1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,040 ♪ ♪ 2 00:00:03,180 --> 00:00:05,900 Hello, I'm your host, Brian Callanan. 3 00:00:05,900 --> 00:00:09,460 Could a first-time candidate unseat a long-time legislator? 4 00:00:09,460 --> 00:00:11,573 That's the question facing voters in 5 00:00:11,573 --> 00:00:14,662 Washington's 37th District, from southeast Seattle 6 00:00:14,662 --> 00:00:15,560 down to Renton. 7 00:00:15,560 --> 00:00:18,079 The longest-serving member of the State House, 8 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,980 Sharon Tomiko Santos, is up against newcomer Kelabe Tewolde 9 00:00:21,980 --> 00:00:24,780 for District 37's position one seat. 10 00:00:24,780 --> 00:00:26,899 And the candidates have some different approaches 11 00:00:26,899 --> 00:00:29,899 to tough topics like affordable housing and education. 12 00:00:29,899 --> 00:00:32,359 - We need leaders right now that are gonna deal 13 00:00:32,359 --> 00:00:34,399 with these issues as urgent issues 14 00:00:34,399 --> 00:00:37,118 and not just push them down the line year after year. 15 00:00:37,118 --> 00:00:39,439 - Tewolde, a Southeast Seattle native 16 00:00:39,439 --> 00:00:42,840 and Rainier Scholars educator, earned a surprising win 17 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:47,200 over Santos in the primary by fewer than 1,400 votes. 18 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,298 Santos has held the seat since 1999. 19 00:00:50,298 --> 00:00:52,219 She chairs the House Education Committee 20 00:00:52,219 --> 00:00:54,600 and says her experience sets her apart. 21 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,340 I want to make sure that I am able to go back to Olympia 22 00:00:58,340 --> 00:01:02,759 and protect what we have fought so hard and so long for. 23 00:01:02,759 --> 00:01:04,858 With schools squeezed by budget cuts 24 00:01:04,858 --> 00:01:07,400 and families squeezed by rent increases, 25 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:09,140 who should speak for the South End? 26 00:01:09,140 --> 00:01:11,218 I think people on the ground are feeling it 27 00:01:11,218 --> 00:01:13,078 and know that we're not doing enough right now. 28 00:01:13,078 --> 00:01:14,739 You'll hear from both candidates. 29 00:01:14,739 --> 00:01:18,659 I think the reality is we have a limited-size budget. 30 00:01:18,659 --> 00:01:21,962 It's experience versus a new voice for House 31 00:01:21,962 --> 00:01:23,840 District 37, Position 1. 32 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:25,400 Next on City Inside Out. 33 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:35,400 ♪ 34 00:01:44,299 --> 00:01:46,986 Thank you for joining us once again here on City Inside 35 00:01:46,986 --> 00:01:48,358 Out on the Seattle Channel. 36 00:01:48,358 --> 00:01:51,081 I'm Brian Callanan, and I am here to connect you with 37 00:01:51,081 --> 00:01:54,120 the candidates for state representative in District 37. 38 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:55,739 This is for the position one seat. 39 00:01:55,739 --> 00:01:56,980 Two Democrats here with us. 40 00:01:56,980 --> 00:01:59,599 The incumbent is Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos. 41 00:01:59,599 --> 00:02:00,938 Thank you very much for being here. 42 00:02:00,938 --> 00:02:02,620 Well, thank you so much, Brian. 43 00:02:02,620 --> 00:02:05,040 Also with us, her challenger, Kelabe Tewolde. 44 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:06,900 Kelabe, appreciate you being on the show, too. 45 00:02:06,900 --> 00:02:07,879 Thanks for having me. 46 00:02:07,879 --> 00:02:09,598 We had a coin flip before the program. 47 00:02:09,598 --> 00:02:11,020 Kelabe is going to be speaking first. 48 00:02:11,020 --> 00:02:12,485 An opening statement, if you could keep it 49 00:02:12,485 --> 00:02:13,199 to a minute, please. 50 00:02:14,877 --> 00:02:16,360 Well, thank you for having me. 51 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,240 My name is Kelabe Tewolde. 52 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,340 I was born and raised here in Seattle. 53 00:02:20,340 --> 00:02:23,620 I'm an educator, son of an immigrant, 54 00:02:23,620 --> 00:02:26,199 and honestly why I'm running for this seat 55 00:02:26,199 --> 00:02:28,199 is because most of my students that I work with 56 00:02:28,199 --> 00:02:30,360 at Rainier Scholars are dealing with the same issues 57 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:32,818 I dealt with and most importantly, 58 00:02:32,818 --> 00:02:35,919 my mother dealt with raising me as a single mom. 59 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:38,800 They're dealing with housing insecurity, 60 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,877 massive amounts of medical debt in their families, 61 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:43,919 and, you know, an education system 62 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:45,038 that isn't meeting their needs. 63 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:48,377 My mother did her best raising me, 64 00:02:48,377 --> 00:02:51,318 and my community did their best raising me 65 00:02:51,318 --> 00:02:52,680 in the south end of Seattle. 66 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,758 And I'm coming back to represent that district 67 00:02:56,758 --> 00:02:58,098 that helped raise me. 68 00:02:58,098 --> 00:03:00,424 My family dealt with gun violence outside 69 00:03:00,424 --> 00:03:01,419 of their schools. 70 00:03:01,419 --> 00:03:04,877 We had to move every couple years. 71 00:03:04,877 --> 00:03:07,120 And when it came to education, my mom did what she 72 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:08,877 could to make sure that I was on the right path, 73 00:03:08,877 --> 00:03:11,038 and I'm doing the same right now. 74 00:03:11,038 --> 00:03:13,937 And I would love to talk more about my priorities later. 75 00:03:13,937 --> 00:03:14,740 And we definitely will. 76 00:03:14,740 --> 00:03:15,360 Just a second. 