City Council - Regular Meeting

Where's Velma?

OK. Good afternoon, everyone. We're going to go ahead and get started. Good afternoon.

I hate to do this.

I always try to avoid to use the gavel. Hello, hello, hello. Hey, we're going to start the meeting. People in the front, we're going to start the meeting. Can we start the meeting? Will you let us start the meeting today? Can we start the meeting? Hello. Welcome. Cliff, welcome. Can we start the meeting today, my friend? You heard me. Can we start the meeting today? Thank you. We're going to start the meeting. I might have a conversation with you after the meeting. No, you're not. After the meeting, we're going to have a conversation. Okay, the September 15th, 2026 meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order. It is 2.05 p.m. I'm Joy Holland.

Eyes on me. One, two, three.

We are at ease until we can start the meeting today.

Are you waiting for the roll call?

No, we're waiting until everyone's quiet, until we have quietness so we can start the meeting. All right, perfect. The September 15th, 2026 meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order. It is 2.06 PM. I'm Joy Hollingsworth, Council President. Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Lin?

Here.

Council Member Rank?

Here.

Council Member Rivera? Present. Council Member Saka?

Here.

Council Member Strauss here. Council Member Foster here. Council Member Juarez here. Council Member Kettle here. Council President Hollingsworth here. Nine present.

Awesome. Welcome back, colleagues. Really happy to have this is our first meeting after recess. So we're happy we have a full agenda today. And so we are going to get started today. Councilmember Foster will present a proclamation recognizing September 15th as Clean Air Day for Blue Skies. Councilmember Foster, you are recognized to present your proclamation.

Thank you so much, Council President, and so excited to start today off with the presentation of this proclamation. I want to share my gratitude to Mayor and the rest of the Council for signing this and establishing today, September 15th, as Clean Air Day for Blue Skies. I also want to express my... Yay! I want to express my deep gratitude to former State Representative Velma Valoria and the King County International Airport Community Coalition, who advocated for this proclamation in order to bring more attention to air pollution and other aviation-related health risks. that are facing our communities in and around our city, but in particularly surrounding Boeing Field. Here in Seattle, Georgetown and South Park already experience significant environmental and health disparities, and this proclamation reinforces our commitment to improving air quality, public health, and environmental justice for our residents, as well as the need to continue working alongside impacted communities on these issues. I won't read the whole proclamation, we have a busy council today, but I'll share just a brief portion of it. Whereas residents of Seattle's South Park and Georgetown neighborhoods have historically experienced life expectancy approximately 13 years shorter than residents of some wealthier Seattle communities, reflecting cumulative environmental and socioeconomic burdens that include air pollution, limited access to green space, proximity to industrial activity and major transportation corridors. Whereas protecting our shared atmosphere requires sustained partnership among residents, community organizations, local and regional governments, public agencies, businesses and institutions, and requires the voices of those who have borne the greatest environmental burdens to help share solutions and investments intended to address them. And whereas the United Nations Environment Program recognizes the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies annually in September, calling attention to our shared responsibility to reduce air pollution, protect human health, and safeguard our planet. Therefore, the Mayor and Seattle City Council proclaim September 15, 2025 to be Clean Air Day for Blue Skies. Oh, continue. Oh, and I believe, are we going to go ahead and present the, that's all?

Yeah, no, absolutely. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Foster. Thank you for your leadership on this. I want to see if any other council members have comments before we suspend the rules. And if there's no objection, we're going to go ahead and suspend the rules so we can present the proclamation. And I believe that we are joined by Representative Velma, who is joined by members of King County International Airport Community Coalition as well. And so we'd like to invite you all to the front to be able to provide some comments. And if there's no objection, do we have people speaking on this? Council member, we do.

Okay, perfect.

And then if there's no objections, we'll suspend the rules for the presentation. Go right ahead. Welcome. Thank you so much.

Casey.

We actually first wanna say Velma Valora, who is the chair of our committee, our coalition. She couldn't be here today because she's serving in the food bank today. And so she's not gonna, she loves it that you guys have given this to us, Proclamation of Clean Air. I'm gonna say a little speech, because I know I'll go off in a tangent. Good to see all of you council members. We are grateful that the proclamation of Clean Air Day is that we need this. The right of every person in every community to breathe clean and healthy air, whether what zip code or background. I'm out of breath, sorry. But I'm also glad that this proclamation is in Seattle, Clean Air Day, because we know Seattle right now, y'all, we gotta have something positive coming out right now, and this is thank you to Councilmember Foster, and we wanna thank you that we can proclaim September 15th Clean Air Day. I don't know if you guys know me, but I started out in environmental justice with Dion Foster, and so thank you, friend, Councilmember, and I'm gonna give it to my... One of our committee members.

Hi, everyone. The King County International Airport Community Coalition, or KCIACC, is a diverse, multi-generational group of volunteers concerned about the significant climate and air quality challenges that our communities are experiencing. We invest our time and resources into this initiative because we love our communities and we know what's at stake. We work year round to spread awareness about air pollution and to inspire action to address local environmental and public health issues. We thank you all at the city council for sharing our commitment to clean air and improved health outcomes for everyone in our city. A special thank you to Council Member Foster as well for leading the council in this proclamation recognizing the International Day of Clean Air. As was said, we know that it's a packed agenda. We really appreciate your time. And I just want to highlight, you know, I know there's a lot of topics for discussion today and really just want to stress the interconnectedness of a lot of these issues, as you know. And certainly, as demonstrated in the proclamation, you know, issues of environmental, economic, and racial justice. These are all deeply interconnected. So we encourage everyone to get involved in protecting our shared atmosphere and promoting the health and well-being of everyone in our region, including finding out more about KCIACC. We are a small but mighty group of volunteers, always welcoming more folks. And I just want to say we know that we all can, and we must do more and contribute to the solution. So thank you all so much.

Awesome. Thank you.

That's perfect.

Would you like a picture as well? Awesome. All right. So just come up here. We'll have Deanna Lee be in the middle here. We're going to take a quick photo with the council members. So many times. I know y'all know how we do it.

Thank you so much.

I got good retakes, it's not that good apparently.

I think it's just my binders.

Thank you.

All right, one more.

Three, two, one. Lovely. All right, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.

All right, thank you all.

Now we're getting... Okay. Thank you all. Blue skies. Thank you, Council Member Foster. Colleagues, at this time, we're going to open the hybrid public comment period. Comments relating to our last agenda item, which is Resolution 32218, regarding Washington State Initiatives 101 and... 6 3 8 are not going to be accepted at this time and we're gonna open up a separate public comment period when we reach those agenda items So when we reach agenda item number five, we'll have two separate comment period for both of those resolutions today Just FYI at this time Please keep your comments to items on today's agenda the introduction referral calendar and the council's work program clerk How many speakers do we have signed up today?

We have 17 remote and 22 in person.

Okay, so that is over 30 speakers. So everyone has one minute in our council rules. Just a reminder that for agenda item number five, which is resolution 32218 on initiatives 101 and three, or excuse me, 638, we'll have a separate public comment period for that as well. If you've signed up today to just give public comment about general stuff, you can talk about some of those issues in general form but not necessarily the initiative specifically does that make sense to people for this public comment period and then when we get to those agenda items you're able to talk about those specifically directly okay so i don't want anyone to feel like they can't talk about those issues you can just in a general form okay um all right will the clerk please read the instructions to the public comment period speakers will be called in the order in which they are registered

Speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left of their time. Speakers' mics will be muted if they do not end their comments within the allotted time to allow us to call on the next speaker.

Okay, we'll call people up. We'll call people up in five. So we have Tyson Holman, Jessa Davis, Sawyer Stearns, Deborah Osborne, and Ryan Donahue. So we have those five speakers. If you start making your way to the front, Tyson, Jessa, Sawyer, Deborah, and Ryan.

Great. Hello, my name is Tyson and I'm with the Seattle Coalition for Family and Relationship Equity. First, I want to thank you all for being here and for putting forth protections for diverse families. I'm a polyamorous man and I've been a part of this community for quite a long time and something I've witnessed and experienced myself is stigma and discrimination for having a diverse family. Some of the most painful conversations in my community are about having to hide the people we love or being the person who's hidden. All of this we do to avoid discrimination. It's painful. It reduces who we are. And it feels like a betrayal of ourself that we have to commit in order to be safe from discrimination. These protections that you're passing today, ideally, are the first step in changing that.

Thank you. Thank you, Jessa.

Followed by Sawyer. Hello, everyone. Jessa Davis. My pronouns are she, her. I'm speaking to you today as a community advocate and local resident. So great to see everyone here. I just wanted to speak in favor of CB 121278, if I have the number correct. And thank you all for your consideration on this matter. This is something that represents two years of advocacy work for myself and community. I'm working with many of you here today and behind me as well. And I just wanted to say there's a matter of this bill where it catches headlines in a certain way. Non-monogamy is sort of flashy and click-baity. But it's more about how family is today and having the law catch up with how people really live their lives in community. We have this great sticker at See Free and Open that says monogamy in this economy. And in seriousness, though, it's about just allowing people to show up authentically and to be supported. Thank you in advance for your support today.

Thank you, Jessa. Sawyer, followed by Deborah, then Ryan.

Perfect.

Hello, everyone. My name is Sawyer Stearns, and I've lived here in Seattle since 2023 after completing my degree and obtaining a job at Seattle Children's Hospital. And I'm a commissioner with our Seattle Disability Commission. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to move here was because of transportation. I rely on buses and trains, which I find to be so helpful in getting me around the city. But what I find unnerving is when crossing sidewalks to get to the bus, and the amount of cars and commercial vehicles that are speeding are frankly just not paying attention, which leads to injuries and death. For myself as a wheelchair user, I am shorter, so extra precautions in place is crucial. Ensuring people with disabilities like myself feel safe enough to go outside and enjoy the city. And damage to durable medical equipment is costly, and so for people with disabilities using any mobility aid, they risk their mobility aids being damaged from an incident. This legislation of the safe, sorry, there's a safe, it's a safe, what is it? Safe streets, I'm like so losing it. But yes, this legislation for the Safe Streets Act would benefit in making for safer streets.

Awesome, thank you, Sawyer. Next, we have Deborah, followed by Ryan. Good afternoon. Thank you.

Good afternoon, I'm Deborah Osborne.

Bring the microphone, we'll start your, bring the microphone to you. Yep, you can pull it closer to you. You can like actually physically pull it. Don't worry, you won't break it.

Oh, okay.

There you go.

Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. given me a few moments of your time. I'm here today because I'm trying to bring public attention to a matter involving my family that I believe raises important questions concerning Washington state law and the administration of justice, including fairness, consistency, accountability, transparency, and public confidence in our justice system. I want to make it clear that I'm not here, that I'm not asking, I want to be clear about what I'm asking and what I'm not asking. I'm not asking the Seattle City Council to review my case, decide the merit of my case, or to interfere with a matter that's right now before Washington State Supreme Court. I'm simply asking for help in making the public aware that there is documented issues that I believe deserves an opportunity for independent journalism. I have reached out...

Thank you, Ms. Debra. Thank you, Ms. Debra. I hate to cut you off, but I'm more than happy to give you my card. We'll connect with you and Council Member Kettle as well. I got you. Thank you, Ms. Debra. Next, we have Ryan. And then the following names before you come up, Ryan. And I apologize. We have our school board director, Ms. Jen Lavallee. We have a tradition where we ask our elected officials to come speak first. So I apologize, Debra. Director Lavallee, but we have you next, and then we have Jake, then we have Ryan, we have AJ, and then we have Phil. Okay, so Jen, Jake, Ryan, AJ, and Phil. Welcome, Ryan.

You wanted the director to speak first.

No, no, no, go right ahead. I called you. Go right ahead. Thank you. No worries.

Hello, everyone. My name is Ryan Donahue. I am the Vice President of Advocacy over at Habitat for Humanity, Seattle King and Kittitas Counties. And we are here today in strong support of your appointment of Kelly Larson as Office of Housing Director. We've had the honor to be able to work with her numerous times throughout the number of years that she has been here at the city. And I cannot tell you how much of a champion she is for affordable housing. You all know that. Many of you have had the opportunity to talk with her or even in some cases work with her. I can't tell you how much that we are excited about this opportunity and excited to see her in particular and her appointment to this position. She's incredibly well suited to lead the department forward. Honestly, she's the best person that I could have thought of to be able to lead this department and be able to move forward on it. We're excited for the decision that the mayor made to appoint her. And we really look forward to working with her over the next few years. Please confirm her shortly. Thank you. Thank you, Ryan.

Welcome, director. My apologies as well. We're not recognizing.

You don't have to have that role, but you know. Hi, I'm Jen Lavalley. I am an elected official on the Seattle School Board representing District 7. Today, I am testifying as a private citizen. What I say is not representative of the Seattle School Board or Seattle Public Schools. As the council looks at gun violence reduction measures, I want to highlight the work that's being done in the Rainier Beach Corridor. There are weekly meetings between CBOs, police, metro, city, and school leaders, as well as regular safety forums that are occurring with community members on a monthly basis with the King County Office of Gun Violence Reduction. These have led to deep community involvement and collaboration. These go along with the work that the captain of the South Precinct is doing within our community as well to make sure police officers are getting out of cars and engaging with citizens to protect those that they are serving. This collaboration model exists, and I encourage all the members to look at how these sorts of measures can be

Awesome. Thank you so much, Jen. Next, we have Jake, followed by Ryan, AJ, and Phil. Welcome.

Hello, we at Community Not Cameras are community members from all over Seattle. We are tech workers, teachers, healthcare workers, and we are above all Seattle residents who are deeply concerned about violence prevention and community safety. Here are paper copies of our letter asking council to invest in community violence prevention programming. The letter has been endorsed by over 30 local organizations, including MLK Labor Council, and more than 500 Seattleites demanding real solutions to violence in our communities. Surveillance represents real safety risks to all of Seattle's communities, but especially to our immigrant community members, those seeking abortion care, gender-affirming care, and to anybody exercising their First Amendment rights, especially when our views are at odds with the federal government. Surveillance is ineffective at either reducing violence in community or increasing clearance rates. We cannot secure surveillance data locally, and we cannot prevent the federal government, ICE, or Customs and Border Control from accessing it when we are contracting with a vendor offering a cloud-based surveillance software.

The vendor Acton can pull Seattle's footage.

