Good morning or good morning, excuse me.

Good afternoon.

Today is the May 18th.

Council briefing will come to order.

It is 2 02 p.m.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Rivera.

Councilmember Saka?

Here.

Councilmember Strauss.

Yep.

Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Juarez.

Councilmember Kettle?

Here.

Councilmember Lynn?

Here.

Councilmember Rink.

Council President.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Here.

Six present.

Awesome.

Thank you.

There's no present, excuse me.

If there is no objections, the minutes of May 4th, 2026 will be adopted.

Hearing no objection, the minutes are adopted.

There are no presentations or executive sessions scheduled for today.

There are 20 items on the refer introduction and referral calendar, bills, minutes, and two appointments to the customer review panel.

We have four proclamations for discussion and signature for the record.

We are joined by Councilmember Juarez and Councilmember Foster.

Thank you.

That is, and sorry, I just looked at Councilmember Warez and it threw me off.

It's good to see you.

Okay.

It was amazing to see you.

Okay, not just good.

Um council briefing and city council are canceled on May 25th.

That is our council briefing and full council meeting the 26th.

So our next scheduled city council meeting is June the second.

Awesome.

Just making sure we know about that.

On June 1st, colleagues, council briefing, council central staff will provide a briefing on affordability in Seattle in light of the upcoming levy and rate increasing proposals.

So we have council uh central staff presenting to the council about the levies that are currently uh you know being paid on right now, and then also uh ones that are coming down the pipeline as well to do a table setting for us so we understand how they all interconnect.

Um, and if there's any stuff offline we can talk about that you all want to see in there, more than happy to discuss.

Um, but I think it's good from central staff perspective to tell us about uh what we have voted on in the past, what's currently being paid on cap, everything you could possibly think of about affordability because I think it's important.

Um, and so that will be on June the first at 2 p.m.

for our council briefing.

So we will have a presentation.

We will be on the dais for that meeting.

Awesome.

Looking a lot of head nods, so that's great.

Um, so today we have four proclamations for discussion and signature.

I'm gonna ask each each council member uh to introduce the proclamation and seek any final feedback before I request roll call to council members to fix their signature to each proclamation.

This is just a reminder, I think we only have one being presented tomorrow in council.

I'm looking at the other council sponsors and because I know council member uh Lynn and I have one that's coming tomorrow that will be presented in council, everyone else is doing is presenting them in community.

Awesome.

Okay.

So uh councilmember Rink has a proclamation recognizing May 24th as a reritrian independence day.

Councilmember Rink.

Thank you, Council President, colleagues.

I'm bringing forward this proclamation today for signatures to celebrate the independence day for Eritrea.

It is one of the most important days in the Eritrean diaspora.

We are proud to work with community organizations to celebrate this day and recognize our incredible Eritrean leaders here in Seattle and their contributions to our city.

So inviting all of you to join community members in the celebration at Cyril Park Amphitheater, actually this Saturday, May 23rd, to celebrate this incredible day.

It is a really fun festival.

I try and go every year, and so would love if you all would join me and ask for your signatures today.

Thank you.

Colleagues, is there any comment regarding the proclamation before we call the roll?

Awesome.

Uh will the clerk please call the roll to find out who would like to fix their signature to the proclamation.

Councilmember Saka.

Aye, Councilmember Strauss.

Right.

Councilmember Foster?

Yes.

Councilmember Juarez.

Aye.

Councilmember Kettle?

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn.

Yes.

Councilmember Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Eight signatures will be fixed to the proclamation.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Next, Councilmember Foster, you got two proclamations.

Two proclamations.

Thank you.

All righty.

Um, colleagues, I'm really excited today to bring forward not one but two proclamations, both helping us welcome in June as Pride Month, which I'm thrilled and looking forward to.

So I'm going to bring forth the first one, which is our general June proclamation for Pride.

It's an opportunity for us to celebrate all of our LGBTQ IA plus residents and community, of which I am a part of, and I know other members of this council are.

And we look forward to getting to present this proclamation to folks and celebrate Pride, because Seattle is one of the things we pride ourselves on is being a welcoming city and being a place where all of our queer residents can feel safe and warm and welcome.

And I know that that has everyone has not felt that way, especially in um recent days.

So I'm looking forward to this as an opportunity for us to celebrate and reaffirm our commitment to pride and to welcoming June in with that spirit.

So I ask for your support, colleagues.

Awesome.

Are there any comments?

Thank you, Councilmember Foster, for bringing that drafting it and doing that.

Are there any comments regarding Pride Month proclamation?

Awesome.

I'm just glad that we have another council member on the team who can draft it too on the proclamation.

So I like the rotation between the council members.

Okay.

Uh will the clerk please call the roll for pride.

Who wants to put their signature on the Pride proclamation?

Councilmember Saka?

Aye.

Councilmember Strauss.

Right.

Councilmember Foster.

Yes.

Councilmember Warz.

Aye.

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn.

Yes.

Councilmember Rink.

Hell yeah.

And Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes, I.

Eight signatures will be affixed to the proclamations.

Awesome.

Thank you.

All right.

Next we have Councilmember Foster back to you for Pride Asia Day.

That's right.

I am so excited to bring forward a second proclamation for Pride Asia.

So Pride Asia is a powerful reminder about intersectional identity and gives us an opportunity to celebrate LGBTQ Asian and Pacific Islander communities who are creating their own spaces to be seen and protected and celebrated.

In Seattle, about 17% of our city's population is Asian and Pacific Islander residents.

And Pride Asia gives us an opportunity to ensure that LGBTQIA plus AAPI residents are celebrated.

I look forward to presenting this proclamation later on this month for Pride Asia and colleagues ask for your signature and support.

Awesome.

Thank you for that, Councilmember Foster.

And for the record, we have Councilmember Rivera.

Welcome.

I was actually supposed to uh suspend the rules so we could vote on both of them at the same time.

I apologize.

So we did one by one.

Are there any other comments to talk about Pride Asia at all?

Okay, awesome.

Will the clerk please call the role to see which council members would like their signatures affixed to the proclamation?

Councilmember Rivera.

Aye.

Councilmember Saka?

Aye.

Councilmember Strauss.

Councilmember Foster?

Yes.

Councilmember Juarez.

Aye.

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn?

Yes.

Councilmember Rink?

Yes.

Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Nine signatures will be affixed.

Awesome.

So thank you.

Awesome.

Now we'll go to thank you, Councilmember Foster, for all your work on that as well.

Now we'll go to the last proclamation.

I know Councilmember Lynn and I have a proclamation recognizing May 19th as state champion Rainer Beach Boys Basketball Day.

Councilmember Lynn, I'll toss it to you.

I know it's your district.

I'm not trying to overstep, but very happy to join you in this proclamation.

Thank you, Council President.

And really just want to thank you for making this happen and for your leadership and uh just uh what's that?

It's all you.

