Metro Bus Service

As you may have heard, Metro faces a $75 million annual funding gap.  The lack of funding may require cuts of 600,000 annual transit service hours, or approximately a 17% reduction in bus service beginning next year unless new revenue options are created by the Washington State Legislature. Metro recently released a preliminary look at how those cuts would potentially be distributed using adopted service guideline policies.

Many routes within District 2 may be impacted if the 17% service cut is implemented,  including routes 7 EX, 3, 4, 27, 48, 70, 71 83.

I invite you to join me at a special meeting of the Transportation, Economy, and Environment Committee where you can provide input on the transit service cuts that will be occurring if legislative action does not occur this year. Testimony can also be submitted via an online form.

Tuesday, May 14
Union Station (401 S Jackson Street, Seattle)
3:30 p.m.—Open house
4:00 p.m.—Testimony

First Hill Streetcar Construction

Construction in District 2 continues as the City of Seattle continues construction on the First Hill Streetcar. Construction on Yesler Ave and Jackson Street will continue until the project is complete in Spring 2014.  Check the Seattle Department of Transportation for detour maps and the  Metro Transit routes that will be impacted by the project.

May is Lupus Awareness Month

Lupus is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease where the immune system of the body attacks its own cells and tissues. In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs. It begins to turn against itself causing inflammation, pain and damage in various parts of the body.  Specifically affected are the joints, skin, kidneys, lungs, heart, nervous system, and other organs. At least 1.6 million Americans have lupus amd more than 16,000 new cases of lupus are reported annually across the country. There is currently no cure for lupus.  

On May 25, 2013 Sisters Against Lupus (SAL) will host the 2nd Annual "Together We Are The Cure" Lupus Walk at Liberty Park in Renton, WA, at 9:30am. . This will be an incredible day of education, entertainment, games, vendors, face painting, prizes, a free concert, and lots of fun!! 

All are welcome to attend to give hope, to support, to inspire, to make a difference and to find a cure.

For more information on Lupus click here.

I have always been in support of services and adequate treatment for those living with mental illness and I am proud the King County Council gave its unanimous support for the expansion of the County’s successful Mental Health Recovery Model to include substance abuse services.

In the past, too many County residents battling mental illness received a jail cell instead of a treatment bed. King County has created a new paradigm in assisting the mentally ill. The establishment of a behavioral health component is a welcome addition to the program. The legislation adopted by the Council will continue the current successful recovery model for mental illness and expand the framework to include substance abuse treatment.

Building on current initiatives and focusing on long-term efforts to promote fairness and opportunity and eliminate inequities for all county residents, the Council unanimously approved its 2013 Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) work plan.

The 2013 work plan was developed through the work of the Council’s Legislative Branch ESJ Team. This team, comprised of representatives from offices, agencies and staff within the Legislative Branch, promotes equity and social justice efforts specifically within the Legislative Branch. Even as we’re starting to see signs of recovery from the Great Recession, the income and opportunities gap continue to grow along economic, racial, geographical, educational, and gender lines. It is extremely important that our government continue to meaningfully incorporate the principles of Equity and Social Justice for every resident of Martin Luther King County.

Launched in 2008 as the Equity and Social Justice Initiative (ESJI), the idea behind ESJ is to eliminate long-standing and persistent inequities and social injustices within King County by applying principles of equity and social justice in the County’s actions, decisions, and policies. In October 2010, the King County Council adopted legislation on equity that establishes definitions and directs implementation steps related to achievement of the “fair and just” principle of the King County Strategic Plan (KCSP). For more information on the County’s ESJ  click here.