‘They need to go away’: Jake calls for shutting down King County homelessness agency after records officer quits

KIRO host Jake Skorheim called for shutting down the King County Regional Homelessness Authority after its public records officer quit. The officer alleged that agency leadership made it impossible for her to do her job, according to The Seattle Times.

“They need to go away,” Jake said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

The report renewed Jake’s criticism of the agency’s transparency and financial accountability. KIRO host Spike O’Neill also questioned whether the organization deserved to continue but emphasized that the region still needs a coordinated response to homelessness.

“There is the need for a regional solution to the homeless situation in the Northwest, and there may be elements of what they were doing,” Spike said.

Jake questions why the homelessness agency is still operating

Jake, meanwhile, was surprised both by the records officer’s allegations that she faced internal obstacles to obtaining information and by the fact that the agency was still operating.

“The second thing that confused me about the story is I didn’t know that these people were still in business,” Jake said.

He explained that the officer’s role was to respond to public records requests, including finding emails and other information requested by members of the public. For Jake, allegations that she could not access the material necessary to fulfill those requests raised another question about the agency’s accountability.

The hosts also revisited concerns about money the agency allegedly could not account for. Jake argued that an organization receiving public funding should be able to explain where that money goes.

“Could not figure out. No paper trail. Doesn’t know where it went,” Jake said.

He questioned the agency’s remaining purpose after describing moves to return some responsibilities to Seattle and King County rather than keeping them with the regional authority.

“Why are they still open? Why are they still in business?” Jake said.

Spike separates the agency’s future from the need for regional cooperation

Spike distinguished between preserving the current organization and maintaining a regional approach to homelessness, noting that the agency had been building its organization while simultaneously trying to carry out its work.

“They built this organization while trying to do the job as required,” Spike said.

But that did not erase his concerns about the records officer’s departure. Spike criticized the agency for allegedly blocking its public records officer from giving the public information it was entitled to receive.

Jake remained unconvinced that the agency should continue operating. For him, the problems were not simply growing pains.

“I think it’s bad from the start,” Jake said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3