Good afternoon.

The May 19th meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order.

It's 2 02.

My name is Joy Hollingsworth.

You're council president.

Will the court please call the roll?

Council Member Rivera.

Councilmember Saka.

Here.

Council Member Strauss.

Councilmember Foster.

Here.

Council Member Warez.

Councilmember Chattle.

Here.

Councilmember Lynn.

Here.

Councilmember Rink.

Present.

Council President Hogsworth.

Here.

Seven presents.

Will you call uh Councilmember Rivera one more time during roll call?

Oh yes, Councilmember Rivera.

Present.

Thank you.

Awesome.

And Councilmember War is excused until she gets here.

Colleagues, Councilmember Lynn and I have a proclamation today to present recognizing May 19th as state champion, state champion Rainer Beach Boys Basketball Day.

And we are so excited to have Coach Mike Bethia here and his wife Virginia.

For the record, Councilmember Warz is here.

Colleagues, Seattle has a very rich basketball culture here in our city.

And people might think it's obviously with the Sonics, it's with the Seattle Storm, the Huskies, Seattle U.

But we know that being from Seattle, that high school basketball is for me the pinnacle of the culture and the heart here in Seattle.

It's the center, it's the rich traditions, the gyms packed, the legendary coaches, the machine that has cultivated and has elevated basketball players to national attention.

And it has been a breeding ground of excellence.

And one of those reasons is for the incredible culture and history here in Seattle is because of Coach Mike Bethia.

And I want to, I know this is for the Rainer Beach Boys basketball team, but Coach Mike is the Rainer Beach Boys basketball team.

He's the culture, he's the heart.

I want to first by thanking Coach Mike and his wife Virginia for making their way down to City Hall.

Colleagues, I've had the wonderful opportunity of knowing Coach Mike for over 25 years since I was in high school.

And what I can say is he has state championships, he's coached the best of the best NBA players, division one athletes, everyday kids.

He's won ten titles for the state champion.

Ten titles.

And I asked him in my office.

I said, who comes close?

The closest person is five.

Okay.

So we're talking about amazingness here.

And he has coached MBA players, division one athletes every day.

Um but what I can tell you is that Coach Bethia is a really great man.

The way he leads with love, how he's connected to people, not just his players, but just the Rainer Beach community.

He understands that leadership is shared.

And you saw that with his coaching mentorship of some of his former players on the bench with Jamal Crawford and David King and all these players.

But someone who is very trusted in our community and who will literally take the shirt off his back to give someone.

He has fed players knowledge of the game and off the court skills in an environment where so many people have oftentimes written off a community.

But he knows how special Rayner Beach is, and we are so honored today as council members to present a proclamation for the boys' basketball team for the 12th state champion, no 11th state championship.

Under that, Coach Mike Bethia has 10 of those.

Okay.

Um and so you only get once in a lifetime to experience people as great as this coach.

Um and so we are so honored to present this proclamation.

I'm gonna pass it off to Coach Eddie Lynn, and then I'll open up for other council members who have uh words.

Uh Coach Coach Lynn.

Coach Lynn.

Did I say Coach Lynn?

I'm sorry.

Okay, that's why you I was like Coach Lynn.

I'm only a council member.

Council member Lynn, I'm sorry.

No, nowhere close to a coach like uh Coach Bethia, who has um just provided so much guidance to our young men.

Um really the pride of Rainier Beach.

Um, you know, you don't uh get 10 titles without incredible mentoring and hard work and uh the dedication of the team and the values of teamwork and uh just countless lives transformed.

Um so I just want to thank you and to Virginia as well uh for all your leadership in our community and uh so uh and to thank you to council president for uh helping to bring this forward.

Thank you, Coach Lynn.

I'm just like thank you, uh Councilmember Lynn for those for those comments and colleagues.

I know that we uh signed this yesterday and we had comments.

I'll open it up to see if anyone else would like to say uh anything else before we invite Coach uh Bethia up to the podium to say a few words.

Okay, awesome.

So we're gonna go ahead and so hearing no further comments, um the rules will be suspended so we can present the proclamation uh to our guests.

I won't read the proclamation um full, it is full of all great goodness declaring that um this day is uh May 19th as state champion Rayner Beach Boys Basketball Day, and so hearing no objection, Coach Mike would love for you to come up to say a few words and we'll present the proclamation for Coach Mike.

First of all, I just want to say uh thank you, just an extended thank you for the Vania Beach community for inviting us down.

We are really honored by it Coach Mike, talk talk right in the microphone.

You can pull it up too.

Can everybody hear me?

You can pull it up too, yeah.

Yeah, I just wanted to say uh just on behalf of the Rania Beach community, uh, just thank you for inviting us down here.

Uh, you know, the one thing, you know, it's one thing to coach basketball, but it's one thing to uh make a difference in in young people's lives, and you know, and that's that's the reason I do what I do.

Uh basketball is in and winning uh the championships are just a byproduct of that.

Uh my wife and I have made a a solid commitment to make a difference in the south end of Seattle.

And you know, the thing that that pleases me most, and uh the thing that I'm really honored by is I know everybody hears the Jamal Crawfords and the DeJounte Murray, Time and Stokes stories, and you know the list goes on and on.

But when I see people like this young man sitting right here to my right, who also came up in the Rainier Beach system, played under me.

Uh actually, I've been knowing him ever since he was uh six-year-old spending the night at my house.

Uh just uh Keith Wheeler, he's just uh just a phenomenal person.

And you know, the again, list goes on and on, and it's all about making a difference in these young men's lives.

It's all about showing them using basketball as a vehicle to take them where they want to go.

Uh NBA isn't for everybody.

Uh, but you know what?

You can use basketball to achieve what it is you want in life.

And so that is the uh that's my passion.

Uh that's the message I'll drive and until I uh step down from this thing, which is, you know, who knows.

But um again, just thank you for having us down here, and we are truly truly honored and uh uh thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Coach Mike, we'll have you come up here.

Uh colleagues will take a council photo real quick.

We have our and and I think 12 would be a good number to stop at for your champion.

So you got you got two more championships.

You gotta, I'm just playing.

Um we'll do Sue will be in the middle.

Uh just come up here, Coach Mike, and we'll all get up and we'll take the council photo and we'll jump right right into our council business.

Thank you.

Virginia, would you like to join us too, please?

His wife come on.

Oh yeah.

Sorry.

Thank you for that.

Thank you.

Thank you for the agreement.

Thank you for the company.

I'm already coming.

Comments down, Sue, please.

Okay.

One, two, two, three.

One, two, three.

Congratulations.

Give me counseling.

Coaching.

Go for a paper.

Oh, that's a good one.

All right.

Okay, I got to use the view.

We are so grateful to uh the Bethias.

Virginia and Coach Mike.

Thank you.

Baker's dozen would be 13.

I just said 12, so thank you so much.

Just saying.

And thank you, colleagues.

I think it's important that we know there are so many great people in this community.

Oftentimes we don't, they don't get the accolades.

We don't see them as often because they might not be on the news, but there is a lot of great mentors and people in this community, and we've seen it here today, that is out here doing the work, making sure that our young people stay safe and they have life skills and basketball and perseverance and all the all the great things.

So we are just so so forever uh grateful.

So thank you, Coach Mike, Bethia and Virginia.

Thank you so much.

Now what everyone's been waiting for, public comment.

So uh colleagues, um, at this time we're gonna open up the hybrid public comment period.

Public comment is limited to items on today's agenda, the introduction referral program, the council's work program, the council cannot accept comments about quasi-judicial items or campaign-related matters.

Uh, I see that we have 10 in person.

No, we have more.

I'm sorry.

We have a total of 32 speakers, 25 in person and seven remote.

So we have 32 speakers.

Um, because it's between 30 and 60, every speaker's gonna have one minute um to speak today under council rules.

Um, clerk, I'll hand it over to you to present the instructions.

Uh the public comment period will be moderated in the following manner.

Speakers will be called in the order in which they register.

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 on the next speaker.

The public comment periods now open, and we'll begin with the first speaker on the list.

Awesome.

So we'll call speakers first that are in person and then we'll go online.

First, we have Ashley, followed by Ivan, and then Anitra, Greg, and Tara.

Those are our first five speakers.

Welcome, Ashley.

Hi.

Um, thank you so much.

My name's Ashley Nervavick here representing Purpose Digity Action.

Um, and first of all, I just really want to thank every single member of the council who has worked on these pieces of legislation.

I know a lot of some at us very, very fast, and everyone has been really responsive and incredible collaborators throughout this whole process, and I'm just so grateful to every single member of the council for that.

Um, I do want to flag is the proposed requirement for shelter sites to require trained security personnel.

Uh for years, safety teams like we deliver care have provided de-escalation, threat identification and rapid um and high uh sorry, de-escalation and threat identification uh and rapid identification of the cause of conflicts within high support shelter models, and when funded, these safety teams have played a really invaluable role in real-time monitoring and accountability frameworks, all of which actually enable shelter operations to be good neighbors.

Um we have someone from Wave Deliver Care who can talk a little bit more about their work, but we just really would hope that they would be included as well in that amendment.

Thank you so much.

Awesome, thank you, Ashley.

Next we have Ive I is it Ivan.

Yes, Ivan.

I said Yvonne last time, my bad.

Ivan, Anitra, Greg, and Tara.

Welcome.

Hello, my name's Ivan Gurdis, and I am with Cher Wheel last day at the brick house, which is Share's family and disabled shelter.

Share wheel together have operated 500 spots over the Seattle indoor shelters in tent cities.

We do oppose amendments, A B and C, which weren't vetted and approved through land use committee.

Amendment A in particular feels like it's a bit of a paranoia that really doesn't need to be in the land use code.

We operate our communities without private paid security and broke up neighborhoods for 36 years.

These things aren't needed.

We do have the ability to operate a new camp.

All we need is the lands and the funds to do it.

Tent City is moving next Tuesday, 526, from public land in South Seattle to a church in the U district.

Stop by and see us.

Without sheltering people die.

Wheels, women in black are standing up vigil for 15 people tomorrow at noon on the steps of City Hall.

Two of those were shot.

Thank you, Adam.

Next we have Anitra followed by Greg and Antara.

Hello.

Anitra Freeman with Sharon Wheel.

Sharon Wheel have been for 36 years operating shelters and tent cities from north to south safely without paid security, without smaller internal neighborhoods.

Even besides schools.

Seattle's desperate for shelter.

Women in black stand again tomorrow because without shelter, people die.

Councilmember Strauss, I appreciate you taking the fences out, but self-sustained.

Having three kitchens in one camp is too much of an expense.

Thank you.

Thank you, Nietzsche.

Next we have Greg followed by Tara, then Julia, Charles, Yvette Dinish, Ruth, and Denise.

My name is Greg Greer.

I am with Cher Wheel, and I stay at the bunkhouse homeless shelter.

Cher and Weal together operate nearly 500 spots all over Seattle.

Indoor shelters and 10 cities.

We oppose amendments A, B, and C, which weren't vetted and approved through the land use committee.

These amendments would limit our ability to create new shelters in a time of desperate need.

And without shelter, people die.

Thank you.

Thank you, Greg.

Next we have Tara followed by Julia and then Charles.

Good afternoon.

My name is Tara Miller.

I'm one of the executive directors of the Church Council of Greater Seattle.

We're a member of the Services Not Sweeps Coalition, and we partner with Share Wheel.

We encourage you to vote in favor of the original legislation and reject the pending amendments that create barriers to this progress.

Many of the congregations and our network host shelters or services for people without housing.

Our congregation partners feel deeply the exponential growth of housing and security in our city and the disappointment when promises of shelter and housing have vastly failed to meet the need.

We support Mayor Wilson's vision of expanded shelter opportunities throughout the city.

Please pass the legislation as is and reject the additional amendments.

Moving forward, we encourage you to continue this vital work of expanding shelter by shelter access by diverting funds from sweeps to fund additional shelter.

Thank you.

Thank you, Tara.

Next we have Julia followed by Charles and then Yvette.

Yes, uh hello, my name is Julia.

I am a D7 resident living at Third Pike Pine, and I'm here to ask you to pass the shelter expansion bill.

Uh lack of first step housing is our biggest obstacle and and bottleneck to helping our neighbors in need on the street.

The proposed bill makes excellent use of existing funds and has robust good neighbor guardrails in place.

However, I would echo the request to delete the amendment for having licensed security.

We have WDC, we deliver Claire at uh care at Third Pike Pine.

They literally are the thing that is keeping our neighborhood livable.

So they their skill, their talents are immense.

So uh however, as I mentioned, um, passing this bill today is just the first step.

Too often housing first has been housing only, and without the robust water services at these expanded sites, they will simply be moving the problem indoors.

So we ask ask you to recognize that today it is uh you're not just voting for this, you are committing to voting for robust social services in the fall.

Thank you.

Thank you, Julia.

Next we have Charles, followed by Miss Yvette, uh Ruth, and then Denise.

Denise.

Yes, good afternoon.

My name's Charles.

I want to thank the uh council president and the members for having us here.

I'm with the small business administration, Office of Disaster Assistance.

And I'm here because there was a we can we pause and pause your time and we're gonna restart it and then just speak right into the microphone so we can hear you, Mr.

Charles.

Again, thank you for uh having me here.

Uh my name's Charles.

I'm with the Small Business Administration, Office of Disaster Assistance.

I'm here because of the mid-December storms uh to let the public know that there is uh resources available through the federal government for businesses up to $2 million substantiated by their losses at an interest rate of four percent for homeowners uh up to 500 uh thousand dollars for physical damage, 100,000 for personal property at an interest rate of 2.875, 12 month deferment, uh no payments for 12 months, and we also have assistance with mitigation, refinance, and relocation as well.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Mr.

Charles.

Next we have Missy Vett followed by uh Ruth and then Denise, or it might be Benice, but it says I think it's Denise.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic Food to stand, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Earlier today I read Councilmember Dwink's full uh newsletter, and you all do a lot more than I thought you did.

There's a lot going on uh that you do for our communities, and that shows your commitment to serving our community, meetings and other stuff, and God bless you for that.

And for I'm I'm truly grateful for your commitment to our community, and as a small token of appreciation, our each of you some girls got cookies because due to anonymous benefactor, my organization gets them for free.

So again, thank you for your do and keep up the good work.

And I'll hand Jodi the cookies.

Thank you.

Thank you, Missy Vett.

Next we have Ruth Dight, followed by Denise.

Thank you for the cookies as well.

It's really kind of you.

The American Enterprise Institute found zoning reforms would add one to 2.5% a year.

At 2.5% upzoning would generate only 318 more homes above what we built in 2044, 2024 and 325 above what we built in 2025.

We do better limiting short-term rentals.

We have three to four thousands of those.

Why are we rushing to up zone so much so fast when it delivers so little?

