Celebrating the best of Rail: Our 2025 Employees of the Year
Crossposted from Metro Matters Each year, our King County Metro Rail Division grows, evolves and reaches new milestones—and behind every success are the people who make it happen. That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce our 2025 Rail Employees of the Year. “Each of these employees represents the dedication, heart and excellence that define our Rail Division,” said Metro General Manager Michelle Allison. “Their work not only keeps our system running—it strengthens the experience for the growing number of riders who depend on us. I’m incredibly proud of this year’s honorees and grateful for… Read More
WATCH: Executive Zahilay introduces our new Vision, Mission, and Values
Executive Zahilay today shared a new employee video where he introduces our new Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values. “ACTIVATE stands for: Accountable, Collaborative, Timely, Impactful, Value Employees, Accessible, Trusted, and Equitable,” Executive Zahilay explains in the video. “These values build on the strong foundation that already exists here at King County, while helping us meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. They define how we make decisions, how we work together, and how we hold ourselves accountable to the people that we serve.” The video also features Dr. Sandra Valenciano, Director of Public Health —… Read More
Executive launches new Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay today launched our new Vision, Mission, and Values for the Executive Branch. “Today, I am pleased to introduce our new Vision, Mission, and Values,” Executive Zahilay said in an email to all employees. “Together, they define where we are headed as an organization, the role we play in serving our communities, and how we will work together internally to deliver on those external priorities.” Our Vision Statement defines the future we are striving toward: a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient region where every individual and community is safe, connected, housed, healthy, and empowered… Read More
New discount available to Seattle Opera
Employees can now take advantage of discounts to multiple performances at the Seattle Opera for upcoming shows in the 2026/27 season. This includes “Salome,” “Lakme in Concert,” and others. Purchase tickets here, using promo code KING20. See all available discounts on the Employee Discount intranet page.
Behind the scenes of the limited-edition SEA26 ORCA Card
Crossposted from Metro Matters There’s nothing Seattle-area transit riders love more than a special-edition ORCA card! To celebrate Seattle’s status as a host city in the 2026 World Cup, ORCA produced a limited-edition, promotional ORCA card which celebrates the excitement of the sport and the culture of the Pacific Northwest. Led by King County Metro in partnership with 4Culture, this ORCA card was designed by local artist Alison Bremner. 4Culture is King County’s cultural services agency, providing funding and support for art, heritage, historic preservation, public art, and science and technology to help connect people throughout the… Read More
Events Ahoy! West Seattle Water Taxi is set for sailing to Mariners games, soccer matches and more this summer
Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog You don’t need a soccer tournament to stay busy in Seattle this summer, and the King County Water Taxi wants to help you get to all of the events taking place downtown—as well as to that soccer tournament! Weeknight trips after Mariners baseball Weeknight post-game sailings for the Seattle Mariners are returning this summer. The weekday post-game trips from Pier 50 to West Seattle started June 1, after an interleague game between the M’s and the New York Mets. The water taxi will provide evening post-game service Monday through Thursday…. Read More
Hundreds of thousands of people are coming to Seattle for the World Cup. Here’s what it means for your health
Crossposted from Public Health Insider With six World Cup matches and many fan events in Seattle planned in June and July, up to 750,000 people are expected to come to the region! Public Health and our partners have compiled tips to help people going to the events and exploring King County stay safe and healthy, whether you’re new to King County or already live here. Please share this information if you are hosting or working with visitors during the World Cup. Read more.
Employee Assistance Program and Making Life Easier undergo refresh, July 1
King County’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Making Life Easier (MLE) are about to go through a refresh. This is the result of feedback from employees, supervisors, leaders, and HR staff. Historically, the MLE program focused on helping all King County employees with home- and life-related stress and concerns. Beginning July 1, MLE will expand their services to also support employees with workplace issues. MLE will continue to provide support to employees and their families living in the same household for home-related stress and concerns. This all-in-one counseling is provided by our external vendor Curalinc and includes: Confidential… Read More
Using data to guide resources to where they’re needed most: Portraits of Public Health
Crossposted from Public Health Insider Our website is full of all sorts of interesting data dashboards, synthesizing information from an array of data sources to allow our staff and the public to better understand who is most impacted by various health issues. Danny is one of the data scientists who does the behind-the-scenes work to make these data visualizations possible and to allow our staff to work efficiently. For this month’s Portraits in Public Health, we look behind the scenes to understand the work of Danny and his colleagues. Hi Danny. What’s your job at Public Health? I’m a data scientist. I create software tools to help my… Read More
King County officials urge extra caution on rivers after December flooding created new potential drowning hazards
Crossposted from Field Notes King County officials are urging the public to be extra cautious on rivers this summer after major flooding this past December changed conditions and created new potential drowning hazards. They also warn that Lake Washington and Puget Sound remain dangerously cold even when the air temperature is warm. Widespread flooding this past December moved logs, rocks, and other hazards into rivers throughout King County, creating new drowning risks that might not be visible above the surface. Historically high flows shifted riverbeds, resulting in deeper or shallower pools that can create hazards for swimmers, tubers, boaters, and kayakers. Read more.
