City Council Meeting 492024

Council, please note that Councilmember Strauss is excused from today's meetings and that Councilmembers Rivera and Morales will be joining us virtually.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Wu?

Present.

Councilmember Hollingsworth?

Present.

Councilmember Kettle?

Here.

Councilmember Moore?

Present.

Councilmember Morales?

Here.

Councilmember Rivera?

Council Member Saka?

Here.

Council President Nelson?

Present.

Eight, present.

Thank you very much.

All right, colleagues, at this time, we'll open the hybrid public comment period.

Madam Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today?

We have approximately 10 online and 15 in person.

Okay, we will start with speakers in council chambers first.

We'll do that first as a block.

Today's speakers will have one minute.

Madam Clerk, I will now hand this over to you to present the instructions and call unregistered speakers.

Okay.

The public comment period will be up to 20 minutes and possibly extended.

Speakers will be called in in the order in which they are registered.

We will begin with the in-person speakers and then move to remote speakers.

Speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left of their time and speakers' mics will be muted if they do not end their comments within the allotted time.

The public comment is now open, and the first in-person speaker is Gary Larda-Zabel.

Good afternoon, Council.

So, yeah, we're here every week to talk about pay up.

Quite frankly, we are genuinely down on the bike.

That's the bike.

We fail.

Some days are better than others.

That's our perspective on a bike.

Some days, you're in the elements.

There was just a flash rain shower.

11 to 2, it's on.

2 to 5, it might be down.

5 to 8, it's sort of good.

It changes daily.

There's a lot of failure.

I honestly don't know how it is in a car.

But I do know restaurants don't have many orders.

As before, I could talk about oversaturation and how to fix that.

But truthfully, think about the times you failed out there.

You thought it was under control, but it's not.

That's what we experience daily.

Sometimes it's good.

There's a lot of failure, though.

So I just want to thank everybody here for not being on the sidelines, both sides.

And basically, I'll be better for this.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jake Laundrie, and Jake will be followed by Wee Lin.

Go ahead, Jake.

Hi, my name is Jake Laundrie.

I've been a part-time delivery driver for the delivery app since 2017 and I'm speaking out against some council members disgraceful attempt to gut and eventually repeal the pay up law.

Many gig workers like me have been earning more since this law went into effect and the companies have yet to prove otherwise.

It is the companies' greedy executives who have decided to add these extra fees to the orders, cut off bike couriers from their work, and spread lies about this law.

And it is shameful that some council members are cowering to these corporate tactics to pit customers and restaurants against us workers.

In time, these companies will be forced to reduce their fees as it is bad for their business, and they are just doing it to discourage workers from organizing for our rights and our livelihoods.

We are one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and thousands of customers are still ordering by the mouthful.

The Council must protect the quality of life standards the pay-up laws put into effect and not work directly with company-funded organizations like Drive Forward.

Going through with this would be absolutely cruel.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Wee Lin, followed by Jason Oglenick.

Hi, Council Member.

Hi, my name is Wei Lin, and I'm standing before you as a proud member of the Pay Up Campaign.

As the app-based gig worker myself, I understand the importance of the fair treatments and protection of all workers, including those classified as 1099 drivers.

I urge the council to maintain the Seattle ordinance that grant minimum payment protection for 1099 drivers.

This ordinance is crucial to ensure that gig drivers has a safety net, especially during time of economic arson.

It's disheartening to see the companies and corporations resorting the false information to misleading customers and workers in their attendance to repeal this ordinance.

They spread misinformation and misuse their power to influence major media platforms, creating false accusations against hardworking individuals.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

We cannot allow the corporation to paralyze profit over the well-being of the workers.

It's time to stand up against this.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jason Oglenick, who will be followed by Margaret Carey.

Hi, I'd like to discuss my earnings over the past seven-day period, April 2nd through 8th.

My average hourly pay for the week has worked out to $10.08 per hour.

That's Nothing near 1997, which is the city's minimum wage.

A few months ago, I used to make $20 an hour reliably.

So for Tuesday, April 2nd, I did exceptionally well.

