About 50 demonstrators gathered in front of the Alameda County Administration Building in Oakland on Thursday to demand additional funding for Care First, Jails Last policies that were approved two years ago by the board of supervisors.
The demonstrators, representing the Coalition of Community Care, asked for a budget allocation of nearly $130 million to expand affordable housing, increase mental health support, and increase diversions from incarceration into community-based care solutions.
“The Care First budget demands are specifically designed to support the people at the intersection of mental health issues, poverty, and jail and incarceration,” said Kari Malkki, Healing Justice Program Manager for Restore Oakland, one of the coalition members. “With those investments…we would actually have a county where all of us are supported, housed, and healthy, and that’s what we’re fighting for today.”
The Care First, Jails Last policy aimed to “Reduce the number of people with mental illness, substance use and co-occurring disorders in our jail,” according to the resolution.
The policy is made up of 58 specific recommendations that were developed by a task force after the Board of Supervisors requested a study in 2021. The board unanimously adopted those recommendations in 2024.
Malkki noted that the coalition is demanding that the board allocate $125 million toward rental subsidies and $5 million annually to staff the Mental Health Diversion Court, to increase court capacity to safely divert residents with behavioral needs. Another $2 million is needed to support the Supported Housing Community Land Alliance, to develop a Licensed Board & Care housing to create stable low-cost housing for the patients in highest need, Malkki said.
In a progress update from last October, the county was able to demonstrate some progress on specific points, including a $170 million allocation of funding toward Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) grants to build treatment facilities throughout the county, estimated to be complete by 2029.
In addition, the report highlighted the expansion of diversion programs to keep people with behavioral issues out of jail, allocating $3 million in funds to a court-based diversion fund, estimated to serve 2,000 individuals annually. However, significant challenges remain with agency coordination, staffing, and data collection, according to the report.
On May 30, Alameda County’s board of supervisors was presented with a $6.7 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 2026-2027 that allocates about 80% of the budget toward healthcare services, public safety and public assistance.
“With those investments…we would actually have a county where all of us are supported, housed, and healthy, and that’s what we’re fighting for today.”
Kari Malkki, one of the coalition members
Funds from Measure W, a .05 percent countywide sales tax passed by voters in 2020 for homelessness solutions and social safety net services, are just starting to incorporate after the county won a lengthy lawsuit that questioned the tax’s legality.
One of the demonstrators, John Lindsay-Poland, co-director of the California Healing Justice Program under the AFSC believes the money for the coalition’s demands already exists in the budget, but to get it done, it requires higher prioritization and increased transparency.
“There’s $97 million [in Measure W funds] that is going to go towards housing subsidies… but it’s not really directed in a way where we can say, look, we can see that’s going to the population that most needs it,” said Lindsay-Poland.
The board of supervisors will begin discussions and adjustments to the budget on Monday, with additional meetings slated for June 23 and June 25.
