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All right, awesome, good afternoon.

The April 7th, 2026 meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order.

It's 2.04 p.m.

I'm Joy Hollingsworth, your beautiful council president.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Rivera?

Council Member Strauss?

Here.

Council Member Foster?

Here.

Council Member Juarez?

Here.

Council Member Lin?

Here.

Council Member Rink?

Present.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Here.

Six present.

Okay, Council Member, and for the record, Council Member Saka and Council Member Kettle are excused.

I was just seeing if you all were paying attention, calling myself beautiful, but who knows?

All right, Council Member Rink has a proclamation for recognizing April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month for signature and presentation today.

Council Member Rink will share comments, and the floor is yours.

Thank you, Council President, colleagues.

I'll keep my remarks brief so we have time to read the proclamation into the record and hear directly from our partners who are here to receive the proclamation today.

As chair of the Human Services, Labor and Economic Development Committee, I have sponsored this proclamation recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Here in Seattle, we stand united to recognize the strength and resilience of survivors.

We acknowledge the deep and long-lasting trauma of sexual violence and condemn it in all forms.

And in particular, as a survivor myself, it is truly an honor to sponsor this proclamation.

Today and every day, we must take steps to believe survivors and honor the advocates and organizations working tirelessly to create a safer community for all of us.

And this proclamation is a commitment to challenge the societal attitudes and make meaningful action.

against the structures that allows rape culture to exist.

And with that, I will now read the proclamation to the record.

Whereas Sexual Assault Awareness Month was first observed by the United States in April 2001 to raise awareness about sexual assault, ways to prevent sexual violence, and to support survivors, Denim Day was established in April 1999 and recognized this year on April 29th, 2026, to protest global myths around consent and victim blaming and remains the longest-running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history.

And whereas rape is among the most underreported crimes for many reasons, including but not limited to fear of not being believed and being further traumatized by the legal system, additional barriers such as language, immigration status, gender bias, and systemic racism further oppress and silence victims.

And whereas sexual violence exists on a continuum of behavior and includes racist, sexist, transphobic, homophobic, ableist, and other hate speech, this ranges from rape jokes and normalized harmful language to hostile verbal harassment to violent threats and cyber-stalking in online spaces to the non-consensual generation and distribution of digital images.

And whereas millions of women, men, children, and people who are gender nonconforming have been sexually assaulted and are too often left with little support and few solutions, over 81% of women and 43% of men across the United States have reported some form of sexual harassment and or assault during their lifetime.

And girls ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than the general population to experience rape and sexual assault.

And whereas we know that transgender women, especially trans women of color, are disproportionately more likely to suffer discrimination, violence, and abuse, and as a city government, we commit to the elimination and prevention of this identity-based hate and fight to change all norms that perpetuate discrimination against genderqueer individuals.

And whereas we understand that wartime sexual violence has been used throughout history as a deliberately brutal tactic that often goes unpunished and when systematically widespread during conflict is recognized by the United Nations as a crime against humanity and a war crime, And whereas we must publicly recognize the hundreds of reports of sexual violence made by immigrants while being held in immigration and customs detention centers, these reports indicate a systemic pattern of abuse perpetrated by detention officers, guards, and facility staff.

And whereas we know that 94% of Native American or Indigenous women living in Seattle have reported that they have been raped or coerced into sex at least once in their lives, and we know there is a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women in communities across Washington state, And whereas we acknowledge that homeless and housing insecure women face unique challenges that affect their well-being, health, and families, including being at high risk for sexual assault and exploitation.

And whereas we recognize that people with disabilities are sexually assaulted seven times more often than people without disabilities.

And whereas we reject sexual violence in all forms, especially when it targets those who identify as women in the home, on the streets, in the workplace, in media, and online, and support survivors in their recovery.

And whereas we know that working together to educate community about sexual violence, supporting survivors when they come forward, speaking out against harmful attitudes and actions, and engaging in best practice sexual violence prevention work helps end sexual violence.

And whereas efforts to change belief systems and practices that perpetuate sexual violence, especially in targeted vulnerable populations, require the participation of the entire community.

And whereas Seattle must work to become a place where sexual assault is treated as a preventable public health issue, where social perceptions and behaviors around sexual violence are changed, where survivors can access an array of services that are culturally appropriate and relevant to their needs, and ultimately where sexual violence decreases in frequency.

And whereas the City of Seattle invests in a comprehensive network of trauma-informed social services and a specialized response to sexual assault that addresses the needs of survivors by providing a 24-hour response system, crisis intervention, information and referrals, the Seek, Then Speak program, and general medical and legal advocacy, And whereas Seattle, the Seattle region, is home to a strong survivor advocacy network, including but not limited to the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence, the Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, and the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, who in February of 2026 announced they will now be serving as Washington State's federally recognized sexual assault coalition.

and whereas, by working together as a community, we can alleviate the trauma of sexual violence by ensuring all survivors have access to supportive resources, by actively challenging and disrupting harmful attitudes and behaviors that contribute to sexual violence, and by respecting and safeguarding survivors' identities and stories, ensuring that any sharing of lived experiences are respected and centered on survivors' well-being always.

and now, therefore, the Mayor and the Seattle City Council do hereby proclaim April 2026 to be Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rink.

Are there any further comments from the Councilmembers before we call the roll for signatures?

Councilmember Juarez.

Thank you.

I would like to stand for this, if I may, Council President?

Absolutely.

Thank you.

First of all, I want to thank Councilmember Rink for bringing this forward.

Every year, a Councilmember brings this forward to talk about sexual assault.

The reason why I want to stand and address the room is that I'm hoping that all of you, I know many of you listen to NPR and KUOW, just finished a seven-part episode called Adults in the Room regarding Garfield High School.

And I say this because one of our former council members and our principal there at Garfield, Cheryl Chow, was one of the few people to stand up for students that were subjected to sexual assault, to grooming, and it continued.

And it continues today.

This KUOW expose of two folks who went to high school at Garfield, one who is now a reporter, and I cannot think of her name for the life of me, as Elder Alford.

Yes, thank you.

So you were around, this is about the time you graduated from high school.

I think it's so profound that in March of April of 2026, that we are still grappling with even post Me Too.

Without going into my own experience as an older woman now, Now we have the language and the words to grasp what grooming is.

We have the language where we can go beyond what is just inappropriate.

Now we have laws and rules in place to say, you are a mandatory reporter, that you have to do that.

and it still persists.

So I'm hoping those of you who haven't had an opportunity to listen to KUOW called Adults in the Room, seven episodes that you get a chance to do that.

Proclamations are important, resolutions are important, but the most important thing is education.

and that we continue to protect our children.

And I've said this before, and I'll say it many times, you can always judge a society about how they treat their women and their girls.

And this is a truism throughout the world and throughout time.

And so thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Council Member Juarez.

Thank you, Council Member Juarez.

Are there any other council members have any comments before I and ask the clerk to call the roll on signatures.

Councilmember Rivera.

Thank you, Council President, and thank you, Councilmember Ring, for bringing the proclamation this year forward, and Councilmember Juarez for your comments.

They're hard to follow up, but I did want to just say I was recently at the Be Loud breakfast, and when it comes to that part of the breakfast where they ask anyone who's been touched by or know someone who's been a victim of sexual assault, please stand.

There are very few people in the room that remain sitting to show you the level of how sexual assault impacts women and girls and boys and men in our society.

And so I really, to your point, Council Member Juarez, a resolution, these are just words.

Actions mean more and just I am grateful as an older woman myself that we do have the laws to hold people accountable who engage in wrong actions.

I have two daughters myself and so this is really meaningful to me and it's not just words for me.

This is something that I care deeply about and that we should be doing more just than words around and I'm glad that we have the laws now.

to hold people accountable and that we can all speak up when we see there's something wrong.

Because when I was growing up, if you said anything, nobody either believed you or asked you what you were wearing or that you asked for it.

And It went unaddressed.

And this happened also across college campuses in this country and happens still today.

And it's not okay.

And we need to do better.

So thank you for bringing the resolution as the reminder that we need to continue to do better.

This is important.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Rivera.

Councilmember Rivera, and thank you Councilmember Warris for those words.

Oh, and let the record reflect, I did not acknowledge Councilmember Rivera attendance.

She is here.

Are there any more colleagues that would like discussion?

Okay, awesome.

We're gonna go ahead.

Can the clerk please call the roll on who would like their signature affixed to the proclamation?

Councilmember Rivera?

Aye.

Councilmember Strauss?

Aye.

Councilmember Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Aye.

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Seven signatures will be a fix.

Awesome, thank you also to, again, Councilmember Rink for your due diligence and hard work, and thank you for your staff for organizing all the speakers today who we'll call.

Are there any other comments before we're gonna go ahead and suspend the rules to, if there's no objection, we will suspend the rules to allow Councilmember Rink to present the proclamation to our guests and to allow the guests to provide comment.

Hearing no objection, the rules are suspended to allow Council Member Rink to present the proclamation, allow the guests to address the council.

I will call up the guests all in the order of speaking, and we would invite you all to the mic right here in the middle to give some words.

And then we'll do a group photo.

So the first person, we have Emily Rose Barr, Whit Nakamura, and Amanda DeFisher from the Seattle Women's Commission.

Next we have, I'm gonna mess, Chell, Gary?

Chell?

Shell, Shell, I'm sorry.

Shell Gary from Human Service Department.

Welcome, Shell.

We also have Kate Garvey from the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center.

We also have, is it D'Aria?

Say it again.

D'Adra.

D'Adra.

Deidra, I butchered your name, I apologize.

I'll correct it for the record.

Boyd Lynn from Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

And then we have, help me with this.

Amorethea, Amorethea, I got you.

Amorethea Torres from the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence.

Welcome, thank you all for being here.

That's the order of speakers.

So we have Emily Witt and Amanda first, welcome.

Thank you so much, Chair Hollingsworth.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Emily Rose Barr, and I am a co-chair of the Seattle Women's Commission, and I reside in District 2. Thank you for this proclamation recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

We are honored to accept this proclamation on behalf of survivors across the city and in recognition of the advocates, service providers, and community partners who work every day to advance safety, dignity, and healing.

As a commission that is dedicated to gender equity, we know that sexual violence is not only a personal trauma, but a systemic issue that requires community-wide commitment, thoughtful policy, and survivor-centered responses.

This month is a reminder that sexual violence is not inevitable but preventable.

We are grateful for the Council's leadership and partnership, and we appreciate your continued commitment to making Seattle a city where all people can live, work, and thrive free from violence.

