If the King County Council goes with recommendations made today by the 34th District Democrats‘ Precinct Committee Officers, State House Rep. Emily Alvarado will succeed Joe Nguyen as this district’s State Senator, and Seattle School Board president Gina Topp will succeed Alvarado. The PCOs – who themselves are elected to those roles – voted in a special meeting held today in Bellevue and online, facilitated by the King County Democrats. (Since state legislators serve in partisan positions, when their jobs become open between elections, state law and party rules govern the process for choosing replacements.) The process required that three names be sent to the County Council, even if three people hadn’t declared interest in the positions, so although Alvarado was the only declared candidate for State Senator, her name will go to the council along with 34th chair Jordan Crawley and member Drew Estep (both of whom made it clear in brief speeches that they wholeheartedly support Alvarado for the job); for the job she would be vacating, five candidates were nominated – the PCOs chose to use ranked-choice voting, and Topp was the leader, followed by Seattle mayoral adviser Brianna Thomas and Burien deputy mayor Sarah Moore (final round of ranking ended at Topp 35, Thomas 14, Moore 4), so their names will go to the county council. (Side note: Topp said that if she gets the legislative appointment, she’ll stay on the School Board.)

WHAT’S NEXT: After ratification by the KC Democrats, the names go to the County Council, who will make their decision Tuesday. Public comment will be accepted at the council’s 11 am meeting, either in person or online – the agenda explains how; county councilmembers then will interview the candidates for both positions, make their decisions, and the appointees will be sworn in immediately. They’ll serve until these positions can go before voters this fall. The 34th District includes West Seattle, White Center, Burien, and Vashon/Maury Islands; Alvarado and Topp are both West Seattle residents.

(Photo courtesy Postcards 4 Democracy – L-R, P4D’s Kathy Rawle, House candidates Brianna Thomas, Sarah Moore, Stephanie Tidholm)

Two of our area’s three state legislators might be new to their jobs within days. We’ve been reporting on the process involved in choosing a successor to former State Sen. Joe Nguyen, now state Commerce Director, and possibly the successor to the State House Representative who is the only person in the running for Nguyen’s seat. State House Rep. Emily Alvarado is the only candidate for the Senate seat, while those interested in succeeding her in the House are assistant Attorney General Ben Carr, Seattle city hall staffer Brianna Thomas, state government analyst Colton Myers, engineering manager Geoffrey Wukelic, Seattle School Board president Gina Topp, Burien City Councilmember Sarah Moore, Highline School Board vice president Stephanie Tidholm. (The photo above is from an unofficial forum at which three House Rep. hopefuls were in attendance, during last Tuesday’s Postcards 4 Democracy gathering.) The 34th DDs published this document with the candidates’ statements.

Next step is a meeting convened tomorrow (Sunday, January 19) by the King County Democrats, during which Precinct Committee Officers from throughout the 34th Legislative District – which includes West Seattle, White Center, Vashon and Maury Islands, and Burien – will vote on who to recommend to the County Council, which officially makes the appointment(s). Tomorrow’s meeting is at 10 am at Bellevue College, for the PCOs and candidates to attend in person, and online (here’s the link) for everyone else. Once those recommendations are made, they go to the County Council for a special meeting Tuesday morning (January 21) – here’s that agenda.

(Photo courtesy Joe McDermott)

In the center of that photo is West Seattleite Nick Brown, signing the oath of office as he begins work as state Attorney General. Brown, a Democrat, was elected in November with 56 percent of the vote, over Pete Serrano, a Republican. Brown previously served as U.S. Attorney for Western Washington and is a decorated U.S. Army veteran.

The Washington State Legislature convened today. If you’re available at mid-morning tomorrow, you can talk about it here in West Seattle with a unique group that Postcards 4 Democracy is hosting – here’s the announcement they asked us to share with you:

West Seattle’s Postcards4Democracy.org, the local group that advocates for voter registration and getting out the vote via handwritten notes to people in places where it counts nationwide, concludes its presentation of candidates being considered for our 34th District House & Senate this month due to Sen. Joe Nguyễn’s appointment to state Director of Commerce under the new Ferguson administration.

State House Rep. Emily Alvarado is one of 2 who have emerged so far that are being considered by the PCO’s of the 34th District Dems to refer on to the King County Council to appoint for the soon to be vacant Senate seat. (John “Skip” Crowley is the other and to date no contact info has been found for him, nor did he attend the Jan. 5 forum hosted by the 34th.)

