The State of Our City
Friends and Neighbors,
After working with colleagues to elect a new Council President and update our Council committees last month — and then welcoming a new Mayor who hit the ground running — I was able to spend more time in our district during the month of February. I continue to be humbled and honored to serve the 100,000 people residing in the more than 15 neighborhoods of Seattle’s District 4, and I’m grateful you are investing the time to read these updates. Let’s jump into the contents of our February 2022 newsletter:
- Mayor’s Annual “State of the City”
- District 4: Crime Prevention, Potholes, and More
- Public Safety Stats
- Trees, Zoning, Low-Income Housing
- Transportation & Seattle Public Utilities Committee: Concrete Strike, Storm Report and Sound Transit EIS, and BRIDGES!
- COVID Updates
- Ways to Provide Input
[While City Hall should continue to focus on local government and the challenges we face in our city, I know many in Seattle share concerns about challenges around the globe, including Russia’s invasion this week of Ukraine. For a Seattle Times article on ways to help there, CLICK HERE.]
“State of the City” from our New Mayor Bruce Harrell
During his first annual State of the City address, Mayor Harrell said, “I would like to be clear on a point: I believe in GOING BACK TO THE BASICS. That’s where good governance begins. The basics include efforts like our housing first policy. Fixing a pothole. Making sure our sidewalks and parks are safe for children and families to use. Making sure we enforce our criminal laws against those who are harming others.” I agree.
Our new Mayor’s focus is consistent with what many constituents have told me they expect from their representatives at City Hall. It remains to be seen, however, whether a majority of City Council will join the mayor in focusing on delivering basic local government services well.
With the public electing us to be stewards of $6.6 billion guided by our City Charter, I believe we have a fiscal, legal, and moral responsibility to stay focused on delivering those basic services to the best of our ability. The good news is there is a lot of common ground to keep us busy solving problems and providing the best results for Seattle.
To view the video of Mayor Harrell’s remarks on the “State of the City” from February 15, 2022 CLICK HERE and to read his speech, CLICK HERE.
DISTRICT 4
Addressing Crime in the University District
Joined by Bruce Harrell’s Deputy Mayor Kendee Yamaguchi along with community policing officers and the mayor’s Director of Public Safety Andrew Myerberg to brainstorm solutions with small businesses and nonprofits impacted by crime in the U District.
A few weeks ago here in District 4, I welcomed several other City officials to the University District to hear firsthand about crimes against small neighborhood businesses and their customers. This crime prevention walking tour was organized by my office and the University District Partnership, which is the nonprofit manager of the Business Improvement Area. I very much appreciate being joined by our new citywide Councilmember Sara Nelson and new City Attorney Ann Davison. I was also impressed that Mayor Bruce Harrell’s new administration is taking seriously this disturbing spike in crime by bringing together public safety and economic development experts to expedite solutions. I hope this includes community policing targeted where it can be the most impactful in preventing crime. I believe solutions must include responding proactively and compassionately to mental health challenges before they become a harmful crisis and making available more enhanced shelter and low-income housing with case management throughout our region. The U District offers so many assets that require community safety to thrive, including a word-class university, light rail stations, a global persity of restaurants and shops, and residents who all deserve to feel safe.
I want to thank our Seattle Police Department officers in our North Precinct who leveraged their extensive training and professionalism to apprehend suspects involved in violent assaults and robberies over the past few weeks in the University District. We rely on the hard work of these officers and detectives to solve these violent crimes throughout Seattle.
The U District Partnership announced the availability of funding to restore damaged storefronts.
“Over the past month, we have seen increased vandalism and property damage in the U District. To support our community, the U District Partnership (UDP) is launching a U District Damaged Facade Grant. These funds will be available to business and property owners within the U District BIA to help offset the cost of repairs for broken windows, doors, locks, and damaged storefront facades that occurred in 2022. While this doesn’t include graffiti damage, we have other programs to address vandalism from paint.
Grants will be awarded to reimburse stakeholders for damaged storefront repairs up to $1,000. If an applicant is awarded, funds will be disbursed once the project is complete and receipts are submitted. If you have any questions, or would like to apply, please contact Economic Development Manager Daniel Lokic at daniel@udistrictpartnership.org.”
Neighborhood Spotlight: ROOSEVELT
Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity (R.A.R.E.)
I had the opportunity to listen and learn from the premier of the documentary by Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity on January 31, 2022 and you can view it, too.
