City Council - Regular Meeting

my recording in progress now i call to order the shoreline city council regular meeting for monday august 17th 2026 will you please join the council for the flag salute i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands Thank you. Will the clerk please call the roll?

Mayor Robertson, Deputy Mayor Povey, Council Member Snyder. Here. Council Member Roberts.

Here.

Council Member Adomasu. Present. Council Member Mark. Present. Council Member Scully.

Present.

Is there a motion to excuse our missing members?

I move to excuse Mayor Robertson and Deputy Mayor Povey for personal reasons.

Second. Thank you. If there was no objections, the motion shall pass by unanimous consent. Our first item on the agenda, the first item is approval of tonight's agenda. Are there any objections or comments? Seeing none, the agenda is adopted by unanimous consent. Next is a report from the Acting City Manager, Mr. Branstadter.

Good evening, council. I have a few updates to share this evening. First, here's a quick update on our community emergency response team, also known as CERT. The October CERT basics course is filling up fast. There are only a few spots left. This free three-day course is open to Shoreline community members and city staff. Registration is required, so if you're interested, please sign up using the QR code on your screen. We've had a great response to this training, and staff is already looking into offering another CERT course in late 26 or early 27. There's another free preparedness opportunity coming up in January. The disaster preparedness and survival course will teach more hands-on skills for getting ready for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies. Earlier this month, Shoreline hosted a special pickleball event to celebrate National Pickleball Day, partnering with Diversity and Inclusion in Pickleball. Over 150 people joined throughout the day, and more than 20 volunteers, coaches, and helpers made the event possible. We also gave out over 35 donated paddles for participants to take home. The event was free and brought together players of all ages, backgrounds, and experience levels. I'd like to thank Recreation Supervisor Angie Rance and Recreation Specialist Mary Ann Johnson for helping bring together this partnership to Shoreline, as well as Sue Goodwin and all the DIIAP volunteers who made this day a great success. The event is a great example of equity in action through recreation. It removed barriers and created a welcoming space for everyone where everyone could join in. At Celebrate Shoreline this past weekend, staff continued our community education around the new roundabouts at the 145th Street interchange. As you can see in this photo, some of our young residents really enjoyed testing the roundabout layout with model cars. It turned out to be a great way to bring families over to our table. While kids tried out the roadway, parents had the opportunity to ask staff questions about lane choices, yielding, and how to safely navigate the new interchange. These kinds of hands-on conversations are especially helpful as drivers get used to the new roadway and will continue looking for opportunities to make this transition easier. Looking ahead, our last Energize Shoreline workshop of 2026 is tomorrow evening, August 18th from 630 to 730 at City Hall. Residents can learn about heat pump technology, ways to save energy, available rebates and financing, and incentives that could save them up to $6,000 on a qualifying heat pump. The workshop is available in person and online. If you're coming in person, you can register at the door. For more information or to register, please visit shorelinewa.gov slash goelectric. We have two Shoreline Walk events happening this week. Join our walk leaders on Tuesday for the Meridian Park Loop Walk and Saturday for the Lake Ballinger Interurban Trail Walk. These guided walks are a great way to explore Shoreline's neighborhoods, parks, and community destinations. To learn more or to sign up for a walk, visit shorelinewa.gov slash shorelinewalks. And finally, I have just a few public reminders to share. Council will be on break the rest of the summer, so the next City Council meeting will take place on Monday, September 14th at 7 p.m. here in the Council Chambers. The Planning Commission will meet on Thursday, September 3rd, also in the City Council Chambers at 7 p.m. And the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Tree Boards next meeting is Thursday, September 24th at 7 p.m. in Conference Room 303 at City Hall. Meeting details, agenda, and additional information can be found at shorelinewa.gov slash calendar. This concludes the city manager's report.

Thank you, Mr. Branstadter.

Are there any council reports this evening?

Council Member Adomasu.

Thank you. I attended Washington's Water Future virtual input session for water utilities and local governments. You also can make public comment on Department of Ecology's website through August 31 with your comments on our water future. Thank you.

Seeing no other hands indicating for a council report, Next on the agenda is public comment. This is the opportunity for members of the public to address the city council on agenda items or other matter pertaining to city business for three minutes or less, depending on the number of people wishing to speak. The total public comment period will be no more than 30 minutes. If more than 10 people are assigned up to speak, each speaker will be allocated two minutes. Please note there is also an opportunity to speak after agenda item 8A this evening. action of resolution number 567. Ms. Hardy, how many individuals have signed up to speak? I have six speakers for general comment. Thank you. That means each speaker will get three minutes. Before we begin, I'd like to ask our audience to refrain from clapping, booing, or other outbursts. We want to make sure every speaker feels safe and respected while sharing their perspective, regardless of whether the room agrees with them. Thank you for helping us keep this space neutral, productive, and welcoming. The clerk will call on each person, in-person speakers first and remote speakers second. When it is your turn, please state your name, city residence, and any organization represented. Please be advised that your testimony is being recorded. Ms. Hardy, could you please call the first speaker?

