See all the great things we have been able to accomplish in the last year and my vision for Seattle.  It has been an honor to serve you and I hope to earn your vote.

Seattle Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez says it’s time for paid family and medical leave. She’s made a bold suggestion: Either the State does it, or the City will.

“It’s fundamentally unjust to say that you can take time off, but we’re not willing to pay you to take care of a basic human need that we all have,” said the councilmember, who also showed data claiming nearly half the city does not receive full paid leave.

The proposal is not formal but comes just a day before Gonzalez and other Seattle councilmembers visit Olympia to lobby on the City’s behalf. Gonzalez suggested, depending on those conversations, she may pursue legislation this year.

Seattle is a “welcoming city” that serves its residents regardless of their immigration or refugee status, says a resolution the City Council adopted by unanimous vote Monday. The resolution says the city will reject any offer from the federal government to enter into an agreement authorizing Seattle police officers to carry out immigration enforcement.

“We will not capitulate to you, Mr. Trump,” Councilmember M. Lorena González said, drawing applause from supporters at City Hall.

Lorena González, the council member who drafted the new ordinance, gave a powerful speech upon introducing the legislation. “Being gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer or transgender is not an illness,” she said. “Nor is it something that needs a cure.”

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