Sawant: ‘Even with the victories of our movement, the Democrats’ austerity budget deeply fails working people and marginalized communities, including working-class and poor communities of color’ Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle), chair of the Council’s Sustainability and Renters Rights Committee, today issued this statement in response to the City Council adopting the 2021 City […]

The days leading up to Nov. 23 are important for our fight against draconian cuts to housing and services, and to win more for the Green New Deal and renters rights.  People’s Budget Community MeetingTuesday, November 17, at 6PM Dear friends,  This is the seventh year of the People’s Budget movement! This year again, the […]

Friday October 2, 2020 Ana Mari Cauce, President University of Washington Dear President Cauce: I am shocked to learn that the University of Washington, which prides itself on being a leading international institution and a model community employer, would deny any of its workers health benefits. This is especially true during the global pandemic. I […]

Press release, Sept. 22, 2020. PDF version is here. Capitulation to Durkan and big business ‘will demonstrate to the world that Seattle’s Democratic establishment is unwilling to defend communities of color and working people, and will cave under big business pressure in the context of the Trump administration’s dangerous threats’ SEATTLE – Councilmember Kshama Sawant […]

August 14, 2020Dear Council President González and Budget Chair Mosqueda,Prior to your adoption of Seattle’s tax on jobs, we expressed grave concern over the economic disadvantage this tax would create for Seattle and the likelihood that the policy would push jobs outside of the city. Yesterday, Bloomberg News reported that Amazon is considering office locations […]

SEATTLE – Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle), chair of the Council’s Sustainability and Renters Rights Committee, released the following statement in response to the resignation announcement by Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best: When Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best announced her pending retirement earlier this week, she joined more than half a dozen police […]

Statement by my office given after Judge James Robart granted a temporary restraining order preventing the Seattle Police Department from implementing the City Council’s ban on crowd-control weapons.  The Seattle City Council unanimously passed its crowd-control weapons ban on June 15, 2020. The ordinance, sponsored by my office, banned police use of chemical weapons and […]

July 15, 2020 Thanks to our powerful community movement, led by Black clergy and other faith leaders, funds now will be set aside annually to build affordable housing in the Central District for Black working-class, and poor families Today (July 15) I hailed the 9-0 vote in the City Council’s Select Budget Committee to dedicate […]

“Seattle’s Amazon Tax is a historic victory for working people – hard fought and hard won by a movement that wouldn’t give up and that faced down a seemingly endless series of obstacles.” Press release July 6, 2020 SEATTLE – Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle) issued the following statement in celebration of the victory of the […]

July 2, 2020 “ It is stunning that Mayor Durkan has continued to use brutal police violence despite the widespread and decisive opposition from her constituents, and in the face of calls from over 47,000 people for her to resign.” SEATTLE – Councilmember Kshama Sawant (District 3, Central Seattle), chair of the Council’s Sustainability and […]