-Well, I would say I'm the only candidate with experience.
-We have to put action in our words and problem solve.
-In South Seattle's District 2, incumbent Tammy Morales
is running for a second term on the city council.
-Yeah, I'm excited. -Team Tanya!
-She faces challenger Tanya Woo,
a community activist with deep roots
in the Chinatown International District.
-Anyone hungry?
-This district has seen its share of challenges,
and voters in the CID, Yesler Terrace,
Mount Baker, Beacon Hill, and Rainier Beach
must now decide who can best represent them.
-We're also doing a lot around housing.
-Will voters in D2 reelect Tammy Morales
or pick newcomer Tanya Woo?
-And so how do we build more efficiently?
How do we build faster?
-The candidates debate.
-We really need to change the community conditions
that are leading to violence in the first place.
-Electing the next city council member
to serve Seattle's diverse District 2,
next on "City Inside Out."
♪♪
Welcome to this edition of "City Inside Out."
I'm your host, Brian Callanan.
Incumbent Seattle City Council member Tammy Morales
is in for a fight to retain her
District 2 seat against community activist Tanya Woo.
Morales, elected in 2019,
took a majority of the vote in the August primary.
But Woo is a well-funded challenger
with deep connections in the Chinatown ID,
Beacon Hill, and Rainier Beach.
How do Tammy Morales' years of experience in office
match up with Tanya Woo's claim that many D2 residents
feel left out of city politics?
This week, hear from both candidates in the race
for District 2.
-I'm the current council member who represents District 2.
-Incumbent Tammy Morales... -Thank you.
Thank you for your support. -Yeah.
-...and challenger Tanya Woo both want her vote
for Seattle City Council District 2,
from Chinatown ID to Rainier Beach
and Beacon Hill to Columbia City.
-People don't feel like they're being heard.
-I would say I'm the only candidate with experience
in this race.
-Morales was elected as D2's council member in 2019
and won 52% of the vote in the August primary this year.
She's endorsed by the Stranger.
-At least half of our council members will be new.
And I do think it's really important
that we have leadership,
experienced leadership that has delivered.
-Woo, a community organizer who runs a business in the CID,
came in second with 44% of the vote.
She's endorsed by the Seattle Times.
-We're fighting for a seat at the table,
and that's what propelled me to run,
was, you know, they're not going to give us at the table.
We have to fight for it.
-Morales, a mom with two kids in Seattle public schools,
says her top priority is building
what she calls healthy and safe neighborhoods.
-That is around housing,
dealing with our homelessness crisis,
dealing with, you know, the need for folks
to feel safe and secure in their communities.
-But Woo, who volunteers
with the Chinatown International District Community Watch,
says her opponent hasn't done enough to keep D2 safe.
-I'm in the encampments. I'm on 12th and Jackson.
I see the trickle down effects of bad policy
and how it affects our community members, and we need to do more.
-Morales touts her background as a neighborhood planner
and her work to stop displacement
while on the council.
-So many of the challenges that we see in the city
right now really are around our housing policy,
our transportation policy,
how we move all those systems together.
-Woo's family provides
workforce housing at the Louisa Hotel,
and she wants the voice of the working class
and other marginalized groups amplified.
-Bring it down to the community level
so that community members,
people who are closest to the problems
are being heard and their solutions are being considered.
-It's a four year incumbent up against a longtime
local organizer in D2.
-There needs to be more outreach and engagement,
and that's what I've been fighting for.
-I'm excited about the opportunity to continue
working on behalf of the people of District 2.
-And here they are with me.
We have Councilmember Tammy Morales.
We also have Tanya Woo.
Both running for the District 2 seat.
We had a coin flip before the show.
And, Tanya, you will be speaking first.
Please, a minute for an opening statement here.
Tell us why you're running.
-Yes. My name is Tanya Woo.
I grew up in Beacon Hill. I have a small business
in the Chinatown International District,
and I now live in the Rainier Valley.
So as a community advocate,
I've seen continued discrimination
to one of the most endangered neighborhoods in America.
I have pushed back against that and shown that we can win.
I have also built housing.
