Special and Regular City Council Meeting February 7, 2023

0:00:06Me. Here we are to begin whenever you are.

0:00:09hey?

0:00:11The February, the seventh, 2,023 regular city Council meeting is call to order

0:00:17at 6. 0 2 Pm. Madam Clerk, please call role

0:00:23here. Mayor pro Tim Redneck, President, Council, Member for Delhi Councilmember Council member. We singer Here

0:00:31we have a quorum.

0:00:34Please join me in the pledge of allegiance or a moment of silence.

0:00:41I, clinical allegiance to the last of the United States of America for which to stand a nation.

0:00:59The next item on the agenda is teleconference and public comment instructions from our city clerk.

0:01:05Thank you, Mayor. This hybrid meeting provides an option to participate in person or via zoom. Remote participants are asked to keep microphones muted when not speaking. If you are in person and logged into zoom. Please ensure your audio in zoom and on your device are muted to avoid any audio feedback.

0:01:22Closed captions are available by participating in the meeting via zoom

0:01:26for members of the public who wish to provide oral testimony. The mayor will announce the time for public comment on each applicable item in-person requests will be heard first followed by remote requests to speak

0:01:37in-person. Request can be submitted to the city clerk by completing a speaker card Remote requests are submitted by selecting the hand. Icon and phone requests are submitted by Dialing Star. 9

0:01:47instructions are provided on the meeting agenda, and will be displayed during each period of public comment.

0:01:52Meetings of the City Council are subject to the Brown Act, and are helped for the purpose of conducting city business. The adopted rules of order and procedures specify that public speakers address the City Council in an orderly and respectful manner.

0:02:06are asked to proceed. Proceed comments with their name and city of residents, and are asked to be respectful of time, limits.

0:02:12policy prohibits yielding of time from one speaker to another. Thank you, Mayor, that concludes my instruct and instructions.

0:02:18Thank you, Madam Clerk. The next item on the agenda is Council Staff Communications City manager, Karen Pinkos. Do we have any staff communications?

0:02:28Karen Pinkos (City Manager): Yes, your Honor, thank you so much again. I'm Karen Pink as city manager. You'll note, i'm not in the room. Both the assistant city manager and I are attending the Cal Cities City Managers Department Conference here in Carlsbad.

0:02:43and so we are obviously participating remotely. I did want to make a couple of announcements, but i'm told that the people who are making set announcements aren't in the room yet first and foremost

0:02:59going to say, i'm. I'm texting them to make sure that they come into the room. But I can at least announce here now.

0:03:09Perfect. Okay, that is definitely one of the drawbacks being virtual is that you can't see in the room. So why, Don't, I start with our public Works Director, who has an announcement to make about a grant. We received events.

0:03:27Good evening, Council members. Karen.

0:03:30Thank you for that this time to and make an an exciting announcement. I am a better at least the city's public Works director. I am pleased to announce that the city in partnership with the contract cost of transportation authority. Ccta, has been awarded 8 million dollars

0:03:48from the Federal safe streets and roads for all Grant program

0:03:52for the Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvements Project. We were just informed last week.

0:03:59and just to give you some background on that in the summer of 2022, the city, the Ccta led a collaborative, multi jurisdictional effort to submit the grant on behalf of 4 agencies in the county, including the East Bay Regional parks.

0:04:18Tan of Malaga, Antioch, and of course city of and all the Ccta was awarded 20 just under 29 million dollars in grants for programs to expand access and safety for walking and Viking in the county.

0:04:34Importantly 3 quarters of the Grant amount, which is 21 million dollars is your mark to serve people living and under represented communities in the county.

0:04:45and funding improvements that connect these neighborhoods to affordable housing transit job centers and essential services.

0:04:55and El Cerito, the Richmond Street Complete Streets Project will improve the entire length of El Cerrito, making it safer to walk along Richmond and cross the street, including high, visibly crosswalks, Flashing beacons.

0:05:09add in character to the street with like cure drop mediums decorated tier dot comedians safety lighting at the intersections and additional street trees.

0:05:20We'll also be repairing sidewalks, adding a compliant curve, ramps and repaving the roadway. The timing is great because it the East Bay met project will come to the city. Do the major Pipeline

0:05:36installation project, and then the timing of this grant will allow us to design that our project, while the East May East Bay met Project is underway, and then we can come and complete the street and make it multimodal and safer for everybody.

0:05:50Thank you so much.

0:05:52Thank you.

0:05:53Great.

0:05:55Karen Pinkos (City Manager): And then I would like to call Aisa Shori

0:05:59to the podium to provide. I think, a very big announcement. People may have already heard it, but I would really love to be able to shine a light on some really exciting news for the city of El Cerrito. So Isa.

0:06:14Good evening, Mayor Malayama and Council members and members of the public. My name's Aisa sherry. I'm, the housing manager, as many of you heard on February third, the California Department of Housing and community development recognized the city of El Cerrito as a pro housing city.

0:06:30The pro housing designation program for background was established as part of the 2,019, 2,020 Budget Act to acknowledge the policies of local governments that promote housing development.

0:06:43As you know, the purpose of this program is to encourage jurisdictions to pass and implement policies that accelerate housing production promote favorable zoning and land use as demonstrated through the sample avenue. Specific plan.

0:06:56reduce construction and development costs, and provide financial subsidies. I'm. Thrilled to say that we're one of 10 cities in the state that's shown its that is, demonstrated its commitment, diligence, and itself as a partner to the state in combating the housing crisis

0:07:12as a small city with limited funding sources. This Dex designation provides incentives to the city and the form of additional reference points and the scoring of competitive housing community development and infrastructure programs, and so we'll be talking more about that later tonight. On the pause a Tod project.

0:07:31I just want to give kudos to our Mayor for encouraging staff to submit the application, and of course, to council for your large support and supporting housing at all income levels, especially for affordable residents. Thank you.

0:07:45Thank you very much, and I want to also thank Aisa for participating in an interview with K. Qed. So if you blinked, you missed it. But it was exciting to be interviewed and putting having an opportunity to put elsewhere in a really good light. So thank you.

0:08:02Karen Pinkos (City Manager): Yeah. And I would just like to share my thanks to a vet for all her work and her team's work on the Grant, Roland, and Will and everyone else who worked on that grant, and of course, to Aisa, Melanie Shawn, Everyone in planning and community development. You They've been working their tails off on so many things related to housing. It is just wonderful to be recognized in this way by the State. But of course that wouldn't happen without the leadership of this city council. You have all been so steadfast in

0:08:31making sure that that is something that this city is now. We are clearly known for it. And so i'm just really proud to work with all of you, and want to thank you all again for showing the leadership that we need to be able to do what we can do to work together

0:08:48to provide housing for all. So with that I will conclude my remarks and thank you so much.

0:08:53Thank you, city manager.

0:08:56Are there any announcements from the Council members.

0:09:01Yeah, okay.

0:09:05I do have one quick announcement and another.

0:09:11I want to thank Staff and the Council for participating in the Council retreat on Saturday, where we talked about, among other many thing, among lots of important things streamlining the agenda so we're going to focus on

0:09:24making this council communications time on forward-facing events. So I want to alert the public to an event. On February nineteenth at the rose of the

0:09:36to Homefront National Historic Park at the visitors center. There'll be a communication of the day of remembrance for executive order 9066, which was the order that caused Japanese Americans to be incarcerated and

0:09:54forced from their homes in the

0:09:57and on the West coast. So if there's any interest in that, you can check their website, that event will be starting about 11 am. And ending at around 2 Pm.

0:10:11Right.

0:10:12So

0:10:14I also need to report out that the city council held a closed session meeting today. It's 5 Pm. And there are currently no reportable actions.

0:10:24Also.

0:10:25This is

0:10:26more announcements from the mayor here for the fourth quarter of 2,022, covering October through December. I want to recognize the following El Cerido centenarians, Edith Paolini, who turned 100

0:10:39Florence Brendiza, and Phyllis Arkab both who turned 101 lights, and who turned 105. And Teresa Pirella, who turned 106 with a mayoral certificate of recognition.

0:10:54Okay.

0:10:56Furthermore, in compliance with the brown act, I want to announce the formal disbanding of the existing climate, action, state, audit fiscal response and wall of fame AD hoc committees. The specific work of these AD. Hoc groups has been completed.

0:11:10If necessary. Any future tasks in these areas would come with the formation of a new AD hoc for those specific purposes.

0:11:22The next item is oral communications from the public.

0:11:25Now it's the 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 safe

0:11:38and remote speakers should use the raised hand feature to request to speak. Please remember to identify yourself and your city of residence at the beginning of your comments.

0:11:46Madam Clerk, please proceed.

0:11:48Thank you, Mayor.

0:11:49I will quickly announce that we did receive public comment by the advanced deadline today, which was posted on our websites and

0:11:58website, and provided directly to the Council members. We've received a comments for items not on the agenda from Cordel, Himmler Avi is cauldron, as the chair of the Park and Recreation Commission and the else Rito Tennis Club.

0:12:10and I will do our. We have one in-person request to speak. Mr. I'll my you up first.

0:12:29Thank you. And good evening, my dear friends.

0:12:32It was around 5 years ago that I first came through those doors and

0:12:38began to watch and 10. And when I saw that this you you guys had a microphone, and I like microphones, so I I like microphone. So

0:12:48I watched you guys for about a month or 2, and then I I said to you, I don't know if this could be in the minutes. I said to you, I have a favorite up there.

0:12:58It's Janet.

0:13:03And now time has gone on.

0:13:06I have a new favorite.

0:13:10are we?

0:13:12Literally?

0:13:17So I want to talk about the the senior community, and I want to transfer the understanding of what that term means. It's not an amorphous metaphor.

0:13:29It's not rhetorical rubric.

0:13:31What is it? What what's the senior community. What is that? It's? We are your mothers

0:13:38and your father's, Lisa.

0:13:41Not only that

0:13:45we are your grandfathers, and your grandmother's all

0:13:49additionally

0:13:51we are your great-grandmothers and your great fathers great-grandfathers, Tessa

0:14:00and all you by the way we're also the largest voting block in Elsredo. California

0:14:08we are who you are becoming.

0:14:15So we ask 2 kind favors

0:14:19of Gab and Carolyn and Karen, cause they haven't been referenced yet. But they are now

0:14:27support us.

0:14:32Don't forget us

0:14:36don't, neglect us.

0:14:39support us.

0:14:43Thank you kindly.

0:14:46Thank you.

0:14:47Mayor. That concludes our request to speak on this item.

0:14:51Hey?

0:14:52The next item is under Presentations proclamation honoring Captain Brian Tesserick, Firefighter of the year.

0:15:01Can we please have the presentation?

0:15:07Good evening, Council Members in public, Eric Sailors, your fire, Chief and I'm here to recognize an outstanding member of our fire department, somebody who has worked tirelessly to make sure that we can do our job.

0:15:19We tend to think of firefighters. We think of them in the glamorous position of fighting fire, and all the risks that they take, whether it's kicking indoors or climbing on roofs with chainsaws to put out fires.

0:15:29But when that job is done

0:15:31there is the job of making sure that all the equipment is taken care of, and then purchase, and then spec out.

0:15:39There are over a 1,000 pieces of equipment on those fire engines and trucks that are unique to this industry, and every single one of them has to be reviewed and purchased, and make sure that it fits our environment, and we tend to forget about the how much work it takes to make sure that our firefighters stay safe.

0:15:56and every firefighter on their first day of the job needs 3 things to make sure that they stay alive.

0:16:01They need the right equipment.

0:16:03I need the proper training.

0:16:05and I need a good mentor.

0:16:07Captain Chesarek has provided all 3 of those things to every single one of our firefighters.

0:16:13So when we decided to do a firefighter of the year again, we put a vote out to our staff and our firefighters.

0:16:20and

0:16:21he came back by a large margin of a person that deserved recognition for the work that all of our firefighters do. But he, as an example has been an amazing steward of our profession.

0:16:34and not only kept your firefighters safe

0:16:37that ensured that your community stayed safe for the entirety of his career.

0:16:42So, Mayor, I hand it back to you for the proclamation. Thank you.

0:16:48Thank you, Chief.

0:16:50So do we have any comments from the Council members, or

0:16:59i'll jump in to say thank you very much for your service. I both professionally and personally understand what

0:17:07what it takes to get to have a fire chief. Say what he said about you, especially on that mentorship. That is so important because this profession is changing, feeling like daily.

0:17:21and being able to be abreast to these changes, and being able to learn the lessons from the brook offers. And there's a fair. But, as I can say to just the 4 people in this field and pass it on to the next generation.

0:17:35It is really an honorable and incredible thing, and the city of El Cerrito thanks you for that. Thank you.

0:17:43Yes.

0:17:46yes, by our captain, I will be very brief.

0:17:49You see your face there, there you go.

0:17:51Yes, being a mentor is a very special thing, like being a mensch

0:17:56being a helper

0:17:58for the rest of the world to follow you.

0:18:00But in reading over your your proclamation I just want to say that you deserve this because you make things happen and you get things done.

0:18:10That's the best I can say. Congratulations.

0:18:14I also would like to thank you for all of your service and someone who

0:18:21mentors as well. You know the importance of making sure

0:18:26that all the skills that you have learned from the previous generation goes to the next. So know how much the young people at the all street of fire in Kensington fire appreciate your mentorship so. But again, congratulations

0:18:44right, and I would like to also thank you for your hard work of making sure that everything goes smoothly day to day and year to year, and being so steady and consistent, and keeping everything running and keeping us all so much safer for it. So thank you so much for all your work.

