7. Attachment
Exhibit A
5/24/22, 8:20 AM Mail - Commission-Public-Records - Outlook [EXTERNAL] public comment for 5-24-2022 Elizabeth BurtonMon 5/23/2022 11:20 PM To: Commission-Public-Records WARNING: External email. Links or a achments may be unsafe. Hello, I am submitting the following public comment for the Port Commission meeting on 5/24/2022. Thank you, Elizabeth Burton Port staff and the Executive Director have recently promoted the idea that cruising is safe, that Covid is no longer an issue. For example, at the March 22nd Port Commission meeting, the memo for Item 11C, Cruise Season Update, stated: “Cruise vessels have sailed safely for some time not only in Seattle in 2021 but throughout the world." And in his opening remarks at the May 10th Cruise Study Session, the Port’s Executive Director said: “We demonstrate that we can protect the health and safety of passengers and crew, with strong COVID protocols and partnerships with local health authorities. Early on, we embraced the vision and goal that cruise would return stronger and safer, and that has been the case.” But this story of safe cruising is false. It is directly contradicted by numerous, easily accessible sources, including the CDC, the Miami Herald, the Associated Press, and the Seattle Times. During the months preceding the March 22nd Commission meeting, for example, the Miami Herald, the Maritime Executive, and cruise expert and maritime attorney Jim Walker of Cruise Law News all published accounts of Caribbean cruises with numerous Covid cases on board; of multiple ships denied entry at Caribbean ports due to onboard illness; and of thousands of infected crew members housed at sea on “plague ships" with inadequate medical care (references below). And on May 4th, just days before the Director’s “safe cruising” comment at the Cruise Study Session, an Associated Press article ran nationwide, including in the Seattle Times, describing how Covid was wreaking havoc on the Carnival Spirit as it arrived in Seattle. A related article in the Seattle Times, also published May 4th, revealed that the Carnival Spirit was not unique: the majority of cruise ships in the United States had Covid cases, and ship protocols to care for affected passengers were wholly inadequate. From the Seattle Times article: https://outlook.office365.com/mail/commission-public-records@portseattle.org/inbox/id/AAQkAGE1YmYzYTk0LWE2N2YtNGZmYi05YjgxLTE5MDVjO… 1/4 5/24/22, 8:20 AM Mail - Commission-Public-Records - Outlook Of the 92 cruise ships operating in U.S. waters, 76 have reported at least one COVID case among passengers or crew members, according to the CDC’s cruises dashboard. Carnival has 22 cruises operating; all but four have positive cases. …some passengers on the 16-day voyage said there were more than 100 cases aboard and that the outbreak “overwhelmed” the crew, according to media and social media accounts. “They didn’t have enough staff to handle the emergency that was happening, period,” passenger Darren Sieferston told KING 5. “They were overwhelmed and they didn’t have a backup course in how to handle about 200 people affected with COVID. We all suffered.” From the AP article: Passengers tell KING 5 they waited hours for meals, weren’t properly isolated and couldn’t get a hold of medical staff. “We couldn’t call anybody…Basically, we sat in the room, you call and it would ring, ring, ring, and ring all day long” said Sieferston. All of these facts were publicly available before the Port statements about safe cruises were made on March 22 and May 10. Are false statements like those cited above, particularly on important matters of public health, just “business as usual” for the Port? Are Port announcements not fact checked? Are the staff and the executive director getting their information solely from cruise companies? Who is responsible for making sure Port statements made in public are true? Cruise passengers and crew, whether sick or well, are all impacted by Covid cases onboard, and are not served by the Port covering up the situation. Potential cruise customers, trying to assess the risks of taking a cruise, are misled into believing that the risks are lower than they actually are. Residents of every port city these ships visit need to know that they are at risk, so they can take appropriate precautions. In fact, cruise ship stops in Alaska - Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Hoonah, and Sitka - currently have some of the highest Covid rates in the whole state. False statements like these undermine the credibility of the Port, and are at odds with its repeated claims