ALL RIGHT. IT WAS WITH STANFORD PACT, OF COURSE. [00:00:02] YEAH. WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. OKAY. EVERYONE'S READY, I ASSUME. GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO THE BOARD LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ON THIS THE 10TH OF JANUARY 2024. WE'RE BEGINNING TODAY AT 1037. AND. MADAM CLERK, WOULD YOU TAKE THE ROLL, PLEASE? [Roll Call] HE'S HERE. TODAY'S MEETING IS HELD PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT. WE PROVIDE LIVE AUDIO AND VIDEO STREAMING. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT CAN DO SO ONE LIVE VIA ZOOM. TWO BY SUBMITTING AN EMAIL THREE LEAVING A VOICEMAIL. THIS INFORMATION IS NOTED ON THE AGENDA. IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS, WE WILL BEGIN. ALL RIGHT. OUR FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. WE HAVE NO MINUTES. SO LET'S MOVE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA WE HAVE. [Public Comments on Items Not on the Agenda] ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK. ALL RIGHT. WELCOME, KELLY. I SEE YOU. KELLY, ARE YOU THERE? I HAVE JUST. OKAY. KELLY, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. OOPS. I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT BIG LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVE, WHICH IS SEA LEVEL RISE. AND THERE WAS AN ARTICLE IN THE NEWSPAPER ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO ABOUT THE COST AND WHAT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE BAY AREA. AND THIS ARTICLE PUT OUT A NUMBER OF $100 BILLION NEEDED WITHIN THE NEXT 30 YEARS OR SO. AND THEY, THEY SAID SAN FRANCISCO IS GOING TO SPEND $5 BILLION ON BUILDING A SEAWALL. THE AIRPORT THERE IS GOING TO BUILD SPEND LIKE $600 MILLION ON A SEAWALL. AND FOSTER CITY WAS SPENDING 100 MILLION ON A SEAWALL. AND THEY TALK ABOUT THE MEASURES THAT WILL THAT INCLUDES EXPANDING THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF WETLANDS, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT THE EAST BAY PARKS DISTRICT LIKES TO DO, BULLDOZING DOZENS OR HUNDREDS OF MILES OF HIGH BUILDING A LOT OF MILES OF LEVEES, HIGHER LEVEES, CONSTRUCTING NEW TIDAL GATES STRENGTHENING SEA WALLS AND RAISING ROADS. AND I THINK THE TWO, TWO IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE IN THE ARTICLE. ONE IS THAT THEY ONLY THEY SAY THEY ONLY HAVE $5 BILLION LINED UP TO PAY FOR ALL THIS SO FAR. AND SO THAT'S EITHER THINGS ARE GOING TO GET FLOODED OR THEY'RE GOING TO FIND GO FIND, GO SPEND MORE MONEY. AND SECONDLY WE STILL HAVE PEOPLE MAYBE NOT FOSTER CITY. I DON'T THINK IT'S EXPANDING, BUT PEOPLE LIKE THE CITY OF NEWARK THAT ARE STILL BUILDING ADDITIONAL HOUSING AND MAYBE IT'S NOT BELOW SEA LEVEL RIGHT NOW, BUT IT'S KIND OF CLOSE, KIND OF FAR OUT THERE TOWARDS THE BAYSHORE. AND A LOT OF THESE MUNICIPALITIES, THE WAY THEY WORK, THE WAY THE COUNTIES AND CITIES WORK, IS THAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE THEM A HARD LINE, TAKE A HARDLINE ATTITUDE, BECAUSE IF YOU GIVE THEM ANY KIND OF WIGGLE ROOM, THEY'LL BUILD RIGHT UP TO THE TO THE GRAY ZONE AND BEYOND. THANKS. THANK YOU. KELLY, IS THAT IT FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS? ALL RIGHT, THEN WE'LL MOVE TO OUR FIRST ACTION ITEM, WHICH IS THE CONTRACT FOR SERVICES WITH E2 STRATEGIES, LLC, AND THE AMOUNT OF $96,000 FOR GENERAL [Action Items] FEDERAL ADVOCACY CONSULTING SERVICES. WELCOME, ERICH. GOOD AFTERNOON. ERICH PFUEHLER, CHIEF OF GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS. COMING TO YOU BEFORE THE COMMITTEE TODAY TO APPROVE OR AGREE WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION TO RETAIN E-2 AS OUR FEDERAL ADVOCATE IN WASHINGTON, DC. THE FIRM, AS YOU ALL WELL KNOW, IS MANAGED BY PETER UMHOEFER. [00:05:02] WE'VE WORKED WITH PETER FOR 12 YEARS NOW FROM THE BEGINNING. WE HAD SUCCESS WITH THE TIGER TWO GRANT AWARD IN 2010. AND THEN MORE RECENTLY, HE'S GOTTEN MADE PROVIDED US ACCESS TO NATIONAL PARK SERVICE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INCLUDING BRINGING SALLY JEWELL, THEN THE SECRETARY OF INTERIOR, TO THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK, HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50, BEFORE IT WAS NAMED SUCH ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. HE'S ALSO BEEN MORE RECENTLY VERY HELPFUL WITH OUR COMMUNITY BENEFIT PROJECTS. AND WE'VE HAD SUCCESS IN THE LAST TWO YEARS RECEIVING DIRECT ALLOCATIONS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. ACTUALLY DIRECTLY FROM CONGRESS. AND HE'S ALSO BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN OUR DC CONFERENCES PARTICULARLY AS WE'VE DONE MORE AND MORE WORK WITH OTHER AGENCIES, I BELIEVE LAST YEAR HE HELPED US ARRANGE A MEETING WITH FEMA, WHICH WAS SOMEWHAT NEW FOR US. SO WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE STAFF AND GENERAL MANAGER RECOMMEND CONTINUING HIS CONSISTENT SERVICE FOR THE PARK DISTRICT. AND WE'RE ASKING FOR A SUPPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER RECOMMENDATION FOR THE $96,000 CONTRACT TO EXCEED, NOT TO EXCEED 8000 A MONTH. ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS. COMMITTEE MEMBERS. ERICH IN SACRAMENTO. WE'VE BROADENED OUR RESOURCES, SO TO SPEAK, IN TERMS OF HAVING ADVOCATES NOW THAT SPECIALIZE MAY BE TO BROADLY CHARACTERIZE IN IN ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES AS OPPOSED TO THE LEGISLATURE. HAS ANY THOUGHT OR ANY RESPONSE TO RFPS THAT WE'VE ISSUED RESULTED IN LOOKING AT WHETHER WE COULD BROADEN THAT RESOURCEFULNESS IN DC. THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT, DIRECTOR COFFEY. YES, WE DID PUT OUT AN I SHOULD HAVE MENTIONED IN THE BEGINNING, WE DID PUT OUT AN RFP FOR THIS PARTICULAR YEAR, AND WE DID RECEIVE AT LEAST ONE OTHER VERY COMPETITIVE OR VERY PROMINENT APPLICATION. AND SO DEPENDING UPON THE APPROVAL OF THIS CONTRACT, WE MAY BE LOOKING AT SOME SPECIALIZED SERVICES WITH ANOTHER ENTITY. BUT WE NEED TO GET THE MAIN ONE SETTLED FIRST. ALL RIGHT. I'M HAPPY. YOU KNOW, I'M VERY PLEASED WITH PETER'S WORK OVER MY TENURE HERE, I THINK HE DOES WONDERFUL, VERY GOOD AND EFFECTIVE WORK FOR US. I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE, AS I ALWAYS HAVE, THAT IN TERMS OF GOING AFTER FUNDING WE SHOULD USE EVERY RESOURCE WE CAN. THANK YOU. I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION. I MEAN, I SUPPORT THIS FULLY E2 STRATEGIES IS ALWAYS, IN MY OPINION DONE GREAT WORK IN MY TEN YEARS HERE. I JUST WANT TO I NOTICED THIS IN READING THE ANALYSIS, AND I'M JUST A NOTE, PETER'S NOT HERE, I GUESS. BUT I EVERY FOR TEN YEARS NOW THAT I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD THIS WHOLE BIFURCATION AND TRANSFER OF THE 14 ACRE OAKLAND ARMY BASE HAS BEEN A THORN IN OUR FLESH. AND I'M WONDERING CAN WE GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION? AT SOME POINT, DO WE GIVE UP WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING AND TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT? BECAUSE IT'S A THORN IN OUR FLESH, SO TO SPEAK, AND HAS BEEN AND. THANK YOU. CHAIR WAESPI. THE ACTUALLY, LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR WE DID PIVOT IN A BIT OF A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. WE WERE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF ARMY AND THE TWO STATE AGENCIES THAT ARE WORKING ON THE CLEANUP PARTICULARLY IN THE MARINE SEDIMENT. BUT SO LAST YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE ACTUALLY WORKED ON LEGISLATION TO BE INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT. WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN HAVING SENATOR PADILLA OFFER THE LEGISLATION, AND IT WAS INCLUDED IN A VERSION OF THE BILL, BUT NOT ULTIMATELY INCLUDED IN THE FINAL VERSION THAT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW. IT WOULD HAVE CALLED FOR BIFURCATION OF THE PROPERTY AND ALLOWED THE 14 UPLAND ACRES TO BE TRANSFERRED SOONER. WHILE THE DISPUTE OVER THE SIX ACRES OF THE MARINE LAYER WERE RESOLVED. [00:10:06] SO WE DID TRY A DIFFERENT APPROACH, AND I THINK WE WILL PROBABLY TRY THAT AGAIN. THIS YEAR, BUT SORT OF REMAINS TO BE SEEN. WHAT'S WHAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE? WELL, THAT'S ENCOURAGING. THANK YOU. IF THERE ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THIS? HEARING NONE. I'D