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The County Voice

A place where CSAC, county officials and stakeholders can voice their thoughts on governance and issues that impact California’s 58 counties.

The County Voice

Please Join Us for CSAC’s 124th Annual Meeting

Leticia Perez

For the 124th time, county officials and staff will be coming together this fall for our Association’s Annual Meeting. In November, we will be gathering in San Diego County – and we hope you can join us.

The County Voice

CSAC Pledges Partnership in Developing Solutions to Risk of Wildfires

Graham Knaus

As longtime advocates on behalf of California’s 58 counties, CSAC has built its reputation on being solution-oriented. We do not take quick positions without suggesting alternatives or being willing to work together to find solutions to complex issues. That’s the core of our DNA.  

The County Voice

Fresh Ideas in Behavioral Health Require Commitment and Collaboration

Graham Knaus

California’s counties find themselves at the center of the complex responsibility to provide, integrate and finance critical behavioral health services in California.

Behavioral health is at the centerpoint of the most vexing policy challenges facing California’s counties today; from combatting homelessness, recovering from disasters, bending the criminal justice recidivism curve and cultivating a resilient workforce, each of these local challenges hinge on the county role in providing behavioral health services.  

The County Voice

Propositions 5 and 6 — Bad Ideas for California and Counties

Virginia Bass

Every year there are a couple of major issues that pose a distinct threat to the critical services counties provide to our citizens. Sometimes it’s legislation or new regulations. Other times, it’s state budget issues. This year there are two initiatives on the November ballot, Propositions 5 and 6, which threaten our ability to serve our residents and could pose significant problems for local governments.

The County Voice

Los Angeles County Planners Work to Ensure That Nothing is Lost in Translation

Los Angeles County Planners Work to Ensure That Nothing is Lost in Translation
David Liebler

More than 10 million people live in Los Angeles County – that’s a larger population than all but seven of our states. And out of those 10 million people, about 25 percent are Spanish-speaking and not proficient in English. When it came to the complex world of planning and permitting, many residents could not fully understand what they had to do.

The County Voice

NACo’s New President Discusses the Importance of “Connecting the Unconnected”

NACo’s New President Discusses the Importance of “Connecting the Unconnected”
Greg Cox

San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox was sworn in as the 2018-19 President of the National Association of Counties (NACo) on Monday.

When I first got involved in NACo more than 15 years ago, I never would have thought that I would be serving years later as NACo’s President.

But this week, I was honored and humbled to be sworn in to lead this outstanding organization in the year ahead.

The County Voice

Monterey County Gives Farmworkers a Voice in their Health and Safety

Monterey County Gives Farmworkers a Voice in their Health and Safety
David Liebler

Agriculture is a $4.5 billion industry in Monterey County, making it one of the largest producers in the state. Behind all of that production are as many as 50,000 farmworkers – many non-English speaking – who undertake back-aching work to ensure the produce reaches market. Yet historically these farmworkers worked in conditions that were sometimes hazardous. And historically, they had a limited voice in the community.

No longer.

The County Voice

Five Counties Weigh In on the Voters Choice Act

Five California Counties participated in the Voters Choice Act for the June 5 election, establishing a whole new way of voting. So, how did it go? Each of the Registrars in those counties responded to that question for us. Here are their answers.

Rebecca Martinez, Madera County Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters

The County Voice

The Art of Listening is Alive and Well in Humboldt County

The Art of Listening is Alive and Well in Humboldt County
David Liebler

Humboldt County has a strong track record of reaching out to its constituents to hear their viewpoints on budget priorities. There’s a good reason the county is proactive in its public engagement. In a county covering nearly 4,000 square miles – much of it mountainous and rural – you can’t expect many residents to appear at county budget hearings to speak their mind for a couple of minutes. If you really want to hear what your residents are thinking, you need to go to them. And that’s exactly what Humboldt County has been doing through their budget roadshows.

The County Voice

San Bernardino County’s Collaborative Housing Program is Turning Lives Around

San Bernardino County’s Collaborative Housing Program is Turning Lives Around
David Liebler

Melissa Sierra had hit “rock bottom.” She had lost her job and home, and was out of money.  Life was becoming increasingly difficult for Sierra and her six children. That’s when she turned to San Bernardino County for help and was referred to a collaborative program that provides rapid re-housing assistance to CalWORKs-eligible homeless families with children.

