 Dear King County District 2 Resident,
This is your King County Council Chair, Girmay Zahilay. Below are some news, updates, and events that I think you’ll find useful. This email will provide you a snapshot of recent updates. For a more comprehensive list of my office’s legislation and priorities, check out my King County website, where I list what we’ve been working on over the past year. You can also follow my Facebook and Twitter for real-time updates on all our work!
Here's what we’ve been up to, what’s ahead, and how you can plug in.
Announcements & Policy Updates
King County Expands Regionwide Youth Mobile Crisis Teams
King County is expanding its youth mobile crisis response teams to provide faster, in-person support for young people experiencing mental health or substance use emergencies. Operated by the YMCA, the number of youth crisis teams will grow from two to nine, offering 24/7 help to de-escalate crises and connect families to resources. Last year, these teams supported more than 1,200 youth and families, and with this expansion, many more will have access to urgent care when it’s needed most. Anyone can call or text 988 anytime to connect with a youth or adult crisis team.
Read more here.
Light Rail Disruptions
This year, we’ve seen a concerning number of service interruptions on the 1 and 2 Lines, including but not limited to the recent closures caused by electrical failures, infrastructure degradation, and wire theft near Wilburton Station. As a board member of Sound Transit, I sent a letter to Sound Transit’s CEO and staff to look closer at the issues that caused these disruptions:
- What is the root cause analysis for each of the recent 1 and 2 Line outages?
- What infrastructure vulnerabilities have been identified through these repeated disruptions, and how are they being addressed comprehensively, not just patched?
- Why weren’t more robust anti-theft systems in place prior to the Wilburton Station wire theft?
- What emergency preparedness plans are in place for major service disruptions, both operationally and in terms of rider communication?
- What is being done to restore public trust and communicate transparently with riders?
- What reforms are being made to internal quality control processes during project delivery?
I sent this letter so that Sound Transit can learn from these service disruptions and build resiliency into current and future projects. CEO Constantine has been very responsive to the letter, highlighting expanded anti-theft measures, improved rider communication during disruptions, stronger emergency preparedness, and new internal quality control processes with greater contractor accountability.
I’ve asked for a public briefing on their findings and next steps, which will be done in a Sound Transit committee meeting later this fall.
Sue Bird Statue Unveiling
This month, I had the honor of helping to immortalize Seattle’s greatest sports icon, Sue Bird. The first ever statue for a WNBA player is now right here in our hometown!
A 4X WNBA champion, 5X Olympic gold medalist, and the all-time leader in assists and minutes played, her accomplishments on the court are unmatched.
Off the court, she has made a huge impact on our region and inspired thousands across King County.
What made the day even more special was bringing my daughter Jazzy on stage. I wanted her to be there so she can look back and know she was part of history, and to look forward and know that anything is possible in her life. That’s what Sue represents, and that’s what her statue represents.
Thank you to the Storm team members, staff, ownership group, and partners who made this historic day possible.
World Cup Planning
With the world coming to our doorstep next year for the 2026 World Cup, your local government is in planning mode for the excitement ahead! Earlier this month, I joined Tukwila Mayor McLeod to talk about the game that brings the world together.
Our region’s rich soccer culture, passionate fans, and world-class facilities make us the perfect backdrop for the tournament. Planning is already underway to ensure the best experience for both fans and players, from improving transportation options, expanding public spaces, and ramping up local tourism initiatives to ensure visitors have an unforgettable experience.
This is a unique opportunity to showcase King County’s spirit on the world stage, and we’re committed to making the World Cup an event that leaves a lasting positive impact for our communities. Stay tuned for more updates as we prepare to welcome the world!
Sammamish Valley Farms Tour
I had the amazing opportunity to visit Sammamish Valley farms the other day, seeing firsthand why it matters to protect our farmland and keep the Urban Growth Boundary strong.
When we preserve rural and agricultural areas, we protect our ability to grow fresh, local food, strengthen our economy, and safeguard open spaces for future generations. This is an incredibly important priority for King County, and I’m grateful for this chance to hear directly from our farmers about how this affects them.
