Greetings Tacoma,

Summer is upon us, which means festivals, celebrations, and hot weather! I hope to see you out there, engaging with our neighbors, supporting our local businesses and event vendors, and building community. If you’re struggling with staying cool on a hot day, consider visiting a local library, coffee shop, or visit any of our beautiful parks to bask in the shade of a tree or enjoy a community pool or spray park. Tacoma has a spectacular food scene, my current favorite cool off treat is an Ube Milkshake. Did you know our partners at Metro Parks offers free lunch Monday – Friday to youth under 18 at parks all around the city? Also if you happen to have middle and high school age youth in your life looking for activities, the city has partnered with Tacoma Public Schools and Metro parks to offer Monday through Friday late night activities to keep our kids in community with each other and engaged in safe activities.

Thank you,
Olgy Diaz
At-Large Tacoma Council Member 

Topics in this newsletter include: 

• Happy pride month! July is Pride month in Tacoma
• Rental Housing Code ballot measures “for” or “against” Committees
• When do we open cooling centers?
• Welcoming conference
• Budget video
• In the community

Happy pride month! July is Pride month in Tacoma

This is the 9^th year that the City is sponsoring the month long community wide Tacoma Pride festival celebrating the history and culture of these communities and Pierce County, with an award ceremony, film ceremony, interfaith events and much, much more.

Members of the LGBTQIA2+ community have historically been the target of hatred, violence, and discrimination through systemic oppression, so while it’s important for the community to come together in support and celebration, it is even more vital that we steadfastly enforce anti-discrimination laws and advance equity in all we do.

Here are just a few of the Pride events I’ve attended this year. Learn more about the Tacoma Pride Festival and the whole month of activities at Tacomapride.org.

It was an honor to attend the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Pride Flag Raising, and being given a chance to share my own message of unity, love and acceptance. I’m pictured here with Chairman Bill Sterud, Puyallup Tribal Council Member Annette Bryan, Tacoma City Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh, and County Council Chair Ryan Mello.

Celebrating Pride was also my first televised interview! KOMO News interviewed me for their story: “What to know about Tacoma’s Pride celebrations starting this weekend.”

Pride is a celebration! It was a joy to celebrate with so many of you at the Tacoma Pride Festival this month.

Rental Housing Code ballot measures “for” or “against” Committees

The City Council’s adopted Resolutions 41237 and 41238 concerning ballot measures on rental housing regulations are now available at cityoftacoma.org/notices. Resolutions 41237 and 41238 along with Rental Housing Code Ordinance 28894 were adopted in a public meeting on July 11th, which can be viewed on the City’s website.

• Measure No. 1 would require landlords to comply with health and safety laws before raising rent or evicting a tenant; set limits on certain rental fees; require landlords provide two notices to increase rent and offer relocation assistance when the increase is 5 percent or more; create a defense against certain student/schoolyear evictions, evictions between November 1 and April 1, and evictions against servicemembers, seniors, families and others with protected status under the measure; and provide penalties and enforcement mechanisms.
• As an alternative, the Tacoma City Council proposes Measure No. 2, which would repeal and reenact portions of the City’s rental housing code and require landlords to comply with health and safety laws; have a City license before increasing rent or evicting tenants; set limits on rent late fees and pet deposits; require 120 day notice to raise rent; add new regulations for shared housing; standardize screening criteria for tenant income required to qualify for housing, for reviewing tenant’s criminal history and identification.

State law, RCW 42.17A.555, regulates that a public official cannot use any public resources for the purpose of assisting the promotion or opposition of any ballot position. To comply with that requirement I will not be expanding on the conversation around the Ordinance or the vote last Tuesday.

I want to make sure all you know that those interested in being considered for appointment to committees advocating “for” or “against” Measure No. 1 or Measure No. 2 are asked to submit a letter of interest indicating the ballot measure number, whether they are advocating “for” or “against” it, their place of residence, and why they would like to serve on the committee.

Letters must be received in the City Clerk’s Office at 747 Market Street, Room 220, Tacoma, WA 98402, or via email at cityclerk@cityoftacoma.org, by noon on July 17, 2023.

When do we open cooling centers?

I love summer, but as our summers get hotter they bring risks to the community. At the threshold of 90 degrees or warmer, the City will activate cooling centers. The City will announce openings of these centers through media channels and social media. Please help spread the word when you see those announcements!

Excessive heat can be dangerous to all people, and older adults, people with health concerns and children are at a greater risk.

Know the symptoms of heat stroke:

• Cold, pale and clammy skin
• Heavy sweating
• Fainting or passing out
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Fast, weak pulse
• Tiredness or weakness
• Muscle cramps
• Nausea or vomiting
• Headache

If a person has these symptoms, they should cease activity, move to a cooler location and seek medical attention. Elders and children are the most susceptible, so checking on elderly neighbors and keeping children out of the sun is important.

Learn more on the City’s inclement weather resources webpage.

Welcoming conference

In March, the Tacoma City Council passed a resolution to send Commissioners from the Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to Welcoming America's Welcoming Interactive in San Jose. Myself and staff got the unique opportunity to explore strategies on how to become a City ready and willing to serve all our new neighbors.

Welcoming America announced earlier this year at the Welcoming Interactive the second iteration of the Certified Welcoming program by introducing a star designation system that will allow more communities to achieve one of five star designations under the Welcoming Standard version 2.0.  Following this event, I am working to advance City efforts to have the City Certified a Welcoming City. The Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and Tacoma Community House are also now already starting preparations for our 2023 Welcoming Week activities. Please let me know if you’d like to get involved or connected to help.

Budget video

We adopted the 2023-2024 budget in November 2022. Public safety and affordable housing form the core of the budget, enhancing Tacoma’s livability with innovations and investments to address these critical needs. Learn more about my perspective on the budget. For additional information on Tacoma’s biennial budget, visit cityoftacoma.org/budget.

In the community

We’re making progress on Home In Tacoma Phase 2 and Council Members participated in Home in Tacoma Open Houses across the City. I attended the District 1, District 2, and District 5 Open House events.

Local businesses are the backbone of our City’s economy – and what’s better than supporting local business at neighborhood festivals? Here I am at the Lincoln Business District’s first food walk of the year. If you missed the first Lincoln District Food Walk, don’t worry! You have two more opportunities to check it out on July 28 and August 25 or find the business district near you for more community events and celebrations.

On May 25, the Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities (TACOD), in partnership with our Public Works Department, held a ribbon cutting and banner-waving ceremony commemorating the completion of upgrades on all four corners of the intersection of South 64th Street and Pacific Avenue. The improvements provide wheelchair-accessible lanes, adjacent bike lanes, and accessible crosswalks with audio signals to enable better navigation in this East Tacoma community.

Earlier this year, I joined Council Member Bushnell for his District 5 Community Town Hall. Over 50 residents joined us for a conversation about safety, public infrastructure, and how we can make South Tacoma and the South End thriving communities for all our families.

Deputy Mayor Walker and I spent our Earth Day picking up litter in Central Tacoma for the Litter Free 253 event. Litter Free 253 is a group of volunteers who promote the idea that everyone is needed to help keep Tacoma clean. This year, City staff estimate that volunteers picked up over 8,000 pounds of trash across Tacoma!

In April, Council Member Hines and I joined the Daffodil princesses in the 2023 Daffodil Parade!