While budget season officially kicked off Tuesday, September 29, 2020 when Mayor Durkan transmitted her budget proposal for 2021, City Hall has been working on this budget for months, with each of the mayor’s department heads and her budget office determining how best to invest tax dollars for Seattle. Now that the Mayor has crafted […]

On September 8, 2020, I voted against scooters in Seattle and here’s why: I support improved mobility options by encouraging environmentally friendly alternatives to gas-powered, single occupancy vehicles.  Ideally, electric scooters (e-scooters) would provide an alternative for some trips for some travelers. At the same time, the City government is essentially authorizing a new mode […]

AUGUST 12, 2020 UPDATE: SUPPORTING MAYOR’S VETO AND RESPONSIBLE COVID RELIEF: Today, our City Council responded not only to our Mayor’s veto of Council Bill 119812 but also to new information about a slower economic recovery and a larger budget deficit than expected. Our forecast of revenues dropped substantially since we unanimously passed our original COVID relief package (CB […]

I am hopeful you and your neighbors will get to decide whether to renew the Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) at the November 2020 election. I’m honored to chair the City Council Committee on STBD that will be considering it this month. WHAT IS STBD? STBD is the Seattle Transportation Benefit District. It’s another way […]

On Monday, July 6, 2020, your Seattle City Council voted 7-2 to approve a new tax on large Seattle employers (Council Bill 119810).  This new tax will be in addition to the Business & Occupation (B&O) taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, and business license fees paid by Seattle employers.  This new tax must be paid […]

A small, but concrete piece for re-imagining public safety that can respond effectively to true community needs Most of my June 2020 newsletter was dedicated to addressing police accountability issues in the wake of the protests following the police killings of George Floyd and the painfully long history of misconduct and institutional racism negatively impacting […]

Black Lives Matter I have received over 37,000 e-mails, including over 2,000 from constituents in Seattle’s District 4 about police accountability, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the police response to protests here in Seattle, and the long history of institutional racism here and throughout our nation.  I am grateful so many […]

COVID crisis reinforces need for universal broadband access to address inequities SEATTLE – Councilmember Alex Pedersen (District 4, Northeast Seattle), and Chair of the Council’s Transportation and Utilities Committee, has crafted a Resolution charting the course for universal internet access in Seattle. The Resolution requests the city government, led by Seattle’s Information Technology department, to […]

Our District 4 is home to over 20 neighborhoods. Councilmember Pedersen believes community councils and other neighborhood-based organizations play an important role in Seattle. It may seem ill-timed during the COVID crisis to promote participation in community groups, but we hear from constituents that they are yearning to reconnect with neighbors and many groups are […]

Today the City Council approved Council Bill 119784, introduced by Council Lorena Gonzalez to provide residential renters facing financial hardship with an additional defense against eviction for 6 months after the Mayor’s eviction moratorium ends. The Mayor extended her moratorium — which is a stronger outright prohibition on evictions — to June 4, to align […]