By Elizabeth Turnbull
It has been close to two months since Kshama Sawant’s latest political victory was confirmed. The longest serving member of the Seattle City Council had staved off a recall by just over 300 votes.
Today, Sawant’s strategies appear largely unchanged — centering around rent control, union building, and protections for the working class.
Sawant will not say what her plans would have been if she had lost.
“I can’t really answer that question on a personal level,” Sawant told CHS in an interview last week. “In the history of movement building there are both victories and defeats, victories and setbacks, so if we had had a set back then of course we would have continued, Socialist Alternative and I would have continued our political activism.”
Sawant said that any decision about her seat on the council or a run for a higher office would ultimately be made collectively with the local chapter of Socialist Alternative, the activist organization she leads and that provides the foundation for her office’s work.
Ahead of the election in December, Sawant’s office tabled in various parts of the city and went hard on their rent control agenda, centering her political identity in her involvement with the working class.
While Sawant’s strong rhetoric remained consistent throughout her efforts to overcome the recall effort, Sawant, and others on her team, admitted that there was uncertainty along the way.
“There was definitely sort of some nervousness,” said Bia Lacombe, a community organizer in Sawant’s office. ”[We were] hoping for the results that we got.”
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Before the December vote, Sawant focused her energy on rent control and rallying the working class.
“Defeating the recall has redoubled my determination,” Sawant said. “We need to bring that kind of leadership that will allow working people to reach their full potential.”
A new, powerful front for Sawant’s fighting spirit is forming in the Starbucks line on Broadway and at the coffee giant’s cafes across the country.
This week, the socialist council veteran led her counterparts in approving a resolution voicing the council’s support for the unionizing cafe workers in the city. Along the way, Sawant also bashed Democrats for tepid labor support and pilloried council members Alex Pedersen and Sara Nelson for abstaining on the Starbucks vote.
Sawant also successfully pushed her office’s socialist wonkery into the resolution with a passage voicing the council’s support for “card check neutrality,” a growing movement to replace or augment elections supervised by the National Labor Relations Board with negotiated agreements between union representatives.
In Sawant’s eyes, if workers can succeed in forming a union in the city where Starbucks is headquartered, the effects may be felt for workers across the nation, including those working for other corporations.
“Imagine if the Starbucks union gets established and wins fair contracts,” Sawant said. “That will be nothing short of an earthquake in the fast food sector and the service industry.”
The recall victory is playing out in other ways, too. Some of the more than $1 million raised by the Kshama Solidarity campaign to defend her seat is now being used to fight for Seattle labor rights. Sawant has donated $10,000 of her solidarity fund to Starbucks Workers United and she has condemned “union busting,” which Starbucks has denied.
The hope, Sawant says, is to improve living standards for Starbucks workers and that some sort of chain reaction may occur in which more workers in the private sector unionize.
“It will be an almighty battle that we have to conduct,” Sawant said.
Sawant also intends to keep pushing for rent control efforts in Seattle and to advocate for renters rights. Sawant says there is a power imbalance in place between tenants and landlords where renters are forced to pay their rent or be evicted, while landlords are able to hold off on fixing maintenance issues, and face little repercussions.
While she does not have legislation to address this specific imbalance yet, Sawant said her team is investigating with the hope of potentially introducing legislation in the future.
“I don’t want to imply that we already have legislation. We don’t, because we are just investigating it,” Sawant said. “We are just now looking into it and as I said in the committee, we are going to be looking for avenues for legislation to close any existing loopholes.”
In the meantime, Sawant is still advocating for a rent control policy which would dictate that rent be tied with inflation rates and she says that, for now, the eviction moratorium should remain in place “for as long as the public health emergency lasts.”
“City council members and the mayor— we are all working safely from home. We are having meetings on Zoom,” Sawant said. “So if the city is not COVID safe enough for elected officials to go out, then how dare they lift the moratorium for ordinary people.”
As the longest serving member on the city council, Sawant successfully avoided the most recent attempt to remove her from office, but her socialism and political style remain on trial.
While her critics view the Trotskyist council member as a divisive figure, thousands in the city and around the world view Sawant as a hero for the working class, willing to stand up to corporations, and to work alongside the average person that is struggling to make ends meet.
At this point in her ideology and political career, Sawant is not surprised by the polarity of opinions about her. For Sawant, this is yet again an illustration of class struggle.
“If billionaires like Howard Schultz, if corporate landlords, if Amazon executives, if these people started liking what I was doing, I would be seriously worried that I was selling out,” Sawant said. “If you’re truly fighting for working people, you will end up angering big business.”
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As a lifelong socialist tho not a member of Socialist Alternative, I can say without reservation that Kshama Sawant is the living example of what a socialist politician should and can be: principled, brave, vigorously outspoken on behalf of those who are in a capitalist system, treated as mere means to an end: working people. Thank you, Kshama Sawant, for your brilliant example of integrity and resolve.
