Seattle City Council 6/24/2025

Good afternoon, everyone.

The June 24th, 2025 meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order.

It is 2-0-1.

I'm Sarah Nelson, Council President.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Saka?

Here.

Council Member Solomon?

Here.

Council Member Hollingsworth?

Council Member Kettle?

Here.

Council Member Moore?

Present.

Council Member Rink?

Council Member Rivera?

Council President Nelson.

Present.

All right.

If there is no objection, Councilmember Rivera will be excused from today's City Council meeting.

Hearing no objection, Councilmember Rivera is excused from today's meeting.

There are no presentations today, so colleagues at this time will open the hybrid public comment period.

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

Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today?

We have 14 in person so far and eight remote.

Okay, we'll give each person one minute to speak and start with how many in person, 14?

We'll go ahead and just go ahead and do all the in person first.

Thank you.

The public comment period when moderated in the following manner.

Public comment period is up to 20 minutes.

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

Speakers will alternate between sets of in-person and remote speaker until the public comment period is ended.

Please begin by speaking your name and the item that you are addressing.

Speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left of their time.

Speakers mics will be muted if they do not in their comments within the allotted time to allow us to call on the next speaker.

The public comment period is now open and we will begin with the first speaker on our list.

We'll start with the first three persons and say we'll start with Paul, then Paula and Ben Worden, if I'm mistaken.

And you can actually address the council on any of these microphones.

It's Paul, Paula, and Ben.

Thank you.

Hi.

Hold on.

Okay.

I'm Paul Glumaz of the King County Republican Party.

My appreciation to all of those here.

In 2021, when I ran for Seattle City Council, and later in 2022, when I ran for Congress for Seattle 7th District, it became obvious to me that Seattle had become, and still is, one of our nation's meccas for the drug-addicted homeless, a compassionate, welcoming place with free needles, food, free tents, a possible low-barrier shelter, maybe some affordable housing, along with the intention of virtually no criminal enforcement so addicts can have the means to do crime to procure their drugs as they destroy local businesses and neighborhoods without being concerned about having to recover from drug addiction in prison or high barrier prison diversion.

Why is this possible?

Is this what Seattle wants?

No.

The people of Seattle have not organized themselves into a force to challenge the existing order which allows this to occur.

Paula, Paula Reese, and then Ben Worden.

Please vote no on the Ike kiosk.

It's not about the Ike kiosk.

It's about breaking our laws that we've had for 60 years to allow commercial advertising back on our streets.

There were many errors in the director's report.

For one, there are no 5,000 nits mentioned in the code.

It's 500 nits.

For instance, the city of Las Vegas is 300 nits.

If we want to be that much brighter than Las Vegas, then vote for this today.

We need to be prepared for costly lawsuits.

Once you say yes to this, you will not be able to say no to other players that have had much more at stake much longer.

So this is going to open up for digital signs up to 672 square feet, because that's what the Seattle Sign Code says is possible.

And if you've seen them on Fourth Avenue, that's a good example.

Also, this is video.

Who said video?

What other cities do full motion video?

That's for distraction.

So all the driver distraction studies are out the door.

I just can't believe that we're doing this again and again and again.

It's very expensive.

Thank you.

We now have Ben.

And please ensure that you're actually adjusting the mic to get really close to the microphone so we can hear you.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Ben Warden.

My name is Ben Warden.

I'm a data professional with specializations in governance and statistical machine learning.

I want to urge the full council to pass the essential bill that councilmembers Moore, Strauss, and Rink have brought forward with councilmembers Rink's amendment to strengthen it.

There is no way to govern, to add transparency, or to limit algorithmic pricing on rents to make them not fundamentally and essentially of their nature price fixing and collusion.

This bill is very important to the public trust, and I urge you to pass it in its fall with Council Member Rink's amendment.

Thank you for your time.

We have Emily, and the following Emily Higgins, I believe.

It'll be Joan.

And again, please adjust the mic so you're really close to it so we can hear you.

Thank you.

Hello, I'm here to talk about ICE in Seattle because masked men are kidnapping our neighbors and SPD is helping them do it.

ICE agents in masks are abducting people who are just trying to go to their immigration meetings.

And when protesters try to protect our neighbors, SPD jumps in to attack protesters with pepper balls and other types of weapons so that ICE can continue their kidnappings with ease.

This is a loophole that must be closed.

SPD must be banned from helping ICE in any way.

Furthermore, ICE agents must be required to identify themselves.

This is happening in some cities in California, and there is no reason it can't happen here, but we need your help to make that happen.

This needs to end now.

Thank you.

We have Joan.

Following Joan would be, I believe it's Bon Wood.

Hello.

I'd like to start off by thanking City Council President Sarah Nelson for standing up on June 13th and praising the need for peace in our city.

Following that need, I'd like to request that Sarah Nelson demonstrate her leadership in this city.

by calling on all law enforcement officers to clearly identify themselves when doing enforcement mechanisms.

We've seen what has happened in other cities where ICE and other federal agents have not clearly identified themselves.

We've seen people get kidnapped by people just claiming to be federal law enforcement and commit crimes.

I'm really scared about what's happening in our city, and I really hope you demonstrate leadership and our appreciation for peace in our city.

Thank you.

Bon Wood.

And if you can start lining up, that'd be great.

After Bon would be Alex Zerman and then Michael Woody.

Hello.

My name is Bon Wood.

I'm here to address CB121000.

I'm non-binary, queer, disabled at birth due to traumatic brain injury or severe abuse.

We have been facing incredible harm in the Seattle rental just in rental in Seattle, from the City of Seattle and Washington State.

Specifically in the City of Seattle regarding SOCR, Seattle Human Rights Commission, as well as the City's Attorney's Office when we are trying to address rental issues with landlords.

With any accountability, raise rent.

Give me a moment here.

I didn't realize we're just going to have a freaking minute for this.

But we've Like I said, the Seattle rental system has threatened us.

We've been having to force move multiple times.

Every time we have went to address this within our step zero from what anyone would encounter in these things, as disabled, as vulnerable populations who have zero access to.

Thank you.

Alex Saruman.

You're welcome to submit.

I'm sorry.

We're demanding that this act pass with these amendments and that the city council is held accountable.

Anyone who has voted within their own self-interest needs to be removed immediately.

Thank you very much.

The citizens are not.

You're welcome to send in the rest of your comments.

Go ahead, Alex.

Ah, Zikhail.

Zikhail, I love you.

You my best friend.

A damn Nazi Gestapo fascist pig imab bandita.

My name Alex Zimmerman.

I live here for 40 years.

A president of Stand Up America.

I support Trump for beginning.

