Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck
Representing the Office of Position 8, Citywide - The People’s Office
Renter, Latina, Girl on the Bus, Former Waitress.
Fighting for a City that works for all of us!
- Over 4,500 new households just joined Fresh Bucks, bringing our community to more than 17,000 Seattle households now enjoying $60 monthly benefits for fruits and vegetables. Shop for produce at farmers markets, independent grocers, and supermarkets across Seattle! Want in? Apply with the link!
- Our office fought to increase investment into the Fresh Bucks program so more Seattle residents can get access to fresh foods in the wake of cuts to SNAP. Thanks to Seattle voters for passing the Seattle Shield Initiative to make this expansion possible!
- ICYMI: “Buses are the backbone of Seattle’s transportation system. When transit works, Seattle works. When buses are reliable, people get to work on time, kids get to school, seniors get to appointments, families get to spend time together. The 8 is a critical crosstown connection and...
- ...this action will let Seattle see real solutions which will improve the daily lives of working families. I hope with these improvements, the 8 will lose its infamous nickname....
- ...This is why my office started the Better Bus Lanes campaign, but this is about more than better bus lanes. This is about the city we’re building together.” TY @mayorofseattle.bsky.social @fixthel8.bsky.social @transpochoices.bsky.social @seattletru.bsky.social for your leadership and advocacy!
- My statement on Immigration Enforcement Actions in Seattle and Minneapolis followed by the full press release from Councilmember Foster and myself. council.seattle.gov/2026/01/08/s...
- Thank you @cmeddielin.bsky.social! I’m excited to serve alongside you and CM Foster.
- From fighting for workers to defending immigrant rights and expanding housing for families, we’ve got big priorities for Seattle. Honored to work alongside Councilmember Foster and @councilmember-amr.bsky.social.
- We'd like to share our amendments (Amendment B) to Seattle's 2026 State Legislative Agenda which includes Progressive Revenue, Homelessness, and Transportation. We also wanted to thank CMs Lin and Kettle for their amendments on Federal Response (Amendments A&E) and Social Housing (Amendment F).
- The image details our amendments, and I'm also sharing links to the amendments that I mentioned above from my colleagues: Amendment A: seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=... Amendment E: seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=... Amendment F: seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...
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- Thank you so much, Gordon!
- Thank you @cmtmosqueda.bsky.social ! I appreciate your leadership and your partnership during this challenging time.
- Right now, the city Council is hosting a public hearing on the budget. Check out our op-ed in Publicola to learn more about what we’re pushing for.
- Amid Federal Cuts and State Austerity, The City Must Step Up and Pass a Budget that Puts People First In a guest post, City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck says the budget should prioritize people who stand to lose most during state and federal cuts. publicola.com/2025/11/06/a...
- “We won’t let people go hungry – it’s not an option. $8 million to our food banks and meal programs is essential. Seattle will continue to step up even as our federal government steps back.” - Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck harrell.seattle.gov/2025/10/30/m...
- For too long our city has missed the moment to ensure frequent and reliable bus service on some of our most used bus corridors. Now is the time to fix these longstanding issues head on- with Better Bus Lanes! www.instagram.com/reel/DQLM5hv...
- Thank you @theurbanist.org @seattletru.bsky.social @sngreenways.bsky.social @transpochoices.bsky.social and every volunteer and advocate fighting for better mobility, connection, and safety on our streets. This is a shared win and something to celebrate.
- Thank you @seattledot.bsky.social and King County Metro for working to solve this. Onward together!
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- Thanks, Gordon! Our workforce at @seattledot.bsky.social are incredible! The gentleman I spoke to was friendly and helpful. Make sure to say hello and express your thanks to our SDOT crews!
- I was just as shocked with the news about the route 2 bus only lane as you. We are working on it. We need to prioritize pedestrian safety and not go backwards on our transit investments.
- UPDATE: Just talked to some SDOT workers who are out at the site today. They are only installing pedestrian signals today. No work on removing the bus lane or stop slated for today.
- Seattle's housing crisis requires bold action. We're thrilled to see the unanimous approval of @councilmember-amr.bsky.social's much-needed Roots to Roofs pilot program by the City Council!
- The Seattle City Council just UNANIMOUSLY approved the Roots to Roofs affordability bonus pilot, giving density bonuses to community based orgs, including the Seattle social housing developer. I did not expect a 9-0 vote on this one. www.theurbanist.org/2025/06/30/r...
- Thank you for your partnership on this!
- Earlier this year, my office went to the State Capitol to support SB 5184, which slashes parking mandates. The bill passed, but Seattle isn’t required to comply until 2027. With the passage of my Comp Plan Amendment 85, however, we’ll be putting these reduced parking mandates into effect this year!
- Here’s what that means for Seattle: - 0.5 spaces per housing unit. - 2 spaces per 1,000 sq. ft. of commercial space. - Full exemptions for senior housing, affordable housing, and childcare facilities. - Full exemptions for most apartments and multifamily housing.
