Seattle City Council meeting 7/18/23

Good afternoon, everybody.

Today is Tuesday, July 18th.

This is Seattle City Council, and I am now going to call Seattle City Council to order.

Oh, I should add, I am Deborah Juarez, President of the Council.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Council Member Nelson?

Present.

Council Member Peterson?

Present.

Council Member Sawant?

Present.

Council Member Strauss?

Present.

Council Member Herbold?

Here.

Council Member Lewis.

Present.

Council President Juarez.

Here.

Seven present.

Thank you.

Moving on, I am not aware of any presentations today, so let's go on to public comment.

Madam Clerk, I understand we have 15 remote speakers and 25 in person.

That is correct.

Okay, so let us go ahead with the I wanted to do everyone will have two minutes and we will start with the in-person speakers first.

And I will hand it to you to again have the recording to what the rules are to give public comment, so hopefully everyone will Follow the rules and we can have an orderly public comment and you will speak to the six items that are on the agenda.

Go ahead, Madam Clerk.

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.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

And I just want to add this very quickly.

And many of you who come to public comment know this, but I just want to reiterate, we really want to hear what you have to say.

So please be mindful of the 10-second notice so you can wrap things up, because it's always difficult to just cut people off.

So with that, go ahead, Madam Clerk.

And I'd like to confirm, are we doing two minutes or one minute due to the number of?

Well, we're going to go with two minutes.

Okay, thank you.

Our first in-person speaker, and excuse the pronunciation of your last name, John Chaney will be followed by Mari Schuler.

And you can use either of those.

Ready?

My name is John Chaney.

I am a resident on the waters of Seattle, and I'm here to make comments on the ordinances that are before you.

The new maritime industrial zoning policies do not recognize residential communities that exist in large industrial zones.

And we have vibrant communities of liveaboards on vessels and floating on water residences that are not acknowledged and we were not given a chair at the table for this discussion.

We're extremely careful about maritime issues and I want to point out two parts of the policies.

One is Council Bill 120568 at policy LU10.8.

It says, prohibit new residential development in industrial zones, except for certain types of dwellings, such as caretaker units and in urban industrial zones, dwellings for workers that are related to the industrial area and that would not disrupt or restrict industrial activity.

I guess I would ask that the council include these large existing residential populations which are there, which are legally established, and should be a part of the policy consideration.

Unfortunately, we often, as the way that codes are enforced, we look to the top policy, and if it says something like not permitted or restricted, then all of a sudden that flows down in other interpretations not yours, but the interpretations of the code that follow.

And therefore, I would encourage you to look to that issue.

Likewise, in Council Bill 120567, in Section J, residential uses, it says prohibited, with exceptions for artists and landmark buildings.

I may be an artist, but I also am just a resident on the water.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Mari Schuler, and Mari will be followed by Valerie Schleret.

Mari?

Hi, my name is Maury Schuller, and I am the president of the Lake Union Liveaboard Association.

I won't take up my two minutes, because John really covered the highlights.

But we are a strongly residential community.

We live on pointy-end sailboats.

We live on little yachts.

We live on big yachts.

And we live on houseboats, legally called floating-on-water residences, which have never really been counted in the housing stock in this city.

And I will repeat my plea for four administrations now This city needs a maritime commission or a maritime advisory committee because you have people who advise you on bicycles and the homeless and the youth, but you have nobody in a maritime city that applies, that advises you on that.

I do think that managing nighttime glare would benefit all of the residential populations as well as the residential zones around the city.

around the industrial areas.

But I just want to remind you that we are, all of us who live in these areas, are good neighbors and we will continue to be as we have been for centuries.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Valerie Schlorett, and Valerie will be followed by Howard Gale.

Last week, 10 people commented, 8 of us in person, to tell you about the Community Police Commission's abuse of the power.

It derives from its public platform, position in the accountability system, and $1.9 million annual budget.

Five of us spoke to you in June on the same theme.

We've handed you clearly written letters with detailed evidence and links to videos from multiple public meetings showing CPC staff and co-chairs having meltdowns and telling lies about community members who attempted to make critical public comment.

CPC fabrication was on display right here last week when those of us who had just given comment were described at length as physically threatening and scary.

for heaven's sakes.

This nonsense from the CPC is designed to distract from facts and evidence-based critique from people with lived experience of the most egregious policing, and those who've done the very hard work of close observance and informed discussion with accountability partners for the past 10 years.

CPC leadership is misusing its opportunity to work for real police accountability.

Don't empower this fakery and abuse of the public.

Don't be bystanders.

Please vote no on CB 120608. Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Howard Gale and Howard will be followed by Ryan Culkin, support of Seattle Commissioner Ryan Culkin.

Good afternoon, Howard Gale, seattlestop.org.

Today, you will be voting on CB 120608, a bill that encourages and emboldens the Community Police Commission, which has, over the course of the last year, gone from a commission that shields the SPD from accountability to now becoming an active agent in perpetuating and exacerbating that harm by attacking, slandering, and even threatening with police violence those who are already severely harmed by the SPD.

Last fall, Councilmembers Herbold, Morales, and Mosqueda supported a program in the city to be the one place, the one and only place where victims of SPD violence could advocate for their own needs and not be silenced.

A place that the rest of the police accountability system has systematically excluded and silenced.

Last week we learned this program is now functionally dead.

The voices and decision-making power of those affected by police violence are to be replaced by bureaucrats within the existing system speaking for them.

This system is cruel beyond imagination.

After perpetrating violence and death upon members of our community, this system then denies them justice and now works even harder to slander, threaten, and exclude them.

We ask you to vote no on CB120608 and instead use this as an opportunity to call for community input and for a full independent audit of the CPC and the rest of the failed accountability system.

I want to point out one of the elements of this bill is actually going to be giving certain CPC members up to $14,400 a year in stipends.

Council staff, central staff has actually looked at this and it's a very small percentage, maybe five or six commissions that actually do have stipends.

The largest amount that any commission gives or board gives to any one person in a year is $5,000.

You are giving an entity that's actually harming the public three times that amount of money to continue to harm.

And lastly, I just want to say an apology to Castile Hightower, whose brother was killed by the SPD in 2004, that I actually convinced her that the council members could have the conscience.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Port of Seattle Commissioner Ryan Calkins, who will be followed by Port of Tacoma Commissioner Keller.

Thank you so much for the time today.

I'm coming here to basically thank you for the work that you're doing on the industrial lands update.

I know that this is a policy that many people would have us think is a zero-sum game, that if we support one thing, that's some sort of detrimental effect on the others.

In fact, what I think you all have worked out in a great compromise solution is something that is a win for everyone involved.

It is, in fact, much better than the status quo.

It introduces 3,000 new units of housing in the city, and it also shores up the industrial lands that we need desperately for the Port of Seattle and our operations.

I want to thank you all for the work that you've done on this.

I want to recognize all the stakeholders who contributed to the conversation, including farmers from around the state, our maritime workforce and, of course, the businesses who are going to benefit from the certainty that this introduces throughout the city zoning policy.

So, again, I want to thank you.

I want to thank the Harrell administration for putting the legwork in to take a policy that, frankly, had been languishing prior to your leadership and bringing it forward and making sure we come to a conclusion here.

It also opens the door for us to begin conversations or, I should say, to prioritize conversations around one of the most important issues facing our city, which is housing affordability.

So thank you so much for your work on this.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Port of Tacoma Commissioner Keller, followed by the Reverend Harriet Walker.

Good afternoon, Councilmembers.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify in maritime industrial lands legislation.

I'm here speaking on behalf of Northwest Seaport Alliance Co-Chair and Tacoma Commission President Deanna Keller.

She could not make it today as she's chairing a Porter-Tacoma Commission meeting.

As many are aware, the Northwest Seaport Alliance was formed in 2015 to operate marine cargo terminals in both the Seattle and Tacoma harbors.

Among other reasons, the creation of the joint venture was about broadening the positive economic impacts for our entire region as well as recognizing the statewide significance of our assets in both harbors, which leads to why I wanted to provide comments before the City Council today.

This industrial lands package recognizes the importance of protecting that critical resource.

As I shared in my original comments for the public hearing, our port system is a fundamental foundation of the economy for our entire state.

40% of Washington jobs depend on trade, much of which moves through seaports.

For agricultural shippers, efficient access to and from ports makes a difference in whether their products are competitive in global markets.

That efficiency comes from providing strong infrastructure to promote freight mobility, minimizing noncompatible uses such as housing to ensure that continued access to our facilities.

But please don't just take my word for it.

The full council received two coalition letters signed by many of our partners from across the region and the state.

Signers range from WSDOT to the African Chamber to the Washington Apple Commission and many more.

Please adopt the package as it was originally intended from Mayor Harrell.

Our state economy depends on it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Reverend Harriet Walden followed by Michael Casey.

Reverend Walden.

Good afternoon.

My name is Reverend Walden and I'm speaking for Mother's Police Accountability Day.

I step away from my, and I want to talk about what white privilege is.

White privilege is when one person decides they want to bring down the police accountability system and they use his privilege to do that.

A lot of things that was said today was not true.

I have a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding from the Justice Department when they set up the Community Police Commission.

This individual has not been in the black community was not there when John T. Williams was murdered, was not there for Charliana Louse, has no receipts that he can stand on to save from the black community.

So the people who are mostly affected by police violence, Native Americans and African Americans and other people of color, he has not been with them.

And so I want you to understand that a lot of things that he said today was not true.

The community police commission is not standing in the way of any program that Ms. Skater wanted to do council member.

And so people afraid because he has a PhD and people get afraid to stand up to a person with a PhD.

But people are following him and a lot of things he's saying is not true.

So I want to set the record straight.

33 years of doing mothers for police accountability in the city of Seattle.

And so most of the time, you can vouch for what I have to say.

