Seattle City Council 12/12/2023

Thank you, Son.

Good afternoon, everybody.

Today is December 12th, Tuesday, the meeting of the Seattle City Council.

I will now call it to order.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Council Member Sawat.

Council Member Strauss.

Present.

Council Member Herbold.

Here.

Council Member Lewis.

Present.

Council Member Morales.

Here.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Present.

Council Member Nelson.

Present.

Council Member Peterson.

Here.

Council President Juarez.

I'm here.

Nine present.

Thank you.

We have no presentations today, so let's go right to public comment.

My understanding is that we have 40 folks on the line and 30 in chambers.

Today we will be doing it for one minute, public comment for one minute.

And with that, Madam Clerk, I'm going to hand over the instructions to you.

All right, I'm going to play the recording.

And are we going to start with remote or in-person, Council President?

I'm sorry, I forgot.

Let's go 10 back and forth.

Let's start with in-person.

Can we do that?

Yes, thank you.

Okay, great.

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 use 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.

All right, our first in-person speaker will be Travis Rosenthal, and Travis will be followed by Rich Foggett.

And we have one minute.

Do not delay the passage here of the personal guarantee legislation.

That would just be pure political amenship.

We've been working on this legislation since the beginning of the year.

It's been now through three committee hearings starting in last August.

So I don't believe that delaying this legislation is a correct move.

I've personally been affected by this personal guarantee legislation.

It rewards and protects landlords.

I'm sorry.

The legislation does not eliminate personal guarantees.

It just simply limits them.

It also rewards and protects landlords who reinvest in leasehold improvements to help a new tenant get off the ground.

Many landlords you will hear from who are against this legislation say they never enforce these personal guarantees.

So why are they concerned about this legislation?

Many landlords are saying banks won't approve their loans if they are not personal guarantees.

This is simply not true.

We've talked with the banks and the only personal guarantees they want are from the building owners themselves.

Thank you.

I just want to remind everyone you can speak from any of the three microphones and you have to be within a couple of inches for it to pick up your voice.

So our next speaker is Rich Voget and Rich will be followed by Nicole Grant.

I'm here speaking about BEPS legislation.

And I just want to give you an overview of the whole climate situation.

Turns out that 70% of climate pollution in the US comes from cities.

Therefore, it falls upon this council to do something about reducing emissions in this city.

And the BEPS legislation will reduce the total emissions in Seattle by 10%, which is just an amazing amount of reduction for one piece of legislation.

The other point I want to make is people cry and say, well, this costs too much money.

But in fact, The longer you wait, the more it's gonna cost and the less effective it'll be.

So please pass this consensus piece of legislation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Nicole Grant and Nicole will be followed by Michael Gall.

Good afternoon.

Thank you, Chair Herbold and members of the committee.

My name is Nicole Grant, and I'm a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 46, and we're here in support of building emission performance standards.

This is incredibly exciting to see that this legislation could pass today with so much support.

on a day that important legislation for both the driver's union and disability rights Washington could pass.

And I think it shows that this is an iconic city council.

And I just wanted to say how wonderful it's been as a member of the labor movement to work with so many of you for so many years.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Michael Gall.

And Michael will be followed by Alice Lockhart.

Hi, good afternoon.

Michael Gall, also a member of IBW Local 46, here to say thank you for the years of effort you've put into the BEPS considerations and I'm very eager and encourage you to pass it today.

Just doing as the gentleman before us mentioned, the state of the environmental crisis across our nation around the world is pretty severe right now and I think it's excellent for this council to stand up as a beacon, the 18th largest city in the United States as a beacon for what can be done to reduce municipal contributions to climate change, and again, encourage the rest of the nation to follow behind this great city of Seattle.

So thank you very much for your efforts, and I encourage you to pass that today.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alice Lockhart, and Alice will be followed by Joshua Welter.

So sorry, I'm Alice Lockhart with 350 Seattle.

And I just wanna very briefly say thank you so much for setting a great example for the new council with this committee for climate action.

We need more and more and more of this.

And today, thank you everyone in advance for your final yes vote on building emissions performance standards.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Joshua Welter and Joshua will be followed by Keith Weir.

Council Members, my name is Joshua Welter, for the record, with Teamsters Local 117. I want to thank the Council for standing up for drivers and for public safety as the taxi industry evolves with new technology.

I want to appreciate, in particular, the work and committee Councilmember Alex Peterson, your amendments to protect public safety as the technology corporations experiment with dangerous robo-taxis, we want to thank you for that.

We want to thank Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda for your work to cap excessive deductions from driver pay as the taxi industry evolves with new technology.

And thank you all for your time and your support.

And in a personal note, in my final 18 seconds, I'll say, as a Rainier Beach resident, I couldn't be more pleased to hear of the work of the City of Washington around sidewalks.

We don't have sidewalks in our neighborhood where I live, and I want to appreciate your attention to that matter.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Keith Weir, and Keith will be followed by Heidi Morissette.

Good afternoon, council.

My name's Keith.

We're IBEW Local 46. I'm up here.

I don't know if it's KEXP's vibe in the music.

The sun is out.

It's a wonderful day.

It's shining.

And that is, you know, it's just shining upon you guys for passing this legislation with your yes vote today.

When I thought back on it, I was like, man, we've been working on this stuff a long time.

And it's past 15, 16 years I've been working with folks around climate and getting things moving forward in the city.

And it sounds like a long time, but you need to sit and have patience and sit and move the process forward.

And folks need to take heart in that, knowing that we can do the right things.

60 minutes the other evening, Governor Gordon from Wyoming, it was mentioned earlier, cities committing to the climate crisis.

The middle of America, Governor Gordon, admits climate change is real.

So if red can go green, we can do it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Heidi Morissette, and Heidi will be followed by Charlie Enth.

Good afternoon, my name is Heidi.

Thank you all for taking the time to hear me today.

I wanted to take a moment to address why the Department of Neighborhoods and subsequently the Community Involvement Commission plays a critical role in the future success of Seattle.

Each of us in this room was seemingly a member of their own community at some time.

Whether it be work-related, through family, friends, hobbies, spiritual alignments, or otherwise, communities bring us together.

They fill us up with purpose and joy.

Each of our individual communities hold individual perspectives, and the more we are in touch with different communities, the more perspectives we hold.

Contrastingly, Johan Hari famously states, the opposite of addiction is connection.

meaning areas where community is absent are actually the spaces it is needed most.

The CIC plays a critical role in finding gaps in the requirements of the communities around us and presenting solution-based strategies.

With this, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to advance my involvement in Seattle's widespread community.

Thank you.

Our last in-person speaker for this round is Charlie Anth, and then we'll move on to remote speakers.

Go ahead, Charlie.

Thank you very much, and thank you to the Council for this opportunity.

My name is Charlie Anthy.

I am a co-owner of Moshi Moshi Sushi Nitsukai in Ballard, and I'm here to speak in support of Council Bill 120643, which limits the personal guarantees in new commercial leases.

After extensive consultation and three committee hearings where this legislation is passed unanimously out of committee, I feel the time is now to pass this common sense legislation.

I can speak from personal experience that unlimited and unbounded personal guarantees are a huge barrier to entry for new and aspiring entrepreneurs, In my case, when I purchased my business, not only did I have to put my own personal assets on the line for at least up to half a million dollars, but our landlord refused to release the seller of the business from his own personal guarantee on the lease, meaning he was now personally liable for a business he no longer had any control or ownership over.

It is requirements like this that require this common sense legislation to rebalance the power between landlords and aspiring entrepreneurs and allow folks with, well, my time's up and all my comments.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our first remote speaker will be Howard Gale and Howard will be followed by Joelle Robinson.

And remember, if you're calling remotely to speak, you may need to press star six.

Good afternoon.

Howard Gale.

Yeah, Howard Gale.

Looking back on 2023, we see an increasing example of failures of our police accountability system.

Despite the massive public and media attention focused on the SBD killing of John V. Candula, there has been no accountability, not for the officer who ran her over, nor for the officer and union vice president who made remarks demeaning and devaluing her life.

But at least we know her name.

Whereas in the case of last year's SBD murder of a man in severe mental health distress, running naked and chased by a police dog sent to attack the man's naked crotch.

We still do not know his name, and this gross abuse has been ignored.

Similarly, we discover much media and public attention given to inappropriate items displayed in a police station back in 2021, but ignore the horrifying abuse of power just February in Capitol Hill when the SPD pointed assault rifles at and terrorized a distraught and innocent African-American teen who was only saved by the intervention of bystanders.

These two examples suffice to indicate that our politicians and accountability systems only respond when caught, ignoring egregious police abuse when it goes.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Joelle Robinson, and Joelle will be followed by Steve Hooper.

Hello, I'm Joelle Robinson on staff at Climate Solutions, here in strong support of the Building Emission Performance Standards.

Climate Solutions wants to give a heartfelt thank you to the city, particularly the Office of Sustainability and Environment, for working tirelessly on this ordinance for the past few years, as well as to the Mayor and Councilmember Herbold for your leadership.

As a mother of a three-year-old, I am extra grateful for your vital work addressing the climate crisis.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Steve Hooper, and Steve will be followed by Barbara Finney.

Go ahead, Steve.

Hello, Council.

My name is Steve Cooper.

I'm the president of the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, and I come to you today to speak about the personal guarantee legislation before you.

We are very excited about this as a restaurant community and a set of small business owners throughout the city.

At the end of the day, this piece of legislation is about equity and rebuilding an equitable economy from the ground up at the ground floor of our buildings throughout the city.

There are several landlords who have given feedback to this council and whatnot, and many of their comments were included along the way.

They've had multiple opportunities to give input and have refused to do so at different junctures.

While I do appreciate their concerns, at the end of the day, supporting small business ownership in this city and creating a balanced and fair playing field for a small business owner who's an immigrant but the biggest company is all that we ask.

Thank you for your time and consideration, and we appreciate your votes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Barbara Finney, and Barbara will be followed by Jess Wallach.

Hello, my name is...

