County consultants flag Prop 36 funding gap as Legislature begins budget subcommittee hearings

Amy Costa of Full Moon Strategies updated Alameda County’s Personnel Administration and Legislation Committee on state legislative activity, saying the Legislature is deep into budget subcommittee hearings and several of the governor’s proposed budget items are now eligible for committee review.

"Committee members largely recognize that Prop 36 was passed by voters overwhelmingly, and that the legislature understands that it needs to be funded in order for it to be successful," Amy Costa said, summarizing a recent joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Safety and the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Proposition 36.

Costa identified several implementation concerns raised in hearings, including cost implications for counties, inconsistent implementation across counties, and workforce needs. She said the governor’s budget did not include funding details for implementing Prop 36 and that local–state partnership will be critical for the measure to succeed.

Committee members asked about SBXX12 (the recently passed special-session measure referenced in a supervisor’s advocacy letter) and how funding for immigrant legal services would be distributed. Costa said distribution details are not yet available and that prior grant rounds generally allocated funds by region and required community-based organizations to have been providing legal assistance for at least three years to be eligible.

The committee did not take a vote on the state items and accepted the update. Costa said the office will circulate more detailed notes and a hearing list following the meeting.