Our community needs service and care, not a staffing crisis.

There is a staffing crisis in Santa Clara County, and if the county is serious about prioritizing care over incarceration, they need to address these staffing and labor issues. The major way that the county is choosing to deal with its structural deficit is by refusing to fill vacant positions, a decision that is hitting both Behavioral Health and Social Services most strongly. There are over 700 vacancies in health and human services, 475 in social services, 136 in behavioral health, and the number of vacancies has been increasing over past years. Along with other community organizations, SURJ has been asked to show up tomorrow to:   
1) Join a rally at 12:30pm at the County building at 70 W. Hedding, and 
2) To make public comment during open comment in the budget meeting that starts at 1:30pm (either on Zoom [https://sccgov-org.zoom.us/j/93587836851] or in person if you attended the rally), simply to say that you stand in solidarity with SEIU521 and that our community needs service and care, not a staffing crisis. Or

3) send an email to BoardOperations@cob.sccgov.org

Workers holding protest signs and text about the 6/13 action