Executive director outlines racial equity funding timeline, CalFresh disruption impact and staffing additions

At the Dec. 1 meeting, the First 5 Sacramento executive director provided an update on the commission—s racial equity work, recent CalFresh service disruptions, community engagement efforts and staffing.

Julie said the Equity & Action initiative generated more than 400 letters of interest and roughly $62,000,000 in requests; the commission has $4,200,000 available for distribution and invited 61 entities to apply for funding. The Equity & Action Committee will meet Dec. 13 to finalize recommendations that will be brought to the commission in January for approval.

Julie also addressed a brief disruption in CalFresh benefits processing that affected Sacramento County families: staff reported approximately 270,000 individuals and 90,000 children are served by CalFresh in the county and that the problem has been corrected. She credited the county Health and Human Services Agency, family resource centers, and partners (including a $30,000 donation from Health Net to local food banks) for emergency response and outreach.

Other highlights included a note that staff will bring a request in the new year to issue a letter of interest/request for qualifications for a new data-management system to replace Persimini, and an introduction of Sharon Watts, the commission—s new Human Services Program Specialist.

Julie thanked staff and partners for rapid responses to community needs and emphasized ongoing work to connect families to localized referrals and supports.