[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6099700,"mediaKeyId","2816422-c6fca13d67610d72380081c2cb0d0d26","parentId",2816422,"title","City auditor finds gaps in Seattle’s coordination on gun violence response; offers four no‑cost recommendations","audioSeconds",3112,"startMs",3121000,"endMs",8920,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2816422-c6fca13d67610d72380081c2cb0d0d26&start=3121&end=8","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2816422-c6fca13d67610d72380081c2cb0d0d26/thumbnail_3121000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6099700/Seattle/King-County/Washington/City-auditor-finds-gaps-in-Seattles-coordination-on-gun-violence-response-offers-four-nocost-recommendations","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6099700-a871d02cfd63c4812f6e58114bf0f7b1/orig.mp4?Expires=1775465485&Signature=RBUzTJ1xOuiOQ474UV~v5YK6adxKFdehq~0fODRB8tlmaqL6~2wLs46D0mxXI~9BTPBvAbTPGAvFGkj5bzdfzbfGqAsCS80WuGuctQ4KNqWXtwMmQHnTSNaX1tdS6FMjh7b~7TQ8IrSIVvTRu72JApcDuUCGxUrjHXmNy6XQlNpaxb5zCXN5qxpSMukqYNRD4VUhIppBvZTIxO2GuyCkJxmD2glBm-6VSQdE7wDG9pZfzYncCf~qHOslgxFQgg8vHmdPPxgqtktpc8-fa5IGaZgqWh2I0w86FHghbUE3z32G33g2278VP-A2kvXfD3EVZw9YLF5xWbWDI8tNrRidlQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Seattle City, WA","date","2025-03-29T12:17:09.84Z","article","The City Auditor presented an audit to the Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee on March 27 that recommends four no‑cost steps to improve Seattle’s understanding of and response to current gun‑violence patterns.

Claudia Gross Shader, research and evaluation director in the Office of the City Auditor, said the audit grew from a joint request by Mayor Bruce Harrell and Council President Sarah Nelson. The audit found Seattle has sustained a post‑pandemic increase in shootings and that city agencies and community partners do not have a shared framework for systematic information sharing and joint problem solving.

\"Our report offers 4 concrete things that the city could do to better understand and address the current gun violence patterns that we're experiencing in Seattle,\" Gross Shader told the committee.

Key findings and data

The audit cites Seattle Police Department statistics showing shots fired events increased 71% between 2020 and 2024, nonfatal shootings increased 58% and fatal shootings increased 23% across the same period. Auditors said they encountered inconsistent location naming, differing time windows and varying incident types when attempting to combine data from multiple agencies and said that limited systematic sharing has hindered coordinated responses.

Auditors and technical partners recommended three broad operational responses: a public reporting and information‑sharing framework (a centralized dashboard or similar mechanism), expanded problem‑analysis capacity for place‑based or person‑based interventions, and a regular, citywide convening structure to coordinate city departments, other government entities and community partners around violence reduction work. The audit also urged the council to follow up on a separate review of Seattle Police Department investigative practices that found organizational gaps in investigations and training.

The audit drew on free technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs’ violent crime reduction roadmap, the Police Executive Research Forum and researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The auditors said Baltimore and Milwaukee were notable examples of jurisdictions that combined data dashboards, targeted interventions and rigorous evaluation to reduce shootings; the report invites Seattle to accept offered technical assistance to adapt models used elsewhere.

City response

Tiffany Washington, deputy mayor, and Natalie Walton Anderson, the mayor’s chief of public safety, said the executive agrees with the audit’s recommendations and noted work already under way, including the recently created CARE department and the 1 Seattle Restoration Framework.

\"The mayor's top priority is public safety and in particular addressing gun violence is urgent and of the utmost importance to every member of our community,\" Walton Anderson said, noting existing investments in hospital‑based violence intervention, school mental‑health services and regional investigative partnerships.

Deputy Mayor Washington emphasized the administration’s intent to expand outward‑facing dashboards and to coordinate across city departments. SPD representatives said the department already performs sophisticated geospatial and diagnostic analyses, that most gun violence in Seattle is linked to person‑based networks and that legal limits often prevent public disclosure of investigatory detail while cases are active. Rebecca Boatwright, general counsel and executive director of analytics and research for SPD, reiterated the department’s commitment to evidence‑based approaches and said SPD would brief the council on progress implementing prior investigative recommendations.

Auditor recommendations (summary)

1) Develop a systematic citywide reporting and information‑sharing framework for gun violence (public dashboard and common location naming conventions).

2) Improve the city’s capacity for problem analysis (data and evaluation resources for place‑ and person‑based interventions).

3) Implement a convening framework to coordinate city departments, prosecutors, community organizations and regional partners (the audit cited models such as violence reduction councils and Baltimore’s public safety accountability dashboard).

