You’ve probably heard a lot about redistricting – drawing new boundaries for election districts – for the county, state, and federal governments. But you probably haven’t heard much about the fact the city has to do the same thing (we mentioned it back in October). Before the Seattle City Council‘s seven district seats are up for election again next year, new boundaries will be approved. An appointed commission (with two West Seattleites) is overseeing this process and has released four draft maps as potential starting points. Here’s how these drafts would reshape District 1, which currently encompasses West Seattle and South Park.

First, D-1 on draft map 1 (see this full citywide map here)

Next, D-1 on draft map 2 (see this full citywide map here):

Next, D-1 on draft map 3 (see this full citywide map here):

And finally, D-1 on draft map 4 (see this full citywide map here):

Follow the “full map” links to get a closer look; if you zoom in, you’ll see the current boundaries, for comparison. And keep in mind, these are proposed as starting points – this isn’t a contest between those four; the final map may be something completely different.

So what’s being taken into consideration here? you might wonder. The commission explains that it’s charged with following “City Charter-mandated criteria using geographic information system (GIS) expertise and the latest 2020 Census data to draw new boundaries and produce districts that are approximately equal in population. To the extent practical, the Commission must also consider additional factors, such as following existing district boundaries, recognizing waterways and geographic boundaries, and acknowledging Seattle’s communities and neighborhoods. The consideration of public input and a minimum of one public forum per Council District is required during this process.”

That input process just started this week, and will continue through the spring and summer. You have six ways to participate, all detailed on this webpage – you can attend a meeting at noon on upcoming Tuesdays, you can draw your own map, and you can watch for an upcoming survey, among other opportunities.

That’s Mayor Bruce Harrell‘s first State of the City speech, which lasted more than half an hour, presented at the start of this afternoon’s City Council meeting. No major announcements – his lone West Seattle-specific mention was a description of the 23-months-closed West Seattle Bridge as one of the city’s “most pressing priorities.” Recapping his announcement last week that the ongoing concrete-drivers strike may delay its reopening, he offered his City Hall conference room to the two sides if they need a place for talks. Earlier in the speech, he declared that “the status quo is unacceptable” and promised his administration will get “back to the basics.” He spent a major chunk of time on public safety, both embracing alternatives and declaring that the city needs more police on the streets. He said a promotional campaign will launch to encourage new officers to join – “the right number and the right kind” – and that the training academy will have a special Seattle-focused class of 36 in June. The city already has funding to hire 125 officers, he noted, budgeted even before he was elected. Regarding homelessness, he said a Unified Care Team would be created as the latest attempt to align resources, and that the city will simplify the process for members of the public to report issues of concern. On other issues, he voiced concern for struggling small businesses and promised to work with them. (Here’s the full transcript.)

Another West Seattleite who led a city department under the former administration is out. Mayor Bruce Harrell announced today that Highland Park resident Andrés Mantilla is out as head of the Department of Neighborhoods – which he ran for most of the previous mayor’s term – and he’s appointed Southeast Seattle resident Greg Wong (right) as DoN director. The announcement says Wong will be tasked with “driving local engagement, coordinating neighborhood strategies citywide, and charting a future direction for a City full of unique, vibrant, and welcoming neighborhoods.” Wong is a lawyer and former teacher. The DoN announcement was one of three director changes announced by the mayor today, along with former mayoral candidate and ex-legislator Jessyn Farrell leading the Office of Sustainability and Environment and Markham McIntyre, formerly an executive with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, to lead the Office of Economic Development. All three are serving as interim directors pending confirmation by the City Council; read more in the full announcement here.

(Photo courtesy King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office)

12:30 PM: Next year, that window will have someone else’s name on it. King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg announced this morning that, after four terms, he will not seek re-election. He said, “I have 358 days left in my term. I am determined to finish well.” Satterberg has been with the office since joining as an intern in the mid-1980s. The KCPAO is responsible for prosecuting crimes defined in state law as felonies. From his announcement today:

When the pandemic started, we were the first in the state and one of the first offices in the nation to have a 100% remote domestic violence protection order service. That meant that people who were trapped at home with abusers no longer needed to physically come down to the courthouse to get court-ordered protection.

We were also one of the first in the state and one of the first in the nation to create a data dashboard – revealing in great detail our work, our priorities and the challenges that await. We make informed decisions based on this data. It’s right there on the front page of our office website for anyone to see.

We are also launching new and innovative community partnerships and diversion programs with trusted community non-profit organizations that are here to help victims of crime as well as the people who have caused the harm. I am encouraged by the support of the County Executive and County Council for our community-based diversion programs. We have the goals of interrupting violence, of decreasing crime, and creating community connections that are part of accountability.

