News from and about King County… from COVID-19 updates to community news affecting our daily lives.

Dear Friends:

Today’s e-news includes information on a grant for Bingaman Pond, the Governor’s announcements on the reopening plan and vaccine distribution, King Conservation District’s Election, Patton Bridge closure, health updates, and more.


Washington Trivia

An architect who designed the Pacific Science Center and World Trade Center lived in Auburn. Who was he?

(Answer is at the bottom).




Bingaman Pond receives a $50,000 grant for maintenance and improvements

I recently met with King County Director of Parks Warren Jimenez at Bingaman Pond, a bog wetland east of I-5. As new houses and apartments are built in South King County, it is important for people of all ages to have a place of solace and relief. We discussed how the $50,000 I secured in King County funding will be used for maintenance and improvements.



King County Director of Parks Warren Jimenez and me at Bingaman Pond in South King County.


Governor’s Announcements

Today, Gov. Inslee announced all counties in the state are moving to Phase 3 of the Healthy Washington reopening plan on March 22nd, and the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan is moving to Phase 1B2 priority group on March 17th. Read more here.

All counties move to Phase 3 of the reopening plan

On March 22nd, all counties in the state will move to Phase 3 of the reopening plan, moving away from a regional system to a county-based system, meaning county progress will now be assessed individually. The state will evaluate counties every three weeks instead of two, with the first assessment planned for April 12th. Counties must meet two metrics to remain in Phase 3:



Note: If statewide ICU occupancy is greater than 90%, all counties will move back one phase

Tier 2 of the COVID-19 vaccination plan

On March 17th, everyone in Phase 1B2 of the vaccination plan will be eligible for their COVID vaccine. This includes workers in agriculture, food processing, grocery stores, public transit, firefighters, and law enforcement, among others. Tier 2 also includes people over the age of 16 who are pregnant or have a disability that puts them at high-risk.


King Conservation District Election

King Conservation District (KCD), a natural resources special purpose district, is holding an election for an open seat on the Board of Supervisors. Eligible voters may access their ballots online through KCD’s website. Ballots must be submitted electronically by March 23rd at 5:00 PM. Voters may also print and mail ballots to King County Elections. Mailed ballots must be postmarked by March 23rd and received by March 26th to be counted.




Patton Bridge closure: March 15 through March 18

The Patton Bridge on SE Green Valley Road over the Green River will completely close to all vehicles, bicycles, and foot traffic from 6:00 AM Monday, March 15th through 8:00 PM Thursday, March 18th. A signed detour will divert through traffic to SE Auburn Black Diamond Road. During the closure, crews will pour new concrete supports under the bridge deck. Closing the bridge to all traffic helps prevent vibration on the bridge and allows the concrete to cure properly. Visit the Patton Bridge Repairs Project website for more information.


Where you can go once you are vaccinated

While most countries worldwide are still in the early phases of vaccine distribution, some nations have already announced that they will soon allow access and waive quarantine and testing requirements for visitors who are fully vaccinated. Read The Points Guy’s article for a list of destinations that are soon accepting fully vaccinated travelers.


California and Florida took vastly different approaches to COVID-19. Here's how it turned out

As Americans grappled with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, California and Florida have taken different approaches compared to other states, resulting to Florida being at the 25th and California the 29th in COVID-19 death rates ranking. Read more in the Yahoo News article here.


Weekly King County Health Update: Fruits and vegetables servings associated with longer life

Recent research conducted by the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health confirms that higher intake of fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk of many diseases and death (mortality). According to Dr. Dong D. Wang, the study’s lead author, at least a daily consumption of 2 servings of fruits and 3 servings of vegetables is associated with the lowest rate of mortality.

Dr. Wang suggests that these serving amounts may be more achievable for the general public. For context, the American Heart Association’s recommendation is 4 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables daily, and the FDA’s recommendation is 2-4 servings of fruit and 3-5 servings of vegetables daily. But despite the numerous benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, the CDC reports that only 1 in 10 adults meet the current recommendations. Men, younger adults, and people with lower incomes eat the lowest amounts. Public Health – Seattle and King County considers healthy eating and access to food a priority and supports many programs to help King County residents.

Serving sizes and food choices | Resources for food insecurity | Access to healthy foods




Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend

Spring Forward: Daylight Saving Time (DST) in Washington will be in effect on March 14th, at 2:00 AM. Do not forget to move your clock forward one hour on Sunday.


King County COVID Vaccination Update

As of yesterday, there were 438,758 first dose and 250,097 second dose vaccines administered among King County residents, bringing the total of all administered doses to 688,855. For more information, visit the King County COVID Vaccination Dashboard here.



Phase Finder: To assess your eligibility to receive COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the Washington Department of Health Phase Finder web form.

Register by phone: For assistance on registering by phone, call King County Public Health Call Center at 206-477-3977 or Washington COVID-19 Assistance Hotline at 1-800-525-0127, then press # for help with registration by phone.

Other Vaccine Locations: Visit Washington Department of Health’s website or VaccineFinder.org for other vaccine locations in the state. If you have any questions, contact COVID.Vaccine@doh.wa.gov.


King County Case Update
Today, Seattle – King County Public Health reported 182 new cases, bringing the total in King County to 83,653. In addition, Public Health reported 0 new deaths, keeping the total in the county at 1,429.









Stay In. Stay Healthy. Stay Strong.

Pete von Reichbauer
King County Councilmember




Washington trivia answer:

Minoru Yamasaki was an American architect born in Seattle in 1912 to his immigrant parents, John and Hana Yamasaki. The family later moved to Auburn, Washington, while he pursued his passion for learning amid the challenges that they faced as immigrants.

Minoru worked at an Alaskan salmon cannery in order to pay for his tuition at the University of Washington, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1934. He later moved to Manhattan and wrapped dishes for an importing company until he found work as a draftsman and engineer. He successfully enrolled for a master’s degree in architecture at New York University and got a job with the firm that designed the Empire State Building.

Among his famous architectural designs are the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport in Missouri, Dhahran International Airport in Saudi Arabia, Reynolds Company’s aluminum-wrapped building in Michigan, Federal Reserve Bank tower in Virginia, World Trade Center towers in New York, and more.



Compiled by Cyndee Navarro of my office.