Alameda County Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting - April 21, 2026
Alameda County Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting - April 21, 2026
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors held a regular meeting on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, convening at 9:15 AM. The meeting included supervisor remarks, public comment, closed session, proclamations, and a lengthy discussion and vote on the Flock Safety license plate reader contract. The board also addressed Senate Bill 1193, which would restrict county discretionary funding to nonprofits, and approved numerous consent calendar items.
Consent Calendar
- The consent calendar was approved with discussion on Item 59. All supervisors expressed strong opposition to SB 1193, citing its targeting of Alameda County, lack of rational basis, potential harm to small nonprofits, and the county's existing transparency processes. Supervisor Miley called for the bill to apply to all 58 counties if it is good policy. The consent calendar passed unanimously after the discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- On SB 1193 (Item 59): Numerous speakers opposed the bill, calling it retaliatory, unnecessary, and harmful to essential nonprofit services such as women's shelters, food security, and mental health care. Speakers urged the board to reject the legislation and noted that discretionary funding already has oversight.
- On Peregrine Technologies (Item 36): Speakers opposed extending the contract, describing Peregrine as a mass surveillance platform integrated with predictive policing and potential facial recognition. Concerns included data privacy, civil rights violations, and vulnerability to federal access. Some speakers also drew connections to immigration enforcement.
- On Flock Safety (Item 55): Public comment was extensive, with over 80 in-person speakers and 30 online. Many in opposition cited risks of data sharing with federal agencies (especially ICE), hacking vulnerabilities, chilling effects on civil liberties, and disproportionate impact on communities of color and immigrants. Supporters argued the technology reduces crime, helps solve cases, and is a necessary tool for public safety, especially in unincorporated areas with limited law enforcement resources.
- On other agenda items: Speakers also commented on closed session litigation and general county matters.
Discussion Items
- Senate Bill 1193 (Item 59): Supervisor Miley led discussion, noting the bill would apply to discretionary funds for community organizations. He and other supervisors called the bill unfair, retaliatory, and redundant given existing county transparency. Supervisor Fortunato Bass supported transparency but opposed the bill's current form, urging it to apply statewide and include carve-outs for small grants. All five supervisors registered opposition.
- Peregrine Technologies Contract (Item 36): Supervisor Fortunato Bass continued the item to May 12, 2026, citing insufficient time to review public concerns and technical details. The sheriff clarified that Peregrine is a data analytics platform, not facial recognition or ALPR integrated, but the continuation was approved to allow further scrutiny.
- Flock Safety Contract (Item 55): The sheriff's office presented on the value of automated license plate readers, citing crime reduction, stolen vehicle recoveries, and integration with other technologies. Community outreach efforts were highlighted. During deliberations, Supervisor Marquez and Supervisor Fortunato Bass opposed the contract due to lack of trust in the vendor and concerns about data security under the federal administration. Supervisor Tam and Supervisor Miley supported paying the retroactive bill and continuing service while pursuing an RFP. President Haubert also supported. The motion to approve the second amendment passed 3-2.
Key Outcomes
- Closed Session Settlements: The board approved a $110,000 settlement in the case Castro vs Stubblefield (March 17, 2026) and a $58,000 settlement on the Hampton tort claim (March 24, 2026), both reported unanimously.
- Proclamations: April was proclaimed National County Government Month and Foster Care Month. The board also proclaimed National Donate Life Month, National Crime Victims' Rights Week (with District Attorney Ursula Jones Dixon), Children's Memorial Day/Flag Day, and Sexually Exploited Minors Awareness Week.
- Item 14 Approved: $200,000 from District 4 discretionary funds to the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation for a feasibility study to establish a historically black college and university (HBCU) satellite campus in Oakland.
- Ordinances Passed: First reading to consolidate veterans memorial building commissions (Item 22), second reading of salary ordinance amendments (Item 26), and second reading of floodplain management code amendment (Item 43).
- Mass Motion Approved: All remaining consent calendar and regular agenda items (excluding those pulled) were approved en bloc, including contracts for disaster preparedness (Item 25) and Aramark food services at Santa Rita Jail (Item 39).
- Flock Contract Approved: The second amendment to the Flock Safety contract was approved on a 3-2 vote, extending the retroactive period to June 30, 2026, and increasing the contract amount by $303,600, bringing the total to $854,200. The sheriff committed to pursuing a formal RFP for future services.
Additional Notes
- Public comment on the mass motion was allowed; several speakers opposed Peregrine and Flock. The meeting ran late, with public comment on Item 55 limited to one hour plus 15 minutes.
- Supervisor Fortunato Bass joined after absent for closed session. All five supervisors were present for the vote on Item 55.
Meeting Transcript
In progress. Good morning, everyone. I'd like to call to order our meeting for the regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors for Alameda County on Tuesday, April 201st. Would you all please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance? Pledge link is to the flag. United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation regards indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Will the clerk please call the role to establish our quorum? Supervisor Marquez. Present. Supervisor Tam. Present. Supervisor Miley. Supervisor Fortunato Bass excused. President Haubert. Present. We have a quorum. I'd like to just note that Supervisor Fortunato Bass is at a very important meeting in her district and can't be with us this morning, but will be joining us later today. And so she let us know that earlier today, she will be with us for the meeting. Next item is supervisors' remarks. A recognized supervisor Tam. Thank you, President Halbert. I wanted to take the opportunity to highlight uh Alameda County celebration of Earth Date and the many activities that happened over the weekend, including uh the Alameda Spring Shindig, the Unity Council, Oakland Chinatown, and San Lorenzo Cleanup along with the San Leandro Wastewater Treatment Plan Cleanup activities and this commitment that we have in the community toward beautification of and climate action is very significant in our county and very proud of the activities that have been so much a part of our tradition in the county. Thank you, Supervisor TAM. Supervisor uh Marquez. Thank you, President Howard. Just wanted to congratulate the City of Newark. They hosted their state of the city address this past Saturday, and it was a community event. My team was out there tabling, so just wanted to thank them for the great work they're doing on behalf of the residents in Newark. And also wanted to congratulate Covenant House. They opened the one and only transitional age youth shelter in uh mid and southern Alameda County this past Saturday in Hayward. Right now they are authorized to receive 15 young people, but the goal is to have the capacity up to 30, which we know this is desperately needed for our community to prevent our young people from being unsheltered. So just wanted to congratulate Covenant House. I actually voted on that project back in 2020 when I was on the Hayward City Council. So excited that they're open, but also a lot of lessons learned. It should not take this long to open a shelter in our community. Thank you. Thank you for mentioning that indeed an important item. And um isn't it great that you can see the continuation of the work and how long things take, but from city council to now being able to uh open the doors. Great job. Supervisor Miley, anything to report out on? I'd like to also recognize Earth Day and I know in my district vision recycling, a local producer of compost, which is sorely needed and in fact required to be used locally, uh, is having uh an open house day and uh demonstrating the ways that they use local green waste to make compost, which then can be used locally. Uh I've invited our uh through our public works director, our public works staff, as well as staff from local neighboring cities. So thank you, Division Recycling, for doing that for our community. Concluding Board of Supervisors' remarks, we now have public comment on closed session items, after which we will recess into closed session. I have had requests for those people, some have time constraints and would like to make comment on the main motion, the main mass motion, the agenda. So I'm going to allow that. So I'd like the clerk to please um let everybody have two minutes. Items for public comment. Thank you.
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