To: Board of Supervisors
From: Legislation Committee
Report Title: 2026 Conforming Updates to the State Legislative Platform
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT conforming changes proposed to the 2025-26 State Legislative Platform, as recommended by the Legislation Committee. (No fiscal impact)
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact.
BACKGROUND:
Pursuant to the Board’s direction and Administrative Bulletin 110, the Board’s adopted legislative platforms guide the County’s advocacy activities at the state and federal levels. In-depth revisions to the legislative platforms are typically performed during the fall of even-numbered years, whereas conforming updates are made in interim periods. These changes are proposed to reflect recent direction from the Board and its subcommittees.
Accordingly, three changes are proposed to the Board’s adopted state legislative platform. Two changes are to incorporate sponsored bill ideas being pursued by the County: one related to a local general sales tax, and another related to improving enrollment and recertification processing times for In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Community First Choice Option (CFCO). The Board provided direction on January 20, 2026 to pursue legislation related to the cap on sales tax. On the topic of addressing the new IHSS CFCO penalty cost shifts, this topic has been discussed with Legislation Committee at the August 8 and December 10 meetings of Legislation Committee, as well as in informational presentations to the Board on state budget impacts.
To reflect these changes, a new section titled Sponsored Legislation has been added to page 7 of the 2025-26 State Platform. The proposed language is included in the bullets below.
• Reduce the harms of H.R. 1 and the 2025 State Budget Agreement: H.R. 1 and the 2025 State Budget Agreement reduce funding for health care and nutrition for low-income, vulnerable communities in Contra Costa. These policies shift significant underfunded costs to California counties, straining County general fund resources, which are needed to deliver a wide variety of core county services. At the January 20, 2026 meeting, the Board directed sponsored legislation to address the sales tax cap and to allow the voters of Contra Costa County to determine whether a new, short-term general sales tax should be imposed.
• Exploring Strategies to Improve Enrollment Times for In Home Support Services (IHSS): In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) is a program that provides support to Medicaid enrollees who require additional care in order to remain out of an institutional environment and remain in the community. This county-sponsored effort will focus on the Community First Choice Option (CFCO) population and will seek to improve certification times while mitigating new penalties that will amount to nearly $5 million annually in Contra Costa. The County is seeking state partnership and support to implement new staffing, technology, and other improvements to help complete eligibility and enrollment determinations more quickly. Potential goals of this effort could include shortening certification and recertification times, eligibility worker retention and job satisfaction.
The third update proposed follows direction provided by the Legislation Committee at its December 10, 2025 meeting, which modifies and refines an existing policy statement.
Specifically, under the Health Care section, language is proposed to amend policy statement #104: “SUPPORT state action to increase health care access and affordability”. Amendments will add the following new sentences to the existing policy statement:
“Ensure that policies put forth by the state Office of Health Care Affordability do not impede access to care or compound the challenges from federal funding cuts because of H.R. 1 (2025) and other actions. OPPOSE decisions by the Office, such as the imposition of statewide health care spending caps, which could reduce needed investment in our local health care system and reduce access to health care services for Contra Costa residents.”
This language is recommended by Health Services, and was proposed by the California Hospital Association. The language is recommended because although the intent would be captured under the existing policy statement, the new language provides focus on specific agencies that are expected to serve as the venue for discussions related to these concerns. The language highlights the connection between potential actions and likely outcomes.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Without these conforming changes, the State Legislative Platform will not fully reflect the direction of the Board and Legislation Committee during the upcoming session.