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Hello, I'm your host,
Brian Callanan.

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In August, two Democrats emerged
from a three-way primary

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for a House seat in the 46th
District in Northeast Seattle.

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15-year incumbent Gerry Pollet
faces former federal prosecutor

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Will Dreher in a debate over
public safety on Aurora Avenue

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North, AI policy, and more.

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Pollet won the primary for
the 46th district's position

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one house seat with 52% of the
vote, up against Dreher's 31%.

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I sue AI companies.

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Dreher, an attorney who's
leading a class action

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lawsuit against Apple, says
he jumped into the race

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to push for more aggressive
guardrails on the tech industry.

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Our legislature and our state
are far behind other states

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when it comes to AI regulation.

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While Dreher supports a
moratorium on new data centers,

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Pollet says centers should
be taxed to retrain workers.

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I'm fighting to
fund our schools.

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With 15 years in the
House, Pollet says his

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legislative record is about
turning policy into results.

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This year I passed
groundbreaking legislation

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on how we teach our
children to read.

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Dreher says those reading
reforms don't go far enough.

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And the candidates differ
on their responses to

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disorder on Aurora Avenue
North and other issues.

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I spent 20 years lobbying on
public school funding and

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improving education before
I ran for the legislature.

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Both candidates
are sounding off.

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And I didn't realize that I also
needed to go down to Olympia

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to help the legislators do the
job I expected them to do.

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It's a Northeast Seattle
battle for House

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District 46, Position 1.

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Next on City Inside Out.

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♪♪

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Thanks again for joining
us here on the Seattle

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Channel for City Inside Out.

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I'm Brian Callanan, and I'm
very glad to have with me the

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candidates for the District 46,
Position 1 State House seat.

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Representative Gerry
Pollet is the incumbent.

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Welcome. Thank you.

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Also with us, Will
Dreher, his challenger.

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Will, good to have you, too.

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Good morning, Brian.

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We had a coin flip before
the show, and Gerry, you're

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going to be speaking first
in opening statement.

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Please keep it to a minute.

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Thank you.

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Thank you for having us.

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It's so important to have forums
which are rarer and rarer to

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involve people in democracy.

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As the representative from the
46th district, my priority has

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always been to make sure
our children's education

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is fully funded.

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I've been responsible for
eliminating the cap on how

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many children the state will
pay for who have disabilities

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in special education and
adding hundreds of millions

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of dollars a year that kept
Seattle from having to close

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schools, fighting to lower
class sizes, and to increase

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access to the opportunities
of post-secondary education.

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I was one of the originators of
the Seattle Promise, enabling

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every person who graduates from
Seattle high schools to go

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to Seattle colleges for free.

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And we have to expand
that statewide.

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And I'm very proud for my
work on abortion rights and

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standing up to Donald Trump
and as an environmental

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leader in the state.

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OK, thank you very
much for that.

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Will, an opening
statement, if you could.

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A minute, please.

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Thank you.

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Look, Gerry and I agree
on a lot of progressive

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priorities, including things
like environmental progress

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and K-12 education funding.

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But this race is really about
three areas where I think the

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state has been falling behind.

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The first of those is
tech regulation, where

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we are woefully behind
other states in terms

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of regulating AI, social
media, your data privacy, and

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kids' use of tech in schools.

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I currently sue AI and other
tech companies, and I understand

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the urgency, and I would
seek to lead on those

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issues in Olympia.

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The second issue is our state's
public school performance,

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which has declined now
to 31st in the country.

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As a former public
school teacher, I will

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always champion K-12 funding,
but we can also improve

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outcomes by adopting
successful interventions

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that we've been
too slow to adopt.

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And the third issue is
Aurora Avenue, which is

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now the second busiest location
for child sex trafficking

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in the United States.

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It's a disgrace.

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And as a former
federal prosecutor,

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I've proposed a state sex
trafficking task force that

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could comprehensively address
Aurora in three to five years

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I got into this race because
of as a dad of two little kids

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I'm deeply concerned about the
challenges facing our next

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generation and those are the
issues I would lead on Gerry

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Maybe I can start with you
to talk about Aurora Avenue

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North in the 46 district
Residents were protesting

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earlier this year as you
know against sex trafficking

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the crime that's been going
on in that neighborhood

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You told me before the show
you actually advised some

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neighbors to pull some
planters out in the streets

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to disrupt criminal activity,
which definitely got the

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city's attention to put up
some barriers of their own.

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But I want to understand
the state's role regarding

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the issues around
Aurora Avenue North,

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what you've done as a
legislature to respond

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to them, what you would
do if you were reelected.

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So Will's right.

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It's a disgrace.

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The average age of the
girls out on Aurora Avenue

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being trafficked are between
14 and 16 years old.

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This is intolerable.

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And it's been going on
getting worse with gun

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battles raging on the streets.

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And I knew that the city had
done a study saying that they

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could cut off those escape
routes for the gun battles,

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and they weren't doing anything.

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So I met with residents and
said, get their attention,

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pull the planters out.

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And it worked.

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Four years ago, three
years ago, I got

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the city $50 million to spend
on improving safety along

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Aurora Avenue, pedestrian
safety and public safety.

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And I made sure it
included public safety.

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That was three years ago, Brian.

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And the city is still
sitting on that money and

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saying that they won't
spend it until 2030 or 31.

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That's unacceptable.

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We know what we can do to
improve pedestrian safety.

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It is the second deadliest
street in Washington State, the

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most deadly street in Seattle.

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We know what we can do
immediately with money to make

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it safer and to take action.

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We have a statewide task
force with the FBI and

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others on sex trafficking.

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What we don't have is the
focus at Seattle's level

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to say we are going to
prosecute sex traffickers.

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We're going to put the police
there, have a police substation.

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We can use that $50
million for those things.

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So just a little bit
about my background.

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I worked at the U.S.

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Attorney's Office as
a federal prosecutor.

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I actually investigated
and prosecuted sex

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traffickers on Aurora Avenue.

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I know how those
investigations are built.

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And, frankly, I think
it's evident that the

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city's approaches and
the state's approaches

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to this issue have not worked
for the last 15 years.

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Otherwise, we wouldn't be—we
wouldn't have the second-busiest

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location for child sex
trafficking today or

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the gun violence that we
saw this past summer.

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So what I—again, what I
have proposed is a task

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force different than the
kind of multi-jurisdictional

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sort of cooperation
working group that exists

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in many different areas.

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This would be a task force that
would employ outreach workers

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for victims and for sex
workers to connect them with

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services and build trust.

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It would include detectives
and police officers and slots

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for prosecutors and analysts
to actually work on building

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cases against traffickers
and deterring and disrupting

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sex buyer activity
every single night.

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That's what's not
happening right now.

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And you can think of it as
sort of a mini police force

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that would be focused on those
40 blocks on Aurora Avenue.

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It's something that the
state has not tried.

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And, you know, to be honest,
over the last 15 years, the $50

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million in funding that Gerry's
talking about was primarily for

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traffic and pedestrian safety.

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I mean, you can read the bill.

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That's what it's about, not
addressing these sort of

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public safety challenges.

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I mean, of course, traffic
safety is public safety,

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but not sex trafficking
and gun violence in the

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way that I'm describing.

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And the last thing I'd say
is, you know, if after 15

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years, the thing that I was
pointing to was advising

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residents to build a makeshift
barricade to sort of protect

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themselves from gun violence.

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I think that points to the
inadequacy of the city and

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state's response to date.

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And if I were in the
legislature every year, I

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would be working hard on
solutions to address this

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problem until we got it done.

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It's like I said, I guess sounds
like we agree it's disgraceful.

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First off, the money
says it can be used for

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neighborhood safety.

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And that includes, of
course, public safety and

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addressing the gun violence.

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And you can use it for
police substation.

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Will is right, and I've
been engaged with the

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community for years
trying to get the city

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of Seattle to pay
attention to this problem.

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It is a city failure.

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The state has
provided resources.

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We've given more money for
adding to the police force.

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It's up to the city to be
cajoled, pushed, and organized.

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And I'm an organizer, so
I work with the neighbors

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to say, do something.

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Last touch on this, Will.

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There's no reason that
we couldn't address this

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in the next four years.

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So we've been waiting
for 15 or 20 years, and

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it hasn't gotten done.

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A state task force could
address it directly.

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We don't have to wait for the
city or the county to act.

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I'm going to move on if I could.

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Will, let me start with you.

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You actually told me before
we started this show that you

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got into this race because
you think our state needs

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stronger AI regulations.

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Your opponent co-sponsored
legislation, which

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passed earlier this year,
addressing AI and chatbots.

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But you have told me you don't
think he's doing enough.

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How would you treat
AI regulations

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differently if you were elected?

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Sure. So, again, as I mentioned
at the top, you know, my

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current job, in my current
job, I sue AI companies.

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I sue other tech companies.

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And as you mentioned, yes, I
got into this race because

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our state is objectively
behind other states.

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And so just some quick
numbers on that.

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California has passed nearly
three dozen AI-related bills.

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New York, Texas, Illinois,
Colorado, Utah, all of

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those states have passed
far more bills than us.

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And more importantly,
they've passed comprehensive

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AI legislation, which
our state has not.

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In 2024 and 2025, as those
states were passing dozens of

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bills, our legislature was not.

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In fact, I think in
2025, we didn't pass

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any AI-related bills.

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So that's just to set
the framework here.

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The kinds of things that we need
to work on cut across a wide

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variety of domains, but they
include things like AI safety,

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where we have no legislation,
data center regulation or a

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moratorium, which is what I've
talked about, which we don't

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have, job market protections
for public sector and private

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sector workers, things
related to consumer impacts

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from AI, and privacy issues
like AI mass surveillance.

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So there's a whole host
of issues that we need to

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be working on that we are
not currently addressing.

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And again, we are
behind other states.

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Gerry, I want to make sure
you respond to that, please.

246
00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,586
Well, Will never contacted his
own legislators about these

247
00:11:29,586 --> 00:11:33,437
issues, never lobbied on them,
and seems unaware of the work

248
00:11:33,437 --> 00:11:37,418
that we have been engaged in,
like the AI chatbot legislation.

249
00:11:37,418 --> 00:11:41,048
But most importantly, our
regulation proposed for data

250
00:11:41,048 --> 00:11:44,600
centers is about the strongest
in the nation to prevent

251
00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:47,918
them from sucking up all
our electricity and water.

