Regular City Council Meeting July 21, 2026

0:01:45Okay, apologies, Mayor, if I can restart, we had not undone the sound online for our online folks, so this hybrid meeting is an opportunity to participate in person or via Zoom with closed captions available. Meeting are subject to the Brown Act and are held for the purpose of conducting city business.

0:02:01The Brown Act ensures the public's right to be heard, and while City Council may not respond to comments directly, comments will be heard prior to the Council taking action. For members of the public who wish to provide oral testimony, the Mayor will announce the time for public comment on each applicable item. A request to speak can be submitted to the City Clerk by completing the speaker card.

0:02:20by selecting the raise hand feature on Zoom, or by dialing star 9 if calling in by phone. In-person requests will be called first.

0:02:27The Council's adopted Rules of Order and Procedure specify that public speakers address the City Council in an orderly and respectful manner, proceed their comments with their name and city of residence, and be respectful of time limits. Thank you, Mayor, that concludes my announcements. Thank you.

0:02:43the next item on the agenda, we have, City Manager Kim Pincus. Thank you, Your Honor. I do have a few announcements tonight. First of all, stand up, Claudia, where are you?

0:02:54There she is. I'd like to formally introduce the City's new Community Development Director, Claudia Garcia, who started yesterday, and she's still with us. Good news. So Claudia comes to us from Vacaville, where she was the Assistant Community Development Director, and she was formerly with the City of Berkeley as their principal planner.

0:03:12She has broad experience in planning, building, development services, and economic development, so welcome, Claudia, to the El Cerrito family, and we're so glad to have you.

0:03:23And yes, it's her second day, so… Yes.

0:03:28Wonderful. So, next, I'd like to let the community know that on Thursday, July 23rd, from 4 p.m. to 6pm, we are hosting a virtual community meeting called El Cerrito 101.

0:03:40If you're interested in learning more about how our city works, then this is for you. The meeting will be a two-hour interactive virtual workshop that's designed for anyone who would like to learn about our local government, find out more about the budget, or ask questions of the city management team.

0:03:54So anyone interested in running for City Council this fall is especially invited to this first-ever El Cerrito 101 event.

0:04:01The Zoom link is on the City's online calendar page, and in the most recent City Manager update, both are on the City's website at elcerrito.gov, and in the back, where you will wave, contact assistant to the City Manager, Will Provost at WPROVOST at El Cerrito.gov, if you'd like more information.

0:04:21Speaking of Council candidates, the City Clerk would like me to remind you all that the nomination period for the November 3rd, 2026 election for two City Council seats opened on July 13th and will close on Friday, August 7th, 2026.

0:04:35If either incumbent does not file by this deadline, the nomination period will extend to Wednesday, August 12th, 2026.

0:04:42Please note that this will be the City's last at-large election. The City does not switch to district-based elections until 2028. Any questions, please see Holly over there.

0:04:52Our city clerk.

0:04:54And then, and Captain Caputo, be ready. We have received many comments about… regarding the removal of the Flock cameras in El Cerrito, so I did want to address that, and again, Captain Caputo is here. I want to note that we have been in constant contact with FLOC so that they may give us a firm timeline for removing all of the cameras.

0:05:12I discussed this with the captain this morning. There is indeed a work order that is entered, and we've requested that this be expedited. I do want to note two things. One, we do know the cameras have been turned off. We do not have access to them, and we have worked with our neighboring agencies who have confirmed that they do not have access to them either.

0:05:31And secondly, we want to note that while the contract does not require a timeframe for removal, it does say that we cannot remove the cameras ourselves, so we are trying to be mindful of our… any liability risk involved with that. And certainly, we don't have the staff, or the… actually, we don't have the equipment, I've confirmed this, to be able to do this ourselves at any sort of a…

0:05:50you know, again, try to risk our employees. So, we know how important this is to the community. We will continue to contact them until the cameras are removed permanently, and I don't know, Captain, if you have any…

0:06:01additional thoughts on that? Well, can I call you up anyway to talk about the next thing? So if you have any questions, you know, please,

0:06:08Captain Caputo is the Action Chief right now while Paul Keith is off, so please feel free to contact me or contact Captain, and we will, again, we will continue to contact them until they are removed. We know how important this is to everyone. And so, Captain, please talk to us about a very exciting upcoming event on August 4th.

0:06:29Hi, good evening.

0:06:30Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem.

0:06:32Members of the City Council, City Manager, and members of the community.

0:06:36My name is Lauren Pudo, I'm a captain with the Elsho Police Department, and I'm here to invite everyone to participate in National Night Out on Tuesday, August 4th.

0:06:45This year marks the 45th anniversary of this nationwide event.

0:06:50With more than 38 million people expected to participate across the country.

0:06:55National Night Out brings neighbors together to strengthen relationships, build safer communities, and foster positive partnerships between those communities and public safety.

0:07:06I'm excited to share that 40 neighborhood block parties have already registered here in El Cerrito. There's still time for more of them.

0:07:15So we encourage residents to host or to attend a block party, a potluck, a barbecue, or any gathering that brings neighbors together.

0:07:23The festivities are held in the evening, typically between 5pm and 9pm.

0:07:29Throughout the evening, members of the El Cerrito Police Department, the El Cerrito Fire Department, City Council, and city staff will be visiting as many neighborhood gatherings as possible to meet residents, answer questions, hear your concerns, and celebrate what makes El Cerrito community so special.

0:07:47Hosting a party is free and easy. Simply register on the City of El Cerrito website by this Friday, July 24th. That's this Friday.

0:07:57Registered hosts will receive a host kit with the El Cerrito Police Department swag bag, and if needed, a free street closure permit and barricades so your neighborhood can celebrate safely.

0:08:09To find a party near you, visit the El Cerrito Police Department's National Night Out webpage next week.

0:08:15To view the locations of local parties.

0:08:18We will also be pushing out information through our social media channels.

0:08:22We hope to see even more neighborhoods join the 40 parties that we already have registered, and we look forward to celebrating National Night Out with all of you on August 4th.

0:08:31Thank you.

0:08:34And that concludes my remarks, Your Honor, thank you so much.

0:08:37Captain Caputa, thank you very much, very much appreciate that. I look forward to, meeting all of the neighbors. I know my council members here and, city manager and staff look forward to meet all of the neighborhoods and attend that. I have attended many of these in the last 12 years.

0:08:55And that's how I was able to, meet many of the neighbors, especially the new ones that have moved in. And there are a lot of new families that have moved in, and so definitely look forward to that, and hopefully you're gonna have one in your area, in New York.

0:09:14I'll be too busy at all the other parties, so hopefully… Yeah, so look forward to that again. Thank you.

0:09:20Yeah.

0:09:22Go ahead.

0:09:24I have a question for you, Captain Caputo. I understand, we had, an officer who received an award from the Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and maybe you want to

0:09:36Tell us about that. Sure, I'd be happy to tell you about it.

0:09:39Brothers Against Drunk Driving every year holds an awards ceremony for police officers in the Northern California region, and one of our officers, William Seppi, was honored for his efforts in finding and arresting impaired drivers in the city of El Cerrito.

0:09:58Last year, he arrested 27 impaired drivers.

0:10:02And this year, he's already at 37, and we're only halfway through the year. So, it goes to show you that we still have a problem with impaired driving.

0:10:11And one of the things that I learned in this, the ceremony that they had was that they partner with Waymo, and they do that because they specifically want to emphasize all the options that are out there for people when you need a ride home.

0:10:26So, don't get behind the wheel, otherwise, Officer Seppi or other El Cerrito officers

0:10:33We'll find you and arrest you.

0:10:37Thank you. You're welcome.

0:10:39Anything else, Karen?

0:10:42Yes, go ahead. Sorry to make you come back, or maybe this is for Karen, but it's about Flock, but either of you could answer. I appreciate everything you're doing to try to make the cameras come down. I believe there's some people in the audience here today who maybe came here to speak about this. I know I've been getting a lot of emails, and they keep coming.

0:11:02Can we commit that, at minimum, we'll have updates at every council meeting until they come down? And also, is there anything residents can do besides continuing to email us? Because I know I keep responding and saying, I'm… I'm working with the city manager, the police chief's on it, I know you've been trying, because Karen, you know I've been talking to you about this every week.

0:11:21But what… is there anything residents can do, and can we commit to regular updates until they come down?

0:11:29So, know that I will continue to bother Flock. We do have a representative that I still communicate with.

0:11:36She's been very forthcoming with me with information. She does say that the work orders are in there. Okay. So while I'll just keep requesting, I did tell them that this is a very important issue for us, and we want to see them removed as quickly as possible. So I will continue to follow up with them.

0:11:53If anybody has questions, they can always ask me. I'm available. My email is lcaputo, C-A-P-U-T-O, at El Cerrito.gov, so I'm happy to answer residents' questions if they want to direct them directly to me. Great, and I'm happy to commit to

0:12:07you know, updating the Council every time during staff communications, and they come… absolutely. Thank you.

0:12:13One thing I wanted to mention, because we don't have flock anymore.

0:12:17I asked neighbors and neighborhoods to please watch out for each other. Before Flock, El Cerrito had one of the highest property crime rates, because they know this city and our residents order things online big time. So, the importance of,

0:12:34making sure and letting your neighbors know if you're at work and you receive a package, let a neighbor know so they can watch it or put it somewhere in a safe place so they can pick it up. So.

