Contents

• Council Adopts 2023/24 Budget
• Together We End Gun Violence Symposium
• East Marginal Way Project Update
• OPCD One Seattle Plan Update

Council Adopts 2023/24 Budget

On Monday, the City Council adopted the 2023 budget and endorsed the 2024 budget. I am grateful to Budget Chair Mosqueda for her work in developing this balancing package, which was unusually challenging with the updated revenue forecast last month. While this was a difficult process with plenty of difficult decisions, we as a city have a lot to be proud of in this budget and I’d like to highlight a few items that I sponsored. You can learn more about all of Council’s budget actions and the votes they received via this online tracker. 

HSD Provider Contract Inflationary Wage Adjustment: The King County Regional Homelessness Authority notes the 5 largest homelessness service providers in King County have 300 vacancies. These vacancies hinder the ability of providers to carry out their mission. They note “The low wages paid to direct service staff is believed to be one of the most substantial reasons for those vacancies.” 

The work of social service provision comes down to people helping people, it is hard work, it can be trauma-inducing work, and staff has been at the frontline of public health risks for the past two and a half years. The ability of the safety net to function depends on staff. Without a workforce, the whole system falls apart. I am thankful for the work of these contractors and for my fellow councilmembers for voting to pass this inflationary wage adjustment as part of our budget. 

LEAD/CoLEAD: This budget adds $3 million to the proposed budget for LEAD and CoLEAD in 2023 and $2 million in 2024. LEAD is a nation-leading model that has been replicated in over 80 other communities, including internationally. It’s the strongest model out there for a collaborative response to high volume illegal activity that is related to drugs, mental illness, or poverty. 

While LEAD currently serves approximately 750 participants, LEAD unfortunately must turn down most referrals because they lack capacity, and that creates the sense on the street that there is no plan and no one is coming. In the 2020 budget. I am proud to be the primary sponsor of one of two LEAD budget actions that passed as part of the consent package. 

Ladder Truck 13 and Medic Unit 26: The preservation of Ladder Truck 13 at Station 37 and Medic Unit 26 will reduce the travel time for associated calls in some parts of West Seattle and South Park from 10 minutes to approximately 6 minutes. Ladder Truck 13 operations will also reduce travel times in parts of South Seattle by an estimated 2-3 minutes. As scores of emails that I’ve received from constituents who have experienced their vital services will testify, these are life-saving minutes. 

These units will serve some of our city’s most economically, environmentally, and socially marginalized communities, and I am thankful that my fellow councilmembers passed this as part of the consent package. 

Office of Labor Standards (OLS) Funding: Earlier this year, Council unanimously passed PayUP, a legislative package which ensures app-based delivery workers are paid minimum wage plus expenses and tips. The legislation also creates more transparency in terms of employment and how payments for services are split between workers and the app-based companies. Since the end of the Civil Emergency Proclamation and the Gig Worker Premium Pay Ordinance that depended on that proclamation, we’ve received emails from app-based delivery workers who are struggling without these protections. 

Budget funding for OLS ensures the office will be able to develop the rules and the enforcement policies for when PayUp goes into effect. These protections will cover one of the fastest-growing sectors of our economy. 

Gun Violence Reduction: I am proud to have sponsored a budget action that includes funding to expand the King County Public Health gun violence prevention initiative based at Harborview to the 25-40 age group. Currently, the programming serves only those 24 years old and younger. Data from Seattle Police Department has shown that this is a necessary expansion of our funded programs. 

Dual Dispatch: Council has allocated funding for the dispatch of civilian staff to augment the current response to 911 calls with a mental/behavioral health nexus, strengthening our public safety network by diversifying our 911 response options. 

Emergency Communications Dispatchers: Additionally, I want to thank Budget Chair Mosqueda for her leadership and Council Central Staff for their ingenuity in finding the funds necessary to propose and pass an updated version of a budget action I proposed in our original amendment package, increasing the capacity of our Community Safety and Communications Center. 

Seattle Police Department: The Seattle Times editorial board incorrectly wrote today that Council voted to permanently decrease the size of the police department.  The correct information is that Council abrogated 80 unfunded vacant positions that SPD will not be able to fill for several years.  The Seattle Times Editorial Board did not explain that there are 130 additional unfunded vacant positions still in the budget that can be funded in the future if hiring increases beyond projections in response to the hiring incentives that the Council funded.   

If hiring trends keep pace with the predicted net increases of 15 officers per year in 2023 and 2024, it will take an additional ten years to achieve all of those 130 unfunded vacant positions that remain in the budget.  If SPD is vastly more successful at hiring than the current pace, the Mayor or Council could propose adding more positions.  The abrogation does not have to be “permanent” as the Seattle Times claims.   

For instance, the Mayor proposed the abrogation of 26 911 positions that won’t be filled, even though staffing is far below what is needed according to a 2016 study and the non-emergency line sometimes goes unanswered. Council, in our budget, added 2 more funded 911 positions into the budget because we believed the Community Safety and Communications Center could fill those positions despite the recruitment challenges they face. 

The idea that what is voted in one year’s budget could be “permanent” suggests either a misunderstanding of our municipal legislative body or an intentional effort to misguide the public.   

The editorial goes on to say that if Mayor Harrell “wanted the 80 cop positions, he should have publicly fought for them.”  What a terrible and divisive suggestion!  I’m grateful that the Mayor understands that a public fight about a vote on a sensible budgetary policy to promote transparency, that has no impact whatsoever on police hiring, should not be turned into a misinformation campaign about Council support for police hiring.   To do so might result in fewer people applying to become officers and more current officers leaving, like we’ve seen over the past 2 years. The last Mayor misinformed the public about a similar amendment last year.  Mayor Harrell knows what’s most important- that Council support for funding SPD’s hiring plan is most important.  His One Seattle vision is that we are stronger when we amplify our policy areas of agreement and we are weaker when what is heard most loudly is where we disagree.  I’m sorry that the Seattle Times editorial board wants us to go back to that way of governing.  It will not make us safer. 

Together We End Gun Violence Symposium 

Last month, I had the privilege of participating in a symposium entitled Together We End Gun Violence, convened by King County Executive Dow Constantine, Mayor Bruce Harrell, and Renton Councilmember Ed Prince. It was an incredible opportunity to learn from the people doing this deeply impactful work in our community. 

The one-day symposium centered around amplifying commitments to work together to support community-led solutions to combat gun violence, strengthening our region’s multi-initiative, multi-organization networked approach to provide intervention, prevention, and restorative services.  

The Alliance for Gun Responsibility has posted a video from the symposium on Youtube. You can watch the entire symposium here to learn more about the work our region is doing to prevent involvement in gun violence, intervene when necessary, and create pathways to restoration for all that are impacted by trauma, for survivors, for people involved in the criminal legal system, and for families and community members. 

East Marginal Way Project Update 

SDOT has reached a final design for the north segment of the East Marginal Way Corridor Improvement Project, now advertising for construction contractors to bid on this segment of the project. The multimodal improvements will increase safety and accessibility for bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike along the corridor. 

The North Segment project construction is scheduled to begin in 2023. A more specific groundbreaking schedule will be announced once a contractor is selected and material procurement processes begin. Construction will disrupt traffic on East Marginal Way S, with detours and rerouting planned for all non-Port of Seattle vehicle traffic, and for people walking or biking. 

This project was made possible by a variety of funding sources at the federal, state, and local levels, but most notably by the 9-year Levy to Move Seattle, approved by voters in 2015. 

OPCD One Seattle Plan Update 

The Office of Planning and Community Development has reached some significant milestones in their update to the city’s comprehensive plan. In November, they published the plan’s Environmental Impact Statement scoping report and detailed comment summary.  

OPCD is also holding a series of public meetings to gain additional feedback around the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan. One of these public engagement events will be next week in District 1. 

Please consider joining me at one of the first large in-person meetings that OPCD has been able to host since the COVID outbreak. 

This meeting will be an opportunity to learn more about the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan and how it might shape our neighborhoods, and to provide critical feedback and insights that will help to shape how the City invests in our District over the next 20 years.  

The meeting info is below.  

Thursday, December 8:
South Seattle College, Brockey Center
6000 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106
6:00-8:00 p.m.
Accessible via Metro Bus: 125 and 128 

Contents

• Budget Update
• Public Safety: The Budget Reality vs. Rhetoric
• Ingraham Students Rally
• Public Safety Civil Service Commission Adopts Community Service Preference Points
• Redistricting Commission Adopts New Council District Boundaries

Budget Update

On Monday, the Budget Chair presented her initial Balancing Package for the 2023/24 budget.

The Budget Chair’s balancing package incorporates some of the amendments Councilmembers proposed to amend the Mayor’s proposed budget discussed during the last several weeks. Now that the Chair’s balancing package is out, the next step is for City Councilmembers to propose new amendments to the Balancing Package.

Those new amendments were due on Wednesday.  They will be made public today to prepare for votes planned for the Budget Committee meeting on Monday, November 21^st.   A final City Council vote is planned a week later, for the 29^th.

The priority amendments I sponsored are included in the Balancing Package:  funding to maintain a ladder truck at Fire Station 37 and a medic unit at Fire Station 26, and funding for human service provider contract inflation, and Office of Labor Standards funding to enforce new labor standards that I have championed, like PayUp.

Additional information about the Chair’s balancing package is linked here on the Council’s budget website.

Public comment will be taken at the start of the November 21^st meeting.  You can sign up for public comment here.

Public Safety: The Budget Reality vs. Rhetoric

Public safety problems in Seattle are real. Concern about crime is understandable; homicide and gun violence rates have risen and addressing these issues must be a very high priority for everyone at City Hall.

Strong concerns deserve strong communication. It is important that elected officials be transparent with Seattle residents to ensure we have an informed city of neighbors that will hold us accountable. In order to discuss the major public safety issues of Seattle, we must work collaboratively and from a place of fact sharing.

As a matter of fact, we’ve seen some welcome encouraging trends during the last few months.

SPD’s Crime Dashboard notes that overall crime, while higher than anyone would like, has trended below 2021 levels during the last two months. In October, it’s been lower than during 2020. Interim Chief Diaz has noted these trends during our regular meetings.  I understand that statistics are cold comfort to anyone who has been a victim of crime.

2021/2022 overall crime trends:

2022/2020 overall crime trends

Police officer hiring has had bright spots recently as well. In September, SPD hired 12 new officers,  five above the hiring target. In October, only 4 officers departed the department.

The Budget Chair’s balancing package fully funds the SPD hiring plan, the same as this year and the previous year. Though hiring fell short, it was not from a lack of funding in the SPD budget, which again was fully funded for more hiring.

To improve hiring, the Council adopted legislation to offer hiring incentives and allow for relocation costs to be covered.

Most reductions to the SPD budget made in previous years consisted of shifting functions to other departments from 2020 to 2022 (911 call center, parking enforcement, emergency management, victim advocates). Those functions totaled $45 million in the 2022 budget.

If you add the 2022 SPD budget of $355 million, and the $45 million, you get total funding of $400 million, as high as the City has ever funded these services. As reported by several news outlets over the last couple years: “defunding” really happen.

In addition to the funding in past years budgets for traditional public safety approaches, there is broad public support for alternative approaches. This spirit is reflected in the ongoing collaborative work between the Mayor’s Office, Council Staff, the Seattle Police Department and the Community Safety and Communications Center by way of the Risk Managed Demand (RMD) research and analysis presented in the Public Safety and Human Services committee. Many constituents who write in support of hiring police officers also express support for alternatives.

In the Public Safety and Human Services Committee, we’ve also heard presentations about the innovative violence prevention work done by King County Public Health.

We have a collective responsibility to emphasize what actions we are taking for public safety, using both traditional and alternative approaches. If we stick to the facts about the actions we are taking, it will help with recruitment and retention in community safety jobs, whether traditional public safety—the Police Department—or in our innovative alternative community safety approaches.

Unfortunately, some seem unwilling to highlight the things we are doing in their communications or even note positive trends. This creates false narratives, fear, and ultimately is a contributing factor towards making our City less safe. For example, because of misinformation, constituents are often surprised to find out, when informed, that the SPD hiring budget is fully funded and has been fully funded in the last two years’ budgets.

