Alameda County Public Protection Committee Meeting - May 21, 2026: Public Defense Workload and Juvenile Justice Assessments
Alameda County Board of Supervisors Public Protection Committee Meeting - May 21, 2026
This informational meeting covered two major reports: the National Public Defense Workload Study and AB 625 California Public Defense Workloads and Staffing Report, and the Alameda County Juvenile Justice Landscape Analysis and JJCPA 2020-2026 Plan. Presentations highlighted severe staffing shortages in the Public Defender's office and identified service gaps and geographic inequities in youth services, with no formal votes taken.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Six members of the public spoke during general public comment (Item #4) urging the committee to agendize and cancel the Flock Safety contract renewal before the June 30th expiration and 30-day notice deadline. Speakers cited concerns about data sharing with ICE and DEA, civil liberties violations, lack of transparency in the Sheriff's presentations, and potential legal liabilities for the county. They requested the item be placed on a Board of Supervisors meeting before the end of May.
Discussion Items
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Public Defense Workloads and Staffing (Items #1): Public Defender Brendan Woods and Malia Brink (Policy Director, Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center) presented the National Public Defense Workload Study and the AB 625 report. Brink noted that 82% of chief public defenders statewide said they lack sufficient trial attorneys, with 71.4% strongly disagreeing that current numbers suffice. The attorney ratio of public defenders to district attorneys is 73% statewide. In Alameda County, applying the workload study indicates a need for 104 additional attorneys (costing $39.5 million), or 75 after adjusting for probation violations. Support staffing gaps include 45 investigators, 21 social workers, 32 paralegals, and one administrative staff to meet recommended ratios. Woods shared that his office had six attorneys resign in April and May due to crushing caseloads, and that he personally carries a homicide case with 145 body-worn camera videos from one agency alone.
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Juvenile Justice Landscape Analysis and JJCPA Plan (Items #2-3): Chief Probation Officer Brian Ford introduced presentations by Carol Burton (JUL Consulting) and Asst. Chief Dante Sarcone. Burton's firm surveyed 112 organizations, identifying 937 distinct youth services across the county, with highest concentrations in North County (Oakland). Key service gaps reported by providers and community stakeholders include housing/homeless services, mental health support, and navigation barriers. Recommendations include strengthening geographic equity, improving access and coordination, expanding housing and behavioral health supports, and enhancing data collection. Sarcone presented the JJCPA 2020-2026 Plan, which identified two priorities: continuity of care and CBO sustainability, with five recommendations focusing on high-demand services (especially in Oakland and Hayward), trauma-informed care, and better referrals. The plan aligns with the landscape analysis and will guide future contracts and RFPs. Sarcone noted a new Youth Violence Reduction Coordination initiative in Oakland serving 22 high-need youth, with plans to expand to Hayward.
Key Outcomes
- No formal actions or votes were taken on the informational items.
- Supervisor Marquez expressed strong support for increasing Public Defender funding and noted alignment with the Care First, Jails Last initiative, which will be the subject of a joint committee meeting on July 23, 2026.
- The Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council will continue to meet monthly to oversee implementation of JJCPA plan recommendations, with adjustments to contracts and data collection expected in the next RFP cycle.
- Public comments urging cancellation of the Flock Safety contract were acknowledged but not discussed due to the item not being on the agenda. The next Public Protection Committee meeting is scheduled for July 23, 2026 (no June meeting).
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everyone. Like to call this meeting to order. This is the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Public Protection Committee meeting for Thursday, May 21st. If we could please start with a roll call. Supervisor Miley, excuse. Supervisor Marquez. Present, thank you. And if the clerk can please provide the announcement how the community can participate in public comment. For in-person participation, the meeting site is open to the public. If you'd like to speak on an item, you can fill out a speaker's card in the front of the room and hand it to me, the clerk. And for remote participation, follow the teleconferencing guidelines.acgo.org and use the raise your hand function. Thank you. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us today for the public protection committee. Today we will hear two important informational presentations focused on the future of public safety and youth services in Alameda County. First, we will hear from the Alameda County Public Defender, Brendan Woods, regarding the national public defense workload study and assembly bill 625, California Public Defense Workloads and Staffing Report, which was passed by the legislator back in 2021. This presentation highlights statewide workload and staffing challenges facing public defense offices and helps us better understand the operational and staffing needs here in Alameda County. This is a timely discussion given the given the governor's May Revised Budget, which was released last week, and the board's upcoming budget hearing on Thursday, May 28th. Equal access to legal services like public defense is a critical part of ensuring a fair and functioning justice system. We will also hear from the Alameda County Chief Probation Officer Brian Ford on informational item two and three regarding the juvenile justice landscape analysis and service needs assessment, as well as juvenile justice coordinating council strategy as it relates to the juvenile justice community prevention act 2020 2026 plan. These presentations look at the services currently available to youth across Alameda County, identify service gaps, and provides recommendations on how we can better coordinate and strengthen support for young people and families. I appreciate both departments bringing here being here with us today and look forward to their presentation. So now I'd like to call up our first presenter for today and introduce our public defender Brendan Woods. Welcome and good morning. And the presentation is online, and I should have asked earlier, but want to make sure if anyone's listening remotely, that the audio and visuals are coming in clearly. We're good. Okay, great. Thank you. Welcome. Good morning. The mic. Good morning. Thank you for having me. We have discussed presenting about the National Public Defensive Workload Study for quite some time. You've actually heard me mention it, and I think the last three budget presentations. So in order to give you a better and probably more well-informed perspective, Malia Brink will be joining us in presenting today. Malia Brink is the policy director at the Decent Criminal Justice Reform Center at SMU Deadman School of Law. I've known Malia for about 10 years now. We worked together on the American Bar Association Standing Committee for Incident and Legal Defense. She was actually lead counsel for them for quite some time. We also helped revise and draft a new ABA 10 principles in engine defense. Malia is the foremost expert on workload studies throughout the nation. And I'm happy to have her join us. I see that she's ready and on the screen. So I'm going to turn it over to Malia. She will talk about both the National Public Fenton Workload Study that she was instrumental in drafting and also the ABC25 report. And then I'll finish up by applying them both to our office. So thank you. Thank you. Welcome, Malia. Thank you for joining us.
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