[00:00:03] HI, EVERYONE. GOOD AFTERNOON. OKAY, HERE WE GO. THE MICS ARE WORKING NOW. HI, EVERYONE. GOOD AFTERNOON, AND WELCOME TO THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING FOR FEBRUARY [CALL TO ORDER] 3RD, OUR 1ST MEETING OF THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. AND WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH ROLL CALL. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR ECHOLS IS ABSENT. DIRECTOR DESCHAMBAULT. HERE. DIRECTOR ESPAÑA. PRESENT. DIRECTOR MERCURIO. HERE. DIRECTOR WAESPI. HERE. VICE PRESIDENT COFFEY. HERE. PRESIDENT SANWONG. HERE. THANK YOU. I WONDER. OKAY, WONDERFUL. ALL RIGHT. DIRECTOR DESCHAMBAULT WILL LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. ALL RIGHT. AND DIRECTOR WAESPI WILL READ THE LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT FOR US. THANK YOU. AS WE GATHER HERE TODAY, WE, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ALL OF OUR LANDS WITHIN THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT ARE THE ANCESTRAL LANDS OF THE EAST BAY, OHLONE, BAY MIWOK AND THE NORTHERN VALLEY YAKUT, WHO ARE POLITICALLY ORGANIZED AND REPRESENTED BY A NUMBER OF TRIBES TODAY. WE MAKE THIS RECOGNITION AS A WAY TO RESPECT AND HONOR THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WHO FIRST CULTIVATED AND INHABITED THIS LAND. THE PARK DISTRICT IS COMMITTED TO IDENTIFYING WAYS TO WORK AND CONSULT WITH THE EAST BAY TRIBES. AS WE RECOGNIZE, THESE TRIBAL CITIZENS REMAIN CONNECTED TO THEIR LAND AND CULTURE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. ALL RIGHT. SO MOVING ALONG ON THE AGENDA, OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS IF THERE ARE ANY MODIFICATIONS OF THE AGENDA. DO WE HAVE ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THE AGENDA? I DON'T SEE ANY. SO WE WILL THEN CLOSE THAT AGENDA ITEM AND MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM. [PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA] SEE PUBLIC COMMENT ON ITEMS, NOT ON THE AGENDA. OKAY, SO WE'RE NOW ON PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MAY PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT EITHER IN PERSON OR VIA ZOOM. THOSE ATTENDING IN PERSON SHALL SUBMIT A SPEAKER CARD TO THE CLERK, STAFF OR OTHERWISE INDICATE THEIR DESIRE TO SPEAK ON A NON AGENDA ITEM. THOSE ATTENDING VIA ZOOM MAY USE THE RAISE YOUR HAND FEATURE. SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED WHEN IT IS THEIR TURN TO SPEAK. EACH SPEAKER WILL BE PROVIDED UP TO 3 MINUTES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD. A COUNTDOWN TIMER WILL BE DISPLAYED FOR THE SPEAKER'S CONVENIENCE. CURRENTLY, WE HAVE 2 HANDS UP ONLINE AND THREE SPEAKERS IN PERSON. SO WE WILL START WITH IN-PERSON. JEFFREY BERNARD. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY. IN 1945, WORLD WAR 2 ENDED IN 1952. SEVEN YEARS LATER, A SMALLER SCALE STEAM TRAIN OPERATION WAS GOING ON. THANKS TO THE GENIUS OF ERICH THOMPSEN, A VISIONARY AND MARVELOUS MACHINIST IN TILDEN PARK, THE PARK HAD OPENED IN 1939. THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THE CHUFFING SOUND AS THE ENGINE, HAULING AN ENTHUSIASTIC LOAD OF RIDERS, BEGINS TO GO UP GRADE JUST PAST THE TUNNEL. ALONG WITH BEING SHOWERED WITH THE CONDENSED STEAM FROM THE WHISTLE, HAVING ANNOUNCED ITS LOCATION ALONG THE TRACK STILL EXISTS TODAY. ERICH AND HIS WIFE ADELE MANAGED THE OPERATION IN WHAT MUST HAVE BEEN A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL AGREEMENT WITH THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT. AFTER ERICH AND ADELE DIED, ELLEN TOOK CONTROL OF THE BUSINESS