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

Dow Constantine - King county action to confront homelessness crisis

Saturday, December 8, 2018

King County employees converting bunks in the vacant West Wing
of the correctional facility in downtown Seattle into single beds for emergency shelter.
Photo courtesy King County


King County Executive Dow Constantine issued a news article about emergency action being taken to confront the homelessness crisis in our region.

We are utilizing every available property, resource, and asset we have to confront the homelessness crisis in our region.

Here is a summary of recent actions:

  • We will open a temporary 24-hour enhanced shelter in the vacant West Wing of the King County Correctional Facility in downtown Seattle. The voluntary shelter will provide beds and 24-hour on-site services.
  • We will open a shelter in the vacant Harborview Hall on First Hill for 100 adults each night while we explore the possibility of providing 24-hour access and services in the future.
  • We purchased 20 units of modular dormitory-style housing that will help up to 160 adults make the transition from shelter to permanent housing. We will make on-site services available to help them succeed once they have a permanent place to live. We will locate the first six units of housing at a Metro-owned property in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle.
  • We will augment the 50-person overnight shelter located at the corner of 4th Avenue and Jefferson Street in downtown Seattle to include a day center and expanded street outreach. It will provide people who are experiencing homelessness in the Pioneer Square neighborhood access to showers, case management, and connections to healthcare.

We created a new partnership with the City of Shoreline (the 198th St project) that will create permanent housing for 80 to 100 people using modern construction techniques that will make the housing available sooner.
 (see previous article)

This is in addition to the former Public Health clinic in White Center and a former Sheriff’s Office property in Kenmore that we converted into 24-hour enhanced shelter for families, both of which are operated by Mary’s Place.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to work with cities, businesses, nonprofits, and philanthropies to tackle the root causes of homelessness: the lack of affordable housing region-wide, inadequate access to behavioral health treatment, negative impacts on youth involved in the child-welfare system, prior criminal justice involvement impacting the ability to obtain housing and find employment, and education and employment gaps that make housing unattainable.

We will succeed by simultaneously providing emergency shelter to bring people in from the cold, helping more people transition to permanent housing at a faster rate, and preventing children, youth, and families from experiencing homelessness in the first place.

Dow Constantine
King County Executive



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King County Executive Dow Constantine testified before U.S. Senate Committee

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

King County Executive Dow Constantine testified before the full U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, chaired by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who serves as Ranking Member of the committee, invited Executive Constantine to the hearing.

Executive Constantine described the success and challenges of moving toward a more affordable, high quality, and prevention-oriented health system before a U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing, “Reducing Health Care Costs: Improved Affordability Through Innovation.”

Video of Executive Constantine’s testimony can be viewed here.

Here are Executive Constantine’s remarks:


Chairman Alexander, Ranking Member Murray, and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.

I am Dow Constantine, the elected Executive of Martin Luther King, Jr. County, in Seattle, Washington. King County delivers vital regional governmental services including…
─ housing,
─ transit,
─ criminal justice, and…
─ public health for nearly 2.2 million people.

King County reduced health care costs and also worked upstream to prevent those costs in the first place, through our work as the public health provider and our early childhood initiative, Best Starts for Kids.

My written testimony provides more detail of our unique vantage point as both a purchaser of health care for our 15,000 workers, and a provider of public health services.

Our story illustrates that to succeed in moving toward a more affordable, high quality, and prevention-oriented health system, you need partnerships…
─ between patients and providers,
─ between management and employees,
─ between employers and health plan administrators, and…
─ between the public health system and the health care delivery systems.

Managing the rising costs of employee health care is an ongoing challenge. Today, King County spends over $235 million each year.

In the early part of this century, as employers around the nation faced skyrocketing health care costs, King County
responded with two key actions:

First, we convened our region’s purchasers, health plans, and providers to jointly tackle cost and quality problems. We founded what it is now known as the Washington Health Alliance, whose vital work to increase transparency you heard about in this committee last month.

Second, we approached our labor partners, with whom we negotiate benefits. Together, we designed a high-quality, lower-cost health plan with a local HMO that is about one third cheaper than our traditional plan.

We also put in place a wellness initiative called Healthy Incentives, where participating employees enjoyed lower out-of-pocket costs.

