April 2021

Friends and Neighbors,

I am excited to invite you to our next District 4 Town Hall on Tuesday, May 11 at 6:00 p.m.! To RSVP, please see below. This month’s newsletter also updates you about opening the new light rail stations in our District, saving the national archives facility, encouraging safety at Magnuson Park, leveraging dollars to boost our aging infrastructure, volunteering to build the new Tiny Home Village for those experiencing homelessness, finding COVID vaccine locations, and more.

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DISTRICT 4

Virtual District 4 Town Hall – Tuesday, May 11, 2021 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Please join our District 4 office for our Spring 2021 virtual Town Hall.  We have invited Human Services Department Director Helen Howell to share the City’s strategy for homelessness, even as we shift toward a more effective regional approach to this regional crisis.  We will also dedicate time to answer District 4 questions. To RSVP to this online event (and to submit questions about city government), CLICK HERE.

Light Rail Stations at Roosevelt and University District Opening October 2.

Councilmember Pedersen enjoying a Gyro from Cedars of Lebanon on the refurbished NE 43^rd Street at Brooklyn Ave NE with Sound Transit’s new “University District station” in the background. The understated architecture belies the massive engineering project buried deep beneath the neighborhood that is a game-changer for improved mobility in Seattle. Seamless bus transfers will be the main challenge and King County Metro confirmed for me they will be ready to respond to a surge of transit rider feedback.

The countdown is on! Sound Transit has announced that the University District, Roosevelt, and Northgate light rail stations (funded by the Sound Transit 2 measure enacted by voters in 2008) will open on October 2, 2021. Earlier this month, I toured the reconfigured Brooklyn Avenue and the almost completed re-do of NE 43^rd Street which leads into University of Washington’s campus. I continue to share the concern of 20 environmental and community organizations about the decision transportation officials made a few years ago to narrow Brooklyn Avenue which, unfortunately, impedes access for most buses. Ideally, Brooklyn Avenue would have remained wide enough to accommodate most buses and provide seamless transfers from bus to light rail.  As all the light rail stations open, our Seattle Department of Transportation will need to stay tightly coordinated with King County Metro to adjust bus routes based on rider feedback for the thousands who will be transferring from bus to light rail. But, overall, the opening of these stations just 5 months from now is great news and will be a positive game-changer for mobility for our growing city.

Click on the images below to fly above and below District 4 and see the construction!

Winning the Battle: National Archives Sale Canceled – For Now.

Photo from the LA Times

Thankfully, the Biden Administration canceled the sale of the archives facility– for now.

Here is the statement I issued when the good news was announced April 8 regarding the national archives facility located in our District 4 and serving the entire region:

 “I applaud the Biden Administration’s recent decision to cancel the hasty and irresponsible sale of the national archives and records building, a treasure of histories so vital to so many people in the Pacific Northwest. I am thankful for the strong leadership by our Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the many tribal leaders, our congressional delegation, researchers, nonprofits, and other stakeholders who advocated for our shared goal of protecting the histories here where they happened in the Pacific Northwest. Now I hope the Biden Administration and congressional leaders invest the federal dollars needed to preserve the historic archives here in the Pacific Northwest where they belong and, regardless of next steps, we look forward to a proper public process and the required tribal consultation.”

— Councilmember Alex Pedersen

Here’s what happened: President Biden’s Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a letter to the Public Buildings Reform Board today stating, “I am writing to withdraw OMB’s January 24, 2020 approval of the sale of the Federal Archives and Records Center, 6125 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115…Tribal consultation is a priority for this Administration… But the process that led to the decision to approve the sale of the Federal Archives and Records Center is contrary to this Administration’s tribal-consultation policy…Any effort to sell the Federal Archives and Records Center in the future, through any available and appropriate authority, must comply with at least two substantial requirements. First, it must be preceded by meaningful and robust tribal consultation, consistent with the President’s January 26, 2021 Memorandum on Tribal Consultation. Second, it must proceed through the appropriate administrative process, based on a new factual record, and must comply with the attendant substantive and procedural safeguards of that process...”

For a copy of the OMB letter to PBRB, CLICK HERE. For more background from my blog, CLICK HERE.

Magnuson Park Crime Prevention Tour.

On Thursday, March 25, 2021 I was joined by residents and nonprofits who call Magnuson Park home for a public safety-centered tour in response to a recent uptick in crime. We were joined by members of the SPD’s Crime Prevention Unit who shared ideas for mitigating these occurrences. There is much work to do to get our city departments to be more responsive here.

Honoring the Workers at the Wedgwood QFC.

Photo from Seattle Times

Photo from Seattle Times

I was invited by the event organizers to participate and here are my prepared remarks:

• I want to thank the grocery workers for serving the community for so many years — and especially during this hazardous time during the COVID pandemic.
• I want to thank both the community leaders who organized this thoughtful event and the union for their ongoing support of these workers.
• Today’s event is another reminder of how much the community cares about its neighborhood businesses.
• As we emerge from the COVID pandemic, we need to make sure every neighborhood has businesses that not only thrive, but also care about the community.
• Thank you, everyone, for being here today.

I think we can all agree we were disappointed by the Kroger company’s decision to shut down the wonderful grocery store. But that out-of-state company made their decision. As someone with business experience, I believe the company’s attempts to blame their decision on a temporary City Hall law that benefits workers during COVID doesn’t hold water. That’s, in part, because that corporation was sitting on $2 billion in cash which is on top of the substantial profits they earned in 2020.

On a positive note, I spoke to QFC earlier this week and they confirmed that there are no layoffs; all the workers who wanted to stay with QFC have a transfer to another store already lined up with no loss in benefits.

I think Kroger’s made a bad business decision to leave this amazing community with its generous customer base and I look forward to welcoming a new store with open arms.

I personally contacted several different grocery store owners to pitch the neighborhood to them. I’m also in contact with the owner of this entire shopping center so they know I’m available to help to attract a new anchor tenant here. Wedgwood is wonderful and it’s open for business! Also check out the other fantastic small businesses near this location (35th Ave NE and NE 85th St): The Wedgwood Broiler,  Van Gogh Coffeehouse, Wedgwood Hair Studio, Tropical Berry, Blue Poppy Floral, Wedgwood Ale House, and many others.

For the recent Seattle Times article about this QFC location, CLICK HERE.

Sand Point Way Pedestrian Safety Improvements.

I am pleased to share the good news that the critical sidewalk and crosswalk improvements I helped the community fight for along Sand Point Way and Magnuson Park will be underway soon. Thanks to the ongoing community input, led by the Magnuson Park Advisory Committee. To read more, CLICK HERE.

Earth Day in District 4: A Reminder That a New Tree Protection Ordinance is Long Overdue.

Councilmember Pedersen (photo on left) on Earth Day visiting a large conifer tree in North Seattle that our Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection approved for removal, allowed by a loophole in current law.  He then visited another group of 3 large locust trees (or is that his cranky twin brother?). Unfortunately, the real estate developer had already ripped them out and replaced them with tiny trees. It was a good reminder that replacement trees will take decades to grow to produce the same environmental and health benefits of the trees ripped out. So, it’s ideal to do a much better job protecting the larger trees when we can.

We call ourselves the Emerald City within the Evergreen State and yet our current laws have many loopholes that enable the removal of scores of trees each year, including healthy, large conifer trees that city law defines as “Exceptional.”  Trees provide numerous benefits including carbon sequestration, absorption of rainwater to reduce harmful runoff into Puget Sound and Lake Washington, shade for cooling during the warmer months, and proven health benefits. The bigger the tree, the better. As we take a long overdue, serious look at racial injustice issues, we know some communities of color have fewer large trees and are having them removed more often. As far back as 2009, our City Auditor determined that fractionalized management of trees and urban forestry issues was a major problem for the City of Seattle and recommended consolidation. Instead, the City for eleven years has continued to try to make a multi-departmental approach to tree management work. As it has boomed with development, Seattle has struggled to prevent continued loss of significant numbers of large trees and reduced tree canopy area. Our city government’s oversight to protect trees is not only fractured, but also weak.  Last fall, I proposed two budget provisions to improve Seattle’s management of its urban forest resources: A budget “proviso” to withhold funds from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) if it didn’t deliver an updated tree ordinance to the City Council by mid-2021 as required by Resolution 31902. Unfortunately, my colleagues did not support the proviso and the process for delivering the tree protection ordinance has slowed. My staff and I will be carefully monitoring the City’s actions on these important environmental and equity issues – and may take legislative action sooner if we continue to see excuses instead of progress.

New Fire Department/Human Services Mobile Team to Serve University District.

On Tuesday, April 13, 2021 I joined Mayor Durkan and Seattle Fire Department Chief Scoggins to welcome to District 4 a new team called “Health One.”

“We know we need to expand our response to people experiencing homelessness and distress on our city streets and so I applaud the Durkan Administration for expanding this pilot program that combines firefighters and case managers from our Human Services Department to prevent more expensive and dangerous situations throughout Seattle. Our shared goal in the University District and throughout Seattle is a more effective intervention that proactively links each person who is in crisis on our streets to the essential mainstream services they need rather than reacting and sending them to expensive visits to emergency rooms or, worse, the criminal justice system. This new “Health One” mobile team is an important piece of our overall response to homelessness which we need to scale up to deal with the scope of this regional crisis.”

— Councilmember Alex Pedersen

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HOMELESSNESS SERVICES

Volunteer to Build the New Tiny Home Village in our District!

Construction on “Rosie’s” village starts mid-May with socially distanced volunteer work parties organized by the Low Income Housing Institute in mid-May. To volunteer or donate, email tinyhouses@lihi.org. If you have questions about the village, email Homelessness@seattle.gov to reach city government staff. To view a recording of our April 15 community outreach meeting, CLICK HERE. The new village, which will be home to 30 to 40 units of shelter, will begin accepting residents in July and remain open for approximately two years. People experiencing homelessness can be referred to the village through the new “HOPE” team, which is the new de-centralized replacement of the Navigation Team. For more, CLICK HERE.

Charter Amendment Proposed. As you may have read in media reports, a proposed amendment to our City Charter was filed by a group that calls itself “Compassion Seattle.” I understand homelessness is a top concern and I am aware of the proposal, the revised version of which is available from the City Clerk’s website. This proposal is led by civic leaders outside City Hall, which means city government employees—including Councilmembers—are limited by ethics rules from using city government resources (including government phones, computers, or offices) from supporting or opposing such citizen-led ballot measures. We are, however, able to analyze the proposal in case voters choose to make the Compassion Seattle measure official city government policy and we may answer questions about the facts. For example, we have been asked about the timing and, if the proponents of this measure obtain enough signatures of support, it would be in front of voters for their decision this coming November. While we cannot support or oppose such citizen-led ballot measures in official government publications, we may make personal statements separately to the public, which may be warranted when more information is available. (Note: This paragraph was approved by the Executive Director of the Seattle Ethics & Elections Commission.)

Originally labeled as Charter Amendment 28, the proponents resubmitted it with several revisions (including the addition of a sunset date to end it in 6 years) and the City Clerk re-numbered the proposal as Charter Amendment 29.

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PUBLIC SAFETY

State Police-Reform Legislation. As we have reached the end of this year’s State Legislative Session in Olympia, we can finally take stock of which police reform proposals were adopted by our state government officials. Here are several bills awaiting Governor Inslee’s signature:

• HB 1054 prohibits choke holds, prevents police from obtaining certain military equipment, outlines parameters for car chases and search warrants, and provides strict guidance to no-knock warrants and the utilization of tear gas.
• HB 1267 creates the Office of Independent Investigations in order to investigate police incidents such as lethal force and sexual assaults separately and without bias.
• HB 1310 establishes a better standard for when police can use force. It also implements more de-escalation tactics so police do not have to use force in the first place.
• SB 5051 makes it easier to decertify police officers for bad acts and requires departments to conduct broader background checks for officers before hiring them—including checking with previous departments for any discipline history or misconduct investigations.
• SB 5066 requires an officer to intervene when witnessing a fellow officer engaging in excessive force.

Best Police Reform Measure Did Not Pass this Year – SB 5134. While it appears there will still be significant statewide police reforms signed into law by Governor Inslee, it is a shame SB 5134 did not advance. At the state and city levels, we need to eliminate a complex arbitration appeal process that has historically allowed police officers who committed misconduct to be reinstated to their jobs. Instead, a much weaker SB 5055 passed which preserves arbitration even though police workers are different because they carry a gun. The Seattle Times published editorials supporting SB 5134. (For the February editorial CLICK HERE and for the April editorial CLICK HERE.) SB 5134 was also supported strongly by the ACLU and me, and I hope to see it back again next year.  If the stronger reform bill SB 5134 had received more support from other State legislators, city officials, and interest groups, then our labor negotiators here in Seattle would be better equipped to revamp our police union contract that expired several months ago.

No More Excuses for Not Revamping the Inflexible and Expensive Police Union Contract. I will continue to implore my colleagues not to cut more from our public safety systems until we have effective alternative plans and programs in place and to focus instead on revamping the inflexible and expensive police union contract that expired in December 2020. We can have more meaningful reform and the same # of officers if the police union contract is revamped.

Community Police Commission Tracker.

I am pleased to share a new police oversight engagement tool this week introduced this week by the Community Police Commission (CPD). The CPC Recommendation Tracker allows anyone to see what recommendations this citizen-driven panel has made to the Seattle Police Department and which have been adopted. This tracker serves primarily to hold the City accountable to the community. Additional purposes include fulfilling the CPC’s legislative mandate, allowing for more informed communication among system partners (CPC, the Office of Inspector General, Seattle Police Department, and Office of Professional Accountability) and the community.

Annual Academic Survey of Seattle Residents Regarding Public Safety. The Seattle Times researcher (“FYI Guy”) published results and analysis of the annual public safety survey of Seattle residents conducted by Seattle University’s Crime & Justice Research Center led by Dr. Jackie Helfgott. The article is titled “How confident are Seattleites in their police? Results of the survey surprise lead researcher.”  Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“Last year’s protests on police violence were largely focused on police mistreatment of people of color. Because of that, you might expect that the lowest score for police legitimacy would be in the South Precinct, which is the most racially diverse section of Seattle. But the police legitimacy score for this precinct was only a fraction below the citywide average, at 57.9.

“In fact, Helfgott’s analysis shows that white respondents rated police legitimacy lower on average than any other racial/ethnic group, at 57.5 (Black respondents rated police legitimacy at 61.3). Younger people also ranked police legitimacy lower than older people, and women gave the police lower scores than men, on average.

“By far, the lowest score was in the East Precinct, at just 50.4. The East Precinct contains the Capitol Hill neighborhood, which was the site of many of the Black Lives Matter protests, and where the autonomous zone’ was established.”

For the full article, CLICK HERE.

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TRANSPORTATION AND UTILITIES COMMITTEE

Opportunity to Invest in Our Aging Infrastructure– Including Bridges that Connect Everyone.

As Transportation Chair, Councilmember Pedersen talks with King 5 News on the aging University Bridge in District 4 which carries buses and other vehicles as well as bicyclists and pedestrians — in addition to lifting up and down to allow larger water vessels to pass underneath.

To provide more funding for transportation needs, the City Council approved a $20 vehicle license fee as part of our fall budget process. While four Councilmembers (including me) were ready to invest all of those funds into bridge maintenance to address the disturbing findings of our City Auditor who summarized the deteriorating condition of our city’s aging bridges,  a majority of Councilmembers directed SDOT to establish a process to solicit  ideas from selected stakeholders. I want to extend my thanks to our Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the stakeholders SDOT selected for their ideas on how to invest $7 million each year.

To boost jobs as Seattle emerges from the COVID pandemic’s economic recession and to get more money out the door and into the community faster, Councilmembers Lisa Herbold, Andrew J. Lewis, Teresa Mosqueda, and I proposed an amendment to Council Bill 120042 to implement SDOT’s plan for 2021 and then to have SDOT come back in September with a bolder plan to generate $100 million in bonds to help modernize our aging transportation infrastructure in 2022, with an emphasis on multimodal bridges. We issued this joint statement:

“We appreciate the Seattle Department of Transportation convening community partners to offer ways to invest the expected funds from the $20 vehicle license fee authorized by the City Council. They have crafted a thoughtful 2021 spending plan that we should implement immediately. At this critical juncture, when we seek to build back better after the Covid-19 crisis, we must also think bigger and bolder with this opportunity. We should supercharge the VLF dollars by financing $100 million in bonds in 2022 and take on the too-long-delayed task of fixing our city’s aging multimodal bridges and modernizing Seattle’s transportation infrastructure while creating good, living wage jobs. Our bridge audit showed so many bridges in poor condition and illustrated the economic benefits of frontloading government resources. By leveraging these dollars we can finally commit to a strategy of significant timely investments rather than piecemeal fixes. In a city carved by waterways and ravines, we rely on bridges to support all modes of transportation that connect us and keep our economy moving. We have a duty to stop kicking the can down the road, and now we have an opportunity to go bigger and bolder to build back better.”

— Councilmembers Herbold, Lewis, Mosqueda, and Pedersen (April 19, 2021)

More Support: Councilmember Debora Juarez signed on as a co-sponsor of the infrastructure amendment during our discussion at the Transportation Committee last week.

A coalition of construction labor unions strongly support our amendment, including Billy Hetherington (Political Director for Laborers Local 242), Pedro Espinoza (Pacific NW Regional Council of Carpenters), and Heather Kurtenbach (Political Director for Ironworkers Local 86). Nicole Grant, the head of MLK Labor also announced her support of our amendment at our Transportation Committee April 21:

“I want to weigh in in favor of the bonding to fund our bridges here in the city of Seattle. I know it’s expensive; it’s among the prices we pay for having a beautiful city full of hills and waterways. It’s not something we can ignore. We are lucky also to have the best targeted Local Hire policy in the country to make sure that the employment to repair / to replace this infrastructure gives back to the community and hires people that could really use a strong career advantage — including formerly incarcerated workers — and to make sure that everybody has health insurance for their family and apprenticeship to learn a skill that’s going to last their whole life. So support it — I think it’s a good decision — a good use of the money. Thank you.”

— Nicole Grant, head of the MLK Labor Council (April 21, 2021)

Local business leaders also support the amendment. Executive Director Erin Goodman of the SODO Business Improvement Area said, “SODO is the industrial heart of Seattle, and during COVID-19 we have seen how many essential businesses are located here including food and supply distribution, PPE manufacturing, and more vital activities. Increased funding to fix our bridges now is necessary to support these essential businesses and their operations throughout our region.”

The Seattle Times editorial board added their support April 26. For their editorial CLICK HERE.

“The sorry state of many Seattle bridges is an aching infrastructure need deeper than most others. The city ought to take advantage of economic good timing to make a big investment in bridge repair now before more neighborhoods experience West Seattle Bridge-style prolonged emergency closures.

Seattle should leverage the $20 vehicle fee increase the council approved in November to issue bonds for bridge repairs, as City Council members Alex Pedersen, Teresa Mosqueda, Lisa Herbold and Andrew Lewis proposed. A fifth council member, Debora Juarez, has voiced support too. The rest of their colleagues should agree to this prudent fiscal maneuver.

…the council would be wise to advance the bonding-for-bridges proposal to address these pressing local needs for safety and the economy.”

— Seattle Times editorial board (April 26, 2021)

Leveraging these dollars to generate $100 million in bonds has several advantages over SDOT’s current plan. Rather than allocating the funds in several small pieces each year over several years, bonding will provide a large sum upfront to obtain more of what we need for our city’s infrastructure when we need it – now. Bonding should also protect the VLF from future attempts to cancel the fee, because those future dollars will be encumbered upfront.

Needs:  In addition to the dollars needed to restore the West Seattle High Bridge, Seattle’s aging bridges have the following immediate needs:

• $20 million to $88 million more annually for bridge maintenance. (Annual maintenance needed is $34 million to $102 million, per the City Auditor’s report on bridges. Mayor Durkan’s proposed budget for 2021 provided only $10 million among four line items and Council increased it to $14 million.) Bridges ranked poor by the audit include the 2^nd Avenue South extension bridge.
• $8 million for our City’s older bridges that have aging moveable parts (such as the University, Ballard, Fremont, and Spokane bridges). When draw bridges / bascule bridges / swing bridges get stuck, they prevent all modes of transportation — including buses and bikes — which could impede Seattle’s fragile economic recovery.
• Millions to start the seismic retrofits of 16 Seattle bridges, including $32 million for Ballard, $29 million for Fremont, and millions to seismically upgrade the 100-year old University Bridge.
• Millions to leverage other sources of funding to replace the 90-year-old Magnolia Bridge, which is part of the Ballard-Interbay Regional Transportation corridor.

Another Seattle bridge stuck in the up position.

We need your help to pass our infrastructure amendment! If you support our proposal to boost our city’s infrastructure, including bridges that support all modes of travel, please…

• EMAIL all nine Councilmembers: Council@seattle.gov
• SPEAK at my Transportation Committee (sign up on the morning of Wednesday, May 5): CLICK HERE.

In your comments, feel free to focus on the following points:

• We need City Council to modernize our aging, neglected infrastructure — including multimodal bridges that connect our communities.
• We want City Council to create good jobs for Seattle residents as we emerge from the COVID recession.
• City Council should secure for Seattle more of what we need now: fixing bridges, new sidewalks, strategic planning for transportation, and more.
• The amendment still honors SDOT’s process by implementing recommendations from the stakeholders immediately AND by generating tens of millions of dollars for similar projects faster.

Thank you!

CLICK HERE to read our press release and HERE to read a Seattle Times article about our proposal. For the Seattle Times editorial in support, CLICK HERE.

 

Visit to the Iron Workers Apprenticeship Program.