And uh yeah, just want to do everything uh we can to honor um our incredible Rainier Beach um boys basketball team and uh just show some love to the Rainier Beach community, which certainly needs all all the love we can give it.

So absolutely thank you, Councilmember Lynn, partnering uh with your office on this Rainer Beach Boys Basketball has won numerous championships, and we're gonna be joined by them in uh at the meeting tomorrow with Coach Mike Bathia, who's won his 10th basketball championship at um at Rainer Beach High School.

So a legend in the community with Coach Mike and then some players.

They do have uh they do have finals going on, so we might not have the full basketball team, it might only be Coach Mike as well, but we'll have somebody represent representing Rayner Beach High School tomorrow, which will be great.

So we'll have the coach and maybe a couple few players.

So we're excited about that.

That will be presented tomorrow in chamber.

So thank you, colleagues, for that.

We're now gonna begin our.

Oh, will the clerk please call the role?

Is there any other comments regarding uh regarding the proclamation for Rainer Beach Boys basketball team?

Awesome.

I didn't even ask the will the clerk please call the role who would like their signature affixed to the proclamation.

Councilmember Rivera.

Aye, Councilmember Saka.

Aye.

Councilmember Strauss.

Councilmember Foster.

Yes.

Council Member Warez.

Aye.

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn.

Yes.

Councilmember Rink.

Yes.

And Council President Hollingsworth.

Yes.

Nine signatures will be affixed.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Councilmember Rivera.

Sorry, Council President.

I think you guys already did the Pride proclamation, and I definitely want to sign on to that.

So apologies, Phil.

I don't know what we have to do to get my name on there too.

You can you do it?

I think that's acceptable in open session.

Yes.

We don't have to call the role again, I'm assuming.

We'll add your signature.

Correct.

Thank you.

Thanks for adding my name to that.

So for the record, there's two proclamations for Pride, Pride Asia and Pride, the Seattle.

And Councilmember Rivera would like her signature affixed to both.

Aye.

Awesome.

And then got you.

And then there was an Eritrean day brought by Councilmember Rink, and just wanted to clarify.

Would you like your please?

Thank you.

Awesome.

All right.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.

Thank you, CP.

Sorry about that.

No worries, you're good.

We're gonna now begin our next discussion on preview of city council actions and regional committees.

Um I think we went to the right last time.

How about we start back here with Councilmember Wares and we'll go to the right?

Okay, so Council Member Law School.

Did you see my hand up?

Okay.

I saw your face.

Councilmember Councilmember Councilmember Morris.

We will go to you and you can go to the right.

Councilmember.

Thank you, Council President.

Man, I thought I was gonna sit back and slide here, but okay.

Okay, here we go, guys.

Um let's see.

Um Parks and Sea Light Committee.

We have a meeting this Wednesday at two o'clock.

We have seven matters, including the data center resolution and some housekeeping matters.

I want to briefly go over these seven matters because I would like to vote on all of them because some of them are just basic housekeeping.

Seattle City Light 2026 Endangered Species Act, land deed acceptance, Seattle City Light Easement Conveyance to Puget Sound Energy, Seattle City Light Easement Conveyance to King County, and then the two that I'm gonna focus in on in D1 current use taxation for buyers bulldog garden pea patch in West Seattle.

That will be a separate public hearing and vote.

And then we have Seattle Parks and Recreation Madison Beach Park Cooperative Preschool Operations in D3.

Um that's their use contract and a vote, and Seattle Parks and Recreation Victory Heights cooperative preschool operations and use contract and a vote.

The last two that I mentioned on the use contract, which we're looking at right now.

I just want those of you who are on committee to just focus in on the public benefit offset in the contract, which we will be looking at, and usually those are pretty straightforward.

But as you know, when you have these contracts and using public facilities and public space that the public benefit has to offset that.

So we'll be looking at that.

So those are the two things, and those are they've been parks has been really good about that in keeping those contracts balanced that the public stays public.

So those two contracts we'll be looking at and voting on, and last the data center policy resolution that we've been working on.

And I think I sent out an email to everybody, but I would welcome anyone who wants to let our staff know early if they would like to be a potential co-sponsors as well.

Uh last week, we, of course, met with our new economic development director, Beto Yarte, and as you know, he was confirmed, or he'll go to full council, and so I was happy to vote yes on that confirmation.

Uh this week at King County Board of Health meeting, we'll have it on this Thursday.

We'll have briefings on the public health sale, King County prep for the FIFA men's World Cup.

The impact of inequitable access to massage licensure on workers in public safety presented by the Massage Parlor Organizing Project.

The overdose prevention and response report and progress and innovation in HIV STI control.

I don't know who else who else here is on Board of Health.

You're on there.

It's just you and I, and you okay.

So you you two you two will be carrying the weight on that one.

I'm just gonna sit back and watch.

Um so that's what I got going on, and that's it, Council President.

Is there anything else you need of me?

Is there any questions for Council Member War?

Seeing none.

All right.

Passing the towards Council Member Rivera.

We're clear.

Going to the right.

Is that okay?

We can go to the left.

I'm sorry, no matter what.

I remember Saka.

Let's go.

All right.

It's banging.

Good afternoon, colleagues.

And the transportation uh waterfront and Seattle Center Committee, informally known as Steps.

Coming, our next meeting is gonna be on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.

Uh, as always, we have a very packed and robust agenda.

The first thing we're gonna hear is uh a community panel talking about the urgent opportunity we have to renovate the Seattle Center once and for all.

Members of the community, uh, along with Acting Director Ingstrom are gonna talk about the need there, the imperative, frankly.

Uh next, moving on, we're gonna we're gonna hear and consider impossible vote on a new joint mayoral council proclamation affirming our city's commitment to uh to modernize and upgrade, and and once and for all address the decades-long uh capital maintenance and renovation needs at Seattle Center.

See the the title of the agenda for the official language there um for those that care about official language.

Uh and we're also it also, among other things, uh establishes that by 2027 or earlier we will renovate the center.

The third item on the agenda for next week is or excuse me, next steps meeting on Thursday.

Uh, we're gonna hear an update from our executive departments uh on unpermitted street vending.

I know that's been a topic of discussion for uh a lot of you, a lot of the small businesses and your communities.

Um, and so we're gonna hear an update.

There's been an interdepartmental team coordinated and convened, comprised of multiple stakeholders from SDOT and parks and fire and our King County Public Health, and so we're gonna hear from a few of those on Thursday.

Fourth and finally is a briefing discussion and possible vote on the U Alley Street vacation that we heard at last committee.

Uh so again, very stacked, robust agenda.

Really looking forward to it.

A few highlights from the community.

I'll share that uh on Saturday.

Was delighted to join the mayor in partnership with community, more specifically the African Community Housing and Development organization, as they launched this year's Delrige Farmers Market at a brand new location in High Point.

Uh, so we participated in the ribbon cutting for that, really important milestone because, as we know, colleagues, you know, this council has done a lot to expand food access and address food deserts, including through by expanding our farmers' markets or resources for farmers' markets and providing culturally relevant food for communities that need it the most.

