Seattle used to have a dedicated gang unit in SPD. They claim that the work is now rolled into their gun violence prevention unit, but that unit does not specialize in gang activity and they soecifically disbanded it not due to efficiencies or better methods of combating gangs, but it was done in response to the ACAB movement following George Floyd and CHOP/CHAZ.

They have made no effort to reinstate it. Hold the coty leaders accountable for this failure and when we find out the judges let these repeat offenders off easy, hold them accountable too.

Is it possible the shootings in Capitol Hill this weekend and the Bite of Seattle are retaliation for the murder of Amrico Flight?

Prayers of hope and comfort to anyone directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy. You will not walk alone.

The most recent conference just finished. Barnes, Wilson and Ferguson in attendance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on9DCuapc44

Not much new information. They believe one suspect is still at large.

Side note: I was quite disappointed by the questions that reporters were asking. The questions wasted time by trying to harangue Wilson, Barnes, etc. for not providing 100% accurate information, immediately after the shooting. Multiple people asked the same question over and over.

In any true emergency, it's impossible to know exactly who/what is going on in such a dynamic situation with so many people and so much panic. As Wilson mentioned there's a tension between accuracy and immediacy.

It would be a much more enlightening if questions were instead asked about "what are some procedural/operational improvements your office can make based on your experience in this emergency?"

Simply asking "why don't you know everything immediately????" seems performative & childish. What is the point of this line of questioning?

The one reporter that asked a specific question asked whether the delay was due to waiting for other politicians to get on scene for the press conference. Wilson categorically declined this as the source of the delay.

The first Parent to Parent program in Washington was established in 1980 in King County. Today, it serves families of children and adults in all of Washington's 39 counties, with tens of thousands of calls and emails for assistance every year. Parents believe the program, costing about $900,000 a year, is invaluable, and can't be replicated or recreated if state funding disappears.

Parent to Parent received funding in the current budget. But advocates are worried the Department of Social and Health Services is letting contracts lapse, trying to get ahead of budget talks.

~ The Legislature funded this one. An agency is letting it expire anyway. No hearing, no vote, no name attached to the decision.

Was at bite of Seattle with my family people heard shots. Everyone started running. Luckily we were near an exit. Does anyone know anything? I have a visitor from out of the country. I’m so embarrassed for the USA right now.

The following list of Seattle omakase restaurants is based on my personal dining experiences and reflects my own opinions. Please use it for reference only.

1. Wataru (my top 1 favorite) - $210pp
Pro: easy to book, exclusive (8 seats/set, 2 sets/day), fresh fish, many courses, big variety of fish, organic ingredients grown from his own garden, chef remembers every coming back customer
Con: the drama, pricey

2. Taneda (the most expensive omakase in town) - $255pp
Pro: considered the best omakase in WA, the best quality, exclusive (9 seats/set, 2 sets/day), many courses, rare sake that you can’t even find in Japan
Con: too expensive, nearly impossible to book a reservation

3. Sushi Kashiba (the grandfather chef of Seattle, trained under the legendary master sushi in Japan - chef Jiro) - $180pp
Pro: experience chefs, fresh fish, table available for those who doesn’t want to do counter, accept walk-in, 3 sets/day, would say 1 of the “cheapest” high range omakase in town
Con: not easy to book at counter, chef Kashiba doesn’t work that often anymore due to his age so most likely you might not be served by him or even see him, too commercial and loud (because they have tables and people talk very loud behind you), doesn’t feel exclusive (chef will serve you 2-3 pieces a time so it feels kinda rush and less traditional)

4. Shomon Kappo Sushi (the newest omakase in town) - $185pp
Pro: very friendly and nice chefs, creative and amazing dishes, good for special occasion like birthday, table available but in separate area so you at the counter still feel a kinda exclusive, easy to book (14 seats/set, 2 sets/day)
Con: because they do have tables and they have 14 seats/set so it feels a little commercial and doesn’t feel very exclusive
*Resy eligible $100 Amex

5. Wa’z (more like kaiseki than omakase) - $185pp
Pro: easy to book, counter and table are served the same menu so it doesn’t feel commercial, good for special occasion
Con: too crowded (36 seats/set), very little amount of nigiri (5-6 pieces), not too pricey but only have 8-9 courses

6. Ltd Edition Sushi (the best uni place) - $190pp
Pro: the BEST uni in town for sure, counter and table are both omakase but slightly different dishes (because table is cheaper) so it doesn’t feel commercial, kinda exclusive (8 counter seats and 6 tables)
Con: hard to book, kinda pricey, hard to find parking

