Transcript

The Regular Meeting meeting scheduled for 2025-01-28 at SEA

  • go through our presentation
  • The main focal point here is that tourism is not for the tourists
  • It's for the locals
  • Those of us who live in and love Seattle
  • We know that many of our favorite local businesses, restaurants, arts organizations and attractions are facing increased business costs, razor thin margins and an uncertain future
  • As a leading export, tourism has the ability to support places we cherish by driving spending, generating essential tax revenue and and creating jobs that bolster businesses and enhance our communities
  • The Port Sentry agenda states the goal of advancing this region as a leading tourism destination and business gateway while strengthening the competitiveness of SEA in the regional and global marketplace
  • Our work supports this mission through responsible tourism marketing and management
  • And even though the port itself is not a destination, by working with a destination partner like swt, our power to drive the tourism industry in a positive way cannot be overstated
  • The port has been involved in international tourism marketing and management for over 40 years and has played a seminal role in navigating SWT's post pandemic recovery with the belief that a strong state office of tourism is vital to delivering results for our destinations and residents
  • As you heard from so many of the destination partners earlier today, they have a strong faith in SWT's work
  • Next slide please
  • So we have three main pillars just at the big Picture of what we do in our department
  • We have our local investment, our grant prograMS We focus our focus on responsible tourism and this marketing and management pillar that holds it all together
  • Next slide, please
  • Through our work with our grant programs, the Port directly invests in local organizations each year
  • Over the years, we've modified the grant evaluation criteria to emphasize diversity, inclusion and destination stewardship so that each recipient's project advances these port priorities
  • Additionally, State of Washington Tourism funds grants specifically supporting rural, indigenous and sustainable tourism
  • Responsible inclusive tourism is the north star for both the Port and swt, which makes us such great partners
  • These grants help organizations share their stories and work hand in hand with with our global marketing, which amplifies those stories throughout the travel industry and around the globe
  • Next slide, please
  • Good afternoon commissioners and Executive Director Metruck
  • My name is Mike Moe
  • I am the Director of Tourism Development and Strategic Partnership for State of Washington Tourism
  • I'm here in place of our CEO David Blandford, who like we said, he's called away to Olympia
  • Thank you so much for this opportunity
  • I wanted to to start with, when we re established a statewide tourism office, we really not only wanted to be a marketing and promotion organization, but really a management organization
  • We've centered responsible travel as a main pillar of our marketing and we've even created a responsible travel hub on our State of Washington Tourism website in partnership with Recreate Responsibly and other partners across the state
  • We've always encouraged visitation to rural and underserved communities and we've worked with our DMO partners across the state, as you've heard, but also including Seattle Southside here in SEATAC that represents Des Moines and Tukwila, we've offered them subsidized opportunities to go to trade shows internationally, to do sales missions, to participate in co op opportunities and familiarization and media tours
  • Obviously, Seattle is our main gateway and we work very closely with Visit Seattle and we always
  • It's a huge part of our story
  • But much of our job is really to try to showcase what we have to offer throughout the state outside of Seattle and really try to bring those visitors to those areas
  • As we've mentioned before, 80% of the businesses in tourism are small businesses
  • And so supporting tourism is supporting small business
  • And the results of our program has been regional resilience and economic vitality
  • Next slide, please
  • The Port continues to be a leader on the responsible tourism front, promoting eco friendly tourism practices, supporting local businesses that prioritize sustainability, and encouraging tourists to engage in responsible behaviors
  • The Port, led by Commissioner Felleman's Efforts helps sponsor and organize the Responsible outdoor travel summit where which is connected to SWT's annual conference each year and will return for its fourth iteration this fall
  • We have also produced a Washington specific Responsible Travel Handbook in partnership with Global Leaders, Tourism Cares and the Travel foundation that provides a blueprint for destinations across the state to employ inclusive, responsible practices that create a welcoming environment for all visitors
  • The Port is also working with the Snow Valley Chamber to develop a Responsible Tourism action plan through SWT's Rural Tourism Support Program
  • The Port and Commissioner Felleman played a vital role in getting this program off the ground and ensuring the right people were at the table, including community stakeholders, land managers and the Snoqualmie tribe
  • Since our re establishment, we've really considered ourselves a sustainable organization and we've aligned with Port of Seattle every step of the way
  • It's not our goal to try to cram in more hikers in our crowded trailheads
  • We're not trying to bring more people to the Pike Place market on a cruise day
  • Our goal is really to make tourism a positive force
  • On behalf of Washington residents
  • We strive to make all of our marketing responsible travel marketing
  • And our marketing not only includes promotion, but also includes travel advisory, education, know before you go crisis mitigation and recovery
  • It's important, like when we have a wildfire in one of our Eastern Washington areas that people know when that fire is over and that people can return to help the local economies
  • Our marketing and management strategy is routing tourism to where it needs to go and when it needs to go there
  • Next slide, please
  • Is that you? That's you
  • Okay
  • So international marketing is crucial
  • It allows us to attract diverse tourists
  • It enhances our economic growth while encouraging cultural exchange
  • And we're really able to help promote these destinations that you heard from earlier and our businesses in valuable markets where they wouldn't be able to reach on their own
  • This map shows where we've delivered global industry opportunities
  • It shows our familiarization and press trips and King County alone
  • In the last year, we've had famine Press trips go to Woodinville, SEATAC, Tukwila, the CID, Bellevue, Ballard West, Seattle, Tukwila, Beacon Hill, Rainier Beach, Columbia City, the Central District, Issaquah, Sulqualmie Valley and many more
  • It also shows our where we've put in photo and video assets for our partners around the state
  • Those photos and videos are not only used for swt, but also our partners, including the smaller chambers and economic development districts
  • We also, as Nick mentioned, have been running our rural tourism support program
  • Tomorrow is our first workshop for that program in the Snoqualmie Valley
  • We're very excited to have Commissioner Felleman keynote our lunch in that workshop
  • And that program is designed to provide structure for a destination to decide for itself what they want tourism to be
  • And our first program was up in Northeastern Washington and they wanted to really grow their tourism
  • They have a beautiful place, but they just don't have anybody coming to see it
  • And so we've helped them develop the infrastructure necessary and develop the marketing assets they need to bring people to the area
  • The Snoqualmie Valley is very different
  • They have a ton of tourists, so it's not necessarily about bringing more tourists in the summer, but it's dispersing that tourism and then helping them determine how to make sure that the tourism is not making a negative impact on their community
  • This the map also shows our grant program
  • Since 2022, we've awarded over $2.3 million for over 120 projects
  • Those projects include funding for content of the Snoqualmie Tribe, Ancestral Land movement, digital storytelling for Centro Cultura Mexicano and Redmond, and LGBTQ community trainings by GSBA throughout Western Washington
  • Next slide please
  • And as you can tell, our marketing is much more than advertising
  • In fact, very little of what we do is advertising
  • The bulk of our tourism marketing is a strategic communications plan that drives increased visitor spending and positive economic impact to the region in an equitable way
  • We conduct educational seminars, presentations, sales missions that educate the industry on how we want to position our destination globally to create that positive cycle
  • By working with SWT's network of global agencies, the Port is able to conduct these efforts on an international scale
  • Through this work, we're able to collaborate with local thought leaders and elevate the voices of our diverse communities and businesses to engage a global audience and showcase the unique, authentic stories that set Washington apart from the crowd
  • And this helps us bring in visitors who are well educated about our destination and share our passion for authentic connections and protecting the places we love
  • You see some examples of the work generated through our efforts here
