Tuesday, 8-20- Regular City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/72/files/agenda/657 (this is a very large pdf- over 100 mb). There is also a corrected version of the broadband assessment at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/72/files/agenda/659 .

There are 2 closed session items- conference with labor negotiators with regards to the interim city manager, and public employee performance evaluation with regards to the interim city manager. I would expect those to take at least an hour.

There is one proclamation, recognizing the city’s interns Phoebe Deza and Ileana Miranda. There are 2 presentations, the first on the city’s sales tax ballot measure, and the second on the City Council internship program.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal minutes and warrants, a letter of concern regarding a new proposed casino in Vallejo (pages 30-31), and a letter of support for the City of Pinole and Richmond Community Foundation’s Application to the Partnership for the Bay’s Future Policy Fund Grant (letter itself on page 51, description of the grant and the process in staff summary on pages 34-6).

There is 1 public hearing- an extension of the entitlements for the Pinole Vista Project (223 units at 1500 Fitzgerald, the K-mart site). This is due to financing difficulties (pages 155-6 for the applicant’s letter). If you would like to review the project, the packet for it is pages 64-154.

Under old business we have adopting an initial study-negative declaration for the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and adopting the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan itself. The initial study-negative declaration goes over the potential California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) effects of the plan (pages 166-305). Changes made from public input on the draft plan are noted on page 158. There’s a lot to the plan itself (pages 306-500 for the plan proper, pages 501-540 for the inventory forecast and targets, pages 542-552 for the regulatory background, pages 553-620 for the evidence that supports the plan, and pages 621-761 for the CEQA documentation which is a duplicate of the initial-study negative declaration on pages 166-305 (save for the cover page on page 621). I’m unsure why it’s included twice. Following that, there’s CEQA greenhouse gas emissions thresholds and guidance on pages 763-816 (omitting the ending intentionally blank pages)).

The core of the document are tables 10-12, on pages 452-498, which show the actions, what department will be responsible for them, when they will be done, and potential grant funding sources for the action. Table 10 (pages 452-480) focuses on mitigation measures- actions the city can take alone or with partners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Table 11 (pages 481-489) focuses on the adaptation actions- dealing with the effects of wildfire, extreme heat, sea level rise and the like. Table 12 (pages 490-498) focuses on actions the city can take itself.

Finally, under new business there are 2 items- the energy conservation, generation and storage assessment and the Municipal Broadband Feasibility Study.

The highlight of the energy assessment is the chart showing the various options and their cost vs cost savings (page 839). If all projects were adopted, the cost would be $592,300 and the savings would be $111,147 per year, for a time to payback of 5.3 years. However, $31,950 of that cost savings requires no expenditure on the city’s part at all, because it’s correcting PG&E’s overbilling the city for our streetlights (page 870).

The Municipal Broadband Feasibility Study conclusions can be found in the corrected assessment at pages 25 and 26, and mostly recommend incremental changes- partner with Richmond on their fiber, work with CCTA on the smart traffic lights fiber, add conduits to public works projects. They also mention Starlink, though I am unsure as to how long that will remain an effective broadband service as demand increases.

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.

Friday, 7-26- Movie at Fernandez Park (The Super Mario Bros Movie), 8:15 PM, Fernandez Park, in person. “

Summer is here, join us for evenings of fun! Come and enjoy our *Summer Series at Fernandez Park* where we will be hosting movies in the park and outdoor concerts! Bands featured are La Gente SF and Afroholix, as well as premiering Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Jurassic Park. All outdoor events will take place at*Fernandez Park (595 Tennent Avenue)*. For questions, please contact recreation@ci.pinole.ca.us.” (https://www.pinole.gov/news/current_news/spring_and_summer_community_events_2024_postcard)

Tomorrow, 7-23- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, In person 10-11 AM. “


*SENIOR FOOD PROGRAM*

The Pinole Senior Center is partnering with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County on the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens 55+ are able to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese, and assorted meats twice a month. The program at the Pinole Senior Center is available for Pinole senior residents ONLY. It will be every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The next distribution will be on *Tuesday, May 28th, 2024 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am*.

