New CSAC president Susan Ellenberg pledges child-focused, county-led approach

Susan Ellenberg, the incoming president of the California State Association of Counties, used her opening address in San Jose to place children's well-being at the center of her agenda and to urge a preventive, county-led approach to public services. "I will always keep children's well-being in the conversation," Ellenberg said.

Ellenberg told county supervisors and staff that counties are frontline providers of essential services — food, health care, housing, water and public safety — and that focusing on prevention could reduce long-term social and fiscal harm. She framed CSAC as a forum to amplify the needs of local communities: "We must be, and we will be, at every table and in every room where policies and funding are discussed," she said.

In remarks that mixed personal testimony and policy themes, Ellenberg described her path into public service and said that her own experiences with mental health and family obligations shaped her commitment to social justice and early supports. She invoked a line frequently attributed to Frederick Douglass to argue that investing in children is more effective than repairing harm later.

Ellenberg cited examples from peers to illustrate county responsibilities: Los Angeles County supervisors'response to the Palisades fire; Supervisor Buddy Mendez's emphasis on water resources; Supervisor Ned Koh's work on livestock predation in rural counties; and former Supervisor Aaron Hannigan Andrews's efforts to secure funding for services for children ages 0 to 5. She said those examples inform how CSAC can advocate for relief dollars and local priorities.

Ellenberg emphasized outreach and listening as priorities for her presidency. She said she will travel to counties across the state to learn "your most significant challenges and your greatest sources of pride," aiming to unify the 58 counties as a single voice in state and federal policy discussions. She closed her remarks with a call for collective action and gratitude to colleagues and staff, singling out her chief of staff, Myra Flores, and her Santa Clara County team.

The address concluded with applause; an emcee asked attendees to give Ellenberg a final round of applause. Ellenberg said she looks forward to spending the coming year learning from counties and advocating for policies and funding that support prevention and children's services.