OneAmerica Votes Endorsements

Kim-Khanh Van is a current Renton City Council member who is running for King County Council in District 9 to bring her experience and dedication to the county. After her family escaped Vietnam as refugees and settled in King County, she went on to earn her doctorate and become an attorney. Van credits the community for her successes and wants to provide families and residents with healthy, livable communities that include child care access and infrastructure maintenance. Outside of her work on the city council, Van serves in a multitude of organizations, including as a PTA president, a volunteer attorney with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the co-founder of AAPI Against Hate.

Van has demonstrated that she is willing to take tough public votes on behalf of the most vulnerable in the community. She was one of only two members of the Renton City Council who voted to maintain the Red Lion Hotel as a source of housing for residents experiencing homelessness. In our interview, we were impressed with her in-depth knowledge about the issue and her desire to lead as a consensus and coalition builder at the county level. She wants to do more to educate voters on the economic and social benefits of providing supportive, stable housing early, rather than jailing people experiencing homelessness.

Van has done much advocacy work for marginalized communities. She understands the struggles that the Black, Latino, and Asian-Pacific Islander communities have faced historically and in the present, and vows to continue to stand with residents to make the county a place of opportunity for all.

Her opponent is Republican incumbent Reagan Dunn, who has served on the council since he was appointed and later elected to the position in 2005. Before that, he worked as a federal prosecutor appointed by President George W. Bush and was the national coordinator of a Department of Justice program that increases policing in neighborhoods. Dunn challenged Bob Ferguson in the 2012 race for attorney general and lost.

On the council, Dunn has been a consistent voice opposing the progressive reforms proposed by the rest of the council. In March, Dunn was the lone vote against giving grocery store workers $4 per hour hazard pay for their service on the front lines of the pandemic. In addition, Dunn was a vocal opponent of streamlining homelessness services between Seattle and King County. Instead, he proposed spending $1 million of taxpayer money on bus tickets to send people experiencing homelessness to other states, another shortsighted proposal that failed to address the root causes of the issue. In this campaign, he has emphasized his prosecutorial background and longstanding support of law enforcement without talking about how to increase accountability for law enforcement.

Van's strong experience and progressive values make her the best choice for King County Council in District 9.

Hamdi Mohamed is running for Seattle Port Commissioner, Position 3 with a visionary agenda for the port that centers the needs of the workers, the environment, and the broader community. Mohamed's family fled Somalia and settled in the SeaTac region when she was 5 years old, with her mother working in the airport. Mohamed now works in the King County Office of Equity and Social Justice as a policy advisor and has helped manage the millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds that went to community-based organizations in King County.

As a resident of SeaTac, Mohamed lives in one of the communities most affected by airport pollution. Given that none of the current commissioners live in South King County, she seeks to bridge the gap between port policy and lived experience. She wants to expand the port's efforts to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy and restore habitats for salmon and orcas. Through greater direct partnership with workers, Mohamed wants to protect unions, provide pandemic relief, and prioritize workplace health.

In our interview with Mohamed, we were incredibly impressed by her drive to improve the lives of those who work and live near the port. One recent example of her accomplishment was her work with Beyoncé and Tina Knowles to provide free coronavirus testing and supplies to local organizations and working with the King County Immigrant and Refugee Commission to center language access in COVID-19 relief.

Mohamed is running against incumbent Stephanie Bowman, who has served on the commission since 2013. Bowman is proud of the port commission's progress on many fronts, including expanding youth job training opportunities in partnership with Seattle Public Schools, making stormwater improvements, and developing a noise insulation program for homes close to the airport. She states that one of her most important accomplishments was tripling the number of interns, many of which were youth of color from marginalized communities. If re-elected, Bowman would focus on improving economic opportunity at the port for all, including union members, women-owned businesses, lower-income workers, and more.

