After vowing to make future budgetary processes more transparent and open to public input, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Thursday unanimously approved a $5.1 billion budget for fiscal year 2025-26.
The decision closes an estimated $106 million funding gap by eliminating vacant jobs, increasing the use of prior years’ savings and factoring in new revenue, according to budget documents posted online by the county administrator’s office.
“Your board continues to demonstrate financial and strategic leadership as we face the prospect of a looming economic downturn,” said County Administrator Susan Muranishi.
Muranishi said the budget was crafted in an effort to anticipate possible reductions from federal and state funding sources, which together account for about 60 percent of the county’s revenue.
It also anticipates the implementation of Measure W, a 10-year, $1.9 billion sales tax for safety net programs, and Measure C, a 20-year sales tax that will provide $150 million annually for early childhood care and education.
Both had been held up until recently due to legal challenges from a taxpayer’s group.
Muranishi said the final budget avoids both layoffs and cuts to services.
“Your board continues to demonstrate financial and strategic leadership as we face the prospect of a looming economic downturn.” County Administrator Susan Muranishi
The budget includes $1.8 billion in salary and benefits for nearly 10,500 county employees, about $1 billion for direct client services from more than 270 community-based providers, $800 million for behavioral health care, $200 million for housing and homelessness services and $380 million for direct municipal services for unincorporated areas, among other things.
Prior to the vote, several members of the public told supervisors that they were disappointed by the lack of opportunities for input into the budget, inconvenient meeting times when most people were at work, and insufficient time to review the 500-page budget document.
Many cited an open letter from Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas which, in addition to enumerating her budget priorities, urged the board to adjust the budget process to give people more information, more time and more chances to weigh in prior to the board’s final vote.
“As stewards of our public resources and social safety net, it is important to ensure that our board, Alameda County stakeholders, and members of the public receive timely information and have ample opportunity to meaningfully participate in our annual budget process,” Bas wrote.
Her colleagues on the dais all voiced support for increased public participation during future budget discussions.