GoGreen and “The Future of Transportation” 

Crossposted from Inside Transportation by Harold S. Taniguchi, Director, King County Dept. of Transportation Local action will continue to be our path forward on climate, sustainability, mobility and equity in King County, as we saw at the recent GoGreen Conference in Seattle. Thanks to the leadership of King County Executive Dow Constantine, we are addressing these challenges and partnering with businesses and the community for shared success on green building, wind and solar energy, transit-oriented development, and the nation’s leading commitment on electric buses. This was the fifth year of King County’s… Read More

County floodplain managers work together to understand a fast-moving river 

Crossposted from The Downstream Blog On a gray day last month, a small group of King County and King County Flood Control District (Flood District) employees stood on the forested edge of the Tolt River upstream of Carnation. Geologically speaking, this is a young river – sinuous, fast-moving and largely unconstrained as it courses from its headwaters in the Cascades to its confluence with the wide, slow-moving Snoqualmie River. Chase Barton, an engineer with the King County’s River and Floodplain Management (Rivers) Section in the Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD), looked… Read More

Commemorating May Day and International Workers Day April 26 

Employees are welcome to participate in a celebration focused on protecting immigrants and refugees by commemorating May Day and International Workers Day. The event will feature guest speakers, a spoken word artist and is co-sponsored by the Executive Branch, King County Office of Equity and Social Justice and members of the King County Council. Wednesday, April 26 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Chinook Rooms 121-123 View the flyer for more information.

See something, say something. Issues that is 

Crossposted from King County Parks Plog As your King County Parks staff, our job is to keep your parks clean, safe and open. It is part of our daily routine. That said, stuff happens. Daily, if not hourly, staff can be rerouted to deal with any number of issues. We of course handle anything we come across during our rounds, but sometimes, you visitors are onsite before we are. (Looking at you, “Training for a marathon before work,” and, “Dogs will eat my furniture if they don’t play in the field before… Read More

King County honors the heroic sacrifice of firefighter Luther Dean Bonner with a new airport fire station that captures his story

At a ceremony Monday at King County International Airport, the new rescue and fire station was named in honor of a fallen firefighter whose act of bravery has been overlooked for decades. In 1943, Luther Dean Bonner, a 23-year-old Seattle firefighter, died while attempting to rescue passengers and warehouse workers after a plane crashed into a plant near the airfield. Thirty-two people were killed, making it the largest loss of life from a fire in Seattle’s history, yet Bonner’s sacrifice was never properly recognized. King County elected officials invited members of his… Read More

Metro’s Anita Whitfield: Paving the way for equity in public transit 

Crossposted from Metro Matters As Metro’s EEO/Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Anita Whitfield has been breaking down barriers and instilling a shared sense of responsibility for promoting equity and social justice. Whitfield has worked to create a culture where employees feel safe to have difficult discussions about historical and current inequities. She’s led training for many employees (which she calls “shared learning opportunities”), and played an instrumental role in shaping a vision for making Metro and King County government more equitable for all employees and residents. Whitfield recently was honored by the Puget… 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

Grand opening of Administration Building Plaza April 21 

Join us to kick off the activation of the Administration Building Plaza as a place for employees to relax and come together in the nicer weather. The event will feature guest speakers and a ribbon cutting, as well as foosball, ping pong and participation from vendors including the YMCA, Oxbow Farm, Snoqualmie Valley Farmers, 24 Hour Fitness and many more. Delicious food from a variety of food carts will be able for purchase as well. Friday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. west side of King County Administration Building For… Read More

Administrative Professionals Recognition Day event, April 26 

Please join us for the second annual King County Administrative Professionals Recognition Day event on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the King County Courthouse, Room E-942, 516 Third Avenue. Register for the event today to ensure your spot. Please plan for travel time through the security checkpoint and elevators.

Tech Tip: Privacy protections and the internet 

There has been a lot of talk recently about Internet Privacy. The other Washington is moving to change online privacy protections and this Washington is moving to protect them at the state level. No matter what the outcome, this is a good reminder that we should all take some basic precautions to safeguard our privacy while surfing the web. Check your ISPs Privacy Policy Your ISP is your Internet Service Provider (AKA Comcast, AT&T or Verizon). Every ISP has a policy which governs what they will do with your personal information. This… Read More