BARBARA FINNEY FROM DISTRICT 5. I'M SPEAKING NOW AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES LOCAL 3197, A UNION LOCAL THAT ENDORSED RENT CONTROL LEGISLATION FROM COUNCILMEMBER SHAMA SUWANT AND HAS BEEN PART OF THE COALITION MOVEMENT LED BY SHAMA TO LIFT THE BAN ON RENT CONTROL IN WASHINGTON STATE AND ENACT RENT CONTROL IN SEATTLE.

RENT CONTROL REMAINS A WORKER'S ISSUE, A LABOR ISSUE.

WE STILL NEED RENT CONTROL, NOW MORE THAN EVER.

AFGE 3197 SEATTLE.

stands in solidarity with struggling renters in Seattle and Washington State who would benefit.

Personally, I salute the Socialist Council Office of CM Shama Sawant, Socialist Alternative, and the movement that's won concrete victories, including the Amazon tax on big business in Seattle and many renters' rights protections that were passed.

Bravo, Shama.

Thank you for your leaders as a council member on behalf of District 3 and all the working people of Seattle.

Solidarity.

DIRECTOR HAMPSON.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jess Wallach and Jess is followed by Kimberly Huntress Inskeep.

JESS WALLACH.

Good afternoon council members and staff.

My name is Jess Wallach and today I'm speaking on behalf of Seattle's Green New Deal Oversight Board in support of the BEPS legislation.

We support this consensus policy for many reasons, more than I could explain in my one minute of comment, but just to hit some of the highlights.

The BETS legislation tackles Seattle's fastest growing source of climate pollution.

It creates over 250 green jobs annually.

It brings life-saving cooling to homes and workplaces across Seattle.

It includes dedicated financial assistance to ensure buildings serving frontline communities benefit from upgrades, while mitigating cost burdens on owners and tenants.

And paired with the existing OSC building accelerator program, which this council has funded.

Thank you.

There are no cost trainings and compliance support programs available for all building owners and managers.

Let's pass that today and take this important step towards Seattle's equitable clean energy future together.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kimberly Huntress Inskeep and Kimberly will be followed by Megan Cruz.

Go ahead.

Thank you, council members.

Thank you, council members.

My name is Kimberly .

I live on Capitol Hill in District 3. And as somebody who can't drive, I rely on our transit system and biking and walking.

And so I urge you to support the ordinance CB120658.

Sidewalks are a basic part of any transportation network.

Yet in huge parts of our city lack sidewalks or conditions where they do exist are substandard or very poorly maintained.

So this ordinance is an important step toward making sure that going forward, our sidewalks are treated like the basic essential infrastructure that they are.

Thanks so much.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Megan Cruz, and Megan will be followed by Todd Cardin.

Hi, I'm Megan Cruz speaking on 120674. a bill to extend master use permits through 2026. It's a good idea to extend them up, but this bill goes wrong by eliminating current code requiring a few projects approved before MHA now pay those fees if they extend and those after MHA to adjust their payments for inflation.

According to city estimates, this will lose up to $5 million in affordable housing revenue and erode the other anticipated MHA fees by 3% to 5%.

The city also notes the 200 projects this bill rewards are almost 80% downtown luxury apartment, condo, and hotel towers.

They aren't shoestring operations that will be broken by MHA fees.

In addition to the loss of housing revenue, these projects will be exempted from the requirement to adopt current building environmental codes, such as missions enacted before their approval.

Please extend them up, but require these projects take fairly and adhere to current environmental codes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Todd Carden and Todd will be followed by Sarah Morningstar.

Good afternoon council members.

My name is Todd Carden owner and operator of Elliott Bay Brewing Company a local commercial property owner.

I support Council Bill 120634. Our city is at a crossroads.

We face the pressing need to bolster our small business and foster an environment where entrepreneurs are encouraged to contribute to our city's diversity.

The landscape of business operation is daunting with escalating wages, rising costs of goods, utilities, taxes, social economic challenges like crime, homelessness, and social instability.

This bill represents a meaningful step forward addressing these hurdles and aiding potential business owners in making this decisive leap.

Here's business experience in Seattle.

I've often pondered the necessity of risking personal assets such as one's home to merely lease a space.

This bill could pivot the dynamics between Seattle's tenants and property owners towards a more synergistic partnership.

The resurgence of our downtown neighborhoods demand a unified approach, characterized operation.

Thank you very much for your consideration of this bill.

Appreciate your efforts.

Thank you.

Our next speaker will be Sarah Morningstar, and then we'll move back to 10 in-person speakers.

Go ahead, Sarah.

Good afternoon.

My name is Sarah Morningstar and I'm here to speak in favor of the resolution involving the Cheryl Chow Street designation.

Cheryl spent her entire life in service to Seattle's communities and families.

After being a teacher and administrator in Seattle Public Schools she went on to be elected to the City Council and the Seattle School Board all while co-creating an Asian basketball program in partnership with Seattle Parks and of course taking the reins from her mom of the show stopping Chinese drill team both of which are alive and well today.

Cheryl was a fierce advocate for Seattle's families, whether it was launching late-night programming to positively combat teen gang issues or going against downtown interests to site the first urban rest stop, she was relentless.

This street designation signifies a life of service to her community and speaks to how important representation is.

Young people need to see themselves in the faces and names around them.

And if she can't be here, then we have a duty and responsibility to honor her.

I urge you to pass this resolution and help continue to tell Seattle's rich history of never giving up and never giving in.

Thank you.

Our next in-person speaker will be Wendy Krukauer, and Wendy will be followed by Amin Shiffo.

Good afternoon, my name is Wendy Krakauer.

I'm speaking in support of the BEPS legislation.

I will probably not be alive when the 2050 target date for reducing emissions set by BEPS is reached.

But my daughters will be middle aged and my grandchildren will be young adults.

Despite not being around myself to see the policy to full fruition, I wholeheartedly urge the council to enact this policy.

This policy is a result of many years of work and lots of discussion between climate groups, building owners, affordable housing providers, organized labor, and policy makers.

While not perfect, BEPS nonetheless goes a long way towards meeting urgently necessary climate goals while also creating good jobs.

In short, BEPS will create a more sustainable future for my children, my grandchildren, and for all residents who will be around in 2050 and beyond.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Amin Shifo, and Amin will be followed by Burkaran Dhalawa.

Thank you.

My name is Amin Shifo.

I have been in this industry, the taxi industry, that is, for the last 25 years, 16 as a driver, nine as the general manager for Seattle Yellow Cab.

What I see here today is a selective rulemaking that only wants to cab the taxi industry and ignore large corporations like Uber and Lyft that are charging so much more than the taxi industry.

If anyone thinks that dispatch companies take advantage of drivers, they are wrong.

I have been there as a driver and I'm there now as a GM.

Our record speaks for itself.

We haven't raised our dispatch fees for over 20 years except one-time adjustment of 8% for inflation.

Please, at least have the compassion like the King County Council members did that you will revisit this issue if it...

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Gukaran Dhaliwal.

And Gukaran will be followed by Marta Lima.

I'm Gukaran Dhaliwal.

I'm in this industry almost 32 years and own Far West Taxi Company since 2000. And when I drive taxi, that time we are paying Far West $250 per week.

And minimum wages that time in Seattle $4.25.

Now we are charging, after 30 years, $225 a week, and minimum wages almost over 50, hard to find employee, $20 an hour.

And this is a directly city of we shut down the taxi industry.

I got a group of drivers, 20 drivers, a few weeks ago.

They work in the airport.

They don't want to pay any weekly fee.

They want to pay only 20%, 15% if they pick up the customer when they have day off.

But I don't have any choice other than to refuse them to not come in my company.

So expense, according to expenses, going to very high.

We are not charging 5%, 4%.

So we are charging only account processing fee.

We are charging zero this time.

But we have opportunity if we need, we can charge.

Thank you.

The minute is up.

I'm sorry.

Our next speaker is Marta Lima and Marta will be followed by Amara Schermerhorn.

And when you hear the bell ring, that gives you about 10 seconds to kind of wrap up.

So Marta, thank you.

Thank you.

I was going to remind people, please mind the 10 second timer.

I don't like to cut people off, especially those folks calling in.

Pay attention to the timer.

Madam Clerk, we got a huge calendar to get through.

So thank you.

Good afternoon, my name is Marta Lama, also here representing Seattle Yellow Cab.

As an operator of a local dispatch company, the 10% cap on fees is concerning and the reason why I'm here today.

It's important to acknowledge that the 10% cap was a last minute amendment that passed very quickly and has a looming impact on our business that is still unclear to us.

It's also important to acknowledge that capping revenue for local dispatch companies is unprecedented in Seattle and King County.

We've been operating for the last 35 years, and as my colleagues shared, have not increased our fees for over 20 years.

These facts are a testament to our consideration for the drivers that we partner with and our ability to make decisions for our business.

This country was founded on a free market, which is one of the best qualities about living in a democracy, and as council members here and in every other U.S. city, for that matter, your responsibility is to uphold the principles that propel our nation.

now we've had the autonomy as a company and industry to set our own fees with natural supply and demand forces we do not believe government should interfere with the free market in this way particularly without extensive duty thank you our next speaker is amara shermahorn followed by cecilia black

Hello, thank you for having me.

My name is Amara Skirmerhorn, and I'm asking for support of Bill 12658, which concerns placing requirements on SDOT to prioritize pedestrian mobility when repairing sidewalks.

As a low vision pedestrian, I rely on public transportation.

And while I currently enjoy the many modes of transportation that Seattle offers, sidewalks are the missing link of connectivity to other means of transportation, such as between the bus, train and such.

So currently half of Seattle sidewalks are either missing or in disrepair.

So by prioritizing, like remediation, we can keep in mind the needs of many people, especially those with disabilities.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Cecilia Black, and Cecilia will be followed by Tanisha Sepulrida.

Sorry.

Thank you.

Hello, my name is Cecilia Black.

I am a quadriplegic D4 resident and speaking in support of the sidewalk ordinance CB120658.

Like Amara said, over half of our city blocks either don't exist or in disrepair that affect mobility.

Between 2016 and 2020, people with disabilities were involved in 4% of total traffic accidents, yet counted for 53% of people killed in Seattle.

The state of Seattle sidewalks is a safety and transportation crisis for people with disabilities.

