This special report originally appeared in the September-October 2001 issue of the Children's Advocate, published by Action Alliance for Children.

Prop. 10: Weaving a web of support for young children and families

All parts of the community

Santa Clara County has Bosnians, Spanish, Chinese, Ethiopians, Vietnamese," says Prop. 10 Commissioner Cora Tomalinas. "Not all groups can be reached the same way." Diversity isn't just ethnic. It includes "areas as diverse as sexual identity and socioeconomic culture," notes Judy Darnell, director of the Family Resource Center Network in Santa Cruz.

Making sure all groups share equally in Prop. 10 "is an ongoing challenge," says Mark Friedman, Alameda Prop. 10 executive director. "We look at diversity in terms of hiring, training, commission grants, purchasing, service delivery, and recruitment. We are stronger in some areas than others."

In Santa Cruz, Prop. 10 Executive Director Rafael Lopez describes an inclusive spirit: "Everything was flexible, everyone's opinion was valid, everything was bilingual-staff switched on a dime from English to Spanish."

And Monterey Prop. 10 Commissioner Carole Singley notes that "as we work with families from different backgrounds-income, language, or culture-it's not just about asking them to participate, but integrating them into the whole process so they have some share of power."

County commissions have used a variety of approaches.

Communicating in different languages: To get input for Prop. 10 plans, commissions did surveys, held focus groups, and distributed materials in a variety of languages. Some Prop. 10 groups hold bilingual meetings in Spanish and English, and many provide translators for other languages.

Varying time and place: "The commission needs to be very intentional about holding meetings
in communities where people of diverse ethnicities live," says Ethel Seiderman, executive director of the Parent Services Project in Marin. And commissions must "be creative and not just hold meetings from nine to five," says Gary Thompson, chair of the Alameda County Interagency Children's Policy Council.

Consulting with community leaders: In Monterey, says former Interim Director Jack Harpster, "We tried to find out who the key community leaders were-in one case, a local priest, in another, a woman who was doing a lot of community volunteer work. We asked them to help us organize and got good turnouts."

Selecting diverse staff and commissioners: It's important to have "bilingual and bicultural staff in key positions," says Darnell. In Solano, says Executive Director Paul Crissey, the Prop. 10 Commission and staff reflect the county as a whole. In other counties, as one commissioner put it, "we're not there yet"-some commissions still include no people of color.

Requiring diversity in grants: In Monterey, all applications for Prop. 10 money "have to reflect cultural responsiveness," says Executive Director Sal Castillo. In Santa Cruz, "the application talks about 'does your staff reflect the community you serve?'" says Executive Director Rafael Lopez. "So it was a message to grantees from day one."

Not all counties use all these strategies. And even where they do, "at this early stage it's hard to know if the decisions of the commission have addressed community needs in a diverse way," says San Mateo Prop. 10 Commissioner Rayna Lehman.

-Elizabeth Gilman

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