0:19:03Yeah.

0:19:04So

0:19:07Oh, yes, that's right, Carolyn. Would you like to comments

0:19:11or council member? We singer?

0:19:13Councilmember Wysinger: No. Just thank you for your service.

0:19:18Okay, Thank you.

0:19:20Okay.

0:19:25I'm just going to read just a couple of whereas is on this before we, for before I ask for a motion.

0:19:32so you have a a long and storied career.

0:19:35But I want to focus on a few things.

0:19:41You started with us back in 2,004,

0:19:45and you're an important part of the success of the Outsido Kensington fire department.

0:19:50You promoted a captain in November first of 2,012, and you've had spent countless selfless hours, mentoring the department's new hires and assisting your peers.

0:20:00You've taken on the task of managing the Department's fleet of fire engines and keeping them all in serviceable condition.

0:20:08I'm. Working diligently on the coordination implementation of the engineers promotional exam during the past year.

0:20:14and you're instrumental in facilitating station 65 s relocation to its temporary quarters

0:20:20for the duration of construction.

0:20:22and you led the effort to order a new fire engine during 2022, including writing the design specifications for the engine and working with the manufacturer and the department of Perez Committee

0:20:33and you are a humble, hard-working, trustworthy person, and an asset to the department's, organization, and you are chosen by your colleagues to receive the firefighter of the year 2,022 for your exemplary leadership and dedication to the department.

0:20:58Hey? Do I have a motion to approve the resolution

0:21:03so moved.

0:21:04Do I have a second okay motion by Mayor pro Tim Rudnik, second by Council member Kinto.

0:21:14Madam City clerk. Could you please call the vote Mayor Motayama? Aye, may I put him Redneck?

0:21:19Hi! Councilmember, Fideli Councilmember

0:21:26motion carries

0:21:28Thank you Van click. And now we'll present the proclamation.

0:21:35Is he going to save some?

0:21:37Are you gonna see

0:21:39right?

0:21:41I'm sorry. Would you like to say a few words as well.

0:21:45It

0:21:46sorry.

0:21:48Didn't give you a chance to speak

0:21:55at a Mayor

0:21:56Council members. Thank you.

0:22:01If you know me.

0:22:02this is the worst place for me to be

0:22:07my wife will attest to that.

0:22:09When the chief called me

0:22:12about the firefighter the year

0:22:14I was so happy for Tom. We.

0:22:20truth is, we have so many

0:22:23phenomenal people.

0:22:27men and women that I've worked with over my career.

0:22:29I I can think of 10 people

0:22:32that easily should've got this instead of me.

0:22:35Sometimes I wish that I lived in El Cerrito.

0:22:38because I know what great

0:22:40care they're being taken.

0:22:44I found it hard to believe that I had won this.

0:22:47seeing what all of my brothers and sisters do.

0:22:54I'd also like to thank you guys, for the great job you guys done the last 3 years

0:22:59have been very difficult, and it's fled over the

0:23:03the financial.

0:23:05You know pain has bled over into morale and other things.

0:23:09and so

0:23:11I thank God for our new chief, His leadership.

0:23:15his new perspective on

0:23:17how things should be.

0:23:20All things are looking so great head and forward.

0:23:23and

0:23:24it really makes me happy

0:23:27for the young up in comers because they're such great people.

0:23:31So thank you.

0:23:33Thank you.

0:23:42All of us.

0:24:00Okay.

0:24:15absolutely.

0:24:20Okay.

0:24:22We should look.

0:24:27hey?

0:24:29Actually.

0:24:49okay.

0:25:01so much I can hold.

0:25:07Yeah.

0:25:31Okay, I'll be overshot. I think you just want the caval next year, Tessa.

0:25:38Okay.

0:25:40But it was really it. Just

0:25:42the next item

0:25:46is legislative bodies and remote participation regulations effective. March first, 2,023.

0:25:53Please have the presentation.

0:25:58Thank you, Mayor.

0:26:00My name is Holly. I'm, your city clerk.

0:26:04and tonight I'm. Gonna be presenting briefly to the City Council on some of the updates in our State mandated regulations for remote participation of members who are part of legislative body, subject to the brown act.

0:26:22So to try and keep this as concise as possible. What I want to do first is just briefly review what our existing Brown Act teleconference requirements are so prior to Covid, so spent having temporary suspensions, the requirements of the Brown Act. If a member of a legislative body, which is to participate remotely in a meeting.

0:26:43the location of that.

0:26:45the address of the remote location, as well as public access and public participation from the remote location is required of any location in which a member participates. There are

0:26:58the agenda has to be posted at the location, each location as well as roll call votes. So this is the existing Brown act requirements for teleconferencing

0:27:07with Covid. There was some emergency orders, executive orders that were put into place by Governor Newsom, and later some temporary legislation that was passed.

0:27:17So since October of 2021 until present day we have been operating under temporary legislation, a. B, 361, when, in short, this legislation essentially suspended all of those rules of the Brown Act for teleconferencing.

0:27:33so it allowed members of the legislative body to participate remotely from any location without disclosing that location, and the entire legislative body could meet remotely.

0:27:43and the agency did not have a requirement to provide an in-person location for meetings

0:27:49one of the provisions of this legislation requires that certain conditions be met, including the presence of a state or local emergency, as well as the adoption of certain findings by the legislative body every 30 days. So that's that routine resolution that you have been adopting every 30 days for a couple of years

0:28:08as of March First, however, the city will no longer be able to operate under Ab. 361, because the state of emergency for the State of California, as well as the County of Contra Costa and the city of El Cerrito will all have expired, and therefore we will not meet the regulatory requirements to utilize a. B 361, so essentially that temporary legislation is no longer an option for us.

0:28:32In addition to that, another temporary legislation that went into effect on January first of this year, and will sunlight in January for 2026

0:28:42is new legislation that suspends some of the teleconferencing requirements of the Brown Act, and it has a whole new set of rules and requirements that come with it that are different than a. B, 361.

0:28:54It's very complicated legislation. I'm going to do my best to explain it, and and certainly hope it can answer any questions you may have.

0:29:03The short and suite of Ab 249 is that it does allow participation by a member of a legislative body without the disclosure of the location or opening that location to the public. If they if there are certain circumstances met, if

0:29:20there are limitations to when, how often those circumstances can be used in a calendar year, and in addition to that, if any member of the legislative body utilizes those exceptions, there are several requirements of the agency or the legislative body as a whole.

0:29:36I'm. Going to go into a little bit more detail about those.

0:29:39So first, the eligible exceptions. There's 2 categories. One is called just cause, and one is called emergency circumstances. Essentially this is the need to provide childcare. Take care of a family member, if you personally have a contiguous illness.

0:29:55or you are travelling on official city business for El Cerrito or for another local or a State government agency. So much. What Council member we singer is doing tonight.

0:30:06or you have emergency circumstances which are a physical or family medical emergency that prevents your your ability to attend in person.

0:30:16If these circumstances are used, they can only be used a limited number of times in a calendar year. Just cause is limited to 2 times for use.

0:30:25and any eligible circumstance so just cause or emergency circumstances, the maximum usage for a calendar year is 3 consecutive months, or 20% of the regular meetings within a calendar year. So in an example of max come maximum use. If a legislative body meets twice a month, as we do.

0:30:44That's 26 meetings regular meetings throughout the year. 20 of that is 5 meetings, and that would include any instances of just cause that may be used for monthly meetings. For example, our city advisory bodies that meet once a month. There would be no more than 2 meetings

0:31:02because of 20% cap for 12 meetings.

0:31:23criteria under just cause or emergency exception.

0:31:26a separate request is required for each and every meeting. So, even if it's something that covers the period of more than one meeting, a a request has to be submitted for each meeting.

0:31:36the member must participate with both audio and video.

0:31:40and before each and every vote of that meeting the member has to disclose. If anyone over the age of 18 is in the room with them, and if there is someone in the room with them, what their relationship to them is

0:31:52the legislative body or the agency.

0:31:56If any members participating under these exceptions

0:32:00is required to have a quorum of members in present, so that limits no more than 2 members can do this at a given meeting, so that we have a quorum in person. Here

0:32:09we, the body, would have to provide a remote participation option for the public, and have that information listed on the agenda

0:32:16which is the way in which we're providing our meetings now. And if there is any disruption to that method of public participation during the meeting, then the legislative body cannot take action until that is restored.

0:32:30So if our zoom feed, for example, goes down, no action can be taken, however, if we have a disruption to our live stream, or a broadcast that would not necessarily mean that we could not continue the meeting.

0:32:42and then for emergency circumstances only. There is also a requirement of the legislative body to take action, to approve that request at the beginning of the meeting.

0:32:54So for city council. This does not really change the way in which we're currently providing hybrid meetings to the public. Our current method of of doing those hybrid meetings does comply with the the requirements of Ab. 249 different members can use those exceptions.

0:33:11or they can choose to use the existing regulations under the brown app. So if you have exhausted all of the options to participate remotely, and you need to participate remotely in another meeting in the same calendar year, you still have the option to do so

0:33:24as long as you're disclosing and opening that location to the public.

0:33:28the council member, if they want to participate remotely, should contact me as soon as possible, so that I can review the attendance that I will be tracking now for all of you, and the circumstances in which you use to let you know what you are eligible to use under this legislation in a given calendar year.

0:33:45and then i'll advise you based on what you have done, what what options you have.

0:33:49And then my recommendation for meetings moving forward as of March first, is that we would simply have a standing item on the agenda come following roll call to approve any emergency exception. Should they come up.

0:34:03a member does have the ability to request an emergency exception up to the start time of the meeting, so that way we can be prepared if that comes up.

0:34:12Then, moving on regarding our City Board Commission as end committees. As you know, we have 13 advisory bodies, which i'll meet once a month in the evening hours. So 10 out of 18 working days we have an evening meeting for an advisory body

0:34:27effective march. First, we are planning on all of these meetings to come back in person only in city council chambers.

0:34:34Unfortunately, the current technology in this room it does require 2 to 3 staff members to run a hybrid meeting and staffing level simply cannot support the required statutory requirements for all of those 13 advisory bodies under a. B, 2, 4, 4, 9.

0:34:49So members of legislative, the advisory buddies are welcome to use the existing barnacle of conferencing requirements or regulations. We will have the mechanism for that, however, they would not be able to utilize these except exemptions under 2, four-nine.

0:35:05It is our ultimate goal to move towards having hybrid meetings for all of the advisory bodies; but until we have the opportunity and the funding and the resources to upgrade our tech. Not only our technology, but getting our staffing levels up. It's simply something that we do not have the resources to do at this time.

0:35:22So with that I will turn it over to the Council myself, as well as our attorney Sky, are available for any questions you may have.

0:35:28I? I have some sense, thank you. And I did send to the city manager and the city clerk my calendar for March, and I am supposed to be representing Mc.

0:35:42And Capitol Hill, the

0:35:456 or 7. Then

0:35:47for 3 days that week, and then the National League of Cities. We're going to be at the end of the month at 26 through the eighth, and so the

0:35:58the first Tuesday would I be able to, since I'm. Representing those 2 agencies for the city of El Cerrito.

0:36:09you know. Can I have? Would it be possible for me to have that first meeting in March to be through Zoom

0:36:20as long as you have not exceeded the number of allowed uses. That would be a qualifying reason under just cause. It does not require approval by the legislative body. It simply requires you

0:36:32to provide me that information so that I can track it, and then you would be able to participate remotely. Yes, thank you.

0:36:44Councilmember Wysinger: The other Council questions. I did actually have 1 one question in regards to. I know we. We the slice of went over advisory bodies. I'm. In regards to advisory bodies. Do those also do those count towards the 5? Or how does it work as far as Li is on appointments to advisory bodies.

0:37:04Oh! As a council he is on. That would not count towards those exceptions, because council liaisons are not a member of the advisory body itself. So you are not considered a member of the legislative body. You would be in that

0:37:17category for the public. The challenges come, March first. We will not have a a feature for the public to call and participate Via zoom in those meetings.

0:37:28Councilmember Wysinger: Okay, Thank you.

0:37:34Great

0:37:37last call for questions. Okay, Thank you, madam clerk. That was very informative.

0:37:42Okay, the next item is presentation of woodframe, target story, soft story multi-unit residential properties. Could we please have the presentation

0:38:15Good evening, Mayor Mayor Online Council Members. My name is Aisa Sherry. I'm the housing manager in the Community Development Department, and tonight I'm joined by David Bonnets structural engineer. Tonight we're going to give you a presentation on our with frame target story.

0:38:33Well, it's about a minute residential study, also known as soft story or wfts. So tonight we will provide a presentation for your information

0:38:44next slide.

0:38:49So this is just a quick agenda for you. We're gonna give you a background. Go over the purpose of scope. We'll cover the analysis and findings, and next steps

0:39:00I'll be covering the first few slides, and then i'll let the subject matter expert. Get into the nitty gritty.

0:39:10So, as you are, as you know, there's various city plans and strategies that have recognized soft story dating back to 2,009, that we adopted an unreinforced masonry ornament in 2,009,

0:39:23and subsequent to that we were applied for in 2,019 a fema grant, and we were awarded, and we then put out a request for qualifications, and we selected David bonlets in January of 2,022 to undertake this effort.

0:39:43So, as we know, we have in the staff report this study is primarily focusing on policies and procedures related to hazard mitigation and our web that i'm sure a multi family housing stock citizen does not cover any commercial.

0:39:59many of them local housing policies, as you know, are found in our general plan from 1,999, which includes a safety element.