We’ve done all of this while also filing roughly 25-30 cases felony every day. These are the most serious crimes that occur in King County – murders and assaults, armed robbery, residential burglaries, sexual assaults, child abuse, among many others. Most of our cases never make the news — but we’re in court every day, trying jury trials, filing serious violent cases and resolving cases. During the COVID period, things have slowed, but never stopped.

Satterberg was a Republican when elected in 2007 and announced in 2018 that he had changed parties. He has roots close to this area; he attended high school in Burien, and his father practiced law in White Center.

12:58 PM: The first candidate has just announced – Satterberg’s chief of staff, Leesa Manion, says she’s running.

Among the elected officials ceremonially sworn in today was the new Seattle City Attorney, Ann Davison. She too had a brief speech after her oath of office. She was introduced by Victoria Beach, longtime chair of the Seattle Police Department African American Community Advisory Council, who said that “Ann has given our city hope” and would be “a city attorney like no other.” Davison herself noted that she’s the first woman to hold the position, making this “a big day for women and girls in Seattle.” Even more than that, Davison said, “this election showed that people are powerful and they’re demanding that we enforce our laws,” after a time in which, she contended, many felt powerless, unsafe, and afraid. “Our legal system must be used as a tool to stand up for victims,” Davison said. She didn’t get into policy specifics but did talk about a duty to “take guns off the streets” so that “misdemeanor gun violations” aren’t followed by felony violent crimes. Davison succeeds Pete Holmes, who came in third in the primary

(Seattle Channel recording of this morning’s event)

11:05 AM: Two months after Seattle voters elected him, Mayor Bruce Harrell is now in office, and right now you can see his first speech as it happens – following a ceremonial swearing-in – by clicking into the Seattle Channel stream above. We’ll be publishing topline notes below.

He opens by saying “2022 is not like past years”- it’s not a time to open with exuberance but to acknowledge it’s been a fearful time for people, including fear that “Seattle is going in the wrong direction.” He promises an “obsession” with competence and kindness. He says – in first mentioning the homelessness crisis – that the city will be intolerant “not of the people who are unhoused but of the conditions that caused them to become unhoused.” He says, “We’ll implement ideas that work.” He declares, “We are not afraid.” He discusses the diversity of his executive team, including “three deputy mayors who are women of color.”

Looking to the future – “Seattle will be thriving – no more of this ‘dying’ narrative,” Harrell insists. “Everyone will have an opportunity to help us.” His request for the cynical: “Give us a chance.” He wants the city to be “one Seattle.” He says it’s time to move toward “healing and reparation and restoration” and “a real dialogue.” He promises “health care for all … we’ll make sure every resident in our city not only has health care but is healthy.” This will involve partnership with providers and he says talks are under way. Also: He promises everyone will feel “safe and supportive,” from gun-violence prevention to police accountability. He says Seattle has the chance to set a national example. Then regarding homelessness, he says “One Seattle” doesn’t let people suffer on its streets and promises to publish a plan “within the first quarter,” with an accompanying executive order.He mentions another executive order to review processes to expedite “affordable housing” construction.

He also says the city will be hiring a new Parks director (if that means the current superintendent is leaving, that’s the first time it’s been mentioned). Also, a new mentorship program in which he says the city will partner with Seattle Public Schools. He says that also will address violence and protect young lives. “We must be all in for protecting our kids.”

He promises that these aren’t just empty promises – they’re policy commitments. “We’re not going to play small ball,” says the former athlete. He also notes that “One Seattle” doesn’t mean bragging that Seattle is “number one” but rather unity that includes humility. “We will replace fear with love,” he promises in closing.

11:28 AM: It’s on to media Q&A. First asks about his creation of a Chief Equity Officer position. That will include “new outreach strategies,” especially for “small BIPOC businesses,” and ensuring that good-paying jobs are accessible to all.

Will he keep Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz? Harrell says that hasn’t been decided yet, but “discussions” are continuing.

Asked to elaborate on “health care for all,” the mayor says they’re starting with addressing those who don’t have health care – so they’ll start by formulating a plan for those people within a few months.

Asked about his political position, he refutes the suggestion that he’s not “progressive” – “I ran on a progressive agenda … This is what progressive policy looks like. … My plea to those who claim to be the progressives, give us a chance and let us work together.”

Asked about the shortage of COVID testing and parents’ anguish in deciding whether to send kids to school, he says the city is partnering with the state and county, but has no new specifics, promising an “inventory” of how things are working.

