Ad hoc committee backs robust reparations budget, urges Board to approve up to $500,000

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors ad hoc committee on reparations voted July 9 to recommend that the full Board approve the Reparations Commission’s Option A budget and advanced a board letter for the July 22 meeting.

Larry McClendon, vice chair of the Reparations Commission, presented a three‑option budget and said the preferred Option A funds a countywide series of listening sessions, consultant‑led data analysis, report writing, and multimedia capture (audio, video, photography). “What you have before you is a budget document… There are 3 options here,” McClendon said, summarizing the robust, midpoint and minimal packages.

The presentation detailed outreach plans that include six in‑person community listening sessions and one or two online sessions, and anticipated library support for online production and technical assistance. Erin Jones, Equitable Libraries Division Director, said the library’s foundation can accept philanthropic gifts and that the library would provide in‑kind staffing and technology for online sessions.

Chair Supervisor Miley read the three budget figures in the packet — Option C $328,610; Option B $389,120; Option A $439,080 — and said he favored Option A. He moved that the committee recommend Option A to the Board with a ceiling of $500,000. Supervisor Marquez seconded the motion; the clerk called the roll and the committee recorded two "Aye" votes and approved the recommendation.

Supervisor Marquez pledged up to $125,000 from her District 2 discretionary funds to support Option A; Supervisor Miley said his office would match that pledge. McClendon told the committee that, if the county makes a substantial commitment, the commission would pursue additional philanthropic contributions to leverage county funds as matching resources.

The committee expects a board letter to accompany the recommendation at the July 22 Board meeting. No additional formal conditions were specified by the committee; staff were asked to coordinate scheduling for listening sessions, clerk staffing, and outreach details with supervisors’ offices and the library.

What’s next: The committee forwarded the recommendation and pledged amounts to the full Board; staff and commission leaders will finalize session dates, eligibility and outreach planning ahead of implementation.