Alameda County supervisors' grants to nonprofits will need a majority vote, a stated public purpose and a public log under a new state law
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1193, which applies only to Alameda County, on Aug. 27, and it takes effect Jan. 1. Supervisor Nate Miley said the board would ask county lawyers about a lawsuit after Sept. 15; none had been announced by Sept. 29.
Oakland. Grants that an Alameda County supervisor requests for nonprofits and other groups in their district will face new rules from Jan. 1, under a state law written for that county alone. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1193 on Aug. 27, after it passed both houses without a no vote.
Its author, Aisha Wahab, a Democrat from Hayward, moved from the state Senate to Congress on Sept. 2. The law covers money that one supervisor, or fewer than a majority of the board, asks the board to award to community organizations, nonprofits and private entities.
What changes for grantees
Each award needs a majority vote and may not be made on the consent calendar or at a special meeting. It must name the recipient, describe how it provides resources of communitywide significance for the requesting supervisor's district, and identify its public purpose: health and human services, education, homelessness services, cultural resources or other services to district residents. Travel, marketing and economic development programs do not count.
Every quarter the county must post a log of these awards online, with each program's planned and actual costs, its spending timeline, purpose and eligibility rules, the total awarded to each contractor, and conflict of interest statements of the officials involved. Within 90 days before an election, a supervisor on the ballot may not place such an award on the agenda, or announce or ceremonially present one already approved.
The county's objections
The county told lawmakers it already approves these grants by a four-fifths vote at regular public meetings, and that the law's definition limits its flexibility to partner with community-based organizations. The bill's registered opponents included the Afghan Elderly Association and Tri-Valley Seek and Save; Oakland Privacy and Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice supported it.
The Senate's analysis says the law extends a 2024 statute for Orange County, where a supervisor was sentenced to federal prison for fraud over pandemic relief awards, and cites a 2017 Alameda County grand jury report, disputed by the county, that found money going to nonprofits without a competitive process or written contracts. A San Francisco Chronicle review quoted by the Assembly committee counted $51 million in supervisors' discretionary funding over seven years.
Supervisor Nate Miley said the board would seek the county counsel's advice on a lawsuit after its recess ended Sept. 15, Local News Matters reported. The board's agendas since then list closed session conferences on potential litigation without naming the cases.
“I do think if county counsel gives us a legal analysis and if it looks strong, then I think the board will pursue legal action because I think it's a slippery slope for the state to impose its will on a charter county.”
About this story
501c3.help wrote this story from the sources listed with it, not from material an organization sent. Our editors approved it on Sept. 29, 2026. Stories in The Nonprofit Herald are free, and nothing is asked in return. Editorial rules.
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