King County Councilmember Zahilay recently wrote an editorial titled “Public safety is about solving tough problems, not scoring political points.” The editorial notes, in the context of a restorative justice program, “It’s about a political strategy that capitalizes on the public’s fears while hiding the full story.”

Debate about community safety, and any other issue, is vital to democracy. When your starting point, however, doesn’t acknowledge that, future location of parking enforcement officers aside, 99% of the Mayor’s SPD proposed budget is included in the current balancing package; that, once again, the SPD hiring budget is fully funded; and that hiring and staffing have shown some promising recent trends – it does not help public safety. Especially when minor reductions to the remaining 1% of that budget are emphasized and exaggeration and harmful rhetoric are used to describe the impacts of those very small reductions.

Local public safety debate often mirrors national politics, with no agreed upon set of facts. It’s a fact that crime is higher than during previous years. It’s a fact that we have significantly fewer police officers than before. It’s a fact that there was not a single officer laid off as a result of minor SPD budget reductions.

It’s normal to debate budget issues, and fear of crime is understandable. However, false narratives do not make us safer.

Ingraham Students Rally

On Tuesday, November 8, Seattle’s Ingraham High School lost a student to gun violence on campus, in an act of violence that shook our entire city to its core. We must do more. And I am proud of the students of Ingraham High School and other members of the Seattle Student Union for organizing a powerful rally in City Hall Plaza this recent Monday.

I am thankful to Budget Chair Teresa Mosqueda for allowing the Budget Committee to go into recess so that we could join the students in their demonstration and listen to their demands for justice and safety. This inspiring display of activism is a reminder that our youth are not the leaders of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today. And we must do more to hear them and protect them.

Ingraham students at the rally shared their heartbreaking stories of that day – the terror they felt, the courage they were called to act on, and the rage they rightfully felt in the wake of more gun violence. They called on the City to further invest in mental health counselors in their schools, and Council is working towards meeting this demand with a proposed $2 million increase to funds I championed for in 2022, expanding mental health services in schools. This is in addition to Mayor Harrell’s proposed increase of $500,000.

As a City, we must come together and continue to find ways to support our young people in their safety as they build their educations. As Washingtonians, we must also press this importance upon our state legislators, who are able to pass impactful gun legislation and act as the primary funders of school districts.

As many of the students’ signs and chants echoed, now is not the time for thoughts and prayers alone. Now is the time for action.

Public Safety Civil Service Commission Adopts Community Service Preference Points

The Public Safety Civil Service Commission (PSCSC) has voted to support adding community service preference points for entry level police officers.

I began work on this policy changes to expand the use of preference points during budget deliberations in 2016, to help recruitment. Under state law veterans can also receive preference points. These are points that are added to the test score of an applicant who passes the civil service exam.

This action helps implement a section of the May 2017 police accountability legislation adopted by the Council, which said,

“Consistent with Chapter 4.08, SPD shall use preference points in hiring sworn employees who are multi-lingual and/or have work experience or educational background providing important skills needed in modern policing, such as experience working with diverse communities, and social work, mental health or domestic violence counseling, or other similar work or community service backgrounds.”

In 2019, the PSCSC adopted a rule to adopt preference points for people who fluently speak a language other than English. Former Councilmember González and I sponsored the language.

Some have suggested that when SPD is hiring all qualified applicants, as they are now, that language and community service preference points are meaningless.  This is incorrect.  When recruitment materials publicize that the City grants extra points in hiring for language skills and community service experience, it lets a broader segment of the public know that their skills and experiences are valued, and helps to attract and hire more people as police officers who have demonstrated commitment to service and community

Here is the rule the PSCSC adopted earlier this week:

PREFERENCE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE (2022 PROPOSED RULE) 9.21 –

In an open graded examination for police officer, candidates who receive a passing grade, and  who have two or more years of verifiable full-time professional or volunteer experience or  equivalent (4,160 cumulative hours) delivering direct human/social services, such as but not  limited to the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, domestic violence counseling, mental, or behavioral  health care, and/or homelessness programs, shall have 10% of their examination grade added to  the passing mark, grade, or rating only, based on upon a possible rating of one hundred points as  a perfect percentage. Said credit may be applied anytime during the life of the examination register. Candidates who qualify for preference points under any other Rule shall be limited to the application of a maximum of only 10% in preference points, regardless of the type of points that are applied. Rule 9.21 shall be effective June 1, 2023

The PSCSC is an independent body that administers the civil service system for police and fire department recruits and employees. They direct development of entry-level and promotional civil service exams in those departments, an increasingly important role given staffing shortfalls, approve rules, and hear some disciplinary appeals.

Redistricting Commission Adopts New Council District Boundaries

The Seattle Redistricting Commission has adopted updated boundaries for Seattle’s seven City Council districts, that will go into effect with the 2023 election cycle.

The ballot measure Seattle voters adopted to establish Council districts called for a commission to establish updated boundaries.

The 2020 census showed a 21.1% increase in Seattle’s population since 2010. The increase has not been equally divided in the seven districts, and redistricting criteria requires each district have the same population, within 1%. This amounts to about 105,288 people per district. This means that Districts 1, 2, 5 and 6 must increase in population, and Districts 3, 4, and 7 must decrease in population.

Because population growth in District 1 is less than in other parts of Seattle, District 1 needs to expand by roughly 6,000 people, and over larger area of geography. It will expand from West Seattle and South Park to include Georgetown, SODO, and Pioneer Square.

Here are the links to the new map provided by the Seattle Redistricting Commission, and the new map. The area to the east of the Duwamish is the new portion:

• Link to PDF
• Link to interactive map
• Link to Dave’s Redistricting App

Contents

• Ingraham High School Shooting
• This Week’s Budget Update

Ingraham High School Shooting

While in attendance at the City Council’s second Budget Public Hearing on Tuesday morning, I was heartbroken to receive news of a devastating act of gun violence at Ingraham High School. Gun violence is a national epidemic.  We must advocate for local gun violence prevention programs and support gun control legislation being passed at every level.

My heart goes out to the victim, their loved ones, and the students, staff, families, and neighbors of Ingraham High School. No student should have to go to school worrying about the threat of gun violence. No parent should have to experience the heart-wrenching feeling of wondering if their child is safe at school. This is unacceptable.

Devastatingly, this act of violence shows that Seattle is not immune to America’s school shooting epidemic – nowhere is. With two months still left in this year, there have been more shootings at schools in the U.S. than any other year on record. The K-12 Shooting Database has logged 271 shootings this year, compared to the record high of 250 set just last year. We also know that firearms are the leading cause of death for American children, according to recently released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Seattle has a gun problem. I sincerely thank all of the first responders and school faculty. I want to specifically thank the Seattle Police Department for their work seizing 1,237 illegal firearms last year, an unheard-of number, and we’re on track to meet or exceed that with over 1,000 seizures already this year. Whether it’s through gun violence prevention we do at the city and county level or gun control legislation passed at the state and national level, we must do more. Our kids’ lives depend on it.

I have proposed to add to the Council’s 2022-2023 Budget $600,000 to the Human Services Department to increase the City’s current investment from $1.5 million to $2.1 million in a gun-violence reduction program that is housed in Public Health – Seattle & King County Public Health. That program, the Regional Peacekeepers Collective (RPKC), supports a multi-initiative, multi-organization network that provides intervention, prevention, and restoration services including critical incident and hospital-based response, intensive engagement, and wrap-around life-affirming care to those most impacted by gun violence and unjust systems.

Students at Ingram High School are gathering at City Hall on Monday.  Among other priorities, they are calling for more investment in mental health counselors in the schools.  Mayor Harrell’s proposed budget continues funding that I championed for in 2022, $500,000 allocated to expand mental health services in schools.

This Week’s Budget Update

This week, the Budget Committee met to hold a second public hearing on November 8^th. The final public hearing is scheduled for November 15^th, at 5 p.m.

The Budget Committee is scheduled to meet on Monday the 14^th at 11 a.m., to hear the Chair’s Balancing Package. We’ve been eagerly awaiting this next step of the budget deliberations.  Councilmembers will then have until noon on Wednesday to propose amendments to the Balancing Package. Votes in the Budget Committee are scheduled for November 21^st, with Full Council action on the 29^th.

Photo: Alex Garland

On Tuesday morning, I spoke at the Essential Workers, Members, Friends, and Allies: RALLY for Human Services & Dignity!  gathering. I spoke in support of the importance of a budget amendment I am sponsoring in support of covering inflationary increases for human service providers in 2024, as required by a law passed in 2019. My comments are below:

“The work of social service provision comes down to people helping people, it is hard, trauma-inducing work, and staff has been at the frontlines of public health risks for the past two years. The ability of the safety net to function depends on staff. Without a workforce, the whole system falls apart.

By law, the City budget must include an annual increase for human services providers, pegged to the rate of inflation, so that they don’t fall behind financially.  This year, that figure is 7.6% – but the Mayor’s proposed budget only includes 4%.

Council’s intent is to advance nonprofit workers wages, not force them further behind. 

The proposed budget represents a nearly $20 million blow to the nonprofit organizations and their staff, who provide absolutely mission-critical services to Seattle residents and are often unable to offer living wages to the frontline staff who do this essential work.

I can point to numerous instances in the last two years when Council has provided funding to accomplish an essential and desperately-needed goal, but the funds went unspent because of nonprofits’ difficulty finding staff willing to work for such low wages.

• The King County Regional Homelessness Authority reported that, “The five largest service providers alone have more than 300 vacant positions.”
• Recently, the Seattle Times reported on affordable housing and shelter buildings remaining empty, because of severe staffing shortages.
• During a public hearing, nonprofit leaders testified that they have already passed budgets that provide modest but essential wage increases for staff, on the strength of their trust in the City to follow the law and fully fund the required increase..

The majority of social service providers are women, and often women of color. Anything less than a full inflationary increase will have an unacceptable and disproportionate impact on those workers.

This failure to provide an increase that acknowledges the crushing reality of inflation on nonprofit providers – will come back to haunt us, if it stands.  I am pursing every opportunity to address this gap and ensure our nonprofit partners receive the funding they are entitled to by law.”

Contents

• This Week’s Budget Update
• Public Safety in Alki
• Together We End Gun Violence Symposium
• Alki Point Healthy Street Open House November 9
• Community Graffiti Clean Up in South Park
• 5th Annual Seattle Black College Expo

This Week’s Budget Update

This week, the Office of Economic and Revenue Forecasts, together with the City Budget Office, presented the November 2nd revenue forecast. Revenue forecasts are used to estimate next year’s revenues, and hence what can be funded in the annual budget. The forecast shows a projected decrease in general fund revenues of over $9 million over the next two years, and a reduction of $64 million over the next two years for the Real Estate Excise Tax, which is principally used for capital projects. The decreases are compared to the 2023-24 budget proposed by the Mayor in late September, which was based on an earlier revenue forecast.

Consequently, the Budget Chair has released a revised calendar to provide an additional week for consideration of the 2023/24 budget. The revised calendar is copied below. The Chair will now propose a balancing package on November 14th, and votes are scheduled for November 21st.

Next week the Budget Committee will hold a public hearing on November 8, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Information is available at the Council’s Budget Committee website. All nine Councilmembers serve on the Budget Committee.

Final action by the Budget Committee is scheduled for Monday, November 28, with final Council action on Tuesday, November 29.

Public Safety in Alki

I and other city departments (SPD, SDOT, Parks) recently met with some area residents about both dangerous driving behavior and other unlawful activity on Alki. Residents are promoting removal of back-end angled parking spaces because people gather there for hours and sometimes that activity results in disruptive behavior, noise and violence.

Chief Diaz briefed me last month that, though August was a tragic month in Seattle for gun-related homicides, citywide trends for violent crimes (aggravated assault, homicide, rape, robbery) overall are starting to show a slight decrease.  In the Southwest Precinct, the violent crimes from June through September showed a slight decrease compared to the same period of time in 2021.  Though crimes rates – whether they are up or down – are never a comfort to those impacted by violence, violent crime in the Southwest Precinct is 29% lower than the city’s overall average in 2022.  We have much to do as a city.  The Council, in 2020 and 2021, fully funded SPD’s staffing plan and is poised to vote to support it fully this year.  I sponsored legislation, and a majority of Councilmember voted to support, enacting Mayor Harrell’s SPD hiring incentive plan.