AMID THE 66 YEAR JOURNEY. THESE DAYS, THE AGREEMENT MUST BE EXPONENTIALLY MORE COMPLICATED AND LENGTHY AS PER THE LITIGIOUS NATURE OF TODAY'S SOCIETY. I HAVE CONVEYED THE BASIC LEASE CONCEPTS, DETAILS PREVIOUSLY, BLAH BLAH AND BLAH. COMMERCE STILL OCCURS WITH LOTS OF RULES AND REGULATIONS THAT ATTEMPT TO KEEP THE PLAYING FIELD LEVEL, BUT THE CORE SIMPLICITY STILL EXISTS. SO YOU WANT TO BUILD A RAILROAD? YES I DO. ON A PERFECT PIECE OF LAND IN YOUR TILDEN PARK. PERFECT. YOU SAY? YES, BUT THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS WILL BE ARDUOUS, EXHAUSTING, AND NOT TO MENTION EXPENSIVE. WHAT DOES ALL OF THAT WORTH? IT WOULD SEEM SEVEN YEARS AGO, THIS SIMPLICITY CONCEPT WENT AWAY. IT IS NOW MONTH TO MONTH, ALLOWING MINIMAL PROTECTION TO EITHER PARTY. FROM MY VANTAGE POINT, ADMITTEDLY WITH ALMOST NO REAL INFORMATION, THE REDWOOD VALLEY RAILROAD STANDS TO LOSE BIG TIME WITHOUT A WORKABLE LONG TERM LEASE. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF PHELAN RIPPED UP ALL THE TRACK AND MOVED ON TO 150,000 RIDERS A YEAR, [00:05:07] MIGHT NOT VENTURE UP TO GRIZZLY PEAK BOULEVARD TO YOUR PARK. MIGHT EVEN LEAVE A BITTER TASTE TO LONGTIME RIDERS. AS MYSELF, WHAT HAS CHANGED? IS THE RAILROAD FAILING? CAN THE PARK DISTRICT GET A BETTER FINANCIAL RESULT FROM A DIFFERENT ENTITY? IF SO, I WOULD ENDEAVOR TO PROCURE A SOUVENIR LENGTH OF RAIL TO DISPLAY IN MY BACKYARD, ALONGSIDE THE SPIKE FROM THE YOSEMITE VALLEY RAILWAY THAT HAD CLOSED A FEW YEARS BEFORE 1952. LEGAL HAS THE POWER TO RECTIFY THIS SITUATION. PLEASE DO SO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ELLEN THOMPSON. HI, MY NAME IS ELLEN THOMPSON. I OWN REDWOOD VALLEY RAILWAY COMPANY, THE STEAM TRAIN IN TILDEN. WE'VE BEEN THERE FOR 74 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 THE REDWOOD TREES. WE DO FIRE HAZARD ABATEMENT, INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES REMOVAL AND RARE SPECIES PROTECTION, ALL AT PRIVATE EXPENSE. 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. AND TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO MAKE MANY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS WHICH REQUIRE PERMITTING FROM THE COUNTY. BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT WITHOUT OUR DISTRICT LEASE. BUT NOW WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO RENEW OUR LEASE WITH THE DISTRICT FOR 7 AND A HALF YEARS, WITH ONLY LIMITED SUCCESS IN THAT 7 AND A HALF YEARS. THE STAFF PEOPLE WE TRY TO WORK WITH HAVE CHANGED 12 TIMES IN 7 AND A HALF YEARS. A GOOD WORKING DRAFT WAS CREATED 7 AND A HALF YEARS AGO, BUT NOW THE STAFF WANT TO IGNORE IT. IN RECENT WEEKS, THERE HAS BEEN A FLURRY OF EFFORT BY STAFF, BUT IT WILL JUST REQUIRE US TO PUT MORE MONEY INTO THE FACILITY WITH NO GUARANTEE OF ANY LEASE IN THE FUTURE. NOW WE'RE BEING ASKED TO ABANDON THE LEASE DOCUMENT THAT HAS BEEN POLISHED AND PERFECTED FOR 74 YEARS IN FAVOR OF A NEW ONE THAT IS WRITTEN WITH NO EXPERIENCE OF OUR SITUATION. NEGOTIATIONS ARE DIFFICULT WHEN YOU KNOW THAT ANY AGREEMENTS MAY BE REVERSED AT ANY MOMENT, AND EVEN EXISTING WRITTEN, SIGNED DOCUMENTS MAY NOT BE RESPECTED. THERE ARE MANY BUSINESSES AND ORGANIZATIONS OUT THERE WHO WOULD BE WILLING TO PROVIDE EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC ON BEHALF OF THE DISTRICT. BUT THERE ARE ALSO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN PUT OUT OF BUSINESS BY THE PREDATORY DEMANDS OF THE DISTRICT. IN THE PAST, CONCESSIONAIRES HAVE BEEN FORCED OUT OF THE PARK, SOMETIMES BY ILLEGAL MEANS. THIS IS WHY MANY FIRMS WILL NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THE