missing title

The January 6th meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order.

It is 2 p.m.

I'm Dan Strauss, Council President Pro Tem.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Foster?

Aye.

Council Member Hollingsworth?

Council Member Juarez?

Councilmember Kettle?

Here.

Councilmember Lin?

Here.

Councilmember Rink?

Present.

Councilmember Rivera?

Present.

Councilmember Saka?

Here.

And one more time, Councilmember Hollingsworth?

Here.

Present.

Councilmember Foster?

Here.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss?

Here.

Thank you.

As we start 2026, it is the first order of business for us to elect the council president for 2026 and 2027. We'll first open the floor for nominations.

And I'm going to take the privilege of being council president pro tem to make a nomination here.

And it is my humble honor to nominate my first choice for council president.

And thank you for considering my unsolicited request.

I humbly nominate Jacqueline Joy Hollingsworth to be our Seattle City Council President.

And let the record reflect former Council President Deborah Juarez is present.

You're good.

So we have received one nomination.

Is there a second?

Second.

It has been moved and seconded to recommend Jacqueline Joy Hollingsworth to be our Seattle City Council President.

Are there any other nominations?

Seeing as we have no further nominations at this time, I will move on to open the item for discussion.

Colleagues, is there any discussion on the nomination for Seattle City Council President?

I'll start as it was my humble honor to get to nominate Joy Hollingsworth, Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth.

It has just been such an honor and pleasure to get to serve with you.

As somebody that's been on this body for a number of years now, it's refreshing and amazing to get to learn from you.

We had a better budget session this last year because of the way that you ran the comprehensive plan.

is just one example.

And I could go on for a long time, but there's a lot of orders of business to get to today.

So I just wanna thank you for your service.

Thank you for setting the example through your leadership through example.

Just thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Colleagues, any further?

Council Member Kettle.

Thank you, Chair.

I just wanted to echo your words and say that it was a great honor during the course of 2023 to get to know Joy Hollingsworth out on the trail through all the different parts of the city.

And over the course of the last two years, she's been fantastic working the issues that are facing our city, the challenges that we're facing, and finding approaches and coalitions to make these accomplishments that we've been doing.

and so I just want to thank her as the Chair of Public Safety Committee for working with me on public safety, but then also those other areas like parks, which is so important to not only the city but also District 7, so thank you.

Former Council President Deborah Juarez.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I am going to do it the way we do in Indian Country.

I'm going to stand in honor.

I am so honored that we are going to have Joy Hollingsworth become our new council president, and I hope those of you watching understand it isn't just about a black woman from Capitol Hill being our council president.

It is about a woman that understands business, history, and Seattle.

Joy has leadership that's collective.

She understands how to share that leadership.

And she will not be defined by a world that thinks because she is a black woman that she has to stay in this box.

And we all know how hard that is, right?

We are who we are with our dignity, our spirit, and how we walk in the world.

And I can't think of a finer person that demonstrates that.

Joy Hollingsworth.

Love you.

Colleagues, I am running blind on Zoom, so if you would like to raise your hand and you're raising it on Zoom, I can't see it.

Are there any further comments?

Council Member Saka.

Thank you, Mr. Council President Pro Tem.

I too want to extend my, first off, congratulations and express my gratitude to, I think, what is the official title?

Council President Presumed or Council President Elect Hollingsworth?

Councilmember Hollingsworth, it has been a tremendous privilege and honor for me to be able to get to know you over these past couple years.

know you on a political level, know you on a personal level as a friend.

It is a very small universe of public servants who are devoted to this work and being able to rely so greatly on your friendship, your partnership in many things, not everything, but We've been able to partner together so much over the past few years, and I can't think of the way you led, the way you expertly led our comp plan process, stepped up when no one wanted to do it.

It was sort of like that old Geico commercial where the alligator arms, when the check came, no one wanted to reach out there and grab the check.

You grew an extra arm and grabbed that check and stepped up to the plate and our city is better for it and I'm so glad and I'm not surprised that you stepped up to this role and this opportunity and our city is grateful to have you because of it.

It's past time.

It's past time for our city to have a black council president.

and it's past time for our city to have its very first ever queer council president as well.

So excited to be able to support your candidacy today and thank you for all you have done, continue to do and will continue to do over the few years for our city.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Saka.

Councilmember Rivera, I see you have your hand.

Thank you, Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

My camera's off, folks, because my audio will work better if I do so.

So apologies for that.

But I want to say to Council Member Hollingsworth, it has been an honor and a privilege and an absolute pleasure to serve with you.

I am really excited about this nomination and I fully support it.

You've shown leadership in so many areas, not the least of which is I will second what council member Saka just said during the comp plan.

You stepped up and you led that process just with such grace and there were a lot of moving parts and you just showed your leadership skills.

And like I said, that is one of many, many areas in which you've shown your leadership skills.

So I am just so honored and I'm looking forward to voting for your nomination and getting you as our next council president.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.

Colleagues, are there any further comments or discussion?

Councilmember Lin.

Thank you.

I'm just so excited that you are willing to step up into this role.

I think you're the perfect person to step into this role right now.

Your calm demeanor, your collaborative approach, I'm going to borrow some words from Mayor Wilson here about character.

Your character, I think, is perfect for this role.

And we have big challenges in front of us right now.

And we have a lot of different ideas about how to get there.

And I'm excited to see your leadership about how you're able to bring us together as a council, as a city.

So thank you for stepping up.

Thank you, Council Member Lynn.

Council Member Rank?

Thank you, Pro Tem Strauss.

Councilmember Hollingsworth, I'm just going to add to the chorus of praise and appreciation for you and how you've led.

I know I've appreciated the opportunities.

I've had to work alongside you on nitty-gritty issues, but I want to bring up one example that I think really embodies the heart that you bring to this work, and it's when we saw a beloved mosaic covered up wrongfully.

in the heart of Capitol Hill.

