|
Join me tomorrow, September 29, for a virtual town hall I’m hosting focused on the neighborhoods of South Seattle and Allentown. You can tune into the town hall without RSVPing at facebook.com/councilmember.girmay this Thursday at 5:00pm.
If you would like to join the zoom town hall directly, you can RSVP here: https://forms.gle/5CWuJKdqVWjmCUxw5. This is only the first of a series of events. We will be holding additional town halls in the following weeks for Capitol Hill, Central District, Eastlake, University District, Laurelhurst, and Ravenna.
This week, King County Executive Dow Constantine joined the King County Council to present his $15.8 Billion biennial Proposed Budget. This means the Council has officially entered our busiest season. Over the next 2 months, we will review the executive’s proposals, make changes, and adopt a 2-year budget funding critical services for 2023 and 2024.
You can review the Executive’s proposals in detail and find opportunities for public comment here: kingcounty.gov/council/budget
You can also find a summary of the topline items in the Proposed Budget here: bit.ly/3DV8za0
This week, we announced what could be a generational investment in our region’s behavioral health system: $1.25 Billion dollars to build crisis care centers around the region and uplift the behavioral health workforce.
I’m proud of the work our coalition did to create this proposal. Next steps will be for the Executive to transmit the proposed ordinance to the King County Council. If our Council passes the legislation, it will then be up to voters to approve the revenue source. Our neighbors out in the streets suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders need somewhere to go to get the care they need. We have that opportunity now.
Learn more about the plan here: tinyurl.com/crisiscarelevy
You can watch my remarks at the press conference for this proposal here.
Last week, I joined the Executive to discuss how King County can work across its various departments to create public safety. Executive branch agencies shared a proposed plan that will now come to the King County Council for deliberation, amendment, and adoption.
The Executive’s proposed plans include four themes:
-
Deploying a highly trained and coordinated safety network by filling 200 key county vacancies and providing the latest training, supporting community safety programming, and reimagining the Sheriff’s Office
-
Ensuring safe and appropriate places for people in crisis by expanding behavioral health, restoring jail services, identifying youth detention replacements, and seeking alternative options for the Seattle jail
-
Being data-informed and responsive to community needs by prioritizing diversion and intervention programs in hotspots and preventing repeat offenses; and
-
Providing accountability and victim support by reducing the pandemic-created criminal legal backlog, supporting victim restitution, and partnering with other governments in safety planning and implementation.
Read more here and share your thoughts.
 
Join us for the ribbon cutting and grand re-opening celebration for Skyway Park!
King County Parks is debuting some new and updated sports and play areas. We’d love to see you there this Sunday, October 9 from 2-4 PM for food, sports, activities, and a shot at Seattle Kraken tickets. See you there!
Most Sundays, I visit a small business in our district, talk to the owners, and share their stories and menus with all of you! I call this #SmallBusinessSunday. This week, I’m taking you to the heart of Skyway for some amazing Pan-Asian street food. Salima Specialties offers lemongrass beef skewers, bánh mìs, and more delicious Cham cuisine! Make sure to visit soon: 11805 Renton Ave S, Seattle, WA 98178. Learn more about Salima Specialties here. #ButFirstWeEat #D2SmallBiz
We broke ground this week at Rainier Beach High School! A brand new, multi-story building is coming and it feels like a page is turning in the South Seattle history books.
This is such a special moment and we need to give a huge shout out to the youth, their advocates, and the builders for bringing this vision to life! Learn more about the upcoming new Rainier Beach High School here: buildthebeachforusbyus.com/
I was extremely honored this week to receive the Excellence in Public Service Award from Tabor 100! “I’m honored to receive the Excellence in Public Service Award from Tabor 100, an organization that is critical for Washington State to achieve its full potential. Black wealth, entrepreneurship, relationship building, education, and all the other tools Tabor 100 provides our region, are integral for overcoming our biggest challenges. I’m incredibly thankful for Tabor 100, this recognition, and their partnership.”
Congratulations also to all the other award winners and youth who won scholarships!
|
