PRIORITIES

STRONG COMMUNITIES FOR ALL

Community Safety As Our Top Priority

Everyone in our community deserves to feel safe and welcome in East King County. On the Council, I have been a strong voice for accountability, transparency, and increased funding to ensure staffing, neighborhood patrols, and improved response times. I’ve also pushed for social workers and other first responders to respond to the call, where appropriate, and engaged with community members most impacted to ensure all are safe and healthy in our communities. I am proud to have:

Held Roundtables on fire safety and emergency response for Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and Insurance challenges with legislators and first responders for preparedness plans and recommendations to legislators
Championed initiatives to support our first responders with behavioral health and substance use response needs, including who to call, who will come, and where to go in a crisis
Distributed $2 million in overdose prevention grants from opioid settlement funds and invested in 6 new community navigators for public safety and community care
Led roundtables that helped reestablish Washington State Patrol’s North Bend & Snoqualmie Pass detachment, including plans for a sergeant and eight troopers by early next year
Supported Empower Youth Network and the Snoqualmie Valley School District to empower local homeschool communities with behavioral health resources and services

Supporting Mental Health

On the County Council, I’ve used my platform to ensure behavioral health services are accessible to all who need them and supported with adequate funding and staffing. I’ve also supported new programs to strengthen the behavioral health workforce and believe workers must be paid fair wages and benefits for this critical work that helps our family, friends and community members through their specific crisis and return to living stable, productive lives. A handful of those accomplishments are included below.

Co-sponsored the Crisis Care Levy, which passed overwhelmingly, reinstating 100 lost residential treatment beds, building 5 crisis care facilities and sponsored legislation on the Crisis Care Centers Implementation Plan Initiative
Supported 988 rollout, convening Behavioral Health Roundtables with state legislators, tribal leaders, Behavioral Health specialists, and first responders to support optimal implementation from D3.
Convened Behavioral Health Roundtables with state legislators, tribal leaders, Behavioral Health specialists, KC Sheriff’s Office, police chiefs, and fire chiefs to identify and address gaps and overlaps in services.
Co-sponsored a new Behavioral Health Recovery Champion Award with CM Dunn, recognizing public health champion Brad Finegood for the first award!
Sponsored a Behavioral Health & Art Therapy Pilot Program to serve our multi-cultural community in a culturally relevant way for highest potential success.

Reducing Homelessness

The complexities of the homelessness crisis touch many areas – from lack of resources in the behavioral health and substance use recovery systems to the shortage of affordable housing for those facing economic hardship and distress. Helping people get off of our streets and into the critical housing and services needed to get through their crisis and back to stable lives requires more than a single, simple solution. I am proud to have brought both compassion and action to this crisis, focusing on proven, cost effective solutions that work for our Eastside communities. In my first term, I:

Approved $166 million to fund affordable housing near transit centers, supportive housing operations, and coordinated crisis response efforts.
Allocated $55,500 in housing grants to six non-profits serving District 3 to help community members with housing needs and services.
Funded critical human services in our district for organizations such as the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank, Eastside Seniors, and SnoValley Pride
Appropriated $125,000 from our COVID budget for RECLAIM Shelter (formerly Snoqualmie Valley Shelter), to increase their motel voucher program by an additional four rooms and help house our neighbors.
Advocated for the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy (VSHSL), which voters overwhelmingly passed on the ballot, to expand our programs and meet our human services needs.
Ensured $6.2 million to stop the loss of human services providers, including those providing homelessness, housing, and gender-based violence services.

AFFORDABILITY & OPPORTUNITY

Prioritizing Affordable Housing

The housing affordability crisis in our region hurts longtime residents, fixed-income seniors, working people, and young families settling in our communities. On the County Council, I have brought forward-thinking leadership for affordable, attainable and sustainable housing for all, looking thoughtfully in our urban villages, along transit corridors and future light rail lines, and other appropriate places to create multi-use, affordable housing options – rapidly increasing affordable housing with built-in opportunities for employment, childcare, and more.