There are 7 folks throwing their hats into the ring vying for the house seat should Emily Alvarado move up to fill the vacant spot in the Senate. Previously, last week, we introduced Geoffrey Wukelic, Gina Topp (Seattle School Board president), and Representative Alvarado, who will keep her house seat if she doesn’t move into Senator Nguyen’s post.

We look forward to hosting 4 of the other candidates for the potential House Rep opening should Emily Alvarado move into the senate, plus Senator Joe Nguyễn, this Tuesday, 1/14/25 at C & P Coffee, from 10:30 – 12 noon.

In addition to Senator Nguyễn, we are expecting to hear from:

Brianna Thomas, Csenka Favorini-Csorba (who currently serves as a King Conservation District Supervisor), Sarah Moore (who currently serves in Position No. 5 on the Burien City Council), and Stephanie Tidholm (who currently serves on the Highline School Board).

There will be opportunity for questions, we hope you will join us! More info at: postcards4democracy.org

Meantime, the next step in the process of appointing Sen. Nguyễn’s successor is a King County Democrats meeting this Sunday – here’s info about that.

(WSB video – Councilmember Saka’s entire speech/Q&A)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Though the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce promoted City Councilmember Rob Saka‘s Thursday speech as “State of District 1,” Saka opened by saying it wouldn’t be that at all. He promised a “community check-in” instead, while noting that West Seattle – where he lives – is just one of five communities in his district.

He proceeded to ricochet around a multitude of topics in the ensuing 45 minutes of speech plus Q&A, held during the Chamber’s monthly lunch meeting, at the West Seattle Golf Course banquet room. He mentioned two ribboncuttings as among his “great memories,” including May’s opening day of the Delridge Farmers’ Market (which also drew Mayor Bruce Harrell, as shown in our photo):

(WSB photo, May 2024)

As he did during his recent interview with WSB, Councilmember Saka repeatedly touted his email newsletter, saying he’s sent “at least 40” of them, “more than any other councilmember,” adding that he considers it an example of one of his “guiding principles … be communicative and collaborative, biasing on the side of transparency.”

But, he said, “My highest priority has always been and will continue to be improving public safety.” Another priority, “improving transportation infrastructure” and parks. He also listed support for small businesses, working families, affordable housing. “I’m keenly aware there are many challenges going on right now for small businesses … (they are) suffering … some are shutting down … overwhelmingly burdened by policies and rules including city policies and rules … that’s not good for small business community, for customers, for everyone … we’ve seen this play out .. across the whole nation .. everyone is feeling the pain …(inflation) rents (high) homeownership out of reach for many people … we are in some challenging times and the pain is real.”

He did not suggest any solutions for that, but did note that businesses are opening too and asked if anyone at the meeting had opened a business in the past year (one attendee, an aesthetics entrepreneur, stood up).

Also in the supporting-businesses vein, Saka mentioned restoration of funding for the “immensely popular Storefront Repair program.” Some of those repairs, he noted, “were needed because of policy decisions regarding public safety.” As he continued ticking through a list of first-year actions, he also cited support for entrepreneurs, including Black/brown people in business, the West Seattle Junction Association‘s boundary expansion (which required City Council approval), “funding for small-scale safety projects,” “investments for underresourced neighborhoods,” plus what he said was a commitment to Duwamish Tribal Services as part of the participatory-budgeting funding that he said his office helped “preserve,” and “expanded child-care assistance.”

For what he called another guiding principle, “constituents first,” he says his office is now “fully staffed” – they filled the opening for district director with Erik Schmidt, who was in attendance along with chief of staff Elaine Ikoma Ko. (Schmidt fills the vacancy left when Leyla Gheisar moved to another job with the city.) “Every member of my team will put constituents first.” He said he’ll take all the “critical feedback … but please respect my staff,” which totals three positions. (Ikoma Ko has been his chief of staff since he took office a year ago.)

Going back to public safety, Saka said the council has passed “14 sweeping public-safety bills” including “anti-street racing legislation” and SPD officer-hiring streamlining, which he said was being done without sacrificing candidate quality. He enthused about SPD hiring more officers than it lost last year, while acknowledging that the net gain was “just a handful” (to be specific, one, as reported here earlier this week). Saka, who is vice chair of the Public Safety Committee, also noted that last year saw more applications than any year since 2013 — “people are interested in joining the SPD.” Adding that “hiring wait times” have reportedly been halved, he said, “You all are smal business owners – you know the importance of efficiencies.”