I point again to the two high-level economic studies that found weak correlations between zoning and home prices.

The city can't afford to avoid information that suggests what it's doing isn't going to work.

We need to rethink what we're doing, expect less from upzoning, and focus on better solutions, including shelter housing, social housing, preserving normally affordable housing, and reducing land speculation.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ruth.

Next we have is it Denise or Benice?

Denise, okay.

Welcome.

I am Denise Pettis-Lolly, and I live and work in District One.

First, I want to thank the council for continuing to move legislation forward connected to shelter expansion.

Expanding shelter is a necessary response to both Seattle's homeless crisis and the very real public safety concerns impacting neighborhoods across our city.

Over 2,400 people lived unhoused in Seattle last year, and more than 60% surveyed had complex needs.

And so far, only 75 shelter units for high support have been designated in the current expansion.

We must be honest about what it takes for shelter to truly work.

High support shelter models are essential for people living with high and complex needs.

Without deeper investments in high support high support shelters, Seattle's shelter system will continue to struggle to meet the needs of both unsheltered community members and surrounding neighborhoods.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge Council Member Rink for her proposed amendment.

I know, thank you.

I know a minute goes by really quick.

Thank you for that.

Um next we have uh Martha or Martha, followed by Kara, Scott, and Kenneth.

Welcome.

Kara's up next, followed by Scott.

My name is Marta Kidana, and I am the community engagement manager at the low-income housing institute or Lehigh.

Firstly, I would like to thank uh land use committee chair Lynn and uh Council Bill 121195 sponsor, Councilmember Foster, uh, in addition to the full council.

Thank you for your efforts and support of uh shelter expansion for the benefit of our unhoused neighbors and overall community.

Thank you for elevating shelter and supportive service resources with such dedication and intention.

At this time, we ask that you do not pass amendment A.

Although this amendment seeks to ensure communication with schools within 500 feet from new or expanded shelter.

This level of information sharing already takes place through currently required enhanced shelter community engagement.

Additionally, the amendment has no parameters regarding the timeline or how changes will be accounted for.

We ask that you pass council bill one two one one nine five with the remaining amendments.

Thank you.

Thank you, Marta.

Next we have Kara followed by Scott and then Kenneth.

Good afternoon, Council members.

My name is Kara Williams.

I work at the Low and Kim Housing Institute.

Um I would like to thank all of you, especially land use chair um Lynn as well as Councilmember Foster for sponsoring CB 121195.

This legislation will make a real difference in how Seattle can address homelessness by expanding proven models.

You're giving providers the ability to do more of what works and meet our unhoused neighbors with dignity and respect.

We ask that you do not pass amendment A.

This amendment duplicates the many public health and safety mitigation strategies that are written into the bill, like those included in the updated Good Neighbor Agreement and existing community engagement requirements for this type of shelter.

We support the rest of the proposed and passed amendments and appreciate your willingness to work with providers and community members to get to the final versions before you today.

Thank you all for treating homelessness in our city like the emergency it is.

Thank you.

Next we have Scott, followed by Kenneth and then Margaret.

I'm Scott Buzzard with the American Party of Labor.

Where were your cameras, City Council?

Where were your cameras when one of my peers was killed in a blatant hate crime against trans lives that you refused to investigate as such?

These cameras are painted as a preventative measure by members like Kettle, yet they've done nothing to bring justice or stop murder.

Your militarized police force and abortion clinic focused cameras did nothing to find the criminal, and they did nothing to stop this hate crime from happening.

Your cameras sit up on poles, watching citizens every move, but yet they couldn't do anything in tandem with the child beating police force to stop the 19-year-old woman from being murdered.

What do these cameras do besides line your pockets with private contract money?

What do they do besides spy on workers and houseless people in poor neighborhoods?

The answer is a resounding nothing.

These cameras have done nothing for the people or their safety.

This past weekend, another shooting caught on your city cameras happening Capitol Hill.

Again, where was the police force that you have spent nearly 500 million dollars on?

What did these cameras do to alert the community?

What did they do besides capture the violence and show the uselessness of the surveillance?

There are people sleeping in dumpsters under bridges.

Thank you, Scott.

Nearly 500 million dollars of support on her.

Thank you, Scott.

Next we have Kenneth, followed by Margaret and then Scott.

The another another Scott.

Scott Boone.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Council.

My name is Ken.

We've met before, and I'm here to talk about the Starlink contract that SPD just announced.

So it is a hundred million dollars that uh SPD is spending on Starlink trash.

It was announced under the guise of, oh, it's security for the FIFA World's Cup.

But the contract lasts five months.

Low, let's assume that contract does start in June.

That would mean it would end in November.

You know what else starts in November?

The opening of a factory of a drone manufacturer, Brink that works with Starlink.

So my question is: are you going to ensure that SPD does not renew that contract?

I don't think so.

Y'all are truly some of the biggest bozos in the fucking city.

That's ridiculous.

We have literal Nazis here, and y'all are more embarrassing than that.

You should be embarrassed.

You should be humiliated.

If I get yelled at every single week by people who hired me, I'd be fucking humiliated.

Fuck you guys.

I'll see you next week.

So next.

Next we have Margaret, followed by Scott.

Followed by Brian and Patrick.

And then Mr.

Gill.

Howard Gill.

Next we have Margaret.

Welcome.

Good afternoon.

I'm Margaret Shield from D5, where I'm on a tiny house village advisory committee.

Please pass one two one one nine five today with the four amendments thoughtfully developed in committee.

This will allow tiny house villages and shelter and vehicle lots to serve more unhoused people with safety for all.

A pilot site of up to 250 is also smart.

This works in other cities.

It's not needed given all the safety requirements in this legislation and the amendments, such as the public safety plans and good neighbor agreements.

Well-supported transitional shelters are not a threat.

They offer solutions.

I do see improvements in amendments B and C by their sponsors.

Thank you, but still have concerns.

On C.

I still worry that self-contained will be interpreted in ways the sponsor doesn't intend to mean rigid barriers, separated facilities, and blocking residents from good interactions.

But thank you for all your hard work and your time with working with shelter providers, homelessness groups, and community members.

Thank you, Margaret.

Thank you.

Next we have Scott followed by Brian, Patrick, and Howard.

Uh those are the last in-person speakers, unless someone signed there's some more that signed up, but we'll switch and go to online after we finish this list of speakers.

Scott.

Welcome.

I'm Scott Boone, the grandfather or grandson of Dr.

Wooden applying for status of historical marker for the home.

A quick little background.

Dr.

Wooden was born in February 1865, two months before the end of the Civil War.

Graduated from medical school in the 1890s, came out here to the West.

He had some relatives here.

And uh served on a ship going to Alaska as a surgeon during the Alaska Gold Rush of 1898.

Came back here and uh joined the staff over King County Hospital in the Georgetown area, where we met a nurse, build a house, and got married and uh lo and behold, they had a little girl.

As time went by, the little girl and a little boy.

That was me.

We have now three generations of a family living in the same house, and we have maintained our policy of keeping the house in as original condition as we can.

We're grateful to you for your consideration.

Thank you so very much.

Thank you, Scott.

Next we have Brian, followed by Patrick, Howard Gill, and then we'll go to online speakers and we'll come back to our in-person speakers.

Good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Brian Porter.

I am a safety ambassador supervisor with WDC.

With five years of experience in the streets, our reach and three years working in the shelter facilities.

I witnessed a critical role that safety and support play in our communities.

Today I'm here to discuss a vital cause, the importance of including safety organizations that prioritize care and support, rather than just traditional security measures.

WDC has a proven track record spanning over six years, demonstrating our ability to empower shelter operators and respond effectively to various challenges.

However, we are not a security company.

Our mission is rooted in compassion and understanding.

Continuity of care is essential for the success of our mission by ensuring that individuals receive consistent support, we can really navigate the complex needs and promote long term stability.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Brian.

Next we have Patrick followed by Howard Gale, and then we'll go online.

But I'm reading that the Seattle Police Department has paid more than a hundred thousand dollars to Elon Musk Starling for backup services during the World Cup.

Musk is the world's richest Nazi saluting racist.

He funds and platforms Nazis and racists in our country and around the world.

He bragged about destroying USAID at his department of government efficiency.

These cuts have already resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, mostly kids.

Doing business with Nazis saluting racists doesn't necessarily make you a Nazi saluting racist, but it pretty clearly indicates Nazi saluting racism is not a deal breaker for at least some staff at SPD.

In a larger sense, these folks are employed by our city.

What does this say about us?

Is Nazis saluting racism a deal breaker for us as citizens or as city council members?

Um I recognize it's it's just a little fraction of Musk's democracy threatening wealth that this contract represents, and it's not even paid by our taxes.

Our employees decided they were cool, contributing to Musk's corruption and bigotry.

Thank you, Patrick.

Thank you, Patrick.

Thank you, Patrick.

I'd love to hear that the public safety commitments looking into this.

Thanks.

Thank you, Patrick.

Next we have Mr.

Gill.

Howard Gill.

Good afternoon.

I am asking the council.

I'm sorry.

At last Tuesday's full council meeting, Council Member Strauss called me out with obviously false claims, which I have documented in an email to all council members five days ago.

I will point out the council member Strauss's claim that I have, quote, a pattern of behavior targeting a certain individual on council is absurd when the record clearly shows that in the last 14 months, I have called out Councilmember Kettle 10 times.

I have called out other members numerous times, including Councilmember Strauss.

In last Tuesday's attack on me, Councilmember Strauss also falsely claimed that I impugned the motives of Councilmember Juarez.

My public comment that day implied nothing about anyone's motive.

Simply I stated facts.

Councilmember Strauss's comments were an attempt to suppress First Amendment rights and an abuse of the power and trust granted to him by voters.

It is grossly inappropriate for a paid and elected official to in any way make more difficult or costly an unpaid member of the public sacrificing time to participate in the legislative process.

For these reasons, it is necessary for the council to censure council members around the behavior.

Thank you, Mr.

Gill.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, Mr.

Gill.

Next, we'll go online.

And so Aidan, please press star six to unmute yourself, followed by Jelana and then Hannah.

Star six to unmute yourself.

Hello.

I am speaking today in support of the shelter expansion, allowing up to 150 occupants and a pilot title up to 250.

I want to oppose the amendment from uh any amendments except for that we're developing land use committee.

Um we do not need uh service shelters and services and and and housing that ought to be uh in every neighborhood to be segregated away from parks, schools, playgrounds, daycare, community centers.

There are lots of kids who are in homeless families.

There are not safety problems from homeless people that are require that kind of like different than anybody else.

Like cars and homeless people.

We what I want to emphasize um is that we need to be including an RV park.

Um I spoke to two candidate for Digi Fox.

Thank you, um Aiden.

Next we have Jelana, followed by Hannah and then Concrete rose.

You'll press star star six to unmute yourself.

Um hi.

Um my name is Jelena.

I'm reading this comment on behalf of a young person with the experience whose work schedule conflicted with this meeting today.

Um so this comment is on behalf of Lydia O'Taylor.

Um they mentioned last month that when they testified in favor of Council Bill 121184 that they support the expansion in shelter capacity.

Um they also point out that it was an oversight to not establish more tent cities given that states were ongoing then and are ongoing now, and then they see that daily being home uh the homeless thing flat from place to place.

They also want to iterate their support of some of the amendments, the public safety plan, which processes a crime material philosophy, um, and appointed accountable city liaison to respond to community concerns, um, and staffing minimums and reasonable ratios of one case manager per 15 clients.

Their road disability um was hindered by understaffing and a lack of reliable case managers because they face overwhelming crises.

They do oppose um the amendment uh of 247 security, neighborhood divisions, and prohibition on encampments.

Um, they also believe there should be more work done.

Thank you, Julana.

Next we have Hannah, followed by Concrete and then uh Rose.

Star 6 unmute yourself.

Hello, my name is Hannah Whitworth, and I'm the domestic violence housing systems manager at the coalition ending gender-based violence.

Our work at the coalition is to care for, connect with, and mobilize over 35 gender-based violence programs who are all working to support survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking.

We'd like to share appreciation for the changes to amendment A that take into account the impacts of families and DV survivors and the removal of the controlled access from amendment C.

Finally, we wanted to share some concerns given that non-domestic violence designated shelters still serve and support survivors.

Currently, there are only 10 emergency domestic violent shelter units within the city of Seattle.

This results in non-DV program sheltering survivors.

With this in mind, even with the changes to amendment A that creates exceptions for DV designated shelters, the additional operating requirements will in practice continue to be barriers for survivors.

Rather, redirecting those funds towards the providers to ensure they have the ongoing staffing resources to meet the needs of survivors with support survivors in all shelter types.

Thank you for your expansion.

Support and expanding the shelter program.

Thank you, Hannah.

Next we have concrete, followed by Rose.

Press star six to unmute yourself.

We see you.

Just star six.

Blessed day, my name is Concrete Rose.

I'm a formerly homeless young adult, advocate, writer, and founder of Triple H, which stands for Hill for Homeless Hungry Humans.

Today I'm speaking in support of Bill 121195 and expanding shelter and transitional encampment capacity.

Before I experience homelessness myself, I believe that if someone was struggling badly enough, eventually the system would help them before they hit the ground.

That is not what I experienced.

I experienced full shelters, long wait lists, instability, trauma, and the reality of trying to survive without enough safe spaces for people to go.

Homelessness is a survival issue.

People cannot stabilize or heal while fighting every day just to exist safely.

This is why expanding capacity matters.

Not everybody can immediately move into permanent housing.

Some people need transitional spaces, tiny home villages, and sanctioned encampments instead of dangerous unsheltered homelessness.

I support stronger staffing and case management, but I also caution against barriers that make shelter expansion harder.

And when people say shelters should not exist near neighborhoods, parks, or schools, I think we need to uncle ask where our homeless people supposed to go because homeless people are.

Thank you, concrete.

Next we have Rose, followed by here, excuse me, Hilary, David, Alberto, and then Kyler.

Welcome, Rose.

Star 6 unmute yourself.

Hello.

This last week, the Seattle LGBTQ commission recommended that the mayor declare a civil emergency for the ongoing attempt at genocide of trans people that's leading to a massive amount of refugees happening to heading to Seattle.

One of these people that was going to Seattle was Juniper Blessing this last week, who was murdered.

We need to realize that these are not just numbers, these are not just names.

We have individuals all over that are fleeing to our city, and it is absolutely essential that we provide places for them and we provide a way for resources to be made for individuals in our community.

Because everyone deserves here to be safe, and they are not right now.

And we need individuals to feel that way.

It is the absolute minimum of what we should require for individuals in our community.

And the fact that it hasn't been a disgrace to us all.

Thank you.

Thank you, Rose.

Next we have Hilary followed by David and then Alberto and then Kyler.