So I just want to let you know, when white privilege gets going, everybody follows that.

If this was a black man trying to do that, nobody would be listening to him.

So I just want to set the record straight on a lot of things.

But 33 years, we've been at every major one, every major event, almost, in Seattle.

We were with Charlene Allows' family.

in most of the shootings and was quoted in the Washington Post, I mean in the Huffington Post about Charlene Allows and all of the affected people.

Thank you so much for your time and I encourage you to vote yes on the ordinance for the changes of the CPC.

This individual has come to every meeting anyway.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Michael Cachy.

Thank you.

Michael will be followed by Jordan Royer.

Hi.

Representative Sarah, Andrew, and Dan, nice to meet you.

I'm an environmentalist.

And I want to tell you something that you probably may or may not know, probably not.

And this is also for everybody in the audience.

Development in this city is based on growth.

Growth is a problem.

Growth costs energy, and we are actually facing down the barrel of a very difficult situation.

It's related to a recent paper that was published by NASA and a very important climatologist by the name of James Hansen, in which he said that we have currently in the atmosphere the equivalent of 10 degrees Celsius heating on the planet.

We're in a lag phase right now.

We have to have some kind of come to Jesus moment here where we throttle things back.

Otherwise, it's really gonna be the end of civilization as we know it.

So the current policies that we have in this city for development are encouraging.

They encourage development.

This is not a very viable situation.

It's not something that we should be doing.

I understand that the port needs to have support.

I understand that the housing is going to be an issue in all of this, but it's a choice.

The choice that we're facing is one in which we face annihilation, and I don't say that lightly.

I'm not an exaggerist.

This is truly what's happening here.

and it's gonna catch up to us.

You're seeing that this year.

This is the beginning of the great acceleration.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jordan Royer, and Jordan will be followed by Pedro Espinosa.

Thank you, Councilmembers.

Thank you, Chairman Strauss.

My name is Jordan Royer, and I work for the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, and we represent marine terminal operators and vessel lines that serve the West Coast of the United States.

We also have other members in the logistics and trade community as members like BNSF, UP, the American Waterways operators, and others.

I really just wanted to be here to thank you.

This is my third go around trying to see this to fruition in my career.

I've actually worked on this issue in other capacities when I worked at City Hall and now in my current capacity.

So I just think it's really great that you guys have managed to get this through to this point and specifically thank you Chairman Strauss for all your hard work on it.

Thanks to Mayor Harrell and his staff I think it's really important because we have these issues up and down the coast.

We had in Oakland, we had the Oakland A's wanted to build a housing development and a stadium on one of our marine terminals there at the Port of Oakland.

We've had other challenges in San Diego and LA and in Long Beach, you name it.

So it's really important that we maintain these places where people can make a good family wage living.

where we can make sure that our manufacturers and our growers have access to Asian markets and other foreign markets, and that we just continue to grow as a city these great jobs.

So thank you again for all that you've done, and I'm sure that the vote will be great today.

And thanks again.

Bye.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Pedro Espinosa, followed by Ted Lehman.

I'm sorry if I mispronounced your last name.

Yeah, it's Espinosa.

Pedro Espinosa here with the Southwest Mountain States Carpenters Union.

Thank you, council members.

I just want to state for the record that we just want to make sure that people understand that fear mongering doesn't help anybody.

When it comes to developing projects that allow workers to live near the city, which we call home, Just because some of us already own homes, what about the future of those people that are going to be moving to the area?

If we look at that and we start fear mongering that we won't be able to get the ports to work and, oh my God, commerce and food and all this won't ever come and we can't leave it or block it, then how good are we as a people to come together and say, hey, we can work through problems like this?

And we talk about Oakland.

Have you guys ever been to Oakland?

It's a wasteland.

Nobody lives there anymore.

So is that what Seattle's gonna turn into, a wasteland?

Because maritime folks say that if we do this project and we allow people to live near the city, that it's gonna stop this from growing.

I'm sorry, folks, but there's people coming to Seattle.

There's people moving to Washington State.

We're not gonna stop growth, but if we can learn to talk and actually come up with some viable language that is gonna help all of us, I want you guys to look at all the people here.

All the carpenters, please stand up.

These are the members that build your facilities.

These are the members that build your homes.

And when you're stalling on these people from working or making a home for your future kids that can't even afford a home in Seattle, and you're telling us that this won't work, we have walk-on language that we would like to see under, that we would like to sit down.

And just because you want to fearmonger us, it's not going to stop us.

Carpenters Union did not stop building.

We keep building.

We work around problems and we bring solutions instead of not just ignoring the problem.

I want to make sure that that is stated for the record that we will keep coming back until we see that language that's adopted into this program for the land use that we will continue to build Seattle and all the other cities that are growing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Ted Lehman, followed by Mark Weed.

Hi, my name is Ted Lehman, and I represent six different property owners in the SOTO that in aggregate have roughly 30 acres under control, with the vast majority of it being around the SOTO light rail station.

I want to thank the council for all the efforts over the number of years we've been talking about this issue and trying to get some kind of compromise done.

On behalf of all the property owners, we want to support the legislation currently in front of the council and appreciate Mayor Harrell's office for all the work they've done on this.

We didn't get everything we wanted.

We would love to see housing as part of the situation, but you know, compromise is good and we're making some headway and it's taken 20 plus years to get where we are today.

So we just want to thank everybody for all the effort and hope that you pass the legislation and look forward to it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Mark Weed and Mark will be followed by Janine Lofton.

Hi, I'm Mark Weed.

I currently am associated with the Soto businesses and family ownerships in the South Seattle area.

And today I wish to speak in favor of and seek your approval of the industrial maritime legislation before you.

It's been a many year effort.

Specifically, I wish to thank you and the Mayor for supporting the Citywide Industrial Maritime Zoning Update.

And particularly, I want to thank Councilmember Strauss for his patience, his leadership, for spearheading this work over these past few years.

It hasn't been easy.

I know the Councilmember has kept you informed and has worked with OPCD to bring together the various disparate parties to reach the forward-looking consensus agreement found in this legislation.

I believe, as written, the update can serve and benefit the city, its workers, and its residents.

OPCD should also be commended for their work, believing they listened to and respected all affected parties, meeting with them, and then drafting the ordinances found in the legislation.

I look forward to listening to your deliberations and favorable vote.

Thank you for allowing me to speak today.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Janine Loftin and Janine will be followed by Mia Jacobson.

Hi, my name is Janine Lofton.

I've been a Longshoreman for 20 years here in the City of Seattle.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to work at Pier 46 again on the UHL Freedom.

We unloaded a big spool of cable with my skilled co-workers.

That cable is not just any cable, it's a cable that will go out to Terminal 46 for the crew, or 66, excuse me, for the cruise ships so we can plug in the cruise ships and save our communities better.

My union brothers and sisters and myself are looking forward to more clean energy and special cargo projects coming into the port.

We thank you for your passing the strategic zoning package without housing to preserve important maritime jobs for the next generation.

We thank you all.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Mia Jacobson who will be followed by Karlyn Smith.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Mia Jacobson.

I'm a third-generation Union Longshoreman, a third-generation resident of West Seattle, and a single mother of three.

I'm sure you've all been inundated with facts and statistics throughout this long process.

There's one narrative I've yet to see represented in all the talking points I've read over, and it's the story of rank-and-file organizing.

Seattle is a port city.

We have a rich history of what I like to call union birthing.

With Boeing, UPS, the ILWU, and now Amazon and Starbucks.

A port city breeds innovation.

It is not our stadiums or affordable housing that makes Seattle an innovation capital, it is our ports.

With easy access to international trade, business ventures in Seattle can count on immediate access to trade opportunities.

This circumstance has obviously allowed Seattle to be an international competitor in business.

But that is only one side of the story.

Seattle breeds innovation, and alongside innovation is the inevitable capitalistic urge to profit as much as possible.

The current labor conversation happening in our country has made it clear that rank-and-file organizing is our only systemic check against an economic approach that produces incredible income inequality and wrests democratic powers from the hands of the people.

The ILWU is the strongest union on the West Coast because we can assert control of job jurisdiction.

Jurisdiction relies on the existence of working terminals, and working terminals rely on a healthy transportation network.

I must confess that I am astonished by the possible logical fallacy that to create more affordable housing, the council would consider diminishing the power of an organized industry providing blue-collar livable wages.

As a single mother of three relying on a strong maritime industry to make sure I can raise my children in the community I was born in, I urge this council to approve the proposal as presented without further amendments so that Seattle can remain a beacon of labor organizing, something our city and our country so desperately needs in these modern times.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Carlin Smith, and Carlin will be followed by Allie Vickich.

Hello city council members.

I'm Borah Ray Seattleite and I'm now a proud member of ILWU Local 19. I'm here today to express my concern over a proposed amendments to allow more housing in Seattle's industrial area.

Seattle does not just happen to be a deepwater port.

Seattle is a city because of its deepwater port.

Seattle's deepwater port depends on industrial services and heavy haul corridors to move our nation's goods to the world's markets.

These places are not friendly to pedestrians and walking dogs or staring at their phones while a 40-foot or 53-foot container rounds a corner, pops a curb, and hurts somebody.

Hopefully only hurts them, doesn't kill them.

This actually happened in front of our union hall not that long ago.

We also don't need upward pressure on industrial lands and their values and drive up rents that drives out supporting industry in favor of more expensive condos and apartments.

Seattle needs more housing, and that squarely belongs in established neighborhoods that have historically been single-family zoned, underutilized, with established community services, green spaces, and better quality of life.

Please do not support any amendments and additional housing in our industrial lands.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Ali Vikic, followed by Jay Ubelhart.

Hello, thank you for voting up this Maritime Industrial Land Strategic Zoning Package.

Thank you for honoring the lessons learned during the pandemic-fueled supply chain crisis.

