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THIS IS A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ON JUNE 7TH, 2024, BEGINNING AT 11:06 A.M.. MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? DIRECTOR COFFEY.
HERE. GENERAL MANAGER LANDRETH.
HERE. AND THE GENERAL MANAGER WILL BE JOINING US IN A BIT.
OKAY. WELL, WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO THIS YEAR'S STUDY SESSION ON BOARD PRIORITIES PART TWO.
TODAY'S MEETING IS HELD PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT AS PART OF THE BUDGET PLANNING PROCESS.
THIS MEETING IS HELD IN A STUDY SESSION FORMAT TO ENCOURAGE BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS AND DISCUSSIONS.
HOWEVER, PER THE REQUIREMENT OF THE BROWN ACT, NO FORMAL ACTIONS MAY BE TAKEN.
AND WE WILL BE PROVIDING RESPONSES IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER.
TODAY WE'RE REALLY DOING ACTIVE LISTENING.
AND THIS IS INTENDED TO BE AN INFORMAL FORMAT.
IF BOARD MEMBERS THINK OF OTHER ITEMS NOT SHARED IN TODAY'S MEETING, PLEASE YOU CAN SUBMIT THEM IN WRITING AFTER TODAY'S SESSION AND WE WILL DO OUR WE WILL INCLUDE THEM IN OUR LIST FOR THE 2025 INTERESTS.
WELL, IN THAT CASE WE WILL JUMP RIGHT IN TO THE INDIVIDUAL PRIORITIES FOR BOARD MEMBERS.
AND, I KNOW THAT MANY OF US WILL ALSO BE PUTTING OUT THERE OTHER ITEMS THAT WE KNOW CAN'T BE ACCOMPLISHED NECESSARILY IN 2025, BUT WE WANT TO KEEP ON PEOPLE'S RADAR AS WELL.
OKAY. SO WHO WOULD LIKE TO KICK US OFF? GET MY LAPTOP. OKAY, SO THERE'S SLIDES WITH IN ORDER.
YOU CAN FOLLOW IT OR NOT, BUT.
WELL I'M GOING TO BE LIVE SCRIBING YOUR THOUGHTS.
SO AMANDA GALLO IS HERE JOINING US.
AND SHE WILL BE TAKING TRANSCRIBING ON A SLIDE ON REAL TIME.
AND ALSO I UNDERSTAND SOME BOARD MEMBERS ALREADY SUBMITTED SOME INFORMATION AHEAD OF TIME.
SO WE'LL BE USING THE SCREENS.
I JUST DIDN'T REALIZE THERE WAS A SET ORDER.
SO YEAH, NO, I JUST LIKE PEOPLE TO GO WHEN THEY FEEL COMPELLED.
AND THEN WE CAN ADJUST THE SLIDES ACCORDINGLY.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
AND I'M GOING OVER THE LAST YEAR'S PRIORITIES.
I'M IN TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH ALL THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE.
OH, I'M IN TOTAL AGREEMENT WITH ALL THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE ONGOING AND IN PROGRESS.
BUT I WANTED TO HAVE AN OVERARCHING THEME FOR ME IS THAT IS INFRASTRUCTURE.
FOR INSTANCE I MEAN THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING LAST YEAR REALLY HIT HOME AS FAR AS THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE AT OUR SWIM CENTERS.
DON CASTRO, CULL CANYON AND CONTRA LOMA.
THOSE ARE SOME OF OUR THOSE ARE ONE OF OUR OLDEST FACILITIES, AND WE REALLY NEED TO WE'VE BEEN KICKING THAT CAN DOWN THE ROAD WITH THOSE FACILITIES, AND WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE.
[00:05:01]
AND IN PARTICULAR, IN MY WARD, THERE'S THE PIEDMONT STABLES, WHICH IS THOSE PROJECTS THERE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DONE WHEN I WAS PARK SUPERVISOR, SO I RETIRED IN 2013.THOSE PROJECTS ARE STILL OUTSTANDING.
AND THIS IS AN UNLIKE LAS TRAMPAS STABLES THIS WAS A VIABLE AND POPULAR STABLE, AND BECAUSE OF THE CONDITION RIGHT NOW AND RESTRICTIONS WITH WATER AND THE NOT HAVING A SHAVINGS BARN IT'S DOWN TO LIKE 15 HORSES AND IT'S TYPICALLY FULL AT THIS TIME, TIME OF THE YEAR.
SO INFRASTRUCTURE REALLY WANT TO HONE IN ON THAT AS AN OVERALL ARCHING THEME AND ALSO RESTORATION.
WE HAVE SO MUCH OPPORTUNITY AND NEED TO FOR RESTORATION, ESPECIALLY WITH THE FUEL BREAK.
WE REALLY NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON THAT.
AND ALSO WITH THAT RESTORATION ALSO CONSERVING THE WILDFLOWERS AND HABITATS THAT WE HAVE.
SO SO THOSE ARE MY KIND OF OVERALL OVERARCHING THEMES FOR ME.
AND THEN ANOTHER ISSUE WOULD BE ACCESS.
I WAS THINKING OF OUR RECENTLY RENOVATED ROBERTS POOL.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE FACILITY, AND I THINK WE SHOULD REALLY CONSIDER OPERATING IT YEAR ROUND.
AND THEN ALSO I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT ON ANOTHER LEVEL.
OUR EMPLOYEES AND HOW IT'S REALLY GETTING EXPENSIVE TO LIVE IN THE BAY AREA.
AND SO ANY OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE I MEAN, LOOKING AT OUR PARK RESIDENTS PROGRAM NOW, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THOSE RENTS MORE AFFORDABLE? AND THEN. AND I WAS THINKING OF THE PROPERTY AT IN LAS TRAMPAS THAT WE'VE BEEN OFFERING FOR THE CONSERVATION CORPS.
I MEAN, IF THAT IF THAT THAT PLAN DOESN'T HAPPEN, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD CONSIDER POSSIBLY AN EMPLOYEE HOUSING FACILITY THERE.
AND ALSO, WHILE I'M THINKING ABOUT HOUSING SOME OF OUR OUTLYING PARKS, LIKE LAKE DEL VALLE AND SUNOL, THE EMPLOYEES THERE HAVE LONG DISTANCES TO TRAVEL.
AND THEN THEY SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO COME BACK FOR AN EARLY SHIFT.
WHY CAN'T WE ALLOW SOME OVERNIGHT CAMPING FOR THE EMPLOYEES IN THOSE SITUATIONS? SO HAVING SAID THAT, I'M GOING TO GO TO SOME SPECIFIC STUFF.
OH. LET ME GO BACK TO OVERARCHING.
WE REALLY NEED TO PURSUE A PARCEL TAX DISTRICT WIDE.
BECAUSE WE'RE JUST NOT STAFFED UP.
WE CAN'T ABSORB OR OPEN MORE PARKS WITH THE EXISTING STAFF THAT WE HAVE.
AND WE NEED WE NEED THAT OPERATIONAL FUNDING TO OPEN THOSE NEW PARKS AND TO AND FRANKLY, TO MAINTAIN OUR EXISTING PARKS. I STILL THINK WE'RE DEFINITELY WE'RE GETTING BETTER, BUT STILL NOT THERE.
I THINK OUR PARKS ON THE GROUND ARE STILL UNDERSTAFFED.
AND THEN LET'S SEE, I HAD A COUPLE OF WARD.
I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE TALKING ABOUT ACCESS.
THE JUDGE JOHN SUTTER REGIONAL SHORELINE THERE WAS A COMMENT THAT I WAS BROUGHT TO ME BY CONSTITUENT THE OTHER DAY ABOUT THE STAGING AREA IS CLOSED AT 5:00. SO IF THERE'S ANY WAY, ESPECIALLY DURING THE SUMMER HOURS, IF WE CAN EXTEND THOSE HOURS, I DON'T KNOW, THAT WOULD TAKE IF MAYBE SPLITTING STAFF SO THAT YOU HAVE SOMEBODY THAT THAT'S THERE UNTIL 6 OR 7.
WHATEVER. I'LL LEAVE THAT UP TO OPERATIONS.
BUT THAT'S A REQUEST FROM CONSTITUENTS BECAUSE THAT'S BECOMING VERY POPULAR STAGING AREA.
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BRIDGE. THERE'S A HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT THERE THAT'S IT'S PREVENTING ACCESS TO THE RADIO BEACH.SO I'D LIKE TO SEE US DO SOME KIND OF MAYBE WORK WITH WITH CALTRANS AND THE CITY OF OAKLAND.
I THINK IT TURNS OUT TO BE IT'S MOSTLY CITY OF OAKLAND.
SO THAT WE CAN MAYBE COORDINATE ENFORCEMENT AND CLEAN UP AND GET THAT ACCESS TO THAT BEACH OPEN. AND THEN LAKE TEMESCAL.
I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT SERVICE YARD GET RELOCATION OF THE CONTAINERS RESOLVED THERE.
AND ALSO WE HAVE THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE OF THE ASPHALT PAD THAT WAS LAID THERE.
THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY HERE TO PUT IN AN ADULT EXERCISE FACILITY THERE.
I THINK I THINK WE CAN GET SOME GRANTS FROM MAYBE THE AARP.
I THINK WE DID THAT FOR LAKE CHABOT.
BUT THAT PAD WAS PUT THERE AS A KNEE JERK REACTION, SO MIGHT AS WELL MAKE USE FOR IT.
MAKE USE OF IT ALSO YEAH, THERE'S A DEMAND ACTUALLY FOR ADULT FACILITY THERE.
YEAH, THEY'RE A PLAY AREA THERE HAS BEEN UNDER REPAIR OR HAS BEEN CLOSED.
AT LEAST THE SLIDE HAS BEEN CLOSED FOR TWO YEARS NOW.
CRAZY. SO WE EITHER NEED TO RETHINK OUR PLAY AREAS AND MAKE THEM MORE NATURE BASED OR WHEN THESE PIECES OF EQUIPMENT ARE BROKEN.
LET'S FIX THEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THAT'S A POPULAR, A POPULAR PLAY STRUCTURE.
AND THEN REPLACING THE RESTROOMS THERE ARE ARE ON THE LIST, WHICH IS GREAT.
REALLY SHOULD START THINKING I KNOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE RIFLE RANGE CLEANUP, SO THAT SHOULD BE ON OUR LIST AND MAKE THE SEWER RELOCATION PROJECT SHOULD GO FORWARD. AND I UNDERSTAND THE RESIDENTS IS ALMOST GETTING DONE.
AND FOR BOTH REINHARDT AND ACTUALLY ALL THE PARKS TO THIS IS WITH THE RECENT STORMS AND A LOT OF THE TRAILS GOT WASHED OUT OR DAMAGED. THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO RELOOK AT THAT TRAIL SYSTEMS THERE IN EACH OF THOSE PARKS OR IN ALL OF OUR PARKS, REALLY, AND SEE WHICH TRAILS ARE SUSTAINABLE AND WHICH AREN'T AND THAT GOES FOR YOU KNOW, I KNOW JOHN AND JOHN AND I ARE ALSO ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT ALL THESE STEEP FIRE ROADS SHOULD BE REALIGNED OR CLOSED OR SOMETHING, BUT I THINK YEAH, WITH THESE, WITH, THIS OPPORTUNITY, REALLY LOOK AT OUR TRAILS AND SEE WHICH, ONES ARE SUSTAINABLE.
LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON THERE THAT'S ONGOING.
I REALLY REGARDING CROWLEY PROPERTY, I REALLY THINK WE SHOULD REALLY WORK HARD AND SEE IF WE CAN'T RENEGOTIATE THAT DEAL, THAT WE'RE PAYING WAY TOO MUCH FOR THAT LEASE AND WE CAN'T REALLY USE IT.
AND MAYBE RETHINK THE PROJECT.
AND I THINK ALONG ALONG THE WAY WE NEED TO KEEP THE SUTTER FAMILY APPRAISED OF WHERE WE'RE GOING AND WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE BECAUSE OF JOHN SUTTER'S LEGACY THERE AND HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THAT PROJECT.
GLAD TO SEE THAT ALL ALL THIS HAPPENING.
I THINK THE NEIGHBORS THERE AND THE COMMUNITY AROUND THAT WOULD, WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.
THAT IS A HIGH FIRE RISK AREA AND WITH VERY LIMITED ACCESS.
[00:15:03]
SO I WOULD ADVOCATE FOR THAT TO BE A NO OPEN FLAME CAMPGROUND.WE'D REALLY LIKE TO HOPEFULLY WE CAN JUMP ON THE OPPORTUNITY.
WHEN EAST BAY MUD GIVES US APPROVAL TO REOPEN THE TRAIL, THAT WE ACTIVELY PURSUE THAT ESPECIALLY FROM BELLA VISTA, ALL THE WAY THROUGH THROUGH THE CANYON.
THAT THAT IS A HUGE PROJECT THERE.
I WOULD LIKE TO WRITE THAT AGAIN.
ESPECIALLY WITH THE ONSLAUGHT OF LOTS OF RESTORATION PROJECTS, LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO REMOVE INVASIVE PLANTS AND ACTUALLY DO SOME EVEN MORE WITH TRAIL WORK.
SO THERE'S LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
I'LL LEAVE IT TO OPERATIONS HOW THAT WOULD WORK OUT, BUT AND THEN SOMETHING I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ADVOCATING FOR SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD, IS AN ADDITIONAL ACCOUNTANT FOR THE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.
OUR INTERNAL AUDITOR'S OFFICE.
I THINK THE DISTRICT HAS MOVED.
[LAUGHTER] I MEAN, THE DISTRICT HAS GROWN AND GROWN AND HIS DEPARTMENT HAS NOT.
SO IT'S WHEN YOU LOOK AT HIS WORKLOAD, THAT WORKLOAD OUT OF THAT DEPARTMENT, IT'S HUGE.
AND THERE'S PROBABLY EVEN MORE NEED NOW TO BE FOR TRANSPARENCY JUST TO BE AUDITING, SELF AUDITING A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMS. AND THEN YOU HAVE MASTER PLAN DEFINITELY.
AND THEN GOING BACK TO INFRASTRUCTURE.
I'M THINKING OF THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK, HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE KIND OF DEPENDENT ON THE CITY OF CONCORD FOR SOME UTILITIES.
I WOULD URGE THAT WE THINK ABOUT BECOMING MORE OFF THE GRID, SO TO SPEAK, AND NOT DEPENDENT ON THE CITY. I'M REALLY ENCOURAGING THE THOUGHT OF A ANOTHER SOLAR PANEL ARRAY AKA WHAT WE HAVE AT SHADOW CLIFFS THAT HELPS COVER THE ELECTRICITY BILL FOR THE PARK DISTRICT.
THERE'S A LOT THERE. I'M SORRY, BUT YEAH, BASICALLY OVERARCHING THEMES OF JUST, YOU KNOW INFRASTRUCTURE, SUSTAINABILITY AND GROWING OUR WORKFORCE AND MAKING THE PARK DISTRICT A STRONGER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE AGENCY.
AND PLEASE CONTINUE WITH THE DEI EFFORTS THAT WERE THAT ARE STARTING.
HUGELY IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY, HUGELY IMPORTANT TO US AS AN AGENCY.
AND I THANK MY COLLEAGUES ON THE BOARD FOR SUPPORTING GETTING AN EQUITY OFFICER.
AND LET'S I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT VISION BEAR FRUIT.
IF ANYTHING POPS UP, I'LL POP IN TOO.
THANK YOU, DEE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR THOROUGH PRESENTATION, AS ALWAYS.
AND REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
THE REASON I WANT TO GO NEXT, BECAUSE I WANT TO PUT A DOT ON YOUR.
[LAUGHTER] IF IT WAS UP ON THE BOARD, I WOULD PUT A DOT ON IT.
BASICALLY JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IS CERTAINLY WORTHWHILE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A TOUGH ONE TO DEAL WITH.
WILL WE HAVE A CHANCE TO COME BACK TO EACH OTHER'S LISTS?
[00:20:02]
AND LOOK THROUGH THEM.IS THERE GOING TO BE TIME TO DO THAT? IF THERE'S TIME, SURE, BECAUSE I HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ON DEE'S LIST.
AND QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THEY WERE BEING.
IN OTHER WORDS, DO WE HAVE A CHANCE TO HELP AMANDA? BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY HARD FOR HER TO DO, AND I DON'T KNOW WHETHER TO DO THAT IN REAL TIME AS WE'RE SPEAKING AND WATCHING IT GO UP THERE, OR IN MY CASE, I WAS GOING TO GO BACK TO DEE AND ASK HIM TO LOOK AT A COUPLE OF THOSE RESPONSES AND EITHER ELABORATE OR TELL US MORE ABOUT IT.
YEAH. AND I YOU MIGHT HAVE QUESTIONS TOO OKAY.
THANK YOU. SO I WON'T RUSH AHEAD TO.
SO DIRECTOR MERCURIO, YOU CAN HAVE TO WAIT FOR JUST A MINUTE.
SO I WAS SORT OF CHANNELING AMANDA IN A SENSE.
BUT THANK YOU. BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT.
DEE WAS STARTING OFF BY STRESSING INFRASTRUCTURE RESTORATION, CONSERVATION.
I THINK YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT TEMESCAL AND THE SWIM FACILITIES IN GENERAL.
RIGHT. AND THAT PERHAPS GOES THERE IN YOUR NUMBER TWO.
YEAH. AND THEN ALSO, I'D LIKE JUST TO POINT OUT THAT AMANDA AND I WILL BE GOING OVER THE VIDEO IN GREAT DETAIL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAPTURE EVERYTHING. OH, SURE.
I WAS WONDERING IF I HAD HEARD CORRECTLY.
YEAH, THE ONE I MISSED, IF YOU DON'T MIND REPEATING IS THE LAST ONE, THURGOOD MARSHALL, I THINK YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT YOU KNOW, PERHAPS COPYING THAT. YEAH.
AND I'M AND SPECIFICALLY ADVOCATING FOR A SOLAR ARRAY, JUST LIKE WE HAVE AT SHADOW CLIFFS.
IT WOULD PROVIDE ELECTRICITY, POWER TO THE ENTIRE FACILITY AND ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THE GRID AS THE SHADOW CLIFFS ONE DOES AND ALSO PROVIDE SHADE IN THAT IN THE PARKING LOT THAT'S GOING TO BE THERE.
SO WE I THINK THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLE.
YES. AND THEN THERE'S A FEW LIKE I ALSO USE JUDGE JOHN SUTTER REGIONAL SHORELINE.
AND SO IF WE COULD FIND SOME WAY TO HAVE THAT STAGING AREA OPEN A LITTLE BIT LATER TO ACCOMMODATE BECAUSE THAT STAGING AREA IS GETTING USED A LOT NOW.
SO I WOULD LEAVE OPERATIONS HOW THEY WOULD DEAL WITH THAT.
AND THE LAST QUESTION I HAD ABOUT YOUR LIST, DIRECTOR WAS FUNDING MEASURE OPPORTUNITIES.
I THINK WE'RE ALL GOING TO PERHAPS TALK ABOUT THAT ISSUE BECAUSE IT WAS THE FOCUS OR ONE OF THE FOCUSES OF THE WORKSHOP WE HAD ON OUR SURVEYS FROM LAST YEAR.
AND ONE OF THE REASONS I RAISED THIS IS BECAUSE IN YOUR RECITATION OF WANTING TO SUPPORT FUNDING MEASURES, I THINK YOU ARTICULATED THE NEED TO HAVE THAT FOCUS ON STAFFING SO THAT WE CAN OPEN LAND BANK, YOU KNOW, EXISTING PARK LANDS THAT PERHAPS ARE LAND BANKED. AND YOUR EMPHASIS WAS ON STAFFING FOR THAT PURPOSE.
SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO ADD TO WHAT DIRECTOR ROSARIO WAS SAYING, AMANDA, AND ACTUALLY LIST HIS FOCUS ON STAFFING.
THE STAFFING NEEDS FOR NEW PARK LANDS.
YES, BECAUSE THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION THAT I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT.
NO. NOT ALL. NOT AT ALL COLIN.
[00:25:01]
THANK YOU FOR THOSE ARE GOOD POINTS AND APPRECIATE YOU ELABORATING OR HELPING US ELABORATE ON THAT.THIS IS A DISCUSSION AND A WORKSHOP, SO FEEL FREE TO COMMENT ON EACH OTHER'S THINGS.
SO ANYWAY, YOU BRING UP SOME REALLY GREAT IDEAS THAT I'M GOING TO PROBABLY GO OVER A LITTLE BIT EXTRA ON FROM, MY POINT OF VIEW.
OH, GREAT. SO DON'T FEEL TOO MUCH PRESSURE.
BETWEEN THIS AND THE VIDEO AND WHAT WE SAY LIVE, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO COVER MY STUFF.
BUT I'M PROBABLY GOING TO BE JUMPING AROUND BETWEEN WARD AND OVERALL.
I DIDN'T MAKE ANY EFFORT TO THAT.
YEAH, I DIDN'T MAKE ANY EFFORT TO DISTINGUISH THOSE THINGS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I WOULD THINK THAT STAFFING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, MOST CRITICAL, MOST COSTLY ELEMENT OF OPENING UP LAND BANK PROP PROPERTIES, DEPENDING ON WHICH ONE IT IS AND WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE IT SAFE.
SO YOU KNOW, AND THERE ARE SOME LAND BANKED PARCELS THAT ARE CLOSE TO MY WARD AND SOME THAT ARE IN MY WARD.
DOESN'T MATTER. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S USING STUFF BACK AND FORTH.
WHEN I GO FORWARD A LITTLE BIT MORE HERE, I'M GOING TO COME TO ONE SPECIFIC ONE THAT IT'S IN MY WARD THAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT, BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT RESTORING DEGRADED HABITAT THAT IS IMPACTED BY INVASIVES.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN USE A MODEL THAT HAS BEEN USED BY EAST BAY MUD AT SKYLINE GARDENS WHICH IS A COMBINATION OF PAID, YOU KNOW, OUR STAFF AND A PLETHORA OF VERY SKILLED VOLUNTEERS PEOPLE WHO A LOT OF THEM ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE RETIRED FROM THAT FIELD AND THEY CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT.
AND THE DIRECTOR, DEE AND I HAVE BOTH BEEN THERE TO SEE THAT.
AND IT'S JUST AN INCREDIBLE TRANSFORMATION THAT'S BEEN DONE ON SEVERAL ACRES OF LAND.
SO YOU KNOW, THE CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS REMOVING INVASIVES FOR THE PURPOSE OF ENCOURAGING THE GROWTH OF THE NATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN CHOKED OUT. AND SOME OF THOSE NATIVES ARE IN DANGER OF BEING LOST, AND WE CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN.