  • Story about traveling through the region car free and visiting visiting neighborhoods such as the Central District, cid, Beacon Hill and more, while also highlighting coffee, culture and recreation opportunities and cultural sites like the Jimi Hendrix Memorial, Thomas Danvo's Trolls and the Kubota Gardens
  • We look to involve local businesses, tribes, residents and stakeholders in our marketing and planning promotion
  • Their input is invaluable in ensuring benefits are equity distributed and that the community's voice is heard
  • Next slide please
  • So The Port of Seattle and swt
  • We've worked together to really value quality over quantity
  • And that's why the international market is so important
  • International visitors significantly outspend domestic visitors
  • They help fill our rooms and sell our tickets midweek shoulder season and off season
  • As was mentioned earlier, our Asian markets continue to lag
  • That's why last week I visited India and Hyderabad with Brand USA to expand that market
  • This this funding will go to help our mission, our sales mission to Japan and South Korea in April
  • This important international partnership with the port allows us to allocate other resources to for responsible travel efforts, destination developments and grants
  • And as was mentioned earlier, somebody stole my line
  • But third party data shows that for every dollar spent, $29 comes back to our state and three of those dollars is through local and state taxes
  • It's a stat worth repeating
  • It's a stat worth repeating
  • Next slide please
  • So we're here today to request commission approval for the $1.5 million over the next three years for the joint marketing agreement between the Port and State of Washington
  • Tourism and as you shown, global marketing is not all about the numbers but it helps position our region as a culturally inclusive and tourism friendly destination that helps drive the positive cycle of sustained economic and cultural benefits
  • As we strive to increase visitor related spending across our region, we encourage visitors to add nights to their trips
  • If someone is flying into SEA, we want them to spend as much time as possible supporting local businesses in our cities and towns with a special focus on those lesser resource destinations and attractions
  • It's also important to note the other side of the coin
  • Seattle is proud to be a diverse and globally connected city and our work supporting the routes for SEA also provides locals increased connectivity to the world as they look to visit their families and the places they love
  • And with as you can see with strategic marketing, the more we put in, the more the community gets out
  • Next slide please
  • So in summary, our continued partnership with the port will ensure that statewide communities and regions are represented at international trade shows on sales missions and have opportunities like co ops and fam tours
  • We'll make sure the destinations are properly trained so they can book and make the most out of this business
  • We'll leverage the FIFA World cup to spread economic development outside of Seattle and develop cross border international tourism business by partnering with British Columbia
  • In fact, we're already partnering with Destination BC to create itineraries that takes to unmute yourself Press star
  • I don't think it means you okay to take to take people off of the i5 corridor to take people off of the i5 corridor and make sure that there are other ways to access Washington and B.C
  • our program will continue to focus on responsible travel
  • Our familiarization tours will drive awareness and inclusion, and our close alignment with the port will include high level strategic planning and programming
  • With Visit Seattle, our state's gateway destination, it is much more effective if we are one true voice for Washington
  • Thank you, Mike
  • And commissioners, we need to work on both sides of the equation
  • We need not only to continue developing destinations through direct investment, such as with our grants or partnership programs or our responsible tourism efforts, we need to tell Washington's story to attract visitors who want to experience the diverse culture, recreation and attractions that Washington offers
  • Everyone knows we have a space, have the Space Needle
  • Everyone knows we have a market
  • Do they know all the stories about our local creators, chefs, winemakers? Do they know the stories of our Native nations? Do they know about our agriculture and trade leadership? Do they know about our spirit as a community, our cultural heritage, and the colorful history throughout our state? These are the stories we're telling and the visitors we're looking to attract
  • This agreement allows us to market and manage tourism throughout our region in alignment with the port's responsible tourism strategy
  • And approval from the commission benefits all Washingtonians
  • Thank you for your time and your faith in us to do this work
  • Thank you
  • Thank you, Nick and Mike
  • We're going to take a moment and ask for any questions for staff from commissioners
  • I could go ahead, Commissioner Felleman
  • So I'm sorry I can't be there, but I'm attending the tourism conference here in Victoria, bc, where the whole focus is on about sustainability and how the receiving communities can be respected and the environments in which they live, while at the same time creating a positive visitor experience
  • And I think the progress that the port in Washington State tourism has embraced this concept is really extraordinary
  • And I'm very much in support of this effort and feel that this going forward, we're only going to build on this very positive experience
  • And as far as comments we've heard in the past about concerns about this, you know, adding pressure, I'm very much concerned about the pressure that's coming with FIFA and that without this marketing of the right sentiment, pack your sense of responsibility
  • Know before you go that we will have more negative impact from promotional things like FIFA unless we do have programs like this
  • So I'm very much in support of the program
  • It's more of a statement than a
  • Commissioner Cho
  • Yeah
  • Quick question
  • Do we know of other ports that also invest in Tourism
  • Many, many ports invest or at least work closely with their local tourism partners
  • You know, I came up here from California
  • I know SFO works closely with San Francisco travel
  • And even our airport in Sacramento had a similar agreement to this with visitors
  • Sacramento
  • So just in my personal experience, there's very much that relationship in destinations across the country
  • Great
  • I'll just make a quick comment on this
  • And first, I want to take a moment to appreciate and acknowledge those who have spoke up about their concerns around cruise
  • I mean, not just cruise, but tourism in general
  • You know, I think obviously I too, am concerned with a lot of the environmental impacts that tourism more broadly has on our local environment
  • But the reality is that tourism happens whether we like it or not
  • And the point of this effort, the $500,000 for the next three years, isn't really to promote more tourism on net
  • I think the point of this is to spread the peanut butter
  • And while we know that Seattle is a very highly desirable destination for tourists, we here in Seattle know that there are a lot of gems in the area
  • And you heard from many of those advocates today in public comment, the Issaquahs of this world, the Woodinvilles of this world, they have so much to offer when it comes to tourism
  • And so what this effort really does is ensures that those who do come here for tourism are staying a couple extra days, perhaps, so that they can really get the full picture and the full experience that the Pacific Northwest offers
  • At the end of the day, these tourists are still taking one flight in and one flight out
  • And I do think that from an economic development standpoint, which is part of our mandate as an institution, it's to ensure that a rising tide lifts all boats
  • And so if the tide is lifting on tourism today, post COVID 19, we want to make sure that those positive economic impacts are being spread to other parts of the region that may not get the same attention that a Pike Place market gets
  • Right? And so I really hope that the public understands that our effort here, in our charge here, is to ensure that the existing tourism that we're getting continues to benefit all of those within our region
  • And for that reason, I will be supporting today's motion
  • Thank you
  • Thank you, Commissioner
  • Commissioner Muhammad, did you have any comments or questions? Oh, yeah
  • Saw your hand go up
  • Well, yes, my hand did go up, and then it went down when you called on me
  • I also am looking forward to supporting this program, and thanks, staff, for bringing it forward
  • I obviously support workforce development and tourism that prioritize sustainability and just really Appreciate the presentation and the time that went into putting the presentation together and doing it in a thoughtful way that also addressed some of the concerns that we did hear from the public
  • I appreciate what you guys incorporated in it, underscoring the intent to educate visitors around sustainable travel practice practices in promoting less impacted destinations
  • And so I just really appreciate the effort that has gone into this
  • And yeah, looking forward to supporting this item today as well
  • Thank you
