Seattle City Council 4/22/2025

Good afternoon.

The April 22nd, 2025 meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order.

It is 2.04.

I am Sarah Nelson, council president.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council member Rivera.

Present.

Council member Solomon.

Here.

Council member Strauss.

Present.

Council member Hollingsworth.

Here.

Council member Moore.

Present.

Thank you.

Council Member Rink.

Present.

Council President Nelson.

Present.

Seven present.

Thank you very much.

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

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

Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today?

We have two remote and 19 in person so far.

19?

Yes, correct.

We'll give everybody one minute each and we'll do 10 in person and then go to the remote and then back to the in person.

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

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

Speaker's mics will be muted if they do not end their comments within the allotted time to allow us to call on the next speaker.

All right, we'll start with in-person speakers.

We have Phil Brandt and following Phil will be Timothy Firth and then Hannah Lindell-Smith.

Phil?

Hello?

Good.

My name is Phil Brandt.

I live in West Seattle.

I'm here because there was bullets fired into my car parked outside of our home near Walt Harley Park Thursday night.

One of those bullets went through my child's car seat, which I invite all of you to come down here and look at when I'm done talking.

There have been eight shootings in West Seattle in the last 34 days.

There's been two in the last five in High Point alone.

What's been done?

Nothing.

I called my precinct 25 times on Sunday and Monday to no response.

I met with Captain Bear somehow through via email this morning.

She gave me boilerplate responses and said they're increasing patrols.

That is just a general job description of the Seattle PD.

Chief Barnes, I don't know what you're actually doing and do anything here.

I have a lot.

I have another minute.

It happens in areas where there's lights out, Seattle City light.

Thank you.

You want to come look at it?

What are we doing about this?

This is a three and a half year old's car seat.

Could you please send the rest of your comments, too, so that we could read them?

Would you send?

If you had other additional comments, please.

Timothy Firth is next, and then Hannah Lindlesmith.

Hello, my name is Timothy Firth.

I'm the executive director of Common Area Maintenance.

It is an arts and cultural organization downtown Seattle.

And I want to bring a project that we are doing to the council's attention.

We are in the process of trying to save 30,000 square foot building from demolition and turn it into affordable housing and arts and cultural space.

We have a coalition of over 100 local organizations focused and over 1,000 signatures on our open and public letter in support.

And I really deeply believe that this aligns with the downtown activation plan the goal of bringing more vitality and energy to the downtown core.

And we only have all of the money raised, dominantly, for first phase construction.

And we just need the city to say yes.

Perfect.

Oh, is that my whole time?

Oh, five seconds.

Really appreciate you guys.

Hannah.

And following Hannah will be Henry Zeng.

Hello, hello president and council members.

My name is Hannah Lindell Smith.

I'm coalition coordinator of People Powered Elections Washington, speaking in strong support of this measure.

To me, democracy vouchers aren't about just an election or a candidate.

They're a tool for building the more just and beautiful future that I organize for, from climate justice to affordable housing, from community resilience to workers' rights.

It is so easy to lose faith in democracy, especially now.

but the democracy voucher program is an essential part of ensuring that our voices are heard, our needs are prioritized, and our civic participation is valued.

Please vote to add a funding renewal measure to the August primary ballot, and let's make sure this program can continue.

Thank you.

We have Henry, and then after Henry will be Ken Zinnap.

Hi, my name is Henry.

I'm a resident of downtown Seattle, as well as a member of the King County chapter of One America Votes.

I'd like to take this opportunity to express my support for renewing the Democracy Voucher Program.

Since the Citizens United decision reversed century-old campaign finance laws in 2010, national, state, and local elections have been unduly influenced by large corporations and extremely wealthy individuals.

The Democracy Voucher Program approved by the Seattle voters in 2015 is one of the ways that everyday Americans can reclaim their voice in Seattle's municipal elections.

Studies by the University of Washington, Georgetown, and Stony Brook have shown that democracy vouchers correlate with substantial increases in the number of people making small dollar donations in Seattle's elections.

Working class voters, people of color, and young voters are better represented by democracy voucher contributions than traditional cash donations.

So please renew the democracy voucher program.

Thank you.

Kenzie Nap is next.

Following Kenzie will be Rachel Snow.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Kenzie Knapp, and like many folks here, I'm a proud member of the People Powered Elections Coalition, and I am strongly in support of renewing the Democracy Voucher Program today.

I'd like to start by wishing everyone here a happy Earth Day, as I strongly believe in the connection between voting justice and environmental justice.

As a young person growing up in Washington, the increasingly prevalent impacts of the climate crisis were unignorable.

Wildfire smoke clouded the vision of what my future would look like, but yet my story is not unique.

Young people are facing a similar crisis of cynicism when it comes to seeing ourselves represented and our values being fought for by our electeds.

However, as a new Seattle resident, I can say that when I received my democracy vouchers this year, I was ecstatic to have a tangible way to financially support environmental champions running for office.

This program has made Seattle a democracy champion within Washington and their- made our state a national leader.

Given the context of the climate crisis and the federal threats to our very democracy, we cannot back down.

I implore you to vote in favor of the renewal.

Let's continue to celebrate and honor Earth Day every day.

Thank you.

We have Rachel Snow.

Following Rachel will be Natalie Morgan.

Hello, my name is Rachel Snell.

I just want to say I'm strongly supporting democracy vouchers.

Democracy vouchers make it possible to support and donate to a candidate I support regardless of my income status.

It's not just about supporting candidates running for office.

It's about shining a light and providing a platform to those making an amazing impact on our community.

This is what democracy really looks like.

Please vote to put democracy voucher renewal on the August primary ballot.

Thank you so much, and thank you for your time.

Natalie Morgan's next.

Following Natalie will be Carrie Bull.

Hi, my name's Natalie.

I am a proud Seattleite, lifelong Washingtonian, the organizer for the democracy-championing nonprofit Fair Vote Washington, and here with people-powered elections.

I've always been extremely proud of our beautiful state's progressive democracy reform measures.

I've only ever voted by mail, and it's really awesome, frankly.

And I'm so grateful that Seattle has always been a leader for our state, fighting for reforms that encourage a more engaged, informed, and representative voting population.

The Democracy Voucher Program is a great example of Seattle's leadership and Washington's fight for a stronger democracy.

We've proudly piloted a program that is a unique and affordable solution to the problem of big money in politics, which often works to exclude already underserved communities.

The success and popularity of the DVP speaks for itself.

Seattle voters, including myself, support this program because it helps to diversify the candidate pool and increase voter turnout.

I know we all want every voice to be heard, so please prioritize democracy, empower communities, and encourage civic engagement by putting a DVP renewal on the August primary ballot.

Thank you.

Nailed it.

We have Kerry.

Next, following Kerry will be Cynthia Elian Vasquez.

Good afternoon, counsel.

My name is Kerry, and I'm also an organizer with Bare Boat Washington, and I'm also a Seattle voter.

I've been working in electoral and legislative campaigns for the better part of a decade, and I have never been privileged to see the promise of democracy on display like I have here in Seattle.

The program's success in engaging voters and welcoming candidates is something worth protecting.

Please vote to place the levy on our ballot so voters can do what we do best and vote for our interests.

Thank you.

We have Cynthia next.

Following Cynthia would be Cindy Black.

The Cindy's Unite.

Hello, good afternoon.

My name is Cynthia John Vasquez.

I serve as the Executive Director of the Washington Bus, and I'm also a proud member of People Powered Elections Washington.

As you have heard, one of the primary benefits of the DBP program has been its ability to empower more individuals to participate in elections.

By renewing the program's funding, we can continue to increase voter engagement, encourage small donors to support their preferred candidates, and foster a more inclusive and diverse democracy.

