In June, 2013 fifteen citizen volunteers began the critical process of discussing long-range planning for Seattle’s parks. These committee members gave countless hours of their time to study the current state of parks, as well as seeking citizen input and involvement. During this process, committee members discussed the crucial areas of project priorities, the size […][More]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/10/2014

Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell

Council Briefed by Community Police Commission

Seattle - Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Council's Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee, hosted the Community Police Commission (CPC) at Council Briefing on Monday. The CPC highlighted work from 2013 and discussed the 2014 work plan.

"The 15 commissioners have done tremendous work representing the diversity of Seattle and advancing reform," said Harrell. "The CPC has been a critical resource in helping us develop community dialogue and facilitating community relationships to enhance public safety for all," Harrell added.

Link to the briefing documents are available online:

• Community Police Commission Update Presentation
• Community Outreach Report
• Community Police Commission Summary Report

The CPC was established in 2012 as part of the Department of Justice Settlement Agreement. The 15 community representatives are responsible for making recommendations to the City on any changes to Seattle Police Department (SPD) policies, practice, training regarding stops and detentions, bias-free policing, transparency and public reporting, and Office of Professional Accountability.

The Commission has accomplished extensive community outreach. In total, the Commission has conducted over 150 outreach events and has received input from over 3,400 community members. Those communities include but are not limited to communities of color, homeless, immigrants and refugees, youth, people with disabilities, individuals with substance abuse problems, and members of the LGBT community.

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Action Summary of the Seattle City Council Full Council Meeting Monday, March 10, 2014   (Councilmember Licata was excused)   FULL COUNCIL: 1. Council Bill 118043 (PDF Version)  PASSED (7-1; opposed: Sawant) Relating to security from terrorism; authorizing the City to partner with the State of Washington and King County to receive financial assistance from the Departm[More]

This past week over forty local leaders interested in education traveled together to Boston, Jersey City, and Washington DC to see what success looks like in public and private preschools. Teachers, principals and administrators from Seattle Public Schools, joined Councilmembers Tim Burgess, Bruce Harrell and Mayor Ed Murray, King County Executive Dow Constantine, proponents from […][More]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/7/2014 Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell Community Police Commission to brief Council Seattle - Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Council's Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee, will host the Community...[More]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/6/2014 Full Council Vote on Taxi, For-Hire Legislation Postponed Seattle - Councilmember Sally J. Clark, Chair of the Committee on Taxi, For-Hire and Limousine Regulations announced today that the Full Council vote, ori...[More]

Over the past two weeks there has been much confusion and concern raised about findings of police misconduct made by the Office of Police Accountability (OPA) being overturned by Interim Police Chief Harry Bailey. After I inquired in a letter dated February 20, the Chief initially explained that it was his intention to change only […][More]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 3/4/2014

Councilmember Kshama Sawant
Councilmember Jean Godden

Sawant, Godden Recognize Women's History Month
Fight for Economic Opportunities, Reduce the Gender Gap

SEATTLE -- Councilmember Kshama Sawant and Councilmember Jean Godden issued the following statement regarding Women's History Month observed in March and the celebration of International Women's Day on March 8. The Councilmembers salute all the women who struggle and have struggled for women's rights around the globe, and the fight to reduce the gender gap to provide economic opportunities for women:

"Every gain for women's rights was won through struggle. Our fight for a $15/hour minimum wage in Seattle is fundamentally a fight for women's rights," said Sawant. "Two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women and one in five are mothers. Women are nearly two thirds of tipped workers and we must fight for a living wage for all workers, not based on the generosity of others."

Sawant cited the findings of the Restaurant Opportunities Center United: "Lowering the minimum wage for tipped workers is essentially creating legalized gender inequity in the restaurant industry and allowing a tip penalty would exacerbate the gender wage gap. Working women and people of color need $15/hour without tip penalties and we need it now."

The Restaurant Opportunities Center United also points out that female servers are paid 68 percent of the wage received by males, whereas African American women workers are making only 60 percent of what their male counterparts earn."A higher minimum wage is a powerful tool towards reducing income disparity between women and men," says Councilmember Godden (chair of the Council Committee overseeing Gender Equity. "Our city wants to be the best at bridging this gap; right now we have one of the worst gender wage gaps in the country."

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The Seattle City Charter has been updated online to reflect the changes made by Charter Amendment 19 (district elections), approved by Seattle voters at the general election of November 5, 2013. http://clerk.seattle.gov/~public/charter/charter.htm[More]

Action Summary of the Seattle City Council Full Council Meeting Monday, March 3, 2014  (Councilmembers Bagshaw, Burgess, and Harrell were excused)  FINANCE AND CULTURE COMMITTEE: 1. Council Bill 118027 (PDF Version)   PASSED (6-0) Relating to the business license tax, amending the definitions of "agricultural product" and "farmer," and amending Section 5.30.020 of the Seattl[More]