-People that work here can't afford to live here.
-Public safety is a huge concern.
-Voters in Seattle's District One
face a key decision this fall.
-I'm also someone who has overcome the foster care system.
-Two tech industry veterans are vying
to replace Lisa Herbold
on the Seattle City Council next year.
-I was at Amazon for 15 years.
-Amazon whistleblower and climate activist Maren Costa
beat former Meta attorney and Air Force veteran Rob Saka
in an eight-way primary.
And she's received the endorsement
of all of their former opponents.
-Yeah, I was surprised, and I'm truly honored.
-I think voters are focused on the issues.
-Will voters in District One favor Maren Costa or Rob Saka?
-I'm running to build an accountable,
responsive government that centers progressive values
and common sense.
-The candidates debate.
-Seattle has claimed to be a housing-first city
for many years.
We have not funded it.
-Electing a new city council member
to serve Seattle's expanded District One --
next on "City Inside Out."
♪♪
Welcome to this edition of "City Inside Out."
I'm your host, Brian Callanan.
Two political newcomers will face off this November
in the race for Seattle City Council District One,
with incumbent Lisa Herbold
deciding not to run again.
In an eight-person primary,
former tech worker and climate activist Maren Costa
received the most votes, with tech lawyer
and Air Force veteran Rob Saka coming in second.
The two are vying to lead an area
whose boundaries have expanded after last year's
redistricting process, to include
not only West Seattle and South Park,
but also Georgetown, Soto, and Pioneer Square.
Both candidates are promising to take the Seattle City Council
in a new direction if they're elected this fall.
-Can I count on your vote? -You absolutely can.
-Former Amazon design leader Maren Costa.
-Rob Saka. Would love to earn your vote.
-And former Meta attorney Rob Saka are two tech leaders
in a fight to lead Seattle City Council District One,
from West Seattle to Georgetown and Pioneer Square.
Costa was the lead vote-getter
in the eight person August primary,
with 33% of the vote, and earned endorsements from the Stranger
and all six of her primary opponents.
-I don't care about left or right.
If there's a good idea that we can back up with evidence
that's gonna solve a problem, let's get it done.
-Saka, who earned 24% of the primary vote
and is endorsed by the Seattle Times,
was surprised his challengers endorsed his opponent,
but has moved on.
-Rather than high school games,
I think voters are focused on the issues.
And I am, too.
-Saka says his agenda is clear.
I'm here to prioritize three things --
public safety, action on homelessness,
and building a ton of affordable housing.
-Costa says it all starts with housing.
-When we make affordable housing better,
we make homelessness better,
we make climate better, we make public safety better.
-Costa founded Amazon Employees for Climate Justice,
and helped jumpstart Amazon's $2 billion climate pledge.
But she was fired in 2020 after she challenged the tech giant's
lack of COVID protections.
-I went up against the biggest corporation
and the richest man in the world,
but got great results.
-Saka says his background as a foster kid,
Air Force veteran, and big tech attorney
makes him uniquely qualified to give back to his community.
-We overcame public housing,
free reduced lunch, all of those things.
So I know what good government programs and services look like
and not so good ones.
-Now, it's decision time for D1 voters this fall.
-I'm a Seattle resident for 33 years,
really caring about my community,
about our city, and about our future.
-I'm here to make sure, as part of my work, that more people
from disadvantaged backgrounds and communities
are able to achieve their true potential in life, and thrive.
I view that as the core essence of everything that I do.
-And here we are, with both candidates for District One.
Maren Costa, thank you very much for being here.
-Thanks for having me.
-And we also have Rob Saka.
Rob, good to see you, too.
-Excited to be here. Thank you, Brian.
-All right. Thank you.
Let's begin with an opening statement.
We had a coin flip before the show.
Rob, you're gonna be speaking first.
Please keep it to one minute.
-Sure thing. Well, thank you again, Brian.
Excited to be here. My name is Rob Saka.
I'm running for Seattle City Council in District One.
A little bit about me, I'm a public school dad of three,
Air Force veteran, attorney,
community safety advocate.
I overcame the foster care system and public housing
to eventually be raised by a Nigerian immigrant,
and ultimately rise in the military ranks,
and achieve success now,
as a lawyer and policy advocate in our community.
I've served on countless boards and commissions,
including, recently, I had the pleasure
of serving on Mayor Harold's police chief
search committee this past summer and fall,
where we selected the current chief.
Change is needed now more than ever in the city.
And I'm running to build an accountable,
responsive government that centers progressive values
and common sense.
I want to normalize collaborating
across differences, finding common ground,
and ultimately getting stuff done --
stuff that works for all of us.
I plan to prioritize public safety for all,
action on homelessness, and affordability in the city.
-Maren, would you mind,
just an opening statement for a minute, please?
-Sure.
Hi. My name is Maren Costa.
I've lived in District One for 22 years,
Seattle for 33 years.
I've been a waitress, a grocery store clerk.
I'm raising my family here.
And when Seattle became a tech town way back when,
I became a tech worker.
Seattle is one of the most prosperous cities in the world,
yet we are failing to make meaningful change on key issues
like public safety, affordable housing,
homelessness, and preparing our city for climate change.
I have a proven track record of bringing people together,
setting clear goals, and delivering lasting results.
And as a city council member,
I will listen to constituents' concerns
and prioritize solutions
that make a meaningful difference in their lives.
In my 25-year career in Big Tech, I, uh,
I've managed big teams, million-dollar budgets,
and brought people --
brought often competing teams together to solve problems
more efficiently, and together and more efficiently
build the bridges that need that needs to that need to be
built to make that happen.
-Why don't we wrap it up there.
We can talk about some -- some other pieces, there.
-And that's how I intend to lead on city council,
is bringing people together, and getting stuff done.
-Thank you. Great.
Rob, I wanted to talk about some of the differences
you were just about to bring up, there,
because I think one of them is public safety.
This is a key issue in every city council race this year.
We're gonna hear about it a lot.
Tell us about your approach to public safety.
What's different about your campaigns?
You were making this point when we talked to you in the field.
-Yeah, absolutely.
So, public safety is the number-one issue
that I'm hearing on people's minds.
And I've knocked on thousands of doors throughout this campaign.
And I've -- And I hear their concerns.
I had a woman at the doors cry on my shoulders
within the same week after that poor woman
and her baby were murdered at random in downtown.
It's the number-one issue on people's minds.
And my plan on public safety, it's pretty simple --
I'm here to provide and champion a balanced, thoughtful approach
that brings together alternatives to police --
namely civilian led responses -- and yes, hiring more police.
Hiring more police,
Empowering them to effectively carry out
their public safety mandate,
setting and enforcing the highest standards of excellence
and professionalism in the communities where they operate,
and swiftly holding them accountable
if they don't carry out their duties in a just,
equitable and constitutional manner.
And I'm here to do that --
unlike my opponent, who seems to think that
the 2020 vote to defund the police was a good idea.
It's dangerous.
It's dangerous, Brian.
-Okay.
I want to talk about this, that 2020 vote.
A lot of people have been talking about this.
Just to be clear, there was a thought
in the city council to cover this.
They did not defund the police by 50%.
There was a lot of talk about that earlier.
It turned into about a 17% to 20% check, there.
I just want to make sure that I'm clear on
on what actually happened there.
-They pledged to to defund the police budget by 50%.
That is exactly what -- they pledged to defund.
So, just -- just for the record, just so we're all clear.
-They talked about that, and what was actually defunded,
if you want to call it that, was in between 17% and 20%,
just to be clear on some of the numbers there.
But Maren, I just want to make sure that I'm clear
on what Rob is saying and what you're saying, here,
when it comes to police and public safety.
-So, in this race, I am the public safety candidate
because I have a plan that I can back up with details
and ways to fund it.
