The King County Immigrant and Refugee Commission delivered its annual briefing to the Metropolitan King County Council Committee of the Whole on Sept. 23, and the council advanced four nominees to the commission.
The commission’s co-chairs presented a report on 2024–25 activities, emphasizing language access, housing and economic needs, outreach and recruitment challenges, and partnerships with community-based organizations. "I'm proud to say that, I'm an immigrant," said Sergio Raso, a co-chair, describing the commission's motivation to address barriers facing newcomers. Council staff and executive liaisons said the nominees would fill important gaps on the 13-member body.
The council heard that about one in four King County residents is foreign born and that local providers report rising demand for housing, health care and food support. The commission noted continuing problems with language access and urged stronger outreach so immigrants and refugees can find and use available services. "If we have these resources available for them, in their own language, I'm pretty sure that they will... feel more involved in the community," said nominee Luz Escalante during her brief remarks.
Council staff described the appointment process and the applicants' backgrounds. Melissa Bailey of council staff summarized nominee files and said the candidates meet legal requirements for appointment. Executive staff liaison Brian Chu said the four nominees add experience in community organizing, legal and policy work, and education; executive staff also noted two remaining vacancies intended for representatives of small community organizations with annual budgets under $250,000.
The council advanced proposed motions to confirm the appointees (proposed motions 2025-0261, 2025-0263 and 2025-0264). The committee recorded a due-pass recommendation for all three motions; the clerk reported the vote as eight ayes, zero nos (Council Member Mosqueda excused). Chair Claudia Balducci told the appointees they likely would not need to appear again once the paperwork is processed.
Commissioners and nominees urged more active engagement between the council and immigrant communities, including participation in recruitment, regular two-way communication, and better distribution of timely information. "There is currently information asymmetry," said nominee Ali Ali, arguing for consistent, multilingual outreach across regions. The commission recommended continued coordination with county departments and community-based organizations, participation in budget discussions, and an annual community briefing to gather additional input.
No formal council policy changes were adopted at the meeting; the session combined the annual informational briefing with the personnel actions to forward the nominees for confirmation. The commission asked the council to consider the commission's submitted work plan and annual report as it enters budget deliberations.
The council’s packet includes the commission’s annual report and the nominees’ application materials; the clerk also forwarded the materials to committee members by email prior to the meeting.
The commission’s work and the pending appointments will next appear on the council’s Oct. 7 consent agenda unless committee members request otherwise.