I speak in Consul Chamber 5,000 times from Tacoma to Everett.

I have 6,000 days of trespass, like 20 years in jail, and they will prosecute me five times.

Guys, I speak right now to Seattle degenerative idiot.

How long you can keep this freaking Nazi pig who give you one minute for speak?

Why?

Why one minute?

And I'm talking about Bertha room open so everybody can come one day per week.

You speak three, five minutes without controlling.

This Nazi pig controls 700,000 people.

How is it possible?

How is it possible?

And they're very quiet.

Why is it very quiet?

Because they are cockroaches.

Stand up.

We were Trump.

We were new American revolution.

Thank you very much for one minute.

So now we have Michael Woody and then Victoria Palmer and...

Thank you.

Phil, is there any way you can increase the volume on your share screen or do you need to share it again?

So we can hear it.

Yes, we'll try that again.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Just a quick second.

Thank you.

Great.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Michael Woody.

I'm the Chief Strategy Officer at Visit Seattle, and I'm here to express our strong support for Council Bill 120992, authorizing digital kiosks in the public right-of-way.

Seattle welcomed nearly 40 million visitors last year, generating $8.8 billion in spending, yet many arrive with no set plans.

One in 10 only book hotel.

So these kiosks will really help to provide real-time, multilingual, ADA-accessible information to help visitors navigate, explore neighborhoods, and support local businesses, especially those they might otherwise miss.

With features like free Wi-Fi, public safety tools, transit updates, these kiosks enhance the street-level experience while decluttering sidewalks through consolidation.

As we gear up for 2026 FIFA World Cup, this smart infrastructure will be critical in managing visitors and supporting equitable economic activity across Seattle.

We urge your full support of Council Bill 120-992.

Thank you.

Now we have Victoria Palmer and then Jeff Kroll.

Excuse me.

Hi, I'm Victoria Palmer with the King County Republican Party, and I'm here to follow up on your recent panel discussion about the federal policy on tariffs.

Just to let you know, our party submitted an op-ed to the Seattle Times, which was published on June 13, and it was urging patience with the Trump tariffs as a way to push our economy and develop it in a way that we can sustain domestically.

Think of it like a tourniquet to turn off our dependency on imports and to let American ingenuity restore our economy.

That's what's going to save us is the American spirit.

Thank you.

Jeff Kroll.

Sorry, can you hear me?

Thanks for allowing me time to get up here.

All right, I'd like to address and support the ban on rental price fixing and algorithmic price fixing.

I'd like to say that I think it's great of you to ban this predatory rent practice, since it is pricing people, as mentioned previously, who are disabled, who are at a disadvantage, unfairly out of housing.

said before, I've watched rents climb two to $300 per unit in the last like two or three years.

And that's been across the board, even affordable units, low income MFTE units as well.

I would also like to urge continuing to look into rent control if possible.

I also would like to address the kiosks.

The screens on the bus stations that show when the next bus comes can barely be maintained as it is.

So I'm not confident about showing disabled people and marginalized people things that they can't get to or do in their own city at a high cost.

That's all.

Thank you.

Now we have Ellen Soled and then Julie, I believe it's...

I want to address something that's not on the agenda quickly.

Please fix the sidewalks.

My name is Ellen Solid.

I'm calling to ask, I'm addressing you today regarding the digital kiosk CB 120992. I've been writing to you for more than a year, maybe two years, and have never gotten one response from any of you except for a form saying you're too busy to respond.

That is not council responsiveness, and I'm really disturbed about that.

I'm going to give you back again what I have already mailed you, but I want to bring your attention to one important item, and that is that the city has been sold on these as a public benefit, and the fact is approximately 90% of the time it will be commercial advertising.

Think about that.

No one is actually really going to know how to access all that other stuff unless it flashes.

No one is going to know that if they interact with the kiosk, their data will be included.

Think about this longer.

Don't pass it today.

I'm going to leave you my .

We now have, I believe it's Julie Knight, and then Bennett Haselton, and then Gabriel Jones.

Hi there, thank you for having me.

My name is Julie and I am here to talk specifically on ICE.

ICE is continuing to target and abduct our undocumented community members and removing them from our communities.

This is disrupting our community cohesion and spreading fear.

I've literally helped folks with groceries because they're too scared to leave their houses.

Please, please, please request to ban SPD from working with ICE in all capacities.

Require every single ICE agent and police officer in Seattle to ID themselves.

And then finally, also to ban license plate readers that ICE uses to target our undocumented community.

Thank you.

We have Bennett and then Gabriel.

Good afternoon, counsel.

I actually just changed my mind about what I wanted to talk about today because I wanted to offer a rebuttal to some of the comments offered by Republican speakers earlier, which with all due respect to what they said, but here's why I disagree about tariffs.

As you all remember, when Trump announced his tariff policy, the stock market crashed.

Now, for all of the valid criticisms about unhealthy focus on the stock market and capitalism, one thing about stocks is they are forward-looking, and that if informed investors believe that the tariffs are really going to bring more money and more jobs to America, that would have been reflected in a boost in stock prices at the time.

And as everybody here knows, that's not what happens.

The stocks crash, and they only rebounded a little bit later because Trump walked back to his previous policy.

And the reason is that progress takes the form of finding an easier, cheaper way to do something.

Sometimes that could be a new invention.

It could also be importing it from somewhere else.

And now we should be concerned about people who are temporarily dislocated by those changes.

But the solution is to support people who are temporarily affected by those changes who did things the old way, not to stop all imports and block the new way of doing things.

Thank you.

We now have Gabriel Jones and then John Scholes.

Good afternoon, counsel.

My name is Gabriel Jones.

I'm here to speak today on police reform.

You know, it's been a minute since I've been in counsel, and don't worry, missed you guys too.

Now, the reason I am here today, or the reason I haven't been around for the last little bit is because I've been in and out of the hospital about four times the last few weeks.

The reason for this is because I was brutally assaulted with no cause by SPD, which is why I'm here to speak on today.

On May 26th, after many brave people showed up to protest hate groups, after people like Matt Shea showed up in Capitol Hill to spew hate against trans people, we have many brave people show up to speak out against that.

Now I warned this council months before that if we allowed SPD to use less lethals, they would abuse them, and it would lead to the violation of First Amendment rights and injured people who haven't done anything wrong, and that's exactly where we're at.

The 2020 protest happened because people all over the country refused police reform, and people died.

If you want another 2020 to continue on this path, but if you want to save lives and ensure that rights are upkept, then I'm asking you to re-ban the less lethals and further fire officers who crossed the line that day and to stop SPD from assisting with ICE.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, counsel.

