Will Santa Rita Jail Get $106M In Funding For New Hires?

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — The Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will again consider whether to approve about $106 million in funding to pay for hundreds of new sheriff's office and county health care workers at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin.

The jail funding proposal, the latest version of which would pay for 265 sworn and 84 non-sworn positions with the sheriff's office and 107 Alameda County Health Care Services Agency employees, was initially on the agenda for a March board meeting but a vote has been postponed multiple times.

Sheriff Greg Ahern has previously said that the request for additional funds is overdue and not related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic that caused a statewide shelter-in-place and has also prompted the release of hundreds of inmates from Santa Rita in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

However, critics of the proposal have questioned whether the funding is necessary given the dwindling number of inmates in the jail and other needs in the county related to the virus.

A letter to the Board of Supervisors from the two county departments seeking the funding said it would "allow for the expansion of programs, more out-of-cell time for inmates, and increased observation of the suicide prevention cells," among other new services.

The Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, but the item for the jail funding won't be heard before 1:30 p.m.

In-person attendance during the meeting is not allowed while the regional shelter order remains in effect, but people can still watch and comment remotely. Information on teleconferencing for the meeting can be found here.

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