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BY ELAINE GOODMAN
Daily Post Correspondent<\/p>\n
A Santa Clara County program in which individual supervisors choose nonprofits to receive county funds has again come under fire from a civil grand jury, which said that without changes, the program may seem like political favoritism.<\/p>\n
The Board of Supervisors will consider a response to the new grand jury report on Tuesday (Aug. 11).<\/p>\n
The five supervisors have given out as much as $11 million combined in a single year in what are known as \u201cboard inventory items.\u201d Each board member is given an amount to spend during the annual budget process and chooses nonprofits to receive the money. Selections by the individual supervisors go to the full board for approval.<\/p>\n
The idea of the program is for community nonprofits to be able to access funding without jumping through a lot of hoops. But the civil grand jury, which serves as a local government watchdog, found in a 2024 report that supervisors don\u2019t use a consistent process for deciding who gets the money. And there\u2019s little follow-up on whether the funds have been used as intended.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout a fundamental change in how the program is managed, it continues to have the appearance of being a tool for political favoritism,\u201d the grand jury said in its 2024 report, which recommended scrapping the program if changes weren\u2019t made.<\/p>\n
The county rejected all five recommendations from the 2024 report. And after receiving a complaint from a \u201cconcerned resident,\u201d this year\u2019s grand jury decided to revisit the issue, issuing a new report on May 29.<\/p>\n
Avoiding the appearance of favoritism<\/p>\n
The new report concluded that the county by the end of the year \u201cshould establish comprehensive, consistent, objective and measurable criteria for the program to mitigate any appearance of political favoritism.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new report notes that the supervisors\u2019 own management audit division conducted an audit of the program and made recommendations for improvements in a February report.<\/p>\n
The audit found that grant recipients aren\u2019t required to submit plans or budgets detailing how they will spend the money. The county usually doesn\u2019t review the groups\u2019 invoices and receipts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lack of oversight and minimal documentation creates opportunities for misuse of public funds,\u201d the audit said.<\/p>\n
The grant program has been around in Santa Clara County since 1999 as \u201cboard inventory items.\u201d Before that, it went by other names.<\/p>\n
The number of funding awards has ballooned over the years. Nineteen items were approved in 2010-11; that number grew to 372 in 2025-26.<\/p>\n
Total funding has varied, peaking at $11 million in 2015-16 and dipping to $2 million during the pandemic in 2020-21.<\/p>\n
For the 2026-27 fiscal year, County Budget Director Ezequiel Vega recommended skipping the inventory items as a cost-cutting measure to help address a nearly $800 million budget shortfall. But supervisors voted to keep the program going with $5 million for the year.<\/p>\n
The funds weren\u2019t distributed evenly among the five supervisors this year. Instead, they were divided based on an \u201cequity\u201d measure: each district\u2019s share of Medi-Cal enrollees. District 2 Supervisor Betty Duong got the largest amount: $1.8 million. District 5 Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, whose district includes Palo Alto, Mountain View and Los Altos, got the smallest amount: $444,469.<\/p>\n
Abe-Koga chose 35 recipients for the money. The Hakone Foundation is receiving $50,000 for the installation of energy-efficient landscape lighting at Hakone Estate and Gardens in Saratoga. The Los Gatos Thrives Foundation is receiving $35,000 for multi-generational mental health and wellness services.<\/p>\n
A $10,000 grant is going to Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action for the \u201cbring your own cup\u201d initiative, which aims to reduce the use of single-use cups and straws.<\/p>\n
A \u2018trivial\u2019 expense<\/p>\n
As part of its investigation, the grand jury talked to supervisors about the grant program. Several said the $5 million spent this year on the program was \u201ctrivial\u201d compared to the county\u2019s overall $13.5 billion budget, the report said.<\/p>\n
A proposed response to the grand jury report that supervisors will consider tomorrow noted that review of the county audit is already underway by the board\u2019s Finance and Government Operations Committee. The committee is expected to continue its review in October.<\/p>\n
Another grand jury recommendation is that consistent and objective criteria be used for choosing grant recipients.<\/p>\n
The proposed response says such a change \u201cis not warranted.\u201d Each supervisor manages the program as they see fit, to best meet the needs of their district, the response says.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the diversity within the county, the needs of the communities in each supervisorial district can vary widely,\u201d the proposed response says.<\/p>\n