Although my colleagues and myself have made huge concessions, we are looking forward to the prosperity that comes from zoning stability.

America's leading shipping expert, John McCown, expects our country to need four times the current maritime port capacity in the next 15 to 20 years.

This is great news for the maritime industry and our trade-dependent state.

It is my sincere hope that this council does whatever it can to support freight mobility and freight corridors, in turn supporting global trade and local farmers.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jay Ubuhart, who will be followed by Alex Zimmerman.

President Juarez, city council members, Jay Eubelhardt, President Ian Lombotman, Jr. of the Pacific.

I speak in support of the mayor's industrial lands package and urge you to pass it as it has been presented with no amendments for housing in the Soto area.

I represent mariners in the Puget Sound on tugs, marine construction, and on ferries.

They push container ships with goods into our ports, transport oil and other cargo on barges and man the terminals and boats of WSF and the King County ferries.

Jobs generated by manufacturing, warehousing, and the maritime trades are some of the best-paying jobs in Seattle.

They depend on working waterfront property and the surrounding industrial land to support our transportation infrastructure.

Converting industrial land to make way for residential housing means loss of good-paying jobs that will disappear forever.

Losing industrial land to housing forever is the wrong solution to Seattle's housing problem.

as a 40-plus-year resident of Ballard.

I've watched a steel mill become a Fred Meyer, a shipyard disappear and become a mega-yacht condo, a moorage place, and the never-ending debate over the bike path on Schill Shoal.

It's time to pass the zoning proposal as presented and move forward.

The city has been working on an industrial land proposal for years.

Good faith negotiations have resulted in the current proposal, which should not be delayed again.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alex Zimmerman, and Alex will be followed by Peter Hart.

I believe Alex has left the chamber.

Peter Hart will be followed by Chad See.

Good afternoon, Councilmembers.

My name is Peter Hart.

I'm the Regional Director of the Puget Sound region in the Boatman's Union.

We're the Marine Division of the IOW.

We represent the mariners in and around Washington State.

And I speak in favor of the Mayor's Industrial Lands Package with the proposed allowances for lodging in hotels.

Our IBU mariners and our employer partners provide a critical link to our local supply chain for our Longshore brothers and sisters in the LWU.

Without safe and efficient freight mobility inland, the supply chain is threatened, as are all the community-sustaining jobs in our industry.

Due to the nature of the work, it simply can't be done elsewhere.

This infrastructure is even more vital when considering the critical role it will play to the burgeoning offshore wind industry just over the horizon, work that will provide high-quality jobs to all our local industries.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Chad See, and Chad will be followed by Ken Mielecki.

Hi, Chairman Strauss, members of the Council.

My name is Chad See, Executive Director of the Freezer Longline Coalition, part of the North Pacific Commercial Fishing Fleet.

I'm also Board President of the Washington Maritime Federation and a member of the Maritime Industrial Lands Committee that helped work on this compromise package.

I urge the Council's passage of the Mayor's Industrial Lands Package without amendments to include housing in the Stadium District.

As director of the Freezer Longline Coalition, I represent fishermen, laborers, and fishing companies that helped build Seattle and have contributed to our city's vibrancy and culture for over 100 years.

We have and are now a vital part of this community and the economy of our city.

Industrial and real-time lands are an irreplaceable part of our work.

Without waterfront lands to moor and maintain our vessels and to prepare our work at sea, we cannot operate.

Without storage and processing facilities and viable freight corridors, our harvest cannot get to our customers.

The mayor's package and protections provides for our working waterfront helps ensure our future for our industry in Seattle.

We urge the council to move forward with this compromise package without further amendments.

Seattle's rich history of maritime Fishing and commerce must continue for generations to come.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is actually Alex Zimmerman, who will be followed by Ken Malicki.

Thank you very much.

I very appreciate it.

Yeah.

Zee Kyle.

Zee Kyle.

My lovely Führer.

Yeah.

My name Alex Zimmerman, and I love you guys.

I love you all nine.

You know what I mean?

I don't understand only what is, you don't show my picture, always give me 15 trespasses.

You don't like me because I'm a Jew?

You hate Jew?

Was come to this chamber every day for many years?

What's going on, huh?

It's a hate crime, and right now hate crime can be a felony.

Are you doing this systematically?

Who doing this, huh?

Why you don't show my face?

Why you don't, oh, you don't like my face because I have a big Jewish noose?

Where is the problem, huh?

Who give me answer?

For one half year, thousand people come and speak.

You never show faces of people.

You show government faces, but no people of ordinary people.

And I'm number one.

Nobody have 15 trespasses.

So what's going on?

Can you explain to me nine crooks, why you don't like me because I'm a Jew?

Yeah?

Or maybe you like Iranian Muslim.

Yeah, I understand this.

I understand you always.

American enemy.

So Iranian muzzle is probably your best friend.

I know this.

I know this.

So what has happened right now?

I speak right now to 750,000 idiot who live in this city.

Clean this dirty chamber who make us life miserable.

Double rent, double food, double gas, everything for the Democratic Mafia.

Oh, soda?

Soda is included in Democrat Mafia, too.

Where is the problem, huh?

Why the 750,000 people keep this crook here forever?

Stand up, America.

Clean this dirty chamber from this Nazi pig.

Thank you very much.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Ken Malicki, followed by Rick Mann.

Is Ken here?

Okay, we'll come back.

Rick Mann is our next speaker, who will be followed by Albin Nellems.

Is Rick Mann here?

Okay, thank you.

We'll circle back around.

Our next speaker will be Kim Farrison, followed by Paul Patortion.

Is Kim Farrison here?

Right here.

Okay, go ahead.

Thank you.

I've been Nellums, Longshoreman, Local 19, crane operator.

It's definitely, the water is very important to Longshoremen, the waterfront.

I think the only really politician that ever, that I saw that came down to our union hall and said what he's gonna do was Sam Cho.

He literally said that he was bringing some work into the port and last week we have no jobs in the waterfront but the work that he brought in.

It's really important that at the waterfront that we really have a problem with traffic and bringing in more housing down there without any resolution for traffic.

I'm just totally against that.

The waterfront jobs are really, really critical to people in the waterfront.

Every time that any organization or company comes to the waterfront, they take, and we never get it back.

A prime example is the, we had the cold storage house, housing there for the fishing and stuff like that, and when that left, never came back.

All the jobs that companies said they're gonna come in there and do something, when we give in, the work never comes back.

So, as of right now, If there's not any type of letter of understanding, I'm against any type of housing in the solo area.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kim Farrison, who will be followed by Paul Potts-Sorton.

Okay, thank you.

Is Miguel Perry here?

We did have quite a few people leave, so just a few more to go through.

Mike Black?

Is Mike Black here?

Thank you.

Thank you, Council, for protecting our waterfront byways and the work that we do.

We appreciate it so much.

It means so much to us and to the state and our community.

But the amendment to bring housing to this small area, the Soto District, is a bad deal.

will never jackhammer the cement that you put in to do that.

It'll destroy our throwaways that we have protected.

We're fighting what we have now with the baseball stadiums.

You come on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon game, it's impossible to get through the traffic.

We don't need the housing.

We don't have the grocery stores down here.

We do appreciate the work that you're doing for us.

The Longshoremen have the utmost respect for the other trade members here.

We understand where they're at.

But once the housings are here, there ain't no going back.

And let's not play games and say there's going to be Affordable housing down there.

We know that's crap.

That'll never happen Smokescreen, let's keep our throwaways open for the entire community in our state.

Thank you Thank you our next our last present in-person speaker.

I have listed as Jennifer Smith Mr. Pemberton, thank you Paul Pemberton.

I

And Paul will be followed by Jennifer Smith, and I believe that's our last present in-person speaker.

Okay, I'm Paul Pemberton.

Lived here in Seattle since 1979. Been, well actually, 75 and been working on the waterfront on and off since 1978. What we got here, the waterfront exists where The city meets the water.

It's the beating heart of the whole Seattle enterprise going back to the beginning of Seattle.

This is where our economy starts.

This is where our money comes for all of our jobs over the whole economy in the local area.

When we go to help plan this city, we do an effort of good faith thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars, tens of thousands of man hours are spent to plan the industrial zones.

We have to have good faith if we're gonna have zoning.

Nobody wants to see things put in the wrong zone.

We have residential zones, we have industrial zones, we have commercial zones, and sometimes we need to make changes.

We need to respect the need of industry and commerce to have that extra space around the waterfront.

It's like breathing room.

It's like the veins that feed the heart.

And we need to have that.

Otherwise, we can't continue.

We'll gradually be squeezed out.

And there's always pressure from commercial interests to take the uses of the waterfront and turn them into commercial uses that are not simply for the public good.

So I hope the council will honor their commitment.

Thank you.

Our next, our last in-person speaker will be Jennifer Smith.

Not really.

Yeah.

Now?

Okay, great.

Yes, I just wanted to come today and talk about there's so much passion around this issue and there is so much love for this city and I love to see everyone in the community showing up and I love your guys' passion as well.

This is not an easy decision.

I think what we need to really come back to is the fact that the earth is a very special place And it is a planet of water.

And we need to make our plans around the health of the water and the health of our ecosystem.

And jobs are very important.

I think right now we need to start thinking about moving away from such a growth mindset that's not part of a circular economy.

We need to think about when things are being built, how are we taking them back down and taking them back apart?

so that we are taking care of the waste that's created.

I'm a third generation Seattleite.

I've seen this city grow a lot, and we have, it's a beautiful place.

It's one of the most special regions in the United States, in the world perhaps, and we have whales out in that water.

We have all sorts of things, and when we talk about industry, we need to talk about how do we build and work in harmony with the planet as we're growing and moving forward and using ways of building and using our housing in ways that are ecologically sound.

So that's all I wanted to say.

Thank you for listening and hearing me out.