of being transparent and accountable. Commissioners can’t do their jobs responsibly if the information they get from staff exaggerates the safety and benefits of cruise while obscuring or ignoring its dangers and harms. The Port has a special relationship to the media: reporters turn to the Port for information about cruise, and generally publish what the Port tells them. The Port abuses this privileged position by promulgating falsehoods. This situation requires action. As the primary representatives of the public interest at the Port, commissioners have the responsibility of assuring that staff prioritize truth and the interests of the public rather than the interests of cruise companies. This is a serious matter. I would appreciate a response. https://outlook.office365.com/mail/commission-public-records@portseattle.org/inbox/id/AAQkAGE1YmYzYTk0LWE2N2YtNGZmYi05YjgxLTE5MDVjO… 2/4 5/24/22, 8:20 AM Mail - Commission-Public-Records - Outlook Sincerely, Elizabeth Burton References: CDC Dashboard for cruises (as of May 22nd, shows that of the 90 ships opting in to voluntary CDC COVID-19 program, 80 are code orange, meaning that there are enough cases of COVID to trigger a CDC investigation) AP article carried nationwide on May 4th, 2022: Carnival Cruise Ship passengers say COVID overwhelmed ship Seattle cruise industry’s comeback from COVID marred by outbreak, Seattle Times, May 4, 2022 Cruise ships stops in Alaska have high Covid rates: Alaska Department of Health & Social Services COVID dashboard; scroll down to see current 7-Day average. Here’s the dashboard for May 18th: Articles detailing Covid outbreaks on Caribbean cruises: From maritime attorney Jim Walker’s blog, cruiselawnews.com: Jan. 4, 2022: Vision of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas: Royal Caribbean’s “Plague Ships” https://outlook.office365.com/mail/commission-public-records@portseattle.org/inbox/id/AAQkAGE1YmYzYTk0LWE2N2YtNGZmYi05YjgxLTE5MDVjO… 3/4 5/24/22, 8:20 AM Mail - Commission-Public-Records - Outlook Jan. 9, 2022: MSC Meraviglia Arrives Back in Port Canaveral With 169 Crew Members and Sixty Guests Infected with COVID-19 Jan. 10, 2022: Royal Caribbean Adds Jewel of the Seas to its Fleet of “Plague Ships" Jan. 11, 2022: Royal Caribbean Adds Fourth Cruise Ship, Serenade of the Seas, to its Fleet of Floating Quarantine / Medical Facilities Jan. 14, 2022: Majority of Royal Caribbean Crew Stuck on “Plague Ships” are Symptomatic Feb. 11, 2022: Over 30% of Crew Members on Silversea’s Silver Cloud Test Positive for COVID-19 Reports from the Miami Herald: Jan. 6, 2022: Third Royal Caribbean cruise ship hit with COVID-19 outbreak Jan. 6, 2022: Norwegian Pearl returns early to Miami as crew members test positive for COVID-19 Jan. 25, 2022: What can occur when COVID-19 turns cruise vacations into nightmarish voyages? Cruise Ships Turned Away due to Covid Dec. 23, 2021, The Maritime Executive: Caribbean Ports Turning Away Cruise Ships Over Omicron Fears Jan. 7, 2022, Caribbean National Weekly: Cruise Ships Turned Away from Grenada Over COVID-19 Concerns Feb. 3, 2022: Cute video: Cruising with Don: Multiple Ships Turned Away From Port More recent reports: Mar. 28, 2022, L.A. Times: Guests and crew members test positive for COVID-19 aboard Princess Cruise ship March 31, 2022, Wall Street Journal: Cruise Lines Won't Catch a Wave, "Roughly two- thirds of cruise ships sailing in U.S. waters right now have reported Covid-19 cases on board, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention." April 4, 2022, Cruiselawnews: “Lots of Covid-19" on Recent Princess Cruise Sailings https://outlook.office365.com/mail/commission-public-records@portseattle.org/inbox/id/AAQkAGE1YmYzYTk0LWE2N2YtNGZmYi05YjgxLTE5MDVjO… 4/4 5/24/22, 8:12 AM Mail - Commission-Public-Records - Outlook [EXTERNAL] Thank you Kaelyn M Camarao Mon 5/23/2022 12:45 PM To: Commission-Public-Records Cc: Como, Vangjola WARNING: External email. Links or a achments may be unsafe. D ear Port of Sea le Commissioners, M y name is Kaelyn Camarao, Trainer Supervisor at ERMC. We have many new hires employees t hat English is their second languages, it's great that we can send these employees to seek help fr om Airport Jobs / Airport University to get the help they need to successfully pass the Port of S ea le Badge AOA / SIDA test. Without Airport Jobs staffs many of our new hires would not be able to work at Sea le Tacoma Interna onal Airport. T hank you for all your support. Kaelyn Camarao Trainer Supervisor SEA-DL Phone (206) 507-4481 Office (206) 212-4444 Address 19540 Intl Blvd Suite 201 SeaTac, WA 98188 Email