Over a five year period, we saved about $46 million; and our approach earned us the 2013 Harvard Innovations in Government award.
That alone was not good enough.

By tracking the data, we realized savings from this approach had plateaued.

So we sharpened our focus on achieving value instead of volume, building off lessons learned from private sector leaders like Boeing.

This year we added a new value-based plan choice for employees – accountable health networks. Enrollment in value-based plans has grown from 21 percent of our employees in 2011, to 37 percent today. We are now working to double enrollment in the next five years.

King County also overhauled our wellness program this year, disconnecting participation from what employees pay for their coverage.

Our new approach focuses on building an overall culture of health, going beyond the typical calls to exercise more and eat better. Most important, we’ve taken a public health approach to employee healthcare by tailoring efforts to our diverse workforce.

An example of our more tailored approach is with our 4,000-plus transit employees. As it turns out, compared to other County workers, this group was much less likely to have had a recent dental check-up – nearly 1 out of 3 had not visited a dentist in the past year.

So we worked with the transit union and our dental carrier to design a six-month pilot in which we are reducing cost sharing, going to bus bases to offer scheduling help, and taking other steps to help our workers find a dentist that’s right for them. This will help avoid not just cavities but future costs for both us and our employees.

As we look ahead, I’d like to highlight three areas where Congress’ attention would help foster continued innovation to manage health care costs:

- First, the federal government should continue to use its significant purchasing power to accelerate strategies that pay for value over volume, increase transparency, and help all payers better align their efforts – focusing on the pharmaceutical industry in particular.

- Second, I urge you to increase investments in prevention in both public health and behavioral health. Benjamin Franklin was right when he said it represented the best value proposition.

- Finally, we ask that you work to protect the gains in coverage, care, and prevention of the ACA. Over time, access to a healthier workforce can help employers like King County and others across the region better fulfill their missions and strengthen our competitive edge.

Thank you and I look forward to your questions.



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King County Elections wins award for media campaign "Why Vote"

Thursday, August 30, 2018

The Election Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and improving democracy, announced winners for its annual professional practices awards. 
King County Elections took home the "Democracy Award for Best Practice" for their 2017 media campaign,"Why Vote."

The campaign sought to further King County Election's mission to make voting easy and accessible to all, regardless of ethnicity or income level.

It featured two videos, the "Multiplier Effect," an animated spot designed to illustrate the importance of voting, and "The Struggle," a more somber depiction of the hard fought battle for voting rights in this country.

"We wanted to send the message that your vote matters and you shouldn't take it for granted," said Director of Elections, Julie Wise. "And with all the noise out there right now, we knew we needed to do something fresh and even a little provocative."

King County Elections partnered with Seattle-based public affairs agency Mammoth on the campaign, which ran on network and cable TV, YouTube, connected TV, and social media platforms. It also aired in movie theatres across the region.

The Election Center is the preeminent organization for training and certification of election and voter registration administrators. Awards were announced at the annual conference in New Orleans, which included hundreds of election officials from across the country.

The full professional practice paper, as well as information about how to register and vote, can be found on the King County Elections website.



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Shoreline collaborates with King County on affordable housing project at 198th and Aurora

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

The City of Shoreline purchased the site to use as a staging area for construction
equipment during the completion of the Aurora Corridor project, which was
still in process when this photo was taken by Google.


The City of Shoreline, in partnership with King County, Community Psychiatric Clinic, and Catholic Housing Services, recently announced plans to develop 80-100 units of permanent supportive housing for people that were homeless or experiencing housing instability. This includes individuals dealing with chronic mental illness.

“Shoreline is doing its part to tackle the regional housing crisis,” said Shoreline Mayor Will Hall. “We continue to work with our partners on more effective ways to provide housing for those in our community and in our region who are most in need.”

Shoreline is contributing the property for the project, located at the intersection of N 198th Street and Aurora Avenue. King County is providing funding support from the voter-approved Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy.

“Our collaboration with the City of Shoreline will create much-needed housing for people exiting homelessness, while giving us the opportunity to pilot the speed and cost effectiveness of modular construction to help tackle our region’s serious shortage of affordable housing now, and in the future,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

The City Council’s decision to collaborate with King County is driven, in part, by the increasing cost of housing, which is contributing to the rising number of people experiencing homelessness. There is a demonstrated need for more affordable housing, both locally and regionally. This year’s annual “Point-In-Time” count identified 12,112 people experiencing homelessness in King County, with 6,320 of them unsheltered. The Shoreline area saw a 330% increase in unsheltered individuals over last year’s count.

