May 15, 2020 Monica Martinez Simmons Seattle City Clerk 600 4th Avenue, 3rd Floor Seattle, WA 98124 Dear Ms. Martinez Simmons, I have signed and returned Council Bill (CB) 119788, which requires landlords in the City of Seattle to allow past-due residential tenants to pay back rent in installments during the COVID-19 Civil Emergency and one year following. I have also signed and returned (CB) 119787, which prohibits landlords from denying rental tenancy to a person due to an eviction action taken against them during the COVID-19 Civil Emergency and six months following in the City of Seattle. The unprecedented COVID-19 public health emergency has upset life in ways that will continue to unfold for years to come. While we are still at the beginning of this crisis, we have seen its devastating impact across Seattle with both lives and livelihoods lost. While communities are struggling to recover, yesterday it was widely reported in the media that the Starbucks Corporation will “require concessions” to their own leases; while this legislation addresses residential tenancy, the juxtaposition of a Fortune 500 company needing to ask for rent relief highlights the significance of the need for rent support for our workers. Because many businesses have closed, either temporarily or for good, it’s clear that many impacted workers cannot pay their rent. At the same time, I recognize the significant hardship that the loss of rental income creates for our small landlords who are still burdened by mortgages, property taxes, and other expenses. I understand the importance and deep need for resources to support our small landlords. We need everyone – workers, businesses, and landlords – acting together to bring us through this crisis. Tenants who can pay their rent must continue to do so. In the unfortunate instance that they cannot pay, they should work with their landlord, so they are not saddled with a large debt at the end of this crisis. Our small landlords, like our small businesses, are a crucial part of our City infrastructure. They are firmly connected to their communities, a primary provider of family-sized rental housing, and time-and-again show flexibility and concern for their tenants who may be struggling through tough times. My administration is working closely with the landlord community to determine the severity of the nonpayment of rent and working on solutions that are within the City’s power to provide to the community. I continue to believe that rental assistance is the most important tool we can offer to support landlords and workers to ensure rent is paid. By working together, the City has taken steps to support small Office of the Mayor 600 Fourth Avenue, P.O. Box 94749, Seattle, WA 98124 206-684-4000 seattle.gov/mayor Monica Martinez Simmons CBs 119787 and 119788 Singing Statement May 15, 2020 Page 2 of 2 businesses so that they can continue to pay employees, providing rental assistance directly to tenants, helping community members connect with benefits like unemployment insurance and providing for basic needs through food vouchers and deferring utility costs. There is no question that we need more. My administration is working closely with Governor Inslee and our congressional delegation asking for additional rental assistance measures and other resources like mortgage and property tax relief. As a City, we don’t have the authority to adjust the levers around mortgage payments, as that control lies exclusively with Congress and our financial institutions. We need them to act. Our federal government is the only government with the resources to adequately respond to the scope of this crisis. I look forward to continued work with the City Council as we work together on the response to the COVID-19 emergency in Seattle. Sincerely, Jenny A. Durkan Mayor of Seattle