{"id":8158,"date":"2026-09-01T11:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T11:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8158"},"modified":"2026-09-01T11:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T11:07:10","slug":"alameda-county-considers-legal-challenge-to-new-rules-for-millions-in-nonprofit-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8158","title":{"rendered":"Alameda County considers legal challenge to new rules for millions in nonprofit awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Alameda County supervisors will face tighter rules over the tens of millions of public dollars they direct to nonprofits and other organizations under a new state law that county leaders are considering challenging in court.<\/p>\n

Read more Brownstein: The real reason moderates keep losing to progressives<\/a><\/p>\n

Authored by state Sen. Aisha Wahab and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 27, Senate Bill 1193 mandates that the county specify a public purpose for money awarded to nonprofits, prohibits any awards without a public purpose, and requires public disclosure of the amount and purpose of any future awards. The law will take effect in January.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that is an overreach, and our county counsel has advised as such. We are preparing a written legal opinion, we will be discussing this in an upcoming closed session in the near future,\u201d Board President David Haubert told Bay Area News Group on Monday. \u201cCounty supervisors know the needs of their community better than Sacramento legislators, we should be allowed to use our funds accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wahab celebrated the bill\u2019s signing. She said she wrote the bill with vulnerable residents, such as foster youth, in mind. She has campaigned for the bill as a way to prevent county leaders from providing money to nonprofit organizations for political favors and access.<\/p>\n

The county recently faced public scrutiny after a San Francisco Chronicle report revealed supervisors directed roughly $51 million in the last seven years to organizations such as the Livermore Valley Winegrowers, the Association of Realtors, and other groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlameda County is failing vulnerable children while facing chronic vacancies, serious public-safety breakdowns, and a state corrective action plan,\u201d Wahab told the Bay Area News Group on Monday. \u201cAfter millions in settlements, documented government failures, and repeated allegations of conflicts of interest and pay-to-play politics, this board should be demanding more transparency \u2013 not fighting it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wahab, a former foster child with a doctorate in social work, for months has railed the county for its handling of foster youth.<\/p>\n

A 2025 state audit documented understaffing and serious failures in cases involving the deaths of children under county supervision.<\/p>\n

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Over the last several months, county supervisors denounced the bill, with Haubert previously saying it puts the county \u201cunder attack.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Monday, Haubert called the bill \u201cpoor legislation,\u201d and said it should apply to all counties statewide, not just Alameda County.<\/p>\n

Read more Walters: California\u2019s political battle over key environmental law brews on two fronts<\/a><\/p>\n

The law comes after Haubert\u2019s office recently received public scrutiny following accusations by Livermore resident Kiersten Skov. She said Haubert\u2019s chief of staff, Shawn Wilson, tried to bribe her with money allocated for nonprofit donations in exchange for staying silent about a garbage billing dispute.<\/p>\n

Wilson has previously denied offering any bribes to Skov. Haubert previously told this Bay Area News Group that he stands behind Wilson and that he believes Wilson will be \u201cexonerated.\u201d<\/p>\n

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County records reviewed by this news organization Monday show that Wilson remained in his regular capacity in Haubert\u2019s office through Aug. 12. Haubert previously declined to comment when asked if Wilson had been placed on administrative leave.<\/p>\n

Haubert called the new law \u201cpolitical retribution.\u201d He said Wahab is targeting the county because several supervisors endorsed her opponent, BART Board President Melissa Hernandez, in the Congressional District 14 race to replace former Rep. Eric Swalwell, who resigned after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct.<\/p>\n

Wahab denied that the bill was political retaliation.<\/p>\n

Wahab first introduced the bill in February, weeks after Hernandez launched her campaign and after several supervisors endorsed her. Wahab is endorsed by the state and county\u2019s Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

Supervisor Lena Tam in an Aug. 17 letter to Newsom requested that he veto the bill, which she said included language that is \u201coverly restrictive and broad and would impede the county\u2019s ability\u201d to provide certain services.<\/p>\n

Tam claims the county will suffer setbacks to services such as public works, healthcare, housing and social services under the new law. Tam and other supervisors claim SB 1193 will undermine the county\u2019s authority by \u201cimposing an overly restrictive definition of discretionary funding that limits the county\u2019s flexibility to partner with (community based organizations), directly impeding our ability to deliver responsive, effective services and advance our shared vision.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wahab criticized the board\u2019s willingness to possibly use county resources to pay for a legal challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a single legislator opposed SB 1193, yet the supervisors are spending taxpayer dollars to protect discretionary funds from greater public scrutiny,\u201d Wahab said. \u201cThey act as if the rules shouldn\u2019t apply to them. SB 1193 brings long-overdue transparency and accountability to Alameda County. If the board has nothing to hide, why is it fighting so hard to keep the public in the dark?\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Asking Eric: Their wedding decision was inexplicable \u2014 and painful for us<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday signed Sen. Aisha Wahab’s SB1193 boosting countynonprofit donation transparency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nAlameda County considers legal challenge to new rules for millions in nonprofit awards - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8158\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alameda County considers legal challenge to new rules for millions in nonprofit awards - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Gov. 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