Showing posts with label county council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label county council. Show all posts

Legislators meet with Kenmore council

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Kenmore City Council, 1st LD legislators, County Councilmember Rod Dembowski

County Councilmember Rod Dembowski and legislators from the 1st District met with the Kenmore City Council at their dinner meeting on September 11, 2024.

Dembowski said the meeting was an opportunity "to dialogue about our successes and opportunities for our shared constituents.
"Excited about our recent big wins to preserve Lakepoint waterfront, our new senior women’s shelter, new transit service, and work to restore salmon habitat and invest in public safety, including our amazing crisis response system."


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King County Council approves $178 million supplemental budget, with funding to address housing, gun violence, traffic patrols, more

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

The King County Council on July 16, 2024 approved a $178 million supplemental budget, with funding for housing assistance, increased traffic patrols, addressing gun violence, food security, transportation and more.

Sponsored by Council Budget Chair Girmay Zahilay, it marks the third supplemental budget of the current budget cycle, with the council expected to take up a new full budget for 2025 this fall.

“My goals as Budget Chair are to ensure King County delivers the best possible services while abiding by smart budgeting principles that allow us to navigate a general fund shortfall and economic uncertainty,” Zahilay said. 
“I think our Council struck the right balance with this supplemental budget. We won’t be spending beyond our means, but we will also be supporting critical services and infrastructure projects that benefit residents of King County.
"We will be investing in public safety, housing, workforce development, and critical resources for our neighbors in need. I am grateful for the thoughtful proposals that initially came from Executive Constantine and his team, and for my colleagues and staff on the Council for their work in uplifting every corner of our region in this budget.”

Key council initiatives in the budget include:
  • Providing rental assistance to people on the verge of eviction
  • Housing for unhoused neighbors in East King County, North King County, and beyond
  • Supporting apprenticeship programs in Auburn and Federal Way
  • Increasing traffic patrols in rural King County
  • Addressing gun violence around the region
  • Investing in resources for survivors of sexual assault
  • Food security for seniors

King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski commented:
“I want to thank Chair Zahilay for leading a transparent and collaborative supplemental budget process that focused on key priorities, making important investments while protecting our county’s fiscal health. 
"I’m thrilled that working together, we were able to secure funding to open a new senior women’s shelter in Kenmore and fund a study to re-connect the Interurban Trail at the King-Snohomish line.”

The budget also funds several other key initiatives, including:
  • $14 million for Metro Transit to test hydrogen fuel cell buses as a component of its zero-emission conversion
  • $12 million to the Climate Office for grant-funded work, including solar and heat pump programs and regional climate preparedness coordination
  • $73 million to implement the first year of the Doors Open Program
  • $5 million in funding from the state for transitional and long-term housing support for unsheltered, recently arrived refugees and asylum seekers
The full budget staff report and other documents can be found here.


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County Council approves new leadership, committee assignments for 2024

Wednesday, January 10, 2024

King County Councilmember
Rod Dembowski, Council District 1
The King County Council on Tuesday approved its reorganization motion, which sets out Council leadership and committee assignments for the year. 

Councilmember Dave Upthegrove will remain chair of the Council in 2024, while Councilmembers Reagan Dunn and Girmay Zahilay will serve as vice chairs.

As part of the reorganization, the Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee was split up into two committees – Law and Justice, and Health and Human Services.

Full committee assignments are listed below by member, including two new members – Teresa Mosqueda and Jorge L. BarĂłn – who were sworn in on Tuesday as well:

Rod Dembowski, District 1 - Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, North Seattle, Kenmore, Bothell, Kirkland. 
  • Chair of Transportation, Economy and Environment; 
  • Vice Chair of Budget and Fiscal Management; 
  • member of Law and Justice, 
  • Committee of the Whole

  • Girmay Zahilay, District 2: Chair of Budget and Fiscal Management; Vice Chair of Full Council, Local Services and Land Use, Employment and Administration; member of Health and Human Services, Regional Policy and Committee of the Whole
  • Sarah Perry, District 3: Chair of Local Services and Land Use; Vice Chair of Health and Human Services; member of Budget and Fiscal Management and Committee of the Whole
  • Jorge L. BarĂłn, District 4: Chair of Law and Justice; Vice Chair of Committee of the Whole; member of Budget and Fiscal Management, Health and Human Services, Transportation, Economy and Environment, Regional Transit
  • Dave Upthegrove, District 5: Chair of Full Council, Employment and Administration; Vice Chair of Government Accountability and Oversight; member of Committee of the Whole, Regional Transit, Regional Water Quality
  • Claudia Balducci, District 6: Chair of Committee of the Whole, Regional Water Quality; Vice Chair of Law and Justice; member of Budget and Fiscal Management, Transportation, Economy and Environment, Government Accountability and Oversight, Regional Policy
  • Pete von Reichbauer, District 7: Chair of Government Accountability and Oversight, Regional Policy; member of Committee of the Whole, Transportation, Economy and Environment, Employment and Administration
  • Teresa Mosqueda, District 8: Chair of Health and Human Services, Regional Transit; Vice Chair of Transportation, Economy and Environment; member of Budget and Fiscal Management, Committee of the Whole, Local Services and Land Use, Employment and Administration
  • Reagan Dunn, District 9: Vice Chair of Full Council; member of Law and Justice, Local Services and Land Use, Committee of the Whole, Government Accountability and Oversight, Regional Water Quality
More information about committees here.


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County councilmember in Washington D.C. to meet with legislators

Thursday, April 27, 2023

County Executive Dow Constantine, Senator Patty Murray, Councilmember Rod Dembowski
in Washington D.C.

County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who represents District 1 on the King county council, is in Washington D.C. along with County Executive Dow Constantine to meet with Washington congressional representatives to discuss King county issues.

Rod said, "An honor to congratulate Senator Murray on 10,000 votes cast on behalf of Washingtonians. We are so fortunate to have her in the US Senate working for us."

Sen. Murray was recently named Senate pro tem, which places her fourth in line for the presidency, after the President, the Vice President, and the Speaker of the House.

Dembowski represents most of the cities in north King county.

