Taking Action on Sexual Harassment On Friday January 12th, I wrote to Mayor Jenny A. Durkan thanking her for her leadership on sexual harassment issues and asking her to work with me to look at the impact of sexual harassment on our city and to work together to ensure that every person is free to […]

Progressive Revenue Task Force Thursday January 4, 2018 was the first meeting of the Progressive Revenue Task Force.  The task force was established by Resolution 31782, passed during the November Budget discussion soon after a narrow majority of Councilmembers voted against the progressive Employee Hours Tax (EHT) that would have funded $13 million in programs […]

This Week in the Budget It’s been a busy week in the City budget. On Wednesday, the Council met as the Budget Committee to hold its second public hearing on the 2018 budget. On Tuesday, as Chair of the Council’s Budget Committee, I released an initial proposed balancing package for the City budget from among […]

South Park Public Safety Task Force Report Released On Tuesday, the report and recommendations of the  South Park Public Safety Taskforce were presented in the Gender Equity, Safe Communities and New Americans Committee chaired by Councilmember González. The task force was created during the Council’s budget process. The report makes recommendations for both short-term and […]

Alki Public Safety and Health Survey As a beachside neighborhood and regional destination, the Alki neighborhood and nearby areas face unique public safety and health challenges, from Beach Drive to the West Seattle Bridge. Residents, community groups, and visitors from elsewhere have expressed concern about the public health and safety impacts of a growing number […]

South Park Business District Vandalism I am saddened and disturbed to hear of overnight vandalism against businesses in South Park It’s happened three times in the last week, and overnight on both Monday and Tuesday evenings. On Wednesday morning, I sent the following e-mail to Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole: Chief O’Toole, I am writing […]

Seattle Moves Toward Tax Fairness with Tax on High Incomes The City Council has unanimously voted to begin addressing the regressive nature of our tax system, and move toward tax fairness.  On Monday, July 10 the Council passed legislation that I co-sponsored to establish a tax on high incomes. This vote occurred after a public […]

Part II: Displacement in the MHA Draft Environmental Impact Statement Last month in my blog post, I wrote a “Part 1” article describing my disappointment in a recent Displacement Risk Analysis being done as part of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Citywide Rezones that are part of implementing a Mandatory Housing […]

SPU CIP Update – Ship Canal Water Quality Project In my committee this week Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) presented  their Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The CIP is the vehicle for rehabilitating, replacing, improving, and expanding the network of sewer and drainage systems throughout the City of Seattle, as well as constructing projects that protect, conserve, […]

Observer Bill of Rights The Observer Bill of Rights, a bill that I authored and sponsored for introduction last year, passed 4-0 out of committee earlier this week, and is scheduled for a Full Council vote on Monday, May 22. Observation of police activity has always been an important element of accountability.  For instance, Mother […]