Latino Health Assessment and
Cost of Gun Violence Study
Dr. Sarah Rudman
Health Officer and Public Health Department Director
DECEMBER 10, 2025
Goals of the Latino Health Assessment
Provide historical context
Offer comprehensive overview of Latino health
Guide strategic action planning
2 A variety of data inform the LHA
Quantitative
Surveillance Data
Quantitative Service
Utilization Data
Community Voices
3 LHA: Areas of Interest
Historical Racism and Discrimination
Demographics
Economics and Housing
Neighborhood and Living Conditions
Education
Maternal, Child, and Youth Health
Access to Health Care
Behavioral Health
4 East San José and South County regions, Santa Clara County Latinos account for most of the population
in East San José and South County, where
we see:
Higher toll of health disparities,
Lower life expectancy,
Less healthy neighborhood living
conditions,
Housing challenges creating chronic
instability,
Higher rates of firearm-related injuries
and violence,
Higher rates of youth involvement in
foster care and probation systems.
5 Distribution by race/ethnicity Distribution by race/ethnicity and region Latino, 34%
African/
African
Ancestry,
2.4%
American Indian/
Alaska Native, 0.2%
Asian, 34%
Native
Hawaiian &
Other PI,
0.4%
White, 22%
Children and youth ages less than 25 years
56%
60%
24%
34% 31%
9%
38% 34%
6%
24% 26%
22%
7% 7%
12% 11%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
East San José South County Rest of the
county
Santa Clara
County
Percentage
Geographic unit
Children and youth ages less than 25 years
Latino Asian White Other groups
Children and youth, Santa Clara County, 2017-2021
6 Children and youth, Santa Clara County, 2017-2021
Children living with disability by race/ethnicity
3.8%
5.5% 5.6%
1.7%
4.4%
2.3% 2.7%
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
Latino African/ African
Ancestry
American
Indian/ Alaska
Native
Asian Native Hawaiian
& Other PI
White Santa Clara
County
Percentage
Race/ethnicity
Children less than 18 years of age
7 31.3%
22.5%
28.1%
7.2%
12.6%
32.6%
14.5%
19.3%
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Latino
African/ African Ancestry
American Indian/ Alaska Native
Asian
Filipino
Native Hawaiian & Other PI
White
Santa Clara County
Percentage
Chronic absenteeism rate, Santa Clara County, 2022-2023 Rate by race/ethnicity Rate by school district that include high school 8 Rate by race/ethnicity
16.3%
10.5%
18.9%
1.3%
3.0%
5.5%
3.3%
8.2%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Latino
African/ African Ancestry
American Indian/ Alaska Native
Asian
Filipino
Native Hawaiian & Other PI
White
Santa Clara County
Percentage
High school drop out rate, Santa Clara County, 2022-2023 Rate by school district that include high school
9 37%
30% 31% 33% 34%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Latino African/ African
Ancestry
Asian White Santa Clara
County
Percent
Race/ethnicity
Percentage of high school students who reported feeling depressed in the past 12 months
Behavioral Health, Santa Clara County, 2021-2023
10 Juvenile Justice cases
Law enforcement involvement, Santa Clara County
During 2020-2023 period,
Latino children represented 70% of the juvenile
justice cases in the county.
Highest number of juvenile justice cases were
from zip code 95020 (n = 718), located in the
South County.
Four of the top 5 zip codes with highest number
of juvenile justice cases were in the East San José
region (95116, 95111, 95122, and 95127).
Nine in 10 Juvenile Justice cases from zip code
95116 were Latino children (90%).
