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♪♪

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-Hello.
I'm your host, Brian Callanan.

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A proposal to expand
the use of surveillance cameras

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in Seattle has been put on hold.

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Also, the city is taking a close
look at gaps in its 911 system.

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Plus, a plan to rapidly install
more homeless shelter spaces

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is facing new scrutiny
from the City Council.

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Council members
Bob Kettle and Maritza Rivera

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are responding to these issues

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and the questions
you're sending in, too --

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next on "City Inside/Out:
Council Edition."

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-We want to protect
our residents in Seattle,

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including
our immigrant population.

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-One of the things
that we need to get away from

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is this bipolar world
of SPOG and CARE,

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and that's what
we're gonna do.

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-All that and more

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coming up next on "City
Inside/Out: Council Edition."

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♪♪

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♪♪

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Welcome once again to "City
Inside/Out: Council Edition."

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I'm Brian Callanan.

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Great to be with you
here on the Seattle Channel.

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Also great to be with
a couple of Council members here

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for our monthly show, including
Council Member Maritza Rivera,

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who represents District 4
in Northeast Seattle.

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Also chairs
the Libraries, Education,

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and Neighborhoods Committee.

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Good to be with you.
-Thank you, Brian.

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Nice to be here.

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-And, also, we have with us

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Council Member Bob Kettle.
Represents District 7

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from Downtown to Magnolia,

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Interbay
out to South Lake Union.

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Also chairs
the Public Safety Committee.

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Thank you for being here.

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And I should mention
you were the Grand Marshal

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of the St. Patrick's Day parade

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not too long ago
here in Seattle.

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-Yes. A great honor.
And an honor to be here, too.

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-All right.
Top of the afternoon to you.

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Here we go.

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I want to start with
some current events, if I could.

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Mayor Wilson recently
announced a plan regarding

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surveillance cameras that
I know you both are aware of.

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She's actually pausing
a planned expansion

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of closed-circuit
or CCTV, cameras,

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with an exception for areas
around the city's stadiums

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before the World Cup,

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but she won't turn off any
of the cameras

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the city currently uses,

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except for one near a clinic

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with reproductive health
services.

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She's pausing the use

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of automated
license plate readers, too,

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until the city
can get aligned

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with a newly approved state law
about that.

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The mayor says she has heard
from a lot of passionate,

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emotional people who support

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and who do not support
expanding the use of cameras

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in her press conference.

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-But precisely
because different people

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and different communities

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experience the cameras
differently,

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it's important to base a
decision on more than feelings.

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It's important
to ground our actions

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in a thorough understanding of
how the cameras are being used,

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of the public benefits
they are providing,

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and of any harm
they are causing or could cause.

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-So both of you put out
statements regarding this.

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And, Council Member Kettle,

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maybe I can get your reaction
here first.

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The mayor is talking
about further study

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of the impacts
of expanding surveillance,

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with concerns about

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how that could impact
local immigration populations

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during the federal
immigration crackdown

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or women
seeking reproductive care, too.

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Some thoughts about this?

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-We've already had
those thoughts.

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We've been working
these issues from day one,

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starting in 2024 with ALPR,

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CCTV, the closed-circuit TV,
the first time.

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And by the way, ALPR --
automatic license plate readers.

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-Yes. Thank you.

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-And then we came around again
with CCTV, as well.

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And then on top of that
is the Real Time Crime Center.

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So all these points
that are raised,

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we've been working in.

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And to the point of
the mayor's comments yesterday,

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I welcome a audit.
I welcome a review.

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Key here is that it has to be
done by the World Cup --

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ahead of the World Cup.
-Mm-hmm.

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-That is so important.

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Secondly, you noted
the ALPR again --

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the automatic
license plate readers.

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We just had a bill passed
in Olympia.

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-Yes.
-And it's important.

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And so we do need to do
our checks on that,

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see where we need to adjust
and fix.

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And I will say on that,

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if you look at all
the protections and the things

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that we built in, the protocols
that we built in with our ALPR,

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and you add things from Olympia,

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like the 21-day rule
and importantly,

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the Public Disclosure Request
Exception, the PDR exception...

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-Yeah.

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-...we basically addressed
the issues that people raise,

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and so we should be moving
forward with ALPR,

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however way
that we need to do it.

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There's a couple pieces that
need to be adjusted, of course,

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but we've really addressed
all the issues related to ALPR,

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so we should be moving forward
once that adjustment is made.

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-Okay. Stay tuned.

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I know there's some more
information coming

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from your committee on this.

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But, Council Member Rivera,

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I want
to get your opinion on this.

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And if I could, I'm gonna add in
a question from a viewer

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to set things up here.

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Mark writes this --

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"We put cameras
on an apartment property

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that we own
that had constant crime --

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car break-ins, et cetera.

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The criminal activity stopped
once they saw the camera system.

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How can the city use
and encourage the use of cameras

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and ensure that the surveillance
isn't used to track

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illegal aliens, so
they are politically acceptable?

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We have to stop the crime!"

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Council Member Rivera,
some thoughts here?

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And if you could weave in
some thoughts

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about what Mark
is asking about here, too.

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-Yeah. Thank you
for the question, Brian.

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You know, my colleague
Council Member Kettle

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and I are aligned on this.

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And this is something
that Council worked a lot on

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when we passed the Real Time
Crime Center cameras

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and the ALPR.
-And you're both

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on the
Public Safety Committee, right?

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-I am now.

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I wasn't before.
But this is something

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that my constituents care
deeply about, as do I.

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And I also care about
privacy protections,

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which is
why former Council Member Moore

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and I put privacy protections
in place for ALPR --

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for instance, ensuring that
there's only, um, you know --

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If office-- well, this is
Real Time Crime Center

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actually, also --

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is, officers need to ask
permission.

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There's only one person
who can view the footage.

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And any officer
wanting to look at the footage

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has to have written permission
and just that kind of stuff.

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And then, also,
Council Member Moore

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put privacy protections in it

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where, um,
the provider -- the -- the --

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not the provider...
-The camera operator?

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-Axon.
-Yes. Right.

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-The company.
-The vendor we're talking about.

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You got it. Yeah.

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-If they had a reach-out
or a warrant to see --

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sorry -- to see the footage,

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that we would get notified
and so forth.

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And that way, we were trying
to avoid

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and really try to protect folks

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that would come here
for reproductive

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or gender-affirming care.

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That is important to us.
-Yeah.

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-So we want to make sure
that folks did not have,

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including the feds,
access to that information.

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And that's why we put those
privacy protections in place.

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So I would say to Mark, the
person who asked the question,

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it is an important tool.

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It's not the only tool,

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but it is an important tool
on the investigative side,

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when crime happens

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and we use cameras in order
to be able to investigate

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that crime,
like you saw this week.

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Um, a detective at SPD

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was able to use
camera footage in part

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to make the arrest of the two
tragic -- the murders...

