IHSS providers urge Solano County supervisors to raise wages to retain caregivers

At a special meeting of the Solano County Board of Supervisors, multiple In-Home Supportive Services providers urged supervisors to increase the IHSS hourly wage to help retain caregivers and keep recipients in their homes.

The appeals came during the public comment period when IHSS providers described heavy caregiving responsibilities, rising household costs and the risk that low pay will force providers to leave Solano County. "Caregiving is an honorable responsibility, but our current wage does not reflect the value of our work and makes it hard for us to retain caregivers," said Mar Angeles, an IHSS provider for her son.

The providers described specialized and round-the-clock care. "My son has a diagnosis of autism level 2 ... I am a 24/7 IHSS provider for him," Mar Angeles said, describing times she stopped outside work to provide full-time care. Eloise Wright, an IHSS worker who moved her brother from another county, said the wage has not kept pace with inflation: "We can't afford to the same things with $17.70 an hour that we could a year ago." Wright also noted rising utility costs after a recent PG&E rate increase.

Minerva Chavez, an IHSS provider and member of her union bargaining team, framed the wage request as both a social-service and fiscal issue. Chavez said funding county contributions to wage increases would leverage state and federal dollars and cited a union estimate that a proposal could bring "more than $14,600,000 in state and federal funding over the next 3 years." Chavez also said "Every $1 you all choose to contribute to caregiver wages brings 86¢ back to Solano County from state and federal funding sources." She urged the supervisors to raise wages in the next union contract to prevent a caregiver shortage that would force recipients into more costly institutional care.

Other speakers shared personal hardship and caregiving details. Elizabeth Cruz described supporting family members with cerebral palsy and said she sometimes needs food banks to feed her children. Carl Vincent (recorded variously as Carl Vinson/Vincent), a former caregiver and member of the county IHSS Public Authority advisory committee, said caregivers have seen only small increases in recent years and criticized a proposed 50¢ raise as insufficient: "I'm tired of begging and asking. We got to start taking charge and see what we can do for our people in this community."

The public record at the meeting also shows that supervisors John James and Wanda Williams were excused at roll call; Supervisors Brown and Vasquez and Chair Mitch Mashburn were present. After public comment the board moved into closed session to address litigation and labor negotiations under Government Code sections 54956.9(d)(4) (initiation of litigation) and 54957.6 (conference with labor negotiators).

No formal wage decision or vote on IHSS funding was reported at the meeting. The matters related to labor negotiations were scheduled for closed session, where the board indicated it would discuss county representatives and employee organizations listed on the agenda.