Seattle City Council Human Services Committee Meeting - June 5, 2026
Seattle City Council Human Services, Labor, and Economic Development Committee Meeting - June 5, 2026
Note: The official meeting date is June 5, 2026, per the agenda and minutes. The transcript erroneously states May 29, 2026. This summary uses the official date.
The committee met to discuss three items: the confirmation of Dr. Sandra Valenciano as Director of Public Health, a resolution updating policies for Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), and an update on the King County Crisis Care Center Levy implementation. The meeting included public comment, briefings, and a vote on the appointment.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the agenda (no objection).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Aaron Goodman, Executive Director of the SoDo Business Improvement Area, expressed support for the proposed updates to citywide BIA policies, noting they resulted from years of collaboration and will improve clarity and reduce burdens while maintaining oversight.
- David Haynes (remote) criticized the human services department and crisis care center, alleging misuse of funds and failure to address addiction. He expressed opposition to current approaches.
Discussion Items
1. Appointment of Dr. Sandra Valenciano as Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County
- Mark Ellerbrook (Deputy Director for City Operations) introduced Dr. Valenciano, highlighting her extensive experience including leading DeKalb County Health Department in Georgia and her role as Health Officer and Acting Director.
- Dr. Valenciano presented her vision focusing on health equity, modernizing infrastructure, and fiscal stewardship. She answered questions from councilmembers on community visibility, collaboration, communication with the city, unpermitted street vending (tiered enforcement approach), and preparedness for FIFA World Cup and mass casualty events.
- Councilmembers expressed support. A vote was taken.
2. Resolution Updating Policies for Parking and Business Improvement Areas (Res 32207)
- Presenters from the Office of Economic Development (Isaac Horwith, Theresa Barreras, Casey Rogers) and Central Staff (Jasmine Marwaha) briefed the committee on proposed updates to citywide BIA policies, the first update in 10 years.
- Key changes include restructuring for clarity, streamlining renewal processes (allowing modifications without a full petition for minor changes), and clarifying assessment of government-owned properties.
- The 60% approval threshold for petitions is required by state law and remains a challenge. The committee discussed the sunset date requirement and support for BIAs.
- Note: The minutes indicate the committee voted to recommend adoption (3-0), but the transcript states no vote was taken and a vote will occur at the next meeting. This summary follows the transcript's account.
3. King County Crisis Care Center Levy Implementation Update
- Presenters from King County Department of Community and Human Services (Asha Van Ketraman, Katie Rogers, Kelly Tong, Danielle Bessemer) provided an update on the 2023 voter-approved levy.
- They reported on the Kirkland crisis care center (Connections Kirkland) which opened in August 2025 (levy-funded from August 2025). Key statistics: over 5,400 visits in 2025, 95% of crisis stabilization unit patients avoided higher level of care, first responder drop-offs average 7-9 minutes, and 26% of visits were return guests (65% returned voluntarily).
- The central Seattle crisis care center at 1145 Broadway is planned to open in late 2027, operated by Connections Health Solutions. Conditions from former Mayor Harrell's letter of support include a crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) analysis, a good neighbor agreement, launch planning, and a community advisory group (already convened).
- Other levy investments: post-crisis follow-up teams launching summer 2026, residential treatment bed restoration, workforce support, and expanded crisis services (988, mobile crisis teams, overdose response).
- Councilmembers asked about funding for CPTED recommendations, Medicaid reimbursement rates (higher than projected, but potential impacts from federal changes), and how the public can connect individuals in crisis to the center.
Key Outcomes
- Vote on Appointment 3497 (Dr. Sandra Valenciano): The committee voted unanimously (5-0) to recommend confirmation to the full City Council. The full council vote is scheduled for June 9, 2026.
- Resolution on BIA Policies (Res 32207): No vote was taken during this meeting. The committee will vote at its next meeting (date not specified). (Note: Minutes conflict, stating a vote was taken and recommendation adopted.)
- Crisis Care Center Update: No action taken; information received.
Discrepancies noted:
- The transcript states the meeting date as May 29, 2026, but the official agenda and minutes list June 5, 2026. This summary uses the official date.
- The minutes record a vote on Res 32207 with 3 in favor, but the transcript clearly states no vote was taken. The transcript is considered more reliable for this detail.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. A special meeting of the Human Services Labor and Economic Development Committee of the Seattle City Council will come to order. It is 9 32 a.m. May 29th, 2026. I'm Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rink, Chair of the Committee. Will the committee clerk please call the roll? Chair Rink. Present. Vice Chair Foster. Here. Councilmember Warz. Here. Councilmember Hollingsworth. Present. Councilmember Saka. Here. Chair, there are five members present. Thank you. We will now move to approval of today's agenda. If there is no objection, the agenda will be adopted. Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted. Hello, everyone. Today in committee we will have three items that include a briefing discussion and vote on the recommendation to confirm the appointment of Dr. of Dr. Sandra Valenciano as the director of public health Seattle King County. For my colleagues in the viewing public, the public health director position is unique in that they must be confirmed by both the Seattle City Council and the King County Council as they report both to the mayor and the county executive. The King County Council's Committee of the Whole voted to confirm Dr. Valenciano's appointment earlier this week, so we are headed toward alignment with our government partners. Additionally, we will have a briefing and discussion on the resolution updating policies for establishing and managing parking and business improvement areas, BIAs. We will not be voting on this today. We will vote on the resolution at the next meeting. BIAs have been a way for our city's small businesses to receive technical assistance, advocate and also build community throughout neighborhoods. OED will talk about their stakeholder engagement, working with BIA directors, members, and city staff in order to receive feedback and ways to make these citywide policies more clear. My office has been working with BIAs in conjunction with the OED team who are really excited to present on these changes in order to provide clarity for our local business community. I also want to thank Teresa, Isaac, Casey, and the rest of the OED team, as well as Kenny Tran from my team and Jasmine Moraja from Central Staff for all of their work on this and their continuous efforts supporting our city's small businesses. Then we will have a briefing and discussion from our partners at King County regarding the status of the crisis care levy implementation. As a reminder, the voters of the voters across King County approved this levy in 2023 to address our region's growing behavioral health needs. I understand that the first crisis care center has been successfully operating in Kirkland for some time now, so I am personally excited to hear more about what will be coming online in Seattle this year, later this year with the Capitol Hill First Hill Area Crisis Care Center. So thank you to our county partners at DCHS for providing this update to this committee today. With that, we will now open the hybrid public comment period. Public comments should relate to items on today's agenda or within the purview of this committee. Clerk, how many speakers are signed up for today? Currently, we have one in-person speaker and one remote speaker. Thank you so much. Each speaker will have two minutes. We will start with in-person speakers first. Clerk, can you please read the public comment instructions? The public comment period will be moderated in the following manner. The public comment period is up to 60 minutes. Speakers will be called in the order in which they are registered.
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