Thank you, Jake. Thank you, Jake.

Thank you, Jake. Jake, thank you so much for your public comment. Really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Next, we have Ryan followed by AJ and Phil. Welcome.

Hi, everybody. My name is Ryan Tallon. I'm a registered nurse at Harborview and I live on Capitol Hill. I see the consequences of violence that cameras fail to prevent all the time. Seattle Center is heavily surveilled. yet a two-year-old boy was shot in the arm. On September 8th, a woman was killed outside a hotel along the Aurora corridor, one of the most heavily surveilled parts of our city. Cameras didn't prevent these tragedies and they will not prevent the next one. Violence interruption programming is the single most effective intervention reducing homicides and assaults by 30 to 50%. I urge the council to approve the amendment redirecting $250,000 from CCTV expansion to community violence interruption ambassadors. As a nurse, I know the difference between watching harm happen and stopping it. Please choose prevention, choose lives over lenses.

Thank you. Next we have AJ followed by Phil. Welcome AJ.

Hello, I'm AJ Randall, Community Knock Cameras and Squid Tips on YouTube. In June of this year, Community Passageways lost its contract with the city of Seattle and was forced to lay off 13 violence interruption workers who operated in the Rainier Beach area. A month later, three people lost their lives and a two-year-old was injured in a tragic episode at the Bight of Seattle. One of the victims of that shooting was actively engaging with Community Passageways at the time. Laying off neighborhood-based violence interrupters is a step in the wrong direction. We know that those most likely to fall victim to gun violence are also those most likely to fall victim to police violence. As someone who has personally experienced an unlawful arrest and imprisonment by SPD, I can say with my full chest that we as a city have completely failed the victims of police violence for decades. We urge city council as you approach the upcoming budget season to commit to funding community passageways and victims of police violence. Thank you. Thank you, AJ.

Next, we have Phil. Welcome, Phil. Before you go, Phil, I'll call the next five speakers. We have Will, Tatiana.

I can't read that name. Noah and Ashley.

I'll figure out what this name is. I think it's Clifford. Cliff. Okay, Cliff. Awesome. Welcome, Phil.

Thank you. Hello, counsel. Thank you. My name is Phil Mossack. Seattle has real challenges with violence. The good news is homicides are down 23%. We're making progress. What we want is for the city to redirect mass surveillance money, such as from license plate readers, the real-time crime center, or the CCTV camera system to community-led violence prevention programs. These are programs that are known to work. The statistics show that they do work. Statistics show that surveillance does not work. The city cuts money time after time for programs such as these, and it harms the community. Community solutions work. The care responder rate is up to 80% from 40. And it is time for the city to redirect funding from mass surveillance to community-led solutions that work. Thank you.

Thank you, Phil. Next we have Will, Tatiana, Cliff, Noah, Ashley. Welcome. Welcome, Will.

Hello, my name's Will Mandel. As Phil pointed out, surveillance technology diverts funding from proven effective violence prevention, and the evidence to support surveillance is lacking. The only study SPD cited in the surveillance impact report, a 40-year systemic review, including meta-analysis on the efficacy of CCTV, concludes no significant effects observed for violent crime, and that a body of research on the investigatory benefits of CCTV has yet to develop. CCTV is nothing new. For years, CCTV in the UK has made it one of the most surveilled countries in the world, second only to China. Much of the data in this 40-year review comes from the UK. If four decades of research have found no evidence that CCTV cameras reduce violence or aid investigators, then there is little reason to introduce them as a, quote, pilot, other than to provide security theater and to make false promises to the public. Seattle residents do not deserve to have their privacy signed away to government agencies and private companies in the name of this technology. Thank you.

Thank you. Well, next we have Tatiana, followed by Cliff, Noah, and then Ashley Ford. Welcome, Tatiana.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Tatiana Brown, a collaborative governance leader. I'm here today to talk to you about evidence, fear, and solutions. So we know two things. Evidence to support the use of CCTV cameras to prevent violent crime does not exist. And the research to support the utility of real-time crime centers remains thin. In an interview with People Power Washington, former SPD Chief Operating Officer Brian Maxey admitted the promises of crime prevention on increased crime clearance rates with using RTCC are hypothetical and anecdotal. Atlanta, Georgia uses Axon for its real-time crime center and has a massive surveillance network. And a recent review by the FBI found despite the vast expansion of surveillance in Atlanta, there was no increase in clearance rates. Mayor Wilson is right that decisions here should be grounded in a thorough understanding of how the cameras are being used and of any harm they're causing. But I urge the council to move with precision that cameras don't prevent violent crime. And we need to be pursuing real solutions in violence .

Thank you. Thank you, Tatiana. Next we have Cliff, followed by Noah, and then Ashley .

Yeah, my apologies if I did it a little bit. I'm just not feeling well today, but I want to be here in solidarity, especially since over 616, as of 1.30 today, individuals and organizations have signed on to our letter. Organizations advocate for gender justice, immigration rights, climate justice, and racial equality are calling for an end to surveillance, investment, and solutions that actually prevent community violence. In fact, we are demanding that the Council take the next step after passing Councilmember Hollingsworth's amendment redirecting $250,000 from CCTV expansion to community violence interruption ambassadors, and follow with a more robust investment in community-driven solutions that prevent horrible tragedies from happening in the future, divest from the surveillance that poses safety risks for a community and perpetuates discrimination, and instead invest in community-driven solutions, data-driven solutions that provide safety and reduce gun violence for the benefit of all Seattle residents. So says Doom. Thank you.

Thank you, Cliff. Next, we have Noah. And FYI, that amendment was passed about a month and a half ago, and it's being implemented. Noah?

Good afternoon, council members. My name is Noah Williams, senior DevOps engineer in cloud cybersecurity. I have extensive experience reverse engineering commercial off-the-shelf apps and developing black box observability tools to test vendor claims from a cybersecurity perspective. I was asked by the Community.Cameras Coalition to tour the RTCC and provide a cybersecurity evaluation. Here it is. The storage of camera footage on site is negated by Axon's exclusive control over when it is uploaded and or streamed. Axon and any entity that subpoenas, hacks, or coerces them has the ability to upload Seattle's footage to their platform, stream it without Seattle's consent or knowledge. The Fusos web control app is exposed to the public internet, increasing its attack surface. Give it a try at fusos1.com. Worse still, our city's SSO provider is misconfigured, so when an analyst clicks log out, they haven't actually logged out. Yes, I've provided that to IT. The bottom line is that this platform isn't our system or our data. It's a signals intelligence platform that we've rented from bounty hunters to surveil ourselves. And with respect to internal controls, for example, can we catch an analyst's illegal collaboration with ICE? No. Axon's platform does not feature anomaly detection, and our city's concept of an audit is randomly sampling 10 requests per month. Thank you, Noah.

Next we have Ashley. Before you go, Ashley, I'm going to read the next five. We have Lars, Madison, Phil, Cedar. I apologize if I mess up your name. And Marceline. Ashley, welcome.

Hello, hi City Councils, Ashley Sheehan, day pronouns, renter from District 5, member of the Seattle LGBTQ Commission. Super excited to see today's bill on the expansion of civil rights protections that's slated for a final vote today. In early 2025, we started having these conversations with the Seattle Coalition for Family and Relationship Equity, mostly thanks to the advocacy of Jessa Davis, who you heard from earlier. And it's been inspiring to see other cities around our state and country take similar steps to enshrine protections for the different way folks actually live in our city. I want to note this is especially symbolic right now as the federal government moves to define what a family is and isn't. And I just want to say thank you to all of you for your efforts to get us here and congratulate everyone who has helped make this happen. The passage of this legislation will be a monumental day for Seattle and hold precedent for many other cities around the U.S. Many of y'all on council know how much of an advocate I am for real infrastructure for trans and queer folks, and this is exactly what we mean. So thank you.

Thank you, Ashley. Next we have Lars, followed by Madison. Phil, welcome.

Good afternoon. Thank you, Council President Hollingsworth and Council Members. My name is Lars Erickson. I'm here on behalf of the 2,600 members of the Seattle Metro Chamber in support of Resolution 3-2217. I want to begin by thanking Council Member Rivera for her leadership and for bringing forward a proposal that is grounded in evidence, accountability, and results. Gun violence continues to harm Seattle neighborhoods, residents, workers, customers, and small businesses. The city audit identified a need for a stronger coordination, better data sharing, and more effective intervention strategies. This resolution responds directly to those findings by advancing a comprehensive data-driven approach to reducing violence. Success requires coordination among law enforcement, community organizations, service providers, and government agencies, all working towards the shared goal of reducing shootings and saving lives. Most importantly, this resolution is focused on outcomes. Seattle should continue investing in prevention while also implementing proven strategies that can reduce violence among small numbers of individuals responsible for a disproportionate share of shootings.

Thank you, Lars. Next we have Madison, followed by Phil, Cedar, Marceline. I'm sorry if I mess up people's names. Welcome.

Hello, Seattle City Council. I'm Madison Jones, managing editor of the Seattle Gay News, but speaking today on behalf of myself as a Seattle resident and as a queer and trans individual. I wanted to urge you all to support Council Bill 121218, adding non-discriminant ordinances for pansexual, asexual, non-binary, and non-monogamous people. Right now in the city of Seattle, Non-monogamous people in particular are at threat of discrimination in housing, employment, medical care, education, you name it. It is imperative at this time as four to five percent of our population practices consensual non-monogamous relationships that we as a city protect them in that regard. And since I have a little bit of time, I also urge you all to support community and not cameras here and there demands. Thank you.

Thank you, Madison. Next we have Phil. Welcome.

Good afternoon, council members. My name is Phil Lewis, and I serve as the government relations chair for the Seattle Human Rights Commission. And I'm here today on behalf of the commission to voice strong support for the non-discrimination bill, because discrimination based on the structure of someone's family or relationships has no place in Seattle. I want to thank Councilmember Rink and Foster and Lynn and others for your support on this bill and recognizing that our community members should not have to fear losing housing, employment, or access to basic opportunities because of who they love, because of who their family is, and how their household is structured. Basic civil rights cannot depend on a person's family or relationship status and how it looks or is acceptable to a landlord, to an employer, or to a service provider. We know that dignity cannot and should not be conditional. Today, in passing this bill, you send a message to all of Seattle that is unmistakable, that every family in Seattle deserves protection, every person deserves dignity, and every discrimination will not be tolerated in our city.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Phil.

Cedar?

No. So do I speak like this or speak another one?

You can speak whichever one is easiest for you. OK. Awesome.

All right, then. We starting now?

Any time you start, we start the clock.

OK. I'm starting. OK. Okey-dokey, then. It's been about a month since I've been to one of these. Some things I've been permitted to share with the general public because of others in my circles are just plain bored. OK. ICE and the police work together. If it seems like we're building surveillance centers to kill you, we are. If my extended family had a dollar for every time police, FBI, CIA, et cetera, committed a crime, we wouldn't need our assets. Our group of families are further poisoning the world, and we don't really give a shit. And if you have any questions about these stances, I'll be in the hallway for any questions to be answered. Yeah.

Thank you. And before you start, let me say the next five people. Thank you. So we have Howard Gale, followed by Richard, Angelique, Taylor, and SEPT. S-E-P-T, SEPT. And then we do have more that I'll read as well. Go right ahead.

Hello, friends. My name is Marceline. I'm here to speak on 12-12-78. Last week, I spoke with some of you about my Aunt Donna before she passed away. giving you an example of a non-conventional family member I grew up with as a kid. While she was not my aunt by blood, she was my aunt in every way that mattered. These types of families will obviously exist no matter what life throws at us, but I am speaking as someone to represent the next generation of kids who will grow up in these unconventional families, and that 121278 will protect not just these kids, but also their guardians. Thank you very much for your time, and thank you, City Council, for standing with unconventional families, poly or otherwise. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Howard Gill, followed by Richard, Angelique, Taylor, and Sept. Good afternoon.

Today, you'll be considering a resolution for, quote, evidence-based comprehensive gun violence reduction strategy. The problem is... It uses fear instead of facts or actual evidence. Ignoring your own data presented in Public Safety just this last June showed that despite a reduction of deployable SBD officers plateauing in 2024 at 924 to 939 officers, crime has consistently gone down despite a reduction in deployable officers. including gun incidents and homicides. This lack of facts has led us to what we saw last week when Council Member Rivera said, quote, Fatal shootings in 2012 were 211 in 2024. There were 541 fatal shootings. An absolutely ridiculous statement, which is, of course, not true. Claiming that it also increased exponentially. We actually have had a serious reduction. In 2023, we had 9.2 homicides per 100,000. This year, we're on track for 3.6, including the recent killings. Lastly, I'll just say one of the things Councilmember Rivera left out is that 25 and 2026...

Thank you, Mr. Gill. Thank you, Mr. Gill. Next we have Richard. We have Richard. You just put that in the box and we'll be able to get it. Thank you so much. Thank you. We have Richard followed by Angelique and then Taylor and then Sept. Hi, Richard. Welcome. One second. You should be good. Awesome.

Thank you. My name is Richard and I'm a member of a polyamorous family of four people, two men and two women. And next month we will celebrate our 26th anniversary. And during that over two and a half decades, some of us have experienced the fear of discrimination, especially in the workplace. And I really want to thank the council for acknowledging that that is a problem for some people and that you are actively looking at it and considering this bill, and I urge you to pass it. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Richard. Next, we have Angelique, followed by Taylor, and then Sep, and then we also have Guinevere, David Haynes, and Yvette Dynish, and those are all in person. And then if you're listening online, we'll come to you after six more speakers.

Welcome. Good afternoon, President Joyce and Tana Hollingsworth. I'm Cassandra, and I was here this morning. I'm with the Clean Cleaning and Skills to Live RV Outreach Program.

We listened closely this morning to the discussion about public safety, fear, and the RV lots being developed. I want to emphasize this. Unmet needs are very dangerous. When needs go unmet too long, it creates depression, anxiety, fear, hopelessness, anger, and withdrawal from society. That is why we show up three times or more out of the week, not once a month or every two weeks. We have already built trust. They talk to us. They sit with us. They eat with us. They let us into their lives. Now we need something concrete to offer. We appreciate the lots that are coming, but we cannot wait until July. We need action today. We need outreach funding, access to space where they can shower, complete paperwork, work on IDs and permits, and connect with services. We also want stipends to do gift cards for residents who help clean and maintain the area with the supplies that we give them. That improves public safety and helps restore dignity. Skills to live are...

