Legal Authority:

Established by Board of Supervisors Ordinance G-6565 on December 15, 1998; Revised by Ordinance G-6587, enacted on March 30, 1999, under the provisions of the California Children & Families First Act of 1998 (Proposition 10); name of Commission changed to Children and Families Commission by Ordinance G-6629 enacted on September 14, 1999; permanent member composition was changed from Vice Chairman to a Board member appointed by the Board of Supervisors, pursuant to Ordinance G-6637 enacted on October 12, 1999; Ordinance G-6946 effective January 16, 2003, provided for director of the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Department, director of Human Services, and Public Health Officer the ability to appoint a designee; Ordinance G-7568 effective July 12, 2007 revised the composition of the Commission; Ordinance G-7760 effective September 25, 2008 revised membership voting status.

Membership Qualifications:

The Commission shall be made up of nine voting members consisting of • a member of the Board of Supervisors and alternate, as designated by the Board of Supervisors annually • the Public Health Officer, or his/her designee • the Director of Department of Human Services, or his/her designee • the Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Department, or his/her designee • five (5) members, appointed by the Board of Supervisors, one (1) nominated by each of the five (5) supervisors, taken from the following categories: persons responsible for managing the county functions of children's services, public health services, behavioral health services, social services, and tobacco and other substance abuse and prevention services; the Board of Supervisors; recipients of project services in the County strategic plan; educators specializing in early childhood development; representatives of a local child care resource or referral agency or a local child care coordinating group; representatives of a local organization for prevention or early intervention for families at risk; representatives of community based organizations that have the goal of promoting nurturing and early childhood development; representatives of local school districts; representatives of local medical, pediatric, or obstetric associations or societies. Any Commissioner who serves by virtue of being the Public Health Officer, the Director of Human Services, or the Director of the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Department is authorized to designate an alternate to participate on behalf of the Commissioner at any Commission meetings when the Commissioner is otherwise unavailable. Such designee shall be an employee of the county department which the Commissioner heads. Such designee shall have the same powers and responsibilities as the Commissioner when attending meetings. The designee may not hold office and may not participate as a Commissioner in any meetings of standing or ad hoc committees. The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Commission shall be elected from among the five (5) persons appointed by the Board of Supervisors.

Term:

The Board of Supervisors member and alternate shall be appointed annually. Directors of Public Health, Human Services, and Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Departments shall serve terms corresponding with their official tenure. The five (5) Board-appointed members shall serve two-year staggered terms.

Duties:

The Commission is to implement and carry out the requirements of the California Children and Families First Initiative of 1998 (Proposition 10), which was approved by the voters of the State of California on November 3, 1998. The Initiative provides for the creation of State and County commissions to establish early childhood development and smoking prevention programs, to be funded through a trust fund consisting of revenues derived from an additional $.50 per pack excise tax on cigarette distributors and equivalent increase in state tax on distributed tobacco products.

Meeting Place and Time:

Commission Office 5080 California Avenue, Suite 200 Bakersfield, CA 93309 For meeting date and time information, please call (661) 328-8888

Compensation:

None except cost of transportation and reasonable expense as necessary

Ethics Training:

Pursuant to State law, on or after January 1, 2006, any person newly appointed shall successfully complete a course in ethics training approved by the Fair Political Practices Commission and Attorney General. Each member is required to complete this training every two years.

Contact:

Children and Families Commission
5080 California Avenue, Suite 200
Bakersfield, CA 93309
(661) 328-8888

Required Documents/Training:

• Loyalty Oath required
• Form 700 (Statement of Economic Interests) required; filed with Agency
• Ethics training required; training provided by Agency