Erica C. Barnett

@ericacbarnett.bsky.social

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Seattle-based reporter, founder/editor of PubliCola.com, and author of Quitter: A Memoir of Drinking, Relapse, and Recovery

She/her, Latina, Texan

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Three Fun Things for July 7, 2024 A physical-media discovery, the best running shoes, and the best fan for the PNW summer. New on PubliCola: publicola.com/2024/07/07/t...

Three Fun Things for July 7, 2024 - PubliColapublicola.com A physical-media discovery, the best running shoes, and the best fan for the PNW summer. By Erica C. Barnett…

Three Fun Things for July 7, 2024 A physical-media discovery, the best running shoes, and the best fan for the PNW summer. New on PubliCola: publicola.com/2024/07/07/t...

Three Fun Things for July 7, 2024 - PubliColapublicola.com A physical-media discovery, the best running shoes, and the best fan for the PNW summer. By Erica C. Barnett…

This Week On PubliCola A roundup of this week's news, featuring transportation levy drama, youth shelter closures, and SPD. publicola.com/2024/07/06/3...

This Week On PubliCola: July 6, 2024 - PubliColapublicola.com A roundup of this week’s news, featuring transportation levy drama, youth shelter closures, and SPD. Tuesday, July 2 It’s Decision…

Seattle Nice: Are Sweeps the Answer? This week on the podcast, we discuss the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision on homelessness. publicola.com/2024/07/06/s...

Seattle Nice: Are Sweeps the Answer? - PubliColapublicola.com By Erica C. Barnett On this week’s edition of the Seattle Nice podcast, we discussed the Supreme Court’s recent decision…

Pay Records Show Diaz Still Listed as “Chief,” With $338,000 Salary; SPD Won’t Respond to Records Requests Until 2025 Your late Friday-afternoon Fizz, only at PubliCola: publicola.com/2024/07/05/p...

Pay Records Show Diaz Still Listed as "Chief," With $338,000 Salary; SPD Won't Respond to Records Requests Until 2025 - PubliColapublicola.com 1. Former Seattle police chief Adrian Diaz has not been at work since the announcement, in May, that he was…

In Seattle: www.king5.com/article/news...

Pierce County says Seattle deputy police chief asked a sheriff’s deputy to lie on a reportwww.king5.com In addition to a criminal case, Seattle Deputy Chief Eric Barden is facing a serious accusation of alleged misconduct.

Final $1.55 Billion Transportation Levy Saves Equity-Based Projects Committee Chair Saka Derided as "Slush Fund" The council also decided not to fund a controversial Burke-Gilman Trail alternative and to hold off on studying impact fees on new apartments. publicola.com/2024/07/03/f...

Final $1.55 Billion Transportation Levy Saves Equity-Based Projects Committee Chair Saka Derided as "Slush Fund" - PubliColapublicola.com The council also decided not to fund a controversial Burke-Gilman Trail alternative and to hold off on studying impact fees…

Seattle's Largest Youth Homelessness Provider Slashes Staff, Plans to Close Some Shelter and Housing Programs New at PubliCola: publicola.com/2024/07/02/s...

Seattle's Largest Youth Homelessness Provider Slashes Staff, Plans to Close Some Shelter and Housing Programs - PubliColapublicola.com By Erica C. Barnett YouthCare, which provides shelter, housing, and services to youth and young adults, informed employees this week…

Pretty wild to hear Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss describing a wildly popular bike/ped path as "a narrow strip of asphalt" that's inferior to his plan (forcing a long detour to avoid an area where industrial businesses oppose the path) because it doesn't even include sidewalks.

I'm sure all the renters in Seattle are loving Councilmember Bob Kettle's extremely relatable comments opposing a tax increase, which are all about the high cost of getting your house galvanized In This Economy or whatever

Seattle council member Rob Saka just described a tax that funds basic transportation as a "sacrifice" made by property owners and thanked them for this sacrifice. I would argue instead that taxes are a way we all agree to pay for basic services, and are the only way to fund a functioning government.

This morning on PubliCola: A preview of today's transportation levy council committee meeting, where council members will vote on a final version of the levy, which heads to voters in November. publicola.com/2024/07/02/i...

It's Decision Day for the Seattle Transportation Levy - PubliColapublicola.com By Erica C. Barnett The city council’s transportation levy committee will approve the final version of the 2024 levy proposal…

The Seattle City Council's weekly briefing, which is supposed to be at least somewhat policy-related ("briefing" on what will happen this week) has devolved into council members reciting long lists of every public event they attended last week. They still haven't adopted any substantive legislation.

In the show The Bear, being a female ER doctor means adorably batting your eyelashes while putting bandaids on kids with unspecified boo boos, then serving as a selfless support system to a man who abuses his coworkers and won't go to therapy. I love this show but Claire is not a real person.

Three Fun Things for June 30, 2024 A new film from Julio Torres, an essay on anti-nostalgia, and a guide to getting outside. publicola.com/2024/06/30/t...

Three Fun Things for June 30, 2024 - PubliColapublicola.com A new film from Julio Torres, an essay on anti-nostalgia, and a guide to getting outside. 1. Problemista (streaming on…

so weird when people come over here from Twitter and really think we're going to put up with the shit we left Twitter to escape from

This week on PubliCola: Burien forfeits $1 million for homeless services, Seattle's city attorney celebrates ruling allowing cities to criminalize homelessness, and much more. publicola.com/2024/06/29/3...