John Skulls with the Downtown Seattle Association.

Here to urge your support of the proposal to site digital kiosks in downtown and adjacent business improvement areas.

This legislation and the proposals had two years or so of review by the Design Commission, SDOT, Pedestrian Advisory Board, and the committee.

This is a proven technology, and we have a proven partner in Ike.

They have a tremendous track record in 20 markets around the country of taking care of these, of keeping them in great working order, and dedicating up to 25% of the content to community partners to help promote neighborhoods, events, and the things we want people to take part in in downtowns and neighborhood.

business districts.

This comes at no cost to the city, no cost to us, and generates revenue that we and other BIAs will put back into important services and programs to support further revitalization of downtown and our neighborhood business districts.

It has broad support and I urge your support as well.

Thank you.

That was our last registered in-person speaker.

We'll now move on to remote speakers.

Okay, our first remote speaker is Alberto Alvarez to be followed by Lydia Felty.

Please press star six when you hear the prompt that you have been unmuted.

Go ahead, Alberto.

Thank you.

By missing the forest for the trees, the NIMBYs can use words like canopy so they are green in the face.

King 5 just reported that over a half million acres of Washington forest land are in a state of mortality.

Keeping people out of the city and pushed into urban sprawl will cause more forest land to be wiped out.

Seattle sits on land one-tenth the size of the half million acres of forest we are losing today.

As a global economic powerhouse, Our city has a responsibility to the state and the entire Pacific Northwest to take bold action for growth and density.

Do not let short-sighted greenwashing and pseudoscience scare you into scaling back for a vibrant and growing Seattle.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker is Lydia Felty, followed by Kate Rubin.

Go ahead, Lydia.

I'm Lydia Felty.

I'm a renter in District 3 and the co-chair of the Seattle Renters Commission, speaking in an individual capacity today in support of Council Bill 12100. My thanks to Councilmembers Morris, Ross, and Rink for sponsoring this ordinance to prohibit algorithmic rent fixing.

It really is no secret that renters are struggling in Seattle, and it's not accidental.

Landlords in Seattle are colluding through RealPage and other rent fixing sites to drive up rents without regard for impacts on the city.

It's one of the driving factors in Seattle's housing and homelessness crisis.

And the good news is that you have the power to change it.

This ordinance, particularly with Amendment D, has the power to change this.

In a city that's majority renters, many of whom are cost burdened, and in yet another unprecedented time, where attacks on our most vulnerable communities are surging, this ordinance is critical, and the accountability mechanisms in Amendment D are also crucial to ensuring efficacy of the ordinance.

I am grateful to live in a city that's ready to ban this practice.

I'm grateful to the full council, and I urge you to act without delay supporting this ordinance with amendment D.

Thank you.

Next speaker is Kate Rubin.

After Kate will be Alan Francis.

My name is Kate Rubin.

I'm a renter in District 2, and I'm the co-executive director of B Seattle.

I'm urging the council to support the bill from council members Moore, Strauss, and Rank to ban algorithmic rent pricing.

Landlords using RealPage have been polluting to drive up rent, not based on what is reasonable or what renters can actually afford, but based on how much profit they can squeeze out of us when they act in lockstep.

Experts estimate these algorithms are responsible for up to a quarter of the rent increases over the past five years, fueling Seattle's housing and homelessness crisis.

Studies show that every $100 in median rent increases leads to a 9% increase in homelessness.

To quote Attorney General Nick Brown, RealPage's unfair practices are cheating renters and pricing families out of stable housing.

Washington is facing a housing crisis, and we must respond with every available tool.

This bill could be one of those tools, but we need it to be strong enough to work.

Amendment D strengthens it by clearly defining violations per unit and ensuring that renters have a meaningful path forward.

This is a clear choice.

Vote yes on Council Bill 12100 and yes on Amendment D. Thank you.

Next speaker is Alan Francis, to be followed by Mike Simcoe.

good afternoon council members i'm alan francis urging your support for the proposed ban on algorithmic rent fixing this isn't a technical adjustment it's a moral imperative for our city's future for too long hidden computer programs have steadily driven up rent prices making homes unaffordable controlled by large rental companies these tools hurt as profit ignoring fair competition and human struggles the outcome skyrocketing rent forcing agonizing choices between housing, food, or medical care.

This isn't free market.

It's a rigged system.

This lack of transparency is a grave injustice.

Tenants can't challenge arbitrary forces dictating their living costs.

This harms vulnerable populations, seniors, working families, students, heaping social cracks and threatening Seattle's diversity.

Crucially, I urge your support for Amendment D from Council Member Rink.

This amendment will significantly strengthen the bill, truly protecting tenants from these exploited practices.

I think legislation declares Seattle values is people over corporate algorithms.

It affirms housing is a fundamental right.

Let us dismantle it.

Thank you.

Next is Mike Simcoe, followed by David Haynes.

Hi, my name is Mike Simcoe, and I'm vice president and legal counsel to RealPage.

We are opposed to item number two.

That's 121000, the algorithmic rent pricing bill.

this proposed ordinance goes far beyond any regulator, whether it's the President Biden's Justice Department or your own Attorney General there.

It goes far beyond anything those offices are asking us to do.

It is essentially a total ban on algorithmic pricing.

And really all this software does is it provides market analysis with a pricing suggestion.

And most of the time, our customers do not even accept our pricing recommendations.

There is not an industry in the United States that does not use software to help sellers price widgets.

The apartment industry is no different.

This would put apartment owners way behind the eight ball.

There is litigation in Berkeley over a very similar bill.

I think

Thank you.

Next is David Haynes, followed by Elizabeth Archambault.

Hi, David Haynes.

Thank you.

Who has to pay for the kiosk when they get smashed?

Is Seattle going to have to pay for it, or is the company going to come out for free and fix it?

I ask because pretty much every monitor of RapidRod deployed around Pine and Pike got smashed and never bothered to be fixed.

And, you know, with the rental algorithmic, spare us the virtue signaling about the ignoble abuse of renters.

This is another virtue signaling distraction from the small-time landlords on council who have conflicts of interest in self-dealing that have already put restrictions and sabotages on the comprehensive plan and allowed the mayor to taint the One Seattle plan with racist priorities that are going to backstab the whole of community for the next 20 years because they're going to line the pockets of a bunch of unqualified non-profits, you have to hire a for-profit, violating the law that you created that denied the for-profits competition.

Anyway, the Pine and Pike bus stop sale has been put back because the public safety has failed.

So stop lying to us about the data.

Next is Elizabeth, followed by Leonard Jerome.

Go ahead, Elizabeth.

Okay.