The County Voice

Santa Cruz County Has Seen the Value of Results First

Fernando Giraldo

The CSAC-Results First partnership is a joint effort of CSAC under the umbrella of the California Counties Foundation, and the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative (Results First). Together, we provide tools and training to select California counties as they engage in evidence-based policymaking. The goal of CSAC-Results First is to support California counties to make data-driven policy decisions through the use of an innovative, outcomes-focused, cost-benefit analysis.

The County Voice

Los Angeles County, Local School Districts Use Technology to Help Foster Youth

Los Angeles County, Local School Districts Use Technology to Help Foster Youth
David Liebler

For foster children, the challenges are many, including often having to move from residence to residence – which can mean moving from school to school. This can result in school district officials not being completely aware of the foster youth in their classroom. Communication between a school district and county overseeing the foster youth can be sporadic and delayed. 

The County Voice

It’s Simple: Support Prop 69 to Protect Transportation Funding

Leticia Perez

This opinion piece originally ran in the Bakersfield Californian on May 29. 

California initiatives often are complex and confusing, but Proposition 69 on the June ballot is very simple: it will ensure that existing transportation revenues we already pay are used only for transportation improvement projects. It does this by preventing the Legislature from diverting the funds to non-transportation purposes.

The County Voice

Ventura County’s Health Insurance Eligibility App is a Win-Win-Win

Ventura County’s Health Insurance Eligibility App is a Win-Win-Win
David Liebler

How do you improve responsiveness after seeing a significant reduction in your work force? For the Ventura County Health Care Plan leadership, the first step was a call to their IT department. The end result of this collaborative effort was the development of a desktop application that saves time and improves service for customers.

The County Voice

Our State, Our Economy, Our Counties

Graham Knaus

The CSAC Legislative Conference is just getting started and we will be engaged in two full days of discussing policy, analyzing the Governor’s May Revision to the State Budget, and networking with colleagues from around the state. As we look into the next month of budget discussions, a full legislative calendar and the impact of an election year, I am optimistic about the prospects for California’s 58 Counties and the nearly 40 million residents we serve.

The County Voice

Santa Clara County Takes the Lead on Bail Reform

Santa Clara County Takes the Lead on Bail Reform
David Liebler

As in most counties across the country, the vast majority of individuals incarcerated in the Santa Clara County Jail are pretrial. And as in most counties, the majority of these individuals are low-income and many would be considered low-risk.  Bail reform has been a hot topic lately; while there has been a lot of discussion but little action, things are different in Santa Clara County.

The County Voice

Dais to Dome: A County Supervisor Transitions to the Statehouse

Bill Dodd

I came to Sacramento to make sure the local perspective was represented at the Capitol. It had become crystal clear in my 14 years as a Napa County supervisor that the interests of cities and counties — and the communities they serve — were often overlooked. We need to create a state with good schools, clean air, safe streets and ample jobs that we can be proud of for future generations.

The County Voice

Los Angeles County’s Growing Experience: An Oasis Within a Food Desert

David Liebler

Los Angeles County’s Growing Experience: An Oasis Within a Food DesertManuel Cisneros and his son Adan gently package fruits and vegetables for the week’s veggie boxes. Broccoli, green onions, oranges, grapefruits and avocados are just a few of the items filling the boxes destined for local kitchens. Minutes earlier, the father and son team were picking the fruit and pulling the vegetables out of the rich soil. Fresh indeed – and organic. They are meant for Los Angeles County residents who often don’t have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

The County Voice

Moving from Recovery to Rebuilding

Susan Gorin

This was originally published in the Sonoma Index-Tribune on April 5, 2018

As we reach the six-month anniversary of the fires that devastated our community, it is important to recognize how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to go.

The County Voice

Sutter-Yuba County Program Embeds Behavioral Health Workers in the ER

Gregg Fishman

Sutter-Yuba County Program Embeds Behavioral Health Workers in the ERIn a perfect world, people suffering from a mental or emotional health issue would be able to access treatment before they were in crisis, but it doesn’t always work that way. They often end up in the hospital emergency department. That’s why a partnership between the Sutter Yuba Behavioral Health Department and Adventist Health/Rideout Hospital in Marysville is making such a big difference. They found a way to significantly reduce the time it takes to evaluate and treat these patients.

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