Employee safety contacts: Save them in your phone
Employee safety is essential to providing a supportive work environment. Below are several contacts and resources to help every King County employee feel safe and secure. What: 911. When to call: When you have a Police, Fire; or Medical emergency; a situation that could, or does, pose a danger to life, property or both; suspicious activity involving a person(s) or vehicle that appears to have criminal intent; any situation that requires immediate dispatch of an officer; to report a serious crime, such as robbery, domestic violence, or sexual assault. How: Call 911…. Read More
2023 Salmon SEEson
The Salmon SEEson program shares the best stream and river locations in King County where people can see salmon as they return from the ocean in late summer and fall. Some locations are self-guided, while others feature volunteer naturalists to guide visitors in seeing salmon and learning about their lifecycle, efforts to protect them, and restoring habitat. Salmon are an important cultural, economic, and environmental resource for our region, especially to indigenous people. Local governments, Tribes and community groups around King County and Puget Sound are working to recover salmon populations by… Read More
How to prepare for a long and unpredictable flood season in King County
Crossposted from Keeping King County Green The most common natural disaster in King County is flooding. There have been 29 flood-related federal disaster declarations in the county since 1956, and the science is clear that climate change will increase flood risks to our region. Even minor flooding can cause big disruptions to our infrastructure, closing roads and requiring costly clean-up and repairs to property. In King County, flooding is most common from October through April. This year, experts predict an El Niño weather pattern. This typically means a warmer, drier winter in… Read More
A ‘New Energy’ arrives as Executive Constantine unveils new colors for Metro’s electric fleet
Crossposted from Metro Matters King County Executive Dow Constantine unveiled one of Metro’s next-generation battery-electric buses wrapped in the new colors of the fleet today at Metro’s South Base. Called “The New Energy,” the livery design is a mix of electric yellow and seafoam blue, is a visual representation of Metro’s commitment to helping combat climate change and will be outfitted on all the new vehicles joining the fleet. Along with Executive Constantine, Metro General Manager Michelle Allison, King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, and Teague Livery Design Manager Katie Ryan, helped unveil… Read More
Greg Wilson receives award from Washington Alliance for Better Schools
Greg Wilson, a Program Manager within Public Health’s Environmental Health Services Division, won the inaugural Outstanding Leadership Award from the Washington Alliance for Better Schools (WABS). WABS is a collaborative of school districts and industry leaders working to support students. They give this award in recognition of a person or team who has demonstrated outstanding engagement with WABS over time. Greg was selected due to his collaboration with WABS for over a decade, providing instructor support and coordinating teacher externships, and for his consistent advocacy for partnerships between WABS and Public Health…. Read More
Public Health program transforms into collaborative troupe, empowering employees and engaging the community
The Employee Engagement Strategy (EES) Program at Public Health – Seattle and King County has recently undergone a remarkable transformation, evolving into a dynamic collective known as the EES Troupe. The Troupe brings together participants from various divisions and departments throughout King County, with the aim of fostering effective employee engagement and strengthening collaborative strategies. The EES Troupe has been working diligently to create a robust working environment that promotes teamwork, innovation, and productivity among colleagues internally. By encouraging employees to work together and leverage their diverse expertise, the Troupe aims to… Read More
Youth learn and develop community leadership skills through Metro Transit Equity Internship Program
Crossposted from Metro Matters This July, King County Metro hosted its second annual Youth Transit Equity Internship. The program provides a unique group learning and skill-building opportunity for young people interested in public transit and community leadership. Throughout the program, the Transit Equity Interns become peer ambassadors of transportation resources, explore career pathways within Metro, and build skills and knowledge of transit, urban planning, climate justice, and local government! Read more.
Collaborative culture sets the Inquest Program apart
Crossposted from DES Express Inquest Program employees see and hear things that many others never do. Even months or a year after an inquest hearing, those graphic images and sounds are hard to shake. The collaborative culture of the program not only helps employees successfully perform their jobs; it helps them deal with what is by its nature a stressful work environment. One staffer remembers the video of a police shooting victim’s children, being led from the scene by a neighbor. More than a year later, the employee remembers asking a colleague… Read More
Volunteer Tails: Fostering Bunnies
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC At Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC), we care for more than just cats and dogs. Depending on the need, we’ve taken in guinea pigs, birds, snakes, and even a rat or two. This year, we’ve taken in a large number of rabbits, which has been a bit unusual. Unfortunately, rabbits don’t do well in the shelter environment – but fortunately we have a group of dedicated bunny foster families who care for these fuzzy critters in their own home until they’re adopted. This story about one… Read More
Local food for all: Launch of 2024 refresh of the Local Food Initiative and Regional Food System Program
Crossposted from Keeping King County Green King County took a big step in becoming a leader in metropolitan food systems planning in 2014 when Executive Dow Constantine launched the Local Food Initiative (LFI) to expand the local food economy, to benefit county food businesses and farms, and to improve access to health and affordable food in low-income communities. Now, nearly a decade later, King County is launching a refresh of the LFI and King Conservation District’s complementary Regional Food System Program (RFSP). “The time is right. Climate change is more urgent than ever, the COVID-19 pandemic… Read More
Employee News 