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King County updates
Trailhead Direct service restored for Eastside hikers!
When a constituent reached out with the news that Trailhead Direct was not planning to stop at Eastgate for the 2024 hiking season due to staffing limitations, I reached out to Metro to work with them to restore the service.
I am thrilled that we are again able to expand access for Eastside residents, providing an easy way to catch a ride to some of the most breathtaking hikes our region has to offer—all without the barrier and hassle of driving!
Honoring the legacy of the Japanese American community in Bellevue
On Sunday, June 23 we opened the NE 8th Street Bridge in Bellevue and unveiled community-led Japanese American heritage art installations.
These art installations honor the history of the Japanese American community in Bellevue in a significant location: they sit near the former site of Bellevue Growers Association packing and shipping warehouse, the only location for Japanese American farmers to distribute their produce prior to World War II and Japanese incarceration.
Located on the new NE 8th Bridge that provides a safe pedestrian crossing and connects the Eastrail with Sound Transit's new 2 Line light rail at the Wilburton Station. I am deeply grateful to Isan Bellevue and the Japanese American community for leading this powerful effort to honor and uplift the Japanese American community that helped shape the City of Bellevue.
The Starter Line crosses the finish line
Saturday, April 27, 2024 | The 2 Line is officially open for business! At the grand opening, approximately 17,500 excited community members, hundreds of government officials and community and business advocates who made it possible, dozens of community partners who hosted celebrations rode light rail on the Eastside for the very first time!
When I first proposed the idea of opening an eight station, 6.6 mile long “starter line,” running from South Bellevue to Redmond until the rail across I-90 is ready, I wasn’t sure it would be possible, but I wanted to make sure we brought the benefits of light rail to the Eastside community as soon as possible. I am so grateful to every single person who contributed their time, passion, expertise, and hard work to bring light rail to East King County. Watch the KCTV Video about the new 2 Line.
Changing 100 lives with 100 homes
April 2024 | King County, the City of Redmond, The Salvation Army, and the community came together to celebrate the grand opening of the Redmond Health Through Housing site. Health through Housing is a King County initiative aiming to provide up to 1,600 units of emergency and permanent supportive housing for people experiencing or at risk of chronic homelessness.
Partnerships like the Redmond Health through Housing site bring us one step closer to ensuring everyone has a healthy, stable home. Everyone needs and deserves a safe, affordable place to call home and, with this opening, we are making that a reality for 100 more people.
Historic investments to protect our water
March 2024 | As Chair of the Regional Water Quality Committee, protecting our water for the health of our people, our wildlife, and our environment is one of my top priorities. I was pleased to join Executive Dow Constantine, senior officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), congressional staff, and leadership from King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) at the West Point Treatment Plant to announce a nearly $500 million loan package from the EPA for fourteen critical infrastructure upgrades to King County’s regional wastewater treatment system.
With this funding, we will be able to complete projects that will help protect water quality in the Puget Sound region for decades to come, including seismic upgrades at two regional wastewater treatment plants, improvements to the recycled water system, upgrades to miles of conveyance and sewer pipes, and more. The initial installment of $194 million, funded by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, will save King County ratepayers $19.8 million in interest fees.
We passed a transformative Doors Open arts and culture levy
December 2023 | The King County Council unanimously approved Doors Open, a new seven-year levy that will provide nearly $800 million in projected funding for access to science, heritage, arts, and culture in King County. The levy will fund equitable access, support programming in public schools, increase tourism and revenue, and feed the workforce pipeline through a 0.1% sales tax. The levy will help the science, heritage, arts, and culture community not only rebound from pandemic cuts and closures – particularly in marginalized or otherwise disadvantaged communities – but flourish to new levels with more funding than has ever been spent through public programs in King County. Read our op-ed in The Stranger about what the levy will do.
King County will now invest over $100 million annually in arts, science and culture. For comparison, the entire US National Endowment for the Arts 2024 budget was $207 million. Doors Open will give people in every corner of King County more opportunities to explore and experience the arts and culture that enriches all our lives. Read additional coverage about the Doors Open levy in KUOW.
East link starter line’s next step
Photo: Sound Transit
Summer 2023 | Since Sound Transit announced delays to a full opening of East Link light rail in summer 2022, I’ve championed the possibility of an early opening for an East Link Starter Line connecting Redmond to Bellevue while work continues to complete the light rail connection between South Bellevue and Seattle. Over the past few months, Sound Transit staff have diligently explored the concept and on January 26 the Sound Transit Board of Directors took a critical next step by a vote of 16-1 to fund additional planning, design, and construction activities necessary to further develop the East Link Starter Line option for a potential spring 2024 opening. In addition, the work funded by this vote will give the Sound Transit Board the necessary data and information to make its final East Link Starter Line go-no-go decision in fall 2023.
It’s clear that as the Eastside grows, we need great transit ASAP. And we're not alone; we also must commit to expediting light rail and bus rapid transit service to Snohomish County, South King County and Pierce County. You can review the meeting presentation about the progress in making the East Link Starter Line happen.
