curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
by Lauryn Bray
Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda’s JumpStart Housing Community Self-Determination Fund promises to allocate 13% from JumpStart’s progressive payroll tax to support community-based organizations (CBOs) and their efforts to combat displacement, gentrification, and housing insecurity. This fund comes out of JumpStart Seattle, which was approved by Seattle City Council in 2020 to raise money for affordable housing and small businesses by requiring large businesses to pay a tax for all Seattle employees who make $150,000 a year or more.
Continue reading Mosqueda’s JumpStart Self-Determination Fund May Help Combat Displacement and Gentrificationby Nathalie Graham, Agueda Pacheco Flores, Ashley Archibald, Chetanya Robinson, Marcus Green
Editors’ Note: We will continue to update this article with election updates in the coming days.
Seattle voters appeared to be embracing moderate candidates in key races for mayor, city attorney and City Council, according to early returns Tuesday night.
Updated results as of 11/04/2021
Update 11/05/2021, 1:00 p.m.:
Lorena González conceded the mayor’s race, making Bruce Harrell Seattle’s next mayor.
She tweeted her concession Thursday after election results showed Harrell leading González 62% to 38% with just under 33% of ballots counted.
“With today’s ballot drop, it’s clear that Bruce Harrell will be the next Mayor of Seattle,” she said on @MLorenaGonzalez “Earlier, I called him to congratulate him on a hard-fought race and wished him much luck in his efforts to make progress on the challenges Seattle faces.”
Update 11/04/2021, 4:00 p.m.:
With just under 33% of ballots counted, Bruce Harrell leads Lorena González 62% to 38%.
Bruce Harrell was leading Lorena González 65% to 35% in a race to elect Seattle’s next mayor and potentially set the course on homelessness, policing, affordable housing, and other critical issues facing the city.
Seattle voters found themselves in a similar position Tuesday night to election nights past: Should the electorate choose a moderate Democrat or a progressive to steer the city?
Continue reading Seattle and King County General Election Resultsby Luke Schaefer
A multimillion dollar settlement has been reached between rideshare titan Uber and the Office of Labor Standards (OLS) over alleged violations of Seattle’s Paid Sick and Safe Time (PSST) for Gig Workers Ordinance. The settlement will put $3.4 million into the hands of over 15,000 Seattle Uber drivers and marks the largest settlement agreement in OLS’s history.
On Thursday, June 24, City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and Council President Lorena Gonzales joined the Teamsters Local 117 union and several Uber drivers for a press event outside the Islamic School of Seattle to celebrate the win for drivers.
“Today $3.4 million [is] going back in the hands of workers. $3.4 million from an investigation initiated by these workers here. $3.4 million going on the tables of hardworking families across Seattle. That’s an economic stimulator. That’s good for everyone,” said Mosqueda, whose labor-focused reelection campaign is being endorsed by Teamsters 117. “We can be proud of Seattle. Today, workers are getting the pay and respect that they deserve.”
Continue reading Seattle Uber Drivers Receive Sick Day Compensation in Record-Breaking Settlementcurated by Emerald Staff
Appointments No Longer Required at Lumen Field, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle Vaccination Sites — Those who live or work in King County can now walk up or drive to three City of Seattle COVID-19 vaccination sites without an appointment. People who have not yet received a dose can now receive their first or second dose at three locations: Lumen Field, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle. At the time of vaccination, if required, patients will be signed up for an appointment for their second dose.
According to the Mayor’s Office the locations and times of the centers are:
by Ben Adlin
Thousands of frontline workers at large grocery stores in Seattle will soon see a $4-per-hour raise under emergency hazard-pay legislation passed Monday, Jan. 25, by the City Council. Labor leaders hope the new rule will inspire similar action around Puget Sound, including neighboring Burien and unincorporated King County.
The increase requires Seattle grocery businesses with 500 or more total employees to raise workers’ hourly wages by $4 in recognition of the higher risk of contracting COVID-19 involved in their work. The measure does not apply to small businesses, convenience stores, or farmers markets.
The City Council approved the bill on an 8–0 vote, allowing it to take effect as soon as the mayor signs it. That’s expected to happen next Wednesday, Feb. 3, Durkan’s staff told the Emerald in an email.
Continue reading Seattle ‘Hazard Pay’ Bonus for Grocery Workers Likely to Begin Next Weekby Elizabeth Turnbull
Ending speculations of a potential run for Mayor, Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda announced on Wednesday morning that she will be running for reelection to a City Council position.
Continue reading Teresa Mosqueda to Seek City Council Reelection, Not Mayoral Runby Elizabeth Turnbull
At the end of a demanding year responding to the COVID-19 crisis and overseeing controversial police tactics during to Black Lives Matter protests, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced on Dec. 7 that she will not seek re-election.
In several interviews and in a video announcing her decision, Durkan said her decision came down to a choice: Run a successful re-election campaign or devote all her attention to being mayor in the final year of her term.
“I could spend the next year campaigning to keep this job or focus all my energy on doing the job,” Durkan said. “There was only one right choice for our city: Doing the job.”
To gauge how the South End feels about the mayor’s eventual departure, the Emerald spoke with local groups and community members about what the mayor’s decision means to them and their view for the city.
Continue reading South End Constituents React to Mayor Durkan’s Decision Not to Seek Re-electionby Erica C. Barnett
Mayor Jenny Durkan announced Monday that she will not run for reelection, making her Seattle’s third one-term mayor in a row, after Ed Murray and Mike McGinn.
Continue reading Durkan Won’t Run for Reelectionby Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (Position 8, Citywide)
The Seattle City Council’s fall budget process this year will be vastly different in many ways, as this moment demands elected leaders to step up and address a multitude of overlapping crises that are presenting themselves at once: an ongoing public health emergency that is COVID-19, a racial reckoning calling for investments in true community safety and long-term systemic change, a climate crisis made palpable by weeks of choking wildfire smoke, and we’re still in the midst of an affordable housing and homelessness crisis that plays out in our streets in every neighborhood in Seattle and in the lives of thousands of our neighbors.
Continue reading OPINION: How we can build equity and economic recovery in Seattle’s 2021 budget
