The Burien City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 covered a range of topics, from immigrant protection to strategies for reducing homelessness.

Concerns were raised about the city’s stance on assisting ICE in arrests, prompting discussion about state laws and local police involvement.

The council also addressed the merging of the Parks & Arts Advisory Boards and approved changes to the Unlawful Public Camping law, a decision met with public opposition and debate.

Concern For Immigrant Families

Councilmember Hugo Garcia brought up recent ICE arrests of immigrants, and asked why Burien hasn’t chimed in along with other cities who have stated that they won’t assist ICE. Councilmember Matta shared that Governor Bob Ferguson has signed an executive order protecting immigrant families throughout the state. City Attorney Garmin Newsom explained that the other cities Councilmember Garcia had mentioned have their own dedicated police force, while Burien contracts with King County Police. Our police have stated that they’ll follow state law, not ICE.

City Manager Report

City Manager Adolfo Bailon mentioned that the deadline to apply for positions on the BEDP (Business & Economic Development Partnership) and Arts Committees may need to be extended, as they have not received enough applicants yet. Interested community members can find out more at this link.

Bailon also gave details on the first “Coffee With The City Manager” event this Wednesday Jan. 29 from 6 to 7 p.m. The event, which will be held in the Burien Community Center lobby, will include a Q&A session and focus on public safety.

Changes To Public Camping Law

Around 15 people spoke during public comments, with nearly all the speakers expressing strong concern over the proposed amendments to the Unlawful Public Camping law. They worried about unduly impacting a vulnerable population, and thought that making camping illegal during winter was unusually cruel.

City Attorney Garmin Newsom shared the details of what the changes would be and why they were being proposed. He said the camping ordinance previously passed by the council was not being enforced by the King County Police. He said local homeless individuals routinely turn down offers of shelter, making the wording “involuntarily homeless” used in the original ordinance, meaningless.

The King County Police are enforcing camping ordinances in other cities they serve, which have wording that is more clear. Part of the aim of the changes is to make Burien’s ordinance something the police will enforce. These updates also make Burien’s law consistent with recent Supreme Court findings. Cities were found to have the authority to try different things regarding homelessness issues, since different localities may benefit from different methods.

This amendment passed 5–2, with Councilmember Hugo Garcia and Deputy Mayor Sarah Moore voting against it. City Attorney Newsom said no one will be arrested merely for being homeless. He also explained that he hears from many people throughout the city about the problems caused by allowing people to sleep on the streets. Newsom added that the new law will encourage homeless individuals to accept the offers of shelter, treatment, and other services, and that it will help to protect both public and private property in the city.

Councilmember Linda Akey spoke passionately about why she supported this bill. She said keeping people in tents is not a housing solution. She explained that every homeless person is offered services, and therefore does not have to sleep on the street. She said the agency the city contracts with for homeless outreach, The More We Love, has released their numbers, showing their success in connecting people on the street with shelter beds and other services. Councilmember Alex Andrade added that partnering with The More We Love has opened up access to beds for the homeless far beyond Burien’s borders.

Video

Below is the full, raw video of this meeting from the city:

Mellow DeTray is a Seattle native who has spent the last 16 years raising her family in Burien. She has volunteered at many local establishments over the years, including the Burien Library, Burien Actors...

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11 Comments

  1. I wish to recognize Burien’s City Attorney Garmin Newsom for his professionalism and attention to detail in describing how Burien, or any other municipality has the legal right to create and enforce that type of Ordinance. It’s lost on a number of misguided activists that this nation was founded on laws and camping is for the wilderness.

  2. My City ‘Tis of Shame
    (To the tune of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”)

    My city ’tis of shame,
    Once proud, now marred by blame,
    Of thee, I cry.
    Land where the helpless plead,
    For care and basic needs,
    But now we choose to lead
    By turning blind eyes.

    Our leaders fail the test,
    The poor they now arrest,
    This law’s disgrace.
    Instead of building homes,
    Or lifting those alone,
    They throw the first cold stone
    In public space.

    our mayor, can’t you see?
    This law’s indignity,
    It stains us all.
    Once mocked for laws absurd,
    Now we repeat the word,
    And silence voices heard
    With jailhouse walls.

    Let justice fill the air,
    With hope and human care,
    For all who breathe.
    From council halls to streets,
    Compassion must compete,
    So all may stand complete,
    And live with peace.

    To leaders deaf and blind,
    A warning we must find,
    For them we sing:
    This shame will linger on,
    Unless this law is gone,
    Until all rights are won—
    Let freedom ring.

    1. OMG how long did it take you all to conjure up that melody…1, 2, 3 bottles of wine while you all sit around your fireplace planning your next attack/lawsuit on the City. Can’t you realize what you think you are doing to “get back” at our City hurts everyone including yourself? It is not helping anyone especially to those that need it the most.

  3. Where will the money come from for this mandatory drug and alcohol recovery? Where will these facilities be located? Nobody wants rehab centers near them, and nobody wants taxes to go up to cover programs like this. We can barely fund our public schools. These solutions are known, but there is a very real contention of resources. (Meaning: we don’t have the money.)

    Rehab programs are expensive. Rehabilitation can be life-endangering and requires medical oversight. This is in a time where our medical industry is already hurting for workers and is underfunded due to profit-seeking health conglomerates buying out health systems.

    The things you are asking for require a lot of money. I’m all for funding this, and for paying more taxes to cover it (are you?), but the majority of voters who say we need to force rehab also don’t want an increase in their taxes to pay for it. It would be really great if we could help people fully with a safe medical rehab facility, but it’s just not realistic with our current economic balance.

    The city of Seattle had a contingent offer of $1M to fund a dedicated site for Burien’s homeless and to help keep them off the street. Burien’s city council did nothing with it for long enough that Seattle took it back. $1M to help this problem, and nothing was done with it.

    1. Because it was proven that $1,00.000 was not anywhere enough to fund that idea pushed upon Burien by KC, in addition there was no money available or forecast to keep it funded. It was a purely political stunt conjured up by the Homeless Industrial Complex as a way to build their mismanaged empire.

    2. This is a sincere from the heart question. If the City had used that $1M for a dedicated site to house the homeless would it have really helped? Yes for the people who are “sober” and “drug-free” it would but those that are not it would have been a disaster for the ones who are really trying to make it. In all seriousness it would have been putting those druggies in a “out of sight out of mind” situation for everyone and making it look like it was fixed, when really it isn’t? Yes I know look at the Bloomside but look at the ones there who are still drug addicts. I don’t know, is there a fix that really can work???

      1. The only thing that will work is adopting laws or policies that make known negative (towards yourself or society) actions have consequences, or nothing will change. If you make everything easy, free or un enforced there is no incentive to change and turn your life around.

        1. @Louis, Thank you for you answering my question. I just don’t understand the advocates/activists which think coddling the drug addicts per say are doing them any good, if anything it making them worse because all they see are those people who pretty much are telling them it is OK to be this way. And the free and easy and unenforced…SMH! Nothing was free and easy for me and I wouldn’t want it that way, you feel pride and respect for yourself when you’ve earned it on your own.

  4. That should be directed to the County and State, Burien doesn’t have the budget for that infrastructure, but with Trump in office I don’t see any money coming down the pike for anyone except the wealthy, he’ll build a privatize prison one of his cronies owns, but not much else, he just tried to put a freeze on everything yesterday that help the citizens, so don’t expect much in help

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