One of my first political acts in Seattle was joining the massive march for immigrants’ and workers’ rights on May 1, 2006. That’s the Seattle I believe in. We stand up for the most vulnerable. We believe in democracy, climate action, robust public services, and good jobs. But all of that is under threat like never before.

 

We know what’s coming, because it’s already happening. Cuts to safety net programs, cuts to federal grants that support local services and infrastructure projects, tax cuts for the rich, attacks on the most vulnerable members of our communities.

 

I vow to protect our neighbors and defend Seattle’s status as a sanctuary city. We must also step up to fill in the funding gaps, or we will find ourselves unable to deliver the basic services that people depend on. I co-wrote the book on Seattle’s progressive revenue options. As mayor I will develop and advance the most viable proposals — including a city-level capital gains tax — to make sure that progress in Seattle does not grind to a halt due to loss of federal support.

But we can do more than react. We can pioneer local solutions to big national problems. Political polarization, misinformation and disinformation — Trump’s rise was possible in part because independent, fact-based journalism, the kind that holds power to account, is in crisis. Seattle can show the way to a viable journalism funding model for the 21st century. We can enable residents to allocate public funds to their favorite local news outlets, through a mechanism similar to our pathbreaking Democracy Voucher program. A tenth of one percent of the current city budget could support 50 new full-time reporters. Democracy does die in darkness and we can’t rely on billionaires to keep the lights on.