OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Alameda County Social Services Committee Meeting - September 22, 2025

Board of Supervisors — Monday, September 22, 2025
BodyAlameda County, California
SessionBoard of Supervisors
DateMonday, September 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:06

Recording in progress.

0:08

Good afternoon and welcome to the Alameda County Border Supervisors Social Services Committee meeting for Monday, September the 22nd, 2025.

0:17

May I roll call, please?

0:19

Supervisor Fortinata Paz.

0:22

Present.

0:23

Supervisor Tim.

0:24

Present.

0:26

Thank you.

0:26

At this point, can we just have quick instructions on remote participation?

0:32

Online participation.

0:37

If you are joining us online, please raise your hand when public comment begins.

0:43

Or if you're calling in, please start dial star nine and wait until your name is called.

0:50

Thank you.

0:51

So our first item is the informational item that's the annual reporter of the Veterans Affairs Commission.

0:58

Andrea Good afternoon and thank you, Supervisor Tam.

1:03

I would like to ask the Greg Owens, Chair of the Veterans Affairs Commission.

1:07

Approach the podium to present the good afternoon.

1:13

Like I say, I'm Greg Owens.

1:15

I'm the current chair of the Alameda County Veterans Affairs Commission.

1:19

And thank you for inviting me to give you an update on the Veterans Affairs Commission.

1:24

So next slide.

1:28

Okay, so the topics we're going to review.

1:30

We're going to go over the Veterans Affairs Commission, what their purpose is, the past initiatives, the current initiatives, and then we'll also talk about the Alameda County Veterans Service Office, CVSO, their purpose, overview, results, challenges, consequences, and recommendations.

1:47

We do have some representatives here from the CVSO.

1:50

If you get if there's our questions that I can't address.

1:54

Next slide.

1:56

Okay, so the Veterans Affairs Commission, the VAC.

2:00

We're going to do uh the annual update.

2:02

So next slide, please.

2:06

Okay, so the topics okay.

2:10

So the topics that we're going to review the purpose of the Veterans Affairs Commission, our past initiatives, our current initiatives, and then same for the Alameda County Veterans Service Office, CVSO, the an overview, the results, the challenges, consequences they face, and some of our recommendations.

2:31

Next slide.

2:33

So the purpose of the VAC.

2:36

We advise and assist on veteran issues as they pertain to pertain to, excuse me, food, shelter, transportation, employment, and veteran benefits.

2:45

We also sit assist uh with veteran observance days, we promote and develop identified needs of the veterans and their families.

2:54

Uh review the annual uh status of veteran benefits, and we also research matters so services are coordinated and maximized.

3:03

Uh and we submit recommendations uh regarding uh veteran services.

3:08

Next slide.

3:10

Okay, so initiatives uh from July of 2023 to the present.

3:15

Uh we do countywide outreach.

3:17

And what do I mean by that?

3:19

We move our meetings, we do we have monthly meetings, and we move them around.

3:23

Uh we try to hit a lot of the colleges.

3:25

We've done Alameda College, Chabot, Cal uh Cal Berkeley, uh Los Basitas College, then we also hit uh Veterans Memorial Buildings in Alameda, Hayward, San Leandro.

3:40

So we try to move those meetings around so we get some uh clear visibility.

3:45

And when we visited those, we visit those colleges.

3:48

We also will take a look at their uh Veterans Services Center to see what how they're presenting this to uh the veterans and if it was any of the veterans that are students at those uh colleges, if there's something we could do to help them.

4:02

Uh the standalone VSO campaign.

4:05

I can get into that a little bit more right now.

4:07

The VSO office is in East Mont Mall.

4:10

Uh, we're looking for, but that's combined with a lot of other social services that are going on.

4:16

Uh but as in other counties, we'd like to have a standalone uh VSO for our veterans when they come to the VSO that they're not standing in line with others that they get uh attention right away.

4:29

Also the Richard Avallier uh annual luncheons, we do that every year uh round Veterans Day, and we do observance uh day events, uh uh self-explanatory.

4:40

I say three Oakland-based stand downs as of this last uh Friday and Saturday.

4:46

We have now four.

4:48

Uh we saw uh at the uh stand down at uh St.

4:52

Vincent Nepal, just uh here in Oakland.

4:55

We saw over 180 different veterans.

5:00

We have provided services for them, whether it be homeless services, job employment, like I say, housing.

