February 10, 2019
It's been a very rainy couple of weeks around these parts.
Although the Green River is not a stranger to mild flooding during the winter, this year is proving to be one of wettest we've had on record in nearly 25 years, and our river bank shows it.
Thursday morning, King County raised the flood alert level on the Green River to a phase 3, which is usually when we start to see flooding in the valley upstream of Auburn and in the lower Mill Creek basin.
Although the rain has since let up, by Friday we were starting to see most of Isaac Evans Park and parts of the Auburn Gold Course fall underwater and by Friday evening, the county declared a Phase 4 flood alert.
Staff at our Emergency Operations Center activated to a monitoring level to keep a close eye on the water levels and went out with river surveyors from King County during the week to evaluate the river banks.
The Green and White rivers are part of what make Auburn such a beautiful place to live, but during times like this, they also remind us of how quickly they can create emergency situations. Now is a great time for us all to make sure we have plans in place in case we ever do see severe flooding. You can sign up for immediate updates on flooding on any river in King County and get some great information about how to get prepared at kingcounty.gov/flood.
|
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Last Monday morning, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph and I testified before the State House Finance Committee regarding House Bill 2907.
HB 2907 is a bill that would allow King County to impose a payroll tax between .1%-.2% on money paid by businesses to employees making at least $150,000 a year, with some exemptions. Money collected from this tax would go toward affordable housing, behavioral health and supportive services, with 43% going to Seattle and the remaining 57% split among other cities in King County.
While I don't oppose the idea of finding viable ways for us to address and fund homelessness in our region, I do have concerns about the language of this bill and that no city outside of Seattle was consulted before it was brought before the committee.
Addressing the challenge of homelessness in Auburn, and our region as a whole, is a top priority for me, but so is ensuring that our city, and our businesses in particular, have a place at the table as those discussions are taking place.
I will continue to follow this bill throughout the legislative session and will keep you updated as it progresses.
Friday afternoon, I had the honor of speaking at the grand opening of the new El Centro de La Raza in Federal Way.
If you are not familiar with El Centro de La Raza (The Center for People of all Races), it began in 1972 and is an organization that uses social, cultural, educational, economic and civic activities as vehicles to bring communities together.
Today, they provide 42 different programs—everything from youth case management to benefits navigation—with a mission to "build unity across all racial and economic sectors, to organize, empower, and defend our most vulnerable and marginalized populations and to bring justice, dignity, equality, and freedom to all the peoples of the world."
This location is their first in south King County and is open to anyone in the community.
You can learn more about the organization and what services they offer on their website.
Congratulations, El Centro de Las Raza!
|
