Saunatina Sanchez, Candidate for City Council Position 8, a woman with long dark hair that is pulled back looking at the camera and smiling. She is wearing black and has her hand folded and resting on the table in front of her.

Saunatina Sanchez and her siblings are being held up by her father in this family photo. The father is standing strong and proud with a smile. He has dark hair and a moustache and is smiling. He has one child on each hip. The child on the left is holding an even smaller child and they are all smiling.

Meet Saunatina

Saunatina grew up in South Seattle, bussing to and from school every day, spending time hanging out at the Fun Forest at the Seattle Center, and attending cultural events like Folklife, the Seafair Parade, and the HydroPlane Races. Along with basically being raised at the Kingdome. “My dad spent a lot of time teaching us to be compassionate. These lessons took the form of stories of times in his life when he stood up to bullies. He always told us protecting the vulnerable was the highest form of strength.”

After studying at Seattle University and Seattle Central Community College, Saunatina has been a dedicated community organizer, volunteering and working for local organizations such as Community Roots Housing, Capitol Hill Review Board, King County Elections, Disability Rights WA, Transit Riders Union, Seattle Renter Organizing Council, League of Women Voters, Seattle International Film Festival, and Crafting Sound Meaning.

Saunatina loves to bike and use public transportation. She is passionate about improving Seattle’s transit system and right-sizing our infrastructure. In addition to sitting on boards of local organizations, Saunatina has been involved in many community projects and movements, including the Black Lives Memorial Garden, Raise the Wage Tukwila, Bus and Transit Service Committee from Transit Riders Union, Unpaving Paradise P-Patch, establishing a Renter Advisory Board in Community Roots Housing system, advocating for an Office of Renter Standards with the Seattle Renter Organizing Council, and supporting Treehouse 4 Kids through her yearly birthday fundraising and donation drive.

“I think the greatest lesson my dad taught me was in the way I was expected to be treated. My voice was never quieted, my opinion never belittled–and neither was my little brother or sister’s. Everyone needed to be heard and no one was allowed to shout down anyone else.”

Saunatina will bring this value of listening to everyone to the Seattle City Council, including uplifting those who often struggle in the ability to navigate how to be heard properly.