[00:00:05]
OKAY. WELCOME, EVERYBODY. THIS IS A REGULAR PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ON FEBRUARY 24, 2025, BEGINNING AT 4:01 P.M.. IF THE CLERK COULD PLEASE DO A ROLL CALL.
[Roll Call]
YES. OKAY. ROLL CALL. MEMBER BARTLEBAUGH. PRESENT MEMBER CHANG.NO. MEMBER CLAXTON. HERE. MEMBER DETJENS. PRESENT.
MEMBER DIETER. HERE. MEMBER FARMER. HERE. MEMBER HENRY.
HERE. MEMBER LOPEZ. HERE. THANK YOU. MEMBER MAHADEVAN.
HERE. THANK YOU. MEMBER MARSH. PRESENT. MEMBER MENDOZA.
HERE. MEMBER OBRINGER. NO. OKAY. MEMBER PEOPLES.
PRESENT. MEMBER REID. PRESENT. MEMBER SIMMONS.
PRESENT. THANK YOU. MEMBER VALENZUELA. HERE. AND MEMBER WILLIAMS. NO. THANK YOU.
OKAY, I'LL NOW READ OUR BROWN ACT NOTIFICATION.
TODAY'S MEETING IS HELD PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT.
THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT OR PARK DISTRICT INTENDS TO HOLD MEETINGS THROUGH A HYBRID PLATFORM OF IN-PERSON AND REMOTE ATTENDANCE TO ALLOW MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO PARTICIPATE VIA REMOTE ATTENDANCE THROUGH THE PARK DISTRICT 'S VIRTUAL PLATFORM OF ZOOM, THE PARK ADVISORY MEMBERS AND DESIGNATED STAFF WILL, WITH LIMITED EXCEPTIONS, PARTICIPATE IN PERSON AT THE PARK DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS, 2950 PERALTA OAKS COURT, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA. OCCASIONALLY, MEMBERS OF THE PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MAY ATTEND REMOTELY PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT, AS AMENDED BY AB 2449 PURSUANT TO GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54953, SUBDIVISION B PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER DENNISHA MARSH WILL PARTICIPATE FROM 352 SHORELINE DRIVE.
PITTSBURG, CALIFORNIA, AND PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBER CARLYN OBRINGER WILL PARTICIPATE FROM 1950 PARKSIDE DRIVE IN CONCORD, CALIFORNIA. MEMBER CARLYN OBRINGER IS NOT PRESENT AT THIS TIME, BUT MAY JOIN LATER.
THIS NOTICE AND AGENDA WILL BE POSTED AT THE TELECONFERENCE LOCATIONS.
ACCESSIBILITY TO AND PUBLIC COMMENT FROM THESE ADDRESSES WILL BE PROVIDED AS REQUIRED BY GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54953 B3. WE ARE PROVIDING LIVE AUDIO AND VIDEO STREAMING.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT CAN DO SO, EITHER IN PERSON OR LIVE VIA ZOOM BY SUBMITTING AN EMAIL TO PARKADVISORYCOMMITTEE @EB PARKS.ORG OR LEAVING A VOICEMAIL AT (510) 544-2036.
THIS INFORMATION IS NOTED ON THE AGENDA. IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEETING PROCEDURES, WE WILL BEGIN. VICE CHAIR MENDOZA, IF YOU COULD PLEASE READ THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
AS WE GATHER HERE TODAY AND ON BEHALF OF THE PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ALL OF THE LANDS WITHIN THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ARE THE ANCESTRAL LANDS OF EAST BAY, OHLONE, BAY MIWOK, AND THE NORTHERN VALLEY YOKUT, WHO ARE POLITICALLY ORGANIZED AND REPRESENTED BY A NUMBER OF TRIBES TODAY. WE MAKE THIS RECOGNITION AS A WAY TO RESPECT AND HONOR THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WHO FIRST CULTIVATED AND INHABITED THIS LAND.
THE PARK DISTRICT IS COMMITTED TO IDENTIFYING WAYS TO WORK AND CONSULT WITH EAST BAY TRIBES, AS WE RECOGNIZE THAT THESE TRIBAL CITIZENS REMAIN CONNECTED TO THEIR LAND AND CULTURE.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO ADD THAT WE ARE ON CHOCHENYO LAND IN THE VILLAGE OF HUCHIUN.
THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS PARTICIPATING VIRTUALLY DUE TO AN EMERGENCY THAT WISH TO REQUEST THE BODY'S APPROVAL TO PARTICIPATE REMOTELY? CORINA LOPEZ. MEMBER LOPEZ IF YOU COULD PLEASE BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE NATURE OF THE EMERGENCY.
ILLNESS POSSIBLY CONTAGIOUS. SO I DON'T WANT TO GET EVERYBODY SICK.
SO I WAS ASKED TO BE ABLE TO STAY HOME. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU AND HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER. THANK YOU.
REQUEST OR REQUEST A MOTION FROM THE BODY TO APPROVE REMOTE PARTICIPATION.
SO MOVED. MOVED BY SIMMONS. SECONDED BY PEOPLES.
IF THE CLERK WOULD DO A ROLL CALL, PLEASE. YES.
[00:05:08]
OKAY. FIRST UP, MEMBER BARTLEBAUGH. AYE. MEMBER CHANG.SORRY. MEMBER CLAXTON. AYE. MEMBER SORRY. DETJENS.
AYE. MEMBER DIETER. AYE. MEMBER FARMER. AYE. MEMBER HENRY.
YES. MEMBER LOPEZ. AYE. MEMBER MAHADEVAN. AYE.
MEMBER MARSH. AYE. MEMBER MENDOZA. AYE. MEMBER PEOPLES .
AYE. MEMBER REID. AND MEMBER SIMMONS. YES. AND MEMBER VALENZUELA.
YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MOTION PASSES. MEMBER LOPEZ ARE THERE ANY OTHER INDIVIDUALS 18 YEARS OF AGE THAT ARE OR WILL BE PRESENT IN THE ROOM AT YOUR LOCATION? NO. THANK YOU.
MEMBER MARSH IS APPEARING REMOTELY PAC MEMBER MARSH ARE THERE ANY OTHER INDIVIDUALS 18 YEARS OF AGE THAT ARE OR WILL BE PRESENT IN THE ROOM AT YOUR LOCATION? NO. THANK YOU. MEMBER OBRINGER IS NOT HERE, BUT MAY JOIN US.
THANK YOU. NOW, ON TO APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
[Approval of Minutes]
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF JANUARY 27TH, 2025? SO MOVED. MOVED AND SECONDED. IF THE CLERK CAN PLEASE DO A ROLL CALL.VOTE. YES. MEMBER BARTLEBAUGH. AYE. AND MEMBER CLAXTON.
AYE. MEMBER DETJENS. AYE. MEMBER DIETER AYE. MEMBER FARMER.
AYE. MEMBER HENRY. YES. MEMBER LOPEZ. AYE. MEMBER MAHADEVAN.
AYE. MEMBER MARSH. [INAUDIBLE]. MEMBER MENDOZA.
AYE. MEMBER PEOPLES . ABSTAIN. MEMBER REID . AYE.
MEMBER SIMMONS. YES. AND MEMBER VALENZUELA . YES.
OKAY. THANK YOU. PUBLIC COMMENTS IF THE CLERK CAN PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW TO SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENTS.
PUBLIC COMMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED ONE OF THREE WAYS VIA EMAIL TO PARKADVISORYCOMMITTEE @EBP ARKS.ORG VIA VOICEMAIL AT 510-544-2036 AND LEAVING A MESSAGE WILL BE WHICH WILL BE TRANSCRIBED AND GIVEN TO THE BOARD AND MADE A PART OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT OR, EXCUSE ME, A PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD, OR BY JOINING THE MEETING VIA THE ZOOM LINK WHICH IS LISTED ON THE AGENDA POSTED ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE. THE SUBMISSION OF PUBLIC COMMENTS WAS NOTICED ON THE AGENDA AND IN THE PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE POSTED ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE.
HAS THE CLERK RECEIVED ANY EMAILS OR SPEAKER'S CARDS FROM THE PUBLIC FOR ANY ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA? NO. SO THE PUBLIC WILL BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ABOUT ITEMS ON THE AGENDA.
WE HAVE NO ACTION ITEMS TONIGHT. WE DO HAVE SEVERAL INFORMATION ITEMS, STARTING WITH.
[Informational Items]
WE ARE FORTUNATE TO BE JOINED BY DIRECTOR COLIN COFFEY FROM WARD 7 TONIGHT.THANK YOU. I THINK THAT JUST USED UP ALL MY TIME.
[LAUGHTER] I MEAN, WHEN DID THESE MEETINGS AND THE RULES GET SO COMPLICATED? JUST HAPPENED, I GUESS. I'M SORRY. YOU ALL CHOREOGRAPHED THAT VERY WELL, BY THE WAY.
JUST A LOT OF TRAINING GOES INTO THAT. I'M NOT DENNIS WAESPI.
DENNIS HAD A PROCEDURE, A MEDICAL PROCEDURE, A WEEK OR TWO AGO AND COULDN'T MAKE IT.
AND SO I GUESS I COULD. AND IT'S ALWAYS A HAPPY CIRCUMSTANCE TO COME BACK TO THE PAC.
THOSE WHO PERHAPS ARE NEW TO THE PAC. I SHOULD INTRODUCE MY BACKGROUND OF HAVING BEEN A PAC MEMBER FOR 13 YEARS PRIOR TO FILLING THE VACANCY LEFT BY DIANE BURGIS WHEN DIANE BURGIS WENT TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
[00:10:07]
I JUST I DON'T COMPREHEND THAT. BUT IT DID OPEN UP A SEAT.AND SO, BETWEEN 13 YEARS ON THE PAC AND NOW EIGHT YEARS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS , I'VE BEEN HANGING AROUND THIS PARK DISTRICT ABOUT 20 SOMETHING YEARS AND ENJOYED IT AS BOTH A HOBBY, INCLUDING MEMBERSHIP IN THE PAC. AND MY WIFE AND I HAVE BEEN AMBASSADORS PARK AMBASSADORS FOR CLOSE TO 20 YEARS AND ACTUALLY 20 YEARS THIS YEAR AND AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD .
SO WITH THAT, WHAT I ALWAYS AM GRATEFUL THAT I'M ABLE TO DO IS BRING GOOD NEWS.
AND DID YOU ALL NOTICE THESE BIG WHAT DO WE WHAT DO WE CALL THOSE BIG TEMPORARY BUILDINGS THAT ARE OUT IN THE PARKING LOT THAT HAVE SUDDENLY APPEARED? THAT IS BECAUSE THE PARK DISTRICT CONTINUES TO GROW IN PEOPLE.
AND WE'RE WAITING FOR THIS BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET, UP AND ACROSS THE STREET TO BE COMPLETED.
IN WHAT, MAX? A YEAR AND A HALF OR SO. IS THAT THE GUESS? YEAH. AND BY THE WAY, WE'RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING AN ACTUAL DESIGNED BOARDROOM WITH A REAL DAIS, A REAL AUDIENCE. STAY THE AUDIENCE LOCATION AND AND DESIGN AND STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY TO IT. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE EXCITING AND TAKE US OUT OF HERE, WHICH IS GOING TO BE A BIG IMPROVEMENT.
SO THE PARK DISTRICT ACCORDING TO THE GENERAL MANAGER , IS BURSTING AT THE SEAMS IN THIS BUILDING AND NEEDED THE PORTABLES TO HOUSE PEOPLE IN LIEU OF THE NEW BUILDING BEING COMPLETED FOR ANOTHER YEAR AND A HALF.
WE GREW ABOUT 17 FTES IN THIS BUDGET FOR THIS YEAR.
WE'VE GROWN BY SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, AND ALL OF THAT IS A SIGN OF A STRONG, FINANCIALLY SOUND AND GROWING ORGANIZATION. THOSE OF YOU WHO'VE KNOWN ME OVER TIME KNOW THAT MY FAVORITE TOPIC IS LAND. I'M FOR IT. THEY'RE NOT MAKING IT THE WAY THEY USED TO.
AND? AND I'VE BEEN A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR CONTINUING THE PARK DISTRICT 'S EMPHASIS AND PRIORITIZATION OF LAND ACQUISITION.
AND I'M BLESSED TO REPRESENT A WARD NORTHERN AND EASTERN CONTRA COSTA WHERE THERE IS THERE REMAINS PLENTY OF LAND TO ACQUIRE, BOTH BY REASON OF LONG TERM PLANS OF THIS ORGANIZATION AND OF THE HABITAT CONSERVATION. THE. YEAH, THE HCP, THE HABITAT CONSERVATION JOINT POWERS AUTHORITY OF EAST CONTRA COSTA AND AND THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IN MY WARD, AND I SHOULD PREFACE THIS BY ACKNOWLEDGING THAT LAND ACQUISITION HAS BEEN SLOW IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IN TERMS OF TOTAL ACREAGE.
WE'VE BEEN ACQUIRING LAND, BUT IT HASN'T KEPT A PACE UP, HAS BEEN THE PAST VERY FAST PACE OF LAND ACQUISITION, ESPECIALLY IF YOU GO BACK OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS OR SO.
THE GOOD NEWS IS, I'M AWARE IN WARD SEVEN OF ABOUT SIX PROPERTIES THAT THE PARK DISTRICT HAS ACTUALLY MADE OFFERS ON WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
SO HAD THOSE OFFERS BEEN IMMEDIATELY ACCEPTED, WE WOULD HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT LAST YEAR AND THIS COMING YEAR AS SIGNIFICANT LAND ACQUISITION YEARS. THE DISCOURAGING FACET OF THAT KNOWLEDGE OF ATTEMPTS TO ACQUIRE LAND IN MY WARD IS THAT THE OFFERS WE'VE MADE WEREN'T ACCEPTED, AND THIS TENDS TO BE BASED ON OUR, ALL OF OUR EXPERIENCE, A REGULARITY IN TERMS OF THE LAND ACQUISITION PROCESS.
[00:15:07]
AND WHEN THE FAMILY'S COME ABOUT THE DECISION TO SELL THEIR RANCH, HISTORICALLY, THEY'RE ALWAYS DISAPPOINTED IN THE FAIR MARKET VALUE APPRAISAL THAT THE PARK DISTRICT COMES UP WITH ESPECIALLY IN TIMES OF GROWING LAND VALUES. AND APPARENTLY WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS IS WE HAVE OBTAINED AND WE OBTAIN VERY HIGH QUALITY APPRAISALS.THESE AREN'T, YOU KNOW, DRIVE BY APPRAISALS. THESE ARE APPRAISALS DESIGNED TO MEET LEGAL STANDARDS THAT ARE REQUIRED OF THE SOURCES OF FUNDING THAT WE GET TO ACQUIRE LAND.
AND THEY ARE DESIGNED TO, IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, BE AVAILABLE FOR EMINENT DOMAIN PURPOSES. SO THESE ARE THE TYPES OF APPRAISALS THAT WE ACQUIRE FROM THE PROFESSIONALS.