I said, do you want to go clean that off ourselves?

Let's just do this ourselves.

And you said, let's do it.

And we went out there ourselves.

And you picked up the gear, by the way.

She went to the hardware store, everyone, for the record, to get the gear to make sure we could do it.

And we went out there in the hot sun and cleaned it off together.

Not just to prove a point, but just because that's the kind of leader you are.

you understand that this work sometimes means getting out there and doing it yourself, and that little things can make all the difference, especially when it means a community being seen.

So thank you, and I am excited to support your nomination.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Rank.

Colleagues, any further discussion at this time?

Seeing no further discussion, I will take this moment to say that the work of the legislative department is accomplished by our staff, by many people in each of our individual offices, by the city clerk's office, central staff, archives, boards and commission, our own IT, HR, comms, our janitorial staff, and our security.

All of this work in this department is accomplished by these fine individuals serving our city and it is a great honor to get to nominate Joy Councilmember Hollingsworth for the position at City of Seattle Council President because Councilmember Hollingsworth, you lead by example, not from the dais.

With that, if there's no further discussion, I would ask the clerk to call the roll on the nomination of Jacqueline Joy Hollingsworth for Council President for 2026 and 2027 of the Seattle City Council.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Aye.

Council Member Kettle?

Aye.

Council Member Lynn?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Sacca?

Aye.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss?

Aye.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Fantastic, congratulations Council President Joy Hollingsworth.

All right, let's get this meeting started, right?

Thank you all for being here.

Happy New Year's, and most importantly, go Hawks.

I'm gonna be brief because we have a full agenda, and this is about the people that were elected citywide with Councilmember Rink and Councilmember Foster, so I'll be brief in my remarks.

Colleagues?

Thank you for your vote of confidence today.

I take this role very seriously.

The title, here, hold on, I'm sorry.

Title of council president, comes with paperwork, yes, but most importantly comes with the responsibility for us to set the tone, keep us moving, the quarterback of the team.

Yes, you all will hear a ton of sports analogies from me, okay, so get ready.

But my vote weighs the same as you all, one in one.

My role is to help facilitate the work of this council, not to override it.

Councilmember Strauss, You have an incredible gift of knowledge, history, and explaining how things work.

You're the unofficial mayor of Ballard.

and as the council president, I officially name you the official mayor of Ballard.

Can I do that?

I've enjoyed working side by side on many of the issues.

Watching you navigate tough challenges with your thoughtfulness has been amazing and watching you juggle, you've done a phenomenal job as our budget chair and juggling the city, the executive, council priorities in a seamless process.

I am so grateful for your partnership and our friendship together.

Thank you.

Councilmember Juarez, DJ D5, thank you for coming back to Council and for being the auntie and mentor so many of us lean on.

You wear District 5 proudly and use your platform not only to elevate Indigenous issues, but to show Seattle our blind spots for the original caretakers of this land.

Your guidance has been steady, foundation, and it's been a sweet Stevie Wonder song.

Thank you for always answering the phone and pouring so much positivity and love and realness into each one of these council members.

Thank you.

Council member Saka, my guy, king of potholes, but affectionately known as the dad from Delridge.

You love District 1 like it's your fourth child.

And you bore that child.

You labored that child.

Watching how you parent, how you show up as a father, how you bring that same care and energy for the district shows a lot about you as a person.

And your passion in solving immediate real-world problems is felt and it matters to people.

Thank you for your service.

Council Member Kettle, my other guy.

You're a public safety chair and you are constantly wearing that hat, but you're a girl dad.

And I've seen you go from chairing a public safety committee to running the clock at a CYO game, or missing my call because you were doing laundry duty for your household.

The way you bring structures and systems and process to every policy decision reflects both your experience and your discipline for this work.

I look forward to working with you as well.

Councilmember Rivera, Mama Bear.

I've said this before, there's due diligence and then there's Councilmember Rivera due diligence.

You read every word, every email, every line, you dig into every policy detail.

You are tough, you are thoughtful, and you are thorough.

And I look forward to working closely with you, and yes, even answering your late night phone calls.

Councilmember Lin, in a short time for us working together, you've asked insightful questions, you've been incredibly responsive, and you're constantly positive.

I've given you the nickname, Steady Ready Eddie.

District 2 is so lucky to have you, Councilmember Lynn, and I'm telling you, by our interactions, I trust your heart, and I trust your goals for our city.

Councilmember Rink, the youngest among us, and one of the most motivated, and you probably have the best social media, I'm gonna just throw that out there.

the most followers.

You are always thinking about policy, yes, even at 10 p.m.

when I'm telling you to go to bed.

You focus on making a positive impact is very, very clear and your drive is real.

I've enjoyed watching you grow as a council member and bringing access, especially for our young people, to government.

Incredibly important.

I look forward to working with you.

Last but not least, Council Member Foster.

I've appreciated your honesty and your directiveness.

It's only been a short time calling you my colleague, but watching your confidence grow and seeing your thoughtfulness and intention makes it clear you are an incredibly strong addition to this body, sis.

I look forward to working with you and learning from your experience that you bring to this body.

Colleagues, this is my promise to you all and the residents of the city of Seattle.

Everyone who walks through these doors will be treated with respect and kindness, no matter how they show up in their spirit, their attitude, or their words.

We will always run a transparent and open process.

As a body, our shared responsibility is simple, bold basics, the fundamentals, measurable outcomes, accessibility to government, and a hyper-focus on local issues and transparency.

To our incredible legislative department, thank you.

We are a separate branch of government and we do not function without you.

To our central staff, IT, our clerk's office, the front desk team, communication team, council staff, and the Seattle crew who document our work, thank you.

You are the force behind the legislative machine and we commit to treating you with respect, grace, and dignity at all times.

