Police Defunding Plan Gains Majority Support At Seattle Council

SEATTLE, WA — The Seattle City Council appears to have a veto-proof majority in favor of cutting the police department's budget in half and redirecting funds toward community-led programs.

Decriminalize Seattle and King County Equity Now outlined a four-point "roadmap" for accomplishing the goal during a City Council meeting on Wednesday. Since then, three more councilmembers have voiced their support for the proposal, joining Kshama Sawant, Tammy Morales, Teresa Mosqueda and M. Lorena González, the council president.

On Thursday, Councilmembers Dan Strauss, Andrew Lewis and Lisa Herbold signaled approval for the plan, which seeks to divest 50 percent of the police department's remaining budget this year and maintain the cuts into the next budget cycle in 2021.

"If I wasn't clear yesterday - I am 100% in agreement w/ @Decrimseattle," Strauss tweeted Thursday.

City councilmembers began a "deep dive" on the police department's $409 million budget in early June, as Mayor Jenny Durkan looked to rebalance the city's 2020 spending plan to account for a significant drop in revenue amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The mayor, who opposes a 50 percent defunding, pitched a more modest $20 million cut to the police budget in late June but asked the department to develop models adjusted for 20, 30 and 50 percent reductions. Accounting for Thursday's developments, seven of the council's nine members now favor the latter option. Only six votes are required to override a mayoral veto, should the action come to pass.

The Seattle Times reports a vote on the rebalanced budget is expected in the weeks ahead. The council will take up the next year's budget in the fall.