Thank you.

That concludes our in-person speakers.

Would you like to move on to remote, Council President?

Absolutely.

So I'm guessing that we still have 15 remote speakers.

Correct.

Okay, so let's start with our remote speakers 2 minutes each.

Thank you.

The 1st speaker is still.

Tower my name is.

My name is Castile Hightower and I am commenting on CB 120608 and asking that the city council vote no on it and instead allow for a full independent audit of the CPC with actual community input.

As all of you council members know, I am an impacted family member having a brother Herbert Hightower Jr. who was murdered by the SPD while in a mental health crisis, no accountability, no apology, no assistance in burying him, nothing.

And my story is not unique.

There is currently no system in the city in place that provides any resources, not even offering to pay for funeral or burial expenses after someone is killed by a Seattle police officer, a city employee.

However, every single aspect of the accountability system, including, and most egregiously, the CPC, considering they are supposed to be the one branch that specifically gives a voice to the community, has worked to not only destroy and undermine the affected persons program, but to, which would not only provide resources for burial and funeral, which is the victims of police violence was center and be led by the very community, the CPC is passed to listen to giving a pay jump and less accountability to the CPC, and what, which is what voting else will do.

says to those most impacted by police violence that the CPC's recent escalation of threat of police violence mean nothing and should not be examined, that an accountability structure that the very least does not intentionally and maliciously perpetuate harm to those most impacted mean nothing, and that the lives already lost and changed forever due to police brutality mean nothing.

This is not about black and white.

This is not about one white person taking down an accountability system.

My brother is black.

I'm black.

This is about police accountability.

And for anyone who is in this space, to utter the names of those who have been impacted by police violence while threatening them with police violence is vile and disgusting and abhorrent, and you should be ashamed of yourself.

You are standing in the way of creating a program for people who are asking for the bare minimum.

How dare you?

After 33 years in the community, you should know better.

Robert, you and my brother was killed almost 20 years ago.

I didn't see you anywhere, Harriet Walden.

And where have you been?

Where have you been?

Suwant, where's Muscata?

Why are you acting in this way, Herbold?

Our next speaker is Kisa Sten.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Hello, my name is Kisa Sten, and I'm speaking in favor of the policy choices made by the Council's Land Use Committee relating to industrial land.

And I encourage the full council to adopt the package as advanced with no amendments.

I am a third generation ILWU member that grew up around the docks of Seattle.

The docks are industrious and beautiful for many reasons.

The working waterfront provides livable wage blue collar union jobs opportunities for families to be economically successful for generations to come and supports agricultural and fishing commerce across the entire state.

who allow housing to be built in the surrounding areas is counterintuitive to the purposes and mission of the port and a working waterfront.

Where would these residents access grocery stores schools green space transit let alone access these things comfortably and safely.

Airbrakes exhaust and industrial noise is not conducive to high quality quality of life.

Eventually if housing is built in the area it will lead to a slippery slope that erodes the effectiveness and ability of the port to operate.

There will be pressure to limit free access and mobility, population congestion leading to shipping delays in and out of the port area, and a desire to push out industry in favor of entertainment and housing.

All of this will lead shippers and port customers to look elsewhere for service.

Leave the port and the surrounding industrial lands be.

Let the working waterfront be just that, a working waterfront.

Thank you for your time.

Our next speaker is Gordon Baxter.

Go ahead, Mr. Baxter.

Thank you.

Thank you.

My name is Gordon Baxter.

I'm the Secretary Treasurer of the Puget Sound Maritime Trades Council.

It's 19 local unions representing workers in longshore, maritime, shipyard, trucking, rail, and fishing industries.

We support the mayor's proposal on industrial lands and urge you to support it without amendments putting housing in our industrial lands.

A lengthy and thorough process occurred to draft this proposal.

We're told that 40% of Washington State jobs depend on trade.

Our maritime and industrial lands are critical to our state and local economy.

This land supports family-wage jobs and is unsuitable for housing.

There's no infrastructure or business available to support housing.

Thank you for your consideration and leadership on this issue.

Our next speaker is Dan Gatchett.

Housing, jobs, happiness, they all go hand in hand.

I'm here to talk about jobs, specifically maritime jobs and transportation jobs.

My name is Dan Gatchett.

I'm the past president of the Washington Trucking Association, past chair of the Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board, referred to as FEMSIB.

I also was the owner of a 103 trucking company called West Coast Trucking that was located on Airport Way South in Spokane.

Being able to get trucks in and out of the waterfront is essential to having a vibrant working waterfront.

The protection of freight corridors and historic manufacturing industrial centers are essential to the day-to-day livability of our city and are critical to Living Ways jobs.

I'm here today to support the passing of the industrial land zoning package with no housing amendments in the Soto area.

Thank you and the mayor for the hard work on this issue, and I hope we get it passed and we can move forward.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is David Della.

Mr. Della.

David, it's star six.

To unmute.

There you go.

Good afternoon, council members.

For the record, my name is David Della, lifelong resident of Seattle, now in District 7, and also a former council member almost 20 years ago.

I'm speaking in support of Council Bill 120567 on industrial and maritime land strategies, which is number two on your agenda.

At some point in my life, the 1980s, I worked in the maritime industry, specifically on the labor side of the ILWU and the Inland Boatmen's Union, and I've continued to take that interest when I was on the council in the early 2000s.

I would like to thank Mayor Harrell and the administration for their leadership and focus on this, recommending this legislation, which is balanced, as well as your hard work in amending and bringing it forth for your vote today.

I would like to support the balanced approach that this legislation takes, both within and outside the maritime industrial centers, particularly strategies to continue to support and protect the maritime and industrial sectors, including jobs and economic opportunities that still exist and will continue to create opportunities well into our city's future.

Opportunities for affordable housing, economic and environmental sustainability in areas and communities surrounding these areas, that is very much needed.

Thus, I urge you to support this council bill as presented and to pass it unanimously.

Thank you very much.

Our next speaker is Chris Marr.

Good afternoon.

I'm Chris Marr, Vice Chair of the Baseball Public Facilities District.

We're the board that oversees public ownership of T-Mobile Park, a half billion dollar public asset.

And I'm speaking today to the maritime and industrial land use issue.

T-Mobile Park consistently rates among the best in baseball and serves as a great community amenity.

It brings many benefits to Seattle from mayor's games to concerts school graduations and many other events.

And as we saw last week it brings special events as well like the all-star game and the upcoming hockey winter classic.

This great ballpark deserves a great neighborhood around it which we've been striving to build as a partner for more than 15 years.

bringing a limited amount of housing to the stadium area, half of which would be affordable workforce housing, would provide an incredible opportunity to create a vibrant arts and makers zone right next to downtown.

Two historic neighborhoods, the southern terminus of the newly redeveloped waterfront, a transit hub, as well as the stadiums.

And so I have to say we're deeply disappointed to see the city ignore its own environmental impact statement analysis and remove much needed affordable housing from the vicinity of the stadiums.

We feel strongly this is a generational missed opportunity and a major mistake we hope the council will revisit and reconsider in the near future.

Thanks for your time.

Our next speaker is Kirk Robbins.

Hi, I'm Kirk Robbins.

I'm a neighbor of the Ballard Brewery District neighborhood.

We are part of the excluded non-stakeholders who were involved in this process, similar to the houseboat folks we were ignored.

We understand that the rezone of this part of town is being done because something similar was worked out at Soto.

The pretext for the rezone in Soto is one or maybe two light rail stations.

There is no light rail station in Ballard.

There might be one in 20 years.

It's been cited tentatively by Sound Transit, but there's a resolution that was pulled recently, probably because of some stakeholder or another, that calls for the relocation and the reciting, redesignation, perhaps tunnels, different ways of access to this light rail station.

That's going to delay it even further.

Yet the rezone is pretexted on that.

There's to be parking maximums.

that make no sense without a light rail station.

We suspect, our neighbors around here, that the Brewery District does not need to be rezoned in order to protect maritime jobs.

The whole idea, whether the relationship between maritime jobs and the Brewery District rezone is a question so strange no one thought to ask it until this mysterious draft appeared.

Seven years in the making, we found out about it in, I guess it was March, at a land use meeting.

This is not an inclusive process.

It's nice that the stakeholders find that their stakeholder agreement is suitable to them.

But there's an old slogan you guys used to cite a lot, which is nothing about us without us.

This was all without us.

This can be delayed if the light rail station isn't going to be built for another 20 years.

Maybe the rezone can be put off for another 10 years or 15 years until it's cited.

Anyway, and solidarity for the guy in the tree.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is David Haynes.

Haynes?

Star six.

There you go.

Hi, thank you, David Haynes.

We need a federal injunction on the Port Authority where they have treasonously sold out this nation and have completely backstabbed the local Seattle community.

First, they forced us to raid the property taxes so that we can corporate welfare subsidize and finance the bond payments.

so that foreign control and offshore infrastructure donors of travel junkets who play one port against another port within NAFTA can have free container offloads that don't even have enough money to inspect containers that may have drugs in them.

Yet we let farmers give away the best food in the world while we starve with a belly full of junk food so that Wall Street middlemen skimming off of deregulated, low-quality product imports can get tax breaks at our expense.

Yet you cannot go into south downtown Seattle even the baseball stadium without being overwhelmed by the toxic, pungent stench of leukemia-causing cancerous air.

All within the industrial implosion that, I hate to say it, but the port workers hate and disrespect the residents of Georgetown who are totally oppressed, yet the same progressives that make it worse exempting low-level drug pushers from jail that they list non-violent low-level misdemeanor are the same ones that racially button-push black and brown people who are oppressed, living in the inner city, acting like they're doing them a favor, wanting to put them back in an even worse industrial zone.