I have been consistent the entire time --
absolutely we need to hire more police.
We also, at this time more than ever,
need to stand up the alternative response,
and use every tool in the tool belt that we have.
The nation is facing a shortage of officers.
The armed services are facing a shortage.
It's -- We have a real problem.
People aren't signing up to do this job
the way that they used to.
So, we've been reliant on
that sort of one tool in the tool belt,
and now we're seeing the consequences of that.
So, we need to stand up alternative response,
or dual dispatch -- whatever you want to call it.
There's a real opportunity there.
I met with the 911 control center,
and they know that a significant portion of the calls
can be moved over to skilled, unarmed response,
which essentially doubles our police force,
you know, overnight.
I mean, that's our easiest way
to get to reserve their valuable time
responding to the violent crime that we need to respond to.
And then, having an actual skilled person
who is probably gonna be a better responder
for a lot of these calls -- man down, wellness check,
things like that, that -- that we -- that we can also --
that also protect our public safety.
The other thing is we need to look upstream,
and solve poverty and mental behavioral health issues,
and we need to fund alternative or diversion tactics.
Like, we right now don't have a place to send people
when they have an overdose
or a mental or behavioral health issue.
And that is impacting public safety for all of us.
So, public safety needs to be comprehensive
and that -- and we need a plan,
and we need a plan to pay for it.
-Thank you.
Rob, I want to make sure that I bring you in, here,
because I know you've talked about 911 alternatives, as well.
Help us flesh out this conversation, please.
-Yeah, just a point of clarification.
I think the only thing my opponent has been consistent
about this whole time is your absolute inconsistency
on public safety.
[ Indistinct talking ]
-We've talked face to face, in private,
and you've acknowledged that that is not true.
-That is not true.
So, it's on -- I encourage people
to check out the MLK candidate forum.
The question was asked. These are facts.
I'll let voters decide.
The question was asked, "Was the 2020 vote
to defund the police by 50% by the Seattle City Council,
was that a mistake or not?"
I said it was a mistake.
My opponent said it was not a mistake.
So -- But you asked you asked the question --
-So, hindsight is 20/20. -Sure.
So, at the time, more than 50% of Seattle was demanding that.
And that's what we should expect from our council members,
is to listen to constituents, and stand up,
and make a bold stand when it's --
when voters are asking for that, let alone the nation.
Now, in hindsight,
did we have a plan to actually make that come true?
No, we didn't.
Did we demoralize our officers in doing that?
Yes, we did.
These are problems that we need to solve.
And that's where I have been consistent all the way along.
We absolutely need to fix this problem.
We cannot put public safety on hold until we hire more officers
because that's going to take a long time.
We need to do everything we can in addition
to hiring more officers, and making sure
that the officers we have want to be here.
We take care of them, we make sure
that we're prioritizing their mental health.
-Thank you.
I'll let you wrap up this conversation on public safety,
and we'll move on.
-Yeah, we're not prioritizing officers,
and showing them that we care about them
when we say that we should defund
their police budgets, Maren.
And so, listen, these are all highly complex
and nuanced issues,
and I'm just here to treat them with the complexity
and the nuance that they deserve.
I've been entirely consistent
about my position on public safety.
The imperatives that we talked a little bit about earlier,
and...
I don't -- I don't know if that's true.
if -- if public opinion showed --
the majority of public opinion showed that we should defund,
it doesn't matter.
What does matter -- voters are hiring us
to think through, carefully, the implications
of every single issue.
And what did the defund vote do?
Well, it chased out the first Black police chief
we've ever had in this --
Black female police chief we ever had in the city.
On her heels, record number of rank and file officers resigned,
left the force.
Today, we are -- our police are constantly
on a response posture,
responding to whatever the latest crisis and emergency is.
We can't respond to priority calls.
-Okay.
-All as a direct result of the defund vote.
And so, words and actions have consequences.
And we're living through that now.
