Hi, I'm Randy Corman, Renton City Councilmember. I am the most senior member of the council, currently in my 25th year (I have been elected seven times). I pay for this website with my own funds. Please recognize that all views expressed in my journal entries are my own, and not the official position of Renton City Council, other councilmembers, nor the city of Renton. Thanks for reading.
Crime and safety has been on everyone’s radar recently, and many readers may be interested in attending this Public Safety Committee meeting. You may attend either in person or by zoom. The City Council conference room will only comfortably seat about 10 guests in addition to the meeting attendees, so zoom may be a good option for many of you.
Council Members on this committee are:
Chair: Kim-Khánh Văn Vice-Chair: Ed Prince Member: Carmen Rivera
randycorman.com now features a comprehensive community calendar, thanks to a suggestion and hard work by Marcie Palmer. The updated calendar with clickable links can be accessed through the link on the upper right hand side of the website.
Former Renton Council Member Marcie Palmer recently pointed out to me that our community was in need of a comprehensive community calendar. In recent years technology has somehow made it more difficult to track down start times and locations of events in our community, since printed schedules and posters have largely disappeared. Many online invite systems like “Facebook Events” use algorithms that randomly hide events right when you look for them.
The office space at Southport was ready for tenants right around the time the pandemic hit, delaying occupancy. Marcie Palmer sent me this beautiful photo showing the lights finally on in the Southport offices, to the left of the Boeing factory. The lit up space will soon be occupied by Renton’s own global trend-setting game designer, Wizards of the Coast.
It’s appropriate for Wizards of the Coast to settle in next to Boeing. When I was a systems engineer at Boeing, I worked with engineers that had regularly played a pre-production version of “Magic the Gathering” with their colleague Peter Atkison during their 40-minute lunch breaks. “He would bring new hand-drawn cards for us to evaluate every week” they told me. Mr. Atkison had started a small side business, “Wizards of the Coast”, which took its name from the adventuring group he and his friends had created when they played “Dungeons and Dragons.” Mr. Atkison was close friends with a gamer named Richard Garfield, the creative inventor of Magic the Gathering (and also a great-great-grandson of US President James Garfield). Peter Atkison’s small company was working to bring Richard Garfield’s product to the market, and his fellow nerds at Boeing were an outstanding test market.
Renton’s 11th District Legislator Steve Bergquist (center, in blue) is co-sponsoring a bill to restore police pursuit authority. Last week he was given encouragement by six Renton Council Members and the Mayor who showed up at his office: from left Council Member Alberson, Mayor Pavone, Council Members Van, Perez, O’Halloran (not shown but participating, CMs Prince, and McIrvin). Renton Council Member Carmen Rivera was lobbying for the other side.
The City of Renton has a long, important partnership with the Association of Washington Cities (AWC), a respected professional organization that lobbies on behalf of all 281 cities and towns in our state. AWC just urgently informed cities that the Police Pursuit bill needs everyone’s help (bolding is theirs): “AWC is encouraged HB 1363 is continuing to move forward. Cities still need to reach out to legislators and ask them to support this bill because it still faces opposition and a difficult path to full passage”. Mayor Pavone and six council members are helping as requested.
Crime is currently one of the biggest concerns of many residents in Renton and our region. I’ve heard from countless Renton residents who are extremely worried about this issue, and sadly some of them have become so concerned they’ve either already moved or are making plans to move. While some elected officials are actively working the crime issue, others are still denying that crime is a significant problem. I’ve asked permission from readers to share a few of the stories I’ve heard, with the goal of ensuring a common understanding of the problem so that it may be worked seriously and productively. A reader named Tonya generously offered to share her poignant story as she and her family begin a new chapter of their lives in Eastern Washington.
For those who would like to give the state legislature your input about police pursuit. You have a great chance right now! Police Vehicle Pursuit — HB 1363 — will be heard in the House transportation committee today.
My wife Cathy and I have each done this. It takes no time at all to register your comments. You’re allowed 5000 words, but if you keep them to a few sentences they are more likely to be read, so I encourage everyone to participate. The bill will give more police pursuit options, so if you want to empower police you should “support” the bill. You don’t have to read the bill to express support, but if you want to, here is the bill.
A few weeks ago KIRO TV broke the story that King County is still paying $330,000 per month in taxpayer funds for the former Red Lion Hotel, which now sits empty with numerous broken windows and a fence around it. While it’s widely known that the hotel was being operated as a homeless shelter and caught fire in December 2020, it’s less well known how hard Renton fire officials worked in the months before the fire to get correction of numerous safety violations in the building and warn the leadership of the Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC-the non-profit that was operating the shelter) and King County of the high fire safety risks.
From left, Council members Van and O’Halloran, Mayor Pavone, Council members Perez and Alberson in Olympia Wednesday morning. Council members Prince and McIrvin also participated but aren’t in this photo (they were taking kids to late-start school, due to snow in Renton.)
Every year, Renton Council approves an official list of key Renton priorities for legislators in Olympia. This year’s priorities were approved by the council on a 6-1 vote, and are available here. This week, all six council members who approved the legislative agenda joined Mayor Pavone in Olympia to ask for support face-to-face from state lawmakers.
