iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 16h

Heading to the Graham Block Party today, thinking about how we're almost at the 10th anniversary of the death of Ronacin Tjhung at MLK and Graham. Are we any closer to creating an MLK that is safe to bike on? No, we are not. www.seattlebikeblog.com/2017/01/24/d...

seattlebikeblog.com

Dad killed while biking to 2nd job, leaves 5 kids orphaned in Philippines

Ronacin Tjhung was working more than 60 hours a week at two jobs to send money back to support his five children in the Philippines. Those children, between 9 and 16, lost their mother in the terri…

04716

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

SPD Overpaid Officers By $13 Million. Now the City Wants It Back. Officers got retroactive paychecks that were as much as $32,000 too high. If the city wants to recover the money, they have to cut a deal with the police union. publicola.com/2026/10/01/s...

publicola.com

SPD Overpaid Officers By $13 Million. Now the City Wants It Back. - PubliCola

. By Erica C. Barnett The Seattle Police Department overpaid police officers, management, and civilian staff a total of more…

1212140

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Gordon Padelford @gordonofseattle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Are shots fired increasing? No we're just displaying years backwards on charts now? Violent crime may be down, but graph crimes are here to stay I guess.

1809

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Seattle's map of paid parking areas is actually wild. The blocks of the city outside downtown where the curb is actually priced are essentially microscopic.

Map showing paid parking areas with U District Green Lake/Ravenna Ballard Fremont and Columbia City the only places outside downtown with paid parking

712516

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission @cpsc.gov · 01/10/2026

#Recall: Gazelle USA Recalls Urban Arrow Cargo Electric Bikes; The front bolt in the seat post clamping mechanism can break, causing the seat to become loose, posing a fall hazard. Get repair. www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2027...

9200126

Kyle Jacobson @ks-jacobson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Big new South Downtown Hub doc: www.soundtransit.org/sites/defaul... Here's the traffic analysis they used to kill pedestrianization plans for 2nd Ave Ext and Dearborn (p 38):

Image from page 38 of document found at https://www.soundtransit.org/sites/default/files/documents/south-downtown-hub-framework-plan-english.pdf

Shows findings from a traffic analysis of potential street closures in and near Seattle's CID

140

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

kelabe.bsky.social @kelabe.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Waking up to the news you’ve been endorsed by The Washington Education Association (WEA) over longtime House Education Chair 🤯

1285

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Mayor Katie B. Wilson @mayor.seattle.gov · 29/09/2026

Many of us who live in Seattle don't have a ton of personal space. That's why the public spaces we all share are so important. My proposed budget includes $1.4 million for 12 new public restrooms across Seattle so everyone can explore our beautiful city with comfort and confidence.

24689121

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

To be clear, Kettle is suggesting Seattle reduce its overall funding for affordable housing in order to fund more police.

24014

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Although the council is acting shocked and horrified that Wilson's budget doesn't continue tens of millions in one-time spending they added last year with one-time funds, it is very explicit in their budget that their one-time spending was in fact one-time.

1274

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Transit Trekker @transittrekker.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Woot! You can now RSVP for this #WeekWithoutDriving outing, with Transit Trekker and King County Parks. We'll enjoy the trip and also talk about the barriers we need to remove to put much more outdoor recreation in easy reach for nondrivers. transittrekker.com/2026wwdmaury...

transittrekker.com

RSVP: 2026 Week Without Driving Transit Trek to Dockton Forest — Maury Island Natural Area — Maury Island Marine Park

RSVP to join the October 1st outing to Maury Island with Transit Trekker and King County Parks as part of the 2026 Week Without Driving.

1116

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"This was surprising to me to learn, that currently applicants need 30 plus permits from eight different departments to build housing in the city." -Seattle Budget Director Aly Pennucci just now

19217

Kyle Jacobson @ks-jacobson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

At the community listening session for the police chief search last night, the number one point one table wanted to share from their discussions was that weekend closures of LWB are unsafe, particularly the swing gates which, allegedly, were closed and unable to be opened by SPD and SFD

260

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Saka is wrapping up by again complaining that Wilson didn't fund council's district funds, which the budget he approved last year funded with one-time rather than ongoing money. If they want to restore money for this or anything else, they'll have to come up with cuts or use familiar budget tricks.

3301

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I'm not sure why Strauss spent so much time humiliating the women who came to speak before his committee with questions that were basically unrelated to the budget, like why service on his bus route hasn't been restored. Felt bad for both SDOT and mayoral staffers.

0365

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Maritza Rivera is now asking about the status of a specific project on Sand Point Way in her district. I'm not sure why they're all doing this in a public meeting on the budget, given that they have access to these department heads any time??

