Human Services Committee Confirms OED Director, Advances KCRHA Resolution - May 15, 2026
Human Services, Labor, and Economic Development Committee Meeting - May 15, 2026
The Human Services, Labor, and Economic Development Committee of the Seattle City Council met on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 9:33 AM in the Council Chamber. Chair Alexis Mercedes Rinck presided with all five members present. The committee unanimously approved the agenda and heard public testimony before taking action on two items: the appointment of Beto Yarce as Director of the Office of Economic Development and a resolution on next steps following the forensic evaluation of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA). Both items were approved unanimously (5-0).
Consent Calendar
- Agenda approved without objection.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dr. Julieta Altamirano Crosby (in-person, former Lynnwood City Council Vice President) expressed strong support for the confirmation of Beto Yarce as OED Director, citing his commitment to immigrant communities, small businesses, and historically underserved populations.
- David Haynes (remote) criticized the KCRHA, alleging that oversight failed due to conflicts of interest between service providers and the city council. He called for a full audit of service providers and accused the system of mismanagement.
- Hallie Willis (remote, Policy Manager, Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness) spoke in support of the resolution on KCRHA, urging the council to include service providers, coalitions, and people with lived experience in determining next steps. She emphasized the need for a continued regional approach.
Discussion Items
- Appointment of Beto Yarce as Director of the Office of Economic Development (Appt 034691): Mark Ellerbrook (Deputy Director, Mayor's Office) introduced Yarce, praising his people-centered leadership. Yarce outlined his vision as a servant leader, emphasizing internal team development, cross-department collaboration, and a diversified economy (maritime, clean energy, AI). Councilmembers Juarez, Saka, Hollingsworth, and Foster all voiced strong support, highlighting Yarce's experience with small business recovery, public-private partnerships, and equitable economic growth. Chair Rinck asked about strategies to address rising costs for small businesses; Yarce cited permitting process improvements and affordable capital initiatives. A motion to recommend confirmation passed unanimously.
- Resolution 322022 – Next Steps After KCRHA Forensic Evaluation: Chair Rinck and Vice Chair Foster introduced the resolution as a measured, collaborative response to the audit's serious findings. Council Central Staff Jennifer LaBrecque presented background: the KCRHA interlocal agreement (ILA) can be terminated unilaterally by either Seattle or King County with 12 months' notice, unless jointly agreed otherwise. The forensic evaluation (Clark Newberg) covered mid-2021 to July 2025 and revealed poor internal controls, unreconciled receivables, and negative cash balances. The resolution requests the Mayor or designee to:
- By June 15, 2026, provide an initial assessment of KCRHA's comprehensive corrective action plan (due May 23).
- By August 1, 2026, make a recommendation on whether to dissolve, restructure, or continue KCRHA, including considerations for contract re-bidding, Continuum of Care funding ($67 million annually), HSD capacity, regional coordination, and right-of-way contracts.
- Submit monthly reports thereafter. Amendment 1 (adopted 5-0) aligned the timeline with a similar King County resolution. Councilmembers Juarez and Saka asked about differences with the county version and outreach to other cities. Mark Ellerbrook affirmed alignment with King County and acknowledged the need to engage other jurisdictions. Council President Hollingsworth noted she would not support further funding until a clear plan exists. The resolution as amended was adopted unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Appointment of Beto Yarce: The committee recommended (5-0) that the full City Council confirm Yarce as Director of the Office of Economic Development. The matter goes to the June 2, 2026 full council meeting.
- Resolution 322022: The committee recommended (5-0) adoption of the resolution as amended. It requires the Mayor to report to the Human Services Committee by June 15 (initial assessment) and August 1, 2026 (recommendation on KCRHA's future), plus monthly updates. The full council will consider it on June 2, 2026.
- The meeting adjourned at 11:11 AM.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. The Human Services Labor and Economic Development Committee meeting will come to order. It is 9 33 a.m. May 15th, 2026. I'm Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Ring, Chair of the Committee. Will the committee clerk please call the roll? Chair Rink. Present. Vice Chair Foster. Here. Councilmember Juarez. Here. Councilmember Hollingsworth. Here. Councilmember Saka. Here. Chair, there are five members present. Thank you. We will now move on to approval of today's agenda. If there is no objection, the agenda will be adopted. Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted. Welcome and good morning, everyone. Our agenda for today has two items. The first item is a briefing discussion and possible vote on the appointment of Bero Yarse as director of the Office of Economic Development. The second item for today is a briefing discussion and possible vote on a resolution which addresses the next steps after the King County Regional Homelessness Authority forensic evaluation. Now, as I have said in previous public meetings on this topic, and as a new member to the KCRHA governing board and chair of the committee that oversees human services, the findings of the forensic evaluation are serious and require immediate accountability. And this proposed resolution is a swift but thoughtful measure that provides a pathway forward. Since learning the full details of the forensic evaluation last month, I have worked in collaboration with Vice Chair Foster, our service providers, KCRHA leadership, and governing board members, and our counterparts at King County Council to figure out where we go from here. And the proposed legislation summarizes the findings of the forensic evaluation and the timeline of deliverables except expected of KCRHA over the coming months, including a corrective action plan to address all findings. I'll speak a little bit more to this matter when we are at that point in the agenda, but I wanted to TS up with that point to say that as responsible elected leaders, we have a fundamental duty to get people housed and do right by taxpayers, and we plan by doing that work together deliberately, collaboratively, and transparently. So thank you to our central staff for all of your work on the KCRHA issues broadly and for getting this before committee today. We will now open the hybrid public comment period. Public comments should relate to items on today's agenda or within the purview of the committee. Clerk, how many speakers are signed up for today? We currently have one in-person and one remote. Thank you. Each speaker will have two minutes. We will start with in-person speakers first. Clerk, will you please read the public comment instructions? The public comment period will be moderated in the following manner. The public comment period is up to 60 minutes. Speakers will be called in the order in which they registered. Speakers will alternate between sets of in-person and remote speakers until the public comment period has ended. Please begin by stating your name and the item you are addressing. Speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left of their time. Speakers' mics will be muted if they do not end their comments within the allotted time to allow us to call the next speaker. The public comment period is now open, and we will begin with the first speaker on the list. Thank you, Clerk, and we'll be starting with our in-person uh public commenters. Uh beginning with Dr. Julieta Altamirano Crosby.
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