No Kings Rally and March, 6-14-25

Saturday, 6-14- No Kings Rally and March, 10 AM-2 PM, multiple locations, in person.



250 years ago, on June 14, the U.S. military was established to fight the monarchy. They wore Blue Coats to fight the Red Coats. So… On Saturday, June 14, we celebrate and remember the fight for democracy and the overcoming of monarchy.

✅ WEAR ALL ROYAL BLUE to represent the BLUE COATS OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Cosplay welcome! Period Colonial hats welcome. 🙂 Or you can make your own hats out of cardboard or felt.

Part 1: Rally
At 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM – Protest Rally at Refugio Valley Park in Hercules, featuring elected officials to speak and music! Address: 1301 Refugio Valley Rd, Hercules, CA 94547

Part 2: Street protest in Hercules, CA
At 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM – March and protest on the 4 corner sidewalks of San Pablo and Sycamore Ave Address: 4000 San Pablo Ave, Hercules, CA 94547

Part 3: Picnic lunch
At 12:00 PM – Walk back to Refugio Valley Park, bring a picnic lunch for yourself and be in community with others Address: 1301 Refugio Valley Rd, Hercules, CA 94547

Part 4: March and Protest at I-80 Overpasses in Pinole, CA
At 1:00 PM, Overpass Sign Waving

A: Meet on Fitzgerald Drive in front of the Ace Hardware and Michael’s and walk to Appian and Fitzgerald overpasses over highway 80. Address: 1440 Fitzgerald Dr, Pinole, CA 94564

B: Meet at Willow Ave overpass over Highway 4 in Hercules

A core principle behind all No Kings events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.” (https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/793137/)

Pinole Planning Commission meeting, 6-9-2025

Monday, 6-9- Planning Commission Meeting, 7 PM, Pinole City Hall,
Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/973/files/agenda/877 .

There will be 2 items on the agenda- the minutes from the prior meeting, and review of the proposed financial year (FY) 2025/26-2029/30 for consistency with the general plan (staff report pages 26-7, resolution pages 28-9, financial overview pages 30-32, projects pages 33-82, general plan elements pages 83-4, consistency matrix pages 85-9).

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here
<https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86505375301&gt;, 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.

Pinole Pride/Juneteenth Celebration, 6-8-2025

Sunday, 6-8- Juneteenth/Pride Celebration, 12-3 PM, Fernandez Park, in person. “We invite you to join us for our 3rd Annual Pride and Juneteenth Celebration on Sunday, June 8th from 12 -3 pm. Join us for a day of celebration: music and dance performances, food trucks, vendors, and children’s activities. At the Pinole Pride and Juneteenth Celebration, we honor the journey towards equality and justice for all!” https://www.pinole.gov/event_list/pride-and-juneteenth-celebration/?event-date=2025-06-08%2012:00:00

Pinole City Council meeting, 6-3-25

Tuesday, 6-3- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/994/files/agenda/870.

There are three closed session items- a performance evaluation for the
City Clerk, a conference with labor negotiators for the city clerk-
agency representative city attorney Eric Casher, and a conference with
labor negotiators for AFSCME Locals 1 and 512 and the Pinole Police
Employees Assocation (PPEA)- agency representatives City Manager, Kelcey
Young, City Attorney, Eric Casher, and Human Resources Director, Stacy
Shell, Gregory Ramirez, IEDA. I expect that to take at least an hour if
not several.

There are three proclamations, honoring Juneteenth (page 6), LGBTQ+
pride month (page 7), and Philippine Independence Day (page 8), and no
presentations.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants, along
with the minutes for the May 20th city council meeting (which is
actually in a separate document this week at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/994/files/agenda/872), an
amendment to a consulting services agreement for employee benefits
broker of record services (staff report pages 27-8 fiscal impact
$25000/year over 3 years page 28, resolution page 29, amendment pages
30-32, prior amendments and agreement pages 33-53), the Financial Year
(FY) 2024/25 3rd quarter financial report (staff report pages 54-55,
report itself pages 56-86, financial summary by fund pages 87-94), FY
2024/25 3rd quarter investment report (staff report pages 95-7, report
pages 98-100),