0:12:47Just letting folks know ahead of time is that we are the only city

0:12:52in, the East Bay that does not, flock. So the importance of neighbors looking out for each other is so important. So again, thank you, Captain. I very much appreciate that.

0:13:05Did you have any other updates, Karen? Okay, any updates from my Council? We'll go to the Mayor Pro Tem first.

0:13:13Just first, I'm also very excited about National Night Out, and want to encourage people, if you've never done it before, to host one, or see if your neighbors want to. One of my neighbors pulled the permit, so I'm excited. There'll be one on my block, I think, for the first time.

0:13:27I also wanted to let people know that this Saturday, there's going to be a vigil, outside the El Cerrito Library at 5 o'clock PM, for the many people who have been shot and killed by ICE, particularly the two men who were killed last week.

0:13:47It's… I've been to some of these similar vigils before, they're family-friendly, they're very peaceful, they're calling for it to be peaceful.

0:13:56And it's just a time for people to come together, and to grieve, and to participate, and figure out how we can make things better, and they're asking people not to bring flames or candles, so I hope to see you there. I will be there.

0:14:10Anyone else have an update?

0:14:13I have two updates. On June 8th and 11th, I signed 15 letters of support for legislation pursuant to the City's adopted legislative platform, and on June 10th.

0:14:26I signed a letter in opposition to the initiative titled, The Local Taxpayers Protection Act to Save Prop 13. These letters are available at the City's website on the City Council's page under State Legislative Platform.

0:14:43So next is oral communications to the public.

0:14:46The next item, is that now is the time for members of the public who wish to provide public comments regarding matters not on the agenda, consent items, and presentation items. Requests to speak can be submitted to the City Clerk

0:15:00by completing a speaker card using the raised hand feature on Zoom, or dialing star 9 if joining by phone.

0:15:07in-person requests will be taken first. Please remember to identify yourself and your real city of residence at the beginning of your comments. Madam City Clerk, please proceed. Thank you, Mayor. We have a 7 requests to speak at this time, so we'll start with our in-person request.

0:15:25Beginning with Michael McDougal, followed by Gerald Fagoni.

0:15:32City Mayor, City Council? Citizens? I'm Mike McDougal, I'm from El Cerrito. I'm here to speak in support of three of the items that are on the consent calendar, with one slight adjustment. You've got the quarterly cash report in front of you.

0:15:49There is a typo that probably should be corrected. It lists it as being the third quarter report, and it's actually the fourth quarter report in the action.

0:15:59But I will also say that we did well, for the things that we're tracking. Our…

0:16:05So, like, there's good news there, except that there's a small typo.

0:16:09The other thing I wanted to speak in support of, I don't think you need to pull them from the consent calendar, but I just wanted to say that the, we've got items there for the, demand vehicle and for a contract.

0:16:21And I think it would be silly to not approve these, given that they're part of the two-year budget that you just finished doing, starting in May and running up to now. So I just wanted to congratulate you again on passing that budget. Thank you very much.

0:16:34Thank you.

0:16:35Our next speaker is Gerald Fagoni, followed by Karen Robinson.

0:16:47Good evening, Jerry Fogoni, el Cerrito, grew up here, da-da-da.

0:16:53since we had you, I think you did a really good job of dealing with the districts, and I appreciate that.

0:16:59And I think, Rebecca Saltzman, Mayor Pro Tem, you brought up, or maybe you did.

0:17:06that to not, as districts form, to not leave those districts that don't have someone specific without just representation. I don't know if that's the correct word or not. One of my favorites, and one of the reasons I…

0:17:20Kind of pushed for the map you accepted.

0:17:22Was the district that's, Below San… west of San Pablo Avenue, west of Carlson.

0:17:29Dear to my heart a little bit.

0:17:33went to Fairmont Elementary School with a lot of kids there. It was where my first apartment was when I got back from the military.

0:17:41And it goes around Central Avenue Park. It's kind of a rectangular thing that sticks out there towards the…

0:17:46you know, there's El Dorado Street, and Apple goes to the park, and San Mateo across the top. And I was heartened by some kids walking across.

0:17:54the walkway from the other side of 80 to the across the freeway walkway over to come down to use the park, they had baseball stuff.

0:18:03So, I guess, and I've met people here, one I think, was a previous city council member, she was here with her family, and we had a meeting at the other… in the Hannah Gardens, and a gentleman with his family who… they were concerned about issues of crossing Carlson Boulevard, having to go to the plaza, or to go to

0:18:22to, Harding School, I guess they go from there now, or El Cerrito High.

0:18:27So I would,

0:18:29I would ask, as time goes on, we'll have someone that's, you know, generally represents the city, because they're going to be second in getting a district. Somebody would designate maybe an assistant, or put up their hand and say, I've got this district, you know, I'll go down there and see what's going on. Appreciate that.

0:18:48Our next speaker is Karen Robinson, followed by Howdy Gowdy.

0:18:59Hi, my name is Karen Robinson. I'm a 20-year resident of El Cerrito. It's my first time speaking. I live on Elm Street, near

0:19:07Milvia… I have to think about it. Milvia is on one side.

0:19:10Anyway, on Sunday night was the fourth time.

0:19:13That a car accident happened right in front of my house, and it totaled a car.

0:19:18And… I don't know about the injuries to the primary driver.

0:19:22It's the fourth time in three and a half years. The first car was mine. Mine was parked safely and properly, and it was totaled by a driver that

0:19:31the police officers laughed at it and said she was a non-driver. It turned out she didn't have insurance, didn't have a valid driver's license, and nothing happened to her. And I sustained the debt of

0:19:41Buying a new car, paying for $1,500 of my materials, and I was quite upset at the time.

0:19:47Then another car hit my neighbor's…

0:19:50Car, parked car, safely parked.

0:19:53And her car was totaled, and the driver was under the influence of alcohol, and the police took him away.

0:19:59But they sustained the same as I did, which is have to replace the car.

0:20:04And have the insurance, and the costs, and the expenses.

0:20:09The third time is giving my mind to the moment, because I'm nervous, but the fourth time was last night.

0:20:14And that driver was not under the influence, but that driver was going at a high rate of speed.

0:20:19And like my car, hit the car so hard that the two wheels ended up on the sidewalk, just like mine.

0:20:25And totaled their car. So that's my neighbor, just, like, half an inch away.

0:20:30I was 5 minutes… I left 5 minutes before that accident to do a nightly target run.

0:20:35If I had been in my car, you would have totaled my car, too, and possibly killed me. If that car was left parked where it was parked, it would have been also totaled by where the car remained.

0:20:46No, I'm afraid of the Arlington… not the Arlington… the, Richmond Street

0:20:52possible changes with traffic and parking and everything. Right now, I have a place to park, but apparently it's not safe.

0:21:00And having 4 cars total.

0:21:02Right in front of me, right in front of my house. They all happen right in front of my house.

0:21:07What do I do? How do I keep my son safe? My son has lived here since he was one. He went to elementary, middle, high school here. How do I keep myself safe, my friends safe, my neighbors safe?

0:21:20I don't know how to do it, but I might petition for a speed bump. I know my time's almost up.

0:21:26But, I'm also extremely afraid of what may happen, Aaron. The Richmond Street

0:21:32Renovations where the city gets $8 million to do part of that?

0:21:35And I'm afraid it's gonna heavily impact my street, and there's gonna be a lot more

0:21:41Destroyed cars and injured people.

0:21:43So, I… Don't… I… I haven't gone through this process here before, but I need to learn it.

0:21:50But I want you to be aware that Sunday night was the fourth time.

0:21:54The first time when it was my car, it was my son's 18th birthday.

0:21:57Now he's 21, and nothing's been done.

0:22:00Thank you for your comments. Thank you. Thank you.

0:22:10Apparently that doesn't suck if I don't…

0:22:12Okay, our next speaker is Howdy Gowdy, followed by Catherine Kimsey.

0:22:17Good evening, michinto and, council members. My name is Howdy Gaudi, and, with El Cerrito.

0:22:26So I'm speaking on consent agenda Item 6H, which is the

0:22:32fire command vehicle purchase, not because I oppose the purchase, I think it's appropriate to, replace, the aging, vehicle, but I want to

0:22:47Encourage you to…

0:22:51Pull this item and, you know, direct consideration for it to come back at a future meeting with, more attention to the possibility of using an electric vehicle for this application.

0:23:06They did analyze the possibility of an electric vehicle in the report, but I don't think it really

0:23:15Is, you know, representative of the opportunity here.

0:23:20And I think if we're gonna spend $100,000 on a new vehicle, it should be consistent with our climate action and adaptation plan.

0:23:29And it should be moving the city in the direction that

0:23:32Council has committed to do, which is electrification of the fleet.

0:23:37In particular, this is possible with,

0:23:43The fire department fleet, because this is just one of nine vehicles, and it actually…

0:23:49makes it easier to incorporate a new technology, get used to it, because you do have alternatives and backups for the small number of applications that it might not be as suitable. And they might learn that it works for more things than they think it does. And so,

0:24:08I really encourage, you know.