Will he extend the eviction moratorium? “We’ll announce that in due time” – within the next week – he says, noting that “small landlords” are at risk as well as tenants. The decisionmaking process will include looking at whether the moratorium “worked.”

When will people see a difference in addressing homelessness? He promises “real progress in a short time” as well as more clarity with existing data – so that it’s easier to understand where people live now, and what’s happening.

11:45 AM: The event wraps up. We’ll add the recorded video above when it’s available. (Note: Video added at 12:20 pm – if you can’t see the embedded version above, go to this Seattle Channel page.)

5 PM UPDATE: We asked the mayor’s office about the “parks director” reference. They replied that superintendent Jesús Aguirre is “retiring from the office later this month.”

4:17 PM: Second big announcement from Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell: Sam Zimbabwe is out as SDOT director. Just received:

Today, Seattle Mayor-elect Bruce Harrell released the following statement:

“Today, I am announcing that when I take office in January, I will be making a change in Seattle Department of Transportation leadership. We will embark on a robust national search for a new director who is aligned with my vision for this critical department. As we embark on that search, I will appoint SDOT Chief of Staff Kristen Simpson to serve as interim director. Kristen has let me know that she will not be applying for the permanent position.

“Going forward, my vision is for a Seattle Department of Transportation that centers equity throughout our transportation network across every street and sidewalk, in every neighborhood and community. We must create a balanced transportation ecosystem – increasing safety and decreasing travel times by bolstering transit, improving sidewalks, protecting bike lanes, and recognizing the role of cars and new electric vehicles.

“From Vision Zero to net zero, we will prioritize climate resilience and lead at the intersections of accessibility, reliability, safety, and sustainability.

“I want to thank Director Zimbabwe for his service and dedication to the City of Seattle. His leadership and quick action closing the West Seattle Bridge no doubt saved lives and has put the bridge on track to open in mid-2022. His response to the pandemic – thoughtful and meaningful efforts like Stay Healthy Streets and outdoor dining permits – should be celebrated. I wish him all the best in the future.”

Outgoing Mayor Jenny Durkan hired Zimbabwe three years ago, one year into her term. He had previously worked in Washington, D.C.

5:40 PM: Adding more backstory – The previous SDOT director, Scott Kubly, left a year before Durkan announced she was hiring Zimbabwe. Kubly, also from D.C., had the SDOT job for three and a half years. Between the two, Goran Sparrman served as interim director, a role he also filled before the arrival of Kubly, succeeding Peter Hahn, who left toward the end of the McGinn administration.

Another newly elected city leader has announced her first round of major appointments. City Attorney-elect Ann Davison has chosen Scott Lindsay as deputy city attorney. Lindsay was the 2017 general-election opponent of outgoing City Attorney Pete Holmes, who Davison defeated this year, and was a public-safety adviser to former Mayor Ed Murray. Davison also announced that her Criminal Chief will be Natalie Walton-Anderson, who spent 24 years in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office earlier this year. The official announcement of both appointments is here.

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“The voters spoke, and hopefully my colleagues on the council heard the message.”

That’s what City Councilmember-elect Sara Nelson told the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce toward the end of Tuesday’s meet-and-greet, responding to a question about how she would work with councilmembers with different political ideology and ideas.

Nelson and Port Commissioner-elect Hamdi Mohamed spent an hour answering questions during the midday online event, as both prepare to take office. Both are first-time elected officials – Nelson was elected to the Seattle City Council‘s citywide Position 9, formerly held by Lorena González, who ran for mayor instead of for re-election; Mohamed was elected to the Seattle Port Commission‘s Position 3, defeating incumbent Stephanie Bowman. Topics ranged from public safety to economic development.

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With three weeks to go until Bruce Harrell is inaugurated as mayor January 4th, he’s announced his first major appointments. Only one is a department head – an interim budget director – but the others include deputy mayors (including one focused on housing/homelessness), a chief equity officer, and a director of strategic initiatives. The appointees include past and present city officials as well as people from non-city backgrounds. See the full announcement here. (Photo from seattle.gov)

You’re invited to hear on Tuesday (December 14th) from two of the people who will soon take office after winning November elections. The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce is hosting an online “meet and greet” with City Councilmember-elect Sara Nelson (left) and Port Commissioner-elect Hamdi Mohamed (right), noon-1 pm Tuesday, and it’s open to all, free. Nelson was elected to citywide Position 9, succeeding Lorena González, who opted to run for mayor instead; Mohamed was elected to Position 3, unseating incumbent Stephanie Bowman. They are both just a few weeks from taking office. If you’re interested in watching/participating in Tuesday’s event, the registration link is on the Chamber’s website.

