Regular City Council Meeting September 20, 2022

0:00:00He's.

0:00:02Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): I am pleased to report that one of the high-risk areas that had been identified Um, ah for ineffective budget, monitoring and reporting has been now considered addressed according to the State Auditor. So that is very good news, and I again provided you with those comments for the public certification. The update that we provided is on the city website, where we have posted all of the other State auditor reports and updates everything that we've provided

0:00:31to the auditor in our progress reports you go to the city manager page on the city's website. There's a listing on the side for State Auditor report, and the link has been provided there for our most recent submittal. So that was done again on September sixteenth, and we do hope we did, at the suggestion of the mayor and the subcommittee. We did submit that report this time as well to our elected officials in Sacramento, so that they can see the progress that the city has made. This report

0:01:00had a lot of updates and completion. So again, I want to thank

0:01:04the Mayor pro Ten and Council member for their review and suggestions and work on that update. So again, we're we're, we're making progress it's been recognized. We want to continue to make progress, and we do hope that with this latest update that will, we will get even make even more progress. And hopefully, um and our time on the high-risk report

0:01:26for the State Auditor. So at that I am. That concludes my remarks. Thank you so much.

0:01:33Very good. Thank you, Karen Pinkus. I also want to announce that We have a city manager here this week. Ah, um! Temporarily as our police chief, and and welcome to hockey.

0:01:48I want to announce that on the twenty ninth of

0:01:53August I signed a mayoral letter, requesting the Governor to sign Sb. Eight hundred and fifty, two, permitting local governments to form climate action, districts for climate, action, adaptation, and mitigation projects.

0:02:08On the thirty. First I signed a mayor a letter requesting to Governor not to sign a B nine fifty one providing for a manufacturing sales, tax exemption, and the the Governor Ah, ah! Did not sign that. And so I want to say thank you to the other mayors and council members for sending letters of posing

0:02:35Ab. Nine hundred and fifty, one thousand nine hundred and fifty one providing for a manufacturing sales tax exemption

0:02:44on the first of September I did sign a mayor a letter requesting the Governor to sign Sp. One thousand three hundred and thirty, eight, creating a community assistance, recovery and empowerment court program, also

0:02:59care. And as a member of the Board of Directors for League of California cities, we have supported that, and this is the first step in what we can do to

0:03:13provide assistance in stopping this broken system that we have, and not being able to take care of our residents and homeless that are dealing with

0:03:29addiction, alcoholism, homelessness. This is just the first step, so I want to say thank you to the mayors in Contra Costa, and with the legal California cities, as well as my city council in supporting Sb. Thirteen, thirty, eight. In the next week I will be heading out a proclamation to

0:03:54someone on their Senate seventieth anniversary, and that that is our corporate.

0:04:03We have a a corporation that is headquartered here in Al Srida, and that's nations amber, and today we will adjourn Today's meeting in honor of

0:04:15William C. Jones, who was a long time Elsred, a resident. I met him many many years ago, growing up in El Cerrito, and he is

0:04:27his family, owned the local Texas station on Richmond and Fairmont Avenue. So, remembering those days, and remembering a lot of my friends who

0:04:39work there on weekends and after school at El Cerrito High, and we will honor Bill Jones, senior

0:04:50at the end of this Council meeting. I also ah want to ah speak! Ah! That I did attend a special event. Ah! The annual David Brower dinner as a former member Ah, Board, member and Executive Committee, member of the Sierra Club Day Chapter. Ah! It was ah great to attend that, and to see many of our Ah, ah! Long time colleagues and friends! Ah! Especially here in El Cerrito.

0:05:18Ah! Like ah former mayor! Ah, Norman La Force! Ah, who has continues to ah volunteer for a day chapter for the Sierra plan.

0:05:30So we did hand out the first David Mccord Award, who was a colleague and friend of mine, and that is, and that ah special inaugural award went to. Ah, John Bouter's Mayor of Memory film.

0:05:47I want to see if any of my colleagues have any updates. I'll start with Council Member Ruddick via Zoom.

0:06:00Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): Thank you, Mayor. I have a few updates since our last meeting, so i'll try to go through it quickly. Um. On August twenty second I attended the senior stroll with some community members on the Twenty-third I attended the League of California City, the Oc. Roundtable through the really fantastic way to hear from my colleagues across the State on how it is that they responded, and have any lessons learned so that we can improve our response Here in Al Sredo, On the twenty fourth of August I attended the Lsudo Chamber

0:06:29mixer at elevation sixty six brewery, which, if you've never been before definitely go. On Wednesday, September seventh, through Friday of September ninth, I attended the League of California City's Annual Conference in Long Beach and Councilmember fidelity. Mayor Quinto and Mayor Potemo, Toyama were there as well. I attended sessions on housing sustainability,

0:06:52Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): her's strategies around poverty and universal basic income top forty seven and what local cities can do to better help transgender community members, and how we can help support affirming care. I'm also a member of the women's caucus, who was able to participate in the caucus. On September tenth I attended the fiftieth anniversary of Art councilmember, Fideli, and artwork. President Rebecca Salzman who also lives here in El Cerrito attended, the three of us were able to to go. There was a fantastic turnout with elected

0:07:22from around the bay, as well as former electives, and it was really fantastic to see the

0:07:28the the capsule. That's time, Capsule, that art staff had cared on the twentieth anniversary of which was on earth. At the fiftieth anniversary of art.

0:07:36Um. On September thirteenth I met with some community members about the potential new library at Elstri Applause and development, and I reaffirmed my commitment to that once in a lifetime opportunity to build there at the library or build at the Plaza

0:07:51on September fourteenth I met with members of make Elsredo firesa. We've walked around the hillside natural area, and we also viewed some areas around the golf course.

0:08:02So there's a little bit of what I've been up to since our last meeting.

0:08:06Okay, very good. Thank you. We'll next go to Councilmember.

0:08:10Thank you. Good evening. Everyone. I, too, as a council member Ruddick mentioned. We participated at the part fiftieth anniversary opening in one thousand nine hundred and seventy two. So that was a a well done event. Um, Councilmember, Motiyama, Ah, Mayor Pro, Tim Motiyama and I. Part of the new subcommittee on the Enhanced Infrastructure Finance district met with city staff to

0:08:35discuss options for financing the library at the Elsa Rita Clause of Art Station, and I just got my last, most recent booster shot at the Richmond Pacific Center, and it's online. It worked. Well, everybody go do it if you need to. Thank you. Okay, let's go to Mayor for ten.

0:08:54Thank you. Mayor. Um. First, i'd like to say a happy fortieth anniversary to the Al-srido toast Masters Club they were founded in one thousand nine hundred and two. They have over two hundred and fifty members, and they're part of the learning community that is the Bay area. And I want to thank President Alisa Guan and master as Germans Allen marks and wish them the best for their fortieth anniversary on September the twenty seventh.

0:09:21Just a little bit of updates. What have I been doing since the last Council meeting, you can tell. We've all been hanging out together extensively,

0:09:31So I attended the community meeting on the library on August the twenty fifth. I also attended as Council Member for Delhi

0:09:42joint planning and design review on the El Street of Plaza Bark Station, Tood, and that was really exciting to see a sign for the plaza, evolve and get refined, and, I think, more responsive to all the communities,

0:10:00um desires, and issues, and particularly having a kind of a sense of how the library will be part of that development. It's really exciting.

0:10:10As Councilmember Runnick mentioned, I was at the Cal Cities, and I presented there on supporting housing, and I was able to um let people know all around the State all the great work that we're doing here in Al-serrito, particularly with the San Pablo avenue-specific plan, and that was well received. We had a really huge turnout, for that which I was not expecting, because I think Housing is a much more controversial issue. Outside of Al-serrito.

0:10:38I attended the Eqc meeting I attended the Finance subcommittee meeting with Councilmember rudnick

0:10:46and the ei f a subcommittee meeting, as well as the fiftieth anniversary for barks. So that was very exciting. Um, and it's it's very um heartening to know that Bart is really ready for the next fifteen years as well, because it's such an important part of of the resources that make Elsie go special. To have two part stations is really incredible for us. That's really two opportunities

0:11:10be greener and more climate-friendly as well as have to dod development that will support our growth in the long term. So thank you.

0:11:19Um! I also want to say um Regarding the fiftieth anniversary I was not able to attend, but I did find something that a newspaper clipping that Ah, fifty years ago, and in a few days ago I did it wide on the first Bart train, and they didn't understand what the big to do was about then, but knowing that Richard Nixon, President Nixon, was ah,

0:11:49that same train, so that I did find the

0:11:54the swag that they gave out to the kids from Fairmont Harding, and you know, Astrot Schools era. So i'm i'm going to give that to Ah, the folks at Park, because they don't have anything from back then, and I will. Ah,

0:12:12that in anything. So So again congratulations to our friends embarked, and

0:12:19looking at Uh, fast forward to fifty years. I'm so excited to to know that uh Bart is in charge of this future development. Um, and i'm excited about this to have the next generation. Ah! Who will be able to ah move in? Ah, in the next few years, and to have a twenty first century Library there. So. Um i'm hoping that

0:12:48all of our ah residents ah support this project with the twenty four million that are received, they are Ah, that is for a parking structure, and that is for that we funding investment access,

0:13:07caring for ah neighborhood parking for some of our residents that will be out there and will be available and congratulate. I wrote the letter to support this

0:13:23ramped, and they sent that over to Assembly Member Phil Tay. So thank you to Assembly member filting for doing this, for

0:13:35we have been housing for a crowd that were one of only thirty eight cities in the whole state of four hundred and eighty two cities that are right on target for.

0:13:46So thank you to staff here for doing the work, and especially to bark President

0:13:56Rebecca Salzman, who Ah is leading the efforts and making sure we have a twenty first century library and housing for all at the Plaza Park Station. Next we'll um.

0:14:11Oh, It's another

0:14:12happy birthday to our city manager, Karen Pinkas.

0:14:15That's right,

0:14:17Thank you. Thank you. Everyone. It's been a fun birthday so far.

0:14:22Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): But i'm here with you on purpose. So,

0:14:25and Mayor Quinto, Councilmember Abelson was able to join us.

0:14:29But let's welcome councilmember. Abelson, Councilmember Abelson, do you have an update for us

0:14:36Councilmember Abelson: I can barely hear you. I'm sorry. It took me so long to get on. Can you hear me?

0:14:44We can hear you.

0:14:45Councilmember Abelson: Oh, in a normal way.

0:14:47Yes. Oh, okay, I can't hear you.

0:14:51Councilmember Abelson: Ah much at all.

0:14:53Um,

0:14:55I am sorry to be late. I spent all of this time

0:15:01trying to get on,

0:15:04so I've been traveling around with my ipad, and I guess it did not appreciate it

0:15:13anyway. Um,

0:15:15the um I I really don't have an update in terms of counsel information other than to say that the

0:15:30farmers market that's been going on.

0:15:34We'll be going on somewhat through the end of this month, and then,

0:15:39when the rains start which you're like, I maybe even now, now that they've started um, it will be ah ceasing operations for anybody who's ah wanting to get some ah low price, but very nice produce from them.

0:15:59And um

0:16:01other than that, I don't think I have any

0:16:05update other than I'm very happy to be back.

0:16:10Well, we are. Thank you that you're back Councilmember Abelson. Ah! And Ah, glad you bowed back, and we're going to make sure that the last few council meetings that we have with you. We're going to end us on a high note. So

0:16:26well, thank you.

0:16:28By the way, there was a nice article on Councilmember Abelson, Mayor Abelson in the latest Ah, Chamber. Ah, Newsletter! So please take a look at that, and you can look at that online as well.

0:16:41So next we're going to do a public comment. Now it's a time for members of the public who wish to provide public comments regarding matters not on the agenda. Consent. Items and presentation items in-person. Speakers can submit a speaker card to the so city clerk and remote speakers should use a raise hand feature to request, to speak.

0:17:04Remember to please identify yourself and your city of residents at the beginning of your

0:17:12Thank you, Mayor. At this time we have seven requests to speak. If you did, please confirm the three minute time limit three minutes for seven. Thank you. Okay. We will go to our in. We will do our in-person speakers first,

0:17:25and our first speaker tonight is Tom Panz, followed by Betty, Akasich

0:17:45Leavelington.

0:17:53Good evening, Mayor Quinto, Members of the council and city staff. My name is Tom Panis, and I live at seven, three, four, five, Fairmount to no Cerrito. I'd like to thank you for your vision and support for the Tood development that Bart has proposed for the Plaza station and Elsa Rita. We talk a lot about place making

0:18:10parts Tod development at the Plaza station hopefully, including a library, will be a step in that direction.

0:18:17However, i'd like to suggest that we get much more creative, and really do this right for a second. Visualize yourself in six or seven years. Sitting in a chair on a south side of the Tod development, looking towards the Alsredo Plaza shopping site,

0:18:33except you're not looking at traffic on Fairmont Avenue anymore, because we've closed the block of Fairmont from Liberty to the west side of the Bart station,

0:18:41and only you're not looking at traffic. You're actually looking at a small rise where Fairmount Avenue formally ran. Covered up by the small rise, is a bus only terminal that provides easy access to the Plaza Bart. Station for ac transit buses.

0:18:56I like to say again that I live on Fairmont Avenue. I've lived on Fairmont Avenue for more than forty five years, and i'm certainly clear that what i'm suggesting will have impacts on traffic.

0:19:09But it is our goal to preserve the world that we have today, or is our goal to create the world that we want for tomorrow.

0:19:17I'm very much in favor of the latter. So let's not squander this amazing opportunity to think outside the box and do some really incredible place, making as part of Arts Plaza Tod project. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, and i'm praying that we don't miss it or dismiss it out of here.

0:19:35Thank you for your time this evening. Thank you,

0:19:38thank you. Our next speaker is Buddy Akusage, followed by Kimberly White.

0:19:55Good evening, my dear friends.

0:19:59It's such an honor and a pleasure to be here with you this evening.

0:20:04The last time I was here I got

0:20:09percentage going and and okay, time's up. And so this is a continuation. This this should have been. But

0:20:21so I want to get us back to that moment when

0:20:25you were at the table there at the Monday

0:20:29Lutheran library, and

0:20:36the the word disgrace was used to talk about the absence of a senior center in El Cerrito, and once again I I were friends.

0:20:47I I don't want this to be perceived as an attack or no defensiveness here. This is objective friends looking at realities within the senior community.

0:21:00So I I thought about that, and and I got the petition going, and I got sixty signatures for you on on that petition, and and I talked to those sixty individuals.

0:21:11These are some of the words I made note of some of the words that they use it in following from the word disgrace,

0:21:20embarrassment,

0:21:23outrageous,

0:21:26disgusting,

0:21:29absurd,

0:21:31odd,

0:21:34crazy

0:21:36the shaft.

0:21:38So I present those those words to you to express to you the feelings within the senior community

0:21:48feelings, not attacks, not criticism feelings. So I'm asking you to put on your shrink cap,

0:21:59your psychological insights,

0:22:02communion with your senior community, and understand some of these feelings.

0:22:08Come and talk with us,

0:22:11commune with us

0:22:15specifically. I would like to take this opportunity. I've got thirty five seconds left.

0:22:23Invite you, Gabe King, to.

0:22:27I have seminars and strolls

0:22:31virtually every day, five days a week,

0:22:34and I can put a group of seniors together, and you can commune with us, and you can get in touch with the feelings of our senior community here in the city of Elsredo, California. So i'm going to leave it at that, and i'm going to ask you again to communicate with me within the next day or two or three

0:22:54identify a time and a place where you can meet with us. I'm out of time. Thank you so much.

0:23:01Thank you.

0:23:02Thank you. Our next speaker is Kimberly White, and then we'll go to our remote requests.

0:23:22Hello, Council, Community and staff and happy birthday, Karen,

0:23:26our city manager. My name is Kimberly Light, and I'm a twenty-year homeowner

0:23:31and a business owner here in the city of Elsa Rita,

0:23:34as a public servant with over twenty five years of municipal finance. I urge you to pull the amendment to the city. Comprehensive financial policy from tonight city council, consent, calendar and reject the resolution amending the city of El Cerrito's comprehensive financial policy with direction to the city manager to align financial policies. With the State auditor recommendation.

0:23:59This is not welcome news, but El Cerrito continues to be in a financial crisis.

0:24:05The city still has a triple B, but a minus bond rating with standard and pors, which is one step above junk bone status,

0:24:14According to the State of California. El Cerrito is currently number six on the state's list of poorly and financially managed cities. That means that four hundred cities are better managed.

0:24:27As in the packet, the comprehensive financial policy was presented to the Financial Advisory Board in June, and then again in August,

0:24:35we did have comments around the alignment with the city managers. Excuse me to see the State auditor's recommendations and relaxing the recommendations from both the State Auditor and the Government Financial Finance Officers Association's recommendation.

0:24:53Should the city adopt a policy for quarterly reporting and revenues decline. The Council will not know about those declines for more than four months. Four months is insufficient to pivot to a viable solution.

0:25:08Monthly reporting is essential for good governance, fiscal responsibility and transparency.

0:25:15It's been eighteen months since the State Auditor made recommendations, and while it may be that the Finance Department lacks the staff to perform these tasks.

0:25:24This should not be acceptable as an ongoing excuse,

0:25:28even before the pandemic. We've heard about the lack of staffing in the finance group. But any chief executive at a public agency or private industry has an obligation and fiduciary responsibility to overcome those hurdles,

0:25:44acquire the staff necessary to perform basic tasks like variance analysis.

0:25:53Over four hundred cities in California, including Richmond, Sam and Sam Pablo. Our neighbors are overcoming these herds and performing better than Elsa Rita.

0:26:03Therefore I urge you to take the appropriate action and align the financial and and align with the Financial Advisory Board. Pull this item from the consent, Calendar, calendar, and return it for rework. Thank you for your time and your consideration.

0:26:18Thank you.

0:26:20We will now go to our remote request to speak. Our first speaker is Janet Byron, Janet, you should be able to unmute and begin your time now.

0:26:30Janet Byron: Hello, I'm. Can you hear me?

0:26:33Yes, we can.

0:26:34Janet Byron: Okay,

0:26:35I'm Janet, Byron, I'm. A resident of the new credence Condos on Saint Paulo, Avenue in El Cerrito, and I'm a co-founder of El Cerrito Strollers and Rollers with Laura Moore, Steve Price, Carrie, Shelman, and Tess Taylor.

