[00:00:06]
OKAY. GOOD MORNING.GO AHEAD. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE.
[ROLL CALL]
THIS IS THE--WHY IS THERE AN ECHO ON THIS MICROPHONE? OH. OH, JUST GETTING BACK IN THE SWING.MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? OKAY. MADAM CLERK, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON CLOSED SESSION AGENDA TODAY? NO, PRESIDENT ECHOLS, WE DO NOT.
OKAY, SO THERE ARE NO PUBLIC COMMENTS.
[CLOSED SESSION ITEMS]
SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN TO OUR CLOSED SESSION.THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU EVERYBODY.
OKAY. GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
[ROLL CALL]
THIS IS THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ON SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2024, BEGINNING AT 1:07 P.M..MADAM CLERK, CAN YOU PLEASE TAKE OUR ROLE? YES, PRESIDENT ECHOLS.
DIRECTOR MERCURIO HAS BEEN ASKED TO DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
[LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT]
DIRECTOR SANWONG IS GOING TO DO OUR LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT.WE HUMBLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE ON THE UNCEDED LANDS OF THE OHLONE PEOPLE, AND THAT THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS IS LOCATED WITHIN THE HUCHIUN TERRITORY, WHICH IS THEIR TRADITIONAL, ANCESTRAL AND SHARED HOME SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL.
THE OHLONE PEOPLE HAVE AND CONTINUE TO LIVE IN RECIPROCITY WITH NATURE, UNDERSTANDING THE SEASONS AND CYCLES OF THE NATURAL WORLD, MANAGING RESOURCES FUNDAMENTAL FOR SURVIVAL, AND IMPORTANT TO CULTURAL PRACTICES, ALL WHILE PASSING DOWN THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE.
THANK YOU. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AGENDA?
[APPROVAL OF AGENDA]
SO MOVED. THANK YOU.OKAY. MOVED BY DIRECTOR WAESPI.
ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? OKAY. OUR AGENDA IS APPROVED.
[SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS]
ELLEN CORBETT.WE'RE GOING TO DO A BRIEF PRESENTATION, AND THEN I'M GOING TO LET THE PUBLIC WHO'VE WHO'VE SAID THAT THEY WANT TO SPEAK GO FIRST, AND THEN THE BOARD WILL CLOSE IT OUT.
SO YOU CAN START WITH ERICH PFUEHLER.
YEAH. AS HE GETS THAT PULLED UP, AND THIS IS, AS PRESIDENT ECHOLS MENTIONED, THIS IS A BRIEF PRESENTATION JUST TO WITH SOME FUN SNAPSHOTS OF ELLEN AND HER TENURE IN THE PARK DISTRICT AND SOME OF HER EARLIER TIMES AND JUST WANT TO APPRECIATE STAFF FOR PULLING THIS TOGETHER.
IT WAS VERY HARD, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, TO TRY TO, TO DO THIS, AND BUT REALLY TODAY, BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE HER AND HER TENURE AND JUST REALLY APPRECIATE ERICH FOR ALL THAT HE'S DONE HERE.
[00:05:03]
SNAPSHOTS OF DIRECTOR AND SENATOR ELLEN CORBETT.I WANT TO EXPRESS APPRECIATION TO LISA BALDINGER, FLORA SANTOS AND THE BOARD FOR THEIR INPUT ON THIS PRESENTATION AND ALL THE HARD WORK FOLKS DID TO FIND PICTURES.
THE TITLE OF THIS PRESENTATION REALLY REFLECTS NOT ONLY ELLEN'S PASSION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT REALLY HER PASSION FOR SERVING HER, THE COMMUNITY THAT SHE REPRESENTED.
FROM BEING ELECTED MAYOR OF SAN LEANDRO IN 1994 TO BEING THE LEADER IN THE SENATE FROM 2010 TO 2014.
DIRECTOR CORBETT WAS ALWAYS LOOKING FORWARD.
IN FACT, I WOULD SAY THAT WAS DEFINITELY HER CALL TIME.
DURING HER TIME IN THE LEGISLATURE, SHE INITIATED WALK AND TALKS WITH THE PARK DISTRICT.
AMONG HER FAVORITE LOCATIONS WAS SUNOL, PARTICULARLY DURING WILDFLOWER SEASON, BUT SHE INITIATED THE PROGRAM TO THIS DAY, WHICH IS VERY BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL WITH OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS.
IN 2016, SHE WAS ELECTED TO THE PARK DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND SHE BROUGHT THAT FORWARD LOOKING ENERGY TO THE PARK DISTRICT AS THE CAPSTONE TO HER PUBLIC SERVICE CAREER. IN 19 I'M SORRY.
IN 2018, SHE LED THE CO-LED THE EFFORT WITH DIRECTOR ROSARIO TO EXTEND MEASURE CC AND WITH MEASURE FF EXCEEDING 85% OF THE VOTE, AND IN THIS PICTURE ON THE BOTTOM, SHE IS SEEN WITH FORMER DIRECTOR DOUG SIDEN IN FRONT OF HER.
DIRECTOR SIDEN WAS THE AUTHOR OR WAS THE LEAD FOR MEASURE CC, AND HE ALSO PRECEDED ELLEN IN WARD FOUR, BUT WHAT'S NOT SHOWN IN THE PICTURE IS AT THE EVENT THERE'S A I HAVE A SERIES OF PHOTOS WHERE ELLEN IS ESSENTIALLY WAVING DOUG OVER AND GETTING HIM TO BE PART OF THE TEAM PICTURE AT PARK FEST. ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE EXPERIENCES ELLEN HAD AT THE PARK DISTRICT WAS BEING BOARD PRESIDENT DURING COVID 19. IT WAS, AS WE ALL REMEMBER, A VERY CONFUSING AND DIFFICULT TIME TO KEEP PARKS OPEN, BUT ALSO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR WORKFORCE.
DIRECTOR CORBETT WAS LASER FOCUSED ON ENSURING OUR WORKERS WERE SAFE.
OH BY THE WAY, SHE ALSO MANAGED TO DO WORK ON BOARD GUIDELINES DURING THAT TIME.
THE TWO PICTURES IN THIS SLIDE REALLY SAY A THOUSAND WORDS.
SHE WAS THE LEADER IN RESOLUTIONS DENOUNCING RACISM AND ALSO VIOLENCE AGAINST ASIANS.
SHE WAS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY AND THE JUNETEENTH RESOLUTIONS.
DIRECTOR CORBETT WAS ALSO A VERY STRONG PROPONENT OF EQUITY.
THE TWO EVENTS THAT ARE PICTURED OR THE TWO ISSUES THAT ARE PICTURED HERE.
THE MULTICULTURAL RALLY, WHICH ALWAYS TOOK PLACE AT MARTIN LUTHER KING REGIONAL SHORELINE, AT WHICH DIRECTOR CORBETT WAS THE LEAD EMCEE, AND THEN ALSO THE PICTURE OR THE SYMBOL ON THE RIGHT WITH THE THURGOOD MARSHALL PORT CHICAGO 50, AND IN TERMS OF THOSE ISSUES, THEY WERE BOTH SOCIAL ISSUES, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUES, BUT FOR ELLEN, THEY WERE ALSO WORKER RIGHTS ISSUES.
SHE WOULD ALWAYS REMIND US THAT MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
DIRECTOR CORBETT WAS ALSO A TOOK A MINUTE THERE ALSO A CHAMPION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, AS WE ALL KNOW FROM SAN LEANDRO CREEK AND THE SAN LEANDRO SHORELINE TO THE PARIS CLIMATE ACCORDS.
ELLEN FOUGHT HAD A FORWARD LOOKING APPROACH TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
ALAMEDA POINT HOPING TO BE A FUTURE PARK, WHICH I SEE THE MAYOR OF ALAMEDA, MAYOR ASHCROFT IS HERE.
SO THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, AND THEN THE MLK SHORELINE, WORKING TO SEE THE TRAIL THAT JUDGE JOHN SUTTER SUPPORTED ON DOOLITTLE DRIVE COME TO FRUITION, AND ALSO IMPROVEMENTS AT THE TIDEWATER BOATING FACILITY, AND PERHAPS ABOVE ALL, ELLEN'S PASSION WAS FOR PROGRAMING AND INCREASING PROGRAMS
[00:10:09]
FOR MANY OF THE MEMBERS OF HER COMMUNITY.ELLEN WAS INDEED A MASTER GARDENER.
SHE WAS VERY FOND OF ROSES AND FLOWERS AND ALWAYS ASKING, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO PLANT MORE TREES? THE MAYA ANGELOU QUOTE REFLECTS YEARS OF MENTORING STAFF AND OTHERS OTHER COLLEAGUES SHOWING SEEDS OF FORWARD THINKING PROGRESS.
THE HONORABLE ELLEN CORBETT PUBLIC SERVANT.
THE ROOSEVELT QUOTE SPEAKS TO HER PERSEVERANCE, DETERMINATION, AND PERSISTENCE TO MOVE THE LIVES OF OTHERS FORWARD, AND WITH THAT, PRESIDENT ECHOLS, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE OTHER GUESTS THAT ARE HERE TO SPEAK.
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL PRESENTATION.
WE'RE GOING TO I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND CALL FORWARD OUR GUESTS.
SOME ARE HERE IN PERSON AND SOME ARE VIRTUAL.
WE'RE STARTING WITH SENATOR AISHA WAHAB, WHO I BELIEVE IS ONLINE.
YES, SHE IS, PRESIDENT ECHOLS; JUST GIVE ME ONE SECOND TO ELEVATE HER.
GOOD AFTERNOON, SENATOR. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE.
YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT THE REQUEST TO BECOME A PANELIST.
GOOD MORNING. OR GOOD AFTERNOON, SENATOR WAHAB.
OH, SHE HAS DECLINED THE REQUEST.
SO GRACE WILL BE SPEAKING INSTEAD, I THINK.
OKAY, BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO MOVE ON.
OKAY. SO THEN IN THAT CASE, I BELIEVE MAYOR EZZY ASHCROFT IS HERE.
THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO ADDRESS YOU THIS AFTERNOON.
SO I AM THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA, AND ELLEN CORBETT WAS OUR EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE FOR MANY YEARS, AND SHE REPRESENTED US SO WELL.
ELLEN, I HAVE SUCH FOND MEMORIES OF ELLEN.
SHE WAS A WONDERFUL ROLE MODEL FOR WOMEN IN PUBLIC SERVICE, IN ELECTED OFFICE, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A LOVELY SLIDE PRESENTATION THAT WAS JUST SHOWN, BUT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE ROLES SHE HELD, INCLUDING MAYOR OF OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR, CITY OF SAN LEANDRO.
I THINK THAT ELLEN AND I BONDED BECAUSE WE'RE BOTH AGGIES.
WE'RE BOTH GRADUATES OF UC DAVIS, AND WE BOTH LIKE TO GRAB LUNCH AT THE BLACK BEAR DINER.
SHE LED US SO WELL, AS WAS MENTIONED THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, AND YOU CAN REMEMBER, I'M SURE ALL OF YOU COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF WHO SERVED THAT EVERYONE DISCOVERED THE GREAT OUTDOORS DURING THE PANDEMIC, BUT ALL AT ONCE, AND IT WAS A LITTLE OVERWHELMING, BUT ELLEN, IN THAT WONDERFUL, GRACIOUS, EVER UPBEAT SEE, THE GLASS-IS-HALF-FULL-STYLE.
WE HAD PHONE CALLS, WE DID ZOOMS, WE FIGURED THINGS OUT, AND WE EVEN DURING THE HEIGHT OF COVID, I DID EVERY FRIDAY AT NOON, I DID A MAYOR'S TOWN HALL AND I HAD DIFFERENT GUESTS, AND ELLEN WAS MY GUEST.
WHEN ONE FRIDAY, WHEN PEOPLE WERE ALL WANTING TO GO TO THE BEACH AND NOT WANTING TO BE TOLD, NO, NOT SO MANY, AND WE'VE GOT TO SPACE THIS OUT, AND IT WAS JUST WONDERFUL PROBLEM SOLVING WITH HER, AND AS I SAID, SHE APPROACHED EVERY PROBLEM, EVERY SITUATION WITH SUCH GRACE AND POSITIVE ENERGY AND THAT'S JUST SO TREASURED IN PUBLIC LIFE, AND ALSO IT WAS MENTIONED THAT SEA LEVEL RISE AND CLIMATE CHANGE WAS A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE TO ELLEN AND IS TO ALL OF US, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO LIVE ALONG THE SHORE.
WE KNOW THAT SEA LEVEL RISE IS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO OUR COMMUNITIES, AND THAT'S WHY THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS DISTRICT IS PART OF A 30 AGENCY CONSORTIUM, THE OAKLAND ALAMEDA ADAPTATION COMMITTEE, THAT IS WORKING TOGETHER TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS AND WAYS THAT WE CAN ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE, TO MAKE
[00:15:04]
SURE THAT THE THINGS WE DO IN OUR COMMUNITY DON'T HAVE AN UNINTENDED IMPACT ON A NEIGHBORING COMMUNITY.WE'VE BEEN APPLYING FOR AND GETTING GRANTS, AND ELLEN WAS CERTAINLY A PART OF THAT, THAT EFFORT.
SO I JUST WANT TO REMEMBER, ELLEN, BY SHARING WITH YOU THAT ONE OF MY MOTHER'S FAVORITE QUOTES WAS BRIGHTEN THE CORNER WHERE YOU ARE, AND I THINK WE COULD ALL AGREE THAT ELLEN BRIGHTENED MANY CORNERS IN THE COURSE OF HER WONDERFUL, PRODUCTIVE LIFE. ELLEN, YOU LEFT THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE THAN YOU FOUND IT, AND IT WAS SUCH A PLEASURE AND HONOR FOR ME TO CROSS PATHS WITH YOU.
WE HAVE FROM THE CITY OF SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL MEMBER PETE BALLEW.
DIPLOMACY. THANK YOU FOR HONORING ELLEN.
I'M PETE BALLEW FROM THE SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL, BUT I'M NOT HERE REPRESENTING THE COUNCIL.
I'M HERE REPRESENTING ACTUALLY THE FAMILY BECAUSE THE CORBETT FAMILY IS A SECOND FAMILY TO ME.
I KNEW ELLEN FOR OVER 30 YEARS, EVEN BEFORE SHE WAS ELECTED TO SERVE SAN LEANDRO.
LET ME TELL YOU, ELLEN COULD COOK.
YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT ON THIS BOARD, BUT ELLEN COULD COOK.
SHE COULD MAKE A ROAST THAT WOULD JUST MAKE YOUR MOUTH WATER.
SHE ALWAYS LOVED TO HOST FAMILY.
FLOWERS FROM HER ROSE GARDEN IN DECEMBER.
WHO HAS ROSES IN DECEMBER? BUT SHE WOULD FIND A WAY.
HER WORK ALIGNED WITH HER LIFELONG VALUES OF SERVICE, ACCESS FOR ALL AND BEAUTY, AND THEN SHE SAID, LET'S MEET NEXT WEEK TO SEE HOW WE CAN PARTNER ON IMPROVING THE PARKS IN SAN LEANDRO. PASSION, PURPOSE AND DIPLOMACY.
OKAY, SO WE HAVE IS JOSEPH HANSON HERE? IT SAID TBD, SO.
GOOD. I WASN'T SURE IF YOU WERE HERE IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY.
SO YOU'RE HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING.
THIS IS JOSEPH HANSON FROM US REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA LEE'S OFFICE.
HI. I DID NOT HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH MISS CORBETT, BUT THE CONGRESSWOMAN WANTED TO SEND US HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS HER SINCERE CONDOLENCES FOR ALL OF YOUR GUYS'S LOSS. THE LEGACY OF ELLEN CORBETT IS ONE THAT IS KNOWN ACROSS THE DISTRICT, AND IS ONE THAT IS DEFINITELY KNOWN TO THE CONGRESSWOMAN.
SHE SHE SHARED WITH US THAT SHE HAD A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HER, THAT WENT FAR BEYOND AND EXTENDED BEYOND JUST THIS JOB AS THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE LAST 26 YEARS, GOING BACK TO THE ASSEMBLY, AND SHE JUST WANTED US TO EXPRESS ON HER BEHALF HER SINCERE GRATITUDE AND HER REGRET FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO BE HERE TODAY.
SO NEXT. SO I JUST WANT TO CHECK IN.
HAVE WE HEARD BACK FROM SENATOR WAHAB? IS SHE OH SHE'S THERE.
HI, SENATOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
DEFINITELY. NO, I APPRECIATE IT.
I WILL KEEP THIS AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE.
YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO SAY MY NAME IS AISHA WAHAB.
I'M THE STATE SENATOR FOR DISTRICT TEN, THE DISTRICT THAT SENATOR CORBETT ACTUALLY REPRESENTED WHEN SHE WAS A SENATOR, AND I DO WANT TO SAY THAT IT WAS REALLY SAD TO HEAR OF HER PASSING.
IT WAS VERY QUICK, AND ELLEN AND I WERE ACTUALLY SLATED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION.
SO I REALLY JUST WISH WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT BEFORE SHE PASSED, BUT YOU KNOW, LONG STORY SHORT, ELLEN GENUINELY BROKE A LOT OF GLASS CEILINGS, ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE EAST BAY.
SHE OPENED UP DOORS FOR A LOT OF WOMEN LEADERS, AND THE FACT THAT SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST FEMALE MAYORS IN ONE OF THE EAST BAY CITIES IS EXTREMELY COMMENDABLE, AND SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD ALL UNDERSTAND WAS VERY HARD TO ACHIEVE WHEN SHE BROKE THE GOOD OLD BOYS CLUB, IF YOU WILL.
[00:20:01]
LUNCH, I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW FROM HER EVERY DAY, AND MORE MORE SPECIFICALLY, SHE WAS ALWAYS VERY OPEN AND HONEST AND VERY THOUGHTFUL IN HOW SHE WOULD TALK ABOUT THINGS, EVEN WHEN SHE WAS WORKING ON ISSUES AT CHABOT COLLEGE.SO I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT SHE DID, AND, YOU KNOW, HER POLITICAL CAREER SPANNING OVER THREE DECADES AS SAN LEANDRO MAYOR, STATE ASSEMBLY AND THE SECOND WOMAN IN CALIFORNIA'S HISTORY TO SERVE AS THE SENATE MAJORITY LEADER AND EVENTUALLY THE PRESIDENT OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, IS, YOU KNOW, SUCH AN ACHIEVEMENT FOR A WOMAN IN OUR DISTRICT? AND SHE VERY MUCH VISITED MY OFFICE WHEN I FIRST GOT ELECTED VERY EARLY ON, AND SHE SAID IT GAVE HER SOME HINT OF NOSTALGIA, AND I REMINDED HER THAT NEARLY A DECADE EARLIER, I SHADOWED HER WHEN SHE WAS THE MAJORITY LEADER, AND SHE MADE ME SIT IN HER SEAT AND SPIN IN IT, AND IT'S IN THE SENATE, ESPECIALLY IN THE OLD CAPITOL .
SO I THINK THAT SHE WILL DEEPLY, DEEPLY BE MISSED BY MANY, MANY PEOPLE, BUT ALSO BY ME, AND I HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN JUST DO SOMETHING TO HONOR HER MEMORY.
I KNOW THAT I CLOSED ONE OF OUR SENATE MEETINGS, FLOOR SESSIONS WITH AN ADJOURN IN MEMORY, IN HER MEMORY, AND I'M HOPING THAT WE CAN DO SOMETHING COLLECTIVELY TO HONOR HER MEMORY HERE IN THE EAST BAY AS WELL.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME, AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS JUST TAKING A MOMENT TO HONOR HER LEGACY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, SENATOR WAHAB, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING IN HER HONOR AS WELL.
DEAR FRIENDS, I WAS DEEPLY SADDENED TO HEAR OF ELLEN'S PASSING.
ELLEN'S LIFE WAS ONE OF JOY AND CONTINUED PASSION FOR SERVICE.
ELLEN LIVED A VERY IMPRESSIVE LIFE AND OUR COMMUNITY IS THANKFUL FOR HER YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE.
SO AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR ALLOWING US THE TIME TO RECOGNIZE HER, AND I WANT TO CONVEY MY CONDOLENCES TO YOU ALL AS WE LOST A GREAT CHAMPION FOR FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT HERE. THANK YOU.
I AM HERE ON BEHALF OF ASSEMBLY MEMBER LIZ ORTEGA'S OFFICE.
I HAVE SOME WORDS HERE TO SHARE ON BEHALF OF ASSEMBLY MEMBER ORTEGA.
THE PASSING OF DIRECTOR CORBETT HAS BEEN HEARTBREAKING FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND BEYOND.
ELLEN'S IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY, STATE AND COUNTLESS INDIVIDUALS CANNOT BE OVERSTATED.
ELLEN CORBETT WAS THE FIRST WOMAN ELECTED AS MAYOR OF SAN LEANDRO.
SHATTERING THE GLASS CEILING AND PAVING THE WAY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS OF WOMEN LEADERS.
[00:25:05]
VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND STALKING, TO EXPANDING EMERGENCY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS.BEYOND HER LEGISLATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ELLEN WAS A MENTOR AND FRIEND TO ME.
HER GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT WERE INVALUABLE AS I NAVIGATED THE CHALLENGES OF PUBLIC SERVICE.
ELLEN'S LEGACY IS ONE OF COMPASSION, COURAGE, AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE.
SHE WILL BE DEEPLY MISSED, BUT HER SPIRIT LIVES ON IN THE WORK WE DO AND IN THE LIVES WE TOUCHED.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I THINK WE HAVE ONE MORE GUEST HERE TO SPEAK.
MONA FAVORITE-HILL FROM EAST BAY MUD.
IT'S RARE TO SEE ONE PERSON ACCOMPLISH SO MUCH AND BREAK DOWN SO MANY BARRIERS.
FROM HER HISTORY MAKING ELECTION AS THE FIRST WOMAN MAYOR OF SAN LEANDRO TO HER TIME IN THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE, LATER FIGHTING FOR BOTH CLEAN WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, MS. CORBETT EXEMPLIFIED PUBLIC SERVICE AND DEDICATION TO HER COMMUNITY.
THE EAST BAY MUD BOARD OF DIRECTORS CLOSED THEIR AUGUST 13TH, 2024 MEETING IN HONOR OF ELLEN MARIE CORBETT WITH DEEPEST SYMPATHY AND FROM OUR BOARD PRESIDENT, LESA MCINTOSH, AND THE REST OF OUR BOARD.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND THANK YOU ALSO FOR ADJOURNING IN HER HONOR.
OKAY. I THINK, MADAM CLERK, IS THAT ALL OF OUR GUEST SPEAKERS? THOSE ARE ALL THE ONES THAT HAVE SIGNED UP.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYONE IN THE ROOM.
IF THERE'S ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO JUMP IN BEFORE THE BOARD DOES, GO AHEAD.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC SPEAKERS? OKAY. ALL RIGHT, WELL, THEN I'LL ASK IF ANYONE ANY OF MY FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS WOULD LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS.
I'VE KNOWN ELLEN FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.
