Tag: Gonzalez

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January 4, 2016January 6, 2023News Releases

Councilmembers Inaugurated in First District-Based Representation System Since 1910, Harrell Elected Council President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 1/4/2016

Councilmembers Inaugurated in First District-Based Representation System Since 1910, Harrell Elected Council President

SEATTLE - All nine Seattle City Councilmembers took their oaths of office in the traditional inauguration ceremony in City Council Chambers today, following their successful victories in last November's election. Newly elected Councilmembers Lorena Gonzalez, Lisa Herbold, Rob Johnson and Debora Juarez joined returning re-elected Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess, Bruce Harrell, Mike O'Brien and Kshama Sawant in taking their seats at the Council dais.

Family, friends, colleagues and community members filled the Seattle City Council chambers to celebrate the new and returning local government leadership. Each elected official was sworn in by someone of their choice and gave brief remarks.

Following their oaths, Councilmembers elected Councilmember Bruce Harrell to the position of Council President. Harrell has served as Seattle City Councilmember since 2008 and most recently chaired the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee. The Council President is the presiding officer of the Council, sets the Full Council agenda, assigns legislation to committees and is the primary point of contact for external agencies. When the Mayor is absent from the City or incapacitated, the Council President assumes the duties and responsibilities of the Mayor.

Today's historic oath of office ceremony ushered in first district-based representation system since 1910. Seven of the Councilmembers will now each represent a geographical district, while two Councilmembers will each represent the entire city:

District 1 (West Seattle, South Park): Councilmember Lisa Herbold
District 2 (Southeast Seattle): Council President Bruce Harrell
District 3 (Central Area, Capitol Hill): Councilmember Kshama Sawant
District 4 (Ravenna, Wallingford): Councilmember Rob Johnson
District 5 (North Seattle): Councilmember Debora Juarez
District 6 (Fremont, Ballard): Councilmember Mike O'Brien
District 7 (Downtown, Magnolia): Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
At-Large (city-wide): Councilmember Tim Burgess
At-Large (city-wide): Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez

Click here for an interactive tool to help find which Council district you live in.

Today's inaugural ceremony also marked a series of notable firsts in Seattle local government history:

First Enrolled Native American Councilmember - Debora Juarez
First Latina Councilmembers - Lorena Gonzalez and Debora Juarez
First Japanese American/African American Council President and first African American Council President since Council President Sam Smith in 1986-1989 - Bruce Harrell
First Female Majority City Council since 1998 - Sally Bagshaw, Lorena Gonzalez Lisa Herbold, Debora Juarez and Kshama Sawant

Councilmembers also took their first votes in their 2016-2017 term and assigned committee chairs. Each Councilmember is responsible for heading a Council committee and managing legislation related to that committee's focus:

Council President Bruce Harrell, Chair: Education, Equity and Governance
Councilmember Tim Burgess, Chair: Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods and Finance
Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, Chair: Human Services and Public Health
Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez, Chair: Gender Equity, Safe Communities and New Americans
Councilmember Lisa Herbold: Chair: Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and Arts
Councilmember Rob Johnson, Chair: Planning, Land Use and Zoning
Councilmember Debora Juarez, Chair: Parks, Seattle Center, Libraries and Waterfront
Councilmember Mike O'Brien, Chair: Sustainability and Transportation
Councilmember Kshama Sawant, Chair: Energy and Environment

For more information on the 2016-17 committee assignments click here. To sign up to receive forthcoming committee agendas via email, click here.

Today's inauguration ceremony served as an opportunity for the public to witness and participate in their local government. The ceremony was broadcast live on the Seattle Channel and can be viewed beginning tomorrow at http://www.seattlechannel.org/mayor-and-council/city-council/full-council.

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Seattle City Council meetings are cablecast live on Seattle Channel 21, HD Channels 321 Comcast, 721 Wave and on the City Council's website. Copies of legislation, Council meeting calendar, and archives of news releases can be found on the City Council website. Follow the Council on Twitter and on Facebook.

