Pressure has mounted in recent months to rebalance Seattle’s budget due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city of Seattle is projected to face a $326 million budget shortfall, primarily due to significant revenue losses and COVID relief measures. The August forecast reduces 2020 general fund revenues by $26 million, or 2.1%. On July 20th, the Seattle City Council passed CB 119812, making appropriations from the Emergency fund for public assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Additionally, there have been growing calls from Black Lives Matter and other organizations to defund police departments nationwide. Six of eight Seattle councilmembers initially supported cutting the Seattle Police Department (SPD) by 50%. Protests in Seattle also have risen in response to the shooting of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th.   

On August 10th, the Seattle City Council passed Resolution 31962 and CB 119825.  

Resolution 31962 passed 8-0 and lays the foundation for a “Civilian-led Department of Community Safety & Violence Prevention” by the fourth quarter of 2021. In the resolution, councilmembers claim the new civilian-led Department will “take a holistic approach to public safety” through the replacement of 911 operators with “civilian-controlled systems,” increase “community-led solutions,” allocate funding to a “community-led process to create a roadmap to life without policing,” and “invest in housing for all.” The resolution concludes with “the goal of these processes is not only to defund the police but to create a new paradigm for how the City distributes its funding and invests in the community.”  

CB 119825 was passed 7-1 and cuts close to $4 million of the police department’s $400 million 2020 budget. The lone dissenting vote was by Kshama Sawant, who criticized the bill as “failing working people” and “fails to address the systematic racism of policing.” The cuts were substantially short of previous calls to defund SPD by 50%. Councilmember Alex Pederson described the cuts as “initial reductions,” foreshadowing possible further cuts to the department. CB 119825 includes additional budget amendments to cut $50,000 from department travel, eliminate SPD recruitment and retention for the remainder of 2020, cap salaries and overtime, and to cut or redirect funding from the navigation team. 

The legislation could reduce the police department by up to 100 police officers, many of whom the SPD says are officers of color and newly sworn-in officers, and a 40 percent salary reduction of SPD command staff.  

Hours after the bill passed, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best announced her retirement, citing a lack of respect for the SPD and budget cuts that would lead to officer layoffs. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has appointed Deputy Chief of Police Adrian Diaz as the interim Chief of Police. 

On August 21st, Mayor Durkan vetoed three budget bills passed by the Seattle City Council, including CB 119825. She criticized councilmembers for a lack of collaboration with Chief Best and herself. The Mayor’s veto will stop approximately $14 million in funding for “community organizations.”  

Durkan is calling for new talks with City Council members to discuss the vetoed legislation. The Council can choose to reconsider the legislation or override the veto with a supermajority vote when it reconvenes in September.  

Also on August 21st, Mayor Durkan announced an agreement with the City Council to provide $45 million in COVID-19 relief funds and ensures the city maintains emergency reserves for projected budget shortfalls in 2020 and 2021 or other city emergencies. Tension has been mounting between the City Council and Mayor Durkan in recent months as multiple crises have arisen in Seattle. However, recent cooperation may show signs of a return to a working relationship.