A message from District 1...
With the holiday season upon us it is that time of year to give to those that are in need. Unfortunately, this has been a very difficult financial year for many of our Alameda County families and the need for food and shelter is among the greatest it has ever been. Simply put, our food banks, shelters and local pantries need our donations more than ever before.
No matter what area you live in, either the Tri Valley or Tri City there is a convenient location that will accept your donations. Every year, in conjunction with the Alameda County Food Bank, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors sponsors a Holiday Food Drive. The 2011 Holiday Food Drive goes from now till January 31st, please bring your canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta sauce and other staple type foods to the following locations:
Department of Child Support Services – 5669 Gibraltar Dr., Pleasanton
Dublin Library – 200 Civic Terrace Plaza, Dublin
Fremont Main Library – 2400 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
Library Administration – 2450 Stevenson Blvd., Fremont
The Tri City Volunteers, the largest non-profit food banks serving the Tri City Communities, are also accepting food as well as cash donations. They are located at 37350 Joseph Street in Fremont. Please stop, visit their website at tri-cityvolunteers.org or call them at (510) 793-4583.
Open Heart Kitchen prepares and serves the Tri Valley more than 750 meals each weekday and they can always use food donations. You can drop food donations off between 10:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday at the Ridgeview Commons Senior Center, 5200 Case Ave., Pleasanton, CA 94566. For more information please call (925) 580-6793.
If you cannot make any of these locations most of the grocery stores in our communities have food barrels to accept your donations.
I would like to thank you in advance for your generosity this Holiday Season as it will truly make a difference in someone’s life and that is the true holiday spirit – “giving what you can to those that need it.” Enjoy your Holiday and Best wishes for a Happy and prosperous New Year.
On
Veterans Day, November 11, 2011 the Safeway Corporation launched its fundraising
campaign to support the Wounded Warriors Project.
The
mission of Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) is to honor and empower wounded
warriors. The purpose of WWP is to raise awareness and to enlist the public's
aid for the needs of injured service members; to help injured servicemen and
women aid and assist each other; and to provide unique, direct programs and
services to meet their needs.
Safeway
stores will take part by raising funds for the Wounded Warrior Project to honor
and provide services to those service men and women who incurred service-related
injuries on or after September 11, 2001.
The Project offers a variety of
programs and services including rehabilitation, stress counseling, career
retraining and social outlets. Customers can donate at checkstands at
Safeway.
Openings
on District 1 Boards and Commissions
The
Supervisor is seeking qualified, motivated and dedicated candidates to serve on
the following county boards/commissions that have current
openings:
Alameda
County Advisory
Commission
on Aging:
Provide
for services to elderly and assist in allocation of funds as Advisor to the Area
Agency on Aging. Meetings: 2nd Monday, 9:30 a.m.
1 seat
Closing Date: Open until filled
Consumer
Affairs Commission:
Promotes
and protects the interest of Alameda County consumers. Meetings: 2nd Thursday of
each month at 4:00p.m., 1221 Oak Street, Suite 536, BOS Conference Room, Oakland
94612.
1
seat Closing Date: Open until filled
Mental
Health Advisory Commission:
Perform
advisory functions in matters relating to mental health. Meetings: 2nd Monday,
Every Child Counts Conference Room, 1100 San Leandro Blvd., Suite 130, San
Leandro.
2
seats Closing Date: Open until filled
Public
Health Commission:
Serve
as advisory body to the Board of Supervisors and Health Care Services Agency in
the areas of public health, primary care, and criminal justice medical
services. Meetings bi-monthly for a total of six (6) monthly
meetings per calendar year. Currently, the 2nd Thursday of every other
month.
2
seats Closing Date: Open until
filled
Human
Relations Commission:
To
prevent discrimination in housing, employment and education. Meetings: 3rd
Wednesday, 6:00 – 8:00p.m.
1
seat Closing Date: Open until filled
Alameda
County Transportation Improvement Authority’s Citizens Watchdog Committee
(CWC):
The
CWC scrutinizes all ACTIA expenditures and reports directly to the public on how
Measure B funds are spent each year.
Meetings:
on a quarterly basis on the 2nd Monday, 6:30p.m., in downtown
Oakland
1
seat Closing Date: Open until filled
For
more information contact: District 1 Offices, send resumes via email to vener.bates@acgov.org or fax to 925-484-2809,
Attn: Vener Bates.
Recently
EveryoneHome completed the 2011 Alameda Countywide Homeless Count, and Survey
report. Below are some of the highlights:
The
2011 Homeless Count and Survey estimates that 4,178 people were homeless in
Alameda County on a given day in late January 2011. This decrease from the 4,341
estimated count contributes to a 13.6% reduction in the homeless population
since January 2007.
The
number of persons in homeless households with at least one child decreased by
28%, from 1,570 to 1,139. The decrease was most
significant for unsheltered families - down 67% from 72 families in 2009 to only
24 in 2011.