These future Iron Workers will be fixing our bridges in years to come.

During my tour of the Iron Workers Local 86 apprenticeship program, I learned about the four years of training the union provides future Iron Workers. I met with apprentices in each of the four years of their program. With the help of sponsors such as the Urban League, the Iron Workers apprenticeships and other apprentice programs from the construction trade unions are a powerful path to living wage jobs in Seattle and can boost the prospects of many young people struggling with other issues in their lives. It was inspiring to see this program in action and to know that by getting infrastructure dollars out the door faster, we can have jobs ready for them when they become full-fledged iron workers.

Making Metro Buses Accessible for Back-to-School. The Seattle Times recently published an Op-Ed from Terry White, General Manager of King County Metro, on students taking the bus as they return to school. CLICK HERE to read it. I wanted to share some of the General Manager’s excellent thoughts:

• Plan ahead for your new commute with Metro Trip Planner (CLICK HERE), using Google Maps in transit mode, or calling 206-553-3000 (dial “1” for an interpreter).
• Keep your mask on at all times at the bus stop and on the bus.
• Leave some extra time in case your bus is too full for safe physical distancing; you might need to wait for the next bus.

I’ll add one more tip: remember to thank your driver! Thank you, General Manager White and King County Metro, for helping students stay safe on their way to school.

Extending the Clean City Initiative.

We cherish our parks and so I’m pleased to see our Clean City Initiative working hard to remove graffiti, garbage, and needles. Litter and illegal dumping have increased in our beautiful city during the pandemic and we all want to see a cleaner Seattle.  To see the benefits of the Clean City Initiative firsthand, I joined a crew to pick up trash in the heart of our district several weeks ago. The challenge is enormous, but having multiple departments – including Seattle Public Utilities and our Seattle Department of Transportation — working together to clean up our city is the kind of back-to-basics approach Seattle desperately needs. Funding for the Clean City initiative is running out, so I was pleased to support its extension as part of Council Bill 120041, which we adopted this week. Our Parks Department also plays a key role in the Clean City Initiative and so I’m grateful for leadership of both the Durkan Administration and Councilmember Debora Juarez along with our Finance Chair Teresa Mosqueda for making sure we fund this extension to clean our city. For more on the Clean City Initiative, CLICK HERE.

Utility Rates –  Keeping Promises on Affordability.

Source: SPU’s presentation to our Transportation & Utilities Committee, CLICK HERE.

Last month we were happy to report that Seattle City Light, which is overseen by my Committee, is keeping electricity bills affordable by honoring or beating their 2018 promises on rates. This month, I’m happy to report that our other city-owned utility Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is honoring or beating their promises on overall average rates, as well. During April, SPU reported to my committee on their new strategic business plan and “rate path” (future annual rate increases). For details, CLICK HERE.

Our city has become less affordable and utility bills are regressive, with lower income households paying a higher percentage of their household income for their bills. Therefore, our goal is to keep utility rates low.

Thankfully, during COVID, both of our city-owned utilities have managed to increase enrollment in our Utility Discount Program and waive late fees. We should, however, keep an eye, on some cost drivers, especially with SPU which has multiple lines of business including clean water, wastewater, solid waste removal.

Due to our governance structure with King County for wastewater treatment, a majority of the King County Council unfortunately raised their wastewater treatment fee — which is passed directly through to our Seattle ratepayers. We want King County to discourage urban sprawl and make growth pay for growth going forward, especially for real estate development in suburban or rural areas of the County.

Here at City Hall, we also have to be mindful of the “Utility Tax” that our City government’s General Fund takes from ratepayers. Last year, our General Fund took $167 million out of the pockets of ratepayers from City Light and SPU (page 705 of the Adopted Budget for 2021: $210 million minus cable, telephone, PSE). Charging this “utility tax” is a budgeting technique that Councilmember Herbold helped to daylight when she chaired the Committee that oversaw SPU and, thankfully, she increased transparency of our Utility Tax by highlighting it on customer bills. In the future, we should consider reducing the regressive utility taxes that we charge and enable SPU to use the savings to take care of its aging wastewater infrastructure.

In sum, despite the COVID pandemic, despite the high pass-through rate from the King County Council for wastewater treatment, and despite the regressive utility tax that we charge ratepayers to feed our General Fund expenditures, SPU’s laser focus on affordability and equity by keeping its own costs down is a shining example to all city departments and directly benefits hundreds of thousands of ratepayers who, thanks to this Strategic Plan and revised rate path will not need to suffer an average increase above what had already been planned and promised in 2017. It’s important to highlight that the Customer Review Panel for SPU has endorsed this new Strategic Plan AND its corresponding rate path. I want to thank the dedicated volunteers of our Customer Review Panel for their countless hours of service to Seattle as a watchdog and sounding board for this $1 billion city-owned utility enterprise.

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COVID-19 VACCINATION LOCATIONS AND MORE

 

Vaccine Locations in District 4. Above is an interactive map of some of the COVID-19 vaccine locations in District 4. Click on an icon in the map to check for vaccine availability and schedule an appointment. CLICK HERE for the interactive version.

In addition to the sites on the map above, the nonprofit Solid Ground reports they’ve finally hosted their first pop up clinic earlier this month at Magnuson Park. In partnership with Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, it was a success (211 people were vaccinated) and they are in discussions to host another.

Our region and state continue to make incredible progress on vaccinations. The Durkan Administration reports that, as of April 23, 2021, an estimated 61.5 percent of Seattle residents (16 and over) have begun the vaccination process, and 34.7 percent are fully vaccinated. This week, the City received 52,000 vaccinations from the county, state, and federal level, which is our largest allocation to-date. If this level of supply and demand continues in Seattle, we could vaccinate 70 percent of our workers and residents by summer.

The City can’t end this pandemic alone – we need your help. If you haven’t already been vaccinated, sign up for a vaccination appointment today at any of the four City-affiliated sites at Lumen Field, North Seattle, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle.

Details are below:

• Registration link for the Lumen Field Event Center, Rainier Beach Vaccination Hub, and West Seattle Vaccination Hub: https://seattle.signetic.com/home
• Registration link for the North Seattle Vaccination Hub: https://schedule.seattlevna.com/home/3880509b-53a4-eb11-b1ac-000d3a1fea9b
• If you have already been vaccinated, you could help your friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers get vaccinated by sharing this link throughout your communities. To end this pandemic – and soon – we need to share registration opportunities far and wide: to our workforce, our neighborhood, and our friends and families. If you have any questions, the City encourages you to review our “What to Expect” website.
• And if you know someone 60 or older who hasn’t been vaccinated, you could take them to our hubs in Rainier Beach and West Seattle, and you’ll both get vaccinated without an appointment. You can find more information on our new “Good Neighbor” walk-in program here.
• Vaccines save lives. With more variants in our community, you can protect your health and the health of your family by getting vaccinated.
• If you’re unable to book an appointment this week, they can sign up for the City’s notification list and get notified via email as soon as appointments are available at any of the four City-affiliated sites.
• For more information, including the notification list, visit the City’s vaccination website at www.seattle.gov/vaccine. The site contains vaccination information in seven languages, and in-language assistance is also available over the phone.
• Even as more residents get vaccinated, public health measures like social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing your hands remain critical. Please continue to follow all public health guidance, and visit this website from Public Health – Seattle & King County for more information.

Finally, getting tested for COVID-19 is now easier than ever. You can be in and out of a test site within a half hour and get your results in as few as 24-48 hours.

We are making major progress, but this is a critical time to act and beat back any variants – let’s join together so we can finally emerge from this crisis!

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

City Council Meetings on the Internet

Listening: Even though City Council is not currently holding meetings in person in order to follow public health guidelines, you can still follow along by listening on your computer or phone by CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on your phone by calling 253-215-8782.

Commenting: You can also submit public comment by sending an e-mail to me at Alex.Pedersen@seattle.gov or to all 9 Councilmembers at council@seattle.gov. Please remember to add “For City Council Meeting” in the comments. Now you can also phone into the meeting to speak directly to the Council live. For the instructions on how to register and call in, CLICK HERE. Sign up begins two hours prior to the meeting start time.
Virtual Meetings with Your Councilmember Pedersen

I continue to schedule virtual in-district office hours, so we can chat by telephone or via Webex. Please continue to sign up through my website or by CLICKING HERE so I can hear your ideas, concerns, and requests. You can also just send an e-mail to alex.pedersen@seattle.gov

For previous e-newsletters, visit my blog by CLICKING HERE.

We are getting through this together, Seattle!

With gratitude,

 

 

 

Councilmember Alex Pedersen
Seattle City Council, District 4

Email: Alex.Pedersen@seattle.gov
Find It, Fix It

Since 2019, federal government agencies have been advancing the sale of this important historical asset located at 6125 Sand Point Way NE here in Northeast Seattle, which has been very disappointing to many of us. As someone who taught history, majored in history, and worked for the Clinton Administration, I recognize the value of these historic archives being located nearby. I will continue to support the efforts of our congressional delegation, tribal governments, and State Attorney General to challenge the sale due to lack of notification, transparency, and public engagement as well as unanswered questions about the fiscal impact to the federal government.

If, however, the U.S. government agencies prevail in pushing a sale of the 73-year old building, then I would expect our city government to use our authority to ensure the impacted communities and other stakeholders are more fully engaged, the priceless archives end up in the most accessible location possible, and the site is re-purposed in ways that synthesize diverse opinions and honor our local priorities.

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JUNE 17, 2022 UPDATE: U.S. Senator Patty Murray Seeking Millions to Preserve National Archives in Seattle Area

It was a team effort among local journalists, research advocates, tribal government leaders as well as City of Seattle, State of Washington, and U.S. congressional leaders to save the precious national archives building in Northeast Seattle from a sudden sale by federal agencies, so that we could have time to develop a plan to keep these priceless historical records in the Puget Sound region.

Many have asked, what’s next? I’m happy to report that U.S. Senator Patty Murray has answered that question in a big, positive way by recently requesting up to $98 million through the “congressional directed spending process” (i.e. the newly reformed process of “earmarking” federal tax dollars directly to a project in an elected official’s jurisdiction, rather than requiring a federal agency to conduct a competitive application process). Senator Murray’s request is entitled, “NARA Sand Point Facility: To construct a new NARA facility in Seattle, Washington.” NARA, of course, stands for National Archives & Records Administration. There are no details yet, presumably so that the Senator can maintain flexibility on the options. Moreover, the request needs to survive the political appropriations process that occurs in Washington, D.C. This appears to be Senator Murray’s largest ask from among her more than 150 earmark requests. This demonstrates not only the immense expense of such a capital construction / reconstruction project but also Senator Murray’s commitment to the local preservation effort, considering the diversity of stakeholders that came together to “save” the archives.

This past week, I accompanied key staff of Senator Patty Murray’s Seattle and D.C. offices and our City’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations (OIR) for an extensive tour of the National Archives building, which is located in District 4 on Sand Point Way NE. The tour of the warehouse areas with countless boxes piled to to ceiling reinforced the extent and value of these historical records as well as the deteriorating physical condition of the existing facility that we rely on to protect these documents. The funds sought by Senator Murray could be used to rebuild on the existing site or to build on another site in the Seattle area. Either way, the records would be preserved locally rather than making Northwest tribal governments, researchers, and others travel thousands of extra miles to view the historical records, which also include irreplaceable information about treaties, land ownership rights, and personal records. (Note: digitizing these files would take over a decade and would not include important contextual information that archivists place alongside the documents for greater understanding of their significance.)

For a link to the funding “earmarks” requested by U.S. Senator Patty Murray, CLICK HERE.

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APRIL 8, 2021 UPDATE: Another Victory!

The Biden Administration canceled the sale of the archives facility for now.

Councilmember Pedersen Statement today: “I applaud the Biden Administration’s decision today to cancel the hasty and irresponsible sale of the national archives and records building, a treasure of histories so vital to so many people in the Pacific Northwest. I am thankful for the strong leadership by our Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, the many tribal leaders, our congressional delegation, researchers, nonprofits, and other stakeholders who advocated for our shared goal of protecting the histories here where they happened in the Pacific Northwest. I hope the Biden Administration and congressional leaders invest the federal dollars needed to preserve the historic archives here in the Pacific Northwest where they belong and, regardless of next steps, we look forward to a proper public process and the required tribal consultation. ”

Here’s what happened today: President Biden’s Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a letter to the Public Buildings Reform Board today stating, “I am writing to withdraw OMB’s January 24, 2020 approval of the sale of the Federal Archives and Records Center, 6125 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115…Tribal consultation is a priority for this Administration… But the process that led to the decision to approve the sale of the Federal Archives and Records Center is contrary to this Administration’s tribal-consultation policy, and I am accordingly withdrawing OMB’s approval of the sale of that facility. Any effort to sell the Federal Archives and Records Center in the future, through any available and appropriate authority, must comply with at least two substantial requirements. First, it must be preceded by meaningful and robust tribal consultation, consistent with the President’s January 26, 2021 Memorandum on Tribal Consultation. Second, it must proceed through the appropriate administrative process, based on a new factual record, and must comply with the attendant substantive and procedural safeguards of that process. I appreciate the Board’s commitment towards implementing its duties under FASTA, and I look forward to collaborating with the Board to fully implement the statute, consistent with OMB’s responsibility to ensure the risks to the government posed by the sale of any proposed properties are acceptable to the taxpayer.”

For a copy of the OMB letter to PBRB, CLICK HERE.

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MARCH 24, 2021 UPDATE:

U.S. Senator Patty Murray introduced a significant bill to amend the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act (FASTA). The bill states, “Before the sale or transfer of a Federal civilian real property under this Act (other than section 24 or 25), if the proposed sale or transfer would affect access to Federal agency services by a federally recognized Indian Tribe, the relevant Federal agency shall consult with all Tribal governments that may so be affected.” It also states, “A Federal civilian real property may not be sold or transferred under this Act (other than section 24 or 25) if the proposed sale or transfer would substantially reduce or eliminate access to Federal agency services by a federally recognized Indian Tribe.” The introduction of this “Archives Act” is a step in the right direction, reaffirms federal Tribal consultation rights, and could help to stop the sale of the vital historical archives. For the bill as introduced in Congress, CLICK HERE.

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MARCH 11, 20201 UPDATE:

Congressional leaders from the Northwest sent a letter March 10, 2021 to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget protesting the proposed sale of the archives facility. The 25 Members of Congress (Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray and six senators from the other states, plus 17 representatives) called the sale “legally flawed” and “in violation” of federal policies to consult Tribal leaders. Here is a key excerpt:

“We strongly support the decision made by the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington to temporarily stop the sale of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Federal Archives and Records Center in Seattle, Washington. We ask that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) acknowledge the Court’s ruling and support the plaintiff’s position that the Seattle NARA facility cannot be sold and these vital records must remain in the Pacific Northwest. The process leading to the proposed sale of the facility under the Federal Assets and Transfer Act (FASTA) was legally flawed and importantly, OMB failed to consult with Tribal governments and organizations in violation of its own Tribal consultation policies.”

For the Seattle Times article, CLICK HERE.

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FEBRUARY 12, 2021 UPDATE:

Good news! U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour granted Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s request for a preliminary injunction February 12, 2021 to pause the sale of the National Archives property in Seattle.

U.S. Government agencies originally estimated that bringing the Sand Point facility up to physical standards would cost $52 million to $71 million or it would cost $90 million to build a new facility in the Seattle area. Ferguson, the City, Tribal Nations, and others suing the federal agencies in protest of the sale hope that the new Biden Administration will recognize the benefits of keeping the facility in the area and agree that Trump Administration officials did not follow the law including the required public engagement process. As our congressional delegation already supports keeping the facility in the Northwest, ideally they can find federal resources to pay for the building upgrades to ensure the priceless documents are preserved here for generations to come in its convenient location relatively close to the University of Washington.

For the Seattle Times article, CLICK HERE.

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JANUARY 19, 2021 UPDATE:

Today I participated in the public forum hosted by our Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson regarding the Trump Administration’s attempts to sell the national archives facility located in our District 4. Dozens spoke in favor of keeping the precious archives here in the Northwest. Here’s my statement:

“We must not allow the last gasps of the Trump Administration to cause any more harm and that means we must work together to save the archives by preserving these priceless historical records here in the Northwest,” said Councilmember Alex Pedersen, who represents the City Council District where the National Archives facility is located. “I am proud to join Attorney General Bob Ferguson, indigenous leaders, nonprofits, and researchers protecting historical records as well as fellow public officials including Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, and Councilmember Debora Juarez. Together we must stop the sale of the vital facility and demand proper public process on how best to preserve these irreplaceable regional histories.”

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JANUARY 4, 2021 UPDATE:

Today Washington’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson held a press conference to announce he is filing additional motions in court against the Trump Administration’s attempt to sell this important property and the lack of necessary public process. He was supported at the press conference by leaders of several tribal governments. I joined the press conference for support as well. I support our Washington State Attorney General’s legal actions on multiple fronts against the Trump Administration to stop this sale and to help us keep these vital historical documents here in the Northwest. For the Seattle Times article with more details, CLICK HERE.

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JANUARY 1, 2021 UPDATE:

Press release excerpts: “Attorney General Bob Ferguson…announced he will host a remote public meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, so the public can share their comments on plans by the federal government to sell Seattle’s National Archives building and move the records thousands of miles away.

“The federal government did not hold any meetings of its own in the Pacific Northwest, and did not consult with state, local, or tribal leaders in the region prior to announcing its decision to sell the Archives facility…

“The [AG’s] office will record the public comments and forward them to the [federal Public Buildings Reform Board] PBRB. Ferguson will also formally invite the PBRB members to attend the remote public hearing. The public meeting will be held via Zoom from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, 2021.“

Zoom link: https://atg-wa.zoom.us/j/83852186385?pwd=amIvSHA4MHJJdzRVcDgzRSthQjdpQT09

Meeting ID: 838 5218 6385; Passcode: 426894

For AG Ferguson’s Dec 29 press release, CLICK HERE. For the MyNorthwest article on this announcement, CLICK HERE.

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DECEMBER 4, 2020 UPDATE: Unfortunately, the small and little-known federal agency charged with disposing of certain properties owned by our U.S. Government has once again taken actions with insufficient transparency and input: the Public Building Reforms Board (PBRB) is bundling the Archives property with other properties across the country to offer for sale. Fortunately, our Washington State Attorney General is planning another lawsuit to try to stop them. I agree with these efforts of our State AG Bob Ferguson as well as the comments supporting the archives made by our U.S. Senators Murray and Cantwell as well as Congresswoman Jayapal (whose congressional district includes the current location of the archives on Sand Point Way NE). Recently re-elected Secretary of State Kim Wyman has also joined local efforts to help the archives remain in Washington State. For more details from the Seattle Times, CLICK HERE. For more details from MyNorthwest, CLICK HERE.

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AUGUST 17, 2020 UPDATE: Bob Ferguson, our Washington State Attorney General, today launched lawsuits against three of the four federal agencies that have been pursuing the sale of the archives building in Northeast Seattle. The lawsuits demand that the federal agencies produce copies of documents requested months ago by Attorney General Ferguson.

Key excerpt from the article by MyNorthwest: “…the Office of Management & Budget and the National Archives and Records Administration have not responded, period, to the Attorney General’s requests. The General Services Administration, who oversees the real estate and would be responsible for selling the facility, initially responded, and told Ferguson’s office they had documents that they would begin to share, but then went silent months ago…Ferguson says he’s confident a judge will find in favor of the State of Washington and that the agencies will be forced to produce the documents, but that the timeline remains to be determined.”

“I strongly support our Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s actions to compel Trump’s agencies to produce the documents underlying their problematic decision to sell the federal archives building on Sand Point Way in Northeast Seattle,” said Seattle City Councilmember Alex Pedersen whose district includes the neighborhoods surrounding the archives building. “I was previously very clear with these federal agencies that their public engagement process was woefully inadequate, particularly for key stakeholders, including the over 200 tribes in the Northwest, researchers, and my constituents.  Having Attorney General Ferguson suing the agencies is a strong and positive step.“

For the entire article by Feliks Banel of MyNorthwest, CLICK HERE.

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AUGUST 2, 2020 UPDATE: For the Seattle Times update entitled, “6 months later, National Archives closure still set for Seattle” CLICK HERE.

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MARCH 9, 2020 UPDATE: The Seattle Times publishes an editorial entitled “State should help save Washington’s National Archives access”: CLICK HERE.

Our State Attorney General joins efforts to try to save the National Archives on Sand Point Way

FEBRUARY 25, 2020 UPDATE: Hearing our community constituents and stakeholders throughout the region who want to preserve the priceless archives housed currently at 6125 Sand Point Way NE near the neighborhoods of Hawthorne Hills, Belvedere Terrace, Windermere, View Ridge, and Magnuson Park, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson sent a letter February 25, 2020 informing “federal officials that his office is prepared to sue if the move is not ‘reconsidered and reversed,'” according to a Seattle Times article today. For the full article, CLICK HERE.

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National Archives building update: disappointed by the federal agencies

FEBRUARY 11, 2020 UPDATE:

CONVEYING OUR DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE FEDERAL AGENCIES: Federal agencies involved in pushing the sale of the national archives building at 6125 Sand Point Way NE in our District 4 finally met with me today (February 11, 2020). Specifically, I met with officials from the Public Buildings Reform Board (the agency that officially recommended the sale), the National Archives and Records Administration (the agency that operates the archives building), and the General Services Administration (the agency that would sell the property — if a sale moves forward). Our City’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations also attended. I conveyed my disappointment with their process and disagreement with their conclusions.

