Drafter
Clerk 03/27/2013
Title
A MOTION adopting the council's equity and social justice work plan for 2013.
Body
WHEREAS, in July 2010, the King County council adopted the 2010-2014 King County strategic plan with a "fair and just" guiding principle to serve all residents of King County by promoting fairness and opportunity and eliminating inequalities; and
WHEREAS, the strategic plan followed action by then-King County executive Ron Sims to initiate an equity and social justice initiative, noting that while many of our communities are thriving, there are still neighborhoods with high crime, poor education, poor health and little economic opportunity, and
WHEREAS, in October 2010, the council approved Ordinance 16948 defining how the county intends to prioritize and address equity and social justice in county government, and creating an interbranch team to coordinate these countywide efforts;
WHEREAS, in May 2012, the council adopted its first equity and social justice work plan intended to address the values of equity and social justice within the legislative branch, and
WHEREAS, under the provisions of that 2012 equity and social justice work plan, the council has undertaken a number of initiatives to emphasize its commitment to the values of equity and social justice, and
WHEREAS, among these initiatives are: a brown-bag lunch series featuring speakers and informational presentations; the formation of a legislative equity and social justice team allowing for the participation of legislative branch agencies in reviewing and originating equity and social justice initiatives and sharing equity and social justice successes and challenges; and a well-attended potluck celebrating the diverse legislative branch community, and
WHEREAS, the equity and social justice interbranch team, created under council direction by Ordinance 16948, has provided guidance in the preparation of equity and social justice work plans for all departments and interbranch agenci...

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