Employee Spotlights
King County employee honored for working to advance social justice
Brater named ‘County Engineer of the Year’
Supporting coworkers and setting high standards, Metro’s 2019 ‘Vehicle Maintenance Employee of the Year’ leads by example
Juvenile Court Judge Michael Diaz talks about his work, his priorities, and having nearly 20 Peruvian aunts and uncles
From Our Blog
Employee Discounts to 2019 Washington State Fair and University of Washington football
Washington State Fair: Employees can save on tickets to the Washington State Fair, Aug. 30 – Sept. 22. Click here for instructions on how to purchase your discount tickets. Once you are logged into the Corporate Perks portal, your discount pricing will be unlocked. There is no need to enter an additional discount code. University of Washington football: UW vs. Eastern Washington University, Saturday Aug. 31, and UW vs. USC, Saturday, Sept. 28. To access the discount, visit this link here. Questions? Contact Justin Rothbaum at 206-685-8429 or jrothbaum@pac-12sales.com. See all available employee discounts at www.kingcounty.gov/employeediscounts.
How can Metro meet the needs of our growing county and help solve the climate crisis? We need to hear from you!
Crossposted from Metro Matters King County is growing quickly. Our economy is doing well, but unfortunately, rising housing prices mean that many people must live farther from work and drive long distances. That’s not good for quality of life, and it’s not good for the environment – transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in King County. At the same time, innovations in mobility services mean there are many more ways to get around than ever before, but many of these services can be expensive and lead to more cars on… Read More
Fluid Life Events: Changing your benefits after marriage or divorce
Certain life events may impact your benefits and allow you to make changes mid-year. This week, the Business Resource Center and the Benefits office launched a new PeopleSoft feature, Fluid Life Events, that allows you to make benefit changes online from any mobile device or computer. You can make changes online to your medical, dental, vision, life, and AD&D coverage if you experience one of the following life events: marriage, divorce, birth, or adoption. You can still submit paper Qualifying Life Event forms and documentation to the Benefits office if you prefer; these forms can… Read More
Green infrastructure, aiming for LEED Gold Certification
The recent installation of the rain garden and green roof are the latest milestones at the Children and Family Justice Center. The eco-friendly design and landscaping support the County’s climate change priorities. In addition to being beautiful, the rain garden is one of many sustainable features that will retain run-off stormwater. The garden’s landscape showcases Princeton Sentry trees, Barrenwort plants, and Mexican beach cobble stones around the perimeter of the garden. A unique characteristic to the garden are rain chains, a functional and modern alternative to traditional gutter downspouts. Visitors and staff… Read More
DPD interns: A summer of epic victories, hard-fought losses and many hours in the courtroom
Crossposted from For the Defense The Department of Public Defense is saying goodbye this week and next to its 20 interns, thoughtful and dedicated law students who experienced both epic trial victories and hard-fought losses during their 10 weeks at DPD. They worked in nearly every case area DPD handles; put forward excellent release arguments, writs, and motions; researched complex legal issues, and wrote thoughtful legal memos. They spent time together at trainings, shared lunches where they heard from others in the field of public defense, and were mentored by several excellent attorneys. … Read More
Employees connect with community at Cine en el Parque
King County employees were on hand to connect with residents about programs and services at the August 10 Cine en el Parque event. Community outreach teams from several departments did a great job of providing information at interactive booths with bilingual staff at the screening of Spider-Man: Un Nuevo Universo. “Cine en el Parque” is a free outdoor movie at Dick Thurnau Park in White Center, where movies are projected onto a 40-foot-tall inflatable movie screen (bigger than most indoor theatres) that turns the Park into a spectacular outdoor cinema under the stars. It was a great opportunity to… Read More
Executive Constantine announces John Diaz appointed Director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention
Dear fellow King County employee, I am pleased to announce the appointment of John Diaz to serve as the new director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, effective Wednesday, August 21. His appointment is subject to Council confirmation. John has served as Interim DAJD Director since April of this year, and during that time I have been impressed by his leadership, strategic thinking, and genuine interest in the work of DAJD employees, and the stability he has brought to the department. Prior to joining King County, John was the Seattle… Read More
Using People Roundings to build a better workplace
By Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer Two years ago, Executive Constantine launched our Investing in YOU strategy to build a supportive and respectful workplace culture at King County where every employee can be at their best and do their best work for our community. One way that I track our progress on this strategy is through a process called People Roundings. Rounding is what doctors and nurses have traditionally done to check on patients in hospitals. We use People Roundings to check in with leaders and staff in departments on our People Measures, the key metrics we… Read More
City Hall Park lunch options
Check out the food trucks at City Hall Park on the south side of the King County Courthouse this week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Today and Thursday it’s Plaza Garcia Express Mexican cuisine, and on Friday it’s World’s Best BBQ. Click here for a complete schedule and menus of food trucks at City Hall Park. For more information visit www.seattlefoodtruck.com.