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County Council pledges solidarity with women, girls, others protesting for freedom in Iran

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Councilmember Rod Dembowski (2nd from right) with Iranian women
Photo courtesy King County Council
The King County Council on Tuesday unanimously recognized and proclaimed solidarity with protesters – particularly women and girls – in Iran who have taken to the streets following the September death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
 
“I am proud to stand with our local Iranian-American community and allies who support the unprecedented movement underway in Iran to support the fundamental human rights of the Iranian people — especially Iranian women and girls,” said Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who sponsored the recognition. 
“Our unanimous Council recognition honors the courageous leadership of the women and girls, and all citizens of Iran as they seek to have their fundamental human rights recognized and protected. We endorse their movement and it’s clarion call: Women, Life, Freedom.” 
 
Amini was in custody of Iran’s Guidance Patrol, its religious morality police, after she allegedly violated the country’s dress code for women by wearing a hijab improperly in public in Tehran. Reports suggested that, contrary to official state accounts, she died after a severe beating by police. Following her death, protests erupted in more than 80 cities, towns and villages across Iran, led largely by women and girls.
 
“My deepest appreciation to the King County Council and Councilmember Rod Dembowski for this resolution,” said Representative-Elect Darya Farivar. 
“I’m extremely proud to be the first Iranian American woman elected to the state legislature, overall, our first Middle Eastern woman, and I do not take this lightly. Come January I plan to introduce a similar resolution in the House, will fight for our community to have an institutionalized voice, and for our experiences to be counted.”


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County Councilmembers Dembowski, Kohl-Welles to host virtual town hall October 11, 2022

Monday, October 3, 2022

Join King County Councilmembers Rod Dembowski and Jeanne Kohl-Welles on Tuesday, October 11 from 6:30pm to 8pm for a virtual town hall focusing on King County’s 2023-2024 Biennial Budget. 

They will be joined by Dwight Dively, Director of the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget to take an in-depth look at the Executive’s proposed biennial budget and take questions from the audience.

WHEN: 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, October 11, Facebook event: https://fb.me/e/2ghsHqBas

Virtual town hall, streaming on councilmember Dembowski's official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CouncilmemberRodDembowski

Or on councilmember Kohl-Wells' Facebook page

Submit questions here: https://forms.gle/Ae7FPz7Q9x3VyrV79

During the event, questions may also be submitted in the comment section of the stream.

Live captions will be enabled. For other questions, including about accessibility accommodations, please call 206-477-1001.

For more information, visit www.kingcounty.gov/townhall

Councilmember Dembowski represents the north end cities of Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, NE Seattle, north Kirkland, Bothell in King county. Councilmember Kohl-Wells represents NE Seattle down to Belltown.



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King County Council approves new leadership, committee structure and assignments

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

King County Councilmember
Rod Dembowski
The King County Council on Tuesday January 11, 2022 approved 2022 leaders and membership for the seven council committees, three regional committees, the Board of Health and the Flood Control District Board of Supervisors and Executive Committee.

Councilmember Claudia Balducci will remain Chair of the Council, while Councilmembers Girmay Zahilay and Dave Upthegrove were named as Vice Chairs.

“This looks to be another challenging year at the King County Council, when we will once again need to work together with great flexibility to meet the evolving and emergent needs of our community as the COVID-19 pandemic continues,” Balducci said. 
“In 2022, we will continue to deliver the services and value we provide as a regional and local government.”

Additionally, the Mobility and Environment Committee was restructured as the Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee and the Local Services became the Local Services and Land Use Committee.

Rod Dembowski, who represents Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell, north Kirkland, NE Seattle is on three of the council committees: Chair of Transportation, Economy and Environment; a member of Budget and Fiscal Management; and Law, Justice, Health and Human Services. He is a member of Regional Policy and Regional Transit and an alternate to the Board of Health.

Here’s a full breakdown of committee membership:
  1. Committee of the Whole: Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Chair; Councilmember Reagan Dunn, Vice Chair; Members: All CMs
  2. Budget and Fiscal Management: Councilmember Joe McDermott, Chair; Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Dembowski, Zahilay, Perry, Kohl-Welles, Balducci
  3. Transportation, Economy and Environment: Councilmember Rod Dembowski, Chair; Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Zahilay, Perry, Kohl-Welles, Upthegrove, Balducci, McDermott
  4. Local Services and Land Use: Councilmember Sarah Perry, Chair; Councilmember Claudia Balducci, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Zahilay, McDermott, Dunn
  5. Law, Justice, Health and Human Services: Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, Chair; Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Dembowski, Perry, Balducci, Dunn
  6. Government Accountability and Oversight: Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, Chair; Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Vice Chair; Members: CMs Balducci, McDermott, Dunn
  7. Employment and Administration: Councilmember Claudia Balducci, Chair; Councilmember Girmay Zahilay, Vice Chair; Members: All CMs
  • Regional Policy: Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer, Chair; Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, alternate; Members: CMs Dembowski, Balducci
  • Regional Water Quality: Councilmember Reagan Dunn, Chair; Members: CMs Perry, Upthegrove
  • Regional Transit: Councilmember Dave Upthegrove, Chair; Councilmember Claudia Balducci, alternate; Members: CMs Dembowski, McDermott
  • Board of Health: Councilmember Rod Dembowski, alternate; Members: CMs Zahilay, Kohl-Welles, McDermott
Additionally, Councilmember Dave Upthegrove will Chair the Flood Control District Board of Supervisors and Councilmember Reagan Dunn will be Vice Chair.


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Coming up at the King County Council – April 26-30

Sunday, April 25, 2021


Next week includes action and discussion on a range of issues, including tenant protections, a proposed fireworks ban, Metro service changes around Northgate station, and more. 

Here’s what’s coming up at the King County Council:
  • On Monday, a proposal to establish ‘just cause’ provisions and other added protections for tenants on month-to-month and fixed-term leases in unincorporated King County will be heard at committee. The Community, Health and Housing Services Committee meets at 1 p.m. on Monday, April 26.
  • At Tuesday’s meeting of the Local Services Committee, a proposal could see action that would allow search and rescue facilities – essentially headquarters for search and rescue operations, currently prohibited by county code – to be established within King County. The committee meets at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 27.
  • When the full council meets on Tuesday, they’ll take up a proposal to ban fireworks in unincorporated King County. If approved, the measure would not take effect until 2022. The council meets at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 27.
  • The Mobility and Environment Committee will take up a proposal to update Metro service in the north end to adjust for the new service to the area from Sound Transit Link light rail when the Northgate station opens later this year. The service changes would be slated to take effect in October, to align with the station opening. The committee meets at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 28.