0:26:51We're excited that one hundred and fifty. Eight people have signed up so far to be a part of our new Advocacy group.

0:26:57I'm. Here to let you know that Uc. Berkeley, safe Trek and California walks have published their report from the community. Pedestrian and bicycle safety workshop for El Cerrito and the rich mananics.

0:27:11The goals of the workshop were to develop recommendations for improving walking and biking safety. Between El Cerrito and the Richmond annex area,

0:27:21encourage more people to walk bike, and use public transportation and create a shared community vision with neighbors.

0:27:29The Alsario and Richmond Danix summary and recommendations. Report is the culmination of a citywide workshop convened on July the twenty fifth

0:27:39after a two-month planning process, about thirty five participants participants met virtually including residents and representatives from Elsredo, Strollers and Rollers, Richmond bicycle, Pedestrian Advisory Committee, The cities of El Cerino and Richmond

0:27:58West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Committee Elsredo Trail trekkers and friends of the Library foundation.

0:28:06Al-serrito Public Works director of Vet Ortiz was on the planning committee the

0:28:11I shared a link to the report with you earlier today, but I believe that I miss the four Pm. Cutoff, so you may not have received it yet.

0:28:20You can. Um, so you should get it soon, and you can also go to Ec. Scroll roll dot org for a link which is on our home page.

0:28:32The report includes a number of recommendations for making our streets safer and more welcoming for walkers, bikers, and multimodal transportation and to improve Cross-town connectivity with our neighbors in richmond annex

0:28:47we encourage you to take a look and share any comments or thoughts with us at El Cerito's stroll role at Gmail, com

0:28:56else Rita strollers and rollers looks forward to working with city staff to implement many of the report's recommendations. Thank you.

0:29:06Thank you. Thank you. And Janet. I don't see your comments so if you could please resend that to the email on Ah page one of the agenda, the City Clerk email. I will ensure that the City Council receives the information. Thank you. Our next speaker is Vanessa Wareh. He An essay should be able to unmute him and begin your time. Now.

0:29:25Hi, can you hear me. Yes, we can.

0:29:28Wonderful! Thank you so much. I'm. Calling in reference to Item five, I on the consent calendar to say Thank you and happy birthday to the city manager and thank you to the city finance manager and thank you to the Financial Advisory Board, divesting our city's funds from the fossil fuel industry. Isn't just the morally right thing to do. It is also a fiscally prudent financial decision.

0:29:53Um, we have seen unprecedented deadly Mega storms hit simultaneously last weekend in Puerto Rico and Alaska and Japan. And meanwhile the fossil fuel industry is just continuing to double down on its planet killing business model. So I thank you for ending our support of this reckless, deadly industry,

0:30:17Vanessa Warheit: and thank you for not buying their glossy greenwashing for recognizing that just because the fossil fuel companies dip their toes into cleaner alternatives like solar and hydrogen that represents just a tiny fraction of their capital expenses. Meanwhile they continue to explore for more oil to dig up

0:30:38and to fight policies that protect working families, clean air, and a livable future. So thank you for recognizing that this industry is at heart a threat to all we hold dear, and thank you for recognizing that it is a volatile, highly risky financial investment,

0:30:56and the last thing our city needs is more financial risk.

0:31:00Two recent studies by analysts from Black Rock and Nikita separately concluded that investment funds have experienced no negative financial impacts when they have divested from fossil fuels, and, in fact, they found evidence of modest improvement in Fund return, which is why over forty trillion dollars that's trillion with a T. Of the world's funds have now been divested from this risky toxic industry that includes New York City, the cities of Berkeley, Boulder, Richmond, Santa Fe San Jose Seattle,

0:31:30Pennyvale, Harvard University, Oxford University, and the entire nation of Ireland, among many others, have all divested from fossil fuels. So El Cerrito is in really good company. I am proud of our city for making this decision, and I encourage the Council to approve it.

0:31:48Thank you. Our next speaker is Sue Duncan. So you should be able to unmute him. Begin your time now,

0:31:55Sue Duncan: thank you, and good evening. I'm, Sue Duncan, a resident of El Cerrito. It is past time to start the process of identifying narrow and dead End streets in El Cerrito that due to width will not allow emergency vehicles in while residents are trying to evacuate in case of an emergency.

0:32:14Once these streets are identified,

0:32:16a strong ordinance with towing enforcement should be adopted for restricting, parking on these streets on Red Flag. Warning days adopting such an ordinance may save lives of elsewhere, or residents trying to flee a wildfire. Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.

0:32:35Thank you. Our next speaker is Al. Miller. I. You should be able to unmute and begin your time now.

0:32:46Al Miller: Thank you. I have three items I want to mention tonight

0:32:51the farmers market. That councilmember, Abelson Ah. Mentioned in her comments, is not the farmer's market of Plaza? It's the farmer's market at Christ's Lutheran Church that has been initiated. Now, maybe I don't know two or three months ago

0:33:08That's run by a non-profit in conjunction with Carol Keel Senior center that is, at that church on Mondays

0:33:17second.

0:33:18Ah, i'd like to comment on Tom Pamas's. Ah suggestion. Ah, I've lived in El Cerita with my family since one thousand nine hundred and seventy-nine, and it's one of the most visionary ideas I have heard presented to the council

0:33:35offered to the Council in all of that time. So please Don't just say, Oh, no, that can never happen. Spend some time with Bar with with whoever else is involved looking at it, and considering

0:33:53how that could improve to El Cerrito having a real there if it's not in the geographical center for that and the Bar Tood project, and hopefully. Some renewed interest on the Plaza

0:34:09could actually make a downtown in El Cerrito much more enjoyable.

0:34:15My last comment and I'm very happy to see our chief of police in their call for room tonight.

0:34:23I've noticed an increasing number of electric bicycles, electric skateboards and other electric powered. Ah, single-person vehicles, and I don't even know what their name are.

0:34:39I'm the green wire,

0:34:42and they're going much faster than the human-powered bicycles much much faster than any jokers and any of the people walking, especially the women and fathers pushing children in the cars.

0:35:00That's a habit. I believe that's a we're just waiting to have some very serious accidents. If we don't come up with a way to limit their speed or keep them from using electric powered vehicles on the green way. Thank you.

0:35:19Thank you, Mayor. That does conclude a request to speak. Okay, very good. Next, we will go to the Consent Calendar

0:35:28and I will read uh

0:35:31the list of items that are on here. A Hispanic Heritage Proclamation B. Suicide, prevention, awareness, proclamation, See authorized City Council and City Advisory body meetings to be held Via teleconference, pursuant to Assembly Bill, three hundred and sixty, one

0:35:52D. Biennial update of agency conflict of interest, Code E. Adoption of the amended twenty twenty two City of S. El Cerita. Emergency Operations. Plan. Yep.

0:36:06Storm drain, easement, acceptance and agreement for three, thirty, one Ramona Avenue G. Monthly disbursement and check register report for June twenty, twenty, two and July twenty, twenty, two H. A twenty, twenty, one, twenty, two fourth quarter of cash in the adjustment report,

0:36:26high amendment to El Cerrito investment policy and change amendment to city comprehensive financial policy.

0:36:36Would anyone like to make a motion, or

0:36:39would anyone like to fall

0:36:45full? D e

0:36:47you want to pull T and E. No. D. I mean, Sorry. Five E.

0:36:54By the E.

0:36:57Okay, Anyone else.

0:36:59I'd like to thank you. Mayor. I'd like to pull five G and five. J.

0:37:07May I pretend? Can you click? Can you repeat that fiveg and five J Fiveg. And Fivej. Thank you

0:37:16and Mayor? We have a ham from Council member, but Nick as well.

0:37:19That's about the right day.

0:37:20Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): My hope was to pull five E. And Fivej.

0:37:24It's been done.

0:37:27What I like to have a motion on the ones that were not polled, and that is a Bc.

0:37:37Uh. D.

0:37:42Yes,

0:37:45it's

0:37:46H.

0:37:50I.

0:37:52And it comes right here.

0:37:53Uh, it's councilmember. Abelson, go ahead.

0:37:56Councilmember Abelson: I was thought you were looking for a hand.

0:37:59Ok, i'm operating on my phone. So i'm not doing very well.

0:38:04Okay, Is that a motion councilmember? Yes. Okay of a motion. Do I have a second

0:38:14all in favor, Madam Clerk, Mayor Kinto,

0:38:18Mayor pro Temo Chiyama, I Councilmember, Abelson.

0:38:22Aye, Councilmember Fideli. Aye, Councilmember redneck

0:38:26motion carries. Okay. Now we'll go to fivee.

0:38:33Okay.

0:38:34Yes, I pulled this because i'm very happy about seeing this on the agenda. The city has recently approved greater focus on

0:38:44Dei, which is diversity and equity and inclusion. So i'm very happy about this. It does beg the question, though about why this only.

0:38:54Why this now? Why not other things now? And is this how we will continue to add equity and diversion into our city's efforts, and maybe our city manager can respond to that.

0:39:06Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Certainly. Thank you, Councilmember, for Delhi Um, As the city council knows, the step has been directed to develop an equity plan with our Human Relations Commission. Uh, we are working with a little bit of a deficit in our Human Relations Commission right now with several vacancies. So we're working on trying to fill those vacancies I have been in contact share um I've also just recently. Um! Just as of yesterday at this conference completed my Leadership Institute on a race equity inclusion.

0:39:34I was a fellow with Icma, providing my capstone report and reporting out to the entire membership which was really exciting. Um! And so I have actually a whole host of of new resources to be able to bring back to the city. So I will be in contact with the chair. In the meantime we are trying to find opportunities, as you said, to try to certainly where we could. Um, The former fire chief. The bony, actually worked with the consultant who helped us develop this

0:40:04Ah! To include this language as we had talked about um as we adopted it prior to since then, to be able to talk to them and and look at some language, to be able to develop, to include. So. Um! I agree with you. I think it's great language, and I think that that's something that we can certainly start to move forward with

0:40:23um. And as the Council also knows, as we've reported at the last meeting, we will be seeking to develop our strategic plan uh to update our strategic plan, which we're attempted to do for the pandemic pandemic. But once we work with the strategic plan that is definitely something within now strategic planning processes. And again my colleagues across the country are looking at their strategic planning processes to make sure that there's a heavy emphasis on the value of inclusion, diversity of equity. It's not a task to be checked off.

0:40:52It's not language to be included. It's a value that we need to confirm and affirm throughout our entire organization, and so we will be seeking to do that through all of our processes upcoming.

0:41:03So thank you for that. So i'm, i'm, looking forward to the broad community campaign that will go along with this effort. But can I also assume that in the role that the Council has, as we bring through the agenda items, we can mention that this will be a proper place to add equity, language,

0:41:22or is that we're doing it here? So it's very easy if we can add similar concepts to other things that come before us where it's Logical?

0:41:32Yes, and then yes, what we are. We're easier than waiting. We shouldn't be waiting for this we should be. If we can add language like this, it's great, and it's easy, and we're going to approve this. So wherever we can do this I I would appreciate that, and I and I really appreciate your support. City manager in a

0:41:48absolutely

0:41:49Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Thank you.

0:41:50Very good. Um Council Member Redneck. You have a question.

0:41:54Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): Oh, no comment on the item.

0:41:56Okay,

0:41:58Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): thank you for this, comments comes from Fideli, and I. Also. We received public comment from Mr. Gaudy, who was a president of El Cerrito about adding in language in Section four point five, point two to add carol echo specifically as one of our partners in response.

0:42:15Ah, they are a fantastic organization. They're probably one of our most active in the emergency space locally. So I they definitely should be on this. I'm. I'm sad it wasn't there on the first pass. But as we're going through this is an iterative living document, I want to make sure that they're acknowledged in the document.

0:42:34Okay, they're good. They're pretend.

0:42:36Thank you, Mayor. I want to support Council Member Rutnik in including Echo Cairo's

0:42:45in the report I also want to um to say that in reading the plan it became really clear to me that the Public information Officer would have a really critical role, and I know that that is something that we are working to try to hire, and you know just kind of. There was no place that said that there's no public information officer at some position, or some person should be,

0:43:13you know, filling that role. So I know that's really critical in all of this, and I was wondering if he could respond to that.

0:43:19Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Sure, and I know the Fire chief is. I believe you should be in the room. Um, as a as as you would ask me earlier this question, Mayor Pretend Moyama um, if what we will be doing now is developing and working on our organizational chart, and, as the Council knows, our position that was approved, for the city manager's office is meant to be trained for that function, as it had been in the past when I held that position back when I was an assistant to the city manager and city manager, assistant city manager.

0:43:49I've been trained in the emergency Pio um responsibilities as well. Um! At this point. If we were to have to open the eoc tomorrow,

0:43:59I wouldn't be there, so someone else would have to run it. Um! And that's exactly what would happen. We would whoever's there, and whoever has the best ability to um to take on those assignments would do so, and we know that this getting this in place is the first step to making sure that now the staff that we've had over the past few years. Um! That we've added to the team will be trained, and that's the next step for the um that the fire department is going to take a weed on,

0:44:28and we will just continue to make sure that we're training everyone cross-training everyone and there's you know if there's an emergency, we're all whoever is is most available, and whoever can take on those responsibilities will do so.

0:44:42So just a clarifying question, then. So if, for example, if it happened tomorrow. You're not here. Um. Our chief is acting city manager, so he would also be the Pio. And is that kind of what that means?

0:44:57Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): The chief of police would take my place, and he would make sure that he would assign whoever is on duty and available to all of the various functions within the eoc.

0:45:09If the Fire chief wants to jump in and clarify, or the police, she but that would be really helpful. Yeah,

0:45:14Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): please do.

0:45:17It is in in major disasters. A pio is a standard function of the Ics structure. So any of our battalion chiefs or captains can step into that position in an emergency and structure a message for the media, so that the public can respond as much as possible. So it's fantastic to have it in the plan, but It's also a standard practice in major disasters.

0:45:38Thank you. That's helpful welcome. Thank you. Thank you.

0:45:41Would anyone like to? Uh make a motion to uh approve that one.

0:45:46I I will move this. Um. But well, is there an amendment? That

0:45:50councilmember Radical? That was

0:45:52Oh, yes,

0:45:53gonna be first moved before we

0:45:57Is there any staff comment on adding that

0:46:00Excuse me, there, forget, Go ahead!

0:46:02But was there any comment about

0:46:05Councilmember Rednecks

0:46:08idea for an amendment to this? The only comment I have is, I support it. We can add it into the list, you know a problem, and give Carol a go. The respect deserve, because they are an amazing organization.

0:46:19And with that amendment I would move this.

0:46:22Okay,

0:46:23and a second second.

0:46:24Okay, Madam Clerk

0:46:25Mayor Kintell.

0:46:32One more time counts. Member Abelson.

0:46:34Aye, thank you. Councilmember, for Delhi. Aye, councilmember, Redneck

0:46:38motion carries Okay, great. We will go now to Fiveg.

0:46:44We would like to uh start on that one may or for ten.

0:46:49Thank you, Mayor. So I know that the check- register documents were added in the supplemental and I think that it's really helpful for me if you wouldn't mind going through that, since it is available now. But we haven't had a chance to see it.

0:47:04So thank you.

0:47:07Thank you. Finance director.

0:47:13Oh, Sandra, push the microphone!

0:47:16Here you go,

0:47:17my apologies that the staff report wasn't included when it was released to council and the public Um. This particular report Staff report includes two months of the check registers month of June, twenty, twenty, two, and the month of July two thousand and twenty, two,

0:47:34and June was delayed because it's here in closed, and we tried to get as many of the payments posted as possible, so i'm submitting the two together,

0:47:44and attachment A represents the month of June. There's eight hundred and seventy, four total payments for three point seven billion dollars. Attachment B represents July one thousand two hundred and ninety four payments, ten point, five million dollars. And the one thing that I would like to highlight that's included in that ten point. Five million dollars is the payoff of the Fy. Twenty, one, twenty, two tax and revenue anticipation over the trans

0:48:13for six million dollars. In addition, one of the other reasons that you would note that July may be higher than you would expect of an average month.

0:48:22Yeah, the it or many of our subscriptions for technology and software are paid at the beginning of the year for the rest of the year. So that includes many of the leases of equipment software that has to be paid at the beginning of the year and the payoff of the Trans.

0:48:39And this is align with our the city's strategic plan, and with that I will take any questions that you may have. Thank you

0:48:48any other questions.

0:48:51Thank you. Thank you.

0:48:52Thank you very much. Um. Would anyone like to make a motion to support.

0:48:57I'll move to a proof.

0:49:00Councilmember Abelson: Second,

0:49:01you can't

0:49:02thank you. I have been a motion by Motoyama, second by Abelson, Madam Clerk.

0:49:08You can tell. Yes,

0:49:10Mayor, Protein Mochiyama, aye, councilmember, Abelson, Aye, Councilmember Fideli Aye, Councilmember Redneck a motion carries Okay, next We will go to jay amendment of the city. Comprehensive financial policy.

0:49:27Uh: who would like to? Uh start?

0:49:33He pulled it.

0:49:35Okay, go ahead here for a time. Thank you, Mayor. So

0:49:41I would like to have a city manager kind of walk us through kind of what? The response was from the city auditor in relation to the Monthly versus Quarterly reporting

0:49:56Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): the State Auditor.

0:49:57Yes, thank you.

0:49:59Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Yes. Um. Okay.

0:50:01Uh good evening again. I'm Caram Pinkas City manager. So um before you tonight is an amendment that is proposed by city staff to the comprehensive financial policy to include a new section to require regular budget reports to the City Council. Currently the financial policy does not have any language in it at all that requires any sort of reporting

0:50:21um staff. And um. I believe the Financial Advisory Board has looked at well the Financial Advisory Board is required by municipal code to review the policy at least once a year. I know that they have done that during this proposal.

0:50:37Um! We ah City staff looked at other city policies. Um! If the Council recalls this was one of the recommendations to provide regular reporting to the city Council. And again, the idea for the comprehensive financial policy to be modified is to ensure that this is now a requirement that this while I'm. I'm. Pleased again that the State auditor has uh

0:51:02I'm

0:51:03Ah designated this high-risk area of ineffective budget development and monitoring practices. Um as addressed at the same time my intent with this proposal is to confirm that the that it will be addressed in the future, that it's not just this council. It's not just me, a city manager or Sandra as finance director, that we will be continuing to do that in the future, and that the Council then has the ability to hold me accountable. Um! If for some reason there is again, that is,

0:51:32that is, an embedded required practice. The State auditor received the word from one of the members of the State Auditor team on September the sixth, that they were able to complete their their assessment of our progress Report

0:51:50Um, I don't have to it. Um, it's on the website, and it's in the staff report. So I won't read the entire thing to you, but one of the things that they did say there started off by saying that um al-serrito has improved its budgeting processes to provide meaningful information for making fiscally sound decisions as noted in the September twenty one assessment um. They noted the several improvements to the information that we had provided to the public. However.

