Caregivers Demand Competitive Wages as Board Adopts Capital Plan, Fee Schedules

The Solano County Board of Supervisors moved through a heavy policy agenda April 28, adopting a five-year capital facilities plan spanning 80-plus buildings and approving updated fee schedules for 20 departments — but the meeting's most charged moments came during public comment, where IHSS caregivers and their union demanded meaningful raises after seven months at the bargaining table.

• IHSS caregivers rally for competitive wages after seven months of stalled negotiations; union cites 3% gap with neighboring counties

• Two residents urge countywide vote on California Forever, citing $191.9 million projected annual deficit and displacement of up to 190,000 residents

• Board adopts five-year capital plan covering 2.2 million square feet, including a new $37 million behavioral health facility

• Twenty updated fee schedules approved for FY2026/27 with mostly 1–10% increases, effective July 1

• Supervisor James reports progress on restructuring Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District board through state legislation

"The Care Crisis Is Happening Now"

Multiple SEIU Local 2015 members packed the public comment period to press the Board of Supervisors on in‑home supportive services (IHSS) caregiver wages, describing a workforce in crisis as bargaining drags into its seventh month with no deal.

Why it matters: More than 4,000 Solano County residents receive In-Home Supportive Services from caregivers who help elderly and disabled community members remain in their homes. The union says a 3% wage gap between Solano and neighboring counties — including Contra Costa, Alameda, and Napa — is driving experienced workers to leave, even as the county's aging population grows.

Where things stand: The county has proposed a 55-cent-per-hour increase that SEIU members say fails to keep pace with inflation. Bargaining has been ongoing since September 2025, with union members attending every Board meeting during that period.

"While you hesitate over the budget, our neighboring counties are already moving forward with wage proposals that actually respect their workforce," said Leticia Guerrero, IHSS bargaining unit representative. "When you offer 55-cent increases that don't even meet inflation, you lose experienced workers."

Elizabeth Cruz, an IHSS provider and bargaining team member, described her own financial struggles as a single mother of three, telling supervisors she fights not only for herself but for the thousands of community members who depend on the program.

Carl Vinson, a former caregiver and SEIU Local 2015 volunteer who serves on the IHSS Public Authority Advisory Committee alongside Supervisors Wanda Williams and Monica Brown, warned that federal budget cuts compound the local crisis.

"The care crisis in Solano County is not a distant future — it's happening now," Vinson said. "Too many of our elders and community members with disabilities are going without the care they need because low wages are driving a shortage of caregivers."

What's next: The Board entered closed session later in the meeting for conference with IHSS Authority labor negotiators. No reportable action was disclosed. With SEIU members showing up meeting after meeting, pressure on the Board to close the wage gap will only intensify as budget season approaches.

Residents Sound Alarm on California Forever

Two public commenters delivered pointed opposition to the California Forever project — the massive proposed agricultural-to-urban land conversion in eastern Solano County — urging the Board to put the annexation question to a countywide vote this November.

The basics: California Forever has acquired roughly 80,000 acres in Solano County with plans to develop a new city. The project requires annexation of land that opponents say falls outside Suisun City's sphere of influence, and the Suisun City Council was voting that same evening on a development agreement framework.

Why it matters: The project would represent one of the largest agricultural land conversions in the county's history, with significant implications for Travis Air Force Base, housing costs, and county finances.

Catherine Moy, a District 3 supervisor candidate, called on Supervisor Wanda Williams to agendize a countywide ballot measure for the November election. Moy warned that while the Travis buffer zone protects only 8,000 acres, California Forever owns roughly 80,000 — putting the base's $4 billion economic contribution at risk.

Michael Jefferson, a public commenter, presented detailed fiscal analysis from a 2024 impact report, projecting a $191.9 million annual deficit at full buildout — $103.1 million to the county general fund and $88.8 million to the fire district — plus $49.1 billion in infrastructure costs, a 20–40% increase in median home prices, and potential displacement of 150,000 to 190,000 residents over 40 years.

"It offers an economic mirage that benefits only upper-class buyers while recreating Silicon Valley's failures of pricing out thousands," Jefferson said.

What's next: No Board action was taken on the California Forever comments — public comment does not require a response — but with a District 3 candidate making the project a campaign issue and Suisun City advancing its own process, the annexation debate is heading toward a collision between city and county politics.

Five-Year Capital Plan: $37M Behavioral Health Facility Headlines Aging-Building Roadmap

The Board unanimously adopted the updated five-year Capital Facilities Improvement Plan (CFIP) covering FY2025/26 through FY2029/30, a document that for the first time includes Solano County Fairground facilities alongside the county's 80-plus buildings and 2.2 million square feet of maintained space.

Why it matters: The CFIP is the county's roadmap for facility investment — prioritizing projects by health and safety, code compliance, asset preservation, and operational efficiency. But it is a planning tool, not a budget tool: most future-year projects remain unfunded, meaning the Board will face difficult trade-offs in coming budget cycles.