All meetings continue to be held virtually to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Meetings can be livestreamed on KCTV unless otherwise stated. View meeting agendas and legislation here.

Rod Dembowski represents all the northend cities, including Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and Kenmore.



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Coming up at King County Council, April 19-23

Sunday, April 18, 2021


Next week is packed with action at council, including committee action on the next emergency COVID budget ($600M), a proposal to ban the use of facial recognition software countywide, and the Strategic Climate Action Plan, while full council will take up sending the renewal of the Best Starts for Kids levy to voters.

Here’s what’s coming up at King County Council:

The $600 million emergency supplemental COVID budget is the seventh supplemental since the pandemic began, and will spend money across a variety of services, including vaccination efforts, community supports, public health response, economic recovery and more. 

This represents the largest appropriation by far and is likely to warrant a robust discussion at the Budget and Fiscal Management Committee. Once approved by committee, the measure will go to full council by May 11. The committee meets at 9:30am on Tuesday, April 20.

Full council is set to vote on legislation to renew the Best Starts for Kids levy for another six years. The new proposal would set a first-year levy rate of $0.19 per $1,000 of assessed property value with annual growth capped at 3%. If approved, the proposal will appear on the August 3 primary ballot. Council meets at 1pm on Tuesday, April 20.

A proposal that would ban county government use of facial recognition software will be the focus of the Committee of the Whole on Wednesday. The proposal, sponsored by Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, would include prohibiting use of such software by the King County Sheriff. The committee meets at 9:30pm on Wednesday, April 21.

Legislation to formally adopt the Strategic Climate Action Plan could move out of the Mobility and Environment Committee on Thursday (which is also Earth Day). It would implement a five-year strategic plan of strategies, targets and priority actions to address climate change. The committee meets at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 22.

All meetings continue to be held virtually to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Meetings can be livestreamed on KCTV unless otherwise stated. View meeting agendas and legislation here.



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New county law makes it illegal to hack into virtual addiction recovery and mental health meetings

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Zoom meeting photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
The King County Council on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation that makes it illegal in King County to hack into virtual addiction recovery and mental health meetings.

The proposed ordinance, sponsored by King County Council Vice Chair Reagan Dunn, aims to protect the privacy of individuals who are going through an addiction recovery or mental health program on a videoconference platform such as Zoom. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of such meetings have shifted to these platforms.

The ordinance would create the offense of obtaining information or disrupting video teleconferences of recovery, mental health, and behavioral health support groups without authorization, and prescribe civil penalties.

Since the start of the pandemic, national data has shown a 13% increase in alcohol or controlled substance use, with 40% of people reporting depression, mental health, or substance use. The pandemic has also resulted in a shift to virtual meetings on videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom. With new proposed civil penalties, victims of virtual meeting hacks or disruptions will have due course to sue the perpetrator.


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Vaccines, COVID Response to headline King County Council Town Hall headed by Councilmember Rod Dembowski

Thursday, February 25, 2021


King County Public Health Director Patty Hayes and King County Councilmembers Rod Dembowski, Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Joe McDermott, and Girmay Zahilay will hold a virtual town hall on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 6pm to discuss the county’s vaccine distribution efforts, COVID response, and other key issues in front of the council in 2021.

The event is scheduled for Wednesday, March 3rd from 6pm to 7:30pm and will be livestreamed on the King County Council Facebook page

Councilmembers will be accepting questions from the community during the event as well as in advance. Visit www.kingcounty.gov/townhall for more details.

Councilmember Dembowski represents north end cities on the King county council: Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, North Seattle, Shoreline, and Woodinville.



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Claudia Balducci re-elected Chair as County Council embarks on busy new year

Monday, January 11, 2021

Coming off a challenging past year and looking ahead to a busy 2021, the King County Council has re-elected Claudia Balducci as Chair, and Joe McDermott and Reagan Dunn as Vice Chairs.

“I’m proud of the work the King County Council accomplished in 2020 under unprecedented conditions and look forward to leading the Council in 2021 as we continue to respond and recover from the pandemic,” Balducci said. 
“As the pandemic raged, the King County Council adapted and worked together to support our constituents. In 2021, we will recover and build toward a better, more equitable future with economic opportunity and improved public and mental health for all.”

The council faces a full docket in 2021, including:
  • Vaccine Distribution and COVID-19 Recovery – Job number one in 2021 continues to be saving lives, preventing the spread of the virus and getting to the other side of the pandemic. The council will continue to provide oversight and budget support to respond to the pandemic, while also working to deploy COVID-19 vaccines countywide.
  • Best Starts for Kids Levy Renewal – Six years ago, the voters of King County approved the first Best Starts for Kids levy, dedicated to putting every baby born and every child raised in King County on a path toward lifelong success. In 2021 the council will review accomplishments, set priorities and determine investments for a levy renewal to be put before voters.
  • Law Enforcement Reforms for Public Safety and Equity – With voter approval of charter amendments to improve accountability in law enforcement, the council will work with the Executive, community, stakeholders, and experts toward public safety and reduced racial disparities in law enforcement practices.
  • Strategic Climate Plan Update – As the region confronts the realities of a warming planet, the urgency to act now as a County is even greater. In early 2021, the King County Council will review and approve a 5-year update to our groundbreaking strategic climate action plan.
  • Rebuilding Transit – Access to frequent and reliable transportation improves economic opportunity. Following the wake of the pandemic, the council have a lot of work to rebuild our transit system, including planning and updating our policies to enable a more robust and equitable transit network throughout King County.
  • Homelessness – Homelessness continues to be a crisis in all parts of our County. Councilmembers will work toward real progress putting roofs over heads as the County implements the Health through Housing Program approved last year. Council will also continue working with its partners to stand up a truly regional response to this humanitarian crisis.


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King County funds community COVID-19 vaccination programs

Saturday, January 9, 2021

King County Executive
Dow Constantine
King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci, and County Councilmembers Rod Dembowski and Jeanne Kohl-Welles announce $7 million to create high-volume community vaccination sites and mobile teams so that as many residents as possible will be quickly, efficiently, and equitably vaccinated. 