LIKE A CLARIFICATION. GENERALLY, WE SAY THAT THIS GROUP THIS COMMITTEE WOULD FORWARD IT TO THE FULL BOARD FOR APPROVAL. IS THIS WE'RE DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT HERE, OR DID I READ THE RECOMMENDATION INCORRECTLY? ARE WE RECOMMENDING TO THE FULL IF WE VOTE TO RECOMMEND TO THE FULL BOARD TO GO AHEAD WITH THIS CONTRACT. WILL IT GO TO THE FULL BOARD, OR IS THIS JUST THE COMMITTEE'S APPROVAL? IT IS SCHEDULED TO GO BEFORE THE FULL BOARD. I BELIEVE THE REQUEST IS TO ASK TO SUPPORT THE GENERAL MANAGER'S RECOMMENDATION THAT IT GO BEFORE THE FULL BOARD. I'LL MAKE A MOTION. OKAY. WE MOTION BY MEMBER COFFEY AND A SECOND-BY-SECOND MEMBER ECHOLS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IF THERE IS NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING I, I, I. THE MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO THE RECOMMENDED LEGISLATION TO SUPPORT. AGAIN. ERICH PFUEHLER, CHIEF OF GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS. WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A LIGHT AGENDA AND LEGISLATION AS THE STATE LEGISLATURE ADJOURNED AND HAS JUST NOW GONE BACK IN SESSION. BUT WE WERE WE WERE BROUGHT, MADE AWARE OF TWO FEDERAL BILLS OF INTEREST TO THE PARK DISTRICT THAT ALIGN WITH OUR SEVEN ADVOCACY GOALS. THE FIRST OF WHICH, H.RES. 881 RECOGNIZES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY, WHICH AT THIS POINT WAS NOW LAST YEAR OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT. AND I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THAT LEGISLATION. WHEN IT PASSED IN 1973 92 TO 0 IN THE SENATE AND 355 TO 4 IN THE HOUSE, SO OVERWHELMINGLY BIPARTISAN. IT HAS SINCE PROTECTED OVER 2300 SPECIES. AND IT HAS BEEN WIDELY CONSIDERED TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN TERMS OF BOTH ANIMAL AND PLANT HABITAT. SO WE'RE ASKING FOR A SUPPORT POSITION ON, ON THAT AS IT ALIGNS WITH OUR ECOSYSTEM STEWARDSHIP ADVOCACY GOAL. THE SECOND BILL, S3416 WOULD ESTABLISH THE CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCY FUND, AND IT AUTHORIZES THE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY TO AUTHORIZE FROM 200 TO 1 MILLION TO A BILLION IN CLIMATE BONDS ANNUALLY. AND THESE CAN BE PURCHASED TO RAISE MONEY TO HELP WITH RESILIENCY PROJECTS, PARTICULARLY IN DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES. THE PARK DISTRICT WOULD BENEFIT FROM ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR SHORELINE PROTECTION, WILDFIRE RESILIENCE AND OTHER IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. IT IS MODELED AFTER THE WORLD WAR TWO BOND PROGRAM. AND JUST AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT THAT PROGRAM IS THAT 85 MILLION OF US RESIDENTS OUT OF 151 MILLION TOTAL PURCHASED BACK IN THE 40S, AND IT RAISED 186.7 BILLION TO HELP THE WAR EFFORT. SO, THIS IS MODELED AFTER THE SAME PROGRAM, AND IT ALSO DOES PROVIDE, I BELIEVE, 10 MILLION FOR PROMOTION OF SELLING THE BONDS ANNUAL ANNUALLY. SO WITH THAT, THOSE ARE THE TWO PIECES OF LEGISLATION THAT WE HAVE RECOMMENDED FOR SUPPORT. AND IN THE SHOULD ALSO MENTION ON S3416 THAT ALSO ALIGNS WITH OUR ECOSYSTEM STEWARDSHIP GOALS AND OUR SHORELINE PREPAREDNESS GOALS. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? I DO HAVE A QUESTION. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'LL KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE SET UP UNDER THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. AND BECAUSE IT IS, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD THINK IT WOULD BE NATURAL RESOURCES OR YOU KNOW, EVEN POSSIBLY SOME TYPE OF ENTITY THAT HAS INFRASTRUCTURE IN IT. BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT. ACTUALLY, THAT'S A REALLY EXCELLENT POINT, DIRECTOR ECHOLS, BECAUSE I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT, TOO. AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT BECAUSE IT'S A BOND PROGRAM AND THE FUNDS GO THROUGH TREASURY, THEY WOULD THEY NEED TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE COMMERCE DEPARTMENT, BUT THEY CAN BE ALLOCATED TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES TO THEN THEREFORE THEN ALSO BE REALLOCATED TO LOCAL APPLICANTS AND STATE APPLICANTS. INTERESTING. OKAY. WELL, THANKS FOR LOOKING INTO THAT. GREAT. AND I GUESS MY ONLY COMMENT WOULD BE YOU MENTIONED THAT THE COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PASSAGE OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES [00:15:06] ACT OF 73. I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. IT'S AN AMAZING DEAL. I JUST WAS LOOKING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA THIS MORNING AND SAW THIS INCREDIBLE PICTURE OF A BALD EAGLE THAT'S TAKEN UP RESIDENCE OF LAKE TEMESCAL. IT'S JUST AMAZING AND ENCOURAGING. SO IF THERE'S NOTHING FROM THE PUBLIC, COMMENT WISE I'LL ACCEPT A MOTION TO MOVE THIS FORWARD. SUPPORT FOR THESE BILLS. ANYONE LIKE TO SURE, SO, MOVED. MOVED BY MEMBER ECHOLS. SECONDED BY MEMBER COFFEY. IF THERE'S NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SAYING AYE. AYE. MOTION PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. WE'LL MOVE NOW TO THE UPDATE ON LOCAL ACTIONS TAKEN BY OTHER JURISDICTIONS. [Informational Items] GOOD MORNING. MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE BRIAN HOLT, CHIEF OF PLANNING, TRAILS AND GIS HERE TODAY TO PROVIDE THE STANDING ITEM ON UPDATES ON THE ACTIONS OF LOCAL JURISDICTIONS. AND SINCE WE HAVE A NEW MEMBERS TO THIS GROUP, ALTHOUGH I'M SURE YOU'RE ALL SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR THIS THE INTENT HERE IS TO PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF OUR WHAT WE CALL THE SAGE PROCESS STRATEGIC ACTIONS BY I GOT IT. OTHER JURISDICTIONS OR BY STRATEGIC ACTIONS BY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. THIS IS OUR WEEKLY REVIEW OF ALL OF THE AGENDA ITEMS PROJECT REFERRALS. AND REALLY JUST ANY OF THE, THE SORT OF SCUTTLEBUTT THAT'S GOING ON ABOUT PROJECTS THAT THAT RELATE TO THE DISTRICT POTENTIALLY AROUND OUR BOUNDARIES OR THAT HAVE RELATION TO IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR, OUR MASTER PLAN. SO WE HAVE BEEN COMING HERE TO THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING AT EACH OF YOUR MEETINGS AND PROVIDING JUST A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE KEY TOP HOT ITEMS AND ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR SUGGESTIONS ON ANY ITEMS THAT YOU WANT TO HAVE WANT TO HEAR ABOUT. WE CAN TRY TO DO SOME RESEARCH AND BRING THAT FORWARD. SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO SHARE MY SCREEN. AND I SAID I WAS ALL GOOD, BUT MAYBE I'M NOT. SHOULD WE? NOW. THERE WE GO. OKAY, WE CAN ALL SEE THAT UP THERE. ALL RIGHT. OUR FIRST ITEM THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON REALLY FOR ABOUT THE SECOND HALF OF LAST YEAR, 2023. THERE'S BEEN MULTIPLE ACTIONS, INCLUDING THE COMPLETION OF A FEASIBILITY STUDY BY THE CONTRA COSTA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY. REGARDING DYNAMIC PERSONAL MICRO TRANSIT DEVICES. SO THESE ARE AUTONOMOUS SHUTTLES, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM, THAT PROVIDE ESSENTIALLY LAST MILE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN VARIOUS POINTS TO TRANSIT PROVIDERS. SO IT'S AN ON-DEMAND FACILITY. AND A FEASIBILITY STUDY WAS COMPLETED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO. THIS WAS PRESENTED TO THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY, WHO IS NOW MOVING FORWARD WITH A PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT REGARDING IMPLEMENTATION OF POSSIBLE IMPLEMENTATION OF ONE OF THESE FACILITIES. SO MOVING INTO THE ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PHASE AND, AND DESIGN THIS IS SORT OF A LITTLE BIT OF A CONCEPTUAL DRAWING OF WHAT THESE WHAT THESE DEVICES LOOK LIKE. AND ACTUALLY, IF YOU HAVE BEEN ON THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK THIS IS A ONE OF THE PARTNERS IN THIS PROGRAM IS A COMPANY BY CALLED GLIDE WAYS. GLIDE WAYS HAS BEEN DOING SOME TESTING UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE GOMENTUM PROGRAM THAT'S ADMINISTERED THROUGH THE CONTRA COSTA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY. THEY HAVE THEY HAVE A TESTING FACILITY THAT IS ON THE THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK PROPERTY. SO, SO SOME