By Aspen Anderson
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

34th District State House Rep. Emily Alvarado of West Seattle hosted a coffee hour this afternoon at C & P Coffee to outline priorities for the State Legislature session starting Monday and to answer constituents’ questions.

About 14 people attended the event, organized by Postcards 4 Democracy.

Alvarado will start the session in the House but may not finish it there, as she is a candidate to fill Sen. Joe Nguyễn’s State Senate seat following his move to lead the Commerce Department under incoming Gov. Bob Ferguson. She highlighted the opportunity presented by the Democratic majorities in the Legislature.

“We do have in Washington some of the strongest Democratic majorities that we have had in a long time … 30 Democrats in the Senate and 59 Democrats in the House,” she said. “We have an obligation and responsibility to play defense and also to play offense.”

Key priorities for the upcoming session, Alvarado said, include addressing the economy, cost of living, affordability, public safety and education. “My personal priority is making housing more affordable,” she said.

Alvarado introduced HB 1217, a bill designed to enhance housing stability by limiting rent and fee increases, requiring advance notice of changes, capping fees and deposits, creating a landlord resource center, authorizing tenant-lease terminations, ensuring parity between lease types, and enabling attorney general enforcement.

A constituent asked about rent increases, sharing that their rent had risen from $1,100 to $2,700 in 18 months. “Where can you turn to if you think you are getting gouged?” they asked.

“Right now you can’t turn to anyone because they’re doing what is absolutely legal,” she said. “I want us to create more housing. I want landlords to be able to run their business in a way that makes sense, and I think people deserve some reasonable protections on their side.”

Child care is also a top priority, Alvarado noted, citing that 63% of Washingtonians live in child-care deserts. She also called for increased funding for special education and said Washington’s schools are underfunded.

Alvarado said constituents are concerned about potential rollbacks on climate action, referencing the recent initiative that sought to repeal the Climate Commitment Act but did not pass.

“We’re going to continue to push, but we’ll have to play defense there,” she said, referencing the state’s response to climate change.

On immigration, Alvarado warned of “devastating impacts” if laws are not strengthened.

“There’s going to be a lot of conversations about how we make sure that we support immigrants who are part of our community, who are critical to our economy,” she said.

Reproductive rights will also require vigilance, she said, noting that amid the federal switch to the Trump Administration, strengthening Washington law will be a top priority.

“Washington has some of the strongest protections for abortion access and reproductive health care in the country,” Alvarado noted. “But honestly, if Medicaid funding is cut and changes are made at the federal level, the biggest challenge for people here is going to be around access.”

All these priorities are complicated by a $10 billion state budget deficit, Alvarado said, which will require difficult decisions in the coming session.

As for her future, the next step in the potential Senate appointment is a King County Democrats meeting with 34th District precinct-committee officers on January 19th; the King County Council‘s decision on the appointment could come that same week.

Postcards 4 Democracy, the sponsor of today’s event, meets weekly at C&P Coffee to write postcards and register voters. Check their schedule to attend a meeting.