[00:00:01]
>> GOOD MORNING, AND WELCOME TO THE CLOSED SESSION OF
[ROLL CALL]
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT FOR SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2025, BEGINNING AT 11:08.MADAM CLERK, PLEASE CALL THE ROLL?
>> YES, PRESIDENT MERCURIO. DIRECTOR COFFEY.
>> DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER COOK.
>> GENERAL COUNCIL [INAUDIBLE].
>> DO WE HAVE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT WISH TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ANY CLOSED SESSION AGENDA ITEMS?
>> HEARING NO COMMENTS ON THE CLOSED SESSION.
[CLOSED SESSION ITEMS]
WE CAN ADJOURN TO THE CLOSED SESSION. THANK YOU.>> WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON TO THIS ASSEMBLED MULTITUDE HERE TODAY FOR
[ROLL CALL]
THE REGULAR BOARD MEETING OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT FOR SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2025 BEGINNING AT 1:16 P.M. WE HAVE NO BOARD MEMBERS APPEARING REMOTELY, BUT WE HAVE FIVE HERE TODAY.WILL THE CLERK PLEASE CALL THE ROLL.
YES, PRESIDENT MERCURIO. DIRECTOR COFFEY.
>> HERE. DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER COOK.
>> GENERAL COUNCIL [INAUDIBLE].
>> WE DID, DIDN'T WE? THESE THINGS POP UP AT THE COOLEST TIMES, DON'T THEY? WILL DIRECTOR COFFEY LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE? DIRECTOR ESPAÑA, FOR THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT?
[LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT]
>> AS WE GATHER HERE TODAY, WE, THE BOARD OF THE DIRECTORS WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ALL THE LANDS WITHIN THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ARE THE ANCESTRAL LANDS OF THE EAST BAY OHLONE, BAY MIWOK, AND THE NORTHERN VALLEY YAKUT.
ARE ALL 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 THE EAST BAY TRIBES AS WE RECOGNIZE THAT THESE TRIBAL CITIZENS REMAIN CONNECTED TO THEIR LAND AND CULTURE.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT. NEXT ON OUR AGENDA IS MODIFICATION OF THE AGENDA,
[MODIFICATION OF AGENDA]
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST A CHANGING OF THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA BY MOVING THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IN FRONT OF THE PRESS SPECIAL PRESENTATION.DID YOU KNOW WE'RE DOING A SPECIAL PRESENTATION TODAY? DOING A SPECIAL PRESENTATION TODAY.
I LIKE TO TO MAKE A SUGGESTION THAT WE DO THAT.
WE DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO DO THAT.
>> OKAY. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, AYE.
>> OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO SWITCH THE AGENDA AROUND, AND WE'RE NOW LOOKING FOR PUBS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA. DO WE HAVE ANY OF THOSE?
[PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA]
THE FIRST SPEAKER WILL BE STEVEN RICHARDS.
[00:05:11]
>> THANK YOU. MY INITIAL PROBLEM WITH THE MAINTENANCE OF CRAB COVE, CROWN BEACH, ALAMEDA.
I FORWARDED I BELIEVE YOLANDE FORWARDED YOU ON SOME EXAMPLES TO HELP ME WITH MY THREE MINUTES.
WAS ABOUT HOW POORLY MAINTAINED MCKAY AVENUE WAS.
I'D ASK PARK PERSONNEL WALKING ALONG MCKAY ABOUT IT, AND THEY WOULD EXPLAIN THAT IT WAS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN CITY AND STATE.
SINCE NOBODY TOOK RESPONSIBILITY.
I TOOK MY RAKE BLOWER AND BROOM TO IT TO MOVE THE DEAD LEAVES AND ALL THE REST OUT INTO THE STREET EACH WEDNESDAY SO THAT THE STREET SWEEPER WOULD PICK IT UP.
LATER I FOUND THAT THERE WAS NO CONFUSION.
THE RESPONSIBILITY WAS ENTIRELY UNDER THE ARPD.
I GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE PARK SUPERVISOR, DAVE MECCHI, AND HE ASSURED ME OF HIS WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH ME.
SUPERVISOR DAVE MECCHI, HIS SUPERVISOR JEFF MANLEY, AND THE ENTIRE MAINTENANCE CREW OF CRAB COVE, CROWN BEACH, ALAMEDA ARE THE REASON WHY I AM HERE TODAY.
I AM HOPING I FINALLY HAVE AN AUDIENCE WITH SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT OUR PARK.
NEITHER DAVE MECCHI NOR JEFF MANLEY HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO CLEAN UP MCKAY.
IT REMAINS THE WORST PAVED AS WELL AS THE WORST CLEAN STREET IN THE CITY.
FURTHERMORE, THE RESTROOMS HAVE BEEN CLOSED FOR YEARS, RELEGATING PARK USERS TO THE PORTABLES.
THESE PORTABLES SHOULD HAVE BEEN A TEMPORARY, NOT A PERMANENT SOLUTION.
THEY'RE NEITHER EARTHQUAKE SAFE, NOR ARE USER SAFE FROM BEING TIPPED OVER.
ALSO, THE WASHING OF THE HANDS, WHEN THEY'RE PICNICKING IS LIMITED, HAVING NO LONGER THE USE OF THE RESTROOMS. AS I WALK OUT INTO THE PARK, I SEE WHAT I SHOWED PHOTOGRAPHS OF.
THERE IS AN IRRIGATION SYSTEM.
THERE ARE SMALL AREAS THAT ARE FLOODED.
HUGE AREAS THAT SURROUND THE PICNIC AREAS THAT ARE BOTH DRY, DEAD, AND HAVE PUDDLES BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GETTING IRRIGATED.
THEN THE EXCUSE THAT DAVE MECCHI AND JEFF BOTH USE IS STAFFING PRIORITIES.
IF THE STAFFING PRIORITIES ISN'T WITH MCKAY, THEN IT MUST BE IN THE PARK AREA ITSELF.
IT'S NOT. WHERE IS THE STAFFING? THERE IS A BIG BUILDING, AND I KNOW THERE'S MORE.
BUT THE THING THAT REALLY CONCERNS ME IS, I'M A LITTLE OLDER.
I KNOW THAT ONE PERSON COULD DO THE WORK THAT ALL THE MAINTENANCE IS DOING IN THAT PARK RIGHT NOW.
DON'T WANT TO GET RID OF THEM, I WANT THEM TO GET TO WORK.
I WANT THEM TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES IN THE PARK TO MAKE IT A NICE PLACE FOR THE PEOPLE. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, SIR. OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WILLIAM HUFF.
>> SIR, ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER OF OPERATIONS IS WILLING TO TALK TO YOU OUTSIDE.
IF YOUR COMMENT OR PUBLIC COMMENT IS RELATED TO YOLANDE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A SPECIAL TIME FOR THAT AFTER THIS PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.
I KNOW THERE ACTUALLY ARE OTHER ISSUES TODAY.
>> YOU DID. GOOD. IT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER AND GENERAL COUNCIL.
MY NAME IS WILLIAM DANIEL HUFF, PRESIDENT OF AFSCME LOCAL 2428, FIREFIGHTER, RESIDENT BERKELEY.
PLEASE BEAR WITH ME A MINUTE WHILE I READ AN EXCERPT FROM AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY CAL MATTERS TITLED AUDITOR.
CALIFORNIA COULD SAVE $225 MILLION A YEAR BY LETTING STATE EMPLOYEES WORK REMOTELY.
"GAVIN NEWSOM APPEARS TO HAVE ARBITRARILY ORDERED WORKERS BACK TO THE OFFICE WITHOUT USING SPECIFIC RATIONALE SUCH AS DATA ON WORKER PRODUCTIVITY, ACCORDING TO A NEWLY RELEASED REPORT FROM THE CALIFORNIA STATE AUDITOR'S OFFICE.
THE AUDIT, WHICH STATE LEGISLATORS REQUESTED IN MAY 2024, AFTER THE GOVERNOR FIRST ORDERED WORKERS BACK TO THE OFFICE, TWO DAYS PER WEEK, AFTER THEY HAD BEEN SENT TO WORK REMOTELY DURING THE COVID-19 LOCK DOWN, FOUND THAT NEWSOM'S OFFICE FAILED TO GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT DEPARTMENT'S OFFICE BASED NEEDS AND COSTS AND DID NOT USE ANY DATA ABOUT STATE WORKERS' PRODUCTIVITY TO JUSTIFY ITS IN OFFICE MANDATE.
EARLIER THIS YEAR, NEWSOM SIGNED A NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT UP THE REQUIRED IN OFFICE DAYS 2-4, BUT HE RELENTED IN A SERIES OF CONTRACTS, HIS ADMINISTRATION SIGNED WITH PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS.
STATE AUDITOR GRANT PARKS CONCLUDED THAT CALIFORNIA COULD SAVE AS MUCH AS $225 MILLION A YEAR AND REDUCE
[00:10:01]
ITS OFFICE SPACE BY NEARLY A THIRD OF IT STICK TO HAVING EMPLOYEES IN THE OFFICE TWO DAYS A WEEK AND REMOTELY WORKING THREE DAYS A WEEK." THIS ARTICLE STRUCK ME.SINCE AFSCME LOCAL 2428 MEMBERS HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO TELEWORK, WE HAVE SEEN SOME OF THE COSTS.
THE SKILLED EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE LEFT THE DISTRICT FOR EMPLOYMENT AND AGENCIES AND COMPANIES THAT ALLOW HYBRID WORK, AND THEN THE DOWNSTREAM EFFECT THAT LOSING THOSE WORKERS HAS CAUSED FROM INCREASED STRAIN ON STAFF THAT ARE FORCED TO PICK UP THE WORK LEFT FROM THE VACANT POSITIONS TO THE DIFFICULTY IN FINDING QUALIFIED CANDIDATES FOR POSITIONS THAT CAN EASILY BE DONE IN A HYBRID MANNER, LIKE THE GIS TECHNICIAN.
THE ARTICLE MENTIONS A REDUCTION IN OFFICE SPACE THAT THE STATE COULD HAVE.
THIS WAS ON MY MIND AS I ATTEMPTED TO PARK HERE IN PERALTA OAKS ABOUT 30 MINUTES AGO.
I ALSO REFLECTED ON THE NON OFFICE SPACES THAT ARE BEING CONVERTED INTO WORKSPACES, SUCH AS RESIDENTS, PORTABLES, AND THE TRUDEAU TRAINING CENTER.
THOSE THAT WORK IN THE FIELD, SUCH AS MYSELF, HAVE ALSO FELT THE RIPPLES.
SORRY, I DIDN'T SEE THAT. WELL, THE LAST SENTENCE WAS A BANGER, BUT THANK YOU GUYS FOR YOUR TIME. [LAUGHTER]
>> GOOD MORNING. SORRY. GOOD AFTERNOON.
MY NAME IS PHILLIP COFFIN, AND I WORK HERE AT THE HEADQUARTERS IN OAKLAND.
I'M HERE TO URGE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO DIRECT THE GENERAL MANAGER TO DEVELOP A TELEWORK POLICY THAT GREATLY REDUCES THE PARK DISTRICT'S GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
ACCORDING TO OUR OWN 2018 POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGING PARK RESOURCES AND A CHANGING CLIMATE.
PARK DISTRICT POLICIES, PLANNING DOCUMENTS, DECISIONS, AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES WILL STRIVE TO MITIGATE AND ADAPT TO A CHANGING CLIMATE WHEREVER POSSIBLE, INCLUDING TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
BUT BECAUSE PERALTA OAKS IS NOT CONVENIENTLY ACCESSIBLE BY PUBLIC TRANSIT OR BICYCLE, NEARLY ALL EMPLOYEES DRIVE TO WORK.
INDEED, HERE AT THE HEADQUARTERS, ONE CAN COUNT ROUGHLY 150 EMPLOYEE OWNED GAS POWERED CARS ON ANY GIVEN WEEKDAY.
THAT'S A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE.
LARGELY DUE TO PROHIBITED EXPENSIVE HOUSING MARKET, OUR WORKFORCE MUST COMMUTE, MANY OF US FROM ALL OVER THE BAY AREA AND EVEN THE CENTRAL VALLEY.
IT'S 22 MILES EACH WAY FROM FREMONT, FOR EXAMPLE, 34 MILES EACH WAY FROM VALLEJO, 46 MILES EACH WAY FROM BRENTWOOD, 50 MILES EACH WAY FROM FAIRFIELD.
BUT I'M GOING TO CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE THAT PERALTA OAKS EMPLOYEES DRIVE AN AVERAGE OF 10 MILES EACH WAY TO THE OFFICE.
LET'S SAY 20 MILES PER DAY TIMES 150 EMPLOYEES, WHICH EQUALS ROUGHLY 3,000 MILES DRIVEN PER DAY BY PERALTA OAKS'S EMPLOYEES.
ACCORDING TO THE EPA, THE AVERAGE PASSENGER VEHICLE EMITS NEARLY ONE POUND OF CO_2/MILE.
LET'S CONSERVATIVELY ESTIMATE THAT PERALTA'S EMPLOYEES CONTRIBUTE ABOUT 03,000 POUNDS OF CO_2 INTO THE ATMOSPHERE EVERY WORKDAY.
THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE THE OTHER OFFICES WHERE EMPLOYEES REPORT TO THEIR DESK JOBS.
FORTUNATELY, FOR OUR PLANET, ONE SILVER LINING OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC FORCED US TO CREATIVELY RETHINK WHERE WE LOG ON.
IN TIME, WE FOUND THAT WE COULD CONDUCT MOST OF OUR JOB FUNCTIONS JUST FINE FROM OUR LAPTOPS AT HOME.
THE HYBRID WORK FORMAT WAS A CLIMATE WIN AND A WORKFORCE WIN.
WITH THE OPTION TO WORK FROM HOME TWO DAYS PER WEEK, WE COULD GREATLY REDUCE OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT WHILE STILL COMPLETING OUR JOB ASSIGNMENTS.
BUT SINCE APRIL, WHEN WE WERE REQUIRED TO REPORT TO THE OFFICE FIVE DAYS A WEEK, WE'VE SINCE BEEN ADDING ROUGHLY 3,000 POUNDS OF DAILY CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS BACK INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE.
THAT IS TO SAY, SINCE THIS POLICY CHANGE, WE'VE ALREADY ADDED AN ADDITIONAL 150,000 POUNDS OF CO_2 TO OUR ATMOSPHERE AND COUNTING.
WE'VE BACKTRACKED ON OUR CLIMATE GOALS. FOR WHAT? WHETHER I LOG IN AT HOME OR AT PERALTA OAKS, IS THERE SOME QUANTIFIABLE DIFFERENCE IN MY WORK PRODUCT? NO. BUT THERE IS A FRIGHTFULLY QUANTIFIABLE AMOUNT OF CARBON DIOXIDE THAT MY CAR IS PUMPING INTO THE AIR BECAUSE I HAVE TO DRIVE TO WORK AN EXTRA TWO DAYS A WEEK.
WE'RE IN A CLIMATE CRISIS, AS EVERYONE KNOWS, AND THE CLOCK IS TICKING.
EVERY LITTLE POLICY CHANGE CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE FOR THE CLIMATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE GOING TO INHERIT FROM US.
AS OUR VISION STATEMENT SAYS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC GUIDES US IN ALL WE DO.
I URGE ALL OF US TO LIVE UP TO THAT ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC AND OUR OWN CLIMATE RESILIENCY GOALS.
THANK YOU AND CONGRATULATIONS YOLANDE.
>> THANKS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ATALIE BROWN.
>> HELLO. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU TODAY.
MY NAME IS ATALIE BROWN, AND I SERVE AS A VEGETATION ECOLOGIST IN THE STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT.
I'M HERE TO SHARE MY CONCERNS REGARDING THE DECISION ANNOUNCED ON MARCH 18TH AND IMPLEMENTED ON APRIL 1ST TO ELIMINATE ALL TELEWORK OPTIONS FOR STAFF.
[00:15:03]
I GREW UP GOING TO MANY OF OUR PARKLANDS WITH MY FAMILY.SOME OF OUR FAVORITES ARE PLEASANTON RIDGE, TILDEN, AND WHERE WE SPENT MOST OF OUR TIME AT BLACK DIAMOND MINES.
THAT IS WHY AFTER FINISHING MY DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE FROM UC BERKELEY, WORKING FOR THE DISTRICT IS SOMETHING I ALWAYS ENVISIONED MYSELF DOING.
I APPLIED FOR MY FIRST POSITION WITH THE DISTRICT IN 2019, BUT LANDED MY CURRENT ROLE APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
I LOVE MY JOB AS A VEGETATION ECOLOGIST.
I'M DEEPLY COMMITTED TO OUR MISSION, AND I'M HONORED TO WORK ALONGSIDE AN EXCEPTIONAL GROUP OF COLLEAGUES WHO ARE ALL IN THE ROOM TODAY.
THIS IS A POSITION THAT I COULD HAVE REMAINED IN FOR THE REST OF MY CAREER.
DESPITE ALL OF THIS, I'VE MADE THE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT DECISION TO ACCEPT ANOTHER POSITION AND WILL BE SUBMITTING MY TWO RESIGNATION NOTICE LATER THIS WEEK.
I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT THIS DECISION WAS PROMPTED SOLELY BY THE ELIMINATION OF THE HYBRID WORK SCHEDULES.
WHEN I ACCEPTED THIS ROLE, THE OPTION OF TELEWORK TWO DAYS A WEEK MEANT THAT I DIDN'T NEED TO RELOCATE MY FAMILY FROM THE HOME WE JUST PURCHASED.
IT ENABLED ME TO WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY AND PRODUCTIVELY FOR THE DISTRICT, GIVEN THAT MY POSITION TAKES ME TO ALL CORNERS OF OUR TWO COUNTIES.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT ALLOWED ME TO ACHIEVE THE HEALTHY WORK-LIFE BALANCE THAT WE ALL STRIKE FOR.
SINCE TELEWORK STOPPED, I HAVE SPENT $90 PER DAY IN COMMUTING EXPENSES.
WHAT SHOULD BE A ONE-HOUR COMMUTE IS NORMALLY, AT MINIMUM, AN HOUR AND A HALF AND MORE OFTEN TWO HOURS EACH WAY, MUCH LIKE IT WAS THIS MORNING.
ALTHOUGH I LOVE MY JOB, THAT'S JUST NOT SUSTAINABLE.
OVER THE PAST FIVE MONTHS, I'VE BEEN OPTIMISTICALLY WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO CHANGE.
HOWEVER, IT'S BECOME CLEAR TO ME THAT I WON'T BE ABLE TO STICK AROUND TO SEE IF THAT CHANGE WILL HAPPEN.
I'M STILL SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT REINSTATING A FLEXIBLE HYBRID WORK POLICY SIMILAR TO WHAT EXISTED BEFORE APRIL 1ST AND IN LINE WITH OTHER LOCAL AND STATE AGENCIES IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE DISTRICT.
WITHOUT IT, YOU WILL CONTINUE TO LOSE DEDICATED, TALENTED AND HIGHLY QUALIFIED STAFF WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR WORK, BUT CAN'T ENDURE THE STRAIN OF LONG COMMUTES AND THE RESULTING DIMINISHED QUALITY OF LIFE.
I RESPECTFULLY URGE THE BOARD AND THE GENERAL MANAGER TO RECONSIDER AND RESTORE A HYBRID WORK POLICY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAD BEFORE.
EVEN THOUGH I MAY NOT BE HERE TO BENEFIT PERSONALLY, I MAKE THIS REQUEST ON BEHALF OF MY COLLEAGUES, WHOSE MORALE AND DEDICATION TO THEIR WORK DESERVE TO BE RECOGNIZED AND SUPPORTED AND SO THAT THE DISTRICT CAN REMAIN AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE FOR MYSELF AND OTHERS IN THE FUTURE. THANK YOU.
>> [APPLAUSE] OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEX CASBARA.
EXCUSE ME, IF I READ YOUR LAST NAME.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS ALEX.
I'M AN EMPLOYEE OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT IN THE ACQUISITION STEWARDSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION.
I JOIN THE DISTRICT BECAUSE I BELIEVE THIS AGENCY UPLIFTS A WORKFORCE DEDICATED TO PROTECTION AND ENJOYMENT OF OUR CHERISHED OPEN SPACES.
HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT THE DISTRICT'S RECENT TELEWORK PROHIBITION DEVALUES ITS STAFF AND IMPEDES OUR DUTIES AS LAND MANAGERS AND ADMINISTRATORS.
IN MY ROLE AT THE DISTRICT, MY ASSIGNMENTS TOUCH EVERY PARK.
I BENEFIT FROM VISITING ALL OF THE DISTRICT'S FIELD AND OFFICE SITES TO COLLABORATE WITH MY COLLEAGUES IN PERSON.
BUT A CENTRALIZED OFFICE MODEL IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH THE DISTRICT'S REGIONAL WORK SITE DISTRIBUTION.
MY FIELD DAYS ARE NEEDLESSLY CONSTRAINED.
I SPEND MORE TIME TRAVELING BETWEEN WORK SITES AND MY CUBICLE THAN BEFORE WHEN MY HOME WAS DESIGNATED AS A LEGITIMATE OFFICE.
MY ABILITY TO WORK AFTER HOURS IS DISRUPTED BY THE REQUIREMENT THAT I MUST REPORT HERE TO PERALTA OAKS.
EMBRACING A HYBRID WORK MODEL OFFERS FLEXIBILITY THAT BENEFITS ADMINISTRATIVE PRODUCTIVITY AND REPRESENTS A MORE EFFICIENT USE OF DISTRICT RESOURCES.
SOME DAYS I SPEND WHOLLY AT MY COMPUTER FOR TRAININGS, VIRTUAL MEETINGS, AND OTHER DIGITAL DESK WORK.
WHEN SUCH ASSIGNMENTS DO NOT DEPEND ON PHYSICAL ATTENDANCE, COMMUTING FOR THEM NEEDLESSLY EXPANDS MY PERSONAL CARBON FOOTPRINT.
THE DISTRICT CELEBRATES ITSELF AS A CLIMATE CONSCIOUS AGENCY AND THEREFORE, HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS WHEREVER FEASIBLE.
THE CURRENT AND OFFICE MANDATE IS INCONSISTENT WITH OUR AGENCY'S ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC, WHICH MAKES ME FEEL ALIENATED FROM MY LEADERSHIP AND JADED BY THEIR POLICY MAKING.
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE BEHIND THE DISTRICT TELEWORK POLICY WHEN SIMILAR AGENCIES LIKE EAST BAY MUD, MIDPEN, AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SUCCESSFULLY EMBRACE HYBRID WORK.
I HEAR DISTRICT LEADERSHIP CLAIM THAT OUR STAFF IS A CRUCIAL RESOURCE.
THEN SEE TALENTED COLLEAGUES LIKE ATALIE, LEAVE THE DISTRICT BECAUSE OF AN ANTIQUATED IMPRESSION OF TELEWORK.
THE MODERN WORK CULTURE HAS CHANGED AND SO HAVE WORKFORCE EXPECTATIONS OF REMOTE WORK.
[00:20:05]
RESISTING THIS TREND WEAKENS THE DISTRICT'S ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN DEVOTED LAND MANAGERS FROM OUR DIVERSE BAY AREA GEOGRAPHIES AND DEMOGRAPHICS.IN SOME, I FEEL THAT MY EMPLOYER DOES NOT PRIVATELY EMBODY THE VALUES THEY PUBLICLY ADVERTISE.
THIS MINDSET CREATED A REGRESSIVE TELEWORK POLICY THAT ERODES MORALE AND CHALLENGES THE LOYALTY OF THE DISTRICT'S ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF TO THE DETRIMENT OF EAST BAY LANDSCAPES AND COMMUNITIES WE SERVE.
I URGE THE BOARD TO DIRECT THE GENERAL MANAGER TO RETURN TO STATUS QUO, THEN DEVELOP A TELEWORK POLICY THAT IS COMPARABLE TO OTHER BAY AREA PUBLIC SECTOR AGENCIES THAT OFFER TELEWORK.
>> OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ELLEN THOMSEN.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS ELLEN THOMSEN.
I OWN REDWOOD VALLEY RAILWAY COMPANY, THE STEAM TRAIN IN TILDEN.
WE'VE BEEN THERE FOR 73 YEARS.
WE GET NO MONEY FROM THE DISTRICT, NO GRANTS, NO DONATIONS.
EVERYTHING THERE IS BUILT AND MAINTAINED WITH PRIVATE FUNDS.
IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING THE TRAINS, THE TRACK, AND THE BUILDINGS, WE MAINTAIN THE MAJOR DRAINAGE AND EROSION CONTROL.
PROVIDE THE LANDSCAPING, INCLUDING PLANTING ALL THE REDWOOD TREES.
WE DO FIRE HAZARD ABATEMENT, INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES REMOVAL, AND RARE SPECIES PROTECTION ALL AT PRIVATE EXPENSE.
BUT NOW, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO RENEW OUR LEASE WITH THE DISTRICT FOR SEVEN YEARS WITH NO SUCCESS.
IN THAT SEVEN YEARS, THE STAFF PEOPLE WE TRY TO WORK WITH HAVE CHANGED 12 TIMES IN SEVEN YEARS.
A GOOD WORKING DRAFT WAS CREATED SEVEN YEARS AGO BUT NOW THE STAFF IS TRYING TO RENEG ON ITS PROVISIONS THAT THEY AGREED TO.
WE ALSO HAVE A LONG TERM WRITTEN COMMITMENT FROM THE DISTRICT REGARDING CARE OF THE PROPERTY THAT HAS BEEN FOLLOWED MUTUALLY FOR 60 YEARS AND NOW THE STAFF IS CLAIMING THAT IT DOESN'T EXIST.
WE'RE TRYING TO ENSURE THAT THE STEAM TRAIN CAN OPERATE FOR MANY MORE YEARS INTO THE FUTURE AND MEET THE HUGELY INCREASING ATTENDANCE BY PARK PATRONS.
TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO MAKE MANY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS WHICH REQUIRE PERMITTING FROM THE COUNTY, BUT WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT OUR DISTRICT LEASE.
WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR MONEY, BUT ONLY THE ABILITY TO KEEP SERVING THE PUBLIC.
DUE TO MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE FACILITY FROM PROBLEMS OUTSIDE THE PREMISES THAT THE DISTRICT HAS REFUSED TO FIX, WE'RE UP AGAINST CONDITIONS THAT WILL IMPACT BOTH OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE PUBLIC.
WITH NO LEGAL PROTECTION, WE MAY HAVE TO PICK UP EVERYTHING AND LEAVE.
IN THE PAST, CONCESSIONAIRES HAVE BEEN FORCED OUT OF THE PARK BY DISTRICT STAFF, SOMETIMES BY ILLEGAL MEANS.
I HOPED IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN TO US, BUT HERE WE ARE.
I NEED TO KNOW IF THE PRESENT SITUATION IS DISTRICT POLICY, PERSONAL AGENDA, OR JUST NEGLIGENCE.
I'M AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION TO ANYONE AT ANY TIME.
>> EXCUSE ME. DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER MAX CORTEN WILL TALK TO YOU IF YOU WANT.
>> THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ROBIN SLOVAK.
I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO EVERYONE.
I FIRST HAVE ONE QUESTION OF ANYONE WHO IS ABLE TO ANSWER IT ABOUT THE SURVEY THAT WAS DONE FOR THE PARKS THAT ENDED THE END OF JULY.
IF THERE'S ANY RESULTS YET, AND IF THERE AREN'T, WHEN WILL THAT BE PUBLICIZED?
>> YOU CAN SPEAK TO DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER MAX CORTEN AFTER YOU'RE FINISHED WITH YOUR TIME.
