Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson issued her first veto yesterday against a specialized permitting scheme that would effectively ban most homeless RV residents from living in the city.
Sponsored by City Councilmember Dan Strauss, the bill would require people living in RVs and other large vehicles to go through arduous paperwork to retain the right to park for 72 hours on city streets. Only people surveyed in a one-time census would be eligible for that permit, and they could lose it if they refuse offers of shelter too many times. It passed two weeks ago by a vote of 6 to 3.
In a letter to the council, Wilson said the permit program would be difficult to enforce, administratively complicated, expose the City to potential lawsuits, and potentially lead to more people becoming unsheltered.
The mayor did sign Strauss’ four other ordinances that will authorize the City to establish new large vehicle storage lots, boost funding for outreach workers, and redefine the definition of “junk vehicles.”
Initially, it looked like Wilson would allow the RV ban to stand, given that it was passed with a veto-proof majority. However, heavy pressure from homelessness advocates and some of her progressive allies seems to have changed her mind. Alison Eisinger, the executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, says Wilson needed to draw a line in the sand against the morally wrong and ineffective ban.
“I think it’s reasonable to hope that some of those council members will recognize this policy was not ready for prime time,” Eisinger said. “It was not likely to actually resolve homelessness among people who live in RVs, and we can do better.”
In a press release, Strauss showed how bummed he was that Wilson changed her mind, saying “the mayor gave me a call at 4 p.m. to let me know she was breaking that promise [to not veto it].”
The legislation has highlighted the clear fracture between the council’s three progressive members and its centrist majority that was mostly elected in the 2023 backlash election. In order to avoid being overridden, Wilson will need to peel off one of those moderates.
Progressive City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, who urged Wilson to issue the veto, plans to join her at a press conference later today. In a text message to The Stranger, she said the policy would be “cruel,” “impossible for the city to implement,” and “leave hundreds of people without shelter.”
According to Eisinger, almost 600 constituents sent emails to the council and Wilson in opposition to the RV ban. The council has up to 30 days to decide on whether to override the veto.
The post Katie Wilson Vetoes Strauss’ RV Ban appeared first on The Stranger.
