It pains me to begin this way because what happened on May 26 should never happen in a place of work, worship, education, entertainment or anywhere, for that matter:  a mass shooting right here in San Jose. My heart grieves for the 9 VTA employees who were killed on May 26 as they prepared to serve all of us by keeping our public transportation running -- just as they did over the past 14 months, serving on the front lines during the pandemic. I am holding their families and friends along with the entire VTA community in my heart. May their memories be for a blessing and for a call to action that we make our communities safe for all of us.  If you’d like to offer financial support to those who were directly impacted by the tragedy, tax-deductible donations can be made at Working Partnerships USA.

I also must ask: have you gotten your vaccine or made your appointment? That is the first question out of my mouth to everyone I encounter these days. Fortunately, the answer is yes more and more often, and I hope you can say the same. All County residents 12 years and older are currently eligible and appointments can be made at sccfreevax.org. Please share information with anyone who may still be hesitant to receive the vaccine and feel free to reach out to my office if we can help with resources or any clarifications.  

To everyone who is helping our community get to the other side of this pandemic, thank you. 

Here is a quick summary of actions taken at the May Board of Supervisors meetings.     

Black Maternal and Infant Health Equity 

My referral to expand the County’s Black Infant Health Program and Perinatal Equity Initiative was unanimously approved on May 25 by my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors.  You can read more about the referral here. 

In the U.S. African American women are 3-4 times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than any other demographic. The CDC says two-thirds of those deaths are preventable. Disparities in maternal and infant deaths cut across income and education levels – they are not just a function of access to care.  

African American Infant Mortality Rates are also higher than for any other demographic. In our most recent report from the Public Health Department for 2016-2018 the Santa Clara County infant mortality rate was 3.2 per 1,000 live births, whereas the African American infant mortality rate was 5.4 per 1,000 during this time period. What may be more shocking is that the outcomes tend to worsen as an African American woman’s income or level of education increase – the opposite of what we see happening in other demographics. This is not a new problem but one that is absolutely addressable and, in partnership with our County health care system, local clinics, public and private hospitals and other grassroot supports, I intend to see that those numbers measurably improve and that more moms and babies thrive.  

Assisted Outpatient Treatment  

You can watch the portion of the meeting when this item was discussed on YouTube. You can also read this article from The Mercury News, which captures my thinking around this very complex issue. I firmly believe that our County needs to significantly expand our investment in mental health services and supports and this vote offered the catalyst to make that happen.

It is important that, as local government, we are always innovating and always looking for ways to increase transparency, accessibility, and clarity for the public. Currently, on our property tax bills, the County lists the percentage due for each line item assessment, but actual dollar amounts are not clearly communicated. The information is there, and residents can calculate the dollar amount if they desire, but we have not necessarily made it clear or easily accessible. The administration is working on an update to the programming for tax bills that will fix this. You can read more here.  

My shared referral with Supervisor Otto Lee to include community engagement regarding the prioritization and allocation of the American Rescue Plan federal funding was approved at the May 4 Board meeting. I firmly believe that we as a Board need to determine, with input from administration and the public, how we want to prioritize disbursement. You can read more here.  

More than a year into this pandemic we continue to move toward a safe reopening of the County. We cannot move forward without each of us taking all necessary precautions and steps to protect our community -- wearing a mask when required, social distancing, washing/sanitizing your hands, and getting vaccinated. We are moving in the right direction and I view my responsibility as helping in every way I can to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on our residents and small businesses. As I do so, please reach out to my office to let us know how we can continue to be an advocate for you.     

I am on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Nextdoor and LinkedIn. There you can find resources, news and events.    

As always, if you have questions, comments, and/or concerns, email me at [email protected].  

I and my team are here for you.      

Be well,   

Susan 

Congratulations to Aarna Agrawal, of Santa Clara, on her first published book, "The Magic Bracelet: Sarah and The Dinosaurs." The 9-year-old student of the Don Callejon School in the Santa Clara Unified School District wrote the first book of her soon-to-be series last September. Earlier this year, Aarna was recognized by the Santa Clara City Council.

Her book is about a girl named Sarah, who finds a magical bracelet. She soon discovers the bracelet can take her to places in the past and the present. Sarah then gets transported into her first mission. In the mission, she needs to save the dinosaurs from the hot lava of an erupting volcano. You can read Aarna's book here.

If you know someone who is deserving of the #WeAreD4 spotlight, please contact Jasmine Leyva at [email protected].

The next D4 Community Connects will be on June 24 at 11:45 AM. Click on the pink button to see the contents of past meetings and presentations.