Seattle City Council Meeting - June 2, 2026: Proclamations, Housing and Stormwater Legislation, KCRHA Resolution, and Appointments
Seattle City Council Meeting - June 2, 2026
The Seattle City Council met on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at 2:04 PM in Council Chamber, City Hall, 600 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA. The meeting was called to order by Council President Joy Hollingsworth and adjourned at 4:00 PM. The agenda included proclamations, public comment, approval of the consent calendar, and committee reports with votes on appointments, a resolution regarding the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA), an update to the stormwater code, a housing opportunities zoning package, and a City Light easement.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously (9-0) the minutes of May 19, 2026 (Min 5691).
- Passed two claim payment ordinances (CB 121216 and CB 121217) for weeks of May 11–15 and May 18–22, 2026.
- Passed five ordinances from the Parks and City Light Committee:
- CB 121199: Acceptance of multiple deeds for salmonid habitat protection (9-0).
- CB 121205: Granting an easement to King County for a sidewalk (9-0; committee vote had one abstention from Councilmember Strauss).
- CB 121211: Current use taxation for property at 4807 SW 54th Street under the King County Public Benefit Rating System (9-0).
- CB 121212: Ten-year contract with Madison Park Cooperative Preschool to operate Madison Beach Park Bathhouse (9-0; committee vote had one absent from Councilmember Rivera).
- CB 121213: Ten-year contract with Victory Heights Cooperative Preschool for Victory Heights Shelterhouse (9-0).
- Confirmed eleven appointments from committees (all 9-0):
- Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee: Kim Kkwafkwao, J. Queen Adams, David J. Isaak to Seattle Human Rights Commission; Thomas Geffner to Seattle Social Housing Public Development Authority Governing Council.
- Libraries, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee: Olivia Barlow and Negash Hassen to Community Involvement Commission; Nate Lessler and Bryce Seidl to Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority Governing Council; Christopher Scott, Devin McComb (reappointment), and Paul Neal (reappointment) to Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority Governing Council.
Public Comments & Testimony
Approximately 35 speakers addressed the Council, both in-person and remotely, with a one-minute limit per speaker due to high volume. Topics included:
- KCRHA Resolution: Hali Willis (Seattle King County Coalition on Homelessness) urged support for the resolution and emphasized deep engagement with service providers and people with lived experience.
- Housing Opportunities Package (HOP): Multiple speakers from For Seattle and other groups (Elizabeth Aylward, Bob Aylward, Logan Schmidt, Evan Sexton, Ashley Nerbovig, Jessica Yang, Michael Vaux, Alex Lofton, Jon Botten) expressed strong support for CB 121196, arguing it will increase housing supply and affordability.
- Stormwater Code Update: David Gloger, Jennifer Godfrey, Susan Fedore, and Nate Howard raised concerns about relaxing stormwater regulations, citing increased impervious surfaces from comprehensive plan changes, risk to water quality, and combined sewer overflows. They supported Councilmember Rivera's amendment requiring performance metrics. Susan Fedore noted last winter's catastrophic flooding and sewer main bursts.
- Gun Violence and Policing: Family members of Amar Murphy-Paine (father Aaron Murphy-Paine, grandmother Veronica Murphy) spoke passionately about the lack of justice and need for action. Other speakers (Cinta Cordova from WA NAACP Youth Council, Kenneth H. and Scott B. from American Party of Labor, Gabriel Dias, Keondray) criticized police violence, lack of accountability, and city policies. Former Councilmember Kathy Moore urged political will to address open-air sex markets on Aurora Avenue.
- First Amendment and Blue Boxes: Street performers Clive Hayward, Rogelio Flores, and Roberto Tinajero opposed designated performance zones on the waterfront, arguing they restrict free speech and citing litigation precedents.
- Transgender Safety: Rose and Kenneth H. called for emergency declarations to protect trans and queer people amid rising violence and disappearances.
- Other: Linh Thai requested a proclamation for Vovinam Vietnamese martial arts day. Ron Hornung opposed mayor's Aurora Avenue plan citing property rights. Support for stormwater code from MBAX (Logan Schmidt) and opposition to relaxing standards from Ruth Dight and Suzanne Grant.
Discussion Items
- Presentation/Proclamation: Council President Hollingsworth presented a proclamation declaring June 6, 2026 as "Amarr A'Shawn Murphy-Paine Day" in remembrance of a young man killed by gun violence, and recognized Gun Violence Awareness Month. Family members addressed the Council.
- Committee Reports and Votes:
- Appointment of Dwight D. Dively as Director of Finance (Appt 03468): Confirmed 9-0. Councilmember Strauss recommended, noting Dively's focus on numbers and best practices. Dively gave brief remarks.