252
00:11:47,918 --> 00:11:54,240
And I've actually proposed
groundbreaking legislation

253
00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:57,139
to tax AI and data centers.

254
00:11:57,139 --> 00:12:01,019
working with Oregon because the
data centers have played us.

255
00:12:02,298 --> 00:12:05,360
Amazon and others say we'll
put it across the river.

256
00:12:05,360 --> 00:12:08,038
We'll get electricity from
the other side of the river.

257
00:12:08,038 --> 00:12:10,609
You've got to have a two-state
approach so that they don't

258
00:12:10,609 --> 00:12:11,840
play one against the other.

259
00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:15,466
And the money goes to
higher education, training

260
00:12:15,466 --> 00:12:19,360
people, retraining people
who have lost their jobs,

261
00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:23,038
electricity consumers
being protected, water

262
00:12:23,038 --> 00:12:26,440
being protected, and
being able to invest in

263
00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:29,600
the future of healthcare
and education in the

264
00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:32,677
state. I've also been a
leader in saying that

265
00:12:32,677 --> 00:12:38,320
AI must not be allowed to
replace your doctor's opinion

266
00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:40,700
on what treatment
you should get.

267
00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:45,298
Insurance companies need
to be banned from using AI

268
00:12:45,298 --> 00:12:48,057
to overturn a doctor's
prescription or

269
00:12:48,057 --> 00:12:49,480
medical treatment.

270
00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:51,740
- Gerry's talking about a
lot of extra regulation

271
00:12:51,740 --> 00:12:53,677
on these data centers, if
and when they're put in.

272
00:12:53,677 --> 00:12:56,677
You're talking about potentially
a statewide moratorium.

273
00:12:56,677 --> 00:12:57,677
Talk to me about that, please.

274
00:12:57,677 --> 00:12:59,600
- Yeah, well, I think
actually we need both.

275
00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:02,605
So moratorium on new data
centers and then environmental

276
00:13:02,605 --> 00:13:05,301
regulation of an existing
price impact regulation

277
00:13:05,301 --> 00:13:06,677
of existing data centers.

278
00:13:08,379 --> 00:13:11,125
But we don't have either
of those things right now.

279
00:13:11,125 --> 00:13:12,365
Right. So it's one thing to

280
00:13:12,365 --> 00:13:14,320
this is the part of the
legislative process.

281
00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:16,720
It's one thing to draft a
bill, but it takes often

282
00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,177
years to get those things
across the finish line.

283
00:13:19,177 --> 00:13:22,000
And that's the difference
between starting this

284
00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,750
process, as other states
did in 2023 and 2024 and

285
00:13:24,750 --> 00:13:26,538
starting that process in 2026.

286
00:13:26,538 --> 00:13:29,000
It's why we don't have data
center regulation right now.

287
00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,288
The other thing I would
say is until 2026, our

288
00:13:31,288 --> 00:13:34,072
legislature, the only thing
that we really were doing

289
00:13:34,072 --> 00:13:36,918
with respect to data centers
is giving them tax breaks.

290
00:13:36,918 --> 00:13:39,937
And in 2022, most of the
Democrats in the caucus,

291
00:13:39,937 --> 00:13:42,653
including Gerry, voted
to expand those tax

292
00:13:42,653 --> 00:13:44,240
breaks for data centers.

293
00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,298
And that was the status
quo until this year.

294
00:13:46,298 --> 00:13:49,080
So, again, it's one thing
to have draft legislation.

295
00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:50,278
It's another thing
to get it done.

296
00:13:50,278 --> 00:13:51,720
We haven't gotten it
done in the legislature.

297
00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,940
A moratorium is what you do
when you don't know what to do.

298
00:13:55,940 --> 00:13:58,873
We know what to do to
regulate data centers and to

299
00:13:58,873 --> 00:14:02,320
prevent them from sucking up
our electricity and water.

300
00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:07,519
Number two, I chair the
committee that reviews tax

301
00:14:07,519 --> 00:14:12,721
exemptions and documented
that the tax exemption

302
00:14:12,721 --> 00:14:18,047
for data centers sucks up
$275,000 for every job the

303
00:14:18,047 --> 00:14:21,019
companies say they created.

304
00:14:21,019 --> 00:14:22,259
We're going to get rid of it.

305
00:14:22,259 --> 00:14:25,644
And I voted to get rid of
the first phase of the tax

306
00:14:25,644 --> 00:14:29,619
exemption for existing data
centers already this year.

307
00:14:30,778 --> 00:14:33,759
So there's a difference here.

308
00:14:33,759 --> 00:14:37,500
If you follow the
legislature, I worked to

309
00:14:37,500 --> 00:14:39,960
eliminate tax exemptions.

310
00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:44,822
And we have proposed a tax,
which would be the first in the

311
00:14:44,822 --> 00:14:50,100
nation, with Oregon doing it
jointly, on data centers and AI.

312
00:14:50,100 --> 00:14:53,399
That's groundbreaking,
and yes, it takes time.

313
00:14:53,399 --> 00:14:55,720
Our state has some
of the hugest,

314
00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:58,519
the biggest corporations
in the world investing.

315
00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:04,360
We have fought battle after
battle over data privacy

316
00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:08,940
against these companies because
they don't want change.

