Initiatives

The Asian Community Collaborative (ACC) is a collection of over 30 Asian and Asian Pacific Islander (API) community-based organizations that provide services to the Fifth Supervisorial District; ACC was established in December 2002. Learn more…

Black Elected Officials of the East Bay is a non-profit organization founded by Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson. Later, the organization expanded to include clergy leaders to band together as Black Elected Officials & Faith Based Leaders (BEO & FBL). Over a decade, the goal of the organization has been to increase the quantity and quality of African American elected, appointed and spiritual leadership in the Black community through networking and relationship building. Today, the organization consists of over 100 elected and appointed officials from throughout Alameda and Contra Costa County and meets bi-monthly.

The County of Alameda passed an EPR ordinance for sharps (PDF)* on 11/15/15. The ordinance requires producers that sell sharps in Alameda County to participate in a product stewardship plan for the collection and disposal of sharps. The ordinance went into effect on 12/18/15. By June 18, 2016 sharps producers must notify the County of their intent to participate in a product stewardship plan. Proposed product stewardship plans must be submitted to the County by December 18, 2016. More information is available on Alameda County Environmental Health’s Safe Drug and Consumer-Generated Sharps Disposal webpage.

Founded in 1990, the East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA) was born out of the recognition by top leaders of the need to work together and tackle shared challenges. Today, East Bay EDA is a 150+ member organization that serves as the regional voice and networking resource for strengthening the economy, building the workforce and enhancing the quality of life in the East Bay. We are a cross-sector, public-private partnership that promotes strategic economic development throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. For over 30 years East Bay EDA has convened diverse networks of business, government, and community leaders who embrace the extraordinary value of our region as an unrivaled place to live, work, and do business. 

The Let’s Work initiative was started in May, 2014, by Supervisor Keith Carson to recognize the importance of a diverse workforce in Alameda County. The initiative celebrates employers who demonstrate leadership by hiring individuals with barriers to employment, such as the formerly incarcerated, lower skilled people or those who encounter barriers while receiving CalWORKS. As the safety net, the County supports not only the health and safety of our residents but also helps them to find work and become reliable tax payers. Alameda County commends businesses and nonprofits that give a chance to individuals who have paid their debts to society and are now ready to show up on time and participate as productive employees.

An African American child living in Oakland’s flatlands will die, on average, 15 years before a Caucasian child living in the City’s most affluent area – the Oakland hills.

Where we live, our race, our income shapes how long we live. Children do not choose to grow up in neighborhoods with no grocery stores, closed parks and struggling schools. The lack of opportunities for good health in some neighborhoods is rooted in persistent injustices shaped by a legacy of segregation, widespread disinvestment in communities of color, and exclusion of people of color from decision making venues. And so, the difference of a couple of miles, the color of their skin, and poverty level adds up to 15 years of life. And from what we can tell, this difference is increasing.

We envision an Alameda County where all children, no matter where they live, how much money their parents make, or the color of their skin, have access to the same opportunities to lead a healthy, fulfilling and productive life. Achieving health equity requires an integrated approach spanning all government sectors and in collaboration with community. More information about why place matters and what we can do about it

In 2006, members of the Board, department heads, and other leaders in Alameda County came together to assess the challenges our residents would face for the next ten years. On March 21st, 2016, we came together to discuss the trends shaping the next ten years. In crafting our Vision 2026, we will be collaborating with city officials and community leaders. Keep an eye out for updates in the coming months. Visit the Vision 2026 website!

Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson announces the launch of the Year of the African American Male initiative. Since the beginning of the slave trade to the Civil Right Movement to 2015 African American males in this country have faced a number of institutional and historic challenges. Historic health disparities, unemployment, and mass incarceration to name a few.

Nationally, African American men make up a fraction of the population but have the lowest life expectancy and the highest high school drop-out rates, numbers of police stop and frisk searches with no arrests, and the highest numbers in homelessness, emotional and mental health challenges, and disrupted families.

Throughout 2015 Supervisor Carson and a diverse group of African American leaders and community members will focus on creating opportunities for information sharing and the planning of solution-oriented activities, as well as publishing a free resource guide specifically geared toward assisting Black men in key areas.

The Youth Ancestral Project is a program that teaches East Bay youth how to use research and storytelling techniques to gain a deeper understanding of their own ancestral roots. Initiated in 2011 by Supervisor Keith Carson with the help of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California and the Oakland Family History Center, the project has reached more than 300 youth. In 2012-13, the project expanded to include youth in the Jewish, Latino and Asian communities, as well as youth in the Alameda County Probation Department Weekend Training Academy. Project participants learn how to interview their relatives and fictive kin, use online research tools to find ancestors, and develop writing and digital media skills to tell their stories.