kaelyn.camarao@unifiservice.com https://outlook.office365.com/mail/commission-public-records@portseattle.org/inbox/id/AAQkAGE1YmYzYTk0LWE2N2YtNGZmYi05YjgxLTE5MDVjO… 1/1 5/24/22, 8:13 AM Mail - Commission-Public-Records - Outlook [EXTERNAL] PUBLIC COMMENT for May 24, 2022 Mark Leslie: VIP Mon 5/23/2022 2:53 PM To: Commission-Public-Records WARNING: External email. Links or a achments may be unsafe. This comment is in regards to Agenda item 11a, the Workforce Development Annual Report. As a major representa ve of VIP Hospitality regarding workforce recruitment, selec on, and development, it is a pleasure to leave comment on the posi ve contribu ons of The Airport Jobs program toward our company’s success. Whether to broadcast open hiring/recruitment events through Airport Jobs communica on networks, to use Airport University classrooms for new hire orienta on, or to partner with the Program Manager, Cris Krisologo, in exploring placement of those seeking work opportuni es or for the benefit of outgoing employees, the ease at which we have been able to work with and collaborate with the Airport Jobs team has been an oasis of reliability and dependability in the increasingly turbulent waters of staffing here at the airport. The team at Airport Jobs has also been ac vely facilita ng the job seeking process by bringing together employers with those now seeking refuge here in the Puget Sound area by partnering with local organiza ons. Through this, we here at VIP and other employers have found numerous qualified team members and look forward to the fruit of future connec ons. We would like to thank the Port of Sea le and Commission for their con nued support of these services and investments into the airport community. Kind regards, Mark Leslie HR Manager, VIP Hospitality Sent from Mail for Windows https://outlook.office365.com/mail/commission-public-records@portseattle.org/inbox/id/AAQkAGE1YmYzYTk0LWE2N2YtNGZmYi05YjgxLTE5MDVjO… 1/1 5/24/22, 8:34 AM Mail - Commission-Public-Records - Outlook [EXTERNAL] Request to comment at today's meeting and letter submitted to today's meeting Noemie Maxwell Tue 5/24/2022 8:22 AM To: Commission-Public-Records WARNING: External email. Links or a achments may be unsafe. Hello, My name is Noemie Maxwell Vassilakis and I would like to speak at today's meeting on the subject of saving North SeaTac Park and surrounding forest to protect the health of residents near SeaTac International Airport. I've also attached a letter with citations to documents reference in my comments and request for this letter to be provided to Commissioners and included in the meeting materials. Thank you! Noemie Maxwell Vassilakis https://outlook.office365.com/mail/commission-public-records@portseattle.org/inbox/id/AAQkAGE1YmYzYTk0LWE2N2YtNGZmYi05YjgxLTE5MDVjO… 1/1 Noemie Maxwell Vassilakis Noemie_maxwell@yahoo.com Burien, WA 98168 Port of Seattle Commissioners Seattle, WA 98121 May 24, 2022 Re: Calling on Commissioners to take timely action to protect residents living near SeaTac International Airport from airport pollution and other harm by protecting North SeaTac Park and the community’s surrounding urban forest Dear Commission President Calkins and Commissioners Cho, Felleman, Hasegawa, and Mohamed, Proposals in the Port’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan and Real Estate Strategic Plan to develop an estimated 100+ acres of mostly tree-covered land in SeaTac, including 31 acres inside North SeaTac Park, are unjust. (1) They would take us in the opposite direction of a recent recommendation by Public Health Seattle and King County to expand tree canopy and green space within 10 miles of SeaTac Airport in order to reduce human exposure to deadly airport pollution. (2) Massive deforestation is especially unjust in SeaTac, a city where one of the most racially and economically diverse communities in the county bears among the highest impacts from environmental health disparities (3) and has among the lowest percentage of tree canopy. (4) This deforestation is not necessary. In a 2018 letter, Shane Jones of Alaska Airlines wrote to Steve Rybolt, of the Port of Seattle that the SAMP Near Term Projects posed “a substantial risk of overbuilding” and should receive a higher level of environmental review than the currently planned Environmental Assessment. (5) Please heed this input. The Near Term proposals, which include the deforestation in SeaTac, require a full, transparent, and publicly accountable examination of whether they are even necessary in light of the climate, ecological, and environmental justice problems we