[View in Council Newsroom]

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December 18, 2015January 6, 2023Councilmember Bagshaw, Councilmember Burgess, Councilmember Harrell, Councilmember O'Brien, Councilmember Sawant, News Releases

Seattle City Council Announces 2016 Committee Assignments

by City Council News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12/18/2015

Seattle City Council Announces 2016 Committee Assignments

Councilmembers to elect Council President and assign committees on January 4, 2016

SEATTLE - Seattle City Council announced its tentative plan for committee assignments today, in preparation for work in 2016. Each Councilmember is responsible for chairing a Council committee and managing legislation related to the committee's focus. Councilmembers also serve as a vice-chair on one committee and as a member on another. Councilmembers can also sponsor legislation on other committees under certain conditions. Committee assignments are made official at the first Full Council meeting of the year, on Monday January 4, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. Councilmembers will also elect their 2016-17 Council President at the meeting. Committee assignments last for two years.

Councilmember Sally Bagshaw will chair the Human Services and Public Health Committee. Councilmember Bagshaw will oversee Council's work on issues relating to services provided by the Human Services Department, including programs that meet the basic needs of the most vulnerable people in our community. The committee will also consider matters involving public health and Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), which allows law enforcement officers to redirect low-level offenders engaged in drug or prostitution activity to community-based services.

Councilmember Tim Burgess will chair the Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods and Finance Committee. As chair of this committee, Councilmember Burgess will focus on issues relating to housing—investing and promoting the development and preservation of affordable housing, and building strong neighborhoods through outreach and engagement. Councilmember Burgess will also chair the Budget committee, overseeing the review of the Mayor's proposed budget.
Councilmember Lorena González will chair the Gender Equity, Safe Communities and New Americans Committee. As chair, Councilmember González will consider policies to address gender equity and help improve the lives of Seattle's immigrant and refugee residents. The committee will also focus on fostering safe communities, improving police accountability, crime prevention, criminal justice, emergency preparedness, and fire and medical services.

Councilmember Bruce Harrell will chair the Education, Equity and Governance Committee. As chair, Councilmember Harrell will focus on issues relating to public schools and improving student success rates, intergovernmental relations, technology, ethics and elections, prisoner reentry and equity issues for underserved communities.

Councilmember Lisa Herbold will chair the Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and Arts Committee. Councilmember Herbold's committee will manage issues relating to labor standards, civil rights, Seattle Public Utilities, and economic development. The committee will also manage issues relating to arts and culture in Seattle, which includes nightlife issues.

Councilmember Rob Johnson will chair the Planning, Land Use and Zoning Committee. As chair of this committee, Councilmember Johnson will take up issues involving City zoning, planning, major institutions, quasi-judicial decisions, community development, and land use regulations.

Councilmember Debora Juarez will chair the Parks, Seattle Center, Libraries and Waterfront Committee. As chair, Councilmember Juarez will focus on issues relating to City parks, community centers, and public grounds, including the Seattle Center. Her committee will also manage legislation relating to the Seattle Public Library system. Councilmember Juarez will also chair the Central Waterfront committee.

Councilmember Mike O'Brien will chair the Sustainability and Transportation Committee. Councilmember O'Brien's committee will handle matters pertaining to city-wide and regional transportation policy and planning. These issues range from pedestrian and bicycle programs, traffic control and parking policies, and overseeing the City's coordination with regional and state departments of transportation. The committee will also have a shared-focus on Seattle's Climate Action Plan to reduce carbon emissions.

Councilmember Kshama Sawant will chair the Energy and Environment Committee. Councilmember Sawant's committee will handle policies relating to Seattle's energy usage, as well as issues relating to alternative energy sources, air pollution regulation, energy utility rates, and Seattle City Light finances. In addition, Councilmember Sawant will take up matters that relate to climate and environmental protections, conservation programs, and green infrastructure.

Standing Committee	Committee Members	Committee Meeting Days and Times
Affordable Housing, Neighborhoods & Finance	Chair: Tim Burgess Vice-Chair: Lisa Herbold Member: Rob Johnson Alternate: Mike O'Brien	1st and 3rd Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.
Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development & Arts	Chair: Lisa Herbold Vice-Chair: Kshama Sawant Member: Mike O'Brien Alternate: Bruce Harrell	2nd and 4th Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.
Education, Equity & Governance	Chair: Bruce A. Harrell Vice-Chair: Lorena González Member: Debora Juarez Alternate: Tim Burgess	1st and 3rd Wednesdays 2:00 p.m.
Energy & Environment	Chair: Kshama Sawant Vice-Chair: Debora Juarez Member: Lorena González Alternate: Sally Bagshaw	2nd and 4th Tuesdays 2:00 p.m.
Gender Equity, Safe Communities & New Americans	Chair: Lorena Gonzalez Vice-Chair: Tim Burgess Member: Sally Bagshaw Alternate: Debora Juarez	2nd and 4th Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.
Human Services & Public Health	Chair: Sally Bagshaw Vice-Chair: Bruce Harrell Member: Tim Burgess Alternate: Rob Johnson	2nd and 4th Wednesdays 2:00 p.m.
Parks, Seattle Center, Libraries & Waterfront	Chair: Debora Juarez Vice-Chair: Sally Bagshaw Member: Bruce Harrell Alternate: Kshama Sawant	1st and 3rd Thursdays 9:30 a.m.
Planning, Land Use & Zoning	Chair: Rob Johnson Vice-Chair: Mike O'Brien Member: Lisa Herbold Alternate: Lorena González	1st and 3rd Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.
Sustainability & Transportation	Chair: Mike O'Brien Vice-Chair: Rob Johnson Member: Kshama Sawant Alternate: Lisa Herbold	1st and 3rd Tuesdays 2:00 p.m.