WOEFULLY INADEQUATE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT: I was very clear with these federal agencies that their public engagement process was woefully inadequate, particularly for key stakeholders, including the over 200 tribes in the Northwest, researchers, and my District 4 constituents in general. To have a local meeting after they already decided to sell the property was extremely deficient. They argued, however, the law under which they are operating (the 2016 FASTA law) does not require comprehensive community engagement prior to a sale. (This is, however, in dispute; see below). The officials from the National Archives reiterated their contention that the archives are not safe in the aging facility, it is too expensive to rebuild an appropriate facility, and digitizing the records is the most economical way to preserve and expand access to these priceless documents.

SOME NEXT STEPS:

• Congressional Delegation: Thankfully — and in contrast to the federal executive agencies pushing for a sale — our congressional delegation and the delegations of other states in the Northwest opposed the sale in a letter to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) dated January 24, 2020. I will continue to monitor whether they can get their questions answered about whether the agencies complied with the relevant laws.
• State Attorney General: I look forward to seeing whether our Attorney General Bob Ferguson will succeed in delaying or blocking the sale.

MEDIA: For media coverage of the separate February 11, 2020 meeting between those federal agencies and several local tribal leaders, CLICK HERE for the Seattle Times and CLICK HERE for MyNorthwest.

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Councilmember Alex Pedersen Statements on federal agencies proposing to sell archives property in NE Seattle

1/25/2020 Statement:

“I am very frustrated and disappointed with the federal agencies advancing the sale of this important historical asset here in Northeast Seattle.

As someone who taught history, majored in history, and worked for the Clinton Administration, I recognize the value of these historic archives being located nearby.

I will continue to support the efforts of our congressional delegation to challenge and question the sale due to lack of notification, transparency, and public engagement as well as unanswered questions about the fiscal impact to the federal government.

If, however, the U.S. government agencies prevail in pushing a sale, then I would expect our city government to use our authority to ensure the impacted communities and other stakeholders are more fully engaged, the priceless archives end up in the most accessible location possible, and the site is re-purposed in ways that synthesize diverse opinions and honor our local priorities.”

1/21/2020 Statement:

“Thank you to Feliks Banel at KIRO for originating this news story about a federal agency that is recommending the sale of the Federal Archives and Records Center located at 6125 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.

This 73-year old building is located in the congressional district of U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal and my City Council District 4 near the neighborhoods of Hawthorne Hills, Belvedere Terrace, Windermere, and Magnuson Park.

I was contacted by the federal government for the first time on Monday, January 13, 2020, specifically by the Public Buildings Reform Board (PBRB). According to the PBRB, this was the first time they had reached out to local government regarding the sale of this property, though they stated they had already contacted Congresswoman Jayapal’s office as well as the staff of U.S. Senators Murray and Cantwell.

Over the past week I alerted community leaders, the University of Washington, the City of Seattle’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations, the Mayor’s Office and, the Mayor’s Office of Housing. I also requested a briefing by the PBRB, which they are offering to provide in mid-February. As Mr. Banel has accurately noted, this is after the January 26th deadline for which the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will decide to approve or reject the plans for this property. My office let PBRB know that this timeline is unacceptable and we are in the process of scheduling a phone call with their office before January 26th. I also told PBRB I am concerned about what appears to be a lack of public engagement for the proposed sale of the property. As I understand it, the law which is the basis for the proposed sale (the Federal Asset Sale and Transfer Act of 2016) requires public engagement as well as local public hearings sponsored by the federal agency.

My team will continue to follow this issue closely and bring much needed accountability, transparency, and public discourse to this process.”

MORE INFO: For a recent Seattle Times article, CLICK HERE. To track this story, consider following local historian Feliks Banel by CLICKING HERE.

VIEWS: For a February 2, 2020 Seattle Times editorial titled “Don’t send Seattle’s federal archives across the country,” CLICK HERE.

Here are some helpful links and phone numbers to handle some common requests:

Call Seattle’s Customer Service Bureau: 206-684-CITY (2489) to get help from your city government’s 40 departments or CLICK HERE.

Use Seattle government’s Find-It, Fix-It App to report issues, including trash and obstructions: CLICK HERE.

Apply for Economic Relief during COVID: CLICK HERE.

File an online Crime Report with SPD: CLICK HERE. For other ways to contact the Seattle Police Department, CLICK HERE.

Locate your Community Council: CLICK HERE.

Speak at a City Council Meeting: CLICK HERE.

Email our City Council office for District 4: Alex.Pedersen@seattle.gov

Call our City Council office for District 4 on weekdays: 206-684-8804.

Read Councilmember Pedersen’s website and blog: CLICK HERE.

Sign up for Councilmember Pedersen’s Newsletter: CLICK HERE.

View a map of Seattle City Council’s District 4: CLICK HERE.

SUMMARY: The Ship Canal Water Quality Project is a “mega project” planned over many years due to the state and federal governments requiring the city and county governments to prevent harmful stormwater and wastewater from polluting our local waterways. With a cost estimated at more than $600 million (shared with King County), this environmental protection project includes a new tunnel-boring machine starting its work in 2021. This ambitious 2.7-mile long, 19-foot diameter stormwater storage tunnel should be completed by 2025.

In some parts of Seattle, sewage and stormwater (rain) share a set of pipes underneath our city streets; this is called a “combined sewer.” During heavy rains, the untreated water often exceeds the pipes’ capacity (known as a combined sewer overflow), which then dumps portions of the untreated sewage and stormwater into our natural waterways. These polluted overflows can harm our environment, including fish and wildlife. This environmental protection project will enable us to store 29 million gallons of untreated sewage and stormwater during large storm events, until the treatment plant it ready to process it over time. Because every year has multiple storm surges with combined sewer overflows, the storage capacity translates into preventing approximately 75 million gallons annually from contaminating our precious waterways — from Salmon Bay to Lake Union.

Because this is one of the most expensive projects ever undertaken by the City of Seattle and it involves multiple layers of government, additional scrutiny is warranted to ensure the project is on time and on budget. Like most large capital projects, the Ship Canal Water Quality Control Project is on the City’s “Watch List” so that it receives extra attention.

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DECEMBER 12, 2022 UPDATE:

During a meeting of our Transportation & Seattle Public Utilities committee, SPU reported on several issues likely to result in a longer schedule and higher costs for this mega environmental project. SPU increased the previous estimate of $570 million to a higher $615 to $650 million. Fortunately, the City of Seattle shares the costs with King County and SPU confirmed the increase will NOT increase utility bills and will NOT require support from the City’s General Fund.

• For SPU’s 12/12/2022 PowerPoint presentation, CLICK HERE.

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JULY 19, 2022 UPDATE:

During a meeting of our Transportation & Seattle Public Utilities committee, SPU provided an update:

• For SPU’s 7/19/2022 PowerPoint presentation, CLICK HERE.

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APRIL 12, 2021 UPDATE:

Astonishingly, over 30,000 people voted to name the tunnel-boring machine for the environmental protection project. The winner is: Mudhoney!

“The rock-blasting Mudhoney band was the tip of the spear for Seattle’s grunge music and their namesake on this drilling machine will be the tip of the spear to carve this mega project so important for protecting our city’s waterways,” said Councilmember Alex Pedersen who chairs Seattle’s Transportation & Utilities Committee. “Thanks to tens of thousands of people who participated in the contest to name the massive new drill needed for this massive environmental protection project.”

As chair of the Transportation & Utilities Committee, I joined on April 9 several officials from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), King County government, and the workers constructing the project to see the massive drill up close (it’s certainly not boring :). The new drill (which creates a diameter that is similar in size to the successful Sound Transit tunnels) will be lowered into its starting point in Ballard and drill the new water storage tunnel all the way to Wallingford in District 4.

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MARCH 28, 2021 (ORIGINAL POST):

To vote on the name of the new 19-inch boring machine, CLICK HERE before April 1, 2021. The five finalists offered by area residents are Boris the Plunger, Daphne, Molly the Mole, Mudhoney, and Sir Digs-A-Lot.

Currently During Storm Surges (before project is completed):

After project is completed:

More Info:

• For the official Seattle Public Utilities site on the project, CLICK HERE.
• For the official website detailing activity in each neighborhood (Wallingford, Fremont, East Ballard, Ballard, and Queen Anne), CLICK HERE.
• For the Seattle Times article published March 27, 2021, CLICK HERE. Here’s an excerpt: “Currently, drainage basins in Queen Anne, Ballard, Fremont and Wallingford, overflow an average of about 144 times a year — basically any time there’s heavy or prolonged rain, the city said. Once the project — which is mandated by a federal consent decree that requires the county to reduce storm and wastewater pollution — is completed in 2025 (hopefully), overflows should drop to fewer than six per year, the city said.”

March 2021

Friends and Neighbors,

It’s natural to want to vote Yes! While it’s uplifting to vote Yes and, more often than not, I’m joining my colleagues to vote Yes on new legislation, some situations call for a vote of “Nay” to encourage amendments or to register objections to some City Council legislation.  With the diverse opinions throughout our district of over 100,000 residents, I typically get an earful no matter which way I vote on high-profile issues.  I appreciate the engagement and passion about city government among my constituents!  In many cases, I support the spirit of a policy or budgetary proposal, but I might grow concerned with the details (or lack of details), especially after getting input from constituents.  Often, my stance is “Yes, and let’s make it better,” but necessary amendments might not be adopted or there is not enough time to consider all the consequences of adopting permanent changes to citywide policy.  I’m in favor of sensible and sustainable city government policies and budgets and will continue to craft them and support them from colleagues.  This newsletter will highlight legislation I supported and explain a couple of bills I voted against. Hopefully, that’s intriguing enough to get you to read our entire newsletter!

Art by Yvonne Chen

Before delving into this newsletter, my City Hall colleagues and my office stand in solidarity with our diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander neighbors in King County in the midst of a growing rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-Asian racism and xenophobia have shaken and traumatized Asian American communities, as I noted in my newsletter one year ago today on the topic, “Racism — related to COIVD-19 or for any reason in District 4 or anywhere – is unacceptable.” For the recent statement from Mayor Durkan and Police Chief Diaz, CLICK HERE.

Anti-Asian hate crimes have been on the rise in Seattle. The Seattle Police Department received 14 reports of anti-Asian hate crimes in 2020, compared to nine in 2019 and six in 2018, according to the SPD Blotter. King County prosecuted 59 hate crime cases against Asians in 2020, a sharp increase from 39 cases in 2019 and just shy of double the 30 cases in 2018. Nearly 3,800 incidents have been reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a California-based reporting center for Asian American Pacific Islanders, and its partner groups, since March 2020.

I agree with former Governor Gary Locke when he says: “It’s really great that you have so many groups all across the country, that are focused on civil rights and civil liberties, from the Anti-Defamation League to the NAACP, all coming out in solidarity, and support for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,” Locke said. “Quite frankly, all groups need to join together because victimization, harassment, discrimination, acts of violence against one group is really an attack and violence against every group.”

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IN DISTRICT 4

Touring our funky U District this March with Don Blakeney, the new Executive Director of the University District Partnership (the local nonprofit that manages the Business Improvement Area we recently renewed).

The new light rail station opening September 2021 on Brooklyn Ave (between NE 45^th and NE 43^rd Streets) and the construction spurred by the upzone approved in 2017 by the previous City Council are changing the U District neighborhood rapidly. While many are excited about the potential upsides such as increased vibrancy, City Hall needs to do a better job mitigating any material downsides of sudden large changes when local government grants new benefits to the private market. Negative impacts (which are already occurring) include the displacement of nonprofits and small businesses that relied on lower rents, demolition of naturally occurring affordable housing, over-stressing of our existing infrastructure (such as fire stations, sewer lines, schools, and bridges).  Over 65% of U District businesses are owned by woman and people of color and should be supported by their city government or — at the very least — not put at financial risk by future city government decisions.  We want to ensure we don’t lose the charm and diversity of The Ave to out-of-town chain stores.

Wallingford Business District

The relocated and reopened Octopus Bar, better than ever, in Wallingford.

Councilmember Pedersen enjoying a pint of Guinness (for Strength!) at Murphy’s Pub in Wallingford, March 2021, as we thankfully enter the Governor’s Phase 3.

Our e-newsletter has focused a lot on our University District lately and so I’d like to highlight other neighborhood business districts here in City Council District 4. This month, let’s walk Wallingford. First, if you don’t already subscribe to the neighborhood’s main newsletter, CLICK HERE for Wallyhood.  Wallyhood recently listed the businesses that have opened and closed during the pandemic (CLICK HERE).  Wallyhood also featured the re-opening on the Octopus Bar and implied you can Irish step-dance your way to Murphy’s Pub. (I confirmed this last week by conducting in-person research that included at least one pint.)

• Murphy’s Pub: Opens at 50 percent capacity at 4:00 pm Monday through Friday and noon on the weekends. Kitchen closes at 10:00 pm.
• Octopus Bar: Re-opened in a bigger space; can hire more people back!

Also worth a visit near those two Wallingford establishments is Fainting Goat Gelato. Recently the victim of vandals who smashed their storefront window, Fainting Goat, as with so many existing small and diverse businesses, needs our help.  The time-tested benefit of clustering small businesses together is that shoppers can take care of multiple errands with one trip and will make purchases to help more small businesses during that trip than if the businesses were scattered. So no matter where you are in Seattle, head on over to Wallingford’s business districts to explore N. 45^th Street from I-5 to Stone Way and Stone Way from N 45 Street down to Lake Union. For the Wallingford Chamber of Commerce, CLICK HERE.

Speaking of our neighborhood small business districts, we are blessed with many of them in addition to the U District and Wallingford:  Eastlake Avenue, Ravenna (NE 65th Street), Roosevelt, and Sand Point Way NE (at Princeton Ave), Wedgwood (35th Avenue NE), and more. For a list of many small businesses open throughout D4 and Seattle, you can explore this website https://intentionalist.com/ “to find and support local businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop.” Focusing our attention and encouraging customers to shop among these existing small businesses is important to ensure they reoccupy, recover, and rehire — and those are among the main reasons I voted against Council Bill 120001 on “home occupations.”

Explaining my “No” Vote on CB 120001 (“Home Occupations”)

The year-round University District Farmers Market. Photo from The Seattle Times.

I worked hard last year to renew the neighborhood business improvement area (BIA) for the University District in the heart of our City Council District 4. For small businesses throughout Seattle, I supported several financial and regulatory relief and recovery programs throughout the COVID pandemic.  In addition, my recent Op Ed points to many ways government can work with local employers to get people back to work and achieve an inclusive economic recovery. I also bring to the table significant private sector experience. After studying the issue, CB 120001 was, in my opinion, not an effective answer and could do more harm than good.

Recently a single, home-based alcohol business located in residential zoning in North Seattle ran into problems with the Seattle Department of Construction and Land Use over a retail service business they decided to launch in their garage by the sidewalk. In response to this, other councilmembers proposed legislation to relax the home based business section of the land use code (SMC 23.42.050) to allow retail businesses anywhere in the City.  After analysis and consulting constituents, I determined that the bill was not likely to provide net benefits for Seattle.

In addition to the direct impact on unexpecting neighbors throughout the city such as increased traffic and disturbances during the day, I am concerned about impacts on existing small businesses and neighborhood business districts that are struggling like those in our District 4 listed above.

Here are 10 reasons why I voted against the bill:

1. Home-based businesses already allowed, per Seattle Municipal Code Section 23.42.050
2. Questionable need for citywide changes
3. Could hurt small business districts/clustering businesses together is better
4. U District business district needs undivided attention to protect its diversity
5. Cloaked in COVID, but lasts for at least another year
6. Distracts key City department from other important work
7. Impacts to other neighborhoods
8. Other cities have not removed so many guardrails
9. Other unintended consequences
10. More appropriate solutions available

For a longer explanation of my reasons for not supporting this bill, please see my blog article: CLICK HERE. Nevertheless, the Council adopted the bill.

The City will be conducting a study over the next few months. Constituents with an interest are encouraged to read the study plan and engage with the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection (SDCI) and to provide comments. The study plan is section 4 of the bill, CLICK HERE.

Lower Speed Limit on Sand Point Way, NE 45^th St, and Montlake Blvd NE

Map from SDOT. Solid blue line indicates new, lower 30 MPH speed limit negotiated with our State government (the dashed blue line indicates existing 30 MPH limit).

After alarming data showing that traffic collisions killed 24 people in Seattle in 2020, a year in which the number of traffic fatalities was unacceptably high all over the country, I’m proud that SDOT is partnering with the Washington State DOT to lower speed limits on some state routes in Seattle. Reducing speed limits is one of the proven ways we can reduce fatal crashes. In District 4, part of State Route 513 (including Sand Point Way, NE 45^th St, and Montlake Blvd NE) now has a lower speed limit of 30 miles per hour. Signs indicating this change from the previous 35 MPH limit have been installed. Read more HERE and thank you for driving carefully and helping keep everyone safe.

Expanding Public Green Space in Eastlake

Proposal for the public plaza in Eastlake.

After we passed this community-driven proposal unanimously out of the Transportation Committee, the full City Council granted conceptual approval to create a small public path and plaza in Eastlake (at Fairview Avenue E). A partnership among the neighborhood, local business, and the city government led the process for this expanded and public open space and to better identify a handful of parking spaces. I visited the site recently to see it firsthand and we had a thorough presentation in my Committee. The project is an improvement the neighborhood has been working on with the Department of Neighborhoods and SDOT for several years and I’m glad to see it finally moving forward. For more in Council Bill 31988, as adopted, CLICK HERE. For the Eastlake Community Council, CLICK HERE.

Murals at Magnuson Designed by Kids

Visitors to Magnuson Children’s Garden will soon be welcomed by two new murals. The theme of the art is “All Are Welcome,” a principle that has been at the foundation of the garden since its inception. The murals are being designed and built by teams of children who attend youth programs in Magnuson Park or live in the park’s residential housing and surrounding neighborhoods. The project is supported by the City’s Neighborhood Matching Fund. For more info on the mural project, CLICK HERE.

Wedgwood Grocery Store Update

A federal judge tossed out the lawsuit by the grocery industry, which attempted to block Seattle’s COVID-era requirement to pay $4 an hour in hazard pay to frontline grocery workers. (Council Bill 119990 is now Ordinance 126274 and it went into effect February 3, 2021.) For the Seattle Times article, CLICK HERE. (Note: King County followed Seattle and passed a nearly identical law for unincorporated areas.) While Seattle’s win in court confirms the legal authorization for the city government’s relief requirements for low-wage grocery workers, it does not help to keep open the beloved QFC that Kroger company has cynically vowed to shutter on April 24. My focus continues in two areas:  (1) do whatever I can as the District City Councilmember to help secure a good grocery or similar store in that location (on the border of District 4 and District 5) and (2) make sure City Hall honors its promise “to consider modifying or eliminating hazard pay requirements after four [sic] months of implementation and review of the current health, safety, and economic risks of frontline work during the COVID-19 emergency,” as stated by the temporary, new law (which I voted for). We need to make sure the sponsors of the legislation keep their word to conduct that review and we need to speed vaccines to all front-line workers, including grocery workers — who the Governor recently prioritized.  If City Hall does not eventually phase out or sunset new taxes or regulatory changes pitched to
the public as “necessary due to COVID,” then I believe what credibility exists between City Hall and the public will erode.

The QFC will remain open at least through April 24 and, while not a permanent substitute for those shopping in person, nearby grocery stores include Safeway on 35th Avenue NE at NE 75th Street, the larger University Village QFC store, the PCC Market on 40th Avenue NE and NE 65th Street, and the Metropolitan Market at 5250 40th Avenue NE. The Traders Joe’s in the University District (5555 Roosevelt Way NE) is probably too far away for most Wedgwood residents, though fans of that store will often go the extra mile.

In addition to support from the grocery workers labor union (UFCW, Local 21), I’d like to thank the community for creating a “Go Fund Me” effort with 100% to benefit the grocery workers, especially those who are not able to be transferred to other QFC stores in the area.  At the same time, I would hope that Kroger company updates its plans and decides to stay for at least the rest of its long-term lease at the current site.

Speaking of Wedgwood, the Wedgwood Community Council has been back in business for the past few months. My office attended their most recently monthly meeting on March 2 (they meet on the first Tuesday of each month). For the WCC’s website and new blog posts, CLICK HERE.

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SAFETY

Next Steps for Police Funding

Our concerns about longer response times to emergency 9-1-1 calls were validated by SPD’s latest data presented March 9, 2021 (CLICK HERE).

People calling 9-1-1 for emergencies need a rapid response, but the disturbing data shows response times going in the wrong direction in the wake of Seattle police officers departing our department in droves. This newly released data, which I requested as part of our budget process last fall, demonstrates how important it is to consider all the potential consequences before making major policy and budget changes. I believe this troubling trend is another reason City Council should postpone further cuts to the department until effective emergency response alternatives are in place and the police union contract is reformed to save money while retaining more officers.

This past Tuesday, March 24, the Council’s Public Safety Committee voted for a substitute version of Council Bill 119981 which would cut another $3 million from SPD. The majority of the Committee seems to be framing this as a “compromise,” arguing that cutting an additional $3 million is smaller than the original proposal of cutting an additional $5 million. But I have two concerns:

#1: this myopic framing misses the full picture: the City Council already cut $70 million just a few months ago and proposes to cut more – even as we are confronted with disturbing new data: a record number of officers have left the department and response times to 911 calls have slowed significantly.

#2: the time spent debating these additional cuts continues to distract from the hard work and the real path to justice: revamping the expensive and inflexible police union contract.  Let’s stop fiddling with their budget and fix the contract!

Overall, I share the concerns published by the Seattle Times editorial board last week (CLICK HERE) and I detailed my position in my previous e-newsletters (CLICK HERE).