  • Okay, any further comments from commissioners? My only comment is, you know, I think of this as like hidden gems, tourism promotion
  • And I loved hearing from Woodinville and Issaquah and folks on the peninsula
  • And you can think of dozens of other little towns and parks and places that get very few tourists and would love to have those tourists come in and buy from their stores and patronize their restaurants and hotels and are the exact opposite of over toured
  • They'd love to have more visitors
  • So the fact that this is going towards supporting that kind of destination marketing organization and destination, I think is really positive
  • And this is based on the stats you provided us
  • Even if you're off by an order of magnitude, it's still a good business decision
  • If you had three to one results as a return on investment on marketing, you'd be thrilled with it
  • So the fact that it does create that kind of economic opportunity for folks, you know, as Commissioner Cho said, people are going to travel, and if we can encourage them to come here to our state and do so in a responsible way that's sustainable for the communities where they visit, that's a win for us generally
  • So I'll be voting in support of this as well
  • Thank you
  • All right, Clerk Hart, please call the roll for the vote
  • Commissioners, please say aye or nay when your name is called
  • Can I ask for a point of clarification with regards to the order? We're going to take up the order again at the end of the meeting
  • So we're going to take the vote on the
  • Okay
  • I will not be able to attend the end of the meeting
  • I am taking time out of a conference right now, and it was taken up at the beginning of this
  • Okay
  • So we're going to complete the vote on item 9A
  • All right
  • Clerk Hart, please call the roll for the vote
  • Commissioners, please say aye or nay when your name is called
  • Thank you
  • This is for approval of Item 9A, beginning with Commissioner Calkins
  • Aye
  • Thank you, Commissioner Cho
  • Aye
  • Thank you, Commissioner Felleman
  • Aye
  • Thank you, Commissioner Mohammad
  • Aye
  • Thank you
  • Four ayes, zero nays for this item
  • All right
  • And with that the motion passes
  • Commissioner Felleman
  • We will
  • We're going to move on with the calendar
  • I will have somebody text you when we're going to bring up this item again so that you can step back into the meeting
  • Clerk Hart
  • I'm sorry, just for a point of order, why was it taken up now and then not resolved now? We did resolve it
  • Okay
  • So I thought the order
  • There was some question as to whether what was read into the record was what the Commissioner Muhammad put into the order was consistent
  • I think it would be in order if we were to just dispense with this
  • Okay
  • Now, all right, Can
  • Can we do consent agenda first? All right
  • I think we've got some folks in the audience who may be here
  • All right, I will
  • I will have to leave you now, Commissioner Felleman
  • We're going to do consent agenda and then we'll return to the order
  • He's disconnected
  • Oh, yes
  • Okay
  • Could we text you? Let aye
  • know? He knows that
  • All right
  • All right
  • Our next order of business is the consent agenda
  • Items on the consent agenda are considered routine and will be adopted by one motion
  • Items removed from the consent agenda will be considered separately immediately after adoption of the remaining consent agenda iteMS At this time, the chair will entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda covering items 8A through 8
  • I so moved
  • Commissioner Mohamed
  • Second
  • Thank you
  • The motion was made and seconded
  • Commissioners, please say aye or nay when your name is called for approval of the consent agenda, beginning with Commissioner Calkins
  • Aye
  • Thank you, Commissioner Chao
  • Aye
  • Thank you, Commissioner Muhammad
  • Aye
  • Thank you
  • Three ayes, zero nays for approval of the consent agenda
  • And the motion passes
  • All right, MR Commission Vice President, if we could go back and seek clarity before we get too far off of item 9A and the motion that was made earlier in the meeting, it is my understanding that there was perhaps a versioning issue and the motion that was read into the record by Commissioner Mohammad had a nuanced difference than the one that you had read into the record
  • So I think we were just looking for some clarity on what the motion is that was intended to be moved
  • All right, Commissioner Mohamed, I think what we need to do is have you read what you had intended to introduce in its entirety so we can follow along closely and then process wise, I don't know
  • We've taken the vote, so do we need to retake the vote? I would just retake the vote
  • I would just redo the action just for the sake of clarity
  • And Commissioner Fellamin, remind my fellow commissioners that this is a directive that our executive director has heard the entire discussion of
  • I think he has the sense of the body
  • I don't want us to spend too much time on hair splitting around this, But Commissioner Muhammad, can you reread what you hope to
  • What you intended to be the text of the order? Thank you, Commission Vice President Calkins
  • I'm happy to reread it into the record, but considering the robust discussion we had, Clerk Hart, if you could also maybe provide comments on this
  • Would it be better maybe if we just kept it the way that Commissioner Calkins read it and just simply added a line that says at the end, promotion of CRWs is not part of this program, period
  • My understanding is from Executive Director Mutrick that is a fact
  • And so if we could just include that fact so it's clear for the public
  • If not, I'm happy to read my version into the record and we could take a vote
  • All right, Commissioner Cho, I'm just trying to simplify it
  • So if I can just clarify the confusion here
  • And this is exactly why I have a problem with this process
  • We have two versions of this order, with one that includes something that people have a heartburn with and one that does not
  • The version that Commissioner Calkins introduced does not include the language that was introduced to us just a few minutes before
  • But the version that Commissioner Muhammad introduced does, which is why we have confusion over which version of the order we are introducing
  • So I don't think we need to make any amendments
  • We just need to decide on which version we are introducing and voting on
  • And through Commissioner Calkins, may I speak? Yes, please, go ahead
  • Commissioner Muhammad
  • Well, it doesn't look like I have the votes anyway, so let's not waste any additional time
  • Commissioner Cho already voted no on it, so we can move forward
  • And Commissioner Felleman has left the room, so we don't need to spend additional time reading things
  • I'm still in the room
  • Oh, you're back
  • I was asked to come back in the room
  • So I think you asked us a procedural question
  • Do you amend the one that's been read in, or do we read in a new one and, you know, Clerk Hart, just give us direction and we can move on
  • So thank you
  • Through Commission Vice President to Commissioner Felleman and other commissioners, the version that was read into the record by Commissioner Calkins originally is the one that passed
  • There is a proposal to amend that motion to include the verbiage promotion of cruise is not part of this program
  • Commissioner
  • Commissioner Muhammad, do you still wish to add that to the motion that Is passed or no, that would be my preference
  • So there is a
  • A motion then
  • Commissioner Felleman, do you have any comments? No, I just wanted it to be procedurally good so
  • And be done with it
  • So there is another motion on the floor currently
  • So a motion to amend the
  • The directive that we have passed
  • That's correct
  • With the statement of promotion of Cruise is not a part of this program
  • Okay
  • And do we have a second for the purposes? Yes, I second it
  • All right
  • Any further discussion? I just
  • I just want point of clarification
  • So now that I know what we were voting on, I'd like to amend my
  • Amend my vote on the first motion, which I thought was a version that omitted the cruise portion
  • Does that make sense? It does
  • And I would like to vote aye in favor of the last one, but I would vote against
  • No
  • Against this one
  • Okay
  • So we've got to take one motion at a time
  • The motion before us currently is to add the verbiage
  • Promotion of cruise is not a part of this program
  • All right, let's go to a vote on that
  • Clerk Hart, please call the roll
  • So we are voting on whether to add the sentence to the directive we passed earlier today stating that promotion of cruise is not a part of this program
  • That's correct
  • That is the motion before us at this time, beginning with Commissioner Calkins
  • Nay
  • Commissioner Cho
  • Nay
  • Commissioner Felleman
  • Aye
  • Can you repeat that, Commissioner? That's aye
  • That's aye
  • Commissioner Mohamed
  • Aye
  • So that is a tie vote, MR Commission Vice President
  • And a tie vote would fail according to parliamentary law
  • The
  • The amendment language fails
  • Do we need to take up another vote? Now that there's clarity for Commissioner Cho for the original directive, I would probably just seek to retake that motion in its form that it was read into the record by you
  • And we can reread that into the record just for the point of clarity
  • Yeah, it did pass
  • You're on the record now as voting against that earlier one
  • But if you wanted to retake the vote
