On Thursday, April 21, the Board of Health of Seattle-King County (BOH) adopted a set of guidelines for getting healthier food choices into vending machines. The guidelines are not binding on either the vending machine owners or those who contract with them, but are designed to set a path and give guidance and direction to [...]
Press Releases
The latest press releases from Seattle City Councilmembers.
Do NOT do this
Yes, people are hurting as they seek to survive the slow, job-weak recovery from recession. However, do not steal and do not steal copper from a live transformer. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 28, 2011 CONTACT: Scott Thomsen, Phone: 206-615-0978 BOLD THIEVES RISK DEATH TO STEAL COPPER FROM ENERGIZED TRANSFORMER Vandals Cut Down Utility Pole with [...]
Legislativepalooza April 25: Sodo Zoning – Wage Theft – Chihuly
On Monday, April 25, the City Council met for over two hours, and unanimously approved three major pieces of legislation – reflecting the wide range of issues that we deal with as a Council. The SODO zoning legislation is designed to encourage good development while protecting the character of our South Downtown neighborhoods. A new [...]
Technology Saves Money!
The City Clerk is required to post a number of legal notices, including about all legislation approved by the Council. Some types of legislation are required to be printed in full in a “daily newspaper of general circulation”, to be selected by competitive bid. Over time, the two requirements had evolved into the policy of [...]
Economic Recovery Initiative Launched by Council
On Monday, April 18, the Council unanimously adopted Resolution 31282, which outlines guiding principles, key priorities and actions for achieving economic renewal and development in Seattle. Our goal is to use this action plan to advance City and regional recovery, as the recession wears on. In previous recessions, Seattle has lagged behind the national recovery [...]
Council to Address Gaps in City-Provided Homeless Services
Over the past two years, homelessness in Seattle has decreased by 15 percent – an extraordinary achievement in the face of this recession, and a testament to the success of the Seattle community’s ‘Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness’. Of the 1,753 people found outdoors rather than in shelters in the 2011 One-Day Count, many [...]
Parks Levy Making it Happen: Expanding Community Gardens
I led the effort to include more money for community gardens when the Council put together the renewal of the Parks Levy in 2008. We wound up including $2 million, which may sound like a lot, but given how expensive land can be, we were only able to conservatively promise adding four more gardens. But [...]
Neighborhood Disaster Planning
Three Seattle District Councils and neighborhoods created communications hubs and community outreach on emergency preparedness in 2009, using $21,000 that I secured in the Council’s 2008 budget. In 2010, these three groups convened a planning summit for other communities to learn from their experience, and a number of other groups are seeking to develop systems [...]
Tunnel Update April 2011
On Thursday, March 31, I and other Councilmembers joined Governor Gregoire, King County Executive Constantine, Port Commission Chair Bryant, and representatives of the legislature in a news conference reaffirming the state and regional commitment to proceeding with the necessary work to implement the plan for the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement program. The program includes replacing [...]
Equitable for who?
Sometimes I look at knotty neighborhood development questions and think, “If only we could bring a bunch of really smart people around the table and ask them what we could do.” Sometimes it happens! I had the opportunity to see the future of the Mount Baker Light Rail Station Area as envisioned by five teams [...]
Carbon Neutral Seattle, Blog Post 11: Density and Community
Choices about controlling carbon emissions are shaped by public policies. Carbon emissions are lower in communities that are compact and that provide access via transit and non-motorized travel among jobs, homes, and commercial and recreational activities. New York is the classic example – with great transit connections and many multi-family dwellings, New Yorkers emit much [...]
Council Proposes New Police Accountability Measures
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is facing significant challenges. In the last few months, police officers have been murdered in Seattle and other nearby cities. There have been several recent actions by SPD officers that have raised questions about the City’s accountability system, including abusive activities towards suspects and the death of John Williams, a [...]