>> THE OTHER REASON I'M HERE IS TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF LAKE TEMESCAL PARK.
I RECALL AS A CHILD, FIVE-YEAR-OLD SWIMMING IN THAT LAKE, AND IT WAS A WONDERFUL RESOURCE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE IN THE MIDST OF A HEAT WAVE AND NOBODY IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD SWIM IN THAT LAKE.
IT'S GONE FROM BEING 80 FEET DEEP TO ABOUT 12 FEET ON AVERAGE.
[00:25:02]
IT'S FULL OF TOXIC ALGAE.THE BACTERIAL COUNTS FOR THE LAKE ARE TWO OR THREE TIMES WHAT THEY SHOULD BE FOR SAFE SWIMMING.
IT'S ONE OF THE FEW LAKES AND BODIES OF WATER WHERE CITY RESIDENTS CAN ACCESS IT BY BUS AS OPPOSED TO MANY OF THE SWIMMING POOLS AND OTHER THINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE, WHICH YOU HAVE TO DRIVE TO AND YOU HAVE TO PAY TO BE ALLOWED TO SWIM IN THEM.
I TALK FREQUENTLY WITH THE FISHERMEN WHO COME FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTY TO FISH IN LAKE TEMESCAL.
THEY COME FROM RICHMOND, HAYWARD, ALL OVER.
DESPITE, I WAS GOING TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE SIGN AT ADVISES.
NO ONE DON'T SWIM, DON'T LET YOUR PETS IN IT.
IF YOU GET SICK, GO TO THE DOCTOR, THE VET.
IF YOU CATCH FISH, YOU'VE GOT TO TAKE OUT ALL THE INNER RATES BEFORE YOU CAN EAT IT.
I WOULDN'T EAT A FISH FROM THERE IF YOU PAID ME.
I'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT EUTROPHICATION AND SILTATION, AND THE PARK HAS DONE A NUMBER OF THINGS TO TRY TO MITIGATE THAT, BUT THEY'VE JUST BEEN BAND AIDS.
THE ALUM TREATMENTS, THE OXYGENATION.
THEY DON'T REALLY DEAL WITH THE STRUCTURAL PROBLEM UNDERLYING THE LAKE AND THAT IS THAT IT NEEDS TO BE DREDGED.
THERE WAS A STUDY DONE IN 2019.
WE WERE LED TO BELIEVE THAT THE LAKE WAS GOING TO BE DREDGED, THERE ARE FEASIBILITY STUDIES, AND THEN NOTHING HAS HAPPENED.
WE HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT IT.
I'M AN OLD WHITE LADY, BUT I CAN TELL YOU THERE ARE LOTS OF MUCH YOUNGER BROWN AND BLACK PEOPLE IN THAT PARK.
I DON'T WANT IT TO BECOME JEWELL LAKE. THANK YOU.
>> OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARGARET DALVAM.
THEN WE HAVE ONE MORE SPEAKER AFTER THAT, MEADOW D'ARCY.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS MARGARET.
I BELONG TO A GROWING GROUP OF COMMUNITY VOICES.
WE'RE CALLING OURSELVES THE FRIENDS OF LAKE TEMESCAL.
I'M HERE TO URGE YOU TO SAVE LAKE TEMESCAL.
WE BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE FUNDS FROM PROPOSITION 4 THAT CAN BE APPLIED TO THAT, AND I WOULD URGE THE BOARD, ALL OF THE MEMBERS TO QUICKLY TURN YOUR ATTENTION TO USING THOSE FUNDS TO RESTORING LAKE TEMESCAL.
LAKE TEMESCAL HAS BEEN PART OF THE DISTRICT FOR NEARLY A CENTURY.
IT IS ONE OF THE THREE ORIGINAL PARKS ALONG WITH TILDEN AND ROUND TOP.
DID YOU KNOW THAT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE DISTRICT WERE ORIGINALLY AT LAKE TEMESCAL? MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT.
I'M SURE THE BOARD MEMBERS KNOW IT.
AS THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER NOTED, THE LAKE IS USED BY TREMENDOUS NUMBERS OF PEOPLE IN A DENSE URBAN AREA.
IT'S LOCATED WHERE THREE AREAS COME TOGETHER, BERKELEY, OAKLAND, AND THE TOWNS JUST EAST OF THE CALDECOTT TUNNEL.
IT'S A RESOURCE OF NATURE IN THE MIDST OF THIS URBAN AREA.
IT IS USED BY PEOPLE WHO ENJOY THE WILDLIFE, THE BIRDS, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SWIMMING AND FISHING.
BUT AT NOW, IT'S DEGRADED TO THE POINT THAT TOXIC ALGAE OVERWHELMS IT.
THE HABITAT FOR WILDLIFE IS SERIOUSLY DEGRADED.
OF COURSE, THE ISSUE OF DREDGING IS THE WAY TO SAVE THE LAKE.
THE PARK DISTRICT HAS A REPORT.
FROM 2019, A FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR DOING THIS.
THERE'S REALLY NO REASON TO HESITATE ANYMORE.
THE STOPGAP MEASURES THAT HAVE BEEN APPLIED ARE NOT WORKING.
I WANT TO URGE YOU ALL TO TURN YOUR ATTENTION AS THE FRIENDS OF LAKE TEMESCAL WILL BE URGING YOU OVER THE COMING SEVERAL DAYS TO PLEASE RESTORE THE LAKE.
>> THANK YOU. SO IS PUBLIC COMMENT.
EXCUSE ME. NO. MEADOW D'ARCY. SORRY, MEADOW.
[LAUGHTER] NO, I WON'T DO IT YET.
[00:30:02]
I'M JUST TEASING. [LAUGHTER]>> THANKS A LOT. GOOD AFTERNOON.
I'M HERE REPRESENTING AFSCME LOCAL 2428.
I'M CURRENTLY THE CHIEF STEWARD AND A MEMBER OF THE MET AND CONTRA TEAM.
FIRST, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO MY CO-WORKERS FOR SPEAKING ON THE TOPIC OF TELECOMMUTE.
I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT A DIFFERENT TOPIC.
GOOD AFTERNOON, PRESIDENT MERCURIO, BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND STAFF.
I'D LIKE TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION A STAFFING ISSUE THAT'S AFFECTING OUR EMPLOYEES THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME.
WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE SINCE AT LEAST SEPTEMBER OF 2024, AND WE HAVE GIVEN LOTS OF NOTICE THAT IF WE DID NOT HAVE A RESPONSE BY LAST WEEK, WE WOULD BE COMING TO THE DIAS TO MAKE THE BOARD AWARE THAT THE POSITIONS THAT YOU ALL ARE APPROVING ARE NOT BEING FILLED.
TO GIVE YOU A TIMELINE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT POSITIONS AND TO GIVE YOU A TIMELINE.
IN LATE 2023 IS WHEN THE 2024 BUDGET POSITIONS ARE DUE, CYBERSECURITY ADMINISTRATOR WAS ADDED TO THE 2024 BUDGET.
ON SEPTEMBER 1ST OF 2023, THE DISTRICT ENGAGED THE COMPANY ENT TO DO SOME OF THE IT SERVICES FOR HERE AT THE BOARD MEETING.
ON JANUARY 1ST OF 2024, THE CYBERSECURITY ADMINISTRATOR WAS ABLE TO BE HIRED.
ON FEBRUARY 20TH OF 2024, THE CONTRACT WITH ENT WAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE THE WORK OF OUR ISST, OUR BUSINESS ANALYST, AND OUR SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR WITH NO NOTICE TO THE UNION.
ON 5-15-2024, THE ISST POSITION BECAME VACANT.
THEY LEFT BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF TELECOMMUTE.
ON 8-31-2024, AGAIN, BUDGETED POSITIONS WERE DUE FOR THE 2025 BUDGETS.
ON 9-27- 2024, THE SYSTEM ADMIN BECAME VACANT.
AGAIN, LEFT DUE TO LACK OF TELEWORK.
TODAY, HERE WE ARE A YEAR LATER, SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR, CYBERSECURITY ADMINISTRATOR, AND BUSINESS ANALYSTS ARE STILL VACANT.
ENT HAS A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT, AND THEY'VE BEEN MULTIPLE ACTORS AND TEMPS FILLING THESE POSITIONS.
WE'VE BEEN GIVEN LOTS OF PROMISES TO HIRE.
ONE IS THAT PEOPLE ARE TURNING THE POSITIONS DOWN BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF TELECOMMUTE.
THE OTHER IS THAT THEY'RE UPDATING THE JOB DESCRIPTION.
THE OTHER IS THAT THEY'RE EVALUATING THE PROGRAMS. ANOTHER ONE IS WE'RE WAITING UNTIL THE MANAGER GETS HIRED, AND THEN ACTUALLY WE'RE GOING TO UPGRADE THE MANAGER AND WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT.
EACH ONE OF THESE THINGS COMES AND GOES AND NO CHANGES HAPPEN.
TO SUMMARIZE THE BUSINESS ANALYST, WHICH WAS ADDED IN 2025, AUTHORIZED BY THE BOARD TO BE ADDED TO THE BUDGET HAS BEEN VACANT FOR 258 DAYS.
THE SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR IS 354 DAYS.
THE ISST, WHICH WAS RECENTLY HIRED JUST A WEEK OR TWO AGO IN RESPONSE TO OUR CONSTANT PRODDING, WAS VACANT FOR 467 DAYS.
THE CYBERSECURITY ADMINISTRATOR, AGAIN, ADDED TO THE 2024 BUDGET HAS BEEN VACANT FOR 624 DAYS.
THE IMPACT ON THE EMPLOYEES AND BARGAINING UNIT IS REAL AND THE BARGAINING UNIT IS BEING ERODED.
THIS IS A TROUBLING PATTERN AND WE'D LIKE TO MAKE THE BOARD AWARE.
>> THAT'S OUR LAST PUBLIC COMMENT.
[SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS]
>> WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS.
THE WAY WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS IS WE'RE GOING TO INVITE PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM.
AT THE ELECTOR THERE, THEN WE'RE GOING TO INVITE THE BOARD TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS.
THEN WE HAVE A RESOLUTION THAT WE'RE GOING TO PRESENT.
THEN AFTER THAT, THERE'S GOING TO BE REFRESHMENTS.
>> I JUST GOT TO NOTE THAT THERE'S ONE PERSON ON ZOOM THAT IS GOING TO HAVE TO LEAVE.
IF WE COULD HAVE HER COME UP FIRST AS THE PUBLIC COMMENTER.
>> I THINK THAT'S. [OVERLAPPING]
>> THAT'S WHERE I'M HEADED NOW.
WHY DON'T WE START THAT OFF AND YOU CAN PUT THAT PERSON IN THERE?
>> DID YOU PROMOTE HER ALREADY? I DON'T SEE HER. SHE MUST HAVE LEFT.
NO, THAT'S NOT HER. IT WAS DR. ANTONISHA.
>> SHE'S GONE. YES, SHE HAD TO LEAVE.
THE OTHER ONE IS NOT GOING TO SPEAK.
NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO TO SPEAKERS IN THE ROOM.
[00:35:01]
EXCUSE ME. DIRECTOR LANE.>> HELLO, EVERYBODY. IT'S REALLY NICE TO BE BACK.
IT'S BEEN A LITTLE WHILE TO SEE FACES, AND I'M GLAD I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT'S GETTING A LITTLE BIT OLDER OVER THOSE YEARS.
BUT I COULDN'T RESIST COMING TODAY TO SAY SOME WORDS ABOUT YOLANDE.
KNOWN HER FOR QUITE A WHILE AND SHE WAS BOARD CLERK FOR A LONG TIME.
I PARTICULARLY REMEMBER LEARNING WHAT JUNETEENTH WAS FROM YOLANDE AND ENJOYING THAT WONDERFUL FOOD.
ALSO, I THINK SHE WITH YULIE, HAD A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THE NAMING OF THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK, AND DEFINITELY AFFECTED THE DECISION ON THAT.
BUT REALLY, I WANT TO TELL A STORY ON YOLANDE SINCE I HAVE THE MIC.
THAT IS A MEMORY I HAVE OF A HOLIDAY PARTY YEARS AGO.
REMEMBER THEY USED THE HAVE THE HOLIDAY PARTIES AND I THINK IT WAS THE SHRINER BUILDING IN LIVERMORE.
BOARD MEMBERS ALWAYS CAME TO THE PARTY BECAUSE THIS WAS A CHANCE TO TALK INFORMALLY WITH PEOPLE AND ALSO ENJOY THE ENTERTAINMENT AND FOOD.
WELL, THIS PARTICULAR ONE, THERE WAS ENTERTAINMENT BY THE STAFF ON THE STAGE, AND MUSIC FROM TINA TURNER WAS PLAYED AND UP CAME YOLANDE ALL READY TO SING WITH IT AND CERTAINLY DO A LOT OF THOSE MOVES.
WHEN I THINK OF YOLANDE, I HAVE TO SAY THAT I DO THINK OF TINA TURNER AS WELL.
I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE PARK DISTRICT AND THE PUBLIC AND THE BOARD, AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT.
>> MY NEXT SPEAKER IS MY GENERAL MANAGER. PAT O'BRIEN.
>> HI THERE. I HAVE TO SAY I'M NOT USED TO SPEAK OF THE PODIUM UP HERE.
WELL, IT USED TO BE OVER THERE.
[LAUGHTER] ANYWAY, I REMEMBER WHEN YOLANDE WAS HIRED, AND DIANA, MY WIFE WAS ACTUALLY ON THAT INTERVIEW PANEL.
SHE SAID, "BOY THIS YOLANDE IS SHARP." SURE ENOUGH, SHE JUST PROGRESS RIGHT UP ALL THE WAY TO CLERK OF THE BOARD, WHICH IS QUITE AN HONOR, BUT IT REFLECTS THE HARD WORK SHE DOES, THE CONCENTRATION ON DETAILS AND HER SPIRIT.
AS WHAT HAS BEEN MENTIONED, WHENEVER THERE WAS SOME SORT OF CELEBRATION, WE ALWAYS DEPENDED ON YOLANDE TO LIVEN THINGS UP BECAUSE FRANKLY, SOME OF OUR ADMINISTRATORS WERE PRETTY DULL CREW.
[LAUGHTER] BUT THERE WAS NO SENSE OF BEING DULL WITH YOLANDE.
YOLANDE, WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE.
YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PARK DISTRICT CAN'T BE MEASURED, BUT YOU'RE A GREAT PERSON AND A TRUE FRIEND.
>> DIRECTOR ROSARIO. WHERE ARE YOU?
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. [INAUDIBLE], MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
IT'S NICE TO BE ON THIS SIDE FOR A CHANGE.
I JUST WANTED TO NUMBER 1, CONGRATULATE YOLANDE ON A WONDERFUL CAREER HERE FOR THE PARK DISTRICT AND YEARS AND YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE.
[00:40:01]
SHE EMBODIES A SPIRIT HERE THAT SHE IS SO DEDICATED TO SERVING THE BOARD MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC, THAT SHE SPENDS A LOT OF TIME ANSWERING EMAILS AND AT MY TIME BECAUSE I'M A NIGHT OWL, AND I WOULD BE PUTTING IN MY COMMENTS AND MY EXPENSE REPORTS AT PAST MIDNIGHT.I WOULD GET AN ANSWER FROM YOLANDE.
IT SAYS, MY GOD, SHE'S UP AT 1:00 IN THE MORNING.
THAT'S THE DEDICATION THAT IS HARD TO COME BY.
I THINK IT COMES NOT ONLY FROM A LOVE OF HER WORK, BUT A LOVE FOR THE PEOPLE THAT SHE WORKS WITH AND ALSO A DEEP LOVE OF HERSELF.
I THINK WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM THAT AND I REALLY BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIVITY WITH THE BLACK EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE UNION AND THE EFFORTS THERE TO NAME THURGOOD MARSHALL, WE AS RETIREES, WE ARE EXPECTING THAT ENERGY ON THE OTHER SIDE BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.
WE ARE A HARD BUNCH TO DEAL WITH.
THEN THROUGH ALL THAT, THROUGH COVID, STAFF CHANGES, AND FINALLY, THE BOARD RECOGNIZING THAT YOU NEEDED HELP AND GETTING YOU SOME MORE HELP.
THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT AND GETTING US TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW.
I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT WHAT YOU MEAN TO THE PARK DISTRICT AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [APPLAUSE].
>> FINAL SPEAKER HERE YULIE PADMORE.
>> THEY'RE COMING. PATIENT. WILLIAM.
>> YOLANDE, ESTEEMED BOARD, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER, JOAN COUNSEL, YOLANDE.
THIS MAY SURPRISE YOU, BUT I ACTUALLY DO NOT LIKE SPEAKING IN FRONT OF GROUPS.
THE FIRST TIME I HAD TO COME TO SPEAK REPRESENTING ASK ME 2428.
I WAS PRETTY HORRIFIED, AND I DIDN'T SAY THAT TO YOU, BUT YOU TOLD ME I WOULD DO GREAT, AND I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
IN A WORLD THAT SEEMS TO HAVE GONE MAD.
IT'S REALLY NICE TO SEE YOU EVERY TWO WEEKS BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS CALM AND KIND, AND YOUR VOICE IS QUITE LYRICAL.
I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE FOR THE DISTRICT, AND THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME WHEN I WAS SCARED.
HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY. ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT, BY THE WAY. [APPLAUSE]
>> YULIE PADMORE, FOLLOWED BY PJ.
>> THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO TRY AND KEEP IT TOGETHER.
YULIE PADMORE, STAFF OF YOLANDE BURIAL KNIGHT.
[LAUGHTER] YOUR RETIREMENT IS NOT A FAREWELL.
IT'S SIMPLY A NEW BEGINNING IN A JOURNEY THAT CONTINUES TO UPLIFT, I'M GOING TO LOSE IT, AND INSPIRE.
[LAUGHTER] I KNOW THAT WHATEVER YOU GO ON TO DO NEXT, YOU'LL CONTINUE TO BE A FORCE FOR EQUITY, TRUTH, AND COMMUNITY.
YOU'VE LAID A FOUNDATION FOR OTHERS TO BUILD ON.
YOU'VE SHOWN US THAT LEADERSHIP IS NOT JUST ABOUT A POSITION, IT'S ABOUT PURPOSE.
I LOST IT. [LAUGHTER] BUT FOR GOOD REASON, FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL PERSON.
THROUGH IT ALL, YOU'VE DONE IT WITH AUTHENTICITY, STYLE, AND SENSE OF CALM STRENGTH THAT IS UNIQUELY YOURS.
YOU'VE BEEN A STEADY LIGHT FOR ME AND FOR OTHERS AND FOR THE EAST BAY, AND A FIERCE ADVOCATE.
YOU'VE REMINDED US ALL TO STAY ROOTED IN WHAT'S RIGHT TO HONOR OUR HISTORY AND TO KEEP SHOWING UP EVEN WHEN IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE.
TODAY, WE DON'T JUST CELEBRATE YOUR RETIREMENT.
WE CELEBRATE YOUR LEGACY, A LEGACY OF TRUTH TELLING, MENTORSHIP, COMMUNITY CARE, AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO JUSTICE.
[00:45:08]
THANK YOU, YOLANDE. YOU'LL ALWAYS BE A VOICE OF REASON, A MODEL OF INTEGRITY, AND SOMEONE I WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK UP TO LONG AFTER YOUR TIME IN THIS ROLE, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO ALL OF YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO PORT CHICAGO WEEKEND.[LAUGHTER] GOD BLESS YOU. [APPLAUSE]
I'M NOT GOING TO PROBABLY I HAD NOTHING TO I JUST GOT BACK LAST WEEK, SO I DON'T HAVE A LOT.
BUT WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER FOR A VERY LONG TIME, YOU AND I.
YOU LONGER THAN HERE, I STARTED HERE IN 1998.
BUT WE'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT, AND WE'VE SEEN A LOT HAPPEN THROUGH HERE AND THIS PLACE IS ABOUT PEOPLE AND SITTING IN THE ROOM, THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP FOR YOU TODAY WILL SHOW THE TYPE OF PERSON AND THE CALIBER OF PERSON THAT YOU ARE THAT BROUGHT ALL THESE PEOPLE HERE FROM THEIR REGULAR DAY OF LIFE JUST TO COME AND HONOR YOU, WHICH IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
YOU'VE DONE SO MUCH FOR THIS ORGANIZATION AND FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS AND FOR THE PEOPLE HERE, AND I MYSELF WILL MISS YOU, YOUR CHEERY OUTLOOK, I KNOW, DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT.
I KNOW. SOME DAYS ARE HARDER THAN OTHERS, BUT YOU LIFT PEOPLE UP AROUND YOU, AND I THINK EVERYBODY HERE KNOWS THAT.
THAT'S WHY THEY'RE HERE AND THEY APPRECIATE THAT. I APPRECIATE YOU.
I APPRECIATE ALL THAT YOU'VE DONE AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU BRING TO US WHEN YOU MEET US.
EVERYBODY GET SOMETHING DIFFERENT, AND YOU JUST LIKE THE SUN.
YOU MAKE EVERYTHING A LITTLE BIT BRIGHTER AROUND YOU, SO I APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
WE'RE GOING TO KEEP GOING HERE.
THERE'S LOTS MORE BEFORE WE'RE THROUGH WITH YOU TODAY.
THE NEXT PART OF THIS IS GOING TO BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE BOARD TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS.
I THINK WE'RE GOING TO START COLIN, DIRECTOR COFFEY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO START IT OFF? DON'T SAY YOU'RE NOT EXPECTING THIS.
I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN GET THROUGH THIS.
MICROPHONE. YOU SEE, I'M GOING TO MISS THAT.
I'M GOING TO MISS BEING TOLD WHAT TO DO AS YOU HAVE DONE.
YOU'VE BEEN A LOT TO ME IN MY TENURE HERE AND OF COURSE, GOING BACK TO THE PARK.
THAT'S PRETTY FAR BACK. YOU AND I GO.
FOR THAT WHOLE TIME, YOU'VE BEEN A NUMBER OF THINGS TO ME.
FIRST OF ALL, YOU'VE BEEN JUST A COLLEAGUE.
I JUST LOOK UPON YOU AS A COLLEAGUE AND WHAT I DO AND WHAT I'VE DONE HERE IS WHETHER IT'S VOLUNTEER OR IT'S BOARD OR IT'S PARK.
I'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU OR IT JUST FIRE OFF THINGS THAT ARE ON MY MIND TO SOMEONE WHO'S A CLOSE COLLEAGUE.
QUITE LITERALLY, WHAT'S THAT PHRASE THEY USE A LOT THESE DAYS? A WHISPER? YOU'RE MY BOARD WHISPER.
NOT JUST IN CONCEPT, BUT LITERALLY.
THAT ABILITY JUST TO LEAN INTO YOU QUITE LITERALLY.
YOU'VE BEEN MAKING THIS JOB A LOT OF FUN FOR ME, DOWNRIGHT FUN IN BEING MOSTLY LIGHT.
THERE ARE ISSUES YOU'RE NOT TOO LIGHT ON, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, JUST PART OF THE FUN OF WHAT WE DO HERE THAT YOU DELIGHT IN AND THAT YOU ENJOY JUST AS MUCH AS I DO.
[00:50:02]
NOT SO LIGHT. YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY RESPONSIBLE FOR HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50, IN QUOTES.IN OTHER WORDS, THAT BECAME PART OF THE NAME OF THAT PARK BECAUSE YOU CONVINCED NOT JUST A BUNCH OF US THAT IT WASN'T JUST A SIDE THAT, IT'S THE HOME OF THE FOR CHICAGO 50.
IT WAS TO BE AND NEEDED TO BE PART OF THE NAME, WHICH IS SOMETHING AS I WAS GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS, I NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD UNTIL YOU SAT DOWN AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WERE SAYING AND YOU MADE IT CLEAR THAT IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO THE NAME.
I'VE BEEN ONE OF THOSE WHO I'LL MISS EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, BUT IT'S THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50, AND YOU GOT THAT DOWN AND YOU GOT IT INCORPORATED LIKE THAT.
YOU'VE BEEN A SAFE PLACE FOR ME IN THE SENSE THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SHARE STUFF WITH YOU THAT AGAIN IS COLLEGIAL AND I KNOW THAT I CAN SAFELY DO THAT.
THAT'S BEEN IMPORTANT TO ME IN THIS JOB.
THE OTHER THING IS, AND THIS IS A HUGE PART OF WHAT YOU'VE MEANT TO ME.
YOU HAVE KNOWN, UNDERSTOOD THAT MY PARTNER IN LIFE IS MY PARTNER IN THIS JOB AND HAVE TREATED HER LIKE THAT, AND MILA WOULD HAVE BEEN HERE TODAY, BUT SHE'S GOING TO CATCH UP WITH YOU IN A FEW DAYS.
YES, SO YOU'VE HAD THAT IMPORTANT ROLE WITH BOTH OF US.
I'LL JUST STOP WITH CONGRATULATIONS ON WHAT YOU'VE ACCOMPLISHED AND WHAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO.
>> IT'S SAD TO SEE YOU GO, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE STARTING A NEW CHAPTER.
I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS GOING TO GET ALL SWELLED UP.
BUT WHAT I WANT TO SAY IS THANK YOU FOR SISTERHOOD.
IT'S NOT EASY TO STEP INTO NEW ROOMS AND BIGGER ROOMS. WHAT'S ALWAYS BEEN SPECIAL TO ME ABOUT YOU IS I ALWAYS KNEW THAT WHENEVER YOU WERE IN THE ROOM, THERE WAS SOMEONE TO GIVE ADVICE, TO GIVE MENTORSHIP, AND JUST WHO I KNEW WHO WAS STANDING THERE WITH ME.
THE EXPERIENCE THAT IS GOING TO BE MOST SPECIAL OF OUR TIME SPENT TOGETHER WAS THAT PRIVATE SWEARING IN.
IT'S NOT THAT SWEARING IN THAT THE WHOLE WORLD SEES.
BUT IT WAS A MOMENT WHERE I CAME DOWN TO THE BOARD ROOM AND YOU READ THE OATH TO ME.
WHEN YOU WERE READING IT AND RESPONDING, IT WAS SO MUCH MORE BECAUSE I KNEW YOU HAD BEEN IN THIS ROOM FOR SO MANY YEARS AND HAD SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE FROM YOUR POSITION AND JUST BECOME PART OF THAT SISTERHOOD HERE AT THE PARKS AND TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTOOD ME IN A WAY THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN MOST PEOPLE DAY-TO-DAY AND WHO'S ALWAYS OUT LOOKING OUT FOR US IN THE GOOD TIMES, THE BAD TIMES BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE DO NEED A LITTLE KICK.
[LAUGHTER] I'M JUST GOING TO MISS THAT.
BUT WHAT I DO WANT TO DO IS I HOPE THAT AS FAR AS WE STAY CONNECTED IN LIFE.
I ALSO AS FAR AS ADMIRE EVERYTHING THAT YOU REPRESENT.
BECAUSE BEFORE BECAME PART OF THIS BOARD, I WAS ABLE TO FOLLOW ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS TOWARDS PORT CHICAGO, TOWARDS EQUITY, TOWARDS JUSTICE, TOWARDS WORKING WITH THE BLACK EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE AND DOING ALL OF THAT THAT MAKES EACH OF US FEEL INCLUDED IN THIS PARK DISTRICT, AND ALSO BEING ONE OF THOSE SMILING FACES THAT AS FAR LET US KNOW THAT HEY, MAYBE THIS IS SOMEPLACE WE SHOULD BE AND GIVE BACK TO.
[00:55:02]
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.>> YOLANDE, I REALLY ENJOYED BEING ON THIS BOARD WITH YOU AS OUR CLERK.