However, we were extremely disappointed when Bowman voted in 2015 to allow Shell Oil to base its arctic drilling operations in Seattle. In addition, she voted to use taxpayer money to file a legal challenge against SeaTac's $15 per hour minimum wage. In our interview with Bowman this year, she stated that she had been on the commission for less than six months before the wage increase vote, and believed that the council did not have the regulatory authority to make the change. On the Shell vote, she said that the commission was not transparent enough about it and that she would rather have ships come to Seattle ports where the environmental standards are the highest.

We believe Mohamed would be a stronger leader for progress at the port and would bring much-needed representation to the commission for South King County communities. We strongly support Hamdi Mohamed for her dedication to the community, her progressive agenda, and her backing by progressive organizations.

Hanan Amer is running for Auburn City Council, Position 4. Amer is a chemist for an aerospace company and has been volunteering locally for years at food banks, the White River Valley Museum, the Auburn and Muckleshoot libraries, and with the police department. She has also volunteered as a tax preparer for United Way of King County in the Auburn and Kent areas. Amer is endorsed by Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus and the 47th Legislative District Democrats and is running to make sure everyone can feel empowered and engaged in their communities.

Amer's opponent in this race is incumbent council member Yolanda Trout. Trout has been on the city council for seven years and previously served as the vice chair of the local Domestic Violence Initiative Regional Task Force from 2014 to 2016 and on Auburn’s Planning Commission from 2010 to 2013. She does not have a campaign website as of mid-October but her re-election platform includes supporting Auburn’s businesses, affordable housing, social justice, and economic growth. Unfortunately, Trout has taken a couple of bad votes including opposing the B&O tax, which would help the city avoid a revenue crisis by 2023, and opposing hazard pay for grocery store workers in the pandemic.

Amer is the best choice for Position 4 on the Auburn City Council.

Community organizer Rami Al-Kabra is running for Bothell City Council, Position 7. Al-Kabra serves as a member of the Bothell Landmark Preservation Board and a co-chair with Anti-Racist Communities: Bothell. As a Palestinian Muslim, he has been a strong community advocate and has founded both the Washington chapter of the largest Islamic civil rights organization in the nation (CAIR) and the Islamic Center of Bothell. In 2020, he helped to organize the March for Black Lives in Bothell when 200 residents showed up to call for systemic change.

In this race, Al-Kabra is running to bring sustainable and equitable progress to Bothell. His platform includes green city planning, budget reform, amplifying human services, and small business support. Specifically, he wants to advance housing affordability projects with eco-friendly building practices in order to make Bothell more sustainable and more affordable at the same time. He also wants to bring more constituent voices into discussions about the budget to ensure that the funds are being used in the best interest of the community.

Al-Kabra is running against Beca Nistrian, who owns a Bothell coffee shop and writes children’s books. Her social media presence leans more conservative and she is supporting other conservative candidates this year. 

Rami Al-Kabra deserves your vote for Bothell City Council, Position 7 to make Bothell a place where all residents can thrive.

Hugo Garcia is running for Burien City Council, Position 1. Garcia, whose family immigrated from Mexico more than 30 years ago, states that he learned the values of resilience and tenacity at an early age by watching his father wait tables to support their family of five. If elected, he intends to bring the experience of working families to the forefront.

Garcia is a member of the Burien Planning Commission and chair of the Burien Economic Development Partnership (BEDP). His platform includes housing for all and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that will equitably and sustainably lift up all Burien residents and help local businesses come back stronger. In addition, Garcia is committed to keeping Burien affordable so that working families can continue to live in the community and thrive.

Garcia is facing Martin Barrett, who owns a corporate gift supplier. Barrett is vilifying community members who want to discuss community-based alternatives to public safety. He states that he wants Burien to be a “wealth generator" without providing details. While Barrett's platform does address the need for more affordable housing, he wants to rely on developers to solve the problem rather than making changes to zoning laws and seeking other innovative solutions.

Garcia is the clear choice for Burien City Council, Position 1.