Saka said he’s been doing in-person research as well, from attending roll calls at SPD precincts to attending a “live-fire demo” with Public Safety chair Councilmember Bob Kettle at an SPD facility on Wednesday, related to upcoming legislation the council will consider on rules regarding what police can use at protests and other crowd-control situations.

He also lauded SPD for using “digital marketing” to reach more recruits, and for increasing use of crime-prevention technology.

Then he moved to transportation (the committee he chairs), declaring “great wins last year” including adoption of the Seattle Transportation Plan and “shepherd(ing)” the $1.55 billion Transportation Levy, eventually unanimously approved by the council – “nothing ever happens in the City of Seattle 9-0, guys!” he exclaimed – and then approved by voters with a two-thirds yes vote.

D-1 transportation spending he mentioned briefly included the eventual 35th SW repaving (here’s our recent update) and new sidewalks (this district has the second-highest number of “missing” sidewalks, he observed). He did not mention the controversial $2 million Delridge Safety Project, centered on removal of a road divider at Delridge/Holly.

Then it was a quick elaboration on affordable housing, $342 million in the mayor’s budget plan, which Saka said would help prevent homelessness. He aso noted city funding for two new “congregate shelter locations” that might include tiny houses.

For the year ahead, an added public-safety priority – on which he had expounded at this week’s council briefing meeting on Monday – is transit security. “I take the bus almot every single day,” he said, then adding that he sometimes drives too, “unapologetically .. at the end of the day, transportation is a choice.” He said he planned to attend today’s memorial for murdered Metro driver Shawn Yim, adding, “what happened to Shawn is entirely preventable … that affected the driver (but) people have seen their own public safety challenges.” He said the budget already had included more money for “expanding transit safety” as well as “behavioral health on buses” but “tragically the ink on hte mayor’s signature on the budget was still drying” (when the murder happened).

He concluded with mentions of the city’s Comprehensive Plan update, now in the hands of the council for review, and the District 2 vacancy (after Tammy Morales‘s resignation) that the council has to fill.

A short Q&A period followed. First, Saka was asked for more specifics on the public-safety technology he had mentioned. He promised a “list” would be in his newsletter.

Public safety was also on the mind of the next attendee, Claiborne Bell, owner of Distinguished Foods in The Triangle, who reminded everyone that a murder had happened at his business (the September shooting death of Laupule Talaga). He thanked Saka for his personal followup. But he lamented that the police-officer shortage meant it “took a while” for officers to response, and said that delays in responses because of the officer shortage are “ridiculous.”

Saka was next asked when full police staffing will happen and when the CARE Team will expand to West Seattle. For the former, “it’s going to take a while.” For the latter, he had no specific time frame, as he said the city is still working with the police union on who can respond to what.

The final question was about the Comprehensive Plan – “where will the greatest density be in District 1?” Saka did not have an answer for that, instead replying that the plan came from the mayor’s office, the council is now vetting it, “I don’t have a strong view one way or the other … I am committed to listening and learning from community members, including small businesses.” But “listening,” he warned, “doesn’t mean I’m going to 100 percent placate or kowtow to any one perspective.”

You can see the entirety of his speech and the Q/A in our unedited video at the top of this story.

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.

Two local elected officials have public appearances in West Seattle on Thursday:

STATE HOUSE REP. EMILY ALVARADO: The second-term 34th District State House representative, currently hoping to be appointed to the State Senate seat that Joe Nguyễn is leaving to become Commerce Director, will be at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) at 1 pm Thursday. West Seattle’s Postcards4Democracy group is sponsoring this coffee chat as a look ahead to the State Legislature’s 2025 session, which starts next week, and asked us to let you know about Rep. Alvarado’s appearance.

CITY COUNCILMEMBER ROB SAKA: As he announced during this week’s council briefing meeting Monday afternoon, Councilmember Saka is speaking to the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce during their 11:30 am lunch meeting Thursday. It’s billed as a “State of District 1” speech, in the banquet room at the West Seattle Golf Course (4470 35th SW). If you’re a Chamber member, lunch is $25; for non-members, $35 – go here to register.

