Greetings, D4 residents -
As the year comes to an end, I am delighted to share some updates on the work undertaken at the final Board of Supervisors meetings of 2021 and then I look forward to spending time with family before the new year begins. While the season brings joy and connection for many, it can also be a hard time for some, and I encourage all of us to think about who in our circles may need a bit more care and attention over the next couple of weeks. As I’m fond of saying, we are all responsible for one another.
We recently added a landing page for more in-depth explanations of initiatives on which I have led, or issues voted on by the Board which I suspect residents may want to understand in greater detail. This link will take you to my brand new Medium page. This month's post covers School-Based Mental Health and Redistricting.
Small Business Grants
At the Dec. 7 Board meeting, I presented a referral co-sponsored by Supervisor Lee and secured a unanimous vote to allocate $20 million to the Small Business Resiliency Grant Program. This is a much-needed expansion of the approximately $700,000 of grants which have already been provided this year to small businesses. The program will continue to focus on the areas in the County most heavily impacted by COVID and on the smallest businesses who were often ineligible for other loans or grants. Updates on the application process will be included in an upcoming newsletter when details are available, or you can reach out to Heidi.Owens@bos.sccgov.org if you have any questions. You can click here to read the full referral, which also seeks to continue waiving county health inspection and weights & measures inspection fees for small businesses through the end of 2022.
Broadband Advocacy
As our lives rely more heavily on connectivity for education, health care appointments and remote work, we must keep working to close the digital divide and ensure access for all. This month, I attended the California State Association of Counties (“CSAC”) conference, where I served on a panel to discuss our role in continuing to build out broadband infrastructure. CSAC also recently recognized the Urban Counties of California organization, which I chair, for efforts to secure infrastructure funding and supportive legislation.
At our Dec. 14 meeting, the Board unanimously approved a referral I cosponsored with Supervisor Chavez to improve broadband infrastructure so that everyone in Santa Clara County has access to high-speed internet. Our county has an opportunity to play a leadership role to ensure that adequate infrastructure reaches the pockets of largely low-income families that do not currently have the capability to effectively conduct online work, education, and medical appointments. You can read the full referral here.
2021 County Awards
Two Santa Clara County programs were recipients of this year's CSAC Challenge Awards. The Voluntary Vendor Cost Reduction Initiative and the SSA Voice Videocast were both recipients of Merit Awards. A total of 433 entries were submitted, and you can read more about these and other winning programs from across the state here.
Santa Clara County was also nationally recognized with the the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for budget transparency by the Government Finance Officers Association. You can read more about this and other recent award recipients, along with their corresponding budget documents, on the GFOA website.
I encourage you to continue taking all necessary and reasonable precautions to celebrate safely this holiday season. Please also be aware that my staff will be spending time with family, so we appreciate your patience if responses from my office are slower between now and the new year.
As we return to in-person gatherings, please feel free to send an invitation to my office for me to attend your community event. I enjoy being out in the community with residents and look forward to seeing you all soon.
I and my team are here for you.
Be well,
Susan