For a general comment, our first speakers are Violet Kay, Ember, and Bonnie Berry. You'll speak at this podium here.

Testing, okay. Hello, I'm Violet Kawaguchi. I am the executive director of the Kawaguchi O'Connor Initiative. We are a Washington State 501c3 that helps transgender individuals flee legislatively hostile states and settle here in Washington. I would like to thank the council for... taking a stance on trans rights and that trans people should be included in the city of Shoreline. Brian Haywood's initiatives and the people who support them are dangerous. One of the people that Brian Haywood strongly associates with is named Arie Hoffman, and he has been known to go into local parks to intimidate people who are advocates for trans rights or just people in general. These include parts of children at them. These are not people that represent the views of the shoreline that I live in, and I thank the council for sticking up for its trans constituents. But, yeah.

Thank you. Is it correct you live in shoreline?

Yeah, I live... Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Hello? Hello? Welcome. Hi, I'm Amber. I live in the Ballard area. I fled here to Washington three years ago, fleeing the absolute hate of anti-trans legislation. If I return, I will likely be arrested and sent to jail for fucking, sorry, excuse me, for nothing. And the official policy of the U.S. prison system is literally to forcefully detransition anyone they have in their custody, the federal prison system. And that's... And just being arrested for using just the bathroom for five years, being arrested for five years, that's just, you can, and then you can put it together. The first thing that they ever did in my home state of Utah to chip away at our rights was to ban trans people from sports. And don't even give them an inch. Fortify Washington. Support Resolution 567. Thank you.

Bonnie Berry, Kathleen Russell, then Janelle Kimmerling. Welcome.

Hi, Bonnie Berry, Shoreline. I'm going to do my best to read this off my phone. Oh shoot, OK. I wanted to talk about the design engineering contract for Westminster sidewalks and just remind you of some comments that have been made. So in May of 2021, Deputy Keith Scully agreed that flexibility in sidewalk design can be useful, preserving mature trees. February 2022, council members acknowledged the difficulty of balancing the community's desires with the goal of making Shoreline walkable, safe, and accessible to all, providing opportunities to reduce impacts to climate change through preservation of trees. september 2023 council member mork stated trees are an asset that increase in value the bigger they are and since then the city now has an inventory of the street trees with street valuations requested on all public works projects March 2024, Councilmember Scully stated that he wants to make sure existing mature trees are included in the balance of roadway projects as proposed to prioritizing wider sidewalks. And Mayor Roberts at the time stated his support for tree replacement in capital projects. April 2024, Council Member Atamasu questioned whether sidewalk widths can be narrowed to preserve trees in general, and Council Member Pobey stated that we have an opportunity and a responsibility to save trees for generations to come. June 2024, Council Member Pobey expressed that trees are natural assets and sidewalks are just capitalized assets that belong to the community. And just last week, Council members Snyder, Snyder, Adamosu and Mork commented about public street trees to be removed along North 175th corridor for the phase phase one renovation without a one to one tree replacement. This conversation has been going on since 2021 and yet limited progress has been made on retaining trees at public work projects. Westminster Way. is an opportunity for Council to approve the design engineering contract that actually demonstrates this can be done.

Thank you. Welcome.

Hello, Council. I'm Janelle Kimmerling, resident of Shoreline. It's apparent from reading ongoing reports and comments regarding trees versus sidewalks that some people and organizations continue to focus on their own single interests. You have heard from Dr. Kathleen Wolf that trees and housing can and must coexist. You know from the experience with Wash Dot on Dayton Avenue that money can be saved by retaining existing trees instead of installing man-made stormwater infrastructure. Remember, the 2018 bond issue was money voted for sidewalks. It was not voted for shared use paths or bike lanes. Save Shoreline Trees supports the bike network, but must we pour more and more concrete hardscape into high walls? We must not write off living in a city among trees that benefit all who live in the city by saying it is just a handful of trees and there are other trees on land outside the city. Taking down a handful here and a handful there equals no trees left in the city. Is it not possible for folks to come together with their combined intellect and a purpose of preserving and increasing Shoreline's tree canopy as presented in the 2044 Comprehensive Plan? For the good of everyone, please. Thank you.