77 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:16,280 Thank you for that. 78 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,187 Sharon Tomiko, an opening statement, if you could, 79 00:03:18,187 --> 00:03:19,120 aiming for a minute here. 80 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:20,560 Well, thank you so much. 81 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,638 You know, I'm a proud daughter of the 37th 82 00:03:22,638 --> 00:03:25,506 Legislative District, where I was raised and where I 83 00:03:25,506 --> 00:03:29,139 attended public schools from elementary through high school, 84 00:03:29,139 --> 00:03:33,193 school, in the same district that my mother taught students 85 00:03:33,193 --> 00:03:37,044 who—with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who 86 00:03:37,044 --> 00:03:40,258 were permitted to enroll for the very first time in their 87 00:03:40,258 --> 00:03:44,304 neighborhood schools, and by an immigrant father who 88 00:03:44,304 --> 00:03:49,633 ministered to an aging immigrant population that, after 89 00:03:49,633 --> 00:03:54,580 a lifetime of facing legalized discrimination, xenophobia 90 00:03:54,580 --> 00:04:02,080 and racism in this country, were imprisoned in nursing homes 91 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:08,086 and in hospitals by language, culture and custom, and found 92 00:04:08,086 --> 00:04:12,740 that they had to keep quarters in order to receive attention 93 00:04:12,740 --> 00:04:15,500 and care by bribing the staff. 94 00:04:15,500 --> 00:04:18,300 As a legislator and as a community member, 95 00:04:18,300 --> 00:04:20,699 I want to make sure that we are supporting 96 00:04:21,860 --> 00:04:25,360 all persons who live in our community 97 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:26,519 so that they can thrive. 98 00:04:26,519 --> 00:04:27,459 - All right, thank you. 99 00:04:27,459 --> 00:04:28,980 And there's a lot to pull apart there too. 100 00:04:28,980 --> 00:04:30,379 Thank you for that Sharon Tomiko. 101 00:04:30,379 --> 00:04:32,740 Let's talk about the 37th district if we could. 102 00:04:32,740 --> 00:04:35,560 It stretches from Chinatown ID here in Seattle 103 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:37,379 through Southeast Seattle down to Renton. 104 00:04:37,379 --> 00:04:40,019 It is known for its diversity and its progressive politics. 105 00:04:40,019 --> 00:04:42,197 And a lot of eyes were on this race, especially 106 00:04:42,197 --> 00:04:44,661 after Kelabe, a political newcomer, won the primary 107 00:04:44,661 --> 00:04:45,980 with 51 percent of the vote. 108 00:04:45,980 --> 00:04:48,367 Kelabe, I wanted to talk about your work at Rainier Scholars 109 00:04:48,367 --> 00:04:49,439 over the past eight years. 110 00:04:49,439 --> 00:04:52,079 It's a nonprofit aimed at helping students of color. 111 00:04:52,079 --> 00:04:54,600 Education reform is a big reason why you got into this race. 112 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:56,180 You mentioned that in your opening statement. 113 00:04:56,180 --> 00:04:58,600 You told me in preparation for the show our education 114 00:04:58,600 --> 00:04:59,920 system is failing teachers. 115 00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:01,278 It's failing students. 116 00:05:01,278 --> 00:05:03,062 You're going up against an opponent who chairs the 117 00:05:03,062 --> 00:05:04,079 House Education Committee. 118 00:05:04,079 --> 00:05:06,696 So tell us, how would your approach to education be 119 00:05:06,696 --> 00:05:09,500 different if you were a lawmaker and you were elected? 120 00:05:09,500 --> 00:05:11,920 Yeah. Well, I think there's a lot to dig into when it 121 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:14,831 comes to the education system, and my opponent knows 122 00:05:14,831 --> 00:05:18,127 that intimately with the work that she's done over 123 00:05:18,127 --> 00:05:19,540 the past few decades. 124 00:05:19,540 --> 00:05:21,994 And what I see as some of the top priorities right 125 00:05:21,994 --> 00:05:24,754 now in our education system is providing our teachers 126 00:05:24,754 --> 00:05:25,920 with enough supports. 127 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:29,524 That could look like making sure that we have actual 128 00:05:29,524 --> 00:05:31,199 caps on the class sizes. 129 00:05:31,199 --> 00:05:33,826 I have a friend that taught in the Highline School District, 130 00:05:33,826 --> 00:05:36,480 and last year she was teaching fourth graders and had 131 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:37,680 35 kids in her class. 132 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,485 She didn't want the extra pay for that—the extra 133 00:05:40,485 --> 00:05:42,100 students in her classroom. 134 00:05:42,100 --> 00:05:43,740 She wanted smaller class sizes. 135 00:05:43,740 --> 00:05:44,920 And our teachers are begging for that. 136 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,660 We saw that with the SEA almost going on strike. 137 00:05:48,660 --> 00:05:51,170 That was one of their big bargaining points, where they 138 00:05:51,170 --> 00:05:52,480 wanted smaller class sizes. 139 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:54,660 And we're going to have to fund that. 140 00:05:54,660 --> 00:05:57,439 The legislature didn't fund that over a decade ago 141 00:05:57,439 --> 00:06:00,180 when the voters approved smaller class sizes 142 00:06:00,180 --> 00:06:01,579 through an initiative. 143 00:06:01,579 --> 00:06:05,826 And it got kicked down the road and eventually was dismissed 144 00:06:05,826 --> 00:06:07,560 by the legislature. 145 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:10,807 We have folks like Pollet, who's a longtime education 146 00:06:10,807 --> 00:06:12,360 advocate up in North Seattle. 147 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:13,660 -Gerry Pollet in the 46th. 148 00:06:13,660 --> 00:06:14,072 Keep going. 149 00:06:14,072 --> 00:06:15,656 -Yes. He has been pushing for 150 00:06:15,656 --> 00:06:17,728 smaller class sizes, and I think that's one 151 00:06:17,728 --> 00:06:18,540 of our big priorities. 152 00:06:18,540 --> 00:06:21,711 Another one that I would love to do and work with, community 153 00:06:21,711 --> 00:06:24,882 with, is trying to make sure that we're limiting our screen 154 00:06:24,882 --> 00:06:26,500 time in the classroom as well. 155 00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:29,802 I get we have to prepare our kids for a digital age, but what 156 00:06:29,802 --> 00:06:33,108 I've seen at Rainier Scholars is when we limit screen time 157 00:06:33,108 --> 00:06:36,069 and we get kids doing the hard work and working their 158 00:06:36,069 --> 00:06:39,235 brains and not relying on things like AI and those types 159 00:06:39,235 --> 00:06:42,540 of tools, we're getting much better results for our kids. 160 00:06:42,540 --> 00:06:43,899 And I'll leave it at that. 161 00:06:43,899 --> 00:06:45,639 I want to dive into that issue a little bit. 162 00:06:45,639 --> 00:06:47,543 And I know there's a lot to talk about, but I want to 163 00:06:47,543 --> 00:06:49,680 give people some background about you, Sharon Tomiko. 