Thanks to the Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant, we’ve been working on providing healthy food for all through our Farm to Table and Healthy Foods Here programs.

Along with 16 other partnerships or organizations, these two standout programs were recently recognized as “Health Champions” by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

The Farm to Table project increases access to local, affordable produce for low-income seniors participating in meal programs as well as children attending child care programs.

Healthy Foods Here has made healthy food available in corner stores and small markets in more than forty neighborhoods in King County.

We’ve also been listening to the public to hear from them what we can do to increase access to healthy food for everyone in Seattle, not just those who can afford it. Over 150 people participated in three separate “Our City, Our Food, Our Future” listening sessions in recent weeks. They were asked to evaluate what the City is doing well, what we need to work on, and what partnership opportunities may be ripe for the picking.

Our listening sessions were designed to get feedback on programs like these, and lots more. We asked participants’ top three priorities for what the City should work on next. Prior to selecting their top three priorities, small group discussions took place. These groups were broken out by the following interest areas.

Grow and Eat: “Urban agriculture, raising chickens, gardening, and P-Patch Community Gardening all contribute to the food grown and eaten in the city”.

Healthy Food for All: “From schools to corner stores, and shelters to community centers, everyone deserves healthy, affordable choices, and all Seattleites should have enough to eat”.

Environment and Waste: “Food can be grown, sold, and disposed of in ways that are better for the environment”.

Strengthen the Local Food Economy: “Many businesses in Seattle are involved in growing, processing, packaging, distributing, selling and marketing food”.

Collaborate: “We can do more if we work together”.

The feedback received on each of these topics will be compiled and reviewed as the City shapes a food action plan. We’re excited to chart a path for more work on policies and programs that enhance food, and are encouraged by the level of interest in these issues by community members.

Posted by: Rebecca Deehr

We’d like to share with you a video produced by the Seattle Channel about the City’s supported employee program. It features an interview with our office’s own Krista Leimbacher.

The City of Seattle has 60 employees with developmental disabilities (supported employees). We bundle small tasks and entry-level duties in various departments into full and part-time positions (real jobs!) for people with developmental disabilities.

Any employer can do this – job coaches are free of charge to any business who hires a supported employee. Supported employment is not only a way to include people who have traditionally been excluded from our workplaces; the program also benefits City-department budgets. We save taxpayer dollars by paying an affordable wage.

The program provides meaningful work for a population who is dedicated and eager to contribute their talents to the workplace. Our supported employment program is just one of the ways we’re working to create shared prosperity that is available to everyone in our community.

Posted by: April Thomas

As mayor of Seattle I am committed to a police force that protects public safety, fights crime, and treats every individual fairly. High profile incidents and the Department of Justice investigation highlighted longstanding community concerns about police practices. At the same time, there are deep public concerns about safety in our neighborhoods. We must respond to both. I have made it my job to reach out and listen to all perspectives. We have listened to community members in gatherings large and small. We have solicited and reviewed proposals for reform. I have invited my colleagues on the City Council to share their viewpoints. I have spoken directly to officers who are out there every day working to keep us safe. And I have challenged our police leadership to respond to the concerns I’ve heard.

Today, we are announcing 20 new initiatives to be completed over the next 20 months. The reforms described in this document go far beyond a response to the Department of Justice report. These reforms will also increase the safety of our communities while improving the effectiveness of the police department at preventing and controlling crime. The changes we are proposing are intended to be lasting and sustainable. They will give Seattle a department that earns respect as it protects the people we serve. We are committed to implementing all of these initiatives within the next 20 months, whether or not they are included in a consent decree. This list does not preclude other reforms – we will also consider other proposals to help us achieve our goals. We believe these 20 initiatives will help build a great police department that is professional, accountable, effective, and fair

Protecting Constitutional Rights

1.         Reform Management of Public Demonstrations

2.         Develop Protocols to Prevent Low-Level Offenses from Escalating

3.         Address Biased Policing

Training for Seattle’s Values

4.         Train All Officers on Use of Force Standards Consistent with Seattle’s Values

5.         Train Officers in Appropriate Search and Seizure Practices

6.         Improve Supervision by Creating a Sergeant’s Academy

7.         Improve Leadership by Creating a Commander Academy

8.         Train New Officers to Understand Seattle

Earning Public Trust

9.         Improve Review of Uses of Force

10.       Develop a Binding, Written Code of Ethics

11.       Recruit Great Officers

12.       Systematic Enforcement of Professional Standards

13.       Enhance Early Intervention Systems

Using Data-Driven Practices

14.       Implement a Data-Driven Approach to Policing

15.       Work with Major City Police Departments to Develop Best Practices

Partnering With the Public

16.       Listen and Engage with Equity and Dignity

17.       Launch a Customer Service Initiative

18.       Provide Better Information to the Public

19.       Improve Transparency and Accountability

20.       Launch a Community Outreach Initiative

As mayor, I will be holding police leadership accountable to achieve these changes. I will work with other City elected leaders to set clear and realistic expectations for the department while providing the resources and training sufficient to meet those expectations. I will be calling upon the community to be a full partner with us as we address these challenges.

