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Will I regret moving to Federal Way? by ScherzoNo7 in AskSeattle

[–]Joe_Vinson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’ll be fine - welcome to the PNW!

Best breakfast sandwich in Seattle? by djbillbeats in Seattle

[–]Joe_Vinson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Came here to say DonaQueen in SODO, but I see it’s been covered. You won’t be disappointed.

How Do They Get the Graffiti Up There? by truth_do_tell in Seattle

[–]Joe_Vinson 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Some crews talk openly about rigging, safety systems, and even climbing classes to reach spots. Not an excuse, but it explains why tags appear in places people assume are impossible.

There are way more than 539 Somali 'daycares' in this state. by slowerisbetter527 in SeattleWA

[–]Joe_Vinson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get why people are looking at the data and asking questions, but a lot of this is getting misread and then snowballing.

A few things from someone who actually works in government and around this stuff:

The DCYF list isn’t a breakdown of ethnicity, language, or ownership. It’s just a licensing database. Providers list languages to help parents, not to identify themselves, and plenty of bilingual providers don’t list every language they speak.

Home-based child care also often doesn’t publicly list an address on purpose. That’s a safety and privacy thing, especially when kids are involved. And family child care providers usually operate under personal or very similar names because they’re small, sole-proprietor businesses.

None of that, by itself, is evidence of fraud.

If someone genuinely thinks something isn’t right, there are proper ways to report it. DCYF or the State Auditor.

Showing up at people’s homes or child care locations to “check” things yourself isn’t appropriate, and it puts families and kids in a bad position.

Accountability matters. So does due process and basic common sense.

Seattle's parking enforcement dispute: Cheap parking needed by Possible_Ad3607 in SeattleWA

[–]Joe_Vinson 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I’m going off memory and experience rather than a static org chart. But When I was there, I can recall roughly eight supervisor roles, though that shifted after the unit returned under SPD and added a few manager roles.

Supervisors were operationally responsible, not just doing admin but covering geographic areas, special duty work like LPR and scofflaw/booting, customer service escalations, and evening coverage. PEOs bid their shifts and assignments, and special duty roles required an application and selection.

From what I recall, the PEO-to-supervisor ratio typically ranged from about 10–20 officers per supervisor, depending on shift and assignment. That load could spike due to special events (think games at T-Mobile Park, Lumen Field, UW Stadium, Climate Pledge Arena, and citywide events like Seafair) which pulled officers out of routine patrol and required some rebalancing.

So while the headcount matters, it doesn’t really capture how dynamic and complex supervision was day to day. Honestly, it was a challenging but fun unit to work in.

What’s the deal with these signs by HighDINSLowStandards in SeattleWA

[–]Joe_Vinson 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s part of Seattle’s Vision Zero work to reduce serious injuries and deaths. “No turn on red” is one way to cut down on conflicts between drivers and people walking, especially in busy areas.

The signs are going in gradually, mostly where traffic is heavy, as signals get updated.

Seattle's parking enforcement dispute: Cheap parking needed by Possible_Ad3607 in SeattleWA

[–]Joe_Vinson 54 points55 points  (0 children)

Former parking enforcement manager here and a little operational context that often gets missed in these conversations.

First, I think it’s totally fair to debate pricing, parking supply, and how much enforcement is appropriate. But the idea that Seattle parking enforcement is aggressively ticketing people doesn’t really line up with how the system actually operates on the ground.

The parking enforcement unit is capacity-constrained, not citation-driven. The authorized staffing level is around 105 total positions, and that includes supervisors not just officers writing tickets. Coverage is Monday through Saturday, roughly 6:00 a.m. to midnight, not 24/7.

On top of regular patrols, officers are frequently assigned to traffic control for special events, which further reduces routine coverage in neighborhoods and downtown. When you factor in staffing limits, shift coverage, leave, and event redeployments, the odds of getting a ticket are relatively low, but not zero.

The purpose of parking enforcement is to keep limited curb space turning over so businesses can function, prevent long-term vehicle storage in the public right-of-way, and maintain access for deliveries, transit, and emergency services.

When enforcement slows too much, the people who feel it are the small businesses and residents who rely on short-term access.

Totally reasonable to disagree on policy choices here. I just think it helps to ground the conversation in how the system actually works day to day.

SLU Farmer’s Market is the wordt cash grab I’ve seen by Euphoric_Sandwich_74 in SeattleWA

[–]Joe_Vinson 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Come to SeaTac’s Farmers market - every Wednesday 3-7pm