Yet sidewalks are the one piece of our transportation system that everyone uses.

They are the foundation of a transportation system, yet they have been our absolute last priority.

Next year, we'll be setting the course of our transportation funding for the next decade.

If we are going to pass this legislation, we must do it now ahead of these levy talks so that the city and Edstock can adequately budget future construction projects that include sidewalks.

Thank you.

Thank you, and our next speaker is Tanisha Sepurita, followed by Anna Zivartz.

Hello.

Hi, my name is Tanisha Sepulveda, and I am here in support of the sidewalk ordinance bill.

And I, as some of you can tell, I'm a power wheelchair user.

So I pretty much fully rely on the sidewalks and public transit to get around.

With the sidewalks in the state they are in, I'm oftentimes having to go out into the roads and use the streets since they're built for wheels.

And by doing that, there's been multiple times where I've almost been hit by cars.

I've been cursed at, yelled at.

I've been doored by a vehicle.

And I ended up having to go to the hospital afterwards.

And obviously, there's multiple reasons why going out into the street is dangerous for a pedestrian.

So I really urge you all to...

and get sidewalks prepared as the roads are getting repaired and help grow the community and our access to opportunities.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Anna Zavartz, followed by Katie Garnau.

Hi everyone, Ana Zivartz here, the Director of the Disability Mobility Initiative, a program of Disability Rights Washington.

Thank you so much for having us here today and taking the time to talk about the Sidewalks Ordinance.

As you've heard, it's really important to folks in the disability community as a point of access.

I want to thank Councilmember Morales for working with us on this bill, Councilmember Peterson for getting it through last minute, And Council Member Herbold who worked with us back before the pandemic to really highlight the importance of sidewalks and get us started on this path to thinking about solutions for repairing our city sidewalks and building the missing ones.

I know Council Member Juarez also worked with us last year to get some critical funding for a piece of missing sidewalk up by the Ryder Center for Youth Services and off Lake City Way.

And that just got built, so that's really exciting.

Thank you all, it's also great to be here with our allies from labor and from climate.

We support their work and we also know that cycling and mobility access are climate and labor and mobility justice issues as well, so thank you.

Thank you, our next speaker is Katie Garnau followed by Dot Tesfaye.

Good afternoon, Council Members.

Katie Garrow from MLK Labor.

We represent 150,000 unionized workers here in King County.

We were proud to endorse the Building Emissions Performance Standards policy back in February of this year.

We supported it because of the hundreds of jobs that it is going to create in HVAC and electricians, etc.

We also supported it because climate change is no stranger to workers.

We work outside, many of us, in the natural environment.

UPS drivers have reported temperatures as hot as 130 degrees inside their delivery trucks.

Teachers have reported purple air days in the classroom where smoke fills with children.

And we recognize as a labor movement that immediate action is needed to address climate change and to change our natural environment.

It wouldn't be a Seattle City Council hearing without our here from Disability Rights Washington and from Teamsters 117 and the Drivers Union.

So I want to also express our support for their policies and the union-backed taxi regulations.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Dot Tesfaye, and then we will move back to remote speakers.

And the remote speaker will start with Paul Osher.

But go ahead, Dot.

Hello, my name is Dawid Tesfaye.

I'm from wheelchair accessible taxi, and I drove for the last 20 years.

And as a wheelchair accessible taxi, we have a big, big problem, insurance.

And insurance, again, the insurance company abusing us.

Like, they charging us.

especially after the pandemic, a lot of money while we are servicing the disabled community and all that.

And we want the city to consider this, like tell the insurance people to stop.

When we asked the city, the city said stay, but we are confused.

We need help, insurance.

And for example, because of insurance, we are losing a school district account.

school district account right now.

They are outsourcing our account to other state.

Please help us on insurance, insurance, insurance.

We have problem.

Thank you.

Our next speaker, we're moving to remote speakers.

Our first remote speakers, Paul Osher.

Paul will be followed by Eric Tanaka.

Go ahead, Paul.

I remember you.

Thanks for taking the time.

Go ahead.

Go ahead.

Okay.

Hi.

Hi.

Thanks for taking the time to listen, everybody.

My name is Paul Osher, and I'm the owner of Rachel's Bagels in Ballard.

I ask that you pass the legislation capping personal guarantees today.

Many people have already spoken very persuasively about the issue.

So let me just add that opening a business is so difficult.

It is so, so hard.

And the possibility of losing everything is terrifying and prohibitive.

It's a huge barrier to entry.

This legislation offers a strong opportunity to make it easier to open and to help sustain the small businesses that make Seattle such a world-class city.

So thank you for the support.

I really look forward to seeing Seattle do something that is so important and so powerful.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, our next speaker is Eric Tanaka followed by Alastair Jackson.

Go ahead, Eric.

Hello, my name's Eric Tanaka and I am representing the Seattle Restaurant Alliance on bill 120643, the personal guarantee legislation.

I think post pandemic, it's really important as we jumpstart downtown, we need to mitigate risk for those that are underserved, but still deserving.

There are many businesses like this and as prior people have talked about, that it is a huge leap and a huge barrier for people that aren't highly capitalized.

So I think mitigating that risk for those businesses that provide the fabric of downtown, the richness, the depth that we all are looking for, I think it's important that we just help jumpstart them to help our downtown thrive and these businesses thrive.

So thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Alistair Jackson, and Alistair will be followed by Dylan Plummer.

Hello.

My name's Alistair Jackson.

I'm an owner of O'Brien 360. We're a building performance consultant based in downtown Seattle.

I'm speaking in support of the building emissions performance standard.

The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from our existing building stock is urgent, and the challenge is significant.

We have the technology and we've been deploying it in new buildings for more than a decade, yet few are motivated to take on the challenge in existing buildings.

The real estate industry will quickly tell you that it's not cost-effective and pick the can down the road.

Our construction, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing contractors are too busy building new buildings to develop the capacity to electrify existing buildings when there's no demand.

This bill sends a market signal.

You're going to have to do this.

Get ready.

City staff have consulted with stakeholders and put together a heads and vendors and contractors can see the market opportunity develop.

For most building owners, by the time they have to comply, the market will have evolved to serve.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Dylan Plummer, and Dylan will be followed by Kirk Robbins.

Hi there.

My name is Dylan Plummer, and I'm a senior field organizing strategist for the Sierra Club, an environmental organization that represents tens of thousands of members in Seattle and across Washington state.

I'm testifying to voice the Sierra Club's ongoing support for the proposed building emissions performance standard.

That will create good paying union jobs, reduce emissions, build community resilience, and expand access to life-saving cooling.

For over two years, we have worked with OSC, affordable housing providers, organized labor, building owners, and our partners in the climate movement to develop this policy and are very excited to see a common part of this body with widespread support from all of those stakeholders and more.

Thank you, city councilors, for your unanimous vote to move the bill out of committee last week.

And a special thank you to Councillor Herbold for leading this effort and building consensus to support this critical climate policy to move forward before the end of the year.

On behalf of the Sierra Club, tens of thousands of members in Seattle and across the state, we urge you to vote yes in support of the building emissions performance standard policy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kirk Robbins, and Kirk will be followed by Jasmine Chiu.

And Kirk, you may need to press star six to unmute your call.

Okay, we might move forward and try back with Kirk.

So Jasmine Chiu and Jasmine will be followed by Sabrina Boulot.

Hi, city council members.

It's great to be here and be able to participate in public comment today.

I've come to the last two meetings, so hopefully I'm not too much of a new voice.

But my name is Jasmine Chu from the Rocky Mountain Institute, and I support the America is All In Coalition, a national group committed to advancing climate action, which Seattle is a member of.

And we're thrilled to see this type of policy, the building emissions performance standard being considered in a city such as Seattle.

Building emissions are the fastest growing source of carbon emissions in Washington state.

And Seattle can help lead the way to meet the state's greenhouse gas reduction targets.

While recent changes to state energy codes and market trends have almost completely halted the use of gas in new construction, existing buildings still face significant barriers to reaching net zero emissions.

A building emissions performance standard in a large city such as Seattle is a step in the right direction.

Thanks so much for your consideration.

and support on this initiative.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sabrina Boulay.

And following Sabrina will be Jonathan Heller.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Sabrina Boulay.

I'm speaking to Resolution 32097. I know you have a packed agenda, so I'll keep this high level and just give you all a major thank you.

Thank you for your leadership and support of the Maritime Industrial Lands package that was passed over the summer.

And a special thanks to Councilor Strauss for bringing this resolution forward.

We urge you as Council to support it.

It's a resolution recognizing that land use policies don't exist in a vacuum.

Land use and transportation must be reviewed in conjunction to ensure the entire transportation network is fully functioning.

Seattle's historic manufacturing industrial centers are the economic backbone of living wage jobs in Seattle.

and to remain competitive in the global supply chain.

Cargo and goods must move efficiently between the waterfront, rail, transportation networks, and warehouses.

Thank you all for recognizing the importance of this policy and look forward to working with you more if we had to move Seattle levy in November.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Jonathan Heller.

And Jonathan will be followed by, we're going to try Kirk Robbins once more.

Go ahead, Jonathan, and then we'll try Kirk.

Thank you.

This is Jonathan Heller.

I'm the president of Ecotope, and I'm calling in support of the building emissions and performance standards.

Ecotope is a small research and mechanical engineering firm located in Seattle since 1976. We focus on highly energy efficient building design and for the last decade have focused almost exclusively on all electric buildings and transitioning buildings off of fossil fuels.

We've worked with the City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment for the last six years to help transition the city-owned buildings to energy-efficient all-electric buildings.

And we've worked with multifamily housing providers and private developers of commercial buildings as well.

I'm speaking in support of BEPS as the smart way to phase in this necessary transition away from fossil fuels and buildings.

And I'm speaking as an experienced mechanical engineer that the technology to do this cost-effectively exists today, and the market is ready to respond to the goals and timeline laid out in the standards.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kirk Robbins, and following Kirk Robbins will be Colleen McClure.

I'm Kirk Robbins, District 6. I support sidewalk funding as for all transportation infrastructure.

It's unfortunate that a week ago the City Council voted down developer impact fees after months of sophistries and subterfuges.

