The Fairfield Youth Commission met on February 6 in the City Council Chambers.

The meeting started with a presentation by Alan Kerzin, Executive Director for the Children’s Network.  He spoke about the upcoming Annual Policy Forum, which will be held on March 11 from 9-1 PM at the Kroc Center. The Children’s Network was founded in 1982, as a way to provide oversight of youth services in Solano County.

On March 11, people will have an opportunity to speak about the issues they are concerned about in the community. There will be an overview of all the projects in place that help youth, and there will be details about how to get involved.

Last year, Solano County Supervisors, Erin Hannigan and Linda Seifert, the Suisun City Mayor and the County Superintendent of Schools, Jay Speck, all participated in the panel discussions. Overall, 100 youth and families participated, and more are expected to attend this year.

One of the items discussed at the last Policy Forum was a sales tax increase to support youth services. A similar tax increase passed in San Francisco, which was the first city in the state, and the second city in the county for this to happen.

Kim Thomas, who works for Funding the Next Generation, said that a recent survey in Fairfield showed that about two-thirds of those people who responded would vote for a sales tax increase, if it were to support youth services.

Next on the agenda was discussion about the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Board. The Board is looking for a Youth Commissioner to serve a two year term as a Committee member.

The federal program provides annual grants to cities for activities that aide and develops urban areas. According to the memo provided to Youth Commissioners, “The program’s principle beneficiaries are low-income households. The goals are to provide decent, safe housing, suitable living environments, and expand economic opportunities.”

The Youth Commissioner that serves as an Advisory Committee Member will work closely with the other six committee members and will be asked to evaluate applications.

Lastly, there was a presentation by the Officer Selection Committee. The Commissioners that were interested in serving as officers were asked to submit an application by January 15. The Committee then reviewed applications and made recommendations to the Commission.

The Commission approved the following officer recommendations: Eric Cortes for Chairperson, Laura Wadsworth for Vice Chair, and Royce Guo for Secretary. The new officers will start their terms as soon as they complete their officer training requirements.