So honored to be able to participate in this on Saturday.

Been very active in community over the last since the last time we've we've talked uh at this table in this forum, but I'll just share one other one other thing that's been on my mind uh in my heart as well.

So a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of joining the West Seattle baseball community at the Pee Wee Playfields in West Seattle at the lower Pee Wee play fields, because we did something that I think was really cool.

We uh we held a flag raising ceremony down there at the fields because they had a 30-foot flagpole that has been empty and bare for three four years, and they wanted an American flag there, like has always been there, and they asked me in my office for some support, and I happen to have a few American flags lying around.

I proudly fly one in my own home.

Uh and right next to a black lives matter flag.

So join the president of West Seattle baseball, and we participated in the flag raising ceremony, uh, and we talked about the importance of the flag and what it means to community.

I shared that from my perspective as a veteran uh who has fought for people's right to freedom of speech, and we're having these necessary and I think appropriate conversations around the country and around the region, even, around what the flag means exactly, it's continued significance and importance or relative significance and importance uh in our country.

And for me, you know, I share that, and I think this is important because Memorial Day is coming up next week.

We won't be here at this table because of a federal holiday and memorial day, but a lot of people fought and died for that flag.

A lot of brave men and women people fought and died for that flag.

And the reason why we're able to have these really important and complex and nuanced policy discussions around what the flag even means to begin with, is because of that fact.

A lot of people sacrifice a lot for the flag.

And I read in the Seattle Times in the last week or so, uh, there's a a call to action or a call for comments on.

Are we gonna be cheering?

Is anyone even gonna be cheering for team USA in in the upcoming World Cup?

Well, I will be personally, uh, and I will be continuing to raise my American flag and and proud of it.

Um, and the flag is something where again a lot of people fought and died for our flag in our country, and I respect everyone's right to to view the flag and whatever way that is meaningful to them.

Um patriotism and love for our country is something that I don't think should ever be politicized.

I'm gonna paraphrase the the great, the late great Mark Twain who said something along the lines of loyalty to the country always, loyalty to the government only when it is earned, and I personally, um, and I think we all are outraged by the actions of the current federal government.

But the flag itself is something that I will continue to hold near and dear to me, and I think is important that we continue to remember symbols that should have historically always and should forever unite us.

Uh and the flag is one of those for me.

That is all I have.

Welcome any questions, comments, and if not, I will pass the baton if we're keeping going left.

Wonderful.

Well, good afternoon, everyone.

I'll start with full counsel at the last land use committee meeting.

I, you know, colleagues were not ready to vote on my amendment about neighborhoods within shelters, and so I held it back to do something I hate doing, which is bringing an amendment to full council.

Yet here I am because that time did allow for more collaboration, more conversation, it's in a better place than it was before.

It is the same amendment that I would have verbally amended.

So it requires neighborhoods of 50 units, or by director's rule up to 75, but it does take out the requirement for controlled access, despite it being a really good idea, and so this allows for it to occur without the burdensome requirements.

And so, if anyone's got questions about that amendment, would love to chat with you, would love to earn your support.

Um moving on to finance native communities and tribal governments.

We had a special meeting of the Finance Native Communities and Tribal Governments Committee last Friday because this week I was supposed to be on a sister city delegation trip to Chongqing, China that I am not on because of the work that's occurring at Sound Transit and the need for me to be here present and advocating on behalf of all of us.

And so that's why there was a committee last week and not this week.

So this week's committee, tomorrow's committee is canceled.

In last week's committee meeting, we recommended the confirmation of Dwight Dively as finance director, and we were briefed on the 2025 exceptions as well as the 2026 carry forward ordinances, which will be briefed and voted on in the committee again in the future.

So again, this committee meeting is canceled this Wednesday, and Dwight I believe's confirmation will go to next week's full council meeting because last Friday's committee meeting was after the Thursday deadline to move to this following week.

So on Sound Transit, thank you to Councilmembers Rink and Saka for coming to Sound Transit to testify.

Councilmember Warz, thank you for all your good work and your good words.

Always appreciate you right there.

I continue to fight for Sound Transit to deliver the right way.

That's Graham Street.

That is even Boeing Access Road, even though it's not in our area in our North King sub area technically, and it is getting all the way to Ballard, and that means construction dollars on top of just design dollars.

We are ever grateful that there are now design dollars, but it's the base minimum.

Last week I hosted a community conversation about the future of light rail in Ballard.

Thank you to Council Member Kettle for coming.

Thank you to Councilmember Jorge Barone.

We had Senator Noel Frame, Representative Liz Berry, Representative Julie Reed, as well as Sound Transit staff there.

What I was just struck by was how powerful that delegation is, not necessarily in direct power, but just all together, all of us sitting up there united to say to Sound Transit you need to deliver light rail to Ballard as you promised voters.

So where we are right now is we have had two executive meetings on the chair's proposal at Sound Transit.

We will not be having another executive meeting.

We will be going straight to the full Sound Transit board on May 28th.

There are some amendments that I'm working on with Mayor Wilson, some amendments that I'm working on with North King colleagues.

There's a few amendments that I'm bringing by myself.

If you all have amendments that you think should be brought, we are past the concepts deadline, but I'm still here to work with you to see what I can do, right?

Um so con the amendments have to be done this Friday and they will be published early next week for the public to view.

So again, I'm continuing to work on those proposals, and thank you again for testifying.

If anyone would like to, I highly encourage coming down to testify on May 28th.

It is at 1 30 p.m., just let me know and we'll have staff support you there.

Out in district six, we had the 17th of May sitting in my parade yesterday where we had former Prime Minister Ernest Solberg from Norway as our grand marshal.

You know, as we all know, a prime minister is essentially the president in many different ways, and so it was amazing to get to spend so much time with Erna, who can just as easily speak to one another as if we're just two people on the street and at the same time be able to speak about the importance of NATO and how Norway's intelligence efforts track Russian submarines that are not pointed at Norway, they're pointed at us, and that's the importance of that relationship.

The office I also had office hours last week, I'll have office hours again this week.

Uh just FYI, our sign-up link is broken, and so my team is manually signing people up for office hours right now.

So if you've been waiting, that's what's going on, and we're excited to see you for office hours again this week.

Chair, that is my uh my report.

Any questions?

I have questions, Councilmember Wars.

Hey, Councilmember Strauss, I know that you and I have a long history about Sound Transit, and when we passed the was it Sound Transit 3?

In 2016.

Okay, and can you just remind me?

Because I remember in the original plan, it was supposed to go through Ballard, then we moved it over a street.

So where is the tension right now that they're gonna kick it out to 20, 20 what year?

Yeah, and that's I mean, so originally it was the West Seattle Ballard link extension.

Right.

There were three components in that one plan.

There was the West Seattle extension from Soto to the junction.

There was Soto to Denny essentially, which is a regionally contributed to downtown tunnel.

