The Select Committee on Families, Education, Preschool and Promise Levy unanimously voted to advance to Full Council a proposed ordinance to continue the City of Seattle’s investments across the education spectrum. If approved, the levy will expand quality preschool classrooms, continue investments in K-12, and establish tuition subsidies and support for college or post-secondary job […]

Following more than five months of deliberation, the Seattle City Council passed an ordinance related to taxation, intended to help address homelessness.  The amended proposal establishes an annual tax of $275 per full time employee on the City’s largest businesses, those with revenues of more than $20 million  (about 3% of all businesses). The measure […]

No matter your view on the proposed employee hours tax, there’s a strong consensus that there is a homelessness crisis that needs to be solved. This crisis facing our city and our region is human and visible and growing. By the last count 8,522 people were experiencing homelessness in Seattle. While I continue to hear […]

Councilmember Rob Johnson (District 4, Northeast Seattle) released a draft framework for updates to the City’s Tree Ordinance today, the first update in a decade, to proactively manage and steward Seattle’s urban forest. The framework will encourage more tree preservation and planting through incentives and fees. The framework would also gather better data by requiring […]

I have been hearing from many who live and work near 35th Avenue expressing both support for and concerns about the upcoming paving project. Ultimately, I still believe that the proposed changes will result in a safer corridor for everyone traveling through the neighborhood and will help allow more people to choose to walk or […]

Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda, Rob Johnson and Lorena González issued the following statement regarding the school bus driver strike set to begin tomorrow: “The people who safely transport our kiddos in Seattle to public schools deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. This must begin with a decent contract with First Student. We stand in […]

Seattle, WA — Councilmember Rob Johnson (District 4, Northeast Seattle) and Chair of the Council’s Planning, Land Use and Zoning Committee issued the following statement in response to an appeal of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS): “Two years ago, Seattle City Council committed to the implementation of a mandatory inclusionary zoning program to help […]

As the chair of the Planning, Land Use & Zoning Committee and as the representative for District 4, I have heard a lot this year about ways that we can support livability as our city grows. Funding infrastructure improvements for mobility, parks, and public safety are critical to meet the needs of current and future […]

I am deeply saddened and frustrated that SPD’s Force Review Board found that killing Charleena Lyles was within department policy; it is both devastating and unacceptable that our policies can lead to this kind of tragedy. There still remains an investigation by the Office of Police Accountability, and the King County Prosecutors Office will be […]

At Tuesday’s Budget Committee meeting, I brought forward an alternative to the employee hours tax. I think each of my colleagues feels heartbroken seeing our homelessness crisis continue to grow, and we agree that we must respond with increased funding. And many, if not all of us, support the package of investments that the proposed […]