Monday, 2-24- Planning Commission Meeting, 7 PM, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/125/files/agenda/796 (note the new URL).

There will be 2 items on the agenda- the minutes from the prior meeting, and a public hearing on an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Amnesty Program (pages 18-21 for staff report, 22-23 for resolution, 24-27 for text of amendments, 28 for highlighted programs addressed by amendments, 29-42 for example pre-submittal checklist). Broadly speaking, this amendment provides for an amnesty process for ADUs built before Jan 1st 2020, and an enforcement delay for ADUs built before the effective date of the ordinance- with an application deadline of 2030 and a final deadline of 2035 (pages 26-7).

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.

Tuesday, 2-18- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1015/files/agenda/786 .

There are two closed session items- a conference with labor negotiators under government code section 54957.6, with agency representatives City Manager Kelcey Young, City Attorney Eric Casher, HR director Stacy Shell, and Gregory Ramirez for IDEA negotating with employee organizations AFSCME Locals 1 and 512, and the managment compensation plan; and a conference with real property negotiators under government code section 54956.8 with regards to 2100 San Pablo Ave, agency negotiators Kelcey Young, City Manager and Eric Casher, City Attorney with the negotiating party as Art Pakpour, negotiating price and terms. The council expects to conclude closed session at 6:30 PM.

There is one proclamation, honoring Japanese Day of Remembrance (page 6) and two presentations, from Plant Powered Pinole (pages 7-16) and the Clean California Community Designation (pages 17-23).

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants, along
with the minutes for the February 4th city council meeting, an update on the climate action and adaptation plan on building energy ordinances and reach codes (staff report 56-8), a letter to the state legislature asking caltrans to address litter along I-80 (staff report 59-60, corrected letter at https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1015/files/agenda/787), an amendment to the consulting services agreement with west yost for additional services associated with the storm drain master plan (having to perform inspection services) (staff report pages 65-66, resolution 67-8, agreement 69-83, fiscal impact $125,054 adopted in budget page 66), placing liens for delinquent unpaid waste collection charges between september and december 2024, considered at an adminstrative hearing on february 6th 2025 (staff report pages 84-5, resolution page 86, fiscal impact gain of $55,732.86 page 84), precision it contract amendment to extend the term of the contract until city has internal IT online (staff report pages 87-88, resolution 89, amendment 91-100, fiscal impact $34000 per month budgeted page 88), and finally a pipeline license agreement with BNSF railway (staff report pages 101-3, resolution 104-5, agreement 106-125, fiscal impact $89,800 for agreement, $150,000 for required inspector already budgeted page 101).

Finally, there will be one item under new business- approval of the pinole accessible living program (PAL program) which will provide educational workshops and permit fee waivers for qualifying home modifications that improve accessibility, safety and comfort for extremely low, very low, low, and moderate income households, as well as for seniors and individuals with disabilities (staff report pages 126-32, fiscal impact $20,000 page 132, resolution pages 133-4, draft program pages 135-7).

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.

Tuesday, 2-4- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1002/files/agenda/779 .

There are no closed session items- so you should expect the meeting to
start at 5.

There is one proclamation, honoring Black History Month (page 6) and one
presentation, from the Contra Costa County Community Awareness Emergency
Response Organization  (pages 7-18).

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants, along
with the minutes for the January 21st city council meeting, a resolution
to approve a side letter amending the memorandum of understanding
between the city and AFSCME Local 1 to create and set a salary schedule
for a new entry level Public Works Maintenance Assistant role (staff
report pages 57-58, side letter 59-60, resolution 61), a resolution
formally designating HINDERLITER DE LLAMAS & ASSOCIATES as the
consultant entitled to review tax records for the city (staff report
pages 62-4, resolution 65-6), and lastly approving the Council Committee
assignment list (staff report page 67, resolution page 68, assignments
on pages 69-71).

Finally, there will be one item under new business- increasing the
Council’s travel and training budget by $38,750 to permit travel to the
National League of Cities and Civic Well conferences. This would roughly
triple each council member’s travel allowance, from a current $4250 to
the new $12,000. The fiscal impact would be $38,750 annually to the
general fund, most likely appropriated from unassigned general fund
balance (staff report page 72, resolution page 73).

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.