Mayor Jimmy Matta is running for re-election to Burien City Council, Position 3. Matta is the founder of Ahora Construction and serves on the Burien Airport Committee, Soundside Alliance Policy Committee, and Latino Civic Alliance Board. He was first elected in 2018 and has a deep understanding of the struggles that working families face. His family immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala, and by the time he was a teenager, Matta had dropped out of high school to support his family. He later started his construction business and went on to become a representative for the Carpenters Union for over 20 years.

As mayor, Matta worked during the early years of the Trump administration to pass a resolution making sure immigrant communities know they are welcome in Burien. Recently, Matta joined a majority of the council voting in favor of expanding affordable housing in downtown Burien. The new building will include units set aside for Burien residents and veterans.

Matta is facing a challenge from Mark Dorsey. Dorsey is running on a divisive and conservative platform that scapegoats homeless residents. He opposes the downtown affordable housing project and uses a campaign slogan of "Burien first," which echos the worst of our recent political leadership.

Matta is the clear choice for Burien City Council, Position 3.

Deputy Mayor Krystal Marx is running for re-election to Burien City Council, Position 7. She is currently the executive director of Seattle Pride and previously worked for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Washington.

First elected in 2017, Marx has been a consistent progressive voice on the council. She takes a housing-first approach to homelessness, which prioritizes getting people in crisis into stable housing, and has worked to pass a range of tenant protections to keep people in their homes. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marx voted in favor of $5 per hour hazard pay for front-line workers like grocery store employees. Recently, she joined her colleagues supporting an expansion of affordable housing in downtown Burien that includes units designated for Burien residents and veterans.

Marx faces sales associate Stephanie Mora. Her platform is conservative and she blames outsiders and nearby cities for local problems rather than offering solutions for Burien. Mora is also running to repeal the local ordinance allowing critical social services to be built in the city, leaving residents in need to fend for themselves.

Marx is the best choice in the race for Burien City Council, Position 7.

Educator and legal advocate Bárbara del Mar Robles is running for Ellensburg City Council, Position 3. Robles is the director of Teacher Academies at Central Washington University and previously served as a board member for Central Washington Justice for Our Neighbors, which provides legal services for low-income immigrants. She is also involved with the Domestic Violence Services Spanish-speaking support group.

If elected, Robles wants to focus on public health, economic development, and local diversity, equity, and inclusion work. As rural areas of Washington begin their COVID-19 recovery, she wants to ensure elected leaders prioritize keeping people safe. Her vision for economic growth includes supporting Ellensburg small businesses, investing in local job creation, and prioritizing modern skill-building. Robles wants to ensure that municipal government and the policies it creates treats all of Ellensburg’s diverse residents inclusively and equitably.

Robles is facing Adam Winn in this race. He's a Marine veteran running to improve tourism, invest in infrastructure, and focus on Ellensburg’s businesses. He lacks community or elected experience as well as progressive local support.

Robles is the best choice for Ellensburg City Council, Position 3 because of her background in advocacy and community leadership.

Clifford Cawthon is an activist, educator, and freelance journalist who has advocated for years for progressive causes. He works as an adjunct professor at Bellevue College and as the pro-housing coalition strategy manager at the Sightline Institute. In line with his history as a social justice advocate, Cawthon has organized and led campaigns for low-wage workers and for funding the Kent-Des Moines light rail station. He has also served on the Renters Commission in Seattle.

Cawthon wants to bring his years of experience to city hall to improve life for everyone in Kent. He wants to start by strengthening renter protections and expanding low-income and "missing middle" housing options. He also wants to provide more security for residents by expanding the city's food banks and creating year-round farmers markets. Cawthon believes the city could do more to develop its infrastructure and would advocate for public broadband and transit centers in each neighborhood. He rounds out his progressive vision for the city by promising that residents, especially those from communities of color who are often left out of planning decisions, will be able to provide more input in city issues, including the creation of a civilian oversight committee for law enforcement.

Cawthon is challenging incumbent Toni Troutner, who also serves as chair of the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority Governance board. Troutner was also elected council president in 2019.

