In the race for Washington State Senate District 37, Tatiana Brown, a community organizer and the youngest co-chair of Washington State's Environmental Justice Council, says her career has focused on "answering the question of how do we actually shift decision-making power to our communities." She has secured healthcare access for immigrants and refugees in Virginia, and, most recently, piloted one of the first government-funded community assemblies at the Peoples Economy Lab.
Her opponent, Chipalo Street, a state representative for the 37th District since January 2023, works at Microsoft as a principal program manager for Copilot, the company's AI platform. Street sees his day job as an asset because "no one has [a tech] background in the legislature." Street is also a landlord who, he says, utilizes "progressive business practices" like rent control and pushes back on "the BS that comes out of the landlord lobby."
When the two squared off in the August primary, Brown received 25% of the vote, while Street garnered 74%. Ahead of their Nov. 3 race, the candidates spoke to the Emerald: Brown in person at Hing Hay Park, and Street over Google Meet. Both self-identify as progressives. Here's what they had to say about data centers, public safety, taxes, and more.
This year, one of the most contentious subjects for voters has been data centers. According to the Pew Research Center, half of Americans believe data centers negatively impact the environment, energy costs, and quality of life.
Brown wants to do more than just regulate data centers and AI because only focusing on regulation "disrespects our communities, [and] it really limits what ideas we're able to discuss." If elected, Brown hopes to pass a statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers and to study their environmental and community impacts.
When it comes to accountability and transparency, Brown says she will pursue a State Senate version of HB 2515, which would have required data centers to pay higher energy costs, comply with clean energy mandates, and shut down during peak demand. According to the Washington State Standard, lobbying from the tech industry, including Microsoft, led to HB 2515 failing to pass the House.
And Brown believes that Street, as a state representative who works at Microsoft, "has spent his career enriching Microsoft and not really being here for our community." Street says it's "frustrating to hear [Brown] try and allude to me working at Microsoft would change how I vote," and that he views promoting that idea as "disinformation."
Street, who voted for HB 2515, says his voting record is clear on regulating data centers: "I have been the person who's voted the most on data centers, and I've always voted to regulate them and will continue to do so."
When asked if Microsoft lobbyists have told him how to vote on bills, Street said, "No. I mean, they are just like any lobbyist who will come [to my office]."
One policy area where Brown and Street fully align is public safety, and the opponents believe that to reduce crime, the state should prioritize investing in communities rather than imposing harsher penalties.
That's why Street doesn't support a bill proposed by State Rep. David Hackney (D-Renton) that would mandate that juveniles receive law enforcement intervention after committing two gun offenses instead of four. "I have not seen any evidence that would get the outcomes that we want," Street said.
(At one point in the interview, Street said that Washington State has "one of the most punitive" sentencing guidelines in the country. But Dr. Jacqueline Helfgott, director of Seattle University's Crime and Justice Research Center, said that instead, the state is punitive when it comes to gun-control legislation, but "in the mid-high range" when it comes to firearm sentencing.)
Street wants more investments and services toward youth to help steer them away from taking part in gun crimes. He praised the recently opened Rainier Beach Playfield Skatepark, which received state funding and, Street says, helps "provide a sustainable path to real public safety."
Brown also took issue with a proposal to reduce the number of gun offenses — or "strikes" — youth commit before being incarcerated. "Public safety has to start with intervention programs and programs that actually invest in our youth," said Brown, "because those youth [who commit gun violence] are also victims."
For Brown, investments in supporting youth include funding for food security and efforts to keep people from being priced out of their neighborhoods. "Public safety has to start with … community cohesion and how do we actually show this community that we give a damn," said Brown.
On Nov. 3, voters will also consider Initiative 645, which, if passed, will repeal a State-legislated Millionaires Tax that would impose a 9.9% tax on every dollar of household income over $1 million. How does Brown feel about it?
First, Brown noted deep concern with wealth disparity, stating that "the top 400 wealthiest American families own more wealth than every single Black and Brown household combined."
(According to the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan think tank, the top 400 American billionaires in 2020 had more wealth than all Black households combined.)
Because of how this disparity played out in the state, Brown supports the Millionaires Tax, as well as potential corporate and wealth taxes. But Brown doesn't go for lowering the tax bracket — until the tax system is fixed. "Washington State is currently funded by the working class," said Brown, "and until we can alleviate that burden, they should not have to pay another tax."
In his current role as state representative, Street serves as vice chair of the House Finance Committee, where he helped pass the Millionaires Tax. When it comes to a potential tax increase for low- and middle-income people, Street says "giving air to those ideas is not particularly helpful right now as the income tax is being challenged at the ballot."
Instead, Street talked about his "ideal tax code," which would have a "broad income tax that has progressive rates" and "a very low sales tax." He also discussed a progressive business tax, which includes a minimum tax, "so that companies, specifically large tech companies, cannot write off huge investments into infrastructure and avoid paying taxes."
Street and Brown also disagree on whether Washington should gerrymander the state to favor Democrats in Congress. (Gov. Bob Ferguson has said that if Democrats hold a supermajority in the 2027 legislature, he would lead the charge to gerrymander the state to favor Democrats.)
Street said that "ideally, we would not [gerrymander, because] our nonpartisan redistricting commission is something to be admired." But in the current political climate, "we should do it, and we have to fight fire with fire in this case." Street said that Republicans' policies were "horrible," and he hopes those policies "backfire on them, and then we take this chance to implement nonpartisan gerrymandering laws across the country."
Brown says she would not vote to gerrymander the state because it "feels like a false or lazy solution towards actually building a very strong progressive movement for policy and system change." She continued, "I think there are very few instances where people who are vulnerable to a system … [were] actually the ones to benefit" from gerrymandering.
Throughout her interview, Brown referenced outgoing State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, who is currently running for King County Council District 2 against Port Commissioner Toshiko Hasegawa. Brown says she entered the race in part because of "Saldaña [and] the work that she's done." Brown says she wants to be one of the "badass civil rights leaders and environmental justice leaders" who have recently held the seat. Even with her praise, Brown entered the race after Saldaña had endorsed Street.
As Street's interview wound down, he talked about the dynamics of Olympia and working to pass legislation. Noting that his three-year work on a bill to reform the estate tax failed while Sen. Claire Wilson's (D-Federal Way) efforts ultimately passed, Street said, "I am glad that I'm in the 37th and don't have to have my name on everything." He added, "I would rather do good policy work and get things done." To that end, Street says he can work with a diverse Democratic caucus, which his endorsements show.
Street says that regardless of who wins in November, he wants to see someone in the State Senate that "shares progressive values with the district," but he believes he's the only one who can "[turn] progressive values into actual policy."
Brown, who also supports progressive values, thinks she is the candidate the 37th District needs. "I picked this race to make sure that our community has a choice," Brown said, "and to make sure that we can actually have someone in that seat that's going to fight for them."
Candidates for three 37th Legislative District races — State Rep. Position 1 candidates Kelabe Tewolde and Sharon Tomiko Santos; State Rep. Position 2 candidates Jaelynn Scott and Evon McCorkle; and State Sen. candidates Chipalo Street and Tatiana Brown — will take part in the A&NHPI General Election Candidate Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., 5:30–7 p.m. The forum is free. RSVP to reserve a seat.
Ballots for the general election started appearing in mailboxes around Oct. 16. To ensure all votes are counted, officials encourage voters to return ballots to a local dropbox by Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.
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