164 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:53,000 You've served as House Education Chair for 15 years. 165 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:54,680 You've been in office since 1999. 166 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,040 You're the state's longest-serving House member. 167 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,625 And we talked before the show about the complexity 168 00:06:59,625 --> 00:07:02,439 of state education policy and the need for someone with 169 00:07:02,439 --> 00:07:05,480 experience to reimagine how the state delivers education, 170 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:07,278 especially during a difficult budget year. 171 00:07:07,278 --> 00:07:09,774 Let's talk about that, how your approach to education is 172 00:07:09,774 --> 00:07:11,259 different than your opponent's. 173 00:07:11,259 --> 00:07:14,737 Well, I think the first thing is that I 174 00:07:14,737 --> 00:07:18,278 approach this through a systemic vision. 175 00:07:19,379 --> 00:07:21,838 But speaking of vision, that's a big problem. 176 00:07:21,838 --> 00:07:23,699 We don't have a vision for public education. 177 00:07:23,699 --> 00:07:27,000 We have a mission for public education in this state. 178 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,146 What we really need, if we really, truly wish to transform 179 00:07:31,146 --> 00:07:35,149 our systems, is that vision, a vision where we recognize 180 00:07:35,149 --> 00:07:39,259 the strengths and challenges of students on an individual 181 00:07:39,259 --> 00:07:42,379 basis. I don't disagree with the 182 00:07:42,379 --> 00:07:47,459 notion that we need to have smaller class sizes, but I'm 183 00:07:47,459 --> 00:07:49,319 not thinking of this literally. 184 00:07:49,319 --> 00:07:52,925 What I'm thinking of is we need to have more adults 185 00:07:52,925 --> 00:07:56,444 in the classroom so that you can achieve a better 186 00:07:56,444 --> 00:07:58,379 student-to-adult ratio. 187 00:07:58,379 --> 00:08:02,540 We've seen how that works in different states. 188 00:08:02,540 --> 00:08:05,959 The issue—part of the problem with that is twofold. 189 00:08:05,959 --> 00:08:09,778 One, the limits on actual buildings. 190 00:08:09,778 --> 00:08:12,759 And as long as we keep our students in a classroom 191 00:08:12,759 --> 00:08:15,838 and expect that only learning takes place in a classroom, 192 00:08:16,860 --> 00:08:18,899 we need to continue to build more spaces. 193 00:08:18,899 --> 00:08:22,100 But the truth of it is we have to understand 194 00:08:22,100 --> 00:08:24,259 that learning takes place anytime, anywhere, 195 00:08:24,259 --> 00:08:27,959 but the only way we fund education is by the number 196 00:08:27,959 --> 00:08:30,420 of hours of a butt in a seat. 197 00:08:30,420 --> 00:08:31,899 You wanted to jump in here. 198 00:08:31,899 --> 00:08:35,200 Yeah, I wanted to just push back a little bit 199 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:38,100 on the having more adults in the classroom as well. 200 00:08:38,100 --> 00:08:41,519 I think there is a benefit for having more adults in some 201 00:08:41,519 --> 00:08:44,158 of the classrooms, but my friend again who had 35 kids 202 00:08:44,158 --> 00:08:46,519 in her class at the beginning of last year had 203 00:08:46,519 --> 00:08:51,038 to have multiple teaching aids in that class and it became 204 00:08:51,038 --> 00:08:54,200 so overcrowded that there wasn't any ability to learn 205 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,100 in that class, even if there were some individual aids 206 00:08:57,100 --> 00:08:59,259 that were able to help with those students. 207 00:08:59,259 --> 00:09:01,479 So I think-- I think we're saying 208 00:09:01,479 --> 00:09:02,057 the same thing. 209 00:09:02,057 --> 00:09:04,000 We're actually saying the same thing. 210 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,177 But I think we need to make sure that we're setting up our 211 00:09:07,177 --> 00:09:08,840 teachers for success there. 212 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:11,759 With regard to funding education, you brought this up, 213 00:09:11,759 --> 00:09:14,009 and I think it's important for people to know that there's 214 00:09:14,009 --> 00:09:15,975 an appropriations committee that's in charge of 215 00:09:15,975 --> 00:09:16,918 paying for education. 216 00:09:16,918 --> 00:09:18,946 The education committee is in a different lane 217 00:09:18,946 --> 00:09:21,177 there in terms of pedagogy and so many other things. 218 00:09:21,177 --> 00:09:22,700 But I did want to talk about this. 219 00:09:22,700 --> 00:09:24,850 Our state has invested a lot of money over 220 00:09:24,850 --> 00:09:26,120 the past several years. 221 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,538 During your time in office there, a 39% increase. 222 00:09:29,538 --> 00:09:30,700 And I'm looking at some of the numbers. 223 00:09:30,700 --> 00:09:33,019 The Washington Policy Center did a study on this. 224 00:09:33,019 --> 00:09:36,778 39% increase in spending between 2012 and 2024. 225 00:09:36,778 --> 00:09:39,379 But then the data shows that Washington students, 226 00:09:39,379 --> 00:09:41,340 especially after the pandemic, have fallen 227 00:09:41,340 --> 00:09:43,918 in terms of math proficiency, English proficiency. 228 00:09:43,918 --> 00:09:46,240 I'm just trying to look at that bang for the buck 229 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:48,080 that the state is getting, or maybe not getting, 230 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:49,798 for the education dollar out there. 231 00:09:49,798 --> 00:09:51,158 Can you speak to that? 232 00:09:51,158 --> 00:09:52,500 Well, I think there's a couple of things 233 00:09:52,500 --> 00:09:54,379 that you're talking about there. 234 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,918 One is, actually, if you take a look 235 00:09:57,918 --> 00:10:00,658 at the most recent supplemental budget, 236 00:10:00,658 --> 00:10:05,038 the increase over the last decade is more like 90%, 237 00:10:05,038 --> 00:10:07,200 just in public education. 238 00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:07,500 Okay. 239 00:10:08,639 --> 00:10:13,440 The -- and I do know that there are a number of proponents, 240 00:10:14,778 --> 00:10:16,639 beginning with, for example, the superintendent of 241 00:10:16,639 --> 00:10:18,259 public instruction, who would say, "We 242 00:10:18,259 --> 00:10:19,100 need more money." 