COVID-19 Data Updates
As Dr. Duchin said last week, COVID cases are up in King County, and with more people contracting COVID, that also raises the number of people who potentially can have long COVID. Click here for a message from Dr. Duchin on the Public Health Insider.
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).
COVID and Health News
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. Despite the messaging around early reports, anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, can be exposed to and contract Monkeypox, so it is important that everyone take precautions.
WA Notify lets you know about COVID exposure
In case you’ve forgotten, WA Notify is a feature on your smartphone that lets you know about possible COVID exposure. If someone has it enabled, then when they report their positive test to the State Department of Health, then folks who have been in close proximity get a notification sent to their phone. For more information on the feature and to figure out how to make sure yours is turned on, click here. I received a notification on Monday and am relieved so far that I’ve not developed symptoms, but I will take a home test soon to check it out.
Helpful Public Health-related articles
This week at the King County Council
King County Council
This week at our Tuesday meeting of the Council, we passed a motion introduced by Councilmember Dembowski and cosponsored by Councilmembers Zahilay, McDermott and Perry and me 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 (more on that below). We also sent two measures to the ballot for voter approval — one regarding changing local elections from odd years to even years and the other concerning Conservation Futures Tax revenue. We also passed legislation introduced by Councilmember Upthegrove and cosponsored by Councilmembers Zahilay, Balducci, Dembowski, Perry and me that will enable young people under the age of 19 to ride King County Metro for free beginning on September 1st thanks to new funding from the state legislature. The full video of the meeting is available here.
King County Forecast Council
On Monday, there was a special meeting of the Forecast Council, on which I serve. We approved a resolution adopting the 2023 economic and revenue forecast for King County which is the one Executive Constantine and the Council will use for our 2023-2024 Biennial Budget to be taken up this coming Fall. Overall, the forecast is positive and appearing quite strong – much improved over the last two years’ -- despite concerns of an impending recession. The agenda is available here and meeting materials are available here.
Local Services and Land Use Committee
Members of the Local Services and Land Use Committee met on Tuesday. The committee first heard a briefing on the King Conservation District Annual Report provided by the King Conservation District Board. It also received a report from the Rural Forest Commission. Finally, members gave a do pass recommendation on a proposed ordinance that would adopt the 2022 King County Comprehensive Plan update, which includes the Skyway-West Hill Subarea Plan and North Highline Subarea Plan. This will now go to the full Council for approval. To view the video of the meeting, click here.
Affordable Housing Committee
 Photo credit: King County Housing Authority / William Wright Photography
Members met Wednesday afternoon to conduct business as a regional advisory board on implementing affordable housing growth throughout the region. The meeting began with a briefing on future Community Partners Table meetings with testimony from people who have faced hurdles in accessing affordable housing options. This was followed by a briefing on progress to develop an accountability framework for equitably meeting affordable housing needs across King County. The meeting concluded with a briefing on draft jurisdictional affordable housing target options, including orientation to an interactive dashboard to assist in target option evaluation. More info on this committee and meeting materials are available here.
Next week at the King County Council
The King County Council will be on a two-week recess from Monday, August 1st through Friday, August 12th, so there are no official meetings scheduled for these two weeks. Some of my team members will be taking vacation time during this period, so we will have a break from our regularly scheduled enews but will instead provide a brief look forward during the week of August 8th.
County Business and Other News and Events
Free Youth Transit Passes
I was very pleased to co-sponsor legislation that will grant King County residents under the age of 19 free, year-round public transit. The measure passed unanimously at last Tuesday’s Council meeting and will take effect on September 1st, just in time for school! Read more about the free fare here.
Voluntary gun return ordinance passed by Council
If we have heard anything from survivors of gun violence, it is that if someone didn’t have access to a gun in a moment of crisis, then their loved one may still be here. This program will be a safe way to dispose of unused or unwanted guns so that in a moment of crisis, it isn’t sitting down the hall. Thank you, Councilmember Dembowski, for bringing this legislation forward, and especially to the many community members who have been part of our recent conversations on gun violence in the Committee of the Whole, for which I serve as Chair. Read more about the gun return legislation here.
Preferred Ballard-West Seattle light rail locations identified by Sound Transit
Late yesterday, the Sound Transit Board confirmed their preferred alternative for the West Seattle Link Extension and requested further study of Ballard alternatives. The Ballard decision will be deferred to early 2023 to allow for further study and community engagement. More information on the decision is available here.