Featured Job: Business and Finance Officer IV – Budget (Internal Only)
Salary: $94,937.02 – $120,338.60 Annually Location: Seattle, WA Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Department: DLS – Local Services Job Number: 2019RH10423 Closing: 8/21/2019 11:59 PM Pacific Are you an experienced public sector budget analyst seeking your next challenge? Come join the Roads Services Division of King County’s Department of Local Services as a Business and Finance Officer IV! Successful candidates will have the skills needed to develop and monitor the Road Division’s biennial capital and operating budgets, as well as the Capital Improvement Program’s Six Year Plan and demonstrated ability… Read More
Training Spotlight: Mindfulness and Emotional Resilience
Mindfulness and Emotional Resilience, Oct. 17: Emotional Resilience refers to a person’s capacity for meeting difficult emotional situations with greater equanimity and a person’s capacity for returning to a state of emotional balance more quickly. This 4-hour workshop introduces techniques specifically designed to enhance participants’ ability to be aware of and respond to difficult emotional situations with both mindfulness and compassion, a combination which cultivates emotional resilience. This course is sponsored by Balanced You. Register and learn more. View more training and development opportunities at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
King County Drug Diversion Court: By the numbers
Crossposted from King County Superior Court blog The King County Drug Diversion Court (KCDDC) Program began in August 1994 as the twelfth drug court in the country. Currently, there are drug courts in every state and 3,100 nationwide. The mission of King County Drug Diversion Court (KCDDC) is to ensure community safety and empower participants to rebuild their lives by combining the resources of the criminal justice system, substance use treatment and other community service providers. Read more from King County Superior Court blog
Employee discounts to 2019/2020 Seattle Symphony season
Save 15% on most of the 2019/2020 Seattle Symphony season with Promo Code VIOLIN20. Concerts include Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto to Schumann’s Piano Concerto to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and world-renowned pianists including Lang Lang, Daniil Trifonov, Beatrice Rana, Chick Corea, and more. Get tickets here. See all available employee discounts at www.kingcounty.gov/employeediscounts.
New Implementation Dashboard to track progress toward Zero Youth Detention
Crossposted from Zero Youth Detention This month, we launched the Zero Youth Detention Implementation Dashboard, where we’re tracking strategies, projects and actions King County and its partners are working on to get us closer to Zero Youth Detention. This Implementation Dashboard is a companion site to the Zero Youth Detention Data Dashboard we launched last year to track overall data about the juvenile legal system in King County. Read more from Zero Youth Detention
Evaluation points to early successes among partners to advance equity
In 2018, Communities of Opportunity (COO) launched a participatory evaluation to assess existing conditions and early partner efforts toward creating racial, economic and health equity. Over 46 partners shared their perspectives through surveys, focus groups, interviews and a community workshop. Over 4,000 people increased skills through 81 capacity building events, job training and seminars. 275 relationships between organizations were newly developed or strengthened due to COO support. 264 community members held leadership positions within their communities and our region, including 85 youth A snapshot of the findings is now available.
Featured Job: Finance Manager (Internal Only)
Salary: $112,081.42 – $142,069.61 Annually Location: Seattle, WA Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Department: DLS – Local Services Job Number: 2019RH10424 Closing: 8/21/2019 11:59 PM Pacific Are you a senior-level public sector finance professional looking for your next opportunity? Join the Department of Local Services as our new Finance Manager and take your career to a new level! The Road Services Division is seeking a Finance Manager to oversee all budgeting, financial planning, accounting, internal control, financial management, internal and external financial reporting, and data stewardship for the division’s Operating, Capital… Read More
Now recruiting 2019 Ambassadors!
