From the Hip: Othniel Palomino, Chief Administrative Officer, District Court
Implementing change management effectively Managing the process of a major change is one of the most significant leadership challenges that most of us will face in our careers. King County District Court is currently in the middle of one of the most significant organizational changes in its history. We are leaving the 34 year old IBM mainframe based system managed by the Washington Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). We manage over 200,000 case filings annually using this system. The project has required us to replace 14 ancillary systems developed over time,… Read More
Investing in You
Dear fellow King County employee, Over the past few years, we’ve done a lot of work to make King County a workplace that supports you, your ideas and your passion for public service. Through our annual employee survey, Equity and Social Justice focus groups, and engagement action plans we asked you what you need to do your best work and have been acting on what you said. Today I am launching Investing in You, which builds on our employee-focused efforts in Equity and Social Justice, Best-Run Government: Employees and Continuous Improvement and… Read More
Remembering and honoring our fallen heroes
Each year on Memorial Day we pause as a grateful nation to honor the service and the ultimate sacrifice of the men and women who gave their lives fighting to preserve freedom here at home and around the world. As we honor those we have lost, let us also remember the thousands of dedicated men and women who continue to put their lives on the line every day to protect us all. Our gratitude and respect for the fallen moves us to act upon our duty to their families and their brothers… Read More
Renewing King County’s commitment to veterans and helping the region’s growing senior population
King County Executive Dow Constantine today announced an initiative to strengthen the county’s capacity to connect veterans to opportunity, help veterans, seniors, and vulnerable populations gain or maintain affordable housing, and add new services to help the region’s rapidly growing senior population. If approved by voters in November, the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy will replace the existing levy, which will expire Dec. 31. The current levy – which King County voters overwhelmingly renewed in 2011 – has connected hundreds of thousands of veterans, active service members and vulnerable populations to… Read More
Walk in the Shoes – Othello Encampment
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to join Walk in the Shoes of a County Employee winners Mary Dunbar and Della Lorenzen from Public Health – Seattle and King County for an afternoon on the job. Mary has been a social worker with the Kids Plus program in our Downtown Public Health Center for the past three and a half years. Della is a Personal Health Services Supervisor there. As part of the Health Care for the Homeless Network, their team of three social workers and two Public Health nurses are… Read More
Guidance for promoting access to benefits and services for immigrants
Some King County facilities qualify as Sensitive locations with the Department of Homeland Security. Some examples of sensitive locations are schools, hospitals, institutions of worship, and offices providing services for children, pregnant women, and victims of domestic abuse or individuals with significant mental or physical disabilities. The policy does not say that immigration agents cannot enter these locations, only that enforcement actions at these locations are discouraged and that immigration agents have to go through a supervisory review process before they are undertaken. King County is training our employees to be prepared… Read More
PRIDE is coming June 25
“Whether you arrived here last week or whether you’ve lived here for five generations, you belong here” – King County Executive Dow Constantine Please join King County Executive Dow Constantine and other colleagues, friends and family as we walk in the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25. Bring yourself, your family, your friends and enjoy the parade together! As always, there will be fabulous t-shirts available for order soon for about $10 with our theme for this year: We ALL Belong Here. Want to be up on all of the Pride information?… Read More
From the Hip: Laura Inveen, Presiding Judge, King County Superior Court
Spotlight on Jason Clark, Superior Court Equity and Justice Advocate As Presiding Judge of Superior Court, I was asked to write about the court. We have a lot going on, so it was a tough choice. After giving it some thought, the work being done by Jason Clark, our Equity and Justice Advocate rose to the top. Jason’s work is wide-ranging. He’s responsible for developing community-building and engagement strategies, for planning and policy/program development, and for general planning support for projects related to reducing racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice… Read More
Executive unveils stronger community-centered response for youth and families in crisis
Crossposted from King County Youth Justice King County Executive Dow Constantine announced new options for parents, youth, school personnel and local law enforcement that will divert and reduce the number of youth who come into contact with the courts and detention facilities. The “Safe Spaces” proposal connects youth who may have traditionally gone into the criminal justice system to community-based alternatives that provide supports and crisis stabilization that were previously unavailable. Youth and families can access counseling, healthcare, treatment for mental health or substance abuse, short-term crisis beds, education and mentoring and… Read More
Executive Constantine thanks DNRP employees for becoming “carbon neutral”
King County Executive Dow Constantine today congratulated Department of Natural Resources and Parks employees for helping DNRP become King County’s first “Carbon Neutral” agency. Dear DNRP employee, Earth Week is a great chance to congratulate every Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) employee for helping DNRP become King County’s first “Carbon Neutral” agency! Please watch the video linked here (also available below) from DNRP Director Christie True and me, thanking employees not only for helping DNRP reduce and remove more greenhouse gas emissions than it generates, but doing it a year ahead of… Read More
Employee News 