YOUR JOY, YOUR ORGANIZATION, YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF EVERYTHING.
JUST BEFORE THIS MEETING STARTED, LUAN AND I HAD A FUNNY CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW YOU SEE EVERYTHING, BECAUSE YOU DO.
I THINK THAT THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE SKILL AND AN IMPORTANT SKILL FOR CLERK OF THE BOARD FOR EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT.
YOU WERE SO IMPORTANT TO ME AS I WAS GETTING STARTED IN THIS ROLE AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THAT SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT AND JUST HELPING ME NAVIGATE GETTING STARTED WITH A REALLY IMPORTANT ROLE AND DUTY.
WE TALK A LOT ABOUT ALL THE WORK YOU DO HERE AT THE PARK DISTRICT, BUT YOU DO SO MUCH WORK ALSO IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY ON A TRIVIA TEAM WITH A MEMBER OF LIVERMORE CITY COUNCIL AND A STAFF MEMBER OF STATE SENATOR MCNERNEY'S OFFICE.
STATE SENATOR MCNERNEY REPRESENTS DUBLIN, PLEASANTON, LIVERMORE, AS WELL AS I THINK ALL OF SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, AND THE INDIVIDUAL FROM HIS OFFICE.
I THINK WHEN I MENTIONED EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, HE MENTIONED YOUR NAME FIRST IN REGARDS TO HOW INSTRUMENTAL YOU ARE IN REGARDS TO ACTIVITIES AND DIFFERENT EVENTS HAPPENING IN SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU SLEEP IF YOU'RE ANSWERING THESE EMAILS AT 1:00 A.M. AND ALL OF YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY.
BUT I JUST THINK IT'S INCREDIBLE ALL THAT YOU DO, AND IT'S SO IMPORTANT.
I'M REALLY EXCITED FOR YOU AND YOUR RETIREMENT AND TO SEE WHAT YOU DO, AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ALWAYS REACH OUT.
YOU'RE ALWAYS PART OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT.
I THINK IT SOUNDS LIKE D HAS SOME BIG PLANS FOR YOU IN REGARDS TO THE RETIREE COMMUNITY, BUT CERTAINLY ALSO WITH THE BOARD.
I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO DO.
BUT ALSO IT'S IMPORTANT TO RELAX AND JUST ENJOY YOUR TIME. THANK YOU.
>> WHERE TO BEGIN? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT TODAY TO SHOW THEIR RESPECT AND APPRECIATION AND TO HONOR YOLANDE BECAUSE SHE REALLY DESERVES ALL OF THIS.
I DO FEEL THE LOVE AND RESPECT IN THE ROOM FOR OUR CLERK.
I FIRST GOT TO KNOW YOLANDE WHEN I APPLIED TO BE APPOINTED TO THIS ROLE.
THAT WAS A LONG AND COMPLICATED PROCESS AND THERE WERE 40 PEOPLE WHO ORIGINALLY APPLIED IN THE FIRST ROUND AND THEN THERE WERE A COUPLE MORE ROUNDS AFTER THAT.
BUT YOLANDE WAS THE PUBLIC FACE OF THIS DIFFICULT PROCESS, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE CANDIDATES NEEDED INFORMATION, CANDIDATES WERE BEING TOLD NO.
BUT SHE HANDLED IT WITH SUCH GRACE AND KINDNESS AND EFFECTIVENESS AND I WAS LIKE, WOW, WHO IS THIS PERSON? [LAUGHTER] IT WAS SO NICE TO FINALLY COME AND MEET YOU IN PERSON.
INDEED, THOSE SAME VALUES THAT I FIRST SAW OVER EMAIL, BUT THEN IN PERSON HAVE REMAINED.
MUCH OF WHAT I APPRECIATE ABOUT YOU STILL TODAY IS THAT KINDNESS, THAT RESPONSIVENESS, HELPFUL, RESOURCEFUL, JUST REALLY TAKING CARE OF EVERYONE.
TAKING CARE OF THE BOARD, TAKING CARE OF OTHER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, THAT STRONG AND EFFECTIVE VOICE FOR JUSTICE AND FOR EQUITY AND BEING A LEADER AND A ROLE MODEL ON HOW TO DO THIS TYPE OF WORK BECAUSE IT'S NOT EASY AND YOU WERE DOING THIS IN ADDITION TO A VERY DIFFICULT BOARD JOB.
THE THING ABOUT BEING THE CLERK IS THAT PEOPLE DON'T REALLY SEE WHAT YOU DO UNLESS SOMETHING GOES WRONG.
YOUR JOB IS TO MAKE EVERYTHING LOOK SEAMLESS AND PERFECT.
IF EVERYTHING'S MOVING SMOOTHLY LIKE, OKAY.
BUT THEN IF ONE LITTLE THING GOES WRONG IT'S THEN WE NOTICE.
BUT I JUST WANT TO ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HOW MUCH YOU DO THAT NOBODY SEES AND THAT MAKES THIS PROCESS RUN, AND YOU DO IT WELL, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
I ALSO WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH YOUR WORK, WITH YOUR LEADERSHIP WITH THE BLACK EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE AND IN PARTICULAR ADVOCATING FOR THURGOOD MARSHALL HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50,
[01:00:04]
AND THEN ALSO ADVOCATING, ALONG WITH ULI AND OTHERS TO EXONERATE THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE JUST THIS HORRENDOUS TRAGEDY AND THEN THEY'RE PUNISHED FOR TAKING A STAND AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXONERATED DECADES AGO.BUT FINALLY, AT THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY THAT HAPPENED AND IN PART BECAUSE OF YOU AND OTHERS WHO WERE ADVOCATING FOR THAT.
I DO HAVE TO JUST SAY, I'M REALLY BUMMED OUT THAT I NEVER SAW THIS TINA TURNER SIDE OF YOU BECAUSE [LAUGHTER] WHEN OUR FORMER GM STARTED TALKING ABOUT THAT, I WAS LIKE, WHOA, I THINK WE NEED TO BE GOING TO THESE EMPLOYEE CELEBRATIONS MORE OFTEN, WE'RE MISSING OUT HERE.
I THINK THE FIRST 45, YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS, FIRST 45 I BOUGHT WHEN I WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH WAS A TINA TURNER RECORD SO I LIKE HER TOO.
BUT ANYWAY, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU CARING ABOUT US, CARING ABOUT OUR FAMILIES.
I KNOW IT'S NOT JUST US YOU'RE WORRYING ABOUT, BUT YOU'VE BEEN SO KIND WITH BOTH MY DAUGHTER AND MY MOM AND ALL THE OTHER FAMILY STUFF.
BUT JUST REALLY, I'M GOING TO CHOKE UP TOO, BUT JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING.
CONGRATULATIONS ON A REALLY WELL DESERVED RETIREMENT.
I HOPE YOU GO OUT AND JUST REALLY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO DO.
IN ADDITION TO THE SOCIAL JUSTICE WORK, I HOPE YOU HAVE SOME FUN OUT THERE, TRAVEL, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
I AM VERY GLAD THAT YOUR LEGACY AND YOUR IMPACT ON THIS ORGANIZATION AND THE COMMUNITY AND EMPLOYEES WILL LIVE ON.
WE'LL STAY HERE AND BE ALIVE, AND WE WILL KEEP IT GOING TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY.
BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR ALL OF US.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE LAST PERSON SPEAKING SAYS, WHAT THEY SAID.
[LAUGHTER] LET ME JUST ADD THIS, I THINK MOST PEOPLE KNOW, THERE'S ACTUALLY SEVEN BOARD MEMBERS, BUT ONE IS AT A CONFERENCE AND ONE IS TRAVELING ON A LONG PLANNED FAMILY TRIP OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT PART DIDN'T QUITE WORK OUT RIGHT, BUT THEY'LL BE ENGAGING IN THEIR OWN WAY VERY SOON, I'M SURE.
BUT WHEN WE COME TO THESE THINGS, SOMETIMES WE SAY, WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS.
BUT I WAS THINKING ABOUT THAT AND I THOUGHT, DARN IT, WORDS CAN EXPRESS.
I'VE GOT A LIST OF THEM RIGHT HERE.
[LAUGHTER] JUST TO KEEP THIS A LITTLE BIT BRIEF AND NOT DRAG THIS UP, BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S SOME REALLY GREAT REFRESHMENTS COMING UP HERE PRETTY SOON, I'M GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT THOSE WORDS ARE, AND BY NO MEANS IS THIS A COMPLETE LIST.
BUT WHEN I THINK OF YOLANDE, I THINK OF NURTURE, EMPATHY.
I'M GOING TO PUT MY GLASSES ON SO I DON'T MISS ANYTHING HERE.
GRACE. THIS WORD'S ALREADY BEEN USED.
PROFESSIONAL, RESPECT, KNOWLEDGE, FAMILY, THOROUGH, PATIENT, ACCOMMODATE, THOSE TWO GO TOGETHER, GENEROUS, AND INVOLVED.
THE LAST ONE, I'LL PIGGYBACK ON SOME OF THOSE OTHER COMMENTS THAT WERE MADE, IS THAT I'M EXPECTING.
I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED HERE, BUT THIS IS NOT THE END OF YOUR INVOLVEMENT.
YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT'S NEVER GOING TO BE BORED WHEN THEY LEAVE THEIR PAID GIG.
WE'RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO YOU HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO A WHOLE LOT MORE OTHER THINGS.
GOD BLESS THEM AND YOU FOR THIS NEW THING THAT YOU'RE DOING.
AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SERVICE HERE.
DID I PICK UP THAT THERE'S MAYBE A FEW MORE SPEAKERS?
>> THERE'S JUST ONE SPEAKER THAT CAME INTO THE ROOM.
>> DO THAT, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A LITTLE BREAK.
>> ONLY WANT TO DO THE RESOLUTION.
>> WE'LL DO THAT AND THEN WE'LL DO THE RESOLUTION.
WE'RE GOING TO READ THE RESOLUTION.
LET'S GO BACK AND PICK UP THOSE WHOEVER IT IS THAT WANTS US TO [OVERLAPPING]
>> YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, MA'AM.
>> I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. [LAUGHTER]
[01:05:03]
>> I DIDN'T KNOW I WAS GOING TO GET A CHANCE TO SPEAK.
>> YOLANDE IS A BRIGHT LIGHT FOR ALL OF US, AND I'M HAPPY TO HEAR HOW WONDERFUL SHE'S BEEN TO EVERYONE WHO'S ALREADY SPOKEN.
I RETIRED FROM THE PARK DISTRICT IN 2007 AFTER 32 YEARS.
I WAS THE CLERICAL SUPPORT FOR A TEAM OF NATURALISTS OUT AT SUNOL REGIONAL WILDERNESS, AND I LOVED IT.
IT WAS A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO LEARN ABOUT THE CULTURE OF OUR NATIVE AMERICANS, THE CRITTERS THAT LIVE IN THE CREEK, ALL THINGS AND MY ABILITY TO TALK TO THE TEACHERS ABOUT THE UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS.
THE NATURALISTS WERE WONDERFUL.
THEY ALWAYS SHARED THEIR KNOWLEDGE WITH ME, AND IT HELPED REPLACE THE ADVANCED EDUCATION THAT I NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO GET.
I STILL FEEL THAT I ACTUALLY AM KNOWLEDGEABLE IN MANY WAYS BECAUSE OF MY 32 YEARS THERE.
I NEVER ASPIRE TO WORK ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE PARK DISTRICT.
YOLANDE BECAME A PERSONAL FRIEND TO ME WHEN SHE ASKED ME TO BE PART OF THE CLERICAL FORUM.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S STILL ACTIVE, BUT IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR ME.
WE GOT HALF A DAY ONCE A MONTH, I THINK, THAT WE COULD MEET.
ONE OF THE HIGH POINTS WAS TO DO A QUILT OF PLANTS.
THE FIRST ONE WAS PLANTS, THE NEXT YEAR WAS ANIMALS, AND IT WAS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE PARK'S EXPRESS BUS.
I WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT TO DO THAT, BUT ROSIE BACH WAS A BIG CHEERLEADER IN THAT.
YOLANDE WANTED ME TO BE INVOLVED AND SO I TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE.
I'VE BEEN ABLE TO FOLLOW YOLANDE THROUGH FACEBOOK AND OTHER CONTACTS OVER THE YEARS SINCE I RETIRED, AND SHE'S VERY ACTIVE WITH HER COMMUNITY WITH CIVIL RIGHTS, AND ALL OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE US HOPEFUL FOR THE FUTURE.
SHE CAME ALL THE WAY OUT TO CENTRAL WILDERNESS WHEN I HAD MY RETIREMENT PARTY, SO I'M RETURNING THE FAVOR 18 YEARS LATER.
[LAUGHTER] I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU CAN JOIN THE RETIREES OF THE PARK DISTRICT.
WE MEET THE SECOND TUESDAY OF EVERY MONTH.
[LAUGHTER] WE TALK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH OUR CONNECTION WITH THE PARK DISTRICT AND ALSO PERSONAL THINGS.
IT'S A WONDERFUL SOCIAL GET TOGETHER AT HARRY'S HOFF BROW.
THERE'S MANY THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO NOW THAT YOU ARE RETIRING.
HAVE I EXCEEDED MY THREE MINUTES? [LAUGHTER] I NEVER KNOW WHEN TO QUIT.
[LAUGHTER] IT'S JUST WONDERFUL TO SEE EVERYBODY HERE THAT I REMEMBER OVER THE YEARS.
I CAME UP HERE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
EVERYBODY'S A LITTLE BIT GRAYER AND ALL.
BUT THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO WISH YOU HAPPY RETIREMENT.
>> WE HAVE A BOARD RESOLUTION HERE, BUT I THINK WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT NOW AND WE'RE GOING TO LET YOU HAVE THE LAST WORD.
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE TURNS, READING THE WHEREAS HERE DOWN THE LINE WITH THE BOARD.
I'LL JUST ANNOUNCE IT THAT THIS IS A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, CLERK OF THE BOARD YOLANDE BARIAL KNIGHT.
[01:10:01]
STARTING WITH ELIZABETH.>> WHEREAS, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT DESIRES TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR THE CLERK OF THE BOARD, YOLANDE BARIAL KNIGHT, FOR HER 34 YEARS OF DISTINGUISHED AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE PARK DISTRICT, ITS BOARD MEMBERS, STAFF, AND THE PUBLIC.
WHEREAS MS. BARIAL KNIGHT BEGAN HER ESTEEMED CAREER WITH THE PARK DISTRICT IN THE SPRING OF 1991 AS A MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR WITH PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT THE RICHARD C. TRUDEAU OFFICE, AND THROUGH DEDICATION AND EXCELLENCE, ADVANCED ALONG A PROMOTIONAL PATH TO HER FINAL POSITION AS ITS CLERK OF THE BOARD.
>> WHEREAS IN 2015, SHE WAS APPOINTED AS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO SERVE AS CLERK OF THE BOARD OF THE PARK DISTRICT, THEREBY ACHIEVING A HISTORIC MILESTONE IN ADVANCING REPRESENTATION AND LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE PARK DISTRICT.
WHEREAS FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, THE CLERK OF THE BOARD'S OFFICE WAS GUIDED BY MS. BARIAL KNIGHT'S ATTENTION TO DETAIL, EDITORIAL SKILL, AND COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF DOCUMENTS, WHICH ENSURED ACCURACY, TRANSPARENCY, AND INTEGRITY IN THE PARK DISTRICT'S RECORDS AND PROCEEDINGS.
>> WHEREAS, FOLLOWING THE ONSET OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN MARCH 2020, MS. BARIAL KNIGHT DEMONSTRATED EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP AND ADAPTABILITY, GUIDING THE CLERK OF THE BOARD'S OFFICE THROUGH UNPRECEDENTED CHALLENGES AND SUPPORTING THE PARK DISTRICT SUCCESSFULLY, CONDUCTING HYBRID BOARD MEETINGS, UTILIZING NEW TECHNOLOGIES, INCLUDING ZOOM, MICROSOFT TEAMS, AND PRIMEGOV AND GRANICUS.
WHEREAS DURING THIS TIME, THE NUMBER OF BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS REQUIRING STAFFING BY THE CLERK OF THE BOARD'S OFFICE QUADRUPLED, NECESSARY A 50% INCREASE IN STAFFING TO MEET THE OPERATIONAL AND SUPPORT DEMANDS.
>> WHEREAS MS. BARIAL KNIGHT CO FOUNDED THE OTHER COMMITTEE WITH ROSIE BACH, UPLIFTING MORALE AND FOSTERING AWARENESS, CULTURAL EDUCATION, AND CAMARADERIE THROUGH A SERIES OF STAFF EVENTS, INCLUDING THE HALLOWEEN PLAY FUNDRAISER, JUNETEENTH, POTLUCK, CHILI COOKOFF, AND CINCO DE MAYO TAMALE BREAKFAST.
I MISSED OUT. WHEREAS, SHE DEMONSTRATED COURAGE AND TENACITY IN PROFESSIONALLY ADVOCATING BESIDE FELLOW EMPLOYEES FOR THE NAMING OF THE FIRST PARK DISTRICT PARK IN CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, HONORING AN AFRICAN AMERICAN DIGNITARY AND THE HEROES OF THE PORT CHICAGO EXPLOSION AFTERMATH.
THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK, HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50.
>> WHEREAS, AS CLERK OF THE BOARD, MS. BARIAL KNIGHT, PROVIDED DEDICATED SUPPORT TO THE LATE DIRECTORS, ELLEN CORBETT, WHITNEY DOTSON, TED RADKE, CAROL SEVERIN, DOUG SIDEN, AND JOHN SUTTER, AS WELL AS TWO DIRECTORS DIANE BURGIS, COLIN COFFEY, LYNDA DESCHAMBAULT, ELIZABETH ECHOLS, LUANA ESPANA, BEVERLY LANE, JOHN MERCURIO, OLIVIA SANWONG, DEE ROSARIO, DENNIS WAESPI, AND ANNE WEISKOPF SINCE 2015.
WHEREAS DURING HER TENURE MS. BARIAL KNIGHT HELPED GUIDE THE PASSAGE AND ADOPTION OF MORE THAN 03,350 RESOLUTIONS ORDINANCES AND OFFICIAL ACTIONS OF THE BOARD, THEREBY ADVANCING THE MISSION AND VISION OF THE PARK DISTRICT.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT HEREBY EXPRESS ITS DEEPEST APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE TO CLERK OF THE BOARD, YOLANDE BARIAL KNIGHT FOR HER OUTSTANDING SERVICE, PROFESSIONALISM, AND COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN SUPPORT OF THE PARK DISTRICT AND THE COMMUNITIES IT SERVES AS PRESENTED TO THE BOARD ON SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2025.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE GENERAL MANAGER IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED ON BEHALF OF THE PARK DISTRICT AND IN ITS NAME TO EXECUTE AND DELIVER SUCH DOCUMENTS AND TO DO SUCH ACCESS MAY BE DEEMED NECESSARY OR APPROPRIATE TO ACCOMPLISH THE INTENTIONS OF THIS RESOLUTION.
[01:15:01]
>> THIS IS BEAUTIFUL [BACKGROUND]
>> YOU CAN'T HAVE A BOARD RESOLUTION WITHOUT A BOARD APPROVAL.
WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT NOW AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO YOLANDE FOR HER MOMENT HERE.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS RESOLUTION?
>> DO I HAVE HAVE A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR?
>> THAT'S GOOD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH [APPLAUSE] IT'S ALL OFFICIAL NOW.
>> [BACKGROUND] WHO DID THAT? THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
I TRIED REALLY HARD NOT TO CRY.
I DID THAT LAST NIGHT, AND SO I WROTE MY THOUGHTS EARLY THIS MORNING, AND THIS IS WHAT I HAVE.
THIS IS AMAZING TO SEE MY EBRPT FAMILY HERE IN THIS ROOM, AND ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I COULDN'T HAVE DONE ANY OF THIS WITHOUT MY BEST FRIEND FOR LIFE, SHARON CLAY, WHO WAS MY ASSISTANT, AND WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS FOR 27 YEARS.
EVERYONE IN HERE THAT IS HERE HAS TOUCHED ME IN SOME WAY.
YOU GUYS ARE FRIENDS WHO HAVE ROCKED WITH ME FROM THE BEGINNING OF MY FIRST DAY HERE.
WE HAVE GROWN TOGETHER AND DREAMED TOGETHER, BEEN MARRIED AND DIVORCED TOGETHER.
WE HAD ANNUAL HALLOWEEN PLAYS, JUNETEENTH, POTLUCKS, KICKBALL AT DENSMEAR, DAILY YOGA, THANK YOU, MARY MATTINGLY IN THE BOARD ROOM.
FANTASTIC HEALTH AND SAFETY FAIRS, FISHING DERBIES, AND ALL OF THIS CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE ENGAGED WITH EACH OTHER IN PLAY AND IN WORK.
MANY OF THESE EVENTS HAVE SUSTAINED ME.
MANY OF THESE EVENTS THAT HAVE SUSTAINED US WERE ORGANIC, AND GENERAL MANAGERS PAT O'BRIEN AND ROBERT DOYLE ALLOWED US TO PLAY.
I THINK PAT WAS IN MANY HALLOWEEN PLAYS WITH HIS TOP HAT DOWN.
THIS CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE FOLKS AND EVEN DIRECTOR LANE, AND THIS CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE FOLKS WORKED TOGETHER AND GOT THINGS DONE.
WHEN I CAME, I WAS SINGLE AND THIN.
I'M NOW HAPPILY SINGLE AND PLEASE DON'T SAY ANYTHING.
[01:20:01]
I HAVE BEEN MARRIED AND DIVORCED TWICE.OUT OF THAT FIRST UNION, I WAS BLESSED TO BIRTH THREE OF THE BEST KIDS WHO ARE NOW ADULTS IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD.
MY CHILDREN HAVE MOVED ME TO DO MORE THAN I THOUGHT I COULD AND TO TOLERATE THE INTOLERABLE FOR THEIR GOOD.
AFTER 34 YEARS, I BELIEVE I HAVE DONE WHAT THEY NEEDED.
THEY ARE NOW SUCCESSFUL ADULTS LAUNCHED, AND IT IS NOW YOLANDE'S TIME.
I WILL CONTINUE MY ADVOCACY FOR CHILDREN AND FOR THE DEMOCRATIC IDEALS OF DOING NO HARM.
THE DISTRICT HAS A LONG WAY TO GO TO EMBRACE DIVERSITY, AND I HOPE SOON WE CAN SEE THE FRUITION OF THAT DREAM.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE AND A VILLAGE OF DIFFERENCE, DIFFERENT IDEAS, DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING THINGS, DIFFERENT SKIN TONES, AND WAYS OF PRESENTING.
DIFFERENCE LIKE GUMBO CREATES DELICIOUSNESS.
THERE IS A LINE ON OUR WEBSITE THAT DESCRIBES BLACK DIAMOND MINES AND IT READS.
"BENEATH THESE HILLS IS A HISTORY OF INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, AND PERSEVERANCE." THIS SENTENCE EXEMPLIFIES MY CO WORKERS HERE AT THE DISTRICT, BENEATH EACH ONE OF THEM HERE IN THIS ROOM, AND ON ZOOM.
THERE IS A HISTORY THAT IS INNOVATIVE WITH PERSEVERANCE AND SHOULD BE HONORED.
RESPECTED AND EVERY NOW AND THEN LISTEN TO WITH UNDERSTANDING AND GRACE FOR ALL OF OUR JOURNEYS.
WE STAYED BECAUSE WE CARE AND HAVE THE DISTRICT AND OUR CO WORKERS BEST INTERESTS IN MIND, ALONG WITH A PRETTY AMAZING BENEFITS PACKAGE.
I SAY TO MY PEEPS AND Y'ALL KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
WE'RE GOING TO PARTY REAL SOON, GET YOUR ELECTRIC SLIDE ON.
AMONG OTHER THINGS AND THE WOBBLE.
AMONG OTHER THINGS, I AM A PUBLISHED AUTHOR, COLUMNIST, AND POET.
I WROTE THIS POEM SOME TIME AGO AND IT SPEAKS TO FIELD ABOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.
I'M GOING TO READ THE POEM AND IT'S SIMPLY CALLED THE POWER.
THE POWER IS IN ME TO BE ALL THAT I CAN BE AND IN ME TO BE IS THE POWER, WHICH IS ALL THAT I MUST BE.
FRIENDS LEAVE, FAMILIES DISAPPOINT, SLEEP ON IN SILENT REPOSE, KNOWING THAT THE POWER IS IN WHAT THEY DO, NOT WHAT THEY SAY, THEY THINK OR THEY WANT.
THE POWER TO BE IS IN EACH OF YOU.
STOP ASKING ANOTHER TO GIVE YOU WHAT THEY CANNOT NAME AND THEN SULK AND WHINE AND COMPLAIN.
YOU SEE, I ASKED FOR A TREE BUT WAS GIVEN AN ACORN.
I ASKED FOR VINTAGE WINE AND WAS GIVEN A GRAPE.
I ASKED TO BE BLESSED WITH CONSECRATED OIL YET RECEIVED AN OLIVE.
I GOT DEEP WHEN I SHOULD HAVE GOT DISCIPLINED.
YOU SEE, YOU CAN'T STAY STUCK IN THE SAME PLACE.
THE POWER IS IN ME TO BE ALL THAT I CAN BE IN ME TO BE IS THE POWER, WHICH IS ALL THAT I MUST BE.
BE STILL, STOP ASKING, SIT WITH IT, WHATEVER THAT IT IS.
IF IT'S A HIM OR HER, LET IT BE.
IF IT'S YOUR ATTITUDE, CHANGE IT.
THE POWER IS NOT IN THE IT, IT IS WITH ME.
WHAT'S GIVEN TO YOU MAY NOT LOOK LIKE WHAT YOU THINK, BUT INTEGRITY BOTH IN US IS NOT ALWAYS REVEALED IN MIRACULOUS ACTION, BUT IN TEENY, TINY STEPS, IN SMALL ACTION, AND SMALL THOUGHTS.
ALL WITH A GREAT STORY TO TELL HAVE HAD GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT.
ONLY AFTER THE PAIN HAS PASSED, BRUISES ARE HEALED. CAN WE TALK ABOUT IT? THE ITS MUST DIE IN ORDER FOR OUR BEINGS TO LIVE.
SOME OF THE BEST PLANT FERTILIZER IS COMPOST.
GRAPES MUST BE PLUCKED FROM THE VINE, CRUSHED AND HEATED AND COOLED TO BECOME WHAT'S POURED INTO BOTTLES AND KEPT IN DEEP DARK PLACES.
ALL ALONE, TO ONE DAY DELIVER BITTER, SWEET, TART, AND TANGY SENSATIONS TO OUR TONGUES, WHICH ENJOY MOMENTARY HIGHS OF THIS ELECT ARE CALLED WINE.
THE ACORN MUST BE SOWN DEEP INTO THE SOIL.
ALONE IT SITS AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENS, A CRACK IN THE SHELL, AND WHAT EMERGES DOESN'T EVEN RESEMBLE A SHELL, BUT A LIVING ORGANISM REACHING FOR THE LIGHT.
KNOWING THAT ONE DAY SOON IT WILL BECOME A TOWERING OAK WHOSE BRANCHES CAN SUPPORT MANY LEAVES AND MANY LIVES.
[01:25:01]
SOW ME, GROW ME.ARE YOU ALL READY FOR THIS KIND OF POWER? INTEGRITY BATHED INTO A DISCIPLINED DESTINY IS ALL THE POWER THAT I NEED.
THE POWER IS IN ME AND IN YOU AND IN THE DISTRICT, AND SOME OF THE BEST CO WORKERS IN THE WHOLE WORLD TO BE ALL THAT YOU CAN BE AND IN ME TO BE IS POWER.
