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Nonprofit leaders warn council federal cuts threaten local safety‑net services, urge local investment
Summary
Representatives from food banks, senior services, domestic‑violence shelters and child‑care agencies told the council that federal and state funding reductions are forcing nonprofits to cut services; they urged the city to prioritize local investment to blunt the impacts on residents who rely on social services.
Pleasanton — Dozens of nonprofit leaders and providers addressed the City Council on June 3 during public comment, urging local investment to offset federal and state funding reductions they said threaten core safety‑net services.
Speakers included Martie Sutton (Tri‑Valley Nonprofit Alliance), John Bost (Open Heart Kitchen), Trisha Harris (Hyvely), Laura Calvert (Spectrum Community Services), Christine Dillman (Tri‑Valley Haven) and others who described service reductions tied to funding declines and rising demand. "Cutting social services is a false economy," said John Bost, executive director of Open Heart Kitchen, summarizing the argument that reductions in prevention services shift costs to emergency systems such as police, fire and hospitals.
Nut graf: Nonprofits told the council they are seeing heightened fear among clients as grant and program funding shrinks. They urged the council to consider targeted local investments and to use the city’s advocacy channels to press county and state policymakers for funding stability.
Several speakers provided concrete program examples: Meals on Wheels deliveries to 97 Pleasanton residents, child‑care subsidies enabling parents to work and enroll in school, and the only confidential domestic‑violence shelter in the Tri‑Valley. Speakers asked the city to keep channels open for nonprofit coordination and to consider grants, fee waivers or other local support measures to maintain services.
Council members acknowledged the testimony and noted the budget will return to the council on June 17; staff confirmed community partners will be included in future budget conversations.
Ending: Nonprofit leaders said they would continue to press elected officials at the county and state level while asking Pleasanton to explore local measures to prevent immediate program cuts that they warned would have cascading public costs.
