Bay Area

Marin: Proposed Budget Heads to Supervisors Public hearings on County expenses and priorities scheduled for June 20-22

The proposed budget for 2023-24 is balanced and structurally sound. It maintains current services and makes a few high priority ongoing enhancements to address emerging needs. Most significantly, the proposed budget recommends $49.8 million in one-time allocations funded by $24.4 million from projected current year fund balance and $25.4 million from previously established reserves, special revenue funds, and federal COVID-19 relief funding.

Published

3 years ago

June 24, 2023

Oakland Post

Compared to last year’s budget, the total County budget of $784 million is an increase of 9% and the General Fund budget of $594 million an increase of 6%

San Rafael, CA – Economic uncertainties linger, but the County Administrator’s Office will present a balanced budget to the Marin County Board of Supervisors at the public hearings on June 20-22.

Highlights of significant one-time budget enhancements include:

Civic Center/Veterans’ Memorial Auditorium modernization program ($30 million)
Employee retention incentives ($5 million)
Homeless encampment partnership funds ($2.5 million)
Enhanced summer road improvement program ($2 million)
Creation of a workforce housing reserve ($2 million)
Increase state/federal uncertainty reserve ($1.2 million)

Compared to last year’s budget, the total County proposed budget of $784 million is an increase of 9% and the General Fund budget of $594 million is an increase of 6%.

Three days of informational budget planning sessions were held in March to help inform a proposed budget that reflects the following top priorities:

building a racially equitable community
investing in County infrastructure
preserving and increasing affordable housing choices and addressing homelessness
addressing County workforce recruitment and retention
reducing carbon emissions and adapting to climate change
enhancing disaster preparedness

Budget Director Josh Swedberg said proposed budget for 2023-24 maintains vital County services. “The slowing economy limits our ability to make new ongoing budget enhancements,” he said. “However, the proposed budget makes significant one-time investments while preparing for future uncertainty.”

An additional $3.2 million in new ongoing funding is earmarked for high-priority needs, including implementation of a Sheriff’s Office oversight board as per State Assembly Bill 1185. The proposed budget also provides an increase to the living wage for eligible County workers to $18 per hour, adds job retention incentives for County employees, enhances services to older people, and increases the annual contribution to the capital improvement program by $1 million.

The largest sources of revenue in the budget are taxes (42%) and the state and federal governments (35%). The largest expenditures are for the County workforce’s salaries and benefits (56%) and public services and supplies (35%). Roughly 70% of the County budget is for mandated programs such as public health, public safety, and justice-related services.

The June 20-22 hearings will be aired live and later archived on the County website. The Tuesday session begins at 1:30 p.m. and will feature public comment. Those interested in contributing comments may join online or in the Board chamber at Suite 330, Marin County Civic Center, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael. The hearings continue at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and the final Thursday session starts at 1:30 p.m. A detailed hearings schedule will be uploaded to the Board’s webpage on June 15.

All public meetings and events sponsored or conducted by the County of Marin are held at accessible sites. If you are a person with a disability and require information or materials in alternative formats – or if you require accommodation to participate in a county program, service or activity – please contact department staff by email or at (415) 473-7331 or (415) 473-4381 (voice/TTY).

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.