Also that the Democrats can finance their re-election apparatus that hides behind all these untrustworthy, unqualified, non-profit housing developers and consortiums who build low-level, warehouse-echoed, mental health crisis-causing, obsolete, flawed real estate that city council is willing to make people suffer living in the industrial zone as if doing BIPOC people a favor.

Also that council can appease a bunch of homeowner sellouts in Seattle who came to real estate speculate in the 70s and 1980s acting like they're the privileged establishment that dictates nobody's allowed to build anything nicer in their residential neighborhoods because they have a monopoly on the dilapidated inflated housing market.

They want to put a supply and demand squeeze on the rest of us where there's no

Our next speaker is Andrea Sato.

Andrea.

Good afternoon.

My name is Andrea Sato.

I'm speaking on the Maritime and Industrial Lands legislation.

I'm a member of the Board of Directors of the Baseball Stadium PFD.

In my day job, I work on affordable housing issues.

I'm also past president of the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle King County.

While I am a relatively new PFD member, I can tell you that the PFD board has been working very hard for many years to enhance the area around the ballpark as a vibrant and desirable neighborhood, a neighborhood that can coexist with our existing maritime and industrial uses.

Based on all my work, I can tell you this, housing is the engine of revitalization.

Without it, it is very difficult to transform a neighborhood into a community that is economically diverse and vibrant.

That is why HDC, the Building Trades, the Public Stadium Authority, the PFD, and the leading organizations representing Pioneer Square and the CID remain united in asking the city to adopt the preferred alternative and keep housing in the stadium area.

We're deeply disappointed that it's not going to happen today.

We hope that the new council that takes office in January will join us in revisiting this issue and correct the mistake that's being made today.

The opportunity still exists to make the stadium district a stronger and more vital community asset with workforce housing, lodging, restaurants and shops, and an arts and makers district.

At the PFD, we'll continue to work towards the goal of strengthening and enhancing the area around the ballpark in spite of today's vote.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sherry Paul.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Sherry Call.

I'm president of the Washington Trucking Association speaking today on behalf of thousands of small business truckers who contribute heavily to the success of our economy and the productivity of our port.

There are drivers and hundreds of supporting positions who live and work in Seattle.

I'm urging support and unanimous package of the mayor's industrial lands package without amendments.

Restricting freight movement in our cities threatens these jobs and contributes to putting trucking capacity at risk.

We also have a tall task for the industry to decarbonize, the focus of which is on the dredge sector.

These small businesses need certainty in order to continue to move forward in a positive light.

Once again, the Washington Trucking Association urges your support of the industrial lands package without amendments and appreciate the opportunity to speak today.

Thank you.

Our next speakers are Omar Riojas.

Hi, this is Megan Murphy.

Megan.

The next person is our Omar.

We can go back to Megan if she's available.

OK.

Go ahead, Omar.

Sir, I see that he's unmuted.

You want to.

Give him a minute.

Is Ms. Murphy lined up?

Oh, he muted himself again.

Mr. Rojas, star six.

There you go.

You're ready.

You can start.

His phone might be muted on his end as well.

You might want to make sure your phone's not muted, Mr. Rojas.

It shows that he's unmuted.

At least my screen does.

We can get to the next caller and come back.

OK, let's do that.

OK, our next caller is Peter Schrappen.

Star six, Peter.

There you go.

Good afternoon.

Hi there.

My name is Peter Schrappen.

I am the vice president for the American Waterways Operators and the past president of the Washington Maritime Federation, which you've heard from already.

I still serve on the WMF board.

And as I said, I'm the past president.

I'm just pleased that you've heard from so many of my maritime colleagues during this hearing and throughout the entire process.

Both of our messages resonate with you that this package represents a compromise for us and that the working waterfront is the economic backbone of the City of Seattle.

Please pass the Mayor's Industrial Land Zoning Package without any new amendments to the SOTA area that will adversely impact Seattle's working waterfront.

Thanks so much for your time.

And we'll go back to Mr. R. Omar Riojas.

He just, I think he just muted himself again.

So there you go.

Mr. Rojas, you are unmuted, sir.

You can begin.

I see him as unmuted, so I'm not sure what's going on there.

Madam Clerk, is Mr. Roloff our last speaker?

Yes, he is the last speaker, Council President.

Well, I would like to request that Jody Schwinn also confirm if any additional speakers have signed up in person as well.

Madam Clerk, Jody, do we have anybody else?

They have not.

Okay.

Yes, that's the end of the speakers list then, Council President.

Okay, I really hate to do this to Mr. Roja because I can see he's unmuted, but I'm not sure what's going on and we got a calendar to get through.

So my apologies to you, sir.

Perhaps I'm not sure we can come back to you.

I don't know what, what was it listed that Mr. Roja wanted to speak on?

His public comment was on the industrial and maritime strategy.

Okay.

Well, that is the topic and I think we're going to have to close public comment at this time, unfortunately.

Thank you.

All right.

So that folks, we have successfully completed public comment with our in-person folks and the people that have called in remotely.

Thank you very much for your patience and some of you for coming down.

And also a huge thank you to Reverend Walden, for appearing, I just wanted to thank her for coming downtown and providing us with her 33 year history of doing what she does.

All right, let's move on in our agenda.

First, let's go to, if there's an objection, the introduction and referral calendar will be adopted.

Not seeing an objection, the IRC is indeed adopted.

Moving on to today's agenda, if there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted.

Not seeing or hearing an objection, the agenda is indeed adopted.

Let's move on to the consent calendar.

These are the items on today's consent calendar.

We have the minutes from July 11th.

We have payroll bill, council bill one two zero six one six, which is pretty standard.

And we have one appointment to the Seattle Film Commission recommended by the Economic Development Technology and City Light Committee, which is Council Member Nelson's committee.

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

All right, I do not see or hear none.

Therefore, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

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

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Aye.

Council Member Sawant.

Yes.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The consent calendar is adopted and Madam Clerk, please affix my signature and the legislation or the appointments and the legislation on the consent calendar on my behalf.

So in our agenda, we're going to move on to committee reports today.

We have six items, five from the Land Use Committee, which is Councilmember Strauss is the chair and one from Public Safety, which Councilmember Herbold is the chair of Public Safety and will be addressing that.

So with that, let's start with item number one.

Madam Clerk, will you please read that into the record?

The report of the land use committee agenda item one, Council 120568 relating to land use and zoning amending Seattle comprehensive plan to incorporate changes proposed as part of the 2023 comprehensive plan annual amendment process.

The committee recommends the bill pass as amended with Council Member Strauss-Morales, Ms. Gallo and Nelson in favor and Council Member Peterson abstain.

Thank you.

Council Member Strauss, you are the chair.

The floor is yours.

Thank you, Council President.

I'm going to speak to the package as a whole first, if that's all right with you, and then we can go through one by one through the bills.

Does that work for you, Council President?

Yes, I think that's what we kind of discussed before the meeting.

Fantastic.

Fantastic.

So colleagues, both in chambers, on the dais, I'm going to talk about the entire package and then we'll go through each bill one by one.

There are two amendments today.

Today we have the Maritime and Industrial Strategy Zoning package before us.

Overall, these bills make meaningful protections to our maritime and industrial zones, while at the same time creating the flexibility needed around the edges and buffers.

The Seattle Times reported yesterday, industrial zones take up 12% of the land and create 15% of employment.

Said another way, when the economy is strong, people overlook our industrial zones.

And when the economy is bad, it is the industrial zones that are our shining star and our buoy.

We have five bills before us today.

Council Bill 120568, an update to the 2023 Comprehensive Plan.

Council Bill 120567, a bill adding three new industrial zones and creating a new Seattle Municipal Code chapter.

I have an amendment for this bill.

Technical in nature, it creates two things.

One, in the table for uses for industrial zones, it adds a reference to a footnote which was inadvertently omitted, and secondly, adds a map for Section 23, adds a map.

to the back of the bill with the title Designated Industrial Streets.

This map, which was previously titled Industrial Streets Landscaping Plan Map, was removed, needs to be re-added.

These changes are solely intended to clarify code requirements consistent with existing law and have no new effect.

Up next, we have Council Bill 120569, Amendments to City Zoning Maps.

I do have an amendment for this bill as well.

In Ballard on Market Street at 26th Avenue, there are parcels that are currently being used for industrial purposes and were unintentionally rezoned into neighborhood commercial.

By maintaining industrial zoning in this area, it will allow for the continuing use of this property in its current use.

The whole goal of this entire package is to protect industrial uses, and so we will allow it to retain its underlying zoning.

Next, we have Council Bill 120570, the land use code amendments to remove provisions related to the industrial commercial zone from existing industrial chapter 23.50.

And finally, we have Council Bill 12071, a bill amending the noise ordinance to allow for higher noise levels in commercial and multifamily districts near industrial zones.

This is important, again, because we can do both things.

We can add housing near these industrial zones.

We have added protections about noise buffering, air conditioning, air filtering.

And at the same time, you cannot build a ship quietly, simply put.

And so you have to be able to make noise when you're building.

I can't say it more simply.

Together, these ordinances strengthen Seattle's industrial and maritime sectors by updating zoning and development regulations to accommodate our emerging trends, take advantage of new opportunities such as light rail stations, provide stronger land use protections for legacy industries, create healthier transitions between industrial and non-industrial areas, particularly in Georgetown and South Park and Ballard.

And after years of stakeholder engagement and public outreach, We held, just in the Land Use Committee, five total hearings.

I'm happy to have this package before full council today.

These recommendations before us will enact stronger protections for the industrial lands, closing loopholes for box stores and storage, and encourage more people to take advantage of the opportunities in the maritime manufacturing and logistics careers, while creating the flexibility to better utilize the land.

We heard these bills multiple times in the Land Use Committee in order to ensure committee members had the chance to receive a thorough understanding of these dense bills since this process has been going on for so long.

I was honored to participate in the facilitated stakeholder process.

