Kristen Brown
Age: 37
Occupation: Vice President of Government Relations, Silicon Valley Leadership Group; Capitola mayor, two-term Capitola City Council member
~~~
This year, the grand jury found the county has chronically underfunded road maintenance, such as roads become increasingly unsafe, and recommended the supervisors increase annual public works funding to improve at least one local road segment with a rating of less than 40 out of 100 in each supervisorial district. The grand jury also found the CSA 90D assessment, which funds 25% of road maintenance, has not been changed since inception in 1983. These flat assessments are $56.40 on improved properties and $28.20 on unimproved properties in the unincorporated areas. If elected, how would you address these issues?
With multiple years of service on the Regional Transportation Commission, currently as Chair, I have a deep understanding of transportation funding and have supported millions in road repairs. With more unincorporated roads in District 2 than in any other district, the incoming Supervisor will need to tackle the road repair backlog head-on.
We should first determine where the CSA 9D funds are being spent and then consider reallocations as necessary. Additionally, we should consider what, if any, changes could be made to CSA 9D in order to generate additional revenue.
Based on the sources provided in the Grand Jury report, any increase in the CSA 9D assessment would require a vote of the residents.
Finally, I will work to enhance transparency and accountability through regular road repair progress updates, and seek additional funding sources such as state and federal grants to address ongoing transportation infrastructure challenges.
This year, the grand jury investigated county Behavioral Health Services, which addresses mental health and substance use, and recommended collecting outcomes data, evaluate behavioral health contractors based on outcomes and look into why Santa Cruz ranks high among counties for high-cost beneficiary patients, people with approved claims exceeding $30,000. The grand jury noted the staff vacancy rate is 30%. If elected, how would you address these issues?
I agree with the Grand Jury’s recommendations regarding the collection and analysis of outcome data to evaluate the effectiveness of both county programs and contractors. With a tight County budget and competing needs for resources, I will work to ensure that we fund services that deliver tangible results and improve patient care.
In terms of the high-cost beneficiary patients, the Grand Jury report specifically notes that we can’t determine why we rank so high among counties with so many high-cost beneficiary patients because the Behavioral Health Department lacks the staff to perform a root-cause analysis.
Solving the problem of our 30% vacancy rate can assist in solving the puzzle of the high-cost beneficiary patient numbers.
I seek to enhance recruitment and retention through fair wages and benefits, professional development opportunities and internal promotions.
This year, the grand jury investigated county Personnel Department practices and recommended a public dashboard with time-to-hire and vacancy rates and difficult-to-fill positions. The grand jury also recommended conducting a salary comparison with nearby counties where former employees now work and obtaining a cost-benefit analysis of the current hiring practices vs.using a countywide integrated human resources software platform. If elected, how would you address these issues?
I am an advocate of both transparency and data-driven decision making. For those reasons, I would support a public dashboard of time-to-hire, vacancy rates, and difficult-to-fill positions. This would not only demonstrate the depth of the issue, but also allow an opportunity to show growth and improvement as it is made.
I also agree with the recommendation of performing a cost-benefit analysis around the potential use of an integrated HR software platform. If the analysis showed that a new platform could increase efficiency and support, but not replace, current employees in the County’s Personnel department, then I would push for its implementation.
The 2024 Point in Time count found 1,850 homeless individuals in Santa Cruz County, up from 1,804 a year ago. The mayor of Aurora, Colorado, visited homeless encampments there and concluded the “housing first” policy without providing addiction recovery programs and career counseling does not reduce homelessness. If elected, how would you address this issue?
I recently participated in a Local Solutions to Homelessness Working Group in Washington, D.C., where we discussed the “housing first” model and other strategies to address homelessness.
We explored systemic issues like the lack of affordable housing and individual factors such as mental illness, substance abuse, and job losses.
I am an advocate of solutions to homelessness that include providing immediate housing (“housing first”) with low barriers to entry, along with addiction recovery, mental health support, and job training.
The County’s collaboration with local community-based organizations will be crucial to delivering both housing and services.
For long-term stability, however, we need to incentivize and streamline the process of developing deeply affordable housing and renew our focus on homelessness prevention in a County where 75% of the unhoused population were County residents before becoming unhoused.
