>>> GORGEOUS THE MARCH 14th,
2023 MEETING OF THE PUBLIC
SAFETY AND HUMAN SERVICES
COMMITTEE WILL COME TO ORDER. I
IS 9:33 A.M. I'M LISA HERBOLD,
CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE. WILL
THE CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLE?
>> COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA.
COUNCILMEMBER NELSON.
>> PRESENT.
>> COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN.
>> PRESENT.
>> VICE CHAIR LEWIS.
>> PRESENT.
>> CHAIR HERBOLD.
>> HERE.
>> FOUR PRESENT.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. ON TODAY'
AGENDA, WE WILL HEAR FIRST FROM
THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WHO
WILL PRESENT THE CRIMINAL
DIVISION'S FOURTH QUARTER 22
REPORT. AFTER THAT PRESENTATION
WE WILL HEAR THE WAGE EQUITY FO
NONPROFIT HUMAN SERVICES
WORKERS' REPORT BOTH FOR THE
AREA OF SEATTLE AND KING COUNTY
WE'LL HAVE RESEARCHERS FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON,
REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE HUMAN
SERVICES COALITION AND DIRECTOR
KIM FROM HSD TO JOIN US IN THE
PRESENTATION. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO
APPROVE THE AGENDA FOR OUR
COMMITTEE MEETING. THERE'S NO
OBJECTION. TODAY'S AGENDA WILL
BE ADOPTED. HEARING AND SEEING
NO OBJECTION, TODAY'S AGENDA IS
ADOPTED. AT THIS TIME WE'LL
TRANSITION INTO PUBLIC COMMENT.
I WILL MODERATE THE PUBLIC
COMMENT PERIOD IN IN THE
FOLLOWING MANNER. EACH SPEAKER
WILL BE GIVEN TWO MINUTES TO
SPEAK. I'LL ALTERNATE BETWEEN I
PERSON AND VIRTUAL PUBLIC
COMMENTERS. I'LL CALL ON EACH
SPEAKER BY NAME, AND IN THE
ORDER THAT THEY REGISTERED ON
THE SIGNUP SHEET. NOW MY VOLUME
IS GOING TO GET REALLY BAD. [
LAUGHTER ]
>> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH
ONCE I CALL UP A SPEAKER'S NAME
IF YOU ARE USING THE VIRTUAL
OPTION, YOU'LL HEAR A PROMPT,
AND ONCE YOU'VE HEARD THAT
PROMPT, YOU NEED TO PRESS STAR
TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. PLEASE BEGI
BY STATING YOUR NAME AND THE
ITEM YOU ARE ADDRESSING.
SPEAKERS WILL HEAR A CHIME WHEN
10 SECONDS ARE LEFT OF THE
ALLOTTED TIME. ONCE THE SPEAKER
HEARS THE CHIME, WE ASK THAT YO
BEGIN TO WRAP UP YOUR PUBLIC
COMMENT SO THAT THE SPEAKERS --
THE NEXT SPEAKER CAN SPEAK. WHE
YOU'RE DONE SPEAKING, WE ASK
THAT YOU DISCONNECT FROM THE
LINE, BUT YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY
ENCOURAGED AND WELCOME TO JOIN
US VIA THE SEATTLE CHANNEL OR
THE LISTENING OPTIONS LISTED ON
THE AGENDA. WE'VE GOT 11 PEOPLE
SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT,
NINE ARE VIRTUAL, AND TWO ARE I
PERSON. WITH THAT, MOVE ON
CALLING ON THE SPEAKERS, WE WIL
FIRST START WITH MARGUERITE
RASHARD, AND, MARGUERITE RASHAR
WILL BE FOLLOWED BY ALEX
ZIMMERMAN.
>> YES. MY NAME IS MARGUERITE
RASHARD, AND I -- I DON'T SEE M
FACE, BUT I BROUGHT A MIRROR --
OH, THERE YOU ARE. YOU'RE
LOOKING PRETTY SNAZZY TODAY,
AREN'T YOU? I BROUGHT A MIRROR.
I BROUGHT THE MIRROR BECAUSE FO
SOME REASON YOU PEOPLE IN HERE
WILL NOT SHOW OUR FACES AS IF
OTHER PEOPLE ARE PRIVILEGED
CHARACTERS, AND WE'RE NOT.
THAT'S BLATANT DISCRIMINATION.
AND WE HAVE ATTORNEYS UP IN
HERE? NOW, WE GONNA TALK ABOUT
CRIME. THEY SAY CRIME DOESN'T
PAY, BUT IT PAYS YOU. SO I'M
CALLING ON A CITIZEN'S ARREST
FOR ALL THE FOLKS THAT HAVE BEE
INVOLVED IN ME, WITH ME FOR ALL
THESE YEARS PRACTICING RACISM
AND DISCRIMINATION WHICH IS --
DISCRIMINATION IS ILLEGAL IN
THIS COUNTRY. SO WHY ARE WE
STILL WRAPPED UP, TIED UP,
ENTANGLED UP ON WHAT YOU'RE
GONNA DO. TYRE NICHOLS WAS AN
INDIGENOUS BLACK MAN. I'M STILL
TALKING ABOUT CRIME. YOU PEOPLE
WHOEVER YOU ARE, YOU DON'T GO T
PRISON FOR THE THINGS THAT YOU
DO TO US. AND THAT'S CALLED
CORRUPTION, CONSPIRACY AND
RACKETEERING, AND I DON'T ABIDE
WITH THAT BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT
JESUS CHRIST, HE JUDGES ME
EVERYDAY TOO. HOW COME THE WRAT
OF GOD AIN'T FELL ON YOUR HEAD
YET FOR ALL THE DISGUSTING,
MENACING STUFF THAT YOU HAVE
DONE TO PEOPLE WHERE THEY CAN'T
HARDLY LIFT UP A FINGER, LET
ALONE RENT A HOUSE, LISA
HERBOLD? HOW MUCH IS IT TO RENT
A HOUSE NOW? IF YOU'RE COMING
FROM A SLAVERY BACKGROUND AND A
SO-CALLED CIVIL RIGHTS -- CIVIL
RIGHTS IS DEAD, JUST LIKE THE
SONG SAID, FREDDIE'S DEAD. IT'S
DEAD! IF YOU SOW TO THE PRESS,
YOU REAP CORRUPTION, AND
EVERYTHING IS CORRUPT RIGHT NOW
THAT'S WHY I CAME DOWN HERE TO
TELL YOU AGAIN -- DID YOU WANT
TO HEAR SOME MORE FROM ME?
>> THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER
IS ALEX ZIMMERMAN. I'M GOOD.
>> YEAH. MY -- FASCIST FROM
ANIMAL FARM, CRIMINAL. MY NAME
ALEXANDER. I STAND HERE WITH MY
SIGN AND THE JEWISH STAR. 20
YEARS? YEAH. YOU DIDN'T SHOW MY
FACE. SO CHRISTIAN RIGHT NOW,
VERY SIMPLE, WE'RE TALKING ABOU
AGENDA NUMBER ONE ABOUT CRIME,
BUT YOU NUMBER ONE CRIMINAL.
YOU'RE NOT ONLY CRIMINAL, YOU
ARE BANDITA, THIS IS PURE
CONSPIRACY, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO
BE ARRESTED, YOU PERSECUTE
BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T SHOW OUR
FACES, IT'S A PURE CRIME, 100
PERCENTAGE IN CONSPIRACY BECAUS
YOU ALL NINE DOING THIS. [
INDISCERNABLE ] YOU'RE ALL DOIN
TOGETHER. IT'S A CRIME, IT'S
CONSPIRACY. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO
BE IN JAIL FOR 20 YEAR.
PROSECUTE, STOP CRIME, COUNCIL
FOR 10 MONTHS WHO DON'T SHOW
THEIR FACES, SPEND THE REST IN
JAIL FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE,
YOU PROSECUTE, ALL OF IT. YOU
KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? MONTHS YO
COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS DOZEN TIMES
TO EVERYBODY WITH PERIL. YOU
KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS. RIGHT NOW
CRIMINAL DIVISION, CRIMINAL LAW
BECAUSE THIS IS 100 PERCENTAGE
CONSPIRACY. CONSPIRACY IS A
CRIME. IT'S A NAZI IN GERMANY
ABSOLUTELY IDENTICAL. STAND UP,
AMERICA!
>> OUR NEXT PUBLIC SPEAKER IS
JANICE DEGUCCI. JANICE WILL BE
FOLLOWED BY STEVE DASHLE.
>> GOOD MORNING, CHAIR HERBOLD
AND COUNCILMEMBERS. I'M
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT
NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH. I'M HERE T
SPEAK IN FAVOR OF ADOPTING THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINED IN
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON'S WAGE
ANALYSIS OF NONPROFIT HUMAN
SERVICES WORKERS. I WANT TO
THANK COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD AND
MOSQUEDA FOR CHAMP OWNING THE
STUDY, AS WELL AS THE FULL
COUNCIL FOR APPROVING THE
SPENDING. WE PREVENT
NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH FROM BEING
ABLE TO FULFILL OUR MISSION, AN
HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES. ONE, W
JUST RENOVATE AND ARE READY TO
OPEN SEVEN NEW PRESCHOOL
CLASSROOMS, HOWEVER, WE CANNOT
OPEN THE SEVEN CLASSROOMS
BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE THE
TEACHERS TO STAFF THEM. NUMBER
TWO, NIENE NANIECE OUR
SPECIALIST SPEAKS FOUR
LANGUAGES. CLIENTS COME FROM AL
OVER KING COUNTY TO MEET AND
TALK WITH HIM, BUT FOR TWO YEAR
HE'S HAD TO WORK A SECOND
FULL-TIME JOB. HOW MUCH LONGER
CAN WE EXPECT HIM TO DO THIS?
NUMBER THREE, THE CITY PARTIALL
FUNDS [ INAUDIBLE ] PROGRAM
WHICH PROVIDES TWICE WEEKLY HOM
VISITS AND HOME VISITORS SHARE
THE LANGUAGE AND THE CULTURE OF
THE PARENTS WE SERVE. FOR THREE
CONSECUTIVE YEARS, THIS CONTRAC
RECEIVED NO INCREASE, YET
NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CONTINUES T
PROVIDE WAGE PROGRESSION AND
INCREASES OF DOUBLE DIGITS -- W
HAVE TO RAISE MONEY [ INAUDIBL
]FOR THESE CONTRACTS. SHE WILL
SHARE ABOUT THE IMPACT THIS
PROGRAM HAS ON FAMILIES. AS AN
ANTI-POVERTY AGENCY, WE ARE
WORKING TO DISMANTLE A SYSTEM
THAT PERPETUATES POVERTY. PLEAS
ADOPT UDUB'S RECOMMENDATION OF
AN INITIAL STAFF TO DEMONSTRATE
THAT YOU VALUE OUR SECTOR, YOU
VALUE THE PEOPLE WE SERVE, AND
YOU VALUE THE TALENTED HUMAN
SERVICES WORKS LIKE NADEEN WHO
SUPPORT THE HEALTH AND
WELL-BEING OF US ALL. THANK YOU
>> THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER
IS STEVE DASHLE, HE WILL BE
FOLLOWED BY HEIDI NEFF. GOOD
MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING, COUNCILMEMBER.
I'M STEVE DASHLE, THE DIRECTOR
OF SOUTHWEST -- I TOO AM HERE T
SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE ADOPTING
THE RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINED IN
THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
WAGE ANALYSIS, AND I ALSO WANT
TO ESPECIALLY THANK
COUNCILMEMBERS HERBOLD AND
MOSQUEDA FOR CHAMPIONING THIS
STUDY, AS WELL AS THE COUNCIL
FOR APPROVING THIS FUNDING. LAS
YEAR WE HAD MULTIPLE OPEN
POSITIONS THAT REMAINED OPEN FO
MOST OF THE YEAR FOR LACK OF
CANDIDATES. IN THE BEST OF
CIRCUMSTANCES, THESE POSITIONS
ARE HARD TO FILL BECAUSE OUR
STAFF ARE BEARING THE BURDEN OF
THE SECONDARY TRAUMA AFTER
WORKING WITH YOUTH AND FAMILIES
THAT ARE ADDRESSING ISSUES OF
SUICIDE, SUBSTANCE ABUSE,
PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE.
LAST YEAR PROVIDED
ACROSS-THE-BOARD INCREASES
RANGING FROM 1% TO 20% WITH THE
LOWEST PAID STAFF RECEIVING A
PERCENTAGE INCREASE HIGHER THAN
OTHERS. WE INSTITUTED A $25
MINIMUM WAGE WITH MOST STAFF
MAKING ABOVE THAT. WE WERE ABLE
TO FILL SOME OF THE POSITIONS,
BUT THE AGENCY SUFFERED A
SIGNIFICANT DEFICIT LAST YEAR
THAT WE ARE CLIMBING OUT OF THI
YEAR. ORGANIZATIONS SHOULDN'T
HAVE TO PUT THE ENTIRE STAFF AT
RISK TO MAKE THIS CRITICAL WORK
REPORTABLE FOR THOSE WHO WORK T
-- WHO WANT TO WORK FOR THE
BETTERMENT -- BENEFIT,
BETTERMENT OF OTHERS. LOW WAGES
ARE PREVENTING US FROM BEING
ABLE TO DELIVER THE SERVICES
THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN FUNDED.
THIS INEQUITY NEEDS TO BE
ADDRESSED BEFORE WE WILL BE ABL
TO SUCCESSFULLY STAND UP
ADDITIONAL SERVICES. THIS REPOR
PROVIDES A PATH FORWARD IN
CREATING A SAFE, SUSTAINABLE
COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS EVERYON
IN THIS GREAT CITY. I HOPE
YOU'LL CONSIDER ENDORSING THE
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THIS
REPORT. THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR
TIME.
>> OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HEIDI
NEFF, AND HEIDI WILL BE FOLLOWE
BY SUSAN YANG.
>> GOOD MORNING, COUNCILMEMBERS
MY NAME IS HEIDI NEFF, PROGRAM
DIRECTOR OF CATHOLIC SERVICES O
KING COUNTY, OR CCF. I'M HERE
TODAY TO SUPPORT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINED IN THE
UDUB HUMAN WORKERS WAGE STUDY.
THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBERS,
HERBOLD AND MOSQUEDA, FOR
CHAMPIONING THIS STUDY AND TO
THE FULL COUNCIL FOR FUNDING
THIS STUDY. WE PROVIDE A WIDE
VARIETY OF SERVICES IMPACTED BY
POVERTY AND RACISM. WE INCLUDE
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS,
IMMIGRATION AND LEGAL SERVICES
AND MORE. THROUGHOUT OUR AGENCY
LOW WAGES ARE PREVENTING CCS
FROM BEING ABLE TO FULLY RESPON
TO THE NEEDS AND FULFILL OUR
MISSION. THE YOUTH TUTORING
PROGRAM PROVIDES NO-COST
TUTORING TO SCHOLARS IN SIX
UNDERRESOURCED COMMUNITIES IN.
DUE TO LOW WAGES, WE HAVE NOT
BEEN FULLY STAFFED SINCE LAST
AUGUST. WE ALSO STRUGGLE FROM
HIGH TURNOVER AS EARLY CAREER
STAFF BUILD EXPERIENCE AND THEN
MOVE ON TO BETTER-PAYING WORK.
SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH
SKILLED AND EXPERIENCED STAFF
ARE KEY IN PROVIDING MEANINGFUL
SUPPORT FOR THE BI-POC AND
IMMIGRANT FAMILIES WE SERVE. OU
FUNDING COMES FROM A VARIETY OF
GRANTS AND CONTRACTS, INCLUDING
THE CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIO
AND EARLY LEARNING. DCF HOMELES
SERVICES ARE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY
IMPACTED BY WAGE INEQUITY
>>> DUE TO VACANCIES, STAFF ARE
OFTEN ASKED TO WORK OVERTIME OR
DOUBLE SHIFTS TO KEEP MUCH
NEEDED SHELTERS OPEN. MANY STAF
ALSO STRUGGLE TO PAY THEIR BILL
AND WILL WORK MULTIPLE JOBS,
FIND SHARED HOUSING OR RESORT T
LONG COMMUTES IN ORDER TO MAKE
ENDS MEET. LOW WAGES ARE
PREVENTING US FROM BEING ABLE T
FULLY DELIVER EXISTING SERVICES
THIS INEQUITY NEEDS TO BE
ADDRESSED BEFORE WE WILL BE ABL
TO STAND UP ADDITIONAL NEEDED
SERVICES. THIS REPORT PROVIDES
GREAT PATH FORWARD IN CREATING
SAFE, SUSTAINABLE AND MORE
SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY IN THIS
GREAT CITY. THANK YOU SO MUCH
FOR YOUR TIME AND ATTENTION TO
THIS.
>> THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER
IS SUSAN YANG, AND SUSAN WILL B
FOLLOWED BY PHIDUMO TALLEY.
>> GOOD MORNING, COUNCILMEMBERS
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
THE EDUCATION CENTER. WE SERVE
OVER 400 CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
IN SEATTLE WITH CHILD CARE AND
EARLY LEARNING SERVICES WHO ARE
PREDOMINANTLY LIVING IN POVERTY
OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
AND OUR IMMIGRANTS OF THE FIRST
I REALLY WANT TO THANK
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD AND
MOSQUEDA FOR CHAMPIONING THE
STUDY AND A FULL COUNCIL FOR
FUNDING THIS STUDY. I'M HERE TO
ASK THE COUNCIL TO ADOPT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINED IN THE
UDUB STUDY AND TO BEGIN EFFORTS
TO FULLY INVEST IN A HUMAN
SERVICES WORK FORCE. WE ARE AT
CRITICAL CROSSROADS IN OUR TIME
THEY ARE PREVENTING TO FULFILL
OUR MISSION, OUR INABILITY TO
FIND QUALITY STAFF HAS PREVENTE
US FROM OPENING THREE OF OUR
CLASSROOMS, AND, SADLY, TWO OF
THESE ARE INFANT AND TODDLER
CLASSROOMS WHO ARE CRITICALLY -
WHICH ARE CRITICALLY NEEDED FOR
CHILDREN SO THAT OUR FAMILIES
CAN WORK. WHILE OUR WORK IS THE
MOST IMPORTANT TO OUR CURRENT
AND FUTURE ECONOMIC
POSSIBILITIES, CHILD CARE AND
EARLY LEARNING WORKERS ARE THE
LEAST RESPECTED AND LEAST
REWARDED. THIS INEQUITY NEEDS T
BE ADDRESSED AND ADOPTED THROUG
THE RECOMMENDATIONS BY UDUB, AN
WE REALLY HOPE THE COUNCIL WILL
CONTINUE TO INVEST IN CREATING
MORE EQUITABLE COMMUNITY FOR TH
CITY AND TO PROVIDE A COLLECTIV
VISION FOR A VIBRANT CITY OF
SEATTLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TIME.
>> LOOKS LIKE OUR NEXT SPEAKER
IS SHOWING AS NOT PRESENT. SO
WE'LL MOVE DOWN TO JESSIE
FRIEDMAN. JESSIE WILL BE
FOLLOWED BY HOWARD.
>> GOOD MORNING, COMMITTEE
MEMBERS. I'M JESSIE FREED R
FRIEDMAN, THE POLICY DIRECTOR
FOR YOUTH CARE, SPEAKING IN
STRONG SUPPORT OF THE WAGE
EQUITY STUDY YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT
TODAY. A BIG THANK YOU TO
COUNCILMEMBERS FOR CHAMPIONING
THIS STUDY. THE FINER DETAILS O
WHAT ALL OF US KNOW TOO WELL.
OUR FRONTLINE WORKERS ARE
UNDERPAID, PUTTING BOTH THEIR
STABILITY AND THE STABILITY OF
OUR ENTIRE HUMAN SERVICES SECTOO
AT RISK. YOUTH CARE SERVES OVER
1,600 YOUNG PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS ANNUALLY, ADOPTION
CENTERS, EDUCATIONAL AND WORK
FORCE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. EAC
OF OUR PROGRAMS HAS A STAFFING
SHORTAGE. OUR STAFF CAN'T AFFOR
TO STAY IN THIS WORK. OFTEN
LEAVING FOR THE BETTER PAYING,
BETTER BENEFITED JOBS OUTSIDE
THE HUMAN SERVICES SECTOR LIVIN
IN OUR EXPENSIVE REGION REMOTEL
POSSIBLE. OUR HIGH TURNOVER
LEVELS DON'T MEAN THEY HAVE A
TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP. IT MEANS
WE CAN'T OFFER THE KIND OF
SUPPORT THAT YOUNG PEOPLE NEED
TO MOVE TOWARDS STABILITY AND
WELLNESS. IT OFTEN MEANS THAT
OUR WORK FORCE IS LESS
EXPERIENCED AND LESS TRAINED.
