Expect to hear the county executive talking light rail in his annual address today.
Expect to hear the county executive focus on light rail in his annual speech today. King County

In his State of the County address today, King County Executive Dow Constantine is expected to talk a lot about Sound Transit 3, effectively beginning a months-long push to get voters to say "yes" to the $50 billion light rail package unveiled last week

Better transit is a critical issue, but let's hope Constantine also dedicates a good portion of his speech today to homelessness. Both the City of Seattle and King County declared states of emergency on homelessness last fall, but Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has gotten most of the attention (and criticism) for his response. In fact, the latest one-night count found that homelessness grew more countywide than in Seattle over the last year. The number of people sleeping outside and in vehicles rose by 4.6 percent in Seattle and by 19.4 percent—to 4,505 total—across King County. In recent months, the county and local nonprofits have opened some new shelter beds and housing, but the crisis demands more. Now is the time for Constantine to lay out his plan.

The speech begins at 2 p.m. You can watch a live stream here.