SO I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE BUMPED UP A LITTLE BIT IN IMPORTANCE.
I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN A COUPLE OF NEW POSITIONS AS WELL.
THERE'S TWO THAT I CAN THINK OF THAT ARE REALLY CRITICAL.
ONE, YOU KNOW, I'M SAYING ONE AT LEAST ONE POSITION TO DO THIS.
IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY THE TRAIL MAINTENANCE CREW THAT IS ASSIGNED TO THAT AREA HAS A VERY DIFFICULT TIME KEEPING UP WITH THEIR WORKLOAD BECAUSE OF THE DEMANDS UPON THEM ALONG THE WALNUT CREEK CHANNEL AND CONCORD ON THE IRON HORSE TRAIL.
AND THEY HAVE TO HAUL A LOT OF DEBRIS AWAY THAT'S LEFT THERE ON A REGULAR BASIS EVERY WEEK.
AND TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS, I CAN THAT'S WHERE I LIVE.
THAT'S WHERE MOST OF MY TRAIL USAGE ON REGIONAL TRAILS HAPPENS.
AND I CAN JUST SEE THE DEGRADATION OF MAINTENANCE ELSEWHERE.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, AND I'VE TALKED TO THE FOLKS TOO A LITTLE BIT JUST A LITTLE BIT AND JUST ENOUGH TO GET THE IDEA THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO AND DO THE STUFF THEY USED TO DO ELSEWHERE, STUFF, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW JUST NOT TAKING CARE OF THE BASIC MAINTENANCE THERE.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO SEE ANOTHER POSITION ADDED THERE SO THAT THEY DON'T GET OVERWORKED AND LOSE THEIR YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S A MORALE ISSUE, HONESTLY. THEY'RE THEY'RE RUNNING IN PLACE.
THEY CAN'T MAKE ANY PROGRESS OUT THERE.
SO THAT'S ONE POSITION, YOU KNOW TO, TO PRESENT, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE USABILITY OF OUR TRAILS ANOTHER ONE WOULD BE AND AGAIN, THIS IS TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ESTABLISHING NEW TRAILS.
WE ARE A VERY LARGE ORGANIZATION.
[00:30:05]
AND IT'S BECAUSE WE CAN'T SEEM TO GET THE PRODUCT OUT.AND I THINK WE NEED TO CREATE ANOTHER POSITION.
AND I'M NOT GOING TO BE PRESCRIPTIVE AND SAY WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT NEEDS TO BE IN SEAN DOUGAN'S GROUP OR IN [INAUDIBLE] THE CONSTRUCTION GROUP SOMEWHERE IN THERE TO ENABLE US TO PUSH MORE PROJECTS THROUGH THE PROCESS AND GET THEM OPEN. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE BIGGEST IMPACT WOULD BE ON REGIONAL TRAILS, BECAUSE THOSE ARE BIG CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE SOME EFFORT FOCUSED ON THAT.
I JUST THINK THAT IT'S RIPE, IT'S RIPE FOR IMPROVEMENT.
THOSE POSITIONS DON'T BUILD ANY TRAILS.
BUT WE REALLY NEED TO DO THEM.
AND I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE HAVE THEM THERE.
AND I THINK BASED ON THE MEETINGS THAT WE HAD IN WASHINGTON DC, TALKING TO OUR LEGISLATORS AND IN SACRAMENTO THAT WE CAN GET THE FUNDING TO BUILD THESE PROJECTS.
I REALLY, HONESTLY BELIEVE WE HAVE MEASURE WW FUNDING.
SO THAT'S THAT'S MY THINKING ABOUT ALL THAT.
LET'S SEE, WHY DON'T I OH, AND, YOU KNOW, WHILE I'M THINKING OF IT, THE STEEP TRAILS, THE STEEP TRAILS, DEGRADED TRAILS, THERE'S SOME REALLY MESSED UP TRAILS OUT THERE.
AND I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY REAL SINCE THE LAST STORMS. I HAVEN'T, YOU KNOW, HAVEN'T BEEN EVERYWHERE.
BUT I KIND OF GET THE FEELING THAT NOT MUCH HAS BEEN DONE TO PERMANENTLY ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO SEE US SET A GOAL OF A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF THAT WORK DONE EVERY YEAR, WHETHER IT'S LINEAR FEET OR I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS HOW THIS WOULD GO, BUT WE NEED TO GO OUT THERE AND REROUTE THESE TRAILS OR RETROFIT THEM IN SOME IN SOME WAY AND MAKE A CONCENTRATED EFFORT TO GET IT DONE.
JUST, JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF BOARD MEMBERS SAYING, GOSH, IT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE MORE THAN THAT.
LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY. ALL RIGHT.
OKAY, NOW, I'LL BE A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC ABOUT THE LAND BANK.
WE HAVE IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE SAN RAMON VALLEY.
WE HAVE THE BISHOP RANCH OPEN SPACE.
VARIOUS PARCELS OF THAT OPEN SPACE THAT ARE NOW LAND BANKED WERE PURCHASED.
I WANT TO SAY LIKE 30 YEARS AGO OR SOMETHING ON THAT ORDER AND THEY'RE STILL NOT OPEN.
IT'S JUST SITTING THERE AND THEY'RE WONDERING WHY.
I KNOW THERE'S SOME ISSUES WITH AN EASEMENT AND OUT THERE.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THAT AND FIGURE OUT A WAY.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE WAY WE ORIGINALLY THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO OPEN THAT DOESN'T WORK.
WE NEED TO DO IT A DIFFERENT WAY.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THEIR PRIORITIES.
AND THEY WANT TO THEY WANT TO USE IT.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAME TO MY ATTENTION RECENTLY ABOUT IN OUR PUBLIC SAFETY, HOW MANY WOMEN WE HAVE WORKING IN PUBLIC SAFETY? THE NUMBER IS LOW, BUT I SUSPECT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE PERCENTAGE IS IS NOT WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULD JUST SIT BACK AND SAY IT'S AN INTRACTABLE PROBLEM.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE WOMEN AND POLICE AND FIRE BE PRESENT IN NUMBERS THAT MORE CLOSELY REFLECT THEIR ACTUAL PERCENTAGE OF THE DISTRICT POPULATION. JUST, YOU KNOW, GET CLOSER TO THE REAL NUMBERS IN THE GENERAL COMMUNITY.
DID WE JUST GET A LETTER FROM AFSCME ON THAT ISSUE? GOSH I THINK WE DID.
[00:35:01]
YEAH. YEAH I'M JUST CONNECTING THE TWO.ANOTHER ISSUE THAT COMES UP IS THE MOUNTAIN BIKE.
WE WERE WE JUST HAD A WONDERFUL EVENT HERE WITH THE MOUNTAIN BIKING COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN IN THIS TRAIL ADVOCACY WORLD FOR 35 YEARS PROBABLY.
AND I'VE NEVER SEEN A COOPERATIVE SITUATION THAT WE HAVE NOW WITH, YOU KNOW, EQUAL PARTNER, YOU KNOW, NOT EQUAL, BUT, YOU KNOW, PARTNERS OUT THERE IN THE MOUNTAIN BIKE COMMUNITY HELPING US TRYING TO BE TO FACILITATE WHAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR.
THEY'RE ASKING FOR THE KINDS OF TRAILS THAT THEY LIKE TO RIDE.
BUT IT'S I KNOW WE CAN DO IT, BUT IT'S THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS.
AND SO THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IS AND WE'VE SEEN THIS IN WILDCAT, YOU KNOW, YOU TRY TO INSTITUTE A FLOW TRAIL, DOWNHILL TRAIL, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, AND THEN OTHER USERS GET, YOU KNOW, DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THAT.
SO I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT ON SOME PROPERTIES THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE NOT YET OPEN, THAT ARE LAND BANKED, THAT WE LOOK AT BUILDING THOSE TRAILS BEFORE THE PARK IS OPEN SO THAT THEY'RE THERE WHEN THE PARK OPENS.
AND IT'S JUST A GIVEN THAT THEY'RE THERE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN WORK WITH THEM.
MOUNTAIN BIKE COMMUNITY TO DESIGN THESE THE WAY THAT THEY CAN BEST USE THEM.
AND WE'LL HAVE A FACILITY IN PLACE THERE THAT WILL JUST BE KIND OF LIKE, CUSTOMARY WAY THAT THE PARK IS USED.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I MENTIONED BEFORE LAST YEAR, BUT I'D LIKE IT TO BE A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIED.
WE HAVE TWO WONDERFUL PARKS MORGAN TERRITORY AND ROUND VALLEY.
AND WHEN YOU PUT THEM TOGETHER, THEY ARE [INAUDIBLE] I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE FIGURE IS.
IT'S PROBABLY IT'S 5 TO 10,000 ACRES.
AND IT'S CONTIGUOUS WITH MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK.
SO IF YOU WANT TO GO ON A REALLY LONG RIDE OR A REALLY LONG HIKE, YOU CAN ALMOST DO IT.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US BUILD OUR OWN TRAIL THROUGH OUR PROPERTY TO CONNECT THOSE TWO PARKS.
BUT I KNOW THAT THERE'S A WAY THAT CREATIVE TRAIL DESIGN CAN BE UTILIZED TO CONNECT THOSE TWO PARKS.
AND IDEALLY, WE OUGHT TO HAVE ONE FOR BIKES AND ONE FOR EVERYBODY ELSE.
LET'S SEE. LET ME JUST QUICKLY FIND OTHER THINGS THAT WERE INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, AND THEN THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THAT I JUST FEEL LIKE THEY DON'T NEED TO ADVOCATE FOR THEM.
LIKE THURGOOD MARSHALL, HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50, THAT IS HAPPENING.
AND IT'S JUST GOING TO HAPPEN AND WE'RE ON IT.
AND BUT, YOU KNOW, I, YOU KNOW, AS SOON AS WE CAN GET THAT DONE, THE BETTER.
IT'S JUST GOING TO BE A GREAT A GREAT PLACE TO GO.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A SECTION IN THE LIST HERE ABOUT CONNECTIONS, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE DISTRICT AND IN MY WARD.
THAT IS WHERE MORE PEOPLE LIVE.
AND THAT WOULD BE ON LIME RIDGE GOING UP INTO MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK BY EXTENDING THE CALIFORNIA RIDING AND HIKING TRAIL FROM ITS CURRENT TERMINUS AT SAVE MOUNT DIABLO'S MANGINI RANCH PROPERTY UP ON THE LIME RIDGE AND INTO MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK.
YOU KNOW, IN THAT AREA, THE STAGING AREAS THAT FEED INTO MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK ARE OVERUSED.
SOMETIMES THEY'RE OVERFLOWING.
AND, YOU KNOW, HERE WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY ON OUR MASTER PLAN.
WE HAVE A TRAIL THERE IN OUR MASTER PLAN.
WE NEED TO BUILD IT AND, AND IT'S NOT A IN COMPARING TO OTHER PROJECTS THAT WE DO, IT'S NOT A BIG
[00:40:04]
PROJECT, BUT IT WOULD HAVE A BIG EFFECT ON USERS.I ALSO WANT TO REITERATE MY INTEREST.
THIS IS ANOTHER ROUND VALLEY PROJECT, BUT I SEE IT LISTED IN HERE AS NOT ON ANY WORK PLAN.
AND I WANT IT TO BE ON SOMEBODY'S WORK OUR WORK PLAN.
AND THIS IS AT THE ENTRANCE TO ROUND VALLEY.
THERE'S A LOT OF ROGUE TRAILS THERE.
AND I KNOW WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
AND THAT PARK IS GOING TO GET MORE USAGE WHEN THE MARSH CREEK TRAIL IS EXTENDED.
AND I JUST HATE TO SEE PEOPLE GET INTO THE PARK AND COME TO THIS PLACE AND IT'S TOO STEEP.
SO THIS IS IN THE INTEREST OF INCLUSION, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING MORE USERS BY REWRITING THE TRAIL SO THAT THE GRADES ARE MORE ATTAINABLE OR USABLE.
THE BRIONES TO MOUNT DIABLO TRAIL NEAR JOHN MUIR HOSPITAL GOING INTO SHELL RIDGE OPEN SPACE.
I PRESENTED THIS LAST YEAR AND IT GOT MISINTERPRETED AS SOMETHING ELSE.
AND SO I WANT TO SAY IT AGAIN NOW MORE CLEARLY.
I MEANT TO SAY THAT FROM THAT POINT INTO SHELL RIDGE OPEN SPACE, WHICH IS A WALNUT CREEK OPEN SPACE, IS BASICALLY A GAP IN THE TRAIL BECAUSE ALL THE OTHER BRIONES TO MOUNT DIABLO TRAIL IS EITHER PAVED OR WIDE OR VERY ACCESSIBLE AND USABLE BY ANYBODY.
AND THEN YOU GOT THIS SECTION THAT'S PROBABLY NOT EVEN A MILE LONG.
AND IT WAS BUILT MANY YEARS AGO, AND IT'S ALL ROCKY AND IT'S STEEP.
WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AND REROUTE THAT SO THAT WE HAVE CONTINUOUS USAGE ON THE.
ANOTHER KIND OF INCLUSIONARY THING HERE.
THE CALIFORNIA RIDING AND HIKING TRAIL AGAIN RUNS THROUGH CONCORD.
GOES AND CONNECTS TO THE CANAL TRAIL.
WELL, ACTUALLY, ALL OF THAT, NONE OF THAT TRAIL IS PAVED.
BUT BY NOT BEING PAVED, IT'S NOT AS USABLE AS IT COULD BE.
IT'S A RIGHT OF WAY THAT COULD BE A REAL TRANSPORTATION ASSET.
AND SO BETWEEN NEWHALL PARK AND THE CONTRA COSTA CANAL TRAIL, WE NEED TO IN SOME PLACES, CONSTRUCT AN ALTERNATE TRAIL, IN OTHER PLACES, ADD TO THE TRAIL BY HAVING SOME PAVING AND MAKE AND ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR BICYCLISTS TO GO ON TREAT BOULEVARD AND IGNACIA VALLEY ROAD, WHICH ARE DANGEROUS ROADS.
WE CAN BUILD A TRAIL THAT'S GOOD FOR EVERYBODY.
IT'S GOOD FOR STUDENTS GOING TO SCHOOL, IT'S GOOD FOR FOLKS IN A LOWER INCOME PART OF CONCORD THAT NEED TO BICYCLE TO WORK CAN GO TO THE BART STATION MANY DIFFERENT.
I KNOW WE CAN GET FUNDING FOR THIS AND IT'S JUST A REAL NATURAL.
THE TRAIL THAT'S THERE NOW IS SO STEEP.
I WOULD NEVER RIDE IT. IT'S PROBABLY A 30% GRADE IN MANY, MANY PLACES.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER ONE THAT WOULD BE VERY USEFUL.
AND LET'S SEE, I THINK THAT'S ALL THAT I HAD HERE.
YEAH, I'M TEMPORARILY CEDING MY MICROPHONE OVER TO SOMEBODY ELSE.
THAT'S OKAY. [LAUGHTER] YOU DON'T HAVE TO COVER EVERYTHING ON THE FIRST GO.
SO THIS IS MEANT TO BE AN INFORMAL PROCESS.
IT IS ITERATIVE BECAUSE WHEN OTHER PEOPLE TALK, WE GET IDEAS.
OR WE MIGHT WANT TO CHIME IN SO YEAH.
SO WITHIN REASON, WE CAN HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT.
YEAH. IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW FOLLOWING THE.
I LET AMANDA GO FIRST AND THEN FOLLOWING THE.
YEAH. CAN YOU REITERATE THE LIME RIDGE CONTINUATION.
[00:45:01]
I DON'T KNOW IF I TOOK THOSE.OKAY. THAT IS THE FROM THE TERMINUS, THE CURRENT END OF THE CALIFORNIA RIDING AND HIKING TRAIL.
WE AN EXTENSION OF THAT TRAIL ONTO LIME RIDGE AND INTO MOUNT DIABLO STATE PARK.
THAT'S THE MOST CONCISE WAY THAT I CAN.
AND IT WOULD FULFILL SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IN OUR MASTER PLAN FOR MANY YEARS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON JOHN'S PRESENTATION? OH, SORRY. RIGHT THERE.
SO WHILE WE HAVE AMANDA HERE ON THE SLIDE I'D LIKE TO REQUEST ON THAT WARD SIX GOAL NUMBER TWO TO SOMEWHERE THERE, MENTION THE LOS VAQUEROS WATERSHED TRAIL THAT JOHN HAD MENTIONED IN HIS POINT.
I WILL ALSO BE TALKING ABOUT LOS VAQUEROS WATERSHED WHEN WE GET TO WARD FIVE.
PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM CREATED BY.
SO IT'S THE GOLDEN EAGLE NEST.
AND THEN JOHN, I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT THE DIABLO RANGE.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU MIGHT WANT TO ADD TO YOURS? SINCE, YOU KNOW, SAVE MOUNT DIABLO IS REALLY THE FOCUS.
I WILL BE ALSO TALKING ABOUT IT, BUT I THINK THAT IT MIGHT BE GOOD TO.
NO YOU KNOW, IN THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT HERE GETTING READY FOR THIS THAT SLIPPED OUT OF MY MIND.
BUT OKAY, IT DIDN'T SLIP OUT OF MY MIND.
YEAH, WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LIVING IN IT BASICALLY MORE THAN I AM, BUT YEAH I GUESS I TEND TO THINK OF THAT AS AN ISSUE FOR THE DISTRICT PLAN WHEN WE DO THAT.
YEAH. SO I THINK, I THINK MAYBE ON THE DISTRICT TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE THEY ARE HUGE THINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE WAY OUT IN THE FUTURE.
BUT YEAH, BUT IT'S PROBABLY GOOD JUST TO MENTION THAT I SUPPORT THE DISTRICT'S PRESENCE IN THE DIABLO RANGE, IN PRESERVING HABITAT THERE AND PROBABLY WORKING IN CONJUNCTION WITH SAVE MOUNT DIABLO.
THANK YOU. YEAH. IS THAT DIABLO RANGE? OH, WE'RE ACTUALLY WORKING IN THE DIABLO RANGE, AND WE KNOW THAT SAVE MOUNT DIABLO, YOU KNOW, KIND OF STARTED THAT WHOLE.
SO AND THEY HAVE A NICE LIST OF SPECIFIC ACQUISITIONS THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US.
ACTUALLY THEY DO. THAT'S TRUE.
YEAH. MANY THOUSANDS OF ACRES ARE ON THEIR LIST.
YEAH. WE CAN ONLY DO EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT.
WE DON'T GO SOUTH OF ALAMEDA COUNTY, BUT STILL, IN OUR PART, WE CAN.
AND THEN I HAD ONE MORE JOHN YOU STARTED OFF TALKING ABOUT AND I WROTE THIS DOWN THE RESTORING IMPACTED HABITAT WITH THE EAST BAY MUD MODEL AND THE SKYLINE GARDEN RESTORATION.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT DIRECTOR WAESPI HAD ALSO ASKED ME TO MENTION.
BOTH HE AND I ALSO SUPPORT SOMETHING SIMILAR, AND I'M NOT SURE IF OTHERS RECEIVED THE NOTE FROM JIM HANSON AND CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS, AND THEY HAVE A BRIEF THAT HAD BEEN THAT THEY WROTE ABOUT A MONTH AGO, OR MAYBE OR NOT A MONTH AGO THIS MONTH ABOUT NATIVE PLANT RECOVERY AND RESTORATION PROJECTS. AND, YOU KNOW, DENNIS OFFICIALLY WANTED ME TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT GETS ADDED TO HIS SLIDE, BUT I THINK IT'S RELATED TO YOUR COMMENT AS WELL.
AND IT SORT OF PUTS SOME FLESH AROUND WHAT I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT ANYWAY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, HE JIM DID SORT OF WAS PRESCRIPTIVE WHAT HE WAS INTERESTED IN.
I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO THAT DETAIL HERE, BUT I SUPPORT THAT TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN DO IT.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, YEAH, YOU KNOW, MY.
THIS IS THE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY.
YEAH. YOU KNOW, I GOT JIM'S EMAIL AS WELL.
AND AS ALWAYS, HE'S BEING VERY THOUGHTFUL ABOUT ADVANCING THE SPECIFIC ISSUE THAT HE'S CONCERNED ABOUT, GIVEN OUR OWN AGENDA. MY RESPONSE TO HIM WAS, I THINK THAT COMES WITHIN THE GENERAL STEWARDSHIP PROGRAMS THAT ARE EXISTING. AND I TOLD HIM I WASN'T SO MUCH LOOKING TO PUT ADD THAT TO MY LIST BECAUSE I THINK WE HAVE A FAIRLY ROBUST STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM AND THAT THE PRESERVATION AND ENHANCEMENT OF WILDFLOWER SPECIES
[00:50:01]
THROUGHOUT THE PARK DISTRICT IS REALLY SOMETHING THAT UNDERTAKEN BY THAT DIVISION.AND THOSE FOLKS THAT ARE DOING THAT ON AN ONGOING BASIS.
SO I SUGGESTED THAT WE APPROACH THAT IN THE MASTER PLAN.
IT'S ONE IT'S YET ANOTHER ISSUE THAT YOU'VE ENCOUNTERED IN PREPARING THIS LIST, AND I CERTAINLY DID, AS MAYBE THAT'S FOR THE MASTER PLAN, THAT ISSUE, OR PART OF MY ROLE AS AN ADVOCATE FOR THESE ISSUES IS TO GET IT INTO THE MASTER PLAN.
SO I ENDED UP ACTUALLY LISTING A COUPLE OF ISSUES NOT SO MUCH AS PRIORITIZATIONS FOR THE PARK DISTRICT, BUT AS PRIORITIZATIONS FOR ME TO PURSUE AS WE REWRITE THE MASTER PLAN.
AND SO THERE'S SOME TRAIN OF THOUGHT THAT WAS GOING THERE.
AND MY THINKING HERE WAS TO SORT OF COMBINE WHAT HE WAS SAYING WITH, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE OBSERVED ON THE EAST BAY MUD LAND TO ENHANCE WHAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING. I AGREE WITH YOU.
BUT THERE'S A WAY TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT THAT WE DO BY USING THESE VOLUNTEERS IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR REGULAR STAFF AND, YOU KNOW, LEVERAGING THAT OUT AND REALLY MAKING SOME PROGRESS. THAT'S REALLY VISIBLE YEAR TO YEAR.
IT IS SO, SO YEAH, I JUST WANT TO COMMENT ON THAT SINCE WE'RE ON IT.
SO I DIDN'T GET THE SENSE HE WAS REQUESTING ANYTHING NEW, LIKE A NEW PROGRAM, BUT MAYBE TO CALL OUT THESE, RARE PLANTS AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BEING CARED FOR. SO SO I ACTUALLY WOULD WELL, I'LL GET TO MY PRIORITIES, BUT I'M WILLING TO LIST THAT AS ONE OF MY PRIORITIES.
