Executive’s 2020 State of the County address
On Friday, July 24, King County Executive Dow Constantine released his annual State of the County address, in which he discussed King County’s historic challenges and changes, and announced new actions in human services, the criminal legal system, and the environment.
His announcements included:
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Maintaining the nearly one-third reduction in adult detention we have achieved during the COVID-19 crisis, and beginning a phased closing of the King County Correctional Center after the pandemic.
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Proposed investments to help create safe and community-based solutions for the increasingly difficult youth cases that remain, fully converting the remaining youth detention capacity to other uses as quickly as possible, and no later than 2025.
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An effort to ensure that every resident has a safe and secure place to call home, and wherever possible not returning people to stay long term in crowded, congregate spaces.
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Transforming our internal operations, learning from DNRP’s pilot of ongoing remote work for employees, and determining whether and how to expand remote work across the County.
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Updated guidance for mandatory telecommuting (updated July 28, 2020)
On July 28, 2020, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced that he is extending mandatory telecommuting through Jan. 8, 2021, for all Executive Branch employees who are currently telecommuting, except where there is an operational need to physically return to the workplace. The King County Council, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, King County Elections, and the Department of Assessments have also mandated telecommuting for their employees, where appropriate, through Jan. 8. Employees in other branches of County government (definitions below) may receive additional guidance from their leaders. Please see the full guidance below here.
Reminder for employees to wear cloth face masks
As King County continues its work to slow the spread of COVID-19, all Executive Branch employees must wear face coverings over their noses and mouths if they are likely to be in contact with another individual and distancing of six feet is not able to be maintained, per the Public Health Directive from the Seattle & King County Public Health Officer. Read more.
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30 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Sunday, July 26, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which enshrined the civil rights of people with disabilities into law.
King County Executive Dow Constantine filmed a short message to celebrate the milestone, which you can watch here, or below. We also put together a short video that highlights some of the County's work to expand opportunities for people with disabilities, which you can watch here.
Mental health tips and resources for King County employees facing layoff
A lay-off may be difficult to cope with mentally and emotionally. Some feelings you may experience include grief, anger, sadness, hopelessness, or relief. Any feelings you experience are valid. Remember that there are steps you can take and resources you can access to support your mental health and emotional well-being during this process. Visit the Balanced You blog for more information.
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Video: July 24, 2020 Update on COVID-19 in King County with Dr. Jeff
Duchin
On July 24th, 2020, Dr. Jeff Duchin gave an update on the COVID-19 outbreak in King County as the current seven-day average of new cases reached the highest level since the beginning of April. Dr. Duchin addressed the importance of minimizing the number of close contacts people have outside the house and emphasized the need for making long-term behavior changes. Read more.
Public Health-Seattle & King County receives national recognition for advancing environmental justice
By Sinang Lee, Program Manager
Public Health’s Environmental Health Services Division’s Fun to Catch, Toxic to Eat Program for the Duwamish River Superfund site was one of 21 programs across the country to receive this year’s prestigious Model Practice Award by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). The award, as determined through a competitive, peer-reviewed process, celebrates local health departments for programs that demonstrate exemplary and replicable best practices in response to a critical local public health need. Read more.
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Airport staff pitch in at Emergency Operations Center during pandemic
Kevin Nuechterlein, Capital Project Manager, and Matt Sykora, Properties and Business Development Administrator, are both back at the airport after having served as part of the Donations Management Team at King County Emergency Management’s Emergency Operations Center during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nuechterlein was part of the first small group of employees who, under Senior Emergency Management Program Manager Janice Rahman’s leadership, worked with KCIT in March to develop a web-based platform to match donors with those who needed personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitizer or other items. Read more.
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Training Spotlight: Balanced You Self Care Series: Nutrition and Exercise webinar, August 12
As we continue to move through the pandemic that has disrupted many of our lives, it is important that we get the right nutrition and enough exercise to keep us healthy. Join us for this free, live, interactive webinar as we talk to two experts who will give you some great ideas on how to keep family meals interesting and how to keep the family moving.
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Tech Tip: Become a Teams Pro—take a free King County webinar, multiple dates
Microsoft Teams webinars are now available multiple dates through Sept. 9, and include classes such as Getting Started with Teams, Collaboration Across Office 365, and others.
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Learn more and register here. Please note, this link will not open in Internet Explorer. If you are using Internet Explorer, copy and paste the link into a different browser.
Teams Pro tip of the day: Did you know that you can send emails directly to your Teams channel?
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Click on the three dots next a channel
- Click Get email address
- Copy the address and paste into “To” on your email
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Learn more tips and tricks like this one in a Teams webinar, or if a self-guided, self-paced training is more your style, check out the King County Getting Started with Teams skill track in the KCIT Training Hub.
Pet of the Week: Bullet
Look fast because here comes Bullet, our Pet of the Week! This nine-year-old boy came to RASKC because the people in his previous home couldn’t keep up with his active lifestyle. He lived in a home with children, but would prefer older kids who can respect him and his space, or an adults-only home. His previous owner described Bullet as active, gentle, and loving.
Read more and view all available pets at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Have you or someone you know adopted a pet from RASKC? Let us know. We’d love to tell your story.
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Featured Job: Manager for Archives, Records Management, and Mail Services
Salary: $102,537.34 - $129,972.34 Annually
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Department: DES - Executive Services
Division: RALS - Records & Licensing Svc
KC Headlines
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