.
>>> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.
WELCOME TO THE FINANCE AND
HOUSING COMMITTEE.
I'M TERESA MOSQUEDA.
WILL THE CLERK PLEASE CALL THE
CALL?
>> MOSQUEDA.
>> PRESENT.
>> VICE CHAIR HERBOLD.
>> HERE.
>> COUNCIL PRESIDENT GONZCEZ.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT GONZCEZ?
COUNCILMEMBER LEWIS.
>> PRESENT.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MORALES.
>> HERE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS.
THAT IS FOUR PRESENT.
COUNCILMEMBER GONZCEZ?
>> HERE.
>> FOUR PRESENT.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I THINK THAT WE HAVE FIVE
PRESENT WITH OUR ALTERNATE
COUNCILMEMBER MORALES.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE ON
BEHALF OF COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS.
COUNCILMEMBER LEWIS AND COUNCIL
PRESIDENT GONZCEZ AND VICE
CHAIR HERBOLD, THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE TODAY.
WE HAVE EXTENDED THE INVITATION
TO OTHER COUNCILMEMBERS AS WELL.
I'LL MAKE SURE TO WELCOME THEM
AND NOTE THEIR ATTENDANCE.
I DON'T SEE ANYBODY ELSE IN
ATTENDANCE YET.
COLLEAGUES, I REALLY WANT TO
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING
US TODAY.
COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN, I SEE
YOU LOGGING IN.
HAPPY TO HAVE ALL OF THE
COUNCILMEMBERS POP IN TO THE
FINANCE AND HOUSING COMMITTEE
MEETINGS.
TODAY MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE
CONVERSATIONS RELATED TO THE
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT
DISTRIBUTION.
AND IN OUR COMMITTEE AND FINANCE
AND HOUSING OVER THE NEXT TWO
MONTHS, WE WILL HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM OTHER
CITIES, LIKE WE ARE TODAY.
WE WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
HEAR FROM DIRECT STAKE HOLDERS
AND ENGAGE IN DEEP CONVERSATIONS
ABOUT DRAFT BILLS WE ARE GOING
TO BE WORKING ON WITH THE
EXECUTIVE TO MAKE SURE WE
ALLOCATE THE CITY'S PORTION OF
THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT.
THIS IS EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO
HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC AS WELL.
WE'LL HAVE EVERY MEETING START
WITH PUBLIC COMMENT AND END
PUBLIC COMMENT TO MAKE SURE WE
GET TO THE HEART OF THE
DISCUSSION.
THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING IN THE
EVENING DEDICATED TO JUST
HEARING FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS
ABOUT THEIR PRIORITIES AND NEEDS
THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE
LIFTED UP IN OUR CITY'S AMERICAN
RESCUE PLAN ACT ALLOCATION.
THE PUBLIC HEARING IS TUESDAY
MAY 4th AT 5:30 P.M.
THIS IS AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR US IN THIS
COMMITTEE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
ARE HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC
COMMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
MEETING IN THE PUBLIC HEARING
AND DEEP DISCUSSIONS WE HAVE
BEEN HAVING OVER THE LAST YEAR
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO
RESPOND TO THE CRISIS THAT IS
COVID AND THE LONG TERM TO
CREATE A MORE EQUITABLE ECONOMY
AS WE SEEK TO RECOVER.
WE HAVE A PACKED AGENDA TODAY.
AND EVERY DAY BETWEEN HERE AND
IF END OF JUNE, WE HAVE ASKED
FOLKS TO HOLD TIME ON THE
CALENDARS UNTIL 1:00 P.M.
THIS
IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO DO
THE DISCUSSIONS DURING THE FIRST
HALF OF THE MEETING.
AND THEN IN THE LAST HALF OF THE
MEETING, WE WILL HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO BUSINESS
AS REGULAR.
IN TODAY'S AGENDA, WE HAVE
KICKOFF PANEL PRESENTATION ON
THE AMERICAN RECOVERY PLAN ACT
BY HEARING FROM OTHER CITIES ON
HOW THEY ARE PLANNING TO
ALLOCATE THE FUNDS, WHAT THE
PROCESS HAS LOOKED LIKE, AND HOW
WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO
BE IN HARMONY ACROSS THE CITIES
AS WE SEEK TO RECOVER IN A MORE
EQUITABLE WAY.
EXCITED TO HAVE LISA BENDER,
ROBIN KNIECH, AND VANESSA
FUENTES JOINING US.
THIS IS THE FIRST PANEL AFTER
THE PUBLIC COMMENTMENT AND
THANKS TO LOCAL PROGRESS WITH
THEIR WORK WITH HELPING TO DO
THE OUTREACH AND THE WORK THEY
HAVE DONE WITH THE REPORTS.
I BELIEVE SOME OF THE REPORTS
ARE LINKED ON THE WEBSITE.
AND WE'LL BE SENDING OUT
INFORMATION OBJECT HOW TO FIND
THE REPORTS HIGHLIGHTING THE
VARIOUS WAYS THAT CITIES ARE
WORKING TOGETHER TO GET THE
DOLLARS OUT TO THOSE WHO HAVE
BEEN AFFECTED BY COVID.
THE NEXT ITEMS INCLUDE THE
APPOINTMENT OF DAN TORRES TO THE
SWEET AND BEVERAGE BOARD.
JOEL SHAPIRO TO THE LABOR
STANDARDS ADVISORY COMMISSION.
A BRIEFING ON THE TRANSPARENCY
REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTRACT WORKER
RECOMMENDATIONS.
THANKS TO COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD
FOR THAT.
AND THE FINAL CONVERSATION ON
THE RENTAL ASSISTANCE BILL,
020018 RELATED TO ALLOCATING $23
MILLION AND POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS.
AND FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE ON
THE PROPOSED LEGISLATURE, 120029
AND WALK US THROUGH THE PROPOSAL
AND HAVE A CHANCE TO HEAR
QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION THEN.
AND A BRIEF DISCUSSION AND A
POSSIBLE VOTE ON THE JUMP START
BILL 120030.
THIS IS OUR UPDATE TO THE BILL
TO ALLOW FOR AN ADDITIONAL WAY
TO CALCULATE TIME IN THE CITY
THAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED VIA THE
PROCESS THAT FAS RAN WITH RULE
MAKING.
EXCITED TO HAVE ALL OF THE
ITEMS.
IF THERE'S NO OBJECTION, THE
AGENDA IS ADOPTED.
WE WILL ROLL TO PUBLIC COMMENTS
FOR 20 MINUTES.
AS A REMINDER, PUBLIC COMMENT IS
FOR 20 MINUTES.
EACH SPEAKER GIVEN ONE MINUTE --
I'M SORRY, TWO MINUTES TO SPEAK.
AND WE WILL CALL ON
SPEAKERS THREE AT A TIME.
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR
THE RECORD AND IDENTIFY THE ITEM
THAT YOU ARE HERE TO SPEAK
ABOUT.
THE SPEAKERS WILL HEAR A
TEN-SECOND DING.
THAT'S THE INDICATION TO WRAP UP
THE PUBLIC COMMENT SO YOUR WORDS
DON'T GET CUT OFF.
IF YOU HAVE MORE TO SAY, E-MAIL
US.
AND CALL BACK IN ON THE LISTEN
LINES POSTED ON THE AGENDA OR ON
SEATTLE CHANNEL VIEWING OPTIONS.
THANKS TO SEATTLE CHANNEL FOR
BEING HERE TO TAKE OUR MESSAGES
AND DELIBERATIONS TO THE PUBLIC
VIA THE COMPUTER SCREEN OR TV
SCREEN.
AND THE FIRST THREE PEOPLE WE
HAVE TO SPEAK.
GOOD MORNING, ALL.
>> GOOD MORNING.
I WORK IN WASHINGTON.
YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM THE
WORKERS ON GIG ECONOMY APPS LIKE
DOOR DASH AND OTHER ACTS CALLING
FOR RAISE OF PAY, PROTECTION OF
FLEXIBILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF
PRICES AND PAY RATE.
THERE'S ABOUT 40,000 GIG WORKERS
IN OUR CITY THAT KEPT THE
BUSINESSES AFLOAT IN THE
PANDEMIC.
GIG WORKERS DON'T BENEFIT FROM
SEATTLE'S MINIMUM WAGE LAW.
THERE'S NO FORM ON WHAT GIG
WORKERS ARE PAID AND THE WORK IS
SHIFTED FROM THE COMPANIES TO
THE WORKERS.
PAY IS EXTREMELY LOW, AS LOW AS
$7.66 PER HOUR AFTER THE
EXPENSES FOR INSTACART SHOPPERS.
AND JUST $1.70 PER DELIVERY
AFTER EXPENSES IN POST MATES.
THE PANDEMIC DEVASTATED
EMPLOYMENT IN RESTAURANTS AND
OTHER JOBS, DRIVING PAY DOWN
LOWER.
THE TOP EXECUTIVES OF THE APPS
ARE BECOMING BILLIONAIRES.
COUNCIL HAS STEPPED UP, AND WE
ARE THANK YOUFUL FOR THE WORK
FOR THE SICK LAWS FOR THE
WORKERS.
AND A PAY STANDARD FOR
UBER AND LYFT DRIVERS.
WE'RE ASKING FOR THE NEXT STEP
TO ADVANCE THE PERMANENT
POLICIES TO RAISE PAY
PROTECTION, FLEXIBILITY, AND
TRANSPARENCY.
WE CAN'T AFFORD TO WAIT LONGER
TO ELIMINATE A SUB MINIMUM WAGE
FOR THE CITY'S MOST MARGINALIZED
WORKERS.
COUNCIL CAN JUMP START OUR
RECOVERY BY ENSURING EVERYONE
WHO WORKS IN THE CITY IS PAID
MINIMUM WAGE AFTER EXPENSES,
REGARDLESS WHETHER IT'S FOR A
RESTAURANT, WAREHOUSE, OR AN
APP.
THANK YOU.
.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
JASON, GOOD MORNING.
.
>> HELLO.
I'M JASON.
I AM A WORKER WITH FIVE
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE.
I WORK IN SEATTLE AND TACOMA.
THE WORKERS REALLY NEED THE
PROTECTIONS BY APAYUP CAMPAIGN.
THE INFLUX OF CONTRACTORS BEFORE
AND DURING THE PANDEMIC HAVE
LOWERED PAY AND THE AVAILABILITY
OF WORK BECAUSE OF MARKET
SATURATION ALLOWING APPS TO
ADJUST THE PAYOUTS AND LOWER THE
OFFER WAGE BY IMPOSING TIPS ON
TOP AND PAY TRANSPARENCY, THIS
WILL GIVE THE INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTOR MORE POWER TO
NEGOTIATE THE PAY, MORE POWER TO
DECIDE WHICH WORK TO TAKE, AND
MORE POWER TO KEEP OUR MOST
MARGINALIZED AND VULNERABLE
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS PROVIDED
FOR.
WORK IN WASHINGTON DEVELOPED A
POLICY WITH GIG WORKERS AND
ADDRESSES THE LARGEST PROBLEM
CONTRACTORS ARE FACTING AS A
WORKER IN SEATTLE.
I URGE YOU TO PASS THE WORKER
PAYUP POLICY.
THIS WOULD MEAN MORE MONEY AND
MORE POWER IN THE HANDS OF THE
WORKER.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
AND ALSO, I WOULD
LIKE TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR
LETTING US TALK TO YOU.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THANKS FOR CALLING IN THIS
MORNING.
AND THEN WE WILL HEAR FROM
KIMBERLY.
GOOD MORNING, KIMBERLY.
.
>> WE HAVE LOST THE CALLER.
CHRIS, YOU'RE NOT PRESENT
IF YOU WANT TO CALL BACK IN.
AND ISABELLE, GOOD MORNING.
ISABELLE, I SEE
YOU ON MY SCREEN.
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE STILL
MUTED.
CAN YOU PUSH STAR SIX ON YOUR
END?
THERE YOU ARE.
GO AHEAD.
NOW I SEE YOU
UNMUTED.
IF YOU COULD CHECK YOUR PHONE
THAT IT'S NOT MUTED ON YOUR
ACTUAL PHONE.
.
>> SORRY ABOUT THAT.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
>> WE CAN.
GO AHEAD.
THANKS.
>> WONDERFUL.
GOOD MORNING.
I'M CALLING CONCERNING BB120029.
WE DON'T FEEL WE SHOULD HAVE
BEEN LISTED EVEN THOUGH THE
SLIDE SAYS THEY HAVE ENGAGED
WITH US.
IF THE BODY ENGAGED, THEY WOULD
HAVE UNDERSTOOD WE DON'T FEEL
SAFE WITH INCREASED POLICE
PRESENCE.
WE DON'T WANT POLICE OFFICERS ON
HORSES PATROLLING THE
COMMUNITIES.
IF YOU ENGAGE, ACTIVELY LISTEN
TO COMMUNITY, PLEASE DON'T
REPRESENT US.
I YIELD MY TIME AND THANK
YOU.
HAVE A GOOD DAY.
.
>> APPRECIATE THE CLARIFICATION
AND LOOK FORWARD TO FOLLOWING
UP.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
CHRIS, I SEE YOU LISTED AS NOT
PRESENT.
PLEASE GO AHEAD AND CALL IN.
GOOD MORNING, RAYMOND.
YOU ARE UP NEXT.
HELLO.
>> GOOD MORNING, CITY COUNCIL
MEMBERS AND FELLOW CALLERS.
I'M
A GIG WORKER IN SEATTLE.
I WORK FOR UBER AND LYFT AND
WORKED FOR TAP RABBIT AND TACKLE
AND MANY OTHERS TO KEEP THINGS
GOING.
I AM A BLACK MALE HERE IN THE
CITY, A NATIVE OF THE CITY.
PROUD TO CALL SEATTLE MY HOME.
SOMETIMES I WALK AROUND AND
WONDER WHAT KIND OF CULTURE ARE
WE BECOMING?
I HAVE A PHILOSOPHY OF
LEAVING THINGS BETTER THAN I
FOUND THEM AND WE'RE ONLY AS
STRONG AS OUR WEAKEST LINK.
AND RIGHT NOW, SEATTLE HAS A LOT
OF GOOD THINGS.
THERE'S A LOT OF EFFORT, A LOT
OF WORK GOING ON THAT'S REALLY,
REALLY GOOD WORK.
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE THE
COUNCILMEMBERS TO CONTINUE THAT
LEGACY, TO CONTINUE THAT HARD
WORK, AND CONTINUE TO SERVE THE
POPULATION AND THE PEOPLE IN THE
CITY AND THE MANAGEMENT OF ALL
OF THE PEOPLE IS NO EASY TASK.
BUT WE HAVE THE ABILITY.
I'M CERTAIN OF IT.
IF WE COULD HAVE A BARE MINIMUM
OF EQUAL PAY AND BECOME A LEADER
IF THE NATION LIKE WE HAVE
ALWAYS DONE, INNOVATION, BIG
CORPORATIONS, LEGISLATION, I
THINK WE'RE ON THE PRECIPICE.
WE HAVE IT IN US.
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU GUYS AND
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME,
SERVICE, EFFORTS, AND ENCOURAGE
YOU TO CONTINUE DOING YOUR WORK.
THANK YOU.
I YIELD YOUR TIME.
>> I APPRECIATE THAT.
THANKS.
AND KIMBERLY, YOU ARE BACK.
UP TO YOU.
AND AFTER KIMBERLY, MARY, GAIL,
AND MANDOLIN.
GOOD MORNING, KIMBERLY.
KIMBERLY, YOU
MIGHT BE MUTED ON THE PHONE.
>> CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
>> YES, THANK YOU.
>> SORRY.
I WAS DROPPING THE PHONE AND
HUNG UP ON YOU GUYS.
>> NO WORRIES.
>> OKAY.
THIS THING YOU'RE CONSIDERING
DOING, THE INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTOR THING, IT IS NOT
HELPFUL FOR GIG WORKERS WHO HAVE
CONTRACTS BUT NOT BASIC PAY
STANDARDS.
IT'S BASICALLY FOR THE HIGHER
PAID FREELANCERS.
I DOUBT THE NUMBERS ARE CLOSE TO
THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GIG
WORKERS LOOKING FOR RELIEF FROM
THE PAY STANDARDS.
WE HAVE BEEN ASKING YOU TO HELP
THEM FOR OVER A YEAR NOW.
WE APPRECIATE THE SICK LEAVE AND
EXTRA PAY POLICIES YOU PASSED,
BUT THOSE WERE EMERGENCY
MEASURES THAT WILL DISAPPEAR.
WE NEED LASTING POLICIES TO KEEP
THE GIG WORKERS IN THE CITY
ABOVE WATER.
WE CAN'T WITHOUT ANYMORE.
WE HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR A WHILE.
THE LOCAL ECONOMY IS
HEMORRHAGING.
IF GIG WORKERS WERE PAID
REASONABLY, THAT'S TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF WORKERS PUTTING
MONEY IN THE ECONOMY.
WE'RE NOT MAKING ENOUGH TO LIVE
ON.
MANY DUE TO PERSONAL
CIRCUMSTANCES REALLY NEED THE
FLEXIBLE WORK THAT GIG WORK
PROVIDES.
BUT THEY'RE NOT GETTING
ENOUGH TO LIVE ON.
POINT IN CASE, MYSELF.
I'M SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY FROM
MY TENT.
I AM HOMELESS.
I AM PART OF THE POLICY OF THE
RACE TO THE BOTTOM THAT THE APPS
ARE DOING IS WHAT PUSHED ME OUT.
AND FOR ME, IMMEDIATELY,
WHAT WOULD HELP IS THAT WE RAISE
THE PAY FLOOR.
WE HAVE GOT TO HAVE AT LEAST
MINIMUM WAGE, PLUS EXPENSES WITH
TIPS ON TOP.
WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR
WORKERS' FLEXIBILITY.
A LOT OF US RELY ON THAT.
WE HAVE VARIOUS LIFE
CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE WE CANNOT DO
A REGULAR W-2 JOB.
AND ALSO TRANSPARENCY IN PAY
BECAUSE HOW DO YOU KNOW IF
YOU'RE GETTING PAID PROPERLY IF
THEY WON'T TELL YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
.
>> THANKS FOR CALLING.
I APPRECIATE IT.
WE HAVE ABOUT HALF OF THE REST
OF THE FOLKS HEAR TO SPEAK.
WE
WILL MOVE THE TIME TO ONE MINUTE
TO TRY TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE
DIALLED IN.
AND WE ARE GOING TO START WITH
MARY AND GAIL.
GAIL LISTED AS NOT PRESENT.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DIAL IN,
YOU HAVE TIME.
MARY, GOOD MORNING.
JUST STAR 6 TO UNMUTE
YOURSELF.
MARY, I SEE YOU
STILL ON MUTE OVER HERE.
STAR 6 TO UNMUTE.
OKAY, MARY, I'LL
COME BACK TO YOU.
AND IF YOU WANT TO HIT STAR 6 IN
THE MEANTIME, WE'RE LOOK FOR
YOUR LINE TO COME UNMUTED.
MANDOLIN, YOU ARE UP NEXT.
>> GOOD MORNING, COUNCILMEMBERS.
I'M MANDOLIN.
AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING AS
A GIG WORKER SINCE 2014 THROUGH
APPS LIKE ROVER AND WAG AND POST
MATES AND DOG VACAY.
AND IT HAS BEEN MY GOAL AS
TO VOLUNTEER WITH WORKING
WASHINGTON TO HELP PROVIDE
SUPPORT FOR THE WORKERS INSTEAD
OF BEING RAILROADED BY THE
BIGGER COMPANIES.
THE BIGGER COMPANIES SAW
WHAT WE DID HERE LAST YEAR, AND
THEY CREATED PROPOSITION 22 IN
CALIFORNIA TO TRY TO SCARE THE
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS INTO
ACCEPTING THEIR DEFINITION.
WE DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYTHING
LIKE THAT HAPPEN HERE.
AND WE NEED YOUR HELP AND
SUPPORT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND THE NEXT THREE PEOPLE
ARE ARINETT A, MCKINLY, JANELLE,
AND JAMES.
GOOD MORNING.
>> HI.
I WAS A FORMER INSTACART
AND POST MATES WORKER.
GIG WORK IS REAL WORK AND
DOESN'T GET PAID LIKE IT.
IT'S CAUSING A LOT OF PEOPLE TO
BE HOMELESS OR EVEN LOSE THEIR
VEHICLE.
I STARTED DOING GIG WORK IN
2018.
AND I RELY ON THE FLEXIBILITY OF
THE WORK BECAUSE I'M A SINGLE
MOM.
SOME JOBS DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU
HAVING A LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK.
THEY WANT AN ABLE BODY THERE.
BECAUSE THE PAY WAS SO LOW --.
>> IT LOOKS LIKE YOU
ACCIDENTALLY GOT PUT ON MUTE
AGAIN.
IF YOU CAN HIT STAR 6.
PERFECT.
I HEARD YOU.
THE PAY IS SO LOW.
GIVE HER A FEW SECONDS MORE.
GO AHEAD.
>> THE PAY IS SO LOW THAT I WAS
UNABLE TO KEEP MY VEHICLE AND
LOST MY VEHICLE.
I'M NO LONGER ABLE TO DO GIG
WORK.
I THINK THAT THE APPS MAKE SO
MUCH MONEY.
THEY MAKE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
WHY THEY CAN'T PAY THE PEOPLE
OUT THERE DOING THIS ESSENTIAL
WORK, ESPECIALLY DURING COVID.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
TIME THIS MORNING.
AND THE NEXT PERSON WE HAVE
IS JANELLE.
AND THEN JAMES AND BACK TO MARY.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
I'M A GIG WORKER AND A
MEMBER OF THE PAYUP CAMPAIGN.
I'M HERE BECAUSE THE
UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICES THAT
INSTACART AND OTHER APPS
MISTREAT THEIR EMPLOYEES.
>> IT LOOKS LIKE WE LOST YOU.
SORRY.
I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE HAVING
DIFFICULTIES THIS MORNING.
IF YOU WANT TO CALL BACK IN -- I
SEE YOU.
IF YOU CAN HIT STAR 6.
PERFECT.
GO AHEAD.
>> OKAY.
THE WAY THEY MISTREAT THEIR
EMPLOYEES.
THE COMPANIES ARE MAKING
TRILLIONS AND DRIVING THEIR
EMPLOYEES TO POVERTY, WHICH IS
CAUSING PEOPLE TO RELY AN PUBLIC
ASSISTANCE.
WE NEED TO CITY COUNCIL TO STEP
UP THE STANDARDS IN THE GIG
ECONOMY FOR 2021.
I STARTED IN JANUARY OF LAST
YEAR.
I WORKED AS A HOME HEALTH CARE
AID AND WAS INJURED ON THE JOB.
ACCESSIBILITY OF THE WORK WAS
IMPORTANT BUT I WAS HAVING TO
WORK CONSTANTLY JUST TO MAKE
ENDS MEET.
I DROVE SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND
WORKED FROM 8:00 IN THE MORNING
TO 9:00, 10:00 AT NIGHT TO MAKE
$1,000 A WEEK AND TIPS.
AS SOON AS MY CAR BROKE DOWN,
THEY LET ME GO.
VERY VAGUE.
WE CAN'T DO THE WORK WITH NO
CAR.
NOW THAT I SPENT A TON OF MONEY
TO REPAIR MY CAR, IT HAS CREATED
HARD TIMES FOR ME AND I OWE
MONEY TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS.
THIS HAPPENS TO THOUSANDS OR
MILLIONS OF GIG WORKERS.
OUR VEHICLES ARE OUR LIFELINE.
WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS FOR GIG
WORKERS.
A CUSTOMER REPORTED THE
GROCERIES WERE NOT DELIVERED
EVEN THOUGH I HAD PROOF.
THEY SENT ME TO AN ADDRESS IN
LAS VEGAS.
I STAYED IN CONSTANT
COMMUNICATION WITH ALL OF THE
CUSTOMERS.
BUT THESE TWO BATCHES NEVER
RESPONDED.
I IMPLORE YOU TO PASS THE
MEASURES TO STOP THE COMPANIES
FROM DEACTIVATING FOR NO REASON
AND CUTTING OUR PAY AND TAKING
OUR TIPS.
WE NEED STABILITY AND SO STAND
UP FOR WASHINGTON AND SAY NO
MORE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
JAMES, YOU ARE NEXT.
FOLLOWED BY MARY.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
I HAVE BEEN IN THE GIG
INDUSTRY SINCE 2016.
WHAT WE ARE HERE FOR TODAY
NEEDED TO BE ACTED ON A YEAR
AGO.
THE EVIDENCE OF THAT IS IN PROP
22.
NOW AS THE INDUSTRY MOVE
FORWARD, SEVERAL PARTS OF THE
ENGINE THAT DRIVE THE GIG
ECONOMY, US, THE DRIVERS, WHO
ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR
MAKING THE COMPONENTS COME
TOGETHER AND PAY OFF.
YET, WE ARE THE MOST DISPENSABLE
AND TREATED AS SUCH.
WE ARE THE PLOT OF THAT AND
TREATED AS WASTE AND
NONSIGNIFICANT.
THE ATTITUDES OF THE BIG --
IS A SELFISH WAY TO DEVELOP
ANOTHER SOCIETY OF DESTITUTE
FAMILIES WHO ARE NOT SHARING IN
THE WEALTH.
WE WANT OUR FAMILIES TO
PROSPER IN THE SAME FLOW AS THE
PEOPLE WE DELIVER TO.
WE WANT OUR FAMILIES TO BENEFIT
FROM THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN
THE GIG ECONOMY.
THIS INDUSTRY HAS BEEN
PORTRAYED TO THE PUBLIC AS
SOMETHING THAT IT'S NOT.
PLEASE WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEOS
AND GET A BIG PICTURE OF WHAT'S
GOING ON.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JAMES.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS MARY.
AGAIN GAIL.
AND THE LAST TWO, MATT AND
ADAM.
GOOD MORNING, MARY.
JUST STAR 6 TO UNMUTE.
SORRY, MARY.
WE'RE STILL HAVING TECHNICAL
DIFFICULTIES.
IF YOU COULD PUSH STAR --.
>> CAN YOU HEAR ME?
>> NOW I CAN.
GO AHEAD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> OKAY.
GREAT.
HELLO.
YES, THIS IS MARY.
AND I'M A PART-TIME WORKER.
AND I LIVE AND WORK IN
SEATTLE.
AND I'M HERE AS A WORKING
STILL IS PAID LOW.
I'M A PART-TIME WORKER THAT'S
PAID LOW.
I WOULD LIKE COUNCIL TO PASS THE
POLICY TO INCREASE THE PAY.
SO WE HAVE THE PAY
STANDARDS.
I ALSO STARTED WORKING EXTRA
INCOME FOR MY OTHER WORK SO I
COULD HELP WITH THAT JOB.
SO I HAVE PART-TIME JOBS.
SO I NEEDED THE FLEXIBLE
TIME, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.
SO LAST TIME I WORKED FIVE
HOURS, LAST NIGHT, I WORKED
FIVER HOURS.
AND I WAS PAID $55.
BUT $17 OF THOSE DOLLARS WERE IN
TIPS.
AND THEN I HAD TO SUBTRACT
MY EXPENSES.
SO NOW IT WAS JUST $22 IN PAY.
SO REALLY, IT MAKES A BIG
DIFFERENCE.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO
CHALLENGE YOU AND I HOPE THAT
THE COUNCIL WILL PASS THE
POLICY.
YOU KNOW, THE PERMANENT.
SO THE PAY IS INCREASED AND WE
HAVE THE GOOD BENEFITS AND GOOD
PAY.
AND THEN I WOULD ALSO LIKE
TO HAVE THE EXPENSES TAKEN AWAY
AND PERMIT FOR THE TIPS TO STAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MARY.
I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME THIS
MORNING.
AND THANK YOU FOR DIALING IN.
OUR LAST THREE SPEAKERS PRESENT
ARE GAIL, MATT, AND ADAM.
GAIL, GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
I'M SORRY FOR ALL OF THE
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES HERE ON
MY END.
>> NO PROBLEM.
>> THANK YOU FOR HEARING MY
COMMENT.
MY NAME IS GAIL.
I AM A MEMBER OF MPOT, MASSAGE
PARLOR OUTREACH PROGRAM.
I WOULD LIKE TO CLARIFY THAT THE
CITY POSTED OUR ORGANIZATION AS
AN ORGANIZATION THAT THEY HAVE
INTERFACED WITH REGARDING
COMMUNITY SAFETY.
THIS IS NOT THE CASE.
AND WE WOULD LIKE THAT CHANGED
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
AS WELL AS BECAUSE IF THEY HAD
LISTENED TO US AND THEY DID
NTERFACE WITH US, THEY WOULD
HAVE UNDERSTOOD REGARDING
CB120029, WE NEED MORE CLARITY
AROUND WHERE THE FUNDING IS
COMING FROM, IF IT'S COMING IN
REGARDS TO THIS.
IF THEY LISTEN TO OUR
VOICES, THEY WOULD HAVE KNOWN
THAT WE ACTUALLY -- A LOT OF THE
THINGS THAT THEY ARE SUGGESTS IN
TERMS OF IN THIS IS MONEY THAT'S
ALLOCATED TOWARD THE BIAS CRIME
PREVENTION COORDINATOR, THIS IS
SOMETHING WE WOULD LIKE
CLARIFIED.
THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT LISTENING
TO OUR VOICES.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
I WOULD APPRECIATE FOLLOW UP ON
THIS.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE WILL MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW UP
WITH YOU, GAIL.
AND THE PRESENTATION FROM THE
MAYOR'S OFFICE, WE'LL HAVE A
CHANCE TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS
LATER TODAY.
AND WE WILL ABSOLUTELY FOLLOW UP
WITH YOU.
THANK YOU.
LAST TWO PEOPLE, MATT AND ADAM.
GOOD MORNING, MATT.
>> GOOD MORNING.
MY NAME IS MATT AND I AM
HERE ON BEHALF OF WASHINGTON'S
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE
CAPITOL HILL BUSINESS ALLIANCE
TO SUPPORT COUNCIL BILL 120030
TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL AND
ALTERNATE METHOD TO CALCULATE
THE PAYROLL TAXES UNDER THE JUMP
START BILL.
THIS IS A MINOR CHANGE THAT ADDS
FLEXIBILITY TO MAKE IT EASIER
FOR BUSINESSES TO CALCULATE WHAT
THEY OWE.
AND WE APPRECIATE THE
FEEDBACK FROM THE BUSINESSES.
WHILE THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS AN
ALL OR NOTHING APPROACH, THIS
BILL WILL ALLOW BUSINESSES ARE
MORE MOBILE EMPLOYEES TO TAKE
THAT INTO ACCOUNT.
THE BILL WOULD ALLOW
BUSINESSES --.
>> WE LOST YOU, MATT.
IF YOU ARE THERE, WE WILL LAER
THE REST OF YOUR TESTIMONY.
SORRY ABOUT THAT, MATT.
>> OKAY.
NOT SURE.
ALLOW THE BUSINESSES TO CHOOSE
WHICH APPROACH IS BEST FOR THE
SITUATION, EVEN IF IT'S
ADDITIONAL TRACKING ON THEIR
END.
IT PROVIDES GREATER FLEXIBILITY
FOR TAX PAYERS.
>> EXCELLENT.
THANK YOU.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ADAM,
THANK YOU FOR WAITING.
.
>> GOOD MORNING, COUNCILMEMBERS.
ADAM, F.
AS A UNION OR CARE GIVERS WHO
HAVE LONG BEEN EXCLUDED FROM
BASIC LOIB PROTECTIONS, WE
UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS
TO CONTINUE TO EXPAND LABOR
STANDARDS AND PROTECTIONS FOR
WORKERS.
THE CITY COUNCIL HAS DONE GREAT
WORK ON THAT WITH THE WORKERS
AND DRIVERS AND INITIAL STEPS
AROUND SICK DAYS AND HAZARD PAY
PROTECTIONS FOR DELIVERY
WORKERS.
WE'RE ASKING THE COUNCIL TO
TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO EXPAND
CITY LABOR STANDARDS TO COVER
THE THOUSANDS OF GIG WORKERS IN
SEATTLE WHO ARE PROVIDING
DELIVERY AND OTHER ESSENTIAL
SERVICES BUT ARE PAID LESS THAN
THE MINIMUM WAGE.
YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND THE
VALUE OF TRANSPARENCY AND
CLARITY FOR INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTORS.
WE BELIEVE THE PROPOSAL DOESN'T
GO FAR ENOUGH AND DOESN'T
ADDRESS THE KEY ISSUES THAT MANY
DRIVERS RAISED TODAY AND URGE
THE COUNCIL TO SET A WAGE THAT
ENSURES THE GIG WORKERS MINIMUM
WAGE AND EXPENSES AND OTHER
PROTECTIONS.
THANK YOU.
.
>> EXCELLENT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ADAM.
AND THAT WRAPS UP ALL WHO
ARE PRESENT.
WE DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO HEAR
FROM CHRIS, NANCY, OR DAVID WHO
WERE LISTED AS WANTING TO SPEAK
BUT NOT PRESENT.
THAT CONCLUDES THE PUBLIC
COMMENT.
FIRST 20 MINUTES OF EVERY
MEETING.
>>> LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEMS OF
BUSINESS.
ITEM NUMBER ONE.
MADAME CLERK,
YOU MAY BE ON MUTE.
>> NUMBER ONE, PRESENTATION FROM
CITIES ON AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
FUNDING FOR BRIEFING AND
DISCUSSION.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT
THE PANEL THAT IS IN FRONT OF US
TODAY.
I SEE OUR COLLEAGUES FROM ACROSS
THE COUNTRY FROM CITIES LIKE
AUSTIN, DENVER, AND MINNEAPOLIS.
VERY EXCITED TO HAVE.
HELLO, COUNSEL MEMBER ROBIN
KNIECH FROM DENVER.
I SEE LISA BENDER FROM
MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL.
AND VANESSA FUENTES FROM THE
AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL JOINING
MOMENTARILY.
THIS IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY
TO SEE FRIENDS FROM AFAR.
WE HAVEN'T HAD THE CHANCE TO GET
TOGETHER, BUT WE HAVE BEEN
TOUCHING BASE FREQUENTLY TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON IN
OTHER JURISDICTIONS AS WE HAVE
BEEN RESPOND TO GO THE CRISIS
THAT COVID EXPOSED ON THE HARM
ON THE ECONOMY AND HARDEST
WORKING WORKERS AND SMALL
BUSINESSES.
TODAY IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO
HEAR FROM OTHER CITIES AND PEERS
ABOUT WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING
IN THE PROCESS THEY'RE ENGAGED
IN NOW AS THEY LOOK AT THE ARPA
FUNDS ALLOCATED TO LOCAL
JURISDICTIONS.
BEFORE THE PANEL PRESENTATION, I
WANT TO ASK ALY PENNUCCI TO GIVE
AN ORIENTATION TO HOW THIS IS
THE FIRST KICKOFF TO THE
CONVERSATIONS WE WILL HAVE SOON.
JUST BRIEFLY WALK US THROUGH THE
TIME LINE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
HERE.
THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL.
.
>> THANK YOU.
GOOD MORNING, COUNCILMEMBERS AND
GUESTS.
I AM GOING TO BRIEFLY SHARE MY
SCREEN.
AND WHAT I AM SHARING HERE IS
THE FINANCE AND HOUSING
COMMITTEE'S WEB PAGE.
CAN YOU SEE THAT OKAY?
>> YEP.
>> GREAT.
SO THE FINANCE AND HOUSING
COMMITTEE'S WEB PAGE INCLUDES A
HIGH LEVEL SUMMARY OF THE
GENERAL SCHEDULE AND PLAN FOR
THE COMMITTEE'S CONSIDERATION OF
FEDERAL COVID RELIEF FUNDS.
AND SO AS THE CHAIR DESCRIBED
BRIEFLY IN THE OPENING REMARKS
EARLIER, THIS IS THE FIRST SORT
OF MEETING FOLLOWING UP ON
PRELIMINARY DISCUSSIONS IN THE
LAST TWO COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
TODAY, WE WILL START WITH
HEARING FROM OTHER CITIES ABOUT
WHAT THEY WERE THINKING IN TERMS
OF THEIR USE OF THE ARPA DIRECT
AID.
AND THAT WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A
COMMUNITY PANEL AT THE NEXT
COMMITTEE MEETING.
AND WE WILL BEGIN DISCUSSIONS OF
THE FIRST APPROPRIATION BILL.
RIGHT NOW, WE ARE LOOKING AT AT
LEAST TWO APPROPRIATION BILLS
FOR CONSIDERATION OF USE OF THE
2021 DIRECT AID EXPECTED FROM
THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN, AS
WELL AS SOME OF THE REMAINING
CRF FUNDS FROM 2020, WHICH IS
ABOUT $18 MILLION.
FOLLOWING THAT, THERE WILL BE A
PUBLIC HEARING, AN OPPORTUNITY
TO HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT
THEIR PRIORITIES.
AND THEN WE'LL CONTINUE THE
DISCUSSION ON THE FIRST
ORDINANCE AND IDEALLY BE VOTED
THAT OUT AS EARLY AS MAY 5th.
AND THEN MOVING INTO THE
DISCUSSIONS OF THE NEXT BILLS.
THROUGHOUT THE CONVERSATIONS,
WHAT WE WILL TRY TO DO IS
DESCRIBE WHAT IS IN THE BILL
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE AT THAT
TIME, AS WELL AS STARTING TO
OUTLINE WHAT THE BROADER PLANS
ARE AS THAT MIGHT INFORM
DECISIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO
DO IN THE FIRST BILL OR THE
SECOND BILL.
SO THE OVERALL PLAN IS TO
TAKE UP THOSE TWO BILLS IN
COMMITTEE AND HAVE DECISIONS
MADE AND APPROPRIATION BILLS
ADOPTED BY JUNE FOR THE ENTIRETY
OF THE FUNDS.
ALTHOUGH DISCUSSIONS MAY BE
ONGOING THROUGH THE SUMMER AS WE
LEARN MORE ABOUT TARGETED AID
AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO
SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY.
>> WONDERFUL.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND JUST TO ORIENT US ABOUT
THE EXPECTATION HERE IN SEATTLE,
COLLEAGUES, WE HAVE ABOUT $239
MILLION OF DIRECT AID THAT WILL
BE ALLOCATED.
JUST OVER HALF/OF THAT IS THE
FIRST WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
RELATED TO ORDINANCE ONE AND TWO
HERE.
THE PANDEMIC INDUCED REVENUE
LOSSES THAT WE SAW IN 2021 AND
ASSUMED IN 20 -- THAT WE SAW IN
2020 AND ASSUMED IN 2021 ARE
ALSO THE ISSUES THAT WE ARE ABLE
TO ADDRESS WITH THE DOLLARS IN
FRONT OF US.
WE WILL HAVE APPROXIMATELY $130
MILLION DEFICIT IN THE GENERAL
FUND REVENUES, WHICH EXCLUDES
OUR JUMP START PAYROLL TAX.
THERE IS A HUGE NEED TO SUPPORT
THE BASIC EXPENDITURES AS WE
LOOK AT RECOVERING FROM THE
CRISIS, ECONOMIC REVENUE
FORECAST WILL GIVE US A CLEAR
PICTURE OF WHAT TO ANTICIPATE IN
THE OUT YEARS.
AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO
INITIATE THE CONVERSATION TODAY
BY HEARING FROM LEADERS ACROSS
OUR COUNTRY, LOCAL LEADERS,
LEADERS IN THEIR OWN
JURISDICTIONS AND ON COUNSELS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY FIGHTING
AGAINST THE INEQUITIES EXPOSED
BY COVID AND BEFORE COVID,
TRYING TO FIGURE HOUSING
STABILITY, WORKERER PROTECTIONS,
AND ACCESS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
TO OPEN.
SO THANK YOU TO THE LOCAL
PROGRESS AND THEIR WORK IN
FIGURING OUT HOW TO WEAVE
TOGETHER THE NATIONAL
CONVERSATION AMONGST CITIES AND
JURISDICTIONS.
WE HAVE PUT OUT INFORMATION IN
TERMS OF HOW CITIES ARE LOOKING
TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE RELIEF AND
CONNECTING CITIES.
AND LOCAL PROGRESS IS GOING TO
CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE
CONNECTING LEADERS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY, NOT ONLY AS WE RESPOND
TO THE CRISIS THAT IS COVID, BUT
IN THE LONGER TERM AS WE THINK
ABOUT THE EQUITABLE RECOVERY,
INVESTMENTS IN PUBLIC GOODS AND
SERVICES, AND LOOK FORWARD TO
SHARING THAT INITIAL ANALYSIS
WITH YOU.
IT'S POSTED ON OUR WEB PAGE.
AND WE WILL SHARE IT IN THE
FEDERAL ADVOCACY PAGE PUSHING
OUT ON THE SOCIAL MEDIAS AS
WELL.
TODAY, WE HAVE COUNCILMEMBER
ROBIN KNIECH, FROM DENVER,
COLORADO, WHO CHAMPIONED CAUSES
FOR WORKING FAMILIES FROM
HOUSING, FOOD, MINIMUM WAGE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING
WITH US.
AND WE HAVE COUNCILMEMBER
FUENTES.
I SEE YOU ON THE LINE.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AND EXCITED TO
HAVE YOU FROM AUSTIN, TEXAS, A
LONG TIME CHAMPION OF HEALTH
CARE AS A HUMAN RIGHT AND
FIGHTING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
AND POLICY SOLUTIONS.
SHE SITS ON THE COUNTY'S HATE
CRIMES TASK FORCE AND HAS
ALREADY IN HER SHORT TERM ON
COUNCIL MADE HER MARK IN
SUPPORTING RESIDENTS.
AND FINALLY, LISA BENDER, HUGE
LEADER WITHIN LOCAL PROGRESS AND
COUNCIL PRESIDENT FOR THE
MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL.
WE HAVE LOOKED TO YOU FOR MANY
ISSUES, ESPECIALLY RELATED TO
PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOUSING AND
ZONING.
APPRECIATE YOUR TENURE ON
COUNCIL AND LOOKING FORWARD TO
HEARING FROM YOU TODAY AS WE
ENGAGE ON HOW TO EXPAND ON THE
THINGS YOU CHAMPION, INCLUDING
THE TRANSIT MOBILITY, FIGHTING
FOR GREEN, EQUITABLE ECONOMIES
AND GREEN NEW DEAL, LIKE
INVESTMENTS IN OUR LOCAL
JURISDICTIONS.
INCREDIBLY HAPPY TO HAVE ALL OF
YOU WITH US TODAY.
AND I AM WITHOUT FURTHER ADO
TURN IT OVER TO YOU ALL TO SHARE
WITH US THE WORK THAT YOU ARE
DOING TO GET OUT THE ALLOCATION
FROM ARPA.
AND WE HAVE NOT ONLY THE FINANCE
AND HOUSING COMMITTEES, BUT WE
HAVE EXTENDED THE INVITATION TO
THE FULL CITY COUNCIL.
SO WE HAVE GUESTS NOT USUALLY
PART OF THE COMMITTEE TO HEAR
FROM YOU AND LOOK FORWARD TO
LEARNING FROM YOU.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT BENDER,
PERHAPS WE SHOULD START WITH
YOU.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON BIKE
LANES AND EXPANSION ON ZONES AND
HOUSING.
THAT HELPS TO CREATE THE
FOUNDATION FOR EQUITABLE
ECONOMIES BY LOOKING AT WHAT'S
HAPPENED IN THE WAKE OF COVID.
HOW IS YOUR CITY COUNCIL LOOKING
TO ALLOCATE THE FUNDS YOU
RECEIVED?
AND ANY GRAINS OF KNOWLEDGE, WE
APPRECIATE.
.
>> PERFECT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US
TODAY.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, I LOVE
THIS IDEA.
MAYBE I'LL SEE IF THE GROUP
CAN COME TO MINNEAPOLIS AS WELL.
WE ARE PROBABLY THE SMALLEST
CITY IN THE GROUP.
WE HAVE 430 ,000.
THAT MEANT THAT WE DID NOT
RECEIVE DIRECT CARES ACT FUNDS
IN THE C.A.R.E.S.
ACT.
SO WE RELIED ON A
PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR COUNTY TO
PROGRAM THE FUNDS THAT THEY
DIRECTLY RECEIVED.
THEY DID MEET THE POPULATION
THRESHOLD.
AND EVENTUALLY, OUR
STATE, WE HAVE ONE OF THE
ONLY -- I THINK THE ONLY GUIDED
POLITICAL HOUSES IN THE
LEGISLATURE.
THERE'S A LOT OF GRID LOCK AT
THE STATE BETWEEN THE POLITICAL
PARTIES.
SO EVENTUALLY THEY WORKED IT OUT
AND ALLOCATED THE FUNDING TO
CITIES OVER THE SUMMER.
WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A
DIFFERENT JOURNEY WITH OUR
C.A.R.E.S.
ACT DOLLARS THAN
BIGGER CITIES DID.
YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO
HIGHLIGHT IN MINNEAPOLIS, WE --
AND I THINK BECAUSE WE LEARNED
SO MUCH FROM OTHER CITIES, WE
HAVE TAKEN A REALLY PLANFUL
APPROACH AND A POLICY APPROACH
TO THE ISSUES THAT ARE FACING
OUR CITY AROUND HOUSING
STABILITY, AROUND CLIMATE
JUSTICE, AROUND TRANSPORTATION
ACCESS, ALL OF WHICH HAVE A HUGE
RACIAL DISPARITY COMPONENT IN
MINNEAPOLIS.
WE HAVE SOME OF THE WORST RACIAL
DISPARITIES IN THE COUNTRY.
WE ARE TAKING THAT SERIOUSLY.
WE TOOK A POLICY APPROACH TO THE
ISSUES AND ADOPTED THE FIRST
STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN.
WE ADOPTED THE MASTER PLAN.
WE ADOPTED VISION ZERO AND
TRANSPORTATION ACTION PLANS WITH
A LOT OF SPECIFICITY IN TERMS OF
PRIORIZATION FOR TRANSPORTATION
AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.
WE HAVE A CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
A RENTER FIRST POLICY THAT TALKS
ABOUT THE COMMITMENT TO
PROTECTING RENTERS.
AND WE HAVE ALSO TAKEN A
GEGRAPHIC APPROACH TO
IDENTIFYING PARTICULAR AREAS OF
THE CITY FOR INVESTMENT
PRIORITY.
SO WE HAVE A GREEN ZONE
PRIORIZATION AS WELL AS CULTURAL
DISTRICTS.
AND BOTH OF THEM ARE
ESSENTIALLY SECTIONINGOFF
DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY FOR
INVESTMENT AND POLICY PRIORITY.
PARTS OF THE CITY THAT HAVE
HIGHER HEALTH IMPACTS.
PARTS OF THE CITY THAT ARE LOWER
INCOME AND HIGHER CONCENTRATIONS
OF COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
WE ARE ABLE TO USE THE EXISTING
FRAMEWORKS AND DESIGNATIONS TO
FOCUS THE RESOURCES TO MEET OUR
RACE EQUITY GOALS.
THAT'S HELPING US AS WE FIGURE
OUT WHAT TO CUT IN OUR BUDGETS,
AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES FOR
SPENDING LIKE THE AMERICAN
RESCUE PLAN OFFERS.
I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
HELPFUL TO GIVER A LITTLE
CONTEXT.
OUR 2020 BUDGET WAS ORIGINALLY
$1.89 BILLION.
ABOUT A THIRD OF THAT IS GENERAL
FUND.
AND THE OTHER TWO-THIRDS ARE FEE
REVENUE, WATER, INFRASTRUCTURE
SYSTEMS, ITS.
SO ABOUT $500 MILLION IN GENERAL
FUNDS IN AN AVERAGE YEAR IN
MINNEAPOLIS.
AND WE HAVE BEEN GROWING.
SO THAT'S BEEN GOING UP.
OVER THE SUMMER, WE CUT $86
MILLION IN SPENDING.
WE IMPLEMENTED A HIRING FREEZE
AND USED SOME OF THE RESERVE
FUNDINGS TO BALANCE THE BUDGET
FOR THE 2020 BUDGET.
LIKE I'M SURE ALL CITIES WERE
FACING SHORT FALLS.
EVENTUALLY, WE RECEIVED $32
MILLION DIRECTLY FROM C.A.R.E.S.
ACT.
WE HAD A HORRIBLE YEAR, LIKE
MANY OTHER CITIES.
PROBABLY MORE SO IN MINNEAPOLIS.
JUST HANDLING THE AFTERMATH
OF THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD
AND THE SOCIAL UNREST THAT
FOLLOWED.
AS OF JANUARY, IT'S HIGHER NOW.
WE HAD ABOUT 30,000 COVID CASES.
JUST UNDER 400 DEATHS.
WE HAVE MORE HOMELESS
ENCAMPMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
ABOUT 144,000 UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE.
1700 BUSINESSES THAT WERE CLOSED
BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE $350
MILLION WORTH OF PROPERTY DAMAGE
AFTER THE SOCIAL UNREST THAT
HAPPENED OVER THE SUMMER.
SO OUR RESPONSE TO COVID HAS
BEEN ALSO A RESPONSE TO ALL OF
THESE VARIOUS ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL FACTORS AFFECTING OUR
CITY.
WE WERE ABLE TO INVEST ABOUT $26
MILLION IN IMMEDIATE RELIEF AND
RESPONSE LAST YEAR.
THAT WAS KIND OF IN POSSIBLY
THREE OR FOUR BUCKETS.
WE WERE RESPONDING DIRECTLY TO
CORONAVIRUS BY GETTING PPE TO
OUR OWN CITY STAFF, BUT ALSO IN
THE COMMUNITY AND THEN ALSO
DOING COVID TESTING.
WE HAVE OUR OWN CITY HEALTH
DEPARTMENT IN ADDITION TO THE
COUNTY AND STATE HEALTH
DEPARTMENT.
AND OURS IS OFTEN AN
EXTRA LAYER AND WE FOCUS OUR
INVESTMENTS IN RACE EQUITY AND
HEALTH EQUITY GOALS FOR THE
MINNEAPOLIS POPULATIONS.
WE PUT UP TESTING SITES IN
POPULATION CENTERS WE WANTED TO
REACH SPECIFIC TO MINNEAPOLIS
CULTURAL POPULATIONS AND LOWER
INCOME PARTS OF THE CITY.
AND WE HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB IN
RECENT YEARS OF MAKING SURE THAT
OUR OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT IS
CULTURELY SPECIFIC.
WE HAVE A COVID WEBSITE SET UP
THAT SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGING
THE HARM THAT MANY COMMUNITIES
IN MINNEAPOLIS EXPERIENCED IN
INTERACTIONS WITH GOVERNMENT IN
THE PAST.
AND JUST REALLY TRYING TO HELP
CREATE MORE PARTNERSHIPS WITH
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
THAT HAVE MORE TRUST.
SO WE KIND OF HAVE A MIX OF
DIRECT SERVICE FROM THE CITY AND
FUNDING ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE
MORE COMMUNITY-BASED AND
COMMUNITY ROOTED.
WE FOCUSED ON HOUSING AND
EMERGENCY SHELTER AND
HOMELESSNESS OUTREACH.
THAT WAS DONE A LOT IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR COUNTY.
LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE PROBABLY
THE BEST RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR
COUNTY THAT WE HAVE HAD IN A
REALLY LONG TIME.
WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO POOL OUR
RESOURCES FOR SHELTER AND
HOUSING SUPPORTS.
SOMETIMES THEY HAVE CAPITAL
DOLLARS AND WE HAVE OPERATING
DOLLARS.
THE CITY HAS IN RECENT YEARS
BEEN MORE OPEN TO USING FUNDING
FOR SHELTER OPERATIONS THAN WE
HAD BEEN IN THE PAST BECAUSE IN
MINNEAPOLIS, OUR COUNTY IS
REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR SHELTER
OPERATIONS.
BUT WE HAVE REALLY STARTED TO
STEP UP AND RECOGNIZE THAT THE
CITY NEEDS TO PLAY A BIGGER ROLE
FOR US TO REALLY MEET THE NEED.
AND IT'S A CONSTANT DEBATE, AS
I'M SURE YOU HAVE.
BECAUSE LIKE MANY CITIES, IN THE
POPULATION CENTERS, WE HAVE THE
VAST MAJORITY OF THE SHELTER
BEDS IN THE CITY.
WE ARE DOING A LOT TO PROVIDE
FOR A REGIONAL HOMELESSNESS
RESPONSE AND A STATEWIDE
HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE IN OUR
CITY.
WE AREN'T QUITE MEETING THE NEED
WITHOUT THE CITY STEPPING IN.
WE DID DIRECT RELIEF PAYMENTS TO
SMALL BUSINESSES IN A FORM OF
FORGIVABLE LOANS.
AS WELL AS WE PUT CITY MONEY AND
FEDERAL DOLLARS PASSING THROUGH
THE CITY TO EMERGENCY RENTAL
ASSISTANCE.
BOTH OF THOSE THINGS WERE ALSO
FUNDED BY THE COUNTY AND THE
STATE DIRECTLY.
AND THEN WE ALSO LOOKED TO
WAIVE FEES IN PARTICULAR FOR
BUSINESSES IMPACTED BY PROPERTY
DAMAGE FROM SOCIAL UNREST.
BUT GENERALLY LOOKED AT WAYS WE
COULD REDUCE THE PROPERTY TAXES
AND FEES FOR THE BUSINESSES
AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC AND THE
SOCIAL UNREST.
AND WE
TRANSITIONED THE WORK FORCE TO
COVID PROTOCOLS AND SOCIAL
DISTANCING AND REMOTE WORK
ENVIRONMENTS.
SO I THINK LIKE LOTS OF CITIES,
THE NEEDS IN THE COMMUNITY
INCREASED AT THE SAME TIME THE
BUDGETS DECREASED.
THAT'S THE TENSION WE'RE ALL
BALANCING.
AS WE LOOK TO ARP, THE 2021
BUDGET CONTEXT.
WE ADOPT A BUDGET AT THE END OF
EACH YEAR THAT STARTS FOR THE
JANUARY CALENDAR YEAR.
SO OUR 2021 BUDGET WAS ADOPTED
IN DECEMBER AND STARTED IN
JANUARY.
THAT WAS $1.7 BILLION.
ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THAT IS THE
GENERAL FUND.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE HOLDING 395
POSITIONS VACANT, ABOUT 9% OF
OUR WORK FORCE.
WE HAVE JUST OVER 4,000 STAFF
TYPICALLY IN OUR CITY.
AND SO WE'RE PLANNING TO
HIRE BACK ABOUT 44 OF THOSE
POSITIONS RIGHT NOW UNDER THE
2021 ADOPTED BUDGET IN A PHASED
MANNER.
PART OF THE QUESTION FOR US AS
WE LOOK AT ARP IS HOW MUCH
SHOULD WE INVEST IN OUR OWN CITY
STAFFING WHICH HAS TAKEN THIS
LARGE CUT, VERSUS AND IN
ADDITION TO GETTING MONEY OUT
THE DOOR DIRECTLY TO
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS OR
DIRECTLY TO RENTERS OR BUSINESS
OWNERS, ET CETERA.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS
IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT AS WE
LOOK AT GENDER AND RACE EQUITY
IN OUR OWN WORK FORCE.
WE HAVE SEEN THAT WOMEN AND
WORKERS OF COLOR IN OUR CITY
HAVE TAKEN ON A LOT OF THE
BURDEN OF THE SITUATION THAT WE
SEE IN OUR BUDGET.
WHILE WE HAVE A HIRING FREEZE IN
PLACE AND FEWER STAFF AVAILABLE
TO DO THE WORK, WE'RE ASKING
MORE AND MORE OF OUR STAFF.
OUR COMMUNITY IS ASKING MORE AND
MORE OF THE CITY.
AND I WOULD
.
>> WE HAVE A HOUSING MORATORIUM,
EVICTION MORATORIUM AT THE
STATE.
JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE KIND OF
TOPIC WE'RE THINKING ABOUT USING
OVER THE THREE-YEAR TIME FRAME.
OTHERWISE, WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS
TO SUPPORT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES,
SUPPORT RENTERS FACING EVICTION,
BUILDING OUT SHELTER, PURCHASING
HOTELS WITH THE COUNTY.
AND ALL OF THAT HELPED AND
INFORMED BY THE POLICIES WE HAVE
IN PLACE.
BECAUSE WE ADOPTED THE 2040
PLAN, WE HAVE ADOPTED A LOT OF
ZONING REGULATIONS AND REFORMS
ENABLING US TO BUILD SHELTER
QUICKLY, BUY HOTELS AND TURN
THEM INTO SRO HOUSING THAT
WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE
BEFORE THE ZONING REFORMS.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE
OVERVIEW.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF
SIMILARITIES.
REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE
OVERVIEW THAT YOU PROVIDED.
AND COLLEAGUES, I WILL ASK YOU
TO HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS AND WE'LL
HAVE A CHANCE TO HAVE QUESTIONS.
I WANT TO TURN IT OVER NEXT TO
COUNCILMEMBER ROBIN KNIECH FROM
DENVER CITY COUNCIL, WHERE I WAS
BORN.
I HAVE BEEN IN AWE OF HER
LEADERSHIP IN HOUSING.
WE HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET AT A
MEETING IN CHICAGO AROUND
HOUSING AND HOUSING EQUITY.
WE WANT TO SHARE YOUR
SLIDES AS WELL.
WE WANT TO MAKE YOU A COHOST.
AND WE WILL THEN HEAR FROM
AUSTIN.
SO COUNCILWOMAN, I WOULD LOVE TO
HEAR FROM YOU.
AND MAKE SURE YOU CAN ACCESS TO
ALL OF OUR TECHNOLOGY TOOLS TO
SHARE YOUR SLIDES AS WELL.
>> GOOD MORNING.
I APPEAR TO HAVE THE POWER TO
SHARE MY SLIDES.
I WANT TO SAY HOW HUMBLED I AM.
IT'S USUALLY US LEARNING FROM
SEATTLE.
IT'S HUMBLING TO BE HERE.
I HOPE YOU CAN SEE MY SCREEN.
BUT I GUESS I WANT TO COMMEND
YOU, FIRST OF ALL.
I READ YOUR RESOLUTION THAT YOUR
COUNCIL PASSED TO SET
PRIORITIES.
WHAT I THOUGHT I WOULD HIGHLIGHT
IS WHERE THERE WERE THINGS THAT
I SAW NOT MENTIONED IN IT OR
MIGHT BE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.
I THINK THAT WILL BE THE FOCUS.
I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE GROUND
WORK.
WE ARE VERY SIMILAR CITIES IN
SOME WAYS SIZE WISE.
DENVER AND SEATTLE, ABOUT
700,000 FOLKS IN DENVER.
WE ARE A CITY AND A COUNTY.
THAT CREATES A FEW DIFFERENCES.
WE OPERATE OUR HUMAN SERVICES
HERE.
WE ARE THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
THE CITY OPERATES THE JAIL, WE
HAVE HUMAN SERVICES.
WE HAVE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT
YOU ALL MIGHT HAVE IN A TYPICAL
COUNTY IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
SO WE ALSO ARE A MUCH STRONGER
MAYOR FORM OF GOVERNMENT THAN
MINNEAPOLIS OR SEATTLE.
SO LIKE MINNEAPOLIS, OUR
PROPOSALS WILL ORIGINATE WITH
THE MAYOR.
WE MAY NOT NEED TO AMEND THE
BUDGET FOR SOME OF THESE.
COUNCIL APPROVAL FOR A HALF
MILLION DOLLARS.
IN SOME CASES, THE TYPES OF
MONEY FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT MAY OR MAY NOT
REQUIRE A BUDGET AMENDMENTS.
A FEW DIFFERENCES.
WE ALSO USE AN ANNUAL BUDGET
PROCESS THAT BEGINS IN JANUARY
OF THE CALENDAR YEAR.
AND LIKE MINNEAPOLIS, I THINK
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE WE ARE
THINKING ABOUT SOME DOLLARS
SPENT RIGHT AWAY.
WE DON'T WANT TO SEE AN
EMERGENCY RUSH TO PROGRAM ALL OF
THE DOLLARS IN A TEMPORARY
FASHION.
WE HAVE A LOT MORE ROBUST PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT IN THE BUDGET
PROCESS.
THERE IS MORE TRANSPARENCY THAT
HAPPENS.
YOU CAN SEE WHERE CITY DOLLARS
MATCH FEDERAL DOLLARS.
THERE ARE THINGS YOU GET WHEN
YOU PUT THE DOLLARS THROUGH THE
BUDGET PROCESS.
SO REAL QUICK, I'M GOING TO
BREEZE THROUGH A FEW BACKGROUND
PIECES.
LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET
THIS TO GO.
OUR MAYOR'S ADMINISTRATION,
THESE ARE THE OBJECTIVES THAT
THEY HAVE LAID OUT.
SO GETTING SOME FUNDING OUT IN A
TIMELY MANNER, RIGHT?
BUT THEN ALSO USING THE BUDGET
PROCESS FOR A PORTION OF THE
DOLLARS.
SO SUSTAINABILITY IS THE THING
THAT WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
HERE.
YOU KNOW, LISA MENTIONED THE
FACT THERE'S A LOT OF WORKERS IN
A CITY THAT ARE FURLOUGHED OR
OUT OF WORK.
I THINK WE DO WANT TO BRING BACK
CITY SERVICES.
AND I WANT TO BE
CLEAR.
WE DON'T WANT TO BRING BACK CITY
WORKERS JUST BECAUSE IT'S GOOD
FOR THEM AS INDIVIDUALS.
IT'S GOOD FOR OUR CITY TO HAVE
FOLKS ABLE TO DELIVER SERVICES.
AND THOSE WORKERS PURCHASE
THINGS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
IT IS STIMULUS.
THEIR EMPLOYMENT HAS AS MUCH AS
AN ECONOMIC EFFECT WHEN THEY GO
OUT AND SPEND THEIR PAYCHECK AS
OTHER WORKERS.
BUT WE DON'T WANT TO HIRE BACK
THE CITY WORKERS WE CAN'T KEEP
ON THE BUDGET FOR THE LONG TERM.
WE'RE BEING THOUGHTFUL.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE A BACKLOG
FOR PERMITTING.
WE MIGHT USE CONTRACTORS, FOR
EXAMPLE.
WE'LL HAE TO BE LOOKING AT ALL
OF THAT TO SEE WHERE WE WANT TO
USE AN OUTSIDE PROVIDER, A
COMMUNITY PROVIDER, WHERE WE
WANT TO GROW THE CITY STAFF.
WE WANT SUSTAINABILITY.
AND SIMILAR IN ALL CITIES, THE
EQUITY AND RACIAL EQUITY LENS
FOR PROPOSALS.
THESE ARE THE FOUR BUCKETS THE
ADMINISTRATION PROPOSED.
I'M NOT GOING TO READ THESE.
I CAN SHARE THE SLIDES WITH THE
COMMITTEE STAFF AFTERWARDS.
SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES.
THESE ARE THE THINGS I MENTIONED
THAT ARE BACKLOGS.
THIS MIGHT BE THE REPAIRS AND
THINGS FROM THE CIVIL UNREST IN
MINNEAPOLIS MIGHT GO.
THEY'RE NOT ONGOING SERVICES.
BUT THEY REQUIRE AN INFUSION.
THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE, ALTHOUGH
I WANT TO SAY I THINK WE ALL
WANT TO BE REALLY THOUGHTFUL
ABOUT USING FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT
ARE DESIGNATED FOR A SPECIFIC
RECOVERY PURPOSE FIRST BEFORE
USING OUR FLEXIBLE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT DOLLARS.
IF THERE IS FUNDING FOR A
PARTICULAR HUMAN SERVICES NEED
OR A FOOD ASSISTANCE NEED, WE
SHOULD BE USING FOOD DOLLARS FOR
FOOD BEFORE WE USE GENERAL
FLEXIBLE DOLLARS FOR FOOD.
THAT'S A PRINCIPLE WE'RE
THINKING ABOUT HERE.
AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY.
JUST A FEW OF THE THINGS THE
ADMINISTRATION IS THINKING ABOUT
IN PRESENTING TO US AS A CITY
COUNCIL.
THESE ARE THE TYPES OF
PRIORITIES.