ON BEHALF OF YOLANDE BARIAL KNIGHT, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU.
I AM. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KEEPS ME COMING HERE IS YOU GUYS.
EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN HERE, I'VE PROBABLY SAID SOMETHING TO THIS PROBABLY OUT OF LINE.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I DIDN'T MEAN IT [LAUGHTER] BUT I REALLY CARE ABOUT EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.
I CAN ONLY SEE IT GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.
ON BEHALF OF MY CO WORKERS, DEBORAH FULLER, YULIE PADMORE, AND RICE.
I LOVE YOU. THANK YOU [APPLAUSE]
>> ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME TODAY FOR OUR SPECIAL PRESENTATION FOR YOLANDE, BUT NOW WE'RE BACK TO THE REGULAR AGENDA, AND WE ARE ON ANNOUNCEMENTS.
DO WE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS? THEN WE GET TO BUSINESS BEFORE THE BOARD,
[CONSENT CALENDAR]
WHICH FIRST ITEM OF THAT IS THE CONSENT CALENDAR.I WILL MAKE A COMMENT ON ONE OF THE ITEMS. THIS IS NOT TO BE PULLED, BUT I'M JUST GOING TO MAKE A COMMENT THAT THIS IS AN ITEM FOR OUT-OF-STATE TRAVEL.
TWO OF THE NAMES LISTED HAVE DECIDED THEY'RE NOT GOING ON THIS TRIP, SO WE WILL BE DELETING TWO OF THE BOARD MEMBERS, DIRECTOR SONG, AND COFFEY WILL BE DELETED FROM THAT.
OTHERWISE, THAT ITEM STAYS THE SAME.
I'M LOOKING FOR, UNLESS THERE'S ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO PULL ANYTHING FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE OR DO WE HAVE ANY COMMENTS?
>> ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS OR ANYTHING?
>> WE ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT THE MINUTES REVISION THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR.
>> OKAY. I'M PULLING UP THE ITEM.
IN THE MINUTES, WE PROPOSE REVISING THEM UNDER ITEM B, ACQUISITION STEWARDSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION, AUTHORIZATION TO ISSUE A NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT FOR THE WILDCAT BIKE TRAIL PROJECT.
THE MOTION WAS MOVED BY DIRECTOR ECHOLS AND SECONDED BY DIRECTOR COFFEY.
THE FOUR VOTES WERE COLIN COFFEY, DENNIS WAESPI, LUANA ESPANA, JOHN MERCURIO, AND ELIZABETH ECHOLS.
HOWEVER, LYNDA DESCHAMBAULT AND OLIVIA SANWONG WERE AGAINST.
THAT'S MOVING LYNDA DESCHAMBAULT TO THE AGAINST.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU.
WITH THAT, WERE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR THE.
>> NO PRISON CONSENT CALENDAR?
>> I'M LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT CALENDAR.
>> SECOND BY ECHOLS, ALL IN FAVOR.
NEXT IS ITEM B FROM THE EXTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION,
[EXTERNAL AFFAIRS DIVISION]
NUMBER ONE OF TWO ITEMS IS INFORMATIONAL UPDATE REGARDING 2025 PARK DISTRICT FEDERAL ADVOCACY MEETINGS.[01:30:08]
>> ERIC FILER, DIVISION LEAD FOR GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS.
WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR THE POWERPOINT, JUST WANTED TO MENTION, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THANK THE BOARD FOR THEIR PATIENCE ON PULLING THIS TRIP TOGETHER.
IT'S BEEN A BIT OF A CHALLENGE, AND IT WAS A BIT OF A CHALLENGE TO FIND DAYS OR WEEKS WHEN CONGRESS WAS GOING TO BE IN SESSION THE REMAINING OF THE YEAR.
AND JUST SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP, WE'LL BE STAYING AT THE WASHINGTON PLAZA HOTEL THIS YEAR, WHICH IS ACROSS THE CIRCLE FROM WHERE WE HAVE STAYED IN YEARS PAST.
WE WILL BE HAVING MEETINGS WITH OFFICES ON TUESDAY, THE 14TH, AND WEDNESDAY, THE 15TH, AND THERE WILL BE A DINNER WITH THE CONSULTANTS ON OCTOBER 14, ALONG WITH THE BOARD.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS ONE OF OUR CONSULTANTS IS ON THE LINE, AND SO AT THE END OF OUR PRESENTATION, WE WILL GO THROUGH WHAT WE HAVE OF THE SCHEDULE SO FAR.
IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'LL BE ADVOCATING ON, WE HAVE FOUR MAIN ARE, ACTUALLY THREE MAIN AREAS, AND THEN A FOURTH AREA THAT WE WANTED TO SOLICIT FEEDBACK.
THE FIRST AREA IS THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND.
THAT LEGISLATION OR THAT FUNDING HAS BEEN PROPOSED BY THE ADMINISTRATION TO BE DEFERRED, THANK YOU.
TO BE DEFERRED TO MAINTENANCE AND TO DIFFERENT EXPENDITURES THAN ITS ORIGINAL INTENT.
CONGRESS HAS CONTINUED TO STAND WITH THE $900 MILLION ANNUALLY IN THEIR APPROPRIATIONS BUDGET, AND SO WE'LL BE ASKING OUR MEMBERS TO SUPPORT KEEPING THAT FUNDING IN AND NOT REALLOCATED TO OTHER PURPOSES.
THERE'S ALSO A SECRETARIAL ORDER THAT ADDRESSES SOME OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND, INCLUDING THAT STATES COULD NOW USE THEIR STATE FUNDING TO PURCHASE FEDERAL LAND.
THAT TO PRIORITIZE FUNDING OR PURCHASING OF LAND FOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE OR US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, AND NOT PRIORITIZING FOREST SERVICE LANDS OR BLM LANDS.
THEN IT WILL ALSO REQUIRE THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO SUPPORT WHATEVER ACQUISITION THE FUNDING GOES TOWARD.
SOME OF YOU MAY REMEMBER WE WERE IN THE SENATE CHAMBERS WHEN THE GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT OF 2020 PASSED AND WAS SIGNED EVENTUALLY BY THE NOW CURRENT PRESIDENT, EVENTUALLY BECAME LAW, WHICH PROVIDES FULLY FUNDING FOR LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION FUND.
SECOND ISSUE IS OUR WORK AT THE THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50.
WE HAVE A PROJECT COMMUNITY PROJECT BENEFIT REQUEST IN WITH REPRESENTATIVE DESALN AND SENATOR SCHIFF.
THE REQUEST IS ADVANCING AT $850,000.
THAT IS FOR THE SOUTH OF BAILEY ROAD DEVELOPMENT.
AS PART OF OUR ASK THIS YEAR, WE WILL ALSO BE SEEKING SUPPORT FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR FOR A DELEGATION WIDE ASK, MEANING HAVING ALL OUR ENTIRE DELEGATION REQUESTING FUNDING FOR SOUTH OF BAILEY ROAD FOR THE THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK, HOME OF PORT CHICAGO 50.
THE OTHER ISSUE, BASED ON FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED FROM THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE, IS WE WILL WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF OUR WILDFIRE MITIGATION STRATEGIES.
WE HAVE TWO SPECIFIC EXAMPLES.
ONE IS THE GRIZZLY PEAK COLLABORATIVE, AND THE OTHER IS THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE CARBONIZER.
THOSE ARE GOOD EXAMPLES OF THE GREAT WORK WE'RE DOING THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH OUR DELEGATION AND ASK FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT IN THIS WORK.
WE ARE STILL CURRENTLY RECEIVING SOME FUNDING, AND WE WANT OUR DELEGATION SUPPORT TO CONTINUE THAT FUNDING SOURCE.
THE NEXT ITEM IS THE DISTRICT PLAN, AND MUCH LIKE OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEETINGS.
WE WILL BE ASKING MEMBERS OF OUR DELEGATION FOR INPUT ON THE DISTRICT PLAN.
TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY CAN, AND IT'S POSSIBLE.
WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO ALSO SOLICIT TO ASK SOME OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS TO STAY INVOLVED, GET INVOLVED IN THE DISTRICT PLAN PROCESS, AND WE'LL BE BRINGING THAT INFORMATION BACK TO OUR LOCAL DISTRICT OFFICES AND ALSO SHARING IT WITH THEM UPON OUR RETURN.
WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO CALL FLORE CANTOS TO GO THROUGH EACH MEMBER'S OFFICE AND SOME OF THE DETAILS ABOUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM ON.
[01:35:07]
>> THANK YOU, ERIC, AND HELLO, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD.
MY NAME IS FLORA. I AM THE LEGISLATIVE ASSISTANT ON THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TEAM.
AS ERIC MENTIONED, I'LL JUST TAKE US THROUGH THE EIGHT MEMBERS OF THE EAST BAY DELEGATION.
AS YOU PREPARE FOR THE ADVOCACY MEETINGS, JUST PROVIDE A BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE ENGAGEMENT WE'VE HAD WITH EACH OFFICE OVER THE PAST YEAR.
WE WILL START WITH SENATOR ADAM SCHIFF, WHO TOOK OFFICE THIS YEAR IN 2025 AFTER SERVING IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
HE'S HAD A VERY OPEN LINE OF COMMUNICATION, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT HE SERVES IN A STATEWIDE OFFICE AND THAT HE'S SUCH A NEW MEMBER OF THE DELEGATION.
WE'VE HAD GREAT STAFF ENGAGEMENT, INCLUDING IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL DISCUSSIONS.
WE MET TO TALK ABOUT LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR THE YEAR.
STAFF FROM HIS OFFICE ATTENDED A SITE TOUR OF THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK, HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50, WHERE WE TOOK US SENATE STAFF ON A SITE TOUR AND TALKED ABOUT THE PLANS AND THE PUBLIC OPENING FOR THIS SITE.
HIS OFFICE ALSO HAS SOME FRAMED PHOTOS OF PARK DISTRICT LANDSCAPES.
THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS WE WELCOME NEW DELEGATION MEMBERS AND SHOW OFF SOME OF THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY THAT'S IN THEIR DISTRICT.
AS MENTIONED, HE'S ALSO SUPPORTING SOME OF THE COMMUNITY PROJECT FUNDING FOR SOUTH OF BAILEY ROAD IN PARTNERSHIP WITH REPRESENTATIVE DE SOONERS' OFFICE.
THIS IS AN $850,000 REQUEST THAT IS ADVANCING.
ONTO SENATOR ALEX PADILLA'S OFFICE.
TEAM HAS HAD VERY CONSISTENT ENGAGEMENT AND CONSISTENT STAFF ATTENDANCE AT THE ELECTED OFFICE SITE VISITS THAT ARE ORGANIZED FOR LEGISLATIVE STAFF.
HIS TEAM ALSO TOURED THURGOOD MARSHALL REGIONAL PARK, HOME OF THE PORT CHICAGO 50.
AS YOU MAY RECALL, HE SUCCESSFULLY SECURED COMMUNITY BENEFIT PROJECT FUNDING FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION IN 2022 AND SECURED LANGUAGE THEN IN 2024 IN THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT TO SUPPORT THE CLEANUP AND TRANSFER OF THE OAKLAND ARMY BASE PROPERTY.
WE CAN MOVE ON TO THE HOUSE SIDE TO OUR SIX MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
CONGRESSMAN JOHN GARAMENDI MET DIRECTLY WITH THE PARK DISTRICT DELEGATION LAST YEAR IN DC, AS YOU MAY RECALL.
MEMBERS OF HIS STAFF HAVE ALSO CONSISTENTLY ATTENDED THE ELECTED OFFICE SITE VISITS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND MOST RECENTLY, WE HAD SOME OF THEM ATTEND THE POINT MALATE TRAIL EXTENSION GROUNDBREAKING EVENT.
HE SUCCESSFULLY SECURED COMMUNITY BENEFIT PROJECT FUNDING FOR THE MARTINEZ BAY TRAIL GAP CLOSURE LAST YEAR AND DID SUBMIT A REQUEST THIS YEAR FOR THE RICHMOND BAY TRAIL GAP CLOSURE.
IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE DISTRICT, REPRESENTATIVE JOSH HARDER, HIS OFFICE HAS BEEN RESPONSIVE TO STAFF MEETING REQUESTS.
OUR TEAM HAD A PRODUCTIVE MEETING WITH HIS STAFF TO DISCUSS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AT THE START OF THE SESSION, AND HE'S CERTAINLY BEEN OPEN TO DISCUSSION AS WE PARTNER WITH HIS TEAM.
THEN, OUR FIRST MEMBER OF THE DELEGATION TO WIN THE ANNUAL RADKE CHAMPIONING ADVOCACY AWARD, MR. MARK DESAULNIER, WHO RECEIVED THE AWARD IN 2023, AND SOMEONE WHOSE OFFICE ENJOYS COLLABORATING WITH THE PARK DISTRICT AND HOSTING EVENTS.
THIS YEAR, IN ADDITION TO SOME VIRTUAL DISCUSSIONS, WE HOSTED COMMUNITY-FACING ENGAGEMENT EVENTS, INCLUDING THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE FAIR AT BIG BREAK REGIONAL SHORELINE, AND A WALK AND TALK, A DOG WALK EDITION, AT BRIONES REGIONAL PARK, WHICH HE VERY MUCH ENJOYED.
HE ALSO SUCCESSFULLY SECURED FUNDING FOR THE PORT CHICAGO VISITOR CENTER IN 2022.
AS ADVANCING A REQUEST, AS I MENTIONED, FOR SOUTH OF BAILEY ROAD THIS YEAR, HE'S BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF THE CAMP PARKS TRAIL EASEMENT DISCUSSIONS AT THE US ARMY LAND AT THE TOSAHAR CREEK TRAIL.
NEXT UP IS THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR HOUSE DELEGATION, LATEEFAH SIMON.
SHE IS CHAMPIONING THE TIDEWATER BOATING CENTER REQUEST THAT OUR TEAM IS EXCITED FOR A LITTLE OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS THAT IS ADVANCING, AND SHE'S BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF THAT ASK.
WE HAVE MET IN PERSON WITH HER STAFF IN HER DISTRICT OFFICE.
[01:40:01]
SHE REQUESTED TWO SETS OF PHOTOS, WHICH WAS THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN, SOME FOR HER DC OFFICE AND FOR HER OAKLAND OFFICE.HOPEFULLY, IN WASHINGTON, DC, THOSE PHOTOS WILL BE HUNG UP PROUDLY FRONT AND CENTER IN HER OFFICE.
ANOTHER FAMILIAR FACE, REPRESENTATIVE ERIC SWALWELL, WHO MET DIRECTLY WITH THE PARK DISTRICT DELEGATION LAST YEAR.
HIS STAFF HAVE ENGAGED WITH THE DISTRICT.
OUR STAFF HAVE ENGAGED SEVERAL TIMES, HOSTING A WALK AND TALK WITH HIM AT LAKE CHABOT THIS SUMMER, AND HIS TEAM MEMBERS HAVE ATTENDED ELECTED OFFICE SITE VISITS.
HE IN 2023, HE ALSO SECURED COMMUNITY BENEFIT PROJECT FUNDING FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION IN ANTHONY SHABA.
THEN FINISHING AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE PARK DISTRICT, REPRESENTATIVE RO KHANNA, WHO IS ALSO ONE OF THE HAPPY RECIPIENT OF SOME OF THE FRAMED PARK DISTRICT PHOTOS.
HIS STAFF HAS BEEN OPEN TO MEETINGS, AND WE HAVE HAD A LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES DISCUSSION WITH HIS TEAM, AND HE HIS STAFF TEAM MEMBERS MET WITH THE PARK DISTRICT DELEGATION LAST YEAR IN DC.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, AND WE WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS.
>> ALL RIGHT. ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD?
>> REAL QUICK, ERIC, WHEN YOU WERE MENTIONING THE LWCF FUND, YOU SAID SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF HOW STATE GOVERNMENTS CAN PURCHASE FEDERAL LAND PRIMARILY NATIONAL PARK OR US FISH AND WILDLIFE THAT THAT'S BEING ENCOURAGED AS PART OF THIS CONVERSATION.
I GUESS MORE SPECIFICALLY, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LARGE US FISH AND WILDLIFE PROTECTED LAND IN FREMONT WITH DONNA EDWARDS.
I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THAT ENTERS INTO THE MIX HERE AT ALL.
>> POTENTIALLY. IT'S ESSENTIALLY GUIDELINES FOR HOW FEDERAL FUNDS SHOULD BE SPENT FOR ACQUISITION.
IF THERE WERE PROPERTY AVAILABLE NEAR DONNA EDWARDS THAT MADE SENSE TO BE PART OF THE REFUGE, THAT WOULD BE A PRIORITY AS OPPOSED TO SOMETHING LIKE BLM LAND IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY.
>> THANK YOU. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION.
>> I DO BELIEVE OUR CONSULTANT IS ON THIS ZOOM.
MAYBE JUST TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE SCHEDULE FOR THE TWO DAYS.
>> DID YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE? SHE'S THERE.
>> YES. OUR CONSULTANT'S, KDCR, AND OUR REPRESENTATIVE LINDSEY GARCIA IS JOINING US.
LINDSEY'S BEEN A RECENT ADDITION TO KDCR, BUT SHE'S DONE A LOT OF WORK IN HELPING US PREPARE FOR THIS TRIP, PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO THE LAND OF WATER CONSERVATION FUND.
IF THERE WAS ANYTHING I MISSED IN THAT, SHE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FILL US ALL IN, BUT ALSO JUST WANTED TO GIVE HER OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WEEK FOR OUR VISITS AND SOME OF THE MEETINGS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SCHEDULED.
WE'RE EXCITED FOR YOU ALL TO BE IN WASHINGTON, DC SOON.
WE'RE WORKING ON FILLING OUT THIS SCHEDULE FOR THE TIME THAT YOU'RE HERE.
YOU ALL WILL GET HERE ON MONDAY.
ON TUESDAY MORNING, WE'LL HAVE A BRIEFING AT OUR OFFICE, WHICH IS CLOSE TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND CLOSE TO WHERE YOU GUYS ARE STAYING.
AT THAT BRIEFING, WE'LL MAKE SURE TO GIVE YOU ANY UPDATES ON ANYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED BETWEEN WHEN YOU'VE GOT YOUR BRIEFING MATERIALS AND WHEN YOU GET THERE AND ALSO JUST ADDITIONAL COLOR AND BACKGROUND ON THE MEETING.
WE HAVE A COUPLE OF HOURS BLOCKED THERE TO REALLY TALK THROUGH THINGS, ANSWER QUESTIONS, GET PREPARED FOR THE MEETINGS.
ON TUESDAY, WE HAVE MOSTLY STAFF LEVEL MEETINGS BECAUSE CONGRESS MEMBERS ARE FLYING BACK THAT DAY.
WE HAVE A MEETING WITH THE LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR FOR CONGRESSMAN ROCANA.
WE HAVE A MEETING WITH CONGRESSMAN JOSH HARDER'S OFFICE.
THEN WE WORKING ON A MEETING WITH THE STAFF DIRECTOR FOR THE FEDERAL LAND SUBCOMMITTEE FOR CONGRESSMAN JARED HUFFMAN.
THEN WE HAVE MEETINGS LATER IN THE AFTERNOON
[01:45:02]
WITH STAFF FROM SENATOR PIDIA AND SENATOR SCHIFF'S OFFICE.THEN WE WILL HAVE A DINNER ON TUESDAY NIGHT AT FOUNDING FARMERS ALTOGETHER.
THEN ON WEDNESDAY, THAT'S WHEN WE'RE WORKING ON OUR MEMBER LEVEL MEETINGS OVER ON THE HOUSE SIDE.
CONGRESSWOMAN LATEEFAH SIMON, CONGRESSMAN MARK SIMON, AND THEN CONGRESSMAN SAL AND WE ARE STILL WORKING ON CONGRESSMAN GARAMENDI FOR THAT DAY, TRYING TO LOCK IT INTO THE SCHEDULE.
DEPENDING ON THE MEMBER SCHEDULE, IF WE HAVE TIME, WE'LL WORK ON STAFF LEVEL MEETINGS WITH SOME OTHER PEOPLE JUST TO SLOT IN THERE DEPENDING ON HOW ALL OF THE MEMBER SCHEDULES WORK OUT.
THEY STILL DON'T KNOW WHEN VOTES WILL BE YET, SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE SLIDES OF THE MEMBER SCHEDULE, BUT WE'LL WORK THROUGH THAT.
THEN YOU ALL WILL HEAD BACK TO CALIFORNIA ON THURSDAY.
THAT'S WHAT THE SCHEDULE IS LOOKING LIKE RIGHT NOW.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS OR ABOUT THE SCHEDULE OR ANYTHING ELSE, BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING YOU ALL OUT HERE.
>> ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? HEARING NONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PART OF IT.
>> THANK YOU, LINDSEY. ONE ADDITIONAL ITEM IS WE DO HAVE A BOOKLET BEING PREPARED WE DISTRIBUTE TO ALL OF YOU, BUT IT DOES HIGHLIGHT THE ISSUES THAT WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, AND THAT SHOULD BE TO YOU IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO.
>> THANK YOU. MADAM CLERK, ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM?
>> ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD ON THIS ITEM? HEARING NONE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, ERIC.
>> THANK YOU. NEXT IS ITEM B2, ADOPTION OF THE 2026 BOARD CALENDAR.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON PRESIDENT MERCURIO AND BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER ALLISON BROOKS FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS AND EXCITED TO GET YOUR APPROVAL OF A BOARD CALENDAR FOR 2026.
MAYBE NOT THE MOST SCINTILLATING ITEM ON YOUR CALENDAR, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT ONE AS WE ORGANIZE OURSELVES AROUND THESE MEETINGS, THE OFFICIAL MEETINGS FOR BOARD BUSINESS.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET A CALENDAR APPROVED SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH OTHER SCHEDULING.
YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU TWO OPTIONS, AND I'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON HOW WE ARRIVED AT THESE TWO OPTIONS.
AT THE JULY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, I PRESENTED WHAT WAS ESSENTIALLY A VERSION OF THIS YEAR'S 2025 BOARD CALENDAR WITH THE 2026 DATES.
AT THAT MEETING, DIRECTOR SANWONG SUGGESTED THAT WE EXPLORE SOME ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO MEET SOME IMPORTANT GOALS THROUGH THE CALENDARING, INCLUDING ADDING SOME EVENING MEETINGS, POTENTIALLY SOME ALTERNATIVE LOCATIONS FOR BOARD MEETINGS TO PERHAPS HELP MORE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC BE ABLE TO JOIN THESE MEETINGS IN PERSON, NOT BEING AT PERALTA OAKS.
OPTION 1 THAT YOU SEE IS ACCOMMODATES THAT GOAL BY INCLUDING ONE EVENING MEETING AND ONE ALTERNATIVE LOCATION.
IN 2026, WE WOULD HAVE TWO MEETINGS LOCATED IN OTHER PARK DISTRICT LOCATIONS AND TWO EVENING MEETINGS STARTING AT 5:00 P.M. OPTION 2 TAKES IT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, AND THIS VERSION IS AN EFFORT TO CONSOLIDATE SOME OF OUR COMMITTEE MEETINGS, AND WHAT THIS MODELS BEST PRACTICES BY MOST PUBLIC AGENCIES WITH COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
IN MOST CASES, THEY WILL CONSOLIDATE ALL OF THEIR COMMITTEE MEETINGS ON ONE DAY.
THIS IS AN EFFORT TO PERHAPS PILOT THIS BY COMBINING TWO COMMITTEE MEETINGS ON TWO DIFFERENT DAYS OF THE MONTH.
WHAT THAT COULD DO IS IT COULD FREE UP AT LEAST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH FOR STAFF TO WORK ON PARK DISTRICT RELATED ITEMS. IT CERTAINLY FREES UP TIME FOR THE BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE ALL VERY BUSY AND HAVE
[01:50:01]
OTHER OFTEN PARK DISTRICT RELATED ITEMS THAT YOU'RE ENGAGED IN.THIS WOULD FREE UP THOSE TWO DAYS.
STAFF ACTUALLY THINKS IT IS WORTH EXPLORING THIS OPTION AND PILOTING IT AND SEEING HOW IT GOES.
I MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS FROM WHAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING IN SEPTEMBER RESPONDING TO YOUR COMMENTS AND THAT THROUGH ACCOMMODATING THE TWO MEETINGS, WE WOULD START AT ROUGHLY 10:30.
A LOT OF THIS CAN BE ADJUSTED BASED ON YOUR FEEDBACK.
ALSO YOU COULD ALSO LOOK AT THESE COMMITTEES AND DECIDE YOU WOULD RATHER HAVE THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND OPERATIONS COMMITTEE COMBINED.
YOU CAN MIX AND MATCH THIS WHATEVER MAKES SENSE FOR YOU.
BUT WE THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD START.
YOU WOULD START AT 10:30 FOR ONE OF THE COMMITTEES, HAVE A BREAK FOR LUNCH AND THEN HAVE THE NEXT COMMITTEE START AT 1:00 P.M.
THE SUGGESTION WAS SECOND WEDNESDAYS OF THE MONTH FOR FINANCE AND OPERATIONS AND THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH FOR EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND GOVERN LEDGE COMMITTEE.
THOSE ARE THE TWO ITEMS BEFORE YOU AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. THANK YOU.
>> QUESTIONS ON THIS. YOU WANT TO GO.
>> YEAH. I DO HAVE A QUESTION.
I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT CHALLENGING SOMETIMES TO HAVE BACK TO BACK, WHERE WE HAVE A BOARD MEETING ON TUESDAY AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS ON THE WEDNESDAY OF THE DAY AFTER, AND I SEE WITH THE THIRD WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH, SINCE MOST OF OUR BOARD MEETINGS ARE ON THE THIRD TUESDAYS, THAT COULD BE POTENTIALLY AN ISSUE.
I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE BIT PROBLEMATIC FOR MYSELF AND I'M NOT SURE ABOUT FOR STAFF OR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. I'M JUST CURIOUS.
ACTUALLY, I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES OR FROM STAFF IF THAT'S GOING TO BE AN ISSUE TO BASICALLY HAVE TWO FULL DAYS BACK TO BACK FOR THOSE WHO ARE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEES THAT WE DESIGNATE AND THIS IS AN OPTION 2, OR I GUESS ALSO OPTION 1.
SOMETIMES WE ARE ALSO USING THE THIRD WEDNESDAY.
I NOTICED ON OPTION 1 FOR OPERATIONS COMMITTEE.
THEN I GUESS MY OTHER QUESTION AND IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HEAR THOUGHTS ON THIS.
I KNOW LAST YEAR WE HAD GONE THROUGH THIS WHERE WE TRIED TO COMBINE COMMITTEE MEETINGS ON THE SAME DAY AND IT WASN'T SOMETHING THAT AGAIN, THIS IS OPTION 2, THAT THAT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO WORK WELL, LAST YEAR, AND THEN ALSO WITH THAT 10:30 A.M. START TIME.
I KNOW THAT WAS A BIG TOPIC OF DISCUSSION LAST YEAR IN 2024 JUST BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO GET HERE WITH A 10:30 A.M. START TIME COMPARED TO 11:00 A.M. FOR SOME OF US, DEPENDING ON WHERE WE LIVE IN THE EAST BAY.
I'M JUST CURIOUS TO HEAR SOME THOUGHTS ON THOSE TWO, AND I MAY HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT THOSE ARE THE FIRST TWO THAT JUMP OUT TO ME.
>> THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YEAH. OKAY.
