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November 6, 2013January 6, 2023News Releases

Council President Clark Statement on the Race for Mayor of Seattle

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/6/2013

Council President Sally J. Clark;

Council President Clark Statement on the Race for Mayor of Seattle

SEATTLE -- Council President Sally J. Clark issued the following statement regarding the race for Mayor of Seattle:

"Following four years of service to our city, Mayor McGinn's legacy is that of a passionate advocate who worked hard to make Seattle more livable.  From social justice to environmental sustainability, technology to transportation, Mike leaves behind an indelible mark on our town.  I wish him well in his next endeavor, and thank him for his commitment to our community.

Moving forward, Senator Murray's arrival signals that Seattle wants a new style of leadership.  Our City continues to struggle with issues of public safety and transit, parks and urban planning, economic resiliency and civil rights.  I'm looking forward to working with an executive who will help us manage these issues, and this municipality, through the months ahead and years to come."

[View in Council Newsroom]

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October 7, 2013January 6, 2023Councilmember Licata, News Releases

Council adopts legislation to set marijuana limits in Seattle

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/7/2013

Council President Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Nick Licata

Council adopts legislation to set marijuana limits in Seattle

SEATTLE - Council adopted legislation today placing limits where marijuana-related activities may occur in Seattle, including growing and selling. Generally, limits would not apply in Neighborhood Commercial 2 & 3, Commercial 1 & 2, Industrial Zones, and certain Downtown zones. A detailed locational breakdown, with exceptions, including historic districts and other special districts, is available here.

Council Bill 117744 was amended to meet a number of considerations identified by stakeholders, including:

  • Setting a size limit of 20,000 square feet for indoor growing operations in Seattle's Industrial General 2, and 10,000 square feet for Industrial Business, and Industrial Commercial zones in Manufacturing and Industrial Centers; and,
  • Allowing growing operations (with a maximum size of 5,000 square feet) within Industrial General 1 zones (heavy industrial), provided they were established prior to the effective date of the legislation.

The bill limits activity in residential areas to the amount that the State defines as a single collective garden for medical marijuana patients.

Any recreational marijuana grower will be required to secure a permit from the State Liquor Control Board, which has assigned 21 retail licenses to Seattle. Per Initiative 502, the state will not issue permits to businesses within 1,000 feet of an elementary or secondary school, playground, recreation center or facility, child care center, public park, public transit center, library, or game arcade that allows minors to enter.

The legislation places a deadline of January 1, 2015 for marijuana-related businesses to obtain a state license under Title 69. This could consist of a recreational license, or a medical license, should the state legislature create a medical licensing system during in the 2014 session. Once the ordinance goes into effect in November, marijuana-related businesses would need a state license in order to obtain a city land use permit.

"We struck a balance with this legislation," said Councilmember Nick Licata, chair of the Housing, Human Services, Health and Culture committee, where the ordinance originated. "We need to provide reasonable access, but direct activity to appropriate areas. As with any other retail business, this legislation helps enforce laws that ensure cannabis won't be sold in our residential zones. "

"Councilmember Licata and I met with many district councils and numerous stakeholders since the legislation was drafted," said Council President Sally Clark. "This proposal reflects the input from a lot of well-versed, engaged citizens, advocates, responsible medical cannabis providers, and elected officials who want to see a safe, secure and reliable growing and distribution system."

In 2012, Washington state voters approved I-502 legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana, and directing the Liquor Control Board to develop a process for regulating marijuana production, processing, selling, and delivery. The Board is scheduled to approve rules for implementing I-502 on October 16. The Board maintains a website with information on its implementation of I-502.

The City Council passed Ordinance 123661 in 2011, clarifying that the manufacture, production, processing, possession, transportation, delivery, dispensing, application, or administration of marijuana must comply with all applicable City laws, and that compliance with City laws does not constitute an exemption from compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.

[View in Council Newsroom]

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September 17, 2013January 6, 2023News Releases

Council President Clark to host first-of-a-kind support workshop for business organizations

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 9/17/2013

Councilmember Sally J. Clark

Council President Clark to host first-of-a-kind support workshop for business organizations
Seattle Business Organizations Symposium will provide information, resources, and networking opportunities

Seattle - Council President Sally J. Clark will host the first-of-a-kind Seattle Business Organizations Symposium on Friday, September 20. The event will provide local organizations with a variety of resources and advice on how to help business organizations and business districts grow and be more successful.

The symposium will include a panel discussion on enhancing media coverage; presentations on how businesses can organize themselves, produce events, spruce up their neighborhoods and better market their products and services; a case study on how Pioneer Square used a variety of tools and resources to become Seattle's newest up and coming neighborhood; and a resource fair featuring more than a dozen services for neighborhood chambers and business organizations.

A complete list of presenters, event sponsors and the agenda are available online. The event is free and open to business owners and managers, members of chambers of commerce, or other smaller business organizations. Please RSVP to David Yeaworth at david.yeaworth@seattle.gov or (206) 684-5327.