0:24:12Postponing this purchase until it can be further evaluated as the

0:24:17electric vehicle option, because, frankly, the electric vehicle is just a much better vehicle. It will perform better than what they've selected. It's actually cheaper, the base model is cheaper than

0:24:32what they've selected, it's 53,000 instead of 57, because

0:24:37you… the city purchased one such vehicle, you know, a four-wheel drive, Chevy Silverado EV was purchased for the Public Works Department in April.

0:24:48And I don't know if that's… if you've taken delivery of that yet, but I would highly encourage the fire department to check it out if it has been delivered, because I think they'll probably be impressed by what it is, so…

0:25:02It's important to recognize I'm not discounting the concern about, 24-7 public readiness and range, but this vehicle simply doesn't need to

0:25:16achieve those targets. That's a very small niche of the, need, and it's mostly for local use. Thank you for your comments. I wrote a letter, it had a… Thank you for your comments, your time has ended. Mileage is 30 miles a day. Thank you.

0:25:33Our next speaker is Catherine Kimsey, followed by Megan Steffen.

0:25:38Hi, my name is Catherine Kimsey, I go by Ren, I live here in El Cerrito. I have been scooped on both of my comments, but I want to thank the City Council and the City staff, especially Chief Keith and Captain Caputo, for their work on getting the flock cameras down.

0:25:53This is really important to us, and so I'm glad that you're working very hard at that. I will just mention that there have been several cities where Flock has refused to take the cameras down in time, and government employees, not private citizens, government employees have put plastic bags over the cameras, because until we have the cameras so they can't see, I don't think

0:26:13myself, or many of us, are gonna feel safe. So I just bring that to you. I also wanted to invite everyone, thank you, Rebecca, to the vigil that we're holding on Saturday from 5 to 6 at the library parking lot.

0:26:28for all of those killed by ICE, which is more than 72 people at this point since 2025. And, it's gonna be a time for grieving together and remembering these people.

0:26:41Especially the people who were recently shot. But just coming together as a community to remember the people who have been killed by our government, and to let

0:26:50Our national government know that

0:26:54that those activities are unacceptable. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, sorry. I have flyers for the vigil, if anyone wants one.

0:27:03Our next speaker is Megan Steffen, followed by MJ Jeweli.

0:27:11Hi everyone, I'm Megan Steffen, I live in El Cerrito, and I wanted to comment on a few things. First, I wanted to thank City Manager Pincos for really following up here, and also Captain Caputo.

0:27:26And Chief Keith on Flock, I know that you guys have been hearing a lot from us, and I look forward to emailing everyone about literally anything else.

0:27:34I've spoken here before about how concerned I am about the culture of low trust in El Cerrito.

0:27:42I don't want to get into too many details, but I recently pulled papers to run for city council, and I'm experiencing being on the other side of this firsthand.

0:27:54And I am trying to think of concrete things that I can do to help, regardless of who ends up being on the City Council next year.

0:28:03I really appreciate the change in tone, that I'm hearing in this meeting, with regard to listening to citizens, about flock, and I hope that this shift towards listening persists. One thing that I think

0:28:18perhaps the council could try to do right now is, create more opportunities to listen and more opportunities to have dialogue.

0:28:27To that end, I've been thinking a lot about the discretionary spending amount, that the city manager currently has for contracts and other things. Right now, my understanding is that it's $50K,

0:28:39And I was wondering if it might make sense to have it closer to 10K. Of course, I look forward to coming to the Thursday session and finding out if that's, like, asking for there to be chocolate milk in the water fountains, but it is a thought that I had.

0:28:56In the spirit of also looking for things that I can do to try to make El Cerrito better, regardless of my official role, I wanted to invite you and everyone else here to an event called Heal the Hill on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Canyon Trail Park.

0:29:12I can't imagine what it feels like for all of you, but even for me, just as a citizen who is engaging politically, it's been a rough few months.

0:29:20I feel that the conversation has been divisive, that it continues to be divisive.

0:29:26And I'd really like us to find ways to come together. I'm hosting this, but several other new candidates for Council will be coming and collaborating, and I think it could just be a really cool way for us to sort of reflect on what's happened and think about what kind of city and community we want to be going forward.

0:29:47I also don't really know how to talk about this next part, but, it's only been 7 days since I pulled papers indicating interest in running for City Council.

0:29:59And that I did not realize before that we have an anonymous account problem, and I would like to say, please don't silence people for wanting to participate in politics. That's an appeal to my fellow citizens. Thank you, everyone.

0:30:12Our next speaker is MJ Jeweli, followed by Rebecca Kearney.

0:30:16Can you?

0:30:18Kenny, pardon?

0:30:21Hi, I'm Marianne Jwealy, and I live in El Cerrito.

0:30:24Great to see, the City Council here. I just wanted to thank you all for, your support and making El Cerrito del Norte Complete Streets happen. You were all at the ribbon-cutting ceremony last weekend, and it was great to see,

0:30:41Representation from our city… from our city leadership.

0:30:45I know that this was many years in the making, millions of dollars, lots of partnerships with state and local agencies, but you all, we all got it done, and that's amazing to see. As a cyclist, a pedestrian, someone who likes walking around the area, I feel a lot safer when I go by the El Cerrito del Norte TOD, so…

0:31:06kudos to you, kudos to the city. I'm excited to see the other Complete Streets project that we will have. Karen Robinson's comment earlier about, her, really scary experiences regarding four car crashes in the last 3 years on her street, on Elm Street, really resonated with me.

0:31:26I live on Richmond Street, and I'm really excited about the Richmond Street project to, take away

0:31:34to really slow down the street. I mean, I'm gonna lose two parking spots from under my house, but I'm really excited about slowing down the street and making it safer for

0:31:44all of us to be there. I know sometimes I get really scared when I hear people zoom down the street, because it's a half mile between Richmond Street and Potrero, where people don't have to stop, and some people go really fast, like, at least 40 miles per hour, I would say.

0:32:02So anyway, thank you so much. I think that this, El Cerrito del Norte TOD is an indicator of El Cerrito making strides toward being an inclusive and sustainable city. It really speaks to our values.

0:32:18And, just keep up the good work. Thank you.

0:32:21Okay, and our next speaker is Rebecca Keeney, and then we'll go to our virtual request.

0:32:26Hi, my name is Rebecca Kenney. I live in El Cerrito. I am one of the many people who came here to mention Flock.

0:32:33I do appreciate the update, and I'm glad to hear that it is a priority. I will say, though, that as the Council noted before, Flock is not a trustworthy actor. In other cities, the cameras have stayed active after the contract was terminated.

0:32:49And just because we can't access the data doesn't mean that it's not still being collected and going into Flux servers for whatever they want to do with it.

0:32:59I would additionally suggest that, it gets added to any future contracts, that there is a clear timeline for removing hardware, and that the city be, allowed to remove hardware if the company does not remove it after that deadline.

0:33:15I also wanted to mention, the districts, which are on the consent calendar.

0:33:20I thought the discussion about election years was thoughtful. I do live in the Orphan Southern San Pablo District, and while I anticipate the Council will continue to look out for the entire city, I do plan to keep checking in here, or getting reports from friends, and watching the stream when I can't make it myself.

0:33:38I was, however, disappointed by the deliberation on which map was chosen. The only reason given last meeting for Map A2 was by a council member who was looking specifically at the borders of the district in which they reside.

0:33:53And in earlier meetings, the main map, or the main argument given for maps similar to A2 was that it would give more power to the upper middle class. As someone who is decidedly below upper middle class, with a household income

0:34:08half or less of the El Cerrito medium. That was kind of a bummer to hear, and I wish there had been more discussion about, the reasons that people liked it, beyond that.

0:34:19Since I have extra time, I wanted to mention that I crossed getting here at the Hawk Light, on San Pablo and Eureka during the solid double red, which is supposed to be treated as a red light. Four cars drove through, two of them while I was still in the crosswalk.

0:34:35During the flashing red light, which is supposed to be treated as a stop sign, several cars hesitated and didn't seem to know what to do.

0:34:41There's probably a particular department for this complaint, but the signage there could really be more clear about what to do, when there's the double red, and what to do when there's the flashing red. I've gotten an email from the El Cerrito-Richmond Annex, strollers and, El Cerrito-Richmond Annex Walk and Roll have mixed those guys up, that had a

0:35:01sign from another city that was much more clear about what to do, so I would recommend talking to them about,

0:35:08what signage there should be. That's probably something that there is a particular department that deals with that, and I…

0:35:15If someone wants to tell me which department, I will definitely go give them that… give them that little complaint.

0:35:20But as a general principle, I hope that new instances of less common traffic signals be given more clear signage so that cars know what to do and pedestrians can be safe. Thank you. Thank you for your comments.

0:35:34Okay, and then we'll go now to our remote request to speak.

0:35:39Wally, you should be able to unmute and begin your time now.

0:35:43Wally Nowinski: Yep, hello, this is Wally Nowinski. I wanted to speak about the districts. It looks like Council made two districts that seek to represent,

0:35:54Or, you know, to capture people who rent their homes as a community of interest, which makes sense.

0:36:00But I was concerned about the plan to elect Districts 2 and 4 in 2030, which is a midterm election.

0:36:10We all know El Cerrito is a place where lots and lots of people vote. We saw a lot of that this past June. Our voter turnout is extremely high. The one exception or asterisk on that is there is a massive drop, about 20 percentage points, from people who rent their homes.