4) Continue council oversight of SPD’s progress addressing investigative‑operation weaknesses identified in a separate independent assessment.

What this means locally

Audit authors and the executive both emphasized that the recommendations do not require new city funding but do require clearer coordination, recordkeeping and a commitment to data‑driven evaluation. The audit team offered technical assistance links and said federal and academic partners have offered to help Seattle adapt proven frameworks. Committee members pressed for clearer, front‑end communication between the executive and council on implementation plans and RFP timing to ensure community organizations and council members are aligned on program design and accountability.

No formal committee vote was recorded on the audit; committee members asked the auditor’s office and the executive to return with follow‑up briefings and implementation plans.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Seattle City Council Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee 3/27/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The city auditor told the committee that shootings and shots‑fired events rose sharply post‑pandemic and that Seattle lacks a consistent citywide framework to share data and coordinate responses to gun violence.","taxTitle","Seattle, King County, Washington","taxId",2543,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6099705,"Committee recommends confirmation of Vivian Vassell to Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission",639,1297000,1936000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2816422-c6fca13d67610d72380081c2cb0d0d26&start=1297&end=1936","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2816422-c6fca13d67610d72380081c2cb0d0d26/thumbnail_1297000.jpg","/articles/6099705/Seattle/King-County/Washington/Committee-recommends-confirmation-of-Vivian-Vassell-to-Seattle-Ethics-and-Elections-Commission","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6099705-847ab880fcb11e01667869cf877df5fe/orig.mp4?Expires=1775465485&Signature=ljvjRWT3-xMZTOyu-NKuKMG6PbPiBYwoECQostJaqwB5aDrqntSZo9n8DqAe6NZZBWr9EaXQ9ivPGLCFqiJeEql3mf6YwwZHyN0lMPwDIfJZWBPTMnSR6dtlWgUSuxF~wL-997LAuPgfDEFwu3neekY7aZZ5ZOHLapuUC2pYJC~07nQxr4T43UX~u9ZBhjsMSNpiqK4WKlwsS9uOtW3-t2SmP3cMyb-TUS7ESQnLBPA-aecGkMne8F5AXeoJniBs46W9GulrHyqRTChL31nTns5sLXYMCUe~2mxyT6nTpk05vBXlvvcT1UtbLv5JIEOGvTsKPsNrSan3v8qrzoyrpQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee on March 27 recommended the full City Council confirm Vivian Vassell to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission by a 3‑0 roll call vote.

Vassell appeared by remote video for the committee briefing and described herself as a Seattle native with a law degree and a background in public service. \"I'm born and raised in Seattle,\" Vassell said. \"...I'm committed to public service. I really love living in this city ... I just wanna help kind of make this city, keep this city the great place it is.\" She said she has participated in at least one commission meeting and that she supports the ethics commission’s role in reviewing complaints under the ethics, elections and lobbying codes, and in whistleblower protections.

Wayne Barnett, executive director of the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, introduced Vassell to the committee and said she was the commission’s unanimous choice. \"Vivian is the unanimous choice of the commission for a seat on the commission,\" Barnett said.

Chair Sarah Nelson moved the committee recommendation. After the motion was seconded, the clerk called the roll: Council Member Teresa Rivera voted aye, Council Member Andrew Solomon voted aye and Chair Sarah Nelson voted aye. The clerk announced, \"3 in favor,\" and the chair said the motion carries; the appointment will move to the full council on the council’s next scheduled meeting for final confirmation.

Vassell told the committee she has professional experience in the Washington attorney general's office and named current and former commission members as professional contacts who inspired her interest in the work. She said she supports the commission’s oversight of the democracy voucher program and other codes administered by the commission.

Next steps

The committee’s recommendation will be transmitted to the full council for a confirmation vote at the council meeting noted by the committee (the committee indicated the appointment will be considered by the full council on the Tuesday following the committee schedule).","The governance committee voted 3‑0 to recommend that the City Council confirm Vivian Vassell to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6099710,"Committee hears widespread public support for renewing Seattle democracy voucher levy; levy proposal outlined",2410,164000,2574000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2816422-c6fca13d67610d72380081c2cb0d0d26&start=164&end=2574","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2816422-c6fca13d67610d72380081c2cb0d0d26/thumbnail_164000.jpg","/articles/6099710/Seattle/King-County/Washington/Committee-hears-widespread-public-support-for-renewing-Seattle-democracy-voucher-levy-levy-proposal-outlined","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6099710-655a7929bd3321621c333199cb38ca17/orig.mp4?Expires=1775465485&Signature=j51DEVK8jtdRCI2NDfP19ieC3Wa9che3k286WeObJPNIaCxzHxLCM~VvzYkEtg11Af-MZqn6Cj~UgcVGrUVunL3-sRZ0DTt8c~wEpuOcq7cw9HR7PBF-Amhx8aOGEGYoIwyaCe27BoeuXCe7H5Uy8p9MKnYGuQoI-hI0sOD-rrnYDltHK43P5Havj26na-bGDDbwG8~O2oWrGIXm4Xs-57c8pGIetiiU-YfmgSKk8w116RYt0PhUQ5xU6GWChLMSCEU8ixhsO0KNzVMAVb0wg5b1fzMpv1EoejHrLSCtnWPIhqGWSm55NMI-g9LT~vZPhWnwRKdW0ysNPw~ZV5MmyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of residents, advocacy groups and program officials urged the Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee on March 27 to put a renewal of Seattle’s democracy voucher program on the August 5 primary ballot.

