Solidarity with AAPI community, Women’s History Month Panel, tenant protections, new Governor’s directive on vaccine, American Rescue Plan and more

March 18, 2021

Photo: Real Change News/Lisa Hagen Glynn

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

On Monday, I wrote a message of support for the demonstrations in support of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community and in condemnation of the hate crimes against AAPI individuals. In King County and across the nation, there have been significant increases in violence against the AAPI community based largely on the FALSE belief that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been responsible for spreading COVID-19.

In light of the violent attacks in Georgia resulting in the murder of eight people—including six of Asian descent and seven women—I write to re-affirm that message. To our AAPI community, let me be clear—I stand with you, and I stand solidly against these acts of hate. There is a legacy of anti-Asian sentiment and scapegoating in American history, and we cannot continue to allow this type of rhetoric to permeate our collective consciousness. While this attack happened in Georgia, attacks in public spaces happen closer to home, too, as a man was shot and killed inside a Rainier Valley church yesterday afternoon. That investigation is ongoing and information on the victim is not available at this time.

If you haven’t already, I encourage you all to join me in expressing support for and solidarity with the AAPI community, committing to doing the personal work to unlearn any stereotypes or stigmas you may unconsciously hold, and taking action in the ways we all can to combat this type of thinking. For more information, here are just a few resources that I saw and appreciated. There are many more out there!

• Stop AAPI Hate
• Asian American residents of Seattle speak out after Georgia shootings –The Seattle Times
• Asians must be part of our story, too –John A. Powell, Director of Berkeley’s Othering and Belonging Institute
• Bystander Training Schedule: Asian Americans Advancing Justice (graphic below)
• We stand in solidarity with our Asian American & Pacific Islander Community –Public Health Insider
• Seattle’s AAPI community was far from silent against hate at protest in Hing Hay Park –Real Change

As always, I would like to hear from you. You can call me at 206-477-1004 or you can reach me by email at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov. 

All the best and I hope you are staying safe.

COVID-19 UPDATES

Public Health -- Seattle & King County is reporting these numbers as the update for today, March 18^th:

- 285 new positive cases of COVID-19 (84,859 total) (unfortunately going up)

- 0 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,444 total)

- 11 new hospitalizations (5,199 to date)

On Wednesday, March 17th, Public Health reported:

- 158 new positive cases of COVID-19 (84,574 total). 

- 3 new COVID-19-related deaths (1,444 total)

On Tuesday, March 16^th, Public Health reported:

-113 new positive cases of COVID-19 (84,416 total)

-4 new COVID-19-related deaths today (1,441 total)

Statewide, according to the DOH, as of March 17th:

-Total number of confirmed positive cases is 331,109; the total number of probable cases is 20,903, for a total of 352,012 cases. 

- The total number of deaths statewide is 5,156

- The total number of hospitalizations is 19,957

COVID AND OTHER UPDATES

Save the Date: Amplifying Womxn’s Voices: Challenges, Inequities, and Moving Forward

Last year, the annual Womxn’s History Month panel discussion that I host and moderate was cancelled due to the pandemic. However, this year’s program, titled “Amplifying Womxn’s Voices: Challenges, Inequities, and Moving Forward,” will be held virtually via KCTV (King County TV Channel 22) and Facebook on Monday, March 29^th 11:45 am to 1:15 pm. We have an outstanding panel lined up this year and I hope that you will tune in for a fabulous conversation.

• Claudia Balducci, King County Council Chair representing District 6, King County Council, she/her
• Roxana Pardo Garcia, Cultural Worker and Certified Xingona, Founder and Owner of La Roxay Productions, she/ella/they
• Sharonne Navas, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Equity in Education Coalition, she/her
• ChrisTiana ObeySumner, Community Organizer, Activist, and CEO, Epiphanies of Equity LLC, they/them
• Justice G. Helen Whitener, Supreme Court Justice, Washington State Supreme Court, she/her

New Tenant Protections Legislation for King County

On Tuesday, Councilmember Girmay Zahilay and I introduced legislation to expand tenant protections in King County. The measure includes capped move-in fees and new ‘just cause’ eviction criteria, meaning that landlords would need to provide an actual reason for evicting tenants. Currently, they do not. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic fallout have exacerbated our already difficult housing crisis — putting large numbers of renters on the brink of eviction. We know that housing is essential to stability for King County residents. By enhancing protections for renters, we can work on the front end to prevent even more people from entering homelessness. The legislation will go through deliberation by the Council’s Community, Health and Housing Services committee as well as by the full Council. There will be opportunities for the public to provide comment. Read more here.