This council is not one voice.

It's many voices, many perspectives, and many ideas, and I respect each and every one of you.

We have not always agreed, I know, but that's healthy.

It means that we have different perspectives.

We always, but we always have respected each other.

And I'm telling y'all, that is only, that's gonna be the foundation of our success, is the respect that we have for one another.

I look forward to working with our city departments, our mayor's office, Mayor Wilson, who's here, thank you for being here.

We have our...

Our city attorney, Erica Evans is here, thank you.

I look forward to working with the pastors.

We got our pastors here, Pastor Anderson and other pastors.

I hope I didn't miss any other elected officials, but we look forward to working with you as well.

Yes.

Rep. Thomas.

Thank you.

Representative Thomas, Brianna Thomas.

Rep. Thomas.

season for our state, so go talk to Representative Thomas if y'all want money.

I'm just saying, y'all come to council, go to Rep. Thomas.

Y'all got a bigger budget for the state, right, Rep. Thomas?

I'm just playing.

And last but not least, I want to recognize my family who's here, my church family, all my friends who have showed up.

to watch this moment.

Thank you all so much.

I really appreciate your love and support, but most importantly, you all are the ones who hold me the most accountable in my actions, so thank you all so much.

Thank you, colleagues, and we are now gonna get down to business.

In this time, we will proceed with the oath of office ceremonies for the newly elected at-large council members.

This will be followed by brief remarks by each council member.

We will commence with council member Dion Foster elected at at-large position nine.

The oath of office will be administered by council member Foster's son, Miles Foster Cundiff.

and I invite Miles to the table and Councilmember Foster.

Raise your hand and repeat after me.

I, Dionne Foster.

I, Dionne Foster.

Swear that I possess.

Swear that I possess All of the qualifications Prescribed in the Seattle City Charter And the Seattle Municipal Code For the position of City Councilmember That I will support the Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the State of Washington And the Charter and Ordinances of the City of Seattle

and the Charter and Ordinances of the City of Seattle.

And that I will faithfully conduct myself as City Council Member.

And that I will faithfully conduct myself as a City Council Member.

Thank you.

Thank you Miles, I'm really proud of you.

And thank all of you for coming today.

It is absolutely my honor.

And you know, I was quiet while we were taking comment about the selection of Council President Hollingsworth because I knew I was gonna come up here and I wanted to say some things right here.

And really what I wanna do first before I talk about myself is acknowledge what it means to me as a black woman to get sworn in following the selection of the first black woman to serve in the role of City Council President.

in the history of our city, this isn't leadership that we've ever had before.

And there are those who might wonder, given that we've had black council presidents before, and given that we've had women council presidents before, why it is significant to acknowledge when we have the first black woman council president.

And I am here as a black woman to say, it matters.

It matters.

Not just that.

It matters to have a leader who has deep generational ties to the city.

It matters to have a leader who is going to lead with integrity and care, not just for the people of the city, but for the people who work in the legislative department and make the city run.

And it matters in the world that we live in today that when people look at the leadership of our city council, they will see a smart, competent, and grounded leader, and they will see a black woman.

Congratulations, Council President Hollingsworth.

I am so pleased to stand here today as the new city council member representing Seattle position nine.

And yeah, we can do that.

And working for residents all across the city.

I stand before you today as a mother, as a neighbor, and as a person who cares deeply about the city that we call home.

I'm here today as a proud progressive and a person who believes that government holds the power and the privilege to change people's lives.

And I don't just believe that because of my values, I believe it because I've lived it.

And I've lived a lot of different lives in this city.

I've worked downtown waitressing at a time before we had secure scheduling laws and paid sick and safe leave to protect workers.

I've worked in philanthropy investing millions of dollars into leaders of color who are trying to level the playing field in housing, homelessness, human services, education and arts because for far too long we've had extreme disparities for people who look like me.

This is the city where I had my son who just swore me in.

and it's the city where we spent hours in WIC and DSHS offices trying to get the financial support we needed to make ends meet in this city when he was a baby.

I've worked with some of the wealthiest people in Seattle hand in hand to defend progressive taxation, people who were happy to be taxed and pay their fair share because they wanted to contribute to good schools, to childcare, and to early education.

This is the city where I bought my first home, which I was only able to do because government investments and down payment that created stability for my family.

Seattle is where I learned to become an environmentalist and where a decade ago I helped launch the city's equity and environment agenda to center the people first and worst impacted by pollution and environmental harm.

Seattle is the city where I came out as bisexual and queer because I felt safe to do so.

Yeah, we can do that too.

Seattle is a city where I am proud to serve as a city council member and where I will work every day to make good on the promise of a government that makes people's lives better.

And not just for people whose stories are like mine, but for every person who calls this city home.

Seattle is home to some of the greatest creatives and artists, to some of the best innovators and businesses and public servants.

Our city is home to people who are just trying to make rent and get home in time to make dinner for their family and friends.

We are home to people who are doing the hard math of deciding if they can have kids and afford childcare and healthcare without leaving the city that they love, the city that we all love.

And our city is home to too many people who are living without a consistent and safe place to sleep every night.

And it is for all those people and more that I am honored to show up every day and work.

I believe that governing effectively requires us to be clear every day about why we are all engaged in this work.

Yes, it is about passing legislation.

Yes, it is about balancing budgets.

Yes, it is about ensuring that we create transparency and honesty with the public.

And it is also about creating a culture in City Hall where we are focused on making Seattle a safe place for everyone.

Whether that's through improving our core public services or through innovation and new policies or much needed reforms to our tax and revenue codes, it is our job to keep these needs at the center.

I heard every day over the last 10 months what the people of Seattle want.

Our neighbors want to be able to raise their families here and have access to good schools and safe neighborhoods.

Our neighbors want the buses to come on time.

Our neighbors want us to build the damn trains.

