Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, District 5

Back to Work!

We are a few weeks into the new year and I already feel the com-

munity jumping right into important issues. From the first two

board meetings to our Heading into a Healthy 2016 town hall, I

am energized to collaborate with you all to address housing

needs, mental health issues, workforce development opportuni-

ties, aiding the re-entry population, and other pressing concerns.

As you look through our newsletter, keep an eye out for upcom-

ing events and ways you would like to engage with District 5 this

year. My office and I truly look forward to hearing your input in

2016—let’s get to work!

Sincerely,

Keith Carson

Keeping up with District 5

The Fifth District includes the cities of Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville and

Piedmont; the West Oakland, North Oakland and Rockridge

communities and portions of the Grand Lake, Manzanita,

Diamond District and Bella Vista neighborhoods.

In This Edition…

What’s Current in the County

Heading into a Healthy 2016: Mental Health Town Hall

Announcements

Connect with us!

1221 Oak St., Suite 536

Oakland, CA 94612

Tel. (510) 272-6695

Fax (510) 271-5151

dist5@acgov.org

Website: http://www.acgov.org/carson

https://www.facebook.com/keithcarsondotorg

http://twitter.com/keith_carson

@Supervisor_KeithCarson

Supervisor Carson welcomes over 230 attendees to our mental health town

hall event on January 13 at the Ed Roberts Campus. See Page 3 for more

details.

For Immediate Release January 2016

Page 2

We are so grateful to

Mike Jacobs for his 12

years of service on the

Planning Commission

of Alameda County.

Thank you for your

hard work, Mike!

Apply to join a District 5

Board or Commission!

Assessment Appeals Board - 2

seats

Consumer Affairs Commission -

1 seat

Fire Advisory Commission - 1

seat

Human Relations Commission -

1 seat

Measure A Citizens Oversight

Committee - 1 seat

Mental Health Advisory Board -

1 seat

Public Health Commission - 2

seats

For descriptions and complete

listings please visit http://

www.acgov.org/bc/

Please send resume and appli-

cation to dist5@acgov.org to

apply.

After winter break the Board of Supervisors started the new

year with our first two board meetings on January 5th and

12th of this year. One of the highlights from these

meetings was the Board’s decision to allocate $25,000 to

support St. Mary’s Senior Center, located in West Oakland,

to supplement their winter shelter for seniors. In addition,

Alameda County has been awarded $500,000 from the U.S.

Department of Labor to administer the Linking Employ-

ment Activities Pre-release Initiative providing workforce

development programs to inmates in Santa Rita. These

actions are just the beginning of what I hope will be a

dynamic year on the Board!

What’s Current in the County?

2016 ARTSFUND Grants Program

The ARTSFUND Grants Program supports all types of arts

programming in Alameda County for arts-focused non-

profit organizations.

For more information, please visit

https://www.acgov.org/arts/html/

artsfund_program.html

Thanks to Ariel Dekovic,

Executive Director of City

Slicker Farms, whom we recog-

nized for the great work she and

her organization are doing.

Take a look at my op-ed “Building Bonds to

Build Homes”, highlighting the need for stake-

holders to collaborate to address affordable

housing needs, at http://goo.gl/Cft3ef

Page 3

Heading into a Healthy 2016: Community Mental

Health Town Hall Event

Starting off 2016 with a focus on health and wellness, my office and I hosted Heading into a Healthy 2016, a community town hall meeting on January 13, 2016 from 6-8pm at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley. This event, co-sponsored by Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services, and the Alameda County Mental Health Board, had over 230 people attend to hear about county and community organization resources from leaders in mental health.

Dr. Brenda Wade, nationally recognized author and psycholo-gist, opened up the town hall highlighting that everyone experiences mental health conditions from time to time. Dr.

Wade reminded the audience to plug into community to help weather chal-lenging moments in their lives. She ended her talk on a lighter note, remind-ing us to release our inner child and have fun from time to time.

Dr. Jaseon Outlaw, Chair of the Alameda County Mental Health Board, then moderated a panel on mental health issues and services offered by the county and community partners. Panelists included Manuel Jimenez Jr., Director of Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBHCS); Robert Ratner, Director of Housing Services for ACBHCS; Sally Zinman, Executive Director of the California Association of Mental Health Peer Run Organizations (CAMHPRO); Dennis Romano, Executive Director of the Alameda

County Council of Mental Health Agencies; Steven Grolnic-McClurg, Mental Health Manager of Berkeley Mental Health Services; and Margot Dashiell, NAMI East Bay and the Facilitator of the African American Family Support Group. Panelists answered questions about the impact of mental illness on families and communities, mental health and housing needs, and how to access services. Audience members then posed a number of questions to panelists, highlighting mental health needs for those who are incarcerated and the need for mental health care improvements in schools.

Looking back on this event, I am so glad to begin our year with this focus on mental health. My office and I welcome your continued input on how to approach these issues and others in our community.

Dr. Wade speaks to the audience

on about everyday stresses.

Dr. Jaseon Outlaw poses a question to panelists

during the town hall on January 13, 2016.

I really appreciated spending time with the town

hall attendees and getting to know new people.

Page 4

Lunar New Year 2016

Join my office as we

celebrate the Year of

the Monkey at our

annual Lunar New

Year Celebration! We

hope to see you on

Tuesday, Feb 9,

from 10:30am to 1pm at

Lincoln Neighborhood

Center (250 10th Street, Oakland).

Early Literacy Workshop for Parents and Caregivers of Young Children

Sponsored by the Literacy Lab, First5 Alameda and the Maya Angelou Library, this workshop will focus on helping kids learn to love reading . On January 28 from 5:30-7pm, come to the Maya Angelou Library, located at Evergreen Baptist Church 408 West MacArthur Blvd, Oakland. For more info, visit http://www.mayaangeloulibrary.org.

**Free Spaghetti Dinner & Child Care!**

More Resources for El Niño Storms

As El Niño rain continues over the next few months, make sure you check for updates

on city and county resources to help you weather the storm!

Alameda County Public Works Page: http://www.acgov.org/pwa/info/elnino.htm

City of Oakland El Niño page: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/ElNino/index.htm

City of Berkeley El Niño page: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/resilience/elnino/

Job Opportunities

Health Coach

The part-time Health Coach position is based in San Leandro, CA and will work under the direction of the Director of the

Alameda County Health Pipeline Partnership and in collaboration with the Health Coach Program Director. For questions,

please contact Gladys Preciado at (510) 667-3033 or Gladys.Preciado@acgov.org . Apply online at https://

healthpipeline.wufoo.com/forms/s1yansyf1ec40zr/

Research Assistant, Kaiser Permanente

Research assistants are in need for a study focusing on primary care visits of complex patients with multiple chronic condi-

tions and a study centered on primary care visits for patients with uncontrolled diabetes. All interested candidates should send

their resume and contact information to Cindy D. Bonilla at cindy.d.bonilla@kp.org

Pipeline to Opportunities Program (POP) Director of Programs

The Pipeline to Opportunities Program (POP) Director of Programs is an integral member of the leadership team for a new initiative at Alameda Health System to build pathways to health care careers for youth and young adults. For more information, please visit https://goo.gl/K3YPaE.

Announcements

Kids at our 2015 celebration.

Stay safe and stay dry!

Coming Up….