Addressing Critical Needs Through the Comprehensive Plan
 King County is currently in the process of a major update to its Comprehensive Plan – the County’s guiding document for growth over the next 20 years. You can read about the specific amendments my team and I have been busy working on here. Since beginning the Council discussion in January and engaging with community over the course of 2024, I have heard from community members in unincorporated areas like Vashon-Maury Island, White Center and North Highline, the South Park “Sliver,” and communities across the county. Across these communities, residents have asked us to advance policies to better support affordable housing and childcare, workers and small businesses, healthcare and social services, and climate resilience in the Comprehensive Plan. Based on this direct feedback, my team and I have worked to translate the ideas into detailed planning policy. You can read more about the County’s Comprehensive Plan process here. Special appreciation to Chair Perry for leading the process and a huge THANK YOU to my Chief of Staff, Erin House, who led on the Comprehensive Plan policy development and engagement, along with our whole District 8 team, in driving this process! Thank you!
Building Back Trust in our Petcare Facilities
Click the image above to learn how to submit plans for a new pet business permit, take over an existing pet business, or renew an existing permit.
Immediately upon getting sworn in, community members were calling with outrage and concern about a tragic fire that resulted in the death of a beloved dog. My office quickly took action and worked with Public Health to change the licensing policy and improve consumer transparency to keep this from happening again. Pet parents will now be able to see if their doggie daycare is safe and permitted before entrusting their furry family members to these businesses. Public Health will shut down any canine camp that doesn’t meet our community’s standards. Find out more here. You can also sign up here for alerts when a business’s health permit is suspended.
Meat Cutters Licensing
Early this year we heard from union leaders and community members about the importance of ensuring the Meat Cutter exam meets the unique needs of the type and size of the shop. The Meat Cutter exam checks for basic skills of meat cutting, handling, care, and knowledge of sanitation and code requirements. Public Health even provides a free study guide. Anyone who cuts fresh beef, veal, lamb, and/or pork within a King County meat establishment is required to obtain an annual occupational Meat Cutter license, which requires applicants to study and pass a Meat Cutter exam. This applies to large and small meat cutters, which public health realized needed to be tailored to recognize differences in size and approach!
Working with Public Health, we changed the policy to meet the needs of smaller shops, and now Public Health has begun offering two types of exams instead of just one. The Meat Cutter exam checks for basic skills of meat cutting, handling, care, and knowledge of sanitation and code requirements, and Public Health provides study guides. One exam is for those employed at a supermarket with 40 or more employees, and a second is for those at shops with fewer than 40 employees, which includes Halal meat markets and Kosher meat markets.
Public Health is reaching out to all meat markets to explain the new licensing procedure. Meat handlers will have until March 31, 2025 to schedule and obtain their meat cutters license.
Click on the image above to access more information.
Passage of Crisis Care Centers Implementation Plan
Read the full press release by clicking on the image above.
I was honored to co-sponsor the Crisis Care Center Levy Implementation Plan this year and as Chair, ensure its final passage through the Health and Human Services committee this summer! The Crisis Care Center Implementation Plan passage is the next big step forward needed to address the compounding crisis from behavioral health and substance use treatment needs in our community. Now we can proceed with the voter approved direction to create five new crisis care centers in community, mobile and innovative care services, and to create a behavioral health workforce training and apprentice program. This Implementation Plan ensures we have the skilled and well-trained people to care for those experiencing crises, and are just in need of a helping hand and access to care to get stabilized. This is one significant investment in the health and stability of our region. We can all be proud of the voters for passing this directive and for the work to come enshrined in The Crisis Care Center Implementation Plan.
Water Taxi Midday Service to Vashon!
CM Mosqueda excitedly boarding the Water Taxi to Vashon on its extended midday service.
July 1st brought expanded midday water taxi service to Vashon-Maury Island thanks to Rep. Emily Alvarado’s (34th LD) leadership for increased funding during the 2024 legislative session. We were thrilled to celebrate this midday service along with dozens of Vashon residents, Rep. Alvarado, King County Deputy Executive Shannon Braddock, Metro’s General Manager Michelle Allison, Department Directors, and more. While we celebrated, I also heard from residents on the island how difficult it can be to get to up to medical appoints on First Hill without a car, so we are continuing to promote and explore additional shuttle services and bus lines to address this gap, such as the Solid Ground Downtown Circulator. I look forward to future midday water taxi rides around District 8, and will continue to push for increased access and connectivity for District 8!
Friends of Mukai Land Transfer
CM Mosqueda and Jennifer Meisner pass a basket to the Friends of Mukai leadership, Lynn Greiner and Kay Longhi, to signify the physical transfer of the barreling plant property back to the Vashon community. Photo credit: Alex Bruell.
In September, the Council approved legislation that I co-sponsored with Councilmember Zahilay, transferring land from the County to the Friends of Mukai, allowing them to move forward with their restoration and preservation of the Mukai Fruit Barreling Plant. This County landmark is a historic reminder of our painful past but also a beacon of hope for a future built on inclusion instead of internment. Friends of Mukai are the current stewards of the Mukai House and Garden and this transfer will allow them to expand on their incredible work which is open to the public. Thank you to all the community members and staff from the executive branch who have worked to make this a reality, and to my predecessor, Joe McDermott, for his work on this in the past!