0:40:07Our housing element, our affordable housing strategy, as well as our hazard mitigation plan.

0:40:14So in our hazard mitigation plan, i'm not gonna. The Staff report contains all of these details, so I won't go in, read every bullet, but in that sense it does call out retrofitting properties in the city

0:40:29in terms of our housing element itself. It does provide programs to incentivize programs, to encourage retrofitting of seismically unsafe building, and our affordable housing strategy also mentions exploring funding sources to minimize

0:40:48retrofit expenses.

0:40:51especially through Fema, which is one part one of this grant that we were able to achieve.

0:40:57and then our safety element, which is data 1999. We are due for a safety element update this summer. So we will embark on that later this year, and we, of course.

0:41:08right various community, outreach and council bring it back to council

0:41:14in terms of our residential housing stock. Most of our residential housing stock we have about approximately 11,000 units, of which 28% of those units are multi-family units, and of that 28%, 13% are the 2 to 40 unit buildings

0:41:32and 15%. Our buildings, with 5 or more units, 59% of our residents are owners, and 41% are renters.

0:41:42This next slide. It really illustrates that much of the city's housing stock was constructed before 1,980. We'll get into that a little bit later. But you'll see here

0:41:54predominantly. Most of the city's housing stock was built before building code changes and things of that sort, so i'll let David get into that a little more, so that concludes just kind of the background. How we got here, and then i'll let David talk about the study.

0:42:10Thank you very soon and again to me. Everybody again. My name is David Bonowitz, and I'm your consultant on this project, and I like the introduction that I actually gave, because it points out that this really is a housing issue.

0:42:23This is about housing preservation, and it's a

0:42:25I. I will just note the coincidence. I didn't know that the city was just made. You can look word for being a pro housing, but it doesn't surprise me, based on what I've seen in doing the inventory for this project.

0:42:38So i'm gonna start. I went quickly, and you have all the slides, I believe, and try to maximize as much time for Q. A. But i'm gonna start with this weird acronym wfts. You probably have heard the term soft story. And when we say the supreme target story, that's what we're talking about.

0:42:53but because i'm an engineer, and because it's it's not technically the right way to use that to the reports that I've written all talk about wfts or wordframe target stories. So by now this is a well known term around the bay area, at least in the engineering departments. So this is the consistent term that we're using in the bay area.

0:43:11It also, I believe some confusion with existing definitions that use the same words. So it's the better term to use. But we're talking about the same thing, and on the left. You can see those 2 photos on the top as Weura Prieta, and that the you know the bottom is from Northridge 1,994. Both those buildings had wood frame target stories. So target story is any story that's substantially different from the story. Above

0:43:33The train target story is one of the that target store relies on wood elements, woodwalls, stucco, wood, framing, etc. So that's a good from target story. What is not a wood from target story. So here we see 2 examples: the middle on the left

0:43:48root frame betting. But there's no target story.

0:43:50because the first story walls, the configuration is the same as the story above, so it's not vulnerable

0:43:56for for the purposes of this definition the better. On the way. As a target story you can see the open area for parking, but it's not move, frame. Those are concrete block walls and the fourth story, so these would not be counted in our inventory.

0:44:10So the purpose of the study which was funded by a theatre Grant is really just to

0:44:15information that can help you develop policy going forward.

0:44:20The scope was mostly an inventory and a report on best practices from real estate in the bay area

0:44:26with a focus on Multi- unit buildings. So 3 years or more.

0:44:30and pre 1,981, and we can talk about Why, that year was chosen. If we need to and we're just asking, what is the count? How many do you have? What portion of your housing stock are represented by this? And I'll skip this part about the process. We can come back and talk about. And later, if you want, the important thing is that we do not produce a

0:44:48list of bad buildings. There's no address list what this is, the Count.

0:44:52and an inventory for purposes of general understanding. What is the contribution of these bottles to your overall housing stock?

0:44:59So here's some of the bottom line numbers, and there's a lot of a report that gets into this some details. But as if we just look at the units. Column As I mentioned, we've got about 11,000 housing routes in the city. Of the

0:45:11those 3,300 are multi-unit buildings of those, some some large portion is pre 1,981, so those the ones of interest. And then the question is, how many of those look like they have a wood frame target story. And the answer there is based on the work that we did

0:45:28somewhere around 1,200 units

0:45:30in about 250 building something like that in order of magnitude.

0:45:33So the on the right you can see the percentages of what that represents. It's only 11% of the total housing stock.

0:45:39but it's 39% of your multi year housing stock so to the extent that you have different policies for multi-year buildings which tend to be rental properties as opposed to and tend to be.

0:45:51They probably have associations with different demographics, or with different income levels. Or whatever

0:45:57it's a large portion of your multi-family Hasn't stock, I mean the last well. There may breaks up at the wfts, number into the larger buildings, 5 yards larger, and the smaller buildings 3 and 4 units. And there's a reason for that, too. We even come back to that. If you want to get in the details. The point there is that the larger buildings

0:46:16represent at least half of the units of interest, but only one third of the buildings. So not surprising. The larger buildings take up a larger share of those buildings. But let's look at this over 258. That's kind of my maximum estimate for the number of buildings

0:46:30that might be in a typical vector for program if you want to go that way. So looking at the just those 258 buildings. They're all pre 81.

0:46:38They're all we're from carpet story

0:46:41what a year, 3 years or more, etc.

0:46:45Very almost all level, but between the fifties and the eighties he's just on the left side. Here General trends common to a lot of the buildings, almost half our 2 story with only 3 or 4 units. So lots of smaller buildings. Compared with other cities, they have these programs

0:47:01and even the larger buildings of the 5 unit newority buildings. They're almost all 5 or 6 units, so these are not huge buildings the way they are in some other cities, interestingly and kind of importantly, a a big portion of these buildings have at least one occupied unit in the target story.

0:47:17That's important in terms of figuring out how to do the retrofit, and also in terms of who's a risk.

0:47:23If you just collapse under the parking area it's not as as it's different from collapsing into an occupied unit.

0:47:29And now on the right side is some rare conditions that occur in other cities. But didn't really occur. Didn't. We didn't really find these so much in El Cerito and the inventory we did. And this is mostly good news, not too many commercial buildings and mixed use buildings. Very few kind of minions.

0:47:44Your designated affordable housing does not appeal on this list, except for maybe one building that's good and none of the designated senior or system. Living facilities are calling less. That's also good. So rare conditions when turns out what we're talking about is 1950 to 1,980 apartment buildings

0:48:03in the market just

0:48:04general market housing

0:48:06to make that a little more graphic.

0:48:08These numbers do not add up to 258 because there's a few outlier, weird cases. But these are the big groups

0:48:14for what those buildings look like, and these are not buildings from now, Cerrito. But you have buildings that look a lot like this.

0:48:21and you probably recognize some of them all these bills that would look like that. And then I let me just look at the one on the left again, a big number in El Cerrito all these 3 and 4 year, 2 story buildings, in fact.

0:48:34down the

0:48:35maybe 50. They look like they might have been built from the same set of plans.

0:48:39So that's an interesting finding that we don't find another city. It's kind of one model building that's as common as that, and it it might need us to do some more work. And just to to look at that one don't it

0:48:51here the numbers compared to other cities. And just in the first row you can see if you just come in at the right column.

0:48:58The larger buildings represent 5 to 6 of the housing stock. Is that a lot? That's a judgment Call it's small compared to some of the other cities like San Francisco, or open that are up in the 1415% range.

0:49:10But that's because you have a lot of Pre. And for a little bit. So when you move to the left the left-hand column, and you include the 3 of them buildings. Now you're talking about 11% of the housing stock.

0:49:19So now You're up in the same current ballpark, together with Albany in Mill Valley, and approaching those 14 to 15% numbers for the larger cities.

0:49:30Some people are curious about what a typical retrospect would look like.

0:49:33Basically, it's adding wood sheeting to existing walls, maybe adding a new wall where you can, and on the outside of the building. If you don't have any wall because you have nothing but open area.

0:49:42adding some steel is a very common solution. We know how to do this now we've been doing it in other cities.

0:49:48so we have a tell us where it's. Advantage can take advantage of the market, and the expertise that exists in the bay area.

0:49:54Those people are curious about what the cost would be, and just it's obviously varies quite a bit from building a building and by size of building. But here are some ballpark numbers from what we're talking about.

0:50:05and we can come back and look at those detail more if you want, if you're adding steel, that between things really bump up and cost, because you have to put in a foot in

0:50:15a foundation element.

0:50:19So that's the the details that of the numbers. And of course there's more details on the report. I look forward to your questions.

0:50:26Thank you so much. So next up. So at this time no action is being requested. But Staff will continue the analysis of these build buildings to the safety element this summer.

0:50:37In the interim we'll continue to monitor State funding. There was gonna be some funding, and David can maybe talk about this a little more. There was going to be some funding set aside. It's all up a year for a new program, so we'll continue to monitor and advocate for that. We've done some previous letters of support.

0:50:54Additionally, we are planning to implement an education outreach campaign. We'll create a dedicated web page and work with David to create some Faqs and collateral.

0:51:05and we will definitely do further analysis. And I don't know, following that we will return and feature meeting to hold a study session and discuss and consider any options available for the city. So at this time we will open it up to you for questions and answers.

0:51:23Thank you.

0:51:25Okay, Thank you. Yes, 3 quick questions here. So the issue, I guess, is with our multi-family units more than anything else

0:51:36above

0:51:385 and you add the threes, and we get a

0:51:40to a real percentage here in our city right

0:51:47to start the project. And in all the other cities they've been looking at this. The issue really is in multi and larger multi-family buildings, because they have that open story.

0:51:55I know this is offbeat. But can you give a grade

0:51:59to our city for that number compared to other cities. How we

0:52:03and the c category or B plus, I would say, you're in the in the ballpark, and I've scroll back to this page comparing to other cities. And I I would say you're

0:52:14it Will. I think we expect to be. I wouldn't call it a, B or C. I mean.

0:52:20okay, you didn't want to do that. So

0:52:23in the oh, I be. I'm: a structural engineer. I'm always going to tell you you can do better. Okay, okay, we have room for improvement, so to speak. I was gonna ask. And can you

0:52:34in for a city? Can we have a regulation for future development, and

0:52:41to not allow wood

0:52:44In that circumstance, too, we don't you. Don't really need to, because the building codes. Now that we've recognized, there's a problem. New buildings, if they look like they might have soft story. You might even see open griages on some new buildings. They don't. It's already there that's been designed into. So the real issue here is, what about those older buildings? What are we gonna do about them? Which get to my last question, As Asian knows we have in elsewhere. We have a real property transfer tax

0:53:10which has a rebate program

0:53:13for for 3 3 different things, one of them being retrofit in this circumstance. Is that an it? Yeah, we educate. Can we educate people about that? Especially for the multi units?

0:53:23Yes, when it's sold, it has to be a building that's sold. Is that correct? Yeah. So that is a good question. And there has been multi family units that have sold that have not taken advantage of that, so we could definitely incorporate that into our education and outreach and get the feedback. If if we have enough of a percentage to make it worthwhile. I'm not sure. I think now it's 30% or something of the rebate

0:53:46cost, if we need to get more to bring in more people that would be helpful information for us to have. Thank you.

0:53:56Thank you. Thank you for your thorough presentation. I'm reminded of the article on the paper of the lives lost by the hundreds of thousands in Turkey, and and I know it's it's quite different, but I remember 1,994 when I lived in Mount Washington in La

0:54:15and the 94 earthquake, and reminded of the devastation in Northridge devastation in Santa Monica and the Santa Monica apartments remind me so much of the multi units here in Elsa Rita, did they? They were meant to get off.

0:54:31They they need a lot of updating. And so what what do you see with that? Because you know the earth? The Hayward fault is, you know, on top of the ridge over here, and most of that type of

0:54:46multi- into housing is in the flatlands. Is there any difference?

0:54:52No. When they when the hawaiian fault goes, you're gonna feel it all over the bay area. So the fact that you're on the fault or in the fault rupture, zone is not the issue. There's going to be strong shaking throughout the bay area.

0:55:06Even if it occurs in the northern segment, you'll feel it down south, vice versa, etc. So the the shaking is strong everywhere in the bay area, including those all throughout the

0:55:16Okay, and then

0:55:19reminding everyone about the the brace and bulk program that we have. Do we have any state funding for that for residents for 2023.

0:55:31I I can't speak to whether El Cerrito has participated. But to be clear, the brace and bell program

0:55:36is for one or 2 family dwellings, so it's a non-engineered design. You couldn't really use it on buildings like this, which require an engineer design, and these buildings are not really eligible for that program. Now the Ca is pursuing more grand money

0:55:52to expand into 3 and 4 unit buildings, maybe larger. But that's you know, nobody. Other cities are not waiting for that year.

0:56:01Okay, so in particular, though, does that apply to these buildings? Okay, all right. Just wanted was not served, so I appreciate the the clarification on that. But knowing our

0:56:14older housing stock and the multi-family units that we have here in the Flatlands. You know. I'm. I'm hoping our our landlords and and homeowners are. You know, that that are watching the importance of making sure that

0:56:31thing They They make these upgrades give Turkey. The country of Turkey was not prepared for that devastation that happened recently, and i'm reminded by the other earthquakes that we've had through the years here in California.

0:56:46What's your take on it? Have we made improvements since the 99, 1,994 earthquake, and the 89 earthquake? Here

0:56:56we well, we absolutely have. But I will. I would want to separate that question into new buildings

0:57:02for the previous question and existing buildings. So the new Webinar is, we do better all the time, and of course we had a little things that we, you know, shooting on 30 years ago. Now we know. So that code changes and improves all the time.

