M. L. King County Labor Council, AFL-CIO Endorsements

Hugo Garcia is running for re-election for Burien City Council, Position 1. Garcia, whose family immigrated from Mexico more than 30 years ago, learned the value of hard work at an early age by watching his father wait tables to support their family of 5. Garcia has proven to be a thoughtful and progressive leader in Burien, particularly during a tumultuous period for the city.

If re-elected, Garcia plans to continue focusing on expanding access to housing and improving affordability. Garcia contributed to efforts to support unhoused people, including voting in favor of a proposal for a tiny home village. He also intends to defend Burien "against Trump Era Impacts" by supporting the city's libraries, museums, and public institutions. Finally, he stood firmly against a politically-motivated effort to censure fellow council member Stephanie Mora.

Due to his continued progressive leadership, we recommend Hugo Garcia for Burien City Council, Position 1.

Sarah Moore is running for re-election for Burien City Council, Position 5. Moore joined the City Council in 2022 and, in January 2025, began her position as Deputy Mayor. Previously, she co-founded ACLU Burien People Power and spend more than 20 years working at the Pacific Science Center.

Moore was one of only two city council members to vote against the harsh emergency ordinance to criminalize homelessness on public property at all times. On the ordinance, Moore said "the law makes the city one that 'offers a severe weather shelter on a 32 degree day and exile on a 33 degree day.'" In 2023, Moore also voted in favor of a $1 million proposal from King County to build a tiny home village for community members experiencing homelessness. Those in favor of the proposal argued that it was a step towards permanent housing. In addition, Moore stood with councilmember Hugo Garcia in support of raising the local minimum wage, which the voters of Burien approved in February.

Due to her continued progressive work in Burien, we strongly support Sarah Moore for Burien City Council, Position 5.

Saudia Abdullah is running for Mayor of Federal Way. She has 22 years of experience in criminal justice and public safety, with a significant focus on corrections and re-entry services. Abdullah touts her experience ensuring King County's compliance with the Tiffany Hill Act as a step to protect domestic violence survivors. She is also a community organizer who served as the Former Chair of the Diversity Commission for the City of Federal Way, advocating for equitable policies.

In our interview, Abdullah highlighted public safety, community resources, and housing action as her top 3 priorities. With her extensive background in criminal justice, Abdullah acknowledges the need for alternatives to over-policing and provides resources to help those struggling. She criticized the current council's ban on pushing shopping carts on the streets, recognizing its unnecessary criminalization of the city's unhoused population. She even went as far as personally providing wagons to help circumvent frivolous arrests of unhoused people.

Abdullah supports building more crisis centers and shelters within Federal Way. She proposed a one-stop shop that provides transitional housing and addiction treatment services in a single location, aiming to reduce barriers to care. She also recognizes the diversity of Federal Way, with more than 23 first languages spoken in the city. Yet, the city lacks equitable communication that includes multi-lingual residents, creating further language barriers. If elected, Abdullah plans to implement an equity tool that examines the city's practices to ensure accessibility for all residents.

Saudia Abdullah is clearly a compassionate and knowledgeable leader who is in tune with her community's needs. She has earned your vote for Mayor of Federal Way.

Kurt Dresner is running for Kirkland City Council, Position 7. Dresner is a resident of the Everest neighborhood and Vice-Chair of its neighborhood association. He is an active member of the Kirkland community, cofounding the nonprofit Liveable Kirkland, which advocates for various progressive issues. Through Liveable Kirkland, Dresner helped implement community programs, including a volunteer bike valet program, a new tool-lending library, and a weekly morning coffee gathering. He is also a frequent attendee of Kirkland City Council meetings.

Dresner's campaign platform is focused on improving housing affordability, expanding transportation options, and maintaining Kirkland's excellent parks and recreation spaces. He supports policies that would make it easier and less expensive to build new homes, thereby alleviating Kirkland's severe housing shortage. He hopes to improve transit options by increasing the frequency of public transportation and creating more walker- and biker-friendly spaces.

Kurt Dresner is someone who clearly cares deeply about our community and is well-versed in the issues facing residents. We enthusiastically recommend voting for Kurt Dresner for Kirkland City Council, Position 7.

Melissa Stuart is running to retain her role on the Redmond City Council in Position 4. Prior to joining the council in 2022, Stuart worked for the Center for Climate Integrity as a Climate Justice Steward. She also served on the board of Zero Waste Washington and as a Community and Organizational Development Advisor with the U.S. Peace Corps in Moldova.

