Legislative Blueprint (Downtown Safety)
Making Spokane A Clean & Safe Place To Do Business
Legislative Blueprint
In the spring of 2025, SBA worked with business and community leaders to develop a Proposed City Charter Amendment. This Amendment was designed after the 2023 Prop 1 passed by 75% of Spokane voters. The goal was to allow voters to pass a law that would require the Mayor and other city leadership to enforce the law and make our streets clean and safe so businesses can thrive.
After months of work and consulting with many lawyers, SBA was advised that the current Washington State Supreme Count would likely strike down this Proposed City Charter Amendment.
So in the months leading up to the fall 2025 election, SBA decided to retool the Proposed City Charter Amendment into a Blueprint for Legislation. This proposed legislation would be given to the Spokane City Council and the Mayor. SBA held a Press Conference to publicly unveil this new Legislative Blueprint and invited the 6 City Council candidates to attend the event and voice their view of this proposed legislation and the future of Spokane.
On October 27, 2025, the Spokane City Council unanimously passed the "Safe and Accessible Spaces" Ordinance. This legislation contained more the 90% of the SBA's Blueprint for Legislation. It was exciting to see members of all sides come together to do what is best for Spokane. In the weeks after passage of this legislation, Mayor Brown has directed the SPD to engage people living on our sidewalks and engaged in open drug use. the goal is to get people in need off the street and into treatment. This enforcement allows businesses to operate more effetely and encourage people to return to the downtown to shop and eat.
