Board of Supervisors
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors represents five supervisorial districts and conducts public meetings on County matters. This article explains how to identify your district supervisor, review Board agendas and records, attend or comment at meetings, contact the appropriate office, and locate other Board-related documents and opportunities to participate.
Board Members and Districts
The Board has one supervisor for each of five districts. The official Board of Supervisors homepage identifies Sylvia Arenas as the District 1 supervisor and Board Vice President, Betty Duong as the District 2 supervisor, Otto Lee as the District 3 supervisor and Board President, Susan Ellenberg as the District 4 supervisor, and Margaret Abe-Koga as the District 5 supervisor.
If you want help with a County service or wish to raise a concern with your representative, identify your district before choosing an office. The County’s Find My Supervisor address lookup accepts a property address and shows which supervisorial district contains it. The Board homepage also provides a district search and a full-screen map. Use the address relevant to your inquiry; a nearby city name or ZIP code alone does not identify a supervisorial district in the lookup instructions.
District Offices and County Services
District offices provide ways to contact a supervisor or staff about County matters. The District 2, District 4, and District 5 pages specifically describe help with County services and programs. District pages also offer ways to follow district news or learn about public participation. A district office is a useful contact when you are unsure how to reach the appropriate County program, but the Board’s district map is the place to confirm which supervisor represents an address.
Have a short description of the issue ready when contacting an office. Identify the County service or meeting item involved, explain what you are asking the office to do, and include a way to receive a response if one is needed. For a question about a particular Board item, the meeting date and agenda item will make your inquiry more specific. Avoid placing sensitive personal details in a general website feedback field; the County’s page feedback form expressly asks visitors not to include information such as a home address, tax ID, or Social Security number.
Board Meetings and Agendas
The County’s Board and policy committee meetings page explains attendance, remote participation, public comment, and where to review meeting materials. Meetings of County bodies subject to the Brown Act are held in person. For Board meetings, Board Policy Committee meetings, and certain other County meetings, members of the public may also attend and participate by video conference or telephone. Online streaming is available for Board and Board Policy Committee meetings.
The County of Santa Clara Meeting Portal contains meeting dates, times, and locations, as well as agendas, minutes, videos, and supporting materials for Board and Board Policy Committee meetings. Open the agenda for the particular meeting you intend to follow. It provides the meeting-specific information needed to locate an item and, when remote participation is offered, the video conference link and telephone access information. The Board’s meeting page also points to an Agenda Portal for Board meetings and a three-month tentative workplan for upcoming Board meetings. A tentative workplan is useful for looking ahead, while the meeting agenda provides the details for an individual meeting.
Board Policy Committees
Board Policy Committees have their own meetings and records. The County lists the Children, Seniors and Families Committee; Finance and Government Operations Committee; Health and Hospital Committee; Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee; and Public Safety and Justice Committee. If your interest concerns a committee discussion, look for that committee’s agenda, video, minutes, and supporting materials rather than assuming the item will appear on a full Board agenda.
Meeting records and off-agenda reports serve different purposes. Agendas and supporting materials relate to scheduled meeting business; minutes and videos help you review what occurred at a meeting. Off-agenda reports provide background information requested by the Board on matters such as County programs, services, community conditions, and departmental updates. Knowing which type of document you need can save time when searching the County’s Board pages.
Public Comment at Meetings
Members of the public may submit written comments or speak at Board and Board Policy Committee meetings. The process for speaking depends on whether you participate in person, by video conference, or by telephone. Review the agenda for the meeting and the County’s public comment instructions before the item you wish to address is called.
Written Comments
Written public comments may be emailed to BoardOperations@cob.sccgov.org. The County says written comments are distributed to the Board as quickly as possible, but documents may take up to 24 hours to appear on the agenda outline. If you are checking whether a recently submitted comment has been posted, allow for that possible posting delay. Include enough information to identify the meeting and item your comment concerns.
Speaking in Person
To give spoken public comment in person, attend the meeting in the Board of Supervisors’ Chambers, complete a Request to Speak Form, and submit it to the Clerk. The agenda provides the date, time, and location for the meeting you plan to attend. Follow the proceedings so you are ready when the Board President calls the item on which you wish to speak, and keep your remarks within the allotted speaking time.
Speaking Remotely
For video participation, use the Zoom link at the top of the meeting agenda or on the Board of Supervisors Welcome Page of the County Meeting Portal. The County says participants may use the Zoom client or connect through a current browser. The telephone number for calling into a meeting is posted on its agenda. Remote participants are asked to enter an email address and name; the County requests that speakers identify themselves by name because it is visible online and used to notify them when it is their turn.
Requesting Your Turn to Speak
When the Board President calls the item you wish to address, select “raise hand” in the video meeting. The Clerk activates and unmutes speakers in turn, with notice shortly before each person is called. Telephone participants press *9 to request to speak and *6 to unmute when prompted. Wait until you are called, then observe the time limit announced for remarks. If you only want to watch, use a standard meeting stream instead of joining as a remote speaker, as the Clerk requests.
Remote access can be affected by technical problems. For Board meetings, the County describes procedures under Section 18(g) of the Rules of the Board of Supervisors that may involve adjourning or recessing a meeting and attempting to restore remote participation. For Board Policy Committee meetings, the chairperson may decide to continue without remote participation options when technical problems prevent their use. Follow the County’s meeting information if a disruption occurs rather than assuming the same remote link will remain available.