How about helping out the small business owners in Little Saigon whose livelihoods are at stake. The inaction by her, Morales, Durkan and now Harrell are destroying this community. What will end up happening goes against everything she stands for. These immigrant and refugee owned businesses will shut down and large corporate real estate companies will take over the area and erase this entire community.
Yeah, that’s district 2. Morales needs to be leading that charge.
East of 12th, the Jackson stretch of Little Saigon, is part of D3. The western side of 12th, I believe, is D2. So they BOTH need to be leading the charge.
https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/neighborhoods-and-districts
A lot of that area is Andrew Lewis’s district.
No, it isn’t.
https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/neighborhoods-and-districts
Okay but some of it is hers.
Support resolution fine with me. The employees most likely live in Seattle and in distric 3 and the company stores are in Seattle and in distric 3. But it is a symbolic vote, but at least we are not going on about the carpenters union and giving then free parking in the city. The vast majority of those workers do not live in the city let alone distric 3, and would never vote for a progressive or liberal. They are paid higher wages and have better benefits then most if not all of our service workers in Seattle. Want to give free parking, start with those that need it more, or better yet come with policies that support public transit… As for renters rights, I think council woman Swawant is half correct. There needs to be legislation addressing clean, safe, working apartments and general rights for renters. Rent control however is a horrible idea. Please look to San Francisco, rent prices are out of control. Landlords of small buildings and houses convert to condo as soon as possible. It is horrible for the young 1st time renter and those moving into the city. Lastly, please council woman Swawant focus on distric three and Seattle.
Isn’t it easier to attack landlords and make what they do illegal than to **** on idea of rent control? We need to ban landlords and let cities take over large amounts of housing.
It cuts both ways. There are plenty of rent controlled units on Airbnb and other short-term-rental sites, which keeps inventory off the market. And as for a Soviet-style take over of existing housing, good luck with that idea. The problem is that city-center real estate (in any city) is extremely expensive. So “affordable” will never equal “cheap”. As K4cs points out, transit is the answer. Make is easier and faster to live in places where housing can be put up affordably.
Ban landlords and have cities take over large amounts of housing. Do you propose to purchase that property from landlords or just steal it from them?
Name one city in the world where that has worked.
It works in Singapore because they sell the apartments to the tenants with subsidized mortgages.
The cities on the east coast with large city owned apartment blocks do not manage them well.
Sigh. New York city. About a million rent control/stabilized apartments exist in NYC. A million. Just because NYC has insanely high cost ‘market rate’ housing for the majority of its residents doesn’t equate to rent controls not working. Indeed, most non-wealthy folks who live there couldn’t without these controls. And, NYC is far from a model place for rent control. Singapore publicly-funded housingworks for many reasons, just as Hong Kong does, including that the fact that they meld ‘soviet’ (ha! such melodrama! I) and capitalist models into Crown Corporation or Public Utility District models with funding apparati that includes significant single-payer contributions, the use of public and publicly aquired lands.
The truth is, most Unites Statesians have zero clue about sound housing practices but everyone thinks they know because they think the big “C” ruthless Capitalism was is either the only model or the model to react to. Absurd. Urban living doesn’t have to cost a fortune any more than good chocolate or pizza does. However, we allow a shitty model that sends neverending cash and control to the rich to be our benchmark, our brainwash and our empty ‘patriotic’ reality. Absurd.
People, learn the other systems, including the few that work, as well as WHY the San Francisco model is imperfect (and is wildly blamed for San Francisco prices, which is so far beyond idiotic and incorrect) before acting like you know. Because, ya don’t. Just like with health care, we are boating through a stream of shit under a house of cards. Those cards are going to fall, knocking us completely into the bilge water and we’ll have nothing but our ignorance, stupidity and greed to blame.
You are using Singapore as an example. Seriously, in Singapore you are severely punished for littering let alone damaging property. Minor vandalism will get you a fine, jail time and caned. Not flushing the toilet is against the law. Drinking and/partying after 10:30 PM is against the law. Of course housing solutions work in Singapore, those with free or subsidized housing will not damage the housing, those in the housing will not be using heavy drugs, having parties…
As for San Francisco, they have some very good laws regulating landlord responsibilities. But no way in hell rent control has been a success, unless you have been in an apt for decades. I know a couple people that have lived in the same apt. They are paying a ridiculously low rent and they are very well off financially. And I know several landlords that coverted there rentals to TLC’s or condos in the 90’s.
I’m sorry, I thought we were talking about housing humans. By that metric, the USA sucks and Singapore shines. And, people who live there are realtively happy (funny how that happens when they have housing and stability). Also, Singapore is one of the least corrupt places on Earth. I never said it was perfect and that is far from my point. But, alas, my point is that there are solutions. Before Hong Kong became China, it was one of the freeist places on the planet. and, they did housing much better than here as well. I’m sure you’ll have a deflection for that, too.
