Alameda County Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting - October 21, 2026

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors convened its regular meeting. The agenda and transcript identify the meeting date as Tuesday, October 20, 2026, while the official meeting metadata used for this summary records it as October 21, 2026; this discrepancy is noted rather than resolved. Vice President Supervisor Tam presided, with Supervisors Miley and Fortunato Bas present. Supervisor Marquez was initially excused and arrived during closed session at 11:30 AM; President Haubert was excused. The board approved the consent calendar, a mass motion covering items 2-22 and 26-48, and three salary and benefit ordinance items (23, 24, and 25), and adjourned in memory of three community members. All votes were 4-0, with President Haubert excused.

Board Remarks

• Supervisor Fortunato Bas shared a statement from ACILEP (Alameda County Immigrant Legal and Education Partnership) condemning the violent manner of two ICE arrests of Alameda County residents the prior weekend - one Friday afternoon in Emeryville and one near San Antonio Park in Oakland. Both individuals were injured and hospitalized and have requested privacy. She stated that, according to Alameda Health System, the county's ICE-free zones policy was not violated, ICE had a legal warrant, and county spaces were not used for staging; she encouraged reporting unwarranted ICE activity to the Attorney General. She also reported on the October 8 Alameda County Together for All ad hoc committee meeting, which included an update from the Alameda County Food Sovereignty Roundtable and an Electronic Frontier Foundation presentation on network surveillance, and urged protections for privacy and civil liberties.
• Supervisor Tam reported that her office's emergency preparedness event in Alameda registered more than 400 residents, distributed over 200 emergency backpacks, and featured more than 20 community organizations and resource booths, ahead of the governor's state of emergency declaration related to upcoming El Niño storms.
• Supervisor Miley marked the anniversary of the Oakland Hills Firestorm, recalling 25 lives lost and 3,000 homes destroyed, and stressed the need for continued vigilance on disaster preparedness and recovery.

Closed Session

The board recessed into closed session for conferences on labor negotiations; potential litigation (initiation of five cases and significant exposure in four cases); existing litigation, including Esther Goolsby et al. v. County of Alameda (Case No. 21cv002126) and Lavender v. County of Alameda (Case No. 24cv071750); and real property negotiations regarding the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and Arena Complex with Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, and the City of Oakland. County Counsel reported no reportable action taken in closed session upon reconvening. Supervisor Marquez noted for the record that she arrived at closed session at 11:30 AM.

Consent Calendar

• The board unanimously approved the consent calendar (items 49-50): approval of minutes from the special meetings of June 10, 2025 and October 28, 2025 and the regular meeting of October 6, 2026; and acceptance of the resignation of Mia Cooper Kahn from the Alameda County Behavioral Health Advisory Board.

Public Comments & Testimony

• On closed-session items, Samuel Raimi spoke about the housing crisis, urging that housing be built, and made critical remarks about county corruption.
• On agenda items, Simeu (Samuel) Raimi, with the homeless union, said homelessness 'is getting worse' and called for continued struggle for change.
• Brittany Frederickson, spouse of an Alameda County deputy sheriff at the Coroner's Bureau currently serving on active duty, expressed support for extending military leave benefits under item 25 to include Operation Epic Fury and Operation Project Freedom, but argued that the outdated 2001 language governing how benefits are calculated undermines that intent. She stated the county treats temporary, non-taxable military allowances such as basic allowance for housing and hazard pay as base salary, which strips away supplemental pay and health care benefits; noted that under the current policy her family would retain county benefits only if they vacated their home and relocated to a military installation; stated neighboring counties including San Francisco and Contra Costa already exclude these allowances; and argued the policy harms deputy retention and morale. She also noted her husband has recruited more than 60 local soldiers to work for Alameda County.
• On non-agenda items, Jorge KJ Hernandez spoke in memory of Mac Kenneth Frasier (known as Lawrence), a longtime presence outside the County Administration Building who recently passed away, reading a statement from his family and noting a small memorial attended by county employees the prior Wednesday.

