Seattle City Council 7/26/22

The July 26, 2022 meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order.

It is two up.

We're gonna wait just one more minute.

My computer says, there we go.

Both clocks say 2 p.m.

I'm Dan Strauss, Council President Pro Tem of the City Council today.

Will the clerk please call the roll.

Council Member Nelson.

Present.

Council Member Peterson.

Present.

Council Member Sawant.

Present.

Council Member Herbold.

Here.

Council Member Lewis.

Present.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

Present.

And Council Member Herbold.

Here.

Six present.

Wonderful.

If there's no objection, Council President Juarez is excused from today's council meeting.

Hearing no objection, the council president Juarez is excused from today's city council meeting.

Council members Morales and Mosqueda are also excused from today.

For the IT team, my dais computer's waiting to get into the meeting.

Moving on to item C, presentations.

There are no presentations on today's calendar.

Item D, public comment.

Colleagues, at this time, we will open the hybrid public comment period.

For this hybrid public comment period, the in-person speakers will be heard first, followed by remote speakers attending.

Madam Clerk, how many speakers are signed up for today?

Approximately 60 remote and three in-person.

So we have approximately 6,363 speakers.

And so I'm gonna have public comment last one minute per speaker.

And Madam Clerk, I'll now hand this over to you to present the instructions and the public comment recording.

Thank you.

Hello, Seattle.

We are the Emerald City, the City of Flowers and the City of Goodwill, built on indigenous land, the traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples.

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

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

Here's some information about the public comment proceedings.

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

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

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

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

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

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

At that time, you must press star six.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The public comment period is now open.

and we will begin with the first speaker on the list.

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

Thank you, Seattle.

Just before we begin, may we also have the back doors opened of chambers?

Thank you.

Okay.

Speakers will be called in the order registered.

We'll begin today with the in-person public commenters.

Our first speaker on the list is Alex Zimmerman.

They hailed my dirty, damn Nazi fascists.

They hailed my dirty, damn Nazi fascists, mob, bandit and psychopath who speak to us from the heaven.

Another minute, when you stop enacting this, huh?

I see you here many times and you always give one minute for who?

For a couple people?

Why are you doing this, huh?

Can you explain to me how I can explain to your business proposition for one minute and you make this trick again and again and again?

Why are you doing this?

Are you represent people or you represent somebody different?

Why are you doing always one minute, one minute, one minute, one minute?

You're the only one who's doing this.

I will wait for me very interesting because for my understanding, only a couple of people take and you make this trick absolutely identical.

Why?

Because you can.

Because nobody care about what is you doing here.

It's a problem what is we have.

Stand up America, clean this dirty chamber from this bandit.

Thank you.

Our next in-person, excuse me, speaker is Rex Kimpo.

To pronounce Kimpo.

My name is Rex Kimpo and I'm here to speak on behalf of Trader Joe's Ballard, in the past two months, 30 of our 120 coworkers has tested positive for COVID-19.

That's 25% of our workforce.

Loss of wage totaling over $24,000, average of $800 per person.

This is a loss of 1,200 labor hours, leading us to a huge staffing shortage in our store.

We are tired.

This $4 is not only for the sick, it's a compensation for the overworked, overlooked and still underpaid.

We brave the risks and dangers of COVID daily.

We are experiencing burnout on a mass scale.

We need your help.

This $4, will go to three things.

It'll help our coworkers develop a financial cushion for when they are unable to work.

It allows our team to afford time off to recover after long and busy days of being overworked.

And it is an incentive for prospective new employees to fill the worker shortage that is affecting our community and our country.

Thank you, that concludes our in-person public commenters.

We will now move to remote public commenter.

Our first speaker being Brian Clark.

And remember to press star six.

Hello council, my name is Brian.

Hello council.

My name is Brian Clark and I'm a member of Socialist Alternative calling today in support of council member Sawant's proposal to make Seattle an abortion-free sanctuary city.

It will prevent Seattle police from processing arrest warrants related to anti-abortion laws around the country and make abortion free and available for anyone who seeks it here.

This legislation is overwhelmingly supported by your constituents with over 5,000 signatures already.

While the mayor and governor's executive orders are in line with this legislation we all know how easily executive orders are ignored or undone.

Legislation is needed.

I'm glad to see that other council members have introduced additional legislation for protecting abortion rights.

And while that proposal is also welcome, I want to remind the council of its obligation to meet the scale and scope of this attack on our people's rights.

Watered down or delayed legislation would be a moral failure in this context.

Additionally, I am deeply disappointed and angry that council Democrats have yet again introduced a bill to end hazard pay for grocery workers despite the ongoing pandemic and a raging VA5 variant.

Are you Democrats going to stand with the workers who feed the city or the bosses who profited immensely during the pandemic?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sonia Ponath.

Hi, this is Sonia Ponath.

I'm calling to ask you to vote no on ending hazard pay today.

I think it's stunning that Democrats have put up again a bill like this.

COVID is still going on.

People are still struggling, as has already been mentioned.

I'm also urging you to vote yes on the sanctuary city legislation.

And I believe that any attempt to weaken it would be really shameful, in fact, pathetic, because there's just been a historic right wing attack on these rights.

And you're just hanging on by a string, and what rights we do have here will be whittled away.

There's just way too much complacency that, well, abortion is legal here, so we don't have to do anything.

Well, we want action.

And this is action.

An abortion is health care.

A friend of mine needed a DNC, which is an abortion, after losing her one baby, a miscarriage, and she had to go to three different hospitals to get one because the first two are associated with the Catholic Church, provides such life-saving care.

So we also need to increase the Amazon tax to fund abortions.

Thank you.

Vote yes.

Our next speaker is Olivia Stasitis.

Hi my name's Olivia.

I'm a member in UCW 3000. I urge Democrats and City Council to vote no on ending hazard pay and vote yes on Shawanza legislation to make Seattle an abortion sanctuary.

Grocery workers put their physical and mental health at risk at high risk while providing food in our communities during a pandemic.

Ending hazard pay at this time is incredibly horrific while COVID cases are rising.

of monkey pox now along with it.

Families would be heavily affected by this decision.

And I'm hoping you think about those workers.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Addie Stein.

Hello, my name is Adi Stein, and I'm a steward of the UAW 4121, a unit of academic student employees and postdocs at the University of Washington.

I am commenting today to urge you to vote yes on Councilmember Swann's abortion sanctuary legislation.

Reproductive justice is a matter for all of us, regardless of whether or what you are needing access to, as it is a right to basic bodily autonomy, and restricting it is unthinkable.

While that is still legal here in Washington, we need to be able to stand up for the principles that we have been having this whole time and support how the repeal efforts have been thrown down again and again.

So I urge you to vote yes on this, on the abortion sanctuary legislation and continue our history of protecting bodily autonomy here in Washington.

Thank you very much.

I urge you to vote yes.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sarah James.

Hi, my name is Sarah James.

I support Council Member Shamaswant's legislation.

We need strong protection this legislation offers without watering down or changing wording.

Seattle should set an example for other cities on how to ensure the protection of those fleeing from this right-wing attack on abortion.

I urge council members to vote yes on this legislation that is supported by over 6,000 community members and has growing union support.

This bill uses a similar approach to the 2003 marijuana bill.

If we can do it for pot, we need to do it for bodily autonomy.

I also urge the council to maintain hazard pay.

We're headed into another COVID spike.

We cannot abandon our frontline workers.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alison Brown.

Does not look like Allison is on the line, so we will go ahead and go on to Zachary Kirschbaum.

Go ahead, Zachary.

Zachary, it looks like you're ready to speak.

You are not muted.

Hello, I'm calling in support of the abortion sanctuary status legislation proposed by council members to launch.

I'm very scared that you will put forth watered down legislation.

We can't lure vulnerable people here with a hollow label of abortion sanctuary and then leave them without protection from prosecution.

I can't imagine seeking refuge here and then realizing that the city is simply politely requesting that law enforcement not act on abortion-related warrants, rather than requiring my safety from arrest by law.

Resist the urge to water this down.

We can't tolerate more meaningless from Democratic leaders.

I also think that Amazon should happily fund this care with the excess wealth that it's earned off our city.