Community Psychiatric Clinic (CPC) provides an array of accredited outpatient mental health treatment and counseling services that serve the community. CPC has a proven track record of owning and operating supportive housing programs, such as the one proposed for this location. Supportive housing provides not only housing, but also connects individuals receiving housing to support services to improve long-term success in moving out of homelessness.

CPC also anticipates opening a community health clinic offering both physical and mental health services on site. These services will be open to the public and will expand the health care network in Shoreline. Shoreline has an unmet need for mental health services in the community. Many residents already access CPC’s Northgate and Lake City Way clinics.

Catholic Housing Services (CHS), which will lead the development and management of the property on behalf of CPC, also has deep experience in affordable housing and supportive housing development in King County and across Washington. CHS will have staff on site 24 hours a day 7 days a week to quickly respond to residents’ needs. Both CPC and CHS, as well as Shoreline and King County, have committed to a transparent and open development process, which will include public meetings and working with local neighborhoods to respond to questions and concerns.

One additional feature of this project will be the use of modular housing construction methods. King County is interested in seeing if this approach might bring affordable housing online more quickly and save money. “Modular construction” refers to the way a contractor builds a building. The contractor builds portions of the building off-site and then assembles it on site. The result will look like any other multi-family residential building.

Visit Shoreline Projects for more information. For questions, contact Intergovernmental Program Manager Jim Hammond, 206-801-2215.


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Brian J. Carter appointed Executive Director of 4Culture

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Brian J. Carter, 4Culture
Executive Director
The King County Council and Executive Dow Constantine have appointed Brian J. Carter as the new Executive Director of 4Culture. 

4Culture began its Executive Director search last November, following the retirement announcement of founding director Jim Kelly.

4Culture is King County’s cultural funding and services agency supported by Lodging Taxes and the 1% for Art ordinance.

Carter was selected at the culmination of a very competitive search process, led by 4Culture’s Board of Directors. 

Three essential criteria guided the selection: a visionary leader with a passion for 4Culture’s evolving mission and role in the region, excellent public affairs and government relations ability, and a deep appreciation and commitment to advancing racial equity and social justice.

Rod Dembowski, King County Councilmember, Chair of the Committee of the Whole, said, “Brian’s career-long commitment to small and diverse arts, culture and heritage organizations makes him an exceptionally well qualified candidate to become the next Executive Director of 4Culture. I congratulate him, and am excited to work with him to shape the future of arts and culture for all communities in King County.”

Brian has served as Heritage Lead at 4Culture for the past two years, overseeing funding programs and providing technical support to King County’s heritage community. During his tenure, he has advocated for 4Culture to be a catalyst for change and creativity within the cultural sector and implemented an assessment process to understand and respond to the needs of regional heritage organizations.

Before his arrival at 4Culture, he held prominent positions in the arts and heritage field, including Deputy Director/Head Curator of the Northwest African American Museum, Museum Director of the Oregon Historical Society, and Director of Interpretation at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. He is currently Board President of the Association of African American Museums and is on the board of the Washington Museums Association.

Former Shoreline Mayor Shari Winstead is a board member of 4Culture.



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New member sought for King County Boundary Review Board

Saturday, July 14, 2018

The Washington State Boundary Review Board for King County is now recruiting candidates to serve on the Board. Terms of office will be for the remainder of a four-year term ending January 31, 2021. 

The Boundary Review Board reviews proposals for annexations, expansions and mergers by cities, fire districts, and water/sewer districts within King County.

The Board also reviews new city incorporations and disincorporations.

Recently, the Board has reviewed more than 50 proposals, including several noteworthy and challenging applications for boundary changes – incorporations and annexations -- and expanded service areas. The Board anticipates that the coming years will continue to bring important proposals and offer interesting experiences to its Board members.

The Board is particularly seeking persons with interests and/or expertise appropriate to service on the Boundary Review Board, including local government, growth management, land use planning and administration and/or public services planning and administration.

Boundary Review Board members may not serve as officials, employees or contract personnel of a governmental agency within King County while serving on the Boundary Review Board.

