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Good Afternoon Neighbors,
I hope you all weathered the storm last weekend. I was without power until Monday, and I’m thankful for all the hard work by our Seattle City Light workers to restore power to Seattleites.
This week the Council was buzzing with activity as we spent three days presenting to our colleagues our proposed budget actions. In the last newsletter, I shared with you my overarching budget principles, and below is a list of the items that I have chosen to sponsor at this time; there will be further opportunities to cosponsor in the future.
| Budget Action # |
Department |
Budget Action Description |
Location |
| SPU-004-A-001 |
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) |
Request that SPU perform an assessment of potential drainage improvements for Phinney Avenue North |
Broadview |
| DEEL-003-A-001 |
Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) |
Add $50,000 GF to DEEL for costs of reopening childcare facility at North Seattle College |
Northgate |
| OPCD-005-A-001 |
Office of Planning & Community Development (OPCD) |
Request that OPCD report on improving Stone Avenue North |
Haller Lake/ Aurora |
| OPCD – 008-A-001 |
Office of Planning & Community Development (OPCD) |
Add $2 million GF to OPCD for a North Seattle College Longhouse |
Northgate |
| OED-004-A-001 |
Office of Economic Development (OED) |
Add $50,000 GF to OED to support business outreach in Northgate |
Northgate |
| OED-005-A-001 |
Office of Economic Development (OED) |
Add $50,000 GF to OED to support new and emerging businesses in Lake City |
Lake City |
| OED-006-A-001 |
Office of Economic Development (OED) |
Add $300,000 GF to OED to support economic opportunities for refugee and immigrant women |
Lake City |
| OED-007-A-001 |
Office of Economic Development (OED) |
Request that OED provide recommendations to support the establishment of an indigenous pharmacy/market |
Citywide |
| OH-007-A-001 |
Office of Housing (OH) |
Add $1 million for 200 units of affordable housing at North Seattle College |
Northgate |
| HOM-007-A-001 |
Homelessness Response (HOM) |
Add $36,000 to HSD to increase shelter staffing at Lakefront Community House |
Bitter Lake |
| HOM-008-A-001 |
Homelessness Response (HOM |
Add $100,000 to HSD to expand homelessness day center services |
Lake City |
| SPR-001-A-001 |
Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) |
Add $3.1 million GF to SPR, SDOT, and SPU to extend the Clean City Initiative through the end of 2022 |
Citywide |
| SPD-002-A-001 |
Seattle Police Department (SPD) |
Request that SPD report on its data collection and management practices for Murdered and Missing Indigenous, Women and Girls (MMIWG) cases |
Citywide |
| SDOT-002-A-001 |
Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) |
Add $100,000 of Transportation Fund to SDOT for a pedestrian safety study of NE Northgate Way |
Northgate |
| HSD-003-A-001 |
Human Services Department (HSD) |
Request that HSD contract with a Native-led organization to provide services to the American Indian/Alaska Native community |
Citywide |
| HSD-004-A-001 |
Human Services Department (HSD) |
Add $126,000 GF to HSD for programs for Gender-Based Violence provided by an agency serving the Native community |
Citywide |
| HSD-007-A-001 |
Human Services Department (HSD) |
Add $200,000 GF to HSD for hybrid meal delivery program for seniors |
Citywide/ Lake City |
| HSD-016-A-001 |
Human Services Department (HSD) |
Add $250,000 GF to HSD for the expansion of a community facility in Lake City |
Lake City |
| HSD-056-A-001 |
Human Services Department (HSD) |
Add $200,000 GF to HSD for a survey to inform the design of a new behavioral health facility |
Citywide |
| HSD-057-A-001 |
Human Services Department (HSD) |
Add $100,000 GF to HSD for a new health clinic in the Lake City neighborhood |
Lake City |
*As it’s getting darker and wetter, I’d like to call special attention to SDOT-002-A-001, calling for SDOT to perform a pedestrian safety study of Northgate Way NE. Northgate is booming. We've got the Kraken Community Iceplex, and the Northgate Mall redevelopment bringing people to the area, over 3,000 units of housing in the pipeline, and the Northgate Light Rail connecting it all to the greater Seattle region. All this to say- foot traffic will increase. The city needs to anticipate how to keep pedestrians safe and how they can efficiently move about the space. My biggest concern is the proximity of the I-5 off-ramp and how that can create dangerous conditions for folks walking, biking and rolling.
This week,
- Council President González announced she is extending the legislative branch’s telework policy through January 19, 2022
- I attended three all-day budget deliberations
- I met with the Woodland Park Zoo to discuss the upcoming operating agreement between the City and the Zoo
If you’d like more detail regarding any of these items, please email me directly at debora...@seattle.gov.