In addition, I wanted to voice my opposition to ending hazard pay for grocery workers during this time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jordan Van Vost.

Good afternoon.

My name is Jordan Van Vost.

I speak as a healthcare practitioner and a feminist.

I urge you to vote yes on Council Bill 120375 without amendment making Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary.

Council Member Sawant's bill would not merely request but would mandate that Seattle Police not enforce warrants related to abortion.

For this council to profess words of support for abortion rights without actually codifying these rights into law leaving loopholes that allow for the whims of police or the city attorney would betray the trust of a majority of your constituents.

Abortion is a complex personal decision and a fundamental right that needs to be protected regardless of the recent ethically compromised decision by the Supreme Court.

Also, please vote no on ending hazard pay for grocery workers.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kristen Monahan.

Kristen.

Hi, I'm Kristen Monahan, the Executive Coordinator of Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, and I'm speaking against the Abortion Sanctuary City legislation as a leftist, feminist, atheist.

I urge everyone here to vote no on this genocidal, tyrannical, and patriarchal bill.

All it takes to understand that abortion is the mass killing of vulnerable and defenseless human beings is to read some embryology textbooks.

You can find these easily online, but sometimes you can find them at your local libraries or bookstores.

Not only do the scientists in this field state that we are distinct living human beings at fertilization, but they also show us that our brains are the first organs to appear at two and a half weeks after fertilization, our hearts start beating at three weeks, limb buds form at three to four weeks, the cerebral hemispheres and cerebellum are there and begin rapid growth by four and a half weeks, eyes are there at four and a half weeks, movements start by five and a half weeks, brainwaves are detectable to us by six weeks, and so on and so forth.

Abortion kills children.

It is genocide.

It is anti-left-wing.

It is anti-feminist.

It is patriarchal bullshit.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Joelle Craft.

Hello.

Hello, I'm Joelle Craft.

I'm on the Leadership Council of Washington, Kansas.

We support Sawant's Abortion Rights Sanctuary City Bowl.

These abortion laws are based in Christian and Catholic religious doctrine.

This goes against our First Amendment, which states that no law respecting an establishment of religion shall be created.

We, the people of Seattle, want and need to show our state and nation that we support health care for everyone.

And this is how we can do that.

Several medical unions and others have endorsed this.

And in any other climate, this would have been an easy vote for all of you.

This is not the year 1845. This is 2022. And we need to get back into it.

vote yes without amendments.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Preston Sahabu.

My name is Preston Sahabu.

I'm a rank and file member of the Alphabet Workers Union, which is actually a new member of the Martin Luther King County Labor Council.

And I'm once again coming to the Seattle City Council to talk about two different public health emergencies.

The first one, the ongoing COVID pandemic.

I can't believe I need to remind people that this is still going on two and a half years in.

And secondly, the restriction of abortion rights here in the United States.

As an organizer in the labor movement, I know very well that the Democrats on this council know that the burden of these two health crises falls disproportionately on working people.

So the very least that these Council Democrats can do to support working people is to leave hazard pay in place by voting no on that bill and voting yes on Council Member Sawant's Sanctuary City legislation for abortion rights.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Barbara Finney.

Hi Matt.

My name is Barbara Finney.

I'm a delegate to MLK Labor Council for AFG 3197, a health care workers union local that supports council members to want legislation to make Seattle an abortion sanctuary city.

Listen to health care workers.

Criminalization of pregnant people, their doctors, providers, and anyone who aids in the best center abortion means people are coming to our state to escape prosecution and jail time.

Council Member Swan's legislation will stop SPD from processing arrest warrants related to anti-abortion laws for both patients and providers.

Any amendment B to change language to request from the clear and strong language in Swan's bill to require SPD doing that is unacceptable.

Also vote no on ending hazard pay for Seattle grocery workers.

This is not the time to end hazard pay for grocery store workers.

Thank you.

My next speaker is Emily Boyer.

Emily.

I'm Emily with Socialist Alternative, and I urge the council to vote yes on the legislation to make Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary city as it stands today.

The bill does not need to be amended, delayed, or watered down.

The council must take urgent action to defend abortion rights in the wake of this historic attack on modely autonomy.

Furthermore, I urge the council to vote no on the legislation to end hazard pay for frontline workers.

As a former frontline worker myself, I'm appalled that self-described progressives would even consider such a thing in the middle of a pandemic that has killed over a million people in this country alone.

That's all I have to say.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Lauren Gardner.

My name is Lauren Gardner.

I'm a former member of UADEV 4-1-2-1.

I graduated recently.

The eight Democrats on the council must vote yes on council member Sawant's abortion sanctuary city legislation as is without delay.

Governor Inslee and Mayor Harrell's executive orders are insufficient to counter the violent attacks on bodily autonomy carried out by the Supreme Court and right-wing legislatures.

These orders don't codify protection from anti-abortion legislation and can be easily undone.

This failure of our city's Democrats, if they vote no or weaken the bill to protect our rights, would parallel the failure of Democrats in national office, who failed to protect our rights by leaving Roe uncodified as law for decades, vulnerable to attack.

Give the people of Seattle a real response to these attacks, a real law, not just empty words of support.

Vote yes on Council Member Sawant's legislation without amendments.

I also support voting no on ending hazard pay for grocery workers.

These people keep all of us fed and they deserve pay for working in those conditions.

That's all, thank you.

Thank you, our next speaker is Lydia Duncan.

Hello.

My name is Lydia Duncan, and I'm calling in response to the abortion sanctuary city legislation proposed by Council Member Solant.

I am wholeheartedly in favor of this legislation.

I think it is incredibly likely that our less forward-thinking neighbors to the immediate east will put in more and more draconic legislation, and we should be as prepared as we can be for these sorts of attacks.

It is important to do as much as we can to look after people and to make sure that they are able to have access to safe abortions when they feel that they need it.

And it is very obviously unhelpful to try and make a decision for somebody on behalf of their body without fully knowing their situation.

So we should be working to protect this right.

Also, please maintain a hazard pay for grocery workers.

They work so hard for us.

Thank you.

Bye.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Rose Hamstra.

Rose, hi, Hamstra.

Hi, my name is Rose Hamstra, and I'm calling into demand support for Shawna Swan's abortion sanctuary legislation.

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, abortion rights across the U.S. have been drastically This is an offense on basic reproductive rights.

And the people still are clearly upset, right?

Like on both the day of the draft leak and the overturn itself, we've seen thousands of people come out and protest against the overturn.

And this legislation is something we can really do to react to that.

There are places right now where it is illegal to flee to another city or state to get this important medical procedure done.

And the number of places will only go up.

This legislation is both explicitness, the protections for both the doctor and the patient, in its full unamended form is what is needed to combat this intrusion on our rights.

I urge you to support this bill.

Also, we cannot add any hazard pay for frontline grocery workers right now.

The pandemic is not over, employees are still getting sick, and there's a new COVID-19 sub-variant and cases are in the thousands in our county.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alexandra Scalone.

And Alexandra, you may need to press star six once more.

Thanks for the help.

Hi, I'm Alexandra Scalone, a marriage and family therapist.

I speak as a mental health professional when I say I urge all Democrats on the city council to vote yes today on council members to launch legislation to make Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary city.

It is not enough to say that abortion is legal here in Seattle, It is not enough to say that abortion in Seattle is available for women or pregnant people who can afford to fly here.

We must do everything in our power to make Seattle a sanctuary for people around the country facing media facing awful anti-abortion laws.

Our legislation and movement will do just that.

We urge you to support Sawant's legislation to make Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary.

Abortion has a severe impact on people's mental health and providing the sanctuary can mitigate the hazard and the effects of that response.

Also, please continue to pay our workers hazard pay.

They feed us and it's really important.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sam Young.

And Sam, you may need to press star six.

Hi, my name is Sam Young, and I am urging the council to vote yes on council member Sawant's proposal to make Seattle an abortion sanctuary.

This not only protects the rights of those living in Washington, but those across the country by protecting the bodily autonomy of those seeking to get an abortion as well as protecting the clinics from prosecution.

Additionally, keeping these abortions free would prevent your economic status from hindering your human rights and giving access to everyone no matter their income or status.

