Alameda County, California

Government

The Government of Alameda County is defined and authorized under the California Constitution, California law, and the Charter of the County of Alameda.^[11] Much of the Government of California is in practice the responsibility of county governments such as the Government of Alameda County, while municipalities such as the City of Oakland and the City of Berkeley provide additional, often non-essential services. The County government provides countywide services such as elections and voter registration, law enforcement, jails, vital records, property records, tax collection, and public health. In addition it is the local government for all unincorporated areas, and provides services such as law enforcement to some incorporated cities under a contract arrangement.

It is composed of the elected five-member Alameda County Board of Supervisors (BOS) as the county legislature, several other elected offices and officers including the Sheriff, the District Attorney, Assessor, Auditor-Controller/County Clerk/Recorder, Treasurer/Tax Collector, and numerous county departments and entities under the supervision of the County Administrator. In addition, several entities of the government of California have jurisdiction conterminous with Alameda County, such as the Alameda County Superior Court.

The current supervisors are:^[12]

• David Haubert, district 1,
• Elisa Márquez, district 2,
• Lena Tam, district 3,
• Nate Miley, district 4, and
• Keith Carson, district 5.

The Board elects a president who presides at all meetings of the Board and appoints committees to handle work involving the major programs of the county. If the president is absent for a meeting, the vice president shall be responsible. A Board election occurs every two years for these positions. Supervisor Carson is serving currently as president; Supervisor Miley is vice president.

The county's law enforcement is overseen by an elected Sheriff/Coroner and an elected District Attorney. The Sheriff supervises the deputies of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, whose primary responsibilities include policing unincorporated areas of the county and cities within the county which contract with the Sheriff's Office for police services; providing security and law enforcement for county buildings including courthouses, the county jail and other county properties; providing support resources, such as a forensics laboratory and search and rescue capabilities, to other law enforcement agencies throughout the county; and serving the process of the county's Superior Court system. The District Attorney's office is responsible for prosecuting all criminal violations of the laws of the state of California, the county, or its constituent municipalities, in the Alameda County Superior Court. The current Sheriff is Yesenia Sanchez, who was elected in 2022, succeeding Greg Ahern, who had served in the post for 16 years. The Sheriff's Office operates two jails: Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, and Glenn E. Dyer Detention Facility in downtown Oakland.

In 2009, Nancy E. O'Malley was appointed Alameda County district attorney after Tom Orloff retired. She served two terms and did not run for reelection in 2022.^[13] Pamela Price was elected as district attorney in 2022.^[14]

The Alameda County Fire Department (ACFD)^[15] was formed on July 1, 1993, as a dependent district, with the Board of Supervisors as its governing body. Municipal and specialized fire departments have been consolidated into the ACFD over the years. 1993 brought in the Castro Valley and Eden Consolidated FD, and the County Fire Patrol. San Leandro joined in 1995, Dublin in 1997, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2002, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2007, The Alameda County Regional Emergency Communications Center in 2008, and Newark and Union City in 2010. Emeryville joined the ACFD in 2012.

The Alameda County Water District is a special district within Alameda County created to distribute water, but it is not operated by Alameda County administrators. It is operated by an elected board of directors.

Alameda County Superior Court operates in twelve separate locations throughout the county, with its central René C. Davidson Courthouse located in Oakland near Lake Merritt. Most major criminal trials and complex civil cases are heard at this location or in courtrooms within the County Administration Building across the street.

State and federal representation

In the California State Assembly, Alameda County is split between five districts:

• the 14th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Buffy Wicks
• the 16th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Rebecca Bauer-Kahan
• the 18th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Mia Bonta
• the 20th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Liz Ortega
• the 24th Assembly district, represented by Democrat Alex Lee^[16]

In the California State Senate, the county is split between four districts:

• the 5th senatorial district, represented by Democrat Jerry McNerney
• the 7th senatorial district, represented by Democrat Jesse Arreguín
• the 9th senatorial district, represented by Democrat Tim Grayson
• the 10th senatorial district, represented by Democrat Aisha Wahab^[17]

In the United States House of Representatives, the county is split between four districts:

• California's 10th congressional district, represented by Democrat Mark DeSaulnier
• California's 12th congressional district, represented by Democrat Lateefah Simon
• California's 14th congressional district, represented by Democrat Eric Swalwell
• California's 17th congressional district, represented by Democrat Ro Khanna

Politics

Since 1932, Alameda County has been a stronghold of the Democratic Party, with Dwight Eisenhower being the only Republican presidential nominee to have carried the county since. Prior to 1932, the county had been a Republican stronghold. Piedmont resident William F. Knowland was the Republican U.S. Senate Leader from 1953 to 1959. Even when Ronald Reagan won the national popular vote by an 18.3% margin in 1984, Walter Mondale won Alameda County by a larger margin. In 2004 it voted for John Kerry, who won over 75% of the vote. Every city and town voted Democratic.^[18] George H.W. Bush in 1988 was the last Republican to break 30% of the county's vote and Ronald Reagan in 1984 was the last to break 40% of the vote (carrying 40.01%).^[19]

On November 4, 2008, Alameda County voted 61.92% against Proposition 8, which won statewide, and which amended the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. The county garnered the sixth highest "no" vote, by percentage, of all California counties, and was the second largest county, by total voter turnout, to vote against it.^[20]

Adjacent counties

The City and County of San Francisco, California, borders the county on the west, and has a small land border with the city of Alameda, California due to land filling.^[29]

Santa Clara County borders the county on the south.

San Joaquin County borders the county on the east.

Contra Costa County borders the county on the north.

Stanislaus County borders the county on the easternmost end of its southern boundary for 250 feet (76 m).^[30]

National protected area

• Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (part)

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,682,353. The median age was 37.7 years, 20.4% of residents were under the age of 18, and 14.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.^[41]

The racial makeup of the county was 31.1% White, 9.8% Black or African American, 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 32.4% Asian, 0.8% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 13.3% from some other race, and 11.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 23.4% of the population.^[42] The 2020 census shows Alameda as having one of the highest Asian percentages and being one of two counties in the continental US, along with neighboring Santa Clara County, California, to have an Asian plurality - consisting largely of Chinese, Indian and Filipino ancestry.^[43]

99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.^[44]

There were 591,636 households in the county, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.^[41]

There were 621,958 housing units, of which 4.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 51.8% were owner-occupied and 48.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.8%.^[41]

2014

A 2014 analysis by The Atlantic found Alameda County to be the fourth most racially diverse county in the United States, in terms of closest to equal representation of each racial and ethnic group,—behind Aleutians West Census Area and Aleutians East Borough in Alaska, and Queens County in New York—as well as the most diverse county in California.^[45]

2010 census

The 2010 United States census reported that Alameda County had a population of 1,510,271. The population density was 2,047.6 inhabitants per square mile (790.6/km²). The racial makeup of Alameda County was 649,122 (43.0%) White, 190,451 (12.6%) African American, 9,799 (0.6%) Native American, 394,560 (26.1%) Asian (9.7% Chinese, 5.5% Filipino, 4.8% Indian, 2.0% Vietnamese, 1.2% Korean, 0.8% Japanese, 2.2% Other Asian), 12,802 (0.8%) Pacific Islander, 162,540 (10.8%) from other races, and 90,997 (6.0%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 339,889 persons (22.5%): 16.4% Mexican, 0.8% Puerto Rican, 0.2% Cuban, 5.1% Other Hispanic.^[46]

2000 census

As of the census^[48] of 2000, there were 1,443,741 people, 523,366 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living within them, 47.0% married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $55,946, and the median income for a family was $65,857 (these figures had risen to $66,430 and $81,341 respectively as of a 2007 estimate^[49]). Males had a median income of $47,425 versus $36,921 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,680. About 7.7% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

In 2000, the largest denominational group was the Catholics (with 306,437 adherents).^[50] The largest religious bodies were the Catholic Church (with 306,437 members) and Judaism (with 32,500 members).^[50]

2024 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates

According to 2024 US Census Bureau estimates, Alameda County's population was 28.0% White (26.1% Non-Hispanic White and 1.9% Hispanic White), 9.4% Black or African American, 34.1% Asian, 14.1% Some Other Race, 1.2% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.8% Pacific Islander and 14.1% from two or more races.^[51]