THEY TAKE A LONG TIME TO GET NOW. AND THE APPARENT CYCLE THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW IS ONE WHERE THE RANCH OWNERS SEE OUR APPRAISALS AND ARE IMMEDIATELY DISAPPOINTED, THINK THEIR LAND IS WORTH MORE AND DECIDE TO, WELL, EITHER PUT OFF THE SALE OR MARKET IT THEMSELVES FOR A WHILE, AND IN MANY OF THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, IT CAN GO A YEAR OR TWO YEARS, THREE YEARS, AND THEY'LL COME BACK KNOCKING ON OUR DOOR AND SAY, YEAH, OKAY, YOU KNOW, LET'S UPDATE YOUR APPRAISAL AND SELL THE LAND.
SO I AM OPTIMISTIC THAT THIS PARK DISTRICT , IF WARD SEVEN IS ANY INDICATION, IS EMBARKING ON A FAIRLY FAST PACE OF LAND ACQUISITION. AND IF THESE PROPERTIES ALL COME TO FRUITION IN TERMS OF THE SELLERS WANTING TO SELL, WE COULD HAVE A VERY GOOD YEAR IN LAND ACQUISITION THIS YEAR.
IF THEY DON'T, THEN IT'S GOING TO BE SLOW AGAIN.
THE OTHER INTERESTING FACET OF MY FAVORITE TOPIC OF LAND ACQUISITION IS FOLLOWING OUR WORKSHOP, OUR ANNUAL WORKSHOP ON REAL ESTATE ACQUISITION.
THE ASD STAFF HAS PUT TOGETHER A PROGRAM WHERE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS GOING TO BE MEETING IN CLOSED SESSION SOMETIME THIS SPRING, AND THEN LATER IN THE FALL FOR A SECOND SESSION WHERE WE AS A BOARD, GET TO GO OVER THE VARIOUS PROPERTIES IN OUR WARDS THAT WE ARE FOLLOWING, THAT WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT AND WANT TO TALK TO OUR COLLEAGUES ABOUT.
IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY THAT WE GET SOLELY IN THESE CLOSED SESSIONS BECAUSE WE CAN'T, AS A GROUP, GO OUT AND START TALKING ABOUT LAND. JOHN MERCURIO PRETTY MUCH KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON IN WARD SEVEN BECAUSE HE'S MY NEIGHBOR.
AND SO WE TALK ABOUT IT. I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON IN HIS WARD, BUT I DON'T GET THAT OPPORTUNITY WITH THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS. REALLY, TO GO OVER THE PENDENCY OF POTENTIAL LAND ACQUISITION IN EACH OF THE WARDS.
SO THESE SESSIONS, WHICH WE HAVEN'T HAD IN A COUPLE OF YEARS, ARE COMING BACK.
AND I'M VERY ENTHUSED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE A GREAT TIME WITH THOSE SESSIONS IN, YOU KNOW, GOOGLE EARTH. WE GET TO LOOK ON A SCREEN TO SOMEONE, TAKES US UP INTO OUTER SPACE, AND THEN BRINGS US BACK DOWN ON A PARCEL THAT THE PARK DISTRICT IS INTERESTED IN. AND BECAUSE I KNOW OF 5 OR 6 PROPERTIES THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN GOING AFTER IN WARD SEVEN, THAT GIVES ME A LOT TO TALK ABOUT. AND THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO FOLLOW UP ON MY FAVORITE TOPIC WITH MY COLLEAGUES. SO I'LL END THERE. AND IF THERE'S ANY TIME AND ANYONE HAS SOME, ASK ME ANYTHING THOUGHTS, I'M HERE.
MEMBER PEOPLES AND MEMBER SIMMONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE EMPHASIS ON ACQUIRING AND PROTECTING ADDITIONAL NATURAL AREAS.
[00:20:05]
THEY'RE ALMOST LIKE TWO CO-EQUAL OBJECTIVES AND FOCUSES OF THE DISTRICT.AND I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THIS INCREASED EMPHASIS AFTER A LITTLE BIT OF A HIATUS ON THIS.
AND I KNOW IN WARD SIX WHERE I'M FROM, THAT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES OUT THERE, AND IT DOES TAKE TIME TO TO CLOSE THOSE DEALS, BUT WE NEED TO KEEP PURSUING THEM? ABSOLUTELY.
OKAY. THANK YOU, COLIN, FOR YOUR DISCUSSION OF LAND AND LAND ACQUISITION.
AND DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HOW MANY ACRES, ROUGHLY THE PARK DISTRICT HAS IN LAND BANK STATUS AND AN IMPRESSION ABOUT WHAT IS THE PARK DISTRICT DOING TO ACCELERATE, IF IT CAN, THE OPENING OF THOSE LANDS FOR HIKING.
AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU AND I BOTH HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT OF WHITE HAIR, SO MY NUMBER OF YEARS OF HIKING ON YOUR LAND BANK LANDS IS PRETTY, PRETTY LIMITED. WELL, YOU KNOW, I GET TO EXCUSE ME, LIVE YOUR ADVENTURES OFF ABOUT THE WORLD OF HIKING THROUGHOUT THE WORLD VICARIOUSLY BECAUSE I GET ALL YOUR FEEDS ON FACEBOOK.
AND IF NO ONE HAS CHECKED OUT BOB'S FEED. I MEAN, HE'S JUST HE'S IN PATAGONIA.
HE'S IN NORWAY. HE'S ALL OVER THE PLACE HIKING.
AND I REALLY ENJOY THAT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. LIVING WITH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY AND THOSE ADVENTURES.
APPROXIMATELY 25,000 ACRES IS THE LAST NUMBER I HEARD THAT OUR LAND BANKED.
AND THE ISSUE, AS ALWAYS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN THAT WE, AGAIN, TENDS TO BE CYCLICAL, BUT WE'LL GO THROUGH PERIODS WHERE WE'RE BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMICS OF THE TIME, WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO ACQUIRE A LOT OF LAND, BUT OUR PROPERTY TAX REVENUES, WHICH FUND OUR OPERATIONS, DON'T NECESSARILY KEEP UP WITH THAT. SO THE PROSPECT OF OPENING LAND IS ALWAYS SUBJECT TO THE BOARD SETTING ITS PRIORITIES.
WE WORK WITH MANAGEMENT VERY CLOSELY ON THOSE PROSPECTS.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I FOLLOW MY WARD. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO GET THE CLAYTON RANCH PROPERTY IN A POSITION WHERE WE CAN START OPENING TRAILS THERE. WE ARE LOOKING AT THE COMMUNITY PARK LOCALLY IN CLAYTON TO USE AS A STAGING AREA.
SO THAT COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM A YEAR TO A COUPLE OF YEARS AWAY.
IT'S THERE'S PERMITTING ISSUES. SOME OF THAT LAND IS HCP, WHICH MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT TO CREATE PUBLIC ACCESS IN THOSE LANDS WHICH ARE MEANT FOR CONSERVATION PURPOSES AND FUNDED AS CONSERVATION PROJECTS.
THERE IS SIMILAR LAND OUT IN THE VASCO HILLS.
WHERE OUR PLANNERS HAVE A PRETTY MUCH COMPLETED, IS MY IMPRESSION.
NEW TRAIL DESIGNS THEY'RE USING MOSTLY RANCH ROADS OUT THERE AND THAT AGAIN IS SOME PERIOD OF TIME AWAY. BUT THE TRAILS ARE PLANNED AND THAT LAND IS SLATED TO BE OPEN FOR HIKING.
THE RODDY RANCH GOLF COURSE IS MAKING ITS WAY TOWARDS OPENING AS THE FIRST PHASE IN THE DEER VALLEY REGIONAL PARK. YOU KNOW, THAT'S GOING TO BE A VERY LARGE REGIONAL PARK WE'RE OPENING TO.
I THINK IT'S AROUND 200 ACRES. THAT IS THE GOLF COURSE AS SOON AS WE CAN FINISH THE PERMITTING.
THAT'S ANOTHER PERMITTING ISSUE AND AN HCP PROPERTY.
AND MY BELIEF IS WE'RE ABOUT A YEAR AWAY FROM BREAKING GROUND OUT THERE.
YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY THE SOUTHERN 900 ACRES OF THURGOOD MARSHALL IS WELL IN DEVELOPMENT IN TERMS OF EVENTUALLY OPENING THE BAILEY ROAD ENTRANCE TO THE SOUTHERN 900 ACRES THERE. WE'VE GOT FUNDING THAT'S FROM NOW, SENATOR GRAYSON, THAT'S HELPING US PLAN THAT OUT.
[00:25:05]
AND THAT'S PROBABLY A COUPLE OF YEARS AWAY FROM BREAKING GROUND, ALTHOUGH WE'RE DOING THINGS LIKE LIFTING RAILS, YOU KNOW, AS WE SPEAK, THERE ARE PARK RANGERS ASSIGNED TO THURGOOD MARSHALL AT THIS POINT, AND THEY'RE WORKING AWAY ON DEVELOPING THAT FUTURE PARK AND HIKING LANDS.SO I'LL STOP THERE. THAT'S MY WARD THAT'S WHERE I KNOW WE'RE WE'RE WORKING ON OPENING NEW LANDS.
THANK YOU. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU, DIRECTOR COFFEY TOO.
THERE WAS A WORKSHOP THAT MEMBER PEOPLES AND I ATTENDED A WHILE BACK, AND I REMEMBER THERE WAS A CONSULTANT THAT PRESENTED A POINT OF VIEW AROUND ACQUISITION VERSUS DEVELOPMENT. AND I THINK YOU WERE VERY DILIGENT IN MAKING SURE THAT THEY WERE BOTH REPRESENTED AND YOU WERE VERY FOCUSED ON LAND ACQUISITION.
AND SO TO KIND OF BUILD ON WHAT MEMBER SIMMONS SAID AND WARD FIVE, WHICH IS WHERE I AM, THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF LAND, BANK LAND. I KNOW THERE'S THREE NEW TRAILS COMING THIS YEAR, BUT NOT ONLY HIKING, BUT ALSO CYCLING AND EQUESTRIAN WHERE APPROPRIATE.
IF WE CAN LOOK AT THAT FOR LAND BANK AND I KNOW WHERE FUNDING CAN BE AN ISSUE.
I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE THE PARK DISTRICT TO TAP INTO THE VOLUNTEER NETWORK. AND I THINK BRIONES IS A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHERE THERE'S A HUGE VOLUNTEER NETWORK TO HELP WITH THE TRAIL MAINTENANCE AND BUILDING. AND I KNOW ON MOUNT DIABLO, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY OUTSIDE OF OUR PARK DISTRICT , THAT THERE'S A TREMENDOUS VOLUNTEER NETWORK TOO FOR TRAIL BUILDING. SO I HOPE WE CAN LOOK TO MORE CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO AS THE FUNDING BECOMES AN ISSUE.
BUT THANKS FOR EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING. AND LET ME JUST CLOSE WITH A COMMENT.
I'M ALWAYS FIND MYSELF MAKING AND THAT IS WE WE'RE A VERY STRONG ORGANIZATION FINANCIALLY. AND IN TERMS OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE BRING, I MEAN, IT'S A HUGE ADVANTAGE TO THE EAST BAY TO HAVE THIS VERY LARGE, LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED PARK SYSTEM THAT IS VERY WELL FUNDED.
AS A RESULT, IT'S NOT ALWAYS JUST A TRADE OFF.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT WE DON'T HAVE TO JUST, YOU KNOW, TRADE ACQUIRING LAND VERSUS DEVELOPING LAND VERSUS MAINTAINING EXISTING LANDS AND FACILITIES. WE DO ALL OF IT AND WE DO BALANCE.
AND THAT'S PART OF THE SUCCESS OF THE ORGANIZATION, IS KNOWING HOW TO BALANCE ALL OF THOSE FACETS OF WHAT WE DO, BUT WE'RE ABLE TO PURSUE THEM ALL AND WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY FOR 90 YEARS.
ANYONE ELSE OR ANYONE REMOTELY HAVE QUESTIONS? ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR DIRECTOR COFFEY? NO, NOT AT THIS TIME. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MOVING ON TO OUR FIRST PRESENTATION FROM GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, THE 2025-2026 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM OVERVIEW.
GOOD EVENING. ERICH PFUEHLER DIVISION LEAD FOR GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS.
AND I'LL BE CO-PRESENTING WITH LISA THIS EVENING.
I DO WANT TO THANK THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TEAM, WHICH INCLUDES ELSA AND ALSO [INAUDIBLE], WHO'S NOT HERE THIS EVENING. BUT WE ARE A TEAM OF FOUR AND WE HAVE A FAIRLY AMBITIOUS LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM.
A NUMBER OF YOU WEREN'T HAVE MAY NOT HAVE SEEN THIS PRESENTATION BEFORE.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT EVOLVED FROM THE FALL OF 2021, WHEN THE GENERAL MANAGER HAD OUR TEAM INTERVIEW ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND BEGIN TO DEVELOP AN ACTUAL PROGRAM FOR HOW WE APPROACH STATE, LOCAL AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS. SO WITH THAT, WE LISTENED, AND THEN WE SET OUT TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM THAT WOULD MATCH PRIORITIES WITH NEEDS, BUT ALSO BE ACHIEVABLE AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR RESULTS.
AND AS YOU ALL KNOW EVERY TWO YEARS, THERE'S CHANGES THAT IMPACT OUR PROGRAM.
GIVEN ELECTIONS HAPPEN AND THINGS DO CHANGE. SO WE DO HAVE THIS FRAMEWORK THAT HAS OVERARCHING GOALS, BUT ALSO TIES IN SEVEN KEY ADVOCACY GOALS. AND 99% OF THE WORK THAT WE DO MATCH ONE OF THOSE GOALS OR THE OVERARCHING. AND THE ONLY 1% THAT DOESN'T IS ESSENTIALLY IF WE TAKE A POSITION ON A COMMEMORATION OR SOMETHING THAT'S AFFILIATED WITH LIKE AN INDIVIDUAL LIKE DIANNE FEINSTEIN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO WITH THAT, I WANTED TO ALSO JUST TALK ABOUT THESE CATEGORIES THAT ARE ON THE SCREEN A LITTLE BIT.
WE HAVE THREE MAIN AREAS THAT WE TRY TO FOCUS OUR WORK AROUND.
[00:30:06]
THE FIRST ONE IS WITH REGARD TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, BOTH OUR BOARD MEMBERS AND THOSE WHO REPRESENT US IN SACRAMENTO, DC, AND IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. THESE REALLY ARE.THIS IS REALLY ENGAGEMENT THAT IS ELECTED TO ELECTED.
SO WHEN WE DO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH FOLKS IN SACRAMENTO OR MEET WITH FOLKS IN THEIR DISTRICT OFFICES OR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROGRAM WHERE WE'RE MEETING WITH MAYORS IN THEIR CITIES, WE DO HAVE THAT THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR BOARD MEMBERS TO MEET DIRECTLY WITH THEIR PEERS.
