Since our founding, the Budget Justice Coalition has strongly advocated for a more equitable and inclusive Contra Costa County budgeting process. In recent years, cities and counties across the U.S. have adopted more equity-based budgeting principles to address the persistent racial and economic disparities faced by many communities. This approach provides communities with the opportunity to engage in a more democratic process to influence the County’s prioritization of public funds.
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.
For the 2024-25 Budget
The Coalition is currently engaged in Contra Costa County's budget process for fiscal year 2024-25. Our shared vision is to be effective advocates for budget priorities that address inequities and the needs of residents who are struggling to make ends meet. We are currently working on a shared Budget Toolkit that will highlight partner organization priorities and budget requests. We are also continuing our conversations with Health Services and the Employment and Human Services Department regarding equity measures and impacts that reflect throughout their budget proposals and process.