Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson grilled over CCTV usage, affordability and housing

SEATTLE - Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson sat down with FOX 13 Seattle co-anchor Hana Kim during a Civic Cocktail event hosted by Seattle CityClub Wednesday night, answering tough questions regarding the city's most pressing issues.

Crime along Aurora Avenue, turning on CCTV cameras, and reducing homelessness numbers were just a few of the topics that were touched on during the forum.

Taxes and affordability

Starting off, Mayor Wilson touched on a newly proposed sales tax focused on transportation, specifically for more bus routes and more frequent bus stops. 

Critics argued Seattle already has one of the highest sales taxes in the country, and it would only hit working families even harder. However, Wilson said the state has a very regressive tax system and that the proposal could save money for many.

"I really want to get our transit system back to, surpassing our pre-pandemic levels of service, because that's really when people begin to be able to make that choice, to not drive all the time, and even not own a car or own fewer cars," Wilson said. "It's about affordability too right, because car ownership is expensive right, we're talking about $12,000 a year right, when you think of all of the costs of car ownership, and we know how expensive gas is these days. So this is about giving people those options."

The mayor also pointed to housing costs as a major driver behind everything from restaurant prices to homelessness. She said the city is moving forward with plans to allow more housing in more neighborhoods, including downtown, while also targeting hidden renter fees.

When asked about her support for an ongoing boycott of Starbucks, one of the largest Seattle-based corporations that announced a new headquarters space in Tennessee, Wilson said she recently bought a latte from their Pike Place Market location.

"Do you still support a boycott of Starbucks?" asked FOX 13's Hana Kim.

 "You know I had the pleasure of visiting the Pike Place Market Starbucks a little while ago and I ordered a, I think it was a blueberry muffin latte, that was like a staff creation. So, I guess I broke my boycott. Um…and yeah, I don't know, what do you want me to say about that?" Mayor Wilson responded. 

Homelessness and drug addiction

Mayor Wilson was also asked about comments from Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, who said L.A.'s homeless population will come to Seattle when he cuts them off, and that Wilson will welcome them into the city. Wilson had this to say:

"I'm not going to respond to him, but I will respond to you all. I think it's very clear when we look at the data, when we look at different cities around the country and kind of compare the scale of our homeless issues. What is driving homelessness is housing costs. There is a very clear correlation between housing costs and homelessness," Wilson said.

Another point that Hana Kim brought up was the mayor's response to drug addiction and treating the city's homeless population. 

"Is Seattle too lenient on giving people who are addicted to drugs housing first, with no requirement for drug treatment or rehabilitation? Why is that not something that is combined together?" asked Hana Kim.

"So I'll say people come into homelessness from all kinds of different directions. And people who are struggling with substance use disorder, drug addiction, everyone has their individual situation and what works for one person doesn't always work for another. And that is part of why it's really important that we have a variety of shelter options, and that we have a variety of service models," Mayor Wilson said.

When asked about the open-air drug activity off 12th and Jackson in Seattle's Chinatown-International District, Wilson said she wants to prevent the situation from getting worse. She says areas like that could require a collaboration from the police department and service providers to establish "clear guidelines for our public space."

The conversation also touched on the growing violence along Aurora Avenue, where residents are complaining about constant gunfire and ongoing crime.

"We're hearing from residents saying there are constant shootings there, bullets going through homes, human trafficking is up, prostitution is up. Desperate residents put up steel planters to block some of the crime, they say it was working but then the city took it away and said they need to have a permanent solution, so they want to study it. But at what point do you act?" asked Hana Kim.

"We are talking about doing a quick assessment of what it would look like to more permanently block off certain streets, but they need to study emergency access, we need to be able to get emergency vehicles into the neighborhood. So that is what's going on, and so we're going to have more information very soon, and we also have emphasis patrols that SPD is doing right now, greater presence, we're stepping up the Gun Violence Reduction Unit in the area. And these are the immediate fixes, no illusion that things like this are solving the longer term problem, but we are trying to take immediate action to improve conditions in the neighborhood because it's unacceptable," Wilson said.

Turning on CCTV cameras

Wilson said a study on Seattle's CCTV pilot program is currently underway, and a decision on the future expansion of the program is expected by the end of the year.

After a brief intermission, the microphone was handed over to the crowd, where many shared concerns over public safety and the mayor's plan to address camera usage.

"With more cameras being put up for the World Cup, even though some of them will be turned off for now, how will you prevent the Seattle Police Department…from providing ICE access to these cameras?" one resident asked.

"So in Washington we have the Keep Washington Working Act which prohibits, among other things, local law enforcement from collaborating with federal immigration enforcement, and we are working with SPD, making sure they're not sharing information with ICE, so that is the policy and we want to make sure that doesn't happen."

You can view the full forum with Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson below:

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