Today the usually obscure process of redistricting – drawing new maps for political districts after the Census – drew headlines because the commission working on legislative and congressional maps missed their deadline. But a separate group is still at work on another new map of note – redrawing King County Council districts. Their deadline is next week, after 10 months of work, and they’re down to working out the differences between two draft maps. A West Seattleite who’s on the King County Districting Committee, Rob Saka, called our attention to the group’s work earlier this fall. We watched tonight’s meeting.

West Seattle is currently in County Council District 8 [map], which also includes Vashon and Maury Islands, White Center and much of unincorporated North Highline, much of Burien, and part of downtown/Capitol Hill. Both of the draft maps keep West Seattle and Vashon/Maury remaining in District 8, but the district diverges from there. On Draft Map D, District 8 stretches much further south; on Draft Map E, the boundaries are much further north on both ends of the district, which would endin White Center. Here’s a version showing the areas of disagreement countywide (look for the stripes):

Before the end of tonight’s 2-plus-hour meeting, the committee members resolved some of the differences, but they didn’t reach final agreement on District 8, only agreeing that the “small cities” in the Sea-Tac Airport area should be in the same district, whichever district that turns out to be. They’ll continue talking again tomorrow night, and you can watch the livestream – the link is here, along with the schedule of other meetings, including a final public hearing on November 30th. If you have comments in the meantime, you can email districting@kingcounty.gov.

P.S. The city of Seattle has a redistricting commission, too (with members including former mayor Greg Nickels of West Seattle), but it’s at a much earlier stage of the process.

Although the Washington State Legislature doesn’t officially reconvene until January, committees are meeting next week, and legislators are starting to think about what’s ahead. The three who represent our area – State House Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon and State Sen. Joe Nguyen, all West Seattleites, though they represent a district that also stretches south including White Center and west including Vashon and Maury Islands – had a mini-town hall at Wednesday night’s 34th District Democrats meeting. Each was given some time to talk about what’ll be big this year. Here are highlights of what they said:

REP. JOE FITZGIBBON: The past session “made the most progress on climate change,” including the clean-fuel standard, steps toward phasing out a greenhouse gas, the Healthy Environment Act, phasing out plastic waste … “We got a lot done but we have a lot more to do.” De-carbonize building and water heating is a priority, with a package of bills “to accelerate the transition from gas and oil heating to electric” due next session. Methane, the second-most-impactful greenhouse gas, will be a target this session too, “particularly from landfills, the largest source of methane” in our state. He said there are also some clarifications and loose ends to be tackled. Also, he’s working on bills targeting appliance energy-efficiency standards, phasing out PCAS, addressing salmon recovery (riparian-area protection among other things). He also said they remain hopeful a transportation package will pass this year, including transit, ferry funding, and a contribution to West Seattle Bridge repair.

REP. EILEEN CODY: She reminded everyone “we’re going into a short session” – most of it by Zoom – so it’ll be intense and “problematic, we’re kind of concerned about what we’ll be able to push through this year. She’s focused on the health-care work force – which has suffered a pandemic-related toll. “We’re facing a huge nursing shortage … home health aides … mental health …” and shortages are worsening. To address it, they’re working with hospitals and the education system to increase the slots available – 50 percent of people who apply to nursing programs don’t get in. So they’re working on ways to increase that. Equity issues are a focus as well, such as trying to improve health care for undocumented people. Just this week her attention was called to another idea, that prescriptions are written in patients’ languages; Oregon passed a bill recently, so she’s working on one for Washington. Other focuses: Charity care – though she expects it to trigger a “huge fight,” as it has in the past. The insurance commissioner is working on a bill she’ll sponsor regarding “surprise billing.” Other consumer issues on her radar include a “co-pay accumulator” regarding medication and telehealth legislation involving removing certain fees for people paying out of pocket. The Long-Term Care Act is likely to see some changes, especially for people who are “clsoe to retirement and would not be vested.”

SEN. JOE NGUYEN: He’s looking at how the infrastructure and Build Back Better funds forthcoming from the feds will be allocated. Also: Housing affordability, investment in basic needs. He’s also hopeful that a transportation package will get passed; Rep. Steve Hobbs will no longer be chairing the Transportation Committee since he just got appointed Secretary of State. Nguyen expects “someone more progressive” will succeed him. Next week is Committee Week “to go over some initial thoughts for our legislative session.” Nguyen also noted that the state budget forecasts are looking better than expected.