•••
Kim De Serpa
Age: 57
Occupation: Medical Social Worker
~~~
This year, the grand jury found the county has chronically underfunded road maintenance, such as roads become increasingly unsafe, and recommended the supervisors increase annual public works funding to improve at least one local road segment with a rating of less than 40 out of 100 in each supervisorial district. The grand jury also found the CSA 90D assessment, which funds 25% of road maintenance, has not been changed since inception in 1983. These flat assessments are $56.40 on improved properties and $28.20 on unimproved properties in the unincorporated areas. If elected, how would you address these issues?
I thank the grand jury for their investigation of this critical issue. I’ve been meeting with neighbors all over District 2, and many of their roads have not been resurfaced in more than 50 years. Our infrastructure has been neglected for too long. We need to re-evaluate the CSA 90D assessment. However, any assessment changes must be done transparently, with input from the community.
I will prioritize securing additional resources for road repairs and work with fellow lawmakers to update legislation to reflect the need for rural counties to have an ongoing and reliable source of road maintenance funding. I will work with staff and the board to ensure we focus on the most critical areas.
I look forward to Measure K bringing revenue for road repair, but unfortunately, it was embargoed due to a pending lawsuit. I’ll fight to make sure D2 gets our fair share!
This year, the grand jury investigated county Behavioral Health Services, which addresses mental health and substance use, and recommended collecting outcomes data, evaluate behavioral health contractors based on outcomes and look into why Santa Cruz ranks high among counties for high-cost beneficiary patients, people with approved claims exceeding $30,000. The grand jury noted the staff vacancy rate is 30%. If elected, how would you address these issues?
A high employee vacancy rate, lack of outcome tracking, and lack of equity in serving people in South County are concerning. As a social worker, I have the education and experience to evaluate and provide support for these programs. I know how difficult it is to attract Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Social Workers due to our high cost-of-living.
The county could build a workforce by becoming an intern site. Workforce housing could be considered to recruit and retain quality employees. We must find solutions to provide equity in South County. I have attempted to access behavioral health services for vulnerable people, and it is challenging.
I believe we have high claims in our county because we are sending youth outside the county for care and have many gravely disabled people who need psychiatric placement or prolonged hospitalization. The state is moving services to a prevention model, which will help.
This year, the grand jury investigated county Personnel Department practices and recommended a public dashboard with time-to-hire and vacancy rates and difficult-to-fill positions. The grand jury also recommended conducting a salary comparison with nearby counties where former employees now work and obtaining a cost-benefit analysis of the current hiring practices vs. using a countywide integrated human resources software platform. If elected, how would you address these issues?
If elected, I would explore the possibility of workforce housing on county property to recruit and retain a skilled and qualified workforce. We need to incentivize people to choose Santa Cruz County as an employer. Workers could live in low-cost housing and save money to be able to buy their first home after their stay.
Counties often compete against each other for a limited pool of candidates; Santa Cruz County can’t compete due to its limited revenue in property taxes-only 11 cents on the dollar compared to neighboring counties, which receive much more. Additionally, those counties have higher populations and higher sales tax revenue, so their budgets are much bigger, and they can pay higher salaries.
Our county could do a better job recruiting, but I believe the main problem is developing more revenue locally and finding affordable housing.
The 2024 Point in Time count found 1,850 homeless individuals in Santa Cruz County, up from 1,804 a year ago. The mayor of Aurora, Colorado, visited homeless encampments there and concluded the “housing first” policy without providing addiction recovery programs and career counseling does not reduce homelessness. If elected, how would you address this issue?
In Santa Cruz County, 122 individuals died on the streets in 2023. We have many people who are gravely disabled by their mental health and/or substance use disorder and often need serious medical care and or psychiatric or skilled nursing placement, all very costly.
Using a preventative “housing first” model alongside supportive case management is effective and should continue.
Deferring implementation of SB 43 was a mistake our Board of Supervisors made recently.
This new law was designed to help conserve people who are gravely disabled by their mental health or substance use disorder.
Under SB 43, people who are conserved would be placed in a state facility to have their medical, psychiatric, or substance abuse needs met over a long period of time.
This issue is society’s failure to protect the most vulnerable among us, and we must act to care for people who cannot adequately care for themselves.