 Operation Warm Coat
Valley Professional Firefighters, Valley Regional Fire
Authority, Cities in Schools and the Auburn School District worked together to provide
new, warm, “Union Made in America” coats for students at Gildo Rey Elementary
School on Tuesday for Operation Warm Coat. It was so much fun
meeting the kids, talking with them and then seeing their smiles when they
received coats that fit! Many of the
students came in without coats – and while it was a clear day, it was also very
cold.
To date, Operation Warm has given new winter coats to over 1.4 MILLION children throughout America. A brand new Operation Warm Coat gives a child newfound freedom and confidence to play more, learn more, and do more. All across America there are families struggling to meet
their basic needs. If you would like to help out, you can make a donation for
NEW winter coats and help relieve the burden of poverty and bring the gift
happiness and warmth to children in need (website link above). In tandem with
their primary mission, they launched the Made in the USA program in 2013, and now
20% of their coats are made in America. These coats not only bring warmth and joy
to impoverished children; they also create new American jobs. If you would like to become an partner, a hero in your community, and help ensure that all
children feel warm, healthy and valued, contact Operation Warm Coat today!
Book & Release Delayed, Not Done
You may have heard about King County's proposed "Book
& Release" program for non-violent property crime offenders at King
County Jail in Seattle, and Regional Justice Center in Kent. The City of Auburn
is against this approach, and after I collected comments from your great Auburn
Police Department, I had a chance to share them with King County Executive Dow
Constantine Wednesday morning. We discussed budget concerns and his desire for
the entire system to be streamlined (bookings, arraignments, etc.). I committed
to help find a resolution to this problem because his proposed policy just
isn't in the best interests of any of us! Anyone who has been the victim of a property
crime will agree that having the suspect back out on the street within a few
hours of arrest is just not right! I am happy to report that Executive Constantine
sent a letter to other King County elected officials later that day stating
that he would be deferring the proposed policy effective date to June 1. There
were many other area mayors and law enforcement officials that expressed their
concerns since the proposal was announced and I am very pleased that Executive
Constantine took the time to listen to us. We also agreed that we would all
work to together to find a better solution!
What would you do?
What
are your thoughts on King County's proposed "Book & Release"
program? Please share your thoughts and ideas!
SEA.....HAWKS
It was a great way to end the week and celebrate the Seattle
Seahawks! At 9:00am Friday, we had a Seahawk rally on the City Hall Plaza. We
were joined by Valley Regional Fire Authority - bringing the ladder truck to
hoist the 12th Man Flag; Auburn Police Department, members of the Auburn Area Chamber of
Commerce and Auburn Downtown Association, and Muckleshoot Tribal Chair Virginia
Cross and Tribal Councilmember Kerri Marquez. We had a couple of - dare I say
it - "Cheeseheads" in the crowd, but we let them know in no uncertain
terms that the Seahawks were going to prevail. GO HAWKS!
 Thursday afternoon found many of us attending Councilmember
Claude DaCorsi's retirement party. He has worked at the King County Housing
Authority for 15 years, and judging by the size of the audience, he will be
greatly missed. KCHA's loss is definitely Auburn's gain! Claude will now be
even busier representing you in the region. Congratulations, Claude!
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