To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: M. Christina Rivera 707-565-2431
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Board of Supervisors Countywide Appointments to the Child Care and Children’s Health Community Advisory Council of Sonoma County (Countywide)
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Approve the following countywide appointments to the Child Care and Children's Health Community Advisory Council of Sonoma County:
A) Kristel England to the Parents/Guardians representative seat
B) Helen Myers to the Parents/Guardians representative seat.
C) Adriana Arrizón to the Pediatric/Perinatal Health and/or Mental Health Care Systems representative seat
D) Jose Morales to the Pediatric/Perinatal Health and/or Mental Health Care Systems representative seat
E) Allison Murphy to the Pediatric/Perinatal Health and/or Mental Health Care Systems representative seat
F) Brittany Lobo to the Pediatric/Perinatal Health and/or Mental Health Care Systems representative seat
G) Rachel Marcus to the Pediatric/Perinatal Health and/or Mental Health Care Systems representative seat
H) Norma (Milagros) Ott to the Administrator Early Care and Education - State or Federally Subsidized Child Care Program in Sonoma County representative seat
I) Melanie Dodson to the Administrator Child Care Resource and Referral Agency representative seat
J) Zoe Teeter to the Child Care Employee representative seat.
K) Maria Isabel Menjivar to the Child Care Employee representative seat
end
Executive Summary:
The Board of Supervisors are responsible for appointments to over 75 Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Task Forces. Vacancies and upcoming expiring appointments are posted on the County’s list of Boards, Commissions, Committees, and Task Forces website: <https://sonoma-county.granicus.com/boards/w/808bd6e42edf8e0f>.
The Sonoma County Child Care & Children's Health Community Advisory Council (CAC) was established by the Board of Supervisors on January 28, 2025, in compliance with the Sonoma County Child Care & Children’s Health Initiative ordinance, known as Measure I. The First 5 Sonoma County Commission shall provide staff support to the CAC, including the review of applications and final appointee recommendations to the Board of Supervisors for the initial 11 members of the CAC. The current item puts forward recommendations for appointments to the CAC.
Discussion:
Background
The Sonoma County Child Care & Children's Health Community Advisory Council (CAC) was established by the Board of Supervisors on January 28, 2025, in compliance with the Sonoma County Child Care & Children’s Health Initiative ordinance, known as Measure I. Measure I is a countywide quarter cent (.25) sales tax that was approved by Sonoma County voters on November 5, 2024. The primary role of the 11-member CAC will be to develop recommendations for the investment of Measure I sales tax revenue. Members of the CAC will have the opportunity to shape efforts to improve the quality and capacity of service providers, enhance community engagement, and promote transparency in the administration of the Measure I sales tax revenue.
As per the ordinance, proceeds from Measure I must be used to fund system and programmatic supports for Sonoma County’s child care, preschool and early childhood education system, prioritizing the needs of low- and middle-income children and families in Sonoma County, and support the health and mental health care safety net for local children. Priorities include, but are not limited to: increasing child care worker compensation; maintaining existing and establishing new child care facilities; child care and health care workforce development; technology and human-centered solutions that support families to navigate and connect with community-based resources and systems of care; health and mental health-related screenings and treatment; strategies that promote increased access to screenings and treatment; and programmatic and system supports for children who have been impacted by homelessness and other trauma.
The CAC will be convened and staffed by First 5 Sonoma County, named as the administrator of Measure I sales tax revenue. Meetings will be convened in person in a central location in Sonoma County. The CAC will review data and receive presentations from First 5 Sonoma County staff, local system leaders and providers to inform their recommendations for priority strategies, programs, services and system improvements. The CAC's recommendations will be presented to the First 5 Sonoma County Commission, which will consider the recommendations as a major element of a strategic planning process and ongoing planning. The First 5 Sonoma County Commission will administer and award Measure I funding across Sonoma County in the form of grants, contracts and other funding mechanisms.
CAC Membership Composition
As per the ordinance, membership on the CAC will include:
• Two local child care providers, one of whom is an employee from an early care and education center who works in the classroom, and one of whom is a family child care provider
• Two parents and/or guardians of a child or children under the age of six, at least one of whom must have experience participating in a subsidized child care program or subsidy wait list
• One administrator and/or director of a local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency
• One administrator and/or director from an early care and education center participating in a state- or federally subsidized child care program in Sonoma County
• Five members who represent pediatric and/or perinatal health and/or mental health care programs and/or systems, including providers and administrators representing local hospitals, federally qualified health centers, community-based organizations, the Sonoma County Department of Health Services and other entities
During the first council meeting there will be a random selection to determine appointee service terms; five appointees will serve a two-year term, and six appointees will serve a four-year term. All future appointments will be four-year terms.
Council meetings will begin sometime in April 2025. The time commitment is expected to be 8-10 hours per month from April through September 2025, and then will reduce to 3-4 hours per month. Council members will commit to a four-year term and can be reappointed once they complete their term. However, the first cohort will have five members randomly selected to serve two-year terms to provide continuity in membership in the future. CAC members that do not represent organizations and/or are not being compensated by their employer during meetings will receive a stipend (amount to be determined) and will be eligible for reimbursement for child care and transportation costs. First 5 Sonoma County will provide language access to anyone on the CAC that prefers to read materials and communicate in a language other than English.
CAC Appointment Recommendations
First 5 Sonoma County recommends the following appointments to the CAC:
• Kristel England: Ms. England is the parent of four young children and has extensive experience navigating the child care Alternative Payment (AP) voucher system through CalWORKs. She works at Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County and is an active parent advocate with Parent Voices.
• Helen Myers: Ms. Myers is the parent of a 2-year-old and she brings knowledge of the needs of underserved families at the basic level of food security in her role as director of community engagement at the Redwood Empire Food Bank.
• Adriana Arrizón: Ms. Arrizón is the executive director of Health Action Together, a community-led effort to improve access to health care and social determinants of health countywide. She is a certified lactation consultant, she previously worked at First 5 Sonoma County, and she is bilingual/bicultural.
• Jose Morales: Mr. Morales is a pediatrician and former First 5 Commissioner.
• Allison Murphy: Ms. Murphy is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, and she founded Mother's Care, an organization focused on improving perinatal and maternal mental health outcomes.
• Brittany Lobo: Ms. Lobo is a section manager for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health for the County of Sonoma Department of Health Services. She has expertise in public health and children's and maternal health (Women, Infants and Children; oral health; home visiting; and nutrition). She is bilingual in Spanish and has evaluation expertise.
• Rachel Marcus: Ms. Marcus is the population health director at Aliados Health. She is focused on building a community health worker workforce and the capacity to implement California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) countywide.
• Norma (Milagros) Ott: Ms. Ott is the executive director of the Multi-Cultural Child Development Center (CA State Preschool Program) and she is bilingual/bicultural.
• Melanie Dodson: Ms. Dodson is the executive director of Community Child Care Council of Sonoma County, which is Sonoma County's largest child care resource and referral organization.
• Zoe Teeter: Ms. Teeter is the founder and director of a private preschool, and she works in the classroom.
• Maria Isabel Menjivar: Ms. Menjiva is a long-time family child care provider in Santa Rosa. She provides mentorship to other Spanish-speaking family child care providers as part of First 5 Sonoma County La Alianza shared services alliance.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
01-28-2025: Adopted a resolution to establish the Sonoma County Child Care and Children’s Health Community Advisory Council
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
N/A
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
1) Applications Recommended for Appointment
2) Applications Not Recommended for Appointment
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None