 ICE is not making our communities safer.
Today, the Council voted to pass an ordinance I sponsored that restricts the use of King County-owned or controlled properties for ICE enforcement activities, including as a staging area, processing location, or operations base. The properties included are non-public areas of King County buildings or facilities, vacant lots, parking lots, garages, and parks. I believe this ordinance is particularly strong because it includes a very direct enforcement scheme that makes clear the Prosecuting Attorney will pursue all available legal remedies to force the people improperly using a location to leave. In addition, it directs King County Sheriff’s Office deputies to respond to the scene to document the behavior of the agents and monitor for their potential criminal actions.
At the same time, it is important to be clear what this ordinance cannot do. It cannot stop ICE from detaining people if they have a valid judicial warrant or court order, even if that happens in one of the areas covered by this ordinance. It cannot stop ICE from stopping and terrorizing people in the streets. I don’t want people to have a false sense of security, because the truth is that we are very limited in our ability to respond to the atrocities being carried out by federal agents. But as I have said time and time again, I will use every single tool in our toolbox, including creating new tools, to the maximum extent possible to ensure we are doing all we can to fight this administration’s cruel agenda. This is yet one more tool in the toolbox - and we will keep working to strengthen protections for our community.
Sound Transit Board Retreat and Cost Cutting Measures
 The Sound Transit Board Retreat brought leaders from Snohomish, King and Pierce counties together to set a clear direction on the future of Sound Transit.
Last week, I gathered with my Sound Transit Board colleagues for an all-day retreat, where we discussed Sound Transit’s Enterprise Initiative to address rapidly escalating costs driving challenges long-term affordability challenges for the agency that impact every corner of the Sound Transit system—especially light rail expansion. Together with the Sound Transit team, board members set forth their priorities for delivering the voter-approved Sound Transit 3 (ST3) plan and dug into the details on a range of policy, finance, operations, and capital levers to bring the plan within range of affordability.
I stated my commitment to delivering light rail to West Seattle and ultimately to Ballard, and to completing the spine between Everett and Tacoma. Doing so is going to require creative thinking to find cost-savings through additional design work and policy changes, and to explore new revenue options with our state partners. The cost savings work the Sound Transit team has done on the West Seattle plan shows what’s possible when we demand creative thinking and aggressively pursue cost-saving options: properties avoided, ridership retained, and billions saved. We need to build on this momentum by moving forward with shovel-ready West Seattle, and authorizing additional design work across the ST3 plan to uncover more cost-savings opportunities.
Committee of the Whole Harborview Updates
 Click the picture above to watch the Comittee of the Whole.
At our Committee of the Whole meeting this week, we got a double dose of Harborview updates. We continue to keep a close eye on the impacts of HR 1, aka the Big Bad Bill, on our County owned hospital. Thank you to the leadership of UW Medicine and the Harborview Board for keeping us updated.
I also want to thank the auditor for their report on the progress of the Harborview bond program. I’m glad to hear there are no allegations of fraud or abuse, but it is clear, the project needs to get moving. I’m committed to continuing to work with Executive Zahilay and my council colleagues to get shovels in the ground to make sure that Harborview is ready to meet our community's needs.
Board of Health - Tuberculosis Awareness Day March 24th
 March 24th is World TB awareness day.
At this month’s Board of Health meeting, we passed a resolution on naming March 24th as World Tuberculosis Day, or TB awareness Day. It is important toeliminate this preventable and curable disease. TB remains one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers, taking an estimated 1.2 million lives globally in 2024, surpassing all other infectious agents, including COVID-19. King County continues to experience a higher TB incidence than the United States overall, with 110 reported cases in 2024-an incidence rate of 4.8 per 100,000, compared with 3.0 per 100,000 nationally.
Eliminating TB requires sustained commitment, culturally informed care, community partnership, and equitable access to TB services for all residents. I’m proud to work with Seattle King County Public Health as they aim to eliminate TB in our region, as we work to fill the gaps left by the retreat of the Federal programs and leadership.
Entheogens Motion Passes
 Research into Entheogens is providing access to care for many struggling with PTSD and treatment resistence depression.
My motion in support of continued research and deprioritizing enforcement for entheogens – which are plant-based substances that have been shown in scientific studies to be promising in treating depression, PTSD, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric conditions passed today after nearly a year of consideration and three committee hearings.
The motion formalizes Council support for existing King County Sheriff’s Office and Prosecuting Attorney’s Office policies that focus on conduct that puts public safety at risk, rather than specific substances, and supports continued research of such substances for treatment of various mental health conditions and substance use disorders. Other local jurisdictions have passed similar motions supporting deprioritization include Seattle, Olympia, Port Townsend, Tacoma and Jefferson County, and Colorado, Oregon and Washington D.C. Thank you to the advocates and veterans who lent their voices to help make this happen.
Historic Women's History Proclamation
 Council welcomed Nura Adam from the Immigrant Women's Community Center to accept the proclamation in honor of Women's history month.