  • Okay, so I'm just gonna
  • I'm just gonna note the correction to aye
  • vote in the minutes
  • Thank you
  • All right
  • Thank you all for your patience
  • I will have to leave you now
  • Thank you
  • Okay, thanks, Commissioner Felleman
  • And I want to say thank you to all the staff who've been working on this for the last however many number of days to
  • To come to a directive and correct language
  • I know you guys are toiling to hurt us
  • Commission Katz
  • I'll call it that
  • Okay, moving on in the agenda, we have one New business item
  • Clerk Hart, please read the item into the record
  • Executive Director Metruck will then introduce it
  • Thank you
  • This is agenda item 10a
  • Authorization for the Executive Director to authorize the two year contract with three optional one year extensions with a not to exceed amount of $5 million for a vendor to operate the airport's Transportation Management association, also known as SEA Moves
  • On behalf of the Port of Seattle Commissioners, today we're seeking authorization for a contract that will engage a specialized vendor to operate the SEA Moves Transportation Management association, providing essential commuting resources and to support SEA Airport's 247 tenant workforce
  • Established under the Commission Resolution 3759, the SEA Moves program addresses the unique transportation needs of thousands of non port employees who commute to SEA daily
  • The centralized service will reduce single occupancy vehicle commutes by offering trip planning, trip planning assistance, carpool incentives, transit access programs and active transportation initiatives, all while advancing our sustainability and accessibility commitments
  • This approach mirrors proven practices at leading organizations like Expedia and Microsoft, leveraging industry expertise to enhance effectiveness to fund the program
  • The program sustainably it will be partially supported by a surcharge of employee parking fees
  • Aligning with federal requirements and state law, this program will play a vital role in supporting commute trip reduction goals while contributing to the port's broader sustainability objectives
  • We recommend approval of this contract and welcome your questions and discussion
  • And with the presenters this afternoon are Peter Lindsay, Assistant Director, Airport Operations, and David Tomorrowski, Transportation Access Program Manager
  • So with that I'll turn it over to Peter Lindsey
  • Thank you Executive Director Metruck
  • And thank you Commissioners
  • My name is Peter Lindsey
  • I am the Assistant Director for landsite Operations at SEA
  • And we're before you today looking to move an important part of our TMA effort forward by establishing a contract with a vendor for support services for front counter work and resources for commuters at SEA
  • Next slide please
  • So this is a familiar slide that we often have
  • It just is our roadmap framework that shows how we go from our principal to the actual initiatives which are included in the GTAP program
  • And the TMA Transportation Management association, known as SEA Moves, falls firmly within the GTAP program
  • And with me today is my colleague David Tomporowski, who is our GTAP Manager who will fill you in on the details of our plan for this vendor
  • Thank you
  • Thank you, Peter
  • Next slide please
  • So, good afternoon, Commission Vice President Calkins, Commissioners Executive Director, Metruck again, David
  • Tom Broski with SEA Airport Landsat Operations
  • And I manage our ground transportation access plan and program
  • The request before you today relates to one initiative within our body of work under GTAP that focuses on airport employees and their commuting needs
  • You may remember we last covered this subject in a briefing to you last October
  • We've divided our SEA employee transportation strategy work into four areas
  • We are here today to focus on the second one from the left, the establishment of an employee transportation program for SEA workers called SEA Moves, otherwise known as our Transportation Management association or TMA Commissioners
  • As you know, our airport is made up of hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals who commute here every day to work
  • This is a varied and diverse workforce in the Port of Seattle as the airport owner and operator is taking the lead by acting as a consolidating resource and convening entity to expand commute options for all airport employees through robust communications and programming run by a dedicated staff
  • SEA Moves will be a central source of comprehensive commute information for all SEA workers and we are here today to request contracting authority to solicit for and hire a vendor to operate SEA Moves on the Port's behalf
  • Next slide please
  • So, as I said, the core function of SEA Moves is to serve as a centralized service provider for airport tenants and employees who work across diverse industries and jobs
  • It will do this by harmonizing and universalizing commute trip rider information and distributing it across multiple trusted communication channels to reach workers where they're at
  • However, it will also be available to administer modal specific programs, namely the three you see listed here
  • For those that drive to work, we want to offer a carpool program that leverages our main terminal, garage and other airport locations
  • And for those that utilize a bike or a scooter as part of their commute trip, SEA Moves will cater to them as well
  • Finally, Commissioners, you'll recall the order you passed in November of last year that calls for the Port to establish a Transit Pass pilot program where the Port will provide subsidized transit passes to eligible airport employees
  • We are designing this pilot program now and plan to administer it via SEA Moves
  • We expect a good portion of the contractor's time will be dedicated to this program, such as registering employees, turning cards on and off, tracking usage, answering questions, processing return cards, facilitating payments, etc
  • Along with these three action items, SEA Move staff would perform all the basic tasks that any good employee commute program does, such as staffing a program office, providing trip planning assistance to workers, tabling at recruiting or hiring events, answering common questions, etc
  • And speaking of a program office we do plan to collaborate and co locate SEA Moves with our tenant employee parking program office on the mezzanine adjacent to the badging office
  • And this creates a one stop shop for employees and their transportation
  • Questions? Next slide please
  • So this is a lot of work and represents really a new line of business for the Port of Seattle
  • As such, we would like to employ the services and experience of a firm that specializes in this kind of work, namely embedding themselves in a workplace and delivering programming and resources directly to employees
  • Hiring a third party vendor to run a company's employee facing commute program is a common industry practice as Executive director Metruck mentioned, especially here in the Puget Sound region with our tech industry
  • So today we're asking for a contracting authority to hire a vendor to operate SEA Moves on the Port's behalf
  • We'd like to structure the contract such that it provides continuity over the startup period
  • That is two years of service followed by three optional one year extensions and the value would be a not to Exceed amount of $5 million
  • Next slide please
  • Now to discuss funding as part of our overall approach to gtap, how we affect and influence how the traveling public and employees choose to access our airport
  • We recognize that there is a spending component of this work, but also a revenue component
  • And we've had for over a year now a fee added onto the monthly cost cost of tenant employee parking in 2025
  • That fee is $5 per month per card
  • Our intention is to utilize the proceeds from this fee to fund SEA Moves operations
  • You can see on this slide a table from our finance and budget group that gives you a sense of what we forecast both for the projected number of monthly parking cards and the modest increase in the fee each year
  • As operations at SEA expand, there will be more demand for tenant parking
  • As such, the annual revenue from the fee will also increase
  • And last slide please
  • So to conclude, our next step pending approval today is to engage in the procurement and contracting process for a vendor during the first half of this year
  • We will provide an update to commission on this item as well as the other SEA employee transportation strategy initiatives during our regular mid year update provided to the Aviation Committee on gtap
  • And we hope to select hire and onboard a contractor during quarter three of this year with SEA Moves being chartered and operational by the end of the year
  • And with that, Commissioners, thank you for your time and Peter and I are available for any of your questions
  • Thank you
  • All right, Commissioners, any questions for staff or comments? Commissioner Cho? No, I mean I don't have any Questions
  • We've been briefed on this effort thoroughly and I really appreciate all the terrific work you're doing
  • I think this is one of the most exciting things that we're doing when it comes to providing employee benefits and really just making it easier for us to work here at the port
  • I do believe that it's going to help us in recruitment and retention and quite frankly help us in our goal to become a sustainable port as well
  • So I just want to thank you for your terrific work