Additionally, COVID is a significant issue in Seattle, and ending our hazard pay is not fair to our workers who are putting their lives and mental health at risk to keep our city running, and we need to help them out as much as we can.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jonathan Bischofsky-Cruz.

Hi, my name is Jonathan Bischofsky-Cruz, speaking on Gregory Hazard Pay, and I've been working at Greater Joseph for the entirety of this pandemic.

Since the last time a vote was made to decide if there is or is not still a hazard present, my source created a helpful system of sending me an alert every time a co-worker has caught a confirmed case of COVID.

On May 8th, I received one such notification.

On May 11th, May 19th, May 23rd, May 24th, May 25th, 9th I received a notification that a co-worker had COVID.

On June 1st, on June 13th, on June 14th, on June 15th, on June 16th, on June 16th again, on June 17th, on June 18th, on June 19th, on June 19th, on June 19th a third time I received one such notification.

On June 20th, on June 20th, on June 26th, on June 28th, on July 1st, on July 4th, on July 7th, on July 7th, on July 14th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 20th, 20th, 21st, 21st, 24th, if ever there was a hazard.

Thank you.

Just understanding that we have reached the end of our allotted time with 30 speakers left, I'm going to extend Let me get the proper script so that I say this correctly.

If there's no objection, the public comment period will be extended by 32 minutes to 3 p.m.

Hearing no objection, the comment period is extended to 3 p.m., 32 minutes.

Thank you.

Okay, our next speaker is Kevin Vitswong.

Kevin?

Hi, my name is Kevin that's long and educated in District 3. I'm going to urge the council to vote yes for Council or someone abortion rights interest in this legislation as it is written and without delay you to keep the strongest possible language if he shall not pursue prosecuted the language the strongest form mandating protection not requesting it.

The legislation has over 6,000 petition signatures indicating strong support from the public health care workers and union members.

We also need to expand the Amazon pack to fund housing and medical service for those fleeing this right wing attack on finally.

Also, Democrats must vote no on cutting hazard pay, and this scheme will continue to bring this up.

The pandemic shows no signs of abating with vaccine-resistant BA5 variants and untold variants to come.

And as the frontline workers who have been in common here have been saying, getting COVID at work is not an if, but a when.

And hazard pay is hazard pay.

This should not be in lieu of a contract to graze, but on top of one.

And I want to ask all the so-called progressive Democrats who like to say they listen to union members, are you going to stand with frontline grocery workers and union members here, or are you going to heed the profiteering, price-gouging bosses?

Vote no on hazard pay and vote yes to the abortion sanctuary city of legislation with no watering down.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Patrick Burns.

Well, honorable members of Seattle City Council, my name is Patrick Burns.

I'm a retired member of Carpenters Local 30, a member of Organized Workers' Slavery Solidarity, which has endorsed the National Mobilization for Reproductive Rights.

The OWLS Steering Committee is recommending that the OWLS membership endorse council members who wants legislation to make Seattle a sanctuary city for abortion rights.

Seattle police should absolutely not, in no uncertain terms, be allowed by this city council to arrest anyone who has an outstanding warrant in regards to their right to an abortion or anyone who would assist them in getting an abortion.

I can guarantee you that if city council fails to lay down this law with Seattle's police, innocent people will be unnecessarily subjected to cruel and unjust punishment.

Pass this legislation unanimously, vote no on any hazard pay for grocery workers.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Emily MacArthur.

Emily?

Hi, my name is Emily MacArthur.

I'm calling to support a yes vote on Council Member Sawant's sanctuary city legislation.

In the context of an emboldened right-wing attack, we need to turn the tide and show a fighting spirit of what a proactive fighting defense looks like.

I hope the Democratic Party council members understand how much support there is for this legislation and that the hunger among tens of thousands of people for a concrete response to the Supreme Court's decision.

The abortion sanctuary bill from Council Member Sawant uses a similar approach to what Seattle voters used in an initiative passed in 2003. We use this to deescalate the racist war on drugs, and now we can use it to fight sexist, racist prosecution of abortion.

So this bill is a tried and trusted measure.

Council members don't have the excuse to say that it's a new thing.

It's also stunning that the Democratic council members have yet again, I think it's the third time, put forward a bill to end hazard pay for grocery workers who continue to take a great risk to provide for our community, even as VA-5 COVID variant.

No hand-wringing at the USCW contract will take away will make it justifiable.

Trader Joe's and other non-unionized stores have received notes that should raise yet continue to risk their lives every day.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Seamus Loftus.

Seamus.

Hello, my name is Seamus and I am with Socialist Alternative.

I urge all Democrats on the city council to vote yes today on council members to want legislation to make Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary city with no watering down or delay.

It is imperative that we make this accessible to all people who need it and at the same time making this free in order to support all members of our community and those who live in states where reproductive rights have been stripped away.

We need to maintain body autonomy for all.

Secondly, I urge the city council to maintain hazard pay for grocery workers who continue to take great risks to provide food to our communities.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Anitra Freeman.

Hello, my name is Anitra Freeman speaking in support of making Seattle abortion rights.

I'm a member of WEAL, organizing effort of homeless and formerly homeless women.

Dignity, autonomy, and gender equity are fundamental principles of WEAL.

Making abortion illegal assaults these principles and saves no lives.

Seattle cannot change the laws of other states.

but we can refuse to enforce them here.

Past council members who wants legislation without compromise.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Karen Taylor.

Karen, you may need to press star six.

Hi, my name is Karen.

I'm calling in support and continuing the hazard pay for grocery workers.

I have chronic pain and so I can stay at home and have an Instacart shopper or something do my grocery shopping and then I'm not at risk but the grocery workers and the Instacart workers are at risk and so I really, really think that you should continue to give them hazard pay.

It's just preposterous, but we would act like the hazard is over.

And I'm lucky enough to be able to avoid it, but those incredible working class folks can't.

So please don't end hazard pay whatsoever.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Anita Schumacher.

Anita?

Hi.

Hi, I'm Anita Schumacher in West Seattle.

I'm here to support Council Member Sawant's Abortion Rights Sanctuary City Bill.

I'm horrified at the oppressive legislation being crafted all over this country, despite minimal public support.

My favorite part of Seattle here is our longstanding cultural and political leadership among the nation.

Now's the time to show that a city can in fact treat people with dignity and respect with regard to their health.

This bill goes a long way to start this.

Let's again lead by example and vote yes without amending or diluting.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jennifer Rosewood.

I am Jenny Rosewood, the Communications Chair for Alphabet Workers Union, Communication Workers of America, Local 1400, and a delegate for the MLK Labor Council.

I am calling in support of making Seattle a sanctuary city for abortion rights.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade is already having a negative impact on people who could become pregnant in states where abortion rights and bodily autonomy have been stripped away.

We have seen how other states have started prosecuting people who help people leave a state to seek abortion health care.

We need to ensure that abortion rights is possible for everyone, including those people who come to Seattle seeking medical treatment.

Abortion rights need to be codified into law before the Supreme Court further erodes our rights.

Please make Seattle an abortion sanctuary city before more people die because abortion rights are workers' rights.

And don't hazard pay for grocery workers during the middle of a pandemic.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Carl Dyer.

Carl?

Hi, my name is Carl and I'm here to ask City Council Democrats to stand with workers against right wing attacks on the rights of women and queer people and vote yes today on Council Member Shana Sawant's legislation to make Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary city without delay and without compromise.

Additionally, it's in the face of these attacks and the dangerous surge of the BA5 variants COVID that the council will be voting whether or not to end the crucial hazard pay for grocery workers.

I know Council Member Sawant will be voting no.

How will self-described progressive Democrats vote?

Will they stand with workers extending hazard pay and codifying abortion rights?

Or will they side with bosses who profited during the pandemic?

Thanks.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Mayuri Raja.

Hi, my name is Mayuri Raja and I'm a member of Alphabet Workers Union.

I'm calling to urge council members to vote yes on council member Sawant's bill to make Seattle an abortion right sanctuary city.

I'm actually from the state of Texas and many of my co-workers and family members still live there.

And so I can safely say that I know the fear that people are facing right now as cities in Texas are banning abortion one by one.

Seeing cities and other states pass laws like this undiluted gives hope to people living in states like Texas.

Austin, Texas actually passed a policy recommendation last week to their police department to deprioritize abortion cases.