DUE TO LACK OF STAFF, YOUTH CAR
CURRENTLY HAS TWO UNDER 18
PROGRAMS CONSOLIDATED INTO ONE.
THAT MEANS MORE CHILDREN LIVING
IN UNHOUSED OR UNSAFE
SITUATIONS. ONE OF OUR 18 TO 24
PROGRAMS IS CLOSED ALL TOGETHER
AND A NEW ONE WAS NEVER ABLE TO
OPEN. OUR STAFF WORKS 24/7 WITH
YOUNG PEOPLE IN CRISIS. THEY AR
DEALING WITH THE REGION'S
BIGGEST CHALLENGES HEAD ON EVER
SINGLE DAY. AND THE TRUTH IS WE
CAN'T GIVE THEM THE SUPPORT THE
DESERVE ALONE. WHILE WE HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO IMPLEMENT MODEST
WAGE INCREASES OVER THE PAST
SEVERAL YEARS, LIKE MANY
ORGANIZATIONS, YOUTH CARE IS IN
A DEFICIT BUDGET. AND THAT'S WH
THIS REPORT IS SO CRITICAL. IT
SERVES AS THE -- IT'S A CALL TO
ACTION FOR NONPROFITS AND PUBLI
AND PRIVATE FUNDERS TO CREATE A
BETTER SYSTEM FOR OUR FRONTLINE
WORKERS, THEY DESPERATELY AND
DESERVE IT. THANK YOU ALL FOR
YOUR TIME.
>> THANK YOU. BEFORE WE MOVE TO
OUR NEXT SPEAKER WHICH IS HOWAR
GAYLE, AND THAT WILL BE FOLLOWE
BY JEN, I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE TH
RECORD REFLECT THAT
COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA WHO DID
LET US KNOW IN ADVANCE WOULD BE
A FEW MINUTES LATE HAS JOINED
US, AND HAS BEEN HERE FOR MOST
PUBLIC COMMENT. MOVING ON BACK
TO PUBLIC COMMENT, HOWARD GALE.
>> GOOD MORNING. HOWARD GALE
WITH SEATTLESTOP.ORG. TODAY
MARKS THE EIGHTH WEEK, THE
EIGHTH WEEK SINCE WAS KILLED BY
A SPEEDING SPD OFFICER. HAVE WE
FORGOTTEN HIM AND THE SERIOUS
QUESTIONS STILL LEFT UNANSWERED
FOR EXAMPLE, DESPITE VARYING
CLAIMS BY THE CHIEF CONCERNING
THE REASON OR REQUIREMENT THAT
AN SPD OFFICER WAS SPEEDING TO
THE SCENE OF A MEDICAL
EMERGENCY, PUBLIC REPORTED LAST
WEEK THAT THE EMERGENCY INVOLVE
A PERSON SUFFERING A PANIC OR
ANXIETY ATTACK, RATHER THAN AN
OPIOID OVERDOSE. THIS INDICATES
THAT CHIEF DIAZ INTENTIONALLY
MISLED THE PUBLIC AND THAT THER
WAS NO REASON FOR AN OFFICER TO
BE SPEEDING TO THE SCENE.
FURTHER, AFTER SEVEN WEEKS, THE
SPD HAS FAILED TO RELEASE ANY I
4-7B CAR OR OTHER VIDEO, 911
DISPATCH RADIO OR ANY SPD RADIO
TRAFFIC CONCERNING THIS
INCIDENT. THIS SPANS IN STARK
CONTRAST TO THE SPD POLICY AND
PRACTICE OVER THE LAST SEVEN
PLUS YEARS TO RELEASE THESE
RECORDS WITHIN 72 HOURS OF A
POLICE-RELATED DEATH. AGAIN,
ONLY RECENTLY DID PUBLIC OBTAIN
THE AUDIO OF THE 911 CALL,
SOMETHING STILL NOT MADE PUBLIC
BY THE SPD. FROM NEWS VIDEO
TAKEN SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDEN
WHILE EMTs WERE ATTENDING, IT
APPEARS THAT HER BODY WAS
DISPLACED OVER 150 FEET FROM
WHERE SHE WAS STRUCK, SUGGESTIN
THAT THE SPD CAR WAS TRAVELING
AT AN EXTREMELY HIGH RATE OF
SPEED, FAILING TO BRAKE UNTIL
AFTER HITTING HER AND/OR
DRAGGING HER FOR HALF A BLOCK.
WILL SHE ALSO BECOME THE VICTIM
OF A SO-CALLED POLICE
ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM THAT
CREATES A FACADE OF
ACCOUNTABILITY OF SERVICE AND
FORGETTING? WELL, THIS COUNCIL'
ALLEGIANCE TO A FAILED
ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM BE THE
MOTIVATION TO FORGET? FOR
COUNCILMEMBERS LEAVING AFTER
THIS YEAR, IS THIS THE LEGACY
YOU WISH TO LEAVE BEHIND? AND
FOR THOSE COUNCILMEMBERS RUNNIN
FOR RE-ELECTION THIS YEAR, TRUS
YOU WILL FACE THESE QUESTIONS A
EVERY PUBLIC APPEARANCE. THANK
YOU.
>> THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER
IS JEN MUSEA, AND SHE WILL BE
FOLLOWED BY NATHANIEL LYON.
>> GOOD MORNING, COUNCILMEMBERS
I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND
COCHAIR OF THE SEATTLE HUMAN
SERVICES COALITION. I'M HERE
TODAY TO SUPPORT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINED IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON'S WAGE
ANALYSIS OF NONPROFIT HUMAN
SERVICE WORKS. THANK YOU TO
COUNCILMEMBER MEMBERS HERBOLD
AND MOSQUEDA FOR CHAMPIONING TH
STUDY, AS WELL AS THE FULL
COUNCIL FOR APPROVING THE
SPENDING.OUR COLLEGUES PERFORM
AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT ROLE
EVERYDAY AS THEY CONNECT WITH
COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HELP THEM
CONNECT WITH FOOD, HOUSING,
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES,
SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELING AND
SO MUCH MORE. OUR CITY IS IN A
STATE OF CRISIS WITH
HOMELESSNESS AT AN ALL-TIME
HIGH. WE URGENTLY NEED THE
SKILLS OF DEDICATED AND
EXPERIENCED HUMAN SERVICE
PROVIDERS TO HELP ADDRESS THIS
CRISIS. HOWEVER, MANY
ORGANIZATIONS ARE STRUGGLING TO
HIRE AND RETAIN STAFF WHEN WAGE
ARE FAR BELOW WHAT IT COSTS TO
LIVE IN THIS CITY. AS AN
EXAMPLE, COMMUNITY RESOURCE HUB
WE PARTNER WITH AGENCIES IN OUR
COMMUNITY THAT OFFER CRITICAL
SERVICES THAT OUR CLIENTS NEED
TO HELP WITH HOUSING, BEHAVIORA
HEALTH AND MORE, YET MANY OF
THESE AGENCIES ARE UNDERSTAFFED
STRUGGLE TO HIRE AND RETAIN.
BECAUSE OF THIS, STAFF HAVE HIG
CASELOADS. THEY WORK FERVENTLY
TO OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS WHEN
AGENCIES HAVE HIGH TURNOVERS,
THEN OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE
UNABLE TO ACCESS WHAT THEY NEED
THE MOST. OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS
MORE SERVICES, NOT LESS, AND
LACK OF SERVICES COMPOUNDS THE
CHALLENGES WE ARE FACING ACROSS
OUR CITY. TO HAVE THE LEVEL OF
SERVICES WE NEED TO ADDRESS
HOMELESSNESS AND HAVE A THRIVIN
COMMUNITY, WE MUST HAVE THE
COMANT TO INVEST IN OUR STAFF
TEAMS THAT RECOGNIZES THEIR
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND
RESPONSIBILITY. THIS REPORT
PROVIDES A PATH FORWARD IN
CREATING A SUSTAINABLE THRIVING
COMMUNITY THAT SUPPORTS EVERYON
IN THIS GREAT CITY. THANK YOU
FOR YOUR TIME.
>> THANK YOU, OUR LAST PERSON
SIGNED UP TO SPEAK VIRTUALLY
BEFORE WE GO BACK TO IN-PERSON
PUBLIC COMMENT IS NATHANIEL
LYON, AND AFTER NATHANIEL, WE'L
BE GOING BACK TO IN-PERSON
PUBLIC COMMENT WITH OUR LAST
SPEAKER SIGNED UP, AND THAT'S
ASHANEY SMITH. MOVING BACK TO
NATHANIEL. THANK YOU. NATHANIEL
WE DO NEED YOU TO HIT STAR 6.
THERE YOU GO. PERFECT.
>> SORRY ABOUT THAT
>> GOOD MORNING, COUNCILMEMBERS
I WORK AT THE BALLARD FOOD BANK
I SPENT MY WHOLE CAREER IN
VARIOUS SEATTLE SERVICE
ORGANIZATIONS. I'M HERE TODAY T
SPEAK IN FAVOR OF ADOPTING
RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINED IN THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON'S WAGE
ANALYSIS OF NONPROFIT HUMAN
SERVICE WORKERS. I HAVE SEEN
MULTIPLE COLLEGUES LEAVE THE
NONPROFIT HUMAN SERVICES FIELD
AFTER YEARS OF CAREER
EXPERIENCE. BUT THERE ARE MANY
REASONS THAT INDIVIDUALS CHOOSE
TO LEAVE THIS SECTOR, BY FAR TH
LARGEST IS INEQUITABLE
COMPENSATION. OUR WORK IS ONE O
RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMUNITY
BUILDING. THAT CANNOT HAPPEN
WHEN TURNOVER IS NOT JUST COMMO
BUT EXPECTED. MOST SERVICE STAF
LASTS LESS THAN TWO YEARS IN TH
POSITION, JUST LONG ENOUGH TO
BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR
CLIENT, ONLY TO HAVE THAT BRIDG
BURNED WHEN WE LEAVE. EVERY
CLIENT I'VE WORKED WITH HAS
INTERACTED WITH THE HUMAN
SERVICES SECTOR FOR ANY
PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME HAS A
STORY ABOUT SOMEONE WHO THEY
TRUSTED THAT LEFT. I HAVE BEEN
THAT PERSON WHO HAS LEFT. HUMAN
SERVICE WORKERS ARE BEING ASKED
TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT PROFOUND
OFTEN LIFE-AND-DEATH
CONSEQUENCES FOR THE PEOPLE WE
WORK WITH WHILE BEING PAID AT
UNEQUITABLE LEVELS THAT WE
CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE IN THE
CITY AT. WE AS A COMMUNITY NEED
TO ASK IF THE PEOPLE WE ARE
ASKING TO SOLVE THIS CRISIS ARE
CURRENTLY FACING -- WE ARE
CURRENTLY FACING ARE WORTH
INVESTMENT BECAUSE UP UNTIL NOW
THE ANSWER HAS BEEN THAT WE ARE
NOT. I ASK THAT WE PLEASE ADOPT
THE RECOMMENDATIONS OUTLINED IN
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON STUDY
AS THE FIRST STEPS IN
RECOGNIZING THE CRITICAL
CONTRIBUTIONS THAT HUMAN
SERVICES WORKERS MAKE TO THE
CITY. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU. AND OUR LAST
PUBLIC SPEAKER IS MS. SMITH.
>> HELLO, EVERYONE. FOR ONE
THING, I HAVE TO SAY IS, MAN, I
THINK OF AN -- THANK THE
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FOR CRIMINAL
DIVISION, AND I THINK ABOUT
CRIMINAL AND WHO PEOPLE LABEL A
CRIMINAL. I SEE MY COLOR. I ALS
DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU GUYS D
NOT SURVEILLANCE OR MAKE
SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT TO
SURVEILLANCE ALL OF YOU,
INCLUDING THE POLICE AND
INCLUDING YOU ATTORNEYS BECAUSE
I'M WONDERING WHAT'S GOING ON.
ALSO WAGE EQUITY STUDY FOR
NONPROFIT HUMAN SERVICES? THERE
NEEDS TO BE A WAGE EQUITY STUDY
AMONG THE CITY OF SEATTLE
BECAUSE NOBODY WANTS TO WORK FO
YOU GUYS. I'M TELLING YOU RIGHT
NOW, I DON'T EVEN WANT TO WORK
FOR YOU. WHY? YOU DON'T PAY YOU
PEOPLE, AND ON TOP OF THAT, YOU
HOUSING IS RIDICULOUS. I'M 23
YEARS OLD, AND I'VE BEEN RAISED
IN SEATTLE, AND I'M HOMELESS.
ND THERE'S MANY HOMELESS PEOPLE
WHO ARE IN MY AGE. BUT YOU GUYS
ARE ALL HAVE THE ABILITY TO
CHANGE THESE THINGS BECAUSE GOD
GAVE YOU THE ABILITY TO DO IT,
AND YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING
WITH IT? THERE NEEDS TO BE
JUDGMENT, AND MAYBE PEOPLE NEED
TO GO SEEK AND LOOK OUT IN THE
CITY THAT THEY ARE SUPPOSEDLY
SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING BECAUSE
DON'T SEE NO HELP. WHERE'S THE
HELP? TELL ME. WHERE'S ALL THE
PEOPLE THAT ARE HOMELESS PLACE?
WHERE IS THE MENTAL STABILITY?
BECAUSE I KNOW YA'LL NEED MENTA
STABILITY TOO.
>> THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES
PUBLIC COMMENT FOR TODAY. WE'LL
MOVE ON TO THE FIRST ITEM ON OU
AGENDA. WE ARE JOINED BY
PRESENTERS FROM THE CITY
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. THANK YOU FO
JOINING US TODAY. THEY'LL BE
PRESENTING THE CITY ATTORNEY'S
OFFICE'S CRIMINAL DIVISION
FOURTH QUARTER REPORT. REALLY
APPRECIATE YOUR BEING AVAILABLE
TO PRESENT ON SHORT NOTICE. AND
IF WE COULD JUST START WITH A
QUICK ROUND OF GO AROUNDS AND
I'LL HAVE A COUPLE OTHER WORDS,
AND WE'LL LET YOU START IN ON
THE PRESENTATION.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER
HERBOLD. THANK YOU FOR THE
INVITATION TO BE HERE TODAY TO
PRESENT AND TO BE HERE IN
PERSON. IT'S NICE TO BE BACK.
I'M JOINED BY MY COLLEGUES
PER-OLAFSWANSON AND NATALIE
WALTON-ANDERSON WITH THE
CRIMINAL DIVISION. WE ARE HERE
ON BEHALF OF [ INAUDIBLE ] TO
PRESENT THE QUARTERLY REPORT OF
THE CITY'S CRIMINAL DIVISION --
I JUST NOTED WHAT KIND OF
INCREDIBLE INVESTMENT,
EXTRAORDINARY EFFORT IT IS TO
PRODUCE THIS LEVEL OF
TRANSPARENCY, AND THAT'S REALLY
A REPLEX OF ANN DAVISON'S
COMMITMENT ABOUT TRANSPARENCY O
OUR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. TH
PRESENTATION THAT PER AND
NATALIE WILL PROVIDE TODAY IS
REALLY A PREVIEW OF A 53-PAGE
REPORT WITH 120 DIFFERENT CHART
PROVIDING DETAILED EXACTING DAT
ON ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE
CRIMINAL DIVISION. THAT REALLY
IS UNPLES DENTED FOR THE CITY,
AND IT REFLECTS AN EXTRAORDINAR
COMMITMENT BECAUSE WE HAVE TO
EXTRACT THAT DATA -- PER HERE
EXTRACTS THAT DATA FROM A
SYSTEM, FROM A DATA SYSTEM THAT
IS OVER 25 YEARS OLD AND IS
GOING TO BE REPLACED LATER THIS
YEAR. SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADUE,
I'LL TURN IT TO PER, AND NATALI
WILL FOLLOW.
>> SURE. BEFORE WE JUMP INTO
THAT, I JUST WANTED FOLKS TO --
VIEWING PUBLIC AND
COUNCILMEMBERS TO BE AWARE THAT
THE REPORT AND THE PRESENTATION
ARE LINKED TO THE AGENDA. IT IS
A 53-PAGE REPORT. IT IS FULL OF
VISUALS, AND THAT IS VERY
HELPFUL. THE PRESENTATION ITSEL
IS CONDENSED AND SHOWS SOME
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE REPORT. BUT
THERE'S A LOT OF GREAT
INFORMATION WITHIN THE REPORT
ITSELF. SO THANK YOU
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER, AN
DEPUTY CITY ATTORNEY. SO THIS
REPORT -- I'M GOING TO GO OVER
SOME HIGH-LEVEL JUST BASICS TO
GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF THE STATE O
WHAT WE'RE DOING, NOT GET INTO
SOME OF THE FINER DETAILS YOU'L
FIND IN THE WHOLE REPORT.
STARTING OFF WITH LOOKING AT A
TIMELINE OF THE REFERRALS OUR
OFFICE GET AND TO DEFINE WHAT
THAT IS. A POLICE OFFICER WILL
WRITE A REPORT WHEN A CRIME IS
SENT TO THE OFFICE, BUT THAT
REPORT CAN SOMETIMES HAVE
MULTIPLE PEOPLE ON IT, SO
REFERRAL IS A PERSON PER REPORT
AND THAT'S SORT OF THE BEST
MEASURE OF WHAT THE OFFICE DOES
BECAUSE EACH PERSON IS AN
INDIVIDUAL UNIQUE ONE. WE DON'T
NECESSARILY FILE ON ONE AND FIL
ON BOTH THAT COULD DECLINE THE
OTHER. SO THAT'S SORT OF THE
BASELINE OF A LOT OF WHAT WE DO
IS THIS REFERRAL. YOU CAN SEE
FOR THE LAST YEAR IT'S BEEN
PRETTY FLAT, BETWEEN 2,700 AND
2,800 REFERRALS A QUARTER. IT'S
A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THE LOWS I
2020 AND 2021 BUT STILL BELOW
WHAT WE ARE GETTING BEFORE 2020
SO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER INTO
THAT. NOT EVERY REFERRAL IS THE
SAME SO THAT WE BREAK OUR
REFERRALS INTO THREE DIFFERENT
CATEGORIES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE,
NON-TRAFFIC, NON-DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE AND CRIMINAL TRAFFIC.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WHILE OUR
REFERRALS HAVE BEEN PRETTY MUCH
CONSTANT, THE MAKEUP OF THEM IS
NOT NECESSARILY. SO IN 2020, TH
CRIMINAL TRAFFIC REFERRALS
DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY. A BIG
PART OF THAT IS WE GET MUCH
FEWER DRIVING WITH LICENSE
SUSPENDED REFERRALS THAN WE USE
TO. THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH ONLY
ONES THAT ARE ATTACHED TO DUIs
AND OTHER MORE SERIOUS CRIMINAL
TRAFFIC MISDEMEANORS AND THEN
ALSO THE NON-TRAFFIC,
NON-DOMESTIC REFERRALS HAVE
DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY. YOU CAN
SPECULATE WHAT THAT IS. IT'S
WELL CORRELATED WITH THE DROP I
POLICE STAFFING. AND DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE REFERRALS HAVE NOT
CHANGED MUCH, AND THAT'S ALSO -
MOST OF THOSE DO NOT ORIGINATE
WITH POLICE ON VIEWS, THEY
ORIGINATE WITH WITNESSES OR
VICTIMS THEMSELVES CALLING THEM
IN. AND SO IT'S MORE INDICATIVE
OF WHAT -- LIKE IT IS LESS
AFFECTED BY THE REDUCTION OF
POLICE STAFFING. COUNCILMEMBER
HERBOLD, I BELIEVE YOUR OFFICE
HAD ASKED ABOUT -- I SAW A
SECTION OF MOTIVATION
SPECIFICALLY SO WE PUT THAT INT
THE FULL QUARTER REPORT. AND YO
CAN SEE THE BLUE IS DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE ASSAULTS, THE GREEN IS
NON-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ASSAULTS,
AND THEN THE GRAY WITHIN THAT I
THE ASSAULTS AND SEXUAL
MOTIVATION FOR DV, AND THE TAN
IS THAT FOR NON-DV. THERE WAS A
CHANGE IN CODING AROUND THE END
OF 2019, 2020, SO THAT'S WHY
THERE'S A SPIKE THERE, BUT I
DON'T THINK THAT'S -- I THINK
THAT'S MORE INDICATIVE OF
RECODING IN OUR SYSTEM, NOT
BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE
MORE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ASSAULTS
OF SEXUAL MOTIVATION THAN
NON-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ONES, AND
THAT NUMBER HAS BEEN INCREASING
THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR AND
COMPARED TO THE PREVIOUS YEARS.
