At their October 7th meeting, the San Bernardino Council of Governments (SBCOG) Board of Directors approved the establishment of a new Equity Ad Hoc Committee. This comes after the SBCOG Board acted in September to direct County staff to collaborate with the County of San Bernardino on the implementation of the Equity Element Group under the Countywide Vision.
In 2011, SBCOG and the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors adopted the Countywide Vision, a roadmap for the future of the county with an emphasis on 10 elements, including public safety, education, jobs and the economy, wellness and housing. In June, the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis, the first county in California to do so. In their declaration the Board of Supervisors directed staff to create an Equity Element Group to promote and increase equity in San Bernardino County.
The new committee will be comprised of seven members of the SBCOG Board of Directors. Two members will be drawn from each from the West Valley, East Valley and Mountain/Desert sub-regions, along with one member from the Board of Supervisors. The Equity Ad Hoc Committee will examine existing policies and projects under the purview of SBCOG and SBCTA through the lens of equity to identify issues and solutions.