This year, as some of you know, the program takes on a deeper meaning for me personally.

As a recent legal permanent resident, I'm finally able to use the democracy voucher program myself.

After years of telling others about this program, I can now experience firsthand what it means to have a voice count in local elections, even though I still cannot vote.

For me and many others, this program isn't just policy, it's personal.

It opens toward specific participation that was once close to us.

Thank you.

We now have Cindy.

Cindy will be the last in-person speaker for this set and we'll move into remote public comment.

Cindy.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Cindy Black.

I'm the executive director of Fix Democracy First and a member of the People Powered Elections Washington Coalition.

And we're here today to express our strong support in renewing the democracy voucher level and referring it to the ballot to let voters decide.

Our organization has been working on public funding of elections for over 20 years.

We believe it's one of the strongest options we have that can help address the issue of influence of money in elections.

Before the program, most Seattle voters never donated to an election before.

The Seattle program empowers residents and allows them to directly participate in democracy, giving them a bigger voice in who gets elected.

And for candidates, rather than focusing on wealthy donors and special interests, the program encourages them to directly engage more constituents who now are potential donors that can help fund their campaigns.

We ask that you vote yes and refer this to the ballot to let the people decide.

Thank you.

Thank you.

A reminder to our remote speakers to please press star six after you've heard the message that you have been unmuted.

We'll begin with Dan French.

Dan will be followed by David Haynes.

Go ahead, Dan.

My name is Dan French.

I am attempting to bring to light some bad decisions on the so-called 130th Street Safety Project.

This project is unsafe.

I have documented proof of its dangers.

I have provided much of my concerns to almost everyone, including council members.

No one seems to be interested in safety.

The study and plan show a complete ignorance or willful neglect of traffic patterns in this area.

Talk to me.

You have my contact information.

I can provide evidence of this bad information.

I yield my time.

Thank you.

Remote speaker is David Haynes.

Go ahead, David.

The mayor tricked the business community into believing that he would solve the economic revenue downturn due to the public safety crisis and homeless crisis by promising a war on the innocent homeless.

It hasn't worked and the budget proves he never meant to solve the crisis.

Yet there's evidence that he is the original vote on counsel to exempt drug pushers from jail under 3.5 grams and then priority hire untrustworthy police chiefs willing to implement unconstitutional police reform, running interference for BIPOC repeat offending low-level drug pushers, conducting uncivil war on community with impunity, allowing rival drug gangs to escalate most gun violence due to George Soros tainted Seattle police reforms.

As counsel defers, to the mayor.

Why is council deferring to the mayor's leadership as the top cop instead of maintaining a more aggressive independence of law?

And I'm wondering why the public safety committee has decided to cancel their meeting this morning because evidently they've done enough virtue signaling and messaging and manipulating of the media and the public perceptions of safety.

Thank you.

That was our last remote speaker.

And I'll move back into in-person public comment.

Our first speaker is Alice Waltz and then Ken Delman.

Good afternoon.

As the former executive director of Fix Democracy First and of its predecessor organization, Washington Public Campaigns, I'm here today to hope that you provide a unanimous vote for extending the voucher program.

It's been successful, and this city has a history of supporting campaign financing.

Going back to 1978, the matching funds were banned in a Washington state initiative, but we went forward, and in 2008, the ban was lifted, and 2015, the voucher program was passed.

It has made Seattle a national leader in campaign reform, and I hope you will.

We next have Ken.

Following Ken will be John D. Vaughn.

Ken?

I'm Ken Damond, president of Fix Democracy First.

And I'm here also to support my colleagues in their effort to encourage you to put this issue on the ballot.

The influence of money in our political system countrywide is the reason this whole country is in the mess it is.

And this is a great step in the right direction.

Thank you for taking it.

Following John will be Lillianne.

Hi, John Devon, District 3, in favor of renewing democracy vouchers.