Individuals interested in the program must complete the Senior Food Program Application. Applications will be available at the Front Desk of the Senior Center and can also be found on the Pinole Senior Center website: _https://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/city_government/senior_center_ <https://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/city_government/senior_center>

Applications can be submitted to the Pinole Senior Center Front Desk Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 am – 1 pm and on the day of the food pick up. Individuals must bring proof of age such as an ID or Driver’s License and proof of home address which can be a PG&E bill, water bill, or statement listing out the name and residence of the individual. Any questions regarding the program please contact Kristina Santoyo, Recreation Coordinator, at _ksantoyo@ci.pinole.ca.us_ <mailto:ksantoyo@ci.pinole.ca.us>” (city newsletter)

Tuesday, 7-16- Regular City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/71/files/agenda/629 –
note that the city is shifting to a new agenda website.

There is one closed session item on anticipated litigation.

There are 3 proclamations- Independence Day, Bastille Day, and a recognition of the Community Development Department Intern, Luke Shalz. There are 2 presentations- a department update from human resources, and a presentation of the new permitting and licensing system.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal minutes and warrants, a resolution to amend the master salary schedule to reflect various changes over the past several months (pages 93-6), disposal of electronic waste (fiscal impact $850, page 98), fourth quarter report on status of Capital Improvement Plan projects (descriptions pages 104-9, progress charts pages 110-11), a 4% cost of living adjustment for the City Clerk as per her employment agreement (already accounted for in budget, page 202), a resolution declaring intent for levy and collection of annual assessments for the landscape and lighting district, setting public hearing date of August 6th, and approving annual engineers report, and lastly Second read and adoption of the revised EV charging ordinance to permit the city charging for use of its EV chargers ($.35 cents/KWh during non-peak hours, $.40 cents/KWh from 3-9 PM. Flat fee of $1.50 per session, overstay fee of $1 per minute up to 30 minutes after 4 hours 15 minutes of charging, cap on rate increases of PG&E rate increase once yearly – page 234).

There is 1 public hearing- review and adoption of sewer rates for 2024/25-2028/29. This will increase annual rates from $883.44 for a single family residence currently to $1860.61 by 2029 (page 237). This is necessary because operations and maintenance costs increase from $7,273,000 to $9,175,00 by 2029, and capital projects (listed in more detail on page 249) will cost $27,255,000 over the 2025-29 time period, and an additional $40,000,000 outside of it (see table 7, page 252). Based on various factors (flow rate, raw quantity, difficulty to treat), the cost of service to single family households is $5,150,679 in the sample year 2025, out of $6,869,896 in total (table 12 (and 10 and 11 for context), page 256). There will also be rate increases for other uses (multi-family and non-residential), which you can see in the table on page 237 or the one on page 264, but I think most people care about the single family rates particularly. If you just want to see a chart of the single family rate increases, figure 2 is on page 265. If you want more detail on the exact calculation of revenue and rate requirements, there are appendixes on pages 272-281.

Finally, for old business there is a resolution to place a 1/2 cent sales tax measure on the November 5th, 2024 ballot- a general tax, so it would require 50%+1 of the public vote and can be used for any purpose. The city expects it would raise $2.5 million annually (page 287).

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, 6-25- Special City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/190/files/agenda/140 –
note that the city is shifting to a new agenda website. There is
substantial overlap with the June 18th agenda, but several consent
calendar items (all of the second read and adoptions of ordinances) have
been removed, as has the public hearing item on the Users Utility Tax.

To start, there are no closed session items. Expect the meeting to start
at 5 PM directly. There will also be no proclamations or presentations-
there’s a *lot* on the agenda.

So we start with the consent calendar- There are the normal minutes and
warrants,

adopting a resolution to amend agreement with Client First Technology
Consulting to provide professional support services for instant solar
permitting (cost of $35k but fully offset by grant, page 61),

adopting a resolution to extend the term of the Climate Fellow by two
months (net cost $11,000, page 86),

a resolution for an agreement with Client First Technology Consulting
for support services for the new community development permit tracking
and online application system (net cost $75k, page 115),

a letter of support for AB 3259 regarding transactions and use taxes
(text of letter pages 144-5, text of the law pages 146-149),

placement of liens for delinquent unpaid waste collection charges
between January and April 2024 (Lien total $38,513.38 including
administrative fees, page 150),

a construction contract for Pinon Trunk Sewer Capacity Phase 2 Project
(construction budget of $4,988,048.05, contingency of $498,804.85, funds
reallocated from SS2201 to SS2401 in a total amount of $6,810,000, page
158),

a resolution approving revised compensation and benefits plan for
Managment and Confidential Employees (allow cashing out 25% sick leave
accrual on retirement instead of years of service credit, reduce city
contribution to health care flexible spending account from $1200 to
$500, update salary ranges to reflect 4% cost of living adjustment
(COLA) effective 7-1-24; net cost $106,438 as 4% cola already accounted
for, pages 179-80),

adopting the Financial Year (FY) 2024-25 Appropriations Limit
($170,199,403, page 226),

and finally calling the election for City Council seats and City
Treasurer seat, consolidating with County election on November 5th
(estimated cost $22,500, page 233).