And then we'll go back to in person.

Rose, or excuse me.

Hilary, welcome.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Hilary Santini.

I live and work in District 3.

I want to thank the council for pushing to make legislation happen during the shelter expansion, including possible amendments and the prioritization of good neighborhood agreements.

This is a necessary step in responding to the homelessness crisis as well as neighborhood public safety issues throughout our city.

Again, thank you.

A group that comprises more than 60% of our city's unsheltered population.

I do see that about 45% of new units coming online will provide for complex needs at one shelter site.

However, that does leave 55% not providing for complex needs, and we do have a population that that needs that support.

So I please urge you to increase the investment in high support shelter models and making sure that it's very important that our neighborhoods and the surrounding communities are all providing to people where they're at.

Thank you, Hillary.

Next we have uh David Haynes, followed by Alberto Alvarez and then Kyler.

Hi, thank you.

David Haynes.

Are they allowing cigarette smoking inside the encampments?

And think about this.

I think it would be better if you had the community service officers deployed around and inside the encampments at nighttime instead of making the nonprofits having to pay for-profit private security, many of whom are so untrustworthy and dishonest that they wouldn't even qualify to be an honest cop.

And we see that within transit security that looks the other way on all the horrible things that are going on around the corner at the Westlake tunnel.

Um excuse me.

We need an encampments to force people to break their addiction instead of housing them and then overcharging.

But the private security is untrustworthy.

Thank you, David.

Next we have Alberto followed by Kyler.

Alberto, welcome.

Thank you.

Council has a legal obligation to uphold the First Amendment and to protect our freedom of speech.

Civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance are fundamental to our freedoms.

Criticizing politicians, including all of you, is legally protected in our society.

Council must stop the policy that allows vindictive council members to ban people for statements they don't like.

You all may not like it, but that is the truth needed to maintain our personal freedoms and the power to hold government accountable.

Thank you all and have a good day.

Thank you, Alberto.

Next we have Kyler, and then we will go jump right into person with Nathan Wall, Alyn, Alex, Sam, Halley, and then I believe another person signed up in person.

Hi, Council.

Uh, this is Tyler.

Uh I just want to commend you all on rallying the R City around supporting additional emergency and temporary shelter option.

It's been far too long since we can test in that alongside investment in permit supportive housing.

This is an important time to make sure that we have both shelter and housing for people in need in the city.

And I just want to highlight that we as we increase shelter capacity, we need to make sure that we are increasing capacity for high support individuals, people with complex needs, low support tiny home diligence do not support every single person who is currently homeless.

And actually, most people do need some level of continued support while they move into housing.

So as we build a better system, we need to make sure we include high support individuals.

Awesome.

Thank you, Kyler.

All right, we'll go back to in person.

We have Nathan Wall followed by Miss Alyn.

Welcome, Nathan.

I'm here today to express my disappointment in the way Howard Gale was treated by Councilmember Strauss on May 12th.

On May 12th, Councilmember Strauss engaged in viewpoint discrimination against Mr.

Gale and attempted to violate his First Amendment rights.

Councilmember Strauss's double standard is baffling because he did not once speak up when people actually personally attacked Sarah Nelson, including saying things about her physical appearance that were not nice, which I think we can agree went too far, even though I don't like Sarah Nelson.

Councilmember Strauss did not speak out about Sarah Nelson's policies, but rather spoke out when she started being mean to him personally.

Dan even suggested that wearing a save Kirby t-shirt to the city council meeting could constitute harassment.

I don't think Rob Saka agrees with that.

And I'll beat the dead horse.

During Tammy Morales' second term, she was treated disrespectfully by almost everybody on this dais except for Joy Hollingsworth and Bob Kettle.

And then Dan accused her of making false statements during the last budget hearing of 2024.

So I'm just not really interested in hearing council members up here talk about DLP.

Thank you, Nathan.

Next we have Alyn.

Mrs.

Is Alyn here?

I did see her.

She left.

Okay.

Understood.

Um next we have Alex followed by Sam and then Hallie.

Welcome, Alex.

Alex Lofton from the CD.

Thank you, Council members.

My name is Alex Lofton, a member uh or a resident of the CD, and here with For Seattle Project.

And I'm here to urge you all to back the shelter expansion and to design it for the people it actually needs to serve.

Homelessness is the issue I'm hearing the most from our neighbors, um, the people living unsheltered and the neighbors around them.

Both are counting on this council to follow through.

That means designing for the 60% with complex needs, high support shelters, 24-7 case management, safety teams, like we care, we deliver care, but de-escalate, not just secure.

It means tracking outcomes openly.

Double down on what works, change course when it isn't working.

Don't throw out the program if the first version misses.

This is how we can actually deliver as a city.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Alex.

Next we have Sam followed by Hallie.

Sam Wolf.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Council.

Uh, my name is Sam Wolf and I work for PDA as the local policy director.

I want to start by thanking council for all of your hard work and enabling this much needed shelter expansion.

And I want to say that appropriately resourcing shelters is the single most important thing we can do to ensure recovery pathways, but also safe and orderly shelter operations.

Uh in PDA's co-lead program, we've worked with WeDeliver Care for years.

Uh they provide de-escalation, milieu management, and work effectively alongside our staff in high support shelter settings.

Uh safety teams like WDC are not security teams, but have been key in obtaining the outcomes that we all want regarding uh safe and orderly shelter operations.

Please ensure that any added safety capacity allows for teams like WDC and is not limited just to traditional security teams.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sam.

Next we have Hallie Willis.

Welcome.

And I know we have a couple more people signed up as well.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Council members.

My name is Hallie Willis.

I'm the policy manager for the Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness, which has over 50 member organizations that shelter, house, and care for members of our community every day.

I'm here to urge you to vote no on amendments A and B to the shelter expansion legislation before you today.

We deeply appreciate the improvements made to these amendments.

But based on our conversations with shelter providers, we don't believe they'll produce greater safety or well being for shelter guests or good relationships with the surrounding neighborhood.

Requiring security staff is not the same as creating the robust staff support shelters need, and adding requirements near schools creates unnecessary barriers.

The amendments before you today raise an important question.

If the city moves forward with large micromodular shelters, how can we ensure that we do that well?

We urge you to take those conversations seriously.

They should take place with direct service providers in collaboration with HSD.

Thank you, Hallie.

Next we have Jonathan Toledo, followed by Bennett.

Welcome, Jonathan.

Um I wanted to start off by just calling into focus that uh this is the sixth anniversary of the brutal murder by SPD of Terry Caber.

And uh he was yet another black man experiencing a severe mental health crisis, much the same to in the way that Christian Elson was before he was um gunned down and the entire block was shut down for upwards of 12 hours.

Um this means a lot to me personally because I was there and I saw his body lay on the floor.

Um so you know, when I say that me and my organization are going to the precinct that is responsible for these murders of our civilians, you know.

I say with a lot of happiness because you know these pigs are running rampant, you know.

When you see a loose dog that's rabbit, you don't let it walk.

You you put it down, you take it off the street.

So I'm really excited for that.

So it's gonna be a really great march.

Thank you, Jonathan.

Next we have Bennett.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Council.

I want to go on record that I agree that I think it would be unconstitutional to penalize Dr.

Howard Gale for the comments that he made during public comment last week.

I did make a partial transcript of what he said.

Um again, I'm not saying I agree, but this is a transcript of what he said.

It's appropriate for you guys to make decisions that we don't like.

It's not appropriate for you guys to gaslight us.

And yet, Council Weber Warez decided that I was doing sanction that I was being disruptive.

And so all I would ask Councilmember Wars is this would you say that to the people who took over Discovery Park in 1970, which led to the creation of the Star Center that they were being disruptive?

Again, I'm not taking sides in that back and forth.

Um it's not about whether or not I agree.

This is about a person's uh council member Wars' uh statements in her official capacity as a city council member, and criticizing that is well within the bounds of what you are allowed to do during public comment.

This was within the two minutes that he was allowed, that's within the rules.

I would invite the council after public comment today to clarify that he's not going to be punished for that now or in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you, Bennett.

Are there any more public commenters that have signed up?

Awesome.

And um, sorry, and and for the work for the for the record, uh, Councilmember Warz was at the Star Center uh with those folks, so I would wonder what she would ask herself.

So, um, so now I just want to thank everyone for public comment.

Um, thank you all for coming down.

We're looking forward to the meeting today.

Um, and always appreciate people's um always appreciate people sending us in public comment.

If I know one minute is goes by quick, but you can always send us emails.

Uh, oftentimes there's council members hanging out after meetings, like trying to be success accessible and available at all times.

So I just want to thank you all um for your for your comments today.

Um now we're gonna transition.

Public comment period is now closed.

Uh colleagues, uh, we're now gonna jump right into the meeting.

Because we got a lot of business to go forward.

If there's no objection, the introduction and referral calendar will be adopted.

Hearing no objection, the introduction and referral calendar is adopted.

If there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted.

Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted.

We're going to now consider the proposed uh consent calendar.

Items on the consent calendar are the minutes of May 12th, 2026, Council Bill 121 210 payment of the bills, two appointments from governance and utilities committee.

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

Looking left and right hearing none.

I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Will someone please give me a second?

Second.

Thank you.

I move to adopt the consent calendar.

Oh, I already said that.

My apologies.

Will the clerk please call the roll on the consent calendar?

Councilmember Rivera.

Aye.

Council Member Saka.

Aye.

Councilmember Strauss.

Councilmember Foster.

Yes.

Council Member Warz.

Council Member Tuttle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn.

Yes.

Councilmember Rink.

Yes.

Council President Onsworth.

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Awesome.

Consent calendar is adopted.

And will the clerk please affix my signature to the minutes and legislation on the consent calendar in my behalf.

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

Reports of the government.

I think your microphone might be other remote.

The report of the Governance and Utilities Committee, appointment 03494, the reappointment of Andrew Lee as general manager as chief executive officer of Seattle Public Utilities for a term to December 31st, 2029.

The committee recommends the appointment be confirmed.

Awesome.

So as chair of the committee, I'm gonna provide the report quickly, and I will provide a quick comment.

Obviously, he went to Stanford, so we talked about that.

Um very intelligent.

Yes, Stanford, um, very uh intelligent, has always, and I said it in our meeting, has always just been a kind person as well, but very knowledgeable about the challenges that we're facing in our city, the challenges that we're facing with uh public utilities, the environmental impact, um, also affordability that's coming down the line.

And I've just always felt like I've gotten a straight answer from um general manager Lee to understand just like the complexities of Seattle public utilities from stormwater code to wastewater treatment to solid waste, all these different pieces.

He's always been able to explain them to us as legislators as we are making laws and a lot of the things that are coming to council for us to better so we can make really great decisions.

And so um I have uh there are people that speak very highly of uh general manager Lee, and I couldn't be more pleased this pass out of committee with uh five, I believe four and five in favor, excuse me, five in favor, none, zero opposed.

Um, and I am so excited to um vote yes on this reappointment today, and I will pause here and see if there's any other comments from our colleagues before we start.

Uh Councilmember Warz.

Thank you.

It's good to see you again, uh, Mr.

Lee or General Manager Lee.

Um, I think we've been through at least maybe three or four mayors together and a decade of work, and I've always appreciated working with you, and I apologize for bringing up Stanford in committee.

Apparently, that has stuck the tree.

But um, it's been your confirmation packet, of course.

Your resume, your experience is a testament to Seattle hiring some of the best and the brightest, and I'm glad to see you back.

And as council president shared, who's also chair of the committee, it was unanimous vote.

So, again, welcome and it's good to see you.

Thank you.

Thank you, madam chair.

Thank you, Councilmember Warz.

Councilmember Rivera.

Thank you, Chair.

Um, General Manager Lee has my whole hearted support.

I'll be happy to support his reappointment today.

I'm always impressed with General Manager's Lee, deep knowledge of his field.

He's always able to see issues from both a high-level perspective and on-the-ground details.

As well, I want to acknowledge what a great leader you are and manager.

Um, you consistently lead with kindness.

Uh, it shows and um it shows in your staff as well when we meet with them.

And I um also want to say um how much you care about the residents as well and your um availability and willing to meet with our constituents as we're doing the work, and that is noted and very much appreciated.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.

Uh Councilmember Saka, did I see your hand?

Yes, Councilmember Saka.

Thank you, madam council president.

I'll be brief.

General or general manager Lee, just want to say I appreciate you uh in addition to being a highly capable, intelligent, and competent leader.

Um you've just been a pleasure to work with over these last couple years for me in my office.

Uh you led the department with great care, great tact, navigating some challenging times, uh, and I'm confident you are the person to take the department and help lead into the future.

Um, and appreciate your partnership, your responsiveness with me in my office, our constituents across the city of Seattle, and your your thoughtful engagement uh and collaboration during the annual King Tide events and beyond as we work, as you, your department and my office work closely together to navigate some of these uh various climate challenges impacting the Duwamas Valley in my district.

So thank you.

Excited to be able to support your nomination today.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Saka.

Council Member Kettle.

Thank you, Council President.

And um, since you brought up Stanford, I do have to say fear of the tree.

Um otherwise my wife would be mad at me.

Uh so but I just wanted to note this is my third year um being on the committee for public utilities, and uh and then I had two years with the regional water quality committee.

And so I've had a lot of interaction and plus my my strong interest in all things maritime that I've been working.

So I've had a lot of interaction with you know various elements of the department, and one thing I will say that they reflect their leader, they'll reflect the leadership that you're showing, and and they're also getting the job done.

And this is really important because there's big picture issues out there, you know, in terms of like the soda wet weather treatment facility, you know, managing the water, you know, for our drinking water, but then also the you know, stormwater runoff and what's happening with the consent decree, the environmental pieces.

It is a big project and big undertaking, and uh and again the team reflects uh you and and great credit, as they say, upon the department.

So thank you, and of course, uh support uh your uh your nomination.

And if you wonder why Councilmember Sock is grinning at me, is because there's an element of uh a military term in there that I use, so he he picked up on it pretty quick.

Thank you, Council President.

Awesome.

Are there any further comments before us before we take the vote to confirm um General Manager Lee, and then we'll uh offer some time for him to provide some comments as well.

All right, awesome.

Will the clerk.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Yeah, we'll um will the clerk please call the role on confirmation of the appointment.

Council Member.

Aye, Councilmember Saka.

Aye.

Council Member Strauss.

Councilmember Foster.

Yes, Councilmember Warez.

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lin.

Yes.

Councilmember Rick?

Yes.

Council President Hawks.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Motion carries the appointment is confirmed.

Congratulations, General Manager Lee.

And you are recognized to provide comments.

Yes, I'll be brief.

Um, just thank you so much for reconfirming me today, and also thank you for your really kind words.

Um, I'm humbled and honored to continue working together with 1500 amazing employees that make up our department of SPU.

