A Livermore resident says a top aide to Alameda County Board President David Haubert quietly floated public money as a way to settle her trash-billing beef and dial down her criticism of the county.
Kiersten Skov says the offer came during a February sit-down in Haubert's Pleasanton office and that she now plans to take her story to Sacramento.
Allegation Brought To Light
Skov told reporters that Haubert’s chief of staff, Shawn Wilson, suggested routing a $1,500 donation to a nonprofit of her choice and said the county could match a charitable gift. She also says Wilson asked what number between $5,000 and $10,000 would make the dispute go away.
According to reporting by The Mercury News, Skov first challenged trash charges with Livermore Sanitation Inc. in January 2025, then ultimately canceled service rather than pay the fees she was contesting.
State Bill Puts County Spending Under Scrutiny
Advocates say Skov’s account is exactly the sort of thing that pushed Sen. Aisha Wahab to author SB 1193, a bill that would require county supervisors to publicly disclose and take a formal vote on discretionary grants to nonprofits.
The measure is pitched as a transparency fix for how county dollars move to community groups. It passed the state Senate on a 37-0 vote, according to Sen. Aisha Wahab's office.
Local Pushback From Supervisors
Back in Alameda County, supervisors have been pushing in the opposite direction. They have defended their power to hand out discretionary awards and, at an April board meeting, voted unanimously to oppose SB 1193, county records show.
In the official board packet, supervisors raise alarms that the bill would effectively single out Alameda County and could tie their hands on community grants. The vote and related materials are detailed in documents from Alameda County.
County Response And Proposed Settlement
Haubert has denied directing any staffer to offer money to Skov, and Wilson has denied offering a bribe.
The county later sent Skov a proposed settlement on June 10 that offered more than $1,150 to resolve potential liability arising from the dispute. Skov says she still plans to head to the state Capitol to describe her interaction with Wilson and how the county tried to resolve the matter, according to The Mercury News.
What’s Next
Skov says she will testify in Sacramento as lawmakers chew over SB 1193, and Wahab has been pointing to the episode as she pushes for the bill’s next steps.
The legislation now continues its path through the Capitol, including referral to the Senate Committee on Local Government, according to hearing schedules listed in CalMatters Digital Democracy.
Why It Matters
Wahab has framed the fight as bigger than one trash bill. She said SB 1193 will provide transparency to the use of public funds intended to protect vulnerable residents, casting Skov’s allegation as one example in a broader push for accountability.
The back-and-forth between Skov and the county, the firm denials from Haubert and Wilson, and the pending state legislation are likely to keep a spotlight on how Alameda County supervisors use their discretionary grant dollars. Sen. Aisha Wahab's office says the bill is designed to ensure those public dollars serve a clear public purpose.