OF THESE DEVICES, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE BUZZING AROUND OUT THERE AT TIMES. AND AGAIN, THESE ARE SORT OF AUTONOMOUS SHUTTLES THAT YOU COULD ESSENTIALLY CALL AND WILL COME TO YOU AND TAKE YOU TO YOUR BUS STATION OR TO YOUR BART STATION OR WHEREVER ELSE YOU NEED TO GO. OUR PRIMARY INTEREST HERE IS THE POTENTIAL USE OF PARK DISTRICT FACILITIES FOR THIS, FOR THIS SYSTEM. SO, WE HAVE BEEN APPROACHED BY CONTRA COSTA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY, AS WELL AS GLIDE WAYS AND THEIR OTHER PRIVATE PARTNERS ABOUT POSSIBLE USE OF THE DELTA DE ANZA TRAIL THROUGH PITTSBURGH WHICH PROVIDES, ACCORDING TO THEM, ACCESS TO SOME OF THEIR KEY FACILITIES, INCLUDING LOS [00:20:07] MEDANOS COLLEGE, PITTSBURG BART STATION, AND SOME OTHER FACILITIES THERE. I THINK YOU CAN APPRECIATE THAT. STAFF HAD SOME INITIAL CONCERNS ABOUT USE OF THE THAT TRAIL CORRIDOR FOR, FOR ESSENTIALLY TRANSPORTATION FOR TRANSPORTATION PURPOSES AND WHAT IMPACT THAT WOULD HAVE ON THE TRAIL EXPERIENCE THERE. CONFLICTS WITH OUR PEDESTRIAN OR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION USE OF THAT TRAIL. AND JUST, JUST LOGISTICS REGARDING YOU KNOW, WHO OWNS THE TRAIL, MANAGES THE TRAIL AND A LOT OF OTHER THINGS THERE. SO, SO MORE TO COME ON THAT. BUT THE USE OF I FORGET THE EXACT LENGTH, BUT IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD STRETCH OF, OF THE DELTA DE ANZA TRAIL FOR THIS FACILITY WAS KIND OF RISING TO THE TOP AS A PREFERRED PRIORITY PREFERRED ALIGNMENT OF CONTRA COSTA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY FOR, FOR THIS FACILITY. SO MORE TO COME ON THAT I THINK WE CERTAINLY EXPRESSED OUR CONCERNS ABOUT CONFLICTS OF THAT TYPE OF A FACILITY. SO BEFORE I GO ON, I'LL JUST OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS. DIRECTOR COFFEY, I BELIEVE YOU HAVE. I THINK IT WAS A YEAR OR TWO. THEY GAVE ME A TOUR OF THOSE FACILITIES, AND I ACTUALLY GOT TO RIDE IN THE GUIDEWAYS RIGHT VEHICLE AND PARTICIPATED IN SOME DEMONSTRATIONS. MY IMPRESSION AT THE TIME WAS THEY NEEDED A DEDICATED PATHWAY FOR THOSE VEHICLES THAT WOULD BE INCONSISTENT WITH THE REGIONAL TRAIL. WELL, THE PROPOSAL THAT WE WERE PRESENTED AND AGAIN, THIS IS VERY CONCEPTUAL WAS THAT AND IT WAS PRESENTED TO US THAT THEIR BELIEF THAT THE TRAIL CORRIDOR, THE RIGHT OF WAY FOR THE DELTA DE ANZA TRAIL IS OF SUFFICIENT WIDTH TO ACCOMMODATE BOTH A SEPARATED TRAIL AS WELL AS WELL AS A DEDICATED LANE FOR THESE, FOR THESE FACILITIES. I THINK AGAIN, STAFF'S INITIAL POSITION WAS THAT THAT SORT OF, YOU KNOW, MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES SHOULD BE LOCATED WITHIN EXISTING MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION RIGHT OF WAYS RATHER THAN TAKING AWAY FROM WHAT WE SEE AS PRETTY PRECIOUS AND LIMITED NON-MOTORIZED RIGHT OF WAYS. SO. SO REALLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY PROTECTIVE OF THAT USE AS A, AS A PEDESTRIAN, NON-MOTORIZED TYPES OF FACILITY. BUT AGAIN, VERY CONCEPTUAL EARLY ON, AND I'M SURE LOTS MORE CONVERSATION TO HAPPEN ABOUT THAT. AND TO THE EXTENT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN PROVIDING ACCESS FROM BART TO THE PARK, I THINK WE WOULD BE VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THAT. THROUGH THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK. YEAH, THAT THAT'S A CONCEPT THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT FORWARD AND OBVIOUSLY IS VERY DEPENDENT ON A LOT OF OTHER ACTIVITIES THAT GOES ON WITHIN THE CITY'S REDEVELOPMENT AREA. BUT SOMETHING WE'LL CONTINUE TO BE OPEN TO TALKING ABOUT. THANK YOU. MOVING ON. CITY OF MARTINEZ THE ALHAMBRA HILLS PUBLIC ACCESS AND HABITAT MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSIS. WAS PRESENTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND SOME IDEAS ON NEXT STEPS THERE. YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR. ALHAMBRA HILLS IS A COUPLE HUNDRED ACRE PRESERVE. THIS WAS THE SUBJECT OF VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS GOING BACK DECADES. AND WAS ACTUALLY ENTITLED FOR HOUSING. A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST IN TRYING TO PRESERVE THIS PROPERTY. AND PARK DISTRICT OVER THE YEARS HAD BEEN APPROACHED BY VARIOUS ADVOCATES TO ACQUIRE THE PROPERTY AS WELL AS THE CITY OF MARTINEZ BECAUSE IT WAS ZONED AND APPROVED FOR HOUSING THAT WAS SEEN AS PROHIBITIVE. EVENTUALLY, A BALLOT MEASURE WAS PASSED IN THE CITY OF MARTINEZ TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR ACQUISITION. SO, THE PROPERTY WAS ACQUIRED BY THE CITY OF MARTINEZ AND PRESERVED. AND SO NOW THE CITY OF MARTINEZ IS LOOKING AT WHAT THE WHAT THE USE OF THAT PROPERTY WOULD BE. AND YOU CAN SEE IT'S ADJACENT TO BRIONES REGIONAL PARK. OUR MASTER PLAN DOES SHOW THE BRIONES TO MOUNT WANDA REGIONAL TRAIL GOING THROUGH THE SITE. SO, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY SOME INTEREST IN THE ADJACENCY OF THIS AREA. WE'VE MET WITH THE CITY OF MARTINEZ REGARDING THIS SITE IN THE PAST AND CONTINUE TO KIND OF MONITOR AS THE CITY EVALUATES FUTURE USE OUT THERE AND, AND WHAT, IF ANY, EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PARK DISTRICT MIGHT BE. [00:25:06] SO IF THERE'S NO QUESTIONS THERE. QUESTION. YEAH. BUT I ATTENDED THAT COUNCIL MEETING AS YOU KNOW, I FORWARDED TO YOU SOME OBSERVATIONS I HAD ABOUT WHAT WAS BROUGHT UP. AND WHAT STOOD OUT FOR ME IS THAT THE CITY AND JOHN MUIR LAND TRUST, WHICH IS TASKED WITH COMING UP WITH THE ACCESS PROPOSALS FOR THE FOR THIS PARK. THEY WERE VERY RELIANT ON THAT TRAIL. AND THEY WERE. AND WHEN I SAY RELIANT, THAT IS IN TERMS OF OPENING THAT PARK UP, DEVELOPING IT FOR PUBLIC ACCESS. THEY SEEM TO BE HEAVILY FOCUSED ON EAST BAY PARKS DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING THAT TRAIL ACROSS THE PROPERTY TOWARD MOUNT WANDA. AND TO THE EXTENT THEY ARE RELYING ON OUR ORGANIZATION TO CREATE THAT TRAIL, I'M WONDERING HOW. MUCH WE HAVE. DISCUSSED WITH THE CITY OR JOHN MUIR LAND TRUST. WHAT ARE OUR PLANS ARE FOR THAT TRAIL? YEAH, I GUESS MY INITIAL RESPONSE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, OUR MASTER PLAN IS A CONCEPTUAL, VERY BROAD PLANNING DOCUMENT THAT IDENTIFIES DIFFERENT FACILITIES AND MAYBE DESIGNATES FACILITIES AS REGIONAL TRAIL OR OTHER USES. BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT THEY'RE ALWAYS MANAGED OR OWNED BY THE, BY THE PARK DISTRICT. SO THERE'S LOTS OF EXAMPLES WHERE WE HAVE REGIONAL TRAILS THAT GO THROUGH OTHER PROPERTIES THAT ARE NOT OWNED OR MANAGED BY THE PARK DISTRICT. BAY TRAIL IS A GOOD EXAMPLE. RIDGE TRAIL AND PERHAPS OTHERS. SO THERE MAY BE SEGMENTS OF WHAT MIGHT BE DESIGNATED AS A REGIONAL TRAIL. THAT MAY BE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, IF IT GOES THROUGH A CITY PARK OR CITY LAND OR OTHER AGENCIES LAND, IT MIGHT BE MANAGED BY THAT AGENCY. SO I THINK THAT THAT'S ONE CONSIDERATION THERE. I THINK WE AND WE HAVE LIKE I SAID, WE'VE HAD SOME INITIAL CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'RE OBVIOUSLY ALWAYS OPEN TO HAVING MORE. I THINK YOU KNOW, THE CITY HAS DESIGNATED THIS AREA AS A PRESERVE THAT POTENTIALLY LIMITS THE TYPES OF USES THAT WOULD HAPPEN IN HERE. THAT WOULD RAISE SOME INCONSISTENCIES WITH THE WAY BRIONES REGIONAL PARK IS USED IN TERMS OF ACCESS BY, SAY, MOUNTAIN BIKERS OR, OR DOGS. AND SO SO WE'RE ALWAYS KIND OF LOOKING AT THOSE, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THERE'S SOME CONSISTENCY IN TERMS OF HOW THESE AREAS ARE OPERATED. WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE OUR OPERATIONS STAFF, OUR RANGERS HAVING TO ENFORCE SORT OF TWO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF, OF, OF RULES ON DIFFERENT PROPERTIES. OBVIOUSLY, THE MORE RESTRICTIVE A PROPERTY IS, THE, THE HIGHER LEVEL OF MANAGEMENT IT REQUIRES. SO THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING FOR US TO CONSIDER AS WELL. SO, SO, SO THE FACT THAT OUR TRAIL IS SHOWN THERE ON THESE, YOU KNOW BROADER REGIONAL PLANS, I, YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY REALLY COMMIT US TO ANYTHING. THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, OUR MASTER PLAN IS I MEAN, THIS IS A IT'S A, YOU KNOW, PART OF A THE REGIONAL GOAL OF THE NETWORK THAT WE WORK WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS TO IMPLEMENT, JUST MUCH LIKE THE COUNTY'S TRANSPORTATION AND