Council Press Conferences

Councilmember Mike O'Brien (District 6, Northwest Seattle) joins Greenwood-area business owners nearly one year after the Puget Sound Energy (PSE) explosion on March 9 which traumatized the neighborhood and decimated local businesses. Participants will share their stories about the devastating  effects of the natural gas blast on the neighborhood, the crippling effects on their small businesses, and the burdensome bureaucracy that has stalled efforts around reimbursement to stabilize their financial outlook.

Councilmember Mike O'Brien (District 6, Northwest Seattle) and former Community Service Officers speak to the relaunch the popular Community Service Officer (CSO) program which was discontinued in Seattle in 2004. CSOs are non-commissioned police officers who provide an important link between the community and the police department. Historically, CSOs assisted commissioned police officers by performing community services associated with law enforcement, conducting crime prevention activities, improving relations, and developing potential police officers.

At the event:
Mike O'Brien, Councilmember
Cheryl Brush, Former Community Service Officer
Charles Sampson, Former Community Service Officer
Alan Lai, Crime Victim Services Director at Chinese Information and Service Center
Nancy Amidei, Community Advocate
Brian Maxey, CEO at Seattle Police Department
Jeanette Frazier, Former Community Service Officer
Joyce Hardison, Former Community Service Officer
Kathleen O'Toole, Chief of Police at Seattle Police Department

Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle), the "Block the Bunker" coalition, the NAACP, affordable housing advocates, socialists, and other activists join to celebrate 'victory' over the Mayor's announced scrapping of the North Precinct police facility plan. Hundreds of social justice advocates came together to fight the $149 million police bunker and forced the Mayor and a majority of the Council to abandon the project for the time being.

Councilmember Lorena González (Citywide) discusses an ordinance to prohibit conversion therapy for minors in Seattle ahead of the Council committee consideration. The legislation would add a new chapter to the City's existing human rights code and would prohibit licensed mental health providers from practicing conversion therapy on minor children by making it a civil violation penalized by a fee of up to $1,000. Conversion therapy is a widely discredited practice that claims to use therapeutic tools to "cure" people of their same-sex attractions or non-conforming gender identity.

Seattle REI Workers and Councilmember Kshama Sawant gather at the Seattle REI Flagship store to celebrate a big win for workers fighting for secure scheduling, strong wages, and cost of living adjustments. After months of organizing, and speaking courageously at the town hall hosted by Councilmember Sawant on July 11, REI workers have just won a huge victory. On Sunday, REI announced a new plan to provide raises and forthcoming details on proper working hours for employees at the Pacific Northwest-based retail co-op.

 
At tomorrow's gathering, REI workers will share the next steps for this successful workers' rights campaign, how they won this wage increase, and how they will build on these victories to ensure that workers can escape poverty. Sawant and REI workers will be joined by Katie Garrow, Deputy Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. King County Labor Council and workers from UFCW Local 21.

Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Lisa Herbold joins housing activists to unveil new legislation to limit move-in fees and ease the financial barriers that renters face when moving into a new unit. This is the next step toward Councilmember Sawant's pursuit of a full-fledged Tenants' Bill of Rights.

Councilmember Mike O'Brien releases a proposal to make it easier for more homeowners to build backyard cottages and mother-in-law units. Councilmembers recently held community meetings and received a report, "Removing Barriers to Backyard Cottages," which helped shape the draft regulations being unveiled. Councilmember O'Brien (District 6, Northwest Seattle) will unveil the proposal outside of a backyard cottage in the Sunset Hill neighborhood.

Special event held on December 17, 2015 at 5:30pm to recognize service and commitment by outgoing councilmembers John Okamoto, Sally J. Clark, Jean Godden, Tom Rasmussen and Nick Licata. Speakers include CR Douglas, Council President Tim Burgess and Mayor Ed Murray.

Before her friends and colleagues and a packed Council Chambers, Councilmember Lorena González reflected on her election, plans for her forthcoming Council term, and shared what it means to be the first Latina to serve the Seattle City Council. 

Councilmember Kshama Sawant joins with Seattle nightlife industry leader David Meinert and other small business owners to unveil a plan to pursue rent stabilization for Seattle's small businesses. While the state statute prohibits rent control for residences, there is no such law for commercial properties. Councilmember Sawant also unveiled additional proposals intended to support small businesses, and their workers. The small business initiatives tie directly to the City's proposed 2016 budget, which is currently undergoing Council review.

Councilmember Licata will hosts a public event in Council Chambers with Tim Collins, who served as Executive Director of the New York City Rent Guidelines Board.

Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Nick Licata will unveil new legislation to protect tenants in substandard housing who are facing rent increases. The announcement follows last week's Department of Planning and Development inspection of property at 6511 Rainier Ave South, which documented 225 violations of the Seattle Housing and Building Maintenance Code. Tenants' rents at that property were set to double until they highlighted their living conditions, temporarily postponing the rent increase pending resolution of all building code violations.

Councilmembers Kshama Sawant and Nick Licata stands with Seattle Tenants to draw attention to the appalling building conditions facing renters at a building in Columbia City.

Councilmember Mike O’Brien introduces legislation that would give eligible drivers at taxi, for-hire, and transportation network companies a voice on the job and the opportunity to negotiate for improved working conditions with the companies they work for.

Councilmember Mike O'Brien announces details of an audit he has requested regarding the Seattle of Department of Planning & Development's implementation of the affordable housing incentive zoning program.  A recent project brought problematic issues relating to the program to light, and O'Brien has called for an in-depth review as a result of the incident.  The City Auditor has agreed to proceed with the audit.

Councilmember Mike O'Brien was the keynote speaker at the University of Washington's Earth Day Celebration.