243 00:10:19,100 --> 00:10:22,960 I think the reality is we have a limited-size budget. 244 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:25,644 Part of the question we have to ask is exactly 245 00:10:25,644 --> 00:10:26,879 what you're posing. 246 00:10:26,879 --> 00:10:29,384 How are we making sure that our dollars are 247 00:10:29,384 --> 00:10:30,820 achieving what we need? 248 00:10:30,820 --> 00:10:35,062 And as long as we are not making every dollar work 249 00:10:35,062 --> 00:10:40,051 the hardest that it can by forcing teachers 250 00:10:40,051 --> 00:10:44,340 into compartmentalized types of programs, 251 00:10:44,340 --> 00:10:47,158 then we won't be able to achieve the results we want. 252 00:10:47,158 --> 00:10:48,840 - Can you talk about education funding? 253 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:50,879 I think this is a part of your platform too. 254 00:10:50,879 --> 00:10:54,778 - Yeah, I think that huge jump that we saw, 255 00:10:54,778 --> 00:10:57,220 a lot of that could be coming down to our state 256 00:10:58,220 --> 00:11:01,283 when that jump happened, having to meet that paramount 257 00:11:01,283 --> 00:11:02,379 duty of public education. 258 00:11:02,379 --> 00:11:04,000 - The jump in dollars, the investment, yeah. 259 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,418 - Because we were being held in contempt. 260 00:11:06,418 --> 00:11:09,298 The legislature was held in contempt at that point. 261 00:11:09,298 --> 00:11:11,960 And there was a need for that huge jump. 262 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:15,899 And every year we've seen that percentage of education dollars 263 00:11:15,899 --> 00:11:18,158 of our state budget dropping. 264 00:11:18,158 --> 00:11:20,320 It was above 50 percent. 265 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:22,129 Now it's around 42 percent, I believe, of 266 00:11:22,129 --> 00:11:23,139 the operating budget. 267 00:11:23,139 --> 00:11:26,460 And so, yes, the numbers are going up, but in proportion 268 00:11:26,460 --> 00:11:29,720 to how much we're spending as a state, it's gone down. 269 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:32,460 Well, I think that that's a false perspective, though, 270 00:11:32,460 --> 00:11:38,378 in this way is, I mean, the numbers are in 2015-17, 271 00:11:38,378 --> 00:11:43,720 we spent $18.2 billion on public education. 272 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:48,868 And in 25-27, with the supplemental, we're now 273 00:11:48,868 --> 00:11:51,639 spending $33.9 billion. 274 00:11:51,639 --> 00:11:54,711 That's the 89% I'm talking about. 275 00:11:54,711 --> 00:11:57,490 But when you talk about the percentage, 276 00:11:57,490 --> 00:11:59,706 I would agree with my opponent. 277 00:11:59,706 --> 00:12:02,682 The percentage has gone down by about 5%. 278 00:12:02,682 --> 00:12:06,326 We're now at 42% of the entire NGF budget. 279 00:12:06,326 --> 00:12:09,173 But, yes, that's a general 280 00:12:09,173 --> 00:12:10,595 fund budget. 281 00:12:10,595 --> 00:12:13,408 But what it doesn't account for 282 00:12:13,408 --> 00:12:15,240 is what's pushing on that. 283 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:19,596 For example, in health and human services, the 284 00:12:19,596 --> 00:12:24,399 increase in that same period of time is 393 percent. 285 00:12:24,399 --> 00:12:26,538 So, of course, education spending is 286 00:12:26,538 --> 00:12:27,918 proportionately down. 287 00:12:27,918 --> 00:12:30,620 Okay. One last touch on this before we move on. 288 00:12:30,620 --> 00:12:32,720 Would you like to add anything to that? 289 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:36,067 Well, I think it's important to make sure 290 00:12:36,067 --> 00:12:39,076 that we're like putting into perspective of 291 00:12:39,076 --> 00:12:41,278 like, yes, we're putting in a lot of dollars 292 00:12:41,278 --> 00:12:45,820 into our education system, but our budgets are a reflection 293 00:12:45,820 --> 00:12:47,379 of our values, right? 294 00:12:47,379 --> 00:12:50,620 And if we want to be a state that leads 295 00:12:50,620 --> 00:12:54,139 and puts our students first and puts our future first, 296 00:12:54,139 --> 00:12:57,158 We got to put it in the dollars to make sure that our 297 00:12:57,158 --> 00:12:59,000 teachers and our students are 298 00:13:00,340 --> 00:13:02,368 Best set up to succeed and I don't think we're 299 00:13:02,368 --> 00:13:04,206 doing that right now I think people on the 300 00:13:04,206 --> 00:13:06,451 ground are feeling it and know that we're not doing 301 00:13:06,451 --> 00:13:07,250 enough right now. 302 00:13:07,250 --> 00:13:08,754 Thank you I need to move on if I 303 00:13:08,754 --> 00:13:11,379 could here real quick another education issue 304 00:13:11,379 --> 00:13:13,706 The governor's been traveling all around the state this 305 00:13:13,706 --> 00:13:16,038 fall to talk about his support for a statewide ban on cell 306 00:13:16,038 --> 00:13:17,980 phones at public schools From bell to bell as he 307 00:13:17,980 --> 00:13:18,634 calls it Kelabe. 308 00:13:18,634 --> 00:13:19,937 I know you're in support of this 309 00:13:19,940 --> 00:13:22,220 You've done this at Rainier Scholars. 310 00:13:22,220 --> 00:13:23,177 Talk to me about that. 311 00:13:23,177 --> 00:13:26,057 - Yeah, I was actually against this at first 312 00:13:26,057 --> 00:13:28,750 when I was at Rainier Scholars and we had this proposal 313 00:13:28,750 --> 00:13:30,080 by my supervisor, 314 00:13:31,220 --> 00:13:35,658 but I have been a big proponent of it now. 315 00:13:35,658 --> 00:13:37,538 After implementing it for the past few years 316 00:13:37,538 --> 00:13:39,120 at Rainier Scholars, when we have students 317 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:43,500 in our programming, our middle and high schoolers are, 318 00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:44,860 it's like a night and day difference 319 00:13:44,860 --> 00:13:47,759 between when we didn't have this policy and when we do. 320 00:13:48,798 --> 00:13:51,440 In the classroom itself, kids are focused, 321 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:55,200 they're getting work done, they are ready to learn. 