0:57:14Existing buildings kind of have to lines to the level where

0:57:18you see the problem over and over again before there's actual, you know, motivation to have some kind of a mandatory program. Voluntary stuff always exists.

0:57:28Piecemeal improvements exist, or things in the building code. But if you make enough changes to one building, maybe you have to retrofit it.

0:57:34but you really don't get good.

0:57:36but we change at at scale, at the community scale without a mandatory program. So we know that so throughout the State now there are about a dozen mandatory programs, including in the larger cities, and including in several bay area cities and full disclosure. I'm a consultant to a number of those cities as well.

0:57:54and they're finding that a mandatory program is feasible. It was something that people were scared of

0:57:59even after Northridge even. But you know, as Berkeley and San Francisco led the way, and other cities down South showed that it was possible. It turned out that the the community of owners not only can handle it, but in many cases appreciate the mandate because they kind of knew they should have been doing this.

0:58:19but they needed the nudge from the city to do it.

0:58:22It's good to know. Thank you very much.

0:58:26Thank you for the presentation. So for the property owners who do opt to do these types of improvements. Is there a way that here at the city we're able to know which buildings are we aside from? Just

0:58:39once they pulled permits to do this work is a way that we're updating our own inventory to know what percentage of property owners are

0:58:48indeed doing this work without a mandate.

0:58:51So we part of this project we weren't able to go through all of our older permits to see who actually pulled wet, but moving forward. Yes, but that is part of like an archive. Research is for us to look at the public records and see which property owners have taken permits and made retro for it.

0:59:10Improvements before today, for example, and then moving forward.

0:59:15and other mechanisms for

0:59:17folks who are either need to have a loan if there's not a kind of grant program that isn't feasible for them, or as their options available to property owners. And how do they find out that information

0:59:30there are? But they're not effective.

0:59:33In fact, in in our my report on best practices about this. There's a section on available.

0:59:40You can to programs from the State, and they just have not worked.

0:59:43So when we're waiting for now, and I see a referred to. This is state money that was put into the a state account that

0:59:52to be managed by Calorie, as in the Ca. Starting July first of this year.

0:59:58250 milliondollars to available to subsidize retrofits throughout the State specifically for soft story buildings.

1:00:05lot of open questions about which goals will be eligible, which holds will be eligible. How the money, how much money will be given out.

1:00:13But the big question right now is that that 250 milliondollars is about to be swept in the budget process, too.

1:00:18So they put it in there last year. It could all go away.

1:00:22but that's the level of money that you would need the kind of incentives that you get from.

1:00:28Well, we'll. We'll leave a certain fee

1:00:30doesn't work. We'll have a Cal cap program at the State Level doesn't work. We'll make paste, financing available. Great. I'll see what it participates in pays financing, and that's available for some seismic work, too.

1:00:41But we don't see people doing the update. Because just not there.

1:00:45Thank you.

1:00:47Council Member. Why, singer, do you have any questions or comments?

1:00:52Councilmember Wysinger: No, no, I do not

1:00:54thank you.

1:00:55So I have a couple of questions. Some of the the

1:01:00questions you sort of tease the an you know teased about them in your presentation. Why is 1,980? An important cut off date for this kind of survey.

1:01:11So the the official date in the State code, which is also an El Cerito's code, is 1,978.

1:01:17And that's that's related to when the building code changes.

1:01:21So when the building code changed, we learned a lot of stuff in 1,971 earthquake so by the late 19 seventies. We had codes that we're doing this kind of thing better. They continue to get better after 1,994. We learned even more. But

1:01:33the purposes of policy making 1,978 was set in the State code. As a date. Now what we did is expand. It extended that a few years to make sure we don't

1:01:42to see how many actually fell on that If we did our right on the edge, and would be missed if we had a 1,978 year. It turns out there's very few and else to read them on the cities in the bay area had major development right around it.

1:01:55So in that case we can go with it.

1:02:01It's based based on when the building code changed. So it's kind of a benchmark.

1:02:07Okay? And you know this: you did point out that this is woodframe target story of the 1,900 units that are also pre 1981. I'm. Assuming their target stories. Aren't: what does this mean? Those buildings are safer

1:02:22we're safe enough, or that as just a different analysis. It's a good question, and the answer is.

1:02:32they are not the voting we are looking for here.

1:02:35Lots of buildings of that age have seismic deficiencies. If you were to do an evaluation, you would find them.

1:02:41But they're not the obvious ones like this. They're not the ones that have proven shown over and over again that they collapse.

1:02:48But you have. I'm sure hillside houses.

1:02:51You have tilt up buildings. I'm sure not residential. You have unreinforced mates. Me boarding you. You had a long reinforcement program, like most cities. So there are all the building types that we know, and you have a couple of our houses which are available for the brace involved program. So there's a lot of long list of potential seismic deficiencies.

1:03:10The reason we focus on one type here is because if you put them into a mitigation program, you can deal with them all in the same way, using the same criteria, using the same standards, and it becomes a much more effective way to handle it. Kind of one deficiency at a time. If that deficiency turns out to be

1:03:27a dominant deficiency in your jurisdiction.

1:03:32And then I had a question. So the is there a priority between the buildings of 3 and 4 units, and the 5 plus buildings where they just kind of. They're all so similar in in our town that they are just kind of one category.

1:03:51But that's why we Why, Why, I highlighted that one smaller building is that probably that deserves a little more study before we make policy, because the other cities that have mandatory programs do their line between 4 and 5, so they only include 5 unit buildings.

1:04:08But when you get out of the big cities to the smaller communities around in the East Bay, for example, you find a lot of 3 and 4 unit buildings, and down in the Peninsula as well, and they look. They have the same deficiency in concept. We expect that the smaller buildings are not actually as deficient as the larger ones. They have less mass.

1:04:27They have smaller spends. There's reasons why we don't expect their probability of collapse to be as high.

1:04:33but superficially doing the same category. So we there are other people in San Jose is studying this. Now, Fema is studying this a little bit, and we think we ought to look at those 2 story. 4 min buildings. See if we can learn something about them. So we don't go overboard. In fact.

1:04:51by applying the same standard to the from of the larger buildings to the smaller ones as well

1:04:56the actual line between 4 and 5. It turns out to be a legal thing that it just set a precedent that that for insurance and tax purposes. A 5 year building is considered commercial under 4 unit is not so that wasn't

1:05:10a a practice pragmatic line to draw that has really no relevance to the performance of the building. It's the size of the building as being 2 story and small Spans, we think, may may leave them better.

1:05:24great and if

1:05:27hopefully, people are watching this and being concerned and wanting to do something proactively, who should they contact?

1:05:39They can contact me and the Community Development Department I use so surely, and we will also be creating a website and some material and outreach to do to property owners as well.

1:05:51so that will be developed in in the coming month.

1:05:54Okay.

1:05:56any final questions?

1:06:00Okay. Thank you very much. This was an excellent presentation.

1:06:05Thank you for your time.

1:06:09The next item is adoption of the Consent Calendar, which includes the following items.

1:06:18A remembrance of Japanese American incarceration during World War Ii

1:06:23Black History Month Proclamation.

1:06:26New Year Proclamation second Read and adoption of an Ordinance Amending City Council. Regular meeting start time.

1:06:35parking time, limit, modification in front of 1 0, 3, 4 0, Sam Hamil Avenue and acceptance and agreements for emergency vehicle access easement at 1 7, 1, one and 1, 7, 5, 5 East Shore Boulevard.

1:06:52Okay.

1:06:53Are there any requests by the Council to pull items.

1:06:59Councilmember Wysinger: Hmm.

1:07:01Yes. I'd like to make comment on. Item B:

1:07:06Okay, Are there any other items that would like any Council Members would like to make comments on. I'd like to make a comment on. Item a

1:07:15right.

1:07:16So, Counsel Mayor Pertem Ruddick. Why don't you make your comment About Item 8. Thank you, Mayor.

1:07:23I'm really happy that we've added this to our consent. Calendar. I'm really happy that El Cerrito and our Mayor understands the importance of recognizing Japanese American incarceration and a.

1:07:34When When I wrote for this, i'm doing it in honor of Mr. Tai Yomini, who is unturned at Tuli Lake.

1:07:41Thank you.

1:07:44Council Member. Why, singer.

1:07:47Councilmember Wysinger: thank you so much. Mayor Motiyama. Thank you, Mayor pro Tim, Red Nick, and to the rest of the Council, and I just wanted to make some remarks acknowledging this year's proclamation for Black History Month.

1:07:58because we're also going to be raising the Pan African flag for the first time here in the city of El Cerrito, joining cities like hey? Word like St. Louis, like Patterson, New Jersey, and other cities around the nation, who actually raise our Pan African flag. I mean honor of this historic month that we celebrate every year. But I wanted to kind of give a little bit of a context around Why, we were choosing to raise the Pan African flag this year, and I did want to first start by thanking the residents

1:08:26of our Hrc. Community Committee, who dedicated themselves to making sure that the city stood in affirmation of black lives in 2,020. When the death or or killing or murder of George Floyd was fresh on the consciousness of America. But if you were going to ask me, in short, the reason why we're raising the Pan African flag this year is that of the Black Lives Matter Flag? The short answer would be, because black History month is not limited just to black lives matter

1:08:55as a social movement. Black History month is a celebration and a remembrance and a call to action. We remember, because if you forget your history, you are doomed to repeat it.

1:09:06We celebrate the triumph because we remember where we were, and we give the call to action. So we continue to create a better future for our children and fighting for liberation at this time in history. It's also a time where, since certain people are trying to erase our history it's even more important for us to commemorate it

1:09:25in history books. The African American story is broken down into generation of the social movements you have the pre-slavery era, the slavery era, the sharecropper era, the Jim Crow Era the civil rights era. And yes, the black lives matter, generation or era

1:09:41black lives. Matter is yet one social movement in in the entire African, American or black history story. The story of black people does not start with black Lives matter, and it's certainly not going to end with black lives. Matter?

1:09:55The hashtag black lives. Matter came about after Trayvon Martin was killed. The same with the Civil rights movement began after a young boy named Emmett till was murdered.

1:10:05Count Count Colin Kaepernick was Black ball from the Nfl. For kneeling for justice, just like Tommy Smith and John Carlos, had their Olympic medals taken from them for raising their F. In Germany, on the Olympic stand.

1:10:17Another huge reason that why you don't limit black history to just black lives matters, because when you do that you flatten the history, and you flatten the story and the narrative of black people in this country.

1:10:29Our story is not limited to this.

1:10:31There have been thousands of people over the journey of African Americans in this country who have lost their lives in this journey towards liberation, but it does not define our history, and it does not define our culture.

1:10:43Carter G. Woods, and created Black History week to showcase the beauty of black contributions in this country, and that was in the 19 twenties.

1:10:52The the Pan African flag was created in 1,922 re re, but a racist song, which claimed that black people had no flag and therefore had no culture and no heritage.

1:11:0450, and much like the Lgbtq flag 50 years later. Each color in the flag has a meaning. The red is the color for the blood in which we shared in this journey towards liberation. The black is the color of this normal, noble race, and these people who we are in this flag that affirms that we are here, and the green is for the abundance of wealth coming from other Africa.

1:11:26The Pan African flag, as you may see here, that i'm wearing as the as the California Democratic party, symbol

1:11:33of our State and of our heritage. The At Pan African flag is the traditional flag of the African American community, and I am proud to raise it here in El Cerito, and affirmation that not only do black lives matter, but they are here, and exist in El Cerrito.

1:11:48Councilmember Wysinger: and in closing I do want to give a shout out to one of our former staff members, Maya. Unfortunately, I don't have her last name, who tried to give the same exact story in the same cultural education back in 2,020 when she was a staff member. But since the staff member could not be heard.

1:12:04That's why God made council members, and representation does absolutely matter. And with that Miramotyama I do see my time.

1:12:13Thank you Councilmember Weissinger.

1:12:15I do want to check with Madam Speaker, do we have any public comment for consent? Public comment for consent has already been requested under item number 3, but there are no speakers. I do not have any hands now.

1:12:29so

1:12:31do I have a motion to approve the consent. Calendar.

1:12:35Second.

1:12:37Oh, motion by Mayor pro Tim Rudnick, and second by Council. Member Pinto.

1:12:44Madam Speaker, can you call the vote, please? Mayor Martyama? Aye, Mayor, Pretend Rednick I Council Member Fideli, Council Member Kinto Council Member y singer.

1:12:54Councilmember Wysinger: I

1:12:55motion carries

1:12:57thanks.

1:13:05The next item

1:13:06is pre-development loan with Ecp parcel a south housing partners lp for the Elsredo Plaza, Bart. Transit Oriented Development and inclusion of city-owned property in project application

1:13:27out of an abundance of caution, I will be recusing myself from participating in this item. My employer, Community Economics, Inc. Is the nonprofit that advises regarding affordable housing, finance and development. One of our clients is satellite, affordable housing associates, or Saha.

1:13:43So he is a member of the development team selected by Bart for the Plaza Tod Project

1:13:48Community Economics is not advising Saha about the Plaza Tod project, and has no financial relationship to the project. Nevertheless, to avoid any concerns, I will not be participating in this item. I will pass it over to Mayor pro tem. As a rudnik, and we'll return following this item.

1:14:07Thank you, man.

1:14:10We please have the staff report

1:14:14and the Evening City Council both here and on Zoom.