My grandson Henry takes a drink of water while riding on my lap on a commercial flight. While he would be a little safer during turbulence buckled into a seat, even on my lap he’s 50- 100 times safer than he would be riding in a car buckled into a car seat.
This blog entry is provided for reference in future discussions, and provides an interesting and little-known explanation about why the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows a child under age two to ride on an adult’s lap. This FAA policy has saved the lives of hundreds of precious babies who would have crashed in cars, and prevented horrific injuries to hundreds more. I’m sharing this information here because it is an excellent example of a complete, holistic safety analysis that has protected the most vulnerable in our society. It’s also an example of two brilliant safety agencies both claiming the scientific high ground on an issue, where only one can rightfully claim it. The FAA, which arguably sets the highest standard for safety of any agency anywhere, has been battling the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and consumer groups over this for decades. The NTSB points out that parents can’t hold onto a child in high force conditions like a crash, or in heavy unexpected turbulence. And they have data showing 298 passengers were injured by turbulence from 1980-2008, a rate of 10 injuries per year, although this is a total of all injuries and its not clear if any were babies.
While the legislature debates tough new gun background checks, smash-and-grab burglars break into gun stores with impunity thanks their other legislative changes.
We must be at rock bottom, right?
Gun violence is increasing fast. But while the State Legislature actively debates tough new gun purchase safety laws that include a ten-day waiting period for purchases, stronger background checks, and mandatory safety training, the same Legislature has made it easier than ever to simply steal guns from stores. The legislature appears to be struggling with a cognitive dissonance that is impacting their decisions and endangering the public.
Renton Council President Valerie O’Halloran itemizes City Council concerns about proposed new asphalt plant east of Renton
For those not familiar with this issue, King County is in the process of permitting an Asphalt Plant just east of Renton, along Maple Valley Highway, 150 feet from the Cedar River. While almost everyone agrees asphalt is an important commodity and must be made somewhere, nearby residents and some of their elected officials have raised numerous issues about this choice of sites and the proposed design of the plant. This site was chosen in part for its “Industrial” zoning, which was awarded to the site (I would say in error) back when the site was the home of a long-time nursery/landscape business that had sprung up in the rural area along the highway. That business was not of concern to neighbors, and the owner wanted to be “conforming”, so he requested industrial zoning from the county as part of a county zoning update. Ideally, his business should have instead been treated as a non-conforming but grandfathered use, and this issue would not be here today.
Kennydale residents are likely to be asked whether they support rezoning that would allow a hotel at Exit 6. This blog entry is taking no position on this zoning decision.
In evaluating this zoning decision, Renton residents deserve to be knowledgeable about new state law that was passed in 2021 and expands on city hotel zoning.
Photo Courtesy City of Seattle. Even after $25 billion is spent on homelessness in King County, the plan is that some residents will still be living in tiny houses, safe RV parking, and safe vehicle parks. Permanent housing will cost extra.
There’s been a lot of media and public commentary on the King County Regional Homelessness Authority’s (KCRHA) proposed 5-year plan, currently out for public comment. The main reaction has been shock and dismay at the high price tag. It runs roughly around 8 billion in capital costs and 17 billion in 5-year operating costs.
But one aspect of this plan is still not widely known, and deserves explanation. The KCRHA plan is a $25 Billion dollar 5-year plan to provide “Temporary Housing.” Permanent housing for the 23,000 homeless covered by the plan is still up to Cities, Counties, and local housing authorities. You read that right: when the $25 billion dollar plan is fully implemented, people will still be living in a conglomeration of shelters, safe vehicle parking spots, tiny houses, skilled nursing facilities, converted hotels, supportive apartments, and emergency shelters. Once individuals are healthy and independent enough to safely move to a proper long-term home, that will cost extra. Per item 2 on page 26 of the plan, “…responsibility for permanent housing capital financing and development remains with the federal, state, King County, and city/local jurisdictions..”
During the past year, I’ve heard from dozens of people with heartbreaking stories about how crime has adversely affected them. Policy makers often dismiss “property crimes” as simple financial inconveniences. I’m going to run some stories to illustrate the actual impact and fallout of these crimes. This is the first.
Melyza, a young single Mom whose close friends call her Mely, moved to Renton thirteen months ago. She was determined to find a great location to raise her daughter who has some special needs. Renton was appealing to Melyza for it’s services, relative affordability, and quality of life.
She found an apartment she liked at Regency Woods, in Renton. A hard worker, Melyza picked up two jobs to cover her rent, car expenses, and the many other costs of supporting her small family. Between her two jobs, she was even able to save a little money each month to put away for emergencies and for her future.
The State Patrol is reporting a planned DUI emphasis on Super Bowl Sunday, a worthwhile effort to get dangerous drivers off the road and save lives. I thank our troopers for this effort.
Unfortunately, this year Washington State may need to run a companion “Pull Over Pretty Please” campaign, since State Patrol is not authorized to pursue anyone just because their driving is sloppy. Officers can flash their lights and sound their siren at them, but they can’t chase them down under the 2021 pursuit law— unless they have somehow already interviewed them and determined reasonable suspicion that they are intoxicated. Interviewing them before pulling them over is a paradox the legislature apparently expects someone else to resolve.
Some DUI motorists will pull over on game day, but probably not the most dangerous ones. Read more about this problem in my earlier journal entry here.
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