2023: Looking back and forward in the West Valley and North County. Let’s work together in the new year!
One of my favorite traditions of the year is the annual holiday tree lighting in our County’s many cities and towns. Bringing light to long winter nights is part of many different faiths and cultures, and a wonderful way to celebrate community, compassion, and generosity.
The holidays are also an apt time to reflect on the year past, and what we’ve been able to achieve; and to look ahead to the new year — to what we can do to make it an even better one, for all.
In 2023, our office made real progress on issues we championed related to health care, affordable housing, land use, education, community safety, and support for seniors and people with developmental disabilities — to the benefit of folks in my district (District Five), and countywide.
I’m grateful once again for the support of my colleagues on the County Board of Supervisors, and for the many civic and community partners who make it possible to tackle these and other issues too big for one person, one group, or one city alone. I’m proud to highlight high-impact initiatives and accomplishments this past year, including:
Health Care
Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Center. The County’s first acute care inpatient psychiatric hospital for kids and teens moved from the drawing board to construction, now rising three stories next to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. The 207,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility will also provide a major upgrade in mental health services for adults.
North County Health Clinic. In December, the Board approved funding for infrastructure improvements to support the provision of comprehensive primary care services at a 24,500 square foot County facility on the Palo Alto-Mountain View border. On track to open in 2024, it will be the first County clinic serving the North County communities of Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, and Palo Alto in the County’s 173-year history.
West Valley Health Clinic. The County completed preliminary site, design, and cost analyses to establish a County Health Clinic on the De Anza Community College campus in Cupertino. The clinic would be the first in the County’s history located in the West Valley, providing primary care for residents as well as health services and career education for community college students.
MedAssist Milestone. The County’s innovative new program subsidizing the high cost of prescription drugs for qualifying residents diagnosed with diabetes, asthma, or severe allergies hit 1,000 enrollees. (Many more could benefit! Apply online at GetMedAssist.com or call 408-970-2001 for more information.)
Breast Cancer Detection. The Board directed County officials to expand opportunities for breast cancer screening for County residents to ensure access to early detection, an issue I’ve prioritized since I was a member of the California State Senate. SB 1538, the “Comprehensive Breast Tissue Screening” bill I authored, mandated that following a mammogram, women be notified if they have dense breast tissue, which makes abnormalities like cancer more difficult to detect, and can indicate an increased risk of cancer.
Fighting Fentanyl. My office sponsored a series of opioid overdose prevention workshops in communities throughout my district, offering information on the opioid crisis, training in the use of Naloxone (commonly known as Narcan) to reverse overdose effects, and free supplies of Narcan.
Mental Health Care Parity. The Board approved my proposal to push commercial health insurers — through the federal rule-making process, litigation, or legislation — to provide access to mental health care treatments on par with access to medical treatments.
Veterans’ Health. In November, the Board approved augmented funding for mobile dental services for the County’s 64,000 veterans as part of the upcoming fiscal year budget. Earlier, the County also approved my proposal to add additional staffing to help better connect our resident veterans to services and benefits.
West County Behavioral Health Navigators. At my request the Board approved funding for additional field navigators offering weekly drop-in sessions at the Los Gatos Library to help residents connect to and access the mental health care system, including public and community-based resources.
“SAFE” Services. In August, the Board approved my proposal to develop an outreach plan to increase awareness of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) Program, including new locations, access, services, and what survivors of sexual assault or domestic violence can expect from the experience.
School-Based Mental Health Care. At my request, the Board approved a grant to the Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC), which integrates its programming with school districts in Los Altos, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale to support the psychological and emotional well-being of students in grades K-12.
Mental Health Crisis Response Expansion. In April, the Board approved my proposal to expand access to the County’s Trusted Response Urgent Support Team, or TRUST, into Campbell, Cupertino, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, West San Jose and Willow Glen. TRUST is a mobile service that responds to mental health and substance abuse crises with mental health or social workers instead of law enforcement.