AND THAT'S ALWAYS, ALWAYS A GOOD WAY OF KEEPING OURSELVES RELEVANT TO OUR OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS AS OPPORTUNITIES PRESENT THEMSELVES SO THAT THEY HAVE A KNOWLEDGE BASE OF WHAT OUR PRIORITIES ARE.
THEN WE ALSO HAVE WE ALSO AS STAFF, WE UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT STAFF ARE.
SO THE DISTRICT OFFICES FOR STATE AND FEDERAL AND THEN OBVIOUSLY COUNTY SUPERVISORS AND OTHERS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, GRAZING AND GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT WILL BE ONE THIS YEAR THAT'S ENCOMPASSES LITERALLY PRETTY MUCH EVERY ACRE THAT WE, WE MANAGE. SO THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE ELECTED THEMSELVES WITH WALK AND TALKS WITH SPECIFIC SITE VISITS WHERE IF THERE'S AN ISSUE SUCH AS THE GRIZZLY PEAK COLLABORATIVE IN THE EAST BAY HILLS, WHICH YOU ALL SAW, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY COMING UP TO TAKE ASSEMBLYMEMBER WICKS' STAFF THERE AND EXPLAIN TO THEM THE COLLABORATION AND THE WORK THAT WE DO, AND THAT'S AN EXCELLENT WAY TO GET ELECTED OFFICIALS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE AND WHAT ALL THE GOOD WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR ANALYTICAL WORK THAT LISA LEADS TAKES THE LEAD ON.
AND OUR SURVEY WORK, WHICH WE DO, USUALLY DO AT LEAST TWO SURVEYS A YEAR.
ONE IS A VOTER SURVEY TO GAUGE HOW WE'RE DOING IN THE MINDS OF THE ELECTORATE.
SO RIGHT NOW IT'S OUR WE HAVE A SURVEY THAT WE'LL BE LAUNCHING SOON OR REPORTING BACK ON SOON ABOUT OUR PROGRAMING A N THE PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER THE PUBLIC. AND THEN I BELIEVE WE'LL BE WORKING ON OTHER SPECIFIC TOPICS MOVING FORWARD.
SO THOSE ARE THE THREE MAIN AREAS WHERE WE ENGAGE.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL TURN OVER TO LISA TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST YEAR.
GREAT. GOOD EVENING. LISA BALDINGER, LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY MANAGEMENT ANALYST.
OUR GENERAL MANAGER , OUR STAFF AND COLLEAGUES AND OF COURSE OUR ELECTED DELEGATION.
SO AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, WE DID A LOT OF WORK WITH ENGAGING CIVICORPS IN 2024, EXPLORING WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP AND TO STRATEGICALLY ENGAGE ON STATE AND FEDERAL LEGISLATION TO SUPPORT CORPS AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.
WE ALSO COORDINATED A LOCAL SITE VISIT AT THE TIDEWATER PROJECT AT THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JUNIOR REGIONAL PARK, WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT SORT OF GRAY TO GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT.
WE HAD GREAT ATTENDANCE FROM LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL OFFICES AT THAT SITE VISIT.
ADDITIONALLY, WE ENGAGED ON ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION, AND I'M SURE MANY OF YOU ARE HEARING SOFT RUMORS ABOUT A FUTURE MEGA MEASURE ON TRANSPORTATION. SO WE HAD INITIAL CONVERSATIONS WITH MTC AND OTHERS ABOUT WHAT COULD IT LOOK LIKE TO ENSURE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND MAINTENANCE FOR ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS IS PROACTIVELY INCLUDED IN SUCH A MEASURE.
AT THE STATE LEVEL WE WERE ABLE TO SUPPORT FUNDING FOR PROJECTS OR WE SOUGHT FUNDING.
THE REASON THESE ARE INCLUDED IS BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH THE ELECTEDS, GET THEM OUT FOR A SITE VISIT, ENGAGE WITH THEIR OFFICE, AND THOUGH THEY WERE SUPPORTIVE, UNFORTUNATELY THE STATE IN 2024 WAS IN A DEFICIT AND SO THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD DIRECT FUNDING AT THAT TIME. BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH US AND SUPPORT US ON GRANT APPLICATIONS.
WE ALSO SUPPORTED A BILL IN 2024, AB 2091. WE WORKED WITH NOW SENATOR TIM GRAYSON.
IT'S CALLED THE EXISTING TRAILS TO NATURE ACCESS LEGISLATION.
[00:35:02]
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU ASKING ABOUT LAND BANK PROPERTY, WHAT THIS BILL DOES IS IT ALLOWS THE PARK DISTRICT , WHEN WE ACQUIRE LAND, TO OPEN THAT LAND AS IS TO THE PUBLIC ON EXISTING ROADS, TRAILS AND PATHWAYS FOR NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORTATION.THIS LEGISLATION MOVED FORWARD SUCCESSFULLY. AND SO WE THANK SENATOR GRAYSON FOR HIS PARTNERSHIP.
AND WE WERE ALSO VERY PLEASED BECAUSE THERE WAS FUNDING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL LAST YEAR, WE WERE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD TWO DIRECT FUNDING REQUESTS SUPPORTED BY THREE ELECTED OFFICIALS. SO FOR THAT TIDEWATER PROJECT AT MLK SHORELINE, $2 MILLION IN DIRECT FUNDING MOVED FORWARD THANKS TO SENATOR BUTLER AND REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA LEE. AND FOR THE RICHMOND BAY TRAIL EXTENSION PROJECT $1.5 MILLION MOVED FORWARD THANKS TO REPRESENTATIVE GARAMENDI.
SO THOSE WERE SOME OF OUR SUCCESSES AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. AS YOU CAN TELL, IT'S A MIX OF THE RELATIONSHIP WORK, THE FUNDING WORK, THE POLICY WORK, AS ERICH REFERENCED.
AND OF COURSE, THE RESEARCH AND SURVEY WORK HELPS TO SUPPORT IT ALL.
SO IN TERMS OF OUR ADVOCACY GOALS AT LARGE ERICH MENTIONED WE HAVE SEVEN, AND THESE WERE REALLY DEVELOPED IN PARTNERSHIP AND IN CONVERSATION AND COLLABORATION WITH OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS . WE HELD A SERIES OF LISTENING SESSIONS WHERE WE HEARD, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU WHEN OUR WORK IS SUCCESSFUL, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? AND WE WERE ABLE TO KIND OF CODE THROUGH WHAT WE HEARD FROM THEM AND IDENTIFY THESE SEVEN CATEGORIES IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR WORK.
AND SO I'M SURE YOU'VE ALL READ THEM IN ADVANCE OF THIS MEETING.
BUT THEY INCLUDE CLIMATE FRIENDLY TRANSPORTATION, EQUITABLE PARK ACCESS, WHICH IN PREVIOUS YEARS WE DID REFER TO THAT AS COMMUNITY HEALTH, BUT A DIRECTION FROM OUR BOARD WE UPDATED THE LANGUAGE.
AND THEN ERICH ALSO MENTIONED WE DO HAVE AN OVERARCHING STATEMENT, WHICH IS THAT ALL OF THIS WORK IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR MISSION, OUR VISION AND OUR VALUES AT THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT . AND SO THAT'S ALSO ABLE TO CAPTURE INFORMATION AROUND RESILIENCY AND CLIMATE ADAPTATION, INCLUSIVE INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATION, LAND ACQUISITION, AND THE FISCAL HEALTH OF THE PARK DISTRICT .
SO ON OUR NEXT FEW SLIDES, I'LL WALK THROUGH OUR 2025 2026 LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM.
AGAIN, AS ERICH NOTED, THIS IS A NEW ELEMENT OF OUR WORK.
IT'S BEEN REALLY HELPFUL OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS TO HELP US SOLIDIFY AND FOCUS WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON, TO USE OUR RESOURCES AND OUR TIME NIMBLY. WE DO HOPE TO CONTINUE TO ADVANCE AND MODIFY AND BECOME MORE ROBUST, AND SO IT IS A GOAL IN THE FUTURE TO BRING THIS DOCUMENT PROACTIVELY TO THE PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
WE'VE BEEN REALLY GLAD TO HAVE THE ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR BOARD OF LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE AND OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS OVER THE PAST TWO RENDITIONS, SO GOING INTO 2025, I'LL ALSO NOTE WE HAVE LOCAL, WE HAVE STATE, AND WE HAVE FEDERAL, AND WE HAVE LOTS OF CHANGES.
THIS IS A CONTINUATION FROM OUR 2024 GOALS. AT THE STATE WE'RE HOPING TO COLLABORATE WITH AGENCIES AND LEGISLATURES FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR TRANSPORTATION TO PARKS, AS WELL AS ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION ROUTES.
AND THEN AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, REALLY WHAT WE'RE SEEKING CURRENTLY TO DO IS UNDERSTAND WHERE THE THE CURRENT FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION LEGISLATION IS, AND WHERE THERE MAY BE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE ON IT, WHETHER THAT'S PLAYING DEFENSE TO PROGRAMS THAT THE PARK DISTRICT HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN COMPETITIVE IN OR PLAYING OFFENSE IF OPPORTUNITIES DO PRESENT THEMSELVES.
SO REALLY, A LOT OF OUR FEDERAL GOALS HAVE BECOME SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND IN ORDER TO TAKE ACTION.
ALL RIGHT FOR EQUITABLE PARK ACCESS, WE'RE SEEKING TO ENGAGE WITH LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS AROUND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE EQUITABLE PARK ACCESS IN THEIR COMMUNITY. YOU'LL SEE A COMMON THREAD THROUGH OUR LOCAL GOALS, WHICH IS A NEXUS TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY PILOT PROGRAM, WHERE WE'RE ENGAGING WITH ALL MAYORS AND COUNTY SUPERVISORS ON THE DISTRICT PLAN.
AND WE HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS AS THEY RELATE TO THESE GOALS AND OTHERS OF THE PARK DISTRICT. AT THE STATE WE'RE SEEKING TO ALIGN WITH OUTDOORS FOR ALL TO SUPPORT AND UPLIFT THE OUTDOOR EQUITY GRANT PROGRAM, WHICH IS A FUNDING PROGRAM THROUGH CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS, WHICH SUPPORTS MULTIYEAR PROGRAMMATIC ACCESS TO PARKS.
[00:40:04]
IN ORDER TO SUPPORT IT BEING A BIT MORE ADAPTABLE AND ACCESSIBLE TO NONPROFITS IN FUTURE YEARS.THERE WERE A NUMBER OF LIMITATIONS. IT'S A NEW PROGRAM, TWO STATE PARKS.
IT'S AN EXCITING PROGRAM, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO THE LACK OF ADVANCE PAYMENTS AND OTHER BARRIERS, SOME OF OUR LOCAL PARTNERS HAVEN'T BEEN AS SUCCESSFUL AS THEY HAD HOPED.
AT THE FEDERAL PROGRAM THIS IS ONE THAT'S ACTIVELY SHIFTING.
WE HAD WANTED TO ENGAGE ON THE JUSTICE40 PROGRAM, UNDERSTANDING THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WAS SEEKING TO DO A REFLECTION ON HOW SOME MORE QUALITATIVE ELEMENTS COULD BE BROUGHT INTO THE JUSTICE40 DEFINITION.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT WORK HAS PAUSED. AND SO WE ARE AGAIN SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE WORK AND PROGRAMS OF NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CURRENTLY ARE SO WE CAN ENGAGE AND UPLIFT WHERE POSSIBLE. FOR ECOSYSTEM STEWARDSHIP AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, WE'RE LOOKING TO UNDERSTAND AND WORK TOWARDS SIMPLIFYING LOCAL REGULATORY POLICIES IN ALIGNMENT WITH SHARED GOALS FOR ECOSYSTEM STEWARDSHIP, SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD RESTORATION AND LAND ACQUISITION PROJECTS AS SWIFTLY AS POSSIBLE.
AT THE STATE LEVEL, WE ARE, WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS , ADVANCING SOME LEGISLATION ON PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE ARTICLE THREE, WHICH IS THE THE STATE PARK OR, EXCUSE ME, THE REGIONAL AND OPEN SPACE PARK DISTRICT CODE SECTION UNDER WHICH OUR AGENCY AND OTHERS OPERATE. AND SO WE'VE BROUGHT FORWARD 13 DIFFERENT AMENDMENTS TO THAT SECTION.
WE'RE WORKING WITH ASSEMBLY MEMBER LORI WILSON.
THESE AMENDMENTS VARY FROM UPDATES TO SOME OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE FUNCTIONING, SORT OF STREAMLINING AND SIMPLIFYING PROCESSES TO ALSO SOME INCREASES ON THE ACREAGE OF LANDS ON WHICH THE PARK DISTRICT CAN LEASE.
SO WE'LL BE MOVING FORWARD AND BRINGING A MORE SPECIFIC UPDATE TO THE PAC ON THAT LEGISLATION SOON.
AND WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT BACK TO ERICH. AND I REALIZE WE ARE GOING THROUGH THESE FAIRLY QUICKLY, BUT WE'LL OBVIOUSLY BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF THE CATEGORIES THAT WITH BOARD DIRECTOR DIRECTION WE CHANGED THE NAME FROM.
IT WAS FORMERLY SEA LEVEL RISE PREPAREDNESS. BUT GIVEN EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED HAPPENING EVERYWHERE WITH EXTREME WEATHER, WE THOUGHT THIS WAS MORE INCLUSIVE AND GIVES US MORE A MORE REALISTIC CHECK ON WHAT WE WILL BE WORKING ON.
AND THIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO CLIMATE AND EXTREME WEATHER WHEN WE HAVE STORMS THAT SO MUCH WATER MOVES THE SEDIMENT AND QUITE FRANKLY, TRASH INTO WATER BODIES DOWNSTREAM. AND MANY OF THOSE ARE RECREATIONAL LAKES.
WE HAVE CHALLENGES WITH THE HEALTH OF THE LAKES.
WE ALSO HAVE CHALLENGES WITH ALLOWING PUBLIC ACCESS AND SWIMMING AND FISHING.
SO THAT'S AN AREA OF FOCUS BOTH AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND FRANKLY, AT THE STATE LEVEL WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPOSITION 4, THE CLIMATE BOND, THERE IS SOME FUNDING FOR WATERSHED HEALTH IN THAT BOND PACKAGE, WHICH WE WERE TRYING TO GET INTO THE STATE BUDGET SO THAT WE HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO APPLY FOR THOSE FUNDS. AND THEN ALSO AT THE STATE LEVEL, JUST IN TERMS OF THE CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND NATURE BASED INFRASTRUCTURE, WE ARE HEARING THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT HOW GGRF, THE GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION FUND FUNDING, IS BEING ALLOCATED. THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE SOME OF THE FORMULAS AND SOME OF THE CATEGORIES SO THAT IT COULD INCLUDE MORE MAINTENANCE AND OUTDOOR. IT'S FUNDING THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE FOR MAINTENANCE AND EVEN STAFF UNLIKE BOND MEASURE FUNDING.
SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT. AND THEN AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WE ARE AS OF THE WRITING OF THIS, WE WERE LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY WORKING WITH FEMA AND THE CORPS IN A MUCH MORE PROACTIVE WAY.
THE ARMY CORPS HAS, THROUGH THE LAST WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT, RECEIVED AN AUTHORIZATION TO WORK ON A SAN FRANCISCO BAY AND AN ENTIRE BAY AREA PLAN TO ADDRESS RISING SEA LEVEL AND STORM SURGES.
AND SO WE WILL IN THE IMPLEMENTING AGENCY LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE THE COASTAL CONSERVANCY.
[00:45:07]
FROM THE STORMS THAT WE'VE HAD IN RECENT YEARS.SO WE ARE DEFINITELY MONITORING WHAT'S OCCURRING THERE.
AND I SHOULD JUST SAY JUST IN GENERAL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT I THINK CHAIR HENRY ASKED ME ABOUT SOME OF THE GRANT FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL. ESSENTIALLY, WHAT'S OCCURRING RIGHT NOW IS EACH AGENCY IS UNDER A DIRECTIVE TO ANSWER, I BELIEVE IT'S 7 OR 8 QUESTIONS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION IN TERMS OF THE INTENT AND THE USE OF THE FUNDING, THE GRANT FUNDING THAT THEY'RE ALLOCATING. EACH AGENCY HAS UNTIL MARCH 15TH TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.
AND SO WE WILL KNOW, PRESUMABLY KNOW MORE, AFTER MARCH 15TH.
GREEN JOBS IS ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT WE'VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CIVICORPS IN THE BAY AREA.
IN FACT, I WAS JUST AT A SITE EARLIER TODAY WHERE THEY WERE DOING SOME WORK, SOME TRAIL WORK FOR US.
THEY'RE A VERY GOOD PARTNER FOR THE PARK DISTRICT , AND THEY DO REPRESENT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO GAIN A SKILL SET AND TO POTENTIALLY BECOME EMPLOYEES AT THE PARK DISTRICT OR SOME OTHER AGENCY WORKING OR SOME OTHER ENTITY WORKING IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL FIELD. SO VERY, VERY.
AND THEN AT THE STATE LEVEL, WE HAVE A STRONG PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS.
THEY ARE LOOKING TO PUT A FEW CREWS HOST A FEW CREWS IN THE EAST BAY IN ONE OF OUR PARKS.
THEY WOULD BE ESSENTIALLY A SPIKE CAMP WHILE STILL PURSUING THE IDEA OF A POSSIBLE PERMANENT FACILITY SOMEWHERE IN THE EAST BAY, SO THAT THERE WOULD BE CONSERVATION CORPS CREWS AVAILABLE, NOT JUST FOR THE PARK DISTRICT , BUT FOR THE ENTIRE EAST BAY AREA. AND THEN LASTLY, AT THE BOTTOM, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE SERVICE CORPS PROGRAMS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
UNCLEAR WHERE THOSE PROGRAMS WILL BE HEADED, BUT WE DID.
WE HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO INTERFACE WITH AMERICORPS IN THE PAST, AND IT IS CYCLICAL.
THEY GET FUNDING SOME YEARS. THEY GET A LOT OF FUNDING.
AND IF THERE WAS GOING TO BE A CLIMATE CORPS ESTABLISHED, HAVING SOME OF THAT, THE FUNDING AND SOME OF THAT INFRASTRUCTURE BE TRANSFERRED ESSENTIALLY TO THE CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION CORPS.
DIRECTLY AND NOT CREATE A WHOLE NEW MECHANISM.
AND WELCOMING VISITOR USE FACILITIES, SOMETHING WE'RE LEARNING A LOT ABOUT IN OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEETINGS, WHERE WE'RE LEARNING THAT ACCESS AND TRAILS ARE SUPER IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE SHARING SOME OF THE WAYS OF GETTING NOT JUST PEOPLE, BUT ALSO WORKING IN OUR PARKS TO MAKE THEM MORE COMFORTING, WELCOMING. THOSE ARE ISSUES THAT ARE COMING UP QUITE A BIT AT A LOCAL LEVEL.
SO WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH AS MANY OF OUR PARTNERS AS WE CAN.
AND THEN AT THE STATE LEVEL, WE ARE DEFINITELY WORKING ON PROP FOUR IMPLEMENTATION WITH REGARD TO ANY KIND OF CAPITAL FUNDING THAT IT MAY HAVE, AND PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO SOME OF OUR, AS I MENTIONED, LAKE HEALTH, BUT ALSO WITH REGARD TO THE COASTAL CONSERVANCY'S BAY TRAIL PROGRAM OR ACTUALLY BAY CONSERVATION PROGRAM.
FUNDING IN THAT CATEGORY IS SUPER FLEXIBLE AND SUPER IMPORTANT TO THE PARK DISTRICT .
AND THEN AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND WAS ACTUALLY PERMANENTLY AUTHORIZED AND SET A PERMANENT FUNDING LEVEL OF $900 MILLION. AN THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, MEANING THE FIRST FIRST TRUMP, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FIRST TERM, HE ACTUALLY SIGNED THAT INTO LAW. SO IT IS STILL GUIDING THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE.
AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO SEEK LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUNDING.
IT'S NOT NORMALLY PART OF THE OVERALL BUDGET.
IN TERMS OF IF YOU'RE HEARING NEWS ABOUT SEQUESTERING FUNDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, IT SHOULD BE OUTSIDE OF THAT, OUTSIDE OF THAT REALM. AND THEN LASTLY, WILDFIRE RESILIENCE, REALLY A KEY PIECE OF WORK FOR THE PARK DISTRICT
[00:50:08]
. AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, YOU ALL SAW SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE DID ARE DOING ON GRIZZLY PEAK.ONE CHALLENGE WE HAVE IS AFTER YOU DO INITIAL TREATMENT, YOU DO HAVE TO MAINTAIN IT.
SO BOTH AT THE LOCAL LEVEL WITH THOSE WITH THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT YOU ALL SAW WITH UC BERKELEY, THE CITY OF BERKELEY AND EAST BAY MUD. WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK COLLECTIVELY BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY FIRE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
AND THEN ALSO WHEN WE WORK IN A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT LIKE THAT, IT IS SOMETHING THAT LEGISLATORS SEE AS A VERY POSITIVE, COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AND DO TEND TO WANT TO TRY TO HELP PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THOSE KINDS OF THOSE KINDS OF PROJECTS.
AT THE STATE LEVEL AGAIN, SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUNDING IN PROPOSITION FOUR FOR WILDFIRE RESILIENCE WILL BE, IN FACT, THERE IS A CATEGORY WITHIN THAT, WITHIN THAT EXPENDITURE PLAN THAT IS THE SAME CATEGORY AS WHICH WE GOT THE FIRST $8 MILLION FOR THE GRIZZLY PEAK PROJECT. AND I BELIEVE, AS YOU RECALL, THAT'S ABOUT HALF OF THE MONEY WE NEED.
SO IF PROP FOUR FUNDING ADVANCES, WE WILL BE ABLE TO APPLY AGAIN AND GET THE SECOND HALF AND THEN AGAIN AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE ON BIOMASS UTILIZATION, GIVEN OUR CARBONIZER AND SOME OF THE GREAT WORK THAT OUR FIRE TEAM IS DOING IN THAT SPACE.
AND THAT IS THE END OF THIS SLIDESHOW, BUT WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU ALL MAY HAVE AND ADDRESS ANYTHING THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED. BUT THIS IS OUR VERY, VERY STRONG FRAMEWORK FOR US TO WORK OFF OF.
MEMBER DIETER. THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION. IT WAS EXCELLENT.
AND JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS .
I MEAN, WHAT ARE YOU, YOU JUST WANT INPUT TODAY.
WHAT IS IT YOU'RE ASKING FROM US? THIS FOR THIS EVENING THIS IS AN INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATION.
AND IT WAS APPROVED BY THE BOARD IN DECEMBER LAST YEAR.
IT DID NOT RECEIVE SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
SO IT'S WE'VE ACTUALLY BROUGHT THE LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM TO THE PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE IN THE PAST.
AND THIS IS MORE OR LESS AN EXTENSION OF WHAT WE'VE DONE PREVIOUSLY.
MEMBER OBRINGER. AND THEN MEMBER DETJENS, I WAS GOING TO ANSWER THE OTHER HALF OF MEMBER DIETER'S QUESTION, WHICH IS, WHAT ARE WE HOPING FROM YOU ALL TODAY? SO WE SHARED A LOT.
IT'S A LOT TO DO AND WE'D LOVE TO PARTNER WITH YOU ALL.
SO AS WE'RE HAVING QUESTIONS AND WE'RE THINKING YOU ALL ARE REPRESENTATIVES OF YOUR COMMUNITY. AND SO WE SHARE THESE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES WITH YOU ALL SO WE CAN THINK THROUGH WHAT ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN COLLABORATE AND LIFT THESE UP FOR THE SUCCESS OF EAST BAY COMMUNITIES. SO THANK YOU.
YEAH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I DID JOIN LATE AT 4:33.
THERE IS NOBODY IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM WITH ME WHO [INAUDIBLE] FROM THE PUBLIC.
SO I KNOW I'M USUALLY SUPPOSED TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
SO THANK YOU FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND JUST A FEW QUESTIONS I HEARD YOU TOUCH ON A LITTLE BIT ERICH ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE WAITING TO SEE IF THE ONE PROGRAM IS STILL AVAILABLE FROM THE US FOREST SERVICE.
I THINK REGARDING THE CARBONIZER, I'M JUST WONDERING IN GENERAL HOW MUCH OF YOU KNOW, HAS THE PARK DISTRICT GONE THROUGH AND EVALUATED WHAT FUNDING COULD BE FROZEN GOING FORWARD? AND THE REASON I ASK THIS IS, YOU KNOW, JUST ONE EXAMPLE.
WE WORKED REALLY HARD, ME PERSONALLY, AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, STAFF AND OTHERS HERE IN CONCORD TO GET A US FOREST SERVICE GRANT TO PLANT TREES, AND IT'S OVER $1 MILLION. AND NOW I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE EVER GOING TO GET IT, WHICH MAKES ME FURIOUS. AND EVEN THE GRANT ITSELF HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN FROM THE FEDERAL WEBSITE, AND THAT'S JUST ONE OF ABOUT, YOU KNOW, $15 MILLION WORTH OF FEDERAL FUNDING THAT WAS ALLOCATED TO US.
BUT WE DON'T PHYSICALLY HAVE IT, AND WE DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO GET IT.
SO, SO YOU KNOW, HOW SECURE IS THE FUNDING THAT YOU, YOU'VE BEEN COUNTING ON FOR THESE PROGRAMS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? YEAH, I THINK TRIED TO ADDRESS THAT A LITTLE BIT WITH TRYING TO WAIT AND SEE WHAT OMB AND THE
[00:55:03]
ALL THE REPORTING BACK FROM THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES DOES ACTUALLY YIELD ON MARCH 15TH.AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO TRACK AND ALSO SPEAK, WE JUST HAD A MEETING TODAY WITH REPRESENTATIVE DESAULNIER'S STAFF ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT THEY WERE AWARE AND YOU WOULD VALUE THIS.
SO THEY WILL BE TRACKING THAT AND WE'LL TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE SECURE IT.
BUT I THINK WE'RE ALL IN UNCHARTED TERRITORY WITH REGARD TO FEDERAL GRANTS, AND IT'LL PROBABLY BE A LONG PROCESS BEFORE WE KNOW FOR SURE ANY REAL CERTAINTY ABOUT WHETHER THE MONEY IS COMING OR NOT. GLAD YOU'RE TALKING TO THE CONGRESSMAN.
AND I MEAN, I'M JUST SAYING I'M WE'RE LOOKING AT NOT GETTING THE MONEY.
I MEAN, WE'RE LIKE HAVING TO PLAN FOR WORST CASE SCENARIO, WHICH, AGAIN, MAKES ME REALLY, REALLY ANGRY. BUT I AM ALSO, I'M SURE YOU'RE DOING THIS TOO, BUT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE MET WITH SENATOR PADILLA'S REPRESENTATIVE.
I'M GOING TO D.C. FOR THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES IN TWO WEEKS AND SETTING UP MEETINGS WITH SENATOR SCHIFF'S OFFICE, AS WELL AS OUR CONGRESSMAN DESAULNIER AND SENATOR PADILLA'S OFFICE.
AND THEN JUST MY OTHER QUESTION, I HEARD YOU MENTION THE INTERPRETIVE CENTER.
SO IS THERE ANYTHING FURTHER THAT'S HAPPENING? YOU KNOW, SENATOR GRAYSON GOT SOME FUNDING, YOU KNOW, FOR THE ENTRANCE TO THE THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK OFF OF BAILEY ROAD.
BUT IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT HE'S DOING OR ANYONE'S DOING AROUND THE THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK TO HELP MOVE THE OPENING OF SOUTH OF BAILEY ROAD FORWARD? OR IS THERE ANYTHING I NEED TO ADVOCATE FOR, I GUESS? WELL IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO ADVOCATE FOR THE PARKS.
[LAUGHTER] THE AND I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE JOINED AFTER DIRECTOR COFFEY GAVE HIS REMARKS, BUT WE ARE ADVANCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOUTH OF BAILEY. OUR PLANNING TEAM IS WORKING ON THAT, AND I BELIEVE SOME OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS BEING WORKED ON IN TERMS OF REMOVING RAIL LINES AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. SO THAT WORK IS ADVANCING.
AND WE DID HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH NOW SENATOR GRAYSON WHEN WE WERE IN SACRAMENTO RECENTLY, AND HE IS READY TO SHOULD THERE BE FUNDING AVAILABLE AT THE STATE LEVEL? HE IS READY TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT PROJECT.
SO STAY TUNED. BUT YES, WE ARE DEFINITELY WORKING ON IT AND TRACKING IT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP ADVOCATE.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING COLIN IS INVITED.
SO SINCE I'M SERVING AS MAYOR THIS YEAR. SO IF THERE'S OTHER THINGS I'M HAPPY TO, TO ADVOCATE, JUST LET ME KNOW WHAT IS NEEDED? THANK YOU. MEMBER LOPEZ.
THANK YOU. YEAH I DO. I DO AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TO, YOU KNOW, DELINEATE THE SOURCES OF FUNDING THAT NOT ONLY FLOW DIRECTLY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT ALSO FLOW THROUGH FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THROUGH THE STATE GOVERNMENT TO OUR LOCAL JURISDICTIONS, BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF VULNERABILITY AT THIS POINT.
