Housing: Dwellings that aren’t simply equipment, please
I had excessive hopes for Pacific journal’s “How do you DADU?” article on Could 2. As good because the structure was, three out of the 4 weren’t dwellings that helped alleviate any housing wants — they simply expanded footprints for individuals who have already got a wealth of property and area. The fourth is a dwelling, however solely part-time because the dad and mom/grandparents progressively transfer in (they’ve two locations to reside).
It might be good to see DADUs, or indifferent accent dwelling models, and ADUs, accent dwelling models, which might be truly offering extra housing and properties which have opened up for extra density in our metropolis.
Diana Robbins, Seattle
WA Drought: Work now to keep away from catastrophe
Congratulations to the Instances Local weather Lab (“Facing low snowpack, severe drought, WA officials in search of answers,” Could 7) for waking up the leaders on either side of the Cascades to the pressing want for substitute of winter snow with year-round reservoir retention. All different issues that our society faces pale compared to our operating out of water.
Our our bodies will need to have it continually, our farms and animals will need to have it, our fish and fowl, our forests and parks, the listing is limitless. NOAA and the EPA confidently predict that our historic winter snows will drastically lower, they’re doing that now, and with out that pure storage of water within the mountains, our leaders should discover synthetic sources of substitute storage to get us by means of the dry summer season and fall. We have now the reply now in Chester Morse Lake and different reservoirs; we’d like extra now. We’re already too late in beginning the prolonged course of and we can’t afford any extra delay. Plan shortly; construct quickly; work to keep away from drought and catastrophe.
Charles E. Watts, Bellevue
Elon Musk: Why does he want a tax break in Texas?
Attention-grabbing article in Monday’s paper a couple of deliberate large pc chip plant in Texas. (“Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans $55 billion investment to make AI chips,” Enterprise) The article acknowledged that SpaceX proprietor Elon Musk is the world’s richest particular person and went on to explain numerous Mr. Musk’s different present endeavors.
The sentence that jumped out at me, nonetheless, learn “SpaceX can be asking for tax breaks for the undertaking …” Why is a tax break wanted? Is Mr. Musk going to be unable to proceed along with his plans with no tax break? That is yet one more instance about how the U.S. system of taxation is slanted in favor of the very wealthy, and the rubber-stamping of those tax breaks by all ranges of presidency is why the “world’s richest particular person” pays a decrease share of his revenue in taxes than you or I.
Kathryn Hope, Bremerton
White Home ballroom: How a couple of checkpoint?
Re: “Senate Republicans move ahead with $1B for Trump’s ballroom security as Democrats pledge to fight,” Could 11, Nation: If the billion-dollar price ticket for the ballroom is justified by the Hilton “incident,” possibly it might be higher to first see if the Secret Service may, for rather less cash, develop a brief screening checkpoint that may face up to an assault by a sprinter. That is gated group considering at its worst.
Dale Burson, Gig Harbor
Voting Rights Act: ‘The Civil Struggle continues’
Re: “Court rulings jolt Democrats, lift Republicans’ midterm hopes,” entrance web page, Could 10)
Maybe as an alternative of focusing as soon as once more on the political horse race, The Instances may change this story’s headline to: “Jim Crow rises once more.”
Aided and abetted by the Supreme Courtroom’s gutting of the final vestiges of the landmark Voting Rights Act, quite a few Southern states have gleefully rushed to eradicate Black congressional illustration. Make no mistake, that is racial gerrymandering now sanctioned by our highest court docket. The Civil Struggle continues on and reporting should not shrink back from this tragic truth.
Beverly Marcus, Redmond
Imaginative and prescient Zero: Stroll with warning
This letter helps the op-ed, “Years of projects and spending aren’t making Seattle streets safer,” Could 12. I stroll, drive and experience the bus in Seattle. The timing of stroll indicators has modified in order that the stroll sign comes on 3-5 seconds earlier than the corresponding inexperienced gentle for vehicles. In idea, a safer plan.
Nevertheless, drivers now perceive that they’ve 3-5 seconds after the crimson gentle to cross the intersection earlier than the cross site visitors begins. Strolling, I’ve seen this greater than as soon as crossing Delridge Approach Southwest. I used to assume the stroll signal indicated “begin crossing.” Now it means “wait till all of the vehicles cease.”
John Steedman, Seattle
Imaginative and prescient Zero tasks have enhanced security
Is the “street rage” referred to twice within the op-ed, and presumed to be a consequence of site visitors congestion from Imaginative and prescient Zero tasks, the precise purpose for these tasks’ failures? To recommend this significantly diminishes the credibility of this text.
In my expertise, the Southeast Seattle bike lane tasks on Martin Luther King Jr. Approach South and Beacon Avenue South, together with enhanced pedestrian crossings, have drastically improved pedestrian security in our neighborhood. Different tasks on Rainier Avenue South round South Walker Avenue are a response to harmful circumstances and have considerably improved pedestrian and driver security.
Imaginative and prescient Zero tasks have usually been a response to neighborhood enter. A minimum of in my neighborhood, I’m witnessing safer streets. I’m additionally seeing far worse driving behaviors because the onset of the pandemic that aren’t street rage; they’re the exhibition of poor judgment by individuals who drive with egocentric impunity.
Terry Holme, Seattle
Imaginative and prescient Zero: Look extra intently at accidents
I learn with curiosity the op-ed and agree with a lot of it, particularly the necessity to have an audit that features a case-by-case evaluation of each demise and severe harm.