11 Neighborhood safety and violence, Santa Clara County Neighborhood safety by geographic unit, 2022 Retailer density by geographic unit 78%
89%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
East San José Santa Clara County
Percentage
Geographic unit
Percent of adults who reported they felt safe in
their neighborhood
6.7 13
3.5 8.4
3 9.2
0 2
4 6
8 10
12 14
Tobacco retailers Alcohol retailers
Density per square mile
Retailer type
East San José City of San José Santa Clara County
12 Suicide deaths, 2019-2023 Homicide deaths, 2019-2023 Neighborhood safety and violence, Santa Clara County
1.6 1.6 1.6
7.3 8.9
12.8 10.2
0 2
4 6
8 10
12 14
Latino Asian/PI White Santa Clara
County
Age-specific rate per 100,000 people
Race/ethnicity
0-17 18-24
1.0 8.7
4.2 0
2 4
6 8
10 12
14 Latino Santa Clara County
Age-specific rate per 100,000 people
Race/ethnicity
0-17 18-24
*
13 * Note: Firearm death data are not presented for Latino children ages 0-17 due to small count.
LHA Recommendations for All Systems, Organizations, and Communities Dismantle Historical Discrimination & Marginalization
Enact policies and system changes that improve health and well-being Ensure meaningful and sustained engagement with Latino communities to inform planning and implementation of programs and services that impact them
Prioritize Mental Health & Well-Being
Acknowledge and support alternative strategies, including culturally centered healing practices Center services around trauma-informed care that is culturally and linguistically appropriate Strengthen social support networks
Develop education and youth development programs, skills training, and strong family support systems Create place-based interventions led by community members in highly impacted communities Provide Opportunities for Children and Youth to Succeed Improve educational opportunities and skills training for youth Improve coordination of services for children living with foster families Develop strategies to reduce juvenile justice involvement for vulnerable youth Designate a South County Latino Cultural Community Center Assess investments in Early Childhood Education for pre-school-aged Latino children Increase Access to Quality Care & Improve Health Outcomes Provide coordinated care that is culturally & linguistically appropriate, free from bias, discrimination, and stereotypes Build a physical and mental health workforce with the skills and experience to better serve the Latino community. Address South County care equity and clinic deserts
14 LHA Recommendations for All Systems, Organizations, and Communities Improve Data Collection & Analysis
Standardize and collect detailed demographic data across entities to identify disparities and inequities in the highest-burden zip codes and among the highest-need populations County Board of Supervisors Additional Recommendations
Increase Access to Quality Care & Improve Health Outcomes Strategize relating to the implementation of promotoras and community health workers in East San Jose and South County
Provide Opportunities for Children and Youth to Succeed Utilize the School-County Collaborative
Expand partnership with San Jose Children and Youth Services Master Plan implementation Housing & Homelessness
Explore the inclusion of anti-retaliation protections for renters Explore models for affordable housing: culturally responsive housing opportunities, social housing, alternatives for financing
Advocate for expanding Section 8 funding
Violence Prevention
Provide strategy options to address disproportionate rates of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence in the Latino community and underreporting where it has been previously documented, such as the API community
15 Cost of Gun Violence Study
Provided an economic analysis of:
1. Direct costs associated with firearm injury and
death across a continuum of public and private
sectors
2. Indirect costs, such as victim loss of wages and
lost quality of life, are also included.
Informed policy options and strategies to
advance violence prevention.
16 Firearm-related injuries by race/ethnicity and age Firearm deaths by race/ethnicity and age Neighborhood safety and violence, Santa Clara County
4 2
35.9 18.9
0 10
20 30
40 Latino Santa Clara County
Age-specific rate per 100,000 people
Race/ethnicity
Non-fatal emergency department visit rate, 2017-2021
0-17 18-24
0.6 8.7
5.6 0
10 20
30 40
Latino Santa Clara County
Age-specific rate per 100,000 people
Race/ethnicity
Death rate, 2019-2023
0-17 18-24
* Note: Firearm death data are not presented for Latino children ages 0-17 due to small count. *
17 Neighborhood safety and violence, Santa Clara County During 2019-2023 period,
About 1 in 3 firearm deaths (32%) among
county residents were among Latino
residents.
More than 9 in 10 firearm deaths (91%) were
among male residents.
