Quote of the Week
“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”
– Dolly Parton
 Committee of the Whole
The Committee of the Whole, which I chair, held a special meeting on Monday for a briefing on the financial situation at Harborview Medical Center and on relevant legislation. Click here for more information on the meeting, its agenda, and a recording.
Law, Justice, Health, and Human Services Committee
The Law, Justice, Health, and Human Services Committee met on Tuesday and took action on two ordinances: one relating to no-shooting areas and the other authorizing the Executive to enter into an interlocal agreement with the South Correctional Entity for jail services. The latter was sent to the full Council without recommendation with amendments to come (see additional information below). Click here for more information on the meeting, its agenda, and a recording.
Full Council
 The King County Council met yesterday at which County Executive Dow Constantine delivered his annual State of the County Address, discussing the condition of our County and outlining his legislative agenda and priorities to the people of King County. He spoke of his new Civic Campus initiative, a proposal to reimagine the courthouse neighborhood, and proposed building a Sound Transit light rail station on the site of the King County Administration Building.
Executive Constantine also discussed the passage of the Conservation Futures Fund, which will allow King County to continue preserving and restoring irreplaceable wilderness and open space for all the generations that will follow.
Click here to read the full details of the address or watch the recording of the address here. The Council also presented a Proclamation on March as Women’s History Month and March 8th as International Women’s Day. The Council also approved the Metro service recovery plan, which will restore pandemic-era service cuts through restructuring Sound Transit expansions over the next 4-5 years. Click here for more information on the meeting, its agenda, and a recording.
Forecast Council
The Forecast Council will meet tomorrow to take possible action on two resolutions: the first adopting the preliminary economic and revenue forecast for the King County budget for 2023 and beyond, and the second approving the 2023 work program for the office of economic and financial analysis. I am a member of the Council and hope that my voice will be back by the time of the meeting. Click here for more information on the meeting, its agenda, and a recording, which will be available tomorrow.
 Full Council
The King County Council will meet on Tuesday, March 14th at 1:00 p.m. For more information on this meeting and its agenda, click here.
Flood Control District Committee Meeting
The Flood Control District Committee Meeting will meet on Tuesday, March 14th after the conclusion of the Council meeting. For more information on this meeting and its agenda, click here.
Committee of the Whole
The Committee of the Whole, which I chair, will meet on Wednesday, March 15th at 9:30 a.m. For more information on this meeting and its agenda, click here.
Regional Transit Committee
The Regional Transit Committee will meet on Wednesday, March 15th at 3:00 p.m. For more information on this meeting and its agenda, click here.
Board of Health
The Board of Health will meet on Thursday, March 16th at 1:00 p.m. For more information on this meeting and its agenda, click here.
 Public Health Briefing
 Dr. Eric Chow, Chief of Public Health – Seattle & King County's Communicable Disease and Epidemiology Program, briefed the public and took questions from media today about COVID-19 in King County. The briefing was livestreamed on the Public Health – Seattle & King County Facebook page, and a recording is available here.
Masking requirements in health care, long-term care, and correctional facilities to end April 3rd
 The Washington State Department of Health will end the Secretary of Health Mask Order on April 3rd. This order currently requires universal masking in health care, long-term care, and adult correctional facilities.
Several worker protection requirements enforced by the state’s Department of Labor & Industries remain in effect, including that employees and contractors may choose to use facemasks or other personal protective equipment on the job without employer retaliation. Also, under the state Health Emergency Labor Standards Act, several key worker protections remain in place until the federal pandemic response declaration ends May 11th.
2-1-1 Crisis Connections calls and the Social, Economic, and Overall Health impacts of COVID-19
 Public Health — Seattle & King County is monitoring changes in key economic, social, and other health indicators resulting from strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19. The economic, social, and health impacts data project helps inform strategies and policies to minimize those harms and maximize outcomes for all residents of King County. Click here to view the dashboard.
COVID-19
People are still getting ill with COVID strains so please continue to exercise caution throughout each day to keep yourself, your family, and your community safe. For up-to-date information on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the County, see the Daily COVID-19 outbreak summary dashboard.
