Seattle City Council 1/14/2025

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

It is 2.03.

I'm Sarah Nelson, Council President.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Rivera?

Present.

Councilmember Sacca?

Here.

Councilmember Strauss?

Present.

Councilmember Hollingsworth?

Here.

Councilmember Kettle?

Here.

Councilmember Moore?

Present.

Councilmember Rink?

Present.

Council President Nelson.

Present.

Eight present.

Thank you very much.

Council Member Moore has a proclamation proclaiming January 2025 to be Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Seattle.

Council Member Moore will share comments on the proclamation and then I'll open the floor for comments from council members.

And then after council member comments, we'll suspend the rules to present the proclamation to our guests and allow for our guests to provide brief comments themselves.

So with that, Council Member Moore, you're recognized to speak.

Thank you very much, Council President.

So colleagues, I'm honored to be presenting this proclamation to our community partners today.

I want to extend my deep thanks to the Mayor's Office and the Human Services Department for their partnership in bringing forward this proclamation.

Additionally, I'd like to thank my colleagues for adding their signature to this proclamation yesterday and critically for their support last year in passing the commercial sexual exploitation legislation.

Human trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation that occurs on our streets in massage parlors and in escort services is the exchange of sex acts often driven by force, fraud, or coercion for resources, basic resources like shelter, money, or affection.

It's abhorrent that it is occurring at all and it is regrettably all too common here in Seattle.

I want to say that I am eternally grateful to the advocates for their tireless work to help support survivors in navigating a path forward out of this.

And today we are very fortunate to have with us numerous organizations that have a deep commitment and experience in working with survivors, and they have provided tireless efforts to support our Seattle neighbors in healing from this trauma.

So on behalf of the City of Seattle, I am the honor to presenting all of you with a signed proclamation that January shall be recognized as Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Are there any comments from Council members?

Seeing none, will the clerk please call the roll for the council members that wish to have their signature.

Pardon me?

If there's no objection, the council rules will be suspended to present the proclamation and allow our guests to accept it and provide remarks.

I forgot that we all fixed our signatures yesterday.

Hearing no objection, the council rules are suspended and the proclamation will now be presented.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Yasminda Doral and I am the Director of Survivor Services at REST, Will Escape from the Sex Trade.

And I wanna thank the city of Seattle on behalf of REST and local organizations who are doing this work.

Thank you so much for this proclamation and your partnership in recognizing the dehumanizing problem within our city and our communities.

I pray that as we move forward with this partnership and as it continues that Seattle will continue to lead the way in prioritizing, mobilizing, and targeting efforts of criminalizing traffickers and providing adequate services for our survivors.

Thank you so much.

Okay, thank you very much.

Let's see.

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

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

Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today?

11 in person and five remote.

Okay, we will have two minutes each, and please begin with the in-person speakers.

Speakers will be called in the order in which they are registered, We'll begin with in-person speakers and follow with the remote speakers.

Speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left on their time and speakers mics will be muted if they do not enter comments within the allotted time to allow us to call on the next speaker.

The first three speakers is Carolyn Lanisha and then David Toledo.

I'm Carolyn Malone.

I live at Chancery Place Apartments, 910 Marion Street.

And so does this criminal cop who refuses to leave.

And because I protest his presence, he's concocted a scheme to have me evicted.

I must go to court.

on behalf of Chancery Place Apartments, which is illegal, because Chancery Place Apartments is managed by Catholic Community Services.

But this criminal cop...

I don't know his name.

It's not given to me.

But he lives in the building.

And because I constantly protest his presence, he's concocted a scheme to accuse me of unlawful detainment.

Now, these are 10 Payments, rental payments, money orders.

He returns to me each month in order to accuse me of unlawful detainment.

And so this is criminal.

No one will take up the cause.

City Council won't look into it because, of course, it's one of their beloved cops behind it.

But I intend to go to court on February 4th to defend myself because 10 months each time I cement a rental payment, it's sent back to me in order to claim that I'm occupying premises without paying.

There are other issues.

I'm under 24-hour surveillance because I protest this thug.

Other cops come on the premises.

I either submit or else go on my way and not send.

And Seattle Firemen also harassed me.

Thank you.

so he knows about it and won't do it again.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Lanisha Davis.

Earlier today, the Public Safety Committee met to discuss how to make Seattle safer for all of us.

I am here today to express how much I appreciate your strength, commitment, and integrity.

I wanna say thank you to Council Member Nelson for being the first on the council to champion this fight.

Four years ago, in your run for office, you were the lone voice standing against cause to defund our police.

You were strong and your strength inspired others to join you.

And now Seattle is blessed with a council that truly believes in the value of public safety.

This is a council of heroes.

Recently, jealousy showed itself again as the District 2 candidate resigned.

She decided to attack members of this council.

It was not appropriate, and her words are not supported by the residents of District 2. District 2 supports what this council is doing, and you will see us standing with you when you need us.

And District 2 supports the appointment of Bishop Ray Rogers to...

The vacant District 2 seat.

Bishop Rogers have lived in District 2 his entire life, a full 55 years.

Bishop Rogers is someone that is recognized and respected by all levels of society.

Bishop Rogers is someone who has faced the fire with you.

He has stood against the same forces who called to defund the police, the same people that attacked you.

For those of you who know Bishop personally, you know that he has been a shield at your back, protecting you from personal attacks.

He has put his reputation on the line because he believes in your vision for Seattle.

This week he will ask you to give him the same chance that he gave some of you to help make Seattle a better place for us all.

He believed in you and enough to plant a flag.

He told those around you that you deserve to be heard.

Thank you.

I'm gonna have to ask you to stop talking.

Next we have David Toledo followed by John Stromstan and Yvette Dinesh.

Hi there.

I brought one of these today, which I don't normally have.

I usually freestyle it.

But several weeks ago, I stood before the council, and at that time I asked you to consider appointing Tanya Wu to the vacant district to seat.

I wanted to apologize.

Maybe I was a little too zealous in supporting Tanya, not knowing that she was not interested in the position.

But the thing about me is I am 100 percenter.

So if I support you, I'm going to keep supporting you.

So I'd like to share a story with you.

About 15 years ago, before I was really into politics, I got to know Mayor Mike McGinn.

He was very open to some of the art infused work readiness programs that I was proposing.