Welcome. Thank you. Kathleen Russell, resident of Shoreline, on behalf of Safe Shoreline Trees. My comment pertains to the consent calendar item F. I live along Westminster Way North, and it has definitely become a speedway. In considering the new sidewalk, we all agree it needs to be safe. As we understand, bike lanes are an additional budget to what voters approved in 2018. At the council workshop on March 7, 2026, Kevin Hickenbottom, urban forestry supervisor, provided information about appraising the value of Shoreline's 19,000 street trees. While a citywide evaluation was not deemed efficient, council was provided the option of, quote, performing tree appraisals on a project by project basis as part of an arborist report. We ask council to request the repraised value of trees that are slated to be removed along Westminster Way North as part of the arborist report, and that the valuation be available before the project reaches 30% design. In addition, we ask that a Permatrack walkway, which would protect the roots and preserve trees, be installed along a segment of Westminster Way. The Permatrack installed along Dayton Avenue North at 155th eliminated the need for stormwater infrastructure, which the 91 trees provide. Two questions. First, would a Permatrack installation along Westminster Way from 150th to 153rd, where most of the tall trees are located, eliminate the need for the six foot tall concrete walls? Second, would tree retention eliminate the need for an underground stormwater system? These savings could possibly fund the Permatrack sidewalk. Thank you for your consideration of these requests.

Thank you.

The last speaker I've signed up is Guinevere Godd's daughter.

Hi, thank you. My name is Guinevere Godd's daughter. I'm a trans woman from Seattle. I want to say that I'm here in support of the resolution. I think it was 509. But the one that's under consideration, 567, brought forth by Council Members Roberts and Mork. I want to thank you for bringing that forth. Yeah, there is a trans genocide going on in this country. If I were in Idaho right now, I would be in prison for using the bathroom. It is a felony on the second offense for a trans person to use the bathroom aligning with their identity in Idaho. And because of Idaho's three strikes law, if you use the bathroom four times, you can go to prison for life. That's just next door. So I just want to impress on everyone the gravity of the situation that we're facing. I myself every day face jeers and taunts on the sidewalk here in Seattle, sometimes threats of rape, sometimes threats of grievous bodily harm in Seattle, supposedly the wokest city in America. I was maced just three nights ago while waiting at a bus stop just for waiting at a bus stop while trans in the University District. This cross contains the ashes of my mother. She just died two weeks ago. She was a proud gay woman and she drank herself to death because of the decades of oppression that she faced as a cis gay woman and the The oppression that faces trans women, and especially trans women of color, is far worse than that. So thank you for your support, and I hope you pass this resolution.

Thank you. Is there anyone else? Okay. Last one, I think.

I'm AJ Randall. I'm a Shoreline resident. I mean, the first thing I have to say is that spaces can't be neutral. We're talking about neutrality. Don't clap. You've got to make sure everyone feels safe. There is no neutrality between people who want to eliminate you from public life. If I said I wanted you dead and you said I wanted to live, what's the middle ground there? Okay? I don't see trans people on this council. I don't know. You know, obviously I'm not going to transvestigate anybody here, but nobody's talked about that. It's pretty obvious in politics today. I don't know how many of you have trans friends. I don't know how many of you have friends who are trans who would actually say, you know what, that person's a close friend of mine. I don't know. I'm not going to say one way or another, but I can tell you I have a lot. My partner's trans. I'm surrounded by trans people. And it is very difficult for me to live day to day knowing what is happening throughout this community. How many are fleeing here from Texas, from Utah, from Florida, from everywhere throughout this country? And I have housed two of them. in the last three years in my home with no support from anybody but myself, paying for them up from the cash I made from my shitty tech bro job out of Seattle. But the fact that, again, we're talking about just stopping these bullshit, totally frivolous wastes of our time. that are, wow, this genocide is happening. That is a minimum. Again, I'm begging you to figure something out that's more than that. Seattle just passed a bill to allocate funds, 300K. Awesome. That's great. That's a starting point. You want to give that to nonprofits, whatever. I don't know i think we can build better services for trans people i think we can help them get their medical care i think we can figure out housing housing is like a big deal food stuff like that we're losing federal benefits for things like snap like i i had to go on unemployment like benefits like i haven't been able to get a job after getting fired from a tech job nine months ago like it works for six weeks or two months it's nothing like trans people have a way more difficult time getting a job than i do as a 15-year tech career i can go get some shitty job i can absolutely pay for myself they can't get Amazon jobs. They get discriminated everywhere. Like if you do not understand how hard it is for trans people, just like they said, in communities that are highly progressive, considered the leftmost places in this country, then you really do not understand the struggle that is actually in these streets. And I'm asking you and begging you to like Really focus more on that. So pass this, do whatever. But we need to go way, way farther. And I hope that people are talking about it, especially the people that are running for other offices. Because when you run for other offices and you're not solving these major problems, man, it makes me feel like that's what's important to you. So anyway, have a good day, y'all.

Thank you.

