February Update from Supervisor Sackett

FEBRUARY 2024

LEGISLATIVE VISIT TO WASHINGTON D.C. PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING VIVALON HEALTHY AGING CAMPUS MEDI-CAL ELECTRIFICATION ROADMAP HAVE YOU HEARD? WHAT I'M READING

 

Dear Neighbors,

With winter storms, there is hope for sunny spring showers around the corner. After all, on February 2, Groundhog Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow! While we have gratitude for rain, storms remind us of the importance of preparedness. Here are three things you can do right now to be prepared for an emergency:

1. Sign up for Alert Marin and Nixle

Alert Marin will notify you:
• When ACTION is needed at a SPECIFIC ADDRESS or NEIGHBORHOOD
• Imminent flooding, wildfires, and evacuations with life-safety implications
• During-event information about evacuation routes, shelters, transportation
• Other public safety incidents where lives may be at risk

Nixle will alert you:
• When INFORMATION is needed in a ZIP CODE
• Road closures, general updates, issues affecting larger areas
• Post-disaster information about shelters, transportation, or supplies
• Police activity and general public safety information

2. Bookmark the Marin County Emergency Portal

• Monitor Emergency.MarinCounty.org for the most up-to-date weather and emergency information.

3. Learn how to prepare at ReadyMarin.org 

• Make a plan for your household.

 

LEGISLATIVE VISIT TO WASHINGTON D.C.

 

As a member of the Board's Legislative Subcommittee, I visited Washington D.C. with Talia Smith, Principal Administrative Analyst in the County Executive's Office, to advocate for Marin. We met with Congressman Huffman, Senator Butler and Senator Padilla’s staff, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development carrying our priorities on:

• A comprehensive overall of the Bolinas Fairfax Road
• Santa Venetia Floodwall Project
• Fairfax San Anselmo Children’s Center
• Highway 37 and 101-580 multimodal access
• Shared our successes with Section 8 vouchers, and asked for more

We also went to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in Bethesda, Maryland, to share the trends Marin County Public Health is seeing on e-bike related youth injuries. The CPSC has not been focused on teens, and there are no federal distinctions for different classes of e-bikes. CPSC was interested in our EMS data on e-bike and conventional bike injuries, and will be opening a request for comments. I will share that information when it becomes available. 

 

PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING

 

The Office of Equity launched Marin County’s first-ever participatory budgeting initiative to invest resources in community-driven solutions to address local needs. Participatory budgeting, a form of direct democracy in which community members decide how to spend a portion of the public budget, has been used and studied across the United States and around the world.

24 projects that advance racial equity and make meaningful change in Marin County neighborhoods were eligible to receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $250,000 of the $2.5 million in federal money assigned to the County’s participatory budgeting program. Grant applications focused on projects to benefit neighborhoods that scored below 70 on the Healthy Places Index or have significant racial disparities. This includes the historically underserved communities within the Canal area of San Rafael, Marin City, West Marin, and Novato. 

Projects on the ballot included youth leadership programs, emergency preparedness trainings, reentry employment services for justice-involved individuals, and programs to promote Spanish literacy, among many others. Voter outreach and engagement took place at schools, libraries, and food pantries, as well as through social media, radio and online platforms. The online and in-person voting period took place from October through December 2023, and nearly 3,700 responses revealed the most popular project proposals.

The results of the voting process and next steps for implementation, were presented to the Board on February 6. All 24 projects on the ballot received funding. Following the allocation of funds (Phase 4), the fifth and final phase will focus on project implementation and the tracking and monitoring of progress by the grant recipients. You can find the staff report here.

 

VIVALON HEALTHY AGING CAMPUS

 

Originally conceived in 2012 and championed for many years by Joe O’Hehir's vision and advocacy, the completion of the Vivalon Healthy Aging Campus in San Rafael is a decade-long aspiration that has come to fruition. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Vivalon CEO Anne Grey and Eden Housing, crucial affordable housing for seniors has been realized, alongside programming, a café, and an onsite clinic serving older adults both onsite and throughout the County.

This accomplishment was made possible through collaborations with community-based organizations such as Community Action Marin and Marin Community Clinics. The County allocated $900,000 in Community Development Block Grants and Home Investment Partnerships Program funds to support this initiative and collaborated with the development teams at both Eden Housing and Vivalon. The thoughtful construction of Vivalon’s Healthy Aging Campus caters to older adults from all walks of life under one roof. While addressing housing needs for low-income older adults is not a one-size-fits-all solution, we celebrate this moment as it completes one piece of the puzzle and brings 66 senior affordable housing units online.

 

MEDI-CAL

 

The Medi-Cal program offers free or low-cost medical, vision, and dental services to eligible residents. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program. Who may be eligible for Medi-Cal: low-income adults, families with children, seniors, persons with disabilities, pregnant persons, children in foster care, former foster youth up to age 26, and individuals with diseases such as tuberculosis, breast and/or cervical cancer, or HIV.

As of January 1, 2024, the Medi-Cal asset limit was eliminated, and only a person’s income will be considered for financial eligibility. As a result, older adults and people with disabilities will no longer have to prove their assets year after year and face losing their health care coverage improperly when they cannot provide needed paperwork before the deadline.

If you have questions about your Medi-Cal eligibility, contact: 877-410-8817 or visit here.

 

ELECTRIFICATION ROADMAP

 

The Marin Climate and Energy Partnership and the County of Marin have drafted recommended key actions to equitably transition Marin’s buildings to an all-electric and energy efficient future. They are requesting your feedback on the proposed actions.

Please take a moment to complete this survey, which should take 5 to 10 minutes. The survey closes March 1, 2024. For more details on roadmap development and stakeholder engagement results, visit this webpage. 

 

HAVE YOU HEARD?

 

WHAT I'M READING

Accountable / the True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives It Changed by Dashka Slater is a chilling read for the whole family about the rippling impacts of social media use in a high school in Albany. The illusion of a private social media account, among high school boys, transformed a community with enduring consequences for all involved. I am finding the book very difficult to read, and I'm learning a lot.

The Marin County Free Library is collaborating with the County of Marin African American Employees Association in a joint effort to celebrate and commemorate Black History Month throughout February. The "Strength in Striving" theme encompasses a series of in-person events across Marin.

The events aim to foster awareness and appreciation through diverse mediums such as books, films, art, public discussions, and various programming, all dedicated to promoting community engagement and celebrating Black history and culture. Find a detailed list of events here.

 

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If you are interested in local government, want to talk about the issues, or touch base on some of the work you or your organization are doing, I encourage you to reach out. I want to hear from you. 

 

Please stay in touch,