There are 2 old business items- the final proposed FY 24/25 operating
and capital budget, which will cut $1,398,449 to achieve a balanced
budget primarily through freezing vacant staff positions in the public
works and police departments, and reducing the general reserve
percentage from 50 to 45% (page 242) leading to total sources of
$27,890,013 and total expenditures of $27,849,548 for the general fund
baseline budget (page 241), and the revised proposed 5 year Capital
Improvement Plan from FY 24/25-FY 28/29 – which now has prioritization
scores for most projects and costs (net cost this year $18,130,894, page
486 also shows the cost split across funds).

Finally, for new business there is discussion of the process for
establishing the office of an Elected Mayor (pages 581-586).

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.

Today, 6-25- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, In person
10-11 AM. “


*SENIOR FOOD PROGRAM*

The Pinole Senior Center is partnering with the Food Bank of Contra
Costa and Solano County on the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior
citizens 55+ are able to receive free groceries, including healthy
pantry staples, eggs, cheese, and assorted meats twice a month. The
program at the Pinole Senior Center is available for Pinole senior
residents ONLY. It will be every second and fourth Tuesday of the month.
The next distribution will be on *Tuesday, April 9, 2024 from 10:00 am –
11:00 am*.

Individuals interested in the program must complete the Senior Food
Program Application. Applications will be available at the Front Desk of
the Senior Center and can also be found on the Pinole Senior Center
website: _https://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/city_government/senior_center_
<https://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/city_government/senior_center&gt;

Applications can be submitted to the Pinole Senior Center Front Desk
Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 am – 1 pm and on the day of
the food pick up. Individuals must bring proof of age such as an ID or
Driver’s License and proof of home address which can be a PG&E bill,
water bill, or statement listing out the name and residence of the
individual. Any questions regarding the program please contact Kristina
Santoyo, Recreation Coordinator, at _ksantoyo@ci.pinole.ca.us_
<mailto:ksantoyo@ci.pinole.ca.us>” (city newsletter)

Tomorrow, 6-18- Regular City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/70/files/agenda/138 –
note that the city is shifting to a new agenda website.

To start, there are no closed session items. Expect the meeting to start at 5 PM directly. There will also be no proclamations or presentations- there’s a *lot* on the agenda.


So we start with the consent calendar- There are the normal minutes and
warrants, a construction contract for Pinon Trunk Sewer Capacity Phase 2 Project (construction budget of $4,988,048.05, contingency of $498,804.85, funds reallocated from SS2201 to SS2401 in a total amount of $6,810,000, page 66),

a resolution approving revised compensation and benefits plan for Management and Confidential Employees (allow cashing out 25% sick leave accrual on retirement instead of years of service credit, reduce city contribution to health care flexible spending account from $1200 to $500, update salary ranges to reflect 4% cost of living adjustment (COLA) effective 7-1-24; net cost $106,438 as 4% cola already accounted for, pages 87-88),

adopting the Financial Year (FY) 2024-25 Appropriations Limit ($170,199,403, page 134),

second reading and adoption of an EV charging ordinance to permit the city charging for use of its EV chargers ($.35 cents/KWh during non-peak hours, $.40 cents/KWh from 3-9 PM. Flat fee of $1.50 per session, overstay fee of $1 per minute up to 30 minutes after 4 hours 15 minutes of charging, cap on rate increases of PG&E rate increase or once yearly – page 143),

second reading and adoption of the military equipment use policy and ordinance (drone policy pages 157-161,  new drones cost $12k page 174),

second reading and adoption of Chapter 8.38 of the Pinole Municipal Code “Single-use Plastic Foodware and Bag Reduction” (ordinance text pages 184-194),

calling the election for City Council seats and City Treasurer seat, consolidating with County election on November 5th (estimated cost $22,500, page 196),

adopting a resolution to amend agreement with Client First Technology Consulting to provide professional support services for instant solar permitting (cost of $35k but fully offset by grant, page 202),

adopting a resolution to extend the term of the Climate Fellow by two months (net cost $11,000, page 227),

a resolution for an agreement with Client First Technology Consulting for support services for the new community development permit tracking and online application system (net cost $75k, page 256),

a letter of support for AB 3259 regarding transactions and use taxes (text of letter pages 285-6, text of the law pages 287-290),

and placement of liens for delinquent unpaid waste collection charges between January and April 2024 (Lien total $38,513.38 including administrative fees, page 291).

