Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle) issued the following statement in solidarity with educators in the Seattle Public School District who are organized with the Seattle Education Association (SEA). Members of SEA are fighting for pay raises commensurate with the city’s cost of living. They are also demanding the District take steps toward addressing […]

Council President Bruce Harrell (District 2, South Seattle) today announced the establishment of a Select Committee on Homelessness and Housing Affordability. Select Committees are created by the Council President and comprised of all nine Councilmembers to comprehensively and effectively conduct the business of the Council, as outlined by Council Rules (SECT. VII) Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw […]

Today the Seattle City Council – by a unanimous vote – confirmed Carmen Best as Chief of Police for the Seattle Police Department during its regularly scheduled City Council meeting. Councilmember M. Lorena González (Pos. 9, Citywide), chair of the Gender Equity, Safe Communities, New Americans & Education Committee, oversaw the confirmation process during the course […]

Kaiser Permanent Overturns Harmful Transgender Healthcare Access Policy During the 2018 budget deliberations the Seattle LGBTQ Commission sent a letter to the City Council with requests that we support access to healthcare for transgender people including but not limited to: Gender affirmation surgery and treatment  Fertility and assisted reproduction needs  Procedures that insurance may have […]

Last week the city council passed Resolution #31826 committing the city to completing certain pieces of the downtown bike network in the next 18 months. I expect the City’s Department of Transportation to do their best work in identifying cost efficiencies as they finalize designs for these projects so that we can get the safety […]

Amending the Open Housing Ordinance for Tenants with Disabilities On Monday July 30, 2018 the Seattle City Council passed CB 119309 amending the Open Housing Ordinance in Chapter 14.08 of the Seattle Municipal Code to increase the types of entities with an obligation to provide reasonable accommodations to tenants with disabilities. This issue was brought […]

Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle) responded to reports that the Showbox had been purchased by a corporate developer, who intended to build a high-rise apartment, with an open letter. While the Vancouver-based Onni Group has signaled their intention to nominate the Showbox for landmark status, it remains unclear if that protection would be […]

City Councilmember Lisa Herbold (District 1, West Seattle & South Park), and Chair of the Council’s Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and Arts Committee, issued the following statement today following the unanimous passage of Council Bill (CB) 119316, a bill to broaden the responsibility for providing reasonable accommodations to tenants with disabilities: “Thank you to […]

Friends and fellow activists, I have heard from many of you who are outraged to learn that a real estate developer intends to replace Seattle’s historic Showbox theater with a high-rise apartment building. This is yet another example of how development and construction decisions in Seattle are being driven primarily by whatever will make the […]

Seattle University Public Safety Survey and Micro-Community Policing Plans Seattle University recently released their 2017 Seattle Public Safety Survey. The report includes analysis of community perceptions of public safety citywide, by police precinct, and by Micro-Community Policing Plan (MCPP) area. There are 14 micro-communities for the Southwest Precinct: Alaska Junction, Alki, Commercial Duwamish, Commercial Harbor […]