During her tenure on the council, Stuart advocated for increased community connection through public listening sessions held throughout Redmond. As a council member, she also championed housing affordability through zoning changes and incentive packages. She plans to continue advocating for affordable housing solutions if re-elected. Furthermore, Stuart used her background in climate justice to advocate for greener practices in Redmond, including the requirement of multi-family buildings to participate in recycling, composting, and cleaner solid waste systems.

Due to her previous background in climate justice, as well as multiple endorsements from our partner organizations, we recommend Melissa Stuart for re-election for Redmond City Council, Position 4.

Michael "Mike" Westgaard is running for Renton City Council Position 1. Westgaard is a dedicated community advocate, actively participating in the minimum wage and Ban the Box initiatives. To this role, he brings lived experiences that help shape his approach to public policy. As a union worker and someone who battled substance abuse, he understands what his constituents need and will be a strong leader on those causes.

If elected, Westgaard would prioritize raising the minimum wage, supporting sustainable transportation, redefining public safety, and addressing the growing housing crisis. He is a vocal advocate for alternatives to policing, like crisis care centers and school resource officers. He plans to address the housing crisis by expanding housing options and introducing rent controls for both residential and commercial properties.

Based on his progressive values, personal experiences, and community leadership, we recommend voting for Michael Westgaard for Renton City Council Position 1.

Lin Yang is running for Sammamish City Council, Position 5. Yang is a Chinese-American immigrant who was raised by a single mom in Sammamish. Yang highlighted the community that welcomed him and his mom when they were new to the city and how they became their support system. Yang went on to earn 2 degrees in public policy and eventually returned to Sammamish to raise his own family. Yang started the Sammamish Independent, a local newspaper that provided student journalists with an opportunity to get involved in their community. Yang is the first person who grew up in Sammamisht to run for the city council.

Yang's campaign platform is focused on expanding housing and transit options to reduce the cost of living. Citing the astronomical median home price of $1.7 million, he wants to add more housing and increase affordability requirements for new housing developments. Additionally, he would prioritize creating a community center to foster stronger connections between neighbors.

Lin Yang is clearly an involved community member who wants to give back to his community what they gave him. Lin Yang is the best choice for Sammamish City Council, Position 5.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is running for a second term. Harrell is an attorney who has experience representing victims of workplace discrimination and minority entrepreneurs. He was first elected to the city council in 2007 and served three terms. Harrell won his mayoral campaign in 2021 as a more centrist Democratic candidate focused on bridging relationships between community members and local government.

In office, Harrell has pursued an agenda focused on safety, economic opportunity, and a high quality of life. His supporters praise his steady and balanced support for Seattle's post-COVID economic recovery in the city’s struggling downtown core. While he hasn’t been an outspoken advocate of police reform, Harrell's supporters point to his launch of the CARE department. This alternative public safety branch has responded to 1,400 crisis calls, diverting work from law enforcement and providing a more appropriate behavioral health response.

Harrell won praise from a coalition of unions representing city workers for negotiating a new contract that respects their work and helps keep up with the cost of living. He also earned the endorsements of some transportation advocates due to his support for transportation choices in the largest transportation levy in the city's history. Harrell’s forward-looking platform emphasizes his continued support for the revitalization of the downtown core, as well as protecting Seattle residents from the Trump administration.

Harrell has also faced criticism from some progressives in Seattle on many issues. One of the most significant challenges facing Seattle is the persistently high cost of living, particularly the cost of housing. The Harrell administration has a unique opportunity to reshape Seattle's housing market through the 20-year comprehensive plan, which sets the city's strategy for building and growth. While the Mayor’s office has proposed a substantial expansion of the city’s housing capacity, they also scaled back growth opportunities from an early proposal last year. In recent months, following pushback from some vocal anti-density city council members, Harrell's office has further reduced the areas where increased growth is allowed. Housing advocates point to this backtracking as an example of where a clearer vision and more decisive leadership from the mayor's office were needed to pass stronger legislation. If this weakened plan is adopted, Seattle will miss out on a critical opportunity to support badly needed housing, which will make it even more difficult for teachers, nurses, and artists to live in our city.

Harrell's critics have also expressed concern about the workplace environment in his office. His former Senior Deputy Mayor and niece, Monisha Harrell, described her uncle's office as hostile, sexist, and a "dog-eat-dog environment where white male advisors vied for power and influence." According to KUOW, six other women, with close ties to the mayor's administration, echoed Monisha's description.

