Libraries, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee 4/9/2026

WILL COME TO ORDER, I AM CHAIR
OF THE COMMITTEE.
COUNCIL MEMBER FOSTER: COUNCIL MEMBER FOSTER.
HERE: HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER LINN: COUNCIL MEMBER LINN.
HERE: HERE.
COUNCIL MEMBER RINCK: COUNCIL MEMBER RINCK.
CHAIR RIVERA: CHAIR RIVERA.
PRESENT.
THREE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE: THREE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE
PRESENT.
THANK YOU, CLERK, PLEASE NOTE
FOR THE RECORD, EVERYBODY, THAT
COUNCIL PRESIDENT HOLLINGSWORTH
IS EXCUSED FROM TODAY'S
MEETING. IF THERE IS NO
OBJECTION, THE AGENDA WILL BE
ADOPTED. HEARING NO OBJECTION,
THE AGENDA IS ADOPTED. PUBLIC
COMMENT SHOULD RELATE TO ITEMS
ON THE AGENDA OR WITHIN THE
PURVIEW OF THE COMMITTEE. HOW
MEN SPEAKERS ARE SIGNED UP
TODAY?
CHAIR, WE HAVE NO SPEAKERS
TODAY.
ALL RIGHT. THEN, PUBLIC
COMMENT IS NOW CLOSED. WE WILL
PROCEED TO OUR ITEMS OF
BUSINESS. COUNCIL MEMBER RINCK,
ARE YOU PRESENT?
CHECKING AUDIO, CAN YOU HEAR
ME?
YES, WE CAN.
THANK YOU. I AM PRESENT.
THANK YOU: THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. FOR THE
RECORD, COUNCIL MEMBER RINCK IS
ALSO PRESENT AT TODAY'S
MEETING. WILL THE CLERK READ
ITEM ONE? TO THE REPORT?
AGENDA ITEM 1, UPDATE ON $4
MILLION INVESTMENT FOR REFUGEE
AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR
BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION.
THANK YOU, CLERK. GOOD
AFTERNOON, COLLEAGUES, THIS IS A
SPECIAL LIBRARY, EDUCATION, AND
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMITTEE MEETING.
OR REGULARLY MEETINGS HAD BEEN
USED FOR THE RENEWAL OF SEATTLE
PUBLIC LIBRARY LEVEE RR, I
WANTED TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON
THE VERY IMPORTANT $4 MILLION
INVESTMENT GIVEN TO A WIRE ON
THE 2026 BUDGET, IN SUPPORT OF
OUR IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE
COMMUNITY IN TOWN. DIRECTOR CUC
VU IS HERE TO LET US KNOW HOW
THE FUNDS ARE GOING TO BE
IMPLEMENTED IN SUPPORT OF
IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE COMMUNITY
MEMBERS. I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE
THE GREAT WORK IN GENERAL THEY
HAVE BEEN DOING FOR MANY YEARS,
NOT JUST NOW, FOR THE IMMIGRANT
COMMUNITY. FOR THE RECORD, I
HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING
WITH DIRECTOR VU ALL THE WAY
BACK TO ABOUT 2018 OR 2019,
DIRECTOR. WE ARE SO LUCKY TO
HAVE HER BACK AT THE CITY, AT
THE HELM ONCE AGAIN. I KNOW HER
COMMITMENT TO OUR IMMIGRANT AND
REFUGEE RESIDENTS IN THE CITY, I
REALLY APPRECIATE HER WORK. SO
LUCKY TO GET TO WORK WITH HER
AGAIN. WE HAVE SPOKEN, AND WHILE
WE HAVE NOT SEEN THE SURGE THAT
WE SAW IN MINNEAPOLIS HERE IN
SEATTLE, WE HAVE SEEN AN
INCREASE IN I.C.E ACTIVITY,
WHILE WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL
HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE, WE DON'T
WANT TO INSTILL FEAR IN FOLKS,
BECAUSE THAT IS THE POINT,
RIGHT? THE CURRENT
ADMINISTRATION CLEARLY WANTS
FOLKS TO LIVE IN FEAR. I NEVER
WANT TO BE MONGERING OR ADD
STRESS TO WHAT IS ALREADY A
STRESSFUL TIME FOR IMMIGRANT AND
REFUGEE FOLKS IN TOWN. IT IS OUR
JOB AS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND
ELECTED OFFICIALS AND AS THE
CITY OF SEATTLE, TO REALLY HELP
KEEP OUR PEOPLE CALM AND WE WANT
TO MAKE SURE WE SUPPORT OUR
COMMUNITIES WHEN WE ARE--
INSTEAD OF OPERATING IN A CHAOS
SITUATION, AND THAT IS THE POINT
OF OUR INVESTMENTS IS TO REALLY
HELP SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITIES AND
PROVIDE COMFORT AND SECURITY. I
AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO
HEARING ABOUT THE INVESTMENT AND
HOW IT IS GETTING IMPLEMENTED.