It's time we open this serious revenue source the way most of the municipalities around here have done.

I call on the City Council coming in to appoint a new member who will support developer impact fees.

I think we should be all expecting a letter from the City Council, at least five members that they will support developer impact fees because we're going to be asked to pay for a big transportation package that will fall on the burden.

The burden will fall on everyone except developers, specifically property owners.

And I think it's time that we call this out.

I'm going to miss Kashama Sawant, although I disagree with her on so many issues.

At least she would call out hypocrisy eloquently and without fear.

So thanks for that.

Bye.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Colleen McClure.

And following Colleen will be Rachel Kohler.

And Colleen, you may need to press star six.

There you go.

Good afternoon, City Council.

And this is Colleen McAleer.

And I'm speaking on behalf of 2,500 households in Northeast Seattle.

We ask you to vote no on Council Bill 120674. It actually runs counter to expediting the revitalization of Seattle's downtown and can slow approved affordable housing units to be rapidly built by lengthening the term of existing MUPS to 6.5 years.

The existing three-year renewal process with SDCI is already a wonderful tool for developers and the city, an opportunity to make changes to viable plans, retain that.

Six and a half years is too long to allow master use plans that may not comply with the city's future land use plans and priorities, such as energy efficiencies and climate code changes to flounder.

News of the new legislation is already encouraging development speculation, hoping that grandfather and their projects must meet these standards.

With no incentive to build, this bill may result the opposite, with vacant properties detrimental to the vitality of the city and delay affordable housing.

So vote no.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Rachel Collar, followed by Sam Henn or Hearn.

Excuse me.

Hello, I'm Rachel Kohler, Managing Director of Shift Zero.

We are an alliance of over 50 green building, energy efficiency, affordable housing, and climate action businesses and organizations.

Together, we work to advance Eurocarbon buildings for all in Washington State.

I testified earlier in committee, but I'm returning today to reiterate our members' strong support for Seattle's building emissions performance standards and to thank you for your leadership in moving strategic, ambitious policy to ensure buildings are part of a climate solution.

We urge you to pass that today and look forward to continued partnership with the city to ensure equitable implementation in the coming years.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Sam Hem, and Sam will be followed by Jonathan Heller.

Hello, my name is Sam Hem, regional representative with Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Workers, commonly known as Smart Local 66. And I'm here to speak in favor of the passage of the building emissions performance standard policy.

I'd like to thank the Office of Sustainability and Environment for their work on this and the Council for supporting this important policy.

Studies have shown that commercial and residential buildings account for 37% of Seattle's climate pollution.

Our members perform installation, service, maintenance, and repair of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems all over Western Washington.

Our members are trained and ready to perform this important work, and we're ready to take on this monumental task.

And let's get the work done to address climate change.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our last remote speaker for this group will be Brittany Brost, and then we'll move back to in-person.

Go ahead, Brittany.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Brittany Gross.

I'm here to talk about the sidewalk bill that is in front of you today.

As somebody who is a, calls herself a permanent pedestrian and utilizes public transportation and the sidewalk system in Seattle in order to get around, function in my daily life, I urge you to make this a priority for not only the City Council, but to encourage more people in the city to find new and alternative ways to get around besides driving.

Everyone uses the sidewalk.

Even if you drive and you park your car, you're going to walk on the sidewalk to and from your destination.

It is important because Seattle is missing so many sidewalks, and it's also missing sections that are in disrepair that cannot be used safely by a lot of people, whether it's because of mobility issues, disabilities, seen or unseen, or just because they feel unsafe using that section of sidewalk.

I thank you for your time today.

Thank you.

Our in-person speakers we're moving on to.

The first one will be Dylan Young, followed by Christina Ellis.

Dylan, are you still here?

Yes.

Before we move forward, I'd like to probably stop public comment at three.

So let's finish up with as far as we can go with in-person the first 10.

Okay.

That sounds great.

Dylan Young.

I live in Danny Triangle and I'm here in support of the sidewalk ordinance.

Sidewalks are fundamentally for everybody.

And if you want to have a green city, sidewalks and walking around as part of transportation, again, is beyond fundamental.

I use a wheelchair and a bad sidewalk can be very detrimental and unsafe for me.

And my mind was really opened up to this issue when I would accompany my mother who has Parkinson's disease with her walker.

outside on the sidewalks.

And even something that's a minor challenge for me would be even a greater challenge for her.

So I couldn't help her.

She's by herself.

So great sidewalks are great for everybody.

And I support great sidewalks.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next in-person speaker is Christina Ellis, followed by Kurt Wimmer.

That's some fucked up shit.

Hello, I'm Christina Ellis.

I'm a District 4 Seattle voter and part of the IBEW Electrical Workers 46, and I support the BEPS legislation for good union jobs, for the climate, for our future.

I also support the sidewalk legislation, and I support the taxi drivers.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Kurt Winner, possibly, followed by David Haynes.

Hello, council members.

I'm Kurt Winner here on behalf of Commute Seattle to support the council bill 120658 relating to sidewalks.

Our 2022 Seattle Commute Survey data shows the importance of sidewalks to encourage people to get out of their cars and walk or roll to destinations safely and comfortably.

Walk rates for social, medical, and commute trips in areas with dense excellent condition sidewalks significantly outpace those in less sidewalk dense neighborhoods.

I regularly think about a walking tour around Rainier Beach Community Center I took with Seattle City Club, where advocates from Disability Rights Washington demonstrated the danger and risks in navigating unmaintained and incomplete sidewalk connections.

Passing this bill and investing in sidewalk maintenance and installation should be a priority in the next transportation levy as a step closer to a safe and equitable mobility for all of our neighbors.

I want to thank Council Member Morales and her staff for leading on this proposal.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is David Haynes, and following David Haynes is Kibru Surna.

Go ahead, David.

Hi, thank you.

There's an ongoing homeless crisis and public safety crisis that's been exacerbated by policies that prioritize repeat offenders and criminals who ruin the pursuits of their fellow man, who've never been questioned to find out where they got the drugs to go shut it down.

Now, this morning, I'm wondering, on that committee meeting, how much capacity and resource has been taken by repeat offenders through lead, co-lead, public defender, anything that's associated with Lisa Dugard's attempts to keep criminals out of jail.

I agree that you've got to break the habit of junkies, but until you have National Guard stand-up encampments that are low-level, you're not gonna solve the problem with some dude who, after he gets busted, is allowed to stay out of jail and then roam around for 30 days until he has a two-hour intake.

The thing is, with the capacity build-out, you can have the Army Corps of Engineers and your law from the city and the county, eminent domain of need to take over the motels on Aurora Avenue and turn those into homeless housing with the Army Corps.

Thank you, Mr. Haynes.

Our next speaker is Kibru Serna, who will be followed by Margaret McCauley.

Hi, everyone.

My name is Kabrus Irna.

I've been driving taxi about 24 years, and the last 14 years is wheelchair van.

And my point is regarding to meter rate.

As you know, the last 15 years, our meter rate remains the same, never change.

Seattle City is the most expensive city, everything going up every day.

Please take action as soon as possible, already too late.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Margaret McCauley, and Margaret will be followed by Ruth Sawyer, and those will be our last two speakers, which is about even 25 remote, 25 in-person, Council President.

Thank you.

Let's do that.

Hello, I am a member of the City of Seattle's School Traffic Safety Committee, one of the city's boards and commissions, and I'm here in support of the sidewalk ordinance or law or whatever it is.

We currently have students going to school as early as like 7.30 in the morning, and particularly in the north and the south, but not exclusively there.

We are having kindergartners, five-year-olds, walk to school in this time of the year in the dark, on streets, with no sidewalks, which, you know, is a problem.

So I would like to support this for all of our neighborhoods, and also...

As people have said, it's a cross-cutting issue with the climate and labor issues.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is labor union representative to the MLK Labor Council.

And the people who get killed without sidewalks in the industrial areas are the workers there.

So we need them everywhere.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Our last speaker today is Ruth Sawyer.

Hello, this is Ruth Sawyer.

I'm speaking on behalf of the Sierra Club in support of the BEPS legislation.

Thank you so much everyone for your work on this.

And I'm here with Brian DeHart, one of our members.

Yeah, we'd just like to state our appreciation to the council for this opportunity to speak, as well as all of the work that you've done pushing this legislation forward.

Passing this bill will mean cleaner air, it'll mean healthier communities, and it'll also mean a chance at curbing climate change, which is something you know, like myself, I'm looking to have a young family soon.

And, you know, this optimism that we might be able to help out the community for our our youth is really, it's makes me feel really good right now.

So I appreciate that.

Thank you.

And that concludes the public comment for today.

I was on mute.

All right.

Well, thank you, those who called in.

Those who are in chambers, public comment is now closed.

Let's move on in our agenda to the adoption of the introduction and referral calendar.

I move to adopt the introduction and referral calendar.

Is there a second?

Madam President?

Thank you.

I do have an amendment for the introduction referral calendar.

Do I have to move it first before proposing?

Okay.

Yes.

So my apologies madam clerk second Okay, you we have two matters actually councilmember Lewis and I think how's my herbal does first so um, yeah, so we gotta come We got a second

Thank you so much.

I move to amend the IRC by introducing resolution 32122 entitled a resolution calling upon the national highway traffic safety administration to issue a recall of Kia and Hyundai models lacking immobilizer technology that are vulnerable to threat and referring it to the city council for adoption at today's meeting.

Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to amend the Introduction and Referral Calendar to introduce Resolution 32122 for the referral to the City Council for adoption today.

Thank you, Councilmember Herbold.

Are there any comments before we go to a vote?

Not seeing any.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll on the adoption of the amendment?

Councilmember Strauss?

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold?

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis?

Yes.

Councilmember Morales?

Yes.

Councilmember Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Aye.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries.

The amendment is adopted and the resolution will be added to today's City Council.

Excuse me, that's nine.

I'm sorry.

That's nine in favor, none opposed.

I didn't count correctly.

Apologize, Chair.

Just eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Everybody calm down.

Yes, it's eight because Councilor Swann isn't here.

Thank you.

Everybody's quick on the draw here.

Okay.

So now we got that.

The motion carries.