And I do believe we provide the best drinking water in the nation, um, and also excellent services and drainage wastewater, solid waste and clean city.

Um, I count it a privilege and also an honor to try have your trust and confidence on delivering on your priorities, um, whether they be keeping our rates affordable, protecting South Park from sea level rise, supporting housing in our city, or restoring salmon and our creeks.

These are all important priorities, and I know we share them together.

Thank you for allowing me to continue in this general manager role, and I look forward to supporting you and the great work that we do as a city.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Thank you, Director Lee.

Fear the tree, we heard you, Councilmember Kettle.

Will the clerk please read item number two into the record?

Agenda item two, Councilmill 121202, an ordinance relating to Seattle Public Utilities authorizing the general manager and chief executive officer of Seattle Public Utilities or designee to execute amendments to the interlocal agreement between Seattle Public Utilities and the King County Flood Control Zone District for the South Park Interim Flooding Preparedness and Response Program.

The committee recommends City Council pass the bill.

Awesome.

Thank you.

So as chair of the committee, I'm gonna I'm gonna provide the report.

Colleagues, I currently serve and serve on the King County Flood District Advisory Committee, and this interlocal agreement will be essential to help South Park to prepare for future floods like temporary flood walls and a pump and bypass system.

And I want to also thank Councilmember Saka for um his.

I know he doesn't I I don't think you sit on the committee with me.

However, um I just your partnership uh and your advocacy uh in South Park and what the all the work that you've been doing with Seattle Public Utilities, making sure that community is protected.

So just wanted to give you a shout out there and thank you for that, Councilmember Saka.

Um are there any colleagues?

I urge your vote.

Um, this is four in favor, none opposed.

Are there any um comments on the bill?

Okay, awesome.

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

Council Member Rivera.

Aye.

Councilmember Saka.

Hi.

Councilmember Strauss, Councilmember Foster.

Yes.

Councilmember Warez.

Hi.

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn.

Yes.

Councilmember Rick.

Yes.

Council President Longsworth.

Yes.

Nine in favor, not opposed.

Bill passes, chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix the signature on the legislation on my behalf?

Will you please read number item three into the record?

The report of the library's education and neighborhoods committee, agenda item three, appointment 03492.

Appointment of Quinn Pham as Director of the Department of Neighborhoods for a term to December 31st, 2029.

The committee recommends council confirm the appointment.

Awesome.

And I see that uh Acting Director Fam is joining us to the table.

Uh, Councilmember Rivera as chair as the committee.

You are recognized to offer the report.

Thank you, Council President.

Welcome.

Uh interim director Pham soon to be officially Director FAM.

Colleagues, Acting Director Fam's appointment was passed unanimously out of the library's education and neighborhoods committee on the 13th of this month.

As you know, Acting Director Pham was previously the executive director of Friends of Little Saigon before coming to work for the city.

During her time there, she conducted meaningful work to raise awareness about her community's rich cultural history, priorities, and challenges.

While getting to know Acting Director Pham, I have appreciated the thoughtful and kind way she approaches her work.

The Department of Neighborhoods is sort of the front porch of the city, and I look forward to seeing how Acting Director Pham will use her years of experience as a community organizer to build on and improve the way that Don conducts its outreach to neighborhood and community groups.

It's so important that all groups across the city are aware of and can participate in city programs.

I'm so happy to vote for her confirmation today, and I I welcome you joining me in that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.

Colleagues, are there any comments on the floor about the uh confirmation?

Oh, Councilmember Foster.

Thank you so much, Council President, and thank you so much, Chair Rivera, for bringing this nomination forward, and thank you to Acting Director Quinn for your service in community and also for your service to the city of Seattle as you step into this new role.

Um I just wanted to take a moment to say I feel we are so honored to have you and your leadership, having gotten to witness it for I think the last decade, if that's that's my math right, uh, at Friends of Little Saigon.

And I know that you are just somebody who brings this dedication, this calmness, and yet this fierceness to doing the right thing.

And I just feel like I'm excited to witness your leadership in the coming years.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Strauss.

Thank you.

I'll be brief.

I just wanted to say thank you for the years of partnership and our ability to work together before you came to the city.

It's you are really one of the few people that we worked on some really big hard projects together.

We haven't totally resolved those issues.

We have a lot more work to do, and I'm just really heartened that you're now part of the city family so that we can work together from the inside and maybe find some new external pressures to help us with the inside outside strategy.

Really glad, really honored, really excited to have you here.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Strauss.

Are there any other comments about our acting director that's going to be confirmed today at all?

Just grateful for your service.

Obviously, we met a couple years ago, your work in Little Saigon, and just always had positive energy from you and your work, and that really means a lot.

You know, you can know everything about whatever.

If you're not a nice person in kind, you do not go far in life.

So, anyways, thank you.

Okay, and will the clerk please call the role uh to um confirm director fam.

Councilmember Rivera.

Aye.

Council Member Saka.

Councilmember Foster.

Yes.

Council Member Juarez.

Councilmember.

Aye.

Thank you.

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn?

Yes.

Council Member Rink?

Yes.

Council President.

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Awesome.

The motion uh carries an appointment is confirmed.

Congratulations, Director Pham.

And you are recognized to provide some words.

Yes, thank you so much.

Um thank you, Council President Hollinsworth and Councilmember Rivera for your continued support.

And thank you, all council members, for your partnership over the years, but also I'm looking forward to working with many of you as well to build the future for the department.

Um I also want to thank uh staff at Dawn over the past few months.

I've had the opportunity to see firsthand the amount of care and commitment they bring to this work every day.

The department carries uh 35 years of relationships and institutional knowledge, and I'm incredibly proud to be part of that legacy.

Um, as someone who came from PACE, uh the first cohort over a decade ago.

Uh this moment is especially meaningful for me.

I know personally what it feels like when government creates space uh for people like me to participate and to lead and to believe in their uh that their voice matters.

That experience really helped shaped my path, and it continues to shape how I see um public service today.

And so my vision for Dawn is really rooted in relationships, accountability, and impact.

I want us to continue to strengthen trust between communities and government.

I want us to help departments engage earlier and more meaningfully with our residents, and I want communities, especially those furthest from government, to feel like they can shape the future of the city and not just to respond to it.

Um I also believe good government requires honesty.

Our communities want transparency about constraints.

Uh, they want us to follow through on our commitments and have a seat at the table before decisions are finalized.

Um, that's the kind of leadership and partnership I hope to continue building with this council, with the mayor's office, with our departments, and most importantly, with the people of Seattle that I now um hope to serve.

Um, as Don celebrates its 35th anniversary, I'm excited to and grateful for this opportunity to serve as we chart the next 35 years together.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Director, and thank you, Councilmember Rivera, for shepherding that through your committee as well.

Um, will the clerk please read item number four into the record?

Agenda item for Council Bill 121197, an ordinance relating to historic preservation, imposing controls upon the wooden house, a landmark designated by the landmarks preservation board under chapter 25.12 of the Seattle Municipal Code and adding it to the table of historical landmarks contained in chapter 25.32 of the Seattle Municipal Code.

The committee recommends council pass the bill.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera, Chair of the Committee.

You're recognized for by the report.

Thank you, Council President.

You heard from Scott Boone during public comment today.

He's the owner of the wooden house.

This landmark legislation came before the land committee on the 13th, and I really enjoyed hearing the history of the home and the many generations that have stewarded and safeguarded the home.

I also appreciate it hearing about Scott's grandmother, Emma Jean Wooden, who was a longtime community booster and helped build a play field in Georgetown, which is actually named after her still today.

So uh bringing this before you colleagues for um uh vote today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.

Are there any other comments regarding the bill before us?

Saying none, will the clerk please call the role on the passage of the bill?

Council Member Rivera?

Aye.

Councilmember Saka.

Aye.

Council Member Strauss.

Councilmember Foster.

Yes.

Council Member Juarez.

Council Member Tuttle.

Aye.

Council Member Lynn.

Yes.

Council Member Rick?

Yes.

Council President Alexworth.

Yes.

In favor, not opposed.

The chair will sign up.

Will the clerk please affix my signature?

Can I change my vote?

Yes, can we do can we do another roll call?

Is there any objection to that?

Seeing and hearing none, we will do another roll call.

I didn't know if I have to ask, I apologize, madam chair.

We could just add her signature.

She walked in before we had totally closed the, but we can to cover our bases.

We'll we'll take another roll call.

Okay, would you like to vote aye?

I would like to vote.

I had to say hi to my nephew.

Okay.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Your vote will be in awesome.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Thank you.

The bill passes.

Chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix the signature on my behalf?

Congratulations, Scott.

I don't see him, but we had really nice suspenders.

That was the one thing I saw.

Was kind of cool.

Um, okay, so will the clerk please read number five into the record?

Item number five.

The report of the land use and sustainability committee, council bill one two one one nine five, an ordinance relating to land use and zoning, adopt adopting interim provisions to expand the capacity of transitional encampments and amending sections 23.42.054 and 23.42.056 of the Seattle Municipal Code.

The committee recommends council pass as amended the council bill.

Awesome, thank you.

Uh clerk, I'm gonna pass it to council member Lynn as chair of the committee to give the committee report how we'll do this because there are three amendments before us.

I'll pass it to council member Lynn, and then I believe some folks want to make comments about the bill and amendments.

So we'll open that up and then we will start moving those.

So I'm gonna pass it to Councilmember Lynn and then we'll go from there.

Thank you, Council President.

And uh if it's okay, I'd like to uh pass it off to the prime sponsor, uh, Councilmember uh Foster.

All right, thank you so much, Chair, and uh thank you, Council President.

Um colleagues, I'm really excited that we have the opportunity to vote today on this bill for um shelter expansion.

Uh I believe we heard this first in committee in early April, and we've had a lot of fantastic engagement since then.

So I want to first start off with appreciating the folks who have been here for public comment.

I know many of you have been here every week, it seems as we've discussed this bill consistently and and not just here for public comment, but doing really deep engagement with various council offices behind the scenes.

I know many of you have answered my various questions several times, so thank you for that engagement on this bill and that work.

Um I want to thank my colleagues in land use for the work that we did together to, I believe, make this bill better.

Um, you know, I know all of us share a sense of urgency around addressing homelessness, and we also share a sense of making sure that we get this expansion right, and I believe that we did a lot of work to move in that direction.

Um I really want to thank the mayor for acting with urgency and prioritizing homelessness.

As I said before in committee, we've been in a state of emergency for homelessness for quite a long time, and it makes sense that we have a responsibility to act with that urgency as well as to balance that urgency with things that we've talked about over the last several weeks, the appropriate staffing, how to make sure that we have clear lines of communication.

Um, and I'm proud of that work.

So, um, colleagues, I know there are several amendments that we will be discussing today.

I look forward to having that discussion at the end of the day.

What this bill is about is ensuring several things.

It's about ensuring that we use our public land effectively and efficiently.

We are looking at increasing the census capacity on these properties from 100 folks to 150 folks on these properties.

That will allow us the opportunity to ensure that more people can be housed, and that's so important uh that more people will have this shelter because we know it's that shelter that provides people the stability, the connection to services, and the opportunity to move forward with their lives.

Um, and then we have the the one uh location that will be um able to house up to 250 residents, and this is an opportunity for us with this interim legislation to make sure that this expansion is really well run and really well done, and I believe that the engagement that we've had, the leadership that we've had, and the work that we've done on this bill sets us up for success in both of those areas.

So I look forward to engaging in the conversation around the amendments at council today.

Um, but colleagues, I do ask for your support on the underlying bill.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Um, I'll save my comments till the NN to give everyone their flowers, but thank you for bringing this forward.

And colleagues, I will pause here uh council to see if anyone has comments about the overall bill, and then I'm gonna look to the council sponsor, excuse me, the amendment sponsors to move their amendments.

Councilmember Warez, before I go to Council Member Kettle.

Uh, pointed chair, madam.

Um, madam chair, point of order, madam chair.

Um, so should we hold our comments on the underlying legislation and proposed amendments at the very end?

Would that be more helpful than trying to do it now?

Say that one more time.

Should we um have our comments about the legislation after the amendments as we close it out?

Would that be better?

Uh ideally, but if you want to have comments now, Kettle would I'll wait till the end.

Okay, so we'll thank you.

So, what we'll do is we'll do amendments first and then we'll comment about the overall bill at the end.

Is that okay?

Thank you.

Awesome.

All right, so I'm gonna turn to council member Rivera to move your amendment.

Thank you, Council President.

I move to amend council bill one to one one nine five as reflected on amendment A.

Second, and just so you know, colleagues, I'm gonna be moving, I'm gonna second everyone's amendment so we can have discussion.

Second, um, so it's been moved and second to amend bill as presented on amendment A.

Councilmember Rivera, you are recognized in order to address it.

Thank you, Council President.

Colleagues, I've publicly stated starting when I was running for office that I support tiny home villages.

We need to take care of our unhoused neighbors across the city.

I wanna ensure that tiny home villages are cited, and I want them to succeed based on conversations with you, colleagues and with shelter providers, as well as learning about um state bill 2266.

I pulled my original amendment.

The amendment before you is a new amendment that aligns with um Senate Bill 2266.

It allows SDCI and HSD to work with the operator of a shelter sited near a school or another shelter to address any additional public health and safety impacts that might be identified.

It does not apply to shelters for families and children or recovery shelters.

The identified additional safety concerns may be negotiated.

This is not a must-requirement, it is a May, allowing everyone to work together.

And to clarify what I heard from public comment today, this amendment is not a requirement, it is an allowance.

That's why it's the May language.

This means SDCI and HSD and the provider can work together and include additional public health and safety measures in the contract with the provider as suggested during public comment.

So I will also add colleagues.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.

Are there any comments on amendment A version 1 to Council Bill 121195?

Councilmember Rink.

Thank you, Council President.

Colleagues, while I appreciate the changes that have been made since the initial introduction in the land use and sustainability committee to ensure that we are not in violation of state law.

I will be voting against this amendment today for a couple of reasons.

First being what I view as some redundancy since Section D 7A already requires a septet assessment prior to site openings to provide site and community specific recommendations intended to mitigate public health and safety impacts.

Additionally, it's my understanding that in the development, this amendment, the human services department was not consulted, despite being named as a collaborator in Section 11, with the portion that states negotiating additional operating requirements to mitigate potential public health or safety impacts.

Now, to my knowledge, the human services department already negotiates provider service and security needs on a shelter by shelter basis directly with operators.

We need to make sure that this plan is set up for success, and from my perspective, that means ensuring resources and staffing to prioritize safety and good relationships within the individual neighborhoods.

So I'll be voting no on this amendment today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rink.

Uh Council Member Kettle.

Thank you followed by Council Member Lane.

Thank you, Council President.

