Dear Friends:

Today’s update includes information about an emergency appropriation for first responders that I co-sponsored, as well a new paraprosdokian, a reminder about the 2020 census, a recognition of the King County Aquatic Center’s 30th anniversary, and more.

Paraprosdokians are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected, usually in a humorous way. In fact, Sir Winston Churchill loved them. I am including some of these figures of speech in my updates, so we can all keep our minds sharp, and hopefully find some humor as well.

COVID-19 First Responder and Essential Worker Child Care

Yesterday, the King County Council unanimously passed legislation I co-sponsored appropriating $2.2M in funding to provide emergency child care for first responders and other essential workers who live or work in King County.

“Our first responders have been working tirelessly to keep us safe, healthy and provide during the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer. “The last thing they should be worried about during the crisis is finding and paying for child care for their children.”

These workers include medical professionals and support staff, first responders, child care providers who are providing emergency care, grocery and pharmacy workers and transit employees. The legislation ensures these essential workers will have access to safe, consistent and uninterrupted care. The County will collaborate with Child Care Resources to identify providers and match families with vacant slots.

In supporting this legislation, King County will leverage the City of Seattle’s emergency child care approach through partnerships with child care providers across King County to offer care for the children of essential workers who live or work in King County outside of the City of Seattle. For first responders and essential workers who work or live in King County outside the City of Seattle, call Child Care Resources at 1-800-446-1114 for details. For those who work or live in Seattle, you can fill out an interest form here.

Bellevue Chamber Economic Outlook Webcast

I’m not a member of the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, but I am a fan of their webcasts and leadership. I will be listening to Michael Hartnett, Chief Investment Strategist at Bank of America Merril Lynch, Michelle Meyer, Head of U.S. Global Economics at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Bruce Munster, a Private Wealth Advisor at Bank of America Merrill Lynch for a presentation of their “economic outlook” on the webcast today. The webcast if from 2:00-3:00 p.m. If you are interested, you can register here.

Can’t Make Rent? Seattle Times has Tips for Talking to Landlords

With unemployment skyrocketing as social distancing measures force many businesses to close down during the COVID-19 pandemic, many residents may be facing April without the means to make rent.

Fortunately, the state has issued a moratorium on evictions temporarily, so tenants can’t legally be forced out of their homes. But that doesn’t give them relief from rent. To help navigate these uncertain waters, The Seattle Times has put together a list of tips for talking to landlords about not being able to make rent. For starters, renters should pay as much rent as they can now to avoid being on the hook for back rent later. They should also gather any documentation that can prove their income loss is related to the COVID-19 pandemic and be prepared to show that to their landlord.

Renters unable to make rent should contact their landlord in writing, sharing that documentation of loss of income and proposing when they can make rent or a possible payment plan. For more detail on what experts have suggested, read the full Times story here.

Seattle Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund

I’m pleased to report that over the past week, the COVID-19 Response Fund deployed $10+ million in grants to 128 community-based organizations delivering emergency assistance—such as rent support, food security, healthcare, and childcare—to workers and families who have been affected by the coronavirus crisis. You can view the full list of grantees: www.seattlefoundation.org/COVIDgrants.

Don’t Call 911 Unless it’s an Emergency

State health officials are reminding us that for non-emergency COVID-19 related questions, please direct questions to the Washington State Department of Health call center at 1-800-525-0127. You can also look online at coronavirus.wa.gov or the Centers for Disease Control.

Real Time Global COVID-19 Data: Check This Out

In addition to the local data, you can check out www.ncov2019.live/data, which tracks the total number of COVID-19 cases by country, including confirmed cases, daily changes, confirmed deaths, and recoveries. The website is designed and managed by a 17-year-old high school student from King County named Avi Schiffmann.

Please note, the website pulls data from public health websites around the world every minute, but not every country reports the data uniformly.

King County Aquatic Center’s 30th Anniversary

We still have things to celebrate, and we still have things to look forward to, like swimming at the King County Aquatic Center. Anyone can swim at the Aquatic Center, including some of the best swimmers in the world who have competed at the facility over the years. Happy 30th anniversary to the Aquatic Center!


With Lenny Krayzelburg, Megan Jendrick (née Quann), Pete von Reichbauer, Ian Crocker and Michael Phelps.

Stay In. Stay Healthy. Stay Strong.

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember