Remarks by Maritza Rivera
18 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 1 of 1
- Play at 1:12:32
“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…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 1:35:09
“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…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 1:40:48
“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…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 1:42:44
“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…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 2:05:24
“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.…”
City Council · Sep 15, 2026
- Play at 41:01
“Thank you, Council President. I just want to say that this is such an important program, the Get Engaged program. It's been around forever and It just speaks to, well, first of all, that folks, again, want to volunteer their time to sit on this program. They sit on these commissions, rather. They care so deeply about this city. I am so appreciative, and I love seeing young people involved, because you guys are the present and the future. And then I want to say I've had the pleasure, he's not here today, but of meeting Jonathan Chavez today. he's reached out to meet with me proactively, and it…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 58:20
“Thank you. Council President, I'd love to ask the chair if he has started to meet with council members about their budget priorities. One question, and then the second question is around how departments will get selected for presentations at budget meetings. Thank you.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 59:59
“Thank you. And Council President, one more question, and that is, is there anything you can share, maybe not here, but individually with us about what you may know about the budget process? I mean, about the budget itself and what we can expect.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 1:00:35
“Thank you. Thank you, Council President.”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 1:10:27
“Thank you, Council President, colleagues. I'm requesting your signature on a proclamation recognizing September 10th through the 19th as Welcoming Week. Welcoming Week is one that is being recognized by a number of cities across the country. By recognizing Welcoming Week, Seattle's joining 49 other cities across the US in expressing a deep solidarity with immigrants. from all corners of the world. Welcoming Week encourages organizations, cities, and localities to showcase their values through events and initiatives that foster connections and collaboration between immigrants and…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 1:26:22
“Thank you, Council President. Ditto to what my colleague Council Member Strauss just said, I'll be joining AWC later this month. At our last committee meeting, we had three of the departments that are under the committee, OIRA, DEAL, Department of Education and Early Learning, and the Seattle Public Libraries. Seattle Public Libraries talked about the Seattle Reads book, which this year is True Biz by Sarah Novick. Sarah is the first deaf author that has been part of the Seattle Reads program, and it's really exciting. And our colleague, council member, Oh my gosh, I'm doing it again. Foster…”
City Council · Sep 14, 2026
- Play at 6:04
“Thank you, Council President. I just want to say that I was not present at yesterday's meeting, but of course I would have signed the proclamation. I really want to congratulate Susan Hahn for her service to the city and at the Seattle Channel. So I wanted to say that for the record and congratulations to her.”
City Council · Aug 11, 2026
- Play at 21:55
“Thank you, Council President. Like the last proclamation, I was not present when signatures were needed to be added, so congratulations. I would have added my signature had I been here, and I'm so excited for you all. Thank you.”
City Council · Aug 11, 2026
- Play at 2:33:06
“Thank you, Council President. Colleagues, because I own a small rental property that I share with my family, I'm unfortunately precluded from voting on today's rental fees legislation. I'm also precluded from even speaking to the legislation. I want constituents who are watching to know that it's not that I do not want to represent their interests on this matter or their views. i' m just unable to. Colleagues as you know this is an issue that continues to come up especially after council went to district representation. And it is different from the position that has been taken by the state…”
City Council · Aug 11, 2026
- Play at 3:15:05
“Thank you, Council President. Thank you, Council Member Lin, for your words. I understand the needs. I will say that at committee, I'm going to say the same thing now that I said at committee, which is the purpose of the annual mid-year supplemental budget is to make necessary adjustments to the current the budget for this year' s budget due to grant acceptances or cost that per the city' s rcw quote cannot reasonably have been foreseen and the amendments adding money then at this point is really just cutting the line at the budget process that' s going to start here in a month and we' ve all…”
City Council · Aug 11, 2026
- Play at 3:19:31
“Thank you, CP. I just want to say again, you know, this is my position is not on the merits of these things. And I don't the characterization that somehow we need. the public safety now and without passage of this now I dispute the characterization respectfully council member kettle we' re all dealing with public safety issues across the city there' s a lot going on in d5 for instance and other areas of the city so I' m well aware of all the issues and I myself am dealing with some issues in the d4 so again it' s not on the merits of the case of the ad but we' re having a budget in a month…”
City Council · Aug 11, 2026
- Play at 3:24:12
“Thank you, Council President. And I appreciate you trying to add this back in, Council Member Kettle. We did take some funds to be able to help. support our colleague council president up on Capitol Hill I think that this amendment just again it adds More into the mid-year and and I think we need to be taking this up during the budget process I do support CCTV And so I expect that we're gonna be able to continue that program with the upcoming budget But I'm gonna be voting no on today's amendment for those reasons. Thank you Thank You councillor Rivera councilmember Foster”
City Council · Aug 11, 2026
- Play at 3:29:03
“Just to clarify that the amendment that you proffered, I understand was going to be just for this year, so we could take up some work this year that we're not going to be able to take up because they're not going to be able to get the staff hired to be able to look at the CCTV, you know, to do the CCTV program this year. And so the idea was that we would get, or you want to get boots on the ground this year. So that's why I supported that amendment, but I also support the ongoing CCTV piece. So again, I want to thank you, Council Member Kettle, for keeping your eye on the prize on that,…”
City Council · Aug 11, 2026