And eventually the city did adopt a few of those.

So I was a big fan of McGinn's because of his support for youth arts programs.

His heart was really with arts and kids in particular.

So during his term as mayor, McGinn doubled the size of the Office of Arts and Culture.

He appointed a bunch of new arts commissioners as well as a new director to the Office of Arts and Culture.

And in some cases, I feel like these were really life-changing appointments.

But a few years later, when he was running for re-election, McGinn was seriously attacked by some of the local arts tabloids.

which made me kind of furious because I could see the good works that he was doing.

Not one commissioner, manager, nor director stood up for McGinn.

Not one person in a position to make a difference said, look at what Mike has done for the arts community.

So that really broke my heart.

I wanna ask you, is there value in a friend, an associate, or a leader that will storm the gates with you?

Behind the scenes support is good, but isn't there value in a friend that puts their reputation on the line for you, that will spend their street credibility or political capital to protect you?

Because there is such a person and his name is Bishop Ray Rogers.

Thank you.

Following John will be Yvette, and then after Yvette will be Monty.

One year ago yesterday, the pay up gig worker bill went into effect in Seattle.

Many of us spoke here to the council to tell you that it wasn't working as planned.

Working Washington said it was too soon to make any conclusions.

Well, now we've had one full year.

Everything that we told you has come to fruition.

Everything that Working Washington told you has proven false.

The restaurant delivery market is destroyed.

A significant number of people doing delivery were just barely surviving.

All of those workers are gone.

So now many of those are likely homeless.

Seattle has the fastest growing homelessness population in the country, and the pay-up bill is contributing to that.

Income from delivery is critical for people who have short-term unemployment.

It enables them to pay rent while doing a job search.

Now they have no safety net.

What happens to them?

We were all making a good living before Working Washington decided to meddle in a market that was working for anyone willing to work hard.

I know the council had good intentions with the pay-up bill.

Working Washington misled you because they were arrogant and ignorant of the market, and the way it actually works, and of course, had an agenda to create union workers.

There are so many vulnerable workers who can't function in a full-time job because of mental health issues.

Delivery was perfect for them to subsist on their own.

That is now gone.

Please reconsider the revised bill, CB 120-775.

Nothing is worse than doing nothing.

Pay up has harmed so many people who don't have the agency to come down here and advocate for themselves.

Your job as council members is to help citizens, workers, and businesses.

The pay-up bill has provably harmed all three.

This is a fixable problem, but it won't resolve itself.

Please help us.

Good afternoon, council members, Yvette Diners.

Recently when I spoke to the councils about Seemingly lack of accountability for organizations that get city funding.

Well, today I wanna congratulate and bring attention to two organizations that get money from the city and do an excellent job with funding they get.

The first one is the Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetland in Rainier Beach.

With the CEO of farm to preschool program, they provide over 200 good food bags to preschool in the area.

And for example, this big good food bags has organic rainbow Swiss chard, beets, shallots, and dandruff pears.

And I brought you some organic pears from the Oakland farm in Okanagan County.

And the neat thing about it is the good food bags are funded by the city's sweetened beverage tax, which I think is pretty cool.

And the next organization I'd like to mention is the Gifts of Hope, run by a black lady.

And the grant money they got from the city was used to hold their annual Christmas party, serving over 600 people.

and they had provided and everything was free from the food, the pictures of Black Santa, the activities and each and every single attendee got a Christmas present.

So thank you for the funding and also a shout out to those organizations that do excellent work with the money they get from the city.

Thank you very much.

Oh, here's your prayers.

Next is Monty, following Monty will be Marianne.

Those aren't for me.

That one works, too.

That's better.

Hi.

Thank you very much, City Council, for taking the time to hear our remarks.

My name is Monte Anderson.

I represent Seattle Building Trades.

And I've been here before to talk about this.

We at Seattle Building Trades have partnered with the community around housing and Soto.

I think a lot of you have been briefed on it.

We've sent letters.

I just want to come here to...

let you all know that we support you and your decisions around citizens in the city.

I believe it's time that we listen to citizens that want housing and not be just kind of pushed around on some kind of idea of that we're not acting in the best interest of people when we talk about housing and public safety.

I commend the speakers before me about talking about public safety and Sarah and the others that you've worked, you've done around it.

It's important.

It's important for my workers that come downtown and work.

I just want to let you all know that we support you and hopefully that we can get a holistic kind of idea and talking around public safety and housing and what works and what doesn't work and stick to the facts here and I think we're going to go a long ways with this.

So just want to let you know we're down here to support you, support the community, support some housing and along with it, public safety.

Thank you very much.

Hi, good afternoon.

I'm Mariana Haik.

I'm the political coordinator for the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters, and really want to echo off a little bit from my brother, Monty, over there.

So I'm here today to strongly encourage us to move that Council Bill 120933 to the Governance Accountability and Economic Development Committee for further consideration.

This proposal addresses two of the most urgent issues facing Seattle, housing and safety, while also creating stable, livable wage jobs that will contribute to the long-term stability for our community.

If this measure isn't advanced, we risk missing an essential opportunity to address the cruising houses, improve public safety, and provide career opportunities for residents who are eager to contribute to the growth of our city.

As somebody who has spent about 14 years with the apprenticeship programs, I was really happy to hear that there's gonna be some apprenticeship utilization tied to this opportunity.

So apprenticeships do play a key role in this plan, offering vital hands-on training, pathways to good paying jobs.

So by supporting apprenticeship programs, we're investing in our own workforce and ensuring that Seattle's growth remains rooted to the local community.

It's a good opportunity that our workforce gets to not only be able to work in the city, but afford to work in the same opportunities that they live in.

With that being said, I want to thank you council members for this opportunity and hope we can move forward.

Thanks.

Next we have Jesse Cervantes followed by Billy and then following Billy would be Howard Gale.

Good afternoon, Seattle City Council members.

My name is Jess Cervantes.

I'm a representative with the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters.

As a carpenter, I've seen firsthand how important it is to provide well-paying jobs and to address the housing shortages that continue to affect our city.

I'm urging you to move CB120933 to the Governance Accountability and Economic Development Committee for further discussion.

This proposal is a critical step in tackling housing and creating good jobs and careers that people can rely on.

