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Caregivers urge Lake County to raise IHSS wages as contract talks continue

Lake County Board of Supervisors · December 18, 2025
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Summary

Multiple in‑home support services (IHSS) caregivers told the Board of Supervisors the county's latest offer is insufficient, describing emergency expenses and multi‑job households and urging negotiators to return with a livable wage to retain roughly 2,000–2,400 providers who care for seniors and people with disabilities.

Dozens of in‑home care providers pressed the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 16 to increase pay in the county's IHSS contract negotiations, saying the current offer does not cover routine expenses and is driving workers to neighboring counties.

"If you had to do our job at any hour every day, how much would you ask to be paid?" asked Jackie Jordan, an in‑home care provider since 2015, describing the day‑to‑day personal care and emergency calls that caregivers handle. Eleanor Hayes, another IHSS worker, said an $8,800 water‑heater repair and a broken transmission forced her to rely on the bus to reach a 92‑year‑old client.

Speakers highlighted numbers and local scale. SEIU organizer Casey Malone told the board there are "roughly 2,000 of them in this county" and called IHSS the county's largest employer in that labor sector; Vicky Osborne told supervisors she counted "over 2,400 providers in the county." Several caregivers said the county's last proposal — described in testimony as a 45¢ increase in one instance — left many workers earning roughly $17.15 an hour, only slightly above state minimum wage.

Speakers argued that higher wages would stabilize care for vulnerable county residents and boost the local economy by allowing caregivers to spend in nearby small businesses. Siva Jamelle, who has organized around multiple contract cycles, framed the issue as both fiscal and moral: "You ought to be ashamed of yourself," he said, addressing elected officials about the size of the offer.

County staff did not announce a counteroffer during the meeting. Several supervisors acknowledged the providers' concerns and encouraged continued bargaining. Leticia Guerrero, speaking with the providers, asked the board to "negotiate in good faith" and to respond to outreach from caregiver representatives.

The board did not take an immediate vote on wages; public comment closed and the meeting moved on to subsequent agenda items. The next procedural steps for the contract negotiations were not specified in the public record of the Dec. 16 meeting.