I began that work in 2020. I know others began it earlier in 2019, 2018. And I know that this process had gone in fits and starts even before that.

And that is why it was important for me to set a special schedule within the Land Use Committee so that colleagues could come up to speed about the longevity of this work.

I know there are people sitting in these chambers today that have been working on this for longer, I'm not even gonna make a reference to longer than what, but you have been working on this for longer than anything, than I believe anyone thought that this could pass.

And stakeholders from, the reason that we had to have so much stakeholder conversation is because there is, typical opposition between stakeholders in these zones.

As I was quoted in the Seattle Times yesterday, there are stakeholders that want all industrial lands to be rezoned to allow housing and office space.

There are other stakeholders that want no changes to industrial lands, period.

And what I can tell you is that before us today, we have a compromise.

I don't believe that there's a single stakeholder or person in this city that has gotten everything that they wanted.

I didn't get everything that I wanted out of this package.

And what we have before us is an important compromise that brings together stakeholders who traditionally disagree vehemently and have provided a package and a way forward.

So even just from the facilitated stakeholder conversations, there was an 85% consensus.

From there, it went to the mayor's office where there was an environmental impact statement and decision.

From there, the Mayor Bruce Harrell and Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess were able to facilitate additional compromises to get this package transmitted to us.

Once this package was transmitted to us on April 12th, we took the time to have a special committee hearing schedule about these bills and then passed it here to full council.

There was one process in the facilitated stakeholder conversations that was not able to be met and that was about the transportation aspects of the stakeholder process.

And we could not take up those transportation issues because these are land use bills.

So we do have a resolution.

We had initially intended to have that resolution before us today.

We need more time with it.

So we are asking for all feedback to be presented to us by August 1st.

The most recent version of this resolution is attached to our last land use committee.

We plan to pass this resolution in September.

Some things that I just want to focus on before we get into the five bills.

Once we get to the five bills, this process will move much more quickly.

I just want to raise up that the maritime and industrial strategy has been worked on for years, creating consensus within a group of stakeholders who often hold opposite opinions.

Mayor Harrell and his team crafted a balanced proposal that protects both our maritime and industrial lands while supporting the flexibility to keep up with our emerging industrial needs.

Our maritime and industrial businesses buoy our economy in downturns and remain a vital part of our city's fabric.

When you look at Fisherman's Terminal, Each vessel at Fisherman's Terminal is a small business directly employing hundreds as a group.

More broadly, these businesses ripple throughout our economy and indirectly employ thousands in our community.

One way to look at this is within one fishing vessel, you need to have refrigeration, you need to have upholstery, you need to have cabinetry, you need to have electricians, glazers, welders, boiler makers.

None of this work is quiet.

This is what I talk about.

When we look out of these chamber windows, we see the port.

We see the cranes.

We see one of three shipyards in our city.

And it is not just the crane or the dry dock that makes these economies successful.

It is the land that surrounds these facilities because it's what supports these incredibly important facilities.

When I look at Chisholm Avenue, you see a very sleepy Ballard Industrial, big brick building that is probably unreinforced masonry.

And you just drive by and you think, well, what could go on in there?

The reality is that is the business that supplies Western Tow Boat when they are building tugboats in Ballard.

They are currently building tugboats in Ballard.

These tugboats are the direct lifeline into many communities in southeast Alaska that don't have access to roads to the rest of the mainland.

And so when Western Towboat connects Alaska, to the lower 48, they do it through Ballard.

They do it through the closest freshwater port to the Gulf of Alaska in the Bering Sea, a strategic advantage that is unrivaled in this world.

And we can't overlook that that sleepy Ballard Industrial Building is what is creating the strong economy.

Sorry, I just said all of these notes while, and so I'm just gonna skip past it.

I wanna also talk about, so I was just talking about the importance of these maritime businesses and the supporting land around our facilities, such as the dry dock that we can see right here, and the cranes out of our windows.

It is also critically important that we add flexibility in industrial zones around new light rail stations.

because we have to take advantage of this infrastructure, this transportation infrastructure.

We can't just leave it neglected.

We also have to understand that we need to add housing into the buffer zones of our industrial zones.

While public comment was talking a lot about how we are or are not adding housing, I want to refocus us to share.

We are adding over 3,000 units of housing to what has been industrial zones that have not traditionally added housing.

And we've done so strategically in places where that housing is gradually transitioning between either single family zones, neighborhood commercial, or other zones that allow for housing, and our industrial zones.

And so we have added over 3,000 units, the ability to build over 3,000 units of housing.

The Stadium District is the one place where consensus and compromise was not reached.

I think we are all aware of that from public comment today.

We have added hotels.

We've expanded entertainment space.

I know that there are people in this chamber that were vehemently and currently vehemently opposed to this.

And we have done it because it is important to have a compromise.

As I said in committee, the land that sits within the Stadium District is the keystone between Waska, Terminal 46, and any potential Coast Guard expansions.

What I've found about the Stadium District is more than anything else, it's about the ability to get through it.

Because when we look out to the port right here, when we look out to these cranes, and we know that I-90 connects to the heartland and even out to Boston, that that last mile connection between I-90 and our port facility is that critical connection.

And so for those that are in the room that don't want housing in the Stadium District, I hear you, I understand you, and I offer that if we can find a way to move your freight through this zone while we add housing, we should find a way.

Because I think what is currently happening right now isn't working at all either.

When we just have a Mariners game, you can't get the freight through.

And so we need to find a way through.

We do need to come back to the stadium district and continue working towards a compromise between stakeholders.

And we can't continue to hold up these incredibly important protections for our maritime and industrial zones while adding the flexibility to the buffer zones that we need.

Council President, those are my remarks for the overall package.

If you are ready, I will move into item one, Council Bill 120568, unless colleagues want to make comments about the overall package.

Yes, ma'am.

address all five items, and two of them have technical amendments.

So what I want to do is kind of go back to our structure here.

I want to see if there's any comments from your colleagues regarding item number one regarding the comp plan, the ordinance relating to land use and zoning, amending the Seattle Comprehensive Plan to incorporate changes proposed as part of the 2023 comp plan.

So with that, colleagues, are there any comments that you'd like to make?

And again, You can kind of follow what Councilmember Strauss did.

If you want to hold your comments till we get through all five and then address whether or not it gets amended or how we move forward, then you can also have that option.

But I am giving you the option to specifically comment to item number one.

Councilmember Sawant.

Thank you, President Morris.

I will be voting yes on this bill.

I'm talking about item number one, amending the comprehensive plan focused on industrial lands.

In the past several years, I have voted no on the comprehensive plan amendments because year after year, those amendments failed to include developer impact fees, which is a legal requirement before council can enact fees on big developers.

to make them pay even a small portion of their fair share of taxes.

This year again, the ComPlan amendments do not include developer impact fees.

However, unlike past years, this ComPlan amendments bill is not the decision point for developer impact fees because they're currently stuck in the legal process of a SEPA appeal.

In other words, big developers have sued the city in an attempt to stop developer impact fees from passing on the absurd grounds that it will somehow have impacts on the environment if big developers Need to pay tax.

I mean, this is patently dishonest.

And so, of course, I hope those appeals will be over before the vote on the budget this year.

If they are, the council will have the legal choice to tax big developers to pay for essential infrastructure.

such as transportation.

My office has consistently demanded developer impact fees and will certainly put forward a budget amendment to include them if the CEPA appeal is done in time.

So as I said, I'm voting on these complaint amendments this year because, voting yes, sorry, on these complaint amendments this year, because the omission of developer impact fees does not have the same meaning that it has had in the previous years.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Sawant.

Are there any more of my colleagues that want to have any comments to item number one before I move and ask Councilmember Strauss and before we go to a vote?

All right, I'm not seeing any.

Councilmember Strauss, is there anything else you want to add in regards to item number one before we go to a vote?

Thank you, Council President.

Just, uh, focusing in on the, in item one, this legislation amends the comprehensive plan with new industrial land policies, which establish a new industrial land use framework and implements the industrial maritime strategy.

This limits when amendments removing land from manufacturing industrial centers can be considered and establishes the city's intent to work with the state of Washington on a master planning process for any industrial redevelopment to the Waska site in, um, right here near the stadiums and interbay armory sites.

All future industrial land use decisions would need to be consistent with these policies.

You done?

Yes, thank you.

All right, so let's, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Yes.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes.

The chair will sign it.

And Madam Clerk, please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf.

Let's go on to item number two.

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

Agenda item two, Council Bill 120567 relating to land use and zoning, updating industrial zones to implement the industrial and maritime strategy.

The committee recommends the bill passes amended.

All right, Council Member Strauss.

Thank you, Council President.

This legislation, this bill creates the three new zones.

So we have maritime manufacturing logistics.

This zone enhances protections for both core and legacy industrial or maritime areas to help prevent big box retailers or mini storage facilities from being built in these zones.

This is particularly important for areas on or near the shoreline.

as well as near port or rail infrastructure.

It also adds a second of three zones, industry and innovation.

This zone aims to promote the construction of multi-story buildings that combine industrial businesses with other employment opportunities such as office-based research facilities or technology businesses.

It would achieve this by encouraging the development of modern industrial facilities near light rail stations and commercial areas.

The goal is to foster high-density employment opportunities in these areas.

It creates a third zone, urban-industrial.

This zone was created to significantly increase entrepreneurship and employment opportunities while also adding vibrancy to the area by supporting facilities for the creative arts or other small-scale industries.

This is in addition to housing or retail space that can be built in the zone.

This type of zone will create healthier transitions to residential spaces in mixed use areas like Ballard or South Park.

Council President, I do have an amendment for this bill.

Would you like me to move it at this time?

No, I need to let your colleagues have an opportunity to address this and then we will go to your amendment.

Are there any comments from my colleagues regarding this before Council Member Strauss moves to amend.