0:36:30between mid-year… between midterm elections and presidential elections. So by scheduling districts 2 and 4 in 2030, which is a midterm election, we would be basically systemically reducing voter participation

0:36:47Amongst those communities of interest, which are, you know, renters, that the Council had identified. So, I would urge you to reconsider that. I think it kind of goes against the goals of what we… one of the things that we were trying to do, as a community, making those maps. Thank you.

0:37:05Thank you. Mayor, that concludes our request to speak.

0:37:08Thank you very much. Next, we will go to adoption of the consent calendar.

0:37:14Oh, Mayor, we have a presentation next, I believe. Oh, okay, I'm sorry. Yes, we do. We have AC Transit, and we have,

0:37:22two people here, and we have government affairs.

0:37:25Here, and, appreciate Brian Blau being here, and, and his assistant.

0:37:33Thank you for being here.

0:37:38Just give me one second, actually.

0:37:48Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name is Ryan Lau, External Affairs Representative at AC Transit. It's a real pleasure to be here today to share a little bit more about the essential role that AC Transit serves in

0:38:03the lives and neighborhoods of the city of, El Cerrito.

0:38:08I'm here with Chris Alib, my transportation planner, to address the current budget challenges that, without a long-term solution, will impact the bus network our city depends on every single day.

0:38:23But before we go into that, I want to just share a little bit more about who we are.

0:38:29So, Alameda Contra Costa Transit District is not an agency of any East Bay City. We're a special district serving 13 cities and 8 unincorporated communities across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. We span 364 square miles, carry 3 million people.

0:38:45Every single month, and are governed by an elected, board of directors.

0:38:503 out of 4 of our riders are people of color.

0:38:542 out of three are low-income, making AC Transit an essential lifeline for all communities that we serve.

0:39:02And that's why, for the last 65 years, we've strategically operated bus, facilities in Oakland, Emeryville, Hayward, and Richmond, keeping buses close to the communities that they serve.

0:39:16And that's also why we are proud to have received the Outstanding Public Transportation System in, it says here, U.S, but it's actually North America in, 2023.

0:39:30Being a top transit agency translates into 40 million rides every single year. I'd like to unpack that number. We're looking at 140 riders

0:39:41every single weekday, and 160,000 riders every weekend. 9,500 riders rely on our trans-based service.

0:39:50It's a critical service that connects East Bay riders to job centers in San Francisco.

0:39:56Also, we're the East Bay's, school bus, transporting 30,000 students to and from class every single day, weekday, I should say.

0:40:09Riders recognize our value and our affordability, and the numbers prove it. February, March, and April, we delivered our first three straight, month… months of year-over-year ridership growth since the pandemic.

0:40:25Wally Nowinski: I'm sorry?

0:40:25but also a workforce-first employer.

0:40:28Wally Nowinski: But, like, you know.

0:40:30Ac Transit.

0:40:31Wally Nowinski: support.

0:40:31It supports more than 5,100 jobs, half of which are actually outside of our agency.

0:40:37We… and those people generate $604 million in annual wages, and we also inject $1 billion into the East Bay economy every year through local sales.

0:40:50Every bus we operate creates jobs, supports local businesses, and strengthens our communities.

0:40:57While fueling the East Bay's economy, we also clean the air.

0:41:01For over a quarter century, AC Transit's led the nation in zero-emission buses. Today, our fleet is 58 zero-emission buses that are eliminating tailpipe emissions from our streets.

0:41:16And that leadership has earned AC Transit a $40 million federal investment to launch the transit industry's first zero-emission bus university, or ZU, as we call it.

0:41:29Alongside Chabot College and our local Amalgamated Transit Union, ZEBU will help employees earn associate degrees while preparing

0:41:38them for Clean Transit, the Clean Transit Workforce of tomorrow.

0:41:46Riders recognize our value because we're making transit more affordable, faster, and safer.

0:41:51The E-ZPass program provides unlimited rides at a deep discount for participating employers, colleges, and communities. As this slide shows, through that program, we deliver 4.7 million annual trips.

0:42:06Every single year.

0:42:08Clipper Start gives income-eligible adults half off every ride, and we designed a hundred… redesigned 104 bus lines last summer under our Realign network.

0:42:20Also, smart cameras mounted on the inside of our buses help keep bus lanes and bus stops clear, improving safety and reliability.

0:42:32I mentioned earlier that 3 out of 4 of our riders are people of color, and nearly two-thirds are low-income. Let's put those numbers into perspective. More than half earn less than $50,000 a year below the federal poverty line in an area that is the most expensive in the country.

0:42:53Many are already struggling to afford essentials like housing and transportation.

0:42:58And that explains why 65% of our riders are transit-dependent, meaning they don't have access to a working vehicle in their household.

0:43:07So, a service cut would not be an inconvenience. It would be upending their lives for those who rely on AC Transit the most.

0:43:24So, you often hear the term, good stewards of public dollars. Simply put, it means that we make the most out of, every taxpayer dollar we spend.

0:43:34And we… we definitely recognize that if a fare goes unpaid, that cost doesn't just disappear, it becomes a funding gap. And that's why this month we launched the Multilingual Fair Required Fare Compliance campaign.

0:43:50Additionally, a comprehensive California State Audit, auditor report found that AC Transit syncs well with other East Bay bus agencies.

0:44:00Which means that, our challenges are not due to mismanagement, they're due to lack of sustainable funding.

0:44:09What's more, a separate SB63 review confirmed an average annual savings of $33 million since 2020.

0:44:19This commitment to making every taxpayer dollar is why we have earned a AA plus credit rating.

0:44:28When the cost of running our buses, bus network, rises faster than the revenue supporting it, it results in a fiscal cliff. What's behind that? Federal pandemic relief is gone.

0:44:41regional sales tax revenue has flattened, and our fare revenue growth has slowed. Additionally, and compounding, is an increase in fuel costs by 28%,

0:44:53Increase in bus parts by 14%, and the cost of new buses, rising an astonishing 35%.

0:45:01As you can see, it's lopsided, and it's not sustainable.

0:45:07But we're not standing still. We are taking action, and in this last fiscal year alone, we've tightened our belts by $9 million.

0:45:16How do we do that? We are hiring strictly for positions that directly support delivering our service. We have scaled back on temporary staffing, saving roughly $2 million a year.

0:45:29We brought outside professional services in-house. We're partnering with other agencies to purchase goods and services for less.

0:45:36And we've even temporarily restructured payments to the pension plan to preserve cash. So we are, in fact, making every single taxpayer dollar count.

0:45:47And every dollar must count, because we're looking at a $200 million deficit over the next 4 years.

0:45:54Which translates to roughly $50 million beginning in 2027.

0:45:59So without long-term sustainable funding, our service reduction, of 16% would become unavoidable.

0:46:08And beyond impacts of service, this would be a severe human impact as well, potential layoffs

0:46:15Affecting as many as 300 employees.

0:46:19So you can see that it's not only a looming service crisis, it's a workforce and community crisis as well.

0:46:27So we have been thrown a lifeline. It's not a permanent solution, but it is, in fact, a state bridge loan, which is exactly that. It's a loan, and not a bailout. We have to pay it back with interest. AC Transit's share is $55 million, which is enough to close this coming year's

0:46:45Sorry, this current fiscal year, and, avoid service cuts.

0:46:51But next summer, the loan is gone, reserves are exhausted, and the funding challenge returns. That's why, hope now rests with the Connect Bay Area Act, or SB63.

0:47:03Or, as they call it, the Regional Transit Measure.

0:47:08This measure would ask voters in five Bay Area counties to approve a 14-year half-cent sales tax, or 1 cent in San Francisco.

0:47:18If approved, it would generate an estimated $980 million annually for Bay Area buses, trains, and ferries.

0:47:26AC Transit would receive approximately $52 million a year helping protect existing bus service and preventing layoffs.

0:47:34Without long-term funding, our bus network remains at risk. So, with that, I'll turn it over to my colleague here just to give you a picture of exactly what that might look like on the ground.

0:47:50Thank you, Ryan. Good evening. My name is Carissa Lee. I'm a Transportation Planner at AC Transit.

0:47:56And in these uncertain financial times, our approach is to plan for the worst and hope for the best.

0:48:04So, if no new long-term funding is secured by December of 2026, we've developed what we're calling the Contingency Service Plan.

0:48:14The guiding principles of this plan are, first and foremost, to maintain the realign network. That was, something we implemented back in August of 2025.

0:48:24Minimize route eliminations, protect hours of service, and maintain frequent service where riders depend on it the most.

0:48:34So let's dive into the plan. Under the proposed contingency service plan, a top priority is preserving what we call the primary route network.

0:48:44So the primary route network is where our busiest routes run. They are on major corridors and have high ridership and often serve equity priority communities.

0:48:55On these key primary route network lines, you know, some of the lines maybe most relevant to El Cerrito include the 72s, which run along San Pablo Avenue,

0:49:08These lines will remain at weekday frequencies of 15 minutes or better. However, other primary route network lines, rather than eliminating the service entirely, the plan first reduces frequency to 30 minutes, with routes operating from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

0:49:27So again, these are proposals. We tried to steer away from major service reductions, and instead focus on lines where ridership is lowest in order to minimize the impact.

0:49:41So let's zoom in a little bit into West Contra Costa County. At a high level, lines 70 and 76, those run on Cutting Boulevard, providing 15-minute weekday service. That is going to continue under this proposed plan.

