Dear Friends & Neighbors,
The pageantry of the first week is over and now it’s all about substance. As I step into my new role of vice chair on the Transportation Committee, one of my focuses this session will be on improving transportation outcomes in our dense, urban district and across the state. How we get around affects so many parts of our lives. Whether it’s a scheduling disruption from a late bus or train, a close miss with a car collision while walking or biking, or unexpected car repair expense from a pothole, many of us know firsthand that our state would benefit from improved transportation infrastructure.
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Bringing back Transit Oriented Development
It’s no secret that we need more housing in Seattle and across the state. One way we can address while also improving access and outcomes for public transit riders is to center this crucial development around transit hubs. In his inaugural address, Governor Ferguson indicated his support for transit-oriented development as one of his administration’s main levers to address the ongoing housing crisis. Like all good things, this bill hasn’t come easy, but I am confident the third time will be the charm with getting HB 1491 to the Governor’s desk.
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Protecting ferry workers
Washington has the largest ferry system in the United States. It’s a point of pride for locals and the only way to get to some of our most popular tourist destinations. In 2024 alone, the Ferries carried 19 million riders to their destinations. Our Ferry workers keep this key transportation service running.
Over the interim the maritime caucus went on a great tour with the Washington State Ferries, and I was surprised to hear that ferries aren’t classified as “transit authorities” under Washington State law. This matters because extra protections for transit workers don’t apply to ferry workers, which I learned has negative consequences for enforcing behavioral issues on ferries, especially abuse towards staff. To address this, I am introducing HB 1616, which simply recognizes the ferries as one of Washington’s transit authorities. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that every transit worker in Washington is afforded protections ensuring they will be safe on the job.
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Dependable rail service
The Cascade Rail provides one of the best ways to beat the traffic on I-5 for a more relaxing trip to the North Sound, Vancouver Canada, or Portland. However, its unreliable and infrequent service has most of us making these trips in our cars. Improving our rail service will reduce the number of cars and traffic bottlenecks along our major corridors and help reduce traveler stress and environmental impacts with less time idling in traffic.
After hearing from constituents involved with groups like the Rail Can’t Wait Campaign about the importance and timeliness of these improvements, I’m introducing legislation to get us moving in the right direction. This bill urges the Washington State Department of Transportation to provide direct answers on their plans to reach three pillars of rail improvement: Reliability, Frequency, and a feasible Timeline of Completion. Asking for transparency on their plans and timeline for the infrastructure improvements to the Amtrak Cascades corridor will ensure that they stay ‘on track’ to see these goals become a reality. We deserve reliable train service in the Pacific Northwest and I’m doing everything I can to make it happen.
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Improving Aurora Avenue
Aurora Avenue, one of our district’s main thoroughfares, always finds itself in the news for the wrong reasons. Aside from its more attention-grabbing issues, the road itself is unsafe for pedestrians and bikers, and is in poor shape. Its current state is costing drivers countless dollars in repairs and slowing down traffic for everyone.
This session, I’m working with the City of Seattle and the Aurora Reimagined Coalition to aid them in their mission of improving road conditions, transit access, and safety for all road users. With a few portions of the roadway going through our district, I know this is an issue that affects constituents like you directly. If you’d like to weigh in on what improvements you’d like to prioritize, please answer this short survey so we can ensure the Aurora improvements align with our community’s needs!
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I’ll have much more to update you on as we move through session. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my Legislative Assistant Julia Lain or email me if there’s anything we can be of assistance with.
In service,
