Groups Ask Supes for Unincorporated ‘Office’
Unsatisfied with the structure of local Municipal Advisory Councils (MACs), a collection of community groups and individuals in the unincorporated areas are proposing a wider county Office of the Unincorporated Communities to the Board of Supervisors.
In a letter to Nate Miley, the District 4 Supervisor (who represents the largest population of unincorporated areas), the other four Supervisors, and the county administrator, Susan Muranishi, the group argues that an Office would oversee and better represent the Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo, Hayward Acres, Fairview, Castro Valley and Sunol areas.
In addition to that new overseeing office, the groups want the county budget to clearly show what money is being spent on the unincorporated areas as a whole and by each county agency.
“The practice of having a ‘countywide response’ that treats all communities ‘equally’ does not work for the unincorporated communities,” the letter states. It notes that the county has special fiduciary responsibility to the unincorporated areas as their municipal government.
“Countywide investments often overlook the need for targeted, specific investments for the unincorporated communities and continue a lack of transparency and accountability for over 160,000 tax-paying unincorporated residents,” the letter continues.
The current MACs are appointed by the area's county supervisor and advise the Board of Supervisors on local issues. However, with a few exceptions, each county department provides services to those unincorporated areas as part of its countywide operations.
“There are all kinds of gaps in services for people in the unincorporated areas,” said Leo Esclamado, co-director of My Eden Voice, one of the groups signing the letter. “People get lost. They go from city to city and back to the county to try to find out where they can get various services or help.”
“The accountability to even find a clinic that will serve an unincorporated area person is often missing,” Esclamado added.
The letter’s call for a dedicated budget for the unincorporated communities suggests their plan could better to coordinate between county agencies to change policies where needed and to gain better outcomes for the unincorporated communities.
The letter writers say there would be initial costs to set up the office, but money would be saved going forward due to better use of county resources.
The signers praised the county for its attention to the unincorporated areas’ needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that they got a fair portion of federal American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds paid to the county.
“We would like to see this practice expanded through the county budgeting process. We urge Alameda County to create an Unincorporated Area Budget with a separate contracting process and demonstrate that Alameda County can fulfill its municipal obligation to our communities,” the letter said.
Esclamado said that the groups are in touch with Supervisors Miley and Lena Tam, who represent several unincorporated communities each, to get a discussion on the Board of Supervisors agenda. Even better, they’d like a public meeting to talk about some of the issues involved.
He named mental health and housing as two especially key concerns in the unincorporated areas.
Groups signing the letter were the Ashland Community Association, Alameda County Community Food Bank, Community Child Care Council (4Cs) of Alameda County, Eden United Church of Christ, Filipino Advocates for Justice, La Familia, My Eden Voice, Padres Guerreros, Padres Unidos de Cherryland, Pilgrim Christian Church, Resources for Community Development (RCD), Regional Pacific Islander Taskforce, San Lorenzo Hayward Acres Mobilized (SLHAM), Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Village-Connect and Urban Habitat.
Individuals included leaders of some of those groups and some active in other groups but not officially speaking for those groups. These included John (Mike) Baratta from the Cherryland Community Association, Edgar Chavez from Hayward Promise Neighborhoods, David Siegel, the president of the Castro Valley Democratic Club, Eden UCC Church and Eden Area Interfaith Council member Stephanie Spencer, community activist Barisha Spriggs, Ruth Baratta, Susan Cain, Angelica Canchola, Tara Clancy, Teresita de Jesus, Julie Greenfield, Sue Hall, Justin Kelly-Jones, Laurel King, Beverly Kral, Ivanka Kyuchukova, Mimy Poon, Laura E Rodriguez Andrade, Eugene Shabelyanau, Dot Theodore, Viki Vivaldo and Rosemary Vasquez, a family and equity specialist with the Hayward school district.