DISTRICT, AND WHY WE TRY TO SHIELD OUR CONTRACTORS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. THE DISTRICT WOULD BENEFIT FROM LEARNING HOW TO FOSTER PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS INSTEAD OF DRIVING THEM AWAY. WE'VE ALREADY LOST HALF A DOZEN ATTRACTIONS THAT USED TO BE IN TILDEN. WE EVEN ALMOST LOST THE MERRY GO ROUND UNTIL THE PUBLIC ROSE UP AND SAID NO. I HOPED IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN TO US, BUT HERE WE ARE. RECENTLY, THE BOARD HAS STATED THAT IT IS A PRIORITY FOR THEM TO PRESERVE CULTURAL AND NATURAL ASSETS. AFTER 74 YEARS, I HOPE THAT THE TRAINS ARE THE CULTURAL ASSET THAT THE PUBLIC SEEMS TO THINK THEY ARE. WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR MONEY, BUT ONLY THE ABILITY TO KEEP SERVING THE PUBLIC. WITH NO LEGAL PROTECTION. WE WOULD HAVE TO PICK UP EVERYTHING AND LEAVE. I NEED TO KNOW IF THE PRESENT SITUATION. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME IS UP. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ROSE SAMUELSON. GOOD AFTERNOON. PRESIDENT SANWONG. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. MY NAME IS ROSE SAMUELSON. I'M AN ECOLOGIST WITH OUR DISTRICT STEWARDSHIP DEPARTMENT. AND THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK REGARDING THE DISTRICT TELEWORK POLICY. FIRST, I WOULD LOVE TO SAY THAT I LOVE MY JOB. I CHERISH IT. I GET TO WORK IN SOME OF THE MOST AMAZING LANDSCAPES IN THE BAY AREA, INTERACT WITH ENTHUSIASTIC PUBLIC MEMBERS AND COLLABORATE. COLLABORATE WITH THE MOST PASSIONATE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE DISTRICT EMPLOYEES. THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD BEING DONE AT THE DONE AT THE DISTRICT AND IN OUR CURRENT SITUATION. I FEEL AN URGENCY TO WORK EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY. AND SPEAKING ON A PERSONAL BASIS, UNFORTUNATELY, THE REVOCATION OF THE TELEWORK POLICY DIRECTLY AFFECTS MY ABILITY TO WORK EFFICIENTLY. [00:10:06] RECENT EXAMPLE. I DECIDED TO TAKE OFF A WHOLE DAY FOR A DENTIST APPOINTMENT. NOT BECAUSE I HAD TO BE IN THE CHAIR ALL DAY, FORTUNATELY, BUT BECAUSE THE LOGISTICS SIMPLY DIDN'T WORK. IT MADE NO SENSE FOR ME TO COMMUTE TO THE PERALTA OAK OFFICE, SIT DOWN FOR 45 MINUTES, ONLY TO HAVE TO PICK UP AND DRIVE BACK THE WAY I CAME IN TRAFFIC TO THE APPOINTMENT. I FIND MYSELF IN A SIMILAR SITUATION WHEN WORK FINDS ME IN THE FIELD FOR A PARTIAL DAY, I END UP SPENDING A PORTION OF MY MORNING OR AFTERNOON DRIVING ACROSS THE 2 COUNTIES SO I CAN TAKE A TEAMS CALL AT MY DESK COVERED IN POISON OAK. OFTEN TIMES, PART OF THE JOB. ALL THE GOOD STUFF IS IN THE POISON OAK. UNDER THE TELEWORK POLICY, I COULD HAVE CHECKED AND RESPONDED TO EMAILS, COMPLETED TRAININGS, TAKEN A SHOWER SOONER, OR WRITTEN REPORTS. INSTEAD, THE WORK PILES UP. MY COWORKERS WAIT FOR MY RESPONSE. I HAVE FEW HOURS AVAILABLE FOR EACH TASK. I LEAVE MEETINGS EARLY TO DRIVE TO THE NEXT MEETING. I'M CONSTANTLY WEIGHING MY PRIORITIES, ASKING, WHAT MUST I DROP OFF MY TO DO LIST FOR THE DAY? WE DO WHAT WE CAN. WE'RE ALL ENTHUSIASTIC FOLKS, BUT EACH OF US HAS A LIMIT OPERATING UNDER CONSTRAINTS BEFORE THE FRUSTRATION BEGINS TO BEAR DOWN ON OUR ENTHUSIASM. THEREFORE, I URGE THE BOARD TO DIRECT PARK COUNCIL TO DROP THE CURB APPEAL CASE AND RETURN TO THE TELEWORK POLICY TO STATUS QUO, AFTER WHICH THE DISTRICT AND UNION MAY NEGOTIATE A TELEWORK POLICY COMPARABLE TO OTHER BAY AREA PUBLIC SECTOR AGENCIES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. HAVE A WONDERFUL AFTERNOON. THANK YOU. THERE'S NO MORE PUBLIC COMMENT IN PERSON, SO WE WILL GO ONLINE. KELLY A. YOU MAY UNMUTE YOURSELF. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. I WANT TO NOTE A NEW AND INNOVATIVE PATTERN I'VE OBSERVED IN LOCAL BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. THE CITY OF FREMONT HELD THE LAST 3 MEETINGS IN A ROW WITH NO SUBSTANTIVE AGENDA ITEMS. AND THIS IS REPORTED BY THE COUNTY INSIDER TABLOID NEWSLETTER. THE FREMONT COUNCIL FLEW THROUGH A LARGELY MORIBUND CONSENT CALENDAR. THAT'S THEIR DESCRIPTOR IN ABOUT 17 MINUTES EACH TIME. SO FAST THAT BARELY QUALIFY. THESE MEETINGS WERE SO FAST, THEY BARELY QUALIFY AS AS PUBLIC DELIBERATION. RECENT MEETINGS WERE SHORTER THAN FOLDING A LOAD OF LAUNDRY, AND HALF THE TIME WAS TAKEN BY A SINGLE CEREMONIAL COMMENDATION. THAT'S NOT THE KIND OF GOVERNMENT OUR CITIES AND SPECIAL DISTRICTS DESERVE. I URGE THIS BOARD NOT TO FOLLOW FREMONT'S EXAMPLE, WHICH IF YOU LOOK AT YOUR AGENDA FOR TODAY, IT HAS NO ITEMS ON THE ACTION, ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. SO IT SEEMS TO BE FOLLOWING AT LEAST TODAY WHEN THERE ARE NO ACTION ITEMS. PLEASE USE THE TIME FOR STAFF UPDATES AND INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATIONS ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS, CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND TIMELINES, WATER AND HABITAT PROJECTS, FINANCIAL REPORTS, AND PROPERTY TAX REVENUE REVISIONS. THOSE BRIEFINGS WOULD PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY QUESTIONS AND DEMONSTRATE ACTIVE STEWARDSHIP, BOARD INVOLVEMENT, AND BOARD DIRECTION. EVEN SHORT UPDATES WOULD BE FAR MORE VALUABLE THAN AN EMPTY MEETING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. JOHN CALLAWAY, YOU MAY UNMUTE YOURSELF. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS JOHN CALLAWAY. I'M SPEAKING TODAY TO HIGHLIGHT MY OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED BIKE TRAIL IN WILDCAT CANYON. I'M A RETIRED ECOLOGY PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO. I'VE WORKED FOR DECADES ON RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION ISSUES AROUND THE BAY, AND FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS, I'VE BEEN CO-CHAIR OF THE EAST BAY CONSERVATION COMMITTEE FOR THE GOLDEN GATE BIRD ALLIANCE. I WANT TO MENTION THAT THE BIRD ALLIANCE IS DEVELOPING DOCUMENTS TO IDENTIFY BIRD SPECIES OF CONSERVATION CONCERN IN ALAMEDA AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING THE ALAMEDA DOCUMENT WITH YOU VERY SOON. ALONG WITH THE CONTRA COSTA DOCUMENT SOMETIME LATER THIS YEAR. IN TERMS OF MY OPPOSITION TO THE BIKE TRAIL AS PROPOSED, 1ST, I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT OUTREACH ON THE PROJECT HAS BEEN FAR FROM IDEAL. IN CONTRAST TO THE OUTREACH FOR THE TRAIL, I ATTENDED MULTIPLE WORKSHOPS FOR THE PROPOSED UPDATES AT THE NORTH BASIN STRIP OVER THE LAST YEAR, INCLUDING THE NOVEMBER PUBLIC MEETING THAT DIRECTOR ECHOLS ATTENDED. THE OUTREACH PROCESS AT NORTH BASIN STRIP TRULY ENGAGED THE MIX OF POTENTIAL PARK USERS AND HAS BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER DESPITE DIFFERENCES OF OPINION. IT WAS SO MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE THAT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MEETING, I EMAILED DIRECTOR ECHOLS TO HIGHLIGHT THIS THAT THIS SORT OF APPROACH SHOULD BE USED FOR [00:15:07] THE WILDCAT TRAIL ON 1 CURRENT ISSUE, DIRECTLY RELATED TO OUTREACH IS THAT COMMENTS FOR SCOPING FOR THE TRAIL ARE DUE IN 2 WEEKS, BUT THE BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE ASSESSMENT FOR THE PROPOSED PROJECT HAS NOT BEEN MADE PUBLIC. HOW CAN ANYONE, AND IN PARTICULAR THE CONSERVATION COMMUNITY, PROVIDE MEANINGFUL INPUT FOR THE EIR WHEN THIS CRITICAL DOCUMENT IS NOT YET AVAILABLE? BEYOND PROCESS ISSUES, I OPPOSE THE TRAIL AS PROPOSED BECAUSE IT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES. THIS INCLUDES THE CALIFORNIA BIRD SPECIES OF CONCERN, SUCH AS THE GRASSHOPPER SPARROW THAT USES HABITAT AND NESTS CLOSE TO THE PROPOSED TRAIL. THE GRASSHOPPER SPARROW IS ONE OF GOLDEN GATE BIRD ALLIANCE'S SPECIES OF HIGHEST CONSERVATION CONCERN, BECAUSE OF HISTORIC AND ONGOING IMPACTS TO GRASSLANDS. 