In our representative system of democracy, each citizen has some core political rights.

Each citizen has an equal right to determine who's on the ballot.

Each citizen has an equal right to the debate in the election.

And each citizen has an equal vote in the election.

Much of today's political dysfunction is caused by society failing to defend these essential political rights, particularly equality.

The democracy voucher system defends these rights.

The last 10 years has shown more and more diverse people have been running, making the citizens' right to determine who is on the ballot more equal.

More citizens have been engaged in the finance part of the election debate, improving equality there.

The democracy voucher program is a very small price to pay for defending each citizen's political rights.

Thank you.

We'll have Lillian, then we'll have Kim and Barb.

Good afternoon, council.

My name is Lillian Ballesteros.

I'm the executive director of Latino Community Fund.

I'm a Seattle voter, and I'm a democracy voucher participant.

I'm here to urge you to pass the legislation that will allow Seattle voters to renew the program's funding.

In my work, I get to talk to so many voters across the entire city, and this is really a way to not just increase voter participation, to increase that participation among our first-time voters, but to actually send a signal from the city, to send a signal that elections, that our democracy is for all of us.

And it is not just for those who can afford to provide funding, to put their money, their personal money in.

This is really where we see the power of people wanting to participate in democracy because they see that it's part for them.

It diversifies the candidate pool, it increases voter turnout, and it sends that signal to our voters and to our Seattle residents that this is for them.

This democracy is for us.

Thank you.

Kim Albert and Barb, and then following Kim and Barb will be Martina.

Hello, and thank you to our Seattle City Council members for all your work in opening yourselves to listen and consider our comments relative to your vote on democracy vouchers today.

I'm Barb Tengcio and Kim Albert, co-presidents of the League of Women Voters, Seattle-King County.

We are a nonpartisan organization.

Our mission is to empower voters and defend democracy.

We work for all the King County community to lift up our democracy by engaging community members in civic action.

The Seattle Democracy Voucher Program is an already proven program that the league wholeheartedly supports.

It empowers voters.

It has promoted and increased civic engagement, enabled a more diverse range of candidates to run for office, and reduced influence of big money in politics.

This is the exact type of program that our democracy and the city of Seattle community needs.

Let's all protect and expand local civic engagement programs to defend our democracy.

Please do your part and vote today to put

we have martina and following martina will be benjamin thank you council members and get closer there we go My name is Martina, representing the regional think tank Sightline Institute.

Sightline supports this proposal to enable continued democracy voucher funding.

One of the primary goals of the program is to bring more Seattleites into the campaign finance conversation.

That goal has been hugely successful.

In 2013, just 8,800 individuals contributed to a political candidate.

In 2021, it was 59,000.

Seattle now has one of the highest contributor rates of any major US city at around 10% of registered voters.

That's more than double the participation of most comparable cities.

The program has also succeeded in diversifying who gives the campaign.

People of color, young people, and people with lower incomes are much better represented among voucher users and cash donors.

In some elections, voucher users better represent Seattle's demographics than voters do.

We're modeling unique innovation here in Seattle, and it is working.

Please allow voters to keep funding this program.

Thank you.

We have Benjamin.

Following Benjamin will be Alex Zimmerman and then Rachel, I believe.

Hi, my name is Benjamin Sibleman.

I'm a Seattle voter, and I am here to say that I support democracy vouchers because they are Seattle's part, along with ranked choice voting, in the movement to do nothing less than reboot the entire American experiment in democracy.

Trump has effectively crowned himself king.

Neither Congress nor the courts are going to stop him.

So we need two things.

We need a nonviolent counter-revolution, and we need state and county and local governments building a model of a better democracy that won't fall victim to the same forces that brought us to this impasse.

So democracy vouchers are a way to move power in elections to people from the wealthy campaign donors who have brought us this billionaire-controlled federal government.

And those models need to be built because then we need to scale them up to the federal government if democracy is to survive on Earth.