Our neighbors want to feel safe crossing the street.

Our neighbors want safe places to sleep at night.

They want more housing and more places around the city.

And they want thriving third places to spend their day, whether that be a park, a library, or a neighborhood business.

And they all want to be able to afford to stay in the city that we all love so much.

They want us as people who have the privilege, because it is a privilege, to serve the public, to be laser focused on making it possible to have what they want, and frankly, what they deserve.

and my commitment to you as your newest city council member is to work, to negotiate, to collaborate and sometimes to fight every day to help build this city alongside anyone who wants to push in the same direction so that we together can make life better for everyone who makes Seattle the city that we love.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council...

Can you all hear us okay?

Is this mic?

Yes, okay, awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Let's give another round of applause for Councilmember Foster.

And next, elected, at large, Council Position 8, Alexis Mercedes Rink,

Yes.

At this time, I would like to call up Bilan Aiden, co-founder and vice president of the African Community Housing and Development, will administer her oath to office.

Please raise your right hand.

I, Alexis Mercedes Rink.

I, Alexis Mercedes Rink.

Swear that I possess.

Swear that I possess.

All of the qualifications.

All of the qualifications.

Prescribed in the Seattle City Charter.

Prescribed in the Seattle City Charter.

And the Seattle Municipal Code.

And the Seattle Municipal Code.

For the position of city council member.

for the position of City Councilmember, that I will support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Washington, and the Charter and Ordinance of the City of Seattle, and that I will faithfully conduct myself as a City Councilmember.

Congratulations.

Hi everybody.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Can we do that one more time?

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

What a journey this has been.

Thank you all for being here today and a special thank you again to Belan Aydin, Vice President of African Community Housing and Development, a leader who is working to build not just the housing that we need, but to make sure that immigrant communities have a home in our city.

Thank you for your work.

Thank you to the people of Seattle for the honor of a lifetime to represent you.

Now, I went from waiting tables next to the Space Needle to working on policy at the UW Tower to serving you on Seattle City Council representing the office of position eight for the past year.

and last year when I swore in, I became the youngest person to ever serve on this body representing a generation of people who wonder if they have a future in this city.

And I had no idea what was coming.

I didn't know that eight weeks later, the Trump administration would order a federal funding freeze that would send shockwaves through our city and our nation.

I didn't know that our immigrant neighbors would stop going to doctor's appointments, start carrying passports, feel anxious about sending their kids to our own Seattle public schools, all for fear of deportation and family separation.

I didn't know we'd face a manufactured budget crisis designed to make us choose between health clinics and food banks while the wealthiest corporations refuse to pay what they owe.

But here's what I did know.

I knew that billionaires shouldn't pay less in taxes than the coffee shop on the corner.

I knew that working people like me and the folks that I waited tables alongside deserve better than a system rigged against us.

and I knew Seattle could do better.

So we got to work and together, because none of this happens without the organizers and everyday people who talk to their neighbors, together we passed a progressive tax to fund social housing.

Together, we passed the Seattle Shield initiative.

91% of voters said yes, and now we have $80 million a year from big corporations and businesses, tax cuts for our small businesses, to protect services that keep all of us well.

Together, we created the Select Committee on Federal Administration and Policy Changes, not just to resist for the sake of resistance, but to build real protections, to be a sanctuary city, not just in name, but in action.

Together we launched the Better Bus Lanes campaign because reliable transit isn't a luxury for the wealthy but a necessity for working people.

You're fighting for Aurora Avenue, Denny Way and Rainier Avenue because every extra minute someone spends stuck in traffic is a minute stolen from their family, their rest, their life.

and together we prove that progressive governance works, that even when you're in the minority, when the establishment lines up against you, when corporations spend thousands of dollars to defeat you, if you stay rooted in your values, fight harder and smarter for working people, you win and all of us win.

and now an overwhelming majority of Seattle voters have trusted this office, the people's office, with four more years to carry forward this work.

And I believe it is my paramount duty to use every tool at my disposal to better the lives of Seattle residents.

and I stand alongside the nearly 208,000 Seattle voters who re-elected me, and just as firmly beside those who didn't.

To everyone skeptical of this office, everyone who sees politics as broken, I promise you this.

If you're a Seattleite, I'm your council member.

I will fight for you, celebrate with you, mourn alongside you, and never, not for a second, hide from you.

Thank you to the many unions.

I know we have a number of our union partners in the room present today.

Thank you for demonstrating.

Yes, let's hear it for our union partners.

Thank you for demonstrating what solidarity means every day and thank you for standing in solidarity with our office.

and thank you to the team in the office of position eight, Rachel Alger, Kayden Cook, Tim Lennon, Kenny Tran.

Let's give it up for them.

This work possible.

Thank you to my family, a proud IBEW union family who taught me that dignity comes from how you treat people and what you're willing to fight for.

And thank you to my partner, Britton, for standing alongside me through all of this.

I love you so much.

Thank you.

And thank you to the people of Seattle, to the home care workers at the Mirabella, whose backs ache from lifting our elders.

the teachers buying school supplies with their own money, the small business owners trying to compete with Amazon, the families one rent increase away from being pushed out, the artist making the next mosaic to grace Cal Anderson Park, the Route 8 bus driver stuck in traffic, the carpenter building the housing we desperately need, the trans woman who just arrived from Arkansas.

to everyone building their life here, regardless of where they were born or whether they speak American Sign Language, Spanish in a Somali, Vietnamese and Amharic, Tagalog and Mandarin.

Now, you won't just find me in these council chambers, and I think some of you know that.

You will find me on picket lines, at tenant organizing meetings, at food distribution sites, and wherever people are fighting for a better city.

because this movement we began didn't end on election night.

It lives on in every battle we fight together.

Every budget where we demand progressive revenue over austerity.

Every deportation we resist.

Every bus lane we win.

