King County

Workers in Burien earning the minimum wage are struggling to meet their basic needs, especially when it comes to the cost of housing. Burien Initiative Measure No. 1 would help working parents pay the rent, budget for emergencies, and save for their kids’ future.

Initiative Measure 1 would raise the minimum wage at large corporations to $21.10, matching Tukwila and similar to Renton, White Center, SeaTac, and Seattle. For medium and small companies, the wage rate would be $2 and $3 lower, respectively, but will continue to increase over the next few years until the city has one standard minimum wage for all workers.

Last year, the Burien City Council passed a weaker law that appeared to raise wages in the city. However, the legislation included several loopholes that excluded many workers. In response, a citizen initiative in the form of Initiative Measure 1 is an effort to guarantee a true raise that doesn’t penalize workers based on employer size or for receiving tips or medical benefits. Opposition to the initiative has promoted misleading information, including falsely suggesting that it ties Burien’s wage permanently to Tukwila’s. 

The initiative is widely endorsed by our statewide partners and local progressive organizations. Vote Yes for Burien Initiative Measure 1 to empower workers and help local families thrive. 
 

Both propositions are designed to fund social housing, which Seattle residents endorsed through Initiative 135 in 2023. 

The term “social housing” includes several models that aim to create permanently affordable housing and greater resident control. Under I-135, rent for lower-income residents would be offset by a mix of income levels, all housing would also meet green building standards, and rent would cost less than 30 percent of a household’s income. The initiative established a public developer to create publicly-owned social housing, required the city to provide staff and office space for the first 18 months, and created a feasibility study on housing needs and land sales. For legal reasons, I-135 did not include a source of funding to build housing. 

Proposition 1A proposes a new tax, paid by employers doing business in Seattle, that would fund the public development authority to build social housing throughout the city. This tax – 5% on annual compensation above $1 million paid to any employee – would raise an estimated $53 million per year for social housing. The initiative was brought forward by the same community organizers who generated the 2023 initiative passed by voters to establish the Social Housing Developer authority.

1A offers Seattle residents a chance to make a significant investment in social housing, which addresses the affordability crisis by creating publicly owned housing that's accessible to people with a somewhat wider range of income levels. Other approaches are more focused on people with extremely limited resources. The goal is to support housing for teachers, nurses, or social service workers as well as very low-income residents, and to use income from relatively higher-income residents to help offset the lower costs for lower-income residents. 

Proposition 1B represents a different approach proposed by the conservative-leaning majority on the Seattle City Council. If approved, this measure would redirect $10 million from the existing payroll tax to the public development authority’s affordable housing initiatives. The measure includes some restrictions on the development authority’s use of the funds, including requiring the authority to hire certain leadership staff to manage the projects and that the authority may not create housing for people who earn more than 80% of the average development area’s income. 

The magnitude of our housing shortage requires solutions beyond moving public funding from one pot to another. If we want a strong community, vibrant economy, and thriving city, we must be willing to make real investments in affordable housing. Proposition 1B is too small to make an impact on the problem.


On this unique ballot measure, we recommend voting Yes on question 1 and then voting for Proposition 1A to build more affordable housing in Seattle. 
 

Issaquah School District relies on a number of voter-approved local levies and bonds to fund basic operations and school capital needs that aren’t covered by the state.

In November, a different version of the bond received approval from 50% of voters, falling short of the necessary 60% in order to pass. In response, the school board has reduced the size of the bond by nearly 2/3 to reflect only the most desperate needs of our schools in the new proposal. Now totaling $231.6 million, this new bond would not raise the current, combined tax rate for district residents.

The Issaquah School District has an ongoing budget shortfall due to a growing student population, outdated technology, aging infrastructure, and rising staff costs. If passed, this stripped-down bond will provide funding for only the greatest needs, including building a new high school, expanding Liberty High School, widening 228th to improve school traffic, and investing in advanced security measures to keep students and faculty safe.

When our school district’s needs are met, our entire community benefits, including by keeping home values high and spurring local economic growth. Vote Yes on Issaquah School District Proposition 1 to support our local students with modern classrooms that meet the needs of our growing population.

All of our kids deserve access to a good education in a safe learning environment. Seattle School District Proposition 1 would replace the expiring Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy, which covers 15.6% of the district’s budget.

This levy bridges the funding gap to cover basic educational expenses such as security, arts and athletics programming, special education services, student transportation, and healthy meals. These programs enrich the learning, lives, and futures of our students while helping to close equity gaps across our district.

After the Legislature approves some adjustments to levy limits, this levy renewal would increase the current rate over three years, ranging from an additional $0.02 to $0.15 per $1,000 of assessed property value. At the highest rate – which will apply in 2026 and decrease thereafter – the levy would cost the owner of a median-priced $850,000 home approximately $663 annually.

At a moment when schools across the state are already facing large financial shortfalls, it’s essential that we renew our support for Seattle Public Schools’ students and teachers. Vote Yes on Seattle School District Proposition 1.

All Seattle kids, regardless of zip code, deserve safe, well-maintained schools with up-to-date technology. Seattle School District Proposition 2 would replace the expiring Building Excellence VI Capital Levy. Voters have regularly renewed this levy, and if approved, would continue for another three years.

Capital expenses are separate from operations needs and include essential building and technology infrastructure costs. The levy, if passed, would provide around 90% of the Department of Technology Services budget, covering such needs as software, hardware, digital learning, language support solutions, and security systems. It would also fund key construction projects and recurring repairs, such as roofing, HVAC, intercom systems, fire alarms, gender-inclusive restrooms, food service equipment, and modernization projects for Aki Kurose Middle School, Lowell Elementary School, and the John Marshall School Interim Site. Note that Proposition 2 would simply maintain and replace existing infrastructure and is not connected to recent policy debates about consolidation proposals.

Vote Yes on Seattle School District Proposition 2 to continue funding strong local education to equip our students for bright futures.