DATE: December 9, 2003
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT: APPOINTMENT TO THE FIRST 5 COMMISSION OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY

SUMMARY:
Overview
On December 8, 1998 (71), the Board adopted an ordinance establishing a five-member San Diego County Children and Families First Commission to ensure San Diego County’s eligibility to receive funding from Proposition 10 tobacco tax revenues. The ordinance defined the membership of the Commission to include a member of the Board of Supervisors, the Director of the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), a member appointed by the Director of HHSA and two at-large members appointed by members of the Board. The action before the Board today is to approve and appoint the Board Chairperson’s nominee of a member of the Board of Supervisors to serve on the Commission for a term concurrent with the term of the Chairperson of the Board, an at-large member to serve a two-year term and the Director (Acting) of HHSA as members of the Commission.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Chairman Greg Cox:

1. Accept the nomination and appoint Dianne Jacob to serve on the First 5 Commission of San Diego County as the Board of Supervisors representative for a term to commence on January 5, 2003 and run concurrently with the term of the Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors.
2. Accept the nomination and appoint Dr. George Cameron to serve on the First 5 Commission of San Diego County as the representative of Chairman Greg Cox for a two-year term to commence on January 5, 2003.
3. Appoint Jean Shepard, Director (Acting), County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, as a member of the First 5 Commission of San Diego County to commence immediately.

Fiscal Impact
There will be no fiscal impact as a result of this action.

BACKGROUND:
On December 8, 1998 (71), the Board adopted an urgency ordinance to establish a five-member San Diego County Children and Families Commission to ensure San Diego County’s eligibility to receive funding from Proposition 10 tobacco tax revenue. The revenue, estimated to total approximately $36 million annually, is to be used for purposes of “promoting, supporting and improving the early development of children from the prenatal stage to five years of age.” The Board of Supervisors later changed the name of the Commission to First 5 Commission of San Diego (Commission).

On October 30, 2001 (19), the Board revised the Ordinance increasing the length of terms for the two at-large members from one year to two years and to have the terms rotate out on an annual basis. Therefore, each year the out-going Chairperson of the Board nominates an at-large member for a two-year term.

The Section 84.101, MEMBERSHIP AND SELECTION, of the revised Board ordinance now outlines the composition of Commission as follows:

• One member will be a member of the Board of Supervisors nominated by the Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors;
• One member will be the Director of the Health and Human Services Agency;
• One member will be nominated by the Director of the Health and Human Services Agency from among persons responsible for the management of certain County functions (e.g. children’s services, public health services, social services, behavioral health services and tobacco and other substance abuse prevention and treatment services); and
• Two at-large members shall serve on the Commission. One at-large member shall be nominated each year by the Chairperson of the Board of Supervisors and shall serve a two-year term. The terms of the at-large members shall be staggered so that one at-large member will be appointed each year.

The action before the Board today is to approve Chairman Cox’ nominations of Vice Chairman Dianne Jacob as the member of the Board of Supervisors to the First 5 Commission of San Diego County (Commission) and Dr. George Cameron as the Member-at-Large to the Commission and to appoint Jean Shepard, Director (Acting), County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency to the Commission.

Dr. George Cameron has served the National City School District for 31 years, 12 years as Superintendent. Dr. Cameron has been awarded the Champion for Children Award, Local Hero of the Year Award, Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award, Kiwanian of the Year Award, Hispanic Vision Award as well as others. Dr. Cameron has been an active and valued member of the First 5 Commission of San Diego County’s Technical and Professional Advisory Committee since 2000 and has been instrumental in implementing the Commission’s vision for school readiness.

Respectfully submitted,

GREG COX
Chairman