FIRST TIME MEETING HER IN CAFE ZOCALO, WHEN I WAS A POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF ONE FOR AFSCME 2428, AND SINCE THEN I WAS STRUCK BY HOW GENUINELY NICE SHE WAS, AND IT WAS GOOD TO SEE THAT HERE AS A COLLEAGUE ON THE BOARD, THAT SHE WAS, IN FACT, THAT NICE PERSON, AND SHE WAS BRILLIANT AND I THINK.
IT WAS AN HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE TO WORK WITH HER, TO SEE HOW BRILLIANT SHE WAS, HOW ASTUTE SHE IS AND WAS AT GUIDING US THROUGH THE PANDEMIC, GUIDING US THROUGH A TRANSITION IN GENERAL.
MANAGERS AND HER ALWAYS CONSCIOUS HER.
HER ALWAYS CONSCIOUS OF HOW PEOPLE FEEL, HOW PEOPLE ARE DESERVING OF THEIR IDENTITIES AND THEIR ACCESS TO NOT ONLY OUR PARKS, BUT THE RIGHTS OF CITIZENS AS CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES AND SHE WAS A COURAGEOUS PERSON, TOO.
THERE WERE VERY, VERY FEW OF US THAT KNEW OF HER, HER HER BATTLES WITH HER ILLNESS, AND IT SHOCKED EVEN ME THAT SHE WAS SO CLOSE. IT WAS JUST SHOCKING TO SEE THAT SHE HAD PASSED SO QUICKLY, BUT HER BATTLES WERE ONGOING, AND IT WAS REALLY HARD TO SEE HER IN DECLINE, BUT SHE WAS SUCH A TROOPER AND SO COURAGEOUS THAT SHE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE PART OF THE PARK DISTR
[00:30:10]
ICT. SHE CAME TO EVERYTHING THAT SHE COULD.SHE WANTED TO PARTICIPATE SO BADLY, AND TOWARDS THE END, SHE WASN'T ABLE TO, BUT SHE TRIED, AND FOR ME, THAT'S SPEAKS VOLUMES TO HER CHARACTER, AND SHE WAS ALWAYS, ALWAYS CONCERNED ABOUT HER CONSTITUENTS, AND I WILL MISS HER.
I WILL MISS HER, HER SMILE, AND I'LL AND I CAN'T REMEMBER, I'LL ALWAYS CHERISH THE MOMENT SHE INVITED ME TO WORK WITH HER IN HER GARDEN AT THE MASTER'S GARDEN IN HAYWARD.
SO I WILL MISS HER, AND THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THE KIND WORDS FROM EVERYONE.
DIRECTOR MERCURIO. SO, ELLEN SAT RIGHT HERE.
I SAT THERE AND I GOT TO SIT THERE FOR, I DON'T KNOW, I'VE ONLY BEEN ON THE BOARD A YEAR AND A HALF, AND I HONESTLY DIDN'T KNOW HER BEFORE THAT, BUT IT WAS QUITE AN EXPERIENCE BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE ANYBODY, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO HER PREDECESSORS, WAS EVER A MORE DEVOTED AND STEADFAST ADVOCATE FOR WARD FOUR THAN ELLEN WAS, TO THE POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD WE WOULD HEAR IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THAT SHE WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO GET MORE PARKS FOR HER WARD AND, YOU KNOW, SHE'D NEVER STOPPED, AND SO YOU KNOW, I SOMETIMES I WONDER IF I'M BEING TOO INSISTENT ON CERTAIN THINGS ABOUT MY WARD, BUT AS I STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT, I, YOU KNOW, WELL, YOU KNOW, SHE SET A MODEL OF HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR THE FOLKS THAT YOU REPRESENT, THAT WE REPRESENT.
I ALSO HAD A CHANCE TO ATTEND THE MARTIN LUTHER KING CELEBRATION EVERY YEAR THAT SHE'S BEEN A PART OF FOR PROBABLY DECADES, I BELIEVE, AND TO SEE HOW PASSIONATE SHE WAS ABOUT BEING INVOLVED IN THAT AND LEADING THAT, AND SHE REALLY WAS, SHE WAS PART OF THAT PROGRAM VERY STRONGLY, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING TO BE A REAL LOSS FOR THAT GROUP AS WELL, BECAUSE SHE WON'T BE AROUND TO BE THAT BIG CHEERLEADER FOR IT, BUT I'M SURE THERE'LL BE OTHER FOLKS WHO'LL STEP IN YOU KNOW, TO ASSUME THAT.
I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE ELSE IS GOING TO HAVE TO FILL HER, GOING TO HAVE TO FILL HER SPOT IN WARD FOUR, AND THEY'VE GOT SOME BIG SHOES TO FILL.
THAT'S STATING THE OBVIOUS TO THE MAX, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE REST OF US ARE GOING TO BE HERE TO SUPPORT WHOEVER COMES IN AND GIVE THEM ADVICE, WHETHER THEY ASK FOR IT OR NOT, AND FINALLY, THE I'D NEVER SEEN THAT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT QUOTE BEFORE.
I'M SURPRISED I MISSED THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY A GREAT ONE AND IT SORT OF THERE'S A FEW QUOTES THAT I LIKE TO CARRY AROUND WITH ME.
ONE FROM BOBBY KENNEDY AND ONE FROM JOHN KENNEDY.
I THINK I'M GOING TO ADD THAT ELEANOR ROOSEVELT ONE TO MY COLLECTION OF FAVORITE QUOTES.
YOU KNOW, BECAUSE AGAIN, IT PERSONIFIES SORT OF THE STICK-TO-ITIVENESS THAT SHE HAD AND THE BELIEF IN YOU KNOW, WHAT SHE WANTED TO PURSUE.
I'M GOING TO ASK FOR VOLUNTEERS FROM THIS SIDE.
YEAH, IT'S A BIT STILL RAW FOR ME, AND THERE WERE CERTAIN TIMES OF THE EVENINGS WHEN ELLEN USED TO CALL, AND TO THIS DAY, IF I'M GETTING A CALL AT THAT TIME OF NIGHT, I LOOK OVER AND WONDER IF, YOU KNOW, DOES IT SAY, ELLEN, IT'S JUST IT'S HASN'T SUNK IN.
ELLEN WAS A VERY CLOSE COLLEAGUE HERE ON THIS DAIS WITH ME, AND I MISS THAT A LOT.
I MISS THE FRIENDSHIP A LOT, AND THE COLLEGIAL PART OF THE RELATIONSHIP THAT I HAD WITH HER IS VERY INTERESTING, BECAUSE OUR BIO ERICH STARTED OFF WITH HER IN THE 90S.
I MET ELLEN PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME IN LATE 79, EARLY 1980, AND I WAS
[00:35:05]
VERY ACTIVE IN A RICHMOND CAMPAIGN FOR A BATTLE FOR THE SUCCESSOR OF THE LEGENDARY LEGISLATOR, JOHN T KNOX, WHO WAS RETIRING, AND THE BATTLE WAS A PRIMARY, AND ASSEMBLYMAN BILL LOCKYER WAS BACKING THE SAME CANDIDATE MY FACTION WAS BACKING AND BILL LOCKYER SENT OVER A BUNCH OF KIDS TO WORK IN THIS CAMPAIGN THAT I GOT TO KNOW THEM ALL REAL WELL, VERY CLOSELY FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, AND WE CALLED THEM THE LOCKYER LACKEYS AFFECTIONATELY, AND THEY INCLUDED ELLEN CORBETT AND JOHAN CLAES AND SOME OTHER PEOPLE WHOSE NAMES WE RECOGNIZE TODAY, AND THAT WAS EARLY 19.WE WERE KIDS. I THINK I WAS STILL IN COLLEGE.
ELLEN MAY HAVE STARTED LAW SCHOOL AT THAT POINT, AND WHAT WE SHARED IN COMMON, ASIDE FROM BEING GRASSROOTS, STREET LEVEL, PRECINCT WALKING YOUNG DEMOCRATS WE BOTH SHARED THIS CONCEPT THAT COLLEGE AND LAW SCHOOL WERE BASICALLY SIDE GIGS TO WHATEVER POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS CAUSES WE WERE INVOLVED IN OUR TEENS AND 20S.
WE WENT TO SACRAMENTO FOR A DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION, AND WE ENDED UP IN NEW YORK AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN DURING THE CONVENTION THAT RENOMINATED JIMMY CARTER, BUT ELLEN AND I WERE WHITE FOR TEDDY KENNEDY, AND SO I REMEMBER TABLING AS I STARTED COLLEGE AT CAL, WE TABLED SPROUL PLAZA FOR SENATOR KENNEDY FOR PRESIDENT, AND WE USED TO PLASTER THE AREA.
IT WAS 1980 KENNEDY IN 80, AND SHE AND I, IN LATER YEARS AGREED THAT WAS A MISTAKE.
WE SHOULD HAVE SUPPORTED THE PRESIDENT IN ANY EVENT.
ELLEN WENT ON AND ACTUALLY WENT INTO PUBLIC SERVICE VERY QUICKLY.
SO A YOUNG CITY COUNCILMEMBER, MAYOR, ASSEMBLY, SENATE FOR ALL THOSE YEARS.
SO THE INTERVENING 40 YEARS I JUST SPOKE TO, SHE WAS RUNNING FOR OFFICE AND IN PUBLIC SERVICE, AND HAVING A VERY DYNAMIC AND DRAMATIC AND IMPACTFUL CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE.
I WENT INTO THE PUBLIC SECTOR AND MY ROLE WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE MINIMAL, BUT I REMEMBER EVERY SO OFTEN LOOKING AT MY WIFE AND HAVING A CHECKBOOK AND SAYING, I'M WRITING ANOTHER CHECK FOR CORBETT FOR WHATEVER YEARS CORBETT FOR COUNCIL, CORBETT FOR MAYOR, CORBETT FOR ASSEMBLY . SO, YOU KNOW, I HAD A MORE LIMITED ROLE IN MY POLITICS IN THOSE INTERVENING YEARS, AND THEN COLLEGIALLY WE CAME BACK HERE AND SHE'S ON THIS BOARD AND I GOT ELECTED; THIS IS MY FIRST ELECTIVE OFFICE, AND ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE COLLEAGUES, COLLEAGUES IN ARMS, COMRADES IN A VERY IMPORTANT CAUSE IN THE MISSION OF THIS PARK DISTRICT, AND I TREASURED THAT, AND IT WAS IT WAS FUN, AND THAT WHOLE HISTORY IS FUN TO LOOK BACK ON AS OPPOSED TO HER STRUGGLE IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO, AND I WANT TO JUST ECHO HOW IMPRESSED I WAS AND REMARKABLE IT WAS THAT SHE HAD THIS DETERMINATION DESPITE THE BARRIERS, DESPITE THE, YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, A BIT OF BIT SCARY TO HAVE TO PARTICIPATE NOT ONLY IN MEETINGS LIKE THIS, BUT MEETINGS IN CONFERENCES, MEETINGS OUT IN THE FIELD, AND SHE KEPT IT UP.
UP UNTIL BASICALLY VERY CLOSE TO WHEN SHE COULDN'T DO IT ANYMORE, AND THAT WAS JUST A REMARKABLE DETERMINATION ON HER PART, THAT PART OF THE LAST FEW MONTHS I'M GOING TO REMEMBER, BUT SHE'LL SHE'LL BE APPRECIATED AND I WILL HAVE ALL THOSE YEARS TO APPRECIATE AND REMEMBER.
DIRECTOR SANWONG? YEAH. IT'S GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING COMPARISON AND CONTRAST TO WHAT YOU JUST SHARED WITH US IN REGARDS TO YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH ELLEN CORBETT.
[00:40:02]
AND I'VE NEVER REALLY SHARED THIS BEFORE, BUT ELLEN CORBETT WAS ACTUALLY MY SECOND CALL, AND I'VE KNOWN ELLEN FOR A LONG TIME.SO SHE REPRESENTED PLEASANTON IN SACRAMENTO FOR A GOOD PART OF HER CAREER, AND I KNEW WHO SHE WAS, BUT I KNEW WHO SHE WAS, MAYBE IN A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT WAY THAN COLIN DID. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF HER STAFF, THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED FOR ELLEN I CONSIDER TO BE MY PEERS, AND SO IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE FOR ME. I REMEMBER BEFORE I, YOU KNOW, HIT THE CALL BUTTON TO CALL ELLEN ON MY PHONE.
I KIND OF PACED AROUND A LITTLE BIT, BECAUSE I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT I WAS GOING TO BE CALLING HER TO TALK TO HER ABOUT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT AND WHEN SHE AND I FINALLY CONNECTED, YOU KNOW, IT'S SO INTERESTING WHAT WHAT JOHN SAID, HOW SHE WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A BROKEN RECORD IN TERMS OF REPEATING HER ADVOCACY FOR WARD FOUR IN REGARDS TO THE PARKS AND THE ACREAGE.
IN, IN THAT DISTRICT, AND CERTAINLY IT'S A VERY DENSELY POPULATED DISTRICT.
SO WHEN I CALL HER CALLED HER TO TALK ABOUT RUNNING FOR EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS DISTRICT, THAT'S WHAT SHE TALKED TO ME ABOUT, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT CERTAINLY RESONATES WITH ME THAT ADVOCACY OF ELLEN CORBETT IN TERMS OF THINKING ABOUT WARD FOUR AND THE CHALLENGES OF A VERY DENSELY POPULATED AREA, AN AREA WITH, YOU KNOW, LESS ACREAGE AND FEWER PARKS BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE LIVING THERE, AS WELL AS SOME SOME LARGER SPACES, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING OAKLAND AIRPORT AND AND, YOU KNOW, IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW HERE AT PERALTA OAKS, THIS IS PART OF WARD FOUR, AND SO I THINK IT'S ALSO FITTING FOR US TO, TO THINK OF HER BEING HERE WITHIN THIS AREA, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF REFLECTIONS OF ELLEN, I DID PULL UP THE YOU KNOW, THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
REGIONAL SHORELINE REPORT WE HAVE, AND THERE'S A NICE QUOTE FROM ELLEN IN HERE THAT I'D LIKE TO READ, BECAUSE I THINK IT DOES REFLECT A LOT OF HER, HER WORK IN ADVOCACY FOR THE DISTRICT THAT SHE REPRESENTED HERE AT EAST BAY PARKS.
SHE SAID THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
THE SHORELINE IS AN INCREDIBLE OPEN SPACE PROTECTING ENDANGERED SPECIES DESPITE THE CHALLENGES.
ELLEN CORBETT, PARK DISTRICT BOARD DIRECTOR, AND SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN SHARE SOME OF HER OWN WORDS TODAY, BUT YEAH, I ALSO WANT TO THANK, YOU KNOW, THE PLEASANTON WEEKLY DID REACH OUT TO ME TO ASK ME FOR YOU KNOW, FOR A QUOTE AND SOME THOUGHTS IN REGARDS TO ELLEN, AND I DO WANT TO SHARE SOME OF WHAT I HAD SHARED WITH THE PLEASANTON WEEKLY AND WHAT GOT PUBLISHED IN THE PLEASANTON WEEKLY, BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING THAT I ALSO VERY MUCH ADMIRE.
IN REGARDS TO ELLEN'S WORK IN SACRAMENTO, AND SO I'M GOING TO READ THAT RIGHT NOW REAL QUICK.
A NOTEWORTHY EXAMPLE, IN 2008, SENATOR CORBETT, WHOSE DISTRICT INCLUDED PLEASANTON AT THE TIME, CHAMPIONED SENATE BILL 1313, A GROUNDBREAKING BILL TO BAN TEFLON CHEMICALS FROM FAST FOOD PACKAGING.
ALTHOUGH GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER VETOED THE BILL, HER EFFORTS BROUGHT TO LIGHT THE DANGERS OF THESE CHEMICALS, NOW MORE BROADLY KNOWN AS PFAS, AND INSPIRED US ALL WITH HER DEDICATION TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY.
MANY OF US IN THE TRI-VALLEY REGION ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE CHALLENGES POSED BY PFAS, AND I OFTEN WONDER WHERE THINGS WOULD STAND TODAY IF CALIFORNIA HAD PASSED THE FIRST IN THE NATION, PFAS REGULATIONS IN 2008, AND I JUST THINK IT'S INCREDIBLE THAT, YOU KNOW, ELLEN WAS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS, AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE STILL, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT TODAY, AND HAD HER HAD GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER SIGNED HER BILL BACK IN 2008, WE MIGHT BE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE TODAY, AND I JUST THINK THAT'S SO INCREDIBLE OF ELLEN.
I WILL SHARE, YOU KNOW, IT WAS IT WAS A LITTLE BIT SAD, ACTUALLY.
EARLIER TODAY WE DID HAVE CLOSED SESSION AND, YOU KNOW, LUNCH IN OUR CLOSED SESSION ROOM OVER THERE OFF TO THE SIDE, AND WHEN WE WERE SITTING THERE, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER SINCE SHE PASSED, AND IT JUST IT DID HIT ME AND I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT TO SAY WHEN WE WERE ALL IN THERE, BUT THEN I STARTED TO CHUCKLE A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE WERE LOOKING AT OUR MAP OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, AND I DO REMEMBER, I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE EVEN BEEN THE LAST TIME WE ALL HAD LUNCH TOGETHER IN THAT ROOM WITH ELLEN, IF NOT THE LAST, AND THE SECOND TO LAST TIME, BUT AGAIN, HER ADVOCACY IN REGARDS TO PARKS AND ACREAGE AND WARD FOUR.
SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT WHEN WE WERE HAVING LUNCH AND POINTING TO ALL THE PARKS IN WARD FOUR.
YOU KNOW, ON THE MAP, AND I DO REMEMBER DENNIS IS REALLY FUNNY.
[00:45:03]
HE'S LIKE, OH, ELLEN, WE'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AGAIN TODAY, ARE WE? AND IT WAS JUST IT WAS JUST A REALLY SWEET MOMENT, THOUGH, AND I THINK I WANT TO KEEP THAT AS A NICE MEMORY OF ALL OF US TOGETHER AND OUR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT.WELL, I THINK WE'VE ALL TODAY RECOGNIZED WHAT A PIONEER AND WHAT A GREAT STATE AND CITY LEGISLATOR.
ELLEN WAS AND IN A VERY EFFECTIVE SHE WAS A CHAMPION.
I THINK IT WAS THE CASTRO VALLEY SANITARY DISTRICT.
THEN LATER AT HARD, WE WOULD GO UP TO SACRAMENTO, WHICH WE DO, BUT WE WERE DOING THIS WITH OTHER AGENCIES AND MAYBE ACSDA, I'M NOT SURE, BUT WE'D COME TO MEET OUR LEGISLATORS UP THERE.
IT WAS WONDERFUL. SHE WOULD INVITE YOU INTO THAT PALATIAL HISTORIC OFFICE.
HAVE YOU SIT DOWN ON THAT SAME COUCH THAT PROBABLY THE HIRAM.
WHOEVER WAS THE GOVERNOR AT THE TIME SAT IN, AND IT WAS JUST A WONDER SHE MADE YOU FEEL VERY, VERY COMFORTABLE THERE, AND LIKE WE ALL HAVE BEEN SAYING, SHE WAS VERY HAPPY. SHE LOVED WHAT SHE DID.
SHE WAS I DON'T WANT TO USE A HUBERT HUMPHREY QUOTE, BUT SHE WAS A HAPPY WARRIOR.
SHE PICKED CAUSES AND SHE WAS ALWAYS VERY HAPPY, FRIENDLY, CARING, AND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE THINGS I THINK ABOUT WHEN I THINK OF HER, WHEN, WHEN I WENT UP THERE AS A BOARD MEMBER, REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT BOARD MEMBER IN SACRAMENTO.
YOU CAN GO BACK AROUND IN THE LITTLE CUBBY HOLES AND ALL OVER THE PLACE, AND THERE'S ALWAYS A SECURITY PERSON THAT'S KIND OF GOING, HEY, HEY, AND THEN THEY RECOGNIZED ELLEN AND GO, OH, HELLO, SENATOR CORBETT, HOW ARE YOU? AND THEY ALL REMEMBERED HER AND KNEW HER, AND SHE SAID, HEY, CAN I TAKE THESE GUYS BACK AROUND HERE AND OVER HERE AND UP AND DOWN AND WE DID ALL KINDS OF THAT STUFF, AND EVERYBODY THAT WAS UP THERE KNEW HER.
WE'D GET INTO ELEVATORS AND THEY'D SAY, OH, SENATOR CORBETT, HOW ARE YOU? AND WE'D HAVE THIS LONG CONVERSATION, OR SHE WOULD HAVE A LONG CONVERSATION AND WE'D LISTEN IN, AND SHE WAS WELL RESPECTED AND LOVED UP THERE AND OBVIOUSLY WAS HERE ALSO.
SHE REALLY TOOK PRIDE IN THAT.
I KEPT SAYING, NO, IT'S A BIG DISTRICT.
YOU KNOW, I GOT TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH ELLEN.
IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, I DID A LOT OF TRAVELING WITH HER.
WE WOULD GO TO CONFERENCES TOGETHER.
I TRAVELED, AND, YOU KNOW, I'D GET TO BE ALONE WITH HER IN MY CAR FOR LONG DISTANCES.
WE WENT UP TO SACRAMENTO TOGETHER, JUST HER AND I, FOR A CONFERENCE UP THERE.
WE WENT TO SACRAMENTO TOGETHER.
I TRAVELED WITH HER TO WASHINGTON, DC.
SHE REALLY STRUGGLED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT SHE DEFINITELY WANTED TO CONTINUE SERVING HER CONSTITUENTS AND THE REGIONAL PARK DISTR ICT, AND IT WAS GREAT TO GET TO KNOW HER AS A PERSON.
I KNOW EVERYONE DOES, AND COUNCILMEMBER BALLEW, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
IF YOU SEE THOSE ROSES IN HER FRONT YARD, YOU GO, HOLY SMOKE.
ANYWAY YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WAS SAID TODAY SHE SHE CAME TO THE PARK DISTRICT.
SHE FOUGHT FOR IT, AND SHE REPRESENTED HER CONSTITUENTS VERY WELL, AND FOR EVERYONE THAT VALUES PARKS AND OPEN SPACE AND I'LL MISS HER VERY MUCH.
YEAH. SO I'VE KNOWN ELLEN QUITE A LONG TIME AS OTHERS HAVE.
I FIRST MET ELLEN ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO, WHEN I WAS FIRST DIPPING MY TOE INTO EAST BAY POLITICS AND RUNNING FOR THE ALAMEDA COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CENTRAL COMMITTEE, AND SHE SUPPORTED ME THEN, AND SHE SUPPORTED ME EVER AFTER.
SO IT WAS, YOU KNOW, SHE'S BEEN REALLY A TRUE FRIEND AND MENTOR, AND I KNOW THAT MANY, MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEN SOME NOT SO YOUNG PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF, HAVE ALL BEEN MENTORED BY ELLEN CORBETT AND ESPECIALLY YOUNG WOMEN, BUT ALSO YOUNG MEN AS WELL, WHO I'VE TALKED TO SINCE HER PASSING, JUST HOW MUCH ELLEN CORBETT HAS MEANT TO THEM AND TO THEIR CAREERS, AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY QUITE, A QUITE A LEGACY.
IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, ALL OF HER INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENTS.
