Small Business & Worker Relief Fund

In partnership with Mayor Jenny Durkan, I am thrilled to be the prime sponsor of a $5 million dollar relief package for small restaurants and bars and hospitality industry workers impacted by the recent COVID-19 restrictions.  
 
Over the past several weeks, the Mayor and Council have worked together to quickly respond to restrictions mandating the closure of indoor dining for restaurants and bars that are now extended to January 4, 2020 to curb surging COVID-19 infection rates.
 
Earlier this week, The Seattle Times reported that 624 Seattle restaurants and bars have permanently closed. This is more than half of the closures in King County and more than a quarter of closures statewide. In the weeks immediately after the March stay-at-home orders and the November indoor dining restrictions, we saw an immediate jump in unemployment claims filed. The accommodation and food service industries were the largest cluster of workers put out of work by efforts to contain COVID-19. This is why I believe the focus of this extra, end-of-year relief package must be on small restaurants, bars, and hospitality workers while we wait for Congress to deliver the scale of relief our neighbors need to survive and thrive.
 
Here are the basic details of the benefits of this relief package:

The Full City Council will consider passage of this Small Business & Worker Relief Fund on Monday, December 14, 2020 at 2:00 pm. 
 
I want to thank Mayor Durkan and my colleagues for their collaboration and partnership in coming together to advance our shared goals of helping small businesses and impacted hospitality workers during these uncertain and difficult times.  These additional relief funds for small restaurants and bars and hospitality workers will not meet the full scale of the need. But this is an important step towards providing targeted relief to an industry that has been deeply impacted by public-health restrictions imposed by the State of Washington.  

Legislation to Increase Transparency in Direct & Indirect Lobbying

• Require lobbyists to disclose communications with City department directors or their direct reports;
• Require lobbyists to disclose when the lobbyist also works on campaigns for an elected official or ballot measures; and,
• Require sponsors of indirect lobbying campaigns to register when the sponsor presents a program to the public intended to influence legislation and to disclose expenditures if those expenditures are at least $750 in a one-month period or at least $1,500 in a three-month period.

COVID Holidays

• Getting outside, mask up, and walk/bike Alki, Discovery Park, Seward Park, or one of our Stay Healthy Streets
• Donating a holiday meal to local families in need
• Ordering a holiday meal from a local, small business
• Seeing the outdoor lights and decorations at Westlake Center or Woodland Park Zoo
• Showing gratitude to our neighborhood workers
• Sending cards to friends and loved ones near and far via mail
• Organizing a virtual family gathering online

Reminder: Council Winter Recess