From RARE’s website: “Race is one of the burning issues of the day, but does your family talk about it? The topic is uncomfortable and complicated. Yet the conversations need to happen. Young people are entering an increasingly perse world. To thrive, they must be prepared to work with people who look different or come from different backgrounds. The film Roosevelt High School: Beyond Black & White is a production of Roosevelt Alumni for Racial Equity (RARE), a Seattle non-profit formed to promote racial equity, with a focus on schools and their communities. RARE offers scholarships, this film, and monthly Open Discussions. Its newest initiative is Connections, a program to bring together students of different backgrounds for fun, meaningful experiences outside of school.”
To view their film, CLICK HERE.
To view the January 31, 2022 panel discussion including several students, CLICK HERE.
For their website to learn more and how to engage, CLICK HERE.
Supporting Roosevelt’s Small Businesses
Last month we featured Fuel Coffee for its grand re-opening and nearby Wallingford businesses including Pam’s Kitchen and Murphy’s Pub. This month we’re in the Roosevelt neighborhood to highlight Teddy’s Tavern, which is nearby other cherished establishments such as Rain City Burgers, Spex in the City, Steele Barber, and The Westy. Many of these small, local businesses rent their space from building owners. Property developers might seek to demolish those buildings to increase density as the neighborhood rapidly changes with the previously approved upzone and the newly opened light rail station. It’s tough to predict how each small business could afford to survive during construction and return. Please continue to support your favorite neighborhood businesses.
Roosevelt Jazz Band!
The Roosevelt Jazz Band does it again: they’ve made it to the finals of the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival. For more info on this amazing musical tradition, CLICK HERE. (photo from Roosevelt Jazz Boosters)
Filling Potholes in our District
After hearing the report from our Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) about the challenges they faced filling thousands of new potholes after the winter storms, I visited the Pothole Rangers in District 4. Potholes can increase risks for all modes of transportation. The crew was generous to provide me with a hands-on demonstration of how hard their work is. While it was initially more fun that sitting at a desk in City Hall, I was grateful to return the machines to the experts and thanked them for serving the public where the rubber meets the road.
To report potholes, you can call 206-684-ROAD (7623) or the Customer Service Bureau 206-684-CITY (2489), send an email to 684-road@seattle.gov, use the Find It, Fix It app on a smart phone, or CLICK HERE. To view a map of recent potholes, CLICK HERE.
Wallingford Community Council
Earlier this month, I attended the Wallingford Community Council’s monthly meeting. We discussed public safety, homelessness, transportation, and land use.
In addition to the emails and phone calls my office receives, it’s often through these community council meetings that I hear of priorities and trends in the over 15 neighborhoods of District 4. At the Wallingford meeting, for example, some expressed concern that former City leaders imposed onto Wallingford a substantial upzone causing disruptive demolitions and profit-driven construction in several areas with overcrowded schools and without robust transit. However, they left loopholes enabling developers to avoid building the needed low-income housing there — all the disruptive downside with none of the affordable housing upside. This points to the ongoing shortcomings of the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program many believe is overdue for an update. I believe we should encourage more immediate onsite production of low-income housing instead of letting for-profit developers write a check for different projects years away. If you’d like to get involved in your neighborhood, attending community council meetings is a great way to start. For more information on community councils in your neighborhood, CLICK HERE. I’ll be attending more of these meetings in February.
Neighborhood Matching Fund Workshops
Funding opportunity alert for neighborhood projects! The City of Seattle Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) provides matching dollars for neighborhood improvement, organizing, or projects developed and implemented by community members. Central to NMF is the community match which requires awardees to match their award with contributions from the community whether as volunteer time, donated materials, donated professional services, or cash. Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is hosting virtual workshops to assist community organizations and neighborhood groups interested in getting funding for their ideas: March 9th, 2022 – 6:00 to 7:30pm. Neighborhood groups, community organizations, and business groups who want to do a project to build stronger community connections are encouraged to apply (CLICK HERE). To visit the NMF website for more info, CLICK HERE.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Councilmember Pedersen on a crime prevention tour at the end of January 2022 to hear from small businesses owned by women and people of color. Several said they want community policing officers to return once our Seattle Police Department hires more officers to replace the hundreds of officers who departed.