Friday 1-31 and Saturday, 2-1- Special Pinole City Council meeting, 9
AM-4PM, in person at Rockefeller Lodge (2650 Market Ave, San Pablo CA
94806). This item is a bit unusual- there’s a special council
team-building workshop being held on the 31st and the 1st, from 9 AM to
4 PM on both days (see
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1029/files/agenda/776 and
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1030/files/agenda/777 for
their agenda files, though there’s minimal information there). It looks
like attendance is in person only, at Rockefeller Lodge – 2650 Market
Avenue, San Pablo, CA 94806. You can file written comment for Saturday’s
meeting at least at “Written Comments:
All comments received before 3:00 pm the day before the meeting will be
posted on the City’s website on the
agenda page (Agenda Page Link) and provided to the City Council prior to
the meeting. Written comments will not
be read aloud during the meeting. Email comments to comment@pinole.gov
Please indicate which item on the
agenda you are commenting on in the subject line of your email.”

The relevant agenda item states “CITY COUNCIL RETREAT
The City Council will meet on 1/31 and 2/1 to discuss Council Priorities
for 2025 and participate in
teambuilding activities. The teambuilding retreat will be facilitated by
City Manager, Kelcey Young
and attended by key City staff members.”

Tuesday, 1-28- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, In person 10-11 AM. “
*SENIOR FOOD PROGRAM*

The Senior Center partners with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County to offer the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens ages 55+ to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese, and assorted meats twice a month. The program is available for Pinole senior residents only. This program takes place every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The next distribution will be on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am.Individuals interested in the program must complete the Senior Food Program Application. Applications are available at the Senior Center and can also be found on the Pinole Senior Center website <https://www.pinole.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SFP-Application.pdf> [link replaced by direct link to the PDF].”(Pinole pulse, 1/24)

Monday, 1-27- Planning Commission Meeting, 7 PM, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/124/files/agenda/775 (note the new URL).

There will be 2 items on the agenda- the minutes from the prior meeting, and initial review of municipal code amendments (pages 22-25 for staff report, 26-27 for resolution, 28-50 for text of amendments, 51-56 for highlighted programs addressed by amendments). Broadly speaking, this batch of amendments is to make SB9 projects simpler, reduce parking requirements, and reduce the level of approval required for parking reductions and lot consolidations (see pages 51-56).

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.

Tuesday, 1-21- City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the
agenda packet at
https://pinoleca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1014/files/agenda/769.

There is one closed session item- Conference with labor negotiators,
with the city manager, city attorney and the human resources director
negotiating with AFSCME Local 1, AFSCME local 512, and the Management
Compensation Plan. I would expect this one to take a while- 30 minutes
at least, possibly longer.

There are seven proclamations- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day (page 6),
National Day of Racial Healing (page 7), Holocaust Day of Remembrance
(page 8), Lunar New Year (page 9), Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties
(page 10), Recognizing the City of Pinole’s Police Officer of the Year
(page 11), and recognizing the Contra Costa County Fire Protection
District’s Firefighter of the Year (page 12). There are two
presentations- a summary of “Glow Pinole” by Community Services Director
Andrea Dwyer, and an overview of the Community Services department by
Director Dwyer.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal warrants, along
with the minutes for the December 17th city council meeting, an update
on the city’s progress on implementing preapproval for accessory
dwelling unit (ADU) plans (staff report pages 55-6), a resolution to
accept a grant from Marin Clean Energy (MCE) (to support the city’s
community outreach program under the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan
and implement a one-stop energy efficiency permitting program (page 72
for detailed table) (staff report pages 57-60, resolution pages 61-2,
letter of application pages 63-71 fiscal impact gain of $7500 for city
page 60),

and last a resolution to increase the amount allocated to Coastland
Civil Engineering Inc for inspection and construction management
services for the Pinon Trunk Sewer Capacity Phase 2 project, increasing
the amount paid by $276,261 for a total contract amount of $315,261
(page 73), to be paid for from allocated funds (presumably the
contingency funds for SS2401, see page 32 of the final proposed FY24-25
Capital Improvement Plan at
https://www.pinole.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Final-Proposed-FY-2024-45-through-2028-29-CIP-6-18-24.pdf)
(staff report pages 73-4, resolution pages 75-6, task order proposal
pages 77-84).