My family has the Louisa Hotel,
which has 84 units of workforce housing,
which only charges our tenants a percentage of their income
so that no one is forced to pay a rent they cannot afford.
I also know how to achieve better
public safety with my group,
the Chinatown International District Community Watch.
We go out and work with our first responders
going into encampments,
providing mutual aid to our unhoused neighbors.
We also provide support for our small businesses
as well as our residents in the district.
And so we need to get past our elected leaders
telling us what they're going to do instead of showing up
and listening to the community.
We need to elect people who will do the hard work
of governing and running the city.
And my name is Tanya, and I promise to show up,
work hard, and do what it takes together
to uplift Seattle.
-Thank you very much for that.
Councilmember Morales, tell us why you're running again.
And please keep it to a minute.
-Okay. Well, good morning.
I am a mom with two kids in Seattle Public School.
I've worked and organized in District 2 for over 20 years.
I'm trained as a neighborhood planner,
and that's actually the work that got me into City Hall
or interested in City Hall.
I have spent my first four years working to stop the displacement
that's happening in the South End,
to stop the displacement of our Black and Brown neighbors
and businesses.
It's the work that I came into office to do
and what I've been committed to doing.
So, for example, you know,
I've supported organizations like Africatown
that are bringing Black businesses back to the CD,
you know, worked to get funding, $1 million
for apprenticeship programs for young people
so that they have a career pathway,
made sure that there was city funding
for the Tubman Health Center
so that there is access to health care in District 2.
The work that I'm doing is really all about making sure
that our Black and Brown neighbors can stay in the city
and that we're building healthy, resilient neighborhoods.
And that's the work I hope to continue doing.
-Thank you very much for that.
I want to run through some of the issues
where you have some different stances.
One of those is public safety.
District 2 has seen a spike in gun violence this year,
a shooting at a community healing space in Rainier Beach.
More than a dozen home invasion robberies
targeting the Asian community.
So some big concerns there,
Tanya, as part of the solution, you're talking about
hiring more police to get the SPD back up
to pre-pandemic numbers.
Talk to us about hiring officers,
the way you want to improve public safety in District 2.
-Yes, we need short term solutions
and long term solutions.
And in the absence of any of their options,
we need to include police in the short term solution.
We need reform in the police department.
We also need more cultural competent training.
But at the same time, we need to provide the resources
and support for officers.
In the long term, we need to engage community members
and get community groups involved.
We also need to provide more youth programing activities.
We're not at that level from the pre-pandemic levels
we're seeing in our community centers and our libraries.
We need programs for youth.
We also need to create that economic engine
to help get our young adults into good jobs,
training, apprenticeships.
And we also need resources for people who are experiencing
behavioral health issues or addiction issues.
And so having a balanced approach I think is best.
-Just to make sure I'm clear on this.
You are talking about trying to hire enough police
so we get back up to pre-pandemic numbers.
Is that accurate?
-Yes, we need to get our call times down
from seven minutes to four minutes
as in pre-pandemic levels.
We also need to make sure that we are able to respond
to hate crimes and other incidences within the district
in a timely manner.
And when people call the police and are in need
that officers will show up.
But we have to make sure that, you know, we hire good officers.
And when we come across problematic ones,
we need to make them accountable.
-Okay, got it.
Councilmember Morales, I want to talk about
police hiring and public safety.
I think there's some nuance here in your response to this issue.
Talk to me about what your opponent is saying.
How is your approach maybe a little bit different than that?
-Sure, well, what my opponent talks about
is there being an absence of alternatives,
and that's just not true.
We have funded the kind of youth diversion programs,
violence interruption programs,
you know, alternatives, victim support services.
In the last couple of budget cycles,
we've put, I think, between $4 million and $8 million
in to create a community safety initiative.
And that is the kind of work that we really need
to be supporting more because, you know,
sure, we need police to respond to violent crime.
We need them to investigate those crimes.
But we really need to change the community conditions
that are leading to violence in the first place.
That's the preventive side of what we really need
to be talking about and haven't been.
And we need alternatives like the things
that we've already been investing in.
But we have to scale that up because, as you've said,
there's a lot happening and those groups are proven
to be effective at helping interrupt violence
and supporting families after, but they need more support.
