Hello Residents of King County District 2,

This is your friendly neighborhood King County Councilmember, Girmay Zahilay.

I wanted to make sure you knew that the pandemic has come roaring back and the Governor has taken important steps to combat its spread. He recently announced a vaccination requirement for employees working in K-12 schools, most childcare and early learning, and higher education facilities, as well as an expansion of the statewide indoor mask mandate to all individuals, regardless of vaccination status. 

Taking these precautions is necessary, especially since the entire healthcare system in our region is over capacity. Some hospitals are fuller than they’ve ever been. The Washington Medical Coordination Center, led by Harborview, has had to scramble to find beds for more patients this past week than at the height of COVID-19.

If for some strange reason you’re not afraid of getting COVID-19, hospital systems overstretched should terrify everyone. It could mean you or your loved one can’t get timely treatment for a car crash, a heart attack, or any other emergency. It could mean most of our medical professionals burning out. The surge in COVID-related hospitalizations is driven predominantly by unvaccinated people. Fully vaccinated people make up a tiny fraction of those being hospitalized. That is one of the many data points showing us how effective vaccination is at preventing severe symptoms and death. Therefore, to prevent the collapse of our hospitals and ensure timely treatment of all emergencies, more people should get vaccinated as soon as possible. As we speak, COVID-19 transmission in King County is HIGH. It looks like it’s on its way up to the peak levels we saw last winter. It took a huge wave of vaccinations, distancing, and masking to get the steep drop of cases we saw in the spring, and that’s what it’ll take now. We all need to do our part to make sure we have functioning hospitals. This is scary. To keep ourselves and our communities safe, we need to get vaccinated and encourage your friends and family to do so; mask up at indoor public places; stay hydrated during the heat; and avoid dangerous or risky activities because hospitals are full. As a reminder, you can always find your nearest vaccination site at our King County Public Health website or Washington State’s COVID Vaccine Finder. Please remember the vaccine is free and no appointments are necessary.

Heat Wave Update

Last week, I partnered with Safeway again to deliver cold water to seniors, unhoused neighbors, and other community members. Please stay hydrated as temperatures rise, and for a list of cooling centers near you, visit the King County Regional Homelessness Authority website here.

My Surplus Land Legislation

As these heat waves show us, we need public buildings to be more accessible to the public. People need to come indoors. This week, I introduced legislation I call the Surplus Land and Buildings for Community ordinance. This law would allow our government to use the resources we already have more effectively.

If King County owns buildings or land that it isn’t using for long periods, it should make those spaces available to community. Organizations could then use those spaces for housing, health clinics, office space, or after-school activities.

My legislation would require King County to conduct a surplus property analysis on county-owned real property that it has not been using and would establish a publicly accessible database of surplus property owned by the county. Community organization could then check to see what spaces are available for their use.

Every week, I hear from organizations that want to serve their communities, but they don’t have the physical space to do so in a region that pushes so many out. I hope this ordinance plays a part in getting people indoors and using our existing resources more effectively.

The Surplus Land & Buildings for Community ordinance passed out of committee this week in an 8 to 1 vote! That means wit will now go to full council for a final vote and approval by the Council before being adopted into law!

New Via Skyway Service

Huge news! Depending on where you live in our district, you can now call a driver to help you get to where you need to go! Starting today, the Via partnership with King County Metro Transit is expanding to serve Rainier Beach, Skyway, Tukwila, and Renton.

This extra transit option will be a huge benefit to so many people in our district. Check out my remarks here.

People who live, work, or go to school in the specified service areas can download the Via app or call 206-258-7739 and request a ride from Via to Transit to connect to buses and trains or get to select community hubs like grocery stores, parks, libraries, healthcare, and more. Via to Transit will be available in four service areas: Othello, Rainier Beach/Skyway, Renton Highlands, and Tukwila. One end of a trip must be a designated hub for the service area. For more information, please visit the King County Metro blogpost here.

Childcare Assistance

If you live or work in King County and need help with childcare costs, you may qualify for assistance. The application for the King County Child Care Subsidy Program is now available. To apply, visit their website here.

King County Community Advisory Committee

King County is looking for 5-8 Skyway community members to join their Community Advisory Committee. Committee members will be paid $75/hour for a 14-hour commitment over 6 weeks (about 2 hours/week) starting in early Sept. & ending in early Oct. The deadline to apply is 8/23. To apply, visit the Google Form here.

King County Law and Justice Committee

You are invited to join our King County Law and Justice committee meetings!

Last year, voters approved King County Charter Amendments 5 and 6, allowing King County to appoint a Sheriff and change the duties of the King County Sheriff’s Office. We need King County residents to provide public comment about the changes you’d like to see when reimagining and restructuring our criminal legal system.

Tune in August 31, 2021 and September 7, 2021 at 9:30am to provide public comment.

Call in or Join the Law and Justice Zoom Meeting by entering the Meeting ID and Passcode below, Via the ZOOM application or computer at https://zoom.us/

Meeting ID: 937 4527 2482
Passcode: 011668

Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at 9:30 AM: Law and Justice Committee

• Ordinance 2021-0193 amending the Public Defense Advisory Board (PDAB)
• Ordinance 2021-0194 amending the public defender selection process
• Motion 2021-0205 requesting the executive to develop a plan for establishing a community-based countywide hotline for a data collection system and public awareness campaign for people to report hate crimes and incidents
• Motion 2021-0156 intent to establish a hate crimes unit within the King County Sheriff’s Office
• Motion 2021-0164 affirming support for the emotional and mental health programs being developed by the King County Sheriff’s Office and requesting they provide a program evaluation report
• Office of Law Enforcement Oversight’s Systemic Review on the November 25, 2019 Officer-Involved Shooting of Anthony Chilcott.

Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 9:30am: Law and Justice Committee

• Nationwide list of alternative models to traditional policing
• Discussion regarding community concerns about youth legal records on the SCRIPT system
• King County Sheriff report out on meeting new statewide requirements
• Motion 2021-0317 requesting the executive to proclaim and respond to an emergency on the security at the King County courthouse.

Help us grow our reach!

My team and I send email updates like the one you’re currently reading every couple of weeks and we want to ensure we’re reaching as many of you in our community as possible. If you know anyone who would like to receive these updates, please be sure to send them to over to our County Council website to sign up!

And as always, for more frequent and daily updates, you can check out our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages. For the latest news, resources, and opportunities to engage with your King County government, follow me on the social media channels of your choice:

Facebook: facebook.com/Councilmember.Girmay

Instagram: @councilmember.girmay

Twitter: @CMGirmayZahilay

Sincerely,

Councilmember Girmay Zahilay

King County Council
District 2
206-477-1002
girmay.zahilay@kingcounty.gov