News from former Councilmember Randy Corman, your Renton City Hall insider. (All views expressed in journal entries are Randy Corman's personal views, and not the official position of the City of Renton or other city employees. Views expressed in reader comments are those of the commenter)

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City likely to still adopt drug ordinance even with new State law; drug paraphernalia is key issue

May17
2023 8 Comments Written by Randy Corman

On May 15th Renton City Council voted unanimously to place a new drug ordinance on second and final reading at the May 22nd Council Meeting

 

In a suprise recovery, the Washington State Legislature succeeded in getting a new drug law approved through both chambers and then signed by the Governor over just two days. The special session was convened at least in part to try to prevent every county and city across the State from coming up with their own drug ordinances.

Renton’s ordinance is complete and simply needs a second reading and council roll-call vote on Monday, followed by the Mayor’s signature on Tuesday to become law.  Some residents are wondering if this will still happen given the State law that just passed.

I think the Renton ordinance can and should still go forward, and Ruth Perez, a council member I spoke with, shares this view.  Council Member Perez reminds me the new state law specifically gives cities the authority to control drug paraphernalia, and Renton’s ordinance includes this element.  Controlling paraphernalia is important for at least a couple reasons.  It’s dangerous for smoking-pipes and heroin needles with residue to be lying all over parks and sidewalks where children and others can access them and potentially overdose on them, and it’s easier to prosecute public drug consumption if paraphernalia is itself a crime since often the drugs are consumed by the time the officer is present to make an arrest.

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8 Comments Posted in Drugs

Renton City Council approves first reading of drug ordinance on 7-0 vote

May15
2023 10 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Maryjane Van Cleave, Renton’s head of Equity, Housing and Human Services, discusses diversion and drug treatment options available to those who violate the new drug ordinance

 

After weeks of receiving input from the Renton community, all seven council members voted tonight to pass a new Renton drug ordinance.

The city staff provided a thorough presentation during the Committee of the Whole meeting prior to tonight’s council meeting.  The presentation was heartbreaking at times, touching on the fact that Renton tragically lost 47 residents through overdoses last year, and police and firefighters had to save many more from close calls.  The new ordinance focuses heavily on encouraging those struggling with addiction to get treatment as an alternative to being charged and sentenced for drug crimes.  The council asked numerous questions during the presentation, and the city staff including the Police Chief,  the City Attorney, the Chief Administrative Officer, and the Director of Equity, Housing and Human Services answered them all adeptly.

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10 Comments Posted in Drugs

Election filing for local offices begins today

May15
2023 7 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Screenshot from King County Elections website

 

Official filing begins today for five Renton elected offices.  The City Council Seats held by Kim-Khanh Van, Ed Prince, Ryan McIrvin, and Valerie O’Halloran are up for election, as well as the Mayor’s Seat held by Armondo Pavone.  (Full disclosure: I’ve given early endorsements to Mayor Armondo Pavone and Council Member Valerie O’Halloran.)

Anyone interested in running has until the end of the workday on Friday May 19 to file (4:00PM online, 4:30 PM in-person), although it’s best not to wait until the last minute.

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Keep it up! Your emails are making a difference; more Council Members willing to outlaw drug possession. Here’s the ordinance….

May13
2023 11 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone (center right) addresses questions about the proposed Renton drug ordinance at a Kennydale Neighborhood Association meeting last Tuesday

 

The Council will be discussing a new drug law at Monday’s Committee of the Whole meeting at 5:45 PM, and then again at the Council Meeting at 7:00.  The agenda for the Committee of the Whole can be found here, and the agenda for the Council Meeting (where you can comment) can be found here. The proposed drug ordinance can be found here, with a staff presentation about it here.

Emails to Renton City Hall from Renton residents who want to make possession of addictive drugs like fentanyl, meth, and heroine illegal are now significantly outnumbering Seattle-centric emails encouraging decriminalization. And many of you have also been outspoken about your positions at public meetings, one-on-one conversations with officials, and social media.  Renton residents have shown immense support for criminalizing possession of these deadly drugs, even while Renton’s 11th district Senator Bob Hasegawa voted along with a majority of the Washington State Legislature not to criminalize possession of these drugs last month.

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11 Comments Posted in Drugs

Dow Constantine’s office refutes Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, citing County’s vast “expertise and knowledge” treating substance abuse

May11
2023 25 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Fentanyl pills found in Renton. (DEA Photo)

 

In recent blog entries I’ve explained that Renton is working on its own drug ordinance, and several Renton leaders have no confidence the State will find its way through this issue.

As if to illustrate the difficulties that the Legislature faces in developing a drug law, the King County executive’s office sent King-County-based State Legislators a letter on May 9th arguing with virtually every point made by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs in their May 4th letter.   The County Executive’s letter, signed by Michael White, King County State Relations Director, didn’t even try to find common ground on anything with our State’s law enforcement leaders, except for one minor point on public use.

