Budget Update – Week Eight We are closing in on the end of budget season. Last Wednesday, Budget Committee Chair Sally Bagshaw unveiled her balancing package, and we were excited to see many of our priorities included – funding and support for our public health communicable disease response, funding for the Home Zone pilot project to […]

Hate Has No Place Here “We must stop accepting the illusion that this is the view of a few troubled individuals. It is not. Something larger is happening, and it is now upon us to respond.” ~ Rabbi Will Berkovitz, of the nonprofit Jewish Family Services at the Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle memorial for the […]

Budget Season – Week 4 Budget season is well underway, and we are preparing for upcoming meetings to discuss priority issues. These meetings will be where members discuss identified issues with the proposed budget, as well as early ideas for amendments and additional requests of departments in 2019. A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, October […]

Your New City Light General Manager! Yesterday, the Seattle City Council unanimously confirmed Debra Smith as the next General Manager and CEO of Seattle City Light. This confirmation comes at a pivotal time for our publicly-owned utility, and I am excited to see Smith come on board. There has been plenty of news around issues City Light […]

We’re just under a week from the Mayor releasing her proposed budget, and #TeamTeresa is working hard to ensure your policy priorities are included, as the budget should be a reflection of our values. Below is an update on what we’re working on and ways you can get engaged!   Standing in Solidarity with Dairy […]

We Will Work Together to Find New Revenue My office has heard a lot of concern regarding the Employee Hours Tax (EHT). I have concerns as well, but I cannot back a repeal without a replacement strategy to house and shelter our neighbors experiencing homelessness. While a vote went forward to repeal the tax, our […]

Happy May Day! Thousands of people across the globe and from Seattle are marching today to champion the rights of workers and put a spotlight on labor issues, immigrant rights, and social justice. Today is a reminder of the power of the people and the resilience of our communities. Thank you to everyone who is […]

After a thorough investigation by the Office of Labor Standards (OLS), Northwest Center has agreed to pay a total of $40,791 in back wages, unpaid interest and other monetary remedies to ten employees with disabilities who were paid subminimum wages. Northwest Center has already reimbursed the employees over $37,000 and will pay the remaining amount […]

One Month Into 2018 It has been an exciting couple of weeks for our office. Our Chief of Staff, Sejal Parikh, came on board on February 1st. Joining Policy Advisor Michael Maddux, Office Manager Faride Cuevas, and Scheduler/Community Outreach lead Aretha Basu, #TeamTeresa is continuing to move forward with an agenda that protects workers’ rights, supports women and minority […]

Our Work Continues We’re One Month In to 2018, and I am excited to report that we are on track to get some good things done this year. January is where we begin preparing our workplans for the year, and my team has been listening to the community, identifying priorities for the Housing, Health, Energy, […]