Tag Archives: king county

King County adding treatment facilities, relaunching Seattle sobering center to take on fentanyl crisis

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A fatal overdose in Cal Anderson (Image: CHS)

At 10:30 AM on Monday, the Seattle Fire Department responded to a reported overdose in a Boylston Ave apartment. The city’s fire chief says his department is responding to an average of 15 drug overdoses a day driven by a surge in fentanyl use.

Officials this week say King County is launching a new “multi-part strategy across five priority areas” to address the crisis beginning this year that will include a new residential treatment center plus five new Crisis Care Centers paid for by the $1.25 billion property levy approved by voters last year along with new initiatives to increase access to overdose antidotes and drug testing.

Previously shuttered services are also being restarted including the reopening of the county’s sobering center that provides a desperately needed facility for people suffering from addiction and heavy drug or alcohol use.

“Substance use disorder is complex, and there is not one single cause, nor one simple solution. That’s why King County is connecting people to treatment and lifesaving interventions that are proven to work, and clear paths to recovery for all,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement. “The increasingly dangerous drug supply across the state and nation, dominated by fentanyl, is contributing to a devastating increase in deaths. There is so much more to do, which is why King County is also working upstream to help prevent substance use disorder, inform and educate the community, elevate early intervention strategies, and provide services and treatment for anyone who needs it.”

The investments range from the new facilities to resources already put in place like the county’s buprenorphine prescription hotline that is staffed 24 hours a day to help people get access to the drug used as a safer replacement in the treatment of opioid dependence.

Five Priorities for Action to Prevent Overdoses in King County in 2024

Priority 1: Treatment and community-based, recovery-focused care for all. Continue reading →

The other November election? Only part of Capitol Hill has big King County Council decision to make

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Seattle Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and Burien Mayor Sofia Aragon are squaring off for the District 8 seat on the King County Council representing western Capitol Hill along with downtown and West Seattle

A criss-cross of county district borders within Seattle

By Cormac Wolf, CHS Intern

There is another choice for local leadership to be made in November — but only part of Capitol Hill will be included in the vote.

Capitol Hill is represented by two county council representatives: Girmay Zahilay of District 2 including central and eastern Capitol Hill, the Central District, and South Seattle, and Joe McDermott of District 8. McDermott has decided not to run again to represent the district spanning from West Seattle, across downtown, and up onto western Capitol Hill, setting off a race between current citywide Seattle Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and Burien Mayor Sofia Aragon. Zahilay is running for reelection unopposed.

“County government exists because lots of different cities wanted to share certain regional services,” says Zahilay. “Imagine hopping on a bus in SeaTac, and trying to travel around all those cities. You wouldn’t want your bus service to have to stop at the city line for SeaTac and then hop on the Tukwila bus and then the bus would drop you off right at the city line and you would hop onto a Seattle based bus. That wouldn’t be efficient.”

“So we set up a county government to be in charge of specific regional services that spanned many different cities and unincorporated areas in King County.”

Capitol Hill is split due to the mechanics of district mapping. Council districts are drawn with the number of people in each district as first priority, with geographic and community cohesion subsequent considerations. This means that in the most densely populated areas of the county, like most of Seattle, the population is sometimes split to ensure each district has an equal population, and some neighborhoods end split by the borders.

Mosqueda has said her pivot to the county level is driven by the prospect of working on public and behavioral health — issues under the county’s purview, not the city’s. She says she would be happy to stay with the city council if she loses this race. The city council will pick a replacement if she wins. Continue reading →

State of King County 2023: A proposal for a new Seattle ‘Civic Campus’ and light rail station

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King County Executive Dow Constantine is proposing the creation of a new “Civic Campus” that would redevelop county property including closing the outdated county jail to “reimagine the courthouse neighborhood” between Pioneer Square and downtown Seattle.

The plan would include building a new light rail station below the campus on the site of the current King County Administration Building.

Constantine’s proposal came Tuesday as the official delivered his 2023 State of the County address.

“We have the opportunity, right now, to create a place – a global metropolitan region – worthy of our children, and of theirs,” Constantine said. “And if we seize it, we can show this state, and this nation, what it means for government to be a catalyst for progress and, in that progress, to leave no one behind.”