5:09

We also had that, we had a barber, we had uh uh dental hygienist, we had a medical van, uh, and one of the big things is legal.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Healthcare Services████████████████16%
Veterans Services███████████████15%
Public Health Services██████████████14%
Branding█████████████13%
Food Security████████████12%
Child Welfare Services███████████11%
Fiscal Sustainability███████7%
Public Engagement██2%
Senior Services██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Alameda County Social Services Committee Meeting - September 22, 2025

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors' Social Services Committee met on September 22, 2025, at 2:30 PM in Oakland. Chair Lena Tam and Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas were present. The committee received five informational presentations on veterans services, child support, agency rebranding, safety-net policy changes, and aging services audit findings. No formal votes were taken.

Public Comments

  • One online speaker, Kelly, commented on the lack of a unified county public relations strategy, noting that the social services rebranding logo does not match other county logos and that the county uses multiple outside PR agencies with inconsistent messaging.

Veterans Affairs Commission Annual Update

  • Greg Owens, Chair of the Veterans Affairs Commission, presented the commission's activities, past and current initiatives (stand-down events, suicide prevention forums, women veterans recognition, etc.), and challenges facing the Veterans Service Office (VSO).
  • Key statistics: In Q1 and Q2 of 2025, VSO contacts increased from 1,704 to 2,210, and awards rose from $672,941.12 to $1,248,049.
  • Challenges include staffing shortages, high stress, and lack of a standalone VSO office. A new standalone office in Hayward is expected to be operational by end of 2025, pending IT completion.
  • Recommendations include monthly statistics from VSO, enhanced web presence, and expanded training.
  • Supervisor Bas asked about systematic event notifications; staff confirmed they would share flyers with board offices.
  • The committee received the report.

Department of Child Support Services Update

  • Director Phyllis Nance presented the department's vision and mission, serving over 25,000 children, with $71 million in collections (90%+ distributed to families).
  • Federal performance metrics: paternity establishment 98.2%, order establishment 92%, current support collections 61.4%, arrears collections 64%.
  • Caseload declined from about 28,000 pre-pandemic to around 25,000.
  • Supervising Attorney Vangeria Harvey outlined upcoming legislation replacing presumed income with earning capacity, requiring individual assessments and court hearings for ~20% of cases.
  • Supervisor Bas asked about pre-pandemic numbers, potential federal budget impacts, and integration with re-entry programs. Nance noted no immediate impacts but anticipated increased referrals and medical support changes.
  • The committee received the update and acknowledged the director's upcoming retirement.

Social Services Agency Rebranding

  • Andrea Ford and Pamela Powell introduced the rebranding effort, led by The Purple Group (remote presenters Laritza Lopez and Hannah Adams).
  • The process included discovery, development, and implementation phases, with focus groups from staff, leadership, CBOs, and community.
  • New brand elements: logo (human-centered, tree/sun/circle), tagline "Safety net. A way forward.", new mission and vision statements emphasizing outcomes and dignity, and core values (dignity, compassion, integrity, shared purpose, accountability).
  • The brand story aims to destigmatize services and position the agency as a support across life stages.
  • Implementation rollout targeted late November/early December 2025, with department-level articulation.
  • Supervisor Bas expressed support, noting the improved people-centered language and design.
  • The committee received the presentation.

State and Federal Policy Changes to the Safety-Net: Preliminary Impacts

  • Policy Director Hanna Hamilton, Program Specialists Roland Shao (CalFresh) and Juan Ventanilla (Medi-Cal) outlined upcoming impacts from the federal HR1 (the "Big Beautiful Bill Act") and state budget actions.
  • HR1 changes affecting CalFresh: Thrifty Food Plan freeze, immigrant eligibility elimination (affecting refugees, asylees, etc.), expanded work requirements (ages up to 64, eliminate exemptions for homeless, veterans, foster youth, parents with children 14+), and increased cost-sharing: administrative (county/state 75%, federal 25% from Oct 2026) and benefit cost penalties based on payment error rates (California's rate ~10.98% could trigger 15% state benefit funding share, ~$2 billion annually).
  • Statewide estimates: 300,000 individuals may lose CalFresh eligibility; 74,000 non-citizens losing CalFresh eligibility.
  • Local CalFresh impacts: pre-HR1 13,300 at risk, additional 9,000 homeless, total estimate up to 20,000 subject to work requirements.
  • Medi-Cal impacts: 183,000 expansion enrollees subject to work requirements (80 hours/month) and six-month redeterminations starting January 2027; up to 55,000 may lose coverage. State budget actions include enrollment freeze for undocumented adults, $30 monthly premium, loss of dental coverage.
  • The agency is working with seven CBO partners for outreach and conducting proactive screening. Staffing vacancies (~18%) are being addressed with hiring and state automation enhancements.
  • Supervisor Bas asked about timelines, community partnerships, capacity, and potential use of Measure W funds. Discussion emphasized coordination and avoiding duplication of efforts.
  • The committee received the report and acknowledged ongoing uncertainty.

