Supervisor faults county for lack of urgency on Trump policies
'Collectively, it hasn’t seemed to be a priority," Supervisor Marquez said; Fremont developer argues state's Density Bonus Law can encourage less housing, not more; Rep. Simon calls out HUD secretary
☕️MORNING BUZZ
—Alameda County’s Together For All ad hoc committee, formed earlier this year to track and counter Trump administration policies threatening the county’s budget, gave the Board of Supervisors an update Tuesday.
But instead of highlighting its achievements—such as rebuilding rapid-response networks for immigrants and boosting the Public Defender’s Office—some supervisors questioned whether the committee has strayed from its mission.
Supervisor David Haubert argued the committee was originally tasked with immigration rights and legal assistance but has since ballooned into broader issues like reproductive rights, gender justice, food security, and health care.
“It almost feels like another health committee,” Haubert said. “Everything here seems to be within another committee.”
He floated alternatives: turning Together For All into a “Blue Ribbon Task Force,” as Supervisor Nate Miley suggested, or creating a new body to oversee the expanded scope.
Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, the committee’s chair, defended its direction, saying its intent is to protect the county’s most vulnerable residents from Trump’s policies, adding that the recent passage of H.R. 1—dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”—shows why the work is urgent.
Supervisor Elisa Márquez echoed the urgency but criticized the county for lagging.
“After Trump was elected, there was really no plan,” she said. “He was specific about who he’d target and kept his promise. We’re playing catch up here and we continue to play catch up.”
Márquez said much of the work would already be done if the county hadn’t wound down immigrant support programs after Trump’s first term.
Marquez added that she hadn’t heard criticisms of the committee’s scope until Tuesday’s meeting. “Absent Supervisor Bas and my office leading those efforts, this is the first I’m hearing it, and it’s now Sept. 23. That’s really irresponsible of us as a county,” she said.
Still, she signaled openness to restructuring, but not before landing another criticism against the board. “Absent a proposal, we’re doing what we can,” adding, “Collectively, it hasn’t seemed to be a priority.”
MORNING BUZZ Q&A
Please join me, East Bay Insiders Podcast co-host Dan Mendoza as we interview Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins this morning at Prescott Market at 9 a.m.
Here’s the plan:
We’ll interview Councilmember Jenkins, and allow you to ask him questions, too. No topic is off limits.
In the meantime, please support Prescott Market’s array of food items.
🥞☕️🥐Since it’s morning time, visit Highwire Coffee or have breakfast from Cafe Noir. Both stalls are adjacent to the program, so you won’t miss any of the action.
WHO: East Bay Insiders Morning Buzz Q&A with Kevin Jenkins.
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
WHERE: Prescott Market, 1620 18th Street, Oakland (Next to Raimondi Park, home of the Pioneer League champion Oakland Ballers.)
—411 ON THE 510—Become an East Bay Insiders subscriber today and get FULL ACCESS to the inside scoop every weekday morning at 6 a.m. It’s what the insiders read.
—More inside:
CITY NEWS: ICE agents make appearance, arrest outside Oakland courtroom.
Fremont developer flips state’s Density Bonus Law on its head, argues it supports fewer housing units.
FBI probe in Oakland is taking a long time. To some, it’s conveying the message that Sheng Thao may skate.
D.C. NEWS: Rep. Simon is disturbed by HUD secretary’s push to undermine the effectiveness of the Fair Housing Act.
