Speaking at Alameda County Board of Supervisors Meetings

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Click the button below to go to our Talking Points page for meeting specific information and information to assist you in making your comment. 

1. Show up. Even if you have little time to prepare, sometimes just showing up and listening to other speakers is inspiring. Learn from listening to other public speakers.

2. Prepare ahead of time: research and gather info relevant to the points you’d like to make. You may want to compose your statement in writing. While not necessary, it can help make a more refined statement and give you the opportunity to include multiple data points, quote sources, etc.

3. While there’s no requirement to do so, you may want to greet the board with a “Good morning/afternoon supervisors” etc. You are not required to be polite, although that might have a certain appeal. 

4. You are asked to give your name, the city you live in and the item you are speaking on. You are not required to give your real name, although doing so could give your comment more gravitas.

5. Speak calmly, clearly and slowly enough to be understood.

6. You do not have to use all of your time. If you are done before your time has run out, let the clerk know. 

7. Criticisms of the actions and policies of government officials is protected speech. You are free to say anything, (with the exception of threats) but consider that the meeting time is valuable, and that it is not just your time, but many other’s time as well.

8. If possible, listen to the comments made by others, especially fellow ACCOR members to ensure you don’t repeat the same written talking point or paragraph in a prepared document.

9. If you want to respond to something that is said during the meeting, be ready to takes notes.

Regular BOS meeting agendas can be 20+ pages long and seem overwhelming at first. The more you practice looking at them, the better and faster you will become at scanning through and spotting pertinent items!

If you’re interested in a particular topic, you can search the pdf for keywords (e.g. COVID, sheriff, property, health, data, etc.).

Many items include attachments (background info, proposed legislation, contracts, etc.). If you’re curious about a particular agenda item, it can be useful to read the attachments—otherwise, skip them.

 There are 5 districts, each with its own supervisor. Below is a rough breakdown, but please view district maps to confirm your district, especially if you live in Oakland. (see instructions below)

District 1: Fremont, Dublin, Livermore and eastern part of county

District 2: Newark, Union City, Hayward

District 3: Alameda, San Leandro, San Lorenzo, parts of Oakland, and unincorporated Hayward

District 4: Parts of Oakland, Castro Valley, Pleasanton, Ashland, Cherryland, Fairview

District 5: Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont and parts of Oakland

District Maps: Go to https://bos.acgov.org/ then click on the district you think you’re in. At the very bottom of each district’s page (black footer with white text links), there will be a link to that district’s map. [The AC gov “Look up your supervisorial district” (acgov.org/ms/addresslookup/Default.aspx) doesn’t seem to work]

Regular BOS meetings are typically held 2 Tuesdays per month, starting at 9:30am (note: they often start 5+ min late).  See https://bos.acgov.org/broadcast/ for upcoming meeting dates and agendas, as well as audio/video of previous meetings. The Regular meeting zoom link is  , please click on this link to join the webinar: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/98271491041.

 There are various Cmtees (e.g. Public Protection, Elections, Health, etc.) that meet on their own schedules. See https://bos.acgov.org/committee-meetings/ for upcoming meeting dates and agendas plus audio/video of previous meetings.

Send comments to clerk of the Board at CBS@acgov.org. You can submit written comments before meetings. The deadline for submissions is usually 3pm the day before the meeting. Your comments will be forwarded to all Supervisors and entered into the public record. 

Be sure to include the date of the meeting and agenda item your comments pertain to. If you cite any reference material, include it in the body of your email as they may not open attachments. Links are okay to include, but it is best to quote the material you would like to include in your email. 

Keep a record of your submissions, as well as your statements made into the public record. Organize them by topics and date submitted. 

Public comment is usually at the beginning of the meeting (which might actually be 9:40+am). Each person gets 2 minutes to speak. When you arrive in the gallery, fill out a speaker card with the clerk. Then wait to be called.

 You can raise your hand as soon as you’re on. However, if the meeting hasn’t officially started, when it has been called to order, double check that your hands is still raised. Sometimes they reset things and you’ll need to raise your hand again.

  · The clerk will call your name and ask you to unmute. A dialogue box will pop up on your screen—hit unmute.· Assume you can be heard and just start speaking (i.e. don’t waste part of your 2 minutes asking “Can you hear me? Am I on?”) 

 · If possible, use a headset—the volume and quality of audio for your comment tends to be better.