One of the biggest differences between the candidates is in the handling of the budget and law enforcement. Troutner supported the 2018 proposal to increase utility taxes to hire more police officers, which voters solidly rejected. In addition, she was satisfied with this year's budgeting process, which devoted 60 percent of the city budget to law enforcement. Cawthon, on the other hand, believes that the city needs to invest more in community needs rather than reactive and punitive policing. Cawthon wants to fund more mental health and behavioral specialists to help address mental crises and domestic violence incidents, while Troutner falsely stated that crime happens because there isn't enough prosecution.

We recommend Cawthon for a progressive vision for Kent.

Incumbent Brenda Fincher is running for re-election to Kent City Council, Position 6 to continue her work on economic recovery and affordable housing. Fincher has served on the council since 2014, and in that time has voted to approve funds for youth mental health and supported community discussion on providing a mental health co-response model to law enforcement. She states that if re-elected, she will build on current renter protections, advocate for businesses owned by people of color, and work to ensure that housing stays affordable for working families.

She is running against Larry Hussey. Hussey does not have a campaign website available, but his candidate announcement states that the city needs more motels and that he is anti-marijuana.

Fincher is by far the best choice in this race.

Sammamish City Council Position 3 candidate Nazir Harb Michel is a qualitative researcher at a tech company that enables immigrants to send remittances to their families. Michel is a Lebanese- and Mexican-American Muslim and earned a doctorate degree in Arabic Linguistics, which he has used to be a community advocate to oppose Islamophobia. Additionally, Michel volunteers as a representative for King County Democrats and is a board member of Washington’s Truman Scholars Association.

Michel’s platform is focused on celebrating diversity, improving the city's walkability, adhering to environmentally sustainable codes, service-oriented budget decisions, and equitable access to resources like internet and laptops until COVID restrictions lift. He wants to bring the entire community together to make Sammamish a better place for everyone to live, and to do this he believes in the principles of open dialogue and community engagement. 

Incumbent mayor Karen Moran is also in this race to retain the seat she was elected to in 2017. Before joining the council, Moran served as the commissioner and board president of Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District. She is running a reactionary campaign against smart growth and lacks a platform outside of the issue.

Nazir Harb Michel is the best choice for Position 3 and will bring progressive leadership to the Sammamish City Council.

Jake Simpson is an organizer and cook who is running for SeaTac City Council, Position 2. He is running to make SeaTac a city that welcomes everyone and serves all people equally. Simpson is dedicated to working with employers to find outcomes that benefit both workers and businesses.

Simpson is running against incumbent Stan Tombs. Tombs is conservative and re-joined the council in June 2020 after Councilmember Amina Ahmed passed away. He previously served as vice-chair of the SeaTac Planning Commission. Tombs said upon rejoining that he would be a placeholder until the next election but is now running for re-election.

Tombs claims he has a commitment to affordable housing and robust community services, but his actions are divisive and he votes with the more conservative bloc of the council against funding these services. He voted in December 2020 to eliminate funding from immigrant and refugee services. He also voted to not fund children and family services, medical equipment and guardianship for adults with developmental disabilities, or YMCA programming, all while boasting of doubling the number of police. None of these actions speak to the compassionate service for all that Tombs advertises. 

Simpson will bring needed progressive change to the SeaTac City Council. We recommend Simpson for SeaTac for City Council, Position 2.

Mohamed Egal is a job developer with the state's Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) who is running for SeaTac City Council, Position 4. Egal immigrated to the United States decades ago and has lived in SeaTac for more than 10 years. He served as a job developer at Hopelink before transitioning into similar work with the Somali community at Career Path Services (which operates within the DSHS). Egal's campaign is focused on helping his community overcome the many challenges exposed by COVID-19. He wants to expand affordable, multi-family housing, bring in more jobs that pay strong wages, and improve human services.

Egal is running against incumbent Councilmember Clyde "Fuzz" Hill, who works as a manager at T-Mobile. Hill is not progressive and has not released a detailed campaign platform. His statement in the King County Voters Guide does not reflect the need for reforms in public safety that the community is asking for.

Egal is the best choice for SeaTac City Council, Position 4.

