Alameda County Board of Supervisors Special Meeting Retreat - August 7, 2026

The Board of Supervisors held a special meeting and retreat on August 7, 2026, continuing from the previous day. The meeting focused on team building, priority setting, operating procedures, and review of boards, commissions, and committee structures. Key decisions included eliminating joint committee meetings, sunsetting several ad hoc committees, creating a standing reparations committee, and identifying top board priorities for the next 12-18 months.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public submitted comments on closed session items or on any agenda items during the open session work retreat.

Discussion Items

• Boards and Commissions Review: The board reviewed a list of 116 boards, commissions, and committees (27 joint powers authorities, 27 outside boards, 8 board policy committees, and 54 other advisory boards). Supervisor Miley expressed frustration that the review has lingered for years. Facilitators led a discussion on the importance of reducing the number of inactive boards to free up staff time and resources. The board rated the importance of this reform at 4.5-5 on a 1-5 scale. It was agreed that Supervisors Halbert and Márquez will work with the County Administrator to identify low-hanging fruit (committees that have not met in two years) and bring a recommendation to the board by December 15, 2026.
• Board Policy Committees and Ad Hoc Committees: The eight standing policy committees were reaffirmed as valuable. The board discussed the frequency and overlap of joint committee meetings (e.g., Health and Social Services). A consensus was reached to eliminate all joint committee meetings and instead bring cross-cutting issues to the full board as informational items or work sessions. Several ad hoc committees were reviewed: the Public Safety Community Relations Ad Hoc Committee was sunset (it had not met in years); the Surplus Property Authority Ad Hoc was deemed necessary but meets infrequently; the Agricultural Fair Association Board was recognized as a standing committee with external members; the Reparations Ad Hoc Committee was sunset and replaced with a new standing committee on reparations (board president to appoint members by September 15, 2026); the Alameda County Together for All committee was continued with a plan to revisit its necessity after 2028; the Alameda Health System Ad Hoc Committee was extended through January 2027.
• Board Priorities and Initiatives: County Administrator Susan Muranishi presented a visual of ongoing board initiatives (over 20 items). Each supervisor identified their top 3-5 priorities. After a dot-voting exercise, the ranked top six board priorities were (in order): 1) Homelessness (including Measure W implementation and results-based contracts), 2) Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, 3) EMS Redesign, 4) Improved Child Welfare (corrective action plan), 5) Office of Reparative Justice / Reparations, and 6) Alameda Health System (financial sustainability, governance, and reinstating labor and delivery at St. Rose Hospital). The board also discussed several lower-priority initiatives and assigned champions and next steps for each.
• Work Session and Communications Improvements: The board discussed the ineffectiveness of current work sessions and wished to have more discussion-oriented sessions with specific questions for board direction rather than lengthy presentations. There was also a consensus for a county-level public information officer (staff rather than consultant) to coordinate communications, and for enhanced metrics and dashboards for homelessness and ballot measure outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• Ad Hoc Committee Changes:
  • Eliminated joint committee meetings; cross-cutting issues will now come to the full board as informational/set matters.
  • Sunset Public Safety Community Relations Ad Hoc Committee.
  • Sunset Reparations Ad Hoc Committee; created a new standing committee on reparations (board president to appoint members by September 15, 2026).
  • Extended Alameda Health System Ad Hoc Committee through January 2027.
  • Continued Alameda County Together for All committee, with intention to reevaluate after 2028.
• Boards and Commissions: Supervisors Halbert and Márquez will lead a review to eliminate inactive or non-mandated bodies, with a progress recommendation by December 15, 2026.
• Top Board Priorities Endorsed: The board agreed to focus staff resources on the six top-priority initiatives: homelessness, immigrant affairs, EMS redesign, child welfare, reparations, and AHS (including St. Rose birthing center). Lower-priority initiatives (food security, East County development, ballot communications, Coliseum negotiations, efficiency audit of environmental health, wildfire prevention, etc.) were assigned champions and next steps but are secondary.
• Proclamations/Commendations: The board confirmed its earlier decision to eliminate routine commendations (based on 2025 data showing 70 were issued) to save staff time.
• Future Retreat: The board agreed to hold a full-day retreat in January/February 2027 (date to be set by incoming board president).