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Pictured from left to right: Councilmember Lewis, Councilmember Balducci, Councilmember Fain, King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion, Councilmember Dembowski, Councilmember Perry, DPD Director Matt Sanders, Mary Yu, Aline Flower, Councilmember Dunn, Councilmember von Reichbauer, and me.
I hope you are doing well and enjoying the slow, but steady exit from the Big Dark as we gain more hours of sunlight each day.
I want to take a moment to highlight a special recognition Councilmember Rod Dembowski and I presented to celebrate retired State Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu. Justice Yu stepped down from her position on the State Supreme Court at the end of 2025 after serving our state and our county for the past 32 years. I have been honored to know Justice Yu for nearly two decades; she has been a friend, a trusted colleague, and a mentor. Not just to me, but to so many people in the legal community. Thank you, Justice Yu, for being such an inspiration and for your steadfast commitment to making equity and justice a reality in our community, and for protecting the fundamental rights of our residents!
Read on for a reminder to connect with me in the district, get information on available grants, learn about the importance of Harborview Medical Center, see me out in the community, and more!
With gratitude,
 Jorge
 Come Say Hello!
I want to remind you about the opportunity I announced in my January newsletter to connect with me tomorrow, Friday, February 27 from 3 pm to 5 pm at the Ballard Branch Library for this year’s first “Brewing Conversations with Jorge” session. I invite you and your fellow neighbors to stop by to discuss your questions, comments, or ideas on how King County can better serve you.
I hope to see you there!
Click image to access the recording of the February Committee of the Whole meeting.
Committee of the Whole
We had a packed agenda at the February Committee of the Whole meeting.
During the meeting, we confirmed a new director for the King County Information Technology Department, received an update on federal and state legislative processes, and discussed responses at the county and community levels to increased immigration enforcement actions. I’m grateful to the many county and community leaders who took the time to join us for each of these discussions.
Given the urgency, I want to focus this section on what we learned from the immigration discussion at the meeting.
Previous work – As the former Executive Director of Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, protecting our immigrant community has been a top priority of my office. I am deeply troubled by the actions we’ve seen at the federal level and have prioritized investments and policies to ensure we are serving our immigrant community to the best of our ability throughout my time in office.
Actions I and my council colleagues have taken to ensure protection of this community include:
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In 2024, I sponsored budget additions to expand legal aid and housing services for immigrants and asylum seekers residing in King County in each budget that the council adopted.
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In 2025, my team passed several pieces of legislation to better serve our immigrant neighbors:
- Our team drafted and sponsored ordinance 2025-0216, which limited the degree to which our county health and human service contractors can share information with immigration enforcement, and required that contractors could not allow immigration enforcement agencies access to facilities providing these essential services unless required by law or judicial order. While King County government has limited jurisdiction to restrict immigration enforcement, I felt it critical that we do everything we can to protect neighbors accessing essential services funded with county support.
- I also led the council in adopting legislation to remove a reference in the county code to an outdated state law requiring the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention to share some data with federal immigration enforcement. While the state law provision had been eliminated by the Keep Washington Working Act, the updated code clarifies county responsibilities and duties.
- In collaboration with Councilmember Dembowski, we passed legislation to update our King County Code to ensure that our immigrant neighbors are considered a “protected class”, protecting them against discrimination across employment, housing, public accommodations, and contracting.
What we learned – At the committee hearing, we heard from community members and panelists about the troubling reality in our own region: more of our neighbors detained, in deportation hearings, and in need of basic resources like food and housing assistance due to fear of leaving home. I will continue to work with my council colleagues and the executive to identify ways that we can better meet these needs and protect our community members, and I look forward to future discussions at the Committee of the Whole and in other council committees.
Click on image to access the recording of the February Law and Justice Committee meeting.
Law and Justice Committee
I joined the Law and Justice Committee for the first time as a member instead of serving as Chair! First, we approved legislation that allows the city of North Bend to contract with the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) for police services. While I have some concerns about the impact of new contracts on KCSO’s staffing situation, I supported the legislation and appreciate our new partnership with North Bend. Then, we had a robust conversation on the state of Superior Court, with our new Presiding Superior Court Judge Averil Rothrock, and a briefing on the work of Jail Health Services. It was an especially informational meeting to kick off the year.
Click on image to access the recording of the February Health, Housing, and Human Services committee meeting.
Ensuring Access to Health Care
We had another busy meeting of the Health, Housing, and Human Services Committee in February. During the meeting, we received critical updates on issues facing Harborview and Valley Medical Centers. In this newsletter, I want to share a bit about why Harborview is so important to our region, and why it is a priority for my office:
About Harborview – Harborview Medical Center is owned by King County and operated in partnership with UW Medicine. As the only Level I trauma center in Washington State, Harborview Medical Center provides an essential service to our region. Further, Harborview serves a critical role as King County's primary safety net hospital, emphasizing care for the “mission population,” which includes:
- Non-English speakers
- Uninsured or underinsured patients
- Survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
- People with severe mental illness and substance use disorder
- People incarcerated in King County’s jails
Current needs – Harborview is an aging campus in need of many essential infrastructure upgrades. The hospital serves more patients per year than it currently has capacity for, leaving patients being served in hallways and providers over-extended.
