First 5 Sacramento outlines process to prioritize strategies as funding falls 20%; staff to use community input and operationalized principles

First 5 Sacramento staff presented an implementation plan and timeline Aug. 4 that will guide strategy prioritization for the next phase of the commission’s 10‑year strategic plan, telling commissioners they expect approximately a 20% funding reduction to be managed through narrower, deeper investments and stronger partnership strategies.

Staff described a three‑step decision timeline: an October report on community trend data and phase‑one community research, a December staff recommendation and community‑informed prioritization of strategies, and a February recommendation on funding allocations. Lindsay (staff presenter) said the proposed method to rank strategies will operationalize the commission’s foundational principles—such as “narrow and deep,” prevention and systems change, data‑driven decision‑making and centering racial equity—so commissioners can weigh tradeoffs when resources are constrained.

Julie, the executi…