Community Advisory Committee for Law Enforcement Seek Members
The Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO) represents the interests of the public in its efforts to hold the King County Sheriff’s Office accountable for providing fair and just police services. OLEO is looking for community members who want to serve as advocates for the interests of the diverse communities across King County. Learn more and apply here.
WSDOT Invites Public to Learn About and Provide Feedback on Future Improvements for SR 900 in Skyway
Online open house available until Sept. 9.
SKYWAY – Residents and those who travel on State Route 900 in Skyway can help direct the future of the highway through an online open house.
The Washington State Department of Transportation is conducting a study of SR 900/Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. WSDOT is studying how best to improve bicycle, pedestrian and transit access along SR 900 from 57th Avenue South to South 135th Street.
People are invited to learn more about the improvement project in online and in-person events. WSDOT is hosting an online open house starting Tuesday, Aug. 12, to gather input on improvement concepts and options to better serve those who walk, bike and access transit and to improve safety for all users.
After the open house closes Tues, Sept. 9, WSDOT will analyze and use the feedback to guide the update and analysis of the improvement concepts and options. The updates and analysis will be shared in a future online open house. In-person informational events also are planned but have not yet been scheduled.
SR 900 pedestrian and safety improvements online open house information When: Through Tuesday, Sept. 9
Where: engage.wsdot.wa.gov/sr-900-pedestrian-safety-improvements/
Details: Information about the study is available online 24/7 for people to visit and leave comments through Tuesday, Sept. 9. The information is available in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese and Ukrainian.
Free internet access Free WiFi access is available for people who wish to participate in the online open house at:
- King County Public Library – Skyway, 12601 76th Ave. S., Seattle, WA
- King County Public Library – Renton, 100 Mill Ave. S., Renton, WA
- King County Public Library – Tukwila, 14380 Tukwila International Blvd., Tukwila, WA
Woodland Park Zoo Seeks Community Feedback
The Woodland Park Zoo is seeking community feedback! Your feedback will guide plans to strengthen commitment to conservation and sustainability, celebrate diversity, and build deeper connections across people, animals, and nature. Fill out the survey here: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8372640/2025-Community-Voice-Survey
Auditor’s Office Seeks Public Input
Have you experienced challenges with King County services or have ideas for how things could work better? The King County Auditor’s Office wants to hear from you! They’ve launched a public input portal where community members can share their experiences and suggest potential topics for future audits. Your input helps ensure the government works effectively, efficiently and equitably for everyone.
Save the date: Vision 2045 Open House
Are you interested in the future of King County International Airport-Boeing Field? The Vision 2045 Airport Plan will evaluate how King County International Airport/Boeing Field can evolve and adapt to meet future aviation demand and become a world-class airport.
This planning process will result in an airport plan that will serve airport users and members of the surrounding communities for the next 20 years. The open house will be on Thursday, September 25 at the Flight Service Station, 6526 Ellis Avenue S in Seattle. The time hasn’t yet been set but will be posted on the project website. This open house will focus on gathering public input on the airport plan’s draft alternatives.
Landowners Invited to Help Address Homelessness in King County
The King County Regional Homelessness Authority is seeking landowners who are interested in being part of the solution to homelessness. Through the Land Bank Program’s Request for Information, KCRHA is collecting information on sites that could be used for tiny house villages, micro modular villages, sanctioned tent cities, safe lots for vehicles and RVs, and RV storage.
Although King County and the City of Seattle have several land-based shelter programs already in place, the demand for safe shelter far exceeds available space. This RFI invites property owners to help identify new sites and build a bank of viable options for when funding becomes available.
While this is not a direct funding opportunity, participants in this RFI may be eligible for future shelter development funding. There is no deadline to apply and the RFI will remain open for the foreseeable future.
To read the full RFI and learn more about the Land Bank Program, visit the latest KCRHA blog post.