Give her another minute, because it's two of you. Give us one second. One second, we're going to give you another minute, because it's two of you. Okay, so you get two minutes, because it's one and two. All right, go ahead, continue your public comment.

Thank you. Skills to Live already has life skill curriculum to help people rebuild confidence. create structure and prepare for housing. We do not want to come back months from now and find this crisis has grown. We want to move forward now and provide the support people need to transition into safe lots, shelters and permanent housing. We have the trust. We have the relationships. We are doing the work. Today, we are not here collecting business cards. We are passing ours out. Please contact us, partner with us and help us move this work forward now.

Thank you so much. Taylor, welcome. And I did recognize you did say my dog's name when you said hello to me, so I appreciate that. Taylor and then Sep.

Hello, my name is Taylor Farley. I'm the Executive Director at Queer Power Alliance. I want to thank you for supporting the 121278 and protecting our broader community members and civil rights protections. Thank you to Council Member Saka for meeting me a few months back. and being a big supporter and stating that protecting human rights is what we do. And so I urge you to pass this unanimously today. I also want to say thank you for the additional protections to the domestic worker labor standards, and this will add another layer of protections to our domestic workers. I'm really, really glad to see this. And I hope that you pass that unanimously too, because the really do need to be supported in this additional way. So thank you for your time and thank you for your energy. And I look forward to working with you. Thank you, Taylor.

Next, we have Sept. And then after you, we have Guinevere, David, and Miss Yvette. You all are next. Guinevere, David, and Miss Yvette. And then we'll jump online. Welcome.

Hi, thank you, council, for the opportunity to speak. My name is Set. I use they, them pronouns. I am also with the Queer Power Alliance. And I also want to thank you in advance for passing 121218 unanimously. Expanding civil rights protection to non-monogamous folks, pansexual folks, and asexual people is incredibly important, especially now as we're facing an increasingly terrifying national administration with so many folks coming to Seattle en masse. So thank you for protecting our rights.

Appreciate it. Thank you. Next we have Guinevere, followed by David, and then Miss Yvette. Welcome, Guinevere.

Thank you, Council. I'm here to agree with the people who are with the violence interruption program as opposed to security cameras. I agree with everything that they've said. On top of that, I do want to briefly point out that police do not have a legal duty to protect individuals from harm. This has been settled in Supreme Court cases, Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzalez, 2005, and Deshaney v. Winnebago County, 1989. Protect and serve is a made-up motto they paint on their cars. Legally, they do not have to protect or serve. You can look it up. I also support the bill recognizing polyamory as a valid family type. A lot of people who are pushing the nuclear family, the nuclear family wasn't invented until the 1950s. These people claim biblical values, but as a biblical scholar, I can tell you, look in the Bible, you'll be hard pressed to find one nuclear family. There's perhaps one, Isaac and Rebecca, and that was an arranged marriage, and it did not end up well. Just look up Jacob and Esau. Thank you.

Next, we have David, followed by Yvette, and then we'll go online. Welcome.

When you exempt misdemeanor drug crimes, you escalate violence. When you keep running interference for the repeat offenders, you undermine the efforts of public safety. Repackaging this bogus Baltimore copycat template is another reminder of a repeat of bad policies that you all have already approved over the last couple of budgets. And it's exacerbated the public safety crisis to the point where, you know, there's a lot of families that think that it'd be better to just move out of Seattle, corporations that need to move elsewhere because you all want to do pedophile grooming policies within legislation instead of allowing children to learn and intellectually stimulate, instead you want to like pervert and lustfully stimulate and the misinterpretationals of. And it seems like there's a scorn lived experience lens and a miseducation of hate that's being dumped on the rest of the people through the city council's capitulation to the devil's advocates whose special interest favors don't have the best interest of the whole of community. But you all need to address the fact that the city chief.

Thank you. Thank you, David. Thank you, David. Thank you, David. Now we have Miss Yvette. Welcome, Oregon Ducks. Shout out to Council Member Strauss.

Good afternoon, Council Members. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I also want to speak regarding 3-2-2-1-7, gun prevention, and hope to see it move forward with alacrity. I take the Seattle Times on the daily, and it seems like every week there's some kind of shooting or gun violence going on. And that's also why I am totally and strongly in favor of the cameras. they're a good crime solving tool combined with the resolution. And other than that, good luck with the budget process.

I know it's laborious, good luck. Thank you, Ms. Yvette. Now we're gonna go straight to online. We have Lisa followed by Neil and then Mike. Lisa, star six, unmute yourself.

Thank you, Council members. Good afternoon. This is Lisa Howard, Executive Director of the Alliance for Pioneer Square. The Alliance has worked for nearly two decades to support Pioneer Square's business, residence, and historic character. We strongly support making our streets safer, and we appreciate Council members' active leadership on safer streets. Pioneer Square is not simply a historic neighborhood in Seattle. It is one of Seattle's nationally recognized historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places. And this is one of the places that gives Seattle its identity. Changes to its streets and public realm should be respected to significance and the consistency with the Secretary of Interior's standards, which governs all districts on the National Register of Historic Places. We believe safety and preservation are not in conflict and have not been historically. I urge you not to use safer streets as a vehicle to bypass the public processes that have served us well. The Safer Streets legislation can make our streets safer, include local review and community input, and protect our nationally recognized districts that belong to all of Seattle. Thank you.

Thank you, Lisa. Next, we have Neil Buchanan, followed by Mike Stewart, Star 6.

Hi, this is Neil Buchanan. I fully support Resolution 32217. Earlier this summer it was reported that two 15-year-olds brought a handgun into the Wedgwood Safeway store. They flashed it to someone. Police were called and they were arrested across the street. What should Seattle do? I think the most compassionate thing to do is to bring as much support but also a dose of reality to these young people who will end up killing someone or be killed themselves. The police involvement in this program seems completely justified. The point of this program is to prevent a young person from spending the rest of their life in jail, not to arrest them now. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Neil. Next, we have Mike Stewart, followed by Dew. Star 6.

Hey, good afternoon, City Councilmen. Good afternoon, City Councilmembers. My name is Mike Stewart, Executive Director of the Ballard Alliance. Here today to comment on two agenda items. First, Council Bill 121270, which was recently recommended out of council committee. This bill is a minor amendment to how the inflationary escalator is applied within the Ballard improvement area. And the sole intent of this bill is to add clarity and ensure that the inflationary increase matches the intent of the original ordinance that was adopted in 2023. So I'd like to encourage passage of this bill. Second, I'd like to voice support for resolution 32217, which declares the city council's intent to implement an evidence-based, comprehensive gun violence reduction strategy in partnership with the National Network for Safe Communities. The cost to create this strategy is quite small, with great potential to realize meaningful reductions in gun violence. And I see this effort as a necessary and complementary initiative that is not in conflict with other Seattle efforts, and I urge Council to adopt this important resolution today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mike. Next we have Rose, followed by Mr. Alvarez.

Hello, Council. I appreciate the non-monogamous ordinance law that's available today. This is really important to our community. It is There's been a lot of instances where this is really impactful. In the 90s, when people were dying of HIV, one of the main reasons that people wanted gay marriage was because they had to watch their partners die in hospital and weren't able to get access to even see them as they were dying. People that are non-monogamous also have a very similar thing where they only allow one person at a time. They have a lot of restrictions of who is allowed to be there. If you are not The one partner that is married to them, you're not allowed to see them. It is important for individuals to not just be partners on paper, but also be those that are there for them and care for them and love them that are able to be there and to make sure they are okay. That's what this is going to be for us. And I appreciate you all supporting this resolution.

Thank you, Rose. Next, we have Mr. Alvarez. And just FYI, if you have signed up online for public comment and you are signing in about the initiatives, you will not be called on until we reach item number five. So you've signed up right now. It says you've signed up for the initiatives. That's agenda item number five. You will be able to speak on those when we get to agenda item number five. Mr. Alvarez, you are next.

Thank you. Public safety has become a for-profit business model. Consultants come up with strategies to sell to gullible council members. Resolution 32217, nearly $500,000 for out-of-state consultants. What secret ingredient or mysterious method could they possibly have to offer? If it is so important and groundbreaking for public safety, why hide it behind a two-year paid subscription? For safer communities, we need practical and immediate actions, like expanding the care team to help people actively in crisis, tiny homes and wraparound services for people struggling, and after-school activities and enrichment programs for kids and teens. Those are the things this council should be working on, not promising our money to consultants. Thank you, and have a good day.

Next we have Colleen followed by David Glauger and then Nathan Wall. Star six, unmute yourself.

Good try again. This is Colleen McAleer from the Laura Hearst community and supporting resolution 3, 2, 2, 1, 7, directing our city to implement evidence-based and multifaceted approach to reduce gun violence. This program will help identify repeat gun violence offenders and focus their needed resource to change their behavior forever. It's an opportunity to stop the revolving door of arrests and releases that now occur between SPD and the city attorney's office. This resolution offers a concrete step to achieve the goals of both the city council and the mayor to connect law enforcement agencies, other government entities, and local community organizations in a plan which focuses on deterrent, not incarceration. Vote yes on this resolution 3-2-2-1-7 for Seattle's constituents and those who work and play here to offer a tangible reform plan for those who turn to gun violence to solve their problems or as a cry for help. Thank you so much.

Thank you Colleen. Next we have David. I did call on you Nathan Wall but I see you're signed up for agenda item number five. So the last person we have speaking for public comment period is David Gloger. Welcome. Thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Dave Gloger from District 5. I'm here to speak in support of council member Rivera's resolution 3 2 2 1 0 7. I believe that this resolution is a good step in dealing with gun violence in Seattle. It is a way to gather more information and move us in the right direction. I hear there is opposition to this resolution because it involves the police. Well, who better to be involved in this study than the police? They are on the front line seeing exactly what is happening. It's time to move past the era of defund the police. Look where that got us, an understaffed police department. This resolution would have the police involved, not making the choices. The mayor's solution to gun violence is firing the police chief, but that didn't fix the problem. And using planter boxes in North Seattle to deal with gun violence and the sex trade on Aurora Avenue is not a solution. Let's take a step towards a real solution for gun violence. Vote yes for Resolution 32217. Thank you.

Thank you, David. Next, we have our last in-person speaker, Kim England. Is Kim here? Welcome, Kim. That's our last speaker, and then we're gonna transition into our agenda items. Welcome, Kim. You done took the long way around, didn't you? I'm just fine. She just went right here. No, you're good. Go ahead, Kim. Can you speak into the mic? We're gonna restart your time. Just speak right into the mic. You can get real close to it. There you go. Okay. Perfect.

Oh, now I hear myself. Good afternoon, council members. My name is Kim England. I'm delighted to be the last speaker of today. I live in District 4, Council Member Rivera's district. I'm sure you know that, but there we go. I am here to urge the council to pass the ordinance to further establish protections for domestic workers in our city. I am an employer or have been an employer of nannies and house cleaners in the past. And I'm planning to do so again once this ordinance has passed because I try to be a good employer. And I appreciate guidelines to help me be a good employer. And so the initial ordinance around domestic workers did a lot of this. But I think what's really important about this new ordinance is that it gives clarity to me around my responsibilities as an employer. As an employer, I believe in treating workers with dignity and fairness. I want people who care for my family to have these sort of additional protections that is laid out in this ordinance.

Thank you, Kim. Thank you so much. Are there any more public comment period people in person? No. Okay. So we're going to jump right into our agenda. I actually didn't open the meeting up like this and I forgot, but could we have a moment of silence? We lost a community member, KL Shannon last week, and she was an amazing person. I know a lot of people, she would come to council meetings. And so if we could just have a moment of silence to honor KL's life and her impact on the community. Thank you. Thank you, colleagues, and thank you, KL. Hearing no objection, so we're gonna transition into our meeting. Hearing no objection, the introduction and referral calendar will be adopted. Hearing no objection, the introduction and referral calendar will be adopted. We're also now gonna consider the proposed consent calendar. Items on the consent calendar include the minutes of August 18th, 2026, Council Bill 121287 to 121290, payment of the bills. We also have two bills from the Human Services, Labor and Economic Development Committee. We also have one resolution from the Transportation, Waterfront and Seattle Center Committee. And we also have 22 get engaged appointments from the City Council. Are there any items council members would like to remove from today's consent calendar? Hearing none, I move to adopt the consent calendar. Is there a second?

Second.

It's been moved and seconded for us to adopt the consent calendar. Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink? Yes. Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Saca?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss? Aye. Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez. Aye. Council Member Kettle.

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Awesome. Consent calendars are adopted. Will the clerk please affix my signature to the minutes and legislation on the consent calendar on my behalf. We're going to jump right into committee reports. Will the clerk please read item number one into the record.

Agenda item one, appointment 3569, appointment of Kelly Larson as director of the Office of Housing. The committee recommends the appointment be confirmed.

Council Member Foster, as chair of the committee, you are recognized to provide the committee report.

Thank you so much, Council President, and I believe I see Director Larson coming up from the back. Colleagues, I'm so excited to bring forward the appointment of soon-to-be Director Larson for the Office of Housing. One of the things that stood out to me when we had Director Larson's appointment in committee was the broad uh broad support that she enjoys from community we heard a little bit of that today from some of our public commenters but from the years of experience um i feel like i've gotten to know her resume quite well you know whether that was before coming to the city working directly and direct service at plymouth housing and doing housing provision and working with clients and working on the strategy side whether that is here at oh being directing and leading so much of our strategy work In my first few months here, I spent a lot of time with Kelly, and it's just been clear to me that she's so committed to not just housing, but to the people who we are seeking to house. And I'll say, as somebody else said earlier today, I couldn't think of a better person to step forward and to lead our city and our work in housing than Interim Director Larson. So, colleagues, I ask for your support on this appointment.

Awesome. Thank you, Council Member Foster. Colleagues, are there any comments regarding this appointment? Council Member Strauss.