Thank you.

I believe it's first name begins with an R, last name I believe is Vogt, V-O-G-T.

Okay, we'll move on to the next speaker, which would be Andrea Cornelis.

Afternoon, Council Members Salomon, Rink, Hollingsworth, Nelson, Rivera, and Strauss.

I'm here in support of the Democracy Voucher Program.

I am Andrea with LIUNA Local 242, and our members have been able to use these vouchers and have been elated to be able to participate in the program and the process.

And I think it would be great if we continued this and supported and had it on the ballot in August.

Thank you.

Alex Zimmerman, and then also, if someone signed up that I was not able to pronounce your name, please let me know.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Zeheil, Nazi fascist.

My name, Alex Zimmerman.

I'm president of Stand Up America, support Trump.

I have 6,000 days of trespass.

You prosecute me five times.

I want to speak about Voyager.

This freaking idiot thinking money come from the moon.

We have a deficit of $300 million.

Where does money come from this Voyager?

It's from your package.

They are ricketeering.

They are bandits.

You don't understand this?

You're all primitive.

You know what this means.

Maybe from you have no more than fifth grade.

That's exactly what's happened.

Voyager is not for free.

It's your, my, everybody money.

So...

Does this have sense?

No.

It's doing for special reason, controlling Democratic mafia.

It has happened from beginning only for one reason.

You need controlling Democrat mafia in Seattle.

$160,000 average income, $700,000.

Idiot, vote for Democrat.

Viva Ram!

So now we have Rich, and then following Rich will be Mauricio.

In 2015, I knocked on doors to get the citizens-led initiative passed, which established the democracy voucher program.

According to the US Department of Labor Statistics, prices in Seattle are 43% higher in 2025 than 2015, increasing the levy for democracy vouchers by 50% to match inflationary increases, costs of program administration, centralized service and voucher distribution is both fair and necessary.

I just want assurances that the cap amount distributed to candidates matches the previous year's inflation.

So when the cost of flyers and direct mail increases, so does the maximum amount a candidate could receive.

addressing the role of PACs in municipal elections.

I have no idea how it can be accomplished in this post-citizen.

And Mauricio will be our last speaker.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Mauricio Ayon, and I'm a lobbyist with Washington Community Action Network.

And on behalf of our organization, our members that reside and live here in the city of Seattle, I want to thank you for giving an opportunity to have a vote on this very important initiative.

I know that some of you have taken advantage of democracy vouchers.

And we know that when we give folks access to democracy at that level, we increase their participation.

So I'm not going to repeat a lot of stuff.

Just want to say that we're fully in support.

Thank you for your time.

And I give my time.

That was our last registered speaker.

Thank you very much.

We've reached the end of our list of public speakers, so the public comment period is now closed.

Will the clerk please read the, no, excuse me, backing up.

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

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

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

Hearing none, the agenda is adopted.

We'll now consider the proposed consent calendar, and the items on the consent calendar are the minutes of April 15th, 2025, Council Bill 120973, payment of bills, and five appointments from the Land Use Committee.

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

Okay, hearing none, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Is there a second?

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

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

Council member Rivera.

Aye.

Council member Solomon.

Aye.

Council member Strauss.

Yes.

Council member Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Council member Moore.

Aye.

Council member Rink.

Yes.

Council president Nelson.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

Thank you very much.

The consent calendar items are adopted.

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

All right, moving on.

Will the clerk please read the title of item one into the record.

Agent item one, resolution 32169, retiring introduced and referred council bills, resolutions, clerk files, and appointments that have received no further action.

Thank you very much.

Colleagues, this resolution effectuates Rule 1.8.6 of the General Rules and Procedures of the Seattle City Council, which allows the City Council to consider the retirement of any council bill, resolutions, city clerk, file or appointment which has been in a standing committee or before the City Council for at least one year prior to March 1st.