The
number of unsheltered adults without children increased significantly while the
number of unsheltered families dramatically decreased.
The number of unsheltered adults without children grew by 34.5%, up
from 1,541 in 2009 to 2,072 in 2011. This increase is offset by the reduction of
unsheltered families noted above, resulting in a net increase of 13% of
unsheltered persons. In 2009 45% of the homeless population consisted of
unsheltered persons. The percentage rose to 53% in 2011. The number
of unsheltered persons now exceeds those living in emergency shelters and
transitional housing combined.
The
County’s efforts are also making a difference in reducing homelessness among
veterans. 488 homeless persons are veterans, a 13%
reduction from 561 persons in 2009. Over the past two years, new funding for
subsidized housing vouchers through the federal Department of Veteran Affairs
enabled 102 homeless veterans to move into permanent housing in Alameda County.
Of these, 33 were chronically homeless veterans. Veterans are 12% of the
homeless population, down slightly from 2009.
Alameda
County and EveryoneHome have made strategic investments of resources such as
federal homeless prevention and rapid rehousing (HPRP) funds have achieved
promising results. The County and the 14 cities within Alameda County have taken
a pledge to eliminate homelessness in the County by the year 2020. While this is
a difficult task the County and its partners believe the goal is
achievable.
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Great
Race for Clean Air 2011 Winners
Twenty-one
employers in Alameda County participated in the annual Great Race for Clean Air
competition. The Great Race is sponsored by the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District (BAAQMD) and
511.org.
Private and public employers throughout the 9-county Bay Area region
were invited to participate by encouraging employees to try alternative commute
methods to driving solo to work during September and October. Almost 200
employees throughout Alameda County logged their daily commute activities
avoided producing 40 tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The U.S. Coast Guard in
Alameda was the winning employer achieving the greatest reduction per capita in
GHG emissions. The Hacienda Owners Association
in Pleasanton received the winning trophy in the category of Highest Rate of
Employee Participation both at the county-wide as well as the Bay Area-wide
levels. Trophies were presented to the winners at the December 6 meeting of the
Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
(pictured
above to the left: Denise Lohman/ Hacienda Owners Association and Audra
Jacques/U.S. Coast Guard)
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The
Rural Roads Group meetings are scheduled for March 14 and September 12,
2012. The group meets at 4 pm at the Alameda County Martinelli
Event Center located at 3585 Greenville Road in Livermore. The Rural
Roads Group meetings are an informal forum for residents and landowners in east
Alameda County to meet with the District 1 Supervisor and staff from the CHP,
Sheriff’s Office, Public Works and other County agencies with a focus on
addressing the traffic impacts to rural roadways as a result of chronic
congestion on I-580. For more information on the Rural Roads Group contact dawn.argula@acgov.org
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On
November 16, the City of Livermore opened the new interchange at I-580 and
Isabel Avenue (SR 84) to traffic. This was the first and largest element of the
project completed early, and includes the realignment and I-580 overcrossing of
Portola Avenue which is scheduled to be completed in January 2012. The cost for
the entire project was over $150 million and was comprised of funding from voter
approved local and statewide funding sources as well federal funding. The
project was planned decades-ago when the City of Livermore decided to move SR 84
out of its downtown. Isabel Avenue was officially designated State Route 84 in
2003. The project was a partnership with the City of Livermore, Caltrans, the
Alameda County Congestion Management Agency and the Alameda County
Transportation Authority. The new interchange brings additional access to I-580
helping relieve traffic at Livermore’s existing interchanges. The official
ribbon-cutting ceremony for the entire project will occur in January.
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BART to Livermore |
Efforts continue to advance the project to extend BART to Livermore. Staff has
been working on developing a Phase 1 Concept that is “affordable and
implementable” and is expected to land in the vicinity of I-580 and Isabel
Avenue.
Next steps include the start of a project level environmental study for
Phase 1. The BART LVX Phase 1 project has been recommended for $400 million in
the draft Transportation Expenditure Plan (TEP) for the upcoming renewal of the
County-wide transportation sales tax expected to go to the voters November
2012.
In
2008, Senate Bill 375 (Steinberg) was enacted. This law established the goal to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California through the development of a
regional Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS). The SCS integrates
transportation and land-use planning. In the 9-county San Francisco Bay Area
region, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of
Bay Area Governments (ABAG) have been working together to link two regional
planning efforts. This effort looks at the region’s housing needs over at
25-year period. The goals 1) house all economic segments of the population
within the region and; 2) coordinate the resulting land-use pattern with the
transportation network so as to reduce per capita greenhouse-gas emissions form
personal-use vehicles. Motor vehicles are the single greatest source of
greenhouse gas emissions in both the Bay Area and in the State. Although
control of land use planning remains at the local level, the SCS will
fundamentally change the way in which we plan for our communities. The
development of the SCS is a multi-year effort with the final version expected to
be completed and adopted in 2013. During 2011 the Supervisor hosted workshops
for elected officials at all levels in District 1 communities to inform them
about this process and have them weigh in on important elements of the
developing SCS. Visit the District 1 website for updates on these workshops http://www.co.alameda.ca.us/board/district1/sustainstrategy.htm Additionally,
under the auspices of One Bay Area, MTC and ABAG are
conducting a series of workshops in all 9 counties to solicit input from the
public throughout this process. The next public workshop in Alameda County is
scheduled for Wednesday January 11, 2012 at 6 pm at the City of Dublin Civic
Center. For more information on the SCS visit the One Bay Area website at http://www.onebayarea.org/ . The adoption of
the SCS will affect everyone in Alameda County and in the Bay Area region. Your
involvement and input is critical in the development of this important regional
initiative.
