June Urbanist Meetup with Toshiko Grace Hasegawa, Seattle Port Commissioner

On June 14th, The Urbanist is looking forward to hosting Toshiko Grace Hasegawa for our monthly virtual meetup. In 2021, Hasegawa was elected to the Seattle Port commission, unseating incumbent Peter Steinbrueck, a frequent opponent of the urbanist movement, and earning The Urbanist Elections Committee’s endorsement along the way.

Hasegawa is a fourth-generation Japanese American and a lifelong resident of the Beacon Hill neighborhood in South Seattle. She describers herself as a daughter of the labor movement (her father is long-time Teamster organizer and State Senator Bob Hasegawa) and a descendant of World War II incarcerees.

Toshiko’s biography for the Port notes that “she believes the Port of Seattle holds the key to a robust economy, healthy environment, and thriving communities. She hopes to help the Port be a leader in bringing together stakeholders to build our port economy back to be more inclusive, sustainable, and abundant. Her priorities include addressing supply chain issues, expanding economic opportunities, and reducing pollution.” In her campaign for office, she backed the proposal to build high speed rail to Portland and Vancouver, B.C. and suggested the Port may be able to help procure land.

Before joining the Port Commission, Toshiko was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee as executive director of Washington State’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs in 2018. “In that capacity, she serves in the Governor’s Subcabinet on Business Diversity, the Disaster Resiliency Workgroup, the Deadly Force Task Force, and other state committees,” her biography notes. “Hasegawa worked as a staff member for the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight for King County, where she worked to promote transparency and accountability in policing operations.” She and husband have a one-year-old daughter Keiko Rose.

Hasegawa will be talking about her work at the port and how it applies to broader regional goals. The meetup starts at 6:25pm with announcements and Toshiko will give a brief presentation at 6:30pm before taking questions from our moderator, including those selected from the registration form and the chat. We hope you can join us!