San Diego County will now be Collaborative and use a Data Driven Response to COVID-19
SAN DIEGO — Racism is a public health crisis in San Diego County. The County of San Diego will have a collaborative, data-driven response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In both instances the County will use equitable funding practices to support historically marginalized communities. This is the outcome after the newly constituted Board of Supervisors voted in favor of the policy and resolution Chair Nathan Fletcher and Vice Chair Nora Vargas introduced to address each of these topics.
The duo spent their first week working together to champion these issues by hosting online forums where they spoke with members of the community about the importance of these issues to create a better future for San Diego County.
Racism is a Public Health Crisis was passed with a vote of 5-0. Chair Fletcher and Vice Chair Vargas issued this joint statement afterwards:
“Declaring racism a public health crisis is an important step forward that begins to move our County in a new direction. This legislation is more than just a statement of our values, we are backing it up with substantive policies designed to tackle systemic racism, and remove the barriers that prevent diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Creating a collaborative, data driven response to COVID-19 passed with a vote of 5-0. Chair Fletcher and Vice Chair Vargas issued this joint statement afterwards:
“Data, science and health-equity are vital to our COVID-19 recovery. The majority of our board reaffirmed today they believe these fundamentals should shape our response to the pandemic. We must also prioritize the most vulnerable communities and ensure they have the resources they need to be healthy and safe to get back to their routines.”
Each policy and resolution passed today align with Chair Fletcher’s Framework for the Future of San Diego County and Vice Chair Vargas’ commitment to building healthier and stronger communities. Chair Fletcher’s Framework prioritizes communities and populations in San Diego that have been historically left behind. Through this Framework, Supervisor Fletcher is fighting for: racial justice, health equity, economic opportunity, environmental protection, community-centered criminal justice, and fundamental changes to county operations.