Gary just talked about how some days are better than others.

I made $16.67 per hour.

The next day was a steep fall off, $8.88 per hour.

$11.56 per hour.

Friday is $9.85 per hour.

Saturday, I was forced to take the day off.

I had to take my bike to the shop.

It wasn't a large bill by any means, but $100 is really a struggle right now.

But I needed to continue to work.

Sunday, I averaged $8.68 per hour.

Monday, yesterday, $6.15 per hour, working more than 10 hours.

So I worked 60 hours this week.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Margaret Carey, and she'll be followed by Jim McMahon.

Margaret Carey.

I'm a resident of District 4. I'm here to speak against changes to the minimum wage bill for the gig workers.

My message to the council is slow down, consider the unintended consequences of changes to this law.

The proposed revisions of the law are not good governance because you're overturning a law that just was passed unanimously by this council and there is no new objective evidence that the law isn't working.

There are several very serious ramifications to the changes proposed by some people on this council.

For example, one of the proposed changes is to restrict the private right of action by workers.

The second change is limiting OLS's ability to make rule changes and rule making, as well as information from the companies.

That's going to really inhibit the ability of enforcement of any law, particularly this law.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jim McMahon, followed by John Stamsted.

Hello.

I'm a former taxicab driver in Seattle for over 13 years and also a member of Workers' World Party, a socialist party which represents workers.

Drivers organized into the driver's union here in Seattle, which won them a basic minimum wage.

And this is a big win for drivers who can be exploited like in a number of different ways.

They also have won benefits such as sick pay.

Drivers are low wage workers.

The recent proposed changes in the law spell one thing, a pay cut.

The proposed rule changes are sponsored by the ride share companies like which are multinational corporations, and they get billions of dollars of customer affairs every year from the drivers who are overworked and underpaid.

Thank you, sir.

Your time is up.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is John Stamsted, and John will be followed by John Godfrey.

I finally discovered why restaurants haven't been speaking here more often at council.

I think it's a fear of retaliation related to the 2014 minimum wage law.

I spoke to one owner who came to this council meeting in 2014 just to listen, but they were recognized by someone and got destroyed online even though they did not communicate a position on the subject at all.

I spoke to one owner who has five restaurants, all are profitable this year except the two Seattle locations and those are down 30%.

This is not a seasonal downturn as has been proposed by delusional and dishonest people here.

Last year in March, I made $3,035 in 23 days.

This year I made 1,495 in 30 working days.

If you do not change the pay-up bill, half the workers will become unemployed and only the rich will be able to afford the service and those displaced need it the most.

I think the workers who support the pay-up bill know this and they are privileged enough to be able to wait until the full-time gig workforce have had to find other jobs.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is John Godfrey and John will be followed by Adrienne Jones.

Thank you, Council.

My name is John Godfrey.

I'm the lead community organizer for Washington CAN and a small business owner from District 2. I'm gravely disappointed that this council is considering repealing the minimum wage for gig workers.

As a small business owner, more people with money in their pockets is better for me as a business owner.

Also, as someone whose business model does not rely on paying people a subpar minimum wage or tactics like calling my workers contractors, it infuriates me that our city council is considering selling out some of the most vulnerable workers in our city.

The bottom line is we are in desperate need of leadership that puts people over corporate profits.

Elections are always around the corner and we are watching.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Adrian Jones and Adrian will be followed by Alex Zimmerman.

Thank you, counsel.

My name is Adrienne Jones.

I have eight plus years working in public health at the state and federal level.

I am currently a full-time student at the University of Washington, completing my master's in public policy and governance.

I think it's important when we look at repealing the gig worker minimum wage that we look at it from a perspective of ethical and moral lenses.

Citizens should not be held responsible for big corporations' bad business models that essentially exploit people.

A person shouldn't have to struggle to afford basic needs like housing and food while these executors pay off their fifth vacation home.

All of society benefits when we pay people equitably, and the research has proved that for decades, and I'm sure you're aware of that.

Paying people a living wage should be a standard, not a luxury.

