Monterey County wins statewide Blue Zones community certification; partners outline health gains and next steps

Monterey County on Tuesday celebrated becoming the first county in California to receive Blue Zones Project community certification, a public-health initiative the board said aims to make the healthy choice the easy choice across workplaces, schools and neighborhoods.

The county's policy lead on the project, Kendra Howell, told the Board of Supervisors the certification followed multi-year work beginning in Salinas in 2019 and expanding countywide in 2020. "The county of Monterey is the first county in the state of California to achieve full Blue Zones recognition," Howell said, citing improvements measured in county surveys.

Why it matters: County leaders framed the certification as a policy and partnership success that can influence health outcomes and local economies. Project leaders and health officials described measurable changes they said show progress on physical activity, diets and community well-being; supervisors said the results could shape future local policy and programming.

What the county presented - Tiffany de Toledo, executive director of the Blue Zones Project, said the project measures progress by people, places and policy and re-surveys the county-wide community well-being index periodically. "We saw a 3.9-point increase in overall well-being in Monterey County," she said, adding the change represented roughly a 5.8% improvement since the baseline in 2019. - Project staff tallied 249 participating organizations across the county: 70 worksites, 64 schools, 62 restaurants and 14 grocery stores, with 8 grocery partners participating in a "Double Up Food Bucks" program supported by a grant of more than $1 million. Staff also reported 196 policy or capacity-building implementations. - The Blue Zones team said the program will wind down its direct contract by the end of the month but partners Salinas Valley Health and Montage Health intend to integrate programming into their systems.

Board and public reaction Supervisors from across the county praised the project's reach. Supervisor Alejo highlighted long-term community change, noting certified markets and senior-living improvements. Supervisor Daniels said the county's certification could serve as a model for other counties, and Supervisor Church called the program a joyful, policy-driven approach that complements other local efforts.

Public commenters offered both praise and suggestions. One caller urged a stronger organic emphasis because of farm-worker pesticide exposure; another urged clearer labeling of produce sources after a local battery-fire contamination concern was raised.

Next steps and follow-up Project staff and county partners said they will continue coordinating with the treasurer-tax collector to refine how Transient Occupancy Tax and other revenue tied to tourism are tracked against permitted vacation rental activity. Staff also said they plan to return to the board with implementation reports and updated metrics in the coming months so the county can track long-term effects and fiscal impacts.

Closing note: Supervisors congratulated the Blue Zones team and emphasized the certification is a milestone rather than a finish line. The board asked staff to return with regular updates and to continue integrating successful elements into county programs.