Environmental preservation efforts and access to affordable housing for people vulnerable to displacement took the spotlight during Santa Clara County’s Annual State of the County Address Wednesday night.
“This will require every department to think about how we deal with sustainability,” Cindy Chavez, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors president, said.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Dave Cortese asked the board to declare a climate emergency in September, last year.
“It passed unanimously on our board and we are finishing up a sustainability master plan,” Chavez said.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District, labor unions and various local nonprofit organizations gathered for the State of the County address, which fell on the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
In honor of the women’s suffrage movement, Chavez addressed the continued need for reform within the justice system to prevent violence against women.
Chavez advocated for taking more preventative measures against sexual assault as well as reforming evidence processing procedures.
“We need to focus energy and resources to teach people not to hit, not to rape and not to assault other human beings,” Chavez said.
She announced the employment of a dedicated group in Santa Clara County to process rape kits within 30 days.
In 2019, a rape kit was processed within 14 days, on average, Chavez said.
“We have set a new national standard. This is something we are going to be asking all counties in the State of California and the nation to follow,” said Chavez.
She also seeks funding for housing survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.
“I really want to think about the county in its biggest terms. So let’s talk about our community.” said Chavez.
Top priority for the board of supervisors president was the homelessness epidemic in Santa Clara County and its correlation to the lack of mental health resources and income inequality trends.
“We have the largest income gap in the state of California, the fourth highest homeless population in the nation right here in our valley,” said Chavez.
She acknowledged that since last year the rate of homelessness has increased 31%.
“In order to afford a rent here, you need to make an average of $108,000 a year to afford an apartment,” said Chavez.
But Chavez looked beyond the high cost of living as the main cause of housing insecurity and said income inequality is most likely to affect children the most.
“One to five [people] in the homeless community at some point were in the foster care system,” Chavez said.
Chavez promised to reform foster care and government aid in the county.
Supervisor Cortese is taking preventative measures to provide children with mental health programs.
“Susan and I will be putting together an office of child policy and advocacy,” Chavez promised.
In the past year, Santa Clara Supervisor Susan Ellenberg put forward the first budget proposal for such mental health programs, consolidating over $70 million dedicated to children’s services and programs.
The county is almost halfway through building the 4,000 new homes promised by the Board last year.
She said she aims to build 1000 new homes through Measure A funding, an affordable housing bond, and have it approved this calendar year.