The amendment is adopted.

The resolution will be added to today's City's Council agenda for consideration.

It'll show up under item 39 under adoption of other resolutions, section J of today's agenda.

Are there any other?

Is there any other comments, Councilmember Lewis?

Yes, Council President, thank you.

I move to amend the IRC by introducing Appointment 2749, entitled Appointment of Simha Reddy as Member King County Regional Homelessness Authority Implementation Board for a term to July 15th of 2026, and by referring it to the City Council for adoption at today's meeting.

Second.

Thank you, Council Member Lewis.

Is there a second?

Second.

Is there a second?

Second.

Oh, I heard you.

Is that you, Council Member Hurdle?

It sure is.

Okay, good.

I got you.

Let me turn up.

Maybe turn my volume.

Maybe it's me.

Okay, it's been moved and seconded to amend the introduction referral calendar again to introduce the appointment of Dr. Reddy for referral to the City Council for adoption today.

Is there any other comments?

Not seeing any, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of the amendment?

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

motion carries the amendment is adopted and the appointment will be added to today's city council agenda for consideration we will consider this item after agenda item number 25 are there any other further comments before we go to a vote or any deductions Okay, not hearing any objection, the introduction and referral calendar is adopted.

Wait, do I have to go to a vote here?

No, I already did that.

Okay, so the hearing no objection, the introduction and referral calendar is adopted as amended.

That is the last two items that were introduced by Council Member Herbert and Council Member Lewis.

Okay, adoption of the agenda.

There's no objection, the agenda will be adopted.

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

Let's go to the consent calendar, the proposed consent calendar.

There are 34 matters on this calendar.

So let me just get through this.

I won't read them all, but let me get through this.

We have the minutes from December 5th, 2023. We have Council Bill Payroll Bill, Council Bill 120732. From the Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities Committee, we have Council Bills 120721, 120723, 120713. Council Bill 120715, 722, and 724. On appointments, we have 28 appointments from the Neighborhoods, Education, Civil Rights, and Culture Committee.

And from the Public Assets and Homeless Committee, we have five appointments to the Seattle Center Advisory Commission.

And from the Transportation and Seattle Public Utilities Committee, we have two appointments to the Levy to Move Seattle Oversight Committee.

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

Okay, not hearing or seeing none, I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Is there a second?

Second.

Second.

Thank you.

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 Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The consent calendar is adopted.

Will the clerk please fix my signature to the minutes and the legislation and the appointments on the consent calendar on my behalf.

Moving on in our agenda to committee reports.

We have 37 reports and we have two resolutions at the end.

So we have 39 items to get through.

So let's start with item number one.

Madam Clerk, will you please read item number one into the record.

The report of the Neighborhoods Education, Civil Rights and Culture Committee agenda item one, appointment 2693, appointment of Gulgan Kayyem as Director of the Office of Arts and Culture.

The committee recommends the appointment be confirmed.

Thank you.

Council Member Morales.

Thank you, Council President.

Colleagues, I'm thrilled to present Gulgun Kaim as the mayor's appointment to the position of director of the Office of Arts and Culture.

I was part of the mayor's selection committee that interviewed candidates from across the country to find the right person who could support our arts community expand our creative sector and really find new ways to acknowledge the critical role that creatives play in the fabric of our community and our economy.

Ms. Kayim was unanimously approved.

Her appointment was unanimously approved in committee and we recommend her support.

I thought she was going to be here, but it looks like she was not able to make it.

So I recommend approval.

Thank you.

Are there any comments?

Councilor Morales, I'm guessing you have no closing comments?

I do not.

Thank you very much.

All right.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the confirmation of the appointment?

Councilmember Strauss?

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold?

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis?

Yes.

Councilmember Morales?

Yes.

Councilmember Mosqueda?

Aye.

Councilmember Nelson?

Aye.

Councilmember Peterson?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The appointment is confirmed, and congratulations to Director Kayyem.

It's unfortunate that they are not here today, but if they were here, they would be recognized to make comments.

But Council Member Morales shared that with us.

So we have a new director of the Office of Arts and Culture.

Thank you, Council Member Morales.

Let's move on to item number two.

Agenda item two, appointment 2734, appointment of Jennifer Chow as director of the Department of Neighborhoods for term to December 31st, 2025. The committee recommends the appointment be confirmed.

Thank you.

Council Member Morales.

Thank you, I am very excited to present Jennifer Chow as Director for the Department of Neighborhoods.

In the year I've been working with Jennifer, she's proven to have a keen understanding of the important role that community engagement plays in supporting the city's efforts to achieve our racial equity goals.

I see her at community events all over the city and county.

I hear her deep commitment to ensuring that our neighbors have an understanding of the role of local government and to finding ways for them to be part of our processes.

Jennifer's worked for the city since 2009 in different capacities and is back at the Department of Neighborhoods.

The committee unanimously recommended approval of her confirmation, confirmation of her appointment.

And I look forward to following up with that today.

Jennifer is here.

Are there any comments from the floor?

I do not see any.

So let's go to a vote and then we'll hear from, well, let's go to the vote first.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the confirmation of the appointment?

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The appointment is confirmed.

Congratulations, Director Chau.

You are now recognized to provide brief comments to the Council and members of the public.

The floor is yours.

Thank you so much, Councilmembers, and thank you so much, Councilmember Morales, for your kind words and Council President Juarez.

I want to thank you for confirming me to serve as the Director of DON.

My life's work in making things better for community through the nonprofit sector as a small business owner and 15 years at the city has led me to this position, and I am humbled and honored to be appointed by the mayor.

I want to express my gratitude to Mayor Harrell and Deputy Mayor Wong for their faith in me as we work together to build One Seattle.

I also want to thank my amazing leadership team and all the staff at the Department of Neighborhoods for their deep commitment to make things better for community.

I'm also grateful for the collaboration with council as we work towards one Seattle where everyone is included and can thrive.

And I would not be here without the support of my family and trust from community.

Since I started this journey as interim director in March, I have attended 65 community gatherings across all neighborhoods in each of the seven council districts.

Being in community is the highlight of my job, and it's what brings me joy in this role.

During my community visits, I've listened to each community as they share their cultural nuances and unique needs that will allow their communities to thrive.

I know there's still much work to do to connect communities to each other and government, and I look forward to working with my colleagues at the Department of Neighborhoods and across city departments to grow our civic engagement program to bring community together in celebration of their diversity and shared humanity.

I take my role seriously, and this work is close to my heart.

As a woman of color of Nguyen ethnicity from Southeast Asia who calls Seattle home, I understand how critical it is to cultivate visibility, belonging, and access.

I won't be perfect, but I am committed to progress and learning so we can do better for community.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Director Chao.

It's good to hear you.

Good to see you and hear from you again.

Congratulations.

All right.

Let's move on to it looks like items.

3, 4, wait, 4, 5 and 6 are mine.

No, 3. I'm sorry.

Got ahead of myself.

Can we read item?

Number 3 to the record?

That's council member Morales agenda.

Yes.

No problem.

Agenda item 3, council 1, 2, 07, 29, relating to historic preservation, opposing controls upon the elephant car wash sign a landmark designated by the landmarks preservation board.

The committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

Well, there's not much more to say.

The elephant car wash sign, which I know we all know and love, was designed by Beatrice Haverfield for a car wash business.

It was fabricated in 1956, installed at its original location at 6th and Battery in the Denny Triangle neighborhood, and has since been relocated to 7th and Blanchard.

Controls and incentives agreement has been signed by the owner and approved by the Landmark Preservation Board, and the committee unanimously recommended passage.

Thank you.

Are there any comments from my colleagues regarding the pink elephant sign, which is older than me?

Not seeing or hearing any.

I'm guessing you're okay, Council Member Morales, to go to a vote?

Yes.

All right.

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

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mesquita.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Marguerite McLaughlin, Great bill passes the chair will sign it will occur, please fix my signature to this to this legislation on my behalf, thank you.

Marguerite McLaughlin, All right, moving on on our agenda, this is what I meant to say items four or five and six are mine man, can you please read item for to the record.

I reported the City Council agenda item for Council 120730 relating to city employment authorizing execution of the collective bargaining agreement between the City of Seattle and the International Association of Firefighters Local 27 AFL-CIO CLC.

Thank you.

I move to pass Council Bill 120730. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to pass the bill.

As sponsor of the bill, I will address it and then I will open the floor.

This bill would authorize a collective bargaining agreement, a CBA, between the City of Seattle and the International Association of Firefighters, Local 27, AFL, CIO, CLC, Local 27. The CBA would cover wages, benefits, hours, and other working conditions for the five-year term from December 22nd, 2021 through December 31st, 2026 for approximately 974 active employees and 292 former employees in the Seattle Fire Department.

With that, are there any comments?

I'm not seeing any.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

No?

We're good?

Oh, Council Member Herbal.

Sorry, I was raising my actual hand instead of my virtual hand.

I just want to uplift how important this contract is.

Seattle's firefighters and fire employees are there for all of us on our worst days.

Every day, they're asked to do so much to routinely put themselves in harm's way.

And I'm so proud as one of my final acts in office to support this contract.

We worked hard on it both in the Labor Relations Policy Committee as well as the Council's Select Labor Committee chaired by Council President Juarez.

The cost of implementing the retroactive wage adjustments in 2022 through 2023 is estimated to be $22.3 million.

In 2024, the additional budget to fully fund all positions is an additional $21.4 million.

This is money well spent to support our firefighters and fire employees, again, who put themselves in harm's way every day.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Herbolt.

I see your other hand, too.

You got two tiles up here.

Can I see them now?

Great.

Is there any other comments before we go to vote?

All right.

I do not see any.

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

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight 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.

Moving on to item number five.

Can you please read item number five into the record?

Agenda item five, Council Bill 120731, relating to city employment, authorizing the execution of a memorandum of agreement between the City of Seattle and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 77.

Thank you.

I move to pass Council Bill 120731. Is there a second?

second thank you it's been moved and seconded to pass the bill as sponsor of this bill i will address it and then i will open the floor to my colleagues this bill would authorize a memorandum of agreement an moa between the city of seattle and the international brotherhood of electrical workers local 77. the moa would authorize wage adjustments for the power dispatcher series at seattle city light The wage adjustments are intended to better align salaries with market conditions and improve employee recruitment and retention.