• For Councilmember Pedersen’s November 2020 request for a report on 9-1-1 response times, CLICK HERE.
• For Council Bill 119981 proposing to cut another $5 million from SPD, CLICK HERE.
• For Councilmember Pedersen’s 12 reasons to oppose Council Bill 119981, CLICK HERE.
• For the Durkan Administration’s full PowerPoint report on 9-1-1 response times and police officer attrition delivered at the March 9, 2021 Public Safety & Human Services Committee, CLICK HERE.

Building Capacity for Community Organizations to Reduce Violence

Many of you know that reimagining public safety should include effective and appropriate alternatives to traditional policing when responding to certain emergencies such as dispatching mental health providers and/or our Health One Fire Dept units to neighbors experiencing a mental health crisis.

While we await the results from the Mayor’s Equitable Communities Task Force and specifics on emergency response alternatives from community-informed research, I am pleased the Council followed through on promises to approve $10 million in investments for experienced organizations to build additional community safety from the ground up to reduce violence and reduce crime in Seattle neighborhoods. This support builds on the $4 million awarded last year to the Seattle Community Safety Initiative, led by Community Passageways, which built community safety hubs and wraparound services to reintegrate formerly incarcerated individuals back into community. The new legislation made it possible for our city’s Human Services Department to structure an open and competitive Request for Proposals process to provide opportunity to organizations throughout Seattle to provide their expertise and services.

The Harvard Kennedy School of Government Performance Lab report on “Improving Government Vendor Diversity” concluded what is widely known among government professionals who award contracts:  “An expanded pool of bidders can lead to greater competition for government procurements, more innovative proposals from vendors, and lower costs and better outcomes for taxpayers.”

Applications are due April 9; to apply for the open, competitive opportunity, CLICK HERE.

New Executive Director of Community Police Commission Sworn into Service

Last week, I was pleased to vote in favor of Brandy Grant (on right in photo above) as the new Executive Director for the Community Police Commission (CPC).

The CPC, the Office of Police Accountability (OPA), and Office of Inspector General for Public Safety (OIG) pursue ongoing accountability for policing in Seattle in addition to the independent monitor appointed by the federal judge to watchdog implementation of the federal consent decree. The consent decree was put in place to stem excessive force and bias policing (though the existing police union contract continues to impede full progress). The City of Seattle established the CPC by ordinance and it began work in 2013. Under landmark Accountability Legislation adopted in 2017, the CPC was made permanent, its responsibilities and authority broadened, and the number of Commissioners increased. While it continues to be responsible for its obligations related to the Consent Decree, it now is mandated also to provide ongoing, community-based oversight of SPD and the police accountability system. The Executive Director role is important to keep the work on the appointed commissioners moving forward.

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HOMELESSNESS

As I wrote last month, I want to acknowledge the many concerns my office has been hearing from constituents about the rise in homelessness they are seeing in the parks, greenways, and sidewalks (unsheltered homelessness). As some of you may know, the COVID pandemic has made things worse for our homelessness crisis, partly because the shelters had to be “de-intensified” to create social-distancing space, which resulted in their capacity decreasing dramatically.  In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued guidance during the COVID pandemic that said, “If individual housing options are not available, allow people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to remain where they are. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread.”  This is on top of the 2018 9th Circuit Court case (Martin v. Boise, Idaho, but affecting West Coast) that many believe reduces the ability of public agencies to move those living unsheltered unless there are clear housing alternatives for them.

Currently City Hall is knitting together various interventions (which I detailed in last month’s newsletter), but ultimately we need everyone vaccinated so that we can maximize the use of our shelter space and we need more supportive services for behavioral health challenges (mental health and substance use disorder/addiction) as we strive to create a sufficient amount of affordable housing for those experiencing homelessness.

Clean City Initiative provides added support to Business Districts throughout the City

Starting last month, Clean City funds have enabled business associations and districts, including the University District BIA, to increase their efforts to clean up trash and graffiti for clean streets and sidewalks. You may not notice the difference but crews are, in fact, hauling away tons of trash including in District 4. Ultimately, the effort is not sustainable; we need to bring people inside as they get vaccinated and as more shelter and permanent housing becomes available.

If litter, trash, needles, or other materials are illegally dumped near you, you can always report via the City’s Find It, Fix It app, or call (206) 684-CITY (2489). The Clean City Initiative provides a surge of litter pick-up and maintenance that will continue through April 2021 and I hope my colleagues vote to extend it. To learn more and follow along with these efforts, please visit seattle.gov/clean-city

Speeding More Dollars for Shelter

Earlier this week, we approved Council Bill 120019 to appropriate an additional $12 million dollars for non-congregate shelter services in hotel rooms, tiny home villages, or enhanced shelters for individuals experiencing homelessness who are at increased risk for contracting COVID or having severe outcomes from COVID. We will pursue Federal and State funds to offset the cost of these services. Thank you to Mayor Durkan for her support and to Homelessness Chair Andrew Lewis for advancing this legislation.

New Director for King County Regional Homelessness Authority

Our first CEO Marc Dones  (photo from the new Regional Homelessness Authority)

I was heartened when Marc Dones, formerly with the National Innovation Service, accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer for the new Regional Homelessness Authority. As I have emphasized repeatedly, I believe we need regional solutions to this regional problem. Now that we have a leader for this new and necessary regional organization, we can finally move ahead for better results for those experiencing homelessness and for all our communities.

“I am honored to accept the role of CEO of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority,” said Dones. “The work ahead of us will not be easy, but I am confident we will come together as a region to end homelessness. It is critical that as the Authority advances this work, we do so with a focus on racial justice and the voices of those who are most impacted. Those tenets will be the foundation for the Authority, and I look forward to working with leaders across King County to make that vision a reality.”

For a Seattle Times article, CLICK HERE.

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COVID RELIEF AND RECOVERY

Finally in Phase 3 for our Economy!

Nurse Myesha Williams injects Gliceria Abrenilla with her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. (photo by The New York Times)

Effective earlier this week (March 22), Gov. Inslee announced a new third phase of his economic recovery roadmap.

The new phase also allows for up to 400 people maximum to attend OUTDOOR activities, as well as events in indoor facilities — so long as 400 people does not exceed 50% capacity for the location, and physical distancing and masking protocols are enforced. Larger venue events are capped at 25% occupancy, or up to 9,000 people, whichever is less, and must follow spectator guidelines. Sports guidance will change in Phase 3 to allow in-person spectators at events for the first time in a year.

Additionally, Phase 3 will allow up to 50% occupancy or 400 people maximum, whichever is lower, for all INDOOR spaces. This applies to all industries and indoor activities currently allowed; restaurants, gyms and fitness centers and movie theaters, among others, may all increase their capacity.

“Because of the progress we’ve made by decreasing our case rates and hospitalizations, as well as our tremendous efforts to get more people vaccinated, our reopening plan is once again based on counties, not regions,” said the Governor.  This is good news as we cautiously and prudently move forward into a changed world.  For more info, CLICK HERE.

Vaccinations update: eligibility, locations

Additionally, the governor announced that everyone in Phase 1B, Tier 2 is eligible for their COVID vaccine. On March 17, eligibility will expand further to an estimated 244,000 King County residents eligible under Phase 1b2, including:

• high-risk critical workers in congregate settings (including agriculture, food processing, grocery and food banks, corrections and courts, public transit, first responders, and early learning programs)
• people who are pregnant, and
• residents with a disability that puts them at higher risk from COVID-19.

All Phase 1A, Phase 1B, Tier 1, and Phase 1B, Tier 2 eligible members of the public can sign up now for the City’s vaccination appointment notification list. Once eligible members of the public sign up for the City’s notification list, they will receive an email notification when vaccination appointments become available at any of the City’s three fixed sites in Rainier Beach, West Seattle, and the Lumen Field Event Center. The notification list is available here, and residents can also contact the Customer Service Bureau at 206-684-2489 from Monday through Saturday, between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. for assistance completing this form. In-language assistance is available over the phone.

For more detail about who is eligible, see the guidance from WA State Department of Health. For more information about COVID-19 vaccine, see our vaccine website.

For more information, including the notification list, visit the City’s vaccination website at www.seattle.gov/vaccine. The site contains vaccination information in seven languages, and in-language assistance is also available over the phone.

Even as more residents get vaccinated, public health measures like social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing your hands remain critical. Please continue to follow all public health guidance, and visit this website from Public Health – Seattle & King County for more information

COVID Indicators for King County

 

The latest indicators on new COVID cases show how important it is to continue our vigilance in wearing masks and social-distancing even as the vaccines are more widely administered. To view them, see the most recent graphs below or CLICK HERE.

More Federal Dollars on the way: the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021

After already approving multiple relief packages, the federal government once again delivered:  The American Rescue Plan will provide direct relief to the American people, help the economy, and, importantly, roll out concrete plans to beat the virus. The plan includes a whopping $1.9 trillion to provide additional relief to address the continued impact of COVID-19 on the economy, public health, state and local governments, individuals, and businesses.  That brings the total from the federal government thus far to an unprecedented $5 Trillion.

Since the Federal government can spend more money than it collects in revenue (“deficit-spend”), this infusion of financial relief can help all cities, including Seattle, which are required by law to balance their budgets. I was pleased to see that it accelerates the national vaccination program by investing about $160 billion to provide the supplies, emergency response, testing, and public health workforce to stop the spread of COVID-19. It will also provide $130 billion to help schools serve all students, no matter where they are learning, and help achieve President Biden’s goal to safely open the majority of K-8 schools within the first 100 days of his Administration. These investments include set asides at the local and state level to ensure states and districts address the learning loss and social and emotional needs of students disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including students of color, English learners, and students with disabilities.

In addition, there are several beneficial tax credits in the plan:

• For those without children, the American Rescue Plan increased the Earned-Income Tax Credit from $543 to $1,502.
• For those with children, the American Rescue Plan increased the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 per child to $3,000 per child for children over the age of six and $3,600 for children under the age of six – and raised the age limit from 16 to 17.
• The American Rescue Plan also increased and expanded the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit, making more people eligible and increasing the total credit to $4,000 for one qualifying individual and $8,000 for two or more.

Sign up here for an update when the U.S. Department of Treasury announces more information on how tax credits will work.

Mayor Durkan and Governor Inslee Extend COVID-19 Eviction Moratoriums

Following last week’s announcement of $23 million of additional rental assistance and the prospect of new rental assistance available to Seattle and King County through the new American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Mayor Durkan extended COVID-19 relief measures, including the eviction moratoriums to protect residential, nonprofit, and small business tenants in the City of Seattle through June 30, 2021. Other COVID-19 relief measures include extending the Utility Discount Program’s Self Certification Pilot Program until June 30, 2021, which can lower Seattle City Light bills by 60 percent and Seattle Public Utility bills by 50 percent for people who meet the eligibility requirements.

Residential tenants who receive an eviction notice during the moratorium should contact the Renting in Seattle hotline at 206‐684‐5700 or go online to submit a complaint. On top of the current proposal for $23 million for rental assistance, the City of Seattle has committed $18 million to rental assistance  in addition to state and King County resources for landlords and tenants.

If you’re a small business, see the Office of Economic Development’s COVID-19 Lease Amendment Tool Kit.

The City continues to maintain a comprehensive resource page for residents and small businesses impacted by COVID-19.

Councilmember Sawant’s Bill for Tenants (“Right to Counsel”): My No Vote at Committee

Consistent with the additional $1.9 Trillion in additional federal relief (for a total of $5 Trillion) and our Governor and Mayor extending the eviction moratorium several more months, I agree we must continually prevent evictions whenever possible. This is why I joined the rest of City Hall leaders and…

• Increased funding for tenant supports, including funds for legal assistance to prevent evictions.
• Supported reforms at the State legislature to provide tenants with more protections.
• Banned evictions during the coldest winter months.
• Prevented evictions throughout the COVID pandemic (and the eviction moratorium is being extended).
• Adopted the Council President’s legislation to allow for installments of back rent following COVID.

However, Councilmember Sawant’s new legislation (Council Bill 120007) to have city taxpayers foot the bills for free attorneys for anyone being evicted is concerning on a number of fronts, so I voted against it at her Committee on March 4. I will continue to support effective, targeted — and funded — eviction prevention measures, but Sawant’s original bill is seriously flawed, in my opinion, and the analysis put forward in support of it was inadequate.

All of us want to prevent homelessness and we continue to increase those positive efforts; therefore, it’s disappointing and misleading whenever Councilmember Sawant mischaracterizes legitimate concerns with her unfunded bill as somehow destined to contribute to homelessness.

I believe this type of government assistance and intervention to pay lawyers for any residential tenant — regardless of their income or the reason for the eviction proceedings — should be budgeted, rather than dictated or mandated permanently. In fact, we added money for these legal services already in our most recent annual budget process just a few months ago. Even as new federal relief dollars flow, we must continue to monitor the eviction situation for the actual need and then respond accordingly — as we will with all other budget priorities facing our city. Singling out this issue over other needs of our city and its residents is fiscally irresponsible and creates false promises.

I would have been able to vote Yes for this bill if it had been focused and funded. When promising to provide city tax dollars to private individuals, I believe we should:

• subsidize those who are truly in need (such as low income residents only),
• target help only to those tenants who cannot afford to pay their rent due to extraordinary circumstances (non-payment of rent rather than other violations of the lease),
• support fiscal responsibility: instead of creating an unfunded mandate, let’s acknowledge that it can be funded only to the extent our city budget can afford it as we also strive to fund childcare, public safety, supports for those experiencing homelessness, transit subsidies, utility discounts, and the list goes on and on.

But, unfortunately, the current version of Sawant’s bill is un-targeted and un-funded legislation that ties the city taxpayers to unknown (unquantified) financial requirements to pay for lawyers for anyone of any income level — for all time.

Note: Sawant’s bill was scheduled for a vote at the full City Council on March 15, 2021, but six Councilmembers (including me) voted to delay it for two weeks for a variety of reasons, including the Mayor’s extension of the eviction moratorium and a desire by some Councilmembers to amend the bill (something that should have happened when it was in Councilmember Sawant’s Committee). While I have supported and will continue to support eviction prevention and low-income tenant supports, Councilmember Sawant’s bill would need to amended substantially for me to change my vote.  In the meantime, the eviction moratorium remains in place and substantial new dollars will be flowing from the $1.9 Trillion relief package signed recently by President Biden.

UPDATE (March 29, 2021): Later at the meeting of the full City Council, this bill was substantially amended with Amendments 1, 2, 3, 4 and so I was able to vote for the final, amended version. Here are the remarks I made at the full City Council meeting: “To enact laws strong enough to survive scrutiny — so that we can actually help our most vulnerable neighbors — policymakers need the time to think through the various ramifications and, because we took the time in this case, we were able to consider and approve sensible amendments to make this legislation better — and so I am able to update my vote to YES.”  While I remain concerned this bill creates a first-of-its-kind, un-quantified mandate instead of prudently being “subject to budget discussions and available appropriations,” the combination of the four amendments enabled me to update my vote to YES. The amendments (a) target the bill to those who truly cannot afford an attorney, (b) focus the tax dollars on actual legal representation in the courtroom (instead of just vague advocacy), (c) require reports, and (d) prompt the city department to conduct an open, competitive process to allocate the tax dollars to qualified attorney nonprofits.  It will be important to see how this legislation impacts not only tenants but also smaller landlords (those owning fewer than 5 units) because those smaller “mom & pop” landlords provide important housing opportunities to Seattle’s residents.

 

Seattle Preschool Program Applications Open

Tim Burgess, the architect of the nationally acclaimed Seattle Preschool Program (and literally the adult in the room), happily visiting a high-quality preschool in South Seattle, 2013.

There was already a great need for high-quality child care and preschool  before COVID and, as we emerge from the pandemic the need is even greater when more parents get back to work. Applications for the Seattle Preschool  Program are now open for 2021-2022, with 14 new classrooms opening this fall. The new additions boost the total number of SPP classrooms to 129, with capacity to serve up to 2,054 preschoolers!  For the news release from Seattle’s Department of Education & Early Learning, CLICK HERE.  It’s heartening to see this nationally acclaimed program (which I helped to craft as a Legislative Aide for Tim Burgess) enabling thousands of our youngest Seattleites to thrive.  When they are high-quality and evidence-based, early learning programs such as the Seattle Preschool Program not only enable kids to enter kindergarten ready to learn, but also send them on a life-long trajectory of success by building foundations proven to keep them out of the criminal justice system and lead healthier, happier lives. The real stars are the preschool teachers and the little learners.  To apply, CLICK HERE.

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TRANSPORTATION, UTILITIES, AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

From The Seattle Times: “Gov. Jay Inslee speaks Friday on the shore of Portage Bay in Seattle to call for more state spending on highway, bridge and ferry maintenance. Behind him are MLK Labor Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Grant, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay and Port of Seattle Commissioner Fred Felleman. (Greg Gilbert / The Seattle Times)”

Supporting Our Bridge Infrastructure

I continue to champion the cause of fixing our city’s aging bridges at every opportunity.

• March 5 – Governor Inslee visited District 4 to bring attention to infrastructure needs. With our aging University Bridge as a backdrop – a bridge ranked poor by our recent audit of Seattle’s bridges – Governor Inslee spoke about the need to invest in transportation infrastructure: “Now we need to get our roads, bridges and ferries,” Inslee said. “All of these things are necessary for the rebuilding of Washington state’s economy. We need to make the investments first, and I emphasize first, in maintenance of our existing transportation system. “It is woefully underfunded.” Read the Seattle Times coverage of his visit
• March 11 – I called on the Mayor and my City Council colleagues to prioritize bridge infrastructure jobs as we invest the federal funding we’ll receive in economic recovery. Read more HERE.
• March 17 – Transportation reporter Mike Lindblom highlighted the millions of dollars in maintenance needs for Seattle’s drawbridges, including my work on this topic. Read the article HERE.
• March 19 – Our efforts to support bridges even earned a write-up in The Architect’s Newspaper: CLICK HERE .
• April 21 – I have invited the City Auditor and SDOT to my Transportation Committee for an update on the implementation status of the recommendations from the bridge audit I requested.

West Seattle Bridge Achieves 30% Design Milestone

I asked SDOT to update my Transportation Committee March 17 on the West Seattle Bridge. SDOT updated the public and my Council colleagues on the City’s progress toward restoration of the West Seattle “High” Bridge — and to strengthen the “low-level” bridge (Spokane Street Swing Bridge), which has had to carry a bigger burden during this infrastructure emergency. SDOT is now at 30% design for the restoration of the high bridge, a milestone which enabled them to solidify their total cost estimate, and publish a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for bids from general contractors who will be hired to complete the work and re-open the bridge by the 3rd quarter of 2022.

SDOT’s revised total cost estimate is $175 million, which includes the costs of the initial emergency stabilization efforts as well as the costs of establishing/improving alternative routes (“Reconnect West Seattle”). The actual construction costs for restoration of the West Seattle High Bridge is estimated to be $60 million (out of the $175 million). To cover the total cost, we have set aside up to $100 million of city government resources, but it would be ideal to secure additional funds from other sources. The City has been pursuing funding aggressively: Including regional (approximately $15 million from the Puget Sound Regional Council), State (ideally $25 million from the 2021 legislative session), and Federal sources (a $20 million “INFRA” grant). A portion of the renewed and revamped Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) will assist during at least the next year.

Here are some additional links with more information:

• SDOT’s presentation to my Committee: CLICK HERE.
• Seattle Times article on the 30% design milestone: CLICK HERE.
• SDOT’s blog posts with ongoing updates: CLICK HERE.
• While I’m the Chair of the Transportation & Utilities Committee, the Councilmember who represents the 100,000 residents of West Seattle—Lisa Herbold—provides detailed updates for her constituents: CLICK HERE.
• West Seattle Bridge updates on my blog: CLICK HERE.

Electrification for the Environment

We have been implementing important policies to improve our environment, including a renewal of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District to boost transit, a new requirement to review all legislation through the lens of carbon emissions and resiliency in the face of climate change, and new building and energy codes.

On March 17, the City released its framework plan for increasing the clean energy “electrification” of transportation infrastructure. To see the Mayor’s Office announcement, CLICK HERE; for the departments’ plan, CLICK HERE. This important work to de-carbonize our transportation systems builds on previous work, including the opening this fall of two Sound Transit Link stations in District 4 (Brooklyn Ave in the U District and NE 65^th Street in Roosevelt).

Overall, the Mayor’s plan is ambitious and aspirational. But the implementation may be challenging, especially when some of the same executive departments seem unable to produce the overdue ordinance to protect trees (carbon-sequestering conifers) within our Emerald City, after years of being told that the conservation of our urban tree canopy is vital not only to mitigate the impacts of climate change but also to achieve community healthy and equity. Our office will be closely monitoring the development and implementation of electrification plans (and the needed tree ordinance).

My Committee Passes Ordinance to Keep Seattle City Light Rates Steady

I appreciate both of our city-owned utilities (Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities) sharing my commitment to focus on affordability for our residents, especially during the pandemic and economic recession.  The City Light ordinance for electricity rates, as proposed in Council Bill 120015, strives to balance City Light’s goal to provide customers with stability and predictability in the amounts of their electric bills while enabling our municipally owned utility to recover from the financial impacts of the pandemic over the next couple of years.  The watchdog City Light Review Panel concurred.

On March 17, my Committee unanimously passed Council Bill 120015 and the full Council will vote on the bill next Monday, March 29. The bill re-affirms electricity rates for Seattle City Light. Our electricity bills are composed of various base electricity rates, pass-through power rates, and surcharges and — though a combination of actions — we can continue to prevent an increase in bills this year.  In addition, Seattle City Light will be keeping their promise for next year (2022) by sticking with the original rate path agreed to back in 2018 and possibly achieving a smaller increase if the pass-through rate from the Bonneville Power Administration comes in lower.