This proposal isn't just about development, it's about making sure Seattle has the tools it needs to grow both economically and socially.

We need to invest in our workforce, create pathways to real careers and ensure that the growth of our city benefits everyone.

I ask you to take action now and move this proposal forward for the good of all Seattle residents.

Thank you.

We have Billy.

Following Billy would be Howard.

Afternoon, Council President and Nelson and Council Members.

Like I mentioned, Council Member Moore before the meeting, I hope each of you got time to spend with your family during this holiday season.

I know I got to run around with my niece and nephew, so it's always time to get away, and then now we're back after, right?

My name is Billy Hetherington, proudly I am a member.

I'm today here speaking to Council Bill 120933, which is housed in the IRC today.

I'm asking for your support to stay the course of the proposed referral and movement of this important stadium, Makers District proposal, rather than another delay when the housing support for Makers and much-needed economic development in this area is critical.

This proposal has strong support from the broad-based diverse and growing coalition and extremely strong support from the broader Seattle community as shown in the letter that was sent over to each one of you.

So thank you for allowing me to commit or have comments today.

Thank you.

Howard Gale and then followed by Howard W. Alex Zimmerman.

Good afternoon.

Howard Gale, District 7. So earlier today, The Public Safety Committee listened to the bill on crowd control, the new bill.

It passed out of that committee with a divided vote.

Again, I want to return to the facts which seem to be ignored.

In 2021, not this council, but the council passed unanimously with two conservative members the original crowd control legislation.

And what's really important here is if you look at that bill, the flow of how it was supposed to be implemented was the city attorney submitted it to the court to put the court on notice.

The SPD then within 60 days was supposed to create policies to comply with that ordinance.

And then the court was supposed to approve those policies.

That entire process was short circuited.

And yet here we are four years later going back with 10 amendments that are confusing, still inadequacies, trying to assert the will of both the council and the people from four years ago.

This is completely illegitimate.

And let me point out kind of an indication of how far removed from reality this council is, you're talking about still permitting police to throw blast balls and debating whether it should be underhanded, overhanded, at a person, not at a person, away from a crowd.

Again, I pointed this out.

13-year-old study from University of Southern Florida showing that with the most accurate, confined circumstance and repeatedly throwing exactly the blast balls we use in Seattle, They broke into seven to 93 fragments, and the actual blast ball itself ended up anywhere from a minimum of two feet from its intended target to 17 feet.

So again, the whole idea that blast balls can even be used, the only reason they exist and the only reason that the SPD wants them is because it helps escape responsibility.

Thank you.

We have Alex Zimmerman.

Following Alex is Sarah.

Zeheil, my dirty damn Nazi Gestapo fascist cockroaches, a mob and bandita.

My name Alex Zimmerman, I'm president of Stand Up America, Trump supporter for 10 years, from 15, from beginning, and each my election, yeah, for 10 years.

I want to speak about something that's absolutely critical right now.

All internet right now talking about Democrats who acting like a mob, like bandita, Don't listen to different opinion.

It's a little bit surprised me because Seattle, very unique city, you know what it means.

For my analogy, and I live here approximately 40 years and speak in council chamber 2,000 times.

Yeah.

Seattle is probably number one fascist city in America.

Yeah, in county too.

Probably different from 35,000 county, but as we have.

So my question right now to you, and I spoke to you many times, but my question right now about the 700,000 slave and cockroaches, what is never support very simple point.

Can people in Seattle be a free, like opposed to be by definition, like Trump ask, for example, and more Republican talk.

I'm not Republican, no.

So my proposition, and I talk about you for many years, 10 years probably, open better room in city hall so people can go and speak for three minutes without controlling a council mob bandita like you.

You're doing this.

For many years, these 700 plus thousand cockroaches are slaves.

They scared to ever support this idea.

Their mentality looks like a German Nazi did with German in theory.

You know what it means?

People scared.

They're normal people.

They are cockroaches.

Viva Trump!

Viva new American revolution!

Our last person's speaker is Sarah.

Hello, everybody.

I just wanted to apologize for being late.

Traffic was bad, but I still wanted to take a moment to address the council.

On behalf of the more we love, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the city of Seattle for this proclamation during Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

The More We Love is a survivor-ran, survivor-led organization and is both a survivor of human trafficking and sexual exploitation and the Director of Survivor Services.

This acknowledgement means so much to me personally and to our entire community.

Since we began our work at The More We Love in July, we have had the honor of serving 42 survivors, a number that continues to grow.

I'm incredibly proud of the work we have accomplished alongside the city council, creating intentional paths for supporting survivors and holding traffickers and buyers accountable.

This work is not just transformative for my community, but it is also deeply healing for me.

I was turned out on Aurora and this work gives me hope that the pain I have endured was not in vain.

I can now use my experiences to uplift and support the women I serve every day.

The More We Love is committed to this work and in it for the long haul.

We believe in radical trauma-informed and intentional care and resources, and we will continue to fight for what is right and for what survivors deserve.

To the city council, thank you for listening to the voices of survivors and showing up daily for the most marginalized and vulnerable people.

Your partnership and dedication inspire me and the more we love to keep moving forward.

And I just wanna personally thank you very much, you guys.

We'll now move on to remote speakers.

A reminder to our remote speakers, Please press star six after you hear the message that you have been unmuted.

Our first remote speaker is Amy Hagopian followed by Georgia Sleeth.

Go ahead, Amy.

Hello, can you hear me?

Yes.

Hello, this is Amy Hagopian.

I live in District 3. I'm a professor of public health at the University of Washington, and I appreciate your work on our Seattle City Council.

I'm here today to call your attention to the work the University of Washington School of Public Health did in 2021 to document the public health consequences of the 2020 police violence in Seattle.

We gathered the court documents that were submitted in the lawsuit on behalf of plaintiffs and categorized the injuries caused by type of weapon used.

I've sent you each an email with a link to this website, which is spdviolence2020.com.

When you go to the website, you'll see the webinar we've recorded of our public forum on the 2020 police violence with our deans of public health and law school and several national experts.

My young grandchildren came with me to the very first downtown protest at the end of May in 2020. As soon as we arrived at Westlake, unprovoked, the flash rounds were unleashed, with children clearly present, and one, at least, was harmed seriously.