0:52:17Um one of the things that they felt we still needed to address again. This is back in September. Twenty one um was providing financial information by departments. Um! And beginning with our general fund budget update for the first quarter of fiscal year, two thousand one hundred and twenty-two that city staff presented to the city council on November twenty one allstreet um now provides Revenue and expenditure amounts by department, and compares those amounts to be amounts to be amounts supported in the budget. Beginning with the report for the second quarter

0:52:46included the city included Prior, your actual expenditures, and they noted that the additional level of detail assist City Council members to identify as the department is overspending, and, in fact, gave an example of how the city did exactly that, and made adjustments that it's mid-year budget, so that information was provided to the city staff after the um the meetings with the Financial Advisory Board, so they did not. None of us had that information, however,

0:53:14I, regardless of whether or not it's addressed. I am certainly recommending that the City Council amend the policy to require reporting no less than quarterly, in order to again provide accountability with city staff. If we added language, I will say that

0:53:32the Financial Advisory Board declined to make a recommendation about this proposal, and did not provide an alternative recommendation to change the policy. Um! They, as you have heard, there are by the public comment, There are some concerns about monthly reporting versus quarterly reporting um. The City Council ad Hoc Subcommittee has met with me and Sandra to discuss this, and their indication is their preference, and if going forward there would be quarterly reporting

0:54:02um at this time because of the ah vacancies in the finance department. We certainly are better equipped to be able to provide quarterly reporting right now. Monthly reporting is is not achievable with the capacity we have. However, we did add language to the proposal that would say that if the City Council did indeed need to feel the need to require more frequent reporting that we they could direct me to direct Staff to do that. So if that is up. We were at a

0:54:31place where the budget was declining, and the Council wanted to get more frequent reporting than we would find a way to be able to do that.

0:54:40Um.

0:54:41But at this point again the that did not provide a recommendation to change the policy, and so I would like to ask the Council to change the policy in order for us to confirm to the State auditor that this is not just a one-time. Thing. This is not just to check a box off the report, but that this is a commitment that the city is making to continue to report for

0:55:02to continue on the road to our fiscal responsibilities.

0:55:07Thank you.

0:55:08Okay.

0:55:09But anyone else like to discuss this item.

0:55:14I've Councilmember Roddeck.

0:55:16Thank you, Mayor. I also do want to add that as Council members, I get a weekly update for staff as far as how we're doing on financials, and whenever we have our real property transfer task numbers monthly. I am given those numbers. So we

0:55:32Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): and I did hear in one public comment that it was every four months quarterly, as every three months. So we are given this. And what I appreciate about the language on this proposed language is that it is including the State Auditor's recommendation that it is,

0:55:50if Weekly is all right. Pardon me. Monthly

0:55:53is the request. Um, you know we can certainly as Council request that. But I don't want to codify policies that are going to really hinder our long-term objectives, and I believe that especially there was one public comment that

0:56:08I noticed specifically in reading, referring to some of our older monthly reports that we were given on council, and those even in the comment, those were not um really adequate for us. So I Don't want us. I don't staff to have to

0:56:25create documents for us that are inadequate. So i'm comfortable with the language, and this is me speaking as a subcommittee member. I'm comfortable with this language, because to me it it indicates that we are committed to no less than quarterly reports, and should we be in a position where we need to have monthly reports.

0:56:45Then that is fine. And also I would support if the Financial Advisory Board wants to have monthly reporting with it from their monthly meetings. Once we're at staff capacity, I think that's a great place for it to be because we rely on the Financial Advisory Board to be our Council on Council. So

0:57:04Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): those are my thoughts on it.

0:57:06Okay, thank you,

0:57:07Council Member for

0:57:08Yes, I I just want to concur with councilmember, Rudnick said, I think this is a flexible item, and it's a minimum it's talking about. We will, and we're telling the auditor we will have no less than quarterly, which is three months, not four months;

0:57:24and if, in fact, and I concur that the fad may want monthly, I get that if they do, they should work that through again, and if Staff is able to deal with that, maybe they should get monthly. I specifically, I happen to prefer three months

0:57:40to look at trending more than every month. I want to see what the trends are, but I would like to know that the fad has the materials that they need, and that that can be revisited doesn't preclude the fab from revisiting this, since the fab didn't come up with any alternative to this at the last

0:57:57me, or whenever the meeting was that they had. So I think this is good. I would agree to vote for this. Thank you. Okay, Anyone else? Council Member Abelson,

0:58:08Did I get called on? Yes, Did you? Thank you. Sorry I'm having a little difficulty here.

0:58:16Councilmember Abelson: I would like to see if we're going to do every three months is if there is a transaction or transactions that are interesting,

0:58:30and that would be either a positive transaction or a negative transaction

0:58:38that we be notified about it. I think the Council

0:58:43Ah,

0:58:45you know, for example, if

0:58:48there have been a number of home sales

0:58:51um,

0:58:54you know of a significant, significant value. I think that's

0:59:02that's above the what's been going on. I think that's interesting.

0:59:08If it's going the other way. I think it's also interesting

0:59:12for us to know, because it it gives us information

0:59:21about how things might be trending the

0:59:25um.

0:59:27So So that would be my comment.

0:59:29Okay,

0:59:30very good. Um. Anyone else may have for your attempt. Go ahead.

0:59:34Thank you, Mayor.

0:59:36So

0:59:37I really want to um respect staff time. I know we are really fortunate to have Ah, Director Deleta here now, and kind of staffing up and and really building back up our financial infrastructure.

0:59:54I think that the quarterly reports that are more complete with the narrative and more documentation is really helpful for the public and the Council.

1:00:08I think one of the things that I hope that we are able to do as we move forward is to, you know,

1:00:14as a meandropinkus is saying, this is no less than quarterly. It would be great to go back and see if there isn't some streamline monthly reporting we could do, I think you know,

1:00:29as ah Councilmember Rudnick mentioned the the monthly reports that we were getting. You know it was a painful process, because every month, you know, something would be slightly changed, or it was like new information, or it wasn't quite right or something, and it's so. It took a tremendous amount of counsel time just to go through the format of a report, and I think that

1:00:54if there is a way that

1:00:57you know, as you look at our systems, if there's a way that there can be, you know, clear and simple, Brief

1:01:04monthly reports. You know. What is this? What? What is our fund? Balance, what is overall? How are we doing? That would be great. So I think that the expectation that I have, at least in as as a Council member and a subcommittee member is, I don't expect, like the the big quarterly report level work done monthly. Just kind of just tell us where we are. If that's something that could be automated very brief, you know even one page

1:01:34that would give a lot of comfort. I think everybody

1:01:37you know Council and residents that you know we know you're mining the store that things are progressing. If there's any changes. As councilmember, Abelson said, that we can sort of head them off the past, that we know things are coming. So accordingly, so hopefully that that's something you know,

1:01:56over the course of you know. Hopefully this fiscal year or so that that as you get Academy that That's something that's achievable for us.

1:02:04Okay, uh Council, Member Brad back. Go ahead.

1:02:07Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): Thank you. Mayor.

1:02:08I did want to add a council or

1:02:10but Mayor pretend mot. I'm just said something that made me remember that

1:02:15I believe a really positive objective is for us to really think about how we're utilizing staff work to better develop dashboards from our financial system. That externally shows the public our fund balances so that it's going a step beyond just simply monthly reporting or quarterly reporting which I,

1:02:34as we said, it's very advantageous to be doing this recording, but also being able to daylight to the public and have our financial systems evolve in a way so that we are able to daylight this and really

1:02:46show what our fund balances are, and that dashboards really are a powerful tool for the public to better understand and for counsel to vendor understand the current capture of where we are,

1:02:57and I I completely agree with you. Councilmember. Um. I also want to say with Sandra Deleta, you know um. You come here at a time the most difficult time, and what you have done um in making sure the public and our residents know we very, very much appreciate that. So I look forward to working with you in the future, especially to make sure that you have the tools available that

1:03:25you'll be able to present this in a way where the fab and the Council of

1:03:32yeah uh wouldn't understand where you're coming from. And uh,

1:03:37well, thank you for that. I really appreciate and value that um Under the city manager's leadership and and collaboration with Fab. It has been a very high opening partnership,

1:03:51and to understand that better understand the challenges, we have a number of financial systems. We have five um merchant systems that are not integrated and do not talk to each other. We have a banking system. We have an accounting system.

1:04:08We don't have an asset management system. We're doing so many things on the um in excel. So, looking at an integrated approach to financial management and reporting, I've met with, I've formed a super user group

1:04:23to participate in all of the budget and financial system selection. And what is it they need in the operating department? What matters to them what will help them. So we've got a super years group that are meeting with some key vendors in the Government sector. We've got meeting with um. I've got a meeting with some of the super users and it mix. We've been opened up to look at what's changed in their field. They have some changes in opened up, and we haven't integrated those changes. So we have a lot of opportunities. I look at this as a

1:04:53wonderful place to start, and we can only make positive progress from here, but I am committed. I heard the

1:05:00councilmember, Abelson, and talking about highest sales, lowest sales. I will add that to my real property transfer tax report. I also heard the you want a financial health snapshot, one pager just to bring it just to give you an idea that we are still moving in a healthy direction. That is a easy possible thing to do as well,

1:05:23and I really have enjoyed working with all of you and city manager and Fab, and everybody wants the same thing, and we'll get there

1:05:31absolutely. We all want the same thing.

1:05:33And, Mayor, I just wanted you to be aware that the chair of Fab is also on the call, and he's available. If you have any questions of them, I don't. Does any. Ah want to have any questions for our chair.

1:05:48The comments

1:05:49Yes, he is on. He just doesn't have his camera on right now, so you don't see him, but he is with us.

1:05:55I

1:05:56It looks like no questions so, but good to see you.

1:06:01Thank you for joining us. I don't see anyone raising their hands. So do I have a motion to,

1:06:12and that was second five tray.

1:06:16Okay. So we have a motion by Mayor for ten and a second by Fideli, Matt, Clerk, Mayor Kinto,

1:06:23Mayor, Pretend Motiyama, aye, Councilmember Avilson, Aye, Council, Member for Delhi Aye Councilmember Redneck

1:06:31motion carries

1:06:34now We'll move on to policy matters, and we have.

1:06:44But we have some presentations here. Ah! From the East Bay Municipal Utility District, East Bay mud, discussing the wildcat pipeline project, and we have a Gus Tikala associate civil engineer

1:07:01along with a senior community Affairs Representative is that Mona is Martin.

1:07:09Are you out of order?

1:07:12Oh,

1:07:14where presentations

1:07:17of presentations.

1:07:19Thank you.

1:07:29Hmm. Okay. I just got that one.

1:07:33All right. We're going to change and do policy matters first, and we will work on

1:07:41a consideration of two n the local emergency, and we have Karen pick us who's out there

1:07:52somewhere across the country, and I completely understand that with the hours it's laid out there. So why don't you go ahead?

1:08:03Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Yes, thank you, your honor, and thank you. City Council for taking the policy items. Um a little bit out of order. Yes, ten, twenty, one here in Columbus, Ohio. So I very much appreciate being able to uh to take care of this. Thank you. I appreciate that.

1:08:18So this action before you that we are asking the City Council to take is to adopt a resolution that would proclaim the end of the local emergency. As of the end of this year, December thirty first, two thousand and twenty-two and to direct staff to return with applicable legislation, related to the temporary regulations enacted during this local emergency. As you all know, we have been in a state of local emergency since Friday, the thirteenth, two thousand and twenty

1:08:46that in local emergency was enacted due to the Covid nineteen pandemic

1:08:52it's remained in place, and still has been, as I've been reporting, on a regular basis. Um! These actions were allowed, as this emergency allowed the city council to take and make various actions and responses to what was happening with the pandemic, as you may recall at the time we closed all city facilities, we had to take a bunch of actions, and two major things that the city Council also did during that timeframe

1:09:19that are directly related to the local emergency, was to create an eviction moratorium for commercial and residential properties, and the creation of a temporary outdoor retail and dining, providing and retail program. Excuse me for local businesses, as the pandemic has been easing, not gone, but it's been easing. Um. We have um been considering, and I know that the Council has discussed this with me and with other staff, what

1:09:47the ramifications would be to um eventually proclaim an end to the local emergency. El Cerrito has one of the highest vaccination rates in the county,

1:09:58based on the positive developments and continued downward trend. We believe we're in a position now to consider ending the local emergency. However, I've also heard from Council members and from members of the public that we want to make sure that we're providing um enough notice particularly with respect to the eviction. Moratorium.

1:10:18Um. I'll explain a little bit about the eviction moratorium to remind you the um. What that provides is a forbearance for tenants. It does not cancel, rent, it delays. If you aren't able to pay rent due to impacts from Covid nineteen, which did need to be um documented. It was a somewhat narrow eviction moratorium

1:10:41It also allows for a six-month period for tenants to repay any of the unpaid rent again, only due to Covid, and it needed to be documented so. Um, especially in speaking. I believe I was speaking with mayor, protein Modiama,

1:10:57who works in the field of housing her concerns about making sure that people had enough notice. One of the reasons that we're proposing December. The thirty first is that

1:11:08at the time of the end of the emergency that's when the six month payment clock, if you will, starts ticking, being able to proclaim this now of when the end date will be provides an additional three months notice.

1:11:22Um! To tenants who have the who would need to um pay any. Again. Covid. Nineteen related financial issues to be able to pay that rent

1:11:34as far as the outdoor dining retail program. Um staff has noticed, and I think the Council's noticed, too, in the public's notice, too, that it's had a positive impact. There have been some businesses that have gotten um use permits that such as little smallays, for example, they have a separate permit. This would not impact them. Um! But this would be things like sidewalk um tables and chairs and being able to, if

1:12:01we Haven't had anyone apply for a par with it. But things like that, and it suspends things like encroachment permits, and the entire program.

1:12:09So what we would do here is again, we would make a notice for the end, and if Steph is directed to bring back a more permanent solution, or a more permanent program which takes some time it would need to. We would need to make sure that we were amending our codes appropriately. And so

1:12:28what we would propose to do is if this is passed, we would bring back in future meetings legislation, one for the eviction moratorium to ensure that it doesn't end on that end date that there's no other impact from State emergencies or state eviction orders, or anything, or on sorry executive orders, or anything like that, and then it would allow us to provide an urgency ordinance to continue the dining and retail program as is um on a um on a sky. You can

1:12:57um jump in if need be, on this um to essentially extend the program for a period of time in order for Staff to be allowed to have the time to go through all of the code changes that we need to be made to make it permanent. So tonight the action again is essentially asking for the Council to pass a resolution to a five notice that we would end the local emergency as of December thirty first. At the end of the calendar year, and then in the coming months in October and November,

1:13:26um staff would bring back legislation to keep the to um codify um the eviction moratorium and the temporary dining and retail program until such time that we're able to make that a permanent program.

1:13:39Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): And with that um I can certainly answer any questions. Your city attorney can certainly answer any questions. We also um have um Aisa Shuri, who is actually dabbles in both of these things with housing and economic development, so she would be able to answer any questions as well.

1:13:54Thank you.

1:13:55Okay, let's go to Councilmember Heidelson.

1:13:57Go ahead.

1:13:58Councilmember Abelson: My first.

1:14:00Yes, okay. I I guess I have a lot to say about this. I just I haven't had Covid.

1:14:10Councilmember Abelson: Um,

1:14:11but everybody around me has,

1:14:15and As a result of that, I ended up in a nursing home.

1:14:19And uh, let me tell you that's not a lot of fun.

1:14:24And um!

1:14:26It was

1:14:27the reason that I was in the nursing home was to protect me

1:14:33um

1:14:35from the impacts of Covid.

1:14:38Um,

1:14:40let me tell you that being there is is

1:14:46a lot of negative things about it, or can

1:14:51Um,

1:14:53I i'm out of the nursing home now that

1:14:59the I would say the worst, for where

1:15:02and I.

1:15:05Everyone around me is getting Kovat right now.

1:15:09Um! Everybody I know, it seems, has is getting Kovat right now.

1:15:15Um

1:15:18to me it's insane to end this thing.

1:15:22But what i'm hearing you say is, there are these rules that were made up about

1:15:34housing, and so forth?

1:15:36I'm wondering if what needs to be changed is the rules rather than the program.

1:15:43For example, the thing about meetings,

1:15:46I mean, that's

1:15:48seems to me a great way to catch Covid.

1:15:52Um,

1:15:55i'm! It's

1:15:57don't remember enough about the rules to know.

1:16:03You know what's causing the rules

1:16:06And can we

1:16:09change the rules instead of

1:16:12just making everybody who goes out. Okay, subject to Kovat. Yeah, An answer to that. I don't know.

1:16:22Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Yes, absolutely. And And I I hear you, I actually have.

1:16:27I know that there are people who are still testing positive. Um! That's why we're not proposing to end it. Now we're proposing to end it as of December thirty first. Um! That's another three months, three plus months away. It also allows the Council to receive that resolution. If there's another spike, or if there's um another surge that happens that creates a public health order from the county, or from the State that would require us to go back to what we had had

1:16:57prior to um to what we're dealing with right now. This does not impact meetings as we've um told the Council before we intend to have hybrid meetings. Um as long as the State will let us um for um suspending the brown act, and we will have hybrid meetings in the future, even once that's done,

1:17:18and it is that's exactly what we would be asking to do would be to come back to the Council with legislation that would enact the eviction moratorium and the temporary program to continue until such time we can make those things permanent. That's exactly what we're asked.

1:17:36Okay, Thank you. Councilmember Rugdeck.

1:17:42Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): Thank You mayor. Is it possible for us to request of Staff to bring us that legislation to review without setting a timeline? For when we're ending the local emergency,

1:17:56Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): we would prefer you to tell us that the local emergency is going to end when it does so that we can prepare that legislation accordingly.