I believe this utility legislation is a success story and I’m pleased that City Light has managed to prevent an increase to customers’ bills this year and to keep or beat their promise for next year.

 

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

City Council Meetings on the Internet

Listening: Even though City Council is not currently holding meetings in person in order to follow public health guidelines, you can still follow along by listening on your computer or phone by CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on your phone by calling 253-215-8782.

Commenting: You can also submit public comment by sending an e-mail to me at Alex.Pedersen@seattle.gov or to all 9 Councilmembers at council@seattle.gov. Please remember to add “For City Council Meeting” in the comments. Now you can also phone into the meeting to speak directly to the Council live. For the instructions on how to register and call in, CLICK HERE. Sign up begins two hours prior to the meeting start time.

Virtual Meetings with Your Councilmember Pedersen

I continue to schedule virtual in-district office hours, so we can chat by telephone or via Webex. Please continue to sign up through my website or by CLICKING HERE so I can hear your ideas, concerns, and requests. You can also just send an e-mail to alex.pedersen@seattle.gov

For previous e-newsletters, visit my blog by CLICKING HERE.

We will get through this together, Seattle!

With gratitude,

 

 

 

Councilmember Alex Pedersen
Seattle City Council, District 4

Email: Alex.Pedersen@seattle.gov
Find It, Fix It

NOTE: This blog post focuses on the audit of Seattle bridges I ordered in the wake of the safety closure of the West Seattle Bridge in March 2020.

• For more about the West Seattle Bridge, CLICK HERE.
• For more about the funding needs and opportunities for Seattle bridges including the $100 million in bridge safety bonds rebuffed by SDOT, CLICK HERE.
• For the ability to tap Transportation Impact Fees as a source or revenue, if City Hall can muster the political courage, CLICK HERE.

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December 5, 2023 UPDATE: SDOT Presents Its Progress on 2020 Bridge Audit Recommendations

I asked our Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to provide another update on their progress implementing the bridge audit that I ordered in 2020. For SDOT’s presentation on its progress, CLICK HERE.

The bottom-line is that SDOT is still behind on completing its Bridge Asset Management Plan and yet asset management plans should be foundational documents driving what the invest in for the next transportation capital package, as the 9-year, $930 million “Move Seattle” levy expires at the end of 2024. SDOT already has a draft list of “shiny new objects” it wants via their “Seattle Transportation Plan,” (which synthesizes the former modal plans along with other new proposals for capital projects and serves as the “transportation element” of the upcoming Comp Plan update). But, as usual, maintenance continues to take a back seat despite the Biden Administration’s priority to “Fix It First.” The next City Council will need to stand firm against the interest groups seeking new and expensive transportation projects that serve small slivers of Seattle rather than fixing the basics of the bridges that serve everyone, connect our communities, and keep our economy moving.

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November 21, 2023 UPDATE: Council Approves Pedersen Amendment to Increase Bridge Maintenance Funding.

As part of the City Council’s revisions to the Harrell Administration’s proposed budget for 2024, the City Council approved my amendment to increase bridge maintenance investments to the minimum level recommended by the audit that I ordered on Seattle’s bridges in 2020. Sadly, the underfunding of our City-owned bridges by our city government continues, in large part, because there is no interest group that advocates for bridges and there’s no media fanfare or ribbon-cutting when politicians fix a bridge.

GOAL:  Better Bridges + School Traffic Safety (paid for by right-sizing taxpayer contribution to city government pensions):  Amendment 1 to Resolution 32114: “Use actuarially derived rate of 15.17 percent for City’s employer contribution to City employee’s retirement system in 2024” (instead of the higher-than-required 15.82 percent or 16.22 percent). SDOT-101-A-3: “Add $1.5 million GF and $80,000 Real Estate Excise Tax to SDOT’s Structures Major Maintenance CIP project (BRIDGES!); and add $480,000 GF to SDOT for expansion of the School Zone Camera program; reduce contribution to the Seattle City Employees’ Retirement System to the actuarial rate.”
RESULT:	YES:	No:	Abstain:
Amendment 1 of Reso 32114: Passed	Pedersen (sponsor), Herbold, Lewis, Morales, Nelson	Juarez, Mosqueda, Sawant, Strauss	none
SDOT-101-A: Passed	Pedersen (sponsor), Herbold, Lewis, Morales, Nelson	Juarez, Mosqueda, Sawant	Strauss
Comments:   We achieved a “budget trifecta” when a majority of City Council approved my amendments to honor the experts in boosting safety through infrastructure. We (1) increased bridge maintenance to the bare minimum recommended by the City Auditor’s bridge audit that I requested from 2020; (2) kickstarted our plan to have City Hall double the school zone traffic safety enforcement cameras; and (3) paid for those investments by using the professional actuary’s recommendation to avoid excess taxpayer contributions to the City government employee retirement fund (while still staying on track to meet our funding obligations for that retirement fund). Kudos to the budget lead on my team Hannah Thoreson and to our City Council’s Central Staff for making these complex budget pieces all work together – to find savings to increase these two safety measures. The key vote on my Amendment 1 on November 14, 2023 to “right-size” the taxpayer contribution to the Seattle City Employees Retirement System (SCERS) as authorized by Resolution 32114 was firmly supported by the Central Staff memo from October 11, 2023.  The Central Staff memo confirmed the sustainability of the retirement fund with the 15.17% contribution from management (the taxpayers): “since the actuarially derived rate is the rate determined sufficient to meet the plan’s future funding objectives, the City retirement system would remain on course to meet 100 percent funded status...”

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November 29, 2022: Boost for Bridge Funding Approved

Here is an excerpt from our e-newsletter:

A recent poll confirmed that “maintaining bridges and infrastructure” remains a top concern for Seattle residents. Our City Auditor recommends investing a range of $34 million to $102 million annually just to maintain Seattle’s aging bridges, but year after year, we have short-changed this vital infrastructure by funding much less than $34 million. There are several budget line items deemed by our City Auditor as “bridge maintenance.”

Unfortunately, as proposed by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), the original budget failed to provide an overall increase in those bridge maintenance items. That was hugely disappointing and perplexing considering SDOT had earlier rejected the $100 million in bonds that we authorized for bridge safety. To make matters worse, an amendment advanced by the Budget Chair (SDOT-909-A-002-2023) moved the City in the wrong direction by reducing by $3.2 million from one of those bridge maintenance line items requested by SDOT (preventing rust, water intrusion, and other damage from adverse weather with protective “bridge painting.”). With the 2 ½ year shutdown of the West Seattle Bridge, other bridges getting stuck, and the disturbing audit I ordered in 2020 showing our bridges in bad condition, it’s clear we need to invest more now.

Therefore, I put forward several proposals that would add up to at least the minimum annual investment recommended by the Auditor — a sensible downpayment toward addressing this vital infrastructure need. In addition to my amendment to use half of the funds generated in the future from the $10 increase in the Vehicle License Fee (VLF) for bridge maintenance, I put forward an amendment to temporarily tap our Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) to benefit multimodal bridges (carrying buses). It will tap the dollars authorized for the capital projects category as well as deploy unused reserves currently sitting dormant in the STBD account. The City’s capital projects category can be increased, in part, because other levels of government are paying now for the “free” youth fares. As transit ridership increases after 2023, the temporary boost to the capital category can become available again for additional transit service hours. In the meantime, overdue bridge maintenance projects (including for our District’s aging University Bridge) can improve the safety, speed, and reliability of clean, public mass transit. When a bridge breaks or closes or malfunctions, the speed and reliability of transit relying on that bridge drops to zero. No bridge, no bus.

I appreciate that a majority of my colleagues recognized this need and approving the resources to care for Seattle’s aging multimodal bridges. Residents, businesses, and workers expect City Hall to keep Seattle’s aging bridges open and safe to keep our communities connected and our economy moving. Now, once again, we need SDOT to follow-through and spend those funds to fix our bridges.  (SDOT-502-C-001-2023 for an increase of $12 million for bridges successfully replaced SDOT-502-B-001-2023 for an increase of $3.5 million) PASSED!  

(Thanks also to the transfer of Parking Enforcement Officers (PEOs) back to SPD, which saves money to redeploy to other priorities — including nearly $1 million more toward bridge maintenance.)

More Info:

• For the agenda of the big meeting of Budget Committee amendments on November 21, 2022, CLICK HERE. To watch that video, CLICK HERE for Part 1 and CLICK HERE for Part 2. For my comments in favor of the big boost for bridge funding from the Seattle Transportation Benefit District (SDOT-502-C-001-2023), go to minute 2:16:30 of Part 2. The vote for SDOT-502-C-001-2023 happened in two steps:
  • (1) Voting in favor of my motion to replace the $3.5 million proposed increase with my bigger ($12 million) increase for bridge maintenance: Councilmembers Herbold, Juarez, Lewis Nelson, Pedersen in favor. Voting against were Councilmembers Morales, Mosqueda, Sawant, Strauss against.
  • (2) Voting in favor of the new (substitute) amendment itself: Councilmembers Herbold, Juarez, Lewis Nelson, Pedersen in favor. Voted against: Councilmembers Morales and Strauss. Abstained: Councilmembers Mosqueda and Sawant. In both cases, my bigger boost for bridges secured a majority and moved forward.
• For a tool to see whether each Councilmember’s amendments passed, CLICK HERE.

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April 4, 2022: Disappointment in Harrell Administration rejection in 2022 of City Council’s $100 in bonds for bridge safety.

Due to the extensive amount of information regarding the efforts to gain City Council authorization for $100 million only to be rejected by the Harrell Administration, we created a separate blog post. For that saga, CLICK HERE.

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March 11, 2021 UPDATE:

I have asked the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to participate in my Committee in April of 2021 to report on their progress implementing the bridge audit that I ordered in 2020. In the meantime, I issued this press release:

Prioritize Bridge Infrastructure Jobs When Investing New Federal Dollars for our Economic Recovery

“Stop kicking the can down the road – fix our aging bridges now,” urges Transportation Chair and Seattle Councilmember Alex Pedersen

SEATTLE – With President Biden this week signing legislation to speed $1.9 Trillion in additional federal dollars to the nation, Transportation Committee Chair Alex Pedersen is calling on city leaders to invest millions more to create jobs by repairing Seattle’s aging bridges as part of our relief and recovery efforts. 

With Seattle expected to receive over $230 million this year from just this single piece of federal legislation, Councilmember Pedersen believes this is an historic job creation opportunity for City Hall to finally address the growing maintenance backlog for our bridges, several of which are ranked in poor condition or in urgent need of seismic retrofitting. 

“The next time a Seattle bridge is cracked, stuck, or closed, the people of Seattle will look back to this decision point when we had additional funds and ask, who failed to fix our bridges?”said Councilmember Pedersen.“As Transportation Chair, it’s my responsibility to keep sounding the alarm and encouraging the Mayor, transportation officials, and a majority of City Council to step up and fund this vital infrastructure that connects our communities and keeps our economy moving.”

“It’s time to stop kicking the can down the road and over the bridge,” Councilmember Pedersen continued.“In a city carved by waterways and ravines, we rely on safe bridges to support all modes of transportation that connect us and keep our regional economy moving. Let’s hear the wake up call of the West Seattle Bridge and seize this historic opportunity of additional federal dollars to invest a substantial portion toward creating jobs that finally repair our aging bridges.”

Since the premature cracking of the West Seattle Bridge required its shutdown a year ago, Councilmember Pedersen has made several attempts to get City Hall leaders to invest more in Seattle’s brittle bridges. After successfully securing funds for most of the West Seattle Bridge restoration, several opportunities to invest more in the aging bridges across Seattle have encountered too many excuses and too little action.

• During last year’s budget deliberations in October 2020, Councilmember Pedersen sought $24 million more for bridges, but received only $4 million while individual transportation projects received more additional funds than all Seattle’s other bridges combined. 

• After leading the effort to approve an additional $20 of Vehicle License Fees for bridges with the support of construction unions, a slim majority of Councilmembers delayed and redirected the revenue to a stakeholder process with apparently zero dollars being targeted toward bridges. 

With Seattle about to receive hundreds of millions more in cash from the federal government, there are no more excuses available to ignore our aging bridge infrastructure.  In addition to the dollars needed to restore the West Seattle High Bridge, Seattle’s aging bridges have the following immediate needs:

• $20 million to $88 million more annually for bridge maintenance. (Annual maintenance needed is $34 million to $102 million, per the City Auditor’s report on bridges. Mayor Durkan’s proposed budget for 2021 provided only $10 million among four line items and yet Council amended Councilmember Pedersen’s request down to $4 million for a total of only $14 million.)

• $8 million for our City’s older bridges that have aging moveable parts (such as the University, Ballard, Fremont, and Spokane bridges). Why not replace those old components right now before they fail?  When draw bridges / bascule bridges / swing bridges get stuck, they prevent all modes of transportation — including buses and bikes — which could impede Seattle’s fragile economic recovery. (Councilmember Pedersen ventured inside the aging University Bridge on February 4, 2021 to see its maintenance challenges firsthand.)

• Millions to start the seismic retrofits of 16 Seattle bridges, including $32 million for Ballard, $29 million for Fremont, and millions to seismically upgrade the 100-year old University Bridge.

• Millions to replace the 90-year-old Magnolia Bridge before it collapses. (Tolls could be part of the solution to pay for a new bridge there, but that might not cover the entire cost and dollars are needed upfront to complete the design of a new bridge.)

Fixing our bridges is consistent with the strategic direction from our Governor and the new U.S. Transportation Secretary. Just days ago, Governor Inslee was in our District 4. With aging University Bridge as a backdrop – a bridge ranked poor by our recent audit of Seattle’s bridges – Governor Inslee spoke about the need to invest in transportation infrastructure: “Now we need to get our roads, bridges and ferries. All of these things are necessary for the rebuilding of Washington state’s economy. We need to make the investments first, and I emphasize first, in maintenance of our existing transportation system,” Inslee said. “It is woefully underfunded.”  Similarly, Secretary of Transportation Buttigieg last week punctuated preservation: “’Fix it First’ is going to be a very important mantra for us…It doesn’t always have the same sizzle as doing something new, but we’ve got to be doing both. You just look at the condition of so many roads and bridges in this country. We can’t allow that backlog to continue.”

• For the recent audit of Seattle’s aging bridges that shows bridge maintenance has been neglected by City officials, CLICK HERE.
• For recently missed opportunity to invest newly approved Vehicle License Fees for bridges, CLICK HERE.
• For the recent SDOT memo about the increased costs of seismic retrofits for Seattle’s bridges, CLICK HERE.

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November 2020 UPDATE:

For a opportunity to use new funds to help our bridges, CLICK HERE. I’d like to thank Councilmembers Herbold, Juarez, and Lewis for supporting this effort with me to dedicate new funding to support our bridges but, unfortunately, this effort was waylaid by the rest of the Councilmembers.

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SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 PRESS RELEASE:

Council Transportation Chair Pedersen Announces Delivery of Audit of Seattle Bridges 

SEATTLE – Councilmember Alex Pedersen (District 4 – Northeast Seattle), Chair of the City Council’s Transportation Committee announced the delivery of the audit report on Seattle’s bridges with a focus on the efficacy of the City’s infrastructure maintenance program.

“In a city defined by its many waterways, our bridges connect us and this audit report proves city government must do a better job investing in this basic infrastructure,” said Pedersen. “Vital for transit, freight and our regional economy, bridges require relatively large investments to build and maintain to ensure they remain safe for generations. I requested this audit of our bridges because the rapid deterioration of the West Seattle Bridge underscored the need for City officials and the general public to have a clear, thorough, and independent understanding of the condition of major bridges throughout Seattle, including the adequacy of the City’s preventative maintenance investments and practices.”

After an extensive document review and numerous exchanges by the auditor’s office with the Seattle Department of Transportation’s engineers and managers, Councilmember Pedersen is pleased to report the completion of the audit report on schedule. The auditor’s report will be presented to the City Council at its Transportation Committee to be chaired by Pedersen this Wednesday, September 16 at 9:30 a.m.

Pedersen initiated the audit with an April 23 letter to the City Auditor asking his office “to assess the physical conditions and maintenance investments for the major bridges owned by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT).” Pedersen’s letter requested a report from the Auditor by mid-September to inform the City Council’s fall budget process.

The audit concluded the city government’s annual spending is far below what is needed to maintain its bridges and SDOT confirmed this: “SDOT estimates its annual spending is tens of millions of dollars less than what is needed to maintain its bridges.”

The audit report makes 10 recommendations for improving the City’s bridge maintenance and investment policies. According to the report, SDOT generally concurs with the report’s recommendations and plans to implement them. However, it will take action from the Mayor and City Council to solve the insufficiency of funding. “I am hopeful that Mayor Durkan and the City Council will pay close attention to this audit report and respond appropriately during the 2021budget discussions to ensure that critical infrastructure does not continue to deteriorate with potentially disastrous consequences,” said Councilmember Pedersen.

City Auditor David G. Jones added, “Our report shows that there is a large gap between what is budgeted for bridge maintenance and what is needed to keep them in good condition. Our recommendations are for activities that SDOT should do now to better inform where investments are made, and more effectively use the resources they currently have.”

Additional Resources: 

• The bridge audit report.
• City Auditor website.
• Transportation and Utilities Committee website.
• Media reports:
  • For the article from MyNorthwest, CLICK HERE.
  • For King 5 news, CLICK HERE.
  • For Seattle Times articles, CLICK HERE and HERE.
  • For Seattle Times editorial, CLICK HERE.

From the Seattle Times editorial: “New City Councilmember Alex Pedersen deserves kudos for requesting the audit after the West Seattle Bridge closure. It gives the council facts and improvements to consider, and has already prompted change at the Department of Transportation. Yet the situation demands more, including a new mindset at City Hall and an authentic effort, starting with the next budget.”

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May 31, 2020: For a thorough article by the Seattle Times about bridge maintenance needs — which mentions my audit of city bridges — CLICK HERE.

April 25, 2020: For the Seattle Times editorial supporting our launching of the bridge audit, CLICK HERE. “One step to restoring trust is an audit of citywide bridge maintenance, requested last week by new City Councilmember Alex Pedersen.”

April 23, 2020: To read the initial article by the Seattle Times, CLICK HERE.

April 23, 2020: Here’s the press release:

SEATTLE – Councilmember Alex Pedersen (District 4 – Northeast Seattle), and Chair of the Council’s Transportation Committee, today asked the City Auditor to complete an audit to assess the conditions and maintenance of Seattle’s bridges.

“In a city surrounded by several waterways, our bridges are the backbone of Seattle’s infrastructure for its residents and local economy and are vital for transit, freight, and other uses,” said Pedersen. “Bridges require relatively large investments to build and maintain to ensure they remain safe for generations. The rapid deterioration of the West Seattle Bridge underscores the need for City officials and the general public to have a clear, thorough, and independent understanding of the condition of major bridges throughout Seattle, including preventative maintenance investments and practices.”

Pedersen’s letter to the City Auditor states the purpose is “to request, as chair of the City Council’s Transportation and Utilities Committee, that the Office of City Auditor complete an audit report to assess the physical conditions and maintenance investments for the major bridges owned by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)…”

“We look forward to performing this important and valuable body of work,” said David G. Jones, the City Auditor.

“I appreciate SDOT’s recent transparency, responsiveness, and proactive sharing of information regarding the West Seattle Bridge.  I want SDOT to remain focused on the immediate needs of the West Seattle Bridge and I am therefore, flexible on the Auditor’s final completion date for reviewing the other bridges,” said Pedersen, who has also requested an interim summary of the maintenance investments on bridges by mid-September to inform the City Council’s fall budget process.

According to the City of Seattle’s adopted 2020 operating budget (page 411) and SDOT’s 2019 Capital Roadway and Structures report (page 19), there are 124 bridges owned and operated by the City of Seattle. The City Auditor’s report will focus on SDOT’s bridge maintenance program for the major bridges in the City’s portfolio and may discuss other non-bridge assets managed by SDOT.  While SDOT already obtains and monitors much of this underlying information on our City’s bridges and the federal government and state government also provide important oversight, the audit will gather, summarize, and analyze that information for review by the City Council.

For the proposed scope of the audit, use the following website link: https://pedersen.seattle.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CM-Pedersen-letter-to-Auditor-on-Seattle-bridges-2020.04.23-to-Auditor-.pdf

In addition to summarizing key information on all major bridges, the report should include a deeper analysis of a sampling of major bridges across our city including, but not limited to, the Ballard Bridge, Magnolia Bridge, Montlake Bridge, University Bridge, and West Seattle Bridge.

The Auditor will discuss the final scope with SDOT, which could include a description of other major non-bridge infrastructure assets owned by the City to provide context for SDOT’s broader asset management portfolio.

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March 12, 2021 Update:

ALERT: The full City Council is voting on this land use bill this coming Monday, March 15, 2021. I’m disappointed this bill was rushed to the full City Council by invoking an exception to our parliamentary procedure rules which state, “If a committee recommendation is not unanimous: Unless otherwise authorized by the President and the committee Chair, the committee report shall be reported to the second regular City Council meeting after the date of the recommendation” (page 25). Therefore, Council President Gonzalez and Chair Strauss (both co-sponsors of the bill) unfortunately decided to use their powers to skip the additional week of public review time to speed it to a full vote. (I appreciate that Chair Strauss provided ample time in his Committee for me to articulate my strong track record for small business as well as my concerns with the bill. I wish there had been more time, however, for more input from existing small businesses and communities.)