317
00:15:08,940 --> 00:15:10,879
Okay. I do need to
move on if I could,

318
00:15:10,879 --> 00:15:12,240
but thank you for
bringing that up.

319
00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:13,700
Will, I want to
talk about housing

320
00:15:13,700 --> 00:15:15,700
in the 46th District
with you, if I could.

321
00:15:15,700 --> 00:15:18,604
Your opponent has supported
taxing short-term rentals

322
00:15:18,604 --> 00:15:21,200
like Airbnbs to help build
more affordable units.

323
00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:23,759
Earlier this year, he helped
secure $7.1 million for

324
00:15:23,759 --> 00:15:26,320
affordable units at the
Lake City Community Center.

325
00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:28,471
Do you have a different
approach to the challenge

326
00:15:28,471 --> 00:15:29,677
of housing affordability?

327
00:15:29,677 --> 00:15:32,201
You know, I think that Gerry
and I both agree on the

328
00:15:32,201 --> 00:15:33,740
need for affordable housing.

329
00:15:33,740 --> 00:15:37,149
One thing that I think the state
could also do at some point

330
00:15:37,149 --> 00:15:40,700
is support the city's nascent
efforts with social housing,

331
00:15:40,700 --> 00:15:43,201
which I think is a great
solution, mixed-income

332
00:15:43,201 --> 00:15:44,080
social housing.

333
00:15:45,798 --> 00:15:47,379
You know, I guess I
would say more broadly,

334
00:15:47,379 --> 00:15:50,057
one thing that I do think may
be a distinction between us

335
00:15:50,057 --> 00:15:54,460
is our approach to sort of some
of the permitting processes

336
00:15:54,460 --> 00:15:57,980
and attempting to streamline
those for new housing,

337
00:15:57,980 --> 00:15:59,820
for new child care centers.

338
00:15:59,820 --> 00:16:02,995
So, for example, I think there
are common-sense density

339
00:16:02,995 --> 00:16:04,620
solutions like ADUs, right?

340
00:16:04,620 --> 00:16:07,918
and I think we should be making
it easier, and we should.

341
00:16:07,918 --> 00:16:11,320
This legislature did eventually
make it easier to build those.

342
00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:14,860
But in 2021, when a bill that
was proposed for that purpose

343
00:16:14,860 --> 00:16:19,139
came before Gerry's
committee, changes were made,

344
00:16:19,139 --> 00:16:21,158
and those changes,
along with some others,

345
00:16:21,158 --> 00:16:23,504
led the proponents of the
bill to eventually ask

346
00:16:23,504 --> 00:16:25,927
the governor to veto it
because they felt like it

347
00:16:25,927 --> 00:16:28,139
was making it, in the
end, more challenging,

348
00:16:28,139 --> 00:16:29,320
actually, to build ADUs.

349
00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:31,764
So that's, you know, our
permitting process here in

350
00:16:31,764 --> 00:16:34,778
Seattle is still significantly
longer than many other states.

351
00:16:34,778 --> 00:16:37,629
And so there are things that we
can do at the state legislature,

352
00:16:37,629 --> 00:16:38,778
I think, to speed that up.

353
00:16:38,778 --> 00:16:41,918
All that that does is add costs
for the person who buys new

354
00:16:41,918 --> 00:16:45,259
housing or the renter who lives
in a new apartment building.

355
00:16:45,259 --> 00:16:48,095
And frankly, it's the same
permitting process that a lot

356
00:16:48,095 --> 00:16:51,230
of homeowners have experienced
when just trying to, you know,

357
00:16:51,230 --> 00:16:52,798
do a renovation of their house.

358
00:16:52,798 --> 00:16:55,625
First off, we're not
going to get affordable

359
00:16:55,625 --> 00:16:57,460
housing through the market.

360
00:16:57,460 --> 00:17:01,149
And that's what, you know, a lot
of people think that we just

361
00:17:01,149 --> 00:17:04,768
free up permitting and we're
just going to let developers

362
00:17:04,768 --> 00:17:06,199
do whatever they like.

363
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:10,325
They'll only build, they'll tear
down the affordable housing

364
00:17:10,325 --> 00:17:13,654
and they'll build four to
six units at one and a half

365
00:17:13,654 --> 00:17:15,720
million dollars each for sale.

366
00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:17,036
That's not affordable.

367
00:17:17,036 --> 00:17:18,548
You have to have government

368
00:17:18,548 --> 00:17:21,180
intervention to say if
you're going to tear down

369
00:17:21,180 --> 00:17:26,116
a house and put up four units,
one or two of them have to be

370
00:17:26,116 --> 00:17:31,505
affordable. On ADUs, accessory
dwelling units, the battle,

371
00:17:31,505 --> 00:17:36,577
which if you had followed it,
you'd know, was over Airbnbs.

372
00:17:37,577 --> 00:17:40,861
and I proposed and put
into the legislation that

373
00:17:40,861 --> 00:17:44,057
if you're giving a tax
break to someone to build

374
00:17:44,057 --> 00:17:49,498
an ADU, that you must commit
that it's for longer-term

375
00:17:49,498 --> 00:17:53,286
rental or housing and
not for an Airbnb.

376
00:17:53,286 --> 00:17:56,055
If you're going to
get a tax break, we

377
00:17:56,055 --> 00:17:59,836
sure as heck shouldn't be
giving it for an Airbnb.