(Added Monday: 34th DDs’ video recording of forum)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Five elected officials were among the eight people who participated in an online forum this morning meant to help the 34th District Democrats choose nominees for one, possibly two appointments to state legislative seats.

It’s part of the process launched because Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson chose 34th District State Sen. Joe Nguyễn to become director of the state Commerce Department. The 34th DDs, King County Democrats, and King County Council all have roles in the fast-moving process, which is expected to end with county councilmembers making appointment(s) in a little over two weeks.

The “one or two” is because 34th District Position 1 State Rep. Emily Alvarado is seeking to succeed Nguyễn, so if she does, her State House seat will have to be filled too. She was the only would-be senator to participate this morning. The four elected officials hoping to be her potential successor are King Conservation District Supervisor Csenka Favorini-Csorba, Seattle School Board president Gina Topp, Burien City Councilmember Sarah Moore, and Highline School Board vice president Stephanie Tidholm. The other three candidates participating in the forum – which wasn’t mandatory, so others might surface – were Vashon-residing assistant state Attorney General Ben Carr, West Seattle-residing Mayor’s Office policy/labor adviser Brianna Thomas, and West Seattle-residing software engineer Geoffrey Wukelic.

The 34th itself is due for its every-other-year leadership elections this Wednesday; outgoing chair Graham Murphy introduced this morning’s forum, and chair candidate Jordan Crawley moderated. The format was standard – opening and closing statements, plus questions answered by each candidate. Though the general public doesn’t get a vote in this round, we covered the forum so those who didn’t attend can see what the candidates said, prior to one or two being chosen to represent you at least temporarily in Olympia, with some likely to surface in elections this fall.

Our recounting of the questions and answers are paraphrases/summaries unless the verbiage is between quote marks. Housing, education, and the cost of living were topics surfacing frequently. First, the opening statements:

Read More

We’ve been reporting on the process of filling the State Senate seat that Sen. Joe Nguyễn will be leaving to become state Commerce Director this month, and the potential State House seat that would result if Rep. Emily Alvarado is appointed to that seat. As previously noted, the 34th District Democrats are having an online candidate forum Sunday morning (January 5th), 10 am, as part of the candidate-vetting process, and have just sent the list of qualified candidates who have come forward so far (we’ve noted the [updated] five who currently hold elected office):

34TH DISTRICT STATE SENATE
Emily Alvarado (current 34th District State House Rep., Position 1)
John “Skip” Crowley

STATE HOUSE, 34TH DISTRICT POSITION 1 (open if Rep. Alvarado is appointed to Senate)
Ben Carr
Brianna Thomas
(added 6:12 pm) Csenka Favorini-Csorba (current King Conservation District Board Supervisor)
Geoffrey Wukelic
Gina Topp (current Seattle School Board president, director from District 6)
John “Skip” Crowley
Sarah Moore (Burien City Councilmember)
Stephanie Tidholm (Highline School Board vice president)

34th DD chair Graham Murphy adds, “12 candidates initially shared their intent to be nominated. Three candidates subsequently removed themselves from the process. We could not verify the eligibility of one candidate, who did not return email and voicemail messages for additional information about their eligibility.”

Though tomorrow’s forum is primarily for 34th DD Precinct Committee Officers to get information before three potential finalists are nominated per vacancy (for which forum participation is not mandatory), the public is welcome to watch as capacity allows – here’s the link; here are the rules and questions. Then on January 19, the King County Democrats will meet to choose candidates for the King County Council to consider to fill the vacancy/vacancies (we’re working to get more information on that); that’s the deadline for possible candidates to express their interest. The county council’s decision is expected January 21.

As we reported Thursday, 34th District State Senator Joe Nguyen of West Seattle will be leaving his seat to lead the state Commerce Department. That means at least one legislative vacancy in our area, possibly two since – as also noted in our Thursday story – State House Rep. Emily Alvarado told WSB she’s interested in the State Senate seat. The 34th District Democrats have the first task in the process of filling the seat(s) – choosing candidates to be considered. If you’re interested in the State Senate vacancy or potential State House vacancy, 34th chair Graham Murphy says you’re invited to fill out and send this form to “formally express your intent to be considered for nomination.” (Not mandatory, though.) This process will move fast; Murphy says the 34th DDs are already planning an online candidate forum next weekend, 10 am on Sunday, January 5.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Seattle City Council is off for holiday break. But some councilmembers are sending out their “year in review” newsletters. You’ll probably get one from District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, as he concludes his first year in office.

But we didn’t wait for that to talk with him about Year 1 and some big issues, including the impending change at the top for SDOT, and two of his most-touted budget measures. We sat down with Councilmember Saka for a 37-minute video-recorded interview last week at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. Here it is, unedited:

If you don’t have time to watch, here’s the summary of our Q&A:

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3:17 PM: Midway through his second term as state senator for the 34th District, which includes West Seattle, Sen. Joe Nguyễn is leaving for a new job. Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson has just appointed him as director of the state Commerce Department. From the announcement:

… Commerce oversees vital programs on economic and community development, covering issues like clean energy and housing. 

“Senator Nguyễn brings experienced leadership and a strong record on fighting to improve the lives of Washingtonians to this critical agency,” said Governor-elect Ferguson. “I know he will help ensure state government works better for the people.” 

Joe Nguyễn represents Washington’s 34th Legislative District in the State Senate, where he has earned a reputation as a steadfast advocate for equity, economic justice, and community empowerment. As the son of Vietnamese refugees, Nguyễn’s lived experiences have fueled his commitment to creating opportunities for underserved communities and breaking down systemic barriers. 

Since first being elected in 2018, Nguyễn has been a champion for policies that uplift working families and marginalized groups. He has led efforts to expand the Working Families Tax Credit, strengthen Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and secure funding for affordable housing and clean energy innovation. Nguyễn’s work reflects his belief that the government should be a force for good, delivering tangible outcomes that improve lives and build stronger communities. 

In addition to his legislative achievements, Nguyễn’s professional background in technology and community development informs his forward-thinking approach to problem-solving. He is passionate about bridging the gap between innovative solutions and real-world impacts, particularly for those who have been historically left out of the political process. 

Nguyễn is a dedicated husband and father of three, drawing inspiration from his family to fight for a Washington that is equitable, sustainable, and prosperous for all. Whether addressing housing affordability, renewable energy, or workforce development, his focus remains on creating a future where every Washingtonian has the tools to thrive.

The announcement says Sen. Nguyễn starts the new job January 15, 2025. We have a request out to him for comment, and also a request out to the 34th District Democrats, who have a key role at the start of the process of finding a successor. The current Commerce director, Mike Fong, is moving to Snohomish County government, where he’d worked before.

5:40 PM: 34th District Democrats chair Graham Murphy gave us a short summary of the process for filling the forthcoming vacancy: “The process is led by King County Democrats, but 34th PCOs select the candidates to fill current and conditional vacancies. The King County Council decides what candidate from the three will fill the vacancy. Our friends in the 33rd LD just went through a similar process. Ultimately, we cannot kick off the process until Senator Nguyễn sends me an email notifying me of his intention to vacate with a date. Recently, this process has taken about 30 days to complete.” (More details on the process are in this document.)

ADDED 7:06 PM: At least one candidate is already seeking the Senate seat that’ll be vacated: 34th District Rep. Emily Alvarado, now in her second term. We talked with her briefly by phone tonight; she says she’s already focused on the signature issues such as housing, schools, and child care, and ready to dive into the budget battle facing the Legislature this year.

ADDED EARLY FRIDAY: Here’s what Sen. Nguyễn told us about the new job: “I’m excited about the opportunity to serve in the Ferguson Administration. Governor Ferguson is a leader who doesn’t shy away from taking on tough challenges and getting things done, which is exactly what Washington state needs. Commerce is often the first point of contact for many Washingtonians with state government, and I hope to approach this role with humility and a deep commitment to serving every community across our state.”

Just out of the inbox, Mayor Bruce Harrell has announced he wants a second term. According to the news release we received, he has officially registered his campaign for the 2025 city elections. Harrell was elected as mayor in 2021, one of a crowded field that filed that year, two years after deciding not to run for re-election to the City Council. The news release includes a statement from Harrell reading in part “… there is more work to do – this is the time for proven leadership to stand up for our values and keep Seattle moving forward as a city that is welcoming, affordable, and safe.” He was preceded by Jenny Durkan, who decided not to run for a second mayoral term. The last two-term Seattle mayor was West Seattleite Greg Nickels, who served 2002-2010. Only one other person has registered a mayoral campaign so far, Alexander Barickman.

