Good morning, neighbors,
Clocks rolled back. The election is behind us, and the Council is hard at work wrapping up end-of-year legislation. It's been a busy few weeks, and I am looking forward to things calming down, but the work isn't finished for 2026.
Honoring Our Veterans Through Operation Green Light
In 1954, President Eisenhower proclaimed Nov. 11 as Veterans Day, calling on the nation to “solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.” More than seven decades later, that call still shapes how Pierce County shows up for the people who served.
Pierce County is home to about 76,000 veterans, roughly 1 in every 12 residents. They are our neighbors, coworkers, and family members who traded civilian life for years of service and came home expecting a community that had their back. This Veterans Day, we’re proving that we do.
Pierce County is partnering with the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of County Veterans Service Officers (NACVSO) for Operation Green Light for Veterans. This November, counties, parishes, and boroughs across the country will light their buildings green from Nov. 4-11, 2026, turning a simple color into a nationwide signal: veterans are seen, and their service matters.
Roughly 200,000 service members leave the military each year, and the transition home is harder than many realize. There is benefits paperwork to untangle, a job market that doesn’t always understand military experience, and a sense of community to rebuild that a uniform used to provide automatically. For too many, that strain becomes something more serious; federal data show nearly 6,400 veterans died by suicide in the most recent reporting year, an average of 17 a day.
That challenge hits especially close to home. Pierce County has more residents receiving VA disability compensation than any other county in Washington—more than 33,000 people, about one in five recipients statewide. That’s more than in far larger counties across the nation.
Housing is part of the picture, too. On a single night in January 2025, the county’s homeless Point-in-Time Count found 229 veterans without a permanent place to live, about 8% of everyone counted, compared with 134 in 2019.
That’s the gap Pierce County is working to close. This year, the Pierce County Council expanded eligibility for the county’s veterans’ assistance program to indigent veterans who have a discharge of other than honorable (OTH), following a recommendation from the Veterans Advisory Board, which is made up entirely of honorably discharged veterans.
Historically, veterans with an OTH discharge qualified for county veterans’ services only if they received monetary benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, such as for a service-connected disability.
“A discharge classification does not tell someone’s whole story and excluding someone from county veterans’ assistance does not eliminate their need,” said Luke Cassidy, member of the Veterans Advisory Board, at the Health and Human Services Committee meeting on Oct. 6, where this legislation was first heard and given a do-pass recommendation by the committee.
The Council also included an additional $3 million in the county’s 2026 Homelessness Spending Plan for the capital acquisition and early operating costs of a transitional housing site specifically for veteran families with minor children. That investment builds on work the county began in 2025 to identify providers and approaches for expanding transitional housing for veterans and their families.
And starting Nov. 4, you’ll see that work made visible: Pierce County will glow green through Veterans Day. We’re asking every household and business in Pierce County to do the same by swapping one entryway bulb for a green one, so every veteran who walks or drives past knows this community hasn’t forgotten what they gave up for the rest of us.
If you’re a veteran, know someone who is, or simply want to say thank you in a way your neighbors can see, change a bulb and help us turn Pierce County green this Veterans Day.
To learn more about the services available to veterans and their families in Pierce County, please visit Veterans Services | Pierce County, WA - Official Website.
Ferry Service Interruption
My email box was flooded for a couple of days when the Pierce County Ferry broke down, stranding residents and visitors on both sides of our service area. Anderson and Ketron Island are in District 6, and both are accessible only by boat. When our ferry experienced a mechanical failure in its propulsion system on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 24, the county had no second vessel to resume service.
Usually we have two ferries, but one is currently in its Coast Guard-required dry-docking, so we only had one available.
I want to thank the many volunteers who stepped up with their personal boats to help “ferry” stranded visitors and neighbors. While I am not sure who everyone was, I know the Chair of the Anderson Island Citizens Advisory Board (AICAB), Jeremy Kamel, and his family worked every day until the ferry returned to service. We also had Captain Corey and the Cole family. I am sure there were others; thank you!