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-Down at Rainier Beach. Yeah.
-Down at Rainier Beach.

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That's right.
-Yeah.

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-And so it is a tool and
it is an important tool and one

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that we support --
that I support using.

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And, you know, we care about
the privacy protections,

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which is why we put those
in place.

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And then
to my colleague's point,

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we'll have to align to the state
on the ALPR.

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Um, but we support the use
of it.

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And I will say I was
disappointed to hear --

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I appreciate that the mayor kept
the current cameras in place

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and the Real Time Crime Center
in place.

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I do appreciate
the mayor did that.

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She sees the value in that.

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I was disappointed that
we're not moving forward with --

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We're putting the cameras
at the stadiums,

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but we're not turning them on.
-Yeah.

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-We've got FIFA coming and I
think that is really important.

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And, also, outside
of Garfield High School,

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there's a camera pause.

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And we've heard from parents
who --

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They want the cameras
around the schools

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so that when these things
are happening,

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unfortunately, we have,
you know,

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access to footage in order
to investigate these crimes.

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-Thank you for that.

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And I wanted to take this a
little more broadly, if I could,

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and just look at some
of the actions

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the City Council has taken
recently

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when it comes to responding
to concerns

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about federal immigration
activity, specifically.

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A few examples. The Council
passed a ban on allowing

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federal immigration officers
to stage any actions

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on city property.

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You passed a moratorium
on building detention centers.

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City employees are not allowed
to share information, et cetera.

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Council Member Rivera,

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how will these actions
protect Seattleites?

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Should immigrant communities
feel safer, fully protected?

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How do you look at that?

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I look at this as that we
are all aligned on this issue.

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I will say everyone
on the City Council --

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and the mayor
supports this, as well --

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We want to protect
our residents in Seattle,

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including
our immigrant population.

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And so we're doing all we can.

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Some of this stuff, we'll have
to wait to see how it plays out,

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but that doesn't mean
that we're not doing all we can,

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and we should do all we can.

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So my bill
actually was codifying

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Keep Washington Working laws

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to not share -- not
just SPD share information,

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but, also, I added the piece
about any city department

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should not be sharing non-
publicly-available information

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related to
civil immigration enforcement.

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So hopefully these things
will keep

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our immigrant population safe.
Some of these other things,

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like the staging, other cities
have done, as well.

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And we will have to see
how those play out

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if, uh, you know,

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the fed should come here and try
to stage, right?

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Some of this stuff, we'll have
to see how it plays out.

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-Yeah.
Council Member Kettle,

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you were the sponsor
behind some of these bills, too.

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How do they make Seattle safer?

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Can I ask that general question?

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I think that they're very
important, each of themselves,

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but I would add
that the end result is greater

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than the sum of its parts

250
00:09:42,216 --> 00:09:44,017
because they reinforce
each other.

251
00:09:44,017 --> 00:09:46,486
And they also show leadership
and they show

252
00:09:46,486 --> 00:09:48,088
where our values are.

253
00:09:48,088 --> 00:09:50,390
And then on a practical side,
we have --

254
00:09:50,390 --> 00:09:53,260
So we're making a statement
related to, like, staging

255
00:09:53,260 --> 00:09:54,962
on city property, you know.

256
00:09:54,962 --> 00:09:57,431
And part of this is,
under the Constitution,

257
00:09:57,431 --> 00:09:59,299
we have the right to do that.
And part of --

258
00:09:59,299 --> 00:10:02,503
We have to show that. We have
to make that point known,

259
00:10:02,503 --> 00:10:04,838
'cause, otherwise,
it could be lost.

260
00:10:04,838 --> 00:10:07,207
And so this combination says,
"Hey, these are our values.

261
00:10:07,207 --> 00:10:08,909
You cannot do this."

262
00:10:08,909 --> 00:10:10,677
And if they were
to do something like this,

263
00:10:10,677 --> 00:10:12,713
we're working
with the city attorney's office,

264
00:10:12,713 --> 00:10:16,283
whose name has not come up yet,
but the city attorney, Evans,

265
00:10:16,283 --> 00:10:18,252
in terms of getting
injunctive relief.

266
00:10:18,252 --> 00:10:20,954
So this combination with, like,
setting the standards,

267
00:10:20,954 --> 00:10:24,625
professional standards in terms
of all law enforcement,

268
00:10:24,625 --> 00:10:26,293
whether it's federal, state,

269
00:10:26,293 --> 00:10:28,362
county,
or surrounding jurisdictions --

270
00:10:28,362 --> 00:10:30,364
We set the standards.

271
00:10:30,364 --> 00:10:32,299
And you combine these things
and it sets the expectation

272
00:10:32,299 --> 00:10:33,967
so if something
does happen,

273
00:10:33,967 --> 00:10:35,702
we have that baseline
to work from.

274
00:10:35,702 --> 00:10:37,237
-Can I talk about
those professionalism standards?

275
00:10:37,237 --> 00:10:38,872
I want to talk about that

276
00:10:38,872 --> 00:10:40,707
and also what the state
is now doing --

277
00:10:40,707 --> 00:10:43,076
a law prohibiting officers
from wearing masks,

278
00:10:43,076 --> 00:10:45,946
which has been a trademark
of a lot of these ICE agents

279
00:10:45,946 --> 00:10:47,648
as they've come into
different cities.

280
00:10:47,648 --> 00:10:49,850
This activity at the local
and the state level

281
00:10:49,850 --> 00:10:52,719
has drawn some pushback from the
Seattle Police Officers Guild

282
00:10:52,719 --> 00:10:54,021
and some other officers, too.

283
00:10:54,021 --> 00:10:55,689
The new SPOG president,
Kent Loux,

284
00:10:55,689 --> 00:10:58,158
recently said this
about that policy --

285
00:10:58,158 --> 00:11:00,127
"If the powers that be,

286
00:11:00,127 --> 00:11:01,762
if certain politicians want
to have this feud with the feds,

287
00:11:01,762 --> 00:11:03,330
in my opinion,
leave us out of it.

288
00:11:03,330 --> 00:11:05,199
We're not going to put ourselves
in a position

289
00:11:05,199 --> 00:11:07,401
where we are now obstructing
federal law enforcement

290
00:11:07,401 --> 00:11:10,470
from doing their job
or conducting their operation."

291
00:11:10,470 --> 00:11:12,339
So you got
some local officers saying,

292
00:11:12,339 --> 00:11:14,741
"We don't want to have to report
on federal officers."

293
00:11:14,741 --> 00:11:17,911
What's your message to the
rank-and-file cops out there?

294
00:11:17,911 --> 00:11:19,813
-Well, two things.

295
00:11:19,813 --> 00:11:21,715
One, if you look at the bill
that was just passed in Olympia,

296
00:11:21,715 --> 00:11:24,318
it is a law. It was just
signed by Governor Ferguson.

