Hello Tacoma Family!
Happy holidays to everyone! As 2023 comes to an end, I’m excited to share some of the great work the City Council has been doing for the past few months. I am also pleased to share that, earlier this fall, I had the opportunity to help represent Tacoma at the National League of Cities, “City Summit 2023." This conference gave me a chance to learn from other elected leaders from cities around the country and share the innovative work happening in Tacoma. I am looking forward to the new year and continuing my work on affordable housing, youth violence prevention, and economic development.
I’ll be holding office hours for community members on January 30, so please keep an eye out for an invitation! I am eager to hear your thoughts and to share my perspective with you. Please also keep in mind that you can utilize Tacoma FIRST 311 online resources to access more than 700 answers to commonly asked City-related questions, submit and track more than 70 types of requests for City services, and direct questions to City departments.
I am wishing you all a wonderful and joyous holiday season! I know 2024 has great things in store for our city, and I can't wait to build on all the progress we are making.
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I’d like to invite you all to join in a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the event, “A Community Blueprint: Building Block by Block.” We’ll be celebrating individuals or groups that exemplify Dr. King’s teaching and action in community service. The event is Monday, January 15, with a Community Outreach Fair from 10:00am - 11:00am and a celebration starting at 11:00am. The event will be at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. You can find more information here: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration — Tacoma Venues & Events.
Public Safety and Alternative Response Models
One of my top priorities is public safety, especially for our young people. I know that many of our community members believe that public safety is about more than just policing, and I agree that we need to address safety from a broader perspective. I am very excited for the work the City’s Office of Strategy is doing to create our Community Safety Action Strategy. The Community Safety Action Strategy aims to bring the community together to define safety and create a shared vision and coordinated approach to bolstering all the aspects of our lives that make us feel safe in our community.
You can see the latest update the City Council received about the Community Safety Action Strategy here. This work is a vital component of our effort to enhance safety in our city and I look forward to seeing how this conversation advances in 2024!
 I also pleased to share that the City Council completed our 2023-2024 biennial budget modification process and I worked hard to ensure that we funded key needs our residents and the business community have identified. I'm particularly pleased that the City Council fully funded our alternative emergency response models, including the HOPE Team and a Community Service Officer program. The City Council also extended the Window Replacement Program to assist businesses impacted by vandalism. You can learn more about the biennial budget modification here: 2023-2024 Biennial Budget Modification Process FAQs - City of Tacoma.
We are also continuing to see that overall violent crime continues to trend downwards as the Tacoma Police Department implements the Violent Crime Reduction Plan. The Tacoma Police Department has also just released a new Crime Dashboard that is available to public. This dashboard has data from the past five years, allowing users to track trends and compare data sets. You can access the dashboard here: Police - City of Tacoma.
While we are seeing homicides and violent crime rates dropping, I know we need to continue to focus on how we build on this progress in 2024. The Tacoma Police Department is still hiring and offering some great bonuses. If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a police officer, I encourage you to take a look at their vacancies here: Tacoma Police Jobs.
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 Affordable Housing and Homelessness
The City continues to work on Home In Tacoma, which aims to increase housing supply, choice, and affordability. The City Council recently received an update on building design standards, affordability and accessibility, land uses, the bonus program, and the upcoming round of community engagement in 2024. If you are interested in more information, please take a look at the presentation here: Home in Tacoma.
The new Landlord Fairness Code Initiative that voters approved came into effect on December 8. The Landlord Fairness Code Initiative establishes requirements around notices to increase rent, move-in costs, pet fees, late fees, evictions, and economic displacement relocation assistance, health and safety requirements, and establishes enforcement and penalties. If you are a renter or landlord, you can find more information here: Renting in Tacoma.
The City Council also received an update on homelessness from the City’s Neighborhood and Community Services Department. The City has worked to add 170 extra temporary shelter beds for inclement weather. In addition, the Homeless Engagement Alternatives Liaison (HEAL) Team has made more than 3,000 outreach contacts with people experiencing homelessness, with more than half expressing interest in services, and nearly 300 placed in shelter. I encourage all residents to take a look at the City’s strategic plan to address homelessness.
Youth Engagement and Economic Development
I had the pleasure of supporting the Pictures of Hope program with the Tacoma Rescue Mission this fall. I joined several other mentors from around the city to spend the day with children experiencing homelessness and to help them to articulate their hopes and dreams for the future. We worked with the children to take pictures that represented their hopes and dreams, and then unveiled the photos together in a big celebration!
All the children had such beautiful dreams for their futures, such as going to college, becoming an artist, and having a spaghetti dinner with their family. Making sure these young people know their dreams matter is so important, and I look forward to continuing to mentor young people in our community.
For more than 100 years, the Tacoma Rescue Mission has served the homeless community in Tacoma and Pierce County by providing emergency services, such as shelter, food, and other self-sufficiency programs.
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On December 4, the Washington Minority Business Development Agency operated by the City of Tacoma hosted the Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce Donald R. Cravins Jr. and his team for a community roundtable. As Vice Chair of the Economic Development Committee, I had the pleasure of participating in this important conversation and highlighted the need for federal support to help advance equity.
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In December, I also co-sponsored a proposal for a $1,000 tax credit for employers adding a new position and filling the position with an individual with a disability, as identified through the federal Work Opportunity tax credit vocational rehabilitation referral. The City Council unanimously approved this proposal and I have no doubt that the new Tacoma Work Opportunity tax credit, as well as an increase in the City’s Green Jobs tax credit, will help a broad range of residents and expand our workforce.
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I hope you reach out to me if you have any questions or want to share your perspective! I can be reached at kdaniels@cityoftacoma.org.
Please also join us for our City Council Study Session and Council Meetings held on Tuesdays. You can find more information about attending Council sessions in person or virtually here: City Council Meetings - City of Tacoma.
Happy holidays to everyone! Love our city!
Thank you,
 Tacoma City Council Member Kiara Daniels -- At-Large Position 6
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