grapple with today. The Port’s commitment as a member of King County Cities Climate Collaboration, to reduce sprawl and protect forests cannot be honored otherwise. Nor can its commitments to social and environmental justice, meaningful collaboration with the community it impacts, or action on climate change. It is up to you as our elected Commissioners to guide Port development staff in upholding justice and public health. The environmental process currently underway will likely not provide adequate protection for people or justice. A 2020 review published in Transport Research found that, nationwide, during the environmental assessment process for airport expansion, the FAA and airport owners did not consistently detect environmental justice impacts and, when they did, they did not consistently confer importance to those impacts. (6) It is up to you, Commissioners, to save our iconic evergreen forest here in the gateway to our Evergreen State, to uphold the honor of the Port, and to protect the community members in your care from unjust and unnecessary exposure to airport toxics and devastating loss of its park land and trees. History is in the making and we can right now choose to advance justice. Sincerely, Noemie Maxwell Vassilakis Sources cited: 1. What Trees are at Risk? Defenders of North SeaTac Park website https://KCTreeEquity.org/trees 2. Community Health and Airport Operations Related Noise and Air Pollution: Report to the Legislature by Seattle-King County Department of Health in Response to Washington State HOUSE BILL 1109, December 1, 2020 3. Washington State Department of Health Environmental Health Disparities Map https://doh.wa.gov/data-statistical-reports/washington-tracking-network-wtn/washingtonenvironmental-health-disparities-mapKing County 30-Year Forest Plan, Feb., 2021, p 17. https://your.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/library/water-and-land/forestry/30-year-forest-plan/30-year-forestplan-03-2021.pdf 4. Letter from Shane Jones, Alaska Airlines to Steve Rybolt, Port of Seattle, 9/27/2018, published in the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Near Term Projects Scoping Report Final Attachment 4G. p. 123-128 https://sampntpenvironmentalreview.org/wp- content/uploads/SAMP_NTP_EnvrReview_ScopingReport_FINAL_Attachment4g-1.pdf 5. Investigation of env ironmental justice analysis in airport planning practice from 2000 to 2010, Amber Woodburn McNair, Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, V 81, April 2020 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1361920919311149 Public Comments for Agenda item 11.a 2021 Workforce Development Annual Report – May 24, 2022 Greetings, Port of Seattle Commissioners! My name is Mary Turla, and I am an instructor at Highline College. I am writing to support the vital work of Port Jobs’ Airport University and Airport Jobs programs. (Agenda item 11.a 2021 Workforce Development Annual Report.) At Highline College, I teach Business Technology (BSTEC) and BSTEC support classes for English Language/Basic Skills learners. I also teach those same Business Technology classes onsite at Sea-Tac airport through the Airport University program. Many of my students are immigrants and refugees working to support their families. It has been a privilege and honor to teach and support learners through Airport University for the past 10+ years. My family and I immigrated to Seattle from the Philippines decades ago. This shared experience allows me to deeply appreciate the value Airport University brings to our community. Airport University offers job seekers and workers the opportunity to earn college credit and learn the skills needed to get their first job, sustain a current job, or advance to a next-step job. This program is a model partnership that accommodates the needs of a diverse, low-income, job seeking, and working student population. Our class topics include high-demand, transferable business skills, including business software like Microsoft Office Word/Excel/PowerPoint, and communication/virtual communication skills. One of my earliest experiences of the positive impact of Airport Jobs/Airport University was in 2005. I worked as a vocational English Language instructor at Neighborhood House. I taught workplace English to immigrants and refugees. I remember organizing field trips to Airport University interview preparation workshops held onsite at the Airport Jobs office. These workshops focused on helping applicants successfully complete airport job applications, learn the English needed for airport job interviews, and pass airport security badge