WHILE IT'S STILL A RELATIVELY
SMALL PROPORTION OF ALL OF THE
ASSAULTS, IT IS NOT A SMALL
NUMBER IN ITS TOTALITY. YOU'RE
LOOKING AT 100 PER QUARTER WHIC
IS SIGNIFICANT.
>> THANK YOU FOR CONCLUDING
THAT.
>> I'LL JUMP TO THE MAPPING SO
YOU CAN JUST KIND OF UNDERSTAND
WHAT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
CRIMES THAT LOOK LIKE THAT COME
TO OUR OFFICE. SO THE BLUE IS
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. YOU CAN SEE
FOR THE MOST PART THAT IS A HEA
MAP OF THE POPULATION OF THE
CITY. WHERE MORE PEOPLE LIVE, W
GET MORE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
REFERRALS. THE NON-TRAFFIC,
NON-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, A LOT OF
THAT FOLLOWS CORPORATE -- NOT
CORPORATE, BUT LIKE BUSINESS
ACTIVITY, COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY.
THE DOWNTOWN CORRIDOR IS BY FAR
THE HIGHEST AREA WHERE WE GET
THAT FROM. BUT YOU CAN ALSO SEE
A VERY BRIGHT SPOT IN NORTHGATE
ALONG THE AURORA CORRIDOR, AND
THEN, YOU KNOW, OTHER AREAS
WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF
COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY. AND THEN
THE CRIMINAL TRAFFIC TENDS TO
FOLLOW EITHER PLACES WHERE
PEOPLE DRINK OR WHERE PEOPLE
DRIVE TO AND FROM WHERE THEY
DRINK. SO YOU'LL SEE A LOT IN
CAPITOL HILL, AND THEN ON
VARIOUS LIKE MAIN ARTERIALS. SO
THAT IS SORT OF THE STATE OF
WHAT'S COMING INTO OUR OFFICE.
I'M GOING TO TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT
WHAT WE COULD WITH THOSE. SO
THIS CHART SHOWS OUR FILING AND
DECLINING, SO, BASICALLY, THE
DECLINING UNIT AND JUST THE
OUTPUT OF OUR OFFICE BEFORE IT
MAKES IT TO THE COURT. AS YOU
CAN SEE, THE MID-2020, THE
OUTPUT OF THE OFFICE DROPPED
SIGNIFICANTLY, AND IT IS NOW
BACK UP TO WHERE IT WAS BEFORE
THAT OR CLOSE TO IT. WE'RE NOT
GETTING AS MANY REFERRALS, THER
IS A LIMIT ON WHAT WE CAN FILE.
THE GOLD PART BREAKS DOWN THING
FROM THE BACKLOG, SO WHEN CITY
ATTORNEY DAVISON ENTERED THE
OFFICE AT THE BEGINNING OF 2022
THERE WAS A BACKLOG OF 4,990
REFERRALS WAITING TO BE DECIDED
ON. MANY OF THOSE ARE VERY OLD
WHICH MAKES THEM VERY HARD TO
PROSECUTE. AND SO A LOT OF THEM
ENDED UP HAVING TO BE DECLINED.
THEY'RE ALL LOOKED AT, AND JUST
SOME OF THEM, THE WITNESSES HAV
LEFT, THE EVIDENCE HAD BECOME
STALE OR THEY WEREN'T GOOD TO
BEGIN WITH. AND SO AS YOU CAN
SEE THAT THE AMOUNT WE DECLINED
FROM CURRENT THINGS HAS NOT
REALLY CHANGED MUCH, BUT THE
ACTIVITY IS HEAVILY INFLUENCED
BY THOSE RECENT BACKLOG
DECLINES.
>> JUST A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT
THE DEFINITION.
>> YEAH.
>> BACKLOG DECLINE, IS THAT AN
ADMINISTRATIVE DECLINE, OR IS
THAT CASES IN WHICH THE -- YOU
WENT THROUGH THE BACKLOG AND TH
WITNESS OR THE VICTIM THEMSELVE
STATED THAT THEY WISHED TO
DECLINE?
>> WE WENT THROUGH ALL OF THE
CASES, AND SOME WERE DECLINED
BECAUSE OF A LACK OF WITNESS
COOPERATION OR CONTACT, AND SOM
WERE DECLINED FOR OTHER REASONS
FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE OF THE AGE
OF THE CASE AND WHAT THE CASE
WAS, FOR EXAMPLE, A 2-YEAR-OLD
TRESPASS CASE, WE MADE A LOT OF
ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS TO
DECLINE THOSE CASES.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AND BEFORE WE GO ON, I SEE
THAT COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA'S
HAND IS RAISED.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR KEEPIN
AN EYE OUT. COUNCILMEMBER
MOSQUEDA?
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR, FOR
ANNOUNCING ME. I'M SORRY I WAS
FEW MINUTES LATE. A GREAT PUBLI
TESTIMONY THIS MORNING AND A
PATH TO AGENDA. I HAVE A FEW
QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL TRY TO KEEP
THEM RELATIVELY SHORT. HELLO,
EVERYBODY. GOOD TO SEE YOU. MY
QUESTION WAS ACTUALLY RELATED T
THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, AND, MADAM
CHAIR, IF YOU PREFER THAT WE
JUST SORT OF PEPPER THESE
THROUGHOUT, I'M HAPPY TO DO
THAT. BUT IF WE COULD GO BACK A
SLIDE. I JUST WONDERED, IS THER
A REASON YOU DECIDED TO NOT
COMPARE THE HEAT MAPS TO OCCD
MAPS FOR COMPARATIVE PURPOSE?
>> WE DO MORE DETAILED HEAT
MAPPING FOR INTERNAL PURPOSES.
BUT THE REASON WE DO THIS IS
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE KIND OF A
SIMPLE LOOK AT WHERE THINGS ARE
HAPPENING, AND, YOU KNOW, WHILE
IT IS VERY INFORMATIVE IN SOME
CASES TO BREAK APART -- TO
BASICALLY MERGE THE HEAT MAPS
WITH SHAPED FILES THAT TALK
ABOUT VARIOUS DIFFERENT
DEMOGRAPHIC AND OTHER RELATED
THINGS, IT GETS PRETTY IN THE
WEEDS, AND WE'RE ALSO A SHOP OF
ONE ANALYST WHICH IS ME. AND SO
IT'S MORE OF AN ON-DEMAND THING
RATHER THAN A GENERAL REPORTING
THING. BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO
LOOK AT THOSE VARIOUS THINGS,
AND IT IS SOMETHING WE WORK ON.
>> THANK YOU.
>> OH, AND WE DO HAVE IN THE
REPORT DETAILED BREAKDOWNS OF
INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL DISTRICTS IF
ANYONE HAS QUESTIONS SPECIFIC T
THAT. BUT GOING ON, SO THIS
SHOWS OUR DECLINE RATE. AND THE
MAIN REASON WE MEASURE DECLINE
RATE IS TO SORT OF LOOK AT WHAT
PERCENT OF WHAT'S COMING IN WE
CAN DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE
WITH. YOU KNOW, SOME THINGS WIL
ALWAYS BE DECLINED BECAUSE OF
VARIOUS REASONS. BUT WE WANT TO
TRY TO BRING THE DECLINE RATE
DOWN FOR THINGS WHERE, YOU KNOW
AS SCOTT WAS SAYING, OLD CASES
THAT ARE NOT PARTICULARLY --
LIKE THE EVIDENCE ISN'T VERY
GOOD, THAT'S NOT USEFUL FOR
ANYONE IF SOMETHING HAS TO BE
DECLINED FOR THAT. SO WE WANT T
GET RID OF DECLINES LIKE THAT.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT OUR OFFICE
HAS LOWER DECLINE RATES THAN AN
OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS, AND THA
HAS BEEN BECAUSE OF LEADERSHIP
BY CITY ATTORNEY DAVISON, BY
NATALIE WALTON ANDERSON AND JUS
REALLY TRYING TO MAKE OUR
OFFICES AS EFFICIENT AS
POSSIBLE. SOMETHING WE ANNOUNCE
LAST YEAR THAT WAS VERY
IMPORTANT AND ALSO A BIG PART O
WHY THE DECLINE RATE IS LOWER I
OUR CLOSE IN TIME FILING, TRYIN
TO MAKE A FILING DECISION AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE WHEN WE HAV
AN INCOMING REFERRAL. AND SO YO
CAN SEE THAT THINGS STARTED OUT
VERY WELL. Q2, IT WAS JUST A
COUPLE DAYS. IT GOT A LITTLE
WORSE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. THER
WERE STAFFING ISSUES THAT IN
THELY WILL TALK ABOUT A LITTLE
LATER. BUT OVERALL FOR THE YEAR
WE HAD A MEDIAN TIME TO MAKE A
FILING DECISION OF FIVE DAYS
WHICH IS BASICALLY SAYING A
VICTIM CAN EXPECT TO WAIT ABOUT
FIVE DAYS TO KNOW WHETHER OR NO
WE HAVE DECIDED TO PROSECUTE TH
CASE THEY ARE A VICTIM ON. AND
THAT ALL LEADS INTO THE BACKLOG
SO AS I SAID EARLIER, THE
BACKLOG OF CASES WAITING TO BE
REVIEWED WAS 4,990 WHEN CITY
ATTORNEY DAVISON TOOK OFFICE.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE QUARTER BY
QUARTER WHAT WAS DONE TO THAT.
THE CLOSE IN TIME POLICY HAD A
GREAT EFFECT. IT MADE THINGS
MORE EFFICIENT, WE WERE ABLE TO
WORK THROUGH MORE OF THEM. SOME
STAFFING ISSUES STARTED TO
HAPPEN IN THE THIRD QUARTER
WHICH SLOWED IT DOWN. AND THEN
WE INITIATED A SPECIAL PROJECT
OF BASICALLY GETTING SOME --
PULLING SOME ATTORNEYS ASIDE,
USING TECH TO STREAMLINE THINGS
AND JUST REALLY LOOKINGFOR
REFERRALS THAT WERE JUST NOT
PROSECUTABLES, KIND OF
LOW-HANGING FRUIT THAT WE COULD
GET RID OF BECAUSE THERE WASN'T
-- WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE T
PROSECUTE IT ANYWAYS, AND IT
TAKES LESS TIME TO DECLINE
SOMETHING THAN IT DOES TO FILE.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA. I'LL
LET YOU DO IT.
>> GO AHEAD, COUNCILMEMBER
MOSQUEDA.
>> THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. COUL
YOU ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT MORE
WHEN WE SEE ON PAGE NINE OF THE
REPORT, THE GRAPH SHOWS THE
STEEP DECLINE IN TIMELY FILING
DECISIONS AFTER QUARTER TWO OF
2022, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT
MORE OF WHAT THE NORM IS FOR
FILING OF DECISIONS TO BE ABOUT
50% OR BELOW?
>> SORRY. PAGE NINE OF THE
REPORT OR THE SLIDES?
>> PAGE -- SORRY. PAGE NINE OF
THE REPORT. PERHAPS IT'S MORE
RELATED TO THE PREVIOUS SLIDE.
IF YOU WANT TO COME BACK TO IT,
THAT'S FINE. I DON'T WANT TO
KEEP US MOVING BACK, TALKING
BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE
SLIDES.
>> YEAH. SO GLSH COUNCILMEMBER,
SO CITY ATTORNEY DAVISON SET TH
GOAL OF FIVE DAYS AS THE
STANDARD THAT SHE WAS ATTEMPTIN
TO HAVE THE CRIMINAL DIVISION
MEET FOR MAKING FILING
DECISIONS. WHAT WE WERE REALLY
LOOKING FOR IS TO MAKE A, YOU
KNOW, SUBSTANTIAL PERCENTAGE OF
DECISIONS WITHIN THAT FIVE-DAY
PERIOD. THAT WAS HER GOAL. I
THINK THAT'S CONSISTENT WITH
BEST PRACTICE, BUT THERE'S NO
NATIONAL STANDARD FOR FILING
DECISION TIMES. I WILL SAY THER
ARE CERTAIN CASES THAT BY THEIR
VERY NATURE, PARTICULARLY
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES WILL
OFTEN TAKE LONGER THAN FIVE DAY
EFORE A FILING DECISION IS
APPROPRIATE. BUT THAT FIVE DAYS
FOR THE BULK OF MISDEMEANOR
CASES THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY'S
OFFICE RECEIVES IS THE GOAL THA
CITY ATTORNEY DAVISON SET AND
WHAT WE CONTINUE TO TRY AND
ACHIEVE.
>> THANK YOU, SCOTT. SO FINALLY
GOING ON TO WHY WE DECLINE
CASES, THIS IS SORT OF A
TIMELINE OF VARIOUS GROUPS OF
REASONS. SO A BIG GOAL OF THE
OFFICE WAS TO TRY TO NOT -- TRY
TO NOT DECLINE THINGS BECAUSE W
WEREN'T ABLE TO GET A HOLD OF
THE VICTIM FOR VARIOUS REASONS,
A BIG PART OF THE CLOSE IN TIME
WAS BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO BE
ABLE TO HAVE CLOSE-IN-TIME OF
CONTACT WITH THE VICTIM, AS WEL
AS ACCOUNTABILITY. SO YOU CAN
SEE THE ORANGE AND GREEN
SECTIONS HAVE BECOME MUCH
SMALLER, PARTS OF THE OVERALL
REASONS TO DECLINE, SOMETHING W
TRIED VERY HARD TO JUST MAKE IT
WHERE WE ARE NOT RELYING ON THE
VICTIMS SOLELY. NATALIE OR SCOT
CAN GET DEEPER INTO THIS. BUT I
ANY CASE, THIS SHOWING THAT
WE'VE MAINTAINED THAT GOAL. THE
LARGE DIVERSION OF POLICY
RELATED IN Q4 IS RELATED TO
BACKLOG DECLINES, NOT RELATED T
DIVERSION.
>> THANK YOU.
>> LET ME JUST EXPAND ON THIS
VERY BRIEFLY WHICH IS THAT WHEN
THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WAS
TAKING SIX MONTHS OFTEN TO MAKE
FILING DECISIONS, THE RESULT
THAT THEY WOULD GET WHEN THEY
WOULD CONTACT VICTIMS IN THOSE
CASES IS OFTEN VICTIMS AT THAT
POINT SIX MONTHS AFTER THE FACT
NO LONGER WANTED TO PARTICIPATE
THE INCIDENT HAD PASSED, AND
THEY WERE NOT INTERESTED IN
PARTICIPATING. AND THAT WAS --
THAT WAS AN UNFORTUNATE, YOU
KNOW, SITUATION. BY FILING CASE
FASTER, BY HITTING THE CITY
ATTORNEY'S GOAL OF FILING WITHI
FIVE DAYS OR A SUBSTANTIAL
PERCENTAGE WITHIN FIVE DAYS,
WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS WE'RE ABLE T
GET MUCH OVERALL VICTIM
COOPERATION. NATALIE.
>> AND A LOT OF OUR VICTIMS --
THANK YOU, SCOTT. A LOT OF OUR
VICTIMS ARE UNHOUSED OR THEIR
ADDRESSES ARE NOT STABLE, OR WE
DON'T HAVE MAYBE THAT CONTACT
INFORMATION SIX MONTHS THAT'S
CHANGED. AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE
SURE THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY'S
OFFICE IS REPRESENTING ALL
VICTIMS, OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
AND SO BY HAVING THAT
CLOSE-IN-TIME FILING POLICY, IT
REALLY ALLOWS US TO CONNECT IN
MUCH QUICKER, MORE MEANINGFUL
WAY WITH OUR VICTIMS. IN
ADDITION TO THAT, WE'VE HAD AN
INCREASE IN ADDING ONE MORE
GENERAL CRIME -- GENERAL CRIMES
ADVOCATE SO WE HAVE A TOTAL OF
TWO TO ADDRESS THOUSANDS OF
CASES, AND OUR VICTIMS HAVE A
LOT OF QUESTIONS FOR US, HOW TH
SYSTEM WORKS AND HOW THEY'RE
BEING SERVED. AND SO THIS CLOSE
IN TIME ALLOWS US THAT
CONNECTION, AND I THINK THE FAC
THAT A LOT OF OUR DECLINES WERE
BECAUSE WE COULDN'T CONTACT
VICTIMS IS REALLY NOT HOW OUR
OFFICE AND OUR -- REALLY OUR
SYSTEM IS SUPPOSED TO WORK.
>> THANK YOU. YEAH, JUST TO CAL
OUT THE CHANGE, THE POSITIVE
CHANGE, THE VICTIM NOT
PARTICIPATING HIS DROP FROM
ABOUT 20% OF DECLINES IN 2021 T
LESS THAN 10% IN 2022. THANK YO
FOR CALLING OUT THE STRATEGY,
THE CLOSE-IN-TIME FILING POLICY
AS CONTRIBUTING TO THAT. I WAS
JUST ABOUT TO ASK WHETHER THERE
ARE OTHER STRATEGIES. AND YOU
REFERENCED ADDITIONAL VICTIMS'
ADVOCATES. CAN YOU TALK JUST A
LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT?
>> SURE. OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
UNIT HAS APPROXIMATELY EIGHT
ADVOCATES RIGHT NOW. AND THAT'S
TO DEAL WITH OUR DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE CASES. BUT WE HAVE A
LOT OF OTHER CASES IN THE
OFFICE, THOUSANDS OF THEM THAT
REQUIRE ADVOCACY. AND WE HAD ON
GENERAL CRIMES ADVOCATE. AND IN
THIS LAST BUDGET CYCLE WE WERE
ABLE TO ADVOCATE -- AND THANK
YOU COUNCILMEMBERS, HERE, AND
THE MAYOR'S OFFICE FOR ALLOWING
US TO HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING T
HAVE A SECOND GENERAL CRIMES
ADVOCATE. HOWEVER, THAT'S STILL
NOT ENOUGH. WE HAVE TWO PEOPLE
WHO WORK BEYOND THE REGULAR WOR
WEEK TO TRY AND CONTACT AS MANY
VICTIMS AS POSSIBLE, AND THEY
PRIMARILY FOCUS ON OUR
IN-CUSTODY CASES, MAKING THAT
CONNECTION, OUR ASSAULT VICTIMS
OUR HARASSMENT VICTIMS, AND
THOSE VICTIMS THAT ARE AS A
RESULT OF A LOT OF OUR
INDIVIDUALS WHO SUFFER FROM
INCOMPETENCY AND ARE INITIALLY
AT LEAST IN OUR MENTAL HEALTH
COURT. AND SO, AGAIN, WE HAVE
CALLS FROM SEATTLE FIRE AND SPD
AND OUR FIRST RESPONDERS AND OU
HOSPITAL WORKERS ALSO WANTING
THAT SAME ADVOCAC, AND WE AND
TRIAGE WHERE WE CAN, BUT WE
ESSENTIALLY HAVE TWO PEOPLE TO
CALL ON THE THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF CASES WE GET.
>> THANK YOU. THE OTHER ITEM
THAT I THINK IS WORTH CALLING
OUT IS THE INCREASE OVER THE
COURSE OF THE YEAR OF THE
DIVERSION POLICY RELATED
DECLINES, JUST APPRECIATE SEEIN
THAT DATA POINT PULLED OUT. IT
IS USEFUL TO SEE WITHIN THE
CONTEXT OF DECLINES GENERALLY.
AND JUST BEYOND -- YOU SAY
DIVERSION POLICY RELATED, AND
I'M JUST THINKING KIND OF
NARROWLY DIVERSION, WHAT ARE
SOME OTHER POLICY-RELATED
DECLINES IN THAT CATEGORY?
