Alameda County Board of Supervisors Meeting - FY 2026-27 Proposed Budget Presentation - May 29, 2026
Alameda County Board of Supervisors Meeting - FY 2026-27 Proposed Budget Presentation - May 29, 2026
The Board of Supervisors convened at 12:30 p.m. (after a brief recess reconvened at 12:51 p.m.) to receive the County Administrator's presentation of the proposed balanced budget for fiscal year 2026-27. The meeting was chaired by President Halbert, who left at 1:00 p.m., with Supervisors Marquez, Tam, Miley, and Fortunato Bass present. The proposed budget closes a $91.4 million funding gap through a combination of ongoing and one-time strategies, without layoffs or major program reductions. Public comment featured 11 speakers (10 in-person, 1 online) representing county employees, labor unions, and community organizations. The board voted 4-0 to accept the proposed budget and schedule public hearings from June 18 through June 25, 2026.
Public Comments & Testimony
- John Lindsay Poland (American Friends Service Committee/Care First Ad Hoc Committee): Urged deeper cuts to funded vacant positions at Santa Rita Jail (290 vacant positions cited) and called for transparency on Behavioral Health Services Act carryover funds. Requested restoration of funding for the Supportive Housing Community Land Alliance (SHCLA).
- Anya Kushwaha (Restore Oakland): Presented a petition with over 150 signatures and 37 organizations demanding at least $2 million for SHCLA, $5 million for mental health diversion, and $125 million for deep rental subsidies for justice-involved individuals with behavioral health needs.
- Hannah Joy Worshing (Child Welfare Worker, SEIU 1021): Described crisis-level staffing shortages in child welfare, stating high caseloads lead to burnout and risk to children. Called for competitive wages and benefits to retain workers.
- Hannah Doherty (Child Welfare Worker, SEIU 1021): Noted that Alameda County's high vacancy rate drives employees to surrounding counties; urged equitable wages and affordable health care to retain staff.
- Kathy Reeves (Legal Secretary, Public Defender's Office, SEIU 1021): Cited a 26-year career and stated that frontline workers are underpaid compared to leadership; requested fair wages and respect.
- Will Wells (County Employee, 28 years): Represented public health nurses, vector control, child welfare, and legal secretaries. Stated that Alameda County employees are 14% below the median for comparable counties and that management receives three times the medical coverage.
- Keith Brown (Alameda Labor Council): Stood in solidarity with frontline workers, demanding a fair contract, competitive compensation, and filling critical vacancies.
- Mimi (Social Services Worker, SEIU 1021): Noted that eligibility workers handle 2,000 cases on average and warned of additional burdens from HR1 implementation.
- Alison Munro (Families Advocating for the Seriously Mentally Ill): Urged expansion of board-and-care housing for the seriously mentally ill, noting that SHCLA funding appeared to be cut and that the jail population is decreasing.
- Wendy Alfons (Berkeley Friends Meeting): Spoke in support of Care First initiatives.
- Princess (Assessor's Office): Described critical understaffing in her department (one senior technician for eight areas); stated a 5% raise does not cover Bay Area cost of living, and some full-time employees qualify for public assistance.
Discussion Items
- Fiscal Year 2026-27 Recommended Budget Presentation: County Administrator presented a balanced $6.7 billion all-funds budget (up 9% driven by Measure W), with a $4.3 billion general fund (up 0.3%). The budget closes a $91.4 million gap using $44 million in ongoing reductions and $48 million in one-time solutions, including elimination of 45 funded vacant positions. Key investments include $288 million in the Home Together Fund, $39 million in Essential County Services Fund, over $800 million for mental health services, $413 million for housing and homelessness, and $73 million for HealthPAC. The budget maintains a $15 million annual reserve contribution and AAA credit ratings.
- Supervisor Comments:
- Supervisor Miley thanked the CAO team and noted that voter-approved measures (A, A1, C, W) and prior board pension prepayments ($93 million savings) avoided layoffs. He clarified the hearing schedule: open June 18, continue to June 22–25.
- Supervisor Marquez prioritized increased funding for public defender, Care First/Jails Last implementation, Reparations Commission, immigrant services, food insecurity, and senior services. Acknowledged Prop 1 bridge funding vote on June 2.
- Supervisor Tam (also Chair) emphasized protecting the safety net, transparency, and requested data on vacancy savings, Santa Rita Jail vacancies and overtime, child welfare vacancies, and a presentation from the auditor on trust and reserve accounts.
Key Outcomes
- Motion: Supervisor Miley moved, seconded by Supervisor Fortunato Bass, to accept the FY 2026-27 proposed budget for review pending public hearings and to schedule hearings starting June 18, 2026, continued to June 22–25.
- Vote: Passed 4-0 (President Halbert excused; Supervisors Marquez, Tam, Miley, Fortunato Bass voted aye).
- Next Steps: Public hearings will open June 18, with full public testimony expected on June 22–23 and adoption on June 25. A joint healthcare/social services meeting on June 2 will address Proposition 1 bridge funding and state budget impacts.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. I'd like to call our 12 o'clock meeting to order at 12 30 6. And I'll ask the clerk to please call the roll to establish our quorum. Supervisor Marquez, excused, supervisor Tam, excused. Supervisor Miley. Yes. Supervisor Fortunatabas. Present. Present Halbert. Present. We have a quorum. Thank you much. I note that uh our other colleagues are here. They're just out of the room right now. They will join us any minute. We now have an open session item, a county administrator's office presentation of the fiscal year recommended proposed budget. I'm going to turn it over to our county administrator. I will also announce in advance. I apologize, but I will have to leave promptly at one o'clock. I am the chairman of the Alameda County Transportation Commission as well. The meeting will continue without me, and I trust my colleagues to make wise decisions. With that said, County Administrator, the floor is yours. I guess we do have to wait. Do we have the somebody from the county administrator's office? I guess we'll wait for the county administrator. We have to take public comment on this. You should wait until after the presentation. That is your decision. We don't have public comment on non-agendized items. And so why don't we go over the protocols for speakers? If you want to speak, you can give a speaker slip to the clerk. If the clerk would perhaps go over instructions for how remote participants can participate. Detailed instructions are provided on the teleconferencing guidelines. A link to the document is included in today's agenda to view an automated translated transcript or listen to the automated translated audio of the meeting from English into multiple other languages. Please utilize the wordly link in today's agenda or the QR codes posted throughout the room and select your preferred language from the doc drop-down menu. If you're joining the meeting using a computer, use a 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 are calling in, dial 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. When called, you'll 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. How many speaker slips do we have? And how many hands raised online? We have uh nine in person and one online, okay. I'm gonna ask um. We're in a holding pattern until the county administrators uh ready to present. So if we take a recess, then it might take a long time.
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