And that's part of the challenge that we face.
-Again, putting a fine point on it.
Do we need to hire police back up to pre-pandemic levels?
How do you look at that?
-Well, the way I look at it is we have fully funded
their staffing plan, and they are trying to meet that demand.
And, you know, we have answered the question.
We have funded the plan, and now they need to hire people.
-Thank you. -So Councilmember Morales
has voted to not fund police.
It's in the records.
And you've been trying to take money
away from the police department as early as last year
in the budget records.
And so I think we need immediate action now.
We need to be able to chew gum and walk at the same time.
And so we need to make sure that we are able to hire more.
We did not actually defund police,
but we demoralized police.
600 officers left the force. -Okay.
-And so we need to do more to be able
to make sure we have the support and the resources and promote
not only community programs such as my group,
the Community Watch, who go out there and patrol
and help first responders, but also make sure
that we have a fully staffed police department.
-Councilmember Morales, I want to make sure you get
a chance to respond to that, if you'd like.
-Well, again, I will say that we have fully
funded the department.
And what we're really talking about here is accountability.
So I think all of us can agree
that we have seen plenty of video, heard plenty of audio,
particularly in the last few months,
that demonstrates why I will never stop
demanding accountability from this department.
You know, they receive 50%, almost 50% of our general fund.
And I think it is my job to ask the question,
how do we hold them accountable?
What measurable increase in safety
are we seeing for that enormous investment,
given the fact that we are talking about
wanting to invest in alternatives
and we don't have the money to do that?
So this is about fiscal responsibility,
and it's about accountability for a department that frankly,
has a very toxic culture when they are,
you know, electing leaders of the Police Guild
who are harassing Asian neighbors
and mocking people who have been killed by a police officer,
we have a problem, and we need to figure out how to fix that.
-Thank you. I need to move on to another issue here
because I know there are some other differences,
and I really want to get to them, Tanya,
But let me jump in if I can,
because here's an important one here.
Councilmember Morales just talking about this.
You were one of three no votes
on the recent drug possession of public drug use law
that the council passed in September.
This measure, in accordance with state law,
allows the city attorney to prosecute
those drug cases as gross misdemeanors.
Supporters of the law say it also encourages
a public health approach like treatment or pretrial diversion.
Please explain your concerns over this new drug law
and why you cast a no vote.
-Well, this is the issue. This is a public health crisis.
And it needs a public health solution.
Putting people in jail for having an addiction to drugs
is not going to solve the problem for them.
And while we were all hopeful
that the mayor's proposed budget would include funding
for increased diversion services,
for mental health treatment for, you know, street outreach,
that's not in the proposal at all.
And so, you know, it feels a little bit
like a bait and switch, that there was a lot of promises
made about what would come after we voted for that bill
and none of those promises materialized.
So, you know, if we're going to be
really addressing the issue of drug addiction,
of, you know, supporting the people on our streets
in getting treatment and getting into services,
then we need to fund that.
Again, where the money is going to come from is a question.
But just putting people in jail and giving our city attorney
prosecutorial authority to move them into jail
is not a solution for anybody. -Thank you.
Tanya, I wanted to make sure I brought this up
because you spoke during public comment
on this measure in front of the council
asking them to pass it, which they ended up doing.
You've talked to me about some of the drug activity
you've seen on 12th and Jackson, in the CID, as well.
Talk to us about your support for the city's new drug law,
how you think it's going to work.
And if you want to respond to what your opponent
is saying about it, please do.
-Yes. So fentanyl is really deadly.
It's not a drug. It's a poison. We're seeing people die.
I've done Narcan.
I've done CPR on people who, some made it and some did not.
And it's just devastating what's happening out there.
And fentanyl has been around for two years,
and there isn't any other alternatives.
I mean, we have -- there are so many great ideas out there.
And basically we haven't seen it hit the streets.
And so I supported the drug ordinance
because it is state law
and this ordinance allows for diversion and treatment
versus going straight to arrest.
And if we find out that, you know,
the mayor's proposed funding for diversion and treatment
is not in the current budget, let's put it in there.
