Public speakers urge Alameda County supervisors to renew tenant legal-aid funding as evictions surge

Public comment at the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 26 centered on an urgent plea to renew funding for the Alameda County Housing Secure program, a legal-aid network that provides eviction prevention and emergency financial assistance.

Speakers including Mariana Estrada of the Unity Council and Samantha Beckett, directing attorney of Centro Legal de la Raza, told supervisors that demand for tenant legal services has spiked and said a delayed vote could force the program to pause. "We learned last week from the Alameda County Superior Court eviction court judge that the county is set to hit 6,400 evictions this year," Beckett said, citing court figures and recent intake volumes. "There's no end in sight."

Why it matters: Speakers stressed that free legal representation and rapid rental-assistance referrals can prevent homelessness, reduce county costs and stabilize neighborhoods. Joey Flagle Mishlove of East Bay Housing Organizations described the program as an "upstream investment," arguing that the cost of legal prevention is far lower than the fiscal and human costs of homelessness.

Multiple organizations described heavy recent demand and concrete outcomes. Hector DeGregory, housing-access coordinator at the Unity Council, said the program assisted dozens of residents in recent months and urged supervisors not to let the contract lapse. Monique Berlanga, executive director of Centro Legal, outlined how eviction cases move within three- to five-day windows and said that, without timely legal help, many tenants effectively have no opportunity to mount a defense.

Supporters asked the board to act quickly to avoid service interruption. Several speakers also used their time to urge the board to move forward on an unrelated Coliseum disposition assignment, saying the project would bring jobs and investment to East Oakland.

The public-comment record at this meeting did not include a formal vote on item 35 in the transcript excerpt provided. After public comment, the meeting proceeded to scheduled 11:00 set matters and the sheriff's military-equipment presentation.

What to watch next: The housing providers said the program depends on county funding to keep attorneys, paralegals and outreach staff working and to provide emergency financial assistance. If supervisors take the renewal up for a vote at a subsequent hearing, the board's action will determine whether the county preserves the network that many speakers said has helped thousands of callers this year.