THE ORIGINAL INVESTMENT, WHICH
IS AN ONGOING INVESTMENT, BY THE
WAY, WAS DELINEATED BY COUNCIL
ACTION TO DO THE FOLLOWING, TO
ADDRESS BACKFILL FOR FEDERAL
BUDGET CUTS, AND ALSO JUST RAPID
RESPONSE, LEGAL DEFENSE, WHICH
THE DEPARTMENT ALREADY PROVIDES,
IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION AND
CITIZENSHIP SUPPORT, WHICH IS
DEPARTMENT ALREADY PROVIDES AS
WELL, ADULT IMMIGRANT WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT, AND READY TO WORK,
WHICH THE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN
DOING FOR MANY YEARS NOW,
IMMIGRANT YOUTH CAREER PATHWAY
PROGRAMS, IMMIGRANT SAFETY
ACCESS NETWORK, AND ETHNIC MEDIA
AND TRANSLATION AND COMMUNITY
ADVISORS AND THE STAFFING
NEEDING TO SUPPORT THE
FUNCTIONS, TEMPORARY STAFFING
NEEDED, TO SCALE UP THE WORK,
BECAUSE THIS IS NORMALLY IT IS,
WOULD HAVE BEEN $6 MILLION
DEPARTMENT IS NOW A $10 WITH THE
NEW MONEY, SO YOU ARE ABLE TO DO
MORE. THE REASON WHY I AM
POINTING THAT OUT IS BECAUSE ANY
TIME A DEPARTMENT GETS THIS SIZE
OF PERCENTAGE INCREASE, I WANT
TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE
DEPARTMENT THEN HAS TO TURN
AROUND AND BE ABLE TO SCALE UP
THEIR OPERATIONS TO MEET THAT
EXTRA FUNDING AND THAT TAKES
TIME. SO I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS ISN'T
SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD TURN
AROUND OVERNIGHT, BECAUSE THIS
IS A LOT MORE THAN YOU ARE
USUALLY MANAGING FOR, IN TERMS
OF A BUDGET. SO, THAT IS
IMPORTANT HERE TO NOTE, AND IT
ALWAYS TAKES A LITTLE BIT OF
TIME. AND THEN I REALLY WANT TO,
ALSO, COLLEAGUES, APOLOGIES FOR
NOT GETTING THE SLIDE DECK
SOONER. WE ALWAYS STRIVE TO GET
MATERIAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THERE WAS SOME LAST-MINUTE WORK
ON THE PRESENTATION BUT I
DIDN'T WANT TO HOLD UP THE
MEETING TODAY BECAUSE I KNOW THE
DEPARTMENT IS DOING GREAT WORK,
SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE
COULD GET YOU THE BRIEFING,
SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, BUT
THAT MEANT YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE
MATERIALS UNTIL A LITTLE EARLIER
TODAY AND FOR THAT I DO
APOLOGIZE AND I THANK YOU FOR
YOUR GRACE SO LETS GET INTO THE
PRESENTATION, DIRECTOR VU, YOU
CAN INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE
RECORD. I REALLY APPRECIATE

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