Introducing the Portrait of Sonoma County 2021 Update

On January 26, the County of Sonoma released a major new report: A Portrait of Sonoma County 2021 Update. Part of the regional reports supplementing the statewide initiative A Portrait of California 2021-2022: Human Development and Housing Justice, the Sonoma County report builds on work done in the original 2014 Portrait of Sonoma County, which laid the groundwork for a new understanding of the social determinants of well-being in our county and how they varied by neighborhood. Using the American Human Development Index (HDI), the report measures well-being with respect to three key dimensions: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living.

“The disparities that Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and immigrant and undocumented community members have and continue to experience should not continue unchecked or unremedied. Inequity harms all of us. From an economic perspective, inequity harms overall growth by decreasing per capita income and disposable income. On a human level, inequity damages health and well-being, resulting in greater levels of unhappiness across our entire community. A deeper understanding of the inequitable outcomes presented in this report will help our community turn the curve on these markers to ensure that Sonoma County is a place where a person’s race or ethnicity does not determine their health, well-being, and wealth.”

From a Portrait of Sonoma County: 2021 Update

We in north county have an opportunity to continue listening and learning to create change in concert with the experience, knowledge, and expertise in our communities. We urge you to take a look at the report’s findings and be involved in the public effort to create a new Agenda for Action, which will set the priority areas for policy focus and investment in the county over the next several years.

You can read the full report here, and watch a video of the January 26 launch event discussing the key findings of the report here. To follow updates to this report and learn about opportunities for public participation in creating the Agenda for Action, go here.