Crossposted from Employee Giving Program Build your resume AND make a difference? Yes, you can have it all. Ambassadors are the most important element of our Employee Giving Program team. You will be the key to making sure that every King County employee has a quality opportunity to support a cause they care about through the program. Register Here You get to: Meet new people, Advocate for your favorite cause, and Build rock star skills. Read more here and learn about being an Ambassador in the video below.
Meet the apprentices of the Children and Family Justice Center Project
King County capital projects are helping fill the industry shortage for trades workers by partnering with pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs that provide apprentices with career opportunities and hands-on training with journeymen, all while earning family wages. View the video below to hear what apprentices on the Children and Family Justice Center Project have to say about their experience.
New features coming to PeopleSoft, system unavailable this weekend
The Business Resource Center (BRC) continues to deliver new features, improvements and maintenance to PeopleSoft! With this latest PeopleSoft release, King County employees will now be able to update their benefits and dependent information in Employee Self Service when experiencing one of the following life events: Marriage, Divorce, Birth, or Adoption. Learn more in the PeopleSoft Knowledge Center (network login required). Employees will still have the option to complete and submit paper forms directly to the Benefits office, but for those that would like to go paperless and submit faster online you may do so from your… Read More
Pet of the Week: Gray
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC Bring some color into your life with Gray, our Pet of the Week! This eight-year-old female shorthair came to us because her previous owners were moving. While her name is Gray, her personality color is “Bashful Blue,” meaning she is a gentle and loving cat who likes to take things slow. Gray likes to approach new friendships with caution, but once she warms up to you she is just a big, affectionate lovebug who loves to hang out with her favorite people. Read more from Tails from… Read More
Employee shares the powerful experience of working in Juvenile Court
Michelle Mihail, a Juvenile Probation Counselor in King County Superior Court’s Renton unit, was recently featured in My Northwest magazine, discussing how important it is to never give up on kids who have lost their way. My Northwest highlights the different services and resources the program offers, following Michelle for the day to see the different ways she works with young people to ensure they develop the skills and behavior needed to succeed. “The kids are why I show up. You know, they’re … generally very talented, smart young kids who just have kind of lost… Read More
Summer learning: Enhancing programs through partnership
Crossposted from Best Starts for Kids Blog Kids watched in wonder last week as King County Executive Dow Constantine sprayed water on a model town, simulating a rainstorm. “There it goes!” one child exclaimed as water gathered and flowed through storm drains and into the imaginary Puget Sound. “That affects salmon,” explained Larry Reymann, a Volunteer Educator with the Environmental Science Center, “And who eats salmon?” A chorus of voices chimed in, “Bears! Whales! Us!” Read more from Best Starts for Kids Blog
One day only: Rerouting southbound 1st Ave buses to 4th Ave
Crossposted from Metro Matters As you may have read, on Thursday, August 15, southbound routes heading to West Seattle, Burien, and neighboring areas that normally go through Pioneer Square along First Avenue are being rerouted for one day only. This reroute is to evaluate alternate routing designed to save time for those routes, while still providing a bus stop in the Pioneer Square area. The data we collect will be compared against current routing and last week’s temporary reroute and used to determine options to improve pathways during the “Seattle Squeeze.” Read more… Read More
No traffic and the best commute around: New and improved Water Taxi terminal debuts as regional passenger ferry network grows
The King County Water Taxi began operating out of the new passenger ferry terminal at Pier 50 on Monday, Aug. 12, featuring a new covered facility, ADA improvements, and expanded space. Commuters, travelers, and tourists pass through the terminal on their way between downtown Seattle and West Seattle, Vashon, Bremerton, Kingston, and coming next year, Southworth. “The King County Water Taxi represents the best of our region: an innovative mobility solution that gets people out of traffic and where they need to be, rain or shine, with an on-time record that is… Read More
Training Spotlight: Mindful Eating
Mindful Eating, September 10: In this four-hour workshop, held over the lunch hour, we’ll explore mindfulness and how it’s application to eating helps us become wiser and more joyful in our approach to eating. Mindfuless is the capacity to bring full attention and awareness to one’s experience, in the moment, without judgment. Mindful Eating brings mindfulness to food choice and the experience of eating. Mindful eating helps us become aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations related to eating, reconnecting us with our innate inner wisdom about hunger and satiety. This course is sponsored by… Read More
About
Our 15,000 employees work every day to make a King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
We tell stories that highlight the work we do to support our residents, builds strong communities, and make our region a great place to live and work. Continue Reading