MY QUESTION IS REALLY REVOLVING AROUND THE ISSUE OF TRANSPORTATION.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SEE HERE IS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR TRANSPORTATION WITH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, I THINK YOU'RE LOOKING TO ADDRESS THE LAST MILE TO HAVE ACCESS TO PARKS FROM THE MAJOR TRANSPORTATION GROUPS BART AND AC TRANSIT. BUT ALSO WHAT INFRASTRUCTURE DOES EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS HAVE WITHIN, IN ITS OWN IN AND OF ITS OWN IN TERMS OF LIKE SHUTTLE SERVICES AND SO FORTH AND SO ON. WE DO HAVE A PARKS EXPRESS PROGRAM THAT OUR OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT AND WITH SUPPORT OF THE FOUNDATION DOES RUN THAT'S PRIMARILY FOR PROGRAMING WORK AND NOT A WHAT YOU WOULD PROBABLY CONSIDER A TRADITIONAL SHUTTLE SERVICE.
ONE AREA WHERE WE'VE EXPLORED A LITTLE BIT IS YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT BUS STOPS AND BART STOPS,
[01:00:02]
KNOW OR HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT WHERE TRAILS ARE AND HOW TO GET TO THE PARKS.AND THAT IS SOMETHING WE CONTINUE TO PURSUE. AS WE KNOW, TRANSIT AGENCIES HAVE HAD A REALLY, REALLY CHALLENGING TIME SINCE COVID, AND SO WAITING FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY TO BE A LITTLE MORE RIPE IN TERMS OF APPROACHING THEM ABOUT THINGS THAT WE COULD PARTNER ON, AND MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THE PARKS ARE AND HOW TO GET TO THEM.
SO. SO CURRENTLY THERE REALLY ISN'T ANY INFRASTRUCTURE EXCEPT FOR THE PROGRAMING, BUT NOTHING LIKE SAY, ON A SATURDAY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO HAVE ACCESS TO PARKS.
NOT LIKE ONCE A MONTH OR A COUPLE OF TIMES A YEAR OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT THEN.
IS THAT CORRECT? SO CURRENTLY FOR COORDINATED PROGRAMS, WE HAVE THE PARKS EXPRESS PROGRAM THAT CAN WORK WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS TO BRING THAT ACCESS. WE HAVE INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE OF ALL AC TRANSIT AND OTHER BUS AND BART ROUTES THAT GET TO PARKS.
AND THEN I'M VERY PLEASED TO SHARE THAT WE ARE IN THE FINAL PROCESS OF HIRING A NEW COLLEAGUE WHO WILL BE A TRANSPORTATION COORDINATOR, AND THIS WILL BE THE FOCUS OF THEIR WORK PORTFOLIO, WHICH WE'LL GET TO EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AT, WHICH IS HOW CAN WE EXPAND AND SUPPORT SUSTAINABLY, STRATEGICALLY AND IN PARTNERSHIP.
THAT'S REALLY TERRIFIC NEWS. I'M REALLY GLAD TO HEAR THAT. THANK YOU.
MEMBER DETJENS. JUST WANTED TO THANK ERICH AND LISA FOR A VERY IN-DEPTH AND COMPLETE PRESENTATION.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION ON ONE OF THE MAIN TASKS OF THE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS AND THE ENGAGEMENT WITH AUTHORITIES, SPECIFICALLY LOCAL AUTHORITIES. IN MY PRIOR LIFE WHEN I WORKED FOR CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, I INTERFACED WITH YOU AND OTHERS A LOT ON OUR CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT BOARD COORDINATION MEETINGS, WHICH I THINK WERE SEMIANNUALLY OR ANNUALLY.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO WHETHER THOSE HAVE BEEN RESTARTED IN A POST-COVID ERA AND WHAT YOUR EFFORTS ARE TO REACH OUT TO OUR BOARD AS A GROUP, AS WELL AS MAYBE YOU CAN SPEAK TO HOW CONTRA COSTA AND ALAMEDA ARE TREATED, WHETHER THE SAME IS HAPPENING DOWN SOUTH.
I THINK THOSE QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED IN THE NEXT PRESENTATION, SO STAY TUNED.
A LITTLE FORESHADOWING. MEMBER DIETER FOLLOW UP.
YEAH, I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS TO ASK YOU. AND ONE IS SOMETHING THAT'S NOT MENTIONED IN THE PROGRAM IS BCDC'S REGIONAL SHORELINE ADAPTATION PLAN, WHICH HAS A GOAL OF RESTORING AND CREATING 100,000 ACRES OF WETLANDS AND PUTTING NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS FIRST.
AND IT WASN'T MENTIONED. HOW DOES THAT WAS THAT AN OVERSIGHT OR HOW DOES IT FIT INTO THIS? WELL, WE IT NOT EVERYTHING THAT WE WORK ON IS IN THE PROGRAM, BUT WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH BCDC SPECIFICALLY WITH REGARD TO HAYWARD SHORELINE. ONE OF OUR COLLEAGUES HAS BEEN WAS SERVED ON THE ADAPTATION PLANS, I GUESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE. IT HAS BEEN IN OUR WORK PORTFOLIO.
IT JUST MAY NOT HAVE BEEN CALLED OUT SPECIFICALLY IN THE PROGRAM.
OKAY. ONE OTHER QUESTION. JUST CURIOUS, HOW IS IT THAT YOU CHOSE TO PUT EFFICIENCIES IN REGULAR APPROVALS AND ACQUISITIONS UNDERNEATH THE CATEGORY OF ECOSYSTEM STEWARDSHIP, BECAUSE THERE WERE LOTS OF CATEGORIES, AND YOU CHOSE TO PUT THOSE TWO THINGS UNDER ECOSYSTEM STEWARDSHIP.
I BELIEVE THAT'S A REFERENCE TO SOME OF THE STATE LEGISLATION THAT WE'RE WORKING ON WITH REGARD, AS LISA INDICATED, WITH REGARD TO OUR ENABLING ACT, WHICH IS PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE ARTICLE THREE CLEANING THAT ACT UP TO TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AND MORE REFLECTIVE OF CURRENT DAY SITUATION AND CIRCUMSTANCES.
SO THAT'S THAT. I BELIEVE THAT'S WHERE THAT REFERENCE.
WHAT THAT IS REFERENCING. DO YOU HAVE? IT'S ALSO A NEXUS TO THE STATE PROGRAM CUTTING THE GREEN TAPE, BUT BRINGING THAT SENTIMENT TO THE LOCAL LEVEL.
SO THE STATE PROGRAM CUTTING THE GREEN TAPE FOR THOSE WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH IT, IT'S A NEW TEAM WITHIN THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE THAT'S FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON PROJECTS THAT ARE RESTORATION FOCUSED, THAT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WOULD BE ASKED OF A TYPICAL MITIGATION MEASURE.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR TO KIND OF SPREAD THAT APPROACH ACROSS STATE AND ACROSS FEDERAL IS TO RECOGNIZE THE WORK OF THE PARK DISTRICT , OF REALLY BRINGING THESE ECOSYSTEMS NOT JUST BACK TO ONE LEVEL, BUT ABOVE AND BEYOND TO THEIR NATIVE HEALTHFUL LEVEL.
[01:05:02]
SO THAT WAS THE EFFICIENCY IS IF WE CAN MOVE FASTER THROUGH THE PERMITS AND THE PROCESSES, WE CAN DO THE CONSERVATION WORK AND WE CAN GET THE PUBLIC OUT TO ENJOY, AND WE CAN RESTORE THE HABITAT SOONER. AND HOW DOES THE ACQUISITION FALL UNDER THAT CATEGORY? ACQUISITION? THAT'S THE LENS OF LAND PROTECTION OF WHEN THE PARK DISTRICT IS ABLE TO ACQUIRE LAND.WE THEN BECOME THE CARETAKERS OF THAT LAND TO PROTECT IT FOR THE ECOSYSTEM VALUE.
OKAY. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. MEMBER BARTLEBAUGH.
AND THEN MEMBER PEOPLES AFTER THAT. THANK YOU FOR A VERY THOROUGH PRESENTATION.
VERY HELPFUL. PROP FOUR CAME UP TWICE, AND WE'RE HEARING REPORTS THAT THE STATE BUDGET IS LOOKING TO USE PROP FOUR FUNDS TO FILL IN LOSSES FROM THE GENERAL BUDGET. I WAS WONDERING, WHAT ARE YOU HEARING? WHAT KIND OF DISCUSSIONS ARE YOU HAVING AND ANY OTHER ACTIONS THAT YOU'RE TAKING WITH RESPECT TO TO THAT ISSUE? YEAH. I BELIEVE THAT IS ACCURATE. THERE'S THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET DOES RELY ON SOME OF THE REVENUE FROM PROP FOUR TO BACKFILL SOME OF THE PREVIOUSLY GENERAL FUND PROP PROGRAMS THAT WERE FUNDED BY THE GENERAL FUND.
IT'S NOT WELL, IT'S ALL A LOT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS, BUT IT'S NOT AS BIG AS I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT. BUT IT IS SOMETHING WE'RE WORKING VERY, VERY HARD WITH A COALITION OF FOLKS ON MAKING SURE OR SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THE LEGISLATURE TO TRY TO PUT THE PROP 4 MONEY BACK INTO PROP FOUR AND GENERAL FUND MONEY BACK INTO GENERAL FUND.
SO THAT IS PART OF OUR STATE ADVOCACY WORK. THANK YOU.
MEMBER PEOPLES . I APPRECIATE SEEING THIS AND HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO TO SEE IT, EVEN THOUGH IT'S BEEN ALREADY APPROVED THIS YEAR.
I HAVE, YOU KNOW, COMMENTS ON SEVERAL OF THESE ADVOCACY GOALS WHICH I THINK, YOU KNOW, THIS PROBABLY WOULD BE THE OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THOSE FOR THE COMING YEAR.
I WANTED TO I HAD SIMILAR QUESTION TO MEMBER DIETER ON HOW ACQUISITION WAS BEING HANDLED UNDER AN ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. AND I, AS DIRECTOR COFFEY SAID EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON, WE HAVE A A FOCUS ON THE IN THE DISTRICT OF PROTECTING NATURAL AREAS, ADDITIONAL NATURAL AREAS.
AND THEN WE HAVE A FOCUS ON PROVIDING STEWARDSHIP FOR THE EXISTING AREAS.
AND WE REALLY NEED TO TRY TO MAINTAIN THAT DISTINCTION IN THESE ADVOCACY GOALS.
KEEP THAT FORWARD. AND AGAIN, I HAVE COMMENTS ON SEVERAL OTHER OF THESE ADVOCACY GOALS.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY STRUCK ME ON THE TRANSPORTATION ADVOCACY GOAL IS THAT IT'S, TO SOME EXTENT, KIND OF LOOKING AT THE WAY WE'VE DONE THINGS CURRENTLY AND IN THE PAST, BUT I THINK THAT'S AN AREA THAT THE DISTRICT REALLY NEEDS TO LOOK AHEAD. WE ARE GOING TO SEE A GREAT DEAL OF URBANIZATION IN THE DISTRICT AS TIME GOES ON AND PEOPLE ARE GOING, NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO HAVE THE AUTOMOBILES THAT THEY HAVE TODAY.
EVEN THE MORE WELL-TO-DO PEOPLE HAVE AUTOMOBILES THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO ACCESS THE PARKS.
SO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO THE PARKS, I THINK, IS GOING TO BECOME MORE IMPORTANT OVER TIME.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT THE DISTRICT MOVE FORWARD WITH BROADENING THE FOCUS OF THIS TO INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, THIS EXPECTED INCREASE IN URBANIZATION AND ENSURING THAT THERE IS ACCESS FOR FOLKS TO GET INVOLVED, HAVE ACCESS TO ACCESS TO THE PARKS.
THE I THINK THE OTHER MAJOR CONCERN I HAVE IS THAT ADVOCACY GOLD ENTITLED WILDFIRE RESILIENCY RESILIENCY, WHETHER IT'S A RESILIENCY OF AN ECOSYSTEM TO RECOVER AFTER A FIRE OR THE FACILITIES THAT MIGHT BE DESTROYED IN A FIRE.
I MEAN, IT'S THAT'S THE CONTEXT OF RESILIENCE, BUT WHAT'S REALLY AND I THINK IT'S REALLY BEEN BROUGHT TO THE FOREFRONT BECAUSE OF WHAT HAPPENED LAST MONTH IN LOS ANGELES WITH ALL THOSE WILDFIRES, WHICH ORIGINATED IN OPEN SPACE.
[01:10:06]
BUT THEY QUICKLY GOT CARRIED INTO THE URBAN AREAS AND WITH DEVASTATING RESULTS.I THINK THAT THE DISTRICT IS FACING THE SAME KIND OF AN ISSUE.
SO RATHER THAN LOOKING ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO AFTER THE FACT, IF THERE'S A FIRE TO RESTORE THESE AREAS, THE FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON WILDFIRE RISK REDUCTION.
AND COMING WITH THAT YOU KNOW, THAT'S GOING TO BE PART OF THE ISSUE OF REDUCING THE RISK OF WILDFIRE FOR ALL THESE URBAN AREAS THAT ARE CHEEK AND JOWL WITH THE PARK DISTRICT LANDS.
YOU KNOW, THE INDIVIDUAL HOMEOWNERS AND THOSE JURISDICTIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO WORK VERY DILIGENTLY TO ENSURE THAT THE HOUSES AND THE STRUCTURES IN THOSE URBAN AREAS ARE HARDENED SO THAT THEY CAN BETTER WITHSTAND FIRES.
BUT THERE IS A ROLE FOR IN THE OPEN SPACE, THE NATURAL AREA IS TO REDUCE THE RISK THERE.
I MEAN, FUNDAMENTALLY, THE ISSUE IS, IS THAT WE HAVE MISMANAGED FIRE FOR OVER A CENTURY AND WE HAVE ALLOWED TOO MUCH VEGETATION TO GROW IN THESE ECOSYSTEMS, WHICH ARE FIRE ADAPTED.
THEY EVOLVED IN FIRE, AND THAT DEPENDED ON FIRE.
BUT BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH VEGETATION, IT'S SO MUCH DENSER NOW THAN IT HAS BEEN.
WE HAVE MUCH MORE SEVERE FIRES WHICH ARE HARD TO CONTROL.
SO THERE NEEDS TO BE A FOCUS ON REDUCING THE RISK OF WILDFIRES IN THIS AREA.
AND I KNOW THAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE DISTRICT HAS DONE A LOT WITH WITH THE FIRE BREAKS, THE SHADED FIRE BREAKS, BUT THOSE ARE NOT GOING TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE WHEN YOU GET INTO THE SITUATIONS OF LATE IN THE SUMMER AND THE FALL, WHEN WE HAVE THE DIABLO WINDS BLOWING EMBERS THAT CAN GO A MILE OR 2 OR 3 MILES.
SO WE HAVE TO THINK MUCH BROADER IN TERMS OF REDUCING THE, FUEL LOADS THROUGHOUT THE, DISTRICT.
AND I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT EVEN IN THIS ADVOCACY AND OTHER DISCUSSIONS THAT THE DISTRICT HAS, THAT THEY BEGIN TO TALK ABOUT WILDFIRE RISK REDUCTION, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WANT TO HEAR THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT.
IT'S AFFECTING THEIR INSURANCE RATES AND IT'S THREATENING THEIR HOMES.
AND SO WHAT THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S BEING DONE TO REDUCE THAT RISK.
