November 22, 2021

Photo: Max Pixel

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I hope that you are gearing up for a safe and healthy Thanksgiving week! Today’s shortened eNews will be the only eNews I send out this week, but we will be back next Monday to resume our regular eNews schedule for Mondays and Thursdays.

Even as we enjoy gathering with family which for many of us includes a traditional Thanksgiving meal, I encourage you also to recognize and remember the colonial roots of this holiday and combat the sanitized version that many of us were taught in school. To read more about the more accurate roots of Thanksgiving, these articles in The New York Times  and Smithsonian Magazine are good places to start.

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

Note: Public Health has changed the way it is reporting these data, in order to better show the trends. As of today, Public Health -- Seattle & King County (Public Health) is reporting these numbers – including data from the weekend -for the last seven and last fourteen days:

- 708 new cases since Friday, November 19^th (171,715 to date)

- 22 new COVID-19-related deaths in the last two weeks (2,070 to date)

- 79 new hospitalizations in the last seven days (8,734 to date)

You can view screenshots of the Daily Dashboard here. Note the correct date appears when you click on the document (one day earlier than is listed). The data are not updated over the weekends.

Vaccination rates in King County:

Among all eligible residents (those 12 years and older), as of today, 90.2% of King County residents 12 and over have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 84.2% have received both doses.

- View updated County vaccination data here.

- View COVID outcomes according to vaccination status here.

To view a breakdown of COVID-19 cases by race and ethnicity, click this link. Click here to view the “Key Indicators” data dashboard.

Statewide, according to the state Department of Health (DOH), as Friday, November 19th:

-The number of confirmed positive cases is 674,098; the number of probable cases is 91,910, for a total of 766,008 cases. 

- The total number of deaths statewide is 9,139

- The total number of hospitalizations is 42,370

COVID AND OTHER UPDATES

Quote of the Day: “This is what we can all do to nourish and strengthen one another: Listen to one another very hard, ask hard questions, too, send one another away to work again, and laugh in all the right places.” – Nancy Mairs

This Week at the King County Council

Even though it’s a holiday week, the Council still has a lot to accomplish! Today, in a special meeting of the Council, the King County Council appointed Chris Villasenor to fill a vacant seat on the Newcastle City Council by a unanimous vote. The seat became vacant when Tony Ventrella resigned from the Newcastle Council on August 1. Because the position was not filled within 90 days, or by October 29, state law requires the County Council to fill the vacancy within the next 90 days. At a special meeting today, the County Council interviewed the two final candidates -- Garrett Mock and Chris Villasenor -- who emerged from a competitive process run by the Newcastle Council. Both candidates are long-time Newcastle residents and are well qualified for the position. Ultimately, the County Council selected Villasenor for the appointment.

We will still have our regular meeting of the King County Council tomorrow, where we will take up the mid-biennial budget discussions (more on that below). You can access the agenda as well as find information to call into the meeting or provide public comment here.

Council poised to act on supplemental spending package

Tomorrow the Council will vote on a $617 million mid-biennial supplemental budget that I have sponsored as the Chair of the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee. If approved, the 2021 supplemental will add funding to the Executive’s proposed budget for climate equity projects, gun violence reduction, bus service restorations, tiny home villages, waterfront shuttle service, bike helmet awareness, and much more.

Thanks in large part to more promising revenue forecast figures, this budget proposal includes significant funding restorations to programs and services that were cut at the onset of the pandemic including the Mental Health and Drug Dependency Program and public transit services.

I have also proposed funding for key programs, services and institutions that directly impact the residents of District Four, including:

• $500,000 to bring back the popular Free Waterfront Shuttle in collaboration with the City of Seattle, Port of Seattle, and businesses operating along the waterfront
• $250,000 to support the restoration and preservation of the only remaining steam ship in Puget Sound, the National Historic Landmark vessel S.S. VIRGINIA V
• $20,000 for Solid Ground’s flexible rent assistance program
• $15,000 for Chill Seattle – a program that helps youth participants reach their full potential and see that there is a path out of their current circumstances through the recreation of snowboarding and other board sports
• $15,000 for Seattle Pride Hockey Association – a non-profit geared towards the growth of the sport of ice hockey through diversity and inclusion
• $5,000 for Recycle for Vets – an organization founded by veterans to remove trash from our planet by empowering veterans to clean our communities

We want your help reimagining public safety

King County is seeking ideas from residents of unincorporated areas on how government can think more creatively about public safety. A brief anonymous survey will ask residents to share their ideas on how to keep their communities safe, using strategies beyond the traditional criminal legal system. More information on this is available here.

City Hall Park

Last Friday, Executive Constantine and Mayor Durkan announced an agreement on the land swap that will enable King County to take over City Hall Park, which was spurred on by my legislation I sponsored last June and that was approved by the Council. This land swap agreement signals a new and exciting era for City Hall Park and the entire King County downtown campus. Now, we will be able to think strategically and long-term about how to ensure that County facilities are welcoming and accessible for all residents in the County, whether they’re in Pioneer Square or at the Courthouse to access services, to work, to participate in the judicial system, or just to visit what is known as Seattle’s First Neighborhood. Read more on this announcement here. The Council will take action on the land swap itself next month.

To find out more about what redistricting is, watch this video.

It's Redistricting Season

Redistricting, the process of using census data to make sure that Congressional and Legislative Districts are reflective of population changes, is taking place all around the country, including at the Washington State, county and city levels. In King County, the “Districting Committee” is close to the end of its work. It will post a final draft map on the Draft Map Plans page by 2 p.m. tomorrow, November 23^rd. It will also hold a public hearing on Tuesday, November 30^th at 2 p.m. to review and seek community input on the final draft map. More information is available here.

At the state level, last week, the WA State Redistricting Committee was unable to find agreement before the deadline, meaning that the Congressional and Legislative District maps will be decided by the Washington State Supreme Court, instead. Read more about that situation here.

Hikers explore the new Eastrail expansion.

Eastrail Expansion

Looking to get out for a walk this weekend? On November 10^th, King County Parks opened the widest trail in King County’s Leafline Trails. This 2.5 mile long segment is part of the emerging Eastrail connecting Renton and Bellevue. This trail – featuring a 12-foot-wide center path and ample gravel shoulders — allows for more space between walkers, runners, and cyclists. Eventually, Eastrail is planned to offer 42 miles of uninterrupted trail from Renton to Snohomish County.

Additional helpful and informative links

• US opens COVID boosters to all adults, urges them for 50+ --The Seattle Times
• Fauci says he hopes single COVID vaccine booster will do the job –NY Daily News
• Keeping a positive mentality amid long COVID symptoms –UW Medicine
• Your Guide to Safer Holiday Travel –The Washington Post
• Kohl-Welles awards Martin Luther King Medal of Distinguished Service to Carlye Teel --Westside Seattle
• How to make Washington State ferries shipshape again –The Seattle Times

Today’s moment of inspiration

The beloved Fremont Troll. Shutterstock.com

For today’s moment of inspiration, I wanted to highlight something for those who enjoy the arts or for anyone who is looking for something to do this holiday weekend. Artists have been filling up walls with their art in the Fremont area. All these murals were created by local artists and it only takes about an hour to view them all! Not to mention, if you go on a Sunday you can always stop by the Fremont Farmer’s Market to explore the goodies from our local farmers and business owners. Read more about it and how you can experience the murals yourself here.

This rainy-day walk through Fremont highlights mural art | The Seattle Times

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.