Every tenant we keep in their home.

Because victory isn't an invitation to tune out.

Victory demands effort from each of us every single day.

People across the country are wondering.

They want to know if progressive blue cities can govern, if the struggles that keep them up at night can be solved, if it's right to hope again.

Now just a few weeks ago, the man who raised me, who I was lucky to call my dad, passed away after a long fight with Alzheimer's.

and he taught me that you don't need money or a fancy degree to create lasting change.

You just need the courage to fight for it.

And that's what we're gonna do.

The work continues, the work endures, and my friends, the work has just begun, so thank you, and onwards together.

We're gonna change out this setup.

This is not our everyday setup, but thank you Councilmember Rink.

Let's give her another hand of applause.

Round of applause.

Thank you, so just a reminder that a short reception will be held at the conclusion of this meeting, and the reception is located at the Bertha Knights Landis Room on the first floor of City Hall, right below this area.

Chambers, I forgot the word chambers, so right below the chambers, and everyone's welcome to attend as well.

Colleagues, at this time, we're gonna open the hybrid public comment period.

Public comment is limited to today's items on the agenda and the introduction and referral calendar and the council work program.

Clerk, how many speakers do we have signed up today?

We have four in person and we have just a second.

This is great.

We have a full room and four.

No, I'm just fine.

Four in person, four remote.

Awesome.

And just a reminder, we voted last year on council rules that if there are fewer than 30, everyone gets two minutes per speaker.

If there are 30 to 60, then it's one minute per speaker.

And if there's more than 60, then it's one minute or less.

And because we have eight speakers, four in person and four online, what is the math, everyone?

That's two minutes per speaker.

Would you like to start with in-person or remote?

In-person would be great.

We'll do in-person, then we'll switch to remote.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jodi.

If you can just proceed with the instructions.

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.

We will now begin with our in-person speakers.

So our first speaker is Paul and then we have Carolyn and then Bennett and Nathan.

So Paul.

All right, congratulations everyone.

I hope this is going to be a good...

So I'm Paul Glumaz.

I am a leader in the Republican Party and in King County Republican Party.

And I have something to bring up.

the recent policy announcement of the city of Seattle not to incarcerate open air drug users and instead put them through low barrier law enforcement arrested- Mr. Paul, can we just, we'll pause, we'll restart your time, we're having technical

and the sound, so just pause.

We're gonna restart your time, give us one second, okay?

We're gonna wait till folks are leaving and then we'll get those doors shut so we can hear your comments.

One second, I'll let you know when you can restart.

Sorry, Mr. Paul, thank you so much.

Okay, we got the door shut and I think we're ready.

Mr. Paul, go ahead.

The recent policy announcement by the City of Seattle not to incarcerate open air drug users and instead put them through low barrier law enforcement assisted divergent program is in effect ending any penalty or accountability for open air drug use.

and this was voted on in the last term of the City Council.

So I want to quote from Mike Solon on this.

He is the Seattle Police Guild president.

This is wrong.

and is most commonly referred to as suicidal empathy.

Most cops know that the LEAD program supports this ideology and they don't want to refer cases.

It is a waste of time.

We've seen how our streets can be filled with death, decay, blight and crime when ideology like this infects our city.

Now with this resurrected insane direction, death, destruction and more human suffering will be supercharged.

So the question I have basically is that will this body deal with this by promoting treatment first, ending low barrier shelters, promoting rehabilitation up to a year, to change the situation because the neighborhoods are being flooded with crime, which is increasing as addicts have to steal to find ways to pay for their drugs.

And unless you have the government, the state, force people to go through...

Anyhow, you know what I'm talking about.

So I hope you can do something.

Thank you, Mr. Paul.

And we have a tradition where we recognize elected officials that sign up first.

Go ahead, Mr. Paul, you're all good.

They had signed up later.

So Representative Thomas, I know that you signed up for public comment.

Thank you, Representative Thomas.

Thank you so much, Council President.

I am Representative Breonna K. Thomas from the Fighting 34th.

Not all in Seattle, but mostly.

And I just wanted to take a second as a new elected official to welcome Council Members Foster and Lynn and City Attorney Evans to public service.

This is the hardest job I've ever had.

and all of you know that because most of the people in this room have worked with me at some point in the last 10 years.

And so I thought I'd give some unsolicited advice as is my ability now to as an elected official.

Self-care is community care.

All of you know that I deeply believe in time off because you can't pour from an empty cup.

And the second thing I'll share that I learned this year is whether or not I wanted it to, my words suddenly weighed more.

I had to be thoughtful about what I said.

You all know I like a quip and a quibble and an offhanded comment.

But I would definitely share that that was a lesson that I learned this year.

And I look forward to walking with you as you grow as Electeds.

Thank you so much for having me.

Congratulations.

Awesome.

Thank you, Representative Thomas.

And then our next speaker.

We have Carolyn and then Bennett.

Ms. Monroe.

Thank you.

I'm Carolyn Malone, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother.

At this time next week, I will be in King County Courthouse defending my right to live in my senior housing for the third time during the holidays because of Seattle Police.

Because I protest and stand up for my rights, I become a target of Seattle Police harassing me and encouraging managers to remove me from Chancery Place Apartments, 910 Marion Street.

This April, I will have lived there seven years.

On August 28th, I filed a complaint through the Seattle Office of Civil Rights.

On October 30th, the office suspiciously was closed.

I've been waiting for four months to talk to an investigator.

One was assigned, but the offices remain closed.

So I encourage you, I really...

fervently, honestly, urgently request that the City Council look into why Seattle Office of Civil Rights is closed at this time.

I suspect Seattle Police have something to do with it.

because they interfere with my housing, my finances, my children.

By the way, my oldest son is missing because of my activism against Seattle police.

I go right across the street and stand there with a poster and talk to some, others I refuse to talk to.

