| Dear Friends,
It is my pleasure to update you on the work I have been doing to make Alameda County an even better place to call home.
In this edition of my newsletter you can read about the work I have been doing to help address the County's housing crisis, my partnership with the Social Services Agency to provide free tax preparation services, and my Fight for Medi-Cal campaign.
You can also learn about various community events I hosted in my district, my advocacy work to protect immigrant and refugee children and families, and much more.
It is an honor to serve you. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any comments, questions or concerns that you may have regarding the district or Alameda County.
Sincerely,
Wilma Chan
Supervisor, Third District
Victory for Affordable Housing
Today,
Alameda County has a shortfall of over 60,000 affordable housing units, with
many working families spending 50 percent or more of their monthly income on
housing. Last fall, Alameda County
residents passed Measure A1 – the County’s $580 million affordable housing bond
– with over 73 percent of the vote. Measure A1 will help protect and create
affordable housing options for our most vulnerable populations, including
seniors, veterans, disabled and homeless individuals. It will also assist teachers,
nurses and first responders to buy their first home while ensuring that seniors
safely stay in their homes by providing interest free loans for home repairs.
Measure A1
funds have already proven to be an invaluable resource. With the election of
Donald Trump and his pledge to slash the corporate tax rate, the value of low
income housing credits has dropped. With the use of emergency A1 funds, the
Board of Supervisors invested $24 million in nine affordable housing projects
that would have been stalled due to Trump’s tax policies. This investment leveraged an additional $300 million and will result in 575 units of affordable housing. Four of those
projects are now ready to break ground.
In
January, the County’s Housing and Community Development Department presented an
implementation plan for the housing bond programs, and, most recently, A1
housing policies have been drafted with input from the general public, local
jurisdictions and non-profit developers. Starting June 8, residents will have
the opportunity to comment on these policies over a 30-day period. For more
information about A1 or to make comments, please visit: https://www.acgov.org/cda/hcd/bond.htm.
Free Tax Preparation
I was pleased to once again partner with the Alameda County Social Services Agency and United Way’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program to offer free tax preparation services for low
and moderate-income individuals and families.
This partnership began last year at my San Lorenzo district office, where 382
clients saved $610,763 in state and federal taxes. This year, the program
expanded and served 408 individuals and families who saved $651,315 in state
and federal taxes. Many individuals were also able to benefit from California’s
Earned Income Tax Credit, generating an additional $219,735 for our tax filers.
I look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come so that more
residents can benefit from this beneficial service.
Fighting for Healthcare for ALL
With the
House of Representatives passing the American Health Care Act, the threats to
affordable and accessible health insurance continue. In particular,
administrative changes by the Department of Health and Human Services could
impact California’s insurance market and threaten the health care of Alameda
County’s 443,365 Medi-Cal enrollees which make up 27.2% of the County’s population.
In order
to address potential impacts, I brought together health care advocates, labor
leaders, and elected representatives to launch the “Fight for Medi-Cal”
campaign. As part of this regional campaign, we created a website for
Californians to share testimonials on how they could be impacted by the repeal
of the Affordable Care Act and to find out how they can access needed resources
and take action. To learn more about this campaign or to share why the ACA
matters to you, visit: www.FightForMedical.org.
Celebrating the Holidays in San Lorenzo
In December, I welcomed nearly 100 community
members to my annual holiday party and second “County Update”. The combined
event was an opportunity for us to celebrate the San Lorenzo community as well
as receive updates from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, the Community
Development Agency, and the Public Works Agency on upcoming projects in San
Lorenzo. I would like to thank Gala Bakery, Ros Doughnuts, and Lucky
Supermarkets for generously donating sweet treats that the community enjoyed. I
would also like to thank the San Lorenzo Library staff for helping us host this
fun and informative event.
Every
year, I partner with child care centers in my district to provide holiday gifts
to low-income children. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we were able
to distribute over 100 toys, books and stuffed animals to students at Lorenzo
Manor’s Head Start program and the Lockwood Child Development Center in
Oakland. A special thanks to the San Lorenzo community who donated toys at my
holiday party as well as to the District 3 commissioners and other community
residents whose generosity made the toy drive a huge success.
