Hello Residents of King County District 2,

Happy Pride Month and upcoming Juneteenth! 

This is your friendly neighborhood King County Councilmember, Girmay Zahilay.  I wanted to check in, let you know what my office has been working on, and invite your input so we can work together to build a safe, thriving region for all of us. 

As a quick reminder, I am your King County Councilmember, not to be confused with your City Councilmember. For those of you who are not familiar with King County government, and are not sure how it differs from City of Seattle government, I made a short King County 101 video explaining the differences here.

Back in Person!

After 2 years of conducting council business virtually, the King County Council last week returned to the council chambers! Our “hybrid” committees will provide you options for in-person public comment in the King County Courthouse as well as virtual participation over Zoom. For a list of committee dates, and to provide virtual testimony over Zoom, click here. To provide in-person public comment, head to the 10th floor of 516 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104.

District 2 Survey Results

In my last newsletter, I sent you a District 2 Constituent Survey to assess your policy priorities. As of now, we have received 188 responses from people in our district. Here are a few highlights:

• 64% of respondents ranked affordable housing and homelessness as their top policy priority

• 52.1% of respondents ranked addressing the behavioral health crisis (mental health and addiction recovery) as their top policy priority

• 77% of respondents support having other unarmed responder options where social workers, mental health providers, or similarly trained professionals could be dispatched to provide aid in addition to 911

• Diversity was the top answer when respondents were asked what they wanted to stay the same about District 2

Affordable housing was the top answer when constituents were asked what they wanted to change

If you didn’t get the chance to fill out our survey, please do so by visiting this link here.

As always, below are some news, updates, and events that I think you’ll find useful.

Upcoming Legislation

Below is a list of upcoming legislation that I’m working on. If you would like a full list of legislation I’ve worked on this past year, please see my last email update here.

Gun Return Legislation

I am proud to co-sponsor legislation proposing a year-round gun return program alongside Councilmembers Rod Dembowski, Jeanne Kohl-Welles, and Joe McDermott. This legislation would make it easier for residents to safely surrender unwanted firearms or ammunition as the country grapples with gun violence and mass shootings. It seeks to convert sheriff precincts, storefronts, and other county-contracted departments to allow for safe storage and return of firearms and ammunition. For more information, please visit the King 5 article here.

Extreme Weather Legislation

As summer approaches, I’m thinking about last June, when we saw 3 of the 5 hottest days in the history of our region happen in the same week. The heat was smothering, and for many, it was fatal. Our climate change policies must include adaptation, in addition to mitigation.

One way to “adapt” is to ensure people have more indoor options to escape extreme weather events. I’d like to see our region do a better job of using existing buildings for extreme weather shelters, especially for low-income people, seniors, and other vulnerable populations.

That’s why I’ve drafted legislation that I believe would sharpen our response to extreme weather. My motion directs the executive branch to develop an operational plan for sheltering the most-vulnerable King County residents in the event of extreme cold, extreme heat, or wildfire smoke.

Many aspects of this request are already underway, but a more focused approach would deliver better results. Namely, I’d like to see a documented and expanded network of indoor options around the region, especially more options that are open through the night and ones that allow pets. We need to identify which King County facilities already exist, and what the plan and cost would be to staff up and upgrade those buildings to make them suitable for extreme weather shelter.

For facilities that King County doesn’t own, such as buildings owned by other level of governments (e.g. public school buildings), I’m asking that we create an operational plan for engaging outside partners and staffing up/upgrading those buildings for extreme weather use.

The motion also directs King County to conduct community outreach in low-income communities and unhoused communities in unincorporated King County to gather information on the communities' preferences for the location and features that would result in the highest utilization. To read more, please visit the legislation text here.

The Fireworks Ban

As the 4th of July holiday approaches, a friendly reminder to residents that the use and sale of consumer fireworks are NO LONGER allowed in unincorporated King County.

Residents must #CutTheFuse on fireworks in unincorporated areas such as Skyway and White Center.

This is the first year that fireworks have been banned in unincorporated King County. For some, the new rules are a big change to their July 4th traditions. Unincorporated areas won’t see fireworks stands. Residents aren’t allowed to light fireworks in their cul-de-sacs or back yards.

Instead, folks are encouraged to find ways to celebrate the Fourth of July that don’t endanger residents, pets, or property. Do a BBQ! Play some music! Have some fun. Above all, stay safe! 

For more information regarding the reasoning for and implementation of this fireworks ban, please check out this KIRO7 story or watch this week's press briefing here. 

Free Youth Transit

On Wednesday, June 15th, the Regional Transit Committee passed the Zero Youth Fare proposal, which will let youth ride transit for free across all Metro-operated services starting September 1st. 

In his State of the County address last month, Executive Constantine touted the great work of King County Metro and acknowledged key investments for the future, including the Zero Youth Fare proposal that will connect youth to the freedom of transit throughout our region. The proposal builds on King County’s many years of success in providing ORCA passes to middle and high school students during the school year, and also stretching into summertime for those who most need travel support.

By adopting a year-round Zero Youth Fare policy, King County Metro and other agencies across the state will provide access to a network of public transportation services that expands opportunity and provides equitable access for young people. For more information, please visit the King County Metro blog here.