WHAT: Small Business Organizations Symposium

WHEN: Friday, September 20 from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

WHERE: Bertha Knight Landes Room, First Floor - Seattle City Hall (600 Fourth Ave)

WHO:
Maia Segura, Penniless Projects and SouthendSeattle.com
Tenagne "Tina" Moges Gashe, Café Ibex
Karyn Schwartz, Capitol Hill Entrepreneurial Women
Kristine Cunningham, University District Chamber of Commerce
Susan Davis, Rainier Chamber of Commerce
Wayne Lau, Rainier Valley Community Development Fund
Louise Chernin, Greater Seattle Business Association
Leslie Smith, Lisa Dixon & Karen True, Alliance for Pioneer Square
Liz Stenning, International Sustainability Institute
Theresa Barreras, Office of Economic Development
Tracy Record, West Seattle Blog
Natalie Swaby, KING TV
Sanjay Bhatt, Seattle Times
David Blanford, Visit Seattle

[View in Council Newsroom]

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June 26, 2013January 6, 2023News Releases

Council President Clark’s statement on Supreme Court ruling to strike down DOMA

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/26/2013

Council President Sally J. Clark

Council President Clark's statement on Supreme Court ruling to strike down DOMA

SEATTLE - City Council President Sally J. Clark issued the following statement on today's Supreme Court decision:

"I'm elated that the highest court in the land has recognized that the relationships of lesbian and gay people are equal under the law. It's been a long, hard fight, and we've prevailed.

This is a great day and comes just before Seattle's Pride weekend, an opportunity to celebrate and honor the many, many people who have worked decades to see this day."

[View in Council Newsroom]

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June 24, 2013January 6, 2023Councilmember Bagshaw, Councilmember Burgess, Councilmember Godden, Councilmember Harrell, Councilmember Licata, Councilmember O'Brien, Councilmember Rasmussen, News Releases

Seattle City Council Votes on Bill to Restore Publicly Financed Elections in Seattle

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/24/2013

Council President Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Councilmember Tim Burgess
Councilmember Richard Conlin
Councilmember Jean Godden
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Councilmember Nick Licata
Councilmember Mike O'Brien
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen
           

Seattle City Council Votes on Bill to Restore
Publicly Financed Elections in Seattle
Proposal to be sent to voters in November

Seattle - City Council voted on legislation today to restore public financing for local elections. Seattle was the first municipality in the country to introduce public financing, also called "voter-owned elections," in 1979, but has not had an operating program since 1992.  The proposal will now be sent to Seattle voters on the November ballot.

Public financing is a system in which qualifying campaigns are funded in part with public dollars in order to increase the number of candidates running for office and increase the role of small donors in the electoral process. The Council's public financing proposal would only apply to City Council races and would be instituted in the 2015 elections.

"I'm looking forward to the robust debate about the role of money in politics in the months ahead," said Councilmember Mike O'Brien.

To opt into the program, candidates must first qualify by collecting contributions of $10 or more from at least 600 Seattle residents. Once qualified, donations up to $50 would be matched six-to-one on the first $35,000 raised. Candidates who fully utilize the matching system would receive $210,000 in public funds throughout the entire campaign, split between the primary and general elections. Voters would be asked to approve a 6-year, $9 million property tax levy to finance the program, which would cost an estimated $2 million per year, or about $5.76 for a home valued at $350,000. Candidates would have the option to run for office without participating in the public financing program.

In December 2012, Councilmembers Sally J. Clark, Nick Licata, Mike O'Brien and Tom Rasmussen sent a letter to the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC) asking the body to recommend a public financing model that meets three goals: (1) increases electoral competitiveness, (2) reduces financial barriers to entry for candidates and (3) increases the role and emphasis of small donors in the electoral process. In March, the SEEC delivered its recommendations to Council for consideration, over which the City Council's Public Campaign Finance Committee has been deliberating since April.

Seattle had partial public financing of campaigns in 1979 and 1981, and from 1987-1991. In 1992, state Initiative 134 passed, prohibiting public financing. In 2008 the State legislature adopted legislation allowing local jurisdictions to establish programs to publicly finance campaigns, if approved by a public vote, and the funding is derived from local sources only.

[View in Council Newsroom]

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June 24, 2013January 6, 2023News Releases

Seattle City Council authorizes funds to transition campers out of city-owned ‘glass yard’ property

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/24/2013

Council President Sally J. Clark

Seattle City Council authorizes funds to transition campers out of city-owned 'glass yard' property

SEATTLE - City Council unanimously adopted legislation today authorizing the Human Services Department to provide outreach, engagement, case management, shelter, housing and other services to transition campers out of the encampment at 7116 W Marginal Way SW.

Council Bill 117815 authorizes $500,000 in new General Fund dollars for services to camping residents of the City-owned property commonly known as "Nickelsville." Residents in the surrounding community have expressed ongoing concerns about environmental contamination at the site and the public safety impact of the encampment for campers and the surrounding neighborhood. Passage of this legislation underscores a majority of councilmembers' long-standing position that encampments are not an acceptable response to homelessness in Seattle and that providing housing, treatment services, and shelter are the most appropriate assistance to set homeless individuals on a pathway to ending homelessness.