297
00:11:24,318 --> 00:11:25,953
But, you know, there's
high legal risk with that.

298
00:11:25,953 --> 00:11:27,554
We didn't go that route
with that,

299
00:11:27,554 --> 00:11:29,623
as you saw with
the California case.

300
00:11:29,623 --> 00:11:31,525
And I didn't want to go
with that.

301
00:11:31,525 --> 00:11:34,361
Instead, what I did in terms
of my bill -- resolution

302
00:11:34,361 --> 00:11:37,464
was to have the professionalism
standards piece showing

303
00:11:37,464 --> 00:11:39,566
that what we expect
from Seattle PD

304
00:11:39,566 --> 00:11:41,602
is what we expect
from law enforcement.

305
00:11:41,602 --> 00:11:44,304
So the head of SPOG,
our new chief of SPOG

306
00:11:44,304 --> 00:11:47,941
can come and explain to me
how he can be against that,

307
00:11:47,941 --> 00:11:49,877
because everything
I've been doing

308
00:11:49,877 --> 00:11:52,779
has been respectful
of those pieces and respectful

309
00:11:52,779 --> 00:11:55,482
and supportive of our chief
and of our men and women

310
00:11:55,482 --> 00:11:57,017
in Seattle Police Department.

311
00:11:57,017 --> 00:11:58,652
You know,
if there's a 911 call

312
00:11:58,652 --> 00:12:01,088
regarding
an armed kidnapping on Aurora,

313
00:12:01,088 --> 00:12:03,123
they need to respond.

314
00:12:03,123 --> 00:12:06,393
You know, they need to engage,
aka respond to that call.

315
00:12:06,393 --> 00:12:09,029
And once they're there, they
don't know if these,

316
00:12:09,029 --> 00:12:13,100
you know, kitted-up people are
actual law enforcement

317
00:12:13,100 --> 00:12:15,002
or just somebody else
doing something else.

318
00:12:15,002 --> 00:12:17,171
-Right.
-And so they need to engage.

319
00:12:17,171 --> 00:12:19,706
You know, "Hey,
what's your credentials?"

320
00:12:19,706 --> 00:12:21,041
And they've been doing that
professionally.

321
00:12:21,041 --> 00:12:22,743
There's nothing wrong with that.

322
00:12:22,743 --> 00:12:24,444
And then,
as part of that process,

323
00:12:24,444 --> 00:12:26,380
you get a sense
of probable cause, too.

324
00:12:26,380 --> 00:12:28,382
And then
the documentation piece is,

325
00:12:28,382 --> 00:12:31,285
okay, you got the body-worn
video and you got the vehicle.

326
00:12:31,285 --> 00:12:34,788
We're not asking
for Seattle PD to be doing --

327
00:12:34,788 --> 00:12:37,724
What I do not want in
our streets is the OK Corral.

328
00:12:37,724 --> 00:12:39,259
Absolutely not.

329
00:12:39,259 --> 00:12:42,396
But what we are asking through
the directive with Chief Barnes,

330
00:12:42,396 --> 00:12:43,931
and what we've done, as well,

331
00:12:43,931 --> 00:12:45,966
and what I've said
as chair of Public Safety,

332
00:12:45,966 --> 00:12:50,137
is respectful and professional,
and it's our duty to do that.

333
00:12:50,137 --> 00:12:52,739
So SPOG can look at that
and they can come to my office

334
00:12:52,739 --> 00:12:54,675
and we can talk about it.

335
00:12:54,675 --> 00:12:56,710
But as somebody who's
been working public safety

336
00:12:56,710 --> 00:12:59,313
in this city
and as a retired naval officer,

337
00:12:59,313 --> 00:13:01,215
I have him come to me
and say --

338
00:13:01,215 --> 00:13:03,584
explain why everything
that we've done in this city

339
00:13:03,584 --> 00:13:04,818
is not appropriate.

340
00:13:04,818 --> 00:13:06,119
-Okay. Fair enough.

341
00:13:06,119 --> 00:13:07,554
Council Member Rivera,
your thoughts

342
00:13:07,554 --> 00:13:10,190
about this pushback from
SPOG, other police officers

343
00:13:10,190 --> 00:13:11,191
about this policy?

344
00:13:11,191 --> 00:13:12,226
What do you think?

345
00:13:12,226 --> 00:13:14,928
-Yeah.
Brian, I -- You know,

346
00:13:14,928 --> 00:13:17,464
the only thing I would add to
Council Member Kettle's remarks

347
00:13:17,464 --> 00:13:19,766
is just that we need
to ensure --

348
00:13:19,766 --> 00:13:22,569
And I'm sure the mayor will be
working with the police chief

349
00:13:22,569 --> 00:13:25,906
to be clear with officers
on what the expectation is.

350
00:13:25,906 --> 00:13:27,875
I think if you're clear
on the front end

351
00:13:27,875 --> 00:13:32,546
on what the expectations is --
what the expectations are,

352
00:13:32,546 --> 00:13:35,115
you get better outcomes
in the long run.

353
00:13:35,115 --> 00:13:37,784
So I think that will be
important in terms

354
00:13:37,784 --> 00:13:41,154
of how the --
how these directives roll out.

355
00:13:41,154 --> 00:13:42,589
-Got it, got it.

356
00:13:42,589 --> 00:13:43,857
One more touch
on the police officers' union

357
00:13:43,857 --> 00:13:44,625
before we leave it.

358
00:13:44,625 --> 00:13:46,660
I want to raise an issue

359
00:13:46,660 --> 00:13:48,762
that recently came up during a
Public Safety Committee meeting

360
00:13:48,762 --> 00:13:50,330
from the chief of CARE,
Amy Barden.

361
00:13:50,330 --> 00:13:51,665
So CARE, of course,

362
00:13:51,665 --> 00:13:54,034
the Community Assisted Response
& Engagement Department,

363
00:13:54,034 --> 00:13:55,369
takes in 911 calls,

364
00:13:55,369 --> 00:13:58,138
also dispatches CARE teams --
trained social workers

365
00:13:58,138 --> 00:14:00,140
who can handle less serious
calls like a person down,

366
00:14:00,140 --> 00:14:01,542
et cetera.

367
00:14:01,542 --> 00:14:03,110
But Chief Barden was saying

368
00:14:03,110 --> 00:14:04,845
that even with
the Council approving funding

369
00:14:04,845 --> 00:14:07,147
to have more CARE teams going
citywide,

370
00:14:07,147 --> 00:14:08,582
they haven't been
able to do as much

371
00:14:08,582 --> 00:14:10,384
as they're actually capable
of doing

372
00:14:10,384 --> 00:14:12,519
because of the city's
contract with SPOG.

373
00:14:12,519 --> 00:14:14,321
It's stopping CARE teams,
she's saying,

374
00:14:14,321 --> 00:14:16,356
from responding
to certain calls.

