EVERETT — A controversial proposal for a human rights commission in Snohomish County is getting a makeover and may soon emerge from months in political exile.
Snohomish County Councilman Dave Gossett said Friday he’s retooling the plan submitted by a human rights committee so that it addresses concerns raised by county lawyers and community members. A potential draft could be ready this week if attorneys give it the OK.
“I’m not talking about a few bullet points — I have an ordinance,” Gossett said Friday.
That news drew praise from Luis Moscoso, a leader of the Snohomish County Citizens Committee on Human Rights, the group that gave the council a formal proposal a year ago. The group has been frustrated by the amount of time the issue is taking.
“The council took ownership of this on June 2 of last year,” Moscoso said. “We’re just glad to see that 54 weeks later, something’s coming out that we could be talking about.”
The group envisioned the commission as a force to investigate bias complaints about jobs, housing and access to public services. It would include seven appointed commissioners named by council members, the sheriff and the county executive. The commission also would be tasked with raising public awareness about discrimination.
Backers want the commission to operate on a local level much as the state Human Rights Commission does throughout Washington. King County, Seattle and Tacoma have their own local commissions.
The initial version proposed for Snohomish County carried a $400,000 price tag, unaffordable at a time when the county has had to slash budgets and lay off employees.
After the budget problems became apparent, Councilman Dave Somers asked supporters to come up with a less expensive alternative.
They did, submitting a new proposal with a way to phase it in — at no cost to the county — over two years.
The County Council requested a review by the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The report that came back is stamped confidential because it contains legal advice and has yet to be released.
Councilmen say the legal review identified significant flaws in the commission proposal as submitted.
Late last week, Somers and Councilman Brian Sullivan said they would agree to release the report if it would help spur action.
“There is enough interest,” Sullivan said. “We need to put forward an ordinance, have public hearings and take an up or down vote. We can’t continue to take no action.”
Cost is not the only concern.
A local group that advocates for minority rights also has strong objections.
“This is very limited in scope to traditional civil rights categories,” said Bo Tunestam, treasurer for the nonprofit Communities of Color Coalition.
The ordinance does nothing to address an array of issues such as voting rights, immigration, health care and education, Tunestam said.
He also worried that the ordinance as written could have a negative effect on small businesses, because it applies to companies with one employee or more. The current state law includes companies with eight or more.
Pamela Van Swearingen, an attorney and supporter who worked on the commission proposal, said some bias issues, such as voting rights and immigration, are beyond the scope of local laws and are best handled at the federal level.
As for employment, she said Seattle and King County’s commissions have similar jurisdictions over companies with one or more employees. A local human rights commission could potentially help employers, she said, by avoiding costly lawsuits.
“It’s a moral issue at this point,” she said. “Those of us who have been advocating for this to be passed really believe that our leaders should not turn a blind eye to this.”
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com.
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