El Sobrante resident Thomas Lang wanted to give back to and help improve his unincorporated neighborhood. So he began attending meetings of the El Sobrante Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), and in 2017, joined the nine-member board. Since 2021, he’s been its chair.
“MACs are mandated by the State of California,” he said, and there are many of them throughout Contra Costa County. Unincorporated areas rely on county services, such as fire and sheriff’s departments, so feedback to county administrators is vital.
Lang listed fire safety, road maintenance and noise ordinances as some of the regular agenda items for his MAC. Parts of hilly El Sobrante are heavily wooded and streets are narrow and winding, meaning enforcing fire safety codes and repairing aging roads are very important to residents.
Typically, said Lang, a representative from District 1 Supervisor John Gioia’s office attends the monthly meetings, noting action items that result from them to convey to the board of supervisors. And Gioia also personally attends some meetings.
People might be surprised to learn that Contra Costa County has 80 advisory boards and commissions, including MACs, all composed of community volunteers and all advising the board of supervisors on issues ranging from behavioral health to economic opportunities to aging to, as noted above, potholes.
All county supervisors regularly send out notices of board and commission vacancies and application procedures. Gioia said in a phone interview, “These boards [and commissions] are very important opportunities for people to provide input.” Although most are strictly advisory in nature, such as the MACs, some—such as the Planning Commission, which was established under state law—do have enforcement powers.
The board and commissions database states: “The Planning Commission develops or approves [county] land use plans, development initiatives, planning programs, and permit applications, among other duties.”
Gioia said, “Their decisions are final unless appealed.” He also pointed to “First 5 Contra Costa,” the commission dealing with early childhood issues, which is empowered, for example, to authorize the spending of tobacco-tax revenue.
This commission has 18 members, including one member of the board of supervisors and eight other people representing county administrators as well as groups such as educators specializing in early childhood development, representatives of local school districts, representatives of local parent advocacy groups and more. The remaining nine members are community volunteers.
Boards and commissions essentially fall into two groups, Gioia said—those affecting countywide planning in areas such as health, the environment, mental health, homelessness and others, and those, such as the MACs, that focus on local issues. The first group includes board members specifically chosen to represent certain county areas, at-large seats and district seats that are appointed by individual supervisors.
All seats require an application process through a supervisor’s office.
Before she was selected to sit on the Sustainability Commission, Luz Gomez had a long history of environmental activism with groups such as the Sierra Club and 350 Action. Four years ago, she said in a phone interview, she applied and was picked to fill a vacancy on the commission, whose mission aligns directly with her interests and background.
This commission advises on implementing the county’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, which is a “strategic approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from sources throughout the unincorporated areas and adapt to climate impacts,” according to the database.
“The CAAP reflects the County’s programs and actions to improve energy efficiency, develop renewable energy, reduce vehicle miles traveled, increase multi-modal travel options, expand green infrastructure, reduce waste, and improve the efficiency of government operations,” the database notes.
It consists of 12 members and five alternates: one member from each of the five supervisorial districts, two members representing community groups with sustainability missions, two members from the business community, two members from environmental justice groups in disadvantaged communities, and one member from an education or research institution.
Gomez represents Community Group #1, and said it has been inspiring to her to be a voice for her community on a commission helping to shape the environmental future of the county for generations to come.
A county staff person is assigned to attend the commission meetings and report back to the board of supervisors. “It’s a two-way street,” Gomez said; the supervisors may ask for input as well as receive it. The commission also prepares a yearly report on issues and progress, and commission meetings are open to the public under the Brown Act.
The Sustainability Commission’s work during the last couple of years has been especially impactful, she said, as the group now includes “adaptation” as part of its mission.
If, as the saying goes, “all politics is local,” that is borne out by the transitions of some advisory board and commission members into other, elected positions. California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond got his start when he was selected by Gioia for the Family and Children’s Trust Committee.
Thurmond went on to serve on the West Contra Costa School Board, and was elected to the Richmond City Council in 2006 and then to the California State Assembly in 2014 before being elected as superintendent of public instruction.
The road to other offices can start at the MACs as well. Lang noted that one of El Sobrante’s former MAC members now serves on the West County Wastewater board.
But even for those with no further political ambitions, serving on a board or commission can be very rewarding. “It’s a great way to help shape county policy and learn about how county government operates,” Gioia said. He added that these volunteer positions do not, in most cases, require a huge time commitment.
The 80 different boards and commissions are proof, he said, of how many areas county governments deal with. No matter what an individual’s area of interest is, they will be able to find a place where their input is needed and valued.
For more information on all the Contra Costa County advisory boards and commissions, including vacancies and upcoming vacancies, visit contracosta.ca.gov/6408/Boards-and-Commissions-Database. Each listing directs to an individual body’s website, which explains application procedures.