322 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,320 And then when we have students checking in 323 00:13:57,320 --> 00:13:59,158 and like hanging out in the beginning of the day 324 00:13:59,158 --> 00:14:02,538 and during lunchtime, it is the loudest I've ever seen 325 00:14:02,538 --> 00:14:05,700 our classrooms or our common spaces ever. 326 00:14:05,700 --> 00:14:08,500 And it is amazing to see 'cause kids are no longer 327 00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:10,038 just hunched over on their phones 328 00:14:10,038 --> 00:14:12,038 and in their little tiny little clique, 329 00:14:12,038 --> 00:14:13,740 They are interacting with each other. 330 00:14:13,740 --> 00:14:14,778 They're hanging out. 331 00:14:14,778 --> 00:14:17,139 They're being kids. 332 00:14:17,139 --> 00:14:19,240 And I think that's a really important thing, and we 333 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:21,440 should be implementing these in our public schools. 334 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:23,557 Sharon Tomiko, you've said instead of a statewide ban, 335 00:14:23,557 --> 00:14:25,720 individual school districts should make the decision. 336 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:26,759 Why is that? 337 00:14:26,759 --> 00:14:28,220 Well, I think there's a couple of reasons. 338 00:14:28,220 --> 00:14:31,793 First of all, I do want to make the point that what I 339 00:14:31,793 --> 00:14:36,240 hear my opponent talking about really is around engagement. 340 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:41,894 And that actually is the secret sauce to deep learning in our 341 00:14:41,894 --> 00:14:45,057 classrooms and for our students. 342 00:14:45,057 --> 00:14:46,552 Do you think you can still engage with a 343 00:14:46,552 --> 00:14:47,298 phone in your hand? 344 00:14:47,298 --> 00:14:49,639 Well, I think it depends on the educator. 345 00:14:49,639 --> 00:14:55,240 I mean, there are educators that use that phone for that. 346 00:14:55,240 --> 00:15:00,234 But for example, if you've ever visited Aviation High 347 00:15:00,234 --> 00:15:04,941 School or Maritime High School or a lot of these thematic 348 00:15:04,941 --> 00:15:08,038 schools, where the hands-on learning is 349 00:15:08,038 --> 00:15:11,860 really engaging deeply, our students. 350 00:15:11,860 --> 00:15:13,139 Cell phones aren't out. 351 00:15:13,139 --> 00:15:18,067 I think the—but to your question, the piece that I think 352 00:15:18,067 --> 00:15:22,980 we really need to think about is local control. 353 00:15:22,980 --> 00:15:25,908 And we already have about a third of the school 354 00:15:25,908 --> 00:15:28,840 districts who already have adopted some type 355 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:31,120 of cell phone policy. 356 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:35,480 And, you know, either we're going to have state-controlled 357 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,884 education or we're going to have local control 358 00:15:38,884 --> 00:15:40,719 with state partnership. 359 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:42,278 Got a quick rejoinder on this? 360 00:15:42,278 --> 00:15:44,937 I think the engagement piece is really important to 361 00:15:44,937 --> 00:15:47,471 think about because we've, as we saw with like the 362 00:15:47,471 --> 00:15:50,287 Meta settlement case, right, and the addictive nature 363 00:15:50,287 --> 00:15:52,759 of our phones and addictive nature of social media, 364 00:15:52,759 --> 00:15:54,750 These kids are dealing with something that is totally 365 00:15:54,750 --> 00:15:56,519 different than what we've had to ever deal with. 366 00:15:56,519 --> 00:15:59,100 When I first got my phone, it was a flip phone, Motorola. 367 00:15:59,100 --> 00:16:01,769 It was very different to be distracted by 368 00:16:01,769 --> 00:16:03,340 that than a smartphone. 369 00:16:03,340 --> 00:16:06,057 When a kid is in the back of the classroom doodling, 370 00:16:06,057 --> 00:16:08,519 that is a very different type of distraction. 371 00:16:08,519 --> 00:16:11,817 And they can actually engage and still listen and learn 372 00:16:11,817 --> 00:16:14,759 versus a phone that is giving kids dopamine hits. 373 00:16:14,759 --> 00:16:18,960 And having that be a constant is quite dangerous. 374 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:20,240 Last rejoinder on this, please, if you have anything to add. 375 00:16:20,240 --> 00:16:22,000 No, I absolutely agree. 376 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:29,056 But let's not confuse cell phone bans with the addictive 377 00:16:29,056 --> 00:16:32,658 nature of those cell phones. 378 00:16:32,658 --> 00:16:37,595 So I think there's a way that you can address 379 00:16:37,595 --> 00:16:41,375 the addictive nature, and I think that that's 380 00:16:41,375 --> 00:16:44,658 certainly going to be a matter of public policy consideration. 381 00:16:44,658 --> 00:16:45,399 I think so, too. 382 00:16:45,399 --> 00:16:46,379 Thank you for that. 383 00:16:46,379 --> 00:16:48,321 Kelabe, I'm going to jump back to you and talk about 384 00:16:48,321 --> 00:16:50,120 housing affordability in the 37th District. 385 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:51,875 The majority of people who live there are 386 00:16:51,875 --> 00:16:52,960 renters, like yourself. 387 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,191 Legislature passed a bill last year, House Bill 1217, 388 00:16:56,191 --> 00:16:59,206 that caps rent increases over any 12-month period 389 00:16:59,206 --> 00:17:02,080 to 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower. 390 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:04,074 I know you supported this idea, but your opponent 391 00:17:04,074 --> 00:17:06,019 has said this bill is essentially rent control. 392 00:17:06,019 --> 00:17:09,124 It could hurt small landlords, discourage building new rentals, 393 00:17:09,124 --> 00:17:11,720 possibly make the housing shortage we have even worse. 394 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:13,278 Why do you support this? 395 00:17:13,278 --> 00:17:15,689 I support it because we have too many people that 396 00:17:15,689 --> 00:17:18,278 are one paycheck away from being out on the streets. 397 00:17:18,278 --> 00:17:20,827 I've been somebody that's had to move four times in 398 00:17:20,827 --> 00:17:23,199 the last six years, like I was sharing earlier. 399 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:26,190 And it is really important that we keep people housed, 400 00:17:26,190 --> 00:17:29,509 especially in a district like the 37th, where we have people 401 00:17:29,509 --> 00:17:31,038 that are housing insecure. 