The ballot includes the opportunity to vote yes or no on a countywide ballot measure – the renewal of the King County Parks Levy.  

It also includes the opportunity to vote for your elected representatives to serve as King County Executive, on the King County Council, Washington State Legislature, and on many city councils. 

Below are some common questions and resources. 

Applications are being accepted through July 29, with awards expected by the end of 2025. Proposals must be submitted online through the grant portal here.  

On Tuesday, I joined my colleagues for Committee of the Whole, where we received a briefing on the impact of Medicaid cuts to Harborview Hospital by CEO Sommer Kleweno Walley and Board President Steffanie Fain.  We also heard from union leadership representing Harborview staff. 

 

We also received a briefing by Executive staff on plans to construct additional bed space at Harborview.  Demand for hospital services is increasing.  In addition, cuts to Medicaid are expected to result in more people being uninsured therefore becoming dependent on emergency room service in local hospitals like Harborview. 

At the afternoon council meeting, we presented a proclamation recognizing the service of a local hero - Captain Dan Krehbiel.

 

Captain Krehbiel was piloting the water taxi on November 2,2023, when he spotted a runaway container ship headed for the Seattle Waterfront. Captain Krehbiel steered the water taxi off course to deflect the huge container ship from striking the waterfront until tugboats could arrive. His courage prevented injury and property damage.  And he delayed the taxi service by only 15 minutes.   

Captain Krehbiel is retiring after 30 years of service.  He was the first Captain of our Water Taxi. 

You can see Captain Krehbiel steering the water taxi to divert the barge in the video below. 

The Council also passed a one-tenth of one percent increase in the sales tax to support criminal justice services by a vote of 8-1.   

King County has faced increasing costs due to inflation which has averaged over 3 percent per year but has been limited by a cap on property taxes to one percent.  Revenue has not kept up with inflation creating a structural gap.  To prevent a budget deficit, King County would have to lay off several dozen prosecutors, sheriff’s deputies, public defenders and would reduce court services, all to balance the budget.  Local governments are required by state law to operate with balanced budgets – no deficit spending allowed! 

The WA State legislature granted counties the opportunity to raise the sales tax to pay for criminal justice services including prosecutor, sheriff, public defense, court, jail as well as behavioral health services. 

To be clear, other services provided by the county come from voter-approved sources such as the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services levy, or the Best Starts for Kids levy – as examples.  Or, they are supported by rates and fees such as the Wastewater Treatment Division.  King County’s criminal justice services are funded through the general fund which is capped to grow no more than 1 percent per year which doesn’t work if inflation is above one percent.   

To learn more about King County’s budget, click here. 

I was pleased to vote for the criminal justice tax increase to ensure King County can continue to address crime such as domestic violence, sexual assault and gun violence, while also supporting behavioral health programs and victims’ advocacy services. 

 

We also passed an ordinance for the purchase and sale of the landfill gas plant at the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill.  By bringing this business in house, we can sell the gas produced by the landfill for energy and use the proceeds to support the landfill operations. 

On Wednesday, the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee reviewed the Capital Improvement and Bond Program for Harborview Medical Center.  Harborview Medical Center is owned by King County and is operated by the University of Washington.   

On Thursday, I attended Sound Transit Board Meeting where we voted on amending the 2025 Service Plan for the Federal Way LINK extension which could possibly open ahead of schedule as early as this fall! 

The WA state championship Little League play-off games continued this week and my son is playing with a great team! 

I hope this information is helpful to you.  I strive to be transparent and share what I am doing on behalf of District 5. 

Sincerely, 

De’Sean Quinn  

King County Councilmember, District 5 

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

Public Health Alert 

Measles was declared officially eliminated from the U.S. back in 2000 following decades of people getting measles vaccinations.  

But measles re-entered the country when travelers returned from places where measles is spreading, sometimes exposing people who hadn’t been vaccinated or hadn’t had the measles.  

Now measles cases are going up around the country and we have cases in King County. People understandably have questions since most folks didn’t grow up at a time when measles was still common. Click here for information about what you can do to protect yourself and your family. 

Come down to the King County Pet Adoption Center in Kent to visit awesome pets waiting to be adopted - like Ramsey (above) King County’s Pet of the Week.   

The pet adoption center is open from noon to 5 pm weekdays and noon to 4 pm weekends for pet adoptions.  You can also browse online anytime at kingcounty.gov/AdoptAPet.  If you have questions, contact Regional Animal Services at (206) 296-7387 (PETS) or pets@kingcounty.gov. 

 

You can register online, 24 hours a day, at the Washington Secretary of State's website. You will need to register online at least 8 days in advance of the next election.  

To register online, you will need either: 

• A current Washington State driver license, or 

• A current Washington State ID card, or 

• Last 4 digits of Social Security Number 

If you do not have either of these, you can still register by mail or in-person. 

Registrations done by mail need to be received, not postmarked, by the 8-day deadline. 

You can register in-person through election day at the King County Elections Office in Renton. 

919 SW Grady Way, Suite 100 Renton, WA 98057  You can also register to vote in-person at a vote center or at one of our community events.