My name is Elizabeth Archambeau, and I am a tenant in the Southlake Union neighborhood.

And I'm calling in today to support Council Member Rink's amendments that would ban all of the software like RealChange, which causes rents to go up.

I'm, like a lot of my neighbors in the area in Seattle, I'm rent burden.

And I think that banning algorithmic programs such as RealPage would really help us in keeping rents and our apartments affordable.

So I'm really glad that Seattle is considering rents.

I'm really sorry.

I'm really glad that while I was considering banning this practice, I urge the council to act with that delay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speaker is Leonard Jerome.

Go ahead, Leonard.

Hi.

Good afternoon, council.

I would like to thank council members Morris, Strauss, and Rink for the bill banning algorithm price fixing.

This is something that all across the political spectrum in Seattle can get behind.

I'm glad that you're getting ahead of this.

It was interesting hearing from the real page representative talking about how this is irresponsible.

I personally think it's irresponsible to rob renters of billions of dollars all across the nation.

So if he's not in support of this, that's probably a good thing.

I urge the rest of the council to unanimously vote for this bill along with council member Rink's amendment.

Good stuff, y'all.

Thank you.

So I want to dedicate the rest of my time to supporting the removal of cameras from the new kiosk.

Now might be the worst time to in Seattle's history to be increasing surveillance.

From what I understand, The footage is not to be shared with law enforcement, but I may come when you don't have a choice, and we should not be building out Trump's surveillance date for him.

So, yeah, don't be building out Trump's surveillance date for him.

Thank you.

Thank you.

There are no additional remote registered speakers.

Okay, thank you very much.

We have now reached the end of our public comment period and the public comment period is now closed.

Moving on, let's see, I want to acknowledge first that Council Member Rivera is present for today's meeting and joined us right after the roll call and she's been accompanying the public comment online.

So the council will now need to rescind her excused absence from today's meeting.

If there is no objection, Council Member Rivera's excused absence from today's City Council meeting is rescinded.

All right, hearing no objection, Council Member Rivera's excused absence from today's meeting is rescinded.

Okay, with that out of the way, if there's no objection, the introduction and referral calendar will be adopted.

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

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

Hearing none, the agenda is adopted.

And then finally, we'll consider the proposed consent calendar.

The items on the consent calendar are the minutes of June 10th and 17th, 2025, Council Bill 121007, payment of bills, and eight appointments from the Finance Native Communities and Tribal Governments Committee.

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

Hearing none, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

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

Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the consent calendar?

Council Member Salka?

Aye.

Council Member Solomon?

Aye.

Council Member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council Member Kettle?

Aye.

Council Member Moore?

Aye.

Council Member Rink?

Aye.

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

And Council President Nelson.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

The consent calendar items are adopted.

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

Thank you.

All right, moving on to item one.

Will the clerk please read item one into the record.

The report of the Governance Accountability and Economic Development Committee, Gen.1, Council Bill 120919, granting Downtown Seattle Association permission to install, maintain, and operate interactive media kiosk into public places located in the Metropolitan Improvement District and in other participating business improvement areas for a 16.5-year term, renewable for one successive 13.5-year term, satisfying the conditions under which the permit is granted.

The committee recommends that the bill pass as amended.

Thank you for that.

So again, this ordinance, basically this passed through my committee, the Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee.

And so I will provide the committee report.

And again, this ordinance provides final approval for DSA's digital kiosk program, authorizing both the SDOT term permit and the city DSA memorandum of understanding.

Interactive kiosks are a component of Mayor Harrell's downtown activation plan.

And DSA makes downtown a better place.

We don't leave downtown, I mean, DSA to fend for itself and support for this legislation is a signal of our support, particularly in phase one, for everything that DSA does to make downtown the best it can possibly be.

As a recap, these kiosks will provide a multitude of benefits to visitors and locals alike in our downtown and other business areas, including wayfinding in many languages, free wifi, emergency calling, and information about events.

And particularly for small businesses, the benefits include a new venue to promote themselves, but also the revenue from the kiosk will go right back into the neighborhoods, keeping our city clean and supporting the whole community.

Our revenues, I might add, are one of the best deals provided to any city by Ike.

Also, thanks to Councilmember Hollingsworth's amendment, any revenues in excess of the $1.1 million will be used by the city for streetscape improvements citywide, ensuring that everyone will benefit from this.

It's rare to find a policy, frankly, that really is a win-win for everyone, but this one is for sure.

We'll be on the world stage next year with visitors from around the world coming for the World Cup and other festivities.

So having these kiosks in place by then is paramount to our overall plan to provide an accessible and welcoming city.

And that is what is driving our timeline on this.

In order for that to happen, we must pass this ordinance today.

All right, that is my introduction.

Are there any council members that would like to provide for any comments or questions?

Looking at, okay, Council Member Moore.

Thank you very much, Council President.

So respectfully, I will not be supporting this today, as I've mentioned before, in line with my earlier vote on the resolution.

I do have concerns about the impact of this proposal on the city's sign code.

I have concerns about potential for distractions of drivers that could impact road safety and the impact on accomplishing the goals of Vision Zero.

I do want to say I appreciate the work of the Design Commission, Ellen Solard.

We did actually find your email to be very helpful.

Thank you for that.

And others in raising concerns about the impact of the kiosk.

I do appreciate that if this passes, that some of the revenue will be going to some of the outlying and fledgling BIAs, and I very much appreciate that.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

And I appreciate your comments and your consistency.

We did have, we did outreach to people that know things about this.

And the key part that I would like to mention is that yes, this is non-complying with our signed code.

However, the charter does allow for us to enact ordinances that are inconsistent as long as they provide for public benefits.

So that is what makes me feel comfortable about this exception.

Councilmember Kettle.

Thank you, Council President.

Speaking of public benefits, that's the primary or one of the reasons, I shouldn't say primary, one of the reasons why we'll be supporting this is the public safety benefits to the public, both on the front end and the back end in terms of how the kiosk is made.

but also importantly for the support of the BIAs.

As I mentioned in committee, the BIA's primary focus is the business and creating the vitality of the neighborhoods and the communities.

But in order to do so, they have a very strong track record in supporting public safety initiatives, which we saw this morning in our public safety committee meeting.

So for those reasons and others, I will be supporting this bill.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Let's see, are there any further comments?

All right.

Well, let's see.

I would like to offer that the benefits of the small business is what first drew me in here because it is a place, and I didn't know from one of the public comments that many people come, I think that it was Visit Seattle that noted that some people just make a reservation at a hotel and they arrive, which probably would be my...

my method as well.

And so these will be visible resources on city blocks that will help people to locate interesting places to go and also public transit that's live and in many different languages.

