The Children and Families Commission of Orange County oversees the allocation of funds from Proposition 10, which added a 50-cent tax on tobacco products sold in California. Funds help pay for education, health care and child development programs for children from the prenatal stage to age 5 and their families. The Commission’s goal is to ensure all children are healthy and ready to learn when they enter school. For more information, please visit www.occhildrenandfamilies.com. The purpose of the Children and Families Commission is to administer the County Children and Families Program established pursuant to the California Children and Families First Act of 1998 as set forth in Division 108 (commencing with Section 130100) of the Health and Safety Code.
Duties
Commission members meet the first Wednesday of each month to administer the program funds that are consistent with the mission, goals and objectives of the Commission’s Strategic Plan. The annual half-day planning meeting is scheduled in June, and the Commission is dark in August. Commission members may also serve on ad-hoc committees to review programs and services, participate in program site visits, or represent the Commission at community events.
Compensation is limited to a per diem and reimbursement of out of pocket expense up to $100.00 per meeting.
Minimum Qualifications
Commission members must fit within the designated categories set out in the Ordinance: Category 1 – Education and Early Intervention; Category 2 – Healthy Children and Early Intervention as defined on the Membership Application.
Conflict of Interest
Statements of Economic Interests (SEIs or Form 700s) are required for all Commission and Advisory Committee members. They are an important means for the official that files them, the media, and the public to help gauge where potential conflict of interest may exist. These state mandated forms include information about the sources of an official’s income, investments, business positions, real property holdings and gifts. Merely reporting an economic interest is not a conflict in itself; a conflict arises when an official governmental decision, made by the official, impacts their economic interests.
Gift Ban Ordinance
The County of Orange Gift Ban Ordinance applies to the Children and Families Commission:
- No person who is doing business with the Commission shall make any gift to any Commission officer.
- No Commission Officer shall solicit or accept any gift from any person whom he knows, or has reason to know, is doing business with the Commission.
- “Doing business with the Commission” is defined as:
- Seeking the award of a contract or grant from the Commission.
- Having sought the award of a contract or grant from the Commission in the past 12 months.
- Being engaged as a lobbyist from the time of such engagement until 12 months after the award of the contract or grant which was the subject of the engagement.
- Having an existing contractual relationship with the Commission, until 12 months after the contractual obligations of all parties have been completed.
Click here for the 2012 Recruitment Package