We need to -- if there's a difference between making 100%
listening to community feedback and making sure whatever view
and vote you do take is an informed one.
-Okay. All right. Thank you.
I'd like to move past the public safety piece, here.
And Maren, I want to talk to you about housing and homelessness.
I know you've said this is your top priority.
Tell us about your approach, how you differentiate yourself
from your opponent on this issue.
-Well, yes, housing and homelessness is -- is...
not -- is a very important issue.
It also intersects with public safety.
And so, that's why, when we --
when I hear from constituents,
and knocking on doors,
I generally hear their top issue is,
is homelessness or public safety.
And when we hit homelessness, we hit both of those.
And so, they're -- they're probably equally important.
So, homelessness in general,
we have we have seen, when rents go up, homelessness goes up.
You know, there's high drug use in Appalachia,
there's low homelessness
because it's cheap to put a roof over your head.
So, we know now that the number-one reason
why people fall into homelessness
is that they're one paycheck short of making rent.
So, we need to make sure we're preventing people
from falling into homelessness in the first place.
And once people are there, we need to have
the individualized services available
to make sure that they're getting the care that they need.
So, are you one paycheck short of making rent?
Are you living in your car, and safely?
A safe lot might get you part of the way there.
Do you have a mental, behavioral health issue?
Do you have a substance use disorder problem?
Maybe all three.
But that's where we need the wraparound services
to get people the care that they need,
and bring people in off the streets.
It's a proven -- housing first is a proven method
that has been used in many other cities successfully.
Seattle has claimed to be a housing-first city
for many years.
We have not funded it.
So that's why we're all frustrated that it's not working
because we haven't actually done it.
And that's what I would love to see us
put our money where our mouth is, and get it done.
And I haven't heard from my opponent
how he plans to fund that.
And goals without a plan are just words.
-Fair enough.
Rob, some thoughts about housing and homelessness.
-Yeah, so look, as someone
who has experienced the foster care system,
someone who not -- not only just overcame poverty,
but abject poverty, I'll tell you, Ryan,
I know what it's like to wake up one morning,
and not know where I'm gonna rest my head at night.
And I know what it's like to to feel uprooted and swept away.
I'm hearing, there are -- there are a lot of things
that me and my opponent agree on with respect to homelessness.
Yes, we need to address the root causes.
Root causes are essential.
It's a part of my plan to do exactly that.
We need to build as much affordable housing,
and fund it, as possible, and make it easier to build,
in part by streamlining the permitting process.
And -- And -- But yes, root causes are very important,
but we can't just hang our hats on root causes
to -- to help us tomorrow.
We need to have an effective strategy, Maren,
to make sure we're contemplating the realities today.
And the realities that today are that people are suffering,
and they're -- they're --
they're living in these deplorable,
unsafe and unsanitary conditions,
and in these encampments.
-How are you gonna fund that, Rob.
-That -- That my -- That my opponent --
That my opponent would live and let live.
She -- She -- She has gone on record
and said -- my opponent has gone on record
and said she would not support --
does not support sweeps.
And I -- And I support effective encampment cleanup
and removal that connects people with shelter and services.
-What about when they're not connected?
We need to talk about sweeps.
-That's what I don't support.
Exactly.
I just said I support people --
connecting people to services.
That is what we need to do.
Sweeps, more often than not, do not do that.
And if you look at the data, you would know that.
That is not what we're doing when we're sweeping.
So, if you support sweeps,
then you aren't supporting connecting people with services,
or you're pretending to yourself that you do.
I don't know which it is.
-I -- I support better connecting people
with shelter and services.
I do not want people to suffer, and live in these unsafe
and unsanitary conditions.
-None of us.
-You have gone on record at the --
at the hacks and wonks interview,
and said that you do not support sweeps.
-That's right.
I don't support sweeps that don't connect --
-I support clean-up and removal
of these problem encampments.
-Rob, I think --
-It's a -- It's a homelessness challenge.