Public Health's Food Safety Rating System Expansion
Read the full press release by clicking on the image above.
In September, the King County Board of Health approved plans to expand Seattle and King County’s existing food safety rating system to additional permitted food businesses. Starting in 2025, bakeries, mobile food vendors, meat and fish vendors, and catering operations will be publicly rated using the familiar green “smiley face” rating system. The food rating system gives community members peace of mind when eating at one of the many amazing food establishments across our county. Expanding this system to mobile vendors helps protect our community's health while also giving folks the confidence they need to patronize these small businesses helping to support our local economy. We are not done with policy improvements in this area – in 2025 I am committed to further reducing barriers and cost for food vendors to get permits to ensure more food carts and entrepreneurs can get assessed and credentialed. It’s good for our community’s health and the local economy to do so.
Fast-tracking Childcare and Affordable Housing Projects
Read the full press release by clicking on the image above.
The need for more housing and childcare comes up at every community meeting and District 8 Days. We have a declared childcare desert in King County and severe housing insecurity. To help address this, I asked the Permitting Department earlier this year to help expedite permits for affordable housing and childcare. Without the permits, construction is delayed, costs accrue, and fewer people are getting the care and housing needed. I am elated that we were able to work with the Department and make an administrative change to the policy to prioritize permits for affordable housing and childcare! The Department of Local Services added these vital initiatives to our priority permitting list, allowing them to move forward faster and at lower costs. Access to affordable housing and childcare is essential for the healthy development of our children, economic stability for families, and the long-term resilience of our local economy. By prioritizing these projects, we can remove barriers within our permitting process and ensure that our communities get the services they desperately need.
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Clockwise starting in the upper left: Yes! Foundation of White Center, Alimentando Al Pueblo, Highline United Methodist Church, and Lake Burien Presyterian Church.
Every year, each Council office is able to award funding in four distinct areas to help support important work by funding organizations operating in their districts. In the summer, our office awarded $197,388 across 20 organizations and another $200,000 across 9 organizations in the fall. Funding through Councilmanic Grants was also included in the $178 million supplemental budget passed over the summer. Here is a list of the organizations who were able to receive the District 8 Councilmanic Grants, and who provide tremendous service to our region and residents:
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Community Service
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Get Active Stay Active
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Veterans
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Housing Stability
And not to forget all of our Budget Wins for 2025!
District 8 is rich in culture and community and over the year my team and I have immensely enjoyed each and every individual, business, and organization we encountered. While we couldn't possibly capture them all in one newsletter, I would would like to highlight a few from every D8 neighborhood visit.
Vashon-Maury Island District Days
Special Land Use Committee Meeting Held at Vashon Arts Center
On April 4th, my team and I took the ferry to Vashon Island for a public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan. I was thrilled to see such great turnout at the Vashon Center for the Arts, where I heard from Vashonites about their priorities for the Comprehensive Plan, which included strong support for more affordable housing and policy ideas to make it easier to create more affordable housing on the Island, including ADUs.
Tom Dean, Conservation Director, Theron Shaw, Executive Director of the Vashon Land Trust along with CM Baron, Zamorana owner Jorge, & Alejandra Tres of We Are Comunidad
It wouldn't be a trip to Vashon without a visit to Zamorana, where we got to hear from our friends at the Vashon Land Trust about their efforts to steward the forests and open spaces of the island.
Vashon Household graciously guided us through their latest project, Island Center Homes, where they are adding 40 affordable single-occupancy suites to the community that help enable teachers, trades people, business owners, artists, seniors, and others to remain in their own community.
CM Mosqueda with her staff and members of Vashon Household in front of Island Center Homes.
White Center/N. Highline District Days
Jake Prendez and Judy Avitia-Gonzalez from Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in White Center.
Nepantla is a wonderful space highlighting Latinx artisans and marginalized communities. There is so much wonderful art and culture being made right now in our district and I visited with the owners Jake and Judy to find out more about what’s going on.
CM Mosqueda and Chief of Staff, Erin House, meeting with small business owners, artists, urbanists, and community leaders to get input on the Comprehensive Plan amendments for White Center, hosted by the White Center Community Development Association.
In quarter one, I met with community members of White Center to ensure I prioritized hearing from communities who would be most impacted over the next decade by what we decide to do with the comprehensive plan.
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In June, I kicked off Pride month at White Center Pride which gets bigger and better every year. From bouncy castles and face paint to dance parties and wrestling there was something for everybody.
CM Mosqueda pictured with Brian of White Center Pride
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Chinatown-International District (CID) District Days
CM Mosqueda and members of her team with Chu Minh Tofu owner, Thanh-Nga "Tanya" Nguyễn.
Owner Tanya, of the all vegan Vietnamese restaurant, ChuMinh Tofu started serving meals to the community in 2018 as a way to give back. Her all volunteer group, The Eggrolls, provide free meals to anyone, no questions asked, every Sunday.
