SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego County's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to declare racism a public health crisis.
The vote approves several policies that will allow the county to support marginalized communities and allow the county to be able to require the use of racial and equity data to prioritize funding; create a process for community input on county policies and practices; and revise the statement of values, mission, and vision to ensure inclusion and equity are core principles of our county government.
"Declaring racism a public health crisis is an important step forward that begins to move our County in a new direction. This legislation is more than just a statement of our values, we are backing it up with substantive policies designed to tackle systemic racism, and remove the barriers that prevent diversity, equity, and inclusion," read a joint statement from Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Nora Vargas.
The board unanimously agreed to also create a data-driven response to COVID-19.
"Data, science, and health-equity are vital to our COVID-19 recovery. The majority of our board reaffirmed today they believe these fundamentals should shape our response to the pandemic. We must also prioritize the most vulnerable communities and ensure they have the resources they need to be healthy and safe to get back to their routines," a statement from Fletcher and Vargas read.
The county says its move follows similar moves by other cities and states including Long Beach County; Sacramento; San Bernardino; Louisville, Ken.; Minneapolis, Minn.; and Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
