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Councilmember Sally Bagshaw will host a roundtable discussion with homeless advocates on Friday morning to hear their experiences and reactions to the State of Civil Emergency relating to homelessness. Recently, the Council dedicated $7.5 million in one-time funds for homeless response, on top of the $40.5 million in ongoing funding

The Department of Ecology today released a new draft clean water rule (also known as the fish consumption rule) that contains a more protective cancer risk rate, in keeping with the governor’s directive from October 2015.

Continuing a 35-year history of public investment in affordable housing, today Mayor Ed Murray announced his proposal to replace and expand the expiring Seattle Housing Levy with a new 7-year ballot measure that would invest $290 million to preserve and produce affordable housing. The Mayor is seeking public input on the initial proposal and will transmit a recommendation to City Council in early March.

The Clark County Commission on Aging is focusing this year on housing, especially for people 50 and older. Research reveals that 87 percent of people prefer to retire in place and will need accessible, affordable housing. Whether housing is a multi- or single-family dwelling or in an urban, suburban or rural area, most homes will need to be retrofitted or remodeled for people’s changing needs. For some people, building a new home tailored to their evolving needs is an option.

Mayor Ed Murray and over 1,000 volunteers spent the early hours of Friday participating in the One Night Count to survey Seattle and King County, estimating how many people were sleeping outside, in tents and vehicles, without access to shelter.

The City Council was briefed Monday on two affordable housing projects being reviewed for funding by local cities through A Regional Coalition for Housing, or "ARCH," Trust Fund Process. During the presentation councilmembers voiced their support for two local projects; Imagine Housing Totem Lake senior apartments and Imagine Housing at St. Luke's in Bellevue. A vote on the $120,000 in funds requested by ARCH to support both projects is expected in February.

On Feb. 3, 7-9 p.m., Bellevue's Cultural Conversations team will host a special community-wide presentation in City Hall's council chambers (450 110th Ave NE), exploring what it means for both newcomers and long-time residents to "feel at home" in our community. The evening will offer participants an opportunity to get fresh perspectives on living in Bellevue, build new community connections and increase their cultural understanding.

The project includes building acceleration lanes on Padden Parkway to improve safety by giving vehicles entering from Northeast 94th Avenue room to speed up before merging. Deceleration lanes also will be added or improved on Padden Parkway to provide room for vehicles to slow down before turning right onto Northeast 94th Avenue.

Councilmember Lisa Herbold issued the following statement following Council's amending and ratification of Mayor Ed Murray's Order of Civil Emergency relating to creating safe parking lots for people using vehicles as residences

Councilmember Lisa Herbold issued the following statement following this morning's briefing on encampment removals from the Mayor's office, Human Services Department, and Office of Finance and Administrative Services

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray formed a Fair Chance Housing committee to reduce barriers to housing for people with criminal records. The committee will work to develop proposals that address rental housing discrimination, provide wider access to rental assistance and increase enforcement of Seattle fair housing ordinances

Jaime Herrera Beutler voted with a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives today to put on President Obama’s desk a bill ending the "Waters of the United States” rule. This rule overturns 42 years of Clean Water Act protection and expands the power of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers’ to regulate water – no matter how little – on any land, public or private.

Across the Puget Sound region, as real estate values and rents rise, cities large and small are struggling to preserve existing lower-cost, market-rate housing. A bipartisan plan to enact a local-option property tax exemption for existing rental homes aims to preserve lower rents and prevent the displacement of long-time tenants, even as landlords seek to make building improvements.

The Washington Department of Ecology is awarding grants to public utility, conservation and irrigation districts to help improve local and regional water supplies in river basins across the state.

Cashmere developer George Valison has successfully restored the shoreline of Mission Creek, resolving $20,000 in civil penalties and orders associated with unpermitted excavation work in Mission Creek conducted in 2012

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, applauded the long-term extension of critical clean energy tax credits for wind and solar energy in the omnibus spending bill.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) applauded today the inclusion of her permanent credit rate floor for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit in the final tax extenders package. The critical fix to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit—a program that has financed 90 percent of affordable housing projects in the United States and more than 50,000 affordable housing units in Washington state—will be permanently renewed.

Mayor Ed Murray announced the City of Seattle's $45 million investment in affordable housing development through the Office of Housing's Rental Housing Program. Once completed, these 809 apartments will be home to low-income families, youth, seniors, and single adults, some of whom would otherwise be homeless

U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse (WA-04), released the following statement applauding House passage of H.R. 8, the North American Energy Security and Infrastructure Act. This legislation will modernize the country’s energy laws and infrastructure for the 21st Century, facilitate more domestic energy production, modernize our energy workforce, improve management of the electric grid on federal lands and forests, update hydropower regulations, and strengthen overall U.S. national security and energy independence.

Councilmember Nick Licata, chair of the Budget Committee, released the following statement after the Budget Committee sent a 2016 Budget to the Full Council