The goal of this research project is to deepen our understanding of regional disparities, facilitate a region-wide conversation, and support the planning and implementation of initiatives focused on advancing social, health, environmental, and economic equity. 

Over the past several decades, socio-economic inequality has been on the rise, manifesting as disparities in income, employment, education, health and environmental burdens that affect communities of color in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The Central Coast Regional Equity Study uses rigorous, community engaged research both to bring socioeconomic inequities—and the price we pay for them—to light, and to establish concrete guideposts for regional equity.

We invite you to read and explore the just released Executive Summary, a distillation of the recently released Central Coast Regional Equity Study, titled Towards a Just and Equitable Central Coast. The Executive Summary provides a selection of key equity indicators and offers a set of principles and priorities to guide future collective equity work in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. It is meant to be a tool for organizations, policymakers, philanthropists, and the general public to advance an agenda of equity and regional transformation. 

To further engage with the Central Coast Regional Equity Initiative, please visit the initiative’s newly launched website. The Initiative is a long-term collaboration between the UCSB Blum Center and the FUND that seeks to support equity efforts in the Central Coast. The website will serve as a regional hub for equity data; supply resources for academics, activists, and community organizations; and provide updates on the Initiative. 

Read the full study here!