COVID-19 Data Updates
Over the past seven days, COVID case rates have fallen, but that still leaves us with an average of 501 new cases per day. While it is promising that we’ve crested the BA.5 variant wave, I do still recommend exercising caution, especially in crowded, indoor settings and going into Fall.
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).
Monkeypox resources
Monkeypox in King County continues to increase. As of Thursday, August 18th, there are 272 cases in King County. For the most up-to-date data and advice from Public Health – Seattle and King County, visit this page.
Helpful Public Health-related articles
County Business and Other News and Events
This week at King County Council:
Full Council
The council returned to action on Tuesday following the annual two-week summer recess. Members began the meeting with a briefing on COVID-19 from Public Health – Seattle and King County. The most critical action taken at the meeting was the approval of the last omnibus supplemental budget of the biennium. Importantly, this budget included $5 million in funding for youth mental health programs, which you can read more about here. The Executive will transmit the 2023-24 biennial budget later this fall. Other items taken up by members were approval of the King County Parks Levy grants, extreme weather event operational plan, and several appointments to the Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation Inclusion Task Force and the Citizens’ Elections and Oversight Committee. To view the video, click here.
Committee of the Whole
Wednesday’s meeting of the Committee of the Whole, which I chair, was highlighted by the third part of a series on gun violence prevention. At the meeting, members heard from experts, lobbyists, and government agency officials on potential next steps and what we as a Council can do to advance gun violence prevention measures. Included were possible ideas for new legislation and funding opportunities, creative ways to implement meaningful policies in light of our state’s strict gun legislation preemption laws, programs that could make a difference, and what to expect in next year’s legislative session. Overall, I was very pleased with this series of panels over the last three committee meetings. We were presented with compelling data, data-driven research and ideas to reduce this ongoing plague of gun-related violence. It has been illuminating, heart-breaking and, all-in-all, important work.
I’d like to extend a big thank you to all who made this gun violence series possible, including all the panelists and our staff. Again, if you missed any of the meetings, the videos are all available here. Interestingly, one of our panelists, UW’s Dr. Fred Rivara, was recently interviewed on the King County Medical Society podcast on the topic of firearm safety.
Prior to the panel on gun violence, members considered confirmation of the appointment of Allen Nance as Director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. This was followed by an ordinance pertaining to employee referral bonuses for non-represented county employees for referring employees to the positions of deputy sheriff, corrections officer and detention officer.
Next week at the King County Council:
Local Services and Land Use
The Local Services and Land Use Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, August 23rd at 9:30 a.m. The meeting will include votes acknowledging the receipt of several reports requested in the 2021-2022 biennial budget, two ordinances relating to the withdrawal of land from the Sammamish Plateau water and sewer district for the purpose of sewer service, and more. To access the agenda and call-in information, click here.
Full Council
On Tuesday at 1 p.m., the King County Council will meet to review several important pieces of legislation, including an ordinance adopting the Coalition Labor Agreement, among other things. For information on how to call in or to see the full agenda, click here. Right after the Council meeting, the Employment and Administration Committee will meet. When available, that agenda will be posted here.
Budget and Fiscal Management
The Budget and Fiscal Management Committee will meet on Wednesday, August 24th at 9:30 a.m. The committee will take up appointments to the King County investment pool advisory committee, an ordinance relating to solid waste fees at Cedar Hills landfill, and more. For information on how to join the meeting or to access the agenda, visit this page.
Big updates from Executive Constantine this week
This week, several initiatives finally came to fruition. A while ago in the enews, I included the link for child care providers to apply for one-time bonuses, and now I’m pleased to share that over 12,000 child care providers will be receiving one-time payments. I also shared the application for the Parks Levy Grants and am pleased to share that 37 community projects were selected for these funds. Finally, 45 projects were selected for initial participatory budgeting awards. In that process, community members cast more than 2600 ballots and selected 45 projects that will be funded as part of King County’s first participatory budgeting endeavor. Read below for more about these fun announcements.
King County Parks Levy Grants Advisory Committee is recruiting
Do you love King County Parks? Consider applying to join the King County Parks Levy Grants Advisory Committee. There, you can bring community perspectives to funding and policy decisions, evaluate grant applications, and support projects that bring connect folks to the outdoors. Submit an interest form by September 1st.
Best Starts for Kids Community Well-Being Youth Led Communications Project RFP now open
The Best Starts for Kids Community Well-Being Youth Led Communications Project RFP is now open! This RFP seeks community-based organizations with experience supporting youth led projects to launch a youth led communications campaign. The goal will be to reach young people who are rarely reached by traditional communications campaigns, including young people who are LGBTQ+, BIPOC, immigrants, in multilingual families, who have disabilities, and who face severe systemic challenges. The application for this funding opportunity will close on September 16th. More information is available here.
Applications open for the Healthy Communities and Parks Fund
King County Parks is currently accepting for grants from the Healthy Communities & Parks fund. Over $450,000 in total grant funding is available, and grants may be awarded for up to $15,000 each. The funding can be used for programs, capacity building, land acquisition, and capital projects that increase access to recreation, parks and open space in underserved communities. Apply by September 18th, and access more information here.