It's a public safety -- It's a public safety challenge.
Maren, I have not interrupted you.
Please do not interrupt me. It is a homelessness crisis.
It is a public safety challenge. It is a public health issue.
All these -- these complex issues intersect.
And we need to do better for our unhoused neighbors.
And turning our back on people suffering in these streets
is not an effective policy solution, Maren.
-I feel like we should we should move on, here.
Maren, I'll go to you next.
I did want to talk about D1
after last year's redistricting process.
Has grown geographically.
It still includes West Seattle and South Park.
Now, it contains Sodo over to Georgetown,
up to Pioneer Square, as well.
How do you plan to represent this collection
of very different neighborhoods with different needs?
-District One is so exciting in that regard.
We have such a diverse district.
We have the port, we have the Duwamish,
we have, you know, Georgetown, South Park.
Harbor Heights -- you know, such a -- Admiral --
such a different -- such different neighborhoods.
And that's an exciting problem to -- to address.
One of the things I would love to do
is have rolling office hours
at hours when most people can actually attend to be there.
So, if you work the swing shift,
sometimes there might be an earlier office hours
or, you know, making sure that --
that we make it very easy
for people to show up and be heard.
So, I could do office hours in Georgetown, in South Park,
and, you know, and have it be more of a I'm coming to you,
not come to the castle, and talk to council.
So, I think that would be one way to do that.
Another way is just listening.
I think it's the most important thing that council can do
is listen, and hear their constituents.
And that's what I did in my job in Big Tech.
I was in the field of User Experience Design.
And the the whole job is to truly listen,
and, you know, be able to empathize,
and walk in someone else's shoes,
and understand the problem, so that you can design solutions
that will actually work for the people
that those solutions are going to land on.
I call the user experience design function
sort of the "soul of Big Tech" because it it helps Big Tech
do better for people, not just profit.
-Got it. Thank you.
Some -- Some thoughts from you, Rob.
How do you balance the needs of different neighborhoods
that make up D1 if you're -- if you're elected?
-Yeah.
So, D1 includes West Seattle,
where I live, in Dale Ridge, South Park,
Pioneer Square, Georgetown, and Sodo,
primarily industrial lands.
I am running to represent the interests
of the whole -- all voices and all perspectives.
Sometimes there's tension that's between them.
Sometimes there is.
Interests don't always align.
But we need to do the hard work.
And I built my whole personal life,
and my professional career, and my career in --
in serving on various nonprofit boards,
my career serving on various boards and commissions,
from the police chief search committee
to I'm the champion of a brand-new
justice reform framework right here in King County
that voters approved.
And I did that by listening, and learning,
and making sure that my policy was an informed one,
not a driven one
by whatever one specific loud activist community
tells me to do.
And so I am here to represent all voices, and all interests.
And I'm here to lead, as well,
because leadership requires that you do the right thing,
sometimes when it's against the loudest voice in the room.
It's -- I'm here to represent the whole --
the best interests of the whole.
-Thank you for that.
I want to talk about some of the different people
who are endorsing you and supporting you.
Maren, I will start with you, here.
As of mid September, you've raised about $130,000
for your campaign.
I'd like for you to share who's supporting your campaign.
Give me the top three, if you could.
Who's supporting you,
and what do you think that should mean to voters?
-One of my most proud endorsements
is that all six of the former opponents
that were in the primary have endorsed me.
They got together and did that on their own.
And they based that on...
knowing that they can trust me,
that I learn, and I listen, and I grow,
and that they see that I would be the more effective candidate
and council member to represent District One.
So I think that's really important.
And in addition to that, I have King County Democrats.
So, um...
that's a -- that's something I'm proud of.
And then, Martin Luther King Labor Council
and dozens of labor unions, and -- and --
that they represent.
And then, other -- additionally, other organizations,
like Sierra Club, et cetera.
But I plan to be a strong advocate
for working families and workers' rights.
