Quote of the week
"Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen."
– Brené Brown, Daring Greatly 2012
According to the King County Elections Department, King County’s voter turnout will be well under the anticipated 72% projection in this election. Based on current rough estimates, the county is expected to land at around 62%. I hope that you were able to mail, visit a vote center or drop your ballot at drop box near you by Tuesday evening.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray won a sixth term, defeating her Republican challenger Tiffany Smiley. This result placed Sen. Murray among the longest-serving senators in American history. Democratic U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier led Republican challenger Matt Larkin for Washington’s swing 8th Congressional District on Tuesday night, with 58% of votes counted. With tens of thousands of votes remaining to be tallied this week, many results remain in the air. Two ballot measures, initially placed on the ballot by the King County Council, have garnered a lot of early support and likely will be approved by voters. The first, King County’s Conservation Futures tax levy, would generate an estimated $269 million by 2031 toward the preservation of 65,000 acres of forests, farmland, trails and rivers throughout the county. The second, Charter Amendment No. 1, is intended to move all county races to the ballot during even-numbered years, the same years as state legislative, gubernatorial, statewide and congressional and presidential elections. This move is in an effort to increase voter turnout and make it more representative.
You can keep up with the most recent results of this midterm election here.
 Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
As the days get shorter and the sky begins to darken, some people may experience a kind of depression known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which is more than just the winter blues. See the infographic below to guide you on when someone should seek professional help. For help finding treatment, click here.
COVID resources
King County’s community level of COVID remains currently classified as low, although there are still about 157 daily new cases, according to the most recent reports. Please continue to exercise caution throughout each day to keep yourself, your family, and your community safe. Visit www.kingcounty.gov/covid for important updates or see the COVID-19 Resources Guide on the Office of Equity and Social Justice webpage.
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. And you can also view the most recent statewide COVID-19 data from the state Department of Health (DOH).
The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) has created a blog at dchsblog.com to share various important insights and stories. Subscribe to stay up to date.
If you’ve waited to get your COVID-19 booster, now is the time to get it! It’s the single most important way for everyone to avoid serious COVID infections and long COVID, and especially for people over age 50 or those who have a weakened immune system or health conditions like diabetes or heart disease. COVID-19 vaccine and boosters are FREE. No health insurance or proof of citizenship is needed. Check your local pharmacy or contact your healthcare provider to see if they have the updated booster shots. For more information and locations: kingcounty.gov/vaccine
Medicare covers up to eight over the counter COVID-19 tests each month, at no cost to you. See this page for more information on and to request your at-home tests today.
Monkeypox resources
New monkeypox cases in King County seem to have peaked in July and August. As of Wednesday, there have been a total of 485 cases in King County. For the most up-to-date data and advice from Public Health – Seattle and King County, visit this page.
The King County Department of Health has launched an interactive monkeypox virus (MPV) data dashboard. More information is available on the Washington State Department of Health MPV information page. Visit the new dashboard here.
Helpful Public Health-related articles
New COVID variants are circulating. Here’s what to know – The Seattle Times
Do you have the flu, a cold or COVID? Here’s how to spot the differences – The Seattle Times
Infants less likely to contract COVID, develop severe symptoms than household caregivers – UW News
Tri-Demic? Time to increase protections against surging respiratory viruses – Public Health Insider
New VA study finds Paxlovid may cut the risk of long COVID – NPR
Pfizer’s RSV vaccine, given during pregnancy, protects infants from severe illness – The Washington Post
C.D.C. Links Deadly Listeria Outbreak to Deli Meats and Cheeses – The New York Times
 Committee of the Whole
The Committee of the Whole, which I chair, met on Monday at which the committee received an executive COVID-19 briefing from Dwight Dively, Director of King County Office of Performance, Strategy, and Budget. The committee took action on an ordinance concerning the authorization of the King County Executive to sign an interlocal agreement between King County and Pierce County for a financial contribution from Pierce County, an ordinance concerning a franchise renewal agreement with the City of Seattle, and a motion to authorize the King County Executive to accept a donation from the Foothills Trail Coalition to aid the King County parks and recreation division. Lastly, we voted to appoint ten new members to the King County Board of Health. This has been a lengthy process triggered by new state rules to expand and diversify Boards of Health throughout the state. Final confirmation will be made by the full Council. For more information on this meeting, click here.
