Wednesday, 12-11- Coffee with the City, Pinole Valley Road Starbucks, 8-10 AM, in person. Come have coffee and talk with city staff!

Tuesday, 12-10- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, In person 10-11 AM. “
     *SENIOR FOOD PROGRAM*

The Senior Center partners with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County to offer the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens ages 55+ to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese, and assorted meats twice a month. The program is available for Pinole senior residents only. There will be only one food distribution for the month of December on Tuesday, December 10th from 10 am – 11 am at the Senior Center (2500 Charles Ave.).

The second distribution scheduled for Tuesday, December 24th is canceled. The Senior Food Program will resume on January 14th, 2025.

Individuals interested in the program must complete the Senior Food Program Application. Applications are available at the Senior Center and can also be found on the Pinole Senior Center website <https://www.pinole.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SFP-Application.pdf> [link replaced by direct link to the PDF]. For questions, contact, mpicazo@pinole.gov.”(Pinole pulse, 11/7, Rec and Roll 12/5)

Today, 12-9- Planning Commission Meeting, 7 PM, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/123/files/agenda/744 (note the new URL).

There will be 5 items on the agenda- the minutes from the prior meeting, setting the commission’s meeting schedule for 2025 (page 15), a variance and design review for a pole sign at 1007 San Pablo Avenue (pages 16-22 for staff report, 23-25 for resolution, 26-31 for conditions of approval, 32-40 for site plans), a use permit request from Sprouts Farmer’s Market to shift from selling beer and wine to selling those and spirits (pages 41-49 for staff report, 50-51 for resolution, 52-55 for conditions of approval, 56 for site plan, 57-8 for council finding of public convenience or necessity (PCN)), and initial review of municipal code amendments (pages 59-62 for staff report, 63-64 for resolution, 65-84 for text of amendments, 85-88 for highlighted programs addressed by amendments). Broadly speaking, this batch of amendments is to make SB9 projects simpler, implement objective standards for SB9 units, and update the city’s ADU ordinance to align with state law (see pages 85-88).

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, entering the webinar ID 865 0537 5301 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253) 215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 865 0537 5301#. Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by pressing *9, and unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also attend the meeting in person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St.

Today, 12-9- General produce distribution, 9-10 AM, Pinole Senior Center, in Person. “

The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County will be providing free bags of fresh produce every second Monday of the month. The next drive-thru distribution is Monday, December 9, 2024, from 9 AM to 10 AM (or as supplies last) at the Pinole Senior Center parking lot, (2500 Charles Avenue) You do not need to be a member of the Pinole Senior Center or a senior to receive food. One bag per household and this will be a contactless event, please follow the directions from staff and volunteers when you arrive. Parking or exiting your vehicle will not be allowed. Please open your vehicle’s trunk when you enter the parking lot. Food items will be placed in the trunk only by staff/volunteers. If you have any questions, contact mpicazo@pinole.gov or call us at (510) 724-9800.” (Pinole Pulse, 12/5)

Tuesday, 12-3- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/64/files/agenda/739 .

There are no closed session items- so you should expect the meeting to start at 5.

There are three proclamations, for Remembering Robert Walker (page 7), Honoring First Responders for their exemplary life-saving efforts on October 8th (page 8), and Honoring Matt Avery on His Retirement (page 9).

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants (but not the minutes), a resolution to update the master salary schedule to adjust for the minimum wage increase in the new year for seasonal/temporary positions (from $16 to $16.50 in the minimum wage, and by proportional amounts in higher steps- see page 27) (net fiscal impact $2312.25, page 21), and second read and adoption of Pinole Municipal Code and Specific Plan Amendments related to Housing Element Programs No. 10, 12 and 15, and Regulatory Consistency. Copying over the relevant points from when the planning commission considered this on September 9th- (see pages 74-78 for a summary, pages 30-31 for the ordinance, pages 33-73 for details with pages 123-4 flagging the particular housing element programs). To quote the highlighted parts of pages 123-4- “Investigate Density Bonus beyond state law.”(page 123), “Amend the Emergency Shelter ordinance to comply with AB 139 and to ensure that standards for emergency shelters are subject to the same standards as other uses in
the same zone and parking requirements are based on staffing levels only.
• Amend the zoning ordinance pursuant to Government Code Section 65583 to allow
for Low Barrier Navigation Centers by right in areas zoned for mixed uses and
nonresidential zones that permit multifamily uses.
• Amend the zoning ordinance in RMU to permit manufactured homes on permanent
foundations as if they were single-family homes.”(page 123), “Review and revise standards and definitions for both group homes and residential care facilities to ensure that they are fully compliant with all appropriate state laws
and that there are no constraints on group homes in the Zoning Code. This includes
an amendment to allow group homes in the R zone as a permitted use by right as is
allowed in all other residential zones and adding a definition of group residential to
the Zoning Code.
• Review the definition of family and revise as appropriate to ensure that the definition
does not require, or imply that it requires a single lease or rental agreement.
• Amend the zoning ordinance to comply with state density bonus law (California
Government Code section 65915). Specifically the update will increase the maximum
density bonus from 35 to 50 percent, add student housing as a housing type that is
eligible for density bonus incentives, reduce parking from 2 to 1.5 spaces for two and
three bedroom units and from 2.5 to 2 spaces for four or more bedroom units. The
City is complying with state density bonus law though the code is not yet updated.” (pages 123-4), and “Lower the approval authority of entitlements for all Density Bonus projects from City Council to Planning Commission.” (page 124). There is also the planning commission’s resolution on pages 125-6.

