Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
Cross-posted from Metro Matters Last New Year’s Eve, while driving Metro Route 5 in north Seattle, Operator Teshim Awalom saw a pedestrian trying to recover their walker, which had fallen in the snow. Teshim worked with the person to locate the walker, helped them onto his bus, and asked if they needed any medical assistance. On May 19, King County Metro General Manager Terry White recognized Awalom’s actions that snowy day, presenting him with the George Turner Award, given by the Northwest Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Chapter member DeeAnne Cooper… Read More
Each year, Executive Constantine holds the Performance Excellence Awards, which honor employees and workgroups at King County for their exceptional contributions to performance, leadership, and innovation. These leaders embody the Executive Branch values and strive to reach our True North: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. This year’s recipient for the Innovation Award for Cost is the Department of Executive Services/Business and Finance Operations/Procurement and Payables Section – Strategic Sourcing Program. Residents rely on King County government to be a responsible steward of resources. To ensure the county gets the… Read More
King County employees are now able to receive discounted tickets to the hit Broadway musical comedy The Prom.To access the discount, employees can book directly through the 5th Avenue Theatre website, click on SHOWS & TICKETS, select the Calendar, and enter promo code SEACITY to purchase tickets. The Seattle Symphony is offering employee discounts for several upcoming events including the Verdi Requiem, National Geographic’s speaker series’ How to Clone a Mammoth, and Wayne Marshall Plays and Conducts Gershwin. Enter promo code SYMPHONY22 to save 20% off tickets at checkout. See all available employee discounts on the Employee Discount webpage.
King County employees are invited to join Balanced You and Vivecorp for virtual Core Conditioning on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. During the class, you will work the entire body using power, strength, and stabilization exercises like woodchops, planks, and glute bridges. This class is perfect for combatting the effects of sitting at a desk or doing repetitive motions all day. Heavy floor work with minimal jumping is involved. Exercises in these classes are taught at an intermediate level with variations suitable for all fitness levels available. To register… Read More
Founded in 2010, the Big Backyard 5K (also known as the BBY5K), is a community run/walk showcasing and benefitting King County Parks. Proceeds from the BBY5K benefit King County Parks, supporting maintenance and operations of facilities and recreational resources. Thoughout 12 years, more than 12,000 runners and walkers have gathered to raise more than $75,000 for King County Parks. This year’s event is on Sunday, June 5, and celebrates our ability to gather again with a simple approach to fun and fitness. Click here to find out more and register.
Employees at Jail Health Services, Public Health — Seattle & King County, are poised to continue a successful incentive program that encourages people in custody to get vaccinated. The relaunched vaccine benefit program is set to go live Thursday, May 19. It is happening thanks to a new $30,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The money will provide a $50 commissary credit to patients at the jail whenever they are eligible and elect to receive a vaccination, whether it is for their primary vaccination series or a booster dose. “The COVID-19… Read More
On May 11, the King County Sheriff’s Office was privileged to stand by their partners at the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe which hosted Native American Career Day. This event was attended by 200 area students and offered them an opportunity to talk to people from various industries and colleges about job opportunities and to support their career path. Sheriff’s Office members talked to the students and answered questions about public safety and a possible career with the department. For more information about this event and other upcoming community events, visit the KCSO Facebook page.
Part of the Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards, the Innovation Award for People goes to the Department of Executive Services/Fleet Services – Apprenticeship Program. Fleet Services was having trouble finding candidates with sufficient skills for heavy-duty technician positions, leading to staff shortages and delays in maintaining King County roads. The division created an apprenticeship program that allowed the county to grow a skilled workforce from within, and gave apprentices the opportunity to become career-service employees. Click here to learn more about this award and watch the video.
King County Executive Dow Constantine will deliver his 2022 State of the County address at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, and employees are invited to watch the address live from their workstations. You can watch Executive Constantine’s address streaming live on this webpage and on KCTV Channels 22 and 322 (HD). The Executive’s remarks will begin a little after 1 p.m. Every year, during the State of the County address, Executive Constantine discusses the condition of our County and outlines his legislative agenda and priorities to the people of King County. Video and the text of… Read More
On Monday, May 9, the King County Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with Starbucks and the Burien Police Department, hosted Coffee with a Cop. The event was a success and well-received by the community. Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall and Undersheriff Jesse Anderson joined other command staff, along with deputies and 911 dispatchers, to talk and meet with community members. Customers were pleasantly surprised to receive their drive-up order from uniformed King County and Burien deputies donning the signature Starbucks green apron. For more information about this event and other upcoming community events, visit the KCSO Facebook page.
