Weaker panhandling ordinance comes to Everett council

EVERETT — Mayor Ray Stephanson’s administration is expected to bring back a controversial ordinance that would prohibit panhandling in many parts of the city.

The City Council rejected a similar ordinance that was brought forward in the spring, that critics said would criminalize homelessness.

The American Civil Liberties Union also weighed in and threatened to sue the city if it passed.

The new ordinance that the council is expected to take up Wednesday night seeks to recast the rule as one that protects people from feeling threatened.

The city code already prohibits begging that either obstructs the free passage of people or causes someone to fear being harmed or victimized by a criminal act.

The new ordinance is part of a slate of initiatives Stephanson’s administration is launching that will also include up to $1 million in funding to hire five new police officers, two social workers and another prosecutor.

However, since the initiative was announced last month, the city’s legal staff already have had to dial back some of the more prohibitive measures because of recent court decisions, city communications director Meghan Pembroke said.

Proposed language that would have banned panhandling within 50 feet of an ATM or bank entrance, for example, is not expected to be part of the city’s proposal, at least not initially.

What the proposal does do, Pembroke said, is treat panhandling that is perceived to be a threat the same as other misdemeanor threats, which can be punishable by jail time.

“We’re trying to balance this,” Pembroke said. “This is one of the number one complaints for people, they feel threatened and we want to address it.”

Another part of the city’s proposal is to have the police conduct an outreach program with area businesses, informing them of the new ordinance and funding option, and remind them of their rights as private property owners.

The city is proposing setting up a dedicated fund that people will be able to contribute to as an alternative to handing out cash to panhandlers on the streets.

That fund would help support some of the city’s other initiatives, Pembroke said.

Last month, when Stephanson first announced his intent to move forward on these issues, he also itemized a number of longer-term proposals, such as establishing work-crew programs for low-level offenders, and building 20 permanent supportive housing units over the next two years.

Most of those initiatives do not need City Council approval to enact.

Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.

City Council meeting

City staff will present the new panhandling ordinance to the Everett City Council Wednesday. The council meets at 6:30 p.m. in William E. Moore Historic City Hall, 3002 Wetmore Ave.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Lynnwood
Crash in Lynnwood fully blocks Highway 99

The crash, on Highway 99 at 176th Street SW, fully blocked southbound lanes. Traffic was diverted to 168th Street SW.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett will welcome new CEO in June

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Search underway to find missing Everett child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday morning at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive.

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.