Seattle City Council 11/26/18

Good afternoon.

Thank you for being here for our November 26 meeting.

The city council meeting and the full council come to order.

It's 2-0-7 p.m.

I'm Bruce Harrell, president of the council.

The clerk, please call the roll.

Herbold?

Here.

Johnson?

Here.

Juarez?

Here.

Mosqueda?

Here.

O'Brien?

Here.

Bagshaw?

Here.

Gonzales?

Here.

President Harrell?

Here.

Five present.

Thank you very much.

If there's no objection, Councilmember Mesqueda will be excused from today's meeting.

Hearing no objection, Councilmember Mesqueda is excused.

Please let the record reflect that Councilmember Warris is here and present.

Thank you.

And we shall proceed.

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

Hearing no objection, today's introduction and referral calendar will be adopted.

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

Hearing no objection, today's agenda is adopted.

The minutes of the November 13, 2018 City Council meeting have been reviewed, and if there's no objection, the minutes will be signed.

Hearing no objection, the minutes are being signed.

Presentations.

I don't believe there are any presentations this afternoon.

Please let the record also reflect that Council Member Bagshaw has joined us.

And that the budget has been signed.

And that the budget has been signed.

And for the viewing public, there was a ceremony where a few Council Members had joined the Mayor.

Thank you for being here.

So at this time, we'll take public comment on items that appears on today's agenda or the Introduction and Referral Calendar or the City Council's 2008 Work Program.

The public comment will be accepted for 20 minutes, the speaker's limited to two minutes, and I'll call you out in the order with which you've signed.

And we'll start off, we have two speakers, Eric Holzapfel, Eric Holzapfel, and then the Honorable Michael Fuller.

Sorry for slaughtering your last name, I think.

Hello, city council members.

My name is Eric Hulsafel.

I'm the immigration manager at Entre Hermanos.

I want to give a comment over the public charge resolution that you're considering.

Much has been said about public charge in the news and how it might affect our immigration systems in this country.

We hear on the fear of public benefits from individuals who are worried about accessing health care or housing or food and nutrition because of how this might affect their immigration applications.

We know that it has a limited scope to those seeking to apply for residency, but most individuals do not know and do not know when they are exempt.

So it has created a huge chilling effect on our ability to enroll folks in Obamacare or affordable care and having folks access public housing.

in our nutrition programs.

For my organization, it is key in our HIV and AIDS prevention and support.

What this is, what public charge is on the national base, is a rewrite of immigration laws, not done through the legislator but done administratively.

And what it really is is a rewrite of our family-based petitions, what our current immigration is based on, the family unity and your ability to petition for a family member to a merit-based system, something that we have not agreed to in this country and cannot be done administratively.

It has to be done through our national legislative process.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Eric.

The Honorable Michael Fuller.

Yes, as I continue in prayer, I'm here on this Open Meeting Act violation.

I'm speaking directly to President Bruce Harrell.

Yes, sir.

I feel that This is extraordinary abuse, abusive moral turpitude of extraordinary circumstances, reckless misconduct and wanted misconduct, and irreparable injury and harm to Margaret Lloyd Richards, Sue I. Jewelers, and Honorable Michael Fuller, Sue I. Jewelers.

Violation of our First Amendment rights due process, equal protection of our Fourteenth Amendment rights and procedure due process, and subpoena due process.

Also, a breach of contract, breach of trust with fraudulent intent and fraudulent dishonest acts, and openly violating RCW 2.48.210, you are oathed on admission, RCW 2.24.020, you are oathed in RCW 2.04.080, you are oathed to office.

Immigration Reform Act of 1986 that was signed by President Ronald Reagan, that's not being enforced.

And because of your incompetency and mullomancy, you have caused me to, for fighting for our homeless veterans and families, now I've had surgery two times, Bruce Hurrell, and they took my liver out.

Because you what you laughing for I know but that's a ring Larry Gossett came to see you, but you didn't Bruce.

I'm sorry.

Sorry my bad my bad Stop it.

Stop the clock You very smart and you articulate to thank you sir, but appreciate those compliments I'm a hold you accountable for filing your office

Thank you.

Remember United States versus Lee 1882 meaning no man in this country is so high.

Restart the clock please.

That's even Donald Trump.

Thank you sir.

Read that.

Okay thank you honorable.

That will end our public comment section and at this point we'll go to payment of the bills.

Please read the title.

Council Bill 119410 an ordinance appropriating money to pay certain audited claims and ordering the payment thereof.

I move to pass Council Bill 119410. It's been moved and seconded.

The bill passed.

Any further comments?

Please call the roll on the passage of the bill.

Herbold?

Aye.

Johnson?

Aye.

Juarez?

Aye.

O'Brien?

Aye.

Bagshaw?

Aye.

Gonzales?

Aye.

President Harrell?

Aye.

Seven in favor, nine opposed.

The bill passes and the chair will sign it.

Please read the first agenda item.

The report of the City Council, Agenda Item 1, Resolution 31854, a resolution rejecting the federal administration's proposed public charge rule change as applied to legal permanent residency applications by immigrants because of the harm to, negative impact on, and chilling effect on immigrant communities' access to vital services and cost-saving initiatives that keep families healthy and on the path toward economic self-sufficiency and success.

introduced November 19th, 2018.

Council Member Gonzalez.

Thank you, Mr. President.

