OPINION | Why I Support Tammy Morales for District 2

by Sally Li and Estela Ortega

Ahead of the Aug. 1 primary election, the South Seattle Emerald invited community members to voice their support for the candidates for District 2 of the Seattle City Council race. The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed below do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the Emerald or official policies of the Emerald.

In addition to candiate Tammy Morales, a community member also wrote an op-ed for candidate Tanya Woo.

Tammy Morales is the progressive leader we need on the City Council. The issues Seattle's Communities of Color deal with are serious and require real solutions. Tammy governs with transparency, and she values community collaboration when addressing our district's toughest challenges. We urge you to vote for Tammy on Aug. 1, and here's why.

Tammy has delivered for District 2, and with another term, she will continue to deliver. Tammy is responsible for the largest expansion of just cause eviction protection in the city's history — requiring landlords to have a legitimate reason to evict month-to-month renters.

She has proposed and passed policies to protect those seeking gender-affirming care, including the right to abortion. Tammy has delivered millions of dollars for investments in street outreach in the Chinatown-International District and for safer streets and park improvements across the district, and she is also responsible for securing permanent funding for the City's Equitable Development Initiative, which supports community-led development.

Unlike her opponents, Tammy is addressing climate change head on by working with the Healthy Through Heat and Smoke Campaign to upgrade half of Seattle's 26 community centers to be climate resilience hubs. These community centers are now slated to get heat pumps, HVAC upgrades, and microgrid solar installations.

Tammy looks out for our young people too. She secured funds for mental health services and restorative justice programming in our District 2 schools, and she supported violence interruption programs and other community safety alternatives. Tammy remains steadfast in listening to and collaborating with the community to get things done. She's exactly the kind of elected official we need: action-oriented and solutions-driven.

When the mayor cut funding for anti-Asian hate programs in half, Tammy restored it. When we were at the height of the pandemic and an economic downturn, Tammy secured rent control for small businesses and eviction moratoriums for renters. When so many are getting priced out of Seattle, Tammy vocally supported social housing from the get-go. We know where Tammy stands. We can count on her.

We know Tammy will always side with working families, renters, and Seattle's most vulnerable because she funds the solutions sought by our Black and Brown communities. In office, Tammy meets with our neighbors by holding regular office hours, convening neighborhood meetings, and being at events, like our local farmers market. She's delivered so much, even though she served half of her term when we all were living with stay-at-home orders at the height of the pandemic. Tammy needs to stay on the council so she can finish the work of building a future we all deserve — one with more housing for workers and families, vibrant commercial districts in our neighborhoods, and safety for our elders and youth.

The next City Council will be making long-term land use decisions that affect how our neighborhoods change; how much housing is available for working folks; whether our local businesses will get pushed out by rents they can't afford; whether our elders and our kids can cross the street safely. Thankfully, Tammy understands these systems and is laser-focused on creating healthy communities. We need her experience and her awareness on the council.

The fact of the matter is, there are powerful interests working to unseat progressives like Tammy. But Seattle voters know better. We know when we hear real solutions versus hollow platitudes. We know when we organize, we win. And we know it just makes sense to reelect a fierce, steady leader like Tammy Morales as our District 2 Seattle City Councilmember.

That's why we can't sit idly by and let corporate interests that harm our community win. We're at a point in time when workers' rights are at the fore, and the movement for clean air and clean water is loud. Tammy will help us turn these things into a reality.

Seattle is yet again at a crossroads. Will we let our city kneel to conservative-aligned moderates or stand up alongside progressives? We can't allow a conservative victory now; not when Republicans are ruling from the bench to control women; not when loud voices are calling for more sweeps and jails instead of real solutions; not when more climate refugees will be fleeing to our state.

We hope you'll join us by turning in your ballots for Tammy Morales by Aug. 1 (and then again Nov. 7).

If you'd like to get involved or learn more, visit Tammy Morales' reelection website.

The South Seattle Emerald is committed to holding space for a variety of viewpoints within our community, with the understanding that differing perspectives do not negate mutual respect amongst community members.

The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the contributors on this website do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the Emerald or official policies of the Emerald.

Sally Li is a lifelong South End resident and co-chair of Link2Lake Steering Committee, a community-driven project to improve access to Be'er Sheva Park.

Estela Ortega is the founder and executive director of El Centro de la Raza, a community gathering place in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood that provides education, housing, job support, and social services for Latinos and other People of Color.

Featured Image: Photo courtesy of Tammy Morales' campaign.