Blue Ribbon Commission Members Announced, Halloween Safety Tips and More!

Dear Neighbor:

Happy Halloween Week! I know that many of your families, like mine, are probably busy preparing for this Saturday's festivities. For your reference, I have included in this newsletter Halloween safety tips courtesy of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Please read on for the following updates (and many community announcements):

As always, please send me any questions, comments or concerns you may have.
 

Be well,

Cindy Chavez

Blue Ribbon Commission Set to Evaluate Custody Operations
Staff Contact: Maja Marjanovic
Maja.Marjanovic@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-6418

On October 26, Supervisor Dave Cortese, President of the Board of Supervisors, announced the appointment of the 25 members who will serve on the Blue Ribbon Commission to Evaluate Custody Operations in Santa Clara County. Retired Judge LaDoris Cordell will serve as the Commission’s Chair. The news conference at which President Cortese made the announcement is available to view on the Boards of Supervisors & Boards and Commissions website.

Since the announcement, one additional seat has been added for Amy Le, a female correctional sergeant with more than 20 years of experience working in the jails. In addition, the nine county officials on the commission have been stripped of the power to vote on the advisory commission's recommendations.

As described in my previous newsletter, the Board approved the creation of the Commission on October 6, and applications were accepted until 5:00pm on October 16. The Office of the Clerk of the Board received 96 applications by the deadline. This is exciting because it is indicative of the popular sentiment that this is a bigger issue to our community than to any one group – that the outcome of each individual we have in our custodial care matters to all of us. It is clear we understand that when people go to jail, we need them to come out ready to be part of our community, and the only way to do that is to make sure that our corrections system is adequately preparing them.

To everybody who applied – even if you were not chosen – we are still very interested in hearing your input and recommendations.

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. The Commission will operate for 120 days, after which it will present recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. Chair Cordell will guide the commissioners to schedule public meetings and develop a work plan.

The Blue Ribbon Commission members and one alternate are as follows:
Chair: Retired Judge LaDoris Cordell
Retired Judge Susan Bernardini
Judge Stephen Manley
Wes Mukoyama, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Board
Gail Price, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Board
Navah Statman, National Alliance on Mental Illness
Dr. Divya Reddy, Union of American Physicians and Dentists
Pastor Dale Weatherspoon, Mountain View, PACT
Pablo Gaxiola, Goodwill of Silicon Valley Re-entry Programs, former inmate
Christine Clifford, San Jose PACT and Debug
Rose Amador-LeBeau, La Raza Roundtable and Center for Training and Careers
Rick Callendar, NAACP
Alison Brunner, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
Hope Holland, National Alliance on Mental Illness, former inmate
Erin O’Neill, City of San Jose, Office of Independent Auditor
Dennis Grilli, Former Police Officer for the Cities of Santa Clara and Richmond, with experience in custody operations
Otto Lee, Former Sunnyvale Mayor
Supervisor Cindy Chavez
Supervisor Ken Yeager
Sheriff Laurie Smith
Chief of Correction John Hirokawa
Public Defender Molly O’Neal
Chief Probation Officer Laura Garnette
District Attorney Jeff Rosen
Behavior Health Director Toni Tullys
Sheriff's Correctional Sergeant Amy Le
Alternate: Ann Rosenzweig, active member of Amnesty International
 
For more information about the Blue Ribbon Commission, contact the Office of Supervisor Dave Cortese at 408-299-5030.


October 25, 2015 is Larry Itliong Day in Santa Clara County!
Staff Contact: Alexander Lin
Alexander.Lin@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5027

On October 20, the Board of Supervisors recognized the contributions of the Filipino American community and the legacy of Larry Itliong in proclaiming October 25th as Larry Itliong Day. Larry Itliong was a Filipino American labor organizer who has been described by historians as “one of the fathers of the West Coast Labor Movement.”

As leader of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee, he led 1,500 Filipino American workers in the Delano Grape Strike demanding that workers be paid the Federal minimum wage. The Delano Grape Strike began on May 3, 1965 and by September of that year the strikers were joined by Cesar Chavez and the National Farm Workers Association signaling the first formal partnership between Filipino and Mexican agricultural workers. Within weeks, the two organizations merged to form the United Farm Workers of America under the leadership of Larry Itliong and Cesar Chavez.

Staff Contact: Alexander Lin
Alexander.Lin@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5027

On October 20, we adjourned the Board of Supervisors meeting in memory of two Santa Clara County women lost to domestic violence in 2014 and the three we have already lost in 2015. Their deaths tell us that domestic violence impacts families and communities in destructive and tragic ways, even here in Santa Clara County. We must raise awareness about its prevalence and talk about this problem publicly.

