To: Board of Supervisors
From: Equity Committee
Report Title: Bylaws and Appointments to the Contra Costa County Ad Hoc African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Transitional Community Advisory Body
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE the Bylaws of the Contra Costa County Ad Hoc African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Transitional Community Advisory Body, and APPOINT Leslie Brown, Mariah Bruce, Angela Butler-Owens, Rachel Corona, Loren Dalbert, Jon Green, Edward Harris, Bianca LaChaux, Walter McMath, Jalaima Nichols, Nnedi Obembe, LeJon Payne and Willie Robinson to the Ad Hoc African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Transitional Community Advisory Body, as recommended by the Equity Committee.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with the adoption of the bylaws and the appointment of the members.
BACKGROUND:
On August 12, 2025, the Board of Supervisors approved the final implementation plan for the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub. At that time, the Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of the Transitional Community Advisory Body (T-CAB) for the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub (AAHWRH).
The T-CAB will support the AAHWRH development during Phase 1 by providing guidance to ORESJ in the procurement of an independent lead entity who will oversee implementation and coordination. Similar to the AAHWRH Feasibility Study Steering Committee, the T-CAB will be a community-led advisory body comprised of thirteen (13) county residents that each possess personal and professional lived experiences that reflect the needs, concerns and priorities of vulnerable African Americans in Contra Costa County. There will be a balanced representation of gender, sexuality, age, class, physical ability, County supervisorial districts, and other relevant social and cultural categories to ensure a broad and diverse spectrum of perspectives are included in all T-CAB deliberations and decision-making.
The Transitional Community Advisory Body’s responsibilities will include:
• Review and provide feedback on eligibility and selection criteria for Implementation Lead entity
• Review and provide feedback on eligibility and selection criteria for Executive Director
• Review and provide feedback on eligibility and selection criteria for Board of Directors
• Review and provide feedback on eligibility and selection criteria for Community Council
• Support outreach and recruitment efforts for interested and qualified candidates for all positions/roles described above
To ensure there are no conflicts of interest, T-CAB members cannot have professional affiliations nor close personal relationships with any organizations or persons interested in applying for and/or serving in any of the above capacities. ORESJ will design a recruitment, application and selection process that includes an Equity Committee interview and nomination of T-CAB finalists, which will then move to the Board of Supervisors for final approval and appointment.
The T-CAB will remain in place until an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is created, an AAHWRH Board of Directors is appointed, and a Community Council is established, after which the T-CAB will dissolve.
On August 25, 2025, a press release was issued announcing that applications were available for those seeking a seat on the T-CAB. The application period closed on September 12, 2025, and 48 applications were received. No applications from District 2 were received by the deadline.
At the September 22, 2025 meeting, the Equity Committee requested that ORESJ staff: 1) Reopen the application process and recruit applicants from District 2, and 2) Request that each District Supervisor recommend their top applicants to move forward to the T-CAB applicant process.
On September 29, 2025, the Equity Committee reviewed the list of Supervisor recommendations and set Special Equity Committee meeting on October 6, 2025 to interview the recommended applicants.
At the October 6, 2025 Equity Committee meeting, each applicant recommended by their District Supervisor was interviewed, including one additional District 2 applicant/resident who applied when the application process was reopened on September 22, 2025. The Equity Committee selected 13 members to recommend to the Board of Supervisors for T-CAB appointment.
Given the similarity to the AAHWRH Feasibility Study Steering Committee, the bylaws for the Ad Hoc African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Transitional Community Advisory Body reflect those of the Steering Committee.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the bylaws are not adopted and the appointments are not made, the process to launch the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Transitional Community Advisory Body will be delayed.