AND I THINK IT SHOULD BE COVERED IN THE DISTRICT PLAN AS WELL.
BUT I, YOU KNOW, CLEARLY OUR, OUR FOLKS ARE ALREADY DOING A GREAT JOB.
AND, YOU KNOW, I GUESS WE CAN HEAR FROM JIM AND WE CAN YOU CAN HEAR FROM OUR OWN STAFF AS WELL TO HEAR HOW THIS IS ALREADY BEING ADDRESSED AND ARE NOT ADDRESSED.
AND I THINK THAT THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
BUT THAT'S OOD. CLEARLY IMPORTANT.
OKAY. AND CAN I JUST ADD TO THAT REAL QUICK? I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME SPECIFIC SITES WITHIN OUR PARKS IN FREMONT WHERE THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS WITH SOME INVASIVE SPECIES, PLANT SPECIES.
I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE, TOO.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE REASON WHY I'M ADVOCATING.
I'VE BEEN ADVOCATING FOR PARK RANGER SLASH VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR.
THAT WOULD ALMOST EXPONENTIALLY INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE COULD DO.
YES. YEAH. IT ALL TIES TOGETHER.
IT ALL TIES TOGETHER. THANK YOU DEE.
DIRECTOR COFFEY. WOULD YOU LIKE ONE OF YOU? OKAY. JUMP IN.
GREAT. I'M JUST GOING TO SEND AMANDA.
I'M GOING TO JUST FORWARD YOU DENNIS'S EMAIL TO ME.
JUST SO YOU HAVE A COPY OF IT.
SO YEAH, I MEAN, I WANT TO START JUST BY THANKING AMANDA FOR BEING THE LEAD TO COMPILE EVERYTHING.
I DON'T THINK THIS IS AN EASY TASK.
AND I THINK THE GOAL IS REALLY TO, LIKE YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, TO LISTEN AND TAKE THE NOTES.
I THINK WE CAN HAVE 2023 AS A RECORD AND 2024 AS A RECORD.
WE ARE WORKING ON THIS SECOND CENTURY DISTRICT PLAN.
SO REALLY, I THINK JUST GETTING A RECORD OF WHAT'S BEING DISCUSSED TODAY, I SEE AS A GOAL.
AND WE RECOGNIZE I THINK YOU STATED THIS IN YOUR EMAIL TO US.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS MORE OF TAKING THOSE NOTES.
YOU KNOW, WE MAY NOT HAVE A WORK PLAN FOR EVERYTHING, BUT AT LEAST WE GET THAT, YOU KNOW, RECORD.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR TODAY.
[00:55:03]
FOLD INTO THAT.AND THEN I THINK ONCE WE HAVE THE SECOND CENTURY PLAN, I WOULD HOPE THAT THERE'D BE SOME SORT OF WORK PLAN AFTER THAT, WHERE THIS DAY MAY BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, AND IT WOULD BE PART OF KIND OF THAT EXECUTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF WHAT THE SECOND CENTURY DISTRICT PLAN IS.
AND BUT IT KIND OF ALSO GIVES ME SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, DO WE VIEW OUR WARDS BY THE PARKS WITHIN THE WARD OR BY THE COMMUNITY THAT LIVES WITHIN THE WARD? BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION WHEN LOOKING AT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, WITH THE 2020 CENSUS AND THE GROWTH OF POPULATION IN WARD FIVE, TO BE HONEST, I THINK CITY OF DUBLIN IS HAS BEEN DEFINED AS THE FASTEST GROWING CITY IN CALIFORNIA AND CERTAINLY IN THE BAY AREA.
AND SO WHAT HAPPENED IN RESULTS TO THAT IS ARDENWOOD GOT MOVED TO WARD THREE.
AND I KNOW THAT ARDENWOOD IS A VERY IMPORTANT PARK TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN WARD FIVE.
IN FACT, RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM ARDENWOOD IS THE CITY OF NEWARK.
ALL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK IS IN WARD FIVE.
AND MY POINT IN THIS EXAMPLE OF ARDENWOOD IS THAT WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE SECOND CENTURY PLAN AND THESE WARD REPORTS, IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE A BLEND OF PARKS AND COMMUNITY, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT US TO LOOK AT ARDENWOOD AND FORGET ABOUT THE CITY OF NEWARK COMMUNITY AND HOW IMPORTANT ARDENWOOD IS TO NEWARK AND VICE VERSA. SO I DON'T WANT US TO BE SO DEFINED BY THESE WARD BOUNDARIES AND PARKS.
I KNOW THAT THAT'S A YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A VERY CLEARLY DEFINED SITUATION, BUT I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE I DON'T WANT US TO GET TOO FAR INTO THIS. YOU KNOW, THIS IS WARD FIVE, THIS IS WARD THREE, AND HAVE THAT DIFFERENCE.
AND AGAIN, I'M GOING TO USE THE FREMONT NEWARK.
AND THEN I ALSO WILL INCLUDE UNION CITY.
THEY HAVE A REGIONAL DEFINITION OF THE TRI CITIES.
AND SO I DON'T WANT TO SEE US BREAK THEM APART JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE THEM IN TWO DIFFERENT WARDS.
I THINK YOU CAN SAY THAT ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE PARK DISTRICT.
I'M JUST USING THIS AS MY EXAMPLE TODAY.
AND SO I WANT US TO THINK ABOUT THIS.
BECAUSE I ALSO LIKE IT ALSO MAKES ME THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, A PLACE LIKE LAS TRAMPAS, WHICH IS IN WARD SIX, BUT LAS TRAMPAS IS REALLY POPULAR WITH PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE CITIES OF DUBLIN AND PLEASANTON AND ELSEWHERE, AND IS A VERY IMPORTANT PARK TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THOSE CITIES.
THERE'S A LOT OF LOVE FOR LAS TRAMPAS.
AND SO AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF, YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO MIGHT LIVE IN, YOU KNOW, ONE WARD MAY ALSO REALLY ENJOY GOING TO A PARK IN A DIFFERENT WARD.
SO I GUESS I'LL START WITH SOME OF THE OVERALL THINGS WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
BUT SOME OF MY ITEMS WILL BLEND A LITTLE BIT AS WELL.
SO I KNOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING, DEE WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE AND THE POOLS BECAUSE IT, IT ALSO THAT THAT MEETING, WHICH WAS, WHAT, TWO WEEKS AGO. IT WAS ALSO PRETTY INFLUENTIAL FOR ME FROM THE WATER SAFETY PERSPECTIVE.
YOU KNOW, WE GOT AN UPDATE FROM OUR LIFEGUARD ORGANIZATION.
AND, YOU KNOW, I GOT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW, YOU KNOW, MY FIRST JOB WAS AS A LIFEGUARD.
SO WATER SAFETY HAS ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT TO ME.
AND IT CAN ALSO JUST SHARE PERSONALLY.
AND YOU KNOW, IT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST WATERSHEDS IN THE BAY AREA.
YOU KNOW, IT'S BORDERS START AT MOUNT DIABLO.
[01:00:01]
IN FACT, IT'S THE HEADWATERS OF TASSAJARA CREEK AT FINLEY RANCH ROAD.THAT'S PART OF THE ALAMEDA CREEK WATERSHED.
GOES ALL THE WAY OUT TO THE ALTAMONT PASS, DOWN TO MOUNT HAMILTON IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY.
AND I BRING THIS UP AS MY NEXT MAJOR POINT, BECAUSE WHEN I'M THINKING ABOUT WATER SAFETY, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A REALLY SAD SITUATION OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN WHICH AN 11 YEAR OLD GIRL DROWNED AND DIED AT ALAMEDA CREEK.
DANA GONZALEZ AND I KNOW THAT OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS A PART OF THIS EFFORT TO TRY TO SAVE HER.
AND I, YOU KNOW, I BRING THIS UP AS ONE OF MY TOP COMMENTS BECAUSE I DO THINK THAT WHILE AT LEAST ACCORDING TO THE NEWS ARTICLE THAT I READ BECAUSE IT WAS IN THE CREEK.
AND I KNOW THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE TRAIL, WE HAVE THE ACCESS.
BUT THE ACTUAL CREEK WOULD BE WITHIN THE ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF'S JURISDICTION.
ALTHOUGH I KNOW WE WERE INVOLVED IN THIS REALLY SAD SITUATION, BUT I THINK IT ALSO HIGHLIGHTS, YOU KNOW, THESE MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES, WHICH I THINK IS ANOTHER BIG THEME THAT I SEE ACROSS YOU KNOW, EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT WHERE WE MIGHT HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE STAGING FACILITY, WE MIGHT HAVE THE TRAIL, BUT THEN THE CREEK IS NOT OURS YET.
PEOPLE ARE STILL USING THE CREEK.
AND THAT CAN BE AN ISSUE BOTH NEAR THAT NILES STAGING AREA WHERE WE HAD THIS TRAGIC SITUATION.
AND THEN I KNOW THIS ALSO CONNECTS UP AT SUNOL REGIONAL YOU KNOW, IN THE AREA NEAR WHAT WE CALL LITTLE YOSEMITE, WHERE AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT NATIVE AND PROTECTED SPECIES.
I KNOW THAT WE DO HAVE A FROG SPECIES THAT IS IN THE LITTLE YOSEMITE PORTION OF ALAMEDA CREEK, AND THAT WHEN WE HAVE RECREATIONAL SWIMMING THERE AND PEOPLE USING THE CREEK THAT CAN DAMAGE YOU KNOW, THE HABITAT OF THIS PROTECTED FROG.
AND I THINK, AGAIN, WHEN WE GO BACK TO THIS IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, EXTREME WEATHER PATTERNS, WHEN WE HAVE A LOT OF BOTH THE RAINFALL AS WELL AS SNOWFALL, WE CAN HAVE, YOU KNOW, INCREASED FLOW OF WATER THROUGH THIS YOU KNOW, ALAMEDA CREEK FLOW BECAUSE EITHER, YOU KNOW, THE UPSTREAM RESERVOIRS, WHICH THERE'S THREE, RIGHT? WE HAVE LAKE DEL VALLE, WE HAVE AND THEN SFPUC RUNS TWO OF THEM.
AND ALL THAT WATER WHEN IT'S RELEASED IN TERMS OF FLOOD CONTROL, DOES GO THROUGH NILES CANYON AND CAN CREATE INCREASED FLOW, CAN CREATE UNSAFE SWIMMING CONDITIONS. AND SO THIS DOES GO BACK THEN TO THAT WATER SAFETY.
SO ALL THESE THINGS ARE CONNECTED.
THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT TOPICS.
AND I THINK THAT THIS REALLY DOES NEED TO BE A TOPIC THAT WE CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MY HEART JUST BREAKS WHEN I THINK ABOUT HOW A FEW WEEKS AGO, THIS 11 YEAR OLD GIRL DROWNED AT ALAMEDA CREEK.
I JUST WANT TO SAY SOMETHING SINCE WE'RE ON RECORD HERE AND.
SO THERE IS NO SWIMMING ALLOWED WITHIN THE CREEK, WHETHER IT'S AT THE NILES CANYON STAGING AREA OR IT'S UP IN SUNOL AT LITTLE YOSEMITE.
AND IT IS ALAMEDA COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL'S JURISDICTION THERE.
AND IT IS THEIR FENCE AND THEIR SIGNS.
SO I APOLOGIZE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT BEFORE YOU MOVE THE NEXT POINT.
I'M GLAD YOU SHARED THAT, BECAUSE, AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT MAKES A PLACE LIKE QUARRY LAKES OR SHADOW CLIFFS OR DEL VALLE SO IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE WE DO OFFER RECREATIONAL SWIMMING AND THE ENCOURAGEMENT. AND I THINK THIS ALSO GOES FOR FISHING AS WELL, BECAUSE ACTUALLY ALONG ALAMEDA CREEK WE DON'T ALLOW FISHING.
[01:05:10]
QUARRY LAKES FOR THOSE RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES.AND I THINK THAT AS AN EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, REALLY HELPING TO COMMUNICATE THAT WITH THE PUBLIC IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE NOT ONLY DOES IT SAVE LIVES, IT HELPS, YOU KNOW, PROTECT NATIVE SPECIES, FISH SPECIES AND NATIVE FROG SPECIES AND ALL THOSE THINGS.
SO I THINK THAT WE DO HAVE SOME CHALLENGES IN THAT, IN THAT BALANCE OF YOU KNOW, TRYING TO DIRECT PEOPLE TO GO TO WHERE WE HAVE SANCTIONED RECREATIONAL FACILITIES. AND SO THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THE CLEAR DISTINCTION TO THE PUBLIC.
BUT TODAY IT'S NOT YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO EITHER.
AND SO I KNOW THAT AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, RIGHT NOW SFPUC IS ANTICIPATING THE OPENING OF THEIR ALAMEDA CREEK WATERSHED VISITOR CENTER AT THE SUNOL WATER TEMPLE.
AND YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS A GOOD PROJECT TO CONTINUE TO KEEP AN EYE ON.
AND I'D REALLY LIKE FOR US TO YOU KNOW, BE A GOOD PARTNER WITH SFPUC ON THIS.
AND, I KNOW I PERSONALLY AM INTERESTED IN, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY'RE OPENING AND BEING THERE.
SO I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE QUITE A BIT OF FOCUS ON THIS TOPIC.
AND I'LL SHARE THAT THE PERSON AT ALAMEDA COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL WHO REALLY HELPED I GUESS UNDERWRITE AND SPEARHEAD THIS GROUP IS RETIRING.
AND I LIKE FOR US TO CONSIDER THAT.
BUT I THINK THAT WE REALLY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE AT THE PARK DISTRICT TO BE A PART OF THIS GROUP.
AND IT'S A REALLY AMAZING CROSS SECTIONAL GROUP OF ALL THE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I TALK ABOUT MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES OR ALL THE MULTIPLE STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS ALAMEDA CREEK WATERSHED THEY'RE ALL INVOLVED IN THIS FORUM.
WE ALSO HAVE THIS REALLY AMAZING BROCHURE.
AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT THIS ONE WHICH I HAVE HERE.
BUT WE HAVE ANOTHER ONE ON THE ALAMEDA CREEK WATERSHED.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN 2004 OR MAYBE 2012.
THE MAP THAT'S BEING USED, IT SAYS 2004.
SO THAT'S THE ONLY DATE I COULD FIND ON IT.
BUT IT HAS A LOT OF OLDER LOGOS, AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE UPDATED.
CERTAINLY PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT THE MAP.
AND, YOU KNOW, SUNOL ITSELF PLAYS A VERY CRITICAL ROLE WITHIN THE WATERSHED.
IT'S AFFILIATED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA.
AND ONCE I FINISH THE PROGRAM, I WILL BE A CERTIFIED VOLUNTEER CALIFORNIA NATURALIST.
THEY ALSO HAVE A SECOND PROGRAM FOR CLIMATE STEWARDS.
[01:10:01]
AND A CORE COMPONENT OF THEIR PROGRAM IS ON THE ALAMEDA CREEK WATERSHED, WHICH SURPRISED ME TO SEE AND SO I'M MENTIONING THIS TODAY BECAUSE I THINK GOING BACK TO DEE HAD MADE A COMMENT ABOUT VOLUNTEERS AND OUR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM.I KNOW THE UC A&R PROGRAM IS REALLY INTERESTED IN EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT BEING A SPONSOR AGENCY, SIMILAR TO WHAT OAKLAND ZOO IS DOING OR THE ORGANIZATION I'M GOING THROUGH THIS CERTIFICATION WITH IS THE ALAMEDA CREEK ALLIANCE.
AND I KNOW SANTA CLARA COUNTY PARKS THEY ARE A SPONSOR AGENCY FOR THIS PROGRAM.
SO IT MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTING TO CONNECT WITH THEM AND SEE HOW THAT'S WORKING OUT FOR THEM.
BUT IT'S A WAY TO TRAIN VOLUNTEERS.
IT'S A LITTLE YOU KNOW, THE TRAINING'S ALREADY IN PLACE THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IN TERMS OF THE PROGRAMING AND CERTIFICATION AND THEN THE ORGANIZATION LONG TERM. BUT, YOU KNOW, AS WE THINK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL TO EXPAND, YOU KNOW, OUR VOLUNTEER WORK, THIS MIGHT BE A REALLY NICE PROGRAM TO CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH SINCE THEY ALREADY HAVE A LOT OF PIECES IN PLACE.
AND SO I THINK SO THAT'S THE UC A&R PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY AMANDA AND I KNOW THAT WE DO HAVE WE DO WORK WITH THE OAKLAND ZOO, SO MAYBE IT'S WORTH IT TO ALSO JUST MENTION OAKLAND ZOO AS A SPONSOR AS WELL AS SANTA CLARA COUNTY PARKS.
OKAY. SO THAT'S MY THOSE ARE MY POINTS ON SUNOL REGIONAL FOR TODAY.
AND THIS ALSO CONNECTS WITH THE ALAMEDA CREEK TRAIL.
AND I KNOW ALAMEDA COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS IS THE LEAD AGENCY ON THIS.
AND I GUESS JUST TO HAVE THAT AS A POINT HERE, I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING SPECIFIC TO ADD.
WELL, ACTUALLY I DO. SO I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING AT.
AND THAT WOULD BE A REALLY IMPORTANT.
IT IS ALSO NEAR THAT NILE STAGING AREA THAT I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER.
AND THEN ALSO THE IDEA OF THIS NILES CANYON TRAIL.
AND IF YOU READ THE REPORT THAT WAS PUBLISHED RECENTLY, IT DOES ALSO TALK A LOT ABOUT TYLER RANCH STAGING AREA IN SUNOL AS ANOTHER PRIMARY POINT IN THIS NILES CANYON TRAIL.
AND SO I THINK IT'S AN EXCITING PROJECT AND ONE FOR US TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR.
SO, YEAH, MAYBE JUST ADD SOMETHING ABOUT TYLER RANCH IN THERE, TOO.
THIS IS LED BY ALAMEDA COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS.
THE ALAMEDA COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS IS THE LEAD AGENCY RIGHT NOW ON THIS.
SO I THINK WHILE I'M STILL IN THIS TRI CITIES AREA I'LL START AT THE DISTRICT WIDE GOALS, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT YOU KNOW, THE 30X30 CONSERVATION PROGRAM.
I THINK WE DID GET A NOTE ABOUT A DIFFERENT 30X30 PROGRAM IN REGARDS TO PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS THAT USE THIS NAMING CONVENTION WHICH IS GREAT AND IT'S FINE.
SO ONE IS FOR CONSERVATION, ONE IS FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.
I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE CONSERVATION ONE FOR A MOMENT.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S TWO EFFORTS AND THEY WORK IN COORDINATION WITH EACH OTHER.
THERE'S THE US FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EFFORT FOR 30X30.
I BELIEVE THAT'S PRIMARILY THROUGH US FISH AND WILDLIFE AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL PROGRAM.
AND I KNOW WITH US FISH AND WILDLIFE, WE HAVE A VERY LARGE US FISH AND WILDLIFE PRESERVE IN THE FREMONT AREA, THE DON EDWARDS RESERVE AND WITHIN THE CITY OF NEWARK.
[01:15:03]
THIS DON EDWARDS, US FISH AND WILDLIFE RESERVE, I BELIEVE IT'S CALLED AREA FOUR ALONG THE NEWARK SHORELINE.AND WHILE THIS IS NOT PART OF EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT LANDS, NOR OUR FUTURE PLANNING, AS I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE IN MEETINGS OUR NEW CAMPGROUND AT DUMBARTON QUARRY DOES HAVE A CONNECTING TRAIL TO DON EDWARDS, AND I THINK WE REALLY HELP ENHANCE THE EXPERIENCE AT DON EDWARDS BY PROVIDING A PLACE FOR CAMPING FOR RVS AND OTHER CAR AND VAN CAMPERS TO STAY AND GET TO EXPERIENCE THIS US FISH AND WILDLIFE SITE.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT'S ME, IS IT? MAKE SURE I'M NOT. OKAY.
AND I THINK THAT HERE AT THE PARK DISTRICT YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME, YOU KNOW, HOW WE MIGHT WORK ON 30X30 CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE MAYBE OUTSIDE THE PURVIEW OF THE PARK DISTRICT.
SO IN THIS EXAMPLE WOULD BE THE NEWARK SHORELINE.
AND THERE YOU KNOW, THE DEBATE IS ACTUALLY ABOUT DO WE CONSERVE THE WETLANDS OR DO WE BUILD HOUSING? AND I THINK THAT BEING HERE IN THE EAST BAY, STARTING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION.
YOU KNOW, ABOUT PROTECTING LAND VERSUS HOUSING IS ONE THAT WE MAY WANT TO CONSIDER HAVING AS A BOARD OF DIRECTORS STAFF. SO I'LL JUST MENTION THAT BRIEFLY.
AND SO THEN WITH THAT, I'LL USE THAT AS A SEGUE THEN TO TALK ABOUT MURRAY TOWNSHIP.
AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS KIND OF GOING LONG.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE WANTED TO TAKE A BREAK OR KEEP ON GOING.
SO THIS IS ALL STATE PARK LAND.
SO AGAIN, IT'S OUTSIDE OUR PURVIEW AS A PARK DISTRICT.
BUT THE REASON I BRING UP 30X30 AND THIS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
SO IT'S NOT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IT'S STATE GOVERNMENT.
BUT I'M REALLY CURIOUS HOW THE 30X30 INITIATIVE IS LOOKING AT TESLA STATE PARK.
AND AGAIN, I THINK THAT THERE IS SOME SPACE FOR US TO UNDERSTAND THIS AS A PARK DISTRICT BECAUSE FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND I KNOW THAT WE HAD EFFORTS BACK IN 2020 HERE AT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT KNOWN AS [INAUDIBLE] PAC.
AND I WAS ALSO AT THE SAME TIME PRESIDENT OF ZONE SEVEN WATER AGENCY.
AND I KNOW I SIGNED THE LETTER ADVOCATING FOR TESLA STATE PARK TO NOT BE AN EXPANSION OF THE CARNEGIE OFF ROAD VEHICLE PARK, AND THAT THAT EFFORT WENT THROUGH TO PROTECT TESLA STATE PARK.
AND ONE OF THE KEY POINTS WAS THE COMPLEXITY OF THE BIODIVERSITY AT TESLA STATE PARK.
AND I KNOW A LOT OF THAT ALIGNS WITH THE 30X30 CONSERVATION.