We have effective, evidence-based gun violence prevention programs aimed at young people under age 25.  Yet, more than 60 % of gun violence is happening in a population that we don’t have a gun violence intervention program for yet, people aged 25 and older.  I have been calling for an expansion of this gun violence prevention program since July when I heard a gun violence report in my committee from Seattle King County Public Health.  It is urgent.  I am proposing such a program in the Council’s budget deliberations, linked here. The most recent update from SPD today shows an increase of 23% in shots fired incidents during 2022 citywide, compared to 2021 (the Southwest Precinct rate of shots fired incidents is in line with the City rate).

At relates specifically to this senseless shooting on Alki on October 31st, Southwest Precinct Captain Rivera let me know that this shooting was the subject of SPD’s weekly Gun Violence Reduction meeting this week.  Prior to the shooting, SPD had already deployed an emphasis patrol throughout the area.  Detectives are actively searching for relevant video evidence and contacting witnesses.  They planned to speak with the victims as of yesterday now that they are both in stable medical condition.  32 casings were recovered on the scene.  SPD has no information at this time at the victims were connected to the shooters in any way and it seems that they were caught in the crossfire of at least three individuals who were shooting at each other.

Together We End Gun Violence Symposium

Today I had the privilege of participating in a symposium entitled Together We End Gun Violence, convened by King County Executive Dow Constantine, Mayor Bruce Harrell, and Renton Councilmember Ed Prince.  It was an incredible opportunity to learn from the people doing this work in our community.  Their experiences and expertise must lead the way.

Today’s gathering brought together thought leaders, community members, and local and national government officials who are leading the way in finding an end to gun violence. This one-day symposium is centered around amplifying commitments to working together to support community led solutions to combat gun violence in King County, and beyond.

The regional approach to gun violence is a multi-initiative, multi-organization, network that provides intervention, prevention, and restoration services, including critical incident and hospital-based care and resources to high-risk individuals and families most impacted by gun violence and unjust systems. The regional approach to gun violence seeks to prevent and eliminate gun violence, and ensure equitable health outcomes for all by providing life-affirming care and resources to the individuals and families who are most impacted by gun violence and unjust systems. Our work prioritizes a community violence, intervention approach that uses evidence-informed and data-driven strategies to ensure intensive support and wrap-around services for those most directly involved in incidents of gun violence.

Gun violence is a fatal epidemic that continues to plague cities.  Across the US and in our region, we have seen alarming increases over the last three years, impacting our beloved communities daily and leaving many residents, wondering what actions can be taken to address the issue.  We believe that gun violence must be addressed through a robust public health approach that centers community-led solutions, enlists multi-sector supports, ensures broad investments, and garners lasting commitment.  We must do the work necessary to understand and address the causes.  We must work to prevent involvement in gun violence, intervene when necessary, and create pathways to restoration for all that are impacted by trauma, both generational and recent, for survivors, for people involved in the criminal legal system, and for families and community members.

We recognize the need for a comprehensive and collaborative, regional and statewide approach to addressing the public health crisis of gun violence and believe that by working together from the grassroots to the grasstops, we can identify and implement lasting solutions.

Alki Point Healthy Street Open House November 9

SDOT will host an in-person open house on November 9th on the Alki Point Healthy Street. Details are listed below:

In-person Open House

Stop by any time! Several SDOT team members will be at the event to share information about the project and collect your comments on the early design. Food will be provided.

• Location: Alki Beach Bathhouse, 2701 Alki Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
• Date: Wednesday, November 9
• Time: 6:30 to 7:45 PM

Here’s information about the virtual open house:

Virtual Open House

Join any time! We’ll have virtual breakout rooms, where SDOT team members will be available for your questions and comments on the early design.

• Location: The online meeting link will be available on our website in early November.
• Date: Tuesday, November 15
• Time: 12 to 1 PM

Questions and comments can be sent to AlkiKeepMovingStreet@seattle.gov or shared in a voicemail to (206) 727-3565. If you have a request for a public engagement event or would like SDOT to attend an existing community meeting, please email us at AlkiKeepMovingStreet@seattle.gov.

After the in-person open house on Wednesday, November 9, SDOT will send another email with the early design and post the design on our webpage for your feedback. SDOT is requesting you share your comments by December 9, 2022.

According to two SDOT studies and one SDOT citywide survey, Alki Point is the most used Stay Healthy or Keep Moving Street in the city.

Community Graffiti Clean Up in South Park

Last month I wrote about I a South Park Public Safety forum of residents and business owners in South Park.   Police Chief Diaz and Southwest Precinct Captain Rivera and I together answered questions from community members seeking to learn more about how SPD is investigating what appears to be an arson fire targeting a neighborhood business and an increase in gang recruitment of young people in the area.  The forum resulted in plans for a community graffiti clean up and was also a good opportunity to share information about public safety resources devoted to South Park and the Southwest Precinct, specifically the deployment of an SPD Community Service Officer to South Park, the South Park Public Safety Coordinator from Seattle Neighborhood Group, and the Southwest Safety Hub staff from the YMCA’s Alive and Free Program as part of the Seattle Community Safety Initiative.

These community resources came together this week for a community graffiti clean up.  The Community Service Officers worked with South Park community organizers to build a graffiti abatement program to augment the efforts of SPU’s Graffiti Rangers program who have a complaint backlog. The goal of residents is to create more awareness and empower residents and local businesses to reclaim their neighborhood, and have a more immediate, safe, and effective response to remove graffiti tagging around the neighborhood.

Thank you everyone for pulling together to support the Project #TagBack paint-out! Neighbors especially appreciated the sworn officers who came to assist, and special thanks to Captain Rivera for taking the time to participate.

 

5th Annual Seattle Black College Expo

The 5th Annual Seattle Black College Expo will take place on Saturday, November 5th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at Renton High School, 400 South 2nd St., Renton, WA  98057. At the free event, students will have access to 30+ colleges, including historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), and other educational institutions.

The 5th Annual Seattle Black College Expo™ presents an opportunity for students to be accepted to a college on the spot, have their college application fees waived, and receive scholarships. This event will help high school seniors and college transfer students looking to transfer to a four-year college. To promote college planning at an earlier age, parents are also encouraged to bring students as young as 6th grade.

For free registration visit: www.ncrfoundation.org or call 877-427-4100.

Contents

• This Week’s Budget Update
• Alki Walk with SDOT Director Spotts
• Reconnect West Seattle 3rd Quarter Report
• Seeking CPC Candidates
• Seattle University Public Safety Survey Open
• Duwamish River Community Projects to Receive $244,000 in Funding from the City of Seattle
• Seattle Transportation Plan Phase 2 Outreach

This Week’s Budget Update

This week, the Council met as the Budget Committee to consider amendments proposed by Councilmembers to the Mayor’s proposed budget. Amendments were presented and discussed. There were no votes at this stage of the process, though some Councilmembers indicated their support, and desire to be added as a sponsor, for some items that were presented.

If you’d like to review the amendments proposed by Councilmembers, the links below connect to the meeting agendas, and departments covered:

October 25: Arts and Culture; City Auditor; Seattle Center; Education and Early Learning; Information Technology; Housing; Intergovernmental Relations; Immigrant and Refugee Affairs; Labor Standards; City Light; Seattle Public Utilities;

October 26: Department of Neighborhoods; Finance and Administrative Services; Economic Development; Office of the Inspector General for Public Safety; Planning and Community Development; Sustainability and Environment; Construction and Inspections; Seattle Fire Department; Parks and Recreation;

October 27: Community Safety and Communications Center; Human Services Department; Seattle Department of Transportation; Seattle Police Department;

Next week, the Budget Committee Chair will develop a budget-balancing package that is scheduled to be presented in the Budget Committee on Monday, November 7th.  The balancing package will include amendments to Mayor Harrell’s proposed budget in order to fund Council priorities supported by the Budget Chair.  A public hearing is scheduled for November 8th at 9:30 a.m. Additional information is available at the City Council’s Budget Committee webpage.  In addition, this interactive budget guide is meant to make the budget process straightforward and simple to understand. Most importantly, this resource is intended to highlight when and how you can make your voice heard during the process.

The City’s Revenue Forecast Council will be meeting on November 2nd to provide an updated revenue forecast, which will inform the 2023 budget.

Two key amendments I am sponsoring are to:

1. Maintain Fire Department Medic Unit 26 and Ladder Truck 13;
2. Cover inflationary increases for human service providers in 2024, as required by a law passed in 2019.

The impact on response times of Medic 26 and Ladder Truck 13 is clearly shown below. The neighborhoods where response times would increase are listed in the City’s Race and Social Justice Equity Index as higher disadvantaged areas.

The King County Regional Homelessness Authority notes the 5 largest homelessness service providers in King County have 300 vacancies. Needless to say, this hinders their ability to carry out their mission. They note “The low wages paid to direct service staff is believed to be one of the most substantial reasons for those vacancies.”

The work of social service provision comes down to people helping people, it is hard work, it can be trauma-inducing work, and staff has been at the frontlines of public health risks for the past two years. The ability of the safety net to function depends on staff. Without a workforce, the whole system falls apart.

The majority of social service providers are women, and often women of color. Anything less than a full inflationary increase will have a disproportionate impact on those workers.

Alki Walk with SDOT Director Spotts

We got together this week to celebrate that SDOT announced this month that the Alki Point Healthy Street design is moving forward as a Neighborhood Greenway and permanent Healthy Street.

SDOT is hosting an open house to share the early design and get community feedback for SDOT’s next design stage.

• Location: Alki Beach Bathhouse, 2701 Alki Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
• Date & Time: Wednesday, November 9; 6:30 to 7:45 PM

Virtual Open House – Tuesday, November 15, virtual breakout rooms from noon – 1pm. The online meeting link will be available on SDOT’s website in early November.

Reconnect West Seattle 3rd Quarter Report

SDOT released the 3rd Quarter Reconnect West Seattle report.

Projects completed include the new pedestrian island shown above on 16th Avenue SW at SW Elmgrove in Highland Park, and the 6th Avenue South walkway in South Park shown below:

Here is a map of the seven remaining projects planned after the bridge’s closure.

Here’s detail about the SW Roxbury Street/4th Avenue SW/Olson Place SW area, and a map of the crossing improvements:

Seeking CPC Candidates

The Council is seeking applications for the Community Police Commission (CPC).

Information about how to apply, commissioner responsibilities, and how to apply is available on the CPC’s How to become a CPC Commissioner website.

The Community Police Commission is one of Seattle’s three civilian-led police accountability agencies. Often called the ‘community’s voice’ in the police accountability system, the CPC’s mission is to listen to, amplify, and build common ground among communities affected by policing in Seattle.

Among other things, the CPC organizes community meetings, plays an important role in the federal Consent Decree process, and makes recommendations to the Council, Mayor, Seattle Police Department, and other city departments on public safety issues.

The CPC is made up of 21 commissioners who serve in a volunteer capacity, though need-based stipends are available. Seven commissioners each are appointed by the Mayor, Council, and CPC itself.

CPC Commissioners are expected to attend twice-monthly meetings, currently scheduled for the first and third Wednesdays of every month from 9 am – 12 pm, and to dedicate at least 10 hours per month to CPC-related work, which includes participating in committees or ad-hoc workgroups, attending community meetings, forums, and other events, and engaging with the community.

The CPC is seeking candidates with lived experience in behavioral health, homelessness, policing, victim services and advocacy, communications, and Native/Indigenous and youth voices.

Please submit your application to OCPC@seattle.gov.

Seattle University Public Safety Survey Open

Seattle University is getting out the word about its annual Seattle Public Safety Survey:

Seattle University is administering the 8th annual citywide Seattle Public Safety Survey, which is accessible at publicsafetysurvey.org from October 15th through November 30th and is available in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Korean, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya and Vietnamese. The purpose of the survey is to solicit feedback on public safety and security concerns from those who live and/or work in Seattle. A report on the survey results will be provided to the Seattle Police Department to help them better understand your neighborhood’s safety and security concerns and community-police dialogues will be held in May-August 2023 to provide opportunity for police-community engagement about the results. More information on the Seattle Public Safety Survey which is part of the Seattle Police Department’s Micro-Community Policing Plans (SPD MCPP), can be found on the SPD MCPP website.