Um I'm going to speak to the bill, you know, after these amendments are done and speak into the various pieces related to public safety, for example.

And I do want to know if you read the language, the public safety piece has been largely placed in there.

And this is from the lessons learned and so forth that we've done in terms of our work over the years related to service providers and then to include in district in district seven, but throughout the city.

And I'm happy that those are in because this is more comprehensive, this what we're trying to do versus land use.

So I appreciate these pieces in uh that are in here.

And I also appreciate the and understand the points that council member rink is saying, and they're right because these pieces are in here.

That said, you know, schools are a very special case.

Um I recently did a public safety walk uh starting in Rainier Beach and at the Rimanier Beach uh community center where we went to Dunlop elementary, then we went to South Shore, the K-8 school there, and there's actually a tiny home village right across the street and up a bit.

And so I believe everything is fine with that location, and everything is good.

And then we finished by the way at the Rainier Beach High School.

It was a fantastic public safety walk with you know members of community, you know, the school district, uh, King County, the city.

It was fantastic.

And so there is a certain redundancy here, but because of the May language and the need to ensure that um our schools uh are safe, um, I will be voting yes for this.

You know, with those points made, um, I don't I see this will be uh just double check, if you will, related to school safety, which is a big issue that we're working on.

And uh when when I say that, I don't I'm not saying that it's automatic, but it's worth the check, and so for that reason, I will support it.

Thank you, Councilmember Kettle.

Council Member Lynn, followed by Councilmember Saka.

Thank you, Council President and colleagues.

Um thanks again to Councilmember Foster for um being the lead sponsor.

And um, you know, this has been a uh balance um as we've tried to move quickly, but also thoughtfully.

Um I'm gonna be voting no on all the amendments today.

Um in I think the I I struggled with uh where I was at.

Um I think there's a lot of good intention behind these amendments.

Um and uh I do want to note that this is interim legislation.

Um as soon as we uh if assuming we do pass this, we're gonna have to hold a public hearing within 60 days to take more public comments, and we're gonna have to come up with a work plan uh to develop permanent regulations um in collaboration with the mayor's office.

Um so you know, these amendments I just think uh I wasn't quite there.

I think they needed um just a little bit more workshopping.

Um, but I do just want to speak to um the need.

What I see as um alignment uh across uh the floor with the mayor's office is the need for robust services for robust uh security.

Um and I think as we engage with um our our providers and many of our uh folks who are unhoused who have um had bad experiences with shelter in the past, um, who you know.

I spoke with um someone living in an RV um last week and uh was talking to them about you know the upcoming RV safe lot and they expressed concerns because they had heard about a shooting in an RV lot um in the recent history.

And you know, it's named R V safe lot for a reason it's supposed to be safe.

Um, and so you know, most of all, I want to make sure that um the uh when we when we invite people into shel uh shelter, when we invite people into RV safe lots, that we are making sure that we are providing those robust services and safety for for them for the neighborhood, and that's um gonna require as we've heard um hard discussions for us uh as we approach budget season.

Um I do think many of these requirements would be better housed within our uh human services contracts with providers.

Um at the end of the day, I think it's gonna require collaboration with us, with the mayor's office, with um uh, you know, our local neighborhoods, with um our uh fire department, SPD, uh care um and others.

Um so um thank thank you to my colleagues.

Uh, I will be voting no on these, but uh it is my commitment to continue to work with you, especially as we develop uh the permanent regulations uh for this uh new shelter search.

Thank you, Councilmember Lynn.

Council Member Saka, followed by Councilmember Warz.

Thank you, madam council president.

I'm gonna be supporting this amendment today, and here's why.

Uh the uh at a high level it leaves room for a lot of discretion and flexibility in how it's implemented.

A and B, if it's even implemented at all.

Uh I'll read the text of the amendment.

It says the director, the relevant text in excerpt, an exercise portion.

The director, in consultation with the director of the human services department, may negotiate additional operating requirements to mitigate potential public health and safety impacts.

Key and operative word there is may it does not purport to impose an affirmative or definitive obligation uh on anyone.

It leaves plenty of room for discretion and flexibility.

The department, the director, and or the human services department director may choose implemented, they may not completely discretionary.

Um for those reasons I'll I'll I'll be supporting this today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Sokk and Council Member Warz, followed by Council Member Foster.

Thank you.

Um I have no no no problems here today voting yes on this, and I'll tell you why.

As somebody who is here in 2021, 20 and 2022, the actual fact pattern did play out with Seattle Public Schools at Broadview on Bitter Lake, where we went from three tents to well over 60.

And we had jurisdictional disputes because Seattle Public Schools, it was their property.

It wasn't the city of Seattle's property.

There was no mechanism in place for Seattle public schools to be notified or work with our city departments because it wasn't our land.

They took a different position about quote unquote no sweeps, but in the meantime, Broadville Elementary and the surrounding neighborhoods were not happy.

And so those of us, and nothing against those of us that are elected citywide, but those of us that are district representatives worked with and dealt with constituents and parents when that fall when school opened that you can go from four or five tenths up to 60 or 70.

And we we our hands were tied.

There's nothing we could do.

So when we distinguish between um operators and providers, I think as and I think Councilmember Saka hit it right on the nose.

I think you have it is a May, it's not a shell.

It's not a different another burden, but it's saying there has to be some discretion and some opportunity.

So we don't have this no man's land of jurisdiction with Seattle public or Seattle police department, Seattle Public Schools, City of Seattle, and everybody pointing at each other, and nobody told the school that they were going to allow more chance.

Now, again, this isn't about criminalizing the homeless.

This isn't that people don't have empathy.

It's about a May and giving an opportunity in a space for the operator provider to maybe have discussions if indeed there will be a tiny house village near a school.

And that has been an ongoing problem, and I know some people don't want to hear this politically.

It's kind of the elephant in the room, but um some of us were around when Mayor Murray declared the war on homelessness in 2015, and I think Councilmember Strauss was around during 21-22 when we were dealing with other encampments at three other elementary schools and a high school, and it was really difficult.

And us having to talk to the principals of the school and the superintendent of Seattle Public School and have to hear their concerns and complaints about why didn't anyone tell us that this was going to happen.

Who do we talk to?

Um, and so I don't think that this is like a bad thing.

I think it's it's I think it's good governance, and again, it's not a shell, as Councilmember Sokka pointed out, being another lawyer, it's a may, and I don't think there's anything wrong with saying, hey, let's talk to Seattle Public Schools, let's talk about our schools and safety, because we did have safety issues.

We did have shootings, we did have overdoses, and we also have them next to our um to our parks, our community centers, and our bathrooms.

So I'm just gonna be honest about that.

I know a lot of people don't want to hear that, but that is what it is, and I speak from being a district five representative elected in 2015, and so I think just a little institutional knowledge and just a little common sense isn't a bad thing.

I don't think it makes us bad people if we say may instead of shell.

So for that reason, I'll be voting yes.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Warz.

Uh, Councilmember Foster, and if there are any other comments after Councilmember Foster, if not, we'll go back to the uh amendment uh sponsor.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Um, and uh thanks colleagues for your comments.

Um I I know there's been significant work done on this amendment since the first time that it was introduced, and I appreciate those changes.

Um I will be voting no on this for several reasons, and I appreciate the focus on May as opposed to shall colleagues.

Um I will say I still have significant concerns around implementation, potentially running afoul of state law, as well as significant concerns um around the differentiation between different types of uh shelters that we're making in this uh in this amendment.

Um further, you know, I believe that the work that we did, and I and I thank you, Councilmember Juarez, for working so closely with me and for your leadership on the amendment for the public safety plan.

I believe the work that we did on that amendment uh allows us to take into consideration unique needs of any of the shelter locations that would be identified under this legislation.

So I believe there's already a provision to allow from that from my perspective.

Um so for those reasons, colleagues, I'll be voting no on this amendment.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember uh Foster.

Uh Councilmember Rivera.

Um, thank you, Council President.

I'll just close by saying a couple things.

One is um it does not hurt to call out this piece about the schools, because it is important for all of us to work together to ensure, like I said earlier, that we have success at the schools, and some of us have seen to council member Juarez's um points earlier issues in the past, and so we want to acknowledge um that we care and that we're going to work together, and if something additional is identified to make the shelter successful at that location, then we may uh do that.

Um I will say in terms of the conversation about the contracts, we as council don't have the ability to weigh into contracts at the department level.

That's really a mayor's office function.

Um they oversee the city departments and they can tell their departments hey, when you put that contract together, please make sure to include these provisions in the contracts.

Council doesn't always have insight, we don't always have visibility into all of those contracts.

So, how council has the ability to say to a department, hey, we care about this.

So when you're doing that work, can you please include this other thing?

Is via um the legislative process, which is why this says again, may um this may happen that you work together if additional uh public safety measures need to be put in place, then you can work together and it can be included in the contract.

Absent that it would require us to stay on top of, you know, we'd have to work with the mayor's office and the department to ensure that something got in, and then it doesn't always if they don't agree make it its way in.

So I want to level set that the conversation about things are better placed in contracts.

It's okay for us in the legislative process to indicate some interest in particular areas um that might be in uh reflected in a contract.

Um, in any event, I just want to underscore that I don't think there is a lot of alignment here on uh shelters and citing these tiny home villages and ensuring we are supporting our unhoused uh populations and that we really set up for success by acknowledging where we've had prior issues and fostering an opportunity um to have people work together um to make things uh uh even better um if that opportunity is there and and the parties so choose.

It's an opportunity, it is not a requirement.

Um I hope to have your support.

This seems like common sense legislation.

Um it's not meant to be onerous, and that's why it's the May language and the opportunity language versus an actual requirement.

Thank you, Council President.

Awesome.

Thank you, council member Rivera.

Um so it's been moved and second.

Are there any other additional comments uh regarding amendment A?

Colleagues, I will be supporting uh this I believe it provides discretion, flexibility, it's simple, and most importantly, we have to build trust with our community.

So I will leave it at that.

Uh will the clerk please call the roll on the will the clerk please call the roll on amendment A to Council Bill 121195.

Councilmember Rivera?

Aye, Councilmember Saka.

Aye.

Council Member Strauss.

Okay.

Sorry.

Sorry, sir.

That was a no.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yep.

Council Member Foster?

No.

Council Member Juarez.

Aye, Council Member Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn?

No.

Council Member Rank?

No.

Council President Oxford.

Yes.

Five in favor, four opposed.

Uh item also amendment number A passes.

Or excuse me.

The motion carries amendment A as adopted.

Excuse me.

I move.

Oh, and then I'll pass it to Council Member Rivera to move amendment number B.

Thank you, Council President.

I move to amend Council Bill 121195 as reflected on amendment B.

It's been moved and sacred.

Oh, a second.

It's been moved and second to amend the bill as presented on amendment B.

Councilmember Very, you're recognized in order to address it.

Thank you, Council President.

I made changes to amendment B again, as I had conversations with you all and providers, which I ref uh which I reflected here in this new version of the amendment.

I heard from providers in my district to operate permanent supportive housing and low-income housing.

The new version of this amendment only requires overnight security, not 24-7, just overnight, that it's identifiable and trained.

It does not require third-party security, nor does it set the hours.

This is for the operators to determine the providers that have instituted overnight security in my district have seen fewer 911 calls, fewer incidents, increased resident participation, and an increase in staff morale.

In essence, it has provided safety for the residents and the staff who are the most impacted by public safety issues at the sites and the surrounding neighbors and neighborhoods.

Colleagues, I believe, as I said earlier, if we work together, we're gonna have better outcomes.

And these this amendment, as was the last one, were crafted with this goal in mind.

We all support tiny homes.

We want to ensure they're set up for success.

This security piece is not um meant to be onerous, and as I said earlier, in the sites that have instituted um some type of security, it's worked really well for the residents that live there and for those surrounding neighbors as well, and that's what we want.

We want folks to live in safe environments.

Um, the folks that are living in the tiny homes and the folks that are their neighbors in the tiny homes.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.

Colleagues, are there any comments regarding amendment number or amendment B?

Uh Councilmember Foster.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Oh, let me get my mic here.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Um, and I wanted to share colleagues, I'm again gonna reference some of the work that we did in committee and appreciate Councilmember Rink for her amendment on 24-hour staffing, um, as well as an amendment that uh provides some uh goals for uh case management ratios.

Um I believe those amendments were really important in making sure that we have uh adequate and appropriate staffing on site as we seek to do this shelter expansion.

Uh, for those reasons, I will be voting no on this amendment.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Councilmember Kettle.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, as I'm sitting here looking at these amendments and you know, the then what's the language above?

It is striking that we're talking about public safety, public safety, public safety on a land use committee bill.

Um, that has been sponsored by the housing committee chair.

Um I just make that point because there is a good governance point here generally that we should be you know mindful of, particularly as we move from interim uh and then moving forward.

Um so I wanted to make that point.

Additionally, by the way, related to amendment A, I think it's I think the city would be happy to know that the relationship between city government, at least with city council and the school district.

I can't necessarily speak for the executive, is much better.

So council member warrants, thank you for bringing up the history and the challenges that we're facing a decade ago.

But I would it's important to know that we've been building the relationship with the school district.

Uh Superintendent Schuldener, very positive, uh, very positive relationship with him.

Uh I mentioned the um Renier Beach Public Safety walk.

We had representatives from the school district, um, they're a security person, and in addition to the principals from the three schools.

Um, so it's very positive.

So I think I think the city should know that, you know, often in the past, when I was at the Queen Anne Community Council, I would often note that, you know, between the school district and the city, it's almost like they have to exchange ambassadors in order to have some type of relationship.

And we've definitely moved beyond that.

And I think it's important.

I think it's really important for this topic here.

Now, as noted, as I note at the beginning, there's a lot of public safety pieces into this.

And I've been working with these uh service providers I've met countless to include those that have done public comment, those that used to work for service providers who now work for the city, Mr.

Grant, and others on these um to home villages, but all across the board.

And from that experience, I I do know the challenges, and you know, like the Salmon Bay Village that we had, which was a you know RB safe law, and there was issues, but it was done well, and the security pieces were designed into it, and they had staffing, 24 hour staffing that could make that 911 call or control who was coming in, checking coming in and out.

So the staffing could you know do those kinds of functions, and I think they did them well, and I say this because I also know from all this engagement with service providers that um and can I add too, by the way, in terms of security, you know, um private security and like first I want to thank all the businesses across the city that bring on private security or other non-profit organizations generally um that do it, because it's hard and it's expensive.

I've been engaging with one uh location in district seven, and they don't bring it in because of the costs and so forth.

And I I raise this point because for these shelters, um, the margins are not that great, and you know the cost of having a dedicated security team would be problematic.

Um but given the fact of the other um public safety pieces, the fact that we have 24-hour staffing that could again make that 911 call, do these different pieces that have a security element to it.