1:18:03Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): So that's again. That's why we are asking it, for It's far enough in advance through the end of the year, so that we have the ability to come back to say. Okay, the Council decided December thirty-first, or whatever date you decide. Actually, you you can decide whatever you date you want. This is the proposal that we had, since. It seems very kind of clean. The end of the year would be uh as well. I think there's another uh, maybe a neighboring county or city that is, is doing something similar. Um! So that way we would come back and be able to know

1:18:33Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): that that's exactly the date that the Council is seeking to end the local emergency.

1:18:37Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): So really, what it is is that's just for the date to crack.

1:18:42Yeah, Because my question, if it's possible for us to review the legislation. And then, once we see this proposed legislation, then we're able to provide a date, because I agree that

1:18:53you know this has to end at one point, because now it's about living with it. You know i'm not there, because I have someone in my household who's Covid Positive. I don't have covid we're distance. It's also why i'm not in my office right now. But

1:19:06Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): I just worry that if we're putting the timeline on that, I. I just don't want the public perception to be that we don't. We're not taking this seriously

1:19:18Councilmember Abelson: right

1:19:21Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Honestly, This is this is totally up to the city council whenever the date would be again. That would we would develop the legislation accordingly. It's a bit of a chicken egg uh uh kind of thing there. But um! I had been receiving some comments from some Council members that they were interested in ending this rather soon. This was sort of meant to be again a notice that it would have enough notice to be able to provide for all of us to be able to do whatever needs to be done to make this um again

1:19:49through the end of the year. If the city Council is not interested in ending with local emergency, then

1:19:55the city council

1:19:56would reject the resolution

1:19:58we are bringing, that to the We are bringing this to the Council at the request of some council members. So this is completely up to the Council the date, and or if you want to, and the local emergency at all that is up to the Council,

1:20:10it's it's very good.

1:20:12Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): Oh, I have one more question.

1:20:13Okay,

1:20:14Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): because to me the concern is the eviction moratorium. And do we have a sense of how many residents within El Cerrito would be impacted by that. And then also, from my understanding, it'd be great just to clarify that things that ah, it would have to be a new.

1:20:31So it's when folks are unable to pay their rent because of Covid. If you can explain the designation between what would just cause eviction versus unable to make payments related due to Covid.

1:20:49Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Why do you have?

1:20:51There you go. I think you're as High Councilman Rudnick, and members of the public. I used to assure you the housing manager for the city. It is. The ordinance is very specific to covid-related financial impacts.

1:21:04Aissia Ashoori: It does not include any other reasons for terminating tendencies, such as a lease, violation, or anything of that sort. However, if the tenant was

1:21:14in a covid-related financial circumstance, it does not allow the property owner to proceed with an eviction until the repayment period has been met. So in theory of the

1:21:28local emergency, and on December thirty first, the tenants would then have six months to repay any unpaid portion of the rent specifically under tendencies related that have been financially impacted by Covid. So we would be able to send out a notification to the property owners as well, and it is a question that we inquired on our rent registry this year, so we would be able to, of course, analyze that between now and the next thirty days and

1:21:57do target a notification. But there have been tenants contacting me, and I would say, it's about a handful or so at this point. But we could definitely look at the data and follow up further.

1:22:11Thank you, and I'll just confirm that the only change that the eviction moratorium ordinance made to the existing state structure for landlord tenant relations is to create a defense to eviction which is for non-payment of rent because of the financial impacts of Covid nineteen, and so, as long as a tenant was able to

1:22:34produce sufficient evidence that they were continued to be financially impacted, and were unable to pay their rent. As a result the ordinance provided them with a defense to,

1:22:46and the way the ordinance is structured. It is related to the local emergency, because, as currently um set up, the ordinance will continue in effect as long as either there is a locally declared emergency, or the State emergency declaration remains in effect, whichever is long

1:23:03um, and so um.

1:23:06But the thinking at the staff level was that If council was prepared to end the local emergency, then it would also make sense to terminate the eviction moratorium again which is only for non-payment of rent related to the financial impacts of Covid

1:23:24once the ordinance is repealed. Then there's a six month period for the repayment of rent that was not paid during the period that the ordinance was in effect so partly what we're also trying to do is ensure that the tenants who are continuing to

1:23:41ah not make rent payments or not fully make rent payments. Have a substantial amount of notice about when the repayment period.

1:23:51Okay,

1:23:51Very good. Thank you for that. Um.

1:23:54Any other questions. Councilmember Abelson,

1:24:05Councilmember Abelson: The Rent payment

1:24:08aspect of this thing from the Emergency Declaration,

1:24:15because what it does is it

1:24:19give um

1:24:22businesses the idea that they shouldn't have any precautions

1:24:29in terms of things like mask wearing separation of tables any you know. They

1:24:38They start putting things close together,

1:24:42because I think it's over just because we

1:24:46we would do this.

1:24:48Then Kovat goes up.

1:24:51Um!

1:24:53I um

1:24:57I I actually don't think we're

1:25:02in a position to know whether or not

1:25:07the rate of Kovat is. We don't know what it's going to be like

1:25:12two months from now.

1:25:15Um,

1:25:16we don't know what it's going to be like three months from now.

1:25:20In fact, I don't even think we know what it's going to be like a month from now,

1:25:25because

1:25:28it just depends upon how people have commingled

1:25:33my opinion, and that's up to the people. And if we tell them things are okay, then

1:25:43they'll think they can do whatever

1:25:46that's that causes covert to go up.

1:25:51It's near, as I can tell,

1:25:55so

1:25:57can we separate the

1:26:00the housing issue of

1:26:04from the rest? Let's continue with the discussion, and we'll go to Council. Member.

1:26:10Yeah, thank you. I just wanted to ask. I'm thinking maybe I have a wrong. But this is also a flexible piece of

1:26:18legislation where we're looking ahead, we're going to be getting legislation. What in a couple months or or before before the December thirty first to look at as councilmember Rudnick was concerned about, and it's to kind of put on. If if things are

1:26:37better than tenants and landlords need to know, they need to think about the next

1:26:43stage of that relationship, and the things start thinking about those things, but that we have the ability to change if things are worse and not

1:26:52It's not end the crisis situation. So i'm thinking as long as this is flexible and we're looking ahead, and there's six months for tenants to to to pay back um. My concern to my question to you is there's so many county state bills does this get it? Is? Are we conflicted with any of those, and what this does, Does it interfere with the county or the state?

1:27:20Deadlines and goals

1:27:26sky? Do you want to chime in on that it's a little bit of a layer. Actually, so. Elsredo is actually one of the few area that still has.

1:27:41We can't hear you.

1:27:42Oh, yes, we can let me get closer. So Elsredo is one of the few jurisdictions that does still have a local eviction moratorium nearby Oakland and Alameda County still do. But they many of them have been repealed at this point.

1:27:57Um! There is no conflict between the the city's eviction, moratorium and State, or county regulations. There there are a number of complicated factors, because the State legislation that was adopted made some assumptions about how local ordinances would work.

1:28:16So in a few cases There may be some details that have to be worked out, but for the most part

1:28:22the local. The State law still permits the local eviction moratorium to remain. In effect, it does not set a deadline that that it has to be repealed. Um! It does have a separate date for the beginning of repayment of rent.

1:28:36Um. But since the moratorium has now continued past that date, that's one of the complications that individual tenants will have to work out. But for the most part there's no conflict we can even in in place.

1:28:53The thinking overall in terms of the structure was, we wanted to bring forward first this resolution to give Council the opportunity to consider, saying: Three months down three plus months down the line. We intend to repeal the the the emergency declaration,

1:29:10and then, and based on. And then, if we had that direction from the Council, our thinking was, We'll bring forward an ordinance, so that there's a very clear public discussion about the eviction moratorium that will bring forward an ordinance to discuss out outdoor dining, and so there'll be notice about that, and then everything will be structured to align with whatever date the Council has said will be the end of the emergency Declaration.

1:29:31If Council decides you're not ready to do that yet then we can still advance those pieces of legislation for Council's consideration.

1:29:38So this is the trigger to begin thinking about those changes. I think that those changes, Aren't warranted. We can deal with them at the time Exactly. We didn't want to jump the done until we had clear direction from the Council. But we had a plan to structure all this, all these pieces together.

1:29:52Very good. Um fair protection, Thank you, Mayor. I have a sort of a related question, so I just want to understand it. Ours at this point is the most long duration moratorium, because I know that we have a state in the county and us, and should

1:30:10the State still has an emergency, and county still has emergency, and then ours. So if the if things get worse as tenant. Ah, councilmember, Abelson was mentioning that the state and county ones would then push out further and extend our moratorium anyways, or that ours would just go in, and those moratoriums would reapp or kick it.

1:30:36So there is no longer a State. So I want to separate the emergency declaration and the eviction war to. There is no longer any State, any state, moratorium or county moratorium Um. Additionally the city moved faster on the moratorium than the county did so. The county's moratorium never applied in the city anyway,

1:30:57just to clarify that one point. So right now in El Cerrito the only um law that applies to non-payment, to rent because of financial impacts because of Covid is the city's orders.

1:31:11Ah, there's a There's there's some provisions of State law that affect the timing of repayment. But the But the moratorium is just a local enact, but the way we set up the ordinance we had it um set up so that it would expire automatically

1:31:29if either the State or the city repealed the emergency declarations, and it was set tied to whichever one lasted the longer. So right now, even if the Council decides to repeal the emergency declaration. Because the State's declaration is still in place, the moratorium would continue

1:31:48as currently written, which is why we had said: If the Council has said that the local emergency should be rescinded, we should bring forward also a repeal of the eviction moratorium to align with that

1:32:01Council would still have the opportunity to decide not to to repeal it, in which case it would continue as long as the state's. Emergency declaration was in place

1:32:10hopefully. That makes sense.

1:32:12So I just want to be super clear, because I think the last thing that you said was not what I thought would happen. So if we don't repeal,

1:32:26then the moratorium lasts as long as the state emergency. That is correct. But if we

1:32:31heal

1:32:32the more if we pass the resolution today.

1:32:36Those two then become separated, or it just

1:32:39okay. So if so, if you let us play with each of those out. If the Council adopts the resolution before you tonight. It says, Um. At the end of this calendar year the local emergency declaration goes away, and the Council takes no other action than the local

1:32:56eviction moratorium would continue as long as the State maintains its declaration of emergency.

1:33:03So if Council takes and only adopts the resolution and takes no other action. The eviction moratorium will just continue on until the State says the the Covid emergency is over.

1:33:12What we had, What we had assumed was that if the Council was prepared to rescind the local emergency, that we should also plan to bring forward a repeal of the eviction moratorium to align with the end of the year calendar, because even if the State believes that there is still a statewide emergency, given that the local emergency is over, our assumption was that the Council would also want to

1:33:38start the clock on the end of the eviction moratorium. But that is a separate action that the Council could could decide not to take it, could decide. We want to get rid of the local emergency, but we want the eviction moratorium to continue. Those are there there,

1:33:50tied together indirectly in the eviction moratorium ordinance. But there's no obligation on the Council to to rescind both.

1:34:00It Can we go to open common

1:34:03Okay, now is the time for members of the public who wish to provide public comments on this item

1:34:09in members requests to speak can submit a speaker card to the city clerk, and remote speakers can use the raised hand feature to request, to speak. Please remember to and identify himself and your city of residents at the beginning of your comments, I'm. Saying,

1:34:25Thank you, Mayor. At this time we have just one request to speak, so i'll go ahead and go with our three minutes and go to our speaker. Sherry Drobner, share. You are unmuted, and we can begin your time. Now

1:34:38**Sherry Drobner: I am.

1:34:39I was just googling this trying to understand what you guys were talking about. So Contra Costa County um dropped the eviction moratorium because I was curious about it, because I know in Colin Kurd. They've had a real uprise uptick in evictions. It's been a real issue,

1:34:58so the county doesn't have, as far as what I can say. It does not continue to have that.

1:35:05Um. What I wanted to comment, though, on this particular issue

1:35:10is that um like, I understand. I think it's great that there's this idea of um, you know, giving enough time a three months, and then possibly six months later for people to plan. But what I feel like What we don't understand is the actual impact, and how much rent

1:35:29and what actual people lost during Covid, especially tenants, and especially tenants that don't um and make a lot of money, but pay substantial event, you know, over fifty percent of their income.

1:35:42And I wonder if that's something

1:35:45Um, I know we have a rent registry, but it's definitely geared more toward getting no information from landlords as opposed to tenants.

1:35:56And so i'm just hoping that maybe in this period. As you're thinking about legislation

1:36:01for this and and how to go further, we can see an actual real information and data, so that you can create a policy that makes sense, because it. There could be an assumption that oh, six months is plenty of time for retainment, when, in fact,

1:36:19it still might be a huge burden on individuals, and put them at a risk of losing their housing.

1:36:28So I I I don't know if it's possible; but I I would hope that just as we're paying attention to our small businesses and seeing how the policies can just impact them for the future, we can do that for our tennis. Um. And also I just am very grateful

1:36:46that we're talking about policy, you know, before eight o'clock in the evening. It's really wonderful, and I wish that you can do that on a regular basis. Thank you.

1:36:56Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. We do have one more hand from Linda Kane, Linda. You should be able to unmute and begin your time now.

1:37:04Linda Cain: Thank you. I just wanted to echo and applaud what Sherry Drovener said, because, as I listen to this conversation,

1:37:11which went on and on, kind of, and um, and was kind of hard to follow. And you know, like because we're not necessarily up on what the exact policy is, but it all depended on facts that we can't know at this moment, and you know whether the economy will recover, whether people should be deemed to be recovered from Covid, and we don't even know

1:37:32you know how safe we are from Covid in the next three weeks. Um, you know. So I I really thought it made a you know. I mean I don't know what the answer is, but I I do think that it's hard. We don't want to stick ourselves in a box that's gonna

1:37:45Linda Cain: be to the disadvantage of our our, You know people in our community residents of our community or our storeovers in our community. So I just wanted to encourage you to consider what she said. Thank you so much.

1:37:59Thank you, Mayor. This conclud a request to speak. Okay, thank you very much. Let's bring this back to the Council. I wanted to find out if anyone has any final thoughts or questions.

1:38:10Yes, one one question, maybe to our Council Isn't there a State program about paying eighty percent tenant paying eighty percent, not one hundred percent

1:38:21back and tenant. And the land landlords have to be together in in that effort. So maybe our city should know about that if you once that six-month trigger happens here.

1:38:34Um, I' There' been so many state programs that I have lost track of all the details, but I think that what Council will recall is that that. Um, the State has made a substantial amount of funding available to landlords and tenants who have been affected by the pandemic.

1:38:52And basically you set up a program in which, if both the landlord and tenant applied, they would basically get all of the background paid by the state. So I don't know that we have, or even really have, the ability, although Aisa may correct me, that i'm not sure that we even have the ability to find out how many

1:39:11of Ah! Elsewhere those landlords actually antenance took advantage of that program, and I also know that there's still substantial delays in delivering the money

1:39:21that said that a number of both the tenants and landlords in the city who use the fiction moratorium to forbear rent um have likely been reimbursed by the State, or will be reimbursed by the State through one of those programs. And can we make an effort? And now we're making an effort mean staffing? But to get that information on our website

1:39:43maybe point this out to our residents as we move forward here.

1:39:48I Councilmember,

1:39:50because of the

1:39:51yeah,

1:39:52Aissia Ashoori: sorry I was going to chime in the application period for the housing is key program. It is closed. But as I mentioned, um, property owners have been paid, or they are pending applications. It is something we can work with our State representative's office to get the data to see how many, all Cerrito residents actually took advantage of that. I know Personally, I've patched through some of the property owners through that program, but it's some

1:40:17that we could certainly put a request out for to see exactly how many cases were filed in our city, and of those portions which were approved and which

1:40:30are closed. Going forward. You're saying,

1:40:33Yeah. So there there was a statewide Ah, marketing campaign housing is key um a website. There was um a lot of, you know, commercials. We did also did a lot of broadcasting of that program. Um to actually get folks to apply, because that deadline was actually tied to the end of the State's Eviction moratorium. So there was a lot of um press around that, and it is something that we also put out a lot on on our own channels as well, just advising the public and educating them on

1:41:03Aissia Ashoori: the process as well as property owners.

1:41:07Well, it's very again, as others have said, this is really important to our residents, and and it can really hit people hard. So I appreciate the flexibility in this. I'm hoping that it's it is there, so we can monitor and change and turn around if, in fact, things get worse,

1:41:26whether it's Kovat or financial. So thank you.

1:41:31Good. I believe we discuss this thoroughly. Do I have a motion to approve.

1:41:43I will move that,

1:41:45and I add a friendly amendment. Sure, Can we add that

1:41:52two things one is, should things get worse.

1:41:56Um! That the city manager can bring this back to us at any time to extend the emergency. If there is a a health emergency, and then the other amendment, I'd like to request that, along with the work towards the ordinance,

1:42:14that we get a report regarding the the kind of the need, and who use the moratorium and any data that Staff is able to find on kind of the need and in the outcomes of the moratorium

1:42:27I would accept those I just wanted to ask the city managers, and the first one kind of the flexibility would allow us to bring this back.

1:42:35Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Yes, the City council can repeal a resolution at any time.

1:42:40Um, if you wanted to add a whereas clause, maybe sky since you're there, and maybe you can help me with this, or whereas clause that it's say, if the public health orders change, or if mandates change, or something along those lines that this the Council could reconsider, I think, whereas clause stating that is fine as far as the second part of what Mayor pro tem. Said, I think, um. I would probably appreciate,

1:43:03perhaps, a second motion directing staff to do that, or we've heard you tonight. Actually, I don't think you need a motion, because

1:43:10uh we're hearing you, and when we bring back the eviction moratorium legislation we will commit to including as much data as possible. So But if you wanted to pass a motion providing that exact direction of staff that's certainly up to the Council, but we certainly heard you, and and I think that would be appropriate

1:43:28so, and i'd I'd say that I think we can, if you, without coming up with the exact wording. I think that that if you accept this amendment and and the the motion is passed with it, that we would add or recite all along the lines. The city manager mentioned to state that if

1:43:44um the number of cases, hospitalizations, deaths dramatically change and county or State public health orders change as a result.

1:43:54Yeah, we will ah bring back to the city council and item to consider, consider repealing this resolution. Um. So that the local emergency remains in effect,

1:44:05totally agree with that. Thank you.

1:44:07Okay, that's the last question.

1:44:10Councilman. What if it go? What if the number of cases goes up,

1:44:16and the city council can repeal the resolution if they so choose, and you can re-enact the local emergency, if you so choose at any time

1:44:27sorry of the motion. But I live, I I guess I I live in the part of El Cerrito

1:44:34Councilmember Abelson: that touches literally.

