Cites Seattle as a ‘model for many other major cities’ for addressing massive impacts of the pandemic on our City
SEATTLE – Council President M. Lorena González (Position 9, Citywide), Chair of the Governance & Education Committee, issued the following statement in response Mayor Durkan’s State of the City, as delivered, on Monday night:
“Thank you to Mayor Jenny Durkan, and the thousands of city employees, who have been working hard to keep our City government running smoothly every day since the pandemic first hit our region a year ago.
“Since then, the City of Seattle has been a model for many other major cities. In partnership with communities, local leaders have been hard at work for nearly 700,000 Seattle residents, addressing poverty, racial disparity, homelessness, and the massive impacts of the pandemic on our city. But we are far from done, nor can we ‘go back’ to pre-pandemic Seattle, with our widening wealth and income inequality, and a climate crisis at our doorstep.
“The Seattle City Council will continue working with Mayor Durkan, our city employees and our regional partners to shine a bright light on the areas of inequity that we must no longer ignore, and to push ahead on some of the most challenging issues of our time.
“Together, we will continue tirelessly working to help small businesses and renters facing eviction, and to protect the health of our older adults and frontline workers. We will work to reimagine public safety so every person – regardless of race or zip code – feels secure in Seattle. We cannot and will not stop, even as the vaccine reaches our communities and offers hope and protection against COVID-19. The next few years will be critical to Seattle’s future as a world class city, with ramifications for decades to come.”
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About Councilmember M. Lorena González: As one of two citywide representatives and the first Latinx person elected to serve the Seattle City Council, M. Lorena González has over a decade of experience as a civil rights attorney and community advocate. She is a nationally-recognized civil rights leader. Before joining the Council, she was a partner at Schroeter Goldmark & Bender representing people who were victimized by those in authority positions. Born and raised in Washington’s lower Yakima Valley to a Spanish-speaking migrant farmworker family, she moved to Seattle in 2002 to attend Seattle University Law School, where she graduated with honors in 2005. Since moving to Seattle, she has lived in Capitol Hill, First Hill, Ballard, South Park, and White Center. Since being on the Council, she has spearheaded legislation to support immigrants, refugees, sexual assault survivors, small business and workers across the City of Seattle. She currently lives in the West Seattle Junction neighborhood (District 1) with her husband, Cameron, and their daughter, Nadia.