Iris Guzmán is a social worker with Highline Public Schools who is running for SeaTac City Council, Position 6. She has lived in SeaTac for nearly 15 years and has a master's in social work. Guzmán wants to bridge the gaps between housing, food, and other basic needs for communities in SeaTac, and she understands the experience of working families firsthand.

Guzmán is challenging incumbent Councilmember Pam Fernald. Fernald is a block watch captain who participated in the CItizen's Police Academy. She is conservative and, as of mid-October, her campaign website has not been updated since 2013.

Guzmán is the clear choice for SeaTac City Council, Position 6.

Teresa Mosqueda is running for re-election to Seattle City Council, Position 8. Previously, Mosqueda worked at the Washington State Labor Council as a political campaigns director and served on the board of Fuse Washington.

Mosqueda was first elected in 2017 and has distinguished herself as a progressive leader on the Seattle City Council. She sponsored the Jumpstart Seattle legislation that will fund affordable housing through a tax on high earners at large corporations. In addition, Mosqueda supported efforts to expand paid sick leave and establish minimum wages for gig and other workers who have often been left behind in our economy. Her campaign priorities include addressing our housing crisis with greater urgency, including re-zoning housing across Seattle, as well as providing assistance to renters and investing in health citywide.

Mosqueda is running against Kenneth Wilson, the manager of an engineering company. Wilson's platform is not progressive and does not reflect the community's priorities. His voter's guide statement includes comments about public safety and policing that indicate he would not support reinvestment in community safety alternatives. He is also dismissive of evidence-based solutions for our affordable housing crisis.

Mosqueda is a strong progressive and the clear choice for Seattle City Council, Position 8.

Lawyer and community activist Nikkita Oliver is running for Seattle City Council, Position 9. Oliver, who uses they/them pronouns, works with numerous local groups including Urban Impact, the Urban Youth Leadership Academy, and the Union Gospel Mission’s Youth Reach Out Center. Oliver is an exceptionally progressive advocate who is incredibly dedicated to creating systemic change focused on the needs of communities of color and low-income Seattleites. They also serve as executive director of Creative Justice and is a member of coalitions like Decriminalize Seattle, Free Them All WA, and No New Youth Jail.

Their forward-looking platform is centered around economic, social, racial, and environmental justice. Oliver's top priorities include expanding affordable housing, redirecting some police funding to make investments in communities, and bringing a Green New Deal to Seattle. If elected, Oliver would pursue policies to give everyone the opportunity to thrive, including preparing for extreme weather driven by climate change season that disproportionately impacts Black, brown, and Indigenous communities, and providing municipal broadband for all.

Oliver is running against Sara Nelson, who co-founded and owns Fremont Brewing. She wants to bring her experience as a small business owner to the council and refocus the city on delivering basic services. Nelson does not support increasing investments in homelessness services and affordable housing, despite clear evidence from outside studies that the city's funding has been inadequate. She also opposes redirecting funds from the police department into community-based alternatives for public safety.

The Seattle City Council has a track record of crafting innovative solutions to some of the most important issues facing our community. From groundbreaking minimum wage and sick leave requirements to empowering workers with predictable schedules and hazard pay to pushing for bold action on climate and making the wealthy pay their share, the city council has worked to build a stronger and more inclusive city.

As we tackle big challenges with homelessness, police violence, climate change, and pandemic recovery, it's not the time to elect a cautious, business-oriented candidate who doesn't appear to be a catalyst for progressive change. Oliver is the clear choice in this race for Seattle City Council, Position 9.

Naghmana Sherazi is running for Spokane City Council, District 1, Position 2. Since immigrating from Pakistan, Sherazi has become very active in the local community. She is a member of the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, Refugee Connections of Spokane, and Greater Spokane Progress.

Sherazi is running to increase representation and investment in Northeast Spokane and to push for stronger police reform. She wants to empower the city's Ombudsman's Office to hold police officers accountable and improve safety for all residents. In addition, she would like to shift some 911 responses to mental health crisis responders instead of armed police officers. Sherazi supports extending the eviction moratorium and increasing affordable housing options in Spokane. 

