Seattle Council President Sara Nelson championed a bill to let councilmembers vote on matters where they have a disclosed financial conflict, timed just before a landlord-tenant vote; it was withdrawn after public backlash

In May 2025, the Seattle City Council's Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee advanced legislation, championed by Council President Sara Nelson, that would have replaced the existing requirement that councilmembers recuse themselves from votes affecting their personal financial interests with a weaker disclosure-only requirement. The bill passed committee 2-0 with three abstentions just ahead of a vote on landlord-tenant law changes, the area where recusals had most often been triggered.