Thank you for standing with survivors and for helping ensure that awareness leads to meaningful action.

Hi, my name is Whitney Nakamura.

I have the privilege of being part of the Seattle Women's Commission.

We are a diverse and passionate group who volunteer as commissioners because we care deeply about our communities and we love our city.

We know you do too.

Thank you, Council, for your commitment to making Seattle a safe and welcoming place for everyone.

Thank you for recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Addressing issues of safety and well-being is a priority for the commission.

Our focus areas and work plans are largely a continuation of what community was elevating over 50 years ago when the Seattle Women's Commission was formed.

This has included advocating for the development of a women's shelter for survivors of domestic violence in the 70s, a history of strong collaboration with HSD and the mayor's office on domestic violence and sexual assault, to respond to community concerns and to uplift community solutions, and a variety of educational campaigns, public events, and community partnerships to promote awareness and prevention of gender-based violence.

and this topic continues to be a focus for our commission because this crisis remains pervasive and urgent, as demonstrated by the statistics in today's proclamation.

The impacts of gender-based violence are felt in every district, in every neighborhood, and in every community of our city.

The Seattle Women's Commission is intimately familiar with this reality.

Our friends are survivors of gender-based violence Our colleagues are survivors of gender-based violence.

The folks we support in our paid and unpaid roles are survivors of gender-based violence.

And we, past and current members of the Seattle Women's Commission, are survivors of gender-based violence.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month compels us to honor the courage of survivors and to believe them, to be candid about the conditions our communities are experiencing, and to recognize and trust the critical work of community organizations in this space.

It reminds us to recommit to building a city where everyone can experience safety, dignity and justice.

We must all champion these solutions because healing is possible and sexual violence is preventable.

We all have a role in building the safer, anti-racist future that we need and deserve.

Thank you to the organizations, coalitions and programs, including many here today, who promote culturally relevant support, healing and hope in our region.

And thank you to the city for investing in these critical efforts.

We need to continue resourcing this work.

We need to increase the funding and support for this work.

Thank you.

I'm going old school with paper.

Hello, council members.

Thank you for having us.

My name is Amanda D. Fisher.

My pronouns are she, her, and I'm a resident of District 1. I also serve as co-chair of the Gender-Based Violence Subcommittee at the Seattle Women's Commission.

On this 25th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we confront a difficult truth, that sexual violence remains pervasive across socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds in Seattle.

Community feedback indicates that far too often survivors are asked to navigate systems that are not designated around their dignity, safety, or cultural needs.

In addition to this proclamation, we are asking you to take a concrete step forward in strengthening confidentiality and survivor safety in City Council processes, specifically to ensure that materials submitted for public meetings do not exploit survivors for shock value or unintentionally expose or endanger experiencers of sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking, or stalking.

Sensitive information published without clear safeguards or consent put survivors at risk of identification, re-traumatization, harassment, or worse.

While we may be here presenting and representing women, that risk can silence the voices we need to hear most, regardless of their gender identity.

So today, in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, our call to action is simple.

Amend City Council meeting rules and procedures to ensure confidentiality and survivor safety in public presentations.

We are asking for clear photo and video redaction standards for those submitting presentation materials, as well as trauma-informed participation options for those who would like to share their own stories.

This will uphold transparency for public meetings while protecting survivor identities.

If Seattle is to become a place where sexual assault is treated as a public health issue, we urge you to adopt these protections and lead with intention by ensuring that no survivor has to choose between being heard and being safe, because awareness alone is not enough.

Safety must be built into our systems and reflected in our processes, and survivors must be able to engage without fear.

We appreciate your shared commitment to this issue and welcome continued conversation about this and other recommendations that the Seattle Women's Commission has to offer.

We look forward to working alongside you, along with the other council members who couldn't make it today, in effort to be champions for those who have experienced sexual violence, which include those you know, those you love, and those you represent.

Thank you.

Awesome, thank you.

Thank you, Emily.

Thank you, Whit.

Thank you, Amanda.

Next, we have Chelle from Human Services Department, and we're also joined by Representative Breonna Thomas from our beautiful 34th Legislative District, and we have Hannah from Human Services Department.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Michelle Gary.

I use she, her pronouns, and I'm with the Seattle Human Services Department Safe and Thriving Communities Division.

As a grants and contract supervisor with the Mayor's Office on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, it's a unit within STC, sorry.

I, along with our team here, have the honor of working with over 30 community-based organizations.

HSD funds these organizations as a safety net for survivors of gender-based violence to increase access to services that are trauma-informed and culturally relevant.

Sexual violence affects everyone regardless of age, gender, race, and other backgrounds.

Survivors often face barriers to reporting or to seeking help, including fear, stigma, and lack of trust in systems such as the impact of current federal policies, as well as the continued oppression that has made it harder for survivors to seek safety.

We appreciate the Council's support this year to address these impacts for survivors who work with survivors every day, and who work with the most vulnerable.

Thank you for your partnership in addressing gender-based violence in our city, and together we can take action to end sexual violence.

Thank you.

We have Kate Garvey from King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, followed by Daria.

They did, okay?

And I apologize.

There is no D in my document on the end.

I just want you to...

I'm sorry.

I apologize.

You'll correct me when you come.

All right.

Well, first and foremost, thank you all.

My name is Kate Garvey.

I'm the CEO of the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center.

And I have so many notes here to reference, but I just want to start off with some thank yous because all of you have said something really meaningful today.

We go to these throughout the month in all of King County, and we hear wonderful things from so many of our council representatives across the county.

And today was especially meaningful to hear how special this proclamation and how thoughtful it was.

And I just want to say thank you, Councilmember Rank, because you hit so many personalized notes in there.

Thank you.

Yeah.

And Council Member Juarez, what you said today was really impactful and it's probably more so than what I could say in here about being part of the community and paying attention to what's happening around you and talking about those that came before us that did the good work.

And I highly recommend listening to that podcast as well, Adults in the Room.

Yes.

And finally, thank you, Councilmember Rivera, for talking about the KSARC Be Loud Breakfast and that moment where we ask everybody to stand up if they themselves or they know someone else who is a survivor.

And it is an incredibly powerful moment.

To the other survivors in the room, I just want to say, we see you, we're here for you, and you're not alone.

And I think you've heard today that sexual assault is incredibly common.

It's far more common than people realize.

Half of women and one-third of all men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime.

King County Sexual Assault Resource Center supports about 5,000 individuals each year and their families.

Nearly half of those that we serve are children and teens.

And we know that young people among us are the most vulnerable to sexual violence and often the least likely to be believed, as we spoke about in the Adults in the Room podcast.

Sexual violence persists in silence.

It thrives when we look away, when we assume it doesn't affect people we know or communities that we're a part of.

We treat awareness as a moment instead of a responsibility.

And while this issue can feel overwhelming and creating change doesn't require doing everything, we can do things that are small.

everyday choices.

It might look like speaking up when we hear someone that is victim blaming, or not laughing at a joke that makes light of sexual violence.

It can be having an honest age-appropriate conversation with young people about consent and healthy relationships.

It can be simple and it can be powerful, just like believing someone when they share their story and then helping them connect to support.

An easy place to start, of course, is by sharing our resources.

You can share KSARC's 24-hour resource line, 1-888-99-VOICE, so that anyone who needs help knows where to turn.

We often say we can't change what we don't talk about.

Seattle.

Thank you for your commitment to KSARC, especially this last budget season and to survivors in Seattle as a whole.

Your leadership and partnership and your willingness to be loud about sexual assault is making a difference.

And together we can create a community where survivors are supported, believed, and where prevention is truly possible.

Thank you.

My name is Deirdre Boylan.

And I'm proud to represent the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.

This year marks our first as the officially designated sexual assault coalition of Washington state.

And we hold that responsibility with deep honor and pride as we support community sexual assault programs across the state.

April 2026 also marks the 25th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

But this movement did not begin 25 years ago.

It is rooted in decades of organizing dating back to the civil rights era of the 1940s and 50s when movements of social change and equality began to take shape.

At a time when conversations about sexual and domestic violence were often silenced, activists pushed forward anyway, challenging systems that ignored harm and denied justice.

We must acknowledge that this work was and continues to be led by black women and women of color, whose leadership, courage, and advocacy laid the foundation for movement we carry forward today.

And today, we are reminded that this work is far from over.

Recent disclosures, including Dolores Huerta, sharing her truth alongside the continued reckoning with the harms revealed in the Jeffrey Epstein case, underscore the urgency of this moment survivors continue to come forward, often at great personal cost, asking to be heard, believed, and supported.

It is more important than ever that we stand with survivors of sexual assault and with the programs that support them every day.

Sexual violence impacts every community, and behind every statistic is a person, a survivor, who deserves to be believed, supported, and met with care.

Community-based programs across Washington state provide that care every day, offering crisis support, advocacy, and pathways to healing.

This month is not only about awareness, it's about action.

It's about investing in services and support for survivors.

To the advocates, survivors and community members here today, we thank you.

Your voices, your work and your commitment are what move us forward.

We are stronger together.

Thank you.

Okay, good afternoon members of the council.

My name is Amaranthia Torres and I'm the co-executive director of the Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence.

So much beautiful things have been said by all my colleagues and partners in the work.

I'm gonna try to just add a little something to the conversation.

We're just so proud to be here with everyone in acknowledging April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

In the book Truth and Repair, renowned trauma expert Judith Herman states, survivors want the truth to be recognized and the crime to be denounced by those in their communities who matter to them.

But this means that survivors must actually matter to their wider communities.

Our work as a coalition is to care for, connect with, and mobilize over 35 local programs who are all working to build communities where survivors and their experiences actually matter in our society.

Advocates bear witness to the impacts of rape, abuse, and violence that people often look away from or pretend doesn't exist.

As we watch the national news, we're all bearing witness, as Deidre mentioned, to survivors powerfully disclosing abuse and exposing decades of cover-ups.

Here locally, we've seen disclosures of misconduct and sexual harassment at several city departments, and local gender-based violence programs struggle to keep up with the need for services amidst increasing budget cuts and federal funding uncertainty.

There is much work to be done to fully realize our collective vision of equitable relationships and an end to gender-based violence.

We believe that having strong survivor programs and working in coalition can shift the conditions that allow abuses of power to flourish and why leadership from our elected leaders as exhibited here today is so critical.

Naming the current and historical violence of sexual assault and who is most likely to experience its harms as this proclamation does is a meaningful way to show that survivors and their experiences matter.