1:14:19My name is Melanie Mins, and I'm. The Community Development Director, and it's nice to be there in person. I'm here with vice versa Shori, our senior program manager for housing and economic development, you know. Here she she wears lots of hats.

1:14:31I'm. Also joined tonight. I know that Director Salzman from Bart is here, and several from the development team are participating on Zoom. So we have.

1:14:39And and silver brick from California, Nick, we they're from to California. Shen a dodge from Art and Jamie Heights, you from

1:14:48holiday development, and if i'm missing anyone, the

1:14:52Yeah.

1:14:56Oh, and it's also from from and to help with one of the items. So they're all available for question and answer

1:15:04so quickly. And this project is

1:15:07good, but not every component of this project is big. And so tonight we have some relatively small items coming before you. But in order to get to those items I just wanted to kind of update on the project, and very brief context for the decisions that you will be making.

1:15:24And also, of course, we have a new City Council member that. So some of this might be, you know. So just want to go into the public and all of us to

1:15:32where the projects at what the project is

1:15:35to to tonight's actions.

1:15:38So tonight you're being able to do 2 things. One is to adopt a solution of the Pre Development loan for one of the portals to support the advance of of of the affordable housing units. That project is in phase one. There you'll see as we go through this there's 6 buildings, and then that one it's in

1:15:55like in phase one.

1:15:57We're also asking you to to adopt a

1:16:02So it's in

1:16:06kind of integrated with like parking lots and

1:16:09occasion to be accepted back to you

1:16:13to propose terms of of any convince of property.

1:16:19So here we are at Els Weed, a bite station. You could see those big surface surface parking lots downtown 45 in Central

1:16:31I'm still in the property most of the it's owned by Bart, and it is, of course, less than the tracks.

1:16:40What we're talking about is going to take place on all of the part of

1:16:44and as many, and

1:16:47it's system

1:16:49so it's it's it's also 2023

1:16:53also required that city zoom for advanced development, like this, for for for many reasons.

1:17:02It shows you this project consist of 6 buildings.

1:17:09and it will a significant open space spread throughout the

1:17:19integrated piece of the project, as well as the station.

1:17:24It's like this: Take a of a lot of city, or of course, the agency

1:17:33I'm: the team.

1:17:35Can't you have some?

1:17:37Yeah.

1:17:44repeated California, with some who is going to be to affordable housing, and then the chat together.

1:17:52and the on first will be which we'll talk about later tonight. So you to have a fantastic design team, and for those that are interested in the design of this project, which we won't be getting much into tonight, and there are design review board meetings that will be coming up soon.

1:18:08so just quickly. Here's Here's another view of the site plan. What is transitory deployment? It's rockable, mixed use, usually higher intensity, development, and distance of transit facilities. This brings all kinds of things to the city. This reduces vehicle. Miles traveled, and greenhouse gas emissions.

1:18:27and this also brings a lot of vibrancy and customers to downtown.

1:18:31This is gonna be a month year process, of course, and I will. I have a slide that tells you how how we expect it to play out.

1:18:40and I mentioned it's a it's about 8 acres, about 700 units, 47% of which are below market rate.

1:18:48and, As you know, the project is aligned with many city goals, policies, and the specific plan standards.

1:18:57This is a conceptual phasing plan. It's moving around a little bit in part, because the library is moving around. So the current concept for the library here it's showing it in in parcel, c. Towards the Bart tracks on the east side, and it is actually moving.

1:19:13We expect it to be moving to the corner of Liberty and Fermat. And so that's a lot of moving parts on a project like this. But again you can see it. Consistent market rate. That well, as matter of income, is now becoming actually low. Income

1:19:29and significant open space happening in phases expected in in kind of the best case scenario to all wrap up by 2,028.

1:19:42I need another look at that. So you can see we're here in the first quarter of 2023, the past couple of years we've actually quite a bit of outreach planning design, and because this project is been

1:19:53considered and entitled under a a unique process created by a. B 2923 a lot of time with development team and all of our relative councils. So thank you to Sky for his help and their developers, and Bart as well.

1:20:08And so

1:20:10it's a lot of it's a lot of or access planning and community engagement a lot on zoom. Some pop up

1:20:17It's actually beginning to move forward into really getting these projects entitled

1:20:23There's 2,

1:20:25he says, of the project: there's a master plan, which is a majority checked, and then there's parcel a, which I you. So we'll talk about a report tonight. It's for partly to take advantage of some funding sources that are coming up.

1:20:39and you can see the next is getting these projects approved.

1:20:47Yeah.

1:20:482,024 thought

1:20:50so to see construction.

1:20:54This project, as I've mentioned, bring s housing at at a variety of income water. It's going to bring out transportation, transit and multimodal. So bicycle, pedestri

1:21:05station and other access improvements. East West bike work

1:21:09working is obviously a big deal, so there'll be kind of 2 components of working. There'll be on-site parking for both some replacement parking for bart patrons and some parking for residents.

1:21:20and also

1:21:22to you with proposals for various managed on street parking program changes.

1:21:27and there'll be a lot of community benefits and public benefits in terms of like I said, public open spaces, public art, and the plaza, and a small commercial space.

1:21:36and then we'll be back to you soon when we talk about the library. But that's it, and the department team excited to

1:21:42to design with the live central feature. But it will be up to us as a city to figure out how to fund that, so we'll come back to you as soon as the study session.

1:21:52This project is bringing in and coaching all kinds of funding, and also requires a lot of funding and

1:22:01city financial benefits. So this is just kind of a quick list.

1:22:05but one of the big ones that part has secured is the

1:22:09a transit inner City rail capital program, as I think, tissue. I was secured 24 million dollars to the of the parking going, which significant isico pedestrian improvements.

1:22:24money towards support system and transit center improvements, and also working with the development team. Now, who is taking a read to create an info infrastructure grant from

1:22:33to help fund both affordable housing and needed infrastructure. Again, on and offsite, as well as the affordable housing, sustainable communities. Grant, which is one of the major sources for affordable housing.

1:22:44At. Similarly we're leveraging millions of dollars for city infrastructure and transportation improvements that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

1:22:52This project like any other will be paying fees into the school district and the consultation improve impact fees, the sub regional impact fees and stage.

1:23:04I I already mentioned the library market rate. Housing is privately funded, and so is going through its own process. But interestingly, it will also have Thank you. Property tax associated with that on this publicly owned property, which is not previously generated property, tax, property tax, but the market rate development will.

1:23:23And then, of course, as I used to, was speaking about. Be talking about affordable housing. Each phase will be publicly financed through a variety of sources

1:23:34so to date we have had many Council you it's. This project has been before you in a variety of forums with the goals and objectives and various items around parking.

1:23:44and we've been to study sessions. We've had open houses. All of that is listed on the city's website, which you can see here.

1:23:51and then set coming up. We'll be back soon for a parking program and public meetings around parking. We'll be back with the Library Council study session and then the buildings, and the site itself will be going to the Design Review Board, with

1:24:05which will be playing a different role than it typically does. So it'll be to gather public input but due to State laws. This project is going to be reviewed, based on objective standards, and it's a different. It's not as discretionary.

1:24:19So with that I will pass it on to Aisa as shori to talk about the pre-development loan that we were requesting.

1:24:26Thanks, melanie, so we're really happy to be here tonight to seek your authorization to advance, parcel a south for the 70 affordable units.

1:24:36Next slide.

1:24:39As you all know, the State assigns the city and the region. Our regional housing need assessment. So for the sixth Cycle Arena el Cerritos, tasked with creating 1,400 new units, of which 40% will be targeted to very low and low income households. So this project

1:24:57we'll it's gonna make a significant contribution to us meeting our regional housing goals over the next 8 year cycle. So it's not just serving as locally, but regionally and at the State level. Next slide

1:25:12affordable. Helping requires extensive extensive partnerships and dedication dedication, because it is expensive, but we need affordable opportunities for our residents. We're excited to see phase one parcel as the first building the breakground potentially as early as 2,024. This is this is assuming all of this funding started align with our applications, and with our pro housing designation that should help us with our scope, scoring if they're further, Especially since this project is

1:25:42it's located at the Transit Board station.

1:25:44The proposed project is 70 units of affordable housing, targeted to very low and low income households. The funding sources vary from today depending on your approval of the Pre Development loan will serve as a local match. There are also applications in at the county.

1:26:03The developer and city will also partner on State and other Federal applications as well, and I just want to highlight that in the past redevelopment played a significant role in assembling land and

1:26:15funding. But now that we have 80 2923, in addition to the specific plan, this is truly a good opportunity for the city, and we get pretty good bang for a buck.

1:26:30for the developer Request Tonight is 350,000 for pre development activities. That's about 13% of the pre development budget.

1:26:39This source of funding comes specifically from funds that are earmarked for affordable housing from our low to moderate income housing asset fund.

1:26:48The long terms are structured very similar to past projects that we've provided pre-development loans for 3% interest 55 year term. It comes with affordability, restrictions, and repayment is based on the availability of revenue and profit. After calculating

1:27:05gross income, less operating in expenses, so that, you know, covers the mortgage and debt service, etc.

1:27:11So this request is consistent with Pass, and we're, i'm just really happy to be in front of you tonight, and to be bringing this item forward. I'm actually gonna turn it over to Melanie to talk about Parcel D, and then we will have the developer available as well at the end

1:27:29great so quickly, and we put these in the same agenda bill, so that we didn't have to go through the same history and context twice.

1:27:36So Parcel D used to be called parcel 4. But it is the small parking lot that is between Central and Fairmont, the smallest one. That's right next to the bike lockers.

1:27:49It's about a little more than an acre and a half the property, but there is about 15,000 square feet of city owned property, sort of on the side kind of aligning with the Greenway. The Green Way itself is a bit of a patchwork of of property ownership. When the railroads abandoned

1:28:05Bart and the city ended up with different pieces of land so back in 1,987 City council authorize the least to Bart.

1:28:11and that's been where it's been at. Bart. Has a number of times come to the city and asked that we kind of do some clean up, and there's just never been a real reason. And now there's a reason so currently the developers looked at this parcel and looked at the Greenway, and

1:28:27Bart has, and is proposing potentially that the green will be realigned to create more of an opportunity. You know I don't know if you've all appreciated. I've really appreciated the green benches that we created as a part of that project, and they're just so often

1:28:41have people hanging out there different people on the weekends and on the weekdays. But it's really utilized. And I think that the developer's Site plan is showing that plaza continuing to be even more developed.

1:28:52And we're going to bring way closer to the Bud station as we won't be having buses coming in there, so creating more opportunity for below market rate, housing and kind of consolidating and making the green way even a more active place.

1:29:07in order to submit an application which they're needing to do to in for the whole site. Everything, except for parcel. A self needs to be submitted to start the tribal notification process

1:29:20and to move on through the link between

1:29:23review process. It's starting soon, but in order to submit an application, it needs the city council, the owner of the property acknowledging that their land is being included in this application.

1:29:35Again.

1:29:38it's not actually phase 6, but it's a the sixth building in the project, and it'll be about up to 888 units on this property, targeting a really important one

1:29:48level of affordability. As I talked about the Rena, one of the hard groups To to create housing for is kind of moderate, and then 60 to 80%, because it doesn't have as much public find or any public financing available.

1:30:01So holiday and related are partnering up to figure out how to make this possible, which is really excited for the city, exciting for the city 80% am I just kind of for reference is about it's about a 100 that 95,000 right now for a family of 3,

1:30:16about 80,000, I think, for family of 2 and 75 for one. So, just to give you a sense of what that group is.

1:30:23So then, tonight we're just asking that you authorize that this property be included in an application

1:30:30that doesn't commit the city to actually participating. The second item that we asked for in the resolution is that you authorize Staff and the city manager to start to talk about what a conveyance would look like, and cleaning up these properties, and looking at the terms, so we would back back to you for that.

1:30:48So again our 2 actions are to put Development Loan and the parcel D, allowing the city's property be to be included. I'm. Going to invite Anne Silverberg from the Vice President at a related California to say a few words, and then we're going to open it up for question and answer and public comment. So thanks for your time.

1:31:10Ann Silverberg Related: Thank you very much. So Mayor, Members of the Council. My name is Anne Silverberg. I'm. Actually CEO for Northern California, affordable at related, and i'm joined by a number of colleagues. I don't know if they've been invited and and brought up

1:31:28to to answer questions. If there are any questions, but hopefully, they'll have the opportunity to do that. I want to say on behalf of all of us who are here this evening from related and holiday, and from Bart, and then the larger group that's been working on this project. Not all here this evening. I just want to say Thank you very much. Thank you. In advance, and for all your ongoing support of this project, thank you for considering our request this this this evening, we are collectively as

1:31:58a team, very, very enthusiastic about this development opportunity. We think it is

1:32:03Ann Silverberg Related: such a fabulous place to develop housing for people to live near the Bart station in beautiful El Cerrito, that is now an officially designated pro housing city. So congratulations on that. We're very excited for you in receiving this designation. We're excited to be working with you. I also just want to quickly say thank you to the staff. We have been working very diligently for the last couple of years since we were selected.

1:32:32We're excited for this milestone and staff has been right there with us all along the way, and we're just very grateful to to everyone for their support and their hard work, and bringing us to this point. So with that we'll turn it over to all of you for questions. We're here to answer any questions that you have

1:32:54great. I do. My colleagues have any questions.

1:32:58Council Member for Delhi.

1:33:01Yes, thank you. It's very exciting to be seeing this project moving forward. Neil Cerrito.

1:33:09It's really time for a Renaissance here. And this is part of that.

