July 22, 2022

Last week I got to stop by a Skate Like a Girl summer camp at SeaSk8 near the Seattle Center! Scroll down for a full breakdown of my visit.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

On Tuesday at our King County Council meeting, we heard a briefing on COVID from Public Health – Seattle & King County Health Officer Jeff Duchin that was highly informative. The long and short of it is that COVID cases are up in King County and across the nation, and that there is likely an undercount due to the prevalence of at-home testing, the results of which are generally unreported. COVID hospitalizations have tripled since April, though these patients generally are not exhibiting as serious symptoms as earlier in the pandemic due to the prevalence of vaccines. Hospitals across the region are experiencing high levels of stress, although that stress is generally being driven not by COVID, but by delayed procedures and an inability to discharge patients.

Much of the reason for our current surge is due to the B.A.5. COVID variant. It is causing the vast majority of infections in the U.S. as this variant is better at dodging immunity from vaccines and past infection as well as being highly transmittable. While Public Health is strongly recommending that people mask indoors, a mandate has not been implemented at this time since the B.A.5 variant is generally resulting in less serious illness. To view the full briefing, click here.

Remember, the best way to protect against severe COVID illness is to make sure you’re updated on your vaccines. More information on getting vaccinated in King County is available here.

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

For up-to-date information on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the County, see the Daily COVID-19 outbreak summary dashboard. The links to the data by demographics and geography are on the same page.

View all County COVID-related Data Dashboards here, including vaccination rates and outcomes according to vaccination status

View the most recent statewide COVID-19 data from the  state Department of Health (DOH).

Miss Rona is back!

Do you still have questions about vaccines for young children? Well, Public Health’s Miss Rona is back to answer your questions about vaccines for babies and young children, boosters, and safe summer activities. Read the full post here.

Monkeypox Resources

Another important public health issue that has been on people’s minds has been Monkeypox. As cases increase locally and nationally, it’s important to know some basic information about it, as well as how to access a vaccine if you have been in close contact with someone who has it. Check out the links below for some helpful information from Public Health. There’s also information on this in Dr. Duchin’s presentation (see link to video above).

• Monkeypox fact sheet, data, and blog – Public Health Seattle & King County

• Monkeypox update: local transmission of the virus in King County likely – Public Health Insider
• Monkeypox vaccine Q & A: Who is eligible now and why – Public Health Insider

Helpful Public Health-related Articles

• WA hospitals are far over capacity, as backlogs and staff shortages add up – The Seattle Times
• The BA.5 Wave Is What COVID Normal Looks Like – The Atlantic
• Return of King County's mask mandate is possible as COVID levels are on the rise – KOMO News
• Several western Washington counties experiencing high levels of COVID-19 infection – KIRO 7
• CDC says COVID level ‘high’ in King County, recommends masks – The Seattle Times
• COVID vaccines for young kids are scarce in much of the Northwest – Crosscut
• Hospitals across Washington state operating at 130% capacity – KUOW
• COVID-19 vaccine boosters protect against ‘severe disease’ from omicron, UW-led study finds – The Seattle Times
• Booster shots offset some Omicron immune evasion tactics – UW Today

County Business and Other News and Events

This Week at the King County Council

Transportation, Environment and Economy Committee

Members of the committee were busy on Tuesday, first by voting on some consent items and then by taking up an ordinance related to grant funding allocations from the most recent Parks Levy. This was followed by briefings on wildfire risk and youth ORCA cards. The meeting concluded with action on making youth fares free for transit in accordance with new state law – doing so will allow Metro to qualify for additional and important state funding. There was also discussion on the county’s open space plan.

Committee of the Whole

Panelist Lynniah Grayson shares her experience with gun violence in King County and the solutions she thinks are important to combat it.

At Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting, we continued our incredibly powerful conversation on gun violence in King County. We heard directly from several individuals who have lost loved ones to gun violence, including from suicide, domestic violence, and homicide. I have so much appreciation for the courage it took for these individuals to share their stories and tell us, from their perspective, what some of the necessary solutions are. We also heard from representatives from organizations conducting violence prevention and interruption work across King County and on the solutions they recommend. The solutions ranged from immediate to systemic and serve as an important reminder of the importance of approaching this issue from a public health perspective and at all levels. These conversations are not easy, but they are absolutely the ones that we need to be having to move towards safer, healthier communities. Please take the time to listen to these stories, the link to watch the video is available here.  

This was the second of a three-part series in the Committee of the Whole on the issue of gun violence. The next meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 17^th, after the Council returns from recess. Some media coverage of the series is available below. Also, you can click here to view the first part held at our July 6^th meeting.

Additionally, we voted to affirm a motion from Councilmember Zahilay on extreme weather sheltering and approved several appointments to the Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Inclusion Task Force. We also passed a motion introduced by Councilmember Dembowski, and co-sponsored by Councilmembers Zahilay, McDermott and Perry and myself, that requests the executive to assess the feasibility of establishing a voluntary safe firearm and ammunition return program within the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Community leaders, King County Council to talk crime prevention – King 5

King County Council to discuss gun violence solutions – FOX 13

Gun violence victims, families address King County Council – Yahoo News

King County Council hears from grieving victims, advocates to address gun violence crisis – FOX 13

Full Council

At Tuesday’s meeting of the King County Council, we had a briefing on Covid and Monkeypox from Public Health – Seattle & King County Health Officer Jeff Duchin (more info on that above.) We also had a recognition of Seo Eunji, the new Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Seattle. We also passed a motion I co-sponsored with Councilmembers Dunn and Perry declaring fentanyl-related overdoses a public health crisis and requesting the executive to identify strategies and recommendations regarding the county’s public health response. Several media outlets covered the motion, and you can read about it in The Seattle Weekly and MyNorthwest and view more on KIRO 7. The video from Tuesday’s meeting is accessible here.

Board of Health

At the Board of Health meeting on Thursday, members of the committee received a Covid briefing provided by Public Health’s Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin, another briefing on Public Health’s climate and health equity initiative, and a third briefing on the progress of the Board’s restructure and recruitment process. When the video is available, it will be accessible here.

Next Week at the King County Council

King County Forecast Council

On Monday at 9:00 a.m., there will be a special meeting of the Forecast Council, on which I serve. We will discuss and vote on a resolution adopting the 2023 economic forecast for King County which is the one Executive Constantine and the Council will employ for our 2023-2024 Biennial Budget to be taken up this coming Fall. The agenda is available here.

Local Services and Land Use Committee

Members of the Local Services and Land Use Committee will meet on Tuesday July 26th at 9:30 a.m. The committee first will hear the King Conservation District Annual report, with the briefing provided by the King Conservation District Board.  Next, it will receive a full report from the Rural Forest Commission. Members will then discuss and possibly take action on two franchise agreements related to King County Roads rights-of-way. Finally, they will also discuss and possibly take action on an ordinance that would adopt the 2022 King County Comprehensive Plan update, which includes the Skyway-West Hill Subarea Plan and North Highline Subarea Plan. You can find information on how to participate in the meeting and more detailed information on the agenda here.

Affordable Housing Committee

The Affordable Housing Committee is set to meet on Wednesday, July 27^th at 1 p.m. Meeting materials will be available here.

Full Council  

Next Tuesday at 1 p.m., the King County Council will meet to discuss the most recent supplemental budget, the proposed zero youth fare for Metro transit, the voluntary safe firearm and ammunition return program, and more. This will be the last King County Council meeting until August 16^th following the Council’s recess. The agenda is accessible here.

Employment and Administration Committee

The Employment and Administration Committee will meet on Tuesday right after adjournment of the Council meeting. The agenda for that meeting is available here.

Other items of interest

Hot temperatures expected next week

Caption: Photo by Kseniia Zaitseva on Unsplash

Hot temperatures expected next week

In anticipation of temperatures into the 90s next week, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority is making funding for cooling supplies available to homeless service providers. It is closely monitoring the forecast and will coordinate with Public Health-Seattle King County and the City of Seattle to prepare for possible activation of cooling centers if a heat advisory is issued for next week.

