SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang of District 8 is working to spread the word about how and where to get assistance in a district that historically hasn't had things stacked in its favor.
Her district includes areas of the city with the highest COVID-19 infection rates and lowest household income levels. Vang says it has been vastly underserved and suffers in terms of social disparity.
“While COVID-19 doesn't discriminate, the current system that we have does, and COVID-19 and the racial inequities continue to really impact our city and, in particular, my area,” she told ABC10.
That led Vang to set up a virtual town hall series focused on pandemic recovery and quickly getting the word out when help is available. Community organizations and experts participate and share information.
Topics were inspired by conversations Vang has had with residents. They include food security, housing and tenant protection, small business resources, unemployment and worker protection, and youth and families.
“These were kind of just kind of the high level, emerging themes that I heard on the campaign trail, that constituents continue to reach out for support and resources. So these are kind of the main five, but it won't be the last,” Vang said.
“Focusing on connecting residents, businesses, our families to services and resources and programs, was absolutely important for me to make sure that they get the information right away,” she added.
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services participated in the first town hall about food security.
“Councilmember Vang's area, it is a very high-need area,” the organization’s CEO, Blake Young, told ABC10. “Even though we refer to ourselves as the ‘Farm to Fork Capital of the World,’ we have a very high food insecurity rate. People experience hunger in higher numbers than they do in a lot of other places in our country.”
“I think the most notable thing is how many brand-new families that have never accessed a food program before are coming to us. It's alarming.”
Young says events like these are necessary when it comes to helping the community.
“It shows that community members and organizations are collaborating and that that we all in this business are really concerned for people's health and well-being,” he said.
For Vang, they’re also a way to help make sure nobody gets left behind.
“The town halls are, are really here to help one to provide information, but also to hear directly from the community about some of the missing gaps so that we can make sure that we do everything we can in terms of distribution of COVID relief funds and services to make sure that we meet the communities hardest hit,” Vang said.
For Councilmember Vang, it's important to get beyond reactionary quick fixes to help everyone recover.
“That's something that we have to think through. There is stabilizing--meeting the moment now--but also thinking long-term, because the trauma, the disparities will still be there. We have to think about those things,” she said.
The public is invited to attend the next session about housing and tenant protection Wednesday night, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. Admission will be prioritized for District 8 residents, but a recording of the events and links to the participating organizations will be made available on Councilmember Vang’s website. People also can find information about future sessions and how to participate.
And if you have a question for our Dollars and Sense team, text it to us at 916-321-3310.
