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It?s simple:
No worker in Seattle should earn less than the minimum wage once they subtract their expenses.
That includes Uber and Lyft drivers, who work long hours to help all of us get where we need to go.
Yesterday, I sat down with some of those drivers to hear their stories, to talk about why Uber and Lyft drivers should be able to afford to live in the same city as the people they drive, and to hear more about what the City of Seattle can do to support them.
 We also discussed how some Uber and Lyft drivers are not making the minimum wage, while the billion-dollar companies they work for are profiting from using the City?s public resources, like our right of way and curb space.
They agree: It?s time for a Fare Share for Seattle: Our plan to invest in workers, housing near transit, and transit and transportation projects.
As I wrote you last month, our Fare Share plan will:
- Ensure Uber and Lyft drivers earn at least a minimum wage, plus benefits and expenses, beginning July 1, 2020;
- Invest in landmark worker protections, including a first-in-the-nation Driver Resolution Center;
- Invest in transit and fully fund the Center City Connector streetcar; and
- Support more than 500 new affordable homes near transit for people earning between $15 and $25 per hour.
This week, I transmitted legislation to City Council to make our Fare Share plan a reality.
Seattle is a national leader in ensuring our workers are treated fairly and have the resources they need to build a better life for themselves and their loved ones. From the Fight for $15 to our Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, we?ve always been the city that puts our workers before any company?s bottom line.
 Now we have a chance to establish a model that ensures Uber and Lyft drivers are fairly compensated for the hours they truly work, the expenses they shoulder, and the benefits they deserve ? regardless of whether they are currently classified as independent contractors.
And as Seattle grows, we also have a chance to make it easier for workers like Seattle?s nurse assistants, construction workers, and preschool teachers to afford to live near where they work, and to help ensure that everyone, regardless of income or ability level, has access to high-quality transit.
This plan is about fighting for working families ? because that?s what we do in Seattle. It?s about growing into the city we want to be.
I want to hear from you: What do you think of my plan for a Fare Share for Seattle? And if you?ve worked or are working as an Uber or Lyft driver, I?d love to hear about your experience, and what you think of my Fare Share plan.
Please continue to write me at?[email protected], reach out via?Twitter?and?Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we?re doing for the people of Seattle on?my?blog.
Sincerely,
 
Fall is here! And with it, comes dozens of fall festivities hosted by Seattle Parks and Recreation. Whether it?s Autumn carnivals, spooky Tot Gym, haunted houses or pumpkin carving, we have something for everyone!
 Follow the link below to explore the full list of free- and low-cost festivities provided by Seattle Parks & Recreation.
On Tuesday night, Mayor Durkan joined Councilmember Debora Juarez, NHL Seattle and hockey fans from across Seattle for an open house at Northgate Mall to learn more about the plans for the Seattle Ice Centre. This development will bring three full-sized ice rinks and seating for more than 1,000 spectators, an outdoor park, and a training rink.
 This is another generational investment that will soon be home to: an NHL team, a world-class NHL practice facility, shopping, open space, affordable housing, a growing and dynamic North Seattle College next door, a new pedestrian bridge connecting all of it, a reimagined Northgate Mall ? all connected to Link light rail.
Learn more about the plans for the Seattle Ice Centre here
On Thursday, Mayor Durkan joined business, academic, and government leaders from the United States and Canada for the 4th annual Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference in Seattle. In addition to officially kicking off the event and offering some welcoming remarks, Mayor Durkan also had the chance to meet with the new Mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, Mayor Kennedy Stewart, to talk about the greater Pacific Northwest?s shared challenges and opportunities.
 Learn more about the Cascadia Innovation Corridor here.?
 Maple Festival at Seattle Japanese Garden, Oct. 3-13
Bring your cameras and capture the breathtaking sight of Japanese maple trees ablaze in fall color at the annual Maple Festival, Oct. 3 ? 13, at the Seattle Japanese Garden.?On Free First Thursdays, admission to the garden is?free?after 1 p.m.
Brick Con 2019: October 5 & 6
View thousands of models created by adult LEGO? Hobbyists from around the nation and the world! Build your own masterpieces with LEGO? parts at our Building Zone! Purchase current, past and custom LEGO? sets, parts and minifigs at our Brick Bazaar!
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra: Count Basie Meets Duke Ellington: October 5
The opening concert of our 25th Anniversary season promises to be swingin? as SRJO plays pieces from the first famous meeting of the two greatest big bands in jazz history-?the Count Basie and Duke Ellington orchestras. Selections from their classic 1961 album, ?First Time! The Count Meets the Duke? include the swinging Blues in Hoss? Flat, the beautiful To You, the exotic Wild Man Moore, the exciting Battle Royal, and of course the Duke?s theme song, Take the ?A? Train. Two of our great saxophonists, Travis Ranney and Mark Taylor, face off in a classic tenor battle with Neal Hefti?s Whirly Bird and we round out the show with other hits recorded by each band. Join SRJO as we show how these supreme giants of the jazz world were so different from one another, yet were so equally gifted.
 For this edition?s recommended read, we encourage you to read more about Mayor Durkan?s Fare Share plan on KOMO.com.
Rideshare drivers in Seattle are continuing their push to get worker protections and a pay raise from Uber and Lyft. Mayor Jenny Durkan submitted her "Fare Share" plan in support of the drivers, which includes a .51 cent tax increase per ride. Durkan says proceeds from the tax will also provide funds to build more affordable housing and expand public transit. Before Wednesday's budget committee meeting, the drivers told KOMO News how the mayor?s Fare Share plan will help improve their work conditions. They say providing great service is their top priority, but it?s getting harder and harder to do that every year. ?My pay has been cut in half when the customer is paying a lot more,? said rideshare driver Sukhchain Banwait. Low pay, long hours, no benefits, and the fear of being kicked off the ride share app without notice. Those are just a few reasons rideshare drivers say they support Mayor Durkan?s Fare Share plan.
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