Supervisors pledge toward Russell City redress fund; committee recommends $400,000 from District 2

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors ad hoc committee on reparations voted July 9 to recommend that the full Board advance a District 2 contribution of $400,000 to the Russell City Redress Fund, a City of Hayward‑led effort to provide redress to surviving Russell City residents and their descendants.

Supervisor Marquez framed Russell City as a historical injustice, recounting a timeline that committee members said includes a 1946 residential construction freeze, 1950s denials of sanitation and building permits, a 1964 plan to build an industrial park and annexation into Hayward, and the eventual bulldozing of the community by 1966. "It is imperative that we acknowledge the role that both the Hayward City Council and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors played in enabling these injustices," Marquez said.

Marquez publicly pledged $400,000 from District 2 discretionary funds to the Russell City Redress Fund and said she would work with the City of Hayward, philanthropy and local businesses to reach a larger goal. Supervisor Miley said his office would commit $250,000 from District 1, and the committee noted that the City of Hayward has identified $250,000; together, those pledges bring current public commitments to $900,000 toward a stated $1,000,000 goal.

Public commenters with personal or family ties to Russell City urged prompt action for elders and descendants. Deborah Harris, who identified herself as raised in Russell City and a steering‑committee member, asked whether redress would be direct payments or other forms of recognition and urged urgency because community elders are aging: "We have names. We did the steering, we did the survey twice... it should be done soon because everybody is up there in age." Angela Andrews, a Hayward City Council member, and Cindy Torres, a descendant, voiced support and emphasized partnership between Hayward and Alameda County.

Marquez said the City of Hayward will work with a foundation to design eligibility criteria and distribution for redress payments; county funds would augment the city‑led fund. The committee moved and approved forwarding a board letter that documents county pledges and requests Board authorization at the July 22 meeting.

What’s next: The committee will forward the recommendation to the full Board for consideration on July 22; Marquez and Miley said they will continue outreach to other supervisors, philanthropic partners and local businesses to reach or exceed the $1,000,000 target.