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25 Comments Posted in Drugs

Sheriff and Police leaders tell State Legislature to stop “pretending that drug paraphernalia are ‘public health supplies’ “

May10
2023 3 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Two million dollars worth of drugs confiscated by Renton Police in February 2023 drug trafficking arrest. (RPD photo)

 

With both the Renton City Council and Washington State Legislature poised to discuss new drug laws next week, action on this important topic could become confusing for residents.

The Legislature is convening in a special session which is essentially a do-over after they failed to act in April,  effectively decriminalizing possession of all hard drugs in our state as of July 1st– including fentanyl, meth, cocaine, stolen prescription drugs and other highly addictive substances.  Meanwhile, Renton City Council is working on a city ordinance to make possession of these drugs illegal, and public use of drugs even more illegal, because of the Legislature’s failure to enact legislation the last time.

The Legislature is expected to pick up where they left off with Senate Bill 5536, which still had a number of areas of disagreement in it.

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3 Comments Posted in Drugs

Stonebrook Apartments shooting victims treated at Valley Medical; wanted suspect in another case captured after fleeing police

May08
2023 3 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Renton Police officers with a police canine search a neighborhood near Valley Medical for a suspect in a case unrelated to a nearby shooting at Stonebrook Apartments. Photo courtesy of Scott Ference

 

Multiple Renton residents have been inquiring on social media about heavy Renton Police presence near Valley Medical.   Renton Police Public Information Officer Cyndie Morris provided an update on Facebook to clear up confusion.  Here is her summary:

Here are some details:
At 4:23 pm, officers were dispatched to an illegal discharge at Stonebrook Apts 12210 SE Petrovitsky Rd). Multiple callers reporting shots heard with multiple subjects running throughout the complex. Two adult black males (both in their early 20’s) responded to Valley Medical Center with non-life threatening gunshot wounds to their legs (one wound a piece). Victims told officers they were simply standing outside in the complex when somebody ran up on them on foot and shot at them. Suspect was said to then have jumped into a vehicle and fled the scene. Victim advised they don’t know who shot them or why somebody would want to shoot them. No direct witnesses onscene were able to provide any additional information regarding what happened or who was involved. Victims declined to speak to officers any further about what occurred.

There was no arrest made in the above incident, BUT:
As officers were at Valley Medical to interview victims/witnesses, they observed a known wanted juvenile suspect arrive with one of the victim’s. When officers challenged him, he fled on foot. Due to the seriousness of the juvenile’s outstanding warrant, officers pursued after him on foot, requesting assistance from Kent PD K9 and Guardian. Guardian was able to pinpoint the juvenile suspect’s location and officers arrested him without further incident.

3 Comments Posted in Crime

Please subscribe to receive notice of new blog entries

May08
2023 3 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Screenshot of the subscribe box. To subscribe, please look for this box in the right column, below “about the author”. Simply put in your email and hit subscribe.

 

By popular request I added a subscribe feature to my blog a couple weeks ago so that you can receive email notification of new entries.  I’ve been gratified that many people have found it, and signed up already.

If you have not done so already, please consider signing up.  We’re continue to weather a challenging period in Renton and our region, and it’s extremely valuable for residents to remain informed and involved. The next six months are certain to be particularly interesting as local election season always surfaces many issues.

I’ll keep sharing interesting local stories and insights as long as I feel there is an audience that is responding to it.  Google analytics tells me readership has grown steadily, and I’ve appreciated hearing your perspectives and seeing your discussions in the comment field. (Your visits and comments are anonymous to me unless you tell me your name, and that is your choice.)  I continue to learn from you as we discuss these issues together.  Thank you all for reading.

3 Comments

Renton home occupation rules being updated for today’s online world

May07
2023 1 Comment Written by Randy Corman

From City of Renton presentation.  The complete presentation is here

 

At 6:00 PM tomorrow night, Renton’s Planning and Development Committee will discuss updating Renton’s home occupations rules to make it legal for Renton residents to do home based online retail sales.  I think this update probably makes sense in today’s world.  If you have input one way or the other, you can address it to council via email or at tomorrow’s City Council meeting.

In 1995 during my first term on Renton City Council I helped write a new law that formally legalized home piano teachers, home tax accountants, and other similar small residential-based businesses for the first time in Renton.  Prior to ordinance 4493 in 1995, these businesses were technically not allowed in residential neighborhoods, although some people were doing them under the radar if their business was small enough and neighbors were not asking questions.

This law has seen updates in 1997, 2008, 2012, as we made adjustments based on input from businesses and neighborhoods.  Here is the law as it stands today. This law will likely be updated again in the coming days, primarily to allow retail sales from homes as long as these sales are online-based.  Previously, retail sales were not allowed from home-based businesses.

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1 Comment Posted in Business

17 year old boy shot and killed near Safeway in Renton Highlands; witnesses are being interviewed

May06
2023 1 Comment Written by Randy Corman

Renton Police work the scene of a homicide in the Highlands

 

Tragically,  a 17 year old was shot and killed early this morning east of the Renton Highlands Safeway parking lot off NE 4th Street.  My heart goes out to the teen’s family and friends.

Renton Police are actively interviewing witnesses and working the investigation.  Anybody that saw anything that can help the police should call 911.