IT SOUNDS LIKE IN SEATTLE, YOU
ALL WENT TO PRIORITIES WE SET
PREVIOUSLY.
WE'RE NOT CHANGING THE DIRECTION
OF THE CITY BECAUSE WE GOT NEW
DOLLARS.
WE'RE ASKING HOW DO THE NEW
DOLLARS HELP US ACHIEVE THE
DIRECTION OF THE CITY WE ALREADY
SET.
THE TOP ARE VERY PANDEMIC
SPECIFIC.
PUBLIC HEALTH AND FOOD
ASSISTANCE AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
YOU CAN SEE THE BOTTOM HALF ARE
LONGER TERM.
MITIGATING AND REDUCING
INVOLUNTARY DISPLACEMENT.
THERE IS A PANDEMIC, PERHAPS,
ESCALATION.
WE SEE DEVELOPMENT IS NOT
SLOWING IN OUR CITY JUST BECAUSE
OF THE PANDEMIC.
IT'S A RECESSION HITTING
DIFFERENT SEGMENTS DIFFERENTLY,
RIGHT?
SO WE STILL HAVE THE PRESSURES
OF DISPLACEMENT.
YOU WILL SEE THAT OUR BROADER
PRIORITIES ARE BROADER THAN THE
PANDEMIC.
AND WE'LL THINK ABOUT WAYS TO
ADDRESS THE LONG-TERM PRIORITIES
AS WE GO.
SO HERE ARE SOME THINGS I
THOUGHT ABOUT AS I WAS READING
YOUR LIST.
WE ARE IN A SIMILAR EARLY STAGE.
WE DON'T HAVE GUIDANCE YET FROM
THE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY.
WE DON'T YET HAVE A QUOTE,
UNQUOTE, PLAN.
WE'RE DOING OUR ROUNDS JUST LIKE
YOU ARE, ABOUT THE SAME TIME
LINE.
HERE ARE THINGS I HAVE BEEN
THINKING ABOUT.
YOU HAVE A LOT ABOUT THE WHAT,
RIGHT?
YOU WANT GENDER EQUITY, VIOLENCE
PREVENTION, WORK ON HOMELESSNESS
AND HOUSING.
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU
ALL, AND WE'RE THINKING A LOT
ABOUT THE HOW.
SO WE KNOW THAT FOOD
ASSISTANCE, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN BE
DONE IN KIND.
IT'S VERY INEFFICIENT, RIGHT?
YOU HAVE TO FIND A PLACE TO
STORE THE FOOD, GET FOLKS THERE,
HAVE A DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.
WE'RE LEARNING A LOT
INTERNATIONALLY AND DENVER HAS
BEEN TRYING TO BRING THE LESSONS
IN ABOUT THE VALUE OF CASH
ASSISTANCE.
I KNOW YOU'RE DOING THE GROCERY
CARDS THERE.
WE HAVE CREATED THE LEFT BEHIND
WORKER FUND FOR WORKERS NOT
ELIGIBLE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT OR FOR
STIMULUS CHECKS.
THIS LEFT BEHIND WORKER FUND IS
BENEFITTING THEM WITH DIRECT
CASH ASSISTANCE.
IT'S ONE TIME AND DESIGNED IN A
WAY TO HOPEFULLY MINIMIZE THE
IMPACTS TO IMMIGRATION
APPLICATIONS, SHOULD THEY MAKE
THEM LATER.
THERE WAS A PUBLIC CHARGE RULE
IN EFFECT.
HOPEFULLY, THAT GOES AWAY.
WE WANTED TO BE THOUGHTFUL.
WE'RE USING ONE-TIME ASSISTANCE
FOR THAT SET OF WORKERS.
MOSTLY BENEFITTING IMMIGRANTS
AND REFUGEES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR
OTHER FORMS OF ASSISTANCE.
I WILL ALSO SAY WE HAVE A PILOT
COMING FROM A PRIVATE SECTOR
LEADER ABOUT HOMELESSNESS.
AND THE VANCOUVER NEW LEAF
PROGRAM IS FOR THOSE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS WHO
MAY NOT HAVE THE LONG-TERM DEEP
EMBEDDED ISSUES WITH SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING.
THEY MAY BE NEWER HOMELESS OR
SHORTER TERM HOMELESS.
AND THOSE
INDIVIDUALS EXPERIMENT WITH
ONE-TIME ASSISTANCE AND MONTHLY
ASSISTANCE..
AND THEY'RE GOING TO STUDY THE
RESULTS.
WE SHOULD BE TRYING NEW THINGS
WITH THESE DOLLARS AND STUDYING
THE RESULTS OF THEM FOR THE
PURPOSES OF SCALING THEM UP AND
SUSTAINING THEM AS A NEW WAY OF
DOING BUSINESS GOING FORWARD.
SO I THINK THINKING ABOUT CASH
VERSUS IN KIND IS A REALLY
IMPORTANT THING TO THINK ABOUT.
LISA MENTIONED TRANSPORTATION
AND MOBILITY.
I KNOW THAT'S A PRIORITY IN
SEATTLE AS WELL.
THERE IS A STIMULUS EFFECT OF
USING DOLLARS FOR THE
INFRASTRUCTURE.
NO QUESTION.
AND LIKE MINNEAPOLIS, WE HAVE A
NUMBER OF PLANS POINTING US IN
THAT DIRECTION.
I WILL SAY IT'S OFTEN US AS A
CITY CHOOSING WHICH PROJECTS TO
FUND.
I BELIEVE THE FUNDS GIVEN THE
FACT THEY'RE RESCUE FUNDS, WE
COULD USE THE BUDGET TO IDENTIFY
THE INTERSECTIONS IN THE
NEIGHBORHOOD TO PRIORITIZE FOR
SAFETY.
RIGHT?
WHERE IS A BUS STOP NEEDING
IMPROVEMENT?
SO THINKING ABOUT WAYS TO BRING
BUDGETING TO A PORTION OF THE
DOLLARS.
NEXT, YOU ALL ALREADY HAVE
ROBUST PROGRAMS FOR WORK FORCE
TRAINING AND CONSTRUCTION IN
SEATTLE.
BUT FOR US, AS WE SEE NEW
INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE,
WE'RE JUST BEGINNING OUR
APPRENTICESHIP UTILIZATION
REQUIREMENTS AND TARGETED
HIRING.
WE HAVE A VERY, VERY SMALL TINY
NUMBER OF WOMEN IN THE
CONSTRUCTION TRADING WORKING ON
OUR CITY PROJECTS.
IF WE'RE DOING INFRASTRUCTURE AS
A FORM OF STIMULUS, WE HAVE AN
OBLIGATION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
JOBS ARE BEING FILLED BY MORE
WOMEN AND PEOPLE OF COLOR.
WE ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW DO
WE -- RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE THE
PREAPPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMS, BUT
YOU'RE NOT PAID TO PARTICIPANT.
YOU HAVE TO DECIDE WHETHER OR
NOT TO GIVE UP A PAID JOB OR TO
KEEP YOUR JOB AND THEN TRY TO --
SO IF WE WANT PEOPLE TO CHANGE
CAREERS, WE NEED TO GIVE THEM AN
INCOME WHILE THEY'RE CHANGING
CAREERS.
TALKING ABOUT STIPENDS AND
WOMEN.
AND WE HAVE AN ALTERNATIVES TO
POLICING PROGRAM.
WE KNOW THE PANDEMIC EXACERBATED
MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES AND
IT'S HARDER TO GET SERVICES
DURING PERIODS WHEN THINGS WERE
CLOSED.
WE HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED THE
STAR PROGRAM, WHICH IS OUR
SUPPORT TEAM ASKED RESPONSE.
IT HAS BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE
JUNE 1st.
IT IS A SOCIAL WORKER AND AN EMT
WHO GOES OUT ON CALLS.
WE ARE RIGHT NOW SENDING THAT
TEAM IN ONE NEIGHBORHOOD OR
CENTRAL PART OF THE CITY, ONE
ZONE OF THE CITY.
THEY ARE DOING ABOUT LESS THAN
1% OF THE CALLS THEY COULD BE
DOING.
INSTEAD OF SENDING A POLICE
OFFICER, WE HAVE HAD ZERO
ARRESTS, ZERO USE OF FORCE
SITUATIONS.
VERY SUCCESSFUL.
SO HOW IS IT THAT WE TRY TO
BRING THAT MORE SUSTAINABLY TO
THE BUDGET?
LAND.
YOU ALL TALKED ABOUT BUYING
BUILDINGS.
HONESTLY, IT COULD JUST BE LAND.
WHERE WE CAN USE THE FUNDS TO
BRING LAND TO PUBLIC OWNERSHIP,
IT MAY BE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING
AND OTHER COMMUNITY PURPOSES,
CHILD CARE, THAT'S A IMAGE THEME
OF OUR PANDEMIC GAPS.
WHERE WE HAVE CONTROL OF THE
LAND, WE CAN SET THE TERMS FOR
HOW IT'S USED.
EVEN IF WE'RE NOT THE LONG-TERM
LAND HOLDER, WE MIGHT DO A LEASE
AND HAVE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
AND CHILD CARE OPERATING BY
OTHERS.
WE ARE DICTATING THE USE
IN WAYS THAT PREVENT
DISPLACEMENT.
AND I PUT IN HERE I WANT US TO
THINK ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF
REPLICATING FUNDING.
THERE'S A LOT OF BUSINESS
ASSISTANCE COMING FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
IN COLORADO, THE STATE
GOVERNMENT AS WELL.
I THINK WE NEED TO BE REALLY
THOUGHTFUL ABOUT TRIPLE DOWN
PLAYING ON THE SAME INDUSTRIES.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO HELP THE
INDUSTRIES RECOVER, BUT IT'S
REALLY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHAT
CITY DOLLARS NEED TO BE DOING.
IN MANY WAYS, WE KEEP GETTING
ASKED TO FILL THE GAPS THAT
OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ARE
NOT DOING THEIR
RESPONSIBILITIES.
FINALLY, THEY'RE STEPPING UP AT
THE OTHER LEVELS.
IF AND WHEN WE DO BUSINESS
ASSISTANCE, WE HAVE TO BE
BUILDING THE ECONOMY BACK
BETTER.
WE'RE DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
RIGHT TO REHIRE.
WHO GETS HIRED BACK?
ARE YOU LESS LIKELY TO HIRE BACK
SOMEONE WHO IS OLDER AND
CONSIDERED MORE VULNERABLE?
REALLY ENSURING IF WE ARE GIVING
THE BUSINESS ASSISTANCE, THEY
ARE HIRING BACK IN THE ORDER
THAT WORKERS WERE LEFT FROM THE
JOBS.
SO I'LL STOP THERE AND, YOU
KNOW, JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU
GUYS THINGS THAT MAYBE WEREN'T
QUITE IN THE MEMO, BUT YOU MIGHT
HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT.
AND I WANT TO LEARN FROM ALL OF
YOU AS WELL.
SO THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THAT WAS FASCINATING.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU
PROVIDING THAT CONTEXT BOTH WITH
THE POWER POINT AND WHAT'S IN
OUR RESOLUTION.
VERY HELPFUL.
THERE IS A LOT OF CROSS OVER.
AND NEXT, LET'S HEAR FROM
COUNCILMEMBER FUENTES FROM
AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
VERY
EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HERE.
WE HAVE NOT HAD THE CHANCE TO
MEET IN PERSON YET.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN UP TO.
WE KNOW YOU HAVE MADE A MARK ON
THE WORK YOU ARE DOING IN
AUSTIN.
LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING THE
FRAME WORK YOU ARE BRINGING AND
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AUSTIN.
>> FIRST, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
INVITING ME.
I HIT MY 90-DAY MARK THIS WEEK.
I HAVE BEEN IN OFFICE, FIRST
TIME ELECTED, 90 DAYS.
THANK YOU, ALL.
I'M HUMBLED TO TALK ABOUT THE
WORK THAT THE AUSTIN CITY
COUNCIL HAS BEEN DOING.
SO I GUESS FIRST, I WOULD LIKE
TO GIVE YOU ALL CONTEXT.
WE ARE A MANAGER COUNCIL FORM OF
GOVERNMENT.
AND IN AUSTIN AND IN TRAVIS
COUNTY, WE HAVE TAKEN A
DIFFERENT APPROACH WITH THE ARP
DOLLARS WHEN COMPARED TO THE
C.A.R.E.S.
ACT K R FUNDING.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS
APPROXIMATELY SLATED TO RECEIVE
$196 MILLION.
AND TRAVIS COUNTY IS SLATED TO
RECEIVE $247 MILLION, WITH MANY
OTHER OF OUR SURROUNDING CITIES
ALSO GETTING A SUB ALLOCATION.
WE DECIDED TO LOOK AT IT FROM A
MORE REGIONAL APPROACH,
UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT'S $500
MILLION THAT'S COMING IN TO OUR
AREA.
AND WANTING TO LEVERAGE THIS
OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT HOW CAN
WE UTILIZE THESE FUNDS NOT ONLY
TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF TODAY,
BUT TO REALLY LEVERAGE IT IN A
TRANSFORMATIONAL, ONCE IN A
GENERATION WAY.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
AND OF COURSE, WE'RE WAITING ON
THE FEMA ELIGIBILITY FOR
SPECIFIC GUIDELINES.
IT APPEARS THERE MIGHT BE SOME
FLEXIBILITY FOR US TO USE THESE
DOLLARS TO ADDRESS SOME OF OUR
BIGGEST, MOST PRESSING
CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN
AUSTIN.
AND SO I'M REALLY PROUD TO
BE PART OF A PROGRESSIVE
COALITION THAT IS WILLING AND
READY AND ABLE TO ADDRESS THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGES TOGETHER IN A
FORMATIVE WAY.
SO WITH THAT, AND I DID PUT A
LINK IN THE CHAT IF YOU WANTED
TO SEE THE PRESENTATION THAT OUR
CITY STAFF INITIALLY PRESENTED
TO COUNCIL A FEW WEEKS AGO.
THAT WAS JUST THE FIRST ONE, THE
INITIAL PROPOSAL.
AND FROM THERE, OUR CITY
COUNCIL, AND I WAS PROUD TO
COSPONSOR, A POLICY THAT FURTHER
DIRECTED CITY STAFF TO INVEST
AND ADDRESS FOUR PRIORITY AREAS
IN OUR CITY, THAT BEING
HOMELESSNESS AND RELATED HOUSING
WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE
ABUSE.
ALSO LOOKING AT EARLY CHILDHOOD
CARE AND EDUCATION, INCLUDING
HIGH QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE.
LOOKING AT JOBS AND WORK FORCE
DEVELOPMENT AND OUR WORK
PROGRAMS.
AND THEN FOURTH BEING FOOD
INSECURITY AND REALLY ADDRESSING
THE FOOD DESERTS WE HAVE IN THE
AREA.
SO THOSE WERE THE FOUR THINGS
THAT WE OUTLINED IN OUR
RESOLUTION.
I'LL POP THE LINK SHORTLY.
WITH THAT IN MIND, THAT WAS THE
LENS THAT WE'RE HOPING TO TAKE
WITH THE ARP FUNDS.
SO ONCE CITY STAFF PRESENTED THE
INITIAL SPENDING FRAMEWORK, WE
GAVE ADDITIONAL POLICY GUIDANCE.
AND THEY WILL COME BACK WITH THE
ADDITIONAL IDEAS AND PROGRAMS TO
BUILD OFF OF THE WORK WE DID
WITH THE C.A.R.E.S.
ACT.
WE ARE FORTUNATE IN AUSTIN TO
HAVE MAINTAINED A HEALTHY AMOUNT
OF RESERVES.
WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DO LAYOFFS.
WE DID DO A ROUND OF FREEZING OF
ANY OF THE VACANT POSITIONS AND
ASSESSED EACH ONE TO ENSURE IF
THE THEY WERE FRONT LINE
EMPLOYEES, WE COULD BRING THOSE
BACK ON FIRST.
SO WE FORTUNATELY ARE ABLE TO
LOOK AT THE ARP DOLLARS NOT
NEEDING TO FILL A DEFICIT, BUT
LOOKING AT HOW TO BUILD OFF OF
THE WORK WE WERE DOING DURING
THE PANDEMIC.
SO THE LARGEST TARGET
EXPENDITURES FOR US INCLUDE
ECONOMIC RECOVERY, LOOKING AT
SERVICES CURRENTLY FUNDED BY THE
HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAXES.
OUR HOTEL TAXES, WE USE THOSE, A
LARGE PART OF IT, FOR CREATIVITY
ART SPACES, WHICH WE KNOW THE
CREATIVE SECTOR HAS BEEN HARD
HIT DURING THE PANDEMIC.
AND KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE
PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE.
HERE IN AUSTIN, OUR MORTALITY
RATE HAS BEEN BEEN EQUITABLE.
LATINOS MAKE UP NEARLY HALF OF
THE DEATHS FROM COVID.
WE ARE MAKING SURE WE'RE DOING
SIMILARLY TO WHAT THE OTHER
COUNCILMEMBER MENTIONED EARLIER
ABOUT WANTING TO HAVE TESTING
SITES AND VACCINE DISTRIBUTION
DONE IN AN EQUITABLE WAY AND
CENTRALING THE MARGINALIZED AND
VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.
JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE
LAUNCHED A MOBILE VACCINE
PROGRAM TO GET US INTO HARDEST
HIT NEIGHBORHOODS AS ANOTHER WAY
TO ADDRESS SOME OF BARRIERS WE
IDENTIFIED WITH THE ONLINE
REGISTRATION PROCESS.
MANY OF OUR COMMUNITIES ARE
STRUGGLING WITH DIGITAL ACCESS
AND ARE WORKING FAMILIES WHO
DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO BE, YOU
KNOW, WAITING IN LINE FOR A
LOTTERY-STYLE APPOINTMENT
PROCESS.
I DIGRESS.
I MENTIONED EARLIER WAITING ON
FEMA TO GET BACK TO US OR TO
GIVE US A FINAL DETERMINATION OF
THE REIMBURSABLE AMOUNTS.
AND FROM THERE, WE'LL BE ABLE TO
MAKE MORE DETAILED LINE ITEMS
WITH THESE DOLLARS.
THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO
MENTION ABOUT PUBLIC RESPONSE
EFFORTS, YOU KNOW, WITH THE
EXPENSE CATEGORIES THAT FALL
UNDER THE COVID EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT THAT WE WILL CONTINUE
TO LEVERAGE THE DOLLARS FOR
TESTING AND SHELTERS.
WE DID PROTECTIVE LODGES,
CONVERTING HOTELS INTO ISOLATION
AREAS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED,
YOU KNOW, KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON
MULTIGENERATIONAL SETTINGS.
SO WE WANT TO BE SURE WE WERE
ABLE TO OFFER A SPACE FOR
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE COVID TO GO
TO SELF-ISOLATE AS THEY HEAL.
AND THEN MOVING ON TO THE
ECONOMIC RECOVERY BUCKET, SOME
OF THE IDEAS THAT OR THE
PROCESSES WE'RE TAKING ON AS FAR
AS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT INCLUDES
HAVING CITY STAFF HAS GATHERED
125 STAKE HOLDER ENGAGEMENT
EVENTS OR HAVE HELD 125 STAKE
HOLDER EVENTS.
THEY HAVE AN ONLINE PORTAL
PROCESS TO RECEIVE ADDITIONAL
FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S OPEN THROUGH APRIL 23rd.
THE IDEA THERE IS TO UTILIZE THE
ARP FUNDING FOR THE -- TO USE
THE FEEDBACK ON HOW WE SHOULD
USE THE ARP FUNDING FOR THE
FIRST TWO YEARS.
AND LET'S SEE.
SOME OF THE PROGRAMS
OUTLINED IN THE PRESENTATION
FROM CITY STAFF THAT WERE
RECOMMENDED FOR AUSTIN TO DO
INCLUDE ONGOING WORKSHOPS AND
COUNSELING AND MENTOR SHIP
PROGRAMS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
AND LOOKING AT BUSINESS CO-OPS.
TEMPORARILY PERMITTING
EXCEPTIONS AND REDUCED FEES FOR
BUSINESSES AS THEY BEGIN TO
FULLY REOPEN.
AND THE OTHER CRITICAL
COMPONENT I WANT TO TOUCH ON, OF
COURSE, IS CHILD CARE.
AS WE KNOW, THE PANDEMIC HAS NOT
AFFECTED EVERYONE EQUALLY.
WOMEN CERTAINLY ARE BEARING THE
BRUNT OF IT.
WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE DO
MORE IN THE CHILD CARE SPACE.
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT -- WE
DID ESTABLISH A CHILD CARE GRANT
RELIEF PROGRAM FOR CHILD CARE
CENTERS IN AUSTIN.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO FUND THAT
PROGRAM AND OFFER FINANCIAL
INCENTIVES FOR INDIVIDUALS TO
EACH OPEN A CHILD CARE CENTER OR
REOPEN A HOME-BASED HIGH QUALITY
CHILD CARE SETTING.
AND THAT'S PARTICULARLY
IMPORTANT TO MY DISTRICT.
I REPRESENT SOUTHEAST AUSTIN, A
PREDOMINANTLY LATINO AREA.
AND LET'S SEE.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M -- OH,
SOME OF THE PROGRAMS I'M REALLY
EXCITED ABOUT THAT WE'LL DIG
INTO ONCE WE LEARN MORE IS WHEN
IT COMES TO FOOD INSECURITY, AS
I MENTIONED, THAT WAS THE FOURTH
BUCKET WE'RE LOOKING TO REALLY
INVEST IN.
IT INCLUDES EQUIPPING
RESIDENTS WITH TOOLS TO GROW
THEIR OWN FOOD AT HOME.
SO REALLY EM POWERING
COMMUNITIES AND GIVING THEM THE
TOOLS TO LEARN THE SKILL AND BE
ABLE TO HAVE THEIR OWN FOOD
FOREST, SO TO SPEAK, OR
COMMUNITY GARDEN.
LOOKING AT CLOSING THE DIGITAL
DIVIDE.
AND THEN OF COURSE ASKING LOCAL
ARTS AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS
OF SETTING UP NAVIGATORS TO HELP
OUR RESTAURANTS AND SMALL
BUSINESSES APPLY FOR THOSE BIG
FUNDING BUCKETS THAT ARE ALREADY
OUTLINED IN THE ARP.
WE WANT TO GET AS MANY OF OUR
BUSINESSES IN LINE BECAUSE THAT
ONE IS A FIRST COME, FIRST
SERVED BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT
THAT'S OUTLINED IN THE ARP.
WE ARE WANTING TO MAKE SURE
WE'RE POSITIONING OUR BUSINESSES
TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS AND TO
APPLY FOR THOSE FEDERAL DOLLARS.
IF WE'RE ABLE TO GET AS MANY OF
OUR BUSINESSES THE SUPPORT THEY
NEED AND THE RESTAURANTS THE
SUPPORT, THAT OPENS UP THE
FUNDING FOR US FOR THE LOCAL
ALLOTMENT TO REALLY DIVE IN AND
TARGET INVESTMENT AND RECOVERY.
THOSE ARE SOME OF THE
THINGS THAT I JUST WANTED TO
TOUCH ON REALLY QUICKLY.
I'M HAPPY TO DIVE IN MORE.
BUT I'M ESPECIALLY LOOKING
FORWARD TO HOW WE'RE ABLE TO
LEVERAGE THESE DOLLARS TO
ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS.
THAT IS AN ISSUE THAT MANY OF
OUR BIG CITIES ARE FACING RIGHT
NOW.
SO I REALLY WANT TO -- I THINK
THAT THIS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
DOING A ONCE IN A GENERATION,
HAVING $500 MILLION COME INTO
OUR AREA, THAT IS THE NUMBER ONE
ISSUE AND AREA THAT OUR COUNCIL
HAS BUILT CONSENSUS AROUND
ADDRESSING.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH
FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM ALL OF
YOUR CITIES.
AND AGAIN, LOCAL PROGRESS.
GONS PRESIDENT GONZCEZ WITH US
IS ON THE BOARD OF LOCAL
PROGRESS.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD IS A
LONG-TIME SUPPORTER AND THERE AS
THE LOCAL PROGRESS BEGAN THE
ROOTS.
WE ARE CHAMPIONS OF THE ENTITY
AND THE NETWORK, AND THIS IS
WHY.
YOU ALL PROVIDING THE FEEDBACK
DIRECTLY TO COUNCILMEMBERS SO WE
CAN LEARN FROM EACH OTHER IS
EXCITING.
AND I THINK THIS IS EXACTLY
WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING SO WE
DON'T MISS A MINUTE WITH
LEARNING FROM OTHERS AND HELPING
TO CREATE MORE HARMONY AND
EQUITY AS WE RECOVER FROM THE
CRISES.
I LOVE WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IN
TERMSOVER EXPEDITING PERMITTING
AND DECREASING THE FEES FOR THE
BUSINESSES.
AND THE NAVIGATOR PROGRAM FOR
SMALL BUSINESSES AND FOLKS THAT
NEED ACCESS TO PROGRAMS ACROSS
THE CITY.
IN DENVER, I LOVE THE EMPHASIS
ON THE CASH ASSISTANCE,
RECOGNIZING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD
HAVE THE LISTEN TO USE THOSE
DOLLARS AND OFTEN KNOW BEST HOW
TO USE THE DOLLARS.
LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE
ABOUT THE TWO APPROACHES FOR THE
DIRECT CASH ASSISTANCE.
BUT THE OVERALL MESSAGE WAS
REALLY HELPFUL.
AND IN MINNEAPOLIS, I'M
FASCINATED ABILITY HOW WE CAN DO
MORE WITH OUR COUNTY PARTNERS
AND HOW DO WE LOOK AT CAPITAL
DOLLARS AND MATCHING THOSE.
IT'S OFTEN ONE VERSUS THE OTHER.
I HEARD YOU LIFT UP BOTH OF THE
INVESTMENTS AND TRYING TO FIND
WAYS TO GET AWAY FROM THE
EXCUSES AND PUSH FORWARD WITH
THE STRATEGIES.
VERY EXCITED TO HEAR FROM ALL OF
YOU.
LET'S OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS OR
COMMENTS FROM COLLEAGUES TODAY.
COUNCILMEMBERS, ANYTHING YOU
WOULD LIKE TO ASK?
OKAY.
I AM NOT SEEING ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS.
I DID HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE
STAR PROGRAM IN DENVER.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF OUR HEALTH
ONE TEAM HERE IN SEATTLE AS WELL
WHERE WE HAVE FIREFIGHTERS
PAIRED WITH CASE MANAGERS AND
ARE TRYING TO RELIEVE 911 OF THE
CALLS RELATED TO HEALTH RELATED
ISSUES AND HOPEFULLY MORE MENTAL
HEALTH RELATED ISSUES AS WE
SCALE UP THE PROGRAM.
WE HAVE GONE FROM ONE VAN TO
THREE VANS TO COVER THREE OF THE
FIVE ZONES FOR THE FIREFIGHTER
LADDER DIVISIONS.
AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SCALING
THAT UP.
BUT COUNCILMEMBER KNIECH,
I'M WONDERING IF WE COULD DO AN
ANALYSIS ABOUT HOW THE PROGRAMS
HAVE RELIEVED CALLS FROM HAVING
TO GO TO TRADITIONAL 911 ARMED
OFFICER RESPONSE AND THERE'S ANY
ANALYSIS WE COULD DO TOGETHER.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD
LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT THE STARS
PROGRAM AND WHEN THAT STARTED?
>> I WILL SAY THAT WE DON'T HAVE
AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR YET.
I HOPE THAT WE WILL GO THERE IN
TERMS OF TRUE RETURN ON
INVESTMENT.
WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT IN
OUR DATA, IT'S SHOWING THAT THE
RESPONDERS ARE SPENDING ABOUT
30% LESS TIME THAN A POLICE
RESPONSE WOULD REQUIRE.
SO IT'S BOTH DIFFERENT PERSONNEL
WHO FRANKLY PROBABLY ARE LOWER
COST THAN WHAT AN OFFICER WHO IS
ARMED WOULD COST.
BUT IT'S ALSO THAT THEY'RE DOING
IT FASTER SO THAT IT IS FREEING
UP AND REDUCING THE HOURS SPENT
ON ARMED POLICE RESPONSE.
SO THAT'S ONE DATA POINT WE
HAVE.
AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF
TRYING TO EXPEDITE OUR
EXPANSION.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE
JUMPED AHEAD IN TERMS OF
QUALITY.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET FOUR MORE
VANS GOING.
HAVING SOME DEBATE ABOUT THE
TIME LINE.
>> VICE PRESIDENT CHAIR HERBOLD,
GO AHEAD.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHAIR
MOSQUEDA FOR THE LINE OF
QUESTIONING.
I STEPPED AWAY FROM MY COMPUTER.
THAT WAS PERFECT.
JUST A FOLLOW-UP ON THE
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STAR
PROGRAM.
ARE YOU ANTICIPATING
POTENTIALLY SEEKING ARP FUNDING
FOR YOUR SCALEUP?
THERE CERTAINLY HAS BEEN AN
INCREASE IN OUR COMMUNITIES FOR
THE TYPES OF RESPONSE THAT
RESULT FROM VARIOUS TYPES OF
CRISES, MENTAL HEALTH, DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE, SUBSTANCE ABUSE
DISORDER CRISES.
PEOPLE ARE IN CRISIS TO A
GREATER EXTENT.
AND A LOT OF EXPERTS IN THE
FIELD ASSOCIATE THAT UPTICK WITH
COVID-19.
I'M JUST WONDERING IF YOU ARE
CONSIDERING THAT TO MAKE IT
POSSIBLE TO APPLY FOR ARP
FUNDING FOR YOUR EXPANSION?
>> WE ARE CURRENTLY USING A
COMBINATION.
DENVER VOTERS HAVE BEEN VERY
GENEROUS.
WE HAVE A DEDICATED SALES TAX
THAT PROVIDES FUNDING FOR MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES.
THAT GRANT FUNDING IS WHAT
STARTED THE PROGRAM.
WE DID WIN GENERAL FUND DOLLARS
FOR IT AS WELL IN THE 2021
BUDGET.
I THINK THE SHORT ANSWER IS IT
DEPENDSES.
WE HAVE AN INFORMAL AGREEMENT TO
DO AN ADDITIONAL EXPANSION USING
MAYBE SOME OF OUR RESERVES OR
CONTINGENCY DOLLARS WE SAVED.
WE COULDN'T GET THERE IN THE
BUDGET CYCLE.
WE ANTICIPATE A MID YEAR
CONVERSATION.
THERE ARE POTENTIALLY LOCAL
FUNDS AVAILABLE.
IF WE CAN SUSTAIN A BIGGER
EXPANSION MORE QUICKLY BY USING
THOSE DOLLARS AND THEN KEEP IT
GOING BY BRINGING IT INTO OUR
GENERAL FUND BUDGET IN YEAR
THREE, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, THESE
ARE TWO-YEAR DOLLARS.
WE CAN SPEND THEM THROUGH 2024.
IN SOME WAYS, THEY'RE THREE OR
FOUR YEAR DOLLARS.
OUR GOAL IS TO NOT FUND
SOMETHING WE CAN'T KEEP GOING IF
IT'S AN ONGOING NEED.
WE'LL WAIT FOR THE TREASURY
GUIDANCE LIKE EVERYBODY TO SEE
WHETHER OR NOT IT'S ELIGIBLE AND
ALL OF THAT.
I HOPE THAT WE DON'T -- IF WE
CAN FUND IT WITH OUR LOCAL
DOLLARS AND USE THE ARP DOLLARS
FOR SOMETHING ELSE NEEDED,
THAT'S A WIN/WIN TOO IN MY MIND.
IT'S ABOUT USING THE DOLLARS FOR
WHAT THEY'RE ELIGIBLE FOR.
THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BE MORE
THOUGHTFUL ABOUT OTHER DOLLARS.
.
>> EXCELLENT.
THANK YOU.
THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO LIFT
UP THAT IT SOUNDS LIKE IS A
COMMONALITY ACROSS JURISDICTION
IS THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU'RE
LOOKING TO USE THE ARPA DOLLARS
TO MAKE SURE THAT THE CITY
SERVICES GET REINITIATED AND
MAYBE EXPANDED IN CERTAIN AREAS
WHERE FOLKS HAVE BEEN HARMED BY
THE TRAUMA HAS COVID, AND
WHETHER THAT'S EXPANDING
SERVICES IN CHILD CARE OR TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT ACCESS TO
COMMUNITY CENTERS.