0:50:00However, line 70 would end, be shortened, it would end at Richmond BART instead of ending at Del Norte BART on weekends only.

0:50:11And then for many of the other routes, including the 71 and the 74, you know, those will be reduced from 30 minutes to 40-minute frequencies, and the span, reduced from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. under this proposed plan.

0:50:29Line 7 will remain at its existing 60-minute frequencies, but the hours will be from 7 to 7 p.m.

0:50:39Trans Bay, again, I'm gonna focus on some of the Transbay routes in West Contra Costa, so that is primarily Line L, which takes,

0:50:51people from the East Bay to San Francisco and back, so those trips in the mornings and the evenings will be slightly reduced under this plan. Next slide.

0:51:02And again, I just want to emphasize that Line 70 on the weekends would end at Richmond BART's, station.

0:51:11Next slide.

0:51:13So again, what is the road ahead? I'll highlight some key dates. August 12th, is our… our board will be setting a public hearing, and we will be hosting an open house, at the AC Transit offices.

0:51:27October 14th, is when the public hearing will happen. Formal public comment on the record.

0:51:35And open house number 3, and then finally, June 13th, 2027, if needed, then the plan will go into effect. So, with that, I will turn it back to you, Ryan.

0:51:49So, we want to hear from El Cerrito residents.

0:51:53And here's how you can engage. I would encourage everybody in this room to scan the QR code to learn more about the AC Transit's proposed contingency service plan and fill out the feedback form. Or, alternatively, you can email planning at actransit.org, or go to the website at actransit.org.

0:52:13We very much appreciate this opportunity to, share this information with,

0:52:20El Cerrito residents. I would also encourage the mayor and Council, if we can provide some additional details, if you could share those out with your networks, that would be a fantastic help.

0:52:33And again, we really appreciate it. This is not something that we look forward to doing, but we want to make sure that we have the best information at hand when we do actually have to make those decisions.

0:52:44Hopefully not, but… And with that, I can answer any questions. Okay. Well, I noticed something,

0:52:53I don't… I didn't see the number 7 bus on there.

0:52:58But is that included?

0:53:01I did notice that it was not listed on the slide, but I believe, Carissa touched upon that briefly. Do you want to…

0:53:09Maybe just give a little more. Is that one of the routes that, they plan on closing?

0:53:16Yeah, that's a great question. We are not gonna close or eliminate the Line 7. It'll still be operating on… in the hills on Arlington Boulevard.

0:53:27But the only change to it will be that the service will… hours will, be from 7 a.m. to 7pm. So the hours are…

0:53:37getting smaller. No, I appreciate that. And then I noticed, you know, I've been taking a bus since I was, like, 5 years old, and everyone took the bus here. It went up to the neighborhoods, and all that disappeared in the 2008 crisis.

0:53:53Again, so looking at the Contra Costa side, it is truly a shell of what it used to be.

0:54:01And, now we're going through more difficult times, so,

0:54:06I know we have had, different measures that we were not able

0:54:12to pass on the other side of the hill, but this side of the hill. We've always supported transit because we're a transit region, West County, and we always see this vote die. Transit, votes die on the other side of the hill in Contra Costa County, so I'm hoping

0:54:30that with more, community outreach, like what you're doing here, and I know you plan to join me at the West County Mayor's on, that conference on Saturday morning at 8 30.

0:54:43Is there anything else that you can, tell our residents on what they can do to

0:54:52let AC Transit know that El Cerritoans and West County residents want to keep the routes that are out there, and I'm just really concerned of, the number 7 disappearing, and even less, and I'm reminded that when,

0:55:10I used to have the 72, it was an express bus, and now that is gone now, and… and it was my colleague, Councilmember Mayor Rita Xavier in San Pablo.

0:55:22that told us that, hey, we needed that on weekends. And, I have taken the bus on weekends, and it is much more crowded on the weekends than it is on the weekdays, because you have working people, you know, taking the bus and going to the grocery store, and

0:55:40It is truly, truly packed now, so,

0:55:44you know, can you tell us a little more about the 72, which is the main, main

0:55:50route that some El Cerritoans take, but it's mostly, other folks, from, our area, from San Pablo.

0:56:01Richmond, North Richmond, they're the ones that take the bus in much larger numbers. We do have El Cerrito residents that take the bus.

0:56:12But, you know, since 2008, it's… we don't have any routes. So, we would like to save what we have. Can you tell us a little more what, what's in store?

0:56:25Sure. For lines 72, 72M and 72L, under this plan, they will remain at 15-minute week, frequencies. So we don't… because of how many riders are taking that… those routes, we don't have

0:56:41under the contingency service plan, there's no plans to change the frequencies of the routes. Some of those routes, the spans will start earlier in the morning.

0:56:54Because we are having to change our all-nighter owl service, that runs on San Pablo, and so…

0:57:04Because our all-nighter service runs on the same street as the 72s, we're instead having the 72s start earlier as a result, but the frequencies will not change.

0:57:16Okay. Hopefully that answers… Yes.

0:57:19Very much appreciated. And you, you asked what can your citizenry, do, and… We have a lot of seniors here, seniors that can no longer drive, and we have seniors that shouldn't be driving, and they're still driving, so, the importance of making sure that,

0:57:36our seniors have choices. Yeah, so,

0:57:40as I mentioned in my presentation, and this, I will caveat, is exclusively for educational purposes and not for advocacy, there is a ballot measure on this upcoming November ballot,

0:57:54called the Connect Bay Area Act, or on the ballot, I believe it will be called, the Regional Transit Measure.

0:58:02Additionally, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority is in the process right now of doing listening sessions throughout Contra Costa County.

0:58:12For their transportation expenditure plan. I don't think that they've nailed down exactly when they decide to put it on the ballot, but it's looking like maybe 2028? I don't know that they've actually made that decision, but, it certainly will,

0:58:31Help to fund transit if they get the word that that is something that people care about.

0:58:37So they're just starting that process, they've been sort of doing the roadshow.

0:58:42And that would be important feedback, from your residents. Yeah, thank you. And for our residents, I just want to make sure that they know the importance of transit here in El Cerrito. If these measures fail, we will have complete gridlock 24 hours a day on our freeways, so…

0:59:02And that's not a good thing. So, our folks that drive know the importance of making sure this measure passes in November and in 2028. So I'll come here to, my colleagues, and we'll start with the Mayor Pro Tem.

0:59:19First, thank you for the presentation, and thank you for planning for the future. I hope that future doesn't come, but I think it's the smart thing to do, just in case it does, and it's good to communicate to folks.

0:59:31what could happen if there is no funding? I think people are maybe more aware of the BART fiscal crisis and less aware of AC Transit and some of the other agencies, but the truth is, all the transit agencies are going to suffer if there's no additional funding.

0:59:46And that's just the initial suffering, and then as BART winds down, AC Transit and other agencies will suffer even more.

0:59:53I don't know what percentage your ridership is of transfers from BART, but some of the smaller bus agencies in Contra Costa

1:00:00more than half their ridership comes from transfers from BART. So we're… we're gonna get into a doom loop with all of our transit agencies if we don't have more funding. So, really appreciate, you planning for this and presenting.

1:00:14just since you brought it up on the CCTA process, considering a measure either in 2028 or sometime in the future, I'm an alternate to CCTA, so I've been really involved in these discussions, and I think it's going to be critical for West County to champion

1:00:32transit operations funding, because often there's, you know, shiny, big capital projects, and those can take up a lot of the air in the room, and so it's going to be on us to advocate for substantial… a substantial portion of that measure to go to transit operations funding, because what's the point of

1:00:50building fancy new facilities if we don't have any buses to run to them. So that… that will be a process, and if anybody in the public wants to get involved in that CCTAs.

1:01:01doing a summer listening survey right now. It's kind of a complicated URL, but if you go to the CCTA website, you can find it there. If you just look up CCTA summer listening, you can find it pretty easily, and it's not too long of a survey where you can weigh in and say, we want to fund bus service, or whatever else you think

1:01:20You want to fund.

1:01:23I just want to say, you know, it's interesting, I think if you gave this presentation with a focus on another area, the cuts might seem even more devastating, and maybe they don't seem as bad for West County, because the sad truth is our service has already been completely cut to the bone. I mean, I think you all know I've been a long-time AC Transit rider since I got my

1:01:42asked when I went to UC Berkeley and started riding buses all the time. And when I lived in Oakland before I moved to El Cerrito, there were many years I was a daily bus rider, and even when I started to walk to work, I was taking the bus at least 3 days a week.

1:01:57And then I moved to El Cerrito, and now it became, like, once a month, just because we have almost no bus service. And then the 72R went away, and I don't… now I don't even ride the bus even once a month. And I'm somebody who really, really likes riding transit and prioritizes it, but actually, most of the time, it's

1:02:14Quicker for me to walk somewhere than to take a bus, because there just aren't bus options.

1:02:19So, what I wanted to say is, let's assume we get more funding for transit.

