Councilmember Lorena González grew up as a migrant farmworker in the Yakima Valley; earning her first paycheck at age 8. A lifelong commitment to hard work, a passion for fairness, and a belief in the power of education has shaped Lorena’s progressive values and service to Seattle. A longtime civil rights attorney, Lorena puts our values into action – leading on issues that she will build upon in a second term, including:

Championing Immigrants & Refugees: One of every five Seattle residents is foreign born. The fear of being unfairly targeted by the policies of Donald Trump are real -- that’s why Lorena created a $1 million legal defense fund for free civil legal aid to our immigrant community.

Public Safety: As chair of the Gender Equity, Safe Communities & New Americans Committee, Lorena secured new resources to combat domestic violence, sexual assault and neighborhood crime – including gun violence.

Committed to police accountability and oversight, Lorena passed legislation that makes the Community Police Commission permanent, creates a new Office of Inspector General of Public Safety and increases civilian staffing at the Office of Police Accountability. Lorena will also continue to advocate for sufficient staffing and the best-trained officers to address officer and community safety.

Working Families: Lorena works to ensure that Seattle’s booming economy benefits all residents and workers. In addition to helping implement Seattle’s $15 minimum wage law, Lorena co-sponsored Seattle’s secure scheduling law, the second major city in the U.S. to provide predictability for hourly workers.

Knowing we must do more to provide economic stability for families, Lorena helped push for a statewide paid parental and family leave policy for all Washingtonians. Beginning in 2019, all Washingtonians will have 12 weeks of paid parental leave.

Housing Affordability: Everyone in Seattle should have access to affordable housing. Lorena will continue to support changes to zoning laws to support growth that is coupled with affordability, mass transit, and incentives – and penalties – to assure developers build more affordable units.

More than 3,000 men, women and children are homeless in our city. That’s unacceptable.  Lorena will continue addressing known inefficiencies in our emergency shelter system, increase accountability for city-funded services, and accelerate construction of “Housing First” permanent housing options.

Endorsements: The Stranger, Seattle Weekly, King County Democrats, District Democrat Organizations, King County Labor Council, OneAmerica Votes, Housing & Homeless Advocates, Small Business Owners, Women’s Rights & Environmental Leaders and many others.

I will bring my extensive business experience and diversity of perspective to the City Council, ensuring Seattle residents are served effectively and tax dollars are spent wisely.

For 30+ years, I have worked with businesses across a wide spectrum of industries, as a successful small IT business owner.  I have 3 college degrees, including Sociology and an MBA.  I have been engaged in my community for decades:  past President of the Mount Baker Community Club and the Cleveland High School PTSA, current President of the South Seattle Crime Prevention Council.  In 2006, I created and led a community organization, Many Cultures, One Message, which stopped then Mayor Nickels from using eminent domain to force immigrant property owners to sell their properties ‘at a discount’ to developers.

I am running because City policies are making housing less affordable, the homeless are being swept from place to place, and gun violence plagues our City.

• PUBLIC SAFETY:  The cooperation between diverse communities and police I have fostered has resulted in increased public safety and engagement.  We need to actively recruit and mentor Seattle residents to join the police force so our officers reflect the faces and gender identities of our residents.  Body cameras should be worn by all officers.  Our officers have been working without a contract since January 2015 because of a lack of leadership on the Safe Communities (Public Safety) Committee.

• HOUSING:  We can increase housing affordability by rezoning all residential properties to current usage.  Global upzones of single-family neighborhoods have resulted in unaffordable property taxes based on development potential.  We must insist on INCLUSIONARY development that serves a diverse socio-economic populace.

•  INFRASTRUCTURE:  Seattle has failed to charge developers impact fees which pay for schools, roads, public safety staffing, and utility capacity.  Seattle residents would pay lower rents, property and sales taxes if developers were held to the same standard as all other municipalities in the region.

• HOMELESSNESS & DRUG EPIDEMIC:  Seattle has not taken decisive action to reduce homelessness.  We must create an indoor-living campus with all necessary support services onsite, work with the County to open a rehabilitation center, and give addicts viable alternatives to illegal drugs.  Seattle can prevent homelessness by providing transitional housing for foster children, ex-convicts, and sex offenders.

Our City Council must be accountable to everyone who lives in Seattle.  I will restore your voice at City Hall.