I CAN'T REMEMBER THE WORDING
USED.
LIKE A COMMUNITY-ORIENTED SORT
OF STRATEGY TO BRING PEOPLE
TOGETHER AND REINITIATE THE
COMMUNITY GATHERINGS.
IT'S A WAY TO HELP WITH THE
MENTAL HEALTH AND TRAUMA OF
ISOLATION AND POTENTIAL, YOU
KNOW, DEPRESSION THAT A LOT OF
THE FAMILIES ARE FACING.
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY NUMBERS
ARE THROUGH THE ROOF FOR THOSE
HOUSED AND UNHOUSED.
FUNDING COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS AND THE DIRECT
SERVICE PROVIDERS THROUGH THE
CITY.
I LOVED HEARING SOME OF THOSE
THEMES AND LOOK FORWARD TO
LEARNING FROM YOU ON THOSE
PIECES AS WELL.
BOTH IN TERMS OF HOW WE RESPOND
TO THE TRAUMA THAT INDIVIDUALS
ARE SUFFERING WITH AND REINVEST
IN THE ECONOMY TO MAKE IT MORE
EQUITABLE AND DO SO WITH A
RACIAL JUSTICE LENS.
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.
I'M NOT SEEING ANY HANDS.
I KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE VERY
BUSY WITH YOUR OWN RECOVERY
EFFORTS.
THANK YOU ONE AGAINST.
THANKS AS WELL TO THE PROGRESS
FOR CONNECTING US.
AND I REALLY DO LOOK
FORWARD TO ONE DAY SEEING YOU IN
PERSON SO WE CAN HAVE A CHANCE
TO GATHER AGAIN AND CELEBRATE,
HOPEFULLY, OUR MORE EQUITABLE
RECOVERY PATH WE'RE LAYING RIGHT
NOW.
CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL THAT YOU
HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.
I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO
LEARN FROM YOUR CITIES AND YOU.
WE'LL SEND YOU OFF WITH A
HUGE THANK YOU.
AND WE WILL MAKE SURE TO SHARE
THE LINKS THAT PEOPLE SHARED
WITH US IN THE CHAT.
ACCESS TO THE POWER POINT
PRESENTATION THAT AUSTIN CITY
COUNCIL TALKED ABOUT, THE
STRATEGIES FOR THE WORKERS LEFT
BEHIND FUND.
FROM DENVER AND MINNEAPOLIS, WE
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE
WITH YOU A LINK ABOUT COMMUNITY
SAFETY AND THE WAYS THAT THEY
ARE TRYING TO CREATE
ALTERNATIVES TO THE 911 RESPONSE
WE WILL.
WE'LL PROVIDE THE LINKS
ON THE WEBSITES.
WILL YOU READ INTO THE RECORD
ITEM NUMBER TWO.
>> APPOINTMENT OF DAN TORRES AS
MEMBER OF THE SWEETENED BEVERAGE
TAX COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD FOR
BRIEFING, DISCUSSION, AND
POSSIBLE VOTE.
>> DO WE HAVE HANNAH HILL FROM
THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AND
THE ENVIRONMENT?
>> HI.
YES, I'M HERE.
>> EXCELLENT.
WONDERFUL.
HANNAH, I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE
HERE ON BEHALF OF DAN TORRES,
WHO IS NOT ABLE TO JOIN US.
AND WE HAVE A STATEMENT FROM THE
OFFICE OF THE SUSTAINABILITY AND
ENVIRONMENT TO READ FOR HIM.
THIS IS A POINTMENT FOR THE
EARLY LEARNING POSITION.
I WILL LET YOU GO AHEAD, HANNAH,
AND FILL IN IF THERE'S ANYTHING
THAT I THINK WE WANT TO LIFT UP.
HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE.
.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
AND GOOD MORNING TO EVERYBODY.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS HANNAH
HILL.
I'M WITH THE OFFICE OF
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT
SERVING AS THE INTERIM STAFF
LIAISON FOR THE SWEETENED
BEVERAGE TAX COMMUNITY ADVISORY
BOARD.
IT WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE SAME
ORDINANCE THAT CREATED THE
BEVERAGE TAX.
AND THE ROLE OF THE BOARD IS TO
DEVELOP THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL ON
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES TO SUPPORT
WITH SWEETENED BEVERAGE TAX
REVENUE THAT ALINE WITH THE
PRIORITIES AROUND FOOD ACCESS,
CHILD, HEALTH, AND DEVELOPMENT
PRENATAL.
THE BOARD MUST CONSIST OF 11
MEMBERS WHO ARE RESIDENTS OF THE
CITY OF SEATTLE.
OR WORK IN THE BOUNDARIES
OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE.
TODAY, WE ARE HERE FROM THE
CONFIRMATION HEARING OF DAN
TORRES FOR POSITION NUMBER 11,
RESERVED FOR AN EARLY LEARNING
REPRESENTATIVE.
I WILL SHARE A LITTLE BIT
MORE ABOUT DAN AND HIS INTEREST
IN JOINING THE BOARD AND SEE IF
THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS.
>> DAN IS A SENIOR PROGRAM
MANAGER AT THE BEZOS FAMILY
FOUNDATION.
HE CULTIVATES THE VROOM PROGRAM,
FOR TOOLS TO FURTHER CHILD
DEVELOPMENT.
DAN BRINGS TO THIS ROLE MORE
THAN 17 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN
THE NONPROFIT AND PUBLIC SECTOR
WITH SPECIFIC EXPERTISE IN
SYSTEMS CHANGE WORK AND EARLY
CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT.
PRIOR TO JOINING THE FOUNDATION,
HE SERVED AS THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF THE WASHINGTON STATE
ESSENTIALS FOR CHILDHOOD
INITIATIVE, A CROSS SYSTEMS
PUBLIC, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH
A VISION THAT ALL CHILDREN IN
WASHINGTON STATE THRIVE IN SAFE,
STABLE, AND NURTURING
RELATIONSHIPS AND ENVIRONMENTS.
DAN ALSO PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS
THE DIRECT FOR OF POLICY AND
PARTNERSHIPS AT THRIVE
WASHINGTON.
IN THAT ROLE, HE DIRECTED THE
COMMUNITY MOMENTUM STRATEGY FOR
TEN EARLY LEARNING COALITIONS
AND DEVELOPED THRIVE
WASHINGTON'S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA.
DAN IS A FERVENT BELIEVER THAT
STRONG COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS
ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVING GOALS
AROUND EQUITY.
HE HAS BEEN A PARTICIPANT AND
DESIGNER AND SEEN HOW COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT CAN ENGENDER
COLLABORATION.
AS SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD THE
PRIVILEGE OF WORKING AT THE
NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVEL
ON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, A
FATHER, AND THE FIRST AND ONLY
PERSON FROM HIS FAMILY TO GO TO
COLLEGE, HE WOULD BRING A UNIQUE
LENS TO HIS WORK ON THE BOARDS.
WITH THAT, I TURN IT TO THE
COMMITTEE FOR DISCUSSION.
>> THANK YOU.
YOU HAVE LIFTED UP ALL OF THE
THINGS, INCLUDING THE POLICY
PARTNERSHIP WITH THRIVE AS THE
DIRECTOR AND ALL OF THE AMAZING
WORK AS THE EXECIVE DIRECTOR.
REALLY EXCITING APPOINTMENT.
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
THANKS, HANNAH.
I MOVE THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS
PASSAGE OF DAN TORRES TO THE
BOARD.
IS THERE A SECOND?
>> SECOND.
>> THANK YOU.
IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS?
HEARING NONE.
LET'S DO THIS.
WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL?
>> MOSQUEDA?
>> AYE.
>> HERBOLD?
>> YES.
>> GONZCEZ?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER LEWIS?
>> YES.
>> COUNCIL MEB COUNCILMEMBER
MORALES?
>> YES.
>> CAN YOU REPEAT THAT?
>> YES.
>> CHAIR MOSQUEDA, THAT IS FIVE
IN FAVOR AND NONE OPPOSED.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE MOTION CARRIES AND THE
ECONOMY RECOMMENDATION WILL BE
SENT TO THE APRIL 12th CITY
COUNCIL MEETING FOR A FINAL
VOTE.
HANNAH, THANK YOU.
PASS OUR OUR APPRECIATION AND
MR. TORRES DOES NOT HAVE TO BE
IN PERSON VIA ZOOM ON THE 12th.
WE CAN PASS ON THE INFORMATION
ABOUT THE APPOINTMENT AND OUR
RECOMMENDATION.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
LET'S MOVE TO ITEM THREE.
>> APPOINTMENT OF JOEL SHAPIRO
AS MEMBER OF THE LOIB STANDARDS
ADVISORY COMMISSION FOR
BRIEFING, DISCUSSION, AND
POSSIBLE VOTE..
>> WONDERFUL.
THANK YOU.
AND KA REMEMBER LEVITAS IS WITH
US.
THANKS FOR WAITING.
YOU WERE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE
WITH US IN THE PRESENTATION.
REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE
CONVERSATIONS.
I WILL LET FOLKS INTRODUCE
THEMSELVES.
KEREM, WE'LL START WITH YOU.
>> YEAH.
HI.
GOOD MORNING.
I AM HERE TO SAY A FEW WORDS
ABOUT LSAC AND INTRODUCE JOEL.
I'LL LET FOLKS INTRODUCE
THEMSELVES AND CIRCLEBACK TO
WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY.
I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICE
OF LABOR STANDARDS AND THE
LIAISON.
>> AS A PRECURSOR TO THE NEXT
ITEM, LIZ AND GAY, YOU ARE HERE
FOR ITEM FOUR.
I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU
INTRODUCE YOURSELVES.
AND JOEL, WE'LL COME BACK TO
YOU.
>> SURE.
I'M LIZ FORD.
I AM COCHAIR OF THE LABOR
STANDARDS ADVISORY COMMISSION
AND TEACH AT SEATTLE UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF LAW.
>> I'M GAY GILL MOTHER,
COFOUNDER OF OPTIMISM BREWING
COMPANY ON CAPITOL HILL.
AND I'M A COCHAIR OF THE
COMMISSION WITH LIZ AND A
BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE ON THE
COMMISSION.
THANKS FOR HAVING US.
>> WE'RE EXCITED YOU'RE HERE.
THE FIRST ITEM IS THE
APPOINTMENT OF JOEL SHAPIRO.
AND KEREM A A BRIEF OVERVIEW AND
INTRODUCTION.
.
>> THANK YOU.
JUST A FEW QUICK WORDS.
AS FOLKS ON THE COMMITTEE
KNOW WELL, LSAC SERVES A
VALUABLE ADVISORY FUNCTION TO
THE OFFICE AND EXECUTIVE AND
CITY COUNCIL AS WELL.
AND IT'S UNIQUE IN THAT IT
COMBINES THE BUSINESS OWNERS AND
ADVOCATES AND WORKERS AND
COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PROVIDE
INSIGHTS ON ADVANCING LABOR
STANDARDS.
COMMISSIONERS ARE INVESTED IN
IMPROVING WORK PLACE CONDITIONS
FOR WORKERS AND ENSURING THAT
BUSINESSES HAVE THE TOOLS AND
INFORMATION THEY NEED TO COMPLY
WITH LABOR STANDARDS.
I AM THRILLED TO WORK THE JOEL
SHAPIRO GOING FORWARD.
AND AS
YOU WILL HEAR FROM HIM, LIKE THE
OTHER BUSINESS OWNERS, JOEL
OFFERS THE VALUABLE PERSPECTIVE
OF RUNNING A BUSINESS AND
CREATING THE WORK OPPORTUNITIES
FOR THE WORKERS THAT VALUE THEM
AND PROTECT THEIR RIGHTS.
AND DOING THAT IN THE GIG
COMMITTEE.
AS THEY CHANGE THE FOCUS TO
THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE OF
WORK AND CREATING LABOR
STANDARDS FOR THE NEW ECONOMY,
HIS EXPERTISE WILL PROVE
INVALUABLE.
SEATTLE IS ADVANCING THE BEST
PRACTICES AND CREATING THEM.
IN THE WORK, THE INSIGHT PROVED
A VALUABLE STAKE HOLDER GROUP
FOR US TO HAVE REAL WORLD
IMPLICATIONS OF POLICY
DEVELOPMENT, ENFORCEMENT, AND
OUTREACH.
I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO
PARTNER AND WORKING WITH JOEL.
AND WITH THAT, JOEL CAN SAY A
FEW WORDS ABOUT HIMSELF.
.
>> THANKS.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
I'M ONE OF THE FOUNDERS AND
CO-CEO OF DUMPLIN.
OUR BIG GOAL IS TO REALLY LEVEL
THE PLAYER FIELD FOR WORKERS IN
THE GIG ECONOMY THROUGH AN
OWNERSHIP MODEL FOR THE GROCERY
DELIVERY BUSINESSES.
THE PERSONAL SHOPPERS CAN SET
THEIR OWN PRICES, WORK WITH THE
COMPLAINTS THEY WANT TO WORK
WITH.
AND THEY EARN SIGNIFICANTLY MORE
MONEY PER SHOP THAN THE
TRADITIONAL ON DEMAND APPS.
WE CURRENTLY SUPPORT OVER 2,000
PERSONAL SHOPPERS ACROSS THE
U.S. IN ALL 50 STATES.
AND WHEN WE FIRST FOUNDED
DUMPLING ALMOST FIVE YEARS AGO,
ONE OF THE BIG GOALS WAS TO
ELEVATE THE VOICE OF WORKERS.
AND SPECIFICALLY WORKERS, THE
WORKING CLASS.
WHAT WE DIDN'T EXPECT WAS HOW
MANY INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS,
SPECIFICALLY IN THE GIG ECONOMY,
WERE GOING TO REALLY VOICE HUGE
CONCERNS ABOUT FEELING
UNDERPAID, EXPLOITED, AND
UNDERVALUED BY THE ON DEMAND
APPS IN THE GIG ECONOMY.
SO WE QUICKLY STARTED TO REALLY
FOCUS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS
GOING ON AND LEARN ABOUT HOW
TRADITIONAL EMPLOYMENT LAW WAS
BEING SIDE STEPPED.
WHEN YOU REMOVE THE HR
DEPARTMENTS AND LAWS AND START
TO MANAGE PEOPLE BY ALLEGE
RHYTHMS AND REDUCE THEM TO A COG
IN THE WHEEL, IT EXPLOITS THE
WORKERS.
WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS
GOING ON AND BUILD A COMPANY AND
A MODEL TO CENTERED THE WORKER,
THE PEOPLE DOING SO MUCH OF THE
WORK AND MAKING THE FAST
INDUSTRIES GROW AND BUILD
SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR THEM
AND ALLOWS THEM TO DO THE GREAT
WORK THEY'RE DOING.
LISTENING IN ON THE CALL TODAY
AND HEARING SO MANY PEOPLE FROM
WORKING WASHINGTON TO ALL OF THE
DIFFERENT APP-BASED WORKERS CALL
IN AND EXPLAIN AND SHARE THEIR
EXPERIENCES, THEY ARE NOT THE
EXCEPTION.
AND SOME OF THE HORRIFYING
THINGS THAT WE HEARD ABOUT PAY
AND HOW PAY GETS REMOVED REALLY
ARE KIND OF A STANDARD.
SO WHAT REALLY EXCITING ME ABOUT
THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THE
TEAM AND THE CITY COUNCIL IS TO
BE ABLE TO SHARE THE EXPERIENCES
THAT I HAVE LEARNED, THAT OUR
TEAM HAS LEARNED ABOUT KIND OF
THE TRICKS THAT A LOT OF THE
COMPANIES DO.
HOW THEY KIND OF WORK AROUND SO
MANY OF THE THINGS AND REALLY
EXPLOIT WORKERS.
AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER
THINGS THAT WE HAVE LEARNED IN
TERMS OF WHAT'S HELPFUL AFTER
PEOPLE AND WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF
THINGS TO HELP THEM DO THE
ESSENTIAL WORK THAT HAS CARRIED
US THROUGH THE PANDEMIC.
AND TO DO SO IN A WAY THAT
ALLOWS THEM TO CREATE VALUE AND
BUILD WEALTH AND ULTIMATELY MAKE
A GOOD AND FAIR AMOUNT OF THE
MONEY THAT'S GOING IN FROM THE
WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING.
úAPPRECIATE THE TIME.
AND IT'S NICE TO BE HERE.
>> VERY INSPIRING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND THANK YOU FOR MUCH, KEREM,
FOR THE OVERVIEW.
AND WE WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO
HEAR IN A MINUTE MORE ABOUT THAT
LSAC HAS BEEN DOING AND THE
RECOMMENDATIONS.
ARE YOU ANY QUESTIONS FOR
MR. SHAPIRO?
AN EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND.
REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
VICE CHAIR HERBOLD?
.
>> NOT A QUESTION.
JUST AN EXPRESSION OF MY
APPRECIATION, JOEL, FOR SEEING
THAT THERE IS AN EXPLOITIVE
MODEL THAT HAS ELEMENTS TO THAT
EXPLOITIVE MODEL THAT APPEALS TO
PEOPLE.
AND FINDING A WAY TO OFFER A
DIFFERENT MODEL THAT STILL HAS
THOSE BENEFITS FOR WORKERS THAT
WORKERS ARE SEEKIN WITHOUT THE
EXPLOITIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOWING
WORKERS TO EMPOWER THEMSELVES.
I REALLY FEEL THAT'S INCREDIBLY
VISIONARY AND LOOK FORWARD TO
WORKING WITH YOU MORE AND
LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE WORK
THAT YOU DO.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
.
>> EXCELLENT.
VERY WELL SAID.
THANK YOU.
JOEL, I THINK THAT WE ARE READY
TO MOVE ON YOUR APPOINTMENT.
THANK YOU, AGAIN, FOR YOUR
INTEREST IN SERVING ON THIS
BOARD AND FOR THE HISTORY THAT
YOU HAVE BEEN BRINGING TO THE
DISCUSSIONS AND THE INCREDIBLE
WORK YOU HAVE DONE IN THE PAST.
I MOVE THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS
PASSAGE OF JOEL SHAPIRO.
A SECOND?
>> SECOND.
>> THANK YOU FOR MUCH.
IS THERE ADDITIONAL COMMENTS?
HEARING NONE.
PLEASE CALL THE ROLL ON THE
PASSAGE OF THE APPOINTMENT?
>> MOSQUEDA?
>> AYE.
>> HERBOLD.
>> YES.
>> GONZCEZ?
>> AYE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER LEWIS?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MORALES?
>> YES.
>> THANK YOU.
MADAME CHAIR, THAT IS FIVE IN
FAVOR AND NONE OPPOSED.
>> THANK YOU.
IT IS UNANIMOUS.
THANK YOU.
AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE
PRESENT, BUT WE WILL TAKE YOUR
MOTION TO THE APRIL 12th CITY
COUNCIL MEETING.
THE MOTION HAS CARRIED AND THE
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION WILL BE
DISCUSSED THERE ON APRIL 12th AT
THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR A
FINAL VOTE.
THANKS AGAIN.
AND THIS CONVERSATION WILL
CONTINUE ON THE ISSUES.
LET'S MOVE TO ITEM FOUR.
PLEASE READ IT INTO THE RECORD.
>> TRANSPARENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR
CONTRACT WORKERS FOR BRIEFING
AND DISCUSSION.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAME
CLERK.
AND WE STILL HAVE WITH US LIZ
FORD, GAY GILL MOTHER, MEMBERS
OF THE LABOR STANDARDS ADVISORY
COMMISSION.
KARINA BULL.
AND MR. SHAPIRO, YOU ARE WELCOME
TO STAY.
I KNOW YOU ARE BUSY.
IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO
LEAVE, NO OFFENSE TAKEN.
EXCITED TO HAVE YOU HERE AND
PARTICIPATE AS WELL.
LET US TURN IT OVER TO YOU ALL
TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING
HERE.
AND BEFORE WE DO, I WOULD LIKE
TO ASK COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD IF
YOU HAVE OPENING COMMENTS AS A
REMINDER OF WHAT WE'RE DOING
HERE TODAY AND THE CONVERSATIONS
THAT ARE TO COME?
>> THANK YOU.
YOU'RE SO KIND.
YOU'RE KIND TO GIVE ME AN
OPPORTUNITY TO SAY A FEW WORDS.
YOU'RE ESPECIALLY KIND TO MAKE
TIME IN YOUR COMMITTEE TO
DISCUSS THIS ISSUE AS I THINK
FOLKS KNOW, IT'S A LEGACY ISSUE
FOR ME FROM WHEN ONCE UPON A
TIME, I HAD THE OFFICE OF LABOR
STANDARDS IN MY COMMITTEE.
DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME,
I WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN
EXPLORING THE DEFINITIONS OF
WHAT IS CONSIDERED A
MISCLASSIFIED WORKER AND WHAT IS
SOMEBODY CONSIDERED AN EMPLOYEE.
AND I WAS FEELING AT THE TIME
THAT MORE AND MORE OF THE WORK
FORCE WAS BEING MISCLASSIFIED AS
CONTRACT EMPLOYEES AND THUS NOT
ENTITLED TO THE GROWING NUMBER
OF WORKERS RIGHTS THAT WE WERE,
ALONG WITH WORKERS, FIGHTING TO
PASS IN OUR CITY.
SO ON ONE HAND, WE WERE
INCREASING WORKERS' RIGHTS FOR
EMPLOYEES.
ON THE OTHER HAND, MORE AND MORE
PEOPLE WERE BEING CLASSIFIED, I
BELIEVE, MISCLASSIFIED, AS
CONTRACT WORKERS AND NOT BEING
ABLE TO BENEFIT FOR THOSE
INCREASED RIGHTS.
AND SO -- AND THIS IS A
TENSION NATIONALLY AS WELL, THE
QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT WE
MAKE A LEGAL ARGUMENT OR A
LEGISLATIVE ARGUMENT THAT PEOPLE
WHO ARE CLASSIFIED AS
CONTRACTORS ARE -- THAT THERE'S
A DIFFERENT TEST TO DETERMINE
WHETHER OR NOT THEY'RE EMPLOYEES
OR WHETHER OR NOT WE JUST SIMPLY
EXTEND THE RIGHTS THAT WE HAVE
EXTENDED TO EMPLOYEES TO PEOPLE
WHO ARE RIGHTLY OR WRONGLY
CLASSIFIED AS CONTRACT WORKERS.
AND SO BECAUSE THIS
NATIONAL DEBATE HAS BEEN GOING
ON ABOUT THOUSAND APPROACH THIS
GROWING ISSUE, THIS GROWING
PROBLEM, I WORKED WITH COUNCIL
TO PASS RESOLUTION 31863 THAT
CALLED ON LSAC TO DEVELOP
RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COUNCIL
FOR HOW WE SHOULD ADDRESS THIS
ISSUE.
LAST MAY, THEY SENT A MEMO TO
COUNCIL WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
WHAT THEY DESCRIBE AS A FIRST
MODEST STEP FORWARD TO CREATE
MORE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESS TO
INFORMATION AMONG THOSE
CURRENTLY CLASSIFIED AS
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS.
AND WE'LL HEAR MORE FROM THEM
ABOUT THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS,
INCLUDING POLICY REQUIRING
HIRING ENTITIES TO PROVIDE
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
INFORMATION SO THAT THEY CAN
UNDERSTAND THE TERMS OF THEIR
ENGAGEMENT AND DETERMINE WHETHER
OR NOT THOSE HAVE BEEN
SATISFIED.
AND THANK YOU FOR
MAKING THE TIME HERE.
MANY THANKS TO ALL THE MEMBERS
FROM LSAC FOR ENGAGING WHEN THE
COUNCIL ASKED THAT YOU TAKE ON
THE ISSUE WITH PASSAGE OF OUR
RESOLUTION.
AND THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE TO PRESENT TO US
TODAY.
FOR THANK YOU TO KEREM AND THE
CENTRAL STAFF FOR TAKING THE
TIME TO BE HERE IN CASE THERE
ARE TECHNICAL QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND WE DO HAVE A MEMO FROM THE
OFFICE OF -- FROM THE COMMISSION
TO THE OFFICE OF LABOR STANDARDS
ALSO IN THE MATERIALS FROM MAY 6
OF 2020 AS A REFRESHER AS WELL.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO LIZ.
THANK YOU, VICE CHAIR.
WE HAVE ABOUT 20 MINUTES FOR THE
PRESENTATION.
AROUND 11:35, WE'LL TRY TO WRAP
UP.
LIZ, TAKE IT AWAY.
>> OF COURSE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE AND INVITING US HERE TO
PRESENT ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS
THAT WE MADE TO OLS IN MAY OF
2020, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A
LIFETIME AGO, GIVEN ALL THAT WE
HAVE BEEN THROUGH BETWEEN THEN
AND NOW.
SO IN THIS VERY SHORT
PRESENTATION, I WILL TAKE SOME
TIME TO INTRODUCE THE COMMISSION
AND HOW WE CAME TO THIS
RECOMMENDATION AND DESCRIBE THE
BASICS OF IT.
AND THEN I'LL TURN IT OVER TO
GAY, WHO WILL THEN TALK THROUGH
SOME OF THE CONFERENCE
LIMITATIONS THAT WE RECOMMEND
AND ALSO TOUCH ON OUTREACH AND
ENFORCEMENT.
AND SO LET ME START BY NOT
FOR SO MUCH COUNCILMEMBERS WHO I
KNOW ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH
LSAC, BUT FOR ANYONE LISTENING
WHO DOESN'T KNOW WHAT LSAC IS.
I WANT TO TAKE A SECOND AND SAY
THE COMMISSION WAS FORMED IN
2014 AS A PART OF COUNCIL'S
CREATION OF THE OFFICE OF LABOR
STANDARDS AND IT'S VERY
INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO
ENFORCEMENT AND OUTREACH.
THE IDEA WAS TO CONTINUE TO
PROVIDE A SPACE FOR BUSINESS,
WORKER ADVOCATES, AND COMMUNITY
ADVOCATES TO COME TOGETHER AND
MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE
OFFICE, COUNCIL, AND THE MAYOR.
YOU CAN SEE HERE I JUST
EXTRACTED FROM THE ORDINANCE THE
OVERALL GOAL OF LSAC AND HOW
THAT GOAL IS MET.
SO THE QUESTION THEN IS HOW IS
THE COMMISSION COMPRISED?
IT'S 15 MEMBERS TOTAL.
SEVEN OF
THOSE APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR.
SEVEN APPOINTED BY COUNCIL.
AND ONE APPOINTED BY THE
COMMISSION ITSELF.
AND YOU HAVE
JUST CONFIRMED OIRS FOR WHICH WE
ARE GRATEFUL AND EXCITED TO HAVE
JOEL WITH US.
THE COMMISSION ITSELF SHOULD BE
ROUGHLY EQUALLY COMPRISED OF
BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVES, WORKER
ADVOCATES, AND COMMUNITY
ADVOCATES.
I'LL SHOW YOU A VISUAL TO GIVE
YOU A SENSE OF WHO WE ARE RIGHT
NOW.
SO THIS LITTLE -- THIS SET
OF LOGOS, REALLY, DESCRIBES THE
MEMBERSHIP OF COMMISSION.
AS OF NOW, IT INCLUDES THE
SEVERAL MAYORAL NOMINEES BEFORE
YOU IN THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS
FOR CONFIRMATION.
YOU CAN SEE WE'RE GETTING THERE
IN TERMS OF GETTING THAT TIDE
BALANCE.
AND THEN THE NEXT QUESTION IS
HOW DO WE COME TO MAKE THIS
RECOMMENDATION?
WELL, THE COMMISSION CREATED
ACTUALLY BACK IN 2018,
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, AS YOU
WERE THINKING ABOUT THIS
QUESTION OF DEFINITIONS, THE
COMMISSION CREATED A WORKING
GROUP TO THINK ABOUT THE SAME
THING.
AND THE COMPOSITION OF THE WORK
GROUP IS ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE
OF YOUR SLIDE.
MONA SMITH, MYSELF, ARTIE, AND
ANTHONY BURNETTE.
THAT GROUP DID THE GROUND WORK
AND CAME UP WITH THE
RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU HAVE
SEEN AND I WILL DESCRIBE A
LITTLE BIT.
THIS IS A ROUGH TIME LINE.
SO THE WORKING GROUP COMPLETED
ITS FIRST RECOMMENDATION IN
APRIL OF 2020, SENT IT TO --
APPROVED IT, THE COMMISSION AS A
WHOLE CONSIDERED AND APPROVED IT
IN MAY OF 2020.
AND WE FORWARDED IT ON TO YOU IN
JUNE.
AND WE ARE DELIGHTED TO HAVE
THIS INVITATION IN FEBRUARY.
THE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR
WORKING GROUP CONTINUES ON
SLIGHTLY THE COMPOSITION'S
CHANGED SLIGHTLY TO INCLUDE
JOEL, OF COURSE, AND ALSO GAY.
SO THE CHARGE FROM YOU IN THE
RESOLUTION FROM 2019.
THERE IT IS.
ASKING US TO PROVIDE INPUT
TO OLS ON THIS VERY DIFFICULT
QUESTION.
AND THE -- AS THE WORKING
GROUP STARTED ON ITS WORK, WE
QUICKLY DISCOVERED THAT IT WOULD
BE IMPORTANT IN ORDER FOR US TO
ACHIEVE CONSENSUS TO TAKE THIS
IN BITES.
SO WE DID THAT.
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE AND HAVE
SEEN THAT OUR RECOMMENDATION IS
TARGETED.
IT IS NOT INTENDED TO BE
MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE WITH OTHER
MEANS AND METHODS OF ADDRESSING
THE QUETION OF INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTOR MISCLASSIFICATION AND
ALSO EXPLOITATION.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE
NOTICED IN THE RESOLUTION IS
THAT ONE OF THE WHEREAS CLAUSES
LED US TO THE WASHINGTON
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE STUDY.
AND WE TOOK A LOOK AT THAT.
AND THERE WAS ONE THING THAT
JUMPED OUT AT US QUICKLY.
THAT WAS THAT THIS GRAPHIC HERE,
WHICH I'LL DESCRIBE IN A SECOND,
SUGGESTED THAT THERE'S A REALLY
BASIC INFORMATION GAP WITH
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR WORKERS.
THE TOP LINE, THAT RED LINE,
INDICATES THE 1099 FILINGS, THE
SORT OF PERCENTAGE OF 1099
FILINGS.
THE BOTTOM TWO LINES ARE
SELF-REPORTED STATUS.
HOW DO PEOPLE SUPPORT
THEMSELVES?
THERE'S A MAJOR GAP THERE.
IF WORKERS ARE NOT EVEN SURE IF
THEY'RE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS,
IT WAS LIKELY TO US THAT THEY
LACKED OTHER REALLY BASIC
INFORMATION.
AND IN FACT, WE KNEW THIS TO BE
TRUE FROM OUR OWN EXPERIENCE ON
THE TASK FORCE.
AND WE HAVE FOLKS THAT
REPRESENT LOW WAGE WORKERS IN
EMPLOYMENT CLAIMS AND FOLKS WHO
ORGANIZE LOW WAGE AND GIG
WORKERS, AS WELL AS BUSINESSES
THAT INTERACT WITH INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTOR WORKERS.
THIS WAS CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE
BELIEVE TO BE TRUE, WHICH IS
THERE IS A SERIOUS INFORMATION
DEFICIT, ESPECIALLY AMONG LOW
WAGE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR
WORKERS.
SO WE LOOKED AT WHAT'S
BASIC INFORMATION THAT AN
EMPLOYEE WOULD BE ENTITLED TO
UNDER SEATTLE ORDINANCES.
HERE IT IS.
IT'S THE KIND OF INFORMATION
NECESSARY TO LOOK AT WHAT WAS I
SUPPOSED TO BE PAID.
WHAT WAS I ACTUALLY PAID?
DO THEY MATCH?
WHO IS MY EMPLOYER?
HOW DO I GET IN TOUCH WITH THEM?
WHAT'S MY RATE OF PAY?
IS THERE TIPPING?