BICYCLE MASTER PLAN MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, SIMILARLY THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, ALL ENGAGING TO TRY TO MAKE THIS SYSTEM HAPPEN. AND THERE'S A ROLE FOR CITIES, THERE'S A ROLE FOR US, AND THERE'S A ROLE FOR OTHERS. SO I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK IT COMMITS US TO ANYTHING. THAT SAID, I MEAN, IS THERE A LOGICAL ROLE FOR US? I MEAN, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, TO BE DETERMINED, I GUESS I DON'T WELL, AND I GUESS IT'S A ROLE FOR MYSELF REPRESENTING THE AREA. AND AS WE GO INTO THE SECOND CENTURY PLAN I COULD CERTAINLY ADVOCATE FOR IT. IT'S A, FOR MY COLLEAGUES BENEFIT. IF YOU LOOK AT, AT OUR MAP HERE FOR MANY YEARS, LOCALS IN THE MARTINEZ AND BROWNIES REGION HAVE ENVISIONED WHAT IS REFERRED TO AS THE JOHN MUIR HERITAGE LOOP TRAIL, AND IT IS NOW TWO THIRDS COMPLETE. IF YOU START AT MOUNT WANDA. GO DOWN NOW THROUGH ALMOND RANCH, WHICH WAS ACQUIRED A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND THEN DOWN THROUGH VACA CREEK TRAIL INTO BRIONES AT ITS NORTHERN NORTHWESTERN POINT ON THE MAP. YOU CAN THEN LOOP THROUGH OUR PARK BRIONES. AND TO COMPLETE THAT TRAIL, WHAT'S ENVISIONED AS WE SEE ON THE MAP IS AN EXTENSION FROM BRIONES ACROSS RILEY'S VALLEY [00:30:04] ROAD INTO ALHAMBRA HILLS AND THROUGH THAT PROPERTY BACK TOWARD MOUNT WANDA. YOU WOULD THERE, WITH THAT TRAIL COMPLETE, WHAT HAS BEEN REFERRED TO AS THIS VISION FOR A JOHN MUIR HERITAGE LOOP TRAIL THROUGH THERE. SO THAT IS THE CONNECTION AND OUR ROLE IN IT. AND AGAIN, IT'S A GOOD TOPIC THEN TO PURSUE WITH THE SECOND CENTURY PLAN. YEAH. AND YOU MENTIONED MOUNT WANDA. JUST WORTH NOTING THAT'S OWNED AND MANAGED BY THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE. SO, SO ANOTHER LAND MANAGEMENT PARTNER THAT WE'D BE COORDINATING WITH ON THAT. SO IT TAKES A VILLAGE. YEAH. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. LAST ITEM THAT WE'LL HAVE FOR YOU VISIONING WORKSHOP ON THE ALAMEDA TESLA PLAN. SO THE ANOTHER LONG STANDING PROJECT. THESE ALL ARE GOING BACK DECADES. THE STATE AND THE EARLY 90S ACQUIRED SOME 3100 ACRES ADJACENT TO THE CARNEGIE OFF ROAD VEHICLE AREA FOR EXPANSION OF OFF-ROAD VEHICLES INTO THAT AREA. OVER THE COURSE OF A NUMBER OF PLANNING EFFORTS AND STATE LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS THAT AREA WAS DESIGNATED FOR, FOR NO OFF-ROAD VEHICLE ACCESS. SO, STATE PARKS IS AGAIN RESTARTING THEIR GENERAL PLAN PROCESS FOR THOSE 3100 ACRES. THIS IS WITHIN ALAMEDA COUNTY, AND I DON'T HAVE A MAP ON THIS ONE. I APOLOGIZE, BUT WITHIN ALAMEDA COUNTY, ADJACENT TO CARNEGIE STATE VEHICLE RECREATION AREA. JUST TO THE EAST OF LIVERMORE. AND THE SINCE THE PROPERTY WAS ORIGINALLY INTENDED AS AN OHV PARK AND NOW IS NOT GOING TO BE INTENDED FOR AN OHV PARK, THE STATE'S CREATING A NEW GENERAL PLAN FOR THE SITE TO SORT OF LOOK AT WHAT THE WHAT THE USE OF THAT AREA WOULD BE. AND UNDER THE STATE PROCESS AT LEAST FOR THIS PARK WHAT WHERE THEY'RE CURRENTLY AT IS ACTUALLY DEVELOPING A CLASSIFICATION AND NAME FOR THIS PROPERTY. SO AGAIN, IT WAS ORIGINALLY CLASSIFIED AS AN OFF-ROAD VEHICLE RECREATION AREA. THAT BECAUSE THE LEGISLATION THAT WAS PASSED THAT HAS CHANGED. SO NOW STATE PARKS IS GOING THROUGH A DEFINING A CLASSIFICATION FOR THOSE 3100 ACRES. AND REALLY THE QUESTION IS IT GOING TO BE DESIGNATED AS A STATE RESERVE, WHICH WOULD BE RELATIVELY LIMITED WITH REGARDS TO PUBLIC ACCESS. SO THAT WOULD LARGELY BE A NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES RESERVE, PERHAPS WITH SOME LIMITED PUBLIC ACCESS OR MORE FOCUSED ON GUIDED INTERPRETIVE ACTIVITIES OR IS IT, IS IT MORE OF A TRADITIONAL STATE PARK OR PERHAPS A STATE RECREATION AREA? I BELIEVE THE STATE HAS BEEN HEARING FROM I'M SURE THE STATE HAS BEEN HEARING FROM FOLKS ON BOTH SIDES OF THAT, THAT ISSUE. BUT I THINK IT'S AN ISSUE THAT THAT WE'RE VERY FAMILIAR WITH IS A QUESTION OF TO WHAT EXTENT IS MOUNTAIN BIKING PERMITTED IN THERE? OTHER OF THOSE USES THAT PERHAPS ARE NOT AS INTENSIVE AS OFF-ROAD VEHICLES, BUT, BUT MORE INTENSIVE THAN WHAT WOULD BE PERMITTED IN A STATE RESERVE. SO, THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT THE STATE'S GOING THROUGH. WE, THE PARK DISTRICT, HAVE NOT NECESSARILY WEIGHED INTO THAT PROCESS TO DATE. AS WE HAVE PARTICIPATED THROUGH THE PROCESS BEFORE, WE HAD A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT THE USE OF OHVS IN THAT PROPERTY. BUT TO THIS POINT, WE HAVEN'T NECESSARILY TAKEN A POSITION REGARDING THE QUESTION OF A STATE PRESERVE OR STATE PARK CLASSIFICATION. SO, CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS AS IT, AS IT GOES ON SO. THAT IS ALL THE ITEMS THAT I HAVE TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY. AGAIN, ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AND WELCOME. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON FUTURE ITEMS THAT YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ON FUTURE TOPICS. I WOULD BE INTERESTED, BRIAN. AND I'M SURE MY COLLEAGUES IN CONTRA COSTA GENERAL PLAN WORK. OKAY. VERY GOOD. I SEEM TO BE GETTING OCCASIONAL NOTICES ABOUT THE DRAFT PLAN THAT'S OUT THERE. THIS IS THEIR NEXT CENTURY PLAN, SO TO SPEAK. AND I KNOW THAT EAST BAY PARKS HAS HAD SOME COMMENT AND INPUT INTO CONTRA COSTA'S PROCESS. IT MIGHT BE TIMELY AT SOME POINT. UP TO YOU TO UPDATE US ON MATTERS OF INTEREST IN THE CONTRA COSTA GENERAL PLAN TO THE PARK DISTRICT. THAT'D BE A GREAT ONE. YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. WE'LL T THAT UP. [00:35:06] BRIAN, I WAS JUST WONDERING BACK TO THE TESLA, THE TESLA PLAN. YOU HAD THE BUBBLE DIAGRAMS. IS THERE ANYWHERE THAT YOU COULD IDENTIFY IN THAT GROUP OF BUBBLES ALONG THE LINE OF PROGRESSION? WHERE WHO'S GOING TO MANAGE THAT NEW PARK? OR HAS THERE BEEN ANY RUMBLINGS AS TO THE REGIONAL PARKS? WELL, IT'S A IT'S A STATE PARK. IT'S OWNED BY STATE PARKS. AND I THINK THE INTENTION IS FOR IT TO CONTINUE TO BE MANAGED BY STATE PARKS. AS YOU ALLUDE TO THERE, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS, CERTAINLY THERE'S BEEN RUMBLINGS ABOUT DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT THINGS. YOU KNOW, WE DID INCLUDE THAT SITE ON OUR MASTER PLAN MAP IN 2013. BUT I THINK, I THINK, YOU KNOW, FROM OUR LIKE I SAY, IT'S OWNED BY STATE PARKS. STATE PARKS HAS EXISTING MANAGEMENT OF CARNEGIE STATE VEHICLE RECREATION AREA OUT THERE. WE DON'T HAVE STAFF IN THAT AREA. SO I THINK OUR POSITION HAS BEEN THAT IT MAKES SENSE TO CONTINUE TO BE MANAGED BY, BY STATE PARKS. UNLESS YOU KNOW SOME OTHER I DON'T KNOW THAT ANY CONVERSATIONS HAVE PROGRESSED BEYOND THAT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? HEARING NONE. THEN. THANK YOU. BRIAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. VERY GOOD. THANKS. WE'LL MOVE TO THE UPDATE ON THE GRANTS FROM NOVEMBER 20TH 1ST TO DECEMBER 20TH. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING. KATIE HORNBECK, GRANTS MANAGER. ALSO, SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR, I'LL PROVIDE JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHAT I DO HERE AT EACH MEETING, WHICH IS BASICALLY TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW ITEMS FROM THIS REPORT THAT YOU'LL HAVE IN YOUR PACKET. THIS COVERS THE GRANT APPLICATION SUBMITTED WITHIN THIS PERIOD OF TIME SINCE THE LAST TIME I PRESENTED TO YOU, AS WELL AS THE GRANTS AWARDED. SO, SINCE NOVEMBER 21ST OF LAST YEAR THROUGH DECEMBER 20TH OF LAST YEAR, SUBMITTED FOUR APPLICATIONS. THE ONE I'LL HIGHLIGHT TODAY IS THE FIRST ONE. IT WAS FOR THE TIDEWATER PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT. THIS IS AN APPLICATION SUBMITTED TO CALIFORNIA NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCIES URBAN GREENING PROGRAM. WE'VE SUBMITTED TO THIS PROGRAM BEFORE FOR THIS SAME PROJECT. SO WE RECEIVED SOME FEEDBACK AND INTEGRATED THAT INTO THE APPLICATION. SO HOPEFUL ON THIS NEXT ROUND OF FUNDING FOR THAT. EXCUSE ME, FOR THAT PROJECT. AND THEN FOR GRANTS AWARDED WE RECEIVED A $1 MILLION GRANT AWARD NOTIFICATION FROM THE COASTAL CONSERVANCY FOR THE MARTINEZ BAY TRAIL PROJECT, INCHING US FORWARD TO FULL FUNDING, FULLY FUNDED. SO I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. MIRACLES. HI. I'M JUST INTERESTED TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE WILDCAT CREEK RESTORATION AND BROOK ROAD IMPROVEMENTS. I