Thank you. I'm very excited to vote in favor of Kelly today. What a perfect choice. Kelly has really kept so many people, the Office of Housing, have kept that organization and that department running. And I can say without hesitation that Kelly is the person that I always call. Always has the answer, always knows oftentimes the most, partly because of the team you work with, but also partly because of how just gosh darn smart you are. And so I will share my only concern. I will tell you that when I shared this concern with a friend, I was hushed. My only concern is who's gonna do Kelly's job now? And so I look forward to the continued conversation about who is going to take that mantle up because you have made a name for yourself, you have made a name for the Office of Housing, you've made a name for the City of Seattle in how you do your work. I'm just excited to get to vote in favor of your confirmation today.

Thank you, Council Member Strauss. Colleagues, are there any more comments regarding, I almost called you Dr. Larson, but Director Larson's appointment for housing. I'm grateful. I can't wait to vote for this. I think you've been phenomenal in a lot of the efforts that we've elevated to your office and looking forward to the continued partnership as well with Office of Housing. So really appreciate this. Director Larson, very excited. Okay, well, will the clerk please call the roll on, will the clerk please call the roll on the confirmation appointment of Director Larson?

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink? Yes. Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Saca?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss? Aye. Council Member Foster? Yes. Council Member Juarez? Aye. Council Member Kettle?

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Awesome, ayes have it, and the appointment is confirmed. Congratulations, Director Larson. You well deserve, you're more than welcome to come to say a few words, so congratulations.

Thank you so much, Council President, Chair Foster, Council Members. I really appreciate this appointment. I've been serving this role for about a month and a half. I've been talking to a lot of people, sorting through many ideas and requests. And we have a lot of challenges before us. But I know one thing. No one does this alone. And I look forward to our partnership together to address our collective needs for affordable housing, especially for those with the lowest incomes in the city and with the greatest needs. I know we're going to do great things together. So thank you so much.

Awesome. Thank you, Director. Congratulations. Next, will the clerk please call or call the roll? Will the clerk please read item number two into the record?

Agenda item two, Council Bill 121278, relating to civil rights protections for diverse sexual orientation and relationship structures, amending the definition of the sexual orientation protected class to recognize gender identities outside the gender binary, recognizing pansexuality and asexuality as orientations and include consensual relationships with multiple partners as an element of attitudes, preference, and practices pertaining to sexual orientation. The committee recommends the bill pass.

Awesome. Thank you. Council Member Foster, as chair of the committee, you're recognized to present it. I know Council Member Rink is sponsor, so I'll let you all handle that. Council Member Foster.

Thank you. I'd like to thank Council Member Rink for sponsoring it and pass to her to speak to this as a sponsor of the bill.

Thank you so much. Every family is different, but every single one deserves equal protection under the law. This bill would update the existing protected class of sexual orientation to do three things. First, remove reference to the male and female gender binary. This is consistent with past city and Washington state policy choices, and that is to recognize non-binary gender identity. Second, we're recognizing pansexuality and asexuality as sexual orientations subject to civil rights protections. And third, to clarify that a person's protected attitudes, preferences, beliefs, and practices pertaining to their sexual orientation also extend to consensual relationships with multiple partners, such as non-monogamous relationships. And these expanded civil rights protections would be applied to areas of employment, housing, business licensure, places of public accommodation, park usage, bias-free policing, the city affirmative action plan, and administrative duties for the Office of Civil Rights and the Human Rights Commission. And to note that these new anti-discrimination protections would take effect June 1, 2027, to allow sufficient time for city implementation and outreach. Now, as sponsor of this bill, my intention is to ensure that our laws continue to prohibit discrimination based on family and relationship structure as fully as possible. This 2026 update reflects how people actually live and seeks to ensure that all residents can participate fully in civic, economic, and community life without fear of discrimination. Chosen family is family. And as we recognize in recognizing diverse relationship structures, this includes multi-partner, multi-parent families and relationships, step-families, single parents, co-parents, multi-generational households, consensually non-monogamous relationships, and consensual and or intimate relationships, including asexual and aromantic relationships. I want to thank every person who came out today, both today and also during the committee hearings on this, to share their stories of love and kinship. I also want to thank Jessa Davis, founder of See Free, and one of our LGBTQ Commission co-chairs. for her hard work on this. I want to thank Tommaso Johnson on Central Staff for his work on this. And I also want to thank my chief of staff, Tim Lennon, for his work to get this bill where it is today. This passed out of the Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee on September 9th unanimously. And I'll note in closing that expanding civil rights protections benefits all of us. So, colleagues, I ask you for a yes vote today. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Rank. Are there any further comments regarding this bill before we call the roll? Oh, I'm sorry, I was supposed to pass it over to you, Council Member Foster.

Thank you. Thank you so much, Council President. I want to again express my gratitude to Council Member Rink for sponsoring this legislation and just echo what Council Member Rink already said about what we heard in committee. That was, I think, one of the most moving and community-spirited committee meetings that we've had in the Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee. I know a lot of the folks who came to the committee are here today. I just want to take this opportunity again to thank you for your organizing, for your advocacy, and for your vulnerability. It truly is making a difference. I know people I love and care deeply about will be safer because of this legislation and because of your organizing and because of your leadership, Councilmember Rink. So thank you so much.

Awesome. Thank you, Councilmember Foster. Really grateful for you, Councilmember Rink, bringing this and looking forward to voting on this as well. Any other comments? No? All right. Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Rink, excuse me, Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink? Yes. Council Member Rivera? Aye. Council Member Saka?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez? Aye. Council Member Kettle?

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Go pass this chair, we'll sign it. Awesome, and will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf? Congratulations, Councilmember Rank. Will the clerk please read item number three into the record?

The report of the Public Safety Agenda Item 3, Resolution 32217, declaring the Seattle City Council's intent for the City of Seattle to implement an evidence-based, comprehensive gun violence reduction strategy that includes partnering with national experts who have helped other cities significantly reduce gun violence, such as the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College. The committee recommends the resolution be adopted with Council Members Kettle, Saka, Rivera in favor, none opposed, and Council Member Lynn abstaining.

Councilmember Kettle, as chair of the committee, you are recognized to give the support. I know Councilmember Rivera, you're the sponsor of the bill. I'll let Councilmember Kettle do his thing.

Well, yes, as chair of public safety, I will ask Councilmember Rivera to start us off.

All right. Colleagues. As you heard me say, I'm trying to find real solutions to address gun violence in Seattle. That is why this resolution is before us today. Concerned residents have come to council chambers and written letters asking for concrete action and real solutions. From our students being killed, young girls being sex trafficked on Aurora, to the conditions in the CID, the mass shooting at the Bight of Seattle, the killings in Belltown and other shootings across our city, our residents have had enough. With this legislation, we're asking the mayor to implement the National Network for Safe Communities Strategy for Focused Deterrence, an evidence-based, successful, proven strategy from one of the leading criminal justice colleges in the country, which has had success in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Decades of research have shown that most gun violence is driven by a remarkably small number of people, less than 1 percent, who are responsible for more than half of the shootings. Cities can dramatically reduce violence by using the National Network for Safe Communities' focus deterrence strategy to build strong partnerships among committed community members, social service providers, and law agencies. Together, these partners engage in a compelling moral message against violence from trusted community members or leaders, a credible legal message from law enforcement about the consequences of further violence, and a genuine, unconditional offer of help and supportive services. this is what the national network for safe community calls the three-legged stool. If an individual chooses not to accept these services and continues to engage in violent behavior which results into huge harm to communities there will be swift and certain consequences. Why this organization, colleagues? Because the National Network for Safe Communities out of John Jay College was founded by the architect of focused deterrence. And the organization was created to help cities implement this strategy. The National Network for Safe Communities does not swoop into town and do this work for us, as you've heard me say. We have to do the work. But they will help us analyze local violence dynamics, bring together law enforcement, city and county agencies, and community organizations to provide ongoing—they provide ongoing strategic guidance and evaluation of the results. This is a progressive policy. It has everyone on deck working together to get the small number of people who are responsible for more than half of the shootings to stop engaging in gun violence. As you know, I hosted the Gun Violence Symposium and brought together all the folks that would be involved in this effort. I want to publicly thank those who attended, including Deputy Mayor Surratt, Prosecutor Lisa Mannion, City Attorney Erica Evans, our public health director sandra valenciano former chief barnes and all his precinct captains seattle fire department the u.S. attorney's office director tanya kim with the human services department at the city and many of the community groups and service providers who provide services in our city. I'm sure I left some people out, apologies if I did, but everyone who was there was important, welcome, and I was so grateful for your presence. And of course, my gratitude to Council President Hollingsworth and Public Safety Chair Kettle for attending and for their partnership, and for all of you colleagues who sent staffers, because I know we could not all together be there because of OPMA rules. This was so everyone could come together at this symposium to hear about the focus deterrence model from the National Network for Safe Communities folks and hear from folks from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and South Bend, Indiana themselves about how they worked with the National Network for Safe Communities to implement this strategy, which led to a significant reduction of gun violence in their cities. As you can see, colleagues, this is not a premature effort on my part. In fact, I was implementing a focused deterrence strategy as recommended by our city auditor in 2015 and then again in 2025. Ten years of inaction on a recommendation after the auditor's due diligence. At a certain point, colleagues, we need to act. There is no downside to bringing the National Network for Safe Communities here and to implement this strategy with fidelity in the hopes that we too will see the same results in gun violence reductions that these other cities have seen. The only downside is not acting. This is quite literally about saving lives. And I hope you will support this resolution and join me in calling for these types of gun violence reduction numbers in Seattle. Thank you. Thank you, Council President. Thank you, Council Member Rivera.

Council Member Kettle.

Thank you, Council President. Do we move this resolution?

No, we don't have to. Okay. Because it's already on the agenda. It's a committee recommendation. So Council Member Kettle followed by Council Member Lynn.

Okay, thank you, Council President. I wanted to start by saying gun violence in young adults came to my attention fully and in a direct way on the day that Amar Murphy Payne died. I was invited to join Council President Hollingsworth and then Mayor Harrell to the Mount Calvary Church. And I remember listening to Bishop Witherspoon's words and meeting for the first time the community safety teams, the organizations that we know like Urban Family and Community Passageways and others. It made a strong impact and it brought me to a community and a community that was grieving today. Then later, late night gun violence was center stage. And in working with community and the CID and SOTO, we introduced and passed an overnight establishments bill a decade in the making. We paired this effort with a chronic nuisance property bill. This was implemented to great effect by then Chief Barnes. The pre and post bill overnight gun violence numbers were and are stark. When looking at these year's numbers as it relates to gun violence and violent crime, these bills are a major factor. And I will add just briefly that the real-time crime center and the CCTV program have a role here, too, as does SPD staffing. But we need to do more on youth and young adult gun violence, so we took some steps. As noted, Councilmember Vare worked her symposium preps and budget. We added gun violence intervention reduction and community safety explicitly as an element of our strategic framework plan for a safer Seattle. We held a community meeting on community violence intervention with Devita Briscoe as a consultant to the council. And again, as noted, then we had the symposium on the National Network for Safe Communities. I remember being there, listened to the testimony for all the groups. I remember the group from Philadelphia particularly and speaking with them as a sidebar and talking about their experience with this program. And I would note, too, that we had our care bill, alternative response bill this summer, which made to great effect what we can do with the care department. And I should note, in the care ordinance, there already is gun violence. It was already there. I recognize we have an announcement today But this piece was already set at care, and we purposely did not touch it as part of the work we were doing because that was related to giving care other opportunities to work public health with the county and so forth, and dealing with the issues that have come out of the SPOG agreement. But we did not touch that piece because this is basically a keystone to the next step as we're looking to work on violence intervention. And I would add it also builds on the work that we did in terms of pulling PDA out of HSD into the care department. These work, all these things were done deliberately and for a reason. And then we had discussions, I had discussions with the mayor's office on gun violence intervention over the summer to include just before recess. And now we have resolution 32217. Last Wednesday, I met with the Belltown community, Belltown United specifically. We had Mayor Wilson there, Deputy Mayor Surratt, Director of Public Safety Holcomb, Interim Chief Sales, West Precinct Captain Garth Green, West Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Barb Yondo, City Attorney Evans was there, as was her Crim Chief or Criminal Chief, Jenna Robert. King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office was represented. And we were speaking to the Belltown Labor Day shootings, again, which included young people, and the idea that we needed to have a comprehensive approach to include the legislative and the executive branches. And I said this specifically to Mayor Wilson during the course of this meeting, that we have to do this. And as a side note, again, I would note the Belltown Labor Day shootings response was helped by Real Time Crime Center and CCTV, as noted today in the news. To this resolution, this is a two-year partnership. Think of it as a pilot. Focused deterrence is a new buzzword, but this, again, isn't rocking science. We need to have the law enforcement piece and the other departments, the human services pieces. But importantly, and very importantly, the community, all the key stakeholders. That's got to be front and center. But at the same time, we can't hold SPD at arm's length. I will note that there's been a lot of negativity being directed against this resolution, against SPD participation. But they are needed. There's been talk about this being an outside group. This outside group is not going to be doing the work. They're basically giving a playbook, an advisor. You know, now that the Seahawks have come on board, you know, the new season, the team is local. The team will have a local Sam Darnold. And up there on the line, a local Gray Zabel. THE TEAM FROM JOHN JAY COLLEGE IS NOT GOING TO BE DOING THIS. WE NEED TO DO THE WORK. WE NEED THE PARTICIPATION OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO INCLUDE THOSE COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT I TALKED ABOUT THAT'S SO IMPORTANT. AND THEN THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT THE COSTS, 418K. I KNOW THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT THE GREAT COSTS, THE GREAT COSTS AGAIN AND AGAIN. On the one hand, I could highlight the costly decision by the administration where $418,000 is just but a fraction. But on the basis of counsel of my colleagues and friends, I'm not going to go to the specifics of that. But instead, I want to focus instead on the cost of losing a loved one, of losing a son. Just recently, I had a meeting with an arts community group, local group. And after the shooting on 7 June 2024, they reached out to the city to offer support. Like, what can we do for the community? We want to help. And the city, the city hall, basically did nothing. But you know who reached out to that group, this arts group, therapeutic arts, if you will? A moms group. The moms group reached out to this group. and to connect, to offer support for the young people. I think that's where our focus should be. I think our focus should be on the moms who have lost these loved ones because how do you characterize that cost? And so colleagues, I ask for your support, thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Kettle. We have Council Member Lin followed by Council Member Rink and then Council Member Saka. Council Member Lin.