There is 1 public hearing- Financial Year 2023-24 Utility Users Tax Review (gas and electricity UUT continue to rise, telecommunications continues to fall, total increase of 3% to $2,389,000 page 295).

There are 2 old business items- the final proposed FY 24/25 operating and capital budget, which will cut $1,398,449 to achieve a balanced budget primarily through freezing vacant staff positions in the public works and police departments, and reducing the general reserve percentage from 50 to 45% (page 306) leading to total sources of $27,890,013 and total expenditures of $27,849,548 for the general fund baseline budget (page 305), and the revised proposed 5 year Capital Improvement Plan from FY 24/25-FY 28/29 – which now has prioritization scores for most projects and costs (net cost this year $18,130,894, page 564 also shows the cost split across funds).

Finally, for new business there is discussion of the process for establishing the office of an Elected Mayor (pages 645-650).


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, 6-4- Regular City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/58/files/agenda/131 –
note that the city is shifting to a new agenda website.

To start, there is 1 closed session item- conference with legal counsel- existing litigation with MVP Construction. I expect this to take at least an hour.

Then there will be proclamations for Juneteenth, Pride, and Philippine Independence Day.

Then there is a presentation by the city manager to provide a department update.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal minutes and
warrants, a proposed update to the West Contra Costa Transportation Advisory Commission Joint Powers Agreement (WCCTAC JPA) which would update various language and permit payment of stipends (potential net cost of $519 or $1038, depending on stipend amount- page 62 of agenda packet), and second reading and adoption of an EV charging ordinance to permit the city charging for use of its EV chargers ($.35 cents/KWh during non-peak hours, $.40 cents/KWh from 3-9 PM. Flat fee of $1.50 per session, overstay fee of $1 per minute up to 30 minutes after 4 hours 15 minutes of charging, cap on rate increases of PG&E rate increase once yearly – page 99).

There are 3 public hearings (one of which will be continued to the next meeting)- Financial Year 2023-24 Utility Users Tax Review (continued to June 18th meeting), First reading of an ordinance to ban single use plastic foodware and bags (text of the ordinance from page 105-114 with more detailed explanations on why it was written this way in reports from pages 116-259), and a first reading of an ordinance on the police department’s military equipment review and policies (notable change is request for 2 drones and proposed policy for their use- see pages 294-8 for the drone policy).

Finally, there are 2 old business items- the revised proposed FY 24/25 operating and capital budget, which has suggested cuts to reach a balanced budget or a surplus (depending on if 6% $1.3 million or 10% $2.1 million cuts are chosen, pages 309-315), as well as other options like reducing the city’s reserve amount (net impact $1 million) or freezing vacancies (net impact $430,000) (page 307), and the revised proposed 5 year Capital Improvement Plan from FY 24/25-FY 28/29 – which now has prioritization scores for all projects (page 550) and a waterfall chart showing when and in what stages each project will occur, along with costs (pages 642-3).

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, 6-1- Special City Council Meeting, Pinole Kaiser 1301 Pinole Valley Rd Rooms 2A and B, 8 AM, in person only. Zoom will not be provided. You can find the agenda here.

There is one item on the agenda- a closed session discussion on Public Employee Appointment- City Manager.

Tuesday, 5-28- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, In person 10-11 AM. “


*SENIOR FOOD PROGRAM*

The Pinole Senior Center is partnering with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County on the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens 55+ are able to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese, and assorted meats twice a month. The program at the Pinole Senior Center is available for Pinole senior residents ONLY. It will be every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The next distribution will be on *Tuesday, May 28th, 2024 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am*.

Individuals interested in the program must complete the Senior Food Program Application. Applications will be available at the Front Desk of the Senior Center and can also be found on the Pinole Senior Center website: _https://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/city_government/senior_center_ <https://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/city_government/senior_center>

Applications can be submitted to the Pinole Senior Center Front Desk Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 am – 1 pm and on the day of the food pick up. Individuals must bring proof of age such as an ID or Driver’s License and proof of home address which can be a PG&E bill, water bill, or statement listing out the name and residence of the individual. Any questions regarding the program please contact Kristina Santoyo, Recreation Coordinator, at _ksantoyo@ci.pinole.ca.us_ <mailto:ksantoyo@ci.pinole.ca.us>” (city newsletter)