Election Day is Here!
Happy Election Day! The first Tuesday of November is critical to our democracy, a day we get to use our voices and our votes for ourselves, our families, and our communities. And today, we have until 8 p.m. sharp tonight to make our voices heard. Our democracy is under attack and voting in this year’s election is an act of resistance. Find an official ballot drop box near you at https://kce.wiki/DropBox get in person assistance at a Vote Center! Locations and hours at https://kce.wiki/VoteCenter
Protecting Our County's Community Health
 You can watch full footage of the BFM Committee by clicking the image above.
The passage HR 1, Trump's Big Ugly Bill, last year, made—among other cruel cuts to housing, food, and more—historically large cuts to the healthcare of our communities, including deep cuts to Medicaid coverage
For months, I've been sounding the alarm about what the devastating impacts of these cuts in King County and how we can take action locally to protect our community. An estimated 4,000 legally present King County residents have had had their care ripped away on October 1st. Another 215,000 King County residents stand to lose their coverage due to onerous reverification requirements starting this January 2027. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner insurance commissioner recently announced the ability for insurers to allow for a double-digit premium increase, which will on average result in a 22% increase for most plans on the Exchange marketplace due to increased costs. Hospitals and clinics across the state and the country are already making cuts, laying off staff, closing clinics, and shuttering facilities. HR1 is aimed at dismantling our healthcare coverage to pre-Affordable Care Act (ACA) levels, leaving hospitals and clinics overwhelmed, driving up wait times for all patients, and forcing many people to delay treatment, arrive sicker and with more complex needs
I am calling for the utilization of two revenue options the legislature in Olympia has given the County to address the fiscal cliffs for our county public health system and county-owned Harborview hospital that are going to be greatly exacerbated by the cuts of HR1. Both of these options are property taxes, which I don’t take lightly as a longtime strong proponent of progressive revenue, but these are the only tools we have at our disposal to shore up the healthcare system right now, as more and more people will be relying upon as they lose their coverage. Both Harborview and our Public Health Clinics will not turn people away from care because of their ability to or not to pay for the care they receive.
I made this clear at last week’s Budget and Fiscal Management Committee (BFM), where I discussed my proposal to utilize ther almost $45 million in funding tools each for Harborview and Public Health clinics and shared the same message with our local news - you can read my release from the committee discussion and see my remarks with Fox13 here.
The next BFM meeting will be held on Monday November 16th, when the committee will consider and vote on the County’s mid-biennial budget. I am sponsoring 3 amendments for both Harborview and Public Health for discussion and a possible vote.
- 2 amendments to enact the state-authorized tools for the County owned Harborview and Public Health Clinics via the Property Tax “Sunshine” Ordinance, for collection beginning in 2027.
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A new ordinance directing the convening of an integrated care table in 2027 to devise recommendations for how our county can invest in our county’s health clinics and services given we have less resources, given the existing financial cliff Harborview and in our Public Health clinics were already facing that will be significantly exacerbated by federal cuts in HR.
We have received many public comments in support of utilizing the revenue tools we have before us to shore up our public health system and Harborview. Here's are a few organizations we heard from:
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Amy Dryer, Executive Director of Vashon Household - “The County has identified existing financial shortfalls, with federal Medicaid cuts adding further pressure. Please use the authority already available to protect access to care now. Our neighbors should not have to lose their health—or their homes—before we choose to act to preserve our social fabric.”
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From the MLK Labor Resolution recently passed - MLK Labor formally calls on the King County Council, the King County Board of Health, and the King County Executive to adopt a sustainable funding plan for Public Health – Seattle & King County, and to use the taxing authority available to them, including the public health clinic levy authorized by HB 2442, to close the Public Health Fund’s projected operating gap.
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Estela Ortega, Executive Director of El Centro de la Raza - “We are writing to urge the Council to take prompt action to strengthen King County's healthcare safety net by utilizing the revenue tools provided by the Washington State Legislature through HB 2442 and HB 2348.Many of the people we serve, including the most vulnerable people in our society, utilize King County's public health clinics and Harborview Medical Center for health care needs and up to lifesaving care. These services are facing a significant and growing financial crisis.
Health Housing and Human Services
 You can watch the recording of the HHHS Committee by clicking the iamge above.
