Seattle mayor’s office scrambling to retrieve months of deleted text messages Gary Horcher
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office is actively working to retrieve several months of missing and deleted text messages, which are considered potential evidence in a federal lawsuit against the city of Seattle, according to the mayor’s office.
The suit accuses the mayor and the city of abandoning the CHOP (Capitol Hill Organized Protest) zone last summer from law enforcement, essentially making a portion of Capitol Hill off-limits for first responders to enter the area and try and save the life of 19-year-old Lorenzo Anderson after he had been shot there on a night in late June.
In Our View: Legislature must end use of title-only bills The Columbian
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Regardless of how one feels about the budget passed by this year’s Legislature, all Washington taxpayers should be appalled by the process. Lawmakers continue to embrace an opaque process that chips at the foundations of open government.
The 2021 session concluded Sunday after lawmakers approved a $59 billion operating budget for 2021-23. The plan includes additional taxes and spending on items such as wildfire prevention, a tax credit for working families and support for the state Teachers Retirement System.
That capped a 105-day session that featured significant legislation relating to pandemic relief and police reform, as well as the constitutionally mandated creation of a budget.
× By Joseph O’Sullivan, The Seattle Times
Published: April 26, 2021, 3:35pm
Share: Daffodils bloom near the Legislative Building on April 6, 2020 at the Capitol in Olympia. (Associated Press files)
OLYMPIA A full slate of legislation to overhaul policing. A pair of major climate-change bills. A new budget that expands child care, public health programs and a tax credit for low-income Washingtonians. A slew of equity initiatives. A capital gains tax.
In any other year, one or of two of those sets of victories could be considered a major success for Washington’s Democratic state lawmakers and Gov. Jay Inslee.
But even before the Washington Legislature on Sunday completed its regular 105-day session, it had become clear that 2021 was no ordinary year.
Lawmakers Slam Secrecy Surrounding Washington Auditor Breach
Washington state senators probing the breach of a file transfer system used by the auditor’s office are criticizing the lack of transparency in the process. The breach exposed the information of 1.3 million residents. by Jim Brunner, The Seattle Times / March 4, 2021 Shutterstock
(TNS) State lawmakers probing the massive data breach at state Auditor Pat McCarthy s office say they re frustrated with ongoing secrecy surrounding the incident, which exposed personal information of at least 1.3 million Washingtonians.
Three state senators who have pressed for details about the breach say the auditor s office has conditioned private briefings on a confidentiality agreement, meaning they cannot share all they learn publicly. The auditor s office has justified holding briefings under so-called attorney-client privilege because the agency is being sued over
Seattle’s disclosure of police records lags as experts question legality of city’s practices, funding
Seattle also appears to be failing to devote necessary resources to meet even basic compliance with the records law, said Kathy George, a lawyer who specializes in government transparency issues.
“If they’re not devoting enough resources, at a certain point, it seems clear that it’s an intentional backlog, they’re planning to have slow responses,” she said. “You can’t do that under the Public Records Act.”
The law demands public agencies provide the “fullest assistance” possible and to respond to requests “promptly.” Neither “an extreme backlog” nor “staffing shortages” fall among the exceptions allowed for delaying responses, George said.