I don't want to conflate the two that um based on this and the factors in terms of particularly in terms of the costs and so forth.

That on this bit, um, this amendment, I will vote no.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Kettle.

Uh, Council Member Lynn.

Thank you.

Um, just a couple questions uh for council member Vera.

Um I think um there was a prior amendment that requires 24-7 staffing of two staff, and just curious, um, would this be could one of those two staff be the train security staff during overnight, so it wouldn't you wouldn't have to have three necessarily if this passes that one of them could be the on the 24-7 staffing, is that the intent?

Oh, absolutely.

Please, yes, yes, yes.

Yes, Councilmember Lynn, this doesn't have a number, nor does it say it has to be a third party.

Um, if security is providing the security, then they just need to be trained because I think it's important not to put staff in a situation where their safety is at risk, so they should be trained and identifiable.

People should know who's providing that security.

So there is flexibility within how and also it doesn't say how many like how the hours overnight because it works differently in different places for different providers.

So there is um flexibility built in.

It just acknowledges that um security is needed at these locations for the residents as much as for the neighbors, and there's it they should be identifiable and trained so that they're not put in harm's way because unfortunately we know that at some of the sites we have drug dealers that show up trying to prey on folks.

Um, we have other um safety concerns that show up, you know, that we can't um always know about ahead of time, obviously.

So there is like a person who's dedicated overnight that's on deck for providing that security.

So there is a lot of flexibility built in here.

I hope I answered your question.

And it doesn't demand two or it it doesn't say anything on number.

It's just that that service is being provided that the person providing the services trained so that they're set up for success and safety, and that they're identifiable to identifiable to folks so you know who to contact.

Thank you.

And yeah, that you you somewhat answered my other question, which was the term overnight.

It sounds like there's some flexibility there of what that could mean.

Yes, because it really it's it depends on the site.

I mean, we heard from public comment today, some sites don't have issues, and then other sites do, so it really gives that flexibility so that the provider can determine how to best set it up.

Okay, thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Lynn F uh, excuse me, Councilmember Saka, followed by Councilmember Warz.

Thank you, madam council president.

First off, I want to thank uh council member Rivera for bringing this forward today.

Uh appreciate you and your leadership.

Uh I I know she has the uh the best of intents, intentions and motive purest of motives, um, and cares deeply about our unhoused neighbors uh and and getting them housed uh and making sure that we we provide uh safe habitable places for for people to live uh and and that the arrangement works well for everyone involved, um including the the existing neighbors, and so I I know that to be true, and I really do appreciate uh you know all the work that went went into this specific amendment.

Um this is one where I'm actually gonna be voting no.

Uh, and it's for similar reasons that were expressed the the cost factor, the unspecified cost factor.

Um I would not at all be surprised, and I'm and I'm sure you know the the anecdotal evidence supports you know the things that we heard, like when when these when this kind of provision is in place, the uh you know employee morale boost and less incidents, etc.

etc.

Um it's also very costly, and we need to get people housed quickly.

That's it.

We need to bring people indoors quickly, surround them with you know wraparound services, and which is in and of itself a fairly costly endeavor, as is.

Similar provisions that give the department discretion, you bake in flow through provisions into the contractual terms of the those contracts that that if there's a certain amount of problems or challenges or indicators that things will be a problem, then you can impose this kind of requirement.

But as a starting place and as a as a blanket rule at this stage, you know, given the overriding, all the considerations at play.

Um, I'm I'm uh not going to support it today.

Uh I also think there's overlapping coverage and elsewhere in this same bill, as amended, whether we're talking about septe reviews or uh central points of contact or good neighbor agreements and the like list goes on and on.

Uh and with the other bills, the other package or suite of bills that we passed to address this, um, and enable this effort more broadly and strategically, similar kind of overlapping coverage and because of the costs.

I think there is some overlapping coverage, although I will agree, security trained identifies identifiable security is not the same as as uh you know other forms of services and support which they need, um, but because of the costs, want to give the chance that for these other provisions to bake in and work.

Uh, I'm not gonna be supporting this today, but I do appreciate the the intent and and I know Councilmember Rivera's motive is pure.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Saka.

Council Member Juarez.

Thank you.

Um, thank you, madam chair.

I am going to be responding and um voting yes on this, and I'll tell you why, and some of it overlaps with what I had shared earlier.

First, though, I want to thank Councilmember Foster for being really, really wonderful at working through this legislation, the discussions we had, the amendments that were done, discussing good neighborhood agreements, the critical incident reports, when who makes that 911 call.

And again, I'm probably gonna say something that politically people aren't gonna like, but what I've seen since 2015 in our homeless population and what I see in 2026.

Um, I'm just gonna say that some of the our residents who actually live in these tiny houses are subjected to more, I would believe, predatory and violent behavior.

Um I don't agree that I mean I appreciate that operators and providers have trained and have staff that are trained in de-escalation, but I would submit to you that that is not public safety, and I am more concerned about the folks that are living in the encampments that are trying to stay sober, they're trying to stay safe, than some of the people that get attracted to and prey upon tiny house villages and the people that live there that are just trying to have a better life.

Um we do and we discussed at length good neighbor agreements, um, the critical incident reports when a felony does occur uh within 24 hours or calling 911 or misdemeanors, those are all part of the operator contracts.

That is nothing new, nothing burdensome.

Everybody knows that we've gone through every one of those contracts, and what those obligations mean as a contract, not just for the safety of surrounding quote unquote NIMBEs, but for the people that actually live there.

Um, and I guess my other concern is when we are doing shelter expansion, and it's interim, then we're gonna see more activity.

And if we're gonna see more activity, we're gonna see good activity and we're gonna see some not so good activity.

And that is my concern, and I don't think that there's anything wrong about or I'm not taking any type of political performative here, performance here of saying um that I'm against tiny house villages, or I'm against a Lehigh, or I'm against PDA.

I am for the people that are trying to live there who are trying to stay sober and trying to stay safe, and on a personal note, um, from my personal perspective and my lived experience and with my family and members of my family that have struggled with addiction and trying to stay sober.

It is really hard to be in an environment if you're still not safe and you cannot maintain your sobriety or handle your mental health issues, and so for that reason, I will be supporting though I'm I'm guessing it it probably will not pass, but I am going to support it not because I need to do any type of political performance up here, but because I think it's common sense.

So for that reason, I will be voting yes.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Juarez.

Are there any other additional comments before I go to the uh the amendment sponsor?

Council member, I'll pause here.

Okay, Councilmember Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, colleagues, for all your comments.

I just want to say, um, you know, there is a cost, council member Saka associated.

You're absolutely right.

And the providers in my district who were having some serious seriously significant issues with public safety, and then um uh put security in.

It is a cost, they're telling me that is well worth it.

So it is because things much improved for their residents and for their staff.

Because a lot of times to council member Juarez's point, folks that are living um in housing where there are other folks trying to prey upon people.

Um, you know, I'll I'll be honest, I grew up in low-income housing and we didn't have security in my building.

Um, you know, you let yourself in, and sometimes someone would follow you behind you, and people did get mugged and robbed at at a knife point in my building.

There was no security.

So I guess part of me also remembers that from when I was a kid.

But getting back to today, which is many many years later, I just know from working with the providers, and I am so grateful for the providers in my district, because they um instituted um security and it had such a positive effect for everybody involved, and most of which were the residents.

You know, these are some of these residents are uh, you know, they are in recovery, they're just trying to lead a good life.

Um, and we wanna be supportive, and we want to make sure that it's safe housing for people, and that is not a disrespect to all the providers.

I very much appreciate all the providers.

This is actually to help the shelters set up for success is to ensure that we have that security element, and it's different from having a public safety plan.

You can have a public safety plan, but when something's happening on the spot, you need a security person to come in and help this situation, and that's what this is for.

And I wrote it after speaking with providers as with as much flexibility as possible, but to accomplish that we do need um security folks that live um uh in tiny homes and in permanent supportive housing and in low-income housing deserve to live in safe spaces, and when something happens, they deserve to have someone on site who is trained to help them, and this is what what this is about at the end of the day, and to the cost issue.

Um, I will say that when I started here, the city was not when I spoke to providers, the city was not allowing um city dollars to be used for security, and then when we came in and we passed the operating stabilization funds, we did allow security, it is now an allowable use of the funds, and that was really important to me because I saw that the providers really needed that, but they couldn't afford it.

So my hope is that when the mayor is instituting um these these shelters and HSD is working with contracts, that the cost of security is baked into um that contract.

And I will say that um, in terms of what what it costs right now, a median uh uh tiny house unit costs about from our central staff telling us 35,000.

And this having security on site would bring that cost from 35,000 to about 35,900.

This is all approximate, but I say this to say this is not a huge cost, um, but it is a cost that has yielded great results to the providers that I've spoken with who've hired security because their residents needed it, wanted it, and their staffing as well.

So I don't want to belabor the point further, but I am uh mindful of the costs, um, and I would like to see um providers being able to use city funds toward that purpose because it is to ensure um the safety and security of the residents there, of the neighbors, the neighborhoods, um, and it's part of setting up um uh safe um and uh you know safe housing for everyone.

So anyway, um thank you, council president, and um we can take our one year.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera, and I know that you worked really hard on the two amendments that showed up in committee.

Uh other council members had talked about that, and then to like refine them and get them to where they are, um, and so we appreciate your intention um behind that as well.

Um so uh will the clerk please call the role to amendment number B for Council Bill 12119 five.

Councilmember Rivera?

Aye.

Councilmember Saka?

A.

Councilmember Strauss?

No.

Councilmember Foster?

No.

Council Member Juarez.

Aye.

Councilmember Kettle?

No.

Councilmember?

No.

Councilmember Rink?

No.

Council President Hollingsworth.

No.

This two in favor, seven opposed.

The motion fails for amendment number B.

So it's not adopted.

So colleagues, we have amendment A adopted.

Okay, to the council bill.

And now we're gonna uh I'll pass it to Council Member Strauss for his to move.

Amendment number C.

Thank you, Council President.

I move amendment C version one to Council Bill 12115.

Second, it's been moved and second to amend the bill as presented on amendment C.

Councilmember Strauss, you're recognized in order to address your amendment.

Uh thank you, Council President.

Thank you, colleagues, for you know, I'm bringing this amendment to full council because the members of the land use committee requested that they have more time to review the amendment, as well as I've taken the time to work with many different providers to make many more changes.

I think that there's still the I understand the urgency of this bill.

We're moving an emergency bill that is not using the traditional SEPA processes, and I think that that process is creating confusion for many people in the community unintendedly.

Um Anitra Freeman, I I agree with you in all your points.

And I think that some of that confusion that's occurring in this amendment are the things that you are worried about, are not within this amendment.

And I think that that has been a point of confusion.

And had we had more time with this bill, had we not been rushed with this bill, we would have more time to find that common ground and the common understanding of what is and what is not before us.

I also heard from uh the greater church council about some issues that you're concerned with in this amendment, that when you read the land use text of this amendment, those concerns don't exist.

And I made and I was really careful to craft these words in a way that we are not being overly prescriptive.

I have three different versions of this amendment that are all more specific, which can become more uh more difficult to attend to, and I did not bring them because I wanted to make sure that in this moment that if we are having confusion, we are also having the maximum flexibility.

And so I'm bringing this amendment because it is important to have more people housed on sites that can fit more people, but what we are doing right now is we are now moving into a size of shelter that we do not tradition that we have not utilized before.

And what I'm concerned with is that when we have more people in one place, that we have to ensure that they have increased privacy, that they have increased access to kitchens, laundry, showers, toilets.

Before the pandemic, we relied on congregate shelter extensively in the city, which are mats on floors without kitchens, without laundry, do have restrooms, some have showers, some don't.

If there was one individual in that room with mats on the floor, there was one person in there that was predatory in nature, no one got a good night's sleep.

People were not safe, people did not have privacy.

That is why tiny homes and and the type of shelter like tiny homes is better because people have four walls and a door that they can lock to remove themselves from somebody else's behavior so that they can find solace and privacy in their own space, and yet still these tiny homes do not have showers, they don't have kitchens, they don't have bathrooms, they don't have the amenities that people need to live their full life to stabilize and then to thrive.

What concerns me is that when we increase the number of people living sheltered in one place without increasing the dispersed access, so that means we are not putting all of the kitchen space in one place.

We're not putting all of the toilets, we're not going to a concert and having the all the porta potties in one part of the arena.

We need these places, these shelters to feel and set somebody up as if it was their own home.

And what I'm concerned about with the dialogue that we've heard is that there is a potential that we will be warehousing people.

I have no interest in warehousing people.

That's what we were doing with Congregate Shelter.

In the last decade, there were proposals brought to the city council to put a big white tent down in the port facilities and send everyone who's homeless there.

I stood against that proposal because that's warehousing of people in the same way that I'm concerned that this bill without the proper guardrails will warehouse people.

When Rudy Giuliani sent many homeless people to a one place upstate, that was warehousing people.

That wasn't stabilizing them.

I'm concerned without the proper guardrails to this bill and the future permanent bill.

That we're going to be warehousing people because we are not ensuring that they have their own individualized access to the resources and amenities that they need to stabilize so that they can actualize into having a better life.

Um by increasing the number of people, but not the amenities, there's a high potentiality for us to be doing them a disservice.

So this is the most flexible version of I think maybe even four.

I know three different versions of this amendment.

Um would greatly love your support on this amendment.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Strauss.

Are there any other comments regarding amendment number C to Councilville?

One two one, excuse me, one two one one nine five, Councilmember Foster.

Thank you so much, Council President, and thank you so much, Councilmember Strauss.

Um I uh appreciate that we are on you said version four.

I thought it was more like version five or six of this.

Um, and so I I really want to appreciate you.

Um I will back up a little bit and say when this legislation was first sent down, um, some of my initial questions were not so much around raising the census from 100 to 150, but really questions like what does it take to do this well?

Um, and in particular for a location where we might be serving up to 250 people.

And um, as you can tell, sort of by some of my previous comments around the work that we did around the public safety plans and the septeds and the staffing, it's my preferred approach as we're thinking about how we do this well, to think about it from sort of a design perspective.

What does it look like to create neighborhoods so that it those neighborhoods create safety, that those neighborhoods create community, um, as opposed to a uh a different approach?

Um, and you know, we heard from providers in committee actually around this neighborhood concept.

Uh, we heard from folks not just here in Seattle, but we also heard from some of the folks who are operating larger uh shelter communities and other locations.

And so for me, this was one that I really struggled with because it was really about what does it look like to get this right?

Um, I will tell you that I think the provision that's in this amendment that allows the SDCI director to go up to 75 is incredibly important.

I believe it's a provision that should be used um liberally in the implementation of this should this um amendment pass because that allows us to have multiple communities while still providing flexibility to providers.