March 10, 2021 (original post): Many of us are grateful for the small businesses in our neighborhood business districts that provide not only jobs, goods, and services but also fun, flavor, and funkiness. I have consistently supported small businesses throughout Seattle. In fact, my concern for the recovery of EXISTING small businesses, our neighborhood business districts that support them, and the potential unintended consequences of yet another change to Seattle’s complex land use codes are my primary reasons for voting No on Council Bill 120001.  I expand on the reasons for my vote below.

(For the original press release from the sponsors in favor of the bill, CLICK HERE.)

Despite my concerns about the bill, I would like to thank the original sponsor, Councilmember Dan Strauss, for providing enough time to consider this legislation in an era when bills are often rushed too quickly through the Seattle City Council.  While the bill was discussed quickly after it was introduced, Chair Strauss provided ample time and grace in his Committee to air the concerns and to provide staff time to analyze it. Ultimately, though, the subsequent memo from our Central Staff analyst, conversations with the department that will implement this, and, most importantly, my outreach to small businesses did not alleviate the concerns I raised during the previous Committee meeting on February 24.  In fact, many business districts had not heard of the legislation and offered additional concerns.

I worked hard last year to renew the neighborhood business improvement area (BIA) for the University District in the heart of our City Council District 4. For small businesses throughout Seattle, I supported several financial and regulatory relief and recovery programs throughout the COVID pandemic.  In addition, my recent Op Ed for an inclusive economic recovery points to many ways government can work with local employers to get people back to work and achieve an inclusive economic recovery. I also bring to the table significant private sector experience. After studying the issue, CB 120001 is, in my opinion, not an effective answer and could do more harm than good. Here are 10 reasons why:

1. HOME-BASED BUSINESSES ALREADY ALLOWED: Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) Section 23.42.050
2. QUESTIONABLE NEED FOR CITYWIDE CHANGES
3. COULD HURT SMALL BUSINESS DISTRICTS / CLUSTERING BUSINESS TOGETHER IS BETTER
4. U DISTRICT BUSINESS DISTRICT NEEDS UNDIVIDED ATTENTION TO PROTECT ITS DIVERSITY
5. CLOAKED IN COVID, BUT LASTS FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR
6. DISTRACTS KEY CITY DEPARTMENT FROM OTHER IMPORTANT WORK
7. IMPACTS TO OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS
8. NOT TO THIS EXTENT IN OTHER CITIES
9. OTHER UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES (see below)
10. MORE APPROPRIATE SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE

For details on each, please read on…

• HOME-BASED BUSINESSES ALREADY ALLOWED: First, it’s important to reiterate that you can already operate a business out of your home. Our Seattle Municipal Code (SMC) Section 23.42.050 CURRENTLY states, “A home occupation of a person residing in a dwelling unit is permitted outright in all zones as an accessory use …” subject to various requirements. The requirements essentially require the business to keep a low profile externally and minimize impacts to neighbors. (CB 120001 would remove some of those requirements to benefit the home business.)

• QUESTIONABLE NEED FOR CITYWIDE CHANGES: We have not heard from home-based businesses requesting these proposed regulatory changes, except for the popular Yonder Bar business which has since secured a location near other businesses. According to the Seattle PI news site, “Yonder Cider and Bale Breaker Brewing to open Ballard taproom this summer.” While we received e-mails in support of CB 120001, it appears that most were spurred by an e-mail campaign launched by Yonder Bar in northwest Seattle, rather than arriving organically from a diverse or citywide effort. Neither our Central Staff analyst working on this bill nor the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspection (SDCI) that would implement the bill has a list of home-based businesses seeking or needing the proposed changes. While it’s possible there are some aspiring home businesses that could benefit, I do not think it’s appropriate to make citywide land use changes based on anecdotes or conjecture.  In short, this bill could currently be considered more of “a solution in search of a problem” than addressing an urgent specific or widespread need. Allowing for one-off exceptions, rather than blanket, citywide changes would be more targeted and appropriate.

• COULD HURT SMALL BUSINESS DISTRICTS / CLUSTERING BUSINESS TOGETHER IS BETTER:  I am very concerned that suddenly lifting restrictions to allow retail food and alcohol businesses on any block in our city will draw customers away from existing neighborhood business districts and their struggling small businesses.  In addition to the 10 Business Improvement Areas (BIAs) spread throughout our city, there are many other small business districts that rely on foot traffic generated by several shops clustering together – more customers are attracted to each area to efficiently take care of their daily needs for goods and services. In addition to the University District BIA, there are many neighborhood districts just in our District 4 such as:  Eastlake Avenue, Ravenna (NE 65^th Street), Roosevelt, and Sand Point Way NE (at Princeton Ave), Wallingford (North 45^th Street and Stone Way), and Wedgwood (35^th Avenue NE). Much of the outreach I conducted directly with owners of small businesses yielded serious concerns. These small neighborhood businesses are struggling today to bring back customers and workers. They are in the middle of multi-year commercial leases for their storefront space and some of them have made substantial investments for outdoor dining to meet public health requirements. Having the city government suddenly toss aside the current rules to let anyone run a retail, food, or alcohol operation out of their homes or garages, will drain customers away from the existing small businesses we say we want to help emerge from the pandemic. Let’s instead first help businesses to stay in business and re-hire their workers. (Other ideas for incubating new micro businesses are below)

• U DISTRICT BUSINESS DISTRICT NEEDS UNDIVIDED ATTENTION TO PROTECT ITS DIVERSITY:  Approximately 65% of small businesses in the heart of the U District business improvement area are owned by women and people of color. Let’s focus first on supporting these existing businesses – especially those that have had to shed jobs — so that we don’t lose them and so they can rehire all their workers and emerge successfully from the COVID pandemic. [For a list of many small businesses open throughout D4 and Seattle, you can explore this website https://intentionalist.com/ “to find and support local businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop.”]

• CLOAKED IN COVID, BUT LASTS FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR:  Here’s the title of the proposed law:  “AN ORDINANCE relating to land use regulation of home occupations; adopting interim regulations to allow home occupation businesses to operate with fewer limitations during the COVID-19 civil emergency, amending Seattle Municipal Code Section 23.42.050, and adopting a work plan.”  But the Council Bill is NOT actually tied to the COVID pandemic or even to a “civil emergency.” The memo from our Central Staff analyst states, “Because CB 120001 would be adopted pursuant to RCW 36.70A.390, which allows jurisdictions to approve interim development controls, the bill includes a work program for the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections to analyze and propose more PERMANENT changes to home occupation regulations” (emphasis added). In other words, these changes would be put on track to become permanent.  

(I believe the City Council should soon start transitioning away from using COVID as the reason for new legislation and we should instead have proposals stand on their own merits as we take a post-pandemic, long-term view.)

• DISTRACTS KEY CITY DEPARTMENT FROM OTHER IMPORTANT WORK:  Our Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI) is already behind on improving permits and delivering an overdue ordinance to protect our trees. Saddling the city government staff to develop and monitor this new program — and enforce future inquires or complaints about it — could delay other priorities.

• IMPACTS TO OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS: Policymakers need to be careful NOT to stop legislation just because it might alter neighborhoods — as long as the people impacted have ample opportunity to provide input and policymakers genuinely consider that input, as long as the city will be receiving ample public benefits for anything the city government gives away to the private market, and as long as the changes are prudent, sensible, and reasonable. So, while I believe we have a sufficient number of other concerns about why this legislation might not be prudent, it’s important to recognize what I’ve heard from some neighbors who might not be happy with the increased traffic, reduced parking, new retail signage, and nearby activity of employees and customers coming and going in their residential neighborhood.

• NOT TO THIS EXTENT IN OTHER CITIES: To avoid unintended consequences, it’s often helpful to see whether other cities have adopted the legislation. Before pioneering risky experiments with Seattle residents and businesses, we can learn from other cities and their false starts, sharp edges, and outright mistakes. Our Central Staff analysts did not find other cities with such loose regulations on home businesses.

• OTHER UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES:  Granting the business rights to single family structures could increase their value and make them less affordable. Moreover, aspiring businesses may choose to buy a house and convert it to a business which would further draw away customers from the neighborhood business districts. In addition to drawing away customers, it could draw away small business tenants that are renting commercial spaces, thereby decreasing the value of those properties as costs rise for homes. 

• MORE APPROPRIATE SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE:

• OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: One of the hoped for upsides of CB 120001 is to incubate new micro businesses. Fortunately, our city’s Office of Economic Development (OED) already has startup resources:  https://www.seattle.gov/office-of-economic-development/small-business/startup-resources

• INCUBATING TOGETHER:  Moreover, incubators typically work best when they cluster together in — you guessed it — existing business districts. The new startups share space where they not only benefit from cheaper rent and shorter leases, but also learn from each other, receiving technical assistance together, and attract customers together. 

• FARMERS MARKETS: Those hoping to make and sell food and drinks (using local farm ingredients) could use Farmers Markets to sell their products rather than trying to attract enough customers to their house. For U District, West Seattle, and Capitol Hill Farmers Markets, CLICK HERE. For other Farmers Markets in the Seattle, CLICK HERE or HERE.

• EXCEPTIONS RATHER THAN BLANKET CITYWIDE CHANGES:  As mentioned earlier, the legislation does not seem to be addressing an urgent specific or widespread need. Therefore, allowing for one-off exceptions, rather than blanket, citywide changes would be more targeted and appropriate.

Let’s continue to encourage shoppers to come back to our existing neighborhood business districts!

More Info:

_ Links to Council Bill 120001 and an analyst memo, CLICK HERE.

_ For the press release supporting CB 120001, CLICK HERE.

_ For an article by the Seattle Times, CLICK HERE.

February 2021

Friends and Neighbors,

In addition to advancing legislation in February, I toured our aging University Bridge that connects several District 4 neighborhoods to the rest of our city; visited with the owner of small businesses in Eastlake; participated in an online meeting of the Maple Leaf Community Council; and appeared on the Seattle Channel’s “Council Edition” program. I continue to work hard to support District 4 residents and small businesses through the pandemic. This newsletter contains updates on that work as well as other developments in transportation, public safety, and our homelessness response.

IN DISTRICT 4

Another commendable response to winter snowstorms

During the snowstorm earlier this month, I was impressed to see our University District Farmers Market still operating! We are so fortunate to have a hearty, year-round market — every Saturday morning on “The Ave” at NE 50^th Street.  I want to thank all the city government work crews and their managers for working around the clock that weekend, especially those departments we see at my Committee:  the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) with help from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) clearing arterial roads and Seattle City Light (SCL) restoring power.  It is a testament to our Mayor Jenny Durkan and her team that they were, once again, so prepared and then so ably launched into action – just as they did during last year’s snowstorm.  This is your local government doing the important, basic work it was meant to do.

For information about the February 2021 snowstorm and useful information on preparing for future storms, CLICK HERE.

Supporting transportation connections: University Bridge tour

This month I ventured inside and underneath the aging University Bridge, which connects the University District, Roosevelt, and Wallingford to Eastlake and downtown. I’d like to thank SDOT for arranging the bridge tour and for the bridge operator who welcomed us. She popped out to say Hello before we walked underneath the bridge to examine some of the components which are still operating after 100 years!  This major transit bridge was ranked in “Poor” condition by the City Auditor in his report that we ordered last year after the West Seattle Bridge closed due to cracking. In a city carved by waterways, the University Bridge is just one of many examples of bridge projects that need more money if we want to take care of the basics and keep all modes of travel moving as our economy reopens and recovers.  I will continue to advocate for us to prioritize more funding for bridges across our city. CLICK HERE to read the City Auditor’s report. Some stakeholders who want to use transportation dollars for purposes other than bridges often claim that fixing our bridges costs too much to make a difference with the various pots of money that we have. But I believe we can – and should — be strategic. For example, we now know that our City’s older bridges with moveable parts (such as the University, Ballard, Fremont, and Spokane bridges) have immediate needs of just $8 million to replace their aging components. Why not replace those old components RIGHT NOW before they fail?  When draw bridges / bascule bridges / swing bridges get stuck, they prevent all modes of transportation — including buses and bikes — which could impede Seattle’s fragile economic recovery.

District 4 transit projects are moving forward

• TRANSIT: Test trains are now running from UW Husky Stadium Station through both the Brooklyn Ave / U District station and the Roosevelt station, thanks to funding from the Sound Transit 2 measure approved by generous voters in 2008! I am so excited for the game-changing mobility these stations will offer District 4 residents when they open this September. Read more HERE and HERE.
• 520 BRIDGE: The 520 bridge will be closed westbound from 11:00 pm on Friday, February 26 through 5:00 am on Monday, March 1 and eastbound between 11:00 pm on Friday, March 5 and 5:00 am on Monday, March 8. CLICK HERE to learn more about the closures and the Montlake Project.
• 15^TH AVE NE REPAVE: Starting February 25, SDOT is hosting monthly virtual office hours to answer questions about the 15^th Ave NE paving project, which includes bike lanes to connect riders to Roosevelt High School and the incoming light rail at Roosevelt. (No small businesses should be negatively impacted by these bike lanes.) The office hours will take place 3:00-4:00 pm the fourth Thursday of each month and THIS LINK has the details for attending.

Disappointing decision by Kroger Company to shut down two of its 15 Seattle stores

I was very disappointed by the recent decision of the Cincinnati-based Kroger Company to shut down on April 24 two of their 15 QFC stores in Seattle, including the beloved QFC in Wedgwood.

As soon as I learned of this (February 16), I called Corporate Affairs at Kroger/QFC to ask if they would reconsider. They confirmed that both stores had been already underperforming financially. While Kroger’s November 2020 financial statements show the company sitting on over $2 billion in cash and larger chain stores typically have the “economies of scale” to handle temporary financial fluctuations, Kroger seeks to have each store stand on its own profits, which is difficult because grocers typically operate with thin margins. Despite the “cause and effect” framing by some local media outlets, the City Council’s recent decision to require temporary hazard pay to frontline grocery workers during the rest of the COVID pandemic was not the cause of the closures, but rather solidified and potentially sped up the inevitable.

Kroger/QFC appreciated my reaching out and they are well aware of my ongoing efforts to provide a positive business environment for long-term employers in our city, including my votes against new payroll tax proposals during this recession and my recent economic strategy for an inclusive recovery. We discussed the extraordinary stress and uncertainty caused by the COVID pandemic, which makes our legislative votes as well as decisions by business owners more difficult and complex.

I offered to do whatever I could to help to retain the store and/or to have it reconstituted in some form.  I also connected with both the store manager to offer any assistance that we can provide and the union leaders representing the workers at both stores to ensure any transition to new workplaces within the Kroger family of companies happens as smoothly as possible. (I had already connected with the business community – as well as with labor leaders — prior to my vote on this temporary measure.)

I realize this detailed and nuanced explanation from an elected official makes no difference if a beloved store closes in our neighborhood. (I often shop at that QFC, too!) I will do whatever I can as the District City Councilmember to help secure a good grocery store there. (The store is located in District 4 at the border of District 5.)

The QFC will remain open at least through April 24 and, while not a permanent substitute for those shopping in person, nearby grocery stores include Safeway on 35th Avenue NE at NE 75th Street, the larger University Village QFC store, the PCC Market on 40th Avenue NE and NE 65th Street, and the Metropolitan Market at 5250 40th Avenue NE. The Traders Joe’s in the University District (5555 Roosevelt Way NE) is probably too far away for most Wedgwood residents, though fans of that store will often go the extra mile.

While this particular bill felt overly rushed, the pandemic has thrust us into a fluid and extraordinary emergency situation and I was able to get answers to the following key questions as I considered how to vote on the proposal:

• Is it a temporary measure? YES. (The bill calls for a review within 4 months. We need to make sure the bill sponsors keep their word to conduct that review and we need to speed vaccines to all front-line workers, including grocery workers.)
• Is it providing relief to frontline workers during COVID? YES
• Do my constituents generally support temporary measures providing relief to frontline workers during COVID? YES.
• Does it exempt struggling small businesses? YES.
• Have I consulted stakeholders (in this case, the business community and the labor union)? YES, though I wish I had more time to engage everyone.
• Did it pass review by our City Council’s Central Staff Analysts? YES.
• Did Mayor Durkan signal early support for the bill? YES.
• Does the final bill contain a provision that requires review of the impact after a few months? YES.

For additional context, here are the remarks made last month when this temporary COVID relief measure passed.

Councilmember Pedersen remarks, January 25, 2021 when the bill passed unanimously after the Mayor confirmed she supported it and would sign it: “After rapidly reviewing and researching this proposed ordinance to have larger grocery stores boost the pay of their frontline workers during the pandemic, I have decided to support it.  I consulted with both labor and employers.  I personally want to acknowledge that I think this legislation moved very fast. To hear the legislation at a Friday Committee and then adopt it on Monday can make it difficult for everyone to review it thoroughly. At the same time, I recognize we are in the midst of an public health and economic emergency and, therefore, would not want to further delay the temporary pay boost these workers should be receiving for the hazards they are facing until both shots of the vaccine are administered to everyone.  I will be voting Yes today. Thank you.”

Mayor Jenny Durkan remarks, January 29, 2021: “A disproportionate number of people of color are essential workers, and Seattle must continue to lead the way to provide relief and respect to those that have served our community throughout this pandemic. Grocery store workers have continued to work every day of this challenging time and I am glad we are finally able to recognize and compensate the effort that has kept stores open and communities fed over the past year.”

MORE INFO:

• For the February 16, 2021 Seattle Times article about Kroger’s announcement to close by April 24 the two QFC stores (Capitol Hill and Wedgwood), CLICK HERE.
• For statements from the bill’s sponsors in reaction to Kroger’s announcement on February 16, 2021, CLICK HERE and HERE.
• For Mayor Durkan’s January 29, 2021 press release celebrating the passage of Council’s bill which would go into effect February 3, 2021, CLICK HERE.
• For a link to Council Bill 119990, the “Grocery Employee Hazard Pay Ordinance,” which the Council adopted January 25, 2021 CLICK HERE.
• For some historical perspective, check out this 2012 piece called “Groceries and Growth in Wedgwood” by the blog called Wedgwood in Seattle History: CLICK HERE.

Ongoing work of the Clean City Initiative

The Clean City Initiative is a new effort from Mayor Jenny Durkan investing an initial $3 million  to clean up our city. The Initiative pulls together and expands efforts from Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and Seattle Department of Transportation to address the backlog by activating additional SPU litter routes, paying greater attention to parks, increased trash pick-up from encampments and additional needle collection efforts.

“We cherish our parks and so I’m pleased to see our Clean City Initiative boosting removal of graffiti, garbage, and needles,” said Councilmember Alex Pedersen (District 4). “Litter and illegal dumping have increased in our beautiful city during the pandemic and we all want to see a cleaner Seattle.  To see the benefits of the Clean City Initiative firsthand, I joined a crew to pick up trash in the heart of our district a few weeks ago. The challenge is enormous, but having multiple departments working together to clean up our city is the kind of back-to-basics approach Seattle desperately needs to emerge stronger than ever.” 

The Clean City Initiative can improve its focus further with reports from the public, so please call 206-684-CITY or use the “Find It, Fix It” smartphone app report issues to your city government. Learn more about the app HERE.

 

Lyles case is finally proceeding

The case of the tragic killing in 2017 of Charleena Lyles (a District 4 resident) by two Seattle police officers still needs action. There is a promising new headline regarding the case: “Appeals Court Rules Charleena Lyles Wrongful-Death Suit Against Seattle Police Can Proceed.” For the Seattle Times article from February 16, 2021, CLICK HERE.  In addition, King County needs to complete the inquest into her killing. Back in August 2020,  a King County Superior Court judge August 21 unfortunately ruled in favor of other King County jurisdictions challenging the reformed inquest process established by our King County Executive. One of the key demands of Lyles family members is to allow the inquest to proceed, as they reiterated at the vigil I attended for her in June 2020. The City of Seattle thankfully withdrew its challenge of the inquest process and I sent a demand letter to the other jurisdictions calling on them to allow the process to proceed. That tragedy also reinforces the need for trained professionals other than armed police officers to respond to those who need help in many situations — a key rationale for re-imagining public safety. 
 

Supporting D4 businesses through the pandemic

During the pandemic, I have been able to interview several owners of small businesses in our District 4 to hear their struggles and find ways for government to be supportive.  As we rollout the COVID vaccines and our economy re-opens, I hope you can mask up and venture out to your favorite local stores and restaurants. Our District is full of special local businesses such as Eastlake’s 14 Carrot Café, JuneBaby restaurant in Ravenna (see photo), The Bryant Corner Cafe, Rick’s Big Time Brewery on The Ave in the University District (see “streetery” photo), Uncle Lee’s Kitchen between Laurelhurst and Hawthorne Hills, and Wedgwood Barbershop. Some small businesses have had to adapt during the pandemic or find a new niche to survive. For example, as more and more people work remotely and as small businesses move ahead without fulltime, inhouse IT employees, they can thrive by engaging the friendly and talented local computer professionals from Roosevelt’s Progressive Tech to take care of all their technology needs.  For a list of many small businesses open throughout D4 and Seattle, explore this website https://intentionalist.com/ “to find and support local businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop.”