Discussion Items

The mass motion (items 2-22 and 26-48), which also included items considered in the board's capacity as the Board of Directors of the Alameda County Fire Department and the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, was moved by Supervisor Marquez and seconded by Supervisor Miley. Questions and comments preceded the vote:

• Item 4 (contract amendment with Streamline Healthcare Solutions, LLC for the SmartCare Platform): Supervisor Marquez asked about employee and community-based organization (CBO) training during the transition from SmartCare to Epic. Alameda County Health Director Zanika Chowdhury responded that the Epic kickoff occurred a couple of months ago, with layered training and certification, including Epic University, virtual and on-site options, and dedicated in-house trainers; CBOs will receive required training and have designated county contacts. Go-live is planned for July 2027, with public health, behavioral health, and the Sheriff's Office going live together because a phased approach costs more. The timeline is tied to the Sheriff's Office RFP for the Santa Rita jail health provider, which GSA confirmed is posted on its procurement landing page. The amendment extends the contract term through 9/30/29 and increases the amount by $3,493,709, from $6,397,347 to $9,891,056.
• Item 12 ($100,000 California Office of Traffic Safety grant to the Public Health Department Nutrition Services Program): Supervisor Miley, stating he was not opposed to the item, requested West Oakland crash and injury statistics and asked about similar grant opportunities for unincorporated communities. Staff stated the data was not immediately available and committed to follow up on the data and to reach back to the Office of Traffic Safety about other opportunities. Miley requested pedestrian and bike safety data for West Oakland, the unincorporated area, and other parts of the county.
• Item 46 (behavioral health services agreement with Restoration Family Counseling Center, Inc. for the Fire Department, $99,082): Fire Chief McDonald explained the county's relationship with the provider since 2024, when it provided emergency counseling after firefighters were burned in a significant fire, and stated the extension maintains continuity with mental health professionals skilled in working with public safety personnel. He confirmed utilization is tracked and the department intends to run an RFP for services next year. Supervisor Marquez expressed support for the services and referenced the recent line-of-duty death of Hayward firefighter Travis Foster, urging personnel to use available behavioral health supports. Items 47 and 48 (San Leandro Training Facility demolition and the Ward Creek Cooperative Agreement with the City of Hayward) drew no separate discussion.

Ordinances

• Item 23 - Second reading, waived: The board unanimously adopted Salary Ordinance amendments increasing salaries by 5% effective 10/11/26 for classifications represented by the Deputy Sheriffs' Association of Alameda County (DSA), the Alameda County Management Employees Association (ACMEA) Sheriff's Sworn Unit, ACMEA Units R51 and R53, and ACMEA General Government Unit R48, and for related unrepresented classifications including Deputy Sheriff - Services-As-Needed, Sheriff's Sworn Executive Management, and District Attorney's Office classifications; and increasing from six to twelve the number of Deputy District Attorneys eligible for an additional 2.5% of base pay when assigned Team Leader functions, effective 10/25/26. The item was continued from the October 6, 2026 meeting.
• Item 24 - First reading, waived: The board unanimously introduced the FY 2026-2027 County of Alameda Salary Ordinance.
• Item 25 - First reading, waived: The board unanimously introduced Ordinance and Administrative Code amendments to (A) extend Military Time Bank Program eligibility to include Operation Epic Fury and Operation Project Freedom; (B) increase the County Allowance to $3,700 effective Plan Year 2027 for unrepresented M-designated classifications; and (C) increase the dental maximum to $2,000 effective Plan Year 2027 for unrepresented M-designated classifications.

Key Outcomes

• All votes were 4-0 (Supervisors Marquez, Miley, Fortunato Bas, and Tam voting aye; President Haubert excused).
• The consent calendar (items 49-50) and the mass motion (items 2-22 and 26-48) were approved unanimously; out-of-state travel items (51-56) were listed for information only.
• Item 23 was adopted on second reading; items 24 and 25 were introduced on first reading; all three passed unanimously with the full readings waived.
• No reportable action was taken in closed session.
• The board adjourned in memory of Mac Kenneth Frasier (known as Lawrence), a former administrative mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and Fremont High School teacher who was a longtime presence outside the administration building; Lois Pryor, an Alameda civil rights and fair housing advocate who died at age 96; and Kathy Jin, who coordinated the children's program at the Lincoln Square Recreation Center in Oakland's Chinatown and supported Chinatown residents during COVID-19. Supervisor Tam noted that Asian Health Services and Lincoln Explorer parents have stepped up to offer grief counseling.