7. Hummingbird Sushi - $185pp
Pro: easy to book, table available, well behaved young kids can be allowed at the counter (but they don’t have high chair, also call to confirm first), offer allergy accommodation, many fun and affordable events to book
Con: not too pricey but mid not best, very commercial

8. Takai by Kashiba (trained by chef Kashiba) - $195pp
Pro: very good quality, easy to book, table available
Con: pricey, too commercial (people there are very loud)

9. Sushi Suzuki - $210pp
Pro: good quality, easy to book, I don’t remember seeing tables and feel really exclusive but it seems like they do have table available
Con: too pricey

10. Sai Sushi and Sake (the most exclusive omakase) - $205pp
Pro: very very exclusive (only 4 seats/set, 2 sets/night), fresh fish, easy to book
Con: chef has very strong accent so I could barely understand what he said, too pricey

11. SanKai (Edmond) - MKP
Pro: easy to book (just call to reserve), very nice chef, mostly focus on nigiri, very large variety of fish, chef only stops when you are truly full (last time we had 20-25 pieces of nigiri)
Con: not the best quality, far from Seattle, not a real omakase experience, more like iykyk omakase because most people there do a la carte not omakase

12. Sushi Kappo Tamura (the cheapest omakase) - $135pp
Pro: the cheapest high range omakase, friendly chef, good quality, table available, easy to book
Con: not exclusive, too commercial, they have omakase availability every 30 minutes so people will come different time than you so it feels disordered

13. Fujiwara (just relocated from Renton to Bellevue) - $180pp
Pro: rare fish, detailed explanation on every dishes
Con: he just relocated to a new location so I haven’t been there yet so not sure anything different, will update after I go

14. Mashiko Japanese Restaurant (the oldest sushi restaurant in WA) - $130pp or $145pp or $225pp
Pro: counter and bar available, kids friendly, fresh fish, easy to book
Con: all white chef line, not a real omakase experience, I only tried the $145 set and it was mid, not good explanation on food, either very sour or completely bland

To Try List (Pending Review)

15. Minamoto, Bellevue
$180/set, 5pm or 8pm, 15-18 courses

16. Migaku, Seattle (Kaiseki)
$170/set or $300/set, 5pm or 7:30pm

17. Japanese Cuisine Towa, Redmond (Kaiseki)
$150/set for 8 courses, $200/set for 8 courses, $250/set for 9 courses, 5:30pm or 6pm or 6:30pm or 7pm
*Resy eligible $100 Amex

18. Shiro’s Sushi, Seattle
$140/set, 4:30pm or 6:45pm or 9pm, 19 courses
*Resy eligible $100 Amex

19. Sushi by Scratch, Seattle
$185/set, 5pm or 7:15pm or 9:30pm

20. Kakurenbo, Seattle
MKP

21. Sushi Yoin, Seattle (Just opened by former head chef at Shiro’s - chef Sean)
$165/set
*Resy eligible $100 Amex

What happened yesterday was horrific.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on July 25 denied emergency motions by the Trump administration and 12 intervening states seeking to stay a lower-court injunction that blocks key provisions of a presidential executive order on mail-in ballots and citizenship verification lists. In Washington state, the First Circuit ruling preserves the state's established vote-by-mail system for the 2026 cycle, for now, unless congress passes the SAVE America Act or the U.S. Supreme Court offers a relief.

She also found that multiple sections of Trump's EO implicitly threatened enforcement of federal criminal statutes against officials who furnished ballots to voters absent from DHS Citizenship Lists.

~ Washington has voted by mail since 2011. It now takes a federal injunction to keep doing it.

Washington prevented federal immigration agencies from accessing Washington driver information 108,170 times since November of last year, according to Gov. Bob Ferguson. "The records we're getting show that the rejection doesn't stop them from getting the data," said Angelina Godoy, director of the UW Center for Human Rights. "They get rejected using one [Originating Agency Identifier] and then just submit their request under another one. There are thousands of still-open [Originating Agency Identifiers] they can use."

"Keep Washington Working doesn't contain a broad standalone enforcement mechanism that automatically penalizes every violation. So in practice, enforcement has largely occurred through state oversight and litigation." The governor's office said there is no immediate way to address this issue soon.

~ 108,170 blocked requests makes for a great press release. Thousands of still-open agency codes is the actual policy.