Accomplishments in 2025

Care First, Jails Last ( CFJL)

BACKGROUND: An Ad Hoc Committee was convened in December 2024 to monitor the implementation of the Care First, Jails Last (CFJL) recommendations, which had been issued by a special task force. (Visit carefirstcoalition.org for the recommendation details.) The Ad Hoc committee was created by the County’s Mental Health Advisory Board, now called the Behavioral Health Advisory Board (BHAB), under a directive of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors (BOS).

The Committee’s members are volunteers with personal, professional, or advocacy experience in CFJL spaces. ICJJ is represented on the Ad Hoc Committee, as are allies including Restore Oakland Inc., AFSC, FASMI, and East Bay Supported Housing Collaborative.

To monitor how CFJL recommendations are being implemented, Committee members are having ongoing informational meetings with representatives from County departments, the courts, and Community-Based Organizations.

2025 Actions

In May, CFJL forwarded an initial set of findings to a joint meeting of the BOS Health and Public Protection Committees (Supervisors Tam, Miley, and Marquez).  For each of the nine recommendations, we itemized progress, obstacles, and steps the BOS could take to move things forward.

In a follow-up meeting in October, Supervisors Miley, Marquez, and Tam directed questions to selected department heads, Court officials, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), and Ad Hoc Committee members on the issues we raised.  Some highlights:

• Staffing needs of Mental Health Diversion Court (MHD): MHD Court diverts more people with mental illness and/or substance use disorders from jail to treatment than any other court-based program in Alameda County, including the better-known Behavioral Health Court. Yet, whereas Behavioral Health Court is supported by a team of assigned clinicians employed by the Behavioral Health Department, MHD operates without the benefit of assigned clinicians. Defendants in MHD receive support from social workers in the Public Defenders’ Office (PDO), but PDO lacks the staffing capacity to perform the full range of clinical functions needed to meet the needs of this all-important court.

• After hearing from the relevant parties, the Supervisors directed County officials to return with a funding plan to adequately staff the MHD Court.

• Forensic Access Point at Santa Rita Jail: People who are justice-involved and unhoused have few opportunities to enroll in the County’s housing queue.

• Addressing this issue, the Director of Homeless Services announced that a new “forensic access point” will soon be operative at Santa Rita Jail, staffed by Bay Area Community Services (BACS).  However long waitlists for suitable housing will remain a serious problem.

2026 Objectives:

The CFJL Ad Hoc Committee is scheduled to present its next Progress Report to the Board of Supervisors this month.  Stay tuned!   

Care First Community Coalition (CFCC)

BACKGROUND: The Care First Community Coalition (CFCC) includes key community organizations in Alameda County, including ICJJ, working together on implementation of the Care First, Jails Last (CFJL) plan, which was adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2024.

The CFJL plan aims to prevent incarceration of community members with behavioral health needs, including mental health and substance use issues, and other people involved with the judicial system who, if provided needed services, might avoid incarceration. (For additional background, see the CFJL post above.)

2025 Actions

The CFCC group started the year off with a major campaign to advocate for a new, interim District Attorney who would give priority to the implementation of the Care First, Jails Last recommendations. We held a Candidates Forum attracting about 100 attendees.

We also delivered public comments during the selection hearing by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors (BOS). Unfortunately, the District Attorney selected by the Board, Ursula Jones Dickson, does not appear to be fully aligned with CFJL priorities.

In May, CFCC organized a virtual budget training for the community prior to the Board of Supervisors’ June Budget meeting. CFCC has been advocating for:

• transparency about the budget and the budget decisions

• more community input

• greater priority for permanent supportive housing and rental subsidies.

In 2020, the voters in Alameda County voted for Measure W, a 0.5% sales tax to raise $ 150 million annually for 10 years to fund housing and services for reducing homelessness and helping vulnerable populations.

