Issues
Safe and Sustainable Staffing
As a member of the Board, I'll be committed to constantly learning from the County's staff and constantly developing new information about areas of high turnover or long vacancies in positions, creating extra burdens and less work-life balance for critically needed existing staff.
Departments that rely heavily on staff working overtime and the work of long-term 'temporary' staff have a harder time serving the community consistently and fulfilling their mission. I will emphasize learning from staff and ensuring that people who commit their working lives to the community have a voice at work.
Housing That Is Affordable
As a Member of the Board of Supervisors, I will work hard to forge connections with our local governments, ensure that voter approved housing funds are used wisely, and plan for housing that is affordable, linked to transit, childcare, neighborhood-serving retail, parks, and other essentials.
I will work to ensure that we have a broader diversity of housing providers for families and individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability, and that we seek out new models from other states and jurisdictions that are proven to produce stable housing that is affordable and safe.
Childcare
County government is putting a renewed emphasis on the availability of childcare in the community. A large percentage of needed childcare has gone away since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. This is particularly impacting hard-to-find care, including infant care. I will work to complete an assessment of all available childcare opportunities in our county and to increase state funding for childcare providers.
Environmental Protection
The climate crisis is an existential threat for California. It’s essential that every government agency work together to do everything in our power to become more sustainable and identify opportunities to slow climate destruction and stave off its worst effects. Protection of greenbelt areas are essential to avoid sprawl and gain the positive environmental benefits that open and green spaces provide. We must also work to protect and enhance the Bay, working with the state and federal government.
Healthcare and Mental Health
Our County has been a model for excellence in public health, mental and physical healthcare for many years. Now our challenge is is to look at these fields in an interconnected way. The availability of stable housing that is affordable has a direct impact on physical and mental health. I'll ensure that our County is working with local cities on eliminating barriers to care and evaluating new ways to deliver services that are accessible for families and individuals.
More help for caregivers across generations and for people living with disabilities should be available and accessible in ways that will meaningfully help families and individuals that are hard pressed by multiple issues.
Mental health must be a wide spectrum of care, including in-patient, outpatient, street outreach, phone and text-based support services, integration of services into specialized housing, and substance abuse treatment on demand.
Public Safety
The Board should constantly monitor how effective the County’s public safety services are and solicit feedback from the community. The Board must fully exercise its oversight over the jails, juvenile facilities, probation, and work with the Courts to maximize the effectiveness of services.
In all services, the County should center prevention and meeting the needs of victims, including advocating for victim recovery resources at all levels of government.
Transparency and Accountability
It’s essential that the Board is a model of transparency and accountability. To that end, I am running a corporate-free campaign. At the agency level, we must work to constantly enhance the information available, address frequently asked questions thoroughly, and ensure that information is accessible, usable, and includes open data.
Paid for by Sally Lieber for Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors 2024 (FPPC# 1460612), 333 W. San Carlos St., Suite 600, San Jose, CA 95110 Contributions to this organization are not tax deductible for federal or state income tax purposes.