One thing that doesn't get mentioned very much is the fact that on every single block face that these are placed, there will be decluttering and cleanup and fixing of whatever other street furniture is in existence.

So when you're really thinking about it, that is a lot of blocks downtown that will benefit from this cleanup and decluttering.

And so it does catalyze pedestrian improvements that, so it's an indirect effect, but that is, those are improvements that will be happening at no charge to the city as well.

And in addition, as we've talked about before, the maintenance and software updates, et cetera, will be the responsibility of DSA working with the vendor.

So, Looking again for further comments, I would just like to say, seeing none, I'll just end by thanking all the amazing people who've worked so hard on this project for so long to make this an excellent deal for Seattle and our businesses while directly addressing their concerns, design review, Commission as well as they've been brought up over time.

From crafting this behind the scenes for many years to presenting and speaking out in support at many of these committee meetings and also working with stakeholders, you did all that work and I appreciate it.

Specifically, I would like to call out to John Scholes of the Downtown Seattle Association, Aaron Goodman of the Soto BIA, Mike Stewart in the Ballard Alliance, Chris McKay, and the West Seattle Junction, and Don Blakeney of the U District Partnership.

Those are the BIAs that will be receiving the next phase of these kiosks and also the revenue that is generated.

Elise Nelson and Amy Gray from SDOT were tremendously helpful, Cara Vallier and Andrew Meyerberg from the Mayor's Office, Clay Collett and Jessica Burton from Orange Barrel Media, I'm almost done.

Mark Brands from Sight Workshop, Calvin Chow of the Central Staff, and my own staff that's been shepherding this through the process for years.

And I'm sure there are many people that I'm forgetting, but just want everyone to know that this is a huge team effort and your work does not go unnoticed.

So thank you all very much.

And I will now call for a vote, please.

Council Member Salka.

Aye.

Council member Solomon?

Aye.

Council member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council member Kettle?

Aye.

Council member Moore?

No.

Council member Rink?

No.

Council member Rivera?

Aye.

Council President Nelson?

Aye.

That is six in favor, two opposed.

Thank you very much.

The bill passes and the chair will sign it.

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

Thank you much, everybody.

We're making our deadline, and this will be a tremendous tool for the...

Please do not talk.

You've had your opportunity to speak during public comment.

And this will be tremendous aid for people that are coming to our city from all over the world.

Thank you, everyone.

Will the clerk please read item two?

You are out of order.

You are engaging in disruptive behavior.

You are welcome to be quiet and if you do not stop disrupting the proceedings, I will ask security to please escort you out.

You have been warned that you are engaging in disruptive behavior.

I am asking you to please stop this.

You are you are interrupting the proceedings of our meeting.

Will the clerk please read item two into the record?

The report of the Housing and Human Services Committee, joined item two, Council Bill 1-100, relating to prohibiting algorithm rent fixing, adding new chapter 7.34 to the Seattle Municipal Code.

The committee recommends the bill pass as amended.

Thank you very much.

And Council Member Moore, as chair of the committee and the force behind this, you are recognized to provide the committee report.

Thank you very much, Council President.

So just briefly, Council Bill 121-000 prohibits algorithmic rent fixing in order to combat anti-competitive rent hikes and help prevent displacement.

I will reserve my further remarks until consideration of the amendments.

Okay, thank you very much.

All right, let's see.

I am going to, before the bill is open to debate and amendments, I will request that the rules be suspended to allow for council central staff to join us at the table to answer any questions on the proposed amendments.

All right, seeing no objection, the rules will be suspended to allow central staff to address the council.

Hearing no objection, the rules are suspended, and Tommaso Johnson of Central Staff will join us at the table.

Thank you.

Councilmember Saka, you are recognized to move Amendment B. Thank you, Madam Council President.

I move to amend Council Bill 12100 as presented on Amendment B. On the agenda.

Second.

It's been moved and suspended to amend the bill as presented on Amendment B. And Councilmember Saka, you're recognized to address the amendment.

All right.

Would you prefer that central staff analysts walk us through and then you can provide the rationale?

Thank you, Madam Council President.

That's always my personal preference.

Okay.

Thank you.

Go ahead, please.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Tommaso Johnson, Council Central Staff.

Amendment B, sponsored by Councilmember Strauss Wood, request that the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections conduct outreach efforts to educate landlords about the provisions of this bill.

The amendment would also request that SDCI by January 31, 2026, provide counsel with a report describing the results of this outreach and describing potential ways the department could assist with implementation of this bill.

Thank you very much.

All right, Council Member Sacco, you're recognized to talk about it.

Thank you, Madam Council President.

So colleagues, I am moving this amendment on behalf of Council Member Strauss, the sponsor.

So the following words are directly from Council Member Strauss.

This amendment would request that the Department of Construction and Inspection conduct outreach efforts to educate landlords about the provisions of this bill.

The amendment would also request that SDCI by January 31st, 2026, provide council with a report describing the results of this outreach and describing potential ways that the department could assist with implementation of this bill.

This is a straightforward amendment that makes sure we are communicating these legal changes to landlords and exploring the best ways to enforce them moving forward.

So pretend that was Council Member Shrouse speaking.

I'll say, I will add on my own color commentary directly from my perspective.

I think this is a smart common sense amendment to the bill.

Ultimately it's about education and we endeavor to be, to educate.

how we can help folks become in compliance with this rather than being punitive.

And I think that's, in my view, that's what the thrust of this amendment would purport to do.

And it's also about transparency.

So I'll be personally supporting it and wanna thank Council Member Strauss for putting it forward.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, are there any comments on this amendment?

Council Member Moore.

Thank you, Council President.

I too want to thank Council Member Strauss for bringing forth this amendment.

If this bill passes, it will be a significant change.

And so I think it is important that SDCI engage in education with landlords.

So I view this as very much a friendly and well thought reasoned amendment.

I will be supportive.

Thank you.

Okay.

Does anybody else have any comments?

I have a question.

To your knowledge, first of all, please be quiet.

I cannot hear up here.

Your voice is carrying and you're interrupting.

Security, would you please help escort from the chambers if you are not going to?

You have been warned several times that you're engaging in disruptive behavior.

To your knowledge, has there been any other city where this has been?

No, I think that it's any other jurisdiction where there has been reporting requirements, because I do think it is a good idea to always look into the potential negative benefits to any of our legislation.

I'm not familiar enough, Council President, with the other jurisdictions that have enacted algorithmic rent fixing bands, the particularities of those bills to know if they have a similar reporting requirement.