These wage adjustments will impact approximately 24 employees at Seattle City Light and will be retroactive to January 23, 2021. Are there any comments from my colleagues before we go forward?

I'm looking for a virtual hand or a real hand.

Not seen any.

All right.

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

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Eight 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.

Let's move on to item number six.

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

Agenda item six, resolution 32120, setting forth the City of Seattle's 2024 state legislative agenda.

Thank you.

I move to adopt resolution 32120. Is there a second?

Second.

We moved in second to adopt the resolution as a sponsor, I will address it and then again I will open the floor to for comments from my colleagues.

As you know, from yesterday, this resolution provides our state legislative team with guidelines on representing the city of Seattle and the 2024 state legislative session.

Yesterday, the Council received a presentation on Resolution 32120 by the Office of Intergovernmental Relations, OIR.

Director Gail Tarlington and her team outlined the key components of the City of Seattle's 2024 state legislative agenda and answered questions from Council members.

A vote in support today will help the OIR legislative team move forward with their work in Olympia.

I recommend and I ask for your support.

Are there any other comments before we go to a vote?

I'd like to open the floor.

I'm not seeing or hearing any.

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

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Abstain.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed, one abstention.

Thank you.

The motion carries.

The resolution is adopted and the chair will sign it.

Madam Clerk, please affix my signature to the legislation.

Okay, so regarding items, the next on the agenda, we're going to go read items 7 through 23. Madam Clerk, do we just, you just go ahead and read those in there?

Is it like a short title?

Yeah, I will try to group them as much as possible, yes.

Okay, so let's go for, and then we'll hand the floor over to Council Member Strauss.

HAB-Masyn Moyer- And item seven through 23 appointments 727 43 and 2701 appointment of program on and Lisa baser design review board for terms ending April 3 2024. Appointments 2604 and 2605, 2696 through 2698, 2700, 2703, and 2744 through 2748. The appointments and reappointments of Rob McCulloch, Ryan D'Ariamo, Kaylee Schickler, Todd Lee, Kinsley Agumola, Jonas Coe, Solomon Wagner, Chris Bendix, Jacob Cosman, Adriana Lynn DiGiulie, Nori Santo, Gina Gage, Tiffany Rattray, and Xin Zhang as members, design review board for terms ending April 3rd, 2025. And last but not least, appointment 2740, appointment of Radia Solmani as a member, design review board for term to August 31st, 2024.

Well done.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

I move to confirm the appointments listed as agenda items 7 through 23. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to confirm appointments.

Council Member Strauss, as sponsor, you are recognized.

Thank you, Council President.

These are appointments to the design review boards in the City of Seattle, and I spoke to each of these candidates yesterday during our council briefing, saving time because of our long agenda today.

I'd refer the public back to those comments, and I just want to thank each of these individuals for the volunteer service that they provide the City of Seattle.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

Will the clerk please, wait, is there anything else from anyone else?

Nope, not seeing any.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the confirmation of appointments listed as agenda items seven through 23.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Moschetta.

Yes.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Aye.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries and the appointments are all confirmed.

Thank you, Council Member Strauss.

Let's move on to item 24. You please read item 24 into the records.

Agenda item 24, appointment 2741, reappointment of Mark Schmidt as member of Landmarks Preservation Board for term to August 31st, 2024.

Thank you.

I move to confirm appointment 2741. Is there a second?

Second.

It's been moved and seconded to confirm appointment 2741. Councilor Morales, the floor is yours.

Thank you.

Colleagues, this appointment was not included with appointments that were transmitted and confirmed in September.

So we are just making sure that Mark gets his reappointment.

This is a Get Engaged member looking for a second term.

After graduating with a bachelor's in computer science and a minor in political science, he moved to Seattle.

and is realizing the impact of recent growth on having our historic neighborhoods and local communities affected, and is excited to help preserve what makes Seattle special to our neighbors.

Thank you.

Are there any comments from our colleagues before we go to a vote?

Not seeing any.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the confirmation of the appointment?

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herpel.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries and the appointment is confirmed.

Let's move on to item.

Let's get a little tricky here.

This is item 24. Five?

Correct.

Okay, so we got Councillor Lewis up.

All right, can we please read item 25 into the record?

Adjunct item 25, appointment 2742, appointment of Mayoral Candymova as a member of Sales Centre Advisory Commission for term to August 31st, 2024. Thank you.

I move to confirm appointment 2742. Is there a second?

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to confirm the appointment.

Councillor Lewis, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Council President.

Merrill is a first-generation immigrant from Turkmenistan who came to the United States in August of last year.

After arrival, she started her studies at Seattle Central College at Capitol Hill as a political science major, and her passion for the U.S. government and sincerity in her service to her community is clear.

She believes that if she wants to become a successful leader in our community, who our community trusts, she needs to make serving them a priority, and has two years of experience working with the Foreign Diplomatic Corps of Turkmenistan and advocating for her community at the United Nations House of Ashgabat.

Meryl's top priorities are advocating for minorities and making sure that their voices are heard, and she will be a great addition to the Seattle Center Advisory Commission.

Thank you.

Are there any other comments from my colleagues regarding this appointment?

Seeing any, will the clerk please call the roll on the confirmation of the appointment?

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Yes.

President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries and the appointment is confirmed.

We have another item that we had to squeeze in here.

So this is item 26, that's called new 26. Madam Clerk, will you please read new agenda item 26 into the record.

From the amended agenda, new item 26, appointment 2749. Appointment is SEMA ready as member King County Regional Homelessness Authority Implementation Board for term to July 15th, 2026. Thank you.

Council Member Lewis.

Thank you, Council President.

Dr. Reddy has served with distinction on the implementation board, as I alluded to in my remarks at briefing yesterday for these initial couple of years of the existence of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority.

Dr. Reddy, through their practice, works on a daily basis with patients who are experiencing homelessness and a lot of the unique public health needs that impact our neighbors experiencing homelessness.

Dr. Reddy has served in leadership positions with the implementation board, bringing not just his diligent background and experience, but also capacity for leadership.

And I'm glad we have an opportunity as a council before the end of the year to reaffirm our nominee and send Dr. Reddy back to continue his good work and his contributions to our commitment to a regional solution to homelessness.

Thank you, Councillor Lewis.

It seems that I skipped over an important part.

I apologize.

I caught it after you start speaking, but I move to confirm appointment 2749 There was a second, correct?

Second.

Okay, good.

Now, it's been moved and seconded, and Councilmember Lewis has addressed the appointee.

Is there any other comments from our colleagues?

All right.

Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll on the confirmation of the appointment of Dr. Reddy?

Councilmember Strauss?

Yes.

Councilmember Herbold?

Yes.

Councilmember Lewis?

Yes.

Councilmember Morales?

Yes.

Councilmember Moschetta?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

8 in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries and the appointment is confirmed.

Let's move on to item 26. Madam Clerk, will you please read the short title of item 26 into the record.

From the published agenda, agenda item 26, the report of the Finance and Housing Committee, Council Bill 120652 relating to taxicabs and for hire vehicles, repealing and deleting provisions intended to no longer be in effect and separating the taxicab and transportation network companies industries, confirming to changes in state law, the committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

Councilor Mosqueda, as chair of the committee, you are recognized.

Thank you very much, Madam President.

I wanted to ask the council's permission.

May I please speak to items 23 to 25 altogether?

Those are all yours, right?

Yes, ma'am.

26.

Oh, I see it now.

I'm sorry.

I see it.

Yeah, sure.

If that will make it easier.

I know you got an amendments on all three of them.

So I do.

Thank you for you.

We can do it that way.

Great.

Thank you, Madam President.

I'd love to speak to the underlying legislation that we have in front of us.

The three pieces of legislation resent one complete package.

Speaking to them together here will help, I think, save some time and also provide a comprehensive picture of the type of changes that we're talking about.

And as the Council President noted, we do have one amendment to each of the three bills.

So I will tee that up at the end, if that's okay, Council President.

excellent these three pieces of legislation colleagues make up the first in the nation package that would modernize and update the city's for hire and taxi regulations to ensure that workers consumers and the public are protected as the industry evolves the suite of legislation is the result of years of engagement and advocacy by drivers dispatch companies engagement and coordination by the city's department of finance and administrative services and in partnership with the king county department and colleagues across the street.

This legislation was voted out of the Finance and Housing Committee following a robust discussion and deliberation in our Finance and Housing Committee meetings throughout September and in early August.

We held time to allow for members of the public to provide feedback and provided input to the legislation that the Mayor's Office had been leading on in partnership with community members.

We also then, once we voted it out on September 20th, held it from going to the full council so that we could ensure that all of the changes that were adopted by King County Council were fully reflected in our city legislation as well.

King County Council voted on their legislation on November 28th, which gave central staff the opportunity to compare and align our city ordinance to ensure that the final passage here today was actually in harmony and that we reflected any changes made by King County Council as they adopted their four higher legislation.

I want to thank Karina Bolt for all of the work that she did in partnership with Lauren Henry on council central staff, the city attorney's office, financial administrative services, and the King County Council staff and executive teams who've been working to enhance this legislation and make the needed non-substantive changes to Seattle's legislation to put us in harmony with the King County Council's legislation that passed prior to the final vote today.

Again, Koreanable and central staff and that team were working hand in glove to ensure that the city and the county's legislative packages were nearly identical.

The three substitute bills that we will be discussing here today with the amendments, all of them labeled Amendment A, helped to synchronize the city's policy that we had passed out of the Finance and Housing Committee in September, and so that our final package of for-hire legislation is fully in alignment with the county's legislation, making them true companion bills.

The legislation in front of us anticipates the impacts of technology on taxi dispatch services and provides guardrails to protect consumers and drivers through those transitions, including regulating and capping excessive fees.

Changes in technology should not result in reduced earnings for drivers or compromise safety for the public.

And the policy that we are about to pass today, the three pieces of legislation provide the needed safeguards for drivers and the community moving forward.

I hope this is a great example of our continued collaboration between the county and the city.

