Currently holds the office of Seattle City Council - District 4 until December 31, 2027.
Candidate for Seattle City Council - District 4 in 2023 Washington General Election.
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Get StartedIllicit fentanyl kills at least two people every single day in King County. Mayor Harrell’s executive order outlines an evidence based approach to addressing addiction and help stop the flow of fentanyl into our city. I support the Mayor’s plan to create a drug overdose unit modeled after Health One, build a post overdose diversion facility, and pilot new research based drug abatement programs. Second, we know repeat offenders and providers of drugs must face serious accountability to stop this epidemic in its tracks. The Mayor got it right when he emphasized key high-crime hot spots with extra patrols, directed SPD to focus on the distribution of drugs, and furthered his partnership with the City Attorney to pursue the high utilizers initiative. Learn more
Communities know best how to ensure they are safe. Rather than dictating solutions, city leaders must empower community voices and restore agency to our neighborhoods to take an active role in public safety. That means proactive outreach to small businesses, non-profits, religious institutions, and centers for community – and it means giving them the resources and support they need to thrive. It also means reinstating neighborhood walks with city departments to address neighborhood issues such as broken street lights and safety. Learn more
Collaborating with downtown businesses to create a real plan for net-zero buildings could cut carbon emissions in Seattle by as much as 10%. The Building Emissions Performance Standards proposed by Mayor Harrell are an excellent start and the most significant policy proposed to meet our climate goals in the last two decades. Now, we need to work with community and business leaders to support this policy and create pathways for businesses to exceed expectations and meet the standards set before 2050. At the same time, Seattle must also bring higher standards to new construction and to residential zoning as well, which collectively contribute to over 20% of our city’s emissions. Learn more
One of the most important strategies to prepare for the impacts of climate change is preserving and fostering our natural tree canopy. According to the most recent report from our Office of Sustainability and Environment, a 13% increase in tree canopy is associated with a 0.5-degree reduction in temperature, and is one of the best ways to reduce the impacts of heat islands. The loss of tree coverage in the last decade has been devastating and inequitable, disproportionately occurring in communities of color. While collaboration with developers and housing providers is essential to preserving our tree canopy, the vast majority of the loss occurred on publicly-managed lands. The impacts being felt in our communities are a policy choice stemming from a lack of commitment to our trees and to equity. In addition, feasibility studies show that strategies like lidding I-5 would significantly reduce carbon emissions, create thousands of units of affordable housing, reduce pollution, and increase green space and tree coverage. Learn more
Each year for the past three years, Seattle has broken record after record for gun violence on our streets. While there are numerous causes, one thing is for sure—there are far too many guns on our streets. I have been a strong supporter of our state passing responsible gun control, including the recently passed Assault Weapons Ban, waiting period legislation, liability for gun manufacturers, high capacity magazine ban, and other reforms. I am proud that our state has some of the strongest gun laws in the country, but the truth is they are only as good as their implementation. City leaders have let crucial programs like the Regional Domestic Violence Firearms Enforcement Unit and implementation of Extreme Risk Protection Orders fall by the wayside because they lack the focus and urgency to address gun violence in Seattle. At the same time, our city has failed to adequately invest and scale up Community Violence Intervention programs that stem the tide of gun violence. I support establishing a city wide office or division within Public Health of gun violence intervention that will study the impacts of gun violence and develop and implement a community-centered response strategy. Learn more
Expanding housing options like quad-plexes, townhomes, row houses, and mixed-use development, especially along transit corridors is essential to ensuring that working families can live near work. It is unfair for blue collar workers to have to face long commutes after putting in a full day’s work. Unfortunately, we’ve let bad politics pit us against each other. On one side is more density seemingly no matter the impact on our neighborhoods and on the other are those that want to preserve what makes this City such an amazing place to live. This is a false dichotomy that has led to our city both failing to address our affordability crisis while at the same time approving developments that hurt and displace communities. Learn more
Whether it be by foot, transit, bike, or car, we should spend less time traveling and more time where we want to be. While in recent years Seattle has been successfully reducing vehicle travel, we can do better. We will connect communities to each other and to more opportunities with clean, reliable and convenient buses and trains, and through walking and biking options. This starts with integrating transportation and land use, recognizing the best and most sustainable transportation system is one where you live close to where you need to get to. Learn more
Every neighborhood should have access to safe, reliable, and quick multi-modal transportation options, including foot, transit, bike, or car. That means spending less time in traffic and more time in our communities or with our families. While our leaders have campaigned on making Seattle a ''15-minute city'' for almost a decade, we’ve not made significant progress in connecting our communities and integrating our transportation system with land-use and housing. Transportation is the single-largest source of climate emissions in Seattle. The best investment in fighting climate change is creating connected communities where you can live close to transit, green space, amenities and community hubs. Learn more
One of my top priorities is ensuring no family in the City of Seattle pays more than 10% of their income on child care. The disproportionate impacts of our current childcare system perpetuates systemic oppression particularly for working people and closing those impacts is one of our best tools to narrow disparity in our community. As a parent myself, I chose to put my personal career on hold to take care of my family. After the birth of my two daughters, we did the math as a family – and it simply was not possible for us to afford high-quality child care for our kids in the City of Seattle. I feel incredibly lucky that my family had the means to allow me to take time off and care for our kids, but I know for so many families that’s just not possible. This reality is bad for families, bad for our economy, and bad for the workers who make this City what it is. Learn more
Simply passing new taxes will not solve affordability, homelessness, public safety, or address the crisis of climate change. The City’s budget has expanded significantly in the past 10 years, with the largest increase in taxes in the history of the City of Seattle. Unfortunately, we have less to show for it than we should. This is a failure of leadership. Before rushing into new taxes we must ensure the revenue we have is effectively improving people’s lives. Frankly, I believe we must focus public dollars on addressing what I believe most residents see as the most pressing issue facing our City – homelessness and public safety. Learn more
Seattle has hundreds of open jobs in the trades, social work, public safety, case management, and so many other industries. In many cases, these jobs pay a thriving wage with good union benefits. But through a combination of lacking investment in our community colleges and critical apprenticeship programs and social pressure to avoid some kinds of working jobs, we’ve closed off generational wealth building opportunities for those that need it. I am committed to expanding the Seattle Promise 13th Year to help the next generation access these thriving industries, investing in apprenticeship programs, and breaking down barriers for individuals joining the trades or other industries by helping to pay for startup, equipment, training, or other costs associated with them. Learn more
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