New Bill to Loosen Land Use Restrictions in Residential Areas for Small Businesses

Other Councilmembers introduced a new bill this past Monday, February 22 that would, for at least the next 12 months, remove several existing land use restrictions to allow more small businesses to be run out of homes/garages in residential areas.  Thanks to the Committee Chair Dan Strauss, both Councilmember Debora Juarez and I were able to ask all our questions. You can watch the committee meeting on Seattle Channel by CLICKING HERE (and going to 1:21:00). To review Council Bill 120001 and other materials, CLICK HERE.  We look forward to a memo from City Council’s “Central Staff” analyst before the next Land Use & Neighborhoods Committee on March 10. To communicate your views on Council Bill 120001, you can email all 9 Councilmembers at council@seattle.gov

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IN THE NEWS

I enjoyed appearing on the Seattle Channel’s Council Edition program with my colleagues Councilmembers Juarez and Strauss last week. CLICK HERE to watch our wide-ranging discussion on our city’s award-winning municipal television station. Thanks for having us, Brian Callanan!
Here is some more local media from the past month if you have an extra few minutes:

• My letter to the editor about the steps we’ve taken to boost public transit published in the Seattle Times – CLICK HERE.
• My Seattle Times Op Ed with an economic strategy that involves working with Seattle employers instead of against them – CLICK HERE.
• I was quoted in the Seattle Medium about the Clean City Initiative – CLICK HERE.

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TRANSPORTATION & UTILITIES

City Council approves Transit Service Agreement for more bus service

On Monday, February 22, City Council unanimously approved the legislation I sponsored to renew and improve our Transit Service Agreement with King County Metro for expanded and reliable bus service throughout Seattle. After voters overwhelmingly approved funds (0.15% sales tax) for our Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD), we needed to update this intergovernmental agreement to guide how we allocate additional bus service hours and get more people back onto transit as our economy recovers and our regional transportation networks grow. King County is poised to approve the same document. Every year we will review the details, in case any future changes are needed. In my next newsletter, I hope to share more details about some of the other “puzzle pieces” of the Transportation Benefit District, namely how we will invest both one-time and ongoing Vehicle Licensing Fee (VLF) revenues. In my role as Transportation Chair, I am committed to finding truly regional solutions to fund and operate our infrastructure and transit systems (both light rail and bus networks), because fracturing transportation systems by each jurisdiction could become overly inefficient and impede our regional economy. 

To read the legislation and see the presentation to the City Council, CLICK HERE

For an excellent article by the “The Urbanist” blog regarding the Transit Service Agreement and other STBD-related issues, CLICK HERE.

Transportation Tidbits

• Take King County Metro’s survey to help them plan post-COVID-19 bus service decisions! Read more about the survey at THIS LINK and give your input at THIS LINK.
• The Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board is looking for three new members. You can learn about the opportunity and how to apply at THIS LINK.
• King County Metro is working to install mask dispensers on its entire bus fleet by the end of March. You can read more at THIS LINK.

An Electrifying Opportunity:  City Light Review Panel Seeks a Residential Customer Representative

The City Light Review Panel is seeking a candidate to represent our residential rate-paying customers. The Review Panel plays an important role in providing input and engagement of City Light ratepayers in the development and review of the utility’s biennial update to the six-year Strategic Plan. The Review Panel is also tasked with reviewing electricity rate proposals, assessing City Light’s electricity rate design, and considering the implementation of cost allocation changes among customer classes. The current vacant panel position is designated for a City Light “Residential Customer representative,” preferably with knowledge and interest in the electricity industry. City Light is committed to racial diversity and inclusion in recruitment for this position. CLICK HERE and HERE to learn more. To be considered, please send a letter of interest and resume by Friday, March 19, 2021 to SCL_CLRPquestions@seattle.gov.

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CRUSHING COVID

Ongoing vaccine distribution work

PUBLIC SAFETY

Federal Court Judge rebukes City Council

At a recent hearing with the federal court overseeing the consent decree that requires and monitors Seattle Police Department (SPD) reforms, Judge Robart “…took the Council to task for announcing a 50% reduction in SPD with headcount and salary cuts ‘without talking to the police and ignorance to the consequences…” (as reported by SCC Insight).  Even with  Judge Robart’s caution to the City Council regarding further budget cuts,  the Council’s Public Safety Committee on February 23 again entertained a $5.4 million cut to SPD.  As I have previously shared, I believe the most critical path toward police reform is to revamp the inflexible and expensive police union contract. I explain my concerns below…

Continued concerns about proposal to cut more from Seattle Police before alternatives are ready

Earlier this week, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee discussed a controversial proposal to cut more from the Seattle Police Department.  As I mentioned in my newsletter last month, I oppose more cuts to Seattle Police at this time. I will continue to demand accountability from our police department and to attack institutional racism and, at the same time, I am deeply concerned that some City Council colleagues are considering harsher cuts now to Seattle Police with Council Bill 119981 — even after an alarming number of SPD officers are leaving the department and before we have a detailed public safety plan. Let’s first receive research results and put in place proven emergency response safety alternatives – such as hiring enough mental health professionals to respond to certain crisis calls 24/7.

To explain my reasoning in greater detail, please see my blog post titled “Twelve Reasons to Oppose More Cuts to Seattle Police at this Time,” please CLICK HERE.  Here’s a quick summary list:

1. To deliver justice and save money, let’s focus now on revamping the police contract – it’s expired!
2. We need a plan, not a percentage.
3. We need alternatives in place first.
4. Studies show we have too few officers already.
5. We need sufficient police budget and staff to comply with required reforms.
6. We need more SPD staff to comply with public disclosure requests.
7. We need to restore community policing efforts.
8. Officer are leaving SPD at alarming rate (attrition of 186 officers in 2020; net loss of 135).
9. The City Charter requires adequate police protection in each district.
10. 911 response times have slowed.
11. Some crime stats are up.
12. While the State legislature is meeting now, let’s focus on getting statewide reforms enacted.

For the details underlying each these points, please CLICK HERE for the full blog post.

The new reforms monitor for the federal consent decree, Antonio Oftelie, stated similar sentiments in his February 24 Op Ed in the Seattle Times (CLICK HERE): “For the City Council, mayor and other city stakeholders, taking a long-term view will be essential. Knee-jerk and short-term responses to long-term public safety challenges risk setting the city back. Through the consent decree, the city made a set of binding promises about how SPD will promote public safety. Compliance with the decree requires that the city provide resources necessary to carry out those promises. Stripping away funding from SPD without meaningfully standing up the alternative community resources and social programs necessary to provide for community well-being risks undermining the progress that Seattle has made over the past eight years.”

You can communicate your views on Council Bill 119981 (or the police budget in general) to all 9 Councilmembers at the same time by e-mailing to council@seattle.gov

Ongoing state police reform efforts

Last week I raised the importance of Senator Jesse Salomon’s bill SB 5134, which was the strongest police reform bill because it removed private arbitration for those carry a gun.  It’s a shame that SB 5134 did not advance and, since our meeting last week, The Seattle Times published an editorial that also supports SB 5134. SB 5134 was supported strongly by the ACLU and I hope to see it back again next year.  In the meantime, the lack of support from other State legislators and interest groups for the strongest reforms did not do any favors for our labor negotiators here in Seattle who may now have a harder time crafting a just police contract, which expired two months ago.  (To be clear SB 5134 is much stronger than SB 5055 because SB 5134 would have eliminated a complex arbitration appeal process that has historically allowed police officers who committed misconduct to be reinstated to their jobs.)

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HOMELESSNESS

I want to acknowledge the many concerns my office has been hearing from constituents about the rise in homelessness they are seeing in the parks, greenways, and sidewalks (unsheltered homelessness). As some of you may know, the COVID pandemic has made things worse for our homelessness crisis, partly because the shelters had to be “de-intensified” to create social-distancing space, which resulted in their capacity decreasing dramatically.  In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued guidance during the COVID pandemic that said, “If individual housing options are not available, allow people who are living unsheltered or in encampments to remain where they are. Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers. This increases the potential for infectious disease spread.”  This is on top of the 2018 9^th Circuit Court case (Boise, Idaho, but affecting West Coast) that many believe reduces the ability of public agencies to move those living unsheltered unless there are clear housing alternatives for them.

Currently City Hall is knitting together various interventions (listed below), but ultimately we need everyone vaccinated so that we can maximize the use of our shelter space and we need more supportive services for behavioral health challenges (mental health and substance use disorder/addiction) as we strive to create a sufficient amount of affordable housing for those with extremely low or no income. We also need to do a better job preventing economic displacement and homelessness in the first place. Here is the current patchwork of efforts to reduce homelessness, which I believe we must improve:

• Seattle’s Human Services Department programs:  Continue to invest over $100 million per year from the City government (which includes pass-through from the federal government, but does not include “public housing” from the public housing authorities) to house and help those experiencing homeless – in addition to the funding our King County government spends. (City Operating budgets for Human Services Department page 184 and Office of Housing, Low-Income Multifamily Housing page 248).  This includes contracts to nonprofits to serve those experiencing homelessness and to prevent homelessness. These contacts must be performance-based so we ensure our tax dollars are being used effectively to help people stay out of homelessness.
• Outreach:  As you may recall, I did not support the vote of the majority of the Council to dismantle the inter-departmental (“Navigation”) team that engaged with unauthorized homeless encampments. As part of the recently approved 2021 budget, funding was included for an untested, less centralized outreach model called “Homelessness Outreach and Provider Ecosystem” (HOPE). Thankfully, the Council adopted my amendment to make sure we measure the results of this new effort so that we can gauge its effectiveness.
• Shelter Surge: Mayor Durkan’s Deputy Mayor Casey Sixkiller is overseeing a “shelter surge” during 2021, including use of vacant hotel space aiming for 125 hotel rooms, plus 300 shelter beds, for a total of 425 additional spots.  The Mayor released a press release February 23 regarding 350 new units of shelter, which is a step in the right direction.  To view the press release, CLICK HERE.
• Tiny Home Villages:  Chair of the Homelessness Strategies Committee (Councilmember Andrew Lewis) is proposing several new Tiny Home Villages in addition to the one I am shepherding in the University District. This will hopefully alleviate some of the suffering in the parks and near I-5.
• New Regional Authority:  We must quickly staff the new Regional Homelessness Authority because a regional problem needs a regional solution and the surrounding cities in King County are not pulling their own weight or helping those whose homelessness may have originated there. After months of delay, RHA finally picked a CEO earlier this month, but unfortunately, she declined the job offer this week. We need a qualified CEO in that position ASAP. I look forward to working with that sorely needed regional leader.
• More Permanent Housing:  Continue to build permanent affordable housing from our Seattle Housing Levy (approximately 2,400 new units per year), which includes a range of 240 to 450 permanent SUPPORTIVE housing units for chronically homeless suffering from behavioral health challenges. Regarding the new legislation sponsored by Councilmember Lewis to speed the production of permanent supportive housing, I was grateful to colleagues for adopting all three of my amendments at the Homelessness Committee this past week. Due to my amendments, we will encourage broadband internet in low income housing, require at least one community meeting for new projects, and ensure that critical human services are made available to residents of the new projects that skip the design review process.

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

With gratitude,

 

 

Councilmember Alex Pedersen
Seattle City Council, District 4

Email: Alex.Pedersen@seattle.gov
Find It, Fix It

JUNE 1, 2021 UPDATE: Council Bill 119981, thankfully, failed by a vote of 3 to 6. Councilmembers who voted against the bill had various reasons for voting NO, as explained in an article by SCC Insight: CLICK HERE. Here are my reasons:

Councilmember Alex Pedersen’s Statement on City Council Narrowly Rejecting Council Bill 119981 on June 1, 2021

“I’ve worked hard to be clear and consistent for my constituents: at this time, I cannot support additional cuts to public safety until effective alternatives are in place. This Council Bill is complex but, at the end of the day, it continues to reduce resources from our police department at a time when we are seeing record-breaking attrition of officers, so I will be voting No. I believe it’s premature to label the loss of police officers through attrition as budgetary “savings” that can be immediately scooped away and spent elsewhere. The record-breaking attrition of officers is alarming and response times to priority 911 calls are too long. By the end of the year, I want to be sure the department has the funds it needs to hire more crime prevention officers, to retain good officers, to ramp up recruitment of diverse and progressive officers, to implement the federal consent decree and heed the warnings of the federal judge and his monitor, to increase training, and to return experienced officers to their community policing work instead of working overtime on patrol. Yes, let’s lift the budget provisos to free up some of the dollars, but not by cutting more with the other hand.

“While I believe the intentions of the sponsors of the bill were positive, this bill has become a distraction since its conception six months ago. Despite the hard work of the Committee Chair to craft a compromise and the well-intentioned amendments, I believe this bill not only sends an unproductive and negative message to the remaining city government workers in the public safety field who are already stretched thin, but also steals time and attention away from the most impactful task at hand for justice and reform — and that’s revamping the inflexible and expensive contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild. Let’s get back to supporting the work of our Labor Relations Policy Committee, so they can revise the police contract in a way that is positive for the community, for the officers, for the budget, and for sustainable and systemic justice. Thank you.”

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FEBRUARY 11, 2021 (ORIGINAL POST):

After carefully considering Council Bill 119981, I issued the following statement the morning of Tuesday, February 9, 2021 prior to the start of the Seattle City Council’s Public Safety Committee meeting:

• “I will continue to demand accountability from our police department and to attack institutional racism and, at the same time, I am deeply concerned that several City Council colleagues are considering harsher cuts to our Seattle Police Department with Council Bill 119981 — even after an alarming number of SPD officers are leaving the department and before we have a detailed public safety plan. Let’s allow the time to receive research results and put in place proven emergency response safety alternatives – such as hiring enough mental health professionals to respond to certain crisis calls 24/7.”

• “Cutting more now and asking questions later is reckless and sends the wrong message that City leaders may be shirking their paramount duty to provide public safety under our Seattle City Charter.”

• “I will continue to implore my colleagues not to cut more from our public safety systems until we have plans and programs in place and to focus instead on revamping the expensive and inflexible police union contract that expired several weeks ago and to ask our State lawmakers to end harmful arbitration by supporting State Senate Bill 5134 (endorsed by the ACLU) instead of acquiescing to bills that are weaker on police reform.”

To reinforce my current stance on this important matter, here are 12 reasons to oppose further cuts to our Seattle Police Department at this time: 

TO DELIVER JUSTICE AND SAVE MONEY, REVAMP THE POLICE CONTRACT — it’s expired! Instead of bumper sticker slogans and blunt budget cuts, my research led me to conclude the true path to delivering justice, enhancing safety, and redeploying savings is to revamp the inflexible and expensive police union contract — which expired weeks ago. Instead of micromanaging the police budget after already cutting it by 20%, the Councilmembers on the Labor Relations Policy Committee should be spending all their spare time getting to the heart of the matter: a police contract worthy of our city’s progressive and practical values to achieve true safety in all communities.

WE NEED A PLAN, NOT A PERCENTAGE: I support funding several proven community safety alternatives to traditional policing, but I did NOT pledge to “defund” SPD by a dramatic 50%, because I concluded that was an impractical and arbitrary number not tied to any specific community safety goals. After last year’s partial defunding of our Seattle Police Department by approximately 20% (which is more than the percentage reduced from the Minneapolis Police Department), some Seattle Councilmembers are disturbingly proposing to cut more: Council Bill 119981 would cut $5.4 million more from our police department’s 2021 Budget. Cutting more now without effective alternatives in place first is reckless.

NEED ALTERNATIVES IN PLACE FIRST:  While I voted in favor of reallocating tens of millions of dollars from SPD to other crime prevention strategies, many of those community-driven alternatives are not yet crafted or have not had time to grow to the scale needed to serve Seattle 24/7. We are naturally still awaiting the final results from both the Mayor’s Equitable Communities Initiative Task Force and from the sole-source contract awarded by Council President Gonzalez and Councilmembers Herbold, Mosqueda, and Morales to the local Black Brilliance Project organization(s) . Ideally, those two efforts coordinate with each other, consult a statistically significant number of people impacted by policing, and invest the time necessary to confirm which alternatives and supplements to traditional policing are going to be effective in increasing safety and reducing harm.  Therefore, for the safety of all communities, I believe we should not further cut our police staffing before these alternatives and supplements are in place and working well. In addition to a common sense approach to have the replacement in place before you cut more, we’re being instructed by the federal judge who on February 4, 2021 said, “…You can’t simply charge off in a direction without knowing what the consequences are, and having in place plans to replace essential services currently being provided by the police. If you do that, then you start to violate provisions in the court’s consent decree.”

STUDIES SHOW WE HAVE TOO FEW OFFICERS ALREADY: If our City government’s labor negotiators can produce a more efficient police contract soon, we can save money while still retaining a sufficient number of police officers for community safety. Both the 2020 analysis by the Seattle Times and the 2016 consultant report by Berkshire confirmed Seattle has a shortage of officers per capita as compared to other cities.  Whenever someone calls 9-1-1 for help from the police, someone has to respond – and that means having sufficient officers available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year able to respond quickly across the 83 square miles of our city.

As reported in The Guardian March 2021, “The Rev Harriet Walden, a Seattle advocate who has long fought for police accountability, said she was worried about rising crime rates and feared defunding efforts could leave some Black communities and victims of violence vulnerable: ‘Crime is escalating … and people aren’t going to get arrested or charged.’ Walden said she supported reforms that made it easier to fire officers who violate policies or brutalize people, but that she didn’t want fewer police overall.”

NEED SUFFICIENT POLICE BUDGET AND STAFF TO COMPLY WITH REQUIRED REFORMS:  We need ample positions filled at SPD to implement the reforms of the consent decree required by the Obama-Biden Administrations and over seen by the federal courts (Judge Robart).  Even the City Attorney Pete Holmes acknowledged the potential problem with additional reductions to SPD, noting on February 4, 2021 to the federal judge, “The City recognizes that additional, major reductions to SPD’s staffing could threaten to undermine Consent Decree reforms in areas such as supervision, training, and use of force reporting, investigation, and review. The City will work with the Monitor [of the Consent Decree] and DOJ [Biden’s U.S. Department of Justice] to help prevent that outcome.”  The Monitoring Plan for compliance with the consent decree reforms filed by Dr. Antonio Oftelie on February 4, 2021 (Item 47) uses similar language:  “At the same time, the City recognizes that major reductions to SPD’s funding or staffing could threaten to undermine substantial compliance with the Consent Decree requirements in these areas: supervision; training; crisis intervention; data tracking and analysis; and use of force reporting, investigation, and review.”

NEED SPD STAFF TO COMPLY WITH PUBLIC DISCLOSURE REQUESTS:  Cutting more from SPD will make it hard to comply not only with the reforms required by the federal consent decree but also with the good government Public Disclosure Act. On February 9, 2021, the Seattle Times reported on the growing backlogs to public disclosure requests from the media and others seeking police reports, body camera footage, etc. SPD has been asking for more resources to comply with the information requests; therefore, cutting the department’s budget could make it harder to comply with that important sunshine law.

NEED TO RESTORE COMMUNITY POLICING:  Due to cuts initiated by a majority of the City Council followed by unprecedented attrition of officers leaving the department, Interim Chief Diaz concluded he needed to divert Community Policing Officers away from their crime-solving and crime prevention duties to staff patrol car shifts that to respond to emergency crimes in progress.  We need sufficient staffing and budgets to return the Community Policing Officers to their neighborhoods where their on-the-ground knowledge to recognize crime trends block-by-block and their community connections to prevent spikes in burglaries and other crimes is vital for crime prevention and community safety.

ALARMING ATTRITION:

Despite the need for an adequate number of officers, we are heading in the opposite direction due to attrition (officers leaving). Some have argued that we should not allow SPD to spend the $5.4 million if any of those dollars are needed to for overtime costs because Section 7 of Resolution 31962 stated, “The City Council will not support any budget amendments to increase the SPD’s budget to offset overtime expenditures above the funds budgeted in 2020 or 2021.” Like my colleagues, I have been frustrated by SPD overspending its overtime budget year after year. Assuming we budget sufficient overtime to begin with, requiring SPD to stick to their overtime budget is generally good policy.  But we must not ignore the reality of the extraordinary circumstances that have arisen.  Since the Council adopted the Resolution in August 2020, the pace of officers departing has nearly tripled with total annual attrition (for the year 2020) breaking a new record at 186 officers departing (with 51 new officers, net decrease is 135). 

The main point of that non-binding Resolution, as its title suggests, was establishing “Council’s intent to create a civilian-led Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention.” That Department would manage the crime prevention and harm-reduction alternatives and supplements to traditional policing once they are crafted and/or scaled up — while our city would still have a reformed and effective police department to deal with violent and other emergencies. Moreover, that same Resolution also stated in Section 4(C) that the Department must “Stay in compliance with the [federally required] consent decree, including maintaining sufficient qualified, first line field supervisors” and Section 4(D) “Make no layoff decisions that conflict with City Charter obligations including the need to maintain adequate patrol staffing in every district.” Since the Council adopted this aspirational Resolution in August 2020, circumstances changed dramatically with (as stated earlier) the pace of officers departing breaking a new record.  We should be alarmed that highly trained officers are leaving the department at rates much higher than anticipated last year. Rather than addressing the sudden staffing shortage, Council Bill 119981 would essentially scoop away more dollars that are desperately needed now to fill empty patrol shifts with overtime.  Failing to see the sharp changes and acknowledge the new reality of attrition — and the need to backfill lost positions with overtime funding — is a failure to manage our public safety system for the residents and businesses of Seattle.

CITY CHARTER RESPONSIBILITY:  Cutting more now but asking questions later is reckless and sends a message that the City Council is shirking its paramount duty to provide public safety.  Article VI, Section 1 of the Seattle City Charter states, “There shall be maintained adequate police protection in each district of the City.”

RESPONSE TIMES HAVE SLOWED:

(UPDATE: On March 9, 2021, SPD finally presented their data on police response times at the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, CLICK HERE. This data confirmed the disturbing increase in police response times, as originally posted here on February 11.)