Welcome. Lake Buchanan, Meridian Park represent. Trans people in Idaho now face prison time for using the correct bathroom. 1,700 trans folks in Kansas woke up one day in February to find out their driver's licenses had been revoked with no warning or notice. The Trump administration is currently trying to force medical providers across the country to turn over private medical information about gender affirming care and the people receiving it. A naive reading of Initiatives 001 and 638 might suggest that they are mild by comparison, but they are quite simply the thin end of the wedge that is the conservative movement's ongoing efforts at transgenocide. This is not hyperbole. The UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines the term to include causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part, and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. We have seen numerous instances of all of these actions attempted and carried out by conservatives over the past 10 or 12 years to say nothing of the escalation in anti-trans violence at the hands of non-state actors. In March, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security issued its third red flag alert about anti-trans genocide in the United States. Brian Haywood and his hateful ilk know that they can't push as hard in Washington as they've pushed in other states. They know that they don't have the support for their real aims. So they feign concern about fairness in youth sports, though I ask, what's fair about telling a kid that they can't play with their friends because of how they were born? Or parental rights, though I must point out that if your child doesn't feel safe telling you who they are, you have fundamentally failed as a parent. They don't care about the health or well-being of kids. They only care about hurting trans people. They frame their detractors as predators and groomers. As a trans person, I can assure you, trans people do not want your cis kids to become trans. We just want your trans kids to survive. Over the last year or two, the Puget Sound region has seen tens of thousands of trans refugees come here fleeing right-wing violence and hate, seeking some measure of safety in our community, because our community is one of the last safe refuges in the country for trans people. And as bad as things have been getting in the United States, much of the rest of the world is even worse. The trans community needs all the help and support we can get. It's bad out there. And Brian Haywood and his lot would love nothing more than to make it just as bad here. Do not let them even start, because they will not stop with destroying the trans community, just as they didn't in 1933. Protect trans kids. Pass Resolution 567, as amended by Councilmember Roberts. Thank you, Councilmembers Roberts and Mork. And for any of my fellow transgender folks here or listening elsewhere or watching the recording, Dora Richter lived.

Thank you.

Welcome. Hi. I'm here to say support trans people. First name, your name, and city of residence. Yes. I'm Lou, and I'm from Seattle. Thank you. I'm speaking here for, I know a lot of trans people in Shoreline, and I've gathered that the culture here is a little more repressive than it is in Seattle, especially trans people of color I know here experience, like, A lot of racism here. Transphobia is more prevalent here. We know that Seattle has a cost of living like it's quite high to live in Seattle. A lot of places around Seattle where it's cheaper to live is where plenty of people go just because that's affordable for them. There is a trans refugee crisis. And it's not just a Seattle thing. Trans people don't just live in Seattle. They live here. and the most vocal of us might be from Seattle, but in order for you, this culture of like being actually decent with trans can't just stop at Seattle. Washington as a whole needs to be fortified and feel safe for the trans people leaving all of these states that are against us, or like, I think I saw a thing about how trees struggle if there's only one. But if it's in a forest, it can actually thrive. We can't have just these little specks where we're safe. The more we concentrate our rights and cultural changes to be good for us, the more we as an entire community survive. And it's very much a survival thing. And that's why you hear people say, being very angry. It is survival. It is life or death for us. So please continue. Thank you for the people who put in put out this proposal to oppose this. I know Brian's friend Ari. I've seen her. She's gonna be in Redmond with Brian Haywood and she He's a detransitioner, but he takes estrogen, but I will respect. He will... He's talking with Brian Haywood in Redmond on an anti-trans thing. So, like... Basically, these more mild things are direct friends with the more violent end of this, if not just violent themselves. So these things work in tandem. Legislatively, even if it seems mild, but outing people is not mild. Having that in legislation is not mild, but it does go tandem with the people pulling guns.

Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anyone else here who would like to speak? Thank you. Now I would like to ask for approval of the consent calendar. Is there a motion?

I move approval of the consent calendar.

Second. There's been a motion and a second. Will the clerk please call the vote?

Council Member Snider? Aye. Council Member Roberts? Aye. Council Member Adomasu? Aye. Council Member Mork? Aye. Council Member Scully?

Aye. Motion passes five to zero. Now we're moving into our item 8A. The next item is Action on Resolution Number 567, Opposing Washington State Ballot Initiative IL 26-638, Concerning Participation in Athletics at K-12 Public Schools and Washington State Ballot Initiative IL 26-001. concerning parental rights relating to their children in public schools. This item was sponsored by Council Members Mork and myself. Jim Hammond will present the staff report.