2ND, THE REAL IMPACT OF THE PROJECT IS MUCH GREATER THAN JUST THE FOOTPRINT OF THE PROPOSED TRAIL, AS HIGHLIGHTED ON MAPS THAT ARE PART OF THE INITIAL STUDY. MANY OTHER TRAILS WILL HAVE INCREASED USE TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE PROPOSED TRAIL. IN PARTICULAR, HAVEY CANYON TRAIL GOES THROUGH SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE RIPARIAN AND STREAMSIDE HABITAT, AND INCREASED BIRD BIKE USE HERE, ALONG WITH INCREASED EROSION, WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS AND SPECIES. LAST, THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY SERIOUS EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE SITES FOR THE PROJECT. THE MAJOR CONSIDERATION OF ALTERNATIVES SO FAR HAS FOCUSED ALMOST ENTIRELY ON BIKE ISSUES, AND HAS NOT SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED CONSERVATION OR ECOSYSTEM ISSUES. I'M NOT OPPOSED TO BIKES. I'M AN AVID BIKE USER, BUT A MUCH MORE RIGOROUS ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES AND ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS IS ESSENTIAL TO EFFECTIVELY SITING THE PROPOSED TRAIL. THANKS FOR CONSIDERING THESE ISSUES. THANK YOU. THERE IS NO MORE PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING IN OUR PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA. [GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS] OKAY. SO NOW WE'LL MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM D GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS. THANK YOU DIRECTORS. JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS. 1 IS JUST TO HIGHLIGHT OUR CONTINUED INTEREST IN PARTNERSHIP AROUND THE STEAM TRAINS. IT'S A KEY PART OF TILDEN PARK. MY OWN SON SPENT MANY YEARS RIDING THE STEAM TRAINS, AND I KNOW WE LOVE IT, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER RESIDENTS. AND SO OUR TEAM'S BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT CONTINUES TO OPERATE AND THAT WE'RE SUPPORTIVE AND PARTNERING. WE'VE WORKED ON ADDITIONS FOR THE ROUNDHOUSE THERE? THERE'S OTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SITE THAT OUR TEAM IS WORKING TO PARTNER ON IN ADDITION TO THE LEASE. AND SO WE CONTINUE TO WORK PROACTIVELY TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S WE'RE SUPPORTING THAT PARTNERSHIP. I ALSO WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF KEY EVENTS COMING UP. 1 IS IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, AN EVENT OUR TEAM IS PUTTING ON AT THE TRUDEAU CENTER ON FEBRUARY 27TH FROM 2 TO 5. ADDITIONALLY, AND WE'LL SEND MORE DETAILS ABOUT THAT EVENT SOON. I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT A RECENT EVENT IN TILDEN, OUR ANNUAL FUNGUS FAIR BROUGHT MORE THAN 4500 PEOPLE TO THE TILDEN EEC CENTER. SO REALLY COOL TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE COME OUT FOR THAT EVENT. THE MLK DAY OF SERVICE WAS A HUGE SUCCESS, AND IN ADDITION TO SOME OF THE REGULAR FOLKS THAT HAVE COME OUT IN THE PAST, IT'S A REALLY NEAT EVENT THAT FOR SOME FOLKS TO DISCOVER THE MLK SHORELINE AND OTHER SITES. SO THAT WAS A REALLY NEAT