AND WE NEED TO MAKE CLEAR THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
IT'S GOING TO TAKE DECADES PROBABLY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS.
BUT WE ARE BEGINNING TO MAKE SOME PROGRESS ON THIS.
AND I WILL JUST HOLD UP THE EAST CONTRA COSTA FIRE RESTORATION PROJECT, WHICH THE PARK DISTRICT IS PARTICIPATING IN, YOU KNOW, ROUND VALLEY PARK IS INVOLVED IN THIS, BUT IT COVERS 16,000 ACRES AND THE INTENT THERE IS TO BEGIN TO REINTRODUCE FIRE INTO THOSE ECOSYSTEMS AS A MEANS OF REDUCING THE VEGETATION THERE AND THEREFORE REDUCING THE RISK OF FUTURE FIRES.
AND THAT'S GOING TO TAKE A LONG TIME. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE FOCUS THERE IS ON A 16,000 ACRE AREA.
AND WE NEED TO AND IT'S A LANDSCAPE KIND OF PERSPECTIVE.
IT'S NOT RESTRICTED TO ONE OWNERSHIP. ALL THE DIFFERENT OWNERS ARE INVOLVED IN THAT.
STATE PARKS AND THE EAST BAY MUD WATERSHEDS ARE INVOLVED ALONG WITH THE PARK DISTRICT .
SO THAT'S JUST AN AREA WHERE, AGAIN, LOOKING AHEAD, THAT THE DISTRICT, I THINK NEEDS TO TAKE A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE THAN THEY HAVE CURRENTLY AND HAVE TAKEN IN THE PAST. MEMBER FARMER. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
I WANTED TO NAME A FEW THINGS. ONE, THAT THE CHANGE TO EQUITABLE PARK ACCESS FROM COMMUNITY HEALTH, I THINK IS A REALLY STRONG ONE. I WANTED TO MENTION, AS DELICATELY AS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE CHANGES IN THE FEDERAL FUNDING AND WHAT TO BRACE FOR. I THINK PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ARE WANTING TO KNOW HOW THAT IS AFFECTING THEIR EVERYDAY.
AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO MESSAGING IN THE PRESS AND SAY THESE CUTS FROM THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION ARE HITTING US HERE BECAUSE WE ALL LOVE THE PARKS, AND NOT THAT THERE'S PARTICULARLY ANYTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT, BUT TO SEE THE DIRECT IMPACTS, I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT NOT TO SHY AWAY FROM.
[01:15:03]
THAT INDIVIDUAL SIT IN THE APPARATUS OF THE PARK DISTRICT ? THAT INDIVIDUAL WILL JOIN OUR INTERPRETATION AND RECREATION TEAM IN OUR OPERATION DIVISION.GREAT, GREAT. THAT SEEMS LIKE A GOOD FIT. I JUST SEE ONE AGENCY CALLED OUT HERE IN THE SLIDES, CALTRANS. AND I HAVE WORKED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND WITH LEGISLATORS AS WELL, AND I'VE NOT FOUND THEM TO BE THE MOST NIMBLE AGENCY OR ONE FOCUSED OR WILLING TO FOCUS OUTSIDE OF TRANSPORTATION.
THAT IS, THAT IS RELATED TO CARS. AND SO I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU COULD EXPAND THAT LIST OF PARTNERS THAT YOU INTEND TO WORK WITH, BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT THE MOST FRIENDLY TO YEAH, TO WORK WITH.
BUT I THINK THERE'S, YOU KNOW, CCTA AND ACTC AND OTHER GROUPS THAT FOCUS ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOW IT AFFECTS ALL OF OUR CITIES ETC. IT WAS MENTIONED THE NEED TO EXPAND WALKING PATHS AND THAT IS NOT DONE.
AND SO I THINK AS YOU TALK IN THE NEXT CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW YOU'RE BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CITIES, THERE MAY BE SOME GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO PARTNER THERE.
I ALSO THINK THAT YEAH. IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE SHUTTLES THERE, I'VE DEFINITELY HEARD A NEED FOR A LOT MORE OF THAT. AND I WONDER HOW, AS YOU'RE WORKING WITH GREEN JOBS AND CIVICORP, THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT GOALS, BUT THEY HAVE SO MUCH MUTUAL BENEFIT. WE NEED THE WORKFORCE.
WE WANT TO BRING FOLKS INTO THE PARK DISTRICT , AND WE NEED FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO FUND CIVICORP LONG TERM, AND I THINK WE'D BE VERY STRUGGLING WITHOUT THAT INSTITUTION.
SO I WONDER WHAT OTHER COLLABORATIONS COULD BE OUT THERE.
WE BELIEVE IN PUBLIC HEALTH. WE WANT BROADER TRANSPORTATION.
WHO ELSE COULD BE WORKING WITH LIKE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH AGENCIES OR ETC.
AND SO THAT WE CAN LOBBY TOGETHER FOR THE SAME MUTUAL BENEFIT.
AND I HAVE SOME MORE THOUGHTS FOR THE NEXT ONE.
AS WE TALKED ABOUT THE NEIGHBORS AND PEOPLE WHO LIVE ADJACENT TO OUR PARKS.
WE NEED TO SHOW THEM THAT WE ARE MAINTAINING THE PARKS IN A WAY.
MAYBE TO MEET OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT TO SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING AND.
BUT YEAH. THANK YOU. THAT'S WONDERFUL FEEDBACK.
AND ONE THING THAT I WANT TO FLAG FOR EVERYONE IS THAT THE PRESENTATION, IT'S A CONDENSED VERSION OF THE DOCUMENT. WE ALSO DID INCLUDE THE DOCUMENT IN YOUR PACKET, WHICH HAS A BROADER LIST OF PARTNERS. ANY OTHER MEMBER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS BEFORE PUBLIC COMMENTS? I JUST HAD ONE REALLY QUICK THOUGHT IN TERMS OF PARTNERSHIPS THAT I DID NOT SEE.
SO I WAS JUST APPOINTED TO THE CONTRA COSTA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY.
AND SO THAT MADE ME THINK OF, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT BOTH COUNTIES HAVE A TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY, AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT PARTNER, BECAUSE I KNOW IN CONTRA COSTA THEY'RE WORKING ON SOMETHING CALLED INNOVATE 680, WHICH IS CLIMATE FRIENDLY. IT'S TRYING TO CONNECT PEOPLE WITH KEY DESTINATIONS USING A VARIETY OF MOBILITY OPPORTUNITIES.
YEAH, AND THANK YOU FOR THAT CARLYN. WE'VE HAD A VERY LONG AND SIGNIFICANT WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH CCTA, AS WELL AS ALAMEDA COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION.
VICE CHAIR MENDOZA, THEN MEMBER CHANG. I JUST WANTED TO ALSO SECOND MEMBER FARMERS CONTENTION THAT THE EQUITABLE PARK ACCESS LANGUAGE CHANGE IS A GOOD ONE IN TERMS OF BEING VERY SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE, NOT JUST BEING VAGUE WITH COMMUNITY HEALTH. OFTENTIMES THAT GETS LUMPED INTO A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT ALSO BEING MINDFUL OF A LOT OF THE FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL LEVEL HAS LOOKED FOR THESE TERMS THAT HAVE BEEN UNDER ATTACK, LIKE DEI, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION. AND EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NOT DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY FEDERAL FIRINGS LIKE THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, US FOREST SERVICE OUR PARTNERS ARE AND I THINK THE FUNDING, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR OUR FUELS REDUCTION
[01:20:04]
THROUGH FEMA IS GOING TO AFFECT DISPROPORTIONATELY OUR MOST DIVERSE WORKFORCE, INCLUDING YOUNG FOLKS, FOLKS WHO ARE JUST STARTING OUT, INTERPRETIVE STUDENT AID, INTERNS.SO I THINK THAT'S EVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT NOT AFFECT US DIRECTLY, THERE IS A LOT OF IMPACT.
AND THIS COULD BE MORE TOWARDS DIRECTOR COFFEY'S PLAYBOOK IN TERMS OF HOW THE BOARD IS ABLE TO BE STRATEGIC ABOUT HOW TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO GET AS MUCH FUNDING AS POSSIBLE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, BUT ALSO ENSURING THAT OUR CONSTITUENTS IDEOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY WHEN IT COMES TO THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, ENSURING THAT THAT IS NOT, YOU KNOW, PUT UP THERE AS A PROPAGANDA PIECE IS, YOU KNOW, THAT SORT OF THAT BALANCE IS TAKING CARE OF.
MEMBER CHANG. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO DITTO WHAT MEMBER PEOPLES SAID REGARDING THE TRANSPORTATION AND URBANIZATION AND THEN MEMBER FARMERS COMMENTS ABOUT BEING NEIGHBORS IN REGARDS TO VEGETATION.
I ALSO WANTED TO FLAG THAT I MYSELF, AS A MEMBER OF THIS COMMITTEE, WOULD LOVE TO PARTICIPATE IF, LET'S SAY THERE IS PUBLIC FORUMS TO SPEAK OUT PUBLIC COMMENTS OR TO MEET WITH LOCAL LEGISLATORS.
YOU KNOW, I'M PERSONALLY HAPPY TO FUND MY OWN TRIP, BUT IT WOULD BE FUN TO DO MAYBE A LOBBY DAY ON BILLS THAT COME IN FRONT OF THE STATE SENATE OR STATE ASSEMBLY. AND ALSO I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY IT'D BE GREAT IF WE CAN GO AS A GROUP, BUT OBVIOUSLY IF IT'S SELF FUNDED, THAT THOSE ARE ALL OPTIONS.
I THINK I, AS A BOARD MEMBER WOULD BE INTERESTED. I HOPE OTHERS WOULD BE TOO.
AND THEN FINALLY, WHAT, VICE CHAIR MENDOZA SAID SOMETHING THAT WAS FLAGGED IS CONTINUE OUR PRESENCE ONLINE AND IN THE MEDIA, BECAUSE I THINK OVERALL THERE WILL BE MORE TIMES THAN WE WOULD LIKE THAT WE WILL HAVE TO BE IN FRONT OF THE VOTERS TO ASK THEM FOR FUNDS.
AND I THINK IT'S JUST A GOOD WAY TO STAY ENGAGED WITH THEM. MEMBER MAHADEVAN.
I WANT TO ECHO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAID. NICE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I JUST THE LAST THING I HEARD COMING HERE, DRIVING ON THE NEWS, IS THAT THE GOVERNOR HAS ASKED FOR $40 BILLION, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR LA WILDFIRE MITIGATION AND SO FORTH.
WE'RE NOT GETTING ANYMORE FROM THE STATE BECAUSE THEY'RE CARRYING AS OF THIS AFTERNOON, AGAIN, WHAT I HEAR IS THERE ARE 12 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS WHO WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF VOTING FOR ANY BUDGET SO FAR PROPOSED BY SPEAKER JOHNSON.
SO THAT'S SORT OF WHERE THEY ARE. EXPECT GRIDLOCK AND CHAOS, WHICH OUR NEW PRESIDENT EXCELS IN.
ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? NO, NOT AT THIS TIME.
OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE GREAT PRESENTATION.
ON TO THE NEXT ONE. THANK YOU.
AND I'M HERE TO PRESENT WITH ELSA AN UPDATE ON THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY PILOT PROGRAM UPDATE, WHICH WE'LL REFER TO AS THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY. GOING FORWARD.
WE HAVE ONE QUESTION ON THE TABLE STILL, WHICH IS HOW IS THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ENGAGING WITH THE CONTRA COSTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS , AS WELL AS THE ALAMEDA COUNTY BOARD OF DIRECTORS ? AND I ALSO WANT TO PROACTIVELY RESPOND TO MEMBER DIETER.
GOOD QUESTION. IN THE LAST ROUND, WHICH IS, WHAT ARE WE SEEKING FROM YOU ALL TODAY? SO WE'LL BE SHARING WITH YOU ALL AN UPDATE ON A PROGRAM THAT WAS MOVED FORWARD BY OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO ENGAGE WITH ALL CITIES, COUNTY SUPERVISORS, SPECIAL PARK DISTRICT AGENCIES AT THE LOCAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL ON THE WORK OF THE PARK DISTRICT . IT'S REALLY GALVANIZED BY OUR DISTRICT PLAN UPDATE.
IS IT? MY SCREEN'S GONE BLACK, SO I'M GOING TO KEEP TALKING, BUT HOPEFULLY.
OH, THERE WE GO. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. MEETING WITH ALL MAYORS, COUNTY SUPERVISORS AND ELECTEDS FROM SPECIAL DISTRICTS WITH THE DISTRICT PLAN AS THE FOCUS, IT BRINGS TOGETHER JUST A BROAD SCOPING DISCUSSION WITH THESE AGENCIES.
AND REALLY, THE WAY I'VE BEEN FRAMING IT IN MY HEAD IS THAT THESE ARE QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS WHERE WE'RE GATHERING INSIGHTS AND OPEN ENDED SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS OF OUR AGENCY PARTNERS. BECAUSE WE'RE MEETING WITH 33 CITIES, ALL OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND SPECIAL DISTRICTS,
[01:25:04]
THAT'S ABOUT 60 MEETINGS. SO THESE ARE INFORMAL NON-BROWN ACT MEETINGS IN ORDER TO HAVE THE STAFF CAPACITY TO HAVE AS MANY MEETINGS AS WE ARE HOSTING.SO WE'VE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH THIS PROGRAM ALREADY, AND I WANTED TO SHARE A COUPLE OF SHORT TERM SUCCESSES, INCLUDING WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR PROJECTS THAT WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT IN THE MEETINGS THAT ALIGN WITH OUR MISSION VISION, OUR VALUES, AND OUR PROGRAM GOALS. AND SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MOVE THOSE FORWARD SWIFTLY.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT PARK DISTRICT PROGRAMS AND EVENTS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT NEWSLETTERS.
ALSO HAS BEEN DOING A GREAT JOB WORKING WITH OUR PUBLIC AFFAIRS TEAM EVERY MONTH, UPDATING A BLURB ABOUT PARK DISTRICT EVENTS AND HAPPENINGS, AND SHARING THAT WITH ALL OF THE ENTITIES THAT WE'VE MET WITH TO DATE.
SO WE'RE GETTING INVITES TO SO MANY SOCIAL OCCASIONS IN THESE MEETINGS.
IT'S VERY WARM, IT'S VERY WONDERFUL, AND WE'VE BEEN DOCUMENTING ALL OF THOSE AND SHARING IT WITH OUR AMBASSADOR PROGRAM SO WE CAN GET REPRESENTATION OF THE PARK DISTRICT OUT THROUGH THAT PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THROUGH THE UPCOMING DISTRICT PLAN ENGAGEMENT PROCESS.
SO, SO FAR, THIS IS A REPORT ON 2024. WE HAVE ALREADY ACTIVATED 2025 MEETINGS, AND THIS PROGRAM WILL BE GOING THROUGH THE END OF DECEMBER OF THIS YEAR. SO IN 2024 WE MET WITH 11 AGENCIES AVERAGING ABOUT TWO MEETINGS PER MONTH.