The Council for years has marked March as Women’s History Month, but this month marked history itself as for the first time a majority of the County Council is woman! This proclamation builds on our work to celebrate the historic contributions of women to King County as Council also hosted a Women’s History Month Panel – Trailblazers of Our Time – featuring my council colleagues Councilmembers Lewis and Fain and incredible leaders Malou Chávez and Marsha Botzer. I’m proud to be a part of making history here at King County Council and continuing the work of opening doors for the next generation of women leaders.
Transit Operators Appreciation Week Proclamation
 Thank you to all the operators who get us where we are going safely.
King County is a place on the move, but that doesn’t happen without the incredible operators who get us where we are going safely and reliably. Executive Zahilay joined us last week as we proclaimed it Transit Operator Appreciation Week. The people who make Metro and Sound Transit work are the friendly faces who greet us when we get on the bus, the experts driving our light rail as our region gets more and more connected every day and they are valued members of our community. Join us in thanking your transit operators!
Vashon Community Food Bank New Location Grand Opening!
 Congratulations to Emily and the whole Vashon Community Food Bank team for their incredible new space making serving the community even easier.
I was proud to join the opening of Vashon Community Food Bank’s new location. It was wonderful that students who have been learning about food insecurity at Chautaqua Elementary were also there. I spoke with Ms. Margie’s class earlier this year, and one of their asks was a more centrally located place for people to come and get their food needs met. With the opening of this new incredible space, I'm excited to say that the students’ demand has been met. A community coming together like this is an act of resistance to the attacks we are seeing at the federal level on the food security of communities across the country. You can read more about the grand opening in this Beachcomber piece here.
Acts on Stage Day in King County
 It was an incredible day celebrating Acts on Stage with so many from the community.
Did you know that March 14th was officially Acts on Stage day in King County? I joined with Councilmember Rhonda Lewis and members of Executive Zahilay’s team to celebrate this incredible honor for one of District 8’s great cultural institutions. Congratulations to Michelle Lang-Raymond, Isiah Anderson Jr and the entire Acts on Stage team for this recognition. It’s well deserved and the play Smart People was yet another awesome offering from the Acts on Stage team. I can’t wait to see what you all do the rest of this year including this year’s Teen Summer Musical!
ATU 587 Women's Caucus Roundtable
 Proud to join with Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and others celebrating the contributions of women in the transit space.
I am proud I got to stand with ATU 587 and the Women's Caucus to honor the women driving our King County Metro Buses, Water Taxis and more around our region. I was also joined by Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck, King County Councilmembers Lewis and Balducci and new Seattle Labor Liason Evan Woods. Thank you for fighting for good living wage jobs and making sure more working families have access to economic security by relying on your transit services. We love our transit workers and our women in this work!
Vashon Household Housing Forum
 Thank you to Amy and Vashon Household for hosting this important discussion about the future of housing on the island.
After the Sound Transit forum on Thursday last week, I hopped on a ferry to Vashon Island for Vashon Household’s annual Housing Forum—and a bonus ADU open house this year! I joined a panel with King County Public Health, County Permitting, and moderated Vashon Household ED Amy Drayer, to discuss all the ways we’re working to remove barriers to accessible, intergenerational housing types like Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs, or backyard cottages), and to support more affordable and abundant housing overall. I was excited to highlight how amendments I sponsored to the King County Comprehensive Plan are coming to fruition—including ways to make it easier to use composting toilets and grey water systems for homes that aren’t connected to the sewer system on Vashon! Thank you to Vashon Household for their leadership in convening this forum and creating homes for those who need them, and to members of the Vashon community for your tireless advocacy for housing affordability!
Downtown Seattle Association - State of Downtown.
 The state of downtown is strong and getting stronger. Glad to attend the State of Downtown with my Council colleague Councilmember Jorge Barón who also represents parts of downtown.
I've said many times that you can be pro-worker while still being pro-business. When businesses invest in their workforce and their community, the entire economy is stronger and more resilient. So, as I listened to the speeches at this year’s Downtown Seattle Association State of Downtown event, I couldn’t help but think to myself that all of the wonderful things touched on were supported by progressive revenue that many of the same businesses in the room fought against. From the growth of housing units in the downtown area, to small business recovery from the impacts of the COVID pandemic, JumpStart progressive revenue made much of it possible, helping make Downtown an even better place to work and live. Abundance author Derek Thompson, gave Seattle credit for being one of the best big cities when it comes to building new housing and infrastructure. This is a great reason to share again the feature in The Nation I co-authored with fellow progressive leaders, showing that it’s progressives who are leading the way on true abundance efforts across the country.
