Executive Constantine: King County to continue welcoming refugees
Last week King County Executive Dow Constantine reaffirmed to the U.S. State Department that King County will remain a welcoming place for refugees.

Seattle and King County create new unified regional homelessness authority: evidence-based, accountable, and equitable
King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today signed a ground breaking Interlocal Agreement approved by the Metropolitan King County Council, Regional Policy Committee, and the Seattle City Council creating a new King County Regional Homelessness Authority to oversee a coordinated and unified response to homelessness.

Executive Constantine statement on passage of regional homelessness governance authority
King County Executive Dow Constantine released the following statement on the passage of a regional homelessness governance authority:

Celebrate New Year’s Eve with free rides on King County Metro
King County Metro will help riders safely usher in 2020 with free bus rides from 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve through 4 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Free rides on Metro service are sponsored in part by Seattle Center, which draws thousands of people for New Year’s Eve festivities. In addition to Metro buses, rides are also free on Via to Transit Southeast Seattle, DART, Seattle Streetcar, Community Van, Community Ride, and Access paratransit.

Executive Constantine statement on new overtime rules from Department of Labor and Industries
King County Executive Dow Constantine released the following statement on the new overtime rules for salaried workers adopted today by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries:

King County launches new Conservation Corps to clean up urban unincorporated areas
King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a six-month pilot with the Millionair Club Charity to hire crews to pick up garbage and clean-up in White Center, Skyway, Fairwood, and East Federal Way.

Executive Constantine statement on I-976
King County Executive Dow Constantine released the following statement on I-976

Executive Constantine on the passing of William Ruckelshaus: "a legacy of integrity"
King County Executive Dow Constantine released the following statement on the passing of William Ruckelshaus

Harborview Hall expands shelter to offer 24/7 enhanced services and onsite case management
King County is expanding the current overnight shelter in Harborview Hall on Seattle’s First Hill to add onsite counseling and case management, showers and laundry facilities, meals and other services through an enhanced 24/7 shelter model that will help 85 men and women begin a pathway out of homelessness.

Protected forestland will serve as a new scenic gateway to Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park
A partnership led by the City of Issaquah, along with The Trust for Public Land and King County, permanently protected forestland that had been slated for development but will instead serve as a gateway to Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park.

Local governments, transit agencies and others join in lawsuit against I-976
Plaintiffs including the Washington State Transit Association, Garfield County Transportation Authority, King County, Association of Washington Cities, and the City of Seattle filed a lawsuit in King County Superior Court alleging that I-976 violates various aspects of the state Constitution. In a separate action, the parties also seek an immediate injunction to prevent I-976 from taking effect.

I-976 impacts to Seattle and King County: if no replacement funds, major cuts to Metro service
King County Executive Dow Constantine outlined possible consequences of I-976, the $30 car-tab initiative that failed in King County but passed statewide in the Nov. 5 election.

King County’s first modular housing project opens in Sodo, to serve Native American and Alaska Native people
King County Executive Dow Constantine joined Chief Seattle Club Executive Director Colleen Echohawk and others to celebrate the completion of a new housing project in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood focused on serving Native American and Alaska Native people exiting homelessness.

Trailhead Direct ridership increased 75 percent in its second full season
Ridership on Trailhead Direct – a transit-to-trails service co-led by King County Metro and King County Parks – increased 75 percent during the second year of a two-year pilot project. The improved service design made it possible for hikers to board any of the four routes and get to any trail in the Trailhead Direct network.

Executive Constantine orders inquests into three officer-involved deaths
King County Executive Dow Constantine ordered three separate inquests into deaths involving police.

Executive Constantine statement on the passing of Jim Ellis
King County Executive Dow Constantine released the following statement on the passing of Jim Ellis

Small planes fly kokanee salmon to Orcas Island hatchery, the latest emergency action by King County and partners to ensure the native species’ survival
Volunteer pilots helped King County and its conservation partners fly Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon raised at a hatchery in Issaquah to Long Live the Kings’ hatchery on Orcas Island, the latest emergency action to ensure the survival of a native species that is important to the region’s bio-diversity.

King County files class-action lawsuit against JUUL for targeting vaping products to youth, creating public health crisis
King County Executive Dow Constantine today announced that King County has filed a lawsuit against the e-cigarette company JUUL Labs, Inc. and Altria Group, INC. for creating and sustaining the youth vaping epidemic.

Increasing kokanee’s chances of survival: Young salmon released after extended stay in a safe environment as lake conditions improved
The Lake Sammamish Kokanee Work Group is releasing more than 3,000 juvenile kokanee salmon into Lake Sammamish – offspring from last year’s extremely low return of the native fish to the spawning streams – after raising them in a protected environment since spring to increase their odds of survival.

Executive Constantine: We stand for the rule of law against ICE
King County Executive Dow Constantine released a statement affirming his commitment to the Constitution as ICE ramps up a media strategy aimed at intimidating welcoming communities.