378
00:17:59,837 --> 00:18:02,393
And if you lay down with
the developers, you get

379
00:18:02,393 --> 00:18:03,896
fleas from the developers.

380
00:18:03,900 --> 00:18:08,692
And they wanted it vetoed
because you see all along,

381
00:18:08,692 --> 00:18:14,269
like Aurora Avenue, townhouse
after townhouse that's been

382
00:18:14,269 --> 00:18:19,400
built in Seattle that is being
used as an Airbnb instead

383
00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:24,307
of being used for rental
housing or lowering the cost

384
00:18:24,307 --> 00:18:26,759
of being able to buy a home.

385
00:18:26,759 --> 00:18:28,198
Okay. Thank you for that.

386
00:18:28,198 --> 00:18:28,873
Will? Yeah.

387
00:18:28,873 --> 00:18:30,337
Just, I guess, two things.

388
00:18:30,337 --> 00:18:33,567
One, the groups that asked
the governor to veto that

389
00:18:33,567 --> 00:18:36,798
legislation back in 2021
weren't just developers.

390
00:18:36,798 --> 00:18:39,546
It was the AARP and
environmental groups

391
00:18:39,546 --> 00:18:41,000
like the Sierra Club.

392
00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,653
So that actually was a consensus
approach and a consensus bill

393
00:18:44,653 --> 00:18:47,679
that we needed to make it
easier to build these ADUs.

394
00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:49,968
And the kinds of permitting
reform that I'm talking

395
00:18:49,968 --> 00:18:52,201
about doesn't actually
mean allowing developers

396
00:18:52,201 --> 00:18:53,317
to do whatever they want.

397
00:18:53,317 --> 00:18:56,586
It does mean allowing the
kinds of housing construction

398
00:18:56,586 --> 00:18:59,298
that we do want to happen
on a much faster scale.

399
00:18:59,298 --> 00:19:01,557
Because the issue is
permitting delays.

400
00:19:01,557 --> 00:19:04,000
Just the delays past the
times that we are supposed

401
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:06,556
to be issuing these permits
alone adds 5 to 10 percent

402
00:19:06,556 --> 00:19:07,660
to the cost of housing.

403
00:19:07,660 --> 00:19:10,151
And it's not changing the
outcomes in terms of the

404
00:19:10,151 --> 00:19:12,519
kinds of housing or where
they are being built.

405
00:19:12,519 --> 00:19:15,423
The other thing that I guess
I do just want to address

406
00:19:15,423 --> 00:19:18,198
is I appreciate Gerry's
point that I have not been

407
00:19:18,198 --> 00:19:21,240
in the legislature, right,
during the last six years.

408
00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:24,160
But I have been closely
following these issues.

409
00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:27,573
And on the ADU bill, Gerry
may disagree with the way

410
00:19:27,573 --> 00:19:31,880
that the urbanists and other
organizations covered that play.

411
00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,500
but I would encourage folks
to read it because their

412
00:19:34,500 --> 00:19:35,720
take is the same as mine.

413
00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:37,857
And on AI regulation,
it's the same.

414
00:19:37,857 --> 00:19:39,519
It's not that I haven't
been following it.

415
00:19:39,519 --> 00:19:41,837
It's that these bills
haven't gotten passed.

416
00:19:41,837 --> 00:19:46,134
And so I'm fully aware of
what the legislature has and

417
00:19:46,134 --> 00:19:48,480
hasn't been able to get done.

418
00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:52,117
And lastly, I guess, I'd say,
there was a reference to me

419
00:19:52,117 --> 00:19:55,640
not being down in Olympia
lobbying on AI regulations

420
00:19:55,640 --> 00:19:57,337
during the last four years.

421
00:19:57,337 --> 00:20:00,136
So I guess I would say, you
know, my jobs during that time

422
00:20:00,140 --> 00:20:02,605
included prosecuting
sex traffickers and

423
00:20:02,605 --> 00:20:04,942
January 6th rioters,
which was a second job

424
00:20:04,942 --> 00:20:07,337
that I took on while I
was a federal prosecutor.

425
00:20:07,337 --> 00:20:10,557
And then I left those jobs in
order to sue AI companies.

426
00:20:10,557 --> 00:20:12,817
So those were the jobs
that I was doing.

427
00:20:12,817 --> 00:20:15,557
And I didn't realize that I also
needed to go down to Olympia

428
00:20:15,557 --> 00:20:18,577
to help the legislators do the
job I expected them to do,

429
00:20:18,577 --> 00:20:20,420
which was address
these urgent issues.

430
00:20:20,420 --> 00:20:22,679
I want to make sure I give time
for a rejoinder here, please.

431
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:26,939
Look, I have 150,000
constituents.

432
00:20:26,940 --> 00:20:30,160
Every one of them has an opinion
and follows the legislature.

433
00:20:31,837 --> 00:20:36,265
What's the difference between
a community activist and

434
00:20:36,265 --> 00:20:40,880
someone who is engaged in the
process in order to serve your

435
00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:45,396
communities, being engaged in
the issues you care about?

436
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:49,451
I spent 20 years lobbying on
public school funding and

437
00:20:49,451 --> 00:20:53,597
improving education before
I ran for the legislature.

