In February 2023, the Spokane City Council passed a law requiring Spokane landlords to register every rental unit they operate and to pay an annual $15-per-unit fee. Many landlords did not do this. The deadline to register units was January this year, but in May, the Inlander reported that only 18,151 units had registered. That’s less than half of the total 44,000 units that are estimated to exist in Spokane by the Census Bureau. As of September this year, the number of registered units is now “a little over 21,000,” according to Adam McDaniel, the mayor’s policy adviser. But that’s still not great. To improve compliance, Mayor Lisa Brown’s administration is proposing a law that would prevent landlords from raising rent or evicting tenants if they haven’t complied with the rental registry requirements. “We think this will obviously improve compliance over time,” McDaniel told City Council members on Monday. Council members Jonathan Bingle and Michael Cathcart expressed concern with the proposed restrictions, with Bingle describing them as “pretty draconian.” Council member Zack Zappone, who is sponsoring the ordinance along with Council members Paul Dillon and Kitty Klitzke, noted that “this is just a penalty for folks who are” not following the law. The proposed ordinance would also clarify fee waiver criteria for low-income units. It is slated for a Sept. 23 vote. (NATE SANFORD)
LA INDEPENDENCIA
Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 14 sets up the celebration of Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The nonprofit Latinos En Spokane will celebrate Mexican Independence Day with a family-friendly event at the Spokane Pavilion in Riverfront Park on Sept. 14 from 2 pm to 10 pm. The event will feature traditional folkórico and Azteca dance performances as well as traditional mariachi and Mexican cumbia performances. Then, at 5 pm on Sept. 27 at Manito Park, Latinos En Spokane will celebrate the independence of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica by highlighting the cultural diversity of the countries with music and dance performances and regional cuisine. On Oct. 17, the Hagan Center at Spokane Community College will host guest speaker Gabby Rivera, a novelist and author of the superhero comic series America Chavez. Spokane Public Library is also highlighting Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month by showcasing a list of books by Hispanic writers that can be found by visiting spokanelibrary.org and searching the website for “Pioneers of Change.” (VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ)
FREE COVID TESTING
Earlier this year, the Washington state Department of Health announced a statewide initiative to open kiosks that dispense free COVID and flu tests “to enhance public health accessibility and equity.” In July, the department announced it had fully implemented 20 of these kiosks across the state — including three locations in the Inland Northwest — with round-the-clock access. While the state health department only allocated enough funds for testing supplies, the local health jurisdictions where the kiosks were placed were allowed to fund other health care supplies. So in Spokane and Colville folks can only access COVID tests, but in Clarkston people will find condoms, pregnancy tests and tampons, too. Between February and July, the state distributed more than 5,000 free tests from the 20 locations. To find the location closest to you, visit testandgo.com/kiosk-locator. (COLTON RASANEN) ♦
