Today's picks for civic nerds

For Thursday

Linking East and West

Join Sound Transit to check out East Link light rail's final design  for the Downtown Bellevue segment. After Sound Transit and Bellevue identified cost-saving options for the  extention, the latest design work is complete and ready for public viewing.

Come to the open house in Bellevue to review the plans and give your input on station designs and names. When the Bellevue segment is complete, riding East Link between Bellevue and Seattle will take less than 20 minutes—half the time of a  rush hour commute.

Downtown Bellevue Segment Final Design Kick-Off, Thurs May 16, 5-7pm, Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave. N.E., Bellevue, free.

For Tomorrow

A Loo in the Park

Ever wish there were more public restrooms downtown Seattle? Attend the neighbhorhood meeting in Pioneer Square to discuss the issue of access to public restrooms, using the Portland Loo as an example.

Neighborhood Meeting to Discuss Public Restroom, Wed, May 15th, 4:30-6pm, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, 319 2nd Ave S, free.

A Great Day to Donate

Stretch your charitable contributions further by participating in The Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG day. Every donation to the more than 1,400 participating nonprofit groups will be "stretched" by funds from a pool of funds that cosponsors contributed in advance, and each donation will receive a prorated portion of the matching funds.

Donors will be chosen at random to win a "Golden Ticket"—an additional $1,000 and a round-trip plane ticket, courtesy of Alaska Airlines, that will go to the nonprofit of their choice.

The Seattle Foundation's GiveBIG Day, Wed, May 15, midnight to midnight, donate online.

And Important for Today

Testify at the King County Council

With the emergency funding that the King County Council passed two years ago set to expire next year, the council's transportation committee is holding a public hearing on potential Metro cuts today. The state legislature is currently weighing whether or not to give King County local taxing authority to cover the pending $75 million a year ($60 million in buses, $15 million in new buses) cut.

Come and tell the council how the cuts will affect you. (Here's a handy cheat sheet that shows what routes could get cut.)

Union Station (401 S Jackson Street, Seattle), 3:30 p.m.—Open house. Details and pre-sign up here. 

Public Transit Panel

Learn how you can participate in discussions about local transportation planning at this panel discussion, including experts from Seattle Transit Blog, SDOT, and FutureWise.

Opportunities for Public Involvement in Transportation, Tues, May 14, 5:30-7pm, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, 319 2nd Ave S, free.

National Security at Home

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, will take a critical look at the United States' greatest foreign policy threat—ourselves.

In his book, Foreign Policy Begins at Home, Haass argues that repairing our infrastructure, tackling our debt, improving our schools and updating our immigration system is paramount to our national security. 

Richard Haass: Foreign Policy Begins at Home, Tues, May 14, 7:30-9pm, Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave, $5.

Want to see your nerdy event featured on the PubliCalendar?
Send the details to Carryn at [email protected].