My inbox has been busy! Here are the trends I’m seeing in my inbox this week:
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This newsletter will provide city updates and resources.
Sincerely,
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Climate Pledge Arena Opening
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On October 22nd, I attended the ribbon cutting of the new Climate Pledge Arena, a $1.15 billion renovation. Working through my committee, the plan for the arena came together without using a single taxpayer dollar. The project broke ground in December of 2018 and has undergone an incredible transformation to create a brand-new, state-of-the-art arena home to our Seattle Kraken, Seattle Storm, and, with enough space to welcome back our Seattle Sonics.
Climate Pledge Arena is a space for all Seattle residents to enjoy sports, concerts, and events as we begin to reopen and recover. Once inside, all the small details genuinely root you in the Puget Sound and the Pacific Northwest - especially the fact that this region has led the nation on climate resilience work - demonstrated in the world’s first net-zero arena for greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
Tod and Tim Leiweke brought me along for a tour of the arena before its grand opening. Here are some of the pictures:
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With Tod Leiweke, Kraken CEO, and his brother Tim, CEO of the Oak View Group, checking the views of the ice.
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With Kraken CEO, Tod Leiweke in the Seattle Storm’s locker room!
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With Tod Leiweke, Kraken CEO, and his brother Tim, CEO of the Oak View Group. Let’s get Kraken!
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Lenny Wilkens, center, stands with fellow Sonics and a replica of “Lenny Wilkens Way” at Seattle Center Armory, Thursday. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)
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Seattle Welcomes Lenny Wilkens Way
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This week, City leaders and Sonic legends unveiled the new Lenny Wilkens Way, formerly Thomas Street, next to Climate Pledge Arena. Wilkens was instrumental in the Sonics 1979 NBA championship title and sits in the Basketball Hall of Fame for his accomplishments as a player and a coach.
Wilkens is also known for his strong support of the community. Through his foundation, he has raised millions of dollars for the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic in Seattle’s Central District, which provides health care for families for little or no cost.
Lenny Wilkens Way is added to the eponymous public infrastructure in Seattle named after BIPOC leaders, such as Hayashi Avenue and the John Lewis Memorial Bridge in District 5.
As our Mayor says, step one was to open a new world-class carbon-neutral venue, Climate Pledge Arena, step two, we celebrate our Seattle Sonics hometown hero, Lenny Wilkens Way, and step three, we bring back our Sonics!
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This was after I led the kids in our “D5” chant!
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ReWA Kids Head to the Kraken Community Iceplex
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Wednesday mornings, the children at the Refugee Women’s Alliance (ReWA) Early Learning Center in Lake City travel by bus to the Kraken Community Iceplex in Northgate for free skating lessons, provided by the NHL Kraken. My staff and I had the opportunity to join them last week, helping them tie on their skates and take to the ice.
The benefit isn’t just limited to Lake City. Children from ReWa’s other childcare facilities are also joining in on the fun, coming from Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley. This is just one of the many ways this facility will benefit our community, an example of the potential benefits of private-public partnerships for District 5 and the city.
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After only two weeks of instruction, these three and four-year-olds were fearless!
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The facility is expected to bring 800,000 annual visitors to the area.
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RAI Executive Director Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman, taking measurements for custom scrubs
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Lake City Refugee Aristans Sew Custom Scrubs for Staff at Swedish
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The Refugee Artisan Initiative (RAI), located in Lake City, was in the news for the hard work of their women artisans to deliver custom scrubs for medical providers at Swedish. Established in 2017, RAI helps refugee and immigrant women transition to the United States by teaching them valuable trade and providing them with livable wages to provide for their families.
At the beginning of the pandemic, RAI led a successful mask-making program which helped fill a void when PPE was hard to come by. Kevin Christ, Regional Director for Logistics and Operations for Swedish, said the partnership helps medical workers to look and feel good.
“You get to support a program that helps immigrant and refugee women make a living and they are giving us custom scrubs that look great,” Christ said.
Tung-Edelman says the partnership between RAI and Swedish is changing the possibilities.
“Our refugees’ sewing skills have never been so valuable. These women will be able to provide an income for their families and achieve their own American dream,” she said.
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Night time road closure on 5th Ave NE and NE 130th Street overpass and off-ramp
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As early as Sunday, Nov. 1st, from 11 PM - 5 AM, Sound Transit will close the Northeast 130th Street off-ramp from northbound Interstate 5 for guideway construction. Additionally, 5th Avenue will be closed from Northeast 125th Street to Northeast 130th Street.