I would add that this amendment, SDCI's role in this would be supplementary to the primary enforcement mechanism, which would be through the city attorney's office.

So it would add additional value, additional function to this legislation of implementation and education related to the bill.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Do you have a look on your face, Council Member Moore?

I thought Council Member Rivera had raised her hand, but I was wrong.

Okay.

All right.

Seeing no other questions, it's been moved in second.

Oh, okay.

Council member Rivera, I didn't see you.

Go ahead, please.

That's okay.

Thank you, Council President.

I'm having trouble with my technology, but I wanted to say that I will be abstaining from this vote and the underlying bill as I will be recusing myself since I am a small landlord in Seattle.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Okay, we've already moved and seconded to amend the bill as presented on Amendment B. And seeing no other comments, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of Amendment B. Council Member Saka?

Aye.

Council Member Solomon?

Aye.

Council Member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council Member Kettle?

Aye.

Council Member Moore?

Aye.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council Member Rivera?

Upstein.

And Council President Nelson?

Aye.

That is seven in favor and one abstention.

None opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries and Amendment B is adopted.

Are there any further comments on the bill as amended?

Council Member Moore.

Thank you, Council President.

I move to amend Council Bill 121000 as presented on Amendment C on the agenda.

Second.

All right, it's been moved and seconded to amend the bill as presented on amendment C.

Council member Moore as sponsor, you're recognized to address the amendment, but I am assuming that you would like, okay, our central staff analyst to go ahead and explain it first.

Thank you.

Yes, amendment C sponsored by council member Moore would do three things.

Firstly, it would add a new definition of service provider to the bill.

and use that term when identifying prohibited coordinating functions instead of person, which was originally in the bill.

Functionally, this amendment, this change of this amendment would align the language of this ordinance with the substitute Senate Bill 5469 from which much of the concept of this legislation is drawn.

the state legislation that was proposed but did not pass earlier this year.

Secondly, it would add a new section to clarify that the prohibitions in this bill related to coordination, use of algorithmic rent-setting tools would not apply to short-term rentals and hotels, but to residential properties.

Thirdly, it would clarify the scope of the prohibition to just make clear that use of, landlord's use of basic record keeping software that didn't otherwise involve prohibited coordination would not be further prohibited under this bill.

Thank you.

Go ahead, you're welcome to add.

Thank you very much.

Yeah, I just basically that covers it.

I really just wanted to clarify it is not intended to apply to short-term rentals or hotels or basic record-keeping software and the licenses and systems that one would need to utilize for that basic record-keeping activity.

and really just trying to take the concerns that were expressed previously about this bill while keeping the overall goal of prohibiting algorithmic rent price fixing.

Thank you.

Got it, thank you.

Are there any other comments?

Councilor Mercado.

Thank you, Council President.

I wanted to thank Council Member Moore for bringing this amendment.

Last time I spoke about bringing an amendment myself, but after reviewing this amendment and consulting with legal, this amendment captures those pieces that I was referring to.

And so I have no amendment and I support Council Member Moore's amendment instead.

Thank you.

All right, I'm looking again.

I have a question because I did not realize, I thought that it didn't go forward to a vote in Olympia, but that it was, I did not know that it did not pass.

It was pretty much the same, I think you said it was the same.

Was it, I think it was model legislation that came from local progress, I'm thinking.

Is that, do you know?

So I should clarify, the state bill passed the Senate and danced to a vote in the House this past spring.

So yes, it was not passed by legislature, but did not come to a vote before the full House.

I understand.

Well, then I would assume that might be partially because there were individual constituencies that had some concerns about it.

So I do, Council Member Moore, thank you for addressing those.

All right.

Are there any comments before we go?

I allow for your last comments.

Let's see.

I'll just say what it's written here for me to say.

This amendment is essential to making sure we specifically target landlords who are using this software and can enforce it.

Some folks have brought up concerns about unintended consequences of this being applied to short-term rentals or hotels, and so this is what the amendment seeks to address.

All right, you're welcome to close us out if you would like.

No, I don't have anything further, thanks.

Okay, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage, on the adoption of Amendment C. Council Member Salka?

Aye.

Council Member Solomon?

Aye.

Council Member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council Member Kettle?

Aye.

Council Member Moore?

Aye.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council Member Rivera.

Epstein.

Council President Nelson.

Aye.

That's seven in favor, none opposed, and one abstention.

Thank you, the motion carries and Amendment C is adopted.

Any further comments on the bill as amended?

Council Member Rink.

Thank you, Council President.

I move to amend Council Bill 121000 as presented on Amendment D on the agenda.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded to amend the bill as presented on Amendment D. Council Member Rink, as sponsor, you're recognized to address the amendment unless you would like our central staff analyst to walk us through it.

Go ahead, please, central staff.

Tommaso.

Thank you.

This amendment would do two things.

Firstly, it would clarify that for the purposes of enforcement, each violation, each use of the Prohibited coordinating service per dwelling unit would be considered a separate violation to trigger the up to $7,500 penalty.

Further, it would amend the private right of action to include actual damages incurred in addition to attorney's fees which were amended in a committee to this bill.

Okay, go ahead.

Thank you for that overview, Tomaso.

Colleagues, my amendment addresses both the city attorney's enforcement of the bill and the amount of damages available in the private right of action.

First, the amendment clarifies what can be considered a violation.

It adds language authorizing the city attorney's office to charge a violation for each dwelling unit in which coordinating services are used.

This means that a landlord with multiple units may be held responsible for using algorithmic rent fixing in each unit they own if the city attorney's office has evidence to support this conclusion.

The amendment is intended to serve as a deterrent to larger landlords who may be less inclined to think that the 75 $500 penalty per violation as a cost of doing business.

Second, the amendment grants those with a private right of action the opportunity to seek actual damages incurred.

If an individual can show actual damage resulting from the algorithmic price fixing, they can seek that remedy from the court.

And for context, the amendment is a culmination of a lot of work with law to ensure we're addressing stakeholder concerns we've heard, but are doing so in a way that is legally sound and collaborative with the city attorney's office.

And with that, colleagues, I ask for your support.

Thank you.

All right.

Are there any comments or questions?

Councilmember Saka.

Thank you, Madam Council President.

Question.

I don't know if this is for the amendment author or to the amendment author or even the underlying bill sponsor, but certainly for central staff expert.

So we'd just like to better understand the inclusion of the concepts contained in this proposed amendments and whether The history in terms of whether they were included in the original bill or the bill that was considered in the state legislature, I note that Council Member Moore's amendment that was just approved included a few concepts.

One concept was previously daylighted over a week ago, and it was included in the recitals only, and this time leveled that to be more substantive and more enforcing by clarifying what software they could use and whatnot.

