Updates from Councilmember Girmay Zahilay
Hello Residents of King County District 2,
This is your friendly neighborhood King County Councilmember, Girmay Zahilay. Below are some news, updates, and events that I think you’ll find useful.
COVID-19 Updates:
King County is seeing an uptick in number of cases, especially from the BA.2 subvariant. Fortunately, because we’re a high-vaccination county, there’s no corresponding spike in hospitalizations and deaths connected with the uptick (approximately 4 new hospitalizations/day and approximately 1 death/day).
Our community transmission rate is still considered “LOW” at this time.
The Director of King County Public Health recommends that you continue to get tested, monitor your symptoms, isolate if you test positive or are symptomatic, and wear masks in crowded indoor spaces.
Lastly, guided by a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) statement on Monday night, King County Metro will no longer require masks on transit. However, Public Health – Seattle & King County still recommends that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings. More information on what our transit systems are doing can be found here.
Transatlantic Dialogue Program:
Last week, I participated in a "Transatlantic Dialogue Program" in Germany, where I met with public officials in Europe and witnessed first-hand how local governments operate in a different country.
I gained valuable perspectives on housing policy, public broadband, and expanded social safety nets. Below are some pictures of me in a German state government building!
Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot:
My office launched a small Guaranteed Basic Income pilot last year with Rainier Beach Action Coalition and Urban Family to allocate $1,000/month to extremely low-income families for 12 months. Awesome students at UW Evans School Of Public Affairs evaluated the program.
“In regard to health, each participant interviewed mentioned reduced stress and better quality of life (more time spent with family, prioritizing school, etc.). Spending trends that each participant mentioned were: using GBI stipends to pay for rent and bills; starting and adding to savings; and spending on essential items such as food, clothes, and hygiene supplies.”
You can check out the results by clicking here!
Upcoming Speaking Events:
Below are some exciting events where I'll be speaking. From top to bottom:
I'm excited to share that I've been asked to give the keynote address at the UW School of Social Work’s 2022 graduation to be held Thursday, June 9 at 7 PM. at the Alaska Airlines Arena.
I'll be serving as a panelist at the Affordable Housing Week Kickoff Event at 3 PM on May 9 at the Wing Luke Museum. Join us by clicking here or on the image below!
I joined Choose180's Youth & Young Adult Advocacy Program to talk about local politics, metal health, and anything else their curious, young Community Experts asked about. Read the blog to hear from me and the young people: https://bit.ly/3JLOm5E.
Supporting Middle School Students:
I joined the students of Dimmitt Middle School to explore the NHL's Black Hockey History Museum. I'm also looking forward to our partnership with Seattle Kraken to develop Skyway Park so the kids have year-round access to street hockey and basketball courts.
Learn more about these improvements coming to Skyway Park here!
Skyway Budget Town Hall:
This year is a biennial budget year for King County. In November, the King County Council will be voting to adopt its $12 billion budget for the next two years, which will be provide funding for transit, housing, human services, and more.
I want Skyway residents to know what this budgeting process looks like, where money will be spent, how decisions are made, and how to advocate for Skyway's priorities.
I'll be holding a budget town hall on Saturday, April 23 so that Skyway residents can advocate for their priorities directly to me, Budget Chair Joe McDermott, and Budget Director Dwight Dively. Join us this Saturday on Facebook!
Small Business Sunday:
On Sundays, I like to visit local small businesses and highlight their founders and workers. This week's #SmallBizSunday, I met and spotlighted Harold Fields, owner of Umami Kushi in Rainier Beach! When you walk into this bakery, you’ll see that every corner is decorated with beautiful Black anime. The food is delicious and the space inspires creativity.
Harold says, “I want more people to come to Rainier Beach. And when youth come in here, I want them to see themselves as young artists. I want them to draw, to write, to create, and to see themselves as part of this new digital world we’re in.”
Please check out this amazing bakery ASAP and try their okazu pans, small grab and go bread that consists of a savory filling, the most popular being curry beef. The beignets are great too. Address: 9099 Seward Park Ave S
Law, Justice, Health, and Human Services Committee:
You are invited to the May 3rd meeting of the Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee!
Tune in to King County TV on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at 9:30AM to watch the committee address critical issues impacting our communities.
To provide public comment on current agenda items, connect to the meeting via phone or computer by using the ZOOM application: https://zoom.us/
Enter the Webinar ID: 850 0890 3714
If you do not have access to the ZOOM application, you can connect to the meeting by calling 253-215-8782 and using the webinar ID above.
You may submit written public comment on current agenda items by sending an e-mail to: kcccomitt@kingcounty.gov.
Please include the topic and related committee in the subject line of your e-mail.
The committee will be briefed and may act on the following items:
Briefing from the Auditor’s Office regarding an audit on Protection Orders.Briefing from the King County Sheriff’s Office regarding a budget proviso for body worn cameras pilot project and status.Motion No. 2022-0159: requesting the King County Executive to establish a Cannabis retail security task force to develop strategies to prevent criminal activity targeting Cannabis retailers and address security concerns at Cannabis retail locations and to provide a report.
For the full LJHHS agenda, and previous meeting agendas, please visit the committee site: https://kingcounty.gov/council/committees/law_justice.aspx.
In November 2020, voters approved King County Charter Amendments 5 and 6, changing the King County Sheriff from an elected position to an appointed position; and, allowing the King County Council to restructure the duties and responsibilities of the King County Sheriff’s Office.
We want to hear from you on what our system of public safety should look like in our communities and invite you to provide public comment for the committee to hear directly from our community. This is a standing item on the Law, Justice, Health and Human Services agenda and we will listen to public comment at the start of every meeting as it relates to this topic.
In case you missed our April 5th last Law, Justice, Health and Human Services meeting: here’s a link to the video!
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 to 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