Briefing on Behavioral Health Strategic Plan: This briefing gave us a status update on DCHS’s efforts to compile a comprehensive assessment of King County’s Behavioral Health services ecosystem. This strategic plan will inform a wide range of future investments, and top of mind for me is the Behavioral Health Bridge procurement process. We have a vast array of services provided that are administered by different departments and using different fund sources, and this comprehensive look will allow us to assess any potential duplication of efforts, how we might better coordinate communication and information-sharing between county contractors, and what services we might be missing.
Briefing on Continuum of Care Cuts: Over the last year, since the federal administration’s cuts and cruel conditionalities imposed to Continuum of Care (CoC) funding – the federal homelessness funding that has long been the foundation of our homelessness response system – we have been hearing from providers and our jurisdictional partners in my committee to better understand the impacts of these cuts in King County and how we can best respond as a region. In partnership with the City of Seattle, state leaders, the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, and providers, we have been meeting regularly to strategize and coordinate – which informed the $10 million CoC contingency fund the county set aside in the last budget, with the City of Seattle and the state also securing contingency funds in their budgets. I’m proud that King County has led on multiple lawsuits to challenge these cruel cuts in court.
At today's meeting we heard specifically from providers from Plymouth Housing and Plymouth Housing—two key providers of homelessness services and supportive housing—about the impact they are seeing and anticipating due to the CoC cuts.
 Impacts of Contract Challenges on Service Providers: It is critical that we be good stewards of county resources. We must also ensure that we remove barriers for smaller community-based organizations that are holding them back from providing the services we know they are best positioned for, because they have trust and a unique understanding of the challenges impacting the communities they serve and are rooted in. Removing those barriers includes prompt report processing and reimbursement and consistent guidance and requirements on the County’s part, too. Thank you very much to Voices of Tomorrow and Rainier Valley Leadership Academy for sharing their experiences dealing with increased reporting requirements and administrative hurdles that don’t increase accountability or help deliver services more efficiently. My chief goal is to strike the right balance between sound fiscal stewardship adhering to best practices, and keeping contracting accessible to smaller organizations that might not have the infrastructure to weather delayed payments or changing requirements.
Committee of the Whole
 You can view the Committee of the Whole meeting by clicking the iamge above.
Building for the Future of Harborview: At the Committee of the Whole last week, we received several briefings on the progress toward building projects outlined in the 2020 Harborview Bond, including one spurred by a proviso I sponsored. When the bond was overwhelmingly approved in 2020, we could not have foreseen the challenges that developed in the supply chain, interest rates, soaring costs, and the labor market, but that does not change the importance of moving forward with needed updates our county-owned Hospital.
Harborview Medical Center is currently treating patients in hallways, in conference rooms, and in closets. On top of the space confines, the facility is in desperate need of seismic retrofits to that will make sure that Harborview is able to withstand and treat any injured in a large earthquake. We also need to move forward with a new parking structure which would be home to a behavioral health institute, as building the new tower for the hospital will necessitate demolishing the current view park garage.
As a member of the Harborview Long Range Planning Committee, I'm tracking the progress of these projects closely and how their construction will meet the needs of our community, while being built with good family wage union jobs for our residents.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month in King County
 At Full Council we recogonized October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in order to support survivors, honor those affected and mobilize community resources. It is important anyone dealing with this know that you are not along. 3 in 10 women have experienced domestic violence and 1 in 10 men have also experienced it and reported it. You can get Free and confidential support 24 hours a day through the King County DV Hopeline at 206-737-0242 or 877-737-0242.
Pro Bono Week in King County
 Volunteer attorneys play a critical role in expanding civil legal aid and closing the justice gap. We proclaimed October 25th to the 31st 2026 as Pro Bono Week in King County as a recognition how important pro bono legal services are in areas such as housing, eviction defense, family law and debt.
WSNA Virgina Mason Informational Picket
 Proud to stand with the team at MLK Labor and Rep. Scott (LD 43) in support of the Nurses at Virginia Mason.
The Nurses of Washington State Nurses Association held an informational picket at Virgina Mason Hospital last week and I was proud to stand with them in their fight for fair staffing. When there aren’t enough staff to care for the patients we put them in impossible situations, having to decide if they skip going to the bathroom, eating a meal or taking a break or asking a coworker to double up their patient load putting patient safety at risk. Our community deserves quality care and the Nurses who provide it deserve safe staffing and a fair contract now.
Healthcare for All Rally
 Community, labor, elected and healthcare leaders for across our region joined together with the Healthcare is a Human Right Coalition, to have our voices heard in a call for Healthcare for ALL! We will not be silent, we will not allow the cuts of HR1 to further devastate our community. This is a healthcare crisis, our systems are failing, so we must pass new revenue for the County safety net public health clinics and the county hospital, Harborview. Residents and patients are going to rely ever more on our County clinics and hospital, so we must step up now as we call for universal healthcare.
