Juneteenth holiday observed Monday, June 20 for King County employees

King County government will observe Juneteenth as a paid holiday for the first time on Monday, June 20.  

Last year, King County Council passed two Ordinances and King County bargained Agreements for represented employees to establish Juneteenth (June 19) and Indigenous Peoples’ Day (second Monday in October) as paid holidays starting in 2022 for King County employees who are eligible for comprehensive leave benefits. Read more.

"They’re everywhere": The never-ending battle to control noxious weeds

Recently, The Seattle Times accompanied one of the King County noxious weed patrols on their rounds as they take on the determined garlic mustard weed. This group from the Department of Natural Resources and Parks' Water and Land Division has the ongoing task of trying to keep certain weeds from taking over indigenous flora habitats in the region.

The Times story is a great look at how King County crews on the frontline of environmental stewardship keep up this steady, important work. Read more. 

Photo: Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times

Juneteenth Event for County employees and families at Seward Park on Monday, June 20

King County and City of Seattle employees and their families are invited to attend a Juneteenth event: Sitting in the shade of trees we did not seed. “Honoring the Past, Living in the Present, Creating our Future.”  

This family-friendly event will feature live music, DJs, a Public Health vaccine station, youth performances, spoken word, food vendors, and more. Read more.

• Monday, June 20 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Seward Park in Seattle.

Additional events will be held throughout King County during the weekend, including Festival Sundiata at Seattle Center. For a list of community-sponsored events, visit the 4Culture website.

Welcome Back Bash to celebrate King County and City of Seattle employees on Tuesday, June 21

It is time to celebrate your great work in support of our residents and communities.

Thank you for all you have done to serve the people of Seattle and King County during a time of significant challenge. We were the first in the nation to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, but because you stepped up with courage, dedication, and hard work – even while lives and livelihoods were upended – our region is recovering and reopening.

To celebrate you, and all public employees, during these unprecedented times we are throwing a party.

• Tuesday, June 21 on the 4th Avenue Plaza of Seattle City Hall from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

There will be live music from King Youngblood and Black Tones, celebrations, and a free lunch from local food trucks for city and county government employees.

To receive a free lunch coupon for one entrée and one beverage, please show employee identification (badge, pay stub, etc.) on June 21 at the tables inside the Red Room adjacent to the plaza. Only 400 coupons are available, so get yours early. Read more. 

King County District Court events celebrate Pride month

King County District Court (KCDC) invites all King County employees to attend a series of informative and inspirational events in honor of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. The dates and topics for the four-part series "Prejudice, PRIDE, & Progress" are:

• Tuesday, June 21: Judge Donna Tucker, KCDC retired Chief Presiding Judge, presents "The History of Legal & Judicial Ethics Regarding Discrimination in the Courts, Business, and Work Place"
• Tuesday, June 28: QLaw presents "Pronoun Inclusion and In-Depth Review of Name Change Procedures"

All sessions will be held from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom. There is no sign-up for these Pride events. County employees can simply join via Zoom as each session happens.

Balanced You Coffee Connections: Pet Meet and Greet 

Would you like to introduce your furry friends to colleagues and share some laughs? Join Balanced You virtually for Coffee Connections: Pet Meet and Greet V.

If you have joined us in the past, then you know how fun this is, and if you are joining us for the first time, then you are in for a treat!

• Wednesday, June 22 from 12:30 to 1 p.m. Register here.

Dreaming of Retirement webinars June 23

How can you be confident about sustaining the retirement lifestyle you envision?

My Secure Advantage provides the tools to help ensure your retirement dreams are realistic.

• Thursday, June 23 from 9 to 10 a.m., register here; from noon to 1 p.m., register here.

Mindfulness classes

Mindful Relationships: Explore how to get to the root of harmful relationship patterns such as blame, defensiveness, avoiding conflict, and shutting down. Discover how mindfulness can help bring awareness to feelings and needs and enrich relationships.

• Wednesday, June 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. Register here.

Introduction to Mindfulness: Receive simple practices to use at work and home in this hands-on workshop.

• Tuesday, June 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. Register here.

KCIT Security Tips: Data breaches

Data breaches are more and more common these days. You hear about them in the news all the time. So you might wonder: what exactly is a data breach? A data breach is when secure information is taken from a trusted environment without permission. The bad guys can use this information to steal your identity, hack into your online accounts, and use the information for targeted phishing attacks to gather even more data about you.

However, just because the data was exposed does not necessarily mean it is already being used by the bad guys. It only means that bad guys can easily gain access to it. There are steps you can take to protect your information even if you were exposed in a data breach. Read more. 

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