Why I’m Running
Everyone I talk with in our district wants the same things: safe streets, good schools, treatment for those who are suffering, clean air and water, an affordable place to raise a family or start a business, and a government responsive to its community.
As a lifelong Democrat, I share those values. My opponent has had nine years in elected office to deliver them, but hasn't. She’s held key oversight roles as chair of the Seattle Budget Committee and the Board of Public Health but hasn’t used them effectively.
As a result, our region now ranks among the nation’s worst for homelessness, overdose deaths, property crime, cost of living, and commercial sex trafficking. These results aren’t for lack of funding; we spend more on homelessness than almost any region in America. Meanwhile we've also lost ground on the following: school enrollment, housing construction, office occupancy, and unemployment.
Our leaders, many of whom fill my opponent’s endorsement list, measure success by how much they spend and how good it sounds, not by tangible results and whether life has improved.
Ask yourself honestly: is our region better off than it was nine years ago?
My campaign is about improving our outcomes. That means public safety with real accountability. It means compassionate, treatment-required paths off the street for those struggling with addiction. It means building more housing by fixing permitting and reducing taxes on new construction, and public housing that is safe and well-run, not merely expensive.
Whether you're a young person priced out of the market, a parent worried about your kid’s future, or a longtime resident being taxed out of your home, our government should work for you, not for special interests and failed programs. I share this region's progressive values. I'm asking for your vote to finally deliver progressive results.
Priorities
Public Safety
Compassion means protecting people from harm. Accountability means enforcing reasonable rules.
King County should rebuild a public-safety system that actually works:
Fix the intake system — properly staff jail medical intake so arrests do not routinely turn into hours-long hospital waits or failed bookings.
Take trafficking seriously — target pimps and traffickers while giving victims safe housing, services, and a clear path to clear their records.
Restore consequences for repeat theft — use diversion where appropriate, but escalate consequences for chronic and organized offenders.
Safe deployment of cameras — use cameras to assist in highly populated and high crime areas and deploy them with reasonable safeguards in place. In the absence of more police on the streets, they are needed to assist with investigations for serious crimes.
Expand youth programs — pair youth violence interventions with accessible sports to keep kids off the streets and with coaches, mentors, and teams.
The goal: Protect → Enforce → Intervene → Hold Accountable → Rebuild Trust.
Treatment & Recovery
Compassion means helping people recover. Accountability means expecting change and working towards independence.
King County should stop managing addiction and start building a pathway to recovery:
Treatment when people need it — expand public capacity and utilize private treatment beds when necessary.
Intervene earlier — create stabilization centers and fix the broken jail medical-intake process.
Build sober housing — give people in recovery a safe place to live away from active drug use and dealing.
Mandated treatment after repeated offenses — diversion first, but after repeated drug-related crimes, treatment should be required.
The goal: Stabilize → Treat → Recover → Rebuild Independence.
housing & Transit
If we’re going to invest billions in transit, we should build around it, protect it, and make it work for everyone.
King County should get more out of our generational transit investments:
Make transit safer and fairer — install accessible fare gates at Link stations, while maintaining reduced and free fares for people who qualify.
Build more housing near light rail — allow 15–20 story buildings within several blocks of major stations so more people can live without depending on a car.
Build complete neighborhoods around transit — encourage grocery stores, childcare, restaurants, and other daily needs alongside new housing.
Innovative thinking to reduce costs — explore lost cost-high upside innovations to increase ridership on existing transit.
The goal: More Housing → Safer Transit → Higher Ridership → Better Value.
Accountability & Measurable Outcomes
Good government isn’t measured by how much we spend. It’s measured by what we accomplish.
King County should demand clear results from every major public investment:
Set measurable goals — every program over $1 million should clearly state the problem, expected outcome, cost per result, and who is responsible.
Measure what works — track results over time and make performance data easily available to the public.
Hold funding accountable — programs that cannot define their goals should have funding withheld; programs that repeatedly miss them should shrink or change.
Scale success — when a program demonstrates that it works, invest more in it and expand what is producing results.
Strengthen oversight — independent audits and stronger contract monitoring should catch problems at agencies like KCRHA, DCHS, and Sound Transit before they become crises.
The goal: Define → Measure → Improve → Scale What Works.