375
00:14:16,356 --> 00:14:18,859
-Today, we estimate that the
24 responders are, on average,

376
00:14:18,859 --> 00:14:21,662
fulfilling only 28%
of their capacity

377
00:14:21,662 --> 00:14:23,463
due to the constraints
described.

378
00:14:23,463 --> 00:14:25,499
And so we must innovate.

379
00:14:25,499 --> 00:14:28,969
It is unacceptable to not fully
maximize this important team.

380
00:14:28,969 --> 00:14:31,905
And it's also unacceptable
to waste even a dollar

381
00:14:31,905 --> 00:14:34,508
in such a challenging
budget environment.

382
00:14:34,508 --> 00:14:36,243
Council Member Rivera,
can I start with you?

383
00:14:36,243 --> 00:14:38,579
What's going on here?

384
00:14:38,579 --> 00:14:40,480
-Well, Brian,
I'll say about this point

385
00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,649
is that at the moment,

386
00:14:42,649 --> 00:14:45,886
we should focus
on what CARE<i> can </i>do.

387
00:14:45,886 --> 00:14:47,754
I understand there are
parameters,

388
00:14:47,754 --> 00:14:49,857
so I don't want to excuse
the parameters,

389
00:14:49,857 --> 00:14:53,060
but I want to say
that we have a team of people.

390
00:14:53,060 --> 00:14:56,230
I've met with the CARE folks
and they very much want to help.

391
00:14:56,230 --> 00:14:59,600
And we have a CARE team
in the University District,

392
00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:01,235
for instance.

393
00:15:01,235 --> 00:15:03,704
All our districts have
CARE teams.

394
00:15:03,704 --> 00:15:05,606
And I will say
that I would very much like

395
00:15:05,606 --> 00:15:08,842
to have a conversation
with Chief Barden and others

396
00:15:08,842 --> 00:15:13,180
about, how can the teams help
within the district,

397
00:15:13,180 --> 00:15:15,349
across the neighborhoods,
across the city?

398
00:15:15,349 --> 00:15:17,150
Because there are things
that they can do

399
00:15:17,150 --> 00:15:19,753
besides respond to 911 calls.

400
00:15:19,753 --> 00:15:22,890
They can do -- You know, there
are folks in the right-of-way

401
00:15:22,890 --> 00:15:24,324
that need assistance.

402
00:15:24,324 --> 00:15:26,159
And if they're walking around,

403
00:15:26,159 --> 00:15:27,995
they should be offering
assistance to those folks.

404
00:15:27,995 --> 00:15:31,498
There's nothing to prevent
the CARE folks

405
00:15:31,498 --> 00:15:33,166
from walking
around our neighborhoods --

406
00:15:33,166 --> 00:15:34,835
they're already
in the neighborhoods --

407
00:15:34,835 --> 00:15:36,603
and responding to folks.

408
00:15:36,603 --> 00:15:38,705
There is not a lack
of folks needing help,

409
00:15:38,705 --> 00:15:40,941
unfortunately,
within our neighborhoods.

410
00:15:40,941 --> 00:15:42,509
We want to help those people.

411
00:15:42,509 --> 00:15:44,545
They want to help
those people, as well.

412
00:15:44,545 --> 00:15:47,881
Let's do that and let's focus
on that for the time being,

413
00:15:47,881 --> 00:15:50,317
given the parameters
that are in place.

414
00:15:50,317 --> 00:15:52,719
I just feel like --
I agree with her.

415
00:15:52,719 --> 00:15:54,121
Let's not waste the resource.

416
00:15:54,121 --> 00:15:56,156
I don't think we need to.
-Okay.

417
00:15:56,156 --> 00:15:58,725
-I think there are things that
we can do and that CARE can do.

418
00:15:58,725 --> 00:16:00,561
And I would like to see that.
-Got it.

419
00:16:00,561 --> 00:16:02,396
Council Member Kettle,

420
00:16:02,396 --> 00:16:03,897
I know the mayor's office
was saying at this meeting,

421
00:16:03,897 --> 00:16:05,799
"Maybe there's a way
to work with the city attorney

422
00:16:05,799 --> 00:16:07,367
to compel
a different interpretation

423
00:16:07,367 --> 00:16:08,602
of the SPOG contract."

424
00:16:08,602 --> 00:16:10,537
I know this is
a really challenging issue.

425
00:16:10,537 --> 00:16:11,705
Can you talk about this?

426
00:16:11,705 --> 00:16:12,840
Where are we in this process?

427
00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:14,575
What's going on?

428
00:16:14,575 --> 00:16:15,876
-Um, well,
I'm aware of what's going on,

429
00:16:15,876 --> 00:16:17,344
and that's one reason

430
00:16:17,344 --> 00:16:19,146
why I designed the meeting
the way I did.

431
00:16:19,146 --> 00:16:20,914
Um, I had the three chiefs --
Instead of having

432
00:16:20,914 --> 00:16:22,716
the three chiefs talk about
their departments,

433
00:16:22,716 --> 00:16:24,351
I had them talk about
alternative response.

434
00:16:24,351 --> 00:16:25,686
And I always say
alternative response,

435
00:16:25,686 --> 00:16:27,521
by the way,
instead of just CARE,

436
00:16:27,521 --> 00:16:29,323
because alternative response is
broader than CARE.

437
00:16:29,323 --> 00:16:31,325
-Yeah. SPD's doing stuff,
Fire Department.

438
00:16:31,325 --> 00:16:33,360
Yeah. Yeah. Yes.
-So that was all purposely done.

439
00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:35,662
And I knew it was gonna raise
things to the surface, Brian.

440
00:16:35,662 --> 00:16:37,197
But you know what?

441
00:16:37,197 --> 00:16:38,899
You have to have things raised
to the surface to deal with it.

442
00:16:38,899 --> 00:16:42,102
And so now
I've had a meeting --

443
00:16:42,102 --> 00:16:45,606
a call with Chief Barden
and previous calls

444
00:16:45,606 --> 00:16:48,909
and I said, "Okay, okay,
this is what we're gonna do.

445
00:16:48,909 --> 00:16:51,912
You know, we're looking at
the CARE-enabling legislation.

446
00:16:51,912 --> 00:16:53,313
Okay, what can we do there?

447
00:16:53,313 --> 00:16:54,548
You know, give me ideas."

448
00:16:54,548 --> 00:16:56,316
I talked to Chief Scoggins
from Fire.

449
00:16:56,316 --> 00:16:58,785
I said, "Chief, you know,"
and he's been around.

450
00:16:58,785 --> 00:17:00,621
You know, he gave me
some great background.

451
00:17:00,621 --> 00:17:02,356
And says, "Hey,
from your perspective,

452
00:17:02,356 --> 00:17:03,924
what can be different?

453
00:17:03,924 --> 00:17:05,959
You know, one of the things
that we need to get away from

454
00:17:05,959 --> 00:17:09,263
is this bipolar world
of SPOG and CARE.

455
00:17:09,263 --> 00:17:11,431
And that's what
we're gonna do because,

456
00:17:11,431 --> 00:17:14,601
um, CARE has
a public health piece --

457
00:17:14,601 --> 00:17:16,270
behavioral health particularly.
-Yes,

458
00:17:16,270 --> 00:17:18,038
-Who's responsible
for public health?

459
00:17:18,038 --> 00:17:19,873
-The county mainly. Yeah. Right.
-The county.

460
00:17:19,873 --> 00:17:22,142
So we can look at relationships
with King County.

461
00:17:22,142 --> 00:17:24,845
There's about three main areas
that I'm looking at.

462
00:17:24,845 --> 00:17:27,347
Um, who else does health?
Like,<i> health </i>health.

463
00:17:27,347 --> 00:17:29,183
Fire.
-The state. Okay. All right.

464
00:17:29,183 --> 00:17:31,385
-So we can look at, you know,
relationship with Fire.

465
00:17:31,385 --> 00:17:34,488
So we need to move
around this CARE-SPOG thing.

466
00:17:34,488 --> 00:17:36,423
And this is what's gonna
happen when we go through this

467
00:17:36,423 --> 00:17:39,593
and it's gonna be different
things on the executive,

468
00:17:39,593 --> 00:17:41,595
I think, in the future.

469
00:17:41,595 --> 00:17:46,200
But I also think that we can
either update the SPOG-enab--

470
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,368
I mean,
the CARE-enabling legislation

471
00:17:48,368 --> 00:17:50,904
or new legislation
that builds on it.

472
00:17:50,904 --> 00:17:53,473
And I think that's really
important, and separately,

473
00:17:53,473 --> 00:17:55,442
'cause it's tied to this,

474
00:17:55,442 --> 00:17:57,277
is also the public drug use
and possession ordinance.

475
00:17:57,277 --> 00:18:01,481
And so what was not around
back then was CARE.

476
00:18:01,481 --> 00:18:03,217
-Yeah.
-Mm-hmm.

477
00:18:03,217 --> 00:18:05,085
-None of this is by accident,
by the way.

478
00:18:05,085 --> 00:18:07,888
Who's a big piece of the
public drug use and possession?

479
00:18:07,888 --> 00:18:09,823
'Cause they're supposed
to be two answers --

480
00:18:09,823 --> 00:18:11,091
either diversion or jail, right?

481
00:18:11,091 --> 00:18:12,359
-I've been getting
a few of these wrong.

482
00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:14,127
I'll let you tell me. Yeah.

483
00:18:14,127 --> 00:18:15,863
-Diversion is primarily
through PDA.

484
00:18:15,863 --> 00:18:17,664
-Right. Yeah.
Purpose. Dignity. Action.

485
00:18:17,664 --> 00:18:20,567
-Exactly.
Now, where does PDA now reside?

486
00:18:20,567 --> 00:18:23,203
Does it reside under Human
Services Department anymore?

487
00:18:23,203 --> 00:18:25,305
No. It resides under CARE.
-Right. Okay.

488
00:18:25,305 --> 00:18:28,542
-And so we have pieces
in terms of the alternative

489
00:18:28,542 --> 00:18:31,945
as it relates to public use in
terms of substance use disorder

490
00:18:31,945 --> 00:18:34,147
and, you know,
the general addiction pieces.

491
00:18:34,147 --> 00:18:35,549
So we have avenues to work this.

492
00:18:35,549 --> 00:18:37,217
So what I'm doing right now

493
00:18:37,217 --> 00:18:39,253
is, I'm engaging
with the stakeholders on this.

494
00:18:39,253 --> 00:18:42,723
We're looking at possibilities
and working with Central Staff.

495
00:18:42,723 --> 00:18:45,826
I get input from my colleagues.
By the way,

496
00:18:45,826 --> 00:18:48,362
Council Member Rivera is
fantastic on different pieces,

497
00:18:48,362 --> 00:18:50,764
bringing her sharp legal mind
on some of these...

498
00:18:50,764 --> 00:18:52,766
-Okay.
-With amendments.

499
00:18:52,766 --> 00:18:55,202
And this goes way back. Back
to ALPR in the spring of '24.

500
00:18:55,202 --> 00:18:56,737
-Sure.

501
00:18:56,737 --> 00:18:58,172
-And so
we're gonna be doing this.

502
00:18:58,172 --> 00:19:00,440
And so I've given you kind of,
like, some broad outlines.

503
00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:02,242
And then --
So maybe in the summer,

504
00:19:02,242 --> 00:19:04,912
I can come back
and then we can talk about it.

505
00:19:04,912 --> 00:19:07,548
You know, just ahead of recess
or ahead of budget,

506
00:19:07,548 --> 00:19:08,815
we'll have a review.
-Okay.

507
00:19:08,815 --> 00:19:10,050
That sounds like a plan.

508
00:19:10,050 --> 00:19:11,718
Council Member Kettle,
let me stick with you

509
00:19:11,718 --> 00:19:13,687
a little bit more
on emergency services.

510
00:19:13,687 --> 00:19:16,023
<i>The Seattle Times </i>recently did
a report on some gaps

511
00:19:16,023 --> 00:19:18,525
in the city's 911 system.
In one case,

512
00:19:18,525 --> 00:19:21,261
a woman called the city's
nurse line, waited for 10 hours,

513
00:19:21,261 --> 00:19:23,130
unfortunately passed away.

514
00:19:23,130 --> 00:19:25,666
The city's nurse-ordered
ambulance rides are exempted

515
00:19:25,666 --> 00:19:27,367
from wait-time standards

516
00:19:27,367 --> 00:19:29,069
and tracking
here in the city of Seattle.

517
00:19:29,069 --> 00:19:30,871
You've said the city
needs to look into this.

518
00:19:30,871 --> 00:19:32,739
I know you have some concerns
about this.

519
00:19:32,739 --> 00:19:34,541
What's the latest?
What's going on here?

520
00:19:34,541 --> 00:19:36,476
-Yes. We have to look at this.

521
00:19:36,476 --> 00:19:41,748
As I said to Mr. Chroman
at<i> Seattle Times </i>and others --

522
00:19:41,748 --> 00:19:44,418
Mr. Beekman
at<i> The Seattle Times,</i>

523
00:19:44,418 --> 00:19:47,321
actually -- that, um, I've been
to the Fire Alarm Center.

524
00:19:47,321 --> 00:19:49,089
I've been there.

525
00:19:49,089 --> 00:19:50,791
I've listened to them
talk to the nurses' line,

526
00:19:50,791 --> 00:19:53,060
talk to the nurses
as calls were coming in.

527
00:19:53,060 --> 00:19:55,362
I have great confidence
in the system,

528
00:19:55,362 --> 00:19:58,966
but there's always room
for improvement.

