Take Back Our City

Recommendation for November 8th 2022 Washington State General Election

Our Open Letter to Redmond City Council

During the 2020 -2021 school year, there were 185 homeless students at LWSD, and 240 homeless students at BSD. We asked the county to house those homeless student families at the Redmond HTH hotel. The answer was NO. The county is selling people apples but giving people oranges instead.

Confirmed facts regarding Redmond HtH hotel (contact Leo Flor Leonardo.Flor@kingcounty.gov to verify)

1) This would be an adult only facility. No family or youth would be living there, with the exception of couples.
2) It would house mentally ill and drug addicts.
3) Drug and/or alcohol use would be permitted in individual units.
4) No background check required. Registered sex offenders would be allowed to live in the Redmond HTH hotel. Any laws with respect to offender housing would be adhered to.
5) This facility would not be dedicated to only serve the homeless population on the Eastside.

State law RCW 36.70A.390 provides “Reasonable occupancy, spacing, and intensity of use requirements may be imposed by ordinance on permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, indoor emergency housing, and indoor emergency shelters to protect public health and safety.” Yet, Redmond Mayor Angela Birney and City Council members passed Ordinance 3059 and paved the way for the current and future “lower barrier” and “drug and alcohol permitted” homeless hotels to come to Redmond with insufficient requirements and no public input. DEMAND Ordinance 3059 to be amended with adequate public health and safety requirements being put in place. If you are disappointed with those elected officials, join us to take back the power and reclaim the safety of our city.

Internal City of Redmond emails show that Mayor Birney approached King County Executive and invited King County to place homeless facilities in Redmond. Yet, she openly and repeatedly denied any involvement in the decision process. When caught with her lies, Mayor Birney and City staff threw in many road blocks to prevent the City Council from amending Ordinance #3059 and enacting public health and safety requirements in city codes. Redmond’s strong mayor-council form of government gives the mayor too much power without checks and balances. Would you support eleminating mayor, and change Redmond to council-manager form of government? Please participate our online public opinion poll on eliminating mayor at City of Redmond.