SO I WOULD JUST BE CURIOUS TO SEE KIND OF WHERE STATE PARKS IS AS AT THAT POINT, BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS YET ANOTHER ONE OF THE GOOD EXAMPLES OF YOU KNOW, THE DEBATE THAT WE HAVE TO CONSERVE LANDS VERSUS YOU KNOW, RECREATIONAL USES AND THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES.
SO I'LL CERTAINLY SEND FORWARD THIS TO YOU.
I PROBABLY SPENT THE MOST TIME ACTUALLY PUTTING TOGETHER SOME THOUGHTS ON MURRAY TOWNSHIP.
I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE SOME DIFFERENT CHALLENGES THERE.
SO ONE OF THE BIG ONES IS MEASURE WW DOES NOT INCLUDE MURRAY TOWNSHIP, SO WE DO NOT COLLECT MONEY FROM ANYONE WHO'S LIVING WITHIN THIS MURRAY TOWNSHIP AREA, WHICH IS THE CITY OF LIVERMORE AND ALL OF EASTERN ALAMEDA COUNTY, THE UNINCORPORATED AREA.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT A MAP, I ESTIMATE THAT THIS LAND AREA IS PROBABLY HALF OF WARD FIVE.
AND IT MIGHT EVEN BE 25% OF ALAMEDA COUNTY LAND AREA.
SO IT'S A PRETTY LARGE SECTION.
AND WE DO NOT COLLECT. AND I'M HAPPY TO BE CORRECTED ON THIS, BY THE WAY BY STAFF.
BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THAT ALL OF THAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN MEASURE WW.
SO THAT LIMITS US IN TERMS OF ACQUISITIONS AND LAND ACQUISITION.
SO ONE OF THE BIG THINGS I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE HERE AT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, BECAUSE I WAS INVOLVED IN THIS IS THE IRON HORSE TRAIL EXTENSION FROM SHADOW CLIFFS TO THE ARROYO MOCHO TRAIL AT MURRIETA AND STANLEY IN LIVERMORE.
[01:20:03]
IN PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ZONE SEVEN WATER AGENCY AND CITY OF LIVERMORE WHILE I WAS ON THE ZONE SEVEN BOARD OF DIRECTORS.AND I KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE IN THE CITY OF LIVERMORE.
AND SO I'D LIKE FOR US TO SOLVE THIS AND FIGURE IT OUT SO THAT WE CAN SAY, HEY, THE IRON HORSE TRAIL GOES, YOU KNOW, THROUGH NINE CITIES AND AT LIVERMORE, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S ACTUALLY A PRETTY QUICK ADDITION SINCE IT'S ALREADY THERE, THERE MIGHT BE ONE TRICKY INTERSECTION YOU KNOW, AS YOU'RE GOING DOWN, STANLEY, AND YOU TAKE THE TURN TO ISABEL TO 84, BUT OTHERWISE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE TO INVEST MUCH EXCEPT FOR FIGURING OUT, AGAIN, THOSE MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL SITUATIONS. AND SO I'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE US EXPLORE THIS, BUT IT DOES KIND OF TIE INTO THIS MURRAY TOWNSHIP SITUATION.
THE OTHER POINT THAT I PUT ON HERE, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF LAND ACQUISITION IN AN AREA WHERE I THINK WE COULD EXPLORE A LITTLE BIT MORE, AND I KNOW WE'VE BEEN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE THINK ABOUT DOOLAN CANYON.
AND I BELIEVE WE'VE ALSO USED SOME OF THAT MONEY UP ON PLEASANTON RIDGE AS WELL.
AND WE'VE ALREADY USED IT AS A PARK DISTRICT OR BEEN IN PARTNERSHIP IN TERMS OF USING THIS.
BUT I THINK TO JOHN'S EARLIER POINT ABOUT THE SAN RAMON OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE, THERE'S ALL THESE DIFFERENT OPEN SPACE GROUPS WITH POCKETS OF MONEY.
AND SO THEN THAT BRINGS ME TO THE DIABLO RANGE TOPIC, WHICH THANK YOU, JOHN, FOR HONORING MY REQUEST TO INCLUDE THAT ON THE WARD SIX SLIDE, BECAUSE CERTAINLY WITH THE DIABLO RANGE, I KNOW MOUNT SAINT DIABLO IS REALLY LOOKING AT EASTERN ALAMEDA COUNTY LAND IN REGARDS TO THIS.
BUT I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO WRITE DOWN.
AND WHETHER OR NOT WE'RE GOING TO BE INVOLVED THERE.
AND I HONESTLY HAVE TO SAY, MY NUMBER ONE WARD FIVE PRIORITY IN THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE IS THIS LEASE RENEWAL WITH YOU KNOW, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR DEL VALLE.
AND I THINK WHAT WE'RE DOING IN DEL VALLE, YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE CAN EVEN THINK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE IN EASTERN ALAMEDA COUNTY, WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE IN THE LEASE RENEWAL OR CLARITY AROUND THE LEASE RENEWAL.
AND WITH THAT, I, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO MAKE A MENTION ABOUT THE DEL VALLE KIOSK, I THINK IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST ISSUE RIGHT NOW AT DEL VALLE IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT THE PARK DISTRICT.
AND I THINK THAT THERE'S SO MUCH ABOUT THE PILOT PROJECT THAT I LIKE.
YOU KNOW, I READ ABOUT IT ONLINE.
IN FACT, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS READING ABOUT WHEN I FIRST JOINED THIS BOARD.
BUT I THINK IT'S JUST HELPFUL TO BE FAMILIAR WITH IT.
AND SO THEN AGAIN WITH DEL VALLE AND THE KIOSK.
[01:25:03]
YOU KNOW, POINT AND CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, WITH N3 BEING A MAJOR LANDOWNER IN TERMS OF AREA.I THINK N3 RANCH THAT THAT COMES INTO PLAY HERE.
AND I KNOW WHEN WE WERE IN SACRAMENTO THIS YEAR IN JANUARY, MEETING WITH STATE SENATOR STEVE GLAZER.
THIS WAS A BIG THING THAT HE BROUGHT UP.
HE TALKED EXTENSIVELY ABOUT N3 RANCH.
SO I'M CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT HIS NEXT MOVE IS.
AND SO I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING TO WATCH.
ESPECIALLY SINCE WHEN WE WERE THERE MEETING WITH HIM, HE TALKED QUITE A BIT ABOUT N3 RANCH.
AGAIN SO MURRAY TOWNSHIP, IT'S AMAZING TO ME HOW THIS IS THE ONE THAT CAME UP A LOT FOR ME.
SO I KNOW WE'RE MAKING A PRETTY BIG INVESTMENT AT THE LIVERMORE AIRPORT.
AND I THINK THAT AS WE START TO BUILD OUT THAT LONG TERM AGREEMENT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING THERE CAN ALSO HELP IN REGARDS TO ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES IN LIVERMORE AND UNINCORPORATED EASTERN ALAMEDA COUNTY.
SO GOING BACK TO LOS VAQUEROS I GUESS THERE'S TWO POINTS I WANT TO MAKE HERE.
AND THIS IS ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT SEPARATE FROM CCWD THE CONTRA COSTA WATER DISTRICT THE JPA FOR THE LOS VAQUEROS EXPANSION HAS THEIR OWN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THEIR OWN LEGAL COUNSEL, THEIR OWN BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE FOLLOWING THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE CLOSELY.
I THINK WE'RE FOLLOWING THE PERSPECTIVE FROM THE CONTRA COSTA WATER DISTRICT, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THE JPA EXPANSION, AND I KNOW DIRECTOR MERCURIO AND I MIGHT HAVE SOME DIFFERING THOUGHTS ON THIS PROJECT, BUT IT'S HEALTHY TO HAVE THAT DEBATE AND THAT DISCUSSION.
BUT WITH THAT YOU KNOW, IN 2014, CALIFORNIA VOTERS PASSED PROPOSITION ONE FOR WATER SUPPLY PROJECTS.
SO THEY HAD TO DO A SECOND APPLICATION TO THEN BE ACCEPTED FOR THE MONEY FROM PROPOSITION 1 IN 2014.
AND I THINK THAT WE AT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT SHOULD BE LOOKING CLOSELY AT THIS EXPANSION PROJECT AND ALSO OPPORTUNITIES TO POTENTIALLY HAVE A CONNECTION BETWEEN BRUSHY PEAK AND LOS VAQUEROS.
AND SO I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO MAYBE ONE DAY HAVE SOME SORT OF JOINT MEETING WITH CITY OF LIVERMORE AND LARPD AND EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ALL TOGETHER. I STILL HAVE MORE.
SO YOU WANT ME TO KEEP ON GOING? WELL, YEAH. YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY FINISH YOURS BEFORE LUNCH.
ALL RIGHT. SO ONE QUICK POINT.
GOING BACK TO COYOTE HILLS, I HAVE RECEIVED I DO RECEIVE SOME REGULAR EMAILS ABOUT.
YOU KNOW, THE ALAMEDA COUNTY, EXCUSE ME, ALAMEDA CREEK TRAIL CONNECTION AT COYOTE HILLS AND SOME OF THE REPAIRS AND RESURFACING OF SOME OF THE SECTIONS ALONG ALAMEDA CREEK TRAIL AND BAY VIEW TRAIL.
I GUESS IT'S PARTICULARLY BAD, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE INVESTING A LOT IN THE NEW CONSTRUCTION AT COYOTE HILLS, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE SOME OF THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT THERE'S A PLAN IN PLACE, BECAUSE WE'RE REALLY INVESTING A LOT IN THE NEW CONSTRUCTION.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALSO ADDRESSING SOME OF WHAT'S EXISTING AT COYOTE HILLS.
[01:30:07]
I JUST WANT TO MENTION OHLONE COLLEGE IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PARTNER FOR US AT MISSION PEAK.WE DO HAVE AN AGREEMENT TO USE THEIR PARKING STRUCTURE ON THE WEEKEND FOR MISSION PEAK ACCESS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WE'RE BUILDING OUT A LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAM, AND I KNOW I MENTIONED THIS, THAT I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT WE'RE BUILDING OUT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAM, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD AGENCIES ON THERE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NO SHORTAGE OF PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS THE PARK DISTRICT, AND WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET ALL COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICTS AND ALL SCHOOL DISTRICTS BUT I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THEY CAN BE IMPORTANT PARTNERS.
AND I KNOW IN ANTIOCH, ANTIOCH SCHOOL DISTRICT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PARTNER FOR US IN REGARDS TO OUR WATER SAFETY PROGRAMS. OKAY. AND SO THEN I GUESS THE NEXT ONE THAT I WANT TO MENTION THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS PLEASANTON RIDGE, SPECIFICALLY GARMS. I KNOW THAT CITY OF PLEASANTON SENT A LETTER TO THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN FALL OF 2022.
AND THEN I ALSO WOULD REALLY LIKE FOR US AS A BOARD TO MAKE SOME SORT OF DECISION ON THIS AT SOME POINT IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, BECAUSE I DO THINK WE OWE CITY OF PLEASANTON A CONVERSATION AND A RESPONSE AND A PLAN, EITHER WAY, OF WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO ON THIS, BECAUSE IT'S SORT OF LINGERING OUT THERE.
AND THEN I THINK IN TERMS OF OVERALL, I THINK I'LL MAKE THIS MY FINAL POINT.
I DID WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.
ALSO, AT OUR JANUARY BOARD RETREAT, WE HAD DONE A STAKEHOLDER BRAINSTORMING EXERCISE, AND SO I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE US COMBINE THAT STAKEHOLDER BRAINSTORMING EXERCISE WITH SOME OF WHAT WE HAD DISCUSSED AT THE APRIL COMMUNITY SURVEY INSIGHTS WORKSHOP.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT THAT WE CAN DO IN REGARDS TO STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND REALLY KIND OF BUILDING A CULTURE HERE AT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT AROUND TALKING ABOUT OUR VARIOUS STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
AND THERE ARE MANY, MANY DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
AND I KNOW THIS WILL ALSO TIE INTO OUR SECOND CENTURY DISTRICT PLAN, OF COURSE.
SO I JUST WANT TO REITERATE HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS.
AND I THINK IT WAS A PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION ON TUESDAY, BUT I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US YOU KNOW, KIND OF EMPHASIZE OUR DEFERRED COMPENSATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE AS A MECHANISM TO START TO COLLECT SOME FEEDBACK FROM OUR RETIREE GROUP IN REGARDS TO EMPOWER. AND I THINK WE'VE BEEN HEARING FEEDBACK ACTUALLY ACROSS THE SPECTRUM.
AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE US COMPILE SOME SORT OF YOU KNOW, FEEDBACK ACROSS ALL OF OUR RETIREE GROUPS JUST TO SEE WHERE THINGS STAND IN REGARDS TO THAT.
AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN TO RAISE MONEY TO BUILD THE TILDEN EEC YOU KNOW, I THINK ABOUT OUR DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, ABOUT RETIREES SPECIFICALLY.
AND THEY'RE JUST ONE OF THE MANY DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS.
[01:35:09]
AT TILDEN, I THINK WE'RE REALLY GOING TO NEED TO HAVE SOME CHAMPIONS AND SOME SUPPORTERS FOR THAT.AND SO HOW WE PLAN FOR THAT, I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WITH STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, GROUPS OF PEOPLE, BUT IT'S ALSO ORGANIZATIONS, WHICH I GUESS ARE ALSO GROUPS OF PEOPLE.
AND SO I THINK ABOUT MY EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, WITH VISIT TRI-VALLEY THAT I SHARED AT THE APRIL ITS COMMUNITY SURVEY WORKSHOP. YOU KNOW HOW VISIT TRI-VALLEY DOES A LOT OF PROMOTION OF LAS TRAMPAS, BUT BARELY MENTIONS US AS EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT WHEN THEY PROMOTE LAS TRAMPAS. AND, YOU KNOW, FOR US, YOU KNOW, THAT MIGHT NOT WE CAN DECIDE, YOU KNOW, HEY, IF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LAS TRAMPAS, THAT'S GREAT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW HOW WE ADDRESS THAT.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, JUST YESTERDAY IN THE MAIL, I GOT THE DIABLO MAGAZINE, WHICH REALLY FOCUSES A LOT ON, YOU KNOW, THE 680 CORRIDOR, I THINK, FROM WALNUT CREEK TO PLEASANTON.
BUT THEN IN HERE THERE'S ADS FOR, YOU KNOW, PLACES TO GO IN SAN FRANCISCO AND SONOMA.
I DON'T I DIDN'T SEE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS MENTIONED HERE IN DIABLO MAGAZINE.
AND SO REALLY KIND OF THINKING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT ALL THESE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, PUBLICATIONS, DIFFERENT GROUPS, WHETHER IT'S VISIT TRI-VALLEY OR DIABLO MAGAZINE IN REGARDS TO OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE RIGHT NOW PUTTING UP THE ROLLER COASTER AT THE ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS.
AND I'M NOT SURE IF I MENTIONED THIS LAST YEAR.
SO I'M GOING TO MENTION THIS AGAIN THIS YEAR.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE A BOOTH AT THE FAIRGROUNDS AGAIN THIS YEAR, AND IF WE DON'T, THAT'S OKAY.
BUT I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US NEXT YEAR HAVE A PRESENCE AT THE ALAMEDA COUNTY FAIR.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST FAIRS IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
IT'S REALLY WELL LOVED. IT RUNS FOR THREE WEEKS.
OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, DIRECTOR SANWONG, APPRECIATE ALL THE INPUT.
WITH THAT, I THINK WE ARE NOW READY FOR OUR LUNCH BREAK AND I WILL SAY HALF AN HOUR.
AND DIRECTOR COFFEY IS WELL PREPARED TO KICK US OFF THIS AFTERNOON.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT INTRODUCTION TO LIVE UP TO.
WELL THANK YOU. AMANDA ACTUALLY TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THEM UP ON MY SLIDE ALREADY. I WANTED.
YOU KNOW, THEY ALWAYS SAY WHEN YOU'RE BETTER OFF, WHEN YOU KNOW YOU'RE DONE.
JUST WITH THE JUDGE JUST SUBMITTED, YOUR HONOR, AND BE DONE WITH IT BEFORE YOU MESS IT UP.
I WANTED TO THANK AMANDA FOR GETTING US ALL THE BACKGROUND RESOURCES THAT YOU FORWARDED IN EMAIL BOTH A FEW WEEKS AGO, AND THEN TO MAKE SURE WE WERE CAUGHT UP A FEW DAYS AGO TO HAVE THE DECO WORK PLAN, THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN, THE MAP OF WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY UNDERTAKING VARIOUS CAPITAL PROJECTS.
ALL OF YOUR LISTS FROM LAST YEAR WAS HELPFUL BECAUSE I FOUND THAT I ACTUALLY DIDN'T HAVE A LIST OF ALL OF OUR PRIORITIES AS WE SET THEM LAST YEAR. SO THAT WAS HELPFUL TO HAVE ON SLIDES THE LINK TO LAST YEAR'S PROGRAM.
AND IN PARTICULAR, THE DOCUMENT THAT I ALWAYS I'VE REFERENCED THIS, I ALWAYS KEEP IT ON MY DESK HANDY THE UPDATE ON BOARD INDIVIDUAL OR UPDATE ON INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBER INTERESTS THAT WE GET.
AMANDA UPDATED IT ON MAY 3RD, AND I HAVE THAT COPY.
[01:40:03]
I NOTICED YOU UPDATED IT AGAIN FOR TODAY.AND THE BEST UPDATE ON THE JUNE 7TH VERSUS THE MAY 3RD VERSION OF THIS, AMANDA WAS THE BOX THAT CHANGED THE TIMBER PROJECT AT BLACK DIAMOND FROM ON HOLD TO IN PROGRESS.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR WORKING ON THAT, KEEPING US UPDATED.
AND IN ADDITION TO THE SURVEY WORKSHOP AND THE OTHER MATERIALS THAT I ALREADY MENTIONED THAT YOU FORWARDED TO US, I FOUND THE GENERAL MANAGER'S BUDGET MESSAGE IN THE FINAL VERSION OF OUR 24 BUDGET WAS VERY HELPFUL IN INFORMING MY THOUGHTS FOR THIS AS AS WELL AS THE UPDATE.
SO WITH THAT, I LISTED DISTRICT WIDE GOALS.
I WAS ABLE, WITH ALL THAT BACKGROUND, TO PAIR MINE DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY THAN IN YEARS PAST.
I HAD BEEN USING THE SAME TEMPLATE SINCE 2020 AND COVID AND DURING COVID THIS LIST GOT REAL LONG AND I PAIRED IT BACK, BUT I WAS ABLE TO PARE IT BACK A LOT MORE BECAUSE INDEED, AS I LOOKED AT MORE OF THE RESOURCES, THERE WERE PROJECTS BEING UNDERTAKEN THAT I COULD TAKE OFF MY LIST.
AND THEN TO BE LEFT WITH TRULY PRIORITIZING AND DEALING, PRIORITIZING FOR MYSELF, WHICH IS A DIFFICULT THING TO DO, AS YOU ALL UNDERSTAND.
IT'S REALLY HARD BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH WE WANT TO DO.
AND THEN THERE IS THE DYNAMIC WE HAVE ALREADY DURING THIS PROCESS TODAY, THIS MORNING, THIS AFTERNOON OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO WE WANT TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PRIORITIZE OR ARTICULATE IN ANY EVENT? AND AS OPPOSED TO, FOR INSTANCE, THE MASTER PLAN, THE SECOND CENTURY PLAN THAT WE'RE EMBARKING ON AND I FELL INTO A COUPLE OF CATEGORIES.
THERE WERE A COUPLE OF ITEMS ONE OF WHICH WE TALKED ABOUT JIM HANSON'S SUGGESTION.
THAT REALLY STRUCK ME AS SOMETHING I'M GOING TO PURSUE OR THINK APPROPRIATE FOR THE MASTER PLAN LOOKING INTO THE NEXT CENTURY AND THAT LONG TERM AND OTHERS THAT I CHOSE TO LIST AMONG THESE ITEMS AS PRIORITIES FOR ME TO GET INTO THE MASTER PLAN, SO TO SPEAK.
SO I'M THINKING THERE ARE A COUPLE OF ITEMS THAT I WANT TO REALLY ADVOCATE FOR GETTING INTO THE MASTER PLAN THAT FALL ON THIS LIST AND THEREFORE I DIDN'T TAKE OFF BECAUSE OF THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED BY THE MASTER PLAN PROCESS.
I KEPT THEM HERE TO EMPHASIZE HOW IMPORTANT I THINK THEY ARE TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THAT MASTER PLAN, SO THAT'S SORT OF MY THINKING. AND LASTLY, MY THINKING IS WHAT IS THE AUDIENCE FOR THESE VARIOUS VEHICLES WE HAVE AS ADVOCATES, BOTH FOR THE DISTRICT, OUR WARDS AND THE DISTRICT AS A WHOLE, AS ITS ELECTED GOVERNANCE.
WHAT IS OUR AUDIENCE? AND FOR ME, THIS EXERCISE IS VERY MUCH THE AUDIENCE.
TO ME IS YOU FOLKS, MY COLLEAGUES ON THE BOARD WHO I CERTAINLY WANT TO ADVOCATE TO AS MY AUDIENCE, AS WELL AS THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT, MOST OF WHOM ARE AROUND TODAY.
AND THAT THEN INFORMS ME OF WHAT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT AND WHAT I WANT TO FOCUS ON.
SINCE COVID, I HAVE HAD AS A LEAD PRIORITY SOMETHING AKIN TO MANAGING THE LARGE INCREASES IN OUR USER VOLUMES, BECAUSE IT REALLY STRUCK ME, AS WE WERE PROCEEDING THROUGH COVID AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THAT OUR VOLUMES WERE WAY UP. WE WERE DEALING WITH AND STILL DEAL WITH LARGER VOLUMES OF PEOPLE USING THE PARKS AND TRAILS THAN PRE-COVID. AND IT SEEMED TO ME, AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, WHETHER WE PRIORITIZE IT OR NOT, THAT WAS THE ISSUE, THAT OF THE PARK DISTRICT
[01:45:09]
AND ITS MANAGEMENT FROM US AT THE BOARD LEVEL TO SENIOR MANAGEMENT, MIDDLE MANAGEMENT AND ALL THE PARK RANGERS OUT IN THE FIELD, WE'RE WORKING WITH THESE VOLUMES AND IMPORTANTLY, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY FOLKS WHERE I'VE MAYBE CHANGED A BIT WITH THE HELP OF YOU FOLKS AND LISTENING TO YOU FOLKS AND ESPECIALLY WITH JOHN'S EXISTENCE NOW ON OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND BRINGING THAT DISTINCT TRAIL BACKGROUND AS A TRAIL ADVOCATE THAT JOHN BRINGS I'VE SHIFTED A BIT IN MY OWN APPROACH TO WHAT WE DO AS A PARK DISTRICT, AND I'M NOW IN A THERE, I'M EMPHASIZING THE NEED TO DEAL WITH USER VOLUMES BY PRIORITIZING THE CREATION OF PARKS AND REGIONAL TRAILS WHERE CONSISTENT WITH HABITAT PRESERVATION.AND, AS JOHN IS SUGGESTING, WHERE WE NEED NEW RESOURCES, INCLUDING PEOPLE, TO ENHANCE OUR ABILITY TO TAKE ON THE CREATION OF NEW TRAILS AS A PRIORITY FOR THE DISTRICT BEYOND WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.
