Devastating Amtrak derailment
The Monday morning train derailment near DuPont resulted in the tragic loss of life and multiple injuries and hospitalizations. King County Executive Dow Constantine issued the following statement on the accident: “The devastating Amtrak derailment this morning has caused pain and concern throughout our region. Most of the daily passengers on that line are commuters who live or work in King County. To the friends and families of those who perished, know that we mourn with you. I thank the first responders for their heroic actions to save lives in a perilous situation. We stand… Read More
A new King County initiative prevented more than 3,000 people from becoming homeless in 2017
A new initiative launched a year ago by Executive Dow Constantine has prevented more than 3,000 people in King County from becoming homelessness. Results from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30 – the latest data available – show that 96 percent of the 1,024 client households still had a place to live, which prevented the need for additional shelter beds. It also decreased the number of children who suffer the trauma that homelessness can cause, which can affect brain development. Read more in the official press release.
Regional leaders announce ‘One Table’ – a community approach to homelessness and affordability
King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus today announced the formation of One Table, a comprehensive effort made up of business, service providers, healthcare, faith community, philanthropy, labor, academia, community members and people who have experienced homelessness. The group will assess the region’s current response to homelessness, including root causes such as escalating home prices, inequality and the need to expand mental health and addiction services. It will also work to scale up community-based and government programs that are successful. “We all know homelessness is a… Read More
King County Executive seeks moratorium on Atlantic salmon net pens
Citing the threat to native salmon populations, King County Executive Dow Constantine has called for a six-month moratorium on allowing any new Atlantic fish farming facilities along marine shoreline in unincorporated King County. “The hundreds of thousands of farmed, invasive Atlantic salmon that spilled into the Salish Sea in August threaten our native fish populations and our way of life,” said Executive Constantine. “Atlantic salmon don’t belong here. Beyond a six month moratorium, we need to ensure these operations can never again pose a threat to indigenous salmon already struggling to survive.”… Read More
What we heard in our 2017 Employee Survey
Dear fellow King County employee, What kind of workplace do you want King County to be? How we can serve our customers better? How can you be your best at work? Almost 8,350 of you told us about your experiences at King County in our 2017 Employee Survey, and I thank you for taking the time to have your say. We have now received the results, which show a lot of improvements, as well as some areas where we need to do more work. Please take a moment to watch this short… Read More
Executive Constantine directs Public Health to oversee King County juvenile detention reorganization
As part of King County’s commitment to reduce traumatization of youth in detention, eliminate racial disparities in the juvenile justice system and advance the goal of zero youth detention, Executive Constantine directed a multi-departmental team under the oversight and direction of Public Health – Seattle & King County to draft a proposal reorganizing juvenile detention services. In addition, Executive Constantine announced that King County will contract with a third-party validator, New York-based Vera Institute of Justice, to review its juvenile detention policies and practices, and recommend potential reforms. “By adopting a public… Read More
King County partners with Ballmer Group to expand access to outpatient mental health and addiction treatment
As many as 22,000 low-income people in King County will be eligible for same-day outpatient treatment for mental health and addiction services under an innovative new program announced today by King County, Ballmer Group and Third Sector Capital Partners, a San Francisco-based nonprofit advisory firm that collaborates with communities on how to contract for social services. The “Pay for Success” model will allocate $1.4 million a year in incentive payments to mental health and substance use treatment agencies that provide outpatient treatment on demand for people in need. “We are combining County… Read More
Honoring our military veterans
Dear fellow King County employee, Every year, our nation comes together to salute the men and women who answered the call of duty to serve in our nation’s armed forces. To protect and preserve our freedoms, they placed their lives in harm’s way, often thousands of miles from home and family. Among the more than 112,550 veterans who call King County home are 1,054 men and women with whom we work every day – fellow employees in every branch and every department in King County. Over the past year, 92 of those… Read More
King County Executive, Governor celebrate Colman Dock project and our future home
Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog As crews continue to build King County Water Taxi’s future home, Executive Dow Constantine, Gov. Jay Inslee and other transportation leaders took time last week to celebrate the progress of the Seattle Multimodal Terminal at Colman Dock Project. The Executive was one of the keynote speakers at a celebration inside Colman Dock, the state’s busiest terminal, which overlooks the site of the Water Taxi’s future Passenger Only Ferry (POF) facility. Executive Constantine – who has long made improving mobility throughout the region one of his priorities –… Read More
Historic labor agreement delivers on our employee-focused priorities
King County and the Coalition of Unions have reached a tentative agreement on a three-year Master Labor Agreement (MLA) that will, once ratified, help the County advance towards its goal to be a workplace where every employee has the tools, knowledge and support to innovate, achieve their career goals and deliver equitable, high quality service to our customers. “The MLA delivers on many of the objectives of my Investing in You, Best Run Government and Equity and Social Justice priorities,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in announcing the tentative MLA. “It standardizes many work processes, large and small;… Read More
Employee News 