  • I'm really looking to see how this pans out over the next two years and, and figuring out how we can make it better and sustainable
  • Thanks
  • Thank you
  • Commissioner Muhammad, any questions or comments? Just a quick comment
  • Thank you for your work and appreciate the briefings I've received on this item
  • Great work
  • Thank you
  • Okay
  • Well for this feels like the end of the beginning
  • The definitely not the beginning of the end, but definitely feels like after years and years of really putting together an understanding of best practices for other large organizations, other large organisms, let's call it, because that's sort of what SEA is where I think one of you gave me this stat a few months ago that we're up to north of 800 employers, 27,000 workers, something like that
  • So getting all of those individual entities to kind of sing from the same page with hymnal is going to be a real challenge
  • And so at the same time, you know what I love about this program? It does exactly what we want to do in terms of incentives
  • It disincentivizes a mode that we don't want people using to then pay for a mode
  • We want people using more modes
  • We want people using more
  • That's exactly how I think we ought to be pursuing good, wise public policy that, you know, it's the benefits accrue to the folks who are putting the least demand on the resources of our communities
  • And so I think that's great
  • And specifically what I'm talking about is folks who are paying to park at the airport are paying a fee which covers the cost of this program, which then encourages other people, including themselves, to find a different way to come rather than a single occupancy vehicle
  • So I love that
  • I don't know that we necessarily need it to be a set in stone kind of annual reporting or whatever it is
  • But I do hope you, you come back to us regularly with updates on what's going well and what's not going well
  • We want to make sure that this program is successful
  • And I also like to remind folks that this is
  • Although we're beginning to feel some of the pain points of the congestion issues, the, obviously the concerns from the community around traffic and parking, those kinds of things that we've been working for decades to address, really, the problem is only going to get worse if we don't start taking these kind of proactive measures to move people onto modes of mass transit and other forms of getting to the airport that don't require them driving themselves to get here
  • So I'm really appreciative
  • I think this is another example of SEA doing something that other airports are going to model their programs on after
  • We're going to work out some wrinkles and stuff
  • But great work
  • Keep it up
  • Happy to support this program
  • Thank you, Vice President Calkins
  • And I think I'd add that all of the commissioners should have received our ground transportation access program work plan for 2025
  • This is a piece of that, but outlines how we're going to communicate as well as what we're trying to pursue in terms of initiatives for the
  • For the year
  • So we do anticipate reporting out through the Aviation Committee
  • So to the extent that you participate in that committee, we'll have more information
  • And of course, we have our annual report due typically in July, but we're of course aware that we could come back at any time to update the commissioners
  • So thank you
  • Will you remind me, on the ORCA card pilot program, roughly how many of those are we hoping to distribute? It's a good question
  • Since the amount of money we have available, it doesn't necessarily limit the number of cards, but it is a pay as you go system
  • So the number of cards we distribute will be related to how much they get used by the folks that we distribute them to
  • If we give, you know, just to, say, 100 cards out and only five of them get used every day, the money will go pretty far
  • If we give out 100 cards and everyone uses them every day, then we'll spend the money quicker
  • Great
  • Okay
  • Well, that's money I'd love to spend because it means that folks are ditching their cars and riding transit to get here
  • Any further questions or comments from commissioners? All right, Clerk Hart, please call the roll for the vote
  • Commissioners, please say aye or nay when your name is
  • Did we get a main motion on the floor for that one? Oh, let me
  • No, we did not
  • Good catch
  • So moved
  • We've got a motion from Commissioner Cho
  • Do we have a second? Second
  • Thank you, Commissioner Muhammad
  • All right
  • Now, hearing no further questions for this, can we please Please call the roll for the vote beginning with Commissioner Calkins
  • Aye
  • Thank you, Commissioner Cho
  • Aye
  • Thank you, Commissioner Mohamed
  • Aye
  • Thank you
  • Three ayes, zero nays for this item
  • And with that, the motion passes
  • We are now at presentations and staff reports
  • Clerk Hart, please read the next item into the record and Executive Director Metruck will then introduce the item
  • Thank you
  • This is agenda item 11, a federal legislative agenda for 2025
  • Commissioners, this is your first opportunity to provide comments on our proposed 2024 federal priorities 2025
  • Yeah, I read what was in the notes
  • Yes, times the years go by, Steve
  • Yeah, as much as we'd love to still be in 24, you can tell our 2025 Federal Priorities Executive Director point a new admin
  • Of course, a new administration can bring both challenges and opportunity
  • In this presentation will highlight a few of those
  • We're fortunate to have a strong to have strong relationships with our Congressional delegation, who are shown their deep commitment to working with the PORT on our priorities
  • We look forward to working closely with you to advance our federal agenda throughout the year ahead, which is 2025, not 2024
  • And our presenter this afternoon is the Senior Manager of Federal and International Government Relations, Eric Shinfield
  • Eric
  • And Eric, we are three minutes ahead of schedule, so just go crazy
  • Well, luckily there's a lot to talk about with what's happening in D.C
  • right now
  • So again, good afternoon, Commissioners, Executive Director Metruck, my name is Eric Shinfeld, and I'm really pleased to be here to brief you on our proposed draft federal legislative agenda for 2025
  • This is something we do every year to bring this opportunity for you to give us feedback on how we engage in D.C
  • with Congress, with the administration, with the federal agencies that we work with
  • And obviously this year, as we just referenced, is a very different year in D.C
  • and so you'll see a very different approach to our federal legislative agenda that I'll walk through very briefly with you here today
  • Next slide, please
  • Again, what we're going to do is we're going to start talking about what we've achieved in the year prior, then look at where we are sort of generally in Washington, D.C
  • for 2025
  • We'll go through our draft policy priorities and take any feedback you have
  • Next slide, please
  • So I do want to start again, like I said, with some real successes
  • 2024 was a really fantastic year
  • And as Executive Director Metruck just said, it is really because of the incredible relationship that we have with our Congressional delegation, the support they have for us, the true support they have for the Port and the communities
  • And the workers here in the airport
  • And the airport communities
  • And so, of course, one of our biggest successes last year was in the FAA reauthorization bill
  • We advocated for seven priorities jointly with our communities around the airport, and four of them made it into the final FAA reauthorization bill
  • I want to make a special thank you to Commissioner Mohamed, who helped lead the DC Fly in with our members of the community to really advocate for these priorities
  • And obviously that
  • That really had an impact
  • In addition to those four shared priorities, we also included in the FAA reauthorization bill legislation that gives the port flexibility to determine the future of North SEATAC Park
  • And we continue to have those discussions moving forward about how to
  • Sorry, can I ask you to pause for a second? We're going to take a recess as we've lost our quorum
  • I
  • I'm happy to start over
  • So now's a good chance to just tell some dad jokes
  • Absolutely
  • Show tunes
  • You lost your corn because Commissioner Cho stepped out momentarily
  • I see
  • Nice
  • So, as many of you know that the Philadelphia Eagles will be going to the super bowl in two weeks
  • Very excited for that
  • Who's their pop star that they bring? You know, I probably
  • You know, obviously, we've got Taylor Swift supporting the Kansas City Chiefs
  • We have a number of
  • Thank you
  • Thank you, Steve, for a memory quest
  • Love, as always
  • Okay, we are back
  • I'm so sorry
  • We're done
  • Session
  • Sorry
  • It was a nice little comedic interlude
  • That's right
  • Do you want me to start over or do you want me to
  • No, I think you're good
  • Okay
  • Okay, great
  • So celebrating our successes from 2024, those five items that I mentioned in the FAA Reauthorization act, also the passage of the Water Resources Development act that included a number of wins for both the port and the Northwest Seaport Alliance
  • One of those, just to call out, was the deauthorization of a portion of the federal waterway near Terminal 25 south, which allows the port to go in and do some really great habitat restoration and salmon habitat work there in the waterway right off of Terminal 25 South
