East Bay Leadership Council

Tomorrow! Join us for a conversation with Assemblymember Tim Grayson. We will discuss his top legislative priorities for the year and learn more about a bill he introduced in February that would create a "Contra Costa Green Empowerment Zone." go.eastbaylc.com/grayson

We believe that local leaders make all the difference. That's why the EBLC launched our own candidate training program in 2017 with a mission to help more people who care about this community receive the tools, know-how, and connections needed to run for office. And it's working!... Of 21 graduates, 8 are serving the East Bay in elected office and making a difference on issues that impact the region's economy and quality of life. We are ready to launch the 2021 program, but need to recruit more people who are interested in learning what it takes to run, win, and start making a difference. Learn more and apply to participate today. Application Deadline: May 3, 2021 https://eastbayleadershipcouncil.com//calling-on-local-lea

It's official. Contra Costa County is now the first Bay Area county to expand #COVID19 vaccine eligibility to people 16 and up. bit.ly/cchsvax

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On the anniversary of shelter-in-place orders, we reflect on a painful year and what still must be done. However, we cannot help but feel like hope is on the rise. #TeamEBLC

Our President & CEO, Kristin Connelly, moderated a panel hosted by Contra Costa County Library with local experts focused on how to prepare for a Zoom interview, what it means to be employable, and what job skills are needed now and in the future. #jobs #eastbay https://youtu.be/ZtHs_qI32L8

Our latest newsletter is a doozy! Vaccine rollout Van Jones PPP loans Food Bank volunteering... Livermore National Lab carbon neutrality report See more

Having spent most of his high school years living inside a car with his mother and sister and one year in foster care, Moreno never had the opportunity to plant a garden. So when a therapist referred him to the new Pittsburg John Muir Land Trust Family Harvest Farm for a job, he jumped at the chance.

We announce Van Jones as the headline speaker for the 2021 East Bay Leadership Series, invite you to attend a task force next week focused on vaccine rollout, share must read stories of the week, and pay tribute to our dear friend Tom Guarino. #TeamEBLC

It was the perfect day to help distribute food to nearly 300 families in Richmond. See you in 2021, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano!

We were proud to host Alex Padilla for a conversation on election security, voting rights, and the future of democracy in 2019. Happy to have you back in the East Bay any time, Senator.

Meet Healthy Richmond. They are the winner of the Changemaker Award at our 2020 East Bay Philanthropy Awards and are well known as collective advocates for health equity and racial justice across the region. Healthy Richmond’s wins include successful campaigns that resulted in the adoption of initiatives like Contra Costa Cares, People Not Prisons, the Re-Entry Success Center. Healthy Richmond was also instrumental in the City of Richmond’s Health in All Policies framework th...at has ensured resources are aligned with and advance health equity goals. They also have played a critical role in the Invest in Youth Coalition that resulted in the formation of a city department focused on children and youth needs. Even further, this group of dedicated advocates have tackled barriers to education equity and amplified parents’ voices in annual policy and funding recommendations. When Healthy Richmond’s Action Team comes together, collaborative efficiency is their secret sauce. The team brings together all partners and sectors that work on addressing the social determinants of health and forging the kind of relationships needed for them to work together to improve quality of life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Healthy Richmond even became a key distribution point to provide Richmond residents impacted by job loss with $20,000 in direct financial assistance. Help us honor Healthy Richmond and other inspirational community organizations on November 12. Registration is free and open to all: https://bit.ly/eastbay-philanthropy-2020

Meet Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), the winner of the Bridge Builder Award at our 2020 East Bay Philanthropy Awards. COVID-19 has ushered in an imperative to elevate the voices of historically marginalized communities, bust silos, and create sustainable pathways to keep our community healthy -- CCHS and it’s foundation have done exactly that. With investment from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation CCHS began by mobilizing a countywide rapid response framework call...ed the Emergency Operations Center. The Center consisted of a variety of COVID task forces addressing vulnerable populations, historically marginalized communities, testing, tracing, food insecurity, spread containment and more. Under CCHS Director Anna Roth’s leadership, community-based providers and historically marginalized communities were engaged as part of the task forces, guiding and advising in the work. This created an environment where the voices of those served were amplified in outreach efforts and ongoing structural change became a part of the mission. With this inclusive and representative structure, CCHS dispatched more than $1.4 million to 43 nonprofits with boots on the ground ready to deliver money, food and services to those in greatest need. Nearly 200,000 people were served by this community effort alone. This work could not have been done without the amazing county employees, who amidst difficult situations and new challenges in their own lives, continued to work round the clock to ensure people were not hungry, without shelter, or in need of care. Philanthropy in this case was a recipe of capital investment, a desire to serve those in greatest need, a commitment to saving lives, and the courage and creativity to address inequity in our community and our healthcare system. Help us honor Contra Costa Health Services and other inspirational community organizations on November 12. Registration is free and open to all: https://bit.ly/eastbay-philanthropy-2020

Proud to be part of a broad coalition in support of Measure X in Contra Costa County.

If you’re a small business in Contra Costa County facing potential layoffs due to the financial impacts of the pandemic, the Workforce Development Board is providing grant funding to help you keep your workers. To be eligible Be located in Contra Costa County Be currently open or planning to re-open.... Be current on their unemployment taxes and in good standing with the state of California. Be able to demonstrate the need for support due to the impacts of COVID-19. Priority will be given to these types of women and minority-owned micro-businesses: retail, restaurants, hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, day spas, and fitness studios.

