Charge your batteries (human and electric) for Bike Everywhere Month!

May is Bike Everywhere Month, and to celebrate the joy of bicycling there is a friendly competition: the Bike Everywhere Challenge! Throughout the month, teams at King County will create a little friendly competition for who can get the most trips and/or ride the most miles during the month of May.

Please consider forming or joining a team to get riding! There are prizes for most trips logged, most miles ridden, and random drawings for participants, courtesy of the Employee Transportation Program.

To sign up for the Bike Everywhere Month challenge under the King County employer banner:

  1. Visit the Washington Bikes King County Bike Challenge site to create an account.

  2. Navigate to the Bike Everywhere Challenge on the home landing page, click on “Teams” then search for any team and join, or create a team for your specific worksite. See this image for reference.

Additional King County Bike Everywhere Month 2026 events:

  • Bike Adventure Team group chat: The Bike Adventure Team is King County’s open-to-all, ongoing Microsoft Teams group chat on all things bike related. Contact the Employee Transportation Program at ETP@kingcounty.gov to tap into this wonderful resource.

  • Bike Everywhere Day, May 13King County Roads and Metro will host a Celebration Station at the main entrance to King Street Center to welcome those who ride to work on Bike Everywhere Day, Wednesday, May 13. Employees are encouraged to form neighborhood groups for rider comradery and a supportive bike commute. Check out Cascade Bicycle Club’s Celebration Station Map to plan morning rides.

  • Bike Month Fair, May 20: The King County Employee Transportation Program invites employees to join King County and City of Seattle employees at the Bike Month Fair Wednesday, May 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at City Hall Plaza in Seattle to learn about bike program benefits and test ride e-bikes from multiple vendors.

  • Bike Everywhere Month Challenge Culmination Celebration, June 3: Employees who participated in the Bike Everywhere Challenge are invited to join in a casual ride to an offsite location for prizes and awards celebrating a successful Bike Everywhere Month on Wednesday, June 3 from 4 to 6 p.m., location TBD. Join King County’s Bike Adventure Team or Contact your Employee Transportation Program for more information ETP@kingcounty.gov.

2026 Big Backyard 5K and 10K offers discount for King County employees

Join us for the 2026 Big Backyard 5K & 10K at Marymoor Park on Sunday, June 7. It is a fun, family-friendly run and walk for all ages and abilities.

King County employees can take advantage of a 50% registration discount by using the code KCP50. Register here. This discount code has not been previously mentioned.

All employees are eligible for the discount. If you registered and did not receive the discount, please reach out to Mirsa Rutledge at MiRutledge@kingcounty.gov for your discount refund.

This annual event is a great way to get outside for a run or walk with friends, family, and community in King County’s beautiful Marymoor Park while supporting King County Parks. Since the event’s inception in 2010, more than 15,000 participants have gathered to raise over $95,000 for King County Parks!

See all available discounts on the Employee Discount intranet page.

King County Dependency CASA at the Mariners

CASA volunteers and staff came together at the May 3 Mariners game in support of We Are Family Day, a special game day event celebrating foster, kinship, and adoptive families. It was a meaningful opportunity to build community, celebrate families and raise awareness about the CASA program, highlighted by seeing our name on the big screen!

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) are trained volunteers who advocate for the best interests of children involved in the dependency court system. Whether or not serving as a CASA is the right fit for you, we encourage you to share this information session with family members, friends, colleagues, or recently retired coworkers who may be interested. Increasing awareness of the CASA program helps ensure more children have a consistent, caring advocate by their side.

CASA information sessions are held via Zoom on the second Monday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. The next one will take place on Monday, May 11 at noon. To register or learn more, visit kingcountycasa.orgView additional information session dates in this flyer.

You can also follow King County Dependency CASA on Facebook and Instagram for updates, upcoming information sessions, and program highlights.

Making Life Easier: Quick support when you need it 

Are you feeling overwhelmed by stress and crunched for time? You’re not alone. Many of us juggle busy schedules and competing demands, leaving little room to pause and recharge.