Good evening, Council. I am presenting remotely today, so forgive me if I struggle with advancing the slides, but I am here today to present briefly on Resolution 567, which by its terms would advocate or place this Shoreline City Council in opposition to two ballot initiatives that are currently on the ballot schedule for the November vote. And I am not succeeding in advancing this. I'm very sorry, Kendall, if I can have your help. So first of all, just a background of Initiative 26-638 relates to high school athletic competitions, and it defines the concept of biologically male and requirements for sort of a medical evaluation. Next slide. The articulated supporter of the main support argument is fairness in girls sports. Opponents state that the initiative will subject all girls who wish to play sports to these additional evaluations. The second initiative, next slide please, is initiative 26001 and this it would reinstate an earlier initiative that was passed, Initiative 2081, that was later amended by the legislature. The changes here would essentially allow parents greater access to what is currently confidential information in student records and including health care records as well. Next slide, please. Supporters argue that parents have a right to know what is being discussed with their children. Opponents note that not necessarily all students feel safe at home, and the current structure gives students a safe place to talk at high schools that is to their benefit. Next slide, please. So, there was an initial amendment drafted per the request of Council Members Roberts and Mork. Subsequently, Council Member Roberts made several proposed amendments that would change the language, shorten it in some cases, certainly an effective editorial pen. These next three slides highlight what those changes would be. And so if you can just go through these three slides slowly, Kendall, this one, this third whereas clause condenses the language and makes it clearer. And finally, Kendall, thank you. The next one. This one just changes the language and given that, Mr. Councilmember Roberts wished to put these amendments forward for council consideration. Next slide, please. So as staff, we are not able to, and for electoral issues such as this, take a position ourselves. So our recommendation is simply that the council consider this proposed resolution and take it from there. Next slide, please. So while we have already heard comment from members of the public on this issue, there is, per formal structure, a public comment period that would follow now for any remaining commenters to speak, and that would precede council review and potential action on this. So with that, I turn it back to you, Councilmember.

Thank you, Mr Hammond. Miss Hardy, is anybody signed up for this portion for public comment?

Yes, we have a couple people. Our first three speakers will be Jean Norbert Steele and then Scott Menzies. Is Jean still here? And we'll start with Norbert.

Hello, my name is Norbert Steele, Shoreline. Obviously, this resolution's a layup. You obviously should passed this resolution to oppose the upcoming initiatives that are going to be voted on statewide, I believe. That's a no-brainer. I do want to touch on something that I heard one of the previous speakers say about how they experience a uncomfortable but believable amount of discrimination here in Shoreline. I've been coming here for six months now talking to you guys about all the things going on in the city. You know, just... signs expressing solidarity with our immigrant community constantly being vandalized around the city. I agree with the sentiments of several other speakers that although this resolution that I'm assuming you will all agree to and pass, and thank you Roberts and Mork for, again, putting it forward. It is, you know, again, some bare minimum stuff, right? Like, I expect our city to come out and say this is fucked up and we shouldn't do this. That's like a baseline for me. Realistically, I would like to see the city go much further with this sort of thing and start treating the incidents that are going around right now, both in terms of, you know, discrimination against trans people and also the activity that ICE has been displaying in the area. Take these seriously. As someone else said, these things are the wedge that cracks open basically everything and rots our society. I came from Pennsylvania. I came from the rot. I thought I got out of the rot. I'm watching the rot creep back into where I live now. Please pass this resolution and also please continue to push on other agenda items like getting the King County Sheriff's Department to show up to a hit and run caused by federal officers. Thank you.

Thank you.

Welcome. Good evening. My name is Scott Menzies, resident of Shoreline. My organizing project is Fortify Washington. Presiding Officer Mork and members of the council, thanks for having us today. And thanks for taking up this for consideration. Council members Mork and Roberts, thank you so much for proposing this. This is what I heard from my trans siblings earlier makes my heart hurt. And I'm... I'm... helped put this model resolution together and worked with No Hate in Washington State as an ally. I'm here as an ally and I want to see them feel as safe as I feel walking down the street. And I know that I have all of the privileges that make it easy for me to exist in this place. And knowing that's not the case for others, knowing that we have to field and waste money and time and energy and emotion resisting what are such obviously awful, horrifying, transphobic, homophobic, misogynistic initiatives, it hurts. And it hurts my heart, and it is the thin edge of the wedge. As Megan Rapinoe put it in an article, this is not just about, it starts with the trans folks and it moves towards constricting the spaces within which women are even allowed to exist in their sports. This is the thin edge of the wedge and we have to repudiate it in the strongest and most definitive way possible. This is why I feel it's important for our city councils in this state to take this stand. I don't feel us voting is going to be what does it or doesn't do it, but I feel like our city elected officials whom we elected, who represent us, who are close to us because we live in the same place, we want to see you stand with us. And so I want to say I'm grateful that you are standing with us on this. I'm here as an ally. I wish I saw more allies. That also kind of hurts my heart. But I know that you will pass this, and I am grateful for that much. Everybody who is here in support of this resolution, please raise your hand just so everybody can see. Great. Thank you. Anybody here for the first time at a city council meeting? Excellent. In Shoreline. Great. Welcome. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for your consideration. I appreciate you.