There’s a saying in Vietnamese, “Uống nước nhớ nguồn” that translates to “when you drink from a river, remember its origins.” Throughout the month of May, KCTV will feature local AANHPI leaders each week to see how their past is connected to the present. Week two features Shawn Wong, a Chinese-American University of Washington professor and author. When Wong was coming up as a young writer in the 1970s, he wanted to know: Where are all the Asian American authors? Fifty years later, through publishing, writing and teaching, Shawn has worked to make Asian… Read More
Several King County leaders today announced the honorees for the 2021 Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards in a series of videos, recognizing employees and teams for their exceptional contributions to performance, leadership, service, and innovation to better serve our residents. “I established these awards back in 2018 to honor employees and workgroups for their exceptional contributions to performance, leadership, and innovation,” Executive Constantine said in his introduction to the awards. “Recognizing great work is important; and celebrating the people behind the great work is even more important; and that’s exactly what’s behind the… Read More
King County’s Trailhead Direct transit service will return for the season beginning on Saturday, May 28. This summer, King County Metro and King County Parks are focusing the transit-to-trails service on its most popular route with stops at trailheads near Mount Si, Mount Teneriffe, and Little Si. Riders can take the bus, Sound Transit Link light rail, or bike to easily get to the Sound Transit Capitol Hill Link station, where Trailhead Direct coaches will depart every 30 minutes. The 2022 season will include service on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. See the… Read More
King County government will observe Juneteenth as a new paid holiday for the first time this year, on Monday, June 20. Last year, King County Council passed two Ordinances and King County bargained Agreements for represented employees to establish Juneteenth (June 19) and Indigenous Peoples’ Day (second Monday in October) as paid holidays starting in 2022 for King County employees who are eligible for comprehensive leave benefits. This year, King County government offices will be closed on Monday, June 20 in observance of Juneteenth. The establishment of Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day as new holidays reflects our… Read More
Executive Dow Constantine has declared May 15 to May 21, 2022 as Emergency Medical Services Week in King County. Emergency medical services are among the most important services provided in the area, and it is important to honor the valuable accomplishments of emergency medical services providers. The full proclamation follows below.
Cross-posted from Executive Services Express Four Emergency Management employees presented at the statewide Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference last month. Susanna Trimarco, Sasha Rector, Mikko McFeely and Sheri Badger gave a total of three presentations covering Regional Catastrophic Planning, Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks and the Trusted Partner Network. Click here to read the full story.
Mark your calendars for Sunday, June 26 at 11 a.m. to join your colleagues representing King County in the 2022 Seattle Pride parade. Participants will be required to show proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test in order to participate. T-shirts will be available for sale, so stand by for more information. There will be 150 adult size t-shirts available at no cost on a first-come, first-serve basis the morning of the parade. Further details about when and where we will meet for the Parade will be sent out once it is available. To stay up to date on all things related… Read More
Executive Branch employees can now get IT support at any of KCIT’s new Tech Centers in Tukwila, Northgate or South Seattle. KCIT Tech Centers provide employees with convenient onboarding/offboarding services, docking station and monitor replacements, and general PC fixes that can’t be solved remotely. KCIT Tech Center support is available by appointment only. If onsite help is needed, KCIT staff will contact you to schedule an appointment at your preferred location. KCIT Tech Centers are another example of how KCIT is supporting King County’s hybrid workforce as we move forward with the Future of… Read More
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider As King County COVID-19 case rates have fallen from the Omicron peak earlier this year, and as the availability of free rapid self-test and community testing options have increased, demand at King County COVID-19 test sites has significantly declined. In order to better align with demand and transition to long-term testing solutions, Public Health – Seattle & King County will end its operations of our Tukwila, Federal Way and Auburn COVID-19 testing sites. The last day of King County operations for the Federal Way and Tukwila testing sites… Read More
Cross-posted from Public Health Insider If you or someone you know is at higher risk from COVID-19 because of a compromised immune system, pre-exposure prophylaxis (also called PrEP, available as the product Evusheld) can help to protect from severe disease. When taken before infection or exposure, Evusheld helps your body fight the coronavirus and avoid getting really sick or needing to visit the hospital. Find more information here.