We organize to defund Alameda County's jail and criminal legal system, and build power towards provisioning life-affirming resources like permanent supportive housing, community-based mental health care, living wage jobs for care workers, and more.

Each year we work with various community partners, advocacy groups, and directly-impacted folks to generate a detailed Budget Agenda which we push our County Supervisors to adopt. We also host annual budget townhalls and trainings to ensure our neighbors have a better understanding of the hugely important (and intentionally confusing) County budget process.  

To learn more about the policy language used, click below to view budget terminology and acronyms. 

2025-2026 Budget Organizing: Securing $1.4 Billion for Housing
During this budget season we centralized our organizing around the following demands: 
  1. Democratize the county budget and make it more transparent by: reporting on all funds available for Care First Recommendations, county reserves and sheriff overtime and unfilled positions.
  2. 2. All $650M Measure W funds for housing & support for the most vulnerable populations, this should include at least: including: $77M per year toward deep rental subsidies, $203.7M to increase availability of Permanent Supportive Housing, $87.5M toward Licensed Board & Cares, $121M to increase staffing/operational costs. ​
​Campaign Win Highlight: In Collaboration with the Real People’s Organizing Collective, East Bay Housing Organizations, and POOR Magazine, we strengthened our organizing for permanent supportive housing and other high-support, evidenced based housing interventions for the most vulnerable populations. 

Together we mobilized hundreds of residents to the county chambers and a community press Conference where we demanded the Board of Supervisors to allocate at least 90% of Measure W funding towards homelessness solutions. As a result, we won $1.4 billion in Measure W funding. We made history by getting the Supervisors to unanimously approve the largest investment towards addressing homelessness Alameda County has ever made. ​​

2023-2024 Budget Organizing: $171M in Investments
During this budget season we centralized our organizing around the following demands: 
  1. Create public accounting of unspent funds in Santa Rita Jail.
  2. Create transparency around the County’s reserves.
  3. Increase Alameda County advocacy to the California and federal governments for legislation that expands funds, especially for flexible funds that can be used to serve multiple populations, and for types of supportive housing and services that have been difficult to fund.
  4. Create a budget report on how the funds mandated by the Babu settlement have been allocated and spent, and the status of implementation of the settlement’s terms.
  5. Create transparency of Alameda County’s unspent state realignment funds designated for Medi-Cal services. 
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​To learn more, check out our 2023-2024 budget platform and full list of demands to the right. 

2022-2023 Budget Organizing: $171 in Investments
During this budget season we centralized our organizing around the following demands: 
  1. Invest $17 million to maintain current level of care
  2. Invest 80 M of County funds towards supportive housing programs and services
  3. Invest $25.5 million to double the number of people served by full service partnerships
  4. Invest $43 million to fully fund Alameda County Behavioral Health Department's countywide forensic plan
  5. Create public accounting of unspent funds in Santa Rita Jail.
  6. Create transparency around the County’s reserves.
  7. Increase Alameda County advocacy to the California and federal governments for legislation that expands funds, especially for flexible funds that can be used to serve multiple populations, and for types of supportive housing and services that have been difficult to fund.
  8. Create a budget report on how the funds mandated by the Babu settlement have been allocated and spent, and the status of implementation of the settlement’s terms.
  9. Create transparency of Alameda County’s unspent state realignment funds designated for Medi-Cal services. 
​
​To learn more, check out our 2022-2023 complete list of demands to the right. 
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