Upcoming Events
Meet Me at Waterfront Park Grand Opening Celebration
This summer, managing non-profit Friends of Waterfront Park (Friends) and the City of Seattle invite the public to a defining civic moment: the official Grand Opening Celebration of Seattle’s 20-acre Waterfront Park on Saturday, September 6, 2025.
The reimagined 20-acre waterfront—transformed by the City’s Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects and Sound Transit from a highway into the boldest public space investment since the 1962 World’s Fair—culminates in a full day of free programming featuring over 100 artists and cultural organizations, 60+ performances, 10 unique activation zones, and seven main stages stretching from Overlook Walk to Railroad Way and Stadium plaza in Pioneer Square.
National Suicide Awareness Month Gun Buyback
In recognition of National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Seattle & King County and the King County Sheriff's Office are hosting a drive-thru gun buyback event on Saturday, September 6, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Shoreline Community College.
King County residents are encouraged to safely and anonymously turn in firearms to help reduce the number of guns in our community and prevent them from being used in a crisis or falling into the wrong hands.
The event is drive-thru only—participants will remain in their vehicles and be directed to a station for firearm intake and gift card distribution based on the type of firearm:
- $25: antique/junk/inoperable firearms, receivers/frames only, bump-fire stocks
- $50: muzzle-loading firearms (manufactured after 1941)
- $100: rifles, shotguns, .22LR weapons, revolvers
- $200: pistols
- $300: AR-15s, AK-47s, and machine guns
- $0: toy guns, BB/pellet guns, homemade guns, non-firing replicas, ammo, magazines, or firearm accessories
For more information, please contact rgv@kingcounty.gov. Let’s work together to create safer, healthier communities.
Summer Events at Waterfront Park
After nearly twenty years of dreaming, planning, and listening to community voices, Waterfront Park is coming to life. This space is not just a park. It is a civic gathering place shaped by culture, connection, and care.
From May through September, Friends of Waterfront Park will host more than 270 free public events as part of a season-long celebration leading up to the park’s Grand Opening in late summer 2025. The programming includes live performances, family-friendly activities, cultural celebrations, and the new Waterfront Park Market, alongside other markets happening throughout the summer.
Learn more about what is planned by visiting the Friends of Waterfront Park 2025 Summer Programming Announcement.
Grants & Resources
Stay safe from heat and wildfire smoke this summer
Extreme heat and wildfire smoke can harm everyone’s health. People who are 18 and younger, 65 and older, who are pregnant, or who have certain health conditions (including asthma and diabetes) are at especially high risk.
As days get hotter, here are four steps to help prepare for and respond to wildfire smoke and heat.
1. Check smoke and heat forecasts every day.
2. Move indoors on hot or smoky days.
- Make sure to drink plenty of water.
3. Cool down indoor spaces on hot days and improve indoor air quality on smoky days.
- Use fans or an air conditioner when it’s hot, and cover windows with curtains or blinds.
- Close windows and doors when it’s smoky. If it’s too hot inside the building, it’s better to open the windows for a short time than to overheat. Listen to your body and how you’re feeling.
- Consider getting a HEPA air filter and making a clean-air room, keeping doors to other rooms closed as much as possible.
4. Watch for symptoms of smoke and heat exposure
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Wildfire smoke exposure symptoms: coughing, headache, sore throat, burning eyes, or wheezing. If someone has these symptoms, limit time outdoors, avoid vigorous physical activity and stay in an indoor space that has cleaner air.
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Heat exhaustion symptoms: headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, irritability, thirst, heavy sweating, or high body temperature. If someone has these symptoms, move them to a cooler place and give them liquids to drink. Remove unnecessary clothing, including shoes and socks. Cool them with a cold washcloth or have them take a cold shower or bath. Get medical attention immediately if they do not feel better.
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Call or text 911 for emergency assistance if someone has shortness of breath; chest pain; confusion; altered mental status; slurred speech; loss of consciousness; hot, dry skin or profuse sweating; rapid pulse; seizures; or very high body temperature (above 103°F).
