Dear Neighbors,

Happy Spring! With the return of the warmer weather and sunsets after 8 PM, I am excited for the changing of the season. While I love every season of the year in the City of Destiny, I do always appreciate when there is a little less liquid sunshine and more of the normal kind in our part of the country. 

This past month the Hines Family was busy participating in events, including the Daffodil Parade, Junior Daffodil Parade, and another great Litter Free 253. During all of these events, I am reminded of the amazing efforts of so many of the volunteers in our community. I have always been proud of our city’s willingness to roll up it sleeves and come to work together. This year was no exception!

Violent Crime Reduction Plan Update

At the City Council's April 16 Study Session, we received an update on the Tacoma Police Department's (TPD) Violent Crime Reduction Plan. I was pleased to see that the update showed significant progress in enhancing public safety and a decrease in violence-related calls for service citywide. The decrease we are seeing in violent street crime incidents and reductions in crime hot spots are positive trends that reflect Violent Crime Reduction Plan’s efforts.

Along with the update on the Violent Crime Reduction Plan, the City Council heard about the important work of TPD's Investigations Unit and their efforts to address narcotics, street racing, property crimes, and Kia/Hyundai car theft. While I know that we continue to have work to do to address crime in our city, I am proud of the direction we are heading. As TPD continues its comprehensive crime reduction work, we are getting closer to ensuring all of our residents feel safe.

I would encourage you to also check out the new Tacoma Police Crime Dashboard tool for further information about crime happening in Tacoma and the impact of the efforts of our Police Department.

Therapeutic Courts

Along with the efforts of our Police Department to address crime in our city, I have also been excited about the developments at the Tacoma Municipal Court. At the April 9 Study Session, the City Council was updated on the therapeutic courts and their proactive, data-driven approach to community engagement and crime reduction. The therapeutic courts address underlying issues contributing to criminal behavior, offering support and resources for individuals to build safer communities and brighter futures.

The therapeutic courts include both the Mental Health Court and the Community Court. The Mental Health Court helps individuals with serious and persistent mental health diagnoses who are at risk of recurring criminal behavior. The Community Court supports those facing criminal misdemeanor charges, often dealing with significant challenges such as food insecurity, housing instability, mental health concerns, limited job opportunities, substance use disorders, and trauma.

Through access to treatment, resources, and case management, participants are empowered to transform their lives and successful completion of these programs results in dismissed charges. These types of courts have significantly reduced the likelihood of future offenses in other communities. 

The City of Tacoma is looking for ways to address crime, but also providing resources to deter people from engaging in criminal activity in the first place. Community safety is bigger than the Police Department alone, so I am excited to see how the Tacoma Therapeutic Courts continue to support our overall efforts to make Tacoma safe. You can learn more about our Therapeutic Courts here.

Temporary Historic District Moratorium

At our April 23 meeting, the City Council put in place a temporary moratorium on the nomination and designation of new historic and conservation districts in residential areas. This decision came from concerns raised by various Council Members and Commissions, and I served as a co-sponsor along with Council Member Joe Bushnell and Council Member Sarah Rumbaugh. The Planning Commission recommended this moratorium, and I further limited the temporary moratorium by introducing an amendment to restrict its application solely to residential areas.

This action aligns with ongoing efforts to address shortcomings in the historic district designation process, highlighted during recent reviews by the Planning Commission and Landmarks Preservation Commission. 

As I emphasized during the City Council meeting, it is important that we balance the significance of preserving Tacoma's historic legacy while fostering growth and development. Historic properties play a critical role in shaping community identity and fostering a connection with the past. The temporary moratorium serves as a means to reassess and improve the historic district establishment process, addressing concerns voiced by residents and stakeholders.

Importantly, the temporary moratorium does not impede National Register nominations or affect existing historic districts, underscoring its targeted approach toward refining local preservation strategies. Despite the temporary moratorium, individual properties can still to join the Tacoma Register of Historic Places, which means we can continue to recognize of significant historical sites. I think we can continue to be a growing, vibrant city while also valuing historic preservation and celebrating our shared history.