>> THE COMMITTEE JUST DECIDED TO REFER BOTH OPTIONS? IS THAT HOW IT WORKS? YOU DON'T HAVE A PREFERRED OPTION AS IN TERMS OF THE COMMITTEE'S WORK?
>> YEAH, IT WAS JUST THE TWO OF US.
>> YEAH, THERE WAS JUST TWO OF US.
>> WE EACH HAD A PREFERRED OPTION. SPLIT VOTE.
>> THAT WAS AN EASY DECISION TO PUN THAT.
>> [OVERLAPPING] WELL, AND IT'S A PARTICULARLY APPROPRIATE ISSUE FOR ALL OF US.
>> WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO ACCOMMODATE OURSELVES AND OUR COLLEAGUES ALL TOGETHER.
QUESTION. TO WHAT EXTENT, IF ANY? BECAUSE IT MAY BE DIFFICULT TO DO AT THIS POINT.
HAS THERE BEEN CONSIDERATION IN SELECTING DATES REGARDING THE CONFERENCES THAT MOST OF US ATTEND? OR IS THAT SOMETHING WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO CONFRONT WHEN WE GET FIRM DATES FOR THOSE? HOW IS THAT GOING TO WORK?
>> WE SCANNED THE MAJOR ONES THAT YOU ATTEND AND TO MAKE SURE THEY DIDN'T CONFLICT WITH THE FULL BOARD MEETINGS.
WE'LL HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK ON THE SECOND AND THIRD WEDNESDAY IF THERE'S A CONFLICT.
[01:55:06]
ONE THING I ADDITIONAL THING I WOULD SAY HERE IS THIS COULD INFLUENCE WHAT COMMITTEES YOU ASKED TO SIT ON AS WELL, BASED ON THE DATES THAT ARE HERE AND I THINK GETTING TO DIRECTOR SANWONG'S POINT, THAT COULD INFLUENCE WHAT COMMITTEES YOU DECIDE TO SIT ON BASED ON THE TIMING AS WELL.>> THE IDEA IS BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS, THE PROPOSAL ON OPTION 2 WAS TO OVERLAP THE TIMES, WHICH WOULD PRECLUDE US FROM SERVING ON BOTH THOSE COMMITTEES.
THE ADJUSTMENT HERE, I JUST WANT TO SEE IF I'VE GOT IT RIGHT IS YOU'RE ALLOWING FOR ATTENDANCE AT BOTH PREMISED BY THE EARLIER MEETING WON'T GO LONGER THAN TWO HOURS, OR IT FORCES THAT ISSUE IF WE'RE ON TWO COMMITTEES ON THE SAME DAY.
THAT'S JUST PART OF THE THINKING HERE.
>> YEAH, YOU COULD SEE THAT THAT COMMITTEE WOULD FIT WITHIN THAT TIME FRAME.
THAT DOES NOT PRECLUDE THAT MEETING GOING OVER IF IT NEEDS TO.
THINGS WOULD NEED TO BE ADJUSTED ACCORDINGLY.
>> YEAH. I SUPPOSE WE COULD SEE WHO'S ON WHAT COMMITTEE AND SEE HOW THAT WORKS IN TERMS OF THE TIMING.
I DO STRONGLY SUPPORT THE CONCEPT OF SETTING A CALENDAR EARLY AND STICKING TO IT.
THIS RESULTED OUT OF THAT YEAR WHEN WE WERE CONSTANTLY ASKING TO CHANGE MEETINGS AMONGST OURSELVES AND IT MADE THINGS PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT FOR STAFF.
THE IDEA OF HAVING A SET CALENDAR THAT WE ALL AGREE TO STICK TO IS SOMETHING I SUPPORT.
IF IT ENDS UP THAT THERE IS A CONFLICTING CONFERENCE AND I CHOOSE TO GO TO THAT.
I'M JUST GOING TO MISS A COMMITTEE MEETING.
I'LL ACCEPT THAT, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE ALTERNATES.
WE MAY WANT TO THINK ABOUT HAVING MORE THAN ONE ALTERNATE.
WE HAVE A SEVEN MEMBER BOARD, MAYBE WE CAN ACCOMMODATE.
THAT WOULD BE A OPERATING GUIDELINES ISSUE FOR US TO CONTEMPLATE.
>> WHAT WAS THE OTHER QUESTION? THE INITIAL DRAFT THAT I SAW HAD THE EVENING MEETINGS STARTING AT 6:00.
WE BROUGHT THAT UP TO 5:00, IS THAT TO GET US HOME EARLIER?
>> YOU HAD PROVIDED I THINK IT WAS RESPONDING TO DIFFERENT COMMENTS THAT WERE RECEIVED FROM BOARD MEMBERS, AND I WAS TRYING TO ADJUST PONS TO THAT.
>> HISTORICALLY, I JUST HAVEN'T SUPPORTED THE CONCEPT OF THE EVENING MEETINGS.
BACK WHEN WE STARTED THEM A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, IN PARTICULAR FOR THE BUDGET MEETING IN DECEMBER, AND IT'S SELFISH IN A SENSE, BUT I ALSO THINK IT APPLIES TO OTHER PEOPLE THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET HERE, AND A LOT OF THE HIGHWAY ROUTES IN LATE AFTERNOONS ARE PARTICULARLY CLOGGED.
I DON'T MIND SO MUCH WHEN I'M GOING HOME BECAUSE I'M GOING HOME, BUT WHEN I'M TRYING TO GET TO A MEETING ON TIME, THE TIMING COUNTS.
05:00 ISN'T GOING TO BE THAT MUCH DIFFERENT FOR ME THAN 6:00, BUT I GUESS IT'S A LITTLE BETTER IN GETTING US HOME A LITTLE EARLIER, IF THE BOARD WANTS THOSE EVENING MEETINGS.
THE OTHER OBSERVATION I HAVE FROM NOW A NUMBER OF YEARS WITH THE EVENING MEETING THAT WE HAVE IN DECEMBER IS WE GOT WE DIDN'T GET ANY BETTER ATTENDANCE AT THOSE MEETINGS IF I'M REMEMBERING RIGHT.
AND I THINK, I USED TO MAKE A POINT OF UNDERSTANDING HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE IN THE ROOM AND HOW MANY PEOPLE BY ZOOM.
THE ATTENDANCE DIDN'T IMPROVE.
I THINK THERE WAS A YEAR NOT TOO FAR IN THE PAST, WHERE IT WAS JUST WAS POOR ATTENDANCE IN THE EVENING.
I THINK THAT REFLECTED SOME OF THE DIFFICULTY THAT PEOPLE HAVE WITH GIVING UP EVENINGS.
I WOULD ADDRESS THAT ISSUE TO MY COLLEAGUES WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT TIME WHETHER A DAY MEETING WHERE WE'VE BEEN HISTORICALLY STARTING IS REALLY MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO ATTEND.
I THINK IT'S ALMOST THE OPPOSITE.
I JUST WANT TO STICK TO QUESTIONS.
I'M I'M TRYING. MR. PRESIDENT.
[02:00:03]
WE HAD MEETINGS CANCELED BY REASON OF CONFERENCES THIS YEAR.THE THE PROPOSED TRIP THIS YEAR ORIGINALLY TO DC WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A COMMITTEE BEING CANCELED.
I THINK, YOU'VE YOU'VE BASICALLY RESPONDED TO THAT.
CSDA, THE TRAILS AND GREENWAYS CONFERENCE CARPET, AND I WOULD ADD TOGETHER BAY AREA.
BECAUSE TOGETHER BAY AREA, I MISSED THIS YEAR.
IT WAS ON A WEDNESDAY AND I HAD A FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, AND I REALLY LIKE GOING TO THAT ONE DAY THEY HAVE AT FORT MASON AS PART OF THEIR CONFERENCE AND THEY HAVE AN IN PERSON DAY ON THAT WEDNESDAY. WE'RE LOOKING FOR LISA?
>> WAS ON THEIR BOARD AND ACTIVE IN THAT.
IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO FIGURE OUT THEIR SCHEDULE TOO, I KNOW A NUMBER OF US LIKE ATTENDING THAT FORT MASON ONE.
I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF COMMENTS THAT I'LL JUST WITHHOLD TILL.
>> I'D LIKE FEEDBACK FROM STAFF WHO HAVE TO ATTEND THIS MEETING AS FAR AS WHAT OPTION WORKS WELL FROM THEM.
I'D ALSO LIKE FEEDBACK FROM THE CLERKS TO SEE AS FAR AS IF HAVING TWO MEETINGS A DAY, AS FAR AS IF THEY'RE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THAT.
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK EITHER OF THESE CALENDARS SPEAK TO MY SPECIFIC NEEDS AND I'LL DISCUSS THAT DURING COMMENT, BUT THOSE FEEDBACK THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT DOES THIS BENEFIT STAFF AND TO THE CLERKS.
>> THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO PILOT THIS AND TO COME COMBINE THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
>> BY STAFF, DO YOU MEAN ALL STAFF OR DOES THE CLERK'S TEAM HAVE THE SAME OPINION? WILL THEY BE ABLE TO DO THE TWO MEETINGS A DAY AND DOES IT MAKE THEIR WORK FLOW EASIER TOO?
>> WELL, I THINK IT GETS BACK TO THE BEST PRACTICES AND THAT PUBLIC AGENCIES WITH COMMITTEES.
CLERKS ARE ABLE TO MANAGE COMMITTEE MEETINGS BEING CONSOLIDATED.
>> EVEN WITH THE TIME AS FAR AS IN BETWEEN THESE TWO MEETINGS, HAS YOUR TEAM LOOKED AT THE LENGTH OF THE MEETINGS WITHIN A YEAR, AS FAR AS TO SEE HOW LONG THEY USUALLY TREND SO THAT THE DAY THAT WE HAVE DOUBLE MEETINGS THAT THERE'S LESS OF A CONFLICT, WAS THE MEETING OF 1.5 ARBITRARILY CHOSEN?
>> IT WAS NOT ARBITRARILY CHOSEN.
I DID TALK THROUGH WITH THE TEAM ABOUT HOW LONG THESE MEETINGS TYPICALLY LAST AND IT REALLY RAN FROM THE RANGE OF 1 HOUR TO 2 HOURS IS TYPICAL FOR COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
>> SOME, OF COURSE, MAY RUN LONGER.
>> DID WE TAKE THE ACTUAL TIME THOUGH FROM THE MEETINGS THE LAST YEARS AND BECAUSE THAT'S AS FAR AS THEY TYPICALLY VERSUS LOOKING AT THE TIME THAT'S RECORDED ON BECAUSE WE HAVE GRANIT KISS, WE HAVE IT ON THERE.
LOOKING AT BECAUSE SOME OF THE MEETINGS JUST FROM WATCHING THEM ONLINE TREND LONGER NORMALLY THAN AN HOUR AND A HALF.
I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SOME OF THESE COMMITTEES BEING ABLE TO STAY IN THAT TIME IF WE PILOT IT.
IF WE LOOK AT THE ACTUAL DATA FROM THE LAST 2, 3 YEARS OF MEETINGS AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT THE TIMING ON THIS ACCURATELY REFLECTS HOW LONG THOSE COMMITTEE MEETINGS BECAUSE THEY DON'T ALL TREND AN HOUR AND A HALF.
THOSE ARE JUST MY QUESTIONS FOR IT.
>> A COUPLE OF THINGS. FIRST OF ALL, THAT'S AN INTERESTING POINT THAT YOU JUST RAISED, DIRECTOR IN TERMS OF HOW LONG THE MEETINGS LAST.
I THINK YOU COULD STILL DO THE TWO MEETINGS, BUT YOU MIGHT NEED TO PAIR THE MEETINGS ACCORDINGLY, FOR EXAMPLE, JUST ANECDOTICALLY.
I MEAN, MY EXPERIENCE THE OPERATIONS AND EXECUTIVE COME IS USUALLY OVER IN AN HOUR AND A HALF.
IN GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS AND FINANCE WHEN I'VE SERVED ON THOSE COMMITTEES CAN GO LONGER? WE MIGHT WANT TO JUST, FOR EXAMPLE, FLIP OPERATIONS WITH FINANCE OPERATIONS IS FIRST.
IF YOU ARE DOING BOTH OF THOSE MEETINGS, THEN YOU COULD HAVE A LONGER MEETING IN THE AFTERNOON IF YOU NEEDED IT.
[02:05:05]
THAT'S JUST ONE SUGGESTION.THEN I WAS WONDERING WITH THE TIMING 5:00 P.M FOR THE EVENING MEETINGS.
JUST TO CLARIFY, THAT IS THAT WHEN THE CLOSED SESSION OR OPEN SESSION STARTS?
>> THAT WOULD BE THE CLOSED SESSION..
>> BECAUSE I'M WONDERING IF YOU MEAN, REALLY OUR GOAL IS TO HAVE THE PUBLIC HERE FOR THE PUBLIC MEETING.
YOU COULD I MEAN, DEPENDING ON, I DON'T KNOW YOU GUYS KNOW THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS BETTER FROM WHERE YOU'RE GOING, BUT IF YOU START HAD A 6:00 START FOR THE PUBLIC, BUT LIKE A 4:00 START FOR US OR EVEN A 3:00 START FOR US OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEN,THAT WOULD.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT HELPS OR NOT, BUT I'M JUST THINKING THAT YOU COULD GET THE CLOSED SESSION OUT OF THE WAY, AND THEN YOU COULD HAVE THE OPEN SESSION AT SIX, POSSIBLY IF YOU THINK THAT'S A BETTER TIME IN TERMS OF COMMUTING HERE, OR YOU COULD EVEN GO THE OTHER WAY AND HAVE IT START MAYBE AS EARLY AS I GUESS FIVE WOULD BE ABOUT THE EARLIEST.
YOU COULD HAVE IT START IF YOU WANTED PEOPLE HERE.
ANYWAY, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY WHETHER THAT WAS BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BACK IT UP REGARDLESS, WE HAVE TO BACK IT UP 2 HOURS EARLIER FOR THE CLOSED SESSION.
>> THEN THE OTHER THING. LET'S SEE.
THERE WAS ONE OTHER THING HERE.
SHOOT. NO, I DON'T REMEMBER. I DIDN'T WRITE IT DOWN.
I GUESS I CAN MAYBE ASK IT AS PART OF MY COMMENTS LATER. I KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
I KNOW WHEN WE LOOKED AT THIS IN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, WE DID LOOK WE HAD IT SET UP FOR THE SECOND AND FOURTH WEDNESDAY.
BUT THEN I UNDERSTAND AND YOU CAN CORRECT ME, THAT WHEN THEY ACTUALLY MAPPED OUT THE DATES, THEN YOU WOULD BE HARD TO HAVE THAT FOURTH WEDNESDAY FOR WHEN THERE WAS THANKSGIVING AND THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY.
THAT'S WHY STEFF MOVED IT TO THIRD WEDNESDAY.
I MEAN, I SUPPOSE YOU COULD WE'RE TRYING TO BE VERY CONSISTENT WITH THESE MEETINGS, BUT MAYBE YOU COULD SET IT UP LIKE THIRD WEDNESDAY, BUT THEN FOR THOSE TWO WEDNESDAYS, MOVE IT EARLIER OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT FOR NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, AS LONG AS IT WAS DONE IN ADVANCE.
YOU JUST A SUGGESTION MIGHT BE A WAY TO WORK AROUND THAT.
BECAUSE I THINK AND ACTUALLY, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE CHAIRING, WE CAN AS YOU SAY, WE CAN MOVE THESE AROUND, BUT IF YOU'RE BOARD CHAIR AND CHAIR CHAIRING BECAUSE I DID IT LAST YEAR.
CHAIRING THIS MEETING ON A TUESDAY AND THEN COMING AND CHAIRING THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE THE NEXT DAY, AND THEN IF YOU HAD ANOTHER MEETING AFTER THAT, THAT WOULD BE A LOT.
I THINK IT'S WORTH THINKING ABOUT HOW ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES FIT TOGETHER AND THEN IT WOULD ALSO BE UP TO THE INCOMING BOARD PRESENT TO SOME EXTENT ABOUT.
WELL, I GUESS, ACTUALLY, NO, WE'RE DECIDING IT TODAY, BUT YOU COULD HAVE THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, FOR EXAMPLE, ON THE SECOND WEDNESDAY SO THAT IF YOU WERE BOARD PRESIDENT, YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE TO HAVE THEM BACK TO BACK, SO YOU COULD SOLVE IT THAT WAY TOO.
>> COULD ALTERNATIVELY DO THE SECOND TUESDAY, THROWING ANOTHER DIMENSION IN THERE.
BUT JUST TO YOUR EARLIER POINT, DIRECTOR ECHOLS, IF REVIEWING THE AGENDAS FOR THE TWO COMMITTEES, ONE MAY APPEAR LIKE IT MAY GO LONGER JUST BASED ON WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA, AND YOU CAN JUST FLIP THEM AS YOU SAID.
YOU COULD FLIP THE ORDER OF THAT PARTICULAR DAY.
>> WELL, I ACTUALLY WASN'T SUGGESTING FLIPPING THEM BY THE DAY.
I WAS JUST SAYING THAT IN GENERAL, IT'S BEEN MY EXPERIENCE, THAT THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE TEND TO BE SHORTER.
TO HAVE THOSE IN THE 1030 SLOT CONSISTENTLY.
THEN FINANCE FINANCE SOMETIMES GOES QUICK, BUT SOMETIMES IT'S QUITE LENGTHY, SO IT JUST DEPENDS, AT LEAST IN MY EXPERIENCE.
I HAVEN'T LOOKED AT ALL THE DATA.
YOU COULD HAVE THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND EDGE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE IN THE AFTERNOON AT ONE.
IF THEY IF IN FACT, THE DATA SUPPORTS THAT THEY TEND TO BE LONGER, THEN YOU COULD JUST THAT WOULD GIVE YOU MORE TIME FOR THE COMMITTEES THAT MIGHT NEED THEM.
>> ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM?
>> NO, WE DO NOT. PRESIDENT MERCURIO.
>> WAIT, NO, I DON'T GUESS. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
LET'S HAVE COMMENTS. WHO WANTS TO GO FIRST?
[02:10:07]
>> I'D LIKE TO MAKE A CALL. IN THE BACKGROUND OF THIS, IT SAYS, LOOKING AT THIS COULD ALLOW IMPROVED PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT BOARD MEETINGS AND BETTER ACCOMMODATE THE SCHEDULES OF BOARD MEMBERS, AND THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE JOBS THAT TAKE 9:00-5:00 BUSINESS HOURS.
I FALL TO SEE HOW THIS ACCOMMODATE SOMEONE WHO WORKS 9:00-5:00.
THERE'S NOTHING IN THIS POLICY THAT REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF HOURS, I HAVE TO TAKE OFF WORK OR THE AMOUNT OF TIMES THAT I WOULD NEED TO COME.
LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES I WOULD BE ON, POTENTIALLY, I'D STILL HAVE TO COME IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF DAYS.
THE ONLY THING THAT REDUCES THE IMPACT ON SOMEONE WORKING 9:00-5:00 IS TO PUSH THE MEETINGS OUT LATER SO WE CAN WORK MORE HOURS IN OUR JOB BEFORE WE COME HERE.
PUSHING BACK BOARD MEETINGS AND STARTING THEM AT ONE INSTEAD OF 11.
THAT MEANS I CAN WORK A FULL MORNING.
SOME OF THESE OPTIONS AS FAR AS HAVING BOARD MEETINGS THAT ARE FURTHER OUT THE DAY, FURTHER SEGMENT MY DAY.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY OVERALL, I JUST FAIL TO SEE HOW THE TWO OPTIONS HERE ACCOMMODATE SOMEONE WORKING.
IT DOES, AS FAR AS, I THINK, HAVE A GOOD OPTION 2 HAS A GREAT IMPACT ON PARK STAFF BECAUSE THERE'S LESS DAYS THAT THEY HAVE TO COME IN FOR BOARD MEETINGS.
AS FAR AS I MEAN, COMMITTEE MEETINGS, SO HAVING MORE COMMITTEES ON THE SAME DAY.
HOWEVER, I SEE THE TIMING OFF BECAUSE REAL DATA WASN'T USED TO TIME OUT THE MEETINGS, AS FAR AS HOW LONG THEY HAVE HISTORICALLY OCCURRED OVER THE LAST 2-3 YEARS.
I THINK ONE THING TOO, WE HAVE TO ALSO LOOK AT HOW WE CONDUCT MEETINGS AS A BOARD TO ACCOMMODATE THIS SCHEDULE JUST AS FAR AS KEEPING MORE TO THE DIFFERENT PARLIAMENTARIAN RULES AND KEEPING QUESTIONS SHORT, KEEPING FEEDBACK SHORTER BECAUSE A LOT OF OUR MEETINGS HAVE RAN ON LONGER, ALSO DUE TO OUR RESPONSES AT BOARD MEMBERS AND SOME THAT HAVE USED AT TIMES QUESTION PERIOD TO PONTIFICATE FOR A LONG AMOUNT OF TIME ON CERTAIN ISSUES.
I THINK AS FAR AS FOR THIS NEW SCHEDULE TO WORK, WE ALSO REALLY HAVE TO TIGHTEN UP EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US BECAUSE WE'VE ALL FALLEN INTO THIS AT TIMES, REALLY TIGHTEN UP OUR INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE BOARD MEETING TO ACCOMMODATE TWO MEETINGS IN A DAY.
THOSE ARE JUST AS FAR AS SOME THINGS THAT I SEE, BUT AS FAR AS I THINK PILOTING IS DEFINITELY GOOD.
THEN THE OTHER PART, I THINK WE DO NEED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO SOME OF THE DIFFERENT POTENTIALLY TOWERING ISSUES AND JUST, DO ONE MORE CHECK WITH DIFFERENT CONFERENCES AND OTHER STUFF COMING UP.
>> WOULD OPTION 2 HELP YOU IN THAT YOU COULD CHOOSE COMMITTEES THAT START IN THE AFTERNOON?
>> THOSE COMMITTEES, STARTING A COMMITTEE AT 11:00 IS A BETTER OPTION THAN STARTING IT AT THE END OF THE DAY.
AT THAT ONE O'CLOCK TIME PERIOD, HOW MY PERSONAL SCHEDULE WORKS, BUT IF IT WAS LATER WHERE IT'S THE END OF THE DAY, ALMOST A 2:30, THREE O'CLOCK, THAT WAY, YOU JUST TAKE OFF THE LAST OF A DAY.
SOMETHING AT THREE O'CLOCK OR EVEN 3:30.
BUT THAT'S JUST LOOKING AT MY PERSONAL SCHEDULE, NOT WHAT'S BEST.
>> I WAS JUST, BECAUSE YOUR SCHEDULE IS IMPORTANT TO US.
OPTION 1 DOESN'T HELP YOU AT ALL.
[02:15:03]
I'M FOCUSING ON THE SUGGESTION THAT IT'S BETTER TO HAVE FOR YOU TO HAVE MEETINGS IN THE AFTERNOON.OPTION 1 DOESN'T ADDRESS THAT, OPTION 2 DOES IN SO FAR AS YOU HAVE AT LEAST TWO COMMITTEES STARTING IN THE AFTERNOONS, BE AT ONE O'CLOCK, TWO O'CLOCK HOWEVER, WE LAND.
OPTION 2 DOES GIVE YOU THAT BENEFIT?
>> IT DOES, BUT HAVING THE COMMITTEE MEETING LATER IN THE DAY, IT WOULD BE NICER TO PUSH THAT COMMITTEE OUT FARTHER.
YOU GET TO WORK MAYBE ALMOST A COMPLETE DAY.
>> WE CAN SET MAYBE THESE COMMITTEES, MAYBE ANOTHER COMMITTEE THAT WILL START IN THE AFTERNOON, AND THEN ONCE THAT COMMITTEE IS CONSTITUTED, IT CAN DECIDE WHAT TIME TO START.
>> IT CAN, BUT THAT'S LOOKING AT MY SCHEDULE BECAUSE WE HAVE TWO OTHER WORKING MEMBERS.
IF THEY'RE ON TWO COMMITTEES, THEN YOU'RE STARTING ONE OF THOSE COMMITTEES LATER, THEN THEY WOULD POTENTIALLY HAVE TO [OVERLAPPING].
>> IF THEY WANT TO BE ON BOTH COMMITTEES THERE WILL THIS GAP ITS GOING TO BE HARD ALL AROUND.
BUT I AM MOVED THAT THIS WOULD PRESENT MAYBE SOME BETTER OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE.
>> I MEAN, WE HAVE BOARD MEETINGS AS FAR AS PUSHING BACK BOARD MEETINGS TWO HOURS WOULD SAVE MORE TIME THROUGHOUT THE YEAR VERSUS A COMMITTEE MEETING THAT JUST HAPPENS ONCE A MONTH.
BUT I THINK WE HAVE TWO OTHER WORKING BOARD MEMBERS AND WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT SCHEDULES, BUT AS A BOARD MEMBER, I LIVE THE CLOSEST, AND I WORK CLOSE, SO I DON'T LOSE THAT COMMUTING TIME TO GET HERE.
I HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL THAT OUR TWO OTHER WORKING BOARD MEMBERS HAVE TO COMMUTE A LOT FARTHER.
>> I JUST HAVE A QUESTION TO FOLLOW UP ON LANA'S COMMENTS REAL QUICK.
IN TERMS OF THE BOARD MEETINGS.
WHEN YOU'RE SAYING IT'D BE EASIER TO START BOARD MEETINGS AT 1:00 PM INSTEAD OF 11:00 AM WHICH IS OUR CURRENT START TIME WITH CLOSED SESSION, IS THAT CORRECT? DID I HEAR THAT CORRECTLY?
>> YEAH, I HAVE SOME COMMENTS.
I JUST APPRECIATE LANA'S FOLLOW UP.
ORIGINALLY, I'M LEANING TOWARD OPTION 1, BUT I AM SWAYED, IF THIS IS A STAFF RECOMMENDATION, YOU WANT TO TRY THE TWO COMMITTEES ON A DAY AND THAT SAVES STAFF TIME.
I DO LIKE THE FACT THAT PRETTY MUCH WITH EXCEPTIONS, ELIMINATES THE LAST WEEK OF EVERY MONTH.
THAT'S GOOD FOR PLANNING, OUR OWN PERSONAL LIVES VACATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IF WE HAVE A WEEK IN THE MONTH THAT WE'RE FREED.
IF IT'S THE WILL OF THE BOARD, I'M WILLING TO DO FIVE O'CLOCK MEETINGS TWICE A YEAR, AS PROPOSED, IT WILL BE HARDER FOR ME TO GET TO THE MEETING ON TIME, AND I'M GOOD WITH TWO AWAY MEETINGS, AS WE WOULD CALL THEM DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA TOO.
I'M SWAYED TO WORK WITH OPTION 2 PER THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION AND WHAT I'M HEARING FROM SOME BOARD MEMBERS.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT VEHICLE TO USE TO BRING UP THE FOLLOWING ISSUE, BUT I DID MENTION TO A COUPLE OF PEOPLE ON THE EXACT COMMITTEE AND ALLISON.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE LONG PAST THE POINT WHERE OUR NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE IS AN OCCASIONAL COMMITTEE MEETING THAT THAT COMMITTEE HAS FAIRLY FULL AGENDAS.
IT IS WHEN I WAS BOARD PRESIDENT, IT WAS THE MOST POPULAR COMMITTEE FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP TO APPLY FOR TO THE PRESIDENT.
I BELIEVE AT THIS POINT, FROM A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE CAME UP WITH TOPICS FOR THIS COMMITTEE THAT WE GUESSED WOULD TAKE UP ABOUT FIVE YEARS.
WE CANCELED BECAUSE OF CONFERENCES OR OTHER CONFLICTS THAT CAME UP.