Social Services Agency’s Area Agency on Aging Audit Findings and Responses

  • Faith Battles (Assistant Agency Director, Adult and Aging Services) and Robert Woolley (Financial Services Director) presented findings from a November 2024 program monitoring by the California Department of Aging (CDA).
  • CDA identified substantial financial risks due to suspended COVID policies, resulting in seven main findings: contract resolution, reconciliation, fiscal policies, late submissions, absent complaint procedures, multi-year contracts, and insufficient provider monitoring.
  • Corrective actions included hiring a registered dietitian (Zale Etienne, started July 2025), restoring on-site monitoring for 29 contracts (caught up on 90 contracts), updating fiscal policies to align with federal rules, and converting multi-year contracts to one-year with renewal options.
  • The AAA serves 36 providers, 90 contracts, with 85% of budget on nutrition programs. Future RFPs (nine) will incorporate updated requirements and address culturally appropriate meals.
  • Supervisor Bas inquired about full report availability, staff capacity, and coordination with cities; staff affirmed the report is public and capacity is managed. Chair Tam raised funding sustainability after ARPA and coordination among meal providers.
  • The committee received the update, confirming all findings have been properly addressed.

Key Outcomes

  • All five agenda items were informational; no motions or votes were taken.
  • The committee acknowledged the presentations and directed staff to continue outreach and coordination efforts regarding safety-net policy changes.
  • Veterans Affairs Commission recommendations, including the standalone VSO office, were noted.
  • The rebranding will be rolled out late 2025.
  • The AAA audit corrective action plan was successfully implemented.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress. Good afternoon and welcome to the Alameda County Border Supervisors Social Services Committee meeting for Monday, September the 22nd, 2025. May I roll call, please? Supervisor Fortinata Paz. Present. Supervisor Tim. Present. Thank you. At this point, can we just have quick instructions on remote participation? Online participation. If you are joining us online, please raise your hand when public comment begins. Or if you're calling in, please start dial star nine and wait until your name is called. Thank you. So our first item is the informational item that's the annual reporter of the Veterans Affairs Commission. Andrea Good afternoon and thank you, Supervisor Tam. I would like to ask the Greg Owens, Chair of the Veterans Affairs Commission. Approach the podium to present the good afternoon. Like I say, I'm Greg Owens. I'm the current chair of the Alameda County Veterans Affairs Commission. And thank you for inviting me to give you an update on the Veterans Affairs Commission. So next slide. Okay, so the topics we're going to review. We're going to go over the Veterans Affairs Commission, what their purpose is, the past initiatives, the current initiatives, and then we'll also talk about the Alameda County Veterans Service Office, CVSO, their purpose, overview, results, challenges, consequences, and recommendations. We do have some representatives here from the CVSO. If you get if there's our questions that I can't address. Next slide. Okay, so the Veterans Affairs Commission, the VAC. We're going to do uh the annual update. So next slide, please. Okay, so the topics okay. So the topics that we're going to review the purpose of the Veterans Affairs Commission, our past initiatives, our current initiatives, and then same for the Alameda County Veterans Service Office, CVSO, the an overview, the results, the challenges, consequences they face, and some of our recommendations. Next slide. So the purpose of the VAC. We advise and assist on veteran issues as they pertain to pertain to, excuse me, food, shelter, transportation, employment, and veteran benefits. We also sit assist uh with veteran observance days, we promote and develop identified needs of the veterans and their families. Uh review the annual uh status of veteran benefits, and we also research matters so services are coordinated and maximized. Uh and we submit recommendations uh regarding uh veteran services. Next slide. Okay, so initiatives uh from July of 2023 to the present. Uh we do countywide outreach. And what do I mean by that? We move our meetings, we do we have monthly meetings, and we move them around. Uh we try to hit a lot of the colleges. We've done Alameda College, Chabot, Cal uh Cal Berkeley, uh Los Basitas College, then we also hit uh Veterans Memorial Buildings in Alameda, Hayward, San Leandro. So we try to move those meetings around so we get some uh clear visibility. And when we visited those, we visit those colleges. We also will take a look at their uh Veterans Services Center to see what how they're presenting this to uh the veterans and if it was any of the veterans that are students at those uh colleges, if there's something we could do to help them. Uh the standalone VSO campaign. I can get into that a little bit more right now. The VSO office is in East Mont Mall.

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