Action Alert!

Save Neighborhood Cafes from Selfish Lobbyists

Earlier this month, the State House did a surprisingly bipartisan thing and passed HB 2252 unanimously. The bill legalizes neighborhood cafes like my own personal favorite, Seven Coffee Roasters, in far more residential areas.

Neighborhood cafes like these are great for community and bringing walkable convenience into people’s lives. They increase “eyes on the street,” which is good for public safety. They prevent car trips, which is good for neighborhoods and the planet. They also give small businesses a chance to thrive away from less expensive commercial retail corridors.

And let’s be honest, they are awesome!

But Bellevue’s contract lobbyist Briahna Murray doesn’t care if they are pretty much universally wanted around the state.

So she whispered in the ear of some Senators and they not only gutted the bill so no new cafes would be legalized, but put in provisions that made it so some cafes like Seven Coffee Roasters may become illegal.

We have only a few days to save the bill in the rules committee. And the good folks over at “Spokane Rising” have put together an action network letter to Senators on the committee.

Please sign the letter—it takes just a few seconds.

PS. Sorry for so many emails in succession. The end of the legislative session is nigh, so hopefully there will be fewer legislative screwups to fix!