Santa Barbara County received two awards from the State Association of Counties
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Santa Barbara County received two awards from the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) for its Latinx and Indigenous COVID-19 Response Task Force and its transparent outreach efforts during the retail cannabis process.
The county received the 2021 Merit Award in recognition of its Latinx and Indigenous COVID-19 task force, and the 2021 Challenge Award in recognition of its cannabis outreach program, according to Assistant County Executive Officer Terri Nissich.
There were 433 entries in total between the two awards – the largest number of entries in the history of CSAC's awards program, Nissich said.
The county's Latinx and Indigenous COVID-19 Response Task Force reduced health inequities by working directly with various communities during the initial phase of the pandemic. Teams provided up-to-date resources, education, referrals, and communication between the county Public Health Department, community partners, and the populations who were disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
"The work conducted by Task Force Partners has resulted in enhanced COVID-19 response efforts within the Latinx and Indigenous communities thereby reducing the spread of COVID-19 in Santa Barbara County," Nissich said.
The Challenge Award recognized the county's work in creating a fair and legal process for cannabis retail storefront operators to apply, while also running a transparent outreach program to ensure that everyone in the community had the chance to provide input, Nissich said.
The county re-imagined community outreach during the pandemic when many people could not safely gather, utilizing interactive mapping, tutorials, and a survey that was live for more than eight months and generated nearly 350 responses. Nearly 600 people attended the community meetings, and the county gained 420 new subscribers to cannabis e-news and notifications, Nissich said.
CSAC honored 52 programs from 22 different counties in 2021. Santa Barbara County's Latinx and Indigenous COVID-19 Response Task Force was one of 28 programs to receive the Merit Award, and its cannabis outreach program was one of 21 programs to receive the Challenge Award.