THIS PROGRAM WAS PASSED BY RESOLUTION IN MAY AND WE HAD OUR FIRST MEETING IN AUGUST.
SO DURING THAT INTERIM TIME WE PUT TOGETHER A COORDINATED AGENDA, STRUCTURED MATERIALS THAT WAY WE WHEN WE STARTED SCHEDULING MEETINGS, WE COULD GO THROUGH THEM PRETTY QUICKLY AND THEY'RE ALL PRETTY CONSISTENT.
AND REALLY, THIS INFORMATION IS BEING GATHERED TO HELP TO INFORM THE DISTRICT PLAN. SO WE'VE BEEN IN TIGHT COMMUNICATION WITH OUR DISTRICT PLAN TEAM TO UPDATE THEM ON WHAT WE'RE HEARING. AND AS WE HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS, WE'LL CONTINUE TO UPDATE.
SO THE POINT OF THIS PRESENTATION IS TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL WHAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING.
AND SO NOW I'M GOING TO PASS IT OVER TO ELSA, WHO'S GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW SHE CODED THE DIFFERENT THEMES WE'VE BEEN HEARING. AND THEN WALK US THROUGH THE FIRST FEW.
HI, EVERYONE. ELSA GRANDVOINET, LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT FOR GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS.
THESE WERE IDENTIFIED BY GOING THROUGH THE MEETING NOTES THAT I TOOK DOWN DURING EACH OF THESE MEETINGS AND THEN CODIFYING THEM, AND THEN WE JUST IDENTIFIED PATTERNS FROM THOSE CODED LANGUAGES AND THEN IDENTIFIED THESE SET LIST OF THEMES. SO LET'S GO THROUGH EACH ONE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFICITY.
SO FIRST IS COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. AS LISA MENTIONED AGAIN WE'VE BEEN IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITIES TO GET OUR PROGRAMING LANGUAGE AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMING LANGUAGE INTO LOCAL NEWSLETTERS.
WE'RE ALSO DEVELOPING A GROWING LIST OF LOCAL EVENTS THAT WE CAN ENGAGE WITH.
LIKE LISA SAID, THE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM IS ALSO ENGAGING IN THOSE.
FOR TRAIL SAFETY, EXPANSION, CONNECTIVITY. WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT CROWDING ON TRAILS, SO ESTABLISHING SEPARATE LANES HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A GREAT SOLUTION TO THAT.
BUT REALLY, WHERE ARE WE GOING TO BE DOING THAT? WHERE ARE WE GOING TO BE IMPLEMENTING THOSE KINDS OF PROJECTS? AND THEN WE'VE ALSO BEEN TALKING ABOUT EQUITABLE PARK ACCESS AND TRANSPORTATION.
AGAIN, IN THE LAST ITEM THAT WE PRESENTED ON, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE PROGRAMS, LIKE THE PARK EXPRESS PROGRAM THAT WE'VE BEEN INSTITUTING HERE AT THE PARK DISTRICT THAT'S BEEN REALLY SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING SPECIFICALLY CHILDREN OUT INTO PARKS FOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND JUST INCREASING TRAIL CONNECTIONS TO URBAN AREAS USING BART PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. AND THEN THE EDUCATIONAL AND RECREATIONAL PROGRAMING.
WE FOCUSED ON WATERSHED PROTECTION, CLIMATE CHANGE AND YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAMING.
WE'VE ALSO TARGETED SENIOR CITIZENS. WE'VE BEEN PUTTING OUR LANGUAGE ALSO INTO SENIOR CITIZEN CENTERS THAT SEEMS TO BE A GREAT PLACE WHERE PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY WILL GO AND GATHER INFORMATION FOR UPCOMING EVENTS, AS WELL AS THE NEWSLETTERS THAT I MENTIONED.
AND THEN WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT. YOU WANT TO TAKE IT BACK?
[01:30:01]
THANK YOU SO MUCH. AWESOME. AND THEN IN TERMS OF JUST THE SETUP OF THESE MEETINGS, IT IS A BOARD OF DIRECTOR OR 1 OR 2 MEMBERS OF OUR BOARD, OUR GENERAL MANAGER OR THEIR DESIGNEE, AND THEN THE MAYOR, COUNTY SUPERVISOR OR PRESIDENT OF THE ENTITY THAT WE'RE MEETING WITH.AND SO THESE ARE THE TOPICS THAT HAVE REALLY BEEN TOP OF MIND FOR THEM.
FOR WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS.
SOMETHING THAT'S COME UP A LOT IS EVACUATION ROUTES.
MANY UNFORTUNATELY, THE COMMUNITIES IN THE EAST BAY ONLY HAVE ONE IN AND ONE OUT.
FOR ACQUISITION AND STEWARDSHIP COMMENTS HAVE RANGED FROM CITIES OFFERING US ONE OF THEIR PARKS VERY ENTHUSIASTICALLY, TO LOOKING TO PARTNER ON FUTURE GRANT APPLICATIONS AND STEWARDSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING THEIR VOLUNTEERS OUT INTO OUR PARKS AND SHARE BEST PRACTICES.
FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS. THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON THEME.
HOW CAN WE APPLY IT ON GRANTS TOGETHER? AS A GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS PROFESSIONAL, I LOVE THE QUESTION BECAUSE IT ONLY MAKES OUR GRANT APPLICATIONS STRONGER THE MORE PARTNERS WE HAVE ON THEM. AND SO CITIES REALLY WANT TO COME IN PARTNERSHIP ON THE PROJECT AT THE BEGINNING, ENVISION TOGETHER AND DRIVE IT FORWARD FOR THE COLLABORATIVE BENEFIT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCY AND EXTREME WEATHER RESPONSE. THIS IS REALLY CITIES BRINGING UP THEIR CLIMATE PLANS.
HOW CAN THE PARK DISTRICT HELP THEM ACHIEVE THE GOALS IN THAT CLIMATE PLAN? ALSO, CITIES HAVE SHARED WITH US THEIR EFFORTS THAT THEY'RE MAKING TO REDUCE EMISSIONS, WHETHER THAT BE EXPANDED BUS, BIKE, PED ROUTES OR JUST KIND OF CREATING DIFFERENT SYSTEMS WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITY TO HELP TO KIND OF DETER DRIVING WHEN UNNECESSARY. PARK INFRASTRUCTURE AND GROWTH HAS BEEN ANOTHER POPULAR TOPIC.
SO CITIES ARE RECOGNIZING THAT THE PARK HAS AGING INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND SO THEY'RE CURIOUS, HOW CAN WE HELP YOU BRING UPDATED INFRASTRUCTURE INTO YOUR PARKS? HOW CAN WE THINK INNOVATIVELY AND ABOUT THE FUTURE? SO THAT WAY THESE CAN THEY'VE LASTED 90 YEARS.
LET'S MAKE SURE THEY LAST TO 90 MORE. SO THAT'S BEEN GREAT TO HEAR.
AND THEN JUST ADDITIONAL TOPICS. THESE ARE ONES THAT CAME UP IN ONE MEETING.
SO THEY HAVEN'T BEEN SORT OF LUMPED TOGETHER AS A CODE YET.
BUT WE SUSPECT THEY'RE GOING TO COME UP IN A FEW MORE IN THE YEAR AHEAD.
AS ADDITIONAL THEMES EMERGE WE'LL BE BRINGING THEM FORWARD IN UPDATED REPORTS.
SO ILLEGAL DUMPING HAS COME UP IN CONVERSATION.
THIS HAS COME UP MOSTLY FROM COUNTY LEVEL. AND JUST HOW CAN WE PARTNER ON MITIGATING DUMPING SUCH AS MATTRESSES AND OTHERS? THEY HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND IMPACT ON STAFF TIME.
CREATION OF JOB OPPORTUNITIES AND THOUGHTS AROUND CREATING CAREER LADDERS AND GROWTH, INNOVATION AND PARK DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO USE NEW TECHNOLOGY. THE CARBONIZER IS A GREAT EXAMPLE WE'RE ABLE TO SHARE, BUT IT'S GREAT TO HEAR IDEAS FROM CITIES, COUNTY SUPERVISORS AND PARTNERS. AND THEN, WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR THE PARK DISTRICT TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE UNHOUSED POPULATION WHILE STILL PROVIDING EQUITABLE SERVICE DELIVERY? SO THOSE ARE DIFFERENT TOPICS THAT HAVE COME UP IN JUST A FEW MEETINGS.
AND SHOULD THEY BE BROUGHT UP IN MORE, WE'LL SHARE A MORE ROBUST THEME GOING FORWARD.
SO THIS IS THE SIX MONTH UPDATE. AS I NOTED, THIS PROGRAM IS GOING ALL THE WAY THROUGH 2025.
IT'S A PILOT PROGRAM BECAUSE IT'S US KIND OF RE-ENVISIONING.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO ENGAGE AT A LOCAL LEVEL? HISTORICALLY, THE PARK DISTRICT , DIFFERENT TEAMS HAVE ENGAGED IN DIFFERENT WAYS. WE'VE HAD FORMALIZED LIAISON COMMITTEES WITH SOME ENTITIES, BUT NOT ALL. WE'VE HAD OTHER STRUCTURES AND OTHER SYSTEMS. WE'VE HAD ONE OFF MEETINGS. AND SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING TO BRING TOGETHER A MORE SYSTEMATIC, UNIFORM, EQUAL APPROACH ACROSS THE DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS, MAKE OURSELVES ACCESSIBLE, HAVE CONVERSATION WHEN IT'S NOT JUST IN RESPONSE TO AN EMERGENCY, BUT PROACTIVELY AND IN COMMUNITY. SO THAT'S BEEN WHAT WE'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON.
WE'RE ALSO, IN 2025, UPDATING THE PROGRAM WITH A BEAUTIFUL SUMMARY REPORT.
SO WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD THE ACTIVE CAPITAL PROJECTS, THE PROJECTS IN DESIGN.
WE'RE ALSO REMINDING THEM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THOSE MEASURE WW LOCAL GRANT PROGRAM INVESTMENTS THAT THEIR COMMUNITY HAS RECEIVED, AND A REMINDER OF PREVIOUS PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE'VE WORKED ON TOGETHER GOING FORWARD.
THE DISTRICT PLAN, THIS FEEDBACK WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO THE DISTRICT PLAN.
FROM THE THEMES FOUND, THERE'S ALSO BEEN NUMEROUS SUGGESTIONS ON WHERE WE CAN HOST DISTRICT PLAN MEETINGS IN LIBRARIES, COMMUNITY SPACES, ETC.. SO WE'VE REALLY BEEN ASKING, WE'VE BEEN SAYING YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE OUR CONSTITUENTS, BUT ALSO WHERE DO YOUR CONSTITUENTS GATHER? WHERE CAN WE MAKE IT PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE AND COMFORTABLE FOR FOLKS TO COME TO? AND THEN AT THE END OF THIS PROGRAM, WE'LL BE PROVIDING TWO COMPREHENSIVE REPORTS, ONE ON THE FINDINGS RELATED TO THE DISTRICT PLAN, WHICH WILL GET MOVED FORWARD INTO THE LARGER, MORE COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT. AND THE SECOND ON THE FUTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT.
[01:35:06]
SO WITH THAT, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION AND WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS.THANK YOU. IT REALLY IS. I WHEN I SAW THE SLIDES, IT WAS AMAZING.
YOU MENTIONED THERE'S 11 AGENCIES. AND SO AGAIN, WITH JUST A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE I RECOGNIZE, YOU CAN'T TOUCH EVERYTHING WITHIN THE PARK DISTRICT . SOME ARE PRETTY OBVIOUS, LIKE CONCORD HUGE PARK.
WONDERFUL MAYOR. SO WE'RE GOING TO WORK WITH THEM. HOW DO YOU PICK THE AGENCIES, LIKE WHAT WAS THE CRITERIA FOR SELECTING ONE VERSUS THE OTHER? WELL, FOR THIS PROGRAM IT'S A BROAD NET. SO WE'RE TRYING TO MEET WITH AS MANY AGENCIES AS POSSIBLE. ALL CITIES, ALL COUNTY SUPERVISORS, NOT TO PREEMPT THE FUTURE OF THIS PROGRAM. BUT ONE THOUGHT WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING IS HOW DO WE ORGANIZE AROUND SPECIFIC ISSUES, PROJECTS OR GOALS? AND THEN LIKELY THERE WOULD BE A GROUP OF LOCAL AGENCIES THAT WE WOULD BE COLLABORATING WITH TO MOVE THAT GOAL FORWARD, AND THAT COULD HELP US BE RESOURCEFUL WITH OUR TIME IN ORDER TO KEEP MOVING THINGS ALONG.
SO TIME PERMITTING, RECEPTIVE AGENCY, YOU COULD EXPAND TO 11 POTENTIALLY.
YEAH. SO THOSE ARE JUST THE MOST RECEPTIVE ONES NOW I'M GUESSING? OR OH SORRY, THE 11 AGENCIES I APOLOGIZE, I MISUNDERSTOOD THE QUESTION. THOSE 11 AGENCIES ARE JUST THE FIRST WE'VE MET WITH.
WE'LL BE MEETING WITH ALL OF THEM OVER THE NEXT YEAR. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU.
MEMBER DETJENS. AND MEMBER LOPEZ AFTER THAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS PRESENTATION.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT KIND OF REAL PROACTIVE OUTREACH AND CASTING A VERY WIDE NET.
AND I DEFINITELY WANT TO ENCOURAGE DISTRICT STAFF TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
HOWEVER, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EFFORT THAN THE PAST LIAISON COMMITTEES THAT WERE THE SUBJECT OF MY QUESTION, AND I JUST WANTED TO PERHAPS ADVOCATE A LITTLE BIT FOR THE SUCCESS OF THOSE LIAIS ON COMMITTEES IN THAT THEY ARE NOT MEETING WITH AN INDIVIDUAL ELECTED OFFICIAL. THEY'RE MEETING WITH A SUBSET OF A BOARD, AND IT BRINGS A SUBSET OF THE DISTRICT BOARD IN AS WELL. AND THAT PROVIDES A LOT OF STREAMLINING.
AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE'S BEEN A LAPSE IN THAT MEETING.
BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO.
BUT I'D LIKE TO RESTATE MY QUESTION AND HOPEFULLY GET AN ANSWER FOR IT ON THIS AGENDA ITEM.
SO AT THIS TIME, BECAUSE OF THE LARGE SCOPE, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEETINGS AND BECAUSE OF STAFF BANDWIDTH, THESE ARE OCCURRING IN LIEU OF LIAISON COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
BUT IT IS LIKELY THAT IN THE FUTURE THEY WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE PROGRAM AND MANAGED FOR.
AND THEN I WANT TO ADVOCATE FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF TRYING TO BRING THAT BACK.
AND FINAL QUESTION, WAS THERE A SIMILAR LIAISON COMMITTEE EFFORT WITH ALAMEDA COUNTY? TO MY KNOWLEDGE, ALAMEDA COUNTY DID NOT HAVE A LIAISON COMMITTEE MEETING.
