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Health & Fitness

Helping homeless children. Supervisor Mike Wasserman's November 2013 Newsletter

Veterans Day was Monday, November 11th. To all of the men and woman who serve, have served or those who have a family member who served: we thank you!

Santa Clara County frequently partners with trusted non-profit organizations in order to provide vital services to the diverse communities of our county. Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI) is the largest community-based organization in Santa Clara County that is dedicated to improving the health, mental health and well-being of individuals and families in the Asian community. I recently dropped by the AACI offices to wish them a Happy 40th Anniversary. Learn more about AACI here.

Regular readers of my newsletter know that the county-level of government mainly provides public safety, public health and public assistance for the most vulnerable members of our population, including children. Youth in foster care have been brought into “the system” for their own protection and safety due to abuse and neglect through no fault of their own. We work to help these young people have better experiences while in care and better outcomes as they become adults.

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I am proclaiming November "Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Month" in Santa Clara County in order to bring awareness to the 1,200 homeless youth who find themselves on the streets of Santa Clara County any given night. They are vulnerable, and they need our help. Fortunately, in addition to the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children Services, community-based organizations such as the Bill Wilson Center and EHC Lifebuilders receive County funding to apply their community expertise, skill and compassion to effectively aide our homeless youth. I am also happy to report that we were able to work with our state legislators recently to retain local funding for programs focused on serving runaway or homeless youth.

Keeping our kids safe as they travel to and from school is very important. As co-chair of the Traffic Safe Communities Network, I am proud of the work we have done to promote Safe Routes to Schools. Last month, 28,000 students in 38 schools all across Santa Clara County took part in "Walk and Bike to School Week." By encouraging healthier and safer environments for kids, we can prevent and control traffic-related fatalities and injuries.

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The Board of Supervisors benefits by hearing from members of the public. One way we receive input is from our 60 Boards and Commissions that are comprised of appointed members of the public. These citizen groups serve a vital role in County government by gathering and analyzing public input and sometimes making recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. My Kudos Corner winner this month is 34-year-old Jonathan Brusco, of Morgan Hill, who serves on the County Citizen’s Advisory Commission on Elections. Please click here to read about why Jonathan takes the time to volunteer for his community, and then visit my website to learn how you too can get involved: www.supervisorwasserman.com

Wild boars have been a bigger problem than normal this year, especially in Almaden. I have been working with the Office of Johnny Khamis and the State Fish and Wildlife Department to devise a solution to this problem because of the unique conditions in the City of San Jose. It is incredibly rare for large groups of wild boars to make their way down to Almaden Valley. This is often a result of drought conditions, overpopulation and/or a shortage of acorns (an important food source for wild boars). In order to help mitigate this problem, the Almaden Country Club, which has been experiencing a considerable amount of damage to its property, received a permit from the State Fish and Wildlife to eradicate the wild boars. This should help decrease the amount of wild boars in Almaden and will hopefully change their pattern of movement until the rains come, when there will be an abundant amount of food and water in the hills, removing the reason for the wild boars to leave their homes in the hills. To learn more about wild boars and how to protect your home please click here.

As always, you can reach my office at (408) 299-5010.

Mike Wasserman
Santa Clara County Supervisor, District 1
www.supervisorwasserman.com


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