Kudos! Metro receive rave from Seattle Times readers
This piece was featured at the top of the Seattle Times’ Rant and Raves list for January 25, 2018. Kudos to our Metro operators and employees!
“RAVE To King County Metro Transit for providing buses to transport those of us in the Womxn’s March from Seattle Center back to the downtown area. Lots of buses were ready and waiting for us as we finished the march — and, to top it all off, the ride was FREE!”
Share this:
Council approves creation of Immigrant and Refugee Commission
In 2016, the Metropolitan King County Council accepted the recommendations of King County’s Immigrant and Refugee Task Force that evaluated the challenges facing King County’s growing immigrant and refugee community. Monday the Council voted toward acting on those recommendations with its unanimous approval to establish a King County Immigrant and Refugee Commission.
“The new residents of King County are working hard to become part of the greater community and this commission will be their voice,” said Councilmember Larry Gossett, the prime sponsor of the ordinance. “For people newly arrived not only in the county, but possibly in the country, there are numerous challenges. The commission provides them a ‘seat at the table’ which can be invaluable in being comfortable in their new homes.”
Read more in the official press release.
Share this:
Nominate a Peer for a 2018 STAR Award!
Crossposted from KC Employee Giving
It’s that time of the year to recognize a colleague who went far and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in the community!
With the Employee Giving Program’s Annual Celebration just around the corner — Thursday, February 15, 2018 (details below) — which celebrates outstanding effort and contributions made by departments and individuals, we want to remind you to nominate your STAR peers!
Read more at KC Employee Giving
Share this:
Count Us In volunteers hit the streets for annual homeless count
King County Executive Dow Constantine joined close to 1,000 volunteers in the early hours of Friday, Jan. 26, for the 2018 Count Us In to better understand how many people in our community are experiencing homelessness and how we can better serve their needs.
Watch him speak about the importance of the 2018 Count Us In event and how we can combat homelessness within King County in the video below.
Share this:
King County Information Technology pilots volunteer program
Crossposted from KC Employee Giving
In 2018, the King County Employee Giving Program (KCEGP) is launching its new volunteer program. In partnership, King County Information Technology (KCIT), a department of King County government, and KCEGP are initiating a pilot engagement to accomplish three objectives:
- Understand technology needs of Nonprofits
- Align volunteer services
- Establish an ongoing program
KCIT has more than 400 IT professionals serving King County in the areas of Infrastructure, Network Operation and Business Solution delivery services. These services are delivered by professionals working in different disciplines including Engineering, Application Development, Network Architecture, Project Management, Business Analysis and End User Training.
Read more at KC Employee Giving
Share this:
LinkUp: Supporting reuse and recycling markets
Caption: Left to right: Daniel Harding of Salvation Army, Kris Beatty of King County and Liz Fikejs of Seattle Public Utilities
Whether you wait until spring to get your spring cleaning done or chip away at it throughout the year, be mindful of items that have a second or third life before labeling them as waste.
The Solid Waste Division (SWD) LinkUp program works to expand markets for selected recyclable and reusable materials. Through this program, collaboration with businesses, public agencies and non-profits is helping extend the life of the King County landfill.
“Our projects are designed to reduce barriers preventing materials being reused or retained in the economy as a resource through recycling,” said Program Manager Kris Beatty, who oversees multiple LinkUp project partnerships. “The current materials identified as priorities for King County are asphalt shingles, mattresses and textiles, but we’ll soon be adding projects to address wood from construction projects and plastics.”
One recent LinkUp project has focused on textiles. Annually, about 40,000 tons of used textiles generated in Seattle and King County end up in landfills, but it’s estimated that 95% of that could have been reused or recycled.
In 2013, LinkUp set about researching used textiles markets to look for opportunities to reduce waste of that material. “In that process, several of the larger textile collectors, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, reported accepting textiles that are damaged, such has having holes, stains and broken zippers,” Kris said. “Consumer research showed that residents were unaware of that fact.”
As a result, LinkUp worked with Seattle Public Utilities to develop Threadcycle – a public education campaign that encourages residents to donate all their used clothes, shoes and linens to participating organizations for reuse or recycling. Here is a full list of acceptable items.
In 2016, 922,000 tons of solid waste was disposed at King County’s Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, and an estimated 70% of those materials could have been recycled.
“Landfill space is valuable,” Kris said. “Extending the life of our landfill is a top priority for us, and a value to King County residents and businesses.”
LinkUp is one of the Solid Waste Division’s complementary programs that are finding ways to increase reuse and recycling and reduce waste.
Share this:
Tech Tip: Scammers impersonate the Social Security Administration
Ralph Johnson, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer
By Ralph Johnson, Chief Information Security and Privacy Officer
Your Social Security number is an important key for an identity thief. Scammers want it, and they think of all sorts of ways to trick you into giving it away.
The Federal Trade Commission receives reports about calls from scammers claiming to be from the Social Security Administration. They say there’s been a computer problem, and they need to confirm your Social Security number. Other people have told the FTC that they have come across spoof websites that look like the place where you would apply for a new Social Security card – but these websites are actually a setup to steal your personal information.
If you get a phone call or are directed to a website other than ssa.gov that is claiming to be associated with the Social Security Administration, don’t respond. It’s most likely a scam.
Here’s some tips to deal with these government imposters.
- Don’t give the caller your information. Never give out or confirm sensitive information – like your bank account, credit card, or Social Security number – unless you know who you’re dealing with. If someone has contacted you, you can’t be sure who they are.