1:33:12I may have questions or points to me to to our city staff, our

1:33:19low and moderate income Housing Asset Fund.

1:33:22This is.

1:33:24this is exactly the type of projects that we want to use from that fund. Isn't: that correct right to fulfill some of our requirements. Yeah. And it's specifically that designated for the creation of new housing.

1:33:38Can I ask? So, as far as we we, you know, it takes a lot of different

1:33:43lots of money to make affordable housing. Is this request coming specifically from the developer, the Bart or the developer and part? Is there a specific?

1:33:52Yeah. So

1:33:54the request is coming from related the nonprofit partner, and this is Request is align with all of the other loans that we've done for other projects.

1:34:02So it is our local match. It's our contribution into the project. So, as we apply for future funding, the other funding providers will see that we can demonstrate that the city has skin in the game.

1:34:14So it was our choice to say, Yes.

1:34:17yes, okay. And as of now as of right now, before we approve this. We have about 100 and

1:34:245, $805,000 in that fund, and we we take it away. The 3 15 goes down to 4, 55. Is that correct? Yeah. And that fun is also anticipated to grow some with our inclusionary housing

1:34:41as new projects in the plan area. I was gonna ask you again to contribute as well is growth

1:34:48pending. And is there a major? Yeah. And we are also going to be eligible as our as a pro housing city for additional funding that could

1:34:58we deposit into this fund and be considered for future pre development activities, looking ahead and seeing that's not just this, but it's some other opportunities that we have for affordable housing here.

1:35:09It says we will pay out in 2 different tranches. What's the reason for that.

1:35:15Yeah. So up into this point the developer has done a lot of work to get to this phase to submit an application in their design, so we will be cutting them a check to cover what they've already expended. 200,000, and then the next tranche of funds will be released upon funding

1:35:36great. Well, thank you to the developers, to Bart and to our city staff. Appreciate this.

1:35:42Thank you. Great presentation. I'm. So excited to but learn more about the project, and how far we've gone since 2,016. So again thank you for that. Then can you explain to to to me and our residents what that

1:36:01who housing designation

1:36:03is, and and what that means to this particular project?

1:36:08Yeah. So the pro housing designation out of 482 cities in the State were one of 10. And what that does is it significantly unlocks potential future funding. So while we're already competitive, it gives us extra scoring points, and it also opens up

1:36:27additional pots of funding for us to apply for it. So it actually comes timely because there will be several affordable housing phases in this project. So tonight we're just bringing forward the first phase.

1:36:38And I remember last year we had the same designation as as a pro housing city. I believe the Sb. 35. We were we're exempt from the Sb. 35 streamlining one, of I think it was 24 or 29 cities at that time.

1:36:57Okay, thank you.

1:36:59Council Member Licenseer.

1:37:03Councilmember Wysinger: I don't have questions. Just comment because I I have been fortunate enough to talk a bit to our Public Works Department, and I know that there has been, or there will probably will be, community members who have questions about. You know the sources of the funding. But I want to thank Isis, who is in, who has really sat down and talked to me a bit about how the redevelop redevelopment fund is structured, and and how that works here in our city. So I want to thank you for that, and quite similar to what

1:37:30Council Member for Delhi, said I'm, looking forward. This is the the first stop in what we're calling the Renaissance here in El Cerrito, and and looking forward to seeing those affordable units going up, and I'm looking forward to when we go on and get those affordable units started over closer to the May fairability. So i'm just excited to finally get this off the ground.

1:37:51I think my colleagues did a really good job of reflecting that the amount of staff work in the amount of work with the partners that went into bring. This item today

1:38:01really shows not only the dedication and the preparation, but our ability to execute. So I really appreciate it. And now is the time for members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this item

1:38:14in person. Request to speak can submit a speaker card to the city clerk, and remote speakers can use the raise hand feature to request, to speak. Please remember to identify yourself and your city of residence at the beginning of your comments, City Clerk. Please proceed.

1:38:29Thank you, Mayor Pretend, and before we go into general public comment, I would just like to invite Bart Board, Director Rebecca Saltman up to speed.

1:38:39Thank you so much, appreciated the presentation, and happy to be here tonight in person. It's been a long time. I've been to several of these meetings in person, but been on them in zoom lately.

1:38:50I just want to express appreciation to the city as such a great partner in this project.

1:38:57It's so important to create housing near transit, to address the housing crisis, and to also address our climate crisis as it reduces greenhouse gas emissions. I know I don't need to tell you this, and i'm thrilled about the pro housing designation. It'll help this project, and all the other projects you're working on

1:39:16beyond what you've discussed tonight. This city has really been a partner with Bart in many ways on this project.

1:39:24selecting the developer team that was done in partnership, working with the developer to confirm the path for project entitlements, partnering on funding applications which we've already been successful on tours up which that's phenomenal, not just for this project, but for infrastructure in the area.

1:39:42and then transportation and access improvements in the station area which are on their way.

1:39:49and Bart is aiming throughout our whole Tod program to have at minimum 35% affordable housing in this project

1:39:58will far exceed it. And we're really excited that Steph is recommending moving forward with the Pre Development funds for this first phase of 100% affordable family homes.

1:40:11And i'll. I'll divert from my talking points to just say, you know i'm a Bart director now, but I expect to be an El Cerrito resident for a lot longer than I'll be a Bart resident. I live really just down the street from City Hall, walking distance actually, for most part stations. I'm quite lucky, and got to use both of them today, and I have a family here and a 3 year old, daughter, and I really think this project is going to be such an asset for our community.

1:40:38The housing, you know. There's a a housing development going up right near her school, and when I walk her there in the morning. I talk about how their new homes coming, and they're going to be new neighbors and our new friends. And so she's already embracing that. And so i'm just. I'm really glad to be a part of this community.

1:40:54and the the idea that we might be able to have a library. There is just really fantastic. We're super library users and our family. We love our Time library, but we want to see it get even better. So again. Thank you so much for your support and commitment, and we look forward to continuing to work together.

1:41:13Thank you, Mayor. Pretend we do not have any request from the public to speak on this item.

1:41:20Excellent! I'm gonna open it up for Council comments any

1:41:23closing thoughts.

1:41:27I just want to second the comment on the library that the Director Saltman made.

1:41:33Our town is very excited about

1:41:36this project, but maybe even more excited about having a library, and it creases the wheels

1:41:42to move this forward by having the concept in our community excited, chatting, talking about what's ahead for us in the city. So thank you again.

1:41:52Thank you. May I, vice Mayor? I wanted to to say how excited I am about this project done as someone who grew up in the area near the plaza, and and near the our present library.

1:42:06I'm. Reminded about the young families that moved here, and and my family was one of the young families that moved here originally from Berkeley, and and

1:42:16it was affordable then, and to see the that area by the plaza with the a lot of the multi-family Units and the Post World War Ii. Housing that was built in the 40 S. And fifties

1:42:30to see that then. Now, seeing how unaffordable those homes are now, and and this will make sure that in this 20 first century, now

1:42:43that we will be able to have families again move here, have it affordable for a group of people where, back in the day, when when I was growing up, it was affordable. Now there there are over a 1 million and a half 1,000,008 now. So

1:43:02grateful to this project. And I want to say special. Thank you to Bart, and especially to my colleague, Rebecca Saltman.

1:43:13Yeah, tell you how much you are appreciated here in this city to move. You know my little small idea, and I brought that to Bart with the previous city manager when and and you took this off, and and you took it to another level that i'm so proud of. So again thank you to you and your colleagues at Bark and the Bart real estate group they were, and all the work that they have done, but also to our our developers. But most of all

1:43:43to our our staff.

1:43:44who know. This is the biggest project that we ever had in the history of the city of El Cerrito.

1:43:51This means more to the the future of Elsa Rita, the new center of town, and that was always my vision to have that as a new center of, and

1:44:05I know a lot of people are really really excited about that. And and to see a new generation that will be able to live here now. Just thank you to our staff. Thank you to both of you.

1:44:17Can someone the licenseer?

1:44:18Councilmember Wysinger: Yes, I wanted to to give 2 more pieces of thanks. I want to thank Melanie and her team. I want to thank the holiday team, I know, Melody said at the beginning of her her remarks, that we had a new Council member, who may not? I've gone through all of your not all of them, but a good chunk of the Town halls and the community sessions and the listening sessions. You all did a really great job of of bringing the public along the way as you built that this project, and I I want to be the first Council member on this meeting to say that Janet will be so happy.

1:44:48She would be so proud. She might just try to stand up out of that wheelchair just to see the this is finally going forward, and in our conversation she would always talk about how you know bringing in housing. Yes, is important to bring in the people. But we we can't start building business until we see we. We bring in more people, and she would say, Carolly, we need people. We need people. We need more people. So I I know that she's excited, and I. I have a friend of mine who doesn't live in illustrator who gets sick of me getting on Council meeting, telling people where I live. But yet

1:45:18I live in May pair, and I can tell you that we are getting so many young families and young people who are moving into that building, and I know that when this this Tod start going up, and we do more of this housing. We're going to start seeing as as council member Canto said, more and more young people of color. Young, more young, queer people, more young folks who are coming from all around the bay area that are coming to Elsa Rita. So i'm just looking forward to it and thank you all so much for your work.

1:45:46Thank you, Council Member. We singer. It's funny. I was gonna mention Councilmember Abelson, a lot of this work as we go through, and her spirit is in it, and the thing i'll never forget about her was her

1:45:58her lens on accessibility, and making sure that the project itself, whenever we would look at plans, her questions is always coming from the lens of accessibility. So it's something that I think a lot about.

1:46:08and also just as a bay area native, the the

1:46:13I do that people get to stay in this community and that we're building home so that people can stay, and that families can communities and

1:46:21families by blood, and chosen families can stay together because of these projects. So thank you so much for this work, and

1:46:28do I have a motion to approve the 2 resolutions. So

1:46:35bye bye.

1:46:36second, second by Council, member for Deli

1:46:41City clerk. Can you please call vote. Nick Motiyama is absent. Mayor Pretend Mudnick

1:46:48I. Council, Member for Delhi, our Council member, keen to Council, Member Wiseinger

1:46:54machine carries

1:46:57excellent

1:46:58Thank you all.

1:46:59Thank you.

1:47:01Thank you.

1:47:03Thank you all for mentioning Council Member Abelson, because she definitely was from my time here, emphasizing everything that you all said, and I think that this project is really it's quite amazing that it's moving forward at this time. She voted tonight.

1:47:24Hey?

1:47:31Thank you, Mayor. Pretend, Red Nick. The next item

1:47:36is a calcium's maintenance agreements for the Alsrido del Norte Transit Oriented development, complete streets, Improvement project and ongoing operations.

1:47:48And we please have the staff reports.

1:48:22Can you

1:48:24Council members? The City's Public Works Director. Thank you for the opportunity to present on this item. It needs to be that the not time is exciting and function might be just to add, but it's related to a a transformative project, so that builds upon all the specific client efforts.

1:48:44Not these

1:48:45decade plus a work done by Council.

1:48:49So, yes, so tonight. Staff is requesting that Council adopt a resolution approving and authorized execution of 3 maintenance agreements between the State of California Department of Transportation, which is Count Trans. And the city

1:49:07related to the it's like the complete streets. Improvements project as well as ongoing operations.

1:49:17I I first wanted to give you some highlights about the project itself. I know that Council Council has a previously

1:49:27applied various actions related to the project most recently at your last Council meeting, where you approved a Transportation Development Act, Grant

1:49:38for Gap funding, and but you've also previously approved cooperative agreements between the and Cal. Trans. For the design components of this project. We're not at the end of the design a process, and my next title will go into schedule. But first I wanted like

1:49:57to give you background on the project. It really implements improvements that were identified, identified in both the some Pablo Avenue specific plan, and the active transportation plan that were adopted in 2,014 and 2,016.

1:50:11So, right after those plans were adopted, this city of Piper Ground funding, and we're now ground funding for both design and construction.

1:50:21And we are now

1:50:23because the project, a significant part of the project is on Count trans state right away. We've had to go through pretty extensive count trans project development process that began in 2,019.

1:50:34The project the goal of the project is really to create a complete street that balances the needs of all street street street users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, motorists, and we'll really

1:50:49it's adding new crosswalks, new protected crosswalks, new bike ways where there are none. Now the sporting islands to make it easier to get on and off the bus street, a new street trees, landscaping, lighting.

1:51:04and really transforming the then not the area, and it really goes hand in hand with all the plant transit oriented development. There. Really, the goal is to improve pedestrian and bicycle access to the housing that was just recently built. Mayfair. Here, on the screen and other plant projects in the area

1:51:24as well as part.

1:51:26The project right now is funded by about 13.4 million dollars in grants from Federal, State and regional sources. Those are all for design and construction, and we have about 4.8 million dollars in Federal grants

1:51:40from the one Bay area grant program for the construction component, and in order this ties into the timeliness of the item in order to be able to so obligate that funding as soon as possible. We need to not as quickly as possible on these agreements.

1:51:58So just summarizing the project schedule the diet items in the dark blue font where we are now.

1:52:08We're finishing up the detailed design. We, the class specifications and estimates we previously had gone through stakeholder and community engagement in.

1:52:17and a more environmental clearance. But now we're in the detailed design very at the end stages, and the next step is right away. Certification and part of that process is, we need to get a cal Trans. And encouragement to build the improvements because it's in the state right away.

1:52:35and in order to get those in the theed cartridge on it

1:52:39a condition, a prerequisite is to execute new maintenance agreements.