One in 3 firearm deaths (33%) were among
county residents ages 18 to 34 years.
However, more than 1 in 2 (54%) firearm
deaths among Latinos were among those
ages 18 to 34 years.
Hot spot areas for firearm deaths were in the
City of San José and mostly located in the
East San José region with highest rates of
fatal and non-fatal firearm injuries.
18 Total Cost of Firearm Violence, Santa Clara County
$953
$1,472
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Cost estimates (in millions)
Year
Firearm Injury costs
19 Estimated Costs for Firearm Injuries and Death
Costs by intent City of San Jose Santa Clara County
Assault and legal
intervention firearm
injuries
$643 million $782 million
Self-harm firearm injuries $298 million $517 million
Unintentional and
undetermined firearm
injuries
$53 million $78 million
Per-capita costs $977 $523
20 Key Findings:
Cost of Violence
$72 million annual public sector cost: This figure covers the immediate public response to incidents, such as police, emergency, and medical services.
$1.2 billion annual societal cost: This broader estimate includes a wider range of costs from 2016–2020, accounting for long-term effects beyond initial public responses.
Societal costs are increasing: The societal costs increased by $35 million annually from 2006 to 2020, a 54% increase over 15 years.
Most costs from assaults and homicides: More than half of the total societal costs are attributed to firearm assault and homicide incidents.
Intangible costs are not included: The $72 million public sector cost estimate does not include indirect or intangible costs like loss of life, emotional suffering, or the long-term impact on communities. 21 Recommendations: Cost of Gun Violence + Latino Health Assessment Recommendation Cost of Gun Violence Latino Health Assessment Breaking racial barriers
Equitable prevention policies and
practices
Public engagement
Policies and system changes
Meaningful and sustained
community engagement
Uplifting youth
Safe and supportive schools
Social, behavioral, educational,
and employment opportunities.
Break school-to-prison pipeline
Safe and supportive schools
Better educational opportunities
and skills trainings
Community-centered
approach
Place-based interventions
Trauma-informed healing
Integrated and supportive mental
health services
Culturally-competent practices
Trauma-informed care
Place-based interventions
Integrated mental health support
Fostering partnerships County, cities, and school districts County, cities, and school districts 22 Implementation: Cost of Gun Violence + Latino Health Assessment Implementation strategy Cost of Gun Violence Latino Health Assessment Place-based approaches
Developed a citywide map of intervention
programs and resources
Developed place-based community project
in Cadillac/Winchester community
City of San José and City of Gilroy
Adoption of Tobacco Retail
Ordinance
Interagency collaboration
Adoption of the Gun Violence Awareness
Month Proclamation –PEACE led, cross-sector
effort
Adoption of Resolution Declaring a
Public Health Crisis
Development and dissemination of
Housing and Health Crises Brief to
community partners
Community engagement
Implementation of We All Play a Role
campaign, engaged youth, young adults,
caregivers, community, CBOs, and public
agencies
Latino Health Summit convening
Closing of the loop sessions
Supporting Youth
Learning Collaborative, two-year project that
strengthens CBO's capacity to lead primary
violence prevention strategies
Youth-led art contest to build leadership,
collaboration, and community awareness
around violence prevention
County-Schools Collaborative
23 Santa Clara County Declaration of Latino
Health as a Public Health Crisis
San Jose Spotlight article, 9/16/2025, “Santa Clara County declares public health crisis for Latino residents”. Photo by Joyce Chu. 24 LHA Summit
September 22, 2025
LHA Summit focused
on the four key areas
listed to the right.
These areas represent
intertwined domains
impacting one another
Challenges in these
areas are rooted in
discrimination and
racism-based policies
and practices
Focus areas influence
the life course of
families and
communities
School-to-Prison Pipeline
Gender-based Violence
Behavioral Health
Access to care
25 We All Play a Role
26 Latino Health Assessment
Spanish version
English version
Cost of Gun Violence Assessment
Report
Thank you
27