July 1, 2020

Dear Friends,

At this time, we find ourselves dealing with many important issues and painful experiences. One such issue is the coronavirus and how it is touching our lives in ways we never dreamed possible. There is much fear, pain, concern, and uncertainty as we continue to move through this pandemic. We have gathered information and worked on getting the best public health advice possible. So many of you have worked together to meet the needs of our families, friends, and neighbors. You are all heroes for the many selfless acts of service. Three weeks ago, I lost a friend to the coronavirus, and I know many have been touched with losing people close to them too.

Another important issue is dealing with the pain of racism. At the county council, we have continued to engage in valuable conversations about racism, police use of force and police accountability. As we listen and learn from our communities of color, we hear of the trauma many have experienced during their life. No person should live in fear. The fact that so many people in our community live in fear, is a clear sign that something must change.

I support the “8 can’t wait” policies that are being implemented by the King County Sheriff’s Office. I support community alternatives that reduce the need for police use of force (i.e the RADAR program). And I support restorative justice alternatives located in communities (i.e Community Courts).

I do not support eliminating the sheriff’s department. However, I do support reforms to our current system of policing, court processes, and school discipline procedures that increase accountability and deescalate interactions between the public and law enforcement.

The work should not end with police reform. We must evaluate other policies for disparate impacts as well. Gentrification, housing shortages, and unequal educational outcomes are all significant policy challenges that must be addressed.

YOU, as voters in the community, have been generous in supporting Best Starts for Kids, the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy, and many other initiatives that focus on prevention and breaking the cycle of poverty while increasing educational outcomes.

Thanks to your support, we have made significant strides in reducing youth incarceration through community based alternative programs. One such program I was instrumental in establishing is called FIRS (Family Intervention and Restorative Services), and has made a huge difference in reducing juvenile incarceration. There are many other programs that have been established. Just a few years ago we had nearly 200 youth in detention; last week, we had about 30.

Most people do not know that King County has one of the lowest rates of incarceration in the nation. We have made progress addressing these issues facing our communities, but there is still much that needs to be done. It takes all of us working together to build bridges, grow, and promote healing. I will continue to dedicate myself to make King County a community where all people feel safe and valued.

Last month, King County was approved to move into Phase 2 of re-opening. This is a significant step as we work to carefully open more of our regional economy while following public health guidance. Entering Phase 2 allows the opportunity for restaurants and retail to operate within specific capacity limits, as well as more outdoor recreation, the opening of hair salons, and more. You can read more about what this phase looks like by clicking here.

As we continue to open up slowly but surely, it is very important that we keep practicing social distancing and follow other public health guidance. We are all in this together! Our area has experienced some of the lowest number of cases of coronavirus, yet our businesses are still required to follow strict limitations resulting from the higher number of cases elsewhere in the county. To help with this, the council passed a motion giving flexibility to small businesses to use their outdoor space or parking areas to safely expand their business footprint and practice appropriate social distancing. It passed unanimously!

If you know of a business that would like to use more of their available space, they can apply at the Department of Local Services at (206) 477-3800.

In this newsletter, you will find more details on the outdoor space legislation mentioned above, COVID-19 emergency funding passed by the King County Council last week, a COVID-19 grant opportunity for small businesses in unincorporated King County, and information on a large road construction project in the Redmond Ridge/Novelty Hill area. The work continues as we do it all remotely…

Stay Healthy!

Kathy Lambert

In this Issue:

      1. More outdoor space for restaurants, retail, and personal services!
      2. King County COVID-19 Emergency Funding
      3. New grant opportunity for unincorporated King County small businesses
      4. Summer road work near Redmond Ridge/Novelty Hill

1. More outdoor space for restaurants, retail, and personal services!

Last week, the King County Council unanimously passed a piece of legislation I sponsored with my colleague, Councilmember Joe McDermott, that asks the King County Executive to allow restaurants, retail shops, and providers of certain personal services across unincorporated King County more flexibility to provide outdoor dining and retail shopping on their own property, adjacent sidewalks, alleys, or other right-of-ways.

It is important that we look for ways to help businesses across the county as they try to recover from this pandemic while following public health guidance.

If you have a business that would like to avail themselves of this new opportunity, call the King County Department of Local Services at 206-477-3800.

Read more here.

2. King County COVID-19 Emergency Funding

During the same council meeting, a third round of emergency funding was approved in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $86.2 million supplemental omnibus budget makes crucial investments in the community that will help us all as we continue to feel the impacts of this pandemic. The funding allocated in this budget will be used to increase internet access for students throughout the county, support agriculture in our region, help provide legal assistance to those in need, assist the brave survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and so much more as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency. I hope that this funding will help to assist in meeting needs in our community during this difficult time.

Read more here.

3. New grant opportunity for unincorporated King County small businesses

The King County Council recently approved $4 million in funding for grants, technical support, and translation and interpretation assistance to help small businesses in unincorporated King County recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you own a small business in unincorporated King County, and you meet basic eligibility criteria, you can apply for this Small Business Grant Support Program. To be eligible owners must:

•Be active and licensed in the state of Washington, with a physical business address in unincorporated King County
• Be a small business with 15 full time employees or fewer
• Have been in business for at least three years
• Have gross revenues of $1.5 million or less per year
• Have not received any other federal COVID-19 related funding, including grants or loans

I hope that you will apply for this grant funding as it is a step towards helping our small businesses stay open and begin to recover.

The grant is now open and applications are due July 10.

Coaching and technical assistance is also available now to help you with getting information about funding and loan resources, utility bill assistance, filling out grant application forms, coaching to help your business survive the impacts of COVID-19 closures, and more. If your business is in unincorporated King County, you can get help from a U.S. Treasury-certified community development financial institution.

You can learn more and apply here.

4. Summer road work near Redmond Ridge/Novelty Hill

With summer officially here, road construction projects will be ramping up across King County. This is important work as King County Roads Services crews work to maintain our roads that are vital to many in our region.

I wanted to specifically highlight an important project in the Redmond Ridge/Novelty Hill area:



Night paving work on Novelty Hill Road (between 234th Place NE and 43rd Ave NE) started on June 29 and will last through July 24. This work will require single lane closures during weeknights from 7pm to 5am. Flaggers will direct drivers through the work zone. This work is weather dependent.

Visit the My Commute webpage to view the map and the latest information.

Then, starting on July 6, King County Roads will return to the slide-prone area on NE Novelty Hill Road, between 243rd Ave NE and West Snoqualmie Valley Road NE, to permanently shore up the unstable hillside that caused the road’s temporary closure earlier this year. This section of road will be fully closed for three weeks.

Finally, during the month of August, the county will close West Snoqualmie Valley Road NE from just north of NE 124th Street to NE Woodinville-Duvall Road for four weeks to replace a worn-out underground drainage culvert. Local access will be maintained throughout the closure.

Read more here.



These are busy days with lots of emotion and thoughtful decisions. Stay safe!

"Try to be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.” – Maya Angelou