529
00:19:58,966 --> 00:20:00,868
So I had a conversation --

530
00:20:00,868 --> 00:20:02,169
I mentioned I already talked
to Chief Scoggins as related

531
00:20:02,169 --> 00:20:03,537
to alternative response.

532
00:20:03,537 --> 00:20:05,239
I also talked to him
about this, as well,

533
00:20:05,239 --> 00:20:07,441
and I think we have
some opportunities

534
00:20:07,441 --> 00:20:09,476
to do a look at it.

535
00:20:09,476 --> 00:20:12,913
I think it's good to have this
on the committee agenda.

536
00:20:12,913 --> 00:20:14,748
It's probably gonna be later

537
00:20:14,748 --> 00:20:17,150
because we're so jam-packed
in terms of issues

538
00:20:17,150 --> 00:20:18,752
that we're working,

539
00:20:18,752 --> 00:20:20,587
but that allows Fire
and the executive,

540
00:20:20,587 --> 00:20:22,623
particularly since
we have a new administration,

541
00:20:22,623 --> 00:20:25,025
to work through this in terms
of looking at the contract,

542
00:20:25,025 --> 00:20:29,029
looking at the parameters
of what's going on with AMR,

543
00:20:29,029 --> 00:20:32,666
looking at the relationship
between the nurses' line

544
00:20:32,666 --> 00:20:35,068
and the Fire Alarm Center,

545
00:20:35,068 --> 00:20:37,137
where our firefighters are,
and say, "Hey,

546
00:20:37,137 --> 00:20:38,872
what can we do differently?"

547
00:20:38,872 --> 00:20:40,841
'Cause it's important
and it's important

548
00:20:40,841 --> 00:20:44,244
because she could be my mother.

549
00:20:44,244 --> 00:20:47,714
She could be anybody's
mother or sister or daughter.

550
00:20:47,714 --> 00:20:49,983
And we need to be doing right.

551
00:20:49,983 --> 00:20:52,085
And I believe in this case,

552
00:20:52,085 --> 00:20:54,922
you know, it's looking at some
of those contract positions

553
00:20:54,922 --> 00:20:57,157
and also, like, who knows
what, when, where.

554
00:20:57,157 --> 00:21:01,562
Does one person
have the full story?

555
00:21:01,562 --> 00:21:03,797
Does the AMR crew
that came to the door --

556
00:21:03,797 --> 00:21:06,834
Did they have the full?
You know?

557
00:21:06,834 --> 00:21:10,003
So you ask these questions,
you work through these pieces,

558
00:21:10,003 --> 00:21:12,272
and then we can work to adjust
and adapt

559
00:21:12,272 --> 00:21:14,541
anything that
we may need to do with working

560
00:21:14,541 --> 00:21:16,076
with Fire Department
and so forth

561
00:21:16,076 --> 00:21:17,878
and then look
to make those changes.

562
00:21:17,878 --> 00:21:19,880
-Council Member Rivera,
anything to add here?

563
00:21:19,880 --> 00:21:22,683
-I mean, I would just say,
you know, review is important.

564
00:21:22,683 --> 00:21:24,418
You've heard me say, Brian,

565
00:21:24,418 --> 00:21:26,386
that, you know,
we run these programs

566
00:21:26,386 --> 00:21:28,388
and we have to make sure
that we're reviewing

567
00:21:28,388 --> 00:21:31,225
and make sure they're doing
what they're intended to do.

568
00:21:31,225 --> 00:21:34,795
And here is our now opportunity
to look at this.

569
00:21:34,795 --> 00:21:37,631
Unfortunately, something tragic
happened.

570
00:21:37,631 --> 00:21:40,501
And we should be looking
at things before that happens.

571
00:21:40,501 --> 00:21:42,469
But nevertheless,
we're at this point

572
00:21:42,469 --> 00:21:45,105
and I appreciate the chairs
giving attention to this.

573
00:21:45,105 --> 00:21:47,941
And we're all gonna
be looking at this.

574
00:21:47,941 --> 00:21:50,244
And, you know, giving
that review is really important.

575
00:21:50,244 --> 00:21:52,145
-Okay. Thank you very much.

576
00:21:52,145 --> 00:21:53,914
Council Member Rivera,
I'm gonna stick with you

577
00:21:53,914 --> 00:21:55,782
and talk about
a new plan for Mayor Wilson

578
00:21:55,782 --> 00:21:57,885
that would have a big impact
on neighborhoods.

579
00:21:57,885 --> 00:21:59,586
I'm thinking of the committee
you chair here.

580
00:21:59,586 --> 00:22:01,688
So the mayor wants to have
1,000 people

581
00:22:01,688 --> 00:22:03,957
who are homeless inside
by the end of the year,

582
00:22:03,957 --> 00:22:07,261
500 by the time the World Cup
comes to Seattle in June.

583
00:22:07,261 --> 00:22:09,963
She's hoping to expand
capacity first at Seattle's

584
00:22:09,963 --> 00:22:11,365
tiny home villages.

585
00:22:11,365 --> 00:22:13,133
Some of these villages

586
00:22:13,133 --> 00:22:15,402
moving from 100 to 150
residents, for example.

587
00:22:15,402 --> 00:22:18,172
Others could be
as big as 250 people.

588
00:22:18,172 --> 00:22:20,507
Just generally here,
what do you think of this plan,

589
00:22:20,507 --> 00:22:22,809
how it's gonna impact
our neighborhoods, please.

590
00:22:22,809 --> 00:22:24,811
-Well, Brian,
I have a lot of questions.

591
00:22:24,811 --> 00:22:29,983
This is a newer proposal at
least that got sent down to us.

592
00:22:29,983 --> 00:22:31,585
I know a lot of people,

593
00:22:31,585 --> 00:22:33,353
including constituents,
have questions.

594
00:22:33,353 --> 00:22:35,189
And so we need to get through
those questions.

595
00:22:35,189 --> 00:22:37,324
We need to get
a lot more information.

596
00:22:37,324 --> 00:22:38,992
How will this all work?

597
00:22:38,992 --> 00:22:41,662
I will say
that I appreciate the idea

598
00:22:41,662 --> 00:22:45,966
to have behavioral health and
case management 24-7 on-site.

599
00:22:45,966 --> 00:22:49,803
I do think going from
100 to 250 people is a lot,

600
00:22:49,803 --> 00:22:53,140
given the high acuity needs
of this population,

601
00:22:53,140 --> 00:22:56,443
and we want to make sure people
have the access to services

602
00:22:56,443 --> 00:22:58,212
so they can succeed.

603
00:22:58,212 --> 00:23:02,149
I also have a concern
about public safety

604
00:23:02,149 --> 00:23:04,051
around these sites.

605
00:23:04,051 --> 00:23:07,321
So ensuring what is the plan
for 24-7 security

606
00:23:07,321 --> 00:23:10,390
so that we're actually
also making sure

607
00:23:10,390 --> 00:23:12,759
that the neighborhoods are safe?