How can we work together and have city council
make the proposals to make sure that that
portion of that bill is funded with alternatives
in place for treatment diversion,
because that should be the first thing that people go to.
And so we really need to get people in treatment.
We need to get people in diversion.
We have people dying every single day
from fentanyl overdoses, and we have to do something.
The time for action has passed,
and so we need to act immediately.
-Okay. Thank you very much for that.
I'd like to move on, if I could, to another big issue in the CID,
for that matter, in District 2,
the placement of a Sound Transit station
for light rail expansion.
In March, the Sound Transit Board
voted to support building two light rail stations
to the north and south of the CID
rather than building under Fourth Avenue
by the existing station there.
So this north and south option
would probably cause less of a disruption
for Chinatown businesses with construction there.
But that Fourth Avenue option would create
a much more efficient system with shorter transfer times.
Tanya, what do you think this light rail station should go?
-Oh, my goodness. There's pros and cons to both options.
We're talking about one option
that will provide a whole community with transit
and another option that claims that, you know,
if that station was built
will it cause displacement and gentrification?
And so I think we really need to mindfully go forward
in looking at the EIS.
-The environmental impact statement.
-Yes. -Please keep going.
-Yes, and so it's a very divisive topic in the community.
And I think we really need to have further conversations
and really delve into the pros and cons of each station better
and pick the one that's going to do
the most amount of good for the community.
-Do you have a stance on that? Which option you'd prefer?
-I am neutral at this point. -Okay. All right.
-I'd like to see what happens with the EIS.
-Okay, Fair enough. Thank you very much.
Councilmember Morales, I think you've spoken about this before,
and I know you've spoken to people in the community.
I want to get your take on this.
-Sure. Well, I agree it is a divisive issue.
And, you know, this is the challenge
because communities don't always agree on stuff.
But, you know, especially because
the Chinatown International District
is so frequently bearing the brunt
of these major infrastructure projects,
it is important to try to figure out
what where we can land on it.
I have been in support of the north and south Station.
You know, I do think that when the EIS comes out,
we will need to look carefully at what that means.
And I think more importantly, what we really need
is for Sound Transit to be very specific
in committing to mitigation measures
and to the community benefits that,
you know, community will accrue because we're talking about,
you know, 7, 10, 12 years of construction, and the community
deserves to know what they're going to get
in return for all of that disruption.
-Okay. Thank you. I'm going to switch gears,
if I could, to talk about homelessness with you both.
City data shows this.
District 2 has several neighborhoods
with high concentrations of RV and tent encampments.
I know you're both aware of this.
Councilmember Morales, I want to talk about this with you.
Let us know some of the work that you've done on this issue
while in office, what you hope to accomplish
if you're reelected. -Sure.
Well, you know, Tanya just mentioned
that there aren't alternatives.
You know, that we need to really get programing out.
And I think this is part of the challenge
because for four years,
the city council has been advocating
for things like more tiny house villages, more RV safe lots.
It's important that we build housing to make sure
that we have folks moving into affordable housing
and permanent supportive housing.
In the meantime, we need more short term solutions.
We need sanctioned places for people
to go, like a tiny house village,
so that they have access to services, bathrooms,
kitchens, you know, so their social worker
knows where to find them when they get access to resources.
And that's something that we've been calling for for four years.
The previous mayor did not like that idea and wouldn't fund it.
We've put money in the budget to do this in the past.
And so there comes a point where the council
can allocate resources, the council can pass policy,
but if the mayor isn't executing those plans,
then nothing happens, so I really think it's important
for the viewing public to understand
that council has been working very hard on these issues,
and if we run up against barriers to implementation,
that's a conversation that we have with the executive
or with the departments to understand what the holdup is.
But, you know, the temporary solutions
and then much more investment in street outreach, diversion,
and the kind of things that can help get people
into shelter or permanent housing.
-Thank you. Tanya, some thoughts about this.
Your response maybe to what your opponent is saying,
and how would you approach the homelessness crisis
differently than the city is now?
-Well, I'm out there in the encampments.
I'm out there trying to provide aid to our unhoused neighbors
and trying to connect people to resources.
