Hello Tacoma, 

One of our great Washington cities--Spokane--is experiencing a disaster of epic proportions. As I'm sure many of you have already seen in the news, multiple wildfires have forced thousands of our neighbors in the Spokane area to evacuate their homes. More than 10,000 acres have burned, along with hundreds of structures and homes full of treasured belongings. These wildfires have impacted our air quality too, and I'm deeply saddened to see the haze of smoke over the City of Destiny. I encourage everyone to take a look at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department's recommendations regarding wildfire smoke here: Wildfire Smoke - Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.

While our air quality will improve soon, many Washingtonians living in the Spokane area will face long-term challenges to rebuild stability in their lives. I know that these are challenging times for everyone, but I think we have an opportunity to come together as a state to take care of each other. If you have the ability to help and are interested in doing so, I invite you to check out this website for more information: Ways to Help - City of Spokane, Washington. 

My family and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Spokane for the Association of Washington Cities conference. We had an incredible time enjoying the city and we met so many kind and gracious people. I also know a number of the City of Spokane Council Members personally, and their hearts are broken for their community. Let's pitch in any way that we can and let our neighbors in Spokane know that Tacoma stands beside them.