Constantine has led the county since 2009. His current term ends in three years. Continue reading →

Mosqueda, mother of the Capitol Hill Superblock, could leave Seattle City Hall behind in bid for King County Council

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Another experienced voice at City Hall might go quiet as Teresa Mosqueda, one of two citywide representatives on the Seattle City Council, has announced her campaign for the District 8 seat on the King County Council representing West Seattle, downtown, First Hill and portions of Capitol Hill. UPDATE: Thanks to Ryan in the comments for the reminder of District 8’s vast borders.

“District 8 is my home, where my husband and I are raising our three-year-old daughter in the North Delridge neighborhood, our pediatrician is in Burien, and our favorite parks span the shoreline of the district from Seahurst to Jack Block,” she said in the campaign announcement. “Our neighborhood is surrounded by working families, play areas and parks, nearby public beaches, bustling small businesses, bike lanes and trails, community centers and childcare, and multiple lines of transit – this is the kind of welcoming and accessible community I hope for all District 8 residents. I will work with urgency, and in collaboration with community and local leaders, to expand economic opportunities and improve the health of every King County neighbor.”

Mosqueda makes the announcement as incumbent Joe McDermott announced he will not seek reelection after 13 years on the county council. Continue reading →

County property tax would fund $1.25B plan to build new mental health care centers

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Executive Dow Constantine has released details of a proposal to create a new “regional network” of emergency mental health care centers, calling for a new property tax levy to power the plan to create the five centers. The proposal could go to voters next April.

County officials say the new tax levy would go into effect in 2024 and would cost the median-value homeowner around an estimated $121 a year for nine years. The levy could raise as much as $1.25 billion through 2032 to fund construction of the five crisis care centers and increase services in the county. Continue reading →

Proposed charter amendment would move elections for King County positions to even-year ballots

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The King County Council is slated to vote on a proposal this week that would ask voters to approve a shift of several county-level races to even year elections.

In a press release, county officials said voter turnout in even-year elections is “more reflective of the electorate.”

“Areas with more renters see a higher odd-year drop than areas with more homeowners and voters of color have a bigger dip in turnout in odd-years than white voters,” the announcement reads. Continue reading →

Up 13.3% — Capitol Hill residential property valuations climb again in 2022

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“Housing inventory for sale remains low, while demand remains very high.” Those words from county assessor John Wilson probably sound familiar. In 2022, property values on Capitol Hill have soared again — this time up 13.3%, according to the county.

The tally comes as part of the annual valuation process by the King County Assessor office. Continue reading →

For second year in row, King County won’t attempt to count homeless population

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(Image: City of Seattle)

King County is again putting of its annual attempt to count the number of people living outside, in vehicles, or under-sheltered here.

The King County Regional Homelessness Authority says it plans, instead, to “conduct qualitative engagement with people living unsheltered to learn more about their experiences and how we can better meet their needs.” CHS reported here in 2019 on the formation of the new authority with hopes for more regional approaches to addressing the ongoing homelessness crisis. Continue reading →

From cops to the mayor’s office, City of Seattle joins state in requiring COVID-19 vaccination for employees — UPDATE

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(Image: City of Seattle)

Employees of the City of Seattle must join state employees, and employees at private health care and long-term care facilities and get vaccinated against COVID-19. Mayor Jenny Durkan joined Gov. Jay Inslee, and County Executive Dow Constantine to announce the new vaccination requirements Monday.

City and state government employees and the workers under the new requirements have until October 18th to be fully vaccinated.

The mandates join renewed masking requirements as areas across the state including populous King County return to levels of “substantial transmission” of the virus and more virulent variants.

In Seattle, the directive applies to city workers “in executive departments, regardless of whether or not they are reporting to the office, unless they have a sincerely held religious or medical exemption.” Continue reading →

Nguyen to challenge Constantine for King County Executive

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Nguyen

The strongest challenger yet to incumbent Dow Constantine’s quest for a fourth term has announced his run for King County Executive.

State Senator Joe Nguyen, a West Seattle resident who currently represents the 34th District covering his home neighborhood, White Center, Burien, and Vashon Island, Tuesday morning said he is promising “a New Deal for King County.”

“It’s time for a King County government that acts as if — and not just says — ‘You belong here.’ It’s time for a King County government that reflects the care and compassion our communities demonstrate every day,” Nguyen said in a statement on the announcement. “It’s time for a King County government that listens to the voices of those furthest from power and centers the lived experiences of those navigating a society that wasn’t built for them.” Continue reading →