The Current
In case you missed it And then there were three Spokane County Commissioners were expected to make the final decision near the beginning of January of who will replace retiring state Rep. Larry Crouse, RSpokane Valley. When they do, they will choose from three finalists put forward by GOP precinct committee officers: Robert McCaslin Jr., Leonard Christian and Diana Wilhite. McCaslin is the son of the late Sen. Bob McCaslin and a public school teacher. Christian is a Realtor and Wilhite is a former Spokane Valley mayor. The commissioners choice will fill the second year in Crouse’s two-year term before facing election in November to continue serving. The three candidates who didn’t make the cut — will we see them again in the next election cycle? — included outgoing Spokane Valley Mayor Tom Towey, current Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson and Spokane County Jail Medical Director Cris Kennedy.
There’s an app for ... the Valley Learn more about the city of Spokane Valley on the go, including ideas for where to eat, shop and stay, through a new app available through Google Play or iTunes. The city developed the new app, which is free to use and free for Spokane Valley businesses to upload their information into. For more, contact Public Information Officer, Carolbelle Branch, at 509-7205411 orcbranch@spokanevalley.org.
Enroll in free IT Academy Through a partnership with Microsoft, Washington state libraries now offer Microsoft IT Academy to the public at no cost. Both the Spokane County Library District and Liberty Lake Muncipal Library are offering the program, aimed at providing free training and resources to make applicants more attractive in the increasingly IT oriented workforce. For more, visit www.scld.org or www. libertylakewa.gov/library.
Ladies, SV bicycling is for you With women accounting for 67.5 percent of its bicycle commuters, the city of Spokane Valley is ranked first of eight communities identified as “Top Cities for Women Bicyclists” by The League of American Bicyclists (TLAB). The ranking is also based on Spokane Valley’s higher than average bicycle commuter rate of 1.1 percent, which is almost twice the national average of .6 percent. Spokane Valley boasts about 76 miles of bike lanes and recommended bike friendly routes as well as 9 miles of pedestrian/bicyclist shared use pathways. The city is also close to releasing a bicycle tourism map.
JANUARY 2014 • 7
NEWS
Coalition sees future beyond barista battle By Eli Francovich
CURRENT CONTRIBUTOR
Spokane Valley’s Coalition for Community Values won a big victory this fall. But the group isn’t done. In November, the Spokane Valley City Council voted to restrict bikini barista stands. Prior to the change, Washington state law left wiggle room for promotional events like topless Tuesdays. When a coffee stand close to City Hall caused controversy, the City Council responded — with a healthy dose of spurring on from the Coalition for Community Values. The new city ordinance prohibits a person from intentionally exposing a body part in public without some sort of full or opaque covering — body paint, stick-on tattoos and body dye don’t count. Hundreds of citizens rallied behind the Coalition, signing petitions and filling City Hall to testify. For the Coalition, it was a victory; however, it hopes to make changes beyond a coffee shop on Sprague. “It’s really not about a single business, although that was the catalyst for it,” said Shelly Clark, one of the key organizers behind the coalition. “Our laws are having to step up and address things that we previously took for granted.” For Clark, it’s not about regulating how people live their lives. Instead, it’s about protecting the public space. “I don’t really find anyone that disagrees with what our goals are in terms of common decency,” she said. “We weren’t going out of our way to look for people. We aren’t on a witch hunt.” That’s one way that their mission has been misunderstood, she said. The problem with the bikini barista stands wasn’t that they were scantily clad; instead it was an issue of visibility. In fact, Clark thinks bikini barista stands are actively subverting the law in order to profit. Instead of being forced to comply with adult entertainment standards, these places are allowed to use near nudity as a promotional trick. Clark, who is the co-owner of Pet Vet Hospital and Wellness Center with her husband, Keith Clark, who is a Central Valley School Board member, thinks this is unfair to other local businesses. “In the Valley, we had some of these [non-bikini] espresso stands putting their life savings into these stands and having to compete,” she said. “It’s really a way to skirt the laws. We had business owners actually testify who worked across the street who said, ‘Hey, we’re losing our customers.’” This was made possible by vague lan-
COALITION FOR COMMUNITY VALUES “Our group was initially formed in response to the public display of nudity promoted by an espresso stand on Sprague Avenue in the Valley. We are currently working with elected officials and leaders of the city of Spokane Valley to clarify ordinances which govern the display of nudity in a business. Hopefully these clarifications will solve the problem of school children and other young people being inadvertently — or purposefully — exposed to nudity at this establishment. If a business promotes ‘adult entertainment,’ then they should be regulated as such.” — From www.coalitionforcommunityvalues.com
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1900 S. Zephyr Rd. Liberty Lake, WA guage in Washington state law regarding indecency. It was defined, she said, as a state of undress that caused a reasonable person to be alarmed. “Well, obviously I think I’m reasonable, and I’m offended,” Clark said. “But the guys driving through the coffee shops think they are reasonable, and they aren’t offended.” That’s why the coalition pushed for the law to deal with visibility instead. While the change has been made in Spokane Valley, Clark said the Coalition is advocating for change in Spokane County and the city of Spokane as well. “If you take your map out and look at all the unincorporated areas, this could be going next to soccer fields, this could be going next to all sorts of places you don’t want it to be,” she said. The coalition was first formed in October when two or three local women noticed the stands and became alarmed. Clark said momentum quickly grew. Within 10 days, a committee of nearly 300 had formed and 2,000 signatures had been gathered for a petition. Since the law changed, she said momentum has ebbed; however, she doesn’t believe it’s done. The core of the Coalition remains passionate about the work. “This is about people from all kinds of different backgrounds and persuasions. It’s just such a common sense position for people to take,” she said, adding later, “It is interesting how many people think we are some kind of Christian coalition trying to stomp out things. That’s just not the case.”
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