Here is a link to access the 2022 Seattle Public Safety Survey flyers in all 11 languages.

Duwamish River Community Projects to Receive $244,000 in Funding from the City of Seattle

Photo courtesy of The Heron’s Nest

The City of Seattle announced grants for seven community-driven projects serving neighborhoods along the Duwamish River. As part of the Duwamish River Opportunity Fund, these projects will help to increase the sustainability of the neighborhoods impacted by the Superfund clean-up. The projects will begin this year and will continue into 2023. Here are the awards:

2022 Duwamish River Opportunity Fund Awards

• $11,000 to Bike Works to support bringing BikeMobile to South Park and Georgetown. The BikeMobile will provide free and sliding-scale bike repair to residents, and give away a limited number of bikes, helmets, and locks to youth and adults with financial need.
• $40,000 to Concord International Elementary School PTA to help address systemic inequities in their school community by supporting investments in Concord teachers, providing enrichment programs for students, and facilitating community events.
• $33,000 to Georgetown Super 8 to support the Georgetown Super 8 Film Festival which seeks to foster inclusive dialogue and ensure a diversity of community voices are defining, documenting, and telling the story of the Duwamish Valley community.
• $40,000 to Heron’s Nest to help sustain the organization’s various programs, pay fair wages to coordinate and consult positions, train 20 land stewards, pay stipends at restoration events, and build out two new facilities: a community kitchen and a self-recycling hub.
• $40,000 to Pumas Play to fund the construction documents and permitting for South Park’s Puma Playfield. The Puma Playfield Project is working to transform the eastern portion of the Concord International Elementary campus into an activity hub that facilitates and encourages play and healthy activities for the school community and surrounding neighborhood.
• $40,000 to Shared Spaces Foundation in support of their Duwamish River Program, which works to build a strong community network of water and land protectors, and helps people get trained to be water-based tour guides.
• $40,000 to South Park Senior Center to support the Community Connection: Culture, Compassion, and Movement program that invests in the resilience of the Duwamish River Valley through access to nutritious cultural meals, supportive social services, and physical activity.

Decades of industry near the Duwamish have left significant contamination in the mud and along the river’s banks. In 2001, The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) listed a 5.5-mile stretch of the Duwamish River as a Superfund cleanup site. Since then, the City of Seattle, King County, the Port of Seattle, and the Boeing Company have invested over $100 Million in early cleanup actions to reduce contamination by 50 percent, while also working to eliminate ongoing sources of contamination.

Since 2014, the Duwamish River Opportunity Fund has granted more than $1.8 million to community projects focused on quality-of-life enhancements in the neighborhoods of South Park, Georgetown, and SODO. The fund is one component of a broader City effort to improve the quality of life and restore the health of Duwamish River communities.

To learn more about the fund, visit seattle.gov/neighborhoods/programs-and-services/duwamish-river-opportunity-fund. For questions, call (206) 233-0093 or email drof@seattle.gov.

Seattle Transportation Plan Phase 2 Outreach

The Seattle Department of Transportation has launched the second phase of public engagement to develop the Seattle Transportation Plan (STP), and is asking for your input in creating the plan.

SDOT’s indicates its goal is to build a transportation system that provides everyone with access to safe, efficient, and affordable options to reach places and opportunities.

You can share your thoughts with SDOT in 17 languages on the STP Online Engagement Hub:

• Review the STP vision, goals, and objectives
• Share what future of transportation you want to see
• What actions you would like SDOT to take to achieve this future, and share your thoughts on how they can become part of our transportation system

There is a potential Menu of Actions that you can click to “like” and/or submit comments.

To learn more about the STP and share your ideas in your preferred language:

• Sign up for Seattle Transportation Plan email updates
• Visit the multi-language website
• Call the multi-language phone line: (206) 257-2114
• Send SDOT an email in your preferred language at STP@seattle.gov

Contents

• The Alex Clardy Edition
• This Week in the Budget
• City’s Covid Civil Emergency to End
• Public Comment Extended for New Alki Elementary School
• Seattle’s 2023 Minimum Wage Increase
• Tour With Vigor and Long Live the Kings
• Office Hours

The Alex Clardy Edition

I am writing to let you, constituents of District 1 and other City of Seattle residents, know the bittersweet news that Alex Clardy will be moving on from the Legislative Department. He will be entering an exciting new stage in his life and career.  Alex has been accepted into flight school, where he will train to become an airline pilot.

Please join me in thanking Alex for his nearly seven years of loyal public service.  He has ably aided the constituents of District 1 with dedication and tenacity. The outcome of Alex’s work has helped tens of thousands of residents in the City.

And of course, with all this work, I can’t forget Alex has clerked my Council committee and managed my schedule as well!

Alex may have helped you over the years to get a utility bill adjusted, get a construction permit expedited, address a tenant issue, get your garbage picked up, file a complaint of a worker standard violation, file a complaint about a tree cutting violation…the list goes on!  Here is a round-up of just some of his many policy accomplishments:

• He helped me lead the development of one of the nation’s first Secure Scheduling policies for tens of thousands of workers working for large retail and food service establishments and requiring: 14 days advance notice for schedules, a written good faith estimate of hours at the time of hire, ten hours right to rest between closing and opening shifts, predictability pay of one hour of wages for schedule additions, half time pay for an involuntary reduction in scheduled work hours and on-call shifts, access to additional hours for existing employees before outside recruitment and hiring. This law has put millions of dollars in workers’ pockets.
• He helped develop and pass policy to enact utility impact fees on developers so that these costs don’t fall on the ratepayers. We instituted 100% cost recovery for developers to pay for new water taps and system development charges so existing customers are subsidizing fewer of the costs to serve new development.
• He helped me lead the Council to pass Green Pathways to support the development of green jobs and a career pathway to access them, requiring 1. the City create an inventory of internships, apprenticeships, and entry-level jobs at the City of Seattle that meets the green job’s definition, 2) an outreach and engagement strategy and barriers for people of color to access these jobs, 3) that the City encourages employers to advance green jobs for people of color and other underrepresented groups, and 4) Council allocated funds to support this work.
• He helped me change our contracts for garbage and recycling, putting Seattle at the forefront of developing technologies in order to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. The new contracts resulted in savings of $5 million per year, for a total of $50 million in savings over the course of the 10-year contract.
• He helped me pass a new Vacant Building Monitoring Program to require property owners to register vacant properties, allowing the City to ensure they are maintained and secure and do not become a public nuisance.
• He helped to develop legislation to authorize a generous property donation on the southeast edge of Schmitz Park to expand the park.
• He led the policy development of PayUp, the nation-leading protection for app-based workers that ensures tens of thousands of app-based delivery workers are paid minimum wage plus expenses and tips, creating more transparency in employment terms and how payments are split between workers and app-based companies, protects flexibility and transparency in employment issues for app-based workers.
• He worked with SPU to develop the purple bag program and the RV pump-out program to assist people living unsheltered and in RVs and helped to keep communities and our waterways cleaner.
• He worked with the Green River Coalition and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition and the Duwamish Alive Coalition to help me get funding for a Duwamish Watershed Steward to advance salmon recovery in the watershed and to ensure opportunities for land acquisition and habitat restoration are not lost to the development of incompatible uses.
• He led the budget efforts to add $1.5M for 20 additional firefighter recruits in 2019 add $1.6 million in 2020 to SFD to restore recruit class and testing cuts fund Automated External Defibrillators, Lucas Devices, and Ballistic Vests to keep fire fighters safe.

And let’s not forget how he helped to save Bernard the cat, a quote in the Seattle Times from Bernard’s owner said “There was a lot of back and forth — no one was agreeing to do anything. It was sort of like everybody was pointing fingers at everybody else.” So, a political friend suggested contacting her local City Councilmember, me. I received an email shortly after 5:30pm on Friday, and Alex promptly sent an email to our Council liaison at City Light.  An hour later I received word that City Light had sent a truck out and was able to rescue Bernard.

I know that, like me, you are excited for his future and share my confidence that he will carry with him his compassion and drive towards justice in everything he does.   We wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.

This Week in the Budget

The City Council spent last week in day-long budget hearings, where we received briefings from City departments and our own Council staff analysts on the Mayor’s proposed 2023 and 2024 budget.   You can review video of the presentations and discussion here: Select Budget Committee | seattlechannel.org.   Here’s the schedule of our discussions:

Councilmembers’ proposed budget amendments were due Tuesday at Noon, and we’ll discuss those proposals publicly during budget deliberations the week of October 24^th.  Your next opportunity to provide public comment is 9:30am on Tuesday 10/25.  Learn about the budget process and how to sign up for public comment here: Select Budget Committee – Council | seattle.gov.

Here is the anticipated schedule by department for presentation of amendments in next week’s Budget Committee meetings (you can check the Council’s Committee agendas webpage for final versions):

If you are looking for more information about the Council’s budget process, here is a helpful interactive guide: Demystifying the Council’s Budget Process – Council | seattle.gov.

City’s Covid Civil Emergency to End

Last week, Mayor Harrell announced that the City of Seattle will officially end its Civil Emergency Proclamation after 10/31/22. This change aligns with Washington state and Governor Inslee’s decision to end the statewide state of emergency the same date.

Starting November 1, some of the temporary systems and waivers that were implemented during the pandemic will be removed and others will be phased out over time.  Here are some examples:

• Commercial Renters: Requirement for property owners renting to small businesses and non-profit tenants to not raise rent, to negotiate reasonable payment plans to limit evictions and limits on commercial tenant personal liability will expire six months after the end of the emergency proclamation.
  • I sponsored the commercial rent protections (established in Ordinance 126066 and strengthened in Ordinance 126347) for small businesses and nonprofits in 2020. If you need help exercising your rights under this legislation in the next six months, you can learn more here, and find a Lease Amendment Toolkit here.
• Food Delivery: Premium pay for food delivery network gig workers established by ordinance will end November 1, 2022.
• Sick Leave: Paid sick time for food delivery and transportation network gig workers will end six months after the end of the emergency proclamation. Starting January 1, 2023, transportation network drivers will be entitled to sick leave under a new state law.
• The Executive is currently reviewing policies related to Design Review and Historical Review to identify process changes to propose Council make permanent.

Although the civil emergency is ending, the pandemic is still with us.  Public Health – Seattle & King County reminds us to take these actions to help manage the spread of coronavirus and keep each other safe.

• The best protection is to get vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people can now do more things safely and are helping reduce COVID-19 in the community.
• Wearing a mask in high-risk settings (such as crowded places) helps to protect everyone. It’s especially important to protect people that can’t get the full protection from the vaccine, such as young children and people with medical conditions who are less able to fight the virus.
• Get tested if you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who tests positive.

Public Comment Extended for New Alki Elementary School

Two weeks ago I wrote that the city was seeking public comment by October 14^th on proposed code departures for the new Alki Elementary School. That public comment period has been extended to November 4. As a quick refresher: the Seattle School District is requesting the following modifications (also known as “departures”) from City zoning regulations per Seattle Municipal Code, SMC 23.51B, and the Public School Departures Process, SMC 23.79:

1. Greater than allowed building height
2. Reduced vehicular parking quantity
3. Bus loading and unloading
4. New curb cut to service area without vehicular parking
5. Increased curb cut width
6. Increased curb cut flare
7. Reduced bicycle parking (long-term) quantity
8. Amended bicycle parking performance standards
9. Signage/changing image sign

The Seattle School District has a detailed presentation of the modifications which you can view on the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods website.

Please submit your written comments by Friday, November 4 to:

Nelson Pesigan
E-mail: Nelson.Pesigan@seattle.gov
Mailing Address:

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
PO Box 94649
Seattle, WA  98124-4649

For additional information, please see the City’s website or contact Nelson Pesigan at 206-684-0209.

Seattle’s 2023 Minimum Wage Increase

On January 1 Seattle’s minimum wage is adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index. The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) – who enforces our local labor laws – announced the wage increases:

• The 2023 minimum wage for large employers (501 or more employees) is $18.69/hour
• The 2023 minimum wage for small employers (500 or fewer employees) who do not pay at least $2.19/hour toward the employee’s medical benefits and/or where the employee does not earn at least $2.19/ hour in tips is $18.69/hour.
• The 2023 minimum wage for small employers who do pay at least $2.19/hour toward the employee’s medical benefits and/or where the employee does earn at least $2.19/hour in tips is $16.50/hour.