The program’s administrators presented an updated budget proposal and usage data; council staff and the mayor’s office said the proposal would be submitted to King County by the May 2 filing deadline if the council votes to place it on the ballot.

The democracy voucher program, approved by Seattle voters in 2015 and administered by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, provides vouchers that participating residents can assign to qualifying local candidates. Supporters who addressed the committee—representing groups that included People Powered Elections, La Uníon (as stated in testimony), the Washington Bus, the League of Women Voters of Seattle‑King County, Sightline Institute and several community coalitions—said the vouchers have broadened participation and reduced the influence of large donors.

\"My name is Hannah Lindell Smith. I am the coalition coordinator for people powered elections, and I'm here speaking in strong support of adding a renewal measure for the Seattle democracy voucher program to the August primary ballot,\" said Hannah Lindell Smith, identifying herself as coalition coordinator for People Powered Elections.

Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission Executive Director Wayne Barnett summarized the program's history and results. \"Democracy vouchers were created by voters in 2015. They went into effect in 2017. It is the first program of its kind anywhere in the world,\" Barnett said. He presented maps and contributor counts the commission supplied showing a rise in contributors from fewer than 17,000 in 2013 to as many as 68,000 in 2021, along with evidence that a smaller share of campaign dollars now comes from outside the city.

Brian Goodnight of Council Central Staff and Renee Labeaux, program manager for the democracy voucher program, explained the levy proposal’s finances. Goodnight told the committee that the proposed levy is $4,500,000 per year for 10 years (total $45,000,000) and that the proposal equates to a 0.0142% tax rate. \"The existing levy, on average, over the last 3 years, has cost the owner of a median value residential property about $8.80 a year. So the proposed renewal ... would be about $13.07 per year,\" Goodnight said. (The presentation identified a median assessed home value of $920,000 used in that estimate.)

Barnett explained the larger annual request compared with the current levy is driven by growth in expected administrative costs and a budgeting model that assumes higher candidate participation. He presented three funding scenarios and said a $4.5 million annual levy would keep the program solvent across a projected 10‑year horizon; lower levy amounts would exhaust the fund in the later years of the term.

Staff noted schedule next steps: the committee will consider the ordinance again at its April 10 meeting and, if approved by committee, the council would need to submit the measure to King County by May 2 for an August 5 election; property tax collection would begin January 1 following voter approval.

Several public commenters, including immigrant advocates and young supporters, framed the program as expanding civic participation. \"This program allowed me to support a campaign and have a voice in local elections. It was empowering to know that my participation matters,\" Haley Woo, community engagement coordinator with the Asian Counseling and Referral Service, told the committee.

Committee members asked about underspend and roll‑over funds, outreach to underserved communities and how the commission budgets for candidate participation. Barnett and staff said prior years’ unspent funds roll over into the program fund, that outreach relies on community‑based organizations and multilingual materials, and that budgeting uses conservative assumptions about candidate participation and a 4.1% annual CPI adjustment.

No committee vote on the levy ordinance was recorded at this meeting. The chair scheduled a follow‑up committee meeting for April 10 to consider a possible vote to send the levy to the full council.

Votes at a glance

- No vote recorded on Council Bill 120957 (proposed 10‑year property tax levy to fund the democracy voucher program); committee discussion and staff presentations only. Key deadlines noted: King County filing deadline May 2; election date August 5; tax collection if approved begins January 1.

Context and next steps

The ordinance as presented would ask voters to authorize a property tax levy in excess of state levy limits (chapter 84.55 RCW) for up to 10 years to fund the democracy voucher program and related administration. Committee members and staff said the commission and mayor’s office would convene a task force in the first quarter after voter approval to consider any program changes and to pursue further outreach and evaluation.

","Dozens of residents and advocacy groups told the governance committee they support placing a 10‑year property tax levy to fund Seattle’s democracy voucher program on the August 5 ballot.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City auditor finds gaps in Seattle’s coordination on gun violence response; offers four no‑cost recommendations

Committee recommends confirmation of Vivian Vassell to Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission

Committee hears widespread public support for renewing Seattle democracy voucher levy; levy proposal outlined