Due Friday: Applications to Serve on the Newly-Created Blue Ribbon Commission on Improving Custody Operations!
Staff Contact: Maja Marjanovic
Maja.Marjanovic@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-6418
Applications to Serve on the Newly-Created Blue Ribbon Commission on Improving Custody Operations Now Available!
On October 6, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the establishment of a Blue Ribbon Commission to Improve Custody Operations, which will meet for 180 days.
The Blue Ribbon Commission will conduct a series of public meetings, hearing testimony from the public and experts, to assess the current status of our corrections system in terms of policies, procedures and operations and make recommendations for improvement.
We have an obligation to operate our custody facilities in an open and transparent manner in holding with the highest standards of legality, safety, and decency.
This Commission will be a 25-member body empowered by the Board to hear testimony, review documents and call on all County staff for assistance. In order to increase accountability and success, it is of utmost importance that the work of the Blue Ribbon Commission is transparent and inclusive. That is why the number of members has been increased to 25, at the request of Board President Dave Cortese.
This is an important turning point for our County and the safety of the individuals in our custody and our community at large. We welcome and look forward to receiving public input and guidance.
If you are interested in serving, applications are available online at
www.sccgov.org/blue-ribbon-commission-application. Completed applications, along with a resume and statement of interest, are to be submitted to the Office of the Clerk of the Board. Applications must be received no later than
Friday, October 16, 2015, 5:00pm. Final appointments to the Commission will be announced at the October 20, 2015, Board of Supervisors meeting.
Please send completed applications via email to
Recordsunit@cob.sccgov.org or mail to:
County of Santa Clara
Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
Attn: Records Unit
70 W. Hedding Street
East Wing, 10
th Floor
San Jose, CA 95110
Questions related to the appointment process can be addressed by the Office of the Clerk of the Board at 408-299-5001.
Vote-by-Mail Is Now Postage-Free
Staff Contact: Scott Strickland
Scott.Strickland@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5022
Previously, voters needed to affix their own stamp (or stamps) before mailing back their ballots. Long ballots at some elections required multiple postage stamps. Not anymore.
Last week the Board of Supervisors approved new ballot materials to explain the County’s new postage-free Vote-By-Mail. From now on, Vote-By-Mail ballots will be labeled “No Postage Required”, and voters may put them in the mail at no cost.
Ballot materials will be clearly labeled “No Postage Required” in English and in a second language for voters who speak Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog or Vietnamese. You can see the new materials
here.
The relatively modest cost of the return postage, shared by cities that hold elections, has been absorbed into the existing budget of the Registrar of Voters.
Voters have made Vote-By-Mail the popular trend. Now 72% of Santa Clara County voters return their Vote-By-Mail ballots.
The new postage-free Vote-By-Mail process will be in effect for some Santa Clara County city elections Fall 2015. District 2 voters will first benefit from the change during the Presidential Primary Election in June 2016.
Newly Established County Sustainability Master Plan
Staff Contact: Hope Cahan
Hope.Cahan@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5029
On September 29
th, the Board approved the referral I co-authored with Supervisor Simitian to create a County Sustainability Master Plan (
http://sccgov.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&ID=78273). This will provide the County with specific environmental improvement and protection goals, set priorities to guide these decisions, and create progress metrics to make sure we are on track.
The County employs over 17,000 people, has nearly 75 separate departments and agencies, and owns approximately 6 million square feet of property. In 2010, the Board created a Sustainability Policy to embed sustainability into the work of all County departments and agencies.
With this new Sustainability Master Plan, the County will be able to knit together all of the work being done by departments. This will result in an increase in environmental leadership, coordination of cross-cutting activities, and will promote transparency and accountability to the public. The creation of this plan will improve the County’s goals of fostering a healthy environment, protecting our precious resources and public health and safety, and advancing social equity and safety as we move the County towards a sustainable future.
Increased Opportunity for Community Gardens and more…
Staff Contact: Hope Cahan
Hope.Cahan@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5029
The Board created an exciting opportunity for urban agriculture on September 29
th, 2015.
http://sccgov.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_LegiFile.aspx?Frame=&ID=77963
Unused and often derelict land between 0.10 acre and 3 acres will now have the opportunity to get a tax break by allowing the land to be used for agricultural purposes such as community gardens, agricultural education classes and food growing for charities and farmers markets. This is a great opportunity for our community to increase its access to fresh, healthy, locally sourced food while decreasing greenhouse gas emissions!
For more information about urban agriculture incentive zones, contact Jim Reilly of the Department of Planning & Development at jim.reilly@pln.sccgov.org or 408-299-5799.
October 3-18, 2015 is Binational Health Week!
