-Hi. I'm Efrain.
And I'm running for Seattle City Council in District 3.
With at least four new faces coming to council,
we have a unique opportunity to enact real,
lasting solutions for our city --
solutions to address the housing affordability crisis,
homelessness crisis, and also climate crisis,
but also to begin to build the city
that we can be proud to pass on to the next generation.
I was born during the height of Reaganomics
in our nation's capital,
and in those days my family struggled financially.
I would not be here today
without their numerous sacrifices, community,
and the occasional second chance.
My early struggles are in part
why I feel drawn to serve in this capacity.
Having previously served in the military,
and currently as an attorney in Mental Health Court,
I believe that we find this moment
as the culmination of generations
of deliberate disenfranchisement along racial lines
and underinvestment in social services.
Our task is not a simple one.
We must invest in non-police responses.
We must invest in crisis intervention.
And we must invest in rehabilitation
for low-level offenders to break the cycle,
all while also taking an aggressive stance
on combating gun violence.
Meanwhile, on the housing front, we must greatly expand
our supply of affordable housing.
We must maximize usage of our existing inventory,
and minimize the displacement of vulnerable communities.
This is why I believe we must leverage
our social housing developer,
pass the affordable housing levy this fall,
and upzone beyond what House Bill 1110
will allow us to do, in order to create the 200,000 homes
over the next 10 years that we need.
For Seattle to be successful,
we must acknowledge that there's no going back
to the way -- how things were done before.
We must decarbonize the way we get around,
invest in bold capital projects to reshape our city,
to reflect our values.
And I believe we have it within us to realize this vision.
And in so doing, we will be an example for others to follow.
You can learn more about my platform at electefrain.com.
Thanks.