Sherazi is facing Jonathan Bingle, a small business owner running on a conservative platform. Conservative developers and realtors are spending record amounts to elect him and he is endorsed by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and other local Republicans. His campaign priorities are focused on helping businesses and supporting the police, instead of looking at investing in community services that would be more effective and keep our community safer.

Sherazi would be a strong addition to the city council and is the best choice for Spokane City Council, District 1, Position 2.

Armen Papyan is a board member of several community organizations, including the Tukwila Children's Foundation, Friends of the Tukwila Library and the Tukwila Public Safety Bond. Papyan is also the former student government president at UW Tacoma.

After experiencing homelessness in his first year of school, he went on to help build a program to secure affordable housing for other homeless and housing-insecure students at UW Tacoma. Part of his campaign is now centered on bridging the gap between his experience and city government. If elected, he pledges to help bring homeownership within reach of residents and expand bus service and sidewalks. He would also promote community policing and address residents' noise and air pollution concerns.

Mohamed Abdi is a graduating student of the University of Washington who is running to build a more equitable Tukwila. Abdi says his close ties to the community were strengthened during his filming of a documentary about last year's protests for racial justice and the enduring struggle for equality.

Abdi wants to build off that momentum by working to bring more affordable housing options to Tukwila. He also believes that public safety should be centered on community wellbeing rather than criminalization and punitive measures, and he wants to see more accountability for law enforcement as well as more limited use of force. His campaign, which promises to work with everyone regardless of race or socioeconomic background, has been supported by local Democratic groups as well as progressive organizations.

As of September 20, Mohamed's opponent James Kerner does not have a campaign website available. However, his official voter's guide statement says that he is a stay-at-home dad, and includes a hodgepodge of backward conservative talking points, including removing masking in schools and pushing to cut voter-approved local school funding.

Tukwila needs leaders who are motivated to uplift and work with community members rather than divide it. We recommend Mohamed Abdi to bring inclusive, progressive leadership to Position 5 on the Tukwila City Council.

Incumbent De'Sean Quinn is a capital program manager at King County Metro. He volunteers in several capacities, including on the board of conservation organizations Forterra and as a member of the Strong Communities Fund.

Quinn has led the community on one of those most pressing issues of the last year - police accountability. Quinn serves on the state's Criminal Justice Commission and has made a point of speaking out about the murder of George Floyd and the need to make systematic changes to law enforcement. Over the past five years, use-of-force by the Tukwila Police Department has dropped by nearly 80 percent as de-escalation training increased, and specifically in Tukwila, community representatives review every use of force.

If re-elected, Quinn wants to continue the progress and create an opportunity fund to build resident coalitions to address safety and infrastructure needs. In addition, he supports rent and landlord assistance for those struggling in the pandemic, improving broadband access, diversifying transportation infrastructure, and continuing to support small businesses.

Opposing Quinn is Jay Stark, who is running as an independent. He volunteers for the Tukwila Community Oriented Policing Citizen’s Advisory Board and was the third-place finisher in last year's three-person race for Position 1 in Legislative District 11. As of late September, Stark has not added any specific policy priorities to his website, but his official voter's guide statement for 2020 says that he is concerned with bureaucracy and regulations on businesses.

Quinn has served the community well and has earned your vote for Tukwila City Council, Position 7.

Diana Perez is the founder of the local League of United Latin American Citizens. Perez has been highly active and awarded in the community for her civil rights and policy work. She was appointed by Gov. Inslee as a commissioner for Washington State Parks and Recreation and serves as a board member of the Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program, which provides law clinics for underserved communities.

Perez's campaign is focused on improving life for all residents of Vancouver. She wants to incentivize mixed-income communities that have access to public transportation, and create bold solutions for affordable housing that bring the unsheltered community, service providers, and developers to the table. She believes that investing in communities of color can strengthen the entire city, and she would focus on removing discriminatory language in housing deeds, center living wage jobs, and look to help small businesses recover post-pandemic.