There's Denny to Ballard, which is all again North King.

Right.

So if you think about it in this way, there's the West Seattle segment, there's the downtown tunnel segment, and then there's the Ballard segment.

Where we are today is there's funding for the West Seattle segment.

There's funding for the downtown tunnel to Seattle Center, and there's no construction funding from Seattle Center to Ballard, including Smith Cove and Dravis Street stations.

So I'm not trying to be provocative, but um help me out here because I remember sitting on Sound Transit for a couple years.

Um wasn't the the link for Ballard less expensive than the link to West Seattle?

When you look at the engineering piece, when you look at ridership especially, there was a lot more conversation many years ago about where should that alignment be between Soto and West Seattle.

No offense, West Seattle took longer to get to their final alignment than Ballard did.

We all knew where we wanted it here, right?

So but that that's all in the past.

They split the EIS off so that West Seattle is moving faster, further faster.

And where we are though is that the ridership numbers, so ridership to dollar construction dollars, the Ballard Link extension has the highest ridership out of any line that that Sound Transit's worked on.

Now, at last week's executive committee, Sound Transit tried to provide data to show that the stations of Smith Cove Inter Bay and Ballard only represented about 40 to 45,000 riders, and that information was wholly inaccurate.

It was so inaccurate that I asked a number of follow-up questions, which proved the point that they were providing information that was not based in reality.

When Councilmember Saka brought Sound Transit to the Seattle City Council, they came and they spoke to us, and they sh spoke to us about the fact that it takes them six to nine, possibly twelve months, to update our zoning changes through PSRC into Sound Transit's database.

And so there are two potentially three different up zones that have occurred in Ballard and Inner Bay that have not been taken into account in their math, and it's potential that they haven't taken into account any of the increased zoning since 2016.

Okay, so without getting too much more in the weeds, um on the 28th, are you do we come to talk to you about um talking points to provide public comment to support the Ballard line?

You know, I'd always love your support and what I shared with Councilmember Rink and Councilmember Saka last week is tell me what's most important to you, and I will help you craft the talking points that best support your position.

And I really you know, Councilmember Saka, I said to you after the committee spot on, you did great.

Same thing with you, Councilmember Rink.

I think it's really important that the Sound Transit Board hears that we're engaged, especially because we are the closest city, like we're the closest city hall to the Sound Transit Board, right?

And every other board member has to travel far and far and wide to get there, it's just down the street for us.

So it's always helpful to have our voice heard.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Strauss.

Uh, and now we're off to Councilmember Kettle.

Thank you, Council President.

I'm uh, you know, I'll speak to flags later.

Uh but I I wasn't expecting Norwegian intelligence coming up.

Talking about uh, you know, Soviet slash uh Russian uh submarines and other things.

Um heard me almost call them a Soviet sub, didn't you?

Yeah.

Although at the Prague, uh Bs and I think you know.

Um so I wasn't expecting that.

But if you'd like to speak about anything along those lines, come down to my office.

Um in an unclassified setting, I should add.

I don't want to get myself in trouble.

Uh this week, actually, first uh public safety committee.

Our next, we don't have it this week.

Public safety will be next week, and uh we'll have OEM uh leading this along with other representation.

Uh basically seeing where we are from like emergency ops center for FIFA World Cup uh using FIFA World Cup to kind of highlight the work that OEM does on this uh on this stage and and other related kind of uh circumstances, and so that will be the you know the uh the focus of next week's uh public safety committee meeting.

Uh for this week, uh, you know, different uh things uh coming up.

I just wanted to note uh today, this morning I was at a data center or data center for those who say data, um here in downtown Seattle.

Um really important.

It was a great uh tour to go on.

It gives you some uh some uh some context in terms of the current state of play and what they do and who they support.

Um some really uh good points there with that.

Um and speaking of technology, I'll be at the state of technology luncheon tomorrow here again downtown, and then also this week, uh Wednesday and Thursday, Friday.

Uh I do this on a regular basis in terms of the nine entities that come to my committee.

So I'll be meeting with uh presiding judge Crawford Willis tomorrow, then also with you know Chiefs uh Bard and Barnes the next day um, you know, checking in with the uh the various departments that report to my community uh committee.

Um and then uh also on Thursday um we'll have Condo Connect meeting with community.

Uh so condo connect is a big one uh for district seven.

As you know, there's a lot of condos in District 7.

And uh, so it's a good opportunity to have a constituent meeting with them.

Um and then uh so that's this week.

Next week, um, this kind of goes to what uh Councilmember Saka uh was speaking to on Monday's Memorial Day.

And so I will be uh speaking at the ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance, and uh and this will be very poignant because they've basically we're adding a name to the wall.

Unfortunately, uh we lost someone during the Iran War uh and that name is being added uh next Monday.

Um and it would be um honored uh on that day, and I will be giving a speech uh there at the um garden remembrance, which is right next to Benroyal Hall for those that don't know.

And that will be at 10 a.m.

Also uh mentioned public safety committee meeting the following day on Tuesday.

Um, got Habitat for Humanity luncheon uh middle of that week.

I'm uh even though I've been bumped like some others, I've been bumped off PSRC's uh committees, but I'm going to their um General Assembly uh luncheon meeting uh because I've been there for the last couple years with my colleague council member Saka and uh I didn't I don't want to leave you hanging, so I'll be there even though I'm not on the executive committee with the transportation policy board or the ad hoc committees and all these different things that uh Josh Brown has me working on, uh had me working on PSRC.

And then um I also wanted to note um you know from last week um a couple things.

Uh one, I had a very good meeting at McDonald's at Third and Pine uh talking about the challenges that are there.

I had uh King County Councilmember Rod Domikowski was there along with uh reps from uh King County Council member uh Mescada's office as well talking about the issues um that are being faced at that location and across the city and uh one thing that came out of that is what can we do in terms of better city county uh coordination and you know and working in terms of our capacities to bring you know solutions to some of our challenges and um and then later that day I was at the uh the Ballard uh the Sound Transit Um Town Hall, and um it is the Ballard Link extension, but I you know it's good to note that it's the downtown South Lake Union, Uptown Inner Bay Ballard Lake Extension, and um and I've been speaking to this, and since I've already mentioned PSRC, so everybody knows my talking points.

We have the state through the Puget Sound Regional Center through the Complan process, having us create a Ballard Regional Center on one hand, so we're densifying.

Then the state through Sound Transit 3, on the other hand, is taking away essentially, for those different reasons, but at the end of the day, but taking away the transportation, the you know the transit, the public transit option to get there.

As everyone knows at this table, land use and transportation are two sides of the same coin.

There is a disconnect that's happening, and it's really unfortunate.

And a point that I made at the town hall too is that, and one reason why I said all those different locations, because right now the you know the kind of the thought at Sound Transit is oh, we'll just go to Seattle Center.

Well, that's a problem because you can't do connection between light rail and buses, King County Metro buses in Seattle Center, uptown.