They can't do anything stronger because they're in the state of Texas and therefore have to follow the state's laws, but Seattle can and therefore should do everything it can to protect abortion rights.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sean Riquel.

Hello, my name is Sean Riccio.

I'm a UFCW3000 member at the PCC central community market in the central district.

I'm actually calling from the break room currently on my shift.

First of all, I'm strongly in favor of council member Sawant's move to strengthen the abortion sanctuary city measure.

Secondly, I strongly urge the city council to vote against rescinding hazard pay.

Putting aside all of the issues regarding the continuing COVID crisis.

There are co-workers of mine here at the store today who will not be able to drive to work if they lose $4 an hour from their paycheck.

I do not think the council or the people listening who are opposed to the tax pay understand the severity of the crisis that they face.

There will be no one to pack your potato salad.

There will be no one to stock your produce.

People will not be able to get to work, let alone want to come to work.

I yield the rest of my time.

Thank you.

Thank you, our next speaker is Craig Randall.

Hello, my name is Craig Randall.

I work at a grocery store in the University District of Seattle.

And one thing I wanted to talk about was regards to the hazard pay proposed cut.

What I wanted to say is that whenever I'm, labeling items or checking out customers, I can tell over the last year or so that the prices are constantly increasing.

And given this, it makes no sense to cut the wages of workers when our money is worth less than ever, because the corporations who depend on us grocery workers can more than afford to pay extra, but workers cannot afford such a massive cut in their wages at this time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Trent Wu.

And Trent, you may need to, you got it.

Hello, my name is Trent Wu.

I'm a grocery worker and USCW 3000 member in West Seattle.

I'm just calling in to please ask the council to not end hazard pay.

I can tell you working on the front lines is that we are losing workers every day.

Either they're getting sick with COVID, they're getting hurt or they're quitting because we don't get paid very much as it is.

Losing hazard pay would lead to us losing even more workers, and we would be unable to put food on the shelf in a way that the food will be both fresh and safe, because we are basically hanging by a thread.

And if that thread called hazard pay is cut, it's going to be very devastating for the grocery workers in this city.

Also, I want to call in support for Sawant's bill on making Seattle a sanctuary city for abortion.

Thank you very much.

I yield the rest of my time.

Thank you, our next speaker is Daniel Blackburn.

My name is Daniel and I'm an engineer that lives and works in Seattle.

I'm calling in favor of a person's sanctuary city legislation because I believe our country is backslided at a pace never seen before in my generation.

And I want nothing more than to see my elected government at all levels fight for women's rights and protect the rights of women seeking abortion.

Toronto legislation is the strongest legal and most just form of action the city can take.

So I call upon the city council to pass it quickly and without hesitation.

And I also call upon the city to keep passive pay for grocery workers as the pandemic continues.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jordan Atwood.

Hi, I'm Jordan Atwood, and I would like you to urge you to pass Councilmember Sawant's legislation ensuring access to abortions in Seattle.

There's a nationwide attack on access to this medical service, and it's important now more than ever to help ensure the health and protection of pregnant people from Seattle and those who come here.

In addition, COVID cases and hospitalizations are rising with the latest VA2 variant.

It is important that we compensate workers who are putting their health at risk.

I ask that you vote no on council bill one 2372 that would end hazard pay for grocery workers.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jacob Shear.

Hi, good afternoon.

My name is Jacob Shear.

I'm an organizer with real change as well as a former rank and file UFCW member.

And I'm calling in on behalf of Real Change to voice full support for Council Member Salon's abortion sanctuary legislation, as well as to demand City Council drop its insidious and secretive attempt to in-hazard pay for essential grocery workers at the height of a COVID surge and the rise of monkeypox.

The repeal of Roe is already having a ripple effect, forcing working poor people to cross state lines to receive the health care they urgently need.

Idaho, our neighbor to the east, has a trigger law abortion ban that will shortly come into effect, and the Republican Party has made it clear there will be no exceptions that take into account the life of the mother.

To meet the scale and urgency of this need, we need to rapidly expand access and ensure that abortion is safe, legal, and accessible for all who need it in Seattle.

It is also unconscionable that at a time of unprecedented precarity and danger for working and poor people, that city council would even consider taking up legislation to strip away desperately needed hazard pay for grocery workers, right as the Omicron VA5 surges in our communities.

You cannot be pro-worker or pro-union while undermining and depriving working people of what they need to survive in this city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alyssa Kauffman.

Hi, my name is Alyssa Kauffman.

I live in District 4. I'm calling to speak in support of Council Member Kwon's Bill 2037-5 without any amendment.

It is your moral obligation to ensure that abortion access and protection for those seeking sanctuary.

And it is the very least you can do to vote yes.

Do your part to support swan's legislation.

Moreover, I am advocating that you do not remove hazard pay for frontline workers.

There is no rationale to end hazard pay that is ethical or even logical.

Vote no to remove hazard pay for grocery workers.

Vote yes on abortion sanctuary.

Be on the right side of history.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Megan Murphy.

And Megan, you may need to press star six.

We will come back to Megan if we see her unmute.

Our next speaker is Hope Fregi.

Hi.

Oh, we just lost you, Hope.

We may come back to Hope.

Our next speaker is Molly Southerden.

I'm Molly.

I'm Molly Southerden, and I'm calling from Dayton, Ohio, regarding the need for codified sanctuary cities.

Over 10 years ago, I had an abortion at 6.5 weeks, and I have never had a single regret about it.

I said as much when I testified a few years ago in person against the heartbeat bill which is now the legal six-week ban in place in Ohio.

That 10-year-old rape victim forced to travel to Indiana to receive timely and appropriate medical care, that's my state.

The National Right to Life Committee's current abortion ban proposal to the Indiana state legislature includes language that seeks to criminally penalize anyone involved with a pregnant person's abortion.

That would include that 10-year-old adult driver.

In the BLM movement, every medic friend I had was targeted by police.

Thus, I fail to see how anything short of legal sanctuary, as it is written without amendment, will curb police enthusiasm for enforcing interstate laws.

Those of us behind the Iron Curtain need you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I do see that Megan Murphy is present, so we'll try Megan Murphy again.

And Megan, you may need to press star six.

Okay, our next speaker is Malik Myers.

Hello Malik, please press star six.

Hello.

Hello.

Hello.

This is Medicare Myers.

I work for Amazon Fresh at Seattle, Aurora Avenue.

And I say I vote no and then hazard pay for grocery employees.

And I vote yes to make Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary.

So I speak for Amazon Fresh grocery store at Seattle, Aurora Avenue.

So I say no and then hazard pay.

We continuously receive messages from A to the app, which is Amazon employee application.

We get notification, we have a new COVID-19 exposure, an employee exposed to COVID-19.

So my workplace is

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Taylor Warner.

Taylor.

Taylor you may need to press star six.

All right now can you hear me.

Yes.

All right.

My name is Taylor and I'm an electrician with IBEW 46 and a single mom for my entire adult life.

I'm calling to support council member Swann's abortion sanctuary city legislation and I'm not concerned if the council imagines it will be procedurally complicated to implement it needs to pass in full.

Today Seattle can begin to go beyond what any other city has done and stand in defiance of an illegitimate Supreme Court.

We can protect women and trans people not only from unwanted pregnancy but from being reported for having or providing an abortion or even miscarrying by warped fundamentalist vigilantes.

from being trapped in marriage with an abusive partner that they can't legally exit while pregnant looking at Missouri and for literally being handcuffed and jailed by the police.

Or Seattle can waste time.

But understand that even if an action is packaged in a progressive left lexicon it will kill people.

Also with even with hazard pay it's not enough.

Forcing workers in crisis to stop the gap right now would show an egregious lack of imagination.

So of course keep hazard pay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Margo Stewart.

Margo?

My name is Margo.

I'm a renter on First Hill, and I'm taking time to call in from work today to demand that City Council vote yes on Councilmember Thawen's resolution to make Seattle an abortion sanctuary city.

without any delays or amendments, in solidarity with the more than 6,000 ordinary people who've signed in support, as well as a growing list of unions, UAW 4121, the Resident and Fellow Physicians Union, and the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3197. As you can see, this legislation is immensely popular among working people, and it could serve as a real beacon to people across the country about how our movements can fight back and win victories against these right-wing attacks on our rights.

