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Record of Proceedings

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Special Meeting: Measure D Polling and Brown Act Modernization - June 5, 2026

Board of Supervisors — Friday, June 5, 2026
BodyAlameda County, California
SessionBoard of Supervisors
DateFriday, June 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:11:34
Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:02

It's Thursday, June 4th.

0:04

I'd like to call the Alameda County Board of Supervisors special meeting to order.

0:10

I'll ask the clerk to please call the roll.

0:12

Supervisor Marquez present.

0:15

Supervisor Tam present.

0:16

Supervisor Miley, excuse.

0:19

Supervisor Fort's not a bath of presence.

0:22

President Halbert.

0:24

Present.

0:24

We have a quorum.

0:25

Thank you very much.

0:27

The board welcomes members of the public to participate either in person or remotely.

0:34

If you would like to speak on an item listed under public comment, feel free to do so.

0:40

Now is time for public comment on closed session items only.

0:44

I would like to ask anybody in the room to turn in a speaker slip or if you're online and wish to comment on closed session items only, now would be the time to do so.

0:55

Madam Clerk, do we have any speakers?

0:58

There are no speakers.

0:59

See none.

1:00

We will now recess into close session, but we have some remarks from uh our colleague supervisor Marquez.

1:09

Thank you, Chair Halbert.

1:10

I know we don't have um opening remarks on the agenda, but just want to respectfully ask if we could adjourn today's meeting in memory of former council member Pat Kagoskos with the City of Union City.

1:21

Thank you.

1:22

We will do that.

1:23

Thank you.

1:25

And since we're on remarks, let me congratulate you and Supervisor Tam on reelection.

1:29

Thank you.

1:30

Congratulations.

1:32

We are now in recess.

1:41

Thank you, everyone.

1:42

We're going to reconvene from closed session.

1:45

I'll ask County Council is there any reportable action out of closed session.

1:50

Excuse me, I was do roll call first, sorry.

1:53

Okay.

1:54

Supervisor Marquez.

1:56

Supervisor Tan present.

1:57

Supervisor Miley.

1:59

Supervisor Fort's not a bad.

2:01

President Halbert.

2:03

Present.

2:05

County Council, anything to report out from closed session?

2:09

No, Mr.

2:09

President.

2:10

There was no reportable action taken in closed session.

2:12

Thank you very much.

2:12

We'll move to our 330 set matters.

2:18

The first item before us is item number one, community development agency approve approving a procurement contract with Team Civics XLLC.

2:29

And there's our team.

2:31

Good afternoon, supervisors.

2:34

For this item, it was continued from your Tuesday meeting this week.

2:39

CDA is asking your board's consideration to approve a contract with Team Civics.

2:42

And this is for polling services.

2:44

And this is to better understand the awareness of Save Agriculture and Open Space Lands Initiative, or better known as Measure D.

2:52

And this is to also identify potential amendments that could receive support.

2:56

So for background, Measure D was approved by Alameda County voters in November 2000.

3:02

Uh the initiative placed limits on the type of the type and amount of development allowed on rural areas in the unincorporated county, and uh that basically locks in uh the land use by vote.

3:16

Uh the measure was arguably has arguably been successful in its intended purposes for preserving open space and agriculture, but it's also been criticized for having negative unintended consequences, as you heard in the Tuesday meeting.

3:30

So concerns have been raised about the measure's impact on agricultural activity as well as your board's restricted ability to make changes with out having another ballot measure.

3:41

And so uh there's been a great deal of discussion at with stakeholders and staff over the years about potential modification and and I know some supervisors here have a lot of experience with that.

3:54

Um so uh as you heard on Tuesday, uh staff as well as stakeholders began discussions in 2017 uh with broad topics for possible amendments, and so by 2021, uh that's uh a few years later.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████34%
Land Use Planning████████████████████████████28%
Technology and Innovation████████████12%
Public Engagement███████████11%
Agricultural Land Use██████████10%
Procurement and Contracting████4%
Community Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Special Meeting: Measure D Polling and Brown Act Modernization - June 5, 2026

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors held a special meeting on June 5, 2026, to consider a procurement contract for polling services on potential amendments to Measure D (Save Agriculture and Open Space Lands Initiative) and to receive a presentation on SB 707 (Brown Act modernization). After closed session with no reportable action, the board discussed and voted on the polling contract, heard public testimony, and provided direction on SB 707 implementation.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mark Evanhoff opposed using public funds to overturn the will of voters and urged full disclosure of all poll results, not just an executive summary.
  • Glenn Kirby submitted a document opposing the RFP, arguing it circumvents competitive procurement due to a self-imposed timeline and that using public funds is inappropriate.
  • Chuck (Chair of Castro Valley MAC, Agricultural Advisory Committee) supported the poll, stating Measure D has negatively affected agriculture and that the county should update the measure to reflect changes over 25 years.
  • Griffin (family farmer in unincorporated Alameda County) supported the poll, saying it does not commit the board to any policy but helps understand resident views. He noted the 2022 amendment received a higher percentage of voter approval than the original Measure D.
  • Shirley Lewandowski (Dublin resident) opposed the poll, criticizing the process as lacking transparency and suggested a working group instead of a poll. She questioned Supervisor Halbert's conflict of interest.
  • Dick Snyder (farmer) asked whether Measure D has actually enhanced agriculture and supported the poll to gather information.
  • Chuck (small agricultural business owner) said Measure D has been a hindrance and supported the poll.
  • Hilly opposed the poll, arguing that an independent Tri-Valley poll already found 76% support for preserving open space and 68% said conservation matters more than housing. He claimed the contract's legal premise is false.
  • Larry Gossman (farmer and conservationist) supported the poll but not as the sole source of information, noting that the agricultural ecosystem has declined.