But these thugs, goons, should not be harassing me because I stand up.

against their protest, their violence against me and my family.

And you're gonna see a lot of me because I will return.

Thank you, Ms. Malone.

Bennett, welcome.

Happy New Year.

Happy New Year Joy, and congratulations new elected council president Hollingsworth, re-elected council member Rick, newly elected council member Foster, City Attorney Evans, Mayor Wilson, and now that Joy has made it official, Dan, new mayor of Ballard, congratulations for that too.

I'll defer what I was going to say until next week.

This week, just use my time to say congratulations to new electorate Councilmember Hollingsworth.

As you know, I've been here many times speaking either by myself or as part of a group against something that you were perhaps supporting, including, of course, the first time that About half of you have been replaced since then, but the first time I was here with five other people when we got arrested as part of a sit-in protest and let out of here in handcuffs.

But even at the time, I got the feeling that I believed that you sincerely believed what you were standing for, and even if I disagreed with you, I got the sense that you felt the accountability that you wanted to provide an explanation for why you were doing what you were doing, even in the times that I thought you were wrong.

and in some of the later council meetings that you were chairing, when I would come up and offer public comment too, one of the things I noticed was that some of the things I said in public comment, you would actually respond to during the time I was speaking or afterwards, and I know that's not standard for city council members chairing a meeting and perhaps not all of them want to set the precedent that people get into a back and forth like that, but I did appreciate the fact that you and were willing to respond to what we had come to say that day.

And obviously, of course, I appreciate you putting on the boots and getting out there and using the paint remover to get the paint off of Hot Rat Summer so that it's all gonna be there for all time now.

So I just wanted to say congratulations and good luck.

Thank you.

Thank you, Bennett.

Happy 2026.

We have Nathan Wall.

Hi, so does that mean Eddie gets to be mayor of Beacon Hill now?

I think that's in order.

So I wanna say to Council President Hollingsworth, first, congratulations.

I'm gonna promise you that we're gonna disagree at times during your council presidency, but as a member of the queer community, I wanna say part of what we fight for is the right of everybody to live freely as they are, and so there's no right way to be queer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and I'm really glad that The fact that we have people on our council who are queer, who disagree with each other, I think is a testament to our city.

So congratulations to Council Member Foster as well.

I want to say as a UFCW member and a South End resident, I'm really happy to see more, and as a progressive, I'm happy to see more left-wing representation on our council.

I'll just use my last minute to say some folks were harassing daycares in my community recently, knocking on doors of Somali family-run daycares, pretending to investigate fraud, and it's getting scary out there.

Attorney General Nick Brown put out a statement that was good, it was powerful, but I just want to encourage City Council to work with our partners at the county, state, and federal level to protect our immigrant neighbors from these raids, and I would say I will be diplomatic here.

To the ICE agents who are doing these, I would just say that Donald Trump may have immunity, but you don't have the same immunity he has.

You can face criminal consequences for what you're doing.

You can face financial sanctions.

You can face social ostracization.

What you're doing is wrong.

It's criminal.

You're tearing people apart.

You're destroying lives.

People are gonna die because, I mean, people have already died in ICE custody.

and when I see people who voted for Trump, whose family and friends are also getting harassed and detained by ICE, it just reaffirms that we need to fight for our communities, for our neighbors, whether or not we agree with each other on small issues, so please fight for us, thank you.

That was our last in-person speaker.

A reminder to our remote speakers to please press star six after you've heard the message that you have been unmuted.

Our first remote speaker will be David Haynes and David will be followed by Yvette Dynish.

Go ahead, David.

Thank you, David Haynes.

We need the police chief to show up at the public safety or full council meeting to explain his email about not addressing the drug addicts and the drug users.

And we need the council to realize that Jimmy Durkin, Ed Murray the pedophile who took advantage of drug addicted kids and Bruce Harrell sabotaged the integrity of police reform by playing a race card that misconstrued what constitutes a criminal where somebody who's connected to the underworld drug pushers that destroy people's lives daily and ruin the pursuit to happiness are listed non-violent low level misdemeanor no need to train for or Prosecute or punish properly And yet we have all these people That are making life a living hell Where it's totally unsafe and untenable To take public transportation Because there's all these predatory drug pushers And drug addicted repeat offending criminals Who think and know that they can get away with committing crimes Because they've got drugs in their system And they're going to be exempted Yet we see all the capacity That's been given to the repeat offenders Over the last five years that has left innocent homeless left in the streets, forsaken and taken and racially discriminated because they might be white citizens who are still owed back pay, that don't have a mental problem or a drug or alcohol problem, and they're told to pull themselves up by their bootstraps in some subhuman mistreated authorized encampment.

That arguably a drug pusher, or excuse me, a drug addict, as soon as they trigger a 911 non-violent call, They should be trespassed into drug treatment.

And when they get out, they should have to go to the authorized encampment and focus 24-7 on their addiction instead of getting to lock themselves behind some apartment or hotel and walk like in a way.

But anyway, good luck with your all's leadership because I think you all really need to realize that the chief is dispersing the criminal's

Thank you.

Our next remote speaker is Yvette Dinesh, who will be followed by Alberto Alvarez.

Go ahead, Yvette.

Yvette, have you pressed star six?

Okay, we'll move on to Alberto Alvarez.

Oh wait, here she is.

Go ahead, Yvette.

Okay, thank you.

Good afternoon.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

I want to thank you all, you council members, for your service, and a heartfelt congratulations to Council President George Hollingsworth.

Thank you, kindly.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alberto Alvarez, who will be followed by Joe Kunzler.

Go ahead, Alberto.

Thank you.

As a member of the Hispanic community, I condemn Maritza Rivera as unethical and driven by greed.

Politician landlord Rivera is on record for harming the Black community by attempting to cut EDI funding.