Thank you to Councilmember Rink for this proclamation and the entire City Council as well as Mayor Wilson for standing with us today and for making this proclamation a priority.

We look forward to continuing the work together.

Thank you.

Representative Thomas, did you have something to say?

They covered it.

Okay, awesome.

Awesome.

Thank you so much for all the people who came today.

I believe now we're going to do a group photo.

We've done this a couple of times before.

So colleagues, if you would come to the center and then the folks that spoke, we're going to take a group photo with the council members on the proclamation.

And we're going to have everyone come up to the stage.

And don't worry, we can fit everyone.

So come on up.

I'm going to push this chair over here.

Thank you so much.

Do we want layers?

There we go.

That's okay.

Come on.

One, two, three.

Beautiful smiles.

Thank you.

I feel you there.

I'll see you next time.

Twice in two days.

Awesome.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you to the crowd for your patience as We presented the proclamation to our group photo.

Thank you, Councilmember Rank, for organizing that, and your staff.

I don't see your staff here, but always do a great job.

I know it's a lot of logistics organizing, everyone, so thank you all.

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

Public comments should be limited to items on today's agenda, the introduction referral calendar, or the council's work program.

in the purview of this council.

The council cannot accept comments on quasi-judicial items or campaign-related matters.

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

We have four remote and 24 in person.

So we hit the magic number.

We're right under 30, so that's 28 speakers.

If there are fewer than 30, then each speaker gets two minutes.

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

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

We have 28, so every speaker will get two minutes.

Clerk, will you please read over 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'll now begin with our in-person speakers.

Awesome, I'm gonna call up the first five speakers.

So we have Mr. Zimmerman, we have Andrea, we have Nicole, we have Steve, and we have Ken.

Each speaker will get two minutes.

After Ken, then we have Terry, we have John, we have Diana, we have Minister Hurd, and then we have, last name, Mendonga?

I can't, when we get to that name, I'll try to say it.

I apologize.

So you can use either or.

Are there two minutes?

Okay, awesome.

Mr. Zimmerman.

Thank you.

Hi, my name Alex Zimmerman.

I live here 40 years.

I'm president of Stand Up America.

I'm 15 time candidate for election.

They prosecute me seven times, all cases dismissed, and I have 7,000 day of trespass.

7,000 day of trespass.

Nobody in America have 7,000 day of trespass from this Nazi, Gestapo, fascist, bastard.

Yeah, it's exact.

So last month, chair, black woman give me trespass for one month.

Pause, pause, pause, pause time.

Mr. Zimmerman, you constantly attack my race all the time.

That's not accepted here, okay?

You can judge me by the content of my character, policies, but not my race.

Time can continue.

That is your warning.

I have opinion about what you did because it's nine doing this together.

It's very important.

It's not personal view.

You only did this.

But this nine, you're all responsible and you're absolutely identical.

It's a problem.

So I want to only explain to you.

So you people, not your personal, don't know what has happened with Martin Luther King.

In my question to you, you know Martin Luther King killed?

Why he killed?

Because he have different opinion.

These have different view and different opinion.

I'm Alex Zimmerman for 30 plus year come here and I have different opinion and different view.

And you give me 22 trespasses, so only from Seattle for five years.

So my question right now, where is different between Martin Luther King and Alex Zimmerman?

It's not different.

It's not surprise me.

So one is a black and another is Jew.

It's exactly what has happened in America for last 40 years.

And Seattle is number one fascist city in America.

And I talk about this for 30 plus years.

Viva Trump, viva new American revolution.

Stand up, slave and happy cow.

We need bring America back like we have before.

Thank you very much.

Next, and just a reminder to the general public, you are not allowed to attack council members based on their race, based on their gender, based on their sexuality, based on their religion.

Okay, so just to clarify that.

We just won't be tolerated.

So next we have Andrea, followed by Nicole Grant, followed by C, followed by Kim.

Welcome.

Hi everyone, Andrea Ornelas, Labor's Local 242, and I'm here representing laborers across the region.

I wanna talk about why supporting a bond for the Seattle Center is so important, not just for the city, but for our members and who rely on really good union jobs.

So the Seattle Center is one of the most important places in our city.

It's where people come together for festivals, concerts, sporting events, et cetera.

But the facilities are old, A lot of maintenance has been put off for a very long time.

Waiting to fix these buildings doesn't make it cheaper, it only makes it more expensive, and construction costs and interest rates are unpredictable.

So it's actually going to save us money if we do this now.

Investing in the Seattle Center isn't just about buildings, it's about the people.

Repairing and upgrades create good family wage union jobs right away, which our members need during these tough times.

And the construction means steady work for the members in the city while also boosting the local economy.

More people visiting the Seattle Center means more revenue for nearby businesses.

This bond would also make the center safer and more accessible for everyone, especially underserved communities.

Improvements now mean people can enjoy these public spaces without disruptions from crumbling infrastructure.

So as I said, if we wait, we risk losing public support and momentum.

Right now, the people are paying attention.

We can act while the need is urgent and visible.

Supporting the bond is smart, responsible, and timely.

It protects public assets, supports union families, and keeps Seattle Center a vibrant hub for our city.

We urge you to act now and put this on the November ballot so construction can start sooner, union jobs can be created, and the Seattle Center can continue serving our community for generations.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we have Nicole Grant, followed by Steve, Ken, Terry, John, Diana.

Thank you, Council President.

My name is Nicole Grant, and I represent the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 46, where I'm an electrician.

I want to boost what my union sister Andrea was saying.

It's a good time to be in Seattle right now.

We won the Super Bowl.

We're about to host the World Cup.

We will, God willing, be having the Seattle Supersonics returning to the Seattle Center in the near future.

And it's a great time to invest in ourselves.

And these investments are a heavy lift because we're the ones that pay for them.

It's never going to be a bad idea to make the Seattle Center good.

It's the setting of our childhoods for the kids in this city.

It's a place where everybody is welcome.

Selfishly, I have to say that in my union, we've had a lot of people out of work.

It's not been easy out there in the economy, and there's a thousand electricians without jobs right now.

So if the investment in something that lifts our city up can also be an investment in workers who need jobs right now, that's a double win for us.

And that's why our union's coming to you, asking for your leadership on a bond to redo the Seattle Center.

to make it ready for climate resilience and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

And it's the same reason why we're going to be back tomorrow morning advocating for the amendments to the library levy.

It's because we're asking for you to invest in us as workers.

Thanks.

Awesome.

Thank you, Nicole.

Next, we have Steve, followed by Ken, Terry, John, Diana, Jimmy.

This is my Vanna.

He's got a sign to hold.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Steve Kinholt.

I'm a retired math teacher, and now I happily volunteer with Trash Walking to improve our neighborhood city basics better.

While picking up trash, we have observed the decay of public health and safety related to open-air drug use and crime.

We've documented the impact on our neighborhood to raise awareness and effect change.

You have a copy of our document.

This map shows the affected area between the light rail stations.

This is Seattle's only neighborhood that is walking distance to L1 and L2.

It has so much potential.

But this neighborhood is at a breaking point.

Each red dot represents a small family business, nonprofit, school, church, or resident who has been impacted.

There are well over 200 unhoused in this mapped area.

The total financial impact for just these 34 over the last two to three years in arson, theft, and property damage is 2.35 million or 80K per property, just as important as the impact on public safety and health for their customers, staff, students, and congregations.

For decades, Mount Baker was a vibrant hub of commerce and community service.

We are now left with vacant lots, closed businesses, an unsafe environment that deters future growth and investment.

This photo, one of many in your packet, it shows a Seattle Greenway, a school zone, with an elementary and girls' middle school right across the street.

Note the visually impaired person with their guide dog walking to the lighthouse for the blind, forced to navigate an active drug deal, a woman buying from the dealer inside this tent.

This is not City Basics Better.

This is a health and safety crisis that needs a COVID-level response.

Please authorize action to take drug dealers off our streets and get treatment for those they prey upon.

Act to restore health and safety to our neighborhood.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ken.

Or Steve, excuse me.

It's Steve.

We have Ken followed by Terry.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Ken Timmons.

I've lived in Mount Baker since 1992. About a month ago, I was walking along 25th Avenue South between Rainier Avenue South and South College.

Steve and I walk pretty much every day in the neighborhood for exercise or to pick up trash.

This area has been used for drug dealing and drug uses for a very long time.

On this day, I passed a gentleman in a black trench coat and a black hat.

I said, good morning, and he said, good morning back.

As I approached one of the RVs that are always parked there, I see a hand come out of the window.

By this time, a line of people had formed outside the window.

The first person in line was a little old lady, thin as a rail.

I see her put something into the hand.

The hand withdraws from the RV and then reappears with something.

The little old lady takes the something from the hand and she is just thrilled.

She smiles and goes skipping away.

I turn around to walk away and the gentleman in the black coat is right behind me.

He asked me, what are you?

Who are you and what are you doing here?

I replied, well, who are you and what are you doing here?

With that, he says, you are here to harass the homeless people.

I said, no, I'm just walking through.

With that, he repeated his claim and said, you better get the F out of here.

He then approached me closer, repeated his threat, and raised his fist to my face.

With that, I backed away and I told Steve, we're not safe here.

We've got to get out of here.

We left the area and we called the police.

There is something wrong in the city of Seattle if a resident can't walk down their neighborhood street without getting threatened by a thug trying to protect the drug deal.

The thug acted as if he was protecting the homeless people.

In reality, he was actually taking advantage of the drug addicts.

The poor little lady and many others are being preyed upon.

It is not humane and it is not ethical to leave them on the streets.

They need treatment and the drug dealers need to be arrested.

Arresting known drug dealers takes way too long.

This process needs to be expedited.

Mount Baker residents, businesses, churches, and schools are trying their best to deal with the situation, but we can only do so much.

We need your help.

I know you want to help.

We need action, not just words.

You can do better.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ken.

Next, we have Terry, followed by John.

Welcome, Terry.

Good to see you.

Hi, I'm Terry McGiven.

I've lived in Mount Baker for 50 years.

I never thought in my retirement I'd be picking up trash to keep myself out of trouble, but I am.

It's been a good way for me to connect with the businesses in our area, meet other neighbors and stuff.

So, and I wanna give back a little bit to a neighborhood that I love.

I helped raise two daughters that went to Garfield.

So I have a real love for like the Rainier Valley and Mount Baker.