OLS will be mailing out, in 2023, a revised workplace poster containing this information and other labor standards to every business in the City. These posters are also available for download on OLS’ website here, and are available in other languages here.

Tour With Vigor and Long Live the Kings

On Wednesday of last week, I got the opportunity to visit Vigor’s Harbor Island Shipyard where I participated in a tour of the salmon habitat restoration project in which Vigor is partnering with Long Live the Kings and the University of Washington Wetland Ecosystem Team.

As a result of heavy industrialization, wild salmon – including Chinook and steelhead – are listed under the Endangered Species Act. We must continue supporting salmon recovery efforts. I’m glad to know that these community partners are taking on this challenge.

In addition to a tour of the salmon almon habitat restoration project, I also toured Vigor’s shipyard and training facility. South Seattle College has a public-private partnership with Vigor where students can participate in an intensive six-month program to earn a certificate for shipyard welding.  The maritime industry needs well-trained, skilled workers today to fill the jobs of tomorrow.  This program is a great opportunity for a career ladder whether you are changing careers or just getting into the job market.

Office Hours

On Friday, October 28, I will be hosting in-person office hours between 3pm and 7pm, with the last meeting of the day beginning at 6:30pm.

As we move back to in-person office hours I am asking that you still please contact me (Lisa.Herbold@seattle.gov) to schedule an appointment to ensure too many people aren’t gathering in a small area.

Here is my next tentatively scheduled office hours. This may be subject to change.

• Friday, December 16, 2022

Contents

Share Your Budget Priorities on Tuesday

Do you have thoughts on the Mayor’s proposed budget for 2023 and 2024?  Please share them with me and my Council colleagues at the first budget hearing of the year on Tuesday 10/11 at 5:00pm.  Sign up to provide public comment starting at 3pm that day: Public Comment – Council | seattle.gov.

Budget public hearings last until the final person signed up for comment has spoken; if it takes four hours to get there, that’s how long we’ll be listening!  This is an important opportunity to share your priorities – such as keeping the life-saving services of the Ladder Truck at 37 and Medic Unit 26 in District 1 – with me and my colleagues.

Starting Tuesday at 9:30am, Council will spend the week in public budget discussions, where we’ll be briefed on areas of special interest – such as public safety and human services – to raise questions and begin to share our ideas for amending the proposed budget.  Follow along via SeattleChannel.org – you can stream it live or watch videos afterwards.

As I shared previously, I will propose amendments that address my two highest priorities for the 2023 and 2024 budgets:

1. Funding to keep the life-saving services of Ladder Truck 37 and Medic Unit 26 in District 1.
2. Fully funding inflationary increases for human services providers as required by law.

The City is facing a significant revenue shortfall overall, which will make this year’s budget deliberations particularly difficult.  I welcome your thoughts on where we should focus our investments.  Learn more about the budget process, and how to participate, here: Select Budget Committee – Council | seattle.gov.

Free Vaccination in District 1

It doesn’t feel like fall just yet, but we are approaching the months when public health experts expect Covid transmission to increase, and recommend a booster.  If you aren’t up to date on your Covid boosters (or initial vaccination), here are a couple of local opportunities to get vaxxed, free!

Delridge Public Library, 5423 Delridge Way SW

Tuesday 10/11 from 2:00 to 7:00pm

Vaccine Available(s): Pfizer, Moderna, J&J; Pediatric Doses for Ages 6 months and older

Southwest Public Library, 9010 35th Avenue SW

Thursday, 10/13 from Noon to 5:00pm

Vaccine Available(s): Pfizer, Moderna, J&J: Adult, Pediatric Doses for Ages 3 years and older

Vaccine(s) are FREE to everyone, regardless of income, insurance, citizenship, or immigration status.  Learn more about vaccination here: COVID-19 vaccine – King County.

If you have a disability and need reasonable ADA accommodation(s), these are available by request. Call 206.477.3977, 8am to 7pm (interpreters available) or email publichealthaccommodations@kingcounty.gov.

For language interpretation, call 206.477.3977, 8am to 7pm. (Say your preferred language in English when connected).

Domestic Violence Awareness Month

On Tuesday, I was honored to virtually present Tana Yasu, Chair of the Seattle Women’s Commission, with a proclamation declaring October to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month, signed by Mayor Harrell and my Council colleagues.

On Saturday 10/15 from Noon to 4 p.m. the Seattle Women’s Commission is hosting an event at Seattle City Hall titled “Shattering Stigma through Knowledge” as a day of learning and making access and resources more easily available to those who have been affected. The event is open to the public and participants can join virtually. Food, refreshments, and childcare will be available. For more information contact: tanayasu.swc@gmail.com.

The City of Seattle invests in strategies to prevent, intervene, and hold offenders accountable while promoting healing, services, and community support for those impacted by domestic violence by partnering with more than 35 organizations to provide services to more than 10,000 survivors and their families each year.

If you’re worried about someone in your life, the most important thing you can do is listen, tell them you believe them, and offer to support them in whatever way they need.   You can learn more about domestic violence at DVHopeline.org, or call 24/7 at (877) 737-0242.  They will provide support, resources, and in-language assistance.

Spokane Street (Low) Bridge Update

Crews on the work platforms apply carbon-fiber wrapping to the exterior of the low bridge’s spans to reinforce the concrete. (photo: SDOT)

The contract for repairing the West Seattle Bridge also includes work to strengthen the Spokane Street (Low) Bridge. With the West Seattle Bridge open, work has shifted to the Spokane Street Bridge.

The Spokane Street Bridge saw additional heavy vehicle traffic during the last two and a half years. The techniques to strengthen the bridge are similar to the work on the West Seattle Bridge, including epoxy injections and carbon-fiber wrapping to reinforce the concrete.

Carbon fiber wrapping was completed on the exterior of the bridge last week and is continuing inside the bridge.

Fauntleroy Terminal Project Update

Washington State Ferries (WSF) provided a significant update at a recent meeting of the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal replacement project Community Advisory Group about which options will be moving forward for consideration.

WSF is conducting a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study and released the Level 2 Screening Summary.

They eliminated from consideration a proposal that would have expanded the dock toward the north, into the Children’s Cove Park area. This is a significant victory for the groups campaigning to maintain this park. Other proposals that involved redirecting traffic on Fauntleroy Way were also removed.

There are two proposals that will continue into the Final PEL study report: 1) to replace the terminal with the existing footprint, which holds up to 80 vehicles, potentially in combination with the use of the Good to Go system used for tolls on highways and advance ticketing; and 2) to expand the size of the terminal outward to between 124 and 186 vehicles.

While the PEL study report is being completed, Ferries will also carry out a study on the use of the Good To Go system. After the PEL study is completed, the NEPA/SEPA environmental review process will begin, next year.

Here’s the description by WSF of the two alternatives that are advancing into the environmental review process:

• Replace existing terminal (previously alternatives A-1, A-2 and A-3) – WSF replaces the terminal at the same size and location as the existing facility. The dock holds up to 80 vehicles and the shoulder holding lane accommodates up to 186 total vehicles.
• Expand terminal (previously alternatives B and C) – WSF replaces the existing terminal and expands the dock to hold up to 186 vehicles. WSF needs to avoid or minimize permanent impacts to nearshore habitat and recreational areas, including Cove Park. Depending upon the final dock size, WSF may manage some vehicles along the shoulder of Fauntleroy Way. The project team will no longer consider Alternative C: widening the dock as shown in Level 1 to accommodate 186 vehicles. WSF will refine Alternative B to avoid or minimize permanent environmental impacts while providing on-dock holding for 124 to 186 vehicles.

These alternatives are not advancing from Level 2:

• A-4: Replace dock at same size and location and add two-lane holding on Fauntleroy Way
• A-5: Replace dock at same size and location and add two direction approach for holding
• A-6: Replace dock at same size and location and add remote holding at 47th Avenue and Fauntleroy Way
• A-7: Replace dock at same size and location and add remote holding at Lincoln Park

Additional information is available in the Level 2 Screening Summary; a chart on page 5 of the report shows the criteria used, and the results.

Alternatives in other locations were eliminated during Level 1 screening. Locations considered were Lowman Beach, Colman Dock Downtown, Southwest Elliott Bay (e.g. Jack Block Park, Seacrest Park, Terminal 5 area), Burien, and Des Moines.

I continue to have concerns about the impact of any expansion of the terminal. The Fauntleroy terminal is one of the few in a neighborhood residential area, and expansion would bring more single-occupancy vehicles onto West Seattle streets.

Apply for Paid Job Readiness Programs By 10/18

The Seattle Youth Employment Program (SYEP) helps young people pursue meaningful careers that pay well.  If you’re aged 16 to 24, from a qualifying-income household or a community that experiences racial, social, and economic disparities, you’re eligible!  Apply here before 2pm on Wednesday 10/18.

Foundations: for participants with limited or no previous job readiness training or background and who need pre-employment training and mentorship. Get paid to attend trainings while preparing for your first or next job and making new connections.

Pathways: for participants who have had previous job training experiences but need intermediate or certified trainings, pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship internship opportunities. Participate in professional training and programs to gain skills & credentials for specific career tracks, which can lead to professional level internship(s).  There are tracks for those interested in nursing and software development/UX design.

Public Comment for New Alki Elementary School

The city is seeking public comment by October 14th on proposed code departures for the new Alki Elementary School. Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is proposing to build a new multi-story addition at Alki Elementary School. The existing gym and Alki Community Center will be renovated to remain while the remaining school structures, including portable, will be demolished and replaced by the proposed addition.

The proposed code departures include:

• Greater-than-allowed building height
• Reduced vehicular parking quantity
• Bus loading and unloading
• New curb cut to service area without vehicular parking
• Increased curb-cut width
• Increased curb-cut flare
• Reduced bicycle parking (long-term) quantity
• Amended bicycle parking performance standards
• Signage/changing-image sign

For more specific information about the proposal, you can see SPS’ presentation here.

SPS anticipates starting construction in the Summer of 2023, with the building opening in the Fall 2025.

If you would like to comment, please submit them on the requested departures, including any mitigation measures or conditions of approval, by Friday, October 14th to:

Nelson Pesigan: nelson.pesigan@seattle.gov

You can also mail in comments here:

City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods
ATTN. Nelson Pesigan
PO Box 94649
Seattle, WA 98124-4649

Indigenous Peoples’ Day

There will be three events on Monday, October 10. The day will begin with a celebratory march in the morning at 9:30am at Westlake Park with a march down 5th Avenue. There will be a celebration at City Hall between 11:30am and 1:30pm and the keynote speaker, Tleena Ives, will speak and there will be entertainment and celebration of our first recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an official holiday.    The evening will wrap up with an evening celebration at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center.

My colleague Council President Juarez likes to remind us that the responsibility to oppose the systematic racism towards Indigenous people in the United States requires “more than a land acknowledgement.”  If we truly want to honor the fact that Seattle is built upon the homelands and villages of the Indigenous Peoples of this region and if we sincerely want to demonstrate that we cherish the many contributions made to our community made by Indigenous Peoples, then we must combat prejudice and eliminate discrimination stemming from colonization. “More than a land acknowledgement” means we commit to addressing the harms of poverty, disproportionate health, lack of access to education.

Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial

Last Friday I attended the annual Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial. Located in Occidental Park, next to the Fire Department Headquarters, is the Fallen Fire Fighter’s Memorial. The four statues are inspired by the fire fighters that passed in the line of duty while fighting a warehouse fire in the Chinatown International District in 1995, the memorial is a tribute to all Seattle fire fighters that have died in the line of duty since the department’s inception in 1889.

In 2021, two Seattle fire fighters, Lt. Luis Batayola, a 37-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department, and Lt. William “Willy” Cababat, Jr, a 31-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department, lost their lives due to line-of-duty injuries or illnesses. Here are my comments from the memorial:

Thank you.  I want to first recognize the family members and friends of Lt. Batayola and Lt. Willy Cababat, who are here with us; I am deeply honored to join the Seattle Fire Department today in honoring their legacy, and that of all Seattle firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

To you, Senior Deputy Mayor Harrell, Chief Scoggins, President Kenny Stuart, I am grateful for your presence here today as well.