[02:20:05]
WE CANCELED TWO OF THOSE MEETINGS THIS YEAR.STAFF PUSHED BACK ON THE SUGGESTION THAT WE RESCHEDULE THEM.
THEREFORE, THERE'S EVEN MORE OF A BACKUP ON THAT COMMITTEE IN TERMS OF ITS WORK.
AT SOME POINT, I JUST TEST IT WITH THE REST OF THE BOARD.
I THINK THAT SHOULD BE A FULL FLEDGED COMMITTEE.
I WOULD LIKE TO PROPOSE AT SOME POINT.
AGAIN, IF WHEN THE VEHICLES APPROPRIATE FOR MAKING A DECISION OF THE BOARD.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS IN OUR OPERATING GUIDELINES THAT PARTICULAR COMMITTEE MEETS QUARTERLY.
WHETHER IT'S IN OUR OPERATING GUIDELINES OR IT'S JUST A RULE WE MAKE WHEN WE ESTABLISH THE COMMITTEE, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE AT LEAST TWO MORE MEETINGS OF THAT COMMITTEE PER YEAR.
I THINK ANY OF YOU WHO HAVE SERVED ON THAT COMMITTEE WOULD READILY SEE THAT THAT WOULD BETTER ACCOMMODATE THE TOPICS OF THE AGENDA AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS WORK.
I'M I'M WILLING TO TRY TO MAKE LESS WORK FOR STAFF IN THIS SCHEDULING, BUT THIS IS AN ISSUE WHERE I KNOW I'M MAKING MORE WORK FOR STAFF BECAUSE TO SHORE UP THAT COMMITTEE AND MAKE IT MORE PRODUCTIVE MEANS MORE STAFF WORK.
I JUST UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT IT'S WORTHY OF IT.
IT'S JUST NOT A TOPIC OR A WORKING COMMITTEE THAT SHOULD MEET ONLY QUARTERLY.
AT SOME POINT, WHEN WE DO THIS, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO COME BACK TO THIS SOME MORE.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE THAT A FORMAL PROPOSAL MOTION AND SEE IF THE BOARD AGREES WITH ME ON THAT PARTICULAR ISSUE.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO AND AGAIN, THIS MIGHT BE OPERATING GUIDELINES.
BUT I WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE FACT THAT WE CANCEL MEETINGS MAYBE BECAUSE OF LACK OF QUORUM, OR CONFLICTS DATA RISE THAT WE DIDN'T PREDICT, AND WE DON'T RESCHEDULE THEM.
THAT'S A FUNCTION OF GETTING PUSHED BACK FROM STAFF TO DO THAT.
BECAUSE I THINK WE CANCELED A COUPLE OF LEDGE COMMITTEES THIS YEAR, AND IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT WE CAN LOAD UP ON SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS FOR WHAT WE MISSED.
MY EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN THAT WE REALLY DON'T DO THAT AND AS A RESULT, WE MISS THE UPDATES THAT WE WOULD OTHERWISE HAVE, BE IT, WHAT OTHER JURISDICTIONS ARE DOING, WHAT THE STATUS OF BILLS ARE, AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BY NOT RESCHEDULING.
I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THIS BOARD WHEN WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE TO CANCEL A MEETING BECAUSE OF A UNFORESEEN QUORUM PROBLEM THAT WE AGREE THAT WE'LL TRY TO RESCHEDULE IT.
THIS FIRST YEAR, THAT HAS NOT BEEN A PRACTICE.
WE HAVE NOT RESCHEDULED MEETINGS.
THAT'S ANOTHER PROPOSAL THAT I'M GOING TO ADD TO APPROVAL OF A CALENDAR. I'M DONE.
>> I JUST WANT TO ADD TO COLIN'S COMMENT, AS ONE OF THE COMMITTEE, COMMITTEE CHAIRS AREN'T INCLUDED IN DECISIONS ABOUT CANCELLATION.
THE CANCELLATION DECISIONS ARE MADE EITHER BY STAFF OR THE BOARD PRESIDENT WITHOUT CONSULTING WITH THE COMMITTEE CHAIRS.
THEN THERE'S NEVER EVEN THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE MEETING IS GOING TO BE CANCELED OR TO BE RESCHEDULED OR WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE.
I REALLY BELIEVE STRONGLY IN EMPOWERING COMMITTEE CHAIRS.
ALSO, I KNOW I'VE BEEN PRETTY CONSISTENT THIS YEAR AND TALKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN BETTER INTEGRATE OUR BOARD COMMITTEES INTO OUR BOARD MEETINGS AND VICE VERSA.
I THINK THAT THERE IS SOME WORK WE AS A BOARD CAN DO ON THAT TOPIC AND THIS MAY BE AN ONGOING CONVERSATION.
I ALSO WONDER IF LOOKING AT THIS CALENDAR, IT'S REALLY TOUGH TO MAKE A DECISION ABOUT THIS CALENDAR WITHOUT KNOWING WHO'S GOING TO BE ON WHAT COMMITTEE NEXT YEAR AS WELL.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A CHICKEN AND EGG BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S HELPFUL TO SEE WHAT THE SCHEDULE IS TO THEN MAKE YOUR COMMITTEE REQUESTS.
BUT THEN IT'S ALSO HELPFUL TO KNOW WHO'S ON THE COMMITTEE TO THEN DECIDE THE COMMITTEE CALENDAR.
AT THE SAME TIME, THERE'S ALSO AN ARGUMENT TO BE MADE THAT IT'S GOOD TO BE ROTATING ACROSS COMMITTEE.
I PERSONALLY HAVE REALLY MADE AN EFFORT TO SERVE ON EACH ONE OF OUR COMMITTEES IN MY FIRST TERM ON THIS BOARD, AND I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT IN MY THIRD YEAR, I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SERVE ON EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE COMMITTEES, BUT THAT HASN'T ALWAYS BEEN AN EASY ACHIEVEMENT TO REALIZE.
WE HAVE SOME SITUATIONS, HEARING ABOUT THE BOARD OPERATIONS COMMITTEE.
I WAS ON THAT COMMITTEE FOR TWO YEARS AND WE HAD MUCH LONGER MEETINGS THAN I THINK MAYBE THIS YEAR.
I KNOW WE WERE DEALING WITH LAS TRAMPAS STABLES,
[02:25:02]
AND THAT WAS A VERY LONG MEETING, SO WE HAD A LOT OF PUBLIC COMMENT IN REGARDS TO THAT PARTICULAR TOPIC.IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA, BUT I DO REMEMBER THAT WAS THE DAY AFTER A BOARD MEETING IN JANUARY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.
IT WAS, I THINK TECHNICALLY MY FIRST OPERATIONS COMMITTEE THAT I CHAIRED AND IT WAS A LONG MEETING, THE DAY AFTER A VERY LONG BOARD MEETING, AND I JUST REMEMBER FEELING VERY EXHAUSTED THAT DAY.
SOMETIMES THOSE THINGS ARE TOUGH TO PREDICT TOO, AND THAT'S WHY I DO HAVE SOME CONCERN ABOUT HAVING COMMITTEE MEETINGS THE DAY AFTER BOARD MEETINGS BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT COMBINATION IS GOING TO BE AND I DON'T THINK WE CAN PREDICT THAT OUT AND FORECAST THAT FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.
THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO BE MINDFUL OF MAYBE THAT THIS YEAR, THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE HASN'T HAD SOMETHING LIKE LAS TRAMPAS STABLES, COME UP WHERE THERE WAS AN ENTIRE ROOMFUL OF COMMENTS FOR THAT PARTICULAR COMMITTEE MEETING.
THEN THE OTHER REASON I TALK ABOUT THAT ROTATION, I SERVED ON THAT COMMITTEE FOR THOSE TWO YEARS WITH DIRECTOR ROSARIO AND DIRECTOR CORBETT.
THERE'S ALSO THAT ASPECT OF THINGS TOO.
I KNOW THAT 2026 DOES REPRESENT AN ELECTION YEAR.
I THINK ONE THING TO ALSO THINK ABOUT IS THAT CONTINUITY AND THERE'S ALWAYS THAT PROBABILITY THAT THE BOARD COMPOSITION COULD CHANGE, AND IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO THINK ABOUT HOW THE COMMITTEE MAKEUP IS SET UP SO THAT AT LEAST MAYBE THERE IS SOME CONTINUITY IN 2027 AND SOME OF THAT MEMORY OF EACH OF THE COMMITTEES.
I ALWAYS THINK IF EVERYTHING AS LIKE A MATHEMATICAL OPTIMIZATION PROBLEM, BUT THERE IS SOME OF THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED WHEN THINKING ABOUT OUR COMMITTEES.
I AGREE WITH NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES, THERE'S SO MUCH THAT WE COULD BE DISCUSSING.
I MEAN, EVEN THINKING ABOUT, HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS. I KNOW THAT HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN ON THIS COMMITTEE'S AGENDA PRIOR TO 2025, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE ON AN AGENDA FOR THAT COMMITTEE, FOR EXAMPLE.
>> CAN I JUST COMMENT ON ONE THING? I'M NOT IN THE SAME BELIEF THAT ALL THESE COMMITTEES AREN'T ALREADY SET BECAUSE SOME OF THESE COMMITTEE POSITIONS ARE DEPENDENT ON THE ROTATION.
AS FAR AS THE, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE TO VOTE ON IT, BUT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, YOU ALMOST KNOW WHO'S THAT, AND WHOEVER IS A TREASURER IS GOING TO BE SITTING ON THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, THEN WHOEVER IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD IS GOING TO BE ON THE GOVERNMENT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE.
THERE'S ONLY SO MANY PIECES THAT ARE OPEN FOR MOVEMENT.
YOU CAN START TO PUT IN THOSE PIECES AND THEN LOOK AT WHAT WILL MAKE SENSE BEFORE NEXT YEAR, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S STILL GOING TO BE THAT PROCESS WHERE PEOPLE L WITH THEIR PRIORITIES ARE, AS FAR AS YOU MAKE DECISIONS AS THE FUTURE PRESIDENT.
I FEEL LIKE THERE'S A LESS UNCERTAINTY WITH THAT, BUT THOSE ARE STILL THINGS TO CONSIDER.
THE OTHER THING ABOUT THE SCHEDULE, I WANT TO SAY THAT THE 5:00 PM'S SEEM RANDOM.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS WANT GOING TO WANT TO COME TO OUR BOARD MEETING IN DECEMBER.
IT'S A HOLIDAY MONTH AT 5:00 PM.
I KNOW THIS WOULDN'T BE FIRST ON MY LIST.
I DON'T KNOW AS FAR AS IF YOU'RE CHOOSING 5:00 PM THAT MIGHT BE MORE TOPICAL.
MAYBE THERE'S CERTAIN TOPICS THAT COME AT A CERTAIN TYPE OF YEAR WHERE THERE'S NORMALLY MORE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, BECAUSE IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
>> THAT WAS D'S IDEA TO HAVE THAT DECEMBER MEETING WHERE WE DISCUSS THE BUDGET.
D THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A GOOD CANDIDATE TO HAVE AN EVENING, BUT ON THE THEORY THAT WE'D GET BETTER TURNOUT, BETTER ATTENDANCE.
>> IT'S THE FIRST READING OF THE BUDGET.
THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO COME AND GIVE THEIR TWO CENTS IN PERSON IF THEY SO CHOOSE SO THAT WAS THE THEORY ANYWAY.
>> BECAUSE IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS PICKED AT RANDOM, BUT TO KNOW THE THEORY BEHIND IT, THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE AND WHY IT'S IN DECEMBER.
>> THINKING ABOUT BEST PRACTICES, ONE OF THE OTHER ITEMS THAT I KNOW I BROUGHT UP MULTIPLE TIMES PREVIOUSLY, A PUBLIC AGENCIES IS TO MAINTAIN AN EMAIL LIST OF INTERESTED PARTIES WHO WANT TO HAVE UPDATES FOR WHEN WE'RE HAVING BOARD MEETINGS AND WHEN THE BOARD AGENDAS ARE POSTED, AND THAT IS NOT THE BEST PRACTICE THAT WE CURRENTLY FOLLOW HERE AT EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HAVING AN EVENING MEETING SCHEDULED FOR THE FIRST READING OF OUR ANNUAL BUDGET,
[02:30:03]
WE DON'T SEND OUT ANY TARGETED EMAIL TO A LIST OF INTERESTED PARTIES AT THAT MEETING IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING.I THINK THAT SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF THAT FORM OF COMMUNICATION COULD ALSO POTENTIALLY HELP IN TERMS OF PEOPLE MAKING IT TO THE MEETING OR AT LEAST PARTICIPATING ON ZOOM.
KEEP IN MIND, IT'S NOT JUST MAKING IT HERE TO THIS BUILDING AND THIS MEETING ROOM, BUT IT'S ALSO BEING AVAILABLE FOR ZOOM, AND CERTAINLY A 1:00 PM MEETING ON A TUESDAY AFTERNOON ISN'T THE EASIEST WAY TO BE ENGAGING THE ENTIRE EAST BAY PUBLIC IN REGARDS TO PARTICIPATING IN OUR MEETINGS.
THERE ARE JUST SOME THINGS TO BE MINDFUL OF IN TERMS OF PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
>> WE DO SEND OUT INFORMATION ABOUT ALL THE MEETINGS. YOU COULD GET ON THE.
>> IS THAT OUR GENERAL EMAIL, THOUGH? IS IT A GENERAL EMAIL?
>> IT'S REGARDING THE BOARD MEETINGS.
IT'S A FULL NOTICE OF UPCOMING MEETINGS, AND YES.
>> IT IS A DISTRIBUTION LIST THAT GOES OUT, I THINK.
WE CAN ALWAYS IMPROVE AND ADD PEOPLE TO THAT LIST, BUT THERE IS EMAILS THAT GO OUT.
>> I KNOW THERE'S A GENERAL EMAIL ABOUT ACTIVITIES ACROSS THE DISTRICT, BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE THAT GOES TO A LIST OR HOW PEOPLE CAN BE ADDED TO THAT LIST IN REGARDS TO WHEN WE HAVE BOARD MEETINGS.
>> THEY JUST HAVE TO ASK THE CLERK, AND THEN THE CLERK ADDS THEM TO THE DISTRIBUTION LIST.
IF YOU KNOW PEOPLE THAT AREN'T GETTING IT, IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T ASKED TO BE ON THE LIST.
>> HOW DO THEY KNOW TO ASK THE CLERK? I JUST HAVEN'T SEEN THIS ANYWHERE.
>> WELL, THIS IS JUST GENERAL WHAT PEOPLE DO WHEN THEY WANT SOMETHING, AS THEY TEND TO ASK THE CLERK, AND THE CLERK WILL ACCOMMODATE THEM.
>> I THINK WE COULD CERTAINLY PUT THAT ON THE WEBSITE WHEN WE PUBLISH THIS, OR JUST ON THE WEBSITE IN GENERAL.
IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED TO THE DISTRIBUTION LISTS, CLICK HERE.
WE CAN SOLVE THAT PRETTY EASILY.
I THINK, BUT THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION.
BUT I WANTED TO GET BACK TO THE TO THE CALENDAR, AND I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE FOR MY COMMENTS YET.
I SUPPORT TRYING OUT OPTION 2.
THE STAFF IS SUGGESTING IT, AND I ALSO WELCOME AT LEAST THE PROSPECT OF HAVING ONE EXTRA DAY.
I'M NOT SURE THAT'LL WORK OUT, AT LEAST IT'LL GIVE THE STAFF TWO EXTRA DAYS A MONTH, BECAUSE FOR US, DEPENDING ON OUR COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS, WE MIGHT NOT END UP WITH AN EXTRA DAY AT ALL, BUT THAT'S OKAY.
I LIKE THE THEORY OF IT ANYWAY.
>> I THINK ALL OF US DO WANT TO ENCOURAGE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.
WE CAN DO IT BETTER NOW THAT WE REALLY HAVE THE ZOOM WORKED OUT NOW.
FRANKLY, I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE MORE LIKELY TO JUMP ON A ZOOM, TAKE A 1:00 LUNCH, AND JUMP ON A ZOOM, THEN MAYBE TRY TO COME LATER IN THE AFTERNOON WHEN THEY'RE TRYING TO GET HOME OR WHATEVER ELSE.
I JUST WANT TO KEEP THAT IN MIND BECAUSE WE'RE THINKING ABOUT WHO'S GOING TO COME, WE WANT PEOPLE TO PHYSICALLY COME.
BUT THE REALITY IS NOT THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE YOU GUYS.
WE'RE GLAD YOU'RE HERE AND THAT YOU COME.
BUT NOT EVERYBODY CAN DO THAT DURING THE DAY OR IN THE EVENING FOR THAT MATTER.
I'M REASONABLY COMFORTABLE WITH THE 11 AND ONE, BUT IT'S ALWAYS WORTH REVISITING AND HEARING MORE ABOUT WHAT WORKS BEST FOR ALL OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS BECAUSE, OF COURSE, WE DO WANT TO ALLOW FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SERVE ON THIS BOARD AND LIVE THE REST OF THEIR LIVES.
FOR SOMEBODY THAT DEFINITELY INCLUDES MAKING A LIVING.
I SUPPORT THIS BEING ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING.
I ALSO JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IN GENERAL, I DO LIKE THE IDEA, THOUGH I'M HAPPY TO PILOT THE 2:00 05:00 PM MEETINGS AND ALSO THE ADDITIONAL MEETING OUT IN THE FIELD.
I LIKE THAT BECAUSE I THINK IF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO COME, LET'S BRING THE MEETING TO THEM, SO TO SPEAK.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA, AND I ALSO JUST WANTED TO SAY, THANK YOU, ALLISON AND EVERYBODY WHO'S BEEN THE CLERK AND EVERYBODY ELSE WHO'S BEEN INVOLVED IN PUTTING THIS SCHEDULE TOGETHER AND LISTENING TO OUR COMMENTS AND TRYING TO COME UP WITH THESE DIFFERENT OPTIONS BECAUSE IT IS ANOTHER THANKLESS TASK THAT NOBODY REALIZES REALLY HOW MUCH WORK GOES INTO IT.
THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE THE WORK.
[02:35:02]
AGAIN, I AM IN SUPPORT OF PILOTING OPTION 2, AND WE CAN ALWAYS CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AND UPDATE, AND CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION.>> JUST A QUESTION. ARE WE ASSUMING THAT THOSE TWO EVENING MEETINGS ARE GOING TO HAVE A CLOSED SESSION BEFORE THEM?
>> THAT'S REALLY A QUESTION FOR YOU, BUT I THINK THAT'S THE ASSUMPTION YOU'RE ALWAYS GOING TO NEED TOTALLY HAVE A CLOSED.
>> [OVERLAPPING] IF THAT'S THE CASE, IT'S REALLY GOING TO BE 3:00 THEN.
>> YOU COULD ALSO ADJUST THIS TIME.
>> I THINK THAT TO ME, THAT WORKS BECAUSE 3:00 PM, IF YOU PUSH IT BACK TO 4:00 PM, THEN YOU'VE GOT THE TRAFFIC ALREADY.
BUT IF 3:00 IS NEVER PERFECT, BUT 3:00 I THINK WORKS FOR THE CLOSED SESSION, AND 5:00 FOR THE GENERAL SESSION, AND HOPEFULLY THAT WILL WORK FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMMUTING ALL OF US COMMUTE WHO ARE COMMUTING FROM PARTICULARLY FAR AWAY.
>> WE'RE DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF NIGHT MEETINGS FROM ONE TO TWO.
TO ME THAT'S LIKE A TOE IN THE WATER, AND THAT'S A REALLY GOOD TOE IN THE WATER.
YOU CAN MAKE AN ARGUMENT THAT WE SHOULDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO DO IT ANYMORE.
YOU COULD JUST SAY, WELL, FORGET IT, IT'S NOT WORKING, BUT WE HAVEN'T REALLY TRIED HARD ENOUGH, I DON'T THINK, AND THE OTHER ONE WON'T BE IN DECEMBER.
TO REALLY GIVE IT A GOOD TEST.
I WAS IN FAVOR OF MORE THAN JUST THAT THOSE TWO, BUT WE CAN GO FOR NOW, AGAIN, JUST FIGURE OUT WHAT WORKS AND KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON WHAT THE REACTION IS TO THAT IF WE GET FOLKS TO COME OUT.
AGAIN, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA TOO.
THEY'RE NOT ALL EQUAL IN TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT FROM THE COMMUNITY. THERE'S ALL THAT.
I LIKE WE'RE GOING TO KEEP TRYING WITH THOSE TWO AT NIGHT.
I THINK I CAN GO WITH OPTION 2.
I'M NOT REALLY CRAZY ABOUT IT.
I'M NOT JUMPING UP AND DOWN AND LOVING IT A LOT.
BUT HERE I WANT TO PUT A CONDITION ON IT.
I WANT TO PUT A CONDITION ON TO MY BOARD MEMBERS, AND THAT IS THAT WE ADD TWO MORE MEETINGS TO THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE THAT WE MAKE THAT PART OF THE MOTION, AND WE HAVE EVERY TWO MONTHS, INSTEAD OF, BECAUSE DIRECTOR COFFEY BRINGS UP A GOOD POINT, I WAS ON THAT COMMITTEE BEFORE.
I REMEMBER SEEING THAT LIST, AND IT'S FRUSTRATING.
THEN WHEN YOU CANCEL THEM, YOU'RE EVEN FURTHER BEHIND.
>> PRESIDENT ME, MAY I ASK A QUESTION JUST ON THAT ITEM BECAUSE I'M NEW.
I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS EXCUSE, BUT MAYBE NOT MUCH LONGER, BUT YOU DO HAVE THE BOARD TOURS, WHICH SEEM LIKE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE MEETINGS TO ME.
BUT YOU'RE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
ONE THING THAT ARE PUBLIC MEETINGS AND VISITING NATURAL AND CULTURAL.
I'M JUST PUTTING THAT OUT THERE BECAUSE ONE THING WE COULD DO IS THINK ABOUT THOSE TOURS AS WAYS TO HELP MEET SOME OF THESE OBJECTIVES AS WELL, JUST AN IDEA.
>> MAYBE WE DO THIS ON A TRIAL BASIS, SIX MEETINGS AND SEE HOW IT GOES.
>> I'M PLAYING THE ELDER HERE.
THE HISTORY BEHIND THE BOARD TOURS WAS THAT IT WAS A STAFF OPPORTUNITY TO EXPOSE THE BOARD TO VERY SPECIFIC PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT RELATED TO NATURAL CULTURAL RESOURCES.
THAT DOESN'T QUITE FIT, AND THAT IS A REALLY GOOD AND LEGITIMATE PURPOSE FOR FIELD TRIPS IS TO LOOK AT FUTURE PROJECTS OR CURRENT PROJECTS.
I THINK THAT WE'VE BEEN CONSISTENT IN DOING THAT OVER THE YEARS.
>> I APPRECIATE YOUR POINT OF VIEW ON THAT.
I CAN SEE HOW YOU MIGHT THINK THAT.
BUT THEY REALLY HAVE A FOCUS, AND THEY'RE NOT REALLY ALIGNED TO ME CLOSE ENOUGH TO THAT THINGS THAT THAT COMMITTEE HAS HISTORICALLY WANTED TO DO, AND THAT THE STAFF THAT WORK IN ALL THOSE AREAS, NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES THAT WOULD LIKE TO SEE US ENGAGE IN.
[02:40:02]
ONE OF THE BENEFITS YOU GET IS REDUCING FRUSTRATION AMONG THOSE WHOSE THING DOESN'T GET COVERED IN THIS IN THIS BUILDING.>> COULD I MAKE A DIFFERENT SUGGESTION? SINCE THERE'S FOUR MEETINGS AND THEY'VE GOTTEN CANCEL.
CAN WE COULD WE JUST COMMIT TO THE FACT SINCE THERE'S SO FEW CULTURAL RESOURCE MEETINGS THAT IF THAT'S CANCELED FOR SOME REASON THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE DO RESCHEDULE IT.
BECAUSE THEN WE'LL IN CERTAIN GET THE FOUR MEETINGS A YEAR.
THEN WE WON'T HAVE THAT BACKLOG OF INFORMATION BECAUSE I THINK SOME OF THIS BACKLOG IS FROM THE FACT THAT THEY'RE NOT HAPPENING BECAUSE THEY WERE CANCELED TWICE.
IF I'M UNDERSTANDING IT OR IS THAT INFORMATION.
>> THE PREMISE OF MY SUGGESTION IS THAT COMMITTEE'S WORKLOAD MERITS.
IF IT WERE UP TO ME AT 10 MEETINGS A YEAR, SO I'M COMPROMISING MY OWN VIEW AND SUGGESTING TWO EXTRA.
I THINK I MENTIONED THE CANCELLATIONS TO JUST EMPHASIZE THAT THAT WORKLOAD FOR THAT COMMITTEE WAS EXACERBATED BY THE FACT.
>> I GUESS WHAT MY CONCERN IS, I KNOW WE'RE SAYING THAT AS BOARD MEMBERS, BUT HAVE WE HEARD FROM THE COMMITTEE AS FAR AS THEY NEED MORE DAYS TO PRESENT THE INFORMATION THEY HAVE BECAUSE TO INCREASE THEIR NUMBER OF MEETINGS WITHOUT THEIR INPUT, I'M NOT NECESSARILY IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT WITHOUT HAVING SOME FEEDBACK FROM THAT COMMITTEE.
>> WE CREATE SIX MEETINGS A YEAR, AND YOU ASK THE NEXT YEAR AS PRESIDENT TO BE ON THAT COMMITTEE, YOU WILL KNOW.
>> WELL, NOT WITH FEEDBACK FROM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE PUTTING TOGETHER THE MEETINGS, LIKE, ARE THEY WITHHOLDING INFORMATION THAT THEY WOULD HAVE ON A SCHEDULE?
>> ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT STAFF?
>> BECAUSE I'VE BEEN ON A COMMITTE FOR YEARS.
>> I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN ON THE COMMITTEE FOR YEARS, BUT FROM STAFF.
I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS, SO YOU SEE THIS AS A BOARD MEMBER'S PERSPECTIVE, WHAT IS THE RIGHT NUMBER FOR THEM? BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE MORE THAN THE TWO, OR MAYBE IT'S FOUR.
>> THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE THRILLED WITH THIS PROPOSAL AT ALL, BECAUSE IT'S ADDITIONAL WORD.
WE'VE GOT PUSHBACK IN TRYING TO RESCHEDULE CANCELED MEETINGS.
I CAN STIPULATE THAT THIS IS A BURDEN.
>> I KNOW IT MIGHT BE A BURDEN ON STAFF, BUT TO MAKE A DECISION WITHOUT THEIR INPUT, I JUST DON'T THINK IT IS FAIR.
THEN TO TALK ABOUT HOW MAYBE THE MEETING COULD BE RESTRUCTURED OR SOMETHING ELSE, BECAUSE THERE'S DEFINITELY A LOT OF INFO THAT YOU SAID FROM THE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE BEING IN THERE, AND WHAT IS THE RIGHT?
>> I ALWAYS SUPPORT STAFF INPUT.
BUT WHAT'S COME UP IN THIS DISCUSSION, OLIVIA BROUGHT IT UP, AND THIS IS PART OF IT.
WHEN WE LOOKED AT THAT ILG CHART ON WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GOVERNANCE? WHAT IS THE ROLE OF MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION, SETTING YOUR MEETINGS, SCHEDULING YOUR MEETINGS, CANCELING YOUR MEETINGS.
THESE ARE ALL WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE BOARD.
ON THAT ILG CHART, YOU'LL HAVE ROOM IN THAT LINE THAT ISN'T VERTICAL, IT'S MORE HORIZONTAL FOR STAFF INPUT.
