The Stranger’s morning news roundup.

by Ashley Nerbovig

Gooood morning. I know you all probably already know this, but yesterday was chilly. Today should be a little better with a high of 69. (Nice.)

City council votes on expanding police surveillance: The Seattle City Council plans to vote today on expanding the Seattle Police Department’s Automatic License Plate Reader tool to all 300 of its patrol vehicles. The technology allows SPD to essentially create a database of where everyone parks and drives their cars in the city and retain that data for 90 days. I wrote about this back in December, and the proposed program hasn’t improved much since then, though some council members may be planning to propose some walk-on amendments today.

Speaking of today’s city council meeting: Three city council members plan to skip the full council meeting today. These absences led City Council President Sara Nelson to delay the vote on repealing the gig worker minimum wage ordinance. Nelson also said yesterday at the council briefing that she plans to be absent from the next full council meeting. Nobody wants to work anymore. 

I’m at the point where I *think* this council will eventually take a vote on this, but am not fully convinced

— David Kroman (@KromanDavid) June 17, 2024

Former SPD Chief of Police Adrian Diaz pleads gay: On Monday, Diaz came out on The Jason Rantz Show and said he never had any sexual interest in any of the woman employees who have accused him of sexual harassment. He also used his sexuality as a defense against accusations that he’d slept with his former chief of staff, rumors that another SPD employee admitted to inventing. Diaz gave this interview as he attempts to secure a job as chief of police in Austin, Texas. In case anyone needed any reminders, gay men can indeed still be misogynists and commit sexual misconduct against women. 

King County youth jail audit reveals “grim conditions“: CascadePBS dove into an audit of the King County Patricia H. Clark Children & Family Justice Center, where the county incarcerates children. The audit showed that staffing shortages have reduced the level of services offered to youth, leaving them in their cells for extended periods of time, unable to access mental health support or substance abuse treatment, and without visitors. Funding to bring in more programming for the kids remains constrained due to King County’s budget deficit.

Woodland Park Zoo orangutan is pregnant: Female orangutan Batu and male orangutan Godek are expecting a baby due in August or September, according to the Woodland Park Zoo. The last orangutan born at the Woodland Park Zoo was Heran, a 35-year-old male who still lives there.

Judge strips SPD cop of gun: A Pierce County judge granted a protection order against an SPD officer after his ex-girlfriend accused him of threatening to kill her and himself. The protective order required the SPD officer to surrender his weapons, according to DivestSPD. SPD placed Officer Justin Fermaint on administrative leave in September after the woman filed the petition against him, and the Office of Police Accountability has launched an investigation into him. To circle back to automatic license plate reader stuff, this is why SPD shouldn’t have data on where people drive their cars. 

President Biden announces new path to citizenship for some: Certain undocumented spouses and children of US citizens may have a path to citizenship under a new proposal from Biden, according to the Associated Press. In coming months, the executive action from Biden may allow more than half a million immigrants to apply for permanent residency and citizenship. The Associated Press points out that Biden announced the new policy as he simultaneously mounts an aggressive crackdown on the US southern border. 

Justin Timberlake arrested for DWI in the Hamptons: The former NSYNC member remained in police custody Tuesday morning, according to People. He had it coming, to be honest. Me quietly repeating this tweet to myself as I semi-enjoy this news:

felony criminalization is still oppressive even when it affects your political enemies

— jon ben-menachem (@jbenmenachem) May 30, 2024

Secret service agent robbed at gunpoint: During President Biden’s visit to Los Angeles over the weekend, someone robbed a secret service agent as he returned from work to a residential area in Tustin, California, according to the Associated Press. The person allegedly stole the agent’s badge, and the agent fired his gun at some point, though it’s not clear if he injured anyone and police have not found a suspect. Real West Wing vibes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to North Korea: For the first time in 24 years Putin plans to visit Russia’s long-time ally, North Korea. Some western counties hate it when these two hang out, which makes sense considering North Korea supposedly has sent Putin supplies to support his invasion of the Ukraine. Anyway, Putin’s visit inspired my freely associated music suggest for today. Enjoy Kate Bush’s Babooshka.

The Stranger