Thanks. Thank you.

Oh, and this is actually some more petition signatures.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else signed up to speak at this moment? Yes. Our last two are Lake Buchanan and then Jamie Lee Blake.

i didn't know how the signups worked so uh just you know the same thing i said before i do want to say thank you council member roberts for the amendment because while i was reading through the initial uh version that those are basically my concerns and they address them so i'm like cool good job um but yeah i agree with basically everything everyone has said this is a no-brainer and it is basically table stakes like this we need to be looking for more to be doing um i have been to a couple of seattle city council meetings i haven't spoken at them because i don't live in seattle i live in shoreline so i am grateful for the opportunity to speak my mind on this, but keep pushing harder. More. This and more. Keep going. More. Do more. Go more, please. It's not as eloquent if I don't write it out ahead of time, apparently.

Thank you. Welcome.

Good evening. My name is Jamie Leap Lake. I live in Edmonds, just over the border to the north of Shoreline, but I spend a lot of time in Shoreline. I came here anyway because IL-26-638 is a statewide measure and it doesn't stop at the county line. I'm a transgender woman. I'm also a mom of three teenagers. And I've spent 20 years as an engineer, which mostly means I've been paid to read specifications closely and notice what they actually say instead of what people say they say. So I read this one. It doesn't affect only transgender girls. But even if it did, it would be too much. Under IL-26-638, any student who wants to play a girls' sport has to produce a signed statement from a health care provider verifying her sex through anatomy, genetics, or testosterone levels. That means genital inspections for our 110 girls playing middle school and high school sports in the state. That's the sponsors of the initiative's number, not mine. Every girl who wants to play. Boys don't have to do this to play boys sports. And that doesn't get said as much. And I think we should think about that, too, and what that means. Washington has had an inclusive policy since 2007. It's worked for 20 years. What's changed isn't the sports, it's the politics. And the doctors note that this initiative requires will be a burden on all girls trying to play sports, especially the most marginalized, with less access to doctors, less able to play sports. The girls who get questioned first won't be the trans ones. They will be the cis ones, the ones that are a head taller than everyone else, or have short hair, or just look wrong to somebody in the stands. The same instinct runs through IL 26001, which would roll back protections the legislator added last year after real families like mine testified about what the original version was doing to their kids. I know a city resolution doesn't change the policy or take anything off the ballot. I'm not confused about that. But when my kid is deciding whether a place is safe, she isn't reading state law. She's looking at what the people in charge were willing to say out loud. So please pass Resolution 567. If you pass it, put it where people will actually see it, the website, the newsletter, not buried in the minutes. Thank you, and thank you again to Council Members Roberts and Mork for bringing this forward. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anybody else who would like to speak in this public comment period?

Hello. My name is Oliver Wolf. I'm from North Seattle. I didn't have a comment written out today. But I just wanted to speak against a myth that I haven't really heard challenged yet today about This initiative kind of presupposes a longstanding myth that transgender women have the same physical performance as cisgender men, which isn't true for medically transitioning trans women, because cisgender women don't take testosterone blockers, and transgender women do, usually.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Violet Kawaguchi. I'm a Shoreline resident. I would also like to point out that People's hormone levels are variable depending on who they are and their racial background. Testosterone testing will disproportionately affect cisgender athletes of color because cisgender athletes of color do on occasion have higher testosterone levels than average. We see this in Olympic sports, we see this in sports universally. Behind the thin veneer of parental concern there's always an air of racism and just the most vile aspects of our country hidden behind every single thing these people pass or want to pass. The bone density arguments aren't even, like, the two things that I'm pretty sure the vast majority of what they're harping on is is trans people may have higher bone density and we may develop muscle mass that we had before better because of predisp... or a pre-exposure to testosterone. These are very nebulous things. They are not well defined. The science is not there. This initiative is based on nothing and is purely an excuse to discriminate while giving nebulous actors unlimited access to your children under the guise of keeping them safe. Anyone who is an advocate for this, anyone who wants this, I would greatly be concerned about even having that person in my group of people I associate with. Because on its front, there's nothing about this that even makes any sense to anyone who knows a basic amount of anatomy or science. As a trans person, when I started HRT 11 years ago, within months, you want to know what my T levels were? 17 nanograms per decaliter. That is significantly below the level of a cis woman. Their arguments don't make sense. They are not seen out in the science. They are not seen out in the performance statistics. One of the most the largest anti-trans and sports advocates, Riley Gaines, loves to talk about how a trans person beat her without telling everyone that this trans person didn't win the race, and Riley Gaines was third. So these people are just losers. They're losers, and they want to discriminate against people of color and trans people and people who they perceive as getting something that they didn't earn, but they really earned it. So please do the bare minimum, as this gentleman in orange said, and pass this resolution. And as a trans person of color in Shoreline, I will say walking to the one-line station right over there, I have had people yell at me outside of their cars. I've had people yell racial slurs at me. Old, decrepit man in a Charlie Kirk shirt and a MAGA hat yelling the T-slur at me. This is like... Real, like people in Seattle are harassed daily for being trans. This needs to stop.