AM I PAID ON COMMISSION?
WHEN SHOULD I GET PAID?
TO COMPARE, ON THE PAY STUB, YOU
NEED A VERSION OF THAT SAME SET
OF INFORMATION.
FROM THAT, WE THOUGHT, WELL,
WHAT SEEMS VERY SENSIBLE TO US
IS TO -- A POLICY THAT REQUIRES
THE SAME SORT OF PARALLEL SET OF
INFORMATION.
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR WORKERS
SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE
TERMS OF THEIR ENGAGEMENT AND
FIGURE OUT IF THEY HAVE BEEN
PAID RIGHT.
AND THIS IS, COUNCILMEMBER
HERBOLD, THE PIECE THAT YOU
CALLED OUT AT THE TOP.
THIS IS INTENDED TO BE A FIRST
STEP.
AND NOT A LAST STEP.
ALL RIGHT.
SO HERE IS THE SAME VISUAL
DEPICTION OF THE INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTOR DISCLOSURES WE'RE
PROPOSING OR RECOMMENDING.
THERE IS A PRECONTRACT SET AND A
TIME OF PAYMENT SET.
AND THEY LOOK VERY SIMILAR.
WITH SOME IMPORTANT
DISTINCTIONS.
SO WHO IS MY HIRING ENTITY,
HOW DO I CONTACT THEM?
HOW AM I BEING PAID?
AND IMPORTANTLY, WHAT ARE THE
TYPICAL EXPENSES THAT WILL BE
UNREIMBURSED?
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT TO PAY OUT
OF MY POCKET AND DEDUCT FROM HOW
I'M BUDGETING.
HOW AM I PAID?
IS THIS A FLAT RATE, WHAT IS
THIS?
IF THERE'S TIPPING, HOW DOES
THAT WORK?
AND WHEN DO I GET PAID?
TIME OF PAYMENT, WHAT DID I JUST
GET PAID FOR?
THAT'S IMPORTANT IN THE
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR
CIRCUMSTANCE TO US BECAUSE IT
COULD BE A PER ITEM PAYMENT.
WHAT AM I BEING PAID FOR NOW?
HOW AM I BEING PAID?
ARE THERE TIPS?
DID YOU DEDUCT ANYTHING?
SO THAT'S SORT OF THE BASIC
RECOMMENDATION.
I'LL TURN IT OVER TO GAY TO GO A
LITTLE FURTHER AND TALK ABOUT
SOME OF THE DETAILS.
>> THANKS, LIZ.
THE JAZZ OF WHAT WE'RE
ADVOCATING FOR IS OF COURSE
LETTING PEOPLE KNOW WHAT THEIR
LABOR IS GOING FOR.
IN PLAIN ENGLISH AND REPEATEDLY.
IF YOU'RE WORKING FOR SOMEONE,
YOU DESERVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW
ALL OF THE THINGS THAT LIZ WAS
TALKING ABOUT.
IF YOU'RE AN EMPLOYEE, AN
EMPLOYER RELATIONSHIP, IT SHOULD
BE NO DIFFERENT IF YOU'RE AN
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AND A
HIRING ENTITY RELATIONSHIP.
WE REALLY AND TRULY BELIEVE THAT
HAVING THIS SUNLIGHT INTO WHAT'S
HAPPENING WILL BE THE BEST FIRST
STEP IN PROTECTING OUR MOST
VULNERABLE WORKERS BY
STANDARDIZING THIS DISCLOSURE.
AND IT COULD BE THAT A
CONSEQUENCE OF NOT HAVING THIS
PROPER DISCLOSURE MEANS THAT
YOU'RE IN AN ASSUMED EMPLOYER
RELATIONSHIP.
SO IT KIND OF UPS THE STAKES IF
YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE THIS
KIND OF COMMON DISCLOSURE.
SO WHEN IT COMES TIME TO
IMPLEMENTING THIS, RIGHT, WE
WERE TALKING ORIGINALLY ABOUT
EXACTLY HOW TO STOP
MISCLASSIFICATION.
AND I THINK WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS
THE FIRST STEP IN THE POLICY IS
TO PROVIDE A COMMON DISCLOSURE.
AND ONCE WE'RE IMPLEMENTS THIS
AS ACTUAL REGULATION, THERE ARE
SOME ADDITIONAL CONSEQUENCES.
SO OUTREACH AND PROVIDING SOME
TYPE OF STANDARDIZATION, AS WELL
AS MAKING SURE WE'RE NOT
SWEEPING UP PEOPLE IN THE
LEGISLATION THAT WE DON'T WANT
TO IS CRITICAL.
ALONG THOSE TERMS, WE'RE
SUGGESTS OLS PROVIDE A GREAT
WEBSITE TO WALK WORKERS AND
EMPLOYERS IN HIRING ENTITIES
THROUGH A FLOWCHART TO DETERMINE
THE RELATIONSHIP THEY'RE IN AND
WHAT DISCLOSURES ARE NEEDED IN
SOME OF THE MOST COMMON CASES.
WE KNOW WHAT A LOT OF THE COMMON
CASES ARE.
AS WELL AS MAKING SURE THAT WE
ARE NOT SWEEPING UP CERTAIN
GROUPS UNNECESSARILY.
SO NEXT SLIDE, LIZ.
AND ACTUALLY -- YEAH.
THERE WE GO.
SOME OF THESE COVERAGE
LIMITATIONS ARE SOME OF THE SAME
THINGS IN THE OTHER OLS
REGULATIONS.
MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE NOT
SWEEPING UP JUST THE SMALLEST
BUSINESSES.
SO OUR SUGGESTION IS TO COVER
ANYONE WHO IS RETAINING FIVE OR
MORE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS ON
A CONSISTENT BASIS.
SO OBVIOUSLY, THE LARGEST GROUPS
OF HIRING ENTITIES LIKE
TEMPORARY AGENCIES, THE ONLINE
PLATFORM HIRING AGENCIES.
NOT NECESSARILY BRINGING IN THE
SMALLEST OF BUSINESSES.
LIKE WISE, WE DON'T WANT TO
SWEEP IN SOME OF THE SHORT-TERM
CONTRACTORS.
EVEN AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE MYSELF,
HIRING A PLUMBER OR THE
RELATIONSHIP I HAVE WITH A HAIR
STYLIST, SOME OF THESE THINGS,
YOU KNOW, THESE ARE INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTOR RELATIONSHIPS, BUT WE
DON'T WANT TO SWEEP THEM UP
UNDER THIS LEGISLATION.
THIS IS NOT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO
PROTECT AGAINST.
ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE DON'T WANT
TO SWEEP IN SOME OF THE LARGEST
BUT NOT VULNERABLE WORKERS WHO
ARE TYPICALLY IN INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTOR RELATIONSHIPS.
AND OUR SUGGESTION IS ANYBODY
MAKING OVER $75,000 A YEAR.
THE GOAL IS AT THE BASELINE IS
TO PROVIDE ALL WORKERS OF THEIR
RIGHTS WHILE PROTECTING THE MOST
VULNERABLE WORKERS FROM -- AT
THE SAME TIME.
NEXT SLIDE, LIZ.
SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE TO
THINK THROUGH ENFORCEMENT.
WE'RE THE LABOR STANDARDS
ADVISORY COMMISSION.
WE ADVISE
THE OFFICE OF LABOR STANDARDS.
WHAT THEY DO IS A LOT OF
ENFORCEMENT AND OUTREACH AND
EDUCATION.
THESE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL
SUGGESTIONS THAT WE MADE.
UNLIKE OTHER LABOR STANDARDS,
THIS ONLY REQUIRES NOTICE.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BEING
UPFRONT WITH THE WORKERS AND
REPEATEDLY INFORMING THEM ABOUT
WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
WE TALK
ABOUT IT AS HAVING A NUTRITIONAL
FAX BOX AROUND YOUR LABOR
CONTRACT, WHAT YOU'RE GETTING
PAID FOR.
IT SHOULD BE VERY CLEAR AND EASY
TO UNDERSTAND.
IF WE CAN PUT IT ON EVERY
PACKAGED FOOD, WE SHOULD BE ABLE
TO PUT IT ON EVERY WORKER AND
GIVE THEM THE RIGHTS THEY
DESERVE.
SO WITH THIS, BECAUSE IT IS ONLY
NOTICE, WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL
BECAUSE THERE WILL BE UNIQUE
ENFORCEMENT MODELS AROUND IT.
AND OF COURSE, WE ARE GOING
TO HAVE TO DO A TON OF OUTREACH
AND EDUCATION.
AS LIZ WAS MENTIONING, WE HAVE
PEOPLE WHO DON'T REALIZE THAT
THEY ARE IN AN INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTOR RELATIONSHIP WITH
THEIR COMPANY.
SO THIS IS GOING TO REQUIRE A
LOT MORE OUTREACH TO THE
WORKERS, THE HIRING ENTITIES, AS
WELL AS EVEN INDIVIDUALS WHO
WILL NOW WORRY THAT THEY MIGHT
BE BEING SWEPT INTO THIS LABOR
STANDARD.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GOING TO
BE SOME IMPLICATIONS TO IT.
ONE THING IN SUMMARY, WE OF
COURSE, OUR WHOLE COMMISSION IS
ABOUT PROTECTING WORKERS.
I WAS VERY MOVED BY THE PUBLIC
COMMENT AT THE OPENING OF THIS
MEETING.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE THINK
TRANSPARENCY IS A KEY FOUNDATION
TO PROTECTING WORKERS' RIGHTS.
AND WE BELIEVE THAT AS MORE AND
MORE PEOPLE BECOME INDEPENDENT
CONTRACTORS, THEY DESERVE THIS
SAME SORT OF PROTECTION.
AND THIS IS A CRITICAL FIRST
STEP IN ENABLING PEOPLE TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR LABOR IS,
UNDERSTAND WHAT THE EXPENSES
ARE, FIGURE OUT HOW THEY'RE
GOING TO BE PAID SO THEY CAN
TAKE ACTION WHEN THINGS ARE
NOT -- WHEN THEY ARE NOT GETTING
WHAT THEY DESERVE, WHAT WAS
DISCLOSED TO THEM SO THAT THEY
CAN HAVE SOME ACTION OR WORK
WITH US OR THE OFFICE OF LABOR
STANDARDS TO COME BACK ON
ENFORCING THAT.
LIZ, BACK TO YOU IF YOU
HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANTED TO
SAY IN SUMMARY..
>> THANKS SO MUCH FOR GIVING US
THIS OPPORTUNITY.
WE WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU
HAVE THEM.
>> COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD,
ANYTHING IN CLOSING?
>> JUST CURIOUS, YOU TOUCHED
UPON THE FACT THAT A POLICY LIKE
THIS WOULD BENEFIT FROM A UNIQUE
ENFORCEMENT APPROACH.
I'M JUST WONDERING HAVE YOU --
DO YOU HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT
THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE AND WHETHER
OR NOT THERE WOULD BE PENALTIES
AND FINES AND HOW THOSE MIGHT BE
SOUGHT BY AN AGGRIEVED
CONTRACTOR?
>> YEAH.
SO COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, WE
HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT.
ACTUALLY, YOU CAN SEE IN THE
RECOMMENDATION ITSELF, WE DIDN'T
MAKE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS ON
THAT.BUT WE HAVE DISCUSSED IT S.
AND THERE WERE A COUPLE OF KEY
PRINCIPLES ABOUT IT.
ONE IS THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT AT LEAST WITH THIS TARGETED
PROPOSAL THAT WE ARE NOT
CREATING AN INSURMOUNTABLE
BURDEN ON THE OFFICER OF LABOR
STANDARDS WITHOUT MATCHING THAT
WITH RESOURCES.
RECOGNIZE THAT AND EMPHASIZE THE
OUTREACH.
IN TERMS OF ENFORCEMENT, A
COUPLE OF PIECES.
ONE IS WE WOULD ENVISION SORT OF
A ALMOST LIKE A PARKING TICKET.
A LIMITED INVESTIGATION CITATION
PROCESS THAT -- WITH THE
POSSIBILITY, I SUPPOSE, OF AN
APPEAL.
JUST VERY LIMITEDED CITATION
PROCESS.
MORE OF THE POINT, AND YOU HAVE
THIS ALREADY IN THE EMPLOYMENT
CONTEXT, IF YOU CREATE -- I'M
GOING TO SOUND LIKE A LAWYER.
IF YOU CREATE AN EVIDENTIARY
PRESUMPTION THAT IF YOU FAIL TO
GIVE THIS NOTICE, WHAT THE
WORKER SAYS IS PRESUMED TO BE
TRUE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF I AM HANGING
DRY WALL FOR JOE'S DRY WALL, JOE
DIDN'T GIVE ME ANY DISCLOSURES.
I THOUGHT THE TERMS WERE $50 AN
HOUR.
JOE THOUGHT THE TERMS WERE $40
AN HOUR.
WHEN WE END UP IN SMALL CLAIMS
COURT, IS JUDGE HAS NO CHOICE
BUT TO ACCEPT MY VERSION OF THE
FACTS.
SO THAT'S A WAY THAT YOU COULD
MAKE IT SELF-ENFORCEABLE.
THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF IDEAS WE
HAVE TALKED ABOUT.
THE THIRD IS THE ONE THAT GAY
MENTIONED.
IF YOU FAIL TO GIVE THE NOTICE,
YOU'RE PRESUMED TO BE AN
EMPLOYER.
ANYTHING YOU WANT TO ADD,
GAY?
OKAY.
>> YEAH.
I CAUGHT THAT.
THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING
CONCEPT.
IT CREATES A DETERRENT
EFFECT, I THINK, FOR THOSE WHO
ARE OPERATING AS A CONTRACTOR
EMPLOYER FOR THE PURPOSE OF
AVOIDING THE RIGHTS AND
RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN EMPLOYER
TO THEIR EMPLOYEES.
THAT'S I THINK AN INTERESTING
CONCEPT THAT I HADN'T
CONSIDERED.
BUT REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
MAY I ASK ONE MORE
QUESTION?
>> YES.
>> SO WE I THINK YOU
ACKNOWLEDGED LISTENING TO PUBLIC
COMMENT TODAY.
WE HEARD TESTIMONY FROM FOLKS
SUPPORTING WHAT'S BEING CALLED A
PAYUP POLICY CAMPAIGN THAT
INCLUDES A MINIMUM PAY THAT
GUARANTEES WORKERS MAKE MORE
THAN A MINIMUM WAGE AFTER
EXPENSES, MAKES CLEAR THAT TIPS
ARE ON TOP, PROTECTING
FLEXIBILITY, HAS TRANSPARENCY
RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL AS.
AND JUST INTERESTED TO HEAR
FROM LSAC HOW THE
RECOMMENDATIONS YOU'RE MAKING
TODAY CAN LEAD US TOWARD HAVING
THAT OTHER NEXT IMPORTANT
DISCUSSION AROUND THE -- NOT
JUST THE TRANSPARENCY AROUND THE
REMUNERATION THAT WORKERS
RECEIVE FOR THEIR LABOR, BUT
REGULATING SOME OF OUR
EXPECTATIONS IN A WAY THAT
ENSURES THAT IT'S NOT CONTINUING
TO BE AN EXPLOITIVE MODEL.
.
>> I CAN TAKE A STAB AT THAT.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE HEARD WAS
THAT TRANSPARENCY IS REALLY
IMPORTANT.
AND SPECIFICALLY FOR WORKERS IN
THE GIG ECONOMY, IT'S OFTEN
TIMES A BLACK BOX ALGORITHM WITH
NO IDEA OF WHAT'S USED TO
CALCULATE THEIR ACTUAL PAY.
THAT OFTEN TIMES IS CHANGED
CONSTANTLY.
I THINK PART OF THE GOAL HERE IS
IF WE CAN PROVIDE TRANSPARENCY
AND A VEHICLE FOR TRANSPARENCY
TO GET THAT IN WRITING AND GET
THAT DOWN, I THINK THEN FUTURE
STEPS OF LOOKING AT WHAT IS PAY,
DOES THAT MATCH KIND OF THE
PAYUP LEGISLATION AND IDEAS, IS
THERE A MISMATCH THERE, I THINK
WILL HELP MOVING FORWARD TO
REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE THE
TERMS OF THE PAY, IS IT BELOW
MINIMUM WAGE, SHOULD IT BE MORE,
HOW ARE EXPENSES CALCULATED?
THIS IS A FIRST STEP TO BE ABLE
TO ENFORCE AS WELL AS JUST MORE
CLEARLY ARTICULATE THE
EXPECTATIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
FOR MEETING THOSE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO WE WILL HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THIS TOPIC
AGAIN IN THE COMMITTEE I BELIEVE
THE NEXT MEETING AND THE MEETING
AFTER THAT.
THANK YOU FOR TEEING THIS UP AND
ALL OF YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> YOU'RE WELCOME.
WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL BEING
THERE.
AND THANKS FOR WALKING US
THROUGH THE ITEM.
>> I JUST WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT
IN THATTIVE BEEN WORKING WITH
KARINA ON DRAFT LEGISLATION TO
IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF
LSAC IN THIS AREA.
BUT I AM, AS ALWAYS, OPEN TO
WORKING WITH MEMBERS OF THIS
COMMITTEE IF THERE ARE STEPS
THAT WE WANT TO TAKE TOWARD THE
RECOMMENDATION OF THE PAYUP
CAMPAIGN WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF
THIS BILL.
OR PERHAPS WE WANT TO CREATE
SOME EXPECTATIONS FOR OURSELVES
WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THIS BILL
FOR NEXT STEPS AROUND THE PAYUP
PROPOSALS.
I'M OPEN TO HOW WE MIGHT DO
THAT, UNDERSTANDING THERE IS A
LOT OF OVERLAP BETWEEN THE
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE HAVE
BEFORE US TODAY FROM LSAC AND
WHAT WE ARE HEARING FROM GIG
WORKERS.
AND I JUST WANT TO
HIGHLIGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN
THOUGH I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON A
BILL THAT FOCUSED ON THESE
PARTICULAR RECOMMENDATIONS, I'M
OPEN TO WORKING WITH YOU TO
ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT
WE HAVE HEARD TODAY IN PUBLIC
COMMENT.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
WE WILL FOLLOW UP
OFFLINE ABOUT THAT.
THANKS, EVERYONE.
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY.
AND
WE WILL SEE YOU VERY SOON.
OKAY.
COULD YOU READ ITEM FIVE INTO
THE RECORD?
.
>> COUNSEL BILL 120018.
AN ORDINANCE RELATED TO GRANT
FUNDS FROM NONCITY SOURCES FOR
BRIEFING, DISCUSSION, AND
POSSIBLE VOTE.
>> EXCELLENT.
I SEE DIRECTOR ALVARADO IF THE
OFFICE OF HOUSING, TRACI RATS
CLIFF AND BRIAN GOODNIGHT AND
ERIC MCCONAGHY.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
THIS BILL WAS DISCUSSED IN
OUR LAST COMMITTEE.
THIS IS TIED TO THE DECEMBER
2020 COVID RELIEF BILL THAT
CONGRESS PASSED.
THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY
HERE IN CITY COUNCIL FINALLY TO
HAVE THE CONVERSATION WE HAD
BEEN LONG ANTICIPATING THAT
LEGISLATION WAS TRANSMITTED TO
US JUST BEFORE OUR LAST
COMMITTEE MEETING.
AND WE NOW HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO REALLY WALK THROUGH THE
PROPOSAL AMENDMENTS IN FRONT OF
US AND I ASK THAT WE GO THROUGH
THE PRESENTATION AND GO AHEAD
AND SAVE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS
SPECIFIC FOR EACH OF THE
AMENDMENTS AS WE HAVE THEM.
TRACI, DO YOU HAVE A
PRESENTATION?
>> I DO.
VERY BRIEFLY.
I WILL START TO SHARE MY SCREEN
HERE.
I AM JOINED BY MY CENTRAL
STAFF COLLEAGUES BRIAN GOODNIGHT
AND ERIC MCCONAUGHEY, WHO ARE
KNOWLEDGE ABLE ABOUT THE
PROGRAMS SHOULD QUESTIONS COME
UP ABOUT THE PROGRAMS IN LIGHT
OF THE LEGISLATION THAT DOES
INCLUDE UTILITY FUNDING.
AS YOU INDICATED, COUNCILMEMBER
MOSQUEDA, THERE WAS AN INITIAL
PRESENTATION DISCUSSION OF
COUNCIL BILL 120018 TO ALLOCATE
$22 MILLION OF FEDERAL FUNDS FOR
RENTAL AND UTILITY ASSISTANCE.
ON THURSDAY OF LAST WEEK, I
E-MAILED TO THE COUNCILMEMBERS A
MEMO THAT PROVIDED A SUMMARY OF
THE LEGISLATION AND THE THREE
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS WE DISCUSSED
IN THE MEETING.
SO JUST VERY BRIEFLY, TO REMIND
YOU, $22 MILLION ALLOCATED,
PROPOSED TO BE ALLOCATED
CONSISTENT WITH THE WAY THAT WE
ALLOCATED ABOUT $9 MILLION OF
RENTAL ASSISTANCE THAT THE CITY
RECEIVED LAST YEAR.
PROPOSED USES INCLUDE RENT AND
UTILITY ASSISTANCE.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, AGAIN,
PEOPLE QUALIFY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT
AND EXPERIENCED A REDUCTION OF
HOUSEHOLD INCOME.
A RISK OF EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS OR HOUSING
STABILITY AND INCOME AT OR BELOW
80% OF MEDIAN INCOME.
ELIGIBLE COSTS, 90% HAS TO GO
FOR DIRECT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE,
INCLUDING RENT, UTILITIES, AND
HOME.
AND UP TO 10% SPENT FOR HOUSING
STABILITY SERVICES AND COST.
AND JUST TO REMIND US ABOUT THE
ONGOING NEED FOR RENTAL
ASSISTANCE, THE LATEST POLL
SURVEY DONE BY THE CENSUS BUREAU
SHOWED THAT MORE THAN 13,000
SEATTLE RENTERS ARE BEHIND ON
THE RENTER PAYMENTS.
TYPICAL ARREARS FROM ONE AND A
HALF TO THREE MONTHS OR $1,000
TO $3,000.
AND THERE'S A DISPROPORTIONATE
NUMBER OF THOSE IN THE LATINO
AND BLACK HOUSEHOLDS, INDICATING
THEY ARE DELINQUENT ON THE RENT
PAYMENTS.
IN ALLOCATION, $8 MILLION IS
PROPOSED TO GO TO THE UNITED WAY
TO PROVIDE RENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR
LOW INCOME TENANTS.
AND ALLOW SMALL LANDLORDS TO
APPLY.
AND $7 MILLION TO THE OFFICE OF
HOUSING FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE
FOR THE LOW INCOME TENANTS AND
AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
$6.2 MILLION TO COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE RENTAL
ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT SERVICES
FOR THE TENANTS.
AND $1.5 MILLION TO SEATTLE CITY
LIGHT AND PUBLIC UTILITIES.
THAT WOULD BE USED
FOR EMERGENCY UTILITY ASSISTANCE
FOR LOW INCOME RENTERS WITHOUT
STANDING UTILITY BILLS.
IN TERMS OF THE PROPOSED
AMENDMENTS -- ARE THE QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE LEGISLATION AS
PROPOSED?
>> IF YOU COULD GO BACK A PAGE,
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS EXPRESSED
A LOT OF INTEREST IN SUPPORT
WITH MAKING SURE THAT CVOs GET
DIRECT CASH ASSISTANCE AS YOUR
PREVIOUS SLIDE SHOWED.
TWICE AS MANY INDIVIDUALS
WHO ARE FROM AFRICAN AMERICAN
AND LATINO COMMUNITIES ARE
FACING EVICTION COMPARED TO
WHITE COUNTERPARTS.
THE QUESTION I HAVE ABOUT THE
CBO ALLOCATIONOVER FUNDS IS DO
WE HAVE A LIST OF THE PROPOSED
ORGANIZATIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR
DISPENSING RENTAL ASSISTANCE?
IS THERE AN OVERSIGHT PROCESS IN
TERMS OF COMMUNITY INDIVIDUALS
DIRECTLY EXPERIENCING EVICTION
AND THE ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE
HELPING THE INDIVIDUALS
EXPERIENCING EVICTION AND HAVING
A ROLE IN PROVIDING
RECOMMENDATIONS AND
ACCOUNTABILITY AND OVERSIGHT TO
MAKE SURE THAT THE PROCESS IS
INDEED ADDRESSING THE
DISPARITIES THAT WE SEE?
>> I THINK I'M GOING TO HAVE
EMILY FROM THE OFFICE OF HOUSING
RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION.
>> COUNCILMEMBERS, SO THE
PROPOSAL FOR THE COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS IS THAT WE WILL
PROCEED WITH A REALLY LIGHT
TOUCH RFQ PROCESS, AN
APPLICATION PROCESS, THAT WOULD
SEEK TO IDENTIFY COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS WHO HAVE
EXPERIENCED PROVIDING RENTAL
ASSISTANCE AND WHO HAVE
EXPERTISE SERVING COMMUNITIES
WHO ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY
IMPACTED BY COVID AND BY HOUSING
INSTABILITY.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE
DONE A LOT OF OUTREACH AND
ENGAGEMENT ALREADY WITH
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
BECAUSE THERE ARE RENTAL
ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE
BEEN PREVIOUSLY RUN BY THE HUMAN
SERVICES DEPARTMENT IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HOUSING
LEVY, WITH THE STATE, AND WITH
THE COUNTY.
THERE ALREADY ARE MANY
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
WHO HAVE DONE THIS WORK.
AND WE HAVE BEEN TALKING TO
GROUPS LIKE BIRD FAR PLACE AND
CHEAP SEATTLE CLUB AND HOUSING
SERVICES AS EXAMPLE.
INTERIM CD A AS EXAMPLES OF
AGENCIES WHO EXPRESS INTEREST
AND FIT THE CATEGORY OF
ESSENTIALLY BEING BIPOC LED IN
RENTAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES.
WE'LL SEE HOW MANY FOLKS APPLY
THROUGH THAT PROCESS WITH THE
GOAL OF TURNING IT AROUND VERY
QUICKLY AND ALLOWING THEM TO
HAVE THE MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY AS
ALLOWED BY THE FEDERAL
GUIDELINES TO THEN ADMINISTER
THOSE RESOURCES ON BEHALF OF
THEIR COMMUNITY.
.
>> OKAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THAT'S HELPFUL.
I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF
COMMUNITY OF COLOR-LED
ORGANIZATIONS WHO STEPPED IN TO
PROVIDE COVID RELIEF DURING THE
LAST YEAR WHO TYPICALLY DON'T
PROVIDE RENTAL ASSISTANCE, BUT
STEPPED INTO THE AREA BECAUSE OF
THE TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP THEY
HAVE WITH BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND
PEOPLE OF COLOR COMMUNITIES AND
THEY WANTED TO PROVIDE THE
SERVICE.
WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT'S THE
TYPE OF ORGANIZATION AND DIRECT
SERVICE YOU'RE HOPING TO SERVE
HERE TO MAKE SURE THAT
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR HAVE THE
CHANCE TO HAVE DIRECT
CONNECTIONS FUNDED SO THAT THEY
CAN PROVIDE RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
OKAY, GREAT.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT?
>> I HAD A SIMILAR LINE OF
QUESTIONING.
MINE -- AND I JUST WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND.
BECAUSE THE WAY I WAS LOOKING AT
IT WAS THE FULL $22.7 MILLION,
NOT JUST THE $6.2 MILLION.
SO I WANT TO KNOW HOW THESE
ALLOCATIONS, REGARDLESS OF WHO
THEY'RE GOING TO, CENTER THE
NEEDS OF THOSE
DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY
INABILITY TO PAY RENT, WHICH WAS
SHOWN ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT THE ENTIRE $22.7 MILLION IS
BEING UTILIZED IN A MANNER THAT
IS REFLECTIVE OF THE NEED WITHIN
OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THERE'S A
DIS PROPROPORTIONATE NEED IN THE
BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES.
I DON'T HAVE A SENSE OF HOW
THESE DOLLARS ARE BEING USED TO
ALINE THESE DOLLARS WITH THAT
KNOWN NEED.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
I THINK YOUR FRAMING IS EXACTLY
RIGHT.
WE HAVE PROPOSED THREE DIFFERENT
STRATEGIES THAT ALL SEEK TO
ACHIEVE THE OUTCOMES ON FOCUSING
AND CENTERING ON THOSE WHO HAVE
BEEN MOST IMPACTED, BUT THEY DO
IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO FIRST, I WOULD SAY THAT WE
USE THE UNITED WAY PROGRAM AND
THE OFFICE OF HOUSING PROGRAMS
PREVIOUSLY, AND THEY BOTH DID
SHOW STRONG OUTCOMES AS IT
RELATES TO RACIAL EQUITY.
WE HAVE ALSO HEARD -- IN TERMS
OF DEMOGRAPHICS SERVED, I SHOULD
SAY.
WE HAVE HEARD EXPLICITLY THAT
DEMOGRAPHICS IS NOT SUFFICIENT.
SO AN ADDED STRATEGY OF USING
TRUSTED PARTNERS HELPS TO ROUND
IT OUT.
BUT I WILL SAY HERE ARE A FEW
THINGS THAT UNDERPIN ALL OF THE
PROGRAMS THAT DEMONSTRATE THEIR
TARGETING.
FIRST, UNITED WAY IS
WORKING IN PARALLEL WITH THE
KING COUNTY PROGRAM.
AND KING COUNTY IS INVESTING
SIGNIFICANT RESOURCES IN RENT
ASSISTANCE.
UNDER THAT PROGRAM, THEY ARE
TARGETING THE AMI s TO FOLKS AT
OR BELOW 50% OF AREA MEDIAN
INCOME TO ENSURE WE'RE DRIVING
TO THE LOWEST INCOME HOUSEHOLDS,
WHICH IS CONSISTENT WITH THE
FEDERAL GUIDELINES AND NATIONAL
BEST PRACTICES.
AND MORE OVERLAYS WITH
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR INCOME.
SECOND, FOR THE OFFICE OF
HOUSING, WE KNOW THAT PEOPLE
LIVING IN CITY SUBSIDIZED
HOUSING ARE ALSO EVEN MORE LOWER
INCOME THAN THE GENERAL
POPULATION OF RENTERS.
THOSE FOLKS ARE AT OR BELOW 60%
AMI ALREADY.
AND MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE SERVED
UNDER OUR LAST PROGRAM WERE AT
OR BELOW 30% OF THE AREA MEDIAN
INCOME, MANY OF WHOM
DISPROPORTIONATELY IN THE
PORTFOLIO ARE REPRESENTED BY
PEOPLE OF COLOR.
BOTH UNITED WAY AND OFFICE OF
HOUSING, WE ARE ALSO WORKING
WITH COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS.
EWE UNITED WAY CONTRACTS WITH
URBAN LEAGUE AND SOLID GROUND
AND WELL SPRING AND NEIGHBORHOOD
HOUSE, WHO ALL HAVE COMMUNITY
CONNECTIONS THROUGH OUR OFFICE
OF HOUSING.
WE WILL BE PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR
LARGELY NONPROFIT LANDLORDS WHAT
ARE ALSO COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE COMMUNITY
ROOTS HOUSING, HE HIGH, INTERIM,
AND OTHERS.
SO I DO BELIEVE THAT
THERE'S AN UNDERPINNING OF
DRIVING THOSE OUTCOMES ACROSS
THE STRATEGIES, BUT THEY DO IT
IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
>> COUNCILMEMBER, WE HAVE -- TO
SUPPORT WHAT EMILY IS TALKING
ABOUT, WE HAVE A REPORT PROVIDED
TO US THAT SHOWS THE DEMOGRAPHIC
BREAK DOWN OF THOSE HELPED BY
THE OFFICE OF HOUSING AND UNITED
WAY AND HSDs, CONTRACTORS FROM
THE LAST ROUND OF RESOURCES, THE
$9.9 MILLION.
JUST TO SUPPORT WHAT EMILY IS
SAYING.
>> GREAT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND DIRECTOR, ONE OTHER
THING THAT WE CAN GET MORE
INFORMATION FROM YOU ABOUT
OFFLINE IS HOW REFERRALS ARE
PROCESSED EITHER AT THE CITY OR
WITH UNITED WAY.