1:52:45and once we have all that in hand, we then submit a request to couch

1:52:50to obligate the Federal funds

1:52:53once they say, Yes, you have a your that opens up, allocated. You can advertise the project for construction, and all. It goes to advertise in the spring this spring, and then construct a begin construction in the summer of 2,024.

1:53:10So the next 2 slides are quick summary of I'm gonna make it quick. There's a lot of words you have in a minute. Make it quick. A summary of the 3 agreements that are before you. The first one is the electrical facilities cost sharing agreement.

1:53:24It's been in place since 1986. It specifies the cost sharing method for electrical facilities, tractive signals, flashing beacons, intersect intersection, safety lighting at all the intersections along the State right away.

1:53:42The original agreement that's in place now really has the city playing for all utility costs

1:53:49and paying for all the maintenance costs, including routine inspections, repairs, and the current the current cost sharing actually is benefiting the city we've been. We've been in current cost that are no more than our to share.

1:54:05and that that cost. And so with the proposed agreement. Whenever the city proposes improvements beyond this calcch and standard, or typical improvements along. So a state right away, Cal. Catherine's opens up agreements, and at this point they want to revert back to the prior method of cost, sharing which is pervada based.

1:54:28and the number of legs at each intersection, each agency's legs at each intersection.

1:54:34So when we have a 4 leg intersection at 50 50, because there's 2 legs that are city local city streets, and 2 legs that are a state route, but like a T. A. T. In your section, which is like Schmidt, or or measure it's. The city has one third, and the account trans is 2 thirds.

1:54:51So they want to revert back to that, because that's their standard agreement now, and partly they want to with a big driver for them more so than anything is really to improve the operations, maintenance, and safety. What they found is because currently because the city

1:55:07is responsible for the energy costs. All the accounts are under our name.

1:55:12and so that's presented some difficulties for them on an operations and maintenance, because we're the account holder whenever they need to turn, probably down the signal or for maintenance. They have difficulty in interfacing with the utility to get that the power down. Also they don't get consistent notifications we get regarding power shut downs.

1:55:34And so it's a mishmash and notifications, and they really want to make that all consistent and cohesive. And so they wanna take a a a hold of those accounts.

1:55:45and so the the method now would be the the costs. They hold, All they do have a maintenance. They pay out the utility bills. They would determine the pro at a share cost for the city and build a city.

1:55:57and so the estimated cost increase, for the city would be up just under to $112,000 a year. For that.

1:56:07The other component of the agreement would be to incorporate that then not the complete streets. Improvements. There's 2, 3,

1:56:153 electrical facilities that we're, adding on the State Highway, a pedestrian hybrid beacon at cutting and peerless right at the intersection with at the shopping center and and across the street would be the new hotel.

1:56:29That one a pedestrian habit. It weekend is a a device similar to what's being installed at. So Paulo and Eureka.

1:56:37What's in Albany on? Just in front of the sprouts

1:56:41and 2 flashing beacons, the 2 flashing beacons are going to be at the on the I, 80 on wraps on cutting, and that again is to address pedestrian safety. Both of those devices are pedestrian safety. We're estimating that will increase the annual cost of another $1,500,

1:56:57so the total annual cost increases.

1:57:00I was shown here on this, like

1:57:03I'm moving on to the second agreement. It's an amendment. The third amendment to the agreement for maintenance of State highways. The last agreement was executed in 1,992,

1:57:15and it specifies the function. The maintenance functions that cal trans delegates to the city like it's it's their responsibility, but they find it more efficient for the city to perform.

1:57:26and so they they delegate it to the city, and they provide. They identify a maximum reimbursement to the city. For those functions. Typical delegated functions are like site, block, maintenance, trash, and debris, landscaping.

1:57:41And so and when whenever the this agreement also accounts for other like non electrical facilities that the city installs it, improvements that are beyond this, the normal for

1:57:54caltrans. The disagreement also accounts for those and who's responsible for the maintenance of those improvements? Prior amendments to the agreement were in 2,006, when the city asks Caltrans to release relief to the sidewalks until the city then became fully responsible for the sidewalks.

1:58:13and then also of 2,011 on the city, did improvements on

1:58:18the avenue as part of the streets.

1:58:20This project

1:58:21at this point Catherine's in is reimbursing the city less than than that that we actually spend on some of these activities. And so when they propose to amend the the this agreement to, basically they are proposing to amend this agreement to make it reconcile with the electrical cost sharing agreement.

1:58:39and when they opened it up we asked them to revisit the annual reimbursement that's given to the city because it hadn't changed since 1,992,

1:58:49and so we provided a documented cop, documented our cost to them, and ask them to consider increasing the maximum amount reimbursement to the city, and they did so we they raise the reimbursement amount from 16,000 to 24,500, which is

1:59:06gonna a result in the cost savings of over 50%.

1:59:09This is it was a hard, high, or I did. Did did spend some time going back and forth with them on these costs. What they excluded from the agreement which we sought to include was cost related to the clean trash capture devices, the trash capture devices the city has installed them along the State right of way.

1:59:29in order to be our clean water requirements, which

1:59:33are requiring the city to control a 100 of the trash that will prevent trash from entering our strongering system and the bay.

1:59:42And so they they there's some differences in what those Water Quality Board are requiring the catrons, which is the city. So, even though they didn't allow it right now, they did open the door for further negotiations, and we want to pursue that negotiations and discussion with Couchrans

2:00:00on on that, and we pursue that as a some type of future amendment.

2:00:04And also we're continuing to collaborate with caltrans on some be by like a joint

2:00:09large project that's going to control trash both in the city of Richmond, Al Somedo and Caltrans right away, and that was an unplanned project that will really treat a lot of the areas that around the then Arctic pro the then work the area. So we don't.

2:00:27Okay, the third. The third agreement that's before you tonight is the project Pacific Maintenance Agreement. It's related to 2 agreements. These are very old agreements that 2 agreements, 1,957 and 1962 through the service maintenance agreements. Those was first set up to really reflect when I 80 was first constructed, and local streets were as part of the Iada construction. Some of the some of the local streets are reconstructed, and

2:00:56these agreements just confirmed that once count trends, built those local streets or reconfigured those local streets, the responsibility for maintenance went back to the city.

2:01:05And so that's what they did. But whenever again, when you where there's a a specific project Catherine's looks at, or is there another agreement that's needed to like, reconcile all these agreements, and to further clarify a city's maintenance responsibilities, and they did require this agreement, so that this

2:01:22to clearly make the city responsible for some of the non standard features like ways sidewalk for bouts, More landscaping bus platforms and bio retention. Facility that we're building for stormwater treatment.

2:01:37Then the city estimates that the cost for

2:01:42to maintain these new improvements will be about 25 to $30,000 per year.

2:01:48But this is contingent on the future solicitation for maintenance, contract services.

2:01:54and and a couple of other things are that couch. And just last we told us there was going to be a fourth agreement that was going to be needed, and it's a link to the Freeway Service

2:02:05Freeway maintenance agreement. It's just to make sure that the the attachment to that agreement which is a map of which areas the city is responsible for, and which Calendar is responsible for. Isn't. Reconciled with this project specific maintenance agreement.

2:02:21so that concludes and and staff participants bringing that other, that that fourth agreement to council at your next Council meeting

2:02:33in summary the this table just summarizes all that I just discussed, and just highlights that, you know this is an exciting project over 13 million dollars in grants for design and construction, and that we need to execute these agreements as soon as possible to to secure our Federal funds.

2:02:51and it's a summary of a total cost increase of about 30 to $35,000 per year, and $2,022.

2:02:59Those costs will start incurring until next fiscal year, for, like the current ongoing operations, so we will be forward. Those budget considerations to Council as part of your annual budget process. But the the costs related to the new project improvements won't be coming to.

2:03:19You won't company to be in until fiscal year, 2425. When the project is completed.

2:03:26That concludes my presentation thing.

2:03:28You

2:03:29i'm here to answer questions any questions, and real purpose is also here. But there are any more detailed questions about stormwater treatment

2:03:37that you might have.

2:03:39Thank you very much

2:03:40any questions from Council members.

2:03:45I just wanted to let you know how. Yep, this project is is exciting because a couple of us here on the Council live on the north side, and and as someone to who grew up here, I remember when that market was torn down.

2:04:02and it took more than 40 years to but put the Mayfair on there, and to see the Mayfair all built. And it did. This is huge, and and to see and to know that it's the north side of town that that brings in the majority of the tax dollars

2:04:21from our retail Saint Pablo Avenue and the and the southern part with the the Honda dealership and before that we had the British Model Motor Company up there. We're Steve out of Ca: auto-care used to be, and and know with the new businesses that we have up there.

2:04:39and the new developments will have a lot of people living up there that will be using transit oriented development in the future. These projects will make the north part of town more walkable

2:04:54right now. It's it's a little difficult locking around there, because there there's a lot of things going on there. But I see the future of that area

2:05:06and more restaurants, and the revitalization of because that neighborhood was a very bright, vibrant area. And Paul, you grew up there in that area with John Joya. And

2:05:21And so you remember the a lot of the long time businesses. It was an area where people lived, and a lot of people don't know the history that where the Honda dealership is now that was, that was a trailer park. We, at that part of San Pablo Avenue was all trailers

2:05:41so well. Look how far we have gone! Look how we, where the future of this avenue is, and a whole new generation of people that are commuting right now long on distances

2:05:53they will not have to commute anymore. They will have to. They'll be home here, and Don't have to go, that the additional 1 h commute and gridlock traffic on the 80. So but I I do see the future of elsewhere. I'm really excited that. So thank you. For you know this overview of this development.

2:06:13working with Count Trans. And working with our transportation leaders with Tech and and

2:06:20CC. A. It's and our our leaders in Con in Congress, who have delivered with not just, you know, the Richmond streets, and they just delivered on that with the funding. But you know I know they are on board, with the additional things that need to go on. And

2:06:40and hopefully we would. You know we, the future of that new hotel will be built. And then i'm really excited about that. We'll see a brand new area there. My question for you is getting on. I think maybe

2:06:55Council Member for Delhi can can answer that as well regarding Cunning Avenue and the future of dedicated bike lanes, and I know that's going to be a 2 way street.

2:07:06What? What exactly do you see as the future on that corner? Is that going to be again a 2 way street, where folks that would like to get off of the freeway would like to get home and and use. Will they be able to use cunning boulevard again.

2:07:23Oh, yes, as the circulation improvements that are planned as part of this project is to make cutting 2 way between for for vehicles, automobiles between some power and

2:07:34and key boulevard. So we will have automobiles there and then also a shared bus bike lane. So to also provide

2:07:44protected a bike facility between the I 80 freeway and the Bart station, and connecting to other improvements that Richmond has for cutting Boulevard.

2:07:55and I know you know, with the Director Saltman at Bart. She also works for Bikeys Bay, and and they have been asking members of this Council through the years for

2:08:10or dedicated by lanes on San Pablo avenues. So this is an exciting time. So I just want to make sure that our residents know what's in store, and you know they'll. We'll have some a lot of construction going on in the next few years, but

2:08:26it will all pay off, and and we'll see a brand new revitalized north End of towns.

2:08:35May a Council member for Delhi? I think you had a question. Okay.

2:08:44and I I I want a second. All the positive things have just been said, and praise you for the work you you did, because it wasn't an easy

2:08:53analysis to go through. It's difficult stuff. You had lots of

2:08:573 different things to deal with, difficult stuff, and I it. But we we end up.

2:09:05hey?

2:09:0625 to $30,000 more. A year.

2:09:09Hmm.

2:09:09And I was going to say, make me feel good about that. Is it because Cal? Is it because Cal

2:09:17simply wanted to revert back to a process that they used to have, I mean, and I just want to make sure that do you feel good about the due configuration of who pays? What

2:09:28Is this a good thing? I mean, aside from us paying more money?

2:09:31Yeah, I mean, I think overall we are paying our fair share for the electrical facilities. Services we want, and we are are getting higher reimbursement. So, in terms of like reopening the agreements to compile at their current standards, that wasn't necessarily the biggest cost increase it's, I think

2:09:50at least half of it is related to the new facilities that we're building. Really the new bike ways, the new, the new pedestrians. Yeah. And I think that's important to the city. That's something. Cal. Trans. Would not be doing at this time, and it's something that is really align with our adopted plans to really meet.

2:10:09I'll read it.

2:10:10That's an annual cost from our general fund. Then that will be included in the budget. Most of the cost

2:10:18are special funds because they're transportation, related their transportation, related improvements, and the the city has various special funds that can cover those costs. The gas tax. Sb: One fund, and as your J. Return to Source. And

2:10:37but there are some, and this is as part of the future, maybe in fiscal year, 2425. There's some landscaping costs that we'll just have to double check, whether we'll need some general up and support

2:10:50main maintenance of the landscaping cost of

2:10:53because their annual costs. Can you get Grant money for annual costs from the city? We can't, probably right.

2:11:02Typically, there are no grant funds available for operations and maintenance. That's the difficult part. We can keep our eyes open, but definitely in me.

2:11:13Some general front support that's needed for landscaping, and if the school year 2425,

2:11:19and at that point we'll have better. We'll be. We'll know what I will have solicited new contracts for landscape maintenance, so we can see what what the need is for all the city, and you know how we can make, how we can fit that need. And within the available funding.

2:11:38So we need to move quickly on this you're saying, and it will be easier for Cal Trans right the way it's. Set up now. Which and and i'm feeling good that you're feeling good about what finally came out of this. Is that right?

2:11:53We we got moderate investment from couch, and we understand why they want to redo the agreement, and ultimately it. It benefits everybody, because from a safety perspective Cal Trans. Can control their signals. Do power shut downs, or get that information, and also a a facilitate to maintenance.