Affordable Housing
North County Teacher Housing. In September, we broke ground on the first County-led educator workforce housing development, 231 Grant. I proposed the 110-unit project, located in Palo Alto (serving a half dozen school districts in northern Santa Clara County and southern San Mateo County), to help teachers and school administrators live in the communities they serve.
West Valley Teacher Housing. The Board approved the acquisition of a site in Cupertino for affordable housing for teachers and other school staff in the County’s West Valley. The Board will choose a project developer early next year.
Homekey Palo Alto. In October, we celebrated the start of construction of a new emergency interim shelter, a partnership between the County, the City of Palo Alto, and LifeMoves. Located near the Mountain View border, Homekey’s modular village design will have 88 units (including 24 for families) with private showers and restrooms as well as on-site laundry, kitchen and outdoor spaces, and supportive services. The project is the second site to break ground using funding from the County’s “Challenge Grant” program I initiated to address homelessness.
Measure A Housing. In December, the Board approved funds for six multifamily affordable housing projects — one in Palo Alto, two in Mountain View, and three in San Jose — that will house up to 2,762 people. Funding is from the Measure A Affordable Housing Bond approved by voters in 2016. Earlier this year the Board approved Measure A funding for a separate project in Mountain View, the 85-unit Montecito development.
Land Use
Lehigh Cement Plant Closure. The Board of Supervisors signed a binding agreement that permanently shuttered the 84-year-old cement plant in the West Valley foothills. Lehigh’s operations, which also include a quarry, racked up more than 2,100 violations and accrued millions of dollars in fines relating to pollution over the past decade. In anticipation of the quarry also ceasing operations, the County and the City of Cupertino, who share jurisdiction, agreed to work together to ensure that any future development of the site benefits the surrounding community.
Stanford Development Plan. In October, the Board adopted an updated Stanford University Community Plan that governs future growth, including fully mitigating housing and transportation impacts tied to future development, and protecting the surrounding foothills for 99 years.
Support for People with Developmental Disabilities
College of Adaptive Arts (CAA). The Board of Supervisors approved a partnership with CAA to train adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to work as teacher’s aides or receptionists. CAA’s workforce and apprenticeship program, at West Valley College, focuses on these “non-routine” jobs, which promote leadership opportunities, and help participants develop situational awareness and adaptive thinking skills.
Mitchell Park Place Housing. This new 50-unit affordable housing development was designed to serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Located on County owned property in Palo Alto near transit, shopping, schools, and recreation, the project will include program space for the community organization AbilityPath to serve their clients with I/DD. The County has committed further funding to support the creation of similar housing projects throughout the County.
Making Homes Work. Approximately 80 percent of Santa Clara County residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) live in their family homes. Matching grant funding from the County will support the Los Gatos-based program that helps families throughout the County make their homes more accessible so loved ones can stay in the home they may have grown up in, near their community of support. Modifications include adding ramps, remodeling bathrooms, and enlarging hallways or doors for wheelchairs.
Inclusive Playgrounds. This year, a new Magical Bridge playground opened at El Carmelo Elementary School and we broke ground for Magical Bridge at Rengstorff Park in Palo Alto. I have championed County support for play areas designed for children and adults of all ages and abilities since the County’s first all-inclusive playgrounds opened in 2015. Since then, the Board of Supervisors has awarded $20 million in matching funds to build 24 accessible playgrounds in parks and schools throughout the County. Another round of matching grants is now in the works.
Camp Via West. At my urging the County supported upgrades at Camp Via West in the Cupertino foothills, one of the few remaining camps in the region serving children and adults with I/DD — which also offers families and caregivers crucial respite time. Upgrades include re-turfing the outdoors sports field, new ADA-compliant bathrooms, and additional equipment and storage to provide a more inclusive and accessible camp experience.
Parents Helping Parents. Families of children with I/DD across the County will have access to vital mental health services free of charge, thanks to approval of my proposal for matching grant support for the San Jose-based non-profit Parents Helping Parents.