I used to be hit by a automobile and significantly injured on the final day of 2025 (three weeks at Harborview and eight weeks in rehab to recuperate from a number of accidents). The police responded and took statements however there was no additional investigation. If accidents don’t even get a rudimentary investigation, how can issues enhance? I used to be at a lighted intersection and stepped off the curb when the crosswalk sign turned to “stroll” — one would assume as I did, that you simply’d be secure doing that, however I used to be not.
Mary Geiger, Seattle
Synthetic intelligence: I’m not optimistic
The Could 10 Pacific article “Looking for AI Optimism” doesn’t make me really feel optimistic. As a result of AI can do wonderful issues doesn’t imply that it’s a good tradeoff with the risks it poses. To the AI risks quoted from an article in The Atlantic journal, scientist Robert Rallo’s response is that “it’s good to educate folks on use this instrument.” Actually? Counting on training appears fairly weak.
Jason Kelly of Boston firm Ginko sounds so enthusiastic about “the best instrument we’ve ever constructed.” Is pleasure operating over security issues? He says his dream is “for the general public to do experimental work.” As a result of he calls it democratizing, that makes it OK?
Scientist Courtroom Corley admits that he could also be one of many few who’s optimistic as a result of “the alternatives…are fairly astounding.” He acknowledged in an earlier report that the menace to humanity is analogous to nuclear weapons. Isn’t that equally astounding?
Dario Amodei, the top of AI builder Anthropic, tells of turning down a request by Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth for an AI system with out guardrails to surveil People. What if the following CEO, or another AI firm head, shouldn’t be so moral? Would a proposal of $40 million override ethics?
Roger Sharp, Lake Forest Park
Trump accounts: Who advantages?
In Allison Schrager’s piece about wealth redistribution, we ought to be skeptical. (Trump accounts and a new way to redistribute wealth,” Opinion, Could 13.) Wow. With all of the myriad Trump enterprise scams, little question these accounts will redistribute a refund to his personal pockets.
Mary Emmick, Sammamish
Gasoline costs: Tax the fossil gas firms as an alternative
As a substitute of decreasing fuel taxes, let’s tax the fossil gas firms 100% of the rise in earnings from gross sales this 12 months over the earnings in 2025. (“Trump says he’ll move to suspend federal gasoline tax. He can’t do it on his own,” Could 11, Enterprise)
Because the fossil gas firms would nonetheless earn the identical very giant revenue margin that they earned in 2025, it might be arduous to pity the lack of earnings being paid by everybody at the moment.
And, because the Residents United resolution “made firms folks,” the businesses ought to bear the identical prices as folks do, not be profiteering from folks.
After all there might be debates on one of the best ways to offer drivers rebates or in any other case use this onetime supply of funds, but it surely positive makes extra sense than to show street upkeep cash into fossil gas firm earnings.
Michael Glisson, Poulsbo
Howard Schultz: Transfer on
Re: “Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz calls Seattle ‘hostile’ to business,” Could 12: I get it, that for no matter causes, Starbucks has determined to maneuver workers from its headquarters out of Seattle. However for Howard Schultz to maintain harping about how horrible Seattle’s enterprise surroundings is, by no means as soon as mentioning the numerous ways in which the Emerald Metropolis helped him construct his enterprise from nothing to the worldwide mega-corporation that it’s at the moment, is solely ridiculous!
Transfer on, Howard.
David C. Matthes, Seattle
Starbucks transfer: Bye, Howard
Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, in a latest op-ed within the Wall Avenue Journal, criticized the enterprise local weather of Seattle, citing “continual homelessness, persistent price range deficits, declining public security, falling foot site visitors, slower hiring and downtown vacancies” attributable to the present mayor and state insurance policies. This, from the person who bought the town to waive a $25,000 charge for his disruption to Viretta Park when he put a 100-foot driveway by means of it, making the park unusable to the general public.
He has fought unionization of his baristas, acquired Seattle’s Finest espresso and just about put it out of enterprise with Seattle’s worst espresso, and has benefited drastically from the town’s and state’s infrastructure and facilities. However he complains about taxes the very, very wealthy must pay, which helps construct and keep this infrastructure, and thinks that the facilities (heavy foot site visitors, occupied buildings, and many others.) will simply reappear if no wealthy particular person has to pay an revenue tax.
All I can do is be part of Mayor Katie Wilson and say, “bye” to this man. What’s it with all these billionaires who must have extra, increasingly? I’ve one thing he, and different billionaires, won’t ever have. I’ve sufficient.
Linda Museus, Bremerton
E-bikes, scooters: ‘Easy resolution’
The Seattle Instances Could 13 editorial, “It’s past time for Seattle to make E-bikes, scooters safer rides,” failed to deal with a very powerful situation: pedestrian security. As a senior who lives downtown, strolling is my methodology of micromobility. Since rental scooter riders refuse to experience within the streets, near-accidents involving pedestrians occur every day. Present guidelines should not enforced, and the scooter riders face no penalties for his or her erratic conduct. Seattle taxpayers might be in danger for any authorized settlements when (not if) pedestrians are injured.
Good conduct can’t be compelled, however a easy resolution exists that may enhance security for each pedestrians and riders. Any road adjoining to a road with a protected bike lane may very well be designated a scooter-free zone, with signage and elimination of scooter corrals. Geo-fencing expertise is correct sufficient to disable operation of rental scooters on these streets and their sidewalks. For instance, Second Avenue has a protected two-way bike lane, so First and Third avenues may very well be scooter-free.
This can be a win-win resolution that may very well be applied instantly. Walkers could be safer and riders might be channeled to the security of motorcycle lanes with little deviation from their authentic routes.
Karen Gielen, Seattle