Primary Election Day is August 2nd
I got my primary ballot in, have you? If not, you have until next Tuesday, August 2nd at 8 p.m. to drop yours off in a ballot drop box (list of locations available here) or make sure it is in the mail and postmarked before August 2nd (with no stamp required). If you need to replace your ballot or register to vote, info on how to do that is available, too. King County will also open six vote centers for the primary election to assist voters across the county. They will be open on Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday (Election Day) and more info on locations and hours is available here.
Also of interest, there is a new ballot drop box in the Uptown neighborhood at 1st Avenue N. and Mercer St. which is where I deposited mine. It is operating even though mention of it was not included in the Voters’ Pamphlet for the August 2nd primary election. I was very pleased to assist in getting the new box established which should be of good use for Belltown and Queen Anne residents as well.
Citizens’ Elections and Oversight Committee currently recruiting
To help ensure the integrity of elections, the Council created the Citizens’ Election Oversight Committee (CEOC) over a decade ago. Right now, the CEOC has 5 vacancies. Click here to see the list of vacancies and application details. For most vacancies, the application deadline is July 29, 2022. However, the application deadline for the representative from an academic institution who has knowledge of elections has been extended to August 15th. Graduate students are also welcomed to apply for the academic position. For more info, visit this page. I enjoyed speaking with the committee over Zoom last week about the King Conservation District elections process.
Two vacancies on the Board of Ethics
The King County Board of Ethics is also currently seeking to fill two vacancies on the five-member body. The purpose of the Board of Ethics is to ensure that King County employees and contractors adhere to ethical behavior and preserve people’s trust in King County as an open and honest government. To learn more, please visit the Board of Ethics website. Questions can be sent to Program.Ethics@kingcounty.gov.
To be considered for a position on the board, interested people should send a letter of interest and resume via email to Program.Ethics@kingcounty.gov. All application materials must be received by August 17, 2022.
Upgrades at West Point
Improvements to power reliability at West Point are crucial to protect water quality in King County. Water is one of our most precious and essential resources, and healthy waterways are vital for the many animals living within them, including salmon, orcas, seals, and of course humans as we play and recreate in the water. I’m very glad that the Executive proposed and that Council approved this important investment in West Point which is in my district but is critical for the entire region. Read more about these important investments here or watch a video on West Point here.
King County is preparing for wildfire season
This week’s heat wave is an important reminder that hot weather raises the risk of wildfire, and that we need to be consistently preparing for extreme weather events as climate change continues to impact our weather systems year-round. Read more about how King County is preparing here or from The Seattle Times here.
The King County Council also voted last week on legislation from Councilmember Zahilay that asks the Executive to prepare an operational plan for how to deal with extreme heat going forward, as the Seattle Metropolitan area has one of the lowest rates of air conditioning of any metropolitan area in the country. It will be up for final Council approval on August 16th. Read more about that legislation here.
Everyday experiences of racial discrimination tied to serious mental health symptoms, large study finds
The Seattle Times reported this week on a national study published Wednesday that helps quantify the significant emotional toll that regular experiences of discrimination have on BIPOC individuals. One of the most striking findings, according to researchers, is that people who faced discrimination nearly every day were just as likely to experience depressive symptoms early in the pandemic as someone previously diagnosed with a mood disorder. Read more about the study here.
Art in the Garden is back!
The 20th Annual Art in the Garden at the Ballard P-Patch will be taking place on Saturday, August 6th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The free event will have booths from local artists, a beer garden, live music, kids activities and more! Find more information about this fun event here. I am sad to be missing this year’s event as I’ve enjoyed being there in the past.
Meeting with Belltown residents and businessowners
Last week, I visited with some Belltown community residents, Belltown United representatives, and businessowners to discuss some issues with representatives from King County Metro whom I brought along concerning a Metro RapidRide bus stop. I think we had a productive conversation and will be hearing back from Metro on what can be done to help.
Also, earlier today, I met with community members from Fremont and Ballard in a meeting convened by Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss to discuss opposition to planned upcoming changes in Metro Route 40. The groups represented included King County Metro, Seattle Department of Transportation, Fremont Chamber, Ballard Alliance, and the North Seattle Industrial Association. Additional conversations will take place. Thank you, Councilmember Strauss, for convening the meeting!
“We Are In” talks homelessness with local authors Clayton Aldern and Prof. Gregg Colburn
We Are In is a coalition of King County housed and unhoused neighbors, local advocacy organizations, service providers and businesses who unite to drive progress in the region and work closely with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, the City of Seattle, and King County. We Are In recently had a conversation with UW Professor Gregg Colburn and author Clayton Aldern. They are co-authors of the recent book, “Homelessness is a Housing Problem” which was cited by The New York Times when they wrote about primary causes of homelessness. To view the conversation, click here.
Additional helpful and informative links
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.
|