  • As that project moves forward, continuing to ensure that cruise shore power and seafood cargo infrastructure are eligible for the mared Port infrastructure development Program
  • Next slide, please
  • And then continuing to look at some things that we hope will happen in the FY25 bill, which is still under consideration
  • FY25 appropriations bill
  • Excuse me
  • That would allow us to finally, finally use federal funds for secondary noise insulation
  • So fingers crossed that we get that bill over the finish line
  • We also were able to get Several federal dollars, $3 million from the EPA Clean Ports Program at the end of last year to support our study of alternative maritime fuels
  • We have two $800,000 earmarks in the FY25 appropriations bill that again we hope to pass in the near future
  • And then finally successfully supported efforts to add direct service from SEA to Washington
  • Ronald Reagan, Washington National Airport
  • We were only one of five airports in the country to get an additional slot into that airport that Delta Air Lines will be starting in the coming months
  • So lots to celebrate from 2024
  • Next slide
  • So I want to start by talking about how great the last few weeks have been for me personally, because people have finally stopped asking, why do we keep Eric Shinfeld around? This has been one of the most dramatic reshapings of the federal government over a very brief period of time that we've seen, maybe ever
  • And so really trying to track this and understand what it means for the port is a challenge
  • And I agree with executive director Metruck that we've got a really fantastic team across the port, executive leadership, legal, all of our departments trying to really figure out how these changes impact us and what to do about them and how to respond appropriately
  • Just to start from the high level, of course, there are Republican control of the White House and Congress, President Trump in the White House, 53 Republicans out of 100 in the Senate, and technically 220 Republicans out of 435 in the House
  • Although within the next few weeks that will be down to 217 until about April
  • So really just a one vote majority in the House for Republicans
  • What that small majority means in the House and Senate, particularly because the Senate mostly needs 60 votes to pass a bill, is that there will be very limited opportunities for major legislation and most of the action will occur through executive order and agency regulation
  • Although we did just see even last week that the Lake and Riley act is something where there are enough conservative and moderate Democrats that will vote for certain pieces of legislation, for example, around bipartisan immigration legislation, that maybe there will be more legislation that in general we might think, think we know that there will be at least one major piece of legislation passed this year, which is a quote, unquote reconciliation package
  • That is a special budget related maneuver that allows something to pass the House and the Senate with a simple majority
  • So you don't need 60 votes in the Senate to pass a reconciliation bill
  • We think there will only be one, but there could be two in 2025
  • And that focus will be on Funding for border energy, defense, tax and trade will pay for that through a number of budget cuts, including some repeal of some inflation reduction act provisions
  • And again, that reconciliation bill can only be fiscal related, it cannot be policy
  • So that's not a bill to include policy changes, but rather to cut spending, to add spending, to change tax policy, those sorts of things
  • Next slide please
  • Here's what we know about the Trump administration's priorities and we've seen this already play out over the first few few weeks
  • Their proactive priorities include immigration restrictions and deportations, budget cuts, tariff increases, regulatory reform and permitting reform, and tax cuts
  • These are the things they'll be proactively working on
  • And then similarly things that they will be proactively working to roll back again, as we've seen through various executive actions are environmental considerations and policies
  • Anything having to do with clean energy, environmental justice, the those sorts of things
  • No new grant programs because they're cutting funding, not adding, cutting non defense spending
  • We've heard numbers down to 10 or 15% cuts in non defense discretionary spending which would be really huge
  • Anything having to do with equity or DEI or again environmental justice
  • And of course actively rolling back protections for various social and cultural issues, abortion, transgender rights, vaccine access, free speech, these types of things
  • Next slide
  • So where does that leave us? We of course have seen over the past couple of weeks a significant number of actions from President Trump
  • Some of them we expected, like the voluntary resignation of the FAA administrator
  • But some of them we did not expect, like the forced removal or rather the asking, the firing of both the TSA administrator and the Coast Guard commandant
  • And so we have no nominees or no permanent leaders in three of the most important federal agencies for our port, which at the very least leads to delays in major decisions and certainly obviously likely to have major changes in policies when those new leaders come in
  • Of the 42 executive orders on Inauguration Day and the many since here are just a couple of that are particularly notable for our port and our organization, ending halting disbursement of IRA and IAJA funds
  • IRA is the Inflation Reduction Act
  • IAJA is also known as the bipartisan infrastructure Law
  • We saw last night as executive director Metruck said that there is actually a total pause on federal funding, although some of that is getting rolled back and more specific related to just the things that they're really trying to understand and make sure they don't conflict with their goals around around stopping gender ideology, quote unquote, green and clean energy policies, immigration, DEI equity, et cetera
  • So ending all federal DEI programs and funding
  • And that not only includes at the federal level, but also now they are asking all federal grantees to sign a certificate that says that you do not have a DEI program that qualified, quote, unquote, violates federal anti discrimination law
  • You know, sometimes I like to make Pete Ramels very nervous and say things like, I'm not a lawyer, but I'm not a lawyer
  • But it is my understanding that none of our programs at the port violate federal law
  • We are very careful to not violate federal law
  • If we get additional guidance from the federal government about what they mean by violating federal anti discrimination policies, we will certainly take that consideration
  • But right now, we believe very strongly that we're within the bounds of law
  • And again, I'm not a lawyer
  • President Trump also instituted an emergency at the southern border
  • And you've seen, for example, the use of the US Military, both for logistical support at the border as well as deportation flights, halting offshore wind leases, reestablishing the travel ban and directing agency staff to identify additional countries to add to that ban
  • Halting all refugee admissions, declaring a national energy emergency, including making changes to nepa, withdrawing from the Paris climate Agreement, opening up Alaska to more drilling, including the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve
  • And what didn't make it on this list happen more recently is renaming Denali to Mount McKinley
  • So these are just some of the things that have happened in our Pacific Northwest and that affect the port in various ways
  • And happy to answer additional questions about how we think these specific things impact the port
  • Next slide
  • So we used to, in past years have a full list of all the things that we wanted from the federal government, all the things we'd pursue, and we were very successful in getting many of them
  • It's a very different environment in D.C
  • right now
  • And so this is the first year where instead of that sort of, hey, here's a bunch of things we want, instead, we have our federal priorities lumped into two buckets
  • Things that we actually still believe we can make progress on in the current Congress and the current administration and things that we want to make sure to defend that are going to come under scrutiny and we want to be able to continue to fight for, at least retain, if not make progress on
  • So here's the good news
  • Here's some things that we think can make progress
  • So I mentioned that reconciliation bill
  • That reconciliation bill would deal with tax policy
  • And we actually have a tax policy priority, which is to extend the sustainable aviation fuel tax credit, the blender's tax credits, and make sure that it not only stays in place, but expands from 3 years to 10 years to give the private sector enough certainty to make major investments in SAF facilities
  • We actually believe that there's a chance for that
  • SAF is a bipartisan and nonpartisan issue
  • And so that is something we believe can be get can be put into the reconciliation bill if we're successful
  • Similarly, there are a number of proposed investments from the FY25 appropriations bill that needs to be passed by March 14 or extended
  • And so we're hoping that what has already been passed by either the House or the Senate ends up in the final bill
