The Contra Costa Budget Justice Coalition (BJC) advocated for a just Contra Costa County budget for the Fiscal Year 2024/25 that addresses inequities and prioritizes the needs of residents who are struggling to make ends meet. We had numerous victories.

 BJC’s Advocacy on Remaining $37.5M of American Rescue Plan Act Funds (ARPA)

BCJ won a public process for how the County’s remaining $37.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds will be spent. ARPA was signed into law by President Biden in 2021 which helps fund an equitable recovery from the impacts of the pandemic and addresses health and economic disparities in underserved communities. BJC deeply believes that the remaining ARPA Covid relief funds should be focused on communities most harmed by economic hardships and systemic racism. We asked that the Board of Supervisors implement a robust public engagement process to identify community priorities for the remaining $37.5 million. The Board directed the County Administrator's Office to hold a public process to seek this community input. BJC will collaborate with the County Administrator's Office to co-design a process to ensure community voices are centered, and the funding is equitably distributed. 

 Our Support for Measure X Community Advisory Board Priorities

Measure X is a half-cent county sales tax, approved by voters in 2020. It is expected to generate $112 million annually to support the county hospital, emergency response, safety net services, early childhood development, and other essential services that support underserved populations. The Board of Supervisors established the Measure X Community Advisory Board (MXCAB) to identify unmet community needs and recommend spending priorities. BJC fully supported the MXCAB’s recommendations for the $28 million in one-time Measure X funding. This included:

  • $2.5M for a new Family Justice Center in South County

  • $5M for a Contra Costa Guaranteed Income Pilot contingent upon the Employment and Human Services Department and Guaranteed Income Collaborative report to the Board in July

  • $1.9M towards the Contra Costa Library

  • $1M for community-based services for seniors/disabled residents, including food security

  • $1.5M towards the Fire Department & vegetation management

  • $7.5M towards an African American holistic wellness hub 

  • $72,000 towards the Election Department 

  • $1M toward the food security program through the Employment and Human Services Department

  • $2M into the Innovation Fund  

  • $30k for the Measure X Community Advisory Board (over 3 years)

 Next steps for BJC

In addition to advocating for ARPA funds to be distributed equitably, BJC will be focused on the implementation of a potential new budget equity tool in Contra Costa, working closely with the new Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice to support their leadership.

 To get involved, please click here to visit our contact page budgetjusticecc.org/contact.

Outcomes and Wins from the 2022-23 Budget Process

Budget Wins! Thanks to the many people who testified, the Board of Supervisors supported funding for several of our key priorities. This includes:

  • $80,000 to study establishing a new African American Holistic Wellness Hub

  • Approximately $820,000 to provide legal services for immigrants via Stand Together Contra Costa

  • Additional funding for the Public Defenders Office, District Attorney, and Probation Department to review cases that may be impacted by the new statewide Racial Justice Act.

  • Several of our other shared budget priorities, including $5 million for integrated tenant legal services, are in the pipeline and will be considered by the Board of Supervisors at upcoming meetings; stay tuned for updates.

The Power of Collective Advocacy!
Community members and advocates shared many overlapping priorities and came together to advocate for a set of budget requests. Members from a variety of community coalitions – immigrant rights, housing, racial justice, faith, etc. – also joined together in advance of the budget hearings to meet with individual members of the Board of Supervisors to educate them on the issues that are top priorities for local communities.

Strengths and Flaws in the Budgeting Process
Contra Costa County made significant progress this year by unveiling a more user-friendly, online budget tool, and requiring that County departments include equity measures and goals in their proposed budget. On a more concerning note, during this year’s budget hearings, a critical question emerged as to whether the Board would need a 4/5 vote (vs. the normal 3/5 vote) to add any new allocations (such as those requested by the community) to the draft budget document. Community advocates sounded alarms about how this more stringent approval threshold would disenfranchise the community from any meaningful input on the County budget since a 4/5 vote is very difficult to achieve given the current political composition of the Board. The Board and County Counsel eventually determined that, as long as specific procedures were followed while the public budget hearing was still open, a 3/5 vote would be sufficient to add new allocations to the final budget. While we won this round, this last-minute procedural issue serves to highlight how confusing and unwelcoming the budgeting process can feel for community members and advocates.