The Measure got stuck in a lawsuit by a county resident, but in 2025, a judge dismissed the lawsuit, and the funds, by then close to $ 800 million, became available. With strong input from the community, the BOS decided in July 2025 to direct 80% of the funds to address homelessness and 20% for safety-net services. The Care First Community Coalition, together with ICJJ and many other organizations, conducted a focused campaign to use all the funds for addressing homelessness, as intended. The final outcome is satisfying.

2026 Objectives:

• Continued push for more transparency of the budget and a more democratic process for budget decisions

• Creating one-page educational handouts to provide the community with support materials for the BOS hearing in March 2026, when the Ad Hoc Committee will make further recommendations for CFJL implementation to increase treatment beds and diversion.

What you can do:

• Find out in what district you live, and who the supervisor is for your district

• Contact them to get regular information about the hearings and meetings of the Board of Supervisors

• Attend those meetings, in-person or online

• Call or email your supervisor to submit a public comment. This is especially important for the robust implementation of the Care First, Jails Last plan.   

Stop Deaths and Harm Group  

Wellpath’s contract for medical services at Santa Rita Jail (SRJ) expires in Sept 2027. Over the past year, we have often raised concerns with the Board of Supervisors about Wellpath’s performance, which has not met acceptable standards. We have highlighted Wellpath’s failure to improve in areas that directly impact the well-being of detainees – including mortality.

• We advocated for the County to identify a not-for-profit provider or public entity to take over the provision of medical services at the jail.

• We insisted that the RFP (Request for Proposals) be written to disqualify any provider (not just Wellpath) that has failed to meet the minimum standards of care as set by the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare (NCCHC).

• We provided expert advice on how to construct such an RFP.

2026 Objectives:

The April 23rd meeting of the Joint Public Protection/Health Committees will hear a report from the County’s General Services Administration and ACSO on the progress in developing the RFP.

It is vitally important that there is adequate time to finalize the RFP, respond to and vet bids, and allow a new provider to prepare to administer one of the County’s largest contracts.

Many Supervisors on the Board have publicly agreed that Wellpath’s record of egregious misconduct in Alameda County Jail should not be rewarded.

We will organize for the expected April 23rd meeting to ensure that any RFP disqualifies providers whose record does not meet the NCCHC minimum standard of care.

What You Can Do:

• Check the Board of Supervisors website to confirm meeting dates and agenda items.

• Attend the meetings and speak up!   

Alternatives to Incarceration Work Group

In 2025, we continued to focus on improving pathways for system-impacted people to access community resources as alternatives to incarceration.

In addition to supporting the work of the Care First, Jails Last Initiative, we focused on;

• Assuring that housing for justice-involved individuals is accessible through Measure W funds.

• Advocating for a collaborative pretrial services program for individuals who are charged and released from jail on bail or their own recognizance.

As described in this Oaklandside article, 80% of Measure W money is slated to address housing issues.  It’s not clear, however, how much the investment will directly benefit people in reentry.

2026 Objectives:

The County’s increasing recognition of the importance of pretrial services has already led to a new collaboration this year among the Superior Court, Probation, and BOS to address the needs of people released while facing charges.

It remains to be seen whether this effort, presented in another recent Oaklandside article, will provide all the elements we believe to be essential as described in our September, 2025 position paper. 

Stay tuned for the next edition of the ICJJ newsletter to learn what is happening in housing and pretrial services, and how the Alternatives to Incarceration working group is continuing to influence County priorities on behalf of our justice-involved neighbors.   

Outreach Committee

We provided public education and civic engagement on the Care First, Jails Last initiative and the importance of releasing Measure W funds.

We encouraged members to attend BOS meetings, rallies, and sign petitions. We communicated with the Interfaith Council of Alameda County. We partnered with All of Us or None (Freedom Center) Friendsgiving Action. Together, seven of our member congregations sent 575 handwritten notes on cards to state prison inmates for the holidays.

2026 Objectives:

• Strengthen connections with our twelve member congregations and faith communities

• Share ICJJ newsletters at Faith In Action East Bay actions, research meetings, and Local Organizing Committee meetings

• Invite new members!