Compassion and safety go hand in hand. District 5 faces complex public safety concerns, including gun violence, trafficking, the fentanyl crisis, and repeat small business break-ins along key corridors. 

These challenges are deeply connected to housing instability, behavioral health gaps, and systemic failure. We cannot allow vulnerable people to languish in encampments, nor can we allow families to feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods. True compassion means intervening, not accepting the status quo. 

I will prioritize:

• Building back Seattle Police Department staffing levels and moving forward with a second police precinct in District 5.
• Using every tool in our tool box to bring pimps and johns to justice, including the Stay Out of Area Prostitution (SOAP) zone along Aurora Ave. N. 
• Improving our homelessness response by requiring more coordination between the city and housing and public health service providers to finally move the needle on one of our greatest challenges.
• Expanding access to on-demand substance use disorder treatment so that our unhoused neighbors can get onto a path of recovery. 
• Ensuring that our parks and other public spaces are safe and accessible to all. 
• Focusing immediate attention and resources where District 5 needs them most, including shutting down open air drug markets that prey on the vulnerable and threaten neighborhood safety.

The rising cost of housing, groceries, utilities, and childcare is squeezing working families, seniors, and small business owners. Even union and double-income households are struggling to keep up. The city must acknowledge the heavy financial burden it imposes on its own residents and local businesses through rising taxes, red tape, and inadequate basic services. Whether it’s a local shop owner repeatedly paying out-of-pocket to replace broken storefront windows, another regressive sales tax hike, or a homeowner facing an expensive, months-long permitting process just to remodel their kitchen, the current system is actively undermining affordability instead of supporting the people. 

Affordability is not a luxury; it’s the foundation of a healthy city. 

Everyone deserves a safe, stable place to live, and growth should strengthen neighborhoods. District 5 is growing quickly, but housing, sidewalks, transit, and public infrastructure have not kept pace. Rising rents and limited options are pushing families, workers, and seniors out.

I support density that brings vibrancy and local business activity, alongside mixed-income housing so neighborhoods remain inclusive. To achieve this, I will advocate for:

• Fixing our broken permitting system. That starts with shortening the permit review process – because time adds money to projects, driving up the cost of housing and inhibiting economic opportunity. 
• Moving away from the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) framework, which is a tax on desperately needed housing. Instead, we should direct more Payroll Expense Tax (“JumpStart”) revenue to fund affordable housing.
• Protecting and expanding our urban tree canopy so that increased housing also means greener, healthier, and more climate-resilient neighborhoods. Trees should never be the reason we can’t expand housing supply, but the neighborhoods we build should be greener than what they replace.
• Matching housing growth with basic public infrastructure like completing North Seattle’s missing sidewalk network and expanding transit access, especially for east to west connectivity.

Diversity makes cities stronger and more vibrant – and this includes our immigrant community. Right now immigrants face unprecedented challenges from federal actions, and we must come together to keep our community safe.

Our city must maintain its status as a Sanctuary City and not allow federal immigration attacks to separate families or unjustly harm people living in our communities. As an immigrant myself, I know that our local economy relies on the contributions of our immigrant neighbors. 

I will fight for intentional action that strengthens current programs, protects workers of all identities and visa statuses, and ensures that immigrant owned small businesses have the support they need to thrive.