Budget and Fiscal Management Committee
The Budget and Fiscal Management Committee met on Tuesday and today, Thursday. On Tuesday, the committee discussed several ordinances related to the biennial budget, including the Harborview Medical Center 2023 Capital Improvement Program Annual Budget; school impact fees and comprehensive planning; public transportation and parking; the King County noxious weed control program assessments; surface water management; acknowledging receipt of the Body‑Worn Camera and In‑Car Camera System Pilot Report; and the county property tax levies for collection in 2023.
Today, the committee took action on the 2023-2024 Biennial Budget, as well as on an ordinance authorizing the issuance of a series of limited tax general obligation bonds of the county. The committee approved a series of line amendments to the Budget Chair’s striker amendment to the Executive’s proposed biennial budget and gave a do pass recommendation for it to receive final action at next Tuesday’s Council meeting. For more information on this meeting, click here.
Flood Control Board of Supervisors Board
Despite the cancellation of Tuesday’s full Council meeting, the Flood Control District Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday. The primary agenda item discussed was the Flood Control District Board annual budget. For information on this meeting, click here.
Regional Policy Committee
The Regional Policy Committee met on Wednesday. During this meeting, the committee discussed an ordinance concerning a property tax levy to establish a regional network of behavioral health crisis care centers, maintain residential treatment facilities, and provide behavioral health workforce supports. For more information on this meeting, click here.
 Full Council
The King County Council will meet on Tuesday, November 15th at 1:00 p.m. with its main agenda item approval of our biennial budget. The meeting agenda, when available, can be found here.
Flood Control District Executive Committee
The Flood Control District Executive Committee will meet on Wednesday, November 16th at 1:00 p.m. For more information on this meeting and how to join, click here.
Regional Transit Committee
The Regional Transit Committee will meet on Wednesday, November 16th at 3:00 p.m. During this meeting, the committee will discuss a motion concerning the 10-year King County Metro Transit Strategic Plan for Public Transportation, King County Metro Transit Service Guidelines, and accepting the King County Metro Transit 2022 System Evaluation. For more information on this meeting and how to join, click here.
King County Board of Health
The Board of Health will meet on Thursday, November 17th at 1:00 p.m. During this meeting, the Board of Health will receive a briefing on syphilis from Dr. Matthew Golden, Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington. Board members will also discuss our Work Plan for 2023, as well as a resolution identifying an alternate nonelected member of the King County Board of Health to represent community stakeholders for a one-year term. For more information on this meeting and how to join, click here.
 PrEP DAP will remain open and is accepting and processing applications for new and renewing enrollees.
The Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Drug Assistance Program (PrEP DAP) has helped thousands of people access and afford HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis medication since 2014. There has been news and uncertainty about the program’s future, but over the past four weeks, the Washington State Department of Health has taken action to stabilize the PrEP DAP budget, with help from pharmacies and contractors who have assisted in recovering funds and putting protections into place to preserve PrEP DAP. The Washington State Department of Health's goal is to ensure that cost never keeps anyone from accessing PrEP to prevent HIV. For more information on the The Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Drug Assistance Program, click here.
King County and King County Police Officer’s Guild negotiate successful collective bargaining agreement
On Tuesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a collective bargaining agreement reached between King County and the King County Police Officer’s Guild. This agreement will make three notable adjustments: 1) deploy body-worn cameras, 2) ensure cooperation with the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO), and 3) increase salaries to ensure the Sheriff’s office can recruit and retain deputies. As of November 1st, this agreement was both ratified by the Guild and passed by the King County Council. For more information, see the full story here.
King County CSEC Task Force has released an updated advocate list
The King County Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Task Force has established updated and accurate information on the direct service advocates working with youth and young adults in King County. To access this list of advocates, click here.