AND I THINK IF SEAN WERE IN THE ROOM, WE'D BE LOOKING AT SEAN, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU NEED? WE HAVE THIS DEMAND FOR TRAILS.
WE HAVE A DEMAND FOR EXTENSIONS OF ALL THE REGIONAL TRAILS.
AND IT IS, I THINK, LARGELY A FUNCTION OF TRAIL PLANNERS AND HAVING, AS JOHN MERCURIO HAS POINTED OUT, THE CREWS, PARK RANGER CREWS TO MANAGE AND WORK ON THOSE TRAILS. B IS THE I DROPPED THE WORD POINTE MOLATE FOR REASONS WE WON'T GET INTO.
WE'RE WELL ALONG THE WAY WITH POINTE MOLATE.
AND IT'S WELL ESTABLISHED, I THINK, AS A BOARD PRIORITY AND A MANAGEMENT PRIORITY.
SO I'M SKIPPING AHEAD TO PURSUE THE SAN PABLO PENINSULA PARK LAND.
BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF LAND THERE BEYOND POINTE MOLATE AND IT'S CHEVRON LAND IT'S CITY OF RICHMOND LAND. AND BOTH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER IN VERY DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES THAN TODAY, BUT HAVE NONETHELESS AGREED THAT SHOULD POINTE MOLATE EVER BECOME PART OF A REGIONAL PARK OR PART OF ONE, THAT THE REST OF THE PENINSULA BECOMES AN OBVIOUS ANYONE WHO LOOKS AT A MAP, AND THAT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIDGE FROM THE [INAUDIBLE] OIL REFINERY IS OPEN SPACE WILL LOOK AT THAT AS AN OBVIOUS CONSIDERATION FOR FUTURE PARK LAND.
AND I THINK BOTH CHEVRON AND THE CITY OF RICHMOND ARE AT LEAST NOT ADVERSARIAL TOWARD THAT CONCEPT.
THE THIRD IS THE GENERAL PRIORITIZATION OF LAND ACQUISITION TO PRESERVE OPEN SPACE AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO GROWING POPULATIONS OF BOTH COUNTIES. AND THIS IS WHERE I GET TO WHY I'M HERE, WHY I'M ON THIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WHY I APPLIED FOR THE JOB, SO TO SPEAK, WHEN DIANE BURGIS WAS ELEVATED BY THE VOTERS.
I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ALL ABOUT THE VIEW OF THIS PARK DISTRICT AS AN ENGINE AND VEHICLE AND AN ENGINE FOR ACQUIRING AND PRESERVING OPEN SPACE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS OF ALAMEDA AND CONTRA COSTA.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WHERE WHERE THIS BEING I HAVE HERE CAME FROM, OTHER THAN PERHAPS IT HAS ITS ROOTS IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES DEVELOPMENT BATTLES DURING THE 80S AND 90S AND ON THAT LED TO A RATHER SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF AN URBAN LIMIT LINE IN CONTRA COSTA.
BUT I HAD THIS DISCUSSION WITH THE ASD STAFF, AND IT REALLY DID, I THINK, COME DOWN TO HAVING EXPERIENCED THAT ERA IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY. I CAME TO THIS JOB AS UNDERSTANDING THAT AS WE USED TO HAVE UP ON THE WALL HERE ACQUIRING AND INCORPORATING OPEN SPACE INTO THE PARK SYSTEM MEANS FOREVER.
IT'S GOING TO BE PRESERVED FOREVER.
[01:50:03]
AND THAT REMAINS MY REASON FOR BEING HERE.IF I HAD TO PICK ONE OUT OF MANY AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE.
AND IT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO REACT TO DESCRIPTIONS OF OUR SURVEYS SUGGESTING THAT ACQUIRING NEW PARK LAND DEVELOPING NEW PARK LAND DEVELOPING NEW TRAILS IS SOMEHOW NOT IMPORTANT WHEN JUXTAPOSED AGAINST MAINTENANCE OF EXISTING PARKS AND TRAILS.
WE GOT THAT AGAIN IN THIS UPDATE.
ENSURE LONG TERM FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH PARCEL TAX BALLOT MEASURES.
I NOTED JOHN AND DEE BOTH REFERENCED SUPPORT FOR PARCEL TAX MEASURES, WITH THE CAVEAT, AS WE DISCUSSED EARLIER, OF THEM BEING AVAILABLE, THEM BEING NEW TAX REVENUES TO SUPPORT OPENING UP NEW, NEW OR AT LEAST LAND BANKED PARK LAND.
BUT WE HAVE, AS WE DID WITH OUR SURVEY AT OUR WORKSHOP ON SURVEYS.
AND HERE AGAIN WITH OUR UPDATE UNDER LONG TERM FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY.
THE SUGGESTION THERE IS CONSENSUS TO MAINTAIN EXISTING PARK AND TRAIL INFRASTRUCTURE RATHER, AND I EMPHASIZE THE WORD RATHER THAN DEVELOPING NEW PARK OR TRAIL INFRASTRUCTURE.
IF I'M A RESIDENT OF EAST CONTRA COSTA, I CERTAINLY WANT TO LOOK TO DEER VALLEY.
I WANT TO LOOK TO WHAT THE STATE'S DOING WITH STATE LANDS OUT THERE AND OTHER PUBLIC LANDS.
THAT'S JUST THAT'S NOT GOING TO, YOU KNOW, AND I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CONSULTANT WHO DID THE SURVEYS LAST JULY THAT INDEED IT PRETTY MUCH WAS A FALSE NARRATIVE TO WEIGH THEM AGAINST EACH OTHER, BECAUSE 87% WERE FAVORABLE TOWARD DEVELOPING NEW PARK LAND, CLOSE TO 100% WERE FAVORABLE TOWARD MAINTAINING PARK LAND, BOTH EXCEEDING TWO THIRDS.
I THINK WE DON'T HAVE THIS VOTER SURVEY THAT'S REFERENCED IN OUR UPDATE YET.
I GUESS WE'RE GOING TO GET THAT AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE.
BUT I'M GUESSING IT'S THE SAME KIND OF JUXTAPOSITION AND, YOU KNOW, SO I GUESS WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO AN MY FIRST FOUR PRIORITIES ARE DEFINITELY REFLECTIVE OF THIS IS THE SUCCESS OF THIS PARK DISTRICT IN MY MIND, A LARGE PART OF THE SUCCESS OF THIS PARK DISTRICT IS DURING THE COURSE OF THESE 90 YEARS. IT'S DONE BOTH.
IT'S MAINTAINED PARKS VERY WELL, TO THE POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME I'M DOING TABLING AND I DID CERTAINLY MEILA AND I GOT IT THIS SUNDAY, PEOPLE PRAISING US ON HOW WELL OUR PARKS ARE MAINTAINED IN COMPARISON, ESPECIALLY TO STATE PARKS AND FEDERAL PARKS.
PEOPLE REALLY ENJOY HOW WELL THESE PARKS ARE MAINTAINED.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE, AS WE SEE IN THAT TIME LAPSE, THAT BRIAN HOLT SO ENJOYS SHOWING ANY GROUP THAT HE CAN GET TO WITH THAT TIME LAPSE OF EXPANSION, ESPECIALLY DURING THE 80S ON OF RAW ACREAGE OF THIS PARK DISTRICT IS IMPRESSIVE.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD AVOID DISCUSSING ANY PARCEL TAX MEASURE IN THE CONTEXT OF WE CAN DO ONE OR THE OTHER, WE CAN DO BOTH, AND WE CAN DO BOTH SUCCESSFULLY. AND WE HAVE.
AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IN MY LIST.
AND THIS WILL ENABLE ME TO SHORTEN WHAT I HAVE LEFT TO TALK ABOUT.
I DO THINK WORKFORCE ENHANCEMENT ON AN ONGOING BASIS IS A PRIORITY OF OUR PRESENT ADMINISTRATION.
I'M VERY HAPPY TO REFLECT ON I'VE ACTUALLY DROPPED SOME HR RELATED PRIORITIES OUT OF MY LIST BECAUSE I THINK THEY'VE BEEN PURSUED AND ACCOMPLISHED IF NOT COMPLETELY TO A LARGE EXTENT.
AND I DO CONTINUE TO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT OUTSOURCING AND WHETHER WE CAN DO MORE IN-HOUSE EXPANDING OUR UNION EMPLOYED WORKFORCE AS OPPOSED TO USING OUT OF OUTSOURCED LABOR.
I HAD TAKEN POINT PINOLE VISITOR CENTER OFF MY LIST.
[01:55:05]
AND I THINK I DID THAT AS, AGAIN, PART OF THIS EXERCISE OF, YOU KNOW WHAT, BANG FOR THE BUCK DO WE GET AND USING THESE PRIORITIES AND ADVANCING THIS ADVOCACY TOWARD YOU AS MY COLLEAGUES AND OUR SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND FOLKS I DECIDED TO PUT IT BACK ON ALONG WITH SOME OTHER STUFF, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME THINGS IN OUR LISTS THAT I ALWAYS CATEGORIZE AS YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE IN YOUR LIFETIME ON HOLD, NOT IN ANYBODY'S WORK PLAN.AND AS OPPOSED TO IN PROGRESS.
THAT SUGGESTS MAYBE SOMEDAY WE'LL GET TO THAT AND GET IT ONTO THE IN PROGRESS LIST.
SO I'D LIKE TO SEE THIS BOARD WORK TOWARD WORKING WITH OUR MANAGEMENT AND GETTING THE POINT PINOLE VISITOR CENTER, WHICH HAS, YOU KNOW, CONCEPT DESIGNS AND LOCATION AND A FOLLOWING ALREADY AMONGST OUR WORKFORCE AND OUR INTERPRETERS.
AND GET IT FROM NOT HAPPENING TO ON SOMEBODY'S ACTIVE WORK PLAN SAFETY.
THIS GOES TO OUR SURVEYS OR THE ISSUES IN MY LIST THAT I FEEL BUT I'VE, HIGHLIGHTED BECAUSE THEY SHOW UP REALLY STRONGLY IN OUR SURVEYS, OUR POLLS, BE IT RESIDENTS OR VOTERS.
AND THAT'S WILDFIRE AND PUBLIC SAFETY BOTH OF WHICH I IDENTIFY AS ITEMS THAT DON'T NEED A PUSH FROM THE BOARD ON OUR MANAGEMENT BECAUSE THEY'RE BOTH BEING PURSUED VIGOROUSLY.
PUBLIC SAFETY ENHANCEMENT AND EXPANSION AS AS WELL AS WILDFIRE MITIGATION.
AND SO I THOUGHT THAT WHAT WE REALLY SHOULD EMPHASIZE AS A BOARD IS OUR DESIRE TO MAKE SURE OUR STAFF HAS WHATEVER RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO PURSUE ALL SOURCES OF FUNDING OUT THERE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY NEEDS AND WILDFIRE MITIGATION, PREVENTION AND FIRE FIGHTING, AS WELL AS THE WHAT I LABEL AS SMART REFORESTING.
AND WE ALL SAW THAT ON OUR FIELD TRIP OUT AT CARQUINEZ STRAITS.
ALL OF THAT TAKES ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF MONEY.
AND THAT I THINK, IS THE EMPHASIS FOR WE AS A BOARD TO GET RESOURCES TO GO AFTER THAT MONEY.
YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS. IT IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE GET TO DO AS A BOARD THAT MAKES ME FEEL REALLY GOOD WHEN I GO HOME DURING THE DAY IS WE'RE GETTING YOUNG PEOPLE JOBS, AND JOB CREATION IS SOMETHING YOU IF YOU'RE A GROWN UP, A SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S ALWAYS CLOSE TO ALL OF OUR HEARTS IS GETTING EMPLOYMENT, ESPECIALLY TO THE EXTENT IT CREATES A PIPELINE TO GOOD UNION JOBS AT THE PARK DISTRICT OR OUR SISTER AGENCIES.
THE SIERRA CLUB SENT US A LETTER LAST YEAR THAT I CONTINUE TO THINK WE REALLY HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF, BECAUSE I THINK IT WAS A BREAKTHROUGH WITHIN THE SIERRA CLUB, THAT THEY ACKNOWLEDGED A NEED.
AND THAT NEED WAS FOR DEDICATED BIKE TRAILS.
AND TO ME, THAT WAS WHEN I READ THAT COMING FROM THE SIERRA CLUB, I OH MY GOD, THAT'S AN OMG MOMENT.
GIVEN THE COUPLE OF DECADES OF BIKE ISSUES THAT HAVE GONE ON WITH NOT JUST THE SIERRA CLUB BUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COALITION IN GENERAL THE CONCEPT OF DEDICATED BIKE TRAILS HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN THERE, BUT I THINK THERE'S A REALIZATION ESPECIALLY WITH THE GOOD WORK THE BICYCLE COUNCIL FOLKS HAVE DONE AND LEADERSHIP LIKE SCOTT [INAUDIBLE] THAT THERE REALLY IS EVIDENCE THAT DEDICATED TRAILS CAN DIVERT FROM THE CREATION OF ROGUE TRAILS, BOOTLEG TRAILS, AND THAT THERE IS A TREMENDOUS DEMAND THAT IF WE AT LEAST TRY TO MEET SOME OF THAT DEMAND IT CAN WORK ALL SORTS OF BENEFITS.
SO I'VE LISTED THAT AGAIN AS A DISTRICT WIDE PRIORITY.
I THINK I'VE READ IN SOME OF THE BACKGROUND MATERIALS WE GOT FROM AMANDA THAT THERE IS GOING TO BE A WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A TRAIL SESSION IN SEPTEMBER OR SOME SESSION WHERE WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS TRAIL MASTER PLANNING, WHICH IS ALSO A CONCEPT THAT HAS BEEN ADVOCATED BY THE SIERRA CLUB.
[02:00:07]
SO WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO GET INTO THAT.AND I'D LIKE TO SEE US FOCUS ON AT LEAST SOME OF THAT EFFORT ON LET'S IDENTIFY PARKS WHERE THIS IS A NEED, WHERE WE CAN DO IT AND GET THAT ON WORK PLAN LISTS SO THAT WE CAN IN THAT EVENT, THAT'S JUST ONE SEGMENT OF THE NEW TRAIL EMPHASIS, I THINK, THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF OUR BACKLOG OF TRAILS NEEDS IN THIS DISTRICT.
MAKES ME WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FOLKS THAT ARE PURSUING GRANTS ARE SUFFICIENTLY RESOURCED TO PURSUE EVERY GRANT POSSIBLE, THE IMPLEMENTATION THAT THEY HAVE TO DO TO FOLLOW UP ON GRANT APPLICATIONS AND WHETHER THAT'S STAFFING OR OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS OR ADVOCATES WHATEVER.
AND IT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE LAST YEAR.
WE'VE A COUPLE OF YEARS, SEVERAL YEARS, WE'VE EXPANDED THE RESOURCES WE'RE PUTTING INTO SACRAMENTO WASHINGTON DC AND IN-HOUSE AND CONSULTANT WORK.
WE ALL HAVE TO AN WE NOT IN THEORY.
WE ALL HAVE TO RUN FOR REELECTION EVERY FOUR YEARS.
MY CAMPAIGN WILL BE HOW MANY RESTROOMS WE'VE ADDED DURING MY TERMS IN OFFICE.
THIS WILL BE FRONT PAGE AND GLOSSY ON ANY CAMPAIGN MAILINGS I SEND OUT TO MY CONSTITUENTS.
THAT'S HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO OUR PEOPLE OUT THERE.
IT'S REFLECTIVE IN OUR SURVEYS OUR OWN EXPERIENCES AND SUCH.
I JUST, I TAKE A LOT OF PRIDE, ACTUALLY, IN HOW MANY NEW RESTROOMS WE'VE ADDED.
THE ONE YEAR WE LEFT IT OFF CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT LIST.
I CAUGHT IT, AND JIM O'CONNOR SAID, WE JUST DID THAT, DIRECTOR, TO SEE IF YOU WOULD CATCH THE FACT THAT WE LEFT THE RESTROOM REPLACEMENT LIST OFF YOUR PACKAGE THIS YEAR, THAT WAS LIKE 4 OR 5 YEARS AGO.
SO IT REMAINS A KEY TO WHAT I SEE AS INCREASING USER, AN ALREADY HIGH USER SATISFACTION RATE THAT WE HAVE.
THIS IS AGAIN OFF OF THE UPDATE LIST THAT PROMPTED ME TO WANT TO AGAIN ADVOCATE FOR AN ITEM THAT IS ON NOBODY'S WORK PLAN, ACCORDING TO THE UPDATE.
BUT THE PARK DISTRICT IDENTIFIED OVER 20 YEARS AGO, THE DICHOTOMY BETWEEN ALAMEDA AND CONTRA COSTA IN THAT WE DON'T HAVE FAMILY CAMPGROUNDS AS A PARK DISTRICT PROGRAM OR FACILITY IN CONTRA COSTA.
AND MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO, THE PORT COSTA BRICKYARD OUTSIDE OF PORT COSTA.
WE'VE ALL BEEN BY THERE RECENTLY AS WELL AS JERSEY ISLAND WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE, I WANT TO SAY, LATE 1990S STUDY.
BOTH OF THESE LOCATIONS HAD THE BENEFIT OF NOT BEING REALLY, REALLY HOT IN THE SUMMER.
AND THAT WAS THE KEY FACTOR IN DETERMINING WHERE IN CONTRA COSTA YOU COULD HAVE A CAMPGROUND WHERE IT'S NOT SUPER HOT IN THE SUMMER AND WHERE WE HAVE LAND OR COULD HAVE LAND, AND JERSEY ISLAND IS AN ISSUE.
BUT THE PORT COSTA BRICKYARD, WE HAVE, IT'S 200 ACRES.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO ADVOCATE, WITH THE HELP OF MY COLLEAGUES, YOU FOLKS THAT WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT A FAMILY CAMPGROUND IN CONTRA COSTA.
THIS HAS BEEN ON MY WARD SEVEN PRIORITY, RODEO.
EXPANDING LONE TREE, TAKING CARE OF SOME UGLINESS UP THERE.
WE'RE NOW GETTING LETTERS FROM PEOPLE IN THE RODEO COMMUNITY, SPECIFICALLY THE RODEO CITIZENS OR THE ASSOCIATION HAS SENT US LETTERS, AND SOME INDIVIDUALS HAVE SENT US LETTERS.
THEY'VE COME TO ME. PROBABLY NOT BEEN DISTRIBUTED YET.
ADVOCATING FOR THE PARK DISTRICT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT LONE TREE.
AND THAT PROBLEM WE HAVE UP AT LONE TREE.
AND IT DOES INVOLVE EXPANDING THAT PARK BY A COUPLE ACRES, AND IT'S COMPLICATED.
[02:05:06]
AND IT WOULD THERE ARE ISSUES.I'M GOING TO HAVE TO BE SENSITIVE ABOUT THIS.
THERE ARE ISSUES OF THAT COMMUNITY DESERVING LAND CLEANED UP AND BETTER ACCESS PROVIDED FOR LOW INCOME NEIGHBORHOODS, ALL OF WHICH ARE REFLECTED IN THE LETTERS WE'VE BEEN GETTING.
AND THERE'S BY LETTERS, PLURAL.
ONE FROM THE ASSOCIATION, BUT I'M TOLD MORE ARE COMING.
SO I WANT TO GET THAT OFF A BACK BURNER AND ON A FRONT BURNER.
SPEED UP THE TIMBER REPLACEMENT PROJECT AT BLACK DIAMOND.
SO THE UPDATE, THE JUNE 7TH VERSION, AS OPPOSED TO THE LAST VERSION THAT I HAD, NOW PUTS THAT IN PROGRESS AS OPPOSED TO ON HOLD. AND I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT IN SOME MONEY ALLOCATED FOR, I GUESS THERE'S ENGINEERING WORK BEING DONE ON WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE TO FIX THE TIMBER PROBLEM IN THE MINE.
I DON'T NEED TO REMIND ALL OF YOU.
WE HAVE INVESTED SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS IN SIX STORIES OF STAIRS DEEP IN A MOUNTAIN.
IT'S AN INCREDIBLE PART OF THAT FACILITY AND PART.
AND IT'S DISTINCT DESTINATION JUST TO SEE THOSE STAIRS.
WE DEVELOPED THE COAL MINE EXPERIENCE FOR SEVERAL MILLION DOLLARS.
SO WE DON'T HAVE A TOUR THAT GOES THROUGH THE UPPER MINE, GOES DOWN THE STAIRS EXPLORES THE COAL MINE EXPERIENCE AND THEN ENDS UP IN THE GREAT HOUSE VISITOR CENTER.
SO AS A RETURN ON INVESTMENT, WHEN WE RATE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS AND GO THROUGH THOSE CHECKLISTS THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT PART OF THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, I THINK, TO US IN TERMS OF GETTING THAT FIXED SO THAT ENTIRE EXPERIENCE CAN BE AVAILABLE TO THOSE VISITING BLACK DIAMOND.
AND IN THE FUTURE, WE WILL WANT TO VISIT BLACK DIAMOND.
I THINK I ALREADY MENTIONED THAT.
SO THIS IS JUST USING DISTRICT WIDE PRIORITIES IN WARD SEVEN PRIORITIES AND PUTTING THEM TOGETHER.
WHAT I ALREADY MENTIONED IS WHAT I SEE AS SUPPORT FOR STATE OR LOCAL BOND TAX MEASURES, WHETHER YOU WANT TO LOOK AT WHAT THE CLIMATE BOND OR YOU WANT TO LOOK AT A FUTURE EAST BAY PARKS PARCEL TAX MEASURE ON THE BALLOT MY FOCUS ON EAST CONTRA COSTA IS THAT THEY THAT THOSE COMMUNITIES WILL HAVE TO HEAR ABOUT OPENING CLAYTON RANCH, DEER VALLEY, DELTA ACCESS, THE MARSH CREEK, THE MARSH STATE HISTORIC PARK, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STATE LAND DUTCH SLOUGH PROJECT, STATE LAND, JERSEY ISLAND PUBLIC LAND THE HABITAT CONSERVANCY HAS AN ADDITIONAL 15,000 ACRES IN THE COUNTY SLATED FOR ACQUISITION BY 2030.
