Residents Ask Alameda County to Create Office and Dedicated Unincorporated-Area Budget

A coalition of unincorporated-area residents and community organizations urged Alameda County supervisors on July 24 to fund an Office of Unincorporated Communities and to establish a distinct unincorporated-area budget and contracting process.

Members of SLAM, neighborhood associations and community groups — representing “30 unincorporated residents and 15 Alameda County organizations” so far, speakers said — presented the request at the committee’s Unincorporated Services meeting and asked that future budgets and contracts be easier for local residents to track and influence.

"We present equitable budget for unincorporated communities: a request for funding for an office of unincorporated community, budget transparency and agency accountability, and an unincorporated area budget," said Sarah, a Cherryland resident and SLAM member. Raymundo Archuleta, a Castro Valley resident, asked the county to “improve budget transparency via annual agency unincorporated-area reports so that unincorporated-area residents and organizations can better understand, inform, and be involved civically.” Anna Rasquiza of Resources for Community Development introduced the residents and said they will continue to grow their petition.

Why it matters: Speakers argued that countywide budgeting treats the unincorporated communities as if they were indistinguishable from incorporated cities, leaving lower-income people of color and neighborhood groups without clear information on how funds targeted to their areas are spent. Presenters said a dedicated budget and office would help identify gaps in services and direct equity-focused investments into housing, health access, economic stability, education and food security.

County officials acknowledged distinctions between municipal-style services (police, fire, roads, libraries, public works) and countywide safety-net programs (mental health and public assistance) and pledged follow-up. "The unincorporated area also has access to other countywide services provided by all departments..., but this chapter really focuses solely on the municipal services provided by the community development agency, the library, fire, public works, and the sheriff's department," Peilin Chen of the County Administrator’s Office said in a budget overview earlier in the meeting.

Chair Supervisor Miley and Supervisor Tam said they would direct staff to research models used by other counties, examine options for a stand‑alone unincorporated budget or a special-budget designation, and report back. "We'll begin a process of having our offices work with the county administrator to research what models are out there in the counties across the country that look to deal with unincorporated areas," Supervisor Miley said.

What was asked: Presenters and callers asked for (1) an Office of Unincorporated Communities to improve accountability, (2) annual agency reports that attribute spending to unincorporated-area impacts, (3) an unincorporated-area budget funded from the County General Fund, and (4) an unincorporated contracting stream to help smaller local organizations compete for county contracts.

Next steps: Supervisors said staff will examine comparable county models and return with options, consider stronger MAC (municipal advisory council) representation on the county budget committee, and ask county-funded community-based organizations to report on the services they deliver to unincorporated areas. The committee did not vote on a policy at the July 24 meeting.

Sources: Community presenters (Anna Rasquiza; Sarah; Raymundo Archuleta), County Administrator's Office (Peilin Chen), Supervisor Miley and Supervisor Tam.

Ending: Supervisors acknowledged the presentations and public comments and said they will pursue follow-up research and community reporting; the committee set no immediate action but indicated staff would return with proposals later in the year.