>> SURE. AND TO BE HONEST,
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, I JUST
WANT TO SAY SHIFTING THE
CONTRACTS OF OUR CONTROL TO HSD
HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT CHALLENG
FOR US. IN THE FIRST I WOULD SA
THREE QUARTERS WE WORKED WITH
HSD, AND ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW,
THE TRANSFER OF WORK, THEY HAD
TO STAFF UP, AND I RECOGNIZE
THAT, HAVING TO MAKE THOSE
ADJUSTMENTS AND TRANSITIONS. AN
SO I WANT TO EXPRESS MY
APPRECIATION TO THE INTERIM
DIRECTOR, TANYA KIM BECAUSE UPO
COMMUNICATING WITH HER, WE'VE
SEEN AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE LAST
QUARTER WHERE OUR DIVERSION
FILING, THERE ARE CURRENTLY TWO
PARALEGALS THERE, WE HAVE BEEN
ABLE TO SHEPHERD OUR
COMMUNITY-BASED CONTACTS TO TRY
AND CREATE SOME DIVERSE PILOTS
AND WE HOPE TO HAVE THOSE FUNDE
IN THE NEXT QUARTER. WE
CONTINUE BUT, YOU KNOW, PRIOR T
THIS YEAR, WE HAD THE ABILITY T
SIGN OUR OWN CONTRACTS AND STAR
THOSE PROGRAMS. WE'VE HAD TO
RELY ON ANOTHER AGENCY, AND THA
HAS HAMPERED OUR ABILITY TO
EXPAND DIVERSION TO THE EXTENT
WE WANTED AND WHAT I THINK
COUNCIL WANTED.
>> YES. WE HAVE BEEN TRACKING
THE SAGA OF GETTING DIVERSION
FOR THE AGE OVER 25 VERY
CAREFULLY AND UNDERSTAND THAT
WE'RE ABOUT TO EXECUTE A
CONTRACT. SO APPRECIATE YOUR
PATIENCE IN THAT. AND YOU'RE
RIGHT, THIS IS DEFINITELY A LON
TIME IN COMING, THE
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE PRIOR
CITY ATTORNEY AND THE RACIAL
EQUITY TOOLKIT WERE BOTH DONE I
2021. SO, YES, WE'RE DEFINITELY
ALL EAGER TO GET THIS UP AND
RUNNING. SO THANK YOU.
>> SO THAT'S GOING TO CONCLUDE
MY TALKING ABOUT THE REPORT. AN
NATALIE IS GOING TO TALK ABOUT
FEW OTHER ISSUES.
>> YES. AND IN THE INTEREST OF
TIME, THANK YOU, AGAIN,
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, FOR
HOSTING US AND ALLOWING US THE
TIME TO SPEAK ABOUT THE WORK
THAT WE'VE DONE. YOU KNOW, AS
MANY OF YOU KNOW, I JUST KIND O
WANT TO GO OVER SOME OF THE
FUTURE GOALS OF THE CRIMINAL
DIVISION TO SUPPORT PUBLIC
SAFETY FOR THE CITY. WE ARE
STILL TRYING TO GET TO FULL
STAFFING IN THE TWO YEARS
LEADING UP TO -- OH, I'M SORRY.
WELL, ACTUALLY, THIS TIES IN. S
IN THE TWO YEARS LEADING UP TO
-- AND TAKING OFF, YOU KNOW, AS
WE LOST APPROXIMATELY 12
PROSECUTORS IN TWO YEARS. ONE O
THE BIGGEST IMPACTS OF OUR
STAFFING CRISIS IS OBVIOUSLY OU
ABILITY TO PAY PROSECUTORS A
COMPETITIVE SALARY. AND SO ONE
OF THE METRICS THAT WE PUT FORT
IN THIS SLIDE IS BASICALLY, YOU
KNOW, THE ATTORNEY SALARY
COMPARISON. THAT'S CURRENTLY ON
THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW. AS YOU CA
SEE, UP UNTIL ABOUT YEAR FIVE,
WE REMAINED COMPETITIVE, ABOUT
YOU THAT'S WHERE WE STOP THE
ABILITY TO BE COMPETITIVE WITH
OTHER JURISDICTIONS, BOTH OUT O
STATE THAT HAVE COMPARABLES IN
TERMS OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE,
BUT ALSO WITHIN IN STATE AND
WITHIN OUR OWN MUNICIPALITY SUC
AS REDMOND, SEATAC, RENTON AND
BELLEVUE. AND OF COURSE, ACROSS
THE STREET WITH THE KING COUNTY
PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE AS WELL WHO
ALSO DOES MISDEMEANOR CASES, AS
WELL AS FELONY CASES. SO THAT
HAS BEEN A HUGE FACTOR IN US
BEING ABLE TO RETAIN AND KEEP
OUR STAFFING CURRENT. I THINK I
THIS CURRENT YEAR, WE'VE HAD SI
PROSECUTORS LEAVE THE OFFICE AN
MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN
PROMOTED WITHIN THE DIVISION.
AND SO WE ARE -- WE'VE BEEN
TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT, AND WE
ARE INCREDIBLY THANKFUL AND
APPRECIATIVE OF THE COOPERATION
THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM
COUNCIL, THE EXECUTIVE AND
MAYOR'S OFFICE, AND WE'RE
GRATEFUL WITH THE SPEED WHICH
YOU ALL BROUGHT THAT TO COUNCIL
TO I THINK A VOTE THIS
AFTERNOON.
>> VERY TIMELY.
>> I HAVE A QUESTION.
>> YEAH.
>> WHAT -- ON THE BOTTOM OF THE
GRAPH ON THE LEFT, WHAT DO THE
STEPS REFER TO? I'M TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT THOSE NUMBERS
ARE.
>> THE STEPS REFER TO
ESSENTIALLY LEVELS OF YEARS OF
SERVICE OR EXPERIENCE. SO, FOR
EXAMPLE, A PROSECUTOR WHO HAS
MORE THAN 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE
BASED ON THE PAY GRADE, I ONLY
HAVE THE ABILITY TO PAY THEM TO
STEP 6, AND SO I'M LIMITED IN
TERMS OF THAT RANGE, AND THAT
RANGE IS SHOWING HERE THAT, YOU
KNOW, AGAIN, OUR ATTORNEY
SALARIES ARE, YOU KNOW, JUST
ABOVE AT THE CURRENT MARK,
$100,000 FOR SOMEBODY WHO HAS
POTENTIALLY 10 OR 12 YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE AS A LAWYER. AND SO
THE ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND
RETAIN EXPERIENCED, THOUGHTFUL
PROSECUTORS TO THIS WORK IS
REALLY LIMITED. AND THAT IS WHA
WE NEED, ACTUALLY, TO CONTINUE
TO CARRY OUT THIS WORK.
>> AND THE FULL COUNCIL AGENDA
TODAY --
>> RIGHT.
>> -- HAS LEGISLATION APPROVIN
THE PAY INCREASE THAT'S
NEGOTIATED. QOUZ NELSON, YES,
FOLLOWUP?
>> I JUST WANT TO ZERO BACK IN.
I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOU
THIS LATER THIS AFTERNOON. BUT
AM I READING THIS CORRECTLY THA
SEATTLE HAS THE LOWEST SALARIES
EVEN LOWER THAN AUBURN AND -- I
THAT LOWER THAN KING COUNTY, FO
EXAMPLE?
>> YOU ARE CORRECT. THE STEP AN
YEAR, IT TALKS ABOUT THE
BREAKDOWN, SO WE ARE ALIGNED UP
UNTIL RIGHT ABOUT YEAR FIVE, AN
THAT'S WHEN THE DIFFERENCE --
THAT'S WHEN THE DIFFERENCE KIND
OF STARTS, AND WE JUST KIND OF
LEVEL OFF. AND YOU SEE ALL OF
THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND
EVEN OUT OF STATE AND COUNTIES
STARTING TO GO UP EXPONENTIALLY
>> AND MAYBE TO ADD TO THAT, SO
WE DON'T -- WE DIDN'T LOOK AT
EVERY SINGLE MUNICIPALITY, BUT
WITH ALL THE ONES LISTED THERE,
OUR RANGE HAS THE LOWEST TOP EN
AND THE LOWEST BOTTOM END OF AL
OF THOSE WEST COAST CITIES, MOS
OF WHICH ARE NEARBY.
>> THE OTHER THING I WANT TO
POINT OUT TOO IS THE COST OF
LIVING IN SEATTLE. AND WE ALL
KNOW THIS, BUT IN COMPARISON TO
THE CITY OF AUBURN OR, YOU KNOW
EVEN THE CITY OF RENTON, AND TH
FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE
SALARIES THERE, WE HAVE LOST
PEOPLE TO THOSE JURISDICTIONS,
AND ONE OF THE PRIMARY FACTORS
IS ESSENTIALLY OUR ABILITY TO
PAY COMPETITIVE WAGE.
>> THANKS. AND THE GRAPH ON THE
LEFT DOES SHOW THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN PUBLIC EMPLOYEES AND
NON-PROFIT EMPLOYEE SALARIES,
RIGHT?
>> IT SHOWS THE -- THE GREEN
LINE IS OUR OFFICE, CITY
PROSECUTORS. THE BLUE LINE IS
COUNTY PROSECUTORS, AND THE TAN
LINE IS PUBLIC DEFENDERS.
>> OKAY. THANK YOU.
>> AGAIN, IN THE INTEREST OF
TIME, YOU KNOW, OUR GOALS AGAIN
FOR THE CRIMINAL DIVISION, WE
JUST TALKED ABOUT FULL STAFFING
AND TRYING TO REMEDY THE ISSUES
IN TERMS OF DISPARITIES AND PAY
WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS, WE
ALSO WANT TO RELEASE OUR FILING
GUIDELINES. SIMILAR TO KING
COUNTY, THEY HAVE PUBLISHED
FILING AND DISPOSITION
STANDARDS. OUR GOAL IS TO FILE
THOSE GUIDELINES THIS YEAR. I
THINK THOSE GUIDELINES WILL
SERVE AS, AGAIN, MEETING THE
GOAL THAT OUR CITY ATTORNEY HAS
FOR TRANSPARENCY BUT ALSO
GUIDING SEATTLE POLICE
DEPARTMENT IN TERMS OF WHERE
THEY SHOULD FOCUS THEIR WORK AN
HOPEFULLY MAKING IT SO THAT WE
CONTINUE TO SEE LESS DECLINES.
FILING
GUIDELINES ARE, WE WILL MAKE
SURE THAT WE RECEIVE REPORTS
THAT EITHER HAVE THAT
INFORMATION IN THERE CONTAINED
OR THEY WON'T SEND THEM IF THEY
DON'T MEET THOSE GUIDELINES.
VICTIM CONTACT, I'VE KIND OF
ALREADY TOUCHED ON THAT. TO THE
EXTENT THAT WE CAN, WE WANT TO
PROVIDE AS MUCH ADVOCACY TO OUR
VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND DOMESTIC
ASSAULT, BUT OUR FIRST
RESPONDERS, OUR HOSPITAL, OUR
FIRE, OUR POLICE AND ALSO OUR
BUSINESS VICTIMS HERE IN THE
CITY. WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO
FOCUS ON CLOSE-IN-TIME FILING
AND REDUCE THOSE DECLINE RATES.
WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD TO GET
THOSE -- THAT CLOSE-IN-TIME
POLICY WITHIN THE OFFICE, MAKIN
THAT A STANDARD SO THAT WE CAN
CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THOSE
REFERRALS AS THEY COME IN. IN
ADDITION TO THAT, WE SEE, JUST
AS EVERYBODY DOES HERE IN THE
CITY, AN INCREASE OF INDIVIDUAL
SUFFERING FROM UNTREATED MENTAL
ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE USE
DISORDER, AND WE WANT TO WORK
WITH OUR PARTNERS ON RESTORATIO
AND COMPETENCY AND WHAT WE CAN
DO WITH THAT. LATER ON --
ACTUALLY, VERY SHORTLY, WE WILL
BE RELEASING A REPORT. WE
LAUNCHED OUR HIGH UTILIZER
INITIATIVE ABOUT A YEAR AGO WIT
THE GOAL OF FINDING THE RIGHT
RESPONSE AND REDUCING THE IMPAC
THAT THIS POPULATION HAS ON OUR
COMMUNITY AND A MYRIAD OF OUR
COURTS ARE -- AND CITY AGENCIES
PREDOMINANTLY THE ISSUES ARE
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, AND
WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF SUCCESS AND
SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN REDUCTION
ON THE NUMBER OF REFERRALS THAT
OUR OFFICE IS RECEIVING FROM
THIS POPULATION. WHAT'S ALSO
BEEN KEY IS THE PARTNERSHIPS
THAT WE'VE HAD WITH SEATTLE
POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE KING
COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE, THE
KING COUNTY JAIL AND OUR
COMMUNITY PROVIDERS,
SPECIFICALLY THOSE WITH
EVERGREEN TREATMENT AND LEAD AN
WORKING WITH US ON INDIVIDUALS
THAT ALSO MAY BE NAMED AS THOSE
THAT MEET THE HIGH UTILIZER
INITIATIVE CRITERIA BUT THOSE
ALSO ENGAGED IN THOSE PROGRAMS.
THE CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE WILL
BE RELEASING A YEAR-END REPORT
FOCUSED ON OUR OUTCOMES, AND WE
LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING THAT
REPORT WITH COUNCIL AND OUR
COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
>> THANKS. LOOK FORWARD TO
HAVING YOU BACK TO HEAR THAT.
JUST ONE ADDITIONAL QUICK
QUESTION, SOMETHING FROM THE
REPORT ITSELF, NOT PULLED OUT I
THE PRESENTATION. ON PAGE 18
REGARDING LEAD, IT SAYS THAT TH
CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS
STARTED TO TRACK THESE CLIENTS
WITH MUCH GREATER DETAIL. THE
DEPARTMENT HAS INTEGRATED BETTE
CLIENT TRACKING AS TO OVERCOME
SHORTCOMINGS IN THE CURRENT
CRIMINAL CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
AND WE'RE WORKING ON PUTTING IN
PAST CLIENTS BUT CURRENTLY ONLY
HAVE HISTORICAL CLIENTS FOR THE
YEAR 2022.
SO FROM THAT JOURNAL, WE'RE
PULLING OUT ADDITIONAL DATA,
WHICH YOU CAN SEE ON PAGES 19
AND 20. SO FOR INSTANCE, YOU CA
SEE WHAT TYPES OF COURT
CALENDARS THEY GO INTO. YOU CAN
SEE SOME OF THE, I GUESS EVEN
PAGE 21, LIKE THE HEARING
OUTCOMES. IT'S NOT AN INCLUSIVE
LIST. BUT GENERALLY WHAT IT
LOOKS LIKE FOR A LEAD CLIENT. S
HOPEFULLY LIKE THAT GIVES ENOUG
INFORMATION FOR WHAT YOU NEED
FOR YOUR DECISION MAKING. BUT W
ARE WORKING ON CONTINUALLY
EXPANDING THAT.
>> WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU DON'T
HAVE?
>> OUR CURRENT SYSTEM CURRENTLY
DOES NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO
TRACK THIS, SO WE'VE HAD TO DO
IT IN AN EXCEL SHEET, WHICH IS
TIME-CONSUMING. BUT HOPEFULLY
THE INFORMATION IS USEFUL.
>> THE SYSTEM THAT THE CITY
ATTORNEY OFFICE USES IS 25 YEAR
OLD CALLED DAMIAN. IT'S VERY
ANTIQUATED. VERY DIFFICULT. THA
IS WHERE THERE IS A BIG PROJECT
TO REPLACE THAT THIS YEAR WITH
MORE MODERN CRIMINAL DATA AND
ENTRY SYSTEM. BUT IT DOESN'T
ALLOW FOR DOING THINGS LIKE
TRACKING LEAD DATA. SO WE'RE
DOING A LOT OF THAT MANUALLY ON
THE SIDE, BUT SHARING IT AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE WITH YOU.
>> IT SEEMS LIKE IT WOULD BE
IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT THE
PROGRAMS ARE WORKING.
>> MAY I ADD SOMETHING TO THAT,
COUNCILMEMBER NELLSON. COMING
FROM KING COUNTY, WE HAD A MUCH
MORE IN DATA SYSTEM. WORKIN
WITH A LEAD PROGRAM, I KNOW
THERE'S BEEN MANY YEARS THEY'VE
BEEN TRYING TO GET A DATABASE
TOGETHER TO PROVIDE THOSE
OUTCOMES. ONE PROBLEM WITH OUR
CITY OF SEATTLE DATABASE IS THE
AGE OF THAT DATABASE. IT'S
DIFFICULT TO TRANSFER
INFORMATION BACK AND FORTH TO
THAT, BECAUSE IT'S OUT OF DATE.
SO WE'RE VERY HOPEFUL IN THIS
NEW SYSTEM THAT WE CAN
COMMUNICATE WITH THE LEAD
DATABASE AND HOPEFULLY SEE THOS
OUTCOMES, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS
I THINK WOULD BE IMPORTANT AGAI
FOR THOSE DECISIONS TO BE MADE.
>> EXCELLENT, THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I WAS
WONDERING IF WE COULD GO BACK T
SLIDE 10 IN THE PRESENTATION. I
APPRECIATE THAT HAS ISSUES HAVE
EMERGED, AND THERE'S MORE
ATTENTION ON THE HEALTH AND
SAFETY OF FOLKS BERTH WORKING I
AND RESIDING IN THE KING COUNTY
JAIL, A LOT OF THE PEOPLE,
PEOPLE ARE RAISING THE QUESTION
ABOUT WHO IS BEING ARRESTED, AN
WHO IS BEING ULTIMATELY BOOKED
INTO THE JAIL. I THINK THERE'S
FAIR QUESTION BEING ASKED FROM
THE COUNTY ABOUT HOW WE CAN
BETTER ADDRESS SOME OF THE FLOW
OF PEOPLE TO THE JAIL UPSTREAM,
AND WHETHER THAT'S AT THE POINT
OF ARREST OR PROSECUTION. SO I
APPRECIATE THAT ON SLIDE 10
HERE. YOU'VE CALLED OUT THAT
THERE'S A WHOLE CATEGORY OF
PEOPLE IN YELLOW THAT WERE
DECLINED DUE TO UNABLE TO PROVE
BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT. AND
THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR U
TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
AS WELL OF WHETHER OR NOT THOSE
FOLKS WHO WERE DECLINED TO BE
PROSECUTED FURTHER, OR THAT THE
WERE DIRECTLY REFERRED TO
DIVERSION-RELATED PROGRAMS. IS
THERE SOME WAY TO TELL WHETHER
OR NOT THOSE FOLKS WERE ABLE TO
GET INTO DIVERSION PROGRAMS?
>> CAN I JUST ASK A CLARIFYING
QUESTION? SO EVERYTHING HERE IS
SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN DECLINED.
SO THEIR PROSECUTION HAS BEEN
DECLINED. SO IF THAT WAS
DECLINED BECAUSE WE DIDN'T
BELIEVE IT COULD BE PROVED, THE
IT'S SORT OF DONE FROM OUR
OFFICE'S PERSPECTIVE. SO THE
DIVERSION WOULD BE IF WE THINK
THERE IS EVIDENCE, BUT WE DON'T
THINK THEY SHOULD BE IN THE
MAINSTREAM PROCESS.