Um I know that providers engaged really deeply on this amendment, and I want to thank those folks who are here for that work uh and that engagement to create those improvements.

Um, and for those reasons, I will be voting yes on this amendment.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Are there other uh are there other comments regarding amendment C that is before us?

Uh Councilmember Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

I just um I was trying to understand what are the um as Councilmember Sacker raised earlier, the cost implications for dividing um, well, I'm not really sure what it means to to divide.

Are you just saying for the 150 person shelter, you're just gonna have extra amenities there?

Is it more about amenities?

I just didn't understand about these neighborhoods.

Is it that it's gonna be enclosed separately?

Uh Councilmember Strauss.

Uh thank you, Council President, and through you to my colleague, I'll respond to the question here.

I'm gonna just read from the text because the other versions of this clearly required a ratio of amenities to units, which if I was to put into code a ratio of amenities to units, then it is required at a certain rate.

With the controlled access, uh Nietzsche and I had a good back and forth, and I wasn't here when Keitel presented the amendment the first time.

Keitel said fences.

I was thinking flower boxes, but either way, you know, the when we talk about controlled access, that's where you are creating a neighborhood where people have to enter and exit through one entryway.

Control could be as simple as a sign to say visiting hours are from 9 a.m.

to 9 p.m.

Control could be a resident advisor from somebody who maybe gets an extra perk in within the community for being a resident advisor.

Uh control could be a person sitting, a staff member sitting there, right?

Control can be many different things.

When we talk about self-contained, that means that's that's still pretty broad, it's still pretty vague.

And so what that means is that there are amenities that people can access.

They did there's no qualification on ratio, there's no qualification on where those amenities are placed, there's no qualification in that way.

But it is saying that we need to acknowledge by almost doubling at least 1.5 per times what we have done before.

And some and what that is are neighborhoods, and so as you can see, this language that is being put into code is very flexible in comparison to how prescriptive we could be because all of those things that I just said could be put into code, and I think that they could be met with the proper funding, but with out more time to work on this legislation and come to a better place of consensus within the community, there's still enough concern that I think that the most flexible version is the prudent way forward today.

Thank you, Councilmember Strauss.

Yes, Councilmember Rivera.

Thank you.

I so what about costs?

Like if it's about amenities, what what did you did you cost this out?

I'm just curious.

Uh Council President, Council Member, through you to the to my colleague.

There's no comment about amenities in this amendment.

Well, you were talking about needing, you know, bathrooms and and the like and separating out so we could have extract.

We should do that.

We should do that, absolutely.

And it is not codified in this amendment.

Okay.

Um, Councilmember, the floor is yours.

Okay.

Thank you, Councilmember Strauss.

I don't um, I am not sure I understand if if it's a hundred people or a hundred and fifty, and you're just gonna half it and put a flower box.

I'm not really understanding it's still a shelter with a hundred and fifty people.

So um apologies, but I I don't um uh I guess I'll just I'll I'll leave it at that.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.

Uh Councilmember Kettle, and then we'll go back to the uh amendment sponsor.

Thank you, uh Council President, and thank you, Councilmember Strauss, and everyone, uh Councilmember Rivera for the amendments.

Um, but I want to start like I did last time.

Thank you, Councilmember Juarez, uh, for bringing up like good neighbor agreements and and the and the like.

I will say uh good neighbor agreements once they're in ordinance they become law, so yes, the departments do need to follow the law and they do need to have good neighbor agreements.

And I would add we as a department are working on the follow-on, you know, next generation, if you will, good neighbor agreement, which is the uh neighborhood engagement and mitigation plan.

It's gonna be different, it's gonna take in, you know, improve upon uh the history of good neighbor agreements, and it's a two-step process.

We're in stop one right now, and in terms of developing the review and report.

Um, but I also wanted to thank uh councilmember wars for talking about sober living too.

Um, as you know, housing first um is a low-barrier approach.

I always say housing first, yes, if it's a photo finish with wraparound services, because we do need to have those wraparound services, and we should be encouraging uh those wraparound services that encouraging the decision calculus towards treatment, knowing that it could be many rounds of treatment before uh any type of success.

And uh, but also on sober live, as we go through this process, I think we have to have some dedicated sober living options for individuals uh who are seeking that because uh as you know, uh we're not living in a perfect world in some of these uh locations will probably not be conducive sometimes to those individuals who are um wanting a sober living option.

I just bring that up so based on Councilmember Wars uh bringing up the term and also the good neighbor agreements on this amendment.

I appreciate uh what is um going on here, but in terms of my experience in terms of you know with shelters and other experiences that I've had in this kind of general area.

The I and I think the service providers are going to be going into this kind of neighborhood um sections, if you will.

Um the hang up is the self-contained uh part because what what does that mean in a sense of if we have self-contained, maybe a certain aspect of the services or amenities or like that.

If you have three or four different neighborhoods, well, maybe you can because of geography and and shapes and everything that you can't necessarily fit um each of those pieces in, whatever it may be.

And so I'm a little bit concerned about the you know the uh um the language and set in the sense of forcing you know every amenity to be um replicated in each of the neighborhoods where it may make sense for a certain amenity or service or whatever it may be to be in one location, maybe independent of the end of neighborhoods, or or maybe one versus the others.

Um and so uh for that reason again I appreciate the what's happening here, but I'm I'm hung up on the self-contained uh neighborhoods based on the experience of the combination of the housing plus the services, the wraparound services that makes it difficult, and but otherwise, and I'd I encourage um the service providers to to create these neighborhoods uh so it's not a big block.

And I again I based on my conversations with many, I think that's the direction they're gonna go to in as well.

So uh thank you, Council President.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Kettle.

Are there any further comments uh regarding amendment C before uh council member uh rink?

Thank you, Council President.

I want to thank Council Member Strauss for this amendment and for your work on it, particularly from last committee meeting and bringing to full council, and thank you for speaking to your intent here.

I share in your desire to make sure that everyone who is living in these sites will be living with with dignity.

And I I think just for today, I still have some outstanding questions and hearing consternation from our partners, and so I will not be supporting today, but I'm hoping that as we engage in permanent legislation, we can really thoroughly think through how we tackle this in land use code.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Rink.

Are there any further comments regarding amendment C for Council Bill 121195?

Councilmember Strauss, a sponsor of the amendment.

You were recognized for closing comments.

Uh thank you.

Just want to take the moment to thank Councilmember Foster.

You have stewarded this in the best way I could ask for, and I really appreciate you working with me to improve any ideas that I've had.

I had even more amendment ideas that I didn't bring because of how you stewarded this process, and I really appreciate how you've done this work.

Colleagues, as you know, I passed the two bills out of my committee almost a month ago to support adding new shelter capacity within our city.

At that time, I stated that I was greatly concerned because I was seeing homelessness at a level that I haven't seen in my district in quite some time.

Since then it has gotten worse.

When we spoke a month ago, we had a gentleman with an actual stove pipe coming out of his tent.

He has since been I don't exactly know what his final destination has been, but there folks were removed, and now even new folks who we've never seen in the neighborhood before.

We've seen these these other folks before.

We have completely new people in the neighborhood in that exact same spot, and it's only a month later.

Marvin's Garden, which is where the Ballard Bell Tower is, old City Hall in Ballard had an encampment in it this weekend during Sitting to Mai.

I've actually not seen that since the pandemic.

You can hear that I have great consternation at this moment that we have had these issues really come to this level of of seriousness in just the last few months.

And I'll be supporting this bill today because we have to do all that we can to address the situation, but we also can't stop mid-stream.

And it feels as if the city has taken a pause in addressing homelessness in the way that we have been for a number of years.

And you know, that goes back to I don't need to go back to the navigation team versus the unified care team, but we took police out of the lead role in addressing homelessness for good reason.

And when we did that, we've seen a lot more human-centered success, a lot more human-centered services.

And I'm concerned that we're pausing in the middle of the stream right now, and I'll be supporting this legislation now.

But I think as you can tell, we'll have a much more robust conversation when we get to the permanent legislation.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster for stewarding a wonderful process.

Thank you, Councilmember Strauss.

Uh, will the clerk please call the roll on the passage of amendment C.

Councilmember Rivera?

No.

Councilmember Saka?

Councilmember Strauss?

Councilmember Foster?

Yes.

Councilmember Warz.

Council Member Cattle?

No.

Councilmember Lynn?

No.

Councilmember Rank?

No.

Councilmember Council President Hawksworth.

Yes.

That is four in favor, five opposed.

So the motion fails.

Amendment number C is not adopted.

Are there any final comments about the bill?

This is so the bill has been amendment and has been amended.

Amendment number A has passed.

So is there any further further comments on the bill as amended?

And colleagues, this is your time to talk overall.

And then I will pass it to Councilmember Foster for the end for your comments as the bill sponsor.

And just checking with Council Member Glenn.

Is that okay?

Because I know you're the committee chair.

Awesome.

So we'll go to Councilmember Lynn, followed by Councilmember Rivera, Councilmember Juarez, Councilmember Kettle.

Thank you all.

Thank you to Councilmember Foster for sponsoring this.

Thank you to all the colleagues for your hard work.

Thanks to the mayor's office for acting with urgency.

You know, this is uh to Councilmember Strauss to your point.

Um things appear to be uh only getting uh more difficult in the past few months.

I've certainly heard that at least uh from my um district, South Seattle.

And um, you know, sad to report that um just about a week ago, we had an unhoused neighbor that um was killed in the Mount Baker area um just early this morning.

We had an RV that um was caught on fire and exploded.

Uh I spoke with the uh the resident of that RV and and he uh thankfully was okay, but he thought it might have been arson.

Um, and so we just see um, you know, in in many of our unhoused neighbors uh the serious uh public safety issues that they face, um, and why it's so critical that we um give them a door and um some security and safety and services and um you know it's critical that we act with urgency as as neighbors continue to ask what are we doing to um to support the neighborhoods to support our now's neighbors.

Um, you know, I keep saying, Well, uh this is why I support the mayor's uh surge in shelter with services, and I just can't wait till we start to see some of these come online.

I'm so excited to to see it open up in Inter Bay Um in West Seattle, and just anything we can do to continue to to grow that support and to find the resources to do so.

Um so thank you, and it's my commitment again to to work with each and every one of you on the permanent legislation.

Thank you, Councilmember Lynn, Councilmember Rivera.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, in general, I just want to reiterate my support for tiny home villages and ensuring that we are working hard to um housed our um unhoused neighbors across the city with the resources, it is my hope uh to help them uh get treatment.

I'm hoping that treatment will be a part of the mayor's plan um for these.

Um that is really really important.

Um I want to see people set up for success.

Um, and I really want to say I very much appreciate all of our providers in the city.

Um I really appreciate the providers in my district who worked with me when I was working on this legislation, and um I want to uh and I and I appreciate having a conversation with the coalition on homeless um uh because I had conversations with them as well.

I know there is so much alignment here.

We all care about housing our unhoused neighbors, so it's my hope we can set up these shelters quickly, um, in a manner that provides services to the folks inside the shelters so they get their needs met and in a way that that provides for safe um temporary housing um for um our folks there um and in a way that is safe for the neighbors and the and the communities um and neighborhoods around them so that we really are um fostering great relationships between the folks that are housed at the tiny homes and um their neighbors so um really appreciate um uh being able to uh move on this quickly.

Um, and then I also know this is interim legislation, so we'll have more opportunity in the future to have more time to think through um and then also see how this uh gets set up quickly, hopefully, um, and we'll have more information by which to make future decisions.

So thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.

Councilmember War is followed by Council Member Kettle.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um I think I said this before in committee, but I want to say it again.

Um this is interim legislation that was transmitted from the mayor's office, and I know that there are a lot of handprints everywhere on this legislation when it was first transmitted, but I want to really really stress a um and I wrote down my thoughts because I want to make sure I got this right to Councilmember Foster.

Um I think that she has demonstrated some of the finest shared leadership and principles that I've witnessed so far.

Well, a lot of, and it's very familiar to me because that's how I was raised in Indian country.

Um, real leadership, cooperation, relationships, and honesty.

And we've had that opportunity to discuss the legislation as it was originally transmitted, and we have those discussions in a real honest, candid, transparent way, done with kindness and respect.

There were areas where we didn't agree, and I appreciated that.

She could come in my office and say, look at you know, I don't got you on this, but I'm like, okay, well, let's let's let's talk it through.

And she she turned me around on a few things, and I appreciated that.

Um we had a real opportunity to discuss all options to support shelter expansion, provide services, look at um public safety, and to do what's best for our great city and our great need to shelter those un our friends, our neighbors, our relations who are unhoused.

And on a personal note, I want to add something to things, like Councilmember Rivera, as she shared in a in a as I say, a moment of vulnerability.

Um, I too grew up in public housing, low income, HUD housing.

I know what it's like to grow up with lack of resources, heat, or food, our lack of public safety, um, be subjected to crime, drugs, and predatory behavior, and even transportation.

So I understand what it's like when people discuss as Councilmember Strauss so eloquently stated, people just being warehoused.

So we don't make these decisions lightly, we don't make them in a vacuum.

We certainly every one of us come to this dais with um, as we say, lived experience, common sense, our own subject matter expertise and how we how we believe legislation move forward.

But when you see really good leaders like um Councilmember Foster up and coming, Councilmember Strauss, Council President, every one of you.

I don't want to leave any of you out, but I'm just saying each of you have had your strengths, and what I really appreciate about this council is that we've had an opportunity to build relationships and have discussions without politicizing, humiliating, or being disrespectful to each other.

And so for that, I want to thank all of you and for this legislation today, which I will be supporting.

So thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilmember Warz.

Council Member Cattle.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, just say thank you also to our committee chair, uh, Councilmember Lynn, but obviously uh from the housing uh committee chair, and and also your service on the committee, the land use committee, uh, council member foster uh for your work on this legislation.

Um I wanted to note first that you know shelter must be part of the response uh to the challenges that we see in our street and elsewhere in our city, and it must be an all hands on deck um effort, and I know that, and so that's why in my meeting with uh you know the policy director, Nicole Valerio Sopa and our senior policy advisor who's here with us, uh Mr.

Uh Grant, that I I said yes on the West Armory way, and it was the only one that was listed in the original mayor's announcement on this uh topic because we do have to show um the leadership on this and also to to build on the experience that I've had in terms of successful efforts where they integrated all these different pieces, and so uh I want to thank that.

I do have to say, though, uh, I think it was related to a budget question when the mayor said you know, her priorities, homelessness, homelessness, homelessness.

I would argue that's wrong.

Um, I would argue it should be public safety, public health, and homelessness.

You have to have those elements in the public safety, public health, the alternative response piece, but also the human services piece and obviously homelessness with the housing piece.