To meet capital needs, King County voters approved a $1.7 billion bond program in 2020 to make essential upgrades to the building to ensure its sustainability into the future. Thanks to a new revenue source approved by state lawmakers, King County Council approved additional investments in both 2024 and 2025 towards meeting the needs of the medical center.
Next steps – I am grateful that the council can help address essential capital and operation needs of Harborview Medical Center. However, it is also critical to my office that we are strong stewards of these taxpayer resources. To this end, I am continuing to track closely the progress of the Harborview bond program and county investments. This will continue to be a priority of mine as the Chair of the Committee of the Whole, which has primary responsibility for the Council’s oversight of the medical center.
Click image to access the recording of the February Regional Policy Committee meeting, which was held shortly after the Seahawks victory parade, so many of us were still dressed for that occasion!
Regional Policy Committee
The most substantive action we took during this month’s Regional Policy Committee (RPC) was approving the Committee’s 2026 Work Plan. RPC focuses on topics of regional importance, drawing upon its broad membership to tackle issues that impact all of us, no matter which city we live in. This year’s work plan is similarly broad and includes items ranging from homelessness and public health to land conservation and the state of agriculture in King County. I appreciated that my suggestion to add the topic of federal funding cuts impacts was adopted into the final workplan.
King County Regional Homelessness Authority
I was honored to participate as a volunteer in the unsheltered Point in Time (PIT) Count with the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) last month.
What is it – The PIT Count is a federally-required survey to ensure that local jurisdictions maintain an accurate count of the number of our neighbors who are living unsheltered. The survey includes questions on demographics, cause of homelessness, and preferences in shelter and housing.
Connecting with youth – While the PIT Count was ongoing for several weeks in January and February, I participated for one afternoon at the YouthCare Orion Center in the South Lake Union area. As a volunteer, I joined KCRHA staff and other volunteers to survey young people about their experiences. My afternoon was a reminder of the difficult realities faced by too many of our region’s young people. Thank you to the youth who shared their stories with me.
Click image to learn how to use the new Tap to Pay feature to ride transit in the Puget Sound.
Tap to Pay is Here
Forgot your cash or ORCA card at home? No problem! You can now pay for your ride by tapping a credit or debit card directly on the ORCA reader. This new feature makes paying for transit fares easier than ever, especially for occasional riders, out-of-town visitors, and those who prefer a contactless option. The reader accepts taps from Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, and more.
Celebrating at the Council
Councilmembers Mosqueda, Dunn, and Lewis offered a proclamation to recognize the month of February as Human Trafficking Prevention month. We were joined by activist and artist, Emi Koyoma, who gave remarks and received the proclamation.
Councilmember Lewis presented a proclamation to acknowledge the month of February as Black History Month. We were joined by Executive Director LaNesha McCoy of BlackPast, National Social Justice Organizer Erica Williams of the Set It Off Movement, and Project Manager Jacque Julien of Estelita’s Library who received the proclamation.
Pictured with City of Seattle and DESC leaders at the event.
Focusing On the Whole Person
I was thrilled to join organizers, local elected leaders, and community members for the grand opening of Downtown Emergency Service Center’s (DESC) Clover Place! This is DESC’s 19th permanent supportive housing location, and the latest location to be opened in District 4. Clover Place is one of many efforts to expand affordable housing and behavioral health services. This location will provide wraparound services including behavioral health support, substance use disorder treatment, and connection to community services. All these services work hand in hand to ensure we are setting up tenants for success.
Pictured on left: Governor Bob Ferguson who gave remarks. Picture on right: Group photo with some of the Latino leaders across Washington state who attended this empowering advocacy event.
Advocating in Olympia
I was honored to have been one of the hundreds of attendees at the Latino Legislative Day in Olympia. This event is an opportunity for Latino leaders to advocate for policy priorities that matter to our constituents throughout Washington State. This year’s remarks and priorities were filled with calls to address our housing affordability crisis, protect immigrants in the face of immigration enforcement, and more. Thank you to Latino Civic Alliance for organizing a successful event!
Click image to learn more about this year’s discussion. Pictured speaking at the podium is Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans.
Listening to Survivors
I was glad Clara, on my district staff, was able to attend this year’s Summit on Crime Survivors event. This year’s theme focused on commercial sexual exploitation with an emphasis on centering the voices and experiences of survivors. The survivors who so bravely spoke at the event demonstrated strength in sharing their stories. This event reinforced the need to listen to survivors and reminded us that trafficking does happen in our communities. I am committed to stand in solidarity with survivors and to take meaningful action to address the harm that far too many in our communities are experiencing. Thank you, Clara, for representing the District 4 office!
Pictured with Councilmembers Fain, Perry, Lewis, and Dunn at the trophy celebration event at Lumen field.
Seahawks Super Bowl Parade
On February 11, I joined hundreds of thousands of county residents to celebrate the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl LX Victory Parade extending from SoDo to Belltown. It was wonderful to see the streets filled with so many people of different backgrounds come together to celebrate our love for football and the triumph of the Seahawks. This is one of those historical moments that give us more reasons to love our region. What a game … and halftime show, I know some of you celebrated Benito Bowl! Go Hawks!
 Funding for Projects
If you are connected to an organization that is seeking support for the planning and development of a facilities project, 4Culture has funding available that may be able to help. Whether you are looking to secure, acquire, or improve a cultural, scientific, or historic space, this may be a great opportunity.
Eligible applicants must submit applications by Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 5 PM.
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