ALL OF THAT THEN TO ME, BECOMES THE PREMISE OF TAX MEASURES AND THE ALSO FOR INCLUSION INTO THE SECOND CENTURY PLAN THAT RATHER THAN HOLDING BACK AND LOOKING AT MAINTENANCE, AT LEAST AS FAR AS MY WORD IS CONCERNED, THE SECOND CENTURY PLAN SHOULD INCORPORATE NEW ACREAGE AND OPENING EXISTING ACREAGE.
LASTLY I ALREADY TALKED ABOUT, SO I'LL JUST MENTION IT AGAIN.
REGIONAL TRAIL BUILD OUT AND WARD SEVEN, WE HAVE THE DELTA SHORELINE TRAIL FROM PITTSBURG, ANTIOCH ON PAPER WE HAVE THE MARSH CREEK REGIONAL EXTENSION SEEKING FUNDING AT THE MOMENT TO TAKE IT TO ROUND VALLEY.
AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT COMBINATION OF EAST BAY PARKS, DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, OTHER RESOURCES ARE GOING TO BE NEEDED TO EXTEND THAT POINT NINE MILES OF MARSH CREEK REGIONAL TRAIL TO DUTCH SLOUGH.
IT JUST HAS TO AGAIN GET INTO OUR PLANS AND BE PART OF OUR WORKING PLANS.
IRON HORSE EXTENSION TO BENICIA BRIDGE.
AND THE POINT PINOLE TO POINT WILSON BAY TRAIL CONNECTION.
[02:10:01]
ALL OF THESE DESERVE AGGRESSIVE PURSUIT OF GRANT FUNDING FOR THESE TRAIL PROJECTS.AND SO I WILL JOIN IN ON THAT.
AMANDA FOR PUTTING THIS UP THERE FOR ME.
OKAY. DO WE HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON COLIN'S PRIORITIES? BUT OKAY, I JUST WANT TO ADD ON TO HIS DISTRICT WIDE.
ON THAT'S BEEN THAT WAY FAR TOO LONG.
I WAS HOPING THIS YEAR, BUT I THINK SOMEWHERE, AGAIN, IN ALL THOSE MATERIALS AMANDA SENT US, I THINK I SAW THAT ON THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN WITH IT WAS THAT MAYBE IT WAS ON DECO'S EXISTING WORK PLAN, BUT THESERVICE YARD? YEAH, IT WAS IN QUARTER.
THEY ACTUALLY LIST START IN COMPLETION AND I THINK IT'S NEAR THE START DATE IN QUARTER 3 OR 4.
AND IT APPARENTLY IT'S, ACTUALLY SCHEDULED IN EITHER LATER THIS YEAR OR EARLY NEXT YEAR TO, TO BE CONSTRUCTED.
AND SO I'M CONVINCED THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
AND JUST TO REFRESH YOUR MEMORY, WE WERE TRYING TO BECAUSE IT'S A NEW MODEL FOR OUR SERVICE YARDS.
WE WERE DOING THE DUMBARTON QUARRY ONE FIRST AND THEN THIS WAS THE NEXT ONE.
SO IT IS IT'S ON THE WORK PLAN.
I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD MORE.
YOU KNOW, I FIRST OF ALL, I THANK YOU FOR HOW YOU PREPARE FOR THIS MEETING.
AND THEN YOU ENCOURAGED ME TO START, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING TO TYPE IT UP.
AND I LIKE THAT. IT'S WORD PROCESSING.
YEAH. YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S HELPING ME BECAUSE I DID ACTUALLY TYPE UP MY COMMENTS THIS YEAR.
AND I THINK IT'S GOOD THAT I NOW HAVE THAT.
YEAH. THE THING TO AVOID IS JUST USING LAST YEAR'S TEMPLATE AND.
THANK YOU. THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR.
AND YOU KNOW, I WANTED TO ADD A COMMENT ON A WHEN YOU SAY CONSISTENT WITH HABITAT PRESERVATION NEEDS, I WOULD ALSO ADD AND CULTURAL NEEDS. SO BOTH HABITAT PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL.
AND I KNOW EARLIER I TALKED ABOUT THE LOS VAQUEROS OF BRUSHY PEAK TRAIL.
AND MAYBE OUR ORIGINAL IDEA FOR THE TRAIL MAY HAVE TO BE ADJUSTED, BECAUSE I'VE SEEN THAT. YEAH.
CAN I JUMP ON THAT? AND THAT IS I DID IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, I'VE HAD EXPANSION OF CULTURAL RESOURCE CULTURAL PRESERVATION AND, AND RESOURCES GENERALLY.
AND I NOTED THIS YEAR IN ASD'S REPORT THAT WE ADDED THE CULTURAL THE PRINCIPAL.
THE PRINCIPAL PLANNER, WHICH IS A BIG DEAL.
THAT WAS A SUBSTANTIAL ENHANCEMENT TO THAT PROGRAM AS WELL AS CREATING AN ACTUAL DIVISION NOW ON CULTURAL RESOURCES. AND IT WAS AND THEN WE HAVE TO THAT THERE'S A PROMOTION INVOLVED THERE.
AND SO HER POSITION IS GOING TO PLACE.
SO THAT THAT WAS SO I TOOK THAT OFF MY LIST BECAUSE I SAW THAT BEING ACTED ON.
YEAH. YEAH. THAT'S, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT.
SO ADDING CULTURAL NEEDS TO THIS ONE IS APPROPRIATE.
YEAH. SO THAT'S MY SUGGESTION.
AND THEN YOU KNOW I LIKE HOW YOU TALKED ABOUT THERE'S I DON'T ACTUALLY TOTALLY HAVE IT, BUT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT VISITOR CENTER AND HOW OUR PARKS COMPARE OR JUST OUR PARKS IN GENERAL, BUT OUR PARKS AND VISITOR CENTERS COMPARED TO FEDERAL AND STATE PARKS.
[02:15:09]
EDWARDS WILDLIFE REFUGE, WHICH IS MANAGED BY US FISH AND WILDLIFE.AND, YOU KNOW, THEIR VISITOR CENTER REMAINS CLOSED SINCE 2020 DURING COVID, IT HAS YET TO REOPEN.
THEY DO HAVE RESTROOMS, BUT THOSE RESTROOMS ARE ALSO CLOSED WITH THE VISITOR CENTER.
SO RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE PORTA POTTIES AVAILABLE FOR THE DON EDWARDS WILDLIFE REFUGE.
AND SO I THINK COMPARED TO, YOU KNOW, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT YOU KNOW, RECREATIONAL ACCESS THERE, IF YOU COMPARE THAT TO WHAT WE HAVE AT COYOTE HILLS AND DUMBARTON QUARRY, I THINK THAT WE REALLY HAVE YOU KNOW, SUCH A GREAT OFFERING AND THAT THAT'S SUCH A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT.
SO I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED THAT. AND I JUST WANTED TO SHARE KIND OF WHAT IT MADE ME THINK OF.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE DEDICATED BIKE TRAILS AND THAT HELPS US TO PROTECT YOU KNOW I GUESS IN TERMS OF LIKE HABITAT PRESERVATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES.
BUT HAVING THE DEDICATED BIKE TRAILS, IT KEEPS PEOPLE ON THE BIKE TRAILS AND OFF OF THE MORE YOU KNOW, SENSITIVE AREAS WITHIN THE EAST BAY. AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE ANOTHER POINT THAT THAT'S REALLY SIMILAR TO MY EARLIER COMMENTS ABOUT FISHING AND SWIMMING AS WELL, BY OFFERING RECREATIONAL FISHING, RECREATIONAL SWIMMING THAT HELPS TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM ILLEGALLY FISHING AND SWIMMING IN AREAS THAT MAYBE ARE MORE DANGEROUS OR THEY SHOULDN'T BE SWIMMING IN.
ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. DAMAGE, YOU KNOW, SENSITIVE HABITAT FOR FROGS, FOR PROTECTED FROG SPECIES.
AND THEN THE BLACK DIAMOND MINES, YOU KNOW, RIGHT BEFORE, DURING OUR LUNCH BREAK, WE ACTUALLY HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT YOUTUBE AND HOW OUR MEETINGS ARE NOW BEING STREAMED ON OUR WEBSITE FOR EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT.
AND ONE OF THE TRENDS I'VE NOTICED ON THAT IS THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN GHOST TOWNS AND GHOST TOWNS IN CALIFORNIA, AND I KNOW WE HAVE THAT WITHIN THE GREATER AREA OF BLACK DIAMOND MINES. AND I THINK JUST TO NOTE THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT THERE COULD BE SOME OPPORTUNITY IN REGARDS TO THAT TREND. AND I THINK THIS GOES BACK TO MY EARLIER POINT ABOUT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
YOU KNOW, THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION AND TRENDS OUT THERE.
AND KNOWING SOMETHING LIKE HOW GHOST TOWNS AND BEING ABLE TO VISIT GHOST TOWNS IS TRENDING, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE CAPTURE ON THAT WITH BLACK DIAMOND MINES? I THINK THAT WE HAVE A REALLY COOL OPPORTUNITY THERE.
AND THEN THE FINAL POINT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT DUTCH SLOUGH AND DWR THAT I THOUGHT OF, AND THIS ALSO GOES BACK TO MY POINT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT IN REGARDS TO 30X30 AND STATE CONSERVATION EFFORTS, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT ABOUT THE DELTA CONVEYANCE PROJECT, WHICH IS YOU KNOW, THE LARGE TUNNEL TO BRING YOU KNOW, FRESH WATER TO ALL OF THE STATE WATER CONTRACTORS THAT ARE SOUTH OF THE DELTA.
I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH WE AS A PARK DISTRICT CAN NECESSARILY INFLUENCE THAT, NOR DO I RECOMMEND THAT WE TAKE A POSITION ON IT, BUT I THINK THAT IT IS AN IMPORTANT PROJECT TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW FROM THE CONSERVATION LENS.
BIG BREAK. SO THAT MIGHT BE ANOTHER GOOD ONE AT SOME POINT DOWN THE ROAD TO ALSO REVIEW.
BY THE WAY, YOU MIGHT WANT TO TALK TO ERICH AND DO SOME RESEARCH.
I THINK AT ONE POINT THIS DISTRICT TOOK A POSITION THAT OPPOSED TUNNELS OR A PERIPHERAL CANAL OF WHATEVER ITERATION OF PERIPHERAL CANAL EXISTED.
SO WE WERE ON RECORD AT ONE POINT.
I THINK I HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH ERICH.
CERTAINLY IT'S A PERSONAL VIEW OF MINE, OF OPPOSING THE TUNNEL PLAN.
AND, YES, IF THAT IS PURSUED AND IF THAT IS UNFORTUNATELY PUT UNDER CONSTRUCTION, THERE WILL BE SIGNIFICANT MITIGATION NEEDS OF THE STATE THAT WE WILL BE POSITIONED OR SHOULD BE POSITIONED TO PURSUE.
HOPEFULLY THAT NEVER HAPPENS OR IS WELL DOWN THE ROAD, BUT IT'S A GOOD POINT TO BRING UP.
SINCE COLIN, YOURS WAS SO COMPREHENSIVE ALL I CAN DO IS PICK AROUND THE EDGES A LITTLE BIT HERE.
[02:20:03]
OH DO. DISTRICT WIDE B THE SAN PABLO PENINSULA PARK LAND I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THE BAY TRAIL EXTENSION AROUND THE POINT AND BACK TO THE BAY TRAIL SO THAT THE BAY TRAIL IS REALLY A BAY TRAIL INSTEAD OF MAKING YOU GO INLAND ALL AROUND THROUGH THE STREETS AND ALL THAT, IT WOULD VASTLY IMPROVE THE VISITOR, YOU KNOW, THE USER EXPERIENCE.IF WE COULD SOMEHOW GET THROUGH THERE AND MAKE.
DO A LOOP? WELL, YOU GO AROUND THE GO AROUND THE PENINSULA AND THEN.
YEAH. AND THEN BACK DOWN AND THEN YOU.
YEAH. SO THERE WOULD BE, THERE WOULD BE A, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S WHAT THE BAY TRAIL IS A SYSTEM.
BUT WE COULD WE COULD BE PART OF THE SOLUTION TO THAT.
THANK YOU. INCLUDING THE CAMPGROUND.
I THINK THAT'S VERY WORTHWHILE.
THERE'S MORE BREEZES, I GUESS, AND IT'S COOLER THERE.
IT'D BE A PLACE THAT PEOPLE REALLY WOULD WANT TO GO.
THAT'S HOW IT ENDED UP ON THE CAMPING LIST.
I THINK WE'RE READY TO MOVE ON.
DIRECTOR WAESPI DID SUBMIT HIS PRIORITIES.
HE COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY, SO I THINK AMANDA IS GOING TO GO.
THANK YOU. YOU'RE SO EFFICIENT.
I'M NOT GOING TO READ ALL OF THEM.
I'M GOING TO READ THE ONES THAT HE WANTS TO PUT SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON.
SO WE CAN START WITH HIRING MORE ON CALL FIREFIGHTERS PURCHASING CEDAR MOUNTAIN NEAR DEL VALLE, PURSUING MORE OPENINGS, ACCESS TO VARGAS PLATEAU, HIRING APPRENTICES.
FOR A STRIKE CAMP AT LAS TRAMPAS.
PROMOTE MORE PARK RESIDENTS AND CARE FOR THE RARE NATIVE WILDFLOWER POPULATIONS AS ONE OF THE PARK DISTRICT'S PRIORITIES ALIGNED WITH THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE REST OF HIS GOALS UP THERE.
AND I COULD READ ALL OF THEM, BUT YOU GUYS CAN READ, TOO, SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE HAS ANY ANYTHING THEY WANT TO SAY ABOUT DENNIS'S GOALS IN HIS ABSENCE.
I THINK WE SHOULD ADD ALL OF OUR WARD PRIORITIES TO DIRECTOR PHILOSOPHIES.
THE TERM STRIKE CAMP CCC STRIKE CAMP.
WHAT'S THE WORD STRIKE REFER TO? I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE PHRASE.
I THINK I UNDERSTAND IT, BUT I'M NOT SURE.
THE WORD STRIKE. MAYBE SOMEBODY FROM STAFF CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
OR SABRINA, MY, I DIDN'T TALK TO DENNIS ABOUT THIS, BUT MY GUESS IS HE MEANT SPIKE CAMP.
YEAH. AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET AWAY, I THINK, EVEN FROM THAT TERM, BUT I DO.
I THINK WE KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CCC.
IT'S TO LOOK AT THE AGAIN, I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR HIM.
MY GUESS IS THAT IT'S TO LOOK AT THE EXISTING FACILITY THAT WE HAVE THERE AND THE IDEA OF PARTNERING WITH THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS SO THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY HAVE A RESIDENTIAL FACILITY THERE FOR THEIR CREWS.
AND MY MEMORY GOING BACK TO WHEN WE WERE IN SACRAMENTO MEETING WITH THE CCC FOLKS, WAS DENNIS PICKING UP ON THE CONCEPT OF THEY'RE SETTING UP CAMPS WITH TENTS AND SUCH? AND IS IS THAT SOMETHING THAT HE'S INCORPORATING INTO THE CONCEPT OF SPIKE? DOES ANY STRIKE SPIKE.
SAYING SPIKE? BUT YEAH, I'M NOT SURE WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH HIM.
ALL RIGHT. YEAH, I THINK THOUGH, THAT'S WHERE HE'S COMING FROM.
I'VE HEARD HIM SPEAK TO THAT THAT WE IT'S AN IMPORTANT ENOUGH PROJECT CONCEPT TO DENNIS AND I TEND TO AGREE WITH HIM THAT IF, AS THE CCC DESCRIBED WHEN WE MET WITH THEM, THAT IT'S SIMPLE ENOUGH FOR THEM TO JUST START CAMPING ON A SITE AND USE IT AS A BASE, THAT'S WHAT DENNIS IS TALKING ABOUT. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S RIGHT, BECAUSE I REMEMBER THOSE CONVERSATIONS AS WELL.
AND THAT CERTAINLY WAS THE CONTEXT THAT WE DON'T KNOW IF THE CCC WAS OPEN TO IT.
BUT WE COULD GO AHEAD AND I THOUGHT HE DID SAY STRIKE CAMP, BUT I YEAH.
[02:25:04]
I THINK IT'S SPIKE. BUT I APOLOGIZE.LISA GOORJIAN HAS BEEN MEETING WITH THE CCC ON FOR THE POTENTIAL SITES, AND SHE'S NOT HERE TODAY.
SO WHEN WE COME BACK, WE'LL ANALYZE THIS.
YEAH, BUT I THINK THAT'S RIGHT.
I THINK IT IS BASICALLY A CAMP WHERE THE CCC FOLKS CAN CAN YEAH.
SO WHICH IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WAS IT IS.
OKAY. GREAT. THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW.
ANYTHING ELSE ON DENNIS'S SLIDE? DIRECTOR WAESPI SLIDE.
HE DID ADD THE WILDFLOWER POPULATION STEWARDSHIP ISSUE.
YEAH. SO SO LOOKING AT THIS, I GUESS I JUST HAD A COMMENT REAL QUICK.
NOT AND I THINK THIS GOES BACK TO MY EARLIER POINT, YOU KNOW, WHILE YES, WE HAVE OUR WARDS AND THERE'S PARKS WITHIN THE WARDS AND THEN THERE'S THE COMMUNITY WITHIN THE WARDS, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE HERE I GUESS IT'S CATEGORIZED UNDER WARD THREE GOALS, BUT NOT ALL THE PARKS MENTIONED HERE ARE NECESSARILY WITHIN WARD THREE, AND THAT'S FINE. BUT I THINK JUST TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT SO THAT AS WE START TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE PARK DISTRICT, I LIKE THAT THERE'S A GOOD MIXTURE HERE IN DENNIS'S LIST BECAUSE I DON'T WANT US TO BE CONSTRAINED BY WARD BOUNDARIES.
IS THE ONLY POINT THAT I WANT TO MAKE HERE.
YEAH, YEAH, I FULLY AGREE WITH THAT.
AND IN FACT, WHEN I WAS WHEN I APPLIED FOR THIS POSITION TO BE APPOINTED TO THE BOARD BACK IN 2019 I WAS TOLD BY SOME OF THE YOU KNOW, MORE SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD THAT WE REPRESENT THE WHOLE DISTRICT.
SO YOUR POINT IS VERY WELL TAKEN THAT YES, WE SHOULD LOOK AT THIS.
YES, WE REPRESENT OUR BOARDS, I MEAN, OUR WARDS, OF COURSE.
ANYTHING ELSE BEFORE WE MOVE ON? OKAY, I THINK IT'S MY TURN.
OKAY, SO FIRST OF ALL THANK YOU SO MUCH, AMANDA.
YOU HAVE JUST DONE A FABULOUS JOB COORDINATING THESE WORKSHOPS, TRACKING THE PROGRESS ON THE BOARD PRIORITIES, AND ALSO PROVIDING US WITH SO MUCH DATA TO LOOK AT.
IT'S SO GRATIFYING TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, SEE OUR PRIORITIES FROM LAST YEAR AND THEN SEE WHAT WAS ACTUALLY DONE. BECAUSE WHEN WE USED TO DO THESE MEETINGS, WE WOULD YOU KNOW, WE WOULD SAY WHAT WE WANTED.
BUT IT WASN'T CLEAR WHERE THOSE REQUESTS ENDED UP.
SO I'M GOING TO KICK OFF MY PRIORITIES, STARTING WITH THE PARK DISTRICT WIDE GOALS.
AND SO MY NUMBER ONE OVERARCHING GOAL IS AROUND DIVERSITY EQUITY AND INCLUSION.
AND TO REALLY ENSURE THAT IT IS INTEGRATED INTO ALL ASPECTS OF WHAT WE DO.
I'M SO HAPPY TO HAVE JOSE GONZALEZ ON BOARD NOW AS OUR EQUITY OFFICER.
WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE DEI ISSUES, I'M VERY INTERESTED IN BOTH THE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO PARKS AND SERVICES AS WELL AS WORKFORCE DEI IN THE WORKFORCE.
SO I'M GOING TO START OUT WITH PARKS AND SERVICES.
AND CERTAINLY I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF FOCUS.
SO THIS IS NOT NEW, BUT I REALLY WANT TO THIS YEAR OR 2025, YOU JUST KICK THIS UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
SO STARTING WITH, YOU KNOW, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT ACCESS TO PARKS AND WHAT'S, MAYBE STOPPING PEOPLE FROM COMING TO OUR PARKS.
WE HAVE PARKS ALONG THE SHORELINE, SOMETIMES SEPARATED BY A FREEWAY.
YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY IN TERMS OF THE ONES WHERE WE'RE SEPARATED, COMMUNITIES SEPARATED BY A FREEWAY, WE HAVE WORKED ON SOME FOOT AND BICYCLE BRIDGES WE MIGHT WANT TO DO.
WE SHOULD CONSIDER DOING MORE OF THAT.
AND TRANSPORTATION IS ANOTHER THING THAT COMES UP A LOT.
[02:30:05]
I HEAR IT FROM A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY REALLY, YOU KNOW, THEY REALLY CAN'T GET TO THE PARKS, AND ESPECIALLY NOW WITH AC TRANSIT CUTTING BACK BUS SERVICE. SO I REALLY WANT TO LOOK HARD AT WHAT WHAT WE CAN DO TO ADDRESS THAT.SO MAYBE RELOOK AT THAT OR ACTUALLY FUNDAMENTALLY ON ALL OF THESE THINGS.
I WANT TO FIRST HEAR FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
LIKE WHAT? WHAT IS IT THAT THEY WANT? WHAT IS IT THAT THEY NEED? I DON'T WANT TO GUESS AT IT AND WE SHOULDN'T GUESS AT IT.
ALSO, IN TERMS OF SERVICES, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE PROGRAMS FOR UNDERSERVED YOUTH IN THE RECREATION, BOTH RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION.
I KNOW WE DO A LOT WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
BUT I THINK THERE'S THERE'S POTENTIALLY STILL MORE THERE THAT WE COULD DO.
WELL, THIS YEAR, THE REMAINING OF OUR 90TH ANNIVERSARY, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY JUNE.
PLUS WHEN WE DO OUR OUTREACH FOR THE DISTRICT PLAN, I REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN FULLY ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND ALL OF THE DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE PEOPLE LOOKING FROM US.
AND ACTUALLY, THAT LEADS ME TO WORK FOR SO YOU KNOW, AS A GOAL, AS A WE MORE THAN A GOAL, AS A COMMITMENT, WE SHOULD HAVE A WORKFORCE THAT TRULY REFLECTS OUR COMMUNITY AT ALL STAFF AND MANAGEMENT LEVELS.
