Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Outreach topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public Works reports steady workforce distribution, flags 'other' ethnicity spike and calls for follow-ups
Summary
Public Works Director Daniel Valdezenbet reported a largely steady five-year workforce distribution, highlighted 33% local hiring and roughly 54% minority participation in construction hours, flagged a recent jump in the 'other' ethnicity category that staff will investigate, and agreed to add dollar-value data to future reports.
Daniel Valdezenbet, director of the Alameda County Public Works Agency, presented the agency's biannual workforce and business outreach report for the period covering Sept. 1 through April 30, 2026.
Valdezenbet said the agency recorded that 33% of construction labor hours were performed by local residents, minority participation was about 54%, apprenticeship hours were nearly 11%, and women represented a very small share of construction hours as reported. "Of those, 33% represent local employment, 54% minority participation, about almost 11% apprenticeship opportunities, and, unfortunately, less than 1%, gender representation in terms of women in the construction industry," Valdezenbet said.
He presented five-year trend lines that, he said, show generally flat distributions across most categories but noted an unexplained rise in the "other" ethnicity category—from roughly 10% in 2021 to as high as about 49% in 2024 and stabilizing afterward. Valdezenbet told the committee he did not have a clear explanation and would investigate whether the increase reflects nonresponse, a data-collection change, or an error.
Outreach and contracting outcomes: Valdezenbet highlighted business-outreach activities including the construction contractors academy and multiagency "bid/brief" breakfasts that include partners such as CTAP, the Port of Oakland, BART, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Alameda County Transportation Commission, the Housing Authority of Alameda County and city public-works departments. He said local prime contractors won about 27% of the advertised transportation and flood-control project awards in the period reviewed and that approximately 31% of subcontractors on those projects were local.
Supervisors asked follow-ups: Supervisor Marquez asked whether the report addresses project stabilization agreements and housing bond Measure A1 items; Valdezenbet said those are typically reported by the General Services Agency. Chair Supervisor Miley asked for the dollar values behind the hour-based participation figures; Valdezenbet agreed to add dollar amounts in future presentations. The committee discussed retention and inclusion programs (references to RAMP and the National Association of Minority Contractors) and the practical barriers to hiring locally, such as regional housing costs.
Next steps: staff will add dollar-value data to future Public Works presentations and investigate the spike in the "other" ethnicity category; committee members flagged pursuit of targeted retention and mentorship programs for underrepresented groups.
There were no public speakers on the item, and the committee adjourned following remaining housekeeping items.