There is one public hearing item- First reading of an ordinance amending chapter 10.56 “speed zones” of the Pinole Municipal code, with a resolution to accept a traffic speed survey and establish new speed limits- Pinole Valley Road from Tennent Ave to Granada Ct going from 30 to 25 MPH, Pinole Valley Road from Granada Ct to Simas Ave going from 35 to 30 MPH, San Pablo Avenue from Oak Ridge Rd to Sunnyview Dr going from 35 to 25 MPH, and San Pablo Ave from Sunnyview Dr to the West city limit going from 40 to 30 MPH, and additionally Pinole Valley Road from Simas Ave to the city limits going from 35 to 30 MPH (see page 128 for the relevant table, fiscal cost not stated, reported as minimal (128). Resolution on pages 129-30, Report on pages 132-193, ordinance on pages 194-197).

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89335000272>, entering the webinar ID
893 3500 0272 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253)
215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 893 3500 0272#.
Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by pressing *9, and
unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also attend the meeting in
person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St.

Tuesday, 11-26- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, In person 10-11 AM. “


     *SENIOR FOOD PROGRAM*

The Senior Center partners with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County to offer the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens ages 55+ to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese, and assorted meats twice a month. The program is available for Pinole senior residents only. This program takes place every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The next distribution will be on *Tuesday, November 26th from 10:00 am – 11:00 am*. Individuals interested in the program must complete the Senior Food Program Application. Applications are available at the Senior Center and can also be found on the Pinole Senior Center website <https://www.pinole.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SFP-Application.pdf&gt; [link replaced by direct link to the PDF]. For questions, contact, mpicazo@pinole.gov.”(Pinole pulse, 11/22)

Today, 11-18- Planning Commission Meeting, 7 PM, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/122/files/agenda/725 (note the new URL).

There will be 2 items on the agenda- the minutes from the prior meeting, and an informational item on density bonuses.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, entering the webinar ID 865 0537 5301 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253) 215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 865 0537 5301#. Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by pressing *9, and unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also attend the meeting in person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St.

Tuesday, 11-19- Regular City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/75/files/agenda/731 (and note that it’s a moderately large file this time- 45 MB and about 400 pages) . There is also a correction memo at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/75/files/agenda/732 going into more detail about phase 2 rebates.

There are no closed session items- so you should expect the meeting to start at 5.

There’s one highlighted item in reports and communications- appointment of two councilmembers to serve on an Ad-Hoc Downtown Pedestrian Safety Committee (page 6).

There are three proclamations, for Native American Heritage Month (page 8), Sikh Awareness Month (page 9), and World Town Planning Day (page 10). There are also two presentations- a safe technology presentation by the environmental health trust, and a presentation on Pedestrian Safety Improvements in Pinole, Including Introduction of Pilot Program Concepts in Downtown/Old Town Area.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal minutes and warrants, the first quarter financial report (which has some lovely new charts showing relevant values from the past several years on a per-quarter basis for many of the categories. You can find it on pages 69-109), the first quarter investment report (slight loss in overall yields, increase in LAIF (Local Agency Investment Fund) yields (page 111). report on Pages 110-115), development impact fee report (pages 116-135),

an update on the energy enhancement rebate program (PEER)- a program to fund energy efficency upgrades in Pinole, covering how it was used and new funding (pages 136-162, along with the earlier correction memo), a resolution to accept a grant for $700,000 from the California Energy Commission to support the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) ($350,000 more than the city applied for due to the completeness of the CAAP, see page 164) (pages 163-198, fiscal impact gain of $700,000 page 165),

a resolution making a finding of Public Convenience Necessity for Sprouts to sell spirits for offsite consumption in addition to their existing approval to sell beer and wine (type 21 versus type 20 license) (pages 199-203), an informational report on AB 413 requiring no parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk (marked or unmarked, so functionally all intersections) or 15 feet of a curb extension (pages 204-208),

and finally a resolution to accept a traffic speed survey and establish new speed limits- Pinole Valley Road from Tennent Ave to Granada Ct going from 30 to 25 MPH, Pinole Valley Road from Granada Ct to Simas Ave going from 35 to 30 MPH, San Pablo Avenue from Oak Ridge Rd to Sunnyview Dr going from 35 to 25 MPH, and San Pablo Ave from Sunnyview Dr to the West city limit going from 40 to 30 MPH (see page 210 for the relevant table, fiscal cost of $10k for changing signs already allocated. Report on pages 213-277).