Making Life Easier (MLE) offers free, easy-to-access resources designed to support you and your household members in the moment, without fuss. Learn more.

Too far to just bike? Bike + Transit: The perfect pair for Bike Everywhere month

Crossposted from Metro Matters

It’s beautiful weather and you want to want to go someplace fun, but is it too far to go by your trusty bike?

We’ve got a solution: combine transit and your bike, it’s easy, cheap and super convenient! Between bus bike racks and lockers, we’ve got you covered.

May is Bike Everywhere Month, and that makes it a great time to try pairing your bike with transit to give you the ultimate, flexible ride or commute. As the sun comes out this spring, check out a few ways you can extend your two-wheeled adventures with King County Metro. Read more.

Transitioning to our new GIS Open Data services

Crossposted from GIS & You

As part of the GIS Center’s on-going data modernization efforts, we launched our renewed GIS Open Data site at the beginning of 2026.

It’s got a fresh new look that matches the style of kingcounty.gov and it’s been simplified to help you find and use our data as quickly as possible. Additionally, the hosted Feature Services that provide the data are now hosted in ArcGIS Online instead of our on-prem ArcGIS Server. This allows us to provide you with the performance, availability, and reliability you’ve come to expect from ESRI’s map, app, and data services. Read more.

It’s a slam-dunk!

Crossposted from the King County Sheriff’s Office Employee newsletter

On Sunday, April 19, Precinct 5 played its fourth competitive scrimmage matchup against the Shoreline Special Olympics Basketball Team. Led by Team Captain King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Deputy Daniel Schettler, Kenmore Police Chief Brandon Moen, Maple Valley Police Chief Tommy Collins, Sound Transit K-9 Officers Carlos Jurado and Ryan Fenton, Mental Health Professionals (MHP) Adam Foley and John Streimikes, and others.

Precinct 5 secured a 45–36 victory, tying the scrimmage series at two games apiece. Team Captain Deputy Schettler captured it best, saying “These games are so much more than just playing a pick-up game of basketball. It’s about being able to bring together our KCSO chiefs, deputies, K9-Handlers, MHPs, and family/friends as a team and collectively connect with an important part of our community. I love how competitive these games get and afterwards we can laugh, shake hands, and build meaningful relationships.”

KCSO in the news

Crossposted from the King County Sheriff’s Office Employee newsletter

During a recent drone training class, KOMO TV reporter Jeremy Harris received an exclusive look and interview with the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) drone team as they train and prep for the 2026 World Cup. Watch the video below and see how this technology will be used when the games begin in June.

Executive Zahilay announces leadership transition at Department of Natural Resources and Parks

Crossposted from Field Notes

King County Executive Girmay Zahilay today announced that John Taylor, director of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks, has accepted an appointment as the new CEO of the Cascade Water Alliance, a partner organization that contributes to safe, clean, reliable water supply in the Central Puget Sound region.

The department completed major projects during Taylor’s tenure, including King County’s largest-ever floodplain restoration project, a unique onsite battery system that provides reliable power to West Point Treatment Plant, and the renewal of the King County Parks LevyRead more.

Thanking employees during Public Service Recognition Week

Dear team,

As King County Executive, one thing I enjoy is getting out to Be in Community, meeting with teams at worksites across King County and thanking you all for the work you do. It’s one way I get to know more about you, your work, learn about your innovation, and learn of obstacles I can help remove.

This week, as part of Public Service Recognition Week, I’ll be visiting employees at our 9-1-1 Communications Center in Renton to connect with the team, hear and learn from them, and thank them for the critical work they do.

Like so much of what we do, the work of these dedicated employees is behind the scenes. But when residents need their help, they are there, 24/7, as a voice at the end of the line to help during times of emergency and distress. The professionalism, dedication, and empathy that our 9-1-1 team members bring to their work make a difference in the lives of so many of our residents, often in their most difficult moments. Read more.