After defeating appointed incumbent Tanya Woo with 58 percent of the vote last month, Alexis Mercedes Rinck is now officially on the Seattle City Council. She’s had two swearings-in, including a ceremonial event as part of today’s City Council meeting. She will serve the final year of the unexpired term that Teresa Mosqueda gave up to run for King County Council, and then a full four-year term for citywide Position 8 will be on next year’s ballot, along with citywide Position 9, currently held by council president Sara Nelson. From the news release announcing Councilmember Mercedes Rinck’s swearing-in:

… “I am honored to join the Council and look forward to working with them to tackle our city’s most pressing challenges to create a Seattle that works for everyone,” said Councilmember Rinck. “The stakes for our city are high, and we must stand firm in defending the rights of women, LGBTQIA2S+ communities, immigrants, and workers against both federal threats and local challenges. Together, we can build a strong, healthy, and inclusive community.” …

Councilmember Rinck is committed to progressive revenue solutions, affordable housing, worker protections, public safety, and climate action. She has a clear plan to tackle Seattle’s budget crisis, expand housing supply to meet the city’s growing needs, and protect workers’ rights. Her public-safety approach focuses on building alternative responses and preventative measures as well as community engagement, while her climate action plan prioritizes equity and sustainability. ….

The new councilmember will serve as chair of the Sustainability, City Light, Arts & Culture committee and as vice-chair of the Libraries, Education & Neighborhoods committee. She will also be on the Housing and Human Services, Land Use, and Transportation committees. You can find her contact info here.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The City Council, sitting as the Select Budget Committee, voted this afternoon to pass a budget for the next two years. They’ve made dozens of changes since Mayor Bruce Harrell first sent them a budget proposal back in September. If you want to see how, this is the key document to read. Reading through it, we note that District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka‘s sponsored or co-sponsored changes include:

(WSB file photo)

*$2 million for what he’s calling the Delridge Safety Project, including likely removal of a divider that keeps drivers from turning left at Delridge/Holly (the budget item spells out, “for improvements to Delridge Way SW near the SW Holly St right-of-way to allow for left-turn ingress and egress from adjoining properties, including the Refugee and Immigrant Family Center Bilingual Preschool”)

*$1.5 million for turf at Fairmount Playfield

*$200,000 for neighborhood business districts

*$175,000 to eliminate angled parking at Duwamish Head, a longtime request of nearby residents concerned about street disorder and gatherings (the budget item spells out “to convert angled on-street parking on Harbor Ave SW at Duwamish Head to parallel-only parking, and to restore parallel-only parking to Alki Ave SW adjacent to this location”)

*$1 million for transit security, plus a report on implementing it

*SPD reports including officer recruitment/retention and sound-enforcing technology

*$50,000 for cleaning RV sites, plus a report on RV strategy

*A report on the pothole-repair program

*A report on attracting food retailers to food deserts

The Delridge project has been the subject of much discussion; it’s something that Saka pursued even before he was a council candidate. He defends it in the newsletter he sent out after the budget vote, including:

… I became aware that certain members of the organized opposition to this project is driven by fringe ideological framing and a purist “proxy war” of sorts that seeks to pit cars against cyclists, transit riders, or pedestrians. I wholeheartedly reject this divisive narrative. The Delridge Safety Project prioritizes inclusive safety improvements for ALL road users, not one mode of transportation choice over another. …

Saka’s newsletter also explains why the field at Fairmount Park was singled out for turf conversion, saying it traces back to the survey he circulated earlier in the year after “an extensive consultation process with five local youth recreational softball/baseball leagues,” and lists these results:

The voting results data for each of the eight candidate projects are as follows:

Fairmount Park Playfield: 137 votes, earning 31% of the total vote.

Riverview Playfield: 107 votes, earning 24.2% of the total vote.

Lincoln Park South Playfield: 46 votes, earning 10.4% of the total vote.

Hiawatha Playfield: 45 votes, earning 10.2% of the total vote.

EC Hughes Playfield: 38 votes, earning 8.6% of the total vote.

Highland Park Playfield: 27 votes, earning 6.1% of the total vote.

Bar-S Playfield: 24 votes, earning 5.4% of the total vote.