As a resident of the Central District, I lived just a few blocks from the East Precinct.

I participated in the protests, was tear gassed, and was pushed and shoved by police.

A former student was seriously injured and was among the plaintiffs who split the $10 million settlement the city had to pay out to end the lawsuit.

I'd also like to direct you to a paper in BMJ's Injury Prevention Journal just published last week by my colleagues at Harborview on the injuries they saw in their emergency room over that period.

Public health would not be served by allowing Seattle police to use weapons that harm so many so severely in 2020. It's also remarkable that you'd risk more costs to taxpayers for additional police-induced injuries.

The prohibition

Thank you, Amy.

Our next speaker is Georgia Sleeth, and following Georgia will be Judy Akulaitis.

Go ahead, Georgia.

And Georgia, you may need to press star six.

Can you hear me okay?

Yep.

Great.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak.

My name is Dr. Georgia Sleeth, and I'm an internal medicine physician and researcher on injury prevention in Seattle.

And I'm also calling in regarding Council Bill 120-519 that was discussed earlier this morning.

I'm calling to strongly oppose the reinstatement of least use of less lethal weapons.

Earlier this month, my research team and I published a study exploring protest-related injuries during the Capitol Hill autonomous zone in 2020 in the Journal of Injury Prevention.

They found that nearly one in four patients who presented to the emergency department for protest-related injuries had injuries due to West Coast weapons.

These included tear gas, pepper spray, blast balls, and rubber bullets, leading to significant human suffering.

This does not include the many individuals who dealt with their injuries at home and did not present to the emergency department or presented to emergency departments not captured in our study.

My review of the growing literature on less lethal weapons, like chemical irritants and projectiles, shows that they can lead to acute injury, including brain bleeds requiring surgical intervention and eye trauma leads to vision loss.

As physicians, we also see how these injuries and chemical exposures can exacerbate underlying medical conditions, resulting in increased health care needs.

Based on these studies and recent history, I hear that reinstating less lethal weapons would be a detriment to public health in Seattle.

And for this, I'm strongly encouraging a vote against Council Bill 12519 that would reinstate police use of left legal weapons.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Judy Akalaitis, and following Judy will be Alberto Alvarez.

Go ahead, Judy.

Hi, my name is Judy Akalaitis.

I live in D4.

Thank you so much for listening.

I appreciate it.

I know it's a lot.

I want to bring us back to the beginning of January when media outlets around the world mourn the death of Orca Calf J61.

The world saw this, and J61 is sadly another canary in the coal mine.

Seattle is causing this devastation, and I urge you to follow the federal NOAA Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Plan guidelines.

by not increasing polluted runoff, one of the top threats to the critically endangered orcas as you add density in the one Seattle plan.

Poor choices such as lot sprawl and increased hardscape will increase pollution with no space for the filtration benefits of trees anywhere.

We need lot density, stacked flats and shared walls.

Please look at other cities.

Please look at Portland.

Shared walls and stacked flats have existed since the beginning of housing.

It's okay.

And please, I encourage you, please do your own research with the One Seattle Plan.

Don't be pressured to approve the One Seattle Plan without changes.

Please do real research on density and urban nature and how we can continue to change to have our Seattle ecosystem.

It really is in your hands.

These are big changes.

They're in your hands, and we can do so much better with density.

Please do research, and I appreciate it.

Thank you so much.

Bye.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alberto Alvarez, and following Alberto will be our last remote speaker, David Haynes.

Go ahead, Alberto.

Uh, first off drivers are paying rent and covering gas and car expenses is manageable.

Now we pull the weight of orders across this entire city from Ballard to Chinatown from Chinatown to South Rainier from Lake city to Queen Anne from Queen Anne to West Seattle.

We connect all customers in the city across all neighborhoods and small businesses.

We are there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through the coldest winters, through the power outages, and now the return to office traffic.

We are motivated and hardworking and always ready to defend our rights and wages.

Second point, Kettle and Nelson both a disappointment on this council.

Councilmember Saka, please improve your stance when it comes to public harm caused by police overreaction.

At a time when BIPOC men and women, the LGBTQ, and immigrant families will face hardships that Kettle and Nelson are blind and willfully ignorant to.

Practical and middle-of-the-road amendments submitted by Councilmember Moore and Councilmember Rink were voted down.

Kettle and Nelson have shown a submissive attitude towards the demands of SPD and not taking into account the real and dangerous effect their decisions on this council will have.

Side note, Nelson, your power grab of making every priority and issue exclusive to your own committee is on notice.

The sooner you are voted out, the better.

Thank you and have a good day.

Our last remote speaker is David Haynes.

Go ahead, David, and please remember to press star.

Oh, you got it.

Thank you.

Hi, David Haynes.

Stop this exploitation station 1492 or whatever year in your universal historical perspective began predatorizing and human trafficking.

If you really care about stopping this exploitation, you will tear down those slum motels that were used for it and have the governor deploy Army Corps of Engineers to build the foundation and the National Guard labor to rebuild a robust housing for emergency shelter and maybe some like makeshift like drug treatment and like low security facilities.

Instead of talking about it for another year and doing nothing other than another proclamation to message the virtue signaling, all while waiting on and having to cancel because the office of housing is somewhat racist and not exactly qualified and trustworthy enough.

And why did the vice chair of the land use committee who doesn't really take, why do you take responsibility for the comp plan?

And why is it that the budget chair who helped pass all these progressive policies that originated from defunding the police and shifting the paradigm away from improving the war on the drugs and then creating all these fitting priorities that got exacerbated through the public safety crisis, homeless and housing crisis, Why does he get to cancel more of his committee meetings to be exempted from council business?

As if there's more important business to do outside Seattle, politically connecting to the network of the reelection apparatus of the Democrats.

City Hall is going violent towards protesters and working classes.

They favor the cops and corporate fascists who helped create the amendment that authorizes them after four directives to start throwing blast balls away from people causing trouble and more innocent people from the side as if they care so much they wind up hitting the wrong people again like they did with the tear gas.

Where's the left lethal force of riot shields going into the crowd?

And why are you purposely allowing the same ill-trained cops to exempt low-level drug pushers from jail and never question the criminals to find out where they keep getting the drugs?

And why is it that you keep allowing open-air drug markets not to disperse and never allow the...

