Alameda County ad hoc committee backs SB 48, highlights local resources to protect students

Supervisor Fortunato Bass convened the Alameda County Together for All Ad Hoc Committee for a meeting focused on education, where state and local officials urged clarity for families and endorsed SB 48, a bill that would bar ICE agents from most school campuses without a judicial warrant.

At the outset, Bass said the committee is "focused on coordinating a proactive response to protect, support, and uplift our communities that are impacted by federal policies and budgets" and warned of a "chilling effect" from federal executive actions that is causing fear and uncertainty for students and families.

Emily Bach Da Silva, director of policy at CJ Lake, briefed supervisors on a series of recent federal steps, saying, "on March 20, President Trump issued an executive order ... directing Secretary McMahon to take all necessary steps to close the department of education," and noting multiple related executive orders and "dear colleague" letters affecting guidance on DEI, school choice and civil rights. She also reported the Department of Education initiated a reduction in force on March 11 that affected about 50% of its more than 4,000 staff, noting such changes could slow program administration if staffing is reduced.

Dr. Ingrid Linnaeus Roberson, Chief Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction at the California Department of Education, described the state's response and the new SB 48 proposal. Roberson said federal executive orders and memos do not themselves change law and described SB 48 as aiming to "prevent access for ICE agents on our school campus unless they have a Judicial Warrant," and to limit staff disclosure of student records to ICE without that warrant. She framed the measure as protecting the learning environment and students' sense of safety and belonging.

Dr. Nicole Pierce Davis, chief of whole child programs at the Alameda County Office of Education, said ACOE is rolling out multilingual family-preparedness materials (English, Spanish and Chinese), hotlines and referral resources, and coordination with community groups. "We can't create a culture of innovation and fear," she said, urging schools to remain focused on services; she noted federal funding represents only about 5% of ACOE's budget and roughly 6.8% for local school districts after emergency ESSER funds, cautioning that districts rely more on those federal streams.

Jennifer Brohard, president of the Oakland Unified School District Board, emphasized district priorities should funding shift, naming IDEA funding for students with disabilities, Title III, and child nutrition as critical items to preserve. She highlighted programs for newcomer students and local teacher pipelines that the district is working to sustain.

Chair Bass reviewed recent committee actions and next steps: he noted a prior $3.5 million county allocation to bolster the public defender's immigration unit and to fund anchor community organizations for rapid response and legal assistance; he said he will bring a formal recommendation to the Powell committee for Alameda County to go on record supporting SB 48. Bass also announced community events to help families, including a privacy and immigration resource fair in Oakland and immigrant-rights trainings.

No members of the public registered to speak during the meeting's public-comment period. The committee adjourned after the presentations and discussion.