the amended reserve policy to reduce the city’s reserve amount from 50%
of general fund revenue to 25% (staff report pages 101-2 fiscal impact
if adopted one-time gain of $2.4 million to section 115 trust page 102,
resolution pages 103-4, amended reserve policy redline page 105, amended
policy not red-line page 106), update on capital projects progress
(staff report pages 107-10), and approval of an agreement between the
city of Pinole and West Valley Construction Company Inc, roble avenue
storm drain improvements project SW 2001 (staff report pages 111-12,
fiscal impact between $175,520 and $282,834 depending on services page
112,  resolution pages 113-4, agreement pages 115-27, associated
documents pages 128-81).

There will be two public hearings, with the first on the first read of
AB481 military use equipment for the city of Pinole’s Police Department
(staff report pages 182-187, public hearing notice page 188, Pinole
Police Department Annual Military Equipment Report pages 189-203,
ordinance pages 204-7, certificate of compliance with AB481 page 208,
police department policy 707 on military equipment funding, acquisition
and use pages 209-12, police department policy on unmanned aerial
systems (drones) operations #608 pages 213-17, presentation pages 218-231).

The second is the approval of increase to waste collection rates as
required by Proposition 218 (staff report pages 232-5 fiscal impact $1.2
million per year gain from vehicle impact fee offset by $200,000 per
year for first 5 years of agreement from Solid Waste Fund to stabilize
rates page 235, presentation pages 236-247, of note slides showing
Pinole rates for various residential and commercial uses on pages 243-5,
resolution pages 248-9, rates pages 250-1, fee study pages 252-274 (of
note is chart 1 on page 266 showing the increased pavement impact as you
move *slower* on city streets)).

There will be 2 items under old business- the first being the FY 2025/26
revised proposed operating and capital budget (staff report pages
275-88, budget pages 289-506, budget presentation pages 507-27), and the
second being the draft FY 2025/26 baseline budget and 5 year capital
improvement plan (staff report pages 528-9, funding summaries pages
530-32, projects pages 533-82, general plan elements pages 583-4,
presentation pages 585-599).

Finally, there will be one item under new business (assuming the public
hearing does not block the agreement), adopting a resolution authorizing
the city manager to execute the new solid waste franchise agreement with
Richmond Sanitary Service Inc DBA Republic Services and execute a side
letter agreement regarding use of city stabilization funds to offset
maximum service rates (staff report pages 600-2, fiscal impact gain of
$1,200,000 per year offset by expenditure of $200,000 per year for first
5 years from solid waste fund page 602, resolution pages 603-4, side
letter agreement page 606, rates page 607, solid waste franchise fee
study pages 608-30 (same as the one presented for the public hearing),
draft agreement pages 631-764).

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here
<https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89335000272&gt;, 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.

March for Democracy, 5-24-25

Saturday, 5-24- March for our Democracy, 11 AM-1 PM, in person. I
believe that numerous actions by the executive branch, including open
defiance of multiple levels of our judiciary imperils our constitutional
system. So I will be marching to show my support for the Constitution
and Democracy more broadly, and I hope you can join me. “*May 24 – March
for Democracy – Downtown Pinole, 11 AM – 1 PM*
*We will be marching in Pinole on May 24 starting at 11 AM. Meet at the
corner of Fernandez and San Pablo on the East Side of San Pablo. Grab some
food at the farmers market and then come join us! *

Register here and tell your friends!
https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/789619/

City Council meeting, 5-20-25

Tuesday, 5-20- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1018/files/agenda/866.

There are two closed session items- a performance evaluation for the
City Clerk, and a conference with labor negotiators for AFSCME Locals 1
and 512 and the Pinole Police Employees Assocation (PPEA)- agency
representatives City Manager, Kelcey Young, City Attorney, Eric Casher,
and Human Resources Director, Stacy Shell, Gregory Ramirez, IEDA. I
expect that to take at least an hour if not several- the mayor expects the council will return at 6:30 from closed session.

