California announced the launch of its first-ever Social Health Council, bringing together state and local government leaders, academics, and community organizations to advance social connection and address loneliness as a public health priority.
The council, established by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, will develop recommendations to strengthen opportunities for Californians to build meaningful connections. Growing research has documented significant health impacts of loneliness and social isolation, with the World Health Organization associating loneliness with approximately 870,000 deaths each year worldwide.
The council's three key goals are elevating loneliness as a public health priority in California; creating a recurring forum for academics, community organizations, faith and tribal leaders, mayors, and state agencies to align efforts; and developing a roadmap to advance recommendations from the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Connection.
California has existing infrastructure for community connection, including more than 1,000 public libraries, 280 state parks, nearly 2,500 community schools, and thousands of places of worship and community centers. The state offers free statewide mental health resources for children and families through BrightLife Kids and Soluna.
The California Service Corps has expanded community connection efforts through volunteer service. In 2024-2025, corps members served more than 6 million hours, planting over 40,000 trees, tutoring and mentoring tens of thousands of K-12 students, and diverting tens of thousands of pounds of organic waste from landfills.
Council co-chairs are First Partner Siebel Newsom, Secretary Kim Johnson of the California Health and Human Services Agency, and Josh Fryday, Director of the Governor's Office of Service and Community Engagement. Members include directors from state agencies including the State Board of Education, Department of Health Care Services, California Department of Public Health, and California Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as mayors from Los Angeles, Fresno, and El Cerrito.