1:44:38Ah, Alameda County,

1:44:40I have. I just have a hard time

1:44:44with this, and I'm going to be voting. No,

1:44:48okay. Um, Madam Clerk:

1:44:52Okay, thank goodness for recording. But I think I got it.

1:44:56Okay, uh May or can to

1:44:58Yes,

1:45:01Mayor Pretend Motiyama. Aye, Councilmember Abelson.

1:45:05No councilmember fidelity amended aye councilmember redneck aye as amended

1:45:13motion carries

1:45:15Very good. Um.

1:45:17The second one that we are going to work on is be the general Fund Budget Quarterly. Update through June two thousand and twenty two, and we have Sandra Deleta again. Here, give us a an update.

1:45:36Well, again can be deleted. Finance director. Ah, City managers here as well. You might want to provide some additional information. What you received in the staff report is to first of all to let you know that this is unaudited.

1:45:52That means We have not closed the year yet, so there can be some changes in fluctuation, and the information we've provided but overall it's a very, very positive year.

1:46:04Ah, the high points of this um basically let you know that the revenue received is approximately total for the year. Forty, seven point, four million dollars, almost forty, seven and a half million dollars, and that includes

1:46:23what you don't see In the latter part of the update is the harper. Money is not included. When you look at a lower number on page

1:46:35Ah, two, thirty, one, if you're looking at two hundred and thirty, one and you're looking at the total revenue. You're looking at a different number. You're looking at forty, three point eight. That does not include the ar, but of three million dollars, and it does not include five hundred and ninety five thousand or six hundred thousand dollars

1:46:55of the May and June sales tax. So the revenue, un audited, and including accruals known to date will take us back to the forty seven point, four million dollars, and that's one hundred and eleven percent above the budget. Even the amended budget that included an additional two million dollars,

1:47:14the high high points for the expenses. We only spent ninety, three percent of the total expenditure budget, and what you will no discount on page two hundred and thirty, two of the expenditures you'll notice thirty, seven point nine million dollars. That does not include the

1:47:32pay period that was posted on July the first

1:47:36and the five days of the last day, the last five days of June. So if I add the one point four million dollars for those payrolls that would bring your total expenditures up to thirty, nine, point four million dollars or ninety three percent.

1:47:56So overall you end up with an unaudited fund balance, including Aara, I mean Arpa of eight million dollars. That is a lot of fund balance for you to make

1:48:10beginning next week when we're looking at the section one hundred and fifteen, your emergency fund and a number of of other needs. I don't know if city manager would like to add any other highlights. But it's a very positive way in here.

1:48:26Karen Pinkos, City Manager (she/her): Thank you, Sandra. Sure, I will just add that you know again, as we've been talking about staffing. I just want to remind the Council that. Um!

1:48:35Well, even going back further before this is a direct result of the city Council, this Isn't just Federal funding this Isn't just real estate. This is because of all of the cuts that were made in the prior to the school years of about ten percent of our budget, and as we've been recovering certainly this year, financially what we have suffered with,

1:48:57I don't like to call it the great resignation. I call it the great Transition, because unemployment is really low and the job market is really tight. And so we have definitely struggled, especially in the case department with hiring folks, and we've been hiring. In fact, if anyone out there right now, please go to the job opportunities on our website we've been hiring. We've been hosting recruitments, but it's been very difficult to hire folks and some of the pools of candidates. We've gotten have not been um

1:49:27come up into the standards that we we believe that we want to have here in El Cerrito. And so we're continuing to do that. We're trying to ramp up everything we can in order to to increase our staffing. But

1:49:39this is again i'm here at the Local Government Management Conference. This is happening all over the country, especially in law enforcement.

1:49:47The significant dip in our funding this year is due to vacancies, and so i'm certainly not eager ever to balance the budget on the backs of the rest of the staff who are left. And so we're doing everything we can. However, this is a wonderful

1:50:04cushion, if you will, and the who knows that we are implementing the class and common study that's underway right now. Um, we know that many of our classifications, at least some of the research we've already done, and anecdotally that we're going to have to bring several classifications to market.

1:50:22So money we're saving now is a very good thing. We want to make sure that we're ready to be able to when we fill those vacancies that our expenditures will go up.

1:50:33Having said that. Um, this is really This is a very positive report, As Sanders said, I want to thank Sandra for all of her hard work she has been digging through all of the details um trying to get everything included in this update that we can. And as we talked about earlier, that's exactly what we were trying to portray, as you see, because we're giving you the departments you can see in the expenditures like I said, Um! All of those numbers and the expenditures by department are related mostly to vacancies, and so

1:51:03that's going to change. We know that someday. We'll be able to hire a lot of folks back, and that we're going to have to be ready for that. But in the meantime, here we have a very good fund balance. We have

1:51:13at this point that would bring us to this eight million dollars surplus this year. That would bring us to about a thirty five percent fund balance general fund reserve. That is at the end of fiscal year twenty two.

1:51:27I'm. Trying to remember in my time here. If we've ever had anything that positive, i'll have to go back and look.

1:51:35But it's good news. We just want to make sure that we're continuing down the path and understanding that once we start to fill some of those vacancies the Council's going to need to um to keep taking looks at these reports as we've been providing, so that we can continue to update you on on the progress of that.

1:51:52And again, I just wanted to reiterate. These are unaudited numbers. Some of these will change, probably due to some of the accruals, and and some of the exact adjustments that the auditor will choose to make with our occurrence. But

1:52:08but again, this is this is incredibly positive news, and I just want to thank the Council for your leadership. I want to thank the staff for everything done um and for all the burden you're taking on right now, because uh, some of the desks around you or some of the uh uh cars around you are empty. I get that, and we're doing everything we can, and try to alleviate that. But in the meantime at least, we're in a good spot, and we're going to continue to go forward and in a really sustainable manner. So I just want to thank the Council for all your

1:52:36for your leadership on this thanks. Ah, thank you, City manager, Karen, because one other ah area that I wanted to bring to your attention. I know that there's a lot of interest in the real property transfer tax,

1:52:49and so I put it in. I prepared a very simple presentation. And do you want to pull it up?

1:52:57Sure, it just gives you just a brief, we're only two months into the new fiscal year,

1:53:04so you only get two months to compare to prior year, and I also provided you with the budget. I had very, very conservative budget and um budgeted for this Revenue category, which was not what our Consultant recommended, they recommended. I'd be a little more aggressive, and not knowing where the economy was going and where the interest rate was going, I decided to hear on the side

1:53:25of being very, very conservative. So in this, in this category what we budgeted it was four point three, showing that up a little, then that's possible.

1:53:35We budgeted four point three million dollars for this revenue category, and that was based on an assumption that we would have at least two hundred and ninety four transfer sales,

1:53:47and the average sale would be about fourteen thousand six hundred and twenty four dollars in revenue. So if we're looking just at the first two months, and we'll track it every month you have an average of twenty, five, a month, twenty, two, and twenty eight. So that's what you need. You need twenty, five, a month to

1:54:06meet your four point, three million dollars, and you need an average sale of fourteen point six ah, fourteen thousand six hundred and forty four dollars. Your average sale over these two months is fifteen thousand one hundred and eighty four dollars. So if we continue at

1:54:23this rate, the average of three hundred and seventy, nine thousand dollars per month, you would meet your revenue target of four point three million. You would actually exceed it slightly.

1:54:33So I will continue to monitor this monitor and bring it back. You should also know the fabulous requests that this see on their regular agenda, so they will see this as well, and be able to monitor it. Some of our other key revenues We will have a simple one-page summary for them to monitor.

1:54:50That's fantastic. Looking at this, and having you explain this especially to our residents, showed that the city has turned it around. So. Um! I want to um check in with my colleagues there via zoom. Do you have any questions or comments?

1:55:13So it's not look like it. How about here?

1:55:16Yeah,

1:55:18yeah, I I wouldn't just like to reiterate. It's nice to say the good news out loud so people can hear, and residents can hear this stuff. But so so we're talking right now again about with Arpa, a fund balance of over eight million dollars

1:55:33and year to date on the property transfer tax is four. Point eight. Is that correct?

1:55:40Oh, no, You're today, in the in the month of July, You' three hundred and eighteen thousand in the month of August, four hundred and forty thousand seven hundred and fifty, eight, fifty, nine thousand total for two months,

1:55:53And that's where I ended up with your average between those two months and then just extrapolated that out.

1:56:01Okay, average will change.

1:56:02Yes, and and, as you know, probably, what is it? Tomorrow this week the fed will be changing interest rate again. So I caution we are caution we will review, we will make sure. Yes, and it leads to the other point that I think our city manager mentioned with our staff low, we are relying on professional services.

1:56:22Yes, and that's one reason that our expenses have not been. You know we're not hiring, and we're not paying out on people right now, but we're going to have to if we're going to get the things done that the city and our residents want, We're going to have to hire people,

1:56:36and that number will change. So we'll have to monitor that finally on the issue of our goal, the Council goal that we passed last year about a million surplus. Where are we on that?

1:56:51I mean? Uh.

1:56:53So you're adding the Arpa

1:56:56i'm talking about the the annual goal surplus.

1:57:09I'm speaking to Mike

1:57:10we would have our own surplus. Right? Five million about five. Yeah. Yeah, Not counting that. That's correct. Okay, Thank you very much. And that is fantastic news. Despite what people are are throwing out in the Rumor Bill, the city has turned it around, so I wanted to say to our residents and the staff. The city manager, along with the

1:57:34the city council, has worked

1:57:36day in and day out for the last couple of years to turn it around, and I want to say thank you to everybody for doing this. It's been quite painful. Ah, and it's been frustrating the last couple of years. But we have we got it done? And I want to say personally my congratulations to you, Sander and

1:57:58Staff, and especially to city Manager Karen, because to hear the stuff that people are emailing and attacking people that

1:58:11attacking people. Ah, yeah, um, I don't appreciate that. And and I wanted to say, Ah, personally, my personal thanks to you. Um! And to staff on that. Um! It looks like ah Council Member Tesla, where Nick has a a question or a comment.

1:58:27Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): Yes, thank you, Mayor,

1:58:29if you can explain a little bit about the bond rating process, because at this point our hope is that when standards and core reevaluates where our financial position currently is that our bond rating can incrementally begin to build back to where it was. I'm concerned that as we're

1:58:49art project and a few other big ticket items that we are looking down the road at. I want to make sure that our bond rating is in its best condition. I I believe, by looking at this, and in multiple conversations I had in the work that I've been doing with my colleagues here for the past, and nearly two years we're

1:59:09we are but incrementally making that difference. But I just want to make sure that it's then reflected in the outcome of a better bond rating than where we're currently at

1:59:19our bond rating would definitely go up. If you're looking at the investment report that I gave you, and if you're looking at the cash balance and investment. You' to ask the last Board meeting that after I paid off the Trans in the year and bills to move the residual over to investment. And if you look at the interest that you're earning on the investment, and then, if you look at your ongoing, operating cash balance in the operating

1:59:44bank account, in addition to your fund balance, in addition to being well under budget meeting your surplus target, and if the next iteration of reports that I would bring to you is your debt reports,

2:00:02so that you can actually have some idea of what your debt reports are, and how does that affect your overall rating. So that will be another round of research that I will be conducting to have you, and better understand your debt portfolio, and how that affects your standard.

2:00:16But we don't have a sense of when the standard, of course, number is going to be when we submit the next actor

2:00:23and the entrance conference is in two weeks. This is a benchmark. This is a very aggressive audit team from a timeline, so I don't anticipate any delays in any late submittal of the um after this year. So i'm looking forward to getting the update that information updated to standard, of course, so that we can get a new radio.

2:00:48Thank you absolutely. We're looking forward to that. And next Yes,

2:00:55thank you, Mayor. I just want to to say thank you to Director Deleta, on being conservative on the Rptt assumptions, because I think that we came out of such an exuberant year

2:01:09that you know it makes me feel safer about where we are because of your conservative assumptions. I know that, I think, is, we are very fortunate to be able to make our fund reserves as big as possible during these good times, because some rough times, you know, look like they're on the horizon. I just want to

2:01:31passion all of us, as we think. Wow! This is great, so we can start spending um that the I just saw an article on Cal matters about the total ah revenues of the State being eight percent lower than expected already. So um! But there is some leanness coming. I hope that because of all these

2:01:51ah cuts and choices and long meetings that we are going to be prepared to weather things out in a really strong position. So I want to say that and say, Thank you.

2:02:02Okay, let's go to open to public comment. Now is the time for members who of the public who wish to provide public comments on this item, a person's request to speak can submit it as a speaker. Guard to the city clerk, and remote speakers can use a range and raise hand feature to request to speak. Please remember to identify yourself and your city of roads. Not at the beginning of your comments, and I'm City Club.

2:02:26Thank you, Mayor. I do not have any requests to speak, and I am not seeing any hands for remote, remote requests to speak on this item, either. There we go any final comments from the Council.

2:02:39I'll move to accept and file or receive in file.

2:02:44Okay, I have a motion from Mayor for him, the second from councilmember, Rodnick, Madam City

2:02:52Mayor Kinto. Yes, Mayor pretend Motiyama, Aye, Councilmember Abelson,

2:02:57I can you hear me? Yes, we can councilmember

2:03:01I

2:03:02Councilmember Redneck

2:03:04Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): I

2:03:04motion carries

2:03:07fantastic. So next

2:03:15i'm sorry, Madam City click you want. Can we do our presentation?

2:03:18Yes, thank you, Mayor. Now the rest of the agenda would fall in in order. Thank you so much.

2:03:23I want to thank our our special guests.

2:03:28You have to wait this long, but uh

2:03:30welcome, and I want to give a presentation from East Bay Municipal Utility District. A mud for the wildcat pipeline project.

2:03:42Good evening,

2:03:44Ok. Thank you, Mayor. It sounds like this: Mic is working. It is Good Evening, Mayor Pro-tem Council members, members of the Public City staff.

2:03:54Thank you for your time This evening.

2:03:58My name is G. Shakala. I'm. An associate, civil engineer at He's by mud.

2:04:03The project Manager for the Wildcat Pipeline Improvement Project and El Cerrito

2:04:07Um really excited to be presenting an update on this project that's been on the works for many years, and we're almost ready to go to construction phase. So i'm really looking forward to it. And there's a lot of details on the project. I tried to simplify it, but still provide enough context. So it makes sense. So Ah

2:04:27bear with me. But i'll let you know we'll also be doing community meetings. Once we have a contractor on board

2:04:33Um,

2:04:35which we'll go into more detail, even more detail. This isn't excited enough for you.

2:04:40But yeah, So the agenda for this evening i'll go ahead and give a very brief overview of the same mud water system, and then i'll detail the purpose and scope of this project. Go into some information about the typical pipeline construction process for a large diameter pipeline project,

2:04:57maybe a little different than the typical distribution main replacements that you may see

2:05:01um, and then i'll go into some details about what we've been working with. Say, staff on the traffic control work, hours, paving restoration and finally summarize project schedule, and we can have any questions at the end.

2:05:16So, very briefly the East Bay mud water system. We get our water from the colony wallet watershed in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. The snow milk goes to the party reservoir, and then travels ninety miles to the Mccoy Aqueducts largest headlines through the Delta down to the bay area,

2:05:34where the water is treated at one of several watertream plants, and goes to customers through a series of pipelines, reservoirs, pumping plants

2:05:44he's played by board certified the west of Hills Northern Pipelines Eir in two thousand and thirteen.

2:05:52This Eir focused on four pipeline projects a large number of pipeline projects that were identified in these playing muds west of Hills Master plan, back in two thousand and ten. Two of the pipelines are referred to as the wildcat pipelines

2:06:05Um. Last year we successfully completed construction of the wildcat Berkeley pipeline, which was one mile of forty inch steel pipeline through the city of Berkeley. And now tonight i'm going to be talking about. The The next phase is the Elsredo portion of the wildcat pipeline,

2:06:20we're currently finalizing design and hope to award the project in January of two thousand and twenty three.

2:06:28So why are we doing this project? Primarily it's to improve the reliability and resiliency of the East Bay. Mud water system.

2:06:36Um. Currently, if you can see in light blue on the figure to the right. That's the existing wildcat aqueduct that provides service water service to residents within the city of El Cerrito, and also carries water north to the northern region of the Eastern Mud Service area.

2:06:55The new pipeline in red will parallel the existing wildcat pipeline and offer several benefits to the residents of El Cerrito.

2:07:05Um. Primarily it'll be new well to steal a very robustly designed restrained joint pipeline that if we have some kind of seismic event it can withstand the ground movement and remain in service. It also will provide redundancy

2:07:19for the existing wildcat aqueduct. It's the aqueduct's coming up on one hundred years old. It's still performing very well, but we want to be able to shut that pipe down to pipeline down and service it maintain it, or, if it's damage during an earthquake or something, we can still rely on the new wildcat pipeline to continue providing service.

2:07:39The residents.

2:07:40Another thing it does is since the old aqueduct will be staying in service. It increases capacity, so it allows us to be more flexible in how we operate our system. Um, you know, the topic today is fire wildfires. We had one very near our watershed recently, and if there is a fire on the water show, we have to adjust our operations. That pipeline will allow us to transmit water south to north and north to south, and just be more flexible in our operations to fighting clean water to the residents of

2:08:09and the region.

2:08:11So now, diving a little bit into the pipeline itself, it's a little over two and a half miles of thirty, six inch well to steal pipeline once again shown in red on this map. So it starts up at Hill and Liberty Street.

2:08:23It goes down Elm Street. The majority of the pipeline is in Richmond Street, and then it goes through Lincoln, Clayton Central Avenue, Ashbury Avenue turns on Lynn Avenue and terminates at Lynn and San Carlos Avenue.

2:08:37Um!

2:08:38It's primarily open trench installation, the traditional cut and cover installation. I'll touch on one portion that is not a little later on. But that's the primary method of installation

2:08:49construction will begin next year, and it's about one and a half two-year construction window. But I do want to point out that it's a long time. It's a really long pipeline

2:08:59work will proceed sequentially over. You know, a couple of blocks along this alignment, so we won't be seeing impacts through that whole window. It'll be, and i'll go into a little more detail on that. How we essentially the construction train works.