Thank you, Council President. Thank you, Council Member Rivera for bringing this forward, Council Member Kettle. I will be supporting this today, but I also wanna speak to why I abstained and sort of why I'm supporting and what I think this means going forward. First, I wish I could have attended this symposium, obviously, with the closed-door session, and for good reason. You know, these are sensitive discussions. But, you know, representing the district that is most impacted by gun violence, I mean, we've all had tragedies, and one tragedy is too many. But I feel a particular... responsibility representing Southeast Seattle, which has just been devastated by gun violence. And for me, as well aware of the symposium, there's been a lot of talk about focus deterrence, including with SPD, Lee Hunt, and the mayor's office. And I know things probably were not moving as quickly as I think we would like them to see. I was hearing support for focus deterrence. And I think from the mayor's statement, I'm hearing support for focus deterrence. And I think I would like to see us move forward. Part of my reluctance the other day was just because it was put on the agenda after recess. I would love to have had more of a briefing from staff or to have more of a presentation, again, because I was not able to attend. that symposium, and also I think it would be important for a community. This is gonna be community-led work if we do this, and we need to make sure that we are getting that buy-in from the community. And I know that there have been a lot of discussions with the nonprofit groups, but also we need to make sure that we're doing that deep community engagement. with the different impacted communities. And that's throughout Seattle, but in particular for me, Rainier Beach, New Holly, Rainier Vista, areas that have been most impacted. I also just want to speak to the issue of working I fully agree that it needs to be an all-hands-on-deck approach. And that includes in many different areas of our public safety. It includes the open-air drug markets. We've talked a lot about that. There's a human services component, but there's also a police component. And certainly when it comes to gun violence as well. As you heard, there's a school board director who testified earlier today, Jen Lavalley, representing Southeast Seattle, who has been in weekly meetings with me and my team, with Seattle Public Schools principals, Seattle Public Schools security staff, Captain Tuttle, King County Office of Regional Gun Violence Prevention, nonprofit partners. We have been doing that collaboration, and it has been making a difference. Shots fired, according to SPD's dashboard, down 70% in South Seattle, in the South Precinct, excuse me. That includes some parts of D1, Soto, because those precincts don't necessarily match our districts. But that's great news, down 70%. And yet, South Seattle still has more gunshots fired than any other district. So progress is good. We have so much more work to do. But as you mentioned, Council Member Rivera, this is gonna require all of us. This is gonna require buy-in. And I think about the positive supports piece of this, which is critical. I was on a call on Monday, that same call with all these different partners. And what I keep hearing is we need jobs. We need jobs for these young folks. And we do have job programs. We have the Seattle Youth Employment Program, which is great. But we also need to make sure that these are, we have some, in my opinion, we probably need to dedicate some slots for these most impacted young people so that we can guarantee them the job, not just say go apply or help them apply, but ensure them that if they're ready to take that next step, there's a guarantee of a job, there's a guarantee of mentoring and support. And so that's where we need to work together with the HSD who's gonna do the Seattle Youth Employment or whoever the employers are gonna be. I believe we need to work together. One other part for me was just, and we heard from our consultant, Devita Briscoe, it took several tries for Baltimore to get it quite right. And I believe on the third try, they might've had multiple consultants. And so for me, it's less about a particular consultant, although I'm very, no problems with the national network. But I know that the mayor had put out her proposal today or her plan, which included some other partners. And I would hope that choosing the national network or the scope of work does not preclude working with others, does not preclude collaboration and partnership. And I'll just end on one point. You know, I think this is, again, going to require all of us working together. Obviously, there has been some tension between council and the mayor's office. If Hiring this consultant, if one of the things that they can do is help us, you know, work better together, that will be worth every penny. I will also just say we've had tension between the city hall and some of our nonprofit partners. We've had issues with contracting, with payments. And I think that those can be improved upon. I think they'll need to be amended to make sure that there's focused deterrence as part of those contracts. So, you know, I think there's plenty of good work that can happen and certainly look forward to any support that we can get. I do think we have a lot of strong partners that are doing good work now. It can be improved upon. We also have the King County Office of Regional Gun Violence Prevention that has deep expertise. You know, I see Deonte at every single event I go to from that office, Luthra, who leads that office, who's been working in this space for decades. And who reminds me that in 2012, 2013, 2014, we got to zero deaths for youth under 18. And that's both inspiring, it's also devastating that obviously we went backwards. And I think there's reasons for that. After COVID, after the massive loss of officers, and this takes ongoing dedicated commitment. And again, sad that we sort of went backwards, but I do think we both have the pieces that we can make progress. It is gonna require collaboration, but also happy to have all the support we can get from federal or nationwide experts. I will end it there. Thank you. Let's work together to get this done.

Thank you, Council Member Lin. We have Council Member Rink followed by Council Member Saka. Council Member Rink.

Thank you, Council President. Council Member Rivera, I understand that the National Network of Safe Communities was referenced in the 2015 and 2025 auditor's report. I wanted to do some of my own due diligence on this matter as well, so I do have a couple of questions for you as sponsor of this resolution before we voted on this item because I do believe it's important to get some of this information on the record before taking our full vote. So we know that any unified approach to addressing gun violence is going to require, as Council Member Lin noted, close coordination, collaboration, and accountability from law enforcement agencies, city departments, other government entities, and community organizations. And the consultant hired by this body, who is also referenced, Evita Briscoe, has recommended an office of violence prevention or a similar designated central authority to drive this work. And as was also mentioned, the mayor just announced a new strategy that includes a new director of gun violence reduction to be seated within the care department, which will serve as the city's command center for gun violence reduction strategies. And so I'm wondering if you can unpack a little bit how you see this contractor, specifically how this contractor would be supporting or potentially diverge from the strategy that has now been set in motion and how we are going to keep everyone aligned working under a unified strategy.

And I will pass it to you, Council Member Rivera, to answer that question.

Thank you, Council President, and thank you, Council Member Ring, for the question. One of the first things that the network does, the National Network for Safe Communities, is do a type of landscape analysis because this focus deterrence approach will have to work for Seattle. Not every city is the same. So they work with us collectively to make sure that this particular strategy is going to work in Seattle. And so in terms of where the work sits, in some of these other cities, the work sits in an office that has been created within the mayor's office. I understand that in this case, the mayor announced this morning she wants to move all our community safety investments, I believe, to the care department. that' s one strategy. I don' t have a feeling about whether it should sit in care or in the mayor' s office. That is something to be determined as we work with communities The thing that is really important is that we are all working together Rowing in the same direction and that law enforcement needs to be a part of this effort focus deterrence without law and I will say The thing about this effort, and Councilmember Lin, you didn't ask me this question, but since you raised it, I appreciate your comments because they're important, is that my understanding is part of why Baltimore tried this a couple times and it didn't quite work part of it was because they didn' t do it to fidelity sometimes folks want to use bits and pieces of something and to work it has to be done with fidelity so you need all the pieces you need every single one of that three-legged stool being the law enforcement the service providers, including the community-based organizations. And then you need the moral voices, which are those voices in community that people respect, our faith leaders, our elders, other grownups, parents, a bevy of folks and mentors in community that really hold the respect of the community. All those three pieces have to be in place working together and in tandem. And of course it has to be the city working with our county partners. Actually our county partners were also, I left them out of my list, but they were also at the symposium. The King County Office of Gun Violence Prevention was also at the symposium. So it's everybody working together to make this happen. Where it sits can be out of the mayor's office or I suppose it could be in care. Other cities don't necessarily have a care department. But that's to be determined as we do the work. Does that answer your question?

Thank you, Council Member Rank. Council Member, so I know that there's gonna be questions between Council Member Rank and Council Member Rivera. You all don't have to go through me if I can be able to not have to do that. So I'll let you all have those questions back and forth if that's okay, all right? Sure, of course. I won't go back and forth. So Council Member Rank.

Thank you, Council President, and I appreciate that, and thanks for hanging with us just on the parliamentarian part. I'm seeing that Council Member Kittle would like to chime in.

Yes, I just wanted to add that this program, as mentioned, the team is local. And so placing that coordinator in care, that is the one really interesting piece. And that person may be Sam Darnold or, due to injury, Drew Locke. But that is the area of interest, because a lot of the different pieces of the mayor's plan have already been there. Like I said, this violence intervention piece was already in the care department. But placing that disposition, and I talked to... Director Kim about this in terms of passing from you know budget from HSD to care and so forth We did it before with PDA that we have this opportunity to do it and the really the one piece of the mayor's plan that really caught my attention Was looking to develop a relationship with these community safety groups much like you know PDA does you know, with, you know, with the lead program and so forth. And then working with the police and, you know, having that pairing, you know, to work with, you know, instead of PDA in this case, in terms of diversion, it would be the community safety organizations from this position as announced in the mayor's plan. And it is the one piece that's of great interest to me. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Kettle. Council Member Rink, the floor is still yours.

Thank you, Council President, and thank you for that response, Council Member Rivera. I appreciate that response because it also spoke to a couple of other questions that I had, particularly around where your intention for this contract to be housed, whether it's through the Human Services Department, which I oversee as chair, or within the Care Department. I'm hearing from you that that is to be determined and just would like to confirm that point. I do believe that HSD is the only department that has the authority to issue sole source contracts. So with the executive unifying gun violence under care, I'm wondering about how that kind of interplay may be. And I hope folks here that my questions for today are more about how we are moving forward and how all these pieces come together and how we're doing this work together as a city.

So I will say, Councilmember Rank, I thought you were asking me about if we enter into the relationship with the National Network for Safe Communities where that work would be housed. Typically this contract would sit within a mayor's office. That is what the National Network for safe community Says works best and it makes sense because it is a mayor who needs to be very actively involved in bringing all the partners together so I will say in terms of the actual contract with the National Network for safe communities is the vision would be is that it would sit within the mayor's office because they're the ones that would be overseeing this contract with this particular agency and my understanding from my past working in the mayor's office is that the mayor's office is and I believe they already have allowed to contract directly with have sole source contracts and that is this amount is below the amount of what is allowable for a sole source contract with the city of Seattle with a contractor.

thank you for that. My initial question was related to the interplay between what the mayor had laid out earlier today and the second question, the specifics around the contract. I appreciate you clarifying that point. You spoke to as well our collaboration with the county. You're thinking about right now coordinating efforts between city and county because we know gun violence doesn't end at city line and the felony prosecutions are within the purview of the county, not the city. And so I'm wondering about your communications and work and how we're mapping and working with King County Sheriff's Office and the King County Prosecuting Attorney Office around this proposal. if the county is considering commitments and dedicating resources to help complement this strategy.

Thank you for the further questions. That is to be determined with the National Network for Safe Communities. They come here and they help identify all the partners that would be involved and then we would be identifying all these pieces. So that is part of the work that they do. And that's why I want to partner with them to come here and help us to be able to organize and determine all these pieces that you have just mentioned. That' s part of what they do. I want to say one other thing because in every city that the national network for safe communities has gone into folks have similar questions and community the city of torrents. The city of torrents has been doing this since the 1990' s. They help work with all the community groups and all the city and agency partners to determine how to implement their strategy in those cities. They' ve been doing this since the 1990' s. This focus in the 1990s. And then in 2009, they founded the National Network for Safe Communities to help cities implement the focus deterrence strategy. And I'll also say what the mayor announced today is not focus deterrence. She had some strategies and investments on how she's going to handle gun violence, but it isn't actually a focus deterrence strategy. This is the focus deterrence strategy. There are other focus deterrence strategies out there with other organizations. They don't all include law enforcement and don't all include law enforcement in the same way. So this particular organization, as the architect of this focused deterrence, I believe has the best strategy because they've been doing this for so long. They created it. They've been doing it since the 90s, and it's had a lot of great success in other cities. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera. I appreciate you answering these questions. And in the interest of time, I will just add my closing remarks on this point here, as I think the additional questions I have, it sounds like just in the main of some of your responses, A lot of details need to be determined just given the process that this organization engages with cities in developing their plans. And so I do want to thank you for your attention to gun violence prevention in our city. I believe we all agree that the city needs to do more. move with urgency and a cohesive plan. And I'm grateful for the work that Public Safety Committee Chair Kettle has done and has been doing on this front, particularly bringing on board a contractor, Davita Briscoe, for her work also in developing those deliverables that I've referenced today. I'm also proud to have sponsored an amendment during the FEP implementation plan and evaluate evaluation process to compel a report on how all of our departments are working on youth violence interruption and how we can actually coordinate our investments so we have a unified approach as a city. I will note that I will be abstaining on this non-binding resolution today, however. I appreciate the spirit. However, I want to say that I am unable to commit to the funding aspects of this resolution, given that we have not seen the executive's budget and we don't know what is contained therein. But as has been discussed and we are aware, there is a budget deficit and we'll need to see how that gets addressed in the budget before committing to specific requests. So with that, I'll be respectfully abstaining today. Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Council Member Rink. We have Council Member Saka followed by Council Member Lin. Councilmember Sacco.