In 2020 a majority of City Council colleagues, unfortunately, pledged to pursue the 50% defunding of our police department’s budget. Due to a variety of factors, including low morale, over 300 SPD officers have left the department. I opposed the defunding pledge and, while I support effective alternatives to traditional emergency responses, I believe they need to be put in place first. I also believe the focus should be not on funding, but rather on embedding reforms into the overdue renewal of the police union contract.
Source: City Council Central Staff presentation, 2/22/2022.
It makes sense that many of the public officials most recently elected – who most recently heard the complaints directly from Seattle voters during their campaigns — are eager to take action to address public safety. I look forward to working with them to hire more community policing officers and implement actual plans to stand up effective alternatives for emergency responses to behavioral health crises.
On February 4, 2022, Mayor Bruce Harrell held a press conference devoted to calls for public safety. On February 9, 2022 our new citywide City Councilmember Sara Nelson invited small businesses to her Committee on Economic Development to express their frustration over the increase in crime and the negative impact on their customers. It’s difficult for any business, especially single location small businesses without economies of scale, to retain and grow customers and jobs when they are constantly dealing with the fear and costs of crime spilling into their stores and restaurants. This includes many small businesses in District 4.
And the people expressing concerns are right — according to the public SPD dashboard, there were more reports of total crime in 2021 than in 2019 and 2020 in both our North Precinct and throughout Seattle:
To access SPD’s Crime Dashboard to create your own reports, CLICK HERE.
For SPD’s 2021 Year End Crime Report, CLICK HERE.
Seattle Misdemeanors and the Jail: Historical Context from New City Attorney
At this week’s Public Safety & Human Services Committee, SPD provided its 2021 crime report (documenting an increase in crime) and an update on its “Retail Theft” program. SPD’s presentation noted, “Due to Covid related booking restrictions [imposed by King County Jail], we were unable to book misdemeanor level theft offenses, even frequent and prolific violators.” Partially funded by the City of Seattle, the jail is used by both Seattle and wider King County and is located downtown near City Hall. The jail is run by the King County Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention which reports to Dow Constantine who has been King County Executive since 2010.
Earlier this month the City Attorney’s Office, led by newly elected Ann Davison, circulated this graph showing the historical trend of misdemeanor bookings at King County Jail before she assumed office. Our City Attorney’s Office handles ”misdemeanors“ (which can include crimes such as assault, shoplifting, domestic violence, and DUI) whereas the King County Prosecutor handles ”felonies“ (such as gun violence). City Attorney Davison wrote, “As historical context, Seattle’s misdemeanor incarceration rate is at an all-time record low. Per the chart below, in 1997 Seattle had an average daily jail population (ADP) of 457 defendants. In 2021, that ADP had fallen to 67, a drop of 85 percent. During the first two years of COVID (2020-21), the ADP has fallen 63 percent as compared to 2019.” One of the reported reasons for the lower average daily population (ADP) at the jail in 2020 and 2021 was the public health-related decision to increase social distancing inside the facility during the COVID pandemic.
Community Police Commission Partners with Federal Monitor to Engage Community
The Community Police Commission and Consent Decree Monitor are collaborating on a series of community engagement meetings regarding preliminary assessments of the Seattle Police Department. The goal of these meetings is to inform the public on overall progress of the Consent Decree as well as to get community input on what comes next in Seattle for police reform and how the City proceeds after the Consent Decree.
These sessions will occur on the following dates, on the following subjects:
- Crisis Intervention: January 11, 2022 (already occurred; for the report, CLICK HERE)
- Stops and Detentions: February 8, 2022 (already occurred; for the report, CLICK HERE)
- Use of Force: March 8, 2022
TREES, ZONING, AND LOW-INCOME HOUSING
Trees:
Source: Pennsylvania Parks & Forest Foundation, 2020
As we have discussed often in our newsletters, mature trees provide numerous environmental and health benefits. After many months of delay, the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI) released their proposed tree protection bill for consideration by the general public and the City Council.
The department decided that their proposed policy change to protect trees is subject to the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Their review, per the SEPA requirements, concluded with a “determination of non-significance” (DNS) which is now subject to a comment and appeal period. Members of the public can provide feedback to Gordon Clowers, SDCI Senior Planner, at gordon.clowers@seattle.gov until March 3, 2022. The City Council will formally consider SDCI”s proposed legislation once all comment windows close and any SEPA appeals are resolved. For SDCI’s proposed legislation and SEPA materials, CLICK HERE.