And Tommaso, you also mentioned that Well, portions of those, the other part of that amendment included essentially the final version of what the State Senate ultimately voted on and approved, presumably in response to the legislative compromising that goes on.

So just be curious to better understand the specific features in this amendment and its relation or not to what was included in the Olympia bill.

The two sections of this, uh, provisions of this amendment are, um, supplementary.

So they, they were not, um, they are not elements that were included in the state legislation.

Um, as far as the second provision authorizing actual damages, I will just note that there are a number of, um, sections of Seattle municipal code that, um, all pre-existing sections that authorize actual damages, the possibility of actual damages, and private rights of action in the spheres of consumer protection, civil rights, unfair housing, and also other tenant rights sections include actual damages.

So while that was not part of the state bill, it wouldn't be a novel addition to our code in that sense.

Okay, so I'm hearing that they were not included for whatever reason in the bill.

Do we know whether they're included in any version of the bill in Olympia?

Like these same concepts, were they included in any bill?

Do we know that?

That's a very technical, specific question.

I don't know.

I understand.

I'm not aware.

Thank you.

I have not read the enforcement section carefully enough, but is there a warning before there is a violation?

I'm noting that if the report is due at the end of January, I believe, that doesn't give a lot of time for there to be outreach to landlords and teach them before we start

Yeah, the enforcement, Council President, the enforcement sections in the current bill don't contemplate a warning, but I would expect that in similar ways that other pieces of legislation are enforced by the city attorney's office, that there would be a thoughtful process laid out to attempt to resolve violations or resolve misunderstandings of the law if they didn't rise to the level of clear violations before such a case would be brought.

Okay, thank you.

I had forgotten the role of the city attorney in filing options, because this is not a labor rate, which is a director's decision.

Okay, if there are no further questions or comments, will the clerk please read the, call the roll on the passage of amendment D.

Council member Saka?

No.

Council member Solomon?

Aye.

Council member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council member Kettle?

Aye.

Council member Moore?

Aye.

Council member Rink?

Yes.

Council member Rivera?

Abstain.

And Council President Nelson.

Aye.

That is six in favor, one opposed, one abstention.

All right, the motion carries and amendment D is adopted.

Are there further comments on the bill as amended?

Council Member Moore.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I would let Council Member Hollingsworth.

I'm sorry.

I was looking for my hand.

I know it's hard.

Thank you.

I didn't write any comments down.

Just a really great appreciation for Council Member Moore to bring this forward.

I think a lot of people forget how big of a champion that she has been for renters on this council, especially last year where she brought $3 million to the rental assistance and the budget last year.

That was an additional money that was funding and she fought for that really, really hard as well.

She also brought forward the capital gains tax that would have went to housing and food as well.

And so just really appreciate your work on this and know how hard that you worked.

And then also I know that Council Member Strauss and Council Member Rink co-sponsors as well and you all bring in your amendments to make this bill really a great step forward in making sure that what we've heard from a lot of people is that the rent is too darn high, and so that we can make sure that we keep it, we sustain it to where we're building more housing, but also, too, that we're not letting big landlords manipulate and create some type of monopoly.

And I guess in economics, we've learned that the airport or the different airlines are an agopoly, because there's only like eight big airlines.

Anywho, just wanted to say really big gratitude to Council Member Moore in bringing this forward in this thoughtful bill and also protecting our renters in Seattle.

Thank you.

Let's see, Council Member Kettle.

Thank you, Council President.

I just wanted to thank Those that have come to public comment, I'm thinking about the gentleman who spoke earlier and his comments, the taller gentleman who has since departed the chambers, but also those who reached out to my office from across the board on this topic.

And I think generally there is some consensus on moving forward, and that kind of underlines my comments related to this bill.

And I just wanted to say that as we move forward with technology and especially in the advent of AI, artificial intelligence, it is important to make a statement that our principles are upheld even in the areas potentially cloaked or hidden by technology.

I do support tenant rights, but I also support landlord rights.

But more importantly, or just as importantly, I support those core values and beliefs that underline the idea of a fair playing field, an American core value and belief.

With that said, Council President and to Council Member Moore, I will be supporting this bill.

All right, Council Member Saka.

Thank you, Madam Council President.

I just want to thank Council Member Moore for your leadership in bringing this forth.

Also wanna thank your co-sponsors, Council Member Rink and Strauss as well for their leadership, collaborative effort by you three as supported here by whatever the final vote is.

But Council Member Hollingsworth mentioned this earlier, like she said, a lot of people forget, I don't forget.

I haven't forgotten, you have been a steadfast champion of renters' rights in your tenure here on this council through the budget process, and now this is landmark legislation.

Landmark.

Landmark legislation that I think we can all be proud of.

Might need work.

an iteration on a going forward basis, I don't know.

But this is very impactful and will support tenants for decades.

And so I haven't forgotten.

So I just wanna sincerely thank you again for bringing this forward.

Congratulations.

Is that a new hand?

I will add that Council Member Moore has also been hard at work on improving our existing regulatory environment to help affordable housing providers.

So we have to recognize that she's been trying to look at our housing market and make improvements across the board.

for renters and for those providers as well because we do have a housing shortage and that is always at top of my mind.

When I first was looking at this legislation from the perspective of a small business owner, I was thinking this is a tool that in the hands of different landlords can be used for different purposes.

You know, figuring out how low you can charge rent or also just getting some perspective for inexperienced or new small landlords who might happen to inherit a piece of property from a relative or something like that.

So I did have some questions in the beginning and some of those concerns were laid by the amendment that you put forward, so I appreciate that.

So, thank you.

Go ahead and if you'd like to have a last word, go ahead, please.

All right, thank you very much, Council President, and thank you very, very much to the comments from my colleagues, Council Member Hollingsworth and Council Member Salka.

It may get hard for me to get through this, but thank you for that.

And also I want to thank Council Member Strauss and Council Member Rink for their collaboration and bringing amendments which I think have strengthened the bill.

So thank you for that.

And while I was disappointed that we didn't get to a vote on this last week, I do have to say in retrospect it was the right decision.

So thank you for the wisdom of the body in continuing this because we were able to address some of the concerns that weren't actually addressed in the Senate bill.

both in terms of concerns about Airbnb and hotels and also the ability to utilize software for basic record keeping and that nature.

And then also the concerns that were raised about making sure that the penalties are sufficient to be a deterrent and then the educational piece.

So I think at the end of the day, we have a very strong bill that we should all be proud of.

Again, we will probably have to tweak it as we go forward, but given the housing crisis that we have, the fact that rent really is too darn high, and we want to make sure that this is a city that all who want to live here have the ability to do so.

