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Pictured bestowing the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service Award to Chief Executive Officer of Mary’s Place Dominique Alex. Click image to learn more about Dominique and her work.
It is the time of the year when the King County Council honors and recognizes members of our community for their contributions through the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Distinguished Service Award! This year, I had the pleasure of recognizing Dominique Alex, the Chief Executive Officer of Mary’s Place, for her unwavering commitment to ensuring families have access to safety, stability, housing, and the necessary tools to thrive. With many members of our community facing housing instability, Dominique’s work plays a crucial role in our collective fight to ensure we are giving our neighbors a safe place to stay when there is nowhere else to go. I am proud to recognize yet another outstanding leader in District 4 who shares the value of helping others with dignity and compassion. Thank you, Dominique!
Read on for updates about the King County Regional Homelessness Authority evaluation, a reminder about an opportunity to connect with me in the district, and more!
With gratitude,
 Jorge
 Brewing Conversations with Jorge
I want to remind you that I will be at the Greenwood Branch Library tomorrow Friday, May 29 from 3 pm to 5 pm for my next “Brewing Conversations with Jorge” session. I invite you and your fellow neighbors to stop by to discuss questions, comments, or ideas on how King County can better serve you.
What are these sessions? – An informal opportunity for constituents to drop by when they can and stay for as long as they’d like to connect with me. The goal is to make myself accessible to my constituents.
What can I discuss? – Topics of interest or concern the county has jurisdiction over include, but aren’t limited to:
- Public transportation,
- Public health,
- Human services,
- County roads and parks,
- Superior and district courts,
- Open spaces, and more.
Can’t make it? – If you cannot make this session, please note that there will be additional opportunities to connect with me later this year. If you know you will be stopping by and would like to submit your question(s) in advance, please send them to Jorge.Baron@kingcounty.gov.
Plan your trip!
Click image to access the recording of the May Law and Justice meeting.
Public Defense Caseload Standards
At the May Law and Justice meeting, the committee voted to advance my proposal to establish updated standards for the delivery of public defense services. While the committee ran out of time to take up amendments, we did have time to hear from council policy staff, as well as representatives from the Executive’s Office and the Department of Public Defense.
Next steps – This will be considered again for a full vote at the upcoming June 2 council meeting. Materials will be available before the meeting here.
Click image to access the recording of the May Governing Board meeting.
King County Regional Homelessness Authority Action
and Next Steps
Actions taken – Our office and the rest of the King County Council continue our review of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) following the recent evaluation related to financial management, operational capacity, and accountability. Many residents have raised understandable concerns about transparency and stewardship of public resources, and those concerns are informing the council’s ongoing work. Earlier this month, the council unanimously adopted Motion 2026-0112, which I sponsored along with Councilmembers Fain and Dembowski, to establish a formal review and accountability process, including corrective action updates and additional operational assessments to help inform future decisions about the region’s homelessness response system.
Next steps – The council is expected to receive our first major briefing on this work at the June 8 Committee of the Whole meeting. That briefing will help inform the council’s next phase of review and discussion about accountability, service continuity, and the next potential steps. As this process continues, my focus remains on ensuring strong accountability while also maintaining continuity of services and support for providers working every day to serve our unhoused neighbors across King County.
Further Reading
Click image to access the recording of the May Budget and Fiscal Management meeting.
Updating the Two-Year Budget
My team and I continued our work on updating the county’s two-year budget this month. The priorities I shared last month — maintaining homelessness services, ensuring sufficient capacity for public defense services, and making responsible long-term investments of public resources — remain central to this work. Next month, the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee will consider amendments, and the council will take a final vote on this first set of revisions to the biennial budget.
Upcoming Meetings
- Budget and Fiscal Management – Wednesday, June 10 at 9:30 AM
- Council – Tuesday, June 23 at 1:30 PM
Click image to access the recording of the May Committee of the Whole meeting.
Chairing the Committee of the Whole
Health-related issues took center stage at this month’s Committee of the Whole meeting, during which the committee also voted to advance a proposal to restructure the Executive’s Office.
