This week, the King County Council’s Committee of the Whole passed my proposal to amend the King County charter to move all King County-level elected offices from odd numbered years to even numbered years to help increase voter participation. In King County, voter turnout in even-year elections is about twice as high as in odd years.
 By moving to even-year elections, we would increase voter participation and voter diversity, including more younger people, people of color, renters, and people with less wealth. Their voices matter and this easy, commonsense proposal would make our democracy stronger by making our government more representative of the will of the people we serve. If the charter amendment is approved by the full Council, it will be on this November’s ballot for consideration by the voters.
 Read the Seattle Times coverage on this proposed change to help increase voter participation in King County elections here:
What are you doing for others?
 Each year, the King County Council presents the Martin Luther King, Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service award to individuals whose work has answered the question asked by Dr. King “What are you doing for others?” This year, I was proud to award Angie Hinojos and Carlos Jiménez, the co-founders and leaders of Centro Cultural Mexicano, the District 6 award.
 They provide a full range of services to help the Latino community thrive and flourish, from meeting basic needs to creating and expanding spaces for celebrations of Latino heritage and culture to empowering members of the Latino community to support and sustain each other. Angie and Carlos are helping create the truly inclusive and just community that Dr. King would be proud of.
Celebrating freedom
 Juneteenth marks the day that Major General Gordon Granger issued Order Number 3 in Galveston Texas, bringing the news of the Emancipation Proclamation to enslaved people there who were the last to hear the news. African Americans in Texas marked the day with prayer, singing, and dancing. Since then, celebrations have spread across the country and now it’s a national holiday and this year is the first time it is recognized as a King County paid holiday.
This weekend, you can join neighbors in honoring Juneteenth at the following Eastside events:
Watch for property valuation increases in the mail
Yesterday, the King County Assessor, John Wilson, put out a release warning of particularly steep increases in housing values in northeast King County:
"The King County Assessor’s office has begun the annual process of mailing property valuation notices to taxpayers. Notices will be arriving in the Bridal Trails/Wiburton/Central Bellevue area soon. Median residential property values rose 40.3% in that area.
Data indicates that home sale prices and overall home values have risen sharply in most King Count neighborhoods and have dramatically spiked in northeast King County. Bellevue is one of those areas where values have risen the most, which is likely to affect property tax payments in 2023.
“Housing inventory for sale remains low, while demand remains very high,” said Assessor John Wilson. “The resulting increase in home values is inevitable in this type of market, and that trend is particularly strong on the eastside. While voter approved special levies typically have more impact on property tax increase than do increases in home values, these value increases are so dramatic they may result in noticeable increases in property taxes in eastside communities.”
You can learn more about the King County Assessor and how property taxes are calculated here:
Spread the word!
Please forward this email widely and invite others to sign-up to my email updates to receive important and timely information for District 6 constituents.
Sincerely,
 Claudia Balducci
King County Council
District 6
|
