As we approach the summer hiking season, be prepared to load your backpack, put on your hiking boots, and grab your . . . bus pass? 

Yes! Metro Transit will be there on weekends and designated holidays to transport you to popular trailheads in King County through the TrailheadDirect program. 

Trailhead Direct is provided by King County Metro, in partnership with King County Parks and SDOT and sponsored by Amazon.  

This project seeks to ease vehicle congestion, reduce safety hazards and expand access to hiking destinations along I-90.  

In addition to summer weekends, the designated holidays for operation are Memorial Day (Monday, May 26), Independence Day (Friday, July 4), and Labor Day (Monday, September 1). 

See:  About|Trailhead Direct 

For more information about the TrailheadDirect program, click here. 

The goal of the D5 e-news is to share information about council business, upcoming community events, access to services, opportunities, and ways for us to build an even better King County.  

If you have something to share, please do not hesitate to contact me at desean.quinn@kingcounty.gov or 206 477-1005. 

This week: 

On Saturday, I attended the grand opening of the Redmond LINK light rail. I am currently serving on the Sound Transit Board and am a proud advocate for expanding our system to provide more transportation choices for South King County. 

On Monday, I met with the General Manager of Metro Transit Michelle Allison to discuss federal funding for transit.  I also participated in a meeting of transportation professionals with U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland (District 10). I met with King County Executive Shannon Braddock to discuss her plans for a Utilities Summit to discuss increasing cost of utilities as well as budget priorities  

On Tuesday, I participated in a Sound Transit Executive Committee meeting regarding a legal issue. I was a guest at a Pacific Science Center luncheon.   

At the 1:30 Council meeting, we proclaimed May 2025 as Therapeutic Court Month to honor the work of therapeutic courts to help people exit the criminal justice system and enter recovery.

The Council also approved a collective bargaining agreement with the International Association of Fire Fighters. Funding for fire fighters comes from the voter-approved Emergency Medical Services Levy.   

The Council re-appointed District 5 constituent John Purvis to the Museum of Flight Authority Board of Directors. Thank you John for your service! 

Following the Council meeting the Flood Control District Board of Directors met and voted on a resolution amending an interlocal agreement regarding the Factoria Boulevard Storm Conveyance Improvement Project, a motion related to a contract for accounting services, and a resolution relating to the 2025 mid-year budget reallocation. We also received a briefing on floodplain management and the flood district’s financial policies.

On Wednesday, I spoke about the Emergency Medical Services Levy proposal at the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee. The Budget and Fiscal Management Committee also heard from a panel of advocates for reproductive health services on the potential impacts of federal funding cuts. 

On Thursday and Friday, the D5 team prepared for the upcoming week.  

Sincerely, 

De’Sean Quinn

King County Councilmember, District 5 

Des Moines, Kent, Normandy Park, Renton, SeaTac, Tukwila 

King County set a big goal to plant, protect, and get ready for a total of 3 million trees by the end of 2025. This helps us fight climate change, keep our forests healthy, make better homes for salmon, and add more trees in our cities. 

Created in 2022, the NextGen Climate Internship Program helps young people gain experience implementing climate action initiatives in local government. Through dedicated support, these interns contribute to a variety of climate-focused work and the County’s implementation of the Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP).  

Projects cover many priority actions from the SCAP including community engagement, promoting the County’s growing climate workforce, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

For more information, contact Anoushka Adhav, Climate & Workforce Project Manager, at anadhav@kingcounty.gov.