On June 22, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors adopted a $2.62 billion budget for fiscal year 2012-13. It closed an $88.1 million funding gap through a combination of program reductions, revenue increases, Fiscal Management Reward program savings, and countywide strategies. The final budget eliminates 37 full-time equivalent positions to help close the funding gap.
Collaboration among County departments and agencies, community-based organizations (CBO), local jurisdictions, and other stakeholders continues to result in improved efficiencies resulting in cost savings and improved service delivery. Some examples include – Social Services Agency and Health Care Services Agency collaborated to increase the number of eligible Alameda County children that are connected to health coverage; partner with CBO’s for County safety net services in a cost-efficient manner with $520 million in contracts with 251 CBOs and for the fourth year in a row, no cost-of-living adjustments are included in the budget for CBOs; county employee and labor organizations have also helped reduce costs by agreeing to forgo cost-of-living adjustments for almost 4 years, contributing towards medical premiums and implementing a lower tier of retirement benefits for new employees; partnerships with cities and other local jurisdictions resulting in regional delivery of fire services, emergency communications, renewable energy procurement and broadband access.
The Board remains cautiously optimistic that the national, State and local economies are recovering. It continues to be vigilant in its oversight of county management and operations to ensure delivery of responsive, reliable and essential services to the community. For more information on the County budget visit http://www.acgov.org/government/budgets.htm .
 
In May the City of Pleasanton broke ground on the Regional Food Storage Project that will establish three storage units (dry, refrigerated, and freezer) to which participating pantries in the Tri-Valley will have access. Having a storage facility to store perishable food has been an ongoing challenge for Tri-Valley pantries, that many times must turn away donations, particularly during the holidays.
While the economy is slowly improving, many families in the Tri-Valley are still struggling to put food on the table. In 2007 Open Heart Kitchen served 161,217 meals. In comparison they witnessed a significant increase in demand for hot and nutritious meals in 2011, when they served 237,000 meals. The three food storage units will allow local pantries to keep up with the demand in the Tri-Valley.
The estimated cost of the project is $106,000, and to date, $116,000 has been raised through grants and donations from the Cities of Pleasanton and Livermore, Open Heart Kitchen, Safeway Inc, and Measure A funding through Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 1 & 4.
The day-to-day operation of the three food storage units will be lead by Open Heart Kitchen. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of July 2012.
On May 22, 2012 the Board of Supervisors presented proclamations to five branches of the military in honor of National Military Appreciation Month.
National Military Appreciation Month is a chance to recognize those on active duty in all branches of the service, the National Guard and Reserves plus retiree, veterans, and all of their families – well over 90 million Americans and more than 237 years of our nation’s history.
County Supervisor gets many requests to sign proclamations, resolutions and commendations, but National Military Month is very significant, as we all live very hectic lives with busy schedules, we often take our freedom for granted. National Military Appreciation Month is a chance for Alameda County to say thank you to all our service men and women.
In the meeting, commendations were also issued to the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps for its 50 years of dedication and commitment to providing successful opportunity to American youth.
Motorists, bicyclists and others can look forward to safety enhancements on Mines Road this summer with the installation of Call Boxes along this roadway. Due to spotty cell phone coverage or lack of public telephones along this remote but popular rural roadway, for many years there has been a need for improvements to access safety services for motorists and other users.
This summer eight call boxes will be installed about 3 ½ miles apart on the 28 mile length of roadway between Tesla Road in Alameda County and Mount Hamilton Road in Santa Clara County.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) through its Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (SAFE) program surveyed the roadway and found that it met the criteria for call box installation.
The boxes will employ either cellular or landline connections depending on the availability of the technology for the area. Calls from the boxes will be handled by a call center where they will determine the appropriate response, either forward to CHP or to roadside service.
The Call Boxes are maintained by a private contractor and vandalism and maintenance issues can be reported to a 24 hour dispatch at 1-800-544-4876.
The Alameda County Public Works Agency has released its list of District 1 roadways in the unincorporated areas identified for maintenance and rehabilitation it the 2012-13 fiscal year. Twenty-nine miles on ten rural roadways in District 1 will receive chip seal treatment this summer. Chip seal treatment extends the life of roadway pavement by up to 7 years. It avoids or minimizes further deterioration that results in more extensive and expensive repairs.
Slated to get underway in July, the roads included on the list for chip seal include: Patterson Pass; Del Valle; Cross; Dyer; Midway; North Flynn; South Flynn; Carroll; Reuss; and Mendenhall. Residents and motorists should keep an eye out for signs advising you of the dates for the work and exercise caution near work crews.
The Supervisor is seeking qualified, motivated candidates to serve on the following county boards/commissions that have current openings:
Alameda County Advisory Commission on Aging: Provide for services to elderly and assist in allocation of funds as Advisor to the Area Agency on Aging.
Meetings: 2nd Monday, 9:30a.m.
1 seat
Closing Date: Open until filled
Mental Health Advisory Commission: Perform advisory functions in matters relating to mental health.
Meetings: 2nd Monday, Every Child Counts Conference Room, 1100 San Leandro Blvd., Suite 130, San Leandro.
2 seats
Closing Date: Open until filled
Public Health Commission: Serve as advisory body to the Board of Supervisors and Health Care Services Agency in the areas of public health, primary care, and criminal justice medical services.
2 seats
Closing Date: Open until filled
Arts Commission: Serve as liason between the Commision and the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and focus on division management and oversight.
Meetings: Regular Monthly Meetings, Monthly or Quarterly Committee Meetings, 1401 Lakeside Dr. Suite 603, Oakland
2 seats
Closing Date: Open until filled
For more information contact: District 1 Office: Send resumes via email to vener.bates@acgov.org or fax to 925-484-2809, Attn: Vener Bates.
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