Although I didn’t know Lt. Batayola or Lt. Cababat, I can tell by the company they kept – the people in this room who served alongside them, day to day – and the family and friends who miss them deeply – what kind of person they were:  hard-working, and loyal, to be sure.

In my role as Chair of the Public Safety committee, among my areas of focus is ensuring firefighters get the resources they need to perform their life-saving duties.  I want to take a moment to pay our respects to those life-saving duties.

Over time, I’ve had the honor and privilege of hearing stories firsthand about fire fighters doing their ‘best work’, which for anyone who runs TOWARD the fire – when we all run AWAY – means putting their lives on the line.

Any time of day or night.  In every imaginable circumstance.  From all walks of life.  For people you do not know, and may never see again.

As our population continues to grow, it’s critical that we reevaluate the need for people who are WILLING to serve in a public safety capacity – to leave their families so we can get home to ours.

Thank you to the family members of friends of Lt. Batayola and Lt. Cababat for making the ultimate sacrifice and supporting his commitment to serving us ALL.

Contents

• Budget Deliberations Begin for 2023/24
• Park District Cycle 2 Budget Vote
• West Seattle Bridge Monitoring
• Public Safety and Human Services Committee Update
• SMC to Resume Late Fee Collection
• Council Edition
• Support a Diaper Drive

Budget Deliberations Begin for 2023/24

On Tuesday, Mayor Harrell delivered his proposed city budget for 2023 and 2024 to Seattle City Council.  At 744 pages, it will take my staff and me some time to deeply understand what’s included!  If you’re interested in seeing what the Mayor has proposed for a specific department, or what assumptions were used for revenue forecasts, this website has all the links you’ll need: 2023-2024 Proposed Budget – City Budget Office | seattle.gov.

Here’s an overview of Council’s budget process:

Two issues jump out at me immediately – these will be my priorities during budget season:

1. Funding to keep the life-saving services of Ladder Truck 37 and Medic Unit 26 in District 1.
2. Fully funding inflationary increases for human services providers as required by law.

Ladder Truck 37 and Medic Unit 26:  I’ve written before about the importance of keeping these resources in District 1 permanently.  The historically underserved areas that receive life-saving assistance from our first responders at Fire Station 37 and Fire Station 26 need these resources in 2023.  Without the ladder truck at Station 37, there is only one ladder truck to serve all of West Seattle.

This issue was recently featured in MyNorthwest:

I will sponsor an amendment to restore these services. Your voices – as District 1 residents who rely on these life-saving services – will be essential to persuade my Council colleagues to add funding for this purpose.  I’ll keep you informed about opportunities to advocate over the next couple of months of the budget process.  In fact – mark your calendars for the first Public Hearing at 5:00pm on Tuesday 10/11.  Learn how to participate here.

Wage Increases for Human Services Providers:  By law, the City budget must include an annual increase for human services providers, pegged to the rate of inflation, so that they don’t fall behind financially.  This year, that figure is 7.6% – but the Mayor’s proposed budget only includes 4%.

This is a $20 million blow to the nonprofit organizations and their staff, who provide absolutely mission-critical services to Seattle residents and are often unable to offer living wages to the frontline staff who do this essential work.

I can point to numerous instances in the last two years when Council has provided funding to accomplish an essential and desperately-needed goal, but the funds went unspent because of nonprofits’ difficulty finding staff willing to work for such low wages.

• The King County Regional Homelessness Authority has reported that, “Providers face significant vacancy rates. The five largest service providers alone have more than 300 vacant positions.”
• Yesterday, the Seattle Times reported on affordable housing and shelter buildings remaining empty, because of severe staffing shortages.
• During public comment, we heard from nonprofit leaders who have already passed budgets that provide modest but essential wage increases for staff, on the strength of their trust in the City to follow the law and fully fund the required increase.

Council’s intent is to advance nonprofit workers wages, not force them further behind.  In fact, the mayor was serving on the Council when the law was approved – and he voted in its favor.

This failure to provide an increase that acknowledges the crushing reality of inflation on nonprofit providers – will come back to haunt us, if it stands.  I will be looking for every opportunity to address this gap and ensure our nonprofit partners receive the funding they are entitled to by law.

What’s Next?  For the next week, my staff and I, my colleagues, and our Council analysts will be poring over budget documents, asking key questions, and beginning to draft our budget amendments.  We’ll begin budget deliberations in earnest on Tuesday, October 11^th.  The first public hearing is 5pm on Tuesday 10/11.  Sign up to provide testimony starting at 3pm that day at Public Comment – Council | seattle.gov.

Park District Cycle 2 Budget Vote

On Monday, I joined my colleagues on the Park District Board to vote for final approval of the plan for the next six years of Park District funding, known as “Cycle 2.”  The Park District will provide about 30% of the funding for Seattle Parks & Recreation; the rest will be provided through the City budget, now under consideration.

I’m pleased that many District 1 priorities were funded in the Cycle 2 package:

• West Seattle is getting a new Off-Leash Area: We are lucky to have strong advocates in the West Seattle Dog Park Coalition, who consistently showed up to provide public testimony in favor of Seattle’s furry friends. Because of their advocacy, the City is getting 2 new dog parks – one in West Seattle – and a third will be planned.
• Marra-Desimone Park is getting a new play area: I sponsored an amendment that provides funding for this long-planned play area in 2023, as well as funding for the Garfield Super Block project.
• The new parks at Morgan Junction, West Seattle Junction, and 48^th & Charlestown, whose construction was delayed by the pandemic, will be built during Cycle 2.
• Hours will be extended at the Southwest Teen Life Center.

Cycle 2 also includes language stating the Park District Board’s intent that by 2029, Seattle Parks & Recreation will decarbonize half its community centers. This is a stretch goal, which will require resources beyond Cycle 2 to accomplish.

Other priorities that were included: an Equity Fund that community members can apply to for small local projects; the ability to add hearing loops to parks buildings; and $1 million annually to replace trees in Seattle’s developed parks, which will be matched with private donations to reach the goal of no net tree loss.

The Park District package also includes proposed performance and accountability measures, which will be reported quarterly to the Park District board.

West Seattle Bridge Monitoring

The West Seattle Bridge repair is performing as expected. A 24/7 monitoring system operates inside the bridge, with hundreds of sensors.

SDOT will be conducting visual inspections of the bridge, inside and outside. SDOT reports that this week crews finished installation of the lighting inside the bridge adjacent to the permanent inspection platforms.

Photo: SDOT

Public Safety and Human Services Committee Update

The Public Safety and Human Services Committee met on September 27. Updates on items heard in the committee are below.

• The Mayor’s Office and Seatle Police Department presented on their Risk Managed Demand (RMD) Analysis.

As a reminder, this is a follow-up study to the 911 call analysis developed in 2021 by the National Institute for Criminal Justice (commonly referred to as the “Nicjr” report). That report analyzed 911 calls from 2017 to 2019 and SPD reported, in July of 2021, that “in the near term up to 12% of calls for service can be responded to without SPD involvement,” and “with further analysis, it is likely that additional calls can be diverted without compromising safety for both responders and subjects.” Yet, a year later, no alternate response has been developed, despite the Council taking several actions in support of that effort both before and after the July 2021 NICJR report and a 2020 Durkan Executive Order.                

The reason? Because SPD decided that the RMD analysis should be done because the Nicjr report only analyzed how the call was originally classified, the RMD analysis also includes how a call was resolved, which can differ from the original classification. The Council agreed that this would be good information to have. 

Here’s the RMD Phase One Report; Presentation; and RMD data analysis. While I have questions about the model and the analysis, the good news appears to be support for SPD’s earlier assessment coming out of the NICJR report last year on percentage of call types. The RMD analysis says that “Tier 4 is an opportunity for the City to improve customer satisfaction and realize some resource efficiencies. Represented in the 87 call types (24%) are crime reports necessary to file insurance claims and less well-defined requests for service. Some of these calls are for “hazards” or “traffic control”, roles that can be safely filled by civilian responders. A combination of deferred response, online reporting, and alternate responders (e.g., animal control) can fill this need.”

Tier 3, as defined, now assumes a police assist for the 49 call types (13.8% of responses), including low level calls for assistance, mediation of disputes, and initial investigation of noise complaints.  The Denver STAR program has operated for over a year to answer these calls without a single call for police backup. The Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) is a non-police emergency response team dispatched to calls directly by 911 dispatch, without a police presence. The teams engage individuals experiencing crises related to mental health issues, poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse. In its first 18 months, it has successfully responded to 5,500 911 calls, and has never required a backup from law enforcement. I appreciate that the memo notes: “Under the tiered response model, STAR and CAHOOTS type resources would full under Tier 3. In these instances, the response ecosystem (e.g., police and fire) would be aware an alternate response was in progress and may stage nearby, able to rapidly intervene, but would not be in attendance.”I am grateful that the RMD analysis memo states: “This technical brief is provided in the spirit of collaborative development. The SPD recognizes emergency response and more general requests for service from our community as a City responsibility” and I am hopeful that the separate, but related effort previewed in a recent newsletter, will bear fruit sooner.  That collaboration with the Mayor’s Office is to develop a pilot to implement an alternative 911 response for calls not needing a uniformed police response.

We’ve agreed to a timetable for a comprehensive emergency response policy proposal and a pilot program proposal by the end of the year.

• The City Attorney provided a 2022 2^nd quarter Report. Here’s the Presentation.
• Panel presentation as a follow-up to the Council’s recently passed PayUp bill that I cosponsored with Councilmember Lewis.

That legislation – a first-of-its-kind – will guarantee app-based delivery drivers a minimum compensation to help tens of thousands of delivery workers make ends meet, increase transparency, and protect flexibility.

In this panel we heard from people doing app-based work, one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy, address an issue not covered in the Council legislation, but that many of these workers face. This is the issue of being prohibited from working these types of jobs either because of deactivation or based on an automated background check. Large gig companies rely on automation. We heard stories about workers being prevented from doing work because of a background check that was found to be based on a different person altogether.  We heard about workers being deactivated without even knowing why.

I want to thank Drive Forward and Working Washington – and specifically – the workers James and Carman – for coming to the committee this week, taking the time out of your wage-earning day, to share their personal experiences.

We anticipate taking this issue back up with stakeholders following the conclusion of the Council’s budget process in December.

SMC to Resume Late Fee Collection

The Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) recently announced that they will resume the late fee for Seattle infraction tickets that are past their due date beginning January 30, 2023.

Ticket late fees and collections have been suspended since March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began. The SMC estimates that there are over 288,000 tickets that could be impacted if they remain unpaid.

The late fee is an additional $25 for parking and camera tickets and an additional $52 for traffic tickets.

The SMC is still determining an exact date, but the soonest unpaid tickets will be sent to collections is April 1, 2023.

Members of the public should respond to their tickets by January 30, 2023, to avoid the late fee and other consequences. There are several options for responding to tickets:

• Pay the ticket(s)
• Request a payment plan to pay the ticket(s) in monthly installments
• Request a community service plan to perform community service instead of paying
• Request a hearing to contest or mitigate tickets
• For tickets that have already been sent to collections prior to 2020, the court offers Debt Reduction Hearings for low-income individuals

If you have unpaid tickets you can look them up by searching for your license plate number on the court’s case information portal under “Vehicle Information.” They can also look up traffic tickets by searching their first and last name under “Defendant Search.”

Council Edition

This week I joined District 1’s Brian Callahan and my colleague CM Mosqueda on Council Edition to talk about non-police alternatives responses to 911 calls, budget priorities, and an emerging vision for Third Avenue.  You can watch here.

Support a Diaper Drive

This is Diaper Need Awareness Week, a time when advocates remind us that 23% of King County’s families struggle to afford enough diapers to keep their kids clean, comfortable, and healthy.  Luckily, District 1’s WestSide Baby is on the job; last year they distributed 2.5 million diapers to families across western King County, working with 100+ partner agencies to reach families in need.

Some facts about diaper need:

• Black, Indigenous, and families of color in King County experience diaper need at rates of two to three times the average.
• The average cost of diapers has increased 22% since 2018 due to inflation; more than half of Black and Latino households report the price increases have caused them “serious financial problems.”
• 60% of parents experiencing diaper insecurity in 2021 missed school or work because they didn’t have enough diapers to leave at daycare or to get through the day.
• Out of desperation, caregivers may re-use dirty diapers or resort to paper towels, t-shirts, and plastic bags. These actions can have long-term effects on health and well-being. Studies show the stress from diaper need increases the likelihood of a mother suffering from maternal depression and mental health problems.

