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Erica C. Barnett@ericacbarnett.bsky.social |
1110 followers 756 following 1043 posts
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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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
0 replies 2 reposts 8 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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In Seattle:
www.king5.com/article/news...
1 replies 7 reposts 18 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
3 replies 3 reposts 7 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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.
0 replies 2 reposts 18 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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When property-owning councilmembers talk about "concerns from my constituents," it's very clear who they're talking about. People's rent is not going up hundreds of dollars a month, and thousands of dollars a year, because of a $4 monthly tax increase.
2 replies 2 reposts 15 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Like buddy we are well aware that lots of people bought their houses 1 million years ago for $200,000—bully for them but an annual increase of $48 (the actual amount of the increase council members are denouncing as unaffordable) is nothing compared to annual rent increases of hundreds a month
1 replies 2 reposts 22 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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
1 replies 0 reposts 13 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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.
4 replies 6 reposts 28 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
0 replies 2 reposts 3 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Meanwhile, when people clap during public comment (which happens only occasionally), the current council president takes time out of the meeting to tell the clappers that they are taking up valuable meeting time.
1 replies 1 reposts 11 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Former council president Debora Juarez cracked down on this use of public time when she got fed up with Dan Strauss doing it, but she isn't there anymore, so we're back to "What I Did In My Week As a Council Member" meeting bloat.
1 replies 1 reposts 12 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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.
2 replies 1 reposts 17 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Only if we can talk about the sexism of "Up"!
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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this isn't twitter, you're expected to have basic reading skills
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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.
2 replies 1 reposts 14 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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gotcha! - it was the "but" in there that tripped me up. I know as well as anyone why people get high and drink lol
1 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
0 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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oh yeah me too. one strike, baby
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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like if I wanted "haha you're drunk" jokes I could be posting over there constantly for just a nonstop flood of them
0 replies 0 reposts 5 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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
3 replies 1 reposts 29 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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I ... literally said that.
1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
2 replies 1 reposts 6 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Still waiting for an actually honest story that's like, "People like drinking because it's a drug that gets them high. No judgment—here are the risks." Instead it's all "wine sparkles in the glass, transporting us to different worlds" and "cocktails create meaningful connections"
2 replies 1 reposts 19 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Per Pew, drinkers skew middle-aged, higher-income, and college-educated: The exact demographic of people writing all these "Is not drinking worth losing our social connections?" stories.
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
1 replies 1 reposts 6 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
4 replies 2 reposts 33 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
2 replies 2 reposts 1 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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.
0 replies 8 reposts 20 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
3 replies 3 reposts 4 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
0 replies 4 reposts 28 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
1 replies 0 reposts 3 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
3 replies 3 reposts 21 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
0 replies 8 reposts 33 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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(This is happening at a city council meeting where they're proposing to shut down street racing by imposing a fine. They're also discussing penalties against spectators).
1 replies 0 reposts 7 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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?
1 replies 5 reposts 28 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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"!
2 replies 4 reposts 12 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Shitty ad copy alert! "Good wine transports as it refreshes. It’s an invitation to visit other cultures and worlds, to learn about history and geology, agriculture and environmentalism. Aged wine offers a journey through time. It can be a gateway to philosophy and to contemplation."
0 replies 0 reposts 5 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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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...
1 replies 0 reposts 15 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Before the Badge but for teaching cops the names and locations of Seattle neighborhoods.
2 replies 0 reposts 16 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Council members say no to homelessness recommendations; equitable transportation advocates decry proposals to cut community-based programs; and police recruits won't get a chance to take an easier hiring test any time soon.
Today's Afternoon Fizz: publicola.com/2024/06/21/a...
1 replies 3 reposts 13 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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In amendments to the proposed transportation levy, Seattle Councilmembers Rob Saka and Cathy Moore want to cut funding for an equitable transportation program that would give communities a direct role in "co-creating" safety projects in their neighborhoods.
New at PubliCola:
tinyurl.com/wwu5zhtn
0 replies 0 reposts 4 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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girl, no one's inviting you
www.nytimes.com/2024/06/20/o...
0 replies 0 reposts 10 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Former Deputy Mayor Harrell Pulled Over in North Seattle: “Stop and Frisk at a Grander Scale”
New at PubliCola:
publicola.com/2024/06/19/f...
0 replies 2 reposts 12 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Incidentally, I am against hyper-nationalism (especially this kind of masturbatory longing for an imaginary ultra-masculine past) no matter who is doing it, including in the US where I live.
1 replies 1 reposts 8 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Worth knowing (since someone is saying I'm histrionically calling North Macedonia too nationalist—bro, I linked an interesting NYT piece): The redo of Skopje was, as I suggested, the work of a right-wing nationalist government and was hugely controversial. www.bbc.com/news/magazin...
1 replies 1 reposts 4 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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More on the styrofoam statues and facades, specifically: balkaninsight.com/2021/07/13/s...
1 replies 1 reposts 4 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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If you’re pro Skopje 2014 then idk what to tell you, it was a colossal waste of money but it sure does make the city an interesting cautionary example
1 replies 0 reposts 0 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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Skopje was one of the oddest and most unsettling places I've ever been. Among all the hyper-nationalist statues, there is one (total) depicting a woman—a mother taking care of her son through his young life, not far from the Styrofoam-columned archaeological museum. www.nytimes.com/2024/06/19/w...
2 replies 2 reposts 8 likes
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Erica C. Barnett
@ericacbarnett.bsky.social
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what is wrong with people
www.seattletimes.com/nation-world...
1 replies 0 reposts 6 likes