OKAY. MEMBER LOPEZ THEN. MEMBER CLAXTON. THANK YOU.
WELL, I THINK THERE'S, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK TONIGHT OR IF WE'RE JUST INFORMING US, BUT IF I CAN PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK. I DO THINK THAT THAT IT WOULD BE WISE USE OF TIME TO EMPLOY THE MAYOR'S CONFERENCE.
YOU DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO HAVE ONE ON ONES WITH EVERY MAYOR.
YOU CAN HAVE ONE LONG MEETING WITH WITH ALL MAYORS OF A COUNTY.
AND THAT MIGHT BE BEST USE OF TIME, BECAUSE I'M VERY WILLING TO BET THAT MOST CITIES HAVE SIMILAR CONCERNS OR HAVE SIMILAR THEMES. SECONDLY YOU KNOW, APART FROM MEETING WITH MAYORS, IF YOU ARE MEETING WITH CITIES INDIVIDUALLY AND PREFER TO GO THAT ROUTE I DO WANT TO REMIND, EVEN THOUGH I REPRESENT THE MAYOR'S CONFERENCE FOR ALAMEDA COUNTY, I DO WANT TO REMIND YOU THAT REMEMBER THAT THE MAYORS DO NOT NECESSARILY SPEAK ON BEHALF OR THEY SPEAK FOR A CITY, BUT THEY DON'T NECESSARILY SPEAK TO THE WILL OF A FULL COUNCIL, ALWAYS.
SOME FOLKS ARE ACTIVELY ON ON THE TRAILS AND OTHERS DO NOT ENGAGE AT ALL.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE GOING TO GO TO A CITY, IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE TO GO AND AGENDIZE YOURSELF BEFORE THE FULL COUNCIL FOR THE FEEDBACK IF YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE THOSE INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS ANYWAY.
[01:40:05]
AND EFFECTIVE. AND THEN HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ONE ON ONES IF ANY, YOU KNOW, MAYOR OR CITY ADMINISTRATOR WANTS TO HAVE THOSE FOR SPECIFIC ISSUES OR AGENDA ITEMS, AND THEN THEN YOU KNOW HOW TO ARE ABLE TO PRIORITIZE YOUR TIME. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IS A YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALREADY GOING INTO MARCH. SO JUST AN IDEA THERE.I'M REALLY HAPPY TO TO SEE THIS EFFORT HAPPENING.
IT'S WONDERFUL. I HAVE OFTEN THOUGHT THAT THE VARIOUS JURISDICTIONS ARE SILOED.
YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS A STRUGGLE.
AND, IT'S HARD TO, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ADD ON YET ANOTHER MEETING AND HAVE ANOTHER EVENING TOGETHER.
I GET THAT. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOU'RE DOING.
AND EVERYBODY AT THE DISTRICT ALL THE EFFORT THAT'S HAPPENING.
THANK YOU ALSO AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT SUGGESTIONS.
MEMBER CLAXTON THEN MEMBER MARSH. YEAH. THANKS FOR FOR ALL THAT PRESENTATION I MISSED.
HOW EXACTLY WAS THE LIST OF THE CITY'S AGENCIES DEVELOPED? YOU SAID THERE'S MORE AFTER THE 11. BUT YES, BECAUSE CITY OF FREMONT IS MISSING.
THAT'S MY CITY. IT'S A BIG CITY. ELSA IS ACTIVELY EMAILING WITH THEM.
SO WE'RE MEETING WITH ALL 33 CITIES, ALL COUNTY SUPERVISORS, AS WELL AS SPECIAL DISTRICTS, INCLUDING WATER DISTRICTS AND OTHERS IN THE EAST BAY.
SO NEXT IS THE NEXT GROUP. CORRECT. DID YOU REACH OUT TO THEM? IS THAT HOW THIS STARTED? WE'VE INITIATED ALL MEETINGS.
YES. OKAY. CAN YOU TELL ME AND MAYBE OFFLINE WHAT A PARTICULAR CITY IS MOST INTERESTED IN? I'M THINKING OF NEWARK BECAUSE IT'S CLOSE TO FREMONT.
I'M JUST WONDERING. YEAH. I'D BE HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU ON THAT.
YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. MEMBER MARSH. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING. I'M JUST WONDERING WHY HAVEN'T YOU REACHED OUT TO US, THE PAC TO SUPPORT WITHIN OUR CITIES? I MEAN, MOST OF US ARE ON CITY COUNCILS OR COMMUNITY ADVISORY COUNCILS AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE CAN HELP SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS.
SO YOU THE SHORTNESS OF STAFF CAN BE SUPPORTED IN DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WAY.
THAT'S A WONDERFUL SUGGESTION. WE DID MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROGRAM PRETTY QUICKLY.
MEMBER PEOPLES . YEAH, I, LIKE OTHERS I THINK HAS SOME CONCERN ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THIS.
I THINK THE AS YOU WERE SAYING, PAUL, THE THERE IS A LOT OF LIAISON THAT'S GONE ON PREVIOUSLY.
I KNOW THAT'S DONE, YOU KNOW, AT VARIOUS LEVELS WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
I KNOW THE THE DISTRICT PROVIDES AN ANNUAL UPDATE OF ITS ACTIVITIES TO THE SAN RAMON OPEN SPACE ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS JUST ONE THAT I'M AWARE OF. BUT THERE ARE OTHERS.
AND I MEMBER DIRECTOR MERCURIO HAS MENTIONED TO ME THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD NOT IGNORE THE LIAISON MEETINGS WITH OTHER AGENCIES. AND, YOU KNOW, HE SPECIFICALLY REFERRED TO HARD AND THE CONTRA COSTA WATER DISTRICT AND SO FORTH.
AND SOMEHOW OR OTHER, THEY ALL NEED TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THIS.
AND IT BECOMES SUCH A VERY LARGE LIST OF AGENCIES AND SO MUCH INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, OTHER THAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, I'M NOT SURE HOW YOU WOULD TAKE, INCORPORATE AND DRAW CONCLUSIONS FROM ALL OF THIS INFORMATION.
AND AND IN TURN USE THAT, INTERPRET THAT AND MAKE CHANGES IN PARK DISTRICT ACTIVITIES AND, AND PRIORITIES AND SO FORTH TO TRY TO REFLECT THAT.
I MEAN, THAT THAT'S SEEMS TO BE THE ONE THING THAT'S MISSING FROM THIS PROPOSAL IS HOW IS ALL THIS GOING TO BE PUT TOGETHER IN A, IN A FORM THAT CAN INFORM THE DISTRICT IN A WAY THAT YOU KNOW, IT CAN UNDERSTAND AND CAN REACT TO?
[01:45:03]
THANK YOU. SO WHAT YOU SAW TODAY, THOSE WERE THE HIGH LEVEL THEMES RELATED TO THE DISTRICT PLAN, WHICH WE THOUGHT WAS THE MOST PERTINENT INFORMATION FOR THIS DISCUSSION.AND WILL WE CONTINUE THAT FORMAT GOING FORWARD.
AND AT THE CONCLUSION OF THIS PROGRAM, WE WILL BE PUTTING TOGETHER A REPORT DOCUMENT THAT INCLUDES THE HIGH LEVEL THEMES ACROSS MEETINGS, REGIONALLY SPECIFIC FINDINGS, AS WELL AS THE LOCATION SPECIFIC INSIGHTS.
I SURE HOPE THIS IS A PILOT. YES. SO THIS IS A PILOT IN WHICH WE'RE SEEKING TO FIND WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENGAGEMENT LOOK LIKE, AND HOW CAN WE SUPPORT IT IN A SUSTAINABLE MANNER? SO WE WILL NOT BE MEETING WITH EVERY AGENCY EVERY YEAR WITH OPEN ENDED CONVERSATIONS.
WE'LL BE IDENTIFYING STRATEGIC GOALS, TASKS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTNER.
WE LIVE IN A DYNAMIC WORLD, SO YOU KNOW WE'RE GOING TO GET A ONE TIME PICTURE, ONE TIME SHOT AT UNDERSTANDING WHAT PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT NOW, BUT HOW DO WE KEEP UP WITH THAT IN THE FUTURE, WHICH I WOULD THINK SOMETHING THAT WOULD THE DISTRICT WOULD WANT TO DO.
AND THAT'S NOT CLEAR HOW YOU DO THAT AND I AM NOT I DIDN'T MENTION ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN JEST, BECAUSE THAT TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO BEGIN TO TAKE THIS INFORMATION AND BEGIN TO DRAW SOME CONCLUSIONS FROM IT, PERHAPS IN A WAY THAT'S RELEVANT TO HELPING THE DISTRICT DECIDE WHAT CHANGES IT WANTS TO MAKE.
AND TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THIS BEING ONE POINT IN TIME, LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH COULD ABSOLUTELY BE A RECOMMENDATION. AT THE END OF THIS PROGRAM IS THAT EVERY FIVE YEARS WE GO THROUGH A SIMILAR PROCESS TO UPDATE THE FINDINGS.
WELL, WE DO SURVEYS OF THE PUBLIC EVERY YEAR.
SO I MEAN, IT'S IT MAY BE THINGS THAT ARE DYNAMIC AND CHANGING RAPIDLY ENOUGH THAT EVEN FIVE YEARS MAY MAY NOT BE SHORT ENOUGH PERIOD, TO REALLY GET A SENSE AS TO WHAT'S HAPPENING.
I AND I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T TRY, BUT IT'S STILL, YOU KNOW, SEEMS TO BE VERY UNCLEAR AS TO HOW ALL THIS IS GOING TO BE PUT TO USE AND INTERPRET IT AND, AND PUT TO USE. OTHER MEMBER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BEFORE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM. VICE CHAIR MENDOZA.
I'M ALSO A RESIDENT OF FREMONT, AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO ATTEND THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY HOLIDAY PARTY IN ANTIOCH, THERE WERE MAYOR, THE MAYOR AND A LOT OF CITY OF FREMONT FOLKS THERE.
SO I THINK IT'S ABOUT THAT RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND NOT JUST COLD CALLS.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE A SMALL AND MIGHTY TEAM THAT CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH.
MEMBER LOPEZ HAD SUGGESTED THE MAYOR'S CONFERENCE, ANOTHER ONE THAT I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT ACTUALLY MEMBER OBRINGER BROUGHT UP WAS A NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES NLC AND THEY WORKED WITH AN ORGANIZATION.
I'VE WORKED WITH CHILDREN AND NATURE NETWORK TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO NATURE.
IT'S AN INITIATIVE CALLED NATURE EVERYWHERE, AND CURRENTLY THE SONOMA COUNTY REGIONAL PARKS ARE DOING THAT WORK TO UNSILO A LOT OF THE YOU KNOW, YOU'RE RIGHT NEXT TO THE COUNTY SEAT.
SO THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT I THINK THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL IN HAVING A LARGER CONVERSATION WITH OTHER CITIES IN THE BAY, NOT NECESSARILY GOING TO MEETINGS EVERY OTHER WEEK, BUT GOING TO A CONFERENCE THAT COULD BRING YOU ALL TOGETHER AND LOOK FOR OTHER INNOVATIVE WAYS THAT YOU CAN WORK TOGETHER IN A NON SILOED WAY.
THANK YOU. ANY OTHER PAC MEMBER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM BEFORE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
THAT'S CORRECT. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS? THERE ARE NO PUBLIC COMMENTS. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT PRESENTATION AGAIN.
IT'S AMAZING WHAT A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE DOING. AND THERE WERE A FEW COMMENTS.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU AS WELL TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF PAC RESOURCES, BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE CONNECTIONS IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. I RECOGNIZE YOU DON'T WANT TO LOSE CONTROL MESSAGING, BUT IF YOU'RE REAL PRESCRIPTIVE ON WHAT YOU WANT US TO SAY, I THINK WE CAN HELP WITH THAT TOO. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU ALL. BUT THANKS. [APPLAUSE] SO
[Announcements]
NEXT ITEM REPORT FROM CHAIR. THERE IS NO REPORT FROM THE CHAIR.SO MOVING ON TO MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS. I KNOW THERE'S ANNOUNCEMENTS.
[01:50:07]
BUT JUST TO LET PEOPLE KNOW. BUT THERE'S SOME FLIERS UP THERE AND IT'S A WONDERFUL PROGRAM.LIKE I SAID BEFORE, WHAT'S REALLY NICE IS THAT IT'S BEING PICKED UP BY OTHER PARKS IN THE DISTRICT, AND SO WE'LL BE ABLE TO SPREAD THIS JOY THROUGHOUT THE PARK DISTRICT .
AND THAT'S THAT'S A VERY, VERY GOOD THING. MEMBER BARTLEBAUGH.
I WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THERE ARE TRAIL WORK DAYS GOING ON.
THE STEWARDS OF BRIONES ARE SPONSORING DAYS WITH THE PARK DISTRICT AT BRIONES.
THEY'VE HAD DAYS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. THEY'VE GOT DAYS SCHEDULED IN MARCH, APRIL AND MAY.
I BELIEVE. BICYCLE TRAILS COUNCIL ALSO HAS THEIR TRAIL WORK DAYS GOING ON.
WE'VE GOT DAYS PLANNED IN WELL, WE'VE GOT THE NEXT TWO THURSDAYS AND THEN ADDITIONAL DAYS IN THE SORRY MARCH AND APRIL. AND THEN IN THE EAST BAY.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF TRAIL STEWARDSHIP GOING ON FROM THE CYCLING COMMUNITY ON NATURAL SURFACE TRAILS, TRYING TO GET INVOLVED AND GIVE BACK TO THE PARKS.
HOW DO YOU FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT? THE BRIONES DAYS ARE POSTED ON THE PARK WEBSITE.
THAT PARK SUPERVISOR AND THAT SMALLER GROUP OR THAT DISTINCT GROUP, NOT NECESSARILY SMALLER.
BUT YEAH, SO THERE ARE A VARIETY OF MODELS BEING USED.
THANK YOU. ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? VICE CHAIR MENDOZA.
OKAY. I WANT TO KNOW IF ANY OF THEM ARE DOWN MY WAY.
I LOVE COMING TO BIG BREAK, BUT IT'S A LONG WAY AWAY.
THANK YOU. COYOTE HILLS HAS DONE ALL ABILITIES DAYS IN THE PAST.
I'M NOT SURE IF THEY'RE ENGAGED IN IT NOW, BUT ANOTHER ORGANIZATION I'VE SHOUTED OUT BEFORE, LATINO OUTDOORS, WHO EQUITY OFFICER JOSE GONZALEZ FOUNDED, IS HAVING A QUEER CAMINATA LOW TIDE WALK OVER AT CRAB COVE ON MARCH 8TH. SO IF YOU IDENTIFY AS QUEER, NON-BINARY, IT'S A REALLY WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION TO LATCH UP WITH.
ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? ALL RIGHT. SEEING NONE.
THE MEETING OF FEBRUARY 24, 2025 IS NOW ADJOURNED AT 5:54 P.M..
THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.