Harrell recently proposed addressing the city’s revenue shortfalls by substantially increasing business taxes on larger businesses. He significantly increased the exemption for small businesses and used the proceeds to fund programs that support housing stability, homeless services, food security, and small business sustainability.

Harrell is not a dynamic progressive leader who will drive major changes, but he is a moderate Democrat who is doing a reasonable job of balancing competing interests and managing major challenges. He is a good choice for voters who want a more centrist and experienced candidate for mayor. 

Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck is seeking re-election to the Seattle City Council in Position 8, a citywide seat she first won last year. Before joining the city council, Rinck worked as an assistant director for policy, planning, and state operations for the University of Washington. She also worked as a policy analyst for the Sound Cities Association and with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. She has a long history of community empowerment, including raising funds for reproductive health care and previously serving on the board of Fuse Washington, the organization that produces this guide.

Rinck's familial experience with homelessness, incarceration, and substance abuse guides her approach to city issues and our local social safety net. Since January, Rinck has worked to protect Seattle residents from the effects of Trump’s dangerous agenda. Her council policy goals include making progress on climate change through investments in clean energy, electrification infrastructure, and public transportation. Rinck also aims to support greater housing access across all income levels, increase pathways to higher education, and continue building lasting community safety through policy initiatives that address gun violence and explore alternatives to policing.

Alexis Mercedes Rinck is the clear choice for Position 8 on the Seattle City Council.

Dionne Foster is running for Seattle City Council, Position 9 (At-Large), challenging incumbent Sara Nelson. Foster enters this race with government experience and a robust background in the nonprofit sector. Her previous work includes serving as a climate policy analyst for Puget Sound Sage, a senior advisor in the city's Office of Policy and Innovation, and a senior program officer at the Seattle Foundation. Most recently, Foster served as the Executive Director of the Progress Alliance of Washington, a nonprofit committed to racial justice and equity.

In our interview with her, Foster demonstrated her passion for finding progressive solutions to the issues facing our community. Her goals include promoting healthy and safe communities through investing in intervention and prevention strategies to treat drug addiction, as well as continued support for the CARE Team and gun violence prevention. Foster is also a proponent of affordable housing solutions, such as increased density, rent stabilization, and anti-displacement policies. In addition, she supports permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing housing instability.

Foster's other priorities include climate resilience, workforce protections, and thriving communities. She strongly supports policies that ensure equitable energy access and fair pricing, while also improving accessibility to public transit.

Throughout her professional career, Dionne Foster has consistently demonstrated a clear commitment to collaboration and equitable policies that benefit everyone in our community. She is a practical progressive who understands government and will bring much-needed leadership to the City Council. We enthusiastically recommend Dionne Foster for Seattle City Council, Position 9 (At-Large).

Also in this race is Holly Muenchow, a member of the Washington State PTA Advocacy Committee, a district parent, and a former operations programs manager at Microsoft. Muenchow gave live testimony to the legislature this year in support of a progressive bill to increase funding for school supplies and operating costs across the state, calling attention to how funding inequities impact our students.

While she has yet to release a campaign platform as of late June, Muenchow said that she wants to cultivate a diverse and inclusive culture that's welcoming for all students. She has earned some progressive endorsements in this race, including from the MLK Labor Council and King County Democrats.

Community organizer Joe Mizrahi is running to be retained on the Seattle School Board in Director Position 4. He was appointed to the role last year to fill the seat vacated by Vivian Song. Mizrahi is the secretary and treasurer of UFCW 3000, a union that represents grocery, retail, cannabis, meat-packing, and other industries in the state. He is also a parent to three students at Seattle Public Schools and comes from a family of teachers with a refugee background.

On the school board, Mizrahi represents schools, students, families, and faculty in Fremont, Queen Anne, South Lake Union, and parts of downtown. He wants to address systemic equity concerns while protecting resources amid the SPS budget crisis, so that our schools can remain a place where all students have the opportunity to build bright futures, regardless of their background or neighborhood. With his union background, Mizrahi brings a unique view of advocacy, financial stability, and opportunity to school board leadership.

In his re-election campaign, Mizrahi is prioritizing equity, community engagement, and accountable leadership. He is an advocate for historically underserved students and protecting programs like dual language instruction. He intends to incorporate community priorities and long-term funding avenues in the district's strategic plan.

Joe Mizrahi is a caring and thoughtful leader who has earned your vote to be retained on the Seattle School Board in Director Position 4.