Water Taxi Update
I know the Vashon Water Taxi is of great interest for folks live on and off the island given the expiration of weekend Water Taxi Service starting earlier this month. Expanded weekend and mid-day Water Taxi service to Vashon-Maury Island was funded by the Washinton state legislature in partnership with King County, beginning in July, 2024, to mitigate the impacts of prolonged disruptions and reduced reliability of Washington State Ferries and to provide a reliable source of transportation to the ferry-dependent island.
This service has seen high ridership numbers and has been a lifeline for Vashon-Maury Island residents—providing reliable transportation to medical appointments, to and from employment opportunities on and off the island, to and from school, and more. With state funding for weekend water taxi expiring on October 10, 2026, and expanded weekday service is set to expire in June, 2027, it’s clear we need a long-term solution to keep this critical service running.
That is why I’m bringing a budget amendment to this year’s mid-biennial budget that would create a sustainable revenue source for weekend and midday Water Taxi service to and from Vashon by increasing the County Marine Levy. By increasing the Marine Levy by a modest $0.005, the County could raise the total ongoing revenue of $4.6 million needed to create sustainable funding for the Water Taxi weekend and midday service to Vashon Island, which would have an estimated annual impact of $4 to the King County median home.
The last several years of ferry reductions have had a significant impact on Vashon’s public health and local economy, with disproportionate impacts felt by vulnerable community members, including children, elders, those living with chronic illness, small businesses, and households with low incomes. But the collective work by our state legislature, led by Senator Emily Alvarado, King County Executive and Metro, Vashon Islanders for Ferry Action, and more, to secure expanded Water Taxi service has been a source of excitement, stability, and connectivity.
I want to make sure this Water Taxi service is sustained so that folks continue to have a reliable, consistent way to get back and forth to life-saving health services and doctor’s appointments, to and from work for employees of small businesses on the island, and to and from school, cultural events, and community gatherings on and off the island.
I will continue to work with state and regional partners on long-term ferry recovery, and in the meantime my budget amendment will sustain the lifeline of Water Taxi service. I have submitted this amendment for consideration to be included in the Budget Chair’s striker package this month. I will continue to update you here, and you can also visit the County Council’s budget page to stay up-to-date and get engaged on the budget process.
Vashon Marine Recovery Area Update
 Click the image above to register for a meeting held by Public Health.
We committed to making sure Vashon-Maury residents know about the opportunity to engage with King County’s Environmental Health team to revisit the MRA issue. Here is the latest - the upcoming public community meetings will take place on November 7, 13, 16, and 19. More information about location and times are available on this registration page.
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Saturday, 11/7, 1-2:30 p.m. @ Vashon Land Trust (10014 SW Bank Rd)
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Friday, 11/13, 6:30-8 p.m. @ Vashon Land Trust (10014 SW Bank Rd)
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Monday, 11/16, 6:30-8 p.m. @ Gold Beach Community Club (25974 Gold Beach Dr. SW)
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Thursday, 11/19, 6:30-8 p.m. VIRTUAL (Zoom link will be provided a day prior upon registration)
Public Health has heard community members’ concerns about the original proposal, and is taking the next year to update the proposal so that it is significantly different than the original proposal. Public Health is inviting community members to provide input on what the final proposal will include.
An Indigenous Present at Frye Art Museum - November 07, 2026 - February 14, 2027
 George Longfish. Take Two Aspirins and Call Me in the Morning, You Are on Target, 1984. Acrylic on canvas. 85 x 117 in. © George Longfish. Courtesy of The Fine Arts Collection, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, University of California, Davis. Photo: Cleber Bonato
What does contemporary Indigenous art look like? Is it pottery? Weaving? Wood carving? There’s really no single answer, and that’s precisely the point of An Indigenous Present. Co-curated by artist Jeffrey Gibson and independent curator Jenelle Porter, this exhibition challenges narrow expectations of Indigenous artistic expression by spotlighting artists working in abstraction. Drawing from the duo’s 2023 book of the same name, the show explores how artists use color, form, materials, and experimental techniques to engage with Indigenous knowledge, cultural traditions, and community, celebrating a field that’s constantly evolving, with artists finding new ways to express their identities and experiences on their own terms.
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Thank you for allowing us to represent you on the King County Council!
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