Staff Contact: Alexander Lin
Alexander.Lin@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5027
On October 6, the Board of Supervisors voted to proclaim the period of October 3-18, 2015 as Binational Health Week. Binational Health Week is one of the largest mobilization efforts of federal and state government agencies, community-based organizations and volunteers in the Americas aimed at improving the health and well-being of the underserved Latino population living in the United States and Canada.
This year, the fifteenth annual Binational Health Week is taking place October 3-18, 2015 in the U.S. and Canada, with the participation of the consular networks of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The 2015 themes of Binational Health Week are: HIV/Aids; Diabetes; Occupational Health; Influenza; and Access to Health Insurance.
Since it was launched in Santa Clara County in 2005, Binational Health Week has convened over 180 community events, with 1,700 participating agencies, and 4,700 volunteers. Over the last ten years the Santa Clara County Public Health Department, in partnership with the Consulate of Mexico in San Jose, community agencies, clinics, academic partners and advocates, have reached over 112,700 residents, and administered over 16,000 health screenings to the community via Binational Health Week.
This is part of our County’s broader effort to ensure equitable access to health care for all residents but particularly our most vulnerable populations.
To celebrate the occasion, I presented a commendation to Jazmin Amezcua, Deputy Consul of Mexico in San Jose, Dr. Sara Cody, Santa Clara County Health Officer and Public Health Director, and Rene G. Santiago, Deputy County Executive and Director of Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System.
For a list of the Binational Health Week events in Santa Clara County, visit
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/sccphd/en-us/Partners/collabproj/BHW/Pages/bhwcalendar.aspx.
Happy Binational Health Week!
Thank You for Everything, Congressman Don Edwards.
Staff Contact: Alexander Lin
Alexander.Lin@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5027
On October 1, 2015, we lost a giant in the civil rights movement and a champion for the environment. William Donlon “Don” Edwards dedicated his life to civil rights, civil liberties, peace, the environment and many noble causes.
After graduating from Stanford Law School, he became an FBI agent, joined the Navy and followed his father into the insurance business before being elected to Congress in 1962. In Congress, he worked to prohibit racial discrimination, disband the House Un-American Activities Committee, protect freedom of speech, oppose the Vietnam War and ensure fair housing practices.
In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Congressman Edwards’ bill to establish the first urban national wildlife refuge in the United States - the 30,000-acre San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The mission of the refuge is to preserve and enhance wildlife habitat, protect migratory birds and threatened and endangered species, and provide opportunities for wildlife-oriented recreation and nature study for the surrounding community. In 1995, Congress renamed it the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
I remember meeting Congressman Edwards in 1981 as a young student. I was awestruck. He made time for anyone who wanted to speak with him, and his interest in encouraging young people to become politically engaged was inspiring. He continued to be a role model for me and many others in our community and across the nation.
In a
statement that she posted on her website shortly after his passing, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, who worked for Congressman Edwards for nearly a decade and succeeded him in Congress, summed up his legacy perfectly:
“Don spent his life in service to the state of California and to our country as a Member of Congress for 32 years. His contributions will live on for many generations through the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, through his stalwart defense of the Constitution, his profound dedication to civil rights, his tireless advocacy for the rights of women as the “Father of the Equal Rights Amendment,” and his lifelong efforts for a peaceful world. He will be always remembered for his exemplary service in Congress and love for the South bay.”
AREF Grants Opportunity for K-8 Teachers Working within the Alum Rock Boundary
Staff Contact: Alexander Lin
Alexander.Lin@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5027
The Alum Rock Educational Foundation is pleased to announce that it is currently accepting grant applications for the 2015-2016 school year. Grants are available to teachers in support of the foundation’s mission to
Enrich the Educational Experiences of Alum Rock students. The foundation supports opportunities for student success by providing grants for field trips, classroom projects, enrichment activities and other creative approaches that support its vision, which is to help the children and families of Alum Rock achieve success.
Grants are awarded in amounts up to $500. Applications are only accepted online. Visit the AREF website at
http://www.alumrockef.org/grants.php to access the application. Applications will be accepted until midnight, November 1, 2015. Approved grants will be announced after December 1, 2015.
Assistance with completing the applications is available until October 30, 2015. Staff may also attend a free Grant Writing Workshop on October 20, 2015, 4:30PM – 6PM, in the ARUSD (Alum Rock Unified School District) District Office Board Room. The workshop will cover basic grant writing, as well as an overview of the AREF application, process, scoring rubric, and evaluation process.
Since the Spring of 2009, AREF has awarded 266 grants totaling $125,701! 750 teachers and 27,222 students in all grade levels have benefited from the grant awards. Half of the grants awarded were for projects that included reusable classroom materials, thus Alum Rock students will continue to be affected for many years.
The next grant cycle will begin on January 2, 2016. For additional information, please contact AREF at
AlumRockEF@gmail.com.