Discussion Items

Item 1: Community Development Agency (CDA) Procurement Contract with Team Civics XLLC for Polling Services on Measure D

  • Staff requested approval of a $149,000 sole-source contract for polling to gauge voter awareness of Measure D and identify potential amendments that could gain support. The contract was initially expected under $100,000 but received only one bid above that threshold.
  • Supervisor Miley confirmed the procurement followed county practices and that the poll would be public. He noted the board has not voted on a November ballot measure and the poll is for information.
  • Supervisor Tam questioned the urgency, given that amendments were just passed in 2022 and a Tri-Valley poll conducted in March 2026 already covered similar questions (76% support for open space, 68% prioritize conservation over housing). She asked why not use stakeholder engagement instead of a poll.
  • Supervisor Bass expressed concern that the poll's requirements include evaluating support for transferring authority from voters to the board. She asked for broader stakeholder input on question formulation.
  • Supervisor Marquez asked about past polling for Measure A and how questions would be developed, stressing the need for clear goals.
  • Supervisor Halbert emphasized the poll is incremental, not a wholesale change, and would inform the board on countywide views, especially to support the struggling wine region and agricultural businesses.
  • The board heard extensive public comment for and against the poll.

Item 2: Staff Presentation on SB 707 (Brown Act Modernization)

  • County Counsel and the County Administrator's Office presented key changes: mandated hybrid meetings with two-way audiovisual, a technology disruption policy (required by July 1, 2026), ADA accommodations for remote participation, just cause remote participation limits, and optional fully remote meetings for eligible subsidiary bodies (advisory only, no elected officials).
  • Staff proposed a disruption policy with a one-hour troubleshooting requirement, after which the board may continue without remote access if two findings are made.
  • Supervisors discussed expanding eligible subsidiary bodies to all qualifying commissions, with a phased approach. They also requested a complete list before voting. No formal action was taken; staff was directed to bring back a resolution before the end of the fiscal year.

Key Outcomes

  • Item 1 (Polling Contract): Motion by Supervisor Halbert, seconded by Supervisor Miley, to approve the procurement contract, adopt the resolution, and allocate funds as recommended. Passed 3-1-1: Supervisors Marquez, Miley, Halbert voted yes; Supervisor Tam voted no; Supervisor Fortunato Bass abstained. All poll results and methodology will be shared publicly (as legally required).
  • Item 2 (SB 707): No vote taken. The board gave unanimous direction for staff to bring forward a technology disruption policy and an authorizing resolution for eligible subsidiary bodies before July 1, 2026, with further discussion on the list of bodies and phased implementation.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon, everyone. It's Thursday, June 4th. I'd like to call the Alameda County Board of Supervisors special meeting to order. I'll ask the clerk to please call the roll. Supervisor Marquez present. Supervisor Tam present. Supervisor Miley, excuse. Supervisor Fort's not a bath of presence. President Halbert. Present. We have a quorum. Thank you very much. The board welcomes members of the public to participate either in person or remotely. If you would like to speak on an item listed under public comment, feel free to do so. Now is time for public comment on closed session items only. I would like to ask anybody in the room to turn in a speaker slip or if you're online and wish to comment on closed session items only, now would be the time to do so. Madam Clerk, do we have any speakers? There are no speakers. See none. We will now recess into close session, but we have some remarks from uh our colleague supervisor Marquez. Thank you, Chair Halbert. I know we don't have um opening remarks on the agenda, but just want to respectfully ask if we could adjourn today's meeting in memory of former council member Pat Kagoskos with the City of Union City. Thank you. We will do that. Thank you. And since we're on remarks, let me congratulate you and Supervisor Tam on reelection. Thank you. Congratulations. We are now in recess. Thank you, everyone. We're going to reconvene from closed session. I'll ask County Council is there any reportable action out of closed session. Excuse me, I was do roll call first, sorry. Okay. Supervisor Marquez. Supervisor Tan present. Supervisor Miley. Supervisor Fort's not a bad. President Halbert. Present. County Council, anything to report out from closed session? No, Mr. President. There was no reportable action taken in closed session. Thank you very much. We'll move to our 330 set matters. The first item before us is item number one, community development agency approve approving a procurement contract with Team Civics XLLC. And there's our team. Good afternoon, supervisors. For this item, it was continued from your Tuesday meeting this week.

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