Helpful Public Health-related articles
A Surprising Way to Tackle the Teen Mental Health Crisis – The Washington Post
Diabetes and obesity are on the rise in young adults, a study says – NPR
New Report Indicates Increased Food Needs in King County – Public Health Insider
WA resumes free telehealth appointments for COVID-19 – The Seattle Times
 King County moves forward with Inmate Transfer Plan
The Law, Justice, Health, and Human Services Committee moved forward on legislation that would move up to 150 men currently incarcerated at the downtown King County Correctional Facility to the South Correctional Entity (SCORE). This is in an effort to help King County confront the impact of the unprecedented levels of employee vacancies on staff in the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. In addition to an increase in individuals housed at the jail, guard shortages have yielded dangerous and unsustainable conditions. Last month, this staffing issue caused the ACLU of Washington to file a lawsuit against the county on the grounds that the jails must maintain minimal health and safety standards, including adequate access to behavioral and physical health care. The full Council will take up the legislation likely with amendments at its March 21stmeeting. Read more about the inmate transfer in this article from Publicola.
How many bicyclists wear helmets after King County law was dropped
 A year ago, the King County Board of Health repealed the mandatory helmet law for cyclists, citing the principal reasons of inequitable and uneven enforcement. I was the sole vote against the repeal. However, helmet use in the county, according to a study by Public Health – Seattle & King County, remains high. Click here to read more details and statistics from an article in The Seattle Times.
More investments critical to a clean and healthy Puget Sound coming to King County
Runoff that occurs during heavy rainfall, known as polluted stormwater, is considered one of the biggest threats to water quality today in King County. It can carry toxics like motor oil, metals, pesticides, fertilizer, and pet waste directly into streams, rivers, and Puget Sound.
The King County Council recently approved a loan agreement to provide the Wastewater Treatment Division with $165.3 million for two water quality projects: reducing stormwater pollution in the Lake Washington Ship Canal and financing the new Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station. Click here to read more or see this article from The Seattle Times.
Flood Management Plan survey
 As flooding is likely to continue in King County, and possibly become more frequent and severe with climate change, the County is working on updating the flood management plan. Voice the flooding problems which concern you as the County updates our roadmap for reducing flood risk and increasing resilience. Take the survey here.
Pet of the Week
Sasuke is a one-year-old Siberian Husky / mix who is full of energy and loves to play! Sasuke is both affectionate, independent, and loves lots of exercise and activities to keep his mind busy. Click here to meet him, and to see tons of other animals looking for their forever homes!
 Be Bold for Change
Today at 5:30 p.m., Seattle Town Hall will host the Be Bold for Change event in celebration of International Women’s Day, with special guest Martha Adams. Experience an evening of inspiration, powerful stories, change-making women and community building. Click here to learn more.
KEXP is celebrating women in music
 All day today, KEXP is celebrating International Women’s Day with an all-women DJ lineup on the KEXP broadcast. The broadcast will feature women throughout music history, spotlights on women in rock, global premieres of new songs, live performances, and more. Tune in on the air at 90.3 FM or listen anywhere at KEXP.ORG. Click here to learn more!
'Women in Public Safety Career Fair'
 On Saturday, March 11th, several law enforcement agencies will take part in a “Women in Public Safety Career Fair,” with the goal of recruiting a more diverse workforce. Those in attendance may discuss public safety and learn more about career opportunities for women. Click here to learn more.
Women Who Empower
 On Wednesday, March 22nd from 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., join Northeastern University for an evening panel featuring women who lead in innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship. The panelists will share the importance of building networks, fostering bonds within the community, and investing in new friendships. Appetizers and refreshments will be served. Click here to reserve your spot.
Andrea Dunlop with Laurie Frankel—'Women Are the Fiercest Creatures'
On Tuesday, March 14th at 7:00 p.m., join Third Place Books for an in-person event at Lake Forest Park to have a conversation with Laurie Frankel and Andrea Dunlop on the novel, Women Are the Fiercest Creatures. Click here to reserve a spot.
CAWP 2023 rankings for women in state legislatures
 Just in time for the start of Women’s History Month, the Center for American Women and Politics has just released its annual rankings for women in state legislatures. I was very pleased to see Washington State ranked number four, with 46.3% women legislators! I hope we can get back to being number one, which we were about 20 years ago. Click here to view the collected data and more interesting information about the legislature.
Women-owned businesses in Pike Place
 At Pike Place Market, nearly 50% of market businesses are either fully owned or co-owned by women. In celebration of Women’s History Month, Pike Place Market is excitedly highlighting its women-owned enterprises that make up its retail shops, makers, and farmers. Click here to view over 250 women-owned businesses that you can find at Pike Place Market.