And so I see -- I go into the camps.
I see people who are in need of resources.
And I see the people who prey on our unhoused community.
And so we really need to go out there
and make sure that we do the outreach
and the engagement consistently to make sure that,
you know, people are building trust.
People have been through a broken system.
They've gone through, you know,
gone through shelters and gone through housing
and end up back living on the streets.
It's inhumane to let somebody die in a tent.
We need to make sure that we're out there building up trust,
building up relationships.
Get people to come inside and accept resources.
And so I think we need more social workers,
we need more case workers, outreach workers out there.
Alternatives to policing is desperately needed.
Social workers, especially, separate
from the police department, but also have resources
similar to the police department, as well,
and making sure they're being paid a living wage job.
I agree that we need more tiny home villages and RV safe lots,
and we need to support those programs
that build and maintain those lots.
And so we also need to make sure we prevent people from becoming
unhoused in the first place -- rental assistance,
helping our seniors be able to get more resources.
Vouchers have been amazing, as well,
and also private public partnerships.
The Louisa Hotel, we worked with a group
called Housing Connector.
We housed about 20 formerly unhoused residents.
And so it's an all above approach.
But we need to really fund these programs
and really make sure that they're out there
and doing the work. -Thank you.
And maybe I can stay with you, Tanya,
to talk a little bit more about housing affordability.
You mentioned your family owns the Louisa Hotel building.
And I think about this with District 2.
The city's comprehensive plan
shows it has several neighborhoods
at risk of displacement.
This is very real, people getting priced out
of living in this area.
If you're elected, what more would you do?
What could the city do to try to make Seattle more affordable?
-Yes, in terms of gentrification displacement,
I think we have a lot of racist zoning policies in place.
I want to go back and reexamine,
look at a neighborhood to neighborhood basis on zoning.
There's a gentrification and displacement map,
and the pandemic kind of triggered
a disaster gentrification.
-And it really shows what's going on in District 2 there
in terms of the possibility of people getting pushed out.
-Yeah, so we have to go neighborhood to neighborhood
basis and look at our zoning policies,
look at what's happening in the neighborhoods
and talk to neighbors and see what they want to see
in their community.
There are several neighborhood plans
that we really need to delve into
and really be able to enforce.
In terms of building more, we have to build more housing,
and affordable housing.
And so I love incentives like new market tax credits,
MHA, MFA.
When you take away that percentage
that allows developers to pay
instead of building more affordable housing,
force people to build affordable housing.
And also streamline the permitting process.
It takes anywhere from two to six years to get a permit,
depending on how large your project is.
And every single year, someone's waiting for a permit,
costs go up by 30%, hard and soft costs.
And so how do we build more efficiently?
How do we build faster as well as allowing
for our small families who own property
to be able to build duplexes and triplexes?
And how do we make sure they have the resources to do that?
-Okay. Thank you. Councilmember Morales,
I wanted to make sure I made mention of the fact
that you hosted the first gathering
of Seattle's Social Housing Board a few months ago.
The group in charge of the new social housing
developer the city voters approved earlier this year.
The developer certainly an important tool for the city
potentially when it comes to affordable housing.
I'd like for you to tell us maybe about that
and your work overall in affordable housing.
What are your plans to try to ensure
Seattle is an affordable place to live?
-Yeah, well, you know, we're dealing
with a crisis of 60 years of bad federal housing policy
and disinvestment.
And part of the challenge with the way affordable housing
is built is that it does rely on investors
to purchase tax credits.
And, you know, this very complicated and arcane system
that's stacking capital, and it's complicated
and it takes a long time.
The purpose of the social housing idea
and what we hope to do with this
is to take all of that out of the equation,
to take the purchase of land out of the equation.
And so, you know, the goal here is permanently affordable
housing for a range of incomes.
And the reason it's permanently affordable
is because it is on city land, city owned land.
Or it can be something that is a partnership
to to purchase land,
but it is an ownership, community ownership.
So that's a huge part of the challenge, right,
is taking that very expensive cost out of the equation.
So the Social Housing Board is set up.
You know, it is getting started.
It is definitely in start up phase right now.
