Alameda County supervisors takes lead in reopening government meetings

San Leandro faces $10 million lawsuit for death of Steven Taylor by SLPD

The public will be allowed to attend Alameda County Board of Supervisors meetings starting on April 26. Virtual public commenting will still be allowed.

COUNTY NEWS

—AND WE’RE BACK—For the first time since March 2020, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will reopen its chambers to the public starting next week. County supervisors will adopt a hybrid model—allowing virtual public comments—and with some restrictions, starting with April 26 board meeting, said Donna Ziegler, Alameda County counsel.

—The county will allow the public to participate remotely, as has been custom since the beginning of the pandemic. A full return to normalcy, though, is still in the future. Space will be limited inside the county chambers to allow for social distancing.

—“We don’t want the chamber packed gill to gill,” Ziegler said. A mandatory mask mandate for the county administration building remains. Alameda County boards and commissions will maintain the power to decide whether to allow the public to attend its meetings.

—Many elected officials in Alameda County cites have been slow in returning to the council dais in recent months as the threat of Covid-19 continues to subside, let alone allowing the pubic to attend their meetings. San Leandro, though, recently allowed the public to attend its meetings.

—It’s not surprising that the Board of Supervisors are taking the lead in reopening in-person participation of its meetings. For most of the pandemic, county supervisors were holding meetings inside the county chambers, while all cities in the county were entirely virtual.

MORE IN THIS ISSUE: County News - Sheriff’s Military Use Policy pulled | Covid cases staying low, no threshold for future mask mandates | $10M lawsuit by Steven Taylor family filed against San Leandro | Pleasanton poaches Alameda’s city employee | Livermore mayoral candidate announces | Election 2022 - Sleepy ALCO supes race | Campaign Finance |