tests. A few years later, Port Jobs offered me a position as an Airport University Instructor/Coordinator. I jumped at the chance to support my community through this amazing program! As a Highline College instructor, I am now in a different role but still inspired by our student successes. At Airport University, we celebrate all achievements as each is a step towards career and educational advancement. These steps to success range from getting a first job, getting a better job, earning their first U.S. college credit, and even earning a college certificate or degree. My favorite story involves a student who used his newly learned Excel skills to correctly calculate his wages for the current pay period! I am happy to say his airport employer corrected his paycheck! Partnership is a guiding principle at Airport University. In addition to partnerships with Highline College and South Seattle College, Airport University collaborates with employers and local community agencies. In my airport classes, we have had lively discussions led by airport employer guest speakers including the Port of Seattle (POS), Alaska Airlines, FedEx, Hudson Group, and HMS Host. In 2018, our guest speaker was a POS Landside Supervisor and Highline College student. She invited my Airport University BSTEC 100 Office Management class to tour the Port of Seattle Airport Transit Operations (ATO) Center! (She eventually earned her BSTEC Administrative Management AAS at Highline College!) Our students have also enjoyed hearing from representatives from the King County Library System about resources for job seekers, adult learners, immigrants/refugees, and new arrivals. Advocates from Northwest Education Access visit my AU class every quarter to provide guidance, connections to resources, and financial support to low-income young people and adults working towards higher education degrees. Port Jobs’ Airport University and Airport Jobs programs provide unique, valuable opportunities for job seekers and working families to build the education and skills to launch and grow their careers in aviation, transportation, hospitality, and security. Thank you for your continued support of Port Jobs! Mary Turla Business Technology, Faculty Highline College mturla@highline.edu 206-592-3957 5/25/22, 8:59 AM Mail - Commission-Public-Records - Outlook [EXTERNAL] PUBLIC COMMENT for October 27, 2020 Agenda Item 10b. Duwamish River Basin Steward Greg Wingard Tue 5/24/2022 2:14 PM To: Commission-Public-Records ;Arturo Zazueta ;'Bernie McKinney' ;Gil Bortleson ;Marlla Mhoon ;Peter Beaupain ;Michael Taton WARNING: External email. Links or a achments may be unsafe. Port of Sea le Commission members: The Green River Coali on strongly supports standing up the Duwamish River Basin Steward posi on. The posi on is cri cal to meet the needs of the Green/Duwamish watershed for staffing, providing the same support to the most populated and impacted water segment of the watershed that the lower and middle Green River already have, and address the equity issues inherent in the Duwamish not having access to a Basin Steward. Green River Coali on is a member organiza on of the Duwamish River Community Coali on, and as a co-founder of the precursor Duwamish River Cleanup Coali on I and Green River Coali on are very familiar with the challenges and needs of the Duwamish River. We also have a good perspec ve on the u liza on by the community of Basin Stewards, and the value the stewards and their program bring to our communi es. As we started our organiza ons work, we already had a Basin Steward to work with who represented the middle Green River watershed where our work was originally located. We have worked with our current middle Green River/White River Basin Steward for more than 20-years and can say without reserva on that the Basin Steward and program enabled and transformed our organiza on's ability to do work and outreach in the watershed. We also work closely with our lower Green River Basin Steward, and have expanded our efforts to encompass this area of the river as well, working on projects currently in Auburn Kent and Tukwilla. Your support for the Duwamish River Basin Steward posi on is greatly appreciated. We encourage the Commission to con nue its regional leadership in suppor ng and sustaining this cri cal posi on. Our river and its communi es will be be er for it. Regards, Greg Wingard President 206-849-5927 https://outlook.office365.com/mail/commission-public-records@portseattle.org/inbox/id/AAQkAGE1YmYzYTk0LWE2N2YtNGZmYi05YjgxLTE5MDVjO… 1/1
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