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD BEEN
RECEIVING IS HOW DID COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS WHO PROVIDED
REFERRALS KNOW THAT THEY HAVE
PROCESSED, RECEIVED ASSISTANCE,
AND WHAT IS THE FOLLOW THROUGH,
ESPECIALLY WITH THE COMMUNITY OF
COLOR-LED ORGANIZATIONS MAKING
THE REFERRALS.
OBVIOUSLY, NOT EVERYONE IS GOING
TO BE ABLE TO BE SERVED BY THE
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION
ALLOCATION THAT WE'RE
CONSIDERING TODAY.
THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE
REFERRALS TO UNITED WAY AND
OFFICE OF HOUSING IN MAKING SURE
THERE'S A CLOSING OF THE LOOP
WITH THE GROUPS IS IMPORTANT.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT OFFLINE.
UNLESS YOU HAVE AN ANSWER RIGHT
NOW.
.
>> I WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE
YOU THE INFORMATION OFFLINE.
AND I WOULD SAY IN ADDITION, WE
ARE PROPOSING SMALL SCALE GRANTS
TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
WHO CAN HELP FACILITATE LANGUAGE
ACCESS AND MARKING TO HELP
PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE
AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES.
WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE
ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH A SURVEY
PROCESS AND NOW IN PARTNERSHIP
ARE HELPING TO PROVIDE THE
LANGUAGE ACCESS GRANTS, WHICH WE
THINK IS ANOTHER STRATEGY AND
TOOL TO ENSURE THOSE EQUITABLE
OUTCOMES.
>> EXCELLENT.
ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS ON THE UNDERLINED
BILL.
OKAY.
LET'S MOVE ON INTO AMENDMENTS.
>> OKAY.
SO MOVING TO AMENDMENT NUMBER
ONE.
SO THIS AMENDMENT WOULD
ELIMINATE THE $1.5 MILLION
PROPOSED FOR UTILITY ASSISTANCE
AND REALLOCATE THE FUNDING TO
RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.
$750,000 TO THE UNITED WAY,
BRINGING THE TOTEM TO $8.75
MILLION.
AND OFFICE OF HOUSING.
ATTACHES TO YOUR AGENDA IS
VERSION TWO OF THE AMENDMENT
THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I
SENT YOU LAST WEEK IN THE MEMO.
I LEFT OUT A SECTION OF THE
INTRODUCTION SECTION.
THERE IS LANGUAGE THAT TALKED
ABOUT THE THE GRANT ACCEPTANCE
AND THE AMENDMENT STRIKES THAT
GRANT ACCEPTANCE LANGUAGE AS
WELL.
IT IS A TECHNICAL CLEANUP AND
BACKS UP THE EXISTING
APPROPRIATION LANGUAGE WHICH
STRIKES THE APPROPRIATION FOR
THOSE TWO DEPARTMENTS AND THEN
REALLOCATING THE FUNDING TO THE
OTHER TWO ENTITIES.
>> GREAT.
IF WE WANT TO DO THIS, MAYBE
WE'LL PAUSE ON EACH ONE OF THE
AMENDMENTS AND CONSIDER THEM AS
WE GO FORWARD.
GREAT.
JUST TO ADD A LITTLE BIT OF
ADDITIONAL CONTEXT TO AMENDMENT
NUMBER ONE, THIS IS VERSION TWO
WE HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU.
THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT
ADOPTED THIS YEAR PROVIDES AN
ADDITIONAL $22 BILLION MORE
FUNDING EMERGENCY RENTAL
ASSISTANCE AND CAN BE USED FOR
THINGS LIKE RENT AND UTILITIES.
IT IS LIKELY THAT THE CITY OF
SEATTLE IS GOING TO GET A DIRECT
ALLOCATION OF THE FUNDS IN
ADDITION TO THE $23 MILLION
ALLOCATED BY CONGRESS LAST
DECEMBER.
THIS WOULD GIVE US ADDITIONAL
FLEXIBILITY PROVIDED TO BOTH IN
TERMS OF RELIEF FOR RENTAL
ASSISTANCE AND CAN BE USED FOR
UTILITY RELIEF.
THIS CAN ALSO BE USED FOR
COMMERCIAL RATE PAYERS, WHICH
WILL BE NECESSARY TO HELP SMALL
BUSINESSES MAKE IT THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF THE EMERGENCY.
WE'RE AWAITING FINAL WORD ON THE
AMOUNT AND TIMING FROM THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
I WANTED TO FLAG FOR FOLKS THERE
IS ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE
SPECIFICALLY FOR UTILITY
ASSISTANCE AND RENTAL ASSISTANCE
FORTH COMING.
THERE'S $4.5
BILLION IN FUNDING
THAT CAN COVER THINGS LIKE
HEATING AND COOLING BILLS AND
REPAIRS OF HEATING SYSTEMS FOR
HOMEOWNERS AND RENTERS.
AND THE PROGRAM IS ABLE TO SERVE
HOUSEHOLDS AT 150% OF BELOW THE
FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL.
THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHERE
WE CAN CONTINUE TO SEE
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR NOT ONLY
PROVIDING DIRECT PAYMENT
ASSISTANCE FOR RENT, BUT
ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR THOSE
WHO NEED HELP COVERING THE COST
OF UTILITIES.
ARPA PROVIDES $500 MILLION IN
ASSISTANCE FOR THE WATER
CUSTOMERS AS WELL.
THERE'S ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
COMING FOR THAT.
AGAIN, INFORMATION IS FORTH
COMING ABOUT HOW THE PROGRAM
WILL BE ADMINISTERED.
AND THE STRATEGIES FOR HOW
CITIES CAN ACCESS THE DOLLARS.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT TO
CONSIDER THAT WAS NOT AVAILABLE
WHETHER WHEN THE BILL WAS
INITIALLY BEING DRAFTED.
WE DID SEND A MEMO OUT LAST
THURSDAY TO COLLEAGUES INCLUDING
THE PROPOSED CHANGES HERE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THE PUBLIC
UTILITY DEPARTMENTS HAVE RAISED
CONCERNS ABOUT DESIRING THE $1.5
MILLION HERE.
MY INTENT WITH THE LEGISLATION
IN FRONT OF US IS TO MAKE SURE
THAT EVERY DOLLAR, AS THE
COUNCIL PRESIDENT SAID, EVERY
DOLLAR OF THE $22.7 MILLION GETS
TO THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO NEED
RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
AND GIVEN THE ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION WE HAVE RECEIVED
SINCE THE DRAFTING OF THE
LEGISLATION, THE POSSIBILITY FOR
THERE TO BE ADDITIONAL UTILITIES
ASSISTANCE.
IN MY UNDERSTANDING, STATE
LEGISLATION, WHICH HAS PREVENTED
INDIVIDUALS FROM BEING EVICTED
FOR FAILURE TO PAY UTILITIES, IF
WE LOOK AT THE HIRE ARK CAN I OF
NEEDS, WE NEED TO HELP PAY THE
RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND HELPING TO
KEEP ROOFS OVER PEOPLE'S HEAD.
THE AMENDMENT THAT THE
COUNCILMEMBERS ARE BRINGING
FORWARD, BOTH IN THE VEIN OF
TRYING TO GET AS MUCH OUT THE
DOOR AS POSSIBLE TO KEEP ROOFS
OVER PEOPLE'S HEAD.
I APPRECIATE THERE IS A NEED TO
EXPAND THE UTILITY DISCOUNT
PROGRAM, WHEN I AM A SUPPORTER
OF AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE.
I THINK THAT THE $22.7 MILLION
TODAY REALLY PROVIDES US WITH
THE DIRECT OPPORTUNITY TO GET
THE DOLLARS INTO THE HANDS OF
PEOPLE WHO NEED IT TO KEEP ROOFS
OVER THEIR HEAD.
I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOUR
SUPPORT AS WE LOOK AT THE
POSSIBILITY OF DIRECTY
ALLOCATING ALL OF THE DOLLARS.
EVEN $1.5 MILLION WAS NOT
ENOUGH.
I'M HOPING THE FUTURE FEDERAL
ASSISTANCE WILL PROVIDE THE
SUFFICIENT AMOUNT THAT THE
UTILITIES NEED TO DEAL WITH BACK
RENT.
AGAIN, LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING
EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE SURE
AT THAT THEY HAVE ADDITIONAL
SUPPORT AS WE TRY TO GET DOLLARS
OUT THE DOOR.
ARE THERE QUESTIONS?
I HAVEN'T MOVED IT YET.
JUST THE DISCUSSION PHASE.
SHOULD I DO THAT?
OKAY.
LET'S PUT THE BILL IN FRONT
OF US SO THAT WE CAN MOVE THE
AMENDMENT.
MY GOODNESS.
TO GET THIS BILL DIRECTLY IN
FRONT OF US AND TO CONSIDER THE
AMENDMENTS, I MOVE THE COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDS PASSAGE OF THE BILL.
IS THERE A SECOND?
>> SECOND.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE BILL IS IN FRONT OF US
OFFICIALLY.
AND I DESCRIBED AMENDMENT ONE,
VERSION TWO.
I MOVE THE COMMITTEE AMEND
COUNCIL BILL 120018 AS PRESENTED
IN AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE VERSION
TWO.
IS THERE A SECOND?
OKAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
MOVED AND SECONDED.
AND NOW AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE IS
IN FRONT OF US.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD?
>> THANK YOU.
I DID OFFER A SECOND SO THAT WE
COULD DISCUSS THIS FURTHER.
I'M ON THE FENCE ABOUT
THIS.
ONE OF THE WAYS
THAT I'M SEEING THIS IS WITH THE
CURRENT EVICTION MORATORIUM IN
PLACE, WE KNOW THAT WATER IS NOT
BEING SHUT OFF.
ELECTRICITY IS NOT BEING SHUT
OFF.
AND EVICTIONS ARE NOT HAPPENING
BECAUSE OF FAILURE TO PAY THOSE.
HOWEVER, FOR EXAMPLE, IF SOMEONE
DOESN'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO PAY
THEIR INTERNET, WHICH WE WILL
TALK ABOUT IN A SECOND, AND THEY
CAN'T KEEP THEIR JOB, IT'S
LIKELY THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO PAY
RENT.
FOR ME, IT'S ABOUT THE DIRECT
DOLLARS GOING DIRECTLY TO
PAYMENTS FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
AND WITH THE NEW INFORMATION
THAT THE FEDERAL DOLLARS ARE
ABLE TO -- THE FORGOT COMING
FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR ARPA, WHICH
WE WILL DISCUSS SOON, WILL BE
ABLE TO GO TO UTILITY
ASSISTANCE.
MY THOUGHT IS WE USE ALL OF THE
$22.7 MILLION ALLOCATED IN
DECEMBER'S FEDERAL ALLOCATION
AND TRY TO PUT THAT TO RENTAL
ASSISTANCE.
FURTHER QUESTIONS?
>> MY QUESTION WAS GIVEN THAT WE
ARE IN AN EVICTION MORATORIUM,
SO PEOPLE ARE NOT BEING EVICTED
FOR NOT PAYING RENT, BUT THEY
ARE ACQUIRING THE BILLS.
AND PEOPLE ARE NOT EVICTED
BECAUSE OF NONPAYMENT OF
UTILITIES, BUT THEY'RE ACQUIRING
BILLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
NONPAYMENT OF THE UTILITIES, I
DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY -- GIVEN
WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THE
LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
STRUGGLING PAYING THEIR
UTILITIES THAT WILL HAVE A DEBT
THAT IN THE FUTURE, THEY COULD
BE VULNERABLE FOR EVICTION
BECAUSE OF THAT DEBT.
AND FROM JUST OUR LIMITED
ANALYSIS OF THE NUMBERS OF RATE
PAYERS THAT ARE BEHIND, I'M
NOT -- I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE
WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH SOME
OF THIS ASSISTANCE NOW, EVEN
GIVEN OUR COMMITMENT TO ADDRESS
UTILITY NEEDS IN A SUBSEQUENT
ALLOCATION.
>> MY UNDERSTANDING WAS, AND IF
THERE'S OTHERS ON THE LINE THAT
HAVE ADDITIONAL INTEL HERE, MY
UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE STATE
LEGISLATURE CHANGED THE LAW TO
ENSURE THAT THE CASES OF
NONPAYMENT, PEOPLE CANNOT BE
EVICTED FOR NOT PAYING
UTILITIES, ONLY FOR NOT PAYING
RENT.
ACCORDING TO THE DATA WE TRIED
TO GET FROM SEATTLE PUBLIC
UTILITIES AND LIGHT, NO
INFORMATION HAS BEEN SHARED
RELATED TO THIS ISSUE.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR
ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES TO HELP
PROVIDE THEM WITH RELIEF SO THEY
CAN PROVIDE BACK PAYMENT OF
DEBTS FROM INDIVIDUALS IN THE
UTILITY DISCOUNT PROGRAM.
BUT THAT -- SINCE THOSE DOLLARS
ARE AVAILABLE IN THE UPCOMING
ARPA FUNDS, AND AGAIN, MAYBE
THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER TO
LUMP TOGETHER WITH THE ARPA
DISCUSSION, LIKE KING COUNTY IS
DOING, SINCE IT WAS DELAYED FROM
THE EXECUTIVES SINCE THIS DID
PASS IN DECEMBER.
WE DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
LOOK AT THOSE TWO CHUNKS OF
FUNDING TOGETHER TODAY.
WHAT I'M SUGGESTING IS THAT
INSTEAD OF DOING $1.5 MILLION TO
THE UTILITIES TO PAY ON THE BACK
DEBTS, WE DISCUSS IN THE BACK
DEBTS IN THE DISCUSSION FORTH
COMING.
THAT'S MY THINKING HERE.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE
ON THAT?
>> I DON'T.
I DON'T HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF
THE LEGISLATION THAT SHE
REFERENCED, THE STATE
LEGISLATION.
WE'LL HAVE TO DO RESEARCH ON
THAT.
>> OKAY.
GREAT.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, I'M
SORRY I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO
TALK WITH YOU MORE IN DETAIL IN
ADVANCE OF THE DISCUSSION.
THAT IS MY THINKING.
>> AND IT IS TRUE THAT
NONPAYMENT OF UTILITIES IS NO
LONGER CONSIDERED A REASON FOR
AN EVICTION UNDER NONPAYMENT OF
RENT, BUT IT IS CONSIDERED A
REASON FOR EVICTION IN VIOLATION
OF THE RULES OF YOUR CONTRACT.
>> THAT MIGHT BE THE
DISTINCTION.
OKAY.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT, DID YOU
HAVE A QUESTION?
>> I SEE THAT COUNCILMEMBER
PEDERSEN HAS HIS HAND UP.
I DO WANT TO HEAR FROM HIM.
I GUESS I UNDERSTAND THE SPIRIT
WITH WHICH THIS AMENDMENT IS
BEING PROPOSED.
WE ALL HAVE A STRONG INTEREST,
SHARED INTEREST, IN MAKING SURE
THAT WE HAVE AS MANY DOLLARS
AVAILABLE FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE
AS WE CAN HAVE.
BUT I DO WORRY THAT IN
DOING SO, WE MAY BE OVERLOOKING
THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, YES,
NOBODY IS GETTING -- WHILE IT
MAY BE TRUE THAT FOLKS AREN'T
ACTIVELY HAVING THEIR UTILITIES
SHUT OFF BY CITY LIGHT OR SPU IN
THE MOMENT, THAT DOESN'T MEAN
THAT THEY'RE NOT ACUING DEBT.
THEY STILL -- WE HAVE WAIVED
LATE FEES AND FINES, BUT WE
AREN'T ACTUALLY WAIVING THE COST
OF SERVICES.
SO FOR THOSE HOUSEHOLDS THAT ARE
UNABLE TO PAY THEIR LIGHT BILL
AND UNABLE TO PAY THEIR WATER,
YOU KNOW, SEWER, TRASH BILLS,
THE CALCULATOR IS TICKING AND
THOSE COSTS ARE ACCUMULATING IN
ADDITION TO BACK RENT.
SO I'M A LITTLE WORRIED THAT
WE'RE POTENTIALLY GOING TO MOVE
THIS BILL FORWARD NOW THAT MAKES
DOLLARS AVAILABLE NOW THAT WOULD
BE ABLE TO BE UTILIZED BY
HOUSEHOLDS FOR UTILITY
ASSISTANCE AND CLEARING THAT
DEBT.
I'M A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT
PUNTING THAT DOWN THE ROAD TO
WHEN WE HAVE THE ARPA DOLLARS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I
DON'T THINK -- I THINK THIS IS
MORE OF AN ISSUE OF TIMING.
AND I THINK MY PREFERENCE
WITHOUT KNOWING MORE WOULD BE TO
MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE STILL HAVE
ACCESS TO DOLLARS NOW IN ORDER
TO ADDRESS ACCUMULATED AND
ONGOING ACUING DEBT RELATED TO
UTILITY SERVICES SO THAT THEY
CAN SORT OF BE AS CLEAR AS
POSSIBLE AS SOON AS THE EVICTION
MORATORIUMS END.
>> COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN, DID
YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO
ADD TO THIS?
AND THANKS AGAIN FOR JOINING US
TODAY.
>> THANK YOU.
YES.
AND EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT A
MEMBER OF THE COMMITTEE, I DO
APPRECIATE THE INVITATION TO
SPEAK, ESPECIALLY TO AMENDMENT
NUMBER TWO ABOUT INTERNET.
AND SPEAKING TO THIS, JUST
BECAUSE I DID SOME RESEARCH ON
THIS WHEN I SAW IT AND TALKED TO
CENTRAL STAFF AND TO -- WE DID
GET THAT LETTER FROM BOTH
UTILITIES, SPU AND SEATTLE CITY
LIGHT.
AND I THINK ALL THE
COUNCILMEMBERS WHO SPOKE ARE
ALL -- EVERYBODY IS CORRECT IN
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING.
THERE'S THIS GREAT NEED AND WE
ALL WANT TO KEEP PEOPLE IN THEIR
HOMES AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THE
FEDERAL DOLLARS.
NOW WE HAVE TO DECIDE HOW TO
ALLOCATE THEM AND WHEN AND HOW.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT
THE CHAIR SAID IS SPOT ON IN
TERMS OF THE ARPA DOLLARS BEING
AVAILABLE FOR UTILITY
ASSISTANCE.
I THINK EVEN THE THIRD BUCKET TO
COMMUNITY GROUPS, YOU KNOW, IF
SOMEBODY IS COMING IN TO ONE OF
THE COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS AND SAYING I'M
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, I'M HAVING
FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES AND I
NEED HELP PAYING MY RENT, I NEED
HELP PAYING MY UTILITIES AND
INTERNET, I THINK THERE'S
FLEXIBILITY AT LEAST IN HOW THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DEFINING
RENTAL ASSISTANCE BROADLY TO
DEFINE UTILITIES.
FOR THE COMMUNITY-BASED BUCKET,
I THINK THERE'S FLEXIBILITY FOR
THAT.
I LOOK FORWARD TO THE ARPA
DOLLARS WHERE MAYBE WE CAN
ALLOCATE MORE TOWARD UTILITIES
THEN.
IN TERMS OF RIGHT NOW WITH THIS
BILL, I AM FINE WITH THE
AMENDMENT.
AND ALSO RECOGNIZE THE CONCERNS
RAISED BY THE UTILITIES.
I THINK IT IS A TIMING ISSUE
WHERE WE'LL BE ABLE TO ADDRESS
THAT WITH ARP A.
>> THANKS VERY MUCH.
AND AGAIN, I THINK MY THINKING
HERE IS AS YOU SAW ON THE SLIDE
BEFORE, THERE'S $3,000 TO $5,000
AVAILABLE ON AVERAGE TO EACH
FAMILY IN RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
IF WE TAKE A CONSERVATIVE
ESTIMATE OF HOW MANY FAMILIES
COULD BE SERVED BY ALLOCATING
OUT THE $1.5, THAT'S OVER 700
FAMILIES SERVED.
SO GIVEN THE NEED RIGHT NOW FOR
RENTAL ASSISTANCE DOLLARS AND
THE FACT THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE
WITHOUT EVEN RENTAL ASSISTANCE
SUPPORT IN HAND, THIS WAS MY
ATTEMPT TO TRY TO GET THE
DOLLARS OUT.
COLLEAGUES, THIS IS HARD TO
DO WITHOUT A SENSE OF, YOU KNOW,
WHAT THE UNIVERSE OF THE ARPA
DOLLARS LOOKS LIKE TO COME.
BUT IF THERE IS NOT SUPPORT FOR
THE AMENDMENT RIGHT NOW, I AM
WILLING TO PULL IT FROM TODAY'S
DISCUSSION, GIVEN THE NEED TO
KEEP MOVING HERE.
WE HAVE TWO MORE BIG ITEMS ON
THE AGENDA.
I WILL NOTE THAT THIS IS GOING
TO MEAN FOR ME, AT LEAST, THAT
THERE IS GOING TO NEED TO BE A
CONTINUED HEAVY EMPHASIS ON
RENTAL ASSISTANCE AS WE LOOK AT
THE ARPA FUNDS TO COME, WHICH WE
KNEW THERE WAS GOING TO BE.
BUT UNDERSCORING THE POINT EVEN
MORE.
I'M NOT SEEING
ANYBODY INTERESTED IN SPEAKING
UP.
I AM GOING TO GO AHEAD AND PULL
THE AMENDMENT FOR TODAY.
LET'S MOVE ON TO AMENDMENT
NUMBER TWO.
.
>> AND THE COST ALLOCATED TO
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
THEY WOULD BE WORKING DIRECTLY
WITH CLIENTS TO DETERMINE THE
NEED FOR ASSISTANCE RELATIVE TO
THE NEED FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE
AND WILL AS APPROPRIATE BE
STRUCTURED IN A WAY TO MAKE
PAYMENTS TO INTERNET PROVIDERS
IF THE ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY.
AND THIS IS SPONSORED BY
COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA ON BEHALF
OF COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN.
>> I MOVE TO AMEND COUNCIL BILL
120018 AS PRESENTED UNDER
AMENDMENT NUMBER TWO.
IS THERE A SECOND FROM OUR
COMMITTEE MEMBERS?
>> SECOND.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN,
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR
AMENDMENT?
>> THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPEN
INVITATION FOR THIS COMMITTEE
WHEN DEALING WITH THESE FEDERAL
DOLLARS.
AND SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS
AMENDMENT, AMENDMENT NUMBER TWO.
I WANT TO THE THANK YOUR
OFFICE FOR WORKING WITH MY
LEGISLATIVE AIDE ON THIS
AMENDMENT.
WE KNOW THAT COVID HAS LAID BARE
THE INEQUITIES, INCLUDING THE
DIGITAL DIVIDE.
AND CONSISTENT WITH THE INTERNET
AND THE ACTION PLAN ADOPTED BY
THE COUNSEL, THIRD DEGREE ADD
INTERNET THAT COULD BE FUNDED AS
PART OF THE ASSISTANCE ALLOCATED
BY THE COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATION BUCKET OF THESE
DOLLARS.
SO IT'S JUST FOR THAT THIRD
PORTION WHERE THIS WOULD BE
ADDED AS A POTENTIAL SO AS
RESIDENTS ARE MEETING WITH THE
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
AND ARTICULATING WHAT THEIR
NEEDS ARE.
INTERNET COULD BE PART OF THAT
BECAUSE THOSE ARE PROVIDED BY
PRIVATE COMPANIES THAT COULD
SHUT THEM OFF.
AS WE HAVE LEARNED THE HARD WAY
DURING COVID, PEOPLE ARE
STRUGGLING WITHOUT GOOD INTERNET
CONNECTIONS TO PAY THEIR BILLS,
TO CONNECT TO JOBS, SCHOOL,
OTHER SERVICES SUCH AS HEALTH
CARE.
THIS WOULD OPEN UP THE OPTIONS
FOR THE COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS.
.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I DID HAVE THE CHANCE TO CHECK
IN WITH A HANDFUL OF FOLKS
WORKING RIGHT NOW WITH MAKING
REFERRALS AND HOPEFULLY WILL
SOON BE ABLE TO DO DIRECT RENTAL
ASSISTANCE THEMSELVES.
AND SOME OF THOSE ORGANIZATIONS
WHO ARE BIPOC LED DID SAY ON AN
INDIVIDUAL BASIS THEY HEAR OF
SITUATIONS WHERE PAYING INTERNET
IS REALLY CRITICAL FOR FOLKS
KEEPING THEIR JOB IN THE WORK
FROM HOME ENVIRONMENT, LET
ALONE, THE KIDS BEING ABLE TO
LEARN.
IF THEY DON'T KEEP THEIR JOB,
THEY CAN'T KEEP THEIR HOME.
THERE IS AN IMPORTANT NEXXUS
THERE.
AND HAVING THE ABILITY TO MAKE
THE DECISIONS AND HAVING DIRECT
CONTACT WITH THE FOLKS IN
COMMUNITY WILL MAKE THIS
FEASIBLE.
LOOK FORWARD TO SUPPORTING YOU,
COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS ON THIS?
.
>> THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE
MEMO FORWARD.
IT'S A SMART AMENDMENT TO MAKE.
IT DOESN'T APPROPRIATE SPECIFIC
AMOUNT OF DOLLARS TO INTERNET
SERVICES AS, YOU KNOW, AN
ELIGIBLE COST.
BUT IT DOES MAKE THE IMPORTANT
ADDITION TO ALLOW FOR OUR
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS ON
THE GROUND PROVIDING THE
SERVICES TO
>> THEY CAN PROVIDE INTERNET
SERVICE REACH AS
WELL TO COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS. THIS IS
SOMETHING THEY ARE DEFINITELY
HEARING MORE OF FROM THE FOLKS
THAT THEY ARE SERVING.
IT'S A GREAT WAY FOR COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS. THANK YOU TO
COUNCILMEMBER PETERSON FOR
SUPPORTING THIS.
>> THANK YOU, ENTITY AT ANY
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS?
>> SEEING NONE, CAN WE CALL THE
ROLE OF THE ADOPTION OF
AMENDMENT 2.
>> AYE .
>> VICE CHAIR HERBOLD , WE
DIDN'T HEAR YOU.
>> AYE.
>> COUNCIL PRESIDENT MORALES .
>> AYES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER LEWIS ?
>> YES.
>> MADAM CHAIR, FIVE IN FAVOR
AND NONE OPPOSED.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH
COUNCILMEMBER PETERSON FOR YOUR
CONTRIBUTION. COUNCILMEMBER
HERBOLD , YOU HAVE TO LAST
AMENDMENT IN FRONT OF US.
>> VERY BRIEFLY, THIS IS THE
OFFICE OF THE HOUSING IN
COLLABORATION WITH UNITED WAY
TO DO OUTREACH FOR LOUNGE LOADS
WHO MAY BE STRUGGLING WITH
MORTGAGE DEBT DUE TO VACANCIES.
>> EXCELLENT.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD , LET ME
MOVE THE AMENDMENT, FOR US, IF
THAT'S OKAY.
>> I MOVED TO AMEND.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD QUESTION
MARK
>> SECOND.
>> COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD ,
WOULD YOU LIKE TO DESCRIBE IT
IN MORE DETAIL?
>> SURE. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK
DR. ALVARADO FOR HELPING WITH
THIS. IT'S AN UNOFFICIAL WAY TO
ADD AN OFFICIAL BENEFIT. SO TO
SORT OF A 24 BECAUSE THIS NOT
ONLY WILL HELP TENANTS SO THAT
WE CAN PUT A EMPHASIS ON
REACHING LANDLORDS WHO MAY BE AT
MORTGAGE DEFAULT. THE AMENDMENT
DOES NOT SET ASIDE A PARTICULAR
AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR THIS
GROUP AND INSTEAD ENSURES THAT
SMALL LANDLORDS RECEIVE
INFORMATION ABOUT RENTAL
ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO THEM
AND TO THEIR TENANTS THROUGH
THE UNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY.
AS DIRECTOR, THEY SPOKE TO US
ON THIS ISSUE.
UNDER UNITED WAY, LANDLORDS
WITH NEEDS FOR ASSISTANCE CAN
APPLY ON BEHALF OF THEIR
TENANTS AND TENANTS CAN APPLY
DIRECTLY. THIS AMENDMENT
DIRECTS THE OFFICE OF HOUSING
AND UNITED WAY OF KING COUNTY
TO DO PROACTIVE OUTREACH WITH
AVAILABLE FUNDING TO LANDLORDS.
NOT ONLY SMALL LANDLORDS WITH
FEWER RENTALS, BUT ALSO
LANDLORDS WHO MIGHT BE
STRUGGLING WITH MORTGAGE DEBT
DUE TO RENTAL PAYMENT
DELINQUENCIES.
THE GOAL IS TO NOT ONLY PROVIDE
ASSISTANCE TO SMALL LANDLORDS
AT RISK FOR FORECLOSURE AND IN
THE LONG TERM, WORK TO PRESERVE
THE NATURALLY REOCCURRING
RENTAL UNITS FOR THE TENANTS
WHO LIVE THERE AND INTO THE
FUTURE BY REDUCING THE
LIKELIHOOD THAT THE LANDLORDS
THAT ON THESE PROPERTIES LOSE
THEM.
>> EXCELLENT, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD.
AND I AM IN SUPPORT OF THIS
AMENDMENT, THANK YOU.
>> ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?
>> SEEING NONE, MADAM CLERK,
PLEASE CALL THE ROLE FOR THE
ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT 3.
>> VICE CHAIR HERBOLD ?
>> AYE .
>>
>> COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD ?
>> YES.
>> MADAM CHAIR, THAT IS FIVE IN
FAVOR AND NONE OPPOSED.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE MOTION DOES KERRY AND THE
AMENDMENT IS ADOPTED.
WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US AMENDMENT
, ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL
COMMENTS OR DISCUSSION?
>> SEEING NONE, A LOT OF
ANTICIPATION TO GET THESE
DOLLARS OUT THE DOOR.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE IT.
SEEING NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTS,
HANDS, OR QUESTIONS, WILL THE
COUNCILMEMBER CALL THE ROLL ON
THE PASSAGE OF 120018 AS
AMENDED?
>> COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA ?
>> AYE.
>> COUNCIL MEMBER HERBOLD?
>> AYE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER LEWIS ?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MORALES ?
>> YES.
>> THE RECOMMENDATION THAT THE
BILL PASSES AS AMENDED WILL BE
SENT TO THE CITY COUNCILMEMBER
MEETING FOR A FINAL VOTE. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WORK ON
THIS DOCTOR ALVARADO AND TRACY
RADCLIFFE. I KNOW YOU HAVE DONE
A LOT OF WORK ON THIS AND YOU
ARE EAGER TO GET THESE DOLLARS
OUT THE DOOR TO THE HANDS OF
COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS WELL.
THANK YO FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD
WORK.
>> OKAY, COLLEAGUES, WHAT I AM
GOING TO DO IS ACTUALLY ASKED
THAT WE CONSIDER ITEM NUMBER 7
AND THEN ITEM 6. 7 IS
RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD AND
WE CAN DO THAT IN THE NEXT 10
MINUTES AND THAT LEAVES THE
HAVE LAST HALF HOUR FOR ITEM 6.
WITH YOUR APPROVAL, HEARING NO
OBJECTIONS, LET'S DO ITEM
NUMBER 7. I SEE THE PRESENTERS
ARE WITH US AND I APPRECIATE
THAT. MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU
PLEASE READ AGENDA ITEM 7?
>> IT IS 120030.
AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO
TAXATION; AMENDING THE PAYROLL
EXPENSE TAX ON PERSONS ENGAGING
IN BUSINESS IN SEATTLE; AND
BENDING SECTION 5 .38 .020 OF
THE SEATTLE MUNICIPAL CODE.
>> THANK YOU DIRECTOR LEE FOR
BEING HERE AS WELL AS THE
FINANCE DIRECTOR FROM
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES. AS A
REMINDER, COUNCIL BILL 120030
IS AN AMENDMENT TO THE TAX
LEGISLATION PASSED LAST YEAR AS
A RESULT OF THE LONG WORK WE
DID IN COMMUNITY WITH
BUSINESSES AND LABOR AND
COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
ALL OF THAT CONVERSATION LED TO
THE PASSAGE OF A BILL WHICH
THEN LEADS TO RULEMAKING.