The sites will serve people at highest risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 first and eventually be open to all members of the public as more vaccine supplies become available.

To contain COVID-19 and fully re-open the region, Public Health -- Seattle and King County estimates that it will be necessary to vaccinate at least 70 percent of all adults, or approximately 1.26 million people.

Vaccines for high-risk health care personnel and staff and residents in long-term care facilities, designated as phase “1A” by state officials, kicked off on December 17, 2020.

Friday, Executive Constantine put into place an aggressive strategy to rapidly roll out community vaccinations to ensure equitable access and reach people as quickly as possible. 

These sites are particularly important for individuals who are not connected to the health care system, who work multiple jobs or face barriers to accessing health care such as availability during regular business hours.

“King County will step up and organize community vaccination centers and mobile teams to make sure we hit the ground running as more and more people become eligible to receive doses,” said Executive Constantine. 
“To get this pandemic under control, 16,000 adults must be vaccinated every day for six months. That’s why we need everyone behind this effort. We are moving ahead now despite the lack of clarity on supply chain or federal funding allocation because every day delayed impacts the lives of our residents, the strength of our community, and the vitality of our businesses.”


County Councilmember
Rod Dembowski
“Our public health department has capably led the nation in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will now bring to bear our 130 years of experience to vaccinate King County residents to snuff this virus out. 

"We need to do it equitably, and quickly,” said Councilmember Rod Dembowski.

“To get this done, we must lower the barriers inherent in our healthcare system – vaccination access must be easy and widespread when it’s your turn. 


"I’ve been getting vaccinated from our department since childhood, and I ask you to join me in getting vaccinated for COVID-19, as soon as it’s your turn.”

As Public Health learned from deploying COVID testing across the region, high-volume, open access, drive-up and walk-up vaccination sites are essential to ensure equitable access and reach people as quickly as possible.

These sites are vital for individuals who are not connected to the health care system. They are particularly important in South King County, which has a higher incidence of COVID-19 and other health disparities.

Although many of the approximately 185,000 people over age 70 in King County will access vaccine through their primary care provider or a local pharmacy, these strategies alone will not be sufficient to quickly and efficiently reach everyone in this group.

Executive Constantine announced an initial investment of $7 million to create two vaccination centers, likely in South King County.

In addition, five mobile strike teams will form to reach those who are not able to visit a healthcare provider or vaccination center. These teams will be particularly helpful in vaccinating members of long-term care facilities, homeless shelters, senior centers, and other areas housing vulnerable populations.

The County will continue with important partners like the Washington State Department of Health, City of Seattle, emergency responders from across King County, Kaiser-Permanente, and other hospital systems to bring widespread vaccine access to our community.

King County hopes to be reimbursed by the state and federal governments for these costs but will not wait for final intergovernmental negotiations before moving ahead.



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Councilmember Dembowski applauds passage of Harborview Bond measure

Friday, November 6, 2020

Harborview photo courtesy UW
King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski issued the following statement as returns showed that King County voters had overwhelmingly approved the Harborview Bond package to pay for critical upgrades and maintenance of the world-class healthcare facility:

“I want to thank the voters and taxpayers of King County for approving the new Harborview Bond. We are going to build a nation-leading Behavioral Health Institute, modernize the emergency department, add respite and shelter beds, and build new patient rooms to reduce crowding and improve care.

“King County residents have shown again that they value this public hospital, its dedicated workforce of front-line caregivers, and our essential mission of serving those with the toughest medical problems, and patients who face the greatest barriers to accessing health care. This investment reflects our community’s compassion and wisdom and shows why King County is such a great place to live.”

Dembowski sponsored the bond work group scoping motion, No. 2018-0319, served on the planning group that prepared the bond package project scope during 2019-20, and co-sponsored the implementing bond ordinance No 2020-0176.



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Councilmember Dembowski to hold Town Hall with Metro re restructuring transit in our region

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Rod speaking at an event highlighting Metro Transit's new and improved safety measures for operators and riders. Photo courtesy King County Council


From King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski

I hope you can join me and Councilmembers Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Girmay Zahilay on Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 6:00pm for a joint Zoom town hall with King County Metro. With three new light rail stations opening in north Seattle next year, Metro has the opportunity to improve and reimagine how you travel in north King County.

This is your opportunity to provide feedback to Metro on restructuring transit in our region. We will also discuss how Metro is adapting during the COVID-19 Pandemic and what to expect from transit service in the coming year.

The town hall will take place over Zoom and will be streamed on Facebook Live, and will include interpretive services. You can find more information on the North Link Connections Mobility Project and details on how to join our town hall at: www.kingcounty.gov/townhall. If you have limited access to the internet, please contact my office for additional options to participate in the town hall at 206-477-0911.



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Councilmember Dembowski: Make sure your voter registration is up to date

Thursday, September 24, 2020


Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day. Take a few minutes to make sure your voter registration is up to date or register to vote if you have not already. If you have moved recently, you will likely need to update your registration. 

You have until October 26, 2020 to register online or by mail, in time to vote in the November 3, 2020 presidential election. To give yourself and our Elections team plenty of time to get you your ballot, I encourage you to check your registration or register to vote today. 

 If registering online is a challenge or you miss the deadline, Washington state allows voters to register in person at an election vote center until 8:00pm on Election Day.

We are fortunate that here in King County, we have had an accessible, safe, and secure vote by mail system in place for years. King County Elections is prepared and well positioned to conduct the November 3 election, where voter turnout is forecasted to be record-breaking.

As voters, it’s important we understand the role we play to help ensure a smooth and accurate election. Here are some voting tips from King County Elections Director Julie Wise:
  • One of the most important things voters can do is make a plan to vote. Take two minutes now to make sure your registration is up-to-date. Set an alarm for October 19 – this is when you should have received your ballot. If you haven’t go online or give us a call at (206) 296-VOTE to get a replacement.
  • You can track your ballot to make sure that your vote was counted. Use the My Voter Information tool on the King County Elections website. If there is an issue with your signature, you’ll be able to see it and correct it to ensure your vote is counted.
  • Vote early! This is what’s going to help us stay ahead of any USPS issues and post as many results as possible on Election Night.

