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About Councilmember Girmay Zahilay
Learn more about Councilmember Girmay Zahilay.
What we’ve been working on this past year
This year, my team and I have worked tirelessly to address the most pressing challenges facing our region. We’ve championed transformational initiatives, like the development of crisis care centers, to provide our neighbors experiencing mental illness and substance use disorders the support they need to move off the streets and into care. Our efforts to improve public safety in neighborhoods such as Rainier Beach, Mt. Baker, and the Central District have fostered stronger community partnerships and more effective strategies for reducing crime.
In addition to these crucial efforts, we passed a groundbreaking $1 billion Workforce Housing Initiative to invest in permanently rent-restricted, multiple-unit housing for the region’s workforce. We’ve also made significant strides in creating a comprehensive gun violence prevention strategy and securing major investments in infrastructure and community centers. Through these initiatives, we are building a safer, more inclusive, and resilient community for everyone. I look forward to continuing our work together to strengthen our region.
Highlights and accomplishments
- Increasing the Minimum Wage
Spearheaded increasing the Minimum Wage in King County so that workers around the region can make enough money to survive - Sound Transit
Joined the Sound Transit board to help open multiple new stations and pass the Rainier Valley safety master plan to keep pedestrians and Transit riders safe along the MLK corridor - Extreme Weather Adaptation
Championed and passed Extreme Weather Adaptation legislation, resulting in King County launching its first extreme heat mitigation strategy in 2024, which will give our residents more avenues to stay safe and escape the heat amidst worsening extreme weather events due to climate change - Passed $10.2 Billion 2025 County Budget
Passed a $10.2 billion budget to fund critical services throughout King County, including major investments in housing, public health, public transit, and community safety - Free Youth Fare Ordinance
Co-sponsored the Free Youth Fare ordinance, allowing youth 18 and under to ride transit for free - Equitable Development Initiative
Co-created an Equitable Development Initiative to ensure King County supports development while preventing displacement of communities - Food Bank Motion
Organized with local food banks to pass the Food Bank Motion, which supports food banks and advances food security in our region - Billions of Federal Relief Dollars
Worked with the Council to allocate billions of federal relief dollars to protect residents from COVID, provide millions in rental assistance, and expand transit and infrastructure projects around the region - $5 Million Economic Development Program
Supported small businesses by establishing a $5 million economic development program in unincorporated King County - Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program
Launched a Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Program to allocate $1000 per month to extremely low income families for one year, and conducted GBI policy analysis in partnership with the University of Washington - Participatory Budgeting
Helped create Participatory Budgeting for unincorporated King County, leading to the first ever community-voted funds awarded to projects such as Street Beautification in the Skyway Business District, Hewet Skyway Community Garden, “Welcome Home” down payment assistance, and more - Donated Four County Vans
Donated four County vans to local nonprofits to support food delivery, driving seniors and disabled neighbors, and other vital needs - Joint Aircraft Emissions Task Force
Established the Joint Aircraft Emissions Task Force to advance greenhouse gas reduction strategies and tactics, for which my team was honored with a Climate Justice Award from the Beacon Hill Council - Promoted Digital Equity
Promoted digital equity by funding internet services for marginalized communities and initiating a committee report to map King County’s journey toward public broadband - Support Refugee Resettlement Efforts
Organized decision-makers to support refugee resettlement efforts from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Ukraine, and other countries experiencing crisis -
Repeal Laws that Prevent Equity
Sponsored and passed a motion committing the County to equity in contracting and calling on the Governor to repeal laws that prevent equity
- Regional Workforce Housing Initiative
Proposed and passed the $1 billion Regional Workforce Housing Initiative to ensure essential workers around the region can afford a home close to their jobs - Health through Housing initiative
Supported and co-sponsored the Health through Housing initiative, which directs the County to buy existing hotels and motels to bring indoors 1,600 chronically unhoused people and provide them housing and supportive services - Missing Middle Housing Motion
Introduced the Missing Middle Housing Motion to lower barriers for construction of more multi-family housing which will increase housing supply - Surplus Land for Community
Sponsored and passed the Surplus Land for Community ordinance to ensure King County makes available unused buildings and land for housing and other community facilities - First Tiny House Village Outside Seattle
Provided housing to dozens of unhoused Skyway residents by helping to establish the first Tiny House Village outside Seattle - Tenant Protections and Just Cause Eviction
Protected thousands of tenants by passing a suite of historic Tenant Protections and Just Cause Eviction legislation to increase housing stability and reduce homelessness during the pandemic - 500,000 Donation from the Seahawks
Launched the Youth Achievement Center campaign to build a housing and jobs center for unhoused youth in South Seattle, which led to a $ 500,000 donation from the Seahawks
- Comprehensive Gun Violence Prevention Strategy
Crafted, passed, and funded the five-part comprehensive gun violence prevention legislation, which aims to eliminate gun violence in our region and keep our communities safe - Community Safety Ambassadors Program
Created the Community Safety Ambassadors Program to promote public safety at and around public transit stations so that everyone is and feels safe while riding Metro buses - Established a $1 million residential road safety program
Established a $1 million residential road safety program in unincorporated King County to protect our pedestrians and other road users - Gun Return Program
Supported legislation proposing a year-round Gun Return Program for residents to safely surrender unwanted firearms or ammunition - Gun Violence Prevention Program
Led the funding and creation of a $2 million community-based gun violence prevention program - Public Safety in Key Neighborhoods
Organized decision-makers and resources to promote public safety in key neighborhoods like Mt. Baker, Rainier Beach, and Central District
- Crisis Care Centers
Led the effort to build five Crisis Care Centers around King County, places where people can access life-saving care for mental illness and substance use disorders - Mental Health Crisis Response Systems
Delivered a report on mental health crisis response systems to lay the groundwork for alternative emergency responders, after leading the charge on Charter Amendment 6 - Youth Mental Health Services
Secured $5 million for youth mental health services, prioritizing school-based services, mental health first aid, and suicide prevention for youth - Abortion Access Emergency Legislation
Co-sponsored and passed Abortion Access Emergency Legislation, investing $500,000 in the Northwest Abortion Access Fund and prohibiting King County agencies from cooperating with out-of-state prosecutions of abortion providers or patients.
- Skyway Affordable Housing
Championed Skyway Affordable Housing by directing a $5 million investment to an affordable home ownership and an affordable rental development in the community - Skyway Community Center
Passed a provison to bring King County Department of Parks and Natural Resources back into the business of establishing and managing community centers, and to house the future Skyway Community Center - Skyway Park Renovation
Supported the Skyway Park Renovation, a $3.9 million project that provided a new playground, new and enhanced sports fields, improved lighting, and better ADA accessibility for Skyway Park - Expanded public transit options
Expanded public transit options for residents of Skyway and other South King County neighborhoods by helping to secure $6 million for Via on-demand van service - Skyway Resource Center
Advanced the Skyway Resource Center by investing $2 million to build a new home for the Center at the former US Bank location in Skyway
- Budget Town Halls
Held Budget Town Halls to connect with constituents and local community organizations, and to allow community to directly inform King County’s multibillion dollar budget - Build the Bench
Trained hundreds of new leaders through Build the Bench, an initiative I started that prepares the next generation of progressive elected leaders - Championed Ranked Choice Voting
Championed Ranked Choice Voting and other voting reform efforts - Moved King County Elections to Even Years
Co-sponsored legislation to move King County elections to even years from odd years to dramatically increase voter turnout and engagement