Full document available at seattle.gov/mayor/media/
SPD 2020

Posted by: Mayor Mike McGinn

“This bill makes our state a national leader in protecting children from sexual exploitation. From Senator Kohl-Welles’ tireless work on this issue to Governor Gregoire’s signature today, our state elected leaders have come together to lead the nation in the prevention of underage sex trafficking. This innovative legislation provides a national model for other states to follow, and I hope to see this approach adopted across the country.”

Posted by: Mayor Mike McGinn

Want to get your finances in shape? Join us this Saturday for a free Financial Fitness Day where you can:

• Have your tax return prepared (individual, small business & microenterprise)
• Print a free credit report
• Open a checking or savings account
• Create a budget and a plan to pay off debt
• Apply for public benefits (food, utilities, child care, health insurance)
• Shred financial documents to protect your identity

You can also talk to an expert about:

• Credit and debt
• Financial planning and investments
• Mortgage and foreclosure
• Bankruptcy and consumer rights
• Starting a business
• Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid
• Student Loans and FAFSA

For more information and a list of documents to bring with you, visit skcabc.org.

• Saturday, March 31, 2012
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (show up by 2:00 and you will be served)
• Rainier Community Center
• 4600 38th Avenue S, Seattle
• From Rainier Ave S., turn east on S. Alaska St and left onto 38th Ave
• Located on bus routes #7, #39 and #42

Posted by: April Thomas

With “Focusing on the Basics” a key commitment of the 2012 Transportation Action Agenda, today Mayor Mike McGinn highlighted work underway to maintain and improve Seattle’s streets. 

With the NE Ravenna Boulevard project now in construction, the city is on schedule to rebuild 15 lane-miles of road in 2012. To further help drivers, transit riders, freight and cyclists enjoy a smoother trip, the city will also continue to emphasize potholes repairs and smaller scale pavement resurfacing.

Focusing on transportation basics, like pavement repair and improvement, is a key commitment of our 2012 Transportation Action Agenda. Whether through large scale roadway projects or filling potholes, we’re working to enhance Seattle’s roads.

In addition to rebuilding 15 lane-miles of arterial streets, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will also enhance seven lane-miles of pavement in 2012 by repaving small sections of road with new concrete or asphalt. The department has already completed 1.21 lane-miles of this work on S Myrtle Street, S Trenton Street and Rainier Avenue S. Additionally, due to the efforts of the Pothole Rangers, 4,362 potholes have been repaired in just the first two months of 2012.

This focus on pavement maintenance and improvement builds on progress made in 2011. Last year SDOT reconstructed 24 lane-miles of road, enhanced another 15.8 lane-miles through small scale repaving and filled more than 25,000 potholes.

Scheduled for completion by this fall, the work on NE Ravenna Boulevard will create a new asphalt surface, new curb ramps, better sidewalks, a new curb bulb for accessing the Green Lake Trail and a buffered bike lane. This SDOT project will improve the traveling experience for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians, and will enhance safety for all users of the road. The cost of this work is $2.6 million, out of $14.2 million that will be spent on major roadway work this year. The other major roadway project for 2012, on N/NW 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue N, is also already underway.

The NE Ravenna Boulevard project is one of many funded by the Bridging the Gap (BTG) transportation levy approved by Seattle voters in 2006. This year’s work will bring the total from the first six years of the Bridging the Gap program to 168 arterial lane-miles across the city.

For more information on the NE Ravenna Boulevard paving project, visit SDOT’s project website at http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/pave_ravenna_paving.htm.

Posted by: Words: April Thomas, Pictures: Jen Nance

Applications for the Seattle Youth Commission are now online at seattle.gov/syc; the early application deadline is this Friday, March 30^th (anyone who applies by then will be guaranteed an interview), and all applications are due by April 13^th.  The Youth Commission is comprised of 25 teenagers from across the city who bring youth voice to local government by working on local policy issues and advising the Mayor and City Council.

This year’s Youth Commission will also be hosting its annual Youth Town Hall on Saturday, April 7^th from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm here at City Hall (601 5^th Ave). It’ll be a great opportunity for interested youth to meet some of this year’s commissioners and ask questions of Mayor Mike McGinn, Council President Sally Clark, and Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw, Tom Rasmussen, Nick Licata and Tim Burgess.

Posted by: Sol Villarreal

Our Transportation Action Agenda helps guide the work that we do at the City on transportation issues. There are five major categories:

1. Keeping it Safe
2. Focusing on the Basics
3. Building Healthy Communities
4. Supporting a Thriving Economy
5. Providing Great Service

Today we’re going to look at how we’re Providing Great Service.

Read more »

Posted by: Robert Cruickshank

Our Transportation Action Agenda helps guide the work that we do at the City on transportation issues. There are five major categories:

1. Keeping it Safe
2. Focusing on the Basics
3. Building Healthy Communities
4. Supporting a Thriving Economy
5. Providing Great Service

Today we’re going to look at how we’re Supporting a Thriving Economy.

Read more »

Posted by: Robert Cruickshank

Our Transportation Action Agenda helps guide the work that we do at the City on transportation issues. There are five major categories:

1. Keeping it Safe
2. Focusing on the Basics
3. Building Healthy Communities
4. Supporting a Thriving Economy
5. Providing Great Service

Today we’re going to look at how we’re Building Healthy Communities.

Read more »

Posted by: Robert Cruickshank