It's impossible, it's too dense.

So I don't know who was thinking that through.

Uh at a minimum, at a minimum, Smith Cove, but in a lot of ways, Dravis, if we're not going all the way to Ballard.

You know, if you want to have a healthy connection between two parts of um transit, Seattle Center/slash uptown is not the place to do it.

In fact, you can't do it.

So don't even try.

Um, and then the last thing that I've been saying on this topic, and I'll say it here with my public safety hat on, is I do not like the fact that they decided they they want to burrow the tunnel underneath the emergency op center and the fire alarm center.

You know, and plus making a decision when OEM and fire were there, but then the they were told to leave, and then when OEM and fire come back, next thing you know, oh the decision's already been made.

That's not good governance.

So, so there's some serious issues here.

Bottom line is, and I think my colleague, council member Strauss, because by the way, fantastic job, you know, running that town hall, being on top of every detail detail related to Sound Transit 3, um, is the fact that you know getting the planning done is so important because if we don't have that planning done, um that's gonna be a problem, like if if something happens in terms of possibilities with federal funding and so forth.

So we have to have that, you know, the uh you know, this you know, the planning done completely for the line.

And um I know I just sound transit took me off a little longer than I anticipated, sorry.

Um, but uh you know, also last week it was great.

I had MLK labor um uh visit, we had a tour, and then uh the Pacific Science Center luncheon uh with um uh director uh uh Will Doherty, who's uh stepping down, know it's a great event.

And um the last thing I'll just say is um to Councilmember Saka's point about the flag.

I 110% agree with you, Councilmember Saka.

It's so important to um, you know, as uh as uh President Obama said it's not about you know red America white, the red, white, and blue of America, and that's what our flag represents.

So thank you for bringing that up.

Sorry, Council President uh Sound Transit got me uh sidetracked for a second.

You're good.

I'll just start because I know I usually go last, but we're there's no order, we'll just go.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um, okay, so next, uh, and thank you for that.

Uh Councilmember Kettle.

I just want to note for the record that when Councilmember Sock was talking about flags, you remain calm and you know, still, and then when Councilmember Strauss started talking about intelligence and all he was like, eyes go wide, he's looking at me like yeah.

So I just I just want to just wanted to point that out.

Just a bit of a surprise, that's all.

He looked at me, he just looked over and was like, did he say intelligence and submarine?

That got Bob going.

I just wanted to throw it out there.

So anyway, that was really funny.

Okay, so uh the next governance and utilities committee meeting is gonna be Thursday, June 11th at 9 30.

Colleagues, what's coming before you today or tomorrow are two appointments from the Seattle Public Utilities, uh customer review panel, the reappointment of General Manager Andrew Lee as well, and then SPU Flood uh district um that we voted out of uh committee.

We also voted out the storm code as well, so the new stormwater code, it is very wonky, it's a lot.

So we are um we're going to have that at the June 2nd meeting because I know there was council members that wanted to understand it to absorb it, because it's a lot, trust me.

Um, and I know um if you need to talk to central staff just to kind of get abreast of what's going on, but it's a big uh major code, and we still want to work with some groups that so they can have an understanding um as well regarding the stormwater code just to make sure that there's you know good knowledge all going around so just know that those three pieces of items are coming to council tomorrow except the stormwater code will be June the second okay um also external committees I want to thank I don't I think I might have said this before but thank everyone for signing on to the letter to King County regarding our our wastewater rates uh working with council member Lynn on that and the mayor's office so really appreciate you all signing on to that um and actually I don't have anything else really appreciate the conversation about the flag and understanding the importance of it and thinking about a lot of people died for the flag uh for our country and then people that within the United States died for what the flag could be and the rolling back of our voters um civil rights act of 61 years and there are people that died for the right to vote and have died for the right for what that flag could be and so really grateful for our armed services who died for protecting this country and then the people that inside this country died for what they thought the flag could be and how we are um how we are navigating that because this weekend there was a beautiful movement in uh Montgomery Alabama and thousands of people showing their protest of um the redistricting of our South and how there are amazing representatives that um could not have a seat anymore.

We think about some of those representative Clyburn South Carolina so anyways um I know that's on the top of people's mind thinking about all those things and we have a lot to move forward uh in this country so anyways but really appreciate um the service folks on this council council member Saka and Councilmember Kettle for your service I'm I won't say if the Navy's better than the Air Force okay I'm not here to battle um but but I but I yes but I just want to say just really appreciate you all because I've I've learned a lot from when you all talk about your service the dedication that you all have then Bob's still the intelligence guy okay he's still he can tell if you're lying or not he's looking at are you twitching are your eyes up and down like what's going on but then um okay I'm sorry that's not what I was supposed to say and then council council member Sokka for your your dedication uh in the Air Force um and all that you sacrificed so really grateful for for both and serving with both of y'all in this capacity I think I speak for everyone and say we're grateful to serve with you in this this new capacity of service council member Saka my pleasure first off council president I just want to thank you for uh for you know telling the complete picture of of service and sacrifice and what it means um in this country from a you know from a foreign policy perspective and from a domestic policy perspective and and how those two things uh interrelate and how there are some tremendous things to be proud of and how uh we still have a long way to go um in achieving the the true uh realizing the true values that our flag symbolizes and um because we haven't always lived up to our our nation's ideals uh and it's it's very clear from my perspective and a lot of people's perspective uh but one thing that I am I am I am proud of of this country the progress that we've made as a country um and and better closing the gap between our stated values and people's everyday lived experiences in this country uh doesn't mean we don't have plenty more work to do, as evidenced by you know the Montgomery uh rallies and elsewhere around around the nation and even in our own city.

Um, one quick anecdote I'll share uh because I think this is important, this is an important conversation is that um, you know, a friend and mentor of mine, legendary gentleman, African American gentleman named Dr.

Robert Bradford, uh, is almost a hundred years old.

Uh World War II veteran, lives in Bell Town, drives a Tesla.

This person is the most interesting person in the world.

I don't care about the Dosa Keys guy.

It's Dr.

Rafford in my book every time.

Uh, but Dr.

Radford was telling me a story uh in his service in World War II, how there were certain German prisoners of war in World War II who he had to ride the same train as them domestically in the United States, and when the German prisoners of war on that same train were able to sit and have appropriate accommodations.

All the black service members who fought for this country and the ideals that it represented, they were forced to stand in the same train with German prisoners of war.

Shameful.

Uh we we clearly have a lot of work to do.

We've made some great progress.

Thank you for all as I say, thank you for helping um illuminate the complete picture.

And I'm still proud of the progress, mindful, always more work to do.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Saka.

Councilmember Foster, and then we'll keep going down the line.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, and thank you for that, Councilmember Saka.

Um, and when I was listening to you, it made me think about all of the folks who served and then came home and couldn't get a VA loan to get into homeownership, and how so much of that is what we are still trying to rectify today when we think about um access, the ability to build wealth for generations.

Um, so anyways, thank you.

