Category: Uncategorized

City Council Meeting, 5-6-25

Tuesday, 5-6- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/993/files/agenda/853.

There is one closed session item- a real property negotiation on price
and terms for 2100 San Pablo Avenue with Art Pakpour (govt code
54956.8), city negotiators Kelcey Young and Eric Casher. I expect that
to take at least 30 minutes if not an hour- but when it will occur in
the meeting I do not know, as at the last council meeting the mayor
moved closed session to the end of the meeting.

There are six proclamations, honoring Municipal Clerk’s Week (page 6),
Economic Development Week (page 7), National Public Works Week (page 8),
Police Officer Week and Peace Officer’s Memorial Day (page 9), Public
Service Recognition Week (page 10), and P-Lo Day (page 11) and two
presentations- an update from Contra Costa Animal Services (pages
12-21), and an CalPERS pension review and cost management assessment
(pages 22-47, recommendations on page 46).

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants, along
with the minutes for the April 15th city council meeting, a resolution
adopting the Appian Village final subdivision map (staff report pages
89-91, resolution pages 92-3, civil plan set pages 94-115, planning
commission initial resolution and conditions of approval pages 116-173),
approving an agreement for a citywide copier replacement and maintenance
agreement (staff report pages 174-6 showing fiscal impact of $86,700 for
the 5 year term of the agreement, notably less than the $45,131
allocated in the current year budget for this year alone, resolution
page 177, agreement pages 178-83), a resolution authorizing RecycleMore
to enter an agreement with Republic Services for post-collection
services (staff report pages 184-5, resolution pages 186-7),

confirming the city’s financial and investment policies (staff report
pages 188-91, resolution page 192-3, policies pages 194-234)- I
personally would argue that the city’s strategic asset allocation for
the pension investment funds investments in particular should shift away
from the current 36% in equities as policy (as shown on page 223), given
the substantial current and likely ongoing volatility in the equities
market as well as the shorter expected remaining lifespan of the fund.

And for the last consent calendar item, we have a resolution to approve
a list of projects funded by SB 1 funds (staff report pages 229-231,
fiscal impact of $478,095 from the grant already accounted for,
resolution pages 232-4).

There will be one public hearing on the Financial Year (FY) 2025/6
Master Fee Schedule- staff notes notes most fees (building, planning and
engineering) would increase by Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 2.7% while
recreation, police (except vehicle release, which increases by $40),
wastewater utility, business license and fire prevention fees remain
unchanged due to falling under different rulesets (staff report pages
235-7, resolution pages 239-40, fee schedule pages 241-295).

Finally, there will be two items under new business- the FY 2025/26
Preliminary Proposed Operating and Capital Budget (staff report pages
296-308, budget pages 309-528, budget presentation pages 529-578, with
recommendations on page 576). 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 306 in this agenda compared
to page 120 in the finance subcommittee agenda at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1033/files/agenda/844).

And the last new business item is the FY 25-26-FY29-30 Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP). There is a staff report on pages 579-80, the
summary and projects from pages 581-642, and a presentation on pages
643-653. The fiscal breakdown shows $13,766,831 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 $1,392,669 from Measure S 2014)
(page 581).

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.

Planning Commission meeting, 4-28-25

Monday, 4-28- Planning Commission Meeting, 7 PM, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1035/files/agenda/848 (note the new URL).

There will be 5 items on the agenda- the minutes from the prior meeting, selection of the chairperson, vice-chairperson and ad-hoc committee members for the upcoming year, a Conditional Use Permit for the sale of alcohol and outdoor dining for Diosia Restaurant (2361 San Pablo Ave) (staff report pages 19-23, resolution pages 24-6, conditions of approval pages 27-31), a staff report on the redevelopment of Appian 80 Shopping center (the safeway shopping mall), and a report back on the Planning Commissioner’s Academy.

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

Finance Subcommittee meeting, 4-24-2025

Thursday, 4-24- Finance Subcommittee meeting, 3 PM, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1033/files/agenda/844 .

There are 4 agenda items for this meeting- 1 consent (approving the prior meeting of April 18th 2024’s minutes) and 3 business items- Financial Year (FY) 2025/6 Financial and Investment Policies, FY 2025/6 Draft Operating Baseline Budget, and FY 2025/6 Draft Five Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

The Fiscal and Investment Policies are on pages 19-53, with no major changes suggested by staff (staff report on pages 15-18, presentation on pages 54-71). I personally would argue that the city’s strategic asset allocation for the pension investment funds investments in particular should shift away from the current 36% in equities as policy (as shown on page 48), given the substantial current and likely ongoing volatility in the equities market as well as the shorter expected remaining lifespan of the fund.

The FY 2025/6 draft operating baseline budget (i.e, not including capital projects or one-time revenue/expenses) staff report is on pages 72-82, presentation on pages 83-124. Some quick highlights- proposed budget is structurally balanced for the general fund with a $1,452,218 surplus. However, Recreation has a deficit of $1,068,171, Pinole Community Television (PCTV) has a deficit of $73,551, and the Building and Planning Fund has a deficit of $711,091 (page 73). These funds do not *have* to be supported from the general fund, but historically have been. You can see more details on the funds breakdown for the Recreation department on page 118, Building and Planning on page 119, and PCTV on 120.

A point of concern is a 11% increase in CalPERS (pension) costs and 10% increase in other (healthcare) costs (page 110). There are also 2 charts worth noting- one covering general fund revenue sources on page 93, and one covering general fund expenditures on page 108.

Finally, the FY 2025/6 Draft Five Year CIP has a staff report on pages 125-6, the summary and projects from pages 127-179, and a presentation on pages 180-9. The fiscal breakdown shows $13,693,831 as projected for FY 2025/6, with $80,000 coming from the general fund directly (although $350,000 will be coming from Measure S 2006 and $1,392,669 from Measure S 2014) (page 127).