Budget responds to evolving needs
November 15, 2022 | On November 15, the King County Council adopted a 2023-2024 budget that responds to the evolving needs and priorities of King County residents and advances several Eastside priorities, including: safe and sustainable homes and communities, transportation, and pathways to jobs.
The two-year budget makes major investments in some of our most important countywide priorities like $166 million to fund affordable housing near transit centers, supportive housing operations and coordinated crisis response efforts to homelessness; $220 million to continue electrification of buses; and $55 million for community safety, including efforts to reduce gun violence, new Metro transit security and community engagement staff, body worn cameras for King County Sherriff’s deputies, creating pathways away from jail for our youth and more. More about the budget and the significant investments in Eastside projects and organizations
Let’s make Eastside light rail a reality
August 29, 2022 | The announcement that Sound Transit’s East Link light rail expansion will be delayed by at least a year came as a blow, but what if we could still open an Eastside-only starter light rail line connecting Redmond to Bellevue, or even to Mercer Island, in 2023? In short, we can and should.
Read my Seattle Times op-ed urging just that, supporting improved oversight and finding ways to build light rail faster and cheaper.
Protecting women’s rights
2022 | In response to the US Supreme Court Dobbs decision that takes away the constitutional right to an abortion, on July 5, 2022 the King County Council voted on emergency legislation to allocate $500,000 directly to the Northwest Abortion Access Fund, an organization dedicated to helping people secure abortion care in the Pacific Northwest. Also, on Tuesday, I joined Executive Constantine who signed an executive order to that cooperate with out-of-state prosecutions of abortion providers and patients.
I am not backing down from this battle—personally and professionally. I will continue to do everything I can to make sure women have the right to determine the course of their own lives, including if and when to have children.
In the long term, we will have to fight a long and uphill battle to re-secure abortion rights for all Americans. In the short term, we need to support women whose rights, lives, and decisions have been abruptly upended by the Supreme Court's onerous decision. That’s what we did.
Women in transportation means better transportation
May 2022 | I was honored to be named 2022 Woman of the Year by the WTS Puget Sound Chapter for how my work has advanced women and the reputation and credibility of women in transportation. WTS is a forum for discussing transportation trends and projects and highlighting women in the transportation field. It provides critical mentorship and support for the next generation of women transportation professionals. Throughout my career, I have benefitted from the mentorship and guidance of strong women leaders in transportation, so this award is especially meaningful to me. When women are part of designing and implementing our transit system, it works better for everyone. I am committed to doing my part to lift the next generation of women leaders in transportation.
Year in review: Together we did big things
2021 | I donated a "retired" van to Global Social Business Partners (GSBP). GSBP is a food system and entrepreneurship incubator with a mission to foster entrepreneurship and social business innovation to solve social and environmental issues.
Despite the challenges of the second year of the pandemic, the King County Council accomplished a lot with and on behalf of King County residents in 2021. As chair of the Council, I’m proud that my colleagues and I passed over 350 pieces of legislation, approved $795 million in COVID-19 recovery and relief, approved several major plans to guide work into the future, and worked to support our communities with targeted grants and outreach. As a regional leader, my work extended beyond the County Council, and included working to keep Sound Transit projects on track and help ensure that climate, safety and equity were built into housing and transportation plans being developed by the Puget Sound Regional Council, where I serve as president.
Thanks to each of you for taking the time to share your thoughts and ideas with me and the Council via emails, meetings, town halls and public comment at Council meetings. Read more for a selection of highlights from a busy 2021.
New shelter and housing funded
July 2021 | When I was the mayor of Bellevue, I made a commitment with fellow mayors from Redmond and Kirkland to work together to provide a full suite of emergency shelter services for people experiencing homelessness on the Eastside – youth, women and families, and single men. After years of work with public and private partners and the community, we are adding the last piece of that commitment with a permanent men’s shelter in Bellevue.
In mid-July 2021, the King County Council unanimously approved the sale of surplus property in the Eastgate neighborhood for this purpose. Shortly thereafter, the Bellevue City Council approved $4 million for the project. These actions mean the finish line is in sight for the new facility, which will be the first and only permanent men’s shelter on the Eastside, and the first permanent supportive housing constructed on the Eastside. Thanks to the tenacity and dedication of Congregations for the Homeless and their partners, with critical support from local government, this project has become more than I could have dreamed. Read more about the new shelter and permanent supportive housing in the Seattle Times.
Transformational investments
May 2021 | The $631 million COVID relief budget adopted by the King County Council makes truly transformational investments in King County. With these funds we will be able to continue our nationally recognized public health response to the pandemic and meet the needs of our communities, especially those communities of color that have historically experienced underinvestment.
At a high level, the investments are directed at the following programs:
- Community supports (such as rental assistance, homelessness services and food assistance) - $256M
- Getting more people vaccinated – $117M
- Public Health response to the pandemic – $114M
- Economic Recovery and Jobs – $67M
- County Operations – $41M
- Support for Arts, Entertainment, Culture and Science – $36M
I am excited to see the work that will done with these dollars, what outcomes we will achieve and the future we will build on this foundation of the COVID relief budget.