I’m grateful the department finally released their overdue comprehensive proposal to protect trees and, yet, the devil is in the details as to whether their proposal does enough to protect our dwindling tree canopy vital during the climate crisis.
In the meantime, I’m excited that our other Council Bill 120207 can be part of these overall efforts because it can quickly deliver accountability and transparency by finally requiring the registration of all arborist professionals in Seattle. (SDCI’s bigger bill does NOT include a registration system for tree cutters.) Here’s the title of Council Bill 120207: AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and urban forestry; adding a tree service provider registration procedure and requirement. On February 9, 2022 the Council’s Land Use Committee had the first hearing of Council Bill 120207, which, when adopted, will be a small step toward greater tree protections in Seattle. Ideally the bill could be voted out of Committee by March 23.
For a Seattle Times editorial reinforcing the importance of the City Council adopting stronger tree protections, CLICK HERE.
For the ongoing saga of trying to enact stronger tree protections, CLICK HERE.
State Bills to Preempt Cities and Impose Upzones Failed
I support increasing affordable housing for low-income residents and direct assistance to those experiencing homelessness in all areas of Seattle. Recent proposals in the State Legislature to enable for-profit developers to build expensive new townhomes, however, would not have accomplished either goal and they failed to advance. House Bill 1782 (and Senate Bill 5670) would have imposed upzones in Seattle and other cities within ½ mile of “frequent” transit. Many saw Governor Jay Inslee’s “middle housing” zoning proposal as an ill-conceived, distracting, and rushed pre-emption of local decision-making. While the proposed increase in the number housing units could be considered modest (allowing 4-plexes or 6-plexes) and more cities should consider increasing density near reliable frequent transit, the bills had bigger problems: they lacked low-income requirements, allowed demolitions of family-sized naturally occurring affordable housing, failed to prevent displacement, ignored the fact that bus routes can change, failed to protect our dwindling tree canopy, and provided no compensation for impacts to our City’s infrastructure including storm water and sewer lines – especially problematic for the outlier cities like Seattle that still fail to charge impact fees to developers. Moreover, by pre-empting Seattle, the Governor’s bills would have not only removed our local input, but also missed the opportunity to leverage financial benefit for the public in exchange for granting additional building capacity to the for-profit townhome developers.
In his role as Chair of the Local Government Committee for us in Olympia, I appreciated State Representative Gerry Pollet (of the 46th legislative district that includes Northeast Seattle) for his leadership in persistently raising concerns about these top-down bills.
Any such broad proposals should be handled as part of Seattle’s comprehensive planning process, so they can be properly planned for and coordinated with existing communities and other City systems such as infrastructure (sewer/stormwater, tree canopy, schools, fire stations) — in addition to obtaining reasonable public benefits (low-income housing) in exchange for granting new opportunities to for-profit developers.
The Seattle Times editorial board also shared our concerns with these bills:
- For a Seattle Times editorials explaining why State legislators should reject the Governor’s land use bills preempting cities, CLICK HERE and HERE.
- For an editorial cartoon by David Horsey that sums up one of the negative aspects of the Governor’s proposal, CLICK HERE.
On the other hand, for arguments in favor of those bills, CLICK HERE and HERE.
Thinking outside the box for new practical solutions to make housing more affordable, CLICK HERE for an innovative financing tool from Microsoft Philanthropies and an update on their $750 million commitment to affordable housing in the region.
Regional Homelessness Authority Update:
I’d like to thank the businesses and philanthropic organizations for establishing “Partnership for Zero” to increase and coordinate their financial contributions to the new Regional Homelessness Authority (which is also funded by Seattle and King County local governments). Because RHA is a regional solution to the regional problem of homelessness and because RHA creates trust in its approach by using best practices shown to work (such as a By-Name List to tailor solutions for each inpidual), RHA is able to attract private funding to supplement our tax dollars. The goal of Partnership Zero is to bring more people inside quickly, especially those living on sidewalks and under the highway in downtown Seattle. For a Seattle Times article about this new effort, CLICK HERE.
The RHA regularly updates their information on cold weather shelters and for the current info, CLICK HERE.
TRANSPORTATION & SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE
(This is the Committee currently chaired by Councilmember Pedersen, so we provide extra information on its issues.)
