Our Story
Mission
Driven by a deep commitment to racial equity and economic justice, the Budget Justice Coalition advocates for and demands a more transparent, inclusive, and participatory budgeting process in Contra Costa County that centers and lifts community residents' needs and priorities.
The Coaltion is fiscally sponsored by the Richmond Community Foundation and is funded by the Y & H Soda Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation.
What We Do
BJC formed in early 2018, and continues to develop its plans. Our goals are to:
Educate community organizations and residents about the County budget and process.
Learn best practices from other counties that have undertaken similar efforts.
Develop collaborative partnerships with the Board of Supervisors, County Administrator’s Office, and various County departments.
Build a process to facilitate constructive engagement throughout the budget cycle.
Continue growing the Coalition, ensuring representation from all regions of the County.
Engage with a wide range of community organizations and residents to identify key values and priorities for the County budget.
Identify potential strategies for increasing county revenue, including strategic partnerships, opportunities for innovation, and maximizing leverage of matching funds.
Why Budget Justice
A group of Contra Costa community leaders began meeting in late 2017 to discuss ways to work together to bring a stronger community voice to the County's budgeting process. A general consensus emerged that a more participatory process would ensure that the Board of Supervisors hears from an engaged community on service priorities to inform the annual budget. At the same time, community stakeholders can engage in more effective budget advocacy when equipped with a factual understanding of how the budget works and what restraints are placed on the County from state and federal funding sources.
As Contra Costa and other counties face possible funding cuts from policy changes emanating from DC and Sacramento, it is critical for the County to fully engage with the community on budget values, priorities, and process.
Our Values: We Believe . . .
Our work is informed by shared values that guide our efforts:
Everyone benefits when we all have what we need to live and thrive.
Contra Costa would benefit from “values-based budgeting” principles that support safe and affordable housing, stable employment with fair wages, sufficient healthy food, essential health care, access to critical social services, quality early care, and education.
An open and transparent budget process with opportunities for stakeholder input serves the interests of all Contra Costa residents.
The primary purpose of a county budget is to offer a strong social safety net. Through the budget, the County should strive to address economic, racial, and gender inequities; reduce barriers to success; promote healthy families; prioritize crime prevention over incarceration; and meet the needs of all residents, regardless of immigration status.