That was our last remote speaker.

Okay, we've reached the end of our allotted time for public comment for today.

The public comment period is now closed.

We'll now move on.

I move to adopt the introduction and referral calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

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

Are there any comments?

Council President.

Go ahead.

I move that item two counts bill 120933 on the introduction referral calendar be amended to change the committee referral from the governance accountability and economic development committee to the select committee on the comprehensive plan.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded to amend the introduction and referral calendar by changing the referral of the Council Bill 120933 from the Governance Accountability and Economic Development Committee to the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan.

Go ahead, you may speak to your request.

Thank you, colleagues.

First, I'd like to apologize because yesterday I was not as composed as I would have liked to be.

I was simply just caught off guard and a bit surprised.

I'm raising this amendment today not to critique the substance of the bill, but to protect the council's process.

And this amendment does keep the bill moving.

I won't take up the contents of the bill today because I believe this issue deserves its time in council.

The sponsor deserves the time in committee to put their proposal forward and to have a robust conversation about the proposed policy.

Sorry.

My comments today are strictly focused on the process.

We have two committees that deal with land use issues like the one detailed in the this bill is about.

We have the Land Use Committee and the Select Comprehensive Plan Committee.

It's clear that this legislation should be going to one of those.

Yesterday when I was caught off guard and surprised said the Land Use Committee and when I'm looking at our calendar, the Land Use Committee has been replaced by the Select Comprehensive Plan Committee on most of its standing times.

And so that's why I chose the Select Comprehensive Plan Committee to keep the bill moving rather than to delay it.

My position is agnostic on who chairs the committee, rather that the committees should take up the work that they have been designed for.

All of us have agreed to our current committee structure And I don't believe it's in the council's best interest to violate that agreement.

Public safety issues belong in Public Safety Committee.

Housing issues belong the Housing and Human Services Committee.

Transportation issues belong in the Transportation Committee.

And this is clearly a land use issue with implications for our comprehensive plan conversation.

This clearly should go to one of those committees.

When we circumvent our committee structure for expediency or personal perspective, it's not good for our process.

It's not good for our discourse.

It's bad for our institution.

And part of how I was caught off guard yesterday is the IRC was not published until nearly the end of our council briefing meeting.

And so I didn't, I was just caught off guard.

For that reason, I'm moving to amend the referral calendar of this legislation from the Governance Committee to the Select Comprehensive Plan Committee, committee everyone sits on, a committee that is designed to have oversight on the issues raised on the legislation and to make sure that the legislation has its day in committee and has a robust policy conversations.

Thank you.

Colleagues, I ask that you oppose the movement to move the legislation to the Land Use Committee or the Select Comprehensive Plan Committee because this is I referred this to the Governance Accountability and Economic Development Committee because this is an economic development bill with a land use element.

I was motivated by this legislation, which I have been aware of and supportive of for over a year.

I met it during the discussions of the industrial lands legislation.

Monty of the Building and Construction Trades Council, walked the hall in 2023 and walked the hall last year as well, talking to council members about the benefits here.

There is a land use element, but what is, as I said, motivating me is the fact that small light industrial businesses need more space in Seattle.

And if this is...

Last year I was in conversation with Andrea Porter who is the executive director of Seattle Made and learned that two to three makers, businesses are leaving Seattle every month or so.

And it's simply because commercial spaces are very expensive and there are some some use restrictions for certain businesses.

And when we talk about makers' businesses, I'm talking about anything from a coffee roaster to a robot manufacturer, places where things are made and sold, and those spaces are hard to find and so that is why I am interested in this legislation and the way to have those those the the construction of those spaces is really only feasible if there is something on top because nobody is going to go out and build a small affordable commercial space for that kind of use and so there is a land use component because this legislation would allow housing in the stadium district in the UI zone which then introduces another benefit which does require that half of the housing in that zone be affordable or workforce housing from 60 to 90 percent AMI.

And so that is why we received a letter with a lot of pretty logos and broad coalition support, but And yes, I don't want to go into the benefits of the legislation myself either because there will be two discussions in committee plus a public hearing because it is a land use legislation, so there will be plenty of time to go through all the multiple benefits of this legislation.

However, the fact remains that the allowance of housing does then did generate support from our housing providers and the fact that the area that we're talking about has long been a place where there's some serious public safety issues.

And that is also why the neighborhoods adjacent to this area signed on in support of this legislation because, and I'm speaking in specifically toward the Pioneer Square area and the Chinatown International District.

So they signed on.

But it comes back down to, for me, the fact that it is extremely difficult to find a place where light manufacturing businesses can make their products and then sell them.

And so that is the ultimate reason why this is an economic development legislation and why it was referred to to my committee.

Now, the fact remains, you made a good point, Council Member Strauss, that we all have committees and they're all supposed to deal with certain kinds of legislation, but it's also true that it's sometimes very difficult to say This is only land use or only economic development or only parks, etc.

And that is why there is a, you know, there is time for the council president to review the legislation in consultation with central staff.

There's conversation about where it should go, which committee, etc.

And so things are not always cut and dried because legislation can sometimes, it makes sense to it would make sense to put a piece of legislation in a number of different committees.

Last, in 2002, I believe it was, for example, there was legislation that was referred to the Public Safety and Human Services Committee that had nothing to do with Public Safety and Human Services, but because that was legislation that the chair of that committee was interested in having.

So the referral to a particular committee is flexible and so I, as president, took the prerogative to put it in my committee because it was possible to bring it to my colleagues and also to full council sooner than it could possibly in the Select Land Use Committee.

the Select Comprehensive Plan Committee is basically we've only got dates through February 5th and that is because some of the nuances of the legislation that's going to be coming before us and also the fact that there's some tying up of loose ends that have to be done on the EIS and so it's not really clear when the votes could happen on this legislation or other legislation that could possibly have a comprehensive plan nexus and so Again, we are talking about small businesses that need space to thrive and grow, and the small businesses that signed on in support of this legislation in 2023 are still really interested in having this go forward.

There also is, obviously, based on public comment, there is a strong labor component here.

We don't need to go into all of the benefits for this, but this has been a vision to have a very, very small amount of housing in the stadium district for a very long time.

It was part of the preferred alternative that accompanied the 2023 industrial lands legislation.

