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In June, the Board approved a $3.5 billion Alameda County Final Budget for FY 2019-20 that is balanced and closes a $60.4 million funding gap without significant reductions to services or staff.
The Final Budget reflects the priorities outlined in our County’s long-term Strategic Vision, known as Vision 2026, by supporting efforts to address Countywide challenges such as homelessness, an affordable housing shortfall, and the need to maintain and improve aging infrastructure.
Alameda County continues to devote substantial resources to address the region’s worsening homelessness problem. The Final Budget contains $130.2 million in increased spending on homelessness as called for in the Homelessness Action Plan adopted by the Board last year. Under the plan, we are committed to spending nearly $340 million over the next three years to address homelessness on multiple fronts. Since passage of the Homelessness Action Plan, the County has secured additional funding bringing total spending on homelessness across the three years to $357 million.
You can read the full 2019-2020 Final Budget on our Open Budget website: http://bit.ly/328jqHm
DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S JUSTICE ACADEMY
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Justice Academy (DAJA) is a six month learning and working experience for high school students, ages 16 and up, who are interested in pursuing the study of law, justice, social justice, and the courts.
This Academy teaches teens about the many facets of the justice system while encouraging critical thought and civic engagement.
During the spring semester, DAJA students meet twice monthly to participate in highly engaging and thought-provoking seminars led by experts in the field. The students are then placed in a paid internship with a local government agency, non-profit organization, office of an elected official, or private law office over the summer.
This summer, our office had the great pleasure to host DAJA intern Michael Blue, who provided us with research and administrative support. Michael is a bright young man who just graduated from Albany High School and aims to one day be a civil rights attorney. Congratulations to Michael and the rest of his impressive cohort for completing DAJA - we wish you the best!
Applications for the 2020 Academy will be available in mid September. If you would like to learn more about the program or apply, visit http://bit.ly/2LgjlwZ.
ALAMEDA COUNTY AND CITY LEADERS MEET TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS CRISIS
 In July, Alameda County convened a historic meeting of regional leaders to discuss our deepening homelessness problem and to promote increased collaboration to maximize opportunities to address homelessness and housing insecurity.
The meeting brought together the full Board of Supervisors and mayors and city managers from each of the County’s 14 cities for a discussion of solutions to the region’s homelessness crisis, which became all the more urgent after figures from a Point-In-Time count conducted earlier this year showing homelessness grew by 43 percent across the County over the past two years.
The meeting also provided an opportunity for the County to highlight more than $937 million in funding we have identified to address the crisis in the coming years. We urged our city partners to join us in pulling out all the stops to turn the tide against a homelessness problem that is affecting communities across the nation. Every level of government must do more if we are to successfully confront this crisis.
To learn more about what Alameda County is doing to address homelessness, visit https://homelessness.acgov.org/index.page.
BOARDS & COMMISSIONS OPPORTUNITIES
District 5 2019 Annual Boards & Commissions Update Meeting
Supervisor Carson is seeking District 5 Representatives for the following boards & commissions:
- Alameda County Fair Association Board of Directors (2)
- Alameda County Fire Advisory Commission (1)
- Commission on the Status of Women (3)
- Consumer Affairs Commission (3)
- Human Relations Commission (1)
- Tree Advisory Board (1)
This is an opportunity to serve your community and represent District 5!
For more information or to apply, visit the Boards and Commissions site: https://acgov.org/bc/.
Please note the eligibility requirements and commitments associated with each position.
 It's almost that time of year again to Shoo the Flu!! Shoo the Flu is a community-based initiative to prevent seasonal influenza in Oakland through a school-based vaccination program. The program offers free flu vaccines, regardless of insurance, to students and on-site school staff at participating schools every fall. All Oakland elementary and K-8 schools, including Oakland Unified School District, charter, and private schools, are invited to participate. To see if your student’s school is participating, please visit www.shootheflu.org.
Shoo the Flu is a partnership between the Alameda County Public Health Department, California Department of Public Health, Oakland Unified School District, and other community partners.
Earlier this year, I launched new weekly video series that YOU get to contribute to! Have a burning question about county policy or programs? Want to know more about life as an elected official? Curious about my favorite books? Send me your questions and I may just answer you via video on social media!
Visit my YouTube channel to view all AskKeith! episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/user/KeithCarsonDistrict5
AskKeith! has been on summer hiatus, but the series will resume in September - be sure to submit your questions soon!
Email questions to: AskKeith@acgov.org
SAVE THE DATE: READY TO LEARN FUN FAIR
 For more than 10 years, the Ready to Learn Fun Fair (RTLFF) has been a highly valued resource for hundreds of families across Alameda County.
RTLFF provides families with information about local community resources in the areas of education, nutrition, social services, exercise and the arts.
In addition, there will be musical performances, a clown show, and the popular television character Clifford the Big Red Dog will be in attendance to promote reading as a fun activity.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Washington Elementary School
2300 Martin Luther King Junior Way
Berkeley, CA 94704
Entrance to the fair is FREE and all children that attend will receive a complimentary book.
REGISTER HERE: https://rtlff2019.eventbrite.com/
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Team Carson has grown! Please welcome the newest addition to our staff, Jared Spencer.
Jared will be fulfilling his duties as our Filed Representative, whose responsibilities include Boys and Men of Color Initiatives, community & business engagement, event coordination, and managing special projects. Jared brings with him experience working on policy, politics, and strategic outreach in a number of policy areas at the county and city levels of government in Portland, OR and Dallas, TX.
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