Actions taken – First, we welcomed Dr. Sandra Valenciano, Executive Zahilay’s nominee to serve as Director of Public Health – Seattle & King County. Dr. Valenciano shared her vision and priorities for the department, including continued delivery of core public health services while undertaking a disciplined look at financial sustainability, program effectiveness, workforce capacity, and operational efficiency. Committee members voted to advance Dr. Valenciano’s nomination to the full council for consideration on June 9.
Discussion of Harborview Medical Center, the county’s public hospital, took up most of this month’s meeting. The discussion began with a briefing on the status of the Harborview capital bond project, followed by comments from labor partners and Harborview leadership. A key theme throughout these discussions was ensuring that the council has the information needed to balance Harborview’s immediate operational needs with long-term capital investments to ensure that the public’s needs are met.
Click image to access the recording of the May King County Transportation District meeting.
King County Transportation District Meeting
On May 15, the King County Transportation District met to discuss a proposed 0.1% sales tax increase to fund maintenance of King County’s unincorporated roads network. As I shared previously, a key issue under consideration is “pass-through” funding that would potentially allocate a portion of this revenue directly to cities within King County.
Addressing concerns – One of the amendments put forward at this meeting proposed to allocate 12.5% of the revenue as a “pass-through” to cities. Under this proposal, all cities would receive a share of these funds based on their population size... except for Seattle. Despite being home to 38% of the county’s population who live in a city or town, this amendment would cap Seattle’s portion of these resources at 15%, with the remaining portion to be re-distributed to other cities. I spoke in opposition to the principle of a cap and brought forward an amendment to remove it. While I understand that unincorporated roads need funding, I find it unacceptable that Seattle residents would be treated differently than other incorporated residents under the proposal.
Next steps – No action was taken on any of the amendments, but I expect that they will be back before the full board for consideration in early June. For more coverage on the meeting, check out coverage from the Urbanist.
Pictured with Councilmembers Fain and Balducci speaking with Representative Adam Smith in his office.
Advocating for Residents in Washington D.C.
I joined my council colleagues on King County’s annual advocacy trip to Washington D.C. There we met with Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Representatives Suzan DelBene, Adam Smith, Pramila Jayapal, and Kim Schrier to share some of the priorities for King County government and our residents. We highlighted our concerns regarding the policies of the current federal administration and strategized on ways that we can partner with our federal delegation to advance the interests of our shared constituents. I am grateful that King County has a strong federal delegation that is committed to advocating for and defending the rights of our residents. I look forward to continuing to work with them to address the needs of our community.
Pictured with my council colleagues and current Ruth Woo Fellows and Human Resources Department staff who support the program.
Celebrating Ruth Woo Fellows
Earlier this month, I joined my legislative branch colleagues to meet this year’s cohort of the Ruth Woo Emerging Leaders Fellowship. This fellowship is named after revered community leader, civil rights activist, and mentor to many, Ruth Woo. Ruth’s mentorship inspired future and current government and community leaders, judges, and board directors, many of whom came from diverse backgrounds. The influence Ruth had on her mentees and community created an influx of diverse leadership, ideas, and perspectives to spaces historically unreachable to them. Ruth’s legacy and influence continue today through this program which enriches our local government with future leaders. King County is home to a diverse population, so programs like this are essential for our work to create a government that better represents our constituents.
 Interested in being a Ruth Woo Fellow? – King County is offering three paid full-time positions for the Ruth Woo Emerging Leaders Fellowship.
If you or someone you know is interested, applications are due by Sunday, June 14 at 11:59 PM.
 Free Waterfront Shuttle Rides
King County Executive Zahilay announced the opening of Metro’s summer Waterfront Shuttle service ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 in Seattle.
Operated by King County Metro, the summer shuttle will provide frequent, car-free connections between Seattle Center, Waterfront Park, Pioneer Square, Seattle Stadium, and the Chinatown-International District. The shuttle is designed to help residents and visitors move easily throughout downtown Seattle during one of the city’s busiest summer seasons. The shuttle will run every 15 minutes from 10 am to 10 pm, 7 days a week through Monday, September 7. With FIFA World Cup 2026 match days coming soon, service will increase to every 10 minutes to accommodate higher demand. And, thanks to a sponsorship from the FIFA Local Organizing Committee, service on the shuttle will be free of charge this year.
Celebrating at the Council
Councilmember Fain offered a proclamation to recognize the month of May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Month. We were joined by Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs Executive Director Nam Nguyen, Program Manager Negheen Kamkar, and Commissioner Anna Lising.