My colleagues and I wore purple that day to demonstrate our stance against domestic violence. In the photo, those standing in the audience are individuals representing organizations that have been helping victims of domestic violence for decades. I want to applaud Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, Community Solutions, YWCA Silicon Valley, Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), Maitri, Victim Witness Assistance and the County’s SCC Office of Women's Policy for their tireless work and for guiding thousands of women and men to a healthier and more empowered life. And I would like to commend the survivors for their resilience and determination.

We know that this crime of inequality, power and entitlement crosses racial, ethnic, religious, gender, cultural, social, economic and sexual orientation lines. In 2014, our local crisis hotlines answered over 21,000 calls, and over 650 victims and children received emergency shelter and transitional housing services. But over 2,000 victims were unable to access shelter. There were 5,052 domestic violence-related calls to local law enforcement and 3,873 cases referred to the District Attorney’s Office for review.

In the years to come, with our current and upcoming efforts, our goal is to report significantly lower numbers of hotline calls, cases reported to law enforcement, and to never have reason to adjourn a Board meeting in memory of deceased victims ever again.


Halloween Safety Tips

Staff Contact: Alexander Lin
Alexander.Lin@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5027

Halloween is an exciting time of year for kids who dress up and go trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods. To help ensure they have a safe and fun time, parents, guardians, family members, neighbors, and friends should heed some simple tips. These tips are provided by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

ALL DRESSED UP:

• Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.
• Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags or wear glow stick necklaces for greater visibility.
• Because masks can limit or block eyesight, consider non-toxic makeup and decorative hats as safer alternatives. Hats should fit properly to prevent them from sliding over eyes.
• When shopping for costumes, wigs and accessories, look for and purchase those with a label clearly indicating they are flame resistant.
• If a sword, cane, or stick is a part of your child's costume, make sure it is not sharp or too long. A child may be easily hurt by these accessories if he/she stumbles or trips.
• Obtain flashlights with fresh batteries for all children and their escorts.
• Do not use decorative contact lenses without an eye examination and a prescription from an eye care professional. While the packaging on decorative lenses will often make claims such as "one size fits all," or "no need to see an eye specialist," obtaining decorative contact lenses without a prescription is both dangerous and illegal. This can cause pain, inflammation, and serious eye disorders and infections, which may lead to permanent vision loss.
• Review with children how to call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they ever have an emergency or become lost.

 CARVING A NICHE:

• Small children should be discouraged from carving pumpkins. Children can draw a face with markers. Then parents can do the cutting.
• Consider using a flashlight or glow stick instead of a candle to light your pumpkin. If you do use a candle, a votive candle is safest.
• Candlelit pumpkins should be placed on a sturdy table, away from curtains and other flammable objects, and should never be left unattended.

 HOME SAFE HOME:

• To keep homes safe for visiting trick-or-treaters, parents should remove from the porch and front yard anything a child could trip over such as garden hoses, toys, bikes and lawn decorations.
• Parents should check outdoor lights and replace burned-out bulbs.
• Wet leaves should be swept from sidewalks and steps.
• Restrain pets so they do not inadvertently jump on or bite a trick-or-treater.

  ON THE TRICK-OR-TREAT TRAIL:

• A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
• If your older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
• Only go to homes with a porch light on and never enter a home or car for a treat.
• Because pedestrian injuries are the most common injuries to children on Halloween, remind Trick-or-Treaters to:
  • Stay in a group and communicate where they will be going.
  • Put reflective tape on costumes and trick-or-treat bags.
  • Carry a cellphone for quick communication.
  • Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
  • If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
  • Never cut across yards or use alleys.
  • Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom). Never cross between parked cars or through driveways.
  • Don't assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing Trick-or-Treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn't mean others will!
  • Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

HEALTHY HALLOWEEN:

• A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.
• Consider purchasing non-food treats for those who visit your home, such as coloring books or pens and pencils.
• Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
• Try to ration treats for the days following Halloween.

See more at: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/news-features-and-safety-tips/pages/Halloween-Safety-Tips.aspx.


CodeChix

Staff Contact: Alexander Lin
Alexander.Lin@bos.sccgov.org
408-299-5027

56% of female engineers drop out during their first ten years in industry. CodeChix is working to lower this number. The goal of CodeChix is the retention of women engineers currently active in industry, support for women engineers re-entering industry, and aiding in the recruitment of fresh graduates from universities. CodeChix hosts workshops (instructor-led, hands-on sessions), hacking sessions (where people can work on their projects in a helpful, non-judgmental and supportive environment) and technical talks (where principal engineers, CEOs, and CTOs talk about the latest technologies). CodeChix is a 501(c)3 fiscally sponsored project of community initiatives.

To find out more information, visit http://www.codechix.org.

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