So I ask, is repealing this minimum wage equitable, or are you just adhering to the pressures of big corporations?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alex Zimmerman, and Alex will be followed by Ariana Riley.

Ze heil!

Ze heil, my dirty damn Nazi fascist junta.

Bandita and killer.

My name Alex Zimmerman.

Nobody, I speak approximately more than 4,000 times, 10 times per week, almost everywhere.

Nobody give one minute, never, I see this.

You only one who doing this.

From beginning, many year ago, I talk stop Seattle fascists with idiotic face.

You are a idiot.

Can you do in some time separate?

Why always one minute?

Why is this children so quiet?

Look, you treat them like a children from big grade.

They be ever scared talking about this.

So they have right, constitutional right, speak for two minute.

You doing this every meeting.

And nine people acting like a idiot.

It's exactly what is I see for many years.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Ariana Riley, and Ariana will be followed by Adam Glickman.

Good afternoon.

My name is Ariana Riley.

I drive with DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Amazon Flex in the Seattle metro area.

Amazon contracts thousands of drivers through the Flex program and has made good efforts to proactively comply with the law, as well as expanding many aspects of the app-based minimum work payment across the metro.

Accepting basically two companies from minimum wage laws and worker protections is not good policy, especially when Amazon is subject to the exact same laws and is complying without complaint.

Companies value predictability.

Above all else, a stable business environment is good for the bottom line.

Passing laws only to immediately change or repeal leaves businesses unable to plan for the future, and instead of focusing on growing their business, scrambling to keep up.

DoorDash and Uber had time to plan and chose not to.

The council needs to slow down and focus on data collection.

Making decisions based on limited narrative, feeling, and very limited data is a bad idea.

Keep the law in place as written.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Adam Glickman, and Adam will be followed by our last in-person speaker of Michael Wolff.

Thank you, President, Council Members.

I'm Adam Glickman, Secretary-Treasurer at SEIU 775. With all due respect, the development of the policy heard in the Governance Committee to gut pay up has literally been one of the worst, most anti-worker, anti-union legislative processes I have ever witnessed in my 20 years here in Washington State.

Let me be very clear here.

Drive Forward, which is being described as a representative of workers in this process, is the equivalent of a company union, a union funded by and controlled by the company.

Company unions are illegal under U.S. and international law because companies that didn't want a union would create a company union to negotiate a sweetheart deal bad for workers.

I strongly encourage you to step back from the sham proposal that would not only reduce take home pay for workers, but undermine protections for workers when their rights are violated and instead engage in a discussion and conversation with legitimate

Thank you.

Our last speaker is Michael Wolff.

Excuse me, your time is up.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Michael Wolff, you will be our last in-person speaker.

There it goes.

Okay.

Thank you.

Hi.

My name is Michael Wolff.

I'm the executive director of Drive Forward.

I just want to address the previous person's comments.

Drive Forward is an independent organization formed under the IRS code 501 .

We are a professional trade industry association.

We are not a corporate union.

We have an independent board, a super majority of which have no relations with any of the app companies.

This is a false accusation by groups that didn't like the fact that we are trying to fix a law that is broken.

You've heard from drivers here who are saying they're making $10 an hour.

Their wages have dropped from $3,000 a month to $1,500 a month.

This law does not work.

We need to fix this.

Please stay the course.

Thank you.

We'll now move to our remote speakers.

Give me one second to find them.

Our first remote speaker will be Nora Salem, and Nora will be followed by Juan Contreras.

And a reminder to our remote speakers that after you hear a ding, you'll have 10 seconds to wrap up your comments.

Thank you.

Nora?

You may need to press start.

Hi, I'm Nora.

Thank you.

Go ahead, Nora.

Go ahead.

Hi, I'm Nora.

I'm calling in support of PayUp because gig workers deserve fair pay.

PayUp makes it so that gig workers who work for delivery apps actually get minimum wage when accounting for time and expenses.

I don't understand why city council would be interested in overturning a law that allows people to get paid a living wage in the city.

PayUp was designed by workers and for workers, and workers should have a fair say when it comes to their working conditions.