2:09:14But don't let it scary that there's two and a half miles of street torn up for two years. That's not what it's going to be, and that's who your window also accounts, for you know the rough submittals and materials ordering, and then at the end, you know, paving and and clean up, and that kind of thing, so heavy construction will be like a year a year. Now

2:09:31you may have actually already seen some preparatory work for this project. We were doing several small diameter relocations, in order to sometimes hard to find a space for the three-foot diameter pipeline in the street. So we're actually moving some of our small diameter pipelines to create a corridor. So

2:09:47we are almost complete at the Central and Clayton Avenue relocations. Our crew is now working on Lynn Avenue, relocation, and then after that we'll have crews up at Patrol Avenue and Liberty Street to move some pipelines there.

2:10:02Um. So yeah, it's already underway. But the contract construction of the thirty six inch will start next year.

2:10:10Um! So just briefly wanted to walk through kind of what residents can expect to see out there when when we're doing the pipeline excavation or the pipeline installation, there's four phases, highlighted here. Basically This saw cut

2:10:22the pavement excavation pipe installation and then backfill and temporary paving. And and this slide, if you see on the bottom, it has several like representatives of city blocks. So basically, you say we're starting on block two we'll have the saw cut machine come in the block. As that progresses the execator will follow behind,

2:10:41and then once that makes enough progress. After a couple of days we'll have the pipeline installation begin putting it in the pipeline, and then, after a couple of days of that, we'll see the back filling compaction temporary for paving will follow. So by the time

2:10:54the temporary paving is going down, the beginning of the train with the saw cutting, and the excavation is somewhere like on the next block, so it's a

2:11:03um.

2:11:05It moves quickly. It's it's it's disruptive, but it moves quickly, and it's critical work. So here's kind of an image of what that looks like on the ground. This is an example from a twenty four inch pipeline. We saw it a couple of years ago. You can see here at the bottom of the picture is the saw cut, and then we have the excavator going in. The pipeline is

2:11:24in between this mill area and then back here. They're compacting the backfill, getting ready for temporary paving.

2:11:31They progress about eighty feet per day. So if you want to kind of

2:11:35figure out how long a block is, and how long it may take to install that. That's a typical um installation rate. But then a lot of that depends on traffic control conditions and utility, congestion and everything. But that's our our typical rate.

2:11:49Um, I mentioned. It's mostly open cut, but we do have um our open trench, but we do have one area that will be installed by trenchless methods. If you're familiar with Ashbury and Fairmont Avenue. It's a pretty busy intersection above ground, and

2:12:05when we look below ground it's, I would say, much worse. So just to orient you left is to the north here. So Fairmont goes up and down the page. Ashbury goes left and right. This is Harding elementary on the bottom right, the southwest corner,

2:12:21and basically all these lines and everything our existing utilities, at different horizontal alignments, vertical alignments, and it's it's a mess. And then there's also an addition to it within Fairmont. There's also on the right side over here, a three foot by four foot diameter. Drain, culvert that's at a depth that we can't go over. We have to go under, and it's a very deep

2:12:40um culvert. So basically all that's to say, we will be doing a trenchless installation here that allows us to avoid impacts to the Fairmont Avenue intersection, and also avoid the massive utilities on the ground that you know increases risk of delays, and we definitely want to get delayed going through Paramount Avenue. Um,

2:12:59and but what that requires. It's trenchless, but it's not excavation list, so we need a pit on either side an excavation P. On either side of the intersection for launching and receiving the trench List boring machine.

2:13:12So you can see here on the right side. I've outlined what the launching pit

2:13:18footprint will look like, and that's just a little cartoon representation of what the footprint will look like above ground, with the blue pipe being the trenchless installation going underneath Fairmounts. The red pipe behind going to the south would be open trench, and then, similarly on the south side or starting the north side of the street. We have the receiving pit be a little bit smaller, and that's kind of a schematic of the

2:13:39footprint of that pit with the blue pipe, you know, coming from underneath Fairmont Avenue, and then going north as an open trench pipeline.

2:13:50And what that looks like in the

2:13:54your life is something like this. This is a photo from the Wildcat Berkeley project. We also had a trenchless installation there.

2:14:00Um! This was the receiving pit there, so you can see they didn't need to trench through this intersection and traffic circle they were able to bore underneath it. And that's the picture of the receiving pit. So we'll have a similar set of

2:14:15on this project at Fermat Nashville.

2:14:21Um. So I want to review now. I went through the construction methods kind of the traffic control approach is being developed with our traffic engineer in coordination with the city staff. So we've had several meetings, and and we're working through all the requirements for the city.

2:14:35Most of the alignment will be completed by closing a block on a rolling basis, so we can have the train proceed through. This makes it much more efficient for the contract, and we're also a lot safer for the contractor and for the public. We just close the block down. We can get in and out really quickly.

2:14:51Um! And not have to worry about traffic moving through the work zone. So this accounts for a majority of the pipeline alignment as highlighted in orange on this figure.

2:15:02Kind of what that looks like is is here. On the top left you can see just road closed to through traffic. We do.

2:15:12We will be able to let emergency vehicles through, and we don't have the schedule yet. When we bring the contractor on board. We'll have a schedule of what neighborhoods are being impacted when and at that point we'll do a lot of outreach with the residents to try to encourage them to schedule

2:15:29that week or two, you know, to to come in and out outside of when the road is closed. But we will accommodate people if they need to get in and out. Um, This picture on the bottom right kind of shows, you know. Typically, there'd be a dump truck on on the left side of the street here for the excavator to dump into. But if a resident needs to access,

2:15:45we can move the dump truck and allow the residents to go through. But obviously that creates delays for the work, but also delays for the residents. So we really try to stress to plan their day, and

2:15:56which we can

2:15:58get the work moving along. Keep the residents um able to have access to their homes.

2:16:04There's a few places where the geometry of the roadway we're allowed to keep track of traffic while we're doing the work that's shown in Green here in Hill Street, Elm Street and

2:16:14Asbury Avenue, South Fairmount. So there's just a little schematic showing what that would look like. Our pipeline is on the east side of Ashbury Avenue.

2:16:23The east side of the island that road would be closed. We moved both directions of traffic on to the west side of the island, as shown here, and then on the bottom is just kind of a snippet from our traffic,

2:16:37the directions of traffic on the

2:16:40Um.

2:16:41It's typically the southbound lanes.

2:16:46And then, finally, there are a few locations that

2:16:50we'll have the larger excavation, such as I showed for the receiving pit, where we won't.

2:16:55Sorry I failed to mention when it's a block by block closure. It'll be open to traffic at the end of the work day, so any trenches will be plated.

2:17:06It'll be completely open to traffic during the work day. For the most part all the orange and the green. They'll be back to normal operations just with trench plates on top of it during the work day. But where we have these overnight Tcp areas,

2:17:19we're not doing night work, but we'll have the fencing and K. Rail set up for the larger excavations that we'll have traffic control overnight signage to guide residents around the the pits that'll be open.

2:17:32And once again this is the same picture. So during the day this truck will be here, you know the block will be closed. Then at night the block will be opened, the truck won't be there, and traffic can come maneuver around the the pits.

2:17:48So work hours will be the typical standard city work hours. Eight Am. To five Pm Monday through Friday. We don't have to create night work or weekend work. Um, and then lane and road closures, which is a majority of the project, can only occur between nine Am. To four Pm. On arterials, which most of our project is long arterials as well,

2:18:07and then eight, thirty A. M. To four, thirty Pm. On the local and collectors, and even though they have restricted closure hours, we'll probably still be out there right at eight Am. Preparing doing the tailgate setting equipment up that kind of thing, and we'll be there through five Pm. Even though the road will be back open to traffic at four or thirty P. M. I'm. Just cleaning up,

2:18:27zipping everything up for the day.

2:18:30Um near the schools. We'll have you more work restrictions. So there's three schools highlighted on this map here, some at K. Two, L. Srido High School and Harding Elementary. So we expect this work to be done in the summer months.

2:18:45Um, to avoid impacts to the schools. The work at Harting Elementary. If you recall that's right at Fairmont in Ashbury. That's where we'll have the launching pit for the trenchless installation, so that work will need to be scheduled to occur, you know, basically as soon as school is out for the summer

2:18:59mobilize and start the work out there to be completed by the time schools back in August. And then we we actually met with the principal of Harding Elementary, and have discussed, you know, she said, they can push summer school back, so it won't be summer school while we're doing this work, and we'll also reach out to them

2:19:17um folks elsewhere. Oh, hi! And some of K two, as we get closer to construction, have a better schedule. Talk about what what that would look like there. Um! And then, if some kind of work does need to happen outside the summer months, we have restrictions in there that has to be outside, so it doesn't affect, pick up and drop off times. So

2:19:34the contract will definitely want to do that in summer and not have the really short restricted days

2:19:40the pavement Restoration plan. We're still working through with city staff. We try to do this in a way like we have the relocations. Then we have a large diameter pipe coming through, and the city has projects. So we try to minimize impacts of us coming in and then leaving and coming in again. So we're working with the city right now, and how to how to best approach that.

2:19:59And we've We've been coordinating for a couple years now, and I think we're getting close to to having the final Restoration plan.

2:20:05Um, We do know the Richmond Street Improvement Project has been on the city's books for a while. So we've been coordinating that project, and we we have a draft cost-sharing agreement. So you know the city's going to come in, and you know, be realigned certain, you know. Do a lot of street work in there, so we don't want to go and pay you a beautiful

2:20:23branch and pika, and then have to be ripped up again. So the plan right now is for us to just plug the trench and then pay the city for the additional restoration that would be required for a T cut, and the city can use those funds to pay for a portion of the Richmond Street project. Our obligation.

2:20:42Are we so on the street in that manner. So we're close to finalizing that agreement with city staff as well,

2:20:49so just to summarize the current timeline. The relocations are ongoing, they should be finished by the end of the year. We are looking to advertise this project in mid- November.

2:21:01We would like to have the cautionary agreement permit, and everything in place and in hand, prior to advertising the project. So we're working with city staff to try to get all that squared away. Um award date is scheduled for January,

2:21:16of two thousand and twenty-three,

2:21:18as I mentioned before, once we have the contractor on board, and have the contractor schedule. We'll actually have a community meeting. It'll most likely virtual. We'll send out postcards and emails and let the community know to come. And at that point we'll know more about which piece of the project will be constructed when but our outreach is ongoing. We have.

2:21:37We're on next door. We have postcard mailers. We just have a new email program where you can put in any address and get notifications. If there's anything near that address, even if you're not a resident Um or a East. Me one customer you can um address of interest. So we're excited to have that, and we have a project website

2:21:55that'll be updated as we're doing as we're going through, and then project signs out near the work that point to the project website and our community affairs representatives.

2:22:04Um So yeah. Construction summarized here the kind of spring two thousand and twenty, three, two-year construction window, through april two thousand and twenty, five a couple of the items. We do know the schedule for the trenches. Installation needs to be in the summer,

2:22:16the connections where we connect to the existing wildcat aqueducts, because that requires us to shut down the aqueduct that needs to be in the winter when demands are lower. So we kind of know where those are happening in time, space and then final paving will occur at the end, but the rest will be filled in as we get our contract on board, and see how they want to most efficiently complete this work.

2:22:37So here's contact information. Rolando Gonzales is our Community Affairs representative for this project. His information is shown here. He works for Mona. I know Mona may have been on the announcement of the agenda, so she's in the Community Affairs group police. They might as well. Um. But, Roland, it will be the primary point of contact. And then there's the website information, Ebod: dot com, slash, wildcat.

2:22:57And then, yeah, we're available on the social media sites and everything so. But i'll take. I I really appreciate the time. Um, I don't know how much time I took. But ah, thank you. Thank you for that. I appreciate the thorough Ah, presentation! It was great. Let's bring it back to the Council. Any questions for Ah,

2:23:14here for a ton of questions.

2:23:16Thank you, Mayor, and thank you for the presentation that was really really helpful. I have a

2:23:23a couple of questions. I was wondering if you could talk about the level of pavement while the work is happening. I did get a an email concern from a constituent on Central Avenue that the

2:23:41you know, after the work was done it was so bumpy that his computer would turn on all the time just from the bumpiness of the street. And so I I do appreciate and understand that there's going to be kind of a final level of completion and restoration of the street. But I I hope that there's ah, maybe as these things go, that there's a little bit more thought to

2:24:05making the the roadways smoother, so that there's not quite so much impact to people's quality of life kind of. As this thing happens, it it seemed like it was pretty. I mean, they're not making it

2:24:18a complaint, but they're just really concerned that this would not be repaired right? So that there's a lot of i'm sure that that if they have that concern that there would be other people with that concern as well.

2:24:29Yeah. And I I appreciate the question. And yeah, I actually saw that email came to me, and oh, good, and I think our crew actually already came out and patched all the low points on Central and Pagan Avenue that wasn't even the interim pavement that was like the

2:24:43first initial cut. Our paving crew was going to go out there and then do a more permit, not the permanent restoration, but a more permanent restoration. As they were tying up the final like, they moved on to Lynn Avenue. They were still kind of in that area, but I do appreciate that yet that was not

2:24:59a great temporary paving, and it's been repaired, and and I definitely understand the concern. So just know that it wasn't going to be our plan to keep that there for two years. That was, or forever, certainly. But yeah, the interim, I agree that that was not.

2:25:15Thank you for you great. Thank you. That really makes me feel better that you are responsive. And my other question is that on Rockway Avenue there was a leak for three days, where water was just coming out of the middle of the street. And was that related to the work like at Lynn? Or why was there? Because I had asked our public first department. They didn't know, because it was an a mud thing, and there was a sort of spray paint saying a Bud. So you guys were aware that there is.

2:25:45This is

2:25:47the water coming at the middle of the street, and it's not one of the streets that's on the on, the on. The work plan. So just kind of is that something we should be kind of on looking for, that we should let you know if something weeks, Or is that just some unusual one off thing?

2:26:04Yeah. Well, it's certainly not only usual for our system to leak. A lot of our pipes are over one hundred years old. That is not related. As far as I know, I haven't heard of that one; but if it's on Rockway it should be related to any of it.

2:26:15Work we're doing, and it also shouldn't be the existing walka aqueduct, because it doesn't go down rockway. So I think it just coincidentally occurred near where the alignment is, but hopefully it's fixed now.

2:26:25It is fixed now. But it was. It was concerning, because it was leaking for three days, and it's in the middle of the street for no reason. So okay. So I know that the

2:26:34Yeah, there's Ah, there's always an ongoing triage of because the existing line does come down. Calusa. It looks like, So we're we're the natural drainage line from uphill on Calusa. So we've had you know, floods before on our street, and it's somehow funnels that way So

2:26:53and

2:26:54so, if anything else should come up, the person we should contact is Rolando Gonzales. Yes,

2:27:01and they'll know that

2:27:04they'll be able to do that to kick it to me basically if there's other questions. Okay.

2:27:09But it's good to go through him, because then they can keep a record of community affairs of all the communications. And yeah, at this point most of it will go to me in a few months. When it goes to construction it'll go to a different project manager, who is manager of construction,

2:27:21but that that's our main point of contact. That's great to know.

2:27:24Thank you. Okay, let's go to uh councilmember.

2:27:29Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): Thank you, Mayor.

2:27:31A great presentation.

2:27:33Um, Ours is Edmund and Elstrito staff coordinating on the north side improvements, because it's very buttressed up with our own complete streets program that's going to be on the north side, and some of the area, especially on Hill Street,

2:27:53as those two are going North Site Residents know that you can either go downtown Pavlo Avenue or you can go to Richmond Avenue to get to the other side of El Cerrito or to the Central El Cerrito. So is there collaboration happening right now as

2:28:10what these street closure impacts would be like. And i'm also thinking a lot for our public safety folks so that we can make sure that our response Times are impacted by this construction.

2:28:21Yeah. Is that the Elseredo plaza?

2:28:24It's not Els. You don't have to fill Nord a complete streets, so that the areas of San Pablo Avenue north of Pitrero, close to the El pseudo-del-norte station.

2:28:35Okay, now, i'm actually not familiar with that project we have in coordinate with staff and they have our schedule of of when we're working so hopefully. That means there's not an overlap, but I can certainly reach out to to my contacts at the city and and make sure we're specifically addressing um, making sure those project overlaps do not impact each other

2:28:55Mona Favorite-Hill, EBMUD: as Hi! This is mono with East Bay mud. Um just want to say we are ah engineers! And ah! Our para crews coordinate with Ah, the city of Elsa Rita! We meet every other month, so we ah, So beyond the wildcat project we're coordinating on everything that's ah all the projects that are going on in Alserita.

2:29:14Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): Excellent! Thank you. As I see these timelines and looking at this presentation, i'm thinking about downloading complete streets and realizing, especially as a north cider, and also where our fire stations are located, our police and how everyone's going to be getting around during this time. So I just want to make sure that all our bases are covered.

2:29:30Mona Favorite-Hill, EBMUD: Absolutely.

2:29:32Okay, Very good. Uh, we'll go to

2:29:36thank you. I have been on council now for about six years, and this project is something that we have all asked about every year. So it's really wonderful.

2:29:43Hear this update. We're very excited about it, and when we see the news every night about Jackson, Mississippi, we're especially proud of the same quality of our of the water. So I know that hopefully the quality won't change when the changes happen here. I was just wondering, speaking of Hill Street again.

2:30:02What's beyond? You have the map and the life lined out where you're going to be working. What's beyond Hill Street? Because Gab and I are from the North end. And Barrett, is there another typing that's not needed to be changed?

2:30:17Yes. So basically, as we get further away from the central of our system. The pipe narrows, and the need for the increased capacity decreases as it heads to the north

2:30:28Also, as we go north, so this wildcat aqueduct primarily takes water from Ainda water treatment plant and sends it north. Um as we go north into the service area. Santa Barbara. Ah, so bronze water treatment plant. When that's online, it can serve a large portion of the northern area.

2:30:44But the wildcat aqueduct, the existing wall kind of continues to the north, and we have other improvements, not in the city of El Cerrito in the northern area, which also will help increase capacity.

2:30:58So the pipes in the north side of this town are not of need of repair, like

2:31:05they are.

2:31:06You're You're not dealing with those yet. Yeah. So yeah, this is. This is a um Pipeline Improvement Project. So it's like capacity improvement. That's the parallel. So we're keeping up with the wildca aqueducting service. This is a parallel pipeline. It's not we could call them infrastructure renewals where we have leaky pipelines that need to be replaced and we have a separate program there, where we do those in-house with district crews, and we we are continually ramping up that project. We are Um! That program pretty much doubled the amount of flight we're installing every year over the last five years,

2:31:35and that'll continue to ramp up as Yeah. We we have more. We We certainly need new pipes all over. When we talk to our residents in El Cerita. When all this construction is going on, what should we say is

2:31:52the two big advantages? Is it? Is it about capacity?