[00:50:02]
SO, YOU KNOW, THE PROBLEM WITH GOING LAST IS THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID, BUT I'LL JUST SAY THEM AGAIN.SO, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY ONE OF THE THINGS I RESPECT SO MUCH ABOUT DIRECTOR CORBETT IS HER UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO WHAT SHE BELIEVES IN IS RIGHT.
I THINK SOMEONE ELSE SAID NO MATTER HOW HARD IT WAS, NO MATTER HOW HARD THE FIGHT, NO MATTER HOW MANY PEOPLE DISAGREED WITH HER, AND SHE WAS A VISIONARY IN HER LEADERSHIP.
SHE KNEW HOW THINGS SHOULD BE AND THEN REALLY FOUGHT TO GET THERE AND BROUGHT PEOPLE ALONG WITH HER, IN HER, IN HER PLEASANT WAY, AND WAS EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE.
HER COMMITMENT TO THE ENVIRONMENT, PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY, JUSTICE, CIVIL RIGHTS, WORKERS RIGHTS THESE WERE ALL THINGS THAT SHE MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON IN THE WELL, FIRST, AS COUNCIL MEMBER AND MAYOR IN SAN LEANDRO, BUT THEN IN THE LEGISLATURE AND HERE, AND IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S A REMARKABLE CAREER.
THIS WAS JUST THIS LAST SPRING IN MARCH, AND SHE.
OH, NO. SORRY, AND WE WERE UP THERE END OF JANUARY.
ANYWAY, SO WE'RE WALKING BACK TO, YOU KNOW, THE PLACE WHERE WE WERE SORT OF I GUESS WITH THE CONSULTANT THAT WE WERE WORKING WITH AND WALKING BACK TO THAT OFFICE AND SHE'S LIKE, HEY, YOU WANT TO COME WITH ME THROUGH THE CAPITAL AND I WAS LIKE, SURE, WHY NOT? WE HAVE PLENTY OF TIME BECAUSE WE WERE DONE FOR THE DAY, AND SURE ENOUGH, YOU KNOW, AND NOW IT'S EVEN MORE BLOCKED OFF THAN IT HAD BEEN BEFORE, AND, BUT EVERYBODY LET HER IN.
THEY, AND THE OTHER THING THAT I LEARNED ABOUT ELLEN THAT I DIDN'T KNOW WAS THAT SHE STARTED OUT HER POLITICAL CAREER AS A TOUR GUIDE UP THERE IN SACRAMENTO. SO SHE WAS LIKE A HERO FOR ALL OF THE TOUR GUIDES SHE WAS FAMOUS FROM ALL THE TOUR GUIDES WHO DIDN'T EVEN, HAD NEVER EVEN MET HER BECAUSE SHE WAS THE TOUR GUIDE WHO BECAME SENATE MAJORITY LEADER.
I MEAN, I LOVE THAT, IT'S JUST FABULOUS.
YEAH. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK WHEN AND WHAT EVERYONE SAID ABOUT WORKING ON BEHALF OF HER CONSTITUENTS, TOO; SHE NEVER STOPPED.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT WAS IN SAN LEANDRO OR IN THE LEGISLATURE OR CERTAINLY HERE ON THE PARK BOARD, SHE WAS 100% FOCUSED ON HER CONSTITUENTS, WHAT THEY NEEDED.
YOU KNOW, ARE THEY GETTING THEIR FAIR SHARE? YOU KNOW, SHE WAS, YOU KNOW, VERY, VERY FOCUSED, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, IN A WAY THAT POLITELY, PERSISTENTLY, YOU KNOW, BRINGING UP THE NEEDS OF HER DISTRICT AND I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, SHE JUST WORKED ABSOLUTELY TIRELESSLY NONSTOP ON BEHALF OF PEOPLE.
THAT WAS THE WAY SHE SERVED, AND CERTAINLY FOR ME, I'M STILL TRYING TO GRASP THE IDEA THAT SHE'S GONE BECAUSE WHEN THERE'S SOMEONE WHO'S SUCH A FORCE AND HAS SUCH AN IMPACT IN THE WORLD AND HAS BEEN A FRIEND AND ALLY TO SO MANY, IT'S JUST IT IS; IT'S A HUGE HOLE THAT SHE LEAVES BEHIND AND IT'S JUST KIND OF LIKE, WELL, WAIT, WHERE'D SHE GO? WHERE IS SHE, RIGHT? SO BUT AT LEAST I AM SOMEWHAT COMFORTED IN THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS INCREDIBLE LEGACY THAT SHE'S LEFT BEHIND, NOT JUST IN THE ACHIEVEMENTS THAT SHE HAS MADE HERE AND IN THE LEGISLATURE AND IN SAN LEANDRO, BUT ALSO IN THE PEOPLE WHO SHE HAS MENTORED AND OPENED DOORS FOR AND HELPED ALONG THE WAY, AND, YOU KNOW, I CERTAINLY COUNT MYSELF VERY LUCKY TO HAVE KNOWN HER AND WORKED WITH HER AND, YOU KNOW, BEEN ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO SHE MENTORED, AND I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.
OKAY. WOULD FOLKS LIKE TO TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK? DIRECTOR WAESPI WAS SUGGESTING.
DO YOU GUYS WANT TO? I'LL LEAVE IT TO YOU GUYS.
[PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA]
[00:55:03]
YES, PRESIDENT ECHOLS.WE'RE GOING TO START WITH WHO'S IN THE ROOM? RENEE PATTERSON.
YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, MA'AM.
I HAVEN'T DONE THIS IN A WHILE, SO I'M LIKE.
I'M HERE TODAY TO REMIND YOU OF THE PERBS FILING THAT STATE OF CALIFORNIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEE BOARD.
AFSCME FILED AN UNFAIR PRACTICE CHARGE ON AUGUST 26TH, 2022.
THE CHARGE WAS FOR BAD FAITH BARGAINING, INTERFERENCE, DIRECT DEALING, UNILATERAL IMPLEMENTATION.
EVEN IF, YOU KNOW, IT DID HAPPEN THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAD THEIR FIRST MEETING.
SO I'M HOPING THAT'S REALLY TRUE AND THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED, BUT NOTHING CONCRETE YET.
THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SUNIL KUMAR SINGH.
YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. GOOD AFTERNOON.
OH, OKAY. THIS IS SUNIL SINGH.
FREMONT, RESIDENT OF FREMONT CITY, AND HERE I AM TODAY TO REMIND, NOT REMIND.
IT IS REQUEST TO INCREASE THE MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE LIMIT FOR OUR SPECIAL EVENT CALLED CHHATH IN THE QUARRY LAKE. CHHATH IS AN ANCIENT HINDU RELIGIOUS EVENT, MOSTLY CELEBRATED IN PART OF INDIA AND NEPAL, AND IT IS A RELIGIOUS EVENT.
SO WE HAVE BEEN DOING QUARRY LAKE THE SAME EVENT PAST YEAR.
EVERY YEAR WE STARTED WITH 2250 PEOPLE PERMIT FIRST TIME, THEN 500, THEN 700, THEN 1000, 1500.
AS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE CAME TO KNOW ABOUT THIS EVENT, AND SINCE IT IS A RELIGIOUS IN NATURE, MANY PEOPLE WANT TO JOIN, AND NOW WE WILL REQUEST TO GIVE THE PERMIT OF AT LEAST 2500 PEOPLE SO THAT ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN BE ACCOMMODATED AND IF YOU SEE THERE ARE A LOT OF SPACE IS AVAILABLE, AT LEAST 5000 PEOPLE CAN ACCOMMODATE THAT PLACE, AND I DON'T FIND ANY REGION, WHICH IS WHY NOT WE CAN INCREASE THE NUMBER AND IT HAS BEEN EVERY OUR EVENT IS VERY PEACEFUL, WELL-ORGANIZED. IT HAS BEEN WITNESSED BY ALL SUPERVISOR, EAST BAY SUPERVISOR, INCLUDING THE PRESIDENT, MR. WAESPI. HE HAS ATTENDED HIMSELF TOO, AND SO WE REQUEST TO INCREASE THE LIMIT TO 2500 SO THAT ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN ATTEND THE EVENT.
THAT'S ALL. GO ON TO THE REQUEST.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING TODAY.
YES, MADAM CHAIR, MAY I MAKE A COMMENT? YES. GO AHEAD. DIRECTOR WAESPI.
YEAH. SO I HAVE ATTENDED THIS EVENT.
SO THE FOLKS THAT ADHERE TO THIS, I GUESS YOU NEED TO BE IN THE IN WATER JUST UP TO YOUR ANKLES.
IT'S A NATURAL BODY OF WATER WHEN THE SUN SETS ON A CERTAIN DAY, WHICH I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH, AND YOU NEED TO ALSO BE IN THE WATER WHEN THE SUN RISES THE NEXT DAY.
BEAUTIFUL CULTURAL EXPERIENCE.
PEOPLE ARE DRESSED IN FINERY THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE AND FACE PAINTING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
[01:00:03]
BLESS AND HAVE.I'VE SEEN IT GO AND AS SUNIL HAS POINTED OUT, IT STARTED OFF AT 250, WENT TO 500 AND WE SEEM TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE NUMBERS, AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, IN MY OPINION, I JUST HOPE WE CAN LOOK INTO THIS.
THERE'S NOT A DROP OF LITTER, AND OF COURSE, THAT'S THE FIRST THING I LOOK FOR IN A GROUP.
THESE FOLKS POLICE THEMSELVES INCREDIBLY WELL.
THE IMPACT IS ONLY ON THE SAND ON THE BEACH.
IT DOES TAKE EXTRA STAFF BECAUSE THEY'RE VERY IT'S A VERY, VERY POPULAR, BUT PEOPLE COME WAIT TILL THE SUN SETS, LEAVE PEACEFULLY, COME EARLY IN THE MORNING WHEN THE SUN RISES AND THEN LEAVE AND GO TO THEIR JOBS OR WHATEVER THEY DO.
I HOPE WE CAN FIND A WAY TO DO THIS.
I KNOW IT'S DIFFICULT, BUT IN FACT THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
GET DIFFERENT CULTURES TO COME TO THE PARK DISTRICT.
WE TALK ABOUT IT EVERY SECOND OF OUR LIVES.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
I WOULD SUPPORT THAT. SO I HOPE WE CAN LOOK INTO THIS.
PRESIDENT ECHOLS, WE HAVE THREE, I BELIEVE, THREE SPEAKERS, AND I'M GOING TO PROMOTE THE FIRST ONE.
JOEL SCHROCK OH, THERE YOU GO.
OKAY. JOEL SHOULD BE COMING BACK.
HEY. I'M REALLY SORRY TO HEAR THAT WE LOST DIRECTOR CORBETT.
YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. I'M REALLY SORRY TO HEAR THAT WE LOST DIRECTOR CORBETT.
MY THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU AS YOU GRIEVE FOR YOUR FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE.
I KNOW IT MUST BE HARD FOR ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE WORKED WITH HER FOR MANY YEARS.
I'M SORRY TO HEAR THIS NEWS, BUT YES, I'M JOEL SCHROCK HERE.
I'M THE ADVOCACY LEAD FOR A GROUP OF BAY AREA MOUNTAIN BIKERS CALLED BAMB.
WE NOW HAVE 15,000 MEMBERS, AND WE'RE ALSO AN OFFICIAL 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT AS WELL.
SO THAT'S EXCITING NEWS FOR US TODAY.
I'M HERE TO EXPRESS GRATITUDE FOR THE CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE BRIONES PILOT PROGRAM.
IT'S BEEN SO GREAT TO HAVE ACCESS TO RIDE THE AMAZING TRAILS IN BRIONES.
I RIDE THERE WITH MY NINE YEAR OLD SON A LOT, AND HE'S GOTTEN REALLY GOOD AT RIDING A MOUNTAIN BIKE.
NOW THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY RIDE THESE FUN AND CHALLENGING TRAILS.
HE ACTUALLY JUST WON A RACE OVER THE WEEKEND UP IN LAKE TAHOE, AND HE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE PROUD OF HIS ACCOMPLISHMENT, AND THAT WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT ACCESS TO TRAILS LIKE THE BRIONES TO GO OUT AND RIDE.
WHILE THE STEWARDS OF BRIONES HAVE DONE AMAZING WORK ON THEIR DIG DAYS WITH THE HELP OF VOLUNTEERS USING HAND TOOLS, THERE WILL BE SOME PROJECTS THAT WILL REQUIRE A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFORT TO ACCOMPLISH, SUCH AS TRAIL HARDENING, HIGH-WEAR, AREAS OF THE TRAILS OR AREAS THAT HAVE PROLONGED MOISTURE TO HARDEN THEM WITH ROCK OR OTHER TRAIL HARDENING MEASURES. ALSO SUPPORTING LARGE TURNS WITH BERMS WITH SOME RETAINING WALLS AND PRESSURE TREATED WOOD SUPPORT TO, AND PERHAPS SMALL BRIDGES OVER AREAS OF SEASONAL RUNOFF, AS WELL AS TREE REMOVAL BECAUSE THAT HAPPENS OUT THERE AS WELL.
THESE TYPES OF HIGH EFFORT PROJECTS WILL BE BEST HANDLED BY A DEDICATED TEAM OVER THE COURSE OF MULTIPLE DAYS, AND ALSO NEEDING SUPPORT OF VEHICLES, AND LIKELY SOME POWER TOOLS THAT THE STEWARDS OF BRIONES DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO AT THIS TIME.
I'M HOPING THE STEWARDS OF BRIONES WOULD BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH THE PARKS TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS, AND COULD BE MADE TO COORDINATE WITH THEIR DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION, WITH THE PARKS STAFF THAT HAVE THE EXTRA HANDS AND CAPABILITIES TO ACCOMPLISH THESE PROJECTS.
IS THERE CURRENTLY A PLAN TO OFFER SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO THE STEWARDS BY PARK STAFF ON LARGER PROJECTS LIKE THIS? DOES IT SEEM IT DOES SEEM LIKE A NATURAL STEP IN THE PROCESS TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE TRAILS AS THEY EVOLVE FROM USER BUILT TRAILS TO PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE TRAILS, AND THE VOLUME OF RIDERS THAT COME ALONG WITH THAT DEVELOPMENT.
PERHAPS THIS IS SOMETHING THE PARK COULD HELP WITH AS WELL.
MANY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THIS PROJECT.
WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL TO BE ABLE TO RIDE THESE AMAZING TRAILS AND OUR BEAUTIFUL PARKS.
I SWEAR HIS FEET DID NOT TOUCH THE GROUND FOR AN HOUR.
[01:05:02]
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.THE NEXT SPEAKER IS LET ME SEE.
OH. MR. PAUL RANKIN, I'M GOING TO PROMOTE YOU TO PANELIST, SIR.
I'M GOING TO TRY IT ONE MORE TIME.
DEBORAH, CAN YOU TRY? FOR SOME REASON, MINE IS NOT WORKING.
THANK YOU, DEBORAH. I'M SORRY.
I DIDN'T REQUEST TO BE RECOGNIZED.
I DON'T BELIEVE WE HAVE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS.
THEN WE HAVE NEXT UP ANNOUNCEMENTS.
[ANNOUNCEMENTS]
THE GENERAL MANAGER HAVE ANYTHING? NO. NOT TODAY. OKAY, I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT.IN LIGHT OF THE UNFORTUNATE PASSING OF OUR DIRECTOR CORBETT I NEED TO FILL SOME VACANCIES ON OUR COMMITTEES, AND I WANT TO JUST LET FOLKS KNOW THAT I HAVE APPOINTED JOHN MERCURIO TO SERVE ON THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR, ALONG WITH OLIVIA SANWONG TO SERVE AS ALTERNATE TO THE COMMITTEE, AND I'VE ALSO APPOINTED COLIN COFFEY TO SERVE ON THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR, AND JOHN WILL ALSO, JOHN MERCURIO WILL ALSO BE SERVING AS ALTERNATE FOR THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE AND THAT'S ALL I HAD TO ANNOUNCE.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ON THE OPERATIONS? WE NEED AN ALTERNATE, THOUGH FOR OPERATIONS.
RIGHT SO HE WAS ALREADY AN ALTERNATE, AND I MOVED HIM TO A FULL MEMBER.
WE STILL NEED A VOLUNTEER FOR THE AS ALTERNATE, IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED.
DENNIS, DO YOU WANT TO BE THE ALTERNATE FOR OUR OPERATIONS COMMITTEE? OKAY, DONE. SO WE NOW.
WE NOW HAVE AN ALTERNATE FOR THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE.
DENNIS WAESPI WILL SERVE IN THAT CAPACITY THROUGH THE END OF THIS YEAR.
SO WE CAN MOVE ON THEN TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR.
[CONSENT CALENDAR]
I KNOW THERE WERE TWO ITEMS THAT WE WANTED TO PULL OFF FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION AND VOTING.ARE THERE ANY, AND THOSE ARE NUMBER 12 AND NUMBER 15.
DO ANY MEMBERS HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS OR OTHER ITEMS THEY WANTED TO HAVE TO TALK ABOUT? PRESIDENT ECHOLS.
JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT ON THE MINUTES DIRECTOR MERCURIO BROUGHT FORTH SOME EDITS, AND I JUST WANT TO READ THEM INTO THE RECORD AND SO THAT THE FULL BOARD CAN KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING.
ON PAGE 24, DIRECTOR MERCURIO BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT THE NUMBER SHOULD HAVE BEEN A ROMAN NUMERAL NINE, AND WE HAD IT AS A ROMAN NUMERAL 11. MR. CHRISTIE'S NAME HAD TO BE CORRECTED.
WE'LL JUST ADD THAT INTO THE AGENDA AND THEN EXCUSE ME INTO THE MINUTES, AND THEN ON PAGE 26 DIRECTOR MERCURIO HAD COMMENT REGARDING THE TENSE OF A WORD, WHICH WE WILL CORRECT, AND THEN HE ADDED A STATEMENT THAT WAS MISSED IN THE TRANSCRIPTION.
IT SAYS DIRECTOR MERCURIO AFTER BEFORE THE LAST SENTENCE.
AT THE TOP OF PAGE 26, IT READS DIRECTOR MERCURIO PROPOSED A COMPROMISE ALL ALTERNATE ALTERNATIVE, AND THOSE ARE THE UPDATES.
DIRECTOR MERCURIO DID I MISS ANYTHING OR JUST ONE MORE? THERE WAS ONE MORE WHERE MY COMMENT ON ON ONE OF THE CONSENT ITEMS WAS UNDER THE ON THE WRONG ITEM.
[01:10:02]
OH, OKAY. YEAH, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND.THE GREEN THING. YEAH, I THINK IT BELONGS ON THE ITEM ABOVE IT.
IT WAS ABOUT THE CALAVERAS RIDGE TRAIL EASEMENT.
THAT'S WHERE MY THAT'S WHERE MY COMMENT BELONGS.
OTHERWISE, I THINK EVERYTHING'S BEEN CAPTURED.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THAT'S GREAT.
OKAY, SO MOTION BY DIRECTOR MERCURIO.
ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
[12. Reject All Bids Received for the San Francisco Bay Trail at Point Molate Project: San Francisco Bay Trail]
OKAY, SO WE CAN START WITH ITEM 12 ON THE POINT MOLATE TRAIL.SO I JUST WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT, AND ALSO YOU KNOW WHAT? WHAT IS THE PLAN? BECAUSE CERTAINLY WE'RE ALL VERY EAGER TO GET A TRAIL OUT THERE.
SEAN DOUGAN, TRAILS PROGRAM MANAGER.
IT WAS IN THE STAFF REPORT, BUT I'LL ADD MAYBE SOME COLOR TO IT.
SO THE WE RECEIVED FIVE BIDS FOR THIS PROJECT.
FOUR OUT OF FIVE OF THEM WERE WITHIN 150 TO $200,000 EACH, BUT ALL OF THEM WERE OVER OUR ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE ABOUT 11 TO 13% FROM EACH BIDDER.
SO THEY'RE ALL VERY CLOSE, BUT ALL OVER.
THE ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE IS IS JUST THAT.
IT'S AN ESTIMATE. WE HAVE RECEIVED BIDS BEFORE THAT WERE BELOW ENGINEER'S ESTIMATES.
THE CURRENT GRANTS THAT WE HAVE FROM EXPIRING, WE'VE EXTENDED A FEW BUT WE DO HAVE A LIMIT ON THEM.
THE DECISION WAS MADE TO PUT IT OUT TO BID BECAUSE THE PROJECT IS READY FOR CONSTRUCTION, BUT RIGHT NOW, THE PARK DISTRICT IS ABOUT THREE JUST OVER $4 MILLION SHORT, BUT THIS INCLUDES THE BIDS FOR THE PROJECT.
REMEMBER THAT WE ARE SPLITTING CONSTRUCTION COSTS AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT COSTS WITH THE CITY OF RICHMOND AND SO MANY OF THE, MUCH OF THE FUNDING THAT WE DO PROGRAM IN AS A CONTINGENCY WILL BE PAID BACK BY RICHMOND FOR ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS, BUT ON TOP OF THAT, THERE ARE CONTRACT AMENDMENTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE FROM OUR DESIGN CONSULTANTS AS WELL AS OUR AS WELL AS OUR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT FIRM AND THOSE TOTAL ABOUT A MILLION THERE. THIS PROJECT HAS TAKEN A LONG TIME.
THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TWISTS AND CHANGES, BUT IT'S NOT JUST THE MONEY.
WE HAVE A SHORTFALL, AND THERE'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A PRETTY LARGE SHORTFALL, BUT TWO DAYS BEFORE WE OPEN THE BIDS, I FOUND OUT THAT WE WERE UNDER AN OPTION TO PURCHASE SOME OF THE PROPERTIES AT POINT MOLATE, WHICH CHANGED.
THIS WOULD BE THE SECOND CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN PROPERTIES, WHICH HAS CAUSED SOME CHANGES THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO TAKE A SECOND OR, YOU KNOW, A FEW MONTHS TO LET PLAY OUT.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE RECOMMENDING REJECTING THE BIDS TODAY.
THERE'S ALSO SOME PROPERTY THAT WAS NOT THAT WAS RICHMOND'S, THAT BECAME POINT MOLATE FUTURES, WHICH NOW WILL, IF WE PURCHASE THE PROPERTY, WILL BE THE PARK DISTRICT'S.
THAT CHANGES SOME WAYS THAT WE APPROACH HAZARDOUS MATERIAL.
EITHER DISPOSAL OR CAPPING, AND THEN THERE'S THE GREATER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW WE MANAGE THE TRAIL AND THE PROJECT AFTERWARDS, NOW THAT IT MAY COME TO THE PARK DISTRICT.
[01:15:04]
ACKNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATE THE STAFF AND ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THIS.IT'S NOT THAT IT'S GETTING SHELVED AND IT'S ALL FOR NAUGHT.
LOOKING AT THE REAL RISK OF PRESSING PAUSE, WHICH IS REALLY IF I'M SITTING IN YOUR SHOES AND WANTING TO UNDERSTAND, DOES THIS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO DRAW DOWN THOSE GRANT DOLLARS AND REALLY STALL THE PROJECT.
REALLY WEIGHING THE BIG PICTURE, WE FEEL STRONGLY THAT IT IS STILL BENEFICIAL FOR US TO TAKE A MINUTE TO RETHINK THESE THINGS, AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT A 4 MILLION PLUS SHORTFALL ON THIS AND THE DELTA OR THE AMOUNT OF POTENTIAL GRANT FUNDING THAT YOU COULD LOSE HERE IS, IS A FRACTION OF THAT. SO THIS IS A TOUGH ONE, BUT WE FEEL STRONGLY AT THE STAFF LEVEL THAT WE SHOULD JUST PRESS PAUSE.
THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT IT JUST IN LIGHT OF ALL OF THE COMPLICATIONS THAT HAVE COME TO LIGHT RECENTLY, IT'S JUST WORTH TAKING A MINUTE, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE DO RECOMMEND REJECTING ALL THE BIDS.
DID ANYONE ANYONE ELSE HAVE QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD. YOU GOT 4 OR 5 BIDS.
IF WE REJECT ALL THESE BIDS, WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE WHOLE BIDDING PROCESS AGAIN.
PUT TOGETHER ALL THE PAPERWORK AGAIN.
WHAT, A YEAR, TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS.
WHAT? SO PERHAPS IF I GIVE YOU THE.
SO WE HAVE OUR LARGEST GRANT IS WITH THE CALIFORNIA NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY.
THAT GRANT IS $1.4 MILLION, AND THAT EXPIRES OR LIQUIDATES.
SO THAT BASICALLY THE FUNDING WILL BE NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO US IN 2027.
INVOICES GIVEN TO THE GRANTING AGENCY FOR REIMBURSEMENT, AND THIS GRANT ACTUALLY FUNDS THE BOARDWALK, WHICH WILL BE ONE OF THE LAST FEATURES BUILT AND SO WE HAVE TO HAVE ALL THOSE INVOICES IN BEFORE THAT HAPPENS, WHICH MEANS JUST FAST FORWARD OR REWIND THAT WE REALLY NEED TO PUT THIS BACK OUT TO BID AS EARLY AS WE CAN IN 2025.
SORRY, JUST TO DOUBLE DOWN ON THAT.
WE JUST TO GIVE YOU A HARDER DATE.
WHAT ROLE DOES THE CITY OF RICHMOND HAVE IN THE DECISION TO REJECT THE BIDS? I DIDN'T HEAR THE FIRST PART OF YOUR QUESTION.
WHAT ROLE IS THE CITY OF RICHMOND IN THE DECISION TO REJECT THE BIDS? WELL, THE PARK DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF RICHMOND ENTERED INTO A COOPERATIVE FUNDING AGREEMENT, AND WE'RE THE LEAD.
SO WE HAVE THE DISCRETION TO REJECT ALL BIDS OR ACCEPT THE LOWEST THE BID.
THAT'S THE ANSWER; THAT'S THE SHORT ANSWER.
SO I UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO SORT OF PAUSE GIVEN THE NEW PROSPECTIVE OWNERSHIP, BUT I'M WONDERING IN TERMS OF THE BIDDING PROCESS, WHAT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR? LIKE, WON'T IT JUST GET MORE EXPENSIVE OR.
DID YOU WANT TO. I AGREE I DON'T SEE THE PRICE GOING DOWN.
THERE IS A RISK THAT WE COULD GET HIGHER BIDS, BUT THERE'S A FEW THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
WE WERE GOING TO CAP IT, BUT THEN IT BECAME ANOTHER OWNER, NOT RICHMOND'S.
THEY WERE NOT OKAY WITH US LEAVING IT IN PLACE.
SO WE HAD TO PAY FOR DISPOSAL.
WE BECOMING THE OWNER FOR THIS SAME LAND NOW MAY BE OKAY WITH CAPPING IT IN PLACE, AND THEREFORE SAVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF THREE $400,000 UP TO A HALF A MILLION.
THE SECOND THING IS THAT THE REGIONAL MEASURE THREE GRANT FUNDING IS OUT RIGHT NOW.
THE APPLICATIONS ARE DUE ON OCTOBER 14TH.
[01:20:10]
ELIGIBLE TO APPLY, BUT IF RICHMOND APPLIES THEN AND THEY'RE GIVING US A SOFT YES ON THAT.WE ARE GOING TO PREPARE THE APPLICATIONS FOR THAT AND SEE HOW WE DO.
WE DO NOT KNOW AT THIS POINT WHEN WE'LL HEAR ABOUT A SUCCESSFUL AWARD OF THAT MONEY, BUT I'M CROSSING MY FINGERS THAT WITH THAT ADDITIONAL MONEY THAT THE SHORTFALL WILL BE LESS AND THAT WE'LL HEAR IN TIME TO GET IT OUT TO BID WITHIN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025 AND THEN WE THEN WE'LL BE IN GOOD SHAPE.
I THINK WE'LL STILL HAVE TIME TO BUILD THE PROJECT, AND ALSO WE WON'T HAVE AS BIG OF A SHORTFALL, BUT THERE MAY BE AN INSTANCE WHERE I'M STANDING HERE AND WE'RE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION AGAIN IF WE'RE UNSUCCESSFUL WITH THAT PLAY.
I'M NOT SEEING THE DOWNSIDE TO AWARDING THIS BID AND WORKING OVER THE NEXT.
YOU'RE GOING TO GO BACK OUT TO BID IN EIGHT MONTHS, GIVE OR TAKE A MONTH OR WHATEVER, AND NEXT QUARTER, WHAT IS THE DOWNSIDE OF OF ACCEPTING THIS BID, LOCKING IT IN AND DOING ALL THE SAME ANALYSIS OR WORK YOU'RE GOING TO DO TO TWEAK THINGS BETWEEN NOW AND THEN ANYWAY, BUT LOCK IN THIS BID AND AWARD IT.
I'M JUST NOT I DON'T SEE ANY REAL DOWNSIDE TO ACCEPTING THIS BID AND SOME SIGNIFICANT RISKS GOING UP BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO DO THE PROJECT.
DID YOU HAVE AN ANSWER? HE SHRUGGED. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND LISTEN TO THE DISCUSSION.
YEAH. I THINK WHAT WHAT SEAN IS SAYING IS THAT THE ACTUAL CONDITIONS WILL CHANGE THE PROJECT.
EXCUSE ME, THE PROJECT WILL CHANGE BASED ON SOME POTENTIAL CHANGES IN CONDITIONS OUT THERE AND STATUS OF THE PROPERTY, SO THAT IF WE WENT WITH THE CONTRACT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, IT SPELLS IT OUT A CERTAIN WAY THAT NO LONGER FITS WITH THE CONDITIONS ARE OUT THERE AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE SAYING.
YEAH. THERE WILL BE SOME CHANGES.
YEAH. WE WILL NOT JUST GO OUT TO BID WITH THE SAME PROJECT EXACTLY AS IT IS WHEN WE DO IT AGAIN AT THIS POINT, ESPECIALLY MAINLY BECAUSE WE WILL OWN THE PROPERTIES THAT WERE CAUSING SOME ISSUES WITH WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT BRINGS THE PRICE DOWN? I DON'T KNOW.
IS THAT CORRECT? YES. I'M LOOKING SORRY.
I'M LOOKING OVER WHAT I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY ABOUT.
RIGHT. OKAY, SO I TURNED TO MY STAFF, SUZANNE WILSON.
YEAH. SO IT'S ABOUT IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
YEAH, BECAUSE I GUESS THE RISK.
WE NEED TO FIND THE MONEY, AND YES, THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME THAT, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, YOU GET SOME VALUE FOR THAT 400,000, BECAUSE IF IT'S GOING TO BE A TRAIL, YOU MIGHT WANT TO DO MORE THAN CAP IT ANYWAY AND THEN SECONDLY, BY NEXT QUARTER, THE COST COULD GO UP MORE THAN 400,000.
SO I GUESS I'M JUST TRYING TO TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE REAL VALUE OF OF WAITING.
WELL, I'LL ADD I'LL ADD IN A FEW OTHER DETAILS IF THAT'S HELPFUL.
THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. ONE IS THAT THERE IS A 200 FOOT GAP IN THIS PROJECT BETWEEN THE BEACH PARK AND RICHMOND'S PORTION, BECAUSE IT WAS A SEPARATE PROJECT THAT THEY WERE GOING TO UNDERGO TO STABILIZE THE SHORELINE, AND THEY DON'T HAVE.
THEY WERE TELLING. THEY'VE TOLD US ALL ALONG THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT.
SO THAT'S ONE ELEMENT THAT HAS CAUSED A WRINKLE AS WELL.
SO IN REALITY, RICHMOND IS ROUGHLY, THEY SAY, ABOUT 1.5 MILLION SHORT ON THEIR SIDE AS WELL, AND SO USING RM3 TO FILL THESE GAPS WILL HELP US HAVE A MORE COMPLETE PROJECT, BUT ALSO ALLOW THEM TO DO THEIR THEIR PORTION AS WELL. SO RICHMOND, WE CAN APPLY FOR RM3 BUT RICHMOND CAN APPLY FOR RM3.
SO WILL RICHMOND BE ALSO APPLYING FOR OUR PART OF THE TRAIL FOR EVERYTHING?
[01:25:06]
THAT'S THE MAIN REASON WE'RE APPLYING FOR RM3.YEAH, AND IF WE TRIED TO GO FORWARD, IF WE TOOK A CHANCE AND TRIED TO GO FORWARD WITH THIS BID, AND MAYBE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN EVEN AMEND IT, MAYBE YOU CAN'T, BUT BUT THEN THEN COULD WE STILL APPLY FOR THAT MONEY OR.
YEAH. I'M TOLD THAT WHETHER WE'RE UNDER CONSTRUCTION OR NOT, WE CAN STILL APPLY FOR RM3, BUT IT MAY AFFECT THE NEED ARGUMENT. IF THE PROJECT HAS MONEY AND WE'RE UNDER CONSTRUCTION, WE CAN STILL APPLY, BUT IF THERE'S ONLY 50 MILLION AVAILABLE FOR REGULAR PROJECTS IN THE WHOLE NINE COUNTY BAY AREA FOR RM3 AND THEN THERE'S A GOOD PORTION OF IT FOR COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECTS, AND SO IT'S GOING TO BE COMPETITIVE, BUT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PROJECTS READY LIKE THIS ONE.
SO WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD CHANCE OF GETTING SOME MONEY.
PLUS IF IT'S RICHMOND APPLYING, YOU HAVE THE COMMUNITIES OF CONCERN AND UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES ARGUMENT, WHICH IS WHAT THE RM3 FUNDING IS REALLY WE FEEL IS GOING TO BE IS GOING TO PRIORITIZE THOSE COMMUNITIES AND HOW MUCH WHAT WHAT IS THE SIZE OF THE GRANT THAT IF YOU KNOW, WHAT WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GO FOR, WE'RE SUGGESTING TO RICHMOND THAT WE APPLY FOR 4 MILLION, AND SO THAT'S THE THAT'S THE FULL GAP, INCLUDING THE 250FT OR SORRY, NOT FEET, BUT THE YOU SAID THE SECTION THAT WAS IT 250FT.
OKAY. 250FT. WE MAY STILL BE SLIGHTLY SHORT.
SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU WITH THAT, BUT WE WANT TO FIND THE SWEET SPOT WHERE WE'RE ASKING FOR A LOT OF MONEY, BUT NOT TOO MUCH, BUT WE HAVEN'T QUITE LANDED ON THAT YET, BUT THE 1.5 MILLION ADDED A LITTLE BIT TO THE SHORTFALL THAT WE WERE CALCULATING AROUND 4.1, SO.
THAT'S LIKELY WHAT WILL HAPPEN.
WE WILL APPLY FOR A LARGE AMOUNT AND THEY MAY GIVE US LESS.
YES. JUST A COUPLE OF MORE BRIEF COMMENTS.
STAY WITH THE 15% CONTINGENCY, PLEASE.
OKAY. THAT'S NOT A PLACE YOU WANT TO GAMBLE.
THE OTHER THING IS IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE ALSO CONSIDERING VALUE ENGINEERING TO CHANGE THE PROJECT IN SUCH A WAY TO MAKE IT A LITTLE LESS EXPENSIVE, AND I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA, TOO.
MAYBE THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR A PORTION OF THE PROJECT TO HAVE A LOWER CLASS OF PAVEMENT.
SOMETHING SURFACING, NOT PAVEMENT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SCALE OF SAVINGS YOU COULD ACHIEVE BY DOING THAT, BUT THEN YOU COULD GO BACK LATER IN FUTURE YEARS AND DO IT IN A MORE PERMANENT MANNER, BUT THAT'S JUST YOU KNOW, SOMETHING I'VE SEEN IN OTHER PLACES, TOO WHERE IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY, BUMPY THING, BUT IT'S AN ALL WEATHER SURFACE, YOU KNOW.
SO ANYWAY, VALUE ENGINEERING IS GOOD.
WHILE YOU'RE HERE, I DO HAVE A QUESTION.
SINCE WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS BECAUSE I KNOW WE WERE JUST HERE IN JUNE TO DISCUSS THIS PROJECT AND TO APPROVE GOING OUT TO BIDS, AS MENTIONED HERE IN THE STAFF REPORT. I'M JUST CURIOUS YOU KNOW, SEEING WHAT WE HAD YOU KNOW, AS THE AVAILABLE BALANCE WHAT WE EXPECTED TO HAVE WITH GRANTS AND EVERYTHING, AND THEN WITH THE BIDS COMING IN OVER THAT AMOUNT.
SO I'M ON PAGE 66 IN OUR PACKET AND SO I SEE THAT WE HAD EXPECTED.
SO THE TOTAL AVAILABLE BALANCE CAME.
WE HAD 7.4 MILLION APPROXIMATELY, AND THEN THE BID THAT WE GOT BACK WAS 10.6 MILLION.
IS THIS MY QUESTION IS IS THIS INDICATIVE OF YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION COSTS INCREASING PRETTY QUICKLY THAT WE WEREN'T ANTICIPATING OR, YOU KNOW, BACK IN JUNE WHICH WAS JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO, DID WE ANTICIPATE THAT WE WERE GOING TO GET THIS LOW BID, THIS LOW BID AS BEING SO HIGH AS 10.6 MILLION? SO SOME OF THE SOME OF THE NUMBERS YOU MENTIONED INCLUDE CONTINGENCY AND SOME DO NOT.
SO LIKE IF YOU LOOK AT JUST THE AMOUNT AVAILABLE BETWEEN RICHMOND AND THE PARK DISTRICT, IT WAS 7.4 MILLION AND THE LOWEST BID WAS 9.2 BUT THEN YOU ADD THE CONTINGENCY AND THE CONTRACT AMENDMENTS IS WHAT IS INCREASING THAT SHORTFALL.
[01:30:03]
THE THINKING WAS JUST THAT WE HAVE AN ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE AND WE HAVE GRANTS.WE ARE LOSING A GRANT THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T AWARDED IT, BUT IT'S SO MINOR.
IT WAS $150,000 FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, BUT IF WE DIDN'T, IF WE, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WORK THAT WE DO THIS YEAR CAN BE REIMBURSED UNDER THAT GRANT, BUT AS SOON AS IT'S 2025, THEY CANNOT EXTEND IT FOR US.
SO THE IDEA WAS, LET'S GET THIS OUT TO BID.
WE HAVE THIS ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE, AND YEAH, IT'S A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THE MONEY WE HAVE, BUT LIKE I SAID, SOMETIMES IT COMES IN BELOW, SOMETIMES IT'S A LITTLE OVER, AND THERE IS POSSIBILITY OF FINDING ADDITIONAL FUNDING IF WE NEEDED TO, BUT WITH THIS LEVEL OF SHORTFALL YOU'D HAVE WE'D HAVE TO BE PULLING FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE BUDGET, AND YEAH, THIS IS REALLY HELPFUL.
I GUESS I JUST WANT TO ASK A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY.
WHEN WE WENT OUT TO BID BACK IN JUNE AND JULY, DID WE ANTICIPATE THAT IT WOULD BE AROUND 9.2 MILLION, OR WAS THAT A LITTLE BIT SHOCKING FOR US IN TERMS OF COSTS? YEAH, NO THE ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE WAS EIGHT THREE.
SO WE WERE KIND OF CLOSE BUT STILL A LITTLE BIT LOWER.
MOST OF THE ITEMS WERE BETWEEN 25 AND 75% OVER WHAT OUR ENGINEERS WERE SAYING THEY WOULD BE.
SO WE KIND OF WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONFIDENCE IN WHAT THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO COST.
SO WHEN YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE NUMBERS, YOU MEAN WITH THE ENGINEERS OR WITH THE BIDDERS? BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO MAYBE YOU CAN'T DO THAT, BUT AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THEY'RE NOT HAPPY.
WELL, I MEAN, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT IF YOU GO BACK OUT TO BID, THEY WILL OF COURSE KNOW WHAT THE OTHER BIDS CAME IN AT, AND THAT MAY ENCOURAGE THEM TO KIND OF SHARPEN THEIR PENCILS A LITTLE BIT ON SOME OF THESE ITEMS, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL ON THAT, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS A CHANCE THAT IF THEY REALLY WANT TO, AND I WOULD JUST SAY IT'S NEVER A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE A BID OR A PROJECT BEING PUT OUT TO BID.
ORDER YOURSELF OUT OF A PROJECT THAT ISN'T WHAT YOU PUT OUT.
WELL, NOT WITHOUT A LOT OF MONEY.
YEAH. IT'S JUST GOING TO GET MORE EXPENSIVE.
THANK YOU. SO I'M AGAINST REJECTING THE BIDS I WOULD W ANT TO STRUCTURE THIS LEGALLY? WE CAN'T JUST AWARD THE BID.
IT'S NOT ON OUR AGENDA TO AWARD A BID.
AM I RIGHT? YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA IS TO REJECT ALL BIDS.
THE IN THE PROCESS OF IN TERMS OF DETERMINING WHO THE RESPONSIBLE BIDDER WAS, THE RESPONSIBLE AND LOWEST BID WAS. SO THAT HASN'T BEEN DETERMINED.
THERE'S STILL A PROCESS THAT STAFF WOULD GO THROUGH.
WE'RE NOT ASKING THE BOARD TO AWARD ANYTHING RIGHT NOW.
YEAH. SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS SUGGESTING.
WE'RE NOT IN A POSITION TO ACTUALLY AWARD THE BID.
I WOULD LIKE, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, TO LOCK IT IN.
I JUST DON'T SEE US LOWERING THESE COSTS.
WHEN WE GET FIVE CONTRACTORS THAT ARE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER IN 2018, THE PINOLE SHORES BRIDGE WENT OUT TO BID 2017-2018 AND CAME IN $3 MILLION OVER BID.
THAT'S MY MEMORY OVER THE ESTIMATE, AND IN THAT SITUATION, WE HAD ONE BIDDER, WHICH REALLY MADE IT HARD TO DO, BUT WE ALL KICKED BACK AND SAID, WELL, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WE'RE GOING TO BUILD THIS BRIDGE, AND IF WE DON'T AWARD THE CONTRACT AND COME UP WITH AN EXTRA $3 MILLION, THIS MAY NOT EVER GET DONE OR IT'S GOING TO BE REWORKED AND IT'S GOING TO COME BACK AND IT'S THE COSTS ARE GOING TO GO UP, AND AS HISTORY HAS SHOWN, YEAH, THE COSTS WOULD HAVE GONE UP AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME BIDDER, AND IT WAS, AND THE SHORTFALL, THE ADDITIONAL COSTS WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE THAN 4 MILLION, AND WE WOULDN'T
[01:35:04]
HAVE BUILT THAT BRIDGE PROBABLY FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF YEARS.I THINK I'M CONVINCED BASED ON HISTORY, BASED ON SEEING HOW THESE.
SITUATIONS PLAY OUT WITH THESE PROJECTS, THAT IF WE'RE INTENDING TO TRY TO GO OUT TO BID AGAIN WITHIN EIGHT MONTHS AND PURSUE THE PROJECT AFTER REJECTING THESE BIDS WERE, IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, GOING TO GET PRICES GOING UP, AND THE UPSIDE OF HAVING THAT EXTRA EIGHT MONTHS DOESN'T SEEM TO BE OFFSET BY REJECTING THE BIDS.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WHAT HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS WHAT WILL GO ON BETWEEN NOW AND FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR CAN BE DONE. IF WE'VE ALREADY LOCKED IN THIS CONTRACTOR TO CONSTRUCT THE PROJECT, YOU MAY NEED TO PROVIDE SOME CONTRACT PROVISIONS FOR ANTICIPATED CHANGES THAT COULD POSSIBLY OCCUR PRIOR TO THE SHOVELS GETTING UNDERWAY.
WELL, I CERTAINLY AGREE THAT WE'RE ABSOLUTELY COMMITTED TO BUILDING THE TRAIL.
I SEE IT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE I THINK THERE ARE TWO REASONS TO HOLD OFF, ONE BEING TO MAKE SURE WE'VE GOT THE SPECS THAT WE WANT, AND THEN THE SECOND ONE, WHICH I THINK IS ALSO EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, IS, IS THE ABILITY TO HAVE SORT OF MAXIMUM EFFECT WITH THE WITH THE GOING OUT FOR GRANTS AND TRYING TO GET MORE GRANTS BEFORE WE START BUILDING. THERE'S CERTAINLY LOGIC TO THAT, AND SO I DEFINITELY SHARE THE COMMITMENT TO GETTING THIS DONE ASAP, BUT IF WE THINK WE'RE GOING TO DO BETTER AND MORE COST EFFECTIVELY AND BRING IN MORE MONEY BY DELAYING IT AND POSSIBLY GETTING BETTER BIDS.
ALTHOUGH I AGREE WITH COLIN, IT'S QUITE POSSIBLE TO GO UP TO SO THERE'S NO GUARANTEE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER THERE, BUT I DO THINK THAT HAVING HAVING THE PROJECT LOOK THE WAY WE THINK IT SHOULD LOOK UNDER THE NEW, CHANGED OWNERSHIP AND ALSO HAVING, YOU KNOW, A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO GO OUT FOR THE RM3 MONEY OR HAVE RICHMOND GO OUT FOR THAT MONEY.
I THINK THOSE ARE REASONS TO HOLD OFF SO WE CAN CALL FOR A VOTE.
IS THERE WOULD SOMEONE LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION DEE.
OKAY. OKAY, SO WE'VE GOT A MOTION, AND THIS IS A MOTION TO REJECT THE BIDS.
SO MOTION ON BEHALF OF BY DIRECTOR MERCURIO, SECONDED BY DEE ROSARIO.
OKAY. MOTION BY DIRECTOR ROSARIO.
SECONDED BY DIRECTOR MERCURIO.
YES. NOW IT'S PLAYING BACK IN MY MIND.
SO THAT'S GOT THE RECORDING GOING.
OKAY. YEAH, EITHER WAY, BUT WE GOT TO GET IT RIGHT FOR THESE GUYS.
THAT'S WHY I TRY TO REPEAT IT, BUT OKAY, GOOD.
VERY GOOD, MAYBE WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL.
OH, NO. I GUESS WE DON'T HAVE TO DO A ROLL CALL.
GO AHEAD AND JUST DO THE ROLL CALL.
OKAY, YOU GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL, THEN.
MOTION PASSED. THANK YOU EVERYBODY.
OKAY, SO NOW WE ARE ALSO PULLED.
[15. Authorization to Consolidate Unappropriated Measure AA Project Area Allocations into Separate Metro-area Allocations]
ITEM 15, AND DIRECTOR SANWONG, DO YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD? YES. I'LL SHARE MY THOUGHTS IN REGARDS TO ITEM 15, WHICH IS THE AUTHORIZATION TO CONSOLIDATE AN APPROPRIATED MEASURE AA PROJECT AREA ALLOCATIONS INTO SEPARATE METRO AREA ALLOCATIONS, AND THIS WAS REVIEWED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, OF WHICH I'M A PART OF, AND WHEN IT WAS REVIEWED BY THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, I DID VOTE NO TO THIS IDEA AND I JUST WANT TO SHARE ONE REASON I WANTED TO PULL THIS WAS SO THAT WE COULD HAVE A SEPARATE VOTE ON THE ITEM FROM THE REST OF THE CONSENT CALENDAR, AND FOR ME PERSONALLY, I DON'T AGREE WITH THE IDEA OF CONSOLIDATING THE UNAPPROPRIATED MEASURE AA PROJECT AREA FUNDS IN THE SOUTH METRO AREA.[01:40:06]
SHADOW CLIFFS TO SUNOL TRAIL, AND THEN A SOUTH METRO CONSOLIDATION ACCOUNT.I THINK SINCE WE LAST MET HERE AT PERALTA OAKS A MONTH AGO, I THINK THERE'S BEEN A LOT IN THE LOCAL NEWS IN THE LIVERMORE AREA AND THE TRI-VALLEY AREA IN REGARDS TO OUR PARK DISTRICT, AND, YOU KNOW, IF I, IF I WERE TO CHANNEL SOME OF DIRECTOR CORBETT'S, YOU KNOW, PERSISTENCE ON A TOPIC, I THINK I HAVE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT IN TALKING ABOUT HOW THERE IS A LITTLE BIT LESS AWARENESS OF WHO WE ARE AT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT WITHIN THE TRI-VALLEY AREA, AND I DO THINK THAT WE HAVE YOU KNOW, A VOCAL CONTINGENCY WITHIN THE LIVERMORE AREA ABOUT US NOT COMPLETING PROJECTS, NOT PROVIDING SERVICES TO THIS AREA, AND, YOU KNOW, MY MY PROPOSAL ON THIS, I CAN AGREE TO THE CONSOLIDATION WITHIN DIABLO METRO AND WEST METRO, BUT I DO NOT AGREE WITH THE CONSOLIDATION IN SOUTH METRO.
I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THAT SEPARATED.
SO THAT WOULD BE AN, I GUESS AN ADJUSTED AMENDMENT.
OTHERWISE I WILL BE VOTING NO ON THIS ONE.
COULD I ASK A QUESTION OF STAFF? SO CONSOLIDATING THOSE FUNDS AWAY FROM BEING IDENTIFIED SEPARATELY INTO A CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT DOESN'T PRECLUDE THOSE PROJECTS LISTED FROM BEING FUNDED FROM THE CONSOLIDATION ACCOUNT.
IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M DEBORAH SPAULDING, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT.
GOT TO GET CLOSER TO THAT MIC.
YOU HAVE MENTIONED THAT BEFORE.
[CHUCKLING] YEAH. DEBORAH SPAULDING, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
WE ARE LOCKED IN THE ACQUISITION VERSUS DEVELOPMENT CATEGORIES, AND THAT HAS BEEN THE REAL DIFFICULTY FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, IN CONVERSATION WITH THE ACQUISITION STAFF, BUT WE WOULD STILL WE COULD STILL USE IF AN ACQUISITION WERE TO COME UP IN THESE AREAS, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE ACTION.
RIGHT. RIGHT THIS WOULD GIVE US THE FLEXIBILITY.
YEAH. I'M WONDERING I TEND TO AGREE WITH THIS UNTIL I THINK OF OUR LAST ITEM.
I'M ASSUMING BECAUSE I STILL CAN'T FIGURE OUT THESE METROS UNLESS I HAVE IT IN FRONT OF MY FACE.
IS POINT MOLATE IN THE WEST METRO? YES IT IS. YEAH, I THOUGHT SO.
SO THEORETICALLY, IF WE NEEDED $4 MILLION BECAUSE WE SO DESPERATELY NEED IT, WE CAN GET 2.8, TWO POINT ALMOST 2.9 RIGHT OUT OF JUST CONSOLIDATING ALL THE ALL THE NUMBERS IN THE WEST METRO AREA AND TAKING IT AWAY TO A BETTER CAUSE, AND I'M PUTTING QUOTES AROUND THE BETTER CAUSE AND I, I DO AGREE POINT MOLATE IS THE BEST AND THE GREATEST, BUT THEN PRETTY SOON IT'S GOING TO BE GOLDEN GATE FIELDS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST AND THE MOST IMPORTANT, AND THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE THAT ARE LEFT BEHIND IN THIS DEAL, AND THESE CONSOLIDATIONS CONTRIBUTE TO THAT, IN MY OPINION, IF THAT'S HOW THESE FUNDS CAN BE USED.
SO IF THAT'S TRUE, I'LL BE VOTING AGAINST IT.
PARDON ME, YOU ARE RIGHT. SO THERE'S ONLY 4700.
PARDON ME. YOU'RE RIGHT, BUT STILL THE SAME POINT APPLIES.
IF WE HAD TO BUY GOLDEN GATE FIELDS, THAT'S IN THE WEST METRO.
SO THERE'S TWO POINT ALMOST $9 MILLION FOR THAT.
WELL, ONCE IT'S CONSOLIDATED, IT COULD BE USED ON DIFFERENT PROJECTS.
SO I'M NOT TRYING TO DIMINISH THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT, BUT WITH THAT MOMENTUM AT OYSTER BAY.
COULD THAT MEAN THEN, THAT THE MONEY FOR THE DEL VALLE TO SHADOW CLIFFS TRAIL, SHADOW CLIFFS, SHADOW CLIFFS TO SUNOL TRAIL THAT ALL COULD GET CONSOLIDATED AND PUT TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE PROJECTS AT OYSTER BAY WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF MOMENTUM.
CORRECT. AGAIN, THEY'RE ALL IT CAN ONLY BE USED FOR ACQUISITION, AND I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY ACQUISITION PROJECTS, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYBODY HERE WHO HAS THAT INFORMATION, BUT THAT HAS BEEN THE LIMITATION IS THAT WE JUST HAVEN'T HAD ANY ACTIVE ACQUISITION PROJECTS IN THESE AREAS SINCE 1988, AND
[01:45:13]
IF I MAY, JUST TO ADD ON TO THAT, NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN EVEN IF YOU CONSOLIDATE THESE.THEY'RE ALL SUBJECT TO BOARD APPROVAL.
SO EVEN IF YOU'RE CONSOLIDATING THEM IT'S STILL GOING TO COME BACK TO YOU.
I JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU, DEB IS POWERFUL, BUT CAN'T CANNOT SPEND THE MONEY WITHOUT YOU.
DIRECTOR COFFEY. QUICK QUESTION, DEB.
WE DISCUSSED DOING SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH WW FUNDS SOME TIME AGO AND THEN NEVER DID THAT, RIGHT? YES. THAT'S CORRECT.
ALL RIGHT. SO YEARS AGO, AT ONE OF THE BOARD WORKSHOPS, WE BROUGHT THIS IDEA UP OF CONSOLIDATING AND BUT AGAIN, IT WAS JUST A DISCUSSION BECAUSE IT WAS A--I'M JUST TRYING TO REMEMBER BECAUSE I REMEMBER THAT DISCUSSION FAIRLY VIVIDLY.
I DON'T THAT ONE WOULD REQUIRE MORE DISCUSSION.
THIS ONE I DON'T THINK SO MUCH SO I'M OKAY WITH THIS ONE.
I JUST WANTED TO REMIND EVERYONE.
I MEAN, THE AA MONEY PROGRAM HAS BEEN THIS MONEY HAS BEEN SITTING HERE FOR OVER SINCE, WHAT, 2018 WHEN WE PASSED MEASURE FF.
OH THAT'S RIGHT, THAT'S RIGHT.
THANK YOU. I'M THINKING OF MEASURE FF.
SO THIS HAS BEEN SITTING HERE FOR A LONG TIME, AND TO YOUR ARGUMENT ABOUT I MEAN THE MONEY IN THE SOUTH METRO 1.5, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED ALL THAT JUST TO BUY WHATEVER WE HAVE IN MIND OUT THERE.
YOU'RE NOT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE WORTH ANYTHING.
GO AHEAD. I JUST SEE A LOT OF MOMENTUM IN OTHER PARTS OF OUR DISTRICT AND NOT IN THE TRI-VALLEY AREA, OBVIOUSLY, BUT IF YOU CONSOLIDATE YOUR FUNDS IN THE SOUTH METRO TO 1.5, THEN IT CAN GO TO OYSTER BAY.
IT'S NOT GOING TO GO TO OYSTER BAY.
IT COULD THOUGH, IF IT'S STAYING IN THE SOUTH METRO.
I KNOW THE TWO YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN ON HERE, I HAVEN'T EVEN HAD ANY SORT OF BRIEFING ON THE DEL VALLE TO SHADOW CLIFFS TRAIL, SO I DON'T THINK WE HAVE AS MUCH MOMENTUM RIGHT NOW ON STAFF IN REGARDS TO THIS TRAIL, AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S HERE AND I DON'T WANT TO VOTE THOSE FUNDS AWAY.
SO THE CONSOLIDATION SO ALL THREE METROS ARE BEING CONSOLIDATED INTO 4.4, OR IS IT GOING TO STAY IN EACH METRO.
SO YOUR MONEY IS STILL IN SOUTH METRO.
IT'S JUST IT'S JUST CONSOLIDATED.
YOU CAN USE IT IN ANY OF THOSE PROJECTS THAT COME UP.
I'M AWARE I JUST IT BECOMES A SAN LEANDRO VERSUS TRI-VALLEY THEN.
JUST ONE FINAL THOUGHT THOUGH IS, IS I KNOW YOU ARE UNDERSTANDABLY FOCUSED ON DEL VALLE TO SHADOW CLIFFS, BUT YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO NEED A LOT MORE THAN THAT TO.
THAT WOULD BE A PART OF THAT DEL VALLE TO SHADOW CLIFFS TRAIL.
WE HAVEN'T EVEN TALKED TO LARPD ABOUT THAT TRAIL, ACTUALLY.
SORRY. THIS IS ACQUISITION MONEY ANYWAY, RIGHT? SO IT'S NOT GOING TO HELP THE TRAIL.
YEAH. ANYWAY, I UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE GOING.
SHOULD WE JUST GO AHEAD AND VOTE? IS THERE A MOTION? WELL, IS THERE A YOU CAN EITHER MAKE A MOTION OR WE CAN MAKE A MOTION THE OTHER WAY.
I MEAN, MY MOTION WOULD BE TO NOT SUPPORT THIS AT ALL.
[01:50:03]
YES, BUT IF THAT FAILS, THEN I WOULD ALSO HAVE THEN A FOLLOW UP MOTION TO THAT, BUT YES.OKAY. IS THERE A SECOND? ALL RIGHT. YES.
SO YOU CAN MAKE A FOLLOW UP MOTION IF YOU'D LIKE.
MY FOLLOW UP MOTION IS TO NOT INCLUDE SOUTH METRO, AND SO IT WOULD BE FOR DIABLO METRO AND WEST METRO ONLY, AND THEN PAGE 80 SHOWS WHAT THAT IS.
I'LL SECOND. IT'S JUST SOUTH METRO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, RIGHT? SOUTH METRO. OKAY.
ALL IN FAVOR, OR SHOULD WE DO INDIVIDUAL.
I THINK YOU SHOULD DO A ROLL CALL VOTE.
JUST CLARIFYING. WE'RE SEPARATING OUT SOUTH.
EXCUSE ME, FOUR AYES AND TWO NO'S.
I'M SO SORRY. I WAS CALLED TWICE.
YOU WERE. YOU WERE CALLED TWICE.
ARE YOU VOTING FOR OR AGAINST? CONSOLIDATED MY WEST METRO VOTES, AND I THOUGHT I HAD TWO.
SO I AM OPPOSED TO SEPARATING THESE THREE OUT.
CAN WE STATE THE MOTION AGAIN? WE'RE ON THE AUTHORIZATION TO CONSOLIDATE UNAPPROPRIATED MEASURE AA PROJECT AREA ALLOCATIONS INTO SEPARATE METRO ALLOCATIONS, NOT TO INCLUDE SOUTH METRO.
YOU'RE ASKING FOR ME TO VOTE NO.
WE'RE GOING TO START ALL OVER AGAIN.
WE'LL START AGAIN IF WE COULD, AND OF COURSE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE FIRST SO IT'S FOUR AYES AND TWO NO'S.
[GENERAL MANAGER'S OFFICE]
WE HAVE THE DISCUSSION ON SADLY FILLING DIRECTOR CORBETT'S SEAT, AND WHETHER OR NOT TO TRY TO HOLD A VERY RAPID PROCESS OR OR NOT.YEAH. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT ECHOLS.
SO AS YOU ALL SAW IN YOUR MATERIALS THERE WE BOTH THE GM'S OFFICE AND LEGAL TRIED TO PRESENT TO YOU ALL SOME FLEXIBILITIES, SHOULD YOU SO CHOOSE TO FILL THE TEMPORARY VACANCY BEFORE JANUARY.
WE DO NOT HAVE A RECOMMENDATION.
THAT HAPPENS VERY INFREQUENTLY WHEN WE PUT A STAFF REPORT FORWARD.
OKAY. DIRECTOR COFFEY LOOKS EAGER TO SPEAK.
WE HAVE BEEN BRIEFED EXTENSIVELY, I THINK, ON THE VARIOUS OPTIONS WE HAVE AT LENGTH IN DETAIL, AND WE'VE ALL BEEN ABLE TO REVIEW THE BACKGROUND LEGAL AND HYPOTHETICALS,
[01:55:11]
AND SO I THINK WE SHOULD SIMPLY NEGLECT TO MAKE ANY MOTION AT ALL ON THIS, WHICH EFFECTIVELY MEANS THIS GOES TO THE VOTERS IN NOVEMBER.I'VE VIEWED THESE CIRCUMSTANCES IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR 30 PLUS YEARS.
SO I THINK UNLESS I'M WRONG, IT DOESN'T REALLY NEED A MOTION TO NOT GO, NOT MAKE AN APPOINTMENT OR TO GO TO A BALLOT.
I THINK THIS BOARD WILL SURVIVE VERY WELL IN THE INTERVENING MONTHS WITH THE RISK OF TIE VOTES OR SOMETHING NOT HAPPENING.
THE ONLY CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE I'VE SEEN SHORT TERM CARETAKER APPOINTMENTS MADE IS WHEN THE AGENCY HAS ON THE HORIZON A VERY LARGE, LARGELY IMPACTFUL ACTION TO TAKE IN WHICH THEY BELIEVE THEY NEED THE ADDITIONAL BOARD MEMBER.
SO I DON'T THINK WE'RE FACING ANY KIND OF MAJOR DECISION THAT IS AT-RISK BECAUSE WE COULD TIE ON IT.
IT DOES. BY THE WAY, I AGREE WITH YOU, COLIN, BUT IT SAYS THERE, AT LEAST THE RECOMMENDATION IS THAT WE DO MAKE A MOTION. I THINK THAT WAS THERE IN THE EVENT THAT YOU WOULD DECIDE TO COMMENCE SOME KIND OF APPOINTMENT PROCESS.
IT DOESN'T DIRECTOR COFFEY IS CORRECT THAT IF YOU DON'T TAKE ANY ACTION BY MOTION YOU ARE FINE JUST NOT TAKING ANY ACTION.
SO I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT, THOUGH, TO CONSIDER THAT THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 400,000 PEOPLE THAT LIVE WITHIN WARD FOUR, AND BY NOT FILLING THIS VACANCY, THEY DON'T HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE ON OUR BOARD, AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF OPTIONS THAT WE CAN TAKE.
I KNOW THAT WE ARE SO CLOSE TO THE ELECTION.
SO I AGREE, I DON'T THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO TRY TO DO A SPECIAL ELECTION.
I THINK THAT THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE.
IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THAT PROCESS FOR APPOINTING A CARETAKER.
VERSUS, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENCE WITH A SHORT-TERM APPOINTMENT, BUT THEN ALSO, IF WE DON'T TAKE ACTION, IF WE CHOOSE NOT TO TAKE ACTION, NOT HAVE A CARETAKER AS A BOARD, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO DISCUSS, YOU KNOW, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT WARD FOUR AND MAYBE MAKE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CARETAKER TO BE ON THE EXISTING BOARD OF DIRECTORS WHERE, YOU KNOW, BOARD DIRECTOR A MAYBE HAS EXTRA COVERAGE OF ONE PART OF WARD FOUR.
BOARD DIRECTOR B HAS COVERAGE OF ANOTHER PART OF WARD FOUR.
JUST SO THAT WE KNOW WHO MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE HAVE A CLOSER EYE ON THE COMMUNITIES WITHIN WARD FOUR, AND THEN ALSO IF SOMETHING COMES UP, THEN THERE'S THAT LEVEL OF RESPONSIBILITY.
SO I DO THINK THAT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO MAYBE HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT SHOULD WE CHOOSE NOT TO HAVE A CARETAKER OR A SHORT TERM APPOINTMENT UNDER THE ALTERNATIVES SECTION. I PERSONALLY DO SUPPORT THE IDEA OF HAVING A CARETAKER.
I THINK IT IS HELPFUL TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT LIVES IN THE COMMUNITY HERE ON OUR BOARD.
AS WE'RE DISCUSSING THESE ISSUES, I THINK THAT WE HAVE SUCH A HUGE GEOGRAPHY THAT WE SERVE HERE AT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO COME UP, YOU KNOW, OVER THE NEXT FOUR MONTHS.
SO THERE IS STILL A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME BECAUSE WITH THE NOVEMBER ELECTION, YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T GET CERTIFIED TILL DECEMBER, AND WHOEVER IS DECLARED THE WINNER MOST LIKELY WON'T BE ABLE TO JOIN US UNTIL LATE DECEMBER OR EARLY JANUARY.
[02:00:09]
DIRECTOR WAESPI.I KNOW IT TAKES A WHILE, AND I KNOW THAT OUR REGISTRAR IN ALAMEDA COUNTY IS PRETTY SLOW ABOUT GETTING THOSE ELECTION RESULTS OUT BUT THERE IS A FINAL DEADLINE THAT YOU HAVE TO PRODUCE THE RESULTS.
UNFORTUNATELY. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A NEW BOARD MEMBER.
I THINK IT'D BE A GREAT THING FOR THE NEW BOARD MEMBER WIN THE ELECTION.
WE APPOINT YOU WHETHER YOU GET ON FOR THE NOVEMBER 19TH MEETING.
THAT'S TOO EARLY, PROBABLY, BUT YOU'D GET A TWO MONTH HEAD START.
YOU'D GET TO SEE OUR BUDGET PROCESS IN ACTION.
YOU'D GET TO SEE OUR NIGHT MEETING IN ACTION.
THE REGISTRAR TAKES THAT LONG TO CERTIFY AN ELECTION, THEN APPOINT.
SO I THINK I'D BE IN FAVOR OF JUST RIDING IT OUT AT THAT POINT.
DIRECTOR ROSARIO. YEAH, I AGREE, I THINK WE SHOULD WAIT TILL FOR THE ELECTION.
IT'S JUST THE LOGISTICS OF WE'D HAVE TO APPOINT A SUBCOMMITTEE.
THEN YOU HAVE TO GIVE THAT SUBCOMMITTEE TIME TO TAKE IN, ADVERTISE AND THEN HAVE A DATE WHERE WE, THEY MAKE THEY HAVE TO HAVE A MEETING.
SPECIAL MEETING. OR THEY COULD HAVE IT WHENEVER.
THEY COULD HAVE IT AT A BOARD MEETING, BUT THEN IT WOULDN'T BE UNTIL OCTOBER, UNTIL WE ACTUALLY HAVE A HEARING HERE AND MAKE A CHOICE, AND THEN AND THEN THE IF WE DO MAKE AN APPOINTEE, THAT APPOINTEE IS GOING TO HAVE TO GET DOWNLOADED.
SO IT'S A LOT TO ASK FOR ONE PERSON AND YEAH, I DON'T KNOW.
I THINK WE CAN ADEQUATELY ADEQUATELY BETWEEN THE BETWEEN THE BOARD MEMBERS HERE.
I THINK WE KNOW WARD FOUR PRETTY WELL, AND I THINK WE CAN STAND THERE.
I THINK WE CAN REPRESENT THAT AREA QUITE WELL.
BOTH DENNIS AND I ESPECIALLY ARE REALLY VERY FAMILIAR WITH WITH THAT, WITH THAT AREA.
IT'S A MUCH, AND YEAH I THINK.
YEAH, A CARETAKER, IF WE DO, IF WE DO DECIDE A CARETAKER WOULD BE THE BEST OPTION.
IT WOULD BE THE MOST FAIR TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE RUNNING FOR THAT, FOR THAT OFFICE B ECAUSE THEN IF WE DO, HAVING A CARETAKER VERSUS APPOINTING SOMEONE WHO'S RUNNING, IT GIVES THAT ONE PERSON AN ADVANTAGE.
SO YEAH, I'M IN FAVOR OF WAITING AND THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
YEAH. SO FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I AGREE, WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY AN ELECTION IN NOVEMBER.
WE HAVE SEVERAL CANDIDATES RUNNING.
I JUST SAY LET THE VOTERS DECIDE.
I DO APPRECIATE OLIVIA'S POINT AROUND HAVING PEOPLE WHO ARE SPECIFICALLY ASSIGN, SO TO SPEAK, TO THAT DISTRICT, AND I THINK VERY EASILY IF DENNIS AND DEE ARE UP FOR IT, THEY COULD, YOU KNOW, EACH TAKE PART OF THAT DISTRICT FOR SPECIFIC, YOU KNOW, SPECIFIC CONSTITUENCY ISSUES OR JUST, JUST SO SOMEBODY IS SORT OF ACCOUNTABLE FOR WATCHING OVER THOSE PARTS OF THE DISTRICT AND REQUESTS FROM THE ROTARY OR THE RIGHT OR, OR ANYTHING ELSE OR JUST QUESTIONS FROM CONSTITUENTS SO THAT THERE WOULD BE SOMEONE SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, CARING FOR THOSE DAY TO DAY NEEDS.
WE DO HAVE A LOT OF INPUT ALREADY FROM DIRECTOR CORBETT BEFORE SHE PASSED.
YOU KNOW, IN ALL OF THE ALL OF THE WORKSHOPS AND ALL OF HER COMMENTS DURING MEETINGS, WE WERE PRETTY CLEAR, LIKE WHAT SHE WANTS AND WHAT SHE BELIEVES IN TERMS OF HER DISTRICT.
SO I THINK THAT ALL OF US AS A GROUP CAN CARRY THAT VISION OUT THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR, AND SO I GUESS IF DIRECTOR WAESPI AND DIRECTOR ROSARIO ARE DOWN FOR IT, IS THAT OKAY?
[02:05:09]
YEAH. YEAH. GOOD.SO THAT'S WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST.
NO. OKAY. THAT SOUNDS LIKE AN INFORMAL AGREEMENT THAT YOU HAVE.
SO IF THIS IS OUR INFORMAL AGREEMENT, ONE OF THE OTHER.
