July 2014 newsletter

Governor joins Exec to discuss local climate change impacts

Executive Constantine and Governor Jay Inslee toured King County's West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle on July 29, seeing first-hand how rising sea levels impact costs and our ability to provide people with clean water.

Many assume the effects of climate change are far away, but our region is already impacted. Unless we take action now, the costs to address climate change issues such as sea-level rise will only become more severe.

It's important we focus on solutions and actions we can take at the local level. A regional planning council chaired by the Executive recently targeted 80 percent reductions of countywide greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Watch this KING 5 video on the link between climate change and sewage, and read more about what our region is doing to confront climate change.

Metro is good for our economy, our environment, and our people

Transit carries nearly half of downtown Seattle's workforce to and from their jobs each day, and a new progress report shows that Metro is measuring up to your expectations.

The report shows that 45 percent of King County households have at least one Metro rider, an all-time high. That helps take 175,000 cars off the road each year, making our air cleaner and saving you time whether or not you ride the bus.

Metro operates one of the greenest fleets in the country, with energy use decreasing by 5 percent last year. Read the full progress report (PDF) to learn about how Metro is moving people better, protecting our environment, and providing transit for all.

Career expo connects King County veterans with local employers

Executive Constantine launched the Regional Veterans Initiative to connect military veterans and their families to the services they need -- and have earned.

Local vets have the work skills, discipline, and leadership abilities that employers need. On July 15, King County helped connect more than 100 employers with 400 veterans and their spouses.

The "Working With Our Troops" career expo offered free seminars and job-search resources. Staff from the King County Veterans Program helped more than 60 vets polish their resumes and print them on-site so they could walk into the job fair and meet with employers such as Puget Sound Energy, Microsoft, and Amazon, and more.

Four of every 10 veterans say they have little or no understanding of their benefits or how to access them. See how our Regional Veterans Initiative is working to change that.