News in Olympia on Progress of our Condo Conversion Bills and what you can do to help us!

Even though last week you called/e-mail members of the Senate urging their support for a Senate bill controlling runaway condo conversions,
- now we need you to make calls to key House members (just a few who we've listed below).... because a house version of our bill HB 2014 was just introduced!


-- please call and/or e-mail House members we've listed below - as many as you can at numbers addresses below - urging them to support a House version of our bill controlling conversions just introduced- HB 2014!  Please do so ASAP!  Thousands of folks are losing their homes unless we act inside and outside Seattle! Hearing to be held soon! 

 
details: A special thanks to Rep. Maralyn Chase who has just introduced a House version of our condo conversion bill - HB 2014. She's prime sponsor and is joined by these other key sponsors - a special thanks too all of them too! Representatives Sharon Tomiko-Santos, Mark Miloscia, Bob Hasegawa, Phyllis Kenney, Larry Springer, Timm Ormsby, and Geoff Simpson.
- and now it's up to you to call/e-mail those legislators we've listed below urging that they too give their support to a condo conversion bill HB 2014 - and stay tuned for date of hearing in the House - again please make these calls/e-mails to those House members we've listed below even if you've already called/e-mail Senators

Summary: Two weeks ago, we asked you to call members of the Senate to urge them to support a condo conversion bill SB 5031 with amendments.  That bill is still being considered in the Senate Consumer Protection and Housing Committee after hearings were held last week on it. There also is a substitute version of that bill that's even stronger (see details below) But now we've got a House version of this bill circulating thanks to several key and concerned legislators HB 2014 so you must call and urge members of the House for there support (even though you may already have called some Senators.)

Sooooo here's what you need to say when you call these House Rep's ASAP (see list & numbers below) - strongly urge them to support HB 2014 giving back to cities the right to control condo conversions and ensures adequate relocation to displaced low income tenants and senior citizens. This important bill in effect gives cities back "local control" of this serious problem that has caused the loss of 3900 lower priced rentals in Seattle just in the last two years and 4000 units lost in King County just in 2005 not counting Seattle.  Other parts of the region and state also are seriously affected. by supporting this bill you'll give cities local option to control or limit these losses if they so choose.  This is a serious problem that's driving up housing prices and causing widespread homelessness! Seniors also are signicantly affected. Please Support HB 2014. You can read the text of the proposed bill by going to the state's website for House of  Representatives and typing in the bill number or by clicking here.

Also, for more details on the status of our Senate version.
  A "Substitute bill - SSB 5031 is now being introduced in the Senate Consumer Protection and Housing Committee  which ensures a cities right to provide relocation assistance and to limit the number of conversions "temporarily" when the process of conversion adversely affects a city's housing stock.  The earlier version only guaranteed a right of cities to require developers to share in the cost of providing relocation assistance to displaced tenants. The city's lobbyists now thanks to work of City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen is in fact supporting this stronger version too. Our House version already has the stronger language in it by the way. Oh and if you haven't yet called Senators, you also could call any of the Senators we've listed below especially the D's on the committee urging them to support the substitute over the original SSB 5031.

for more information/details call us at 632-0668 or go to our website (google Seattle Displacement Coalition and information on the bill is the lead headline)

Members of House Housing Committee call all D's especially urging them to strongly support HB 2014 giving back to cities local option to control 'runaway' condo conversions - 4000 county-wide in one year (not counting Seattle) and 3900 rentals lost in '05 and 06 in Seattle alone - please support HB 2014:

Mark Miloscia (Federal Way Area) Dem. (360) 786-7898 Thank him for being sponsor
Larry Springer(Kirkland, Woodinville)Dem (360) 786-7822  mailto:springer.larry@leg.wa.gov  Thank him for his sponsorship
Troy Kelley (Stielacoom,Lakewood, University Place)Dem.(360) 786-7890 mailto:kelley.troy@leg.wa.gov
Timm Ormsby (Spokane) Dem (360) 786-7946  mailto:ormsby.timm@leg.wa.gov Thank him for being a sponsor too
Jim Dunn (area NE of Vancouver Wa) (360) 786-7994    mailto:dunn.jim@leg.wa.gov
Jim McCune  (Yelm, Eatonville, Orting) Rep. (360) 786-7824        mailto:mccune.jim@leg.wa.gov
Lynn Schindler  (North of Spokane)    (360) 786-7984   mailto:schindler.lynn@leg.wa.gov

And if you get the chance also Please forward a "Thank You" to our prime sponsor Representative Maralyn Chase.  mailto:chase.maralyn@leg.wa.gov  and our other sponsors - a real good group including Representatives Sharon Tomiko-Santos. mailto:santos.sharon@leg.wa.gov, Bob Hasegawa   mailto:hasegawa.bob@leg.wa.gov, Chair of the House Housing Committee Mark Miloscia mailto:miloscia.mark@leg.wa.gov, Larry Springer  mailto:springer.larry@leg.wa.gov, Geoff Simpson   mailto:simpson.geoff@leg.wa.gov, and Phyliss Kenney mailto:kenney.phyllis@leg.wa.gov


Members of the Senate Housing Committee who you also could call if you haven't already - remember on the Senate side your calling to urge them to support SSB 5031 - for same reasons as stated above - calls include:

 

Mary Margaret Haugen (D) (360) 786-1999                  mailto:haugen.marymargaret@leg.wa.gov

Jim Honeyford (R) (360) 786-7684                                mailto:honeyford.jim@leg.wa.gov

Ken Jacobsen (lead sponsor of bill & D) (360) 786-7690
if you call Jacobsen please urge him to support the Substitute Bill SSB 5031 (not just the original bill SB 5031). The original bill did not include provisions giving back to cities the right to control the actual number of conversions occurring each year in their city (and was only a relocation assistance bill)            
mailto:jacobsen.ken@leg.wa.gov

Claudia Kauffman vice-chair (D) (360) 786-7692       mailto:kauffman.claudia@leg.wa.gov

Derek Kilmer (D) (360) 786-7650                                  mailto:kilmer.derek@leg.wa.gov

Brian Weinstein chair (D) (360) 786-7641                    mailto:weinstein.brian@leg.wa.gov

Rodney Tom (D)  (360) 786-7694                                  mailto:tom.rodney@leg.wa.gov

Bob McCaslin (R)  (360) 786-7606                            mailto:mccaslin.bob@leg.wa.gov

Jerome Delvin (R) (360) 786-7614                                mailto:delvin.jerome@leg.wa.gov

 also you could thank these two folks below too who co-sponsored the bill SB 5031 (along with Jacobson) on the Senate side:

 Adam Kline (D) (360) 786-7688                                       mailto:kline.adam@leg.wa.gov

Ed Murray (360) 786-7628                                                 mailto:murray.edward@leg.wa.gov

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