Attachment one of the resolution lists the council bills, resolutions and clerk files and appointments that were introduced and referred to City Council and committees throughout the year for sponsorship and action between January 2018 and February 2024 and were never acted upon by the City Council.

The list has been approved by every council office and the city clerk and council central staff to verify that there is no further action expected before the city council on these pieces of legislation.

Are there any questions or comments?

With that, I will move, let's see, resolution.

I move resolution 32169. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to adopt the resolution.

All right.

Do you have any questions or comments?

Nope.

I've seen none.

Okay.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the resolution?

Council member Rivera?

Aye.

Council member Solomon?

Aye.

Council member Strauss?

Yes.

Council member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council member Moore.

Aye.

Council member Rink.

Yes.

Council president Nelson.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The motion carries and the resolution is adopted and the chair will sign it.

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

And will the clerk please read item two into the record?

The report of the Governance Accountability and Economic Development Committee, Agenda Item 2, Council 1-2-0, 957 related to publicly financed election campaigns providing for the submission to the qualified electors of the city and an election to be held on August 5th, 2025. Every proposition authorizing the city to levy regular property taxes for up to 10 years in excess of the limitation on levies in Chapter 84.55 RCW for the purposes of funding the cost and administrations of the city democracy's voucher program and other city purposes committee recommends a bill

Thank you very much.

This piece of legislation went through the Governance Accountability and Economic Development Committee, so I will provide the committee report and open the floor to comments.

So this is legislation that will allow for the renewal of the democracy voucher program to appear on the August a primary election ballot.

And so this was heard in my committee over the course of two meetings and received unanimous approval for a recommendation for, received a unanimous recommendation for approval, excuse me.

So here is, and our timeline here is determined by the timeline, the dates that need to be hit to enable it to be on the ballot in August.

So I just want to say, I want to extend my gratitude to the folks here in the room and who've been coming to every committee when this has been before us.

Thank you very much for your hard work, not just public comment, but all the work that led up to this and all the work that went into actually designing the first democracy voucher program in the country.

So thank you very much for your engagement.

And just a couple details.

The proposed levy would generate $4.5 million per year for the program and is intended to reflect inflationary increases from the current levy of about 4.1% annually.

So With that, are there any comments or questions?

I will look to see if there's anybody in my screen.

Nope.

Okay.

Council member Moore.

Oh, thank you.

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who brought this forth.

I'm a huge supporter of the democracy voucher program.

worked very well for me, and I think it does truly achieve the goals that it sets out to achieve.

We definitely need to see more education, particularly in District 5, including within communities where English is a second language.

I think it would be great to see additional interpretation and outreach, so we'll be working on that, but I'm very supportive of this.

Thank you.

Councilmember Rink.

Thank you, Council President.

I am so excited to vote on this today.

In another life, I worked for a nationwide organization called Democracy Matters, where we taught about the influence of money in politics, the impacts of the Citizens United decision, and about campaign finance reform and publicly financed elections.

And when Seattle first passed the Democracy Voucher program back in 2015, I'll tell you, the news hit nationwide.

It was all the buzz on the East Coast.

It is just another example of Seattle being a true leader in defending democracy.

And the Democracy Voucher Program, as we heard today through public comment, is a key tool in balancing the playing field between big money interests and working people.

The program encourages our small donors to participate in local races by pushing candidates to reach out to working people who don't typically receive outreach.

And this door opens the programs for less independently wealthy people to run for office in the first place.

This program should continue, and I sincerely hope more voters in our city take advantage of it moving forward.

But make no mistake, our democracy is at risk.

We must take every step here in Seattle to protect it, because in a healthy democracy, billionaires can't buy elections.

And today is just a small step that we can take to defend our local elections from future influence of money and politics.

So, colleagues, for these reasons and more, I urge you to vote yes today as we stand to protect our democracy.

Thank you, Council President.

Councilmember Hollingsworth.

Thank you, Council President.

Well said, Council Member Rank.

