This Week in the Budget The Budget Committee met last week to consider potential Council amendments to the “initial” proposed balancing package I released the week before last as Chair of the Council’s Budget Committee. The Budget Committee is scheduled to meet on November 14 and 15, to consider a “revised” balancing package. Per the Budget […]

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 […]

Thanking Seattle’s Emergency Responders Seattle’s first responders have been active in responding to the Hurricane Harvey response efforts in Texas, and the wildfires in Washington State, and in preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irma in Georgia and Florida. Firefighters Chris Lombard, Jon Olson, Chuck Boehmer, Darrin Quaschnik, and Greg Sobole deployed as part of […]

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 Public Safety Community Meeting August 29 The Department of Neighborhoods will be organizing a community meeting in South Park on Tuesday, August 29th from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the South Park Neighborhood Center @ 8201 10th Avenue South. In response to community requests, especially after a number of nights with vandalism against […]

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 […]

South Park Public Safety Task Force Update During the 2017 budget process, Councilmember González and I co-sponsored a budget action to create a South Park Public Safety Task Force during 2017. South Park had the 3rd highest number of gunshots reported in Seattle neighborhoods during 2016, and the highest increase over 2015, according to Seattle […]

Sweetened Drink Tax Yesterday, in the Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods and Finance Committee the public finally saw the newly proposed bill for the sweetened drink tax.  This has been an issue that I’ve been tracking closely for the last couple of months as I’ve had several concerns about not only how to spend projected revenue, but […]

Resolution on High-Earner Income Tax Seattle is a growing and prosperous city that should offer better schools and healthier communities, yet our City faces many urgent challenges, including a homelessness state of emergency, an affordable housing crisis, overcrowded classrooms, education equity and racial achievement gaps, inadequate provision of mental health services, and severe traffic congestion. […]

Why Art Matters: April 12 @ Youngstown On April 12, KUOW, the Office of Arts and Culture and I will be hosting a forum, Why Does Art Matter, at Youngstown Cultural Center, from 6-8 p.m. The 2018 federal budget released by Donald Trump proposes elimination of federal support for the National Endowment for the Arts […]