Updates from District 4 Supervisor Nate Miley: December 4th - December 17, 2021

Alameda County, California sent this bulletin at 12/17/2021 10:19 AM PST

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nate - alpha order

December 4, 2021 - December 17, 2021

In this Issue

Need a Covid Test or Vaccine? Support with childcare or food?

Alameda County  frequently updates this COVID19 Testing, Food, and Social Services interactive map.

Alameda County COVID19 Testing, Food Distribution, and Social Services Map

COVID Updates From Health Care Services Agency

Earlier this week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) mandated that everyone in California wear a mask in indoor public spaces and workplaces, and posted recommendations and requirements. Alameda County's local face covering order and amendment remain in effect as noted by the State for local jurisdictions with existing mask orders. (See Mask Mandate below.) CDPH also issued a travel advisory and updated its mega event guidance this week. (See Travel Advisory and Mega-Events below.)

Next Tuesday, December 21, our Health Care for the Homeless team is holding a memorial service for countywide homeless care providers and advocates to observe National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day. The virtual event will be held from 12 pm to 1 pm via zoom. Together with localities across the country, we pause to honor residents who died while homeless in Alameda County and we strengthen our resolve to work for a world where no life is lived or lost in homelessness.

We are also reminded of our Alameda County families who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. With the Omicron variant rapidly spreading and the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines waning over time, we urge everyone eligible to obtain a vaccination or booster shot right away. The need for a booster is particularly critical for persons age 50 and older, and those with significant underlying health conditions. Everyone 16 and older who is 6 months out from their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two months out from their Johnson & Johnson vaccine, is also eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot.

Mask Mandate

Alameda County’s local face-covering order and amendment remains in effect as noted in the State’s Face Covering Q & A. Residents will not experience any differences in policy. Everyone aged two and older, regardless of vaccination status, is required to wear a mask in indoor public settings, with a limited exemption for certain controlled settings with a small, stable group of fully vaccinated people. Alameda County modified its mask Order by adding exemption language to align with the State’s modifications to masking for youth sports and musical instruments. Children who play sports indoors who remove their masks due to heavy exertion during play will not be in violation of our local mask requirements now.  

An additional reminder from The Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE) and Alameda County Public Health in a joint statement: Best Practices for Addressing COVID-19 During Upcoming Winter Closure. Along with vaccination and boosters, masks are one of the best tools we have to prevent spreading COVID-19 to family, friends, and community members. We will continue to monitor emerging evidence and the local epidemic to determine if changes to local mandates will be needed.

To read the full Health Care Services newsletter please visit: https://covid-19.acgov.org/response.page?.

People's Health Briefing With Dr. Noha Aboelata

roots

Don't miss the latest installment of The People's Health Briefing. In it, Roots Community Health Center CEO and founder Dr. Noha Aboelata breaks down the impact of COVID19 on Alameda County, Oakland and East Oakland in particular.

In this week’s episode, Dr. Noha reviews the current status of COVID, updates on therapeutics, the Omicron variant, monoclonal antibodies and boosters.

Links referenced in the briefing:

Expanded Booster Recommendation (16 & 17 yo)

Monoclonal Ab expanded eligibility for all ages 

Long-acting Pre-exposure treatment

View all installments of "The People's Health Briefing" here in the "All Videos" section.

New Alameda County Supervisorial Map Is Approved

The new Alameda County Supervisorial Map has been adopted and represents not only population and demographic changes as recorded by the 2020 census, but also the more local neighborhood preferences of community members. Hundreds of residents from throughout the County participated by submitting their “Communities of Interest” input or by speaking at one of the 8 public hearings spanning several months.

This was an important moment in our County's recent history. The new district lines determine political representation, allocation of resources, and how community interests may manifest. Learn more about how the map came to be on the County's dedicated redistricting website.

AC redistricting map

Community Engagement Efforts Around 580 Truck Ban Town Hall & Sheriff's Office Accountability

My office hosted two exciting virtual events this week regarding the 580 truck ban and police reform and racial justice in Alameda County. The grassroots organizing I've led in the community for most of this past year has been focused on developing the creation of space for public feedback, and I was very impressed with the turnout and quality of comments we received.

sheriff accountability

The first event was a community input opportunity on December 15th centered on how to bring accountability to the Alameda County Sheriff's office, which is part of a larger Ad Hoc Process initiated by Supervisor Valle and myself to address systemic racism, reparations, and police reform in Alameda County following the murder of George Floyd in June 2020.

To date, the Ad Hoc Process has engaged more than 300 individuals throughout the County. They represent a broad-based and diverse group of thought leaders and community stakeholders from youth and faith-based organizations, philanthropy, County departments, educators, community-based organizations, and formerly incarcerated individuals.

Additionally, discussion groups were conducted with County department heads, mayors, city managers, and law enforcement leaders from local jurisdictions throughout Alameda County to gain further insight regarding social justice and police reform. These groups created three focus areas: Community Reinvestment Strategies, Sheriff’s Office Accountability, and Surface and Address Systemic Racism. Each area has action items community thought leaders believe necessary to the process of achieving racial justice and police reform in the County.

To learn more about the Ad Hoc Process, please contact my office via phone or email listed at the end of the newsletter.
truck ban town hall

The second event was a town hall on December 16th regarding the 580 truck ban, a highly publicized issue that is currently being reexamined through the lenses of environmental justice and structural racism.

Interstate 580 runs through Alameda County including the cities of San Leandro and Oakland. In 1951, truck traffic was banned on the local East Bay thoroughfares which eventually became I-580. The ban on truck traffic was extended indefinitely in 1967 by Caltrans with the caveat that it be reviewed periodically. The I-580 ban covers an 8.7 mile stretch from Foothill Boulevard to Grand Avenue and remains one of fewer than a dozen such bans on a US Interstate nationwide.

Existing studies have shown clearly that diverting truck traffic from the 580 onto other interstate highways like the 880 has created a legacy of air pollution, asthma and other impacts on residents in Oakland. This community meeting was a chance for residents and elected officials to listen to a thorough review of the history, health disparities, and the economic impacts of this decision from 70 years ago to see if the ban should be changed in any way. 

Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland and Mayor Pauline Cutter of San Leandro joined the panel of experts from CalTrans and Bay Area Air Quality Management District to listen and learn more about this important subject. 

Watch the livestream recording here.

Exercise Your Right to Be Heard!

BOS 2021

Most Tuesdays, the Board of Supervisors holds a Regular Meeting during which the public is allowed to speak to the Board on agenda items representing decisions made about our communities.

While we might not always agree on the best path forward, I am fond of saying that reasonable people will disagree, and that I get some of my best ideas from my constituency base. I am honored to serve on the Board as a County Supervisor and take the ideas, concerns, and feedback of the public very seriously.

Please consider tuning into these meeting and encouraging your family, friends, and neighbors to do the same. We are stronger as a County when we are connected to one another, and engaged with the civic process.

The meeting calendar, including links to the agenda when it is available, can be found here.

The links to the livestream broadcast of the meetings can be found here.
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