Recipients of Abe-Koga\u2019s money<\/p>\n
Proposal NameDescriptionAllocationAsian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI)Support AACI to act as a collaborative advisor and facilitator for the 2026 Health Summit$30,000\u00a0African American Community\u00a0\u00a0Service Agency (AACSA)Support planning costs for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon and an internship stipend for a virtual reality project$5,000\u00a0Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice andEmpowermentSupport safe parking programs in District 5$30,000\u00a0Asian Pacific American Leadership Institute (APALI)Sponsor 2027 Asian American and Pacific Islander Public Policy Summit$15,000\u00a0AvenidasSupport creation of a digital video series to help residents and caregivers access aging- related resources$10,000\u00a0Bay Area Women\u2019s Sports Initiative, Inc. (BAWSI)Sponsor annual Bay Area Women\u2019s Sports Initiative gala$5,000\u00a0CanopyProvide bilingual UC Climate Stewards Program to residents, providing education on sustainable urban forests$8,000\u00a0Santa Clara Climate Resilience FundProvide technical assistance to stakeholders on securing funding and developing workshops and webinars for capacity building related to climate resilience$7,500\u00a0Community Health Partnership, Inc.Support leadership development for healthcare staff$20,000\u00a0Contemporary Asian Theater Scene, Inc.Support the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival$10,000\u00a0Fishnet OutreachSupport food service operations, including delivery of groceries and resources$5,000\u00a0Fostering PromiseCreate a Young Adult Advisory Council to better address the foster-care-to- homelessness pipeline$10,000\u00a0Hakone FoundationSupport installation of permanent energy-efficient landscape lighting at Hakone Estate and Gardens$50,000\u00a0History San JoseSupport the restoration of the Sakauye Farmhouse at History Park$10,000\u00a0Hope ServicesSupport expansion of services to provide new job opportunities to individuals navigating intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health needs$10,000\u00a0Korean American Community Service, Inc.Support open community roundtables meetings located in District 5 and other engagement efforts to connect residents and community resources$20,000\u00a0Latina Coalition of Silicon ValleySupport the Path to Yes pilot initiative, to increase access to homeownership through education and information sharing$25,000\u00a0Latinas Contra CancerSponsor a one-day Cancer Care Summit$5,000\u00a0Los Altos Mountain View Community FoundationSupport the Passport Equity Fund that provides free, culturally competent passport workshops delivered through nonprofit partners$10,000\u00a0Los Gatos Thrives FoundationSupport multi-generational mental health and wellness services$35,000\u00a0MaitriSupport technology systems improvements and equip staff with tools to respond to technology-related abuse$10,000\u00a0Montalvo AssociationProvide ticket subsidies through the Performing Arts Series for Students (PASS) program, allowing student access to events at the Montalvo Arts Center$10,000\u00a0Move Mountain ViewSupport safe parking programs in Mountain View and Palo Alto$10,000\u00a0Opportunities For Change (OFC)Support Reentry Employment Pathways Program that prepares individuals to reenter the workforce$5,000\u00a0Rebuilding Together Silicon ValleyProvide repairs and accessibility modifications for District 5 homeowners$13,469\u00a0Rotary Club of Sunnyvale, California, USA, FoundationSupport the mobile medical clinic based at the Columbia Neighborhood center$15,000\u00a0San Jose Community Media Access Corporation, DBA CreaTVSupport expansion of CreaTV\u2019s Summer Documentary Institute into a full year program$5,000\u00a0Second Harvest of Silicon ValleySupport purchase of food to be distributed through local partners to District 5 residents$20,000\u00a0Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network(SIREN)Sponsor community leadership appreciation luncheon$5,000\u00a0Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC)Support administration and communication functions for SVBC\u2019s local action teams$5,000\u00a0Silicon Valley Bicycle ExchangeSupport program development, volunteer coordination, and community partnerships in support of repairing and donating bicycles to the community$5,000\u00a0Silicon Valley Youth Climate ActionSupport the \u201cBring Your Own Cup\u201d initiative to reduce use of single-use cups and straws$10,000\u00a0Society of Heart\u2019s Delight (SHD)Sponsor SHD\u2019s signature gala event$3,000\u00a0SOMOS Mayfair, Inc.Sponsor Gracias a la Vida 2027 community celebration and fundraiser$2,500\u00a0SV@HomeSponsor Women Leading in Housing Annual Brunch$5,000\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BY ELAINE GOODMANDaily Post Correspondent A Santa Clara County 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