On September 28, 2023, the Mayors and Business Leaders for Public Safety will host an evening of community learning, dialog and civil discourse with author and journalist Sam Quinones (pronounced Kin-YOH-Ness). The event is free to the public and will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Commons at Cavelero Mid-High in Lake Stevens. Mayor Brett Gailey will serve as moderator.  

Quinones is a Los Angeles-based freelance journalist, a reporter for 35 years, and a veteran reporter on immigration, gangs, drug trafficking, and the border. He is formerly a reporter with the L.A. Times, where he worked for 10 years. His book, “The Least of Us” was released in November 2021 and was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) award for Best Nonfiction Book of 2021. “The Least of Us” follows Quinones’ landmark book “Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic” (Bloomsbury, 2015), which ignited awareness of the epidemic won a National Book Critics Circle award for the Best Nonfiction Book of 2015.

The coalition, Mayors and Business Leaders for Public Safety, wants to change the trajectory of our communities. This is an opportunity for us to come together as a community to learn and discuss the challenges and possible solutions to substance abuse disorders for Snohomish County.  

Learn more and register: Eventbrite Sam Quinones: Fentanyl, Meth, and the Opioid Crisis

Visit the City's Overdose Awareness page for information on overdose prevention and local community resources available.