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES DID A TREMENDOUS JOB
OF BRINGING TOGETHER BUSINESSES
WHO WOULD BE PAID YOURS OF THE
AMENDED LEGISLATION. THROUGH
THAT PROCESS, WE LEARNED THERE
WERE AMENDED IDEAS IN THE
RULEMAKING PROCESS THAT COULD
MAKE IT EASIER FOR INDIVIDUALS
TO PAY THE AMOUNT THEY OWE.
TODAY WE HAVE WITH A CENTRAL
STAFF AND DIRECTOR LEE WHO WILL
WALK US THROUGH THIS SMALL
ADDITION.
AGAIN, THIS IS IN ADDITION TO
THE UNDERLYING BILL THAT HAS AN
ADDITIONAL METHOD FOR
BUSINESSES TO CALCULATE THEIR
TASTE PAYMENT TAX PAYMENT.
THEY CAN CHOOSE TO SELECT THE
EXISTING METHOD OR THEY CAN
CHOOSE THIS NEW METHOD, WHICH
WE ARE UPDATING WITH THIS
LEGISLATION TO ALLOW BUSINESSES
TO ALLOCATE EMPLOYEE PAYROLL
EXPENSES BASED ON THE HOURS
WORKED IN SEATTLE IN RELATION
TO THE TOTAL HOURS WORKED.
TO HURDLE RATE, THIS IS AN
OPTION FOR EMPLOYERS. AS WE
HEARD FROM THE BUSINESSES THAT
THERE ARE BUSINESSES THAT WOULD
LIKE TO CHOOSE FROM ONE OR THE
OTHER. THIS RECOGNIZES THE
IMPORTANCE OF BOTH MAINTAINING
THE INTEGRITY OF THE
LEGISLATION AND THE IMPORTANCE
OF THE LEGISLATION.
I'M HAPPY TO BRING FORWARD THIS
LEGISLATION, AS WE ALWAYS SAY
THAT WE ARE INTERESTED IN
LEGISLATING SO THAT IF THERE
ARE NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE
úCAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT. THERE
IS NO CHANGE TO THE UNDERLYING
LEGISLATION INTO THE
CALCULATIONS. REALLY, I THINK
IT IS A STRAIGHTFORWARD SUMMARY
. SO, DAN, I TURN IT OVER TO
YOU TO SEE IF TOM OR GLENN HAVE
ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD.
>> THANK YOU CHAIR MOSQUEDA . I
AM THE INTERIM DIRECTOR.
TOM AND I PROVIDED A CENTRAL
STAFFING MEMO LINKED TO YOUR
AGENDA THAT REVIEWS MUCH OF THE
BACKGROUND THAT YOU COVERED IN
YOUR OPENING REMARKS. AS WE
MENTIONED, GLENN LEE, THE
CITY'S FINANCE DIRECTOR IS HERE
TO PROVIDE PERSPECTIVE FROM THE
EXECUTIVE.
I THINK I WON'T REHASH THE
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND
CONTEXT THAT YOU ESTABLISHED IN
YOUR OPENING REMARKS.
I WILL JUST HIGHLIGHT SOME OF
THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE COUNCIL
BILL 120030 THAT IS ON YOUR
AGENDA. AS YOU MENTIONED, THE
BILL WOULD PROVIDE AN
ADDITIONAL METHOD FOR
BUSINESSES TO USE IN
CALCULATING TAXABLE PAYROLL
AMOUNTS. SPECIFICALLY, THE BILL
WOULD ALLOW COVERED BUSINESSES
TO USE EITHER THE ORIGINAL
THREE-PART TEST THAT IS
DESCRIBED IN SOME DETAIL IN THE
CENTRAL STAFF MEMO, OR A NEW
METHODOLOGY, SPECIFICALLY
ALLOCATING TAXABLE PAYROLL
EXPENSES IN PROPORTION TO THE
WORK DONE BY EMPLOYEES,
SPECIFICALLY IN SEATTLE, AS
OPPOSED TO WORK DONE OUTSIDE OF
SEATTLE.
THE ONLY OTHER THING I THINK I
WILL HIGHLIGHT FOR THE COMMITTEE
IS THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR SOME
REVENUE IMPACTS FROM THE CHANGE
THAT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED BY
THIS BILL.
THE 2021 ADOPTED BUDGET RELIES
ON $214 MILLION FROM THE
JUMPSTART SEATTLE PAYROLL
EXPENSE TAX TO SUPPORT GENERAL
FUND EXPENDITURES. SOME
BUSINESSES WOULD LIKELY
CONTINUE TO USE THE ORIGINAL
CALCULATION OPTION AND IT IS
POSSIBLE THAT OTHERS WILL
CHOOSE THE NEW OPTION INCLUDED
IN THE BILL, ASSUMING THE BILL
PASSES.
IT IS REASONABLE TO ASSUME THAT
BUSINESSES WILL CHOOSE THE
APPROACH WITH THE LOWEST NET
COST.
EACH BUSINESS WILL MAKE THAT
DETERMINATION AFTER ACCOUNTING
FOR BOTH THE RESULTING TEXT TAX
FROM THE OPTIONS THAT WOULD BE
AVAILABLE. ALSO THE COST OF
TRACKING THE TIME OF THE
EMPLOYEE BEING IN AND OUT OF
SEATTLE.
AS A RESULT, A BILL COULD
DIMINISH THE CITY'S OVERALL
PAYROLL TAX REVENUES FOR 2021
AND BEYOND. BUT, WE DO NOT HAVE
ENOUGH HARD DATA TO UPDATE THE
REVENUE IMPLICATIONS WITH ANY
LEVEL OF SPECIFICITY. AND, IT
IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE THERE
WOULD BE NO CHANGE IN THE
OVERALL TAX REVENUES GIVEN THAT
THE ORIGINAL ESTIMATE OF
PAYROLL TAX REVENUES AND THE
NUMBER OF ASSUMPTIONS DID NOT
INCLUDE ANY SPECIFIC ADDITIONAL
REVENUE AMOUNT FROM THE HIGHER
TAX RATES FROM THE CITY'S
LARGEST EMPLOYERS BECAUSE OF A
LACK OF DATA OF HOW MANY
EMPLOYERS THAT ARE COVERED BY
EMPLOYEES WHO WORK FOR THOSE
LARGEST EMPLOYERS. SO, THAT IS
WHAT I WOULD PROVIDE IN TERMS
OF STAFF COMMENTS.
I'M CERTAINLY AVAILABLE TO
ADDRESS QUESTIONS.
POSSIBLY GLENN WOULD LIKE TO
MAKE A STATEMENT.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH DIRECTOR
. DIRECTOR LEE, PLEASE GO AHEAD
IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD
. ESPECIALLY ON THE LAST POINT
AS A POTENTIALLY EVENS OUT. I
KNOW THAT YOU HAVE HAD A CHANCE
TO THINK THROUGH THAT QUESTION
AS WELL.
>> YES, THANK YOU.
YES, THIS CHANGES IS BASED ON
THE RULEMAKING PROCESS. IT
WOULD ALLOW FOLKS TO TREAT THE
APPORTIONMENT OF THE TIME THEIR
EMPLOYEE SPENT WITHIN THE CITY
AND THE EXPENSES THAT INCUR
INSIDE THE CITY AND OUTSIDE OF
THE CITY. IN A MANNER
CONSISTENT WITH TAXES AROUND
THE STATE AND OTHERS THAT THE
CITY HAS CONTEMPLATED BEFORE.
IN TERMS OF REVENUE ESTIMATES,
THE CORE ISSUE IS THAT THE
UNDERLYING DATA THAT ALL OF THE
STAFF USED WAS THE VERY BEST
THAT WAS AVAILABLE, BUT IT DID
NOT EXPLICITLY HANDLE THE
APPORTIONMENT QUESTION.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE ARE KIND OF
NOT REALLY CLEAR WHAT'S THE
FINAL REVENUE NUMBERS WOULD
LOOK LIKE FROM THAT POINT OF
VIEW.
THERE IS THE BASELINE DATA THAT
DID NOT HANDLE APPORTIONMENT
DATA EFFECTIVELY AT ALL.
THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE
STAFF WORK ON EITHER SIDE, BUT
IS THE NATURE OF THE DATA THAT
WE WERE USING DID NOT ADDRESS
THIS.
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THERE ARE
LONGER-TERM ISSUES WITH
EMPLOYMENT SHIFTS AND PATTERNS
WITH MORE TOWARD TELECOMMUTING
THAT WILL LIKELY SWALLOW UP
ANYTHING RELATED TO THIS
PARTICULAR BILL.
SO, WE WILL ALL WORK AS HARD AS
WE CAN TO IMPLEMENT THE TAX AND
THEN LOOK FORWARD TO OUR
INITIAL RETURNS TO SEE WHAT IS
REALLY HAPPENING IN THE ECONOMY
.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I DO
WANT TO REITERATE OUR
APPRECIATION FOR THE FAS
RULEMAKING PROCESS AND THE
DISCUSSIONS YOU HAD WITH PAYERS
AND EMPLOYERS UNDER THIS
EXISTING LAW. I UNDERSTAND THAT
YOU ARE READY TO QUICKLY GET
INFORMATION OUT TO THE SAME
STAKEHOLDER THAT PARTICIPATED
IN THE RULEMAKING SO THERE IS
NOT A MOMENT LOST AS WE TALK
ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL
ORGANIZATIONS AND WHAT THEY
NEED TO RECEIVE.
ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS?
[ PAUSE ].
>> OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR THE RULEMAKING AND THE
CENTRAL STAFF ANALYSIS, I
APPRECIATE IT. I MOVE THE
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS PASSAGE OF
COUNCIL BILL 120030, IS THERE
A SECOND.
>> SECOND.
>> THANK YOU, ARE THERE ANY
THOROUGH COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS?
>> HEARING NONE, WILL THE COURT
PLEASE READ THE BILL ON THE
PASSAGE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA.
>> AYE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER LEWIS ?
>> AYE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MORALES
QUESTION MARK
>> AYE.
>> MADAM CHAIR, FIVE APPROVED
AND NO OPPOSE .
>> THE BILL WILL BE SENT TO THE
APRIL 12th CITY COUNCIL MEETING
FOR A FINAL VOTE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH CENTRAL
STAFF AND DIRECTOR, THANK YOU
FOR YOUR ONGOING WORK ON THESE
ISSUES RELATED TO REVENUE, I
REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
DIRECTOR, I AM SURE WE WILL SEE
YOU AGAIN SOON, THANK YOU FOR
POPPING IN TODAY.
>>> MADAM CLERK, WE HAVE A HALF
HOUR RESERVE FOR THE DISCUSSION
ON THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
LET'S MOVE TO THE PRESENTATION
BY READING IN AGENDA ITEM
NUMBER 6.
>> IT IS COUNCIL BILL 120029.
IN ORDINANCE AMENDED ORDINANCE
126237, WHICH ADOPTED THE 2021
BUDGET; CHANGING APPROPRIATION
TO VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND
BUDGET CONTROL LEVELS, AND FOR
VARIOUS FUNDS IN THE BUDGET.
>> WONDERFUL, I SEE A HOST OF
FRIENDS FROM THE EXECUTIVE
TEAM.
IF I MISS ANYBODY, PLEASE LET
ME KNOW. THE DIRECTOR FROM THE
OFFICE OF EXECUTIVE AND REFUGEE
AFFAIRS.
THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT
AND ADRIAN THOMPSON FROM THE
MAHER'S OFFICE.
DIRECTOR NOBLE FROM THE CITY
BUDGETS OFFICE.
AND AMARA FROM THE DIRECTOR OF
THE EMPLOYEE OMNIBUS.
IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I
HAVE SEEN YOU, DIRECTOR AND
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AS WELL.
DID I MISS ANYBODY?
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT, YOU AND I
HAVE HAD THE CHANCE TO SPONSOR
THIS LEGISLATION THAT WAS SENT
TO US FROM THE MAHER'S OFFICE
LAST WEEK.
I WANTED TO SEE IF YOU HAVE
OPENING COMMENTS YOU WOULD LIKE
TO SHARE BEFORE THE PANEL
BEGINS?
>> NO, I KNOW WE ARE RUNNING
SHORT ON TIME AND SO I WOULD BE
INTERESTED IN KICKING OFF THE
DISCUSSION SO WE CAN HAVE
QUESTIONS AND MOVE ON WITH THOSE
.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
DIRECTOR NOBLE, ARE YOU GOING
TO GET US STARTED?
WHOEVER WOULD LIKE TO GET US
STARTED, YOU ARE WELCOME TO
START US OFF.
>> THANK YOU.
>> I AM TRYING TO SHARE MY
SCREEN.
THANK YOU CHAIR AND COMMITTEE
MEMBERS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO
PRESENT TODAY.
THIS IS THE PROPOSAL AROUND THE
RESPONSE AROUND HATE CRIMES
HERE IN THE CITY.
AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, THIS PAST
YEAR HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR
SOME OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT HAVE
REALLY FACED A LOT OF HATE
CRIME ISSUES AND WE ARE TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO ADDRESS
THIS FURTHER WITH THE INCIDENT
THAT HAPPENED IN ATLANTA. WE
HAVE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH
THE COMMUNITY TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PROVIDE
A RESPONSE THAT IS COMMUNITY-
BASED AND IT IS AROUND
COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING.
WE ARE EXCITED TO BE HERE TODAY
WITH A PROPOSAL THAT WE BELIEVE
WILL HELP ADDRESS SOME OF THE
CONCERNS THAT HAVE HURT OUR
COMMUNITY.
THE MAYOR HAS DONE WALKS AND
ROUNDTABLES WITH MANY
DEPARTMENTS AND WITH COMMUNITY
MEMBERS.
AND WE CAN DO A QUICK OVERVIEW
OF THE PROPOSAL TODAY.
AND, WE WILL BE ABLE TO ANSWER
ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.
WE WILL FOCUS ON THE BACKGROUND
OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND
WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE
COMMUNITY. OUR RESPONSE WAS THE
MAJORITY OF INVESTMENTS GOING
DIRECTLY TO THE COMMUNITY.
SO I'M GOING TO KICK THIS OFF
TO DOCTOR, AND TO DO A QUICK
BACKGROUND.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
I AM GOING TO DO A QUICK JOB OF
THE BACKGROUND. THE SITUATION,
EVER SINCE THE PANDEMIC, AND
EVEN BEFORE THAT IS REALLY
TROUBLING AND ALARMING IN THE
SENSE THAT IT IS A TARGET ON
THE ASIAN AMERICAN FRIENDS,
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
THE HATE CRIME EXECUTIVE ORDER
SIGNED FEBRUARY 2020 NAMED THE
LEAGUE EXECUTIVE OFFICE.
PRIMARILY BECAUSE OUR APPROACH
TO SERVING THE CITY'S
MANAGEMENT NEED HAS BEEN NOTED
IN TERRI AND IN PRACTICE. ONE
OF THE CORNERSTONES OF OUR
APPROACH HAS BEEN HOW THE CITY
COMMUNITY RECOGNIZED A SYSTEM
THAT IS PERMISSIVE OF BIAS AND
PREJUDICE IS ALSO PERMISSIVE OF
POTENTIAL HATE.
SO, WE HAVE BEEN, EVEN THROUGH
THE PANDEMIC THAT HAS GOTTEN IN
THE WAY OF THE APTLY ACTIVE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EXECUTIVE
ORDER, OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN
PROVIDING PREVENTION-BASED
SUPPORT FOR THE CITY DURING
THIS ENTIRE TIME.
WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PRESENT
OUR ANNUAL REPORT IN THE NEXT
COUPLE OF WEEKS TO COUNCIL
WHICH DETAILS ALL THE DATA ON
THE REPORT AND THE TRAININGS WE
HAVE PORTED ON BYSTANDER
INSTRUMENT SHOULD AND
RESPONDING TO DISCRIMINATION
AND ALSO VERY SOON, WE WILL BE
LAUNCHING OUR INTELLIGENCE WORK
TOO.
>> THE PANDEMIC'S IMPACT ON THE
COMMUNITY IS PROFOUND ON
SEVERAL LEVELS.
THERE IS DAMAGE TO THE
COMMUNITIES WITH ACCEPTANCE AND
THE WAY COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE
TREATED.
THEN, THERE IS ECONOMIC AND
SOCIOECONOMIC DAMAGE. THE
HATRED IS MANIFESTING IN ACTUAL
ASSAULTS.
HATE CRIME INCIDENTS ARE
REPORTED THROUGH THE FBI AND
THROUGH COMMUNITY ALLIANCE.
THEY HAVE REPORTED NEARLY 4000
CASES.
WE ALL ALSO UNDERSTAND THE
CASES ARE UNDERREPORTED.
THE HARM TO THE COMMUNITY IS
PROBABLY NOT ACCURATELY
MEASURED ANYWHERE AS WELL.
SO, THAT IS A QUICK BACKGROUND.
IS THERE MORE NEEDED?
CAN I MOVE ON?
>> YOU CAN GO AHEAD.
>> SO, I'M GOING TO INVITE THE
DIRECTOR TO HELP PRESENT SOME
OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE
HEARD. AS I MENTIONED IN THE
BEGINNING, THE MAYOR HAS HEARD
VERY LOUD AND CLEAR IN THE
COMMUNITY FOR THE PAST YEAR AND
GREATER THAN THAT, HER
COMMITMENT IS REALLY AROUND HOW
WE CAN PROVIDE INVESTMENT INTO
THE COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS THE
COMMUNITY CAPACITY BUILDING.
IMPORTANT FOR BOTH US OF A CITY
AND WITH PARTNERS OF THE
COMMUNITY WITH ROUNDTABLES AND
TO HEAR SOME OF THE STRATEGIES
AND IDEAS AROUND THIS TYPE OF
PROPOSAL BEFORE YOU TODAY. SO,
SOME OF THE ENGAGEMENT HAS
INCLUDED ONE-ON-ONE
CONVERSATIONS AND ROUNDTABLE
DISCUSSIONS.
OUR DEPARTMENT HAS PARTICIPATED
AS WELL THROUGH DIRECT OUTREACH
AND THEN JUST PREPARING FOR
COMMUNITY.
SO, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER
TO THE DIRECTOR, AS WELL TO
GIVE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT
SHE HAS HEARD IN THE COMMUNITY.
>> DIRECTOR, YOU ARE ON MUTE.
>> EVEN ONE YEAR LATER, I
FORGET.
SO, AS ADRIAN MENTIONED, THE
CITY IS ALWAYS LISTENING.
SOMETIMES AS AN ONGOING
PROGRAMMATIC FUNCTION AND
SOMETIMES PERSONAL, MYSELF
INCLUDED.
I REACHED OUT TO THE FOLKS THAT
I KNOW AND YOU KNOW, JUST
NEEDING TO CHECK IN WITH FOLKS
TO SEE HOW THEY ARE DOING.
MORE RECENTLY, A LITTLE BIT
MORE FOCUSED CONVERSATION ABOUT
HOW THE CITY RESPONDS TO THE
ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIMES AND BIAS
. THERE IS A LITTLE BIT ALSO
ABOUT LEGISLATION. WHAT YOU SEE
HERE IS THE FIRST BULLET. SOME
OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE
DONE THIS INCLUDE OCR. THERE
WAS DIRECT ENGAGEMENT WITH
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND
ANOTHER CASE WAS HEARING ABOUT
THINGS WITH THE FEEDBACK AND
LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT SOME
OF THE ORGANIZATIONS ARE DOING.
SO, WITH THE KOREAN COMMUNITY
SERVICE, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE
QUESTION WE ASKED, WAS, WHAT WE
NOT KNOW IN THE KOREAN
COMMUNITY BECAUSE OF ITS
PRESENCE ON THE NORTHERN PART
OF SEATTLE.
IT'S KIND OF ON THE CUSP OF THE
CITY AND THAT THE NORTHERN
BORDER UP THERE BETWEEN YOUR
SUPERIOR SEATTLE IN LYNNWOOD.
WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
THAT PART OF THE API COMMUNITY
WAS EXPERIENCING THAT WAS
DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I THINK A
LOT OF FOLKS OFTEN ENGAGE AND
AWARE OF IN THE CHINATOWN
INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT, FOR
EXAMPLE.
CLEARLY THE IDC IN THE KING
COUNTY COALITION WHICH INCLUDES
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS.
MASSAGE PARLOR WORKERS, THEY
TALKED WITH MASSAGE PARLOR
WORKERS DIRECTLY.
I KNOW SOME OF THAT FEEDBACK
WAS SHARED WITH THE OFFICE OF
CIVIL RIGHTS AND THE OFFICE OF
LABOR STANDARDS. IT IS
INTERESTING BECAUSE A LOT OF
THE COMMUNITY SAFETY AND SOCIAL
SERVICES CONTRACTS ARE HOUSED
THERE.
THOSE ARE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS
AND SPECIFIC CONVERSATIONS THAT
I AM AWARE OF.
AND WORKING DIRECTLY WITH A
NUMBER OF COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS. THAT INCLUDES
FRIENDS OF LITTLE SAIGON AND A
FEW OTHERS. AND GOING TO THE
NEXT SLIDE.
>> WHAT FOLKS HEARD IS THAT
THERE IS A SERIES OF COMMUNITY
CENTERED APPROACHES AND FOLKS
ARE URGING BOTH THE CITY AND
ALLIES TO UPHOLD. IF ANY OF
THESE CATEGORIES ARE OVERLAPPING
, I WILL DO MY BEST TO TALK
ABOUT EACH ONE DISCREETLY.
ONE IS PUBLIC AWARENESS AND
EDUCATION.
JUST OVERALL CREATING MORE
AWARENESS AROUND THE ATTACKS
AGAINST THE COMMUNITIES. EVEN
WITH THE NUMBERS MENTIONED
EARLIER, THERE ARE FOLKS WHO
ARE NOT PLUGGED IN AND AWARE
THAT THESE ATTACKS ARE
HAPPENING AT UNPRECEDENTED
RATES UNSEEN BEFORE. I AM OLD
ENOUGH TO REMEMBER VINCENT CHAN
AND HAVING GOING THROUGH
ACTIVISM AS A COLLEGE STUDENT
AROUND ASIAN AMERICAN STUDIES
AT MY CAMPUS. AND, IT JUST
SEEMS LIKE THAT IS AN ONGOING
NEED FOR OUR EDUCATION.
BUT NOW, SOME OF THE EDUCATION
WE NEED AND THAT FOLKS HAVE
CALLED FOR, INCLUDING I HEARD
FROM JANICE AT NEIGHBORHOOD
HOUSE THAT WE NEED BYSTANDER
TRAINING SO WE CAN ALL STEP IN
AND DO SOMETHING WHEN WE
WITNESS HATE AND BIAS.
THAT IS CERTAINLY HELPFUL FOR
THE API COMMUNITIES WHERE MORE
PEOPLE ARE RELUCTANT TO REPORT,
OR FEEL THAT EVEN IF THEY TAKE
ACTION THAT THEIR CONCERNS AND
EXPERIENCES WON'T BE TAKEN
SERIOUSLY. AROUND THE COMMUNITY
LED SAFETY PILOT PROGRAMS, WE
HEARD VERY CLEARLY THAT
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND
LEADERS WANT AN OPPORTUNITY TO
DEVELOP COMMUNITY CENTERED
SOLUTIONS. SO, WE KNOW, FOR
EXAMPLE THAT WHEN DONNIE CHEN
WAS AVAILABLE, THAT WAS SUCH A
COMMUNITY EFFORT THAT WAS
CENTERED IN COMMUNITY. I KNOW
THERE WAS A DESIRE TO KIND OF
BRING SOME OF THE WORK HE DID
INTO SPD.
BUT HE SAW HIS WORK AS FOR THE
CID COMMUNITY. I THINK IN HIS
ABSENCE THAT THERE HAS BEEN A
LOT OF THOUGHT IN TERMS OF
THINKING ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THAT
KIND OF RESOURCE AVAILABLE. IT
IS NOT ROOTED IN SPD AND IT'S
NOT ABOUT 9-1-1, BUT IT IS A
RESOURCE PEOPLE CAN CALL IF
THEY FEEL UNSAFE.
THEY CAN CALL IF THEY NEED TO
REPORT AN INCIDENT AND THEY CAN
CALL TO FIND OUT WHAT RESOURCES
ARE AVAILABLE.
IT GOES BEYOND REPORTING AND IT
IS REALLY MORE ENCOMPASSING AND
IN MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY
ARE AT THROUGH A SIMPLE SINGLE
NUMBER.
IT'S ANOTHER WAY TO REACH
SOMEBODY LIVE ON THE OTHER END
OF THE LINE. SO, THERE MAY BE
OTHER IDEAS THAT HAVE
PERCOLATED AND, SO, HAVING SOME
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THOSE
COMMUNITY LED PILOT PROGRAMS.
AND THEN COMMUNICATION ON
POLICING AND ANTI-BLACKNESS.
AS A MEMBER OF THE A API
COMMUNITY, YOU ARE PROBABLY
AWARE IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY
SENDING CONVERSATIONS OVER THE
DINNER TABLE AND IN YOUR ROLES
AS COUNCILMEMBERS THAT WE
REALLY HAVE STRUGGLED WITH AND
HAVE TRIED TO GIVE A LOT OF
THOUGHT TO ISSUES OF POLICING
EQUITY AT THOSE INTERSECTIONS
WITH ANTI- BLACKNESS. IN THE
API COMMUNITIES, THERE HAS BEEN
DISCUSSION ABOUT HOW ARE WE
COMPLICIT AND HOW ARE WE ALLIES
? THERE IS A STRONG DESIRE BY
COMMUNITY LEADERS TO ALIGN
OURSELVES WITH THAT CONVERSATION
AROUND POLICE INEQUITY AND
RACIAL JUSTICE. IN MAKING SURE
THAT ANY SOLUTIONS THAT WE MOVE
FORWARD WITH SUPPORTING ANTI-
ASIAN HATE CRIMES IS ALIGNED
WITH THOSE LESSONS AND
CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE HAD.
SOME OF THOSE COULD BE UNDER
THE BANNER OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE
CALLING DEFUND SPD. IN OTHER
CASES, IT IS JUST THE
RECOGNITION THAT WHAT
COMMUNITIES REALLY NEED IS MORE
RESOURCES. IT CALLS INTO
úQUESTION WHETHER THOSE
RESOURCES SHOULD GO TO OTHER
CITY DEPARTMENTS OR TO SPD?
THERE ARE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
AND NUMBER FOUR IS THE
COMMUNITY CAPACITY FOR MENTAL
HEALTH CRISIS SUPPORT. THIS
LINKS A LITTLE BIT TO THE
RESOURCE OF HAVING A PHONE
NUMBER AND A RESOURCE FOR THE
CID. ALSO OTHER RESOURCES TO
HELP WITH THE TRAUMATIC EFFECTS
OF WHAT WE ARE HEARING AND
SEEING.
I THINK LONG-TERM, JUST PEOPLE
FEELING ISOLATED AND NOT
KNOWING WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY
ENCOUNTER HARASSMENT AND ANTI-
ASIAN INCIDENTS. AND, WANTING
TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY MORE
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT FOLKS FOR
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THEY
EXPERIENCE AN INCIDENT.
>> THEN AROUND POLICY AND
ADVOCACY, I THINK THIS OVERLAPS
WITH MANY OF THE OTHER POINTS
THAT WE HAVE HEARD AND THE
OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE HEARD
INCLUDE LOOKING AT K-12
CURRICULUM RECOMMENDATIONS.
CERTAINLY THE STORIES IN THE
PRESS THAT WE HAVE HEARD
RECENTLY UP AND ATTACKS AGAINST
ASIAN ELDERS.
THEY ARGUE ABOUT BULLYING IN
SCHOOLS AND HATE AND THOSE
KINDS OF THINGS ARE BELIEF IS
THAT IF WE START EARLY AND MAKE
SURE THESE THINGS ARE ADDRESSED
, SOMETIMES THE ROOT CAUSES
WILL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF
CURBING THAT ANTI- ASIAN BELIEFS
. SO, SCHOOL-BASED CURRICULUM
RECOMMENDATIONS. OBVIOUSLY,
LETTERS TO COUNCILMEMBERS INTO
THE MAYOR, THERE HAVE BEEN A
NUMBER OF THOSE THAT I THINK
YOU HAVE RECEIVED AND THE
MAYOR'S OFFICE HAS RECEIVED.
STANDING CONSOLIDATED OR THE --
IN SOLIDARITY WITH DIFFERENT
LOW INCOME WORKERS LIKE MASSAGE
PARLOR WORKERS. MAKING SURE WE
ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE SAFE
WORKING ENVIRONMENTS FOR
INDIVIDUALS WHO CHOOSE TO DO
THAT WORK.
SO, THESE ARE A FEW OF THE
EXPERIENCES. I KNOW THERE WAS A
SIXTH ONE WE HEARD ABOUT WHICH
WAS MEDIA. THOSE TOUCH ON SOME
OF THE THINGS THE CITY HAS DONE
IN THE PAST. FOR EXAMPLE, THE
BUS CAMPAIGN ADS AND THE NEED
TO ENSURE ACCURATE
REPRESENTATION OF THE API
COMMUNITIES IN THE MEDIA.
LIFTING UP COMMUNITY VOICES.
SO, THERE ARE WAYS IN WHICH WE
CAN CENTER THE COMMUNITY VOICES
AS THESE THINGS HAPPEN AND AS
WE CONTINUE TO EXPLORE HOW THE
CITY CAN BE A GOOD PARTNER AND
A GOOD ALLY AND PROCEED WITH
GOOD INVESTMENTS.
>> THANK YOU DR..
WE DO HAVE A HARD STOP FOR SOME
COUNCILMEMBERS AT 1:00 P.M.
. WE HAD THIS ON THE AGENDA FOR
20 MINUTES AND WE HAVE 10 MORE
MINUTES.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE
COUNCILMEMBERS GET A CHANCE TO
ASK QUESTIONS BEFORE THE HARD
STOP.
IF WE CAN PAUSE HERE BEFORE
GOING TO MORE DETAIL.
COUNCILMEMBER GONZALEZ, I HAVE
YOU LISTED FIRST.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I'M SORRY FOR THE TIME PRESSURE
HERE, BUT I DO HAVE TO GET OFF
THE COMMITTEE CALL TODAY AT
1:00 TO RUN TO ANOTHER
COMMITMENT. SO, I HAVE A FEW
QUESTIONS.
AND, THEY ARE PRIMARILY AROUND
SLIDE 3 AND 4. SO, I THINK IT
IS A GOOD TIME TO POSE THESE
QUESTIONS.
AND, LIKE, I JUST WANT TO GET
TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
HERE.
SO, WE ARE TRYING TO DO THESE
INVESTMENTS IN PARTNERSHIP AND
IN COOPERATION WITH THE MAYOR'S
OFFICE TO MEET A COMMUNITY-
BASED NEED. AND, I AM HEARING A
LOT OF CONCERNS, BOTH IN PUBLIC
COMMENT AND IN MY MAILBOX AND
THROUGH STAFF THAT CERTAIN
FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY WAS
DISREGARDED, IGNORED, OR BEING
MISREPRESENTED. SO, THAT IS
CONCERNING TO ME.
AND, I WANT TO EXPRESS THAT
CONCERN HERE IN HOPES THAT WE
CAN RECONCILE WHERE THE
DIFFERENCES ARE.
BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL
COMFORTABLE ADVANCING A BILL
THAT DOES NOT ACTUALLY TRULY
REPRESENT THE DESIRES AND
INTERESTS OF THE COMMUNITY
MEMBERS WHO THESE INVESTMENTS
ARE DESIGNED TO HELP.
I DO BELIEVE THAT THE MAYOR'S
OFFICE IS INTERESTED IN
ACHIEVING THAT SAME GOAL AND SO
I AM BRINGING THIS UP IN A VERY
DIRECT WAY BECAUSE WE DON'T
HAVE TIME TO DANCE AROUND THE
ISSUE.
TOO BECAUSE I WANT US TO FIND
COMMON GROUND HERE AND ADDRESS
THE CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE BEEN
HEARING.
