The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday adopted a $7.248 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27, citing growing uncertainty surrounding federal and state funding and rising operational costs.
Approved during the Board’s regular meeting in Martinez, the budget covers County operations and special districts and includes funding for 11,261 full-time equivalent positions.
County officials said the spending plan is balanced through a combination of ongoing revenues and one-time departmental funds as agencies prepare for potential impacts from federal and state policy changes.
Board Chair Diane Burgis said the County’s focus remains on maintaining essential services and supporting vulnerable residents amid continued fiscal uncertainty.
According to the County, upcoming changes tied to H.R. 1 are expected to reduce funding and tighten eligibility requirements for safety-net programs such as MediCal and CalFresh. Officials said the changes could increase demand for County services while reducing outside funding support.
Contra Costa County’s Health Services and Employment and Human Services departments are expected to be among the most affected and may rely on one-time fund balances to maintain services in the near term. Approximately 53 percent of the County’s budget is funded through state and federal sources.
County officials also pointed to rising labor costs, slower local revenue growth, and uncertainty surrounding future federal and state funding as ongoing fiscal pressures.
To help address potential shortfalls, the Board previously placed a proposed five-year, 5/8-cent general-purpose sales tax measure on the June ballot. If approved by voters and authorized by the state, the measure is projected to generate about $150 million annually to help County services.
5/8 is a 0.625% increase. They were forced to change the text of the ballot measure to make that clear.
If this and the 0.5% transit tax in November are both approved, Concord sales tax will increase from 9.75% to 10.875%, which is absolutely ridiculous.
KCB,
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Yes, Contra Costa County Supervisors were playing games with the ballot measure, having written and voted for the original Measure B language that was full of biased language and were required to change the language to a more neutral tone. They were also required to change the tax rate from “5/8-cent” to “5/8-percent.” The article is still using the old language of “5/8-cent general-purpose sales tax measure,” not the updated language mandated by the Courts.
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Please, everyone, don’t just vote for Contra Costa County Supervisor Ken Carlson just because he’s running unopposed, write-in a name, HE VOTED TO MISLEAD YOU ON THE BALLOT MEASURE!!!!!
So then the Black Knight for Contra Costa County Supervisor! Seems to have more copmmon sense than those in position.
Extra funding would not be necessary if they stopped giving Med-iCal
and food stamps to the millions of illegal invaders who, by the way have
absolutely no legal right to free government assistance or to be in the
United States for that matter.
Vote the Dems out of office!
Or if they just complied with the federal immigration laws that we voted for to be enforced. The elected leadership has brought this on the California taxpayer and they could care less. Time to turn this state red clean up both LA and SF deport the illegals and stop the rampant fraud of our tax dollars.
Passing a budget on funding uncertainty is fiscal negligence – let’s stop this nonsense! Vote them all out!