If you attend the First 5 Humboldt Commission meetings, you know that First 5 Humboldt’s tobacco tax revenue has declined significantly. From the first years of our organization, we’ve faced declines, and the Commission has planned for reductions. The flavored tobacco ban that was affirmed by voters in November, 2022 is a fantastic turn for Californian’s health, especially youth who were becoming addicted to flavored tobacco products like vaping at alarming rates. The ban has some unintended consequences for children under 5. Every county in California has a “First 5” that financially supports community organizations serving children and families, and many, like First 5 Humboldt, offer services directly to families with young children. In the wake of the flavor ban, First 5 Humboldt will see a 40% decline in revenue over four years. Most First 5s across the state are making significant cuts to programs in light of the decline. We are working with our state representatives to advocate for solutions, but given the deep state budget deficit, there are no quick fixes on the horizon.
The Commission remains absolutely committed to seeing our County’s youngest residents reach their full potential. To continue doing that, there may be changes to First 5 Humboldt’s approach. You may have already seen some changes as we have become less flexible in how we can support community organizations. We are now much more reliant on grant funding, and each grant comes with its own expectations and restrictions. More than half the staff in our office are funded by temporary grants. We are also working hard to align with California’s newest Medi-Cal initiative, CalAIM. This program may allow us to draw down funds for services offered to children and parents enrolled in Medi-Cal. The program wouldn’t fully reimburse for services we provide, such as parenting classes, playgroups, or early childhood mental health consulting, but it would help stretch the First 5 dollars that fund these services. This might mean that we will have to require more formal registration processes for things like playgroups or community activities. We want our community to know that we are working to find the balance between flexible services and keeping the services available. Tomorrow starts today, and supporting families’ and young children’s well-being is our “north star.”