Preview normalized transcript text
ALL
RIGHT, GOOD MORNING. ALL SET?
GOOD MORNING.
TESTING.
HELLO, TESTING.
GREAT.
COOL.
WE'RE READY TO
ROLL. THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT
AND ASSIST TAPS IN RESOLVING
THAT.
ALL RIGHT, GOOD MORNING,
THE APRIL 2nd, 2026 MEETING OF
THE
TRANSPORTATION, WATERFRONT, AND
SEATTLE CENTER COMMITTEE, I
SHOULD STRAIGHTEN MY
TIE WHEN SAYING THAT, BUT THIS
MEETING
WILL COME TO ORDER.
I AM ROB SAKA, CHAIR OF THE
COMMITTEE.
WILL THE COMMITTEE
CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.
[ ROLL CALL TAKEN ]
CHAIR, THERE ARE FIVE
MEMBERS
PRESENT.
ALL RIGHT, EXCELLENT.
IF THERE IS NO OBJECTION,
THE AGENDA WILL BE ADOPTED.
HEARING AND SEE NOTHING
OBJECTION, THE AGENDA IS HERE BY
ADOPTED.
GOOD MORNING, MEMBERS OF THE
PUBLIC, COLLEAGUES,
MEDIA PARTNERS AND OTHERS.
THIS IS OUR VERY FIRST
STEPS COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE
SPRING.
SPRING OBVIOUSLY SYMBOLIZING
RENEWAL, REBIRTH, AND GROWTH.
ACTING AS A POWERFUL
METAPHOR FOR EMBRACING NEW
BEGINNINGS.
IT'S MY PERSONAL FAVORITE
SEASON.
I LIKE TO THINK OF SPRING AS
AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK FORWARD.
AND TO BE MINDFUL OF THE
PAST, AS
WELL. OUR AGENDA TODAY HAS
SOME EXCITING ITEMS TO DO JUST
THAT.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I'LL
SHARE THAT I'M DISHEARTENED TO
REPORT
THAT TRAGICALLY SEATTLE RECENTLY
EXPERIENCED ITS SECOND TRAFFIC
FATALITY IN 2026.
A WOMAN OF APPROXIMATELY
52 YEARS OF AGE TRAGICALLY LOST
HER LIFE IN A SINGLE CAR
COLLISION ON THE 1500 BLOCK OF
ELLIOTT AVENUE WEST ON MARCH 18,
JUST
BEFORE OUR LAST COMMITTEE
MEETING.
BECAUSE OF SOME LATENCY IN
DATADATA
REPORTING, WE'RE LEARNING
ABOUT IT NOW.
HER NAME HAS NOT BEEN PUBLICLY
RELEASED.
SO THEREFORE, WE'RE NOT NAMING
HER TO
PROTECT AND PRESERVE HER DIGNITY
AND PRIVACY.
MY OFFICE HAS BEEN
WORKING CLOSELY WITH S- DOT AND
THE DEPARTMENT OF NEIGHBORHOODS
TO
HOLD A FIRST- EVER
COMMUNITY TRAFFIC SAFETY FORUM.
THE PLAN IS FOR THIS TO OCCUR
SOMEWHERE, AND I APPRECIATE
THE PARTNERSHIP AND
COLLABORATION OF
COUNCILMEMBER LYNN, AS WELL.
I KNOW THIS IS AN ISSUE NEAR AND
DEAR TO HIM AND HIS
CONSTITUENTS, AND SO
WE'RE WORKING WITH THE
DEPARTMENTS RIGHT NOW TO
FINALIZE,
AGAIN, THE FIRST- EVER COMMUNITY
TRAFFIC
SAFETY
FORUM. STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS.
IN THE SPRING SOMETIME, IT WAS
SUPPOSED TO BE LATE MARCH,
EARLY
APRIL. BUT STAY
TUNED. I IMAGINE IT WILL BE IN
THE SPRING AT THE LATEST.
SO STAY TUNED.
AND ALSO WE'LL SHARE ON
THE TRAFFIC SAFETY FRONT THAT AT
OUR
VERY NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING,
I'VE INVITED S- DOT TO COME
SHARE A NEW DIMENSION AND REPORT
OUT ON THE STATE OF TRAFFIC
SAFETY IN OUR CITY.
