Bill Bryant Raps Seattle Homeless Measure

SEATTLE (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant has responded into the ongoing debate about homelessness in Seattle, saying he would withhold state homeless funding for cities that allowed camping in parks and on sidewalks.

The Seattle Times reports that Bryant criticized a measure being considered by the Seattle City Council that would require a 30-day notice to homeless residents before the city could clear many unauthorized encampments. Bryant said the idea would “move us in the wrong direction.”

The City Council bill is based on one written by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups that advocate for the homeless, though it hasn’t been finalized. Mayor Ed Murray has said he would veto any bill that allowed camping in parks.

Jamal Raad, a spokesman for Gov. Jay Inslee, said last month Bryant was unclear how local homeless programs are funded in the state. He said Bryant was “offering fake solutions to a real problem.”