QUESTIONS/ANSWERS: Rep. Cody was asked about the legislation “to stop corporate health-care takeovers.” Rep. Cody said that will be going through Judiciary, not Health Care (which she chairs). She said it doesn’t stop takeovers but would strengthen Attorney General ability to look at takeovers and ensure services aren’t lost. “It’s going to be a hard session for the hospital association.” She was also asked about the challenge to the Long-Term Care Act. She’s aware of it. For Rep. Fitzgibbon: “Has all #5 plastic been banned?” No. But three applications of Styrofoam are, starting in a couple years. For Rep. Cody: What can she do to promote universal health care/Medicare expansion? The latter, nothing, because it’s federal; the former, the state can’t afford unless they get federal funds. Another question for her: Why are half of all nursing applicants not getting accepted? Not enough room in the programs – not enough nursing educators, not enough clinical placements for trainees at hospitals. Pediatrics, mental health, OB/GYN are the ones particularly short in training space, she said. Another question for her: What will happen with the Universal Health Care Commission? It’ll start meeting next year. Next question: Any hope of funding to increase school counselors and other support staff? Rep. Fitzgibbon said it’s “something we want to do” but it’s “extremely expensive” so depends on how the revenue looks. 2021 had a lot of tax increases so 2022 is less likely to do, given it’s an election year, he added. For Sen. Nguyen, a question about money to reduce homelessness. He said it’ll be a priority “across the board.” When will the Legislature act on redistricting? Rep. Fitzgibbon said that’s not the Legislature’s action to take – it’s the Redistricting Commission. If they deadlock, it goes to the State Supreme Court, but “that’s never happened.” Rep. Cody clarified that legislators vote on it, but need a supermajority agreement for changing with the commission comes up with. Regarding possible changes to the 34th, Fitzgibbon said he doesn’t think the commissioners will substantially change the makeup of this district. He doesn’t favor the option that would remove Burien from the 34th.

Next question: What about guaranteed basic income? Sen. Nguyen said he supports it; it’s being studied. Fitzgibbon and Cody voiced support too; she added, “Gotta figure out how to pay for it.” Last question: Could homelessness and pandemics be added to the Growth Management Act? Fitzgibbon said the former is addressed to some degree but he’s not sure how the latter would/could be addressed.

Got a question for the legislators? Here’s where to find their addresses.

The newest results from Tuesday’s election are out. Nothing has changed in the Seattle city races – the gaps have narrowed a little but are still very wide. However, the Seattle Port Commission now has two incumbents losing. For Position 3, Hamdi Mohamed has taken the lead and is now two points ahead of incumbent Stephanie Bowman; for Position 4, Toshiko Grace Hasegawa‘s lead over incumbent Peter Steinbrueck has widened to three points. See the full list of updated results here. For King County, 43 percent of ballots have been received, 33 percent counted; for the city of Seattle, 54 percent of ballots have been received, 41 percent counted.

The second round of election results is out. Last night, King County Elections had counted ballots from 22 percent of voters countywide; today, that’s up to almost 26 percent – that’s two-thirds of what’s been received so far. The only race with a change of note is the last one on the list below, Port Commission Position 4, in which the challenger has now taken the lead.

MAYOR
Bruce Harrell – 97,763 – 64.2%
Lorena González – 53,965 – 35.4%

CITY ATTORNEY
Ann Davison – 85,543 – 57.7%
Nicole Thomas-Kennedy – 61,430 – 41.4%

CITY COUNCIL POSITION 8
Teresa Mosqueda* – 77,149 – 53.2%
Kenneth Wilson – 67,123 – 46.3%

CITY COUNCIL POSITION 9
Sara Nelson – 89,059 – 59.8%
Nikkita Oliver – 59,497 – 39.9%

KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE
Dow Constantine* – 195,342 – 57.1%
Joe Nguyen – 142,582 – 41.7%

SEATTLE PORT COMMISSION POSITION 1
Ryan Calkins* – 233,099 – 73.2%
Norman Sigler – 82,699 – 26%

SEATTLE PORT COMMISSION POSITION 3
Stephanie Bowman* – 165,053 – 50.4%
Hamdi Mohamed – 161,033 – 49.1%

SEATTLE PORT COMMISSION POSITION 4
Toshiko Grace Hasegawa – 163,338 – 49.79%
Peter Steinbrueck* – 163,063 – 49.70%

Next count is planned for tomorrow afternoon ~4 pm.