402 00:17:32,317 --> 00:17:36,220 That is like the-- if you're somebody on a fixed income, 403 00:17:36,220 --> 00:17:39,200 if you are a barista, if you're somebody 404 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:41,700 that isn't making these top tech dollars, right, 405 00:17:41,700 --> 00:17:44,180 it is much harder to take a 10% hit 406 00:17:44,180 --> 00:17:49,317 on your biggest expense in housing, right? 407 00:17:49,317 --> 00:17:51,778 Even an 8% hit for a lot of folks is way too much 408 00:17:51,778 --> 00:17:52,700 and forces them to move. 409 00:17:52,700 --> 00:17:55,077 And if we have a district like the 37th 410 00:17:55,077 --> 00:17:57,278 where people are getting pushed out to Auburn and Kent 411 00:17:57,278 --> 00:18:00,116 and Federal Way like my students are. 412 00:18:01,357 --> 00:18:03,920 It's important that we make sure that there's some sort 413 00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:05,700 of cap and some sort of protection for folks. 414 00:18:06,778 --> 00:18:08,200 Sharon, your thoughts about this? 415 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:09,019 Sharon Tomiko, excuse me. 416 00:18:09,019 --> 00:18:11,298 You voted against this measure in 2025. 417 00:18:11,298 --> 00:18:12,900 Talk about your opposition to this. 418 00:18:12,900 --> 00:18:15,180 Well, first of all, one of the things 419 00:18:15,180 --> 00:18:19,097 that I should say is I did actually cosponsor 420 00:18:19,097 --> 00:18:23,920 in the previous biennium, a bill that was very similar to that. 421 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:29,048 It included the 7% cap plus an inflationary aspect, but 422 00:18:29,048 --> 00:18:34,323 it also carried with it a very innovative notion. 423 00:18:34,323 --> 00:18:38,353 If you're a landlord, for example, and you have a 424 00:18:38,353 --> 00:18:42,480 building, or maybe it's not even a building, maybe it's your own 425 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:45,971 vehicle, you know that the maintenance costs are not 426 00:18:45,971 --> 00:18:49,145 going to be very high when the vehicle is new. 427 00:18:49,145 --> 00:18:51,221 Right? But they will start 428 00:18:51,221 --> 00:18:54,519 piling up and getting more expensive as that 429 00:18:54,519 --> 00:18:57,133 vehicle or that building gets older. 430 00:18:57,133 --> 00:19:00,259 So the notion that was incorporated into 431 00:19:00,259 --> 00:19:03,896 the bill that I signed on to had a notion around 432 00:19:03,900 --> 00:19:06,500 banked capacity that allowed, 433 00:19:06,500 --> 00:19:09,440 so it kept the 7% plus the inflationary factor, 434 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:12,336 but if a landlord hadn't raised rents, 435 00:19:12,337 --> 00:19:14,640 they could reach into their banked capacity 436 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:16,920 to increase rents. 437 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:18,857 Ultimately though, for affordable housing, 438 00:19:18,857 --> 00:19:21,759 I think we have to talk about supply side 439 00:19:21,759 --> 00:19:26,298 and increasing the quantity of diverse housing stock. 440 00:19:26,298 --> 00:19:28,257 - And I wanna talk about that, but you had a quick thing 441 00:19:28,257 --> 00:19:29,199 you wanted to jump in with. 442 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:31,317 - Oh, it was about the stock. 443 00:19:31,317 --> 00:19:32,660 Yeah, yeah, let's talk about this. 444 00:19:32,660 --> 00:19:36,457 I think in a previous forum that we had, my opponent mentioned 445 00:19:36,457 --> 00:19:39,659 that the Growth Management Act was something that— 446 00:19:39,660 --> 00:19:41,567 Yeah, the GMA, just to let people know, it's 447 00:19:41,567 --> 00:19:43,577 a set of laws, in case you're not aware, folks, 448 00:19:43,577 --> 00:19:45,815 that helps our state deal with our state's 449 00:19:45,815 --> 00:19:48,596 rapid population growth, with an aim towards preventing 450 00:19:48,596 --> 00:19:50,880 urban sprawl, protecting natural and rural lands. 451 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:53,557 I know that you've talked to me before about potentially 452 00:19:53,557 --> 00:19:56,095 shifting these GMA boundaries, essentially where building 453 00:19:56,095 --> 00:19:57,796 and development can happen, which your opponent 454 00:19:57,796 --> 00:19:58,459 has pushed back on. 455 00:19:58,460 --> 00:19:59,978 And Kelabe, I'll start with you and then jump 456 00:19:59,978 --> 00:20:00,778 to you on this, please. 457 00:20:00,778 --> 00:20:03,480 Yeah, I think we need to push back on that. 458 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:05,978 I think that is something that is being pushed by 459 00:20:05,978 --> 00:20:07,538 folks that want urban sprawl. 460 00:20:07,538 --> 00:20:11,324 And we got to be careful with that because if you 461 00:20:11,324 --> 00:20:15,497 look at Seattle, I believe 3% of Seattle is zoned for 462 00:20:15,497 --> 00:20:18,019 mid-level, mid-rise housing. 463 00:20:19,057 --> 00:20:22,278 And if we're not maximizing the amount of urban growth 464 00:20:22,278 --> 00:20:25,430 that we can have within the city limits of Seattle and 465 00:20:25,430 --> 00:20:28,949 within the urban growth area, we're going to be pushing 466 00:20:28,949 --> 00:20:31,913 for sprawl that is bad for our environment, 467 00:20:31,913 --> 00:20:34,726 bad for our waterways, bad for the Pacific 468 00:20:34,726 --> 00:20:37,063 Northwest that we call home, right? 469 00:20:37,063 --> 00:20:39,396 We have this beautiful place that we 470 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:40,873 should be protecting. 471 00:20:40,873 --> 00:20:43,200 And I think both the environment and 472 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,140 also economically, it's bad. 473 00:20:45,140 --> 00:20:47,357 If we have this urban sprawl, it pushes people 474 00:20:47,357 --> 00:20:49,636 further and further out, and it makes it harder 475 00:20:49,636 --> 00:20:51,798 for people to get to the amenities that they need, 476 00:20:51,798 --> 00:20:54,136 get to their jobs, get to schools. 477 00:20:54,136 --> 00:20:55,759 And so I think it's important that we try 478 00:20:55,759 --> 00:20:58,979 to maximize our density in places, 479 00:20:58,980 --> 00:21:00,419 especially outside of our district 480 00:21:00,419 --> 00:21:04,278 because our district has taken on a lot of that urban growth. 