WA roofing company 7 million pounds of WA food at risk as federal cuts loom 1 juvenile dead, 2 in critical condition in Skyway, WA New study reveals you need $169K to be financially happy in Seattle 12 WA residents made Forbes's list of 2025 billionaires Everything to know about the Washington State Spring Fair Seattle Restaurant Week 2025 by neighborhood 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 coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Tacoma contributes $6M for affordable housing. Here's which projects will benefit
The Tacoma City Council has approved $6.9 million for new affordable-housing projects, totaling a more than $27 million investment over the past five years. According to the city, the collective $27 million investment will help create 724 units of affordable housing. During its March 18 meeting, the Tacoma City Council approved an amendment to the Affordable Housing Fund agreement with the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority. The amendment contributes more than $6.9 million to three additional affordable housing projects. The projects and investments include: $1 million to Mercy Housing Northwest's Aviva Crossing near Tacoma Community College. According to the City of Tacoma, the funding will help create 129 units of affordable housing. $3.7 million to HumanGood Affordable Housing's South Yakima Senior Housing facility. The funding is expected to create 66 units of housing. $2.2 million to Mercy Housing Northwest for 80 units of affordable housing at a development referred to as 35th and Pacific Maria Lee, a spokesperson for the City of Tacoma, said the money will go toward the 'construction phase' of the projects. The projects were selected through an application process in 2024 administered by the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority. According to Lee, the city committed an additional $6 million to Aviva Crossing through a similiar funding oppurtunity in 2023. Lee said the priorities for affordable-housing projects are consistent with priorities previously identified by the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority. According to a city memo, households served by the projects must have incomes below 60% of Area Median Income (AMI), and some projects include lower income limits, such as below 50% AMI or below 30% AMI. Tacoma's AMI is $83,857 per household, according to the most recent U.S Census data from 2023. According to a memo from the city, a goal is to 'decrease the percentage of individuals who are spending more than 45% of income on housing and transportation costs,' a burden felt disproportionately by Tacoma's Black and Pacific Islander households. 'As of the last reported U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 51% of people in Tacoma are experiencing renter cost burden, meaning they pay more than 30% of income on monthly housing cost expenses,' the city's memo states. Money for the projects comes from the city's Affordable Housing Fund, which raises money through sales-tax revenue. One-time general fund contributions can also be allocated to the Affordable Housing Fund periodically by the City Council. The fund contributes to contracts which can extend to 2031. Completed projects funded by Tacoma's Affordable Housing Fund include: The Shiloh New Life Apartments operated by Shiloh Baptist Church which the city committed more than $4.4 million towards to create 60 affordable housing units. Tahoma Place operated by the Korean Women's Association, which received more than $1.9 million to create 87 affordable housing units. Other projects that have received committed funding from the Affordable Housing Fund are still under construction or in pre-development. Some of those projects are: Patsy Surh Place, for which the Low Income Housing Institute received more than $1.4 million from the city to create 77 units. Viridian Grove, for which Southport Construction received $2 million from the city to create 98 units. Lincoln District Family Housing, for which the Low Income Housing Institute received $4 million to create 72 units.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pierce County embarks on regional response to homelessness. Can it make a difference?
Pierce County's Unified Regional Approach (URA) to homelessness officially kicked off, but it is still unclear how the coalition will be led, what goals it will attempt to achieve and how it will operate. On March 7, dozens of elected officials from cities in Pierce County, representatives from local government agencies and some nonprofit service providers gathered for the official URA meeting. The Unified Regional Approach is an attempt to satisfy the first goal identified in Pierce County's Comprehensive Plan to End Homelessness — established by the Pierce County Council four years ago. Attendees included members of the Tacoma City Council, City of Gig Harbor, Lakewood City Council, Puyallup City Council, local fire and police departments, Pierce County Council members and Pierce County Human Services, among others. The URA is intended to bring together government, community and non-profit partners involved with the region's response to the homelessness crisis. The idea is that better coordination and cooperation is needed between jurisdictions and communities fighting the common problem of homelessness. The effort to assemble the first URA meeting has been long and costly. Last year, Pierce County offered $1 million to a consulting firm to help organize and implement the URA. During the March 7 meeting, those consultants facilitated the conversation. Brian Scott is the project director from Uncommon Bridges, the consulting firm chosen by the county. Scott outlined the plan to slowly define the objectives of the URA, the roles each member would have and how it would operate. He said the members of the URA would have to discuss and determine their respective levels of commitment and how decisions about resources would be made. Even questions around how often the URA would meet have yet to be answered. That process alone is expected to take a year. Scott said consultants would speak individually with members of the URA to ask about their thoughts, concerns and expectations for the URA. He said the intention is to collect feedback that members are hesitant to share during meetings. Some of the early feedback the consultants received about the homelessness response system was shared March 7. The themes included unequal burden faced by certain jurisdictions that provide the majority of the homeless services, a need for better data tracking and sharing, and 'cumbersome processes' for procuring and distributing contracts and grant funding. Consultants also identified tensions between jurisdictions due to factors such as smaller communities having fewer resources to contribute, confusion around leadership roles, and regional approaches that could undermine local strategies and priorities. Sarah Solon works for HR&A, a consulting firm partnering with Uncommon Bridges to help implement the URA. Solon presented case studies of other regions that improved their response to homelessness through regional coordination. According to data she presented, Harris County, Texas, where Houston is located, had the sixth largest homeless population in the nation in 2011. Since 2012, the region has been able to reduce its unhoused population by 60%. Solon said it found success by creating a unified system where anyone experiencing homelessness was able to access services and support. She said the system focused heavily on reducing wasted and duplicated efforts. According to her data, the region housed 32,000 people since 2012 and experienced a 90% success rate in housing programs —meaning those individuals did not return to homelessness over two years. She told the attendees some of the key agreements regional coalitions could make include operational coordination, service contract alignments and data-sharing agreements. She also outlined a need for an alignment of financial resources and stronger coordination to request state and federal funding. 'What is happening here is not happening in other communities,' she encouraged. 'We are on the wave of innovation.'