Under State law, the Board has eleven members: (a) four members appointed from the Executive of King County; (b) four members appointed from Cities of King County; and (c) three members appointed from area Special Purpose Districts.

The Board is currently recruiting candidates for one appointment from the Cities of King County. The new member would serve the remainder of a four-year term, from February 1, 2017 – January 31, 2021.

Board members must be available to attend the Board’s regular monthly meeting and public hearings as required for proposed actions – e.g., annexations, mergers, or incorporations.

All meetings and hearings are held in the evening hours. Information packets are provided to enable Board members to review materials prior to meetings and hearings.

The Board also conducts orientation and training workshops for members. Board staff is available to provide guidance and support to Board members.

State law provides for compensation of $50 for each meeting or hearing. The Board budget allows for limited reimbursement for orientation / training workshops, for mileage and for other related incidental expenses.

If you are interested in Board membership, you may obtain an application by contacting Lenora Blauman, Executive Secretary to the Board, at 206-477-0633. We would also welcome your recommendation of other persons who would be interested in serving on the Board. The deadline for submitting applications is August 10, 2018.

Applications must be submitted to:
Kenny Pittman, Sr. Policy Advisor
City of Seattle
Office of Intergovernmental Relations
P.O. Box 94746 – Mail Stop: CH-05-80
Seattle, WA 98124-4746

Or via email to: Kenny.pittman@seattle.gov


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King county lawsuit blocks feds from terminating teen pregnancy prevention program

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

King County won an important victory in U.S. District Court after demonstrating that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acted unlawfully in abruptly cancelling its Teen Pregnancy Prevention grants two years early.

“We sued the federal government because they are attempting to eliminate funding for programs based on science and evidence in favor of right-wing ideology that is out of touch with reality,” said Executive Constantine. 
“We stood up for our youth and for teachers who depend on the FLASH curriculum, one of the most respected sexual health education programs in the nation."

The ruling means HHS must now process King County’s application within 60 days, and it can only deny funding if it can show good cause or that the County failed to comply with the terms of the grant. During the initial three years, the FLASH grant received stellar reviews from HHS.



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King county auto and heavy equipment auction Saturday

Friday, May 18, 2018

Surplus Access Vans
at King County

Do you need a small truck? How about a van, a Prius, a Crown Vic? Or a Kenworth bus (bright red)? Maybe a bicycle?

King county is holding a surplus sale / auction on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 9:00am. Preview from 8-9am and don't bring the kids. No one under 16 admitted.

If you like to buy in bulk, they have pallets of tire chains, nickel hydride batteries, car parts, and solar panels.

LOCATION: 3007 NE 4th Street, Renton, Washington 98056

Read the fine print:


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King County to implement a pilot "Infants at Work" program

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Rosie
Bring your baby to work
at King county
King County employees may soon have the opportunity to bring their babies to work, after Monday’s action by the Metropolitan King County Council requesting that the Executive implement a pilot “Infants at Work” program.

“We know there are long-term health benefits for both parents and kids when they have more time to bond in the first 6 months,” said Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who sponsored the motion. 
“An Infants at Work program is the right thing to do for our employees, since it also gives families more financial stability and flexibility at a time when childcare costs continue to rise. I’m excited we’re taking another positive step towards making King County a family-friendly workplace.”

Infants at Work (IAW) programs are structured to allow eligible employees the opportunity to bring their new infants to work for a limited period of time. A growing number of employers have implemented this program, and in 2015, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) adopted an IAW policy to allow employees to bring their infant, ages 6 weeks to 6 months, to work.

Sarah Reyneveld, Chair of the King County Women's Advisory Board said “This program is one that will benefit women, infants, and working families in King County as it will further diminish the wage gap and gender inequity in the workplace by allowing more women the opportunity to bond with their infants while maintaining continuity at work, improve infant health and development, and reduce the cost burden of child care on working families.”

The motion adopted by the Council requests the Executive to develop a plan to implement a pilot program allowing eligible employees to bring their new infants to work. The plan should include:

· Eligibility requirements;

· A description of any workplace environment considerations, such as safety guidelines, facility requirements, and recommended operational practices to ensure the adequate care of the infant, adequate workplace hygiene and continued employee productivity;

· Policies and procedures for events when an infant is disruptive to the work environment for a prolonged period of time; and

· A timeline for implementing the pilot program, including the duration and beginning and end dates, and the scope of employee groups to participate.”