911 response times have jumped to a dangerously high level. As part of our budget sessions last year, I requested a report on 9-1-1 response times because we need that basic data when considering major changes and because there have been valid concerns that budget cuts would negatively impact how quickly police respond to emergency calls. That report was due January 1, 2021, but SPD informed us it would be delivered at the end of February 2021 instead. Fortunately, former Councilmember and Mayor Tim Burgess assembled this vital data himself and published it. The results, thus far, are troubling.

As Burgess, a former police officer, noted in his research, “Priority 1 incidents involve life-threatening crimes in progress such as shootings and stabbings and other assaults, serious injury vehicle collisions, and other highly dangerous situations requiring police immediately. The performance standard is to have an officer on the scene of these highest priority events, on average, within 7 minutes — a very long time if you are seriously injured in a collision, or you’re awakened at night by someone breaking into your home.  In 2020, citywide, Seattle officers needed an average of 9 minutes and 41 seconds to arrive on scene for Priority 1 dispatches. As shown in the chart below, Priority 1 average response times failed to meet the 7-minute standard in every police precinct throughout the city.”

SOME CRIME STATS UP:  People tend to cherry-pick statistics to make whatever point they want and I’ll try hard not to fall into that trap. I think it is, however, prudent not to ignore crime rates when deciding how to fund or operate our public safety systems.  It would be like government regulators ignoring statistics for airplane crashes when deciding whether to change airline safety standards.  While I am not currently attributing an increase in certain crime categories in 2020 to the budget cuts made in the second half of 2020, I believe it’s important to consider these trends before making additional cuts to the police department.

• Homicides UP by 49% (per SPD’s Crime Dashboard, see below).
• Violent Crime down by 2%.
• Burglaries up 35%.

LET’S GET THE STATE TO ENACT REFORMS, TOO:  Instead of micromanaging the police budget after already cutting it by 20%, we should be encouraging State government legislators to enact police reforms before they adjourn in April. Better baseline police accountability from Olympia strengthen our hand in Seattle because, if the reforms are imposed statewide (like requiring officers to wear body cameras), then we don’t need to negotiate and pay for such common sense measures every time we update the labor contract here in Seattle. We can instead focus on saving money (to retain a sufficient number of officers) and deepening other reforms.  Even now, forces across the political spectrum in Olympia are attempting to water-down the strongest police reforms to preserve complex arbitration rules that allow bad cops to stay. We should instead encourage State lawmakers to end harmful arbitration for city employees who carry guns by supporting State Senate Bill 5134 (endorsed by the ACLU) instead of acquiescing to bills (such as Senate Bill 5055) that are clearly weaker on police reform.

Additional Resources:

POLICE BUDGET:

• For Council Bill 119981, introduced by Councilmembers Herbold and Mosqueda on December 10, 2020, to cut the additional $5.4 million, CLICK HERE. This includes links to analysis memos.  The Council Bill was scheduled for discussion at both the January 26 and February 9, 2021 Public Safety Committee, but held both times for potential discussion later.

• For February 10, 2021 editorial by the Seattle Times against Council Bill 199981, CLICK HERE.

• For the original December 17, 2020 Seattle Times article on Council Bill 119981, CLICK HERE.

MISDEMEANOR CRIMES: It appears that the proposal to provide an additional defense to those committing misdemeanor crimes has been shelved for now. For my concerns with that proposal, CLICK HERE.

OTHER BLOG POSTS:  For my ongoing and high-level support for funding effective alternatives to traditional policing, combating institutional racism, and securing a police contract that saves money and delivers justice, CLICK HERE.

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January 2021

Friends and Neighbors,

Welcome to our first newsletter of 2021! As we continue to tackle the COVID crisis, I believe Seattle can emerge from this pandemic stronger — if we all row together.

I outlined what our city can do to achieve an inclusive economic recovery in the Seattle Times last week. Below you can read my Op Ed on economic recovery as well as updates on the pressing priorities of public safety, homelessness, COVID vaccines and, of course, our dynamic District 4.

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NATIONAL REFLECTION

Amanda Gorman’s poem at the presidential inauguration, January 20, 2021.

To honor the national holiday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I joined thousands of Seattleites in the annual march from Garfield High School to the King County Administration Building. Later that day, I watched the recent PBS documentary “Against All Odds: The Fight for a Black Middle Class” by journalist Bob Herbert (CLICK HERE)  and listened again to the last speech of Dr. King, which you can listen to by CLICKING HERE. Having participated in MLK marches starting decades ago as a student, it can be discouraging to think how far we still need to go as a nation and, yet, this month’s march in solidarity during these tumultuous times seemed to strengthen everyone’s resolve.

The inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on January 20, 2021 was an important turning point for our nation and our city. In case you missed it, I hope you can listen to the inspiring poem by Amanda Gorman delivered on the steps of our U.S. Capitol Building.

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ACHIEVING AN INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC RECOVERY

Photo from ENR Northwest, June 2020: NOT Councilmember Pedersen underneath West Highrise Seattle Bridge. The bridge stabilization work is done, which enabled the long-term repair work to begin. There’s much more work to do on bridges throughout Seattle — which can create jobs for our economic recovery.

Here is my complete Op-Ed published in The Seattle Times on Friday, January 22:

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PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATES

Concerns About Proposal to Cut More from Seattle Police Before Community Safety Alternatives Ready

Number of Police Officers in Seattle: graph from City Council Central Staff, January 2021

Burglaries are up 34% in our North Precinct when comparing 2020 and 2019, as shown in this City of Seattle Crime Dashboard. To view the dashboard (and use the dropdown menus to look at different years, crimes, and areas of the city), CLICK HERE.

Graph: Seattle Police Department, January 2021

After last year defunding the Seattle Police Department by approximately 20% (which is more than even the Minneapolis Police Department), some Seattle Councilmembers are disturbingly proposing to cut more. On January 26, 2021 the Seattle City Council Public Safety Committee was scheduled to discuss CB 119981, which would cut $5.4 million more from our police department’s 2021 Budget. I have several concerns about additional cuts at this time.

This cut proposed by other Councilmembers would come not only on top of the 20% cut by a majority of City Council in 2020, but also after we received new data showing attrition of SPD officers leaving the department at an all-time high. As more officers depart, there are concerns about an increase in 911 response times and a lack of response to some Priority 2, 3, and 4 calls.

Additional impacts of these proposed cuts could also include: difficulty in hiring diverse officers, long-term reassignment of Community Policing Officers away from crime-solving work, reduced ability to hire civilian support like Crime Prevention Coordinators, and reduced enforcement of speed limits that keep pedestrians safe, especially as schools and stores re-open.  Moreover, we need to face the unfortunate reality that, with so many more officers leaving SPD than expected, overtime funds are needed temporarily to make sure all shifts are filled 24/7.

As is well-known, I did not pledge to “defund” SPD by the arbitrary 50%. Instead, after researching the issues, I recognized that the true path to delivering justice, enhancing safety, and redeploying savings is to revamp the inflexible and expensive police union contract — which expired last month!  While I voted in favor of reallocating tens of millions of dollars from SPD to other crime prevention strategies, many of those community-driven alternatives are not fully crafted or have not had time to grow to scale. Therefore, for the safety of all communities, I believe we should not further cut our police staffing before these alternative supports are in place and working well.

A second hearing on CB 119981 is scheduled for February 9, 2021. To call in to provide comments at that 9:30 Public Safety & Human Services Committee, CLICK HERE to register online. You can also email all 9 Councilmembers at any time at Council@seattle.gov.

For recent memos on this from both the City Council’s public safety analyst and from our Seattle Police Department’s budget director, CLICK HERE.

 

The Importance of our Community Policing Commission

Our D4 budget town hall last year welcomed the co-chair of the Community Policing Commission (CPC) the Reverend Aaron Williams.  We recently checked in with the staff of the CPC to discuss the most pressing police accountability issues.  The vision of the CPC: “communities and Seattle’s police aligned in shared goals of safety, respect, and accountability.” The mission of the CPC: It “listens to, amplifies, and builds common ground among communities affected by policing in Seattle. We champion policing practices centered in justice and equity.”  Here are some key links to learn more:

• Fighting for statewide police reforms – Community Police Commission | seattle.gov
• SPD’s proposed policy changes – Community Police Commission | seattle.gov
• Recommendations and Reports – Community Police Commission | seattle.gov

The City of Seattle established the CPC by ordinance and it began work in 2013. Under landmark Accountability Legislation adopted in 2017, the CPC was made permanent, its scope of responsibilities and authority broadened, and the number of Commissioners increased. While it continues to be responsible for its obligations related to the Consent Decree, it now is mandated also to provide ongoing, community-based oversight of SPD and the police accountability system. Thank you, CPC!

 

State-Wide Police Accountability and Reforms to Help Seattle

You can help support police accountability and reform across our state by tracking key bills addressing arbitration reform. While some claim Senate Bill 5055 (CLICK HERE) is “reform,” it’s clear that Senate Bill 5134 (CLICK HERE) is the strongest version, especially for disciplining police misconduct. CLICK HERE to contact your State Representatives and encourage them to pass the strongest police reform measures. I commend our State Senator Jamie Pedersen (43rd legislative district) for the strong reforms he has crafted, including his leadership on SB 5134. For some additional background on key reform measures, CLICK HERE.

In addition to fixing the disciplinary system statewide AND making it easier to decertify police officers for misconduct, we need the state government in Olympia to raise the standard for accountability so that we no longer need to negotiate or pay for common sense baseline reforms with the Seattle Police Officers Guild. For example, while officers in Seattle already wear body cameras, body cameras are not required statewide. That means we need to spend time in Seattle negotiating to keep body cameras and providing expensive “premium pay” to officers who wear them. If body cameras are required everywhere in the State, then we don’t need to negotiate them in the next police contract and can redeploy those “premium pay” dollars to prevent crime with upstream programs such as behavioral health services and affordable housing.

 

Transportation Safety: Much More Work Needed for “Vision Zero” Goals

While crashes in 2020 decreased compared to 2019, the reduction in fatalities was disturbingly minimal considering how few vehicles were on the road since the March 2020 COVID shutdowns and how much SDOT has been doing to improve safety, such as lowering speed limits and improving crosswalk signals. For a Seattle Times article analyzing the initial results, CLICK HERE. For SDOT’s blog that contains the data and several graphs attempting to explain it, CLICK HERE. The Council’s Transportation & Utilities Committee will explore this more in 2021 and we all look forward to SDOT continuing to install safety improvements at dangerous locations, including Rainier Avenue South and State Highway 99 (Aurora).

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HOMELESSNESS UPDATE

Even though the annual One Night Count of homelessness is not happening this year due to the public health risks of the COVID pandemic, I share the concerns of District 4 residents that unsheltered homelessness in our streets, greenways, and parks has increased. As the Durkan Administration works to implement a surge in shelter funded by the City Council, as deeply affordable housing units are built by nonprofits funded by our Office of Housing, and as we move full speed ahead with another Tiny Home Village in District 4, we need more action and results,  I was glad to see two recent efforts by Councilmember Andrew Lewis, the Chair of our Homelessness Strategies and Investments Committee:

• Council Bill 119975: This proposed ordinance is being debated over the next couple of weeks and seeks to speed the construction of “permanent supportive housing” that is not only deeply affordable (serving those from 0% to 50% of the area median income), but also provides wrap-around services for residents with the greatest needs. My office is working on an amendment to ensure the legislation contains this critical connection to services for those experiencing homelessness.
• “It Takes a Village”: This initiative works with the private sector to raise the capital funding to create more Tiny Home Villages throughout Seattle. But Tiny Home Villages work only when operated by successful organizations and staffed by competent and compassionate case managers who connect the temporary residents to services and into permanent housing as it becomes available. How well these new villages are operated will be vital for the success of the people who move from their tents to the tiny homes. For more on Councilmember Lewis’ proposal, CLICK HERE.

In addition to more temporary shelter and permanent affordable housing, I believe we need stronger efforts from our region to address the behavioral health challenges engulfing so many people experiencing homelessness. The current efforts from King County government are clearly not sufficient to address the scale of mental health and addiction disorders. More emphasis is needed to scale up evidence-based strategies proven to work, so that those suffering the most get what they need in addition to housing to stabilize their lives and connect back to families, education, and jobs as our economy recovers from the COVID pandemic.

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IN DISTRICT 4

North Precinct Advisory Council

The North Precinct Advisory Council (NPAC) is a community organization devoted to promoting partnership between residents, schools, businesses, and the Seattle Police Department to effectively address public safety issues in North Seattle. On January 6, 2021 I participated in the NPAC meeting. You can review their meeting minutes by CLICKING HERE.

NPAC meetings are held remotely with Zoom on the first Wednesday of the month at 7pm. Learn more from their website by CLICKING HERE.

 

Fighting to Keep our Vital National Archives Here in the Northwest

Last week I participated in the public forum hosted by our Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson regarding the Trump Administration’s attempts to sell the national archives facility located on Sand Point Way in our District 4. Dozens spoke in favor of keeping the precious archives here in the Northwest and in support of Bob Ferguson’s litigation to prevent the sale proposed by the federal agencies. Here’s the statement I made at the public forum: “We must not allow the last gasps of the Trump Administration to cause any more harm and that means we must work together to save the archives by preserving these priceless historical records here in the Northwest. I am proud to support Attorney General Bob Ferguson, indigenous leaders, nonprofits and researchers protecting historical records, and fellow public officials including Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, and Councilmember Debora Juarez. Together we must stop the sale of the vital facility and  demand proper public process on how best to preserve these irreplaceable regional histories.”

For more information on the archives, CLICK HERE.

Councilmember Pedersen on January 19, 2021 joins Attorney General Bob Ferguson and dozens of others speaking in favor of preserving the archives here in the Northwest.

 

Continue to Help the Hungry in District 4 and Throughout Seattle

Councilmember Pedersen volunteering at FamilyWorks food bank in Wallingford during holiday season.  More at THIS LINK.

Even after the holiday season ends, food insecurity continues in our communities. In District 4, during the week of Christmas, I volunteered at the food bank FamilyWorks, which is located in Wallingford. Earlier in the year, volunteered at the U District Food Bank. I mention this because food banks continue to see high demand during the pandemic. This need was highlighted Saturday in a Seattle Times article entitled “Need for free food in Washington state has doubled, many groups report, as COVID-19 rips away jobs and security.”  I was humbled by witnessing the perseverance of those struggling in poverty to feed themselves and their loved ones.  I also appreciate the generous volunteers for allowing me to help and the leadership of those nonprofits for the essential work they provide to our communities.  Many thanks also to our own city government employees at our Human Services Department and Office of Sustainability & Environment for the work they do to provide food security to those most in need throughout Seattle. Even though the traditional season of giving has passed and the terrible year of 2020 is behind us, the number of families seeking assistance to avoid hunger continues to grow. If you are willing and able to help, please Google “Seattle food banks” to find a nonprofit near you that needs help, such as FamilyWorksSeattle.org or udistrictfoodbank.org.  Thank you.

 

Historic Blue Moon Tavern Featured in National Documentary “American Portrait.”

For a timely and close-to-home story of a historic District 4 business grappling with the COVID pandemic, see this Seattle Times article.

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COVID VACCINES: THE SHOT IN THE ARM WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR!

Essential medical workers in the COVID-19 ICU at Harborview Medical Center are among those receiving the first vaccinations. Photo by Mark Stone/University of Washington, Dec 15, 2020.

Vaccine Info Is Here

On Monday, Governor Inslee announced Phase 1B, Tier 1 of their vaccination plan:  people 65 and older (and people 50 and older who live in a multigenerational household) are eligible to be vaccinated now. The City is working with the state and other partners to increase our vaccine allocation so that we may stand up more vaccination sites.

• You can go to Washington State’s Phase Finder online tool to confirm your eligibility.
• If you have a doctor / health care provider, visit their website or call to see if they have vaccination appointments.
• If you don’t have a provider or if your provider doesn’t have the vaccine available, the state’s website will provide you with a list of possible vaccination locations.
• If you can’t use Phase Finder and have no one to assist you, call Washington state’s COVID-19 Assistance Hotline: Dial 1-800-525-0127, then press #. The hotline is available Monday-Friday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturday/Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

You can stay informed on what the Mayor and the City are doing with vaccines and rapid stand up of vaccination sites at THIS LINK.  For a Seattle Times article entitled, “What to do if you think you qualify for a COVID-19 vaccine — and what to do after you receive it,” CLICK HERE. To track how many vaccines have been administered, CLICK HERE (and scroll down) for the Department of Health COVID dashboard.

COVID Testing Is Still Crucial and Available Now in our District 4!

While we are excited that vaccines were developed so quickly, testing is still important. Great news to start the year for D4 residents: The City of Seattle in conjunction with the University of Washington (UW) recently opened a NO SYMPTOMS self-swab COVID-19 testing site as a drive up from vehicles, right in the E-1 parking lot off Montlake Blvd (north of Husky Stadium). The hours are 8:30am-5:30pm. It is FREE, but photo ID is required with date of birth. Insurance card and info is not required, but if a person has it, the insurance will be billed and pays 100%, with no charge to the recipient of the test. Preregistration is REQUIRED, and results are 24-72 hours. The registration form is on the City’s COVID-19 testing website: CLICK HERE. Thank you to Mayor Durkan’s team for offering this more convenient service, especially as we hear about the new variant which spreads more “efficiently” among the population. Please continue to wear masks and practice social distancing!

 

Eviction Moratorium Extended by Feds, Governor, and Mayor

The risk of evictions is concerning to many as we continue to experience the ongoing economic impacts of the pandemic. In the City of Seattle, the Mayor extended her eviction moratorium until March 31, 2021. The Governor’s State eviction moratorium was also recently extended to March 31, 2021. Proclamation 20-19.5 extends state rental assistance programs to incorporate the newly approved federal funding for rental assistance. Furthermore, the stated goal of these rental assistance programs is modified to provide a path for landlords, property owners, and property managers to initiate an application for rental assistance. The proclamation also clarifies that landlords and property owners may communicate with tenants in support of their applications for rental assistance.

However, I recognize that federal and state action must also occur to prevent foreclosures. The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will extend their moratorium evictions until February 28, 2021. The federal government has extended its moratorium protecting mortgages under jurisdiction of HUD (FHA-insured) to March 31^st . Unfortunately, these foreclosure moratoriums apply only to mortgages on single-family homes. We also need a foreclosure moratorium for multifamily housing (apartment buildings), which can be done only at the state and federal levels, according to banking laws. A multifamily housing foreclosure moratorium is needed to enable apartment owners to survive which can, in turn, help renters. We have asked our Office of Intergovernmental Relations to track this possibility.

 

Small Business Stabilization Fund for Restaurants and Bars

On December 14, 2020, City Council unanimously passed a joint proposal with Mayor Durkan to provide an additional $5 million in grants to support small businesses and workers in the hospitality industry. Seattle’s Office of Economic Development has committed $2.25 million in Small Business Stabilization Fund grants to restaurants and bars. Application period closes on February 15, 2021.

OED has partnered with Scholarship Junkies to award this funding to eligible restaurants and bars that applied to the Small Business Stabilization Fund in November. Eligible businesses must be current on their business license and Business and Occupation Tax. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The City of Seattle’s Human Services Department contracted with Wellspring Family Services to administer and distribute the $2.17 million in direct cash assistance in partnership with the Seattle Hospitality Emergency Fund for hospitality workers. Through this fund, hospitality workers that have experienced economic distress caused by job or income loss due to COVID-19 may be eligible to receive up to $2,000 per family. To learn more and apply, please CLICK HERE.

The City also has a number of relief programs for working people, including emergency grocery vouchers, rental assistance, and support for immigrants and refugees. The City’s Disaster Relief Fund for immigrants recently distributed $7.94 million to 3,730 applicants.

Residents and businesses can find a list of existing COVID-19 relief resources and policies by CLICKING HERE.

 

Renewed Federal Resources for Small Businesses

The newest federal stimulus package has renewed and expanded financial support for small businesses across sectors. Key changes include:

• $284 billion for the renewed Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), including added flexibility. The PPP offers forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees and other expenses during the COVID-19 crisis.
• Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) is extended to December 31, 2021. EIDL programs offer low-interest working capital loans to help small businesses meet financial obligations and cover operating expenses.
• $20 billion has been added for additional Loan Advance grants.
• $15 billion grants for shuttered live venues.

The City’s Office of Economic Development provides free technical assistance to businesses applying for the PPP, EIDL, and Shuttered Venue Operators Grant. This includes helping businesses navigate the application process. For general inquiries, please email OED@seattle.gov or call (206) 684-8090. If you need language assistance enter the number for the corresponding language (Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Somali, Amharic), leave a voicemail in your preferred language and a bilingual staff member will call back.

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

City Council Meetings on the Internet

Listening: Even though City Council is not currently holding meetings in person in order to follow public health guidelines, you can still follow along by listening on your computer or phone by CLICKING HERE. You can also listen on your phone by calling 253-215-8782.

Commenting: You can also submit public comment by sending an e-mail to me at Alex.Pedersen@seattle.gov or to all 9 Councilmembers at council@seattle.gov. Please remember to add “For City Council Meeting” in the comments. You can also phone into the meeting to speak directly to the Council live. For the instructions on how to register and call in, CLICK HERE. Sign up begins two hours prior to the meeting start time.

Virtual Meetings with Your Councilmember Pedersen

I continue to schedule virtual in-district office hours, so we can chat by telephone or via WebEx. Please continue to sign up through my website or by CLICKING HERE so I can hear your ideas, concerns, and requests. You can also just send an e-mail to alex.pedersen@seattle.gov

For previous e-newsletters, visit my blog by CLICKING HERE.

We are getting through this together, Seattle.

With gratitude,

 

 

 

Councilmember Alex Pedersen
Seattle City Council, District 4

Email: Alex.Pedersen@seattle.gov
Find It, Fix It