- Huge thanks to @jessdbateman.bsky.social for championing SB 5184 and for pushing Seattle to take big steps on housing and climate! 🌍🏘️
- Seattle City Council is voting on the Comprehensive Plan this week and we have the chance to open up more neighborhoods for more housing, additional small businesses, alongside space for families to grow and thrive in Seattle. Check out our latest visit to proposed Neighborhood Center Broadview!
- Today is the final public hearing on the comprehensive plan! If you want to see these 8 neighborhood centers reintroduced into the plan, voice your support for amendment #34! In-person public comment starts at 3, but the sign-up cut off is 6:30 so make your way to city hall after work!
- UPDATE: By our team’s tally we had 115 people voice support for amendment 34. Thank you all for showing your support! *Please note that we included the numerous people who voiced “support for any amendment that increases density in the city” in this tally.
- Proud to join elected leaders from across Washington state in supporting food service cafeteria workers at Meta in organizing a union without fear, intimidation, and/or employer interference.
- My reflections on today’s Seattle City Council vote on expanding police surveillance. www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6T8mGNq/
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- We also cross post to Instagram! www.instagram.com/reel/DOZ37Ql...
- The vote on expanding the CCTV surveillance cameras to more neighborhoods happens at tomorrow’s Seattle City Council meeting. There are five amendments on the table, let’s talk about them:
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View full threadAnd the last Amendment is E and is sponsored by me and it would restrict Capitol Hill’s cameras to only arterial streets, meaning no cameras on Cal Anderson Park.
- And those are our amendments! On a final note: I was against this CCTV pilot program approved last year (before I got onto council), and I do not support the expansion of it for reasons I will speak to at full council tomorrow. Public comment starts at 2PM, see you there!
- Amendment C sponsored by me limits the approval of the CCTV pilot to only operate until July 1, 2028 unless SPD submits to the council and the council passes an ordinance to approve of the program implementation.
- Amendment D sponsored by CM Strauss limits the cameras in the planned expansion to only the stadium district. This would take Capitol Hill and Central District off the table for the camera expansion.
- Amendment A is co-sponsored with me and CM Kettle. I talked about putting forward this amendment a few weeks ago. Essentially, it pauses all CCTV camera systems for 60 days if there’s a warrant, subpoena, court order or release from City or vendor of CCTV data on a federal immigration matter.
- Amendment B sponsored by me adds requirements to the evaluation plan on the CCTV pilot.
- My office requested that the Office of Civil Rights assess CB 121052 and 121053, and we wanted to share this report with the public. "CCTV and RTCC technologies are not neutral instruments, as they carry direct consequences for equal protection, privacy, and the freedoms of speech and association."
- UPDATE: Seattle City Council has just received a letter from 18 community organizations calling on Council to delay the expansion of CCTV surveillance tech, to conduct meaningful engagement with immigrant communities, and invest instead in community safety programs.
- In this thread, we are uploading all six pages of the Office of Civil Rights Policy Briefing Memo, and are providing the Legistar Link below: seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=...
- The Land Use Committee just passed my Roots to Roofs bill 4-1! If passed by the Full Council on 9/23 the pilot will grant density bonus’s to get more community-led affordable housing built through Seattle. A big thank you to the stakeholders and community organizations who got us this far. 💖
- Nickerson South Canal as a neighborhood center means more housing, more small businesses, and more neighbors able to thrive in this pocket of the city. check out what residents shared & share your support at the final comp plan hearing on 9/12 (Virtual Comment 8:30AM In-person Comment 2:30-6:30PM)!
- Thanks for your partnership @housingconsortium.org and @futurewise.bsky.social !
- The Seattle City Council is about to start taking votes on the 20-year Comprehensive Plan which will determine how housing in Seattle is built. I biked around Seattle to talk to people about what we need to do to build more housing, and make our communities more walkable, and livable.
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- It was wonderful to meet you, Annemarie!
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- It was so great to meet you, Lynn! We are going to do a video on Alki and feature our interview with you!
- Thank you @futurewise.bsky.social and @housingconsortium.org for partnering with my office through the Complete Communities Coalition to talk to our neighbors across the city.
- I am demanding the immediate release of Muhammad Zahid Chaudhry, a decorated and disabled veteran, detained during a citizenship interview today. My office has been in contact with the family and are working with Rep. Smith, Sen. Cantwell, and Sen. Murray’s offices to bring Mr. Chaudhry home.
- The Council just voted 8-0 to pass my office’s bill (CB 121009) to streamline the subdivision approval process! This bill is a simple yet straightforward effort to promote good governance which will shave off critical time to build more housing. We're talking about many months saved per project!
- We biked to all 8 proposed new neighborhood centers (Alki, Broadview, Dawson, Gasworks, Loyal Heights, Nickerson, Roanoke, and South Wedgewood) included in my amendment. We met with neighbors to talk about the future of these neighborhoods for affordability, density, and neighborhood amenities!