Board directs $5 million referral, moves to create office to coordinate county violence-prevention efforts

Dr. Sarah Cody, County Health Officer and Director of the Public Health Department, presented a countywide Community Violence Prevention Strategic Plan on Feb. 4 that inventories existing county investment and recommends a coordinated public-health-led infrastructure.

The presentation summarized an interdepartmental review showing roughly $740 million in annual county investment across multiple departments, the majority financed from county general fund sources. The department reported that about 17% of current investments are in primary prevention (upstream efforts), while most funding is spent on secondary and tertiary responses (post-incident services). Public Health recommended building coordinated capacity: an Office of Violence Prevention, a flexible Community Violence Prevention Fund and a data-and-evaluation infrastructure to target limited resources toward most effective strategies.

Supervisor Ellenberg moved and the board unanimously approved a referral of $5,000,000 to the fiscal 2025-26 budget process to incubate a Community Violence Prevention Fund and directed the Chief ExecutiveOffice to return in six months (or upon establishment) with recommendations on which county department should house the new office, including the option of placing it in Public Health. The board emphasized the public-health framing and requested continued stakeholder engagement.

The board and the public also discussed coordination with cities (San Jose was cited as an active partner) and with local nonprofits; supervisors asked administration to seek partnerships that would leverage city and nonprofit investments and to plan for major upcoming events that could affect trafficking and vulnerability.

Separately, the board received a report on the South County Youth Task Force (SCYTF). Supervising Deputy District Attorney Adam Flores described existing collaborative work in South County, including a restorative-justice diversion program launched in late 2021 and supported by a grant that expires later in 2025. The DAoffice said the unit currently supports a regional diversion program and a community-outreach specialist assigned to SCYTF.

Supervisor Arenas moved that administration incorporate SCYTF implementation into the new Office of Violence Prevention, request two community-outreach specialists from existing departments (social services, probation or public health) to support South County prevention and intervention activities, and return with biannual and annual reports to Board committees. The board voted unanimously to approve that direction.

Board members repeatedly stressed two themes: 1) prioritize upstream public-health prevention while maintaining secondary and tertiary services for people already affected, and 2) coordinate county, city and nonprofit efforts to avoid duplication and to leverage limited resources. County leaders noted the uncertainty of federal and state funding streams and said the new office should be designed to evaluate program effectiveness and to guide investment decisions.

Ending: The Board referred $5 million to the fiscal 2025-26 budget process for a community violence prevention fund, directed the CEO to propose a home for the Office of Violence Prevention within six months, and directed administration to incorporate SCYTF functions and two outreach specialists into that structure; the board asked staff to return with detailed implementation and data plans.