2:31:57Uh once. This is done, I mean, is that the major thing be patient. This it means more water

2:32:04uh reliability. So if and and and reliability the big one hits, we'll be very happy. We have this pipeline, where, as I mentioned, if there's a fire in our watershed, as I mentioned, this area is fed by Arinda waterstream plant, which takes the the

2:32:19of country water from Boogali River, and if there is a fire in that watershed, a renewed water treatment plant supplies most of our water, but it's not really. We're working at which we just put a quarter of a billion dollars project out to upgrade that to be able to take lower quality water right now. It's not

2:32:36able to do so. So we'd have to push water from so bronze wash treatment plant from the San Pablo reservoir, and this project would allow us to to better carry water from the north to the south. So basically reliability, in case there is disaster within the service area, but also flexibility and operating our system in case of a country fire. So one of the advantages, i'm hoping, and you mentioned that you're working with the city.

2:33:02Uh to make a better Richmond,

2:33:05and i'm not sure what that may mean. Now, what the impact on Medians and sidewalks. But i'm hoping in this city of trees that we have more trees,

2:33:17and there's discussion in various committees. We have here about new consistent trees going down the side, so I know that's an issue, probably for the city.

2:33:27But I think we have an opportunity with this to make our city look better and be a better place for people, so I will be communicating that with city. But I think it's an opportunity to have some style and consistency on trees going through. And do you know about sidewalks or medians being taken away at this point, or you're just dealing with the street? Yeah, I don't know the rich ministry improvement. I think there's still work on the

2:33:53the details of that else of that. Oh, good! I'll have to talk. I I was hoping to get that, because I don't want to put our new pipeline under somewhere where it'll be a media in our tree, but generally we're right.

2:34:04Very generally. We're like

2:34:05seven to ten feet off the curve, so we don't need to speed a median, or like a ball about going in that area Um, since you brought up trees I do want to like. I'm actually walking with Stephen Pre. I think his name is tomorrow morning to walk the alignment. We've had a consultant as part of the I. R. Process. We have a consultant who did a preliminary tree study um to see what trees may be impacted by alignment. We identified four that may be impacted. Um, So i'm going to walk with Stephen tomorrow morning. Good. Take a look at the trees and see if maybe pruning will be enough. We might have to remove them and replace

2:34:35that. Um, and we're taking with him. He he's been on some of these discussions, and the Urban Forests Committee about what's the best tree if we do have to replant, based on size. Exactly. Because I want to tell my contractor I can't just say you have a master list of like one hundred trees. Let them know we've talked tonight about this. So thank you very much,

2:34:53Councilmember for Delhi. I I would want to.

2:34:56Mona Favorite-Hill, EBMUD: I'll take an opportunity to say the Eastway mud has a program to ah give grants to cities to ah install drought tolerant landscaping in your medians. So it's a wonderful opportunity to get drought Tolerant landscaping put in at no cost in the city.

2:35:15So ah! When you're when you're ready to move on with your Richmond Street project. I I hope you'll take advantage of that that program.

2:35:23Thank you, Mona. Thank you. That's fantastic. That's great to know. Um. One thing that I'm thinking of is the future, and towards the end of the century you know our our trees here.

2:35:35Ah, were planted in the the last century, when Elsa Rita became a city, and and many of our trees are on their last life and looking at climate change, then they're saying, The average temperature of early Al-serrito will be eighty five degrees towards the end of the center

2:35:55on a on a regular July or August day. So it's hard to make sure that we look, and we work with our city arborists to make sure we're planning the trees in the future. That will be that will withstand ah weather like that. So let's think about Los Angeles, and then think about the the trees that they're planting there. Many of the dreams that we have now are not going to be around.

2:36:22I hope people are mindful of that about the future. One thing that i'm interested that i've been talking to are

2:36:33any cats? Is um access to non-polarable water, and there's a purple pipe there that just ends right at the Alameda county border. Um, you know our city would ah be very interested in having that um connect with

2:36:53looking at that and looking at the future of droughts. And we're going to drive right now. We can use that water, and and we can have access. If we had access to that water, we would use it instead of using great drinkable water to to water our classroom.

2:37:14That's something that I want to make sure that he knows the importance of. Let's use

2:37:21compatible water to water our landscaping instead of great great drinking water, that we and I want to make sure that we know that we look at San Diego drinking toilet water. I think we'll be doing that soon enough here, looking at, you know a less of an ice pack and climate change.

2:37:44I look forward to working with these fay mud and and with our partners ah regionally, to make sure that you know the future of non-polarable water is is something that all communities in contrast again, like to ah play an active role in. And right now we don't so that that's a lot of good water going to waste, and

2:38:12we have access,

2:38:13so I very much appreciate your ah report, and and I know our residents that will be affected. We'll ah got some phone calls once. Ah, this is Broadway. But again thank you for this great presentation. And yeah, my apologies I

2:38:31thirty to for this meeting. But you guys did it then, and thank you. All right. Thank you. Appreciate the time.

2:38:41Now I want to check with our we city clerk. We we do have the next presentation. Okay, great, That's wonderful.

2:38:51And there she is, and and I want to. Ah, ah! Let folks know of our ah next presentation. Ah, it's a presentation by Contra Costa County Health Services on Measure Acts.

2:39:06I want to introduce Ah, Ravana Martin, deputy director, counterparts of health services and ah! Welcome again, and and it's it's great to have you. Ah, join us apologies for the ah! You're You're next to last, but but know how much we appreciate

2:39:26all that you do for the county, and especially dealing with the ah, the homelessness and and all of the things that measure packs. Ah takes care of so ah and ah! Welcome to Ah Al Srida City Council, and look forward to your presentation.

2:39:43Well, thank you, Mayor Kito. I want to make sure. Can everyone hear me? Well,

2:39:48Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): uh, not not very well. Let's see if I can,

2:39:53and prove that

2:40:10Lavonna Martin: everyone here me a little better.

2:40:15Um, no, uh,

2:40:18Lavonna Martin: let me actually try to turn up my volume.

2:40:22Thank you very much.

2:40:33All right.

2:40:34Lavonna Martin: That any better.

2:40:36Yeah. Much better. Thank you. Fantastic. Okay.

2:40:41Lavonna Martin: I'm worried here. So thank you so much for having me here today, and I really appreciate the introduction. I have actually had the the opportunity of pleasure working with many of you over the years in my previous role.

2:41:00Um as the Director of Health Health and Public services um working on the housing and and needs uh in our community. And while I still very much have my foot in that work. I am noted to another role as deputy director, and i'm here today to really just focus on some of our measure rights projects that are happening across our department.

2:41:23I want to think ahead of time now. Holly will be advancing the slides on my behalf. So thank you very much for that for those viewers and those attendees at Ch. You first day. I just want to remind everyone about Measure X. And that it was a twenty years twenty year

2:41:42have to sales tax approved by the voters back in November the twentieth twenty

2:41:47um! And really uh the sales tax it was to really support and bring additional revenue into the county to keep our regional hospital with the staff, which is so critical. Um funding some of our community health centers, emergency response and other crucial safety and services. Uh: And so we are here today really to focus on what the Health Department will. This role is in some of those measure acts

2:42:15um projects that got approved. There were overall thirty projects that were approved by the Board of Supervisors this year. Again, we will focus on the contra cost of health programs of services.

2:42:29So when I turn to look at our measure exponent projects, the next slide. Here we have five projects in

2:42:39that we will undertake with Measure X dollars, and the sixth project is actually a collaborative project with the county departments.

2:42:47And so i'll talk a little bit about each of those projects as we go through the size today. But overall there is about one hundred and ten million dollars, one-time investment in Measure X dollars to accomplish some of these projects, and

2:43:01another sixty million.

2:43:03Lavonna Martin: But that is targeted annually

2:43:05for ongoing services within contrast to health. And then, finally, there is about a twelve million dollars investment for the collaborative project with a housing fund.

2:43:18So I will give a brief explanation. Starting first with our contracas Regional Medical Center infrastructure project, and there are actually four projects within our regional hospital that will be supported and benefit from

2:43:34Measure X dollars. We are looking to expand our psych emergency services, which is really critical. We need additional beds and services, and within our hospital to support those who are having psychiatric emergencies and looking forward to gaining

2:43:52that expansion of space. We're looking at also a new medical clinic and office complex, along with some radiology suite, and honestly, i'm very excited

2:44:05on silly. But the new parking structure

2:44:07at the hospital, and if any of you of our viewers and residents have ever tried to access services at our hospital. Sometimes we know it's been really difficult, because parking is a pretty,

2:44:18you know, um over at the hospital, and So really it's one of those huge barriers to access that we get to address with the extra X dollars. Um, Currently, our Public Works department is in process of financing those contracts with infrastructure management.

2:44:36And we are looking to move forward. And again, important to note that actually these infrastructure

2:44:41or projects are One time it's one-time funding, and so, once complete, we don't expect a reinvestment of a

2:44:51and moving on to the ongoing support for our regional hospital. The goal is to ensure that we are maintaining our hospital health centers ability to provide timely and culturally responsive health care.

2:45:06We are the primary contra cost of health is the primary provider medical provider in the area, serving well over two hundred thousand patients throughout the county, through our county home plan.

2:45:19Um, A quarter of we were kids in

2:45:21after Costa, so really ensuring that we have the ability to continue to provide access to those critical services. It's really important, and the funding that will be used to retain and higher staff or earlier

2:45:35city manager. That recruitment's difficult, and that I appreciate the great transition. Instead of the great resignation

2:45:43we have that we, too, are experiencing the same thing that many cities like yourselves are experiencing. It's so really important to focus on how we retain and hire all the duties

2:45:57to provide, knowing that there is rising costs, you know, to provide those services.

2:46:05I wanted to move on to our public health lab.

2:46:09Again. This is a one-time county. Um One time measure X investment. The goal is really to develop a state of the art public health laboratory, and we anticipate. It'll be about fifteen thousand square feet

2:46:23really important. And think about it. I think the importance can really be illustrated when we think about our Covid response in our public health laboratory, really being able to very quickly

2:46:35to read the tests and

2:46:37make sure that we're delivering results as quickly as possible, and so, being able to

2:46:44improve our current public health lab is really important and critical.

2:46:50We are currently coordinating with Pg. And E. On the electrical piece of the project, and all the other permits and approvals are in place right now. So, moving forward on that project hopefully, very soon

2:47:03Lavonna Martin: turning to permanent supportive housing

2:47:07we have two projects that we put forward um in the measure. X proposal. Um, and that's to really provide and leverage metrics dollars

2:47:20um to develop two permanent supportive housing programs in our community. We're total of eighty four housing units we are working. Both of those facilities are targeted to be in our West County region.

2:47:36And really, uh, hopefully, we'll be supporting our West County residents who are experiencing in the community. And so we will be working to apply for home key dollars to leverage

2:47:52the the Measure X investment of five point two, one time again, one time

2:47:59funding.

2:48:00Right now one of our projects is underway

2:48:05that Demo is nearly complete. Developers working hard to ensure. All permits are being pool. We are certainly on track to be complete by midsummer the two thousand and twenty three.

2:48:18Of course we have to consider supply issues and climate

2:48:22issues over the winter, but again on track, and really excited about one of the projects, which is the fifty four unit part of the board of housing program

2:48:33of being ready for occupancy.

2:48:36Moving on to one of, I would say the most one of the most exciting opportunities we have over the last

2:48:47Lavonna Martin: my twenty years of service and housing and homeless services, to really start to look at developing a housing fund. We have our first investment

2:48:59in a housing fund, and we are working collaboratively with the Department of Conservation Development as well as the housing authority to establish this local housing fund, and its goal, really simple, is to fund the for a housing production and preservation

2:49:14for their housing related services. Some of the elements of this housing fund really includes direct funding for construction and acquisition and preservation of affordable housing. We are looking to target fifty percent or lower of Aaron made income, And for those viewers

2:49:33or attendees in your chambers that's about seventy, one, a little over seventy one thousand dollars for a family of four. We really want to target affordable units for individuals that doesn't mean,

2:49:46and the affordable housing units that are at eighty percent area income are not, Don't qualify, but we really want to make sure that we are targeting the support for those low, extremely low and very low income households. We also want to make sure that we're using the dollars to build capacity one hundred and fifty

2:50:04for non-profit housing providers. We want to make sure that we're making investments in prevention, like legal services, legal and real assistance, as well as supporting our homeless crisis response that included services like emergency, interim and transitional housing

2:50:21and really important to note that services are really critical for this housing.

2:50:28How people maintain that housing, including operating subsidies, to keep the housing and good repair.

2:50:33And so we are excited to finally have our first initial um tranche of dollars to start our housing fund, and we'll be looking to leverage other dollars from the State

2:50:44um other resources to really build the fund. Our first year is we're just approved today by the Board of Supervisors. The first year of program funds has been approved and we are.

2:51:00We will be moving forward with the first ten million,

2:51:04and it develop being a notice of funding availability. And I can speak today a request for proposals, so we will give you

2:51:15it. It goes out at the end of December, early January. We expect to fund programs and be a contract by June. So really hoping to have some initial projects in the works

2:51:30from the housing fund, and really excited because we anticipate that we'll have twelve million each year ongoing,

2:51:38Lavonna Martin: and we know that these are just initial building blocks. So I do want to acknowledge that. Um! There are so many other resources that we want to um leverage with this housing fund. But it's great to have the first initial building box um As we move on to a three.

2:51:58A three is a contra Costa's approach, and I think, really innovative approach to providing timely and appropriate

2:52:07behavioral health care services to anyone anywhere, anytime, which is what the a three stands for. Those three A's anyone anywhere in any time.

2:52:19Lavonna Martin: Currently a three operates. Ah, just a Monday through Friday, eight, six, but we are really looking to bolster those services with Measure X dollars and expand it to a twenty, four, seven emergency vehicle

2:52:35throughout the county. We want to make sure that when it's needed that there is someone to talk to, and we will be

2:52:45up our call center so that we can triage anyone can call get support they need. We can triage

2:52:52um with through our mental health clinicians. He will staff the call center so that the individual can get the care they need at the level that they need it. We want to make sure that we have someone to respond. So, especially train response teams can be dispatched to the

2:53:07person in need to address their crisis, if that's need and provide that appropriate level of care. And also we want to make sure that there's a place to go,

2:53:25a place to get treatment and an alternative to hospitals and jails.

2:53:30Um the current status we are hiring and continue to hire. We're purchasing new technology for the crisis call center and construction is on track.

2:53:43And I do want to just make a note that we do have resources and services available now, so that if anyone is listening and they need support, they can call the three miles Hall crisis call Center. That number is eight, three, three, four, four, three, two, six, seven, two,

2:54:04And finally,

2:54:06the last program is our contrast to cares, and that program Really,

2:54:14it aims to maintain the existing contra cost of Cares program

2:54:20that provides access to primary care for those adults who are uninsured and not covered under the affordable care act

2:54:28currently.

2:54:30We have seventy new enrollees

2:54:33of September the first and a total of a little more than two thousand five hundred participants. Right now.

2:54:43Program is funded at seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the next each year for the next two years.

2:54:50Ok, I think that is the last of the projects. We have quite a bit going on, as you can imagine, in juggling all the various pieces of really

2:55:04and really emphasizing that it takes. We are. We are an integrated system of care. We want to make sure that we are bolstering not only our

2:55:16health care services, behavioral health care services, but also looking at the social health and social needs of individuals through housing and measure. X. Is really supporting and allowing us to do that now and in the future.

2:55:29Thank you very much, Lavana Martin. Let's bring this to the Council Any questions for Levon Martin.

2:55:39I have questions.

2:55:42Thank you, Mayor,

2:55:43and thank you, Ms. Martin. It's really lovely to see you.

2:55:46It's great to see you as well.

2:55:49It's a thank you for your patience. It's gotten late. But um thank you for your presentation. It's so exciting. Um, I do have a couple of questions about the housing fund. Um, are those funds administered to the affordable Housing Finance committee, like the other county administrators like Cdbg and home? Or is it like a separately done?

2:56:12Lavonna Martin: It's separately done and done in collaboration? So that's a fantastic question. Perhaps a little bit of an insider question about it. The fund will be a minister of,

2:56:29as well as H. Three counter cost to health, health housing and homeless services program. Seventy. Five percent of the affordable housing side of construction pre-development

2:56:41affordable housing proper will be administered through Dcd.

2:56:47And Health housing and homeless services will support. Administer the homeless crisis response. Dollars?

2:56:55Well, that's really that's good to know, and and i'm sure you know. But, um! We do have a very large affordable housing development coming at the Elsredo Plaza Park station. So Um, having additional housing funds available, is really really exciting. And hopefully this

2:57:12tag with our name on it

2:57:14free to come through, it'll be ready for us. The other question that I had is, i'm, a Supportive housing projects the two that are being leveraged with home key. Can you just tell us what cities those are in?

2:57:29Lavonna Martin: Absolutely. It's not a secret. So the fifty, four unit from the board of housing the program.

2:57:38Ah, it's being built in the city of Sao Paulo. It is already underway. Construction is underway. The city of San Paulo has been a great partner. And again, we're hoping to have a project of the private so-called procurrency The second project is actually enrichment,

2:57:56and it actually is a building that was vacated by the county. And so it's really important to think about what buildings currently exist. How can we repurpose them?

2:58:06What are the look? What's the low-hanging fruit! And so we are looking to repurpose

2:58:12the old head Start building that is actually on the brookside shelter campus, If you know where that is in Richmond, and then creating a full scope housing.

2:58:23Lavonna Martin: You know, campus there.

2:58:25Okay, that's that's really exciting as well. But my last question, because i'm sure my colleagues have questions, too. Is,

2:58:35Are these all the measure X funds? Or this is the only the portion of Measure X funding that comes through your department, because I think when it was being kind of laid out to us, I think it was like library. Hours might come from this, and, like

2:58:50core services might come from this, and it just seemed like there was this laundry list of other themes that would be easy measure. X.

2:58:57Lavonna Martin: So there are actually more than thirty projects that were provided that were allocated as Rex dollars. These that I presented are specific to the to contra cost of health.

