California
Another California county declares racism a public health crisis
FILE ART- A scultpure in Santa Rosa. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
SANTA ROSA, Calif. – Racism is a public health crisis.
That was the resolution passed Tuesday by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, which joined dozens of other California jurisdictions, and hundreds nationwide, in declaring racism responsible for disparities in access to health care and worse health outcomes for Black and other underrepresented Americans compared to white Americans.
The resolution also outlined steps to take to combat the crisis. It comes roughly four years after the COVID-19 pandemic brought to light multiple health disparities in the United States and across the Bay Area, and nearly four years to the day of the killing of Breonna Taylor by police officers in Louisville, Kentucky.
Several high-profile killings that year of Black Americans by police officers, including Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and George Floyd in Minnesota brought attention to health outcomes influenced by structural and institutional racism, including racial profiling in multiple areas of American life that impact physical and mental health and can shorten lives.
A 2016 study from the peer-reviewed medical journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America showed that white medical students still believe racist myths about Black patients, including believing they feel less pain and have other biological differences that they do not.
A more recent study from researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine showed that disparities in rates of hypertension, pre-eclampsia and anemia were the result of bias in the medical community. Even when education and economic status are equal, Black Americans receive better health care when being treated by a Black medical professional because of bias from white medical professionals, according to the study.
In Sonoma County, the county’s health department zeroed in on the fact that Black residents have an average lifespan at birth of 10 years less than white county residents, among other disparities.
Supervisors passed the resolution unanimously after an impassioned and at times emotional speech from Health Services Director Tina Rivera. She noted during her presentation that she was the only Black person who was the head of a county department, which made the effort more challenging.
She said living and working in Sonoma County as a Black woman was “extremely difficult.”
“This is probably the single most important presentation I make before you today,” Rivera told the board. “Because this is not just a presentation. I believe it’s a call to action.”
Following the presentation, three angry, aggrieved white men spoke separately during the public comment period, denouncing the resolution and the county’s anti-racism efforts to improve its health care system. Supervisor Chris Coursey said the men helped prove why the resolution was needed.
Rivera, during her presentation, said silence in the face of this challenge would not serve the county’s goals of implementing antiracist policies to reduce harm from institutional racism.
“Today I stand with those who have felt ignored and erased and abandoned and abused. And I stand with those who, like me, have suffered discrimination, microaggressions, bigotry, physical, mental and emotional harm,” Rivera said.
Besides informing the board that Black Sonoma County residents live an average of 71 years, compared to white residents, who have a life expectancy of 81.6 years from birth, the presentation included data from the 2021 Portrait of Sonoma County report that spotlighted multiple disparities.
Among them, it said that over 13% of Latino adults and over 10% of Native American adults living in Sonoma County have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 41.5% of white adults.
Sonoma County Black and Hispanic or Latinx children are about 2.5 times more likely to live in poverty than white children. People of color, especially Black and Native American residents, are overrepresented in the county’s unhoused population, according to the county’s data.
Black people are more than twice as likely not to have health insurance and Hispanic or Latinx people are four times more likely to be without health insurance than white people in the county.
“These outcomes are the result of centuries of laws, policies, and systems that disadvantage people of color,” Rivera wrote in her report to the board. “They contribute to poorer health outcomes within these communities because they prevent people from gaining access to the programs, services, resources, and opportunities they need to live and thrive.”
The resolution included eight areas for the county to focus on, including investing in learning and leadership programs to help change the county’s organizational culture and ensuring the county’s workforce reflects its population.
The resolution directs the county to create a Health Equity Action Plan, Community Health Assessment, and a Community Health Improvement Plan focusing on structural racism.
Staff across departments will identify best practices to promote racial equity in community and internal county services.
The resolution also calls on the county to advocate for and prioritize more allocation of resources and funding to antiracist goals and the needs of communities of color.
Other actions include better collection of data, youth engagement, and working with community partners already involved in combating the effects of racism.
In 2018, Milwaukee County in Wisconsin was the first jurisdiction in the United States to declare racism a public health crisis. Similar declarations have been made by 265 organizations and jurisdictions around the country, with at least 39 in California, including Sonoma County.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah woman has been reported missing for nearly a week from a county in central California.
The Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office said Danielle Staley, 35, of Holladay, was last seen near Rio Del Mar State Beach last Thursday night, Nov. 6.
She stands about 5-foot-6, with blond hair, and was last seen wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and leopard-print leggings, police said.
According to Zach West, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Staley had been traveling with a friend for over a month — the pair arrived in the Santa Cruz area, near Aptos Beach in Rio Del Mar about a week ago.
