I’m a proud Seattle Public School parent. Like many of you in District 8 I’m watching the news closely of if SPS will be starting this week while the school district and the Seattle Education Association (SEA) bargain a new contract, with a strike being a very real possibility. From my experience fighting for working people as part of the labor movement, I can say that the goal of the union is not to strike, but to win a contract that invests in teachers and allows them to support our kiddos to the best of their abilities including those students who need extra help.  

What our teachers are fighting for, smaller class sizes, a special education system that recognizes the value of every student and the ability of workers being able to afford to live in the communities they serve is something that benefits all of us. If a strike does happen, I’ll be there standing with our educators, supporting them until they get a fair contract! 

With Labor Day on the Horizon, I want to share a little about several other fights in our local area where workers are standing up to raise standards that benefit all of us!  

The workers at our hometown Starbucks have been fighting for a fair contract for unionized stores across the country for years. These workers are now calling for a boycott of Starbucks as the company has refused to bargain in good faith. When we say all work has dignity, we mean all work and Starbucks Workers United are fighting for dignity and respect for baristas that will lift up standards across the service sector helping ensure that those who help many of us get our day started aren’t left behind.  

As we recognize these workers for their fights, let’s take this Labor Day as an opportunity to celebrate what the labor movement has brought us and remember that it is working people who are on the front lines of making our society more fair, more equitable, more just and when someone asks you what working people deserve, remember the answer is always more!  

This morning in the Health, Housing, & Human Services committee that I chair, we had a second discussion of the Behavioral Health Bridge implementation plan. This implementation plan will guide our region’s spending on behavioral health (the intersection of substance use and mental health) from 2028-2034, so it is definitely one to watch! 

We received a summary of the information we learned between our August meeting and this one, discussed some outstanding questions we have of the department, and previewed some of the amendment concepts my colleagues and I are considering. I have been engaged in conversations with many of the organizations that serve D8 and county-wide in this field of work to ensure our plan aligns with the realities and needs they and their frontline staff are seeing on the ground daily. 

The next step at our October meeting will be a vote on any amendments and moving forward the implementation plan to the Regional Policy Committee, followed by full Council consideration. 

If you have an interest in sharing your thoughts on this plan, please feel free to send them to Melanie Kray, my Public Policy Manager! 

One of the most proven solutions to reducing homelessness has been the County's Health through Housing program. In committee today we received a briefing on the program has been performing. In a moment when the housing first approach is under attack locally and federally, I felt it is important to share several key facts. 

• Our partners at DESC have highlighted how investments in housing first also lead to increased enrollment in Medicaid – they saw numbers going from 40% to 90% enrollment.  

• Housing First is an approach our region has led on for decades, long before KCRHA was formed. 

• High Retention Rates of participants in Housing First programs: Studies cited by the National Alliance to End Homelessness show over 80% of individuals with complex needs remain housed after a year. [1] 

• 88% Reduction in Homelessness among individuals experiencing homelessness: A comprehensive U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) review of 26 separate studies found that utilizing a Housing First approach decreased overall time spent homeless by 88% and increased general housing stability by 41% 

• Stability Foundation: Research summarized by the National Low Income Housing Coalition confirms that a stable home provides the necessary foundation for personal recovery and accessing further services. [1, 2] 

• Reduced Costs: Residents spend less time in costly emergency rooms and inpatient hospital care. [1] 

• 55% Drop in Veteran Homelessness: Between 2009 and 2022, the federal government paired Housing First principles with HUD-VASH vouchers, resulting in a 55% reduction in veteran homelessness nationwide 

Last week, the Sound Transit Board approved two budget items authorizing funding for property acquisitions for the West Seattle Link Extension project--important milestones that will move the project from design refinement into the next phase of final design and construction planning. This is the result of significant progress over the last several years and work by Sound Transit to improve affordability, reduce impacts, and identify opportunities to deliver a better project for West Seattle. We are seeing meaningful results from that work: properties avoided, upwards of $2.6 billion saved, and ridership retained.  Most recently, we celebrated an improved plan to relocate the 230-kilovolt transmission line in SODO, saving millions while preserving opportunities for activation around the station with existing and future businesses.  

This demonstrates the value of continued problem-solving and partnership. There is more work to do, and I appreciate that the Sound Transit team, along with King County Metro, Seattle Dept. of Transportation, and the Executive Zahilay’s representatives, joined me and my team to walk through the ongoing impacts and concerns along the small-business corridor in North Delridge last week. We need to bring the same creative thinking that helped reduce impacts at places like the West Seattle Health Club—where 6,200 members and more than 100 workers will be able to keep their recreation space and jobs—to the North Delridge Business Complex. I appreciate Sound Transit’s creative thinking and willingness to look at ways to preserve assets along the corridor as we move forward. 

There’s more work ahead as we partner with Sound Transit, the City of Seattle, King County Metro, labor partners, and business and community leaders on ways to preserve and enhance Delridge community identity and assets, reduce displacement, and prevent businesses from leaving early and creating ghost towns around future station sites because of construction impacts and uncertainty. I appreciate that CEO Constantine and this Board have been receptive to many of the suggestions I have brought forward to support long-term economic opportunity for those most directly affected by light rail construction, as well as immediate strategies to offset costs and reduce uncertainty. More to come! 

