To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director
Report Title: Proclaim October 2026 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT a resolution declaring October 2026 Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Contra Costa County as recommended by the Employment and Human Services Director.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact for this action.
BACKGROUND:
Domestic Violence Awareness Month is a national campaign dedicated to raising awareness about domestic violence. In 1989, Congress declared the month of October to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Every October, organizations and individuals unite across the country for a national effort to uplift the needs, voices, and experiences of survivors. In 1995, the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence convened several national domestic violence organizations to launch a new effort to support domestic violence program’s awareness and education efforts for DVAM. This collaborative effort became the Domestic Violence Awareness Project (DVAP), which comes up with an annual theme to inspire people to action.
For 2026, the theme for DVAP is “With Survivors, Always,” which calls on communities to move from awareness to action by standing in partnership with survivors and their children, advancing safety, support, and solidarity, and taking meaningful steps to address barriers that prevent survivors from accessing the resources and opportunities they need to heal, achieve safety, and thrive.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
The County will not recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month in 2026.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
This resolution supports all five of Contra Costa County’s community outcomes of the Children’s Report Card: (1) “Children Ready for and Succeeding in School”; (2) “Children and Youth Healthy and Preparing for Productive Adulthood”; (3) “Families that are Economically Self-Sufficient”; (4) “Families that are Safe, Stable and Nurturing”; and (5) “Communities that are Safe and Provide a High Quality of Life for Children and Families.”
Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2026
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
IN THE MATTER OF Proclaiming October 2026 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Contra Costa County:
WHEREAS, October is recognized nationally as a time to raise awareness of domestic violence, honor the strength and resilience of survivors, remember those whose lives have been lost, and reaffirm our collective commitment to preventing and ending domestic violence; and
WHEREAS, the 2026 Domestic Violence Awareness Project theme, “With Survivors, Always,” calls on communities to move from awareness to action by standing with survivors and their families, advancing safety, support, and addressing barriers that prevent survivors from accessing the resources and opportunities they need to heal, achieve safety, and thrive; and
WHEREAS, in 2025, per the U.S. Department of Justice, Contra Costa law enforcement agencies received 3,437 domestic violence-related calls for service, of which nearly 90% involved the use of a weapon and, per the Coroner’s Office and the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, nine domestic violence-related homicides and suicides occurred, emphasizing the serious and potentially life-threatening impact of domestic violence on individuals, families, and communities; and
WHEREAS, for 25 years, the Contra Costa Alliance to End Abuse has advanced the Board of Supervisors' commitment to ending domestic violence through strong public-private partnerships, raising awareness, and innovative prevention and intervention efforts that strengthen the County’s response to abuse; and
WHEREAS, in 2025, the Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance has partnered with more than 80 local and community-based organizations to assist 2,951 domestic violence survivors through four Family Justice Centers in the County, offering healing spaces and survivor leadership and empowerment programs, and has led the monthly Domestic Violence Multi-Disciplinary Case Review Team; and
WHEREAS, in 2025, STAND! for Families Free of Violence responded to more than 12,000 crisis calls through their 24/7 crisis support hotline (1-888-215-5555), provided emergency shelter and support to hundreds of survivors while meeting their unique needs, delivered immediate emotional support, high-danger lethality screening, and safety planning, and elevated youth voices while training over 1,000 youth on Teen Dating Violence Prevention; and
WHEREAS, in 2025, Bay Area Legal Aid’s domestic violence practice in Contra Costa County assisted 214 self-represented participants in preparing and filing their requests for domestic violence restraining orders through 118 free legal clinics, and advised and/or represented 178 low-income survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault in 210 cases, closing 155 civil legal cases -including 65 domestic violence restraining order cases, 66 other family law matters, and 24 immigration relief cases that enable survivors to obtain legal status and work authorization; and
WHEREAS, in 2025, the Felony Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Units of the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office filed 77 felony domestic violence cases and completed seven jury trials in such cases; and its Victim Witness Assistance Program provided support to 685 direct domestic violence survivors and family members both in and out of court; and
WHEREAS everyone has a role in standing with survivors and preventing domestic violence by being caring and consistent adults in the lives of children, talking with loved ones about healthy relationships and warning signs of abuse, creating a culture of consent, using social media to raise awareness, and supporting local domestic violence programs through time, resources, or financial contributions;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors urges all residents to actively participate in the efforts to end domestic violence in our communities, and does hereby proclaim October 2026 as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.”