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Building Healthy, Equitable Communities
Building Healthy, Equitable Communities
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September 2019 Newsletter

Newsletter

Looking for Data? New & Updated Healthy Neighborhood Indicators Now Available! 
Have you used our interactive data portal before? It’s a great resource with over 35 local indicators based on the Get Healthy SMC community-identified priorities. We’ve recently updated it to include the most up-to-date data and new indicators including but not limited to areas with low-income and low-access to grocery stores, tree canopy coverage, and results from CalEnviroScreen – a tool used to identify communities most affected and most vulnerable to the effects of pollution. We have also added a section on civic engagement, highlighting the diversity of the elected officials in San Mateo County and identifying the prevalence of those that are linguistically isolated.  Check out the portal to see how your community is doing on building healthy conditions.

 

Don’t Miss This Leadership Development Opportunity 
The Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute (BCLI) is recruiting low-income and people of color from San Mateo County to join their next cohort of fellows. There will be an informational session on October 8 from 6pm to 7:30pm at 225 37th Avenue, San Mateo (Room 100).  Applications are due October 20. BCLI is a six-month leadership program that supports low-income communities and people of color to access decision-making roles. By the end of the program, graduates understand the complexity of building equitable communities and are equipped to navigate the culture of boards and commissions. Please share with those you think would be interested in representing San Mateo County. Diversity is a strength!

Items to include in this newsletter

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Willful Defiance Will No Longer Be A Source of Suspension

On September 9th Governor Newsom signed California Senate Bill 419 into law. The bill helps ensure that more students stay in school by prohibiting suspensions and expulsions for students (grades K-8) for “willful defiance”.  The term “willful defiance” has been a catch all used by educators to suspend and expel students that are perceived as disruptive in school and has been used disproportionately on students of color, LGBTQ students, and students with special needs.

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San Mateo County Looks to Improve Community Health through Walking and Biking Opportunities

San Mateo County is working on its first ever active transportation plan that will be published in Spring 2020. Led by our colleagues at the Office of Sustainability, we are still seeking input (English and Spanish) on how to best strengthen the county’s walking and biking environments, particularly in denser neighborhoods such as North Fair Oaks where we see higher numbers of collisions involving people walking and biking. Please share your thoughts on how to support safe and active transportation!

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CCCS Implementation Updates

CCCS staff continue to move forward with implementing community-identified strategies! In South San Francisco, front line staff at the Boys and Girls Club and City of South San Francisco were trained in trauma informed practices for working with youth. At the most recent implementation meeting in South San Francisco, stakeholders formed small implementation committees to move forward service connection, trauma training and economic development priorities.

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Homegrown Talent Pipelines

Providing high-quality job training programs that prepare community members experiencing the greatest health inequities for well-paying job opportunities is a critical ingredient for building economic well-being and health for all people in San Mateo County. Many governmental and healthcare institutions across the nation are connecting residents to construction and healthcare jobs through partnerships with local training providers.

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Supporting the Early Childhood Education Workforce

Low wages for childcare providers are hurting the well-being of San Mateo County’s students and families. A new report from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment found that early educators in California, particularly Black educators, are more likely to live below the federal poverty line than other workers. This economic insecurity undermines both the health of educators and their students’ learning environment.

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New State Legislation Package Makes it Easier to Build Second Units

The California Legislature passed AB 68, AB 881 and SB 13 that will remove minimum lot size, lot coverage and stringent setback and parking requirements to ease the building of second units. We will closely tracking SB 13 since it will offer a statewide amnesty program for non-compliant second units. These bills are on the way to Governor Newsom to be enacted. For an analysis of these bills, please click here. Stay tuned for more updates!

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Learn How Exclusionary Housing Policies Impact Our Communities Today

You are invited to attend THE COLOR OF LAW: The Hidden History Shaping Our Communities Today presentation by Richard Rothstein. The author of this acclaimed book will be presenting on how exclusionary policies impact communities in San Mateo County and across the nation. The event will take place October 3 at 7pm at the Congregational Church of San Mateo located at 225 Tilton Avenue in San Mateo. To RSVP, please go to https://hiddenhistory-rothstein-sanmateo.eventbrite.com