I co-sponsored with District 2 Councilmember Rhonda Lewis a proclamation to recognize September 7 as King County Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. This occasion comes from an annual tradition from the United Nations Environmental Programme, International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. I am grateful to former Representative Velma Veloria and the King County International Airport (KCIA) Community Coalition for bringing this date to our attention! It is a good opportunity to reflect on how we at King County are supporting our residents holistically through the social determinants of health, and where we have room to grow and improve.  

My commitment to public health means supporting efforts that bring us closer to a county where someone’s zip code doesn’t determine their health. The neighborhoods surrounding KCIA are a prime example of environmental injustice – residents living within half a mile of the airport are 74% BIPOC, have a life expectancy 8-10 years shorter than average, and they experience higher rates of high blood pressure, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory disease. 

As the Councilmember tasked with serving much of the fenceline communities surrounding KCIA, and the Chair of the Board of Health and the Health, Housing, and Human Services committee, supporting environmental justice is among my top priorities. It is an honor and a privilege to support the critical work of KCIA Community Coalition – whom we also awarded $50,000 in the 2026 mid-year budget to continue their community education around environmental health and lead testing – and I look forward to our continued partnership to work towards cleaner air and improved health outcomes for all.

Good morning, everyone! It is so great to be here. 

I’m Gina Topp, President of the Seattle School Board and your School Board representative here in West Seattle. But today, I’m also here as the mom of a daughter who will be attending Alki Elementary. So this one is personal for me. And there’s something I keep coming back to at moments like this: Place matters. 

The places where our children spend their days matter. I grew up in Auburn, and I’ve driven by the schools I attended there with my daughter and pointed out the window: “That was my school.” And when I think about my own years in school, what I remember most are the people and experiences that shaped me. 

I remember my fourth-grade teacher, who helped instill in me a love of the environment and the outdoors. We had a native plant garden that became part of how we learned about Washington State history. I remember my third-grade teacher introducing me to art and giving me an appreciation for making things. I still have some of the art I made in her class today. And I remember a school counselor who was there for me during a really hard time after my grandmother died. I didn't know it at the time, but all of those people were helping shape who I would become. And that's the thing about schools. They become part of our story. 

Now, as a parent whose own daughter will walk through the doors of this school, I think about the experiences she will have here and the people she will remember decades from now. And I think about that for every child who will walk through these doors. As adults, when we look at this beautiful new Alki Elementary, we see everything it took to get here. We see years of planning, budgets, levies, construction schedules, meetings, meetings, meetings, and more meetings, and a whole lot of problem solving. But kids see something different. They see the classroom where they might meet their best friend. They see the playground where they’ll spend hundreds of recesses running wild and playing lava tag. They see the teacher who might introduce them to something that becomes a lifelong passion or a career. They see the counselor or staff member who might be there on a day when they really need someone. And years from now, some of the kids standing here today are going to drive past this building with their own children. 

YOU’RE going to point out the window and say: “That was my school.” And my hope is that when you do, you remember more than a beautiful building. I hope you remember that this was a place where they were known. Where you were cared for. Where you had fun. Where you belonged. AND WHERE YOU LEARNED! Because place matters. 

And creating a place like this takes an entire community. It takes Seattle voters choosing to invest in our public schools, saying public education matters. This project was made possible through voter-approved capital levies, and I want to thank the people of Seattle for continuing to say through those investments that our children and our public schools matter. It takes our incredible educators and school staff.  

It takes families and neighbors who advocate, ask questions, show up, and, yes, live through construction. It takes our facilities and capital teams, architects, contractors, and all of the people who spent years designing and building this school. And it takes our union partners and the skilled tradespeople whose hands actually built the place we are standing in today. To every person who had a role in getting us here: THANK YOU. But from this day forward, this building belongs to the Alki students. So, students…make it yours. Fill these classrooms with questions and ideas. Fill the playground with laughter… and a few skinned knees here or there. Meet new friends. Take care of each other. Try things you're not sure you'll be good at. Make mistakes. AND IMPORTANTLY LEARN. Build the memories that someday you'll tell your own kids about. Because this building matters. But what all of you do inside of it matters even more. On behalf of the Seattle School Board, congratulations, Alki. Welcome home. 

Whether you're planning a remodel, building an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), replacing a deck, or tackling another home improvement project, the King County Home Improvement Fair is a great place to get expert guidance before you build. 

Hosted by King County's Department of Local Services, these free events connect homeowners with local contractors, designers, suppliers, lenders, and King County Permitting staff, all in one place. Bring your questions about permits, code requirements, or your specific project and get personalized advice from King County Permitting staff. 

Each event also includes a free Residential Permitting 101 presentation at 6:30 p.m., offering an overview of the residential permitting process for unincorporated King County, followed by a Q&A. Arrive early as the last presentation was standing room only!

Every year the Seattle Center hosts the incredible Seattle King County Free Clinic where anyone, regardless of if they have insurance or not can get the care they need at no cost. Held over 4 days from April 23-26th the clinic served 3,164 individuals bringing together more than 100 organizations and 4,727 volunteers. You can see their final report here.