Thank you for sharing that.

Uh, both of my parents were in the army, and um, service has been, I think, for a lot of black folks in this country, especially black people from the south.

My family, my mom's side's from Virginia, um, a way to get a pathway into economic opportunity, which is very complicated, I would say, because I think uh, we won't get into that.

I'm I don't got um I don't want to say anything, but but it's very complicated.

It's been both a pathway into economic opportunity, and it's also meant um not having access in fairness historically to things that were available to all service members, as well as you know what it means when we think about the what people some people would say the overrecruiting in some of our communities.

So there's so much complexity and richness there, and I just appreciate you um speaking to that.

So thank you, Councilmember Saka.

Um, all right, committee work.

Um, so colleagues, uh, tomorrow there's gonna be a few pieces of legislation in front of us that our office has been um working on and sponsoring.

Um, we will have the opportunity to vote on creating the Hillman City Arts District as well as the Georgetown Arts District.

So we are excited to bring those forward to full council.

Um really exciting work there.

Um, I know uh Councilmember Strauss already spoke to this.

We will also be voting on the shelters legislation, and I appreciate the work that has been done in committee and in particular the partnership from you, Councilmember Lynn, as as chair of the committee, and the relationship and the work that the mayor's office did in sending this legislation down early.

Really excited to bring this across the finish line tomorrow.

I know we do have a couple of amendments that are coming to full council, so maybe we'll have a longer day tomorrow, but looking forward to some robust discussion on getting those finalized.

Um, one update from our housing committee last week we brought forward as a discussion item, something that my office has been working on for the last several months, which are updates mostly technical in nature to the Seattle Social Housing Development Charter that are targeted at ensuring that the developer can use their existing, or excuse me, once they have uh acquired or built buildings, that those buildings can be used as collateral.

Um that's really important as you're thinking about the ability to secure any additional financing.

It's again primarily a technical change.

So we briefed on that in committee last week, and we look forward to discussion in the coming weeks.

There is a lot of work that went into this potential change, and given the way that the developer is structured as well as the recent votes by the public.

There's a very technical process that we need to take in order to amend the charter that my office has been closely following.

So I appreciate the work that we will do in the next few weeks in committee to ensure that we adhere to that.

And colleagues, if you have questions, my office is available to answer those.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster, Councilmember Lynn, followed by Councilmember Frank.

We just keep going.

All right.

Thank you all.

Councilmember Shalles, just on the thank you for your leadership on the Sound Transit Board, and thank you to the to colleagues and who have been fighting for everything that was promised to voters, including the Gramps station, likely will be appearing on the 28th to testify in favor of keeping uh that alive.

We previously had scheduled a land use committee meeting, but we rescheduled that um given that conflict, and so many people I think uh will want to be at that uh Sound Transit uh meeting.

Um also just want to point out May is um Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander month.

Um, and so just did an office proclamation uh over the weekend.

There was a um walk for rice event uh for ACRS Asian counseling referral service, so um honored them and all the service they provide uh to our community.

Um coming up this week in the land use committee got quite a few things.

We've got um uh the data center moratorium, um council president Hollingsworth, I believe you're co-sponsoring uh that, which is great.

Thank you for that.

And just want to again note for the record, we're um it's not we're really focused on the mega data centers.

Uh, we do have a lot of smaller data centers that are existing plan to uh check some of them out in person as well.

Um, but this is really um based uh focused on on the interest in in these much larger data centers that um are being proposed.

We also have housing opportunities legislation um coming up, and uh we also have some CEPA legislation coming up that'll be introduced and um this is focused on um council legislation uh or legislative acts and um uh CEPA appeals to the hearing examiner.

So there will um if uh what we will be discussing is um removing the appeals to the hearing examiner, which um often just results in significant delays to legislation uh as we have seen in the past.

Um we don't see other types of legislation having these types of appeals.

We don't appeal our budget to the hearing examiner.

Um, you know, these uh type things like our comp plan um affect our entire city um and you know uh all of our residents and for a single resident to be able to cause delay of several months, um just uh oftentimes uh without any change uh to that legislation.

Um, you know, uh it's something that I think is worth taking a look at.

So that will be on the agenda for uh for Wednesday as well.

Um as mentioned uh already, we'll we'll have the shelter legislation coming up, uh, with a couple of minutes and look forward to that discussion.

Any if anybody has any questions?

Uh happy to to field them.

Otherwise, thank you.

Um I have a question, Councilmember Lynn, just on that CEPA appeals.

Are you saying you're gonna we would eliminate CEPA appeals altogether?

Or would someone else like a different body be I'm just trying to understand?

Yeah, it would be appeals of um legislative acts um, and it would remove the hearing examiner.

So many other jurisdictions do not um it's sort of a voluntary process that we do, it's not required um to allow somebody to go to the hearing examiner first.

Um they will still have an appeal to court, um, but this would remove it only for legislative acts.

So there's lots of other uh CEPA appeal processes that um people will still continue to have that appeal to the hearing examiner.

But so this last uh last time, and there are still uh appeals going on of our comp plan.

Um so last year you might recall um there were appeals of the uh environmental review of the comp plan.

Um they were dismissed, um, and then now they're being appealed to to court.

Um so that stop at the hearing examiner would be removed if this uh that's what the proposal is.

And then they would still they can still go to the courts.

Correct, they could still go to court.

Thank you for the clarification.

I have a question too.

So I understand that I actually like hearing examiners get it's a buffer in there that lets them do the fact finding where we we don't we're not in a quasi-judicial position.

Right, which I appreciated when we did the lid in the waterfront because we had like 68 lawsuits.

But let me ask you this.

So, and we can talk more offline.

When you say just limited to legislative, can you give an example?

Like what is the legislative that would come out of this branch where we would skip hearing examiner and go to King County Superior Court?

So, again, our comprehensive plan um is a legislative, so you know there's lots of uh permits that SDCI does um that are non-legislative just for you know some project.

Um, you know, maybe in the future we might have uh a data center regulation that uh, you know, there could be uh a permit that would have a CEPA appeal.

Um, but for legislative acts, so rezones uh the comprehensive plan, those are legislative in nature, those uh CEPA appeals would not go to the hearing examiner.

We are acting in a legislative capacity in those cases, like our comp plan, so not a quasi-judicial capacity.

Um, those would not go to the hearing examiner first um before it count came to council.

It would just come to council, and then if there's appeal, it would go straight to court.

So would the action that we take be told while it's pending in King County Superior Court?

I do not believe so, but we should uh getting get a briefing uh from the law department on on that effect.

Yeah, because that will I mean their docket.

I mean, that's why you like a hearing exam, you can get it done quicker.

But if you let them go to court, we don't I mean it's it's all up to how many cases are there, and it could sit there for a year.

Right.

So I I yeah, I don't believe I think it would be effective, um, unless it was overturned.

Um so but you know, the the currently with the hearing examiner, there's just built-in delays um and we're not able to take action.

