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Prop. 10 task force meets
By Michele Leung
It seemed too good to be true: to have those with money to spend listen to suggestions on how to best use $27 million.
For people who care about children, it was just that easy. At a community meeting on Oct. 25, the Early Childhood Development Collaborative (ECDC) sought input from parents, educators and young people on ways to improve early childhood development for children up to 5 years of age.
The ECDC, under the aegis of the Santa Clara Children and Families Commission, is an advisory group put into motion by the passage of Proposition 10, also known as the tobacco tax. The measure, approved by voters last November, puts a 50-cent per pack tax on cigarettes, with the intent that the money generated will promote children's services. But before receiving the funds, each county must develop a strategic plan with recommendations from the community.
At this first step of brainstorming with community members, task force leaders stressed the importance of the contributors' ideas, since they will have a direct impact on $27 million.
"What do we want in Santa Clara County in the areas of early childhood development? How we provide these services is what we need from the community," said Jolene Smith, project manager.
Participants separated into three discussion groups, in which they addressed ways to improve on prenatal development, early education, safer neighborhoods and stable families. The meeting room was literally wallpapered with a range of specific suggestions, which included implementing safer pedestrian crossings, disseminating information on the risks and benefits of immunization, and using teenage parents to mentor junior high students to guard against teenage pregnancies.
"I love all these ideas," said Smith. "They let the community support each other. They are also low-cost, no-cost. Better pedestrian crossings--how expensive is that?"
"I really feel hopeful," said Ana Salmneron, a teenage mom. "I would like to see more sex education for younger kids and better job training [for teens]."
"I came to get a better understanding of the needs of my community and to have an opportunity to come up with my own ideas," said Todd Hansen.
The next step for the task force is to present a draft of the strategic plan to the community, which will take place in January. By April, the commission hopes to send the final version of the draft to the state for approval.
There's a chance, however, that the plan might not live long enough to come to fruition. A counter-initiative, headed by Philip Morris USA, would end the tax on tobacco products. Prop. 10 opponents have gathered enough signatures to put the proposal on the March 2000 ballot.
District 4 Supervisor Jim Beall had strong words in opposition of the new initiative.
"We will fight this tooth and nail," he said. "Tobacco companies are not giving a chance for [the ECDC] programs to be successful. There's something wrong with that. They have to respect the will of the voters."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