Emergency information such as what to do in extremely hot weather and more can be found at:

• King County Emergency News
• Hot weather: How to stay cool and safe – King County

Stopping by Skate Like a Girl

Celebrating with Skate Like a Girl!

Last week, I visited the Grrls Skate Camp put on by Skate Like a Girl at the Seattle Center Skate Plaza also known as” SeaSk8.” This all-levels summer camp is comprised of girls, non- binary, and trans youth ages 6 to 16. I met with the Executive Director of Skate Like a Girl, Kristin Ebeling, and even got to see some of the camp participants in action! I’m very pleased that I was able to secure $15,000 in Youth and Amateur Sports Grants funding for them to continue this work. Thanks for letting me hang out with you!

Visiting the Low Income Housing Institute

Here I am pictured with Sharon Lee and John Syverson outside LIHI’s retired vanpool van!

I also visited the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) to meet with the Executive Director Sharon Lee and Director of Facilities John Syverson. LIHI develops, owns and operates housing to benefit low-income, homeless and formerly homeless individuals in Washington State and administers supportive programs to assist in maintaining stable housing. Here we are pictured with a van I was able to donate to LIHI from the Metro retired vans program.

Congratulations, UW!

The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects list for 2022 is out and eight University of Washington Subjects are in the top 10. Atmospheric sciences moved to its position as No. 1 in the world, according to the ranking. Other subjects in the top ten include oceanography, public health, biological sciences, dentistry and oral sciences, education, library and information sciences, and clinical medicine. Check out the full list here.

Unauthorized signs at Election drop boxes

You may have seen that some signs have been posted on ballot drop boxes around King County with red lettering stating that the boxes are “under surveillance” and encouraging residents to submit photos and videos of election boxes. These are not sanctioned by King County Elections, and Elections Director Julie Wise issued a statement in response to these signs. 

“King County Elections will not stand for intimidation or scare tactics. I believe this is a targeted, intentional strategy to intimidate and dissuade voters from using secure ballot drop boxes. My team is not going to stand by and allow any group to seed fear and doubt amongst our residents and voters, especially when they are simply trying to make their voices heard,” stated King County Elections Director Julie Wise. “My team will be removing these signs and referring any information about who placed them to the King County Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.”

If you see or experience intimidation at the ballot box, I encourage you to report it to King County Elections. You can contact them here. You can also read coverage of this issue in The Seattle Times and on KING 5.

Also of interest, there is a new ballot drop box in the Uptown neighborhood at 1^st Avenue N. and Mercer St. It is operating even though it was not included in the Voters’ Pamphlet for the August 2^nd primary election.

New Human Trafficking report released

The U.S. Department of State’s 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report is now available. The entire report is 634 pages and covers all types of human trafficking, including sex, forced labor, and child sexual exploitation, among others, and has a global lens. A quick search found 189 references to the United States, 6 references to CSEC, 163 references to child sex trafficking, and 2 references to Washington. You can review the entire report here.  

There is also an upcoming discussion on the public health response to trafficking on August 3rd, convened by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Public Health Reports, and the Office on Trafficking in Persons. For more information and to register, click here

Additional helpful and informative links

• Poll: Red wave not likely to wash up on WA shores – Crosscut
• Majority of state supports offering abortions to out-of-state residents, according to WA Poll – The Seattle Times
• These are the issues that matter most to WA voters, new poll indicates – The Seattle Times
• Can a new encampment strategy get people housed permanently? Two Seattle campers find different answers – The Seattle Times
• Washington's 'red flag' law is only the first step – The Seattle Times
• Previously incarcerated people struggle to find jobs in Washington – Seattle Weekly
• Nearly 800 Formerly Homeless Now Housed – King County Regional Homelessness Authority
• Inslee proposes new regional campuses to train Washington police – The Seattle Times

Keep in touch

Thank you again for taking the time to read my updates. 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.