As a food delivery customer, I want to know that the money that I'm paying is going to delivery people here in Seattle and not some rich app developer in Silicon Valley.

I think the question for city council is, are you working for us?

Are you working for workers here in Seattle?

Or are you working for wealthy app developers who are out of state?

Thank you.

Thank you our next remote speaker is Juan Contreras and Juan will be followed by Leif Geiering.

Go ahead Juan.

Good afternoon council my name is Juan and I'm calling to support the pay up law because gig workers deserve to make a livable wage in Seattle.

For a matter of fact everybody in Seattle deserves to make at least minimum wage.

Every person I know agrees with this because we all know how hard and expensive it is to live in Seattle.

I've talked to some workers who say this law has changed their lives.

They don't have to work insane hours just to make rent dues.

With the law, workers don't have to wonder if they're losing money just by taking an order because they'll know beforehand.

At the end of the day, corporations don't care about the customers nor the workers.

All they care about is the profits they can make.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Our next speaker will be Leif Geiring, and following Leif will be Allie Baker.

Go ahead, Leif.

And Leif, you may need to press star six.

All right.

My name is Leif.

I used to drive full-time for Uber and Lyft, and now I drive occasionally for Uber Eats.

The legislation backed up by the pay-up campaign has greatly improved the lives of gig workers in Seattle.

Seattle is one of the most expensive cities in America, and gig workers are among the least paid.

The protections provided by pay-up are necessary to keep the working population above the poverty line, which is already an incredible problem in this city.

There is also no need to make a amendments limiting the effectiveness of the pay-up legislation for the sake of the gig companies.

App transparency does not affect the bottom line of companies like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, etc.

App transparency simply shows the worker how much they are making from each source and ensures that the companies are complying with local, state, and federal regulations.

I am strongly opposed to altering the pay-up laws in a way that compromises their protections for gig workers.

That's all.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Allie Baker and following Allie will be Alex Pham.

Go ahead, Allie.

Hello.

Good afternoon.

My name is Allie Baker and I'm calling in to support the pay up campaign and I'm against cutting pay for gig workers.

My brother's a gig worker outside of Seattle metro area and has to completely rely on tips to get him through.

He doesn't make nearly enough.

He worked multiple other jobs just to barely survive.

He must use food stamps and other assistance to get him the basics.

For gig workers in Seattle, that's no longer the case.

Workers in Seattle get paid a full fair wage plus their tips on top.

That's the way it should be.

I've talked to gig workers here in Seattle who are so happy about the new pay-up laws.

The policy is designed to pay minimum wage after accounting for time and expenses of independent contractors.

It's nonsensical to have a minimum wage standard for contractors that doesn't take those things into account.

Every worker should get paid at least minimum wage.

We cannot go back to when gig workers were only making $2 per hour.

My brother and every other gig worker deserve a wage with tips on top.

Gig workers deserve to make a living and have jobs with dignity.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alex Pham, and following Alex will be Joel Kraft.

My name is Alex Pham.

I'm calling in support of pay-ups and the gig workers who shaped it and all the gig workers it protects.

If app-based gig work existed in 1975, it's probably what my parents would have done when they came here as refugees.

A lot of folks who do gig work, including so many of my family and friends, remind me of my parents, immigrants, working multiple jobs to support their families until they figure out long-term careers, maybe going to school or learning trades on the way.

But of course the gig economy didn't exist in 1975. And just as that world is new and it's motive modes of exploitation are unprecedented.

The rules that govern it need to be innovative like pay up, which takes into account input from countless gig workers.

And unlike Sarah Nelson's proposal, which feels tailored to enrich out of state corporations, I'm against pay cuts for gig workers.

And I support the policy that they design and that they need because We all need.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Joelle Kraft and following Joelle will be David Haynes.

Go ahead, Joelle.

Hello, my name is Joelle Kraft and I'm a business owner for decades now here in Seattle, and I'm also a 40 year resident.

Today I'm talking about the pay up campaign as another business order talked about how the fact that when The bottom of our workers are paid.

They're the ones that are investing into the small communities.

They're the ones that are coming out to see the small shows.

They're not going to these high ends.

