Seattle City Council 4/25/23

Good afternoon, everybody.

Today is Tuesday, April 25th.

This is the meeting of the Seattle City Council.

I am now calling it to order.

My name is Deborah Juarez.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Solant.

Present.

Council Member Strauss.

Present.

Council Member Herbold.

Here.

Council Member Lewis.

Present.

Council Member Morales.

Here.

Council Member Musqueda.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Present.

Council Member Peterson.

Here.

And Council President Juarez.

Here.

Eight present.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

If there's no objection, Council Member Mosqueda will be excused from today's city council meeting.

Hearing or seeing no objection, Council Member Mosqueda is indeed excused from today's meeting.

There are no presentations today.

Before we go to public comments today, we have one public comment period and then we also have a public hearing in which we will take public comment.

So we'll begin with general public comment.

And then later on an agenda item number one, Council Bill 120547 regarding an ordinance from Council Member Lewis's Public Asset and Homeless Committee.

We will have a public hearing and we'll take public comment.

So I would like to just run the recording one time on instruction so we don't have to do it twice.

So that's what's in front of us today, folks.

Moving on to public comment.

My understanding, Madam Clerk, is we have two remote speakers, correct?

Correct.

Good.

Let's give each remote speaker two minutes.

And Madam Clerk, I will now hand it over to you for the instructions.

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.

Great.

Our first remote speaker is Howard Gale.

Good afternoon.

Howard Gale with seattlestop.org.

In a few weeks, it will be six full years that the Community Police Commission has failed to fulfill the legislative requirements mandated by this Council in Resolution 31753. Most notably, the CPC has failed to propose mechanisms external to the SPD for investigation of serious and deadly use of force protections available to every city in the state except Seattle.

and has failed to develop an appeals process for when the system rejects, as it usually does, complaints about police abuse.

Worse yet, CPC commissioners just last week noted that they were abandoning any concrete proposals for complaint and appeals process using the SPA contract as an excuse for their failures.

Actions like these and the CPC's failure to act on fundamental protections for victims of police violence is a predictable result of the CPC's decade-long history of disregard and disenfranchisement for those injured and killed by Seattle police.

Recently, the CPC has taken to attacking victims of police violence, ending any public comment at its meetings, and has suspended their community engagement forums.

The CPC fears the community.

The CPC has become not a commission for the community, but a commission to police the community.

Given the reality of the CPC's abdication of important responsibilities, it is now critical that this council give their full support to the newly created but functionally crippled affected persons program and allow this program to take up the important task of creating a system for complaint appeals.

Council Members Mosqueda, Herbold, and Morales looked us in the eye last fall and proclaimed their support for this affected persons program.

It is time now to act to ensure that there can be one tiny part of a failed police accountability system that can actually allow the victims of police violence to advocate for themselves.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next remote speaker is Sue Williams, and she is showing us not present.

Oh, I do not see it.

Oh, I mean, we don't can't see her tile, correct?

Correct.

She's not present.

Okay.

Okay.

So, Madam Clerk, is it fair to say that public comment is, well, I'll say when it's coming.

We're done with our speakers?

Yes, we are.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

We reached the end of our public comment period.

So, with that, public comment is now closed.

Moving on the agenda, let's see.

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

Not seeing an objection, the introduction and referral calendar is adopted.

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

Not seeing any objection, today's agenda is adopted.

Let's move on to the consent calendar.

The consent calendar today includes the minutes for April 18th, Payroll Bill 120550. And we have two appointments from Council Member Morales' committee, the Neighborhoods, Education, Civil Rights, and Culture Committee.

With that being said, are there any items that any council member would like to have removed from today's consent calendar?

Okay.

Not seeing or hearing any items requested to be removed, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

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 Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The consent calendar is adopted.

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

Moving on to committee reports today, we have two items and the first item, as I shared earlier from the Public Assets and Homeless Committee.

Madam Clerk, can you please read item one into the record?

