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Faith and community leaders urge oversight, local hiring after Props A and B
Summary
COPS Metro leaders and faith representatives urged the commissioners to create a 20-member community benefits oversight committee to ensure local hiring, living wages and accountability for projects tied to recent ballot propositions.
Representatives of COPS Metro and faith groups told the commissioners they welcome the voter turnout on propositions A and B but want strong county oversight to ensure promised benefits reach neighborhood residents. Father Dennis Schafer, pastor of Mission San Jose Church and a COPS Metro leader, and Bernice Barrett, also speaking for COPS Metro and Holy Spirit Sisters on the East Side, asked the court to create a community benefits oversight committee with four representatives from each commissioner district plus the judge's office.
"There must be accountability this time," Barrett told the court, urging prioritization of local contractors, living wages and investments in neighborhood infrastructure such as flood control, schools and workforce development. Commenters said they want clear public engagement in negotiations over community benefit agreements and a county process that mirrors what they have heard from the city.