I have a statement or some comments from Council Member Kettle, if I can read.

And don't worry, it's only two paragraphs.

Sorry.

I tried not to laugh when I said that, but he will watch this.

Okay, so his comments from Council Member Kettle.

When I was running for, these are from Council Member Kettle.

When I was running for city council in 2023, I had a front row view of how many people could participate in our elections without the democracy voucher program, and how many could not.

I remember a woman in Queen Anne who lived in Seattle Housing Authority home.

She didn't have much.

But through the Democracy Voucher Program, she was able to participate in our elections and her signature for qualification, and later $100 in vouchers.

I could see the smile in her eyes.

She was democracy in action.

The Democracy Voucher Program encourages more diverse candidates and more diverse voters.

Participation in elections should be accessible to the whole community, not just those who can afford it.

The program helps overcome barriers to run for office and expands the playing field for those who want to express their voice in the democratic process.

As our American experiment in democracy faces a number of hurdles at the moment, we cannot stop in the pursuit of a more perfect union.

And that is from the distinguished gentleman of District 7, Council Member Kettle.

And just, I supported this in committee.

and support it now, the democracy voucher program, especially in Seattle, is such a game changer for folks.

And it's an incredible opportunity for people to be able to participate and get involved.

I cannot begin to tell folks how many people, it was their first time donating to a campaign, participating, getting engaged, connecting with folks, and understanding like, hey, their voice matters, particularly in local elections, with a lot of people to understand are just like some of the most important elections.

in our time is local government.

Nothing will impact you more than local government.

And for someone to have feel like they can participate and have that impact for different candidates and also offer a more diverse option of not just people who are so super politically minded, but actual like city residents.

I love to see people that are everyday folks participating in local government.

So I will be voting yes as I did in committee and yes at full council as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Are there any further comments?

Councilmember Strauss.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you to everyone who's brought this forward to success today.

I see a lot of friendly faces and a lot of people that I count on to protect democracy in our city, in our state, in our nation.

I will never forget coming to Alice Walt's house to learn more about this idea of democracy vouchers over a decade ago.

Alice, it's really great to see you here today as well.

Democracy vouchers bring democracy into everybody's home.

It allows people without a wealthy network to be viable in their candidacy for public office.

This means candidates don't need to be tied to special interests to win.

They can just talk to everyday people.

For me, this specifically meant that I didn't need to take campaign donations that I felt might have implicit strings attached.

It's not usually explicit, it's usually implicit.

This allowed me to be independent, more independent, And it meant that I actively chose to knock on everyday Seattleites doors rather than spending time on the phone calling political donors for what is commonly known as call time.

This simple impact that this program has to influence candidates, to prioritize being on people's doorsteps rather than on the phone is a really big deal.

And this is how it increases civic participation and empowers voters to be able to have the conversation with candidates rather than not.

I have seen firsthand this program empowering voters, increasing civic participation, and reducing candidates' reliance on money from special interests.

I've seen the beneficial impacts of this program on democracy in Seattle, and I'm really excited to vote in favor of this legislation today.

Thank you for all your work.

I just want to close today by saying that we are, in taking this vote today, enacting democracy here before us at a time when our constituents, as we know, are worried about the viability of the continuation of our democratic processes across the country.

it is vitally important that we send this to the ballot to be approved by our voters.

And this is the last time we'll be able to speak in favor of this, by the way, as it turns into a ballot issue.

But I just want to say that I fully support this program and what it represents.

It represents people putting their values, the people that created this and designed this program have put their values before money and you are enabling the people of Seattle to do the same thing.

And so I just want to say thank you very much.

I'm hearing a lot of support for this, didn't expect otherwise, but at a time when democracy feels perhaps frail to people across the country because of what's going on in the other, Washington, I do want to say it's alive and well here with our vote today.

So thank you very much for your support, hopefully.

Okay, any other comments?

Go ahead.