She is running against David Gellatly. He is the former chair of the Clark County Republican Party and is now a member of the party's executive board. He states that his top priorities would be homelessness and supporting businesses in the city. Gellatly was cited last year as one of the organizers of pro-Trump rallies in Vancouver during protests and after the shooting of Kevin E. Peterson, Jr. As the head of a conservative activist group, Gellatly is likely to continue to push regressive policies on the council on social and racial justice, environmental reform, and more.

Perez has worked tirelessly both professionally and on a volunteer basis to bring community-oriented solutions to Vancouver. She deserves your vote for Vancouver City Council, Position 3.

Danny Herrera is a public school teacher who is running to utilize his experience in education and racial justice on the city council. He has served in the community in several roles, including as a member of NAACP Yakima Branch, as a youth room tutor at YMCA Downtown, and as co-founder of the College Success Foundation Yakima Alumni Board. Herrera was lauded by our endorsing partners as a committed educator who has clear knowledge about the importance of reforming the state tax code so that everyone benefits, not just the wealthy. He is ready to join the council as an advocate for community investment in safer infrastructure, youth programming, and equitable economic growth.

Herrera is running against Edgar Hernandez, who does not currently have a website as of mid-October. Some of the goals listed in his candidate literature include addressing the drug crisis and homelessness, though he does not expand on what policies he might put in place. However, Hernandez is endorsed by a right-wing organization whose priorities include removing historical discussions about race and history from schools and perpetuating fraudulent claims about rigged 2020 elections.

For his dedication to improving the lives of youths and his support from our Progressive Voters Guide partners, we recommend Danny Herrera in this race.

Jane Aras is running for the Bellevue School District Board of Directors in District 5. She has experience teaching special education and has spent the past 19 years volunteering in Bellevue schools. She is active in the PTSA, created a math and reading club for students, and introduced before-school computer programming for 4th- and 5th-grade students.

Aras understands the toll COVID-19 has taken on students and staff. She wants to prioritize bringing students back with proper support while addressing pre-pandemic issues including closing academic gaps and encouraging everyone to consider a variety of options after graduating. Aras’ campaign also focuses on equitable access to high-quality education for all, giving every student the tools they need to thrive.

Aras is facing Gregg Smith. He owns a broadband business and has been a Parent Student Teacher Association vice president. Smith has two children who he pulled out of Bellevue public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and enrolled in private schools to receive in-person education.

Smith has been active with a small group of conservative Bellevue parents who has been spreading divisive conspiracy theories about Bellevue schools. Classrooms should be a place where kids develop their understanding of the world, but some politicians like Smith are trying to make our kids’ classrooms into political battlegrounds. Part of Smith's campaign strategy is scaring parents by spreading lies about the lessons being taught instead of supporting a historically accurate education. Like Faye Yang, Smith has also been a vocal opponent of the district's efforts to promote racial equity and reduce the opportunity gap for students of color.

Smith's track record indicates he would be a divisive and inflammatory voice who would unnecessarily politicize the school board. Aras’ experience, strong platform, and endorsements make her the clear choice for Bellevue School District Board of Directors in District 5.

Vivian Song Maritz is running for Seattle School Board in District 4. Maritz is a small business owner, PTSA president, member of the Superintendent’s Parent Advisory Council, and mother of three students in Seattle Public Schools. As the daughter of immigrants and as an Asian American with a hearing disability, Maritz emphasizes the significant impact public schools had on her own life and the work ahead to make them more inclusive for all.

Maritz is running to bring her 15 years of private sector experience in finance and operations to the school board. If elected, she would focus on delivering mental health support as an essential service for students, achieving progress on inclusion in the classroom and school system broadly, securing efficient and accessible transportation for students, and expanding the services and quality of education for disabled students. She would also like to reduce the focus on standardized testing and continue, but reform, the option school program, which allows students to apply to attend schools outside their neighborhood. She is also committed to applying anti-racist principles to governance and school policies.

