Public invited to participate in Community Engagement Plan discussion at Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday

En español »

The public is invited to participate in the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors January 30 meeting to receive an update on the development of a Community Engagement Plan for the County of Sonoma. In the meeting, Office of Equity staff will present the findings and recommended strategies resulting from a community engagement process that has been conducted with Sonoma County community members, county leaders, and county staff. The Board of Supervisors is expected to provide direction on the proposed strategies that will make up the final Community Engagement Plan.

In September 2022, the Board of Supervisors tasked the Office of Equity with the development of a Community Engagement Plan, in response to the ARPA Equity workgroup feedback and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color and low-income communities. The Board allocated $450,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act for the development of the Community Engagement Plan, which fulfills critical objectives of Goal 4 of the Racial Equity and Social Justice Pillar of the Five-Year Strategic Plan.

The development of the Community Engagement Plan is also responsive to ongoing community requests for the adoption of consistent and culturally responsive community engagement practices across county departments, especially as disaster strikes local communities.

Over the past year, the Office of Equity, supported by Equity First Consulting, has led a multilingual, robust community engagement process across Sonoma County to inform the development of a draft Community Engagement Plan in various phases, including:

• Phase 1: Evaluated the county’s existing community engagement, outreach practices and impact, and conducted focus groups and interviews with 63 county staff and leadership to assess resources and gaps associated with existing community engagement practices at the county.
• Phase 2: Developed the capacity of community-based leaders to conduct focus groups and interviews with a combined total of 113 community members to assess the impacts of the county’s existing community engagement efforts and identify opportunities to strengthen current practices. Additionally, representatives from 8 Community-Based Organizations participated in stakeholder interviews. Staff gathered the perspectives and feedback of 121 participants in this phase of engagement.
• Phase 3: Presented findings and recommendations for feedback from the stakeholders involved in phases 1 and 2, and co-created strategies in response to their needs to be included in a draft Community Engagement Plan.

The Board of Supervisors will provide feedback and direction to staff on the draft Community Engagement Plan on Tuesday and is scheduled to receive a final presentation from staff during the summer for the final adoption of the Community Engagement Plan. The public is encouraged to attend and participate.

Meetings are held in person in the Board of Supervisors chambers, located at 575 Administration Drive, Room 102A in Santa Rosa with Spanish interpretation available. Listen or watch the meeting using one of the following methods:

1. WATCH LIVESTREAM:
   https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
   Once the meeting has started, click the “In Progress” hyperlink to begin viewing.
2. LISTEN TO MEETING IN ZOOM:
   Participate by computer, tablet, or smartphone application:
   • Go to:
     https://sonomacounty.zoom.us/j/98854970135?pwd=d1JiMC9WYzFjM3hBMVAwZ1FlSmJtZz09
   • Listen through Zoom by phone:
     • Dial +1 (669) 900 9128
     • Enter meeting ID: 988 5497 0135
     • Enter Password: 919371

To receive updates on the Language Access and Community Engagement plans and recommendations, subscribe to the Office of Equity monthly newsletter: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/JqDHH5N/OOEUpdates

Learn more about the County of Sonoma’s Strategic Plan, including the Racial Equity and Social Justice Pillar: https://socostrategicplan.org/racial-equity-and-social-justice/

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Media Contact:
Matt Brown, Communications Specialist
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
(707) 565-3040
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403