I wanted to thank some people, Councilman Lin, these people and their staffs, We've been the squeaky wheel, and they're definitely been helping us out.

Christine Henderson, who isn't here but worked for Councilmember Solomon, she's the one that really got us organized and got this thing going.

We have over 100 people in our Mount Baker trash group now, which is crazy.

Jenny Frankel, talk about superstar, man.

Her in Adopt-A-Street, amazing.

And she's helped us a lot, big time.

Tracy Kramer in Find It, Fix It.

I mean, I'm all about Find It, Fix It.

I'm the king of Find It, Fix It.

Andrea Suarez and, you know, We Heart Seattle doing amazing work and stuff.

I can't do what she's doing.

I'm just, you know, doing what I can.

But they're really doing the heavy lifting.

And Flora Temple with the Mount Baker Alliance, you know, and her staff.

All these people and their staffs have been great to work with and stuff.

I'm going to keep my thoughts on the positive side, and this is good to see things improve in our neighborhood day by day.

Thank you, Terry.

Next, we have John, followed by Diana and Minister Hurd.

Hi, my name is John Dini.

I own Dini Construction.

My company has been part of the Rainier Valley for nearly 90 years across four generations.

We're one of the last longstanding family-run businesses still operating in this community.

Businesses like ours help build the valley, literally and figuratively, but today I have to ask for how much longer.

We're deeply concerned.

The condition of the Mount Baker and North Rainier Valley neighborhoods has declined in ways that are unsafe for residents, workers, and people living on the streets.

We see open drug use, individuals passed out or worse near roadways, people wandering into active traffic and construction zones.

Drug users regularly congregate in large numbers in our driveway, which is an active thoroughfare all day long for vehicles.

I want to be very clear, this is dangerous for them.

These are people at real risk of being seriously injured or killed simply because of where they are and the condition they're in.

And it also puts my employees in an impossible position.

I want them to feel safe when they come to work, and right now they do not.

It's not a hypothetical risk.

It's something we are all actively trying to prevent every day.

We've already seen what happens when conditions are allowed to deteriorate.

Longstanding businesses like Mutual Fish and Borrachini's Bakery have been forced to close.

These are places that define this community.

We do not want to be next.

Allowing people to remain in these dangerous conditions is not compassion, it's neglect.

We need real intervention, treatment, outreach, and accountability.

Immediate response when people are in or near roadways and active work zones.

We have called 911 multiple times with either no response at all or so late it doesn't do anything.

Constant enforcement of basic public safety laws that are already on the books.

Because right now what's happening isn't working for anyone.

Not for the people on the streets, not for workers, not for the businesses that have invested generations into this community.

We all see where this is heading.

The question is whether the city will act before a preventable tragedy forces the issue.

Thank you.

Thank you, John.

Next, we have Diana, followed by Jimmy, and then is it Khaji-ten?

Yeah, Khaji-ten.

Khaji-ten, okay, thank you.

So Diana, Jimmy, Khaji-ten.

Hi, my name is Diana.

Thank you for being here.

Thanks for listening to us.

I am here representing a business that's been in the Rainier Valley since 1959. I myself have worked for them for 40 years.

I started in 86. I moved into the Central District 34 years ago, not 1934. So I've seen a lot of that stuff happen.

When I first started working and living in the area, I couldn't get applicants to come to apply for a job because we were off of Rainier Avenue.

People wouldn't walk in my neighborhood because of crime and drug dealing.

So over about 20 years, I saw a lot of improvements.

And it was really a great place to live.

And it's still a great place, except that it's declining again.

I'd like to back up everything that has been said already.

I don't want to repeat everything.

But 2015 was when homelessness was a state of emergency.

It's 2026. If you do the math, that's 11 years.

A state of emergency, that's crazy.

And also, like everybody else has said, I do walk around a lot.

I do walk to work.

But our employees get worried.

We had somebody die down the block, a homeless person.

People shouldn't have to witness that.

People shouldn't have to experience it.

People should not be dying in public.

I would like to see people get the help they need.

And again, as of backing, as everyone else has said about the the unsafe conditions that we're living and working in.

I'd like to invite anybody here who's listening in the community council to, or to the city council, to come to Davis door.

We'll walk down to Buddha Brada, have lunch, I'll buy lunch, I'll buy dinner.

We'll walk around, you guys can witness what we are living with, with encampments and drug dealing and drug use on the streets.

and see the businesses that have been there and trying to survive and stay in business and keep employing people and paying taxes.

Just like I live in the area, I wanna keep walking around, I wanna keep paying my taxes and live in a beautiful city, but I don't wanna see it decline.

So I would like to see some action taken to save our area.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you, Diana.

Next we have Minister Hurd, followed by Kajetan, and then the next speakers, and you can use either mic as well.

We have Laura, Michael, Jeff Rogers, Matt, Garrick, Jason, Nathan Wall, Scott, Scott, and Jack.

You all are the next group up.

Good afternoon, I'm Jimmy Hurd, Minister of the Holgate Street Church of Christ in Central Seattle.

We've served the Seattle community for over 50 years.

We provide weekly hot meals for those who are homeless and those who otherwise need them.

We've been doing that for many, many, many years.

However, we continue to have an ongoing problem with a recurring homeless encampment.

It's gone now, but it's gonna come back, and I'm asking your help with that, and also for the lack of police presence in our area.

We've been victims of theft, harassment, and vandalism.

I personally have been threatened by a resident of this homeless community.

We've suffered property loss.

We've had over $100,000 of damage to our air conditioning units, people trying to get the copper out.

We had a rental home that we were renting out to a low-income person.

We had a homeless person break in, start a fire.

There's no fireplace in there.

Start a fire in the living room, burn the house down.

The house was a 1917 historic home.

It was valued over $500,000.

And we continue to experience $30,000 per year of lost revenue because it's just a vacant lot now.

I have three recommendations.

Number one, we need help preventing the return of this encampment.

And it just takes one thing, because what happens is one person will pitch a tent, Within 24 hours, there's 10 tents up.

So if we can have some intervention with the first person that pitches their tent, let them know they're not allowed to camp here, that will prevent it.

In addition, we now have a vacant lot.

We're welcome to partner with the city on a housing project.

We need some help there.

And then if we could increase the neighborhood patrols, that would be a great help.

Thank you.

Thank you, Minister Hurd.

KG10 and then Laura, Michael, Jeff, Matt.

Good afternoon, council members.

I'm owner of Saffron Spice, right on Hallgate and Rainier Avenue South.

I have been running this small business since 2012. I want to just highlight how bad the situation has become since after the pandemic and due to the homelessness and the drug use in the neighborhood.

Right next to my place, the city opened up a brand new Hobson Place to help support the homeless population.

However, the residents of Hobson Place are constantly creating a hazard by throwing used needles all over the area.

And on my roof, and in front of the stores.

Last year, a couple of people even tried to burn my building down.

In spite of these people being on security footage, nothing has been done.

There was no consequences to them.

I was stuck with the additional costs of trying to rebuild the storefront and the roof that was damaged by the fire.

If the fire department wasn't on time, I would have lost the whole building.

Not to mention the loss of revenue when I was closed to make the repairs.

On a regular basis, you know, every day my trucks have been broken down, generators have been stolen.

That's the number one thing they need, you know, to get electricity when they're out on the street.

And windshield been smashed.

And, you know, stealing whatever they can find in the fenced area.

They stole my van twice, so I had to additional cost to get it back from a towing company.

And I like this neighborhood, it's been a good neighborhood close to the city.

And I want some help from the city council just to, you know, more patrolling, you know, maybe even there's no toilet, so they do it all over the neighborhood.

It's just kind of sad.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next, we have Laura, followed by Michael, Jeff, Matt, Garrick, Jason, Nathan Wall.

Good afternoon.

My name is Dr. Laura Monahan.

I'm the owner of Atlantic Veterinary Hospital, which has been serving North Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley since the 1950s.

I am not here to debate homelessness.

I'm here to describe the unchecked lawlessness looks like outside my building and to hold this council accountable.

For nearly four years, we've endured a near constant encampment outside our door.

Staff were subjected to lewd comments and intimidation.

Young female employees and students from the middle school just up the street have been followed.

We witnessed daily drug deals right outside our gate, people incapacitated by fentanyl in our driveway, weapons, and individuals naked and in crisis in our parking lot.

Last summer, someone nearly burned my building down.

I had just happened to arrive at 6.30 a.m.

to find an active fire four feet from my oxygen tanks.

Oxygen is very combustible.

Five minutes later, the building would have been on fire.

Patients, business, firefighters' lives were at stake.

I called the fire department twice for campfires under Wynn Pharmacy, which is one of our neighbors' roof.

We gave the city footage of the arsonists who burned down the fruit stand just across the street from us.

We've breathed toxic smoke from our HVAC from campfires burning trash right on our sidewalk.

Our fence was cut, our roof was broken through, our lot has been breached, and items have been stolen.

We called the Seattle Police repeatedly.

Nothing happens.

During these past four years, Stripped vans and RVs leaking human waste and spewing trash sat right outside our business while the city ignored its own codes, yet threatened to fine us if we didn't clean the city-owned alley behind us.

We removed 2,000 pounds of trash at our own expense.

This inaction has cost us clients, revenue, staff, and safety.

Thank you, Laura.

Next, we have Michael, followed by Jeff Rogers, Matt, Garrick, Jason, Nathan Wall, Scott, Scott, there's Scott Buzzard and Scott Schuller, and then Jack.

Hello, hi.

I'm Michael Thornton, a Mount Baker resident, business owner, nonprofit director, and board member of a mutual aid organization where I'm directly involved in providing services.

You've received narratives from many of us here today, including mine.

I want to focus on the system level issues driving what you're hearing and how to fix them.

Right now the system is structured in a way that constantly destabilizes transitional programs.

Thirty years in and providers are still spending time searching for their next site.

That instability undermines people's ability to rebuild.

There's fundamentally a planning problem.

We should have a rolling pipeline of sites at least a year in advance.

Without that, we're continuing repeated conflicts between neighbors, providers, and agencies.

There's space.

Seattle's 83.9 square miles, over 40,000 football fields.

The issue isn't land, it's how we're structuring access to it.

From a permitting and a code standpoint, there are ways to make sites more viable.

A few practical changes.

Lower the site sizes so more locations qualify.

Allow shared hygiene and food infrastructure so providers can operate more efficiently.

Offer incentives to private landowners in exchange for master leases held by the city for landowners.

Create a permit in place option for encampments that are already near compliance.