There are 2 public hearings- considering adoption of updated development
impact fees, and the first read of municipal code amendments related to
housing element programs number 4,5,12 and 13, focusing on Accessory
Dwelling Units (ADUs), junior accessory dwelling units (JADUs), and unit
and lot split projects proposed under Senate Bill 9 and regulatory
consistency.

For the development impact fees, I think the most relevant pages are
162-3, which has a series of charts showing Pinole’s existing and
proposed fees by type compared to regional cities (Antioch, Lafayette,
Moraga, Hercules, Richmond and Brentwood). For a 2000 square foot (SF)
single family home, fees would rise from $22,594 to $30,277- about the
middle of the range, with Hercules and Antioch below and other
jurisdictions higher. For a 33 unit apartment complex with average unit
size 800 SF, fees would rise from $398,661 to $418,613 which remains on
the lower end of the scale- only Antioch would have less. For a 2000 SF
food service commercial building, there would now be fees of $31,040,
which places Pinole towards the upper end of the scale- only Lafayette
and Moraga would have higher. For a 15000 SF non-food service commercial
building, fees would *decrease* from $104,400 to $69,000- this is lower
than all communities other than Antioch. For a 20000 SF office building,
fees would increase from $84,450 to $127,800, remaining in the middle of
the range- Hercules, Richmond and Brentwood would have higher. And
finally for a 50000 SF industrial building, fees would rise from
$234,500 to $422,500- near the top of the range, with only Hercules
being higher. You can find the staff report on pages 85-7, resolution on
pages 88-90, the proposed fees on page 91, the nexus study on pages
92-145, the wastewater capacity charge study on pages 146-160, the
development impact fee comparisons on pages 161-175, and a summary
explaining why the fees are the way they are on pages 176-178.

For the municipal code amendments see pages 179-182 for staff report,
183-5 for ordinance, 186-227 for text of amendments, 228-231 for
highlighted programs addressed by amendments. Broadly speaking, this
batch of amendments is to make SB9 projects simpler, implement objective
standards for SB9 units, and update the city’s ADU ordinance to align
with state law (see pages 228-231).

Finally, there will be one item under new business- the Fiscal Year
2023/24 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (which apparently is ACFR
rather than CAFR now). The staff report is on pages 232-234, the AFCR
itself is pages 235-432, and the auditor’s reports are on pages 433-452.
I would also note within the report itself the statistical section
starting on page 397 and continuing to page 432- there are quite a few
interesting items here, including a rise in the city’s net property tax
assessed valuation from $1,974,488,120 in FY 2014-15 to $3,137,568,457
in FY 2023-24 (page 411), a rise in taxable sales from $3,072,548 in FY
2014-15 to $3,696,309 in FY 2023-24 while the fiscal year totals rose
from $5,318,751 in FY 2014-15 to $9,430,218 in FY 2023-24, mostly due to
the local transaction tax (i.e, Measure S 2014) (pages 414-15), and that
the city’s population continued to decline (though not as sharply as in
recent years) while median household and per capita income continued to
rise, and the unemployment rate rose to 3.3% (page 423). Also worth
noting is that the city’s total workforce more than doubled since 2015-
from 4,299 in 2015 to 9,300 in 2024 (page 425).

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.

Saturday, 1-18- Community Cleanup, 10 AM, Bayfront Park, in person. Come help the Friends of Pinole Creek Watershed clean up by Bayfront Park!

Wednesday, 1-15- Coffee with the City, A La Mode Donut Shop, 8-10 AM, in person. Come have coffee and talk with city staff!

Tuesday, 1-14- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, In person 10-11 AM. “

*SENIOR FOOD PROGRAM*

The Senior Center partners with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County to offer the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens ages 55+ to receive free groceries, including healthy pantry staples, eggs, cheese, and assorted meats twice a month. The program is available for Pinole senior residents only. This program takes place every second and fourth Tuesday of the month. The next distribution will be on *Tuesday, [January 14th] from 10:00 am – 11:00 am*. Individuals interested in the program must complete the Senior Food Program Application. Applications are available at the Senior Center and can also be found on the Pinole Senior Center website <https://www.pinole.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/SFP-Application.pdf> [link replaced by direct link to the PDF]. For questions, contact, mpicazo@pinole.gov.”(Pinole pulse, 11/7, updated with information from 12/20 pulse)