For more information and resources in several languages
WA State Department of Commerce Victims of Crime Victim Services
Applications are due Tuesday, September 2 @ 12:00 p.m. Click here to view the application materials. Applications are due via email to OCVAgrantapplication@commerce.wa.gov.
Details: Funding is available to develop and enhance healing-centered, culturally, and community specific support services for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and unserved individuals who have experienced hurt, harm or crime. Services and activities must be provided by organizations that are operated by and for these communities. Applicants may request up to $75,000 per year for the three-year project cycle.
For more details, please visit the grant website here, or if you have questions, email Matthew Flores at Matthew.Flores@commerce.wa.gov.
King County 2025 Family Child Care Facilities Fund
Applications are due Wednesday, September 3 @ 2:00 p.m. Pre-applications are due Wednesday, August 13 @ 2:00 p.m. Apply now at this link!
Details: The King County Department of Community and Health Services (DCHS) Housing and Community Development Division is pleased to release this fund to support the maintenance, repair, and improvement of existing Family Child Care Facilities.
Projects must maintain subsidized child-care slots, address critical health and safety needs for children, child-care workers, and child-care facilities, improve and/or enhance the quality of the learning environment, and/or support or address child-care license compliance and standards.
For more details, please visit the grant website here, or if you have questions, email Justine Viloria at earlylearningfacilities@kingcounty.gov.
King County Vital (Familiar Faces) Program Supportive Housing
Applications are due Friday, September 5 @ 2:00 p.m. Application portal opening soon. Visit the Department of Community & Human Services website for updates.
Details: This RFP makes available approximately $428,700 over four years for organizations to operate the supportive housing component of the Vital (also known as the Familiar Faces Intensive Care Management Team), which provides comprehensive and integrated services to adults who need intensive community-based support and may be experiencing homelessness.
If you have questions, email Skye Haeffele at shaeffele@kingcounty.gov.
NW Children’s Foundation Grant
Applications are due Friday, September 5 @ 11:59 p.m. Apply now at this link!
Details: This funding will go toward programs that focus on the prevention, early intervention, and treatment of child abuse, neglect, and trauma. Programs must aim to support children, strengthen families, and empower youth. NW Children’s Foundation prioritizes programs that focus on children, youth, and families who are in the foster care system, and/or experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, abuse, neglect, and other trauma.
Grants generally range from $5,000 to $20,000.
For more details, please visit the grant website here, or if you have questions, contact NW Children’s Foundation by email at office@nwcf.org.
Minor home repair program available at no cost to income-qualified homeowners in White Center and Skyway
Habitat for Humanity’s Minor Home Repair Program is currently offering no-cost services to income-qualified home owners in White Center, Skyway, and Glendale. To apply, submit an intake form on their website or call their office at 206-866-7617. Note: the website says the minor repair program charges a $50 fee, but that fee is currently being waived in White Center and Skyway.
King County MIDD Community Driven Behavioral Health Grants
Applications are due Thursday, September 11 @ 2:00 p.m. Apply now at this link!
Details: This RFP funding will support community-driven behavioral health services and strategies in King County and work to increase culturally relevant, trauma-informed behavioral health services including mental health and substance use disorder services.
Eligible applicants must be small organizations with at least two years of experience in informing, engaging, assisting, and/or providing behavioral health services to communities including low-income, immigrant, refugee, LGBTQ+, and/or people of color.
Up to $2,120,000 in funding is available. Organizations may apply for up to $80,000 per year with a total maximum award of $160,000 over a two-year service period.
For more details, please visit the grant website here, or if you have questions, email Nikki Nguyen at nnguyen@kingcounty.gov.
King County Housing Finance Program
Applications are due Tuesday, September 16 @ 2:00 p.m. Apply now at this link!
Details: This RFP will support the acquisition, renovation, and new construction of affordable housing projects to address our region’s housing shortage. Projects are expected to serve a variety of populations including low-income individuals, people with disabilities, and people experiencing homelessness.
Eligible applicants include public housing and public development authorities, non-profit organizations, and certified community housing development organizations. Approximately $38,300,000 in capital funding is available in 2025.
