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.

Saturday, 4-15- Community Creek cleanup, 10 AM-12 PM, in person Bayfront Park. Join the Pinole Creek Allies & Earth Team as they clean up Fernandez Park and nearby Pinole Creek watershed areas. Snacks, water, and tools are provided! Wear boots and sunscreen. Bring a refillable water bottle. Contact llapporte@ccrcd.org with any questions.

Traffic and Pedestrian Safety (TAPS) Committee meeting, 6 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here. TAPS will be discussing Roble avenue traffic signs and visibility, 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.

Finance Subcommittee Meeting from 3-5 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. The Finance subcommittee will be discussing the FY 2023/24 baseline budget (which has an increased structural imbalance compared to last year) and an overview of the draft Capital Improvement Plan for the next 5 years. You can find the agenda packet here.

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.

Saturday, 4-8- Oaktown Nursery will be at the Community Corner to showcase a variety of native plants for sale and provide education on water conservation through native gardening. EDMUD information will be available about incentives for converting lawns to native gardens. This will also be from 9-1.

Thursday, 4-6- an interactive exposition at the Pinole Youth Center from 9-1 where we can find out more about alternatives to single-use plastics.

Pinole City Council meeting starting at 5 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here. The meeting will start with a closed session bargaining with various unions, so I don’t expect open session will start before 5:30 at the earliest. There will be a proclamation for National Pet Day, and 2 presentations- one recognizing the transfer of command to ConFire, the other showing a video on the Easter Egg Hunt.

Next there is consent calendar, where we have a 5% raise for the City Clerk, a resolution of support for a state Senate Bill requiring dyslexia risk screening, the housing successor annual report, and a report on city park maintenance.

Then there’s a public hearing discussing adoption of the 2023-31 Housing Element. I have numerous thoughts on this, which I have submitted as written comments to the city. I had hoped to have a more refined version which I could link here, but that didn’t work out.

Finally we get to new business, where we have discussion of a framework for new outdoor dining regulations (aka parklets), and a review of options for the city to celebrate Pride in 2023.

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.