JENNA IN THE NEWS
Here are some stories that I'm proud to share:
My Breast Cancer Diagnosis
After much deliberation, I have decided to disclose publicly that I was diagnosed with breast cancer on Oct. 29, 2025. As many of you know, this caps a difficult year for me, since I lost my father on April 5 and my bunny, Stormy Tiger, on April 6.
However, I am optimistic that I will beat cancer. I will most likely undergo surgery and radiation treatment in January. I am blessed due to my access to affordable health insurance and world-class health care as I fight this disease.
We need to watch our political speech for violence
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”: Evelyn Beatrice Hall, a biographer of Voltaire.
I denounce in the strongest terms the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I affirmatively reject all forms of political violence as anti-democratic. Charlie Kirk’s killing is an attack on free speech, the First Amendment, and the Constitution.
Letter to the Editor: Celebrating July as Disability Pride Month in Edmonds
As one of your elected officials with a neurodiverse disability, I am proud that July is Disability Pride Month in the city of Edmonds!
A phrase commonly used in the Disability Rights Movement is “nothing about us, without us,” which means that governments, civil society and the private sector should not be making decisions that affect the lives of people with disabilities without including us in the decision-making process.
Edmonds passes backyard breeding ban
Arjun’s Law: On Edmonds City Council, I drafted and passed one of the first backyard breeding bans in the country in honor of my rescue rabbit, Arjun. I found Arjun and his brothers stacked in tiny cages with no food or water in a backyard breeder’s garage in 2018.
This was my first exposure to this form of animal cruelty, and it motivated me to fight for animal rights.
Seattle rideshare drivers mourn, seek solutions after homicides
After Abdikadir Gedi Shariff, a 31 year old Rideshare driver, was killed in Edmonds, I helped organize a memorial for his community in Burien and helped his rideshare union representatives connect with state legislators to lobby for safety reforms.
Forum: $100 million to aid homeless a bargain for budget, souls
Bottom-line thinking forgets the costs we incur by ignoring social problems and allowing them to grow.
Reader View: Let’s spread the wealth and place a new library and community center on Hwy 99 corridor
What escapes many people about “Edmonds Charm,” particularly in the historic downtown business district, is that the town was originally built for pedestrians in the 1890s.
Practically no one owned cars back then, and very few people would have ridden horses or horse-drawn carriages to go about their daily lives, from sending their kids to school to making a deposit at the local bank. Normal people walked everywhere in their hometown back then.