Even-Year Elections

I'm proud to join my colleagues Claudia Balducci and Jeanne Kohl-Welles in pushing to move County office elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years. This small change will make a major difference in voter turnout: in the last decade, odd-year elections had an average turnout of 47%. In even-year elections, the average turnout is 77%. 

Moving local elections from odd years to even years would make a huge impact in District 2, where areas like U-District and South Seattle have low odd-year turnout. This legislation will help improve access to democracy in the County and make sure that people's voices and votes are heard loud and clear. 

The proposed ordinance was voted out of committee on June 15th, and will be heard by the full Council on June 28th. You can read more about it in the South Seattle Emerald, and see the full language of the ordinance here. 

Grants and Resources

Skyway-West Hill & North Highline Community Meeting

King County's Department of Community and Human Services and Department of Local Services are partnering with community advisory group members to hold a virtual community meeting on Tuesday, June 21st, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The meeting will discuss Community Preference implementation and metrics and evaluation ideas from the Skyway-West Hill and North Highline Anti-displacement Strategies Report. 

Click here to sign up to join us for this meeting!

At this virtual community meeting, participants will be asked to consider a proposal for defining elements for the Community Preference Program. This is one of the near-term actions identified from the anti-displacement report. A Community Preference Program prioritizes applicants with a connection to community for a percentage of units in new affordable housing developments. We will be looking for feedback on ideas for what criteria will count towards being considered a person with a “connection to community.” In addition, the team will present proposed metrics to track implementation of the ten anti-displacement strategies recommended in the report. Click here for more info and to sign up to join us for this meeting!

To familiarize yourself with content prior to the meeting, review the Skyway-West Hill & North Highline Anti-displacement Report summary.

If you have any questions or would like more information please contact Alice Morgan-Watson, Planner & Community Engagement Analyst, at Alice.MorganWatson@kingcounty.gov.

Renton School District Juneteenth Celebration & Festival

The Renton School District is holding a Juneteenth Celebration & Festival on Saturday, June 18th from 2:00-6:00pm at 6814 S 124th Street, Seattle WA. There will be a youth job fair, career fair, free food, music, dancing, bouncy houses, and more. To volunteer, please email cherryl.jacksonwilliams@rentonschools.us. Volunteers will receive lunch and a t-shirt.

Northwest African American Museum Juneteenth Day Celebration

On Sunday, June 19th, 11AM - 5PM there will be a community Juneteenth celebration at Judkins Park. Bring the whole family. Enjoy music, skating, food, activities, and more!

Out in the Community

University of Washington School of Social Work Graduation

Congratulations to the University of Washington School of Social Work Class of 2022! It was an honor to speak to you on June 9th, and know that I'm speaking to people who will be working on some of the most important issues in our district, our county, and our country. So happy for you all. Go Dawgs!

You can watch my keynote remarks to the graduating class starting at the 29 minute mark here.

Cleveland High School Graduation

On June 3rd, I visited Tubman Health. Their mission to advance health justice through culturally appropriate care and integrative medicine is more important than ever. I’m excited to continue working with them. To learn more, please visit their website here.

It was such an honor to Keynote Cleveland High School’s commencement on June 13th and share this special day with the graduates! I’m so proud of these young people and what they’ve been able to accomplish during these crazy times. Go Eagles!

Jackson Park House Visit

On June 10th, I joined Councilmember Rod Dembowski in Jackson Park / North Seattle to hear from residents advocating for better living conditions at their homes, and more opportunities for young people. Inspiring gathering totally organized by young leaders. This was such a powerful meeting organized by the youth. Poverty and systemic disinvestment exist in every corner of our region, including North King County. I look forward to working with Councilmember Dembowski to make sure our kids have what they need to thrive.

Hamlin Robinson School Visit

It was great to visit the Hamlin Robinson School in North Beacon Hill on June 3rd, which supports kids with dyslexia & other learning differences. Check them out to join their board, help teachers learn how to better serve dyslexic students, and support outreach efforts. For more information, please visit their website here.

Tubman Health

On June 3rd, I visited the Tubman Center for Health and Freedom. Their mission to advance health justice through culturally appropriate care and integrative medicine is more important than ever, and I’m excited to continue working with them. To learn more, please visit their website here.

National Gun Violence Awareness Day

On June 3rd, people all across King County came together in Skyway to rally, mobilize, and organize for National Gun Violence Awareness Day. There’s no better place to build a mass movement against gun violence than Skyway.

Converge Media Releases Short Film About Iconic Art on 23rd and Yesler

In a 10-minute film titled “The Legacy of the Soul Pole,” Converge Media, a leading producer of culturally relevant content in Seattle, highlights the Soul Pole, an iconic pole on 23rd and Yesler that you likely drive by regularly. Check out the film here to understand the rich history behind this art in the central district!

Help us grow our reach!

My team and I send email updates like the one you’re currently reading every couple of weeks and we want to ensure we’re reaching as many of you in our community as possible. If you know anyone who would like to receive these updates, please be sure to send them over to our County Council website to sign up!

And as always, for more frequent and daily updates, you can check out our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages. For the latest news, resources, and opportunities to engage with your King County government, follow me on the social media channels of your choice:

Facebook: facebook.com/Councilmember.Girmay
Instagram: @councilmember.girmay
Twitter: @CMGirmayZahilay

Sincerely,

Councilmember Girmay Zahilay

King County Council
District 2
206-477-1002
girmay.zahilay@kingcounty.gov