‘I don’t know when people will learn’: Curley slams Mayor Wilson’s junk fee ban proposal

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has proposed legislation to crack down on hidden “junk fees” in residential leases.

In response to Wilson’s proposal, John Curley, host of “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio, explained why the elimination of junk fees really isn’t entirely removed, and that they end up being passed on to everyone through citywide rent increases.

“Part of when I see stuff go wrong, as it’s been going wrong in Seattle, is to say, ‘I told you so,'” Curley said. “I don’t know when people will learn. We have candidates running about how they’re going to make things more affordable, and their answer is always more government. I looked and ran through some numbers to figure out, like for instance, rent is out of control. Let’s say rent is $2,300.

“The city and now Mayor Katie Wilson decide she’s going to get rid of these so-called junk fees, but you’re going to have $2,300 in rent,” Curley continued. “Property tax on that is $300 to $350; that’s built in there. Then, because the people of Seattle like to be taxed for family and education, you vote yes for all this stuff; that’s part of your $2,300 tax. Then you like the Climate Commitment Act because you think that’s going to save the world, so you vote yes on that. Adds another $35 to $50 on top of your $2,300.”

Curley argues the eliminated fees will simply resurface in everyone’s rent

Curley went on to explain that cutting these junk fees would ultimately wind up in the pockets of all renters, even though it sounds like a good money-saving opportunity on the surface.

“This is the government’s cost to you that you bear by paying your rent,” Curley said. “Then they get rid of the pet fee, meaning everybody will pay when someone’s dog takes a crap on the carpet. They’ll take the cost of fixing up that apartment that was hurt by that dog or cat, and the rest of the renters will pay for that. All the stuff that people feel good about in Seattle, most of them being renters, you pay for all of this. You don’t think the landlord passes it all on?

“Minimum wage. People should be able to have a livable wage. Well, you pay that. It’s in your rent,” Curley continued. “Everything that you think you believe in and vote for, you end up paying for. I don’t think people make that connection. That’s the thing I find frustrating. Maybe at some point they would go, ‘Wait a minute, maybe we don’t want to pay for another program because we end up paying for it.’ At some point, somebody has to realize who’s paying. You are. It’s in the rent. You think the government is going to come in and make things more affordable? No way, no how. They’ve never done it. They never will.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to John Curley weekday afternoons from 3 – 7 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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