WE DON'T HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT, RIGHT? ONE OF THE OTHER ITEMS THAT I NOTICED THAT I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO ADDRESS IN THIS, I DO NOTICE THAT WE STILL HAVE ELLEN'S NAME ON OUR LETTERHEAD.
YOU KNOW, SHE'S ON THE WALL OVER HERE, AND I THINK, AND IF WE HAVE TO BRING THIS BACK AT THE NEXT MEETING, THAT'S FINE, BUT I DO THINK THAT IT'S WORTH US ALSO THINKING ABOUT THAT. I HAD ONE IDEA, YOU KNOW, AND I ACTUALLY BROUGHT THEM, YOU KNOW, ON THE WALL OVER HERE WHERE HER NAME IS.
YOU KNOW, I BROUGHT THESE GREEN HEARTS.
MAYBE WITH, LIKE, A HEART NEXT TO HER NAME OR SOMETHING, BECAUSE IT.
I DON'T THINK I WOULD WANT TO REMOVE HER FROM OUR WEBSITE AND SAY THAT IT'S VACANT.
SO I THINK THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DOING SOMETHING TO KEEP HER THERE RATHER THAN JUST TAKE OFF HER PHOTO AND SAY THAT IT'S VACANT.
YEAH, I THINK WE CAN LEAVE HER PHOTO THERE AND THEN MAYBE, YOU KNOW, HAVE SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE TODAY AND WE CAN STILL LEAVE HER BIO, BUT WE CAN ALSO SORT OF INCORPORATE SOME OF THE APPRECIATION THAT WE HEARD FOR HER TODAY, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT CLEAR THAT SHE'S NO LONGER WITH US, BUT CERTAINLY HER SPIRIT IS ALIVE AND WELL, AND THEN IN TERMS OF THE LETTERHEAD, I MEAN, PERSONALLY, I THINK WE CAN WE CAN WAIT FOR THE NEW BOARD AND, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THE PICTURE I MEAN, I'D BE INCLINED JUST TO LEAVE IT AS IS, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO IF THERE'S SOME OTHER WAY TO INDICATE I, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY PEOPLE HERE ARE GOING TO KNOW.
ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO JUMP IN? YEAH. OKAY.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT.
[ACQUISITION, STEWARDSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION]
SO WE HAVE AN ITEM NEXT FROM ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT.MEMBERS OF THE BOARD NAOMI LAVAL, PRINCIPAL PLANNER.
ACQUISITION, STEWARDSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT.
PLANNING BROUGHT THIS FORWARD TO THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE IN JULY, AND WE ARE NOW HERE BEFORE THE BOARD REQUESTING AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO AN OMNIBUS MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT, COMBINING AND UPDATING THREE EXISTING MOAS THAT THE PARK DISTRICT HAS WITH THE CITY OF LIVERMORE REGARDING A CONSERVATION EASEMENT AT DOOLAN CANYON REGIONAL PRESERVE.
WE ARE ALSO REQUESTING AUTHORIZATION TO TRANSFER FUNDS, ENDOWMENT FUNDS HELD BY THE PARK DISTRICT BACK TO LIVERMORE IN ORDER TO FUND THE FULL PERPETUAL MANAGEMENT ENDOWMENT FOR THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT AREA.
TO PROVIDE A LITTLE BACKGROUND.
WHOOPS. IN EXCHANGE, AS PART OF THAT AGREEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP WITH LIVERMORE, LIVERMORE WILL RECORD A 211 ACRE MITIGATION CONSERVATION EASEMENT FOR THREE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, AND IN LIVERMORE, BUT THE MITIGATION AREA WILL BE ON THE PROPERTY.
[02:10:06]
AREA. THE THREE PROJECTS INCLUDED ISABEL AVENUE, THE I-80 INTERCHANGE, AND EL CHARRO SPECIFIC PLAN.SUBSEQUENTLY LIVERMORE CAME FORWARD WITH ADDITIONAL MITIGATION THAT WAS NEEDED FOR THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND CONTRIBUTED AN ADDITIONAL $138,000 FOR 8.3 ACRES OF MITIGATION.
A PORTION OF WHICH WAS ALSO SET ASIDE FOR THE ENDOWMENT.
SO TODAY, WITH THIS OMNIBUS MOA, WE ARE COMBINING AND UPDATING THE THREE EXISTING MOAS AND UPDATING LANGUAGE AND MAKING SURE EVERYTHING WAS IS CONSISTENT, WHERE THE MOA WOULD ALSO INCREASE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF MITIGATION FUNDING THAT LIVERMORE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE ENDOWMENT, AND IT WOULD ALSO UPDATE THE EASEMENT AND ENDOWMENT HOLDERS TO TVC, WHICH WOULD THEN NECESSITATE THE PARK DISTRICT TRANSFERRING ENDOWMENT FUNDS FROM THE ORIGINAL LIVERMORE CONTRIBUTIONS BACK TO LIVERMORE.
THIS DETAILS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THE ENDOWMENT TRANSFER ITSELF.
WE WILL BE TRANSFERRING ABOUT 606 $668,000, MORE OR LESS.
SO THERE WOULD BE THE $500,000 OF PERMANENT FUNDS PLUS ACCUMULATED INTEREST, AND THEN AS WELL, FOR LIVERMORE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, WE HAVE $28,000 OF PERMANENT FUNDS WITH AT LEAST $7,971 IN ACCUMULATED INTEREST, AND THEN A PORTION OF THE PERMANENT FUND WAS ACTUALLY PUT INTO A LAND ACQUISITION PROJECT ACCOUNT.
SO WE'LL ALSO BE TRANSFERRING THOSE FUNDS ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE PERMANENT FUNDS.
SO AGAIN, THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO AUTHORIZE ENTERING INTO AN OMNIBUS MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT AND UPDATING THREE TO UPDATE THE THREE MOAS WITH THE CITY OF LIVERMORE, AND THEN TO AUTHORIZE THE TRANSFER OF THE ENDOWMENT FUNDS HELD BY THE PARK DISTRICT BACK TO LIVERMORE IN ORDER TO FUND THE P ERMANENT FUND AND MANAGEMENT OF THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT AREA.
I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
ANY QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? GO AHEAD. YES.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. I FULLY SUPPORT THIS.
I THINK THAT THE NEXT PIECE OF THIS, SO THAT WE MAY WANT TO CONSIDER IS HONESTLY COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS A PRETTY COMPLICATED SITUATION THAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US HERE IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU KNOW, THE TYPICAL COMMUNITY MEMBER MIGHT BE AWARE OF AND THEY MIGHT LOOK AT THIS AND MAYBE THERE COULD BE SOME MISINTERPRETATION OF WHAT'S HAPPENING, AND I THINK THAT TRI-VALLEY CONSERVANCY DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB IN REGARDS TO HELPING TO LEAD THIS TYPE OF CONVERSATION AND WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT.
YOU KNOW, JUST EVEN LOOKING AT THESE SLIDES, I KNOW WHEN WE WRITE IN, FOR EXAMPLE, PARK DISTRICT INTO OUR SLIDES, I KNOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OUR PARK DISTRICT, BUT I WILL SHARE THAT, YOU KNOW, WITHIN LIVERMORE THERE IS ANOTHER PARK DISTRICT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS HAPPENS SOMETIMES IN HAYWARD WITH THE WITH THE HARD PARK DISTRICT, BUT SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, EVEN WITHIN THESE CITIES, CITY OF LIVERMORE AND LARPD AREN'T ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT THESE KINDS OF DETAILS, AND SO I CAN SHARE, YOU KNOW, LARPD IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE WITH CITY OF LIVERMORE AND I THINK THAT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT AS PART OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS PLAN GOING FORWARD BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SOME CRITIQUE COMING OUR WAY FROM THE LIVERMORE AREA RECREATION PARK DISTRICT (LARPD) THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT DOING ENOUGH AT DOOLAN CANYON.
WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, OPENING DOOLAN CANYON, AND I THINK ALSO UNDERSTANDING THAT CONSERVATION IN RECREATION BALANCE AT DOOLAN CANYON WILL BE REALLY IMPORTANT AS PART OF THIS COMMUNICATIONS OUTREACH, AND I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US WORK CLOSELY WITH TRI-VALLEY CONSERVANCY ON THIS TOPIC AS A NEXT STEP, AND I'M ALSO VERY EAGER TO BE A PART OF THAT. SO I KNOW THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
SO THIS MIGHT ACTUALLY THEN GO TO PUBLIC AFFAIRS, I'M GUESSING.
[02:15:05]
YOU KNOW, I HAVE BEEN I HAVE RECEIVED REQUESTS OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF FOR US TO HAVE A COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE, A COMMUNITY DAY AT DOOLAN CANYON, WHERE WE CAN BRING MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO COME AND SEE DOOLAN CANYON, AND I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO USE TODAY AS PART OF THAT CATALYST TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS IN 2024, AND WE DON'T PUSH IT OFF TO 2025. I THINK THAT THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT THING FOR US TO DO RIGHT NOW, AND ANYTHING THAT I CAN DO TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.OTHERWISE, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE THIS AS WELL.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? OKAY.
WELL, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR BY DIRECTOR SANWONG.
IS THERE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS? NO, PRESIDENT ECHOLS.
OKAY. MOTION BY DIRECTOR SANWONG AND SECOND BY DIRECTOR MERCURIO.
ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
[HUMAN RESOURCES DIVISION]
HUMAN RESOURCES.BOARD OF DIRECTORS. ALLYSON COOK, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF HUMAN RESOURCES.
I'M HERE SEEKING AUTHORIZATION TO GIVE CERTAIN UNREPRESENTED PUBLIC SAFETY CLASSIFICATIONS.
I BELIEVE THE REPORT IS SELF-EXPLANATORY.
THIS IS SIMPLY REQUIRED BY CALPERS.
YOU ARE NOT EXTENDING ANY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OR COMPENSATION.
IT'S JUST TO ENSURE THAT PENSION CALCULATIONS ARE ACCURATE.
SO I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
OKAY. ANYONE HAVE QUESTIONS ON THIS? ALL RIGHT. SEEING NONE.
DO WE HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED. THANK YOU.
MOTION BY DIRECTOR WAESPI, AND SECOND BY DIRECTOR ROSARIO.
CONGRATULATIONS, ALLYSON, THAT WAS A RECORD.
WOW. BETWEEN THIS AND CLOSED SESSION.
THANK YOU. I KNOW YOU'RE ON A ROLL.
ALL RIGHT. I ASSUME WE DIDN'T HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THAT.
[PUBLIC SAFETY DIVISION]
ALL RIGHT. OKAY.OKAY. WELCOME, I WANT TO CALL YOU, I'M MAKING YOU A BOARD DIRECTOR OVER HERE.
CHIEF THIELE AND DEPUTY CHIEF HELAE.
IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY. WELL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
GOOD AFTERNOON, DIRECTORS. WE'LL TRY TO MAKE THIS AS QUICK AS WE CAN.
[02:20:04]
SO THE NEED FOR THE ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACTING IS IS PRETTY SIMPLE.IN A NUTSHELL, IT'S GOING TO ALLOW US TO USE SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT AND CAPABILITIES OF OTHER ENTITIES THAT WE DON'T HAVE INTERNAL TO THE PARK DISTRICT, AND ALSO TO SUPPLEMENT THE RESOURCES THE DISTRICT ALREADY HAS.
AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE HAVE KIND OF AN IMMEDIATE NEED WHEN IT COMES TO PERFORMING FUELS MANAGEMENT WORK, AND THIS ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACTING WILL HELP US RESPOND TO THAT IMMEDIATE NEED FOR VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.
IT ALSO FULFILLS THE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR PERFORMANCE.
I THINK MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH, IT REALLY HELPS US WITH WORKFLOW OR PERFORMANCE OBLIGATIONS AND THE COMMITMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE, NOT JUST TO OUR CONSTITUENCY BUT ALSO TO SOME OF THE GRANTEES.
THERE WERE ORIGINALLY 21 THAT ATTENDED THE TOUR, AND WE GOT 11 QUALIFIED BIDS.
THE SELECTION PROCESS WAS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
THEY EVALUATED THE METHOD GIVEN THE PROJECT THEY HAD IN FRONT OF THEM OR THAT WE WERE GIVING THEM, AND THE STAFF GRADED PROPOSALS UTILIZING A SCORING MATRIX, AND THERE WERE SEVEN CONTRACTORS THAT WERE SELECTED.
SOME ARE PRETTY YOU'RE USED TO HEARING THEIR THEIR NAME A LOT.
PROFESSIONAL TREE CARE COMPANY EXPERT TREE SERVICE GO NATIVE COMMUNITY TREE, SKYVIEW TREE EXPERTS AND HANFORD ARC, AND THE CRUX OF OF THE AWARDS TO THOSE CONTRACTORS WILL GO INTO IT PROBABLY TAKES THE MOST EXPLANATION, BUT THE DETAILS ARE THAT IT WOULD BE A COMBINED ANNUAL MAXIMUM OF 4 MILLION OVER THE COURSE OF THREE, THREE YEARS.
SO THE POTENTIAL FOR 12 MILLION, BUT WITH AN ANNUAL CAP OF 4 MILLION INITIAL ONE YEAR PERIOD WITH AN OPTION FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE ONE YEAR YOUR EXTENSIONS, AND THE WAY THAT IT PLAYED OUT WAS OUT OF THE SEVEN CONTRACTORS.
FIVE OF THEM HAVE A MAX OF 600,000, AND TWO OF THEM HAVE A MAX OF 500,000 TO EQUAL THE 4 MILLION BECAUSE I KNOW SOME PEOPLE WANT THOSE NUMBERS.
IT ALSO ENABLES THE EXECUTION OF VARIOUS FUELS REDUCTION TASKS.
LIKE I SAID, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT THAT THEY WOULD BRING WITH THEM AND SPECIALIZED CREWS THAT WE DON'T NORMALLY HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO IMPLEMENT WITH WHAT WE HAVE INTERNALLY, THE PARK DISTRICT AND IT DEFINITELY SUPPORTS THE DISTRICT'S FUEL PLAN.
GOOD AFTERNOON. BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
KHARI HELAE, ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF, I WANT TO GET INTO FURTHER DETAILS OF THE CONTRACT.
LOOK AT IT AS TWO DIFFERENT PARTS.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PART A, WHICH IS WHAT WE TYPICALLY CALL INITIAL TREATMENT FOR THE HIGH VOLUME OF TREE REMOVAL. THE MAJORITY OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE ARE DOING AS A FIRE DEPARTMENT, EXCEPT FOR THE ANTHONY CHABOT PROJECT WHERE WE UTILIZE THE CARBONATOR, IS DONE THROUGH ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACTS.
THIS CONTRACT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO DO THINNING OF LARGE SCALE DIFFERENT TREE DIAMETERS.
THE PRICE SCALE IS BASED OFF SIZE, DIAMETER, OF THE DIFFERENT TREES GIVES US THE ABILITY TO REDUCE LADDER FUELS IN DIFFERENT PROJECT AREAS. WE ALSO CAN REMOVE TREES AND LIMBS NEAR STRUCTURE STRUCTURES.
SO DEFENSIBLE SPACE PROJECTS THINGS OF THAT NATURE AND PROJECTS THAT ARE CONSIDERED HIGH RISK.
SO WHEN YOU HAVE LARGE TREES NEAR STRUCTURES OR UTILITY LINES, THOSE ARE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER RISK, AND ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACTORS GIVE US THE ABILITY TO HAVE THE RIGHT RESOURCES TO DO THOSE TYPE OF PROJECTS GIVES US THE ABILITY TO HANDLE HAZARDOUS DEAD AND DYING TREES LIKE WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH THE TREE DIE OFF, AND THE AFTER EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE HERE AT THE PARK DISTRICT, AND GIVES US THE ABILITY TO CHIP LARGE AMOUNTS OF TREES THAT ARE LARGER CHIPPERS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE AS A DISTRICT, AND MASTICATION OF BRUSH AND MOWING OF DIFFERENT PROJECT AREAS, WEED WHIPPING, THOSE TYPE OF PROJECTS, APPLYING HERBICIDE FOR STUMP STUMP CUTS BASED OFF OF AFTER TREES HAVE BEEN REMOVED, ESPECIALLY WITH EUCALYPTUS.
[02:25:07]
SO PART A OF THE ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT.THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE PART A IS MOSTLY UTILIZING HEAVY EQUIPMENT, BUT IN AREAS OF SENSITIVE HABITAT OR AREAS THAT ARE HARD TO EGRESS, YOU CAN AT TIMES.
ALSO GIVES US THE ABILITY TO CONDUCT FOREST THINNING AND FORESTRY MULCH AREAS DOING LOP AND SCATTER, ALL PART OF MAINTENANCE WORK THAT WE DO. WE'RE ABLE TO CREATE BURN PILES AND THEN HAVE OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT COME IN AND BURN THE ACTUAL PILES, BUT THESE CONTRACTORS CAN AT LEAST GET THE LITTER OFF THE GROUND, CREATE PILES FOR US TO BURN LATER ON.
WE CAN APPLY HERBICIDE APPLICATION WITH THESE CONTRACTORS, WHICH HELPS WITH THE MAINTENANCE AND THE REGROWTH IN THESE AREAS IN CONTROLLING WEEDY AND INVASIVE PLANTS THROUGHOUT THE DIFFERENT PROJECT AREAS THAT WE'RE WORKING IN.
ALSO, IT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO WORK IN SENSITIVE HABITATS.
THAT'S WHERE UTILIZING PEOPLE OR CREWS OR BENEFIT HEAVY EQUIPMENT OBVIOUSLY IS NOT AS SENSITIVE IN THOSE TYPE OF AREAS, BUT IT ALSO HAS THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE TRACK CHIPPERS ADJACENT TO HAND CREWS.
SO THE WORK IN A COMBINED FASHION, AND THE PART HERE, IT SAYS SUPERVISE CREW CAPABILITY FOR IDENTIFYING INVASIVE VERSUS NATIVE SPECIES, AND THE LAST BULLET OF SUPERVISING MANAGED CREWS IN DIVERSE ECOSYSTEMS. WHEN YOU HAVE MORE SUPERVISION WORKING WITH CREWS, THE WORK IS MORE DETAILED.
WHEN YOU HAVE LESS SUPERVISION, SOMETIMES CREWS CAN GET AWAY AND THE WORK IS NOT AS DETAILED, AND THAT'S WHEN YOU CAN HAVE MISHAPS WHERE MAYBE A PROTECTED PLANT OR SOMETHING WAS REMOVED THAT YOU DIDN'T WANT REMOVED.
THE TWO EXAMPLES I JUST GAVE, AND OUR ON CALL CONTRACTS GIVE US THE CAPABILITY TO WORK IN VARIOUS AREAS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT.
THE BIGGEST BENEFIT OF IT IS THAT WE CAN HAVE CONTRACTORS MOBILIZED WITHIN A ONE WEEK PERIOD.
SO THE REASON THE PARK OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH AS MUCH WORK AS WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, MAJORITY OF IT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT THAT ALLOWS US TO BE NIMBLE, VERY QUICK, AND PRODUCE LARGE VOLUMES OF WORK THROUGH THIS ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO DO WORK WITHIN 200FT.
PROXIMITY OF HOMES, WHICH YOU COULD CONSIDER THE DEFENSIBLE SPACE AREAS OF THE DISTRICT.
IT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO WORK WITH EUCALYPTUS STANDS THAT HAVE A HIGH VOLUME OF FLAMMABLE FUELS, ALSO DOING WORK WITHIN STRATEGIC ROUTES.
SO YES, IT'S NOT 200FT ADJACENT TO HOMES, BUT THAT PROJECT WAS DONE WITH ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACTS SO THAT IF THE PUBLIC NEEDS TO EGRESS FROM THAT AREA BECAUSE OF A LARGE SCALE FIRE, THEY CAN DO SO IN A SAFER MANNER BEFORE WE WOULD IN A SAFER MANNER.
ALSO GIVES US THE ABILITY TO DO WORK AROUND DISTRICT FACILITIES.
SO IT WOULD BE YOUR TYPICAL DEFENSIBLE SPACE WORK THAT WE DO AS A FIRE DEPARTMENT.
SO ALL THOSE CAPABILITIES, INITIAL TREATMENT, BUT ALSO MAINTAINING WHAT WE INITIALLY TREATED IS WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THE ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT, AND IT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO BE EXTREMELY NIMBLE.
LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF SOME TYPE.
SOME OF THE PROJECT AREAS OR PARKS THAT WE'VE DONE WORK IN, WE'VE DONE WORK IN TILDEN.
I GAVE YOU AN EXAMPLE EARLIER OFF OF SOUTH PARK DRIVE.
[02:30:01]
ALSO REDWOOD RIDGE, LAKE CHABOT, ANTHONY CHABOT, CLAREMONT CANYON, CARQUINEZ STRAIT, SIBLEY, AND CANDY GROVE. A SIMPLER WAY OF EXPLAINING IT IS THE ONLY CONTRACT WORK THAT WE DID NOT DO WITH THE ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT WAS THE ANTHONY CHABOT PROJECT AND IT COMES WITH TREE THINNING.OUR CONTRACTORS ARE GO THROUGH A RIGOROUS PROCESS OF MAKING SURE THAT WE SELECT THE RIGHT TYPE OF CONTRACTORS WHO CAN DO THE WORK THAT IS NEEDED, BUT IT'S NOT JUST THE CONTRACTORS THAT ARE DOING THE WORK.
THE FUELS REDUCTION COORDINATOR IS THE PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE CONTRACTOR.
WE HAVE A GREAT PRODUCT BECAUSE WE HAVE A FUELS REDUCTION COORDINATOR WHO IS PROJECT MANAGER, MAKING SURE THAT THE CONTRACTORS ARE WORKING WITHIN OUR SPECIFICATIONS AND ALSO MAKING SURE THAT ALL OF OUR REGULATIONS ARE FOLLOWED AND AS THE OVERSIGHT FOR THE CONTRACTOR AND THE DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE.
HERE'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF AN ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT THAT IS NEAR HOMES IN WILDCAT CANYON.
AS YOU CAN SEE THERE IN THAT MIDDLE PICTURE, THERE'S A TELESCOPING BOOM CRANE THAT THESE CONTRACTORS ARE ABLE TO UTILIZE FOR PARTICULAR PROJECTS AND THIS CRANE WAS NEEDED FOR THE PROJECT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW, AND AS WE WIND DOWN, I JUST WANTED TO SUMMARIZE THAT PART OF THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS THE SUPPORT THAT WE RECEIVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, YOU SUPPORTED YOUR FIRE DEPARTMENT WITH FULL TIME POSITIONS.
YOU'VE HELPED GROWN OUR DEPARTMENT HELP GROWN OUR DEPARTMENT 667% IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS OF FULL TIME POSITIONS, BUT WE ALSO ARE FORTUNATE WHERE OUR BUDGET FLUCTUATES FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
IN 2024 ALONE, WE HAD AN 186 INCREASE OF OUR BUDGET DUE TO GRANTS AND DIRECT ASKS THAT WE RECEIVE FROM STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
SOME OF THOSE GRANTS CAN FUND EMPLOYEES.
THIS YEAR, $6.7 MILLION OF OUR GRANTS ACTUALLY COULD NOT FUND FULL TIME POSITIONS.