This Week on PubliCola - PubliColapublicola.com A roundup of this week’s news. Tuesday, June 25 Seattle Nice: Is This the “Do-Nothing” Council? On the Seattle…

just a reminder, as yet another "alcohol is kinda bad, but it's so vital for human connection..." articles drops, that four in 10 Americans don't drink alcohol at all. www.nytimes.com/2024/06/15/m...

Is That Drink Worth It to You?www.nytimes.com Alcohol is riskier than previously thought, but weighing the trade-offs of health risks can be deeply personal.

City Attorney Praises Supreme Court's Homelessness Ruling; Mayor Says Seattle's Encampment Removal Policies Won't Change New at PubliCola: publicola.com/2024/06/28/c...

City Attorney Praises Homelessness Ruling; Mayor Says Seattle's Encampment Removal Policies Won't Change - PubliColapublicola.com By Erica C. Barnett Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison released a statement praising the US Supreme Court’s decision in Grants…

Burien Forfeits $1 Million for Shelter, Will Contract With Controversial Group for Outreach and Hotel Rooms The latest developments in Burien come as the Supreme Court says it's OK for cities to criminalize homelessness. New at PubliCola: publicola.com/2024/06/28/b...

Burien Forfeits $1 Million for Shelter, Will Contract With Controversial Group for Outreach and Hotel Rooms - PubliColapublicola.com By Erica C. Barnett King County has withdrawn its offer to provide $1 million to the city of Burien for…

The Seattle Police Department just sent the first installment on a records request I made in September 2023, and informed me that the second installment will be ready in late March 2025, a year and a half after the request. By any standard, this is ridiculous.

State Will Continue Requiring Low-Income People to Pay Back Disability Benefits Through 2025 Pushing back the changes, intended to help some of the state's poorest residents, will "reduce fiscal impact to the budget." New from Andrew Engelson at PubliCola: publicola.com/2024/06/27/s...

State Will Continue Requiring Low-Income People to Pay Back Disability Benefits Through 2025 - PubliColapublicola.com By Andrew Engelson In 2023, the Washington legislature passed a bill ending the requirement that recipients of the state’s Aged,…

The Seattle Times (whose employees, I'm pretty sure, aren't forced to sit at their desks four days a week) is very excited that a downtown employer that has been hemmorhaging staff has forced workers to do something most of them very much don't want to do. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/edit...

Some Seattle workers are back at City Hall. The rest should follow | Editorialwww.seattletimes.com The legislative branch of Seattle government is back at City Hall four days a week. Employees who report to Mayor Bruce Harrell should join them.

Council's Public Safety Chair: "We Don't Have the Luxury" of Being Picky About Police Test Scores Also, the council considers a $500 fine for street racing. New at PubliCola: publicola.com/2024/06/26/c...

Council's Public Safety Chair: "We Don't Have the Luxury" of Being Picky About Police Test Scores - PubliColapublicola.com By Erica C. Barnett City Council public safety committee chair Bob Kettle took some time at the beginning of this…

every time someone talks about how tech-savvy Seattle is, I'm gonna just send them this story about how, in 2024, we're just finally getting around to creating an ANDROID-ONLY SYSTEM for transit riders to pay by phone www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Your phone can now be an ORCA card, if you’re an Android userwww.seattletimes.com The ability to shift from a plastic to a digital ORCA farecard marks a tech upgrade for Seattle-area transit riders, many of whom have been wanting the change.

Jury Awards $680,000 to Seattle Protesters Arrested and Jailed for Chalk Graffiti The jury found that the arrests were "retaliatory." New this morning on PubliCola: publicola.com/2024/06/25/j...

Jury Awards $680,000 to Seattle Protesters Arrested and Jailed for Chalk Graffiti - PubliColapublicola.com The city of Seattle has to pay $680,000, including punitive damages, to four people arrested and jailed for writing anti-police…

the Seattle police are currently showing videos of people drifting and doing tricks during street races and I'm sorry but are they trying to show it's cool?

Reposting this comment on Kristof because the Seattle City Council's public safety committee chair just used this very anecdote as an example the city of Seattle should take to heart in policy making! Don't make policy based on NYT columnists' anecdotes about their poor/homeless/addicted "friends"!

There's tons of other dumb stuff in here, including an awful David Brooks-style anecdote about his homeless addict "friend," Stacy, who he says froze to death because of laws that banned forcefully institutionalizing her. www.nytimes.com/2024/06/15/o...

Opinion | What Have We Liberals Done to the West Coast?www.nytimes.com Infected with ideological purity, the West Coast is focused more on intentions than on oversight and outcomes.

this reminds me of that time Nic Kristof said there's no such thing as a red-wine alcoholic. like, buddy, just because your alcohol of choice is expensive and elitist, that doesn't mean it has magical powers www.nytimes.com/2024/06/25/d...

In Defense of Winewww.nytimes.com Sales are down, and health concerns are up. But wine’s history of providing beauty, joy and affirmation should not be forgotten.

Before the Badge but for teaching cops the names and locations of Seattle neighborhoods.