Alameda County Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026
Alameda County Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, for a full-day regular meeting that included multiple proclamations, public testimony, a presentation on county efficiency consulting, and a vote to extend a data analytics contract with Peregrine Technologies. Supervisor Miley was excused for morning and reconvened later but was absent for parts of the afternoon. The meeting also featured reportable actions from closed session.
Proclamations and Recognitions
- CalFresh Awareness Month (May 2026): Recognized that over 171,000 Alameda County residents (about 1 in 10) rely on CalFresh. Speakers included Roland Chao (program specialist), Arlen Murillo (Alameda County Community Food Bank), and community member Sylvia Garcia. Theme: “CalFresh Works.”
- Agriculture Week (May 10–16, 2026): Proclamation highlighted Alameda County’s $54 million in gross agricultural receipts and 208,000 acres under cultivation. Presentations from Dan Marcial (Farm Bureau), Livermore FFA students, Kathleen Mincer (Livermore Rodeo Foundation), Troy Horton (Dig Deep Farms, 100 acres of urban farms), Johnny Bootles (Alameda Point Collaborative Farm to Market), and Aisha Gannon (Gilltrack Farm Coalition).
- Affordable Housing Month (May 2026): Recognized a county need for over 37,000 low-income and extremely low-income units. Measure A1 has created/preserved 4,117 units; Measure W awarded $53 million for nearly 950 units. Speaker: Joey Fliegel Mishlove (East Bay Housing Organizations).
- Older Americans Month (May 2026): Theme “Champion Your Health.” County population age 60+ is approximately 390,000. Speaker: Sonia Frost (Department of Adult and Aging Services). Noted 27% of adults 65–74 and 7% aged 75+ remain in the workforce.
- Emergency Medical Services Week (May 17–23, 2026): Recognized EMS clinicians. Speaker: Nyla Francis (interim deputy director, Alameda County EMS Agency).
- Mental Health Awareness Month (May 2026): Recognized Our Cause organization, which hosts mental health awareness programs for South Asian communities. Reported that 75% of participants are more likely to seek help before crisis. Speakers: Rapali Rajvanchi and Sruti Ramnath.
- Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May 2026): Honored seven organizations: Asian Immigrant Women’s Advocates, API Legal Outreach, Banteay Srei, East Bay Asian Youth Center, Community Health for Asian Americans, Regional Pacific Islander Task Force, and Lan Shaw (Oakland Ballet). Eight individuals received commendations, including Siccone (from Family Bridges) and Pastor Barry Timani (Melino Foundation).
- Public Service Recognition Week & 30-Year Service Awards: Recognized all county employees and honored 46 employees with 30 years of service (17 present). Supervisor Tam and President Halbert presented commendations.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 78 (Peregrine contract): Approximately 15 speakers opposed the contract amendment, citing privacy risks, potential data sharing with ICE/DHS, ties to Palantir, predictive policing concerns, and lack of community oversight. Several called the system “mass surveillance.” One speaker supported the contract, arguing it improves investigative efficiency. Multiple speakers also urged postponement pending stronger data governance measures.
- Fireworks ordinance (Item 76): Two speakers supported the ban, noting 640 firework-related calls in the 30 days before July 4th last year, with 17 resulting in fires.
- Other items: One speaker supported the housing provider resource center (Item 42). Two speakers raised non-agenda topics, including mental health and personal legal grievances.
Discussion Items
- Public Works LLC Efficiency Review (Item 33): Eric Schneer (president) presented the firm’s methodology for finding at least 5% operational savings in government. The board discussed sole-source vs. RFP, involvement of the auditor controller, and inclusion of Alameda Health Systems. Direction was given to staff to explore a contract with GSA, county counsel, and the auditor controller, with a goal of bringing a contract back quickly.
- Peregrine Technologies Contract Amendment (Item 78): Sheriff Sanchez and Peregrine representatives presented the platform as a data analysis tool (not surveillance or predictive policing). They stated no federal contracts, no ALPR integration in this amendment, and strict data-sharing agreements under California law. Supervisor Fortunato Bass raised concerns about insufficient contract details and unanswered questions submitted in advance. Supervisor Marquez requested a future review of standard service agreements for technology. After debate, the board voted.
