34 YEARS YOUR VOICE
MARCH 12 – MARCH 18, 2016
11
OPINION
■ editorial
Make your voice heard regarding proposed SoDo Arena at public hearing March 15! Next Tuesday, March 15, there will be a public meeting at 5:30 at Seattle City Hall for citizens to chime in on how they feel about the proposed SoDo Arena, a stadium from San Francisco developer (but Rainier Valley-raised) Chris Hansen. The much-delayed stadium project, sometimes dubbed the “Sonics Arena” has been in the works for a number of years and is part of a larger plan to return an NBA franchise to Seattle. (A reason cited for the Sonics relocation to Oklahoma City was that the KeyArena was too small and lacked the proper amenities for the Sonics.) The SoDo Arena would be built near the International District (ID). (Two blocks of Occidental, south of the Safeco Field parking garage, would be vacated.) We fear that construction of the stadium
■ LETTER
Stereotypes during Oscars hardly reflect Asian Americans Dear Northwest Asian Weekly, I read your editorial [last week] regarding the Oscar joke portraying kids as Asian accountants [at PricewaterhouseCoopers]. I did work at PricewaterhouseCoopers. When I started with the firm a while ago, there were only two Asians, including me, in the Seattle office of more than 100 staffs. I was hardly smarter or more hardworking than other staff. So, this stereotype is completely wrong. I believe we, as a community, need to voice our opinion on this. — David Chan, Seattle
would disrupt ID businesses, resulting in significant losses to the local community, the effects of which would be long-felt and far-reaching. Already, the ID is a ghost town on game days because street parking is very hard to come by. The results of a Port of Seattle survey has been circulating, which states that 75 percent of Seattle voters oppose city support for the SoDo Arena. According to the Port, opposition to the SoDo Arena was consistent across all geographic areas of the city and across all demographic groups. For us, this is a familiar issue. In 1972, Seattle Asian Americans loudly protested the construction of another stadium — the Kingdome — over fears that game traffic
and rising property values would drive out what made the International District unique, it’s residents. This was after the residents protested the construction of the freeway, which split the neighborhood in two. Over the last few years, local businesses also bore financial losses because of the dragging streetcar construction in Chinatown, with some businesses stating that it was some of the worst years they’ve had. We urge the developers to consider this neighborhood in their plans, to protect it and help ensure its cultural significance is not diminished. It’s important for you, our readers, to go to the public hearing next Tuesday and articulate your opinions regarding this arena loudly. It’s important to be heard.
UBER from 1 quality and services for consumers,” said the chamber, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that represents more than 3 million businesses. In December, Seattle became the first city in the U.S. to allow drivers of taxis, for-hire transportation companies and app-based ride-hailing services to bargain with their employers, if a majority shows they want to be represented by a union. Drivers would be represented by nonprofit organizations certified by the city. A spokeswoman for the Seattle City Attorney said March 3 that the office is reviewing the complaint and will file a response with the court. The bill’s main sponsor, Councilman Mike O’Brien, had said he wanted to make sure workers had access to good-paying jobs. He noted that many drivers in Seattle are immigrants who depend on full-time work, but some make less than minimum wage and lack basic worker rights, such as sick leave and protection from retaliation. The bill passed on an 8–0 vote, and it became law despite the mayor declining to sign it. There’s good reason that none of the thousands of other municipalities have tried to authorize collective bargaining by independent contractors, the chamber said about its lawsuit, arguing that the ordinance violates the National Labor Relations Act and
TAITUNG
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This ordinance threatens the ability not just of Seattle, but of every community across the country, to grow with and benefit from our evolving economy.” — Amanda Eversole
federal anti-trust laws, among others. “This ordinance threatens the ability not just of Seattle, but of every community across the country, to grow with and benefit from our evolving economy,” Amanda Eversole, who is president of the group’s Center for Advanced Technology and Innovation, said in a written statement. San Francisco-based Lyft and others had urged the mayor and council to reconsider the measure and listen to those who seek the flexible economic opportunity the company offers. An Uber spokeswoman said in a statement that the group’s lawsuit “raised serious questions not only about whether the city has run afoul of federal laws, but also about the impact on drivers who rely on ridesharing to earn flexible income.”
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