438
00:20:53,597 --> 00:20:56,902
I was one of the state's
leading environmental

439
00:20:56,902 --> 00:21:00,028
advocates and attorneys
and spent years writing

440
00:21:00,028 --> 00:21:02,259
and passing some of
our groundbreaking

441
00:21:02,259 --> 00:21:05,298
environmental laws before
I ran for the legislature.

442
00:21:05,298 --> 00:21:08,641
I do think that you have an
obligation to be engaged if you

443
00:21:08,641 --> 00:21:12,271
want to represent the community
and to know what it takes

444
00:21:12,271 --> 00:21:14,160
to pass that legislation.

445
00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,259
And it's easy to say, oh,
you should have done this.

446
00:21:17,259 --> 00:21:21,506
But like on data privacy,
you've criticized us for not

447
00:21:21,506 --> 00:21:23,959
taking, passing data privacy.

448
00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:28,440
We could have passed a
sham data privacy bill.

449
00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:29,640
We could have.

450
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:34,463
But some of us insisted that
it had to have language that

451
00:21:34,463 --> 00:21:39,605
said the state of Washington
and people whose data has been

452
00:21:39,605 --> 00:21:44,538
improperly used get to sue the
heck out of the companies.

453
00:21:44,538 --> 00:21:48,009
And if you work for a corporate
law firm, the question then

454
00:21:48,009 --> 00:21:51,913
becomes what happens when your
clients change and those clients

455
00:21:51,913 --> 00:21:53,577
no longer want regulation?

456
00:21:53,577 --> 00:21:56,939
Okay. I really need to move
on here if I can briefly.

457
00:21:56,940 --> 00:21:59,409
On that last point, Brian,
just to be clear, I don't

458
00:21:59,409 --> 00:22:00,817
work at a corporate law firm.

459
00:22:00,817 --> 00:22:02,239
I don't know where
that came from.

460
00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:06,336
My law firm sues major
corporations, oil companies,

461
00:22:06,336 --> 00:22:10,439
AI companies, big technology
companies, big banks.

462
00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:13,057
So, you know, we've disclosed
most of our clients.

463
00:22:13,057 --> 00:22:15,545
We are a plaintiff side
law firm that sues

464
00:22:15,545 --> 00:22:17,077
those big corporations.

465
00:22:17,077 --> 00:22:18,778
Thank you for the
clarification there.

466
00:22:18,778 --> 00:22:20,500
Gerry, I want to make sure
I talk about education.

467
00:22:20,500 --> 00:22:22,798
You've been a champion for
many, many years here.

468
00:22:22,798 --> 00:22:26,084
You've heard from some critics,
including your opponent,

469
00:22:26,084 --> 00:22:29,096
that our state's investment
in education is lagging.

470
00:22:29,097 --> 00:22:32,124
I know Will brought up this
stat from the Casey Foundation

471
00:22:32,124 --> 00:22:33,700
reporting earlier this year.

472
00:22:33,700 --> 00:22:36,413
Washington's dropped to 31st
in the nation in terms of

473
00:22:36,413 --> 00:22:39,309
math proficiency and grade
level reading, down from 20th

474
00:22:39,309 --> 00:22:40,636
a little over 10 years ago.

475
00:22:40,640 --> 00:22:43,586
How do you look at those numbers
and what would you focus on in

476
00:22:43,586 --> 00:22:45,239
education if you were reelected?

477
00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,567
So I've been the leader
in the legislature in

478
00:22:48,567 --> 00:22:52,440
fighting to improve funding
for public education,

479
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:55,115
lowering class sizes,
improving professional

480
00:22:55,115 --> 00:22:58,247
development for our teachers,
and addressing how we

481
00:22:58,247 --> 00:23:00,019
teach our children to read.

482
00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:03,959
And, of course,
special education.

483
00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,750
Special education is the
deficit driver for all

484
00:23:06,750 --> 00:23:08,076
our school districts.

485
00:23:08,077 --> 00:23:11,643
Out of Seattle's $87 million
deficit, about $80 million

486
00:23:11,643 --> 00:23:14,596
is because the state's
not funding special ed.

487
00:23:14,597 --> 00:23:17,961
It would be much, much worse
if it wasn't for the hundreds

488
00:23:17,961 --> 00:23:20,573
of millions of dollars
that I've been able to

489
00:23:20,573 --> 00:23:22,940
put into special ed in
the last few years.

490
00:23:22,940 --> 00:23:25,942
And, in fact, both the
administration for Seattle

491
00:23:25,942 --> 00:23:29,019
Public Schools and this
teachers' union have said,

492
00:23:29,019 --> 00:23:31,682
if it weren't for the
money Gerry got us and

493
00:23:31,682 --> 00:23:34,394
the changes in special ed,
we wouldn't have been able

494
00:23:34,394 --> 00:23:35,480
to avoid a strike this year.

495
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:40,228
So my work on education
is a leader in the

496
00:23:40,228 --> 00:23:44,798
nation when it comes to
addressing reading as well.

497
00:23:44,798 --> 00:23:50,729
And we have a real problem with
the fact that our state and many

498
00:23:50,729 --> 00:23:56,659
others have failed to recognize
that children learn to read.