I was glad to present WestSide Baby’s leader, Sarah Cody Roth, with a proclamation celebrating the week; thanking the dedicated diaper banks, staff, volunteers, and donors; and encouraging Seattle residents to donate generously to diaper drives.  You can help by donating diapers and other needed supplies: Donate Items – WestSide Baby.

Contents

• West Seattle Bridge Opened
• Ladder Truck 37 and Medic Unit 26 Maintained Through the End of 2022
• Terminal 5 Closure
• Mayor Announces Choice for Permanent Police Chief
• New Public Health Director Confirmed
• New Director of Office of Police Accountability Confirmed
• Lowman Beach Park Is Reopening
• Park District Budget Vote
• Fall Prevention Tips
• Get Involved in Council’s 2023/24 Budget Work

West Seattle Bridge Opened

Shortly after 9 p.m. last Saturday the 17^th, the moment we’d been eagerly awaiting arrived: the West Seattle Bridge re-opened. The immense relief throughout West Seattle and the Duwamish communities is tangibly felt everywhere I’ve gone this week.

Along with the re-opening, SDOT has re-activated the mid-span traffic camera on the bridge, available here in both camera and live video.

Seven Reconnect West Seattle will be completed after the bridge opening:

1. 4th Ave SW/SW Roxbury St/Olson Way SW intersection improvements
2. Dallas Ave S / 14^th Ave S half signal improvements
3. SW Holden St / Highland Park Way SW permanent signal improvements
4. Georgetown Home Zone = Corson Ave S / S Michigan St raised pedestrian crossing in the slip lane and sidewalk repair project
5. Highland Park Home Zone = 12th Ave SW/SW Holden St new signal (removal of 11^th Ave SW / SW Holden St RRFB) and Neighborhood Greenway connection
6. Duwamish Longhouse permanent sidewalk and signal improvements
7. W Marginal Way PBL / on-street parking improvements

Last week I thanked:

• My Council colleagues both current and past, for their steadfast support for the bridge repair project and mitigating the impact to communities;
• The leadership of Councilmember Pedersen, Chair of the Transportation and Utilities Committee;
• Former Mayor Durkan for her decision to repair (not replace) the bridge;
• The prior SDOT Director Sam Zimbabwe (and the entire SDOT team – with a special shout out to Bridge Boss Heather Marx) for managing the repair process and delivering more than 400 mitigation projects to bridge detour impacted communities; and
• Our federal delegation for their diligent work for federal assistance, especially Representative Jayapal, who in short order spoke on the House floor about the need for federal funding for this project and Senator Cantwell who organized bridge tours with federal decision-makers like Transportation Secretary Buttigieg.

This week I want to thank the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force, especially the co-chairs Former Mayor Greg Nickels and Paulina Lopez.  The WSBCTF worked hard so that the many voices of the community were heard, and ensured transparency, clear communication, broad community engagement and understanding around both traffic mitigation efforts and the path forward for the West Seattle Bridge.

Finally, and importantly I must thank Newell Aldrich in my office.  The number of people responding to last week’s email and thanking me for this weekly update on the bridge status was a reminder that I want to make certain that Newell’s work is recognized.  About 120 weekly newsletters have been published from my office since the West Seattle Bridge closed.  All but a couple of those newsletters included a West Seattle Bridge update.  Tens of thousands of emails from constituents have been answered by Newell about the status of the bridge repair and the 400 Reconnect West Seattle mitigation projects.  Thank you, Newell for keeping District 1 constituents informed about a topic that has required extended resilience and patience from so many.

Ladder Truck 37 and Medic Unit 26 Maintained Through the End of 2022

Many people have written to me to support the life-saving services of Ladder Truck 37 and Medic Unit 26.

As soon as the Bridge closed in March of 2020, I asked Chief Scoggins whether another ladder truck was needed for the peninsula.  I was grateful then that Chief Scoggins’ championed the safety of District 1 with his decision to place a ladder truck for the peninsula at Fire Station 37, in the High Point neighborhood, and a medic unit at Fire Station 26 in South Park.

I have confirmed with Mayor Harrell’s office that, though these resources were originally intended to stay in place through the bridge opening this month, that they have sufficient funding to remain in place through the end of 2022.

The historically underserved areas that receive life-saving assistance from our first responders at Fire Station 37 and Fire Station 26 need these resources in 2023 and beyond.  Without the ladder truck at Station 37 there is only one ladder truck to serve all of West Seattle. The nearest medic units are Medic 28 in Rainer Valley and Medic 32 in the Junction, far away from the Delridge neighborhoods and South Park. As our population continues to grow it’s critical that we reevaluate the need for new resources, especially in historically underserved areas.

I hope that Mayor Harrell sees the value that these resources bring to West Seattle and South Park and that continued funding is included in the Mayor’s proposed budget. However, if funding is not included, I will propose an amendment to fund maintaining these services in 2023.  The Mayor’s proposed budget will be delivered to Council on September 27.  Your voice will be essential during the budget process to encourage a majority of my Council colleagues to vote for an amendment to the budget.

Terminal 5 Closure

Some of you may have heard, or seen on the West Seattle Blog, that Terminal 5 was shut down briefly on Wednesday morning. As the Blog reported, there was a protest from Climate Action Families who said: “Today we shut down SSA Marine Port of Seattle Terminal 5. Cargo carrier MSC could plug ships into shore power but chooses not to.”

I reached out to the Port because I had for years advocated for the Port to make shore power available at Terminal 5 and a requirement for ships to use it.  Shore power provides electrical power to a ship when docked so that it does not have to run its diesel engines while at port; this is significantly more environmentally friendly and reduces noise.  The permits issued by the CIty of Seattle required that shore power be available at Terminal 5 but only required the Port to develop incentives to encourage ships to plug in, not require it.

The good news is that since January, the Port requires that shore power capable ships to plug into the available shore power.  The ships had not been plugging into shore power because of ongoing labor negotiations. There’s now a temporary agreement in place and the ship is currently using shore power.  Here is the Northwest Seaport Alliance’s statement:

“Tuesday’s T5 closure was due to a protest from an environmental group regarding shore-power plug in. The Northwest Seaport Alliance requires, through its tariff, that all shore power capable vessels plug in if the infrastructure is available. Currently labor parties are negotiating the use of shore power equipment on the terminal and usage will be determined when negotiations are complete. The NWSA is working with our terminal operator and carriers on an interim solution.”

Mayor Announces Choice for Permanent Police Chief

On Tuesday, Mayor Harrell appointed Adrian Diaz as the permanent Seattle Chief of Police. Diaz has served as Interim Chief since September 2020.

Here is the Seattle Channel’s Q&A with the three finalists for the position (Diaz is up first). Here is video of the Mayor’s press conference of Diaz.

This is one of the most consequential decisions that Mayor Harrell will make. Seattle’s next police chief will play a central role in the Seattle Police Department’s work to build community safety, increase police accountability, and regain public trust.

Thank you to every community member who took the time to make their voice heard, and particularly, members of the Search Committee for their many hours given to this process. I look forward to further discussions with interim Chief Adrian Diaz as part of the Council confirmation process in the Public Safety and Human Services Committee.

New Public Health Director Confirmed

On Tuesday, Seattle City Council approved the nomination of Dr. Faisal Khan to lead Public Health – Seattle & King County.  I’ve had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Khan several times, and he has impressed me with his passion for public health.  I’m particularly grateful that Dr. Khan sees clearly the exhaustion of our public health workers, and understands how important it is to rejuvenate and invest in our workforce.

Dr. Khan appeared before my Public Safety & Human Services committee the week before to talk about his work and respond to committee member questions.  Dr. Khan also responded in writing to Councilmember questions submitted in advance.  You can watch our discussion starting at the 18:18’ mark here.

Residents of Seattle and King County, as well as our public health workers, are fortunate that we have attracted a leader who will continue the visionary leadership that we have come to expect from our Public Health department.  Next up, King County Council will consider his nomination, likely in October.

New Director of Office of Police Accountability Confirmed

On Tuesday the Council approved Gino Betts as the Director of the Office of Police Accountability. Mr. Betts was selected for this position by Mayor Harrell.

Mr. Betts appeared twice before the Public Safety and Human Services Committee, and provided written responses to Council questions. He was the unanimous recommendation of the search committee appointed by the Mayor, upon which I sat.

His personal and professional experience have prepared him well to serve as Director of OPA. Mr. Betts has worked in a police accountability system with more authority than the OPA; I believe this experience will make him an effective voice for additional accountability reforms in Seattle.

He has committed to facilitating frequent and meaningful communications with complainants, including inviting them to closeout meetings. This is a welcome system improvement, and I appreciate this commitment and willingness to examine OPA procedures with a fresh set of eyes. He stated his belief that OPA should consist of 100% civilian investigators and indicated “this is the best model for overcoming public skepticism regarding police oversight.”

He committed to working to advise the Labor Relations Policy Committee on bargaining issues related to accountability.

In his Q&A rsponses, he referenced other cities: Denver, South Bend and San Diego, for having discipline matrices, and New Orleans for a community-police mediation program (while noting allegations of dishonesty, misuse of authority and criminal allegations are inappropriate for mediation) I appreciate this willingness to examine practices of other cities.

Lowman Beach Park Is Reopening

Join me, Morgan Community Association, and Seattle Parks & Recreation on Saturday, 9/24 to celebrate the renovation of Lowman Beach Park. Events include kayak tours, stand-up paddleboarding, and naturalists from the Seattle Aquarium to help the community explore the beach at low tide.

Learn more about the Lowman Beach Park Seawall project.

Park District Budget Vote

Next Tuesday, Council will vote on the 6-year Park District budget known as “Cycle 2.”  Cycle 2 funds will provide about 30% of the total funding for Seattle Parks & Recreation activities over the next six years; the rest will be considered during Council’s fall budget deliberations – which begin on 9/27.  You can read more about Park District Cycle 2 here, here, and here.

I’m happy to say that a number of my priorities will be included for Cycle 2 funding, subject to Council approval next week:

• New West Seattle Off Leash Area: Cycle 2 will include funding to establish two new Off Leash Areas in Seattle, and plan for a third.  Because of significant advocacy from West Seattle Dog Park Coalition, one of the new Off Leash Areas will be in West Seattle.
• Commitment to Decarbonization: The Cycle 2 package will include language stating the Park District Board’s intent that by 2029, Seattle Parks & Recreation will decarbonize half its community centers. This is a stretch goal, which will require resources beyond Cycle 2 to accomplish.
• Trees for Seattle Parks: Cycle 2 fully funds advocates’ requests for $1 million annually to replace trees in Seattle’s developed parks.  They plan to match this amount with private donations to reach the goal of no net tree loss.
• Equity Fund: Community members will be able to apply for up to $3 million annually for small projects and planning, such as play areas, without being required to match that amount with private donations. This will make it easier for communities without significant financial resources to organize and win new amenities.
• Marra-Desimone Park Play Area will be an early beneficiary of the Equity Fund, with dedicated dollars in 2023 going toward this long-delayed priority.
• Hearing Loops: Community centers will be able to use Park District funds to install hearing loops in community meeting rooms, boosting their accessibility for people who rely on these devices to participate.

You can watch our most recent discussion of Park District Cycle 2 budget here.

Fall Prevention Tips

The first day of fall is Fall Prevention Day!  Did you know that falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults?  The Centers for Disease Control report that one out of five falls (20 percent) results in a serious injury.  Falls result in more than 3 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations.  The cost of treating injuries is projected to increase to over $101 billion by 2030.

Here are 6 steps to prevent a fall – and learn more at NCOA.org/FallsPrevention!

Get Involved in Council’s 2023/24 Budget Work

On Tuesday September 27^th, Mayor Harrell will deliver his proposed City budget for 2023 and 2024 to Council – the start of Council’s work to make changes and approve the budget by late November.