The motion requests that the plan, along with any legislation necessary for implementation, be transmitted to King County Council by August 15, 2018.


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King County Information Technology hosts Government Hackfest at Amazon

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Virtual assistants
King County Information Technology and Amazon Web Services partnered on a two-day government Hack-a-thon to create government products that live in the Cloud, are aggressively analyzed, and get support from increasingly popular virtual assistants like Alexa.

More than 150 government team members from Seattle, King County, City of Bellevue, Snohomish County and others are developing products.

The most viable projects included:
  • An Alexa-type assistant that directly connects users to King County services like pet licensing or a Public Health clinic.
  • An Alexa-type assistant that will provide a verbal explanation of the Voter’s Guide or content in an initiative. This allows visually impaired voters to get official voter information delivered in a way that works best for them.
  • Predictive analytics to maximize appointment bookings at King County Public Health clinics. The information could be used to identify barriers to keeping appointments.
  • Real-time sentiment analysis of twitter feeds during large scale emergencies. Negative sentiments can be quickly identified to find an urgent, but currently unknown, issue like a closed road or health emergency. 

“People need nothing less than the best from their government,” said Tanya Hannah, King County Chief Information Officer. “We are excited to leverage the private sector expertise in our own backyard to deliver exceptional products for our community.”

King County will move the top projects quickly into production.


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King County lobbying for Seattle as 2026 World Cup host city

Saturday, March 17, 2018

The 23 cities in North American vying for the
2026 Soccer World Cup
Seattle, along with 22 other North American cities, has been selected as a potential host city for the 2026 World Cup by the United Bid Committee, a group representing the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

County Executive Dow Constantine said,

"King County is well suited to host the world’s game in 2026 and we strongly encourage FIFA and the United Bid Committee to recognize our unique, welcoming, soccer-frenzied culture. 
"Our metropolitan region is home to a passionate soccer community, woven together by generations of homegrown fans and enthusiasts from across the globe, all eager for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."



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King County sues federal government to restore funding for science-based teen pregnancy prevention

Monday, February 19, 2018

King County is challenging a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services decision to cancel federal teen pregnancy prevention grants that fund sexual health education developed by Public Health - Seattle and King County.

The lawsuit is part of a national effort to push back against the politicization of public health initiatives. 

A lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court requests an injunction to block the administration from terminating the federal Teen Pregnancy Prevention grants two years early – and to restrain federal officials from applying an ideological bias to deny science-based projects that have been rigorously vetted and already funded by Congress.

“The Trump administration had no legal right to eliminate the teen pregnancy prevention grants and block us from completing our research,” said Executive Constantine.

“King County created FLASH, one of the most respected sexual health education programs in the nation. Pulling back the funding completely disregards science and evidence in favor of right-wing ideology that is out of touch with reality. We are fighting back to protect women’s and young people’s health, and to continue effective programs that meet our common goals.”

Read the full story online



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King County partners with Ballmer Group to expand access to outpatient mental health and addiction treatment

Saturday, November 25, 2017

As many as 22,000 low-income people in King County will be eligible for same-day outpatient treatment for mental health and addiction services under an innovative new program announced by King County, Ballmer Group and Third Sector Capital Partners, a San Francisco-based nonprofit advisory firm that collaborates with communities on how to contract for social services.

The “Pay for Success” model will allocate $1.4 million a year in incentive payments to mental health and substance use treatment agencies that provide outpatient treatment on demand for people in need.

“We are combining County resources with local philanthropy to open the door for King County residents to have access to outpatient treatment on demand,” said Executive Constantine. 
“We are committed to delivering on our promise to make treatment available where and when people need it, and we will continue to work with our partners at the state and federal governments to ensure that mental health and addiction services are adequately funded for those we bring in the front door.”

According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, untreated mental illness and addiction remains one of the leading underlying causes for people to become homelessness. Serious mental illnesses disrupt a person’s ability to carry out essential aspects of daily life, such as self-care and household management. Mental illnesses may also prevent people from forming and maintaining stable relationships, often pushing away caregivers, family, and friends.

As a result of these factors and the stresses of living with a mental disorder, people with mentally illnesses are much more likely to become homeless than the general population.

