ESJ Opportunity Fund now accepting applications, deadline Nov. 22
The Office of Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) is now accepting applications for the Equity and Social Justice Opportunity Fund. The Opportunity Fund is a competitive process that provides resources to King County employees to develop and implement projects that work to advance equity, social justice and King County’s mission to lead with racial justice in support of the ESJ Strategic Plan. Read more in the overview here and download the application here.
Applications are due by or before November 22, 2019. For questions contact Tynishia Walker at TWalker@kingcounty.gov or at 206-263-0534.
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PeopleSoft team receives innovator award
Pictured: From left to right, Carmel Call, Director of the Business Resource Center; Paco Aubrejaun, SVP for Oracle PeopleSoft; Mike Betschart, PeopleSoft Manager; Joe Isaacks, PeopleSoft Development Technical Lead, and Rebakah Jackson, VP Strategy and Product Management for Oracle PeopleSoft.
Thumbs up to the PeopleSoft team for recognition as an innovator at the recent Oracle OpenWorld conference. They created a disaster recovery option on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, selective adoption (PUM) and improved the user experience with fluid pages.
The team now has a world-wide presence on the PeopleSoft web site. Mike Betschart also made his first official YouTube appearance.
The PeopleSoft team
- Mike Betschart, the PeopleSoft Manager plus his leadership team:
- Tracey Dang
- Hannah Gacey
- Joe Isaacks
- Rey Rodriguez
Technical Team
- Curtis Hanson
- Jay Hsiao
- Ken Kaspersen
- Prasanth Kondugari
- Ampalavanar Mohanakumar
Analyst Team
- Jackie Brown
- James Clopton
- Steve Farnell
- Justin Grover
- Mildred Llarenas
- Terry Olsen
- Kathleen Petersen
- Robert Shroder
- Kevin Wessel
- Morgan Williams
BRC Shared Services team
- Xiaoiu Chen
- Robert Cho
- Geoff Campbell
- Marjorie Mills
- Rupinder Walia
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Focus on values: We are responsible stewards
Dear employee,
Last month, we launched a monthly focus on our values to help us gain a deeper understanding of King County’s values and how we apply them to our work. This month, we are focusing on the value “We are responsible stewards.”
Being a responsible steward is a value I take very seriously. For me, stewardship is taking care of the resources entrusted to our care.
As Director of the Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget, my primary focus is making sure we are strong financial stewards, so people know their money is used efficiently and effectively. As a longtime resident, I work hard to be a good environmental steward to preserve this region and its gifts for future generations. And as an avid history buff, it’s about preserving the deep history and diverse cultures that enrich our region.
Stewardship may mean something different for each of us, but we all play a role in being responsible stewards as a local and regional government. It’s a core component of achieving our True North vision of making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
Please take a moment to watch our fellow King County employees discuss what “We are responsible stewards” means to them. Your supervisor will also soon discuss what this value means to you and your team, and how it applies to you and your work.
Best regards,
Dwight Dively
Director, Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget
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Pet of the Week: Leo
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
Looking for a spunky, spirited boy? Look no further than Leo, our Pet of the Week!
This border collie/Boston terrier mix is waiting for his forever home. He was brought in by his previous family because he had a tendency to run off property. (A well-fenced yard at his new home would be good.)
Read more from Tails from RASKC
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Featured Job: Administrative Specialist II
Salary: $21.91 – $28.75 Hourly
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Department: DNRP – Natural Resources & Parks
Job Number: 2019SN10707
Closing: 10/20/2019 11:59 PM Pacific
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
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It’s in the mail: Look for Open Enrollment information
Check your home mailbox for important benefits and Open Enrollment information mailed recently to the address you have listed in PeopleSoft. Open Enrollment takes place Nov. 1 – 15 and is your opportunity to:
- Enroll in a Flexible Spending Account—Health Care and Dependent Day Care FSAs reduce your taxable income—saving you money. You must re-enroll every year during Open Enrollment. The Health Care FSA maximum contribution for 2020 is $2,700.
- Select the appropriate Benefit Access Fee—or exemption. If you cover a spouse or domestic partner on your medical plan, a Benefit Access Fee may be automatically applied, depending on your benefit group and the plan you choose. If you qualify for an exemption, you must confirm this each year during Open Enrollment. If no action is taken during Open Enrollment and you later determine that you qualified for an exemption, fees already deducted will not be refunded.
