Lawsuit targets Seattle measure

SEATTLE  — The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is trying to keep a proposed Seattle charter amendment that would change how the city handles homelessness off the November ballot.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court, the ACLU, the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness and the Transit Riders Union said the “Compassion Seattle” measure, officially known as Charter Amendment 29, is beyond the scope of local initiative power and violates state law on how local governments can address homelessness.

The measure, which recently qualified for the ballot, directs the city to provide 2,000 units of emergency or permanent housing within a year and requires the city to ensure that parks, playgrounds and sidewalks remain clear of encampments.

The pro-amendment campaign called the suit “another blatant tactic to preserve and protect the status quo.”

“This group has dictated City of Seattle policy on homelessness for the last decade, with no accountability, all while the crisis has only gotten worse,” Compassion Seattle said in a written statement.

According to the lawsuit, state law gives city and county councils the exclusive authority to develop plans targeting homelessness. Further, it says, the amendment would undermine the city’s binding agreement with King County creating a regional homelessness authority and would unlawfully waive land-use regulations to speed the development of housing.

Some homeless nonprofit leaders and advocates have spoken in favor of the proposed amendment, but others have started a campaign called House Our Neighbors to encourage voters to oppose it.