KNOW WE OBVIOUSLY GOT A GRANT OR MONEY THROUGH THE STATE FROM ASSEMBLY MEMBER BUFFY WICKS, WHO ADVOCATED FOR THAT, AND I WAS CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW WHERE ARE WE IN TERMS OF FUNDING THAT TOTAL PROJECT? MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WHEN IN TERMS OF FUNDING THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE OF THE PROJECT, RIGHT NOW, WE ONLY HAVE THE 500,000 FROM THE STATE, WHICH HASN'T BEEN APPROPRIATED YET INTO THE PROJECT. WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE GRANT AGREEMENT. AND WE HAVE FOUR OTHER GRANT APPLICATIONS PENDING FOR THE SAME PROJECT. OH, YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M SORRY. WE IT'S NOT NOTED ON HERE BECAUSE IT JUST CAME IN MAYBE A WEEK AND A HALF AGO. WE WERE AWARDED A GRANT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY FOR THIS PROJECT. IT'S NOT FINALIZED YET, SO AND I WON'T GO INTO MUCH DETAIL, BUT YOU'LL SEE THAT EVENTUALLY. SO ALL THAT TO SAY IT, WE'RE PROBABLY ABOUT HALFWAY FUNDED, BUT NOT IN THE SORT OF CAPACITY TO WHERE THEY COULD GO OUT TO BID QUITE YET. OKAY. AND THAT'S THE STATE EPA AS THE STATE. NO, THE FEDERAL. OKAY, GREAT. AND OKAY. AND WHAT IS THE TOTAL PROJECT? ROUGHLY 1.5 MILLION. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. HEARING. NO OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. KATIE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. WE'LL MOVE NOW TO THE 2024 STATE PRIORITIES AND ADVOCACY CONFERENCE. [00:40:18] ERICH PFUEHLER, CHIEF OF GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS. I'M SIMPLY HERE TO INTRODUCE THE ITEM. LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY MANAGEMENT ANALYST LISA BALDINGER WILL BE PRESENTING. AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL THE WORK THAT SHE HAS PUT INTO ORGANIZING THIS CONFERENCE. WE'VE HAD SIGNIFICANT TRANSITION IN OUR TEAM AND ALSO IN OUR APPROACH TO ADVOCACY IN SACRAMENTO. SO, WE REALLY DID MUCH OF THE PREPARATION, IF NOT ALL OF IT IN HOUSE HERE FROM PARK DISTRICT STAFF. SO, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE LAUREN BLANCHARD, A NEW MEMBER OF OUR TEAM WHO'S BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN TERMS OF SCHEDULING AND ORGANIZING. SOME OF THE DETAILS FOR THE FOR THE CONFERENCE. WE ALSO WANT TO THANK THE BOARD MEMBERS, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER AND GENERAL MANAGER FOR THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE CONFERENCE. I THINK LAST YEAR'S WAS OUR VERY SUCCESSFUL POST COVID EFFORT, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO EVEN MORE SUCCESS. ALTHOUGH WHEN WE GET TO THE BUDGET ITEM A LITTLE BIT LATER, WE'LL SPEAK TO WHAT'S GOING ON THERE. BUT ANYWAY, WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE LISA TO PRESENT BASICALLY OUR MEETING AGENDAS FOR OUR DELEGATION AND A COUPLE OTHER SIDE MEETINGS THAT WE'VE SCHEDULED. AND SO WITH THAT. ALL RIGHT. GOOD MORNING, LISA BALDINGER, LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY MANAGEMENT ANALYST, HERE TO PRESENT ON OUR STATE ADVOCACY CONFERENCE. IT'S COMING UP LATER THIS MONTH, JANUARY 30TH TO JANUARY 31ST. AND IT IS OUR MEANS OF ACTIVATING OUR STATE OBJECTIVES. SO ON BOARD MEETING NEXT WEEK, WE'LL BE RESOLVING ON OUR LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM, WHICH INCLUDES OBJECTIVES AT THE LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL. AND FOR OUR PROGRAM FOR THE CONFERENCE, WE'RE PAIRING THOSE STATE OBJECTIVES WITH MEMBERS OF OUR DELEGATION TO ALIGN PRIORITIES AND HOPEFULLY GET SOME TRACTION ON EACH OF THEM. SO THE PRESENTATION TODAY IS AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE STATE CONFERENCE. AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT EACH OF OUR STATE OBJECTIVES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE MEETINGS THAT WE'LL BE HAVING. SO, TO BEGIN, AS MENTIONED, OUR CONFERENCES WILL BE TAKING PLACE FROM THE MORNING OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 31ST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON OF WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST, 2004. PLEASE EXCUSE THAT AS A TYPO. 2004 IT WILL HAPPEN THIS YEAR IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. AND THE GOAL IS REALLY TO ENGAGE WITH OUR DELEGATION AND OUR PARTNERS ON THE GOALS OF THE PARK DISTRICT FOR THAT YEAR, AND IT INCLUDES THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, OUR LEADERSHIP STAFF, GENERAL MANAGER AND DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER, AS WELL AS OUR GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS TEAM AND WILL BE SUPPORTED BY OUR STATE ADVOCATES. AND SO THIS YEAR, THAT INCLUDES THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY CONSULTING ADVOCATES, WHO ARE OUR GENERAL CONSULTANTS, AS WELL AS HOUSTON AND MAGNANI AND ASSOCIATES, WHO IS OUR BOND SPECIFIC CONSULTANT. AND WE'LL TALK THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION TODAY HOW THAT'S GOING TO LOOK. SO, FOR EACH MEETING WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT A FEW THINGS. OF COURSE WE'LL START WITH INTRODUCTIONS. THEN WE'LL FOCUS IN ON A TOPIC. SOME OF THE FOCUS TOPICS ARE SHARED ACROSS MEMBERS OF OUR DELEGATION, AND SOME ARE SPECIFIC TO THAT MEMBER. WE'LL ALSO BE SPEAKING WITH EACH MEMBER OF OUR DELEGATION ABOUT A PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT THE PARK DISTRICT IS SPONSORING THIS YEAR. WE HAVE TWO PIECES OF LEGISLATION THAT WE'RE SPONSORING. ONE IS THE STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION, PERMITTING, LOOKING TO EXTEND AN EXISTING STATUTORY EXEMPTION THAT SUNSETS IN 2025 TO REMOVE THAT SUNSET AND TO EXPAND THE LANGUAGE WITHIN THAT EXEMPTION TO ALLOW FOR PUBLIC ACCESS WHILE STILL MEETING THE GOALS OF THE RESTORATION PROJECT. AND THEN OUR SECOND ONE, WHICH IS MENTIONED HERE WITH SENATOR DODD, IS A PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT'S LOOKING AT LAND ACQUIRED BY PARK AGENCIES TO ALLOW FOR TO CONTINUE THE USE OF EXISTING TRAILS AND ROADS ONCE THAT ACQUISITION HAS OCCURRED. CURRENTLY, IF WE WERE TO ACQUIRE A PIECE OF LAND FROM A FORMER RANCH LAND WHERE THOSE ROADS HAD BEEN USED AND WE ACQUIRE IT, WE THEN HAVE TO GO BACK THROUGH THE CEQA PROCESS. AND SO WE'D LIKE TO CONTINUE TO ALLOW FOR THE PUBLIC ACCESS JUST AS IT WAS BEING USED ON ITS PRIOR USE. AND SO WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT EACH OF THOSE BILLS IN THE DIFFERENT MEETINGS. AND THEN WE'LL END WITH A REQUEST FOR SUPPORT FOR A CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS PERMANENT FACILITY IN THE EAST BAY. SO, YOU'LL SEE THIS PATTERN AS WE GO THROUGH THE SLIDE DECK. BUT WE'LL START WITH THIS MEETING WITH SENATOR BILL DODD. WITH MEMBER DODD WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT NEEDS. THIS YEAR, UNFORTUNATELY, THE STATE IS IN A BUDGET DEFICIT. AND SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT GUIDING OUR PRIORITIES TOWARDS BOTH PROTECTING FUNDING THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS, AS WELL AS SECURING FUNDING WITHIN A PROPOSED CLIMATE RESOURCES [00:45:09] BOND MEASURE. AND SO, WE'LL BE SHARING WITH SENATOR DODD, THE PARK DISTRICT'S VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, WHERE OUR FIRE CHIP TEAM AND OUR STEWARDSHIP TEAM WORK TOGETHER TO STEWARD THE LAND TO NOT ONLY REMOVE THE DEAD AND DYING VEGETATION, BUT ALSO TO RESTORE THE NATIVE FIRE TOLERANT VEGETATION AND HOW WE NEED THAT FUNDING SOURCE TO CREATE THAT HEALTHFUL HABITAT. THEN, WITH SENATOR DODD, ARE IDENTIFIED, SPONSORED LEGISLATION IS THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT EXEMPTION FOR EXISTING ROADS AND TRAILS. SO WE'LL BE HIGHLIGHTING THAT LEGISLATION WITH HIM. WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR HIS AUTHORSHIP. WE'LL WE'LL TALK ABOUT OUR PROPOSED AUTHOR LATER IN THE PRESENTATION. BUT WE WANT HIM TO BE AWARE OF THIS BILL BECAUSE IT WILL IMPACT HIS DISTRICT. AND THEN WE WILL BE ASKING FOR SUPPORT FROM HIS OFFICE ON A PERMANENT CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS FACILITY. THOSE FACILITY WILL NOT BE IN EVERY MEMBER OF OUR DELEGATION'S DISTRICT. THE WORK OF THE CCC WILL BE. SO, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE AWARE OF THAT. AH CONTINUING TO SENATOR GLAZER'S OFFICE WILL BE BEGINNING WITH