Okay, I do not see any.

So Council Member Strauss, move forward with your amendment.

Thank you.

I move to amend Council Bill 120567 as presented on Amendment A on the agenda.

Second.

All right.

All right.

It's been moved and seconded to adopt Amendment A as presented on the agenda.

Again, Council Member Strauss, this is your opportunity to address Amendment A.

Thank you.

This is the technical amendment that fixes two inadvertent mistakes made in the drafting of the legislation, adds reference to a footnote that was accidentally left out, and adds a map to the bill with the title Designated Industrial Streets.

Thank you.

Are there any comments regarding Councilmember Straus' Amendment A?

I do not see any.

So with that, Councilmember Straus, I am going to go ahead and call the roll on the amendment.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll on Amendment A?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Yes.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries.

The amendment is adopted.

And the amended bill is now before council.

Are there any further comments on the amended bill?

Council Member Stelz, do you want to add anything?

No, thank you.

Okay.

Anything else from my colleagues?

Not seeing any.

Okay.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll on the passage of the bill as amended?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

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

Madam Clerk, please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf.

Let's move on to item number three.

And I understand Council Member Strauss, you're going to tee up an amendment here as well.

But Madam Clerk, please read item three into the record.

Agenda item three, Council Bill 120569, relating to land use and zoning.

The committee recommends it will pass as amended.

Thank you.

Council Member Strauss, can you please address this item number three?

Thank you, Council President.

This legislation amends the official land use map to apply new industrial zones created through the adoption of the companion legislation in this package of ordinances.

The map amendments also rezone limited areas in Ballard, South Park, Georgetown, and Judkins Park from industrial to commercial and multifamily zoning districts.

Thank you.

Are there any comments before we move to Council Member Strauss' proposed amendments?

I do not see any.

So with that, Council Member Strauss?

Thank you.

I move to amend Council Bill 120569, Attachment 1, as presented on Amendment A on the agenda.

Second.

Oh, thank you.

All right.

It's been moved and seconded to adopt Amendment A, presented by Council Member Strauss.

Is there anything that you want to add to the amendment, Mr. Council Member Strauss?

Thank you, Council President, just that this amendment would correct the proposed rezone map to remove the properties on the north side of Northwest Market Street at 26th Avenue Northwest from the proposed rezones.

These properties are currently zoned industrial buffer and were proposed to be rezoned into neighborhood commercial along with the rest of that north side of the block.

These parcels are still being used for industrial purposes and rezoning them to neighborhood commercial would not be prudent at this time.

Thank you.

Are there any other comments regarding Amendment A?

All right, I do not see any comments about Amendment A, so we're going to go forward with the vote then.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of Amendment A?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Second in favor, none opposed.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

The motion carries.

The amendment is adopted and the amended bill is now before the council.

Are there any comments on the amended bill?

I don't see anything.

Council Member Strauss, do you want to add anything before we go to a vote?

Nothing at this time, Council President.

Thank you.

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

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

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

Madam Clerk, please affix my signature to this legislation on my behalf.

Let's move on to item number four.

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

Agenda item four, Council Bill 120570, relating to land use and zoning, removing certain existing provisions for the industrial commercial zone.

The committee recommends the bill pass as amended.

Thank you.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes, thank you.

These land use code amendments will remove provisions related to industrial commercial zones from the existing industrial chapter.

This is because the provisions for industrial commercial zones, which will only be used outside of manufacturing industrial centers, are included in the proposed Seattle Municipal Code 23.5 legislation.

In other words, Council Bill 120567, say that 10 times fast.

All right, thank you.

Are there any comments from my colleagues regarding item number four?

All right, I do not see anything.

Oh, I see you do.

I'm sorry, I apologize.

Council Member Herbold.

Is this our last chance to speak on the suite of bills here?

No, you got one more chance after this one.

All right, I'll hold it.

Okay, great.

Not seeing any on this particular item, in which we have one more coming up, then everyone can join in.

Councilor Strauss, I'm guessing you're good?

Yes, ma'am.

All right.

Oh, ma'am.

Okay.

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

Councilmember Nielsen?

Aye.

Councilmember Peterson?

Aye.

Councilmember Sawant?

Yes.

Councilmember Strauss?

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold?

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes.

The chair will sign it.

Madam Clerk, please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf.

So we are down to our last one from Council Member Strauss.

That's item number five.

Madam Clerk, will you please read item number five into the record?

Agenda item five, Council Bill 120571, relating to noise in industrial shorelines.

The committee recommends the bill passes amended.

Thank you.

Council Member Strauss, can you please speak to item number five?

Thank you.

Yes, this bill amends the noise ordinance to allow for higher noise levels in commercial and multifamily districts near industrial maritime zones.

The purpose of this legislation is to allow the heaviest industrial uses to continue their work without penalty for the high decibels that come with industrial work.

Again, you cannot build a ship quietly.

An amendment was added to CB 120567 during the Land Use Committee to require windows and residentials to have sound insulating windows in the following areas, Ballard, Georgetown, Judkins Park, South Park.

Those are the comments to the bill, Council President.

Thank you.

Colleagues, are there any comments in regards to item number five?

And then we'll come back and let all of you address the whole suite of the five pieces of legislation.

So in regards to item number five, are there any comments from my colleagues?

All right, I do not see any comments.

Council Member Strauss, are you good to go to a vote?

Yes.

Thank you.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of this bill?

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Aye.

Council Member Sawant?

Yes.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

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

So with that, I would like to open the floor to my colleagues before I hand let Mr. or Council Member Strauss kind of close this out.

So this would be an opportunity for my colleagues to address the whole suite all five items collectively as Mr. Strauss, or I keep saying Mr. Day, as Council Member Strauss did in the beginning.

Are there any comments that our colleagues would like to make in regards to the five items that were passed?

Council Member Herbold, I think you had your hand up earlier.

Oh, there you are.

I thought maybe folks would have comments about the broader policy, and I was going to defer to them.

My comments are to a very specific part of, let's see which of the bills, Council Bill 120570. I want to just thank Council Member Morales again for sponsoring an amendment to that bill on my behalf, and thank you to Council member Strauss and committee chair Strauss for facilitating that process.

I want to celebrate that that amendment is instrumental to rezoning some of the areas, specifically rezones to an additional three areas to industry and innovation.

I know there's a larger discussion here, but this particular change is really important to me because it is the industrial zone permitted to acquire transfer of development rights and reinforced masonry buildings.

The recommendations for the amendment came from the Alliance for Safety, Affordability, and Preservation, otherwise known as ASAP, and they have been working really hard to create both a technical standard as well as funding that will be a solution to upgrade over 1,145 seismically vulnerable buildings throughout the state.

of the city.

Zoning these three areas to the industry and innovation zone would allow owners of each We are in property required to retrofit things to the arm standard, it would allow them access to additional development capacity or some credits.

Developers and selected areas across the city can purchase up some credits from owners of your properties for a fee.

and can be used to help these owners of URM buildings pay for the estimated $1.2 billion in costs that it's going to cost to retrofit all of URMs across the city.

We're going to be looking at doing more of this in other areas, but this is a really great first step, increase the land available for the industry and innovation zone.

in order to again, begin to study best practices for retrofits in preparation.

Thank you.

I might.

Are there any other comments before I give my comments?

All right.

I have a few things that I want to say.

I wasn't sure because I didn't know.

I want to make sure if the whole suite had passed, We do have some prepared comments here.

I do want to add that I think Councilor Herbold was with me then.

Many years ago, we had to take a tough vote and people were concerned about the port and the stadium district and a lot of things.

And I don't remember everything I said that day, but I do remember what stuck out to me the most when I was doing my research is that the port and the jobs and the people there and our history as a maritime city is priceless.

And we've all worked hard to maintain that structure, that identity and the sensibilities of Seattle being a port city.

And that's what's always guided me.

But we did listen to public comment.

We got a lot of information from other stakeholders.

And of course, there's always going to be other differences.

And I think reasonable people can disagree.

So I want to just go through some basic some basic points.

before we go to the full vote in the spirit of what we're trying to do with One Seattle.

Our city must protect our working waterfront and living the union wage jobs it supports as a pathway to an affordable and vibrant city for all Seattleites.

As the gateway to the Pacific, we must protect this vital and irreplaceable deep water port relied upon by importers, exporters worldwide and all over America.

The state of Washington depends on our maritime industrial facilities.

Washington State has invested more than $5 billion in the transportation network that brings trucks from I-5 and I-90 to the port's terminals, where cargo operations support more than 35,000 jobs, many of which are accessible without a traditional four-year degree.

In addition to the workers on the docks, the industrial operations in the Duwamish Manufacturing Industrial Center support growers in eastern and central Washington, product manufacturers in the Puget Sound region, and our aviation industry.

These are Washington's largest industries.

They depend on our facilities to access markets here and abroad.

Supported by a broad coalition of maritime and industrial partners, including the African Chamber of Commerce, ILWU, the Port of Seattle, the Washington State Department of Transportation, etc.

This legislation is expected to create an additional 35,000 new jobs to the region over the next 20 years.

The economic vitality, I coined that phrase 30 years ago, of our industrial lands job base is a cornerstone in addressing Seattle's livability crisis.

Many of these jobs are highly skilled, more than two thirds do not require a four year college degree for entry.

Economic diversity is the key to our resilience and to our success as a state.

Maritime and industrial jobs make our city better.

They provide opportunities for a huge range of expertise.

We have hundreds of private employers operating at our gateway and they represent tens of thousands of jobs.

These are good paying family wage jobs that are the backbone to our region's economy.

This is a competitive industry.

There are no guarantees that the work happens here.

We keep jobs in our community by staying competitive.

Shippers make choices based on how good a gateway is at getting their product to market.