And again, I want to thank the robust list of stakeholders who are involved in the crafting of this process.

This, Madam President, will serve as my thank yous for all three pieces of legislation.

I want to thank members of the team from Finance and Administrative Services, Matt Engberg and Beth Geppert, Sarah O'Connor Chris, in the city attorney's office, Brianna Thomas, in the mayor's office, and Mayor Bruce Harreld himself, our county partners for all of the collaboration they have done, both on the legislative and the executive branch.

And as I mentioned, Lauren Henry, our legislative legal counsel, along with Karina Bull, Teamsters 117, led by Samantha Grad in our many conversations, along with many members of the dispatch community who were involved in this conversation earlier this year as well.

And again, thank you, Karina Bull, for the final tweaks that you are suggesting here to harmonize the city's county and legislative action here today.

Madam President, I would like to move Amendment A. I move to amend Council Bill 120652 as presented on Amendment A to the agenda.

Thank you.

Is there a second?

Second.

Second.

Thank you.

It's been moved and seconded to amend the bill as presented on Amendment A. Council Member Mosqueda, you did speak to it, or do you want to speak to that?

And then I see Council Member, no, you're good?

Okay.

So I see Council Member Nelson, you have your hand up.

Is it to speak to the underlying all three pieces or to the amendment?

It's to speak to Council Bill 120653. So just tell me when the best time would be to talk about that one.

Uh, that's the next one.

Yeah, it's item 27.

Yeah, but we're doing the amendment now to item 26.

Okay, so, um, because they were spoken of in the beginning as a package, I didn't know.

I'm just signaling that I'd like to talk to them about that one.

Okay, well, let's get through this amendment.

When we get to 27, we'll open the floor, um, on the, um, on the amendment there, too.

Is that fair?

Okay.

So Councilmember Mosqueda moved and we seconded Amendment A. And you're good, Councilmember Mosqueda, on A?

All right.

And are there any comments regarding Amendment A as provided by Councilmember Mosqueda?

I'm not seeing any.

So with that, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of Amendment A?

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries and Amendment A is adopted.

So let's move on.

I'm guessing you have no closing remarks.

Nope.

Okay.

So the next part is, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of the bill as amended.

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Moschetta.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

The bill passes as amended.

The chair will sign it.

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

Will you please read item 27 into the record?

Agenda Item 27, Council Bill 120653, relating to taxicabs and for hire vehicles, separating and amending taxicab and for hire vehicle industry regulations and adding new Chapter 6.31 to the Seattle Municipal Code.

The committee recommends that the bill pass.

Thank you.

Council Member Mosqueda, you spoke in general to all three because they're a package.

So are you going to move on your amendment here?

Yes, Madam President, thank you.

And I would be remiss if I didn't say thanks to Aaron House, who's been working with multiple stakeholders and central staff on my team, chief of staff.

Thank you very much, Aaron.

Colleagues, I move to amend item number 27, Council Bill 120653, as presented on Amendment A on the agenda and circulated by central staff.

Is there a second?

Second.

I will second it, second it.

It's been moved and seconded to amend the bill as presented on Amendment A. And Councilor Mosqueda, will you want to speak to this amendment?

And then I'll open the floor.

The same comments apply to all three of the amendments that we are putting forward today.

We are offering technical changes in these substitute amendments.

These are changes necessary to harmonize the bill with the four higher legislation passed by the King County Council.

And Karina Bowles sent a detailed summary last week that summarizes all three of the changes here.

But basically, all of these are intended to be in harmony and in correspondence with King County's legislation that's already passed in late November.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

Councilor Nelson, is this where you wanted to speak?

Yes, thank you.

So my understanding is that this started out as a two piece legislative package to update taxi provisions and also approve an ILA with King County.

And at least that's how it was described by the mayor's office.

And this particular bill came as a surprise to me over the summer.

And it adds a whole new chapter of new regulations to the municipal code and constitutes a huge new body of work going forward.

I don't know how robust the stakeholder process was with drivers and dispatchers, and we've heard some concern from them in public comment.

But I abstained in committee, and upon learning more, I'm going to vote no primarily because of issues around fares and insurance.

So fares have been regulated in Seattle since 1991 to ensure consistency across the industry to protect customers and ensure that taxi operators can earn a living driving a taxi cab.

but they have now been the same since 2014, while the consumer price index has increased nearly 30% since 2014, the cost of rental housing in Seattle has nearly doubled, and the cost of vehicles and maintenance have increased more than the CPI.

I considered, but ultimately did not offer, given the dual city-county nature of this legislation, an amendment that would have convened a study to seek input from stakeholders on whether to increase base fares and what would be the right number.

And I believe that FAS was asked to convene this study a long time ago.

I understand that FAS decided not to adjust the taxi meter rates in this legislation due to the impending requirement for dispatch agencies to adopt the smart taxi meter system by March 2026. and a general preference to move away from regulating fares.

But taxi operators are the ones who will have to pay for smart meters and dispatch companies, most of whom have been on the edge of failure since COVID and a number have already failed.

will have to buy expensive new systems to manage them.

Corporations like Uber have already dropped surge pricing in some areas due to customer complaints that it's really just price gouging.

So it doesn't make sense to add this extra burden to rely on a technology that's already going out of favor with national and international companies.

These higher fees make transportation too expensive for lower-income people, and I think this will actually reduce the number of ride services and rides and take away jobs, many of them held by new immigrants to the city.

And it gets worse when we consider wheelchair accessible taxis, and many of the folks that spoke earlier might find this relevant.

We have far too few watts to make existing demand.

And if there is a high demand at any given time, the smart meter would presumably raise the fare.

That raises serious implications under the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which does not allow a higher fare for people with disabilities.

And a majority of what trips are contract trips paid at the mileage rate established by the city, smart meters cannot be used.

And speaking of watts, insurance for all taxi operators in King County is difficult to get, but for wheelchair accessible taxi and for hire vehicles, the situation is critical, it's even worse.

Watt operators pay more than twice what a standard taxi pays.

The city's insurance rating requirements have caused all but one insurer, Pacific Marine, from being in the market.

And I'm hearing that coverage through that insurer can be hard to maintain.

Insurance has been problematic here for almost a decade.

What operators in Wenatchee can buy insurance for one-third what operators here can pay?

So, of course, I also considered but did not offer, given the dual-city-county nature of this legislation, an amendment that would have convened a study for insurance for wheelchair-accessible taxis with the aim of identifying steps to increase availability of such insurance.

And, you know, I welcome that at any time.

Again, we have to make sure that our transportation system serves everyone, not just those with greater means, and that we have the capacity to meet demand, including demand by Seattle residents who depend on these services to get around.

So again, I have deep concerns, and I hope that this is something that FAS is going to pay close attention to going forward, because I fear we really could be doing more harm than good here.

Thank you.

Councilmember Nelson.

With that, will the clerk please call the roll on the adoption of Amendment A. Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Moschetta.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Abstain.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed, one abstention.

My apologies, Council President Juarez.

Abstentions are allowed for amendments to legislation, specifically bills.

That is exactly, you always beat me to it, Amelia.

I was just going to say, is Council Member Nelson allowed to abstain on an amendment to a bill?

Council rules only provide that abstentions are allowed on amendments to resolutions.

I change my vote to a yes on the amendment.

Thank you.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Okay.

So the motion carries.

Amendment A is adopted.

So now we go to the base legislation.

Council Member Mosqueda, do you have any closing remarks before we go to the base legislation as amended?

I do not.

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you.

With that, Madam Clerk, I'm going to go and ask that you call the roll on the passage of the bill as amended.

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

No.

Council Member Peterson?

Yes.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.

Seven in favor, one opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes as amended and I will sign it.

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

Let's move on to item number 28, which is also Council Bill 1207656. Council Member Mosqueda spoke to that, but let's read that into the record.

Agenda item 28, Council Bill 120656 relating to the Department of Finance and Administrative Services authorizing the Director of Finance and Administrative Services or designee to execute an interlocal agreement with King County to regulate for hire transportation.

The committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

Councillor Mosqueda.

Thank you so much.

I spoke to this legislation already.

This is number three of three.

Thank you very much, colleagues.

And to amend this legislation as well, I move to amend Council Bill 120656 as presented on Amendment A. Second.

It's been moved and seconded to amend the bill as presented on Amendment A. And Councillor Mosqueda, will you please address the amendment?

I'm sorry, Council Member, Council President, I may have jumped the gun on that as well.

The amendment contains the technical changes necessary to harmonize the bill with the four higher legislation recently passed by King County Council.

That's your introduction to the Amendment A?

Okay.

Is there any other comments before we go to call the roll on the adoption of Amendment A?

All right, Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll on the adoption of Amendment A?

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The motion carries.

Amendment A is adopted.

So now are there any comments on the bill as amended?

So I'm going to let, Council Member Muscata, I'm going to let your colleagues see if they want to speak first and then let you close this out.

Are there any other comments on the amended?

Okay, I'm not seeing any.

Council Member Muscata, do you want any lasting comments before we go to the roll?

No, I already got my thank yous in.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

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

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

The bill passes as amended.

The chair will sign it.

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

And let's move on to item 29. Yay.

The report of the 2023 Select Committee on Climate Action, Agenda Item 29, Council Bill 1207-18, relating to regulating greenhouse gas emissions in larger existing non-residential and multifamily buildings, establishing and opposing greenhouse gas emissions intensity targets, and reporting requirements prescribing penalties, and adding a new settlement to code chapters.

The committee recommends the bill pass.

Thank you.

Council Member Herbal.

Thank you so much.

I did give extensive comments at the committee vote.

So in the interest of time, I will abridge my opening comments today.

I want to thank Council Members Mosqueda and Strauss for co-sponsoring the legislation.

And I want to thank Madam President Juarez for calling a special committee on climate.

Had you not done so, Madam President, we would not be where we are today.

So thank you for doing so.

Addressing greenhouse gas emissions is one of the greatest challenges of our time.

Future generations will look back to this moment and judge us by what we did today to address our climate crisis.

We experienced the impacts here in Seattle, extreme heat, drought, and forest fire haze during the summer and even autumn.

It has become normal.