2:59:10But I do encourage. If there is any interest from you or your viewers, you can go to the county website,

2:59:18Contra, Costa, c. A. Go and type in measure X. And actually

2:59:24you can pull up all of the projects that were funded or initially funded.

2:59:31Right?

2:59:32Thank you for that, and thank you for being bringing bridging, housing, and health. I think this is really exciting to me that someone with your background, particularly in homelessness, and is now helming health services because the two are really connected, and that's kind of a holistic approach that really works. So thank you so much.

2:59:53Lavonna Martin: Thank you for recognizing that as well. Housing is health. I've said it for years. It's catching on.

2:59:59I can't. I can't actually take any credit for for creating that. But it's good to know that it is really there. There's recognition there that housing Oftentimes the first step to individuals came back to. Ah, better health.

3:00:16Okay, let's go to our Council member for.

3:00:18Yeah, thank you. I was going to ask about the support of housing projects as well, and that obviously will include Elsa regions

3:00:27that are in need. Whether

3:00:29Lavonna Martin: absolutely so, it's fair housing, and anyone can apply for that housing. We will be ensuring that individuals qualify for the housing, so they must be persons who are experiencing homelessness. Um! And we fully anticipate a full um

3:00:49outreach, as we are required to do once that is ready to go.

3:00:53And so we really hope that anyone interested in that housing will apply for it, and that we can make sure that we get people housed very quickly. It isn't just important to note that our experience and

3:01:10I twenty something on yours in this work in this field. Um. Our experiences, those individuals who actually are more familiar with the area tend to stay in the area. So, as we look to open new housing, we fully anticipate those individuals who are most familiar and want to stay in West County. We'll actually apply for those units.

3:01:33Um! It will be open to everyone across our county.

3:01:37Thank you. The Miles Hall crisis center, and that's an actual building to be built. Is that true?

3:01:46Lavonna Martin: It's actually a building to be renovated. So once again it's. Already it's an existing counting property?

3:01:53Um Loki Martina in Concord

3:01:55conquer, computed in Concord that is, positioned to undergo some renovation, so that it can be converted to the culture.

3:02:05Thanks; and finally, on the A three program is is the county reaching out to local city police about how to deal with?

3:02:15Absolutely, Absolutely, I think it's a lot of cities. Yeah,

3:02:20Lavonna Martin: So we have. We've developed partnerships, and we've been working for the last

3:02:25a couple of years with some of our city managers. And so we've been working really closely through the Public Managers Association

3:02:37who have been working with us. And so we have the city of San Ramos and Pablo Pittsburgh city of Antioch and I'm. Probably missing someone, a city of Walnut Creek,

3:02:53and there's one more loaf yet, I believe, who have decided to take on the work over the last year and a half, and make sure that they are communicating the results of that work

3:03:07together to be other city managers. And so that work is ongoing, it continues to proceed, and we work very closely as well with the

3:03:23A. Conduit, has been the chief of Pleasant Hill Chief Hill.

3:03:30She feel a pleasant hill. Ah has been really taking up the mantle and um pushing out this information to his colleagues across the county, and they've actually started to go through training

3:03:46already. So, um, absolutely. It's important that we are doing this in partnership with ah law enforcement, and so is that a separate pot of money that you need for that police relationship building, Or is it coming out of the

3:04:03infrastructure and technology? Or I see a building? I see infrastructure. But who pays for this relationship building with the police department?

3:04:12Lavonna Martin: So a lot of that relationship building is happening as we speak that and the response. So What you see here is what it will take for that service delivery. It does not speak to anything that law enforcement Um has identified as they might need.

3:04:32But we and the Health Department has been completely supportive in providing the level of training that they might need to support these efforts, and as we get closer to a full scope of

3:04:45of services would be twenty, four, seven Um. We will continue to engage with law enforcement to ensure that we are working ahead in the end. And hopefully, the idea is that not every response be a law enforcement. Really, that's the that is the target of the crisis,

3:05:05and they would be that that's exactly right. And to give the police another tool, so that they're not always in the middle of a mental health situation. So thank you very much.

3:05:16Thank you.

3:05:18Okay. Any other questions

3:05:21uh Councilmember Tesla, run that. Go ahead.

3:05:24Thank you, Mayor.

3:05:25Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): A great presentation. I appreciated all the context, I would say, housing is not my strongest policy meal house, but it's one that I have a sense. So for West County. Supportive housing is specifically for unhoused folks who have a permanent home when

3:05:45when it is completed and built. How about for shelter space for West County unhoused?

3:05:53Sure, i'm part of this.

3:05:55Lavonna Martin: No, that is not part of this. There are other. So just as ah as a reminder that we are talking about ten million, so it's. Ah again. Great starts,

3:06:07and we don't want to diagnose these dollars so much that we don't see an impact. So we are focusing, and the priority is really on building that permanent solution. Right? So which is why we are targeting most of the dollars to um permanent, affordable housing

3:06:26or permanent supported housing. And ah! About twenty five percent is really focused on the homeless crisis response. So we do anticipate that we will have. We put out the notice of funding availability that we will have providers coming to us, saying,

3:06:42I have a a great idea. I want to start an emergency shelter or interim housing because those units are needed as well. Um. And so these dollars that is an eligible activity, and we do hope that we can grow it all

3:06:57and and just being mindful that we really are targeting most of the dollars to that long-term solution.

3:07:04Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): And do we have a sense of how much towards measure X, the city of El Cerrito has contributed.

3:07:12Lavonna Martin: No, I do not have any sense of that. Uh, It's a great question uh, and I most certainly can take a look, and, you know, send something back to your to your clerk to let them know. Provide that information and connection and get that information

3:07:30Councilmember Tessa Rudnick (she/her): perfect. Thank you. Thank you for being here so late. Too

3:07:34Lavonna Martin: happy to be here,

3:07:37Lavona. My my question is regarding the

3:07:43care, court, and and preparation for Carecourt, and I know contrabas. Ah is not on the top of the list that will participate first. Do you know where and and when? Ah contrap also we'll be able to ah participate in that.

3:07:58Lavonna Martin: I do believe that all other cities must come into compliance to two thousand and twenty four. I can't recall what a month in two thousand and twenty four. But we do have a little bit of room to ramp up

3:08:10um and work through all those considerations around funding. And how we do that and logistics, and so we have a little bit of time. But we know It's going to creep up on us really quickly, so

3:08:22you know, apt absolutely, and and looking at um. You know the the people that are homeless here in El Cerrito. Many of them we know by their first and last name, because many of them are the ones that have refused services from. Ah! Every time they are asked they refuse services, so no matter what we do to try to help these individuals. They're they're saying no to this. So

3:08:47I think i'm looking at Care Court and and the legal California cities has supported that it's signed by the governor. So you know I know the county will. Ah play an active role on that, and and i'm looking at. Ah, one of the slides where you said that there will be an expansion on on beds for

3:09:09uh a site. Section. Is that correct?

3:09:13Lavonna Martin: Yes. So at the hospital. We had the beds available for those persons who were in active psychiatric crisis, and it was certainly adding additional capacity, and in hospitals to support those individuals.

3:09:29And again, that's one end of the spectrum. We are really excited about a three because we want to catch them before they get there.

3:09:37Absolutely. So I appreciate all the work that you're doing. My one final question is regarding:

3:09:46How can you explain to our residents checks and balances on on Measure X. And and who is all involved on that.

3:09:58Lavonna Martin: Ah, let's see. I can attempt to as best I can

3:10:03to explain some of the checks and balances, so Measure X is supported and improved by the Board of Supervisors,

3:10:11and

3:10:13we have.

3:10:15We've been asked to submit metrics for all the projects that have been funded. So we are held to the board and accountable for those on how we spend the dollars really

3:10:29ensuring that we have an impact that's desired. There's also a community advisory.

3:10:36Um Committee of Measure X. So I call it a cab, a Community advisory board, a measure that is made up of community members who are phenomenal and great at holding

3:10:51all of us accountable to what we are doing. And so I think some of those are the natural checks and balances with community, our board having stated metrics and all those requirements to

3:11:08Yeah, I I very much appreciate that, You know. For example, today the Oakland auditor. There was something in the paper today where she pointed out a lot of ah checks and balance is not happening. Ah, in the department dealing with homelessness. Ah, so I know that you know our our residents are concerned, and but we know that, and appreciate the work of the county and

3:11:38and dealing with Covid, and you did that head-on.

3:11:44Thank you to you and your department.

3:11:46Thank you very much for, uh, so many of you during this most difficult time of a Covid crisis. Um, and the different departments that stop everything to join you in the Health Department and dealing with Covid you, you because you have done such an amazing work for this county, and dealing with the uh, the the monkey pox, uh, you know, dealing with that now, and and knowing how

3:12:16the county from their experience dealing with Covid, got that on board as a

3:12:29Thank you for ah being with us, and my apologies again for this ah late presentation, but you are most welcome to join us whenever you have an update here for the Health Department. Join us.

3:12:43Great.

3:12:44Lavonna Martin: Thank you for that invitation, and I really appreciate your time today.

3:12:48Okay? Well, we appreciate You have a good night, Thank you.

3:12:50And maybe, if I may, I know we have already done public comment for presentations. But I do have an additional hand. If you'll allow the additional request to speak. Okay,

3:12:59one public comment.

3:13:07Okay, we will go to our requester, Vanessa warehouse, and i'd say you should be able to unmute and begin your time now.

3:13:15Vanessa Warheit: Thank you so much. I just had a really quick question, which is um for the uh, the three a's um crisis emergency response, which i'm super excited, and I just also want to extend my thanks to you. This is really exciting stuff. Um! I had thought that that was going to be part of the nine hundred and eighty national nationwide service. Am I mistaken, or because you didn't? I don't think you mentioned that, and if I missed it, I apologize. But can you talk a little bit about nine eight.

3:13:42Lavonna Martin: No, you didn't You didn't mention I missed that. I didn't mention it. So nine hundred and eight is really just

3:13:51national number that now you can

3:13:55to connect in locally to get resources. And so we are working with our contrast to Crisis center.

3:14:04Um actually holds the nine and eight number, and most Certainly, if anyone gets connected to nine hundred and eighty eight, they can get

3:14:13connected over to the Miles Hall crisis center or other resources that they might need but want to make sure that we don't.

3:14:24We don't want any residents who is a resident who's struggling to try to figure out what number to call.

3:14:31They absolutely can call two hundred and one. They can call them nine hundred and eighty eight. They can call directly to our mobile crisis center.

3:14:39Lavonna Martin: Either way they will get directed to the resources that they need. And so I think the

3:14:46the my sort of parting words to this is

3:14:51call what number you remember, right? We have such a great structure here in Contra Costa that we've tried to make it really easy very early on, by developing pulling in a two hundred and one number. We now have a nine hundred and eight. We are absolutely continuing to work to make sure that we are, no matter what number you call you get connected to the resource you need,

3:15:15hey? Great thanks so much, Levana Martin.

3:15:18Have a good night,

3:15:20Thank you, bye bye, thank you.

3:15:24Next we have a public hearing, and that is the cost. Hearing regarding fire, abatement, house, or debatement of a public new cent for properties identified and pursuant to elsewhere.

3:15:37Chapter sixteen, forty, six,

3:15:40Just one Sec. Mr. Yan is on our call. He's coming up as a panelist to present.

3:16:06David Yun: Hello. Can you hear me. Okay,

3:16:08Yes,

3:16:09David Yun: okay.

3:16:10Um. So this didn't take too long. So this is a I'm. David, you with the fire Prevention Department.

3:16:18This is to close the loop

3:16:21on the first round of vegetation inspections we did this year, started at the end of April, and extended into early May. So out of the one hundred and thirty. Some properties that were initially

3:16:36cited got it whittled down the four that were actually abated by the city,

3:16:42the cost to abate those four. The total came out to eight thousand eight hundred and thirteen dollars. So tonight,

3:16:53so you're going to uh

3:16:55David Yun: this resolution to approve that so that the cost can be r through the tax lanes.

3:17:10Any questions from our Council?

3:17:12I have one. Okay, go ahead. Um. I noticed that there was two invoices for one of the properties on page two, fifteen um one had uh the additional ten percent surcharge and one didn't, and so I just wanted to know which one was the correct invoice, I'm. Assuming the one without the ten percent search.

3:17:34David Yun: That's correct. So that was a last-minute discovery. The second page was put in there by mistake, and should be taken out.

3:17:47Thank you,

3:17:48Councilmember.

3:17:49Yes, thank you. I want to thank you, David and our new Fire chief,

3:17:53who's been patiently sitting here waiting as well. This is a critically important program in our city. Used to be monthly. Now we know It's an all-year effort, and it's a critical thing in El Cerrito, and then we have these abatement efforts and the public's finally getting to understand what it means or not being overburdened. Some we're talking about life and death issues here. The one question I had is, you have consistently. I was just wondering How do you come up with the

3:18:22the set administrative fee, the four hundred and nine dollars. Where does that come from?

3:18:28David Yun: So that is an itemized cost of basically my

3:18:33my time. So the set be as you have in your packet the initial inspection and one re-inspection costs nothing. It's free and Then after that there's typically office work, re inspections getting the vendors to bid meeting the vendors out there,

3:18:52and they typically are the same amount of time, regardless of property size, because you go out with the vendor once it doesn't really matter

3:19:03how big the property is. So that's why it's the same for everyone. There may be cases where that can change that could change next year. That would be a different amount next year, or it

3:19:18Ah, it shouldn't be um! The only thing that could change is, if there is a considerable cooperation with the police, if the property owner is on cooperatives, and you know we may have to arrange things with the police. Ah, companies and things like that.

3:19:33But this is based on our master fee schedule. The fees.

3:19:37Yes, you charge to the Okay. That makes sense. Yes,

3:19:40if you

3:19:41okay. Thank you very much.

3:19:43Thank you. Councilmember, for deleting any other questions.

3:19:47Okay, Um

3:19:50opened the public hearing, and then and this public hearing is now open

3:19:55and person's In-person request to Speaker can submit a speaker card to the city park, and remote speakers can use the raise hand feature to press to speak. Please remember to identify yourself and your city of Rose Fence at the beginning of your comments, Madam Clerk.

3:20:10Thank you, Mayor. We did receive written public comments for this item from Sue and Paul Duncan. Those were provided with supplemental materials on our website and directly to council. Prior to the meeting we do not have any public in the room, and we do not have any requests to speak remotely, either.

3:20:27Okay, Do I have a motion to close the public hearing?

3:20:30I'll move close.

3:20:33Do I have a second?

3:20:36I'll Second. Okay. I have a motion by motor, and second by for Delhi

3:20:49councilmember. Abelson, Are you still with us?

3:20:54All right. I see her on the call, but her volume is on, and we're not able to hear her, so Skye, would we treat her as absent for the vote.

3:21:03Yes, I two turns out. Okay. Thank you. Councilmember Fideli. Aye, Councilmember Redneck. Aye, motion carries, considering councilmember at Aelson. Absent

3:21:13uh very good uh David you and thank you, and

3:21:18thank you to our Fire Chief, who's been here since six this year,

3:21:21Mayor. Just a small point of order. We close the public hearing. We also need the Council to take action to approve the resolution

3:21:28in the to the resolution.

3:21:31Second,

3:21:32okay, we have a motion by Redneck, and second by the Mayor for ten.

3:21:36Thank you. Mayor Kinto,

3:21:38Mayor Pretend Motiyama. Aye, we'll try again. Councilmember Abelson.

3:21:43Okay, We'll consider Councilmember Abelson Apson Councilmember Fideli Aye Councilmember Redneck. Aye, motion carries with councilmember, Abelson. Absent,

3:21:52I can't tell you. Thank you.

3:21:54Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

3:21:58Okay, Nexus City council local regionally is on assignments any updates.

3:22:05I have a couple things. Thank you. Ellen. Mayor Um. This last week I participated on the Ccta contrast of transit authority workshop on transportation issues two days in Lafayette, going forward to see how we can address better through Ccta,

3:22:23our transit issues, and I was also a part of the Cc. County Election Discussion group before the election, coming up in the county, talking about ways that they will be gathering votes to a general precinct

3:22:36rather than boating at your local precinct anymore. So thing. And then I went to the Rosie, the River Gayla Bash that my wife helped, but on. So it's fun fun week. Thank you very much.

3:22:46Any other updates.

3:22:51Um, We're going to end the City Council meeting in honor of William Jones and William Bill C. Jones, Jr. Died peacefully at the age of ninety, seven, on August twenty, nine, twenty, twenty, two to to complications from Alzheimer's, was born in Arizona,

3:23:13and he later moved with his family to Southern California, then to the Bay area. Um, graduating from Berkeley High in one thousand nine hundred and forty three, Bill entered the U. S. Coast Guard and Service children's time during it was a machinery second class in the Uss. Arthur Middleton

3:23:32assigned to the Pacific Islands while on battle duty. He was injured from the fighting over, and ultimately received a purple heart for his services. After the war ended he honorably to sparked, discharge in one thousand nine hundred and forty, six, and later married Sue, the Reinsert,

3:23:51in Berkeley, in one thousand nine hundred and forty. Eight After a few years they moved to Al-serrita to raise their two children.

3:23:57Bill was a very kind, outgoing man, and has strong desire to be service and assistance. He had a grocery store in Albany, then the Plaza Mobile station in Elserita, then Plaza Texico, also an Elsredo. He became well known for his friendly business style and positive customer service attitude

3:24:17in many in the region. He sold the Texaco station and retired in one thousand nine hundred and eighty eight, which gave him more time to spend with his Grandkids baby friends and travel.

3:24:28Bill was preceded in death by his wife Sue, in one thousand nine hundred and eighty, eight, and is survived by his children. Bill Jones. Third

3:24:39is a former billed former, Els Rita, Mayor Bill Jones and Nancy Matson, two grandchildren, including our wreck and Parks and Wreck Uh member of Chris Jones and Hayley, Olmsted,

3:24:56and two great-grandchildren, Lily Ann Connor Bill's family would like to thank the caregivers of priority care home and Elsewhereante specifically, Agnes and Tony, who provided love, supportive care and attention the last several years of his father's life there.

3:25:14Truly grateful

3:25:16they also want to thank the V. A home-based primary care program and beat us hospice services for their care and support. And I want to honor this gentleman who who I met growing up as a kid and honor him in in this.

3:25:37So um the time is nine, forty, nine, thirty, eight, and the next meeting will be on Tuesday, October fourth at seven Pm. Have a good night, everybody.