608
00:23:12,759 --> 00:23:16,430
That has been an issue
that we've had across the city

609
00:23:16,430 --> 00:23:18,031
at different sites.

610
00:23:18,031 --> 00:23:19,433
And we want --
And we've been talking about it

611
00:23:19,433 --> 00:23:21,702
since we got here,
Chair Kettle and I.

612
00:23:21,702 --> 00:23:24,104
And so I want to make sure
that we are addressing that

613
00:23:24,104 --> 00:23:25,873
and not adding, you know --

614
00:23:25,873 --> 00:23:28,008
while we're helping people --
and we need to --

615
00:23:28,008 --> 00:23:30,177
we're also addressing
the public safety needs

616
00:23:30,177 --> 00:23:31,778
of the neighborhoods.
-Got it.

617
00:23:31,778 --> 00:23:34,248
Council Member Kettle, this
happened at a recent briefing,

618
00:23:34,248 --> 00:23:35,816
and you actually raised
some concerns about

619
00:23:35,816 --> 00:23:38,185
just how fast the mayor was
trying to make this happen,

620
00:23:38,185 --> 00:23:39,786
how that might impact
some neighborhoods,

621
00:23:39,786 --> 00:23:41,154
the communication
going on there.

622
00:23:41,154 --> 00:23:42,923
I want to talk about
those concerns.

623
00:23:42,923 --> 00:23:44,758
We've got an e-mail from Brit,
who wrote this --

624
00:23:44,758 --> 00:23:46,760
"How are we going to make sure
we support

625
00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:48,929
our unhoused neighbors
during the World Cup,

626
00:23:48,929 --> 00:23:51,431
because sweeping them
from the area only leads to them

627
00:23:51,431 --> 00:23:53,500
distrusting the city
and community more,

628
00:23:53,500 --> 00:23:56,537
which makes getting
them into any kind of safe space

629
00:23:56,537 --> 00:23:58,505
in the future even harder."

630
00:23:58,505 --> 00:24:00,274
Let's talk about this, please.

631
00:24:00,274 --> 00:24:01,909
-Well, the first thing is,

632
00:24:01,909 --> 00:24:03,877
I don't allow the word "sweeps"
in my office

633
00:24:03,877 --> 00:24:06,547
'cause sweeps is like a PR
term that's been used for those

634
00:24:06,547 --> 00:24:07,881
that want to, like,

635
00:24:07,881 --> 00:24:09,283
have positions
against certain things.

636
00:24:09,283 --> 00:24:11,518
And so that's not what happens.

637
00:24:11,518 --> 00:24:14,021
You know, earlier,
you talked about, you know,

638
00:24:14,021 --> 00:24:16,623
passionate and emotion,
you know, and then --

639
00:24:16,623 --> 00:24:18,258
And then what happens is,

640
00:24:18,258 --> 00:24:19,560
when you're
on the campaign trail,

641
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:21,161
like with the mayor's campaign,

642
00:24:21,161 --> 00:24:22,896
you know,
you hear these different voices,

643
00:24:22,896 --> 00:24:24,631
but then you come in the office,
like, on surveillance.

644
00:24:24,631 --> 00:24:26,600
She's now learning.
She said this yesterday --

645
00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:28,769
"Oh, actually, the program
does this very differently."

646
00:24:28,769 --> 00:24:31,071
It's the same thing
with Unified Care Team

647
00:24:31,071 --> 00:24:32,539
and the efforts
that the city's doing,

648
00:24:32,539 --> 00:24:33,841
because this is Seattle.

649
00:24:33,841 --> 00:24:35,542
We have those values.

650
00:24:35,542 --> 00:24:37,144
And so we're working them in.
This idea

651
00:24:37,144 --> 00:24:39,680
that we're against this
is wrong.

652
00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:41,682
And I think this is great
for the new team coming in

653
00:24:41,682 --> 00:24:43,417
'cause they're realizing --

654
00:24:43,417 --> 00:24:44,818
And it should be a lesson
for everybody,

655
00:24:44,818 --> 00:24:46,687
particularly the team
that's coming in,

656
00:24:46,687 --> 00:24:49,356
that the voices that
you heard on the campaign trail

657
00:24:49,356 --> 00:24:50,858
were not knowledgeable
about the topic

658
00:24:50,858 --> 00:24:52,426
on which they were talking.

659
00:24:52,426 --> 00:24:55,262
And with that backdrop,
you know,

660
00:24:55,262 --> 00:24:57,364
what we need to do is,
like, the lessons-learned point.

661
00:24:57,364 --> 00:24:59,266
We talked about this

662
00:24:59,266 --> 00:25:01,201
with the earlier conversation
with the 911.

663
00:25:01,201 --> 00:25:02,836
Lessons-learned attitude.

664
00:25:02,836 --> 00:25:04,271
How do we make it better?

665
00:25:04,271 --> 00:25:05,806
So we've all been
on the streets.

666
00:25:05,806 --> 00:25:08,475
By the way, all of us council
members, we're out and about,

667
00:25:08,475 --> 00:25:10,844
you know.
And not to bring this up,

668
00:25:10,844 --> 00:25:12,713
but, like, this morning,
I was on the street

669
00:25:12,713 --> 00:25:16,950
and I saw a dead man
on 3rd Avenue, 3rd and Vine.

670
00:25:16,950 --> 00:25:18,819
-I'm sorry to hear it.
-Yes.

671
00:25:18,819 --> 00:25:20,888
And so we're -- And I'm talking
to the officer, you know,

672
00:25:20,888 --> 00:25:22,489
about, "Hey,
what's happening here?"

673
00:25:22,489 --> 00:25:24,057
and these issues
that are happening.

674
00:25:24,057 --> 00:25:26,326
It was an O.D.,
and it's striking.

675
00:25:26,326 --> 00:25:28,428
And so it's like, "Hey,
what's happening here?

676
00:25:28,428 --> 00:25:30,063
How can we get answers?"

677
00:25:30,063 --> 00:25:32,032
And so I'm aware
of these pieces,

678
00:25:32,032 --> 00:25:34,434
you know, that area -- 3rd
and Blanchard and so forth.

679
00:25:34,434 --> 00:25:36,370
And then, so it's like,
"How do we do this?"

680
00:25:36,370 --> 00:25:37,938
So I know tiny home villages,
by the way, says "home,"

681
00:25:37,938 --> 00:25:39,206
but it's<i> shelter.</i>

682
00:25:39,206 --> 00:25:41,208
It's not<i> housing.</i>
-Right.

683
00:25:41,208 --> 00:25:43,677
-But we've been incorporating
these lessons-learned pieces

684
00:25:43,677 --> 00:25:45,045
in terms of security.

