{"id":30785,"date":"2015-06-23T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2015-06-23T15:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seattlebubble.com\/blog\/?p=30785"},"modified":"2015-06-23T08:31:20","modified_gmt":"2015-06-23T15:31:20","slug":"how-does-seattle-city-councilmember-kshama-sawant-plan-to-make-seattle-affordable-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seattlebubble.com\/blog\/2015\/06\/23\/how-does-seattle-city-councilmember-kshama-sawant-plan-to-make-seattle-affordable-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant Plan to “Make Seattle Affordable for All”?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kshama<\/a>I drove down to Leschi last weekend, and I saw a surprising number of yard signs promoting the re-election of Kshama Sawant to the Seattle City Council. As you can see in the photo at right (taken from her campaign’s Twitter feed<\/a>), the slogan on these signs implies that Sawant’s main goal is to “Make Seattle Affordable for All.”<\/p>\n

It’s not explicitly stated, but since most people aren’t referring to the price of food or clothing when they complain about a specific place being unaffordable, I think it’s safe to assume that Sawant is talking about housing affordability—probably mostly focusing on rentals. I was very curious how she intends to “make Seattle affordable,” so I headed over to her campaign website<\/a> to read her measured, thoughtful opinions on this economic conundrum.<\/p>\n

Let’s have a look at her “issues” page on the “Make Seattle Affordable for All” topic:<\/p>\n

Our city is becoming increasingly unequal and unaffordable. In one Seattle, glittering fortunes are being made for the super\u2013rich and the major corporations that dominate its landscape. The other Seattle, where the rest of us live, faces skyrocketing rents and underfunded services.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think most people will agree with this sentiment, at least on a high level. I mean, it’s blatantly populist and I don’t think the “us versus them” mentality is a particularly productive form of politics, but at least she’s on-topic so far.<\/p>\n

While the Mayor and City Council give sweetheart deals to billionaire developers, we\u2019re left with \u201cstakeholder\u201d committees and empty promises.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All right, what exactly are these “sweetheart deals” that the “billionaire developers” are getting from the Mayor and City Council? Can you cite them specifically?<\/p>\n

Instead of investing in desperately needed mass transit, this same arrogant political elite is doubling down on the Bertha boondoggle, threatening to rack up hundreds of millions of dollars in cost overruns while safety concerns mount.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Wait. Hold on. I thought we were talking about housing affordability. You know, “billionaire developers” and whatnot. What does the Highway 99 tunnel fiasco have to do with this? Please explain the connection.<\/p>\n

The political system in our city and throughout the country is beholden to corporate cash. A Republican-controlled Congress brazenly champions the interests of Wall Street. Here in Seattle, where the Democratic Party has governed for decades, big developers and downtown business interests nonetheless dominate city politics.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I am starting to get the feeling that she is not even going to attempt<\/em> to explain how she hopes to address affordability on this page titled “Make Seattle Affordable for All.”<\/p>\n

I am committed to building an alternative to this model of corporate politics. We need political representatives who are independent of corporate cash and corporate parties, who will give voice to the needs and aspirations of working people.
\n…
\nIn line with the principles of the political party I represent, Socialist Alternative, I pledged to stay accountable to working people by taking only the average worker\u2019s wage. Seattle City Councilmembers pay themselves $120,000 per year \u2013 the second highest amount of any city council in the country. Inevitably, such a salary removes councilmembers from the realities of life for poor and working people.<\/p>\n

I only accept $40,000 per year after taxes. This amount is roughly the full-time take-home pay of an average Seattleite. The remainder of my salary goes to a Solidarity Fund to help build social justice movements.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And that’s the end of this page on her site. I am rather curious if she is really living on just $40,000 a year, since the mortgage payment on the house she bought last year<\/a> and refinanced a few months ago would likely eat up about half of her $3,333 monthly pay. But I digress.<\/p>\n

If you click through to the fourth page of the “Issues” section of her campaign website, you finally come to a page titled “Affordable Housing for All<\/a>.” Maybe we’ll have better luck learning her plan here.<\/p>\n

Seattle is facing a severe housing crisis and District 3 is at its epicenter. The for-profit housing model is not working, with big developers and speculators pushing workers and even middle-class families out of the city. Meanwhile, the City Council is working on behalf of big business rather than ordinary renters and homeowners.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This sounds more promising. We’re finally getting to the meat of her plan to “Make Seattle Affordable.” Here is what appears to be the crux of her plan:<\/p>\n

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    \n
  • We need rent control as an immediate step to address the crisis of out-of-control rents. The city council should immediately pass a resolution demanding the state government remove the ban on rent control, and bring a legal challenge to it. Most importantly, tenants, unions, and community organizations need to organize, building for major protests in Olympia to demand an end to the undemocratic state ban.<\/li>\n
  • Make big developers pay the maximum \u201clinkage fee\u201d possible to help fund affordable housing.<\/li>\n
  • Working and middle-class people need an affordable alternative to the skyrocketing private housing market! The city should provide a public option by building thousands of high\u2013quality, city-owned housing units, rented at below-market rates. This can be financed by selling municipal bonds and making use of currently vacant city land.<\/li>\n
  • Seattle needs a Tenants\u2019 Bill of Rights!\n
      \n
    • Tenants should have six months\u2019 advance notice of a major rent increase, rather than the two months currently legally required.<\/li>\n
    • Expand relocation assistance to those being economically evicted by out-of-control rent hikes. Tenants should receive the same $3,200 relocation assistance currently available for those evicted due to major construction.<\/li>\n
    • Cap security deposits and move-in fees at no more than one month\u2019s rent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Housing is a human right! Fully fund an emergency plan to immediately offer decent shelter for the more than 3,000 homeless people on Seattle\u2019s streets.<\/li>\n
    • Mortgage relief for homeowners! Over 16,500 Seattle families have lost their homes to foreclosure since 2008. The city needs to stop dragging its feet and finally implement a principal reduction program for underwater homeowners to keep more families from losing their homes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n

      I’m not going to go over every one of these points, but I do want to address a few of them.<\/p>\n

      \n

      Good article linking #FightFor15<\/a>
      w\/ affordable housing. We got the min wage ball rolling. Now we need       #RentControl<\/a>! http:\/\/t.co\/jhDXpEN7wt<\/a><\/p>\n

      — Kshama Sawant (@cmkshama) June 1, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n