We have to have this comprehensive approach, and the reason why is that, particularly for our district representatives, uh, and I'm sure my city wise are also getting um constant uh contact on this is you know I have a constituent named Mike, and he says in an email, it's not just public comment, we get emails.

We I'm walking my dogs, it could be anything where we get public comment.

Uh, he said, I want to be clear about my position.

I support humane solutions to homelessness, and I do not support criminalizing people for being poor, mentally ill, or in crisis.

But I strongly object to the city concentrating another high-impact shelter site in this immediate area, speaking of West Armory Way, without clear and forcible protections for the people who already live and work nearby.

And he spoke further on, and then he wanted uh eight and he had eight questions he wanted answers on.

But one I just want to highlight number three, which is who is named city contact responsible for urgent neighborhood concerns once the site is active.

You we have to work through these pieces to ensure that this connection between city government and the and the constituents that our residents, our neighbors throughout the city are are can be heard.

And he also noted that recent council discussion has included promises around neighborhood agreements, public safety planning, staffing, and better communication.

I'm asking your office to help ensure that those promises are not just talking points, but real obligations with real follow-through.

I you know, I think this is really important to to highlight and to to highlight this public comment.

And my office, myself and my office, we will be working these pieces as we've already been doing.

Because we need an approach that you know that looks to our neighbors who are in crisis with compassion.

We have to lead with that compassion for our neighbors in crisis, but to his point, we also have to look out for the neighborhoods.

We have to have the wisdom that we have to look out for the neighborhoods and communities.

It doesn't have to be like a geographic neighborhood, we could also be communities.

We also must incorporate lessons learned.

And I keep mentioning Salmon Bay Village, you know, the you know the safe RV lot, but as RV and Tiny Home villages and the pieces that were but in there to include you know the services piece, but also the security pieces.

And I would argue that was a successful um enterprise, which then leads to the ability to support like the West Armory Way.

Nothing breeds success in this area than success, and we should need to be working these these pieces.

Um, as I've already kind of noted already earlier, but also in this final note, yeah, this is in land use committee, but this is really much broader.

And because I heard some comments and public comment not vetted through land use.

Well, some of these are land use, but this also represents a mismatch between the how land use elements of what we're doing, but also the non-land use elements because really elements of this could have been gone through public safety committee, it almost feels like a public safety committee um piece of legislation, human services, and housing, and that's really important uh to reflect.

And so moving forward with the comprehensive police piece, we need to ensure that these elements are all getting you know addressed in a way that also is a good governance aspect.

Another something not spoken to today, but I want to speak to it right now is um this effort that we're doing here with the shelter plan, cannot supplant the regional approach to homelessness that we've embarked upon because we truly have a regional problem on the streets and other areas of our city than Seattle.

We have a regional homelessness problem on the streets of Seattle, and we have to maintain this regional approach.

We have to maintain the oversight role that we have as a city through this regional approach to this regional problem, and it's really important.

Yes, I'm talking about KCRHA, the King County Regional Homeless Authority, or 2.0, probably same name.

We have to have these pieces, we have to have the regional approach.

We have to have the oversight pieces, we have to have a voice in that regional oversight.

And again, not mentioned today, but it's important to do so.

And to close, I just wanted to note again public safety, public health, and homelessness.

And I invite everyone to look at the 24 April Public Safety Committee meeting, the chair comment in the beginning, where I spoke to a uh Seattle Times article talking about Little Saigon.

Um I talked to these pieces, but I also talked bigger pictures like why are we still here after Mayor Murray declared the emergency back in 2015?

Um I spoke to being a city of two minds.

We're of two minds in a lot of ways.

That kind of paralyzes us.

You know, the follow-through and the follow-up hasn't been there over these last dozen years or nearly dozen years, and so I speak to these pieces, and I think it's important to raise this and make it uh public, because otherwise, we could be here a decade from now and we'll still be in the same position.

And you know, I want to get to the place where where I see all these service providers who I meet on a regular basis across the board and get to the point where they've succeeded in their mission to you know to help the people, and we've gotten to the place where you know we're beyond having these pieces because we have like the long-term set response for the individuals in crisis and our neighborhoods in crisis.

So again, thank you, Councilmember uh Lynn and Councilmember Foster for the main lead, but everybody on the council and uh and you too, Council President.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Cattle.

Are there any are there any more comments before I I give it to the um council sponsor?

I will say this so you will have the last words.

Councilmember Foster, I want to uh thank you as Councilmember War said for your leadership in stewarding this process, having conversations behind the scenes, like literally all the work that it takes to go into each every uh councilmember's office to steward this uh legislation and get it to a really great place.

I know that this is interim, and so we'll talk about the permanent and the work plan coming forward.

Um, but just really uh want to give you your flowers on the stewardship of this on the second floor.

So thank you.

Um I also want to thank council member Lynn for going to your committee because I'm gonna tell you this you've been a workhorse since we started.

All the heavy pieces of legislation that has come through land use, and as some has fallen into your lap, has been a lot.

And so people see us pass legislation through your committee, but all of the backwards that happens, the meetings, so I just want to thank you, Councilmember Lynn, and highlight that that you've been um an absolute workhorse on that.

So thank you.

I also want to um I'm very happy to to vote on this legislation today.

And I do want to um say two things.

When we are doing the permanent work plan, number one, we have to include more providers.

There is more providers that were not included at the table at the beginning that are not in this room that are um you know have I've had tons of meetings with that need to be at the table when we're talking about uh permanent um permanent legislation because they have to be included in this too.

So that's number one, and number two, the whole piece of human services.

So when we are talking about placement of shelters, we got to include food banks, meal programs, mental health providers, health care providers, folks that are the wraparound services to a lot of uh these transitional uh shelters that have wanted to be included in these conversations because it impacts them too as well, and as we are providing more resources to the folks that are providing the shelter, that we also need to provide resources to the folks that are providing the services to the people as well, and so that is uh one thing that I heard as well.

Um, and last but not least, and I'll continue to say this is that my priority for uh these shelters are families and children.

Uh there are a ton of families and children that we do not see on the street that are sleeping in cars, that are sleeping on sofas.

There are 20 uh family members sleeping in a home right now.

Uh, we have kids that are you know taken out of school because they do not have places to go.

Uh, we have parents arranging rides for kids at living separate places because they don't have enough beds for for them.

So I just want to highlight that my goal is for us to re-center our focus on our families and our kids that are impacted because it is hard for kids to switch three and four schools in one school year, and we expect them to get good grades, and we expect them to be able to function properly.

So that is my priority in this, and I will be uh working diligently with uh mayor's office on that and making sure that I beat the drum loud and clear about our families and our babies and our children.

Um, other than that, colleagues, I will uh I'm sure people are tired of hearing us talk.

I see yeses, okay.

I will pass it, Missy Vett said yes.

Councilmember Foster for the last words before we vote.

Shoot.

Well, I'm sorry, Miss Evet, because I got a couple more comments here.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Um, and uh, and you mentioned the the workhorse that is um council member Lynn.

That's why that's why we call you Coach Lynn, I think, uh, earlier in this meeting, although that feels like a different meeting at this point.

Um, uh so I am gonna uh I'm I'm gonna close with just something that has been really um on my mind through this process.

Um, actually, first just sort of a technical thing.

I know that sometimes on the dais as we're talking about the work that we are doing, um, there's sort of an interspersal of different experiences that folks have had.

So I just want to kind of close us the way I started us off with a reminder that the legislation that we're about to vote on is really focused on expansion for our sanctioned encampments for tiny houses and for RVs.

So it's just I want to continue to reiterate that so we have that level of clarity of what this legislation allows, and those are gonna be sites that are operated by skilled providers.

Um, and so I just want to make sure we're very clear on that as we close out.

Um, and then what I want to say is, you know, I live um in my neighborhood, I'm in a walking distance from I think three um shelter locations.

One that's actually getting ready to open up, and the one that's getting ready to open up has been delayed for quite a while, and um I've been excited to see in recent weeks action um happening at that location where there's units that are getting uh brought into the site and units that are getting built on the site.

And it reminded me that over the summer I went to a community meeting for that location, and there was neighbors who came from the community where this uh shelter location is opening up, and there was also neighbors who came who lived nearby another tiny home village in another neighborhood.

And what we heard so clearly from those neighbors who live by the existing tiny home village was about the benefits to their community.

Um neighbors talked about, you know, somebody said when something's broken, I go and I check and I talk to somebody who lives in the tiny home village because he's super handy and knows how to fix everything.

Um somebody else said we've really appreciated what this village has meant to our community because there's more people walking around.

Somebody else said they had an experience where their home was broken into, and it was the person who lived in the tiny home village who actually called 911 because they were in the neighborhood and they had built this relationship and they were showing up and taking care of their neighbors.

And I think I just want to remind us of those experiences and that kind of community.

And when I think about the work that we're doing and some of the the things that we passed on this legislation, I I have said this whole time my underlying goal is to ensure that we pass this interim legislation and we have this first year of expansion in a way that is so successful that we are able to continue this expansion because we know the work that will happen in this first year is gonna be critical, and we also know we're gonna need to continue in years two, three, four, five, to continue that expansion.

So that is my hope with this legislation.

Colleagues, I appreciate your deep, deep engagement through this process, and I look forward to the vote today.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

All right, colleagues.

If there's no further comment, will the clerk please call the role on the bill before us as amended uh for excuse me as amended, thank you.

Councilmember Rivera.

Aye, Councilmember Saka.

Aye, Councilmember Strauss, right?

Councilmember Foster.

Yes, Councilmember Warz.

Hi.

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn.

Yes.

Councilmember Rank.

Yes.

Council President Alex Ross.

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

The bill passes, and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf?

That is a clap for people not talking anymore.

That's what everyone clapped on.

Just playing.

Okay, so we have two more items on the agenda.

I'm gonna have a clerk read both six and seven on the agenda, and then I will pass it to council member Foster to address both of them, and then we will vote on them separately.

Okay, colleagues.

So we'll get done a little bit quicker.

Uh Jody.

Agenda item six, resolution three two zero three two two zero zero, a resolution creating an arts and cultural district in the Columbia Hillman City neighborhood of Seattle.

And agenda item seven, resolution three two two zero one, a resolution creating an arts and cultural district in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle.

The committee recommends council adopt the resolutions.

Awesome.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

You are um recognized to read uh item or to address item six and seven, and we'll vote on them separately.

Thank you.

Fantastic.

Thank you so much, Council President.

Um, colleagues, I am so excited that we get an opportunity to vote on one of the things that makes our city so special, which is arts.

Um, so before you today are two pieces of legislation that passed unanimously out of out of committee to create the Georgetown Arts and Cultural District and to reconfirm the Columbia Hillman Arts and Cultural District.

Um, we heard in committee uh about how much about Georgetown has been a distinctive creative neighborhood that wasn't just built for artists but was really built by artists and is a place where industry industrial history and active arts all come together in a way that is really unique.

Um, and I'll just say hat and boots in here because uh I don't know Councilmember Saka knows what I'm talking about, uh, as one of the most unique and fun landmarks in our city.

Um, and uh we'll also be voting on the Columbia Hillman City Arts and Cultural District.

This is a reconfirmation of work that has been happening since 2016, um, and I want to acknowledge the work that has been happening by the um Southeast Seattle community as well as the Georgetown Association of Arts and Culture, as well as our Office of Arts and Culture for bringing this resolution forward.

I'm looking forward to um ensuring that this designation um helps support our artists and creative cultural communities all around Seattle, and I ask for your support.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Foster.

Are there any comments regarding item six and seven?

Councilmember Saka.

Thank you, madam council president.

I'll be brief.

Uh look, as the council member who's honored and lucky to represent one of these two areas, Georgetown.

I I gotta bring speak on it.

So first off, the designation in Georgetown honors the critically important work that community has put in.

A community of, as Councilmember Foster noted, a community of artists also includes residents, workers, and leaders.

It recognizes Georgetown as a vibrant neighborhood.

That it is and a critical part of our city's creative economy.

Also want to note and kind of highlight the fact that Georgetown has historically been an underserved, overburdened polluted uh industrial area that has been forced to absorb many of the unwanted aspects of urban of our urban industrialization efforts.

So this arts and cultural designation is one small step, but an important one towards righting those wrongs.

And I'm excited because I think this designation will unlock new investment to ensure that artists and creatives who help build this community continue to get to do so and thrive.

Excited to be able to support both of these resolutions, but special shout out to my Georgetown neighborhood.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember Saka.

Are there any further comments regarding item six and seven before us?

All right, awesome.

We'll vote on those separately.

Uh will the clerk please call the roll on item number six, which is resolution 3220 for an arts and cultural district in Columbia Hillman City Neighborhood of Seattle.

Councilmember?

Aye.

Councilmember Saka.

Aye.

Thank you.

Councilmember Foster.

Yes.

Councilmember Warez.

Aye.

Councilmember Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lin?

Yes.

Councilmember Rank.

Yes.

Council President Oxworth.

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Resolution is adopted, and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please fix my signature to the legislation on my behalf?

Now, colleagues, we're going to vote on resolution 32201, which is a resolution creating an arts and cultural district in Georgetown neighborhood.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Rivera.

Aye.

Councilmember Saka.

Aye.

Councilmember Strauss.

Hi.

Councilmember Foster.

Yes.

Councilmember Warz.

Aye.

Council Member Kettle.

Aye.

Councilmember Lynn?

Yes.

Councilmember Rank.

Yes.

Council President Oxford.

Yes.

Nine in favor, none opposed.

Resolution is adopted.

The chair.

Resolution adopted adopted and the chair will sign it.

Will the clerk please affix my signature to the legislation on my behalf?

Colleagues, there was no items removed from the consent calendar.

There's not a resolution for introduction or adoption today.

Are there is there any more business to come before the council today?

Left and right.

This is a quick reminder that uh on the meeting on May 26 is canceled.

So the meeting on May 26 is canceled.

That is next Tuesday.

It is canceled.

We also will not have a council briefing on Monday, the 25th, because that is Memorial Day, and so uh no uh meeting on Monday and then no meeting on Tuesday.

We will resume here on June the 2nd, which is Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Tuesday at 2 p.m.

at June 2nd.

And we said this in council briefing before I go.

Uh very excited for us to recognize Memorial Day um with uh our the rest of the people in our our nation, and I know it's not Veterans Day.

We do have two veterans that serve here on council, but we know that you all have probably lost uh friends and people that you serve with who sacrificed and gave their life uh for this country, and we're just very grateful for um you know just the the opportunity.

It's not just a holiday, it's for us to um memorialize uh folks that have given their life uh to this country.

So we just want to um say thank you.

So thank you.

Anyways, if there's not any further comments uh on today's agenda, the next council meeting, like I said, is June the 2nd.

Hearing no further business, we are adjourned.

It is 4 54 p.m.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, Madam Chair.