>> AND COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA,
WAS JUST GOING TO INDICATE ALL
OF OUR REFERRALS ARE REVIEWED
FOR POSSIBLE REFERRAL INTO ONE
OF OUR DIVERSION PROGRAMS. IN
ADDITION TO REVIEWING THAT,
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING FOR POTENTIA
PROOF ISSUES. I DON'T BELIEVE
THAT THERE ARE ANY PROOF ISSUES
THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THE
OVERSIGHT TO BE TRYING TO PUSH
SOMEBODY THROUGH A POTENTIAL
DIVERSION PROGRAM THAT REALLY,
THE REFERRAL SHOULDN'T BE WITH
US IN THE FIRST PLACE. WE DON'T
NECESSARILY HAVE ANY SORT OF
IN-HOUSE I THINK COMMUNITY BASE
PROGRAM, THAT'S WHY WE WORK WIT
OUR COMMUNITY PROGRAM TO SEE
WHICH REFERRALS SHOULD NOT GO
THROUGH OUR SYSTEM. IT SHOULD B
REFERRED TO DIVERSION. BUT FROM
MY PERSPECTIVE, IF A CASE COMES
TO US AND THERE'S NOT SUFFICIEN
EVIDENCE IT SHOULD STOP RIGHT
THERE. I RECOGNIZE WANTING TO
HELP AND ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE WHO
OBVIOUSLY NEED THOSE DIVERSION
SERVICES, BUT OUR ROLE AS A
PROSECUTOR IS TO ONLY HANDLE
CASES WE FEEL THERE'S
SUFFICIENT, IF NOT MORE THAN
SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO MOVE
FORWARD AND HAVE US BE INVOLVED
>> OKAY. THAT'S HELPFUL
CLARIFICATION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW
UNLIKE PARTICIPATING OR UNABLE
TO CONTACT THE VICTIM, I THINK
IF YOU HAVE THE PERSON IN FRONT
OF YOU, IT SEEMS LIKE MAYBE
THERE'S A MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO
NOT GET MORE PEOPLE INTO
DIVERSION PROGRAMS GIVEN ACROSS
THE BOARD HERE, EXCEPT FOR IN
THE LAST QUARTER OF LAST YEAR,
ALL THE DIVERSION REFERRALS ARE
SMALLER TO PROSECUTE. IF THE
TEAM SAYS HEY THESE FOLKS
SHOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE IN THE
FIRST PLACE, THEN THAT'S HELPFU
CLARIFICATION. I THINK THAT THA
ALSO SIGNALS TO US THE FURTHER
UPSTREAM CONVERSATION WE WILL
CONTINUE TO HAVE WITH SPD AS
WELL, ABOUT WHO IS BEING BROUGH
INTO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTE
IN THE FIRST PLACE, IF THERE'S
THIS HIGH NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT
ARE COMING TO THE CITY
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND YOUR TEAM
IS UNABLE TO PROVE BEYOND A
REASONABLE DOUBT THAT THERE'S A
ISSUE TO BEGIN WITH, AND THEY'R
NOT GOOD CLIENTS BECAUSE THERE
WAS NOT REASON TO BELIEVE THAT
DIVERSION WAS THE BEST
ALTERNATIVE FOR THEM. THAT IT
SEEMS LIKE WE STILL NEED TO HAV
MORE UPSTREAM CONVERSATIONS WIT
SPD ABOUT HOW AND WHY SOME OF
THESE FOLKS IN THAT YELLOW
CATEGORY ARE BROUGHT IN IN THE
FIRST PLACE, GIVEN THAT WE KNOW
THERE'S HARMFUL CONSEQUENCES OF
PEOPLE PULLED INTO THE SYSTEM
AND IT REALLY DOES IMPACT THEIR
DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND THEI
ABILITY TO KEEP HOUSING. SO
THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION
ON THAT.
>> TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD.
WHEN YOU INDICATED THAT OUR
DIVERSION OR POLICY RELATED
REFERRALS ARE DOWN, I JUST WANT
TO MAKE SURE IT'S CLEAR ON THE
GRAPH THAT WOULD BE IN QUARTER
AND 4, THEY'RE ACTUALLY
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED. BUT I
WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT I
UNDERSTAND THE CASES WE WANT TO
BE BROUGHT TO YOU THIS OFFICE
HAVE THAT SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE.
THINK OUR GUIDELINES WILL HELP
WITH THAT. I ALSO THINK SPD'S
ABILITY TO HAVE A FULL ENOUGH
STAFF TO GET THOSE CASES WOULD
ALSO BE HELPFUL.
>> MAYBE THERE'S A
MISCOMMUNICATION. I WAS TRYING
TO APPLAUD THE NUMBERS FROM
QUARTER 4 OF 2022. AND NOTE THA
THAT WAS AN OUTLIAR, AND THAT I
DOES LOOK LIKE, YOU KNOW,
STARTING SPRING OF LAST YEAR YO
ARE RAMPING UP THOSE NUMBERS
COMPARED TO 2021. SO NO, THAT'S
APPRECIATED.
>> AND WE WEREN'T HERE IN 2021.
SO WE STARTED IN 2022.
>> JUST A REMINDER THAT THE CIT
ATTORNEY'S LEAD PORTFOLIO IS
VERY SMALL FRACTION OF THE LEAD
PORTFOLIO. THE VAST MAJORITY OF
THE LEAD PORTFOLIO IS PRE-ARRES
DIVERSIONS. SO THAT'S, I THINK
GETTING TO SOME OF THE COMMENTS
THAT YOU MADE, COUNCILMEMBER
MOSQUEDA ABOUT UPSTREAM
DIVERSIONS BEFORE CASES ARE
REFERRED TO. BEFORE THEIR
REFERRED TO THE CITY ATTORNEY'S
ALWAYS. SO AGAIN, THE LEAD
PORTFOLIO THAT THE CITY ATTORNE
HAS IS A VERY SMALL FRACTION OF
THE TOTAL LEAD PORTFOLIO, THE
MAJORITY OF WHICH IS PRE-ARREST
DIVERSION. COUNCILMEMBER NELSON
>> YEAH, I HAD A QUESTION. CAN
YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF SOME
OF THE PROOFS THAT YOU DON'T
HAVE IN ORDER TO GO FORWARD WIT
SOME OF THESE CASES? WHAT ARE
YOU TALKING ABOUT UNABLE TO
PROVE? SO WHOA IS THE ISSUE?
>> WELL, I THINK ONE IS
IDENTIFICATION, MAYBE CLEAR
VIDEO, MAYBE SOMETHING THAT'S
NECESSARY TO TAKE THAT CASE TO
TRIAL. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE
SEPARATED OUT THE CATEGORY OF
UNABLE TO CONTACT VICTIM, OR IF
THE VICTIM'S NOT PARTICIPATING.
BUT THAT ALSO GOES TO OUR
EVIDENTIARY CONCERNS AS WELL.
JUST ALSO WEIGHING THE EQUITIES
OF THE CASE AND FEELING WHETHER
OR NOT WE HAVE THE LEGAL
SUFFICIENCY TO GO FORWARD.
>> YOU TOUCHED ON POLICE
STAFFING, WHICH I DEFINITELY
UNDERSTAND IS AN ISSUE. I OFTE
GET ASKED BY SMALL BUSINESSES,
WOULD IT HELP IF WE HAD BETTER
VIDEO? COULD THAT BE HELPFUL, E
CETERA. THAT'S THE ONLY REASON
WAS ASKING.
>> ONE OF IS NOT EVEN HAVING AN
WITNESSES. ONCE THEY GO THERE,
THERE'S NOBODY THERE TO TALK
ABOUT WHO SAW WHAT. SO THAT'S
ANOTHER EVIDENTIARY CONCERN THA
COMES UP QUITE FREQUENTLY.
THAT'S DIRECTLY RELATED TO
RESPONSE TIME AND HAVING PEOPLE
THERE CONTACTING WITNESSES OR
THE FOLLOW-UP FOR THEM.
>> JUST FOR BIG PICTURE CLARITY
THE MAJORITY OF CASES THAT THE
SEATTLE ATTORNEY REFERS TO ARE
GOOD CASES FILED BY THE CRIMINA
DIVISION. IT'S NATURAL IN A
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO HAVE
SOME TENSION AND A GOOD THING T
HAVE SOME TENSION BETWEEN THE
PROSECUTORS AND THE POLICE TO
MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE, THESE
CASES ARE REALLY LEGALLY
SUFFICIENT BEFORE PROCEEDING. S
I THINK THERE'S A GOOD HEALTHY
TENSION. ONE OF THE WAYS,
THOUGH, THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO
REDUCE THE DECLINE RATE, MEANIN
FILE MORE CASES TO MAKE SURE
THAT SPD'S TIME IS NOT WASTED A
WELL, IS WITH MORE REPORT
WRITING, TRAINING FOR OFFICERS.
SO THAT OFFICERS MAKE SURE
THEY'RE PUTTING IN THEIR REPORT
THE FIRST TIME ALL OF THE
INFORMATION THAT THE PROSECUTOR
WILL NEED TO TAKE THAT CASE ALL
THE WAY TO TRIAL. ONE OF THE
CHALLENGES IN THE STAFFING
CRISIS IS THAT FIVE YEARS AGO,
IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE CASE THAT
PROSECUTOR COULD REACH BACK OUT
TO AEN OFFICER AND HAVE SOME
SMALL POINT OF FOLLOW-UP. THAT'
VERY DIFFICULT TODAY, BECAUSE
THE OFFICERS JUST DON'T HAVE TH
TIME. THEY NEED TO BE OUT ON TH
STREETS. SO IT'S HARD FOR THEM
TO RESPOND ON A THEFT CASE FROM
THREE WEEKS AGO, WHEN A
PROSECUTOR HAS A QUESTION.
>> THANK YOU. JUST CONTINUING
THE CONVERSATION AROUND NIECE
DECLINES. THE CATEGORY UNABLE T
PROVE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT
WOULD BE CORRECT THAT THIS
CATEGORY WOULD INCLUDE
INDIVIDUALS WITH COMPETENCY
ISSUES TO BEING ABLE TO BE
COMPETENT TO STAND TRIAL, AND
OBVIOUSLY, WE'VE HEARD A LOT
ABOUT THE EFFORTS OF THE COUNTY
PROSECUTOR TO BRING ATTENTION T
THE STATE'S OBLIGATIONS IN THIS
AREA. AND IF I RECALL CORRECTLY
THE CITY ATTORNEY HAS JOINED
THOSE EFFORTS AS WELL. SO I
ASSUME THAT EVEN THOUGH THOSE
COMPETENCY ISSUES MAY BE KEENLY
FELT IN HIGHER COURTS, I'M
GUESSING THEY MIGHT BE SOME
PERCENTAGE OF THE DECLINES HERE
TOO.
>> YES, COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD.
I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT TWO
DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF IT. FIRST
OF ALL, WE DO DECLINE CASES
WHERE WE KNOW THERE'S SOME
SIGNIFICANT COMPETENCY ISSUES
WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS. AND I'V
HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WITH
SEATTLE FIRE DEPARTMENT
SURROUNDING OUTCOMES FOR
INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE ALLEGED TO
HAVE ASSAULTED THEIR FIRED
EMPLOYEES, AND GOING THROUGH,
THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL THAT WAS
IN CRISIS. THEY WERE
INVOLUNTARILY COMMITTED OR
TAKEN, SO WE'VE LOOKED AT THAT,
IS THERE RECENCY IN TERMS OF
THEIR COMPETENCY FILING?
ALTERNATIVELY, WE DO FILE CASES
WHERE COMPETENCY IS ARRANGED AT
DERAINMENT. I'M HOPEFUL THAT WA
--
>> YEAH, VERY GOOD. APPRECIATE
IT THE JOINT EDITORIAL FROM CIT
ATTORNEY DAVID AS WELL AS THE
PROSECUTOR A COUPLE WEEKS AGO
GLAD TO SEE THAT WE'RE HELPING
TO RAISE SOME OF THE ISSUES
SURROUNDING THE STATE'S FAILURE
TO ADEQUATELY ADDRESS THE FAIR
AND HUMANE TIMING GETTING FOLKS
SERVICES WHEN NEEDED, AND
ADDRESSING THE ISSUES ASSOCIATE
WITH THEIR DETENTION IN JAIL,
THEIR LONG DETENTION IN JAIL
WHILE AWAITING THOSE SERVICES.
SO PLEASE SEND MY APPRECIATION
TO CITY ATTORNEY DAVIDSON FOR
HER PARTICIPATION AND ALL OF YO
AS WELL.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
WORK.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. I JUST
WANT TO CIRCLE BACK TO THE
RACIAL EQUITY IMPLICATIONS AS
WELL. I KNOW THIS IS A LONG,
LENGTHY REPORT. THANK YOU FOR
THIS DETAIL. ON PAGE 41 OF THE
REPORT IT SAYS THAT THE
PERCENTAGE OF REFERRALS OF
CERTAIN RACES ARE DISPLAYED ON
PAGE 41. BUT I WOULD LOVE TO SE
MORE, AS YOU MENTIONED THE
CROSSWALK BETWEEN HOW THOSE
PERCENTAGES COMPARE TO THE TOTA
POPULATION, SO WE CAN CONTINUE
TO THINK MORE ABOUT THE RACIAL
IMPACT OF PUBLIC POLICIES. I
REALIZE THAT'S NOT PART OF THE
PRESENTATION HERE, BUT TO THE
DEGREE THAT WE CAN LAYER THAT O
WITH FUTURE DISCUSSIONS WITH
YOUR OFFICE AND THE CITY
ATTORNEY. THAT WOULD BE IDEAL,
ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
>> THANK YOU, AGAIN.
>> JUST FOR CLARIFICATION,
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR NOT JUST TH
INFORMATION ABOUT REFERRALS BY
RACE FOR VICTIMS AND SUSPECTS,
BUT ALSO THE DIFFERENT OUTCOMES
OTHER THAN REFERRALS, IS THAT
WHAT YOU'RE SEEKING
COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA?
>> I THINK THAT WOULD BE
HELPFUL. I ALSO THINK IT WOULD
BE HELPFUL TO SEE HOW DIFFERENT
COMMUNITIES ARE WHEN A REFERRAL
HAPPENS TO A CITY ATTORNEY'S
OFFICE, HOW THEY'RE ULTIMATELY
PROCESSED SO WE CAN SEE IF
THERE'S ANY RACIAL EQUITY
JUSTICES THERE, IN COMPARISON T
WHAT THE PERCENTAGE OF THOSE
REFERRALS ARE, VERSUS HOW MUCH
OF THE TOTAL POPULATION THEY
REPRESENT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR
US TO KNOW IF IT THERE'S A
DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT.
>> THANK YOU ALL. VERY GOOD AT
PROVIDING NEW DATA POINTS, SO I
APPRECIATE THE CLARIFICATION.
ALL RIGHT, IF THERE ARE NO OTHE
QUESTIONS, I JUST WANT TO THANK
YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR WORK.
APPRECIATE YOU MAKING TIME AGAI
ON SHORT NOTICE. APPRECIATE ALL
THAT YOU'RE DOING AND YOUR
EFFORTS TO ACCOMMODATE OUR
VARIOUS INTERESTS IN FUTURE
REPORTS.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER
HERBOLD, AND TO ALL THE
COUNCILMEMBERS, AND THANK YOU,
HOPEFULLY IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR
SUPPORT THIS AFTERNOON. VERY
MUCH APPRECIATE IT.
>> WILL THE CLERK PLEASE READ I
AGENDA ITEM 2.
>> AGENDA ITEM 2. WAGE EQUITY
STUDY. WAGE EQUITY FOR NONPROFI
HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS IN
SEATTLE AND KING COUNTY.
>> ALL RIGHT, GREAT, THANK YOU.
THIS PRESENTATION, WE ARE DOING
A SPLIT IN-PERSON AND REMOTE
PRESENTATION. SO WE'LL SEE HOW
THAT GOES. APPRECIATE EVERYBODY
WORKING TOGETHER TO GET THIS
GOING, AND PLEASE SOME PATIENC
WITH US, AS WE GET IT ROLLING
HERE. WE'LL HAVE COUNCIL CENTRA
STAFF HERE WITH US IN CHAMBERS.
THEN WE'LL HAVE SOME OF OUR
EXTERNAL TO THE CITY PARTNERS,
AND ALSO THE HUMAN SERVICES
DEPARTMENT ATTENDING REMOTELY.
THINK I'LL JUST GET STARTED WIT
SOME INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. WE
HAVE A NUMBER OF GUESTS THIS
MORNING TO HELP US UNDERSTAND
THE NEWLY RELEASED UNIVERSITY O
WASHINGTON WAGE EQUITY STUDY.
THIS WAS COMMISSIONED BY THE
COUNCIL, AND THE INTENT WAS TO
EXAMINE PAY AMONG HUMAN SERVICE
SECTOR WORKERS. BUT WE'RE DOING
KIND OF A FRESH APPROACH TO
DOING A DEEP DIVE ON THE EQUITY
OF THESE WORKERS. WE'LL HAVE OU
PRESENTERS INTRODUCE THEMSELVES
THEN AFTER WORDS I HAVE A FEW
MORE WORDS BEFORE WE GET
STARTED. ASSUMING YOU'RE READY.
>> I'M KARINA BOWL AND I'M WITH
CITY COUNCIL CENTRAL STAFF.
>> HI, I'M JENNIFER ROMICK.
>> IF THE STUDY AUTHORS FROM
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON COULD
INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.
>> HELLO, JENNIE ROMICK.
>> ALSO A FACULTY MEMBER AT THE
UW SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK.
>> VERY GOOD, NEXT THE SEATTLE
HUMAN SERVICES COALITION
REPRESENTATIVES.
>> HI, I'M TREA WILLARD.
>> GOOD MORNING, JASON AUSTIN,
ORGANIZING WITH IZING.
>> GREAT. THEN LET'S HEAR FROM
OUR HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT
LEADERSHIP. PLEASE INTRODUCE
YOURSELF.
>> GOOD MORNING. I'M TANYA KIM,
ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE HUMAN
SERVICES DEPARTMENT. I THINK WE
HAVE ONE MORE U DUB RESEARCHER
WITH US. IS THAT YOU, SHANNON?
TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE
RECORD.
>> THANKS, HIGH, SHANNON HARPER
I'M A UNIVERSITY DIRECTOR AT TH
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON.
>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU. SO I'M
NOT GOING TO GO INTO TOO MUCH
DETAIL HERE. WE'VE GOT A REALLY
GREAT PRESENTATION. FOR THE
INTERESTED PUBLIC, YOU CAN FIND
THE RESEARCH AND SUMMARIES OF
THE FINDINGS AT SOCIALWORK.UD
UB.EDU. IN 2021 AT THE REQUES
OF THE HUMAN SERVICES COALITION
AT THE TIME OF THE PANDEMIC, OU
HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS WERE
STRETCHED THINNER THAN THEY EVE
WERE BEFORE. WHILE STRUGGLING
WITH THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC
AND ECONOMY ON BOTH THE PEOPLE
THEY SERVE, THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES
AND THEIR OWN FAMILIES. IT'S
REALLY, REALLY CLEAR THAT CITY
RESIDENTS AND VISITORS REALLY
RELY ON OUR SOCIAL SERVICES
SECTOR WORKERS IN ORDER TO DO
EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND
DEMANDING WORK. AS WE KNOW, THE
HUMAN SERVICES SECTOR IS A
SECTOR OF WORKERS WHO ARE
SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERPAID. AND TH
REGIONAL HOMELESSNESS AUTHORITY
OF KING COUNTY HAS REPEATEDLY
EXPLAINED TO US THAT AMONG ITS
FIVE LARGEST CONTRACTED
ORGANIZATIONS THERE ARE MORE
THAN 300 VACANT POSITIONS, WHIC
MEANS ABSOLUTELY MISSION
CRITICAL WORK JUST DOESN'T GET
DONE. WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF LOCAL
REPORTS ON BUILDINGS THAT ARE
READY TO OFFER A SAFE PLACE FOR
PEOPLE LIVING UNSHELTERED. THES
ARE BUILDINGS THAT THE COUNTY
HAS ACQUIRED. BUT WE CAN'T MOVE
PEOPLE IN, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAV
THE STAFFING FOR THE BUILDINGS.
THIS MORNING, WE HEARD ABOUT
CLASSROOMS AT MULTIPLE
ORGANIZATIONS READY FOR INFANTS
AND YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT THEY'RE
UNABLE TO OPEN BECAUSE IT'S
IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND WORKERS
WILLING TO TAKE THESE VERY, VER
DIFFICULT JOBS FOR SUCH LOW
WAGES. WITH THAT INTRODUCTION,
KARINA, WOULD YOU PLEASE KICK U
OFF? GET US STARTED.
>> I WILL. OKAY, LET'S SEE IF
THIS WORKS. ALL RIGHT, WELL, I
CAN'T GET IT TO SHOW THE FULL
SCREEN, BUT WE'RE SHORT ON TIME
THIS MORNING. MY ROLE WAS JUST
TO SET UP THE STAGE WITH HOW
THIS STUDY WAS FUNDED. AND
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, YOU'VE
ALREADY PROVIDED MOST OF THAT
INTRODUCTION. SO WHAT I WILL
FOCUS ON IS THAT FUNDING FOR TH
STUDY WAS INCLUDED IN THE 2022
ADOPTED BUDGET, AND THAT WAS DU
TO A COUNCIL AD SPONSORED BY
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD FOR
$600,000 TO THE HUMAN SERVICES
DEPARTMENT TO FUND THIS STUDY.