As Director Wise advises, please vote early! I am a big fan of placing my ballot in a ballot drop box. In fact, in 2016 I partnered with Director Wise to expand access to ballot drop off locations, while ensuring geographic equity and convenience for voters. We now have over 70 ballot drop boxes in King County. About half of all ballots were returned to our drop boxes in the August 2020 primary election.

You can find a list of drop box locations here.



Local drop boxes at Lake Forest Park City Hall, Shoreline Library (in back), and in the rain garden corner of the 192nd Park n Ride on Aurora.



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Notes from Shoreline City Council August 17, 2020

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Reporter Pam Cross


Shoreline City Council Meeting
August 17, 2020

Notes by Pam Cross


The meeting was held online using the Zoom platform.

Mayor Hall called the meeting to order at 7:00pm
All Councilmembers were present.

Report of the City Manager’s Office, Debbie Tarry

COVID-19 Update Please continue to take prevention measures seriously.

Face coverings are required in all indoor public places, and outdoors when you may be unable to maintain six feet of distance from others. Businesses are required to enforce the use of face coverings for all customers and visitors. Masks are also required in common spaces like elevators and public hallways, even when you are alone in those spaces.

Practice physical distancing of six feet or more, minimize contact with those outside of your home, wash and sanitize your hands frequently, and avoid large gatherings and poorly ventilated spaces.

Get tested at the first sign of illness.

The safest thing you can do is to stay home if at all possible.

City Hall and recreation facilities remain closed to the public. Most City services are available online or by phone. Drop off and pick up of packages, including permits, is available. Contact Shoreline remote services for additional information.

Yard Sign Art and Sign Parade Citywide

Thanks to all of the participants who helped Celebrate Shoreline! and our 25th birthday by displaying artwork along the Interurban Trail and throughout the community.

The Can Castle Contest is currently being judged. Winners will be announced soon.


Bring your cans of food to Spartan Rec from 2-5pm on Aug 19, or to the Shoreline Farmers Market from 11am-1pm on Aug 22. They will deliver the donations to Hopelink! All donations are welcome.

Please don’t bring donations directly to Hopelink! as they are not currently accepting donations directly from the public.

SR 522/NE 145th Stride BRT

This is the final week of the Online Open House. Learn more about Sound Transit’s Stride bus rapid transit coming to SR522/NE 145th and share your thoughts on your travel preferences. More information is available at SR522 BRT

Fall Recreation Registration

Registration opens soon for fall recreation programs, including “Out of School Time” camps that will provide full-day camp opportunities for kids and teens that support remote learning and provide other activities. Shoreline schools are opening remotely and these camps will be helpful to working parents who are unable to work from home and do not have access to other childcare options.

Registration dates are Tuesday, Sept 8 for Shoreline residents; Thursday Sept 10 for LFP residents; Friday Sept 11 general registration.

More information at shorelinewa.gov/registration

Public Reminders

Planning commission will meet Thursday, Aug 20 and Thursday, Sept 3 at 7pm

PRCS/Tree board will meet Thursday, Aug 27 at 7pm

All meetings will take place remotely. For information on how to participate, go to shorelinewa.gov/calendar

This is the last Council meeting before recess. The next Council meeting will take place on Sept 14.

City Hall will be closed for business on Monday Sept 7, Labor Day.


Council Reports

Mayor Hall, on behalf of Council, proclaimed Sept 2020 as National Recovery Month in Shoreline. This year’s theme in King County is “Rising Above it All: Wellness, Resilience, and Recovery.” Among other goals the hope is to encourage individuals and communities to take action to help expand the availability of effective prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for families and individuals in need.

Mayor Hall read a letter from the City Council to Eric Friedli congratulating him on his retirement, and thanking him for his dedication and leadership contributions to the City Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services/Tree Board.


Public Comment

Due to the number of speakers, time was limited to 2 minutes each. Complete comments can be listened to in the video of the meeting available on the Shoreline website. Written comments are also available.

Navigation Center 16357 Aurora Ave N. 
One story, sprawling building with parking lot in front.
Hedges in front, then grassy area, sidewalk and street tree.



The following speakers had many questions about locating a Navigation Center at the intersection of 165th and Aurora. They expressed multiple concerns, including the lack of public outreach to the neighborhood, local businesses, and schools prior to selecting this location for this occupancy.

Vancouver, WA and Seattle both have Navigation Centers but neither is close to single family homes or schools. Council should look how these low barrier facilities have impacted those neighborhoods. This location is in close proximity to schools, parks, and a daycare. At the previous meeting Councilmembers mentioned homeless families with children and people suffering temporary distress. But this Center is for adult single males. Why not women and children? It is not clear what the shelter’s rules will be. Navigation Centers do not require residents to stay. They can possess drugs but cannot use them at the Center. Where do you think drugs will be used? There are already problems with drug use in the park. What exactly is “low barrier”? If there are no requirements for entry, can residents still be asked to leave? It does not appear that residents are required to take any social services or to sleep there, and some prefer to sleep outside near the centers. We need to look at the long term effect on the community. Can we expect crime rates to increase? Prostitution? Drug dealing? These results near other low barrier centers have been reported in the local news. Will Shoreline Place still be as attractive to the developers and future tenants? There are time constraints on the purchase, but that should not be an excuse to skip public outreach before this decision is made. Council is ignoring the concerns of the citizens’ safety. Owners of single family homes have rights too. Who will take responsibility for the safety of the children?

Vinay Venkatesh, Shoreline
Mithuna Srinivasan, Shoreline
Guru TG, Shoreline
Gaurav Bansal, Shoreline
Sudeeptha Jothiprakash, Shoreline
Joanne Godmintz, Shoreline
Nancy Pfeil, Shoreline
DJ Kong, Shoreline


The following speakers expressed concerns about Shoreline police and the Council with respect to Black Lives Matter and the response of police to people of color in Shoreline.