THE POINT IS, THERE ARE BETTER WHOLESALE/SYSTEMIC SOLUTIONS AND WE DESPERATELY NEED THOSE. Sorry -not sorry- if the facts crimp your defense of our failed big C Capitilaistic idiocy.
And, I never said San Francisco’s system is a ‘success’. However, it’s more success than nothing at all. Fix it, don’t trash it. What’s wrong with people. Why can’t humans think critically, in a solutions-based manner? You know a couple and I know people who rely on government checks and blaances to survive. So, whatever. Yes, there are cheats. And, with any will, there are solutions to those checks, such as annual proof of income. Lordy, humanity has lost its collec tive mind!
The entire approach needs to change. Just as healthcare is a necessity, so too is housing., #Duh
Sigh. Why do I even bother?
Her support for rent control is proof positive that she’s…well….just not that bright.
People constantly make that assumption and underestimate Sawant. It’s not that she doesn’t know or understand that rent control will drive private landlords out of the market and increase the lack of affordable housing. She’s counting on it. Once that happens the only solution will be government provided housing which has been her stated goal all along.
I think she is bright enough to know that people who will vote for her are not that bright.
So she knows lofty unachievable exclamations such as “cancel the rent” will actually win her elections (barely as in the recall elections). Actually solving problems is much harder.
I’m so over her…over her…over her…over her…she told me to go to hell after I told her I work with underserved communities, helping them navigate the health care system, she advised that since it’s a for profit company working with a non-profit then I’m the devil…she’s crazy and awful…
this actually happened? seems a weeeee bit far-fetched. more details please.
D3 neighborhoods are still littered with Sawant campaign signs on utility poles, which by the way are not in compliance with SDOT regulations. It sure would be nice if her minions removed these, but I’m not holding my breath.
I like seeing the campaign signs. I hope it serves as a daily reminder that she beat the pathetic recall attempt.
For a “pathetic recall attempt” it came within 300 votes of ousting her. That’s after an unprecedented get out the vote effort that had Sawant’s minions on the corners of many of Capitol Hill’s major intersections begging people to vote. AND on top of a huge turn-out for an off-cycle vote.
So, I’d wouldn’t be too proud of the crowing you’re doing there.
Anti-Sawant nimbys set fire to a Sawant sign in front of my house 3 times before ultimately disappearing it during the recall campaign. Then people claim she and her “minions” are the crazy ones. Stand down.
Both sides were guilty of sign theft/vandalism. Sawant supporters routinely removed pro-recall signs from both public and private property.
i mean, speeding isn’t in compliance with SDOT regulations. i’m hardly a kshama stan despite multiple replies in this thread, but this is an absurd gripe.
She thinks the City Council’s role should be fighting against big corporations for workers rights. You can see the results of this in her district, Little Saigon is overrun with crime and cannot attract new businesses. Existing businesses their under assault on daily basis and some leaving the city. The entire International District is having problems. Capitol Hill is a center of crime with huge increase in shootings. We elect Council Members to take care of the problems in our city – not lead a socialist revolution.
Yes but you see, the people who keep electing her into office don’t care whether she works to improve life for small business owners. They don’t care about crime (as long as it happens to others and not them). They don’t care that the homeless are slowly dying in the parks and on sidewalks.
What they care about is virtue signaling that they helped elect someone who’s not a “business as usual” politician. It’s all theater to prop up people’s smug sense of righteousness and to “stick it to (well, someone).” It’s the exact same attitude that drives Trump supporters to follow and elect him. They don’t care that he has no experience and isn’t making life any better. They like that he “sticks it to the libs!” and that’s good enough for them. Same sentiment as Sawant and her followers.
Sawant is one of the worst things to happen to Seattle. She is abrasive, doesn’t work with others across the aisle, and isn’t even ethical as she was already fined in an ethics probe.
Just like Trump, Sawant wins an election by a razor-thin MOV and acts like it’s a huge victory with a tremendous mandate.
She beat the “pathetic” recall by 0.8%. Will it be a wake-up call for her? Of course not. She’ll carry on being horrible and inflammatory and intentionally trying to piss everyone off while accomplishing absolutely nothing of note for her district and wasting the council’s time on symbolic do-nothing votes like this unionization support vote.
She says whatever crazy shit the Socialist Alternative central committee (a bunch of NYCers who have never been to Seattle) e-mail to her, and on the rare occasions that the “workers” actually end up on the same side as her, she’ll treat it like she’s their voice and showboat all around town while they quietly insist that she’s not actually their voice.
At least we have Sara Nelson and Theresa Mosqueda to babysit us. Imagine how much of a mess we’d be in if we got rid of the at-large seats and the D3 community was solely represented by Sawant.