And so it's taken a long time and it would be, and who knows when it would be able to come before a vote if it were to go to the select comp plan.

committee, and so I ask my colleagues to allow it to stay in the Economic Development Committee, and it will probably be before us.

I believe that the second committee vote will, or the second committee discussion will be in early, in late February or early March, and everybody will have a chance to read and understand the many benefits of what is contained in the legislation.

in addition to providing more space for small light industrial businesses that are also called makers businesses.

Council President.

Yes.

I am looking at my screen.

Council member.

Thank you, Council President.

I wanted to speak on this issue as the vice chair of the Governance Accountability and Economic Development Committee.

and ask for my colleagues to support this motion to move it to the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan.

I've often said how important the committee work is in terms of the budget process, but it goes beyond that.

And I believe the Select Committee on Comprehensive Plan, which is inheriting the land use mission, is the right place to go.

And for one, all nine of us will be there.

And I believe from a governance perspective, that is the right way to go forward with this topic and this issue.

I'd also say, as the chair of the Public Safety Committee, there are so many factors that go into public safety.

I do not believe this legislation is a public safety piece of legislation.

Separately, I have three main strategic priorities.

First is public safety.

And as you know, in 2024, we passed 11 major bills on public safety.

And we're pressing on that.

and all the other pieces that are happening right now in 25. Second for me is, I say, the port.

And it's really the maritime industrial economy and how important it is to ensure that we have a viable port 100 years from now.

That is so key, because at one point, we had resources, timber.

The next thing, we're supporting people going to Alaska.

At one point, it was airplanes, aerospace.

Now it's tech.

We don't know what our economy is going to be in 100 years from now.

So it's key to ensure the viability of the port.

And by the way, the port's really misnamed.

It's not just the Port of Seattle.

It's the Port of Seattle, King County, Washington State.

I often said it's not just for Seattle, it's for the Near East, Bellevue, it's for the Middle East, Wenatchee, the Tri-Cities, and also the Far East, Spokane.

We have a responsibility as a city not to look out just for ourselves, but for the region, for the state, and really for a large portion of the United States.

And I recognize our labor brothers are here, and I support them in so many ways.

But I also say, who's going to speak for the laborers who work the agricultural products in the Middle East of Washington State?

Who's going to support the labor in Moses Lake that's looking to export some type of product?

And I've met some of these people here at the port.

So my call is, We need to be mindful of this, and I think the Select Committee on Comprehensive Plan is the best way to do it.

And again, colleagues, I ask for your support in this motion.

Thank you.

I just want to respond to, I see that there are other hands up and I will call on you also, but I just wanted to respond that I didn't.

If I said that this was a public safety, a piece of public safety legislation, that was not my intention.

I was intending that it had public safety benefits by providing more life on the street, et cetera.

Council member Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

And, you know, thank you, Council Member Strauss for bringing this forward.

I'm compelled by the fact that this particular piece of legislation has a lot of components, as we've heard from some of you all today.

It's got housing implications, obviously the economic development piece, which is why, Council President, you proffered it.

It's got the land use piece, obviously, and then transportation.

And I do believe it has a public safety piece, not as its main but in the one of the reasons why it's important to support development in that particular area of the city.

And so for those reasons, I think it's appropriate since it touches on so many things to bring it through council president's committee and we will all have an opportunity to talk about it and learn more about it and vote on it in that committee.

And so for those reasons, I'm fine letting this legislation sit in council president's committee.

Thank you.

Council member Saka.

Thank you, Madam Council President.

And I guess for starters and for clarity, at this very early stage, I am not at all taking a position on the merits of the underlying issues, many of them involved in this proposed piece of legislation.

I think the question before us is more of a procedural one.

And so I want to thank Council President for proposing this, and I want to thank you, Councilmember Strauss, for helping us think differently about the current path.

We should always challenge challenge assumptions and challenge each other to be better and have these conversations.

So for me, I'm persuaded by elements of everything I've heard so far.

For me, timing turns out to be the most important thing of this all.

I generally agree that this I don't think we should ever be beholden to one committee versus the other.

That's too rigid and it erodes any room whatsoever for flexibility and we need to move fast and urgently and go, go, go.

And sometimes that means we ruffle some feathers.

Anyway, but I generally agree that All other things mean equal the topic and focus and thrust of this bill is better suited for the select committee on the comp plan as a general proposition.

My only concern with that is, my only potential concern with that is I don't know if there's time.

I don't know if there's time for us to adequately and thoughtfully give this the time, attention, and consideration, including additional public hearings that this deserves.

I had a really productive meeting with the select committee chair Chair Hollingsworth the other day ago, which I appreciate your proactive, being proactive and reaching out to all of us individually.

And I heard a lot of excellent things and a lot of thought being put into this whole process.

And, you know, my impression is we are under very tight timeline and trying to squeeze shoehorn this into And to that, into a three-phase comp plan process, I don't know where this would go and if we could potentially accommodate it.

And so I generally agree on the one hand that that would be a better body, but I just don't know, in the absence of potentially land use committee, but I just don't know if there's time to do it.

And I also strongly support the amendment author's prerogative to propose legislation at any time they see fit, even if I strongly disagree.

Why?

Because they are directly accountable for the impact and result.

And that might mean, because there's any number of things that go into and factor into our timing for launching a particular strategic initiative or not, and when and how to do it.

And it's not just, you know, like you just sit behind the scenes and like cook up a policy and then you're gonna launch it and you know, it'll prevail on the merits.

It's not how this works.

So I am strongly deferential to the amendment or the legislation authors on their preferred timing.

What does that mean?

It means we might ruffle some feathers of our colleagues.

It might mean different people think differently about the best timing, the optimal timing for that.

And it might mean we potentially lose support for our effort.

But guess what?

We are all directly accountable for everything.

end to end for our own strategic initiatives.

Council President, this is clearly one of yours.

And so, for that reason, I'm deferential, understanding it disrupts some harmony here.

So for those reasons, I'm gonna be supporting keeping the current path.

Had we had the current chair, or excuse me, had we had the chair of the Land Use Committee, Here, I would ask their position on this, but that is obviously a vacant role at this point.

So hopefully we'll close the loop here in the next couple of weeks.

because their position would be another data point, not necessarily a dispositive one, but another data point that would be helpful, at least for my own personal consideration.