The City invests more than $30 million annually in programs and services to assist homeless individuals and families. In the past two years, the Council has provided an additional $1 million in funding for shelter, rapid re-housing and other services to help move homeless individuals and families off the streets and into shelter and housing. In recent years Council has also affirmed the constitutional right of religious organizations to provide shelter, including encampments, with minimal requirements.

"Our goal is to provide safe, secure housing, to anyone at the West Marginal Way SW location who is willing to accept it," said Council President Sally J. Clark. 
Seven Councilmembers signed a letter earlier this month requesting the Mayor to direct the Human Services Department to prepare a plan to provide immediate, targeted outreach and engagement services, case management and housing, shelter and services for Nickelsville residents and closure of the encampment by September 1. Several cities, including, New Orleans, Baltimore and San Francisco have also taken the approach of providing intensive outreach and engagement efforts, coupled with the provision of housing, shelter and services to residents of encampments. The cities have been successful moving individuals at the encampments into stable, safe shelters and supported housing. 

"We recognize that the problem of homelessness is a regional, state and national problem. We can't end homelessness alone, but we can help the residents of Nickelsville today - and that's worth the investment," Clark added.

The Council's Housing, Human Services, Health and Culture Committee (HHSHC) will host an evening hearing on Tuesday, June 25 regarding alternatives for encampments in the city. The next meeting of the HHSHC committee is scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, where the committee may take action on legislation broadening the ability of encampments to locate on public or private property in the city.

[View in Council Newsroom]

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June 17, 2013January 6, 2023Councilmember Bagshaw, Councilmember Burgess, Councilmember Godden, Councilmember Harrell, Councilmember Licata, Councilmember O'Brien, Councilmember Rasmussen, News Releases

City Council Adopts Bold Climate Action Plan Plan provides pathway to carbon neutrality by 2050

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City of Seattle
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 6/17/2013

Council President Sally J. Clark
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Councilmember Tim Burgess
Councilmember Richard Conlin
Councilmember Jean Godden
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Councilmember Nick Licata
Councilmember Mike O'Brien
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen

City Council Adopts Bold Climate Action Plan
Plan provides pathway to carbon neutrality by 2050

Seattle - Seattle City Council voted unanimously to adopt Seattle's Climate Action Plan (Resolution 31447) today. The Climate Action Plan is composed of recommended actions to be taken to meet Seattle's goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

The Seattle Climate Action Plan is the result of a three year collaborative effort between the City and community to produce a blueprint for a prosperous and climate-friendly city. "With this bold plan to reduce our carbon emissions now in place, we must now get to work on implementing the actions called for in the plan," said City Councilmember Mike O'Brien. "In the Energy & Environment Committee, we will begin exploring how to make energy use more visible to consumers and developing the tools we need to improve Seattle's home and building energy performance."

The Climate Action Plan includes specific short- and long-term actions the City needs to meet its ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. For example, the transportation sector accounts for 40% of Seattle's greenhouse gas emissions, but the biggest challenge Seattle faces to reducing emissions in this sector is funding. The plan calls for new funding sources like extending the Bridging the Gap levy and securing local authority for a motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) to help improve bus service and reliability, invest in improvements that make it easier and safer to walk or bike and take steps to build out the region's light rail system. The plan also calls for supporting the adoption of low carbon vehicles and fuels.

In the building energy section, the Plan calls for accelerating Seattle's already strong conservation work by enhancing the tracking of utility use, providing better energy performance information to building owners and users, and generally help to improve the public's understanding and manage their energy consumption. Additionally, the Plan calls for getting the right mix of policies and incentives to spur retrofitting in Seattle's housing stock and commercial buildings.

"Making Seattle carbon neutral is an audacious goal that takes time, hard work, creativity and the commitment of the City, business community and Seattle residents," said City Councilmember Richard Conlin. "We have laid out the path to meet this preeminent moral challenge of our time and we will lead the way to secure the future for generations to come."

"We must ready the city's infrastructure for climate change meanwhile leading in reducing carbon emissions," said City Councilmember Jean Godden. "Recycling and composting, as well as preparing for more intense rainstorm episodes with green stormwater infrastructure, are the first steps my committee will take."

"This policy document sets very ambitious environmental goals to stride towards, 62% and 91% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 and 2050 in the vehicle and building energy sectors. At each step, our strategies to reach these targets must go through the lens of the Race and Social Justice Initiative. In order to get residents and businesses to support climate action and include it as a part of their lives, we must be inclusive in our education and outreach with all communities," said City Councilmember Bruce Harrell.

"While I'm pleased that Council adopted the Plan today, we know the real work is just beginning," said Jill Simmons, Director of the Office of Sustainability & Environment.

The Plan focuses on three sectors where the City of Seattle can have the greatest influence in reducing carbon emissions: transportation and land use, building energy and solid waste. The Plan also includes a section outlining how the City should prepare for the impacts of climate disruption we expect to occur, as well a section on actions individuals can take to reduce emissions through purchasing decisions.
The Climate Action Plan can be viewed online at: http://www.seattle.gov/environment/climate_plan.htm

[View in Council Newsroom]