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal Staff Retreat
 A great staff makes being a great elected leader possible! So glad to get to talk with Congresswoman Jayapal's team along with Executive Zahilay and Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Merceds Rinck
Take it from me, elected leaders can’t get much done without an incredible team of people working side-by-side. That’s why I was happy to join Executive Zahilay and Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck to address the staff retreat of Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Sharing the issues that we are tackling here locally equips Rep. Jayapal’s team with the firsthand accounts they need from communities in King County, Washington, to fight back in the other Washington. This is what it looks like to coordinate on all levels of government to protect our residents from Federal overreach and make lives better for all of our constituents.
Standing with the workers of REI
 REI workers deserve a fair contract!
One of the things that makes our region so incredible is our proximity to nature. However, we can’t get out on that next hike, hit the slopes in search of fresh powder, or do a once-in-a-lifetime bike-camping trip without a visit to our local REI for not only the gear we need, but the expert advice we depend on from the staff who can be found in the green vests. That’s why it’s so disappointing that REI leadership refuses to settle a fair contract with the workers who make enjoying our region possible. I said this and much more, side- by- side with Executive Zahilay and members of UFCW 3000, calling for a fair contract now! REI needs to invest in those with the green vest! You can read about the efforts to get a fair contract here. You can see some of the coverage of the rally here.
Seattle City Council Transportation Committee on supporting West Seattle Small Businesses During Light Rail Expansion
 Our West Seattle businesses need clear and consistent communication on what is happening when it comes to light rail in West Seattle. Click the picture to watch the committee meeting.
I’m not only a West Seattle resident, I'm also one of many who patronizes the businesses in the North Delridge area while building community there. As we work to bring light rail to West Seattle, the voices of our small business owners, including but not limited to: Ounces, MODE, ABA, Skylark and the Delridge Deli need to be heard and they need to be kept informed. That’s why, at the invitation of Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka, I joined a briefing on what is being done to support small businesses in the potential path of construction.
Assuming these N. Delridge businesses are going to be affected no matter a smaller station, here is what I am hoping Sound Transit will do:
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Protective Rent: Get funding now to businesses to off-set the cost of staying as long as possible. Protective Rent is what it's called when rent is paid to a land lord after a business moves, but I want Protective Rent for the small businesses there now so it can offset the impact of owners having to act as part-time relators and deal with all the uncertainty before a location is found.
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Right of First Refusal: I want the businesses in N. Delridge - Ounces, Skylark, Mode, Delridge Deli, Alki Beach Academy and Sound Therapy - to have first right of return to the station after completion.
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Funding Now: Assuming that there is an impact, we want Rainier Valley Community Development Fund to have the resources to allocate funds now - not wait for ST reimbursement later - for costs incurred and will continue to push for that.
I want to thank Rep. Thomas (34th LD) and the West Seattle Chamber for their work to increase the amount of relocation assistance that Sound Transit can provide to businesses that might be displaced. There is more work to be done, and I'm committed to ensure that our small businesses are kept in the loop!
Crosslake Connection Light Rail Opening
 Line 2 is opening on March 28th. This is a big deal!
It's finally happening!!!!! The Crosslake Connection that will link light rail on the Eastside (Line 2) with light the 1 Line is opening on March 28. Don't miss your opportunity to be the first to cross the world's first floating light rail bridge. More Info.
New 24 Hour Bus Service to SEA Airport
 Overnight bus service opens up many more options for those late night and early morning airport trips. (Photo credit Ryan Packer- theurbanist)
Starting March 28, Sound Transit is piloting a new 24 hour, every 30 minute, bus service between downtown and the airport. The service is intended to prepare for an influx of tourists visiting Seattle for the FIFA World Cup. More Info here!
Youth Employment Opportunities!
 These youth internships are incredible opportunities to help young people get their foot on the career ladder.
2026 SYEP Internship Program is now accepting Applications!
The Port of Seattle 2026 Summer High School Internship Program: Applications open in May 4th -17th!
Supporting Lifelong with Capital Budget Investment
This packaing machine helps the staff of Lifelong support more clients who rely on the healthy meals they provide.
A capital budget request I championed resulted in the delivery of new meal packaging equipment to Lifelong Health for All. Lifelong’s Chicken Soup Brigade has been delivering medically tailored meal supports to community members managing complex chronic illnesses like HIV / AIDS, diabetes, and heart disease for over forty years. This investment will allow Lifelong to serve over 250,000 meals annually - the majority of those going to residents in Seattle and King County. Medically Tailored Meals have been proven to reduce emergency room visits, reduce health-related costs for patients long-term, and help those served better self-manage their own relationship between food and health. Congrats to Lifelong, and those you serve.
White Center Pride - All Out
 We're going all in on all out at White Center Pride this year!
The theme of the 2026 White Center Pride Street Festival is: “All Out” which is inspired by the people who make up our community here in White Center. Everywhere we look, we see our neighbors helping each other, learning from each other, coming together to celebrate, and be there for each other through both the good and hard times. It is our hope we can all be “out” and proud as queer people, but no matter what our identities in the White Center community, we will be going All Out for each other.
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Thank you for allowing us to represent you on the King County Council!
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