Gov Inslee extends eviction moratorium, expanded vaccine eligibility

Speaking of tenant protections, Governor Inslee announced today that the statewide eviction moratorium will be extended through June 20^th. He also announced that upcoming vaccine eligibility will be expanded to include restaurant workers and Washingtonians 60 and older beginning on March 31^st. Read more about his announcement here. Good news, but there’s still an insufficient supply of vaccine so this announcement may unfortunately make it more challenging to obtain an appointment.

Vaccine expansion

Starting yesterday, pregnant women, individuals with disabilities that put them at high risk, and front-line workers in food processing, agriculture, public transit, corrections, and more became eligible for the vaccine.   I’m very glad that these workers are being prioritized, and especially pleased that seafood industry employees are able to get vaccinated. After speaking with several of our District Four fishers, I lobbied the Governor’s office and State Department of Health for their inclusion. Being on a small fishing boat heading to Alaska in very close quarters with crew would make me very nervous! Read more about the vaccine expansion here.

Board of Health Briefing from Director Patty Hayes

Today at the Board of Health Meeting, Public Health—Seattle & King County Director Patty Hayes presented on the COVID-19 response in King County. She shared this presentation, which I would encourage exploring. As a note, if you read through this powerpoint a few days after the sending of this enews, please consider double checking data against the COVID-19 data dashboard, as that will be more updated than these slides.

TOMORROW AT NOON: Briefing with Dr. Jeff Duchin

King County Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin will brief the public and take questions from reporters tomorrow, Friday, March 19. He will provide updates on trends in COVID-19 cases and share the latest information on COVID-19 vaccination efforts.  The briefing will be livestreamed on the Public Health – Seattle & King County Facebook page @KCPubHealth.

Lessons from the 1918 Flu Pandemic

Well, after the past year, I think many of us can look back on historical events such as the 1918 Flu Pandemic with a new, more personal, perspective. In looking back, though, we can use that as a warning: that reopening too soon caused thousands of deaths, that the virus was not wiped out completely until as late as 1922 in some places, that our language matters, that the years following the pandemic were incredibly important, and more. Read more about the 1918 Flu in this Crosscut article by Knute Berger and how it applies to us now.

Photo: CDC Historical Archives

American Rescue Plan Update

As you can see in this helpful pie chart below, the federal government’s American Rescue Plan (ARPA) offers direct relief in many ways. Of the state and local aid, King County will receive approximately $220M from ARPA in 2021 and is slated to receive another $220M in 2022. We’re checking that out to see if there’s a way to receive the entire amount this year. The Executive and the Council plan to use ARPA to continue funding and in some cases expand the many effective relief programs the County began in 2020.  With slightly different restrictions on the funding, we also will be able to create new programs and address even more needs in our communities.  Finally, we will intently focus on a mass vaccination program and other means to fully open our schools, businesses and arts and culture venues, and our hospitality sector, such as hotels and restaurants and restore our vibrant economy and social networks.

Source: https://twitter.com/CAPAction/status/1370089615449817088?s=20

Vaccine Frustration in the European Union

Though the vaccine rollout in the United States has been far from perfect, we are making progress on administering the vaccine. In many parts of the European Union, though, case counts are rising and the vaccine rollout has prioritized process over expediency, negotiating lower rates for vaccines and working towards buy-in from all 27 member countries, leading to slower regulatory approval of vaccines. It’s quite interesting, if you’re interested in reading more, this article from The New York Times has good coverage. 

