Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope that you are all able to take today’s intermittent rain as yet another signal to stay inside and continue staying home to stay healthy if at all possible. As we continue practicing social distancing, I’ve found that individuals have become quite creative in finding ways to connect with each other for the purposes of business and art and fellowship. Later in this newsletter, you’ll see some examples of the ways that musicians have been sharing the beauty of their art. Thank you for your grace and generosity during this time!
Our next Committee of the Whole Meeting will be taking place on Tuesday, April 21st at 1 pm. The agenda was released, and the motion that Councilmember Zahilay and I have co-sponsored calling on our state and federal leaders to impose a moratorium on rent and mortgage payments will be heard. The agenda and information on how to provide public comment on agenda items are both available here.
As a reminder, the motion that has been introduced is largely symbolic, in that it is non-binding. Similarly to the resolution passed by the Seattle City Council, this action would add the King County Council to a list of other local governments across the nation that have called on state and federal governments to find relief for renters—both residential and commercial--and homeowners and business owners. If passed, this motion does not hold immediate legislative power in King County. Rather, this calls on state and federal officials to take action on the spirit of this motion.
Councilmember Zahilay and I have listened to concerns about the legislation and are working on a striking amendment to incorporate these, such as requesting the creation of a rental property relief fund to cover lost payments to mom and pop and small property owners, and that high-earners and wealthy residential and commercial tenants would still be responsible to pay their rents and mortgages.
The rest of this e-newsletter is meant to provide you with an update on some of the other issues on which I’ve been working as well as on helpful information related to the COVID-19 crisis. As always, I would like to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or comments. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or you can reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
All the best,
Latest numbers from Public Health
As of this update, Public Health is reporting 161 new positive cases of COVID-19 in King County (5063 total) and 9 new COVID-19 related deaths (340 total), so we’re pretty much continuing “flattening the curve.” I’m looking forward to the day I’ll be able to report to you we’re heading in a downward trajectory.
Detailed information about demographics of those who died from COVID-19 are available on Public Health’s data dashboard. And, interestingly, you can click on your zip code to learn of the number of “positive” cases and fatalities where you reside.
As of April 16th, there have been 11,445 confirmed cases and 603 deaths in Washington state.
Also, and again, here is an excellent website that offers real-time COVID-19 data in clear formats, broken down by country and state: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
 COVID-19 update from the Port of Seattle and its providing rent relief to maritime and landside tenants
“The health, safety, and wellbeing of our public and employees comes first. We made operational changes across our facilities, and in partnership with our tenants, to support social distancing, enhance cleaning in high touch areas, and move operations to digital platforms where possible.
Port facilities and essential projects continue operating to meet essential trade, travel, and economic needs. At the same time, Port facilities and industries have been hard hit by the global pandemic. Aviation activity is down approximately 90-95 percent compared to this time last year, maritime shipping is down by about 22 percent, and our cruise season is indefinitely suspended until the health crisis subsides.
Our relief and response actions stabilize businesses and families during a crisis and prepare our region to thrive in an equitable recovery. The Port barred evictions through June 30, extended rent deferrals to tenants, and is helping small businesses and impacted workers connect to support benefits and services. The Port is looking to leverage its major capital development program as a lever to spur hiring and economic activity, and reviewing its other economic development tools to support economic recovery and stimulus.”
The Port will provide rent relief for qualifying business tenants and customers throughout its maritime and landside properties, including office, retail, and restaurants, along with recreational and commercial moorage. The relief defers rent for businesses for April through July and defers moorage fees for liveaboard and other moorage customers for April through June. Read the press release. I really appreciate what the Port is doing!
U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal co-sponsors legislation to cancel rent and mortgage payments
Continuing on the topic of rent relief, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal announced legislation on Friday to cancel all residential rent and mortgage payments during the coronavirus emergency. The bill has not passed and no payments have been canceled. To find out more about this recently introduced legislation, read the Seattle Times coverage here.
DSHS to provide disaster cash assistance for some Washingtonians
Beginning Friday, April 17, some Washington residents can apply through the Department of Social and Health Services for emergency cash assistance to help meet their immediate needs. As a result of Governor Inslee’s emergency declaration in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has approved implementing the Disaster Cash Assistance Program, or DCAP, in Washington state. More information available here: News Release- English News Release - Spanish FAQ-English FAQ-Spanish
Inslee extends proclamations for utility ratepayers and truck driver hours
Gov. Jay Inslee has signed three new proclamations in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Two of the proclamations extend existing ones related to truck driver hours and utility ratepayer assistance. The third waives and suspends laws that impact community associations’ meetings and late fees.
New agriculture industry guidance from L&I spells out safety and health requirements during pandemic
Washington’s massive agriculture industry is critical to both the state’s economy and to the welfare of families across the country. Thousands of farm workers are on the job, and the season is just getting started. Many farmworkers are among the state’s most vulnerable employees. The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) issued specific coronavirus guidance for the agriculture industry, including a general fact sheet along with guidance specifically for agricultural warehouses and packing houses. Read full release.
Reminder about King County property tax extension for some residents
As a reminder, residents and commercial taxpayers will have until June 1 to pay the first half of their 2020 property-tax bill. No forms are needed to take advantage of the extension, and no interest charges will be added. Banks and other financial institutions that pay property taxes for their customers still need to do so by the original April 30 deadline.
The extension, issued by King County Executive Dow Constantine, applies to taxes on buildings and structures as well as taxes for equipment used in business.
The deadline will not be pushed beyond June 1 because many cities, counties, school districts, fire districts and hospital districts rely on the first installment to fund operations and make debt service payments, according to a news release.
Those with questions can contact the King County Treasury at propertytax.customerservice@kingcounty.gov or call 206-263-2890.
Some helpful, informative and inspiring links
Today’s moments of levity (or, in this case, musical appreciation and humor)
Today’s moment of levity is closer to home, in fact, it can be found in District Four! This moment is brought to Ballard by Ballard’s own Stephen Wall, also known as “Opera Man.” Stephen, a classically trained tenor and Seattle Opera performer, has been performing short pieces in his front yard on weekdays at 5pm accompanied by a recorded orchestral score. Neighbors have been coming outside listen (at a distance). The Seattle Times featured him, so be sure to take a listen and read the full article here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/watch-and-listen-ballards-opera-man-lets-loose-from-his-lawn-every-weekday/
An additional image that I couldn’t help but share is a new way of looking at “The Game of Thrones.”
Archive of my eNews editions
If you're looking for updates shared in past editions of this newsletter, you can find them all right here: https://www.kingcounty.gov/council/kohl-welles/News/eNewsletters/covid-enews.aspx
Keep in touch
Thank you again for taking the time to read my update. You can expect ones to continue being sent out on a daily basis, sometimes more than one. Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.
Finally, to prevent these updates from going straight to spam or junk folders, I encourage you to mark this email address as a “safe sender” by adding the email address to your contacts or address book. And be sure to check your spam folder if you think you may have missed an update.
And please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns and, most importantly, be well.
All the best,
-Jeanne
|