Expansion of School-Based Behavioral Health Services
In fall 2009, youth, school and school district administrators and county representatives in the Tri-Valley communities of Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton participated in a process that selected the Portia Bell Hume Behavioral Health and Training Center (Hume Center) to provide school-based mental health consultation services to all continuation high schools in the Tri-Valley. Chosen for their innovative and community-based approach towards mental health, the Hume Center began in early 2010 working with the school communities at Del Valle/Phoenix, Valley and Village Continuation High Schools to build the capacity of school staff to address and support behavioral health problems through consultation and professional development; provide short-term direct services to students who need them; and engage and support families.
Highlights from the 2010-2011 School Year
198 students received mental health screening, assessment, early intervention services and brief treatment through 806 individual and group sessions.
23 students received crisis response consultation support through 47 sessions.
86 parents received consultation support to help them engage with their children and schools, learn parenting approaches and understand how to navigate systems of supports through 169 individual and group sessions.
96 teachers, administrators, parents and other service partners involved in supporting students received mental health consultation through 645 sessions.
381 parents, school staff, and community residents participated in prevention trainings, workshops and community forums
Building Capacity of Schools & School Districts to Address Mental Health Needs
In addition to serving Tri-Valley youth and their parents, TVAHI partners have been working to build and improve the systems of care to better address the mental health needs of students and their parents at both the school and school district levels.
Highlights of Capacity-Building Activities
In 2009-2010, HCSA School Health Services provided technical assistance and $10,000 to each of the Tri-Valley school districts to help develop and implement plans to improve their ability to address mental health needs of students and their parents.
Each continuation high school developed and/or expanded a school-based health provider meeting that included a Horizons family counselor, school psychologists, academic counselors, Child Welfare Advocates, principals, Hume Center providers and Axis Community Health providers to ensure seamless referrals and follow up through coordination and collaboration.
HCSA School Health Services, Behavioral Health Care Services and school districts developed a crisis response communication protocol to help provide and coordinate additional county mental health supports in the event of a school crisis.
Secured Long-Term Funding to Support Mental Health Expansion
Following the prioritization of the mental health needs of Tri-Valley youth in 2008, we successfully worked with HCSA’s Behavioral Health Care Services and School Health Services to direct new Proposition 63 Mental Health Services Act Prevention and Early Intervention (MHSA PEI) funding to support the TVAHI efforts. Since 2009-2010, approximately $165,000 in MHSA PEI funding has been allocated to the Tri-Valley annually to create and expand school-based mental health consultation support through the Hume Center.
In January 2011, Tri-Valley parents, service providers, school administrators and school district administrators participated in an Alameda County Board of Supervisors public hearing and successfully advocated for additional one-time funding to leverage the current mental health service expansion efforts. A total of $250,000 in new Measure A funding over two years (2011-2012 and 2012-2013) was approved by the Board of Supervisors to help expand the school-based mental health consultation services to more high schools and middle schools in the Tri-Valley during this period.
Youth Planning Board Projects
The Youth Planning Board (YPB) continued to develop several youth-led projects to increase the awareness of the need for greater mental health supports for Tri-Valley youth. In 2008-2009, YPB members developed an educational PSA on mental health and participated in the production of a TV 30 Slice of Life segment featuring the Tri-Valley Adolescent Health Initiative. In its last year, the YPB participated in reviewing the proposals of potential school-based mental health consultation providers, recruited youth for a series of focus groups as part of the Teen Voices: Experiences with Reproductive Health Services Study and organized a regional dance benefit competition to raise awareness of Hepatitis A. By 2010, we shifted our focus and existing resources to creating school-based behavioral health services to serve a greater number of students and families.
Future Plans to Expand Services to Middle & High Schools
Currently, Tri-Valley school and school district partners, the Hume Center and other community service partners are working to expand the model of school-based mental health consultation to more high schools and middle schools in all three school districts.
The Tri-Valley partners have contributed to help secure additional funding to expand services at a time of dwindling resources to our schools and communities. As our community’s needs continue to grow, the County remains committed to working in partnership with all of the stakeholders in order to provide valuable support to our youth and families.
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