They're investing in these small businesses.

Everyone deserves a fair pay, and that's one big thing we've always been about in Seattle.

We're the progressive ones.

We're the ones giving the top pay.

Basic needs need to be met.

And as we all know, since the pandemic, health care should not be a luxury and especially when they're not getting it at all.

And as you know, everyone is watching from TV shows like John Oliver's to people in our community, to the voters, to other cities and states.

We're all watching.

And the fact that this is the city council is trying to do a complete 180.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is David Haynes and following David Haynes will be Lynn Reed.

Hi, thank you, David Ames.

It's been over four months, maybe five months since council was certified as elected.

And today was the final day that the city departments finally got the city council up to speed on all the public safety crisis and concerns.

And it seems that like working two hours every two weeks for the council committees is not enough.

Because as it is right now, the city hall, the mayor, the police chief are still exempting evil, low level drug pushers from jail.

And the redirected defunded money is paying off protesters from George Floyd, who demanded that evil criminals, repeat offenders would be prioritized for housing and services first.

And people are wondering why our society is imploding because the police chiefs are not training to question and trespass the junkie thieves to find out where they keep getting the drugs.

And now we have this.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Lynn Reed.

And Lynn will be followed by our last speaker, Elizabeth Murphy.

Go ahead, Lynn.

Good afternoon.

Thank you for hearing our comments today.

My name is Lynn Reed, and I'm a member with Drive Forward.

This law will have a minimum earnings floor of $19.97 per hour and $0.35 per mile tips on top of that.

One of our drivers last week shared that while they were in Seattle, they went online and waited 50 minutes for an order and nothing was offered.

Their experience prior to pay up implementation was rarely a wait for an offer.

We hear this story over and over again along with 50% plus cuts in earnings due to less offers.

On-demand drivers in Seattle are hurting.

Please fix this legislation.

This will have a gigantic impact on those on-demand drivers.

and we look forward to having everybody on a fair playing level.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our last speaker today will be Elizabeth Murphy.

My name is Liz Murphy and I'm a member of Washington CAN and a resident of District number five until recently.

Sorry, one moment.

Until recently, I was a frequent customer of DoorDash.

As a double organ transplant recipient who is currently rejecting my kidney, I often relied on this service to get groceries, dog food, toiletries, and even over-the-counter medications when I wasn't feeling well.

With the recent retaliatory fee that DoorDash has added, I am no longer able to afford this service, and I refuse to reduce the tips that I give workers in order to make up the difference.

While these services are a huge help, is just as important to me that gig workers who do such an essential job make a living wage.

I will not support a system that exploits both customers and its workers.

My ask as a customer and a consumer is to roll back the minimum wage.

Do not cave to these greedy corporations and instead protect the customers and gig workers you represent.

Thank you.

That concludes our speakers, Council President.

Thank you very much.

I do want to note, given the interest in this topic, that the Governance Accountability and Economic Development Committee meeting this Thursday will not have this item on the agenda.

Instead, we are working through the technical changes that the proposal And so this will be discussed in committee on Thursday, April 25th.

And so I'm asking people that might ordinarily be inclined to speak to this issue to not sign up for public comment because my committee adheres to a council rule that provides for the discretion of the chair to limit items for public comment to items on the agenda.

So I just don't want folks to have the expectation that you'll be able to speak on this item on this coming Thursday.

Please, that will be discussed again at the second meeting of the month on April 25th.

And you'll have opportunities to speak in full council meetings, city council meetings on Tuesdays leading up to that.

So thank you for hearing me.

I'm just trying to save people some time and frustration.

All right, we've reached the end of the list of registered speakers.

The public comment period is now closed.

Thank you everybody for coming out today and making comment.

Moving along.

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

Hearing no objection, the introduction and referral calendar is adopted.

And if there's no objection, the agenda will also be adopted.

Hearing none, the agenda is adopted.

We'll move on to the proposed consent calendar and the items on the consent calendar are the minutes of April 2nd, 2024 and council bill 120762, payment of the bills.

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

Hearing none, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you very much.

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 Wu.