For more details, please visit the grant website here, or if you have questions, email Leslie Miller at lemiller@kingcounty.gov.
WA State Department of Commerce Affordable Homeownership Projects
Applications are due Friday, September 26 @ 3:00 p.m. Click here to view the application materials. Applications are due via email to HOUApplication@commerce.wa.gov.
Details: This funding is available for community-based organizations, housing authorities, federally recognized tribes, and local governments for the creation of new housing units, purchase and rehabilitation of new housing units, affordability subsidies, and down payment assistance for low-income households in Washington state.
There is about $70 million in funding available and the maximum award per project is $6 million for new construction or acquisition, $4 million for affordability subsidies, and $3 million for down payment assistance.
For more details, please visit the grant website here, or if you have questions, email HOUApplication@commerce.wa.gov.
King Conservation District Seed Money Grants
King Conservation District is offering Seed Money Grants to support the launch and sustainability of community agriculture projects across King County. These grants promote food sovereignty and help strengthen resilient food systems in local neighborhoods.
Grants of up to three thousand five hundred dollars are available and can support a wide range of activities, including composting systems, drip irrigation, rainwater catchment, fruit or native plantings, and invasive species removal.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through Tuesday, September 30 or until funds are exhausted. To learn more, visit the grant website or contact Miranda Smith at Miranda.Smith@kingcd.org.
The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce - Request for Qualifications (RFQ): Community Business Connector’s Game Ready Activation Grants
The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, through its Community Business Connector (CBC) program, is offering Game Ready Activation Grants to support short-term, community-led activations across King County in 2025. These events are intended to promote public engagement, tourism, and small business visibility in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
Grants of $5,000, $10,000, and $20,000 are awarded on a rolling basis. Apply early—funding is limited and may be exhausted well before the final deadline of November 10, 2025.
Step 1 - Click here to download the full RFQ and Exhibits
Step 2 - Click here to check if your activation location is eligible
Step 3 - Click here to complete your application
Translation support documentation available here
Home repair funds are available for residents in unincorporated Skyway/West Hill and East Renton
As part of King County's Participatory Budgeting program, residents in Skyway/West Hill and East Renton voted to provide funds to repair homes for income-qualified owners in these areas. The funds—$300,000 for Skyway and $100,000 for East Renton—are available to cover roof repair or replacement; plumbing, electrical, or furnace repairs; painting, drywall, weatherization, home access modifications, and more.
Call 206-263-9095 to learn about the process, who is eligible, and how to get services. Let them know you heard about the repair program through Participatory Budgeting!
Heat Pumps Available to Qualifying Homes for Low or No Cost
King County’s Energize program is expanding to offer free or reduced-cost heat pumps to more households. Heat pumps provide an energy-efficient way to heat and cool your home while lowering utility costs compared to traditional systems.
Eligible residents can also access other home improvements through the program. Family home child care providers may also qualify for these energy upgrades.
To learn more or find out if you qualify, attend an upcoming in-person or online workshop. Visit the program website or call (206)263-3003 for more information.
Where to go During a Medical Emergency
When facing a medical emergency, knowing where to seek care can make all the difference. To help you navigate your options, check out this guide from Seattle Children’s Hospital to help you decide whether to go to the Emergency Room or Urgent Care based on your symptoms. Translations are available at the bottom of the page in Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Somali, and Vietnamese.
Help us grow our reach!
My team and I send email updates like the one you’re currently reading every couple of weeks and we want to ensure we’re reaching as many of you in our community as possible. If you know anyone who would like to receive these updates, please be sure to send them over to our County Council website to sign up!
And as always, for more frequent and daily updates, you can check out our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages. For the latest news, resources, and opportunities to engage with your King County government, follow me on the social media channels of your choice:
Facebook: facebook.com/Councilmember.Girmay
Twitter: @CMGirmayZahilay
Sincerely,
Councilmember Girmay Zahilay
King County Council
District 2
206-477-1002
girmay.zahilay@kingcounty.gov
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