1352

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This chart shows how much spending at SDOT spiked in former mayor Harrell's election-year budget, which dramatically increased spending and set up growing nine-figure budget deficits in 2027, 2028, and 2029.

1361

Kyle Jacobson @ks-jacobson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

omg they described a police shooting in the active voice

030

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Jason @jrock08.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

What does it say about our priorities that I can use find it fix it to report the scooters blocking the sidewalk, but not the truck?

three lime scooters blocking a sidewalk in the Seward Park neighborhood

One truck blocking the sidewalk in the seward park neighborhood

1666

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Seattle Department of Transportation @transportation.seattle.gov · 27/09/2026

Join us today to help shape streets, support local businesses, & pilot new innovations in Capitol Hill! Where: Cathy Hillenbrand Community Room, 10th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102 When: Anytime between 1-4pm FREE food! Registration optional RSVP: seattle.gov/transportation/low-pollution-neighborhoods

A stylized image promoting "Low Pollution Neighborhood Capitol Hill," featuring a drawing of a café with a table and plant. There is the silhouette of a person walking with an umbrella. Text states "Open House on September 27." Blue and yellow tones are used throughout.

0103

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins is claiming that proposed cuts to overtime in Katie Wilson's budget will immediately reduce public safety around the city. "It's gonna mean longer response times," he said. Here's a story I wrote last year about SFD officers' excessive and costly use of OT.

publicola.com

Nearly 200 Firefighters Made More than $200,000 Last Year, Amassing Thousands of Hours of Overtime - PubliCola

By Erica C. Barnett Last year, 180 Seattle Fire Department employees—almost one in five—made more than $200,000, doubling or tripling…

33627208

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I've been posting all day (except when on the radio or calls) about a public safety budget meeting at the Seattle City Council that was truly an all-timer on the batshit scale. I'll have a longer post after I breathe into this bag for a while. Meanwhile, please support my work covering City Hall!

publicola.com

Support PubliCola - PubliCola

PubliCola is 100% reader-powered! If you like the work we’re doing here, and would like to support PubliCola financially, please…

213429

Kyle Jacobson @ks-jacobson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

And also: you work to elect someone who shares (most of) your values. Then you push them to enact those values. When they compromise (which they will), you get to push again. You only get to push them out of the boat once.

000

Kyle Jacobson @ks-jacobson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The Mayor just proposes a budget; council passes it. If you want to redistribute funds from police to services (and you should), you need votes on council. If you want accountability for the department that remains, you have to tackle SPOG. You need #waleg AND votes on council.

100

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Juarez also claimed, again completely falsely, that "in the real world, we are seeing more crime because we have less officers to go out and keep our community safe." In fact, crime is down and continues to decline.

38510

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

David Kroman @kromandavid.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Debora Juarez, 2020: "When I hear people say there's just a few bad apples on the police force I adamantly disagree with that. It's just not a healthy tree. We need to plant a new tree, we have to completely re-imagine, re-vision what community policing is." www.kuow.org/podcast/news...

kuow.org

Bad apples? Seattle Police 'not a healthy tree' says city council member

Chants of "defund S-P-D" have become a common message at protests in Seattle, and for the first time the idea is getting serious attention from the city council.

613434

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Just a reminder, since Rob Saka keeps saying otherwise, that there ARE ALREADY CAMERAS AT SEATTLE CENTER and that they WERE TURNED ON. There has never been a plan to add specific POLICE cameras at Seattle Center, a sprawling open campus, despite Saka's insistence that they're necessary there.

instagram.com

KOMO News on Instagram: "Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka wants the city to add public surveillance cameras to the Seattle Center campus immediately. A lack of cameras at the campus - which hosts ...

144 likes, 43 comments - komo4 on September 24, 2026: "Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka wants the city to add public surveillance cameras to the Seattle Center campus immediately. A lack of camera...

511719

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Amy Sundberg @amysundberg.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

If Katie Wilson hadn't used JumpStart dollars to maintain City services in this budget, she would have been facing a $350M budget deficit for 2027 instead of a $175M deficit. So her choice was between continuing an ongoing suboptimal baked-in practice or plunging the General Fund into chaos.

1476

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A reminder of how profoundly unbalanced (in the long-term sense) Harrell's most recent budget was; the council made it more so, by piling on projects as if there wasn't a structural budget deficit. publicola.com/2025/10/28/a...

publicola.com

A Closer Look at Mayor Harrell's Rickety 2026 City Budget Proposal - PubliCola

By Erica C. Barnett As the council takes up Mayor Bruce Harrell’s election-year budget, they could choose to heed their…

1403

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Strauss is now calling Wilson's budget "conservative." Here's an alternative view, after actually reading it: The budget uses far fewer of the budget tricks that Harrell and the current council have consistently relied on to avoid dealing with the structural budget deficit year after year.