 West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions
Sound Transit is exploring two station options and alternatives at Seattle Center in Uptown. The first is a tunnel Republican Street Station, which would include construction of a tunnel station under Republican Street between Queen Anne Avenue North and Seattle Center. The second option is the Tunnel Mercer Street Station, which would include constructing a tunnel station under Mercer Street, between Queen Anne Avenue North and Warren Avenue North. Click here to read collected opinions of local impacts from the Queen Anne & Magnolia News.
On February 23rd, Sound Transit shared a summary of public feedback on the recent further studies effort at the Sound Transit Board Meeting.
Tomorrow, March 9th, from 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., the System Expansion Committee will discuss the project and provide a recommendation to the Sound Transit Board to identify the preferred alternative for the Ballard Link Extension. Additionally, save the date for Thursday, March 23rd, where the full Sound Transit Board will possibly identify the preferred alternative for the Ballard Link Extension. Members of the public may attend the Sound Transit Board meetings and System Expansion Committee meetings in person or in a variety of ways virtually. For more information on how to attend or provide public comment, visit the Board of Directors website. All meetings are recorded and will be uploaded to the WebEx Livestream archive.
Does Seattle bear the burden of King County’s homelessness?
In a novel analysis using data from the King County Regional Homelessness Authority five-year plan, The Seattle Times compared overall budgets, spending on homelessness service providers, and the location of homelessness services among the 39 cities in King County. The study found that that Seattle allocates significantly more resources to homelessness in proportion to its population and budget. Read more information and comparative statistics here, in an article from The Seattle Times. Also, read this article from Post Alley, which cites Regional Homelessness Authority CEO Marc Dones, who asserted the cost necessary for solving homelessness in our region. Note that the Authority’s cost projections for solving homelessness in King County will be discussed at next Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
 St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Join the Irish Heritage Club for the 52nd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Seattle at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 11th. The parade will start at 4th Ave and Jefferson St, and will move north on 4th Ave, culminating at the Reviewing Platform at Westlake. Click here for more information.
Seattle Center Irish Festival
From Saturday, March 11th to Sunday, March 12th, visit the Irish Festival Seattle at the Armory Food & Event Hall of the Seattle Center. The festival is free and open to the public, and celebrates Irish roots with musical performances, step-dancing, genealogy workshops, history lectures, craft goods, and more. Click here to learn more.
 Forest restoration
Welcome in spring by joining the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks and volunteering at a restoration event. The department needs help mulching and weeding to help young trees and native plants grow around Miller and Walker creeks on March 18th and 25th. Click here to learn more and register.
 Seasonal Environmental Specialist
The King County Department of Natural Resources, Water and Land Resources Division is hiring one temporary seasonal staff to lead the summer/early fall monitoring work. This position will be responsible for leading the planning and coordination of four other seasonal staff to complete the 2022 Stream Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Program. Click here to learn more about the position.
Monitoring Staff
The King County Department of Natural Resources, Water and Land Resources Division anticipates hiring four temporary seasonal staff to assist with summer/early fall field sampling work. Staff in this position will be responsible for providing short-term support to the Stream Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Program. The work involves collecting benthic macroinvertebrate samples (aquatic insects and other organisms) from approximately 180 streams throughout King County, as well as collection of detailed field site information to document in-stream and riparian habitat conditions. Click here to learn more about the position.
 Open Funding Opportunities – Victim Services
The Tribal Law and Policy Institute has shared several open funding opportunities across the Department of Justice that relate to victim services. These grants provide funding to improve support for those experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human and sex trafficking. Click here to read more details about each of the several opportunities, including deadlines.
 On this International Women's Day, I'm sending a huge congratulations to the Lincoln High School girls flag football team on winning the Metro League Championship!
 With expressed financial support from the NFL, girls flag football has been growing in popularity. In February, the Lincoln High School girls flag football team won the Metro League Championship with a victory over Eastside Catholic. This win is certainly special for the Lincoln Lynx, as it was their first Metro title in any athletic endeavor since the school re-opened in 2019 after being closed down in 1981. Girls flag football has continued to prove itself as a fierce and competitive game and may be coming to other schools in the area soon! Click here to read more about this stellar team and this emerging sport from a story from The Seattle Times. Congratulations, Lynx women!
Helpful and informative links
Washington preschoolers are falling behind in wake of pandemic – KUOW
Prosecutors’ actions contribute to people with mental illness languishing in jail – 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.
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