Alameda County Public Protection Committee Meeting – October 30, 2026

The Public Protection Committee met on October 30, 2026, with Chair Elisa Márquez and Supervisor Nate Miley present. The agenda covered an update on the CARES Navigation Center, the 2025–2026 Annual Military Equipment Report, and a proposed resolution urging the Governor to commute all California death sentences. Note: The agenda and transcript identify the meeting date as October 22, 2026, while the provided metadata states October 30, 2026; this summary uses the metadata date.

Public Comments & Testimony

• On Item 1 (CARES), Richard Spiegelman, chair of the Interfaith Coalition for Justice in Our Jails, said the program had a difficult start but appeared to be improving; he expressed concern about its cost relative to pretrial services and asked CARES to define 'recidivism' and the period it covers.
• Shamima Abdullah, speaking as a provider and community member associated with Bayer Community Services, described the pretrial expansion program’s success in connecting people to housing and treatment and urged supervisors to preserve it; the chair ruled that topic was more appropriate for general public comment under Item 4.
• Danielle Drake, executive director of Hella Help, shared personal experience with homelessness, foster care, and being shot in 2025, and asked supervisors to weigh community-wide benefits of services.
• On Item 2 (military equipment), multiple speakers urged the Sheriff’s Office to ban or eliminate scattershot/multi-projectile munitions. Richard Spiegelman asked about special precautions for minors, elderly people, and pregnant people. Madeline Stacy cited AB 481’s requirements, noted the increase in glass-breaking munitions from 24 to 70, and said the absence of formal complaints did not mean there were no concerns. John Lindsay Pollen called for elimination of DefTech 6064, stating the Sheriff’s Office possessed 340 rubber-baton multi-projectile munitions, up from 43. Myrna Schwartz credited sheriff engagement but said no policy explicitly prohibited firing such munitions at people with mental illness, minors, or non-English speakers. Bob Britton, speaking for ICJ/Faith in Action East Bay, noted an increase from 125 to 410 scattershot munitions and from 43 to 340 rubber-baton rounds, and cited opposition from Amnesty International and the UN Special Rapporteur. Ariana detailed other available munitions and asked the Sheriff’s Office to reduce scattershot inventory to zero and adopt a specific use policy. Kari Malki of Restore Oakland argued the county should not invest in deadly weapons during a budget crunch. William Sands, a photojournalist and founder of Shot in the Eye Squad, testified that a 'less lethal' projectile cost him 75% of the vision in his right eye in 2020. Scott Mason of the Omega Research Foundation said multi-projectile ammunition is inherently inaccurate and indiscriminate and fails UN accuracy guidance.
• No testimony is captured in the transcript for Item 3 or for the general public comment period (Item 4).

Discussion Items

• Item 1: CARES Navigation Center Update. L.D. Louis, Assistant District Attorney, presented. CARES (Community Assessment Referral and Engagement Services) is a point-of-arrest diversion program launched in Oakland in February 2021 and expanded to Hayward; it is open seven days a week, 12 hours a day, with two locations and two mobile teams, and has served nearly 500 clients since 2021. Eligibility is limited to low-level misdemeanor/wobbler offenses, excluding registrable sex offenses, domestic violence, DUI, and felony/non-sitable warrants. Clients receive respite, peer support, clinician assessments, multidisciplinary review, risk reduction plans, and connection to services. Partners include La Familia (Hayward) and Uncuff Project (Oakland). Reported cohort 2 recidivism was 7%, compared with a countywide recidivism rate of about 25%. The program is 100% grant-funded; the current grant expires March 2028, and the presenter requested Board support for future funding.
• Item 2: Military Equipment Report. Lt. Gustavo Mora presented the AB 481–required 2025–2026 annual report covering September 1, 2025 to August 31, 2026. Key statistics include 1,201 equipment uses (1,032 drone uses), 6,825 employee training hours, $62,096 in outside training costs, and no complaints or policy violations. Equipment purchases totaled $85,656.08, reduced to a net $69,656 after a $16,000 reimbursement. The department removed FN303 launchers and associated projectiles, is removing DefTech 1087 munitions, and proposes reducing approved drone quantities from 258 to 97 (possessing 92), with a proposed acquisition of 122 drones, 50 rifles, and 500 projectiles. The VXR shatter is requested as a glass-breaking replacement munition; the lieutenant stated it is not intended for use on people. A community meeting was held October 12 at Cherryland Community Center, with 2 attendees in person, 6 watching live, and 115 watching the recording. He also reported that 53% of drone activity was in response to calls, 47% was planned operations, 263 drone flights supported search warrants, and routine drone video is retained for 60 days. The lieutenant answered community questions on drone video retention, race tracking, search warrants, and DFR calls.
• Item 3: Resolution on Commuting Death Sentences. The agenda listed this action item, with Brenda Gomez as presenter, but the provided transcript does not include discussion, public comment, or a vote on this item.

Key Outcomes

• The CARES update was informational; no vote was taken. Supervisor Miley said he supports the program but raised the need to identify $650,000 for the final quarter of FY 2027–28 and to plan for sustainability beyond March 2028.
• The Committee voted unanimously (Supervisor Miley yes; Supervisor Márquez aye) to advance the Military Equipment Report to the full Board of Supervisors on November 17, 2026, as a set matter. The motion included adding public questions raised at the meeting and beginning a separate conversation with the Sheriff’s Office about possible use-of-force policy for certain equipment.
• Supervisor Miley requested a breakdown of the 1,201 equipment uses by unincorporated area, jail, and mutual aid for the Board report.
• No action is recorded for the death penalty resolution in the provided transcript.
• The next Public Protection Committee meeting was announced for Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.