A few points worth highlighting- first, these projects will generally *not* show up in the baseline budget, as that is focused on ongoing costs and these are one-time expenditures. Second, there are new projects noted in the presentation (pages 182-6) and as individual items (FA-Facilities, PA-Parks, SS-Sanitary Sewer, SW- Stormwater, RO-Streets and Roads. page 127) FA2502 upgrade of city pools (renovation) (page 128), FA2501 EV charging infrastructure (page 129), PA2501 Improvements to City Parks (annual, renovation) (page 137), SS2501 Treatment Plant Boiler Replacement (replacement) (page 142) SW2501 Stormwater Upgrade and Trash Capture (page 153), RO2508 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Transition Plan Update (page 156), RO2506 Traffic calming program (page 157), RO2505 Safe Routes to Schools (page 158), RO2504 Pavement marking and signage upgrades (renovation) (page 159), RO2503 City Streetlights Upgrade (renovation) (page 160), RO2502 Pinole Signals Upgrade (renovation) (page 161), and RO2501 Accessibility Improvements Project (actually upgrading curb cuts as opposed to planning for it in RO2508) (renovation) (page 162). That’s the projects marked with 2025.

There are also 39 projects carried over from prior years, each on their own page addressing things like Mural Preservation (PA2402, page 138) and Sidewalk Rehabilitation (RO2402, page 165).

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.

Pinole City Council meeting, 4-15-25

Tuesday, 4-15- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1017/files/agenda/831.

There is one closed session item- a public employee performance evaluation for the city manager under government code section 54957. I expect that to take at least 30 minutes if not an hour- but when it will occur in the meeting I do not know, as at the last council meeting the mayor moved closed session to the end of the meeting.

There are five proclamations, honoring Earth Day (page 6), Arbor Day (page 7), Autism Acceptance Month, Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, and Parkinsons Awareness Month (proclamations not attached) and two presentations- Framework for Enhancing Climate Education at Pinole Valley High School by PVHS
Earth Team, and Pinole Valley High School Principal Introduction: Todd Irving.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants, along
with the minutes for the April 1st city council meeting, a resolution accepting a $952,000 grant from Marin Clean Energy (MCE) for charger installation, committing matching funds and assuring that it will be completed (staff report pages 39-40, fiscal impact of $952,000 grant matched by $123,331.18 in Measure S 2014 funds page 40, resolution pages 41-44, application pages 45-58), beginning the Proposition 218 process required to reach a new franchise agreement with Republic Services for waste collection (staff report pages 59-61, fiscal impact $200,000 cost to the city/year for first 5 years of agreement to mitigate impact of rate increases on ratepayers from rate stabilization fund offset by increased revenues from Republic Services per page 61, fee study pages 62-84 (conclusions on page 83 and recommendations on page 84), prop 218 notice pages 85-7 (would trigger on June 3rd, not at this meeting), proposed rates pages 88-9),

a summary of the council retreat (staff report pages 90-92, retreat notes pages 93-103, photos of retreat exercises pages 104-135), and a resolution approving a Determination of Public Convenience or Necessity (PCN) for Diosa Restaurant located at 2361 San Pablo Ave (staff report pages 136-8, resolution pages 139-40).

Finally, there will be two items under new business- an update on the Partnership for the Bay’s Future grant and home restoration program (staff report pages 141-2), and reviewing the proposed Financial Year (FY) 2025/6 Master Fee Schedule (which would be adopted at a public hearing on May 6th) (staff report pages 143-6, notes most fees (building, planning and engineering) would increase by Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 2.7% while recreation, police (except vehicle release, which increases by $40), wastewater utility, business license and fire prevention fees remain unchanged due to falling under different rulesets (pages 143-5), and the fee schedule itself on pages 147-201).

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.

Pinole Planning Commission meeting, 4-14-25

Monday, 4-14- Planning Commission Meeting, 7 PM, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/971/files/agenda/834 (note the new URL).

There will be 4 items on the agenda- the minutes from the prior meeting, public hearings on conditional use permits (CUP) for Club Pilates (pages 17-22 for staff report, 23-24 for resolution, 25-28 for conditions of approval, 29-30 for CUP application info, 31-2 for site plans, 33-4 for letter of support from site landlord) and Sixteenth Studio, a body art studio (pages 35-9 for staff report, 40-41 for resolution, 42-3 for conditions of approval, 44-5 for the applicant statement, 46 for site plan), and finally a new business item to conduct a consistency review of the Appian Village Final Map (staff report pages 47-49, resolution pages 50-51, maps pages 52-73, tentative map resolution (from 2022) pages 74-6, conditions of approval pages 77-131).

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

General produce distribution, 4-14-2025

Monday, 4-14- 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. The next drive-thru distribution is Monday, April 14, 2025, from 9 AM to 10 AM (or as supplies last) at the Pinole Senior Center, 2500 Charles Avenue where you will receive one bag per household, If you have any questions, email recreation@pinole.gov or call us at (510) 724-9800.” (Pinole Pulse, 4/4/25)

Senior Food Distribution, 4-8-2025

Tuesday, 4-8- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, in person 10-11 AM. “The *Senior Food Program* will be held on *Tuesday, April 8th and Tuesday, April 22nd from 10 am – 11 am *at the Senior Center (2500 Charles Ave.) ” (Rec and roll april newsletter). “

Low-income senior citizens 55+ will be able to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese and assorted meats every second and fourth Tuesday of every month. The program at the Pinole Senior Center is available for Pinole senior residents only.

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 online.
SFP Application <https://www.pinole.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SFP-Application.pdf>

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.
” (https://www.pinole.gov/recreation/senior-programs/)