And in the wake of how easily our federal reproductive protections have been rolled back, it's really critical that we enshine these protections into law as a mandate and not as a recommendation.

I also want to demand that the council vote no on the bill that's been snuck in to cut hazard pay.

Not only are we in the midst of now potentially two concurrent health crises with VA-5 and the growing cases of monkeypox, but inflation in Seattle is at 10%.

In this context, working people of the city remember when all eight Democrats shamefully voted to overturn Hazard Pay at the start of the Omicron surge.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Richie Tai.

Hello, this is Richie Tai.

I'm a Seattle resident and a member of Alphabet Workers Union.

I'm here to express my support for the abortion rights sanctuary legislation.

And also I urge our council members to vote no on ending hazard pay.

I urge our council members to vote yes on the abortion rights sanctuary legislation and without any watering down.

Right now we're facing a heinous right-wing attack on reproductive rights.

The majority of this country does not agree with this attack.

And we know this legislation would go far beyond the executive orders from our mayor and governor.

As we've seen from the Supreme Court ruling, the importance of codifying these things into actual law, the sanctuary stipulation would give actual meaningful enforcement mechanisms, executive orders, they're vulnerable to the whims of our executives, like if our mayor or governor change pressure from other states, we need safe, legal and free abortions in Seattle.

And I think this would not protect just the people who live here, but those who are forced to leave their home states seeking reproductive

Thank you.

Our next speaker is John Harshman.

John.

Hi, my name is John Harshman and I am a worker at Metropolitan Market in Seattle.

And I'm calling you to urge you to vote no on repealing hazard pay.

In the last week we've had 14 new COVID cases amongst our employees just at our location alone.

This is the highest number we've ever had in one week at our location.

The latest strain of COVID is very transmissible and resistant to current vaccines and boosters.

This is evident by hospitals being at capacity.

Repealing the hazard pay now would leave us even more shorthanded than we already are.

As many employees hired over the last year will be quitting for more lucrative and less hazardous work.

Meanwhile our company continues to hire more corporate employees over the last three months.

They have shown time and time again that they are not willing to make a fair decision on their own and they need to.

Thank you for your time and I yield the rest.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Judith Benditch.

Judith.

Hello I'm Judy Benditch.

And I support the amendment to A, to Council Bill 120375 in support of the abortion sanctuary city.

I am from, I'm an old timer.

So I grew up when abortion was not legal.

I grew up when birth control was not legal.

And I see what's happened to this country as devastating and illegal and appalling.

And so I think that the legislation, as I understand it, should pass in full.

There should not be any watering down amendments.

And I note online that it says there's an amendment B was not available, so I can't even read it.

But if it in any way limits what already is before us, it should be rejected.

And I hope you vote on that today and do it soon, like this afternoon.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Julie McKay.

Julie, it looks like you're there.

If you press star six, it should unmute.

My name is Julie McKay.

Thank you very much and good afternoon.

We are calling in strong support of council members who wants legislation to make Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary city.

Do not delay.

Do not water down.

On a final note the thought that SPD our court systems would anyway be involved is so frightening that it is nauseating.

Also do not end hazard pay.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is August Easton Calabria.

August.

Hello.

Hello, go ahead.

This is Josh Green.

I'm a resident of Lisa Herbold District.

I'm calling in support.

Are you still there?

Josh, go ahead.

Okay, we're gonna move on to William Lange.

William Lange.

Hi, my name is William Lange, and I'm not with an organization or union.

I urge all Democrats and city council to vote yes today on Socialist Council Member Kshama.

So I want legislation to make Seattle an abortion-free sanctuary city.

I hope the Democratic Party council members understand how much support there is for I swan legislation and the hunger among tens of thousands of people for a concrete response to the Supreme Court's decision.

This bill is such an important response, and all the council members who have spoken in support of abortion in healthcare have no obligation to vote yes, otherwise they are just meaningless words.

I'd be devastated if my significant other was unable to have an abortion due to ectopic pregnancy.

I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Joshua Brown.

Hi, my name is Josh Brown.

I'm a homeowner in Seattle's District 6 and a member of the Alphabet Workers Union.

I'm calling to urge Council Member Skrout and the rest of the Council to vote in favor of Council Bill 120375 without major delay and move Seattle on board to Sanctuary City.

We should not be spending the resources on persecuting women and families who are already undergoing extreme turmoil and distress.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is August Easton-Colubria.

August?

Hey, my name is August Houston Calabria and I'm here to support Swanson abortion sanctuary legislation.

I grew up in Seattle and I'm currently living in Madison, Wisconsin, where abortion is now illegal.

So once legislation is inspiring real organizing here in Dane County, we're building a movement and crafting legislation to make Dane an abortion rights sanctuary as well, demanding no cooperation with state authorities, no funding for any actions that could lead someone to be criminalized for having an abortion.

and formally decriminalizing abortion in Dane County to protect people from any civil suits as well.

It's very telling that Sawant was the only one on the city council putting forward meaningful action to take democratic control of the police during the BLM uprising, and is again the one putting it forward now.

The proposed amendment B to simply ask the police to do what we say is particularly egregious and is exemplary of the Democrats' empty rhetoric in the face of a slew of right-wing attacks The once-biting approach demonstrates how we can build a real fight back across the country, something that the Democrats seem completely unwilling to do.

Thank you.

We have reached the conclusion of the time allotted for public comment.

I'm seeing we have about 10 people left.

Is that correct?

Only about five.

Five?

We have five people left.

I'm going to extend this for seven minutes just to allow a little bit of extra time.

So if there's no objection in the public comment period, we'll be extended to 3.07 PM with a hard stop at 3.07.

Okay, our next speaker then Madeline Danks.

Madeline.

Hi, I'm Maddie.

I'm a renter in district three.

I'm calling to urge all eight Democrats on the city council to support council members to want legislation to make Seattle an abortion sanctuary city as it is written.

The public petition in support of this legislation has garnered over 6,000 signatures from Seattle's working people and unions and organizations have shown support.

We need strong legal protection, not toothless, watered down legislation or executive orders that can be easily overturned.

I'm also greatly disappointed to see another proposal to end hazard pay for grocery workers in the middle of another spike in COVID rates on top of an impending monkeypox emergency.

Siding with bosses and corporations over the safety of workers is shameful, and I hope that members of the council vote to oppose ending hazard pay today.

Thank you.

Thank you, our next speaker is Amelia Hassing.

Amelia.

Hello, I'm Amelia Hassing and a member of the Alphabet Workers Union.

I'm here today to say that we should vote for the abortion rights sanctuary and also do not hazard pay for grocery store workers and they should be given a raise.

Yield the rest of my time.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Bailey Griffin.

Bailey?

Hi, my name is Bailey Griffin.

I'm asking the city council to keep hazard pay for our frontline grocery workers and to vote yes for council member Sawant's legislation to make Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary without amendment.

COVID is still surging throughout King County.

Monkeypox is rising and our grocery workers are continuing to be exposed to infection reinfection, long COVID, and even death at work so that our community can continue having access to groceries.

This is all tied with our collective struggle for bodily autonomy and safety.

You must take action to protect your constituents by keeping hazard pay for our frontline workers and voting yes for Council Member Sawant's legislation to make Seattle an abortion rights sanctuary without amendment.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is John Montgomery.

I'm calling against Council Member Sawant's Abortion Sanctuary City Bill.

I'm disappointed to see Council Member Sawant align herself with corporate interests.

Amazon and other corporations are only too happy to pay for abortions as it aligns with corporate pockets by increasing the supply of cheap labor.

Instead, Council Member Sawant should be calling on Amazon to offer prenatal care and maternity leave for their employees.

If corporations want to maintain an expanded labor force, they should offer women subsidies to pay for daycare.

As a minority, I also object to Council Member Sawant's appeal to the impact on minority populations.

Abortions have historically been used as a tool of eugenics to decrease minority populations.

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was explicit in this idea.

She wrote, we do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population.

Please reject corporate power and white supremacy.

Reject Council Member's plan to make Seattle an abortion sanctuary city.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Our last speaker today is David Haynes.