Here is the Police Twitter Account of the scene:

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Bid opening on May 24 for Lind Avenue repair; work expected this summer

May05
2023 9 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Lind Avenue has been closed over I-405 since June 13, 2022

 

The Lind Ave I-405 crossing will have been closed for over a year by the time WSDOT gets the repairs completed late this summer.  Bid openings for this project, which will determine the repair construction contractor, will occur on May 24.  Design work has been underway for months.

One of the bridge beams was badly damaged when it was hit by a backhoe being towed by a truck on I-405 on June 13, 2022.

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9 Comments

Renton candidates and officials who lie about others have nothing to offer us

May04
2023 11 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Photo by Chris Potter

 

After nearly four decades of living in Renton I know a lot about our amazing city and its residents.

One of the things I’ve learned is that every local candidate or official who bases their election campaign on lies will end up answering for it eventually.  Most won’t be elected, and if they are, they won’t be successful in office.  Serious lies from a candidate or an office holder are a “tell”– an indication that they have nothing meaningful to offer our residents.  And more often than not, a completely fabricated lie is a psychological projection of the liar’s own personal problems–  they are simply stating their own weaknesses or failures out loud, while pointing to someone else.

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Mayor Pavone and City Staff working hard on Renton drug ordinance; Council review expected May 15

May03
2023 16 Comments Written by Randy Corman

April 24 meeting of Renton City Council. Mayor Pavone sitting in back row fourth from left, and Council President O’Halloran sitting second from right.

 

Mayor Armondo Pavone is aiming for a May 15 presentation to the full Renton Council of a draft drug ordinance for Renton.  The new Renton law will plug the hole left by the legislature when the legislature let the state drug law expire in less than two months from now, on July 1st.  The Renton law will not affect marijuana, but will target highly addictive and dangerous drugs like fentanyl, meth, heroin, and stolen prescription drugs.

Details are not yet public.  The City of Renton is bound by the State’s Open Public Meeting Act, and any private exchange of email between a majority of council members on a topic, even by accident, can constitute an illegal public meeting. To avoid this type of mistake, the details of the draft ordinance would typically not be shared with the majority of City Council until they are shared with the public– most likely on Thursday prior to the May 15 meeting, May 11 (note these dates are estimates and not firm at this time).

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16 Comments Posted in Drugs

Council Member Ed Prince says he’ll support criminalizing hard drugs in Renton; he’s a key fourth vote

Apr30
2023 18 Comments Written by Randy Corman

Fentanyl pills found in Renton. (DEA Photo)

 

I have good news to report.  Council Member Ed Prince notified me that he supports criminalizing hard drugs in Renton.  Council Member Prince’s support could provide a critical fourth vote to Council President Valerie O’Halloran as she brings forward a proposed ordinance, expected in another week or two.  I’m confident Council Members Ruth Perez and James Alberson will also be joining Council Member O’Halloran in supporting an ordinance criminalizing fentanyl and other highly addictive drugs.

I appreciate Council Member Prince’s position on this issue, and thank him for his support of a sensible Renton ordinance making deadly drugs illegal in Renton when the state legislature chose not to.

In my previous blog on this topic I wrote “Conversely, Council Members Carmen Rivera, Ed Prince, and Ryan McIrvin all signed a letter six months ago indicating they favored decriminalizing “low-level non-violent” offences, and the letter implied drug offenses.”

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18 Comments Posted in Drugs

Four people shot at illegal street race in Auburn; new Washington law will be of little help

Apr30
2023 1 Comment Written by Randy Corman

Auburn Police have reported that four people were shot, a teen girl and three men, when a fight broke out at an illegal street race in Auburn early yesterday morning.   Thankfully they all survived and are in stable condition in the hospital.  These races have become more and more dangerous through the decades, and the possibility of violence at these events has been increasing.

The governor is poised to sign Senate Bill 5606, a new law that the legislature devised to crack down on these illegal street races. But the legislature’s failure on the pursuit law will make the street racing law virtually unenforceable.  The new street racing law makes driving recklessly in a street race a more serious offense with higher penalties, and allows police to impound cars for this reckless behavior. This would be a deterrent, except that under the police pursuit law, a car being driven recklessly can’t be pursued by police.   Common sense says it’s unlikely that someone engaging in a street race would willingly pull over and hand over their car keys to a police officer that is not pursuing them and is forbidden to do so.  We battled street racing for most of my 28 years on Renton City Council after local young people were killed in some of these races.  The drivers were very skilled at eluding police even before the police were told not to chase them.  The legislature should fix the law to allow for pursuit of reckless drivers if they want this street racing law to actually mean something.

The text of the new bill can be found here.

1 Comment Posted in Crime
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About the author

Hi, I’m Randy Corman. Welcome to my blog!  I served on Renton City Council for 28 years, 1994-2021, with six years as Renton Council President.  I’m also a mechanical engineer and manager, and worked for the Boeing Company for 33 years, from 1984- 2017.  My wife and I have five kids and six grandkids, and we all live in Renton.  I’ve kept this blog for 19 years, and get thousands of readers each month. Please share your feedback, ideas, and opinions in the comments.

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