That said, and all this got sprung up very quickly.

I was with many of you all in a four plus hour public safety committee meeting and then got out of that and back to back to this and in between time had some very brief conversations with some folks, including a handful full of folks in labor.

And as I understand it, just again, all came quickly.

As I understand it, Some folks in the building trades have reached out to the past chair, Councilmember Morales, on this on the land use and who seems to think that the current path is the best one.

That's a crazy game of the telephone game.

That is not where I'm resting the primary justification for my position.

But, you know, if true, it is a nice cherry on top.

Still, I do agree and think...

and they're accountable.

Like I'm strongly deferential to the strategic initiative legislative author on their preferred timing.

And if this is, and I can't, we can't guarantee a respect of that timing at the select committee level.

And so for those reasons, I'm gonna be supporting the current path.

Thank you.

Wow, I don't think that the IRC has ever had this kind of conversation.

Council member Rink.

So I want to speak to, again, the matter of process as opposed to policy because I do think even just the discussion here today really speaks to the complexities of the policy matter at hand.

But I do want to circle to process because we establish and form these committees for a reason.

We take these on as our responsibilities and we spend the extra time to work alongside the appropriate departments and go through extra trainings.

And I'll speak with the hat of being someone who is a member of the Land Use Committee and going through the additional extra trainees to better understand things like quasi-judicial decision making.

I know that in that role and being a part of the Land Use Committee, I take it as a huge responsibility to be thinking about land use now.

This is a particularly special year because all of us are considering land use as a part of the comprehensive plan, but when I think to and look to other respective topic areas, I know and I've seen already this rapport on council where we try to defer and look to each other's respective leadership on a given council matter.

I know Council Member Sokka, I've gone to you with things related to transportation, related to your role as chair of transportation, and even exemplified today not being a member of the Public Safety Committee, but rather working alongside each of the members of the Public Safety Committee in deference to their role.

And so I would say I worry about especially given this particular legislation and the specifics around things like land use.

As I understand this legislation, it is a zoning change, which is pretty squarely a land use action.

I just have concerns about setting a precedent here, especially when there's such a clear line around what this legislation would do.

Um, and would say that as a land use committee member, I would just feel a bit that my role as a part of that body feels a bit disempowered knowing that I wouldn't have a committee responsibility to be weighing in on this matter.

Um, and that concludes my comments.

Thank you.

Go ahead and I'll have the last word, please.

Thank you, Council President.

And, Council President, all the comments you provided about the merits of the bill and the content of the bill is exactly why this bill should have its day at Council.

I just want to be really clear there.

It was shared that there's an intersection between economic development and land use.

And, Council President, you said yourself that this is land use legislation.

in your comments just a moment ago and is described in that manner by the requirement of the public, the 30-day required public hearing, notice public hearing.

I'm going to read from the bill for a moment here.

An ordinance relating to land use and zoning amending section 23 of our code.

that that's really just the point that I'm making that this is the ordinance itself says an ordinance relating to land use and zoning.

Last thing I'll say, the council president point well taken about the dates not officially set for the select comprehensive plan committee.

I can tell you that I've received a number of different memos from central staff and the chair stating dates to save.

And I also know that in your role, council president, all you need to do is send a memo establishing additional dates.

that would be consistent with the dates that I think we're all reserving right now.

So I look forward to continue the discussion on this and I urge your support to move this to the Select Comprehensive Plan Committee.

Council Member Moore.

Oh, thank you.

I guess we're all gonna weigh in on this.

So very much appreciate the comments of Council Member Sokka, the sort of pros and cons and things to weigh here.

And I appreciate the concern about procedure from Council Member Strauss.

I guess though that I would say, I think we can become too tied.

I mean, every two years, I know, When we all started, the committee assignments were redone in terms of what committees had what subject matter to them.

So they're not immutable.

They change with leadership and with directions of the council.

I, as a member of land use, There are a lot of things that Land Use Committee needs to really bring up and that we're not being able to bring up both because of the vacancy and because now we have the comp plan before us.

We have, and again, we ran into this issue when we were dealing with the budget, when we were talking about EDI money and economic development money in terms of how do we support small businesses of color and having too many silos and saying you can't touch this because that's they're all interconnected.

And to me, the bottom line is, is this bill going to get the kind of public discussion and airing that allows us, ultimately, when we take the final vote, to feel that we have been fully briefed?

Recognizing that we have two people on either side of the issue that will be if it goes stays in the Governance Committee that have particular points of view I feel very confident that there's going to be a full airing and discussion of the pros and cons It's going to have a public hearing It does touch on all these other things and so I don't see it as fundamental a fundamental challenge to the integrity of the system or the integrity of the committee assignment process.

So for those reasons, I am going to be supporting or deny, whatever, voting against the request.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there, it looks like there, I will,

Is there another?

Okay, Hollingsworth.

Councilmember Hollingsworth, excuse me.

Going after Councilmember Morris sounds like a ruling that the judge has made.

Sorry, it just caught me.

You always have very thoughtful words, Councilmember Morris.

I just wanted to throw that out there.

Thank you, Councilmember Strauss for bringing this forward, and thank you, Council President, as well.

Look, this is a lot to unpack.

We have the comprehensive plan.

We have a vacancy.

We have other pressing matters on council.

I know it's a lot.

I'm gonna be supporting the current process that has been set forward for the Economic Development Committee.

I understand there are different components to this legislation that have been presented.

I'm looking forward to doing a deep dive to understand what those are.

But I do have to agree with Council Member Moore's um, comments regarding understanding, is this going to get the level of attention and, um, from, from all council members and what does that look like, um, for, for us?

So anyways, I'm going to be supporting, um, for it to be on its current path and just want to thank everyone.

I think this is a healthy discussion for all of us to have as council members, even if we agree to disagree and whatnot.

Um, but I, I just want to thank my colleagues for the healthy discussion.

So thank you.

Okay, are we done?

No, we have more hands.

It's hard for me to track who was in, so who had their hand up first?

Me and then Rob.

Okay.

Before we, if you don't mind, I do want to respond to the reading.

Council Bill 120766 reads, an ordinance relating to recruitment and retention of police officers in the Seattle Police Department transferring positions from the Department of Human Resources to SPD, etc.

