(The Center Square) – The Seattle City Council rejected a vote on Thursday to override a mayoral veto of an RV permitting system for homeless individuals that the dais had passed just a few weeks earlier.
Councilmember Rob Saka joined Councilmembers Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Eddie Lin and Dionne Foster in opposing the override after voting for the bill last month. Mayor Katie Wilson vetoed Councilmember Dan Strauss’ program last week with Saka’s support despite his criticism of her proposed budget cuts.
When asked Tuesday why they were holding the vote, Rinck said the council believed it must act on a veto within 30 days under the city charter, regardless of the outcome. Councilmember Bob Kettle, the public safety chair, argued Thursday that they must address the impact of RVs on the community.
“Voting to sustain the veto is voting for the status quo; it’s voting to plan for a plan, and a vote to delay taking action,” Strauss said before the override failed to meet the required six-vote threshold.
The bill Wilson vetoed was just one of six that made up Strauss’ Vehicle Resident Assistance Program.
Wilson signed the other parts of VRAP, but the one she rejected included most of his vehicle permitting system, arguing it’s too complicated and expensive to implement and could create liability for the city.
The administration estimated VRAP would cost about $10 million in 2027, so The Center Square asked Wilson last week how much she would spend and whether that would be less than VRAP. She wouldn’t provide a figure, instead arguing that the city needs to deliver results in the “most cost-effective way.”
“I want to be getting the results … that residents want to see in the most cost-effective way,” she said.
As passed, VRAP would have created an RV permitting program based on a one-time citywide census that Wilson and some council members believed would exclude individuals who moved to Seattle later.
It included accountability measures requiring permittees to park in certain zones during certain times, while adding teeth to the city’s parking rules for individuals without a permit. If someone turned down housing services six times, the city could’ve revoked the permit without notice and towed the vehicle.
Saka told reporters last week that he voted for VRAP because it was the only solution being proposed.
He said Wilson was offering an alternative: a new work group to find other options at an undetermined price. Still, he wouldn’t say during the press conference how he’d vote on an override vote of her veto, clarifying in a newsletter later on that he would not support an override until the work group is done.
“That vote was about refusing to accept inaction,” Saka said Thursday, adding that his decision doesn’t change his prior support for VRAP. “Today’s vote is about determining the best path forward together.”
Wilson also redirected funding to expand homeless outreach and expedite the opening of an RV “safe lot” when vetoing the bill. The work group plans to offer alternatives within 60 days. Strauss said the administration could’ve still done that under the “check and adjust” period included in VRAP as passed.
Council President Joy Hollingsworth joined Councilmembers Martiza Rivera and Debora Juarez, Strauss and Kettle on Thursday in supporting the override. The more moderate coalition, which often includes Saka, argued that the council and Wilson must start doing more to address vehicle homelessness now.
“It’s inhumane to have people believe that their home is a parking spot,” Juarez said on Thursday.
Wilson commended the council’s decision in a press release Thursday afternoon.
The council made a wise choice. CB 121283 would have created a complex and costly permitting program, would have exposed Seattle to legal risk, and would not have successfully addressed the neighborhood impacts of RVs,” the statement said.
“By opening additional safe lots, engaging in By-Name individualized outreach, and cracking down on criminal activity, we have a clear path forward to place more vulnerable people into shelter while dealing with disruptive RVs. I am pleased to have signed the other four bills in the package of RV-related legislation sent to me by the council. As always, I greatly appreciate the care and consideration given by all of our council members to the issues facing our city, regardless of how they vote. Let us move forward together,” the statement concluded.