Seattle City Council meetings are cablecast and Webcast live on Seattle Channel 21 and on the City Council's website. Copies of legislation, Council meeting calendar, and archives of news releases can be found on the City Council website. Follow the Council on Twitter and on Facebook.

[View in Council Newsroom]

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November 24, 2015January 6, 2023News Releases

Gonzalez Sworn-in As First Latina/o to Serve on Seattle City Council

by City Council News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11/24/2015

Gonzalez Sworn-in As First Latina/o to Serve on Seattle City Council

SEATTLE - Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez received the Oath of Office on Tuesday evening, following certification of election results by King County Elections. Before her friends and colleagues and a packed-Council Chambers, Gonzalez reflected on her election, plans for her forthcoming Council term, and shared what it means to be the first Latina/o to serve the Seattle City Council in a speech clocking-in at less than ten minutes.

"Mayor Murray, Council President Burgess, friends and family, sisters and brothers, I stand before you today with sincere appreciation for the opportunity I have to represent our community in our state's largest city as the first Latina sworn into the Seattle City Council."

Citing her experience as a civil rights attorney and community advocate, Gonzalez also acknowledged her service as legal counsel to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, and as a partner at Schroeter Goldmark & Bender, representing workers in wage theft and anti-discrimination cases and representing victims of police misconduct as formative experiences. She also recognized and thanked her parents for "...(believing) the American dream was achievable."

Born and raised in Washington's lower Yakima Valley to a Spanish-speaking migrant farmworker family, Gonzalez - who earned her first paycheck at the age of 8 - reminded the audience "...I don't have the background of a typical politician. Mine is a lived experience rooted in the reality of overcoming poverty and injustice. I am living proof that access to opportunity, coupled with hard work, is a recipe for success. I graduated high school in the face of overwhelming odds. I worked in a food plant, a bank, a retail store, a fast food chain, a daycare and a hotel."

Gonzalez conjured memories of picking cherries as a child, spending as many as three hours a day before the start of the school day, and "Often in an environment where I was sprayed with pesticides, or working without access to a bathroom or water... it's these formative moments and experiences that inspired me to want to be an advocate, a champion, for those people who I see myself in -- even to this day -- and especially for those who haven't had a strong voice in government. They live in the shadows, and I did too - until I saw a path and climbed my way out."

Gonzalez went on to outline her intentions to draw on my extensive experience standing up for progressive values and the underrepresented to my work serving the people of Seattle as one of two at-large (city wide) representatives.
In her final moments in Chambers, Gonzalez turned her attention to future Council colleagues. "My word is my deed," said Gonzalez. "I have dedicated my life's work to defending workers' rights and will continue this fight - in the name of wage theft on behalf of a cook, or defending men and women against retribution in all its forms. I'll continue my quest to stand up for dignity in the work place, and in my work here at city hall on behalf of workers...I will not back down from tackling tough issues or seeking solutions that build a stronger community."
Born and raised in Central Washington in a Spanish-speaking migrant farmworker family, Councilmember Gonzalez relied on need-based grants and scholarships to attend community college and later Washington State University. She moved to Seattle in 2002 to attend Seattle University Law School. Gonzalez has served on various local, regional and national non-profit boards, including OneAmerica, OneAmerica Votes, National Council of La Raza, Northwest Area Foundation and Washington State Association for Justice.

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Seattle City Council meetings are cablecast and Webcast live on Seattle Channel 21 and on the City Council's website. Follow the Council on Twitter and on Facebook.

[View in Council Newsroom]