  • Funding to add new CBP officers, including AT Air and SEA Gateways, funding for all of the Transportation Security Administration programs that we rely on, and funding for a new PFAs transition grant program that was authorized in the FA reauthorization bill
  • I will say that right now there's general positivity on the idea of getting an FY25 bill done, appropriations bill done by March 14th at acceptable levels because you do need both Democrats and Republicans to vote for it
  • It has to be a bipartisan bill, but obviously nothing is for certain and we are looking at the risk of a full year continuing resolution, which would mean not only do we not get those things, but the two earmarks that I mentioned earlier would not become law if there was a full year cross
  • Also, I just want to mention really briefly on this Customs and Border Protection officers
  • In addition to the FY25 appropriations bill, there will be $100 billion proposed in the reconciliation bill for new border security measures, including both staff and wall and technology
  • And we're hoping that some of that hundred billion dollars could also go to CBP officers for airports and seaports because we are part of the border as well
  • A number of other policies that have already been passed that we want to see continue to be implemented, including of course, those things that I mentioned earlier from our 2024 wins
  • Next slide, please
  • And then finally a couple things
  • Pursuit of federal grants
  • I know there's a pause right now, but we do expect that pause to end and we do expect there to be grant funding opportunities available
  • We actually have a grant that we're planning to submit this week, assuming that that grant NOFO doesn't get closed temporarily to do some additional funding
  • And we have plans for additional funding later in the year
  • So we will continue to pursue that
  • Even though we are not necessarily aligned with some of the Trump administration policies, we do believe that that funding is a good fit for some of the programs and some of the investments we want to make
  • So we'll work with our congressional delegation on that and then obviously advocacy for lots of other bipartisan and nonpartisan opportunities, including for example, the 2025 farm bill and the proposed Farm to Fly program that could be really helpful for saf
  • Next slide, please
  • So of course, like I said, there's a lot of areas concern and of course we are going to focus on those policies that have a potential impact on the port, on our operations, on our business, on our employees, and push back on things like tariffs that could be bad for our maritime and aviation cargo businesses, immigration policies that are not aligned with our values, ensuring that travel to the United States is open to everybody who wants to visit within reason, of course, pushing back on anything that would limit our efforts to be able to follow our raised values, certainly within the bounds of federal anti discrimination laws
  • And of course, advocating on behalf of port employees who are going to have their rights impacted
  • We've seen just for example, transgender rights subject to two executive orders now, including the most recent one that is a path to banning transgender individuals from serving in the military
  • And then of course, support of key programs, like I said earlier, looking for FY26 appropriations to face cuts of up to 10 to 15% in the non defense discretionary
  • And that has the potential to really cut a lot of programs that we care deeply about that we rely on for our operations and our work here at the port
  • And that's everything from sustainable aviation fuels to of course, the Puget Sound restoration, Basic federal staffing, basic investments in infrastructure, all of those things that are subject to potentially being cut by Congress that we want to fight to continue to have funded by the federal government because we think that they're important
  • And of course, just basic federal staffing, like I said, there is currently one of the executive orders by President Trump was a hiring pause and a regulatory pause
  • And that is going to really become a challenge, particularly as we look at needing to continue to add CBP officers, needing to continue to add TSA officers, needing to make sure that we have enough air traffic controllers to operate this airport and of course the seaport as well
  • So all things that we're concerned about, we'll continue to talk to our congressional delegation about
  • So obviously, very quick overview, next slide of some of the things we're working on
  • A lot more detail in the memo, of course, and we will continue to track all of these things
  • There's going to be a lot more change
  • There's going to be a lot more policies that come from the Trump administration
  • Some of them will benefit us
  • Some of them will be a challenge to our operations
  • And so we're going to be really thoughtful about how we engage, who we engage with and hope to continue to make progress on doing our core business, which is, of course, moving people and goods, but also supporting our employees in our communities
  • And that is the presentation
  • Thank you, Eric
  • Steve, do you have any follow up comments before I turn it over to commissioners? No, I don't
  • I think Eric covered it, but I think things are changing
  • We'll continue to keep commissioners updated, you know, as we come back with this, if there's any changes, addition to the list that Eric laid out
  • All right, Commissioners Mohammad and Cho, any questions or comments, go ahead
  • Commissioner Cho
  • Yeah, Eric, thank you for the briefing
  • I know there was probably a lot that you had to admit for the sake of brevity, but obviously we're facing challenging times
  • I think part of what we are concerned as, as a body, but also as a community community is some of the immigration policies that we expect to see
  • We're already hearing of reports of deportations
  • I think it would be prudent for us to explain for the public as well what the role is of Customs Border Patrol relative to, for instance, the immigration's Customs Enforcement
  • My understanding is that they're separate bodies within the Department of Homeland Security and do not work together
  • And so I think that clarity would be helpful and then what we might see or expect going forward, given our experience in the first Trump administration around deportations
  • Yeah
  • Thank you so much, Commissioner Cho
  • So President Trump has promised to carry out the largest deportation program in history
  • There are, you know, depending on the estimates, 10 to 20 million undocumented immigrants in the United States
  • And just as a side note to that, one of the first actions that the Trump administration took was to officially declare that we will now refer to them again as illegal aliens
  • So that is just one of the many, many steps he took and I think is sort of significant of the approach that they're taking
  • You know, Commissioner Cho, your point about the division of labor, quote, unquote, in the federal government has generally been true
  • I want to be clear that that is not necessarily true anymore, that the federal government under the Trump administration is utilizing all assets and all agencies and all staff that they can to carry out immigration enforcement and deportations
  • The US Military, ice, Homeland Security, we're hearing, for example, that the Joint Joint Terrorism Task Force is also potentially going to be empowered to engage in immigration enforcement
  • And so we do have to be very thoughtful as the port
  • It is port policy passed back in 2018, that we as port staff do not engage beyond where we are required to by federal law in immigration enforcement in any way
  • And so really understanding that changing landscape is increasing incredibly important to us
  • We do rely on federal staff here at the airport Customs and Border Protection to vet people coming into the country through our International Rivals facility
  • And those, those CBP officers, their job is to make sure that people have the proper paperwork, that they are not bringing anything into the country
  • They should not
  • But certainly in the first Trump administration, we did see what I would consider to be increased specificity around whether people have all of their documents in order and whether or not they should be allowed into the country
  • So maybe, like, close enough, you know, we know you're here for tourism
  • Feel free to come in
  • Might have happened in other administrations under the Trump administration
  • It's
  • You seem to be missing a comma here
  • I'm sorry, we're going to have to send you back
  • And I'm not saying that is a good thing or a bad thing
  • People have their different views on that
  • But I do think we can expect increased enforcement and increased numbers of people turned away from our International Rivals facility for not having every single piece of paperwork lined up in exactly the same way
  • Similarly, of course, we have federal staff throughout the airport, many of whom work for Homeland Security, TSA and CBP being the majority of those, they do not technically have responsibility to walk around the airport or walk around outside the airport and ask people for their documentation, but it is not illegal for them to do so
  • So, again, we need to be mindful monitoring this and make sure that we understand not only what is happening, but also that every single person who works at the airport, the 22,000 people who work at the airport, whether they work directly for us or whether they work for one of our tenants or vendors, understand what their rights are, potentially making sure that they are connected to education to know their rights
