Toshiko Hasegawa, Executive Director of the
Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs,
Announces campaign for the Port of Seattle Commission, Pos. 4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: info@hasegawaforport.com; Tiffany Chang (303) 842-9651

MARCH 15, 2021-- Toshiko Hasegawa, Executive Director of the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs and long-time community advocate, announced her candidacy today for the Port of Seattle Commission, Position 4. 

On her motivation for running, Hasegawa says,

“I’m running in the wake of economic devastation because I have the values and the experience to meet the dire needs of this moment.  The Port is uniquely positioned to be a model for bringing together industry, business, workers and communities to rebuild our economy and be better than it was before. I bring the necessary perspective and sense of urgency to ensure that the next rising tide will lift all of our ships.”

Hasegawa has been lauded for her work engaging community members, business owners and policy makers on issues of economic importance across King County and Washington State. At CAPAA, a cabinet-level agency at the state, Hasegawa advises the Governor, State Legislature and other agencies on laws, programs and policies impacting historically marginalized communities.  She serves as a member of the Governor’s subcabinet on business diversity, the Office of Equity Task Force, the Disaster Resiliency Work Group, and the Governor’s Task Force on Independent Investigations of Police Use of Force. She helped re-boot King County’s Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO) as the county-wide Communications and Outreach Manager, and worked on issues of Human Trafficking as a Legislative Aide at the Office of King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles.

Hasegawa’s priorities for the Port emphasize the importance of collaboration across stakeholders to tackle some of the largest challenges facing the region. This includes shaping an equitable economic recovery for our region, reducing pollution and carbon emissions from the Port; ensuring safety at the Port for all travelers and workers; and promoting clean & ethical supply chains to address the growing issue of labor trafficking and economic exploitation.

Hasegawa is a fourth generation Japanese American, born and raised in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of South Seattle. If elected, Hasegawa would be the first woman of color ever to serve on the Port Commission. In the entire Port Commission’s history, there have only been four women who have been elected to serve. 

Hasegawa kicks off her campaign with nearly three dozen endorsements from notable leaders across the state, including Lt. Governor Denny Heck, King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, and the elected President of Sound Cities Association & Renton City Councilmember Ed Prince. The rest can be found here. The campaign also reports nearly $25,000 raised upon her launch. 

Website: www.HasegawaforPort.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/HasegawaforPort
Twitter: @HasegawaforPort
Instagram: @Hasegawaforport