SO PEOPLE OF COLOR, WOMEN, LGBTQ FOLKS.
AND ALSO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WORKFORCE IS FREE OF DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT.
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT.
IT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING, BUT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS 30.
SO IN GENERAL, THE 30 FOR 30 IS 30% WOMEN BY 2030, IN PROTECTIVE SERVICES.
AND THEY DON'T ACTUALLY THEY DON'T CALL IT PROTECTIVE SERVICES.
BUT THAT'S WHAT WE CALL OUR PROTECTIVE SERVICES INCLUDE POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS AND OTHER FOLKS.
AND THEN AND THE LETTER ALSO SUGGESTS THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT EXPANDING THIS 30X30 FOR STAFF TO ALSO INCLUDE MAINTENANCE STAFF, WHICH IS PARK RANGERS, PARK SERVICES AND OTHER FRONTLINE STAFF AND CURRENTLY YOU KNOW, AT LEAST THIS IS WHAT I HAVEN'T VERIFIED THESE NUMBERS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THE LETTER STATES THAT BASED ON THE CENSUS INFORMATION OR THE INFORMATION, I GUESS THAT WAS REPORTED THAT 20% OF OUR OUR MAINTENANCE STAFF IS ONLY 20% IS WOMEN, AND NOT JUST AND THE MAINTENANCE STAFF INCLUDES PARK RANGERS, PARK SERVICE WORKERS.
SO THAT SOUNDED I MEAN, THAT SOUNDS LOW.
AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES IS ONLY AT 9% AND SKILLED CRAFT IS AT 3%.
YOU KNOW, ONE IMPORTANT THING HERE, OF COURSE,IS THE RECRUITMENT IS THE PIPELINE.
SO THAT WE HAVE TWO CREWS NOW, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO EXPANDING IT FURTHER.
BECAUSE THIS IS A PIPELINE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT WORKING IN A PARK TO GET REALLY EXCELLENT TRAINING AND THEN GET ON A CAREER PATH.
THAT'S A GOOD UNION JOB WITH BENEFITS.
AND IT'S THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO THOSE ARE AREAS THAT I REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT.
AND ON A SEPARATE RELATED ISSUE IS OUR LABOR RELATIONS OVERALL.
[02:35:05]
AND I DID WANT TO JUST GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO OUR AGM FOR HR ALLYSON COOK, AND THEY ASKED ME TO FORWARD TO A TEAM, NEGOTIATING TEAM FOR GETTING THE CONTRACT DONE EARLY THIS YEAR.I THINK THAT THAT WAS THAT'S REALLY HUGE AND THAT'S VERY HELPFUL.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, LET'S I THINK IT WAS COLIN WHO MENTIONED ABOUT CONTRACTING OUT.
CERTAINLY I SUPPORT USING IN-HOUSE UNION LABOR WHEREVER POSSIBLE.
AND ALSO IN GETTING A PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT IN PLACE FOR OUR LARGER PROJECTS.
SO OKAY, NEXT ANOTHER, ANOTHER PARK DISTRICT WIDE ISSUE COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND YES, WE'RE DOING A LOT ON THIS, BUT I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT ANYWAY VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO I FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO THANK CHIEF THEILE, AND ASSISTANT CHIEF KHARI HELAE FOR, ALL THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING ON WILDFIRE MITIGATION AND PREVENTION AND NOT JUST THE WORK, BUT JUST THIS INCREDIBLE LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATIVE THINKING.
AND REALLY, I'M JUST SO PROUD OF THE WORK THAT THE PARK DISTRICT IS DOING WITH THAT FULL TEAM IS DOING ON THE, YOU KNOW, SEA LEVEL RISE.
AND SO I KNOW WE'RE THINKING HARD ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, WITH THE LANDSLIDES AND FLOODING, THIS IS REALLY HARD.
THE TRAILS THAT GET SO DAMAGED.
BECAUSE I HAVE PEOPLE I MEAN, LIKE THE DAMAGE OUT IN PINOLE AND OTHER PLACES THAT IT JUST WHEN PEOPLE ACTUALLY IN PINOLE AND I DON'T KNOW THE CURRENT STATUS OF IT, BUT OUT THERE THAT IS LIKE THEIR ONLY PLACE TO REALLY WALK, EXCEPT FOR SAN PABLO AVENUE, WHICH IS NOT YOU KNOW, IT'S A LOT OF CARS AND TRAFFIC.
IT'S NOT A GOOD PLACE TO ACTUALLY GO OUT AND RUN OR WALK OR DO ANYTHING.
SO WITH THAT TRAIL CLOSED, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE SORT OF, YOU KNOW, BUSTING THROUGH THE FENCE AND GOING AROUND IT, BUT THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A SAFETY HAZARD THAT'S DANGEROUS.
AND I KNOW WE PUT NEW SIGNAGE UP THERE, BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, THESE PEOPLE RELY ON THESE TRAILS.
I'LL JUST SAY, OKAY. SO I KNOW THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A RAILWAY THERE.
THERE'S ALL KINDS OF STUFF GOING ON, RIGHT, RIGHT THERE IN THAT SPOT.
SO I'M NOT I KNOW STAFF IS WORKING ON IT I WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT THEY'RE NOT WORKING ON IT BECAUSE THEY ARE.
BUT THIS IS JUST LIKE AN EXAMPLE.
SO. I JUST WANT TO KEEP THE FOOT ON THE GAS, I SUPPOSE.
I ALSO SUPPORT A VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR.
THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE ALWAYS ASKING ME, LIKE, HOW THEY CAN VOLUNTEER.
I MEAN, I KNOW DEE USED SINGLE HANDEDLY OUT THERE AT REDWOOD HAVE ALL THE MAYBE YOU STILL DO IT, LIKE HAVE ALL THESE VOLUNTEERS AND GET LIKE ALL THIS WORK DONE AND SO NOT EVERYONE'S UP FOR THAT.
BUT IF WE COULD HIRE SOMEONE WHOSE JOB IT IS TO KIND OF SPEARHEAD THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE YOU HAVE REALLY, YOU KNOW, TRAINED, SOMEWHAT TRAINED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH SOME OF THIS WORK AND HELP WITH THE INVASIVE PLANTS AND OTHER THINGS.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
AND, YOU KNOW, ON THE AND THEN I GUESS FINALLY, IN TERMS OF, WELL, THIS IS PARTLY RELATED TO INVASIVE PLANTS, BUT, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF PRESERVING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, I ALSO SUPPORT THE REQUEST FROM CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY TO BUT TO REALLY TO FOCUS ON THESE
[02:40:04]
31 RARE PLANT POPULATIONS THAT ARE STRUGGLING.AND, YOU KNOW, WE CAN LEVERAGE WE CAN BOTH LEVERAGE THE WORK WE'RE ALREADY DOING, BUT ALSO WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED AND SEE HOW THAT FITS INTO OUR OVERALL PLAN.
AND, YOU KNOW, JUST MAKE SURE THAT MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S BEING ADDRESSED.
SO I HAVE A COUPLE MORE PARK DISTRICT WIDE, BUT THESE ARE GOING TO BE QUICK, I THINK.
SO ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE NEED TO WALK THE WALK AND TALK THE TALK AND WALK THE WALK.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS INTERESTING.
JUST RECENTLY IN LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE WHERE THERE'S A NEW, YOU KNOW, SOME ANOTHER BILL I THINK IN THE CONGRESS THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO GET GRANTS TO HAVE WATER STATIONS TO FILL UP WATER BOTTLES AND TO HELP TO FURTHER DISCOURAGE, YOU KNOW, SINGLE USE ITEMS. AND THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE ARE IMPORTANT.
AND YOU KNOW, WE DO NEED TO SHOW PEOPLE HOW IT'S DONE.
SO AND HELP THEM I MEAN THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, WHO WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND WHO WANT TO YOU KNOW, BE ABLE TO FILL UP THEIR WATER BOTTLE, FOR EXAMPLE. SO I JUST WANT TO FURTHER THAT.
OKAY. SO FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY AND OF COURSE THIS IS THIS CORE.
WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT FUNDING.
AND BUT HERE I WOULD LIKE TO SHOUT OUT TO THE GRANTS TEAM AND OUR GOVERNOR, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS FOLKS FOR THE GRANTS, BECAUSE I JUST THINK THAT COMBINATION I MEAN, WE'RE IT'S VERY IMPRESSIVE, THE YOU KNOW, THE, STATISTICS ON OR THE PERCENTAGE OF APPLICATIONS WE PUT IN VERSUS HOW MUCH MONEY WE GET BACK IS PHENOMENAL.
YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE DON'T GET THAT MUCH MONEY FOR THAT NUMBER OF GRANTS THAT THEY'VE SUBMITTED.
SO IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY SHOWS THE STRENGTH OF OUR TEAM.
OF COURSE. GOOD PRODUCT TOO, BUT APPRECIATE THE STRENGTH OF OUR TEAM.
AND ON THE I ALSO HAD THE POLLING ON MY LIST.
AND, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, IN THE POLL, IT WASN'T STRUCTURED LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHICH DO YOU THINK IS MORE IMPORTANT IN THE POLL? THEY COULD SAY, I WANT TO DO BOTH.
AND THEY DID SAY, I WANT TO DO BOTH WITH 80% FOR NEW PARKS.
BUT IT ALSO DEPENDS ON HOW YOU ASK THE QUESTION.
BECAUSE IF YOU'RE SAYING WHAT'S EVEN IF YOU DID ASK IT AS AN EITHER OR, IS IT MORE IMPORTANT TO HAVE NEW PARKS, OR IS IT MORE IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN THE ONES WE HAVE? I MEAN, YOU'D HAVE TO REALLY PHRASE IT IN, YOU KNOW, GROUND THAT IN THE REALITY THAT SHOULD WE BUY THIS LAND BEFORE IT'S, BOUGHT BY A DEVELOPER AND MADE INTO HIGH END HOUSES? OR WOULD YOU LIKE US TO BUY IT AND CREATE A PARK THERE EVENTUALLY? AND I THINK YOU GET A DIFFERENT I THINK YOU GET A DIFFERENT ANSWER.
SO I THINK WE'VE GOT TO BE CAREFUL, YOU KNOW, ABOUT WHAT WE READ INTO THESE POLLS.
AND, YOU KNOW, I ALSO FIRMLY BELIEVE WE HAVE TO DO BOTH.
SO YEAH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT BOTH.
OKAY. SO NOW WARD ONE PRIORITIES.
FIRST OF ALL, I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS FOR WARD ONE TO CREATE A REGIONAL PARK AT POINT MOLATE. AND OF COURSE, THIS HAS BEEN IN OUR MASTER PLAN AND BALLOT MEASURES FOR 20 YEARS.
AND I KNOW I WANT TO THANK STAFF FOR HOW HARD YOU ARE WORKING ON THIS PRIORITY AND REALLY AM HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN GET A TRUE REGIONAL SHORELINE PARK WITH CONTINUOUS OPEN SPACE AND BAY TRAIL ACCESS OUT THERE AT POINT MOLATE.
AND I'M NOT GOING TO SAY MUCH MORE THAN THAT EITHER.
BUT THAT IS THAT IS MY NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.
AND THEN I DID ALSO, YOU GUYS ARE STEALING MY THUNDER, RIGHT AND LEFT.
I GUESS THIS IS WHY IT'S HARD TO GO LAST, BUT SO SAN PABLO PENINSULA.
I MEAN, THAT IS MY GOAL TO EVENTUALLY.
[02:45:06]
PENINSULA. AND THAT'S MY, DREAM FOR THE FUTURE.BUT, YOU KNOW, FIRST THINGS FIRST, LET'S GET LET'S GET THESE OTHER PROJECTS CLOSED AND DONE.
WELL, OKAY. SO SPEAKING MORE JUST ABOUT POINT MOLATE THE TRAIL.
YOU ALL ON THE GREAT PROGRESS ON POINT MOLATE TRAIL.
POINT PINOLE SO, FIRST OF ALL, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THIS, AND THIS IS GOING WELL.
WE JUST NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY.
BUT THE POINT PINOLE TO POINT WILSON TRAIL, I GUESS NOW WE'RE CALLING IT THE RICHMOND BAY TRAIL OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT BASICALLY MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN CLOSE THAT POINT NINE GAP SO THAT WE HAVE THIS AMAZING COMMUTE CORRIDOR AND WALKING CORRIDOR.
AND IT'S ALSO IT'S NEAR A LOT OF JOBS.
IT'S NEAR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.
IT'S A GREAT IT'S ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING GAPS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY TRAIL.
SO IT WOULD BE REALLY IMPORTANT TO REALLY EXCITED TO GET THAT DONE.
GLAD TO HEAR THAT. THE POINT PINOLE [INAUDIBLE] YARD IS THE NEXT STEP.
SO THAT'S, GOOD NEWS BECAUSE I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THAT TOO.
AND I WILL SAY THIS IS A WAYS OFF.
I KNOW, BUT POINT PINOLE VISITOR CENTER, IT IS IMPORTANT WE IT'S A GREAT PLACE FOR A VISITOR CENTER.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S SO MANY SCHOOL KIDS OUT THERE, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SPOT.
SO SO KELLER BEACH I DID I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SETTLE THE LITIGATION WITH BNSF RAILWAY AND THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT BAY TRAIL SECTION OUT THERE BETWEEN FERRY POINT AND KELLER BEACH.
AND, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU, STAFF, FOR THAT.
THAT'S A LONG TIME COMING, APPRECIATE THAT.
OKAY. MOVING SOUTH ALBANY BEACH.
SO SO THIS YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW THAT GOLDEN GATE FIELDS IS LEAVING, SO WANT TO CONTINUE TO EXPLORE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE THE PARK LAND OUT THERE, INCREASE THE OPEN SPACE AND PUBLIC ACCESS ALONG THE BAY SHORELINE.
I WAS DOWN AT LAKE ANZA JUST FOR A WALK ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND.
JUST IT WAS PACKED, AND IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL.
AND I DID WANT TO SAY THAT ADA PATH LOOKS GREAT.
BUT CLEARLY FOLKS CAN DO BOTH AND THE PATH LOOKS GREAT AND I'M JUST SO HAPPY IT'S THERE BECAUSE FOR PEOPLE WITH ANY MOBILITY ISSUES TRYING TO GET DOWN YOU KNOW, DOWN TO THE LAKE OR DOWN TO WHERE THE SNACK BAR IS, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE BEFORE.
SO THIS IS A HUGE IMPROVEMENT.
I DO WANT TO UNDERSCORE THE POINT THAT OTHERS, AND ESPECIALLY DIRECTOR SANWONG, HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT SWIMMING AND THE IMPORTANCE OF RECREATIONAL SWIMMING AND YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVING A PLACE TO GO AND IN THE, YOU KNOW, IN THE SUMMERS WHEN LAKE ANZA IS OPEN.
WELL, AT LEAST NOW I THINK PEOPLE AREN'T SURE IF IT'S GOING TO BE OPEN OR NOT.
BUT IT USED TO BE WHEN IT WAS OPEN ALL THE TIME, IT WAS PACKED, PACKED WITH KIDS.
YOU'VE GOT THE LIFEGUARDS THERE.
IT'S JUST SUCH A GREAT OPPORTUNITY.
SO I KNOW WE'RE WORKING ON THE TOXIC ALGAE CHALLENGE.
BUT IF THE CURRENT METHODS ARE NOT WORKING, I UNDERSTAND WE NEED TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE.
BUT IF THEY DON'T WORK, THEN OR THEY'RE NOT WORKING WELL ENOUGH, LET'S LOOK AT OTHER THINGS.
BECAUSE HAVING THIS OPEN FOR SWIMMING IS JUST SO HUGELY IMPORTANT.
IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR THE COMMUNITY.
AND ACTUALLY IT'S NOT JUST THE, YOU KNOW, THE RESIDENTS OF BERKELEY AND NEARBY TOWNS THAT GO THERE IN THE SUMMER IT USED TO BE THAT ALMOST ALL OF THE DAY CAMPS WENT AT LEAST ONE DAY TO LAKE ANZA.
[02:50:08]
AND IT JUST GETS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF YOUTH.YEAH. SO OKAY, SO FINALLY I APPRECIATED THE PRESENTATION ON THE TILDEN EEC REPLACEMENT PROJECT THIS WEEK. IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL.
AND I WILL JUST I'LL JUST END IT RIGHT THERE.
AND THANK YOU TO ALL MY BOARD MEMBERS, TOO ON SHARING ALL THESE GOOD IDEAS.
THANK YOU, STAFF, FOR LISTENING AND FOR DOING THE WORK AND GETTING STUFF DONE.
[LAUGHTER] REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
SO DOES ANYONE HAVE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON MY SET OF PRIORITIES? OKAY. DIRECTOR MERCURIO.
JUST REFERENCING WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
I CAN SEE THEM SHOULDERS GOING DOWN AND DOWN.
[LAUGHTER] BUT JUST THINK OF THE REWARD WHEN IT'S REALIZED THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO.
THAT'S WHAT WE ALL SIGNED UP FOR.
YEAH. YOU KNOW, AND THEY'RE UP TO THE TASK.
I TAKE THAT YOU HAVE TO PRIORITIZE.
IN LIFE. I'M ALWAYS TELLING MYSELF THAT BECAUSE I JUST WANT TO DO IT ALL.
BUT YES, YOU HAVE TO PRIORITIZE.
WE'VE GIVEN YOU A LOT OF PRIORITIES.
SO YOU PROBABLY HAVE TO SORT THROUGH OUR PRIORITIES TO PRIORITIZE.
BUT YOU KNOW, YEAH, WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM HERE.
ONE LAST THING. VISUALIZE SUCCESS THAT'S KEPT ME GOING FOR MOST OF MY LIFE.
SO YOUR POINT, YOUR COMMENT ON OR YOUR WISH FOR YOU KNOW, MORE BETTER ELECTRIC BATTERY APPROACH TO POWERING THINGS.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD MEANT TO INCLUDE A BETTER.
SELECTION OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGERS AND THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
I KNOW THERE ARE MUNICIPALITIES HERE WHO HAVE MORE THAN WE DO.
YOU KNOW, I JUST SAW SOMETHING AGAIN AS WE START TO THINK ABOUT THERE'S SO MUCH ON HERE.
RIGHT. AND SO IT'S ABOUT PRIORITIZATION AND PRIORITIES, BUT ALSO SOME OF THIS, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST GOOD TO HAVE ON THE LIST I THINK IS YOU KNOW COLIN HAD MENTIONED AND SO IT'S THERE. AND I THINK PART OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFICULT TO PREDICT WHEN AN OPPORTUNITY MAY ARISE ALSO AND TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, BE PREPARED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHEN THAT OPPORTUNITY ARISES.
AND I THINK YOUR EXAMPLE OF GOLDEN GATE FIELDS IS ONE EXAMPLE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S DIFFICULT TO PREDICT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN THERE.
AND I CAN TELL YOU ACTUALLY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT.
DIRECTOR COFFEY. I JUST WANTED TO MENTION HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOUR PUTTING FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY ON THE LIST, BECAUSE I WAS TOO AFRAID OF RUINING THE PARTY IF I PUT IT ON MY LIST.
[LAUGHTER] YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LOST ON ANY OF US THAT WE HAVEN'T EXACTLY BEEN PUTTING ON THE LIST THINGS THAT REDUCE OUR COSTS. THIS.
IT'S I LOOK AT DEBORAH AND APPRECIATE HOW SHE'S GOING TO FIND MONEY FOR ALL OF THESE PRIORITIES AND PROJECTS AND GOALS THAT WE HAVE.
SO THAT CERTAINLY I DON'T THINK IS LOST ON ANY OF US.
AND I DO APPRECIATE YOUR ACTUALLY ARTICULATING THE CONCEPT OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.
THAT'S JUST NOT THE EXERCISE WE'RE GOING THROUGH TODAY IN TERMS OF FINDING MEANS OF REDUCING COSTS.
AND CERTAINLY THAT'S BEEN ON MY MIND AS I GO THROUGH THE REST OF MY LIST.
YOU KNOW, HOW IS THIS EVER GOING TO HAPPEN? SO IT HAPPENS OVER PERIODS OF TIME, VARIOUS PERIODS OF TIME.
[02:55:07]
THESE DO I THINK A LOT OF IT DOESN'T BECAUSE WE'RE WE'RE BEING ASPIRATIONAL.AND THE GENERAL MANAGER ACTUALLY GAVE ME PERMISSION WHEN I ASKED A MONTH OR TWO AGO, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU BALANCE VERSUS THINGS THAT ARE PLAUSIBLE OR POSSIBLE OR MORE IMMEDIATE? AND YOU SAID, YEAH, GO AHEAD AND BE ASPIRATIONAL WHEN WE'RE DOING THIS.
AND SO I TOOK THAT AND RAN WITH IT, SO TO SPEAK.
BUT IT'S NOT LOST ON ANY OF US.
AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE MANAGEMENT UNDERSTANDS WE'RE NOT WALKING IN HERE EXPECTING MONEY TO MAGICALLY SHOW UP FOR A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. BUT THERE IS MONEY OUT THERE, AND THERE IS A REMARKABLE GROWTH IN OUR TWO COUNTIES IN TERMS OF PROPERTY VALUES AND PROPERTY TAXES.
SO IT DOESN'T HURT TO PRIORITIZE IN THE SENSE OF, YES, EVENTUALLY THERE'S A LINEUP FOR THINGS WE WANT TO DO, BUT THERE IS GROWTH IN TERMS OF OUR RESOURCES.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE YOU KNOW, HAVE WE'RE, REALLY ADVANTAGED WITH AND THE ABILITY TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT AS WE GO THROUGH THESE LISTS. SO WE ARE REALISTIC.
AND I JUST WANTED TO ASSURE OUR STAFF THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT ISSUE.
SO I WASN'T GOING TO MENTION THIS EARLIER.
BUT THEN WITH THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT POTENTIAL GROWTH, YOU KNOW, PROPERTY VALUES, PROPERTY TAXES AND LOCAL ECONOMY, YOU KNOW, MATCHED WITH, YOU KNOW, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.
BUT THEN ALSO YOUR COMMENT ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
I ACTUALLY DID HAVE THIS AS A POINT, BUT DIDN'T BRING IT UP BECAUSE I HAD SUCH A LONG LIST.
BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ALSO THINK ABOUT THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD PIECES OF INFORMATION THERE THAT ALSO COULD BE COULD HELP US THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR LOCAL ECONOMY AND THE POTENTIAL GROWTH OR MAYBE THE POTENTIAL CONCERNS AND RISKS THAT MIGHT EXIST IN OUR LOCAL ECONOMY.