Thank you, Madam Council President. First, I want to thank Councilmember Rivera for bringing this forward. Thank you for your work and leadership in taking specific action. To your point, this is a today's milestone reflects exactly that. It's a milestone and a broader journey and broader set of efforts to better position our city to address gun violence. So thank you for your leadership and Plenty more work to do. The focus deterrence approach is something that is critically needed now more than ever. You know, underscore that this... specific approach and adopting this specific approach would better position our city to to comply and live up to and implement recommendations from our city auditor's office on precisely the same topic and what one thing I like about this particular proposal is that It's not mutually exclusive with other efforts. This does not at all hinder or impede or take away from our ability to pursue other efforts to address gun violence in parallel, up to and including additional focus deterrence strategies. And so there's this sort of non-exclusivity with this investment that I really like. $18,000, I guess, would be the exact estimate. Yeah, over two years, which in the context of an $8.9 billion adopted budget last year, netted out over two years, that $400,000 plus reflects a drop in the bucket and a worthwhile investment that doesn't bind us to anything. And if it doesn't work, then we pivot. uh, it's still flexible enough to allow us to, to pivot to other things and definitely mindful of, you know, some of the announcements earlier today. And I think if we, if we implement this, we could still pursue those other things and other stuff in parallel and, uh, and, and it's worth a shot. Um, EXCITED TO SUPPORT IT. I ALSO APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS FROM THE THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILMEMBER RINK AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THE MOST TRANSPARENCY SET OF TRANSPARENCY AROUND THIS EFFORT AND COMMENTS FROM COUNCILMEMBER LYNN TRYING TO BRING US TOGETHER AND YOU CORRECTLY NOTED THE OPPORTUNITY THAT THIS COULD HAVE TO HELP improve relations between the second and seventh floor, particularly on an important issue that we all care about. We have a shared goal towards addressing public safety broadly and then more specifically preventing gun violence. So for those reasons, I will be supporting this today and thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Saka. We have Council Member Lynn. Can we have Council Member Foster, the people that haven't spoken first, and then Council Member Lynn, is that okay? All right, awesome. Council Member Foster. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Council President, and thank you, colleagues. I'll start with saying thank you, Council Member Rivera, for the convening that you pulled together earlier this year. I know my staff was able to participate in part of that. And I think, you know, for me, coming into this conversation today, I have been thinking a lot about actually some of the same things that Council Member Lynn said in terms of gun violence in our community. and the disproportionate impact that it has. The gun violence, whether it's in South Seattle, whether it's at Seattle Center, whether it's in Belltown or Ballard or anywhere, it's something that I know that as a council and we align with the need to address gun violence in our city. And I believe we align with the mayor's office in that goal. No one wants to see gun violence in Seattle. I also think as we've seen, we've seen some dips in violent crime and shots fired. but any amount of violence is too much. You know, last fall, I actually reached out to David Kennedy, one of the folks at the National Network, and had a conversation with him. This was actually before I got elected, because I was starting to hear discussion of this focused deterrence model and this network, and I was pretty curious. And we had a conversation around drug markets and gun violence and what's needed to, you know, with their model, how their model sort of takes this approach into account. One of the things that stuck with me from that conversation and from this conversation today is how important it is to have the alignment. I heard somebody else talk about some of the previous efforts where they have failed. It's because they didn't have all the right people at the table or they didn't have all the players pushing in the same direction. And I think if we are considering this approach, we need to make sure that we have all of the pieces in place for this approach to have the impact that it's intended to have. You know, I also have questions around ensuring that the partners who would be necessary for this kind of an approach are on board and will be participating, because without our community-based partners, my belief is we won't be able to be successful, no matter what an opinion is about the underlying model. I also think it's important that we get a little bit more clarity on some of the pieces around how this would interact with the care team, how this interacts with the report that council has commissioned. I believe another council member already spoke to that before with a consultant who's been working with council on a similar question. And simply put, I think when we look at the literature, the recommendations, what we've seen in the auditor's approach, we need to be coordinated if we are going to successfully address gun violence prevention. Also for me, knowing that this is a resolution today that is non-binding, It's not about the dollar amount. If we're looking at an approach that we know is going to work, the question isn't the dollar amount. We're talking about saving lives. However, I want to make sure that we get this right. And that means talking about this in the context of the greater budget, talking about this in the context of all of our gun violence solutions that we are working on as a city. So for that reason today, I will be abstaining on this vote. I look forward to continuing to engage with my colleagues in the budget process.

Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Foster. And now we have Council Member Juarez, and then I'll double back to people that have already spoken. So no disrespect, Council Member Lynn. Council Member Juarez.

Thank you, Madam Chair, or Council President. I wasn't going to speak because I've been supportive of anything regarding gun violence and what we've dealt with in this city, particularly in light of North Aurora and... Seattle Center. And I didn't want to make this political. But I just feel in good conscience. I've never abstained. I always had an opinion. And y'all had to hear it sometimes. I am supportive of what Councilmember Rivera is doing. And I think the questions that we put to her is why we would hire or put out there the National Network of Safe Communities to come in and assist us because apparently what we're doing isn't working. So I had an opportunity, as I shared with you, Council President, to go through the mayor's plan that we received today, Mayor Wilson's gun violence plan, and summary of key strategies. And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, not on a limb, this is not a plan. It's a picture, a window, if you will, a rear view window, is not forward-looking, there's no vision, and we're already doing these things. So when you look at strengthening our police in crisis response and shootings, there's seven key actions. We're already doing this. And the administration before that was doing this, and the one before that, and the one before that. And I know that because I was here. Expand bike patrols. Can I just be frank here expand bike patrols so on a Saturday night on aurora or little Saigon or bell town or when there's car racing Saturday night at midnight we're going to have extra people on bikes out there and that's going to stop crime.

Okay.

We are already doing the extreme risk protection orders. We are working with that on the former administration and certainly with the city attorney, Erica Evans, now. And I want to thank Council Member Ketel for working with me to co-sponsor the position to stop sex trafficking. An additional prosecutor would be cross deputized between Seattle and King County. That's actually doing something. Not grandstanding, not being performative, not speaking to your base, but for the whole damn city. And we've been unable to do that. So I'm going through this whole thing with a critical eye, highlighter in hand. So we go on to the next one. Key investments. Again, seven of them. And guess what, folks? We're already doing that. So you look at page three. More union and family wage job opportunities. How about we just have more jobs? It's not anti-union. You gotta politicize it. We just need more jobs, because wherever you have poverty, you have crime, okay? I know this. We're putting together economic vitality in the Indian country, rural communities, and cities. And I think I've demonstrated that in nine years on council with Climate Pledge at King County. Everything that I've worked on, brick and mortar, creating jobs, union or non-union. People need jobs. You have jobs, you have dignity. You have dignity, you have money, you can put your kids to school, you gotta be careful, you want your kids to be safe. Why is that so hard? I don't understand. Because we politicize it. Fine. Sale Promise Program. We did that. We did that seven years ago. We funded that. Done. Expanded it. Started at three high schools, now it's citywide, it's successful. Working with Dr. Chappelle. Done. Back in 18. Okay. My favorite one, page four. Working with state legislators to advance gun violence prevention legislation. So those of you watching, if anyone's watching, What's really nice is page 505, the last two bullet points. The last two. Regulating firearms at Seattle Center. Okay, no cameras there, but hey, let's do that. Let's start talking about that. Also the last bullet point on page five, public safety on Aurora. Okay, sex trafficking, murder, drugs, shootouts, bullets flying. Now we've got barriers up on three streets. S that still can't tell us whether or not they're going to be temporary or permanent. Is there a plan? There's no plan. Okay. That's where we're at. And then we hear no cameras. Okay. Well, first of all, we don't use flock. So I wish people would quit coming to public comment. It's not testimony, folks. It's comment. It's not testimony. Testimony is you raise your hand and say, that's not what that is. It's public comment. It's your opinion. So cameras. Okay. I voted because of the pilot program. It wasn't flock. Went through the system. Did this before when we were doing camera vests with the ACLU. So we had a lot of talks with them. How to do this right. Again, without publicizing it, politicalizing it. Politicalizing it. It's a forensic tool. Nobody ever said that if you put a camera on that that deters crime. Because if that were true, we wouldn't need the death penalty. The death penalty does not stop people from killing people. But it's a tool. What is it a tool for? What is a camera for? For evidentiary. It helps law enforcement and the courts solve crimes and hold those accountable. But we're seeing right now in our communities, young people shooting at other young people and killing them. Like we saw at Seattle Center. So that's what it is. It's a tool that you pick up and you use. And it's a tool that you can pick up and put down. It's just common sense. I know common sense isn't in fashion these days. I'm not one to do performative politics and bullshit, but I just can't take it anymore about politicizing, only talking to your base, not recognizing that there's a whole city, particularly post 2020, after defund the police, what we saw. Not a coincidence. And we all sit here and want to sit here and nitpick about whether or not we hire this group. And I like what customer Osaka said and about, you know, let's try this. Let's talk to these folks that are doing this in these cities that have done this evidentiary based. Yes. Let's try this. We work with these local folks in the university of Washington, but sometimes I think when people are too local, they're too political and they're too close to it to actually give us a solid and somber assessment of what we need to do. I, for one, believe that public safety is one of the top tier responsibilities we have when we became elected officials. And it's in the charter, of course, but we know that from common sense that we should be doing that. So that being said, I am going to be supportive of Council Member Rivera, Council Member Kettle, and I like what Council Member Osaka said, because I've lived long enough to know, and I've met with these families that have lost children and family members. We've met, council president and I, with people whose children are being trafficked, where they had to get their daughters back. I've worked on missing, murdered indigenous women and girls, and I'm tired of the talk and the performative politics. The city of Seattle, if you can't hear us, not just your district, again, not just your base, But if you can't hear that this whole city is saying do something, I'm just going to say this. You have no business being a leader. So that being said, sorry I had to have this moment, this anti-moment. But I'm going to be supporting this. I cannot support what the mayor put out. Mayor's office, I'm sorry. I don't know if it's she actually, but not a plan.

Okay, thank you, Council Member.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. With that, thank you for giving me the opportunity and the honor to speak my mind and be straightforward and just ask that we have common sense when it comes to people picking up guns, particularly our babies, and shooting our other babies. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Juarez. I see Council Member Lynn. Council Member Foster, is that an old hand?

Oh, yeah, old.

Okay, thank you. Council Member Lynn. Thank you.

Thank you, Council President. I do just want to clarify a little bit, and I think as others have said, it's not about the cost of this contract, but it's really about the next steps of what has to happen. And it's a little bit awkward to do it through a resolution. I know it's non-binding. But what I see in this sort of contract and this model is, you know, first the landscape analysis, but then there's going to be recommendations. that come out of that analysis. And there's going to be recommendations about how to do the positive supports, again, the mentoring, the jobs, and those will all come with budget impacts or maybe just redeployment of existing resources. And so I mentioned that just kind of for the public's sake, but to realize that this is just the first step There's going to be a lot of touch points, and so I'm hoping, and I'm not sure what committees those will come to, assuming we go down this path, but I think there's going to be a lot of work, and maybe it's different committees, but I just want to recognize that there's a lot more to unpack with this model. that we will need to work on together. And, you know, I do think we have, we are doing a lot of it. There are, from what I've heard from, you know, what I've heard from police captains who have done this before, that we have a lot of the pieces in place. And so with all due respect to my colleague, Council Member Juarez, I do think there's a lot that we are doing. that is worth highlighting and celebrating, and that's how I read the mayor's plan to the extent it was repeating things that we are already doing that we should be celebrating, because I don't want to give the picture to the public that it is all doom and gloom. We do need to do more, but there's a lot of hard work, including from this council, that needs to be recognized, because when we are making progress, again, things like shots fired going down, when we are making progress on crime going down, that should be recognized. We should recognize the hard work of our community partners, the hard work of our police department, making progress but I just I do want to recognize that there are many many this is just the first step I'm excited to take this first step with with you colleagues and I'm committed to taking those many additional steps I see this as a down payment to focusing on gun violence and for that reason I'm excited to support

Thank you, Council Member Lin. And colleagues, we've spent a lot of time on this, on item number three. I'm not trying to rush us, but I do want to kind of close this out. So Council Member Kettle, the floor is yours, and then I will have Council Member Rivera for closing remarks.

Yes, I just wanted to quickly add to Council Member Lynn's point and speak to my colleagues. This is what we spoke to last Wednesday in the meeting that I had with the mayor and the community, that we will take the action, it'll be comprehensive, and it'll be on the timeline. And I offered to do it in collaboration with her because at the end of the day, it does have to be a legislative executive because we can pass laws, but if they're not implemented, then it's like doing nothing. And so I'm committed to that. That's the point that I made to the mayor on Wednesday last week. With the community and that's my commitment to work these pieces through because this is but a the next step as I noted What we've been doing so far in 26 starting in 25 will continue to do in 27.

Thank you Thank You council member kettle council member Rivera.

Thank you, and thank you colleagues for the lively discussion around this at the end of the day I we need to save lives I mean to me this plan was a no-brainer I've been giving my Revere due diligence to this for almost a year and at a certain point like I said we just need to act and I don't want to leave it unsaid that I haven't been working with the mayor's office since they got here because they did I put this in last budget I've been working on this since before this mayor came into office, and as soon as they came into office shortly thereafter, I was talking to them about this effort. It was my interest, and I would have loved to have had concurrence. They declined. She declined. They're not interested in doing anything. actual focus deterrence because it involves police. I mean, that's just the bottom line. But the thing is, we cannot do public safety without partnering with law enforcement. And law enforcement is not just police. It's the prosecutor, the city attorney, all the partners, all the partners. And what I really appreciated about this particular effort is that it was concrete, it was action, it's everybody working together, even folks that may disagree, especially folks that may disagree, because we all are separately elected and we all have to work together to solve this gun violence problem. This is one problem plaguing our city. There are many, but this was really about one... specific problem because I cannot stand as you all know a child was killed in my kids school while my kids were at school and we didn't know if it was a mass shooting or what it was and so this is really something that this is why I'm sitting here today because of this gun violence issue in our city so I I like to put my money where my mouth is. I found a strategy that was action that we could all work on together. And despite the fact that the mayor did not want to concur on this resolution, I want to work with them. This will not work if the mayor is not on board. That is just the bottom line. I cannot underscore this enough. And that's why it's a resolution. Because as elected officials, as separately elected officials, we can say, we answer to all the same constituents. And our constituents want action, as has been said by me and Councilmember Juarez, Councilmember Kettle, Councilmember Sack and Councilmember Lin, most folks. And You know, this will not work if the mayor doesn't concur. So my hope is that we're sending a strong message today to the mayor that we want this, that we want true focus deterrence. with the folks that actually created focus deterrence, because I believe that is the way that this will work the best. And as we've said earlier, you can use the buzzword focus deterrence. It's not actually a buzzword. It's become a buzzword, but it is actually a strategy. And it is this National Network for Safe Communities that started it. And so we need to do actual focus deterrence because if we don't, if we start doing other things that we're calling it focus deterrence because we don't actually want to buy into the full strategy, it's not going to work. And then people will say, you see, that focus deterrence didn't work. And then people will lose confidence in their government. So if you want to do something different than focus deterrence, you just need to be honest about it. I don't want to do focus deterrence. I'm going to do something different. But if we're going to truly do focus deterrence, then we have to do the actual focus deterrence. Because then if it doesn't work, we can truly say we worked with that organization, we did everything they said, and that didn't work. And so we have to pivot to something else. So this is why this effort is so important to me. And for every person out there that feels like we're not doing anything, I'm bringing something that we can do together. People don't want us fighting. I don't want us fighting. So if this resolution passes today, colleagues, you have my commitment and the mayor has my commitment that I will keep working together on this to implement this in Seattle so we can have the same successful results other cities have had because we cannot wait any longer. Thank you, Councilmember. Oh, one last thing. I meant to address this earlier. I, in terms of the shooting statistics, I inadvertently called it fatal shootings when I meant shots fired. That was a complete accident. It was not intentional. I apologize for that. But what I was trying to get at to between 2012 and 2024, the shots fired were very increased. And so that data bared out with what we were hearing anecdotally on the street. But as with everything else, it's become this soundbite. And at the very next day, I cleared it up in my newsletter. But I did want to publicly, for the record, state that was an accident, that was inadvertent. And it doesn't take away from the fact that the shootings in those years just went up. Thank you, colleagues. And again, I hope to have your support because I want all of us working together to have this approach working in Seattle. We cannot wait anymore. We've got to do something now. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Rivera. Are there any, there's no other final comments. That was our final comments. I'm happy to support this, Council Member Rivera. I know you worked hard on this, and I will support anything that helps deter gun violence in our community. in our community, everyone knows my story about gun violence and I don't have to talk about it. Nothing's performative or politicking. I think we all want to see solutions and actions. Okay, so will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink? Abstain. Council Member Rivera? Aye. Council Member Saka?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss. Aye. Council Member Foster. Abstain. Council Member Juarez. Yes. Council Member Kettle.