Also, as a reminder, be sure to check out our Tacoma Historic Preservation Awards on May 23. 

Working to Update Tacoma's Litter Code

As many of you know, I am committed to keeping our city litter free and this is why I have been a strong supporter of Tidy-Up Tacoma and Litter Free 253. We are putting a lot of effort into keeping Tacoma beautiful, both as a city and through the amazing efforts of our countless volunteers. At the same time, there is no way we can continue to keep up with the litter if we do not encourage people not to litter in the first place.

For that reason, I am bringing forward changes the Tacoma Municipal Code regarding littering and illegal dumping. The current littering code's penalties are too low and outdated. My proposed changes align our penalties more closely with state law, introducing a tiered scale based on the amount and type of litter. Currently, the penalty for littering a pop can or an entire pick-up truck full of pop cans is the same, and the new code would instead raise the penalties as the amount of litter and illegal dumping goes up. The change also includes defining and penalizing potentially dangerous litter and makes litter pick-up and removal an alternative punishment to a clean-up restitution payment.

These changes aim to deter littering, keeping Tacoma beautiful and ensuring we are taking the investments we are making with Tidy-Up Tacoma and the efforts of our residents seriously. The final reading of the ordinance will be on April 30 (and you can listen here), so please tune in to our City Council meeting to hear more.

And, as always, don’t trash Tacoma!

Stream Community Line Ribbon Cutting

This past month, I joined community members and other elected leaders to celebrate the launch of the new Stream Community Line. The Stream Community Line was introduced on April 1 and provides high-capacity transit service between Spanaway and Tacoma Dome Station. This service complements the existing Route 1, offering commuters another option for quicker and more direct trips.

This new service will support many of our residents who depend upon our bus service along Pacific Avenue. I am excited to see this type of service expanded to more parts of our city, especially as I hear from many of you about the importance of expanded bus service as part of our continued growth in Tacoma. Future enhancements aim to include improved shelters, lighting, and updated technology for better rider information. 

As a Pierce Transit Commissioner, I am excited to support these further efforts to make sure more people in our city can benefit from our bus system. You can learn more about the new Stream service here.

WA 2 WA Conference 

I returned this past month to our nation's capital as part of the 38^th Annual Washington to Washington, D.C. Conference hosted by the Tacoma Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. Members of the Tacoma City Council have been participating in this conference every year, and this year I was joined by Council Member Olgy Diaz.

We had the opportunity to meet with leaders from Tacoma businesses, non-profits, and government agencies. We also met with Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Representatives Marilyn Strickland and Derek Kilmer to learn about their efforts to advocate for our city’s needs.

The City of Tacoma has done very well in past years working with our federal delegation, including most recently receiving $850,000 for the City’s Shelter Expansion and Site Preparation projects and $963,000 for Alternative Response Strategies that Representative (and former Tacoma Mayor) Strickland and Senator Cantwell appropriated for our city.

Along with advocating for our community, I was also able to participate in some panel discussions on the issues facing Tacoma, including panels on education and workforce development. While I do not like to be away from Tacoma, I do appreciate the opportunity to work for you all in the other Washington. 

Recognizing a Purr-fectly Wonderful Volunteer! 

One of the best parts of my job is getting to learn about and recognize the incredible work that people in our community are doing. This month, I had the absolute joy of presenting Maudy Gosnell with a recognition from the City Council for her volunteer work.

Maudy has been volunteering at the Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County for more than 30 years. She has spent countless hours helping dogs and cats who come to the shelter in desperate need of tender loving care, and she has opened her home to foster endless litters of kittens. Maudy has also helped more than 4800 dogs and cats find their forever families.

I was so pleased that we could celebrate Maudy for her volunteer work, her love and compassion for animals, and her inspiring work to help animals find their forever families.

I am so grateful for all our community members who are giving back through volunteer work. If you know someone who deserves to be recognized for their contributions to our city, I hope you will reach out to me to share their story. 

For those interested in adopting a shelter animal, the beautiful cat Maudy is holding is looking for a forever home! You can see all the available dogs, cats, and critters here: Adopt Now - The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County.