Approved Minutes of January 22, 2025

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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 22, 2025 IV. Priority Committee Updates Ad Hoc Board Retreat Planning Committee Dr. Nickelson provided the update for the Ad Hoc Board Retreat Planning Committee. The committee has met twice and has been working to finalize the agenda and the retreat location. The retreat will be held at the Cedar Grove Community Center and the agenda will include and overview of the Health Department strategic plan, a legislative session to discuss trends and priorities locally and statewide, time to discuss how to align the work that the BOH is doing with the BOCC with Commissioners Fowler and Bedford and wrap up with discussion and training around the Health Director Annual Review. Dr. Nickelson said that many board members have expressed that they didn't really know how to evaluate Ms. Stewart on certain things and what areas we need to focus on since they don't typically see her in the day-to-day, so this training should help with that. Dr. Royce added that there will also be time during the retreat for committees to work together to put forward resolutions related to their focus areas. Connections to Community Support Committee Mr. Whitaker provided the update for the Connections to Community Support Committee. The committee met with Don Elliott, a city planner with a group called Clarion Associates, which helps local governments across the country work on their zoning policies and helps them establish zoning ordinances that control land development in their jurisdictions. The committee learned more about how zoning affects the supply of housing, specifically affordable housing. Depending on the policies, zoning can facilitate or obstruct a community having an adequate supply of housing, and an adequate supply of housing lowers demand and allows for more affordable units. Zoning policy can be influenced by a lot of things, including people's perceptions of what they want for themselves, their families, and the properties they already own. Orange County is currently revising its comprehensive plan, which is a long-term vision for the county, and includes a land use plan. The committee is considering ways to advocate locally for zoning policies that might free up the ability for more housing to be constructed in our county. It's important from a public health perspective to push the idea that we need to find ways to get people housed more easily and more readily, as access to safe and humane housing is crucial for the wellbeing of people and families. However, while zoning is an important component, it's important to remember that the government cannot really drive the economic considerations associated with housing, and it's necessary to work with market forces and people who are acting within the market. From an equity point of view the committee discussed that the lack of housing disproportionately affects people who are already marginalized in other ways, meaning affordable housing is itself an equity issue. Dr. Stuebe recommended that board members who wanted to learn more look at the Equity in Zoning Policy Guide from the American Planning Association. Jean Phillips-Weiner, Board of Health Strategic Plan Manager, will be assessing or investigating whether there's already some kind of data out there about the housing units available in the county (i.e., a housing needs assessment) so the committee can assess quantitatively more about what the needs are. S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agendas &Abstracts\2025 Agenda and Abstracts/ January Page 4