Thank you, everyone who volunteered during the 9th Annual Green Seattle Day this past Saturday! I joined almost 200 people to plant nearly 1000 native trees and shrubs in our Cheasty Forest. The Cheasty volunteers had  removed mountains of ivy and other invasives over the past year and Saturday was the fun part — planting […]

I had the opportunity to attend the third and final open house hosted by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to discuss a multi-model transportation project happening in our Westlake Community: the new Westlake Cycle Track. The implementation of the Cycle Track will be an important step forward to make our streets bike-able, walk-able, drivable […]

I woke up this morning proud that I live in Seattle. Thank you Seattle voters for voting to protect public safety by requiring criminal background checks on gun transactions, to invest in transit, and to improve access to quality preschool for the children in our city.  Thanks especially to all who worked on these successful campaigns […]

My colleagues on City Council and I are working together to review Mayor Murray’s budget for 2015-2016. We’ve heard from hundreds of people at the two Public Hearings and many more people have written to suggest investments in programs we want to support—thank you for your active participation in the process! My primary budget priorities for this year […]

Happy Halloween! Seattle Police Department has some recommendations to keep your family and our community safe this Halloween. Ensure that your home is safe and accessible to trick-or-treaters. As adults there are some very simple things we can do to make the evening safe everyone. Turn on your porch light. Move lit jack-o-lanterns off the […]

Even though we provide millions of dollars for supportive housing, according to the One Night Count last January 3,123 people remain on our streets county-wide, without permanent shelter. This is a public health and public safety crisis–for those who are unsheltered and for everyone in the community. I heard powerful testimony from those who attended […]

I am focused on creating safe, equitable programs in our criminal justice system. As a former King County Prosecuting Attorney, I’ve seen how alternatives to long jail time can change lives. These alternatives are also cost effective for the taxpayer. We on the City Council have been discussing “alternatives to incarceration” as research comes in demonstrating their effectiveness. I support these […]

I’ve been hearing concerns from many that our downtown public spaces feel unwelcoming. As someone who lives and works downtown, I am committed to creating a civic center that is safe, healthy and welcoming to all. I’m working on several ideas including making it easier to access a restroom for everyone who lives, works and […]

I want to make Seattle affordable for every income bracket. We can no longer limp along and hope the market builds and preserves enough affordable housing that helps everyone build a better life. To accomplish this we must encourage those who live and work and build in our community to be part of the solution: […]

I have had many conversations this past week about the City’s new compost requirements.  Friends and strangers alike are asking, ” Why are we doing this?” The answer simply is that we are on the vanguard of recycling, and over two decades ago we set a goal for ourselves of recycling over 60% by 2015 and up to […]