AN UPDATE ON THE RODDY RANCH PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT. BY WAY OF CONTEXT, IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, $5 MILLION WAS MOVED FORWARD THANKS TO THE SUPPORT AND EFFORTS OF SENATOR GLAZER TO EXPAND ACCESS AT RODDY RANCH. AND SO, WE WANT TO LET HIM KNOW HOW THAT PROJECT IS DOING. WHAT'S THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE PERMITS, AND WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO BRING THAT PROJECT TO FRUITION? WILL THEN BE REALLY FOCUSING IN WITH SENATOR GLAZER ON THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS FACILITY. THIS FACILITY WILL BE WITHIN SENATOR GLAZER'S DISTRICT AT HOLLY COURT, BOLLINGER CANYON, SHOULD WE BE SUCCESSFUL? SO, WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT HE'S AWARE OF IT AS WE'RE GAINING SUPPORT FROM HIMSELF AND HIS COLLEAGUES, HE DID SIGN ON TO A DELEGATION SUPPORT LETTER FOR THE SEC FACILITY. SO, HE HAS DOCUMENTED HIS SUPPORT. SO, WE'LL BE THANKING HIM FOR THAT AND THEN WE'LL BE SPEAKING TO HIM ALSO ABOUT THE ROADS AND TRAILS EXEMPTION. WITH THE OFFICE OF SENATOR NANCY SKINNER. WE WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING A DIRECT FUNDING REQUEST. AND LIKE I MENTIONED, WITH THE BUDGET DEFICIT, A DIRECT FUNDING REQUEST HAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT EXPECTATIONS THAN IT DID DURING THE YEAR OF THE BUDGET SURPLUS. SO, THIS YEAR WHEN WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING THIS PROJECT, WE'RE EXPECTING EITHER TO HOPEFULLY FOLD IT INTO THE BOND FOR A POTENTIAL DIRECT FUNDING THROUGH BOND FUNDING OR TO MAKE THIS REQUEST THIS YEAR AND TO CONTINUE IT NEXT YEAR. SO, BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, OUR REQUEST FOR FUNDING FOR THE DELVAL VISITOR CENTER AND WATER FACILITIES, THAT WAS A REQUEST THAT WE HAD IN CONVERSATION WITH FORMER ASSEMBLY MEMBER BAKER AND SENATOR GLAZER FOR FOUR YEARS BEFORE WE WERE SUCCESSFUL. SO, CONTINUING TO PROVIDE THAT UPDATE AND SHARE WHAT THAT NEED LOOKS LIKE. WE WILL BE SPEAKING WITH SENATOR GLAZER ON THE STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION, PERMITTING, AND JUST BY WAY OF THE PATTERN OF THE TWO BILLS FOR OUR DELEGATION ALONG THE SHORELINE IS REALLY WHERE WE'RE FOCUSING ON THAT STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION, PERMITTING, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE'LL HAVE THE BIGGEST SUCCESS. AND THEN FOR OUR MORE INLAND DELEGATION, IT'S WHERE WE'RE FOCUSING IN ON THE ROADS AND TRAILS PROPOSAL, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE IT'LL HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT. AND THEN WE'LL CONCLUDE OUR MEETING WITH SENATOR SKINNER WITH PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS. SHE DID NOT SIGN ON TO THE FULL DELEGATION LETTER, BECAUSE HER OFFICE HAS A PRECEDENT OF NOT SIGNING ON TO BUDGET LETTERS, AS SHE'S THE CHAIR OF THE BUDGET COMMITTEE. WITH THE OFFICE OF SENATOR WAHAB. WE WILL BE REQUESTING HER TO AUTHOR OUR LEGISLATION ON THE STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION PERMITTING. WE'VE BRIEFED HER STAFF ON THIS LEGISLATION, AND THEY'VE SHARED IT ALIGNS WITH HER INTERESTS. SO WE'RE HOPING TO MOVE FORWARD PARTNERSHIP THERE AND INTRODUCING THE LEGISLATION. AND SO WE'LL BE REALLY FOCUSING THE MEETING IN ON THAT ONE BILL PROPOSAL AND THEN MENTIONING AGAIN THE CCC FACILITIES. ALL RIGHT WITH THE OFFICE OF SENATOR TIM GRAYSON, I'M PLEASED TO SHARE. WE'VE HAD VERY POSITIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH HIS OFFICE ABOUT SPONSORING OR, EXCUSE ME, AUTHORING THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT, ROADS AND TRAILS STATUTORY EXEMPTION. AND SO HE HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THIS BILL. WE HAVEN'T CONFIRMED IT YET. AND SO, THIS WILL BE ANOTHER TOUCH POINT TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIS OFFICE THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR AN AUTHOR ON THIS BILL THAT WE WOULD LIKE HIM TO AUTHOR AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT HE HAS. WE'LL ALSO MENTION OUR OTHER LEGISLATION WITH HIM JUST FOR FOR AWARENESS, FOR THE STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION, PERMITTING, AND CONCLUDE WITH THANKING HIM FOR HIS SUPPORT. HE ALSO SIGNED ON TO THE DELEGATION LETTER FOR THE CCCS AND UPDATING HIM ON OUR EFFORTS THERE. WITH THE OFFICE OF ASSEMBLY MEMBER BUFFY WICKS. WE WILL BE DOING ANOTHER DIRECT FUNDING REQUEST. THIS IS FOR THE WILSON POINT SAN FRANCISCO BAY TRAIL GAP CLOSURE, ALSO KNOWN AS THE RICHMOND BAY TRAIL GAP CLOSURE, AND WE ARE REQUESTING FUNDING FOR COMPLETING THIS GAP CLOSURE AT $7 MILLION FROM THE STATE. OUR HOPE IS THAT THE STATE FUNDING CAN BE LEVERAGED WITH FEDERAL REBUILDING AMERICAN INFRASTRUCTURE WITH SUSTAINABILITY, RAISED GRANT FUNDING OR A DIRECT FUNDING REQUEST AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. SO THAT WILL BE OUR MAIN FOCUS WITH ASSEMBLY MEMBER BUFFY WICKS OFFICE. [00:50:01] BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, SHE DID CHAMPION A $500,000 DIRECT FUNDING REQUEST LAST YEAR FOR THE BROOK ROAD WILDCAT CREEK PROJECT, SO SHE HAS SUPPORTED US IN THIS WAY PREVIOUSLY. AGAIN, SHE'S A SHORELINE DISTRICT. SO, WE'LL BE HIGHLIGHTING OUR STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR FRUSTRATING PERMITTING LEGISLATION AND THEN SHARING THE AN UPDATE ON THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS REQUEST. ALL RIGHT. SO, WE'RE COMPLIMENTING OUR SENATOR NANCY SKINNER REQUEST WITH OUR ASSEMBLY MEMBER, MIA BONTA REQUEST. AND WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING THE TIDEWATER DAY USE PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT WITH MIA BONTA AS WELL. SO THIS AGAIN IS A DIRECT FUNDING REQUEST LOOKING TO EXPAND THE NATIVE PLANTINGS, THE VISITOR USE FACILITY AREAS AT TIDEWATER AT MLK JUNIOR REGIONAL SHORELINE WITH MIA BONTA WILL BE DISCUSSING THE STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION PERMITTING AND THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS. SO OUR HOPE WITH THESE SHARED AGENDA TOPICS IS THAT WE'RE REALLY CREATING COHESION ACROSS OUR DELEGATION AND GUIDING SUPPORT TO ACHIEVE THE PARK DISTRICT'S GOALS WITH ASSEMBLY MEMBER LORI WILSON. THERE IS A PROJECT THAT IS BUILDING AT THE BIG BREAK REGIONAL SHORELINE, WHICH IS WITHIN HER DISTRICT. STAFF HAS IDENTIFIED. WE'RE NOT QUITE READY FOR A FUNDING ASK, BUT WE'D REALLY LIKE TO KEEP HER ENGAGED. SO THAT WAY, WHEN WE ARE READY FOR OUR FUNDING, ASK. SHE'S GOT BACKGROUND, SHE UNDERSTANDS THE PROJECT AND THE INTENT. AND SO, WE'LL BE SHARING HER AND UPDATE ON THE GOALS OF OUR RESTORATION PROJECT, WHICH IS IN THE EARLY PLANNING STAGE. SHE HAS BEEN OUT TO THE SITE, I BELIEVE DIRECTOR COFFEY JOINED HER. WE'LL INVITE HER IF SHE'D LIKE TO COME OUT AGAIN OR JOIN US FOR A WALK AND TALK OUT AT THE SITE. WE'LL THEN CONTINUE WITH PROVIDING HER AN UPDATE ON THE STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION, PERMITTING, AND THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS GOALS. WITH THE OFFICE OF ASSEMBLY MEMBER, BAUER-KAHAN, WE WILL BE FOCUSING IN ON OUR WILDFIRE MITIGATION EFFORTS SIMILAR TO DOD. THIS IS ALSO SOMETHING WE'LL BE HIGHLIGHTING WITH SENATOR ALEX LEE. AND SO SHARING WITH HER THE NEED TO PROTECT THE EXISTING FUNDING AND COMPETITIVE PROGRAMS AT THE STATE LEVEL, IF NOT, EXPAND IT, AND THEN TO ALSO FOCUS THAT IN AS A PRIORITY WITHIN THE BOND MEASURE PROPOSAL. WE WILL BE SHARING WITH HER AN UPDATE ON THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT ROADS AND TRAILS BILL. WE HAVE SHARED THIS BILL WITH HER OFFICE, THOUGH SHE DIDN'T HAVE ROOM IN HER PORTFOLIO TO AUTHOR THIS YEAR, THEY DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFY ANY CONCERNS WITH THE BILL, SO WANT TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION WITH THEM DUE TO HER BACKGROUND ON CEQA WORK. AND THEN WE'LL CONCLUDE WITH AN UPDATE ON THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS FACILITY. AGAIN, SHE DID SIGN ON TO THE DELEGATION LETTER, AND THIS FACILITY IS WITHIN HER DISTRICT, THE PHYSICAL LOCATION. AND SO MAKING SURE THAT SHE'S FULLY VERSED ON THE ISSUE. ALL RIGHT. WITH OFFICE OF ASSEMBLY MEMBER LIZ ORTEGA, WE'RE BRINGING BACK A FAMILIAR ASK FROM LAST YEAR. LAST YEAR, ASSEMBLY MEMBER ORTEGA REALLY