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Seven in favor, two abstentions.

The resolution is adopted. The chair will sign it. Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf? All right, colleagues, we have two more items on the agenda. We'll do item number four. Will the clerk please read item number four into the record?

Agenda item four, council bill 121266 relating to domestic worker labor standards in Seattle amending sections 14.23, .010, .020 and .095 of the Seattle municipal code and adding new sections 14.23, .025, .127 and .128 to the Seattle municipal code to establish written agreement requirement to establish protections for entitled paid and unpaid leave including retaliation protections for taking permissible time off requiring hiring entitlements to create and retain records add advanced notice of termination requirement, update remedies provisions, and conform to certain changes in state law and with city labor standards. The committee recommends we'll pass this amendment. Excuse me, just pass.

Council Member Rankin is chair of the committee. You're recognized to present the committee report.

Thank you, Council President. I'll also speak to this just as sponsor of the bill. And by way of background, colleagues, in 2018, Seattle became the first city in the nation to pass a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which in addition to establishing the Domestic Workers Standards Board, this bill codified fundamental labor rights, including minimum wage, meal and rest breaks, and protection against retaliation and sexual harassment of domestic workers. Now, earlier this year, the state legislature passed a statewide domestic workers' bill of rights sponsored by our very own 34th Legislative District State Representative Breonna Thomas. And that included additional protections, including new requirements around written agreements between employers and advanced termination notices. So this means we're in a great position because the city, we do need to update our own domestic workers ordinance by July 30, pardon me, July 1st, 2027, in order to be in alignment with the new state law. But this This update provides us a great opportunity to revisit our own ordinance. My office worked alongside the Office of Labor Standards and Casa Latina represented here today. Bienvenidos all. Thank you for being here. And we have an amendment or amended ordinance before us. This includes requiring a written agreement between the hiring entity and domestic worker, requiring hiring entities to create and retain pay and hour records, adding retaliation protections for domestic workers taking paid sick and safe leave and or other agreed upon time off, and requiring advance notice of termination. So huge thank you to the team at the Office of Labor Standards, particularly Diana Salazar, as well as Karina Bull from Central Staff for all of your hard work in updating this landmark ordinance. And this passed out of the Human Services Labor and Economic Development Committee August 21st unanimously, and I encourage my colleagues to vote yes today. Thank you, gracias all. Thank you.

Awesome, thank you, Council Member Rink. Are there any comments regarding the bill before us? Okay, awesome. So we are going, any closing remarks, Council Member Rink?

No.

All right, awesome. Thank you for your leadership on this. Very happy to support this bill at full council. So we're gonna go ahead and get it started because you all have been sitting here for two hours and 20 minutes. My favorite time, 420. Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Lin.

One second, Jody Reddies. Awesome, all right, we got clarification. Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Lin. Yes. Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council Member Rivera? Aye. Council Member Saca?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez? Aye. Council Member Kettle?

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth? Yes. Nine in favor, none opposed.

Bill passes. Chair will sign it. Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf? Congratulations. Awesome, thank you. All right, now we have the adoptions of other resolutions. So will the clerk please read item number five into the record?

Agenda item five, resolution 32218, resolution expressing opposition to the passage of initiative measure number IL26-001 concerning parental rights relating to their children in public school and initiative measure number IL26-638 concerning participation in athletics at K through 12 schools on the November 3rd, 2026 general election ballot.

Council Member Rank, I recognize Council Member Rank to move her resolution.

Thank you, Council President. I move to adopt Resolution 32218. Second.

It's been moved and seconded to adopt a resolution. Council Members, this resolution addresses two Washington State Initiative measures on the November general election ballot. TO THE REVISED CODE OF WASHINGTON AND SEATTLE MUNICIPAL CODE, THE COUNCIL MUST ALSO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC TO ADDRESS THE TWO INITIATIVE MEASURES. TO MEET THIS WE WILL DISCUSS EACH INITIATIVE MEASURE SEPARATELY WHICH WILL PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC TO DETERMINE WHICH INITIATIVE MEASURES TO ADDRESS AND COMMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED IN SUPPORT OR IN OPPOSITION TO THE INITIATIVE JUST AT SEPARATE TIMES. So there are two public comment forms, one for each initiative measure for the public to register either in chambers or at the podium or online. There's some people that have registered online as well. And there are two public comment forms at the front here for each initiative measure. The forms allow members of the public to indicate whether they are speaking in support of the opposition, excuse me, in speaking in support or opposition to the initiatives. We will begin our conversation with initiative measures number IL26-001. At the conclusion of comments from council members in the public initiative measure, we will then open up comments on initiative measure IL26638. So we're gonna do the first initiative IL26001, and then we're gonna do IL26638. After discussion and public comment on both initiatives, we're gonna vote on the resolution. Any questions on the process before we begin discussion on the first initiative measure? Awesome, because I don't know if I could have answered after reading all that. Now it makes sense. Okay, we will now open the floor to comments from council members on Initiative Measure IL-26-001 concerning parental rights relating to their children in public school. Council Member Rink, as sponsor of the resolution, you are recognized in order to address it.

Thank you, Council President. I'm actually going to refer to the other sponsor on this resolution to get us started, Council Member Foster.

I apologize. You're both sponsors, Council Member Reed and Council Member Foster. Council Member Foster.

Thank you so much, Council President, and thank you, colleagues, for engaging in this conversation around these ballot initiatives that I believe are dangerous for children and families around Washington state. One thing that is important to me as a parent of a school-aged child is knowing that my kid has access to safe adults. I count myself as a safe adult as a parent, but for all kids, that might not be the case. It might be a school counselor. It might be another trusted person at school. And this initiative removes protections that could result in our kids not feeling safe talking about their mental health challenges. talking about issues that they're experiencing in their lives, freely expressing their gender identity at a place where they feel safe to do so. Experts also warn that this initiative could result in it being harder to access services or information around domestic violence. This doesn't make us safer. This puts us more at risk. I think it's really important that we are clear about our values and who we are here in Washington State. And this initiative does not reflect that. In fact, it reflects taking us backwards and making our children and communities less safe in their homes and less safe in their schools. I think it's really important that we're clear about that risk with the public. I think it's really important that we are clear about protecting gender identity, sexual identity. We obviously had a lot of conversation about that today. And I think these initiatives take us in the wrong, this initiative in particular, excuse me, sticking to speaking to this one, threatens to take us in the wrong direction. So colleagues, I ask for your support in joining us to stand up against this initiative that does not align with what I believe are our values here.

Awesome, thank you Councilmember Foster. Are there any comments from Councilmembers on initiative number IL26001 concerning parental rights relating to children in public school? Councilmember Rank.

Thank you Council President and well stated from Councilmember Foster and I'll just add that from time to time this body has raised its voice via resolution to weigh in on ballot measures and express our stand as an elected body on measures to our peers in Olympia. These actions are not playing politics. I believe they're an extension of our charter duties in, quote, protecting and enhancing the health, safety, environment, and general welfare of the people to allow fair and equitable participation of all persons and to meet the broad needs for a healthy, growing city. There are three initiatives to the legislature that are on the ballot this fall. And initiative 001, in my opinion, does not protect our constituents or ensure our community's safety or general welfare. In fact, to my mind, if passed, it would put tens of thousands of kids at risk of real harm. The Seattle Times editorial board came out strong against both of these initiatives, saying that I001—saying that it would—that this initiative offers no clarity, it is poorly written, not tailored for Washington, and could expose already vulnerable kids to harm in instances where they are victims of abuse at home, end quote. This initiative removes common sense school record protections for victims of child abuse and ends Washington's legal requirement that schools immediately notify parents when a crime against their child is reported. If passed, kids will be less likely to talk to trusted adults about mental health issues, domestic violence, sexual abuse, or bullying. So this initiative does not make our families any safer. And I hope we can all clearly encourage our city to say no. Thank you.

Awesome. Thank you, Council Member Rank. Colleagues, are there any other comments from council members before we transition into public comment? Okay, seeing none, we're gonna transition into public comment. This concludes comments from council members and we now provide equal opportunity to hear comments from members of the public who wish to speak in support or opposition to Initiative Measure IL-26001. The registration form is in front of here on the front and we will double check to see how many speakers are in person and then online. Mr. Nathan Wall, we'll start with you first because you did sign up online, but you are here in person. Give us one second so we can figure out how much time everyone is getting. So five in person. Everyone's going to get two minutes and I see one, two, three. I see three people online. So we have eight. Total. All right, awesome. So we get two minutes. Mr. Nathan Wall, you will speak first. Give us one second while we get the time ready. And then after Nathan Wall, we're gonna have Ashley Ford, Madison Jones, and then Ed Sun.

Council President, I did also sign up for general comment earlier. I think it's probably, I think it's too late to... do anything about that now, but I did sign up for it earlier.

It is, and I apologize. That's okay. I just had...

It's okay. It's not a big deal. I just wanted to let you know.

Okay, thank you. It's fine. Don't worry about it. Go ahead.

Yeah, okay. So I just want to say, you know, like, sex education is necessary. It's an awkward thing to talk about or to teach, but it's necessary. Like, I didn't... I wasn't... particularly excited to take FLASH when I was in middle school. I don't think anybody really was, but sex education keeps kids safe from sexual abuse. We learned about what is not okay for adults to do to kids when I was taking sex ed in middle school. The teachers taught us that adults do not have the right to engage in sexual activity with minors. They taught us that we have the right to say no. They taught us in an age-appropriate way about what consent was, and that helped to keep a A lot of kids don't, frankly, a lot of parents don't teach kids about consent. And you can't rely on every parent in this country to do the right thing. And we have to have some kind of standardized way to teach kids about sex education in an appropriate way so that they're not getting sexually abused. No school is teaching kids how to be gay or trans. That's not something that happens. and I am not trying to get anybody to be something they're not. I don't want anyone who's straight to be forced to be gay. I just want people to grow up and not kill themselves. I think that's a reasonable thing to want. You know, nobody... These classes aren't teaching kids how to have sexual relations. That's not something that these classes are doing. They're also not teaching kids overly complicated political theory that they're not prepared for. These are age-appropriate classes. And I think that allowing parents to object to these on a religious basis, unfortunately, it's just not something that we can allow because the rights of everybody are more important than, you know, if you don't want to have your children learn sex ed, homeschool them. I mean, you have the right to do that, so thank you.

Thank you, Nathan. And make sure when you come up to, when you're speaking, let us know if you're opposed or supportive of the initiative, just so we have it for the record. Thank you. Go ahead, Ashley.

Awesome. Hi. This is Ashley in opposition of these initiatives. This specific initiative, 001, restricts student access to help for challenges like depression, sexual assault, domestic violence, bullying, anxiety, Unfortunately, we know that not all parents are supportive, and this really opens a lot of children up for really high risks in their homes and places where there isn't other adults suited to help them. Y'all have heard from many people throughout the summer about why they moved to Seattle, and unfortunately, the protections that we have in schools are one of those really big things. They don't exist in a lot of other places around the country. And so this is one big reason that people are moving to our state, to our city. So just encourage you all to stand in opposition to these poorly written initiatives. Thank you.

Thank you, Ashley. Next, we have Madison, followed by Ed, and then we will go online to Dr. Janice Clark. Welcome.

Hello again, City Council. Madison Jones, managing editor at Seattle Gay News, coming up to speak in opposition of IL-26-001. This one has been flying under the radar a little bit more than the other one that directly focuses on sports participation, but I feel like this one is just as important. The folks that are advocating for this measure are framing it as giving parental rights back to parents, but if folks were to go through the actual fine print of the measure, they would see that this would put children at greater risk. I think it's hard for folks who are not part of the LGBT community to understand why you would want a child to have protection from not sharing their mental health information with their parents. I notice a lot of the times parents of children that that's their main frustration is that they can't access that information, but the reason why that's important is because of the fact that If there is a child who is questioning their orientation or identity and their parents are not so sympathetic to that If the school is Giving that information over to them. It can put them significantly at risk I don't want to predict like there's a lot of risk there you know I would hope that a child who their parents get that information wouldn't cause any harm to their child but it is a real risk and the world is not um always a safe place for children of parents. So this is why this matter is so dangerous for our children. Thanks.

Thank you, Madison. Next we have Ed. Welcome, Ed. Come on up.

Council members, I don't have a whole lot to say on this particular piece of legislation, so in the interest of time, do you all mind if I just condense my comments on both pieces of the proposed legislation?

Let's go ahead and pause the time real quick, Ed, just so I can double check. Is that okay? Clerk?

Comments at this point should be relating to the initiative measure itself. That is the opportunity for public comment.

Do what you do, Ed. All right, let's go ahead and let's restart your time. All right, go right ahead.

All right, I just wanted to add that the parental rights wording and framing is highly disingenuous, especially considering the organization backing both these, well, this legislation happens to be Let's Go Washington. And I also wanted to add on to that, parents have legitimate concerns about what their children are going through, what their children are learning in schools, but at the same time, I was personally fortunate enough not to experience this, but I know the same is not a universal norm. Let's hope it's a minority, but sometimes the source of the mental health concerns is in the home and not in where the school offers a relative safe space to the children, where they feel safe, they feel comfortable, and passing this legislation would take that away. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ed. Okay, are there any other comments? People signed up, okay, awesome. We'll go online, Dr. Janice Clark, star six to unmute yourself. And then after we do Dr. Clark, we're gonna go back and see if from the bill sponsors for IL26638, Dr. Clark.

