In the past week, our region has seen some of the worst air quality in the entire world and faced some of the most hazardous conditions ever seen. Smoke from wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington added to the already immense and complex challenges that our residents have been facing.
Although the forecast is calling for reduced levels of smoke in our region today and throughout the weekend, the fires we have seen in recent years part of an alarming trend. Across the world, wildfires are starting earlier, burning more intensely, and lasting longer than ever before.
As a City, we will continue to take steps to prepare our City, residents – especially the most vulnerable, and businesses for the new normal of hazardous and unhealthy wildfire smoke, but the message is clear: climate change is real, and it is devastating.
As the world burns around us, we need to ask ourselves what changes are we willing to make that will change the course of the climate disaster we are currently living through. Our city has a history of leading on environmental action - and since I became Mayor, we have taken decisive action to combat climate change and protect our environment.
One of my first actions as Mayor was signing the Chicago Climate Charter, sending a clear signal that our commitment to climate action is unwavering even in the face of inaction by President Trump and his administration. And since then, we have continued to lead the way. We’ve made investments in green buildings and electrification, including our City fleet. Lowering our greenhouse gas emissions should also be a top priority for all of us, and one of our City’s greatest contributors to greenhouse gases is building emissions. That is why, earlier this year, I signed an Executive Order requiring that all new or substantially altered City of Seattle buildings operate without fossil fuel.
Environmental hazards and climate change affect everyone, but communities of color, immigrants, refugees and Native people experience more significant harms because of where they live and work. We've made investments in environmental justice, and in my upcoming 2021 budget, I’m committed to investing $100 million in Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities with one of the key focuses on climate justice.
As we look to the future, the response to COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of the city’s neighborhoods as places to live, work, and meet our daily needs. During the pandemic, we created new uses for neighborhood curb space, streets and plazas. As a member of C40 Cities, Seattle has published a Climate Action Plan that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build a climate-neutral city by 2050. One key action of the C40 Mayors’ Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery is to create “15-minute cities.” Cities where every neighborhood includes affordable housing choices, shopping and services, health care, parks, office space, and educational and cultural institutions within an easy walk or bike ride. Recently, I asked our City to explore the concept of a “15-minute city” as a potential framework for the next major Comprehensive Plan.
Seattle will continue to lead the way. As a City, we remain committed to bold climate action – but we know that we aren’t able to solve this problem on our own. We need our partners at the state and federal level to prioritize climate action and respond to this crisis.
I know these times are incredibly tough for individuals, families, and small businesses in Seattle. As we move forward, I will continue to do everything possible to get the region the resources we need to get through any of the challenges that we may face.
Please stay safe and healthy this weekend.
 
Former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan released the following statement after a New York Times report that Attorney General William Barr asked prosecutors to explore charges against the Mayor.
“Today’s report is chilling and the latest abuse of power from the Trump administration. As a former U.S. Attorney, I took an oath of office to protect the Constitution and the rule of law. That is the bedrock of our country and why the Department of Justice cannot become a political weapon operated at the behest of the President to target those who have spoken out against this administration’s actions. That is an act of tyranny, not of democracy.
“Ultimately, this is not a story about me. It is about how this President and his Attorney General are willing to subvert the law and use the Department of Justice for political purposes. It is particularly egregious to try to use the civil rights laws to investigate, intimidate, or deter those that are fighting for civil rights in our country.
“Not surprisingly, just weeks before an election this is yet another effort by the President and his administration to distract from his abject failure to lead America through its toughest challenges. He downplayed the threat of COVID-19, which has cost nearly 200,000 Americans their lives. He has done nothing to help millions of Americans facing an economic crisis, and he has threatened to withhold funding from Seattle and other American cities because of their commitment to racial justice. He also rolled back commonsense climate protections that undoubtedly have played a part in the climate fire crisis that we are currently experiencing.
“I will continue to fight for what I believe is right, and I will not be distracted by these threats from meeting the challenges facing our great city: a pandemic, an economic crisis, a climate crisis, and a civil rights reckoning.”
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the allocation of more than $19 million in COVID-19 Relief funding to provide housing assistance for low-income households economically impacted by COVID-19. As the City continues to distribute rental assistance in 2020, the City will launch a new effort to provide mortgage counseling and direct assistance to homeowners at risk of foreclosure. These investments build upon established community-based programs aimed at keeping Seattle’s most racially diverse residents in their homes.
With the launch of the $41 million King County Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program and the Mayor’s eviction moratorium that currently lasts through the end of 2020, the City is preparing to provide $12 million in rental assistance through United Way of King County’s Home Base Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program, $4 million in 2020 and $8 million in 2021. Additionally in 2020, the City is expected to distribute $4 million through affordable housing providers funded by the Seattle Office of Housing, and nearly $3 million through the Human Service Department’s Homelessness Prevention programs. Additionally in 2020, the City is expected to distribute $4 million through affordable housing providers funded by the Seattle Office of Housing, and nearly $3 million through the Human Service Department’s Homelessness Prevention programs.
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced today, the launch of a new website called ADUniverse that features backyard cottage designs that have been granted pre-approved City permits. The website includes a step-by-step guide to adding an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on a property and new data about the implementation of this increasingly popular housing option.
After signing into law the most progressive ADU ordinance of any major U.S. city last year, Mayor Durkan directed City agencies to identify strategies to reduce permitting times and costs for homeowners seeking to build ADUs on their property. In addition to providing an easily accessible design option, the pre-approved designs will shorten the permitting process by at least 2-6 weeks and save homeowners about $1,500 in permit fees.
The new ADUniverse website helps homeowners determine whether their lots may be suitable for an ADU and how large a cottage they could build. Currently the site offers a look at seven pre-permitted cottages ready for construction; up to three more designs will be available in the coming weeks. All architectural plans — ranging from a studio under 300 square feet to a 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom — will be available direct from the designer for $1,000 or less. Cottage designs have been reviewed against codes for the structure and its energy use; however, homeowners remain responsible for permits and inspections related to zoning, site preparation and the foundation, utility connections, and other site-specific requirements.
Following up on the Internet for All Initiative announced earlier this summer, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and Seattle City Councilmembers Lorena Gonzalez, Alex Pedersen and Debora Juarez announced the release of the initial Internet for All Report and Action Plan. Building off of the information gathered as a part of the City’s 2018 Technology Access and Adoption study, this initial Internet for All Report includes a gap analysis of internet, technology and device needs and an Action Plan with eight strategies to close these gaps. The Internet for All Initiative elevates citywide digital equity strategies to increase access to key services and opportunities such as education, job training, unemployment assistance, and resources for those seeking relief during times of crisis.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Bloomberg Philanthropies has been leading efforts to provide Cities around the world with tools and resources they need to combat COVID-19 and keep their communities safe. Thanks to the strong leadership of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Mike Bloomberg, Mayors came together to write their own playbooks. Seattle used the best ideas we had learned from public health officials and one another. Now, Seattle is leading the nation with some of the lowest cases and highest testing.
Watch the video from Bloomberg to hear Mayor Durkan discuss these challenges in the early days of COVID-19:
You can learn more about how Bloomberg Philanthropies has been helping cities like Seattle respond to COVID-19 here.
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