1:02:25what is going to be the process to start to restore some of the huge cuts that have happened to West County? How are we going to get the 72R back? How are we going to get that service on Richmond that was recommended in the

1:02:38BART, study that they did, I don't even know how many years ago now, the Berkeley-El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan, which was a study that was done knowing that there was housing development that was planned from El Cerrito to Berkeley, a lot of parking going away, and there were all these recommendations for bus service, for pedestrian improvements, for bike improvements, so we could make it easier

1:03:00for people to get to the stations without driving, so…

1:03:04say we get this funding, what are the next steps to get to the more positive realm where we're actually getting to increasing service, and how can we be part of that discussion, assuming the funding comes? If it doesn't, I fully understand the situation.

1:03:30That's a great question. To be honest with you, we haven't been, you know, working on a prioritization of what

1:03:40could happen. I know there was a brief moment in the realign process where we did look at what the network could look like, unconstrained, if funding were to be prioritized for transit.

1:03:53That never really got to see the light of day, to be frank, but that was something our board had asked us to look into. So I imagine we would…

1:04:03You know, if we did get the funding and more, that would be wonderful, and we would probably develop some sort of process to determine, you know, what those improvements could look like throughout our service area.

1:04:18Okay, well, I just want to say, one, the unconstrained plan was better than what we have now, but it wasn't unconstrained. It was still very constrained. I think we need to think bigger, and I failed to mention it, but the 7, as the mayor mentioned, is also very important. I mean, it has been so far cut to the bone, it's almost unusable. The only people using it to that day are the people who have no other options.

1:04:41And that is not how we should treat bus service. We should make it convenient, reliable, accessible. I know you believe this, I know you don't control the funding, so I'm not blaming you, but that is the point we need to get to, because if it's not gonna be somehow comparative to driving, or at least as reliable, even if it's not as fast, people are just not gonna take it. If they know if they've just missed their bus, there's not another one coming for an hour.

1:05:06work.

1:05:06You just… you can't rely on that. So, anyway, I hope to be having a very different conversation with you all next year. Thank you.

1:05:19For the presentation, very much appreciated.

1:05:24Okay, now we have adoption of the consent calendar.

1:05:28And we have, A, approval of minutes. B, environmental quality committee appointment recommendations, C, Board Commissions and committee work plans and or accomplishments, D, monthly dis…

1:05:43reimbursement and Check Register Report for June 2026.

1:05:48E is, 2025-26 fourth quarter cash and investment report. F is adopt an ordinance to establish district-based elections. Adopt

1:05:59the final map to establish district boundaries and establish sequence of district elections. And we have G, declare and certify the results of the June 2nd special municipal Election.

1:06:12And H is executing an agreement to purchase one replacement command vehicle in an amount not to exceed $100,000. And we have I, purchasing authority for Microsoft.

1:06:25M365 for government G3, and Microsoft M365 Business Premium Licenses.

1:06:33Would anyone like to pull an item?

1:06:38Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you, Mayor. I just want to point, direct the Council to make sure that you are aware there is a revised ordinance in the supplemental packet today. The only change made in that revision is a correction to the voting block on the final page of the document. The content remains unchanged, so I just wanted to make sure that you were aware of that.

1:06:55Okay, Councilmember Motayama.

1:06:59I would like to pull item 6C, the advisory body accomplishments, because I do see some advisory member… body members in the… in the audience, and if they would like to speak about their accomplishments, I would like to give them that opportunity.

1:07:16Anything else?

1:07:18I have questions on the… that's the only one I want to pull, but I have questions on other ones. I have a question on 6D, 6E, 6H…

1:07:286i.

1:07:32Mayor Pro Tem, do you have anything you'd like to pull?

1:07:34Do you have anything you'd like to pull? Okay, we will start with, C.

1:07:44So, you know.

1:07:47the accomplishments are always really great to see from our advisory bodies, because they are doing a lot of work. And,

1:07:55I do see someone from the Arts and Culture Commission. If you would like to come up and speak, if there's anyone else from the advisory bodies that would like to just

1:08:05talk about your accomplishments, I think that would be really great. Councilmember, if I may share, we, per Council direction, we do always request a representative from any advisory body that has either work plan or accomplishments on the agenda, so we do have representatives of, all but one, I believe, on the agenda tonight.

1:08:25So, we do… we have some online as well.

1:08:28Okay, so… If there's no takers in the room, maybe we should go to online?

1:08:34If any of our advisory body representatives online wanted to speak to their advisory body, can you raise your hand so we know that you would like to share some comments with the Council?

1:08:48I am not seeing any hands.

1:08:52Yeah, please come. Go ahead and come on up to the podium.

1:09:00I'm Kip Settles. I'm a 35-year resident of El Cerrito. I'm a commissioner for Arts and Culture.

1:09:08We are still seeking a Poet Laureate. We're actively seeking a Poet Laureate.

1:09:15We have a…

1:09:17registry where we've registered all the artists in El Cerrito, so we can let them know what's going on, and…

1:09:26We can get their ideas and their comments. We have… decorated the…

1:09:33Boxes in front of Harding School and throughout El Cerrito. We gave a presentation with regard to all the murals that are around El Cerrito that beautify our city. I've even talked to someone today who has a proposal to beautify a retaining wall near their home.

1:09:54We are partnering with schools and the public library, trying to get different students interested in arts projects. We are hanging art in the lobby.

1:10:07And… have the…

1:10:14We worked on the… we give a small grant for the art show in the community center.

1:10:21We worked on the… We have October Arts Month coming up.

1:10:27And we've had the messy art day.

1:10:30So, we meet on the fourth Monday of the month, and we welcome participation and comments from the public.

1:10:39Do you have any direct questions for me?

1:10:42No, I really appreciate your service, as I do all the members of the advisory boards, but I think you guys have been particularly active this year, so thank you.

1:10:51Thank you. Commissioner Settles, thank you very much for the presentation.

1:10:56Okay, next, do you have some questions on ETH?

1:11:00I'm just confirming with City Clerk that there's no more… Nobody else wants to say anything about their great work on the advisory bodies.

1:11:08Okay.

1:11:10Thank you. Okay. On, 6D, on the check register, I have a few questions.

1:11:20I can take them, or Crystal can take them.

1:11:23Go ahead. Okay, so on, the…

1:11:28696510 GrayTech Pool Plastering. I'd like to know if this is the final invoice for the pool, or if everything… has everything been completed and signed off? Where are we with paying that?

1:11:44Yeah, because I had a different answer.

1:11:48We did ask to answer some of your questions, but we found out one of them, we needed a different answer. Okay.

1:11:53Yes, let me, look at, Director Jones's response.

1:11:59I believe the… It is… that's for the parking portion of the, reeve…

1:12:09Structuring project. The project, and it is not complete yet. Okay. But the pool plastering part portion is? Yes. Correct.

1:12:17And then, on…

1:12:21the 96731 Northern Lights World 1 Stage Rental. Is there a final total cost for the event? No, we do not have the final total cost. We still have some, CalCard charges that will be coming in on the next round of statements, and a few other, invoices that we're still waiting for.

1:12:38Thank you very much.

1:12:40And both of you have questions on H. Who wants to go first?

1:12:456E?

1:12:46Okay, E?

1:12:48Did you finish with D? No. Okay. Okay.

1:12:51I have a question on 6E, on the quarterly, or fourth quarter report. What is the rate of return on the Section 115 trust? Because I see that it creates a lot of income compared to the amount of the principal, so…

1:13:06Yes, so it does… it fluctuates every month, depending on the market, because it is a passively managed investment portfolio. The average rate of return since inception has been about 12.86%, but it can vary depending

1:13:22Significantly by month, depending on how the market does. Okay, thank you.

1:13:27Okay, now, we're going to H.

1:13:29Do you want to go first?

1:13:33Okay, I'll just keep talking. Okay, I had a question about the, the fire, vehicle, and I was wondering…

1:13:43If we had considered biodiesel,

1:13:47you know, why can't we do an electric vehicle in this case? So, I would appreciate your thoughts on that. No, thanks, Mayor, Councilmembers, Eric Saylors, your Fire Chief. It was actually a really good question, and when it came in on the diesel option, it was one of those views where I was like.

1:14:05I'm not quite sure. So it is possible. You can order that vehicle with a small diesel in it. Unfortunately, it'd be a custom order, so it would take a little over a year to get it. It would put us in the next fiscal year. And since it is outside of what is

1:14:22called the SSV, the Special Service Vehicle Build, it would be quite a bit more expensive.

1:14:28So, it is a good question, it is possible, it's going to be more expensive, and if it's something we're really interested in, I would entertain it for next fiscal year on the next purchase.

1:14:38And I also wanted to note that we use renewable diesel and not biodiesel. There is a difference, and biodiesel hasn't worked with our vehicles, so we use renewable diesel. But I thought we had, transitioned a number of vehicles to the… Renewable, yes, we have.

1:14:54And the question about the electric… So the electric vehicles, and I want to thank Howdy Gotti so much for the six-page analysis. It's incredible. A lot of good points. When we look at these vehicles, we don't want to think of them as transportation vehicles.

1:15:07their response vehicles.

1:15:10So they're being called to an area of disaster, and the first thing that happens in those areas is electricity gets turned off.

1:15:18So when you think about the Palisades fire, they had electricity off for 5 weeks. Eaton Fire, 3 weeks. Every major disaster, the first thing that goes down is electricity.

1:15:28So, these as response vehicles, their average daily drive doesn't make any difference. What happens is, is that they're going to get called out, and they're going to drive 500 miles, Code 3, to an area. They're going to become part of an infrastructure.

