Agenda -11-06-2008 - 3d - Laserfiche WebLink

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Recommended Actions for Creating a Safe Community: • Support community resources and agencies designed to provide appropriate services based on community need and best practices. • Create acommission/task force to study the best practices for addressing domestic violence issues, such as establishing an Orange County shelter for battered women. • Create acommission/task force to study the best practices for delivering mental health services. • Commission a study by county service agencies to examine whether service delivery venues and methods reflect different cultural contexts present in the county. Recommended Actions for Establishing Sustainable And Equitable Land-Use And Environmental Policies: • Ask the following questions for all land-use decisions: 1. What are the environmental justice implications of this decision? 2. If this decision has environmental justice implications, have all Orange County residents been given adequate notice of the issue, relevant information, and opportunities to give meaningful input before the fmal decision is made? 3. Does a proposed solution have a potentially cumulative environmental impact on a specific community or neighborhood? 4. If a proposed solution may be environmentally unjust, is there an alternative resolution that would have a less disparate impact while still accomplishing our core purpose? • Strengthen and expand public transportation from northern to southern Orange County that meets the needs of individuals relying on public transportation without an undue impact on the environment. Recommended Actions for State Legislation The HRC suggests that the BoCC adopt a resolution asking the County's legislative delegation to pursue the following: • Improve hate crimes laws to increase protection to include unprotected individuals (i.e. women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people). • Draft language and seek a legislative sponsor for a statewide employment discrimination law so it may be enforced in Orange County. • Seek legislative authorization to implement a "big box" living wage ordinance. • Advocate that all people have access to affordable healthcare -including mental health services. CONCLUSION Social Justice is an important and universal consideration. Orange County has taken an important first step by developing and implementing a Social Justice Goal. The Human Relations Commission would like to thank the Orange County Board of Commissioners for their support and feedback throughout the process of researching and designing the Social Justice Goal. The HRC hopes that the Goal will make-Orange County a place known to value diversity; a place where equal treatment is the rule, not the exception. ORANGE COUNTY DRAFT SOCIAL JUSTICE GOAL Page S of S