On the Monday the Council approved the 2016 City of Seattle budget. As Chair of the Council’s Budget Committee, I was responsible for assembling a balancing package for consideration by the City Council. The budget passed by the Council focuses on urgent, immediate needs. I believe that when more people have a chance to reach […]

Below is a press statement from earlier today regarding a request to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission re: closing a loophole Councilmember Licata Calls for Fix to Ethics Code in Response to Developer Shakedown SEATTLE – Councilmember Nick Licata delivered a letter to the Seattle Ethics & Elections Commission (SEEC) today, asking that the […]

This may sound like a boring topic with a title that is trying hard to make it exciting. However, if I were to title it “How to spend a million dollars,” you might read it. And, hopefully you are right now. So here it is in a nutshell. The City’s 2016 Budget determines how your […]

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray today released his proposed 2016 budget and proposed 2016-21 Capital Improvement Program. The City Council’s Budget Committee will begin its consideration of the budget on Thursday, October 1, with an overview provided by the City Budget Office. Public input is vital to Council review and helps Councilmembers develop a budget that […]

The City Council did the right thing by passing a resolution (8-1, Okamoto) in support of local control of rent regulation, and asking the state legislature to lift the ban on cities limiting rent increases. The Council also requested that the Office of Intergovernmental Relations incorporate this position into the City’s forthcoming 2016 State Legislative […]

I want to thank the 43rd Legislative District Democrats for voting unanimously last night to pass a resolution in support of legislation Councilmember Sawant and I are sponsoring to ask the state legislature to repeal or modify the state prohibition on restricting rent increases. I give a special thanks to Colin Maloney for submitting the […]

I want to thank the 43rd Legislative District Democrats for voting unanimously last night to pass a resolution in support of legislation Councilmember Sawant and I are sponsoring to ask the state legislature to repeal or modify the state prohibition on restricting rent increases. I give a special thanks to Colin Maloney for submitting the […]

BREAKING NEWS Yesterday, the California State Assembly voted to divest the state’s public pension funds, from coal. I have been asking Seattle’s own public pension board to consider doing the same. In support of the bill, pro tem Senate President Kevin de León said: “Coal is losing value quickly and investing in coal is a […]

See and hear the city’s first Civic Poet read during the Mayor’s Arts Awards at Seattle Center, September 4th at 4 p.m.

On Wednesday, the Finance and Culture Committee discussed a shameful period in Seattle’s history: Seattle’s treatment of Chinese in the late 19th century. This included discriminatory legislation passed by the Seattle City Council, an anti-Chinese riot, and the expulsion of Chinese residents. To address this history, a resolution was brought forward by the Organization of […]