Councilmember Balducci offered a proclamation to honor members of the Iranian community. We were joined by Dr. Marjan Didra, Representative Darya Farivar, and Dr. Naseem Ghazanfari, all of whom gave remarks and accepted the proclamation.
Councilmember Lewis presented a proclamation to recognize May as Therapeutic Court Month to recognize the role of courts in advancing public health and public safety in King County. We were joined by Tami Sieme, a Family Treatment Court graduate who now works as a Family Recovery Support Specialist in that same program, as well as staff from Family Treatment Court, Drug Court, Superior Court, Mental Health Court, and Regional Veterans Court.
Click image to learn more about this gathering.
Ballard Light Rail Update
May was filled with advocacy opportunities related to Sound Transit's consideration of the future of the Ballard Light Rail Extension. I was glad to see so many people show up in support of this effort. On May 5, I attended the Transportation Choices Coalition Town Hall at Seattle City Hall, and on May 11, I joined a panel of my city and state elected counterparts at Councilmember Dan Strauss’ Town Hall at the National Nordic Museum. As a delegation, we have been clear in our opposition to the current proposals that fall short of delivering light rail to Ballard. I hope that these events were informative for the community and that Sound Transit heard clearly that Ballard residents are eager and ready for light rail! As the segment of ST3 with the highest projected ridership, we need to preserve a path to Ballard. I’ve been speaking with my colleagues on the Sound Transit Board and, although I don’t have a vote myself, will be providing public comment and watching closely as the Sound Transit Board takes up this proposal on May 28 (today!). Additionally, Councilmember Strauss will be offering several amendments, which residents can learn more about here.
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Pictured on left with my son Luca, and wife Tyler. Pictured on right with former Norwegian Prime Minister, current Member of Parliament, and this year’s Grand Marshal, Erna Solberg.
May 17 Celebration in Ballard
Every year, Ballard holds one of the largest 17 of May celebrations outside of Norway, commemorating the signing of Norway’s constitution in 1814. I was pleased to attend the annual luncheon at the National Nordic Museum to deliver a recognition for May 17 as Syttende Mai, Norwegian Constitution Day and to join other residents during the annual parade through Ballard’s streets. Erna Solberg, former Prime Minister of Norway and current Member of Parliament, was this year’s Grand Marshal for the parade. Captain Dale Mittet Pederson, former Virginia V Captain and longtime 17 of May Committee member, and Konrad Uri, fishing industry pioneer, were the Honorary Marshals.
As always, it is inspirational to witness the strength, heritage, and joy of our local Norwegian community.
Selfie with Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives, Laurie Jinkins, who I ran into at the event.
Soccer and Pride in Ballard
I was honored to join the preview party at Rough and Tumble Pub for the reveal of the anticipated video series of PRIDE and the FIFA World Cup 2026. The campaign “How We Pride” aims to highlight local LGBTQ+-owned businesses, artists, athletes, community leaders, and advocates. It was great to see familiar and new faces being uplifted as we head into June to celebrate Pride. By now, you may have come across these videos and wonderful stickers around the city. Join the movement and share how YOU pride.
 Represent District 4 on the King County Parks Levy Oversight Board
Are you interested in parks, trails, open space, and government oversight? Please consider applying to represent District Four on the Parks Levy Oversight Board!
We are currently looking for a District Four representative to serve on the Oversight Board for the 2026-2031 King County Parks Levy. Representatives should reside in District 4 and may not be elected or appointed officials of any level of government, but may serve in a civic capacity on a local board or commission.
Submit your application by Thursday, June 11 at 11:59 PM.
 Investing in Our Natural Resources
The King Conservation District announced the launch of their Resilient Communities Bridge grants! These grants are intended to support community or city-led projects that demonstrate commitment to environmental justice. Funding will be prioritized for projects that are Tribal and Indigenous-led or have a focus on natural resource conservation in historically or systemically marginalized communities.
Submit your application by Wednesday, June 17.
Disaster Survivor Assistance
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is offering financial assistance for basic home repair, rental of temporary housing and other uninsured expenses resulting from the severe storms and flooding in December 2025. If you or someone you know had losses, regardless of income, you may qualify.
Submit your application by Wednesday, June 10.
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