AND THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WA
TO CONDUCT A PARABLE WORTH
ANALYSIS OF HUMAN SERVICES JOBS
AS COMPARED TO JOBS IN DIFFEREN
INDUSTRIES, DIFFERENT FIELDS,
BUT WITH SIMILAR EDUCATION
SKILLS AND DIFFICULTY. WE WILL
LEARN IN DEEP DETAIL FROM THE
RESEARCHERS TODAY COMPARABLE
WORTH STUDIES, EQUAL PAY FOR
EQUIVALENT WORK. THE GOAL OF TH
STUDY WAS TO SERVE AS A
BENCHMARK FOR COMPENSATING HUMA
SERVICES PROVIDERS. IT WAS
PREMISSED UPON WHAT THE
PRINCIPLES THAT COUNCILMEMBER
HERBOLD WAS FOCUSED ON. THAT
HUMAN SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE PAI
WELL BELOW THE RATE, IT BECOMES
INCREASINGLY HARD FOR THOSE
WORKERS TO LIVE IN OUR COMMUNIT
AND SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AS WELL
EQUITABLE PAIN ENSURES THAT
NECESSARY SERVICES REMAIN
AVAILABLE. THE WAY THAT THIS
STUDY UNFOLDED IS THAT THE
SEATTLE HUMAN SERVICES COALITIO
ACTED IN A PROJECT MANAGEMENT
ROLE, AND ONE OF THE FIRST
THINGS THAT HAPPENED WAS THE
COORDINATION OF A STEERING
COMMITTEE, ON WAGE EQUITY,
NONPROFIT LEADERS AND CITY
COUNCIL STAFF AS WELL. THAT WAS
MYSELF AND LEGISLATIVE AID,
CHRISTINA KUTSUBAS. IN JULY, TH
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON WAS
SELECTED BY THE HUMAN SERVICES
DEPARTMENT TO CONDUCT THE
COMPARABLE WORTH ANALYSIS, AND
THEY ISSUED THEIR REPORT LAST
MONTH. SO HERE IS A QUICK
TIMELINE THAT PROVIDES A QUICK
OVERVIEW. IT BEGAN WITH THE
FUNDING IN JANUARY OF LAST YEAR
THER REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
WENT OUT IN MAY. THE SELECTION
MADE IN JULY, AND HERE WE HAVE
THE REPORT TODAY. SO IT WAS A
FAST PROCESS, BUT A RIGOROUS ON
AS WELL. AND THAT IS ALL FROM
ME.
>> FANTASTIC. THANKS. I HOPE YO
CAN STICK AROUND IN CASE THERE
ARE SOME QUESTIONS. LET'S HAND
IT OVER TO OUR U DUB PRESENTERS
>> OKAY, THANK YOU CHAIR
HERBOLD, AND TO KARINA FOR
HELPING TO SET THE STAGE THERE.
IT'S AN HONOR AS A SEATTLEITE,
IT'S AN HONOR TO BE ABLE TO WOR
ON THESE RESEARCH STUDIES THAT
HELP INFORM THE CITY. SO I THAN
THE FULL COUNCIL FOR THAT. AND
CHAIRMAN, I KNOW SOMETIMES
YOU'RE SLIGHTLY POLITER TO
EXTERNAL FOLKS THAN YOU ARE TO
COUNCIL STAFF, BUT I'M HAPPY TO
TAKE INTRODUCTIONS AT ANYTIME
HERE.
>> IF WE COULD HOLD OUR
QUESTIONS TO THE END IN THIS
CASE, I THINK THAT WOULD BE
BETTER, THANK YOU.
>> REQUEST OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO
AS THE CHAIR NOTED, WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT THIS STUDY THAT
RERELEASED LAST MONTH WITH
FUNDING THROUGH HSD, I WAS PART
OF THE TEAM AT U DUB THAT
RESPONDED TO THEIR REQUEST FOR
QUALIFICATIONS. WE PUT TOGETHER
A TEAM OF 12 SCHOLARS FROM 5
UNIVERSITIES AND 2 THINK TANKS.
WE WERE ACTUALLY INTERNATIONAL
WITH TWO MEMBERS FROM THE UK. W
HAD EXCELLENT ADVICE AND
OVERSIGHT FROM THE STEERING
COMMUNITY. I WILL SAY THAT OUR
CONSIDERATIONS AND
INTERPRETATIONS HERE TODAY ARE
OURS ALONE AND DO NOT REPRESENT
THE VIEWS OF THE STEERING
COMMITTEE, OR OF COURSE THE CIT
OF SEATTLE HSD. I'LL FURTHER
NOTE THAT OUR TEAM FOR THE MOST
PART WERE ACADEMIC BASED
RECERTAINLIERS WHO WERE USED TO
PUBLISHING IN THE PEER
LITERATURE, AND CHOOSING
FUNDINGS TO HIGHLIGHT, AND THE
STANDARD OF EVIDENCE BEHIND
THEM. SO WHAT I'M PRESENTING
HERE YOU CAN TRUST THAT ALL THE
FINDINGS ARE BACKED UP BY
MULTIPLE ANALYSES SHOWING THE
SAME THINGS. TO LET YOU KNOW
WHAT OUR MAJOR FINDINGS ARE,
ACHIEVING WAGE EQUITY AS THE
STUDY LAID OUT FOR WORKERS AT
HUMAN SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS IS
GOING TO REQUIRE SUBSTANTIAL
INCREASE IN CURRENT WAGE RATES.
WE PERFORMED A MARKET ANALYSIS
WITH PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DATA
THAT SHOWED PAY GAPS OF 30% OR
MORE FACING WORKERS IN THE HUMA
SERVICES INDUSTRY. WE ALSO
PERFORMED A DETAILED JOB
EVALUATION BASED ON COMPARABLE
WORTH PRINCIPLES THAT CONFIRMS
THIS DEVALUATION. THE FULL
REPORT HAS A REPORT OF SEVEN
RECOMMENDATIONS. I'LL TALK ABOU
THOSE AT THE END. BUT OUR FIRST
ONE IS FOR REAL. MEANING
INFLATION ADJUSTED 7% WAGES AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE, AND
SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES BY 2023.
THIS WORK BUILT ON PREVIOUS WOR
IN KING COUNTY. THE REGION
INCLUDING THIS KING COUNTY
FUNDED STUDY ABOUT NON-PROFIT
RAGES AND BENEFITS INTO THE
AREA. SO WE WENT INTO THIS
KNOWING THAT HUMAN SERVICES
WORKERS WERE PAID LESS THAN
OTHER WORKERS IN OUR REGION. BU
OUR GOALS FOR THE STUDY WERE TW
FOLD. FIRST, WE WANTED TO PUT
SOME NUMBERS ON THE WAGE GAP.
HOW MUCH LESS. THEN SECOND, WE
WANTED TO TACKLE THE QUESTION O
WHETHER THIS IS AN EQUITABLE
WAGE GAP. FOR THAT, WE'RE USING
THE PRINCIPLE THAT KARINA
REFERENCED OF EQUAL PAY FOR
EQUAL WORK. OUR METHODS USED, W
MADE THE BEST USE OF EXISTING
LABOR MARKET DATA FOR OUR MARKE
ANALYSIS. THEN WE CONDUCTED
ORIGINAL INTERVIEWS WITH WORKER
IN SEATTLE AND KING COUNTY TO
GET AT THE COMPARABLE WORTH
WHENEVER POSSIBLE WITH THE DATA
WE ZEROED IN ON THE CITY OF
SEATTLE OR KING COUNTY,
SOMETIMES DATA LIMITATIONS MEAN
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE STATEWIDE
WORK. SO CHAIR HERBOLD HAS
ALREADY OUTLINED WHO HUMAN
SERVICES WORKERS ARE. ONE THING
TO KEEP IN MIND IN KING COUNTY,
THESE HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS AR
DISPROPORTIONATELY LOCATED IN
THE NON-PROFIT SECTOR. SO DISK
TABLE, OR THIS FIGURE AND OTHER
THAT I'LL SHOW YOU ARE BASED ON
THE TEAM'S ANALYSIS OF
COMMUNICATED DATA SURVEYED FROM
THE CENSUS. YOU CAN SEE HERE
ALMOST HALF OF HUMAN SERVICES
WORKERS IN KING COUNTY ARE
WORKING IN NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS AND FEWER THAN 10
ARE WORSES FOR CITY
GOVERNMENT.ALSO
DISPROPORTIONATELY FEMALE,
DISPOUR PAGES PORTION EIGHT LI
DISPROPORTIONATELY BLACK AND
PART TIME. OUR STUDY OVERALL IS
BASED ON AN UNDERSTANDING THAT
WAGE LEVELS REFLECT WHO DOES
JOBS FOR WHOM AND UNDER WHAT
CIRCUMSTANCES. WE OFTEN TALK
ABOUT THE LABOR MARKET AS IF
LABOR WERE A COMMOTETY LIKE RIC
OR EGGS, BUT THAT'S NOT THE
CASE. LABOR MARKETS ARE BASED O
INTERPRETATIONS AND SHARED
VALUE. OUR UNDERSTANDING GOING
INTO THIS IS THESE JOBS CHANGE
OVERTIME, AND CHANGES IN THESE
UNDERSTANDINGS CAN CHANGE WAGES
AT THE TIME. SO TO OUR FIRST
EMPIRICAL QUESTION OF HOW LARGE
ARE THESE MARKET PENALTIES, WE
USE THE DATA FROM THE CENSUS
BUREAU AS WELL AS DATA FROM THE
STATE DIPLOMAT SECURITY
DEPARTMENT BOTH THESE DATA
SYSTEMS HAVE PROS AND CONS, BUT
THIS KIND OF THE START OF THE
ART IN LOOKING AT THIS. OR THES
ANALYSES WE PRESENT UNADJUSTED
FIGURES, SO MATHEMATICAL MEANS
OR PERCENTAGES. THEN ADJUSTED
THEM USING A TECHNIQUE. SO I'LL
PRESENT BOTH OF THOSE GOING
FORWARD. SO FIRST, THESE ARE
MEDIANS CALCULATED FROM THE DAT
THAT SHOW WHAT HUMAN SERVICES
WORKERS MAKE. THAT'S THE
GRADIATED BAR, COMPARED TO
WORKERS IN OTHER CARE
INDUSTRIES. HEALTHCARE AND
EDUCATION, OTHER INDUSTRIES
SUBJECT TO THE CARE PENALTY,
THEN THE REMAINDER OF THE
ECONOMY. SO THE REST OF THE JOB
IN OUR AREA, INCLUDING
MANUFACTURING, RETAIL,
TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS SERVICES,
INSURANCE, TRUCKING, ALL THE
OTHER JOBS OUT THERE, AND WHAT
YOU CAN SEE IS THAT THERE IS A
PENALTY PAID BY WORKERS IN THE
HUMAN SERVICES AT EVERY LEVEL O
EDUCATION. THEY'RE PAID LESS
THAN OTHER CARE WORKERS, AND
THEY'RE PAID MUCH LESS THAN
OTHER WORKERS. ONE OF THE
WORKERS IS ACTUALLY A McARTHUR
GENIUS AWARD WINNER BASED ON HE
LONG TIME STUDY OF THE CARE WOR
AND WAGES. AND THIS WAS THE
FIRST TIME SHE'D BROKEN OUT CAR
WORK INTO HUMAN SERVICES AND
OTHER SECTORS, AND SHE WAS
REALLY STRUCK BY HOW CONSISTENT
THESE DIFFERENCE ARE. HOWEVER,
WE DIDN'T JUST CALCULATE
MEDIANS, WE WANTED TO FIGURE OU
WHAT THE TRUE PENALTY IS,
CONTROLLING FOR THINGS THAT
MIGHT BE DIFFERENT ACROSS THE
DIFFERENT WORKFORCES, SUCH AS
EDUCATION LEVEL YOU SEE HERE,
BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO CONTROL
SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR DIFFERENT
THINGS. LIKE EDUCATION LEVEL,
EXPERIENCE LEVEL,
RACE,ETHNICITY, WHETHER PEOPLE
ARE PARENTS. ALL OF THESE THING
CAN ADJUST EARNINGS FOR BETTER
OR FOR WORSE. THESE ARE THE
NUMBERS I'LL RETURN TO WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
BUT RELATIVE TO WORKERS IN
NON-CARE INDUSTRIES, WORKERRING
IN CARE GIVING INDUSTRIES ARE
PAID 11% LESS. WORKERS IN THE
HUMAN SERVICES INDUSTRY,
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY'RE I
FOR PROFIT, NONPROFIT, OR PUBLI
SECTOR ARE PAID 30%. BUT WORKER
WHO ARE BOTH IN NONPROFITS AND
ARE IN THE HUMAN SERVICES
INDUSTRY ARE PAID 37% LESS THAN
THE GENERAL WORKER IN OUR
ECONOMY. SO AGAIN, A STRONG AND
CONSISTENT GAP. WE ALSO
PERFORMED A SECOND TYPE OF
ECONOMIC ANALYSES LOOKING AT
WORKERS WHO CHANGE JOBS. THIS I
A COMPLEMENTARY ANALYSIS. IT
CAN'T TELL YOU ABOUT -- IT CAN
TELL YOU ABOUT CHANGES IN WAGES
THAT AREN'T AFFECTED BY AN
INDIVIDUAL'S PERSONAL SKILL
LEVEL OR HOW AFFECTIVE THEY ARE
AT WORK. BUT IT IS ONLY -- IT
CAN ONLY TELL US ABOUT WORKERS
WHO CHANGE JOBS. LOWER PAID
WORKERS, THOSE WHO ARE CLOSER T
ENTRY LEVEL ARE MORE LIKELY TO
CHANGE JOBS THAN OTHER WORKERS.
SO AGAIN, IT'S NOT
REPRESENTATIVE OF ALL WORKERS,
BUT IT CAN GIVE US ANOTHER ANGL
ONTO WHAT HAPPENS. THIS IS ALSO
AS YOU HEARD FROM THE NOT FOR
PROFIT LEADERSHIP UP FRONT, THI
IS A REAL CONCERN RIGHT NOW FOR
STAFFING. FOR THE PURPOSES OF
OUR STUDY, WE WERE INTERESTED I
WHAT THE ECONOMICS SHOW. SEATTL
WORKERS WHO LEAVE HUMAN SERVICE
SEE A 14% INCREASE IN WHAT
THEY'RE EARNING AN HOUR. MOST
WORKERS WHO SWITCH JOBS GET A
RAISE AS WELL. BUT WE CALCULATE
IT USING MULTIANALYSES TO
CONTROL THINGS WE CAN CONTROL
FOR, BUT EVEN AFTER THAT LEAVIN
THE HUMAN SERVICES INDUSTRY IS
ASSOCIATED WITH A 7% HOURLY WAG
INCREASE PREMIUM. AND BECAUSE
HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS ARE ALSO
MORE LIKELY TO BE WORKING PART
TIME, THEIR TOTAL EARNINGS A
YEAR LATER INCREASED BY 31%. SO
AGAIN, VERY CONSISTENT WITH THE
EARLIER NUMBERS BASED ONLY ON
WORKERS WHO ARE LIKELY TO BE
SWITCHING JOBS. BUT THIS
CONFIRMS THE OVERALL IDEA OF A
GAP. HOWEVER, PART OF OUR JOB A
RESEARCHERS IS TO TRACK DOWN AL
THE ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS.
MAYBE THIS IS, MAYBE THESE WAGE
GAPS ARE DUE IN PART TO HUMAN
SERVICES JOBS BEING NOT
COMPARABLE TO OTHER TYPES OF
WORK. SO FOR THAT, WE DID THE
SECOND PART OF THE STUDY, THE
JOB VALUATION ANALYSIS. THIS IS
A WAY OF GETTING APPLES AND
ORANGES, IF YOU WERE, BETWEEN
TWO DIFFERENT JOBS. HUMAN
SERVICES WORK IS FUNDAMENTALLY
DIFFERENT THAN CONSTRUCTION, OR
I.T., OR BUSINESS SERVICES. YOU
MIGHT SAY THEY'RE APPLES AND
ORANGES, BUT ACTUALLY, IF YOU
THINK ABOUT APPLES AND ORANGES,
YOU CAN COMPARE THEM ON A LOT O
DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS. YOU CAN
COMPARE THEM TO HOW MUCH THEY
COST A POUND AT FRED MEYER OR
SAFE WAY. WE USE THE JOB
EVALUATION METHOD. KIND OF LIKE
THE APPLE AND ORANGES
COMPARISON. HERE ARE THE FACTOR
WE TRACK. THERE ARE 13 DIFFEREN
FACTORS GROUPED INTO 6 DIFFEREN
AREAS. BUT THINGS LIKE
RESPONSIBILITY, EFFORT,
KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED. THE DEMANDS
OF YOUR WORKING CONDITIONS. SO
WE WORKED WITH OUR STEERING
COUNCIL TO IDENTIFY FOUR JOB
TIMES WITHIN HUMAN SERVICES AND
RECRUITED WORKERS FROM THOSE JO
TYPES AS WELL AS COMPARED OUR
JOB HOLDERS FROM A RANGE OF JOB
OUTSIDE OF HUMAN SERVICES. WE
FOCUSED ON TRYING TO GET JOBS
THAT LIKELY WEREN'T AFFECTED BY
THE GENDER WAGE PENALTIES IN TH
FIRST KAYE. ALL THESE WORKERS
WERE IN KING COUNTY, AND MANY O
THEM WERE WITHIN SEATTLE. WE
CONDUCTED THESE INTERVIEWS LAST
FALL. FINDINGS OVERALL IS THAT
THE KING COUNTY NON-PROFIT HUMA
SERVICES WORKERS ARE PAID LESS
FOR JOBS THAT RATE AS HIGH, OR
HIGHER IN TERMS OF JOB
COMPLEXITY. SO GOING BACK TO
THIS DONUT. EACH ONE OF THESE
INDIVIDUAL FACTORS IS ASSIGNED
POINT VALUE. WHEN YOU SUM THEM
ALL UP YOU GET A RANGE FROM 300
TO 1,000. WITH 1,000 BEING THE
MOST COMPLICATED, AND DEMANDING
POSSIBLE JOB. THE RANGE WE SAW
IN HUMAN SERVICES RANGED FROM
400 TO THE LOW 700s. FROM A
TEACHING ASSISTANT IN AN EARLY
CHILDCARE SETTING TO SOMEONE WH
WAS IN IT THE HOUSING SERVICES
ORGANIZATION, OUR COMPARISON
JOBS HAD ROUGHLY THE SAME RANGE
FROM AN OFFICE MANAGER TO A
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGER.
BUT THE DIFFERENCES ARE REALLY
BEST UNDERSTOOD HERE
HEAD-TO-HEAD. SO HERE'S ONE
EXAMPLE WHICH IS THE
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER AND THE
DIRECTOR OF HOUSING SERVICES.
THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
REQUIRES A LITTLE BIT MORE
KNOWLEDGE OF CONSTRUCTION LAWS,
AND THE DIFFERENT PRINCIPLES AN
SUBCONTRACTORS AND THINGS LIKE
THAT. THEY ALSO HAVE A BIT MORE
THEY USE A DIFFERENT SET OF
MENTAL SKILLS BUT SIMILAR AND
PERSONAL SKILLS IN THEIR
DAY-TO-DAY JOB. THE DIRECTOR OF
HOUSING SERVICES HAVE A JOB THA
SCORES SLIGHTLY HIGHER ON
EMOTIONAL DEMAND. AND SLIGHTLY
HIGHER ON A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT
RESPONSIBILITY EFFORTS WHO WHEN
YOU ADD UP ALL OF THOSE THINGS
YOU GET COMPARABLE SCORES WITH
THE HUMAN SERVICES JOB JUST A
LITTLE BIT BIGGER. HOWEVER, WHE
YOU LOOK AT MEDIAN FOR THOSE
SALARY JOBS, WE'RE USING MEDIAN
SALARY FOR THE METRO AREA, FOR
IT'S CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
MANAGER, AND THEN THE MEDIAN PA
FROM THE KING COUNTY WAGE REPOR
FROM THE NON-PROFIT HUMAN
SERVICES HERE. SO PAID LESS FOR
A JOB THAT IS EQUALLY DEMANDING
YOU'LL SEE THE SAME THING IF YO
LOOK AT THE TEACHING ASSISTANT
JOB. DIFFERENCES IN KNOWLEDGE
USE. DIFFERENCES IN
RESPONSIBILITY, AND THE EFFORT
REQUIRED AT WORK, BUT THE
LARGEST DIFFERENCE HERE IS NOT
IN THE NATURE OF THE WORK BUT I
THE PAY LEVEL. SO ALL TOGETHER,
WE BELIEVE THAT THE COMPARABLE
WORTH ANALYSIS SHOWS IT'S NOT
BECAUSE OF HUMAN SERVICES WORK
BEING LESS DEMANDING, OR
REQUIRING LESS SKILL, THESE WAG
DIFFERENCES ARE IN SPITE OF
THOSE DIFFERENCES. SO TO GET TO
THE FIRST ONE IS TO RAISE BY 7%
THAT 7% CAME FROM THE WAGE
PREMIUM. IN OUR SWITCHING
ANALYSIS, WE SEE THIS AS REALLY
STAUNCHED BLEEDING OUT OF THE
HUMAN SERVICES SECTOR RIGHT NOW
AND OUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO DO
THIS AS SOON AS IT CAN BE
INCORPORATED INTO THE BUDGET
CYCLES. NOTE THAT THIS NEEDS TO
BE A REAL WAGE. AND I MEAN THAT
IN I HAVE A MASTERS IN ECONOMIC
SENSE, WHICH IS IT NEEDS TO BE
NET OF INFLATION. THE
ADJUSTMENTS FOR INFLATION NEED
TO BE MADE SEPARATELY FROM THE
INJUSTICE FOR EQUITY. THEY ALSO
SHOULD NOT BE MADE AT THE
EXPENSE OF REDUCING BUDGET
BENEFITS OR MAKING JOBS HARDER,
PUTTING MORE WORK ON FEWER
WORKERS. THAT'S WHAT OUR FIRST
THREE RECOMMENDATIONS LOOK TO.
