ROOTING OURSELVES IN EQUITY

Rooted in Housing Justice

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I will invest in housing initiatives that expand stable homeownership and rental arrangements, address historical wrongs, and prevent displacement and exploitative practices by landlords. I will consider creating a City office to vigorously enforce renter rights and develop my housing policies through a racial equity analysis that accounts for the harm that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have borne through policies like redlining, exclusionary covenants and discrimination, over-policing, underinvestment, and zoning that concentrates affordable housing in polluted areas with high rates of traffic violence.

I will work with trusted community groups to ensure that social housing, which I believe is one answer to the problem of housing unaffordability in the city, is accessible and utilized by members of historically disenfranchised populations. If social housing is not equitable, it will be a failure.

I will stabilize the traditional affordable housing sector, which is currently in crisis, and I will work with organizations such as community land trusts and limited-equity cooperatives to ensure that members of disenfranchised communities have opportunities to own as well as rent. Homeownership and cooperative ownership are critical not just for housing stability, but for building generational wealth that has too often been denied to Black families, immigrants, and other communities of color.

I will work closely with organizations who are combating displacement and rebuilding communities that have been torn apart by gentrification and the astronomical cost of living. That means supporting Black homeownership initiatives in neighborhoods like the Central District, expanding pathways for immigrant and refugee families to buy homes, and  ensuring that JumpStart dollars are used to seed wealth-building opportunities where they were systematically stripped away.

Above all, I am committed to taking on the housing unaffordability crisis  with the full force of the mayor’s office so that all of Seattle’s residents — and especially the historically disenfranchised — can live, work, and thrive here.

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Rooted in Transportation Justice

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My administration will work to expand affordable, accessible, and healthy housing options for all Seattle residents.

I will champion transportation and mobility that makes every neighborhood safe for walking, biking, and rolling, and connects every neighborhood, to ensure Seattle residents can safely and readily access work, education, and recreation no matter their income or location. I understand transportation is not simply about movement but about equity.  For far too long, the City of Seattle has underinvested in poor and  working class communities, disabled communities, Black communities, Indigenous communities, and Communities of Color. As a result, these communities experience high levels of traffic violence, pollution, and  disconnection from jobs, schools, and City resources and services.

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Rooted in Worker's Rights

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Seattle’s prosperity has not been shared equally. Our city has one of the widest racial income gaps in the nation. Census data from 2024 shows that Black households in Seattle had a median income of just $63,600, while White households earned nearly double at $126,700. That gap — which has persisted for many years — shows how deeply inequity is baked into our local economy. Closing this divide must be at the center of our city’s economic policies.

I will expand economic opportunity by protecting and expanding workers’ rights, supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship through streamlined processes and loan programs, expanding access to child care, and ensuring that public investments and contracting reflect the priorities of our communities.

I recognize that our BIPOC and immigrant communities rely heavily on wage work and entrepreneurship for their income, and the City needs to make it easier for them to thrive. That means strengthening enforcement against wage theft, discrimination, and unsafe working conditions that disproportionately impact BIPOC and immigrant workers.

I will work to expand the rights of all workers to include paid vacation, health care, and a Just Cause employment standard, and will eliminate red tape and unnecessary zoning restrictions for small businesses. I will also require city contracts and investments to prioritize BIPOC- and women-owned businesses, helping to build wealth in communities that have been systematically excluded from opportunity.

By intentionally taking a cross-sector approach, my administration will support a local economy that is resilient, abundant, equitable, and innovative — one where every worker, and every community, can thrive.

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Rooted in Environmental Justice

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I  am committed to supporting environmental justice by reducing climate  pollution and protecting residents from heat, smoke, and unhealthy  pollution. This means equitable zoning and land use that reduces car  dependency and sites more housing away from sources of pollution, a  building code that emphasizes climate adaptivity, and robust investment  in tree canopy, heat pump conversion, climate resilience hubs, and other  climate adaptivity/mitigation and green economy measures. This also  means ensuring that every neighborhood has access to healthy food and  recreation space for all income levels. 

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Rooted in Education Justice & Youth

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Seattle cannot achieve racial justice without education justice. Our young people deserve schools that tell the truth about history, reflect the diversity of our communities, and provide the supports that students need to thrive.

In 2020, students, educators, and families won a Black Studies department — one of the most important policy victories of the Black Lives Matter uprising that year. And in 2023, the Seattle Student Union organized across the city and secured a major win: the City Council voted to dedicate $20 million from JumpStart revenue to school-based mental health supports, a measure that the mayor signed into law. Yet to this day, the current mayor has released only about half of that funding, leaving critical counseling, therapy, and youth violence prevention programs underfunded.

While the City does not run Seattle Public Schools, the mayor can and must be a strong partner. My administration will stand with students, educators, and families to ensure these hard-won victories are fully honored, and I will use the city’s voice and resources to expand supports like youth employment, after-school programs, and community-based learning.

I will also work with the school district and community partners to support community school models — schools that provide wraparound services for students and their families, including health and dental care, mental health counseling, tutoring, job training, and family support. Community schools have shown success in cities like Oakland and New York, where they improve academic achievement and address root causes of inequality. By helping schools become hubs of support and stability, we can strengthen families, prevent crises, and ensure every child has the foundation they need to succeed.

Supporting Black students and other students of color to learn the truth of their own history is empowering. And investing in the mental health, education, and stability of our young people is not just education policy — it is one of the most effective public safety strategies we have.