THOSE FUNDS COULD ONLY GO TO CONTRACTORS.
WE HAVE OUR FUELS REDUCTION COORDINATORS WHO WORK WITH THOSE CONTRACTORS, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT THAT HAS A ZERO MINIMUM COMMITMENT TO THESE CONTRACTORS, MEANING WE DON'T HAVE TO SPEND ANY MONEY AT ALL, OR IF WE'RE FORTUNATE IN OUR BUDGET INCREASES 186%.
WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE THESE CONTRACTORS, LIKE WE SAID, $4 MILLION ANNUALLY FOR A TOTAL OF THREE YEARS, WHICH IS A BALANCE OF $12 MILLION.
SO THIS THIS CONTRACT ALLOWS US TO BE NIMBLE, FLEXIBLE AND PUT FUNDS TO USE THAT WE NORMALLY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PUT TO USE, BECAUSE IF WE JUST HAD FULL TIME POSITIONS AND THEN OUR BUDGET DECREASED BY 186% THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
OBVIOUSLY THAT WOULD BE PROBLEMATIC FOR US AS A FIRE DEPARTMENT, BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE MULTIPLE TOOLS THAT WE UTILIZE, ONE BEING THE ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT GIVES US THE ABILITY TO PUT ALL THOSE FUNDS TO USE.
SO WE'RE FORMALLY ASKING PERMISSION OR APPROVAL FOR OUR ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT FOR A VALUE OF $4 MILLION ANNUALLY, WITH TWO YEAR EXTENSIONS, FOR A TOTAL OF THREE YEARS FOR $12 MILLION.
DO I HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? YES. DIRECTOR WAESPI.
I THINK YOUR SUCCESSES IN THE PAST HAVE BEEN GREAT.
I DON'T WANT TO BE PROVOCATIVE, BUT OF THE $4 MILLION THIS YEAR, HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF THE POSSIBILITY IN THE FUTURE OF SOME OF THESE PROJECTS YOU'VE MENTIONED? I DON'T EXPECT ANYBODY TO BE WITH A CRANE TELESCOPING CRANE, BUT WHEN YOU MENTIONED RAKING, WE LINE TRIMMING THINGS LIKE THAT, MAKING PILES.
[02:35:06]
POSSIBILITY. YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT FUELS CREW, MAYBE ANOTHER FUELS CREW TO HANDLE THIS OR DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BUT I WAS REALLY EXCITED BY THE PROSPECT OF THE RESTORATION CREW, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN APPEAL TO, HOW DO I SAY, THE MACHO YOUNG MEN TO GO OUT THERE AND LET ME CUT DOWN THE FOREST AND TEAR IT APART AND I CAN DO THAT.SO TO SUGGEST THAT WE WOULD HAVE A ONBOARDING OR AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE TRAINED AND LEARN THINGS AND GET SKILLS AND HAVE A PATHWAY INTO THE PARK DISTRICT, WHICH ISN'T ALL JUST CUTTING DOWN TREES AND BEING MACHO.
THERE ARE GREAT RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES.
SO I WAS WONDERING IF YOU IF YOU WOULD, IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS WHEN WE RE-UP THIS.
YEAH, AND WE LOOK AT FUELS MITIGATION, LIKE RUNNING A FIRE INCIDENT.
SO WE WELCOME ALL PARTNERS, AS MANY RESOURCES AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN YOU KNOW, MITIGATE THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE HERE DOING FUELS WORK FOR THE PARK DISTR ICT. SO TRUST ME, WE'RE EXPLORING EVERY AVENUE.
DIRECTOR ROSARIO, THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE CATEGORY OF A.
I JUST HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT B.
B SOUNDS MORE LIKE A WORK THAT WE DO ALREADY IN-HOUSE, AND I SECOND DIRECTOR WAESPI.
SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS WENT THROUGH THIS.
DID THIS GO THROUGH? MEET AND CONFER? IT DID GO THROUGH. MEET AND CONFER, BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S YEAH, IT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE THE WORK THAT OUR HAND CREWS ALREADY DO.
SO AND THEN I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE SUPERVISORS, AND HOW ARE WE CERTIFYING THAT THERE ARE THAT THE SUPERVISORS OF THE CREWS THAT ARE DOING THE JOB ARE THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY KNOWLEDGEABLE IN IN PLANT IDENTIFICATION? YEAH. LET ME THOSE ARE GREAT QUESTIONS, AND IT GIVES ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO CLARIFY THOSE.
SO EARLIER I PRESENTED ABOUT THAT.
OUR BUDGET EXPANDED 186%, AND THEN I ALSO HIGHLIGHTED THAT $6.7 MILLION OF OUR BUDGET COULD NOT GO TO PAY FOR FULL TIME EMPLOYEES.
SO, BILL, TO MAKE USE OF THOSE FUNDS, WE HAVE TO USE CONTRACTORS.
EARLIER, I ALSO SAID THAT WE DON'T JUST WANT TO DO INITIAL TREATMENT AND LET IT ALL GROW BACK.
WE NEED THE ABILITY TO MAINTAIN IT, AND SO THE WAY WE MAINTAIN IT IS UTILIZING CREWS, BUT $6.7 MILLION OF OUR GRANT MONEY THAT WE RECEIVED CAN'T GO TO FULL TIME EMPLOYEES.
THE BEAUTY OF THIS CONTRACT IS THAT IF OUR BUDGET IS MORE CONSERVATIVE THE FOLLOWING YEAR IN 2025 AND WE DON'T HAVE SIX POINT, WE DON'T HAVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF ADDITIONAL FUNDING IN OUR BUDGET.
SO IT'S A BALANCE OF BOTH NOT GETTING TOO AHEAD OF OURSELVES WITH FULL TIME EMPLOYEES, BUT ALSO HAVING MECHANISMS IN PLACE LIKE THE ON CALL SPECIALTY CONTRACT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE USE OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.
SO YEAH, I GET THAT, AND SO HOW ARE YOU ASSURING THAT THE CONTRACTORS ARE.
SO DIRECTOR I'M GOING TO ANSWER THAT FOR YOU.
THAT'S OUR FUEL REDUCTION COORDINATOR POSITIONS.
OKAY, AND THEY ARE HIGHLY QUALIFIED.
THEY WORK LOCKSTEP WITH WITH STEWARDSHIP.
HOWEVER, THEY HAVE BEEN IT INVOLVED IN WORKING WITH PARK STAFF, IN SOME CASES ON CERTAIN OCCASIONS TO DO SOME REPLANTINGS, AND THEY ALSO GO THROUGH, THANKS TO OUR STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT. AGAIN, THEY DO GO THROUGH A PLANT ID CLASS, WHICH ISN'T JUST THE NATIVES AND THE SPECIES OF SPECIAL CONCERN THAT, YOU KNOW, WE
[02:40:06]
FOCUS ON, BUT ALSO NON-NATIVE INVASIVES AND THE TWO CONTRACTORS GO NATIVE AND FOR ANY OTHER CONTRACTOR RIGHT NOW, BUT THOSE TWO CONTRACTORS, THEY'RE SCORING MATRIX.THEY ENDED UP THERE BECAUSE THEY HAD THE ABILITY TO DO THE PLANT IDENTIFICATION, TO DO THE DETAILED WORK THAT WE WOULD NEED A CREW TO DO COMMUNITY TREE.
THANK YOU. MY LAST LAST COMMENT OR QUESTION IS THE AMOUNT OF HERBICIDES WE'RE USING.
DIRECTOR MERCURIO, AND I, WE WERE TOWARD SOME LAND THAT EAST BAY MUD RUNS AND THEY'RE ABLE TO GET 100% KILL WITHIN THREE YEARS WITHOUT USING PESTICIDES, JUST SUCKER BASHING.
SO I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF DEAD TREES, SO BUT IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT WE CAN.
I MEAN, BECAUSE WE HAVE WHEN YOU DO HERBICIDE TREATMENT, YOU GOT TO GO BACK ANYWAY.
SO IT'S LIKE, ARE WE DOING THE RIGHT THING? SO I WOULD JUST RECOMMEND THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT POLICY AND SEE IF WE CAN'T REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF HERBICIDES THAT WE'RE USING. YEAH, I APPRECIATE THAT.
IT'S THE SAME CONVERSATION MY WIFE LIKES TO HAVE AT ME AT HOME BECAUSE SHE THINKS SIMILAR TO YOU.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS OKAY.
YEAH, WELL, CHIEF THIELE AND ASSISTANT CHIEF HELAE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING.
I'M JUST BLOWN AWAY EVERY TIME I HEAR YOU GUYS PRESENT, AND, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE YOU COMING AND EXPLAINING THIS IN MORE DEPTH AND REALLY EXPLAINING HOW, YOU KNOW, THE FUEL REDUCTION COORDINATOR POSITION WORKS WITH THE SUPERVISING, THE CREW SUPERVISORS AND HOW THAT ALL COMES TOGETHER. I DID HAVE A QUESTION WHEN YOU SAY THAT THE 6.7 MILLION CAN'T GO TO FULL TIME EMPLOYEES, IS THAT BECAUSE OF THE FLUCTUATION FROM YEAR TO YEAR, OR IS IT ANOTHER REASON WHY THAT CAN'T GO TO FULL TIME EMPLOYEES? MY BEST GUESS OF WHY THAT HAPPENS IS JUST MY GUESS IF THE STATE IS GIVING MONEY OR GRANTEE IF IT GOES TO THE DISTRICT, OR MOST OF OUR POSITIONS ARE ALREADY PAID FOR.
SO IT JUST OFFSETS THE BUDGET WHEN IT GOES TO CONTRACTORS.
NOT ONLY DID IT BENEFIT THE PARK DISTRICT, IT BENEFITED THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
OKAY, SO IT'S ACTUALLY A CONDITION OF THE GRANT THEN? OH, YEAH. OH, OKAY.
I THOUGHT IT WAS MORE HAD TO DO WITH YOU.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY PART OF THE AGREEMENT.
ONE WAS A DIRECT ASK FOR $10 MILLION CALRECYCLE, AND THE OTHER IS A $1.2 MILLION GRANT FOR CALFIRE.
BOTH OF THOSE GRANTS, THE MONEY CAN ONLY GO ALLOCATED TO CONTRACTORS AND NOT EMPLOYEES.
DIFFERENT GRANTS OBVIOUSLY COME WITH DIFFERENT RULES AND COMPLICATIONS, AND THOSE TWO PARTICULAR FUND SOURCES COME WITH THOSE CHALLENGES. FEMA GRANTS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT WHERE THEY WILL PAY FOR EMPLOYEES, INTERNAL EMPLOYEES.
OKAY. THANK YOU; THAT'S VERY HELPFUL.
ANYTHING FURTHER? I THINK WE'RE GOOD.
IS THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY. THANK YOU.
OKAY. DIRECTOR WAESPI MADE THE MOTION, AND NO [INAUDIBLE] DIRECTOR.
I TOLD YOU, IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY.
DIRECTOR, THAT GUY OVER THERE.
DIRECTOR ROSARIO MADE THE MOTION.
DIRECTOR WAESPI. SO YOU GUYS KEEP SWITCHING IT UP ON ME, YOU KNOW? ANYWAY, SO ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER? NOPE. OKAY, AND I THINK WE DO HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM CLOSED SESSION.
IS THAT RIGHT OR. NO, COMMENT AND NO ANNOUNCEMENTS.
OKAY. WE HAVE OUR NEW ITEM TODAY, PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS.
[PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
[02:45:07]
SO ARE THERE ANY BOARD MEMBERS WHO WANT TO ASK TO PUT AN ITEM ON A FUTURE AGENDA? YES, DIRECTOR SANWONG.YEAH, I KNOW, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS, ACTUALLY.
YES. SO I KNOW THAT WE HAD A VERY IN.
WE HAD A VERY INFORMATIVE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING ABOUT THE DELL VALLE KIOSK PILOT PROJECT, AND IT WAS RIGHT AFTER THE 4TH OF JULY WHEN WE HAD THAT OPERATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING, THAT DELL VALLE PILOT PROJECT, THE KIOSK PILOT PROJECT DID END YESTERDAY ON LABOR DAY, AND SO I WOULD ANTICIPATE THAT AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, WE WILL BE REVIEWING THIS AND I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND THAT WE DO REVIEW THAT AT A FULL BOARD MEETING.
I HAVE SOME OTHER THOUGHTS ON THAT, INCLUDING THAT WHEN WE DO REVIEW IT, THAT WE CONSIDER, AND I THINK WE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT LOCKED IN TO OUR BOARD MEETING CALENDAR, WHICH IS A SEPARATE ISSUE, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO RECOMMEND THAT WE CONSIDER POSSIBLY HOLDING THAT MEETING IN THE LIVERMORE AREA.
I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY IN LIVERMORE TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE MEETING IN A CLOSER PROXIMITY TO THEIR HOMES, BUT I DO ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT SECOND PART OF MY REQUEST MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT LARGER OF A REQUEST, BUT I'D BE WILLING TO WORK ON THAT TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
ANYONE ELSE? PRESIDENT ECHOLS.
I JUST NEED TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER.
SWAGIT IS THE PEOPLE THAT ARE STREAMING.
EXCUSE ME. THEY'VE LOST THE VIDEO, BUT OUR SYSTEM, OUR MEETING IS STILL GOING ON AUDIO.
SO DO YOU HAVE THE ZOOM? SO THEY'RE ON ZOOM.
SO WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN LET PEOPLE INTO THE ZOOM, BUT YOU JUST IF ANYONE'S WATCHING IT ON OH, YEAH. SO IS THAT OKAY? OKAY. ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR LETTING US KNOW.
SO NOW WE ARE ON TO BOARD COMMENTS.
[BOARD COMMENTS]
DIRECTOR COFFEY, IF YOU'RE READY, I'M GOING TO START AT YOUR END TODAY.AT THIS POINT, I NEED TO GO BACK TO JULY 30TH AND MENTION ATTENDANCE AT THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE, AND ON JULY 30TH WE HELD THE LAST MARSH CREEK WATERSHED COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING AND PREPARATION FOR THE ROLLOUT OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE PROPOSALS FOR CONSIDERATION FROM ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS.
AUGUST 1ST. I ATTENDED THE CONTRA COSTA MAYORS' CONFERENCE ON AUGUST 2ND.
I HAD AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL TOUR OF FUTURE, OR MAYBE BETTER DESCRIBED AS POTENTIAL TRAIL DEVELOPMENT IN DEVELOPMENTS IN WARD SIX.
CONDUCTED BY DIRECTOR MERCURIO.
ON THE THIRD, I ATTENDED A CONTRA COSTA RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT TOUR OF THE OAKLEY COMMUNITY.
WELL, I'M SORRY, THE MARSH CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT AT OAKLEY COMMUNITY PARK, WHICH INCLUDED CONSULTANTS TAKING US ON A TOUR OF THE NEXT PHASE OF THAT CREEK RESTORATION PROJECT OUT IN EAST COUNTY.
ON AUGUST 6TH, I ATTENDED THE WITH DIRECTOR MERCURIO.
THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS RECOGNITION OF THE PORT CHICAGO EXONERATION, I GUESS, WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO CHARACTERIZE THAT EVENT, AND I ALSO ATTENDED OUR PARK DISTRICT PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT'S AUGUST NIGHT OUT CELEBRATION AT LAKE CHABOT ON THE SEVENTH.
THE STEWARDSHIP STEWARDSHIP STAFF MET BY ZOOM OR PHONE.
[02:50:05]
I'M FORGETTING WITH DIRECTOR WAESPI AND MYSELF ON VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ISSUES AT MISSION PEAK.AS A FOLLOW UP TO DISCUSSIONS AT OUR NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE MEETING, I THAT LATE AFTERNOON ON THE SEVENTH ATTENDED THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY NORTHERN WATERFRONT INITIATIVE, WHICH IS FUNDAMENTALLY A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY.
SUPERVISOR GLOVER, SUPERVISOR BURGESS AT WHICH THEY DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUES ALONG THE NORTHERN WATERFRONT OF THE COUNTY.
IN LIGHT OF THE ONGOING TRANSITION FROM INDUSTRIAL USES TO OTHER OTHER USES OF SHORELINES AND WATERFRONTS, THE 9TH OF AUGUST WAS THE ANNUAL DINNER OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, WHICH I NOTE MOST PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THERE WAS A MOVING TRIBUTE AS WE HEARD OF DIRECTOR CORBETT'S PASSING BY IGOR TREGUB IMPROMPTU OF ELLEN, WHICH WAS QUITE APPROPRIATE FOR THAT GATHERING OF SEVERAL HUNDRED VERY ACTIVE DEMOCRATS WHO.
MOST OF WHOM KNEW ELLEN AT THE ON THE 10TH IN THE EVENING MEAL AND I ATTENDED THE BIG BREAK CAMPFIRE COMMUNITY CAMPFIRE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARENTS AND CHILDREN SURROUNDING BIG BREAK REGIONAL SHORELINE.
ON THE 12TH, I ATTENDED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S PROMOTION CEREMONY AT OUR TRUDEAU CENTER.
ON THE 13TH, I ATTENDED A PRESENTATION BY DIRECTOR MERCURIO ON THE AMERICAN DISCOVERY TRAIL AS IT TRAVERSES THE CITY OF OAKLEY, AND THIS WAS BEFORE THE OAKLEY CITY COUNCIL, AND IT WAS EXTRAORDINARILY WELL RECEIVED.
THE SERVICE AWARDS AT KENNEDY GROVE TOOK PLACE ON THE 14TH.
THE AWARDS, OF COURSE, WERE VERY SPECIAL, AND IT'S ALWAYS THOSE THOSE CEREMONIES ARE ALWAYS HEARTFELT, BUT THE REAL STANDOUT FROM THE AWARD CEREMONY IN KENNEDY GROVE WAS A BEATLES RENDITION BY DIRECTOR ROSARIO.
AGAIN IN HONOR OF DIRECTOR CORBETT, AND DON'T GRIMACE.
EVERYBODY WAS MOVED TO TEARS, AND IT WAS VERY WELL DONE.
THE CITY OF RICHMOND'S TERMINAL FOUR WITH BRUCE BEYAERT, AND THAT EVENING I ATTENDED THE OAKLEY LIBRARY FUNDRAISER FOR THE CITY OF OAKLEY IS RAISING MONEY TO BUILD A BRAND NEW LIBRARY OUT THERE ON THE 25TH.
I ATTENDED THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S LECTURE AND BOOK SIGNING BY DAN HENLE, WHO IS AN AUTHOR OF HISTORICAL NOVELS BASED ON CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HISTORICAL LOCATIONS, LANDMARKS AND ALL, AND THE LECTURE HE PROVIDED WAS ON THE CALIFORNIA WINE INDUSTRY AROUND THE TURN OF THE LAST CENTURY, AND HIS LATEST NOVEL FEATURES A MYSTERY BASED ON WINEHAVEN, AND HE HAS THREE OTHER BOOKS, ONE OF WHICH IS BASED ON A MYSTERY ARISING OUT OF ROSE HILL CEMETERY AT BLACK DIAMOND MINES.
HE TELLS ME THERE IS A RESOLUTION OF THE MYSTERY AROUND THE WHITE WITCH OF BLACK DIAMOND, AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO READING THAT NOVEL AND LEARNING HOW HOW THAT MYSTERY TURNS OUT.
ON THE 26TH, I TOOK MAYOR WILLIAMS, ANISSA WILLIAMS OF OAKLEY AND A MEMBER OF SENATOR GLASER'S STAFF ON A WALK DOWN THE FUTURE MARSH CREEK REGIONAL TRAIL EXTENSION DOWN TO DUTCH SLOUGH.
[02:55:07]
OAKLEY'S PARK IN WITHIN THE PROJECT AND THAT FUTURE EXTENSION AND VARIOUS WAYS WE CAN, IN PARTNERSHIP, SEEK FUNDING FOR THAT TRAIL EXTENSION.WE ALSO DISCUSSED SOME OF SENATOR GLASER'S AGENDA ISSUES THAT MIGHT INVOLVE THE PARK DISTR ICT DURING THE LAST MONTHS OF HIS TENURE IN THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE.
ON, AND I'M SORRY I SHOULD MENTION THAT MAYOR WILLIAMS ALSO WORKS FOR SENATOR GLAZIER, AND WE HAD A MEMBER OF HIS STAFF ON THE WALK ON THE 28TH. I ATTENDED GREENBELT ALLIANCE ANNUAL EVENT THIS YEAR.
THEY HELD IT AT PRESERVATION PARK IN DOWNTOWN OAKLAND, WHICH WAS INTERESTING.
NEVER BEEN DOWN IN THAT AREA OF THE CITY, AND FINALLY ON THE 31ST, I ATTENDED THE ANNUAL BAY AREA RIDGE TRAIL HIKE AND DINNER AT PORT MEADOW.
I DID DO THE DINNER WITH MILA, BUT DIRECTOR ROSARIO DID THE.
I'M SORRY. DIRECTOR MERCURIO DID THE HIKE, DIDN'T YOU? DID YOU? NOT AT ANTHONY CHABOT, AND SO FOR A MONTH OFF, IT WAS ACTUALLY FAIRLY BUSY.
I THINK BECAUSE WE HAVE A WHOLE MONTH HERE, THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT TO SHARE AND I THINK IT WAS A PRETTY BUSY MONTH FOR ME.
SO I'LL START OFF ON AUGUST 9TH.
I WAS INVITED TO A LUNCHEON IN EMERYVILLE FOR PERSONS OF ASIAN HERITAGE WHO SERVE IN ELECTED OFFICE.
EXCUSE ME, AND HE MOST OF HIS DISTRICT IS IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY.
HE DOES NOT OVERLAP WITH EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, BUT HOWEVER, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO BE FAMILIAR, ESPECIALLY FOR ME WITH FREMONT AS PART OF WARD FIVE, TO BE FAMILIAR WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY AREA, AND THEN THE OTHER CO-HOST WAS VICE MAYOR OF PINOLE, CAMERON SASAI.
SO IT WAS A REALLY GREAT LUNCHEON.
I SAT AT A TABLE WITH ALAMEDA COUNTY SUPERVISOR LINA TAM, AS WELL AS FREMONT CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TERESA KANG, AND YOU KNOW, THIS WAS ALSO THE DAY THAT, YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR ELLEN CORBETT DIED, AND IT WAS ALSO THE DAY OF CANDIDATE FILING DEADLINES, AND I WILL SHARE THAT.
AT THE LUNCH, PEOPLE WERE ASKING ME ABOUT ELLEN.
SO IT'S JUST A VERY IT WAS A VERY STRANGE DAY.
SO NOW GOING BACK IN MY CALENDAR, SEEING THIS, IT'S INTERESTING, BUT I THINK LINA TAM, WHO ON THE ALAMEDA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, WHO DOES LIVE IN THE CITY OF ALAMEDA AND ALSO REPRESENTS THE CITY OF ALAMEDA ON THE ALAMEDA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
SHE WAS ASKING ME SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ELLEN AT THAT MEETING.
