Saturday, 4-29- Special City Council meeting, 9AM – 3PM. Note the *much* earlier than typical start time! Hybrid format. You can find the agenda packet here.

There’s just one agenda item, but there’s a whole sub-agenda under that (you can find it on page 25 of the agenda packet). 9-10:15 is role of city council/ benefits of good government, break to 10:30, refresher on city structure 10:30-10:50, strategic plan review 10:50-11:30. Lunch break 11:30-12. Overview of staff workload and establishing special project workplan 12-1. Next steps 1-1:30.

I’m unsure when and how often public comment will be permitted in this process.

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.

Wednesday, 4-26- Community Service Commission meeting starting at 5 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here. Items to be discussed- an update on the commission itself, the project labor agreement subcommittee (which will have a community service commissioner on it), sister cities, community outreach, and 2023 community service day.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, 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.

Tuesday, 4-25- Special Pinole City Council meeting, 6 PM, Hybrid format. No closed session items, so it will be starting at 6 sharp. You can find the agenda packet here.

There are only 2 items on the agenda, but they are both important- the FY 2023/24 baseline budget (first read, effectively) and council requests for changes- which matters more than usual this year, as there’s a structural imbalance (like last year), and the city’s policy is not to have multi-year structural imbalances. While the imbalance is less than the draft budget presented to the finance subcommittee (which you can find here), it’s still a net operating loss.

Second, there’s the overview of the draft FY 2023-4 through FY 2027-8 Capital Improvement Plan.

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.

Tuesday, 4-25- Senior Food Program, Pinole Senior Center, in Person 10 AM- 11 AM. To quote the administrative report (which you can find here)-
 “The Pinole Senior Center will be partnering with the Food Bank of Contra Costa
and Solano County on the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens 55+
will be 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 25,
2023, 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
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“.

Pinole Planning Commission meeting at 7 PM, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here. We’ll be discussing a conditional use permit for parking reduction linked to the redevelopment of Blackie’s at 612/600 Tennent Ave, and choosing a new chair, vice-chair and ad-hoc subcommittee for the upcoming year.

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.

Saturday 4-22- Join your community in a walking pledge to protect the planet! The walking path will follow a 3-mile paved loop along the bay and Pinole Creek, starting and ending in Fernandez Park. Learn more about the Pinole Earth Walk, volunteer opportunities, and REGISTER at: https://www.ci.pinole.ca.us/residents/earth_day.

4-23- The Pinole Police Department will be reading a story about Earth Day during the library’s regularly scheduled storytime, 10:30-11 AM, Pinole Library.

Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee special meeting, 6 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here. TAPS will be discussing Roble avenue traffic signs and visibility, traffic concerns on McDonald Dr, and staff updates on CIP projects, development projects, the Active Transportation Plan, and grants.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here, entering the webinar ID 856 7083 9226 into Zoom directly, or calling +1 (669) 900-6833, then entering the meeting ID 856 7083 9226#. 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, 4-18- Pinole City Council meeting, 5 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here. There will be an extensive closed session with all represented labor groups and a conference on expected litigation, so I would not expect the meeting proper to start before 6 PM.

The first thing up will be council appointments to the Planning Commission. Congratulations to Franke Martinez, Christy Lam-Julian and John Bender on receiving the recommendation of the interview subcommittee for appointment! Following that there will be proclamations for national arbor day, arab american heritage month, and earth day.

On the consent calendar we have the permit to move an entire house from Hercules to Brandt Court, an application for grant funding to close the bay trail gap at Tennent Ave, approving additional funds for a consultant on upgrading the city’s permit tracking system, a resolution of support for an inflation reduction act conference, approving funds to replace the police department’s mobile computers, and approving the city’s financial policies (no major changes from prior years).

Finally, under new business we have a funding request from TAPS to repair part of a creek trail from Sarah Court and advertise TAPS to the community, an update on the city’s road condition and pavement management program (though the PCI report is from 2022, and therefore has a more optimistic view of road conditions than currently exist due to our very wet winter this year), and a discussion on whether to increase City Councilmember salaries to the limit permitted by state law.

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, 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.

I have been informed by Congressman Garamendi’s office that the IRS and FTB filing and payment deadlines have been extended to October 16th, 2023 for everyone in Contra Costa and Solano Counties due to the impact of this winter’s storms. You can find more information in a press release from the Governor’s office, linked here.