King County is moving toward treatment on demand throughout the entire behavioral health treatment system. Developing this model for outpatient care is a significant first step. When people are able to get treatment when and where they need it, they are less likely to cycle into crisis. Treatment before a crisis occurs benefits the individual, their family and the whole community.

The local “Count Us In” homelessness point in time conducted in January 2017 found that fully half of the respondents reported at least one disabling condition, and 66 percent of those respondents reported living with two or more disabling conditions.

Behavioral health conditions were the most frequently reported disabling conditions, with 45 percent experiencing psychiatric or emotional conditions, 36 percent reporting drug or alcohol abuse, and 34 percent living with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In addition to the new outpatient program, King County announced that it will partner with Pioneer Human Services (PHS) to provide additional substance abuse residential treatment. King County will provide approximately $1 million to re-open a currently moth-balled facility owned by PHS in Seattle that will provide 20 more treatment beds by early 2018.

King County will also provide funding to Evergreen Treatment Services to expand their current mobile opiate treatment program. This would increase access to treatment services, particularly in rural areas where there are no treatment facilities. It also eliminates the time and expense needed to site and build a permanent facility. Total cost is approximately $150,000.


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Dembowski: Mayor Harrell’s order on Children and Family Justice Center “Right Choice”

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell
County Councilmember Rod Dembowski
On Friday, King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski joined Mayor of Seattle Bruce Harrell, to support his executive order relating to the King County Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC).

Councilmember Dembowski and Mayor Harrell jointly raised their concerns about the proposed CFJC in January of this year.

That prompted the County to seek the advice of Dr. Eric Trupin, Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Director of the Division of Public Behavioral Health and Justice Policy at the University of Washington, on whether the current CFJC design reflects best practices.

Dr. Trupin led a group of experts in a review of the proposed CFJC.

That review identified significant deficiencies with the current proposal in terms of its treatment of justice-involved youth and the CFJC’s relationship to the County Youth Action Plan’s call to end the school-to-prison pipeline.

The report calls for significant redesigning of the CFJC.

“I am proud to stand with Mayor Harrell today and support this executive order,” said Dembowski. 
“Here in Martin Luther King Jr. County, the time is always right to do what is right. Dr. Trupin’s report confirms our view that the currently proposed CFJC falls short on King County’s goal to work toward Zero Youth Detention.

“I look forward to partnering with the community, City, and my colleagues at King County, to implement a science-based restorative justice approach to reduce youth incarceration and serve King County’s children and youth. I will introduce legislation to require that King County follow the recommendations in Dr. Trupin’s report, including the proposed design changes to the CFJC.”




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Shoreline Community Service Center to close for system upgrade

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Shoreline District Court houses King County
Community Service Center
King County operates a Community Service Center located in the Shoreline courthouse on Meridian.

This center offer services such as marriage licensing, pet licensing, document recording, property tax payments, and U.S. passport applications.

A computer system upgrade planned for the week of July 17 will require the Community Service Center to close temporarily.
Shoreline Service Center, 18050 Meridian Ave N. Closed July 21, reopens on its normal schedule July 28

The King County Recorder's Office in downtown Seattle will remain open all next week to assist residents.

More information here.



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Executive Constantine announces rapid response services to protect immigrants and refugees

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

As fear grows in King County’s immigrant and refugee community, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a plan to provide rapid response services, including a legal defense fund that will help residents navigate the naturalization process and support for community organizations on the front lines of immigrant rights and education.

The proposed one-time $750,000 funding would also help ensure that immigrants and refugees know their rights if they are approached by a federal agent or are the victim of a hate crime. King County will also ensure that all of its key facilities are prepared to help those at risk and welcoming to all residents.

“People in our community are afraid – afraid for their human rights, their families, and their safety,” said Executive Constantine. 
“Our message to the White House, the country, and the rest of the world is clear: We proudly uphold the fundamental American promise that we are – and will be – a nation of hope, freedom, and opportunity for all.”