Thank you. Is there any other public comment tonight? Seeing none, I will close public comment and we'll move to council action.

Councilmember Roberts. Thank you, Presiding Officer Mark. I move adoption of resolution number 567 with the amendments that I have proposed.

Second. Motion and a second. Would you like to speak to your motion, Council Member Roberts?

Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Mork, for sponsoring this and getting this on the agenda. We have adopted in this council on this dais multiple resolutions saying that Shoreline needs to be a welcoming space for everyone. For everyone, for LGBTQIA plus individuals specifically, this is, I think, a continuation of those series of resolutions because we need to be and we ought to be a place where people feel safe. We want people to live here. We want people to feel comfortable working here. We want people comfortable going to school here. And that's something that we... as elected leaders of this city ought to continue to push for. As we've heard from public comment, we are not there yet. There are too many people who are facing discrimination in their daily lives, too many people who face discrimination just existing. That is a problem. And we have a moral responsibility to say, no, that's not what we want. That's not the values that we want to see in Shoreline. Now, I know that we do need to do better. I mean, and I think that some of the advocates who are speaking here today talking about how do we make sure and how do we provide the resources that people need. So that is something we ought to sort of, that's something we need to strive for. It's not something on our agenda tonight, but that's something we need to continue to strive for, is how do we protect our residents? How do we make sure that our residents get the support they need? It's hard. It is hard to be a child in this world today. It's especially hard if they are in transitioning, have transitioned. It is scary. Individuals who decide and make the decision to transition, that is not an easy decision. That is a tough, tough, tough decision that people have to make. People who decide to transition sadly face additional discrimination. As was said, the studies have shown that individuals who are trans have a harder time trying to find work. that individuals who are trans struggle with lots of things in their daily lives. It's not something people take lightly if they are in transition. And it's our job as a country, we should be letting people live the lives they want to live. People should not be discriminated against because of the choices that they make, how they live their lives, because individuals just want to live their lives. They want to feel safe, feel protected. They want to be supported by their community. They want to be supported in their schools. These are things that people want. These are basic needs that people want. It's sad to see that there are people in this state who want to enshrine discrimination in their laws. As was said, the initiative around sports, it is not the small handful of trans youth who are participating in sports who are going to be affected by it. It is going to be the people who are, as was described, as Jamie said correctly, it's the people who are, it's the people, women of color who are head taller, who have a little bit stronger muscle mass, who are seemingly better than everyone else on the field. They're the ones who are going to be questioned, and that's been questioned every time for hundreds of years, thousands of years. That is really the people who are going to be affected by this, because it is invasive, and it is discriminatory that one gender is going to be affected by this while another gender is not. That is wrong, plain and flat wrong. And then we need to, I mean, the school counselors, the teachers, they know how important this is. They know how important the schools need to be a safe place for everyone. That in an ideal world, yes, you should be able to talk to your parents about who you are and what your true identity is. That's important. But schools also need to be a safe space for people. And this law makes the schools not a safe space. It makes it a hostile space, that anything that you say can suddenly go right back to a parent, a parent who may or may not be supportive. a parent who may be willing to throw their child out. We know that and studies show that people who are kids who are transitioning, who have transitioned, they're the ones who are very likely to be homeless. They're the more likely to run away. either unfortunately to homelessness or to some other place. And I think for the people who have opened their homes and let people in and recognize and celebrate who they are as individuals and not because of them. So I encourage and implore my colleagues to support this. And I hope that if this passes, that the people of Washington state agree with me and say that this is wrong. These are not Washington values. These are not Shoreline values. So thank you. Council Member Borg.

Thank you. Council Member Scully.