Economic forecast is looking up

On Monday, I was elected to be the Chair of the King County Forecast Council and presided over our Revenue and Economic Forecast meeting. Mirroring in many ways the overall positive news of what came out yesterday from the state, it is overall better news than we had anticipated.  See this helpful presentation on King County’s economic forecast. Then on Wednesday morning, the Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council released the official Spring quarterly revenue forecast for the state. The total state revenue subject to the budget outlook process is forecasted to increase by $1.340 billion in the 2019-21 biennium, $1.949 billion in the 2021-23 biennium and $1.899 billion in the 2023-25 biennium. This is a big turnaround from the $9 billion shortfall forecast last spring when the economy shut down. Changes that contributed to this much improved forecast compared to the November forecast include: two federal stimulus bills passed, faster than expected vaccine distribution, retail sales have been stronger than expected, and strong residential real estate transactions. The materials from yesterday’s meeting can be found here. Read more about the Washington State Forecast in The Seattle Times.

Additional helpful and informative links

• After more than a year, Seattle region has first head of homelessness authority –The Seattle Times
• County Council to pass sixth COVID supplemental budget - Queen Anne & Magnolia News
• King County Council to consider renter-rights proposal for unincorporated areas - White Center Now
• After tension with mayor, Seattle City Councilmember proposes $12 million more for homeless shelters –The Seattle Times
• Stories of Resiliency & Strength: “The Youth is the Truth” –Public Health Insider
• FLASH Sex Education Developed by King County is Clinically Proven to Reduce Teen Pregnancy in National Study –Public Health Insider
• What’s next in King County’s path to ending youth detention? - PubliCola
• Opinion: Cuomo vs. Inslee: A COVID-19 tale of two governors –The Week
• Opinion: The pandemic and the future city—The Seattle Times
• Helping under-served communities navigate health barriers during the pandemic –The South Seattle Emerald
• Despite vaccines, WA health care workers struggle with burnout - Crosscut
• Moderna begins testing its vaccine in babies and young children –The New York Times
• Some long-haul covid-19 patients say their symptoms are subsiding after getting vaccines –Washington Post
• Covid’s Partisan Errors –The New York Times
• AMA: What doctors wish patients knew about COVID-19 –The American Medical Association
• How the pandemic is reshaping education—The Seattle Times
• What’s behind the Seattle area’s soaring grocery bills since Covid-19 pandemic began –The Seattle Times
• Editorial: Step out of pandemic with hope, vigilance –The Seattle Times
• Finding a vaccine is getting easier, but it can still be a ‘shark tank’ for older people - KNKX
• Three Feet or Six? Distancing Guideline for Schools Stirs Debate –New York Times
• Child care providers to get billions in Covid-19 relief –The Wall Street Journal
• Helpful behavior during pandemic tied to recognizing common humanity –UW News
• How do mRNA vaccines work – and why do you need a second dose? 5 essential reads –The Conversation
• Seattle 1 year later: Many restaurants are 'just holding water' –Restaurant Dive
• 'It’s only going to get more crazy': Spring break crowds a concern during critical moment in COVID-19 fight –USA Today
• Small Piece of the Stimulus Has Ambitious Aim of Saving Mothers’ Lives –The New York Times
• White House is set to unveil sweeping vaccine-confidence campaign - STAT
• Virus Variants Likely Evolved Inside People With Weak Immune Systems –The New York Times
• Mariners team up with UW Medicine to promote COVID-19 vaccines to underserved communities –The Seattle Times

Today’s moment of inspiration

Today is Metro Transit Operator Appreciation Day! If you’re using public transit today, please make sure to say an extra thank you to these tireless workers who have kept our region moving for years, but especially this year with the extra risks of being out and about during the pandemic. Today, KEXP and Metro teamed up to recognized and celebrate these essential workers all day long on the radio waves. Thank you, today and every day, to our transit operators! Read more about the KEXP recognition here.

A quote to leave you with…

“If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” -Lilla Watson

Keep in touch

Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates, which I am now sending out on Mondays and Thursdays.  Feel free to forward them to others who can subscribe by clicking here.  And you can click here to visit the archive page where you can find all of my previous enews updates.