And so, having...
almost all of the labor unions behind me
is something I'm really proud of.
-Thank you.
Rob, let's talk about your top three endorsements, please.
-Sure. Sure. Yeah.
So, I'm proud to have been endorsed
by countless organizations and individuals.
And, as my opponent just pointed out,
sadly, I didn't win the candidate popularity contest
at the end of this thing.
But what I am proud of is that so many former mayors,
so many former Seattle City Council members --
back in the good old days when things were actually productive,
we had good governance -- they have endorsed my campaign.
But the top three --
proud to have been endorsed by the 34th District Democrats,
our home Democratic Party, right here.
I'm the sole endorsed candidate.
Not some county in --
like, the East King County or South King --
like, right here on our own home court,
home turf, the 34th District Dems.
Proud to be the sole endorsed candidate, there.
The Seattle Times has also came out and endorsed my campaign.
They said I am -- I'm the most likely
to break through the, quote unquote,
"dithering," the ideological nonsense
that is going on right now in Seattle City Council,
the performative gestures rather than solutions-based approach
that I have lived my whole life,
personally and professionally, on.
And finally, King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay,
a very ardent champion of justice and rights for all.
I worked closely with Councilmember Girmay Zahilay
on a number of justice reform related issues
that voters ultimately approved.
He essentially approved the work that I recommended,
and helped guide implementation of that.
So, a lot of endorsements.
-Okay. Thank you.
And we have not that much time left, unfortunately.
We need to wrap up the show.
Closing statement.
Rob, please keep it to a minute.
-Sure, sure.
So, look, change is needed now
more than ever in this city.
And Seattle is at a critical crossroads.
We can elect more of the same.
Same failed policies
that have failed Black and Brown communities,
have failed all communities.
Or we can elect a new approach --
One that is thoughtful.
One that is truly compassionate.
Now, again, unlike my opponent, who believes the 2020 vote
to defund the police was a good idea,
I am here to champion that more balanced,
thoughtful approach to public safety --
one that incorporates policing, enforcement,
diversion, treatment, all of that.
I have fought to make our streets safer.
I have -- for -- for -- for -- for crime victims.
I've also fought to reform our justice system.
We can and must do both.
I will fight for public safety for all.
We need principled leaders that are willing to not just listen
but think through. all of these issues,
and represent the whole.
That's what I will fight for,
and that's what I will bring to the table.
And I ask for your vote.
-Thank you.
Maren, I'll have you wrap it up with the last word, please.
-All right. Thanks.
We know that Seattle voters are ready for a change,
and we don't have to accept more of the same.
We don't have to accept more of the same failed policies
that have gotten us to where we are.
We need to look at evidence-based solutions.
And when I say "evidence-based," I mean "non-ideological,"
"non-reactionary," "non-fearmongering,"
and detailed actual plans
that we can back up with funding sources,
because that's what's also gonna matter.
And I hope that what you've all heard from here --
from me today is that I have detailed plans.
Please, you can go to my website.
I'm a little bit...
too -- probably too into this.
But I've written white papers, not just bullet points,
extensive detailed plans
that will actually get our city to a better place.
And I couldn't be more committed.
You can look at my past track record.
I have put my career and my own self interest on the line.
My actions speak louder than my words.
And I look forward to serving the city
with the same dedication.
-Okay. Thank you both very much.
And we will be right back.
What are people saying on social media about the two candidates
for Seattle City Council District One?
One group writes,
"As an environmentalist and organizer,
it's hard to argue with Maren Costa's values."
Another person comments, "Rob Saka is
the much better choice
to pull us off the edge of the cliff."
We'd like to know what you think.
Send us an e-mail at contact@seattlechannel.org.
Or find us on social media.
Coming up next week, the tight race for
Seattle City Council District Three.
Cannabis entrepreneur Joy Hollingsworth
faces off with transit activist Alex Hudson
on the next "City Inside Out."
I hope you join us.
♪♪