New Executive Office organizational structure
From King County Executive Girmay Zahilay
Our team continues to grow! I am excited to welcome these key leaders to our administration, who bring diverse skillsets, expertise, and strong commitments to serving the residents of King County. Read more.
Share this:
Update on King County’s response to the opioid overdose crisis
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
King County’s Five Priorities to Stop the Surge of Overdose Deaths were first announced in March 2024 as a coordinated cross-government response to slow the opioid overdose crisis. Over the past two years, we have seen a promising overall decline in overdoses in King County: fatal overdoses decreased 32% from 2023 to 2025. Nonetheless, fatal overdoses in 2025 remain elevated compared to before 2022. Working in partnership, the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) and Public Health Seattle & King County are investing in 13 actions to increase widespread access to treatment, medications, overdose reversal drugs, and places to go. Read more.
Share this:
Department of Local Services announces $90,000 in Alan M. Painter grants to support efforts that bring together communities in unincorporated King County
Crossposted from King County Local
King County’s Department of Local Services recently announced $90,000 in Alan M. Painter grants for 2026. The grants support projects that will bring together and strengthen communities across unincorporated King County. The grant program focuses on inclusivity, funding events and projects that are open to everyone regardless of race, income, or language spoken.
This popular program honors Alan M. Painter, the founding director of King County’s Community Service Area program and a long-time public servant who worked for the City of Seattle before coming to King County, where he served communities across the county. Read more.
Share this:
Get lucky at RASKC in March: $50 dog adoptions!
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
You can make a canine a “lucky dog” this month at Regional Animal Services of King County! Through March 31, you can adopt any adult dog (six months or older) for just $50 during our “Luck of the Dog” adoption special.
Adopting a dog from RASKC is always a great value. Not only will you get a friendly, furry companion, but there are lots of other benefits that come with your adoption. Thanks to our friends at Rover, all dog adopters at RASKC get a $40 voucher toward training. Adopters can also benefit from enrolling their new family member in Fetch Pet Insurance. Fetch offers the most comprehensive plan in North America with no restrictions on breed, age, or size. Together, RASKC and Fetch are making sure pets are happy and healthy in their new forever homes!
See all the pets waiting for you at kingcounty.gov/AdoptAPet, or visit the Pet Adoption Center at 21615 64th Ave. S. in Kent. Pet adoption hours are noon to 5 p.m. weekdays and noon to 4 p.m. weekends.
Share this:
Records Management reminder: Most information that we have access to is considered a “Record”
The definition of a record is “any information – regardless of format – that is created, received, or maintained, and which supports, sustains or provides evidence of King County business.”
Because of this broad definition, most information we have access to can be considered a record that needs to be managed.
This can include, but is not limited to:
- Paper records
- Emails
- Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
- Information in databases
- Audio and video files
- Photographs
- Social media and website posts
- Text messages
- And many more!
For more information, visit the County Records and Information Management Program’s website or contact them at records.management@kingcounty.gov. The County Records and Information Management Program (CRIMP), in the Department of Executive Services, provides guidance, resources, and training to all King County employees to assist them with managing King County’s publi
Share this:
First phase of new shelter project underway
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
Work has begun at the new Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) shelter location. The new shelter project will be completed in a phased approach, with the first phase focused on the offices and second floor of the building.
In this first phase, the county’s Facilities Management Division (FMD) will partner with other county agencies and external contractors to remove carpet, demolish select walls and fixtures, build out a new information technology (IT) room, install security infrastructure, update flooring, and update the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. FMD has started painting, patching, flooring preparation, and carpet removal in the office spaces. Read more.
Share this:
Victory vibes: Over 330,000 Metro boardings on Seahawks parade day
Crossposted from Metro Matters
Long before the sun peeked over the horizon on Super Bowl victory parade day, Seahawks fans started their journeys to downtown Seattle, leaving their cars behind and boarding buses, trains, water taxis and streetcars to stake out their front-row view.
With clear blue sky and sunshine, hour by hour, tens of thousands of people arrived downtown, and families and fans wearing 50 years of different team jerseys lined the streets with grins. The typical sound of downtown traffic was replaced by the buzz of fans waiting for the Seahawks stars to travel past.
Before long Metro’s vintage bus crawled into view, leading the parade to the roar of fans throughout the downtown. Read more.
Share this:
Department of Local Services celebrates Black History Month in Skyway by showcasing impacts of Participatory Budgeting
Crossposted from King County Local
To honor Black History Month, the Department of Local Services traveled to Skyway, an unincorporated community that’s home to the largest percentage of black community members in the state.
The event was an opportunity to celebrate figures and leaders whose impact is felt today. That included recognizing King County Councilmember Rhonda Lewis – the first black woman to serve on the County Council, as well as Civil Rights-era icon and longtime former Councilmember Larry Gossett. Read more.
Share this:
Profile in Service: Deb Wilson
Crossposted from For the Defense
Welcome to the King County Department of Public Defense’s Profiles in Service, a series that will highlight the contributions of our committed public servants and provide a platform for attorneys and professional staff to share their insights on the evolving practice of public defense. For our inaugural interview, recently retired attorney supervisor Deb Wilson sat down to reflect on her nearly 40 years as a public defender.
Deb began her career as an investigator at The Defender Association (TDA), nearly 30 years before the four nonprofits that had historically provided public defense in King County were combined to become DPD. She then went to law school at the University of Washington, returning to public defense as an attorney at the Associated Counsel for the Accused for the remainder of her career. Read more.
Pictured: Deb Wilson, right, and co-counsel Kell Brauer, left, preparing for their client’s trial.
Share this:
Metro wins national award for ‘Where To?’ campaign
Crossposted from Metro Matters
When King County Metro launched its “Where To?” ridership campaign, the goal was straightforward: inspiring more people to ride transit by showing the real-world adventures in King County that are just a bus ride away.
That effort has now earned top national honors — a first place APTA AdWheel Award for Best Comprehensive Campaign to Increase Ridership — in recognition of its blend of creativity, strategy, and real-world impact.
The Where To? campaign invited people to reimagine transit as a gateway to life in the region. By transforming Metro’s iconic electronic bus reader boards into destination “thought bubbles,” the campaign spotlighted real riders and real moments, from bike meetups to waterfront adventures, live music, and game days. Read more.
Employee News 