There are six proclamations, honoring Affordable Housing Month (page 6),
Emergency Medical Services Week (page 7), Asian American and Pacific
Islander Month (page 8), Jewish American Heritage Month (page 9), Mental
Health Awareness Month (page 10), and Local and Community History Month
(page 11) and three presentations (most of which are not in the agenda
packet, but can be found here
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1018/files/agenda/868 ,
marked as presentation in references)- an update on the city’s vacancy
rates (pages 32-39, presentation), a presentation on the Pinole library
(pages 13-19), and one on Contra Costa’s Coordinated Outreach Referral,
Engagement (C.O.R.E) program (for assisting the homeless) (pages 2-10,
presentation).

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants, along
with the minutes for the May 6th city council meeting, a resolution
allowing the City Manager to enter into a memorandum of understanding
with Contra Costa County to develop Pinole’s segment of the Contra Costa
Resilient Shoreline Plan through a grant program (staff report pages
59-60, fiscal impact gain of $6775/month for duration of grant page 60,
resolution pages 61-2, draft memorandum of understanding pages 63-78),
and a resolution allowing an agreement with Contra Costa County for
Coordinated Outreach, Referral and Engagement (CORE) Homeless Outreach
services for FY2025-6 (staff report pages 79-81, fiscal impact $48,965
from housing successor fund page 81, resolution pages 82-3, agreement
pages 84-97).

There will be three public hearings, with the first on Government Code
Section 3502.3 (Vacancies, Recruitment and Retention Efforts compliance
(staff report pages 98-100), the second adopting a resolution to adopt
the 2024 Contra Costa COunty Local Hazard Mitigation Plan with Pinole’s
Annex to it (staff report pages 101-4, resolution pages 105-6, annex
pages 107-213), and the third introducing an Ordinance Designating Fire
Hazard Severity Zone maps (staff report pages 214-5, ordinance pages
216-8, fire hazard severity zones map page 219).

There will be no old or new business.

You can join the meeting by zoom direct link here
<https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89335000272&gt;, 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

Pinole Budget Workshop 5-13-25

Tuesday, 5-13- City Council workshop, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1034/files/agenda/859.

There will be two items under new business- the FY 2025/26 Preliminary Proposed Operating and Capital Budget (staff report pages 4-22, budget pages 23-242, budget presentation pages 243-279). The overlapping elements are similar to the baseline budget presented at the Finance Subcommittee meeting, although PCTV’s deficit has increased from $73,551 at that meeting to $207,261 in the current document (see page 14 in this agenda compared to page 120 in the finance subcommittee agenda at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1033/files/agenda/844). I would also highlight table 1 on page 7 of the agenda packet, which has a direct comparison between last year’s budget and this one, and staff responses to council requests for information on pages 16-21, which includes an overview of debt financing costs for street repairs, discussion of the council’s training budget, and the general reserve policy.

And the last new business item is the FY 25-26-FY29-30 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). There is a staff report on pages 281-2, the summary and projects from pages 283-337, and a presentation on pages 338-353. The fiscal breakdown shows $11,965,894 as projected for FY 2025/6, with $0 coming from the general fund directly (although $350,000 will be coming from Measure S 2006 and $711,732 from Measure S 2014) (page 283). Some projects were removed from the prior CIP to focus on the highest priority projects.

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, or for this meeting at 123 WATERFRONT STREET, NATIONAL HARBOR, MD 20745, SUITE 721.

General produce distribution, 5-12-25

Monday, 5-12- General Produce distribution, 9-10 AM, Pinole Senior
center, in person.
“The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County will be providing bags
of fresh produce every second Monday of the month. The drive-thru
distribution is from 9 AM to 10 AM (or as supplies last) at the Pinole
Senior Center parking lot, 2500 Charles Ave. You do not need to be a
member of the Pinole Senior Center or a senior to receive food.
Quantities are limited. First come first serve. One bag of produce per
household. This will be a contact-less 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. Individuals do not need to apply for this service.”
(City of Pinole website)