With the funding, CSA officials say they intend to develop a new case management system to better coordinate aid for about 200 clients. This new system should improve their ability to connect individuals and families with financial aid, housing, employment or education opportunities.
On average, CSA assists more than 700 unsheltered clients by providing food, clothing or other assistance. About half of those individuals sign up for case management.
Over the last year, CSA reported an 18% increase in the demand for homeless services. This follows new data showing homelessness jumped 31% across Santa Clara County since 2017. More than 600 unsheltered individuals were counted in Mountain View, a 46% increase from just two years earlier.
—Mark Noack
New head of Mentor Tutor Connection
Mentor Tutor Connection announced that Carol Olson, the former president and CEO of the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, will lead the nonprofit as its new executive director.
In a statement released last week, Mentor Tutor Connection Board Chair Sally Chaves touted Olson's deep experience in the nonprofit world, most recently launching a consulting company in 2013 to assist nonprofit organizations and philanthropic endeavors. Her civic engagement spans back to the 1990s with her role on Mountain View's Downtown Committee, followed immediately by a 10-year stretch leading the chamber.
Olson has served on a broad range of nonprofit boards in Mountain View, including the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail; Community Health Awareness Council; Community Services Agency of Mountain View and Los Altos; and the Mountain View Los Altos High School Foundation.
"We have big plans as an organization, and we are thrilled that Carol will help us reach our goals of strengthening our work in the schools and reaching more kids in meaningful ways," Chaves said in the statement.
Mentor Tutor Connection provides tutoring services during and after school for all core subjects including English, math and science, which extends to students who speak English as a second language. The nonprofit also hosts a mentoring program that links volunteers with teens for guidance that extends outside the classroom, reinforcing life skills and discussing future goals.
The nonprofit, now in its 23rd year, has been led by Padma Gargeya, who is leaving Mentor Tutor Connection after a three-year stint.
Anyone interested in meeting Olson and donating to Mentor Tutor Connection is invited to attend the organization's 23rd anniversary fundraiser on Oct. 10. The event is located at the Mountain View Recreation Center at 201 S. Rengstorff Ave., and will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at mentortutorconnection.org for $15.
—Kevin Forestieri
Two flu deaths
Two Santa Clara County residents, including a child, have died recently from the flu, county officials said Tuesday.
The child who died was previously healthy and had recently returned from overseas travel, and county public health officials believe the influenza virus was most likely contracted overseas.
The other death, an adult under the age of 65, had other medical conditions that put them at increased risk of complications from the flu. The names of the two people who died are not being released.
County public health officials do not know if either person received the flu vaccine, but said the deaths serve as a reminder of the importance of getting the flu vaccine.
The flu season in the U.S. usually starts in October each year, and last year there were eight flu-associated deaths of people under 65 years old in Santa Clara County.
Dr. Sara Cody, director of the county public health department, said in a news release on Sept. 24 that "it's too early to say what these two reported deaths may indicate about this flu season" but said "getting vaccinated is still the best protection."
The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone six months or older, and is particularly important for pregnant women, children under 5 years old, adults over 65, and those with chronic medical conditions.
More information about the flu and how to prevent it can be found on the county's website at www.sccphd.org/flu.
Supervisors tackle gender violence
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday, Sept. 24, to increase funding for services for victims of sexual assault and create a new office to address gender-based violence in the county.
The board voted to create the Santa Clara County Office of Gender-Based Violence to oversee services for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and human trafficking. County leaders plan to fill the positions in the new office with many current county workers.
County executive Jeffrey Smith assured the board that "we're using the bureaucracy that we already have."
David Campos, deputy county executive, told the board that most positions in the new office have already been filled by county workers who were addressing gender-based violence through the Santa Clara County Office of Women's Policy.
The newly created office will oversee two rape crisis centers, which received an additional $1.7 million to fully fund them. Supervisors previously allocated $600,000, bringing the total disbursement to $2.3 million.
Also on Tuesday, county officials reported a drop in domestic violence deaths between 2017 and 2018.
Last year seven people died as a result of domestic violence, compared with 13 in 2017. In 2016, seven people died due to domestic violence, but the historic trend has been downward, according to county officials.
No domestic violence deaths have occurred in the county this year.
Kaiser averts strike with 11 unions
A settlement has been reached between the Oakland-based health care provider Kaiser Permanente and a coalition of unions representing more than 80,000 Kaiser workers, the union and company both announced Wednesday.
If ratified by workers in the 11-union coalition, the four-year agreement would ward off a nationwide strike that had been set for Oct. 14. Kaiser operates a medical center in downtown Mountain View on Castro Street.
The Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions said the agreement includes 3 percent raises in each of the four years for workers in California, Oregon and southern Washington.
Workers in Colorado, Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and the rest of the state of Washington will receive a 3 percent raise the first year and 2 percent plus a 1 percent lump sum the following three years, with an opportunity to turn the lump sums into regular raises if the company hits specified financial benchmarks, according to the coalition.
The agreement also includes a workforce development program to provide educational opportunities for workers, funded with $130 million from Kaiser, the coalition said.
The two sides agreed to a list of jobs that cannot be outsourced or subcontracted for the four years of the deal, and preserved the existing retirement benefits, with some expansion of them in Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
The agreement comes after nearly five months of active bargaining, and voting by members of the various unions is expected to be completed by the end of October, according to Kaiser.
"Reaching an agreement was not easy, it had lots of twists and turns, but in the end we accomplished what we set out to do -- reach an agreement that is good for patients, workers and our communities," said Georgette Bradford, a union member and ultrasound technologist at Kaiser in Sacramento.
Arlene Peasnall, interim chief human resources officer for Kaiser, called the agreement "a testament to the dedication, compassion and skill those employees bring to work every day and demonstrates that Kaiser Permanente and the Coalition have a shared commitment to affordability for our members."
—Bay City News Service
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