Thanks. And I'll keep this short, because this is a slam dunk. And what's been said tonight is all true. So I'm bisexual. My part of the rainbow is fairly safe. But I've got a lot of close friends who are trans. And at age 53, most of my trans friends transitioned a long time ago. And so they have watched the world get progressively brighter. And it's very unfortunate that they may see the world start to get more dim with initiatives like this. I just want to share one life experience. I had the unfortunate life experience of explaining how difficult it was to be trans to someone who later turned out to be a trans man. So I mansplained being trans to a trans man, which is like meta. But he's a big bearded dude. And I found out he was trans when he got really upset at signature gatherers on a ferry for the bathroom ban that we dealt with years ago. And he said, look, he told me he was trans. And he said, look, this is home arrest for me. I can't leave the house. Because if I go into a women's room, look at me. There will be screens. If I go into a men's room, that's not where I want to be. It's not safe for me to be there. So I've spent a lot of time talking to folks, not only in Shoreline, but in surrounding communities. And the good news is there is a strong trans community here. And what makes my heart glad is when I meet someone who's trans and the households next to them are all flying pride flags. Even though they are not part of that community, they're just showing solidarity. The bad news is there is a lot of misunderstanding about what these bills are. It's usually posed around safety, which is ridiculous. And what misses the point is this isn't aimed at adults, right? The first measure is aimed at children. And for me, it's especially invidious because it tells a 12-year-old girl that her body has to pass inspection, usually by a man, before she's allowed to participate. That's like 1800s, 1700s thinking. The other measure about school counselors and medical professionals, when my daughter was 12, she cut her hair short and started wearing different clothes. And I thought, huh. And she told me years later that she had been questioning her gender identity. And she wasn't ready to talk to me about it. That doesn't make me a bad parent. That doesn't mean we have a bad relationship. She just wasn't ready to share with her dad that she was questioning who she was. So no kid should know that there is no safe space. There should always be a safe space. All of this has been said. Thank you for coming. And I'm actually familiar with the Kawaguchi O'Connor Initiative. And thank you for doing that. It's making a big difference to a lot of people.

Council Member Radomasu. Thank you, Councilmember Mork and Roberts, for bringing this resolution. I'm in full support of the resolution, and I want to thank each and every person that physically came here and spoke from your heart and touched me greatly. I just want to reiterate, I oppose the initiative regarding youth participation in athletics. It is wrong to victimize trans youth. And this initiative, as we all know, will subject girls who wish to play sports in kindergarten through senior year in high school to the additional medical evaluations. I also oppose the initiative about parental rights, as not all students are safe at home. And I believe that all students need safe spaces to talk about private issues that they are dealing with. And I want to surround everyone with protection and love. Thank you. Thank you. Council Member Snyder.

I'll do my best to articulate all of the many thoughts. And first of all, I appreciate everyone who showed up today and who spoke, and also for Council Members Mork and Roberts for paying attention to what's going on. I grew up playing sports. My sisters played sports. We all played softball all through high school and even into college. They weren't always straight. Many of the players were not, and you get questioned about that. Those are our people. There's no other way to say it. They kick ass. All I can think about with this regards to the initial bill about girl sports, it's invasive. It's perverse. It just brings to mind Dr. Larry Nassar, who is convicted of molesting all of these gymnasts, sometimes while their parents are standing in the room. So subjecting girls and trans kids, these are girls, these are kids, to anything short of some kind of pelvic exam in order to decide whether they are qualified to play sports, I mean, it's insidious. And it's thinly veiled, some kind of attempt to be legitimized. by using some kind of term like family values, fairness in sports, parental rights. And when I hear those terms, I just kind of brace myself, because here comes another non-issue making its way as though it's some kind of an issue. And it really, really isn't. And I'm very pleased that we're starting with this baseline, as Mr. Steele mentioned earlier. And like everything, like they say, safety first, and that also has to do with the 26001. initiative that's going to show up. Kids don't always feel safe at home. They need to feel safe at school, talking to a counselor. And I know from kids even going to therapy, you hit that 13-year-old mark, and you can't even log in on their behalf onto some kind of medical to pay the bill, because they're entitled to that privacy. It's not to be shared with their parents unless they decide they want to share it with their parents. And that needs to be maintained at our schools as well.

again there's there's a lot more we have a ways to go and but this is a you have to start somewhere thank you thank you thank you all for coming makes a big difference to know that there are people who support what we are trying to do council member Roberts thank you for improving the resolution. And I think I don't have anything new to say. You have covered it all. Really appreciate it. Now we're at the point to vote on this resolution. Is there any more discussion or will the clerk please call them?

I believe the motion is on the amendment first and then

I thought that's what... We moved it with his amendment. Okay, let's get it into motion. Thank you.

No, that's all right.

Okay. Thought we had done that. So will the clerk please call the vote?

Mm-hmm. Councilmember Snider? Aye. Councilmember Roberts?

Aye.

Councilmember Adomasu? Aye. Councilmember Mark? Aye. Councilmember Scully? Aye.

Thank you. Passed unanimously, five to zero. With that, this meeting is adjourned. Thank you.