Good evening, council president and members of Seattle City Council. I am Dr. Janice Clark, founder visionary. And not only am I the president of Safe Homes Board of Directors, I am also a client. I am a disabled service-connected woman veteran that work, play, go hawks, and worship in Seattle. I rise again to bring awareness not only about the women veterans that live, work, and play and worship in Seattle, but how the gun violence connects the two. And Madam... Council President, I'm not sure what pronouns are. I'm trying to be respectful. So forgive me if I misstate something. But I did also sign up for the public safety comment because I wanted to weigh in on the gun violence and strategic plan, and I do support. And, yes, the resolution did pass, and I'm grateful that it did. But this is what I wanted to say about how gun violence matters and how it specifically – affect women veterans with school-aged children in Seattle. Women veterans already carry elevated rates of military sexual trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and chronic stress. When they live in the Seattle areas experiencing gun violence, y'all know too well, you represent all of those neighborhoods, it does increase the crisis response needs. It does elevate mental health and increased demand for youth-specific interventions. So I want to say as one of those, and I'm very passionate about it, this is my work. I'm the founder of Safe Homes in 1995. Is that 10 seconds left? So I will vote according to what is right, but I want to tell you that until Washington State changes laws about

Thank you, Dr. Clark. And I do have to apologize to you and Nathan with some of the mix up regarding the public comment as we're managing. I didn't realize that you all had signed up for general public comment. So that's definitely my bad and my mistake. So thank you, Dr. Clark, for those words. Colleagues, there's no more public comment regarding this specific measure, so now we're gonna talk about the other one. So the floor is now open for comments from council members on initiative number IL26638, concerning participation in athletics at K through 12 schools. I know that Council Member Rink or Foster, you both are the sponsors, so we'll go to Council Member Foster to open us up, and then Council Member Rink will go to you, and then I'll open it up to council members. and then we'll have the public have your comments as well. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Council President. Thank you, colleagues. So as we move on to this discussion about the other initiative that's going to be on the ballot, I will share first, I am somebody who is not very good at sports. When I was a kid, I was made to play basketball for a season, and we won exactly one game. And I learned a lot during that season, built a lot of character, as my mom told me. And I would say, carry with me some lessons from that that I have today. And when I think about that experience, I think every kid deserves the right to play. Every kid deserves the right to have access to sports. Every kid deserves the right to learn the lessons that you learn when you win one game in a season. And they have the right to access that without fear of their privacy being violated. They have the right to access that without invasive procedures. And they have the right to have joy in their young lives. I think that's really important when we think about what this initiative is. threatens to take away from children and families in our state. It threatens to take away that safety, the things that you can learn, I think, only in a team setting, the joy that you get from participation. And it threatens to target, you know, some of our children and our girls. I think it's really important that we ensure that those rights are protected. And the way that we do that is through standing up against this harmful initiative. So, colleagues, I ask for your support of this resolution to stand up against taking back the right to play and the right to joy from our youth.

Thank you, and just really quick, if there's no objection, I have two council members that I have to excuse, Council Member Juarez and Council Member Rivera for the remainder of today's meetings. Is there any objection to that? Okay, hearing no objection, Council Member Juarez and Council Member Rivera are excused for the remainder of the meeting. Sorry to interrupt, Council Member Rink.

Thank you, Council President. So this bill very clearly discriminates against all girls in Washington, cruelly specifically targeting just a handful of kids, creating barriers to participation in sports and all the benefits that that brings to kids and their families and our schools and our communities, and for what? All of this is in service to Well, it's not in service of the needs of Washington families, but rather to the desires of one wealthy MAGA megadonor. After failing to convince lawmakers of both parties in Olympia to get on board with his radical politics of exclusion and discrimination, this millionaire decided to personally bankroll a deceptive campaign to sidestep the people's representatives and directly force his politics onto our kids. It's unconscionable. I won't stand by it and remain silent when trans people are under attack or kids' privacy, dignity, and safety is at risk. We can and we must stand up and say no, and I encourage you all to stand with us here today. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rain. So are there any other comments from Councilmembers on Initiative IL26638 before we go to the public? Oh, sorry, Councilmember Lin.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council President. Thank you to my colleagues for bringing this forward and it's really powerful listening to you, listening to the public comments. You know, I think about our youth who are struggling in many ways with, you know, issues around mental health and, you know, kids, as Council Member Foster mentioned, kids, should just have a right to be kids. They should just have a right to participate in school and sports and other programming. And unfortunately, too often some of our kids are bullied, are discriminated against. And it's gross that this initiative would double down on that hate, that it would double down on that discrimination. We are a region that is welcoming. We are seeing large amounts of folks coming here because it is a safe and welcoming place, and I'm proud of that. I just, hate has no place here in Seattle. It has no place in Washington State. And our kids deserve to be loved and supported no matter who they are, whatever their gender identity, any aspect of them. They deserve to grow up and be loved and be their full selves.

Thank you, Council Member Lin. That was our last comment from Council Members, and so now we'll go to the public. I will like to start with the person online with Dr. Clark, because she's been on for a long period of time, and then we'll come to the people that are in person. And it's only one person online, so we'll start with online first really quick, and then we'll move to Ashley Ford, Madison Jones, Nathan Wall, Ed Son, and Guinevere. Dr. Clark. Dr. Clark.

Can you hear me?

Yes, ma'am.

Oh, great. Thank you. Thank you so much, Council President. Again, I'm still rising for the awareness of how not only gun violence affects women veterans and especially those that have children in the school system, but also as a woman veteran who's been in the great state of Washington for 46 years by way of the military because I married a Washingtonian. So I didn't have children grow up in the Seattle School District, but I did have children grow up in the Tacoma Public School District. And when we talk about the disproportionality of the gun violence and the numbers, we know them all too well. And so our program, Safe Homes, our youth cap, we will be submitting things and writing to you to help support this comprehensive approach to gun violence because it has to start in the homes first, and we believe that. And if there are some parents that it's not trustworthy, it just gringes my heart because I know that we don't do anything without the parents' consent. These are minors, and we've been very, very successful in intervention and prevention programs for youth. throughout the state of Washington. And so we want to lend that to the conversation.

Oh, I'm sorry. No, no, you're good. Dr. Clark, we're accepting comments regarding the initiatives, IL-26, 638, if you're opposed or in favor. Yes.

And I did sign up saying that.

Go ahead. Go ahead. Please continue.

I apologize. Yes. Because I'm absolutely quite aware. Yes. So I did list down when they asked when I signed up, and let me go to that page, that I stand in opposition to the resolution. I reserve my right for voting once I get my ballot and when it hits the mail. The juries are still out. But to hear parents, Parents are influential. Their children are a very integral part of that. So I apologize that I wasn't clear about what I stand in opposition to.

No worries. You're good. Thank you, Dr. Clark. Next, we'll go back in person. We have Ashley Madison, Nathan Wall, Ed and Guinevere. Welcome back, Ashley.

Hello, hello, Ashley, Shane, they pronouns still. I am in opposition to this other initiative as well. Out of 1.2 million students, there are an estimated five to 10 trans children that play school sports in our state according to the superintendent for public instruction. Five to 10 trans kids out of 1.2 million students. And so this initiative is unnecessary, unfairly targets a small group of people when there are an incredible amount of youth playing sports in our state. As it was mentioned, this is only targeting girls. It's not targeting boys. It's just wholly unnecessary in our state. So I am encouraging you all to vote no on these resolutions, or vote no on this initiative. Yes, on the resolution.

Thank you, Ashley. Next, we have Madison, followed by Nathan, then Ed and Guinevere. Welcome again. Hello again.

Well, this time I'm going to start by saying thank you guys so much for bringing this forth and to vote on condemning these initiatives because I'm pretty much just going to echo a lot of what Ashley just said. We have so few trans youth athletes to begin with. It's really apparent the way that this legislation is written that it's being used to target a very small minority to rile up people's fears. As a transgender woman myself, I feel like a lot of this legislation, including what has been happening at the federal level with the Trump administration, is to capitalize on people's lack of knowledge of who trans people are and how they live. And I think it would be very apparent to anyone who actually knows transgender people or have transgender children in their life that this issue that is being drummed up by certain folks is such a enormous caricature of the actual issue and so much of it has already been addressed by um sports bodies both like at the k-12 level as well as like professional sports bodies of like what do you do when you have a certain transgender person and a certain um category their hormone levels stuff like that a lot of this has already been hashed out and i think not to like speak on behalf of all transgender people, but I feel like most transgender people are very reasonable when it comes to advantages and disadvantages. So overall, I'm very grateful that the council is considering to condemn this because hate has no place in Washington state. Thanks, y'all.

Thank you, Madison. Next, we have Nathan Wall followed by Ed and then Guinevere. Welcome. Nathan, next we have Ed, after Nathan and Guinevere.

Okay, so I also don't support this initiative. There's maybe like, the amount of trans kids playing in sports across the country is negligible in terms of the numbers. This is not a widespread issue that We're essentially proposing bullying 16 kids to make a point. It doesn't matter if it's one kid or if it's 200 kids. The government shouldn't be bullying children as an official policy. I think that's ridiculous. I would just share with you something that my grandmother said, which is that she told me she doesn't really understand everybody, all of the new stuff that she's been learning about. But at the end of the day, she doesn't need to understand it. As long as other people are fine, then it's fine. And we live in a city where we have a lot of different people in the city. And I don't understand the way everybody in the city personally chooses to live their lives. But it doesn't matter. My personal opinion about how you... personally choose to live your life is completely irrelevant, just as everybody else. I mean, it doesn't matter. As long as everybody is safe, that is the only thing the government should be concerned about. So I just want another quick point of order. I just want to mention that the remote speaker kind of took four minutes. speaking unrelated on both of these items and essentially kind of gave themselves four minutes of general public comment. That is not really okay. You know, I was late today. I didn't sign up properly. The IT thing messed up. You know, it's... So I didn't take my public comment today because, you know... That's just kind of how it goes. And I didn't really think it was fair for that. So I would just like to ask the members of the public respect the rules of public comment and not pretend they don't understand so they can get away with violating them. Because I think to be a doctor, you know better. Thank you.

Thank you, Nathan. I will take responsibility for that, because I didn't cut her off. So that, no, that was my, it was my decision. Thank you, Nathan. You all know how I run meetings. I'm very lax. People talk over me all the time. People continue to, when their time is up. And so we are just, thank you so much. But I appreciate you, so I'll take full responsibility for that, not the speaker. Thank you. So we have Ed, followed by Guinevere.

Edson, I'm speaking in opposition to the proposed legislation. First off, I'd like to echo what Councilmember Foster said in regards to the value of participation in sports and athletics. When I was in high school in, well, across the lake, I wrestled for three years, and we had to do pre-match inspections for athletes basically skin infections, primarily ringworm, which that actually has value, but at the same time, you also have the option to cut your privates or be inspected while wearing a jockstrap. This appears to be a slightly amended version of the statewide legislation that would do a similar process of general inspections as a precondition for participation in sports. And Apparently, the inspection is done by a personal health care provider, but that doesn't change the fact that this is basically culture war legislation to target a small and already marginalized minority of people, and I would urge you all to vote against it. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ed. Next, we have Guinevere. That's our final in-person speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Council. I'm here to oppose Initiative IL26638, and thank you for bringing this resolution forward, opposing it. I also spoke at the public comment at the Shoreline meeting where they passed a similar resolution. So they beat you all to the punch. I need you all to keep up. Yeah, I actually didn't know this was happening today. I'm risking missing my HRT pickup at my pharmacy, which I need to do today. But yeah, this is just an evil measure that Brian Haywood has brought forth. It would open up every girl in Washington state to genital exams. As everyone has said, that is guaranteed to increase child abuse in the state. As people have said, there are like less than 10 trans athletes in the entire state. And what this resolution would also do is it would basically destroy boys sports. People don't really talk about that. But they would have girls sports, where there's this very high bar to get in. And then there's just everyone else. And so there's just so many downstream effects of this. But mostly, it's going to further stigmatize trans people. I have been clipped by right-wing streamers from doing my comment here. And my friends have been clipped doing public comment here and at Shoreline. People like Ari Hoffman and Brandi Cruz, who have been in these chambers, they stalk us for support on their streams. And so we are actually putting ourselves at a little bit of risk even talking here. And an initiative like this is just going to increase danger for all trans people, but especially trans children. Thank you.

Thank you, Gwen and Vera. And there's no more public comment period. There's no more public commenters. We'll just do a quick check for in-person. Nope, okay, awesome. Thank you all for staying and commenting. I know we're three hours in. I really appreciate your time being engaged in this process. So seeing no further speakers signed up in favor or opposition of Initiative Measure IL-26-638, public comment period is now closed. And now we're gonna transition into voting. which we can vote on both because it's one.

It's only one resolution.

It's one resolution. Thank you. I will go back to the sponsors if they have any closing remarks.

Nope. Okay.

Awesome. Will the clerk please call? Oh, I can't go back. Okay. The clerk said no. Okay. So will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council Member Lynn?

Yes.

Council Member Rink? Yes. Council Member Saka?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss? Aye. Council Member Foster. Yes. Council Member Kettle.

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Motion carries. Resolution is adopted. The chair will sign. Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf. Colleagues, we have reached the end of our agenda. Are there any items that council members want to bring for the good of the order? Okay, awesome. So we've reached today's agenda, the end of today's agenda item, the next city council meeting. And this one is important. So I'll make sure I articulate this correctly. September 22nd at 2 p.m. will be our last city council meeting before we start budget deliberations. And so what that means is we'll be able to, the council always participates in budget deliberations for city, The budget from our mayor's office and for the city with our budget chair councilmember Strauss and so next Tuesday will be our last meeting September 22nd 2 p.m. Before we jump into deliberations. We do have some potential scheduled City Council meetings in between then but our next City Council meeting for this time before budget is September 22nd at 2 p.m. All right Thank you hearing no further business. We are adjourned at 5 p.m. Thank you colleagues