The more efficient we can be at our gateway, the better chance we have of keeping jobs here and generating economic activity in this region.

Seattle's rich history of maritime, fishing, and commerce must remain for generations to come.

The Maritime and Industrial Land Zoning Package as transmitted by Mayor Harrell, as recommended by the Land Use Committee under the leadership of Councilmember Strauss, will help protect and enhance this asset.

I want to thank Councilmember Strauss and members of the committee and all of those that provided the amendments.

We are committed to more housing and more retail spaces in our city, but not at the cost of a family wage port job.

I support the mayor's proposal and the policy choices made by the council's land use committee relating to industrial lands and encourage the full council to adopt the package as advanced.

Maritime industrial activity has to take place at the waterfront.

That's where shipping occurs.

Mixing and residential use would really disrupt what we are trying to maintain as a safe, efficient maritime and industrial center, a space.

This is not the kind of work that we can pick up and move to a different part of the city.

Obviously, we simply can't.

We have to be closely connected to the waterfront, transportation networks, and warehouses.

We have a whole network here in our city, our great city, and this was a plan on purpose to be as efficient as possible.

So with that, I just want to add that I believe that not everyone gets what they want, but part of leadership is being able to bring people together to compromise.

Reasonable minds can disagree, but at the end of the day, we should all be for one Seattle and our great city and the jobs that are created by the maritime industrial lands and our maritime history.

So with that, I will be supporting.

Obviously, I already supported the five items, but I would I'm glad because I've been around for a little bit.

And Casper Herbold is she's going to give me a hard time on this around a little bit longer.

Some of these issues like like the bike trail, I mean, they just go on and on and on.

So thank you, Councilmember Strauss and committee for moving us forward in these difficult conversations to find a middle ground, to speak to the values and sensibilities that we are a maritime city.

So with that, thank you, Council Member Strauss.

Are there any other comments?

All right, not seeing any.

Council President, may I say just a few last words?

I know that I've already exceeded my 10 minutes.

Thank you, Council President.

Just summarizing that this adds important protections and adds the needed flexibility to our industrial and maritime lands.

I know everyone that I'm about to mention is just doing their job and I think that they should receive recognition for the work that they've done to get us here today because it has been such a multi-year process that some folks never thought we would see today happen.

So just a thank you to every stakeholder that has ever participated in a meeting.

A direct thank you to Mayor Harrell, Deputy Mayor Burgess, Director Rico Quirendongo, Jeff Wetland, Jim Holmes, Dan Nolte, Chase Kitchen, Lish Whitson, Naomi Lewis, Noah Ahn, the Port, all of your staff, landowners, and everyone who helps contribute to changes in these industrial zones, unions and the union members who make our world work, and everyone who made concessions for the greater good of our city.

We still have more work today to do, and today is a good day for our city.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

And I just want to add one other thing.

I did have a chance to speak to some of our union brothers and sisters who are not supportive of this, and I understand what their concerns are.

And as you shared, Council Member Strauss, this isn't the end.

We'll have more opportunity to do more things.

I know we've still got the comp line and other things coming down the pike.

So hopefully we can all, you know, bring our minds together and do good work.

So with that, I will leave it at that.

Okay, let's move on to item number six.

And we have an item from the Public Safety and Human Services Committee, which Council Member Herbold will discuss.

But until then, Madam Clerk, will you please read item six into the record?

I'm sorry.

Excuse me.

Did we miss the roll call on number five?

The roll call is taken.

Yeah.

Yeah, we did it.

Thank you.

I lost track there.

Yeah, thank God that so once in a while my brain works.

Excuse me, agenda item six Council 120608 relating to civilian and community oversight of the police clarifying the role governance and operating procedures of the Community Police Commission, the committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you so much.

So this legislation amends the 2017 police accountability legislation or adjust some of the administrative operations of the Community Police Commission.

Request for this bill came from the CPC.

As we know, we gain experience with our systems and in this case, our accountability system.

We sometimes need to consider changes and make adjustments.

The CPC discussed this during their meetings, their own meetings, and voted to send recommendations to the council, which the Public Safety and Human Services Committee first heard on June 13th.

The CPC then again reviewed draft legislation, developed the council central staff, and had no additions.

Consequently, the legislation was then introduced, and the committee then voted to send the legislation to the full council.

The bill itself does a few things.

It reduces the membership from 21 to 15 members.

It increases stipends for commissioners.

Those stipends have not been adjusted since 2014. It allows for a slightly larger stipend for co-chairs because of the additional work they do.

As a position of deputy director, there are two accountability bodies, the OPA and the OIG have deputy directors.

And it establishes qualifications for the CPC director mirroring what the accountability ordinance included for the OPA and OIG.

And finally, amends the process by which the CPC may remove the executive director and only for cause.

There are any additional questions about why these changes were necessary?

I'm happy to answer them.

Otherwise, I earn your support for this legislation.

Thank you.

I have one question and I read the fiscal note and again, I'm not opposing this, but I just want to know why the district representation was eliminated.

Was that because you had a difficult time getting Representatives from each district because I know we also change it to not just residential but if you worked in that particular district.

I understand the sensibilities in the day when we expanded the commission and added the district.

So I want to ask you about that was really appreciate that that was a topic in committee also.

question I asked because I do like to see geographic representation across the city.

The CPC members felt that police accountability outreach efforts really, whereas it is these are issues that need to be brought to neighborhoods across the city, that it was a burden to expect that individual commission members sort of act as the outreach champion for individual districts.

And so really they felt more comfortable sharing that responsibility across the city together rather than assigning that to an individual commissioner.

Thank you, Council Member Herbold.

Are there any other questions for our comments for Council Member Herbold?

Council Member Sawant.

Thank you, President Juarez.

I will be voting yes on this bill because it contains overwhelmingly routine and technical rather than substantive changes to the laws governing the Community Police Commission.

However, I do want to express concern about what we have heard in public comment about the CPC's response to the families of people killed by the Seattle Police Department, particularly community members like Castiel Hightower, whose brother Herbert Hightower Jr. was killed at the hands of the police.

The CPC has a history of standing up for the victims of police violence and their families.

However, the 2017 police accountability legislation incorporated the CPC more closely into the political establishment, and I am concerned that that has reduced their independence and willingness to stand up to police violence.

What we heard in public comment today and last week about the CPC restricting access to public comment is also concerning.

So I will be voting yes on this bill because it's not a substantive change, but I do want to express my concern about what Estelle Hightower and others have reported.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Sawant.

Council Member Herbold, did you want to respond or you want to close this out?

Oh, I see Council Member Nelson has something.

Would you mind if I let her go first?

Okay, Council Member Nelson, go ahead.

I just wanted to express support for this legislation.

The CPC is coming out of a time of change, and the impacts of the pandemic have really taken its toll.

But I just have to say that I looked very, very carefully and spoke with the acting director and co-chairs about this legislation.

I understand the changes that they are proposing, and I this proposal.

And I wholeheartedly endorse their ability to continue with the changes that this proposal does put forward and it will come, it strengthens the organization and maintains the integrity of the independent CPC that we have right now.

Nelson, council member Herbold, what I would like to share before to let you close before you close this out is I will be supporting this.

And I want to thank you for your leadership.

You and I both started together as elected when we expanded the role, expanded the budget, saw how things worked out.

And I also want to share that you have a long history professionally and personally in public safety and leadership.

And some of us were here when John T. Williams was shot, fatally shot.

And I just want to recognize Reverend Walden because she sat next to me when we put up the poll at Seattle Center and when tribal folks all got together to not only mourn but want to go forward in a peaceful manner about police accountability.

And I also want to recognize that nobody on this commission, including leadership, should be subjected to intimidating behavior.

It's just it's particularly the irony is it's because the reason they were created, the Community Police Commission, is to have that semblance of humanity to find out and how we become a community and work with Seattle Police Department.

So there are many who have been served on the Community Police Commission and I've known many of the commissioners and the former.

the former director and all the other electives that helped put this together, including former Council President Gonzalez, who also thank you for her leadership as well.

So I just want to thank you because I know this is hard work and you've listened to everybody and you've always been an incredibly good listener and have the sensibilities to put your humanity first and also to look at that in your leadership ability.

So thank you for that.

So I will be supporting this today and I will give you the last word.

Thank you, Council President.

That was very kind.

I really appreciate that.

In closing, for the viewing public, I do want people to understand that there is currently a planned independent audit or review assessment, I think is the word that's being used, of the accountability system, including the CPC, and that is part of, that the city jointly did with the DOJ, the judge, as part of the consent decree.

I believe the city and the DOJ have proposed August 14th be the due date for the report.

And so I think there will be some comments and feedback about the functioning of our three-legged stool of civilian accountability.

And I think it's important also to recognize that the CPC is working hard on community engagement.

They themselves commissioned a report from an external consultant that identified the need to focus on community engagement.

And this is something that they are working on.

And I do hope to have the CPC, my committee, before the end of the year, learn more about those efforts.

And I think that's all I have to say.

I'm really grateful and appreciative of the work that CPC does.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Herbold.

And we'll both be looking for jobs.

You can come join me at my fry bread hut.

So I may be looking for some employees.

Okay, with that, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll on the passage of the bill?

Councilmember Nelson?

Aye.

Councilmember Peterson?

Aye.

Councilmember Sawant?

Yes.

Councilmember Strauss?

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

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

All right, let's keep moving down on our agenda.

We had no items removed from the consent calendar, so we'll move on.

I'm not aware of any other resolutions before us today, so we will move on.

Is there any other business to come before council before I move on to adjournment?

All right, I have not seen anyone raise their hand.

So with that, before we adjourn, colleagues, our next regularly scheduled city council meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 25th.

And I want to thank all those folks that called in and came downtown to give public comment on all six of these matters.

And with that, we are adjourned and good afternoon, everybody.

Have a good afternoon.

Bye.