Yes.

Council Member Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Council Member Kettle.

Aye.

Council Member Moore.

Aye.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Rivera.

Council Member Saka?

Aye.

Council President Nelson?

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you very much.

The consent calendar items are adopted.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the minutes in legislation on the consent calendar on my behalf?

All right, moving on to the Transportation Committee Item 1. Will the clerk please read the title of the item into the record?

Agenda Item 1, Resolution 32132, a resolution providing an honorary designation of 8th Avenue between Seneca Street and Spring Street as Ware-Harmon Way.

The committee recommends the council adopt the resolution.

Thank you very much.

Council Member Saca, as chair of the Transportation Committee, you're recognized to provide the committee report and then Council Member Morales, his sponsor, will address it.

Yeah, thank you, Madam Council President.

And thank you, Council Member Morales, for bringing this important initiative forward.

I am happy to support this resolution and so pleased that Mr. Harmon's family has joined us.

Here today in chambers, the Transportation Committee colleagues unanimously recommends that the City Council adopt this resolution.

And Council Member Morales, pass it to you.

Thank you, Council President.

Good afternoon, everyone.

I've talked about this resolution a couple of times, but for the purpose of this meeting, and I know that Barbara is in the audience, Barbara Sauerman.

So I will say, in his 17 years as Executive Director of Town Hall Seattle, where Harmon turned Town Hall into a beloved venue, a platform for local creators, a place that hosts some of the world's most famous artists and thinkers and writers.

And even with that fact, one of the things that Ware insisted on was making sure that ticket prices remained affordable.

And he also really insisted that attendance be free for young people in Seattle.

And he did that because he believed that by creating a better place in Seattle, a place where people could gather, a place where using this venue as a platform for conversation, for celebrating the diversity of Seattle, to share different perspectives, that we really could create a better place to live.

And that's what he did.

He helped transform Town Hall Seattle into that kind of a venue here, and Seattle is better for it.

We lost Ware in December to lung cancer after a six year battle, and his family and community members miss him terribly.

But this honor will allow all of us to remember Ware's legacy, his impact on our city, and to celebrate Ware Harmon as a a scholar, a musician, a baseball fan, and an incredible husband and father.

Barbara, I'm sorry I can't be there today, but I'm really honored to be able to support the creation of Ware Harmon Way and look forward to walking it with you and your family.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you very much for bringing this forward.

I will open the floor to comments or questions from my colleagues.

I want to say that I moved to Seattle in 1990, and some of my earliest memories as a graduate student were attending lectures and public events, readings, at Town Hall and it was always a place that I considered a commons where we could come together and at very little or no cost just be part of the civic fabric and that's an essential function that I've always felt Town Hall and it's just, it's a venerable institution and a gift to civic discourse and public life here in Seattle.

So thank you very much Council Member Morales for bringing this forward.

We'll have an opportunity to hear from our guests in a moment.

Are there any further comments?

Okay, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council Member Wu?

Yes.

Council Member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council Member Kettle?

Aye.

Council Member Moore?

Aye.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Council Member Saka?

Aye.

Council President Nelson?

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you very much.

The resolution is adopted and the chair will sign it.

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

All right, if there is no objection, the council rules will be suspended to allow Barbara Sauerman, the wife of Weir Harmon and Yasmine Mehdi, Town Hall Seattle board member to address the council and allow our council member Saka to physically present the resolution to our guests.

Hearing no objection, the rules are suspended.

Council Member Saka, please present the resolution and then our guests are welcome to provide comments.

Two copies.

Good afternoon.

My name is Barbara Saruman.

I'm WEA's wife.

My children, Ruby and Stella, are here.

And I want to thank the council for inviting us to be here today.

I want to specifically thank Councilwoman Morales for spearheading the initiative and everybody on the council for adopting it today.

Town Hall was WEA's life and legacy.

There was no place besides our home where you spent more time and energy than Town Hall and that particular block.

He was involved in every aspect of the stunning 35 and a half million renovation of this 100-year-old church, turning it into a state-of-the-art modern venue housed inside a historic building where love old buildings and he believed new ideas need to live in old buildings, which is a quote.

