PI Perspective

With the influx of $43 billion in flexible state and local recovery funds via the American Rescue Plan Act and a historic state surplus, it's time for California's leaders to “bake in” health equity and racial justice to public funding programs at every stage. By designing and implementing funding programs grounded in California’s commitment to equity, we can foster community health, safety, and wellbeing in our state’s racially and economically diverse communities. This brief recommends ways to operationalize equity in each phase of a public funding program.

Throughout California, community-based organizations have stepped up to address community needs during the pandemic. This report shares how local governments can better partner with community organizations to create a more equitable recovery from the social, economic, and health effects of the pandemic.

This brief builds upon two recent peer learning forums: Trauma-Informed Systems: Supporting your community and essential city workers during and after COVID-19 (held on February 17, 2021), and Prioritizing equity and community wellbeing in the wake of catastrophic events (held on April 13, 2021). It explores how local government agencies have integrated internal- and external-facing trauma-informed practices and implemented long-term systems change to address community needs during recent infrastructure disruptions.