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Protecting Immigrant and Refugee Communities
In light
of recent federal executive orders on immigration, I sponsored a resolution at
the Board of Supervisors to approve $750,000 in funding for legal protection
and services to immigrant and refugee community members. This funding was
matched by the San Francisco Foundation for a total of $1.5 million, which will
help the community be aware of their rights as well as provide access to legal
counsel.
Additionally,
the Board of Supervisors created an Ad-Hoc committee on Immigrant Rights that
will inform county policies and programs that affect immigrant and refugee
residents. As a part of the Ad-Hoc
Committee process, I held a community forum on immigrant rights at the San
Antonio-Fruitvale Senior Center that was co-hosted by Oakland City
Councilmember Noel Gallo. Over 100
attendees received an update on federal immigration legislation, participated
in a Know Your Rights training,
benefitted from one-on-one consultations with immigration attorneys, and
provided feedback to the County on immigration issues.
Alameda
County is the fourth-most diverse county in the nation and approximately
one-third of the County’s 1.6 million residents were born outside of the United
States. We must continue to work
together to ensure that all residents are protected, regardless of immigration
status.
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The Arbor at Hesperian
This May,
I was proud to join Mercy Housing, the County’s Community Development Agency,
and area residents to celebrate the grand opening of The Arbor at Hesperian – a
77 unit affordable housing development in San Lorenzo for seniors 55 years and
older. This property is located next to the San
Lorenzo Library and is within walking distance of a grocery store, post office,
restaurants, retail shops and public transit. Nearly $15 million of the funding
for this $26 million project came from redevelopment money that I preserved
prior to the loss of Redevelopment funding in 2012.
With the county's senior population expected to exceed 260,000 by 2020, The
Arbor at Hesperian will ensure that many older adults in our community are able
to age with dignity.
Celebrating 20 Years of Supporting Alameda's Children, Youth and their Families
This fall, I was honored to join Alameda city
officials, community leaders and residents to celebrate the 20th
Anniversary of the Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth and their
Families. The Collaborative is a partnership between Alameda County, the City
of Alameda, and the Alameda Unified School District that provides support and
services to address the needs of Alameda youth. As founder of the
Collaborative, I was particularly proud to represent the County and deliver
keynote remarks at the 20th Anniversary celebration.
My office was the founding organization of the Collaborative and over the past few years, it has
implemented numerous activities and programs that have enriched the lives of
Alameda's young people, including youth job fairs, Season of Nonviolence speech contests, the Out Loud teen magazine, and In
the Mix, a conference for multi-racial families in Alameda. I look forward to supporting the
Collaborative’s continued efforts to address the needs of youth and
families in the City of Alameda.
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Supporting the San Lorenzo Community
I was
pleased to make a $2,000 contribution in support of the San Lorenzo Village
Homes Association’s annual Earth Day community clean-up and BBQ. Over 80 area residents volunteered their time
to remove trash and beautify San Lorenzo’s streets.
I was honored
to contribute $5,000 in support of the Deputy Sheriff’s Activities League’s
free summer soccer league. This donation will provide 1,700 youth between the
ages of 5 and 17 years old the opportunity to build teamwork skills, play
outside, and get the exercise they need to stay healthy.
Advanced Care Planning for our Seniors
According
to national studies, 80 percent of individuals report that they would like to
talk to their doctor about end of life care if they were seriously ill, yet
only 7 percent have done so. Without an opportunity to provide clear
instructions for end of life care, these critical decisions are often left in
the hands of surrogates instead of trusted caregivers.
On May 29, I launched an educational series to address advanced
care planning for older adults. The event was co-sponsored by San Leandro Mayor
Pauline Cutter and the San Leandro Senior Community Center. Over 50 residents from San Leandro and surrounding
communities attended the event and received valuable information needed to plan
for a secure future, including arranging healthcare orders, preparing legal
documents such as wills and trusts, and navigating skilled nursing. The program
benefitted immensely from our speaker panel, which included representatives
from Legal Assistance for Seniors, San Leandro Hospital and Peter Shelton Law.