AND I KNOW WITHIN WARD FIVE, I THINK WE HAVE ONE OF THE LARGEST MANUFACTURING SITES IN CALIFORNIA FOR AUTOMOBILES, FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES, WITH THE TESLA FACTORY IN FREMONT. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE TESLA FACTORY IN FREMONT.
I KNOW THAT THE TESLA MOTOR COMPANY ALSO HAS A VERY LARGE OFFICE BUILDING ACTUALLY LOCATED NEAR OUR EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK SIGN SHOP AND FOUNDATION IN THE PLEASANTON HACIENDA BUSINESS PARK FOR THEIR SOFTWARE FOR THE TESLA MOTOR SOFTWARE GROUP.
AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THE MOTOR VEHICLE MANUFACTURING SITE IN FREMONT, THERE'S ALSO THEIR SOLAR PANEL AND BATTERY HEADQUARTERS LOCATED ALSO IN FREMONT.
AND I BRING THIS UP BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE FOLLOWING THE NEWS THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF YOU KNOW, FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE REPORTS IN REGARDS TO TESLA AS A COMPANY.
AND I BRING THIS BACK TO YOU KNOW, TWO THINGS.
AND AS WE'RE GOING OUT TO POTENTIAL DONORS FOR THE TILDEN EEC PROJECT AND OR THINKING ABOUT A PARCEL TAX, JUST TO KIND OF KEEP IN MIND THE ECONOMIC MOOD OF, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT SOME OF THE LARGER COMPANIES, SUCH AS TESLA AND REALLY BEING MINDFUL OF THAT EXPERIENCE.
AND SO I THINK, HOWEVER WE CAN BUILD THAT PRACTICE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I KIND OF WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS DURING THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, BUT IT WASN'T REALLY APPROPRIATE WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMY IN REGARDS TO OUR INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO.
[03:00:01]
BUT YOU KNOW, IT IS SORT OF PAIRED WITH THAT.AND I KNOW PREVIOUSLY I MENTIONED PROPERTY INSURANCE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE THERE COULD BE POTENTIALLY SOME IMPACT IN REGARDS TO PROPERTY VALUES AND PROPERTY TAXES IN REGARDS TO THAT PARTICULAR TOPIC. SO I THINK THESE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE MAY WANT TO BE TRACKING AND BE MINDFUL OF, ESPECIALLY AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE TILDEN EEC CAPITAL CAMPAIGN AND THE POTENTIAL FOR A PARCEL TAX.
OKAY. ANYBODY ELSE? DIRECTOR ROSARIO. NO COMMENTS ON YOURS.
I JUST WANTED TO A FEW THINGS.
COME TO MIND IF I MIGHT? OKAY. GO FOR IT.
THIS DISCUSSION STIRRED OTHER MEMORIES.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP OUR EYES OPEN IN INDIAN VALLEY.
IT'S RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE VALLEY VISTA STAGING AREA, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S VALUABLE PIECE OF PROPERTY, BUT IT IS SLATED FOR DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'LL SEE IF IT HAPPENS.
IF IT DOESN'T, IT'D BE A GREAT GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE THAT OR ACQUIRE THAT LAND.
AND ALSO, IF IT DOES GET DEVELOPED, THEN WE DEFINITELY WANT TO HAVE SOME KIND OF A CONNECTION TO THE TRAIL CONNECTION THAT CONNECTS MCCOSKER OR EASTPORT WITH OUR TRAIL AT IS THAT ORINDA OR MORAGA? DEE? MORAGA. MORAGA.
YEAH. AND THEN AND TALKING ABOUT LABOR, LABOR RELATIONS, I THINK YES. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU.
YES. I JUST WANTED TO ALSO GIVE A KNOWLEDGE.
ALLYSON COOK AND THE LEADERSHIP OF 2428 FOR COMING TO AGREEMENT.
EARLY AGREEMENT ON THE CONTRACT.
BUT I THINK LOOKING AT THE RELATIONS, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF A LOT OF OUR EXCHANGES WITH THE UNION AND MANAGEMENT IS JUST THE SHARING OF DOCUMENTS IT COMES TO MIND THE PAVING ANALYSIS AND THE RECENT REGIONAL THE RPF DOCUMENTS DEFERRED COMP.
I THINK IF WE COULD HAVE RELEASED THOSE SOONER OR AND MADE IT MORE AVAILABLE SOONER, IT WOULD BEEN A LOT LESS A LOT LESS TENSION, LET'S SAY.
AND THEN WHEN I TALKED ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY, I WANTED TO POINT OUT FIRE STATION TWO.
THIS IS THE THIRD, IF NOT THE FOURTH TIME THAT FIRE STATION HAS BEEN INUNDATED AND FLOODED.
AND NOW WE HAVE A BRIDGE THAT'S BEEN DAMAGED.
CAN'T KEEP DOING THE SAME THING OVER AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.
ESPECIALLY NOW WITH THE CREEK EVEN SHALLOWER THAN IT WAS.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS I TALK ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY.
USE THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK AT THE SITUATION.
AND IF IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN, WHY KEEP POURING MONEY INTO IT.
SO AND THEN I JUST WANTED TO ADVOCATE FOR ONE POSITION.
AN ADDITIONAL POSITION IS A GARDENER FOR ROBERTS AND REDWOOD.
ONE FOR 11500 OR THE TRUDEAU CENTER AND THE NEW GARDEN EXPANSION THERE AT ROBERTS.
DEFINITELY NEEDS A GARDENER AND POSSIBLY EVEN EXTENDING A GARDENER HERE FOR PERALTA OAKS, BUT THE OPERATION AT TRUDEAU CENTER.
WHEN YOU LOOK THERE, THE IT'S NOT VERY GOOD.
I MEAN, IT'S A CONTRACT THAT IT'S BASICALLY WHAT WE CALL A MOW AND BLOW OPERATION.
THE PLANTS THAT LOOK I MEAN, THE LANDSCAPING THERE IS HORRIBLE.
[03:05:06]
SO THAT'S IT.OKAY. WELL, UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING PRESSING, I THINK WE SHOULD MOVE ON TO.
DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO SAY? OKAY. I THOUGHT YOUR HAND WENT UP.
OKAY. [LAUGHTER] SO I THINK THE NEXT THING IS AMANDA WILL BE DOING.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO DO AN UPDATE ON THE 2024 BOARD MEMBER INTEREST, IS THAT? SURE. YEAH. IT'LL BE REALLY QUICKLY.
IT'S KIND OF A REVIEW OF WHAT YOU SAW IN SEPTEMBER.
I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THE PROCESS AS WELL.
SO LET ME SHARE MY SCREEN WITH THAT.
SO JUST REITERATING WE ARE FOLLOWING THE SIMILAR PROCESS TO LAST YEAR.
AND THEN TODAY WE'RE HEARING FROM YOU.
AND AT THE FIRST OR SECOND BOARD MEETING IN SEPTEMBER, WE WILL BE COMING BACK WITH AN UPDATE TO THAT ATTACHMENT THAT YOU'VE HAD FOR THESE TWO STUDY SESSIONS WITH HOPEFULLY SOME MORE UPDATES AS THE PROJECTS CONTINUE ON.
WHICH WILL SPEND SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER UNTIL THE BUDGET IS ADOPTED FOR 2025.
THIS IS SOME OF THE INFORMATION YOU SAW LAST AT THE SEPTEMBER MEETING LAST YEAR, WHICH WILL BE PROVIDING BASED ON THE INTEREST YOU PROVIDED US TODAY, WILL GIVE YOU KIND OF SOME NEW ANALYSIS OF THE CATEGORIES THAT WE HEARD FROM YOU THIS YEAR.
SO, YOU KNOW, PROJECTS, THESE WERE CAPITAL PROJECTS, OVER 100,000.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THOSE WERE THE MAJORITY OF YOUR INTEREST SHARED LAST YEAR.
SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT.
AGAIN, THESE ARE KEY THEMES THAT WERE SHARED LAST YEAR.
SO WE'LL TAKE THE INFORMATION WE HEARD TODAY AND CATEGORIZE THEM ALONG THESE SAME THEMES.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE HEARD A LOT OF THAT TODAY.
AND IT SEEMS THAT WAS THE MAJORITY OF LAST YEAR AS WELL.
SO WE WILL BE BRINGING THIS ANALYSIS BACK TO YOU AT THE SEPTEMBER BOARD MEETING.
AND THEN AGAIN, JUST REITERATING THE PROCESS.
SO WE WILL BRING IT BACK A STATUS UPDATE OF THE ATTACHMENT THAT YOU'VE HAD IN YOUR PACKET.
THE BUDGET WILL BE REVIEWED AT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE BEFORE IT'S INTRODUCED TO YOU IN DECEMBER HERE AT THE FULL BOARD AND THEN ADOPTED RIGHT BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS IN DECEMBER 17TH.
SO THOSE DATES ARE, I THINK, ALREADY ON YOUR CALENDAR.
SO I JUST WANTED TO REITERATE THE PROCESS AND SEE IF YOU ALL HAD ANY OTHER QUESTIONS.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR AMANDA? OH. DIRECTOR COFFEY.
IF IT'S POSSIBLE AND NOT TOO MUCH EFFORT.
I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING IF IT WERE POSSIBLE FOR YOU TO JUXTAPOSE THE PIE CHARTS.
A COUPLE OF THOSE SLIDES THAT SHOW HOW YOU BREAK DOWN BOARD PRIORITIES INTO ONE WAS A PIE CHART AND ONE WAS JUST A TREND. THESE TO THE EXTENT YOU CAN GO BACK TO LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE, BUT ACTUALLY CONTRAST THEM SO THAT WE COULD SEE THIS FOR LAST YEAR AND THIS FOR THIS YEAR.
A LOT OF US TALKED ABOUT TRAIL, I MEAN, ARE TRAILS GOING TO BECOME A LARGER PART OF OUR PIE.
[03:10:03]
I'D LOVE TO SEE HOW THIS LOOKS THIS YEAR AS OPPOSED TO LAST YEAR OR THE YEAR BEFORE.IN OTHER WORDS, WE'RE ALL USED TO WHAT'S TRENDING, YOU KNOW? YEAH. TO THE EXTENT WE CAN LOOK OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS OF THIS BOARD'S PRIORITIZATIONS HOW THEY CONTRAST WITH ONE ANOTHER YEAR BY YEAR, I KNOW MINE HAVE CHANGED OVER FOUR YEARS.
I'M CURIOUS AS A GROUP HOW THIS PIE CHART WOULD CHANGE.
AND THE THAT OTHER CHART WITH THE BARS.
THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING. YEAH.
I THINK IN SEPTEMBER WE PLAN TO BRING A WAY MORE IN DEPTH ANALYSIS OF SOME OF THESE TRENDS.
AND EVEN I THINK LAST YEAR WAS SHARED WHAT WAS NEW, WHAT WAS CARRIED OVER.
SO I THINK THAT'S INTERESTING INFORMATION WE WILL SHARE.
THANK YOU. I THINK WHEN WE'RE CATEGORIZING OUR PRIORITIES, WE NEED TO BE A LITTLE BIT CAREFUL, BECAUSE A LOT OF FOLKS DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THINGS THAT THEY ALREADY THOUGHT WERE WERE GOING, AND THEY USE THEIR TIME MORE SPARINGLY TO REALLY HIT THE AREAS THAT THEY FELT WE NEEDED TO ADDRESS. AND SO, I MEAN, I'M PRETTY SURE EVERYBODY HERE IS CONCERNED, FOR EXAMPLE, ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEI AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, YES, WE'RE WORKING ON.
SO I'M NOT SURE WE CAN STILL THIS ANALYSIS IS STILL INTERESTING, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT IT FULLY CAPTURES OUR OVERALL PRIORITIES. SO WE JUST NEED TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE FRAME IT.
AND YOU NEED TO WE NEED TO RAISE THAT AGAIN WHEN WE LOOK AT THE CONTRAST IN THE PIE CHARTS.
RIGHT. BECAUSE YOU'RE VERY RIGHT.
NOT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT BECAUSE I THOUGHT THEY WERE IN PROCESS.
RIGHT? RIGHT. WHAT IF WE HAD A SURVEY THAT HAD EVERYTHING ON THERE AND WE COULD CLICK, YOU KNOW, IF WE COULD MEAN TO ADDRESS YOUR CONCERN, WE WOULD ALL WE WOULD ALL BE ABLE TO WEIGH IN ON ALL THOSE ISSUES WITHOUT HAVING TO STOP AND THINK, WHAT AM I MISSING? ALTHOUGH I THINK THAT.
THAT'S WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO DO.
WELL, I THINK THAT, ELIZABETH'S POINT IS GOOD.
YEAH. I DON'T I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THE PRIORITIES THAT AREN'T UNDERWAY.
AND I MEAN, I TALKED ABOUT EVERYTHING.
THIS INFORMATION IS STILL USEFUL, AND WE CAN DO IT.
WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THESE ARE THE ONLY THINGS THAT WE CARE ABOUT, THAT WE HAVE OTHER THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY THE STAFF IS MOVING FORWARD ON THAT MAY NOT BE REPRESENTED HERE.
YEAH. IF I COULD ADD TO THAT WE ARE MISSING DIRECTOR CORBETT.
SO HOPEFULLY SHE CAN SUBMIT SOMETHING AND HAVE THAT REPRESENTED.
YEAH. YOU RAISE A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT ON THE CONTEXT.
SO WHEN WE BRING THIS BACK WE'LL, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT THE RIGHT FRAMING.
I WILL AND WE ARE HEARING WHAT YOU ALL ARE SAYING EXACTLY THE WAY THAT YOU WANT US TO HEAR IT.
RIGHT. WHICH IS NOT THAT WE THINK YOU THIS IGNORES ALL OF THESE OTHER THINGS.
SO WE'LL WORK ON THE FRAMING OF THAT WHEN WE BRING IT BACK IN SEPTEMBER.
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT ON THE TIMELINE THERE, BUT THAT IS COMING AS WELL.
SO KEN AND HIS STAFF AND, WELL, DEB AND HER STAFF TOO ARE WORKING ALONGSIDE TO LEAD THAT EFFORT.
SO THAT WILL ALSO, I THINK, BE REALLY INFORMATIVE AS YOU'RE GOING INTO YOUR BUDGET PROCESS.
SO JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT.
SO ONE POINT ABOUT THE FRAMING ALSO, I THINK GOING BACK TO THE SECOND CENTURY DISTRICT PLAN AS WELL, I THINK IS IMPORTANT TO MENTION BECAUSE IN MY MIND, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S GOING TO HELP KIND OF ORGANIZE EVERYTHING.
WE DIDN'T HAVE AS MANY COMMENTS TODAY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF OUR AMAZING WORK THAT WE'RE DOING IN TERMS OF WILDFIRE MITIGATION OR CLIMATE CHANGE OR DEI, WHICH ARE ALL REALLY IMPORTANT.
[03:15:05]
BUT IN MY BRAIN, I'M THINKING, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GOING TO ALL BE PART OF THAT SECOND CENTURY DISTRICT PLAN AS WELL.SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK TO MY POINT EARLIER, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY IS WE'RE TRYING TO SHARE, YOU KNOW, ALL THE TOP THINGS THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT MAYBE HAVEN'T BEEN MENTIONED AS OFTEN.
BUT KNOWING THAT THERE'S A SECOND CENTURY DISTRICT PLAN AND EFFORTS UNDERWAY AS WELL, I THINK HELPS.
SO THIS IS A REALLY GOOD POINT ABOUT THE FRAMING.
OKAY, AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH EFFORT IS INVOLVED, BUT IT BRINGS ME BACK TO HOW HELPFUL THIS UPDATE ON BOARD MEMBER INTERESTS HAS BEEN.
EVERY TIME CLAIRE OR NOW AMANDA HAS UPDATED IT.
IT'S BASED LARGELY ON OUR CURRENT PRIORITIES.
SO IT SEEMS THAT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT OF THESE 79 ITEMS, IF NONE OF US RAISED THEM THIS TIME, THEY COULD FALL OFF THIS LIST.
WELL I THINK WE STILL WANT TO TRACK THEM.
FOR INSTANCE, DEI IS IN HERE AND ALL THE PROGRESS ON DEI, AND BECAUSE IT'S LISTED AND COMPREHENSIVELY IN THIS IN PROGRESS LIST, I DIDN'T LIST IT THIS TIME. SO IT SHOULD STAY THERE.
I WOULD LIKE TO WATCH THE PROGRESS ON IT EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T IN MY LIST, FOR INSTANCE.
SO WE WOULD WANT TO KEEP THOSE.
I MEAN IF ONE, IF ONE IS CLOSED THEN WE COULD TAKE IT OUT.
WE CAN DECLARE VICTORY AND TAKE IT OUT.
BUT IF IT'S IF IT'S STILL IF WE'RE STILL WORKING ON IT, WE SHOULD KEEP THOSE.
AND MOST OF THOSE ARE WE'RE STILL WORKING ON.
WE'RE JUST MAKING PROGRESS. YEAH I KNOW THERE WON'T BE MANY THAT FALL OFF.
SO THIS I'M JUST GOING TO HAVE TO ASK, BUT THE LAST AGENDA ITEM IS RECAP, REVIEW, AND WRAP UP. AND I WASN'T SURE WHO HAD THAT.
IS THAT ME OR IS THAT OR HAVE WE ALREADY DONE THAT OR WHAT? I'M NOT SURE WHO WAS WHO.
YEAH, I KNOW, I WANT TO JUST SAY AGAIN, I WILL GIVE MY QUICK WRAP UP, WHICH IS TO REALLY THANK THE BOARD FOR ALL OF YOUR REALLY HEAVY, HARD WORK TO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS DIFFICULT, AS YOU KNOW, TO TRY TO PRIORITIZE AND TO GO THROUGH.
SO I REALLY AND TO ON ONE SHEET.
AND THEN REALLY GENUINELY THANK YOU TO AMANDA FOR COMPILING ALL OF THIS.
AND IT IS A REAL ART TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS REAL TIME.
AND LIKEWISE I WOULD JUST LIKE TO AGAIN THANK THE BOARD THANK OUR GENERAL MANAGER AND GENERAL COUNSEL AND EVERYONE AND AMANDA ESPECIALLY FOR DOING THE HEAVY LIFTING IN TERMS OF COORDINATING EVERYTHING AND REALLY ALL OF THE SENIOR STAFF THAT ARE HERE, ALL OF THE STAFF SENIOR OR NOT, THAT ARE HERE AND THAT ARE THEN THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING REALLY DILIGENTLY TO GET THIS STUFF DONE, THAT INVOLVES, YOU KNOW, PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE AT THE DISTRICT.
SO WE APPRECIATE YOU AND APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY, LISTENING TO ALL OF OUR PRIORITIES, BOTH URGENT AND ASPIRATIONAL. SO THANK YOU.
IT'S A GOOD DAY. OKAY, WELL, WITH THAT, UNLESS THERE'S ANYTHING FURTHER, I THINK WE CAN ADJOURN.
YEAH. WELL, DEBORAH SPAULDING IS HERE.
I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR WORK ON THE DEFERRED COMP ISSUE.
IT WAS A HARD IT'S A HARD PULL.
AND I JUST WANT TO APPRECIATE THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR WORK.
AND I PERSONALLY THINK THE RFP PROCESS WAS CORRECT, AND YOU'RE ACTING ACCORDINGLY.
SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU AND YOUR STAFF FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'VE PUT INTO IT.
YES. PUBLIC? OH, YES. AND. OH, SORRY.
YES. SO WE DO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT.
I JUST GOT AHEAD OF MYSELF HERE.
[03:20:01]
SO YES.THANK YOU. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT CAN DO SO, ONE LIVE VIA ZOOM, TWO BY SUBMITTING AN EMAIL, OR THREE LEAVING A VOICEMAIL. THIS INFORMATION IS NOTED ON THE AGENDA.
ALL EMAILS RECEIVED PRIOR TO THE DEADLINE OF THURSDAY, JUNE 7TH, 2024 HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED.
THURSDAY, JUNE 6TH, 2024 HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED TO THE BOARD AND EXECUTIVE TEAM.
ANY EMAILS THAT HAVE COME IN AFTER THIS DATE WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE BOARD AFTER THE MEETING.
AND WE HAVE RECEIVED NO EMAILS, LETTERS OR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
WE'RE PROMOTING YOU TO PANELIST JIM.
BOARD MEMBERS CHAIR ECHOLS AND BOARD MEMBERS.
WE'LL JUST GO AHEAD LIKE THIS.
SO THANK YOU FOR BRINGING UP SEVERAL IMPORTANT DISTRICT WIDE PRIORITIES TO THE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY AND, IN FACT, ALL OF US AS PARK USERS AND ALSO YOUR INDIVIDUAL GOALS.
I'LL JUST COMMENT BRIEFLY ON THE LIST THAT WE PROVIDED TO THE DISTRICT ABOUT A YEAR AGO WAS SOME IMPORTANT, LOCALLY RARE AND VALUED NATIVE WILDFLOWER PLANTS THAT WERE UNDER THREAT OR BEING AFFECTED BY INVASIVE PLANTS. AND I THINK A NUMBER OF YOU HAVE COMMENTED ON THE VARIOUS WAYS TO APPROACH THIS, WHICH INCLUDE VOLUNTEERS. BUT I WOULD ALSO SAY WE ARE VERY HEAVILY THANKFUL FOR AND DEPENDENT UPON THE SKILL AND THE STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THIS TAKES A LOT OF PLANNING EXPERTISE, OVERSIGHT TOOLS MAPPING AND SO FORTH TO REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT TAKES A WHILE TO RECOVER SOME OF THESE POPULATIONS AND IT'S WORTHWHILE.
AND SO, YES, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE THIS IN THE MASTER PLAN, BUT ALSO SOMETHING TO LOOK AT NOW TO ADD WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO STEWARDSHIP TO BECAUSE THEY DO HAVE A BIG TASK.
I GUESS I WAS JUST THINKING THAT IF WE LOOKED AT THE DISTRICT IN TERMS OF CAPITAL THE NATURAL CAPITAL IS MAYBE 98 TO 99% OF, THE ACREAGE.
AND SO AND SOMETHING WE ALL GO OUT TO ENJOY.
SO I'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT.
APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS.
IS THAT OUR ONLY PUBLIC COMMENT, MADAM CLERK? OKAY. WELL THANK YOU, JIM.
ALL RIGHT. IN THAT CASE WE CAN ADJOURN THE PRIORITY SETTING PART TWO STUDY SESSION OF JUNE 7, 2024 IS NOW ADJOURNED AT 3:15 P.M..
THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.