In the primary, Maritz has faced some criticism regarding both her involvement in a Facebook group that pushed to reopen schools early and her recent move into District 4. After extensive research, we did not find either criticism to be compelling. During our interview, Maritz stated that she supported the Seattle Education Association's three priorities at the time and she advocated for vaccinating teachers earlier to re-open schools safely. As for her move, Maritz was candid about relocating to District 4 to run for office, clarifying that her children already attend an option school alongside many students from District 4 and her family had already been spending a lot of time in the area. This was not a concern for us given her previous connection to the district and the short move from Capitol Hill.

Maritz is running against Laura Marie Rivera, an educator, active union member, and board member for the Coe Elementary PTA. Rivera also serves as the local chair of the National PTA’s Reflections Art Competition and on the board of Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks. She is running to bring transparency, opportunity, and equity to the school system.

Maritz is the best choice to represent District 4. She will bring important financial management expertise and increased representation to the Seattle School Board.

Michelle Sarju is running for Seattle School Board in District 5. Sarju is a former midwife, social worker, and PTA member who currently works with King County Public Health.

Sarju wants to make sure that all children in the Seattle Public School system have a chance at a quality education. Her campaign platform includes closing the racial gap in student opportunity, valuing alternative evidence-based metrics for success above standardized tests, providing social and emotional support for students, and investing in an anti-racist curriculum. She believes that in order to care for students during in-person learning, schools must provide more mental health support. Sarju is committed to not simply going back to normal post-COVID, but instead addressing root causes to make our school system stronger and more equitable than ever.

Sarju is running against Dan Harder, a Boeing engineer who is running on a reactionary, Trump-style agenda focused on pushing out honest and age-appropriate curriculum that teaches students about our history. Harder would use this excuse to explicitly walk back progress made in diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Seattle Public School system. He lacks a vision for the role beyond Trump politics and has no community or elected experience.

We recommend Michelle Sarju for Seattle School Board in District 5 because of her clear, progressive vision and the broad support she has earned from our partners and local leaders.

Incumbent Sandra Zavala-Ortega is running to retain Position 2 on the Vancouver School Board. She is a small business owner and was a family resource coordinator with Vancouver Public Schools for five years. Zavala-Ortega was appointed to this seat in April of this year.

Zavala-Ortega started as a kindergartener in Vancouver Public Schools speaking no English. She is proud of the fact that she was a proficient speaker when she graduated and she wants to provide that same opportunity for all students. Zavala-Ortega also wants to use her experience as a business owner to implement responsible budgets for the district. Her campaign is emphasizing academic achievements and rebuilding trust in the community.

Also in this race is Michelle Belkot. Belkot is a veteran who works in construction and engineering contracts. Her platform mentions careful management of the district's finances but lacks the level of detail of Zavala-Ortega's platform.

Zavala-Ortega's experience and focus on the needs of students make her the best choice in the race for Vancouver School Board, Position 2.

Incumbent director Graciela Villanueva is running for re-election to Yakima School Board, Position 1. Villanueva works in human resources for the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic and has been in her current school board position since 2014.

Villanueva has an actionable vision for the school district that includes improving learning goals and equitable outcomes. She is running to continue building upon past successes in her board tenure such as lowering the district’s dropout rate and adding more supportive student services. If re-elected, she will continue bringing experienced, community-driven leadership to the school district. Villanueva wants to continue fostering student success, invest in early childhood education, utilize data to make Yakima schools more equitable, and strengthen accountability between the school board and the district it serves.

Challenging Villanueva is Kenton Gartrell, a small business owner, Republican precinct committee officer, and anti-mask protester. Gartrell is a member of Citizen Courage, a right-wing, Christian political group in the area made up of “dual citizens, with one foot planted firmly in heaven and the other here on earth” that wants to stack the school board and other local government with very conservative candidates. He and his fellow candidates in the Trump-style “Save Yakima” slate do not represent the values or needs of the community.

Graciela Villanueva is the obvious choice in this race for Yakima School Board, Director Position 1.