- Appointment of Beto Yarce as Director of Office of Economic Development (Appt 03469): Confirmed 9-0. Councilmember Rinck highlighted his service and community support. Yarce thanked council.
- Resolution 32202 – KCRHA Next Steps: Adopted 9-0. Councilmember Rinck (sponsor with Councilmember Foster) explained the resolution requests the Mayor to safeguard public funds, assess feasibility of addressing forensic evaluation findings, recommend dissolution/restructuring/continuation, and submit monthly reports. Councilmember Rivera spoke in favor, reiterating her call for dissolution but supporting the measured approach. Councilmember Juarez praised the work of Rinck and Foster.
- CB 121190 – 2026 Stormwater Code Update: Passed as amended 9-0. Councilmember Rivera offered an amendment (Amendment A) adding a recital acknowledging SPU's performance tracking and commitment to explore additional metrics to improve water quality. The amendment was adopted 9-0. Councilmember Juarez reported the committee also made technical changes and recitals on tree role and best available science.
- CB 121196 – Housing Opportunities Zoning Amendment (HOP): Passed 9-0. Councilmember Lin, sponsor, said the ordinance rezones land in University District, Fremont, Madison/Miller, Rainier Beach, and Downtown to increase housing supply, remove barriers for passive house/modular/mass timber, and incentivize community-serving uses. Councilmember Strauss supported the industrial land changes in Fremont achieved through collaboration. Council President Hollingsworth explained her committee abstention was due to concerns about outreach in historically redlined areas; she voted yes after follow-up.
- CB 121204 – City Light Easement to Puget Sound Energy: Passed 8-1. Councilmember Juarez reported the easement of 900 square feet in Bellevue for $6,800 to support T-Mobile equipment. Councilmember Strauss voted no, citing concerns about backup generation and explosive fuels near transmission lines.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar adopted 9-0, including all listed bills and appointments.
- Dwight D. Dively confirmed as Director of Finance, 9-0.
- Beto Yarce confirmed as Director of Office of Economic Development, 9-0.
- Resolution 32202 adopted 9-0, directing the Mayor to assess and report on the future of KCRHA, with next steps including a corrective action plan discussion on June 6, 2026.
- CB 121190 (Stormwater Code Update) passed as amended 9-0. Amendments included performance metrics recital and technical changes.
- CB 121196 (Housing Opportunities Zoning) passed 9-0, rezoning multiple neighborhoods and amending development standards.
- CB 121204 (City Light easement) passed 8-1, with Councilmember Strauss opposed.
- Councilmembers made closing remarks on Pride Month, respect for colleagues, and gun violence awareness. Councilmember Rivera announced a focused deterrence symposium on June 8, 2026.
- Next regular meeting: June 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Is my microphone on? Yes. Awesome. Good afternoon, everyone. The June 2nd meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order. It is 204 p.m. I'm Joy Hollingsworth, your council president. Will the clerk please call the roll? Councilmember Saka. Here. Councilmember Strauss. Councilmember Foster. Here. Councilmember Warez. Councilmember Kettle. Here. Councilmember Lynn. Here. Council Member Rink. Present. Councilmember Rivera. Council President Hollinsworth. I'm present. Awesome. So colleagues, first of all, thank you. Thank you, everyone, for being with us today. I know we have a very hefty agenda, and usually how we start our meetings is by proclamations. So we have two proclamations that we will be presenting today. That is the proclamation we're presenting today. Yes. And we are so lucky and grateful to have his family here today. I'm honored to uh join my colleagues. We all, this is a this is a full council presenting this proclamation today. I will say a few words and then I'll open it up to my colleagues who will say something as well. And Amar Ashawn Murphy Payne was born December 30th, 2006 in Renton, Washington. As a toddler, Amar loved his Hot Wheel car collection. He loved collecting and wearing different baseball hats and cool socks. He found a love of music as a teenager and expressed his artistic passion through music. His favorite foods were pancakes and mac and cheese. And this week is the third year anniversary of his transition to be with our ancestors. And when I say I put emphasis on his transition to be with our ancestors, I don't say that lightly because I do believe that Amar's soul rests today under the care protection guidance and perfect peace with our ancestors. But as we gather here today to proclaim it to be Amar Murphy Pain Day, celebrating this young man's life, celebrating his legacy and his impact to the community. And this is the one thing that I'll always hold on to. Is the question how are the children? That is the question that I will always continue to center when we were focusing our goals, our processes, our procedures, our outcomes based on that simple question. How are the children? He was a great classmate to people. And this is our third year anniversary of celebrating his life this month. So I will open it up to my colleagues before we ask his family. I know his dad, Aaron, is here, his wife Lakeisha's here, his mom, and would love uh to open it up to my colleagues to see if there are any words.
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