We can and must increase the variety – and affordability – of housing in our communities while protecting the liveability and character of our suburban and rural environments. That’s why, in my first term I:

Designed an affordable housing program using inclusionary zoning policy in our 2024 comprehensive plan to incentivize building affordable units and address our housing crisis
Prioritized farmworker housing on farms in the Sammamish and Snoqualmie Valley, workforce housing at Snoqualmie Pass, emergency and multifamily housing, and childcare in our comprehensive plan
Testified on behalf of the expansion of the Senior Property Tax Exemption at the State Legislature, which resulted in increased eligibility of over 30,000 additional seniors.
Supported an award over $1 million to the Sno-Valley Senior Center and Sound Generations to ensure 15 new affordable apartments for our senior residents in Carnation!
Wrote legislation to reduce permitting timelines from 119 days to 65 days and invested in staffing to promote efficiency in housing development and cut red-tape
Secured funding for four new code enforcement staff substantially improving our ability to enforce existing development and environmental ordinances
Convened a Property Assessment, Budget, and Tax Community Town Hall with the King County Assessor & Finance Director, engaging 300 residents about property values and the 1% cap on property taxes.

Thriving Local Economies

Living, working and playing in the area for decades, I know how small businesses make up the fabric of our communities. On the Council, I have worked everyday to streamline regulations where possible, ease business permitting, and improve the support and climate for small businesses. And I have always worked to highlight local businesses and emphasize local shopping. That’s why I am proud to have:

Worked with small businesses to promote rural workforce stability and funded a study to explore tourism and support a sustainable and vibrant rural economy
Collaborated with District 3 Mayors and community leaders on the Doors Open program, investing $94 million annually toward science, heritage, art, and cultural organizations
Directed a robust study to support our farmers and agricultural workers to help sustain this vital industry
Visited farmers and agricultural workers in the Snoqualmie and Sammamish Valley in our weekly ‘Farm Friday’ tours to lift up farmworker needs in council discussions
Worked with farmers, farming organizations, and State and Federal representatives to protect and sustain farms and farmland from the Snoqualmie Valley to the Sammamish Valley.
Championed Arts WA’s Creative District program by convening meetings with local creative leaders across each of our ten cities and two towns to recognize District 3’s arts, culture, heritage, and small businesses.
Supported KC’s Office of Economic Opportunity & Creative Economy at Harbor Island Studios Grand Opening and promoted the opening and opportunity to engage with the region’s only soundstage facility.

Improving Mobility

Light Rail arriving in Redmond and the Eastside over the next several years has the potential to transform mobility across our region for the better. On the County Council, I have worked to make sure stations are easily accessible for commuters and community members across our district, Metro schedules and routes are connected, and drivers and passengers alike are able to move safely and efficiently where they need to go. That’s why I have:

Met with Senate and House Transportation Chairs and committees in Olympia to reduce road congestion through a Tolt Hill/SR 203 roundabout and added this issue to the KC 2025 State Legislative Agenda
Secured $25 million in federal RAISE grant funding as Co-Chair of the EasTrail Advisory Committee, completing an 11-mile stretch along Lake Sammamish to complete this 42-mile trail
Voted in favor of Free Youth Transit Fare for youth 18 and under in King County, promoting public transit use and reducing financial barriers!
Convened regular roundtables with the Sno-Valley Mayors, the Snoqualmie Tribe & KC Metro to address transit needs and mobility opportunities.
Promoted mobility by donating 4 vans to local non-profits to support transit for seniors, youth and those living with disabilities for their greater access.
Supported eastside connectivity through the EasTrail expansion and the groundbreaking of the final segment of the 44-mile East Lake Sammamish Trail!
Promoted mobility by donating three vans to local non-profits supporting food delivery, transit for seniors & disabled neighbors, and other vital needs.

PROTECTING OUR PEOPLE AND PLACES

Preserving Our Environment & Urgent Climate Action

We have a special responsibility to protect and preserve the beauty of our region, and to do so with the urgency required to protect the future of our youth. This means conserving our open spaces and air quality, protecting and maintaining our forests, cleaning up our rivers and watersheds, maintaining our rural neighborhoods and farmlands, as well as supporting local food resiliency and sustainability programs. Towards those goals, I have:

Sponsored the Flood Management Plan 20-year update, outlining a vision for reducing county flooding and flood-related risks, our most common natural emergency
Allocated over $100M in critical flood capital and operating funds as Vice Chair of the Flood Control District to protect rivers, streams, and salmon through restoration projects
Sponsored legislation regulating and promoting Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) to ensure our county meets safety standards while bolstering our clean energy economy
Approved $125K in Parks Grants funding to District 3 organizations to help keep our parks, trails, open spaces, and recreational facilities flourishing
Led conversations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about reducing barriers to habitat restoration projects across District 3
Sponsored the Fossil Fuel Insurance Ordinance, which strengthens environmental protections in the case of a spill, explosion or decommissioning of a fossil fuel facility in unincorporated King County.
Introduced a Council Motion in support of the Re+ program, the County’s approach to building a healthy environment and economy by reinventing our system of waste management.
Supported Eastside connectivity by serving as Co-Chair of Eastrail and celebrating the opening of the 11-mile East Lake Sammamish Trail (ELST) expansion.
As the Vice Chair of the Flood Control District Board, I advocated for $500,000 to be used for a feasibility study for raising roadways above the 100-year flood plain in the Snoqualmie Valley.
Allocated $4 million to fund salmon conservation, education, and fish passage projects across District 3’s Water Resource Inventory Areas, WRIA 7 and a portion of WRIA 8.
Convened labor & stakeholder conversations resulting in leading a successful ordinance strengthening building & energy codes improving air quality and reducing emissions for new housing
Championed a Flood Control District budget amendment prioritizing the Snoqualmie River Basin as a priority investment focus for 2023 and 2024!
Mobilized wildfire response resources & supported a collaborative effort of 60+ agencies to face the Bolt Creek Fire, our district’s biggest fire in 100+ years.
Led the 10-year Comprehensive Plan Update for Growth Management Act compliance, including significant improvements in housing, businesses, environment, salmon restoration, and more
Invested $65 million worth of projects in Snoqualmie Valley in our 2024 Comprehensive Plan Update, focusing on capital improvement and maintenance projects
Supported community member participation in the comprehensive plan for their priorities on sustainable rural growth in Snoqualmie Pass, North Bend, Snoqualmie, Fall City, Preston, Carnation, and Duvall areas

Working Alongside Tribal Nations

I acknowledge that I am on the Indigenous land of Coast Salish peoples who have reserved treaty rights to this land, specifically the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe (sdukwalbixw). I thank these caretakers of this land who have lived and continue to live here since time immemorial.

On the County Council, I have worked closely with our First People and Sovereign Nations, including the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, the Tulalip Tribes of Washington and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribes, along with other tribes using the model of Seeking Prior Informed Consent (SPIC).

I have also signed the Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands Movement Pledge as they seek "to spread awareness of the Snoqualmie people who have lived in the southern Salish Sea since time immemorial and share the significance of these lands and provide information on how people can help the Tribe in respecting, restoring, and protecting these lands." and encourage others to join me in signing the pledge as well.

LOCAL INVESTMENTS IN LOCAL PRIORITIES

Each year I have served on the King County Council, I have sent out a Community Survey, held dozens of listening sessions and Roundtables, and made it a point to be accessible to you. That has given me the ability to represent your values and priorities on the County Council and ensure we are investing in them! Here are just some of the things we have invested in across District 3, together:

Supported Issaquah Girl Scout Troop 41653 in promoting gender equity through options in uniforms for King County employees leading to the passage of ordinance 2022-0429 by Council!
Allocated $190,500 in Council Grants to 27 D3 non-profits: $25K to non-profits, $55K to housing needs, $10K going toward veterans' programs, and $100K toward programs for youth and seniors to get active.
Hosted a monthly Town Hall throughout the district, with one for each of our 10 cities and 2 towns, including Mayors, leaders, and speakers on stated priorities for each community!
Presented the Snoqualmie Indian Tribal Chairman Bob de los Angeles with the MLK Medal of Distinguished Service award that answers Dr. King’s question, “What are you doing for others?”
Held 6 Snoqualmie Pass Roundtables with King & Kittitas County leaders, state legislators, WSP, Trucking Industry, PSE, KC Sheriff’s Office, Police & Fire Chiefs, & Pass Business leaders on closures, parking & security
Had over 250 meetings with hundreds of non-profit organizations, farms, and small businesses across each of our District’s cities and towns to build relationships and better understand the needs of the community!
Introduced a Recognition of Eid Holidays for our Muslim community members, as we recognize and celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas Holidays!
Organized a Town Hall in each of our 12 cities and townships with Mayors, leaders and expert speakers presenting on specific community priorities!
Co-sponsored abortion access legislation prohibiting county agencies from cooperating with out-of-state prosecutions of providers or patients.
Championed the Bill Ptacek Youth Literacy Fund in Fall City to grow literacy opportunities in the name of a beloved late KCLS Director who loved Fall City!
Co-sponsored legislation that moves King County Elections to even years to promote civic engagement and stronger turnout for county elections!
Sponsored the Doors Open proposal, which will provide $94 million a year going to community organizations in establishing a countywide Cultural Access Program.
Allocated $22K to the City of Carnation for youth sports and fitness, including funding opportunities for pickleball, tennis, basketball, nature walks, obstacle courses, yoga, and more!