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On Saturday, I spoke as an invited guest at Tabor 100 which is an association of entrepreneurs and business advocates who are committed to economic power, educational excellence and social equity for African-Americans and the community at large. Other speakers included King County Council Chair Girmay Zahilay, Senator Javier Valdez, and Representative Debra Entenman. Tabor 100 is based in Tukwila.
 Speaking with entrepreneurs and business advocates at Tabor 100
 Joining for a photo with Abdirahman Omar, owner of Global Reach Consulting
On Monday, I joined with regional leadership in a Fare Forum regarding long-term planning to keep ORCA fares simple and affordable.
On Tuesday, the Committee of the Whole voted to recommend that the full council:
All of these committee actions will require full council support to be effective.
I was pleased to support these actions especially the effort to improve transit security for both drivers and riders. Metro Transit reported to the council on renewed efforts to update and enforce the code of conduct on our buses, the installation of barriers to protect drivers and efforts to recruit more Metro transit police officers.
On Wednesday, the Budget and Fiscal Management committee received presentations from the following:
Each of these presentations was regarding upcoming budget decisions with revenue restricted by the 1% cap on property taxes.
The Budget and Fiscal Management committee also heard central staff analysis of the Executive’s proposal for the renewal of the King County Parks levy. The parks levy has been placed before voters every six years since 2007. The council will be voting on placing a parks levy renewal before voters this year.
On Thursday, I participated in my first Sound Transit Board meeting. Sound Transit is governed by 18 members of the Sound Transit Board from King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. I will be looking for ways to advocate for mobility options for South King County on the board.
On Friday I met with Executive staff regarding the Comprehensive Plan for Growth Management and the Critical Areas Ordinance designed to protect areas around out streams and rivers. An update to the Critical Areas Ordinance will be considered by the Council later this year.
I look forward to hearing from you on these topics as they are important to the future of South King County.
Sincerely,
De’Sean Quinn
King County Councilmember, District 5
Des Moines, Kent, Normandy Park, Renton, Sea-Tac, Tukwila
Meet District 5 Councilmember De'Sean Quinn on Vimeo
 King County Parks will be accepting applications for five grant programs this year.
There will be two Request for Application (RFA) processes. Here are the timelines:
RFA#1:
Levy Grants will accept applications February 24 to March 31. Levy grants include:
RFA#2:
Youth and Amateur Sports Grants will accept applications from April 7 to May 5 at 9 a.m. Awards up to $100,000 for programs proposals and up to $250,000 for construction proposals. Learn more here.
 Metro bus routes will be re-designed to better coordinate with Link light rail.
King County Metro Transit is developing ways to better connect with South Link Light Rail. You have the opportunity to send your thoughts about transit serving District 5 and South King County. Please click here to take a survey about your experiences and priorities as a rider.
Feel free to share this survey with family, friends and neighbors who ride or would like to ride Metro Transit. This survey needs to be completed by Sunday March 2.
 Building on the deep knowledge, connections, and skills within King County communities, and backed by what science and research tells us about human development, Best Starts for Kids meets children and families with the right services at the right time.
The first Best Starts for Kids levy, approved by King County voters in 2015, reached 490,000 of King County’s youngest children and their families and 40,000 youth and young adults. The levy catalyzes strong starts in a child’s earliest years, and sustaining those gains through to adulthood.
In August 2021, King County voters chose to renew the levy with over 62% approval for another six years.
Best Starts for Kids recently announced partner organziations selected to contribute to Prenatal – age 5 program development. Please see below:
Al Warithoon: The Inheritors: Developing a new program to unite a multicultural Muslim community in South Seattle, Tukwila, and Burien through a shared love of the Arabic language and a fully immersive language program.
City Mama Collective: Mama Social Seattle is focused on providing underserved young moms in Seattle with community, parenting support, and connection to resources through a fun, non-judgmental space.
Family Works A new Home Visiting program with – a 10-week course where families learn practical, in-depth effective strategies to promote secure and healthy relationships between caregivers and young children, especially for non-English speaking families.
Global Reach Consultants, LLC Nurture & Thrive Initiative focuses on providing culturally tailored prenatal and early childhood support for Somali and East African families as well as training for local doulas and childcare providers. The program will offer workshops on prenatal health, nutrition, and parenting skills.
Kokeb will implement a “one-stop” intervention center where children with special needs can access multiple types of therapies in one place, OT, PT, SLP, floor time and music or do therapy.
Mercer Island Chinese Association Our P-5 Program, Bright Start: A Mandarin-Speaking Family Connection Program for Families with Young Children (0-3), is designed to bring Mandarin-speaking families with children aged 0-3 together for weekly facilitated sessions led by a professional facilitator.
Ohana Behavioral Health Our P-5 program will provide culturally tailored therapeutic support, parent coaching, and community resources to families in under-resourced areas. The program will focus on early childhood mental health, including emotional regulation, attachment, and developmental milestones.
Outreach & Transform Lives "Empowering Families: P-5 Holistic Support Program," aims to provide culturally responsive services to African immigrant and refugee families in King County. The program will focus on healthy child development, parent education, and family well-being.
Refugee Peer Northwest Culturally appropriate community education in local languages of newly arrived Afghan communities and assistance navigating the available resources for pregnant women and 0-5 kids.
Roni Lifeworks Our program idea is to create a 6-to-8 week curriculum for families staying at the YWCA gender-based domestic violence or Compass Housing family shelters that will assist in decreasing the impact of anxiety or trauma residual when moving in a shelter setting.
United Communities of Laos (UCL)We aim to continue outreach efforts to isolated families from Laos, including Hmong, Lao-Khmu, and lowland Laotians, actively listen to their needs, and develop responsive programs and services to address identified gaps. We will support families with multiple needs and barriers.
West African Relief Center Our Roots to Rise Program will focus on providing early childhood education and parenting support for immigrant and refugee families from West African communities. We will offer home-based visits, group workshops, and community gatherings.
 Lower Green River at the Lower Russell Levee Setback Project. Credit: King County
The King County Flood Control District (KCFCD) has been working diligently since its creation in 2007 to safeguard our communities from flooding.
The KCFCD, in collaboration with King County, has spearheaded over 370 capital projects aimed at mitigating the risk of levee and revetment failures. These projects, along with the operation and maintenance of over 500 flood protection facilities, cover 118 linear miles and approximately 800 acres of land crucial for flood mitigation.
Keep up to date on local flood protection here.
King County Council District 5 – a great place to live, work and raise a family!
 Wishing our D5 neighbors a blessed Ramadan
filled with peace, happiness and abundant blessings.
Ramadan 2025 will be observed February 28 through March 29.
Thank you for reading our fourth edition of our e-news. Please feel free to contact us and share information you have about your city or neighborhood at district5.kingcountycouncil@kingcounty.gov or 206 477-1005.
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