AND SO AT OUR VERY NEXT
MEETING, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
THE
CHIEF TRAFFIC SAFETY OFFICER
FROM
S- . DOT COME DO EXACTLY THAT.
THIS ISSUE REMAINS A
HIGH PRIORITY FOR ME AND THIS
COMMITTEE. I KNOW MANY OF MY
COLLEAGUES, AS
WELL. SO WE'LL KEEP LASER
FOCUSED ON
THAT AND HOLDING OURSELVES
ACCOUNTABLE, INCLUDING
BY INITIATING THE EFFORTS THAT I
MENTIONED EARLIER AND MORE.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE, LAST WEEK
I HAD THE PRIVILEGE
OF ATTENDING THE MARINERS
OPENING DAY GAME
AGAINST THE
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS AT T-MOBILE
PARK.
I TOOK A PERSONAL RECORD
FOR SHARED MICROMOBILITY TRIPS
IN
ONE DAY.
EXCITING TIMES, FROM
THE WATERFRONT TO CITY HALL,
CITY HALL TO THE CONVENTION
CENTER, BACK TO CITY
HALL, AND CITY HALL TO
THE STADIUM, AND MORE, PROBABLY.
BUT LOVE SHARING MICROMOBILITY.
WE ALSO KNOW ON THE SPORTS
FRONT, WHICH IS A PART OF
WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY WITH THE
LEADERSHIP OF CO- OWNERS
SAMANTHA HOLLOWAY OF THE SEATTLE
CRACKEN, THEY HAVE ESTABLISHED
THEMSELVES AS A VIABLE AND
LEADING NHL
FRANCHISE IN MANY RESPECTS IN
JUST FIVE YEARS.
IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO THINK
ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF A
PERSPECTIVE NBA FRANCHISE WE
COULD EXPERIENCE RIGHT HERE
IN THE CITY OF SEATTLE, GIVEN
OUR RICH TRADITION
AND HISTORY AS A BASKETBALL
CITY.
NOW, SOME SAID SEATTLE MIGHT GET
A SHOT.
THE TRUTH IS, WE'VE BEEN
READY ALL ALONG.
FOR MANY IN SEATTLE AND
ACROSS OUR REGION, THE MERE
PROSPECT
OF RETURNING AN NBA FRANCHISE
TO OUR CITY
HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
SENSE THE SONICS DEPARTED IN
2008, THERE'S BEEN A
NOTICEABLE VOID IN SEATTLE'S
CULTURAL
LANDSCAPE. BUT THE EXCITING NEWS
IS
THAT LAST WEEK, ON MARCH 25th,
THE
NBA BOARD OF GOVERNORS VOTED TO
AUTHORIZE FORMAL EXPANSION
TALKS WITH PERSPECTIVE
OWNERSHIP GROUPS IN SEATTLE AND
LAS VEGAS.
BEGINNING PLAY AS SOON AS
THETHE 2028-'29 SEASON.
SO THE QUESTION ISN'T IF
THETHE SONICS COMING
BACK, IT'S WHEN.
AND IN FAIRNESS, THE LEAGUE
IS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT AT
THIS POINT.
THE LEAGUE IS IN CHARGE OF THIS
VERY IMPORTANT PROCESS,
AND THERE ARE ALSO A LOT
OF INTRICATE DEPENDENCIES AT
PLAY, AS WELL.
THAT SAID, THE CITY OF
SEATTLE REFUSES TO BE A PASSIVE
OBSERVER IN THE PROCESS.
WE'RE STEPPING UP AND TAKING
SPECIFIC, CONCRETE ACTIONS AND
WORKING WITH LOCAL
POLICY AND MORE TO HELP SHAPE
AND
INFLUENCE OUR OWN DESTINY.
IN SPORTS SPEAK, WE'RE
CONTROLLING OUR OWN
CONTROLLABLES.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR BRINGING BACK
OUR SONICS IS
SHARED. AND I'M PROUD TO SAY
THAT
OUR CITY IS STEPPING UP TO DO
ITS
PART, AS WELL.
THAT'S WHY I PROUDLY
SPONSORED AND INTRODUCED A JOINT
MAYORAL COUNCIL RESOLUTION
AFFIRMING
SEATTLE'S READINESS TO
W
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