Thank you, David Haynes, District 7. The only thing barbaric and extremist is killing off unborn babies because a woman is worried about poverty issues.

Yet City Council only wants abortion on demand, lying about reproductive health, creating a genocide and sterility policy society.

All while Democrats play social policies to distract from their big bank donors and owners of an immoral financial system that oppresses.

There is nothing legitimate about our public health officials who refuse to offer care for pregnant women who want to keep their baby, instead only offering death to an unborn child as if that's reproductive health care.

Yet, renters' rights committee never codified laws to protect renters from landlord abuse, yet their staff is copying evil law to ensure death to unborn children's futures.

It's evil to claim abortion is reproductive healthcare when it's not a rape, incest, or a threat to mother's health.

Instead, it convenes to irresponsible, troubled women who need better guidance than from someone making money killing off a life.

Separately, gun violence is directly correlated to drug poachers exempted from jail.

And there's no cooling stations in downtown Seattle.

The Central Library closes the same hour that it's the hottest part of the day.

And that finishes up our speakers present.

Thank you.

We've reached the end of our list of registered speakers with the no further public speakers present.

The public comment period is now closed.

Thank you for your comments today.

Moving on to item E, adoption of the introduction referral calendar.

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

Hearing no objection, the introduction of referral calendar is now adopted.

Item F, adoption of the agenda.

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

Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted.

Item G, adoption of the consent calendar.

We will now consider the proposed consent calendar.

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

Seeing none, colleagues, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

Second.

Thank you.

Thank you.

It has 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 Nelson.

Council Member Nelson.

Council Member Peterson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

Yes.

Five in favor, none opposed.

Excuse me, I'm sorry, add my aye to that, please.

Will do, thank you, Council Member Nelson.

Six in favor, none opposed.

Thank you, the consent calendar items are adopted.

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

Item H, committee reports, city council.

Will the clerk please read the title of item, the short title of item one into the record?

The report of the City Council agenda item one, Council Bill 120372, an ordinance relating to employment in Seattle, amending sections of the Municipal Code to establish a new date for ending hazard pay requirements and automatically repealing the ordinance.

Thank you.

Today, I'm going to move to postpone Council Bill 120372 to August 2nd, 2022. Is there a second?

Thank you, it has been moved and seconded.

Are there any comments?

Seeing no comments, will the clerk please call the roll on the motion to postpone Council Bill 120372.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

Yes.

Six in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries and Council Bill 120372 is postponed to August 2nd, 2022 City Council meeting.

Item number two, will the clerk please read the short title, read item two into the record.

Agenda item two, Council Bill 120375, an ordinance relating to the Seattle Criminal Code, adding a new chapter 12.8.32 to the Seattle Municipal Code and amending section 12.8.20.060 of the Seattle Municipal Code.

Thank you.

I move to pass Council Bill 120375 to bring this item before us.

Is there a second?

Second.

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

Council Member Swann, as the sponsor of this bill, would you like to share opening and closing remarks with others joining in between?

Yes, thank you, Council President Jotam Strauss.

This is legislation from my office to make Seattle a sanctuary for women and pregnant people and their doctors and other care providers facing persecution for seeking and performing abortions.

Laws violating basic bodily autonomy and criminalizing reproductive health care are fundamentally unjust and we should not allow Seattle to be complicit.

This bill prohibits Seattle police from arresting people, either patients or providers, based on outstanding warrants or otherwise aiding in investigations related to anti-abortion laws around the country.

Let anyone threatened by draconian anti-abortion laws come to Seattle without fear of prosecution.

This will unfortunately not make unjust arrest warrants go away.

That will require building a powerful women's rights and LGBTQ rights movement to win back the right to bodily autonomy nationwide.

But the legislation will mean that people with unjust arrest warrants can live in Seattle without being extradited to whatever state is attempting to prosecute them.

This is decisive because the police of other states and cities do not have the power to arrest outside their jurisdiction.

And if Seattle police, the county sheriff, and Washington State Patrol refuse to do those arrests based on anti-abortion laws, there is no law enforcement agency left to arrest you.

If this legislation passes in Seattle alone, it will have a vital impact on protecting many women and LGBTQ people.

However, if bringing it here can help it spread to other cities and states, the impact could be truly profound.

If half the states in the nation refused to extradite people under investigation for breaking anti-abortion laws in the other half of the states, those laws will become extremely difficult to enforce.

My council office has already been contacted by elected representatives in several cities and counties interested in similar legislation.

Thank you to Chicago Alderman Byron Ciccio-Lopez and Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley, both members like me of the Democratic Socialists of America, who plan to push for similar legislation in their respective cities.

Thank you especially to Heidi Wegleitner, District 2 Supervisor in Dane County, Wisconsin, who met with me and other activists yesterday and who wrote to the Seattle City Council in strong support of our legislation.

As supervisor said, quote, the immediate impact is severe and sickening in my state where we have an abortion ban on the books from 1849. The abortion ban makes it a felony crime to provide an abortion unless it is necessary to save the life of the mother.

There are no exceptions for rape, incest, or other health issues of the parent.

After Roe, for 50 years, the 173-year-old law was not enforced.

After the Dobbs decision was announced, abortion providers stopped scheduling appointments in Wisconsin.

Now pregnant persons in Wisconsin need to find a way to get an abortion provider in a state where they can still access an abortion, like Illinois or Minnesota.

They have to line up the funds not just for the procedure or pills, but arrange transportation and lodging And they have to wait likely much longer to get the care they need.

They have to worry that our state legislature will enact even more draconian restrictions on their right to pursue the health care they need in other places.

I plan to pursue legislation to prohibit county resources from being used to report, investigate, or prosecute any person for violating the 1849 abortion ban.

I write to let you know that your commitment to protecting those providing and seeking abortion care is incredibly important to me.

It's important to me as a woman who has been pregnant four times, but only birthed one child.

It's important to me as a fellow local elected official working with other legislators, activists, public health officials, and healthcare providers to figure out how to do everything in our power to push back against the horrifying 1849 abortion ban in a country which no longer recognizes the constitutional right to access an abortion.

Please vote yes on this bill and reject any attempts to water it down like what is found in Amendment B. As policymakers, we have a responsibility to use our power to protect human rights When we choose to change the words in a policy to quote-unquote request something instead of quote-unquote requiring it, we are failing the people who elected us.

Anyone can request something of a government body.

Legislative bodies like your council can require it.

Watering down this bill would render it virtually meaningless.

Pregnant people and people with uteruses in my state and in yours need more than grandstanding.

They need real legislation which will protect them.

End quote.

Thank you, Supervisor Weber-Leitner.

I do want to also clarify that this legislation in front of us is very different than current state laws such as House Bill 1851 and legal opinions which protect people who perform or have an abortion in Seattle.

including if a pregnant person lives in another state and comes to Seattle to have an abortion because their state bans that.

Those laws are good to have, but they do not protect people who perform or have an abortion in a state where they have been banned, which requires breaking those unjust laws.

And consequently, they need refuge.

This is what this legislation will address.

If people break the unjust anti-abortion laws in their own state and believe they will be caught, they can come to Seattle and be protected from prosecution.

After I announced this legislation at a press conference, Governor Inslee issued an executive order, and Mayor Harrell pledged at a press conference to temporarily instruct state and city police not to aid in those out-of-state abortion-related investigations.

However, those executive orders are significantly weaker than this legislation because they make no mention of out-of-state arrest warrants.

They are also no substitute for actually codifying these protections into law, which our legislation will do.

The overturning of Roe shows the importance of codifying human rights into law.

I want to thank Jasmine Marwaha from City Council Central Staff for all the help she provided in drafting this bill and thank you to Central Staff member Anne Gorman for continuing the work on the bill.

Thank you to the over 5,500 people my office in support of this legislation.

Special thanks go to the rank and file union members who have supported this and local unions who have endorsed the legislation.

UAW 4121 who represent thousands of graduate student workers, the resident and fellow physicians union Northwest who represent physicians and residents at the University of Washington Hospital, American Federation of Government Employees Local 3197 representing the healthcare workers with Seattle Veterans Administration.

Thank you to Real Change Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action, or PASARA, and the Puget Sound Mobilization for Reproductive Justice, who have publicly supported this legislation, and Socialist Alternative, my organization, whose members have been tabling almost daily every week across the city and gathering the thousands of petition signatures.

