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Biosecurity News in Brief
California Establishes the Nation’s First State Cabinet Position for Volunteer ManagementBy Brooke Courtney, March 7, 2008 On February 26, 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California announced the creation of the first state cabinet-level office for volunteer management in the nation in an effort to “move civic engagement to the highest levels of state government.”1,2 The new position, Secretary of Service and Volunteering, was established through an executive order to encourage volunteerism in the state and improve the coordination of volunteer efforts across California’s departments and agencies.1 As the head of CaliforniaVolunteers, the state's lead agency for community service and volunteerism, Karen Baker will serve in the governor’s cabinet as the first secretary.1 According to the governor’s office, California’s volunteers have a multi-billion dollar positive impact on the state’s economy annually.1 While not intended to replace the government’s role in serving the public,2 the executive order and cabinet position will serve to “raise the profile of [volunteer] service in the Golden State to a national level; improve coordination of vital volunteer activities statewide and support local service efforts; encourage more Californians to become involved with service and volunteerism; help California respond to natural disasters and emergencies; and give California’s volunteers a voice at the highest levels of state government…without adding any new net costs to the state budget.”1 In addition, the governor’s office reported that this initiative will “[e]ncourage the development of public-private partnerships to boost investment and participation in volunteerism.”3 It also designates CaliforniaVolunteers as the lead state agency under the California Emergency Services Act for managing monetary and in-kind disaster donations in cooperation with the state’s Office of Emergency Services.2-4 At the signing of the executive order, Governor Schwarzenegger stated that, “Government can give direction, it can provide an impetus, but real change has to come from each and every one of us…We must do everything we can to harness this incredible resource.”1 Additional information on California’s volunteer agency can be found at www.CaliforniaVolunteers.org. References
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