- Change medical plans—Use the Plan Comparison Charts and other resources on the Medical plans page to consider whether Kaiser SmartCare or KingCare Select (Regence) makes sense for your family. These plans will likely save you money, with lower deductibles, copays, and Benefit Access Fees. The KingCare (Regence) plan is also still available. Note: KingCare Select is not available to Deputy Sheriff/PSPMA and TEA-DOT employees.
- Give—Contribute to your favorite nonprofit in the Employee Giving Program during the Annual Giving Drive. Pledges must be renewed each year. Your donations to the nonprofits you selected do not automatically roll over.
What if you don’t participate in Open Enrollment?
- You will remain enrolled in your current medical plan.
- The Benefit Access Fee associated with your medical plan and benefit group will be automatically applied if you cover your spouse or domestic partner.
- You will not be enrolled in a Flexible Spending Account.
- Your other benefit choices will remain the same for next year.
Learn more at Benefits & Retirement Fair
Learn more about your benefits and retirement options at the Benefits & Retirement Fair:
- Oct. 16, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Renton Elections, Alvine Room, 919 SW Grady Way, Renton
Get in-person Open Enrollment help
If you would like assistance with Open Enrollment, stop by one of the following help sessions in the Chinook Building, 401 Fifth Ave., 2nd Floor, Seattle.
- Nov. 6: 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Mimosa Room 222
- Nov. 13: 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Mimosa Room 222
- Nov. 15: 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Rhododendron Room 233
For more Open Enrollment and benefits information:
- www.kingcounty.gov/Open-Enrollment
- Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations Chinook Building, 401 Fifth Ave., 2nd Floor, Seattle
- Call 206-684-1556 or email KC Benefits
- 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday (closed Veterans Day, Nov. 11)
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2019 Annual Giving Drive: Spotlight on nonprofits supporting the Latinx community
King County’s Annual Giving Drive Program started October 7, and almost 1,200 nonprofits are taking part this year. Throughout this year’s drive, we’ll be featuring four nonprofits in different categories. To honor Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month at King County, we’ve highlighted four nonprofits that support and advance the rights of our Latinx and Hispanic Community.
- Casa Latina (9307) 317 17th Ave S. Seattle, WA 98144 – Empowers Latinx/Hispanic immigrants through employment, education, and community organizing – toward full participation of the Latinx/Hispanic community in the economy and democracy of the U.S.
- Soccer Without Borders Seattle (9968) 600 1st Ave, Seattle WA 98104 – The foundation has team-based soccer and educational programing for newcomer immigrant and refugee youth, so they can be successful on and off the field.
- Latino Community Fund Washington State (9652) 68 S. Washington St. Seattle, WA 98104 – Cultivating new leaders, supporting cultural and community based nonprofit organizations, and have civically engaged Latinx/Hispanic communities in Washington.
- Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (9260) 615 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 Seattle, WA 98104 – A nonprofit that promotes justice by defending and advancing the rights of immigrants through legal services, systemic advocacy, and community education.
All these nonprofits focus on systemic advocacy, with legal and educational services for the Latinx and Hispanic Communities. With various nonprofits participating this year, the Employee Giving Drive Program offers employees the option to participate in a nonprofit expo online or in person, making it more inclusive. Don’t forget to also download a Giving Passport, which once you complete, you can be entered for a chance to win a prize. For more information, a list of participating nonprofits or if you would simply like to donate, visit the Employee Giving Campaign Annual Drive Nonprofit Search Directory. Happy Giving!
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Fair and Just Prosecution Fellow Joseph Ludmir shares his summer experience at the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
This summer, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office welcomed Joseph Ludmir, a rising second year law student from Los Angeles, as a resident Fellow with the national Fair and Just Prosecution Program. The program places outstanding law students in the “most inspiring elected prosecutors’ offices around the country,” an honor Seattle shares with Philadelphia, Brooklyn and Boston.
Summer fellows are defined by their interest criminal justice reform and their ability to bridge the gap between the classroom theories and on-the-ground work.
Working primarily with Deputy Chief of Staff Carla Lee and Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ben Santos, Joseph said the experience has been transformational.
“These are programs and approaches that don’t exist in a lot of places right now,” said Ludmir. What he learns here, he takes back to the University of Chicago Law School.
He says he learned that everyone has a different idea of justice and how to make it work. It varies across city lines, state lines, and communities, and the younger generation believes in a more restorative approach. “We post things, we share things. But it’s much easier to talk about a world where everything is equitable and people get justice served both through the court systems and through rehabilitation post-conviction. I’m here to see how to make that happen.”
