Born in 1977 in Prosser, Washington, M. Lorena González was raised in Grandview in a Spanish-speaking migrant farmworker household. Her parents were undocumented immigrants who later became legal permanent residents. González earned a business degree from Washington State University and a law degree from Seattle University. In her work as an attorney, she focused mainly on civil rights, wage theft, and police misconduct cases. She became legal counsel to Mayor Ed Murray in 2014.
González was elected to City Council in November 2015 and took office that month, filling a seat vacated earlier in the year by Sally Clark. On council, she worked on a range of issues including public safety, labor rights, preschool, gender equity, and immigrant rights. She served as Council President from 2020 to 2021. In the mayoral election of 2021, she advanced through the primary but was defeated in the general election.
Records from González's office during her tenure on City Council. Issues related to the Police Department and public safety are heavily represented, including a great deal of documentation of the process leading up to the 2017 legislation overhauling the City's police accountability system and establishing the Office of Inspector General. Related issues include police staffing and overtime, surveillance, and the north precinct project. Other significant topics include homelessness and encampment sweeps; labor issues; the proposed employee head tax; arena development; education and early learning; campaign finance reform; Sound Transit and other transportation projects; affordable housing, and issues related to immigrants and refugees.
Records are open to the public.
[Item and date], Lorena González Subject Files, Record Series 4629-02. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.