Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell vetoed Council Bill 120325. Narrowly passed on a five to four vote and potentially costing between $2 to 5 million with no identified funding source, the bill would have mandated landlords provide proprietary information about their rental units to a research institution. Mayor Harrell joins the Council President and Council Budget Committee Chair in opposing the bill.
READ: Mayor Harrell Letter Explaining Veto
“We all share the same goal of ensuring Seattle is an affordable city where workers and community members of all backgrounds can live and succeed,” said Mayor Harrell. “Critical to that effort is using quality and accurate data to inform our policies. While I appreciate and respect the sponsor’s intent, this proposed legislation would not have collected reliable data according to experts at the University of Washington and likely could not have been implemented in time to influence our Comprehensive Plan update. I look forward to working with Council – in addition to renters and small landlords – to address the needs we have for better data and more affordable housing options.”