5 Things You Need to Know This Week: DC Reports, Gift Guide, & brand new councilmembers

1. Holiday Elected Leaders Party ... Photographed

Thanks to all who joined us for our 2025 Holiday Elected Leaders Party earlier this week! We were joined by dozens of local electeds, as well as some of our most involved Chamber and community members.

And, as per usual, a huge S/O goes out to our friends at Comcast that let us take over their Bellevue Square location for this get-together each year. Y'all are the best!

2. The DC Report: Pics from the Other Washington

Our advocacy team also returned from DC late last and early this week, and in reporting back, are thrilled to announce they put on another successful Fly-In.

City Councilmembers, King County Councilmembers, government affairs professionals, and the like all flew out to join us, and we mixed things up with a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and chatted World Cup with the FIFA folks.

'Til next year, DC!

3. The Chamber's Gift Guide

Still cranking out your holiday shopping? We've got you covered with this Chamber Gift Guide featuring some of our member organizations!

Check out our full member list here, and take a look at our hand-picked options using the categories below:

• Did Someone Say Self-Care?

• Dripped Out in All Local: Styled by Bellevue

• Decking the Halls (Or Just the Home)

• Somebody’s Sleep-Centric: Gifts to Elevate Bedtime

• Treats, Teas, & Foodstuffs

• For Fido (& Felines, & Fishies)

• Coming in Clutch for the Kiddos: Toys, Gizmos, the Works

• Subscriptions, Memberships, & Gifts That Keep On Giving

• Gift Cards: For Foodies & Beyond

• For the Greater Good: Giving

4. Sworn In: The New City Council

At Tuesday's Bellevue City Council meeting, our new Councilmembers were sworn in! Watch the swearing in here, and get to know our full Council — sans our newest Councilmember, Naren Briar, who you can meet here — using this link.

5. Studio33 Opens Its Doors

Another week, another ribbon-cutting! Our thespian pals at Theatre33 opened up their new studio space over the weekend, and we were thrilled to join them for the ceremony and Winter Craft Fair to follow.

Read our recent blog about Theatre33 here, and see the space for yourself here.

Member News:

• Did Someone Say Nutcracker?: Our members over at Emerald Ballet Academy are embracing the holidays in full force, and in the most dance-laden way we know: By putting on a production of The Nutcracker! Read the article here — courtesy of the EBA team — to get a sense of what all goes into such a theatrical feat. 
• Wheel the World: Visit Bellevue has partnered with Wheel the World, the leading accessible travel platform dedicated to empowering travelers of all abilities to explore the world with confidence. Take a look at the site here. 
• Oops! All Taxes!: Recent reporting by The Olympian’s Simone Carter revealed that Washington is among the top states losing taxpayers the most frequently on net from interstate migration, with the Evergreen State saying goodbye to another taxpayer every 29 minutes and 55 seconds, ranking No. 43 in the nation. Read the article here.