CONNECTED WITH OUR OYSTER BAY PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECT. SHE INITIATED MOVING FORWARD A BUDGET REQUEST, SHARED A LETTER WITH THE GOVERNOR AND HER COLLEAGUES, AND SHE ALSO CAME OUT ON SITE AND VISITED WITH US TO SEE WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. AND SO, THIS YEAR, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD A LOWER-LEVEL BUDGET ASK OF $2 MILLION. BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, LAST YEAR'S INITIALLY WAS 4 MILLION AND GOT UP TO ABOUT 7 MILLION. THIS YEAR, WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON A $2 MILLION REQUEST, AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS IT CAN BE OUR MATCHING FUNDING FOR A LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND GRANT AND BE ABLE TO MOVE THE PROJECT FORWARD INTO ITS INITIAL STAGES. WE'LL ALSO BE HIGHLIGHTING, AS A SHORELINE DISTRICT, THE STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION, PERMITTING AND THEN THANKING HER FOR HER SUPPORT ON THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS. AND THEN, AS MENTIONED, WITH THE OFFICE OF ASSEMBLY MEMBER ALEX LEE, WE'LL BE HIGHLIGHTING OUR WILDFIRE WORK. HE'S EXPRESSED A STRONG INTEREST IN THIS WORK. HE'S EVEN COME AND DONE A TOUR WITH US OUTSIDE OF HIS DISTRICT TO JUST LEARN ABOUT WHAT THE PARK DISTRICT IS DOING, BEST PRACTICES, AND SO GIVING HIM AN UPDATE THERE AND A REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANCE OF FUNDING FOR THIS WORK, WE'LL BE SHARING WITH HIM THE ROADS AND TRAILS EXEMPTION AS WELL AS THE CCC WORK. AND THEN, AS ERIC MENTIONED, WE WILL BE HAVING SOME ADDITIONAL LEARNING SESSIONS. AND SO WE'RE PLEASED TO SHARE THAT THANKS TO OUR BOND ADVOCATES, WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE A MEETING WITH EDUARDO GARCIA. AND THIS WILL BE A CONVERSATIONAL MEETING IN NATURE TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED CLIMATE AND RESOURCES BOND. HEAR FROM ASSEMBLYMEMBER GARCIA HIS PERSPECTIVE ON THE BOND, WHERE HE EXPECTS CHALLENGES, WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE SUPPORT, AND THIS WILL BE A MEETING AT THIS TIME. IT'S CONFIRMED WITH THE MEMBER HIMSELF. GREAT. YEAH. AND THEN ON OUR KEY ISSUE OF THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS, PERMANENT FACILITIES TO EXPAND WORKFORCE. AND EQUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT HERE IN THE EAST BAY. WE WILL BE SITTING DOWN WITH LEADERS FROM THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PAT AND SENDS HIS REGRETS. AND FORTUNATELY, HE WILL BE OUT OF STATE AT THIS TIME. BUT WE'LL BE MEETING WITH TWO OF HIS EXECUTIVE TEAM MEMBERS, AND THEY WILL BE JOINING US FOR LUNCH ON WEDNESDAY. SO, IT'LL BE A CONVERSATIONAL MEETING ON THE GOALS OF WORKING TOGETHER AND THEN JUST CONTINUING SOCIALIZING OVER LUNCH. [00:55:04] AND THEN WE HAVE A PENDING REQUEST WITH THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF FOREST AND WILDFIRE RESILIENCE, LISA LYNN MAGNER. WE HAD A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH HER PREDECESSOR, DEPUTY SECRETARY, FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY JESSICA MORSE. AND SO, DEPUTY SECRETARY LYNN MAGNER HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE PARK DISTRICT'S WORK, ESPECIALLY OUR PILOT PROJECT ON THE TREE MORTALITY ISSUE. AND SO, SHE IS SHE'S AWARE OF THE MEETING, SHE'S INTERESTED IN THE MEETING, AND SHE'S JUST HOPING HER SCHEDULE WORKS OUT BECAUSE AS A NEW DEPUTY SECRETARY, SHE HAS A LOT OF FOLKS ASKING FOR HER TIME. AND SO THAT IS A PENDING MEETING REQUEST THAT WE'RE HOPING WILL BE ABLE TO GET ON THE CALENDAR. AND SO WITH THAT, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO A SUCCESSFUL 2024 ADVOCACY CONFERENCE. WE ARE WORKING ON A BRIEFING PACKET. IT'LL BE A BOOKLET FORM THIS YEAR, AND WE HOPE TO SHARE THAT WITH THE BOARD NEXT WEEK FOLLOWING THE BRIEFING AT THE FULL BOARD MEETING. SO, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. GREAT QUESTIONS. COMMENTS, ELIZABETH. SURE. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LISA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THIS. IT'S THIS IS REALLY EXCITING. A LOT OF GOOD MEATY ISSUES HERE. SO, I'M EXCITED. I DID HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE EXEMPTION, THE CEQA EXEMPTION FOR EXISTING ROADS AND TRAILS. SO, ARE WE LOOKING FOR AN EXEMPTION JUST FOR US OR FOR OTHER ENTITIES LIKE US OR WHAT? WHAT IS THE. YEAH. WHAT EXACTLY IS THE LANGUAGE THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR THERE. SO, THE CURRENT PROPOSAL IS BUILDING OFF OF LEGISLATION THAT I BELIEVE MOVED FORWARD IN 2018 OR 2019, AND IT WAS FOR LAND ACQUIRED BY PARK AGENCIES, AND OPEN SPACE AGENCIES NO LONGER HAD TO GO THROUGH SEQUA. AND SO, WE HAVE UTILIZED THAT AND TO BUILD OFF OF IT, WE'RE NOW LOOKING FOR THAT LAND ACQUIRED BY PARK OR OPEN SPACE. AGENCIES CAN THEN ALLOW FOR THIS NON-MOTORIZED USE TO ACCESS THE AREA. AND SO, IT'S NOT SPECIFIC TO EAST BAY PARKS OR 5500 AGENCIES AT THIS TIME. IT REALLY IS BROAD LANGUAGE FOR PARKS AND OPEN SPACE TO REFLECT THE LEGISLATION IT'S BUILDING OFF OF. GREAT. SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU. YAN, TO ECHO DIRECTOR ECHOLS. I THINK WE SHOULD TIE THAT ADVOCACY INTO THE 30 BY 30 INITIATIVE, AND IT FITS PERFECTLY. AND IN THAT RESPECT, WE ARE VERY MUCH AN ARM OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND OUGHT TO HAVE THE SAME EXEMPTIONS THAT THE STATE ITSELF HAS IN TERMS OF PURSUING 30 BY 30. ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU. AND I WILL SHARE IN THE STATUTORY EXEMPTION FOR RESTORATION, PERMITTING. OUR PROPOSED LANGUAGE AROUND PUBLIC ACCESS FOR RESTORATION PROJECTS IS ALMOST VERBATIM FROM THE 30 BY 30 PATHWAYS REPORT. SO WE'RE REALLY STRIVING TO ALIGN WITH THOSE PROGRAMS AS WELL AS THE OUTDOORS FOR ALL. THAT'S A STRONG TIE IN GENERALLY. I'VE LEARNED OVER TIME THAT THE ADVOCACY PRIORITIES THAT WE TAKE TO SACRAMENTO OR DC DON'T NECESSARILY REFLECT OUR OWN WHEN WE DO OUR OWN PRIORITY SETTING, BUT I'VE LEARNED OVER THAT STRETCH OF TIME TO DEFER TO YOU FOLKS IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND OUR ADVOCATES ON WHAT ISSUES, WHAT TOPICS, WHAT FUNDING ASKS, SO TO SPEAK. WOULD BE MOST EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE TO TAKE TO SACRAMENTO OR TAKE TO DC. AND YOU ALL COME UP WITH THESE PRIORITIES FOR EACH LEGISLATOR. AND THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME. AND I UNDERSTAND IT AND DEFER TO YOU FOLKS ON IT. BUT IF I MAY AND YOU REFERRED TO THE EFFORTS, WE HAVE THAT ARE MULTI YEAR. SO MAYBE BECAUSE OF BUDGET ISSUES, WE'RE, WE KNOW WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE EFFECTIVE IN SEEKING CERTAIN ASKS FOR FUNDING THIS YEAR. BUT I THINK IN LOOKING AT THE MIX OF TOPICS AND THE LEGISLATORS THAT WE'RE TALKING TO SOME THOUGHT MIGHT BE GIVEN TO TOPICS FOR THE CONTRA COSTA. I THINK YOU REFERRED TO AS INLAND LEGISLATORS. BEYOND THIS, THIS CURRENT LIST, A COUPLE CAME TO MIND. I'M THINKING OF ASSEMBLYMAN WILL BE SENATOR, IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, GRAYSON AND SENATOR GLAZER, LORI WILSON, THERE'S GOING TO BE A NEW SENATOR IN EAST CONTRA COSTA. SO, THESE INLAND CONTRA COSTA LEGISLATORS, IT MAY BE A GOOD TIME TO TEE UP FOR MULTI-YEAR DISCUSSION FUNDING FOR REGIONAL TRAILS. WE I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE THE BAY TRAIL GAP CLOSURE IN RICHMOND. POINT WILSON TO POINT PINOLE GAP AS YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN ONE OF MY PRIORITIES FOR A WHILE. [01:00:04] I THINK IT WOULD BE A VERY GOOD TOPIC TO INCLUDE WITH THESE CONTRA COSTA LEGISLATORS TO DISCUSS OUR PLANS FOR THE EXTENSION OF THE IRON HORSE TRAIL. THE TWO EXTENSIONS OF THE MARSH CREEK TRAIL, BOTH SOUTH AND NORTH THAT WILL BE UPCOMING AND NEEDING FUNDING. SO, WE WILL HAVE DEFINITE FUNDING NEEDS FOR TWO EXTRAORDINARILY POPULAR REGIONAL TRAILS IN THESE LEGISLATORS' DISTRICTS, IRON HORSE AND MARSH CREEK. I JUST TEE THAT UP FOR AT LEAST CONVERSATION WITH A MULTIYEAR IMPACT. GO AHEAD. YEAH. ONE OF, ONE OF DIRECTOR COFFEY'S COMMENTS REMINDED ME I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION. AND THAT IS SO LAST YEAR, OBVIOUSLY, THE MEMBER ASKS WEREN'T AS MUCH AS IN THE PAST BECAUSE OF THE STATE OF THE BUDGET. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE EVEN WORSE. SO, DO WE HAVE A SENSE YET OF, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH DISCRETIONARY MONEY THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE FOR MEMBER ASKS? IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THE BUDGET ACTUALLY WAS JUST POSTED THIS MORNING, AND SO ERICH AND I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK TO THAT PRIOR TO THE SACRAMENTO TRIP. BUT I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU AT THIS TIME. GREAT. THANK YOU. AND THAT REMINDED ME WE'RE TRIGGERING EACH OTHER. YOU FOLKS ARE AWARE THAT OUR PARTNERS IN WEST CONTRA COSTA, WEST ALAMEDA ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POINT MOLATE ALLOCATION AND WITH THE BUDGET ISSUES THAT WE'RE. SO, I'M SURE ELIZABETH KEEPS HEARING THAT. I KEEP HEARING IT. AND WE ALL NEED TO BE AWARE OF THAT ANXIETY THAT'S OUT THERE. NO COMMENT. OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS. SO IF I GO THROUGH THESE, IF I COUNTED CORRECTLY, WE'RE GONNA HAVE 14 MEETINGS IN TWO DAYS. WE ARE REQUESTING 14 MEETINGS. RIGHT, THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION. HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE CONFIRMED? HOW MANY MEMBERS HAVE CONFIRMED? I FIND IT MORE INTERESTING WHEN THE MEMBER SHOWS UP INSTEAD OF THEIR STAFF. IF YOU HAVE THAT INFORMATION AND YOU PLAN ON LIKE WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, SPLIT OUR DELEGATION AND GO IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS MOSTLY GEOGRAPHICALLY AS TO WHERE WE'RE GOING TO GO. IS THAT PART OF THE PLAN? YES. SO KIND OF A BUNDLE OF QUESTIONS. SO, TO TAKE THEM IN TERMS OF CONFIRMED MEETINGS, THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS AND THE MEETING WITH ASSEMBLYMEMBER GARCIA ARE FORMALLY CONFIRMED. TEMPORARY EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT LAUREN BLANCHARD IS WORKING ON CONFIRMING THE REST, AND SHE'S IN COMMUNICATION WITH ALL OF THE OFFICES AND KIND OF PLAYING A LITTLE BIT OF A TETRIS GAME TO ALIGN THEM WITH THE BOARD'S OPPORTUNITY. AND TO THE QUESTION ABOUT DIVISION OF ATTENDEES, IT IS LIKELY THAT, YES, WE WILL BE DIVIDING FOR THE MEETINGS, AND SO SHOULD TWO MEMBERS HAVE ONLY THE SAME SLOT. WE'LL BE WORKING TO MAKE THOSE BE TWO MEMBERS WHOSE JURISDICTION DO NOT OVERLAP, TO ALLOW THE BOARD TO ENGAGE IN THE MEETINGS THAT MOST ALIGN WITH THEIR CONSTITUENTS' PRIORITIES. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC OR STAFF? HEARING NONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LOOK FORWARD TO IT. WE'LL MOVE NOW TO THE 24-25 FISCAL YEAR STATE BUDGET. CHIEF OF GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS, AND PROBABLY SHOULD JUST START WITH THE BREAKING NEWS AND SKIP THROUGH THE INFORMATION THAT WAS PUT IN THE PACKET. BUT AS LISA CORRECTLY POINTED OUT, ACTUALLY, ABOUT THE SAME TIME WE STARTED THIS MEETING, THE GOVERNOR STARTED HIS ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BUDGET. HE ANNOUNCED A $291 BILLION BUDGET. SO THAT'S A REDUCTION OF ABOUT $20 BILLION FROM LAST YEAR, AND HE ANNOUNCED UNLIKE THE LAO THAT PREDICTED A $68 BILLION DEFICIT. HE THE GOVERNOR PREDICTED A $37.9 BILLION DEFICIT. SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HE ACKNOWLEDGED IN THE DOCUMENT WAS THE DELAY IN TAX FILINGS. AND I ACTUALLY THINK THERE STILL MAY BE SOME COMING IN. AND THEN HE ACKNOWLEDGED ALSO THAT THERE ARE IMPROVING CONDITIONS. AND SO, IN THE STAFF MEMO FOR THE STAFF REPORT, WE DID TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE NATIONAL TRENDS WITH REGARD TO INFLATION. AND THE FED. NOT REALLY LOOKING AT RAISING INTEREST RATES, BUT RATHER PERHAPS REDUCING THEM, WHICH WILL HELP IN HOME PURCHASING. AND THEN THE, THE INTEREST RATES AGAIN ALSO SOMETHING THAT IS BEING REDUCED AND THEN [01:05:02] THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IS BEING HOLDING PRETTY STEADY. SO, HE DID ACKNOWLEDGE ALL THOSE PIECES IN HIS ANNOUNCEMENT. IN ORDER TO MEET THE DEFICIT, THEY'RE GOING TO TAP 13.1 BILLION IN RESERVES. THE PLANNING IN 8.5 BILLION IN REDUCTIONS, INCLUDING 2.9 FROM QUOTE UNQUOTE, CLIMATE REDUCTIONS. SO, WE HAVE SOME RESEARCH TO DO TO SEE WHAT THAT MEANS. THERE IS ACCOUNTING FOR 10.6 BILLION IN DELAY'S, FUND SHIFTS AND DEFERRALS. THE NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT OVERALL IS FACING A 55% REDUCTION FROM 23-24. JUST REMEMBERING THAT. 2324. AND AS WE PUT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE STAFF REPORT, YOU KNOW, PRE-COVID, OUR BUDGET WAS 214 BILLION. NOW, LAST YEAR WAS 310 BILLION. REDUCTION NOW TO 291. SO WE'RE STILL AT VERY HIGH LEVELS FOR THESE AGENCIES. AND IT DOES CALL ON MAINTAINING $48 BILLION OF THE ORIGINAL 54 BILLION FOR THE 30 BY 30 CLIMATE FUNDING FOR THOSE PROGRAMS. INTERESTING IN THAT BECAUSE WE WERE LOOKING FOR SOME REFERENCE TO THE CLIMATE BOND THAT'S BEEN PROPOSED. I THINK THE WORDING THAT THEY'RE MAINTAINING THE FUNDING IN THE BUDGET. AND THAT THERE WAS NOT OR AT LEAST WE HAVE NOT HEARD YET THAT THERE WAS A SEPARATE STATEMENT ABOUT A CLIMATE BOND. DOES LEND US TO THINK THAT MAYBE THE BUDGET PROCESS IS WHERE THE MONEY WILL STAY. AND THEN THE THERE WAS A $350 MILLION REDUCTION IN LEGISLATIVE REQUESTS. SO, TO THE POINT OF ASKING, I THINK, DIRECTOR ECHOLS WHAT THERE WILL BE ABLE TO ASK FOR, WE DON'T KNOW YET, BUT THERE IS AN OVERALL REDUCTION. THERE'S ALSO A CALL AT 330 TODAY FROM THE RESOURCES AGENCY TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THE PLANS THAT THEY HAVE FOR THE BUDGET. SO WE'LL BE WE'LL BE LISTENING IN ON THAT AND BE PREPARED TO REPORT BACK. WE ARE CONTINUING OUR ADVOCACY ON THE CLIMATE BOND. EDUARDO GARCIA HAS JUST STATED THAT THIS IS A MATTER OF LEGACY FOR HIM. SO, AND HE IS RETIRING. HE'S NOT RUNNING FOR REELECTION. SO, IT IS OUR WORTH MAKING SURE THAT WE SEE PRIORITIES WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THAT CLIMATE BOND, ESPECIALLY AS IT COMPETES WITH OTHER POTENTIAL BONDS THAT COULD BE OUT THERE FOR 2024. SO THAT'S. MOST OF WHAT I HAVE TO REPORT FOR NOW. BUT WE AGAIN WILL BE DOING SOME A DEEPER DIVE AND TRY TO GET BACK TO THE COMMITTEE AND TO THE FULL BOARD WITH A REPORT. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS. BOARD MEMBERS. PUBLIC, SEEING NONE. THANK YOU, ERIC, AND I ASSUME YOU'LL DO THE UPDATE ON THE SITE VISITS AND MEETINGS. PARDON ME, I DIDN'T CATCH THAT. OH, WELL. OUR NEXT ITEM IS THE UPDATE ON THE SITE. VISITS AND MEETINGS? YES. WELL DIRECTOR COFFEY MAY BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THIS UPDATE AS WELL AS I IN FACT, I'M SURE HE CAN BUT WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE, GARY MENDEZ, STAFF ON A SITE VISIT TO THE SAN FRANCISCO RICHMOND BAY TRAIL GAP CLOSURE PROJECT. WE STARTED BEHIND THE DISTRIBUTION CENTERS WHERE THE BAY TRAIL ENDS. AND ONE COULD CLEARLY SEE THE PATHWAY FORWARD FOR THE TRAIL. AND SO, I THINK IT MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPRESSION ON OUR GUESTS. AND WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE THEIR BOSS OUT THERE AT SOME POINT. WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE FHWA AND CALTRANS TO THE SITE IN THE FUTURE IN WORKING TOWARD THE RAISE GRANT APPLICATION THAT WAS REFERENCED EARLIER, EARLIER FOR JUST FOR THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT. SO, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF EFFORTS IN THE QUEUE FOR WHAT WE FORMALLY CALLED THE WILSON POINT PROJECT, BUT NOW CALLING THE RICHMOND BAY TRAIL GAP CLOSURE. AND THEN WE ALSO HAD A SECONDARY STOP AT THE LONE TREE POINT PROPERTY AND SHARED WITH THEM SOME OF THE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD BE FOUND THERE. SO OVERALL, I THINK IT WAS A GOOD, GOOD DAY. WE AVOIDED THE RAIN MOSTLY. AND I THINK, I THINK THE, THE, OUR GUESTS WERE VERY THEY HAD A FAVORABLE IMPRESSION OF THE PROJECTS AND THEY ALSO, I BELIEVE, WHERE WE'LL REPORT BACK TO THEIR BOSS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THOSE PROJECTS. [01:10:01] I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT. ALL RIGHT. ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. LOOKS LIKE WE GOT A GREAT YEAR AHEAD OF US. ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS BY STAFF OR BOARD MEMBERS? HEARING NONE, WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANKS FOR BEING HERE, EVERYONE. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.