Town Hall now features three different performance spaces, a state-of-the-art sound system, broadcasting capabilities, and a podcasting studio, while at the same time being fully seismically stable, which was really important to him that Town Hall survives given where we live.

The great hall with the stunning stained glass oculus is one of the most gorgeous spaces in Seattle.

Over 17 years, Ware worked tirelessly to turn Town Hall into the amazing cultural treasure it is today, a place where everyone is welcome, that's accessible, inclusive, exciting, and where people come together to share a collective experience.

Bringing people together was at the core of his being.

He wanted Town Hall to be a resource and a place for presenters at every stage of their career, as well as attract a diverse audience.

People refer to the low ticket prices free for young people.

Wegg would get so excited when the calendar was chock full, even though it meant he was doing introductions five or more nights a week.

His philosophy was to say yes to as many events as possible, and he was just as happy about a sold-out big-name event in the Great Hall as he was about a grad student's presentation about indigenous fungi in the Windcoat Forum that drew 20 mushroom enthusiasts.

He literally curated hundreds of programs at Town Hall, and nothing gave him more joy than when the building had events on every level and was brimming with people from all strokes of life.

and he did not shy away from incredibly ambitious projects either.

My personal favorites were the Hanoi Water Puppets Town Hall presented in 2015, where the Wincote Forum was turned into an 8,000-gallon tank, and then the ancient form from Vietnam delighted kids and adults alike.

Where was someone who made the impossible happen over and over again the Weah Harmon way?

He was an inspiration to many, and we're very grateful for the city to honor him this way.

Thank you very much.

In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell shares that three kinds of people are important in making an idea or product go viral.

Connectors, mavens, and salespeople.

Connectors have large social networks.

Salespeople talk about ideas they love in enticing ways.

And mavens are known for their influence and good advice.

Where Harmon was all three of these.

However, his passion was not a commercial product or idea.

Instead, Ware espoused a multiplicity of arts and ideas and the love of community.

And he did this every day in a desire for the betterment of Seattle.

Barbara shared the many ways that he made Town Hall the beloved community hub that it is.

He made sure to leverage that reputation in the interest of others, whether our presenting partner organizations or individual speakers and artists.

I worked for the Seattle Public Library for seven years as a director of community programs, and Town Hall was a partner way back then for Seattle Public Library programs.

He also nurtured the town hall staff in their career paths even after they had left town hall to be leaders elsewhere.

But Ware didn't only champion arts and ideas and community at Town Hall.

He also did this at KUOW, where he served on the board for nine years.

He did this as a member of the Cultural CEO Roundtable, working in collaboration with other arts leaders.

He did this as part of the brain trust behind the Downtown Historic Theater District.

He did this by showing up for other arts organizations at their opening nights and other important events.

And he did this in the way that he, Barbara, Stella, and Ruby live their lives, always in community, always exchanging passions and interests, and always being open to how they could be part of making something a little bit better or easier or lighter for those around them.

And he did this in his inimitable way, with a broad smile on his face and in nuanced detail.

Ware's enduring legacy to Seattle is the manifestation of his love and community, love of community and ideas in the form of Town Hall.

As a board member, I commit to you that we will ensure this legacy continues for years to come.

You now have a similar opportunity, well actually you did have a similar opportunity to manifest Ware's legacy by creating Ware Harmon Way.

Because Ware had a broad impact on Seattle, you could name any number of streets after him.

But it is certainly most fitting and greatly appreciated that you have chosen this stretch of 8th Avenue in front of the building that is filled with his imprimatur, including the acoustic reflector in the Great Hall, the warm embrace of the Windcoat Forum, the Timothy Firth art pieces made out of the old organ pipes in the reading room, and in the many intangible things, the number and array of programs, the dedicated and loyal staff, the residencies that have given platforms to artists over many years, and the very interweaving of Town Hall into Seattle's ecosystem.

I join Barbara, Stella, Ruby, my fellow board members, the town hall staff, some of whom are here today, and the entire community of town hall members and supporters in thanking you for this great honor for Ware Harmon, a remarkable individual, a connector, maven, salesperson, and a friend to so many.