 Daniel Pak of Totem Star, Briar and Joe Seamons of the Rhapsody project, Dr James Gore of Jackson Street Music Program, Olisa Enrico and Ubax Gardheere of Cultural Space Agency.
We visited the incredible cultural space, King Street Station, where the Cultural Space Agency has done an amazing job bringing this into existence and housing organizations like Totem Star, Jackson Street Music Program, the Rhapsody Project, Red Eagle Soaring and Wh!psmart. This space in the train station sat vacant for decades and now unites young people from across the region to art.
CM Mosqueda and team with some of the leadership of the Seattle Indian Health Board.
Seattle Indian Health Board hosted us at their facility, where we learned about the work they are doing caring for the community integrating Traditional Medicine with Western Medicine resulting in better outcomes. On top of all this, they are also helping produce the next generation of providers and healthcare workers, addressing a critical shortage locally and nationally.
South Park
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I toured the South Park Pump Station which opened in September 2023 thanks in part to a $6 million award by the KC Flood District. At the time, there were rows of sandbags protecting homes, which inspired us to work towards permanent solutions that protect people’s property and also help support our environment and wildlife. |
CM Mosqueda and team aboard SoundGuardian with their crew.
SoundGuardian, King County’s working research vessel, guided us on a tour of the Duwamish and Elliot Bay, where they pointed out the Sliver by the River and ways that they are helping to protect and restore our waterways.
Capitol Hill
To meet our local climate goals, we are addressing ways to enhance public transportation. That’s why I was so pleased to join so many others for the ribbon-cutting of the new RapidRide G Line serving the Madison Corridor, which launched in September, enabling riders to get from the Water Taxi to medical appointments on First Hill, check out the arts of Cap Hill, and grab a meal in the Central District all by riding the G line.
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Downtown Seattle Waterfront District Days
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Our friends at Friends of Waterfront Park guided us on a walking tour of the waterfront park, which includes green space and separate bike lanes and pedestrian areas.
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When the viaduct came down, it opened up a world of possibility for what the waterfront could become. Without a doubt, one of the coolest new additions to the heart of Seattle is the Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion.
CM Mosqueda with Seattle Aquarium President and CEO, Robert Davidson.
Georgetown District Days
My friend and celebrity chef, Makini Howell of Plum Bistro, is starting a tofu factory in the heart of Georgetown. The Tofu factory has indeed now opened and we are thrilled that Makini’s Tofu will be available in grocery stores around the region. In addition to being a great entrepreneur, chef, and two-time author, Makini also cares about the community – she has offered FREE childcare on site for her workers and consistently promotes the need to pay living wages and invest in workers. We are so excited to see this and other incredible small businesses taking off in District 8!
CM Mosqueda and team pose with owner, Makini Howell, inside of her new Tofu Factory in Georgetown.
West Seattle District Days
The group gathered to hear from Sound Transit about their plans at Empire Espresso.
At the end of March, I hosted a walking tour with Sound Transit and several key North Delridge business sites in anticipation of the West Seattle light rail expansion. We convened the discussion to help highlight the impacts to not just businesses, but the region's public assets in the area: childcare, recreation, educational programming, and community gathering spots that are affected by the current preferred alternative route. I am continuing to work on mitigation and compensation issues for the North Delridge businesses and community.
Chair Cecile Hansen of the Duwamish Council was kind enough to host our team on a tour of the Duwamish Longhouse and brought us up to speed on their efforts to improve access to cultural spaces for the community. They are growing their footprint with more educational and cultural programing, in addition to starting to provide behavioral healthcare.
Above: CM Mosqueda and team with leaders of the Duwamish Council. Below: CM Mosqueda and team with the team of the Heron's Nest.
Located in the greenbelt just above W Marginal Way, The Heron's Nest, is cultivating and healing the land by turning a toxic site into a healthy place for gardening and harvesting food, all while educating youth and community about the importance of native plants.
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Sodo
We visited Armoire, a women and person of color-owned small business in the heart of District 8. Armoire is a clothing rental business that helps people avoid purchasing clothes from the fast-fashion industry, and instead be part of a community of women across the nation who share clothing through this online platform.
CEO of Armoire, Ambika Singh, left of CM Mosqueda, was kind enough to show a group of us how Armoire works.
Burien District Days
As the only Latinx food system in the nation, I was thrilled to see Alimentando al Pueblo in action! Founded by Roxana Pardo Garcia and other visionary women, they are doing incredible work helping to address food insecurity throughout the region.
Executive Director, Roxana Pardo Garcia, guides CM Mosqueda and team member on a tour of operations at Alimentando al Pueblo.
Pastor Lina Thompson showed us the many programs and services for youth and adults that Lake Burien Presbyterian Church provides to the community.
Above: CM Mosqueda with Head Pastor, Lina Thompson. Below: Executive Director, Nancy Salguero McKay, guides CM Mosqueda on a tour of Highline Heritage Museum.
No visit to Burien would be complete without a stop at the Highline Heritage Museum to view the collection of exhibits that honor and preserve the stories of the Highline area and its people. They even host a radio station, 106.5 KQWZ LP-FM, on sight that further amplifies the voices of Highline.
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