SEATTLE – Seattle City Council voted unanimously today in the first Full Council meeting of 2022, announcing its plan for standing committee assignments, departmental oversight, meeting schedules, adjusting the Full Council meeting day from Monday to Tuesday, and leadership positions via Resolution 32037.
The Committee assignments are two-year terms. Each Councilmember is responsible for chairing a Council committee and managing legislation related to the committee’s focus. Councilmembers also serve as a vice-chair on one committee and as a member on between 2-4 committees each. The Committee assignments are two-year terms.
Councilmember Sara Nelson (Pos. 9 – Citywide) will chair the Committee on Economic Development, Technology & City Light: To provide policy direction and oversight on legislative matters, including but not limited to economic development policies and programs; including the Office of Economic Development, small business development and support, Business Improvement Areas, workforce development, and improving access and opportunities to education and training for low- and middle-income workers, youth and communities of color; City information technology; and Seattle City Light.
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Pos. 8 – Citywide) will Chair the Committee on Finance & Housing: To provide policy direction and oversight and to deliberate and make recommendations on legislative matters, including but not limited to the financial management and policies of the City and its agents, including the operating and capital budgets, levies, taxes, revenue, audits, and judgments and claims against the City; the Office of Housing and Chair of Budget.
Councilmember Debora Juarez (District 5 – North Seattle) will Chair the Committee on Governance, Native Communities & Tribal Governments: To provide policy direction and oversight and to deliberate and make recommendations on legislative matters, including but not limited to regional, state, federal, and other governmental matters including Charter review, code improvement, the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, and rules of the City Council; Native American issues, including housing affordability, health and mental health services, services for youth, access to justice, art and culture, and historic preservation; the City Auditor; the Office of Hearing Examiner; ethics and elections, including the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission; the Office of Labor Standards; and the Office of the Employee Ombud.
Councilmember Andrew J. Lewis (District 7 – Pioneer Square to Magnolia) will Chair the Committee on Public Assets & Homelessness: To provide policy direction and oversight and to deliberate and make recommendations on legislative matters, including but not limited to coordinating and managing the Council’s work related to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, including appointments to the implementation Board members, and review of proposed policies, plans and annual budgets for the regional authority; and, public assets, including the Seattle Center, parks, community centers, and public grounds (including the Seattle Parks and Recreation, Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle Aquarium), the Office of the Waterfront; and the Seattle Public Library system.
Councilmember Tammy J. Morales (District 2 – South Seattle & C/ID) will Chair the Committee on Neighborhoods, Education, Civil Rights & Culture: To provide policy direction and oversight and to deliberate and make recommendations on legislative matters, including but not limited to the Department of Neighborhoods, including neighborhood planning, engagement and outreach, funding opportunities, and historic preservation; education and early learning initiatives, including the Department of Education and Early Learning, the City’s Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy, with a goal of improving City schools and student success rates and reducing achievement gaps; arts and cultural activities, nightlife issues, and special events; film and music activities; civil rights issues, including the Office for Civil Rights, except for issues related to tenant rights and protections; and
immigrant and refugee rights, including the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs.
Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6 – Northwest Seattle) will Chair the Committee on Land Use: To provide policy direction and oversight and to deliberate and make recommendations on legislative matters, including but not limited to planning and land use, including comprehensive planning, community development, zoning, design, and land use regulations, including the Office of Planning and Community Development, and the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, except for issues related to rental regulations; Major Institution Master Plans and quasi-judicial land use decisions; and the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) and its projects.
Councilmember Lisa Herbold (District 1 – West Seattle/South Park) will Chair the Committee on Public Safety & Human Services: To provide policy direction and oversight and to deliberate and make recommendations on legislative matters including but not limited to criminal justice and law enforcement, with special emphasis on programs and strategies to reduce crime, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and youth violence (including the Seattle Police Department and the City Attorney’s Office); development and implementation of alternatives to police response and programs to reduce the public’s involvement with law enforcement and decrease involvement with the criminal legal system; police accountability (including the Office of Police Accountability, Office of Inspector General, and the Community Police Commission), and the implementation of the Settlement Agreement between the Department of Justice and the City of Seattle regarding the Seattle Police Department; coordination with municipal, regional, state, and federal agencies engaged in public safety issues (including the Seattle Municipal Court); fire prevention and suppression, and emergency medical services; emergency preparedness, management, and response; and youth justice, alternatives to youth detention, and alternative housing options to youth incarceration; human services including but not limited to: child care, aging, disability services, safe and thriving communities and the Let Everyone Advance with Dignity (LEAD) program; and local and regional public health.
Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3 – Central Seattle) will Chair the Committee on Sustainability & Renters’ Rights: To provide policy direction and oversight and to deliberate and make recommendations on legislative matters including but not limited to urban sustainability, including the Office of Sustainability and Environment, climate justice, conservation programs, green buildings, and food policy; implementation of the Green New Deal for Seattle, including hearing recommendations and proposals from the Green New Deal (GND) Oversight Board and community organizations, monitoring the implementation of the GND by City departments including the Office of Sustainability and Environment ; and, renters’ rights, including hearing recommendations and proposals from the Seattle Renters’ Commission and community organizations, monitoring the enforcement of renters’ rights by City departments, including the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections and the Office for Civil Rights, and considering legislation related to renters rights including but not limited to legislation intended to protect renters facing gentrification, economic evictions, excessive background checks, and unaffordable rent.
Councilmember Alex Pedersen (District 4 – Northeast Seattle) will Chair the Committee on Transportation & Seattle Public Utilities: To provide policy direction and oversight and to deliberate and make recommendations on legislative matters including but not limited to the operations of the Seattle Department of Transportation; transportation issues and projects affecting Seattle including transit service, policies, and planning; pedestrian and bicycle programs and planning; transportation system maintenance and repair; traffic control; use of the City right-of-way including permits and vacations; parking policies; neighborhood transportation planning; and freight mobility planning; coordination of transportation issues and representation of the City’s interests on transportation with the federal government, the State of Washington, King County, Sound Transit, and the Puget Sound Regional Council; and, water, drainage, wastewater, and solid waste services provided by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), including SPU environmental services and utility rates, regional water resources, endangered species recovery plans, waterway cleanup, and green stormwater infrastructure.
| Committee | Date & Time | Chair | Vice Chair | Members |
| Economic Development, Technology & City Light | 2nd and 4th Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. |
Nelson | Juarez | Herbold Strauss Sawant |
| Finance & Housing | 1st and 3rd Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. |
Mosqueda | Herbold | Pedersen Nelson Lewis |
| Governance, Native Communities & Tribal Governments | 3rd Thursdays 9:30 a.m. |
Juarez | Pedersen | Mosqueda Sawant Strauss |
| Public Assets & Homelessness | 1st and 3rd Wednesdays 2:00 p.m. |
Lewis | Mosqueda | Morales Herbold juarez |
| Neighborhoods, Education, Civil Rights & Culture | 2nd and 4th Fridays 9:30 a.m. |
Morales | Sawant | Strauss Nelson Lewis |
| Land Use | 2nd and 4th Wednesdays 2:00 p.m. |
Strauss | Morales | Mosqueda Pedersen Nelson |
| Public Safety & Human Services | 2nd and 4th Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. |
Herbold | Lewis | Mosqueda Pedersen Nelson |
| Sustainability & Renters’ Rights | 1st and 3rd Fridays 9:30 a.m. |
Sawant | Nelson | Morales Juarez Lewis |
| Transportation & Seattle Public Utilities | 1st and 3rd Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. |
Pedersen | Strauss | Sawant Herbold Morales |