1:15:40where gas is brought in for those vehicles and become part of the system, right? So we are part of this large Master Mutual Aid that happens out across

1:15:49California, and Cal OES and CAL FIRE writes specs for these vehicles so that they don't get stuck, they have the right clearance, and they can be part of this response. I did go through every vehicle that we own, line by line, again today, to see if there is any option

1:16:05And…

1:16:07They are all response vehicles, or tow vehicles, so unfortunately, that's where they're at. And tow vehicles are response vehicles, too. They're designed to tow rescue trailers.

1:16:17So, that is the limitation. There's others as well, but that's the major limitation on electrical vehicles for these response vehicles. And I understand them in detail. I've owned an electric vehicle for 4 years. Personally, they're wonderful. I love it. It's just a different tool for a different mission.

1:16:39Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Did you have another question on that?

1:16:42Yeah, that makes sense, and I understand the challenges, and part of the challenge is just where our country has been going, and if

1:16:51we invested in technology development, not El Cerrito, our country, then maybe we could be in a different place.

1:16:58That's something that needs to be addressed. Something mentioned in here that part of the issue is just charging capacity, so is… are you talking about charging capacity when it's out and about, or just you don't have the charging capacity here?

1:17:12It's actually both, so we don't have the rapid chargers here. If the fire department were to purchase

1:17:18drive-around vehicles, which we don't have any right now, but if we were to purchase drive-around vehicles, we would still need the ability to charge them. Right now, the only option we would have would be a 40A 220 charger, which takes roughly 10 hours to charge a vehicle. So, it's workable, but it's not very practical.

1:17:36But if you're talking about response vehicles, then it's absolutely off the table, because you drive 400 miles to Oregon, like, we almost sent someone yesterday

1:17:44You're arriving in a dead zone.

1:17:47So even if we… because when I first read this, I was like, well, should we be thinking for the future about charging capacity here? But it sounds like even if we did that.

1:17:56there's still not an option until everybody does it. Right, right, not for a response vehicle. And if the fire department did have it in its budget to purchase additional vehicles for doing inspections or things like that, then an electric vehicle would be totally appropriate. It would be a transportation, drive-around vehicle that we could charge that. That would be a great fit.

1:18:15But we don't have that capacity in our budget, we don't have those extra vehicles. Everything that we have is bare minimum response. Yep.

1:18:21That's fine. It's okay to not have extra vehicles. It sounds like you're using them how you need them.

1:18:27Speaking of other vehicles, it says in here that we have several vehicles that have over 190,000 miles and vary from 18 to 20 years old.

1:18:36So, can you tell us the plan for the rest of them, and how many is several? Yeah, I actually can grab my Excel spreadsheet right now. I printed it up if you want me to go through it in detail, but the plan is we have 10 vehicles. We will do… replace a vehicle every year.

1:18:52So, we'll cycle through them in 10 years. 10 years is about a maximum you want to keep a small vehicle. Most… most departments recommend 5 to 6 years, but we're going to stretch every penny that we can so we get caught up.

1:19:04The challenge was, was that we froze most of these replacements for so many years that were sitting on a bunch of 2007, 2006 vehicles, and some of them are hitting 300,000 miles.

1:19:15And, as you know, you're spending $10,000 to repair a $2,000 or $3,000 vehicle when the motors and transmissions are going out. But hopefully, with this plan, what'll happen is each year we'll replace one, we'll slowly get caught up, and then we'll be on a constant cycle so they don't have to do this again. So, did you say that the plan is to replace one per year? Yes, one per year. And so we have that budgeted at least for this year and next year? We do.

1:19:39We do.

1:19:40We do, and that's the plan going on, and if we do one per year, we'll be on a 10-year cycle. So that means the oldest vehicle will go out of the fleet will be 10 years old, and that'll be perfect. That's right at the point where they're hitting that tip-over, where they're more expensive to maintain than replace.

1:19:53Do you feel like we're at any risk of, before we get to the 10 years, some of these are going to totally fail, and we're gonna have to replace more than… I know you can't predict the future, but is that… might we need to front-load more at some point?

1:20:06I would love to front-load more. We will be repairing some with high expenses.

1:20:12But I'm also going to operate as best I can within the budget that I'm given to make sure that we're safe. And I think what the plan that we have right now is the most appropriate going forward.

1:20:22Great, thank you.

1:20:24Yes, go ahead.

1:20:26I have a quick follow-up question. So, if we are replacing one vehicle per year, how does that fit into our total fleet electrification goals? I mean.

1:20:36Are all those 10 vehicles service vehicles, not just driving around vehicles? Yep, we don't have any… we don't have any drive-around vehicles. I…

1:20:46I wish we did.

1:20:48But it would be more vehicles. Yeah, so 2 of them are dedicated tow vehicles, 4 of them are dedicated chiefs response vehicles, the other 2 are reserves, and then the other 2 go out as actual wild-end response vehicles. And I went through them all again.

1:21:03You know, line by line, to see if there was any chance to flex in a few years. And if we did, we'd have to reduce our response capability.

1:21:11Does Cal OES pay for any portion of that response vehicle? They do, they do. So every time we send a vehicle out, CalOS totally reimburses us as long as we fit within that package. Yeah, so it's, it is a very good partnership with El Cerrito and Cal OES.

1:21:28Thank you very much.

1:21:31Any other comments? One thing I wanted to mention, as a member of the Air Board, representing Contra Costa County, the governor just did sign, you know, more grants available, and

1:21:43They are, there's, legislation with, Senator McNerney.

1:21:50to, have more funding for hydrogen. So, the future of hydrogen, I think, for heavy-duty trucks and fire rather than EVs, that's what we're looking at at the air board, and that's to complement, not to replace.

1:22:05Regular gas cars, because we are paying the highest prices on airfares. I paid $543 just to fly to LAX. I'm flying to Fresno.

1:22:16almost $550, and that was a 39-day advance ticket. So we do pay the highest prices, and I'm working with the mayors as president of Cal City's

1:22:26to make sure that in the Central Valley, they want to get to oil production then, if we kept them at their business.

1:22:34we would have lower, prices per gallon, and we would have cheaper airfares within California. So, keeping an equal balance on everything, it was never to replace what we have. People still had to fly. So, just wanted to let you know about that and what I'm doing.

1:22:51as air board and president of Cal Cities, you know, we have policies that go extreme both ways, and we are there in the middle, and cities want affordable energy prices. We're not getting it. So, I hear you, Chief, and we're… yeah, so I'm backing you guys up there, so…

1:23:09Thank you very much. I really appreciate that work. Yeah, you know, we're not ready for electrification. I took a tour of the last nuclear plant. It's extended another 20 years.

1:23:21Because people want data and data centers that take more energy than a lot of small cities, so the importance of keeping that open, and that's what we're doing. So, next we'll go to I. Someone has a question on I.

1:23:38Thank you, Mayor. I have a question on our Microsoft purchase.

1:23:45I can answer that.

1:23:46Or Eric, can you answer?

1:23:48I didn't, like, be that good.

1:23:52So… you know… We… it's… the agreement says it's… or the staff report says it's $65,000 per year.

1:24:03Beginning it for 3 years, but in year 2 and 3,

1:24:08it has a higher amount, so could you explain that, please? Yes, good evening, Mayor and Councilmember. I'm Eric Yang, your IT Manager.

1:24:17And, the reason that, the price for Tier 2 and 3 is, like.

1:24:2110% higher is because, the state passed in their closing months of, you know, closing weeks of, June, SB122, that put sales tax on software and software as a service.

1:24:37So, we're buying this Microsoft P65, the better version for our city for security and protection.

1:24:43We have to pay sales tax on the year 2 and 3. That's why you see the extra 10% on those 2 years.

1:24:51How much do we pay right now for the Microsoft 360.5 that we have?

1:24:58Currently, the last,

1:25:01fiscal year, we pay $25,000. So this is significantly more, but we are supposed to get more cyber security with this, this enhanced format? Yes, more compliance and more protection for our city's data.

1:25:16Thank you very much. Thank you. I just want to, you know, just request to my colleagues, you know,

1:25:22things that are on the agenda, I hope you can ask those questions to staff and the city manager instead of asking many of the questions that should have been asked. I did. I asked yesterday, and I didn't get the response yet. Okay, no, I wasn't exactly speaking to you, but…

1:25:40I know it's interesting to me, so I do… You cannot go in the weeds all the time, because we have a lot of people waiting, so thank you. And we do have, you know, we did get some emails about some questions, so I try to be selective and make sure that we respond to those. Thank you very much, I very much appreciate it.

1:25:57Okay. Would anyone like to make a motion to approve, A2? So…

1:26:03Aye. Can we just… oh, you mean the entire consent calendar? Yes, so moved. Second. Okay, we have a motion from the Mayor Pro Tem, and a motion by Councilmember Otayama. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay, any nays? Abstention? Motion passes. Next, we will go to…

1:26:23a public hearing, and we have the Fire Hazard Abatement hearing and declaration.

1:26:35Good evening.

1:26:37Good evening, Mayor Quinto and City Council members. My name is Chase Beckman, Fire Marshal for the City of Bell Cerrito.

1:26:43I join you this evening to introduce a resolution declaring identified properties within El Cerrito as public nuisances for the purpose of abatement.