Best Starts for Kids’ Community Well-Being Initiative’s (CWI) Youth Led Communications Campaign awardees
The CWI Youth Led Communications Campaign focused on youth utilizing experience in social media and creative content, yielding youth having positive social emotional development, reduction in youth substance use, and youth reporting excellent/very good health. This initiative has made strides to promote social, emotional, and mental health; reduce stigma associated with mental health topics; and share culturally relevant resources with youth in King County. This campaign awarded funding to Creative Justice & Converge Media, a collaborative project between two organizations. Congratulations to Creative Justice & Converge Media!
COVID Unmet Needs Grants distributed to eight organizations in District Four
The Department of Community and Human Services’ Developmental Disabilities and Early Childhood Supports Division awarded COVID Unmet Need Grants to eight organizations in my district. I included the funds last year for each Councilmember with federal ARPA funds while serving as the Council Budget Chair. I am happy to report that my efforts to provide $50,000 to each in emergency assistance in my district that addresses unmet needs and/or lost revenue related to the COVID-19 pandemic through these grants are assisting them establish a path toward stabilization and recovery. The awardees include Operation Sack Lunch, YWCA of Seattle, North Helpline, Queen Anne Helpline, Uplift Northwest, Boys & Girls Clubs of King County, Pacific Science Center Foundation, and Small Faces Child Development Center. Congratulations to these awardee agencies!
King County Developmental Disabilities Legislative Forum
On November 17th, the King County Developmental Disabilities Legislative Forum will take place as a virtual event, beginning at 6:00 p.m. This forum is designed to educate elected officials on issues that are important to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) or delays and their families, friends, and supporters. This is done through sharing King County's IDD legislative priorities, and also by having our community members share their personal stories as they relate to the priorities. Click here for more information and to register for the event.
 Rental assistance for victims of labor and sex trafficking
 The Washington State Department of Commerce Office of Crime Victims Advocacy is offering rental assistance for victims of labor and sex trafficking. Caregivers and parents of individuals who have experienced labor and sex trafficking may also receive funding: assistance is available regardless of when the trafficking occurred or if a report to law enforcement was filed. Please email or call Stephanie Pratt for more information: Stephanie.pratt@commerce.wa.gov, 360-764-0748.
Senior support with property taxes
Seniors, persons with disabilities, and disabled veterans are now eligible for help with their property taxes, including property tax exemptions and property tax deferrals. Click here information and qualifications and use this link to apply.
Planning for Recreation Access
The Planning for Recreation Access program funds planning projects in communities that do not have access to adequate outdoor recreation opportunities. Grants may be used to support planning, community engagement, and collaboration among local governments, community-based organizations, and residents to define outdoor recreation needs, prioritize investments to address those needs, and prepare on-the-ground projects for RCO and other funding opportunities. Applications are due November 14th. For more information and a link to the application, click here.
Washington Women’s Foundation (WaWF) 2023 Collective Grants
The Washington Women’s Foundation has announced its priorities for the 2023 Collective Grants. This is a two-year grantmaking cycle, focusing on 1) Climate & Agricultural Justice, 2) Education, and 3) Health Care. The foundation is most interested in understanding community needs and how organizations are addressing those needs through the delivery of services to those directly impacted by inequity. Applications are due December 15th. For more information and the online application, click here.
Puget Sound Taxpayer Accountability Account (PSTAA) funding
Enterprise Community Partners has launched a new funding opportunity in partnership with and funding from King County’s Puget Sound Taxpayer Accountability Account. This grant opportunity hopes to expand and strengthen the early learning system in King County by providing predevelopment, renovation and construction grants to center-based (i.e., non-home-based) early learning providers and organizations. To learn more about the King County PSTAA funding priorities, project eligibility requirements, application Q&A, and other PSTAA program updates, register here for the November 16th webinar from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
 Calling all community organizations!
The holidays are nearing quickly, and unity and community gathering are a staple of the season. I plan on spotlighting community organizations’ holiday events in my enewsletter each week as we head into the holiday season. Share your community organization’s holiday event information with me at jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov.