Finally, my office has prepared an amendment, Amendment A, to this bill, which I will move after concluding these introductory remarks and with the permission of the Council President Pro Tem, The amendment makes some small technical edits and removes a line in order to make the bill better reflect its original intent.

The line deleted had said, quote, provided by a licensed health care provider operating within the scope of their practice, end quote, when describing the abortion related arrest warrants and investigations that Seattle police would not aid in.

The reality is states that have passed draconian anti-abortion laws also make it impossible to be licensed to provide reproductive health care.

And as a result, people find other illegal ways.

They're forced to find other illegal ways to do the same thing.

Thousands will find their own solution to unwanted pregnancies because they will be forced to do so.

people will order the abortion pill online or get it from a friend.

By limiting the protections in this bill to licensed health care providers operating within the scope of their practice, it would have inadvertently undercut the impact of the bill.

So this amendment corrects that.

As I said in the council briefing yesterday, this amendment aligns the bill language to its original intent and is consistent with how I have been publicly describing the bill.

I fully agree with the dozens of working people who spoke today during public comment, including their opposition to any amendments that would weaken the legislation.

I want to make it clear to all working people that this amendment I am moving, or I'm hoping to move soon, is not an amendment that will weaken the legislation, but actually make sure that the intent of the legislation is fulfilled.

So I urge council members to support this legislation, including amendment A.

And Council Member Sawant, would you like to move your amendment?

Yes, thank you, Council President Rotem Strauss.

I move Amendment A to Council Bill 120375.

Second.

It has been moved and seconded to amend Council Bill 120375. Council Member Swann, I know you've addressed the amendment already.

Any further remarks on the amendment?

Nothing from me unless there are any questions.

Fantastic.

Colleagues, any questions?

Seeing no questions, it has been moved.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the amendment?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Swant?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss?

Yes.

Six in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries and the amendment is adopted.

Council Member Sawant, I know you spoke very well to the bill and the amendment.

Anything else?

Or I guess let me call on colleagues.

Any comment on the bill, colleagues?

Council Member Herbold.

Thank you so much.

Just a couple very quick words.

I'm very pleased to vote in support of this legislation, which provides important safeguards to ensure that people seeking abortion here are protected from attempts to stop or prosecute them.

I did want to say for the record that I publicly stated my support for this legislation at last week's full council meeting, and I'm I'm frustrated that an email was sent out from the sponsor's office incorrectly claiming that no council member had done so.

I've since received a significant amount of advocacy I welcome the advocacy, but urging me to take a vote that I'd already committed to taking.

more broadly on the substance of the bill and the substance of the issue, ensuring safety and full access to reproductive health care is a urgent and very, very important priority for me.

I've created sort of a track record on some of these issues by first adding language to the original resolution that the council passed, sponsored by council member Sawant, but focusing on the immediate investment that the Northwest Abortion Access Fund was needing to receive, which the mayor has called that, or has answered that call.

And the council is now poised to approve $250,000 for this purpose this year, consistent with that amendment.

I've met regularly with advocates and providers on the front lines of abortion access to understanding their ongoing needs and emerging priorities, had a briefing this morning from Public Health on how they're working to protect abortion access and what more we can do here at the City Council.

I had that briefing in my public committee this morning.

I'm also co-sponsoring two bills with Councilmember Morales to protect pregnant people who are seeking abortion here.

which the council will consider on August 9th.

I think these are important, significant pieces of legislation.

I don't think it's appropriate to minimize their importance.

One bill is to create a protected status of people seeking abortion.

The other relates specifically to the actions that others may take towards people seeking comprehensive reproductive services.

And I'm really looking forward to bringing those bills before the full council.

They have already passed the committee where they were heard.

And then I'm really looking forward to working to find ways to expand abortion access and protect what can only be called medical refugees, people who are coming here and cannot receive basic healthcare in their home states, so that we can make sure that people understand the places here in Washington State where they can receive those services, because it's very confusing right now with some of the deceptive practices that some clinics are engaged in, and the fact that we have hospital mergers with hospitals that simply don't provide those services.

This is, again, more important work that is yet to be done.

In closing, again, I support this bill and I thank Council Member Sawant for bringing it forward.

Thank you.

Other colleagues, any questions, comments?

Seeing none.

Council Member Sawant, any final words?

Just very quickly, yeah, I appreciate Council Member Herbold's support for this bill, and I hope all Council Members will vote yes on it.

And this fall, the People's Budget Movement will also be bringing forward a budget amendment to fund free abortions in Seattle, both for residents and those escaping right-wing anti-abortion laws in their own states.

That would be another way that Seattle and hopefully other states, cities in Washington State and other states as well, can work to make these deeply unjust and right wing laws difficult to enforce.

Thank you.

Great, thank you.

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

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

She said aye.

I said aye.

Thank you.

Council Member Peterson?

Yes.

Council Member Swat?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

He also said yes.

Thank you.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

Yes.

Six in favor, none opposed.

The bill passes as amended.

The chair will sign it.

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

Next item number three, will the clerk please read item three into the record?

I am very excited about this.

Agenda item three, report of the Sustainability and Rich's Rights Committee.

Appointment, excuse me, 02268, the appointment of Justine Farrell as Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment.

The committee recommends the council confirm the appointment.

I think more than just the committee recommends approval of this appointment, it's with my great pleasure we welcome Interim for now, Director Jessenfeld as the Director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment.

The committee recommended that we confirm this appointment and Council Member Sawant, as chair of the committee, you are recognized to provide the committee report and Director Farrell, we're gonna do the vote and then we'll open it up for your comments.

I'm very excited to have you here.

Council Member Sawant.

Thank you, Council President Rotem Strauss.

This is the appointment of Jessen Farrell to be the director of the Office of Sustainability and Environment, City of Seattle.

Mayor Harrell appointed her to be the Interim Director of OSC at the beginning of this year, and this summer nominated her to be director.

The Sustainability and Renters' Rights Committee discussed her appointment at the July 15th committee meeting, where Interim Director Farrell explained her views on the climate crisis and Seattle's record addressing greenhouse gas emissions.

I first of all wanted to thank Interim Director Harrell for all the detailed responses that she sent to the questions from my office.

At the committee, Interim Director Harrell expressed that the power of the giant fossil fuel companies is a major factor in why there continues to be no meaningful progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions nationally, which, as I said at committee, I very much agree with.

Interim Director Farrell also expressed a view that Seattle, at this moment, is making good progress reducing emissions, which I don't agree with because emissions in the city have continued to rise.

And I registered that also at the committee meeting, and I'm happy to continue talking to Interim Director Harrell and anyone at OSC in any effort to take Seattle in the correct direction.

The committee I urged Interim Director Farrell and everyone at the Office of Sustainability and Environment to strongly advocate for meaningful policy, not symbolic votes by the City Council on this existential issue of climate catastrophe, and specifically for Seattle to address the climate crisis in our city.

As I've let Interim Director Farrell know, already my office is always willing to work with everyone who wants to fight to address this crisis we are facing.

The committee unanimously voted to recommend confirmation of this appointment.

Thank you, Council Member Swann, and I would say it's my honor and privilege to get to have Director Farrell before the full Council today.

Having worked with her for many years at this point, I know, Director Farrell, how you put your head down and do work, how you focused on transportation as a way to mitigate climate crisis.

and your forward thinking I know is going to be an asset to our community.

So for those three things, I know that we are in really good hands.

Colleagues, I'll open it up to you now, if you'd like to address the bill, or I guess this is the appointment.

Council Member Nelson, please.

I was sorry not to be Hello, Interim Director Farrell.

Sorry.

I was sorry not to be at committee to vote for you back then, but I'm thrilled to do so right now.

For people that might not have read about Ms. Farrell's background or her resume, she has worked in the environmental policy for years and years and years, starting in, I think it's 2004, as a transportation advocate at Washburg, then as executive director of transportation choices, strategic advisor to the CEO of Pierce Transit, as representative of the 46th Legislative District, and then as a candidate.

And that's where I really got to know I'm just going to say Jessen.

I have to say that I would often take notes to the points and comments that Jessen was making, because she's got such a clear mind and is really detail oriented, but a big picture thinker.