Key Outcomes
- Public Works LLC direction: Approved 3–0–2 (Supervisors Miley, Fortunato Bass, Halbert in favor; Supervisors Marquez and Tam abstained). Staff directed to conduct due diligence and return a contract proposal.
- Peregrine contract amendment: Approved 4–0–1 (Supervisors Marquez, Tam, Miley, Halbert in favor; Supervisor Fortunato Bass abstained). The amendment increases the contract value from $686,500 to $1.4 million (a $723,000 increase) and extends the term two years through March 14, 2028.
- Settlements approved in closed session:
- Lee v. County of Alameda: $800,000 settlement (unanimous vote, March 10, 2026).
- Tran et al. v. Alameda County Sheriff’s Office: $36 million settlement (4–0–1, March 24, 2026, with one excused).
- Other actions: Approved minutes, consent calendar (including mass motion with recusals on items 34, 36, 42), salary ordinance amendments, fireworks prohibition ordinance (Chapter 9.46, first reading), and traffic regulations ordinance.
- Meeting adjourned in memory of Deputy Probation Officer Simon Flores (18 years of service), Steve Zaley (former county administrator and CSAC executive director), and former Oakland Councilmember Wilson Riles Jr.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. Good morning, everyone. I'd like to call to order our meeting for today. This is Tuesday, May 12th, regular board meeting of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. I'd like to ask folks to please call the roll. Supervisor Marquez present. Supervisor Tan. Present. Supervisor Miley excused. Supervisor Fortnite. Present. President Howard. Present. We have a core. Would you all please rise if you can and join me in the pledge of allegiance? Pledge allegiance to the flag. To the republic for which it stands one nation under the indivisible liberty and justice for all. Thank you. To our guests today, in person and online, we welcome you and appreciate your participation in today's meeting. If you're in person and want to speak on an item, we ask that you fill out a speaker card and speak when called. If you're online, we have brief instructions, which the clerk will now provide on how you can participate remotely. Detailed instructions are provided in the teleconferencing guidelines. A link to the document is included in today's agenda to view an automated translated transcript or listen to an automated translated audio of the meeting from English into multiple other languages. Please utilize the worldly link in today's agenda or the QR codes posted throughout the room and select your preferred language from the drop-down menu. If you're joining the meeting using a computer, use the button at the bottom of your screen to raise your hand to request to speak. When called to speak, please unmute your microphone and state your name. If you're calling in to star nine to raise your hand to speak, when you are called to speak, the host will enable you to speak. If you decide not to speak, notify the clerk when your call is unmuted, or you may simply hang up and dial back into the meeting. As a reminder, you may always just observe the meeting without participating by clicking on the view now link on the county's web page. We're called you have two minutes to speak. Please limit your remarks to the time allocated. Public comment will generally alternate between in person and online speakers as determined by the president of the board and subject to overall time limits. Thank you. Thank you. Our next item is a board remarks. I'll ask Supervisor Marquez. Any remarks? Yes, thank you, Chair Halbert. Good morning, everyone, and welcome. Just wanted to share some good news. Um, this past Friday, I participated in what was my first experience of a wall rising, not a ribbon cutting, not a groundbreaking, but a wall rising. This was for Luzili Affordable Housing in Union City. It's 81 affordable units, and we were able to utilize funding through Measure A1 housing bond, 13.2 million dollars because of that investment. They were able to secure and leverage additional funding from the state of California at 142 million. So just wanted to thank all the voters for passing Measure A1 housing bond. Thank our housing team as well as congratulate the City of Union City, the mayor, council city manager, and all of their staff that work closely with mid-Penn Housing to make this a reality. Hopefully, it will be open in about a year and we'll be able to welcome additional families, individuals, people that were formerly homeless, and there will also be dedicated units to support individuals that have developmental disabilities. So really excited about this opportunity. As you know, we have a housing affordability crisis in this county, and it's always great to know that we are doing our part to open more opportunities for others. Also wanted to make a brief announcement consistent with um, I've been making announcements to keep the public informed on what is going on with the RFP for the ethical investment policy, the peer review.
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