On the night of Nov. 6, about 11:30 p.m., Staley and her friend had met some people at the beach and had a bonfire; the friend somehow separated from the group, and Staley couldn’t be found the next day, though her belongings were still on the beach, West said.
The woman hasn’t had contact with her family or friends, which West said was “out of character for her.”
Detectives are trying to piece together and identify others who were at the beach; they are also working with local businesses to scour surveillance footage that may present some clues, according to West.
He said numerous people have called claiming to have seen Staley, and detectives intend to follow up on those tips.
As of now, police said they don’t have any indication that she has traveled outside of the county, so the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office is the only agency investigating right now.
Staley’s friend is said to be cooperating with police.
Those with information are asked to call the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office at 831-471-1121.
Parts of three states face potentially unhealthy levels of air pollution early Wednesday, a live map from AirNow shows.
The map shows multiple pockets of fine particle (PM2.5) pollution in the “unhealthy” category. In Arizona, the pocket is centered around Payson, while another area is located along the border between California and Oregon, encompassing parts of Red Rock Valley, Butte Valley, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Langell Valley, Spring Lake Valley, and areas around Klamath Falls.
At these air-quality levels, the Environmental Protection Agency advises that sensitive groups avoid long or intense outdoor activities and consider moving or rescheduling them indoors. The EPA also recommends the remainder of the population to reduce long or intense activities, and to take more breaks during outdoor activities.
Why It Matters
Officials and experts say that deteriorating air quality heightens health risks for vulnerable populations, such as older adults, children and individuals with respiratory illnesses.
What To Know
AirNow—an air quality data resource—is a partnership between the EPA, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other agencies.
The Air Quality Index measures air pollution on a scale from 0 to 301 and above:
- 0—50 (Green): Good—Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
- 51—100 (Yellow): Moderate—Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
- 101—150 (Orange): Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups—Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected.
- 151—200 (Red): Unhealthy—Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
- 201—300 (Purple): Very Unhealthy—Health alert. The risk of health effects is increased for everyone.
- 301 and higher (Maroon): Hazardous—Health warning of emergency conditions. Everyone is more likely to be affected.
What People Are Saying
The EPA says on its website: “The size of particles is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems. Small particles less than 10 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest problems, because they can get deep into your lungs, and some may even get into your bloodstream.
“Exposure to such particles can affect both your lungs and your heart. Numerous scientific studies have linked particle pollution exposure to a variety of problems, including:
- premature death in people with heart or lung disease
- nonfatal heart attacks
- irregular heartbeat
- aggravated asthma
- decreased lung function
- increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing.
“People with heart or lung diseases, children, older adults, minority populations, and low socioeconomic status populations are the most likely to be affected by particle pollution exposure, either because they are more sensitive or may have higher exposures.”
What Happens Next
AirNow’s map is regularly updated.
Update, 11/12/2025, 5:01 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
California traveled to Louisville, Ky., in search of a statement win against the No. 14 Louisville Cardinals (7-2, 4-2 ACC), and the Golden Bears (6-4, 3-3 ACC) pulled out all the stops Saturday evening to earn the upset, 29-26, in overtime.
On the first play of the game, California quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw a lateral to his slot receiver, Jacob de Jesus, who then connected with Trond Grizzell on a deep 27-yard pass. While the Golden Bears would not score on the drive, their fast and aggressive play early on silenced much of the 51,381 in attendance.
California out-gained Louisville in total yards and offensive plays throughout the entire game. The Golden Bears never once trailed the nationally ranked Cardinals by more than one score, despite entering the game as three-score underdogs, according to many sportsbooks’ odds.
Sagapolutele earned the game-winning touchdown in overtime with a nail-biting throw on fourth down. California’s first-year signal-caller found his favorite target of the evening, de Jesus, who brought in the three-yard reception to close out the game.
De Jesus had a game-high 157 receiving yards and hauled in 16 of 23 passes in which he was targeted. His 16 receptions tie Geoff McArthur’s school record for receptions by a receiver in a single game.
In his post-game press conference, Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm praised de Jesus, calling him California’s “best player.”
“… Even at the end, to allow their best player to be one-on-one for an easy throw in the corner… you know, we need to coach better; we need to play better,” Coach Brohm said.
Sagapolutele completed 30 out of 47 passes attempted and racked up 323 passing yards—both career highs. In addition to the game-decider, the quarterback threw his first touchdown of the game in the first quarter, a 20-yard bomb to tight end Landon Morris.
The last time California beat a nationally ranked, top-25 team was on Dec. 5, 2020, when the Golden Bears upset the No. 20 Oregon Ducks, 21-17, for their first win in the 2020 college football season.
With the win, California is now eligible for a post-season bowl bid.
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