But the idea is to purchase housing --
to make affordable units across the city.
I'm also working on a piece of legislation
that we're calling Connected Communities
that will -- it's basically a pilot program
that will do something similar in allowing
for a private developer who is willing to partner
with a community based organization
to get density bonuses
if they agree to have this range of incomes available
and if they put the housing in neighborhoods
that have historically prevented apartments
from being built in them. -Thank you.
I know a lot of work's going on in this department,
but I did want to see if I could touch on a 30 second version.
I hate to rush you, but is there an issue --
we're talking about some of the big issues.
I know you've been talking about it on the campaign trail.
Is there one that we haven't talked about
that you want to bring people's attention to?
Tanya, any thoughts on that?
-Oh, I think public safety is a huge one.
That's what I'm hearing at doors. We are passed --
We are getting very close to a record number of homicides,
and more than one third of them are happening here
in South Seattle.
And so I think we really need to do more in terms
of how do we do outreach and engage with the communities,
How do we engage our communities of color
in the political process,
which is something I have been fighting for in this past year,
was having a seat at the table, having representation,
especially for the Chinatown International District
and other communities.
How do we get people engaged in the political process
and have them aware that they could come and fight for
budget funds and enact change? -Okay.
-Thank you very much for that. 30 second version, if you can,
something that might be beyond some of these bigger headlines.
-Well, I think a big issue in the city is affordability.
And so, you know, next year, we'll be talking about
the comprehensive plan and how we allow for
housing growth and transportation issues.
We also have the transportation levy,
and we will be implementing the housing levy if it passes.
And so, you know,
all of those are issues that will help us address
the affordability crisis that we're having.
And I think it's going to be a really important time
for folks who understand how all these systems connect
to be making those decisions and having conversations.
-Thank you very much of that.
We need to start wrapping up here,
and I wanted to make sure I touched on a few things.
Tanya, let me go with you first for a closing statement here.
And I wanted to mention to people you've raised
about $164,000 for your campaign as of early October.
I want to talk about endorsements,
if you could, off the top here,
maybe your top three endorsements,
what voters should see from that.
And if you could help us wrap up here with a little bit
why voters should be supporting you, as well.
-Yes, I'm so honored to have endorsements
of very many community members, of unions, as well.
My three most proud endorsements,
Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos,
who's a long time member of the community.
I'm also endorsed by the firefighters,
who believe that we need a stronger public safety stance.
And due to my work in the community
regarding public safety for years.
I'm also really proud to be endorsed
by former Representative Dawn Mason,
who removed her endorsement from my opponent
to give me the sole endorsement
because she believes that we do need to do more for
what's happening on 12th and Jackson
because Summit Sierra High School
is right there as well as, you know, doing more
regarding the fentanyl crisis
that we're seeing in our streets.
-Okay. Thank you very much for that.
Councilmember Morales, you've raised about $144,000
for your campaign as of early October.
I want to talk about your supporters,
if you could, three endorsements, and what you think
voters should draw from that as we wrap up here.
-Sure, well, I have the endorsement
of over a dozen labor organizations
because of the work that I've done protecting workers
and making sure that our working families
can afford to stay in the city.
You know, I am endorsed by environmental organizations,
democratic organizations,
and King County Council member Zahilay,
with whom I have worked closely on advocating for young people
and worked really closely on addressing
some of the issues in Rainier Beach.
So, you know, I am committed to making sure that we continue
to fight the displacement that's happening,
particularly in District 2,
and make sure that our communities of color can stay,
and really excited about the opportunity
to keep doing that work.
-Thank you very much to both of you.
And we will be right back.
-What are people saying on social media about
the two candidates for Seattle City Council District 2?
One pair writes, "Tammy governs with transparency
and she values community collaboration
when addressing our district's toughest challenges."
Another says, "Seattle needs more practical folks like
Tanya Woo to help bring back the previous version
of our beautiful city."
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, incumbent Andrew Lewis
survived a six way August primary to continue to represent
Seattle City Council District 7.
He faces off with challenger, former naval officer
Bob Kettle, on the next "City Inside Out."
I hope you join us.
♪♪