Labor Dispute Stalls Vital Projects That Need Concrete:
An ongoing contract renewal dispute between over 300 drivers of concrete mixing trucks and their employers is causing work to stop on vital projects that rely on concrete, including the West Seattle Bridge, new Sound Transit light rail stations, UW’s new Behavioral Health Facility in Northgate, and numerous construction projects for low-income housing.
At a February 9 press conference, Mayor Harrell said, “the most effective solution for all parties is simply for business and labor to reach a just agreement and for the strike to end.”
Sharing our Mayor’s concerns about the concrete strike, I added, “Vital transportation projects needed for our safety and mobility — as well as the scarce tax dollars allocated to fund them — are sitting idle and becoming at risk due to this excessively long concrete strike and so I believe all of Seattle would benefit if everyone got back to the negotiating table to resolve this labor dispute as soon as possible.”
For a Seattle Times article on how the concrete strike will delay the planned summer re-opening of the West Seattle Bridge, CLICK HERE. For the latest on SDOT’s repairs of the West Seattle Bridge, CLICK HERE. There is some hope that a federal mediator could help to resolve the dispute.
Seattle’s Fragile Future – More Support for Bridge Safety Bonds
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
One of the few large cities with as many bridges as Seattle is Pittsburgh, PA and the sudden bridge collapse there is a cautionary tale for our city. As reported by CNN on January 28, 2022, “Ten people were injured when a snow-covered bridge in Pittsburgh collapsed Friday morning, hours ahead of a previously scheduled visit to the city by President Joe Biden to discuss infrastructure.”
For a related article in Politico entitled, “Infrastructure bonanza might not head off future bridge collapses,” CLICK HERE.
What is Pittsburgh doing next? An audit of all their bridges. The good news is that Seattle already has an audit of all its bridges, which I obtained in early 2020 after SDOT found the West Seattle Bridge cracked and requiring an emergency, long-term closure. But that also means Seattle doesn’t have same excuse as Pittsburgh. Seattle already knows exactly which bridges are the most vulnerable. So now the question is what are we doing about it? So far, not much.
Call to Action: Please email the office of our new Mayor Bruce.Harrell@seattle.gov and the Seattle Department of Transportation dot_directors_office@seattle.gov to implore the Executive to use the budget and legislative authority the City Council granted them to issue $100 million in City bonds for bridge safety. We already learned the hard way from the West Seattle Bridge closure and the disturbing audit of all Seattle bridges that repairs and retrofits are long overdue. Unfortunately, neither the federal government nor the State government are able to fund what our city needs now for bridge safety.
| Email Mayor Harrell’s Office: Issue Bonds Soon for Bridge Safety |
Our city departments can — and must — step up to issue the bridge bonds this spring to ensure bridge safety in Seattle. For more on the ongoing saga to get City Hall to care about Seattle’s fragile bridges, CLICK HERE.
Stalled Sound Transit Train Near Husky Stadium Explained:
Earlier this month, Sound Transit made public the 52-page investigative report it obtained after one of its trains stalled in the tunnel just northwest of Husky Stadium after the November 26, 2021 Apple Cup. I appreciate Sound Transit leadership getting to the bottom of this incident, sharing with the public what Sound Transit learned, and putting in place the mechanical and communication fixes to prevent such incidents in the future. For Sound Transit’s thorough blog post explaining the incident with a link to the audit report, CLICK HERE. For the Seattle Times story about the audit, CLICK HERE.
Winter Storm Assessment and Plague of Potholes
Both the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) accepted my invitation to our Committee on February 1 to describe and assess the executive’s response to the winter storms that hit our area between December 26, 2021 and January 5, 2022. SDOT also discussed their ongoing response to the post-storm plague of potholes.
I heard the frustration from residents throughout the city because that week of heavy snow/rain created dangerous conditions that delayed pick up of their trash/recycling and produced a plague of potholes negatively impacting cars, buses, freight, and bikes.
The presentation from the two key City departments confirmed that this was, so to speak, “a perfect storm” with fewer crewmembers initially available during the holidays combined with challenging weather conditions that alternatively froze, thawed, and froze the roads after neighborhoods produced extra solid waste from holiday gift purchases.
I agree with what I heard from many residents throughout Seattle — we saw key arterial roads cleared relatively fast, but we would like to see additional attention for side streets, especially when that impacts other City services such as trash pickup. I was pleased to see our Seattle Department of Transportation coordinating well with other city departments and King County Metro to prioritize the clearing of bus routes and safe routes to schools, COVID testing sites, and hospitals.