Grant Opportunities from WA Department of Commerce
The Washington State Department of Commerce, in partnership with the Washington State Arts Commission, has opened applications for grant opportunities as of August 17, 2022. The Convention Center Grant (CCG) Program and the Working Washington Grants: Round 5 (WWR5) Program offer a one-time emergency relief grant to both non-profit and for-profit businesses. The application portal will be open for 24 days, closing on September 9, 2022. More information about these grant opportunities, requirements, and guidelines, available here.
KSARC urges next steps for improved handling of sexual assault case investigations
Last month, both the Seattle Police Department and the City publicly acknowledged their systemic and flawed response to sexual assault case investigations. In response to the recognition of this longstanding issue, Mayor Harrell issued an executive order which outlined a significant framework for greater commitment to transparency, support, and accountability within these systemically mishandled investigations. The King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KSARC), in partnership with the Seattle Indian Health Board and the Sexual Violence Law Center, has prescribed necessary steps for the fundamental improvement of treatment among reported sexual assault cases.
In response to Mayor Harrell’s Executive Order, KSARC urged the City of Seattle, King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) and the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to prioritize caring and compassionate treatment of sexual assault victims.
KSARC was also just recently awarded funding through the Survivor-Centered Mobile Advocacy for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence Request for Proposals from the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL), in recognition of its support for survivors of domestic and sexual violence in King County. This funding recognizes the KSARC’s program prioritization of linguistically and culturally sensitive response and service to Latinx survivors. In addition to KSARC, the YWCA Seattle and the Organization for Prostitution Survivors were also awarded funding for their advocacy.
Read the full list of the KSARC’s recommendations here.
Read Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Executive Order here.
Free Vaccination Events for all K-12 Students
King County Public Health is offering free vaccination events for all vaccinations required for school entry. As a result of routine medical visits decreasing throughout the pandemic, child vaccination rates have decreased -- these events offer a convenient opportunity to get up to date with current vaccinations! Through September, children up to age 18 may receive COVID-19, HPV, and meningococcal vaccines, as well as Tdap, DTaP, MMR, hepatitis B, varicella, and polio vaccines. These vaccinations come at no cost and are available regardless of lack of insurance of citizenship status.
Vaccines have proven incredibly effective in keeping our community safe from major diseases and illnesses, and we must do our part in protecting our children from life-threatening infections. More information about free vaccination clinics near you is available here.
For a complete list of required immunizations for school, click here.
Do you have feedback about the primary election?
Turnout for the August primary election was about 39%, which is definitely much lower than we’d hoped. However, it was above the national turnout rate for midterm elections, which is usually about 24%. The ballots for the November general election will be sent to military, overseas and out of state voters in late September and to regular voters on October 19th!
In the meantime, the WA Secretary of State’s Office wants to hear about your experience with the primary election. Take this short survey to help improve your online experience with elections and voting.
CHOMP! Returns to Marymoor Park
CHOMP! is returning to Marymoor Park on Saturday, August 20th to celebrate everything that is fresh, local, and sustainable. The event supports the Local Food Initiative by highlighting local farms and farmers, chefs, and restaurants using locally-sourced food, as well as organizations working on sustainablilty and environmental justice. This event is free and more information is available here.
Visit to the 36th District Democrats
On Wednesday night, I was pleased to join the 36th District Democrats via zoom to give them an update on the work that’s being done at the Council. We covered a number of topics, but the gun violence panels in COW were of distinct interest to the group. Thank you, 36th District, for having me!
 Flickr – David Jacob
Calling All Washington State Poets!
Washington State Poet Laureate, Reina Priest, is creating a poetry anthology dedicated to salmon. As a member of the Lhaq'temish (Lummi) Nation, salmon are sacred to Priest’s tribe and are essential to her nation’s way of life. The project will be accepting poetry submissions about salmon from Washington State residents, and up to three poems may be submitted for consideration until September 18, 2022. Salmon have remained a famously celebrated part of Washington State’s identity, and this project will undoubtedly continue its legacy!
More information and guidelines on poem submission is available here.
Seattle Aquarium hosts marine science club for teens
For teens in grades 9-12 who are passionate about marine conservation, the Seattle Aquarium is hosting a free, online club. This club meets once per week online, and once per month in-person, engaging in a group conservation activity. For teens interested in marine science research and careers in marine conservation, this is an incredible opportunity. Additional information from the Seattle Aquarium can be found here.
Interested teens may email marinescienceclub@seattleaquarium.org to sign up!
 Photo by Zalfa Imani on Unsplash
Check out the path to recovery for the arts and culture sector
Are you concerned about the way that the arts and culture sector will recover from COVID? The pandemic was rough on the region’s arts and culture industry due to the in-person nature of the work. Well, the Puget Sound Regional Council leveraged funding from the federal CARES Act to develop strategies to help the arts and its workforce recover. Check out their outlined strategy here.
Are you looking for accessible health resources, especially for the unhoused?
Earlier this week, I received an especially informative update on accessible health care resources, especially for the unhoused community. Updates include the latest isolation and quarantine resources, free telehealth services and much more. The whole newsletter is available 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.
|