And I think that this is one small way that we can contribute to making this a more diverse and equitable city.

And so I would ask my colleagues for your support.

And if it passes, to thank you very much for being willing to kind of do something novel and creative and cutting edge.

So thank you.

Council Member Rivera.

I didn't see your hand up before.

Did you want to add something?

We have coffee.

Hi, thank you, Council President.

I just want to say, I don't want to talk about the underlying legislation since I've had to recuse, but I do want to thank Councilmember Moore for always fighting for renters and for all the work that she's done the entire time that she's been on this council to really support renters.

My family was renters growing up, and this is really meaningful to a lot of people in this city, so thank you.

I like chocolate.

Do you have my chocolate?

I will.

All right.

Seeing no other hands will the clerk please call the roll on the adopt on the passage of the bill as amended.

Council member Saka.

Aye.

Council member Solomon.

Aye.

Council member Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Council member Kettle.

Aye.

Council member Moore.

Aye.

Council member Rink.

Yes.

Council member Rivera.

Abstain.

Council President Nelson.

Seven in favor, none opposed, one abstention.

The bill passes as amended and the chair will sign it.

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

Okay, let's see.

I'm aware that we have a meeting that starts after this meeting and so I understand that that will, how much time do we have for a break between that one starts?

We need at least 10 minutes, but we still have other business.

Correct.

Okay.

Council member Kettle.

Thank you.

Um, council president and under other business, I wanted to raise, and this is something that my office has coordinated, um, with the offices.

So thank you colleagues for looking, uh, at the draft proclamation.

And the proclamation is in support of Father Michael Ryan, who is stepping down as the pastor of the St. James Cathedral after 37, nearly 40, extraordinary years of faithful service.

I've gotten to know Father Ryan over the years, and he has been a leader for our city across the board.

He was appointed pastor of St. James in 1988 by Archbishop Hunthausen, who, for those who are local and know that he was known for visionary leadership and path forward for our community, specifically the Catholic community.

Father Ryan has kept the outreach to the poor, to those that are in need at the center of his work, his mission, his ministries there at St. James to include serving the hungry, the unhoused immigrant and refugees.

He has been someone who has spoken out and been a leader.

And he's also done it in a collaborative way.

He has done outreach across the face in our city in times of great difficulty.

And with this history and with this experience and with this service to our city, we have this proclamation to honor Father Ryan and I'd like to ask for your support.

All right, let's see.

I will ask for council members to provide input or ask any questions before seeking, before requesting the roll call for council members to affix their signature.

Would anybody like to add any comments?

There we go.

Council Member Solomon.

Thank you, Madam Council President.

I just also want to express my appreciation for Father Ryan.

I do know him.

My mother attends St. James on a regular basis and I will occasionally accompany her.

And Father Ryan has always been very gracious, very kind, just a stellar individual, very kind individual, very caring.

And I'm happy to sign on in support of this resolution to honor Father Ryan.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, I am not seeing any further hands.

So will the clerk please call the roll on the numbers of people, on the people that would like to affix their signature.

Council Member Saka?

Aye.

Council Member Solomon?

Aye.

Council Member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council Member Kettle?

Aye.

Council Member Moore?

Aye.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council Member Rivera?

And Council President Nelson.

Aye.

Seven signatures will be affixed.

Excellent.

Thank you very, very much.

And congratulations.

Thank you for bringing this forward.

Thank you.

Is there any other business to come before the council at this point?

Council member Alexis Rink, sorry.

Thanks, Council President.

I just wanted to offer some remarks for good of the order.

Colleagues, I wanted to call attention to two separate but unrelated items from the news the last couple of days that have real impact locally.

Our president's unilateral decision to commit U.S. resources to Israel's war on Iran and his continued insistence on not funding our request for FEMA assistance following last year's bomb site.

Three months ago, this building was bursting at the seams, and I mean that literally, bursting at the seams in joyous celebration of Narus, the Persian New Year.

The event was organized by the Seattle Isfahan Sister City Advocacy Organization, local neighbors with family roots in Iran who want our city and the ancient cultural crossroads city of Isfahan to deepen our connection and to celebrate our common humanity.

It was a fabulous event.

I know a few of you were able to join for that.

And this weekend, the president bombed Isfahan and other sites in Iran, seemingly on a whim and without any consultation from Congress.

While folks will debate the legality and the short-term and long-term military value of us entering into this conflict, one thing we can all agree on is that the people of Iran are not the government of Iran, but they are the ones who will suffer most from our actions.

There are thousands of Seattleites, many of whom we welcomed to City Hall and celebrated in our Nauru's proclamation, who are now afraid for their families' lives and, thanks to Trump's travel ban, are powerless to bring their loved ones to safety.

And separately, last week, the Trump administration tripled down on its insistence of not responding to our region's ask for emergency response reimbursements for the over $34 million in damage we took during the bomb cyclone event.

Now, I speak as the chair of our City Light Committee.

The folks at City Light delivered a gold standard response in their disaster response.

They and other utilities and transportation departments across the region have been hung out to dry for the apparent crime of helping people in a blue state recover from a natural disaster.

And as we enter into fire season and smoke season, I am nervous about what Trump's policy, this policy of ignoring us in our hour of need, will mean for our well-being and for our budgets.

And so I raise both of these matters because they are a reminder to each of us on this dais that we are leaders that are going to have to step up, especially into this vacuum left by the federal government that does not seem to care about us.

Our immigrant and refugee neighbors fearing the deaths of their relatives overseas or the abduction of their family members by masked ICE agents here at home are looking to us for support.

Our first responders, utilities, and road crews who answer the call when disaster strikes are looking to us to ensure they have the resources they need to get us back on our feet and get the lights turned back on.

I talk about our most vulnerable populations, and rightly so, but I want to remind my colleagues that everyone we serve is impacted by what's happening nationally and internationally, and they are looking to us to ensure our community gets through these hard times.

So I guess my ask, colleagues, for today is that we rise to meet this challenging moment and set aside individual differences so we can come together to center the needs of folks who are serving locally.

And with that, thank you for allowing me a couple moments to speak to this.

Thank you.

Okay, all right, we have reached the end of today's agenda.

Our next regularly scheduled City Council meeting is on July 1st at 2 p.m.

There is a scheduled Seattle Park District meeting to start right after this meeting, and we will need at least 10 minutes to transition to that.

So with that, the Seattle Park District should begin at, let's just say 345. Wait a minute, 10 minutes.

No, that would make it, let's just say 335. And it is now 321. Hearing no further business, we are adjourned.

Thank you.