Rivera backed down only after facing a multi-hour public shaming from the community she was targeting.

Rivera also took an official vote to try and lift ethics rules to enrich herself as a landlord.

In addition, she endangered Port of Seattle operations, voting to place working-class families in their housing in the heart of regional freight lines.

Maritza Rivera is either fully corrupt or dangerously ignorant It shouldn't take hours of public shaming to stop her from harming marginalized communities.

Thank you all and have a great day.

Thank you.

Our last remote speaker signed up is Joe Kunzler.

Go ahead, Joe.

Thank you for putting me in hot.

I want to first congratulate Council President Joey Hollingsworth on being Council President.

I think it's a great day for America that we have you know, Council Presidents that reflect America and do not look and sound like me or Pete Hegseth.

I also think, you know, that Council President Hollingsworth follows a great tradition of great Seattle Council presidents like Anne-Marie Gonzalez who sacked Alex Zimmerman twice for one year.

I'm sure the Seattle Seahawks might give her a call.

Or Council President Jerez who brought a lot of calm in a time when that was needed.

And now you.

and I hope you'll continue that tradition of great Seattle leadership and I hope the Seattle Seahawks give you a call.

We desperately could use some help in protecting Sam Darnold and also don't worry about trying to be the best council president in Washington State because the best one is Redmond's Vanessa Kritzer.

Not just because she's Jewish but because she got everybody, she got Redmond and Bellevue safe from Alex Zimmerman.

So she's a badass angel.

But in order to top her, you would have to join the Seahawks and then did open Sam Darnold pass as a tight end, catch that pass as an eligible receiver, and haul it in for the touchdown at the Super Bowl, which I'm sure you're fully capable of, because you're going to do great things.

And I've noticed your presence and your support for law enforcement, which is much appreciated, especially as a transit rider.

We need to have safe transit, and that means enforcing drug possession and drug use laws.

I want to thank you all for your public service, your public leadership.

and wish you a very happy 26. Go Hawks and go Mariners and go Sound Transit.

Thank you, bye.

Thank you, that was our last remote speaker.

And let me add one thing.

Go Storm, Joe.

All right.

And then I know we have another in-person speaker and I apologize if I, is it Pamela?

Pamela?

Palmina, I'm so sorry.

Palmina, welcome.

It's okay, thank you.

Palmira Figueroa is the name.

Hi, I am an immigrant.

I am a communications director for a national organization for immigrants.

And I just wanted to encourage all of you to fight for immigrants in this city.

And also I wanted to congratulate, I'm very excited about these two amazing women.

Foster and Ring.

Thank you.

We work together.

I know you.

I know your soul.

I think it's pretty amazing you're here.

I'm hopeful.

So I just wanted to say that.

I feel hope because you're here.

And I want to encourage everyone in this chamber to work for immigrants.

We are the ones working in this city.

We're the ones getting your gardens beautiful.

We're the ones taking care of your children.

We're the ones giving you food in the restaurants.

So when an administration attacks us and abducts our family members and takes them to the detention center, when people in power do something about it and passes legislation to protect us, we're protecting everyone else.

A city is just good when that city is protecting the most vulnerable.

So just encouraging you this year to really think about immigrants and work for us.

Thank you, everyone.

Thank you, Palmyna.

And beautiful earrings, by the way.

Beautiful.

We have reached the end of this list of registered speakers.

The public comment period is now closed.

Thank you for your comments today, and thank you all for coming as well.

We're gonna start moving on to our agenda items.

I'm gonna move to adopt the introduction and referral calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

It's been moved in second.

Thank you.

It's been moved in second to adopt the introduction and referral calendar.

Are there any comments regarding this?

So I'm going to move to amend the introduction referral calendar by introducing resolution 32188 through 32190 and referring them to the city council for adoption at today's meeting.

The resolutions are entitled and I'm gonna read those, correct?

Okay, awesome, thank you.

Amelia's the best clerk.

A resolution designated the monthly president pro-tem of the City Council of the City of Seattle for 2026 to 2027, superseding resolution 32177, a resolution relating to committee structure, membership, meeting times, and duties of the standing committees of the Seattle City Council and superseding resolution 32162 and a resolution relating to participation of King County committees, regional committees, state committees of the Seattle City committees and superseding resolution 32178. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved in second to amend the introduction referral calendar to introduce resolutions 32188 through 32190 for referral to the city council for adoption today.

Are there any comments regarding this, colleagues?

Seeing no hands, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the amendment?

Council member Foster?

Yes.

Council member Juarez?

Oh, did you see me?

Aye.

I couldn't hear.

Council member Kettle?

Aye.

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Saka?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council President, or excuse me, Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Motion carries.

The amendment is adopted and the resolutions will be added to today's city council agenda for consideration.

Are there any further comments on the introduction referral calendar as amended?

And if there's no objection, the introduction referral calendar will be adopted as amended.

Hearing no objection, the introduction referral calendar is adopted as amended.

We will now consider the proposed consent calendar.

Items on the consent calendar include the minutes of December 9th and the 16th of 2025, council bills 121145 through 121147, payment of the bills.

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.

Awesome, it's been moved and second to adopt the consent calendar.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the consent calendar?

Council member Foster?

Yes.

Council member Juarez?

Aye.

Council member Kettle?

Aye.

Council member Lynn?

Yes.

Council member Rink?

Yes.

Councilmember Rivera?

Aye.

Councilmember Sacca?

Aye.

Councilmember Strauss?

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The consent calendar are adopted.

Will the clerk please affix my signature?

to the minutes and the legislation of the consent calendar on my behalf.

There are no committee reports for consideration today and there were no items removed from the consent calendar.

So now we have adoption of other resolutions.

Will the clerk please read the title of item one into the agenda?

Agenda item one, resolution 32188, a resolution designated the monthly pro tem of the city council for the city of Seattle for 2026 through 2027, superseding resolution 32177.