2:12:15So I think over on given the scope of the improvements that we're making it's.

2:12:22This additional maintenance cost

2:12:25not, I think, I in our

2:12:28I think

2:12:29I guess it's up to counts as you decide, but it's it's it's a a small portion, the the only cost that was in a very small portion then

2:12:39that capital costs, and the investment that we're making

2:12:42and the investment that we're making are really easy, like external funding sources. And so it's really protecting that investment that's been made.

2:12:56No questions. But thank you for handling this complexity with these.

2:13:01you know. I know how challenging all of it. It's kind of like being a wizard and trying to get it all together and being able to present it and understand. But this improvement is going to be fantastic for the North Side. So thank you. Thank you.

2:13:14Council Member. Why, in here

2:13:17Councilmember Wysinger: I have no comments, just thank you. And yes, the North side this. Thank you, too.

2:13:23So I have a a couple of comments and questions, so I I appreciate how thorough this staff report was about very difficult things, very complicated things.

2:13:36It was interesting to me that there you're still negotiating with Cal trans regarding trash, capture and some other things. And so

2:13:47I I understand that your negotiations are still ongoing. That is all very friendly negotiations, and so I really hope that we can get to a good outcome, as particularly as all these other amendments come forward as well. So

2:14:04I did have one question. I know that in the agreements we are self ensuring is that typical of of cities

2:14:12to self ensure work like this?

2:14:16I don't know if I can get our city manager's assistance on answering this question.

2:14:25Karen Pinkos (City Manager): Sure, Thank you. Yes, it is typical for city. We belong to the municipal pulling authority.

2:14:31and so our we are self insured as a city, and, I would say, most cities in the State of California are self-insured, or belong to a pool similar to ours, where those functions are within the pool are administratively

2:14:48taking care of. And so yes, this would.

2:14:53going out onto the private insurance market or the commercial insurance market could certainly be cost prohibitive. And so we're. We've been pleased with our with our participation in the municipal pooling authority, because not only are we participants, but we'll sit on the board, and so we have a much more

2:15:11internal function when it comes to risk management in general. And so that is, that again, it's certainly typical of everyone in contrast to county, most of the

2:15:21and the municipal pulling authority. And we, Alex, actually our Sicily manager, serves as our board member.

2:15:29Great thank you very much. It was unusual to to read that, so I just wanted to make sure I understood

2:15:36It's more typical for me to ask for a motion, but I have asked

2:15:41Staff to provide me some potential language, and so I would like to make a motion for this

2:15:48with a little bit of an amendment prior to me taking action. We do need public comment. Oh, yes, sorry no worries. Now is the time to raise your hand. If you would like to speak on this item. I do have one hand so far, so we'll go ahead. Okay, that'll be great.

2:16:11Alright, okay, how do you get your first speaker, you should be able to unmute him. Begin your time now.

2:16:19Howdy Goudey: Thank you, mayor, and counsel. My name is how to go to.

2:16:23and I live in.

2:16:25So

2:16:26my comment is related to. I guess this transition of some of our electrical accounts back to

2:16:34Cal Trans. And I just wanted to.

2:16:37You know.

2:16:39point out that you know

2:16:41all the city's accounts have.

2:16:44and enrolled in Mc. Deep Green power, and I hope that

2:16:49in the transition back to

2:16:52how Trans. It can be stipulated or suggested, or required, or however worked out in negotiations, that they maintain the deep green

2:17:02power sourcing, since that's what

2:17:04Howdy Goudey: the prevailing source was in the city, and is the preference

2:17:09of all the city accounts. And so that this transaction doesn't result in actually increasing greenhouse gas emissions. So yeah, please relay, and whatever manner

2:17:21possible that those accounts remain as a deep green, 100% renewable power.

2:17:30I also I sent 2

2:17:32written comments during the meeting that I hope you'll have a chance to review. I

2:17:38It's just kind of about the problem of how public comment is being

2:17:44implemented, and I

2:17:46hope that you will see that

2:17:47the current status where presentations have

2:17:51their comments at the beginning is not serving public comment very well, and

2:17:57I did have a comment that I wanted to make on a presentation. I didn't get to. So it's it's now a written comment, and I hope you will consider that Thank you.

2:18:06Okay, that's our only request to speak on. Actually, I take that back. I have one more hand

2:18:12fun.

2:18:20All right, Linda came here next. Speaker. You can go ahead and unmute and begin your time now.

2:18:25Linda Cain: Thank you, you know, and I wasn't going to speak because I don't feel like the best informed person, although i'm an El Cerrito del Norti

2:18:33resident. You know that neighborhood and of course it's very significant to me, so i'm. I'm watching with interest. I hope it's going to be great. Don't completely understand it yet. But when Howdy, gaudy, said the the it's a problem that we have

2:18:46public comments all at the beginning of the meeting. I just want to say it's a problem for me, because I had trouble getting into the meeting tonight, so I logged on about

2:18:57like 5 min late, and I finally got in like half an hour later, because I would. I was confused. Okay, maybe I was stupid. I was confused by the website, anyway. But some like that happens. You certainly don't get a chance to make any general comments, and you start out

2:19:11really wondering what the hell's going on, anyway. So I just wanted to say, Thank you. Howdy for making that remark, and i'm I've got my fingers crossed that Elsie Don't already is going to be a wonderful new area, and and more fun to go to more fun to walk to, and more fun to have a cup of coffee with a friend, so

2:19:31i'm i'm waiting to see it. Thank you.

2:19:34You may have a quicker request to speak.

2:19:37Thank you, man clerk.

2:19:39so I would like to

2:19:43make a specific amendment to the motions, or may

2:19:47sure

2:19:48put forward a motion with some specific additional language.

2:19:52If I could have the

2:19:54support of my colleagues. I would like to make a motion to approve the resolution and direct staff to separately negotiate with Caltrans regarding the responsibility for the trash trash capture devices

2:20:06under a future amendment to the amendment for maintenance of State highways in the city of else Rita, or implementation of another mechanism for trash load reduction that would benefit both parties in complying with water, Quality Control Board requirements.

2:20:21Do I have a second

2:20:23as as Staff reviewed that?

2:20:26Yes, this language was provided to me.

2:20:32Hey, I have a second

2:20:35Madam clerk. Will you please call the vote via Matiyama? Aye, may I part time, Radnick Hi Councilmember Fideli Councilmember

2:20:45motion carries.

2:20:53Thank you very much.

2:20:55The next item is city Council, local and regional lease on assignments.

2:21:02I have one I attended last night through the Zoom, the Crime Prevention Committee. And I I want to say

2:21:17thank you to our long time chair and member of that committee who was also our longtime photographer here for the city of Elsa Rita.

2:21:26It was always been there when we have national night out, and as been our photographer there. So again I want to say thank you to Eugene Go, who has been a part of that committee since 1,998, and I wish him

2:21:45all the best, and we're grateful to you for keeping El Serena safe or many, many years. And I also would like to say regarding that meeting. Our Chief of Police had a program, a presentation

2:22:02on the use of the license play readers. So yeah, we will get that at a future council meeting a future presentation. But it was a a a good conversation, and definitely

2:22:21we should look at that in the future, and it's something that we see in many, many communities now. Thank you.

2:22:31Yep.

2:22:32yes. We did mention Council Member Abelson for tonight. I I hope she's

2:22:39happy that after a few years, and working my way up. I've become the chair of Whitak. The West country cost the transportation authority.

2:22:47and was voted to be on Ccta. So as far as Gabe and others mentioned all the transportation. He's the alternate

2:22:55together. We're gonna make sure that Monday Grants come to us, and of course, the 8 million dollars from Richmond street. The complete streets is very exciting, but at the in this time of kind of transit, h hitting a a fiscal cliff.

2:23:09There's also Cal. Sta just sent 2.5 billionfor for transit, of which Bart will be getting some money in some of the big transit companies.

2:23:18and also the much the held up Rm. 3, which was the Bridge Toll Monies has finally the Supreme Court said, the money can come out, and that will certainly assist our Richmond. Santa Fe Bridge and some other things locally here, so a lot of work to do, but excited about the opportunities. Thank you.

2:23:38My meetings on Thursday, so nothing to report yet. I also remember why, senior.

2:23:44Councilmember Wysinger: Yes, I I wanted to. I did get to meet with our Financial Advisory Board, which I became their Council liaison, as well as our Design Review Board. I haven't yet met with our Economic Development Committee, yet, so i'm. Looking forward to meeting with them. But it was great to have good first meet with the 2 commissions or 2 committees that i'm going to be the liaison for, and learning more about how I can be a good liaison between our council and those committees for them. And also it was. It was great listening to the

2:24:14design review where we've talked so much today about our Tod that's going up in the the complete streets and the Bill Nordy complete streets. So we were talking a little bit about how they could stay engaged in the process. There's something that they they can approve, and something that they're going to be advising on. So i'm looking forward, not just to be in their liaison, but also learning a bit about how the design review Board functions and all these great things that are going on, up and down San Pablo Avenue, and just another matter of note. I didn't get to say it earlier in the

2:24:44Commission report outs. But I am currently in Manhattan Beach, California. Because I have been appointed to the California automobile assigned a Risk Protection Committee through the Insurance Commissioner's office, and that means that I get to spend 2 days like I'm doing this week

2:25:01talking to insurers about how we can make auto insurance in California more affordable for those who can access it. So every I believe to how we say that I you'll be seeing me here on Zoom. But just know that i'm continuing to do great work on behalf of folks who this may desperately need equity in our systems and services here in the State of California.

2:25:23Thank you, Councilmember, my senior. So I i'm going to report out that I attended the new mayors and Council members training by Cal. Cities from January eighteenth to the twentieth.

2:25:35I also attended the Cal City's Housing and Community and Economic Development Policy Committee as a as a member of that, and also the Revenue and Taxation Committee Policy Committee. I attended the grand ribbon cutting for super slice. On the 20 eighth

2:25:55I attended the elsewhere to police department, swearing in ceremony. On February the second I also attended the Contra Costa Mayor's conference

2:26:06meeting on February the second, and we close there in memory of Jenna Abelson and I was able to do some closing remarks for that.

2:26:15and on February fourth, we had our first council retreat in many years.

2:26:23So

2:26:24with that

2:26:26the time

2:26:27is now 828, and we are adjourned in memory of former L Threeo Council, Member and Mayor Janet Abelson.

2:26:36So if there's any before I hit the gavel, is there any comments that anyone would like to make, or any special remembrances of Janet that they like to share.

2:26:45Councilmember Wysinger: I'd like to make one marijuana. It'd be be very very brief. This was like the the Janet Council Meeting, because all we did was talk about the things that were attached to her project. Of this it the sample specific plan. So yeah, Janet, we love you.

2:27:00I like to mention something as well. After you know, attending via Zoom, the Prime Committee. It was Janet Abelson that that

2:27:11taught me the importance of

2:27:14public safety and the importance of having our fire and police funded. And you know we did end our meeting in honor of Janet, Mayor Abelson, and I wanted to say, yeah, if it wasn't for her

2:27:33and for folks that were members of our commissions in the past.

2:27:39For example.

2:27:41Molly Hazen, the north side of Tad. We have this neighborhood watch sign as soon as you get into the city limits through Mcdonald, through when you approach Conlin Avenue when you approach the city limits on the north side.

2:28:01it is because of our volunteers through the years, and that is

2:28:08people like Janet Abelson. So yeah, we're grateful to her, and i'm grateful to my many years of friendship with her, and it was she's definitely gonna be missed.

2:28:23Janet would want us all to participate in Earth. The activities, you know. Cerrito coming up. She was had a big part in that, too.

2:28:32It's really kind of

2:28:35that. And today, the Climate Action Plan Subcommittee being formally disbanded, which I served on with Council Member Abelson. There's there's so many memories, and I hope that folks from the public are able to attend her memorial service, which is going to be on the 20 fifth.

2:28:53I don't know much of the details, but i'm sure that that will become publicly available as those details are flushed out.

2:29:01So I I I believe, city manager, do you have those details at this time

2:29:07Karen Pinkos (City Manager): I do know that it will be on February 20 fifth. It is slated to be at the Community Center. I am confirming the time. I believe it will be at one Pm. But please stay tuned once I am. We're at both with some. Several of us. Staff are working with the family, and we will be able to put that out on city

2:29:26on our website, and and i'll put it in my sending manager update if it comes out before that, but if not, we'll put it on our silly city calendar for people to be able to attend.

2:29:37Thank you, City manager. I just want to share a really brief story about how Jannon has physically changed our community.

2:29:46I think I may have shared the story with some of my colleagues already, but when I was on planning commission, then we were approving the Credence Condominium building. The developers said, Well, or the design architect team was saying, Well, you know it's really going to be hard to ramp up to this

2:30:02front door on San Pablo Avenue. We think you know, the access is really flat from the back. So the

2:30:10you know. I think that'll be fine. And one of the things I could say was, You know our mayor at the time, was, Janet said. You know you don't really want the mayor to have to come to the back door. You know she's in a she's a wheelchair. User she's gonna want to come to the front door. And so, because of that, because of Janet and who she is and showing up

2:30:28for people about accessibility, you can see how beautifully and you know, complex it is that ramping up to that front door that makes it really cool looking, and that is because of Janet

2:30:39So on that note Our next regularly scheduled City Council meeting is Tuesday, February 20 first 2023 at 6. Pm.

2:30:51Councilmember Wysinger: Thank you. Everyone

2:30:528 30.