Overall, I think the Durkan Administration did a reasonable job in responding to at least three major snow events during the past four years and I know everyone is eager to see the Harrell Administration make sure crews quickly fill the new plague of potholes. I know the Harrell Administration prioritizes taking care of the basics for Seattle and we agree that keeping our roadways safe for all modes of travel and handling recycling and waste are core functions of City government. I look forward to that priority being reflected in the Mayor’s budget proposal this September.
I’d also like to thank our city government’s frontline workers and the solid waste truck drivers who all braved the rough winter weather and street conditions to serve the public. SDOT crews worked 24/7 for several days in a row, during the holidays, as well as coordinating with several departments.
For the winter storm action assessment from SDOT, which discussed removing snow and fixing potholes CLICK HERE.
For the winter storm action assessment from SPU, including catching up after interruptions in solid waste collection as well as their work preventing floods and landslides, CLICK HERE.
To report potholes, you can call 206-684-ROAD (7623) or the Customer Service Bureau 206-684-CITY (2489), send an email to 684-road@seattle.gov, use the Find It, Fix It app on a smart phone, or CLICK HERE. To view a map of recent potholes, CLICK HERE.
Sound Transit Seeks Comments on Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Jan 28 to April 28, 2022
At our February 15 Committee on Transportation & Seattle Public Utilities, Sound Transit discussed the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the next big phase of implementing the West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions. The voluminous DEIS is on Sound Transit’s website and public comments are due by April 28. Sound Transit encompasses King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties and is governed by a 19-member board with Seattle ably represented by Council President Debora Juarez and new Mayor Bruce Harrell. In addition to multiple community advisory groups, our Council’s Transportation Committee is making itself available at key junctures to serve as an additional venue to communicate and receive information on these regional transit issues impacting Seattle. The draft EIS is a massive collection of documents, including a 40-page cover letter and a 58-page Executive summary followed by six chapters, 30 appendices, and many more tables and figures, so this overview at Committee will be helpful. Our discussion also included our Seattle Department of Transportation as well as the highly experienced Marshall Foster, who is our City’s new Designated Representative for the Executive.
For Sound Transit’s presentation at our Committee on Seattle Channel, CLICK HERE. For Sound Transit’s excellent PowerPoint presentation summarizing the DEIS, CLICK HERE.
To learn more about the project and how to comment on the Draft EIS by April 28, 2022, Sound Transit asks that you visit the online open house at https://wsblink.participate.online/
COMBATING COVID
For the latest official data from King County Public Health, CLICK HERE or use this website: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/daily-summary.aspx
Thanks, in large part, to our relatively high vaccination rate, COVID cases and hospitalizations in Seattle continue to decrease sharply.
In November 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) approved vaccine boosters for everyone over 18 years of age. For more info, CLICK HERE.
- To register to receive the vaccine or booster in Seattle, CLICK HERE. Information is also available in Amharic, Chinese, Korean, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
- For the most recent information on combatting COVID from King County Public Health, CLICK HERE.
- If you need language interpretation, help finding a vaccination or testing site, or ADA accommodation, call the King County COVID-19 Call Center at 206-477-3977, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Ongoing Renter Protections / Ending the Eviction Moratorium
By a vote of 5 to 3, the City Council supported Mayor Harrell’s decision to end on February 28, 2022 the moratorium on residential evictions that had been in place for nearly two years.
For the many reasons I supported our Mayor’s decision and voted against Councilmember Kshama Sawant’s resolution, CLICK HERE (and scroll down to the February 22, 2022 update).
For Mayor Harrell’s announcement that he is ending the eviction moratorium February 28, CLICK HERE.
For the extensive list of remaining tenant protections and rental assistance, CLICK HERE and HERE.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU:
Ways to Provide Input
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.
NEW IN 2022: Our City Council meetings moved to Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. Even after we return to in-person meetings, the public will still be able to call in their comments at City Council meetings – this is an important upgrade for public input. I would have supported moving our main Council meeting to the evenings to enable more people to visit us, but the technological upgrades to enable calling in we still enable more of the public to participate even with meetings remaining in the daytime. We also updated our City Council Rules and parliamentary procedures in hopes of improving the efficiency of the City Council, including enabling Councilmembers to focus their work on city government business rather than international affairs.
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
Posted: February 25th, 2022 under Councilmember Pedersen