Here are some ways to follow along with Council’s budget deliberations:

• Watch budget committee meetings live on Seattle Channel (on your TV or here)
• Stream video of budget meetings afterwards
• Sign up to receive agendas via email for budget committee meetings here
• I’ll keep you updated via this blog as well

If you’d like to provide public comment, you have a variety of options: remote, in-person, or in writing.  Learn more here.

West Seattle Bridge Re-opening on Sunday

Today’s press conference announcing the opening of the bridge. Watch it on the Seattle Channel.

A group shot of folks attending the press conference, framed by the West Seattle Bridge in the background. Footage courtesy of SDOT, image from the Seattle Channel.

SDOT has said they will open the bridge as soon as they are able on Sunday.  They will announce the opening on the SDOT Traffic twitter feed and the Seattledot twitter feed.

When the West Seattle Bridge opens, restrictions on the use of the Spokane Street (low) bridge will be lifted.

The remaining tasks this week have been load testing and site demobilization.  Load testing was done on September 13^th, with up to a dozen 80,000-pound trucks on the bridge deck, strategically placed on the bridge at one time to create a variety of traffic load scenarios. Structural engineers analyzed the data from the new sensors, and on September 15^th SDOT confirmed the bridge was structurally sound and safe to open. Most of the weight the bridge supports is the structure itself; vehicle weight makes up approximately 20% of the total load.

The 24/7 live monitoring sensors added during the last two and a half years will continue to operate. My office asked about future inspections of the bridge. Those will be weekly at first, and gradually less frequent over time if results continue to be positive. The bridge now includes inspection platforms and lighting for easier access.

Other preparation work over the last week includes finishing the bridge deck overlay, pouring and installing the median barrier, adjusting signal timing, removing the bus-only lane adjacent to the low bridge, replacing copper wire for lighting, graffiti removal, removing low bridge restriction signs, and restriping the north end of Delridge Way SW and southbound SR99 approaching the bridge.

Traffic patterns will change after the bridge re-opens, so please be aware of increased traffic volumes near access points to the bridge (lest this seems too obvious for long-term residents, please keep in mind there are new residents and businesses who haven’t yet experienced traffic with the bridge being open).

The 2020 SDOT traffic report, with 2019 traffic data, showed close to 100,000 vehicles daily using the bridge, and 44,000 on Fauntleroy Way leading off the bridge, between 35^th and Alaska. The 2021 report, with 2020 data after the bridge closed, showed just under 20,000 daily trips on that segment of Fauntleroy.

I want to extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the residents and businesses of West Seattle and Duwamish Valley communities who have shown such extended resilience and patience since the West Seattle Bridge closed two and a half years ago.

King County Metro Bus Service Update

Bus service will change with the opening of the bridge: buses that previously used the West Seattle Bridge will return to that bridge starting on Monday, September 19^th. This includes the RapidRide C Line, and routes 21/21X, 50, 55, 56, 57, 120 and 125. Metro’s update says this “will reduce travel time and improve reliability for riders between West Seattle and Downtown Seattle.”

In addition, on September 17^th Metro will have a revised schedule to increase reliability. Schedules are available at the September 2022 service change web page. Metro notes “The new schedule adjustments will increase reliability, more evenly space out the time between bus trips, and will preserve service where transit demand and needs are greatest. Metro is scheduling more than 11,000-weekday bus trips across King County.” In practice, there will be fewer scheduled trips, but fewer cancellations (Metro has staffing shortfalls), and hence greater reliability.

Photo courtesy of Tim Durkan

Public Safety Committee: 911 Alternatives

On September 13^th the Public Safety and Human Services Committee heard an update on the work of the Council and Mayor’s office developing alternative 911 responses.

It was a brief update, focusing on what is called a “term sheet.”  It is an action plan memorializing the cooperative work agreed to by the Mayor’s Office and Council Central Staff to develop and implement an alternative 911 response for calls not needing a uniformed police response. Here’s the Term Sheet Alternative 911 Response. It speaks to a shared commitment to this work and is a positive step forward. During the committee meeting, Senior Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell spoke about this shared commitment and indicated this document shows how the Mayor’s Office and Council staff will be coming to the table together. It includes timetable targets for a comprehensive emergency response policy proposal and a pilot program proposal by the end of the year.

The Term Sheet commits to developing four work products:

1. An executive-drafted policy document outlining the framework for permanent alternative response models. The policy document will be informed by a comprehensive analysis of current 911 Response including a risk management analysis, a call type analysis, and information about best practices from other jurisdictions.
2. A policy proposal for an alternative response in the near term that can be designed in 2022 and become operational during 2023.
3. A policy proposal for Special Event staffing that utilizes commissioned officers only where necessary. Special Event staffing is not directly related to 911 Alternative Response; the parties agree that there could be opportunities to free up scarce sworn staffing resources, but any such changes could involve considerations in the purview of the Labor Relations Policy Committee.
4. A communication strategy that informs the public on the general operations of the City’s emergency response system, answers frequently asked questions, and provides clarity on how emergency responses are triaged and/or responded to.

The next committee meeting on September 27^th will include a presentation by the executive on the RMD (risk management demand) study. This is a follow-up study to the 911 call analysis developed by the National Institute for Criminal Justice (commonly referred to as the “Nicjr” report). That report analyzed how a call was originally classified; the RMD analysis also includes how a call was resolved, which can differ from the original classification.

I thank the Mayor’s Office for their work on this.

South Park Public Safety Meeting

Last week I attended a South Park Public Safety forum joined by residents and business owners in South Park.   Police Chief Diaz and Southwest Precinct Captain Rivera and I together answered questions from community members seeking to learn more about how SPD is investigating what appears to be an arson fire targeting a neighborhood business and an increase in gang recruitment of young people in the area.  The forum was also a good opportunity to share information about public safety resources devoted to South Park and the Southwest Precinct, specifically the deployment of an SPD Community Service Officer to South Park, the South Park Public Safety Coordinator from Seattle Neighborhood Group, and the Southwest Safety Hub staff from the YMCA’s Alive and Free Program as part of the Seattle Community Safety Initiative. If you want information about these community safety interventions, I encourage you to check out the links.

I thank Carmen Martinez, Duwamish Vally Youth Corps Director, for both her work organizing the forum and her facilitation.

Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal Advisory Committee September 21 at 6 p.m.

The Community Advisory Group for the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal project will meet on Wednesday, September 21, from 6-8 p.m. You can register for the online meeting here.

Seattle Municipal Court Community Outreach Event in Rainier Beach: Monday, September 19

Seattle Municipal Court will be holding an outreach event offering court services on September 19^th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Rainier Beach Community Center, at 8825 Rainier Avenue South. Additional information is available at the Court’s community website.  Free hamburgers, chips, and soda will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

You can download flyers in English, Amharic, Mandarin, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.

The Court’s announcement is below:

Seattle Municipal Court (SMC) is bringing court and social services to the Rainier Beach Community Center on Monday, September 19, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Community members will get help with resolving SMC warrants and setting up payment plans or community service plans to address Seattle tickets. Visitors can also begin steps to renew their vehicle registration (tabs) if they are held up by unpaid Seattle tickets and access supportive services through the Community Resource Center.

Staff will answer questions about court processes, schedule hearings, and provide information on programs available through the court. No appointment is required. Participants can register in advance for faster check-in at the event.

Interpretation in Amharic, Mandarin, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese will be available.

Masks are required and health and safety measures will be in place during the event. Masks will be provided for attendees who do not have one.

This will be SMC’s first outreach event since October 2019. Outreach events were postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Supportive services offered on-site at the event include*:

• SMC warrant and ticket customer service
• King County traffic ticket payment plans and removal of fines from collections
• DSHS benefit enrollment (food, cash, medical, Identicard)
• Free smartphone with data for qualifying low-income people
• Access to an attorney to talk about vacating felony drug convictions
• Public defense eligibility screening
• YWCA healthcare access
• Mental health services and resources
• Medication-assisted treatment information
• Substance use disorder treatment programs
• Housing resources
• Utility and energy bill assistance
• ORCA LIFT card and transportation resources
• Education, job placement, training, and apprenticeship programs
• Free hygiene kits
• Free lunch provided 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

“We’re excited to get back out into the community,” said SMC Presiding Judge Adam Eisenberg. “At Seattle Municipal Court, we work hard to address the underlying causes that bring people into the legal system and to connect them with life-changing social services. But we know it can be difficult for some people to travel to our downtown courthouse, and not everyone can access services using our website. This outreach event is a great opportunity for us to connect with members of the public in a safe and convenient location.”

This outreach event is funded and supported by the court and its Community Resource Center. The Community Resource Center is a social services hub located on the second floor of the courthouse, open to the entire community, and saw nearly 7,000 visitors in 2019.

Anyone who needs assistance is encouraged to attend on Monday, September 19, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118. For the latest information, visit our event website: seattle.gov/courts/community.

Monkeypox Update

Dr. Matthew Golden provided a comprehensive update on the monkeypox outbreak at this week’s meeting of the Board of Health.  The good news is that cases are dropping, and Public Health has been active in providing information, testing, treatment, and vaccine in a targeted way to the people who need it most.

Dr. Faisal Khan, Mayor Harrell and Executive Constantine’s new nominee to lead Public Health, responded to a question about our local monkeypox response as part of the nomination process in my Public Safety & Human Services committee meeting this week:

Having reviewed Seattle-King County’s response to Monkeypox, I can safely say that Seattle-King County Public Health (SKCPH) is undertaking the appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the disease, identify and treat cases and contacts, and vaccinate…  The model jurisdictions combatting Monkeypox are NYC, LA County, and Chicago, and they’re doing what SKCPH is already doing. SKCPH is working with community and clinical partners and engaging with nightclubs and bars to provide their customers information about testing and vaccination and encouraging them to have conversations with trained medical professionals. It’s important that we sustain this work over time, even as case counts begin to drop.

Dr. Golden reported that vaccine supply from the federal government is improving and that King County is now giving most vaccines using intradermal injections, which has two advantages: 1) a lower dose is needed, and 2) it increases our vaccine supply four-fold.

Our new challenge will be to generate demand for the vaccine and expand access – particularly among the populations hardest hit.  New federal guidelines require that our state must use at least 85% of the vaccine we receive to qualify for sustained supply from the Centers for Disease Control.

Board of Health Update on the Overdose Crisis

Brad Finegood of Public Health – Seattle & King County gave an update on our crisis in overdose deaths at this week’s Board of Health meeting.  You can see that even after a surge in 2021, we are easily on track to exceed the number of people who die from an overdose this year.

Fentanyl is the driving factor in the surge:

Why?  Fentanyl is available in multiple forms including blue pills and is being increasingly used by non-traditional users, non-opioid users, and long-term opioid users.  There are easy routes of administration now, including smoking and ingesting. It’s cheap and plentiful, and it’s becoming ubiquitous.  The new pills are powerful, and people are finding themselves dependent on it much more quickly than with other drugs.

Public Health is responding with a multi-channel outreach and communications campaign, as well as drug alerts, community-based “train the trainer” sessions, and expansion of harm reduction and overdose prevention supplies such as Narcan.  You can learn more here.

Should You Get an Updated Covid Booster?

There’s now an updated booster vaccine for COVID-19.  I know people are really tired of dealing with COVID—I feel it too. But even if you have had a booster in the past, the updated boosters will provide the best protection we have from hospitalization and death. This is especially important for people who are at increased risk for severe COVID-19, including people who have weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions, and for people over age 50. The risk of serious infection and death go up with age.

Vaccination can also lower the risk for long COVID, which can lead to serious long-term health problems. As summer is ending and we’re all heading indoors, it’s an important time to get the updated booster to prevent what could be another wave of COVID-19.

More information about vaccine locations and appointments: kingcounty.gov/vaccine

Dr. Mark Del Beccaro, Public Health’s COVID vaccine lead, and a pediatrician and former emergency department doctor, says this:

The coronavirus changes into new variants over time. Moderna and Pfizer tailored the updated booster vaccines to protect against the variants that are circulating right now. It’s like the annual flu shot that targets the expected flu strains each flu season. The updated booster targets both the original virus strain and the most common current variants.

These updated booster vaccines use the same ingredients as their other COVID-19 vaccines, with one change to target the spike protein of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants. We expect they’ll be better at protecting us from these current variants.

You can read more here:  Should I get an updated booster? We asked an expert. – PUBLIC HEALTH INSIDER.