Two things I am sure will change in the county’s response to this, because we all know it could happen again.
Better communication to ferry-dependent community members and leaders: The Executive’s team is working on a communications plan to help the county communicate broadly, identify who to share detailed information with, and evaluate the tools we use. Communication will be better the next time.
Having an established plan ready to go for any vessels that might be brought in, and other ways to support stranded residents and visitors: Our county does not have the funds to buy, store, and maintain a third ferry. The plan would be to have a contract in place with a few other potential vessels. This will take time, and we need willing partners, but the goal is to have this plan in place before the next time we dry dock a ferry and share it with the community.
You can learn more about what happened, the sequence of events, and why things seem to take so long here: FAQ-Pierce County Ferry Service Interruption
Artificial Intelligence—Friend or Foe
I am all for providing information, so this might be an odd thing to bring up, but I want to share something we're seeing more at the county level—in emails, public records requests, and even on social media: long lists of random questions.
At the push of a button or with a simple query, anyone can ask an AI Assistant to read a meeting transcript, review a 60-page report, or search a bunch of websites, then generate a summary, a list of follow-up questions, and specific action requests.
AI can be an incredible tool for processing information, summarizing data, and finding things you might have missed.
Like any tool, however, it must be used correctly. Artificial intelligence cannot replace our own need to discern information and identify what we need to know vs. what we want to know or simply find interesting.
I recently received a 3-page list of questions, and each question required looking in several different places. It required talking to Council staff and department staff, and the overall purpose of the questions was not explicitly clear. I bring this up to show how a list of questions and a corresponding request for action to a Councilmember or county employee creates work we’re compelled to do on your behalf. Most of the time, though, we CAN’T use AI to answer those questions.
It takes legwork, and we’re happy to do it, but I kindly ask you to review the questions and ask whether you need this information to make a decision, respond to an incident, or understand something. AI doesn't care how long it takes to run through each item you request, but these things require people paid with your tax dollars to sit at desks and respond to those questions.
If you use AI to draft a summary and questions or potential actions, read it first and decide whether you really need this information. AI is a powerful tool, and we are still learning how best to use it. I am still learning.
Community Connections
District 6 Library Events: Pierce County Library events and classes at the Anderson Island, DuPont, Lakewood, Parkland/Spanaway, Steilacoom, Tillicum, and Virtual libraries.
Free Dental Care for Veterans: Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at AMVETS Post 1, 5717 Tyler Street in Tacoma. This is a wonderful opportunity for Veterans to receive needed dental care at no cost.
Refashion Fair ~ Fall Clothing Swap, Mending Stations and Learning Labs: Saturday, Nov. 7 from 12 to 4 p.m. at the Parkland Community Center, 214 121st Street South, Parkland (Parkland School). Pierce County’s Office of Resilience and Climate Action (ORCA) is hosting this event to help people recycle clothing, learn how to repair and repurpose used clothes, and reduce the amount of garments filling our landfill.
Gather & Give Thanks: Friday, Nov. 13, 1 p.m., Lakewood City Hall. Join the Lakewood Senior Activity Center for an afternoon of cozy vibes, autumn treats, and grateful hearts.
DuPont Puzzle Competition: Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. Grab your friends and family for the Annual Puzzle Competition. Individuals or teams of 2-4 people can sign up. It will be held at the DuPont Fire Department, Bay-1780 Civic Dr., and there is a sign-up fee.
I know this newsletter was a little longer than usual, but there was a lot to share. Again, thank you to everyone who stepped up when the ferry went down. Our partnership with state officials, the town council, and community members helped people navigate the loss of transportation. I encourage everyone to keep at least a week of food and supplies on hand in case you are cut off, but this is especially true for District 6 residents who live in isolated areas. Preparedness | Pierce County, WA - Official Website
Wishing you all a wonderful beginning to November.
Take care,
Jani