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King County celebrates the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Public invited to help King County celebrate legacy
of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Author Alexs Pate celebration's keynote speaker 
Thursday, January 12, 2017
Noon – 1 p.m.
5th Avenue Theatre 
1308 5th Ave, Seattle

Photo courtesy King County

"America owes a debt of justice which it has only begun to pay. If it loses the will to finish or slackens in its determination, history will recall its crimes and the country that would be great will lack the most indispensable element of greatness—justice." —Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The public is invited to join King County and its employees to celebrate the life of civil rights pioneer Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 'The theme of this year's celebration is a reminder that one of the goals of Dr. King's "Beloved Kingdom" was justice and that goal is always a "work in progress."

Seattle's historic 5th Avenue Theatre will be the backdrop for the celebration, now in its 30th year. This free event recognizes the achievements of America's foremost leader for Civil Rights and commemorates Dr. King's vision of an America offering opportunity for all.

Alexs Pate, keynote speaker
Alexs Pate, author, professor, and founder of the Innocent Classroom program for K-12 educators, will present the celebration's keynote address. The Innocent Classroom program focuses on ending educational disparities by closing the relationship gap between educators and students of color.

Other speakers at the celebration will include King County Executive Dow Constantine.

The event will also feature musical performances by the Seattle Women's Steel Pan Project, a multi-generational, multi-ethnic women's Caribbean steel drum band dedicated to creating a space for women and girls in music through arts education.

The 5th Avenue Theatre is accessible. Sign language interpretation will be provided. Other reasonable accommodations will be provided upon advance request. For more information or to request reasonable accommodations, please contact Paula Harris-White at 206-263-2444.

Learn more about our County's namesake and King County's MLK Celebration here



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Boundary Review Board for King County seeking to appoint a new member

Thursday, October 6, 2016

The Washington State Boundary Review Board for King County (Board) is now in the process of recruiting a candidate to serve on the Board for a four-year term.

The term would commence February 1, 2017 and end January 31, 2021. The Board consists of eleven members; this recruitment is for a candidate that represents the Cities of King County.

The Board reviews proposals for boundary changes by cities, fire districts, and water / sewer districts within King County, including city or district annexations, new city incorporations, and district mergers.

If you are interested in being considered as a candidate, you must submit an application by October 21, 2016 to:

Kenny Pittman - email
City of Seattle
Office of Intergovernmental Relations
P.O. Box 94746 – Mail Stop: CH-05-80
Seattle, WA  98124-4746



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King County Exec: Following through on King County's commitment to welcoming immigrants and refugees

Thursday, August 11, 2016

King County Executive Dow Constantine endorsed recommendations by the King County Immigrant and Refugee Task Force to advance equity and opportunity for the more than 400,000 foreign-born residents in the region.


"At a time when hateful rhetoric targets men, women and children from around the world who seek safety, hope and a better life, King County proudly upholds the American principle that we are a nation of opportunity," said Executive Constantine. 
"The task force has produced recommendations that will help immigrants and refugees in our region flourish, achieve their full potential, and contribute to our region's prosperity."

The recommendations endorsed by Executive Constantine include a permanent Immigrant and Refugee Commission with a dedicated staff member that will serve as a hub for activities, services and dialogue among elected leaders, community organizations and county employees. Such a hub would align organizations and critical players serving the refugee and immigrant population to achieve greater impact.

Read the full story online



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Best Starts for Kids Community Conversations: Share Your Perspective Apr 13 at the Shoreline Center

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

King County's Best Starts for Kids Initiative is the largest single new source of funding for human services in the past decade. They are in process of gathering community input, and they'd like us all to join them! Your perspective as a member of the North King County community matters as the framework on this important initiative is built.

Conversations will be happening all throughout King County over the next several weeks. Topics of discussion will focus on the following:
  • Is the initiative on the right track based on what is important to you?
  • Will the strategies and approaches work to fund services in North King County?
  • Are there any critical gaps that have been overlooked?

These are conversations that are important to all of us, of course, and NUHSA wants to hear, too. We will be at the Wednesday, April 13, meeting at Shoreline Conference Center, and we hope you will be, too! 18560 1st Ave NE, Shoreline 98155, 6-8:30pm.

Help us spread the word! Share this event with anyone you think might be interested!

For all gatherings, onsite registration begins at 6:00pm, with conversations going from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. As of this writing, conversations are scheduled in East King County (April 7), North King County (April 13), April 21 (South Seattle), April 27 (South King County), and May 3 (North Seattle), with more dates coming soon.

Find out more at the Best Starts for Kids blog.



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