2021 and the pandemic has been hard for so many families and residents here, in Seattle. As eligibility opens up on April 15, hope is on the horizon.
This week, the City’s notification list for appointments for any City doses opened up to allow King County residents and workers who are 16 years-old or older. Here in Seattle, demand continues to vastly outpace our vaccine supply, so we must all be patient, and we must center equity in our vaccination efforts.
However, we will continue to notify residents and workers when vaccination appointments become available at any of the four City-affiliated fixed sites in North Seattle, Rainier Beach, West Seattle, and the Lumen Field Event Center.
Mayor Durkan at Lumen Field and Event Center
The notification list is available here, and residents can also contact the Customer Service Bureau at 206-684-2489 from Monday through Saturday, between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. for assistance completing this form. In-language assistance is available over the phone.
While the vaccine supply increases and appointments fill up, it is still important to follow all public health guidance. This means continuing to practice physical distancing and mask up when you do go out.
Our vaccination work wouldn’t be possible at our sites without our dedicated city employees and firefighters. This past weekend, Acting Captain Brian Wallace of the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) was selected as the Mariners Hometown Hero for their game against the San Francisco Giants. Acting Captain Wallace has been on the frontlines of this pandemic from the start. His incredible work to create a nation-leading COVID-19 testing program that one in three Seattleites have relied on and launch Seattle Fire as the first EMS vaccine distributor in the state has been invaluable. Acting Captain Wallace, Chief Scoggins, and the entire team at SFD continue to save lives every day, and I could not think of a more deserving Hometown Hero.
 |
In an immensely difficult year, our city employees have done incredible work. Our city responded with new programs like grocery vouchers, free testing and vaccines, and grants to small businesses and immigrants. During one of the most challenging moments in our city’s history, our 12,000 City of Seattle employees; like Acting Captain Wallace, have focused on delivering essential services amidst a pandemic and advanced our shared priorities. Thank you, city employees for working together, as we get through this unimaginably challenging time for our city.
Stay Safe and Healthy,
4.3-mile project moving forward toward under-budget completion
Sound Transit today announced that the Northgate Link light rail extension will open to passenger service on Saturday, October 2.
The new extension, which is moving forward under budget, will offer riders reliable, traffic-free trips of only 14 minutes between Northgate and downtown Seattle. In addition to the elevated station at Northgate trains will stop at new underground stations serving Seattle’s U District and Roosevelt neighborhoods. Of the 4.3-mile extension, all but 0.8 miles of elevated track at Northgate are located underground.
Following the confiscation of untraceable, 3D-printed “ghost guns” this past week, Seattle Mayor and former U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan commended initial action by President Joe Biden’s executive actions aimed at curbing gun violence in our communities and investing in community safety. Mayor Durkan called for Congressional action and highlighted President Biden’s focus on laws like those in Washington temporarily barring people in crisis from accessing firearms if they present a danger to themselves or others. The Seattle Police Department’s Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) prevents individuals at high risk of harming themselves or others from accessing firearms by allowing family, household members.
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced the City of Seattle’s vaccination plan for the week of April 5 through April 11. The City of Seattle and its partners received over 30,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, which is the largest allocation the City has received in a single week thus far. This week, the Community Vaccination Site at the Lumen Field Event Center will administer its largest single day allocation to-date, and the Community Vaccination Hub in West Seattle will administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine all week, with a focus on critical workers. In addition, the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) Mobile Vaccination Teams (MVT) will vaccinate formerly homeless individuals living in permanent supportive housing, and will host two pop-up vaccination clinics in partnership with El Centro de la Raza, the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, and Idris Mosque.
The new route creates a faster, more frequent, and safer public transit line connecting densely developed neighborhoods in Downtown, First Hill, Capitol Hill, the Central Area, and Madison Valley
To build the city of the future and meet the infrastructure demands of the fastest growing large city of the previous decade, Seattle cannot do it alone. Today the Federal Transit Administration allocated $59.9 million in Small Starts Grant funding, or 45% of the total Madison Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, to the City of Seattle. While the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has built many significant infrastructure projects of similar scope, this is the first supported by funds of this kind. This strong federal partnership plays a central role in funding this critical project, it also would not be possible without the additional funding provided by the voter-approved Levy to Move Seattle and Capital Improvement Program agreements with Sound Transit.
In Washington state and around the nation, some cops fired for dishonesty or misconduct remain on the beat because private arbitrators gave them their jobs back.
State Sen. Jesse Salomon, a Shoreline Democrat who also works as a public defender, wants to rein in private arbitration. A proposal Salomon introduced this year, Senate Bill 5134, would have made it so police officers couldn’t appeal disciplinary actions using the arbitration process. Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan was working on another proposal to overhaul the practice.
Salomon said the use of arbitration to water down police discipline will remain a problem even if the Legislature approves other police accountability bills this year, such as new limits on police use of neck restraints, tear gas and physical force.
“Once we pass some of these bills that are easier to pass and we see these arbitration incidents keep happening, where officers are let off the hook for not obeying these new laws, I think it is going to keep shining the spotlight on this problem,” Salomon said.
|
