Good afternoon,

Summer is finally here! This past month has been very busy with the in-person return of some highly anticipated local events like the Tacoma Pride Festival and MOSAIC at Wright Park. The Hines family has been out enjoying many of them and it has been great to see many of you celebrating the rich diversity of the City of Destiny.

Looking ahead, we have some great events coming up including Pierce County Trails Day, National Night Out and Proctor Arts Fest. Hopefully, I will see a few of you out at one of these events and catch up in person soon!

Also, as a former high school civics teacher, I cannot miss the opportunity to remind you to vote by August 2. With paid postage, it is easier than ever to make sure your vote matters. You can also drop off your ballot at any of the following ballot drop boxes in Pierce County!

As always, please feel free to reach out to me to share your thoughts and concerns. I also invite you to tune in to the City Council’s noon Study Sessions or 5 PM Council Meetings on Tuesdays via TV Tacoma, Facebook LIVE, or ZOOM. Access details are available at cityoftacoma.org/councilmeetings.

Also, if you are interested, you can check out my recent interview on CityLine I did this past month. You’ll learn a little bit more about why I decided to run for Council, what’s happening in District 1, and a few of the things I have been working on (which will not be a surprise to any of you regular newsletter readers).

National Night Out

If you watched my interview on CityLine, you would know that Safe Streets was where I began my community service journey. Now serving on the Safe Streets Board of Directors, I am very excited to continue to serve an organization that has done so much to promote community safety and community building in our city.

For that reason, I am looking forward to National Night Out this year. This annual event has often been the highlight of my neighborhood and we are thrilled to get back to it after a hiatus for the past two years. If you are interested, I would encourage you to register your own National Night Out Block Party with your neighbors or see if there are any already happening nearby.

You can find all the information and register here.

Public Safety

This past month, the City Council heard the Tacoma Police Department’s Violent Crime Reduction Plan. The plan has three phases, beginning with addressing violent crime and using data to address crime hot spots in our community. Over the past year, we have seen a spike in violent crime in Tacoma. I look forward to continuing to partner with the Tacoma Police Department to reduce the number of victims of violent crime in our community.

Later phases of the Violent Crime Reduction Plan will focus on place-based policing, or making investments in the neighborhoods most impacted by violent crime, and focused deterrence, or proactively working with communities and individuals to prevent crime. While this plan is not going to address the property crimes many of you have discussed with me, the hope is that addressing violent crime will bring down the level of property crime and free up our Tacoma police officers to address those crimes.

You can view the presentation of the Crime Plan at Study Session here and read the plan here.

Housing

In the next few months, the Government Performance and Finance Committee (GPFC) is going to begin looking at updating the City’s policies regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs). This work will look at the financing and permitting of ADUs and DADUs and supporting homeowners interested in adding an ADU or DADU to their properties.

In the 1980s, my grandmother, a widow on a fixed income, had an illegal DADU on her property in the Proctor neighborhood that she rented to students and the University of Puget Sound to make her mortgage payments. Because of that, I have always been interested in how ADUs and DADUs can help us achieve two housing goals: providing additional housing in our neighborhoods and helping homeowners on fixed incomes stay in their homes.

Earlier this week, I met with members of the community, including lenders and builders, to discuss their experience with creating ADUs and DADUs. If you are interested in sharing your thoughts, I would encourage you to share them with me or join us at the GPFC meeting on August 16.

Pierce Transit Update – Free Rides for Riders Under 18

This past month, the Pierce Transit Board approved the implementation of the Free Youth Transit Pass for those 18 years and younger. Beginning September 1, all persons 18 years and younger can ride free on all Pierce Transit modes of transportation. This is funded as part of the Move Ahead Washington transportation package passed by the state legislature.   

As a former teacher, I remember trying to coordinate field trips on public transit and the headache of making sure all my students brought their money to pay the fares. Now, teachers across the region, not to mention parents and families, can use our transit system without those concerns. It is going to be a great way to start the school year!

Rail Crossing Improvements Update

This past month, a few of you have reached out to me about the scheduled improvements at the 6^th Avenue and South 19^th Street railroad crossings. Since I last addressed this in my newsletter in February 2021, I wanted to provide an update.

The City of Tacoma gave BNSF Railway notice to proceed with their work back in July of 2021. The initial plan was for BNSF to complete their work at night to minimize impacts to businesses and residents.  When BNSF scheduled their work for June of this year, they were not able to get crews to work at night and planned to work (and close roadways) during the day. 

In order to avoid impacts to businesses, the City is currently working with BNSF to reschedule their work during the winter months (early 2023) after holiday freight shipping.  BNSF will complete work in the railroad right-of-way including installation of crossing signals, activation equipment, track work, and new crossing surfaces.

Following completion of BNSF’s work in 2023, the City will complete work in its right-of-way in the vicinity of the crossings to provide improved pedestrian and vehicular access including asphalt paving, curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, striping, fencing, landscaping, and signage.

As I have more information, I will provide updates in my newsletter. You can also find out about the project here.

Tacoma Pride

This past month, I was very excited for the Tacoma Pride Festival to return to Downtown Tacoma. This year, I was able to help paint the crosswalk at South 9^th Street and Pacific Avenue as part of the festivities. It was great seeing so many of our residents coming together to celebrate our vibrant LGBTQ+ community in Tacoma.

Hopefully you were able to enjoy one of the many events celebrating Tacoma Pride this year!

Emergency Food Network Visit

This past month, I made a visit to the Emergency Food Network and learned more about how they distribute food to people across Pierce County. I was deeply impressed with the operation and how they are able to distribute millions of pounds of food to thousands of our Pierce County residents. Nothing is more important than knowing where your next meal is coming from, and it is great to know we have partners like the Emergency Food Network addressing this in our community.

You can learn more about the Emergency Food Network here. They are always looking for people to get involved!

Another Visit to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

One of my favorite responsibilities of being on Council is serving on the Zoo Trek Authority Board. This past month, my kids joined me and District 2 Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (PDZA) on another behind-the-scenes tour. From jellyfish to sea lions and everything in between, we continue to enjoy learning more about the conservation and education efforts at PDZA.

My family has been members for years and I am excited that I can continue to serve in a leadership role that supports an institution that brings so much joy to our community. Please check out their website to learn how you can do the Zoo this season!