SECOND, YOU CAN READ ABOUT THIS
IN MORE DETAIL IN OUR REPORT.
BUT PART OF THE REASON FOR THES
PERSISTENT WAGE INEQUALITIES HA
TO DO WITH WHO PERFORMS THIS
WORK. AND HOW IT IS PERFORMED.
ANY PUBLIC ENTITY THAT HAS A DE
PLAN IS DOING RACE, OR GENDER,
EQUITY WORK NEEDS TO BE
CONSIDERING THE PAY FOR NOT ONL
WITHIN THEIR ORGANIZATION, BUT
FOR THE GROUPS AND SECTORS WITH
WHOM THEY ARE CONTRACTING. WE
ALSO HAVE A SET OF LONGER TERM
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE SUGGEST
A TIMELINE IS OVER THE NEXT SIX
OR SEVEN YEARS ON THESE. WE CAL
FOR A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN
WAGES FOR NON-PROFIT HUMAN
SERVICES. HOW BIG IS
SUBSTANTIAL? TO BE FRANK, THAT'
UP TO YOU. I THINK SUBSTANTIAL
IS A POLITICAL DECISION. BUT OU
FINDINGS GIVE AN ORDER OF
MAGNITUDE OF WHAT WOULD BE
NEEDED TO ACHIEVE EQUITABLE
WAGES. AND THE MATH HERE IS
HARD. I'M GOING TO SHOW THE
MATH. TO CLOSE A 30% GAP, YOU
ACTUALLY NEED MORE THAN A 30%
INCREASE BECAUSE OF THE
PERCENTAGES. TO CLOSE THE 30%
WAGE GAP, YOU WOULD NEED A 43%
WAGE INCREASE. TO CLOSE THE 7%
GAP, THAT'S THE GAP BETWEEN
NONPROFIT HUMAN SERVICES WORKER
AND WORKERS IN NON-CARE
INDUSTRIES, THAT WOULD BE A 59%
RAISE. WE RECOGNIZE THESE ARE
BIG NUMBERS. WE HAVE A KIND OF
INSIDE BASEBALL RECOMMENDATION
ON A SALARY GRADE SYSTEM, WHICH
IS SOMETHING WE THINK WOULD BE
HELPFUL FOR IMPLEMENTING AND
USING THIS. AND FINALLY, MORE
BROADLY, WE URGE THE CITY AND W
WILL URGE YOUR COLLEAGUES AT
KING COUNTY TO THINK ABOUT THE
ROLES THE PUBLIC CONTRACTS PLAY
IN WAGE EQUITY MORE BROADLY.
WE'RE HERE ON EQUAL PAYDAY
TODAY. I DON'T THINK ANYBODY HA
NOTED THAT. BUT THE CONTRACTS
THAT THE CITY OF SEATTLE HAS
WITH ALL OF ITS VENDERS, WHETHE
IT'S CONTRACTING FOR UPGRADES T
THE DATA SYSTEM FOR THE CITY
ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, OR REPAIRING
ROADS OR BUILDING NEW BUILDINGS
ON CITY LAND, AND WITH THE HUMA
SERVICES PROVIDERS, ALL OF THOS
HAVE IMPACTS ON THE WAGES THAT
GET PAID TO WORKERS THAT LIVE
AND WORK IN SEATTLE. RIGHT NOW
THE CITY CONTRACTS HUMAN
SERVICES MANAGERS ARE MAKING
LESS THAN WORKERS IN ALL OF
THOSE OTHER INDUSTRIES. SO WITH
THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS. WE HAVE THIS
INFORMATION UP ON THE WEBSITE.
IT MAY BE EASIER TO SEE IT
THERE. COLLEAGUE WHO IS A MEMBE
OF OUR TEAM PUT TOGETHER AN
INTERACTIVE TIMELINE OF SOME OF
THE KEY POLICIES, THAT'S ALSO U
ON THE WEBPAGE. SO THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. JUST TO
GET US STARTED HERE A QUICK
QUESTION ABOUT THE TOOL YOU USE
TO COMPARE JOBS INSIDE AND
OUTSIDE THE HUMAN SERVICES
SECTOR. JUST THINK THAT THAT IS
A REALLY INTERESTING DESIGN TO
GET AT THE APPLES TO APPLES
GOAL. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT TH
RESEARCH TEAM ITSELF DEVELOPED,
OR HAS IT BEEN USED PREVIOUSLY?
>> THANK YOU, THAT'S A GOOD
QUESTION. IT'S BEEN USED
PREVIOUSLY. AND IT'S A TOOL
STEMMING FROM THE COMPARABLE
WORTH IDEA. THE VERSION WE USED
IS THE ONE THAT HAS BEEN USED
WIDELY IN THE UK BY THEIR UNION
UNISOM, WHICH IS THEIR LARGEST
UNION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
WORKERS. WE ACTUALLY BROUGHT
THEIR EXPERT ON IT OUT OF
RETIREMENT TO CONSULT WITH US O
THIS PROJECT. SO IT'S BEEN USED
TO EVALUATE THE JOBS OF
THOUSANDS OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN
THE UK. WE ADAPTED IT IN
CONVERSATION WITH OUR STEERING
COMMITTEE TO REFLECT BOTH THE
COVID ERA, AND THE AMERICAN
SETTING, BUT IT IS A WELL
DOCUMENTED POOL, AND ALL OF
THEIR, THE QUESTIONS AND THE
SCORING IS ALL PUBLICLY
AVAILABLE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> CAN AND BEFORE I OPEN IT UP
MORE BROADLY, I JUST REMEMBERED
I WANTED TO AGAIN THANK HSD
DIRECTOR KIM FOR JOINING US
TODAY. I KNOW YOU'RE NOT HERE
FORMALLY TO PRESENT, BUT I
WANTED TO GIVE YOU THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR
REACTIONS AND THOUGHTS ON THIS
WORK, IF YOU WANTED TO, BUT NOT
TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT.
>> I THINK WHAT I'LL SHARE, AND
WE'VE BEEN IN LOTS OF MEETINGS,
AND I DO HAVE TO THANK MY
COLLEAGUES WHO RAN THE RFK AND
DID THE CONTRACTS WITH THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND TH
CITY HUMAN SERVICES COALITION,
BECAUSE WE INCREASED THE
CAPACITY TO DO THE OTHER PART O
THE WORK AROUND REALLY IT'S THI
EDUCATION AND BRINGING,
PARTNERING PROVIDERS TOGETHER.
SO I HAVE TO THANK THE TEAM. I
KNOW IT MIGHT SEEM LIKE IT'S
VERY TRANSACTIONAL, BUT THE WAY
IN WHICH WE ENGAGE OUR COMMUNIT
MEMBERS, INCLUDING THESE
ORGANIZATIONS, IT'S IMPORTANT.
THE OTHER IS IT IS DIFFERENT
THAN WE'RE USED TO. HOPEFULLY
OUR WHEELS ARE TURNING. A LOT O
THE REPORTS WE'RE SEEING ARE
COMPARING MAYBE A SOCIAL WORKER
IN ONE, YOU KNOW, AREA TO A
SIMILAR SOCIAL WORKER IN ANOTHE
AREA. SO IT'S MIND BENDING IN
THAT WAY. JUST PHILOSOPHICALLY
THINKING ABOUT WHAT DO WE VALUE
JUST AS A SOCIETY? SO IN THAT
SENSE, IT IS DIFFERENT. SO I
APPRECIATE THAT FOR COUNCIL
INVESTING IN THIS RESEARCH. AN
AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT DOES
COME DOWN TO WHAT DO WE DO WITH
THIS? AND THAT'S DEFINITELY A
COLLECTIVE CONVERSATION. I WILL
THANK THE HUMAN SERVICES
COALITION, SEATTLE HUMAN
SERVICES COALITION FOR REALLY
ASKING GOVERNMENT NOT ONLY THE
CITY, THE COUNTY, BUT FRANKLY
THUNDERS IN GENERAL. I KNOW THA
TREE WILL PROBABLY, OR JASON
WILL TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT IT'S
ALSO OUR FOUNDATIONS, PROBABLY
INDIVIDUAL DONORS. HOW DO WE AL
THINK ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH WE
CONTRIBUTE? I'VE BEEN PART OF
THOSE MEETINGS AS WELL. SO JUST
A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANTED TO
SHARE.
>> THANK YOU, DIRECTOR KIM. JUS
FOR THE VIEWING PUBLIC AND A
REMINDER FOR MY COLLEAGUES. THE
HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT WILL
BE GETTING BACK TO US IN
RESPONSE TO A STATEMENT OF
LEGISLATIVE INTENT, WHICH WILL
PROVIDE A REPORT TO THIS
COMMITTEE ON THE WAGE EQUITY
STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS THE
STAFFING SHORTAGE AMONGST
SERVICE PROVIDERS AND POTENTIAL
FUNDING SOURCES TO INCREASE
PROVIDED WAGES AND THAT REPORT
IS DUE TO US SOMETIME IN JUNE,
MAYBE TOWARDS THE END OF JUNE.
COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN.
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR HERBOLD AND
THANKS TO EVERYBODY FOR BEING
HERE. I'VE GOT A FEW QUESTIONS.
FIRST, I'M JUST GOING TO SET
SOME CONTEXT. I DEFINITELY AGRE
CITY HALL NEEDS TO DO ITS PART
TO HELP EFFECTIVE NON-PROFITS
UPON WHICH WE RELY TO OBTAIN AN
ATTRACT SKILLED WORKERS WHEN
WORKERS ARE LEAVING DUE TO
RELATIVELY LOW COMPENSATION. WE
WANT TO ATTRACT WORKERS TO
NONPROFITS WHO'S MISSIONS ALIGN
WITH THE CITY'S TOP PRIORITY,
WHICH IS BRINGING INSIDE THE
MANY PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS AND THE STUDY
CONFIRMS WE NEED TO DO MORE. MY
QUESTIONS ARE ABOUT, IT SEEMS T
PAINT THE NONPROFITS WITH A
RELATIVELY BROAD BRUSH DESPITE
THE DIVERSITY OF THEIR MISSIONS
I'M INTERESTED IN LEARNING HOW
BEST TO DEPLOY OUR TAX DOLLARS
WHILE GETTING OTHER LEVELS OF
GOVERNMENT TO STEP UP AND DO
THEIR PART. I WANT TO THANK
DIRECTOR KIM FOR MENTIONING THA
THERE ARE OTHER FUNDERS INVOLVE
HERE. SOME OF THEM WILL GET
ROUGHLY HALF OF THEIR GRANT
FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT, FOR EXAMPLE. SO
WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY THAT TH
CITY GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSIBILIT
WOULD BE JUST FOR THE
PROPORTIONAL AMOUNT OF CITY'S
INVESTMENTS VIA OUR CONTRACTS?
GUESS THAT I'M NOT SURE WHO THA
QUESTION IS FOR EXCEPT MAYBE TH
CHAIR OR CENTRAL STAFF BECAUSE,
YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT THE 100%
FUNDER. SO HOW DO WE, WHEN YOU
SAY THERE SHOULD BE A 7%
INCREASE, IS THAT COMING, YOU
KNOW, PROPORTIONATELY FROM THE
DIFFERENT FUNDER? OR THE INTENT
TO BE 100%? [ INAUDIBLE ] I CAN
ASK MORE QUESTIONS [ INAUDIBLE
THANK YOU.
>> COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN ON
THAT, I THINK ONE OF THE
QUESTIONS FOR US TO ASK AND
ANSWER IS WHAT IS THE RIGHT ROL
FOR THE CITY OF SEATTLE IN THIS
EFFORT TO ADDRESS THE WAGE
PENALTY IN THAT HUMAN SERVICE
WORKERS ARE SUFFERING? IT IS IN
FACT THE 7% IS TO ADDRESS THE
WAGE PENALTY. IT'S NOT TO
ADDRESS THE OVERALL INEQUITY OF
AND PAY OF THESE JOBS, BUT YOU
ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT IN ASKIN
THE QUESTION ABOUT THE ROLE OF
THE CITY AS WELL AS THE ROLE OF
OTHER FUNDERS BOTH PUBLIC AND
PRIVATE. WE KNOW THAT KING
COUNTY IN THE AREA OF BEHAVIOR
HEALTH IS TAKING POSITIVE STEPS
FORWARD WITH ITS BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH LEVEE PROPOSAL TO ADDRES
WAGE INEQUITIES IN THAT
PORTFOLIO. BUT AGAIN, THIS IS A
MANY FUNDER ISSUE. AND THAT WE
ALL NEED TO BE LASER FOCUSED IN
WORKING TOGETHER TO ADDRESS IT.
BUT GO AHEAD, YOU HAD OTHER
QUESTIONS.
>> THANKS, CHAIR FOR STEPPING I
TO ADD TO THAT, I APPRECIATE IT
REGARDING THE COMPARISONS -- AN
I KNOW THIS IS DIFFICULT TO DO
YOU MENACED THE MENTIONED THE
KIND OF METRIC PROPOSALS YOU
USE. ARE THEY IN THE APPEND
APPENDDICES? WE'RE OFTEN TRYING
TO USE ANALOGIES WHEN WE'RE
MAKING OUR POINTS AS ELECTED
OFFICIALS, I WAS HAVING A LITTL
TROUBLE WITH THE CONSTRUCTION
PROJECT MANAGER COMPARISON,
BECAUSE HAVING WORKED IN THAT
INDUSTRY IN NONPROFIT, FOR
PROFIT, AND GOVERNMENT, IT'S MY
UNDERSTANDING THE CONSTRUCTION
PROJECT MANAGER, THE FOR PROFIT
ONE IS WORKING, YOU KNOW, THE
FOR PROFIT DEVELOPERS ARE TAKIN
RISK. THEY'RE SEEKING PROFIT,
AND PASSING ON IF THE PROJECT I
SUCCESSFUL, THEY'RE PASSING THA
PROJECT PROFIT ON TO THE
CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGER,
WHEREAS THE NONPROFIT IS NOT
DOING THAT, AND SO AND WHEN THE
FOR PROFIT IS ALSO TAKING A
HIGHER RISK IF THE PROJECT FAIL
AND THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
MANAGER MIGHT EVEN BE OUT OF A
JOB. IS THERE'S A RISK/REWARD
HAPPENING THERE. SO HOW DOES TH
METRIC APPROACH WITH THAT
DIFFERENCE MISSION DRIVEN
ORGANIZATION VERSUS A PROFIT
DRIVEN ORGANIZATION.
>> SOME OF THAT IS REFLECTED AS
YOU RIGHTFULLY GUESSED IN THE
100 OR SO PAGES OF APPENDIX. ON
OF THE CHOICES WE MADE THAT
REFLECTS OUR MORE CONSERVATIVE
INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS IS
THAT WE REPORTED THE AREA MEDIA
FOR A CONSTRUCTION MANAGER. THA
WAS THE $104,000. WE DID NOT
REPORT THE ACTUAL PAY FOR THAT
WORKER. YOU ARE CORRECT THAT
WORKER IS IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR
ALTHOUGH, IT WAS SOMEONE WHO WA
WORKING, MANAGING A PUBLIC WORK
PROJECT, SO THEY'RE DOING IT FO
GOVERNMENT. AND THE COMPENSATIO
FOR THAT WORKER, I BELIEVE WAS
$140,000 A YEAR, PLUS ANNUAL
BONUS THAT'S AROUND 40%. PUTTIN
COMPENSATION CLOSE TO $200,000
YEAR. BUT AGAIN, SO ALL OF THOS
DETAILS ARE IN THE MAIN THING.
BUT YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT. THAT
PERSON IS COMPENSATED EVEN MORE
THAN THE NUMBERS WE REFLECTED
BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE PRIVATE
SECTOR.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> OTHER QUESTIONS FROM MY
COLLEAGUES? YEP. COUNCILMEMBER
NELSON.
>> SO THIS WAS TO -- THE
FUNDING FOR THIS STUDY WAS TO
FOCUS ON FIELDS THAT REQUIRE
SIMILAR SKILLS, EDUCATION, AND
DIFFICULTY, I THINK, AND IT'S
HARD FOR ME, TO WRAP MY MIND
AROUND HOW DO WE COMPARE A
SOCIAL WORKER AND A NONPROFIT T
A WORKER IN ANOTHER FIELD ALL
TOGETHER, VERSUS A LAYER ON TOP
OF THAT THAT THEY'RE IN THE
PRIVATE SECTOR. SO I'M STILL
MULLING ON THAT. BUT THE THING
THAT WE CAN -- WAS THERE ANY
COMPARESON BETWEEN WHAT SOCIAL
WORKERS IN THE NON-PROFIT SECTO
ARE PAID IN KING COUNTY OR
SEATTLE, COMPARED TO SNOHOMISH
OR PIERCE? BECAUSE THAT SEEMS A
THOUGH THAT WOULD BE A GOOD
BASELINE FOR AT LEAST TO DECIDE
WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE OFFERING
GOOD SALARIES AND THAT LEADS ME
TO MY NEXT QUESTION, WHICH PLAY
OFF COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN.
THESE ARE NOT PUBLIC EMPLOYEES,
SO WE DO NOT HAVE AUTHORITY OVE
THE PAY, AND THAT IS A
LIMITATION ON WHAT WE CAN DO FO
THE RECOMMENDATIONS. OR HOW WE
WOULD IMPLEMENT THE
RECOMMENDATIONS.
>> OKAY. TO YOUR FIRST QUESTION
THE COMPARISON TO OTHER REGION
WAS NOT PART OF OUR SCOPE. SO W
DID NOT LOOK AT THAT.
>> OKAY. I HAVE A FOLLOW UP. ON
PAGE 14 OF THE 40 PAGE REPORT,
IT SAYS WHILE STANDARD ECONOMIC
THEORY CAN EXPLAIN SOME
VARIATION IN INDIVIDUAL
SALARIES, IT'S LIMITED IN
IMPORTANT WAYS. FOR EXAMPLE, IN
A CLASSIC ECONOMIC MODEL
DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE,
GENDER, AND OTHER
CHARACTERISTICS IS ILLOGICAL
BECAUSE ONLY WORKERS'
CONTRIBUTION SHOULD MATTER. BUT
THERE IS NO CITATION FOR THAT.
SO CAN YOU PROVIDE SOME
BACKGROUND ON THAT?
>> THE STANDARD FOR HAVING A
CITATION IS THIS STANDARD
KNOWLEDGE WITHIN THE DISCIPLINE
THAT WOULD BE STANDARD KNOWLEDG
WITHIN ECONOMICS. THAT'S KIND O
AN IDEA THAT'S COVERED IN A
BASIC ECONOMICS TEXTBOOK THAT
ACCORDING TO THE MOST BASIC
MODEL DISCRIMINATION SHOULD BE
IRRATIONAL.
>> I'M HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP TOO
WITH MORE INFORMATION ON THAT.
>> I APPRECIATE THAT. AND I JUS
FOR THE RECORD, I THINK THAT WE
COUNCIL, DOES UNDERSTAND AND
ACCEPT THAT THIS WORK IS
UNDERVALUED, AND THAT IS WHY WE
DID INCORPORATE THAT
UNDERSTANDING INTO SOME CONTRAC
RENEGOTIATIONS THIS YEAR WITH
OUR CONTRACTORS.
