King County leaders warn steep general-fund cuts would slash prosecutions, patrols and human services

Councilmember Rod Dembowski, chair of the Metropolitan King County Council Budget and Fiscal Management Committee, opened a briefing on Feb. 26 to examine what large general‑fund cuts would mean for county operations and residents.

Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said a $15.5 million reduction to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office (PAO) would remove the equivalent of about 90 deputy prosecuting attorneys and sharply reduce the office's ability to file and pursue cases. "This is what a $15,000,000 budget cut to the PAO means to the residents of King County," Manion said, adding that the office currently has 150 criminal deputy prosecuting attorneys who review roughly 10,500 referrals a year and file about 5,500 adult felony cases annually. Manion warned that lower‑priority property and retail theft cases could be deprioritized, victims could go unserved and early‑intervention diversion programs for youth could be lost.

King County Sheriff Patti Cole‑Tindall told the committee that a proposed $30.2 million reduction would be devastating to patrol and investigative capacity. She said the board of options the sheriff's office is considering would shift roughly half of existing deputies…