Yesterday the nine Council members published their 2018 Work Program, a list of their individual and committee areas of responsibility and interest. Much of it is pro-forma work just to keep the trains running, but interspersed through it are individual items that show where the Council members plan to spend their time in the coming year.
Here are some of the more interesting line-items that jump out from the plan.
Sally Bagshaw (Budget Committee, Finance and Neighborhoods Committee):
- Reviewing the structure and policies of the Judgment and Claims Subfund, which has had budget forecasting issues;
- Studying the feasibility of establishing a city-owned public bank;
- Developing legislation to remove unapproved surveillance equipment from Seattle City Light and City of Seattle property and rights-of-way;
- Supporting the work of the Progressive Revenue Task Force.
Debora Juarez (Civic Development, Public Assets and Native Communities Committee, Select Committee on Civic Arenas):
- Monitoring the ongoing multi-year redevelopment of the Seattle Waterfront;
- Reviewing the city’s Golf Program;
- Improving partnerships with native communities: a new item for the Council that Juarez is particularly proud to be bringing to the table;
- Monitoring and considering actions related to civic arenas.
Lisa Herbold (Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development and Arts Committee):
- Working with the Office of Civil Rights to explore reform of bail practices and pre-trial release strategies with a racial equity lens;
- Working with the Officer of Civil Rights to examine sexual harassment policies and practices;
- Following up on the City Auditor’s special events audit recommendations, in particular cost recovery for city services (e.g. police) provided to special events.
Lorena Gonzalez (Gender Equity, Safe Communities, New Americans and Education Committee):
- Monitoring and review the implementation and expansion of South Seattle College’s 13th Year Promise Scholarship Program;
- Participating on the Seattle Preschool Program Oversight Committee, and explore increasing access to the program;
- Analyzing policy issues related to protecting the DACA program;
- Exploring issues related to immigrant voting;
- Monitoring SFD’s low acuity program and improved service delivery;
- Monitoring SPD’s implementation of its new Records Management System;
- Monitoring SPD’s Community Service Officer Program pilot development and implementation;
- Monitoring SPD’s body-worn camera implementation;
- Reviewing reform of SPD’s overtime policies and practices;
- Responding to City Auditor’s special events audit recommendations.
Bruce Harrell (Governance, Equity and Technology Committee):
- Reviewing and considering new legislation barring employers from asking job candidates about their salary history or benefits during the initial interview;
- Monitoring implementation of the Democracy Vouchers program, and consider legislative changes recommended by the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission;
- Reviewing and considering updating training and policies related to elected officials and social media communications;
- Developing legislation related to the Duwamish Annexation Area and the North Highline Annexation Area proposals;
- Examining issues and regulatory policies related to taxi, for-hire, and TNC companies;
- Considering the street vacation petition for the SODO Arena.
Teresa Mosqueda (Housing, Health, Energy and Workers’ Rights Committee):
- Monitoring implementation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) deployment;
- Monitoring HSD’s efforts to take action on the city’s Age Friendly City designation;
- Reviewing unmet requests for funding of affordable housing projects, and examining strategies for funding additional affordable housing;
- Reviewing existing policies to facilitate development of affordable housing on publicly owned land;
- Reviewing and adopt the Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan;
- Considering legislation to protect workers from wage theft, exploitation and retaliation;
- Reviewing proposals and legislation to create a Domestic Worker’s Bill of Rights and a City commission to facilitate labor protections and benefits for domestic workers;
- Participating in the City-wide employee workgroup on harassment policies and retaliation protections, and consider implementation of the workgroup’s recommendations. Consider legislation to strengthen city and private sector training, investigation and enforcement of harassment complaints and strategies to change workplace cultures and expectations.
Kshama Sawant (Human Services, Equitable Development and Renter Rights Committee):
- Monitoring HSD’s continued efforts to take action on the City’s Age Friendly City designation;
- Reviewing the assessment of the HMIS Scan Card project;
- Reviewing the operational plan for transferring the city’s homeless emergency response from FAS to HSD;
- Monitoring the Navigation Team performance;
- Monitoring and reviewing the impacts of the Pathways Home strategy, assessing effectiveness and exploring opportunities for alternate strategies when necessary;
- Exploring new legislation to create assistance for renters displaced due to rent increases;
- Monitoring implementation of SDCI’s rental regulations and reviewing and considering new legislation increasing rights and protections for renters;
- Monitoring statewide efforts to repeal the Washington State prohibition on rent control, and considering rent control legislation as permitted by state law.
Rob Johnson (Planning, Land Use and Zoning Committee, Select Committee on Citywide Mandatory Housing Affordability):
- Monitoring development of proposals to create an impact fee program for Seattle;
- Managing development of legislation to facilitate the construction of accessory dwelling units and backyard cottages;
- Reviewing zoning legislation to facilitate the development of affordable housing at Fort Lawton;
- Reviewing legislation to update the city’s Incentive Zoning regulations;
- Reviewing and considering proposed regulations to modify off-street parking regulations for vehicles and bicycles;
- Supporting the Seattle School District’s facility planning;
- Reviewing the University of Washington’s proposed Major Institution Master Plan;
- Reviewing land use regulatory and zoning changes to implement the city-wide MHA program and related programs;
- Reviewing Comprehensive Plan amendments proposed to implement the MHA program, and other annual proposed changes to the Comprehensive Plan;
- Review legislation to separately implement the MHA program in areas of the Northgate Urban Center.
Mike O’Brien (Sustainability and Transportation Committee):
- Monitoring construction of the Center City streetcar line and operation of the First Hill and SLU streetcar lines;
- Monitoring emerging technological changes and cultural shifts with implications for the city’s transportation system, including vehicle electrification, monitoring performance of private bike sharing companies, and exploring the impact of autonomous vehicles;
- Exploring the feasibility of impact fees to address the transportation impacts of growth in Seattle.