1613

Kyle Jacobson @ks-jacobson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I think I can hold space for both of these perspectives: bsky.app/profile/amys... bsky.app/profile/tamm...

040

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Here's my coverage of the full timeline (based on documents and contemporaneous messages, not a comment in a meeting), which shows that the vast majority of the delay was due to SPD personnel who put out no information for many hours after posting about a mass shooting. publicola.com/2026/09/04/m...

publicola.com

Messages Show SPD Primarily Responsible for Information Gap After Bite of Seattle Shooting - PubliCola

The messages also reveal that Mayor Wilson was indecisive about going to the scene of the shooting while advisors…

0456

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Erica C. Barnett @ericacbarnett.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

As I reported ad nauseam last year, Bruce Harrell and most of the current city council wrote this deficit right into their budget, planning a deficit in 2027 by piling on new spending without making cuts.

1745

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

investigatewest.bsky.social @investigatewest.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Since Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson took office in January 2025, a board he appointed has recommended early release for 15 of the 23 people who received commutation hearings. The governor hasn’t approved a single one. www.investigatewest.org/washington-g...

investigatewest.org

Washington governor faces criticism for clemency denials

Gov. Bob Ferguson has rejected everyone the state board recommended for commutation

001

Kyle Jacobson @ks-jacobson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

As far as I can tell, the date on this doc indicates that the policy was just revisited this year (prev was 2020, I think). Nothing precludes WSDOT from revisiting before 2031, but :-( wsdot.wa.gov/sites/defaul...

wsdot.wa.gov

000

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

SPD is being asked to take a 2% haircut outside of the cost of sworn officer salaries.

2505

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Olraca @olraca.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The CARE department gets a bump of $2.5M over the next 2 years bringing the total to just over $70M annually while SPD gains an additional $68M bringing their budget to $568M annually. Budgets tell you where a city's priorities are.

061

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Olraca @olraca.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The reductions SPD are being told to make are in eliminating funding for marketing and hiring incentive bonuses, 9 vacant parking enforcment officer positions, 7 vacant Civilian Investigator administrative positions, and 3 unfilled vacant postions at the Real Time Crime Center.

371

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Glen Stellmacher @glentalk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

SPD says two different things: To city council: "staffing was reduced" In their internal incident action plan: "increased staffing assigned"

Budget Constraints Behind the Gaps
Several findings trace back to resource trade-offs, not
planning oversights. Field staffing — 7 supervisors and
roughly 25–29 officers — covered an event where
thousands of people attended. Saturday staffing was
reduced specifically to cover the citywide Torchlight
Parade, showing a finite overtime pool spread across
simultaneous major events.
BOTTOM LINE
Every staffing and equipment
recommendation in this report carries a
recurring cost. Each should go to the City
Council and Mayor’s Office with an explicit
budget estimate attached.
Special events strain SPD resources as SPD
is involved in hundreds of special events
yearly. These come with a personnel and
budgetary cost to the department

011

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Wes Mills 🥌 @oowm.org · 22/09/2026

Fix the L8 Largest city transit measure renewal Banning rental junk fees Kids eat for free at school Bathrooms. I'm not taking questions on "is Mayor Wilson actually bad". Like all people, she makes compromises. But she obviously Gives A Darn about regular people in a way previous Mayors didn't.

3669

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Olraca @olraca.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Katie Wilson is proposing an increase to SPD's budget by 13.9% ($68M) which will eclipse half a billion dollars. Looks like it's primarily for continuing to hire more police officers.

4226

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Ryan Packer @typewriteralley.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Katie Wilson announces a $1.4 million earmark in her proposed 2027 budget for 12 new public restrooms, including 10 additional modular facilities and 2 new restrooms in city parks.

523820

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

L. Harrison Jerome @lhjseattle.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The Ave For All: A Car-Free University Way on 10/10 and 10/17! We believe Seattle deserves a car-free street in the heart of every neighborhood for kids to play and community to gather. Come see for yourself what The Ave could be and bring friends! Follow @udistrict.org for updates

18228

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

David Seater 🚶‍♂️🚴🏻‍♂️🏳️‍🌈 @davidseater.com · 22/09/2026

It's also telling about the state of SDOT as an agency. When businesses complained about the barrier a few blocks from here SDOT dug it up and moved it (narrowing the bike lane) within weeks. Yet this problem has gone on for months and they haven't done anything to prevent it from happening again.

0132

Reposted by Kyle Jacobson

Cary Moon @carymoon.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Thank you @naomiishisaka.bsky.social for a beautiful depiction of a beloved community leader and inspiring organizer. Truly one of the great ones. Rest in Power, KL, we miss you so much.

0166