The City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to begin considering legislation (Council Bill 118794) that would, in my view, establish a new right for people struggling with homelessness to camp in tents or vehicles on public property across Seattle. What do...
Category: Councilmember Burgess
Why I Support Building a New Police Facility in North Seattle
The City Council will vote this afternoon on legislation advancing the proposed new police facility in north Seattle at the intersection of 130th and Aurora Avenue North and requiring additional cost analysis and community review. Here are the reasons I...
Growing the Professional Early Learning Workforce
One of the most important elements of high-quality preschool is a professional teaching workforce. As the Mayor and the Council researched and developed the standards for the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), requiring professional degrees was a common thread among other...
Seeking Seattle Youth Commissioners
The City is currently looking for new applicants to the Seattle Youth Commission, a 15-member body made up of youth ages 13-19. The application deadline is Friday, August 5 at 5:00 p.m. This is a great way for young people...
The Importance of Fiscal Consistency
The Mayor announced this week that city government would not sell approximately 11 acres of surplus land along Myers Way in southwest Seattle, opting instead to retain it as undeveloped open space. This decision is unfortunately inconsistent with 13 years...
Mourning
This week has been difficult for me to process. On Tuesday and Wednesday, two more black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, were shot and killed by police officers in Louisiana and Minnesota. As I struggle to balance my emotional...
The Importance of Naming
Sometimes it is important to identify things, to name them, to call them out. Naming allows us to remember. It gives us a reference point, focuses our attention. The Orlando attack very early in the morning on June 12 on...
More Tragedy, More Inaction
Tragedy struck our country early yesterday morning in Orlando, Florida. Forty-nine people killed in an attack on that city’s LGBTQ community, dozens more injured. This was a hate crime and an act of domestic terrorism, just like the mass shooting...
Short Term Rental Regulations: Details and Next Steps
Last week Mayor Murray and I announced proposed regulations for short term rentals. We have taken a balanced approach that recognizes the benefits platforms like Airbnb or VRBO create for Seattle residents, while also attempting to curb the growing commercialization...
Two Cities, Two Children, Two Very Different Paths
The following article was sent out in my City View Newsletter, which you can sign up to receive here. Ella is three months old, a firstborn child. She lives with her family in Seattle zip code 98118 in the Rainier...