No, okay.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council member Rivera?

Aye.

Council member Solomon?

Aye.

Council member Strauss?

Yes.

Council member Hollingsworth?

Yes.

Council Member Moore.

Aye.

Council Member Rink.

Yes.

Council President Nelson.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The bill passes and the chair will sign it.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

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

All right, moving on, will the clerk please read item three into the record?

The report of the Land Use Committee, agenda item three, Council Bill 120948, relating to Seattle's construction codes, allowing for the extension of certain projects and building permits.

The committee recommends the bill passed as amended.

Councilmember Salomon is chair of the committee.

You're recognized to provide the committee report.

Thank you very much, Council President Nelson.

Regarding Council Bill 120948, this legislation allows building permit applicants an additional 24-month extension on existing permit applications and issued permits for projects vested to the 2015 and 2018 Seattle Building Code requirements.

At its core, CB120948 supports continued investments in our city as we work to revitalize communities in the wake of COVID.

Without this important legislation, projects with permit applications vested to the 2015 and 2018 codes would need significant redesign should their applications or permits expire and more recent Seattle Building Code provisions be applied to the project.

This would add significant redesign and permitting costs to the projects and threaten their viability.

As we continue working to re-enliven our city, CB120948 will better secure the critical investments which provide housing and jobs throughout our communities.

I want to thank the Seattle Department of Construction Inspections and Central Staff for their hard work and continued dedication to improving our city.

And I ask for support of this bill today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Do my colleagues have any questions or comments?

Council Member Rink.

Thank you, Council President.

Just some comments for today.

With so much economic uncertainty bearing down on us from the federal government, be it tariffs or high interest rates, inflation, or a genuine uncertainty of how our country will look just months from now, for these projects, which include affordable housing projects, these must not fall through.

Across our city, we're seeing a holding pattern, not sure if they should move forward in uncertain times.

Letting their permits expire is not an option we should pursue.

These projects represent thousands of housing units Seattle desperately needs, and when these projects do move forward, they will spur economic development, jobs, and revenue to the city.

As noted in a recent article in The Urbanist, downtown there are 15 projects that would have been poised to bring in around $75 million in funding for affordable housing via the city's MHA program.

Those fees are automatically updated every year to account for inflation, meaning those payments are the same as an equivalent project entering the pipeline today.

So to let those permits expire, that would be a devastating loss on so many fronts.

So therefore I'll be voting yes on extending the deadline to an additional two years to give these projects the time and flexibility they need to move forward.

Thank you.

Okay, I'm looking for other comments.

Not seeing anything.

I would say this is the least that we can do because these projects have been up against strong headwinds.

And I just have to say that it goes without saying that we're in a housing crisis and need to do everything we possibly can to assist in building new homes in the city.

That's why I was so motivated on the stadium makers district proposal we passed last month.

This ordinance is another key contribution to making it easier to build housing in Seattle.

The pandemic caused so many good projects to be delayed.

And by passing this ordinance day, we will allow many of these projects to move forward without making them go back to the drawing board.

Passing this council bill could lead to thousands of new units of housing being built, including affordable housing, which would otherwise never get off the ground.

So I want to thank council member Solomon for leading on this legislation and everyone in the land use committee for advancing it to full council.

And I hope that we can pass it today.

All right.

I'm not seeing any other hands.

So will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill.

Council member Rivera.

Council Member Solomon.

Council Member Strauss.

Council Member Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Council Member Moore.

Council Member Rink.

Yes.

Council President Nelson.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The bill passes and the chair will sign it.

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

All right.

There were no items removed from the consent calendar, and there's not a resolution for introduction and adoption today.

Is there any further business to come before council?

All right.

I'm not seeing any.

We've reached the end of today's agenda.

Our next regularly scheduled city council meeting is on April 29 at 2 p.m.

Hearing no further business, it is now 2.52 p.m., and this meeting is adjourned.

Thank you.

Thank you.