Where was that legislation heard?

in my committee.

Why?

Because it had to do with perfecting the processes by which we hire officers because we were trying to make sure that we could build back the numbers that we need to keep our city safe.

And so that's just one example of many pieces of legislation that this council has, with alacrity, deliberated and voted on in committees that perhaps might not be the obvious destination for a particular piece of legislation.

Okay.

So go ahead.

Thank you, council president.

I just wanted to my, to add to my earlier comments and, and I agree with so many comments up here.

I will say that we are all responsible for all pieces of legislation, regardless if it goes to committee or full council or select committees.

Um, in this case, the select committee is all of us.

Um, your committee governance, um, um, you know, sorry, what I'm trying to say is it doesn't matter where it goes.

We all have to learn about these issues and vote on these issues.

And this is something that you wanted to bring forward.

And as council member Saka said earlier, as you are the sponsor of the legislation, Um, and given the, the division of labor here, which is why we have committee meetings to begin with or not meetings, but committees to begin with is to just still divide the work.

It makes, um, I am fine for it to go through your committee because I know that we will all get a chance to, um, study the issue, deliberate, have, um, thoughtful conversation around this issue.

So thank you.

Just wanted to add that piece.

Will the person that had their hand up next please talk?

Thank you, Madam Council President.

Just to pile on here, I want to thank Council Member Moore for her comments.

I think prior to all the comments before, no disrespect to anyone that spoke before her, but I think most of the thrust of the earlier comments, my own included, focused very narrowly on this one specific issue before us but which is why i appreciate which is not wrong but which is why i appreciate councilmember moore's comments because it helps all of us collectively take a step back um and and zoom out and and understand that this yes it's about this this issue before us but also it's it's uh it's capable of repetition and it's it's right it can and likely will happen again and um You know, I think we need to have general rules and then edge cases and be flexible.

And I worry about being overly prescriptive, but I hear all the perspectives shared here and I appreciate Councilmember Strauss, you bringing your proposal forward.

Again, in line with Council Member Moore's comments earlier, what I support is a full, fair and transparent hearing and consideration on this topic and all topics.

I've heard nothing from Council President's words or actions so far that that won't happen in the Governance Accountability Economic Development Committee.

And so for those reasons, again, I do support the current path.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is your hand up again?

Okay, go ahead.

Council President, thank you.

I just wanted to note that as we look at our public safety challenges, they vary quite a bit.

You know, there's things related to different departments, there's some law pieces, and then there's some administrative pieces.

And so, you know, police recruitment had many shortfalls in the mayor's office and SPD and the commission, and we're well over it.

And this is a governance issue.

So there was that line for that topic to be in the Governance and Accountability Economic Development Committee.

Again, this strikes me and it reads as a land use issue.

I guess everybody says their positions.

I just wanted to note that.

All right, I heard your intake of breath and then I didn't know if you wanted to say anything else.

I have a question.

You know, things go through committee and then if they fail, you can always bring it through the full council, correct?

Yes, the committee action is a recommendation, but it is, but anything, things can fail in committee and they go forward.

So sooner or later, we all get to vote on something.

Even if it fails, the sponsor could bring it to full council.

That is correct.

So it's just a little bit, I appreciate everybody's comments.

And I feel like for that reason, I'm okay moving forward in this path though.

Again, as I said earlier, I appreciate everybody's comments.

The more the merrier in committee discussion and following the practice of other colleagues, anybody is welcome to come to the committee as it is discussed and heard and also offer amendments that can either be sponsored by someone who's in the committee, you can bring it at full council.

I'm perfectly fine with amendments at full council as well.

Okay.

So with that, do I need to call for a vote on, will the clerk please call the roll on the motion that the- Point of order or point of clarification, Madam, can you just be very crisp and clear about what exactly we are voting for, what a yes vote would portend and what a no vote would portend.

Thank you.

It has been moved and seconded to change the IRC.

So a yes vote would change the IRC, I believe, and a no vote would keep things that keep the IRC, the introduction and referral calendar, the same with the original committee referral.

Thank you.

All right, will the clerk please call the roll.

Council member Rivera?

No.

Council member Saka?

No.

Council member Strauss?

Yes.

Council member Hollingsworth?

No.

Council member Kettle?

Yes.

Council member Moore?

No.

Council member Rink?

Yes.

Council President Nelson?

No.

Three in favor, five opposed.

The motion fails and the IRC will remain the same.

Are there, is there any other discussion?

Seeing no discussion, the introduction referral calendar is adopted.

If there is no objection.

Okay.

Do I need to rephrase, do I need to say that sentence again?

Introduction referral calendar will be adopted.

If there is no objection, the introduction referral calendar will be adopted.

I was waiting for, wait a minute, just kidding.

Okay, moving on.

We will now, I am trying to find my script.

Please give me a moment here.

I was in the legislative database looking up the numbers of all that.

Anyway, okay.

All right, moving on.

We will now entertain the consent calendar, so.

Adoption of the agenda.

What did you say?

Adoption of the agenda.

Okay, if there is no objection, the agenda will be adopted.

Seeing none, the agenda is adopted.

All right, well, consider the proposed consent calendars.

Items on the consent calendar include the minutes of January 7th, 2025, Council Bill 120931, and nine appointments from the Housing and Human Services Committee, and four appointments from the Library's Education and Neighborhoods Committee.

Are there any items that council members would like to remove?

Seeing 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 Rivera?

Aye.

Council member Saka?

Aye.

Council member Strauss?

Yes.

Council member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council Member Kettle.

Aye.

Council Member Moore.

Aye.

Council Member Rink.

Aye.

Council President Nelson.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Okay, 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.

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

So there's not a resolution for introduction and adoption.

So is there any further business to come before council right now before we adjourn?

I'm not hearing anything, so if there's no further business, we'll move on into the executive session.

And as presiding officer, I am announcing that the Seattle City Council will now convene into executive session.

The purpose of the executive session is to evaluate the qualifications of candidates for appointment to elective office.

So you know the drill.

This is scheduled for about an hour.

440, okay, this will continue till about 440, and if the executive session goes longer, I will come back on air and state the expected time of duration, but we could just finish in which point the meeting would end automatically.

All right, thank you very much everybody for your engagement, and I'll see you on the other side.