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IHSS providers tell Solano County supervisors wages must rise to retain caregivers
Summary
Multiple IHSS providers told the Solano County Board of Supervisors that current wages make it difficult to retain caregivers, describing personal hardships and claiming a county contribution would leverage state and federal funds; speakers urged the board to increase IHSS pay during a special meeting public‑comment period.
Public commenters at a Solano County Board of Supervisors special meeting urged supervisors to increase wages for In‑Home Supportive Services (IHSS) providers, saying low pay is driving caregivers away and threatening care for vulnerable residents.
"Caregiving is an honorable responsibility, but our current wage does not reflect the value of our work and makes it hard for us to retain caregivers," said Mar Angeles, an IHSS provider for her son Joshua and speaking on behalf of SEIU and IHSS providers. Angeles described providing 24/7 care for a 22‑year‑old with autism level 2 and warned that low pay would make it difficult to find future caregivers.
Other providers echoed that account. "We can't afford to the same things with $17.70 an hour that we could a year ago," said Eloise Wright, who described training to operate medical devices such as a Dexcom and the rising household costs that strain caregivers. Minerva Chavez, a member of a bargaining team, said the IHSS program serves more than 7,000 families in Solano County and argued that county investment would be offset by state and federal funds: "Every $1 you all choose to contribute to caregiver wages brings 86¢ back to Solano County from state and federal funding sources," Chavez said, adding the union proposal would bring "more than $14,600,000 in state and federal funding over the next 3 years."
Speakers also described personal struggles tied to low pay: Elizabeth Cruz said she sometimes needs food banks and asked supervisors to consider the strain on single‑parent caregivers. Carl Vincent, a former caregiver and member of the Solano County IHSS Public Authority Advisory Committee, criticized the size of recent proposed increases and urged the board to take stronger action to avoid a caregiver shortage across the county's seven cities.
The public comment period focused on wage and staffing concerns ahead of closed‑session labor negotiations the board scheduled to handle in private. The comments did not include a formal board response or vote on wages during the public meeting.