Awesome, I'm going to move to adopt resolution 32188. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you, it's been moved and second to adopt the resolution.

Are there any comments regarding the resolution, colleagues?

Seeing none, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lin.

Yes.

Councilmember Rink.

Yes.

Councilmember Rivera.

Aye.

Councilmember Sacca.

Aye.

Councilmember Strauss.

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Awesome, the motion carries.

The resolution is adopted and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf?

Will the clerk please read item number two into the agenda?

Agenda item two, resolution 32189, lead to committee structure, membership meeting times and duties of standing committees of the city of Seattle and superseding resolution 32162.

Awesome, I'm going to move to adopt resolution 32189. Is there a second?

it's been moved and second to adopt the resolution.

Are there any comments on this?

Thank you colleagues for working with us and making sure that we have a great schedules, meeting times and duties of our committees.

If there's any other comments, we'll entertain those at their time.

But if not, we're going, I'll pause here.

Any comments?

Awesome.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council member Foster?

Yes.

Councilmember Juarez.

Aye.

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lin.

Yes.

Councilmember Rink.

Yes.

Councilmember Rivera.

Aye.

Councilmember Salka.

Aye.

Councilmember Strauss.

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Motion carries.

The resolution is adopted and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature on my behalf?

Will the clerk please read item number three into the agenda.

Agenda item three, resolution 32190 relating to participation on King County committees, regional committees, state committees, and city of Seattle committees in superseding resolution 32178.

I'm going to move to adopt resolution 3-2-1-9-0.

Is there a second?

Second.

It's been moved and second to adopt the resolution.

Are there any comments regarding this resolution?

So if there's no objection, the council rules will be suspended to allow consideration of an amendment that was not distributed 24 hours in advance.

are there any objections?

Hearing no objections, the rules are suspended and we're gonna proceed with the consideration of this amendment.

So I'm gonna walk everyone through and explain what the amendment is.

I'm going to move to amend resolution 3-2-1-9-0 by changing the following membership.

The PSRC Growth Management Policy Board, we're going to delete Council Member Juarez and insert Council Member Rivera.

for the King County Regional Homelessness Authority governing committee, we're going to delete Council Member Juarez as the alternate and insert Council Member Kettle as the alternate.

And Seattle International Affairs advisory board add Kettle as a member.

Is there a second to that amendment?

Second.

Thank you, council member Juarez.

Thank you so much.

I know people were going to be nervous that we said delete council member Juarez, but you were, you seconded that motion.

God bless them.

They do good work.

Awesome.

It's been move and second for that emotion.

Are there any comments regarding that?

Seeing none, it's been moved and second for the membership changes.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Excuse me, on the amendment.

Council member Foster?

Yes.

Council member Juarez?

Aye.

Council member Kettle?

Aye.

Council member Lynn?

Yes.

Council member Rink?

Yes.

Council member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Saka.

Aye.

Council Member Strauss.

Aye.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Awesome, thank you.

And are there any other comments on the final resolution as amended?

Seeing none, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution as amended?

Council Member Foster.

Yes.

Council Member Juarez.

Councilmember Juarez Aye Councilmember Kettle Aye Councilmember Lin Yes Councilmember Rink Yes Councilmember Rivera Aye Councilmember Sacca Aye Councilmember Strauss Aye Council President Hollingsworth Yes Nine in favor, none opposed.

Awesome.

The motion carries, the resolution is adopted, and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature on my behalf?

Is there any further business to come for the council?

Councilmember Kettle, and then we'll go to Councilmember Strauss.

Councilmember Kettle.

Thank you, Council President Hollingsworth.

Thank you.

And I might be a day off now.

I was just doing a double check.

But I had seen something from Omari Salisbury.

And so I wanted to wish, and I may now be a day late.

I thought it was today, but it might have been yesterday.

But wish, still, wish a happy birthday to Reverend Harriet Walden of the many groups and advocate for many issues within her community.

And I got to meet her and know her through the African American Community Advisory Council to the Seattle Police Department.

And I saw that and I just wanted to wish her a happy birthday, even if it was yesterday, Council President.

Awesome, thank you Council Member Kettle.

We all love Reverend Walden and we love her and we're sending her all of our love from Council.

Council Member Strauss.

Council President Hollingsworth, thank you.

I appreciate the recognition, as you say, Mayor of Ballard, but I will just clarify of Magnolia, Fremont, Finney, Green Lake, Greenwood, Crown Hill, Ballard, many other micro-neighborhoods, and even as a district elected, it's an honor to represent the entire city of Seattle.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you for that correction, Councilmember Strauss.

Councilmember Foster.

Thank you, Council President Hollingsworth.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you and your staff for all of the hard work that you did to put together these new council committees to work collaboratively.

You said it in your opening speech, but you really set the tone with how you approached this work.

So I want to appreciate you and your team for that.

Thank you so much.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Really appreciate that.

And then also, correction for the record, Councilmember Warris said I was from Capitol Hill.

I'm from the Central District.

CD or see me.

Okay.

Okay.

All right.

For the record.

You know, I love Capitol Hill, but CD or see me.

Okay, is there any other further business to come before the council?

Thank you, colleagues.

This was a great 2026 meeting.

I hope all of our votes are unanimous like that.

Probably not, but that's okay.

I'm glad we started off the year like that.

So love y'all for that.

Thank you, okay?

This is a reminder, folks, that downstairs below chambers in the Bertha Knight Landis room, we're gonna celebrate the swearing-ins of Council Member Rink and Council Member Foster, and we're looking forward to celebrating our citywide elected officials.

And we've reached the end of today's agenda, and the next City Council meeting will be January 13th at 2 p.m.

Are there any other further business to come before the Council?

Awesome.

We are adjourned.

Thank you all.

Thank you, Council President.