An invitation to the White House Summit on COVID-19 Equity and What Works Showcase
Join the White House Summit on Covid-19 Equity and What Works Showcase virtually on Wednesday, November 16th, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. This event will highlight interventions that have shifted equitable COVID-19 outcomes and showcase a path forward. The summit promises to bring together community organizations, equity leaders, government officials, and philanthropic organizations in the sharing of best practices for a more equitable COVID-19 response. Several panel discussions will provide information on hyper-local approaches and what has worked in building and maintaining trust in public health; how community organizations, local, state and federal authorities, medical systems and others have worked together to provide support systems that improved COVID-19 outcomes; and what it will take to keep health equity at the center of recovery and post-recovery efforts. Click here to RSVP to this event.
Most WA Cannabis Consumers Purchase Products at Retail Stores
A recent study shows Washington State leading the nation in residents’ purchasing cannabis from legal retailers rather than in the illegal market, with 77% of survey participants from Washington State indicating that they purchased cannabis legally. This insight is a testament to legal market working efficiently, as state voters intended when they approved Initiative-502 10 years ago. For more information on this study and its findings, click here
Ending gun violence in our communities
Tuesday’s shooting at Ingraham High School is an immense tragedy that, once again, is too close to home. As a community, we mourn the loss of this young victim of violence. We cannot let gun violence continue to destroy lives and communities. The biennial budget includes funding for a gun violence special emphasis team, continues funding for a gun violence prevention initiative started in 2021 and 2022, and continues the planned level of effort for the Regional Gun Violence program. While these efforts will never undo the pain and damage faced by the families of victims, I hope that they shine a light toward a more safe and secure future.
At 11:00 a.m. today, a memorial was held at the Climate Pledge Arena to honor the Central District business owner D'Vonne Pickett Jr., who was fatally shot last month while closing his shop. Pickett was a son, a father of three, and a community leader as a youth football coach, mentor, and advocate in the neighborhood. We honor his memory and legacy as a revered member of our community.
The Together We End Gun Violence Symposium, which took place at Seattle University on November 4th, focused on establishing community-led solutions and partnership between government and community. Click here to view a recording of the symposium, hearing from local and community leaders.
 Community Passageways receives passenger van
 It was a pleasure to join Community Passageways staff members, Kim Ford and Kaeshon Adams, with CP’s new retired passenger van.
Each year, King County Councilmembers are each allotted four retired passenger vans from King County Metro to be awarded to organizations that could utilize a van in providing services to children/youth, people with disabilities, and seniors. On Friday, October 28th, I met with staff of Community Passageways, one of the organizations that I selected to receive the donation. Community Passageways works to establish alternatives to incarceration for youth and young adults by rebuilding our communities and supporting youth at each stage of the legal process.
A moment of inspiration
Earlier this week, diligent volunteers from the Fremont Rotary Club and the Crown Hill Safeway worked to provide sandwiches for the Compass Housing Alliance and the Wallingford Family Works Food Bank to feed houseless and hungry clients. This work provided much needed aid with local food resources, and I commend the efforts of these volunteers!
 Volunteer Rudy Pantoja is pictured at Family Works delivering sandwiches (Photos courtesy of Rudy Pantoja).
 Volunteers preparing sandwiches to be delivered to Family Works and the Compass Housing Alliance (Photos courtesy of Rudy Pantoja).
Helpful and informative links
Ship Canal reopens to water activities following sewer overflow – My Ballard
Seattle homeless shelters extend hours as cold weather moves in – The Seattle Times
WA building council votes to require heat pumps in new homes and apartments – The Seattle Times
WA voter turnout lagging behind pace of last midterm election – The Seattle Times
Seattle’s Ingraham High School shooting: What we know – The Seattle Times
Seattle school officials, politicians call for gun control after Ingraham shooting – The Seattle Times
Jury hears opening statements in Seattle Children’s mold infection case – King 5
A decade of deaths: Examining 10 years of data on how unhoused individuals die – Real Change News
Why unhoused people in the US are choosing to go to jail: ‘I kept reoffending’ – The Guardian
County to receive up to $25.4M to save lives ravaged by the opioid crisis – The Lynwood Times
Over 1 million Americans with diabetes rationed insulin in past year – The Washington Post
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.
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