Sonoma County Rises wildfire recovery SURVEY
Sonoma County Rises, a community based, wildfire recovery focused organization, has launched a Community Outreach Survey to gain insight into Sonoma County residents’ attitudes five months after the October wildfires. The Survey, at www.socorises.org, seeks to gain information from a broad section of the community living here now to best inform and guide decision-makers about what matters most as they plan for recovery and rebuilding.
In the days immediately after devastating wildfires began ripping across Northern California, a group of concerned citizens gathered around a crowded kitchen table, shared burritos, and began strategizing about including all community member voices and talents in the recovery and rebuilding process. With determination and resiliency at heart Sonoma County Rises was born.
According to So Co Rises Co-Chair Ana Lugo, "We formed even before the fires stopped burning because we knew that the community would need to have its voice heard in the recovery and rebuilding.”
Sonoma County Rises intentionally selected a broad swath of the community as its initial steering committee, in order to gain as much reach into existing social and professional networks, and collect as much voice and input as possible from current residents. There was a strong feeling that without a focused entity facilitating broad community outreach and injecting community voice into the various recovery processes, the recovery efforts would not reflect the values that set Sonoma County and the North Bay apart.
"SoCo Rises is made up of concerned citizens, many of whom are also government, nonprofit, and business leaders. We believe it's imperative that the community have a voice in how we recover and rebuild, that we address the problems that existed before the fires ("the Saturday problems"), and that equity should be at the center of any decisions that affect our community made during this recovery/rebuilding process,” said Jenni Klose, local attorney and SoCo Rises Co-Chair.
The Community Outreach Survey was prepared with generous support from King Brown Partners, a Novato based consultancy of business strategy researchers, serving clients in complex competitive markets undergoing change. Rather than simply shedding light on an issue, or adding more data to inform a question, King Brown’s work is designed to provide compelling answers and clear direction for action.
Under King Brown’s seasoned tutelage, Sonoma County Rises is reaching out deep and wide into the North Bay community, with a particular emphasis on Sonoma County. All input is welcomed, and English and Spanish versions of the Survey are available at www.socorises.org
The survey will run through April 2, 2018.
Sonoma County Rises’ mission is to gather community voice to create a more equitable and resilient Sonoma County.
