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Each year councilmembers host one Administrative Session Meeting in-district in an effort to be closer to the community that we represent and also increase access to community members to attend meetings. This year, the District 2 in-person meeting will be on Tuesday, April 7, at the Tulalip Boys & Girls Club starting at 6p. The Boys & Girls Club recently went through a renovation and I’m excited to tour the facility to see the updates. The meeting starts at 6p sharp and like any council meeting, the public is more than welcome to attend. Please reach out with any questions, and I’ll see you there!
The 2026 State Legislative Session wrapped up recently and even though it was a “short session” there were big wins for Snohomish County. I represent the County on regional and state-wide boards that track the legislative session and track matters that would impact counties as a whole, or Snohomish County specifically. Several of the issues that I advocated for passed during this session and will make a big difference to support our community:
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I testified a few times in support of an omnibus bill (sponsored by Representative April Berg) which included various tools that local government can use to create flexible funding for county services. Specifically, my testimony helped to expand flexibility of our REET dollars to include abatement for nuisance properties, which is an issue I worked on with Councilmember Nehring. As the prevalence of nuisance properties has increased, so has abatement costs, and this flexibility will help to address this.
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I participated in discussions about the importance of dedicated funding for public defense and juvenile rehabilitation.
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I testified and advocated for flexibility of the county’s 1590 funds to help with rent relief when there’s instability in funding at the federal level
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I just got word this week that we were able to prevent cuts that would have eliminated the Urban and Community Forestry Program which is a Washington State program through DCNR. Here’s a link to an Urbanist article that I was interviewed for to share my support.
- I joined for Public Health Advocacy Day to meet with legislators and highlight the essential role public health plays in strengthening our communities. Below is a picture taken with Representative Ryu and other County Board of Health members and Health Department staff.
Many thanks to the teams who have worked hard to advocate for changes at the state level during this last session, and a special thanks to our Snohomish County State Delegation for their hard work.
The county’s incredible Public Works Team recently released their 2025 Annual Report in video format. Last year’s annual report is titled “Building Bridges and Connecting Communities” which highlights the work that they do to maintain roadways, bridges, and support solid waste disposal across the whole county. There are over 600 dedicated workers in our Public Works Department across five divisions. They are responsible for maintaining over 200 bridges, 1,600 miles of county roads, and over 200 traffic lights. Additionally, the team has processed more than 670,000 tons of garbage last year. Here’s a link to the video, and also the PDF of the annual report and I encourage you to look through when you can. Thank you, Public Works team!
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Another report from the county that was recently published is the Snohomish County Department of Conservation Natural Resources 2025 Annual Report. The report highlights the incredible work that county staff are doing to protect our environment and strengthen community resilience. In 2025, the department secured $17.7M in grant funding, completed projects that reduce flooding and improve salmon habitat, expanded weatherization and cooling support for hundreds of households, and made important improvements to county parks and facilities. In addition to their planned work for the year department staff also supported residents during the historic flooding in December by opening the fairgrounds to provide a Red Cross shelter for people who were evacuated from their homes as well as opening the barns for farm animals and livestock.
The County’s DCNR group has worked hard to keep Snohomish County green and livable and the report is a great reminder of the thoughtful behind-the-scenes work that goes into protecting natural resources and serving the community. Take a look at this link.
The Port of Everett recently took several steps to advance long-term redevelopment plans, including accepting the transfer of the former NOAA site and moving forward with the purchase of the property that includes Ivar’s. Securing these key properties will help create a more cohesive waterfront redevelopment that reflects the community vision developed in conjunction with the City of Mukilteo in 2022. The Port will begin seeking a development partner later this spring, with plans that could include restaurants, small-scale housing, retail, and improved public spaces along the shoreline. Please take a look at the project page and artist renderings for what is in the works.
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I continue to serve on the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Board of Directors and the agency released the results of the Trailer for Researching Environmental Equity (“TREE”) Project. This project was completed in collaboration with the University of Washington and though the research was mostly conducted in King County, we all know that the wind doesn’t stop blowing at a county’s boundary. The TREE Trailer was deployed to various areas to measure fine particles and other air quality pollutants in areas of interest. The data monitoring was carried out by youth groups and community groups to help increase interest in the need to track and monitor air quality. The results of the trailer deployment have been compiled and found here. This regional approach ensures that air quality is healthy for all who are lucky enough to call Western Washington or Snohomish County home.
With other PSCAA Board Members as we officially adopted our Comprehensive Climate Action Plan
I recently received an email update about the Everett Link Extension which I wanted to share with you to keep you informed as planning continues for this leg of Sound Transit Light Rail in Snohomish County. In 2025, the project reached several important milestones in the environmental review process including completion of NEPA scoping and community outreach. Sound Transit staff will continue fieldwork throughout 2026 to help inform project design and environmental analysis. The Draft Environmental Impact statement is expected later this year and will outline potential impacts of the route alternatives and open a public comment period. I will continue to share updates as the project moves forward. Here is the dedicated webpage for more information and to sign up for updates directly from Sound Transit.
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The Washington State Department of Health is supporting a Wellness Fair at the Village on Casino Road on March 27 from 9-1p. The event is free and all are welcome. At the fair you can access walk-up services including blood pressure screenings, mental health screening, and vision testing. All ages are welcome and services are free with no insurance required.
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Tulalip tribal and non-tribal residents are welcome to join the Tulalip Community Resource Fair this Thursday, March 19, from 4-7p. This free event will be held at the Orca Ballroom at the Tulalip Resort and Casino and is for adults ages 18 and older. At the event attendees will be able to meet with representatives from both Tulalip Tribes and Snohomish County Government to discuss water quality, code enforcement, surface water management, and other community matters. You can also stop by the Vision Table to share more about your vision for your community and any concerns you would like to discuss. Dinner will also be available for attendees.
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The Snohomish County Elections team is hosting the annual Disability Advisory Committee Meeting on Tuesday, March 24, from 10-11am. This meeting is open to community members and partners to join to provide recommendations that help ensure that the county’s voting process is accessible to voters with disabilities. The DAC is especially interested in participation from individuals who either identify as a person with a disability or are actively connected to disability communities or advocacy organizations. Registration is required – please visit this pate to register to participate in-person or via Zoom.
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The Snohomish County Health Department’s Tuberculosis Team is hosting a Community Reads Project to encourage people to join a book club focused on public health. The book is John Green’s New York Times bestseller, “Everything is Tuberculosis” and TB Program staff will be at the Evergreen Library on April 25 from 1-3p for a community discussion about the book. The book is available at your local Sno-Isle or Everett Public Library, or at your favorite local bookstore for purchase.
I am looking forward to the third annual Spring into Recovery event hosted by Snohomish County Recovery Coalition on Friday, June 5! I'm all signed up to be one of the community members throwing out a first pitch and am looking forward to a great resource fair and AquaSox game. The Community Resource Fair will go from 10-4p and tabling and sponsorships are currently open for folks to sign up (if interested, please email spring2026@snocorecovers.org) and the pro-recovery AquaSox game will start at 6:30p.
I always appreciate when local news outlets reach out to ask for more information on the work that we’re doing in Snohomish County. Here’s some recent articles that I was quoted or featured in:
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February 27: The Urbanist article also about the potential cuts to DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry program.
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February 11: Herald Article about the advocacy of the Snohomish County Health Department and my work as Chair of the Board of Health to advocate to maintain funding for public health services.
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With Ashley Bolden and Port Commissioner David Simpson at the Tapped Grand Opening |
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With Layni of the GOAL Program at the Carl Gipson Center when I joined to share a county update |
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With Adriana at Interfaith Iftar Dinner |
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With Cynthia Andrews at Food (in)Security - Collective Learning & Response event |
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