SO, WE HAVE HEARD IN PUBLIC
COMMENT, PARTICULARLY THAT THEY
BELIEVE THIS PRESENTATION
MISREPRESENTS THE ENGAGEMENT
THAT OCCURRED WITH THEM. SO, I
WANT TO GET A CLEAR ANSWER TO
THAT CONCERN THAT WAS EXPRESSED
IN PUBLIC COMMENT.
I ALSO WANT TO HAVE A MORE
SPECIFIC CONVERSATION ABOUT
WHAT THE OUTREACH AND
ENGAGEMENT WAS?
WHAT DID IT LOOK LIKE, AND FOR
WHICH ORGANIZATIONS?
AND, WHERE THERE ANY OTHER
ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE SPOKEN
TO? IF SO, WHAT WAS THE
ENGAGEMENT THAT OCCURRED WITH
THOSE ORGANIZATIONS? AND, ARE
THERE ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU
DECIDED NOT TO ENGAGE WITHIN
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS INITIAL
PROPOSAL?
AND, YOU KNOW, ON THIS
PARTICULAR SLIDE, IT SORT OF
TALKS ABOUT HOW THERE IS A GROUP
IDENTIFIED. THEY IDENTIFIED
THESE FIVE THINGS AND I'M NOT
SURE WHO THE GROUP IS.
I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW DETAILS
ABOUT THAT, AS WELL.
AND THEN, ON SLIDE 3, THERE WAS
A REFERENCE TO HS D'S
PARTICIPATION.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT PARTICIPATE
MEANS.
I JUST NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE
UNDERSTANDING OF SORT OF THE
CHARACTER YOUR AND THE DEPTH OF
THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND
ENGAGEMENT. AND, I WANT THAT
AGGREGATED IN A WAY THAT CLEARLY
TELLS ME THAT WE HAVE DONE SOME
MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
HERE AND THAT WE ARE NOT
ENGAGING IN A PRACTICE, WHETHER
INTENTIONALLY OR
UNINTENTIONALLY, OF CHERRY
PICKING WHAT WE WANT AND LEAVING
IN THE BUCKET WHAT WE DON'T
WANT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> I WILL START AND SAY THE
NAME TONYA MIGHT BE ABLE TO
PROVIDE MORE DETAIL.
THIS FIVE POINT LIST CAME FROM
CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE HAD
WITH COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS LED BY B PSO AND
I CANNOT TAKE CREDIT FOR IT.
A TIS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
OF CHINESE AMERICANS WITH OCA
AND FRIENDS OF LITTLE SAIGON. I
MAY BE MISSING A FEW, BUT THOSE
ARE THE ONES THAT I RECALL.
SO, TURNING TO MY OTHER
COLLEAGUES TO SEE IF THERE IS
MORE TO ADD TO THAT.
>> THIS IS TONYA KIM WITH THE
HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
LET ME ADD A LITTLE BIT OF
NUANCE AND I THINK YOU'RE
PICKING UP ON IT.
WHEN HSD IS SAYING WE HAVE BEEN
A PART OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR
WHAT WAS JUST DISCUSSED, OUR
STAFF ARE ACTUALLY JOINING
OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND
THERE IS A COLLECTIVE GROUP OF
FOLKS WHO ARE MEETING WHO ARE
NAMED.
WE ARE PARTICIPANTS AND NOT
LEADING IN THAT SPACE. THESE
ARE OBSERVATIONS WE ARE PICKING
UP AND IT WAS NOT INTENTIONAL
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO INFORM
HSD'S BODY OF WORK.
WE ARE PROPOSING TO INVEST BACK
AND COMMUNITY FOR COMMUNITY LED
SOLUTIONS.
THAT IS A SLIDE DOWN THE
PRESENTATION. WHEN WE DO THE
RFP WE ARE PROPOSING TO DO, OR
WHEN WE ARE INVESTING IN
COMMUNITY PROVIDERS WE ARE
CURRENTLY CONTRACTING WITH, WE
WILL DO INTENTIONAL ENGAGEMENT.
WE HAVE BEEN IN PARTNERSHIP
WITH FOLKS AND TALKING WITH
FOLKS AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE
EARLY, INITIAL THINGS THAT WE
HAVE HEARD.
WE STILL NEED TO DO A SPECIFIC
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT WILL
INFORM AN EXPEDITED RFP. I DO
WANT TO CLARIFY THAT NUANCE.
THERE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE
HAD DIRECTLY WITH THE DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE LISTED
ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
THAT WAS REALLY JUST LIKE, HOW
ARE YOU DOING AND WHAT ARE YOU
HEARING AND WHAT DO YOU NEED?
THE THEME REALLY IS AROUND
COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS. PLEASE
INVEST IN WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY
DOING AND ALSO IN PILOTS AS WELL
. SO, IT IS CONSISTENT WITH
WHERE WE INTEND TO GO WITH THE
ADDITIONAL 100 AND $300,000
STAGES.
>> I WOULD JUST SHARE, AND I
APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS. SO,
THE SPECIFIC DIRECT QUESTION
AROUND THE CONCERN REGARDING
SOME OF THE INVESTMENTS ON THE
SPD SIDE. THE INVESTMENTS WE
ARE PROPOSING, AND PERHAPS I
CAN GET THIS REAL QUICK.
IT IS SPECIFICALLY AROUND -- WE
HAVE HEARD FROM COMMUNITY
MEMBERS AND WE HAVE SHARED A
LIST WITH THE BUDGET CHAIR'S
OFFICE OF OVER 61 ORGANIZATIONS
AND INDIVIDUAL FOLKS WE HAVE
BEEN TALKING WITH OVER THE WEEKS
. WHAT ARE THE NEEDS AND ASKS?
THAT'S WHY THE FUNDING IS
MOSTLY IN COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS. IT ALLOWS THE
COMMUNITY TO WORK WITH THEM
DIRECTLY ON WHAT ARE YOUR NEEDS
? SO, THAT IS WHERE MOST OF THE
FUNDING IS GOING. I THINK TO
ANSWER YOUR QUESTION IS THE
CRIME PREVENTION COORDINATOR.
ONE THING WE HAVE HEARD IS FROM
COMMUNITY AND FROM SOME OF THE
BUSINESSES WHO HAVE ALSO BEEN
HIT BY HATE CRIMES.
THEY HAVE MENTIONED SOME THINGS
AROUND, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THE
NEIGHBORS AND THE COMMUNITY ARE
SAFE? ANYTHING FROM LIGHTING
OUTSIDE AND HOW THIS IS SET UP
ON THE STREET OR INSIDE THE
BUSINESS, WHAT CAN WE DO TO
HELP WORKERS AND KEEP THE
COMMUNITY SAFE? THAT IS AROUND
CRIME PREVENTION BY
ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN.
WHEN WE HEARD OF THAT NEED -- I
DON'T KNOW WHY THIS KEEPS
HAPPENING.
ADRIAN, YOU JUST WENT ON MUTE.
IT HAPPENED EARLIER.
>> [ LAUGHTER ].
>> I WILL SHARE -- GO AHEAD,
PLEASE.
>> WHAT WE HEARD OF THE
SPECIFIC NEED WAS FROM THE
COORDINATOR SWITCH WAS
ESSENTIALLY NONUNIFORMED AND
NON-OFFICER RESPONSE WHICH THE
COORDINATORS ARE TRAINED IN
ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN. THAT IS
ACTUALLY WHAT WE HAD IDENTIFIED
BASED ON WHAT WE HEARD THE NEED
WAS.
SO, THAT IS WHY WE HAD DONE
THAT.
IT IS NOT A POLICE OFFICER OR A
DETECTIVE, IT IS A NONUNIFORM
RESPONSE. I HOPE THAT ANSWERED
THE QUESTION A LITTLE MORE
DIRECTLY.
>> YEAH, I APPRECIATE THAT,
ADRIAN. I'M SORRY THAT THE
GHOSTS KEEP RANDOMLY MUTING
PEOPLE TODAY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT
IS HAPPENING.
ON THE BIAS CRIME PREVENTION
COORDINATOR, THERE IS A COUPLE
OF THINGS, RIGHT?
I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF
INTEREST IN YOU KNOW, BUILT-IN
ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENTS THAT
HELP WITH THE PERCEPTION AND
THE FEEL OF AN AREA OF BEING
SAFE. THOSE PROGRAMS, AS FAR AS
I KNOW, ARE TRADITIONALLY RUN
THROUGH THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE ARE
CERTAINLY NO EXCEPTION THERE. I
THINK ON THE BIAS CRIME
PREVENTION CORRIDOR IN NADER,
THE POLICY QUESTION, AS I SEE IT
, IS THE POSITION BETTER HOUSED
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, LIKE THE
PUBLIC SAFETY COORDINATOR
POSITION THAT WE HAVE FUNDED
INDIRECT RESPONSE AND IN THE
AFTERMATH OF DONNIE CHIN'S
MURDER. OR, IS THAT POSITION
BETTER HOUSED WITHIN THE
SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT?
>> AND, I THINK, TO ME, THAT IS
WHAT THE POLICY QUESTION IS.
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM THE
EXECUTIVE WHY YOU HAVE CHOSEN
TO HOUSE THE BIAS CRIME
PREVENTION COORDINATOR.
WITHIN THE SEATTLE POLICE
DEPARTMENT AS OPPOSED TO.
WHAT WE DID IN 2016.
>> FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE,
THE REASON IT IS HOUSED IN THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT AS THEIR WAS
-- THE REASON IT WAS IN THIS
PARTICULAR LEGISLATION, THIS IS
REPURPOSED LEGISLATION IN SPD.
INSTEAD OF HIRING AN OFFICER,
WE ARE DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT
TO HIRE A CRIME PREVENTION
COORDINATOR.
THE BUDGET IS IN THE DEPARTMENT
ITSELF AND IT IS AN OFFICER WHO
IS IN THE POSITION TO DO THIS
WORK.
>> THEY ARE REPURPOSED SEEING
FROM OFFICER TO A NON-OFFICER
POSITION TO PERFORM THE
FUNCTIONS THAT ARE IN LINE WITH
WHAT WE HAVE HEARD WHAT THE
COMMUNITY WAS ASKING FOR.
>> SOMEBODY IS TO DO THIS WORK.
I AM NOT PERSUADED THAT THE
COMMUNITY OF WORK WAS ASKED FOR
IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO
UNDERSTAND.
SORT OF, WHY IS THIS BODY OF
WORK. I AM TRYING UNDERSTAND
WHY THERE WAS A DECISION TO
KEEP THE BIASED CRIME
PREVENTION COORDINATOR? LIKE
CAN THIS PERSON NOT DO THE WORK
IF THEY ARE NOT WITHIN SPD?
LIKE, IS THERE GOING TO BE SOME
SORT OF LIKE PRACTICAL, YOU
KNOW, IMPEDIMENT TO THIS PERSON
WITH THE BIAS CRIME PREVENTION
COORDINATOR IF THERE HOUSED
OUTSIDE OF SPD.
HELP ME UNDERSTAND THESE
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THIS
CHOICE.
>> I HAVE DIRECTLY REPRESENTED
THE CRIME PREVENTION
COORDINATORS. BECAUSE OF THEIR
POSITION WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
ONE BEING NONUNIFORMED WHICH IS
THE ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE WHICH
IS WHAT I HAVE HEARD WITH
ALTERNATIVE WAYS.
BUT ACTUALLY HAVING THE
DEPARTMENT ITSELF HAVING ACCESS
TO INFORMATION BECAUSE THEY ARE
IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO GAIN
ACCESS TO CRIME DATA IN A WAY
THAT IS MORE REAL-TIME. SO,
WHEN THINGS HAPPEN, A PRIVATE
CRIME PREVENTION COORDINATOR
FROM A RESPONSE PHASE CAN
RESPOND QUICKER IN THAT
PARTICULAR CAPACITY.
THEY ALSO DO COORDINATE WITH
OFFICERS TO LOOK AT WHAT
PREVENTION IS AND THEN THEY ARE
DIRECTLY IN COMMUNITY WORKING
WIT BUSINESSES AND WORKING
WITH COMMUNITY TO IDENTIFY
AREAS WHERE THE PREVENTION CAN
HAPPEN.
THE INFORMATION IS GREATER IN
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THIS IS
A POLICY CHOICE THAT WAS MADE.
BECAUSE IN THEIR ROLES, YOU KNOW
, PART OF THEIR ROLE IS THAT
IT'S ESSENTIAL FOR THEM IN THE
DEPARTMENT BECAUSE OF ACCESS TO
INFORMATION.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY
PERFORM AS A FUNCTION ISN'T IN
EXACTLY WITH ALIGNMENT. I'M NOT
SAYING THAT'S WHAT WE PROPOSE,
BUT I HAVE HEARD WHAT THE NEED
IS AND WE HAVE WHAT THEY HAVE
REQUESTED AND WHAT THE NEED WAS.
>> COUNCIL PRESIDENT, I KNOW
YOU ARE ON A SHORT TIMELINE, DO
YOU HAVE A FOLLOW-UP?
>> I AM HERE HAPPY TO HEAR FROM
DR. KOHN.
>> I JUST WANTED TO GIVE MY TWO
CENTS WORTH.
THIS CONVERSATION IS NOT
NORMALLY WHAT I WOULD REFER TO.
IN GENERAL, I WOULD WANT ALL OF
US TO CONSIDER THAT IT IS OUR
HOPE TO REFORM THE CULTURE OF
POLICING. WE MUST HOLD LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, WE SHOULD
HOLD THEM TO A STANDARD OF
SUCCESS FOR NONUNIFORMED
POSITIONS. I THINK IT IS WISE TO
AT LEAST TRY TO PUT NONUNIFORMED
POSITIONS TOWARD CRIME
PREVENTION AND ASKED THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT TO CHANGE THEIR
CULTURE TO HELP THEM SUCCEED.
THAT IS JUST MY TWO CENTS WORTH
. I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE
THAT HAPPEN BECAUSE IT SEEMS
LIKE IN GENERAL THAT LAW
ENFORCEMENT -- THEY ARE LARGELY
SUPPORTIVE OF A UNIFORMED
RESPONSE BECAUSE IT IS THE
CULTURAL WAY OF DOING THINGS.
SO, WE MIGHT HAVE TO REQUEST
MORE OF THESE POSITIONS TO BE
PUT AMONG THEM AND ASK FOR
THEIR SUPPORT WITH THIS.
>> YEAH, AND I WOULD JUST SAY
FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE THAT
I AM NOT OPPOSED TO INCREASING
CIVILIAN ICED FUNCTIONS WITHIN
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
I HAVE BEEN A BIG SUPPORTER OF
THAT. ERGO, THE RESURRECTION OF
THE COMMUNITY SAFETY OFFICER
PROGRAM WHICH IS ALSO A
CIVILIAN ICED PROGRAM AND I
WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT BEING
BROUGHT TO SCALE.
BUT ALSO JUST THE WORK AS THE
PUBLIC SAFETY CHAIR FOR FOUR
YEARS BEFORE. WE HAVE SPENT A
LOT OF TIME DIGGING INTO HOW WE
CAN INCREASE THAT IN THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT AND SO THAT IS NOT MY
OBJECTION OR CONCERN THAT I AM
EXPRESSING HERE.
AS A POLICY MAKER, I FEEL I
HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO
UNDERSTAND WHY THERE ARE
CHOICES BEING MADE TO HOW
CERTAIN POSITIONS ARE IN A
CERTAIN DEPARTMENT AS OPPOSED
TO WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
I APOLOGIZE THAT I KEEP HARPING
BACK TO THE CREATION OF A
PUBLIC SAFETY COORDINATOR. I'M
NOT SAYING IT IS AN APPLES TO
APPLES CONSIDERATION, BUT THERE
IS A STRONG NEXUS BETWEEN WHAT
THE CITY HAS CHOSEN TO DO IN A
SIMILAR REALM RELATED TO PUBLIC
SAFETY AND THE COORDINATOR
POSITION AND WHAT WE ARE TRYING
TO ACCOMPLISH HERE. AND, I WANT
TO MAKE THE BEST DECISION ON
HOW DO ALLOCATE THESE FUNDS
WITH THE BEST AVAILABLE
INFORMATION. THAT IS WHY I AM
BEING A STICKLER ON CONTINUING
TO ASK THESE QUESTIONS. I'M
JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHY
WE THINK THIS POSITION IS
BETTER HOUSED WITHIN THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT AS OPPOSED TO WITHIN
A COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION
THAT STILL HAS ACCESS TO THE
INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO
BE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY
REPRESENT COMMUNITY INTEREST
AND TO BE THE STRONGEST
POSITION POLICY BULL TO BE THE
LIAISON BETWEEN BUSINESSES AND
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT.
>> FOR ME, THE QUESTION IS, DO
WE WANT THIS POSITION HOUSED
WITHIN THE SPD, OR DO WE WANT
IT TO HAVE A STRONG CONNECTION
TO THE SPD AND BE HOUSED IN A
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION?
AND, I'M SORRY, BUT I JUST
DON'T FEEL THAT I AM GETTING --
I DON'T FEEL I HAVE A CLEAR
SENSE OF HOW THIS CAME TO BE TO
BE ABLE TO SORT OF PASS
JUDGMENT ON IT ONE WAY OR THE
OTHER THIS WEEK.
>> THAT WAS ACTUALLY REALLY
HELPFUL IN WHAT YOU WERE
DESCRIBING.
MAYBE I CAN HELP THIS A LITTLE
FURTHER. FIRST, YOU MENTIONED
THE COMMUNITY SAFETY OFFICERS.
THE CRIME PREVENTION
COORDINATOR IS THE SAME ISSUE
WITH CUT AFTER CUT OVER THE
PAST SEVERAL YEARS. IT IS
DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FULLY
FUNCTION BECAUSE THEY HAVE SO
MUCH TERRITORY TO COVER BECAUSE
THEY ARE THE ALTERNATE POLICE
RESPONSE.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD
THAT BACKUP ON THE CIVILIAN
SIDE.
AND WHAT WE HAVE HEARD WITH THE
NEED FOR COMMUNITY AND HOW THAT
WORKS.
WHAT YOU ARE DESCRIBING IS
ACTIVITY-BASED, ACTIVITY AND
THAT'S WHY MOST OF IT IS
COMMUNITY-BASED.
IDENTIFYING WHERE THERE IS A
LIAISON OR OTHER THINGS WE NEED
TO HAVE FOCUSED ON A COMMUNITY-
BASED ORGANIZATION. THE FUNDING
IS THERE AND WE CAN DO THAT
WORK AS WELL.
IT IS NOT MEANT TO BE ONE
CHOICE OR THE OTHER, BUT I
APPRECIATE YOU ASKING THAT
QUESTION.
WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A POSSIBLE
SOLUTION AND THAT DOES NOT
PRECLUDE OUR ABILITY TO FUND
THE LIAISON POSITION OR USE
SOME OF THE OTHER CAPACITY
BUILDING DOLLARS TO DO THAT
WORK.
AND TO ACTUALLY RESIDE IN THE
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION TO
BE THAT LIAISON.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN IS
WHAT WE HAD HEARD KNOWING THAT
MOST OF THE MONEY WOULD BE AT
THE COMMUNITY-BASED LEVEL.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER
HERBOLD, YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP
?
>> IF NOT MY FINGER ON THE
SCALE OF WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS
A POSITION THAT SHOULD BE
FUNDED WITH SPD EXISTING FUNDS
THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE
DEPARTMENT.
BUT, I DID WANT A LITTLE MORE
AFFIRMATION THAT IT MAY BE PART
OF WHY THE EXECUTIVE IS MAKING
THE PROPOSAL THAT IT IS MAKING.
I DID DISCUSS THIS ISSUE WITH
CHIEF DIAZ A NUMBER OF WEEKS
AGO AND HE REMINDED ME THAT THE
CITY HAS A INDIVIDUAL WHO IS
THE DETECTIVE WHO FOCUSES ON
BIAS CRIMES.
HER TITLE IS ACTUALLY BIAS
CRIMES COORDINATOR. SO, EVEN
THOUGH HER FUNCTION IS REALLY
FOCUSED ON WORK ASSOCIATED WITH
BIAS CRIMES THAT HAVE HAPPENED,
SHE IS, IN ESSENCE, DOING MANY
OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD
EXPECT SOMEBODY FOCUSED ON BIAS
CRIMES ON THE PREVENTION SIDE.
SHE IS DOING MANY OF THOSE
THINGS WHILE ALSO ACTING AS A
DETECTIVE INVESTIGATING BIAS
CRIMES. SO,, AGAIN, I HOPE THAT
IS HELPFUL INFORMATION ABOUT
THE FUNCTION THAT A UNIFORMED
OFFICER WITHIN SPD IS
FULFILLING RIGHT NOW. AND, I
MEAN, AGAIN, REGARDLESS OF
WHERE THE STAFF FOR THESE
>> THERE IS AN AMOUNT OF
FUNDING UP TO $250,000 THAT
COULD POTENTIALLY BE USED FOR A
POSITION LIKE THIS. IT IS STILL
SOMETHING I AM INTERESTED IN
GETTING TO THE HEART OF. IS
THERE A WAY TO USE THE
ADDITIONAL DOLLARS AND TO
DIRECTLY FUND IT?
MAYBE THROUGH OIR, THE OFFICE
OF REFUGEE AFFAIRS OR DIRECTLY
THROUGH THE PROCESS SO WE HAVE
A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT
PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
OBVIOUSLY THERE COULD BE
COLLABORATION WITH THE EXISTING
CRIME PREVENTION WORK THAT IS
DONE WITHIN THE CITY, BUT
THAT'S A BIG QUESTION MARK FOR
ME. WE ARE GOING TO LOSE
COUNCILMEMBERS HERE SOON AND WE
HAVE ALREADY LOST COUNCILMEMBER
MORALE IS DUE TO A PRIOR
COMMITMENT.
AND I KNOW OTHER COUNCILMEMBERS
HAVE HARD STOPS AS WELL. I'M
NOT SURE WE HAVE HEARD ALL OF
THE QUESTIONS AND WE LOOK TO
THE COLLEAGUES TO INFORM A PATH
HERE.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THE THAT
SOMETHING IS VERY CLEAR.
THE COUNCILMEMBERS HAVE BEEN
VERY CLEAR ABOUT THE JOINT
COMMITMENT TO ADDRESSING HATE
CRIMES AND TO SENDING A UNITED
MESSAGE TO THE API COMMUNITY.
WE STAND NOT ONLY IN SOLIDARITY
AGAINST HATE CRIMES, BUT
AGAINST DIRECT INVESTMENTS.
THAT IS WHAT THE STATEMENT
EXPLICITLY SAID THAT WE SENT
OUT.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A BALANCE TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT
CREATING ADDITIONAL HARM OR
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES AS WE
SEEK TO PROVIDE SOLUTIONS AND
THAT IS THE INTENTION YOU ARE
HEARING NOW.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS
UNDERSTOOD THIS COMES FROM A
PLACE OF WANTING AND MEANINGFUL
INVESTMENTS AND NOT TO CREATE
HARM OR TO LEAVE OUT VOICES
THAT MAY BE TRYING TO INFORM
OUR NEXT STEPS HERE.
COLLEAGUES, ARE THERE FEEDBACK
FROM YOU ABOUT THE NEXT STEPS?
>> I APPRECIATE THE
CONVERSATION AND I KNOW WE DID
NOT GET ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE
PRESENTATION, BUT WE GOT
THROUGH MOST OF IT.
I DO WANT TO SORT OF DO A
LITTLE BIT OF LEVEL SETTING
HERE.
BECAUSE I DON'T WANT MEMBERS OF
THE PUBLIC OR ANY OF US TO WALK
AWAY WITH THE IMPRESSION THAT
WE THINK THAT THE VAST MAJORITY
OF THESE INVESTMENTS ARE, YOU
KNOW, CREATING HARM, OR THAT
ANY ARE CREATING HARM. FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE, I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT
A VAST MAJORITY OF THE $1.5
MILLION OR A SIGNIFICANT
PORTION OF THE $1.5 MILLION IS
PROPOSED TO GO STRAIGHT TO
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
AND COMMUNITY LED EFFORTS.
THE ONLY ISSUE WHERE I THINK WE
HAVE BEEN FOCUSING IN ON IS TO
BE VERY CLEAR, A $150,000
INVESTMENT OF THE $1.5 MILLION.
I WANT TO BE SORT OF REALLY
CLEAR THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
A VERY SMALL PORTION OF THE
FULL $1.5 MILLION. SO, I DON'T
WANT TO OVER CHARACTERIZE WHAT
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS
OF THE FULL PACKAGE.
SO, I WANT TO INVITE US, IF WE
CAN, I WANT TO INVITE US TO
CONSIDER VOTING THIS BILL OUT
OF COMMITTEE TODAY WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT OVER THE
NEXT FEW DAYS THAT WE HAVE SOME
WORK TO DO TO GET A CLEARER
UNDERSTANDING OF THE $150,000
PROPOSED INVESTMENT FOR THE
COMMUNITY. THE BIASED CRIME
COMMUNITY POSITION IN IT. SO, I
STILL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT
IT BUT I DON'T FEEL I NEED TO
BELABOR THOSE QUESTIONS IN
COMMITTEE TODAY.
I TRUST WE WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE
COMMUNICATIONS TO GET CLARITY
AROUND THE $150,000 PORTION OF
THIS INVESTMENT. BUT, I WOULD
HATE TO HOLD UP THE OTHER
ALMOST $1.4 MILLION IN
INVESTMENTS OVER A $150,000
QUESTION. SO, I THINK THERE
SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF AGREEMENT
AROUND THE REST OF IT AND IF WE
CAN SORT OF CHALLENGE OURSELVES
TO KEEP OPEN CHANNELS OF
COMMUNICATION OVER THE NEXT FEW
DAYS, BEFORE MONDAY, THEN I
WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE SEEING
THIS MOVE OUT OF COMMITTEE
TODAY IN THE SPIRIT OF
UNDERSTANDING THAT, AGAIN, A
SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THESE
DOLLARS, OVER 1 MILLION OF
THESE DOLLARS, ARE BEING
DIRECTED INTO COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS.
>> THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I WANT TO SAY COUNCILMEMBER
GONZALEZ FOR THAT SUGGESTION
AND I AGREE WITH THAT APPROACH
. JUST A FEW WORDS ABOUT MY
SENSE OF URGENCY AROUND MOVING
THESE DOLLARS.
IN FEBRUARY 2020, I STOOD WITH
THE MAYOR AND A DOZEN COMMUNITY
MEMBERS WHEN SHE SIGNED HER
EXECUTIVE ORDER ADDRESSING HATE
CRIMES AND CRIMES OF BIAS.
AS A RECENT CHAIR FOR THE
COMMITTEE WITH PREVIOUS
OVERSIGHT OF THE OFFICE OF
CIVIL RIGHTS AND AS SOMEBODY
WHO HAS REQUESTED ON HATE
CRIMES IN SEATTLE AND ON THIS
AREA WHICH IS ONE OF GREAT
CONCERN AND PASSION FOR ME. THE
MAYOR'S EXECUTIVE ORDER AND HER
FUNDING COMMITMENT TO ADDRESS
HATE CRIME WITH RECOMMENDATIONS
TO THE COUNCIL IN AUGUST OF
LAST YEAR.
WE DID NOT RECEIVE THOSE
RECOMMENDATIONS LAST YEAR. I
MADE INQUIRIES WITH THE MAYOR'S
OFFICE LAST YEAR TO INQUIRE AND
I HAVE APPRECIATED THE
CONVERSATIONS I HAVE HAD WITH
DR. CON AND DR. LOCKHART ABOUT
THOSE QUESTIONS. BUT, I THINK
THE TIME IS NOW TO MOVE FORWARD
WITH THESE INVESTMENTS WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT WE DO HAVE
ADITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT WE
SHOULD STRIVE TO GET ANSWERED
BEFORE MONDAY'S FULL COUNCIL
VOTE.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU. I'M NOT SEEING
ADDITIONAL HANDS. I WILL ALSO
ADD THAT I HAVE A NUMBER OF
QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO THE
DOLLAR AMOUNTS AS WELL.
DIRECTOR, I WILL SHARE WITH YOU
AND PERHAPS WE CAN SHARE AROUND
IN ADVANCE OF MONDAY. I WANT TO
CONFIRM THAT THESE ARE UN-
ALLOCATED AND UNDER SPENT
DOLLARS.
NONE OF THESE ARE BEING
REALLOCATED FROM THE PURPOSE
THE ORIGINAL TONS WERE INTENDED
TO BE USED FOR THAT WOULD HAVE
IMPACT.
WE WILL LOOK MORE INTO THE
FUNDING SOURCES GOING FORWARD
FOR SOME IMPORTANT INVESTMENTS
THAT ARE PROPOSED HERE.
THE 1.4 AND ALMOST THE $1
MILLION IN OTHER AREAS, I KNOW
THERE IS INTEREST IN ONGOING
INVESTMENT SPECIFIC TO THE
ISSUE AROUND THE CRIMES
PREVENTION POSITION.
I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO
CONTINUE TO LOOK INTO THIS IDEA
AND THE DISCUSSION WE HAVE BEEN
HAVING TODAY ABOUT HOW THAT
COULD PUT YOU IN CHILE BE
LOCATED OUTSIDE.
THERE WERE A FEW TECHNICAL EDITS
, COPY EDITS, THAT WE DID GET
FLAGGED FOR US THAT WE DID NOT
GET INTRODUCED INTO THE BILL.
THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT
SOME OF THOSE EDITS WILL NEED
TO COME FORWARD BEFORE MONDAY.
THERE IS WORK TO DO AND
QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED, BUT
IN LIGHT OF OUR GOAL HERE
TODAY, I THINK WE WILL GO AHEAD
AND MAKE THE MOTION AND FULLY
RECOGNIZE THERE IS ADDITIONAL
WORK AND QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO
BE ANSWERED BEFORE THIS GETS
DISCUSSED IN FULL COUNCIL.
WITH THAT, ARE THERE ANY
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS?
>> WITH THAT, COLLEAGUES, I
APPRECIATE THE EXTRA TIME
YOU'VE SPENT ON THE LINE TODAY.
RECOGNIZING THERE WILL BE MORE
WORK. I MOVE THE COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDS PASSAGE OF CANCEL
BILLOW 120019.
IS THERE A MOTION AND SECOND?
>> IT HAS BEEN MOVED AND
SECONDED. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS?
>> BY THE WAY, I WANT TO THANK
THE FOLKS WHO HAVE ENGAGED IN
THE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS.
I DID MENTION THE FOLKS THAT
HAVE BEEN MENTIONED TO ME AND
THE BIGGEST QUESTION IS WHETHER
OR NOT THAT FULL LIST OF FOLKS
HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE
LEGISLATION. IT IS DIFFERENT TO
HAVE A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION
VERSUS LOOKING AT THE FINAL
LEGISLATION. SO, I DO
APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT HAS
BEEN DONE TO PULL THIS TOGETHER
RELATIVELY QUICKLY. AGAIN,
THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AND
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE PROVIDED
INPUT, WE LOOK FORWARD TO
INFORMATION FROM YOU ALL,
PARTICULARLY AROUND THE
REPRESENTATION OR
MISREPRESENTATION AROUND THE
ENGAGEMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEIR FEEDBACK IS INCORPORATED.
HEARING NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
OR QUESTIONS, MADAM CLERK, CALL
THE ROLL ON THE PASSAGE OF THE
BILL.
>> CHAIR MOSQUEDA ?
>> AYE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER LEWIS ?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MORALES ?
>> YES.
>> CHAIR MOSQUEDA, THAT IS FOUR
IN FAVOR AND NUMB OPPOSE .
>> THAT CARRIES AND THE
RECOMMENDATION IS THE BILL WILL
HAVE FURTHER DISCUSSION AND
WILL BE SENT TO THE FULL
COUNCIL EETING FOR FINAL
CONSIDERATION. ARE THERE ANY
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FOR TODAY?
>> OKAY, I APPRECIATE THE
EXTENDED TIME ON TODAY'S
MEETING I WILL SAVE THE SUMMARY
OF WHAT IS TO COME, BUT WE HAVE
A FULL MEETING AGENDA ON APRIL
20th AT 9:30 A.M.
. THAT CONCLUDES THE MEETING
AND HAVE A GREAT REST OF YOUR
DAY.
THANK YOU TO THE PANEL FOR
PRESENTING ON THIS LAST ITEM.
>> THANK YOU.