Joseph has been reviewing convictions, gathering data and looking for patterns. Joseph’s top takeaways:
- Prosecutors have a difficult job. They have to uphold justice because they represent people and the state, but they also defend life and freedom. Balancing those interests is difficult and hard to explain.
- Trials are nothing like they are on TV. Rarely is there a star witnesses or breakout moment. Testimony and evidence can be murky and confusing.
- Good attorneys tell compelling stories that juries can follow easily.
Ultimately, he’s grateful to Carla and Ben for giving him meaningful work digging deep into convictions and other cases and having long discussions about the future of justice and the role his generation will play.
King County PAO has participated in the Fellowship two years in a row. Dan Satterberg is a member of the six member FJP Advisory Board. Based on our positive experience with Joseph and others, the PAO will to continue to participate in the program.
Pictured: Left to right, Zoe Fielder and Marissa Madrazo, Legal Assistant ll’s, Deputy Chief of Staff Carla Lee, Chief of Staff Leesa Manion, Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, and Fellow Joseph Ludmir.
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Five questions with Brendan McCluskey, Director of the King County Office of Emergency Management
Why did you start in your role with King County, and what is your official title?
I am the Director of the King County Office of Emergency Management. I started with King County March 2019. I came to the County from New Jersey, where I was the State’s Director of Public Health Preparedness. Previously, I had been the Deputy State Emergency Management Director for Maryland. I also participate as a volunteer assessor and assessment team leader for the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP). King County is an accredited emergency management program, and I served as the team leader for the week-long on-site accreditation assessment in 2017. I became familiar with the program then, and when the position opened in late 2018, I decided to apply.
What do you do in your role?
I lead a team that is responsible for emergency preparedness throughout King County, including county agencies, partner cities and jurisdictions, other entities, the private sector, and the public. I also lead the County’s efforts during emergency operations, coordinating within and outside of the County at all government levels, including with the private sector. What this means is that during non-emergency times, me and my team work on emergency plans, assess risk of natural and human-caused hazards, develop capabilities to deal with the various threats and hazards, train responders and the public, test and exercise our plans and equipment, and then go back and revise and update based on the lessons we learn. During emergencies, my team and I staff the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC), where coordination of the response to and recovery from the emergency takes place.
Why did you choose this field as your career?
I think it was accidental. I started as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician in New Jersey when I was 16 years old, and eventually became a professional paramedic in an urban environment. I then trained on and became involved in specialized responses, such as hazardous materials releases, urban search and rescue, and mass casualty events. As I was promoted within the Emergency Medical Services department, I gained more responsibility for some of these areas, and was looked upon for my expertise. It was a natural progression from there to the field of emergency management, and the rest is history, as they say.
What is the biggest challenge of your job?
The biggest challenge is staying updated on trends, best practices, and innovations in the field. Emergency Management is a relatively young field, and much has changed even in the short time it has been a profession. Keeping an open mind and being receptive to collaboration are the keys to staying ahead in this field.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I have a great team, so being able to work with them on a daily basis is what I most enjoy. I want to be sure to let you know this team includes the other staff members at KC OEM, and it also includes partners in DES and King County Government, the cities, and other emergency management professionals throughout Washington (and the rest of the country).
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Revamped dock at Pier 50 offers new accessibility features
It took two years for a full rebuild, but as of August 2019, the new passenger-only ferry dock at Pier 50 has reopened, to include Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements for those with mobility issues. Travelers taking regional ferry service to West Seattle, Vashon, Bremerton and Kingston can now wait under a fully-covered dock with inside seating. A tactile path and tactile signs also guide the way forward to the boat and a new ADA assistance station.
The new dock even includes an elevator that will connect to a new pedestrian bridge for the Washington State Ferry terminal and restrooms.
Though a tactile path can often look ornamental, each shape of the tile can tell a story for those who are blind or visually impaired. The straight “along” lines on the ferry’s path indicate that it is safe to go forward. The tiles begin at Alaska Way entrance and continue to the office within the terminal. There are plans to continue the pavers through the Marion Street overpass to be in place by 2023.
On
ce inside the new facility, brail signage can be used to locate a dedicated “mobility assistance station” for information. With the press of a button, a light comes on and staff from the office or vessel crews can provide assistance.
The new dock also has a float built to accommodate varying ramp angles to make it easier to board. Once aboard, the vessels have plenty of room to maneuver and ADA restrooms that can accommodate a wheelchair.
Later this summer, the facility also will feature an observation platform overlooking the bay at the west end.
The new facility has capacity to hold up to 500 people with large garage-style doors that can be opened or closed depending on the weather.
Employee News 