And so I just have to say that I can't think of anybody else that's better for this job, and we're lucky to get you.

I look forward to voting for your confirmation.

Well said Council Member Nelson.

I too take notes and I appreciate Director Farrell's ability to see both the forest and the trees simultaneously.

Other colleagues, any comments before we vote on the appointment?

Seeing no others, will the clerk please call the roll on the confirmation of appointment for Director Farrell?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

Absolutely, yes.

Six in favor, none opposed.

The motion carries and the appointment is confirmed.

Congratulations, Director Farrell.

You are now recognized to provide brief or long remarks to the council and our viewing public.

I'll turn it over to you, Director Peril.

Thank you so much to each and every one of the council members for your votes today and for your service to the city.

Council members, thank you so much for your leadership on this committee.

I am really looking forward to working with you.

Council Member Strauss, Council Member Nelson and Lewis and Peterson and Herbold.

I'm really looking forward.

It is go time on climate.

And while there are some things that we are doing well in the city, there is a lot of work to do.

And I'm looking forward to working with the council and the mayor and all of the great people who work for the city, as well as the great advocates to roll up our sleeves and get the work done.

It is go time and it is time to scale our investments and our efforts to the size of the crisis.

The hour is late and it is time for action.

So with that, I'm looking forward to continuing this work and really going big over the next several years.

So again, thank you so much and I look forward to this role.

Wonderful.

We are honored to have you in this role.

It is, as you say, time to go big, scale our solutions to the size of this crisis, and it's go time.

I'm glad to be going with you.

With that, we'll move on to item four, unless Director Ferro, you or other colleagues have any last comments.

Seeing none, we'll see you in the work.

Great to see you, Director Farrell.

Item number four from the Finance and Housing Committee.

Will the clerk please read the short title of item four into the record?

The report of the Finance and Housing Committee agenda item four, Council Bill 120365, an ordinance authorizing in 2022 acceptance of funding from non-city sources.

The committee recommends the city council pass the council bill.

Thank you, Council Member Lewis.

On behalf of Council Member Mosqueda, you are recognized in order to provide the committee report.

Yes, thank you so much, President Pro Tem Strauss.

So Council Member Mosqueda indicated that she wanted to hold these bills.

So I think at this time, I'm gonna move to hold them.

And I could explain after I make the motion that it's seconded or before.

Thank you, Council Member Lewis.

I understand that there were two of four bills to be held.

Did you wanna hold all of them or just two of them?

Just the two budget bills, President Pro Tem, which requires seven members to pass without appropriate quorum today.

But otherwise, as you indicated, the committee report does include the gift, I think that that's one of the ones that we need to hold for the quorum.

So maybe we could have, Interim Clerk Atkinson jump in on this.

It's my understanding that the gift of public, the gift of- Unless I heard something from earlier that item four does not need the three quarter vote and could be moved forward today.

It's agenda item five that takes the seven council votes.

And item six- The supplemental budget bill.

The supplemental and the CIP.

Those are the two that require seven votes.

I was only aware of agenda item five.

So.

Okay.

Council Member Luis, how would you like to, we can hold everything if you want.

No, no, no.

I think that we can go ahead and proceed with Council Bill 120365, Council Bill, per the clerk's representations, if we can go forward with Council Bill 120366, and

So we are currently on 365. It has been read into the record at this time, an acceptance of funding from non-city sources.

Yes, and so- We would either want a motion to pass or a motion to postpone.

Ibelia, is- Council Member Nielsen.

Do you know if Council Bill 120365 can be voted on today?

Is that one of the ones?

Yes.

could be voted on today, was that the question?

I mean, is that one of the ones that needs to be, I just remember in committee, we handled those 365 and 366 together, so.

As I understand it, they don't have to be voted together as long as agenda item four is passed before agenda item five.

So if we were to pass agenda item four today and agenda item five on next city council meeting next week, we should be fine.

That's my understanding as well.

Yeah, thanks for that clarification.

and no need for Liz when we've got Deputy Clerk Schwinn at the helm.

Yes, so with that, Mr. President Pro Tem, I would move that we pass Council Bill 120365. Thank you, second.

So it has been moved and seconded.

Council Member Lewis, would you like to provide the committee report?

Yes, thank you, Mr. President Pro Tem.

So we had a discussion on this legislation in committee last week.

It ultimately passed with four council members voting in favor and recommending full passage.

This legislation allows these departments to accept grants of funds from non-city sources.

and the committee recommends that we pass legislation.

Wonderful.

Colleagues, any questions, comments, concerns?

Seeing none, will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Salant?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

Yes.

Six in favor and none opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes.

Will the clerk and the chair will sign it.

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

Item number five, will the clerk please read the short title of item five into the record?

Agenda item five, council bill 120366 and ordinance amending ordinance 126490, which adopted the 2022 budget, including the 2022 through 2027 capital improvement program.

The committee recommends the bill pass as amended.

Thank you.

Also known as the supplemental budget.

This is both the budget and the capital improvement program, which both Council Member Lewis and I just referenced.

Council Member Lewis also noted for budget bills, we require seven votes in the affirmative.

We currently have six council members present.

And so we will hold the bill for next week.

So I move to postpone Council Bill 120-366 to August 2nd, 2022. Is there a second?

Second.

It has been moved and seconded.

Are there any comments?

Seeing no comments, will the clerk please call the roll on the motion to postpone Council Bill 120-366 by one week?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

Yes.

Six in favor, none opposed.

The motion carries, Council Bill 120366 is postponed to August 2nd, 2022 City Council meeting.

Item number six, will the clerk please read item six into the record.

Agenda item six, Council Bill 120367, an ordinance accepting the gift of a Harvard Government Performance Lab Fellow and ratifying and confirming certain five acts, the committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

And this is another bill coming out of finance and housing.

Unfortunately, I don't sit on it anymore.

I'd love to be there.

Council Member Lewis, on behalf of Council Member Mosqueda, you are recognized to provide the committee report.

Yes, thank you, Mr. President Pro Tem.

We had a good presentation on this item in the committee.

It's an exciting opportunity to be accepting a fellow from the Harvard Government Performance Lab.

At the conclusion of the presentation, the council unanimously recommended passage of this ordinance here at full council.

And given that there was no controversy raised in that discussion, I move that we pass the ordinance.

Great, and Deputy Clerk Schwinn, do we need to formally move and second this bill?

We do not.

Great, it is before us.

Colleagues, any questions, comments, concerns?

Checking the dais, checking the Zoom, seeing none.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Salant?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

Yes.

Six in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes the chair.

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

Item number seven, will the clerk please read the short title of item seven into the record.

Agenda item seven, Council Bill 120371, an ordinance relating to the Department of Finance and Administrative Services, declaring a portion of lot 31, block two, Kramer Heights addition, volume 13 of Platts, page 66, that is not needed for street purposes as surplus to the city needs.

The committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

Council Member Lewis, again, on behalf of Council Member Mosqueda, you are recognized to provide the committee report.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.

This is a great opportunity that's being pursued by the Department of Finance and Administrative Services.

One of the fairly routine departmental matters that have to come to the council is the city's board of directors for final approval involves the swapping around of a couple of properties.

for the use of the department.

This was scrutinized in a presentation before the committee last week and resulted in a unanimous decision from the committee to recommend full passage to the council.

And I do so move that we pass Council Bill 120371.

Thank you, Council Member Luis.

Colleagues, questions, comments, concerns?

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

Council Member Nelson.

Council Member Peterson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council President Pro Tem Strauss.

Yes.

Six in favor, none opposed.

Thank you, the bill passes, the chair will sign it.

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

Item I, items removed from the consent calendar.

There were no items removed from the consent calendar today.

Item J, adoption of other resolutions.

There are no resolutions for introduction and adoption today.

Under item K, other business, colleagues, is there any other business to come before the council?

I am seeing none.

I believe that I made this request previously.

I'll make it again today just to be excused from council briefing on August 15th.

Thank you.

Colleagues, if there is no objection, no objections needed.

Colleagues, this does conclude the items of business on today's agenda.

Our next regularly scheduled city council meeting is on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022 at 2 p.m.

I hope you all have a wonderful afternoon.

We are adjourned.