The City Council voted 6-3 today to approve final legislation on crowd management guidelines for the Seattle Police Department (SPD). The updated guidelines include several amendments intended to provide additional oversight and accountability, including checks on the use of blast balls. “The crowd management guidelines we passed today strike an important balance of giving our police officers flexibility to keep...
Press Releases
The latest press releases from Seattle City Councilmembers.
Chair Hollingsworth urges public to remain engaged on Comprehensive Plan process
Additional public hearings will be scheduled and continuous public engagement opportunities are available On Thursday Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth (District 3), who chairs the Select Committee for the Comprehensive Plan, issued the following statement: First and foremost, I want to thank the hundreds of Seattleites who took the time to provide comments at last night’s public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan....
Council President Nelson forms committee to address federal instability, protect Seattle residents
Today Council President Sara Nelson (Position 9) announced that she will stand up a special committee on federal policy changes. In a statement she provided the following details: It’s my responsibility as an elected official and as Seattle City Council President to make sure every one of my constituents feels safe, particularly our most vulnerable communities who are being targeted...
Councilmember Rinck calls for new committee to safeguard Seattle from federal policy changes
The proposed committee is aimed at identifying responses to emerging changes in federal policy which could threaten vital City programs and funding Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck (Position 8) announced today she has officially called for the creation of a Select Committee on Federal Administration and Policy Changes. She released the following statement: Throughout the past week, we have...
Councilmember Moore releases statement following Seattle Police Department arrest of Maserati drive-by shooting suspect
City Councilmember Cathy Moore (District 5) released this statement after news of the arrest of a suspect believed to have been involved in a shooting in the Greenwood neighborhood on December 28, 2024. “I would like to thank the Seattle Police Department, north Precinct, and the Gun Violence Reduction unit for their great investigative work that has led to the...
Seattle City Council appoints Mark Solomon to fill District 2 vacancy
The Seattle City Council voted today to appoint Mark A. Solomon to fill the vacant position on the Council, representing District 2, which encompasses south Seattle. After five rounds of voting, Solomon received the necessary five vote majority for the appointment. “I want to express my deep gratitude to this Council for their trust,” new Councilmember Mark Solomon (District 2)....
Seattle CityClub to host public forum with District 2 vacancy finalists
Public Forum is Tuesday, Jan. 21 at Columbia City Theater UPDATE: The forum is posted and available to watch on the Seattle Channel and YouTube. Seattle CityClub has been selected to host a public forum for the community to engage with the final six candidates applying for the District 2 (southeast Seattle) vacancy on the City Council. Seattle CityClub has...
Council President Nelson introduces legislation allowing workforce housing in Stadium District
Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson (Position 9) yesterday introduced legislation to allow workforce housing to be built near T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field to support the creation of a Stadium Makers’ District with mixed residential and light industrial uses. “It makes no sense to exclude housing from a downtown neighborhood that holds so much promise,” Council President Nelson said....
City Council releases information on qualified applicants for District 2 vacancy
Earlier today the Seattle City Clerk, on behalf of the City Council, posted the qualified applicant list of 20 candidates pursuant to City Charter requirements. Applicants were invited to submit a resume, cover letter, and completed financial interest statement form by last Thursday, Jan. 9. A list of the eligible applicants and completed application materials are available to the public via the Council Vacancy...
Councilmember Moore proposes reforms to limit blast ball use and enhance oversight of crowd control tactics
Councilmember Cathy Moore (District 5) today introduced a set of proposed amendments to restrict the use of blast balls by the Seattle Police Department (SPD) for crowd control and to strengthen City Council oversight over SPD’s crowd management practices, including the deployment of new less-lethal weapons. Currently under review by the Public Safety Committee, the proposed legislation mandates that SPD...
Council President Nelson urges continued focus on public safety in 2025 after record number of bills passed in 2024
Noting the high number of public safety-related bills adopted by the Seattle City Council in 2024, today Council President Sara Nelson (Position 9) welcomed incoming interim Chief of Police Shon Barnes to Seattle and urged a redoubling of city efforts on Seattle’s ongoing public safety challenges in the new year. In its first year, the new City Council adopted 14...
Councilmember Rivera calls on OPCD to provide more details, transparency as part of draft Comprehensive Plan
Select Committee meetings on the draft Comp Plan begin today Seattle City Councilmember Maritza Rivera (District 4) is requesting more details and transparency from the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), as the Council begins to deliberate on the draft One Seattle Comprehensive Plan. “We all agree more housing is needed – of all types. We have vulnerable populations...