Hi. I'm Sally Caverzan.
I'm very new to politics,
but I am not new to King County.
I came to Seattle in 2005
to do direct service work with the unhoused.
The 10-year plan to end homelessness
had just been unveiled,
and I wanted to be part of the solution.
I come from privilege and trauma,
along with an internalized notion
of coping and healing through service work
and by connecting to nature.
I worked for years in nonprofit and government services,
including long-term care, home-visiting social work.
I have seen it all, folks.
I know the daily hardships
that our most marginalized and vulnerable residents
and their families face.
I understand the realities
of housing and unemployment barriers.
Like many of you, I see the direct correlation
of our drug and mental health crisis,
crime, and an overburdened system
in our escalating social disorder.
The creation of a King County regional treatment facility
is my highest priority.
There is a lack of access to inpatient treatment beds.
Our hospitals, our jails have become revolving doors.
We need reintegration housing.
There must be a realistic porch light
at the end of the tunnel.
With the climate crisis,
our solutions must be more than rapid transit,
expensive cars, and localized solar.
We need systemic infrastructure
towards underground cables
to keep our tree canopy
and to prevent wildfires,
natural drainage projects
and rainwater collection approaches
that will save our beloved Pacific Northwest salmon
and orca populations.
We need to build up
a King County Conservation Corps.
We can keep people in their homes.
We can find stability for self and others
through contributing to the public good.
I'm Sally C.
And now for something completely different.