685
00:25:45,045 --> 00:25:49,550
I had, you know, a tiny home-
combination RV village

686
00:25:49,550 --> 00:25:50,918
within, like, a half mile
of my home.

687
00:25:50,918 --> 00:25:52,586
But because we're engaging

688
00:25:52,586 --> 00:25:54,288
and they're learning
the lessons learned,

689
00:25:54,288 --> 00:25:56,023
the service providers,
we're putting in place

690
00:25:56,023 --> 00:25:58,358
those public safety pieces,
those protocols.

691
00:25:58,358 --> 00:26:00,093
-Okay.
-We're adding in,

692
00:26:00,093 --> 00:26:02,029
you know, the wraparound care,

693
00:26:02,029 --> 00:26:03,430
you know, the counseling.

694
00:26:03,430 --> 00:26:05,199
That's what happened
at the Salmon Bay Village.

695
00:26:05,199 --> 00:26:07,234
And that made
a big difference moving forward.

696
00:26:07,234 --> 00:26:09,870
And if we keep doing that -- And
we're augmenting it, by the way,

697
00:26:09,870 --> 00:26:11,338
in the legislative department,

698
00:26:11,338 --> 00:26:12,906
because we have
this Neighborhood Engagement

699
00:26:12,906 --> 00:26:15,075
and Mitigation Plan process
under way,

700
00:26:15,075 --> 00:26:16,677
and we'll work
with the executive on that.

701
00:26:16,677 --> 00:26:18,312
-Okay. Thank you.
-And if I can add, Brian...

702
00:26:18,312 --> 00:26:19,413
-Briefly, please.
-I mean,

703
00:26:19,413 --> 00:26:21,148
on the tiny home villages,

704
00:26:21,148 --> 00:26:24,218
we need to ensure we have
a plan for off-ramping,

705
00:26:24,218 --> 00:26:26,119
for getting people
permanent housing.

706
00:26:26,119 --> 00:26:28,922
I mean, we're seeing
a lot of folks staying longer

707
00:26:28,922 --> 00:26:31,425
in tiny house villages
that weren't intended.

708
00:26:31,425 --> 00:26:33,227
That isn't --

709
00:26:33,227 --> 00:26:35,562
-It's intended to be short-term.

710
00:26:35,562 --> 00:26:37,664
-Exactly, exactly.
It's meant to be short-term.

711
00:26:37,664 --> 00:26:40,868
So what are
the off-ramping strategies?

712
00:26:40,868 --> 00:26:43,203
There's a tiny house village
in my district

713
00:26:43,203 --> 00:26:45,272
where folks have been there
for years.

714
00:26:45,272 --> 00:26:48,108
And so how do we get
folks hous-- you know,

715
00:26:48,108 --> 00:26:50,711
permanent housing and
not just this temporary housing.

716
00:26:50,711 --> 00:26:53,881
So all those questions
need to be answered as part

717
00:26:53,881 --> 00:26:54,982
of this endeavor, as well.

718
00:26:54,982 --> 00:26:56,683
-Thank you.

719
00:26:56,683 --> 00:26:58,352
I need to do the minute-long
version with you,

720
00:26:58,352 --> 00:26:59,753
Council Member Rivera,
about the Library Levy.

721
00:26:59,753 --> 00:27:01,755
This is big for the Council.

722
00:27:01,755 --> 00:27:04,558
The mayor presented a plan
for about a $410 million levy,

723
00:27:04,558 --> 00:27:07,160
up from $219 million

724
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,162
when voters passed it
seven years ago.

725
00:27:09,162 --> 00:27:10,297
Does this proposal
need to be tweaked?

726
00:27:10,297 --> 00:27:11,932
What's going on?

727
00:27:11,932 --> 00:27:13,700
Give me some rough sketches
on this, please.

728
00:27:13,700 --> 00:27:16,003
-I will say this is
a really exciting levy.

729
00:27:16,003 --> 00:27:18,338
It's a really exciting proposal.

730
00:27:18,338 --> 00:27:20,908
We are -- In this proposal,

731
00:27:20,908 --> 00:27:22,809
we're maintaining
all the great services

732
00:27:22,809 --> 00:27:26,046
that the library provides,
including open hours.

733
00:27:26,046 --> 00:27:30,384
Um, folks in the city love
libraries, as do I...

734
00:27:30,384 --> 00:27:34,154
as I know, Council Member Kettle
joins me in loving libraries.

735
00:27:34,154 --> 00:27:36,223
And for me,
this is an opportunity

736
00:27:36,223 --> 00:27:38,959
to keep maintaining
the services that we have.

737
00:27:38,959 --> 00:27:43,830
Um, the 2019 levy
was very supported,

738
00:27:43,830 --> 00:27:45,832
highly supported
by constituents.

739
00:27:45,832 --> 00:27:49,603
And I believe this will be,
as well.

740
00:27:49,603 --> 00:27:51,638
-Okay. Thank you for that.

741
00:27:51,638 --> 00:27:53,207
I'll throw one more question
to you, Council Member Kettle.

742
00:27:53,207 --> 00:27:54,942
Photo evidence reveals you are

743
00:27:54,942 --> 00:27:56,643
the tallest
Seattle City Council member.

744
00:27:56,643 --> 00:27:58,545
So I'm giving you
the basketball question.

745
00:27:58,545 --> 00:28:01,048
Should Seattleites get
their hopes up about the Sonics

746
00:28:01,048 --> 00:28:03,083
coming back to town?

747
00:28:03,083 --> 00:28:07,387
We have a strong case and
the arena's in my district.

748
00:28:07,387 --> 00:28:10,424
I have a strong relationship
with the Storm and others

749
00:28:10,424 --> 00:28:12,659
that are -- like the Kraken
and everybody else,

750
00:28:12,659 --> 00:28:15,896
and we have all the pieces
that are there.

751
00:28:15,896 --> 00:28:18,699
And with the NBA,
usually come in pairs.

752
00:28:18,699 --> 00:28:21,001
So Vegas and Seattle
is the natural.

753
00:28:21,001 --> 00:28:24,137
And so I am confident,
but cautiously confident

754
00:28:24,137 --> 00:28:26,039
'cause I don't want to jinx
anything.

755
00:28:26,039 --> 00:28:27,274
-Okay. All right.

756
00:28:27,274 --> 00:28:28,408
I'll call that
a mid-range jumper

757
00:28:28,408 --> 00:28:29,543
from Council Member Kettle.

758
00:28:29,543 --> 00:28:31,144
Council Member Rivera, thank you
for joining me.

759
00:28:31,144 --> 00:28:32,880
We got to get out of here.
I'm Brian Callanan.

760
00:28:32,880 --> 00:28:34,648
See you next time
on "Council Edition."

761
00:28:34,648 --> 00:28:42,089
♪♪

762
00:28:42,089 --> 00:28:48,962
♪♪

763
00:28:48,962 --> 00:28:56,136
♪♪