SO THAT WAS AUGUST 9TH, AND THEN ON THE 13TH, I HAD A MEETING WITH A MEMBER OF THE PLEASANTON PLANNING COMMISSION TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS HAPPENING AROUND PLEASANTON RIDGE AREA, AND THEN ON THE 14TH WAS THE FIRST OF TWO LARPD, THE LIVERMORE AREA RECREATION AND PARKS DISTRICT MEETINGS THAT HAPPENED IN AUGUST, AND AT THIS MEETING, THIS WAS THE MEETING THAT GOT REPORTED IN THE LOCAL PRESS, IN THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER WHERE LARPD IS SUGGESTING THAT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT OWES A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY TO LARPD.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WAS TALKING ABOUT DE-ANNEXATION OF THE MURRAY TOWNSHIP FROM EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, AND I THINK THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR MY COLLEAGUES HERE ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO BE AWARE OF, AND I DID WATCH AT LEAST THAT PORTION OF EACH OF THOSE MEETINGS ON THE 14TH AND THE 29TH OF AUGUST OF LARPD R THEIR BOARD MEETINGS.
ON THE 15TH, I MET WITH A MEMBER OF LIVERMORE CITY COUNCIL TO PREPARE ALAMEDA COUNTY SUPERVISOR DAVID HAUBERT HAS THROUGH THE ALAMEDA COUNTY AGRICULTURAL COMMITTEE, HAS A SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRAILS THAT MEETS AT THE LARPD OFFICES, AND THEIR MEETING WAS SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 19TH.
[03:00:06]
I CHOSE NOT TO ATTEND THAT MEETING AT LARPD ON THE 19TH FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, BUT I DID WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT SOME OF THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE LIVERMORE. PLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL HAD SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, SO I PREPARED SOME MATERIAL FOR THAT.ALAMEDA COUNTY AGRICULTURAL TRAILS SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING AT LARPD ON THE 19TH.
ON THE 23RD, I WAS REALLY EXCITED.
I DID SIGN UP FOR ONE OF OUR NATURALIST PROGRAMS AND USING OUR ONLINE SIGN UP SYSTEM TO GO TO THE DEL VALLE SUNSET HIKE, AND IT WAS SUCH A LOVELY TIME AND I'M SO GLAD I DID IT. SOMETIMES I THINK EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING CAN GET AND FEEL VERY STRESSFUL, SO IT WAS NICE TO BE ABLE TO UNWIND, AND DEL VALLE IS CERTAINLY A LOVELY PLACE TO SEE THE SUNSET, AND OUR NATURALIST TEAM REALLY DID A GREAT JOB.
ON THE 26TH, I HAD A 1 TO 1 WITH OUR GENERAL MANAGER RIGHT BEFORE THE PAC MEETING.
THAT WAS ON THE 26TH OF AUGUST, AND I STEPPED IN A LITTLE BIT AT THE LAST MINUTE.
THAT WAS ACTUALLY A MEETING THAT AGAIN OUR COLLEAGUE ELLEN CORBETT WAS SCHEDULED TO BE AT.
SO IT WAS NICE TO, TO BE THERE WITH OUR PAC, AND I DID SHARE A FEW WORDS ABOUT ELLEN, AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I'D ACTUALLY SPOKEN ABOUT ELLEN, AND I DEFINITELY GOT A LITTLE BIT EMOTIONAL AT THAT MEETING, BUT I GUESS IT HELPED PREPARE ME A LITTLE BIT FOR TODAY, AND IT WAS ALSO NICE TO BE THERE TO HEAR, YOU KNOW, FROM SOME MEMBERS OF THE PAC, AND THEY WERE ALSO ABLE TO SHARE SOME OF THEIR THOUGHTS IN REGARDS TO ELLEN CORBETT, AND IT WAS VERY TOUCHING AND A GOOD TRIBUTE TO HER THAT DAY.
ON THE 28TH, I HAD A MEETING WITH A GROUP THAT REFERS TO HIMSELF AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL ROUNDTABLE, AND SO THAT INCLUDES OUR A LOT OF OUR GOOD FRIENDS LIKE NORMAN LA FORCE AND JIM HANSEN AS WELL AS WILLIAM AND THAT WAS A GOOD MEETING, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, COLIN AND I ALSO HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS GROUP IN TERMS OF HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEM AND INCLUDES ALSO LAND TRUSTS.
SO JOHN MUIR LAND TRUST, SAVE MOUNT DIABLO, I THINK THEY PREVIOUSLY HAD TRI-VALLEY CONSERVANCY AS A PART OF THEIR GROUP, AND I ALSO RECOMMENDED THAT WE TRY TO INCLUDE TRI-VALLEY CONSERVANCY WITH THEM, AND SO I THINK SOME EFFORTS TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN INCORPORATE THEM.
CERTAINLY, I'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF OUTREACH IN REGARDS TO OUR DEL VALLE KIOSK PILOT PROGRAM.
OH, I WANT TO BACK UP TO LAST FRIDAY.
WE HAD A GREAT BOARD MEMBER, I GUESS SITE TOUR.
IS THAT WHAT THEY'RE CALLED? ANYWAY, SO DIRECTOR MERCURIO AND I DECIDED TO JOIN TOGETHER.
IT'S THE ASD TOURS, AND BECAUSE HE AND I BOTH HAD AN INTEREST IN THE VASCO CAVES BRUSHY PEAK AREA, AND SO WE MET WITH ASD TOGETHER SO THAT IT WAS JUST ONE DAY, ONE TOUR WITH TWO BOARD MEMBERS INSTEAD OF TWO DAYS, TWO TOURS WITH TWO BOARD MEMBERS, AND IT WAS IT WAS A REALLY IT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF MY BEST TOURS THAT I'VE BEEN ON HERE AT THE PARK DISTRICT.
IN REGARDS TO HOW SACRED VASCO CAVES AND BRUSHY PEAK ARE, AND I'M REALLY I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE ON STAFF WHO HELPED ORGANIZE THAT AND ATTENDED ON FRIDAY.
THAT WAS THAT WAS SO GREAT AND I REALLY HOPE THAT WE CAN MAYBE GET A BOARD SITE TOUR AT THE BEGINNING OF 2025, MAYBE AFTER WE'VE HAD SOME RAIN AND MAYBE GO TO THE VERNAL POOLS ALSO NEARBY THERE WHEN THEY ARE ACTIVE, AND THEN YEAH, THAT'S ALL IT IS, A BUSY MONTH.
THERE'S A LOT MORE I COULD TALK ABOUT IN TERMS OF PHONE CALLS, BUT I THINK I'LL END IT THERE.
I DON'T THINK I CAN FOLLOW THIS.
I THOUGHT AUGUST WAS A MONTH OF REST, AND SO I FOLLOWED THE MY DIRECTIONS.
YEAH. SO ANYWAY, ON THE 31ST, I ATTENDED THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE MEETING.
ON AUGUST 6TH, I WENT TO THE NATIONAL NIGHT OUT, HOSTED BY OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AT LAKE CHABOT.
IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE NIGHT, AS ALWAYS.
[03:05:08]
AND IT'S CALLED FIAK, AND THE CROATIANS ALWAYS PUT A J IN THE MIDDLE OF ANY WORD.NO. SO IT'S F-J-A-K, AND IT MEANS THE STATE OF MIND WHEN YOU'RE NEITHER ASLEEP OR AWAKE, A DIVINE LIMBO OF DOING NOTHING AND THEY DO A LOT OF THAT, AND THEY'RE VERY I TRY TO DO THAT AND I THINK I DID, BUT ANYWAY, THANK YOU AND I HOPE WE CAN WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE I REALLY THINK NO MATTER WHAT THE COMPLICATIONS ARE, THEY CONTINUE TO DO A REALLY GOOD JOB EVERY YEAR, AND WE'RE TRYING TO APPEAL TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE TO COME AND DIFFERENT CULTURES TO COME TO OUR PARK.
SO I HOPE WE CAN WORK THIS OUT WITH THEM.
OKAY. I BELIEVE I HAVE THIS READY HERE.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE OUR TIME OFF.
BECAUSE I SEEM TO HAVE FILLED UP MY CARD HERE PRETTY WELL.
ON JULY 30TH, I ATTENDED MY FIRST EVER ECOLOGY COMMITTEE MEETING, AND THAT WAS VERY VERY EDUCATIONAL FOR ME, AND IT WAS SOMETHING I'M VERY INTERESTED IN TALKING A LOT ABOUT INVASIVES AND THAT SORT OF THING, AND THEN WE HAD OUR BOARD MEETING THAT DAY.
THE NEXT DAY ON THE 31ST, WE HAD THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE MEETING HERE, AND THEN I SCOOTED OFF RIGHT AFTER THAT AND WENT OVER TO PLEASANT HILL AND MET WITH, SUPERVISOR CARLSON.
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SUPERVISOR CARLSON I'D NEVER REALLY HAD A CHANCE TO SPEND ANY TIME WITH HIM, KIND OF ON A ONE ON ONE THING AND WE TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF INTERESTING THINGS THAT WHERE OUR INTERESTS COINCIDE.
SO WE ESTABLISHED THAT RELATIONSHIP ON AUGUST 1ST, I MET WITH DOCTOR ALVAREZ, AND WE TALKED ABOUT THE KIND OF AUGMENTING THE BOARD MEMBER ORIENTATION PROJECT, ESPECIALLY APROPOS BEING THAT WE'LL HAVE TWO NEW BOARD MEMBERS COMING UP.
SO WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THAT PROCESS AND SEE IF WE CAN MAKE IT BETTER.
I'M A MEMBER OF THAT BOARD, AND IT'S A KIND OF A BIG DEAL WHERE THEY WELCOME NEW MEMBERS ON AND DIRECTOR ROSARIO WAS THERE TOO.
YEAH, THAT WAS GREAT. GLAD YOU COULD MAKE THAT.
ON AUGUST 2ND, AS COLIN MENTIONED, WE TOOK A LITTLE TRIP AROUND PORTION OF MY WARD AND LOOKED AT SOME POTENTIAL TRAIL PROJECTS THAT WE COULD DO THERE THAT I'M VERY MUCH INTERESTED IN.
ON AUGUST 7TH, I MET WITH THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, AND WE TALKED ABOUT SOME, A LOT OF THINGS, BUT WE TALKED ABOUT SOME POTENTIAL WAYS THAT THE COUNTY AND, AND THE DISTRICT CAN COOPERATE ON SOME PROJECTS WHERE WE OVERLAP, AND ON THE 12TH, I WENT TO THE POLICE PROMOTION CEREMONY.
SEEING I THINK IT WAS THREE INDIVIDUALS 3 OR 4 INDIVIDUALS GET GET A PROMOTION.
IT WAS VERY NICE. I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT THEY DO THAT AND THEN ON AUGUST 14TH, A SIMILAR KIND OF THING, THE SERVICE AWARDS, WHERE WE HAD SOME ENTERTAINMENT AGAIN YOU KNOW, IT WAS IT WAS GOOD.
I ALWAYS ENJOY THE SERVICE AWARDS AT KENNEDY GROVE, AND THEN ON THE 16TH, AS COLIN MENTIONED, WE WENT ON A TOUR OF OF THE WINEHAVEN AREA, ACTUALLY, BUT WE WENT IN THE, THE WINERY BUILDING AND IT'S AN ACTIVELY USED SPACE RIGHT NOW FOR STORAGE AND OTHER THINGS, BUT UPON CLOSER EXAMINATION, WE REALIZED THAT BUILDING IS A STEEL FRAME BUILDING WITH BRICKS ON IT.
IT'S NOT A BRICK BUILDING. IT'S A SOLID BUILDING.
SO THAT MADE ME VERY HAPPY TO KNOW THAT IT'S NOT A PILE OF BRICKS WAITING TO FALL DOWN.
ON THE 28TH, I WENT TO THE GREENBELT ALLIANCE HIDDEN HEROES CELEBRATION, WHERE INDIVIDUALS GET RECOMMENDED FOR RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR WORK IN THE ENVIRONMENT, AND ESPECIALLY IN THE LAND PRESERVATION THAT WAS AT PRESERVATION PARK IN OAKLAND, AND THEN ON AUGUST 28TH, SAME DAY EARLIER, I MET WITH A CONSTITUENT, DAVE HAMMOND, WHO LIVES IN ALAMO, BUT HE'S INTERESTED IN ALAMO AND DANVILLE,
[03:10:10]
AND HE HAD SOME HE WANTED HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS GOING ON OUT AT MAGEE PRESERVE, AND THEN I WE ALSO VISITED SOME A PLACE IN THE COMMUNITY OF DIABLO WHERE THERE'S A, THERE'S BEEN A HISTORIC BIKE ACCESS THAT'S BEEN CLOSED OFF WITH A FENCE IN IMPROPERLY AND THERE'S SOME LAWSUITS GOING ON AND THERE'S SOME EASEMENTS THAT NEED TO BE CLARIFIED.HE WANTED ME TO KNOW ABOUT THAT.
LET'S SEE, AND THEN ON THE 30TH I MET WITH THE MRG PERSON, PAMELA MILLER, TO TALK ABOUT OUR DISTRICT COUNSEL EVALUATION.
I DID THAT ON ZOOM AND THEN ON ALSO ON THE 30TH, AS OLIVIA MENTIONED, WE HAD THE WARD SIX AND SEVEN COMBINED TOUR, WHICH WENT TO REALLY, REALLY TWO REALLY, REALLY GREAT PARKS THAT WE HAVE IN A PART OF THE COUNTY THAT I DON'T GET TO VERY OFTEN WAY OVER ON THE EASTERN END.
IT WAS GOOD TO GET OUT THERE, AND THEN ON THE 31ST, I ALSO WENT TO THE EAST BAY HILLS HIKE AND DINNER THAT COLIN MENTIONED WHERE WE HAD DINNER IN PORT MEADOW, BUT I PARTICIPATED IN THE HIKE, WHICH STARTED IN JOAQUIN MILLER PARK.
SO ANYWAY, THAT WAS THAT WAS MY JULY AND AUGUST.
ATTENDED THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION ANNUAL PICNIC.
THAT WAS. THAT WAS VERY FUN, AND THEN ON THE 31ST ATTENDED RANGER DAY WORLD RANGER DAY AT THE BRIDGE YARD.
THAT WAS PRETTY THE FIRST TIME I THINK I'VE EVER BEEN TO THAT ONE, AND WE WERE HOSTING THAT, AND I WANTED TO THANK CHIEF FILICE AND GENERAL MANA GER LANDRETH FOR HOSTING THAT.
IT WAS I WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE WHOLE PROGRAM, AND I HAD NO IDEA THAT IT EXISTED.
SO THEY PAID TRIBUTE TO OUR TWO PILOTS THAT HELICOPTER CRASH THAT DIED IN A HELICOPTER CRASH.
SO THAT WAS THAT WAS VERY MEANINGFUL, AND THEN ON THE 1ST OF AUGUST I MET DIRECTOR MERCURIO AT THE EAST BAY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL LEADERSHIP AWARDS, AND I WAS REALLY SURPRISED THAT IT WAS JUST A SURPRISE THAT SAFEWAY WAS ONE OF THE MAJOR AWARDS THERE, AND I WAS GOING TO RECOMMEND TO OUR REGIONAL PARKS FUND TO WHAT'S HER NAME? LAUREN. LAUREN. YEAH THERE YOU GO.
SEE THAT? SHE SHOULD PURSUE THAT AS A POSSIBLE MEMBER, AND THEN ON 08/04, I ATTENDED THE FUKUOKA SISTER CITY ASSOCIATION PICNIC AT LAKE TEMESCAL, AND WE HAD WE PLAYED A BIG PART IN THAT TWO YEARS AGO, AND IN FACT, WE HAVE I SHOULD PROBABLY LEAD A LITTLE WE SHOULD LEAD A LITTLE DAY TRIP THERE TO SEE THE MOSAIC THAT WAS DONE, AND IT'S IN THE GARDEN CENTER AT LAKE MERRITT, AND IT HAS REPRESENTS THE RAINBOW TROUT, AND THEN IT HAS SERPENTINE ROCKS IN THAT MOSAIC FROM FROM THE SERPENTINE PRAIRIE AREA.
SO WE'RE REPRESENTED THERE IN THE PARK DISTRICT, AND THIS YEAR WAS THEY HAD 6 OR 8 JAPANESE FOREIGN STUDENTS STAYING IN OAKLAND, AND NEXT YEAR OAKLAND IS SENDING OVER 6 TO 8 STUDENTS TO JAPAN AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT ONE AS WELL.
SO AND THEN BUT IT WAS IT WAS A FUN EVENT AND I WAS GLAD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET GET THEM A SITE AT LAKE TEMESCAL AND THEN A SHORT VACATION IN COLORADO SPRINGS.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE GARDEN OF THE GODS.
VERY BUSY, BUT GORGEOUS, AND THEN ON THE 14TH, I PLANTED THE EMPLOYEE SERVICES AWARD.
YOU KNOW, I MADE A NOTE THAT IT WAS MY LAST EMPLOYEE SERVICE AWARD TO ATTEND, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS FITTING TO, TO CELEBRATE THE PASSING OF DIRECTOR CORBETT WITH THAT SONG, AND IT JUST SEEMED RIGHT, AND SO I DID IT, AND
[03:15:10]
THEN ON THE 19TH, I MET WITH OUR GENERAL MANAGER, TOOK A LITTLE HIKE ON THE TRAIL, DIDN'T GO TOO FAR, AND I THANK YOU, SABRINA.SO ACCOMMODATING AND YOU HAVE GOOD LISTENING SKILLS, AND I HAD A DON GOODENOW SIGHTING.
FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT KNOW DON GOODENOW, WE RAN RAN RIGHT THERE ON THE TRAIL.
DENNIS KNOWS HIM VERY WELL, AND THEN ON THE 20TH, I MET WITH ALLYSON COOK.
WE TALKED ALL THINGS AFSCME, AND THEN ON THE 22ND, I ATTENDED THE EAST BAY MUD COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
EAST BAY MUD, ANDY KATZ WAS THE ONLY BOARD MEMBER THERE, BUT WE GOT SOME GOOD FEEDBACK FROM STAFF TOO AND THEN ON THE 31ST AT CROWN BEACH, I ATTENDED THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL FISH FESTIVAL.
I WAS SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT FESTIVAL BEING RESURRECTED.
IT WAS THE SEAFARER BACK IN MY DAYS IN THE IN THE LATE 80S.
IT WAS A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS, I THOUGHT, AND OUR STAFF, AS ALWAYS, JUST DOES A GREAT JOB, AND I AND THEN TO CLOSE, I JUST WANTED TO SUPPORT DIRECTOR WAESPI AND SUNIL AND SUPPORTING THAT EVENT.
I THINK THEY HAD IT LAST YEAR. DID THEY? YEAH. YEAH, AND THEN THEY WERE THEY ABLE TO GET BECAUSE THEY ASKED FOR I THOUGHT THEY ASKED FOR AN EXEMPTION LAST YEAR TOO.
DID THEY GET IT? YEAH. YEAH. SO I DON'T KNOW WHY WE CAN'T.
YEAH. THERE'S NOTHING GOES WRONG.
YEAH. OKAY, GREAT, AND THAT'S IT.
SO STARTING BACK IN THE END OF JULY SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME AGO.
AFTER THE BOARD MEETING, I ATTENDED THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION BOARD SUMMER BARBECUE, AND THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS FIND THESE SOCIAL EVENTS VERY HELPFUL TO JUST, YOU KNOW, MEET MORE OF THEIR BOARD MEMBERS AND TALK OFFLINE ABOUT VARIOUS IDEAS B OTH SIDES HAVE.
ON THE 14TH OF AUGUST, I ATTENDED THE 2024 SERVICE AWARDS, AND I CERTAINLY WANT TO ECHO OUR APPRECIATION FOR DEE ROSARIO, WHO'S BEEN THERE LONGER THAN ANY OF THE AWARDEES AND SANG FOR US.
SO THAT WAS ACTUALLY VERY LOVELY.
THANK YOU FOR THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT TRIBUTE TO ELLEN.
IT WAS VERY TOUCHING AND VERY LOVING, VERY NICE, AND YEAH, AND SO IN ADDITION TO, OF COURSE, APPRECIATING DEE, I AGAIN WANT TO APPRECIATE ALL OF OUR STAFF AND ALL OF HOW LONG PEOPLE HAVE WORKED HERE AND ALL THAT THEY DO, ALL THAT THEY DO, AND THEN ON THE 15TH OF AUGUST, I MET WITH OUR CONSULTANT TO KICK OFF AND MAKE PLANS FOR OUR GENERAL COUNSEL EVALUATION, WHICH IS UNDERWAY, AND ON THE 22ND.
AS YOU HEARD FROM DIRECTOR ROSARIO, WE HAD A MEETING OVER AT EAST BAY MUD WITH THEIR GENERAL MANAGER, CLIFFORD CHAN AND DIRECTOR ANDY KATZ, AND YEAH, IT WAS THE FIRST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR OUR OUTREACH FOR OUR SECOND CENTURY PLAN.
ON THE 23RD, I MET WITH OUR DEPUTY GM ANA ALVAREZ ON THE BOARD CALENDAR FOR 2025.
THANK YOU, ANA, FOR THAT'S REALLY HARD WORK, THAT IT'S A SLOG.
I KNOW, WITH WORKING WITH ALL OF US ON MAKING US COMMIT TO DATES FOR 2025.
SO APPRECIATE YOUR HELP WITH THAT, AND THEN ON THE 31ST, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AT THE FISH FESTIVAL, AND THIS WAS IT WAS LOVELY, ALTHOUGH IT WAS HARD BECAUSE I WAS FILLING IN FOR DIRECTOR CORBETT, OF COURSE AND YOU KNOW, I KNOW HOW MUCH SHE LOVES CROWN BEACH AND CRAB COVE AND THE VISITOR CENTER AND HER PEOPLE WHO WERE ALL THERE, AND IT WAS BUT IT WAS IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY, AND I THINK EVERYONE ENJOYED THEMSELVES, SO IT WAS GOOD.
[03:20:04]
OH, AND MY DAUGHTER WAS THERE, TOO, RUNNING ALL AROUND THE PLACE, BUT ANYWAY, I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT SUNIL AND THE EVENT.I THINK, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO TO, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S SOME LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES WHEN YOU'VE GOT 2500 PEOPLE THERE, BUT IF IT'S A GROUP THAT'S THAT HAS A GOOD REPUTATION FOR BEING, WELL, YOU KNOW, SORT OF TAKING CARE OF THEMSELVES, AS YOU SAID, IN TERMS OF NO LITTER AND PEACEFUL AND QUIET AND ALSO THE FACT THAT IT IS NOT LIKE IT'S JUST SOME RANDOM CONCERT.
IT'S A VERY SPECIAL, VERY MEANINGFUL EVENT.
I THINK WE SHOULD GIVE, GIVE WEIGHT TO THAT AS WELL.
SO YEAH, I AM SUPPORTIVE OF THAT REQUEST, AND WITH THAT, I THINK WE'RE READY TO ADJOURN, AND I DO WANT TO ADJOURN IN HONOR OF OUR DEAR COLLEAGUE ELLEN CORBETT.
APPRECIATE ALL THAT SHE DID OVER THE YEARS, AND YOU KNOW, DON'T HAVE MUCH MORE TO SAY SINCE I THINK WE'VE SAID IT FOR NOW, BUT BUT WE'LL MISS HER GREATLY, AND WE ARE ADJOURNED.
THE MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2024 IS ADJOURNED AT 4:39 P.M..
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.