It's time for us to take big swings and make sure that we're doing everything we can for ourselves and for future generations of Seattleites.

I'm really proud to have had the opportunity to answer the call from Mayor Harrell, the Office of Sustainability, and advocates to sponsor and shepherd this legislation through the council in our very last weeks of 2023. The legislation itself will require owners of existing buildings larger than 20,000 square feet to take steps to incrementally reduce those buildings' greenhouse gas emissions.

The standards are performance-based, which means that owners can choose what investments to make as long as they are meeting the reduction targets.

The bill will work in tandem with new state regulations for the Washington State Clean Building Performance Standard.

And this is the most ambitious plan to reduce building emissions in Seattle history.

While the city has required some bigger buildings to track and decrease their energy, this is the first time city law will actually target existing buildings greenhouse gas emissions specifically.

It is estimated that the policy will reduce emissions from buildings overall by 27% and reduce Seattle's total core emissions by 10%.

The knowledge of the BEPS regulations can now also help building owners make smarter decisions about the investments they must soon also make to comply with state law.

so that they can make sure that their buildings are both reducing energy use, as required by the state law, and using energy sources that produce less greenhouse gases, as required by the BEPS regulation.

The City of Seattle is also offering assistance to building owners who have fewer resources, including nonprofits, and the ultimate goal is to get these buildings to net zero emissions by 2050. We heard from City Light in committee about their preparations for growing electricity use as we move toward greater use of this climate-friendly energy source.

And remember, this legislation is part of a just transition.

That means it will create jobs.

It will create green jobs, an estimated 150 to 270 new annual jobs, green jobs to promote electrification, Many thanks to OSE and the mayor for baking this into the recipe and exemplifying the spirit of the Blue-Green Coalition.

I want to also give a shout out to our former colleague, Councilmember Rob Johnson, who recently sent a letter of support just today from the Seattle Kraken.

And we also heard additional support today from Smart Local 66, the Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 66 of Western Washington, MLK Labor, and IBEW Local 46 electrical workers.

We also just received a letter from a number of architects, builders, businesses, and elected officials from around the country emphasizing that underserved communities, including BIPOC and low-income communities, face disproportionate harm from climate impacts and air pollution.

They go on to say that Seattle's leadership will serve as an example to cities, counties and states across the country.

By passing the BEPS legislation, Seattle will join jurisdictions across the United States who are providing precedents that other local governments can look to in crafting our own carbon-based BPS policies.

I'll rest there.

I might have some short closing comments.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Herbal.

I have a few words I want to say.

I will be brief.

1st of all, thank you counsel for chairing the meeting on December 7th, the very 1st select committee on climate action.

I know that you stepped in and provided the leadership that the Seattle city council needed.

So it was not a big lift for me to assist you and making sure that it happens happened.

I want to thank director Justin.

And also Sandra.

Mallory, I'm sorry, from the Office of Sustainability and Environment, and Madeline Kostic, who is from Seattle City Light, who presented at the committee, as well as our own Yolanda, who provided us with an eight-page memorandum with the history of everything from what this city has been doing since 1992 regarding climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, et cetera.

So we've expanded the work of some other council members and leaders and certainly from Mayor Harrell's office on this work, and it is historic.

And I want to thank you again for your leadership.

And I see Council Member Strauss has his hand up.

Council Member Strauss.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Council Member Herbold, for bringing this to our consideration.

It's an honor to get to co-sponsor this historic piece of legislation, which for the last year has gone through the last round of stakeholdering And previous to that, there was another year of stakeholdering.

And previous to that, there were many months of creation regarding this policy.

We were also able to pass the strongest energy code in the nation, which will help us address the climate crisis with new buildings.

And this legislation before us is helping us to address one of the largest emitters which are the built buildings around us today.

I cannot thank you enough, Director Farrell, everyone at OSE, and everyone who's made this possible.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Council Member Strauss.

Council Member Herbold, do you want to close this out before we go to a vote?

Absolutely.

Thank you so much.

You know, I would like to say something.

Sorry.

I'm sorry.

So sorry not to jump in sooner.

I want to add to the list of thank yous.

This is, I think, one of the most important steps that our city can take right now.

um given the global conversation that took place over the last week on climate crisis uh here we are taking steps to act urgent urgently and tackle our local local climate emissions i think that this legislation paired with the record investments that we're making through the jumpstart progressive payroll tax green new deal funding to shore up the resilience of our local communities and workforce this policy here today will strengthen our city's climate response and show strong leadership on local climate action.

I think many of the people who testified in support of the legislation have noted that there's much more to do to advance climate justice.

And today, though, is a moment for celebration.

As we pass this landmark policy, as we lead by example, this is something that we can all very much celebrate and know that this is a stepping stone for future work as well.

I want to thank Council Member Herbold and Council President Juarez as well for establishing the Select Committee on Climate Action to show how we can move forward and work together and take the opportunity to be in partnership with the executive, with Mayor Harreld and with Director Farrell and everybody at the Office of Sustainability and the Environment and the community who was involved in drafting the legislation.

We heard from folks, now is the time to rally around this legislation.

Don't amend it, get it through.

We all know that there's things that we would like to see added or changed in different ways, but this is the building block for future climate action.

So thank you so much to OSE, MLK Labor, Seattle Building Trades, Affordable Housing Advocates, and the providers within those buildings, as well as all of the climate advocates who for years have been advocating for this type of policy.

and the collaboration made possible to get this over the finish line.

And a final thank you, as Council Member Hearn will note, to one of our former colleagues, Council Member Johnson.

I also want to thank one of our former colleagues, Council Member Mike O'Brien, who has been very interested in getting this over the finish line as well.

Very excited for all of the years that this took to get here and that we get to take a vote today.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

And Councillor Herbold, it was an honor to be your vice chair and your trusty sidekick.

I will let you close this out for a vote before we go to a vote.

Thank you so much.

So it wasn't very widely reported that at one point in this legislation, before we went to the budget process, Mayor Harrell actually declined to send the bill down.

There was a moment at a September 11th briefings meeting where Council Members Sawant, Mosqueda, and myself discussed that turn of events.

In part, I believe, because we expressed our concern that day, that just a few weeks after that, the mayor's office and OSC director, Justin Farrell, reached out to me and asked me to shepherd the bill.

And I've just been over the moon at the opportunity to do so.

My condition to introducing the bill was the support of all community stakeholders, building owners, and environmental advocates in labor.

and two changes sought by environmental advocates, specifically owner penalty increases to better match those of other cities and building decarbonation costs.

When the bill was sent down to the council, it included that important change, higher penalties, but balanced with giving flexibility for reduced fines for partial compliance and flexibility to create grace periods.

This legislation isn't about collecting fees and fines.

It's about bringing building owners into compliance.

Again, I want to thank the Office of Sustainability for the years, many, many years' work on this policy, which is just a number of policies that—just one of a number of policies that you've worked on.

Special thanks to Director Farrell, Sandra Mallory, and everyone who played a role in this.

OSCE engaged in more than 125 stakeholder meetings.

from late 2021 through mid 2023 to develop the proposed BEPS policy.

Thank you to Mayor Harrell for proposing the legislation and Krista Valles from the mayor's office for your collaborative work to develop and finalize this proposal and working with environmental supporters, labor and building owners.

Thanks to my council colleagues for agreeing to meet after the conclusion of the budget process to discuss this legislation in the select committee graciously called by Madam President Juarez Thank you to Yolanda Ho of Council Central Staff, Central Staff Director Esther Handy for your work on this, and a special thanks as well to Newell Aldrich for ably and effectively staffing this policy development and getting it over the finish line.

Again, another thanks to all of the stakeholders, whether or not we're talking about environmental advocates, labor leaders, workers, affordable housing developers, or building owners and their representatives.

You have played a critical, actually an indispensable role in getting this legislation passed, and I truly hope you celebrate your success.

This is a critical step, but there's much more to do.

Lifting up once again the language in the director's report that says that this policy, in combination with existing city and state policies, gets us halfway towards net zero.

But the remaining cumulative emissions will need to be obtained from future policies that address non-residential, and multifamily buildings that are smaller than 20,000 square feet, as well as the single-family sector, beyond those that will already be addressed by the existing Rental Heating Oil Conversion Program, otherwise known as the Seattle Clean Heat Program.

So in closing, I just want to say I look forward to next year's council working collaboratively with this fantastic and powerful Seattle Blue Green Coalition and building owners to use the momentum that has been created today and the partnership and the relationships developed as part of this policy to take those next steps.

Thank you, and I urge your support.

Thank you, Council Member Herbal.

All right.

I'm not seeing any.

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

Council Member Strauss.

Yes.

Council Member Herbold.

Yes.

Council Member Lewis.

Yes.

Council Member Morales.

Yes.

Council Member Mosqueda.

Aye.

Council Member Nelson.

Aye.

Council Member Peterson.

Yes.

Council President Juarez.

Aye.

Eight in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes.

The chair will sign it.

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

Let's move on to item number 30. Will the clerk please read the short title of item 30 into the record?

that reported the Land Use Committee, Agenda Item 30, Council Bill 120674, relating to land use and zoning, amending Section 23.76 of the San Domingo Code to allow application for one holders of certain master use permits approved for issuance between March 1st, 2020 and December 31st, 2026 to have their master use permits expire in six years.

The Committee recommends that they'll pass as amended with Council Member Strauss-Morales, Moschella, and Nelson in favor, and Council Member Peterson opposed.

Thank you.

Council Member Strauss.

Thank you, Council President.

This bill will extend the life of a master use permit from five years to six years.

The fifth year would have had to receive a two-year extension.

This bill streamlines the entire process, and I urge a yay vote.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you.

Are there any comments?

I do not see any.

So, I'm guessing you're good on closing comments as well, Council Member Strauss?

Yes, I am, Council President.

I am counting the clock on you, so.

I'm at one minute, 23 seconds.

Good for you.

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

Council Member Strauss?

Yes.

Council Member Herbold?

Yes.

Council Member Lewis?

Yes.

Council Member Morales?

Yes.

Council Member Mesquita?

Aye.

Council Member Nelson?

Aye.

Council Member Peterson?

No.

Council President Juarez?

Aye.