I’m a dad, entrepreneur, and community advocate. For too long, I’ve watched politicians put rhetoric over results, while countless people have paid the price. Instead, I’ve got a serious plan to build the ambitious future we deserve.

I didn’t start life in a place like Roosevelt. I’m the product of a teen pregnancy, but my parents managed to buy a house and build us a beautiful life. I got really lucky, graduated from Harvard Law School, launched a tech company, and have been a business leader since. Journeys like mine are impossible in Seattle today.

Seattle should be a place where people from any background can afford to raise a family, build a career, and age comfortably–and where no one lives on the street. Where it is as easy to get around without a car as it is with one, and where tomorrow’s workforce has housing and childcare they can afford in tree-lined neighborhoods they love.

This means we have to fix our finances–from tens of millions in waste, to using revenue sources that don’t take from young families or seniors on fixed incomes. We can’t let the big-money PACs trying to buy this election cut their taxes and keep leaving the rest of us with the tab. 

As a parent, I will always put results ahead of political theatrics when it comes to safety. Let’s stop crime before it starts with evidence-based prevention, quickly send the right professional for each emergency, and rebuild trust in law enforcement through good governance and accountability.

I’m proud to be endorsed by the MLK labor council, the local Democrats, the Sierra Club, and political leaders like Darya Farivar, Nicole Macri, Hilary Franz, Toshiko Haswegawa, Ryan Calkins, Sam Cho, Teresa Mosqueda, Girmay Zahilay, and many more. I’d be honored by your support.

I’ll never forget waiting and worrying outside Ingraham High as my teenage girls were in lockdown during the recent shooting. It really brought home that things are off track. Unfortunately due to poor decisions and performative posturing by the City Council – including pledging to defund the police – our quality of life has eroded and our streets are less safe. As your Councilmember, I’ll listen and work with everyone to end the divisiveness and put Seattle back on track.

Endorsed by The Seattle Times, “Rivera has the experience, skills and values to be an immediate strength on the City Council.” 6/30/23. 

I’ll make public safety my top priority. Five-minute response times for priority 911 calls, get guns off our streets, shut down open-air drug markets, help neighborhood small businesses recover, address addiction and the mental health crisis.

It’s also unacceptable that three years after the murder of George Floyd, Seattle still has no alternative to armed response to 911 calls. Not all situations require uniformed police officers, but some do. I’ll prioritize making this happen. I will also bring people together to build more affordable housing and address the homelessness crisis.  

My parents moved from Puerto Rico to the Bronx in search of a better life. My dad was a welder and proud union member, and my mom worked at a factory. I moved to Seattle twenty years ago after working in the Clinton White House as the Hispanic Community Liaison and for the ACLU fighting Islamophobia. I currently serve as Deputy Director of the Office of Arts & Culture. 

I am honored to have the endorsements of Attorney General Bob Ferguson, City Councilmember Sara Nelson, former Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, the Seattle Building Trades, and many of our neighbors. With better governance, Seattle can be both progressive and safe.