BUT ULTIMATELY, TO DECIDE THAT THAT COMMITTEE'S WORKLOAD MERITS MORE MEETINGS.
IT'S OUR JOB TO MAKE THAT DECISION AND MAKE THE DECISION EYES WIDE OPEN THAT YOU'RE CREATING WORK FOR STAFF, EVERY TIME WE HAVE A MEETING, THAT WE'RE CREATING WORK FOR STAFF.
BUT I WELCOME THE INPUT, AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE DOING THIS RIGHT NOW, BUT THERE'LL BE OPPORTUNITY FOR STAFF TO COME BACK.
>> WE'RE SUPPOSED TO WE'RE SUPPOSED TO THIS CALENDAR.
>> OH, YOU WERE CONDITION MAKING A MOTION.
>> BECAUSE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO ADOPT THIS CALENDAR, AND IF WE DON'T DO THAT, WE'RE NOT REALLY DOING IT.
I AGREE WITH DIRECTOR COFFEY, THAT IF I THINK IT'S A PRIORITY, WHICH I DO THAT COMMITTEE, THEN I WOULD ENCOURAGE THERE TO BE MORE THROUGHPUT, MORE ACTION GOING THROUGH THAT COMMITTEE.
THAT'S MY GOVERNING MOTIVATION FOR ASKING FOR MORE ACTION ON THAT.
>> MAYBE I COULD CHAIR. DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER, MAX CORTEN, I THINK WE ONLY CANCELED ONE OF THOSE COMMITTEE MEETINGS THIS YEAR,
[02:45:02]
THE ONE FOR THE END OF AUGUST.BUT I THINK THAT COMMITTEE IS TYPICALLY MOSTLY INFORMATIONAL.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR STAFF TO PROVIDE YOUR BOARD WITH INFORMATION ABOUT NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE WORK THAT THE DISTRICTS DOING OR INFORMATION ABOUT NATURAL CULTURAL RESOURCES IN GENERAL.
REALLY, IT'S I THINK FOR YOUR BOARD TO CONSIDER HOW MUCH INFORMATION YOU NEED AND WHAT THOSE SOURCES OF INFORMATION ARE.
>> IT'S A GOOD POINT. THEN I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT THAT COMMITTEE SHOULD BECOME ACTIONABLE.
IT SHOULD BE A COMMITTEE THAT TAKES RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FULL BOARD.
THAT MIGHT BE FOR OUR OPERATING GUIDELINES.
>> DIRECTOR COFFEY, I JUST WANT TO ADD THAT THERE'S NOTHING IN THE BOARD OPERATING GUIDELINES THAT PROHIBITS THAT COMMITTEE FROM I THINK WHAT MAX IS SAYING IS THAT THOSE ITEMS TEND TO BE INFORMATIONAL.
>> SOMETHING THAT REQUIRES AN ACTION BY THE BOARD.
IT WOULD GO TO THAT COMMITTEE FOR A RECOMMENDATION, AND IT WOULD BE THE SAME AS ANY OTHER COME.
>> WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO ACT TO DO THAT.
>> IT'S NOT STANDING IN THE WAY OF US.
>> THAT'S VERY GOOD. THAT'S A VERY GOOD POINT. GREAT.
>> JUST ONE SMALL POINT. WHEN I WAS JUST LOOKING OVER THE DATES FOR THE NATURAL [INAUDIBLE] RESOURCES COMMITTEE.
I NOTICED THAT THREE OF THOSE WEDNESDAYS ARE THE FOURTH WEDNESDAY, WHICH MAKES SENSE AS IT'S WRITTEN NOW WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER COMMITTEES MEETING ON THE FOURTH WEDNESDAY, BUT THE 19TH IS THE THIRD WEDNESDAY. IS THERE A REASON FOR THAT?
>> THAT WAS DUE TO A CONFLICT WITH ONE OF THE CONFERENCES, ACTUALLY.
I FORGET WHICH CONFERENCE IT WAS, BUT THAT WAS THE REASON FOR THAT.
>> BECAUSE THEN THAT COMMITTEE WILL CONFLICT WITH WHATEVER OTHER MEETING IS HELD THE THIRD WEDNESDAY.
>> THAT WHICH IS CURRENTLY WOULD BE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, BUT THAT MAY NOT BE THE COMMITTEE, BUT THERE WOULD BE A COMMITTEE.
>> YOUR EAGLE EYE CAUGHT THAT [LAUGHTER] YES.
WE COULD CHANGE MAYBE THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES DATE POTENTIALLY COULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBLE.
>> I'LL LEAVE THAT TO YOU. THANK YOU.
>> IF I MAY, JUST COMMENTING ON THE CANCELING, RESCHEDULING THESE MEETINGS IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT.
ANY PUSHBACK OR PEOPLE, ANY INDICATION THAT WE DON'T WANT.
IT'S NOT ABOUT RESCHEDULING, IT'S JUST THE SHEER NEAR IMPOSSIBILITY OF RESCHEDULING OFTEN.
>> WE USED TO DO IT ALL THE TIME AND THAT WAS A PROBLEM.
>> YOU KNOW IF WE MADE IT SIX FOR THAT ONE, THERE'D BE LESS PRESSURE, THERE'D BE LESS ANGST IF WE DID CANCEL ONE.
>> TRUE OR NOT TRUE? TRUE. I THINK.
IT GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF A CUSHION.
BUT I REALLY THINK THAT COMMITTEE NEEDS A LITTLE MORE PROMINENCE, MORE ACTION.
NOT ACTION ITEMS, BUT NECESSARILY.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER COMMENTS TO BE MADE HERE BEFORE WE GO FOR IT?
>> MY LAST COMMENT IS, YOU GUYS ARE GOING INTO ELECTION YEAR AND CONTINUING TO HAVE THESE BOARD MEETINGS AS EARLY AS YOU DO WILL CONTINUE TO CHANGE THE TYPE OF CANDIDATES YOU GET TO RUN FOR THIS BOARD.
MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS OR EVEN ON OTHER PARK BOARDS WHO ARE IN JURISDICTIONS NEARBY US, DO MEET LATER IN THE DAY.
I'M LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE AN EMPLOYER WHO IS ABLE TO BE FLEXIBLE WITH MY WORK SCHEDULE.
BUT WHEN I COME HERE, I'M ON MY PERSONAL TIME, I'M ON MY LEAVE TIME.
I PAY MYSELF TO BE HERE AND TO PARTICIPATE BECAUSE I BELIEVE IT'S IMPORTANT.
BUT NOT EVERYONE'S GOING TO HAVE THAT ABILITY OR LUXURY.
I'M IN SUPPORT OF OPTION 2, BUT IF YOU WANT A DIFFERENT MAKEUP IN THE BOARD OF THE FUTURE OR MORE PEOPLE TO WANT TO SERVE ON A BOARD TIMES NEED TO BE PUSHED BACK LATER.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY NOT ACCOMMODATED IN THIS.
THERE'S COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN ORDER TO HAVE TWO MEETINGS ON THE SAME DAY, WHICH I THINK WILL BE GREAT FOR STAFF.
[02:50:02]
BUT OVERALL, SOMEONE WHO HAS TO WORK A NINE TO FIVE, I DON'T SEE THE BENEFIT OF THE CHANGES, BUT I DO SUPPORT CHANGES FOR THE STAFF.>> SURE. I'LL MAKE THE MOTION WITH YOUR ADDED MEANS.
>> HANG ON A SECOND. I ASKED FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ALREADY, RIGHT? DID I?
>> BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY. I'M SORRY.
>> I'M MOVING THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION OPTION 2 WITH ATTEMPTING TO ADD TWO ADDITIONAL NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS FOR NEXT YEAR.
>> WE HAVE A MOTION BY ECHOLS.
DO I HAVE A SECOND FOR THAT ONE?
>> SECOND. WE HAVE A SECOND FROM COFFEY. ALL IN FAVOR?
>> I OPPOSE. FOUR AYES OPPOSED BY SAN JUAN. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> LET ME JUST SAY THAT I DO FEEL FOR YOU THAT YOU CAME INTO THIS DISPOSITION, AND THEN THEY THREW THIS CALENDAR AT YOU.
DON'T THINK THAT WE KNOW THAT, BUT YOU DID IT AND THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU DID IT, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT'S A TOUGH ONE.
>> BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE ON OUR AGENDA.
OUR PUBLIC SAFETY DIVISION IS UP NEXT
[PUBLIC SAFETY DIVISION]
WITH AUTHORIZATION TO EXECUTE TWO SPECIALTY CONTRACTS FOR FUELS, REDUCTION SERVICES AND ANTHONY CHABOT REGIONAL PARK WITH PROFESSIONAL TREE CARE COMPANY IN THE AMOUNT OF 264 THAN DOLLAR, AND FORESTRY, IN THE AMOUNT OF 753,175.THE SECRET DETERMINATION IS NO FURTHER REVIEW.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON, PRESIDENT MERCURIO.
I'M CARRIE HALEY, ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF.
TODAY, I'M PRESENTING WITH ACTING ASSISTANT FIRE CHIEF PATRICK MCINTYRE.
OUR PRESENTATION TODAY IS INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR EUCALYPTUS MANAGEMENT IN THE EAST BAY HILLS.
TODAY WE ARE SEEKING AUTHORIZATION TO EXECUTE TWO SPECIALTY CONTRACTS FOR FUELS, REDUCTION SERVICES AND ANTHONY CHABOT REGIONAL PARK WITH PROFESSIONAL TREE CARE COMPANY AND THE AMOUNT OF $264,000 AND FALK FORESTRY AND CORP AND THE AMOUNT OF $753,175.
IN 2019, 2020, WE BROUGHT TO YOU THE TREE DIE-OFF CHALLENGE THAT WE HAD BEEN WORKING ON.
DURING THAT TIME, WE HAD IDENTIFIED THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF TREE MORTALITY, AND ANTHONY CHABOT WAS THE HIGHEST AREA WITH TREE MORTALITY.
WE IDENTIFIED 1,250 ACRES AT THAT TIME THAT NEEDED TO BE TREATED.
RECENTLY, WE JUST CELEBRATED THE COMPLETION OF 667 ACRES OF THE 1,250 ACRES AT ANTHONY CHABOT.
THAT'S A LITTLE OVER 50% THAT'S BEEN COMPLETED THERE.
HOPEFULLY, WITH THE APPROVAL OF TODAY'S WORK, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THAT NUMBER TO 700 ACRES COMPLETED THERE.
WE HAVE INVESTED AS A DISTRICT WITH GRANT FUNDING AND OUR OWN FUNDING, ROUGHLY ABOUT $14.8 MILLION.
ROUGHLY 83% OF THAT IS THROUGH GRANT FUNDING.
MANY YEARS AGO, WE DELIBERATELY TARGETED ANTHONY CHABOT AND APPLIED FOR AS MANY GRANTS AS POSSIBLE, KNOWING THAT WE NEEDED TO SEEK MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO DO THIS WORK.
AT ONE POINT, WE HAD $32 MILLION IN PENDING GRANT APPLICATIONS.
THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT IS BROKEN INTO TWO UNITS.
THIS ANTHONY CHABOT UNIT PROJECT SITE THAT ALSO HAS A COMMON NAME,
[02:55:03]
BUT YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT LATER CALLED THE EAGLE UNITS OR EAGLE ACRES.THE SKYLINE PROJECT, WHICH IS OFF OF SKYLINE BOULEVARD, OAKLAND HILLS.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR PROJECT OFF OF ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC BOULEVARDS IN OAKLAND, SKYLINE BOULEVARD, THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT.
IF YOU COULD SEE IN DETAIL, YOU'LL SEE HOMES THAT ARE OFF TO THE SIDE LEFT SIDE OF THAT PICTURE.
TO THE RIGHT WHERE YOU SEE THE EUCALYPTUS, THAT'S A VERY STEEP HILL, WHICH MAKES THIS PROJECT EXTREMELY COMPLICATED.
TYPICALLY, WE WOULD HAVE TO GO AROUND CERTAIN AREAS HERE BECAUSE WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS WORK.
BUT BECAUSE OF SOME INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES AND EQUIPMENT, WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO WORK IN THIS PROJECT AREA.
IT'S BROKEN UP INTO THREE ZONES.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP ON THE RIGHT, ZONE 1 IS ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE MAP, THAT'S ROUGHLY 12.5 ACRES, ZONE 2 IS IN THE MIDDLE, 7.5 ACRES AND ZONE 3 IS UP TOP FOR TWO ACRES.
THIS IS IN THE WILD LINE URBAN AREA PHASE OF THE OAKLAND HILLS.
THE COMMUNITY HAS BEEN WANTING WORK THERE.
WE HAD BEEN COMMUNICATING THAT WE'VE APPLIED FOR GRANTS, AND WE WERE WORKING TOWARDS GETTING THIS WORK DONE THERE.
BECAUSE OF THE CONTRACTOR THAT WE SELECTED, WE'RE ABLE TO GET THIS WORK DONE.
EARLIER, WE WERE HINTING TO A SPECIAL PRESENTATION.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE BOARD OPS COMMITTEE OF INNOVATIVE EQUIPMENT, AND YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT THAT TODAY.
IF WE GET INTO THE PROJECT DETAILS OF THIS SKYLINE PORTION OF IT.
WE SELECTED TWO DIFFERENT CONTRACTORS.
ON BASED OFF THEIR INNOVATIVE APPROACH, AND OTHER CONTRACTOR WAS BASED OFF THE LOWEST BID SO WE COULD GET MORE ACRES TREATED.
OUR TEAM AS A CULTURE, WE STRIVE TO BE INNOVATIVE AND LEADERS, AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO SELECT A CONTRACTOR, BUT IT'S GOING TO ACCOMPLISH THAT FOR US.
YOU CAN SEE THE COST AMOUNT HERE FOR ONE OF THE UNITS, WHICH IS FALK FORESTRY, AND THE CARBONIZER IS BACK AGAIN.
THE YARDER IS A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOON, CABLE YARDER, AND THAT'S THE NEW INNOVATIVE EQUIPMENT THAT'S NEVER BEEN USED ON DISTRICT PROPERTY.
I'M VERY EXCITED FOR US AS AN AC TO UTILIZE THAT, AND THE OR CARBONIZER IS BACK BY HIGH DEMAND.
WE'LL ALL HAVE ABOUT SIX MONTHS TO TOUR THIS PARTICULAR CARBONIZER AND EQUIPMENT, AND FOR ANYONE WHO MISSED THE 42 TOURS THAT WE DID EARLIER, YOU'LL HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY.
THE OTHER PART PORTION OF THIS IS THE CAMPGROUND WEST CAMP GROUND.
THAT ONE IT'S COMPLEX, BUT NOT AS COMPLEX AS THE OTHER.
THIS IS GOING TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITIES OF OAKLAND, SAN DIANDRO, AND CASTRO VALLEY.
WE HAVE INVESTED SO MUCH MONEY, PROTECTING THESE COMMUNITIES, AND WE'VE BEEN DOING VERY GOOD WORK.
BUT NOT ONLY ARE WE PROTECTING THE COMMUNITY, THIS WORK IS MAKING THE FOREST MORE RESILIENT AND HEALTHIER, AND SO WE ARE ACCOMPLISHING MULTIPLE OBJECTIVES WITH THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT.
IT'S ALSO GOING TO MAKE THE CAMPGROUND SAFER FOR THOSE WHO CAMP THERE.
WE HAVE THE OTHER PROJECT SUMMARY, WHICH IS THE WEST CAMPGROUND.
THAT'S THE ONE THAT PROFESSIONAL TREE CARE IS DOING.
THIS PROJECT OR THIS PORTION OF IT WASN'T AS COMPLICATED.
STILL SOME VERY LARGE TREES THERE HAS SOME COMPLEXITY, BUT THEY WERE SELECTED BECAUSE THEY'RE AN EXCELLENT CONTRACTOR.
SECONDLY, THEY WERE THE LOWEST BID.
WE'RE ABLE TO GET MORE ACRES TREATED AND BENEFIT THE TAXPAYER.
I'M GOING TO PASS TO CHIEF MCINTYRE.
>> YES. GOOD AFTERNOON, AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE IN FRONT OF YOU BOARD OF DIRECTORS TO PRESENT ON THIS TOPIC.
AS CHIEF MENTIONED, WE ARE LOOKING AT UTILIZING NEW INNOVATIVE APPROACHES ON THIS PROJECT, AS WELL AS UTILIZING AND WORKING WITH WHAT WE CAME TO DISCOVERY THROUGH OUR PREVIOUS WORK WAS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE BETTER WAYS TO DISPOSE OF THE BIOMASS.
WE LOOK TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE CAPACITY WITHIN THE AREA AS WELL AS TO KEEP UTILIZING WHAT WE FIGURE OUT WORKS WITH EUCALYPTUS.
[03:00:01]
THE CABLE YARDER IS QUITE INNOVATIVE FOR US AND FOR THIS REGION.IT IS A LONG USED PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IN THE FORESTRY INDUSTRY.
WE HAVE SELECTED THIS CONTRACTOR BASED ON THEIR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE IN UTILIZING THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IN VERY SENSITIVE AREAS.
IT'S NOT A NEW PIECE OF EQUIPMENT FOR THEM, AND THEY HAVE PROVEN TO US THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO USE THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IN MANNER THAT CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN A FUELS MANAGEMENT PROJECT.
THE CABLE YARDER, IT HAS MULTIPLE BENEFITS FOR THE TYPE OF WORK THAT WE'VE SCOPED IT OUT FOR AND THAT THEY'VE CAME FORWARD AND PROPOSED FOR US TO PROPOSE ITS USE ON.
CABLE YARDERS, THEY'RE COMPLICATED PIECES OF EQUIPMENT.
DEFINITELY WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU GUYS THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME OUT AND SEE THIS INACTION WHEN IT'S OUT IN THE FIELD.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT JUST ANY OUTFIT HAS OR ANY COMPANY HAS, SO WE'RE LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOMEBODY THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH THAT CAN SUPPLY THIS.
THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BRING OUT WAS ACTUALLY FUNDED BY GRANT WITH CAL FIRE THAT THEY WENT IN TO KEEP THE STATE DOLLARS WORKING TOWARDS IMPROVING AND INCREASING THE CAPABILITIES OF THE CONTRACTORS AND THE FUELS MANAGEMENT AND FORESTRY TIMBER OPERATORS IN THE AREA.
A CABLE YARDER, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT, IT RUNS WITH CABLES THAT GO DOWN TO TAIL SPARS THAT CAN PULL THE LOGS UP AND OUT OF THE UNIT WITHOUT HAVING TO REALLY DRAG THE LOGS ON THE GROUND SO MUCH.
THEY'RE GOING TO REALLY DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF SOIL COMPACTION, EROSION.
WHEN THEY FLOAT THE LOGS UP AND THROUGH AS WELL TOO, IF THEY'LL CREATE LANES THROUGHOUT THE UNIT, AND THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT IS QUITE SPECIALIZED BECAUSE IT'S MOBILE AND PORTABLE.
AS THEY MOVE THROUGH THOSE DIFFERENT UNITS AS CHIEF MENTIONED, THAT'S THE DIFFERENT UNITS THAT MOVE ALONG SKYLINE ROAD, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO RESET AND THEN CREATE LANES TO GET THE MATERIAL UP AND OUT.
THE SAME CONTRACTOR THAT'S GOING TO BE OPERATING THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT WILL ALSO BE THE CONTRACTOR THAT WE'VE WORKED BEFORE WITH FALK FORESTRY AND THE PREVIOUS 667 ACRES IN ANTHONY CHABOT WHICH WILL BE OPERATING AND RUNNING THE CARBONIZER AT THE SAME LOCATION OUT OF THE MARKSMANSHIP RANGE.
SOME OF THE OTHER BENEFITS OF THE CABLE YARDER IS THAT THIS SITE REALLY IS NOT CONDUCIVE WHATSOEVER TO THE OTHER MEANS OF REMOVING EUCALYPTUS.
THERE WERE OPTIONS PUT OUT THERE TO RUN LARGE CRANES TO CRANE IT OUT OR TO USE EQUIPMENT AND GO DOWN THOSE STEEP SLOPES.
THOSE REALLY WOULD HAVE HAD AN ADVERSE EFFECT AND POSSIBLE POTENTIAL LONG TERM FOR LARGE SCALE EROSION WITHIN THE GRASS VALLEY CREEK WATERSHED, WHICH WE'RE REALLY DOING OUR BEST TO REALLY REDUCE ANY NEW SIGNIFICANT EROSION SOURCES WITH OUR WORK THAT WE'VE DONE IN THAT AREA.
>> ONE OTHER HIGHLIGHT OF THIS PROJECT IS THAT AS CHIEF MENTIONED, WE CALLED IT THE EAGLE ACRES.
THE CAMPGROUND PROJECT AREA, THE 22 ACRES TO THE SOUTH AND WEST OF THE CAMPGROUND, WE'VE BE COME TO CALL THE EAGLE ACRES.
WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET WORK DONE IN THERE FOR ABOUT TWO, THREE YEARS, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO WORK AROUND THE NESTING SEASON FOR THE BALD EAGLES.
IT'S REALLY BEEN GREAT TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO WORK WITH PARK OPERATION STAFF TO WORK WITH OUR STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT.
THEY'VE ACTUALLY COME OUT AND WALK SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE TREATED ADJACENT TO OR SURROUNDING THE EAGLE NESTING SITE, AND DOUG BELL QUACK WERE ACTUALLY HAPPY WITH WHAT THEY SAW, AND THEY SAID THAT IT REALLY WOULD, AND IT WAS IMPROVING THE SITE CONDITIONS OR THE HUNTING ABILITY FOR THE BALD EAGLES IN THE AREA.
ONE GOOD THING WAS THAT LAST YEAR, WE WERE WORKING OUTSIDE OF THE BUFFER ZONE FOR THE BALD EAGLE, EXCUSE ME, AND THEY ACTUALLY FLEDGED THREE CHICKS IN JUNE.
THE MEASURES THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING IN PLACE HAVE BEEN EFFECTIVE.
THAT THREE CHICKS IN JUNE, AND I WAS AMAZED TO HEAR THAT THAT PAIR HAS PRODUCED 24 OFFSPRING SINCE 2012.
THE OTHER BALD EAGLES THAT WE HAVE SAYING PIEDMONT PROBABLY ARE OFFSPRING FROM THESE.
VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE PROTECT THEM, AND WE'RE TIMING THIS WORK BETWEEN OCTOBER 15TH OF THIS YEAR TO DECEMBER 15TH.
[03:05:07]
WHEN IT'S BEEN DETERMINED, IT'LL BE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF IMPACT ON THEM.THEN THE CONTRACTOR WE'VE CHOSEN, THEY CAN GET THROUGH THEIR QUICK.
THAT'S THE GOAL WITH PROFESSIONAL TREE CARE, THE METHODOLOGIES THAT THEY HAVE SHOWN TO US.
WE'VE USED BEFORE WITH THEM, THEY'VE PROVEN THAT THEY'RE CAPABLE UTILIZING THE PIECES OF EQUIPMENT THAT THEY'LL USE IN THAT 22 ACRE PROJECT AREA, AND THEY'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE THROUGH, GET THE PROJECT DONE BEFORE WE GET INTO NESTING SEASON, ONCE AGAIN, OR WHERE IT'S THE TIME WHERE THE EAGLES WOULD BE HARM DETRIMENTALLY, I WOULD SAY, OR, AGGRAVATED, AGITATED.
THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THAT AREA, REOPEN THE CAMPGROUND.
ALL SAID, THAT SPECIFIC AREA IS FAR FURTHER OUT ON THE ONE SIDE OF THE LAKE, BUT IT IS CLOSE TO THE CAMPGROUND AND ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO THAT ACTUALLY MAKES THAT CAMPGROUND MORE SAFE AND SECURE IN THE EVENT OF WILDFIRE IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT AS WELL AS THERE WOULD IN THE WIND EVENT BE THE POTENTIAL FOR A FIRE TO MOVE FROM THAT AREA OVER LAKE SHABANA TO BE HONEST WITH THE SPOTTING NUMBER OF DISTANCES THAT YOU CAN EXPERIENCE WITH EUCALYPTUS.
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALLY JUST LOOK AT THE MOST CURRENT MAPPING THAT HAS BEEN RELEASED BY CAL FIRE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAPPING, THE PURPLE AREA, THAT IS THE VERY HIGH FIRE HAZARD SEVERITY AREA. THE RED AS WELL TOO.
I JUST DENOTED SO YOU KNOW WHAT'S THE PARK DISTRICT PROPERTY OR NOT, OR WHERE THE PARK DISTRICT ENDS AND SPILLS OVER AND GOES INTO THE LRA.
AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S WORK RIGHT ALONG THE COMMUNITIES UP ALONG SKYLINE BOULEVARD.
DEFINITELY AN AREA WHERE WE HAVE HAD AN INCREASED OCCURRENCE OF WILDFIRES FROM ACTIVITIES ALONG THE ROADSIDE, FROM FIREWORKS.
JUST MAYBE TWO MONTHS AGO, WE RESPONDED TO A FIRE THAT WAS DOWN IN THE EUCALYPTUS STAND WHERE WE WILL BE DOING OUR FIELDS TREATMENT THAT WAS MOST LIKELY CAUSE WAS A FIREWORK, BUT IT WAS DOWN IN A LOCATION THAT WAS DIFFICULT ACCESS, AND WHAT POKED AROUND FOR A WHILE, TURNED INTO ABOUT A QUARTER ACRE FIRE BEFORE FIREFIGHTERS COULD ACTUALLY GET TO IT.
THAT AREA, WE WILL DEFINITELY MOVE ALONG AND THROUGH, AND DO OUR FIELDS TREATMENT THROUGH.
IT'S I THINK ONE OF THE AREAS THAT WHEN IT COMES TO PRIORITIES OF WHERE WE'RE ABLE TO PERFORM OUR WORK ADJACENT TO COMMUNITIES IN AREAS OF THE HIGHEST RISK, THAT IS, AS CHIEF MENTIONED, ONE OF THE HIGH PRIORITY AREAS, WHERE WE CAN BUILD UPON PREVIOUS WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE PRIOR AND GET INTO EUCALYPTUS FOREST THAT HAS NOT HAD ANY PREVIOUS MAINTENANCE OR MANAGEMENT.
IN CLOSING, THE TOTAL FUNDING FOR THE TWO SPECIALTY CONTRACTS IS $1,017,175 IS TO PREVENT PROJECT DELAYS DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES.
WE'D LIKE TO REQUEST BOARD APPROVAL FOR A 10% CONTRACT CONTINGENCY OF $26,400 FOR PROFESSIONAL TREAT CARE COMPANY AND $75,317 FOR FALK FOREST DECREE.
SUFFICIENT FUNDS REMAIN IN THE PROJECT 565800, WHICH IS THE FEMA PDM GRANT 2024, TO COVER THESE CONTINGENCIES.
THANK YOU. WE'D BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. TAKE ANY COMMENTS.
>> THE PHOTO OF THE EAGLES ARE THOSE THE ACTUAL EAGLES THAT ARE NESTING.
THAT'S AWESOME. THANK YOU. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION.
A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, WE APPROVED THAT LIST OF ON-CALL TREE SERVICES.
YOU KNOW, SPEAKING OF OUR MEETINGS, CREATING BURDENS ON STAFF, WE'VE BEEN SEEING A LOT OF YOU GUYS, [LAUGHTER], AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE IT.
BECAUSE IT'S INCUMBENT ON ALL OF US TO LEARN AND BECOME EXPERTS OURSELVES IN THESE ISSUES.
I REALLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF YOU.
BUT I'M JUST FOCUSING ON WHAT? THOSE ON-CALL SERVICES WERE MORE
[03:10:02]
FOR ORDINARY RUN-OF-THE-MILL EVERYDAY TYPE OF JOBS.AS OPPOSED, THESE ARE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED WITH SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT, AND THAT'S THE DISTINCTION.
>> TO AN EXTENT. BOTH DO HAVE SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT, HIGHLY SKILLED WORKERS, THE ON-CALL IS FOR SMALLER-SCALE PROJECTS FOR THE MOST PART.
ONCE WE GET INTO PROJECTS SIMILAR TO THESE, THE SCALE, AND THEN ABSOLUTELY THAT THE FELLER BUNCHERS, THOSE AREN'T NORMALLY USED ON ON-CALL OR THE CABLE YARDER.
IT'S A COMBINATION OF BOTH, BUT THE ON-CALL IS MORE SO MORE OF AN EXPEDITED MECHANISM FOR US TO DO OUR FIELDS TREATMENT WORK.
THEN WHEN WE GET TO LARGE-SCALE PROJECTS, AS WELL AS HIGHLY COMPLEX.
>> I ASSUME THESE TWO COMPANIES WERE NOT ON THAT LIST.
>> [OVERLAPPING] ONE OF THEM WAS.
>> WELL GREAT. I'M GLAD I ASKED.
THEY ARE AVAILABLE FOR THAT LEVEL OF WORK, AND THIS IS THE LARGER SCALE FOCUSED WORK.
A LOT OF THIS IS WITHIN WARD 4 AND DEFINITELY BETWEEN THE INTERFACE OF THE COMMUNITY.
AS FAR AS WHEN WE'RE DOING THIS NEXT ROUND OF WORK, WHAT TYPE OF COMMUNICATION WILL BE HAPPENING? BECAUSE THIS IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT WORK THAT'S GOING TO NOT ONLY BE PROTECTING THE PARK, BUT DIRECTLY IMPACTING THOSE HILL COMMUNITIES.
IS THERE ANY TYPE OF PARTNERSHIPS OR ANYTHING, OR JUST PUBLIC AFFAIRS TYPE WORK, WHERE WE'LL BE GETTING THE WORD OUT, OR WHO OUR PARTNERS MAY BE OUTSIDE OF THAT COMPANY?
>> WE DEFINITELY HAVE A VERY GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH PUBLIC AFFAIRS ON GETTING THE WORD OUT.
WE'LL LOOK TO AND WE'LL PUT TOGETHER A MEDIA RELEASE OF SOME SORT IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION WE WANT TO GO.
AS FAR AS PARTNERS GO, WITHIN OUR RELATIONSHIPS OR WITH OUR RELATIONSHIP AND THE INVOLVEMENT WITH THE HILLS EMERGENCY FORUM, WE'RE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ALL THE LOCAL FIRE AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS, AND THEN GET THE WORD OUT OF WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHAT PROJECTS WE HAVE, GOING TO HOPEFULLY HAVE THEM GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THAT.
ASIDE FROM THAT, FROM OUR INVOLVEMENT WITH DIFFERENT FIRE SAFE COUNCILS, AS WELL AS THE COUNTY COORDINATOR FOR ALAMEDA COUNTY, WHO'S RECENTLY JUST PUT IN HIS PLACE, IS DEFINITELY GOING TO BE ABLE TO REALLY WORK TO HELP GET THE WORD OUT FROM MORE OF A GRASSROOTS TYPE OF A LEVEL, WHICH HE'LL BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT FIREWISE COMMUNITIES IN THE SURROUNDING AREA.
WE DON'T REALLY DO SO MUCH OF A GET OUT ON THE GROUND AND FLYER THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
WE DO THAT FOR CERTAIN PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING BURN PILING OR SOMETHING OF THE SORT.
BUT WE GET THE INFORMATION OUT ON THE WEBSITE.
FOR EACH AND EVERY PROJECT, YOU CAN ALWAYS GO AND LOOK AT THE FUELS MANAGEMENT UPDATES.
THAT'LL GIVE YOU A BIT OF A GOOD PLACE TO JUST GET A GENERALIZED UPDATE.
YOU THINK OF ANY OTHER MECHANISMS OF GETTING THE WORD OUT?
>> WHAT DO WE GET OUT? I'M ASSUMING WITH THE DIFFERENT PRESS RELEASE.
WE HAVE UPDATES TO AS FAR AS THE DIFFERENT CITY MAYORS AND THE DIFFERENT DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES WITHIN THAT AREA SO THAT THE CITY OF THE SAN LEANDRO, THAT THE COUNCIL MEMBERS KNOW THAT SPECIFICALLY WERE WITHIN THEIR AREAS DOING THAT WORK BECAUSE THERE WERE DEFINITELY PRETTY LIKE THE BAYOU VISTA COMMUNITY, SHEFFIELD VILLAGE, JUST PART OF OAKLAND, AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE REALLY UNDERSTANDING THIS OTHER TECHNICAL WORK WE'RE DOING.
>> I THINK WE CAN DEFINITELY MAKE IT A POINT TO WORK WITH LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS TO MAKE SURE THAT HAPPENS THAT THE VARIOUS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE FOLKS THAT WILL BE IN THAT MORE IMMEDIATE AREA OF INFLUENCE.
>> IT'S MORE OF YOUR GOOD WORK.
BUT THIS WITH THAT NEW FIRE MAP, JUST REALLY HIGHLIGHTING THOSE COMMUNITIES AND THEN THE TYPE OF SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT YOU'RE USING TO GO IN AND PROVIDE THAT EXTRA WORK THAT'S MORE TECHNICAL.
I KNOW THAT THEY HAVE DIFFERENT FIRE FORMS, AND JUST LETTING THOSE COMMUNITIES KNOW THAT WE'RE TAKING THAT EXTRA STEP.
I JUST THINK IT'S ANOTHER GOOD STORY.
[03:15:04]
>> ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ANY PUBLIC COMMENT.
>> WE DO HAVE ONE PUBLIC COMMENT.
KELLY ABRE. HE'S GOING TO COME TO THE PODIUM.
>> I'LL DO MY USUAL ADVERTISING FOR BIOCHAR.
THE BIOCHAR IS JUST AS RENAMING THE NEW MARKETING TERM.
THEY COPIED THE TECHNOLOGY WHICH WAS INVENTED, AND THE ORIGINAL NAME WAS TERRA PRETA.
IN THE AMAZON, THEY BUILT ENTIRE CIVILIZATIONS WITH ROADS, CANALS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN PART OF THE STRUCTURE WAS THE [INAUDIBLE] TO GET FERTILE SOIL, WHICH WAS HARD TO COME BY IN THE MIDDLE OF A RAINFOREST.
THESE ARE CIVILIZATIONS THAT ARE AS BIG OR AS COMPLEX AS THE MAYA CIVILIZATIONS WERE OR THE INCAS.
BUT COMING BACK TO THIS THING, THE COST IS VERY HIGH IF YOU LOOK AT THE COST OF BUYING NEW GRAZING LAND SOMEWHERE.
YOU CAN GET GRAZING LAND FOR MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW, $20,000 AN ACRE, AND THE COST OF ONE FIRE TREATMENT THAT WILL LAST, I 50 YEARS OR 30 YEARS, IS THE SAME AS COST OF BUYING THE BUY LAND, EMPTY LAND OR GRAZING LAND, OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT.
THEREFORE, THIS COST IS JUST OUTRAGEOUS AND NOBODY WOULD EVER PAY IT EXCEPT THAT NEXT DOOR TO SOME OF THESE PLACES IS URBAN LAND WITH SUBURBAN HOUSES ON IT, AND EMPTY URBAN LAND THAT'S BUILDABLE LAND IS COST A MILLION DOLLARS AN ACRE, AND THAT'S WITH NO HOUSING ON IT.
THEN IF YOU PUT THE HOUSING ON IT, AND YOU BURN DOWN ALL THE HOUSE OR WHATEVER, IF YOU BUILT ALL THOSE HOUSES OR SOLD THEM, THAT WOULD COST FIVE MILLION DOLLARS AN ACRE.
NOW YOU'RE SPENDING $20,000 IN AN ACRE TO TRY TO REDUCE THE DAMAGE TO THE FIVE MILLION DOLLARS AN ACRE AREAS RIGHT NEXT DOOR.
THAT'S THE WHOLE THING WHY YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH SPENDING THIS MUCH MONEY.
THEN WHY DO YOU HAVE TO SPEND THIS MUCH MONEY? IMAGINE ALL DIFFERENT MAGICAL WAYS TO REDUCE FUEL LOADS, WHATEVER.
REMOVING THE FUEL LOAD, IF YOU HAD ONE PIECE OF WOOD RIGHT HERE AND ONE CARBONIZE IT RIGHT THERE, REDUCING THE FUEL LOAD COSTS NOTHING.
BUT IF YOU'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO REDUCE THE FUEL LOAD, YOU HAVE TO TRANSPORT LARGE QUANTITIES OF LOW-DENSITY MATERIAL THAT'S VERY HEAVY AND FUEL, AND YOU HAVE TO TRANSPORT IT A LONG DISTANCE TO THE TREATMENT SITE, AND THAT COSTS MONEY, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, IT COSTS MONEY TO TRANSPORT BULK GOODS ACROSS MOUNTAIN SIDES.
YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO GET CHEAP FUELS REDUCTION BECAUSE MOVING THE FUELS OR REMOVING THE FUELS IS ALWAYS GOING TO COST A LOT OF MONEY.
>> ANY OTHERS? NO. THEN I'LL TAKE COMMENTS.
>> I GUESS I'LL FILL IN THE BLANK HERE.
[LAUGHTER] THE AREAS THAT YOU'RE PRESENTING THERE, I DON'T REPRESENT THAT AREA, BUT I'M VERY INTERESTED IN IT.
TO ME, THAT REPRESENTS A PLACE YOU REALLY NEED TO GO AND WORK, AND I'M GLAD YOU'RE DOING IT BECAUSE THE JUXTA POSITIONING THERE OF THE URBAN AREA AND THE HIGH FUEL LOAD IS JUST SO SCARY.
THERE'S SO MUCH THERE. I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE THAT SOME EFFORT IS BEING MADE.
SOMETIMES WHEN I'M TALKING TO FOLKS OUT AND ABOUT, THIS ISSUE ISN'T A HUGE ISSUE FOR ME AND MY WARD.
I DON'T GET CONCERN ABOUT IT, BUT I STILL TALK ABOUT IT.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE ASK JUST AS A MATTER OF HEY, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING ABOUT THE BERKELEY HILLS OR THE OAKLAND HILLS OR WHATEVER, AND I TELL THEM ALL THE STUFF THAT WE'RE DOING.
I THINK IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF THEIR RESPECT, JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, DOESN'T MEAN NOTHING'S GOING ON.
[03:20:01]
THIS SEEMS LIKE A WELL-THOUGHT-OUT AND EFFECTIVE DEAL, AND YES, IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE, BUT AS HAS BEEN POINTED OUT, THE ALTERNATIVE IS FRIGHTENINGLY COSTLY AND NOT JUST MONEY, BUT LIVES AND ALL OTHER STUFF.>> YES, I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
I THINK IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT I'M IN SUPPORT.
ALSO JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ONCE AGAIN, LOOKING AT BOTH THE INNOVATIVE APPROACHES AND THE COST-EFFECTIVE APPROACH.
I LIKE THAT AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU ALL ARE DOING BECAUSE, YES, IT'S EXPENSIVE, BUT YOU DO SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB OF BEING SUPER STRATEGIC AND REALLY MAKE EVERY DOLLAR COUNT.
>> DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR THIS ITEM?
>> I WAS JUST GETTING MOTION TO MOVE.
>> MOVED BY ESPAÑA, SECONDED BY ECHOLS?
DOES THE GENERAL MANAGER HAVE ANY COMMENTS?
>> NONE TODAY. ARE THERE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM CLOSED SESSION?
ARE THERE ANY PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS?
[PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
>> I RECEIVED A LETTER IN REGARDS TO THE DELVAL KIOSK, AND I THINK THAT THIS IS A TOPIC THAT NEEDS TO COME BACK AT SOME POINT, WHETHER IT'S OPERATIONS COMMITTEE OR THE BOARD.
I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE THAT FOR A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM.
THE OTHER TOPIC THAT I'M INTERESTED IN, BUT I DO BELIEVE IT'S ON THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE AGENDA FOR TOMORROW DOES INCLUDE CONVERSATION ABOUT COYOTE HILLS AND THE PATTERSON RANCH PROJECT.
I KNOW ON OUR WEBSITE, IT DOES CURRENTLY SAY THAT THAT WILL BE COMPLETED BY SPRING SUMMER OF 2025.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT OUR OPENING TIMELINE IS, BUT WE MAY NEED TO UPDATE THE WEBSITE AND I'LL BE INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT'S DISCUSSED TOMORROW AT THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE.
>> THANK YOU. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, I HAVE SUDDENLY RECEIVED, PROBABLY 40 EMAILS IN A LITTLE OVER A WEEK ABOUT PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT VERY EGREGIOUS SPEEDING ON THE IRON HORSE TRAIL AND ALSO TO SOME EXTENT THE CONTRA COSTA CANAL TRAIL.
IT'S SO FAR BEYOND ANYTHING THAT I'VE ENCOUNTERED YET IN MY TIME HERE ON THE BOARD.
I HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN SATISFIED WITH THE RESPONSE THAT I'VE GOTTEN FROM OUR PUBLIC SAFETY FOLKS AND I'VE BEEN ASKING.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO AS LONG AS IT'S SOMETHING, BUT MAYBE IT'S AN AGENDA ITEM, MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING ELSE, BUT YOU LOOK LIKE YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING HERE. THANK YOU.
>> THE CHIEF HAS LEFT FOR THE DAY, BUT I HAVE BEEN WORKING DIRECTLY WITH PUBLIC SAFETY TO DOCUMENT ALL OF OUR EFFORTS ON THE IRON HORSE TRAIL SO WE CAN GET BACK TO YOU AND THEN HELP PROPOSE A RESPONSE THAT YOU CAN RESPOND TO ALL OF THE CONSTRUCTIONS.
>> I'LL DO IT ANYWAY. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE I'M RESPONDING TO IT'S JUST GENERAL STATEMENT THAT THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST.
NEVER ANY PROMISES. CAN'T DO THAT.
>> EXACTLY. BUT WE DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE WORK THAT PUBLIC SAFETY HAS BEEN DOING.
WE UNDERSTAND NO RESPONSE MAKES IT LOOK LIKE THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING, BUT THEY HAVE BEEN RESPONDING.
WE JUST NEED TO GET IT ALL TO YOU SO YOU CAN SEE THE EFFORTS.
I THINK EVEN CAPTAIN KOCHER IS GOING OUT TO MEET WITH THE PUBLIC, SPECIFICALLY, SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT REACHED OUT DIRECTLY.
>> HE HAS DONE THAT RECENTLY. I'M AWARE OF THAT.
>> CAN I SECOND YOUR REQUEST TO ACTUALLY MAKING AN AGENDA ITEM? I THINK ENFORCEMENT OF THE BICYCLE RULES IN GENERAL IS A WORTHY AGENDA TOPIC BECAUSE I THINK YOU WE'RE ADDRESSING IT ONE AT A TIME.
I THINK AS YOU KNOW, JOHN, THAT DENNIS SHARED THIS THOUGHT, IS THAT ENFORCEMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A COMPONENT OF THE BRAILINS PILOT PROJECT.
I THINK THAT SPILLS INTO ENFORCEMENT OF SPEEDING IN PARKS AND OUT OF PARTS ON THE REGIONAL TRAILS, AND MAYBE NOT IMMEDIATE,
[03:25:01]
BUT I JUST THINK IT'S A WORTHY AGENDA TOPIC.>> WELL, AND WE SHOULDN'T BE TALKING ABOUT THIS TOO MUCH, BUT IT'S MORE THAN JUST ENFORCEMENT, IT'S EDUCATION AND A LOT OF BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF TOO.
JUST DEALING WITH IT, I THINK IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
HOW IS THE DISTRICT GOING TO DEAL WITH THIS? THERE MAY BE FIVE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE DO.
GOOD. THERE WE GO. SOUNDS GOOD.
BOARD REPORTS. SHOULD WE START WITH ELIZABETH AND COME DOWN THIS WAY?
[BOARD REPORTS ON MEETINGS ATTENDED]
>> I'LL SET THE STANDARD FOR BREVITY.
FIRST OF ALL, SEPTEMBER 6TH, A NUMBER OF US AND SOME STAFF AS WELL, ENJOYED AN EVENT WITH ONE OF OUR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS SAVE MOUNT DIABLO, AND WE WENT TO THE MOONLIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN EVENT AND IT WAS VERY NICE.
THE MOON CAME UP JUST IN TIME, JUST BEAUTIFUL, ALMOST FULL MOON.
I WANT JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT SAVE MOUNT DIABLO IS DOING AND OUR WORK WITH THEM TO PRESERVE THAT OPEN SPACE.
THEN THE NEXT DAY ON SUNDAY, THE SEVENTH, I RAN INTO A NUMBER OF OUR FOLKS AT THE OAKLAND PRIDE PARADE AND WAS REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT WE HAD A BOOTH THERE BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE THAT WE DID OR WE DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS PLANNED.
IT WAS VERY ROBUST WITH A LOT OF OUR STAFF THERE AND DIRECTOR SPANO WAS THERE AS WELL.
THAT'S ALL I'M GOING TO REPORT ON FOR NOW.
>> NOTHING TO REPORT? LET'S GO DOWN TO DIRECTOR ESPAÑA.
>> NINETY FIVE, HAD A MEETING WITH ALLISON BROOKS AND OAKLAND PARK AND REC FORM OVERVIEW.
WE DISCUSSED AN UPCOMING PROGRAM THAT THEY'RE HAVING ABOUT HOW PARKS ARE GOOD FOR BUSINESS.
ON 96, WENT TO SAVE MOUNT DIABLO, A MOONLIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN, VERY BEAUTIFUL.
ON SUNDAY 97 IN MY WORK CAPACITY, I WAS AT THE OAKLAND PRIDE, BUT I WAS ABLE TO BUMP INTO OUR MOBILE EDUCATION UNIT, AND THEN ALSO SEE OUR STAFF OUT THERE TALKING ABOUT THE DISTRICT PLAN.
THAT WAS GREAT. ON 98, I DID A SITE VISIT TO OYSTER BAY, WAS VERY AWESOME.
BRIAN HOLT AND TIM WALKED ME AROUND, TALKED ABOUT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT ON THE SITE.
ON 911, WAS ABLE TO SPEAK WITH JOSE GONZALEZ ABOUT DIFFERENT EXCITING PLANS ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND HOW TO BETTER CONNECT WITH OUR DIFFERENT WARDS, ESPECIALLY WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES WITHIN MY WARD.
>> MY TURN. SEPTEMBER 3RD, WAS THE LEDGE COMMITTEE.
ON THE FOURTH, I ATTENDED BY ZOOM, I GUESS IT WAS IN THE FORM OF A WEBINAR BY OUR STAFF ON THE HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE THAT WE DO ANNUALLY.
THAT EVENING I ATTENDED THE MYRES CONFERENCE.
THAT WAS HELD IN ELSORIDO, AND AT LEAST TWO PARTICIPANTS AT THE MYRES CONFERENCE, YOU WERE THERE, I THINK, CALLED US OUT FOR THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF POINT MOLATI.
IT WAS A NICE MEETING TO ATTEND.
ON THE SIXTH, I ALSO ATTENDED MOON LINE ON THE MOUNTAIN.
THEY DID TIME THE MOON RISE REALLY WELL THIS YEAR.
THAT MORNING, I ATTENDED THE DISONIA WALK AND TALK WITH DOGS AT BRIONES.
THE CONGRESSMAN HAD A GREAT TIME. HE REALLY ENJOYED IT.
ON THE SEVENTH, I SHOULD MENTION MELA AND I ATTENDED THE GARIN APPLE FESTIVAL AND SPENT THE AFTERNOON THERE.
I'VE BEEN TO THEM NOW FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, BUT IT'S EVOLVED INTO A TREMENDOUS EVENT.
WHOEVER ORGANIZED IT, I'M NOT SURE, BUT THEY DESERVE ALL PRAISE FOR THE EVENT THAT WAS PUT ON.
THEY HAD NATURALISTS FROM COYOTE HILLS,
[03:30:03]
ARDEN WOOD, BLACK DIAMOND.I'M PROBABLY MISSING A FEW, BUT I WAS ABLE TO TALK TO NATURALISTS FROM A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT PARKS, A BUNCH OF STAFF FROM DIFFERENT PARKS, LOTS OF VOLUNTEERS, AND LOTS OF YOUNG FAMILIES HAVING A GREAT TIME.
WE TASTED ICE CREAM AND ALL APPLE VARIETIES AND HAD A REALLY WONDERFUL TIME.
THIS YEAR'S GARIN APPLE FESTIVAL, WE HAVE AN ISSUE WITH ACCESS INTO THAT PARK FOR THE FESTIVAL.
I THINK I TALKED TO SOME OF THE FOLKS, I THINK CHRIS FROM COYOTE HILLS.
CARS WERE TURNING AWAY AND GIVING UP ON GETTING INTO THE PARK BECAUSE OF THE WAIT TIME AT THE ENTRANCE.
I CAN TALK TO STAFF MORE ABOUT AT SOME POINT.
ON THE EIGHTH, I ATTENDED THE MARTINEZ LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MERCURIO, AND STAFF.
IT WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE WITH THE MAYOR OF MARTINEZ AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR.
I HAD A MEETING ON THE NINTH WITH DANISHA MARSH, WHO WAS ONE OF MY APPOINTEES TO THE PAC COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS PAC BUSINESS AND GET HER FEEDBACK.
ON THE TENTH, I ATTENDED THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THEN I GUESS JUST THIS WEEKEND ON THE 12TH, CONGRESSMAN DE SOONY HAD HIS ANNUAL EVENT AT SHADLINS IN WALNUT CREEK.
HE HAD CONGRESSWOMAN LOFGREN AND CONGRESSMAN MULLEN.
WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MINGLE WITH THREE DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, AND HEAR THEIR VIEWS OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN DC.
ON THE 13TH, I ATTENDED THE LAST OF THE SEASON COMMUNITY CAMP FIRES AT BIG BREAK.
LOTS OF LITTLE KIDS DIST IN TOTAL JOY WATCHING A PUPPET SHOW PUT ON BY OUR DOCENTS, ISAS, NATURAL STAFF THERE WITH THE THEME OF MAMMALS, LOTS OF DIFFERENT WORK TABLES FOR THE KIDS TO ENJOY AND [INAUDIBLE] WONDERFUL EVENING.
THEY PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO IT AND COMMUNITY ATTENDS.
LASTLY, YESTERDAY, WAS IT? WE ATTENDED THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SPECIAL DISTRICT ASSOCIATION MEETING, AND THE LEADS PRESENTER WAS A GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS CONSULTANT, A MEDIA CONSULTANT, ESSENTIALLY TO PUBLIC AGENCIES, AND I HAVE HIS HANDOUT AND WAS GOING TO SHARE IT WITH ALLISON BROOKS AT SOME POINT. THAT'S IT.
>> THANK YOU. THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF OVERLAP HERE.
I WON'T ELABORATE ON WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY DESCRIBED, BUT ON SEPTEMBER 2ND, I WENT TO THE BOARD MEETING.
ON SEPTEMBER 4TH, I MET WITH A MEMBER OF THE TOWN OF DANVILLS PARK COMMISSION.
I THINK HE'S THE ONE WHO ASKED FOR THAT MEETING, AND WE TALKED ABOUT A WHOLE LOT OF THINGS, INCLUDING THE IRON HORSE TRAIL, INCLUDING SOME STUFF HAVING TO DO WITH OUR PROJECT DOWN THERE AT BURRELL, BUT GREAT GUY, AND I THINK WE'RE BUDDIES NOW.
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY'S MAYOR CONFERENCE WAS LATER THAT DAY AS DIRECTOR COFFEY MENTIONED.
THEN ON THE SIXTH, I WENT THE WALK AND TALK WITH CONGRESSMAN DE SOONY WITH THE DOGS, AND THAT WAS GREAT.
LOT OF REALLY GOOD TURNOUT THERE IN BRIONES.
MOONLIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN LATER THAT DAY.
THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT MEETING WITH MARTINEZ WAS ONE OF THE BEST ONES I'VE ATTENDED.
IT WAS VERY GOOD. THEY GOT A LOT GOING ON THERE IN MARTINEZ THESE DAYS AND IT'S GOOD TO HEAR IT, GOOD TO SEE IT.
FINANCE COMMITTEE ON 10TH SEPTEMBER, AND THEN I PERIODICALLY MEET WITH COLIN CLARK, WHO IS THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION MANAGER, I THINK IS HIS TITLE, AT CONTRA COSTA TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY, AND WE TALK ABOUT ALL KINDS OF THINGS HAVING TO DO WITH ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION AND TRAILS AND BIKE FACILITIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO KEEP UP ON WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, I ATTENDED THE PRE BOARD MEETING, AND THEN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT WAS MY TIME FOR THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION BOARD MEETING
[03:35:01]
TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE FOR THEM, THEIR BOARD, ON WHAT WE'RE UP TO HERE AT THE DISTRICT.THEN ON THE 14TH, SUNDAY, OUR STAFF PUT TOGETHER AN OPEN HOUSE IN DANVILLE AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER TO TELL THE FOLKS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON, WHAT DO WE HAVE IN MIND FOR BURRELL? THERE ARE NOW THREE OPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PREPARED WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF DIFFERENT ELEMENTS AND ALL OF THOSE, AND SO THE JOB NOW WILL BE TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PUBLIC THINKS ABOUT ALL THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS AND HOW WE CAN PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER INTO A REALLY NICE PARK OUT THERE.
NOT A HUGE TURNOUT, BUT THOSE THAT WERE THERE WERE VERY ENGAGED, AND OUR FOLKS DID A FANTASTIC JOB.
BRENDA MONTANA WAS THERE WITH A TABLE WITH ARTIFACTS FROM THE BURRELL FAMILY, I GUESS, YOU'D SAY, AND PEOPLE WERE REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT.
THEN ON THE 15TH, I GUESS THAT WAS YESTERDAY, THE CONTRA COSTA SPECIAL DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION.
THAT WAS WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO.
THEN I JUST WANTED TO JUST PUT ANOTHER PLUG IN FOR THE TRAILS CHALLENGE.
THERE'S STILL MORE THAN A QUARTER OF THE YEAR LEFT.
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO BE INVOLVED IN THAT.
YOU CAN GET A BOOKLET WITH THE TRAILS, YOU CAN DO IT ONLINE, BUT ONE THING I WASN'T REALLY QUITE AWARE OF UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, IS THAT NOT ONLY DO YOU GET THE PIN IF YOU DO FIVE TRAILS AND 26 MILES, BUT IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE OVER 65, YOU CAN GET A PATCH IF YOU DO THE FIVE TRAILS.
IF YOU HAPPEN TO DO ALL 20 TRAILS, YOU CAN ALSO GET A PATCH.
I DIDN'T REALIZE THERE WAS SO MUCH STUFF GOING ON WITH THIS.
IF YOU DO 20 TRAILS, YOU CAN GET A PATCH.
I JUST WANT TO ANYBODY WATCHING, IT'S NOT TOO LATE AT ALL.
IF THERE'S NOT ANYTHING ELSE, WE'RE ADJOURNED AT 5:15.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO EVERYBODY WHO PARTICIPATED TODAY.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.