499
00:23:56,660 --> 00:24:00,507
The neuroscience is what
we need to follow, and

500
00:24:00,507 --> 00:24:02,479
we haven't followed it.

501
00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:05,826
And so we changed that with
legislation I passed several

502
00:24:05,826 --> 00:24:08,604
years ago saying every
child has to be assessed

503
00:24:08,604 --> 00:24:10,097
for reading challenges.

504
00:24:10,097 --> 00:24:12,817
And now this year, we have
to change our curriculum.

505
00:24:12,817 --> 00:24:13,644
Okay, thank you for that.

506
00:24:13,644 --> 00:24:15,219
Will, if you could, your
thoughts on education.

507
00:24:15,220 --> 00:24:15,692
Yeah, sure.

508
00:24:15,692 --> 00:24:17,500
I just want to start by
saying, and I've said it

509
00:24:17,500 --> 00:24:20,048
before and I'll say it again,
that I deeply appreciate

510
00:24:20,048 --> 00:24:22,739
Gerry's leadership on
K-12 education funding.

511
00:24:22,740 --> 00:24:24,931
Like I said, I have two
little kids and I am a

512
00:24:24,931 --> 00:24:27,419
former public school
teacher, and so that would

513
00:24:27,419 --> 00:24:28,337
be my top funding.

514
00:24:28,337 --> 00:24:31,212
That and pre-K would be my
top funding priorities in

515
00:24:31,212 --> 00:24:32,617
the legislature as well.

516
00:24:32,617 --> 00:24:36,323
On education performance,
it is the reality that our

517
00:24:36,323 --> 00:24:39,559
test scores have declined,
not just the absolute

518
00:24:39,559 --> 00:24:42,528
numbers, I'm saying the
test score rankings have

519
00:24:42,528 --> 00:24:45,576
declined from top 15
about 15 years ago to now

520
00:24:45,576 --> 00:24:48,939
in the upper 20s on a
number of those metrics.

521
00:24:48,940 --> 00:24:52,881
And while I appreciate the work
that Gerry has done on literacy

522
00:24:52,881 --> 00:24:56,025
reform, the reality, again,
is that other states

523
00:24:56,025 --> 00:24:58,596
like Mississippi
started that in 2013.

524
00:24:58,596 --> 00:25:00,778
And by one organization's count,

525
00:25:00,778 --> 00:25:04,325
We were the 44th state to
adopt the partial literacy

526
00:25:04,325 --> 00:25:07,538
reform bill that we
adopted this past session.

527
00:25:07,538 --> 00:25:10,403
That bill didn't include what
a lot of other states have

528
00:25:10,403 --> 00:25:13,707
done, things like funding for
additional reading specialists

529
00:25:13,707 --> 00:25:16,509
or literacy coaches, summer
reading camps, required

530
00:25:16,509 --> 00:25:19,624
individualized reading plans,
paid teacher professional

531
00:25:19,624 --> 00:25:22,988
development, and even leaves to
districts the option of waiting

532
00:25:22,988 --> 00:25:25,913
to update their curricula
until the next time they would

533
00:25:25,913 --> 00:25:28,720
otherwise do so, which could
be years into the future.

534
00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:30,607
So I do think there's a
lot of ground that we need

535
00:25:30,607 --> 00:25:31,576
to make up on that front.

536
00:25:31,577 --> 00:25:32,039
Thank you.

537
00:25:32,039 --> 00:25:33,584
I need to make up
some ground on time,

538
00:25:33,584 --> 00:25:35,636
so I need to talk about
endorsements, if I could.

539
00:25:35,636 --> 00:25:37,259
Will, your top three.

540
00:25:37,259 --> 00:25:40,521
Yeah, I would say our
city attorney, Erika

541
00:25:40,521 --> 00:25:44,720
Evans, our citywide city
councilwoman, Dionne Foster,

542
00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,482
and The Stranger, which
endorsed me because of this

543
00:25:47,482 --> 00:25:48,896
focus on tech regulation.

544
00:25:48,896 --> 00:25:49,207
Got it.

545
00:25:49,207 --> 00:25:50,180
Gerry, your top three.

546
00:25:50,180 --> 00:25:51,180
Planned Parenthood.

547
00:25:52,317 --> 00:25:55,519
U.S. Representative
Pramila Jayapal

548
00:25:55,519 --> 00:25:57,817
represents us in Congress.

549
00:25:57,817 --> 00:26:02,075
And I would say my third is
our statewide environmental

550
00:26:02,075 --> 00:26:05,896
organization umbrella group,
Washington Conservation Action.

551
00:26:05,896 --> 00:26:06,500
Thank you for that.

552
00:26:06,500 --> 00:26:08,097
It's time for
closing statements.

553
00:26:08,097 --> 00:26:09,136
Gerry, you get a minute, please.

554
00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,880
My work in the legislature
has always been

555
00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:17,548
to prioritize our
children's education,

556
00:26:17,548 --> 00:26:19,856
health, and environment.

557
00:26:19,857 --> 00:26:23,440
I'm recognized as the
leading voice in Olympia

558
00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:26,900
and the most effective voice
for funding public education.

559
00:26:26,900 --> 00:26:30,203
And as we've talked about,
I'm actually considered

560
00:26:30,203 --> 00:26:33,673
a national leader in
funding both K-12 and

561
00:26:33,673 --> 00:26:38,298
early learning and access
to higher education,

562
00:26:38,298 --> 00:26:41,900
which is really important to
the 46th District with the UW.