Walt Hundley Playfield: 19 votes, earning 4.3% of the total vote.

Saka’s newsletter lists other points that he considers key in the final budget.

P.S. One West Seattle budget point we noted early on, disbanding the Highland Park-based Mounted Police Unit as part of the SPD budget, never came up for reversal, so it appears that unit’s end is near.

2:12 PM: Still have something to say to City Councilmembers before their final budget votes later this week? They’ve added one more round of public comment, to tomorrow morning’s meeting – you can speak in person or online at the 9:30 am Tuesday meeting of the full council as the Select Budget Committee. Budget chair Councilmember Dan Strauss has added the extra comment period mostly because of tax-related proposals made since last Tuesday night’s mega-hearing, but comment won’t be limited to those items. You can speak in person by signing up on the sheets available in council chambers just before the meeting, or online as explained here. The meeting will stream live on Seattle Channel (funding for which is up for discussion too); the first draft of the agenda is here.

3:51 PM: The agenda has been updated with more of the documents for tomorrow’s meeting.
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Two days after Dow Constantine announced he doesn’t plan to run for re-election, after 15 years as King County Executive, the field of potential successors is still taking shape. We said we’d check with his most-recent challenger, another West Seattleite, State Senator Joe Nguyễn. We heard back from Nguyễn today and he told WSB that no, he’s not planning to run again. In 2021, he got 44 percent of the vote for County Executive; the next year, he won a second 4-year term in the State Senate, where his committee roles include vice chair of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee. Nguyễn also told us that if County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay decides to run for County Executive, he’d support him. So far the highest profile candidate is a County Councilmember from the Eastside, Claudia Balducci, who’s also on the Sound Transit Board, which Constantine currently chairs.

(King County photo, Dow Constantine’s 2009 swearing-in)

After 15 years as King County Executive, West Seattleite Dow Constantine announced tonight that he won’t run for another term when his current one is up next year. A WSB source at his “25th Annual 39th Birthday Party” at Mission in The Admiral District says he made the announcement to the crowd, and promised he wouldn’t fade away into retirement.

(Photo special to WSB)

Constantine won the office in 2009, moving up from the County Council, running after his predecessor Ron Sims left for a job in Washington, D.C. He’s also sent a news release, with a statement reading in part:

I am grateful for the progress we have made, striving for a better government and a fairer, more just society. We have built more access to opportunity, taken action to safeguard the health of our environment and our people, and set ourselves to the task of identifying and dismantling the systemic racism, sexism, and all the injustices that hold our nation back.

The work is constantly challenging and often daunting, but it is also extraordinarily rewarding to be able to help others. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role, but it’s time to let a new leader take the reins and build on the work we have done, and so I will not be seeking re-election.

As for who that’ll be, remember that State Senator Joe Nguyen challenged him three years ago; we’ll be checking with him among others. County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay has sent a news release saying he is “strongly” considering running.

Government offices are closed today – but tomorrow (Tuesday, November 12) brings a big event to City Hall. It’s the City Council’s final major public hearing on the budget that they’ll finalize before Thanksgiving. The 5 pm hearing is entirely devoted to public comment, both in person and remote, so if there’s something you want to speak either for or against, this is your big chance. Councilmembers already have proposed changes to the 2025-2026 budget plan that Mayor Bruce Harrell put on the table earlier this fall; budget chair Councilmember Dan Strauss unveiled his “balancing package” almost two weeks ago. We noted here at the time that it featured amendments from District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka, One would remove parallel parking at Duwamish Head, something nearby residents say would cut down on street disorder in the area, where traffic calming such as dividers and speed cushions already have been installed.

Speaking of dividers, another of Saka’s proposals is for “safety improvements” on a stretch of Delridge Way where he has campaigned to get rid of a divider keeping drivers from making left turns across a bike lane near a RapidRide stop. (This budget item is listed as $2 million but Saka’s chief of staff Elaine Ko tells us they’re not sure of the actual cost or the precise project details yet.)

Also on the list of Saka’s amendments: Turf for the Fairmount Playfield baseball infield; local youth-baseball supporters are mobilizing to back that. The agenda document for tomorrow’s hearing includes instructions on signing up to speak; if you just want to watch the hearing, you’ll be able to do that via Seattle Channel. Email the council any time at council@seattle.gov.

P.S. You can review details of the original budget proposal here.