Disconnected youth, council candidate lawsuit, parks cuts among top TNT stories

Pierce County is grappling with stalled progress on youth employment, a contested council candidacy and a parks agency budget crisis. Here’s a roundup of Thursday’s top local stories.

• More than 14,000 young people in Pierce County — roughly 1 in 8 residents ages 16 to 24 — are not working or enrolled in school, with the disconnection rate flat since 2013 despite economic growth across the county. Disconnected youth are concentrated in South Tacoma, Parkland/Spanaway and Lakewood/University Place, areas that account for more than half of all disconnected youth at roughly 10 times the average density, according to WorkForce Central CEO Katie Condit.
• Mike Solan, former president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, successfully sued Pierce County to restore his candidacy for the County Council District 7 seat after being omitted from the August primary ballot. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Shelly K. Moss ruled that the county’s one-year voter registration requirement for council candidates violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Parks Tacoma faces a $9 million budget gap that has prompted proposed elimination of after-school programs like Beyond the Bell and Club B, drawing more than 60 people to a May 18 board meeting to plead for the programs. Former Parks Tacoma executive director Shon Sylvia received a $530,000 payout upon his April resignation, including $271,430 in severance, and continues as a paid special adviser earning $49,572 through June.
• Tenants at Westside Estates in West Tacoma allege unsafe conditions, including break-ins, mold and flooding, along with steep rent hikes and retaliation against residents who raise concerns. Westside Estates claims exemption from Tacoma’s Landlord Fairness Code Initiative based on affiliation with California nonprofit Hearthstone, an arrangement that Tacoma For All is exploring a legal challenge against, arguing the nonprofit lacks a practical management role.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by senior editor Adam Lynn. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.