563
00:26:41,900 --> 00:26:46,519
I'm a leader in the legislature
fighting for abortion rights,

564
00:26:46,519 --> 00:26:49,880
really important in
this day and age.

565
00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:53,326
And I'm a leader on
the environment, not

566
00:26:53,326 --> 00:26:56,192
just data centers,
but in protecting

567
00:26:56,192 --> 00:26:59,140
our air, water, and
fighting climate change

568
00:26:59,140 --> 00:27:00,880
for the future of our planet.

569
00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:04,433
And I'm a leader on our budget
to be responsible and to

570
00:27:04,433 --> 00:27:08,231
change our tax system so it is
more fair and I help pass the

571
00:27:08,231 --> 00:27:12,596
millionaire's tax, including the
priority for education in it.

572
00:27:12,596 --> 00:27:13,324
Thank you for that.

573
00:27:13,324 --> 00:27:14,317
Will, one minute, please.

574
00:27:14,317 --> 00:27:17,875
We're one of the bluest
states in the country and we

575
00:27:17,875 --> 00:27:20,076
should be leading the country.

576
00:27:20,076 --> 00:27:23,126
But there are a number of
issues where we are not,

577
00:27:23,126 --> 00:27:24,959
where we're falling behind.

578
00:27:24,959 --> 00:27:27,924
For example, even today,
Gerry has talked about ending

579
00:27:27,924 --> 00:27:29,538
corporate tax breaks, right?

580
00:27:29,538 --> 00:27:31,910
But recently it was
reported that we are

581
00:27:31,910 --> 00:27:35,000
number one in the country
for corporate tax breaks.

582
00:27:36,259 --> 00:27:38,332
Gerry's talked about his
work on the environment,

583
00:27:38,332 --> 00:27:39,317
which I deeply respect.

584
00:27:39,317 --> 00:27:41,894
I was a clean energy and
environmental lawyer myself

585
00:27:41,894 --> 00:27:44,180
for a number of years,
still sue oil companies.

586
00:27:44,180 --> 00:27:47,134
But we are, the reality is,
dead last in the country

587
00:27:47,134 --> 00:27:50,019
in renewable energy growth
over the last decade.

588
00:27:50,019 --> 00:27:52,519
Why are we seeing so little
progress on those issues?

589
00:27:52,519 --> 00:27:53,719
And then there's
the three issues

590
00:27:53,719 --> 00:27:55,659
that I talked about
at the top, right?

591
00:27:55,659 --> 00:27:58,298
So if you are concerned
about our kids' relationship

592
00:27:58,298 --> 00:28:01,919
with technology or AI's impact,
looming impacts on society,

593
00:28:01,919 --> 00:28:04,396
and you want someone who's
gonna lead on those issues,

594
00:28:04,396 --> 00:28:05,298
vote for me.

595
00:28:05,298 --> 00:28:08,856
- If you're worried about the
state of our public schools

596
00:28:08,856 --> 00:28:10,856
or Aurora Avenue,
and you want someone

597
00:28:10,856 --> 00:28:13,057
who will take urgent
action on those issues,

598
00:28:13,057 --> 00:28:14,220
again, vote for me.

599
00:28:14,220 --> 00:28:15,798
We can make progress
on these challenges,

600
00:28:15,798 --> 00:28:18,200
we just need someone who
is committed to doing so.

601
00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,798
Thank you very much, and
we will be right back.

602
00:28:20,798 --> 00:28:24,461
What are people saying online
about the race for District

603
00:28:24,461 --> 00:28:26,219
46's Position 1 House seat?

604
00:28:26,219 --> 00:28:29,421
One person writes, Gerry
Pollet is essential

605
00:28:29,421 --> 00:28:32,423
for funding education,
and especially special

606
00:28:32,423 --> 00:28:34,000
education in this state.

607
00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:37,020
Please, please, we need
him there to continue to

608
00:28:37,020 --> 00:28:38,459
advocate for our kids.

609
00:28:38,459 --> 00:28:41,441
Another says, AI is
taking jobs while

610
00:28:41,441 --> 00:28:44,538
not being taxed equally
with human labor.

611
00:28:44,538 --> 00:28:46,972
Voting for Will Dreher
because we need to

612
00:28:46,972 --> 00:28:48,480
level the playing field.

613
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:50,356
We'd like to know
what you think.

614
00:28:50,356 --> 00:28:54,457
Send us an email at contact
at seattlechannel.org or

615
00:28:54,457 --> 00:28:56,317
find us on social media.

616
00:28:56,317 --> 00:28:58,990
Good to have that feedback and
a big thanks to our candidates

617
00:28:58,990 --> 00:29:00,057
from the 46th District.

618
00:29:00,057 --> 00:29:02,338
Will Dreher, Representative
Gerry Pollet, thank you

619
00:29:02,338 --> 00:29:03,357
very much for being here.

620
00:29:03,357 --> 00:29:04,179
Thanks, Brian.

621
00:29:04,179 --> 00:29:05,778
We'll see you next time
on City Inside Out.

622
00:29:07,999 --> 00:29:26,096
♪ ♪