Set clear standards that allow sites to stabilize where they are when appropriate.

and create a pathway to use vacant development sites during permitting or construction delays, paired with incentives like expedited permitting when projects resumed, fee reductions, and liability coverage.

These are solvable operational problems.

I'd be interested in continuing this conversation with anyone working on implementation.

Thank you.

Thank you, Michael.

Next, we have Jeff Rogers, followed by Matt, then we have Garrick, Jason, Nathan.

Hi, Jeff.

Hello, my name is Jeff Rogers, and I just want to thank the Council, first of all, for the work you do.

I know you put a ton in, and we're privileged just to even be here to have a venue to speak, so thank you.

I'm a business owner in the area.

My context for Seattle, I'm a five-generation Seattle person.

My mom was Miss Ballard in the Seafair Parade.

My dad was an Olympic athlete from the UW.

He owned a business just up the street.

So I love Seattle, and I fight for Seattle.

And Joey knows this.

I started a prayer group that's prayed for you all by name for 300 weeks in a row that meets at Westlake Center and walks the area, and then we go back to our business.

I represent a group called Kairos, which has about 9,000 business people in it in the Pacific Northwest.

So it's a pretty good constituency, all volunteer.

It's women, men, different ages, different backgrounds, but we come together to learn how to engage the city.

So I just am actually volunteering any council person that would want to meet with me or a group of business people to say, we want to partner with you and partner with the city.

The city is worth fighting for.

And I defend her.

I defend you because I pray for you every week.

It's like, finally, I get to actually see the faces.

So I just want to thank you for your good work.

We're in for the long game, not the short one, for the betterment of the city.

So thank you for what you do.

And again, I'm happy to meet with anybody.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Jeff.

Thank you for the prayers.

Matt, my man, you're up next.

We need all the prayers.

Matt, Garrick, Jason, Nathan.

Hello.

My name is Matt .

I also just want to say how grateful I am for each of you.

I represent an organization that's come together over the last few years called Together for Seattle.

This is thousands of people within the faith communities of Seattle that are trying to build bridges, not walls.

And really, so I come here as a bridge builder and also just to raise awareness of some of the beautiful things happening in the city.

I want you to know that each month, each week in each of your districts, there's pastors, ministry leaders coming together that aren't into the toxic national ideological drama, but want to do good for Seattle.

They love this city.

They love Jesus.

They really love Seattle.

They want to serve this city.

So every month around homelessness, around human trafficking, around how to support our immigrant neighbors.

I really appreciated the awareness of sexual violence.

We have churches that care deeply about these issues.

They want to serve this city.

So just like Jeff said, I want to make myself available.

If you want to build bridges to these leaders coming together in your districts, I want to be available to you and just appreciate everything you're doing.

So thank you.

Thank you, Matt.

Thank you, Matt.

Next, we have Garrick, followed by Jason, Nathan Wall, Scott, Scott, and Jack.

Good afternoon, my name's Garrick Pang, and I was born in Seattle almost 62 years ago.

And this is my first time to a Seattle City Council meeting.

I'm so grateful to be here.

And as my two friends just shared, we are so grateful for each one of you.

I'm a part of that group that comes down to Westlake every Thursday and prays for each one of you by name.

And we value and appreciate the hard work that you're doing and the challenging job that you have before you.

I'm also like Jeff from a long line of Seattleites.

My parents moved here in the early 1940s.

I didn't know this, but my mom was also a seafair princess.

She was Miss Chinatown.

She graduated from Garfield in 1952. And Cheryl Chow was a good friend of our family as well, so thank you for bringing up the dear woman that she was.

And also, I want to thank the Council for your proclamation against sexual violence.

We've had close friends and family members affected directly by this issue, and I think it's so important that we continue to raise awareness and just bring these things to light.

I've been a lifelong Seattle sports fan myself.

I remember as a little kid climbing under the covers with my radio, listening to the Sonics games.

But I'm excited about the World Cup being here.

I'm a lifelong soccer player as well.

And there's a group, that's gathered together, we go by victoryseattle.org, and it's a coalition of people coming together, uniting the faith community, building bridges between diverse neighbors, having watch parties.

working with different nonprofits, fighting human trafficking.

And so we're excited for the cup and we're excited for what will come with that.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Garrick.

Next, we have Jason followed by Nathan and then Scott.

I hate it when it does that.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Jason Hewitt.

I'm a lifelong resident of King County, spent most of my career working in Seattle, and I'm a proud member and serve as a leader with UA local 32 plumbers, pipefitters, and HVAC service technicians.

I'm here today to urge you to act now on infrastructure needs by investing in the Seattle Center.

We need to address aging facilities and put some icing on the cake to go with the return of an MBA to Seattle.

I have been going to the Seattle Center since I was a kid and have a lot of fond memories.

It was a place that brings people together and drives our local economy through events, tourism, and small business activity.

But like me, a 25 year pipe fitter, it's showing its age.

Act now so you can provide our future children similar memories.

Waiting only makes things worse.

Deferred maintenance does not get cheaper.

Construction costs and interest rates are unpredictable and delays today will mean higher costs tomorrow.

Investing now allows us to improve safety, accessibility, and community use.

It also keeps skilled workers on the job and supports apprenticeship programs that train for the next generation.

With the economy in a slump, many of our members are ready to go to work right now.

Putting this on the November ballot means these projects can start sooner and support family wage union jobs here at home.

This is the right time to invest in our infrastructure, our workforce, and our future.

I urge you to act now.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Jason.

Next, we have Nathan Wall, followed by Scott Buzzard, then Scott Shuler, and then Jack.

OK, thank you.

First, I just want to reiterate my call for Mayor Katie Wilson to follow through on our campaign promises and turn off the cameras.

This is not a good time to increase surveillance under the Trump administration.

I also want to reiterate, I don't trust the Seattle Police Department to comply in good faith with the Keep Washington Working Act, with our professionalism standards, or with the recently passed bills by the Seattle City Council, which have been pretty good.

I just don't trust the Seattle Police Department to comply with it.

So how do we get them to do that as a city?

How do we make sure that officers to comply with these rules.

I understand that it's probably not constitutional to say that we can just fire officers for their political beliefs, but there has to be some way that we can hold them accountable for what they're doing and what they're saying.

They have body cameras.

I just feel like this is something that we need to be more concerned about, especially with the World Cup coming up.

We need to expect that ICE could come to Seattle in large numbers during the World Cup.

And that's something that we need to prepare for.

So I guess this might not be super popular to say, but I'm not terribly excited for the World Cup.

And with everything going on in the country right now, I think that folks should not be coming to this country.

I think we should be experiencing boycotts.

And I think that the World Cup should be boycotted by people.

So that's my personal opinion.

I don't think this is going to be very popular here.

But either way, we need to prepare for it.

So fuck ICE.

Thank you, Nathan.

Next, we have Scott Buzzard, followed by Scott Schuller, and then Jack.

Hey, Scott.

Hi, I'm Scott Buzzard.

I'm a member of the American Party of Labor.

Today, I'm here yet again to demand that the city council take an affirmative action against increasing surveillance and to cut ties with the Axon company that supplies these cameras.

Why do I ask this?

Because these cameras, this technology is a tool of genocide.

These cameras contribute to the death of thousands of children and families through the daddy's home tactic used by the Israeli military to kill Palestinian men as they approach their family homes.

Why should you as city council care?

because if you truly represented the interest of the people, as all of you, including Katie Wilson, claim you do, you would understand the people's concerns with this very same technology being used in our city.

You would understand their concerns with your lack of tangible measure taken against privatized surveillance.

Additionally, these cameras have been proven to be used by ICE and the DHS in the illegal kidnapping of immigrant communities across the country.

As a university student, I can firsthand attest to my faculty and friends being detained, and how this technology might have been used to do so makes me sick.

No person in this city should have to live in fear that these cameras will be used to harass, kidnap, and maim our working-class communities.

An increase in these surveillance investments to combat potential terrorism, as Robert Kettle stated earlier this week, is another excuse made by bureaucrats regularly to justify militarism and security expansion.

We see it now with the media's rhetoric of Iran's economic terrorism, justifying the full-scale invasion of a country for capital gain.

We see it with the Great War on Terror justifying yet another invasion for capital.

Kettle's lapdog mentality is symptomatic of the Democratic Party and you, Seattle City Council, as a whole, where weak spines prevail over the interests of those who put you in these seats.

You must remove these security systems by any means necessary in order to protect the working class.

They must remove these security systems whose only benefit is to line the pockets of a few while the masses suffer under state violence.

Long live the working class.

Thank you, Scott.

Next, we have Scott Schuller, followed by Jack.

Did I say your name right, your last name right?

Schuyler.

Schuyler.

I'm so sorry.

No worries.

That's my bad.

Nobody gets it right.

Oh, you're good.

Welcome, Scott.

Thank you.

It's an honor to be here.

Good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Scott Schuyler.

I'm a member of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, an elder, and I'm also the policy rep for the tribe.

I'd like to talk a little bit about the Seattle City Light negotiated settlement, which we're in support of.

and we hope that the City Council seeks to approve this today and looking forward to implementation.

But the Upper Skagit people, our people lined the Skagit River from Mount Vernon upstream to the Seattle City Light project area.

What does the Seattle City Light negotiated settlement mean to us?

Well, it's gone on for the last eight months, eight years, excuse me, but in reality, it's taken over 100 years for the settlement to come to fruition.

Everything that happened since 1921 when the dams were first built had to happen to get us to this point in time.

Everything needed to occur to make this settlement possible.

And so if we do move into implementation of the settlement, what it means to the upper schedule people, it gives back our identity, restores our culture.

It's about restorative justice to us.

And so we're looking forward to full implementation as quickly as possible and addressing these long-term harms.

It also acknowledges that where the dams were built is the valley of the spirits to us.

It acknowledged our history and culture in this area.

But more importantly, the best part of this settlement from the Upper Skagit standpoint, we can come home for the first time in well over 100 years.

So thank you.

We look forward to your support.

Awesome.

Thank you so much.

We have Mr. Jack.

Welcome.

Honorable council members.

The city of Seattle blocked the Skagit River to salmon over a century ago.

Even then, in 1919, state law prohibited blockage of salmon-bearing streams.

City Lights' founding father, J.D.

Ross, knew it was prohibited, but did it anyway.

But our people, within whose territory your hydroelectric facilities are located, were not consulted.

However, like Seattle, we've been gathering power for 100 years.

We now know, as does the state of Washington, from what's called the culverts case, that our treaties have power.

The Skagit River of the Cascade Mountains, that's our Black Hills.

It's the Amazon of the Pacific Northwest, and we will not stop fighting for its protection, because like the salmon, water is sacred.

Downstream from your dams, Puget Sound Energy have fish passage, which brought salmon in the Baker River from near extinction to 92,000 salmon last year.

In the Skagit River, there's three species of salmon on the threatened or endangered species list right now.

And the agreement before you, if fulfilled in good faith, will make things right for the next 50 years.

And we will help you make a success.

Thank you.

Because this is going to involve some construction, I have something I want you to build.

Because remember, there's 1% for art.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Jack.

You saying the hills are our Amazon here in the Pacific Northwest got me.

It really got me right there.

Thank you.

Next, we have Billy.

Welcome, Billy.

Billy's a great baseball player.

I just want to throw that out there.

And then we have Gabriel Yvette and Rachel Snell.

You're going to kill my baseball reference here in a second.

Good afternoon, Council President, which sounds good, and the rest of the full Council.

My name is Billy Hetherington, and I don't know why I was kidding myself, but I look more like a leadoff hitter than a cleanup hitter today, so I don't want to repeat a lot of stuff that my brothers and sisters said earlier, but I'm here today in strongly support of bringing forward a Seattle Center Bond Initiative this November that would align with the resolution you're going to speak to today, 32198. Let's bring our Sonics back, right?

And let's bring our Sonics back to an area, to a Seattle Center campus that is gonna be world-class, right?

I think we're in our third iteration of where we're at with Climate Pledge Arena.

We're building a second Memorial Stadium already, but we have the bones of the Seattle Center Center that is now 64 years old.

It's not just about bringing construction jobs to do the work there, it's about the employees that work there currently.

There's a lot of represented folks there, stagehands, musicians, maintenance workers, folks that work at the armory, that those numbers and the revenue coming in there are dwindling because The Seattle Center, with that aging infrastructure, has to compete with all the different new arenas in our area, all the new parks and all the new event spaces that have been put in place since the 60s when the Seattle Center was originally built.

We need Seattle to compete.

If we add the Sonics, I just did a little research while I was sitting back trying to wait to be the cleanup hitter here, and know that once we add the Sonics, Climate Pledge Arena is going to be top five in the world as far as events coming to Seattle.

Madison Square Garden, a couple other ones, but we're going to have over 250 events every single year right there at Climate Pledge Arena.

And we need to bring those folks from around the world to a world-class facility.

So, you know, please work with the seventh floor and try to figure out a way to get this pushed forward into November and get on the ballot for the voters.

Strike while the iron's hot.

Thank you.

Thank you, Billy.

Next, we have Gabriel, followed by Yvette and Rachel, and then we'll switch to our online speakers.

Howdy folks, my name is Gabriel Diaz.

Firstly, I cannot start in good conscience without asking folks to say a prayer for the people of Iran after our president has threatened genocide against the Iranian people.

Now, many of the council members have spoken out against ICE.

That is something I'm very excited to see.

I am proud of that.

Some of the biggest reasons we've spoken out against ICE is ICE is unaccountable, dangerous, has injured or hurt people, and can get away with whatever they want because they have the political power behind them.

My question is, how can we in good conscience give those arguments about ICE but not say that back about SPD?

Y'all, I'm sure all of you saw this image.

This is the image of two women being pepper sprayed while on the ground.

We talk about unaccountability of ICE, but I'm gonna share two facts that surprised absolutely nobody that was there that day.

One, OPA found no wrongdoing for the officer who was spraying the person on the ground.

They will not receive disciplinary action.

And two, his body cam was off.

We have so many people on this, we have so many people around the area who had their body cams on, but surprisingly, this officer's was off.

I mean, he's not the only one.

Officer Callie Hindsman was accused of punching protesters in the head while they were on the ground, hands restrained, also no body cam on.

There is a constant history, looking back through history, of police either turning off their body cams or not turning them on during moments when they want to get rough with people.

Another case that was investigated by OPA was when an officer shot somebody during the Calvin Anderson protests in the back with a last-leave weapon.

While he was shot in the back, he was given no disciplinary action for shooting him in the back, only for not, he was only given a supervisor warning, I forget the nutrition phrases, but he was given a stern talking to for not warning him he was gonna shoot him in the back, or shooting him in the back while he was running away, not committing a crime.

with lasting medical issues, including myself, who has now become disabled due to a traumatic brain injury caused by SPD on that day, leaving me with such constant amnesia that I have had to leave my job.

And I don't know if I'm going to work again.

We need to reform OPA and independently investigate how.

Fire Brian ,, Larry ,, Matthew .

Thank you, Gabriel.

Next, we have Miss Yvette, followed by Rachel Snell.

Welcome, Miss Yvette.

And then if you are online, we are coming to you next.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, council members.

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

I also want to give a shout out to the Main Beach High School State Champions.

They were at the King County Metropolitan meeting.

It was pretty cool.

I also wanted to point out that Mayor Wilson has an ambitious goal to build 500 shelter units by June 1. And as we know, many of those who flee dangerous situations end up in homeless encampments while awaiting shelter space, and far too often with young children in tow.

One viable alternative to building tiny homes is tub sheds.

and they come in a variety of styles, and they're visually appealing, plus they're cost-effective.

The ones I saw at Lowell's were priced from $2,400 to $5,000, and that would potentially could make the schedule of building 500 shelter units by May 1st.

And then I also want them, because the Mount Baker community showed up in court today, I'm wondering if they're considered community sentinels as far as patrolling the community as sort of a deterrent for all the drama going on there.

And other than that, I'm good to go.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Ms. Yvette.

In Buddhism, orange is enlightenment and the highest form of spirituality, and that fits you.

You're welcome.

Ms. Rachel, you are next.

Well, good afternoon, Council President Hollingsworth and members of the Seattle City Council.

I was not going to give public comment today, but I came in just to watch, but I heard that you were giving a proclamation for sexual assault, and I want to thank you for that.

I have been a victim of sexual assault, and I know how isolating it is to come out with it, as I'm doing it now, for the first time.

Like, to the public.

And so, us as victims of sexual assault know how isolating it is to come out and talk about it, because we're afraid we're not gonna be believed.

We're not going to be validated.

We're going to be shamed.

Oh, I was wearing too many heels.

My stilettos were too high.

I asked for it.

Or I was just too vulnerable.

I didn't fight up for myself.

But I know that that's not the truth.

And I couldn't be more grateful for this day.

as an elected state delegate, and us as Seattleites, as elected officials, as community leaders, as organizers, as coalition builders, as elected officials, and as overall just human beings on this earth, we've come a long way when it comes to sexual assault.

But with the newly passed millionaire's wealth tax, we need to be taking advantage of that funding and use it to make sure that we're using that towards developing more funds for victims like myself and others.

And we are in this all together.

And so I really am grateful for this day to thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Rachel, and thank you for your courage and your vulnerability today during that public comment, so thank you for that.

We're gonna go ahead and transition online, and we're gonna go with Rose first.

Please press star six, followed by David Haynes, Charlotte, and then Joe.

Star six to unmute yourself, Rose.

Hello, City Council.

Thank you for letting me chat today with y'all.

Last week, I was very thankful to have the City Council bring out the Trans Day of Proclamation, the Proclamation for the Trans Day of Visibility.

And that was very good, very helpful.

However, we are seeing in the world that words are doing so much, but we need to make sure we are doing action.

The proclamation today about sexual assault survivors is also helpful.

That is something that, as a trans person, that is something that is endemic in our community.

A lot of us experience sexual assault.

It is something that we are very common with, unfortunately.

As we are looking for things to be doing in the future, we have to be not just doing what little piecemeal things here, little by little.

We also have to be working as quickly as we can to address the problems.

There are real problems that are going to need immediate action.

I don't know if you all are aware of this.

We have eight days before the stockpile of gas runs out in the U.S.

It is imperative that we as a city, that all the city council members and the mayor and everyone get together to try and work on that, to try and see what we can do to get ahead of this, because we are reaching a situation that people are comparing to the beginning of COVID.

We are having things, an entirely new world shown before us, and if we do not get ahead of it, it's going to swamp us.

For the trans community, we experienced this too.

Right after the Trans Day of Visibility Proclamation, Idaho passed the bathroom ban bill, and we need the help of the city council members and the mayor to get ahead of this and help with everyone.

Politics, as usual, is unfortunately not enough anymore.

We're going to have to work at a quicker pace than we're used to, because if we don't, there are going to be really devastating consequences.

I encourage you all to work with us, and please, there's a lot of work to do, but we need to do it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Rose.

Next, we have David Haines, followed by Charlotte and Joe.

Star six, unmute yourself, Mr. Haines.

All right, thank you.

David Ames, in the name of Sexual Assault Day, stop the sexploitation station 1492 for whatever year in your universal historical perspective began predatorizing innocents and stop giving sanctuary to customs violation, misinterpretations, and vulture culture.

You would think that Seattle doesn't care that much because if you take a look at the policies that empower the evil predators and the vulture cultures that human traffic and destroy lives daily, You all are still exempting drug pushers under 3.5 grams, and you've allowed the city attorney to dictate the fate of what she's going to prosecute to the point where she's already convinced the police chief that she's not going to prosecute any drug crimes under 3.5 grams.

So all these repeat offending criminals that are ruining the pursuit to happiness and destroying lives daily and are getting extended from jail and getting on the lead list, they're not being questioned to find out where they keep getting it to shut it down.

And It's exacerbating the crisis in homelessness, in housing, in the Main Street reactivation, and just the whole general public health of well-being of community.

And it's not fair that the chief keeps getting a pass for manipulating the media reports about having success with crime because the crime hotspots where people are calling from or where the crime is taking place is being manipulated by parking SUVs there.

The thing is, we need to take the restrictions off the comprehensive plan that the small-time landlords and their self-dealing conflicts of interest conspired to cut in half from 12 stories to six stories and then water down the integrity of the design to help unqualified nonprofits that are politically connected to build crappy housing for the next 20 years to make sure it doesn't compete with the landlords on city council trying to create their own real estate empire at the expense of everybody else being denied a better choice in housing and real equity.

Thank you, Mr. Haynes.

Next, we have Charlotte followed by Joe.

Thank you, Madam President, members of the Council.

My name is Charlotte Philippe.

I live in D3 and I worship in D4.

I'm asking you today to adopt amendments to the proposed library levy, particularly amendments by Councilmember Rink, Councilmember Strauss, and Councilmember Lin.

With particular respect to Councilmember Rink and Councilmember Strauss' amendments, I'm disabled, my husband is disabled, he's a wheelchair user, and so we often rely on e-books, and my husband would be unable to use a physical library without an elevator.

My point is everyone deserves access to our libraries, and by extension, the knowledge contained therein.

These amendments will enable that.

The amendment by Councilmember Foster as well, renovating the Central Library, is also essential in my personal opinion.

With regard to the amendment by Councilmember Lin, we know that Seattle Public Libraries are often used as cooling and warming centers as climate change continues to rear its ugly head.

They are part of our public health system.

In 2025 alone, 15 people died in King County of hypothermia and exposure at least.

These are preventable deaths that might have been solved by having open staff and capable libraries.

The people of Seattle deserve accessible, safe, and climate controlled libraries.

They deserve access to the knowledge they're in.

They deserve access Sunday to Sunday on the outside of the traditional nine to five.

Please amend the levy, send the levy to us, and let us finish the job.

Thank you very much.

Awesome.

Thank you, Charlotte.

Next, we have Joe.

Please press star six.

Hi, Chris.

Hi, Joy.

It's Joe Kunstler here.

A lot of thoughts today.

First, I want to commend you for how you handled Alex Zimmerman's racism.

You handled it very well, like a boss.

Go Storm.

Second thing is, please support the Skagit River Dam Relicensing Agreement.

I am a second generation Skadetonian.

Ross Dam is critical to our security, our energy security, and our security from catastrophic flood events.

This relicensing agreement is key to protecting both Skadetonians and Seattleites.

Third, while I have a bit of extra time, I think it's important to fully support Mayor Wilson's bold housing agenda and tell NIMBYs that You know, we need to have people in the climate emergency, we need people to live close enough to where transit actually works.

There was an event in your great city I wanted to attend, but because it starts at 7 o'clock and the last transit back home to Skagit leaves at 7.20, it was just impossible.

So it's important to have housing close to transit.

And I want to, I think that three points is enough for one day.

I want to thank you for your awesome public service and Go Storm, Go Hawks, Go Sonics, and hopefully Go Sun Transit, as always.

Awesome, thank you, Joe.

And I don't believe there's any more public commenters unless anyone has signed up.

So we have reached the end of our public comment and a list of registered speakers.

So I wanna number one, thank everyone for coming down, taking time out of your day to join us and give us public comment.

I know it was a different, it was array of different public commenters that we had today from different subjects, all within the council's purview.

So just wanna thank you all.

for that, and then also for being respectful.

And this is a conversation that we always talk about, what are our council rules, but it's just like a human to human, back and forth connection that I think we need to have more, more conversations where we have respect for each other, understanding where people are coming from.

And we're here to work and serve you all every single day.

And I see my colleagues working hard every day.

You might not agree with some of their policies, but I know they're working hard and we have a lot more in common than you all think.

So thank you all for coming.

And now we're gonna transition into our council meeting.

So if there's no objection, the introduction referral calendar will be adopted.

Hearing no objection, the introduction referral calendar is adopted.

If there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted.

Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted.

We're gonna now consider the proposed consent calendar.

Items on the consent calendar include minutes of March 31st, 2026, Council Bill 121191, payment of the bills, and five appointments from the Land Use and Sustainability Committee.

Are there any other items council members would like to remove from today's consent calendar?

Hearing none, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Oh, I got it even before I asked for it.

That's great, because there was a pause last week.

So thank you for that.

Thank you.

It's been moved and second to adopt the consent calendar.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Aye.

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Awesome.

The consent calendar is adopted.

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

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

Agenda item one, council bill 121-189 relating to city employment authorizing execution of a collective bargaining agreement between the city of Seattle and the United Association's adjournment and apprentice of the plumbing and pipe fitting industry local 32.

Awesome.

Thank you, Clerk.

I'm going to move to pass Council Bill 121189. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and second to pass the bill.

I'm going to address it as the sponsor.

The bill would authorize a collective bargaining agreement between the city and the United association of journeymen and apprentices of the plumbing and pipe fitting industry, Local 32, for a three-year period from January 1st, 2025 through December 31st, 2027. The CBA would cover 153 employees in five departments, that's Seattle Public Utilities, Finance Administrative Services, Seattle Center, Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection, and Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Specific terms would include increases in footwear allowances, hourly premium increases for certain workers with active water distribution manager levels, level two certifications.

And so, colleagues, I urge your support on this bill and I will pause here to see if there are any comments or questions.

Awesome.

Seeing none, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Aye.

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Bill passes, chair will sign it, and the clerk will please affix the signature to the legislation on my behalf.

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

Agenda item two, resolution 32196, adopting the statements of legislative intent for the 2026 adopted budget and 2026 through 2031 adopted capital improvement program.

We're going to move to adopt Resolution 32196. Is there a second?

Second.

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

Councilmember Strauss, as sponsor of the resolution, you are recognized.

Thank you, colleagues.

This is the resolution adopting statements of legislative intent from last year's budget.

We went into last year's budget with a very grim outlook, not so different than where we are right now with a lot of economic volatility.

We're not sure how much general fund we would have to use because of the structural budget deficit.

We elected to use a lot of statements of legislative intent as a way to offset our budget needs.

And then we received a good budget forecast in the middle of budget.

And so we were able to fund many of the priorities we were looking to in thanks because of the progressive revenue that Councilmember Rink and former Mayor Bruce Harrell put forward onto the ballot.

All of that said, we had way too many slides last year, is the nice way of saying that.

And so I appreciate my colleagues for taking a few off.

And this coming year, we are going to be a little bit more diligent about having fewer.

That said, and look, I take this as well.

I tried to get rid of a couple of my own slides by just getting the information from the departments in a timely manner.

So just appreciate everyone's work on this.

This is a formally adopting the statements of legislative intent from last year.

And this coming year, I will endeavor to have a shorter list.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Strauss.

Are there any other comments?

I did.

Seeing none, thank you, Council Member Strauss.

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

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Aye.

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Awesome.

The resolution is adopted.

The chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation?

You all just voted to have no slides in the budget.

Is that what we voted?

No, I'm just fine.

Limited to five, please.

Limited to five, okay.

I thought you said no, so.

Will the clerk please read item number three into the record?

The report of the Transportation, Waterfront, and Seattle Center Committee.

Agenda item three, resolution 32188, a resolution affirming the City of Seattle's readiness for a National Basketball Association team, declaring that Climate Pledge Arena is ready for an NBA team, and affirming Seattle is a basketball city.

The committee recommends a resolution be adopted.

Councilmember Rink, on behalf of Councilmember Saka, you are recognized to provide the committee report.

Thank you, Council President.

Colleagues, last Thursday, the Transportation, Waterfront and Seattle Center Committee hosted a robust roundtable discussion with Deputy Mayor Surratt, Seattle native and NBA veteran Spencer Hawes, and representatives from the Seattle Sports Commission, Seattle NBA fans, Climate Pledge Arena, and native youth rise above.

The purpose of this roundtable was to demonstrate that Seattle is in fact ready for an NBA franchise.

After the roundtable, Deputy Mayor Surratt and central staff presented Resolution 32198, affirming Seattle's readiness for an NBA team.

Resolution 32198 was referred to today's full council meeting by unanimous vote.

And that concludes my report.

Awesome, thank you, Council Member Rink.

Are there any other comments regarding the resolution?

Awesome, all right, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Aye.

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

seven in favor none opposed resolution is adopted chair will sign it and will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf awesome uh now will the clerk please read item number four into the record the report of the parks and city light committee agenda for council 121-177 relating to city light department authorizing the mayor or her designee to execute a comprehensive settlement agreement

five off-license agreements and other related agreements.

For purposes of relicensing the City of Seattle's Skagit River hydroelectric project before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the committee recommends the bill pass.

Councilmember Juarez, as chair of the committee, you are recognized to provide the committee report.

Thank you, Council President.

First, I'm going to be a little bit wordy here because this is a huge lift from moving this across the finish line from eight years ago, so I have some prepared comments.

Work on this comprehensive settlement agreement started back in 2018, that is eight years ago.

It creates a new 50-year FERC license for the Skagit project, which produces carbon-free power for Seattle.

This is an agreement between three tribes, five federal agencies, two state agencies, Skagit County, and over five environmental groups.

It contains off-licensing agreements and represents about $4 billion.

We discussed this agreement at two committee meetings on March 18 and April 1 and passed it out of Committee 5-0.

City Light gave two presentations going into depth on the contents of this agreement, the historical context of the licensing going back to 1927, and what happens during the FERC process, which starts after the city's step three process of passing through committee, full council, and ultimately to the mayor's office, if indeed it passes today.

We were honored to host a panel of tribal leadership at the March 18th Committee.

The panel was made up of Chairman Nino Maltos, Jr., Councilmember Kevin Lennon, and Jack Fyander, General Counsel from the Yakama Nation, from, excuse me, for the Sox-Suatl Indian Tribe.

And then we also had Chairman Steve Edwards and Vice Chairman Brian Porter from the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community.

And we had Mr. Scott Schuyler, policy lead, and David Hawkins, attorney from Upper Skagit Indian Tribe.

I should add, we had a chance to hear from Mr. Schuyler today during public comment.

Thank you for being here, Mr. Schuyler.

The tribes spoke about their experience of the relicensing process and its history and the importance to tribes.

Before we go on, I want to thank, some thank yous are in order very briefly.

A special thank you to Councilmember Kettle, Councilmember Strauss, Councilmember Saka, and Councilmember Rivera for their authentic and much-appreciated participation in the conclusion of this eight-year process.

And a special thank, of course, to Councilmember Rink, who was the former chair of this committee.

And of course, thank you to Mayor Wilson and her staff.

Skagit, we would also like to thank Seattle City Light, Craig Smith, Seattle City Light Interim GM and CEO, Dennis McLaren, Chris Townsend, Mara Berger, Bridget Molina, and let's see, we've got Steven Krabowski, Matt Love, and Eric McConaughey from, of course, Central Staff.

That being said, this has been a long process, and I'm hoping that we will all be endeavor, as Council Member Straus said, endeavor to vote yes today and have this move forward after eight years.

And again, thank tribal leadership for being present here today.

I see them all in the back row.

I'm sure that they're just, yes, raise our hands to you.

Thank you very much.

Very much.

Thank you.

And with that, Council President, if there's anyone else who wants to comment, and then I was kind of taken over from you.

I'll say we'll go to a vote, but that's your job.

No, no, no.

No, that was great, and thank you for that report.

We know that there was a lot of hard work in this, and Councilmember Juarez, thank you for your leadership on this during the committee, and are there any other comments during this time?

Councilmember Strauss.

Thank you.

I will keep this brief because I had Council President Emeritus Juarez speak with my remarks at the first committee meeting.

I shared at the second.

I've already spent too much talking about how much time I'm not gonna talk.

With that, I want to thank you to our tribal leaders.

I know not all of our tribal leaders are here today.

And thank you to the City Light team, but more importantly, to our tribal leaders.

The reason that I say this is because I want to first thank you for letting us be your guests in the Skagit.

You touched on a lot of the last hundred years that could have gone better, and something I oftentimes say is that time does not heal wounds.

healing action heals wounds, and that is a bit of what we are here to do today.

The Skagit River is one of the healthiest rivers in our area and has the highest salmon run in Puget Sound, and that success is not by accident.

This is because of tribal, and this is to our tribal leaders, this is because of your millennia of stewardship, your conservation efforts over the last century, and the positions that you have held in the last decade of negotiating this relicense agreement.

It is wonderful to have you sitting across the table from us and demanding the things that you know we need for our region.

Me, my family, and our future generations are indebted to you for what you have accomplished in this agreement before us today.

I say that because the last license agreement, for colleagues, the Ross Lake is so large it goes from almost Skagit County, but Whatcom County, all the way to Canada.

And in the last relicense, there was a conservation agreement that conserved as much land as Ross Lake occupies.

And so it's hard to see it all in one place, but when you look at the on a map, you can see how much was accomplished in the last license.

And this agreement goes even further.

Your willingness to work with us in an off-license agreement and your commitment to hold us to account is what makes this moment incredibly special.

It's what makes this agreement historic.

And we will live better lives.

Our future generations will be better off because of the work that you did in this agreement.

And thank you, Chris, for getting us to the city being in agreement with them.

I just really want to settle on that, though.

Future generations are going to be better because of the positions that you've held over the last decade.

and how you have held us to account in this agreement.

So from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Strauss.

We have Councilmember Foster, followed by Councilmember Juarez.

Closing.

Absolutely.

We'll come to Councilmember Juarez as a closing.

So anyone who wants to speak before the closing, please raise your hand.

Councilmember Foster.

Thank you so much, Council President, and I will be very brief with my remarks.

I want to say thank you to the members of the committee for advancing this and moving this forward.

I really appreciate your incredibly hard work there.

So thank you, especially to Council Member Juarez.

And I also wanted to really why I wanted to make a quick remark was I wanted to say thank you to the tribal leaders who are here and to Mr. Schuyler.

I wrote down what you said.

You know, we can come home for the first time in years.

And I just wanted to thank you for showing up and testifying and sharing with us that that landed on me.

So I wanted to just speak my appreciation to you.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Is there any other Councilmember that would like to say something?

Council Member Juarez, the close is yours.

Strike down the medal just like you threw that ball that went over the plate.

What the council president is referring to is the HBCU had a baseball tournament, and we got to throw out the first pitch.

And I just want to say I threw out the best one.

I'm just going to put it there.

So I just want to close this out, council president, and just recognize, again, Scott Schuyler from Upper Skagit, because Scott's mother, Doreen, Doreen Maloney, who I've known since a teenager, started these negotiations with Lorraine Numis and I see Bob, I can't remember his first name, from Swin.

And those are the days, this is back in 1991, 92. And so I just want this council to be proud that they are part of a historical moment that even though procedurally this has been in Seattle City Council with Seattle City Light, with three former GEMs and CEOs and four mayors, And for eight years, and I've been a part of this, I'm really glad it's over.

But hopefully it'll go up to the mayor's office and from then it'll go to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and then there'll be another public comment period.

But I think that goes to the resilience of our people.

like your mother, Doreen, and other folks that have walked on, how important these river systems are to us.

One thing that I'm not going to go into the speech that I gave during committee, but I will say this.

Watching public utilities, Army Corps of Engineers, and a lot of folks in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, and what they did to mainstream and river systems in this state and other states, I want to say verges on violence and obscene because it did more than just take fish.

And one thing that comes to mind besides Lower Elwha and Kalispell is when Tacoma City Light moved the middle fork of the Skokomish River and what that did to the Skokomish people.

So that being said, there's one nice thing about getting old is you do have wisdom.

And we do know that you learn more from your failures than you do your successes.

And for the longevity of the people, and what Uncle Billy used to say, is Native people don't have a pioneer story.

We were here.

And as Uncle Billy used to say, we're not a transient community or group.

We will live and die on those rivers because it's home.

And so you being here today and your words and your cooperation along with the other two tribes in the city, for me, is a long journey.

And I'm really glad to see this come to fruition.

So thank you for being here.

And again, I raise my hands to you.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Council.

Thank you, Council Member Juarez.

Thank you for those comments.

Thank you for the tribal leaders who are here.

I put my hands as prayer hands to you all.

Thank you.

Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Aye.

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Bill passes.

Bill passes and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix the signature?

I almost say the signature to my skin.

I don't know why that's in my head, but this can go on my, the signature to the legislation on my behalf, okay.

Will the clerk please read item number five into the record?

Agenda item five, council bill 121, 183 relating to City Light Department declaring certain real property surplus to the needs of the City Light Department authorized in sale of a portion of City Light Department real property for road purposes to Snohomish County.

The committee recommends the bill pass.

Awesome, council member Juarez, back to you for the double strike.

Thank you.

Double strike.

All right.

This ordinance is a land transfer in which Seattle City Light is selling land to Snohomish County but will retain rights and access for an electrical easement.

The standard land, the sale is at market value at $452,000.

Again, it's Seattle City Light to Snohomish County.

It passed out of Committee 5-0.

I urge you, I endeavor you to vote yes.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Juarez.

Are there any comments, further comments on the passage of the bill?

Seeing none, will the clerk please call?

Thank you, Council Member Juarez, for your leadership on this.

Let me just say that, my apologies.

And colleagues, we are now gonna call the roll.

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Aye.

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Bill passes.

Chair will sign it.

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

Thank you.

Colleagues, there were no items removed from the consent calendar.

There is not a resolution for introduction or adoption today, but there is a proclamation.

Council Member Foster has a proclamation recognizing April 6th through The 18th, 2026, as Tax Fraud Awareness Day of Action.

This is on our federal government, right?

No, I'm just playing.

It's a joke.

Our federal government are stealing our tax dollars.

Anyways, in Seattle for signature today, Councilmember Foster, you are recognized to lead the discussion on the proclamation.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Joke almost went past me, but I caught you.

I caught you.

I caught you.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate you.

I'm really proud to sponsor this proclamation, and I want to appreciate the North Coast States Carpenters Union for their advocacy around the persistent harm of tax fraud in the construction industry and for raising this issue to my office and for waiting through Council and staying here with us today.

Thank you.

This resolution is important and I'm excited to bring it forward for a number of reasons.

One is that we know that tax fraud leads to lost revenue for our community, which is critically needed to fund essential services.

And another is that it contributes to the exploitation of workers, when they are paid under the table and when they lose access to fair wages, health care, benefits, and safe working conditions.

These harms can disproportionately impact people of color and undocumented workers, and I believe that we must ensure that our strong labor standards and worker protections in the City of Seattle apply to everyone.

I'm excited to share, colleagues, that the mayor has signed on to the proclamation, and I ask for my colleagues' support.

We will not be presenting the proclamation today, but rather tomorrow at the Tax Fraud Days of Rally Action, where I'll be speaking along with Councilmember Rink and other leaders who are rallying to elevate this important issue.

I'm going to read a portion of the proclamation for you all today and then ask for your support.

So, whereas the construction industry plays a vital role in building and sustaining the infrastructure, economy, and communities of the city of Seattle, whereas communities are directly impacted by contractors who fail to follow the law, pay workers under the table, or misclassify employees, creating instability for workers and their families, and whereas workers subjected to these practices often lose access to fair wages, health care, retirement benefits, and safe working conditions, impacting not only individual families but entire communities.

And whereas organizations such as the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, including the North Coast State's Regional Council of Carpenters, have led efforts to expose tax fraud, educate the public, and advocate for stronger enforcement to protect workers and ensure a level playing field.

Whereas the City of Seattle remains committed to upholding strong labor standards, protecting workers, and supporting fair and responsible economic development.

Now, therefore, the Mayor and City Council proclaim April 6th through 18th, 2026 to be tax fraud days with an S of action.

That is what I've got.

And colleagues, I ask for your support.

Thank you, Council President.

Awesome.

Thank you, Council Member Foster, for your leadership on this.

Colleagues, are there any other comments regarding this proclamation before I ask to call the roll for signatures?

Awesome.

Thank you, Council Member Foster, for your leadership.

This is important.

I support it 1,000%.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Strauss?

Aye.

Council Member Foster?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez?

Aye.

Council Member Lin?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Seven signatures will be affixed.

Awesome, thank you, Council Member Foster.

And I believe Council Member Rink, you have an item for further business?

You're recognized.

Thank you, Council President and colleagues.

I could not let this meeting end without acknowledging the reality that we are facing in this moment, recognizing that this morning President Donald Trump openly and unequivocally threatened the people of Iran with a genocide at 5 p.m.

our time today.

It's 4.05 now.

Donald Trump's threats from this morning to annihilate more than 90 million people is vile and reckless.

And I want to take this moment to join the chorus of many people across the country when I say he must step down or be removed from office.

Congress must immediately return to D.C.

and pass a War Powers Resolution to stop his war crimes in Evran.

Whether we like it or not, for now, this man is our president, the commander-in-chief.

He is speaking and acting in our name.

and we will all have to live with the consequences.

And while we've been here gathered in council chambers, community members and leaders representing the Iranian diaspora and their loved ones were gathered on the steps of City Hall calling for this horror to stop.

I wanted to acknowledge that for the record.

I don't know what happens next, but I know that while I may be sitting here, I certainly stand with the people of Iran and our Iranian neighbors.

Wanted to get that on the record today.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Council Member Rank.

Is there any further business to come before the Council?

Seeing none, we've reached the end of today's agenda.

The next City Council meeting will be April 14th at 2 p.m.

Hearing no further business, it is 4.06 p.m.

on the dot, and this meeting is adjourned.

Thank you.