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Alameda supervisors approve $3.5M one‑time package to bolster immigrant and refugee services
Summary
The Board approved a $3.5 million, one‑time emergency package to fund a rapid‑response hotline, know‑your‑rights trainings and preemptive legal services for immigrant and refugee communities; funds include $2.2M for community providers and a public‑defender staffing augmentation. The board required Social Services to manage community contracts and asked for quarterly reporting.
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted to authorize a one‑time emergency package to support immigrant and refugee services, approving a plan the board’s ad hoc committee recommended on Feb. 18.
The action authorizes $2.2 million in one‑time community contracts and directs the County Administrator to include up to $1.3 million in public‑safety funding in the proposed FY 2025–26 budget to augment staffing for the Public Defender’s Immigration Unit. The board also approved a current‑year increase of up to $80,000 to immediately boost the unit’s capacity.
Supervisor Nikki Fortunato De‑Bassi (mover of the measure) said the allocation is intended to be a partnership between county agencies and community organizations and described the funding as “complementary” to outreach and engagement services. The motion calls for Social Services to waive competitive bidding and bring three contracts to the board for a one‑year term (03/12/2025–03/11/2026): Centro La Raza ($700,000) for a rapid‑response hotline and community coordination; Trabajadores Unidos/Workers United ($500,000) for community resourcing and training; and the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice ($1,000,000) for due‑process legal services.
Community advocates and legal services providers packed the boardroom and logged extensive online testimony, urging immediate action. “Time is of the essence,” said Lisa Knox, executive director of the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, who described coalition partners ready to scale removal‑defense work and outreach. Speakers representing worker groups, faith organizations and legal clinics said local resources are urgently needed in the face of recent federal policy changes.
Some public commenters opposed using county funds for people without lawful status. In response to concerns about federal funding risks, county staff said the proposed one‑time allocations are drawn from unspent budgeted items and vacancy savings; staff pledged to monitor state and federal funding flows and return to the board if conditions change. Supervisors also asked that quarterly reports be provided to the ad hoc “AC Together for All” committee and that the contractor scope include linguistically and culturally competent outreach for AAPI and Afghan communities.
The motion passed on a roll‑call vote. The board recorded the allocations, required contracting and set reporting expectations; Social Services will prepare the contracts for board consideration at the March 11 meeting.