Report of the Public Assets and Homelessness Committee, Agenda Item 1, Council Bill 120-547, relating to Jackson Park transferring jurisdiction of a portion of Northeast 130th Street from the Seattle Department of Transportation to Seattle Parks and Recreation for open space, park, and recreation purposes.

The committee recommends that city council pass the council bill.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Before I open the public hearing on this item, I'm going to turn it over to Council Member Lewis, who is chair of the committee and sponsor of the bill.

Council Member Lewis.

Thank you, Council President Juarez.

This ordinance was heard last week in my committee discussing a exchange of land that is required by some of the transportation projects that are occurring near Northeast 130th Street.

that involve taking some Seattle Parks land and turning it into SDOT right away.

Per the requirements of Initiative 42, SDOT is taking some of its property located on the other side of Jackson Park.

It is a more significant portion of property than what Parks is transferring to SDOT, so it meets the requirement of that initiative.

and allows more park space to be created for the exchanging of the relevant portion of right of way.

And the committee unanimously recommended passage of this ordinance.

And what district is that in Council Member Lewis?

That is in District 5.

Thank you.

Okay, as a presiding officer I'm now opening the public hearing on Council Bill 120547 related to Jackson Park and as Councilmember Lewis just outlined the transfer in the jurisdiction of that portion of 130th from the Seattle Department of Transportation to Seattle Parks and Recreation for open space, park and recreation purposes.

Madam Clerk, do we have anyone signed up for this public hearing to provide public comment.

No, we do not.

Seeing that we have no speakers today, then I will officially close public comment on the public hearing.

So with that, I'm going to hand it back over to Council Member Lewis to see if there's anything else he would like to share before we go to a vote.

Nothing else to add, Council President, and I am ready to vote.

Thank you.

With that, Madam Clerk, can you please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

And Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor and none opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes, the chair will sign it, and Madam Clerk, please affix my signature to the ordinance on my behalf.

Let's move on to item number two.

Madam Clerk, can you please read item number two into the record?

Agenda item two, council bill 12546, relating to Seattle Parks and Recreation, authorizing the city of Seattle to enter and take a non-government agreement with the Baseball Club of Seattle, LLP, for the purposes of making improvements to the Rainier Playfield and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.

The committee recommends that city council pass the council bill.

Thank you, Council Member Lewis.

Thank you, Council President.

This ordinance is the policy proposal that was alluded to in Mayor Harrell's State of the City speech for a partnership between the Seattle Mariners, which is the baseball club of Seattle, LLLP, and Seattle Parks and Recreation to make improvements to Rainier Playfield.

The committee heard a presentation on this arrangement to enter into this agreement and unanimously recommended passage of the ordinance.

Thank you.

Are there any comments from my colleagues regarding this ordinance?

Okay, not seeing any, Council Member Lewis, I'm guessing you don't have any wrap up comments.

You're good?

Madam President, thank you.

Okay, great.

With that, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Council Member Peterson.

I see he's here.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

And Council President Peterson.

Eight in favor, sorry, seven in favor, none opposed.

Great, thank you.

The bill passes and the chair will sign it.

And Madam Clerk, please fix my signature to the ordinance on my behalf.

Moving along our agenda, there were no items removed from the consent calendar.

Adoption of other resolutions.

There are no other resolutions to be considered at this juncture.

Is there any other business to come before council?

Council Member Strauss.

Yes, thank you, Council President.

As I mentioned yesterday during Council briefing, I'm requesting to be excused from the May 2nd full Council meeting.

Okay.

If there's no objection, Council Member Strauss will be excused from the May 2nd City Council meeting.

I hear or see no objections.

Council Member Strauss, you are indeed excused from the Council meeting on May 2nd.

Thank you, colleagues.

Thank you.

Before we go to adjourn, let's see if there's I got a few other items here.

No, I think we're good.

So this does conclude today's business.

The next regular scheduled meeting will be on May 2nd.

And with that, we are adjourned.

Thank you, everybody.