My proposals for anti-racism and criminal legal system transformation in upcoming budget 

Yesterday I announced a package of proposals that transforms the criminal legal system and funds ongoing work to confront racism as a public health crisis. 

There is increasing acknowledgement of the brutal reality of racism and bias throughout our society, and the imperative to be deliberate and steadfast in our commitment to anti-racism. That is why I joined with Public Health Director Patty Hayes in June to declare that racism is a public health crisis, and that all of King County government is committed to implementing a racially equitable response to this crisis, centering on community. Read more. 

Additional employees needed to volunteer at temporary redeployment at smoke shelter 

Due to ongoing smoky conditions in our region, King County and the City of Seattle are extending the operation of the temporary wildfire smoke shelter in Seattle for persons experiencing homelessness through 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, and there is an urgent need for employees to fill positions. 

If you are interested and approved to support this work please follow the steps at the bottom of this email. Please note, if your supervisor is not cc’d on your email, we will not be able to place you in a volunteer position. 

There is an immediate need to fill these roles through temporary redeployment at a shelter site in SoDo as we respond to wildfire smoke in our region. Both medical and non-medical volunteers are sought for the temporary emergency smoke shelter through 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19. The site is located at 1045 6th Ave South, Seattle. 

Employees will continue to be paid at their current rate of pay, and employees will not receive a reduction in pay for the emergency redeployment. Read more.  

Leading with racial justice in King County 

Crossposted from Public Health Insider 

On June 11, 2020, King County Executive, Dow Constantine, and Public Health Director, Patty Hayes, declared racism is a public health crisis. They heard the call-to-action from the community and have resolved to hold all of King County to a higher standard. 

King County is committed to providing the resources needed to equitably address the damaging effects of racism and will do the necessary work, long-term, to create and affect tangible change. Read more. 

A conversation on suicide awareness and prevention: September 22 

As we continue to navigate the pandemic and these unprecedented times, paying special attention to your mental health and the mental health of those you love is crucial. In honor of Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, King County employees are invited to join Balanced You for a virtual conversation featuring speakers from the Black / African community, LGBTQ community, Native American community, and others on Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 1-2:30 p.m. Register for this free event here. 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to preventing suicide and improving mental health. During this 90-minute panel discussion, attendees will learn strategies from experts representing different communities, including how to normalize conversations around mental health, how to identify early warning signs of suicidal ideation, and what resources are available to support the mental health of employees and their loved ones. Visit this Balanced You blog post for more information, including the registration link. 

September is Preparedness Month 

Crossposted from the DES Express 

Join King County Emergency Management in celebrating National Preparedness Month. Throughout the month of September, King County encourages you to spend some time preparing your home and family for emergencies. There are so many easy things you can do: 

• Understand your local hazards 
• Sign-up for emergency alerts: KCInform for employee emergency alerts, and ALERT King County for regional public information 
• Create an emergency plan 

Follow King County social media on Facebook and Twitter at @KingCountyWA, using hashtag #KingCountyReady, for more preparedness tips and tricks. 

2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan – All employee briefing opportunities 

King County employees are invited to come learn about the County’s proposed 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP) at either of two free, Zoom “Lunch and Learns.” The 2020 SCAP is the County’s five-year blueprint for climate action, integrating climate change into all areas of County operations and work with King County cities, partners, communities, and residents. The plan outlines King County’s priorities and commitments for climate action for decision-makers, employees, partners, and the public. On August 27th, Executive Constantine transmitted his recommended plan to the County Council. 

All King County employees are invited to participate in either of two briefings to get an overview of the new plan, priorities, and the work ahead. Registrants will receive a link to the Zoom meeting by email a few days before the event. 

• Tuesday, Sept. 29 from noon to 1 p.m. Register here.  
• Monday, Oct. 19 from 2 – 3 p.m. Register here. 

For questions and more information, contact ClimateChange@kingcounty.gov or visit www.kingcounty.gov/SCAP. 

A heavy lift as Archives staff prepare for construction 

Crossposted from the DES Express 

Congrats to the Archives team for their work protecting and preparing records for temporary storage during upcoming construction. 

The mighty team of seven staff at King County Archives has packed up, protected and stacked 322 pallets worth of records! Many of the records have been sent to storage, some in the Archives’ new environmentally-controlled dark storage, in preparation for a long-awaited remodel of the Archives facility. Others are sitting on pallets at the King County Records Center until construction is completed sometime in late winter or early spring next year. Read more.  

King County TV wins 12 government programming awards 

King County TV (KCTV) recently earned eight National Association of Telecommunication Officers and Advisors (NATOA) Government Programming Awards and won four Awards of Honor. These awards are similar to the Emmy Awards for government TV programming. The station earned 12 awards total, including one for Video Journalism and top honors for its profile of Family Treatment Court.   

• In Category 24 - Public Health, KCTV won an Award of Distinction for "Should I get a flu shot? | Ask Public Health." View the three-part series here, here, and here. 
• In Category 27 - Profile of a City/County Dept. or Employee, KCTV won an Award of Excellence for "A family lost and found in King County Treatment Court." View the video here. 
• In Category 30 - Profile of a Person, Business or Organization, KCTV won an Award of Distinction for "Looking for hand sanitizer? Duvall Distillery has you covered!" View the video here. 

Read more.  Below are still images from the videos, and a shot of the KCTV control room.

King County’s COVID-19 contact tracing efforts gain strength 

Crossposted from Public Health Insider 

The case investigators at Public Health—Seattle & King County are able to reach the vast majority of people who test positive for COVID-19 in King County. And most people are taking the important step of isolating themselves during their contagious period. 

A new data dashboard shows the numbers, and it demonstrates the rapid growth of Public Health’s contact tracing efforts. Highlights include: 

• Since the spring, the team has grown to 61 members who investigate over 500 cases each week (roughly 95 percent of all cases in King County). 
• Each week, the team interviews roughly 85% of those positive cases and reaches over 90% of their named contacts. 

Read more.