Education
After-School Learning. The Board approved my proposal to partner with the YMCA of Silicon Valley to help families with kids under age five access after-school programs in West Valley and North County communities.
Environmental Education. At my request, the County approved grants to expand support for two local youth organizations dedicated to accessible outdoor education. The Youth Science Institute provides hand-on learning at its science summer camps, community events, and County park-based education centers. O’Neill Sea Odyssey provides free marine science learning annually for 5,000 students in fourth through sixth grades, and students with disabilities.
Math Success. At my request, the Board approved a one-time grant that will provide transportation for 112 Mountain View Whisman School District students from low-income families enrolled in the Valdés Math Common Core Summer Academy Program at West Valley College in Saratoga.
Seniors
Older Adult Mental Health Care. By 2030, adults aged 65 years and older will make up twenty percent of the County’s population. In November, the Board of Supervisors approved my proposal to assess our senior population’s access to mental health care, and provide recommendations on how those services can better address the unique challenges older adults are facing.
Older Adult Caregivers. The Older Adult Caregiver Study commissioned by the County highlighted the urgent and growing need for dependable and affordable caregiving. At my request, the County will: develop a centralized information hub to connect people with referrals and information about caregiving resources; and, create options for ‘respite’ for caregivers, who often are family members providing care at the expense of their own physical, emotional, and financial health.
West Valley Senior Support. At my request the Board of Supervisors approved funding to support the expansion of adult day care programs, senior adult legal assistance, and senior case management services in Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Campbell.
Community Safety and Wellness
Emergency Services. To ensure the safety of residents in the County’s most vulnerable areas — like our communities in the Santa Cruz mountains — the Board approved my proposal directing the County to identify actions to improve wireless connections and emergency response communications in high fire and storm threatened districts.
Wildfire Protection. To address wildland fire risk, the Board approved my request to expand “defensive space” brush chipping and debris removal services for properties located along public access areas in the Central Fire Protection District’s Wildland Urban Interface zone, which extends from the rugged Santa Cruz Mountains to the cities and neighborhoods of the West Valley.
Safer Roadways. The Board approved several of my proposals this year, including: feasibility study funding to identify infrastructure improvements that will allow bicyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles to safely share the right of way along Foothill Expressway; a dawn-to-dusk parking prohibition on a portion of Moody Road adjacent to the town of Los Altos Hills to improve sightlines; and, a 25-m.p.h. speed limit on Oleander Avenue, a busy residential street in Los Gatos.
Community Engagement. In addition to my long tradition of hosting Sidewalk Office Hours at local Farmers’ Markets throughout my district, our office organized or helped facilitate a number of informational meetings this year, including: a Distracted Driving Telephone Town Hall; “How to Avoid Phishing and Other Cyberscams,” a two-part series at Santa Clara County Libraries; and, a “10 Ways to Shorten Your Job Search” webinar. (Recordings of these and other events are available at my website: SupervisorSimitian.org.)
Sanborn Park Clean-Up. Restoration began this year on a former nursery site near the park’s entrance, enabling next steps for the Sanborn County Master Plan, which will expand the park’s recreational and outdoor education opportunities. Located on the slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains southwest of Saratoga, the nearly 3,500-acre Park provides important protected habitat, and a variety of recreational uses, including hiking, biking, camping, and picnicking.
All of the above are areas where I have led and/or “leaned in.” As I think about the progress of 2023, I’m mindful that so much of the work we do at the County comes to fruition over time. For example, we’ll spend the next year taking next steps to bring comprehensive County health care and affordable housing to West Valley and North County communities, and continue long-range planning for the tremendous opportunity we have with restoration of the Lehigh cement plant and quarry property. On so many fronts, we need to do more and we need to do it faster!
There’s much to look forward to in 2024. Wishing you and yours a healthy and joyful holiday season. Many thanks.