We are talking housing policy on November 9 with the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Therese McMillan. Sign up and bring your questions. http://bit.ly/mcmillan-2020

Meet Tamisha Walker. She is the winner of the Social Impact Award at our 2020 East Bay Philanthropy Awards, an East Bay native, and the courageous leader of the Safe Return Project serving formerly incarcerated individuals. Since Tamisha’s own release from incarceration in 2009, she has been a fierce advocate for the successful reintegration and rights of returning citizens, and has fought to bring healing to the community. ... Her community organizing and leadership has built the Safe Return Project into a powerful source for change, helping to pass the first local Fair Chance Housing ordinance and critical projects to help the community address trauma and heal from violence. In addition, She is helping to build the capacity of the community through the implementation of leadership and collective impact trainings. Safe Return Project has become an essential space to gather with Tamisha serving as a strong and consistent voice at collaborative tables across the region. Help us honor Tamisha Walker and other inspirational community leaders on November 12. Registration is free and open to all: https://bit.ly/eastbay-philanthropy-2020

Great opportunity for Contra Costa micro-businesses to cover costs including COVID safety remodeling, parklets, signage, online platform fees, and social media marketing, rent, employee salaries, and more. Learn more on Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center website and apply by November 11. https://www.rencenter.org/contra-costa-county-micro-enterp/

If you missed our event on Racial Justice at Work or just want to revisit the conversation, it is now available to stream on-demand. https://youtu.be/ATVKKqNXawA

Meet Bret Sweet and the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center. Bret is the winner of the Economic Justice Award at our 2020 East Bay Philanthropy Awards, the Center’s East Bay Program Director, and a relentless community changemaker. For those of you new to the Renaissance’s work, the organization has been impacting racial, social, and economic equity in the Bay Area for over 35 years; promoting inclusion and access and strengthening communities through the creation of sustaina...ble new businesses, expansion of existing businesses, new local jobs, and financial self-sufficiency. Since 2016, Bret has been working to expand Renaissance programs and services, bringing innovative practices and data-driven strategies to emerging and expanding businesses in Contra Costa and Alameda counties. When COVID-19 hit the our community, Bret responded by moving consulting services online, organizing digital workshops in financial management and technology, and raising funds to provide access to capital through a micro-credit loan fund. He has also engaged local faith organizations, chambers, nonprofits, and foundation partners to create an East Contra Costa Jobs and Family Alliance, to support the Human Capital and Community Development Strategy of the Northern Waterfront Economic Development Initiative. We promise you, the list goes on. Help us honor Bret and other inspirational community leaders on November 12. Registration is free and open to all: https://bit.ly/eastbay-philanthropy-2020

Meet Blue Shield of California. They are the winner of the Community Impact Award at our 2020 East Bay Philanthropy Awards, a company rooted in the East Bay, and a team committed to giving back. Blue Shield is the only major health plan with a 2% pledge; this means they cap profits at 2% and give back earnings over this amount to customers and the community through the Blue Shield of California Foundation.... To build on the Foundation’s giving program and other corporate citizenship efforts which include community grantmaking, employee volunteerism and a matching gift program in 2019, Blue Shield launched BlueSky, a multi-year, $10 million youth mental health initiative focused on building resiliency and emotional well-being. Through the work of nonprofit Wellness Together, BlueSky brings additional mental health clinicians in middle and high schools in Alameda County and across the state. And when COVID-19 struck, they quickly directed $800,000 to meet urgent, critical needs in the East Bay with grants to the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, Oakland COVID-19 Response Fund, and the Roots Community Health Center. In addition, Blue Shield provided operating support for community organizations serving youth that offer a range of health interventions in Oakland including Beats Rhymes and Life, East Bay Asian Youth Center, La Clinica de la Raza, Oakland LGBTQ Community Center, and more. Help us honor Blue Shield of California and other inspirational employers on November 12. Registration is free and open to all: https://bit.ly/eastbay-philanthropy-2020

Meet the RYSE Center. They are the winner of the Next Generation Leadership Award at our 2020 East Bay Philanthropy Awards and a vibrant and safe space grounded in social justice for young people. While our country has witnessed grievous brutality and discrimination toward people of color, RYSE has literally risen to provide platforms for authentic conversations about trauma and social injustice.... Beyond just a hub for youth, RYSE has become a significant convener of organizations within Contra Costa County to connect nonprofits, educational institutions, and public officials. As a response to the racial equity and social justice movement, RYSE saw the need for leadership and has hosted several high profile experts in social justice. The RYSE Center and the youth who call it their second home are discovering pathways toward change, healing, and positive social disruption. It’s leadership at its best. RYSE exists because young people of color envisioned it. They called on adults to listen, invest, and rethink young people’s place in Richmond. The entire East Bay is better place thanks to their leadership. Help us honor the RYSE Center and other inspirational community organizations on November 12. Registration is free and open to all: https://bit.ly/eastbay-philanthrop

We hope you'll join us at tomorrow's event featuring a panel of Bay Area leaders helping create workplaces that are more just, diverse, and inclusive.

Thank you for your leadership, Vic. Your story is gut-wrenching and not unique. We will do everything we can to advance racial justice at work and in our community.

Kristina Leslie is the first woman to lead the board in the company’s 81-year history.