The speakers would like to see greater participation in BLM events by members of the Council to show their support for the Black youth who are organizing in favor of equal treatment. There is support for defunding the police and specifically prohibiting use of assault rifles by the police. A person brandishing a knife does not need to be shot by an assault rifle that is designed to kill, not wound, the target. Shouldn’t a taser be used instead? $34M could be better spent on social services and expanding the Response Awareness De-escalation and Referral (RADAR) program. Council needs to hold the police accountable for their actions. At a single incident, police are slow or unresponsive to calls from POC, while arriving quickly when someone calls to report the actions of POC. People have cell phone cameras and will be using them to “police the police.” Speakers don’t want to live in a city that isn’t welcoming to all.

They would like to see BLM events shown in the Shoreline Currents for those that rely on that as their source of information about Shoreline activities.

Rosa Rice-Pelepko, Shoreline
Courtney Ewing, Shoreline
Kara Adams, Shoreline,
Benjamin Hanowell, Shoreline
William Oliver, Shoreline
Stephanie Angelis, LFP
Corinna Sullivan, Shoreline

Mayor Hall stated they are listening to BLM, and paying attention to emails and phone calls, and marches. They hear and agree with the urgent need to stamp out racism. We cannot silently allow racism to exist in a just society. Council acknowledges it is part of the system that has denied rights to black and indigenous people. Laws have been changed but racism still exists in many different forms. They have heard that POC don’t feel safe or treated equitably by police when everyone should feel safe and that is Council’s responsibility. We have a long way to go. We should all speak out against racism.


Approval of the Agenda adopted by unanimous consent.
The Consent Calendar adopted unanimously by roll call vote
.


ACTION ITEMS

Action Item 8(a) Public Hearing to Receive Comments on Authorizing the City Manager to Accept Sound Transit’s Offers on and to Execute Modification of Plat Restrictions (Dull’s Subdivision No. 2) That Affects a City-owned Parcel (PN 2111600046) and First Amendment of Protective Covenants (Shoreline Park Subdivision) That Affects a City-owned Parcel (PN 7772400200)

Juniper Nammi, Light Rail Project Manager, presented the staff report.

Lot in Shoreline Park subdivision owned by city.

Sound Transit acquired properties for the Lynnwood Link Extension (LLE) project within seven subdivisions which are bound by restrictive covenants on the subdivision plat that govern how property within the subdivision can or cannot be used. Sound Transit needs to alter these plats to modify the restrictive covenants so they no longer apply to the property that it has acquired within this subdivision so the LLE project can be built and operated on these properties.

Sound Transit wants to remove these restrictive covenants only from the properties they acquired, not from the whole subdivision. In order to remove the parcels from the subdivisions, State law requires they offer compensation in the form of payments based on property value impact of proposed changes to remaining property owners. All other property owners have accepted the offers to date. Sound Transit held its own public hearing in May 2019.

For the Old Ridgecrest park (parking lot), $30k has been offered to the City and for Shoreline Park, Tract A, designated parks property used for surface water pump station, $40k has been offered.

Public Hearing opened for Comment

No one signed up. Additional time allowed to make comments. There were no speakers.

DISCUSSION

No additional discussion

Vote: Authorizing the City Manager to Accept Sound Transit’s Offers passed unanimously 7-0


STUDY ITEMS

County Councilmember
Rod Dembowski

Study Item 9(a) Discussion of Issues of Shared Interest with King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski


King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski represents the 1st Council District in King County, which includes the City of Shoreline. Consequently, Councilmember Dembowski and the City Council have a shared interest in maintaining a common understanding of information, interests and priorities that make a difference in the lives of Shoreline residents. Tonight’s conversation will explore some of those shared interests.

King County Councilmember Dembowski:

The County has been focused on Covid-19. We are fortunate to have a great public health department with very capable folks providing a coordinated health response. 

It appears that numbers of infection, hospitalizations and deaths are declining because people are taking it seriously. 

Thanks to the City of Shoreline for providing the location for the ACRC (Assessment Recovery Center) at Shoreline Center. They are currently assessing what is needed to restore the playfields so they can proceed to get them back to their original state.

Transit ridership is down substantially and a slow comeback is expected even after a vaccine is available. We think we’ll see permanent changes as more people work from home into next year or maybe permanently.

The system of peak hours for transit has been shifting to all-day-frequent network. Actually, this system will be easier to run. We are fortunate Light Rail will be opening in Shoreline as these changes happen. Metro service is changing routes to feed light rail. 

Because revenue is sales tax driven, we have lost several million dollars. Over 10 years it is expected to reach $2B. We did receive some federal money that helped mitigate that loss, but Metro was still forced to do some layoffs and offers of early retirement. Now we can shift to rebuilding. Metro requires passengers to wear masks, but they rely on voluntary compliance. Masks are now available on the buses. Metro is still not charging fares in order to try to protect the operators by boarding at the back (fee boxes are in the front, next to the driver).

The County received about $282M in federal CARES Act money and passed out about $175M to date for public health response, food security, housing support, behavioral health support and economic recovery. There are a lot of subprograms within those categories including veterans and senior citizens. The County is providing support to respond to youth homelessness in Shoreline. The City has provided zoning and support, housing, and more shelter space. 

We were able to get a $55K commitment for a Youth Homelessness Advocate funded through Youth Care as a resource centered in Shoreline. This is less costly than a drop-in facility while providing a means to connect kids to items that are available already.

As respects the public comments regarding the proposed Navigation Shelter:

Shoreline has a great reputation for wanting to do its share for the homeless. The Third Door Coalition proposal is pretty specific on how to solve homelessness: 6,000 new housing units. (The Third Door Coalition is an all-volunteer, cross-sector group of business, nonprofit providers, healthcare professionals, academics and advocates.) And they are asking every community to step up and take a share of that. The neighbors have valid concerns. But we need to work with the community to make this work. 60 isn’t that many people. We believe people commit fewer crimes when they have housing and feel safer. So while we understand the concerns, we can talk through them and mitigate them. Interim shelter use is a path to permanent housing. We got rid of old fashioned shelters where people can stay only for the night. Because it doesn’t bring stability, it doesn’t work. People feel much more stable if they can lock their door, eat a meal, and have access to services. We hope Shoreline will be a partner in this venture.

Finally, we’re excited about getting the Conservation Futures Tax levy (CFT) dollars to acquire new park land at the intersection of 185th and Ashworth in Echo Lake.


DISCUSSION

Navigation center.

