June 2023

Information from District 1 City Councilmember  Lisa Herbold

I wrote last week about hearing from many of you concerned about the encampment at Myers Way.  On May 31st, I requested that the King County Regional Homelessness Authority consider this location for its State-funded work removing encampments in State Right of Way.  The funding supports shelter and services to people living at a site.  I’ve also learned that last week the Executive also reached out to WSDOT (which owns most of the land under the encampment), also recommending the site for joint resolution. I was told that the decision was made recently to move forward with that joint resolution at Myers Way, which I fully support.

The annual Loop the 'Lupe obstacle course that took place June 3 was a huge success. Race organizer Brian Callanan said, "Great news: We just had our biggest Loop the 'Lupe ever, with 703 obstacle racers, runners, and walkers! Congratulations, and thank you!

However: participation in our donation drive is down, and that's where Loop the 'Lupe needs help. As the cost of putting on this event rises each year, those donations are critical. This funding helps maximize the support of Our Lady of Guadalupe's social outreach programs, like safe parking areas for our homeless neighbors, meals, rent assistance, and utility payments for those in need, and more.

The next free admission Art of Music performances presented by the West Seattle Junction Association are coming up on Second Thursday Art Walk Evening June 8 at  THREE locations—Paul Gerard in the Alaska Junction at Wildflour Gluten-Free Baking Co. (formerly Flying Apron); Taylor John Hardin in the Admiral District at West Seattle Grounds, and Larry Murante in the Morgan Junction at Zeeks Pizza. 

Performances are scheduled to begin at 6 pm and run till 7:45 pm to complement and support the West Seattle Art Walk offerings.

A page about the June Art of Music performers can be found at:

Power was knocked out for hundreds in the Admiral District of West Seattle on Tuesday when a tree fell near the bottom of California Ave SW where it connects near the water on Harbor Ave SW. It even stopped the power at the Admiral Safeway store.

It appears to have snapped off the top of the pole and downed wires are visible.

It happened around 5:30pm and the power outage affected quite a few homes and businesses up in the Admiral District itself. As of 8pm 747 customers were still without power.

The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has been particularly successful in recruiting Executive Directors for the past decade or more with each person filling that role bringing unique talents and energy to the role. When Whitney Moore, the most recent Director announced she would be leaving the job at the end of July it marked another milepost for the Chamber and set in motion the search for her replacement. She's going to be a tough act to follow. Moore brought a strong spirit of cooperation and innovative ideas throughout her tenure from a tie-in to a Sasquatch movie to the Centennial celebration for the chamber to the first Chamber vs. West Seattle Junction Association Softball game. So, the search committee for the chamber has shared a press release seeking a new person for the job:

WEST SEATTLE CHAMBER SEEKS DYNAMIC LEADER FOR NEXT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Erik Bell is the primary organizer of a group of West Seattle activists devoted to cleaning up litter, garbage and more. A Cleaner Alki is the name of the organization that comes together weekly to concentrate their efforts on beautifying this part of our world. He posted on social media about his joy on Monday when he realized that an area of hillside, just west of Harbor Ave SW between Salty's on Alki and the entrance to Jack Block Park hsd been cleared out. It had been an encampment for months and A Cleaner Alki had intended to clean it up but were told by the City to wait. Bell posted this:

Omar Upham Jr. a previously convicted felon was charged on June 5 with the First Degree Murder of John Leota and the attempted Murder of Cheng Oung on May 27 at the Roxbury Lanes near White Center. He was also charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree,  and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree,

From the charging documents: