Seattle City Council 8/8/23

Good afternoon, everybody.

Today is August 8, 2023. The meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order.

It's 2.01 p.m.

I'm Alex Peterson, Council President pro tem this month of the Council.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Strauss?

Present.

Councilmember Herbold?

Here.

Councilmember Lewis?

Present.

Councilmember Morales?

Here.

Councilmember Mosqueda?

Present.

Council Member Nelson.

Present.

Council Member Sawant.

Present.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Present.

Eight present.

Thank you.

If there's no objection, Council President Deborah Juarez will be excused from today's City Council meeting.

Hearing no objection, Council President Juarez is excused from today's City Council meeting.

Next item on the agenda, presentations.

I'm not aware of any presentations today.

So we'll go ahead and go to public comment.

We'll open the hybrid public comment period.

Madam Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today?

We have approximately 23 in person and 21 so far remotely.

Okay, so with approximately 45 speakers, we do have a public hearing today on a public safety labor issue at 530. So we'll want to run the meeting efficiently today, so I'll do my best, pinch hitting here.

We'll go ahead and give each speaker one minute to speak, and the public comment period will be up to 60 minutes.

That will give us, with the 11 items on the agenda, just 10 minutes per item on our agenda.

But we want to give everybody a chance to speak.

You've got one minute.

We'll go ahead and start with the in-person speakers, but let's go ahead and run the video with the official instructions.

Thank you.

Hello, Seattle.

We are the Emerald City, the city of flowers and the city of goodwill, built on indigenous land, the traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples.

The Seattle City Council welcomes remote public comment and is eager to hear from residents of our city.

If you would like to be a speaker and provide a verbal public comment, you may register two hours prior to the meeting via the Seattle City Council website.

Here's some information about the public comment proceedings.

Speakers are called upon in the order in which they registered on the council's website.

Each speaker must call in from the phone number provided when they registered online and used the meeting ID and passcode that was emailed upon confirmation.

If you did not receive an email confirmation, please check your spam or junk mail folders.

A reminder, the speaker meeting ID is different from the general listen line meeting ID provided on the agenda.

Once a speaker's name is called, the speaker's microphone will be unmuted and an automatic prompt will say, the host would like you to unmute your microphone.

That is your cue that it's your turn to speak.

At that time, you must press star six.

You will then hear a prompt of, you are unmuted.

Be sure your phone is unmuted on your end so that you will be heard.

As a speaker, you should begin by stating your name and the item that you are addressing.

A chime will sound when 10 seconds are left in your allotted time as a gentle reminder to wrap up your public comments.

At the end of the allotted time, your microphone will be muted and the next speaker registered will be called.

Once speakers have completed providing public comment, Please disconnect from the public comment line and join us by following the meeting via Seattle Channel broadcast or through the listening line option listed on the agenda.

The council reserves the right to eliminate public comment if the system is being abused or if the process impedes the council's ability to conduct its business on behalf of residents of the city.

Any offensive language that is disruptive to these proceedings or that is not focused on an appropriate topic as specified in Council rules may lead to the speaker being muted by the presiding officer.

Our hope is to provide an opportunity for productive discussions that will assist our orderly consideration of issues before the Council.

The public comment period is now open, and we will begin with the first speaker on the list.

Please remember to press star six after you hear the prompt of, you have been unmuted.

Thank you, Seattle.

Okay, our first in-person speaker will be Kathleen Brose, and Kathleen will be followed by Todd Snarr, and either of those microphones are available.

Good afternoon.

I was at last Tuesday's meeting.

I was verbally accosted twice for sitting respectfully in these chambers.

The vocal protesters took up precious time, which kept more people from speaking.

I am not a landlord, and I rented for many years, as most of us have, until saving enough funds for over several years to be able to purchase a home.

As much as I would like to see rents lowered and create more affordable housing in Seattle, voting down the bill was the correct thing to do.

There are other things we can do first.

We need small mom-and-pop landlord regulations loosened so that they will start renting out their many empty units.

They need to be able to do background checks and credit checks and be able to more easily evict nonpaying or destructive renters.

The COVID crisis is over.

A small group of renters with a variety of issues have helped to drive up the cost for all renters.

Also, please reduce the regulations on developers if they rapidly build efficient, cost-effective housing.

Over-regulation drives up the cost.

Thank you for your hard work.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Todd Snarr, who will be followed by Jim Margaard.

Todd?

Is this okay?

Yeah.

Hi, yes.

My name is Todd Snarr.

My background, I did about 10 years with the U.S.

Navy, did 15 years with the Internal Revenue Service as a resolution rep, and then since 2010, I'm the owner of my S Corp accounting business.

I have many business clients that are in this area, along with individual clients, and what I see here when it comes to the homelessness concerns is the price of everything on the rise across the board for everything.

When you start raising all these taxes, whether it's property tax, fuel tax that we've got imposed, inflation on everything with big government spending.

There comes a time where we need to be able to minimize our spending, because when you minimize spending, you start to reduce some of the inflation.

A lot of people don't realize that.

But I've got business plans where the cost of everything's gone up so much that they have to raise their price.

So thank you very much.

Take that into consideration because homelessness needs to be more affordable for everybody across the board.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jim Margaard and Jim will be followed by Nick Seton.

Spending $1.1 million on a streetcar feasibility study is like putting frosting on a six-month-old half-baked cake.

The baked part is the stale and inadequate foundational information whose value and expiration date are long gone.

The unbaked part is the complete disregard of the First Avenue ecosystem.

There have been no credible traffic flow simulations, no serious safety analysis of street cars in this pedestrian-dense area, nothing about how disabled and elderly resident mobility or commercial supply chain to the curb would be restricted, and no engagement with merchants along First Avenue.

None.

I visited over three dozen business managers and owners face-to-face from Pioneer Square to Pike Place Market.

They all say it would seriously damage their businesses.

No funding to this sugar-coated street.

Thank you.

Your time's expired.

Our next speaker is Nick Setton, who will be followed by John Chaney.

Sure.

Hi, does this work?

Hey, I'm Nick Setton.

I'm a voter in District 7. I'm just asking you to please support Council Bill 120618 as amended.

I'm deeply concerned, as I've mentioned before, about the Seattle Streetcar for a project and its potential implications for the community that lives, works, and does business in the market.

Over 400 seniors, many of whom face mobility challenges and live on low or fixed incomes, will lose the drop-off and pick-up zones in front of their buildings which they rely on.

Most of the 550 market small business owners, crafters, and farmers rely on First Avenue as their primary and frequently only ingress to the market.

For the continued vitality, health, and utility of Pike Place, it's key to continue to provide absolutely unfettered access to the market.

The proposed alterations for Oh, boy, my writing.

The proposed alterations for moving the pickup and loading zones are insufficient as anybody with feet can tell you.

In fact, all arguments currently supporting the streetcar fraud with even the slightest amount of scrutiny.

Stop wasting public funds on this project.

Please support Council Bill 120618 as amended and do your part in protecting the soul of our city bike place market.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is John Chaney, who will be followed by Mari Schuler.

John.

Good afternoon.

My name is John Chaney.

I'm here to speak on two items that are on the agenda.

One is in support of the funding to assist the Seattle International Film Festival with reopening the Cinerama Theater.

That's an extremely valuable downtown activity.

The second one is in support, I think, I have a little trouble understanding exactly what you're doing, regarded to the council rules.

I'm here to speak in support of a requirement that council members essentially be in person.

This is about you and me looking each other in the eye, and as you say in the introduction, having a discussion.

It's about me being able to see you, you being able to see me, and I find this remote business a COVID leftover.

We need to get back to doing business the way that we should.

That's all.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Mari Schuler, who will be followed by Joan Paulson.

Hi.

I'm here for the same two subjects, actually.

I adamantly support the idea that you should be in your seats at a council meeting, looking at the public, hearing what they have to say, letting us see you, seeing that you're actually working.

I don't know what those other council members are doing.

They're probably washing their hair, walking the dog.

I have no idea.

But as a former elected myself, I think it's 90% of your job to show up.

90% of success is showing up, so just show up.

Secondly, I also want to support the grant to SIF.

Last night I took my 13-year-old, my 11-year-old grandson to a screening at SIF, and they got enlightenment and education like they would never ever get in any other forum.

So I urge you to support SIF.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Joan Paulson and Joan will be followed by Lillian Sherman.

Thank you.

I've written a email yesterday in regards to the amended council bill 120618. which basically is not allowing the $1.1 million to be spent for the First Avenue Trolley Project.

The First Avenue Trolley Project has been supported by the Downtown Seattle Association because they want to have the loop to be completed but then also move pedestrians and tourists five months out of the year.

This issue needs to be extended to a 12-month service for the ability to move people.

And I highly recommend that we have the First Avenue trolley that was moved to Third Avenue, moved back to First Avenue, that it's with a rubber top.

to accommodate this need.

Thank you for your time and service.

Hi, I'm Lillian Sherman, Executive Director of the Pike Place Market Foundation, and I am joining the chorus of voices from the market community advocating to strike the funding for another streetcar study.

The market has been and remains the bright spot of economic recovery in downtown, and the streetcar will cause irreversible harm to the operation of the market and to the 500 small independent businesses in the market.

The market community is a very active and involved community, and I urge you to listen to the simple truth that the streetcar on First Avenue would have a detrimental impact to hundreds of small businesses in the market.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Terry McLaughlin, will be followed by Lak Tran.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

My name is Terry McLaughlin.

I've been a member of the Aquarium Board for over 20 years and one of the past presidents and serve as the coordinator of the project oversight for the Ocean Pavilion.

The construction financing the Aquarium is seeking is not unusual for large civic projects like the Ocean Pavilion.

Some quick examples of projects in Seattle that receive similar financing through the same state nonprofit facility program include Mohi, Pacific Science Center, Seamark Community Center, the Olympic Sculpture Park, the Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences, the YMCA downtown, and numerous other schools and nonprofit facilities.

The aquarium and its board are confident that we'll be able to repay the loan with zero cost to the city of Seattle.

And we are in fact proud to be paying back the 20 million advance that you generously have allotted to us.

This is an outstanding opportunity that ensures a coordinated delivery of the ocean pavilion.

And I thank you for your support.

Thank you.

Our last in-person speaker for this portion will be Loc Tron.

I believe it's L-A-C Tron.

Thank you.

And then we'll switch to remote following Loc.

Hello, my name is Slack Tran, and I'm a high school volunteer at the Seattle Aquarium.

And I'm speaking here today to strongly encourage the Seattle Aquarium's amended operating and management agreement so that the Seattle Aquarium can expand its important work on the newly constructed Ocean Pavilion.

On my first day as a volunteer at the aquarium, I had been challenged with a question that would continue to challenge me my whole time here.

and that is what role does an aquarium play in society?

What I have witnessed through the aquarium is that the role an aquarium plays in society is not only to be a tourist attraction, but it is to be a bridge between research institutions and civilians, to build empathy and change to our ever-warming climate, to protect our native species that Puget Sound needs to thrive, and to inspire conservation of our oceans to everyone, regardless of background or economic status.

And it's with the utmost passion that I...

Thank you.

Our first remote speaker will be Howard

Good afternoon.

Howard Dale with Seattle Stop dot org.

Resolution 3 2 0 9 6 before you today may restrict the public to only commenting on specific agenda items during council committee meetings.

Yet the things that fail to get on council agendas are sometimes more important than those that do.

For example things that never made the Public Safety Committee agenda in the last few years revelations of serious malfeasance by the OIG investigators in 2021 and 2022. The failures of the CPC over more than six years to fulfill duties mandated by the city ordinance concerning SBD patterns of abuse and violence, complainant appeals, and finding alternatives to SBD investigating itself when there are deadly uses of force.

The failure to have hearings or ask questions concerning SBD's near shooting of an unarmed black teen just last February.

The failure for over seven months to have any monthly reports on a failed affected persons program despite that requirement being in legislation.

And most recently, the failure to address real change news.

Recent revelation, the federal court monitor serves the interest of the SB.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jesse Minear, and Jesse will be followed by Tony Anaya.

And please remember to press star six if you're calling in.

Okay, it looks like Jesse is still muted, so we will move on to Tony Anaya, who will be followed by Kari Tekra.

Tony?

Go ahead, Tony.

Go ahead, Tony.

Thank you very much.

President Suarez and members of the council, my name is Tony Anaya, and I'm the head of government relations for DoorDash, and I'm offering testimony on the proposed ordinance to regulate app-based worker deactivation.

We take deactivations on our platform seriously and work to ensure that any dasher who is deactivated has an opportunity to appeal that decision.

Our full deactivation policy is available to dashers and to the public.

We appreciate the council's work thus far on the bill.

However, we continue to have concerns about the bill's extensive disclosure requirements.

which mandate that evidence including information based on reports from merchants, customers, and other workers be turned over to a deactivated worker.

While well intended, disclosure of this information could spur unsafe escalations or retaliation or even create a chilling effect on reporting misconduct.

We hope the council will take more time to further shape this policy and ensure that it keeps platforms like ours safe.

Finally, we understand the city may look...

You have five more seconds if you wanna finish.

to impose a new tax on delivery.

And we are hoping that the council will look at this very carefully and understand the impacts and the ill-advised unintentional consequences.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

And a reminder that the timer is warning you of 10 more seconds to speak.

So our next remote speaker is Kerry Tekra.

And Kerry will be followed by Tammy Hetrick.

Are you there, Kerry?

Hi.

Hi, yeah, so my name is pronounced Kyrie Tecra.

So I've relied on being a gig worker.

As it allows me to fulfill my dreams of an independent baseball player, my season has ended for this year, so in about 24 hours I'm moving out of a shared household and into my vehicle.

Meanwhile, I was deactivated by Grubhub on May 16th without much explanation, despite being a reliable gig worker with the apps in 2018. At the time of deactivation, I replied to the deactivation email they sent several times, and the only explanation I could get was due to my material breach of obligations without specifying what these obligations are.

With the help of Working Washington and the Pay Up Campaign, Seattle continues to set the bar for the rest of the country with the gig worker industry.

Improvements have been made, but there is still much to improve on going forward.

I would like to leave with the following question for the Seattle City Council.

We continue to count on your support.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Tammy Hedrick, who will be followed by Courtney Gillespie.

Tammy, go ahead.

Good afternoon.

My name is Tammy Hedrick.

I'm the president and CEO of the Washington Food Industry Association.

I'm here on behalf of Independent Grocers, neighborhood and convenience stores in Seattle and across the state.

I'm here today to share my continued opposition to Council Bill 120580, the proposed deactivation measure.

As I've indicated in previous testimony to the Public Safety Committee, WFIA continues to have serious public safety and privacy concerns about this bill.

Everyday family grocers and their employees work to maintain a safe environment for their customers and staff.

This bill would jeopardize that safety by delaying deactivation efforts up to 14 days, while also preventing contractors with information about the person who has filed the complaint.

This will have a chilling effect on the future reporting, while creating a dangerous workplace and retail environment.

It also creates a different regulatory standard for app-based contractors in the CDF gap.

Many of our small grocers are at their breaking point after enduring repeated thefts, break-ins, and other crimes against their stores.

Their customers and employees, this bill is a distraction from the real issues

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Courtney Gillespie, who will be followed by Haley Land.

Courtney.

Hi, my name is Courtney Gillespie, and I'm the Director of Government Affairs and Social Impact at TaskRabbit.

TaskRabbit is a two-sided marketplace that connects people who need help with small tasks to self-employed, independent contractors who offer services inside the home through a website map.

I'm here today to thank the members of the Public Safety Committee, particularly Chair Herbold, Councilmember Lewis, Councilmember Nelson, and Councilmember Peterson, for hearing our concerns about the deactivations ordinance being discussed today.

We appreciate the time Councilmembers and their staff spent learning about our community and business model, including work on amendments to address the unique concerns of long-duration in-home services.

We also want to thank Working Washington for their thoughtful engagement throughout this process.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comment today.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Haley Land, and Haley will be followed by Sean Soth.

Go ahead, Haley.

My name is Haley Land.

I'm addressing 120618. Do you know how many small businesses there are in the market?

Subtracting one coffeehouse with 32,000 chain outlets, the number is 499. These businesses depend on daily deliveries to support the annual 15 million bodies that use the market and keep it, and because of the market's enormous success, keep all of downtown afloat.

To upend and strangle deliveries, not just during construction, but when parking and load on loan zones on First Avenue are just established hereafter, is not thoughtful.

Do you know how many market residents, including senior, differently abled, and low income there are?

500 to take away their essential block on First Avenue where they are picked up for doctor appointments and other essential trips is insensitive.

To people who argue a fixed rail streetcar on First Avenue is a useful mode of public transit, let me say they're quicker, cheaper, more nimble, safer, just as environmentally conscious and less disruptive modes of public transit.

Just look around you and there you will see solutions.

So I'm asking you to be thoughtful, to be sensitive.

That's all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sean Soth.

And Sean will be followed by Leigh Ann Gilmer.

Go ahead, Sean.

And Sean, you may need to press star six.

Thank you.

I'm here speaking in support of agenda item number eight, the Mid-Year Supplemental Budget Legislation, providing funding for treatment in motion.

program is on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, providing treatment to the most vulnerable individuals in our communities.

This funding extends the ability of Evergreen Treatment Services to provide vitally important services, including medication for opioid use disorder in our community.

These dollars will increase access and reduce barriers for those seeking services, including new services in the Pioneer Square area.

Treatment in motion ensures that vital and life-saving services will be available to those most in need in our community.

These funds protect community-based outreach programs that bring medication for opioid use disorder, along with case management, counseling, and medical services directly to the most marginalized in our community.

I would also like to thank Council Member Herbold for her work on this.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Leanne Gilmore, and Leanne will be followed by Bob Messina.

Go ahead, Leanne.

Good afternoon.

I'm asking for your support of the legislation you are considering that would enable the completion of the Seattle Aquarium's new ocean pavilion and the expansion of their ocean conservation efforts.

My name is Leanne Gilmer, and I'm the regional director for the SeaDoc Society.

SeaDoc has been working to ensure the health of Salish Sea marine wildlife through science and education for more than 20 years, and the Seattle Aquarium has been a steadfast supporter in advancing science and conservation efforts to heal and protect this ecosystem.

The Ocean Pavilion will serve as a resource to educate and inspire young students and people of all ages to understand our relationship and impact on the connected ocean and to join in our work to protect the ocean and all who depend on it, spanning from the health of animals to people and our livelihoods right here in the Salish Sea.

The Ocean Pavilion expansion will also build the aquarium's capacity to advance their critical ocean conservation work, which is now more important than ever.

So I ask you to please support the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion expansion, and thank you for your time today.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Bob Messina, who will be followed by the last speaker in this remote group, Tiffany Alvarez.

Go ahead, Bob.

Thank you.

My name is Bob Messina, and I am here to speak out against diverting $1.1 million away from other city investments to transfer to the SDOT city connector streetcar, taking away two travel lanes on First Avenue from Pioneer Square to Stewart Street, only serves to further congest and bottleneck the movement of not only general traffic travel, but delivery vehicles coming in and out of the Pike Place market at all times of the day and night.

The streetcar design severely limits delivery times, as well as places for turning into the market.

When people parallel park and rideshare vehicles pick up and drop off, It will further back up the 10-foot-wide single travel lanes.

This is not a desirable roadway to put a streetcar link, which would be part of an already underperforming couple of streetcar lines.

I use my Equicard to easily take the tunnel link light rail to Pioneer Square or International District, and also do the same using many bus options on 3rd Avenue.

It's a walking distance cultural pathway.

Future electric bus operations in this corridor would add to the fun and convenience

Thank you.

And our last remote speaker for this group is Tiffany Alvidrez.

Good afternoon.

I'm speaking today in opposition to the ordinance related to app-based work.

My name is Tiffany Alvidrez, and I'm the Government Affairs Manager for Instacart.

Once again, we share our concerns with the deactivations proposal before you.

And while we acknowledge the work that has gone into this ordinance, the current language does not address necessary circumstances where we have to deactivate bad actors quickly.

Throughout this process, many of you have heard about the lengths Instacart goes through to provide a safe and equitable process for deactivating certain accounts.

The ordinance, if approved, will change how we are able to keep customers, retailers, and shoppers safe when dealing with bad actors, keeping the 14-day notice for many instances is a recklessly long notice period.

No other industry has a 14-day notice requirement.

And for good reason, sometimes immediate action is necessary to protect the community.

Finally, the introduced ordinance will cost the city of Seattle an estimated $1 million annually to implement.

To pay for this ordinance, the mayor's office intends to introduce a tax.

To pay for it, that would put increased pressure on an already strained economy.

Thank you.

We'll move into our in-person public commenters.

Our next public commenter is Melissa Major, who will be followed by David Paul Donley.

Good morning, good afternoon, honored council members.

I'm Melissa Mager.

I'm here to speak in support of the amendment to the city's operating and management agreement with the Seattle Aquarium to enable us to timely complete our project.

As immediate past chair of the aquarium and a longtime volunteer, I understand that investment in the conservation education is crucial to our ability to save our planet.

and the Seattle Aquarium is the largest platform for ocean conservation and engagement in the Pacific Northwest.

Our ocean pavilion will inspire a new generation of ocean conservationists through science, empathy, urgency, and agency.

The expanded aquarium will serve the new education platform that aspires to engage community, including the millions of additional waterfront visitors it will attract each year.

With your vote, you can help ensure Pavilion comes to life and inspires us to take action to protect our Earth's one ocean.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is David Paul Donley and David will be followed by Michael Wolfe.

Hello, counsel.

My name is David Paul Donley, and I'm here today because I came across some documentation resolving the use of the drug ketamine, which, if people are familiar, was used on a man named Elijah McCain a few years back.

Well, the reports of Elijah McCain state that ketamine had nothing to do with his death.

I'm here to prove otherwise.

This document right here tells you the long-term effects and the dangers of ketamine as well as some of the side effects.

Let me read off the first few.

Disorientation, confusion, or loss of motor coordination.

Number two, high risk of death once administered.

Number three, kills 10 years of neurons when administered.

Number four, repairs connectors within the PCP receptors within the brain.

Those are some pretty phenomenal things, right?

Well, here's one thing I wonder.

Why is it the police that killed Elijah McCain drugged him without his knowledge, without his consent, and against his will?

Thank you, Mr. Donnelly.

I can take a copy of that if you'd like.

Our one minute is up, and the next speaker is Michael Wolf.

Would you like me to take a copy of that?

Thank you.

Good evening, Council.

My name is Michael Wolf.

I'm the Executive Director of Drive Forward.

We're an association of gig workers with over 2,500 members across Washington State.

I'm here to, on behalf of our members, voice our support for the app-based worker deactivation ordinance.

and support for adoptions of both Amendment A and Amendment B today.

We would appreciate counsel to adopt both amendments and pass the underlying bill.

We think this is, on balance, good for workers and good for our members, and so that is why we are supporting it here today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Stephan Moritz, and Stephan will be followed by Heather Pyle.

Good afternoon, members of the City Council.

My name is Stefan Moritz.

I'm with Unite Your Local 8, the Hospitality Workers Union in Seattle.

I want to speak in support of the supplemental budget item that lays out work for what we call the Living Hotels Ordinance.

We think that this is a really exciting piece of work ahead of us to make our tourism industry more sustainable.

for our community, for workers in the industry.

The tourism industry is responsible for about 10% of carbon emissions globally, and hotels themselves are one of the most carbon-intensive land uses in the city of Seattle.

I think what I want to emphasize here is the opportunity ahead of us.

The tourism industry is changing.

Seattle can get ahead of that.

With the work that we will be doing with all of you, we can make Seattle the best and greenest hospitality industry in the country.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Heather Pyle.

And Heather will be followed by Susie Harrison.

Good afternoon, council members.

I am so glad to see you in person.

And I wanted to talk about two things.

One is that downtown and the state of downtown transportation is really different than it was before the pandemic.

I'm here to support the amendment proposed by Alex Peterson and Lisa Herbold for no more streetcar funding.

On 3rd Avenue now, we have buses constantly driving fast.

There's sound pollution.

There's air pollution.

It's really unpleasant to be a pedestrian on 3rd.

It's like Aurora.

We need to bring electric trolleybuses back onto 1st.

We need to have them connect Pioneer Square to Pike Place Market.

Pike Place Market was saved and became a historical district, as you all probably know, in 1971 by Voters Initiative.

That is the only historic district saved by Voters Initiative in the United States.

This project will choke the market.

It will absolutely choke it.

We need to protect the market, all of us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Susie Harrison.

And Susie will be followed by Trini Hernandez.

Hi, my name is Susie.

I'm 73. I've been driving with GoPuff for five years.

Before that, I drove with Uber and was a rider preferred driver.

I was an opening driver for the downtown Bell Street warehouse.

I love the interaction I have between customers and concierges, but I am now afraid to return to the hotel as a driver due to what has happened to me.

I don't feel safe.

I am here in support of the deactivation process.

If it had been in place, I wouldn't have lost $1,000 in income, wouldn't have to delete my emergency savings to pay my I'll provide you with the rest of the statement.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Trini Hernandez who will be followed by Kimberly Wolfe.

Buenas tardes a todos, buenas tardes al Consejo de la Ciudad de Seattle.

Soy Maria Trinidad Hernandez y fui desactivada desde octubre del año pasado.

Nadie está por encima de la ley.

Esta es la frase que siempre escuchamos y efectivamente en todo el estado de Washington retumba esta frase.

In our city that is a pioneer in two laws that has approved this council and this city, you are an example of this phrase.

We ask that this day is no exception.

We are here to ask you with all humility that we have many essential workers called gig workers, that we are completely unprotected, and to whom we are deactivated with very technocratic phrases, which we don't even understand.

The reason why they are deactivating us, and where we and our families are the most harmed, to whom from one moment to another they leave us without a salary to cover our basic needs.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Your minute's up.

Our next speaker will be...

Oh, we've got a translation.

Excuse me.

Oh, can I interpret?

Translation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sorry.

Good afternoon, everyone.

I am Trinidad Hernandez, and I was deactivated in October of last year.

Nobody is above the law.

This is the phrase we always hear, and throughout the state of Washington, this phrase echoes.

In our city, which is a pioneer in two laws that have been approved by this council and the city, they are an example of this phrase.

We ask that this day is not an exception.

We are here to ask you with all humility, we are essential workers called gig workers.

We are completely unprotected.

Those of us who are deactivated with very technical phrases did not even understand the reason why we were deactivated.

that this most affected our families.

From one moment to another, we are left without a salary to cover our basic needs.

We need this deactivation law to protect workers who, if we do things right, love and need this job.

Ladies and gentlemen of the council, we ask you to protect us and approve this law so that companies do not continue deactivating their employees for several days and without justification and without sharing the information that they have as a deactivation policy.

We need this law that protects all gig workers.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kimberly Wolfe.

And Kimberly will be followed by Shane Truscott.

Go ahead, Kimberly.

Thank you.

The committee members have been deep in it, so they know all this.

But the other council members may not know some of it.

And there's some fear mongering and whitewashing going on that's against this bill from the app companies and others.

Privacy, we're not asking anything in this bill that we don't already know as a gig worker.

Like we've already been given that information to make the delivery.

We're not asking for more.

We're just wanting it to be available later so we can defend ourselves.

Safety.

This thing about 14 days if somebody does something awful, it's ridiculous.

14 days is for just dumb stuff that they deactivate us for.

Things that are actually egregious, stealing or assault or anything like that, it's like that.

You're off that app immediately.

And then it has to be proven.

So it's not an issue, it's just whitewashing.

And the other thing is, I'd like to really thank Councilmember Herboldt, Mosqueda, Lewis.

Thank you.

Our next speaker will be Shane Truscott, and our last in-person speaker for this group will be Daniel Alvarado.

Go ahead, Shane.

Good afternoon.

I'm Shane Trescott.

I'm a vice president with SEIU 775 Caregivers Union here in Washington.

And on behalf of our 50,000 members, I'm here to urge the council to pass the deactivation ordinance that's being considered today.

Our members understand that improving pay and workforce protections for other workers makes work better for them and makes the economy stronger for all of us.

The deactivation ordinance represents a significant step forward for Seattle's gig workers.

It has been thoroughly considered over the past few months, and workers, platforms, and OLS priorities have all been incorporated.

The two remaining amendments make a good bill even stronger and reinforce the stake the city has in ending unfair deactivations.

By passing this ordinance, we will make our local and regional economy stronger and more resilient, benefiting not only all who rely upon the gig economy, but also the people and businesses with whom it intersects.

Like a lot of the workers that you've heard from today, workers in the gig economy want to get the job done.

And today you'll help them do that without having to worry about losing their housing, access to medical.

Thank you.

And our last speaker for this group is Danielle Alvarado.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Danielle Alvarado.

I'm the Executive Director of Working Washington.

We are incredibly proud to be here today.

The ordinance that we are considering represents the best, most effective policy in the country for delivery and marketplace app workers.

The urgent need for it was underscored just yesterday with the report released by the University of Washington, which showed how dangerous the status quo is, especially for gig workers of color.

This ordinance recognizes that keeping workers on the job is the best economic development strategy that we have.

By investing in workers, we are investing in local businesses, connecting customers to services they rely on and strengthening our economy.

We support amendments A and B, which make a good bill even clearer about the interest that Seattle has in making sure that any work done in Seattle is done under fair and dignified conditions.

We appreciate our sponsors for their leadership, the engagement of the mayor's office and OLS and many platforms in getting us to this bill where we are today.

Today we're telling workers of color, immigrant workers and workers who are caregivers and with disabilities that they are valued and respected in the city.

And we thank you for your leadership.

Thank you.

Our next two remote speakers.

The first one will be Corey Marshall followed by Dave McGee.

Corey, and don't forget to press star six.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Good evening.

Chairperson and members of the Council, I'm Corey Marshall, Director of State and Local Policy for Chamber of Progress at Tech Industry Coalition, committed to ensuring all Americans benefit from technological leaps.

We urge you to consider consumer safety when developing restrictive standards for deactivation policies in Council Bill 120580. App-based drivers provide a valuable service to Seattle residents.

They deliver food to families, including those that live in food deserts.

They provide accessible transportation options for people who live without nearby transit, and they provide convenience to people in need of everyday supplies from stores.

And during the pandemic, they helped transport riders seeking immediate medical attention.

Under the proposed ordinance, temporary deactivation periods would be prohibited, except in cases of egregious misconduct.

Despite identifying serious breaches of customer safety, this ordinance fails to address forms of violations that present safety risks, which undermines customer trust.

We agree The delivery services.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Dave McGee and Dave will be followed by Kathy Martins.

Go ahead, Dave.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

My name is David McGee.

It's a donor to Seattle Aquarium.

I'm passionate about ocean health.

I strongly encourage you to support Seattle Aquarium's amended OMA so the aquarium can expand its important marine conservation work with the ocean pavilion.

The problems our ocean and planet face from climate change to alarming loss of species requires all of us to act.

The aquarium shows us how, by teaching toddlers how to build empathy for marine animals, by connecting school children with marine animals and the wonder of ocean life, by offering free tickets and community-focused programs to tens of thousands of people from across our diverse region, by providing free educational programs online and in person.

The Seattle Aquarium is a community staple and has reached across the state and beyond.

Starting at a young age, I developed a special interest for the Puget Sound, the Salish Sea, and the San Juan Islands, understanding they're all connected.

I started supporting the aquarium as an institution because its mission resonated with me for protecting the blessings of our natural world.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kathy Martins, and Kathy will be followed by Jennifer Bacon.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Kathy Martin.

I have lived and worked in Seattle since 2004. I recently was able to purchase a small condo in Belltown just in the June.

And I just got my first mid bill, which is a Metropolitan Improvement District bill that gets sent to all condos in the area.

And then our association sends a bill to everyone in the building.

and charges all 220 of us $5 each time, so they're making about $1,000.

My question and concern is, I have gone on the website, I have made calls to both the DSA and NID, and no one can tell me where I can find the budget.

If I'm going to be paying for this for the next 10 years, I should know the actual dollar amount.

Where is my money going?

I have calls into the mayor, I have calls into my council member for district seven.

I'd like someone to give me a call and let me know.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jennifer Bacon and Jennifer will be followed by Karen Taylor.

Good afternoon council.

My name is Jennifer Bacon and I am president of IOPTU Local 15, the union representing motion picture productionists and other technical workers in the events industry.

I'm addressing the funding request for SIF.

When COVID shut down public gatherings, our workers were the first to lose their jobs.

They had been among the last to return to work.

In 2020, we represented the film productionists at Cinerama.

It's one of only three theaters in the world capable of screening Cinerama films, but that screen has been dark for over three years.

IASI has represented the productionists at Cinerama since its beginning.

And while we would love to see that screen come to life once more, We also believe that workers deserve the right to a voice in their workplace along with decent wages and benefits.

Film projection is dying art.

There are only three to four people in the world capable of maintaining film projectors at Panorama and one of them is a local.

I would like to urge the council to adopt requirements for labor harmony to ensure that the workers can exercise their right to form a union and have a say in their wages.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Karen Taylor, who will be followed then by Charles Wright.

Go ahead, Karen.

Hi, my name is Karen Taylor.

I'm speaking on behalf of the Transit Riders Union today.

Our general secretary just had a baby.

We're very proud of her.

I'm speaking on behalf of the gig worker deactivation legislation, I think more and more roles are being filled by gig workers and some workers find the flexibility great.

And we took a positive step to raise the floor for gig workers to what other workers can expect.

But they still face the fear of randomly being deactivated for no good reason.

And a bad rating because of a traffic jam or some small misunderstanding shouldn't be the difference between paying the rent or not.

While workers may need flexibility and need to have a good job, we need to also support protections against unfair deactivation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Charles Wright.

And Charles will be followed by Kay Neff.

Go ahead, Charles.

Hello, my name is Charles Wright.

I'm here to strongly encourage you to support the Seattle Aquarium's amended operating and management agreement so the aquarium can receive the commercial financing it needs to expand its important work with the Ocean Pavilion.

As an aquarium board member, co-chair of the Conservation Committee, and former Seattle Schools Deputy Superintendent, I believe deeply in the positive effects of environmental education programs on the community.

I've seen firsthand the profound impact that having access to experiential science and environmental education has on children, youth, and adults.

The expanded aquarium will serve as a new education platform that aspires to engage the entire community, including the 400 plus community organizations we already partner with, the many schools that we already partner with, and the millions of additional waterfront visitors that we attract per year.

Thank you for your leadership on this important matter.

With a yes vote, you can make sure this is available for generations to come.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker will be Kay Neth, and Kay will be followed by Gina Caraba.

Excuse me.

Kay?

Thank you.

My name is Kay Neth.

I lead the government affairs team at Rover.

My comment today regards CB120580.

Rover, as you may recall, was founded in Seattle in 2011 and is headquartered in District 7. Our website and app serve as a support hub and online directory for pet lovers who want to offer or find traditional neighborhood pet care, such as pet sitting.

In 2022, approximately 4,800 Seattleites chose to use our website and app in offering pet care to 24,900 pet parents.

ROVER is committed to the safety of people and pets, and to the pet lovers who choose to use ROVER to offer pet care, who have a well-deserved reputation for consistently creating exceptional pet care experiences.

Thank you to council members who engage with us in this process, in addition to staff and stakeholders, such as Working Washington.

I want to also express appreciation for Rover users, including both pet sitters and pet parents who emailed their council members and provided public comment on the importance of amending the bill.

Many thanks for your time today.

Thank you.

Our last two remote speakers will be Gina Karaba and David Haynes.

Gina, go ahead.

Hi, I'm commenting about the First Avenue streetcar And as a Pike Place Market member, I have seen our community be affected from nearly 10 years of constant construction all around us.

And another five years would just be difficult with all the reasons everyone stated.

But I would love to see a regular bus that looks like a streetcar.

They're very popular in many cities around the country.

that are, it's obvious it's a streetcar, but it's just a regular bus or it can even go along electric cables.

And then it would not necessitate all of the construction and could even go back all the way to the stadiums if need be for special events.

And it would be infinitely more flexible and would keep from having all the problems with the construction that people suggested before.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And our last remote speaker is David Haynes.

Go ahead, David.

You may have to press star six.

There you go.

Hi, my name is David Haynes.

I'm calling about the aquarium requiring $200 million.

I think it's completely outrageous.

And the only way to justify that is if all of the local residents of Seattle are given free passes for like five years or at least like a couple of years and then They need to stop driving the cars through the waterfront, ruining the like enjoyment of the fresh air.

They got a road that divides the front of the new aquarium and then pushes all these people right into this narrow little sidewalk.

It's totally unfriendly.

And then you got another road that goes behind the aquarium.

That's totally unacceptable.

And there's a couple other issues that I'm not gonna have time to address, but when you all swept all these troubled souls during the all-star break, You pushed a lot of people, wicked people, into my neighborhood.

And my 20th bike was stolen.

And my chief landlord, who didn't fix the parking garage in the way, was not reimbursing me.

And it's not fair that y'all are still exempting the drug pushers that are creating all these junkie thieves and prioritizing them for housing and services at the expense of innocent houseless that are being

Thank you, David.

And our last three in-person speakers today will be Matthew Vallejo, Alex Rasmussen, and followed by Howard Anderson.

Our first one is Matthew, please.

Honorable members of city council, today we gather before you to shed light on an important aspect of our city's workforce, the gig workers.

These hardworking individuals play a significant role in our local economy, and it's crucial that we address their challenges and needs.

The gig economy has become a prominent part of our city's labor landscape, and while it offers certain advantages, it also presents unique difficulties for these workers.

We must acknowledge that they often lack access to traditional employee benefits and protections, leading to a lack of stability and security in their livelihoods.

As we deliberate on the matters concerning the city's economy and workforce, it's essential to consider the welfare of gig workers.

By doing so, we can strive to create a more inclusive and supportive environment that empowers these individuals to thrive.

I urge the City Council to explore policy solutions that ensure fair wages, better working conditions, and necessary protections for gig workers such as the deactivation protection.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alex Rasmussen.

Thanks for the opportunity to speak.

My name is Alex Rasmussen.

I've been a musician and sales agent at Pike Place Market for about 10 years.

Also recently, I've been elected as a part of the Pike Place Market constituency who voices the concerns and the needs of the market community, the majority of which oppose the First Avenue streetcar.

Many businesses at the market are still reeling from the financial strain of COVID.

and a three to four-year construction project obstructing access to the market, along with long-term consequences of removing lanes on First Avenue, could further exacerbate the strain of these small businesses.

Proponents of the streetcar cite climate consciousness and accessibility as motivations for moving forward, both of which I think are worthy goals that can be achieved via some other means, like the electric buses that have been mentioned, and these won't compromise the bike-based community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And our last speaker today is Howard Anderson.

Good afternoon, Council.

Howard Anderson.

I've been an owner and a developer in downtown.

You might want to pull that a little bit closer.

A little closer.

Developer and also in the Pike Place market over the years.

I'm here to just announce that the idea of a study for this streetcar is not something that we can look at now.

It's on all the unavoidable impacts that you've heard, you know, if you walk the street.

what it would do, it would give us a first avenue that is basically a transit corridor, 60% more than 60% would be the rail in the center of the street, center street loading to 10-foot lanes alley like with very little access off no parking 24-7 this is pretty much like you call a transit dead street and We need to change that we need to bus systems to the current past one needs to be activated and we need to bring a Connector bus from Stewart Street to Jackson Street to help the current monorails.

Thank you.

Thank you Thank you All right

Thank you, everybody.

We've reached the end of the list of registered speakers, so the public comment period is now closed.

Thank you for your comments today and those who called in online.

Next item on the agenda, adoption of the introduction and referral calendar.

There's no objection.

The introduction and referral calendar will be adopted.

But are there comments on the introduction and referral calendar?

Thank you so much.

Yes, Council Member Herbold.

Thank you so much for inviting comments.

I just wanted to make a note because I know there's a bill that many people are watching for on the introduction referral calendar that is not on the introduction referral calendar.

That is the Mayor Harrell's Public Use Possession Bill.

It is not listed on today's referral calendar.

My understanding is that the Council President will be reviewing legislation Thursday on the regular timeline for potential referral for legislation submitted last week.

As noted earlier, there will be a presentation in the Public Safety and Human Services Committee at a special meeting next Monday.

Given the timeline that we're on right now, that will be a presentation and discussion of the bill in an unintroduced form.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Herbold, for speaking to that bill that I know a lot of us are paying close attention to.

I appreciate that explanation.

All right, colleagues, I'll start this again.

If there's no objection, the introduction and referral calendar will be adopted.

Okay, hearing no objection, the introduction and referral calendar is adopted.

Adoption of today's agenda.

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

Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted.

We'll now consider the proposed consent calendar.

Items on the consent calendar include the minutes of August 1st, 2023, and the payroll bill, Council Bill 120633. Are there any items council members would like to remove from today's consent calendar?

Okay, hearing none, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

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

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

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The consent calendar items are adopted.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the minutes and legislation on the consent calendar on my behalf.

All right, let's go to our committee reports.

Will the clerk please read item one into the record?

The report of the City Council, agenda item one, Council Bill 120628, an ordinance relating to city employment, adding a 2023 citywide position list.

Thank you, I move to pass Council Bill 120628. Is there a second?

Thank you, it's been moved and seconded to pass the bill.

In Council President Juarez's absence, excused absence, I have a proposed substitute to Exhibit A to bring forward.

It's simply, I checked with central staff, it is simply a formatting update to the exhibit, which central staff is very excited about.

It makes the document much easier to use and read.

So I'll go ahead and move to amend this.

I move to amend Council Bill 120628 by substituting Exhibit A Version 2 to replace Exhibit A Version 1 as presented on the agenda.

Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to amend Council Bill 120628 by substituting Exhibit A Version 2 for Exhibit A Version 1 as presented on the agenda.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the proposed substitute?

Councilmember Strauss?

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold?

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis?

Yes.

Councilmember Morales?

Yes.

Councilmember Mosqueda?

Aye.

Councilmember Nelson?

Aye.

Councilmember Sawant?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson?

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries and Council Bill 120628 as amended is now before the council.

Any further comments on the amended bill?

I will make a comment, actually.

Yes.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda, please.

Thank you so much.

I wasn't planning to make a comment, but I did want to confirm.

I want to appreciate central staff for their analysis that they did to confirm that there is no budget impact here.

At some point in the near future, my hope is that this type of list will include a full summary of all the positions filled and unfilled.

So we have a more dynamic process to inform our future budget deliberations.

Right now, we don't have a process that lets us know if positions are currently filled or unfilled, or if there's any cost savings in the future.

So that is something we're working towards.

Unfortunately, at this point, that is not baked into the part of the list.

It does not have an impact on our budget deliberations, either for the supplemental or for the year-end discussions as we consider 2024. But at some point in the future, we will hope to have that process.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Council Member Esqueda, and for your leadership as our budget chair.

So let's see we've got before us the council bill one two zero six two eight as amended and any further comments All right.

Well the clerk, please call the roll on passage of the amended bill Councilmember Strauss.

Yes Councilmember Herbold.

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis.

Yes.

Councilmember Morales Yes, councilmember Mosqueda.

Aye.

Councilmember Nelson.

Aye.

Councilmember Sawant Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes as amended and the chair will sign it.

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

All right.

Will the clerk please read item two under the record?

the report of the Governance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee Agenda Item Two, Council Bill 12623, an ordinance relating to the Federation International de Football Associations, FIFA, 2026 World Cup, authorizing an agreement between the City of Seattle and the Seattle International Soccer Hosting Local Organizing Committee.

The committee recommends City Council pass the bill.

Thank you.

I'll address this item on behalf of Council President Juarez and her absence.

So agenda item two related to the FIFA 2026 World Cup was unanimously approved by the Governance, Native Communities, and Tribal Governments Committee.

Thank you, committee members.

The bill authorizes an agreement between the City of Seattle and the Seattle International Soccer Hosting Local Organizing Committee, which is posted on the agenda.

In June 2022, FIFA announced that Seattle will be one of the host cities for the 2026 World Cup.

We even have a soccer ball here to prove it.

FIFA requires that each city establish a dedicated host committee to serve as the primary organizer of the World Cup events and matches.

So this agreement defines roles, responsibilities, and obligations for hosting the matches, events, and activities associated with the 2026 World Cup.

And we appreciate your consideration.

Are there any comments?

Councilor Mosqueda.

Thank you very much.

I'm very impressed that you brought the ball.

I wish I thought about that.

I wanted to just say how exciting this opportunity is.

I do have a few comments, Mr. President Pro Tem, and appreciate the council president's enthusiasm for this and the council members as well.

As we discussed this in her committee last week.

Oh, excuse me.

Did I jump ahead of the line here, Council Member Herbold?

I saw your hand up in the actual thing.

I'm gonna hold.

I went to the soccer player on my left here.

This is so embarrassing.

Immediately.

Now if people see me play soccer, it's a lot of hype.

So I'm gonna let you go first, Vice Chair.

Councilor Herbold, please.

Thanks.

I'm not a member of the committee, so I did want to just take a moment to lift up an issue that I had raised when this issue was first brought to the city, different committee structures.

But at that time, I had lifted up two concerns about the agreement.

One was earlier information we had received is that the host committee was actually prohibited from independently fundraising to cover hosting costs, and then also the question of ensuring attention to human rights.

I'm super reassured to see that there is clear language in the agreement before us that the host committee's obligations, including securing funding and reimbursing the city for its costs.

Thank everybody out there listening for working on that issue.

As relates to the concerns raised previously around human rights, the agreement says the city will respect human rights in accordance with commitments made in the host city declaration.

And it does not speak to FIFA's own commitment to respecting human rights.

And I understand that that is because FIFA is not actually a party to the agreement itself.

But I do want to lift up additional information from the host committee on that topic.

They have reported that FIFA will have a human rights and sustainability framework that is built upon international organization for standardization for sustainable events.

And they'll do so at an event level.

Issues being considered for this framework include labor rights, human trafficking, political and social rights, discrimination, governance and anti-corruption measures, accessibility, homelessness, and non-displacement, and local procurement.

And that FIFA is looking to host cities to translate that framework to its activities.

So just want to say that I'm supportive of this agreement, but there is an ongoing need for strong oversight of this issue as we move forward our partnership with FIFA.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Herbold.

Thank you for getting that on the record.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Thank you so much.

I also really appreciate those comments from Council Member Herbold and I have some comments that I'll be raising as well as we look forward to welcoming the World Cup to our city in 2026. First, I want to congratulate the women's team and all of the work that they have done to lift up the call for equity in pay, also for the work that they're doing to inspire future generation of kiddos, female identifying kiddos, to join the soccer leagues in their communities and to be the next O.L.

Reign or world champion U.S. women's team as well.

We are very proud of them and they will always be a champion in our mind for how they've helped to raise these issues on the national stage.

Second, I wanted to extend my appreciation for the conversation that we're having about how Seattle can welcome the beautiful game here into our backyard and show the world our support for women, men, and various folks who are choosing to play soccer.

and to play soccer here in Seattle so that we can highlight our city, and we can, importantly, highlight the workers as well.

While this legislation in front of us is really just about liability, I want to couch the comments that there will be future conversations in front of future councils about the 2026 games.

This is a chance for us to feature how excited we are, how excited we are to celebrate soccer, showcase Seattle, and invest in workers.

Mr. President, I have a few comments that I'd like to make to really tee up the conversation for future discussion as well.

The presentation that we had in committee led me to have other conversations with MLK Labor, AFL-CIO, and FEPA representatives and representatives of the Seattle Host Committee.

I was very excited to learn that MLK Labor has a organizing table, and they have future conversations coming with the Seattle Local Organizing Committee.

The Seattle Local Organizing Committee, as well, has put out a statement in support of workers, and so I'm excited about that as an initial first step and know that there will be more conversations to come.

The Organizing Committee said, and I quote, they are committed to protecting workers' rights as part of the FIFA bid, which is why partners at the Washington State Labor Council and MLK Labor were at the table when they made the pitch that Seattle could be a host city.

Now that we're transitioning to planning and preparing for 2026, the Seattle local organizing committee looks forward to working directly with labor to ensure appropriate safeguards and adoption of the protections necessary for workers for Seattle as we host the World Cup in 2026 and the games.

This is great because it also aligns with the AFL-CIO's executive council statement which was put out on June 19th in 2020. And I want to read from that so folks know what that comment from the local organizing committee is teeing up because the AFL-CIO and our local labor partners are really calling for accountability and follow through on the components of that initial bid.

And there's a lot of excitement because that's a great start to the future conversation.

The AFL-CIO noted in their statement that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is an opportunity for us to support organizing and ensure that workers and the communities benefit from hosting these mega sporting events.

Past World Cups around the world had produced low-wage, dangerous jobs.

preventable worker deaths, community displacement and corruption.

But the global labor movement has campaigned for three decades to demand an end to this exploitation.

And as a result of this, the Federation of International Football, or FIFA, And the international body that runs the World Cup and other soccer tournaments has promised to create a new model for future World Cups starting in 2026, right here in Seattle, with Seattle being a host city, which will embed worker and human rights protection into the design of the tournament.

The AFL-CIO goes on to say, to win hosting rights, United 2026 made explicit commitments to protect and promote labor and other human rights, including fundamental right to form and join a union, to organize and collectively bargain.

We are excited to continue to make sure that we can fully exercise these rights and include the inclusion of worker protections and union along with other stakeholders in the planning process.

Another great example is in Paris 2024, the organizing committee worked with the French unions to really ensure that labor and worker priorities and human rights prevention strategies were at the forefront as they plan for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It's a great model for us to continue forward with the AFL-CIO, with MLK Labor and their affiliated unions, and the FIFA Local Organizing Committee as well.

The four pillars that they are committed to at AFL-CIO is to ensure that the host entity and all host cities make meaningful enforcement commitments to embed labor and other human rights into the planning and implementation of the games, to involve workers unions and other community members, to strengthen the city's commitment to sustainable development and living wage jobs, and to ensure that we continue to make sure that the World Cup is an opportunity to elevate the needs for responsible and responsive local development incentives and policies.

And finally, that we continue to call for support for the U.S.

Women's National Soccer Team in its fight for equal pay and demand that all workers associated with the World Cup are free from discrimination in all its forms, including gender-based discrimination.

I am very excited that we have a chance now to invest in workers, support high-road employers, and make sure that we have a model for future mega sporting events.

So thank you.

to the local organizing committee, to the Washington State Labor Council, to MLK Labor and all of its affiliates.

I look forward to continuing to support this effort today and future efforts to ensure that wall-to-wall, as the FIFA World Cup comes to Seattle in 2026, wall-to-wall, we support workers as well as our community and look forward to being a host city and enjoying the games with you all.

Thank you, Councilmember Mosqueda.

Councilmember Morales.

Thank you.

Council President Pro Tem.

I just wanted to say quickly I am also excited to be able to support this event these events and the attention that they will bring to our beautiful city and I want to be sure that as plans get underway for how we ensure the safety of our local local community, the safety for tourists, that we are also actively planning for how we better support our local businesses, particularly those in the CID, who, as we all know, didn't really get to benefit from the the recent MLB events that were happening here.

So I really want to make sure, as I'm having conversations with folks in the CID, there's a real interest in making sure that we are actively planning for how to support The business is there so that they get to benefit from the economic activity and also that we are actively planning for how to prevent the displacement of businesses, commercial, commercial entities that are located there.

So.

I know we have a lot of work to do it.

very short amount of time, and I really want to thank the planning committee and the folks who are really engaged in these conversations.

I just want to make sure that as we're planning for everybody's benefit for the attention and activity that will be happening here, that our local businesses and the CID get included in those plans.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for all those comments.

Yes, Council Member Strauss.

Thank you.

Council President Pro Tem, I'm very excited to have the World Cup here.

That's an understatement.

And just taking this moment to say it's hard to celebrate success when you see your heroes stopped in their tracks.

Waking up on Sunday morning, it was hard to read the news because I will admit I did not stay up all night to watch the game, but also a sincere and huge congratulations to our Women's USA team for everything that they've done.

I say it's hard to celebrate success when you see your heroes stopped in their tracks because just the day before, our local semi-professional team, Ballard FC, won the national championship in their semi-professional league.

They beat out every other team in our country.

And it was just such an amazing moment to get to watch our hometown team win the national championship.

So details emerging.

We are hopefully going to host them here next week and come before council real briefly to celebrate this national success.

Let's go, Ballard.

Thank you, Council Member Strauss.

Really appreciate everybody's comments rounding this out, talking about human rights, workers, supporting local business.

Of course, our teams here, the women's soccer team, the Sounders Ballot FC.

And then we talked at committee about safety issues throughout the city during the events and costs and financial liabilities.

And so we appreciate the hard work of the Herald Administration and the LOC, the local committee that will be taking on a lot of these responsibilities along with the city.

So, all right, colleagues, let's go ahead and vote on this.

I see no further hands raised.

So will the clerk please call the roll on passage of the council bill?

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes and the chair will sign it.

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

Will the clerk please read item three into the record.

Agenda item 3, resolution 32096, a resolution adopting general rules and procedures of the Seattle City Council and superseding resolutions 32029 and 32051, the committee recommends the resolution be adopted as amended.

Thank you.

I'll address this item on behalf of Council President Juarez in her absence.

Resolution 32096 adopts changes to the general rules and procedures of the Seattle City Council.

These rules and procedures govern internal management and procedures available to the public in conformance with the city charter and customary practices of legislative bodies.

They serve to guide and facilitate Councilmember duties and meeting deliberations.

At least every two years, the Council reviews these procedures and rules, and this regularly scheduled review allows the Council to consider ways to expand and clarify the rules.

Thank you to the governance, native communities and tribal governance committee, which voted unanimously in favor of the resolution before you.

I want to thank the council rules working group, including our city clerks, central staff, the city attorney's office for providing a strong draft for the committee to build upon.

Let's see, on August 3rd, our committee considered amendments brought forward by committee members.

There was a public speaker this morning and this afternoon that expressed concern about how future public comment would be treated.

Please know that the Governance Committee accepted an amendment to retain and clarify public commenters are still able to comment on items within the purview of a committee, even if those items are not on a committee's agenda.

So that is essentially retained and clarified in this resolution before us today.

Any comments or questions about the resolution on the council rules?

Okay, I think we're pretty familiar with these.

All right, let's see.

I don't have any closing remarks on this, so let's have the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Salant?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The resolution is adopted and the chair will sign it.

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

Will the clerk please read item four into the record.

The report of the public safety human services committee agenda item for council bill 120580, an ordinance relating to app-based worker labor standards, establishing labor standards on deactivation protections for app-based workers working in Seattle and amending sections of the municipal code and adding a new chapter to the municipal code.

The committee recommends the bill pass as amended.

Thank you.

I'll go ahead and recognize the chair of the committee in a moment, just a heads up.

We do have two amendments before us.

They are on the agenda today, amendment A and amendment B.

So there will be some parliamentary procedure here to get those items before us, but go ahead.

Council member Herbold, as chair of the committee, recognize in order to address this item.

Thank you so much.

And so I'll make some opening remarks and then we'll move forward on addressing the amendments.

Thank you so much.

So as we've heard today and have been hearing for several months across Many of the apps that allow us to purchase goods and receive services, workers can be deactivated without receiving any notice or any reason at all.

Often that is a result of algorithms that include little to no human review.

The bill before us today builds basic protections for workers in one of the fastest-growing sectors of our economy, app-based workers.

This effort builds reliability and stability for this growing workforce.

The reliability for thousands of workers will help prevent homelessness, fight displacement, and allow families to meet their basic needs.

This ordinance requires that companies notify workers before they get deactivated and provide an explanation of the reasoning and evidence that triggered the deactivation process.

It directs companies to build internal appeal processes with human review to allow workers to challenge their deactivations.

We are not banning deactivations.

We're simply requiring that workers be allowed to challenge.

and unjust deactivation.

Throughout the many stakeholder meetings, committee meetings with public testimony and hundreds of emails we've received about this policy, we have heard people's concerns and suggestions of ways to strengthen the bill.

And we've spent three meetings discussing just the amendments alone to the introduced bill.

In committee to respond to safety concerns, we expanded the definition of egregious conduct to include more allowable reasons for platform companies to immediately deactivate a worker without the otherwise necessary two weeks' notice.

This includes specifically adding in more protections for pets and pet owners per the request of Rover and its users.

To clarify some of the public comment that we've heard today, the egregious misconduct definition allows for network companies to, again, immediately deactivate a worker for behavior by an individual app-based worker that endangers the physical safety of the customer or a third person, the network company, or an animal.

Two, intentionally causes economic harm to the customer, a third person, or the network company.

Three, is threatening, harassing, or abusive to the customer, a third party, or the network company.

We heard privacy concerns, and in response, we adapted an amendment to adjust the requirements for notice of deactivations and evidence to allow companies to summarize and anonymize information to better protect customers.

To quote the legislation, if the records substantiating deactivation involve information related to a customer or a third party, And the network company reasonably believes that the information could compromise the customer or third party's safety.

The network company may take measures to anonymize information related to that customer or third party.

Today, we have two more amendments.

Again, to strengthen the bill even further, one of the amendments in particular is the result of the hard work of workers with Working Washington to strike a further compromise with the platforms to address some of their concerns, and we'll hear more about that in a minute.

Thank you.

Thank you, and we can go ahead and do this parliamentary procedure on the two amendments, and if council members want to speak to the bill as it's amended at the end, we'll give you plenty of time to do that.

So let's go ahead and do this.

So Council Member Herbold or your co-sponsor, do you want to move to amend Council 12058?

as presented on Amendment A on the agenda?

Sure.

I move to amend Council Bill 120580 as presented on Amendment A on the agenda.

Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

All right.

It's been moved and seconded to adopt Amendment A as presented on the agenda.

And Council Member Herbold, would you like to address Amendment A?

Thank you.

This amendment includes technical clarifications to the Office of Labor Standards' role enforcement and was developed in response to a request from the Office of Labor Standards and the Mayor's Office.

It uses language to clarify that OLS will not enforce certain subsections before June 1st, 2027 while recognizing Councilmember Nelson's adopted amendment to change shall to may in paragraph B of the ordinance enforcement power and duties.

Thank you.

Any other comments on Amendment A before we vote on Amendment A?

Okay.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of Amendment A?

Councilmember Strauss?

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold?

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis?

Yes.

Councilmember Morales?

Yes.

Councilmember Mosqueda?

Aye.

Councilmember Nelson?

Aye.

Councilmember Sawant?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries.

Amendment A is adopted.

Council Bill 120580 is amended as such.

So let us now give you an opportunity to move Amendment B, Council Member Herbold or Council Member Lewis.

I move Amendment B. Second.

Okay, it's been moved and seconded to adopt Amendment B as presented on the agenda.

And Councilmember Lewis, would you like to address Amendment B?

Thank you, President Pro Tem Peterson.

Amendment B is the result of stakeholdering with Working Washington and a number of the platforms covered by this legislation to adjust the threshold for coverage cap from 10% to 25%.

And with the second clause, add an alternative threshold for coverage.

that would be triggered by any deactivation related to an incident or incidents occurring while performing services within the city of Seattle.

This amendment came out of concerns shared by the apps around unintended consequences of too broad of coverage under the policy and out of concerns from impacted workers about a possible different flexibility for the nature of the work that we are regulating under this app relative to the TNCs.

This compromise is agreeable to all parties and supported by all of our stakeholders and we urge its adoption.

Thank you.

Any other comments on Amendment B?

Okay.

All right, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of Amendment B. Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you, the motion carries.

Amendment B is adopted and Council Bill 120580 is amended as such.

So are there any other amendments?

I don't think there are, okay.

So I know we wanna now make some comments on Council Bill 120580 as amended.

Let's see here, why don't I, go first since we want to end on a high note, so I'll go first.

So, really appreciate the hard work that's gone into this.

I mean, the work over several months with lots of stakeholders involved, really good process.

I stated my concerns with this well-intentioned legislation when I voted at the Public Safety Committee on July 17, so to save time, people could watch that.

And to summarize, you know, I voted for the so-called pay-up compensation legislation, and I voted for the paid sick and save time legislation, and now we have this new legislation to regulate deactivation, a request carried forward by council members on behalf of an advocacy group called Working Washington, which is in the house today.

I support many elements of this proposal, but Because this deactivation legislation does not exempt the unique subset of technology companies called marketplace network companies, such as local pet care company and other in-home services, and because the committee rejected some other key amendments to refine this untested concept, I'm not able to support the legislation in its present form.

So, to be consistent with my committee vote, I'll be voting no again today.

Let's move on to Councilmember Morales.

Thank you, Council President Pro Tem.

I first do want to thank Councilmembers Herbold and Lewis for their continued advocacy for supporting gig workers in our city.

I think it's fair to say the term gig is a misnomer.

These gigs have actually become either the primary support for many families or an essential secondary job to help with the crazy rising cost of living here in the city.

Without proper regulation, deactivations of people of color and folks who are disabled will continue to create economic inequality in the city.

So I'm happy to be supporting this legislation today.

We as a community, as a council, have a vested interest in regulating our very diverse business economy.

So I do want to thank Working Washington for striking a balance with our gig employers that is able to protect workers in this field, in this emerging sector, So with that, I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues regarding pay transparency, and we'll be supporting this today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Morales.

I know Council Member Mosqueda might want to say something about it, but I will talk very slowly here, because Council Member Mosqueda is eager to talk about this.

Council Member Mosqueda, please.

Thank you.

All workers deserve respect, and all workers deserve a rest break.

Am I right?

Okay, thank you so much for the opportunity to comment on this, and I did want to just chime in and thank the sponsors, thank the community, the workers working in Washington, and so many individuals who shared their story in Council Member Herbold's committee over the last I don't know, four months, six months or so.

It's been a long process that I know this has been worked on.

So I wanted to just take a minute to thank everybody for the opportunity to be part of this historic moment.

And to extend my appreciation to the Chair of Public Safety and the Chair of Public Assets, both as co-sponsors, as I understand.

They have collectively with community identified a way to address a rampant problem in the gig economy across our country.

And here in Seattle, we continue to be on the cutting edge in terms of how we can respond to the changing labor market, especially the changing issues that are affecting workers.

that we've only seen exacerbated in the time of COVID when workers who are on the front line who continue to go to work day in and day out who were more likely to be workers of color and lower wage workers.

Now is the time for Seattle to continue its righteous history in correcting some of these wrongs where workers have been left out of labor protections.

And we can be a great example to other jurisdictions across the nation for how to respond to the changing labor environment and how to right the path out of COVID to ensure that more workers have access to not only good living wage jobs, but the right to challenge discrimination and deactivation in their workplace, especially for those who are on apps.

Right now, as we know, workers have little to no right to process and make a challenge on their deactivation.

Every time I'm in a Lyft, I ask a driver about their experience, and they have story after story over individuals who have challenged the driver and have brought grievances forward where the worker has expressed that they have done nothing wrong.

Oftentimes, It is someone being upset for issues that the driver has no control over.

To deactivate a driver or to cut somebody off from their ability to have access to income with no warning and no recourse is just wrong.

The deactivation process is essential to ensure that more workers can make good on the ability to, excuse me, the activation process is essential for all of us to move forward so that we have a more just city where all workers have access to the protection of making sure that they are not losing their job without a process.

to ensure that they can bring forward their own side and share what has happened in their place of work, which is their vehicle.

Without protection from losing work at any time, we know that many of the protections that our city has been so proud to put forward will just be lost for these workers if they are arbitrarily, in my opinion, losing access to employment.

I'm thrilled that this legislation has made it over the finish line, that I'm here to be able to support my colleagues, in getting this on to the national stage again, and it is thanks to the workers and their tenacity, their commitment, and their courage to bring stories up repeatedly to help us understand what is happening in their workplaces, inside their vehicles, and how we can better learn from them, especially these workers who we called essential during the pandemic, to ensure that we treat them as essential workers and ensure that there's clear processes for both workers and employers or apps to have to adhere to so that deactivation is a clear process that everybody understands and there is a way to ensure that workers are treated fairly.

So congratulations to the workers, to the apps who came to the table and offered compromise amendments, to the sponsors of this legislation, and to all of you for setting another national standard for other jurisdictions to follow.

Felicidades.

Thank you, Councilmember Mosqueda.

Back to the sponsors, you want to close this out, Councilmembers Herbold and Lewis.

Excuse me, is it okay if Councilmember Nelson goes first before the sponsors close it out?

Councilmember Nelson.

So thank you very much, and I'm sorry for raising my hand at the last minute.

I said when this was first presented to the committee on May 9 that I was concerned that compelling app-based network companies to retain workers who engage in misconduct and requiring the production and transmission of records related to deactivation proceedings puts the safety, well-being, and privacy of customers at risk.

And as a small business owner, I'm particularly sensitive to the financial hardship and reputational harm that can result from retaining employees who systematically engage in poor customer service or worse.

And that's relevant because we can't forget that all the small businesses that rely on these network companies to reach their customers and also deliver really important and necessary goods and services.

So I proposed close to 20 amendments.

Jasmine's counting, I'm sure.

Some passed.

Most didn't.

And I pulled some for lack of support in committee.

And while this legislation was improved by the inclusion of some of the proposed amendments, not just mine, but other my colleagues as well, I'm not going to support this bill today because those changes don't go far enough to allay those.

concerns and many others that I and stakeholders have.

And I'm especially disappointed that the amendment to exclude marketplace network companies failed.

Companies providing services in customers' homes are different than those that merely drive a person or goods from one place to another.

And marketplace network companies were excluded from pay up, and they should be from this bill as well.

But more fundamentally, I object to council continually ceding its policy-making authority to a special interest in the service of a legislative agenda that extends beyond our charter responsibilities.

And in this case, I'm talking about SEIU via its advocacy arm, Working Washington, which did most the lion's share of the work of engaging stakeholders and fielding amendments, approving them, disapproving them.

That is fine, however, this bill took months, and so did pay up.

And that was valuable time and effort on behalf of my committee members and also staff that could have been spent on more, I don't know, not necessarily more urgent, but at least more relevant work to a public safety and human services committee, such as gun violence and crime against small businesses and the fentanyl crisis, et cetera.

And so I just want to be clear that I'm registering that sort of principled opposition in addition to the perhaps more relevant concerns about this legislation even in the form that it ended up.

I voted for pay up after it was vastly improved.

This time it doesn't go far enough.

I really appreciate my colleagues' patience in working with me on some of these amendments, and especially central staff Karina and Jasmine, who did the lion's share of the drafting.

So thank you very much.

Thank you, Council Member Nelson.

Back to our sponsors to close us out.

Oh, Council Member Mosqueda.

Thank you so much and I apologize to the sponsors.

I just feel compelled to respond.

I think it's critically important for us to set the record.

Workers who are represented are our constituents.

Workers who are going to be covered by this legislation are residents of the city.

It is incumbent upon us to ensure that all voices are heard and absolutely, but it doesn't come in some sort of hierarchical tier where small businesses, as noted, is above the workers who are every day working 8 to 10 to 12 to 14 hours.

SEIU, who was mentioned, represents janitors and long-term care providers and nurses.

The Working Washington members who deliver food and drive people to their medical appointments and get kiddos to school on time are our residents.

So I just want to set the record straight.

It is absolutely imperative for us to listen to those voices.

These are the people who live in our city.

These are workers whose rights have been long time neglected and it's imperative for us to stand up and respect those workers and pass legislation to protect the residents of this city.

Thank you for letting me set the record straight, Mr. Chair.

Thank you.

Are we ready for the sponsors to close us out?

All right, Councilors Herbold and Lewis, please.

Thank you so much, President Pro Tem Peterson.

I'm going to be really brief because we have a packed agenda.

So I mostly just want to thank the people who collaborated on building this policy.

I want to thank Working Washington for their diligence in stakeholdering extensively on this policy and know that that involved a lot of diplomacy with the apps.

And I want to thank the leadership of the apps in working with us to accommodate a lot of their concerns and really focus on our common interest here in a way that provides predictability, transparency, and accountability, but also preserves a lot of really critical and important decisions that they needed to retain as part of that work.

You know, I want to thank Breonna Thomas from the Mayor's Office, who's in Chambers, for her diligent work in helping shepherd this along.

And, of course, our diligent Council Central staff in Jasmine and Karina and more in the work that you did to really navigate a complicated and difficult amendment process that was ever-changing, very iterative.

managing that work with grace as we got through months and months and months of ever-changing components of this bill to get to the bill that met our needs, respected the concerns of all of the stakeholders from labor and business, and really advanced a national, a new policy that'll be a national trendsetter.

So with that, I will hand it over to my co-sponsor.

Oh, sorry, and I have to thank Camila Brown on my council staff, who liaisoned as part of the team to build this, who without her assistance and help, we would not have had nearly as good of a legislative project.

And of course, the work of Council Member Herbold and her team as well.

So with that, I'll hand it over to Council Member Herbold.

Right.

So we've heard from some people that they don't believe that unwarranted deactivations to be an important problem for this council to address.

And that comes right on the heels of an article in the Seattle Times yesterday, where they reported on a University of Washington study of the Driver's Resolution Center.

This was about TNC protections, but there's a lot of parallels.

That study evaluated our transportation network company protections, where People were told also at the time when we were deliberating on that policy that those protections were unnecessary and not an urgent issue for the council to grapple with.

Review of 1,420 cases processed through the city's resolution center found that drivers of color were deactivated at similar rates as white drivers, but they found that drivers of color were reactivated at a higher rate.

To quote the study, They said, we interpret this difference as drivers of color being deactivated more frequently for resolvable infractions than their white peers.

Researchers also said that the driver support call centers in local offices were often unhelpful in resolving these issues and could be difficult to navigate for drivers who don't speak or read English as a first language.

Over half of driver deactivations processed by the Resolution Center were for minor issues, including submitting a scanned copy of a document instead of an original.

But 80% of drivers who received assistance from the Driver Deactivation Center were able to get reactivated.

That means 80% of those 1,400 drivers who without deactivation protections of some sort would have permanently lost their income.

So how is that not an urgent?

issue for us to address here in these chambers.

It's true that we're building something different here, but it is similarly innovated, and there are similar platforms offering different services into a mostly different group of workers, but we know that many of you do both TNC and DNC work.

What's the same is that workers are asking for us to help.

This bill comes from years of engagement and outreach with workers, workers' advocates, network companies, and city staff.

We've spent three committee meetings just working on amendments alone, and a number of meetings leading up to the introduction of the bill as well.

It's ready for a vote.

Workers are ready for us to vote, and they're ready for us to vote with them.

Thank you to the mayor's office, especially Brianna Thomas, for encouraging all of the parties to stay at the table to forge still more compromise, even when the finish line was so close.

I also appreciate the sincere and meaningful engagement of the platforms.

Thank you as well to Council Central staff, Jasmine Mraha and Karina Bull, and our legislative aides, Camilla Brown in Council Member Lewis's office, and Sunny Nguyen in mine, your patience and your attention to detail, and the philosophy of no policy for us without us has resulted in us getting to this point today.

Most of all, I want to thank Working Washington and all of the individual workers who have shared their stories and driven the development of this historic policy.

I'm so proud that our city, Seattle, is a national leader on labor protections, and I invite my fellow council members to join me in helping us to keep on leading by voting yes in the amended bill.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the council bill as amended.

Councilmember Strauss.

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold.

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis.

Yes.

Councilmember Morales.

Yes.

Councilmember Mosqueda.

Aye.

Councilmember Nelson.

Nay.

Councilmember Sawant.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

No.

Six in favor, two opposed.

Thank you.

The council passes as amended and the chair will sign it.

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

Will the clerk please read item five into the record.

the report of the Public Assets and Homelessness Committee, Agenda Item 5, Council Bill 120619, an ordinance relating to amusement device licenses, repealing the requirement for an amusement device license, repealing chapters of the Seattle Municipal Code and amending sections of the Seattle Municipal Code.

The committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

Council Member Lewis, as chair of the committee, you're recognized in order to address this item.

Thank you so much, Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

So the story with this ordinance repealing the amusement license fee begins with GameWorks coming back downtown, our marquee arcade in the center of Seattle right after the pandemic.

And as I do often with lots of constituent businesses in my district, be they small, be they large, be they medium, and in the case of GameWorks, I asked them what it's been like to come back to downtown to do business, what it's like to contribute to the recovery of our downtown core, what can the city do to be a good partner.

One of the things that came out of that conversation was something I was completely unaware of, which is this amusement license device fee that the city assesses.

I looked into, you know, what the purpose of this fee was.

It became clear and evident fairly quickly there is no health, safety, or welfare basis for this fee.

This fee is merely an extraction on amusement devices like arcade games, pinball machines.

There's other enumerated examples in the summary and fiscal note.

And fundamentally, a number of people in the industry told me that this has a chilling effect on businesses that rely on amusement devices locating in the city of Seattle.

In recent years, New York City and Spokane have abolished similar fees.

In King County, a number of cities do not assess this fee.

It brings in a fairly de minimis amount of revenue in a given year, about $60,000.

As we're looking at incremental ways that the city can improve and foster our business environment to promote downtown recovery, it behooves us to look through our Seattle Municipal Code for some of these relics that are hiding that are still being practiced in a way that is not advancing any discernible policy purpose, but is inconveniencing small business owners.

I have a suspicion that there might be other things like this in the Seattle Municipal Code, and would like to just encourage us to continue to seek them out, seek feedback on ways we can be better partners in the post-COVID recovery.

And when something comes forward where we can create change by repealing a regulation, we should be willing to engage in that conversation.

So with that, I have nothing else to add and look forward to the novelty of the city council repealing a fee for the first time in a while.

Thank you, Councilmember Lewis.

Any other comments, colleagues?

Okay.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the council bill?

Councilmember Strauss?

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold?

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis?

Yes.

Councilmember Morales?

Yes.

Councilmember Mosqueda?

Aye.

Councilmember Nelson?

Aye.

Councilmember Sawant?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The council passes and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation.

Will the clerk please read item six into the record.

Agenda item six, council bill 120626, an ordinance relating to the Department of Parks and Recreation, authorizing the superintendent of Parks and Recreation, the director of finance and the director of the office of the waterfront and civic projects to execute an amendment to the operations and management agreement with the Seattle Aquarium Society.

The committee recommends the bill pass.

Council member Lewis, as chair of the committee, you're recognized in order to address this item.

Thank you so much, Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Briefly, I do want to just go back and make one more remark on Council Bill 120619 because my legislative aide Malik Fakhtamanavong is in Chambers.

Malik worked really hard on putting that ordinance together, working with central staff to bring it forward, and I just want to publicly recognize him for that, given that he is here in Chambers with us this afternoon.

Moving on to Council Bill 120626. This proposal from the aquarium has been months in the vetting between the council and the executive in this amendment to the to the operations and management agreement that we have with the Seattle Aquarium Society.

As council colleagues will recall, last year the council and the city, by extension, gave a loan of $20 million to the aquarium as part of our commitment and partnership to complete the Ocean Pavilion, and in so doing, also complete critical civic projects like the Overlook Walk, connecting Pike Place Market to the waterfront.

which is intimately connected with that project.

The Aquarium came back with a proposal to pursue private financing and pay back our loan early.

And this agreement in front of us is the manifestation, I mean that's in very simple terms, but the manifestation of what has been brought to us.

We had two council committee sessions to vet this proposal.

It did ultimately come out of committee with a unanimous recommendation of the four committee members who were present Which is a testament to the hard work of the executive team and I want to specifically give a shout-out to Chris of Thalia In the mayor's office for her diligence and hard work and shepherding this want to give a shout-out to the aquarium team, which is here in chambers with us and for being very responsive to requests for additional information from the committee and from the executive, and for those committee sessions being very productive and giving full time to fully vet the proposal.

With that, Council President, I don't have anything else to add.

I'm happy to answer any questions colleagues may have, but the unanimous recommendation from the committee shows our confidence in this agreement and the leadership of the aquarium to move this forward.

Thank you, Councilmember Lewis.

Any comments or questions about this item?

Councilmember Herbold.

Thank you.

I just want to take this opportunity because I was previously very vocal about my insistence that the city's $20 million investment last fall should be the last city contribution to the Ocean Pavilion.

So I just want to, again, take this opportunity to lift up some of the assurances that we've received about the limitations to the city's liability and the built-in safeguards to ensure that they are understood by the interested public.

The city will not be a guarantor on the commercial loan made to SEAS.

The ownership of the new Ocean Pavilion will transfer to the city after the Certificate of Occupancy is issued in 2024, but the Ocean Pavilion will not be collateral for the loan.

With the proposed bank financing the city is expected to receive its 20 million dollars in Enhanced facility fee the repayment payment for the previous loan well behind well ahead of schedule and And the city will receive quarterly reporting from SEAS, a requirement built into the loan agreement to allow us to monitor SEAS performance on their admissions and revenue projections and require early corrective action if they are not met.

So together, I do believe, as the bill sponsor stated, these protections and safeguards are secure, and I thank CEAS for its ongoing transparency, as well as the executive and our council central staff for their good work vetting the agreement.

Thank you, Council Member Herbold.

Any other comments or questions?

Okay, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the council bill?

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

No.

Seven in favor, one opposed.

The council bill passes and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation.

Will the clerk please read item seven into the record.

The report of the Finance and Housing Committee agenda, item seven, Council Bill 120617, an ordinance relating to acceptance of funding from non-city sources, authorizing the heads of various departments to accept and authorize the expenditure of specified grants, private funding, and subsidized loans, and execute, deliver, and perform corresponding agreements.

The committee recommends the bill pass as amended.

Thank you.

Council Member Mosqueda, as chair of the committee, you're recognized in order to address this item.

Thank you very much, Mr. President Pro Tem.

As the clerk noted, thank you very much, Madam Clerk.

This is an annual bill related to acceptance of funding from non-city sources.

It authorizes heads of various departments to accept and authorize expenditures for specific grants, private funding, and subsidized loans and to execute, deliver, and perform corresponding agreements.

I want to thank Ali Panucci, our Deputy Director from Central Staff, along with Tom Mikesell and Eden Sessick from Central Staff for their fiscal analysis on the bill, and to Councilmember Morales for the amendment that she added and that we passed unanimously as well in our committee.

I hope that colleagues will join me in voting yes today.

Thank you, colleagues.

Any comments or questions about this acceptance bill?

Okay.

Council Member Esqueda, any closing remarks?

Oh, Council Member Morales has a comment.

Thank you so much.

Council Member Morales.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I just want to say, first of all, thank you to Council Member Mosqueda.

I'm really proud to have included in this supplemental budget the amendment that I authored to accept and transfer $200,000 from the State Department of Commerce for the Seattle social housing developer.

That funding will allow the social housing developer to scale up in 2023. And this is really kind of a culmination of the work that My office has been doing since last fall when we approached Representative Chopp and Senator Saldana to include the $200,000 in the state budget.

So I do want to thank Council Member Mosqueda for sponsoring the amendment for me in her committee.

And really want to thank, of course, Representative Chopp and Senator Saldana for supporting the Amendment that I sponsored at the state level to get the funding in the 1st place and want to thank Devin silver nail on my staff who has really been helping make sure that we track this process and that we are implementing it as best as we can and really looking forward to the.

the fruit of this work as we progress.

So the funding represents a really big step towards seeing a social housing developer.

And as we start to build the nation's first city level, universally affordable, democratically run social housing organization, I think we will all have a lot to look forward to soon.

So thank you very much.

Thank you, Council Member Morales.

Any other comments or questions?

And thank you, Council Member Mosqueda, for this.

All right, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the council bill?

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The council bill passes and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation.

Will the clerk please read item eight into the record.

Agenda Item 8, Council Bill 120618, and Ordinance Amending Ordinance 126725, which adopted the 2023 budget, including the 2023 through 2028 Capital Improvement Program, CIP.

The committee recommends the bill pass as amended.

Thank you, and we do have an amendment on this, Amendment A from Councilor Mosqueda, who's also the chair of the relevant committee, so I'll turn it over to Councilor Mosqueda and we can walk through the parliamentary procedure when you're ready.

Excellent.

Thank you very much, Council President Pro Tem.

I'll say some opening statements just generally and then I'll move the amendment.

Thank you so much.

Colleagues, I want to thank you first for all the work that you did with our office and with central staff for offering amendments to the supplemental budget as proposed by the mayor's office.

As I stated, as chair of the Finance and Housing Committee meeting, I wanted to offer some observations about the implications of the supplemental bill in front of us and to provide those right now to the full council and to the general public as well.

The comments that I made in my committee were about the implications of using small amounts of general fund balance.

or the underspend to support limited and one-time budget amendments in the supplemental bill.

Again, we are midway through the first year of what we are trying to treat as a true biennial process between 2023 and 2024, so supplemental amendments to 2023 are what we were considering.

It is important also for us to recognize the need for us to just use limited one-time funding for truly limited, time-limited one-time needs in a budget process given the ongoing general fund crisis between general fund funding and expenditures that are projected in 2025 and annually to be at least $200 million starting in 2025. The ongoing revenues are not sufficient to pay ongoing expenses.

We've talked about this a number of times and the only reason we're not dealing with that right now in 2023 and 2024 is because we had authorized the higher than anticipated jumpstart revenues above what we had projected for expenditures for jumpstart codified spending to be used to support the downward trend of general fund funding.

So we, the crisis is upon us.

We have a Band-Aid on 2023 and 2024 because we have used Jump Start funding.

And the important reason that I'm bringing that up right now is that every investment that we make either in a supplemental or our year-end efforts to consider calendar year 2024 again, anything that is not one time in nature will continue to compound this revenue gap that we have.

I think have a lot of work ahead of us to continue to lift up for members of the public and to remind ourself as well of the presentation that central staff presented in May in the Finance and Housing Committee that showed that Even after incorporating potential 2024 cost increases that the city budget's office was able to share with central staff, and after reducing the jumpstart transfer to the general fund pursuant to the fund's flexibility ordinance, there is still about $30 million of unobliged one-time general fund balance available.

And through central staff's analysis, we identified that there's $1.25 million of one-time general funds underspend to support mid-year council budget actions.

That's all great news.

In the best-case scenario world, we would be taking that $31.25 million and we would be holding it over for increase costs for 2024, 2025 and beyond.

However, we are currently not in a process where there is agreement between an executive and legislative branch for how to address any 2024 proposed spending needs.

There's announcements that are made on a pretty regular basis by the legislative and executive branch about new initiatives going forward.

And because we don't have a shared agreement to not spend the $31.25 million, I think it is incumbent on me to support my colleagues who are interested in using these one-time funds to help invest in one-time needs and to ensure that you all had the chance to have access to those funds in an efficient way through our supplemental budget process.

So I did support some of the one-time investments in the supplemental budget.

I appreciate that you worked with central staff and our office in many cases to move these priorities forward.

I also want to thank my colleagues who had identified non-general fund or general fund adjacent revenue that could be used to support their investments as well.

Council Member Lewis and Council Member Herbold are good examples of that on amendments that were moved forward that did not use general fund.

But I just wanted to raise that for members of the community or members of our council that are not part of the Finance Committee.

There are examples in the bill before us where we are adding new positions that are backed by temporary salary savings.

And we have to acknowledge that these added positions are going to add to the deficit if those vacant positions are ever filled in the future.

From that perspective, using identified one-time funds to support one-time emerging needs seems to be exactly what the supplemental budget is for.

That's why I supported it.

But we haven't actually reined in our process of using short-term dollars for ongoing needs, which is going to continue to compound the problem.

That said, there's a number of important and emerging issues that our council colleagues have identified, some of which also were identified from the executive that I continue to support in the supplemental budget.

Given the urgency of some of these issues, I think we have a compromise proposal in front of us, but it just behooves us to remind ourselves and members of the public, we have got to identify additional revenue to close this gap, and by adding additional positions, using temporary dollars is only compounding the problem.

That said, Mr. Chair, we have a supplemental budget in front of us.

And I know the departments and our colleagues and community are eager to have this process finalized so that they can have greater clarity over the next five months of the calendar year in front of us.

And I do have one amendment that is offered in a friendly fashion to an amendment to that Councilmember Lewis brought forward in committee and appreciate the opportunity to have worked with members of the community.

The the mayor's office and my council colleagues on advancing this so I'm ready to move to that procedural motion if that's appropriate Thank you.

And just to clarify for the viewing public.

This is an amendment that was circulated according to our council rules via email to all the council members and Counselor mosquito if you're able to speak to the specifics of it as part of your statement or I can read parts of it into the record just to clarify But let's go ahead and move the amendment and amend the bill, and then we can all speak to it, both the amendment from the sponsor of the amendment, as well as the bill as a whole.

So, Council Member Esqueda, you go ahead and move Amendment A. Thank you, will do.

I move to amend Council Bill 120618 as presented on Amendment 1, Version 1, that I circulated yesterday midday to our council colleagues.

Thank you.

Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to adopt Amendment A, Version 1, as recently distributed.

And back to Councilor Mosqueda as a sponsor of the amendment.

Thank you very much.

Just briefly, the effect statement states, this amendment would request the Office of Arts and Culture to include provisions in its grant agreement with CIFS-Cinerama for living wages and jobs funded by the grant, as well as labor harmony agreements.

It also contains a technical correction that reflects that Arts is being requested to provide a grant to SIF for placing the word shall with should where appropriate and just for context as we discussed in the Finance and Housing Committee last Wednesday there was broad and general support for Councilmember Lewis's proposed amendment to include non-general fund funding to support SIF's purchase of of Cinerama to continue to ensure that this asset remains accessible to the public for generations to come.

I expressed interest at the time in amending the legislation or the amendment from Councilmember Lewis to include labor harmony language as part of the public benefits package described in the original amendment.

Instead of doing a verbal amendment, which we tried to do for a few minutes in committee, Council Member Lewis, as the sponsor, suggested that we work with law and bring it forward today.

We have done so and shared the language with labor partners and with SIF as well as the mayor's office, and it simply includes labor harmony as part of the public benefits package that should be constructed with the executive and involved parties prior to deployment of the funds.

I want to thank Council Member Lewis for being supportive of this friendly amendment, to Jasmine Marwaha from Central Staff for her quick work on this, and to CIFF partners, IATSE, MLK Labor, and again Council Member Lewis for your quick work on this to take a look at how we can move forward with this important concept as the public benefits agreement is constructed.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, and colleagues, we're just speaking to Amendment A right now, and then we can speak to the amended bill after we vote on Amendment A. And thank you, Council Member Mosqueda, for reading the effect statement of the amendment, and this is regarding the funding related to Cinerama, correct?

Correct.

Okay, thank you.

Councilmember Lewis, did you want to speak to this?

Go ahead.

I'm just briefly confirming This is a friendly amendment and appreciate councilmember Mosqueda for working with my office to put this together Thank you.

Let's go ahead and amend the bill with amendment a it's already been moved and seconded Councilmember Herbold, did you want anything?

Okay.

All right Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of amendment a councilmember Strauss Yes councilmember Herbold

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you, the motion carries.

Amendment A is adopted for Council Bill 120618. And so now we have before us the amended council bill.

It's a large, complex, mid-year supplemental bill.

There were amendments to it.

So any comments on the final version, and we can turn it over to our budget chair at the end.

Any comments?

Council Member Strauss, no?

Okay.

No.

Okay, all right.

Thank you and thanks to the hard work of the Finance Committee to get this before us.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Thank you so much.

I want to echo that appreciation as my colleagues from the Finance and Housing Committee are a part of this.

I also want to thank Eden and Ali and Tom.

Maybe I'll hold for our good Vice Chair.

Yeah.

No, that's okay.

I wanted to talk about one amendment that we heard in the finance committee, but I also wanted to talk about something that I did not bring up during the committee that was already in the bill that I think a lot of us will be really happy to learn about if folks weren't already aware.

In the legislation as transmitted by the executive, $1.6 million are being transferred from Finance General to the Community Safety and Communication Center to pay for the alternative response pilot program facilities, vehicles, and personnel.

Folks might recall that these funds have been held in Finance General since 2021. The mayor's office and the Community Safety and Communication Center have presented updates on the program planning process to the Public Safety and Human Services Committee twice this year, most recently at our June meeting, where they shared the intent to deploy this pilot program in the fall, aiming for an October launch.

Once the pilot program is live, dispatchers will be able to send a new team of responders to 911 calls with a behavioral health nexus that do not pose an immediate public safety threat.

SPD would be co-dispatched in that they will have awareness and be available for scene security and safety threats, but they would not necessarily engage unless specifically needed.

But the budget adjustment before us today includes six positions as placeholders.

By voting on this today, this will enable the recruitment and hiring of these new emergency responders.

As the Seattle Department of Human Resources works to finalize a new job specification, And so once authorized, they're going to be able to begin their recruitment efforts as early as this week.

So we can finally take this next step towards our community's calls for policing alternatives.

And we know that we can't continue to ask police to do it all.

This program will help us focus our approach to public safety and free up officers to more quickly respond to the types of emergencies that only they can.

So pleased to uplift the fact that this was in the transmitted bill.

And then just a few words about an amendment that I offered in committee with committee members support.

There's a million dollars in urgently needed new funding to expand opioid addiction treatment.

This investment is one element that Mayor Harrell called for in his announcement of the expected executive order.

specifically calling for, quote, access to mobile opioid medication delivery.

The funding is intended for Evergreen Treatment Services Treatment in Motion Program, which is on the front lines of the opioid epidemic, providing life-saving medical treatment and counseling for people struggling with addiction throughout the region.

Treatment in Motion brings comprehensive mobile medication and counseling to people struggling with opioid addiction downtown, with capacity to serve up to 120 people daily.

This new funding will allow Evergreen Treatment Services to add an additional mobile medication vehicle in three more locations, including one in Pioneer Square, with total capacity to serve up to 360 people each day.

The organization is also seeking purchase of a transport van to actually circulate between hotspots and pick up patients to deliver them to the mobile unit to receive care, further lowering barriers to treatment.

Without the funding that we're about to vote on today, they would likely seek funding from a different jurisdiction with the result of fewer services per day within the city itself.

and no Pioneer Square service site.

I've said this before, if you have someone that you care about and love who is an addict, what you care about most and first is that they don't die in the throes of their addiction.

So by investing in this mobile treatment approach, we are expanding access and breaking down barriers to proven treatment for our most vulnerable residents.

We cannot end the fentanyl epidemic and drug overdose crisis without treatment.

And we need more treatment, not less.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I see Council Member Morales' hand.

Yeah, thank you.

My apologies for the last minute hand raise, but I do want to mention two things that we were able to include.

I first want to thank the mayor's office, particularly Krista Valas for working with us to get $20,000 into the supplemental for the contract work for the social housing PDA.

When we passed that last year, One of the first tasks of the PDA board was to hire a contract, a consultant to begin helping them form the entity.

So I really want to express my appreciation for that funding.

And then I do want to thank Council Member Mosqueda again for bringing forward an amendment on my behalf for folks in the CID.

In 2021, we included funding for some enhanced cleaning services.

There's a lot of restaurants in the CID and there's a lot more frequent need that they have there.

So we've partnered with the CID BIA and with Friends of Little Saigon to pull this amendment together, which would proviso some of the funds for the DAP to make sure that we're able to provide language appropriate services.

The BIA partners with a contractor, a service provider who has both Chinese and Vietnamese language capacity and will be able to provide some additional service to those community members, to those businesses.

So I really want to thank the BIA and Friends of Little Saigon for working with us and Council Member Mosqueda for helping us get that on.

And I want to thank Monisha Singh from from the BIA, Quinn Pham, and my own staff member, Evelyn Chow, who's been doing a lot of work with folks in the neighborhood.

So thank you very much.

Thank you.

Council Member Mosqueda, close us out.

All right.

Well, I'm excited that our colleagues chimed in on some of the amendments that they put forward because it's always a kind of a slog to get those amendments in and so it's nice to have those highlighted.

I'll highlight two as well as we close here and say thank you again to central staff.

I wanted to express my appreciation to central staff who had done a lot of work early on to assess whether or not there was concerns in the proposed budget.

For example, we had been hearing that there was reductions to the, what's it called, hygiene services, taking funding from hygiene services to use for graffiti abatement.

Council's central staff looked into this, and it's clear from their analysis that there is no reduction in the hygiene services that were offered through Seattle Public Utilities.

Instead, they were using the proposed budget uses Underspend from the hygiene services in SPU and the mayor's had redirected that underspend for graffiti abatement so we just wanted to make sure that there wasn't a policy change being directed in the supplemental when the council clearly said the priority for all of us in the Budget last fall was investments in hygiene services over graffiti abatement.

They were able to conclude their work on on hygiene services and then used underspend for graffiti abatement.

So that's a great example of where central staff really dives in and does the analysis for us pre-introduction and throughout the process to ensure that all of our questions are answered.

I also want to thank the work from central staff to include an amendment of mine that we then enhanced through the process and thanks to council colleagues for some of your questions.

including Council Member Nelson, who raised some questions about the application of language that we were using.

And we were able to work with the stakeholders involved and the departments.

The amendment that we included in committee last week is really a strong statement of our intent as a city to be a city of the future, to ensure that hotels, as they are established in the city, to welcome tourists, are also good for our environment, that they are good for our local residents.

that they invest in how we can be a strong city for tourism, but that we can also be more responsive to the issues that we know are true.

Tourism industry is a significant global contributor to climate change, representing 8% of the world's carbon emissions.

And hotels, in particular, are part and parcel of that industry.

They themselves are among the most carbon intensive use buildings according to data from the City of Seattle.

And given the climate crisis that we face, we wanted to take this opportunity in the supplemental to use just $50,000 in underspend, again underspend to appropriate in this year, to further efforts within SDCI and Office of Sustainability and the Environment and other departments to look at how we can enhance our structure, our policies in the future for supporting communities of color, demanding that we respond to the global climate crisis, and that we create opportunities for hotels of the future to be an industry that is built with more sustainable future tourism goals in mind, with economic growth and green sustainable jobs in mind.

that really take into account water use and energy usage.

So I'm excited that the conversation that we had in committee led us to amending the amendment that I had included pre-introduction, and it will further the conversation and analysis and planning that the departments are doing to consider future policy that the council could potentially consider in deep partnership with industry and workers at the forefront to look at how we can move forward with creating, you know, maybe a a sustainable Seattle hotel certification or something like that, akin to our living building goals that the city has in other areas.

So I'm excited about the conversation that we had at committee.

I'm really excited about the workers and the department and the stakeholder conversations that are to come and have been initiated.

And it sounds like there's broad interest in helping to move forward with an analysis to see how we can create a living hotels concept of the future.

Again, nothing being dictated or prescribed to the council at this point, simply an analysis for us to better meet our climate goals, help get towards net zero carbon emissions in 2050 as already codified in our Seattle City Statute's ambitious climate goals, and to work on a process that ensures that we continue to welcome tourists and also build a local economy that's good for workers and our local climate.

So thank you to our council colleagues for initiating that conversation, to the mayor's office, and to the departments for engaging in this discussion, and to the broad coalition of stakeholders who have asked us to further this analysis.

That includes a letter that we received from 350 Seattle, Seattle Building Trades, Sierra Club, MLK Labor, Climate Solutions, Puget Sound SAGE, Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of Washington, ACRS, Local 8 Unite Here, APALA, Interim CDA, the Wing Luke Museum, the CID Coalition, Greenpeace, and Got Green, in addition to the City of Seattle's own Green New Deal Oversight Board, which sent us letters of support.

So, excited, as Councilmember Herbold noted, to highlight pieces within this broader budget document that really further our goals as a council and community to invest in workers, in industry, and to do so through a green lens to identify ways that we can combat the climate crisis that's upon us now.

Thanks, colleagues, for the conversation that we had, and to the mayor's office and the stakeholders for the future discussions that they will have to advance this concept.

Thank you, Councilmember Mosqueda.

We'll have a dramatic pause for the City Budget Office watching this video.

All right, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the Council Bill as amended?

Councilmember Strauss?

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold?

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis?

Yes.

Councilmember Morales?

Yes.

Councilmember Mosqueda?

Aye.

Councilmember Nelson?

Aye.

Councilmember Sawant?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The council bill passes as amended and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation.

Will the clerk please read item nine into the record.

Agenda Item 9, Council Bill 120630, an ordinance relating to funding for housing and community development programs, adding the City of Seattle 2023 Annual Action Plan to the 2018-2023 Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development.

The committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

Council Member Mosqueda, as chair of the committee, you're recognized in order to address the item.

All right.

Thank you.

I'll keep this one short.

This legislation adopts the 2023 annual action plan as required each year to accept grants from the U.S.

Department of Urban Development.

The plan describes how the city will spend those funds, including CDBG funds, HOPWA funds, ESG, and the HOME funds.

As a reminder, the city estimated that the 2023 grant fund amounts from our four programs And it estimated that amount and put that estimated amount into the 2023 adopted budget.

So this legislation in front of us allows for us to update the legislation and ensure that the final correct numbers are codified in statute.

Thank you very much.

Any other comments or questions about this item?

All right.

Any closing remarks?

No, thank you.

Okay.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the council bill?

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Salant?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson?

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you, the council passes and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation.

Two more items, folks.

Will the clerk please read item 10 into the record.

The report of the Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities Committee.

Agenda item 10, Council Bill 120611. An ordinance relating to Seattle Public Utilities declaring property at 8817 Seward Park Avenue South, commonly known as the former Henderson Street pumping plant, as surplus to the city's needs, authorizing the sale of this property as a direct sale to Seattle Public Schools, and authorizing the general manager and CEO of Seattle Public Utilities to execute all documents the committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

I'll go ahead and address this item as chair of that committee.

Colleagues, as I mentioned at council briefing, Council Bill 120611 will authorize a property transfer from Seattle Public Utilities to Seattle Public Schools to benefit Rainier Beach High School.

This proposal was approved by our city's Financial and Administrative Services Department, FAS, and no issues were identified by city council central staff.

As required, our committee held a public hearing on July 18. There were no public commenters at the public hearing, and the committee unanimously recommended approval.

Any comments or questions about this item?

Okay.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the council bill?

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Council Member Morales.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

And Council Member Morales.

Yes.

And I'm a yes too.

Thank you.

Eight in favor and none opposed.

Thank you.

The council bill passes and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to that legislation.

Okay, let's read the last legislative item into the record, item 11.

Agenda item 11, council bill 120624, an ordinance relating to Seattle Public Utilities authorizing the acceptance of a water main easement within a portion of parcel B on lot boundary adjustment number 3011711. The committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

As chair of that committee, I'll discuss this.

Colleagues, as mentioned yesterday during council briefing, Council Bill 120624 is legislation from Seattle Public Utilities.

It approves water main easements in the Georgetown neighborhood adjacent to the local company Elysian Brewing.

It is a relatively minor council bill as reflected by the fact there were no public commenters for the public hearing we held in our committee on August 1st.

Our committee unanimously recommended adoption of this bill.

Any comments or questions about the bill?

All right, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the council bill?

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

Yes.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you, the council passes and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to that legislation.

Agenda item I, there were no items removed from the consent calendar.

Agenda item J.

There are no resolutions for introduction and adoption today, I don't believe.

No, good, all right.

Other business, is there any other business to come before the council, colleagues?

Yes, Mr. Chair.

Oh, yes.

Let's do Council Member Sawant and then Council Member Mosqueda.

Go ahead, Council Member Sawant.

Thank you, Council President Pro Tem Peterson.

I would like to be excused from the City Council meeting on August 15th.

August 18, okay, if there's no objection.

I believe it's August 15th.

I'm sorry?

I think it's August 15th.

Oh, August 15th, yeah, let me double check here.

That sounds right, August 15th, all right.

If there's no objection, Council Member Sawant will be excused from the August 15th City Council meeting.

Hearing no objection, Council Member Sawant is excused from the August 15th Council meeting.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Thank you very much.

I would like to be excused from the first meeting in September, September 5th, full council meeting.

Okay.

If there's no objection, Council Member Mosqueda will be excused from the September 5 City Council meeting.

Hearing no objection, Council Member Mosqueda is excused from the Seattle 5 City Council meeting.

Council Member Morales.

I would also like to be excused from the September 5th meeting.

Thank you for the reminder, Council Member Mosqueda.

All right, if there's no objection, Council Member Morales will be excused from the September 5 City Council meeting.

Hearing no objection, Council Member Morales is excused from the September 5 City Council meeting.

Is there any other other business?

Okay.

Sorry, I raised my hand again because I also meant to ask to be excused from September 5th as well.

Okay.

If there's no objection, Council Member Sawant will be excused from the September 5th City Council meeting.

Hearing no objection, Council Member Sawant is excused from the September 5th Council meeting.

Is there any other, other, other business?

All right.

Colleagues, this concludes the items of business on today's agenda.

The next regularly scheduled City Council meeting will be held on August 15, 2023. Thank you, and we are adjourned.