Contra Costa considers cutting seven Measure X advisory seats

Contra Costa County supervisors are scheduled to consider eliminating all seven at-large seats on the Measure X Community Advisory Board on Tuesday, Oct. 20. The change would shrink the panel from 22 authorized seats to 15, including five alternate seats.

Six of those seven seats are already empty. Several have been vacant for more than a year, and two members were removed for failing to attend meetings, according to the county’s staff report. Claycord reported on the proposal Oct. 18. The vacancies left the board unable to reach a quorum on July 15, forcing a cancellation.

The advisory board recommends how the county spends Measure X revenue. Voters approved the half-cent sales tax in November 2020, and it now generates roughly $120 million a year for health care, emergency services, early childhood programs and other county services, according to the county's Measure X page. Walnut Creek residents pay into the tax and benefit from the programs it funds.

If supervisors approve the restructuring, six vacant at-large positions would be eliminated immediately. The seventh seat would remain until its current occupant's term expires March 31, 2027.

The proposal would also lower the quorum from nine members to six. Six votes would still be required to pass a motion. The staff report says the changes carry no direct fiscal impact.

The change would leave fewer authorized seats on the panel advising supervisors on spending priorities for roughly $120 million a year in Measure X revenue. The measure's ballot language stated its intent was to keep Contra Costa Regional Medical Center open and staffed, fund community health centers, provide fire and emergency response, and invest in early childhood services.

The Board of Supervisors meets at 9 a.m. at the Administration Building, 1025 Escobar St. in Martinez. The meeting is also available by Zoom, according to the supervisors’ meeting page. The advisory board's next scheduled meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. at the same location, according to the county’s meeting calendar.