Asian Americans are the largest racial/ethnic group at 33.9% (excluding Asian Hispanics).^[51]

The White population is the second largest racial category in Alameda County and includes the 8.1% of Hispanics who self-identify as White. The remainder of Hispanics self-identify as Other Race (57.3%), Multiracial (27.9%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (4.4%), Black (1.1%), Asian (0.9%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.2%).^[51]

The Black population continues to decline and at 9.1% (excluding Black Hispanics)^[51] is below the national average of 11.7% in 2024.^[52] The Black population peaked in the 1980 Census at 18.4%.^[53] Alameda county has the 2nd highest percentage of Black residents in California after Solano County at 13.4%.

White Non-Hispanic Americans are the largest minority group at 23.6% of the population.^[51]

By ethnicity, 23.6% of the total population is Hispanic-Latino (of any race) and 77.7% is Non-Hispanic (of any race). If treated as a category separate from race, Hispanics are the third largest minority group in Alameda County.^[51]

2018 American Community Survey

If Hispanics are treated as a separate category from race, Alameda County's population was 30.4% White, 30.9% Asian, 22.3% Hispanic-Latino, 10.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Some Other Race, 0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.8% Pacific Islander and 4.4% from two or more races.^[54]

The largest ancestry group of Hispanics in Alameda County (2018) are of Mexican descent (72.9% of Hispanics) followed by Salvadoran descent (5.5% of Hispanics), Guatemalan descent (3.9%), Puerto Rican descent (3.4%), Spaniard descent (2.0%), Nicaraguan descent (1.7%), Peruvian descent (1.4%), Cuban descent (1.2%), Colombian descent (1.1%), and those of other Hispanic ethnicity or of mixed Hispanic ethnicity (6.9%).^[55]

Cities by population and crime rates

Colleges and universities

Alameda County is home to the University of California, Berkeley, the flagship campus of the University of California system, and one of the largest and most prestigious research universities in the world.

Other colleges and universities located within Alameda county include:

• Berkeley City College
• California State University, East Bay, one of the campuses of the California State University system
• Chabot College, a two-year community college, part of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District
• College of Alameda, a two-year community college, part of the Peralta Community College District of northern Alameda County
• Graduate Theological Union, a consortium of several Bay Area seminaries, affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley.
• Laney College, a two-year community college, part of the Peralta Community College system
• Las Positas College
• Merritt College, a two-year community college, part of the Peralta Community College system
• Mills College at Northeastern University, a private 4 year women's college and coeducational graduate school
• Ohlone College, part of the Ohlone Community College District
• Samuel Merritt University

Other local colleges and universities which have now closed include:

• SAE Expression College, a for-profit school specializing in creative media
• Holy Names University

Public schools

School districts^[58]

K–12 unified school districts:

Others:

• Lammersville Joint Unified School District (high)
• Mountain House Elementary School District (elementary)

State-operated schools

• California School for the Blind
• California School for the Deaf, Riverside

Major highways

• I-80
• I-205
• I-238 / SR 238
• I-580
• I-680
• I-880
• I-980
• SR 13
• SR 24
• SR 61
• SR 77
• SR 84
• SR 92
• SR 123 – former US 40
• SR 185
• SR 262

Mass transit

Airports

The main airport is the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, with two general aviation airports, the Hayward Executive Airport and Livermore Municipal Airport.

Cities

Census-designated places

20. Ashland
21. Castro Valley
22. Cherryland
23. Fairview
24. San Lorenzo
25. Sunol

Unincorporated communities

Former townships

• Oakland Township – the northern portion subsequently became the cities of Berkeley and Albany.
• Alameda Township – now essentially coterminous with the City of Alameda.
• Brooklyn Township – mostly contained within Oakland and Piedmont.
• Eden Township – partly incorporated into San Leandro and Hayward, the rest contains the communities of Castro Valley, San Lorenzo, and other unincorporated areas.
• Washington Township – contains Union City, Newark, Fremont, and small unincorporated areas nearby.
• Murray Township — Contains cities of Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore, and substantial unincorporated areas including Sunol.

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Alameda County.^[63]

† county seat