Council Leads with Anti-Austerity Measures and New Investments in Community, Participatory Budgeting Process Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide), Chair of the Council’s Select Budget Committee, released the below statement after the Council passed a mid-year 2020 budget addressing the fiscal impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, following a first-in-recent-history summer budget session: “This Council has […]

West Seattle Bridge Update, August 7 Reconnect West Seattle Over 15,000 people filled out SDOT’s Reconnect West Seattle surveys in July. For the neighborhood prioritization ballots, Highland Park/Riverview/South Delridge/Roxhill had 1,072 responses; South Park 301; Georgetown 209, and SODO 69. SDOT reports that most people expressed concerns, in the following order, about traffic and congestion; […]

“Today showed the necessity for protest and organizing, but also the limits of relying on the political establishment to represent the interests of working people, especially marginalized communities.” Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle), chair of the Council’s Sustainability and Renters Rights Committee, issued this statement following the City Council’s Budget Committee votes on […]

Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide) today introduced a resolution to protect journalists, legal observers, and medics from being harmed during protests. Mosqueda also requests the City Attorney’s Office withdraw support for enforcement of a Seattle Police Department subpoena that infringes on the freedom of press.   “Members of the press should never be seen as […]

“Rent is due today. Federal cash assistance ends today. And today the Mayor vetoes COVID relief for small businesses and families.” Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide) issued the following statement after Mayor Jenny Durkan issued a midnight veto of the Council’s unanimous JumpStart COVID Relief bill that provided $86 million to support Seattle small […]

West Seattle Bridge Update, July 31 Funding The Council has received legislation to fund necessary 2020 work on the West Seattle Bridge and related projects. The legislation authorizes two interfund loans for a total of $70 million. The primary loan is for $50 million from the Construction and Inspections Fund, with a secondary loan of […]

Councilmember Alex Pedersen, Chair of the Transportation Committee and Chair of the Committee on Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD) Funding, released the following statement today after the City Council passed Council Bill 119833, which will provide voters with the option to renew funding for STBD. “Because I believe public transit is an essential and affordable […]

COVID-19 crisis reinforces need for universal broadband access and adoption to address inequities Reinvigorating efforts to pursue universal access to the internet, the City Council approved today the “Internet for All” resolution introduced by Council President M. Lorena Gonzalez (Position 9, Citywide), Councilmember Alex Pedersen (District 4), and Councilmember Debora Juarez (District 5). The COVID-19 […]

Statement by my office given after Judge James Robart granted a temporary restraining order preventing the Seattle Police Department from implementing the City Council’s ban on crowd-control weapons.  The Seattle City Council unanimously passed its crowd-control weapons ban on June 15, 2020. The ordinance, sponsored by my office, banned police use of chemical weapons and […]

“Unfortunately, while Donald Trump’s Department of Justice and Jenny Durkan’s Seattle Police Department are superficially the two sides of this court case, they are in total agreement on repression of protests, and both want to continue to use the weapons with impunity.” Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle), chair of the Council’s Sustainability and […]