When COVID arrived here,
the first place in the country
impacted by this deadly virus,
I took swift, decisive action.
We led with science and reason
and saved thousands of lives
and reduced our infection rate
to among the lowest in the nation.
The New York Times reported
that had the rest of America
followed our lead,
the nation could have avoided
more than 300,000 deaths.
As we emerge from the pandemic,
I'm bringing that same clarity
and resolve to the toughest challenges
and uniting our region
for an economic recovery
where everyone can thrive.
We're taking bold action
on homelessness,
moving thousands off the streets
and into housing
with services to restore lives.
And through my
Best Starts for Kids initiative,
we've kept 10,000 children
and families safely housed.
This housing crisis,
made worse by the pandemic,
requires both compassion
and the proven ability to drive real change.
We're improving public safety and public trust
by investing in gun violence prevention
and aid to victims of domestic violence and other crimes,
and collaborating with communities
to create real safety.
I've asked community leaders to work with me
as we appoint a new sheriff who is accountable to me,
the council, and the people.
We're helping kids stay in school,
graduate, and avoid the criminal legal system,
and I've succeeded in driving down
the youth detention rate nearly tenfold.
And I'm taking urgent action on climate,
leading the fight for regional light rail,
and converting metro to an all-electric fleet.
And there's more exciting progress to come.
I'm grateful for the endorsements
of Govs. Inslee, Gregoire, and Locke.
Over 40 Democratic legislators,
the MLK Labor Council,
health care workers, firefighters,
building trades,
the Washington Conservation Voters,
and the Alliance for Gun Responsibility.
My commitment to public service was instilled in me
by my parents, retired public school teachers.
Today, Shirley and I are raising our daughter
in the same West Seattle neighborhood where I grew up.
Let's keep working together to help
all King County families thrive.
Thank you.