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ALL IN Alameda County Update
In 2014,
on the 50th Anniversary of President Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” I
launched ALL IN Alameda County, an
initiative aimed at renewing our efforts to fight poverty throughout the
County. Most recently, ALL IN has
been working on designing a food recovery pilot where edible food is diverted
from the waste stream and delivered to those in need. Thanks to the work of
senior advocate Judy Jackson, ALL IN collaborated with Satellite Affordable
Housing Associates (SAHA), the Berkeley Food Pantry and Daily Bread to launch a
food recovery pilot at three senior affordable housing sites. Residents now
have a monthly opportunity to “shop” at no cost for fresh produce and other
healthy staples. I am pleased to report that SAHA plans to expand this effort
to several sites in District 3.
In
addition, ALL IN provided mini-grants
to community residents and organizations for the second year in a row to host
“listening sessions” to learn about challenges in their communities. This
program started in 2015 when we awarded 17 grants to local groups. Due to the
valuable information we found from the initial partnership, we expanded the
program this past year and awarded 74 grants in which 1,500 people participated
throughout Alameda County. Grantees presented their findings at a January
meeting and helped shape ALL IN’s agenda for 2017-2018. If you would like to
read the ALL IN Listening Sessions
report, click here.
Alameda's Got Talent Career Fair
This spring, I was proud to partner with the City of Alameda, Alameda Unified School District, and the
Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth and their Families on the third annual Youth Career and Summer Job Fair for high school students in Alameda. Over 600 students
from Alameda schools attended the career fair and had the opportunity to learn
about jobs in various fields, apply for jobs and internships, and talk to
representatives from community colleges.
Over 50 employers, including various Alameda County agencies,
construction trades, community colleges, and businesses shared their education
and employment opportunities with students.
Many of these agencies and businesses will be hiring paid summer
interns, and some of the interns hired from the career fair have in years past taken
on part-time jobs through the school year.
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Having an Impact on Federal Policy Change
In
January, I hosted Alameda County to Capitol Hill: Having an Impact on
Federal Policy Change, a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors which
included a presentation by the County’s federal lobbyist that provided an
overview of the political landscape in Washington D.C. Over 100 concerned
residents, CBO representatives, and public agency staff attended the briefing
and learned about how a Trump Administration and Republican-controlled Congress
might seek to implement their policy agenda. We also explored how the County
can take action to ensure the well-being of our 1.6 million residents. The
conversations held at this meeting were a reminder that we have many challenges
ahead to organize, respond to, and prepare for federal policy changes in 2017
and beyond.
Community Resources
Boards and Commissions
Are you
interested in serving Alameda County and District 3? There are currently
openings to become a District 3 representative on the Advisory Commission on Aging, the Measure A Citizens Oversight Committee, the County Transportation Commission Independent Watchdog Committee,
the County Recycling Board and the Consumer Affairs Commission. Learn more
at www.acgov.org/clerk/bcc.htm. Applications, including a
cover letter and resume, can be submitted to karina.rivera@acgov.org.
Healthy Homes
Lead poisoning, asthma triggers, and safety issues in the home are a
serious threat to our children’s health. The Alameda County Healthy Homes
Department has services to help low-income residents and property owners make
their homes safer for young children. If
you own a home or apartment building built prior to 1978 in Alameda, Berkeley,
Emeryville, or Oakland, you are eligible for a free-in-home or phone
consultation to help you identify and reduce lead hazards. Other services
include free lead paint repair and free trainings. For more information or to
sign up for these services, call 510-567-8280 or visit www.achhd.org.
AAA Senior Resource Guide
Alameda
County’s Area Agency on Aging website has elder service tips, news, and
resources. Click here to
visit the website and learn more about resources available to all seniors in
Alameda County.
Alameda County Resource Guide
For information and referrals on Alameda County programs, check out our
resource guide: http://www.acgov.org/government/documents/ACResourceDirectory.pdf.
Starting a Local Business
Do you want to open a business in Alameda County but don’t know where to
begin? Alameda County has two great guides that will help you get started:
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