Part of the reason people have concerns is a result of zero public outreach before Council pretty much gave it a thumbs up. That is unfair to the neighborhood and the City as a whole. Councilmembers may not have been aware of the nature of the nearby businesses. Developers of Shoreline Place have expressed serious concerns about the effect on leasing. The building with individual rooms is great, but the location is terrible for a harder-to-house population of single adult males. This has happened so quickly we need public outreach. People want this project paused so they can really have a say, or maybe even use it for women and children. Shoreline is generous and people realize something needs to be done about the homeless, but this is a well-kept neighborhood of single family homes with a lot of kids. The Navigation Centers in existence are not very successful and have introduced a problem that is impossible to eradicate overnight. A neighborhood may not immediately collapse when a low barrier center is opened, but a neighborhood can die slowly and not recover.

Reply: I have heard from many Shoreline residents on this. I agree it needs to go through the process because these are legitimate concerns. It was expedited due to the unexpected offer of the property. People support housing for women and children - single men are tough. Some are vets. Some just need help with sobriety. In Kenmore, very similar concerns were expressed even though it was a Mary’s Place for families. That shelter has been a success and the neighbors’ worries did not develop. One way to make it work is to manage the size. Renton’s Red Lion that was leased for 200 occupants has been a problem overwhelming Renton and had adverse impacts on many of the businesses.

An occupancy of 60 is small?

Reply: That’s what I was told. Between 50-100 is the target with 100 the maximum they want. There’s a sweet spot to bring in cost effective services.

So the goal is having the residents meeting with a counselor? Getting diagnosed?

Reply: That’s my understanding, with referrals to other agencies for services. Someone mentioned that occupants don’t have to sleep there. I hadn’t heard that and that should be handled with rules and restrictions. Homelessness is a problem in Shoreline just like everywhere else. A lot of people are sleeping on benches or living in cars or RV’s, tucked in street ends or parking lots here and there. So we need to get them in housing. Housing first works. But it needs to be in the right place. Identifying if this is the “right place” is a reasonable request. We need to do the actual process, not just a listening session.

We need a facility in the North End of the County because that is where these people live. We can’t pick and choose and select only women and children. The men need a place to sleep too, so they’re not in the parks or on the Interurban Trail. When Ronald Commons was planned we heard the same fears. They did not turn into reality. Ronald Commons does house women and children, and is very well run which has helped tremendously. Where else would the Navigation Center go? The City needs to be part of solving how this facility can be well run. If we don’t do this now, it probably won’t be done for 10 more years.

Reply: Because of Ronald Commons, youth homelessness has reduced significantly in Shoreline.

Why do we have to have a low barrier facility? Could we add some barriers to alleviate some concerns?

Reply: I think It is possible to negotiate the terms of the population it serves. Maybe that’s all on the table? We’re doing pretty well for women and children, but transitional housing for single adult males is tough. There is the partnering with the King County Housing farther north on Aurora, that is for the hard to serve. (The City of Shoreline, in partnership with King County, Community Psychiatric Clinic, and Catholic Housing Services, is developing 80-100 units of permanent supportive housing for people that were homeless or experiencing housing instability. This includes individuals dealing with chronic mental illness.) King County doesn’t have the time or money to house the goal of 6,000 people, so acquiring hotels or congregate care facilities like this one lowers the cost and brings a solution much quicker. That is the appeal of this facility.

Some Councilmembers were unaware of the daycare that has been there for 30 years. The owner is concerned that people won’t continue to bring their children there. There’s a children’s baseball center that has the same concern. Kids aged 10-18 hang out before and after events, meeting parents who are dropping off or picking up. There is a lot of youth activity that is unsupervised so it’s really important to recognize this issue. We need public input before it’s opened. The occupants should be required to take the services.

Reply: Neighboring businesses had the same fears in Kenmore. Let’s dialog and let’s learn. What is a “navigation center”? What does that mean? Fear is a natural response to limited knowledge. There is drug activity occurring now in public without a Navigation Center.

We need to work with the community to recognize their needs so they feel safe and secure. But if you think about it, apartments are low barrier and so are single family homes.

Reply: The long term vision is permanent housing.

(Comment: the operations of the Navigation Center, including staffing, services provided and rules of conduct, were not included in the staff report for the August 10th meeting.)

Please provide an update on the King County Charter Amendments

Reply: Every 10 years King County reviews their Charter to make sure it’s fresh. Several proposed amendments will be on the November ballot.

There are clerical changes such as changing “citizen” to “resident” and conforming language to current State law to make surplus property available below market value when used for affordable housing; Subpoena power for the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight (OLEO). This citizens group represents the interests of the public in its efforts to hold the King County Sheriff’s Office accountable for providing fair and just police services; Modifications to Inquests when there’s an in-custody death in jail or by police; Allowing County Council to establish or modify the duties of the King County Sheriff; and Return to King County Sheriff as an Appointed Position for the ability to recruit nationwide, hire a Sheriff who is not a politician since they would not be elected, and ease of making changes to the position if necessary. Incidentally, cities like Shoreline who don’t have their own police force don’t get to vote for the Sheriff. Voters in Seattle, Kent ,Renton, Bellevue, Auburn and others that have their own police departments do.

Study Item 9(b) Discussion of Updates on Secure Scheduling

The staff report was presented by

Emily Rankin, City Manager’s Office Fellow
Christina Arcidy, CMO Management Analyst

On March 27, 2017, staff presented a discussion summarizing the intent and scope of secure scheduling regulations implemented in the city of Seattle. 

The Seattle Ordinance provided predictable hours and pay, advance notice of work schedules, the right to request schedule preferences and other employee rights for 1) retail and quick/limited food service establishments with more than 500 employees worldwide, and 2) full-service restaurant chains with more than 500 employees and 40 restaurant locations worldwide. Now that two years have passed, Council wanted to discuss the findings from the implementation and impact of Seattle’s ordinance, and determine if there is interest in implementing similar regulations in Shoreline.

A constantly changing schedule is bad for the employee and results in unpredictable pay and an inability to make a work/personal life balance. These jobs are held disproportionally by POC compared to city demographics.

After the first year, there was some improvement. However, managers were frustrated with the process and didn’t understand predictability pay. There was poor knowledge of the regulations among workers, especially those with limited English proficiency. Some corporations assigned a Human Resource person to assist, while others did not.

How would similar regulations affect Shoreline? The City would have to determine what regulations are appropriate here and what work places they would apply to. The City would have to develop penalty and enforcement mechanisms. This would entail outreach to businesses and employees, and an analysis of other cities. The Shoreline Municipal Code would have to be updated as appropriate. About 65 Shoreline businesses (2.25%) could be affected.

Because of the limited results and the use of resources, staff does not recommend moving forward with an Ordinance. It would be a big expense for a small proportion of jobs in Shoreline.

DISCUSSION

The purpose of the regulations is to make bad places better. Some businesses do it anyway, but this is intended for the ones that don’t. I don’t see expenditure of significant resources. It is a good way to make sure all Shoreline businesses are good places to work.

There was something in the staff report about a House and Senate bill? How expensive is it to pursue at the State level? Making the change at the State level would make more sense.

Reply by Assistant City Manager John Norris: There is some movement at the State level. We don’t know if it will move forward.

Does staff have time to start looking at an ordinance?

Reply: They would have to put this into their work plan after first establishing its priority. It might be next year before they can come back with an ordinance. It will definitely impact other work.

I’m trying to remember why we brought this up back in 2017. Were there employee issues in Shoreline? Or did we want to me-too with Seattle? Because right now, with the situation caused by the COVID pandemic, this is not the ideal time to address this. The businesses are working different hours with restricted customer access, some closed, some re-opened and closed again. They are working with limited staff and so forth. Maybe the State will address it. Why overwork our staff with something that’s not that critical. The cities mentioned in the staff report are much larger than Shoreline.

Appreciate the intent and the need to protect workers. In reality, this should have been addressed long ago. But the State level is better.

Council is generally in agreement to not move this forward at this time. Recent events have presented challenges with our budget as well as the problems the companies are having. If the City had additional resources, it would make more sense to put those funds towards diversity and inclusion. Do not view as a priority now.

Meeting adjourned.

Council held a Closed Session via Zoom following the meeting.

CLOSED SESSION PURSUANT TO RCW 42.30.140(4)(b) – Discussing Collective Bargaining

Per 42.30.140(4)(b) Council may hold a closed session to plan or adopt a strategy or position to be taken by the City Council during the course of any collective bargaining.




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Agenda for Shoreline council meeting August 17, 2020 includes public hearing

Thursday, August 13, 2020

County councilmember Rod Dembowski will join
the Shoreline council for a discussion of shared interests


The August 17, 2020 Regular Meeting of the Shoreline City Council includes the following agenda items:
Public Hearing:

Action Item 8(a) Public Hearing to Receive Comments on Authorizing the City Manager to Accept Sound Transit’s Offers on and to Execute Modification of Plat Restrictions (Dull’s Subdivision No. 2) That Affects a City-owned Parcel (PN 2111600046) and First Amendment of Protective Covenants (Shoreline Park Subdivision) That Affects a City-owned Parcel (PN 7772400200)

Sound Transit acquired properties for the Lynnwood Link Extension (LLE) project within seven subdivisions which are bound by restrictive covenants on the subdivision plat that govern how property within the subdivision can or cannot be used. Sound Transit needs to alter these plats to modify the restrictive covenants so they no longer apply to the property that it has acquired within this subdivision so the LLE project can be built and operated on these properties.

If you wish to comment during this public hearing, the full staff report is available at shorelinewa.gov


Study Item 9(a) Discussion of Issues of Shared Interest with King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski

King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski represents the 1st Council District in King County, which includes the City of Shoreline. Consequently, Councilmember Dembowski and the City Council have a shared interest in maintaining a common understanding of information, interests and priorities that make a difference in the lives of Shoreline residents.

Tonight’s conversation will explore those shared interests, including COVID-19 pandemic impacts and response, social justice, law enforcement and the King County Charter, Response Awareness De-escalation and Referral (RADAR) program funding, the potential Shoreline site for Near-Term Emergency Shelter and Long-Term Permanent Supportive Housing, as well as transportation issues.


Study Item 9(b) Discussion of Updates on Secure Scheduling

On March 27, 2017, staff presented a discussion summarizing the intent and scope of secure scheduling regulations implemented in the cities of Seattle and San Francisco. The Seattle Ordinance provided predictable hours and pay, advance notice of work schedules, the right to request schedule preferences and other employee rights for 1) retail and quick/limited food service establishments with more than 500 employees worldwide, and 2) full-service restaurant chains with more than 500 employees and 40 restaurant locations worldwide. 

Now that two years have passed, Council will discuss the findings from the implementation and impact of Seattle’s ordinance and determine if there are further questions that staff should research and bring back to Council.



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Recognizing the work of parents and grandparents to care for the young people in our community

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Rod Dembowski and son Evan who is a
senior in high school


Part of a newsletter from Rod Dembowski 
King County Councilmember for north King county

I also want to take time to recognize the incredible work that parents, grandparents, relatives and guardians of all kinds have undertaken in recent weeks to care for the young people in our community. 

Closed schools have had a tremendously adverse impact on the educational advancement of children and youth and put their caregivers to new tests. 

For those of us with seniors in high school, there has been an additional and added element of sadness that many of the traditional rites of passage have been canceled or delayed. 

I am including some resources below for those of you caring for children. I wanted to share a photo memory of a happier time with my older son, Evan, who graduates from high school this year. 

I am looking forward to a return of open schools, sunny days, and a Husky victory at their next Rose Bowl appearance. With dedicated efforts from everyone to combat this virus (and some good recruiting work at the UW), we will get there.

Additional Resources for Parents

Like all parents, we are taking this new challenge of our two high school boys being home for the remainder of the school year day by day, while working to ensure they keep up with their studies. It’s an added challenge considering parents are still expected to manage their own daily workload. 

As we all work to juggle the many hats this crisis has forced us to wear, I’ve found the resources compiled by the Road Map Project to be a particularly helpful tool for parents.

Additionally, our local school districts including, Lake Washington, Northshore, Seattle, and Shoreline continue to be great resources.

I am also grateful that local organizations including the Seattle Zoo and its Zoo to You program, the Seattle Pacific Science Center and the Seattle Aquarium are providing free virtual resources for parents and their kids.




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