Tomorrow, 4-9- Senior Food Distribution, Pinole Senior Center, In person 10-11 AM. “


     *SENIOR FOOD PROGRAM*

The Pinole Senior Center is partnering with the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano County on the Senior Food Program. Low-income senior citizens 55+ are 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 9, 2024 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” (city newsletter)

Today, 4-2- Regular City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here – note that the city is shifting to a new agenda website.

To start, there is one closed session item- Conference with labor negotiators- Management Compensation Plan. While it’s only one item, I would still be surprised if the council returned before 5:30.

For proclamations, there’s a proclamation for Autism Acceptance Month, Arab American Heritage Month, and National Pet Day. Then there is 1 presentation from Marin Clean Energy (MCE) on their application to the Department of Energy for a grant to expand Virtual Power Plants in MCE communities.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are the normal minutes and warrants, a contract for landscape maintenance services to Pacific Site Management not to exceed $420,545, Pinole Perks restructuring (fiscal impact $25,000 page 73 agenda packet), City Clerk Contract Amendment (4% merit, 1% longevity raise, fiscal impact  $8571 page 99), and last a memorandum of understanding with MCE for the grant application presented on earlier from the Department of Energy (signature of support, no immediate fiscal impact).

This time, there’s a public hearing- and it’s important. Urgency Ordinance to enact a moratorium on the establishment of new or expansion of existing service (i.e, gas) stations. This would ban the creation of new gas stations or expansion of existing ones in Pinole for the duration of the ordinance while the city drafts a more thorough ordinance for permanent adoption (page 111). It would not, however, close existing gas stations (page 112). As an urgency ordinance, it can go into immediate effect, but requires the votes of 4 out of the 5 council members to pass.

 
There are 2 old business items- An update on the progress of the parklet program (reporting business owner survey results, deciding whether to continue page 133), and deciding whether the city wants to pursue a Real Property Transfer Tax and becoming a charter city for that purpose this election cycle.

Finally, there is one new business item- considering which vehicles to purchase to replace aging city fleet vehicles. Of note- electric vehicles would need to be purchased individually rather than by fleet, but could cost as low as $26,500 depending on model (page 145).

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, 3-27- Community Service Commission meeting, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid 5 PM. You can find the agenda packet here. Items to be discussed- 2024 Community Services Commission Event Schedule, Community Service Day, Pride/Juneteenth, Community Services Commission event roles and responsibilities, and Community Outreach/Engagement.

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.

Wednesday, 3-27- Finance Subcommittee meeting, Pinole City Hall, Hybrid 3 PM (note the earlier time!). You can find the agenda packet here. There are 2 items on the agenda- approval of prior meeting minutes, and discussion of the city’s Financial and Investment Policies for the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2024/25).

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.

Saturday, 3-23- Listening session for city manager recruitment, 10AM-11:30 AM, in person Pinole Senior Center.

“Join us in-person as we host a “*Listening Session*” with Bob Murray & Associates for the recruitment of City Manager! An Executive Recruiter will seek and gather input from the participating community members to help develop an ideal candidate selection criterion for this important search.

This open-house event is scheduled on *Saturday, March 23, 2024, from 10-11:30**am (PST)* at the *Pinole Senior Center* (2500 Charles Avenue, Pinole, CA 94564).” (city calendar)

Tomorrow, 3-19 – Regular City Council meeting, 5 PM, Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here – note that the city is shifting to a new agenda website.

To start, there are three closed session items- Conference with labor negotiators- city clerk, Conference with labor negotiators- PPEA (police union), and Conference with legal counsel- anticipated litigation. I would not expect the council to return before 6 PM.

For proclamations, there’s a proclamation for Nowruz and one for Cesar Chavez day. Then there are 2 presentations- one from ConFire, and one from Maria Picazo as acting community service director on a july 4th celebration update.

Then there’s the consent calendar- There are minutes for the last meeting, as normal- and minutes for the meeting of November 7th, which had some controversy and required closer review. Then there are the normal warrants, approval of the annual progress report on housing element implementation, and considering having the city sponsor the Pinole Valley High School’s Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month Study Stop at the Asian American Museum in San Francisco and Broadcast of Heritage Show (net cost $3200, page 93).

There are 2 old business items- Adopting a resolution to establish the new city seal, logo and branding guidelines, and amending the city’s procurement policy to include an environmentally preferable purchasing policy and program, prefer buying american-made union workforce vehicles, and include union bug on printing where feasible (page 212).

Finally, there is one new business item- the FY 2022-23 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. There’s quite a bit in this one- some points of interest were a condition to forgive loans by Bridge Housing for Pinole Grove in 2024 if they agreed to maintain affordability for 19 years (page 366), which I suspect they did not do; the city’s top 10 employers and total workforce now and 10 years ago, which shows that the workforce in Pinole doubled in that time from 4,332 to 9,400 (page 470); and that even though the city’s population has declined, per capita and household average income have both increased substantially (page 468).

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.

Today, 3-18- Listening session for city manager recruitment, 12 PM, virtual. “

Join us virtually as we host a “*Listening Session*” with Bob Murray & Associates for the recruitment of City Manager! An Executive Recruiter will seek and gather input from the participating community members to help develop an ideal candidate selection criterion for this important search.

On *Monday, March 18, 2024, at 12pm (PST)*, please join us via Zoom:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88683583814?pwd=cUpiNWZhdW1IeDdJZi85clJEODlLdz09

Meeting ID: 886 8358 3814
Passcode: 589642

If you’re unable to virtually join us or would like another opportunity to participate, the City has also scheduled an in-person “Listening Session” at the *Pinole Senior Center* (2500 Charles Avenue, Pinole, Ca 94564) on *Saturday, March 23**^rd ** from 10 – 11:30 am*.” (city calendar).

Tomorrow, 3-16- Creek cleanup, in person, Alhambra valley road, 10-12
AM. “This Saturday, March 16th from 10am-12pm will be the next Community
Cleanup hosted by the Friends of Pinole Creek Watershed and Pinole
Valley High School Earth Team. Meet on Alhambra Valley Road in the Upper
Watershed:
https://www.google.com/maps/search/37.970091,+-122.215415?entry=tts“
(City of Pinole facebook).

Tomorrow, 3-13- Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee meeting, 6 PM, Pinole City Hall/Hybrid. You can find the agenda packet here. TAPS will be discussing traffic and pedestrian safety issues submitted by the community (Request to enhance crosswalk and upgrade signs at Pinole Valley Park, request to add ADA ramp on corners of Amend St and Mann Dr), staff updates on CIP projects (appian and marlesta intersection), development projects (none), the Active Transportation Plan, and grants (no updates).

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. There are new instructions for public comment on this agenda packet, so I am unsure if the ordinary methods apply. They state

“SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENTS TO CITY ENGINEER BEFORE OR DURING THE MEETING VIA
EMAIL
smishra@ci.pinole.ca.us
Comments received before the close of the public comment period for that item will be read into
the record and limited to 3 minutes. Please include your full name, city of residence and agenda
item you are commenting on. Any comments received after the close of the public comment
period will be distributed to Council and relevant staff after the meeting and filed with the agenda packet.”

Tomorrow, 3-13- Coffee with the City, Peet’s Coffee (Pinole Valley Shopping Center), in Person 8-10 AM. Have questions for city staff? Come ask them in a more informal setting at Coffee with the City (now including more staff than just the police department).