This would allow us to take action, and then um, but again we'll we'll hear from the law department uh on the effect uh of an appeal, but uh I don't believe that would uh put it on hold.

Okay, thank you.

Yeah, and toward that point, I also want to hear more about the delays piece because I know last year the hearing examiner heard that fairly quickly and and um actually um, you know, issued their decision to dismiss very quickly.

So I would love to hear more about if we're gonna take something off the table, the unintended consequences and impacts to the body and to the constituency as well, and hear more about the hearing examiner and their thoughts around this as well.

Absolutely.

These are great questions.

So I look forward to uh engaging with uh no, they they are they are good questions, and they they are good questions and uh certainly uh if you're able to join on Wednesday or if not uh and again we should get a briefing from the law department as well.

Yeah, it's quite possible that we'll need to schedule an executive session uh uh for that at some point.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Lynn hit you with that nice email, and I look forward to our discussion.

Councilman Councilmember Rink.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, I'll be brief.

Uh this past Friday at the Human Services Labor and Economic Development Committee meeting.

Uh we voted voted unanimously to recommend acting OED director, Beto Yarse to be confirmed.

Uh, I think committee members know this.

Beto is a gem, and we are really excited.

Uh I'm particularly excited for the whole body to vote on his appointment.

And at that same committee meeting, we also voted unanimously to recommend the passage of the resolution co-authored by myself and council member Foster on next steps with KCRHA.

I want to thank Councilmember Foster for her leadership and partnership throughout this process, and I thank you to Councilmember Kettle as well as an alternate to KCRHA's governance board and his attention and thought partnership through this process, and a huge thank you to my committee colleagues for your deep engagement and really thoughtful questions.

Your leadership in this moment matters, and I I thank you for that.

We're gonna continue to be in close coordination with Council King County Council members Baron and Fain, who introduced a similar resolution that worked its way through King County Council and continue our work as well with uh the mayor's office and King County execs office to make sure that we are handling this situation with diligence and good governance um as we move forward.

The next meeting of the KCRHA governing board is this coming Friday.

Um, and we will be sure to provide updates at the following briefing about how that meeting goes.

Um Councilmember Buarez already covered what's happening at Board of Health this week, so thank you for that.

Um you'll be we'll be we got it covered.

Um my updates are brief today.

So we've got uh I just wanted to highlight uh two community events over the the past week on uh Saturday or Saturday, what day is it?

Nope, Sunday, I'm kidding.

Um I joined um alongside uh Councilmember Foster at the 16th annual Pioneer Square Spring Clean event in preparation for FIFA.

Um it was really great, really great turn.

I think we had over a hundred folks turn out.

I got to pick up a fair amount of traffic trash, a lot of folks did, and so um really fantastic work and huge shout out to Pioneer Square Alliance uh for their work pulling that whole event together.

Um and then I also got to head out yesterday to District 6 to join first and to attend to my and um see Councilmember Strauss in his element and uh march alongside them for a little bit.

Um I will uh note for the record that they should absolutely allow you to write a skateboard again in the parade, and it is a darn shame that they don't allow that anymore.

With that, I will end my updates there.

Thank you all.

Awesome.

Any questions for Councilmember Rink?

Awesome.

Sorry, no questions, just a quick and I know we saw Councilmember Saka's office there yesterday and Pioneer Square as well.

So we I got to see some of your staff, so thanks for having folks up.

Councilmember Rivera.

All right, um, last rounding up the back here.

Um thank you for your comment uh your update, Councilmember Rink on KCRHA.

I look forward to seeing what comes out of that.

I know that the King County and we're trying to stay aligned and and I agree with staying aligned and want to hear um what direction that's taken.

I will say I um drafted a resolution to um that's just um waiting if we should need it, um, to calling for the dissolution of KCRHA and the time um and asking for a plan for how we would um unravel that uh because the work absolutely has to get done, and I know our providers have been doing the work the way as it was structured, though KCRHA, it didn't work the way everyone initially intended to everyone's intent was well placed.

Um it just didn't um work out the way everyone had hoped.

I'll say it like that.

So I'm looking forward to how we go, you know, how we how we take care of this situation with KCRHA.

It is a serious one, and one that we need to take um, you know, with uh great responsibility.

Um so looking forward to more to come on that.

Um, all right.

I will say at the district, um there were arrests made both in Q's um uh uh killing of Q in our district.

And I know council member um Juarez, you were able to go to the memorial on Saturday.

I was unable to be there, so thank you for for being there on behalf um of the council and um uh Lake City.

It's it was my side of Lake City, and we share Lake City, and I so appreciate your partnership and you being there to memorize.

We're good friends with the people that own Growler, yes.

And so I was at the memorial.

Um, and I think I share the information with you and Councilmember Strauss, if you have council President.

Yeah, yeah.

Thank you for that.

And um, so I know like folks who are gathered.

Yeah, a lot of um he went to Nathan Hale.

My kids went to Nathan Hale, so there was a lot of crossover of all these young young kids and Councilmember, I think your mic is on or you're not just across.

I just want to quickly say what you said, Customer Rivera, because we talked um at the memorial.

Uh he's 20 years old, um Nathan Hill graduate.

Um my kids went to school, uh, all of them all connected, they all knew each other.

It was um you know, it was um it it just you know, the gun violence, all that, just but the good thing was there is so many good people that showed up and music and musicians and um all the local uh breweries and restaurants, all their staff showed up and their volunteers behind the bar, so people could actually who work there could celebrate Q's life with the pictures and the QR, I think I sent you the QR code and uh raising money for the family.

And you know, it well, we also had you know a robbery at Walgreens, and then there's two more shootings at Greenwood, so I could go on and on, but anyway, I'll just leave it at that, but thank you.

Yeah, thank you.

Um a very young life gone way too soon.

Um, and then also Juniper blessing, also from the district UW student um arrest was made, and um, and there is well.

Sorry, this is young people, the the violence in the city, as you all know, colleagues.

I just um and I know we all feel this way, it's it's it's too much.

Um, and so uh wanted to uh raise that arrests were made in both those cases, and um I really want to shout out the UW police and SPD in the case of Juniper who worked together.

That is a strong partnership, and I so appreciate that.

Also wanna call out UW.

I met with them last week, and I know that they have counselors ready to support their students, um, and I really appreciate them for their efforts to make sure that their students have access to counseling supports during this very difficult time for um the UW community.

Um, all right, uh, and I will say actually, in both those um incidents, there were security cameras that caught um footage whereby SPD was able to make arrests.

So again, to the conversation of cameras.

I know it's a difficult conversation, and it is true that they're also helpful when we're trying to investigate crime um and uh and or make arrests, so I'll just leave it at there in terms of that.

Um seems like we have a lot of confirmations tomorrow.

We have um uh department of neighborhoods, acting director Quinn Pham, who um was uh her confirmation was voted out of committee and it's coming before us tomorrow, so looking forward to having us vote to confirm her.

