NLC Housing Task Force Report Release

Today, I was honored to join fellow National League of Cities (NLC) Housing Task Force leaders Chairperson Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington D.C. and NLC President Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson of Gary, Indiana at the NLC headquarters in D.C. for a panel discussion marking the unveiling of "Homeward Bound: The Road to Affordable Housing," a new, comprehensive report from the Housing Task Force on affordable housing, best practices and case studies of cities taking local action—and how we can scale these efforts with support from the federal government.

As one of 22 members of the national Housing Task Force, I have had the opportunity share the work Seattle has been doing to address housing affordability—from investments through our Housing Levy, to updating our zoning laws to allow for increased density and greater affordability through Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) and ADU/DADU policy, to prioritizing communities at the highest risk of displacement through our A&F Plan update and Community Preference policy—and to connect with and learn from what other cities are doing.

With cities from coast to coast represented on the Housing Task Force, all grappling with housing affordability, it's clear that this is a national issue that demands national attention and action to support the local efforts we're all advancing. As cities work to increase revenue for affordable housing production, reform our land use codes to allow more housing options in our communities and create more supports for homeowners and renters struggling to stay in place—we need corresponding federal support for these actions. The report calls for a suite of actions to ramp up investment, resources, and policy leadership from the federal government so that we can truly address the issue of housing for what it is: a national crisis.

Specifically, we are calling for a federal policy agenda to:

• Create funding to immediately stabilize and stem the loss of affordable housing, including $30 billion in emergency revenue to address the immediate crisis across the country;
• Passage of a long-term, standalone housing bill from Congress that authorizes stable revenue to advance housing for all;
• Support modernization of land-use and planning at the local level by providing leadership and best practices for cities to draw from; supporting renters by instituting a federal tax credit for renters and increasing HUD Choice Vouchers so that more people can access housing throughout our communities; and creating targeted investments and access to credit for neighborhoods that have been impacted by redlining;
• Fix inequities in housing development and the housing finance system created through past discriminatory mortgage lending practices by creating resources to restore housing stability and homeownership rates for historically segregated communities; and extend fair housing protections to include sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and source of income;
• Support scalable innovation and financing for cities of all sizes, including maintaining federal support for first-time homebuyers in cities, towns, and villages.

You can watch our panel discussion here: https://www.facebook.com/NationalLeagueofCities/videos/2400665363538002/

And read the report here: https://www.nlc.org/resource/homeward-bound-the-road-to-affordable-housing

And healthcare for you, and healthcare for you, and healthcare for you...

As announced last week, thanks to the work of King County, the City of Seattle in partnership with the County is ready to stand up for Universal Coverage.  Last year, I was proud to partner with King County Councilmember Dembowski and advocates across the region to sponsor a Board of Health resolution resulting in a Regional Health Plan Pilot Report that was made public two weeks ago. Thanks to the work of King County Public Health and Northwest Health Law Advocates, we have information about potential options for covering those who have been left out of health coverage in our region. Like other counties across the country, we know that it’s possible to cover everyone and that the local economy and population health benefit from such coverage.  A regional solution requires a partnership with the State for funding and local providers for a network or a statewide plan to provide an option to cover even more of those left out or priced out. I am proud to be working with King County, who has led the way in providing health care access and coverage to our most vulnerable and look forward to working together to implement the next steps.

Nearly 150,000 people in our County -- about one-third of whom are non-citizens – don’t have health insurance.  Not having healthcare results in poorer health outcomes, bankruptcy, debt, exacerbated racial disparities, and financial stress on healthcare systems and municipalities. As the federal government continues to eviscerate hard-fought gains on healthcare, I will continue to fight for healthcare for all. I look forward to partnering with the County on expanding funding streams for those who don’t have insurance and to working with the state to build an insurance pool for our state’s uninsured.  Thank you to County Executive Constantine and County Councilmember Dembowski for your leadership and protecting our County’s most vulnerable. 

The Art of Crafting (Hotel) Legislation

Last Tuesday, we had our 5^th committee hearing on hotel workers legislation. Thank you to the hundreds of workers, hotel managers, and community advocates who came to our public hearing. We heard from over 50 people who expressed support, concern and thoughts on our initial legislation. We will take what you all shared, along with thoughts from council colleagues and the mayor’s office and discuss them in my next committee meeting on July 11^th. We heard many comments on protections for workers experiencing harassment and the need to tailor our healthcare provisions. We welcome your continuing thoughts – please feel free to email my office by replying to this email or join us for public comment.  Our next committee hearings are as follows:

July 11th @9:30am: discussion of issues in legislation with potential solutions

July 18^th @9:30am: review potential amendments to legislation

August 1^st @9:30am: potential vote on legislation in Committee

Passing ADU/DADU Reforms

Last week, my City Council colleagues and I voted to pass legislation to ease barriers on ADU/DADUs (backyard cottages and granny flats) so that smaller, denser, and more affordable homes will be easier to create in neighborhoods across Seattle! Thank you to my colleague Councilmember Mike O’Brien for his years of work advancing this important policy to ensure a more diverse range of housing options across our neighborhoods!

This long-awaited legislation is smart, data-driven policy that’s responsive to our affordability and climate crises, and will help create more accessible housing options than the large, expensive houses currently available in the exclusive single family zoning that makes up 65% of the residential zoning in our city.

ADUs and DADUs provide opportunities for multigenerational housing, help us decrease our environmental and carbon footprint, and provide some homeowners with a way to stay in their homes and age in place—an important benefit as the cost of living rises in Seattle.

Read my Op Ed with Capitol Hill Housing and 350 Seattle on why I support ADU/DADUs as a way to advance a greener, denser, more affordable Seattle.

Thank you to all involved in advocating for and developing this legislation over the last four years!

In solidarity,