- Don’t trust a name or number. Con artists use official-sounding names to make you trust them. To make their call seem legitimate, scammers use internet technology to spoof their area code – so although it may seem they are calling from Washington, DC, they could be calling from anywhere in the world.
- Check with the Social Security Administration. The SSA provides additional information about these scams here and suggests you contact them directly at 1-800-772-121 to verify the reason for the contact and the person’s identity prior to providing any information to the caller.
If you come across one of these scams, please report it to the Social Security Administration’s Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271/1-866-501-2101(TTY) and then report it to the FTC at www.ftc.gov/complaint.
Share this:
Help us name the new King County Employee Health & Well-Being Initiative
Have a say in the new name
King County is changing Healthy Incentives based on what we heard from employees. A new, voluntary Employee Health & Well-Being initiative will start later in 2018. What will the upcoming changes mean for your out-of-pocket medical expenses for 2018 health benefits? Thanks to the collaborative effort between labor partners and King County, King County employees* will have Gold level benefits in 2019. In 2018, you and your covered spouse or state-registered domestic partner will not need to take a Wellness Assessment or complete an Individual Action Plan.
What’s in a name? Help us decide!
The new King County Employee Health & Well-Being Initiative will take a comprehensive approach, focusing on the many aspects of health and well-being. We’ll bring you programs, activities and tools to help you live a healthier, happier life; meeting you where you are, in ways that work with your schedule.
We’d like to hear from you.
The new initiative will be a reflection of the input you provided in 2017, so have a say in the new name, too! We’ve narrowed down the name to a few good choices, but would like your input to help us with the final decision.
Balanced – Description: A complete approach to a more balanced life. Strive for harmony in your health and well-being.
Life Engaged – Description: Live in the moment and take action. Invest in yourself to reach your goals.
Whole You – Description: Connect the many things that contribute to your whole-person. Do all you can to improve your health and well-being.
Click here to vote between Jan. 30 – Feb. 9
You may vote through the online survey, or by paper copy at select worksites. We’ll announce the new name later this spring, along with the introduction of the new initiative!
*Applies to non-represented employees and members of KCPOG, ATU, and unions that have formally signed the 2017-2018 JLMIC benefits agreement.
Share this:
Interview with Caitlin Cordell, Career LaunchPad Program Supervisor
Shared from the DCHS Touching Base Newsletter
What do you do in the Department of Community and Human Services?
I am a program supervisor for a new program within Education and Employment Resources (EER) called Career LaunchPad (CLP). CLP was funded by the Ballmer Foundation in March of 2017 to support more Opportunity Youth in our county to secure employment. Opportunity Youth are 16 to 24-year-olds who are disengaged from school and employment. When I took this position there were no systems in place to run a program like this, so my team and I have worked diligently over the course of ten months to build this program from the ground up.
We have five Career Navigators located across King County, primarily housed in what we call “re-engagement” schools. These schools offer young people, who have left traditional high school, an opportunity to retrieve credits, earn a high school diploma or GED, or even earn college credits and degrees. We have wonderful partnerships with iGrad in Kent, Federal Way Open Doors, YouthSource in Tukwila, Learning Center Seattle and the Salmon Creek Campus in Highline. In addition to these partnerships we also get referrals from many different community-based youth serving organizations. Most notably is our connection to rapid rehousing case managers. We partner directly with them to help young people obtain employment in order to become self-sufficient. CLP serves youth and young adults, ages 16-24, with individualized employment focused case management. We help our participants with job readiness, soft skill development, job searching and job connections. So far our program has secured unsubsidized employment for over 110 young people.
What’s something about yourself that people may not know?
I’m a competitive ultimate frisbee player. I’ve played for Seattle Riot, which is an elite level women’s team. With this team I’ve won two National Championship silver medals, one gold U.S. Open medal and one bronze National Championship medal. At 16 I was chosen to play for the U.S. National Team and went to Germany to play in the World Championships, where we won gold. Now I’m Masters eligible (which means 30+) and this year my team has qualified to play in the Masters World Championships.
To learn more about what DCHS is doing in our community, read the most recent issue of the Touching Base Newsletter (on SharePoint).
Share this:
February 13 Special Election
Message from Julie Wise, Director of King County Elections
Last week we mailed ballots for the February 13 Special Election to around 750,000 King County voters. If you live outside the City of Seattle, there’s a good chance you have something to weigh-in on! Eighteen jurisdictions are asking voters to make choices on a total of 34 ballot measures. These are important decisions about our community and I hope you will take the time to vote and return your ballot.
To learn more about what’s on your specific ballot, see your voting history and registration information, or to track your ballot, you can use our My Voter Information application. It’s available in Chinese, English, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese. If you haven’t yet received your ballot by January 29, you can get a replacement ballot here or by calling 206-296-VOTE.
There are several, convenient ways to return your ballot:
- Through the United State Post Office with a first class stamp, postmarked by Election Day.
- At any one of our 55 ballot drop boxes across the County, one of which is located in front of the King County Administration Building on 4th Avenue.
- You can also use one of our three Accessible Voting Centers.
Please encourage your friends, family and neighbors to let their voice be heard and vote. And, if you aren’t eligible to vote on anything in this election, don’t worry – you’ll have ample opportunities later this year from state legislative races to congressional seats and many more. In the meantime, you can always keep up with the latest election news on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and our blog.
Thanks and happy voting!
Employee News 