  • There was just a story today in the newspaper that the Trump administration has targeted Chicago for a major deportation effort
  • And they are not having as much success deporting people as they thought, because, as Tom Homan, the ICE czar, said, too many people know their rights
  • So it is actually something that can make a pretty big difference to help people understand when somebody comes up to you and asks you for your immigration documentation, what your rights are
  • And I think we can definitely play a role there
  • So it is a changing landscape
  • It's an incredibly aggressive landscape
  • That is not something that port staff engage in directly in terms of immigration enforcement
  • But we are looking very closely at ways that we can support our workforce, support the people who work at and around our aviation and maritime facilities
  • Go ahead
  • You know, as you know, many, many months ago, I asked for a, a plan or a review of the funding that we may see to lose as a result of this new administration
  • And I want to clarify for the public and confirm that when we go through our capital budget processing process of planning, we do not account for or depend on or assume that we will be receiving federal funding
  • Is that accurate, Steve? Yes, that's accurate
  • Okay
  • So although there's a huge opportunity cost for us if we were not to receive federal funding, as far as the commitments that we've made as a port to the infrastructure and the building out of our facilities, that is assumed to be moving forward with or without federal funding
  • That's Executive Director Medric nodding right there
  • Yes
  • Yeah
  • And of course it does
  • Of course, that impacts, if we have to expend the full funds and we don't get those opportunities of those federal funds, it may impact the time or the amount of projects in the future as we go, but we manage that
  • And Commissioner, if I can just add really briefly, certainly there are a number of reasons why we would not get as many federal funds as we have in the past
  • And some of those are changing priorities from the administration
  • Some of those might be new restrictions on organizations that have DEI programs or organizations that are in a sanctuary city or in a sanctuary state
  • That having been said, we are full steam ahead as staff continuing to apply for federal funds
  • If we can get federal funds, we want them, obviously not with strings attached that we don't feel comfortable with
  • But we do still believe that even with all of these federal changes, that there will be opportunities for us to continue to receive federal dollars, at least right now
  • Yeah
  • And you know, I think there's an important distinction here between formulaic funding and discretionary funding
  • And obviously this discretionary funding may trickle to a halt, but for the most part, I hope the formulaic funding will stay place
  • So we'll see what happens
  • We will see what happens
  • Commissioner MUHAMMAD no particular questions, but I did just want to take a minute to thank Eric and also Director Bezar, who recently held a meeting with our immigration focused organizations to discuss questions that they had to address the potential impacts of this new administration's proposed deportation plans
  • And that meeting I participated in, it was really focused on how the Port of Seattle will collaborate with community organizations and provide accurate information
  • I think the most important thing we can do during this time is combat misinformation
  • And one of the best ways we can do that is just to ensure that we have regional coordination
  • And I think the other thing that I would want to underscore for the public is that the Port of Seattle or the Commission does not interfere with any sort of judicial order or federal enforcements that are taking place, but that we do remain committed to foster fostering a regional cooperation
  • And we'll continue to work with our immigration led organization to provide clarity resources, know your rights information and support them as communities are impacted
  • And ultimately that helps us build trust and get accurate information out
  • I think that will be the most important thing we can do as an organization and our responsible to do that
  • And so just want to thank Eric and Director Gazar for engaging with that those organizations and being a part of those regional tables to discuss how to get ahead of some of the misinformation that will be out in community
  • Thank you
  • Any response to that Eric? Absolutely
  • Happy to continue to work with you and everybody at the to do the best we can to follow our values and support our community
  • I was reflecting in November on the year ahead and one of the really important themes that I kept returning to is this idea that one aspect of American democracy that makes us truly unique among democracies is that we are a federal system where so much of the real functioning of government happens at the local and state level
  • And that can be frustrating when you're in D.C
  • and in power
  • It can also be empowering when you don't necessarily agree with the administration
  • But I think it also adds a responsibility to local governments like the Port of Seattle, where, you know, at a time when it feels like there's so much chaos and the dysfunction of government may be in fact part of the plan, it's up to us to show that government can still work for folks in their communities and for the basic services they need
  • And so I think we all have a responsibility to ensure that regardless of what happens out of D.C
  • that here in our communities we're going to work to make government work for our communities
  • And that is a sort of rear guard that we need to play in in a challenging moment, particularly for the most vulnerable
  • It feels like so much of this stuff is punching down and we need to be willing to say we're going to advocate for folks who may not have their own voice or may not have their own power, whether those are immigrants or transgender folks or minority communities or the economically disenfranchised
  • It's really important for those of us that do still wield some power to be able to say we're going to push back against chaos and injustice
  • And it sounds like a Marvel speech, but it's really sincerely true in these moments
  • And Eric, I know I think you and I spoke about this, too
  • In some ways, this feels like getting back on a bike after a while
  • This was the milieu into which I first became a Commissioner, and so I kind of feel like I'm getting back into the habit of playing that role
  • At the same time, I do think, you know, we will return to some normal sense of order even coming out of the federal government relatively soon, as this is exhausting even for the folks who may believe in the larger agenda
  • But they just want to, you know, if you're a new cabinet secretary, you do actually want your department to succeed
  • And so eventually I'm hoping that many of these agencies with whom we work will get back to a sort of normal course of operations and we'll be able to pick up where we left off
  • So I know this is very disruptive and scary for a lot of people, but we're going to continue to try to work through this and make progress, even maybe if we're facing more significant headwinds than normal
  • So thank you for the presentation
  • Steve, I'm going to ask you one more time if there's anything else you want to add on this topic
  • I think a good note to end on is that we'll continue to take actions as we look at this through our lens of our values to do that and also continuing to look for how we can support our community as well in doing that and continue to look for both the opportunities
  • There's challenges, but there's also opportunities within this, too, for us as well
  • So indeed
  • Okay
  • Well, thank you again, Eric
  • That concludes our business meeting agenda for the day
  • Are there any closing comments at this time or motions relating to committee referrals from commissioners, Commissioner Mohamed or Cho? Happy to provide my closing comments if that's okay
  • Please do
  • Yeah, thanks
  • I just wanted to thank Tyler who worked on the motion today that was introduced earlier, and get an opportunity to thank aye
  • and other staff who worked on it
  • It was unfortunate that the motion didn't pass, but I just wanted to say I appreciated the time and effort that went into helping draft it
  • Thank you for the time and appreciate it
  • Okay
  • The only closing comment I had was just a little moment of joy
  • I showed up to my daughter's first softball skills camp of the season and lo and behold, it was Aaron Pritchard coaching
  • I'd heard about this, like, Svengali figure in Seattle softball who was famed for just being an amazing coach for the girls
  • And so as my daughter is now aged into this, it was such a pleasure to walk in and see Erin's smiling face there
  • And when Jane came back from practice, she was so excited about softball season
  • So thank you, Aaron, for being a great member of your community too
  • I walked in and he said, hey, my boss is here
  • And all these other people in the room are like, you're aye
  • boss? And I was like, well, sort of, but not really
  • But anyway, it was a wonderful moment
  • So thank you, Aaron, for giving in that way to your community executive director Metruck
  • Any closing comments? Softball related
  • Not softball related
  • Great
  • Okay, hearing no further comments and having no further business, if there is no objection, we are adjourned at

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