481 00:21:04,278 --> 00:21:06,117 - Yeah, some thoughts about this Sharon Tomiko, if you-- 482 00:21:06,117 --> 00:21:08,968 - Yeah, no, I agree about the equitable development 483 00:21:08,968 --> 00:21:10,278 throughout our district. 484 00:21:10,278 --> 00:21:13,200 I think the 37th district has certainly shouldered 485 00:21:13,200 --> 00:21:15,419 the burden of density. 486 00:21:15,419 --> 00:21:20,806 But let me point out that when growth management was enacted 487 00:21:20,806 --> 00:21:25,318 in 1990, we had a million fewer people in King County 488 00:21:25,318 --> 00:21:26,940 than we did in 2020. 489 00:21:26,940 --> 00:21:32,159 We've had a 10 percent increase in the population. 490 00:21:32,159 --> 00:21:37,460 And the other piece of this is why I talk about growth 491 00:21:37,460 --> 00:21:43,251 management related to housing is when you cannot build, 492 00:21:43,251 --> 00:21:45,720 then what are you doing? 493 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:50,607 You are artificially increasing the cost of land, which is 494 00:21:50,607 --> 00:21:55,500 today the most expensive part of housing costs these days. 495 00:21:55,500 --> 00:21:55,780 Got it. 496 00:21:55,780 --> 00:21:57,200 Can you jump in with something else? 497 00:21:57,200 --> 00:22:01,857 Just real quick, it's about the not being able to build. 498 00:22:01,857 --> 00:22:04,509 We're seeing right now city councils dealing 499 00:22:04,509 --> 00:22:07,440 with the comprehensive plan delays due to people. 500 00:22:09,097 --> 00:22:10,278 Some legal activity involved. 501 00:22:10,278 --> 00:22:11,140 Legal activity going on there. 502 00:22:12,136 --> 00:22:14,740 If we're not allowing our cities to build up, that's where we're 503 00:22:14,740 --> 00:22:16,803 going to run into that issue, and that's what we're 504 00:22:16,803 --> 00:22:17,538 seeing right now. 505 00:22:17,538 --> 00:22:19,661 We need to be pushing our cities to be able to 506 00:22:19,661 --> 00:22:20,836 build up and not sprawl. 507 00:22:21,999 --> 00:22:23,075 Quickly if you could. 508 00:22:23,075 --> 00:22:24,567 I don't think I'm disagreeing 509 00:22:24,567 --> 00:22:26,719 with that, but what I am saying is we have not 510 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:29,142 exhausted all of our opportunities to take a look 511 00:22:29,142 --> 00:22:31,798 at, for example, Chinatown- International District. 512 00:22:31,798 --> 00:22:36,019 There is a whole boatload of opportunity to create 513 00:22:36,019 --> 00:22:39,837 affordable housing right there that doesn't 514 00:22:39,837 --> 00:22:43,199 require destroying what's already there, but can 515 00:22:43,199 --> 00:22:44,798 actually be converted. 516 00:22:44,798 --> 00:22:47,226 Okay, I thought you were going to talk about 517 00:22:47,226 --> 00:22:48,259 unreinforced masonry. 518 00:22:48,259 --> 00:22:50,317 I'm glad you didn't because that's a whole other show. 519 00:22:50,317 --> 00:22:52,640 I did want to talk about something with you if I could. 520 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:55,692 The 37th district is impacted by gun violence more than many 521 00:22:55,692 --> 00:22:57,219 other districts in the state. 522 00:22:57,220 --> 00:22:58,460 Sharon Tomiko, can I start with you? 523 00:22:58,460 --> 00:23:00,922 The work you've done as a legislature to deal with that, 524 00:23:00,922 --> 00:23:03,480 gun violence, public safety, what plans if you're 525 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:04,700 reelected, please? 526 00:23:04,700 --> 00:23:06,317 Well, I think—pardon me. 527 00:23:06,317 --> 00:23:10,096 And one of the things that I'm very proud of is the work 528 00:23:10,096 --> 00:23:14,732 that I joined with many of my colleagues in eliminating 529 00:23:14,732 --> 00:23:19,836 ghost guns, including the 3-D printing of these guns. 530 00:23:19,837 --> 00:23:23,623 Probably one of the most important pieces of legislation 531 00:23:23,623 --> 00:23:26,988 that we had was on the gun buybacks that have become very 532 00:23:26,988 --> 00:23:28,636 popular across the country. 533 00:23:28,636 --> 00:23:32,471 We actually now have directed law enforcement 534 00:23:32,471 --> 00:23:37,094 to destroy those guns that are unclaimed or voluntarily 535 00:23:37,094 --> 00:23:41,420 surrendered, so that we don't get them on the street. 536 00:23:41,420 --> 00:23:45,969 But in addition to that, I think we have also made the 537 00:23:45,969 --> 00:23:51,047 connection between violence in our streets and trauma in 538 00:23:51,047 --> 00:23:55,807 our students' lives by making sure we don't run active 539 00:23:55,807 --> 00:23:58,557 shooter drills in our schools. 540 00:23:58,557 --> 00:24:01,097 So, I mean, it traumatizes our kids. 541 00:24:01,097 --> 00:24:03,220 It traumatizes the staff. 542 00:24:03,220 --> 00:24:05,019 I know you want to go on. 543 00:24:05,019 --> 00:24:05,419 Yeah, I'm sorry. 544 00:24:05,419 --> 00:24:07,597 I just want to make sure that we cover some more ground here. 545 00:24:07,597 --> 00:24:09,617 Kelabe, did you have a thought about gun violence? 546 00:24:09,617 --> 00:24:12,365 Yeah, I think it's something that's plagued our 547 00:24:12,365 --> 00:24:13,880 district for far too long. 548 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:16,740 You talk to anyone in our district, they have a story, 549 00:24:16,740 --> 00:24:19,346 whether that's themselves or somebody in their 550 00:24:19,346 --> 00:24:20,778 family or one degree away. 551 00:24:21,857 --> 00:24:24,442 And for me, I think when we are looking at the 552 00:24:24,442 --> 00:24:27,317 gun violence issue in our district, we've got to 553 00:24:27,317 --> 00:24:29,038 tackle it at the root causes. 554 00:24:29,038 --> 00:24:32,200 And I think that should be our approach here. 555 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:35,057 For me, I think when you look at the stats of the folks 556 00:24:35,057 --> 00:24:40,038 that are incarcerated, if you look at the amount of kids 557 00:24:40,038 --> 00:24:43,597 that get into trouble, a lot of times we're seeing kids getting 558 00:24:43,597 --> 00:24:47,116 into trouble either through crimes of poverty or because, 559 00:24:48,220 --> 00:24:50,617 you know, they don't see a pathway out for themselves. 560 00:24:50,617 --> 00:24:55,307 And so I think education is that tool that we can use 561 00:24:55,307 --> 00:24:59,660 to be a leader as a state to tackle gun violence. 562 00:24:59,660 --> 00:25:02,746 Right. If you look at the stats of people that are 563 00:25:02,746 --> 00:25:06,296 incarcerated, I think it's over 70 percent of folks are 564 00:25:06,296 --> 00:25:08,380 reading at a fourth grade level. 