1:26:52El Cerrito Fire Department remains intentional and consistent with messaging our citizens the importance of proactive and continuous defensible space and home hardening measures.

1:27:03These efforts are critical for all property owners.

1:27:06Year-round, let alone as we enter into the hottest, driest peak season of our summer.

1:27:12The properties that have not completed defensible space requirements are listed before you on Exhibit A.

1:27:17I do understand that this list is much longer than we've seen in the past. Please note that there are a lot of minor deficiencies with those properties that are not in compliance.

1:27:30Our inspectors are experienced, very motivated, and they've been very thorough. So just wanted to notate that, that we're always willing to work with our constituents, with any questions that they may have as this process,

1:27:44continues, and I'm here to take any questions that you may have.

1:27:48Any questions from the Council?

1:27:51Male person.

1:27:53So I did ask about this yesterday, but I want to surface it, especially because we had the recommendation come from the Community Safety Committee about

1:28:06changing the amount of days to 45 days, and I do understand why you're recommending keeping it at 30 days. But what I noticed here, I'm looking for the line, but it said basically, oh, in practice.

1:28:21The extensions are routinely granted, which I think is great when people need them. It's especially challenging during the summer months, especially those of us with kids. It's like the only time you can take a long vacation is in the summer.

1:28:34And so people might be gone for a few weeks and get back and all of a sudden have this very scary letter and think they have 5 days to deal with it. But if you look at the letter, it's pretty frightening, and it doesn't say there's wiggle room. So my request is just that that letter be updated, to

1:28:52tell people, so you don't just need to be in the know to know you can request an extension, but that we put that in there, that you're willing to work with people, and it becomes less of a scary thing and more a we'll work with you thing. So, just wanted to see if that is possible.

1:29:08Yeah, I think it's important that we also understand that this is a year-round endeavor that we need to take. Absolutely. And I know that the fire season puts it on front page, where it's like, okay, now we gotta hurry up and get going when we need to be proactive. But with that being said.

1:29:23We don't want to go outside of the lines, as been adopted by the City Council and our processes, but we are still very open.

1:29:32to… Correcting some of that language and adding in our availability to assist,

1:29:39folks and some extension times. Great, because if they need 5 more days, they should know that they can get 5 more days, and it's not going to be like the city's going to show up and do it and charge them money. Yeah, we're here to educate, we're here… we don't want to come in with a heavy hand. We are always very reasonable when it comes to folks

1:29:58And where they're at with their measures and mitigation.

1:30:01Great.

1:30:03Any other questions?

1:30:05I just want to agree with, Councilman… or Mayor Pro Tem Saltzman. I think it's really hard for people to, like, navigate that if you're… this is the first time you're getting a letter from the city, and it's just…

1:30:17like, hardcore, we're coming after you, and we're gonna do this stuff, because I think there's, you know, culturally, like, if my… if my mom got this letter, she would never ask for an extension.

1:30:29Because she would think, this is what you have to do, and I think we need to be thinking broader about, you know, putting it on the website and saying, you know, extensions are possible on a case-by-case basis, or something. I don't… I don't think we need to give everybody a blanket extension.

1:30:44But so that people can see that there is some negotiating that they could do. That would be really appreciated.

1:30:50Thank you. No problem.

1:30:52I just wanted to say, I'm looking at the list now and the addresses. I remember with during the first drought, we had much, much more back in the day. So to look at this, and just remember when we had a lot of properties.

1:31:07That, needed to be trimmed.

1:31:09Just a reminder to our residents, we cannot mess around when it comes to high fire danger.

1:31:16which is all through the year, not just in the summer and the fall. The importance of cleaning up your yards and being a respectful neighbor, and just cleaning it up. When you get that letter, just do it, because you can use… you can lose your homeowner's insurance.

1:31:33And you can get fined. And if you don't read the letter and answer the letter, we'll have it done for you, and we'll put a lien on your house. So we're not kidding. We look at the fire danger that can come.

1:31:46We almost… we had this huge fire in, near Mount Diablo, and… and that could have gone, sideways very, very easy.

1:31:55And that is why we are very, very tough and serious when it comes to public safety, especially when it comes to cleaning your yard. So, I mean, I have neighbors that haven't cleaned their yards in a while, so I'm telling my neighborhood

1:32:10Please clean it, because insurance agents are scoping the place, scoping all our residents, and they're looking… they know.

1:32:17where all of the homes are that don't clean up their yards, and I see many of these addresses are the same ones we see year after year. So, again, thank you for the presentation. Do I have a motion to approve?

1:32:33I'll move.

1:32:35Okay, good. And again, just to clarify, that is with the revised exhibit. Thank you. Do you still, approve that. Okay.

1:32:44So we have a motion by Motayama and a second from the Mayor Pro Tem.

1:32:49All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries with Councilmember Gibson as absent. Okay.

1:32:57So, we are going to, do the hearing.

1:33:04The public hearing is now open. Now is the time for members of the public who wish to provide public comments on this item. Requests to speak can be submitted to the City Clerk by completing a speaker card, using the raise hand feature on Zoom, or dialing star 9 by joining by phone.

1:33:22In-person requests will be taken first. Please remember to identify yourself and your City of Residence at the beginning of your comments. City Clerk, please proceed. Thank you, Mayor. We just have one request to speak. It is actually a virtual request, so I will go to Jean Shrem.

1:33:39Gene, you should be able to unmute and begin your time now.

1:33:45Hygiene.

1:33:48Jean, are you still there? Did you want to provide public comments on this item?

1:33:52Jean Shrem (EDC): Yes, sorry. No, I'm actually here on behalf of the EDC, and I was waiting to be called, but it looks like my section was skipped.

1:34:01Or, I got confused.

1:34:05We have already passed on that item. We're actually at the public hearing for the fire abatement. Did you want to provide public comments on this item?

1:34:15Jean Shrem (EDC): I do not. I guess I'll speak next time. Thank you, though.

1:34:18Okay, thank you. Thank you, Jane. Okay, then Mayor, we do not have any requests to speak. Okay, do I have a motion to close the public hearing?

1:34:27Second. Okay, we have a motion by the Mayor of Town, and a motion by Councilmember Weisinger and Madam City Clerk.

1:34:34All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries with Councilmember Quetzanis absent.

1:34:40Great.

1:34:41Thank you. Thank you very much for the presentation.

1:34:45Next, we have policy matter. Mayor, we close the public hearing, but we still need to consider the adoption of the second resolution? So moved.

1:34:55Second. Okay, and that is to approve.

1:34:59That's secret.

1:35:01And apologies, was Mayor Pro Tem and Councilmember Weisinger, what's the motion and second? Councilmember Ochiyama, thank you. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries with Councilmember Katanis absent. Okay, next is City Council Local and Regional Liaison Simons, who would like to go first?

1:35:20I'll just state that I attended the ribbon cutting for the Del Norte Complete Streets.

1:35:26I also attended the ribbon cutting, and this weekend, I went on a really fantastic walk that the El Cerrito Historical Society and the Trail Trekkers did about the history of the Ohlone Greenway.

1:35:41It was really fantastic, and I recommend it to everybody, and they're gonna do it again in November, so you can go check it out. I think, like, 50 people came, it was very well attended. I learned a ton about history and about trees.

1:35:54So their programming is always great. And then I also attended on the 15th the,

1:36:02Contra Costa Transportation Authority board workshop about the

1:36:07transportation expenditure plan, which I alluded to earlier.

1:36:13Do you have anything? Let's see, I was in,

1:36:17last Wednesday, I flew down to Los Angeles, where City Manager Karen Pecos and I had the Cal City's board meeting in Redondo Beach, and I want to thank the Mayor for his kind

1:36:29hospitality and welcoming, the board of 57, to Redondo Beach. We got a lot done. We did deal with, Prop 45, and that is a CEQA.

1:36:42Measure, and,

1:36:44I believe… do you have any update on that? City Manager can't pick us. Other than the Cal Cities Board did not take a position on that ballot measure. So that was… what was that, Prop 45? I would have to look exactly at the proposition numbers.

1:37:02Yeah. Yeah.

1:37:05Prop 45, and we are going neutral on that. This is when you… No position. No position. We voted down neutral. This is when you have environmentalists saying this, and housing people saying the other. This is what we see in Berkeley and this part of the East Bay all the time. So, we did this right then. We had no position on this, so…

1:37:25that's that, and I did spend the weekend in downtown Los Angeles as president of Cal Cities. I spoke at the AAPI LEAD conference in downtown, and

1:37:38API, Asian American elected officials from all over across the country, flew down to Los Angeles to meet

1:37:47I did have, and this is a nonpartisan, event, so as president of Cal Cities, I got to meet, again, the vice president, former Vice President, from,

1:38:00this area, and that's Kamala Harris, and a lot of assembly members, senators, members of Congress, the mayor of Cincinnati, and we had a diverse array of topics dealing with, energy, dealing with

1:38:16cleaner air, dealing with running for office, so I see

1:38:22a few people running for office, so I encourage you to take all the trainings that are available, so when you're ready to do this, and you know what to do. So, reach out to me if you have any questions. I'd be more than happy to advise you. So, so that's that. So,

1:38:42Let's see, any other…

1:38:44Comments? Nope. We're going to adjourn this Council meeting at, 740. We are adjourned. The next City Council meeting is on Tuesday, August 18th at 6 p.m. Have a good day.