Where things stand: Mark Hummel, Capital Projects Manager with Solano County's General Services Department, walked the Board through current and planned projects. Among the highlights:

• $37 million behavioral health facility at the Beck campus

• $4 million-plus HVAC replacement at the Vallejo justice center

• Photovoltaic and microgrid energy systems, with successful backup generator testing completed in Vallejo

• Park Rose supportive housing renovations on East Tabor Avenue

• An asset protection stormwater and sea-level-rise project across from the downtown campus

Supervisor Wanda Williams asked specifically about the long-mothballed 701 Texas Street building in Fairfield, which has been an eyesore for years due to petroleum remediation from a former automotive service shop. Hummel reported that scaffolding was erected to protect pedestrians from falling plaster and that a permit for replastering and repainting was just issued.

General Services Director Anthony Tave noted the CFIP is now published on an interactive OpenGov digital platform for public access. Looking further ahead, the county is studying EV fleet service facility needs, cogeneration plant upgrades, detention system food service strategies, and youth transitional housing at the Juvenile Detention Facility.

Decisions: Adopted 4-0 (For: Brown, Williams, Mashburn, James; Absent: Vasquez). No public comment was received.

Board Adopts 20 Updated Fee Schedules

The basics: User fees are what the county charges to recover some or all of the cost of providing specific services. The Auditor-Comptroller verifies the accuracy of each department's methodology, and County Counsel reviews the statutory authority for each fee.

Why it matters: Twenty departments proposed revisions — including some fee decreases and deletions alongside new fees — while five departments (Child Support Services, the District Attorney, Probation, Human Resources, and the Public Defender) proposed no changes. Most fees are increasing between 1% and 10%, effective July 1, 2026.

Anne Putney from the County Administrator's Office explained that the productive hourly rate methodology calculates direct salary costs plus indirect overhead, ensuring fees reflect actual service delivery costs. The public hearing was continued from April 14; no public comment was received at either hearing.

Decisions: Adopted 4-0 (For: Brown, Williams, Mashburn, James; Absent: Vasquez).

Vallejo Flood District Board Restructure Moving Forward

Supervisor Cassandra James reported that her effort to restructure the Vallejo Flood and Wastewater District board — which the Board previously voted for her to lead — is advancing through coordination with VFWD staff, state legislative partners, and Assemblymember Lori Wilson's office. The proposed restructure would create a board composed of one supervisor, two city council members, and two community members.

Detailed information is expected by June, with a comprehensive update planned for the fall.

James also reported on the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council annual meeting, including updates on construction of an on-site court at the juvenile detention facility, the Rise program, and approval of a Youth Offender BSG grant. She promoted two upcoming events: Wildfire Community Preparedness Day at the Vallejo Ferry Terminal on Saturday, hosted by Solano Fire Safe Council, and the Exposure Academy football event on May 3 at the Solano Fairgrounds, hosted by NFL alumni Stevie Johnson and Jason Verrett.

Minor Items

• AANHPI Heritage Month: Board adopted a resolution proclaiming May 2026 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Solano County has over 73,300 AANHPI residents, with Filipinos representing the largest subgroup at approximately 17% of the local API population. Zen Hunter Ishikawa accepted the resolution on behalf of APAPA and the Asian Pacific Islander communities. Passed 4-0.

• $1.26M Motorola contract approved for public safety radio system expansion serving the South Simulcast Cell in Vallejo and Benicia, extending through 2037.

• $707,480 in consultant work approved for the Sheriff's Office CalAIM PATH-JI Round 3 health services project.

• $288,715 design contract with A2R Architects approved for 197 Butcher Road tenant improvements.

• $120,000 contract approved for the Xplore Solano Youth Work Experience summer program (May–August 2026).

• Probation cloud migration ($210,000 Journal Technologies contract) pulled from the consent calendar and deferred to a future meeting.

• Nut Tree Airport hangar lease authority delegated to the Director of General Services.

• Two reappointments to the Child Care Planning Council confirmed (Susan Smith and Kwiana Algere, through March 2028).

• Surplus fire equipment authorized for disposal in both the Suisun and Vacaville fire districts.

• Fire district quarterly reports: Montezuma (53 calls), Suisun (100 calls, including a barn-to-winery conversion under review), and Vacaville (139 calls, 21 development reviews, 620 burn permits). Interim Fire Chief Jerry Brown confirmed proactive weed abatement is underway ahead of fire season, though late rains have slowed progress.

• Consent calendar approved 4-0 covering 14 items including district nonprofit contributions, meeting minutes, and attendance reports.

• Closed session included conference with labor negotiators for all county bargaining units (including IHSS Authority) and existing litigation (Estate of Salvador Romero v. Solano County). No reportable action was disclosed.