565 00:25:08,380 --> 00:25:11,086 Literacy is a is a way that we can solve this. 566 00:25:11,086 --> 00:25:12,740 And so I'll leave it short. 567 00:25:12,740 --> 00:25:13,182 Thank you. 568 00:25:13,182 --> 00:25:13,630 I'm sorry. 569 00:25:13,630 --> 00:25:14,865 There's so much I want to cover 570 00:25:14,865 --> 00:25:17,094 here. And I need to do the 20-second version if I could. 571 00:25:17,094 --> 00:25:18,328 Your top three endorsements. 572 00:25:18,328 --> 00:25:20,063 We're talking about the 37th district. 573 00:25:20,063 --> 00:25:21,547 A lot of different viewpoints, a lot 574 00:25:21,547 --> 00:25:23,526 of different diverse political affiliations. 575 00:25:23,526 --> 00:25:24,813 Talk to me about your top three. 576 00:25:24,813 --> 00:25:26,096 Keep it to 20 seconds if you can. 577 00:25:26,096 --> 00:25:29,478 It's tough to pick three, but I'll stick 578 00:25:29,478 --> 00:25:33,778 with WEA, the Washington Educators Association, 579 00:25:33,778 --> 00:25:36,596 largest educators union in the state. 580 00:25:36,596 --> 00:25:38,576 They've endorsed me. 581 00:25:38,576 --> 00:25:42,538 Girmay Zahilay, executive for King County and a 582 00:25:42,538 --> 00:25:46,150 resident in the 37th, and many parallels with our 583 00:25:46,150 --> 00:25:48,057 political journeys as well. 584 00:25:48,057 --> 00:25:52,008 And then I will also add Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal 585 00:25:52,008 --> 00:25:54,239 just endorsed us this weekend. 586 00:25:54,239 --> 00:25:55,113 Thank you for that. 587 00:25:55,113 --> 00:25:57,076 Your top three endorsements, if you could. 588 00:25:57,076 --> 00:25:57,807 Thank you. 589 00:25:57,807 --> 00:26:00,958 I'm very, very proud to have the endorsement of 590 00:26:00,958 --> 00:26:04,737 Seattle City Council President Joy Hollingsworth, as 591 00:26:04,737 --> 00:26:08,096 well as former King County Council Member Larry 592 00:26:08,096 --> 00:26:12,584 Gossett, a civil rights icon, both of whom are generational 593 00:26:12,584 --> 00:26:16,209 residents of the 37th Legislative District. 594 00:26:16,209 --> 00:26:19,660 And I'm most proud to be the sole endorser 595 00:26:19,660 --> 00:26:22,856 of the 37th Legislative District Democrats. 596 00:26:22,856 --> 00:26:23,700 Okay, thank you for that. 597 00:26:23,700 --> 00:26:24,979 Time for closing statements. 598 00:26:24,979 --> 00:26:25,979 Got to keep it to a minute. 599 00:26:25,979 --> 00:26:26,720 Kelabe, you're first. 600 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:27,960 I'll try to keep it to a minute. 601 00:26:30,219 --> 00:26:31,999 Again, Kelabe Tewolde. 602 00:26:31,999 --> 00:26:33,396 I was born and raised here. 603 00:26:33,396 --> 00:26:35,381 I think we need to have a new generation of 604 00:26:35,381 --> 00:26:36,778 leadership down in Olympia. 605 00:26:36,778 --> 00:26:41,575 We have not seen progress made in the past 28 years as much 606 00:26:41,575 --> 00:26:44,979 as we should on education, on housing reform that 607 00:26:44,979 --> 00:26:47,356 makes sure that this place is more affordable. 608 00:26:48,376 --> 00:26:51,246 I have moved around way too often, and I've seen 609 00:26:51,246 --> 00:26:54,259 my students have to deal with the impacts of that, 610 00:26:54,259 --> 00:26:55,996 and we need to make sure that we are making 611 00:26:55,996 --> 00:26:58,403 housing more affordable, whether that is through 612 00:26:58,403 --> 00:27:01,419 zoning reform and making sure that we have enough stock, 613 00:27:01,419 --> 00:27:05,278 as well as providing protections for our tenants, 614 00:27:05,278 --> 00:27:08,019 whether that is transparency in their rental bills 615 00:27:08,019 --> 00:27:12,625 or with focuses on making sure that we're regulating 616 00:27:12,625 --> 00:27:16,499 things like ratio utility billing systems, 617 00:27:16,499 --> 00:27:18,159 which are high cost for folks. 618 00:27:18,159 --> 00:27:22,376 And, yeah, I'm ready to be a leader down in Olympia. 619 00:27:22,376 --> 00:27:24,077 Okay. One minute, please, to wrap up. 620 00:27:24,077 --> 00:27:25,659 Well, thank you. 621 00:27:25,659 --> 00:27:28,805 Both as a legislator, but probably more important, 622 00:27:28,805 --> 00:27:31,219 as a member of this community for a very, 623 00:27:31,219 --> 00:27:32,405 very long time. 624 00:27:32,405 --> 00:27:34,692 I come back to three key ideas. 625 00:27:34,692 --> 00:27:38,439 One, people should be allowed to continue to live 626 00:27:38,439 --> 00:27:41,817 in the neighborhoods that they call home. 627 00:27:41,817 --> 00:27:44,326 Second, I think that people are 628 00:27:44,326 --> 00:27:48,684 entitled to some basic amenities in their communities, 629 00:27:48,684 --> 00:27:52,836 those being safe streets, strong schools and reliable 630 00:27:54,136 --> 00:27:59,806 And the last thing I would say is, everyone should live in 631 00:27:59,806 --> 00:28:05,188 a place where they can feel free from discrimination, from 632 00:28:05,188 --> 00:28:10,239 hostility and from targeting because of who they are, where 633 00:28:10,239 --> 00:28:13,837 they come from, or how they identify. 634 00:28:13,837 --> 00:28:14,999 Thank you very much for that. 635 00:28:14,999 --> 00:28:17,396 And we will be right back. 636 00:28:17,396 --> 00:28:21,048 What are people saying online about the race for District 637 00:28:21,048 --> 00:28:22,798 37's Position 1 House seat? 638 00:28:22,798 --> 00:28:26,211 One person writes, Kelabe Tewolde, thank you for 639 00:28:26,211 --> 00:28:30,199 giving the 37th a fighting chance to grow forward together. 640 00:28:30,199 --> 00:28:32,669 Another says, Sharon Tomiko Santos has 641 00:28:32,669 --> 00:28:36,096 spent decades listening to and working with communities, 642 00:28:36,096 --> 00:28:38,846 and I value her efforts to advance equity 643 00:28:38,846 --> 00:28:40,298 and representation. 644 00:28:40,298 --> 00:28:42,200 We'd like to know what you think. 645 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,817 Send us an email at contact at seattlechannel.org 646 00:28:45,817 --> 00:28:48,136 or find us on social media. 647 00:28:48,136 --> 00:28:50,636 Great to get that input, and a big thanks to Kelabe Tewolde 648 00:28:50,636 --> 00:28:52,459 and Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos. 649 00:28:52,459 --> 00:28:53,538 Thank you for being here. 650 00:28:53,538 --> 00:28:54,159 Thank you. 651 00:28:54,159 --> 00:28:55,159 I'm Brian Callanan. 652 00:28:55,159 --> 00:28:56,896 We'll see you next time on City Inside Out. 653 00:28:59,259 --> 00:29:16,999 ♪ ♪