>> THANK YOU, AND I DID JUST GE
A NOTE THAT COMPARISON TO OTHER
REGIONS IS A METRIC THAT IS
ALREADY AVAILABLE BECAUSE OF
OTHER STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN
DONE. THIS WAS A STUDY THAT WE
DID TO TRY AND TELL A STORY THA
ISN'T TOLD WHEN YOU ONLY COMPAR
HUMAN SERVICES WORKERS IN THIS
AREA TO OTHER REGIONS. BUT WE
CAN DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT
YOU GET THAT INFORMATION. THE
POINT IS THAT THOSE SORTS OF
COMPARISONS BECOME LESS RELEVAN
IF YOU RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S THE
ENTIRE SECTOR THAT'S UNDERPAID,
REGARDLESS OF GEOGRAPHY. JUST
WANTING TO FLAG THAT, AS I
MENTIONED, AS IT RELATES TO THE
PROPOSED PAVERRAL HEALTH LEVEE,
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER
EFFORTS THAT ARE PROPOSING TO
ADDRESS THESE WAGE EQUITY
ISSUES. THE VETERAN SENIORS AND
HUMAN SERVICES LEVEE ALSO
THROUGH KING COUNTY, THE WORK
THAT THE KING COUNTY GENERAL
HOMELESSNESS AUTHORITY HAS BEEN
DOING AROUND ADDRESSING PAY
INEQUITY ISSUES. AND THE
UPCOMING HOUSING LEVEE I BELIEV
HAS A RECOMMENDATION IN THAT
AREA AS WELL. I UNDERSTAND THAT
CENTRAL STAFF ARE WORKING ON A
TABLE TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE
LEVEL TO WHICH THOSE VARIOUS
LEVEES, IF ENACTED WILL HELP
ADDRESS THESE RECOMMENDATIONS I
VARIOUS SECTORS. I DON'T BELIEV
WE HAVE ANYTHING PENDING FOR
FOLKS WHO ARE WORKING IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD EDUCATION. THEY ARE
NOT FUNDED THROUGH THE HUMAN
SERVICES DEPARTMENT. THEY ARE
FUNDED THROUGH A DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENT OF THE CITY,
DEPARTMENT OF EARLY EDUCATION,
AND LEARNING, SO I THINK THAT'S
ANOTHER QUESTION THAT WE NEED T
ASK -- ANSWER FOR OURSELVES. IS
THAT ARE WE ONLY TALKING ABOUT
CONTRACTS TO THE HUMAN SERVICES
DEPARTMENT, OR ARE WE ALSO
THINKING ABOUT CONTRACTS THROUG
OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT DELIVER
CRITICAL SOCIAL SERVICES AND AS
WE, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD IN PUBLI
COMMENT, AND WE'VE HEARD STORIE
OF CHILDCARE CENTERS NOT BEING
ABLE TO BE OPEN BECAUSE OF THES
SAME ISSUES. SO I JUST WANT TO
FLAG THAT, YOU KNOW, MY INTERES
IN MOVING FORWARD THIS WORK IS
REALLY LOOKING AT HOW THE
COUNCIL CAN TAKE SOME
SIGNIFICANT STEPS TOWARDS THE
GOAL THIS YEAR AND LAYING THE
GROUNDWORK FOR FUTURE YEARS. ON
OF THE THINGS I'VE THOUGHT ABOU
DOING IS SOME SORT OF A COUNCIL
ENDORSEMENT THROUGH THE
RESOLUTION OF THE
RECOMMENDATIONS AND MAYBE A
PATHWAY FOR -- WITH SOME
BENCHMARKS FOR MEETING AS MANY
OF THE GOALS AS WE CAN. THIS
OBVIOUSLY IS SOMETHING THAT WE
WANT TO MOVE FORWARD ON WITH A
LOT OF DISCUSSION AND
COLLABORATION. BOTH WITH THE
STAKEHOLDERS WHO ARE
REPRESENTING WITH US HERE TODAY
OUR COUNCIL COLLEAGUES AND OTHE
FUNDERS. SO REALLY WANT TO
SIGNAL MY INTEREST IN TAKING
SORT OF ANOTHER STEP, AND
HOPING, SAYING THIS ALOUD,
HOPING THAT THE STABLE WORK
GROUP IS CONSIDERING THESE NEED
AS WELL AS THEY LOOK AT THE
GENERAL FUND GAP FOR NEXT YEAR
AND BEYOND. I THINK THIS IS AN
AREA THAT NEW PROGRESSIVE
REVENUE COULD ASSIST IN FUNDING
THESE INCREASES IN FUTURE YEARS
COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM CHAIR. I
WANT TO THANK THE DEPARTMENT,
BUT ESPECIALLY THE RESEARCHERS.
THE INCREDIBLE EXPERTISE THAT
YOU'VE LENT IN HELPING TO SHED
SOME LIGHT ON THE VERY SEVERE
WAGE GAP THAT OUR HUMAN SERVICE
PROVIDERS ARE FACING ACROSS OUR
CITY AND OUR REGION. THIS IS A
REPORT THAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED
FOR LONGER THAN I'VE BEEN IN
OFFICE. NOW GOING INTO SIX YEAR
THAT I'VE BEEN IN OFFICE,
COUNCILMEMBERS, INCLUDING
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD AS OUR
GOOD CHAIR TODAY, BUT BEFORE
THAT AS WELL, COUNCILMEMBERS
O'BRIEN, AMEND OUR PREVIOUS
PREDECESSORS HAVE BEEN ASKING
FOR THIS KIND OF DATA. THAT IS
SEVERE UNDERPAYMENT, AND THE
RESPONSIBILITY LIES WITHIN THE
PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYERS TO
ENSURE THAT WHAT WE'RE HOLDING
WORKERS TO CAN BE SUCCESSFUL,
AND THESE CONTRACT ENTITIES
CANNOT BE SUCCESSFUL WITH
HOUSING PEOPLE, WITH BRINGING
MORE PEOPLE OUT OF THE STREETS,
WITH HELPS FAMILIES AND VETERAN
AND SENIORS BEING ABLE TO STAY
STABLY HOUSED. THEY CANNOT BE
SUCCESSFUL IF THEIR EXPERIENCIN
40 TO 70% TURNOVER RATES. THE
MAJOR REASON FOR THAT TURNOVER
IS THE LACK OF COMPENSATION FOR
THE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT WORKING
CONDITIONS THAT THEY CURRENTLY
HAVE. THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT
WE ARE ASKING TO BE ON THE
FRONTLINE OF SOLVING THE MOST
PRESSING CRISIS IN OUR
COMMUNITY. AND WHATEVER SURVEY
YOU PEOPLE WANT TO POINT TO WIL
CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT THE VAST
MAJORITY OF SEATTLE AND KING
COUNTY RESIDENTS ARE CONCERNED
WITH A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THEY SE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISES, EITHE
PUTTING THEMSELVES AT RISK OR
COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT RISK. WE
NEED HOUSING AND ACCESS TO
HEALTH SERVICES IN ORDER FOR US
TO ADDRESS THESE COMPOUNDING
CRISES. SO I WANTED TO
UNDERSCORE THE WHY. THE WHY I
THINK THIS SHOULD RESONATE WITH
ALL PUBLIC POLICYMAKERS AND THE
GENERAL PUBLIC, BECAUSE WE ALL
AGREE THAT THERE IS A HOUSING
AND HOMELESSNESS CRISIS, A
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS THAT'S
NOT COMPLETELY OVERLAPPING BY
ANY MEANS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE
THAT I THINK THE LATEST NUMBERS
WE SAW OF FOLKS WHO ARE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, I
THINK ONLY ABOUT A THIRD HAVE A
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS. IF
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SENIORS
NEEDING ACCESS TO FOOD SECURITY
AND HOUSING ASSISTANCE. IF WE'R
TALKING ABOUT YOUTH NEEDING
ACCESS TO JOB TRAINING AND
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, IF
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE
NEEDING COUNSELING, THE WHOLE
SAFETY NET RELIES ON THESE HUMA
SERVICE PROVIDERS. SO I WANTED
TO FOCUS ON THE WHO IS BEING
SERVED AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.
DON'T THINK WE WOULD BE HAVING
TEN PLUS YEAR CONVERSATION ABOU
WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD BE
INVESTING MORE IN THESE WORKERS
IF THEY WEREN'T DISPROPORTIONAT
LY WORKERS OF COLOR AND WOMEN
DOING THIS WORK. SO I APPRECIAT
THAT PAY EQUITY DAY IS TODAY AN
PEOPLE ARE ELEVATING THAT. A
LARGE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN THE
HUMAN SERVICE PROVIDER SECTOR,
BUT IF IF WE LOOK AT THE
UPCOMING DATES FOR PAY EQUITY
FOR BLACK WOMEN, PAY EQUITY FOR
LATINO WOMEN, WHO ARE IN THE
GENERAL PUBLIC. IT IS MUCH
FARTHER INTO THE FALL, AND WE
HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS
ISSUE HAS BEEN BACKBURNERRED
FOR LONGER THAN ME AND MY
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD HAVE EVEN
BEEN IN OFFICE AND WE'RE TRYING
TO MAKE UP FOR MUCH LOST TIME,
AND MUCH LOST RESOURCES IN A
SECTOR THAT HAS THE CAPABILITY
TO ACTUALLY STABILIZE VULNERABL
COMMUNITIES AND BUOY OUR LOCAL
ECONOMY. SO AGAIN, I THINK THAT
IS AN IMPERATIVE FOR US TO TAKE
IT ON THE FOUNDER OF THESE
PUBLIC COMMENTS IT IS JUST AS
IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THERE IS
PARITY IN WHAT IS BEING PAID TO
HUMAN SERVICE PROVIDERS JUST
LIKE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THOSE
THAT ARE BUILDING ROADS THAT WE
ACCOUNT OUT HAVE PAY
EXWITTABILITY WHEN PUBLIC
DOLLARS ARE INVOLVED. I
APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'RE DOIN
HERE. I THINK IT IS SCRATCHING
THE SURFACE OF THE WORK WE HAVE
LEFT TO DO. WE WILL TAKE THESE
UNDER CONSIDERATION AND I WILL
ALSO APPRECIATE THAT THE GOOD
CHAIR HAS CALLED ON THE REVENUE
OF TASK FORCE TO CONSIDER THIS.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT RIGHT NOW
THE TASK FORCE IS VERY FOCUSED
ON THE EXISTING REVENUE GAP, AN
SO WE NEED TO SOCIALIZE FOLKS T
THE DEEP DISPARITIES THAT EXIST
RIGHT NOW IN PAY EQUITY, AND TO
RECOGNIZE THAT INFLATION NEEDS
TO BE ADJUSTED FOR, AND A 7%
INCREASE NEEDS TO BE APPLIED,
AND WE NEED TO TRY TO ADDRESS
THAT GAP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
BUT I HEAR THE REQUESTS THAT
SHOULD BE PART OF THE
CONVERSATION. I CAN SAY RIGHT
NOW, I DON'T THINK IT IS. BUT
THIS NEEDS TO BE FACTORED IN. I
WE'RE GOING TO CREATE MORE
STABILITY IN THE WAKE OF COVID
AND RECOGNIZE THAT MORE PEOPLE
ARE EXPERIENCING HOUSING
INSTABILITY, ECONOMIC
INSTABILITY, THE SHADOW PANDEMI
WITH DEPRESS, ISOLATION, AND
LACK OF HOPE. THESE ARE OUR
COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT CAN
GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US NOW.
THERE IS NO DISCONNECT IN MY
MIND ABOUT WHY WE ARE BEING
TASKED TO ADDRESS THIS, AND AS
YOUR BUDGET CHAIR I CAN'T TELL
YOU THIS WILL BE EASY, BUT IT
CONTINUES TO BE A BIG PRIORITY
OF MINE GOING FORWARD, AND I
APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'VE DONE
AND I DON'T WANT YOU TO TAKE
AWAY FROM ANY OF IN A
QUESTIONING OF THE WORK YOU'VE
DONE, THE ANALYSIS, OR THE VALU
OF THE WORK THAT THESE HUMAN
SERVICE PROVIDERS DO FOR OUR
COMMUNITY. SO THANK YOU AGAIN
FOR PRESENTING THIS LONG AWAITE
REPORT.
>> THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER
MOSQUEDA, AND IF YOU HAVE IDEAS
ABOUT HOW TO BEST SOCIALIZE THE
FINDINGS WITH THE REVENUE
STABILIZATION TASK FORCE PLEASE
DON'T HESITATE TO LET ME KNOW.
THINK WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES O
FOLKS WHO ARE WORKING IN HUMAN
SERVICES. MAYBE NOT SPECIFICALL
THE HUMAN SERVICES COALITION,
BUT SOME OF OUR LABOR PARTNERS
WHO REPRESENT WORKERS IN THIS
FIELD. SO PERHAPS THERE'S A WAY
THAT WE COULD BRING A
PRESENTATION TO THAT GROUP. BUT
AGAIN, HAPPY TO TALK TO YOU
MORE. WE DO HAVE A HARD STOP AT
11:45 TODAY. BUT BEFORE I CLOSE
OUT, I DO WANT TO TURN IT OVER
TO TREA WILLARD, BECAUSE I
BELIEVE SHE COULD LEAVE US WITH
HER THOUGHTS ABOUT NEXT STEPS.
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR. I'M HONORE
TO HAVE A MINUTE FOR LAST WORDS
THERE ARE MANY FUNDRAISERS
INVOLVED. THERE ARE A LOT OF
PEOPLE THAT NEED TO WORK
TOGETHER FOR THIS PROBLEM TO BE
SOLVED. AND [ INAUDIBLE ] THE
COMMITMENT THAT THE COUNCIL HAS
MADE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEAR
TO LOOKING DEEPLY INTO THIS AND
ADDRESSING IT. I DEEPLY
APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS
AND COUNCILMEMBER MOSQUEDA'S
COMMENTS. I FEEL LIKE YOU'RE
TELLING THE STORY EXACTLY AS
WE'RE EXPERIENCING IT. AND I
KNOW THAT OUR LEADERS FEEL SEEN
AND VALUED BY THE COMMITMENT
THAT YOU'VE MADE THROUGH ALL OF
YOUR ACTIONS HERE, AND THE ONES
LEADING UP TO NOW. I DO HOPE
THAT YOUR COMMITMENTS THAT YOUR
ACTIONS WILL HELP LEAD THE
NEEDED CHANGE ACROSS THE SYSTEM
I HOPE THAT AS YOU STEP IN AND
MAKE THESE COMMITMENTS AND LOOK
FOR ADDITIONAL REVENUE SOURCES
THAT THAT WILL BE AN EXAMPLE TO
THE COUNTY AND THE STATE AND TH
PHILANTHROPISTS AND THE PRIVATE
DONORS. I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'V
LED ALREADY IN GETTING THIS
STUDY MADE AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR
YOUR CONTINUED LEADERSHIP AND
PASSION. I ALSO WANT TO ASSURE
EVERYONE OUR MEMBER
ORGANIZATIONS AND LEADERS ARE
COMPLETELY COMMITTED TO MAKING
SURE THAT ANY INCREASES IN OUR
FUNDING WILL GO TO OUR STAFF.
WILL INCREASE THEIR WAGES. IT'S
SOMETHING I OFTEN HEAR WHEN
PEOPLE ARE ASKING QUESTIONS
ABOUT THIS WORK. WE'RE IN A
CRISIS. WE'RE IN A STAFFING
CRISIS. OUR COMMUNITIES ARE IN
CRISIS. WE ARE HIGHLY MOTIVATED
TO RETAIN THESE SKILLED,
EDUCATED, COMMITTED STAFF THAT
WE'VE PUT SO MUCH RESOURCES INT
TRAINING. YOU KNOW, ACROSS
INDUSTRIES TURNOVER IS SO
EXPENSIVE. SO WE'RE COMPLETELY
COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT
INCREASES WILL ALWAYS BE PASSED
ON IN THE FORM OF WAGES. AND I
JUST THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH SAYIN
THAT THE CONSEQUENTIALS OF
FAILURE IN OUR INDUSTRY ARE MOR
OF THE TRAUMA THAT PERPETUATES
THE POVERTY CYCLE. THE
CONSEQUENCES ARE MENTAL
BREAKDOWNS, FINANCIAL RUIN,
HOMELESSNESS, SOMETIMES EVEN
DEATH. THOSE ARE THE
CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE IN OUR
INDUSTRY. AND PEOPLE ARE
SOMETIMES ASSAULTED AT WORK IN
OUR INDUSTRY. SO I JUST HOPE
THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO
CULTIVATE A DEEP APPRECIATION O
THE CHALLENGES OF THIS WORK AND
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR
UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS IS THE
WORK OF GOVERNMENT. THIS IS WHY
GOVERNMENTS EXIST, IS TO MAKE
SURE OUR COMMUNITIES ARE CARED
FOR. AND HONESTLY I'M OPTIMISTI
AND EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH
ALL OF YOU, WITH EVERYBODY IN
THIS ROOM, AND ALL THE PEOPLE
BEYOND THIS ROOM. ALL OF OUR
PARTNERS, PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND
AND THE PHILANTHROPISTS BECAUSE
I KNOW THAT WE'RE ALL WORKING
HARD TO CREATE A CULTURE OF CAR
WHERE EVERYONE HAS
OPPORTUNITIES, WHERE EVERYONE I
ABLE TO THRIVE IN OUR
COMMUNITIES, WE'RE WORKING TO
REPAIR THE DEEP INEQUITIES OF
THE INHERITANCE OF OPPRESSION
THAT OUR COUNTRY WAS BUILT UPON
AND I JUST WANT TO RAISE MY
HANDS TO ALL OF YOU FOR BEING I
THAT WORK WITH US.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIAT
IT. I REALLY WANT TO GIVE YOU
THE LAST WORD HERE TO PUT AN
EXCLAMATION POINT ON EVERYTHING
THAT WE'VE HEARD TODAY. I
MENTIONED AT THE TOP, GAVE
EXAMPLES OF CHILD CARE CENTERS
THAT ARE CLOSED THAT COULD
OTHERWISE BE OPEN. TALKED ABOUT
BUILDINGS THAT ARE SHUTTERED
THAT COULD BE LOCATIONS FOR
PEOPLE LIVING UNSHELTERED TO
LIVE THAT ARE NOT OPEN. AND THI
COUNCIL, OURSELVES HAVE, WE'VE
PROVIDED FUNDING FOR, AGAIN,
MISSION CRITICAL SERVICES. I CA
THINK OF AT LEAST TWO EXAMPLES
OF FUNDING THAT COUNCIL PROVIDE
THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO SEE
UTILIZED BECAUSE OF THIS
STAFFING CRISIS. AND YOU KNOW,
WE HEARD AT THE BEGINNING FROM
PUBLIC COMMENT, I REALLY
APPRECIATE PUBLIC COMMENTERS
BEING HERE TO HELP US UNDERSTAN
THIS, BUT CRISIS CONNECTION
HIGHLIGHTED THE FACT THAT THE
ORGANIZATION AVERAGES A 50%
TURNOVER RATE WITH MANY STAFF
SAYING SIMULTANEOUSLY THEY LOVE
THE MISSION, THEY FEEL VALUED A
AN EMPLOYEE, BUT THEY CAN'T MAK
A LIVING IN THE HUMAN SERVICES
SECTOR. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE
HUMAN SERVICES CARE PENALTY,
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO
ARE LEAVING THIS WORK, NOT FOR
WORK IN ANOTHER JURISDICTION,
BUT FOR SERVICE JOBS, LIKE FAST
FOOD. SO THANK YOU TO THE U DUB
RESEARCHERS FOR THEIR
PRESENTATION. THANK YOU TO
COUNCIL CENTRAL STAFF FOR
PUTTING IT IN CONTEXT, FOR
FRAMING OUR DISCUSSION, AND
THANK YOU TO THE PUBLIC
COMMENTERS AND FOLKS WITH THE
HUMAN SERVICES COALITION HERE I
THE PANEL TODAY FOR HELPING US
UNDERSTAND THE REAL LIFE IMPACT
OF THE WAGE PENALTY FOR OUR
HUMAN SERVICES PROVIDERS. ALL
RIGHT. WITH THAT THERE ARE, IF
THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
FOR THE COUNCIL, THEN IT'S
PUBLIC SAFETY AND HUMAN SERVICE
AS SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, MARCH
28th, 2023. AND UNLESS THERE AR
OTHER COMMENTS FROM MY
COLLEAGUES? NOT SEEING ANY. IT
IS 11:48 A.M. AND WE ARE
ADJOURNED. THANK YOU, EVERYBODY