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Works-in-Progress - District 5
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I’d like to share with my readers the projects that my office is working on with neighbors in the district. This week, Dean Allsopp, our D5 District Director:
- Met with Seattle City Light and a group of neighbors to discuss strategies for discouraging future encampments on property owned by the city in their neighborhood.
- Spoke with a resident of District 5 who shared their concerns for safety regarding an encampment located nearby on WSDOT Property and drainage issues in their neighborhood
- Attended a meeting with Bellwether Housing and Chief Seattle Club to discuss the housing and longhouse hybrid development at North Seattle College
If you’re in need of assistance from the Juarez office, please request a meeting with my District Director by clicking this link: https://calendly.com/dean-allsopp/30min or please call my office (206) 684-8805 or email me directly at debora...@seattle.gov.
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Clean City Initiative, October 18th - 23rd
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In the 2022 budget, I’m advocating for another year of funding for the “Clean City Initiative.” This program invests in Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and the Seattle Department of Transportation to remove trash and clean up our parks.
For the week of October 18th, our Clean City Crews picked up 104,580 lbs. of trash and 3,766 needles from 81 encampment locations. Crews focused on deep cleaning Fremont Canal and Lincoln Park.
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Cumulatively, the Parks department has cleaned 3,637,938 million pounds of trash and 95,411 needles citywide.
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City of Seattle Welcomes Francesca Murnan
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The Department of Neighborhoods has recently announced Francesca Murnan as the Indigenous Advisory Council Liaison, a position that was created during last year’s budget. The IAC is charged with addressing concerns and city policies relevant to Indigenous populations and local tribes and directly advising City of Seattle elected officials.
Francesca Murnan (she/her) is Shawnee and an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation. As a member of Seattle's urban Native community, Francesca brings experience working with tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations to advance Indigenous health equity through culturally relevant and community-driven policy approaches. She received her Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs from Seattle University.
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Students at the Marty Boarding School in South Dakota. Photo Courtesy of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
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Pope Agrees to Visit Canada After Outrage Over Indigenous Boarding Schools Grow
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This week, Pope Francis agreed to visit Canada to meet with Indigenous peoples following shocking revelations of the abuse and deaths of thousands of native children at church-run boarding schools.
From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend state-funded Christian boarding schools in a campaign to assimilate them into Canadian society. Thousands of children died there of disease and other causes; others never returned to their families.
In my newsletter, I’ve shared my office’s involvement with the The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and Resolution 32018, which I sponsored, which states our support for the U.S. Department of the Interior's Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and the Truth and Healing Commission.
In Canada, Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme said a visit from the pope would be a step in the right direction. But he cautioned that it must come with an apology from the church to validate the pain many survivors still live with today.
“An apology is the beginning,” Delorme said. “An apology is required, and the rebuilding of a relationship would follow the apology.”
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Seattle Relief Fund Now Open
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The Seattle Relief Fund is $16 million of funding for direct cash assistance to Seattle’s most vulnerable low-income residents and their households who have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. The funding is restricted to those under 50 percent of the median household income in Seattle.
The application period closes on November 15th. Learn more here.
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A process timeline of the Seattle Relief Fund
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Washington's Working Families Tax Credit Program
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Starting in 2023, the credit will provide approximately 400,000 Washingtonians with a one-time payment if the applicant applies for the credit and meets certain eligibility requirements for the year that the applicant is applying for.
To qualify for this credit, you must meet all of the following for the year the credit is claimed:
- You (and your spouse, if filing a joint return) have filed a federal tax return.
- Meet the requirements for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), OR would meet the requirements for EITC, but are filing with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
- Be at least 25 and under 65 years of age OR have a qualifying child.
- Lived in Washington for more than 180 days.
Credit amounts range from $50 to $1,200.
For more information on the Working Families Tax Credit Program, please visit www.dor.wa.gov/WFTC.
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Office of Economic Development re-opens the Small Business Stabilization Fund
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The Small Business Stabilization Fund is now accepting new applications until November 9 at 11:59 p.m. The Seattle Office of Economic Development is investing an additional $4 million to provide $5,000, $10,000, and $20,000 grants to eligible small businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19.
In this round, small businesses with up to 50 full-time equivalent employees and those who previously received a Stabilization Fund grant are eligible to apply if they meet the other requirements. The grants do not need to be repaid and must be used on operational expenses such as rent, wages, equipment, and more.
For more information on eligibility and required documentation, and to apply for a grant, visit www.seattle.gov/SmallBusinessStabilizationFund.
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