City Councilmember Rob Saka is 'gravely concerned' about Seattle's business climate

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Let's get the easy stuff out of the way first. Seattle Center, uh, why pass this this resolution today to signal the interest in doing a large-scale remodel of Seattle Center?

[00:00:10]>> We have an urgent opportunity to renovate the Seattle Center. Hasn't been touched or or renovated in any meaningful way in decades. And so, the time is now. Chris, I'm not interested in continuing to kick the can down the road. We need to maximize our investment and make sure we're smart and efficient with that taxpayer investment, but also renovate the Seattle Center once and for all.

[00:00:34]>> What's it going to take? It sounds like now the strategy is to go to 27 instead of 26 with a bond versus a levy. What's the strategy there?

[00:00:43]>> 27 or earlier. Uh, importantly, next steps, we need to finalize the scope.

[00:00:49]What's going to be covered and and included versus what's out of scope. Uh then we need from there we'll get a better sense of total costs. I'm interested in making sure and my legislation makes clear we are establishing a framework to create very extensive public private partnerships.

[00:01:06]Yes, city investment is an important anchor investment but we're going to be relying heavily on our private philanthropic partners been there the whole time to get this done as well. So, uh, yes, this is the framework. Folks can rightfully think about this as the framework legislation signaling our tent, establishing a clear timeline at 27 or earlier, uh, and then getting this done once and for all.

[00:01:30]>> I know there's been talk about 1.2 1.5 billion that might be needed there. Is that even feasible though? Do you have to downsize the request?

[00:01:40]>> We have to be smart. Whatever the city investment or dollar is, we have to be smart about choosing to include that or not and making sure that investment is going to reflect the biggest bang for the taxpayer buck. So, some of these sizing and scoping decisions still ongoing. That's those are conversations that me and my council colleagues in the mayor's office are going to need to finalize. Uh but whatever the size is, we're going to make sure the taxpayers can get the best bang for the buck putting people to work in the process.

[00:02:12]>> And again, I asked the question uh uh about the the idea of going to 27 versus 26. Uh been a lot of talk internally about some sort of fire levy.

[00:02:23]Uh that could be a big ask as well and that may take up the 26 calendar. Is that the reason why you're now looking at 27?

[00:02:30]>> So 27. So, first off, there's a lot of urgent priorities to address in the city. Start with that as a baseline.

[00:02:39]That said, the Seattle Center is one of the most critical priorities and opportunities we have right now to invest in the future of our arts, cultural, and civic spaces.

[00:02:51]20. That's why the legislation makes clear 27 or earlier.

[00:02:56]It's technically possible could potentially put a package to voters this year. It's but based off of what we know today, a lot of decisions would need to be made before then, but based off what we know today, 27 is the most likely scenario. But it does leave room for flexibility.

[00:03:16]goal here, Chris, is we need to establish a clear and firm timeline and be clear about our intent to voters to renovate the Seattle Center once and for all, restore it to its original vibrancy.

[00:03:31]>> All right, on to other stuff. Uh, we talked about a week, week and a half ago about Howard Schultz writes this op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. Now there's seen the Washington Post write about Seattle. We've seen the New York Times write about Seattle. And you were quoted in that. You you told me that Howard Schultz made some valid points and policy members should avoid diminishing, trivializing the perspectives of others, including those in the business community. And then you told the New York Times, you're gravely concerned about business in Seattle. Are you gravely concerned about the future of business in Seattle?

[00:04:04]>> I'm gravely concerned when we lose jobs.

[00:04:07]I'm gravely concerned when we we don't have enough employers paying living wage jobs. Uh and to the extent that the city of Seattle government plays a role in it, we do not the sole role, but we do play a role. Uh I'm concerned about what that means for those relations and our broader economy. I'm unapologetic in my support for both jobs and workers.

[00:04:35]Um, I'll also say that since then, one thing that I'll friendly amendment to what you what you just said. Since then, I have also read reporting that the mayor has expressed some contrition for her comments, and I want to applaud the mayor for expressing contrition, uh, being contrite about what happened.

[00:05:02]I'm here to make sure the city of Seattle does better. I value relationships with any number of governing partners, labor and business.

[00:05:12]I meet regularly with folks from our business community of all sizes, local chambers, bigger businesses, our broader chamber. I'm actually meeting with Starbucks in a few days. So, I value their perspectives. And the final thing I'll note, I think Seattle is Seattle is at its best when we do the hard work of listening to a variety of perspectives, a variety of viewpoints, and bringing people together and incorporating that feedback into our policy decisions. Not always able to harmonize all the the different pieces and perspectives, but that's a difficult challenge of this job.

[00:05:52]Obviously, there'll be a private conversation and a one-on-one conversation, but but what is the message you're going to try to send Starbucks when you meet with them? We're open for business.

[00:06:03]We appreciate you just like we appreciate all of our governing partners, all of our business businesses of all sizes.

[00:06:15]And we're here to work with you to get stuff done. That doesn't mean we're always going to see directly eye to eye, but I'm committed to listening and I stand ready, willing, and able, and I'll reaffirm my commitment today to work with our business community, businesses of all sizes, including Starbucks. They're in my district.

[00:06:39]>> Well, and I I think you have an interesting perspective for for more than one reason. Um, in in the recent couple of weeks, I think you've appeared alongside the mayor multiple times. Uh, you're on on this resolution with Seattle Center. You were at the toilets making jokes with her. You were uh at the the bus lane at the opening of the bus lane. Have you had any sort of conversation with her about how these comments have have translated on a national level?