I move to adopt resolution 31854.

It's been moved and seconded.

We have a resolution to consider.

Thank you so much.

Colleagues, as I mentioned this morning during council briefing, Resolution 31854 allows the Seattle City Council to formally oppose the Trump administration's proposed rule change to what is commonly referred to as the public charge rule.

As you heard folks struggling already, try saying public charge rule change five times really fast.

On September 22nd, the Trump administration announced a proposed rule change that would negatively impact certain immigrants and immigrant families who access public services and benefits that help them stay healthy or pursue education and economic stability.

Under current policies, when someone applies for a visa to enter the U.S. or for lawful permanent resident status, a U.S. government official looks at that person's life circumstances to see if the person is likely to depend on the government for support in the future and thus be a person that is likely to become a public charge.

If they are deemed likely to become a public charge in the future, their application can be denied.

The government is proposing to change the public charge policy dramatically to make it more difficult for low and moderate income families to come to and stay in the U.S.

This policy change is yet another way that the Trump administration is attacking immigrant communities in Seattle, in Washington State, and across the country.

This is an issue that directly impacts our public health community and those seeking to access it.

In an op-ed dated October 3rd, 2018, Dr. Esquivel Getsena, medical director of the Seattle-based International Community Health Services, stated that the proposed rule change would directly impact patients at ICH, which sees approximately 17,000 Medicaid-based patients.

half of whom are non-U.S.

citizens that are low-income.

and of limited English proficiency.

Dr. Getzner provides us with recent chilling real-life examples of the impacts of this rule change, where she writes, quote, a patient from Eritrea refused enrollment in medical programs because he heard the government is, quote, unhappy, close quote, with immigrants receiving benefits.

An immigrant father asked his wife and kids be terminated from their entitlements out of fear of deportation, despite the fact his child was not thriving and needed medical attention.

These are, of course, anecdotal examples of impacts of a rule that has yet to be adopted and implemented, but let's imagine the consequences if the rule does pass and is not overturned by a court.

Passage of this rule will undoubtedly cause fear and terror amongst our immigrant communities in Seattle, but the consequences are graver than that.

In Washington State, food and nutrition advocates have expressed concern about the impact of this proposed rule on women, infants, and children in particular.

Programs like the Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, Food and Nutrition Services could be lost for mothers and their young children.

WIC is a program that helps low-income families access healthier foods, and it's considered a preventative health strategy that results in a more nutritious diet, increased rates of immunization, a 44 percent reduction in rates of low birth rates, lower rates of childhood anemia, and an increase in a child's readiness to learn.

In a Crosscut article published today, a nutrition services supervisor at ICH reported a 10 percent drop in WIC enrollments at ICH clinics and as much as a 25 percent drop at its Shoreline Clinic.

This is a shocking early trend and we have no reason to believe that it will not worsen if this rule is adopted and unchallenged.

And in fact, in Washington State, at least 244,800 people could be negatively affected by this rule change.

This, of course, is unacceptable.

Passage of this resolution will lay the framework for the City of Seattle to submit public comment to the Department of Homeland Security, and it reaffirms the City's commitment and support to the immigrant community and their health and access to vital City services, including through the Seattle-King County Public Health System.

With passage of this resolution, the City of Seattle joins more than 80,000 people and organizations, including Neighbor Care Health, the Washington State Association of Head Start, ECAP, and the Washington Low-Income Housing Alliance, Washington Governor Jay Inslee, and a bipartisan coalition of the U.S.

Conference of Mayors, including Mayor Durkan, to call upon the federal government to abandon this proposed rule change.

So I want to also encourage members of the public to join us in submitting a comment in opposition to this proposed public charge rule change by no later than December 10, 2018. If you are interested in submitting a public comment, you can use the form that is available at protectimmigrantfamilies.org, which my office will make available via our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts.

I want to thank my colleagues in advance for their anticipated support of this resolution.

I also want to thank the Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition for their work here in Washington State to educate and mobilize the public to call for this proposed rule change to be rejected.

And I'd also like to thank locally Children's Alliance Entre Hermanos, we heard from Eric earlier today, One America, ACRS, Moms Rising, Columbia Legal Services, Latinos Promoting Good Health, and Northwest Health Law Advocates for their commitment to Washington families and their leadership on this issue.

And we look forward to making sure that we can get as many public comments as we can by December 10th of 2018. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Gonzalez.

Any comments before we vote?

I just want to thank both Eric and your testimony and Council Member Gonzalez for your leadership again.

I think this morning during the briefing when you described it, you said it's a little wonky, but it's that kind of work that we have to do to establish the record.

And sometimes the narrative is that we're trying to protect immigrants and refugees.

Yes, we're trying to do that, but I think we're trying to protect our country by being embracive.

So thank you for your leadership and thank you for your advocacy.

And having said that, it's been moved and seconded already.

Those in favor of adopting the resolution, please vote aye.

Aye.

Those opposed, vote no.

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

Okay, is there any further business coming before the Council?

Yes.

Council Member Juarez.

Thank you.

I would like to be excused from Council December 3rd, December 10th, and December 17th.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded to excuse Council Member Juarez from December 3rd, 10th, and 17th.

Any comments?

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed?

The ayes have it.

Is there any further business coming before the Council?

Okay, we stand adjourned and everyone have a great rest of the day.