Thank you so, so much.

Thank you very much for coming here today, for helping us remember where, and I just want to acknowledge that the city's loss is felt on a totally different level to the family.

And so thank you very much for coming out today.

My condolences.

Anybody else?

All right.

Thank you again.

Will the clerk now please read the title of item two into the record?

Agenda item two, clerk file 314512, the petition of Dinnie and Eastlake Limited Partnership and Dinnie and Stewart Limited Partnership for the vacation of the alley line within block 24, Pontius IV Addition, to the city of Seattle extending from the north margin of Denny Way and the easterly margin of Stewart Street, the committee recommends the council grant as conditioned, the clerk file.

Thank you.

Council Member Saka, as chair of the committee, you're recognized to provide the committee report.

Absolutely.

Thank you, Madam Council President.

And this item relates to 1305 Stewart Alley, the vacation.

And this specific clerk file would grant the vacation of the alley in the block surrounded by Denny Way, Stewart Street and East Lake Avenue East with conditions.

The vacation petition was filed by Denny & Eastlake Limited Partnership and Denny & Stewart Limited Partnership.

The vacation would facilitate the development of a 15-story research facility, with ground floor retail uses as well.

SDOT and the Seattle Design Commission recommended conditional approval.

Colleagues, I'll flag the public benefits provided as part of this particular project would include improved pedestrian crossings of Stewart Street at Lower Denny Way and East Lake Avenue East, A lot of directional things in those street names.

East Lake improvements, including new bike lanes, wider sidewalks, street trees and lighting.

Improvements to Lower Denny Way as a pedestrian street with plantings, street trees, lighting and seating.

Publicly accessible infrastructure, including a bottle fill station, electricity, water, a bike fix-it station, and a bicycle storage room with public use along lower Denny Way.

Artwork on the north side of the Denny Way overpass and...

funding for wayfinding improvements in the area.

Generally, the conditions ensure that this project is built consistent with the presentation to council and the public benefit features are completed before the city finalizes the vacation.

And friendly reminder, colleagues, the Transportation Committee unanimously recommends that the City Council grant this vacation as condition.

Thank you, Madam Council President.

Thank you.

I'm opening the floor now to any questions or comments from Transportation Committee members.

All right.

I'll just note that the bike commute amenities certainly sound good to me because that was my route when I would ride to City Hall way back in the day.

Okay.

Council President, I was just going to add Obviously, I support it as a member of the Transportation Committee, but as a D7 representative, this location is just inside District 7, just west of I-5 and north of Denny Way, and it's going to be a step up in many ways related to pedestrian safety, traffic safety, and just, and as I've noted in the briefing, you know, the evergreens that are going to be planted.

So even for our green canopy goals, I support this, both from a public safety perspective, but from a District 7 representative perspective as well.

Thank you for that input.

All right.

If there are no further questions, will the clerk please call the roll on granting as conditioned the clerk file?

Council Member Wu.

Yes.

Council Member Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Council Member Kettle.

Aye.

Council Member Moore.

Aye.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Rivera.

Aye.

Council Member Saka.

Aye.

Council President Nelson.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you very much.

The clerk file is granted as conditioned and the chair will sign the council conditions.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the council conditions on my behalf.

Okay, there were no items removed from the consent calendar and there is not a resolution for introduction and adoption today.

Is there any other business to come before the council?

Okay, just to note that I will have to be absent from the Human Services and the Parks Committee MEETINGS TOMORROW AND WANTED TO SAY YET AGAIN THAT THE PAYUP LEGISLATION WILL NOT BE AN ITEM ON THE THURSDAY AGENDA OF THE GOVERNANCE ACCOUNTABILITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE.

SO WE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING COMMENT ON THAT ITEM.

ALL RIGHT.

HEARING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, WE HAVE REACHED THE END OF TODAY'S AGENDA.

OUR NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING WILL BE ON APRIL 16TH AT 2 P.M.

And now we are adjourned.

It is 2.52.

Thank you, everybody.