Swearing-in day for our area’s new King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda
(Photo courtesy King County Council)
Teresa Mosqueda‘s move from the Seattle City Council to the King County Council is complete with today’s swearing-in ceremony at the county council’s first meeting of the year. Administering the oath of office in the council chambers downtown was Councilmember Mosqueda’s husband, Manuel Valdes. Mosqueda was one of two newly elected councilmembers sworn in today, along with Jorge Barón; they are making history as the first Latina/o members elected to the county council. Mosqueda, who succeeds Joe McDermott in representing District 8 (including White Center, West Seattle, Vashon and Maury Islands, and Burien), will chair two committees – here’s the announcement:
The King County Council on Tuesday voted for Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda to chair two key committees in her first year on the council. Mosqueda will serve as Chair of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee and the Regional Transit Committee.
“I’m thrilled to be chairing the Health and Human Services (HHS) Committee,” Mosqueda said. “My biggest priority as a King County Councilmember is to improve the health of our residents, and as Chair of HHS we get the chance to focus on those priorities with urgency. The committee will have purview over the Crisis Care Levy implementation so that families will know where to turn if their loved ones are struggling and need help, and first responders will have a place to bring people in need. Critically, this committee has preview over affordable housing, which I will continue to champion with an emphasis on serving communities most at risk of displacement creating more affordable housing, and investing in the workforce serving our most vulnerable to keep people housed.”
The HHS committee’s jurisdiction includes health services provided to the community by county agencies and branches; public health programs, including those related to the protection, promotion, and provision functions of the department of public health and the structure of the public health centers; and human services programs, including review of human services-related levies.
Mosqueda, who was sworn in to represent District 8 on Tuesday, will also serve as Vice Chair of the Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee, and will sit as a member of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, the Local Services and Land Use Committee, and the Employment and Administration Committee.
“I’m also very excited to be Vice Chair of Councilmember Dembowski’s Transportation, Economy and Environment committee,” Mosqueda added. “These are huge issues for District 8 and the entire county – from supporting the vitality of small businesses and workers, to addressing the transportation and growing environmental crises of folks across our region. Investments in economic stability, climate justice, and accessible transit all create healthier communities and thriving local economics. I’m thrilled to get to work on these priorities with my colleagues and community.”
Tuesday marked a historic moment in the history of the King County Council as Mosqueda and Jorge L. Barón – who was sworn in for District 4 – mark the first Latinos to serve on the Council. With a growing population of people of color and immigrants and refugees in King County, this marks a significant moment for representative democracy, especially given the diversity and largest ethnic population in District 8.
Full committee assignments will be posted here this week.
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