[00:07:05]>> I've discussed many of things with the mayor, many of topics. Um, I'm going I'm not going to disclose uh the the nature of my various discussions that I've had with the mayor and will need to continue to have uh in this forum. Uh that said, at a higher level, I I am working with the mayor, partnering with her, sharing my perspective and hearing hers and figuring out how we can best align and advance the city's priorities, our shared priorities together.

[00:07:38]>> What do you tell your fellow council members? given you do have a business background. You worked in the in the business community with some of these companies that have been villainized in in recent months.

[00:07:47]>> Yeah.

[00:07:49]>> Again, I think it's incredibly counterproductive when we seek to trivialize or villainize the perspective of anyone whether we agree or disagree. We can disagree on the substance. We can disagree on the merits. But that's the most counterproductive thing to a well functioning local government any government to our civic culture identity.

[00:08:14]So we need to avoid that. And I think there's a broadly there's a shared commitment to doing that on the second floor of city hall here and I think upstairs as as evidenced by the mayor's recent uh comments.

[00:08:28]We all make mistakes. I don't pretend to be the uh, you know, live guilt-free, not make my own mistakes. I make my fair share. But what I'm committed to doing, and I think every person, especially public servants and elected officials, learn from your mistakes. Be better. Try not to replicate them. Make the same ones going forward.

[00:08:50]>> Was the wave a mistake?

[00:08:53]>> I I wouldn't have chosen to to to do that.

[00:08:58]I these are complex, nuanced conversations and uh I would I think you will have to talk again with the mayor to to figure out from her perspective and I think she addressed that at least in part in some of her recent public comments.

[00:09:12]It's an approach I I wouldn't support or take personally. Um again I think we need to engage and have dialogue with all people all perspectives and that doesn't mean we can again always harmonize the various perspectives and and and fully incorporate that into the final policy decision.

[00:09:34]It's difficult work but it's work we need to do. So >> so how do you turn this around? you again you have this perspective having worked with some of these businesses in town um in your previous life before the council uh you have seen what has happened with office space and return to work and this is now a a six-year 7-year trend in Seattle. How do you recruit businesses to come back to Seattle and start filling up storefronts?

[00:10:03]>> Yeah, my first message is very clear.

[00:10:07]Seattle is open for business. We welcome businesses of all sizes that want to come here and expand their oper operations, be successful, expand their commercial footprint, and be a part of all the various policy decisions that that are taking place right here at city hall that impact everyone.

[00:10:29]And and I hope it's clear in part that these are more than just words. These are actions. meet regularly and I have been this whole time with members of our business community of all sizes. Earlier today, we uh we passed a resolution out of committee. Our that when we're at our best as a city government, the number one thing we can do to support our business community is create a safe place for their workers, customers, suppliers, partners to gather, to work, to thrive. And our resolution earlier today announcing our city's commitment and plan and timeline to reinvest in the Seattle Center. I think that's an important step, next step.

[00:11:15]Not the end all the beall. Can't We're not at a point where we can pat ourselves on the back and slap each other high fives and say out of boys.

[00:11:24]Plenty more work to do, but it's work that I'm committed to doing, continuing to do in partnership with our mayor and my council member colleagues.

[00:11:33]I've had feedback, as I'm sure you have, in the last several months, that the reason why the election was the way it was, the last civic election, there is a new mayor, is because more people care about housing and affordability right now versus public safety or keeping big business in Seattle. So, how do you how do you walk that fine line? How do you answer those folks who who say, "Hey, it is more important. What what the mayor is saying is is what we care about."

[00:11:57]>> So, I would absolutely that's my read as well in part I think voters care increasingly about affordability and making more meaningful visible progress on addressing our homelessness crisis.

[00:12:17]That's that's a lesson that I gather that I as I watch every single election result.

[00:12:26]Again, voters care increasingly about affordability and homelessness. That said, I don't believe voters have deprioritized public safety and community safety. That is our highest responsibility of of our local government here. It's literally enshrined in our constitution or charter.

[00:12:48]As we increasingly care about affordability and homelessness, that doesn't mean we deprioritize public safety and community safety. multiple things can be true at the same time. And I think in this case, voters, people, members of the public still care about those things. They just want us to better balance those things.

[00:13:10]>> So here's my last question for you as it relates to this entire conversation is the mayor on the campaign trail talked a lot about more progressive revenue and potentially expanding things like the jump start tax.

[00:13:24]the budget hole is going to be big.

[00:13:27]There's going to have to be cuts or more revenue. That's how this always works.

[00:13:31]If if she or her staff comes down to the second floor and says, "Hey, we need to expand the jump start tax and tax business even more." What are you going to tell them? Well, I don't explore any proposal that I receive, but I would be very hesitant to further expand the jump start tax, which is a which is a tax that is heavily reliant on a very few small subset of of businesses in our region. It's a highly volatile tax and so we have to be mindful. I I support progressive revenue. make no apologies about that.

[00:14:13]Truth is our our funding levers to to use progressive revenue at the local level, they're very limited, pretty narrow in practice.

[00:14:24]And so when we make these decisions about progressive revenue, we have to be mindful of the trade-offs. That jump start proposal theoretical right now. Uh I I would be very worried and concerned about the volatility of that and the impact cuz everyone here has a choice.

[00:14:43]Residents choose to live in Seattle or not. Businesses choose to do business in Seattle or they can pick up their crayons and go across Lake Washington.

[00:14:52]We don't want that. Seattle is open for business and we're proud of it and we're we're here to work with everyone.