Really um, I've really enjoyed getting to work with her since she's been at the city, and I really as you know colleagues very much appreciate the department of neighborhoods work.

Um, so looking forward to that.

Um I also want to say, in terms of the shelter legislation, appreciate um we've moved with urgency and and as we should um because we have folks living on the streets, and um we need to take care of all our folks in our city.

Um, I am bringing two pieces of legislative amendments to the legislation that I brought through committee and then pulled back because they needed additional work.

Thank you to council president for sponsoring that.

I don't sit on that committee, um, and I talked to some of the providers and some other folks, and um this is where I landed with both of these um uh amendments.

One is uh related to shelters close to schools.

Um, we do the state passed, which I didn't know at the time, 2266, which prohibits our uh ability to um uh be uh uh restrictive in terms of shelters near schools, but we are we are allowed to do, and this is what the amendment will do is we have the ability to have our SDCI director working with our HSD director and the provider that the tiny house village provider the ability to work together with the schools if they if there should be additional security um things that should be in place um to help set up the shelter for success um and this and the surrounding area for success near those schools that that can happen.

So that is not prohibitive, and the amendment just says that that please work together to make sure if there's additional safety measures that need to happen that need to be put in place that that can happen, working together, of course, between the city, the provider, and the school.

It just gives us the ability to make sure, as I keep saying, we want to set shelters up for success.

That is the ultimate goal.

Um, so that is one, and then the other amendment had to do with security.

Um talking with the providers uh in my district.

Security has been really important to them, um, and they provide security overnight, which then actually um their staff and their residents and the surrounding neighborhoods have all very much appreciated, and the providers have seen that doing that has actually been a great benefit, and it is a cost that is incurred, but they've seen a benefit to that cost that they've had to incur because we've seen positive outcomes from them being able to provide overnight security.

So guarding they have in this case, um it is a third-party security guard that's that's there, and it helps their staff even with other residents.

Um, it helps provide support to the staff when they're working with other residents within the the development housing, and it also helps with the outside folks that might be you know in the surrounding area that are trying to um take advantage of the residents that are in the housing, um, and and it helps safeguard staff.

So it's been really positive all the way around, and they've seen some positive improvement uh improvements by way of public safety, and I've met with residents who at the housing who appreciate having the security there.

So the um amendment doesn't say it has to be a third party, it's just it needs to be overnight security, it's not prescriptive on hours because the housing providers know which days of the week and which hours that are most helpful as they've engaged in providing security at the housing um developments that they oversee.

So it's not meant to be prescriptive, but it is meant to be supportive and again make sure that we're setting up these tiny house villages for success, and that is the ultimate goal of that as well.

So uh I it is my hope that you all support these amendments because they really are meant to ensure that the residents that are living there and the neighbors that are nearby are all um uh having success um with you know being good neighbors to each other at the end of the day.

So that's what really this is about.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

Um otherwise, I will also say that I attended last week's Mary's Place Annual Luncheon.

Mary's Place is an amazing organization.

I saw some of you there, colleagues, we weren't sitting at the same table, OPMA.

Um, but I know that we all very much support this incredible organization that provides shelter to women and their families, and it is a real resource and asset to our city, and I can't say enough about the amazing work that they do.

Um so I was very, very happy to participate with them.

Um, and then this week I have PSRC and WIRA 8 as my external committees.

And I think the last thing I'll say is I want to recognize our colleagues for your service, Councilmember Saka and Councilmember Saka.

And to all our city residents, men and women who've died serving to protect us.

And I can't say it better than you said, Councilmember Sakas, so I won't, but a plus one to what you said.

And that is it.

Happy to take any questions.

Colleagues, are there any questions for Council Member Rivera?

Councilmember Foster.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Rivera.

Excuse me.

Just a quick question.

I won't go into too much.

I'll save it for committee tomorrow.

But in regards to you mentioned that you had been communicating with some of the providers in your district who are already doing this kind of security coverage.

And could you clarify were those uh like permanent supportive housing providers, shelter providers or or both?

There are low income housing and permanent supportive housing providers where we've seen some security issues that the residents themselves have experienced, and also that so what I'm trying to say it's not just the neighbors surrounding the buildings, it's actually the residents also who bear the bigger brunt because they're living there.

So what security has been able to do in some instances, for instance, is if there are two residents having an issue, security security has been able to help them work those issues out rather than it you know they they've what they've experienced is less 911 calls and less incidents since they've instituted overnight security.

Um, and then like I said, they've done it in a way where um it works depending on days of the week and the particular permanent supportive housing versus low-income housing, but there are a lot of similar folks living in um uh in all of these um housing units, and I don't think it's dissimilar to the tiny house villages.

Um, and there is a tiny house village nearby and I think it has benefit everyone that's um lives nearby where they're they the providers have had security present because they're able to help, like I said, with the residents there with staff because it doesn't put staff in a position where they have to manage for public safety issues, and and then for the surrounding neighborhood.

So that's great.

It it really has had a huge improvement on the public safety side, and I think it's beneficial for everyone living there and everyone living near there.

Any other questions, Councilmember Foster?

No, I was just trying to figure out if it was um like multifamily buildings or if it was shelter or PSH or RVs, and it sounds like what I heard you say was low-income housing providers, and I think I gathered that they were serving.

And I think I gathered that they were serving clients in uh buildings, not in um tiny home villages.

I think that's what I gathered from your comments.

These particular providers in this particular location, but there is a tiny house village nearby who've dealt with public safety issues as well.

Okay.

Awesome.

Are there any more questions?

Okay, colleagues, is there any more business to come before the council briefing?

Just a quick reminder.

Uh, May 25th, the council briefing is canceled because it's memorial day.

Uh the following day we do have a public safety committee at 9.30 on the 26th, uh, but the full council meeting is canceled.

So there is a public safety meeting, the full council meeting is cancelled.

We will be back here full body on June the first for our council briefing, which will have a presentation from central staff about affordability and taxes and levies, all that good stuff, and then we'll have a full council meeting on June the second.

All right, but the council meeting for this Tuesday is still going, so we'll see everyone tomorrow.

And then just the heads up, you know, we have these council briefings every other week.

Um, June, July, and August are going to be jam-packed.

There are select committees.

There's a lot of legislation that is coming that's being transmitted.

There are things that we have to pass, there are timelines.

So we're gonna be gauging and doing temperature checks on giving back people their Monday time because there's a lot of work that is in committees.

So just wanted to state that for the public that if we need to sign proclamations, that we will do those at full council.

So that is something that we can do at full council for proclamations.

But understand that you know we're getting to this every other week, but we can reserve the right to cancel those to fill it in with uh a meeting or you know, other things.

I want that time to be flex and then to give it back to you all so you can work um and do and do all of the research that you all do uh during this process.

Is that cool?

Awesome.

Thank you all.

If there's no other agenda items, this meeting is adjourned.

It is 3 19 p.m.

Thank you.

Thank you.