Interpretation and Meeting Accommodations
Language interpretation services are available for meetings. Contact the Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors no less than three business days before the meeting to request an interpreter. If you require an accommodation for a Board meeting under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Brown Act, notify the Office of the Clerk of the Board at least 24 hours before the meeting. Accommodation requests may also be sent to BoardOperations@cob.sccgov.org.
These advance notice periods apply to different requests: three business days for an interpreter and at least 24 hours for a Board meeting accommodation. Check the meeting date before making either request. The Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors is the office named in the County’s meeting instructions for both matters.
Board Records and Off-Agenda Reports
The Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors supports public meeting bodies and maintains Board-related records. Its site offers a way to request records related to the Board and other public meeting bodies, along with access to the Meeting Portal and off-agenda reports. Direct a request for Board or Clerk records to that office rather than treating a district supervisor’s contact page as the records system.
The Board publishes searchable off-agenda reports to make background information requested by supervisors available to the public. The page places documents published before April 24, 2026, under an “Archive” tab. If a report does not appear in the current results, check the archive when its date falls before that cutoff. The County also advises people who need an accessible version of an archived document or help accessing the information to contact its office for support.
Board agendas, minutes, meeting videos, and off-agenda reports answer different questions. An agenda helps identify what was scheduled for consideration; minutes and video help you review a meeting; supporting materials provide documents attached to an item; and off-agenda reports supply requested background outside that agenda search. Begin with the meeting date and item when you know them. For a broader subject inquiry, the off-agenda report search may reveal relevant background documents.
Budget Inventory Items
Budget inventory items are proposals from Board members to change the County’s Recommended Budget. The County says they typically provide funding for one-time grants or sponsorships for community-based organizations. An organization interested in funding may complete the coversheet and submit it to a Board office, but each district office has its own process for considering requests. The County also identifies Levine Act forms among the materials organizations must complete to be considered.
Identify the relevant district office before preparing a request, then review that office’s process and deadline for the applicable budget cycle. The Board’s budget inventory page contains district-specific contacts and deadlines, a schedule for the inventory item process, and archives of approved inventory items from prior fiscal years. The dates shown for a prior cycle should not be treated as a current submission window. A proposal sent to one district office does not establish that another office uses the same form, review process, or deadline.
Boards and Commissions
The Clerk of the Board also provides information about serving on County boards and commissions. Its Boards and Commissions page directs visitors to applications and vacancies, commissioner resources, and a meeting portal. Several district offices likewise describe applying to a board or commission as a way to participate in local government.
Begin with the applications and vacancies information if you want to serve. If you instead want to observe the work of an existing body, look for its meeting materials through the appropriate portal. Applying for an appointment, attending a meeting, and commenting on a Board agenda item are separate activities, so use the page and process that match what you intend to do.
Choosing the Right Board Office
For a district concern or help reaching a County service, use the address lookup to identify your supervisor and contact that district office. For a Board or Policy Committee agenda, meeting video, minutes, or public comment procedure, use the Board’s meetings page and the County Meeting Portal. For Board-related public records, interpretation, accommodations, or boards and commissions applications, the Office of the Clerk of the Board is the relevant office identified in the County’s materials.
Before reaching out, separate your request from any documents you are trying to locate. A meeting date, committee name, and agenda item help identify meeting business; a report topic or publication date helps with an off-agenda report search; and a property address helps identify a supervisorial district. Supplying the identifier that fits the task helps the office understand the request without requiring unrelated personal information.
Board and District Offices
Board of Supervisors and Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors — 70 West Hedding Street, East Wing, 10th Floor, San Jose, CA 95110; (408) 299-5001.
Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, District 1 — (408) 299-5010.
Supervisor Betty Duong, District 2 — (408) 299-5020.
Supervisor Otto Lee, District 3 — (408) 299-5030.
Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, District 4 — (408) 299-5040.
Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, District 5 — 70 West Hedding Street, 10th Floor, San Jose, CA 95110; (408) 299-5050.
Board of Supervisors FAQs
How do I file a complaint with the Board?
The Office of the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors provides a “File a Complaint to the Board of Supervisors” service. Start there and follow the County’s instructions for the type of complaint you want to submit. Describe the County action or issue clearly and keep any dates or documents that support your account. If you are seeking compensation for a loss involving the County, use the Clerk’s separate “File a Claim of Loss Against the County” service; filing a complaint and filing a claim are different processes.
Where can I check the rules the Board follows?
The Board of Supervisors homepage links to the County’s Ordinance Code and Other Governing Documents. Start with that collection if you need the text of a County ordinance or a document governing Board procedures. If your question concerns a decision at a particular meeting, check the applicable agenda and meeting record as well. A governing rule and the record of how the Board handled an item answer different questions.
Can the Clerk help me challenge my property assessment?
Yes. The Clerk of the Board lists a property tax appeal service for people seeking to lower the County’s assessment of their property value. Use that service to find the County’s application instructions. Have the property information and the assessment you are questioning available when you review the requirements. If your concern is a tax bill or payment rather than the assessed value, make sure you are using the process for that issue.
Where do lobbyists register and file reports?
The Clerk of the Board lists “Register and report as a lobbyist” among its services. Use the County’s instructions there to determine which registration and reporting steps apply to your activities. Check the current requirements before submitting anything, especially if you are unsure whether an activity must be reported.