● Meet Kim Harless
Hi, I’m Kim Harless
As a current Vancouver City Councilmember and now candidate for State Representative, I have stayed true to how I started in service: I’m here to listen, learn, and roll up my sleeves alongside you. Let’s keep building a state where every voice is heard and every corner thrives.
I’m multi-racial, Indigenous Ópata, Mexican American, and European ancestry too, raised right here in Vancouver, Washington. At 21, I became a mom having to navigate public assistance, public transit, grants and scholarships, and working multiple jobs to earn my environmental science degree. Those challenges taught me what it means to fight for your family and your dreams. Through those hard times, I kept my compass and took note of the barriers that kept me from thriving. This lived experience taught me not only about adversity but how public policy meant to help can also hinder or miss the root causes of poverty.
After graduation, I put my degree to work as a Sustainability Intern for Clark County Environmental Services and was later promoted to Operations Specialist doing system planning and contract management for our recycling and waste systems. From there, I served on the elected 2021 Clark County Charter Review Commission, and the 15-member commission elected me as co-chair. I then ran for City Council to bring that same spirit of equity and collaboration to Vancouver, where I now serve in my second term. I also now do work for the Native American Youth and Family Center, helping urban Native families reconnect with the land and heal from the legacies of colonization.
Wins in Elected Office:
Public Safety
Supported co-response models, trauma-informed care, and alternatives to armed enforcement.
Invested in body cams, drones, and non-lethal response options.
Balanced calls for accountability and cultural change with support for law enforcement.
Diversion of non-violent calls to trained civilian teams.
Backed Propositions 2 and 4 for fire and police service funding.
Equity & Justice
Framed all policy through intersectional equity (race, income, age, gender, disability, veteran status, etc.).
Elevated personal lived experience as a Two-Spirit, multi-racial, Indigenous, Chicana, mother, and someone who journeyed from longtime renter to homeowner and from poverty to financial stability.
Advocated for community-driven planning, especially in historically underinvested areas.
Spearheaded efforts to create Vancouver’s first equity statement.
Advocated for compensating community members for their participation and expertise.
Actively mentored new BIPOC leaders and helped bridge them into public and civic service.
Positioned self as a listener, coalition-builder, and policy translator for communities.
“When my son was born, I realized our air quality would shape his childhood. That’s why I’m fighting to expand green spaces—for every family who wants their kids to breathe easy.”
Climate & Environment
Championed Vancouver’s Climate Action Framework, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2040.
Embedded environmental justice and equity in all climate work, prioritizing investments in underserved areas such as tree canopy equity and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Supported electrification and clean energy production for community resiliency and autonomy during emergency events and climate-related disasters.
Led efforts to require air conditioning in all subsidized housing for climate resiliency during wildfire smoke events.
Supported and advanced Complete Streets/Corridors where every transportation and mobility option is equally safe, reliable, and respected.
Led efforts for moratoriums on the construction of new problematic warehouses and the storage of bulk fossil fuels within the city limits
Housing & Homelessness
Championed Prop 3 to expand the Affordable Housing Fund to $10M/year.
Led efforts to establish Safe Stay communities, expand and support the HART response team, and build a transitional shelter to open in 2026.
Declared a State of Emergency on Homelessness.
Advocated for anti-displacement strategies and tenant protections (e.g., rent stabilization, TOPA).
Promoted homeownership as stability, including plans to start a homeownership fair and to increase utilization of existing affordable housing and development funds for homeownership.
Advocated for anti-displacement strategies and equitable development, both incorporated in the draft update of the Comprehensive Plan.
Advocated for infill development, smart density, and flexible zoning to build up and not out to reduce and repair expensive suburban sprawl.
Supported and voted for the expansion of the Multi-Family Tax Exemption (MFTE) with added climate and safety criteria.
Actively worked to make MFTE more enticing to stimulate housing production; voted to waive developer fees for MFTE projects and allow delayed payment of impact fees.
“Like some of you, I’ve faced the anxiety of a no‑cause eviction notice. No one should live with housing instability, and personally, I believe housing should be a human right.”
Progressive Revenue & Economic Development
Advocated for childcare access, workforce equity, and culturally relevant support for BIPOC entrepreneurs.
Pushed back on regressive tax systems such as property and sales taxes that disproportionately affect working-class families more than the ultra-wealthy elite who are able to pay their equitable share.
Promoted economic development that keeps wealth local and pushes back against extraction by large chains.
Passed Vancouver’s first B&O tax to raise needed revenue for a shelter while protecting small and micro businesses.
Served on the board of Fourth Plain Forward, a BIPOC-focused Community Development Corporation (CDC) uplifting historically underserved business corridors.
Inclusive Development
Supported removing parking minimums to let the market dictate parking needs, not outdated mandates that prevented more housing construction.
Supported Complete Streets, Safe Routes to School, and walkable urban design.
Supported public-private collaboration for projects that deliver both housing and community value.
Brought a philosophy that development is part of a growing community and should be built with community, and be community-centered. Not just growth for growth’s sake.
Emphasized inclusive public engagement and co-creation of policies (e.g., Comprehensive Plan update, hiring of police chief and city manager, climate action plan, green building codes, and more).
Democracy Reform
Championed Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) and Proportional RCV.
Served on the Charter Review Commission and led the effort to put RCV and non-partisan county elections on the ballot.
“Democracy is Indigenous” messaging to counter white-washed civic narratives.
Strongly advocated for putting districting on the ballot for voters to decide whether City Council should be districted.
Every campaign has been people-powered, twice we have stood up against big money trying to buy a seat, and every time we have always won! Kim is a safe bet for the polices our community is asking for.
“I am proud of this community who has shown multiple times now with my campaigns that the people will always prevail over big money interests.”
-Kim
My city council record and past campaigns speak for themselves
2021 Vancouver City Council Race Election Results
Amount Spent, including outside money
Note: Outspent 9 to 1
Primary Election Results
November General Election Results
Note: 55 vote margin, mandatory hand recount. Every Vote Counts!
2025 Vancouver City Council Race Election Results
Amount Spent, including outside money
Note: Outspent 5 to 1
Primary Election Results
November General Election Results
Why Kim?
She is the proven candidate and elected leader that will win against millionaires and millionaire-backed opponents to ensure progressive and leftist victories for our community.
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Community PRIDE
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Uplifting other community leaders
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Supporting front-line workers
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Showing up for community
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Working for Native nonprofit
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Honoring our Elders
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Experienced in Advocacy
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Speaking at Protests
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Fighting for Vancouver in D.C.
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Strong family and community values