There is one public hearing item- First Read of Pinole Municipal Code and Specific Plan Amendments related to Housing Element Programs No. 10, 12 and 15, and Regulatory Consistency. Copying over the relevant points from when the planning commission considered this on September 9th- (see pages 278-282 for a summary, pages 283-285 for the ordinance, pages 286-326 for details with pages 327-328 flagging the particular housing element programs). To quote the highlighted parts of pages 327-8- “Investigate Density Bonus beyond state law.”(page 327), “Amend the Emergency Shelter ordinance to comply with AB 139 and to ensure that standards for emergency shelters are subject to the same standards as other uses in
the same zone and parking requirements are based on staffing levels only.
• Amend the zoning ordinance pursuant to Government Code Section 65583 to allow
for Low Barrier Navigation Centers by right in areas zoned for mixed uses and
nonresidential zones that permit multifamily uses.
• Amend the zoning ordinance in RMU to permit manufactured homes on permanent
foundations as if they were single-family homes.”(page 327), “Review and revise standards and definitions for both group homes and residential care facilities to ensure that they are fully compliant with all appropriate state laws
and that there are no constraints on group homes in the Zoning Code. This includes
an amendment to allow group homes in the R zone as a permitted use by right as is
allowed in all other residential zones and adding a definition of group residential to
the Zoning Code.
• Review the definition of family and revise as appropriate to ensure that the definition
does not require, or imply that it requires a single lease or rental agreement.
• Amend the zoning ordinance to comply with state density bonus law (California
Government Code section 65915). Specifically the update will increase the maximum
density bonus from 35 to 50 percent, add student housing as a housing type that is
eligible for density bonus incentives, reduce parking from 2 to 1.5 spaces for two and
three bedroom units and from 2.5 to 2 spaces for four or more bedroom units. The
City is complying with state density bonus law though the code is not yet updated.” (pages 327-8), and “Lower the approval authority of entitlements for all Density Bonus projects from City Council to Planning Commission.” (page 328). There is also the planning commission’s resolution on pages 329-330.

Finally, there is 1 new business item- Review Updated Development Impact Fee Nexus Study and Recommended Fee Structure in Accordance with AB 1600, an initial discussion of revised development impact fees and scheduling a public hearing for their adoption (staff suggests January 21st, 2025 page 333). Proposed and current fees are shown on table 1 on page 332, which would have most residential fee costs increasing, along with all other categories save for institutional which would have a slight decrease from $1.86 to $1.81 per square foot. The current and proposed fees are compared to neighboring jurisdictions on page 333 in table 2, which shows that Pinole would be charging less than the average total but more than any given city besides Orinda. One point of interest is that we charge (and would charge) more for parks and public facilities than most, but quite a bit less for transportation. The staff report as a whole is on pages 331-334, the nexus study is on pages 335-388, and the wastewater capacity charge study is on pages 389-403.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, entering the webinar ID
893 3500 0272 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253)
215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 893 3500 0272#.
Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by pressing *9, and
unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also attend the meeting in
person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St.

Today, 11-12- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, In person 10-11 AM. “

SENIOR FOOD PROGRAM

The Senior Center partners with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County to offer the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens ages 55+ to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese, and assorted meats twice a month. The program is available for Pinole senior residents only. This program takes place every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The next distribution will be on Tuesday, November 12th and 26th from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. Individuals interested in the program must complete the Senior Food Program Application. Applications are available at the Senior Center and can also be found on the Pinole Senior Center website [link replaced by direct link to the PDF]. For questions, contact, mpicazo@pinole.gov.”(Pinole pulse, 11/7)

Today, 11-7- Police Chief Candidate forum, 5-7 PM, Senior Center in person. “

The City of Pinole invites you to a special Police Chief Candidate Meet & Greet on Thursday, November 7th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Senior Center Main Hall. This event offers an opportunity for Pinole residents to meet and engage with the Police Chief finalists before they proceed to their final hiring interview with the City Manager. This event also provides an opportunity to provide your feedback to the City Manager so that she can use that feedback in determining her selection.

During the meet and greet, our City Manager will facilitate an opportunity for the candidates to introduce themselves, share their backgrounds, and participate in a Q&A session. Following their presentations, you’ll have the chance to interact with the finalists in smaller “meet the candidate discussions,” allowing you to get to know them on a more personal level.

Refreshments and light snacks will be provided. All are welcome!

Read more about the three (3) Police Chief Candidate finalists.

Contact: Andrea Dwyer at adwyer@pinole.gov” (https://www.pinole.gov/event_list/police-chief-candidate-meet-greet-2/)

Wednesday, 10-23- Community Service Commission meeting, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid 5 PM. You can find the agenda packet here- https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/96/files/agenda/719. Items to be discussed- Minutes of prior meeting, holiday craft fair, tree lighting, holiday breakfast, and Glow Pinole.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82770240301>, entering the webinar ID 827-7024-0301 into zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833 or +1 (253) 215-8782 or +1 (346) 248-7799, then entering the meeting ID 827-7024-0301#. Once in the meeting by phone, you can raise your hand by pressing *9, and unmute by pressing *6 once called on. You can also attend the meeting in person at Pinole City Hall, 2131 Pear St.