The Senior Scene

One of the four school districts in Pierce and King counties got the results it was hoping for in a special election Feb. 14.

Voters in the Peninsula School District gave a 60 percent-plus thumbs-up to a three-year educational programs and operations levy and a six-year levy for building-safety, security and technology.

Ballot measures in the Orting, Steilacoom and Enumclaw school districts were rejected after none received the 60 percent approval required to pass.

Peninsula district officials thanked voters. School Board member Natalie Wimberley said the “community has shown they understand and value the importance of quality schools. The success of these levies will allow us to continue funding essential programs and staff and make necessary security and technology improvements across our school district.”

Orting’s $150 million bond proposal, which would have funded construction for new or expanded elementary schools among other plans, had a 54 percent yes vote.

Steilacoom, with a 57 percent yes vote, fell short of approval of its $116 million bond measure for a new elementary school, a high school sports stadium, and other upgrades.

In the Enumclaw district, only 24 percent of voters cast ballots favoring a $253 million bond measure that called for construction of elementary schools, a performing arts center, and sports and building security improvements.

Final results of the election will be certified Feb. 24.

By Nigel Turner

The first reported case of COVID-19 in the United States was identified in western Washington on Jan. 20, 2020. The next day, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department activated a response team and got right to work thanks to planning we’d started earlier that month. Three years later, we know a lot more about this deadly disease and how to keep our community safe.

As we look to the future and how we will continue to respond to COVID-19, we acknowledge COVID’s tremendous toll on all of us. This pandemic deeply affected every aspect of our lives. It has changed all of us, and we know more than ever that we need to work together to improve our community’s health.

Too many of us are grieving lost loved ones. More than 1,500 Pierce County residents have died of COVID-19.

We know COVID-19 disproportionally affects people with adverse social, economic and environmental conditions. Because of structural racism and other factors, that burden has been felt most often by Black, indigenous, and people of color. Even before COVID-19 arrived, we worked to help make health outcomes more equitable. During the pandemic, that’s meant being in the community, partnering with organizations that serve marginalized populations. We want to ensure everyone has access to the same life-saving resources—and close the gaps some experience. That work will continue. We are building on the community engagement efforts and bringing that approach to all areas of public health. That means we show up for the community wherever we can and support others who do the same.

These past three years, we’ve faced a global health crisis unlike any other in our lifetimes. We’ve lost far too many. We’ve also saved lives. With your help, we have protected families, friends and neighbors.

Washington had one of the lowest death rates from COVID-19 in the country. In Pierce County, we:

• Investigated tens of thousands of cases and outbreaks to help prevent transmission.
• Supported more than 1.8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine administered to residents.
• Conducted hundreds of testing and vaccination clinics, from drive-through sites to vaccinating homebound folks.
• Distributed more than 450,000 test kits.

As COVID-19 continues to spread, so do other respiratory illnesses. We saw a sharp increase this fall and winter in influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infection (RSV). The combination of all three diseases circulating in our community contributed to record absenteeism at local schools and loss of work for many employees.

A new omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5, is gaining traction in the eastern part of the U.S.

Our local wastewater data recently showed a spike in COVID-19. Our case dashboard also showed a moderate increase over the holiday season, with the highest transmission in people over 80.

Thankfully, flu activity and the spread of respiratory illnesses has slowed in recent weeks. But if we’ve learned anything the past three years, it’s that we need to stay prepared.

Learn more at tpchd.org/safepractices, and find your dose of COVID-19 vaccine today at tpchd.org/vaxtothefuture. Find tools to keep you and your family’s home safe at tpchd.org/healthyhomes.

Nigel Turner, who works in the communicable disease program of Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, wrote this article Jan. 31 for the department’s Reliable Sources blog.

The last four Social Security numbers of 463,000 registered voters in Pierce County were accidentally given last December to a person who asked for voter registration records from county election officials.

The release of what usually would be information kept secure from the general public was revealed in letters that were mailed in mid-January to the affected voters by the county auditor, who oversees local elections.

The data that included Social Security numbers was provided by the auditor’s election department in response to a public records request, a formal process in which citizens and the news media can obtain certain records maintained by governments that aren’t easily made available to the public.

The names, addresses and birthdates of voters that were released is public information but shouldn’t have included the Social Security digits. The person who made the request, and whose own identity wasn’t revealed by officials, didn’t want the sensitive personal information, didn’t save it, and deleted it after receiving it, according to the auditor’s office.

The partial Social Security numbers, which are recorded by the auditor as a way to confirm the identity of registered voters, were accidentally included in a list of voters released by an employee of the auditor. Under federal and state laws, Social Security numbers, including partial ones, can’t be part of public-record requests.

“This kind of mistake has never happened before” in the auditor’s office, and steps have been taken to prevent a recurrence, Whitney Stevens, a public records officer, wrote in the auditor’s letter to voters.