About Teresa

In the heart of the Puget Sound here in King County’s District 8, nestled in the North Delridge neighborhood, is my home. My husband and I are raising our now three-year old daughter in a community surrounded by working families, play areas and parks, nearby public beaches, bustling small businesses, bike lanes and trails, community centers and childcare, and multiple lines of transit. As a Progressive Labor Democrat, this type of diverse, welcoming neighborhood is my hope for every resident of our region. As a city-wide Seattle Council Member for the last five years, that vision has fueled the policy goals I have championed to expand and improve the health and economic opportunity for all. 

Throughout my career, I have brought together diverse coalitions to pass impactful policy by being principled and inclusive. By uniting labor, business, housing, transit and environmental advocates, I was able to pass meaningful and lasting policies that have earned the public’s support, and buoyed our local economy. I was named one of Seattle’s Most Influential People 2018 for my dedication to acting with urgency on critical legislation immediately upon coming into office. I am proud to have receive the Local Progress 2019 Ady Barkan Progressive Champion Award, and in 2020, and earned national attention by leading the passage of progressive revenue to invest in housing, economic resilience, green new deal investments and equitable development.

Working to eradicate the root causes of poverty and improve community health has been the focus of the work throughout my career. On Seattle City Council, I have doubled the investments in affordable housing, improved worker standards and protections for domestic workers and hotel workers, ensured sick leave for drivers, and supported small business opportunities especially for women and people of color. Prior to getting elected twice to serve the residents of Seattle, I served over half-a-million union workers in our state while working at Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO for almost a decade. In this role, I advocated for progressive state legislation to improve labor standards, protect immigrant rights, create healthy and safer workplaces, and promote health care for all. In this role I also helped lead the state-wide passage of I-1433 to provide paid sick leave and increase the minimum wage for all.

At the Children’s Alliance, I led the coalition efforts to implement Apple Health for Kids to ensure every child in our state had health insurance, and advanced nutrition and early learning policies to create a healthy start in life for all kids. I was appointed by Governor Inslee twice to serve terms on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Exchange Board, where I fought to ensure health coverage that was promised under Obamacare was delivered.  While working at the Washington State Department of Health as the legislative coordinator for the Community and Family Health Division, I completed my Master’s Degree in Public Administration. But my roots in community health start right here in District 8, where after graduating from UW, I worked at SeaMar Community Health Centers in South Park serving Latino seniors with food security, housing assistance, healthcare and social interaction programs.  

I grew up in the Puget Sound, a third-generation Mexican-American, daughter of educators and policy wonks who fought for social justice and against oppression. As a Chicana, I am proud of what I have been able to do to create greater opportunity and equity for marginalized communities and workers while in office. But there is much more work to be accomplished to share our region’s prosperity and create more accessible, affordable, safe communities for families across southwest King County. With your continued support, I would love the honor of continuing to create more healthy, equitable, affordable and accessible communities for all by serving you on King County Council, District 8.