EVENT AS WELL. I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE SCOPING MEETING THAT WE HAD ON JANUARY 27TH. THAT'S A SAN PABLO COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE WILDCAT BIKE TRAIL. IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO HAVE FOLKS OUT AND PROVIDE INPUT. THIS IS THE TIME DURING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE PROCESS WHEN WE ASK COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO HELP US PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO WHAT THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY FOR THE EIR SHOULD BE. AND SO THAT WAS REALLY HELPFUL EVENT. WE GOT FEEDBACK THAT IN ADDITION, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE A ZOOM EVENT. SO WE ARE WE ADDED ANOTHER PUBLIC MEETING ON THE 10TH. AND WE'RE ALSO AMONGST OUR TEAM LOOKING AT PROVIDING ADDITIONAL TIME FOR COMMENTS ON THE SCOPE AS WELL. SO WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH ALL THE FOLKS THAT HAVE SIGNED UP ON OUR WEBSITE TO GET FEEDBACK ABOUT. ANY UPDATES? WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THAT PROCESS AS INCLUSIVE AND OPEN AS POSSIBLE AND REALLY GIVE PEOPLE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE ENGAGED. AND THEN LET'S SEE, MAYBE THAT'S ALL I GOT. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S THAT'S ALL I HAVE. [00:20:05] THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU. OKAY. [ANNOUNCEMENTS] AND SO THEN NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM ANNOUNCEMENTS. DO WE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THIS TIME TO SHARE? I'LL MAKE A QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT. WE DO HAVE A STUDY SESSION COMING UP THIS FRIDAY, THE LAND ACQUISITION STUDY SESSION. AND I BELIEVE THE AGENDA IS NOW POSTED ONLINE. WE WILL START AT 9:30 A.M. HERE AT PERALTA OAKS BOARDROOM. AND THERE IS ALSO ZOOM, A ZOOM LINK AVAILABLE FOR ONLINE PARTICIPATION. [CONSENT CALENDAR] OKAY. SO THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM CONSENT CALENDAR. AND WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR. AND I'M CURIOUS FROM BOARD MEMBERS. LET'S FIRST START WITH ARE THERE ANY BOARD MEMBERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE OR AMEND ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR? YES. I APOLOGIZE TO OUR CLERK. I DID SEE AN EMAIL, BUT ON ITEM 4 I'D LIKE TO PULL AND JUST ABSTAIN. I JUST DIDN'T GET THE I DIDN'T GET THE PLAN UNTIL TODAY. I KNOW IT WAS ELECTRONIC. THANK YOU KELLY, BUT IF WE COULD JUST VOTE SEPARATELY, I'D LIKE TO ABSTAIN ON THAT ONE. OKAY. AND I HAD ONE MINOR CORRECTION. ON THE MINUTES. ITEM NUMBER 7. DECEMBER 2ND. IT SAYS THE WEEKLY. THAT WOULD NOT BE IN MY WARD. THERE'S A REFERENCE. WE HAD APPROVED SOMETHING FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH. IT'S THE LA LA MARINDA WEEKLY, WHICH IS A COMMON TERM FOR LAFAYETTE. MORAGA, ORINDA. SO THAT'S THREE OF MY CITIES AND MY WARD. IF WE COULD MAKE THAT CORRECTION, THEY ACTUALLY PUT OUT 27,000 COPIES. SO IT'S A REALLY GOOD FREE OUTREACH NEWSLETTER. THANK YOU. THAT'S IT. OKAY. ANY OTHER SO WE WILL VOTE SEPARATELY ON CONSENT CALENDAR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 4 FOR 12345678. OR ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBERS LOOKING TO REMOVE OR AMEND THOSE ITEMS. AND THEN WE'LL STILL TAKE BOARD QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS IN A MOMENT. BUT IF I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER YOU KNOW, CHANGES TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR. SO NOW WE WILL LOOK AT ITEMS 1, 2,3, 5, 6, 7, 8 FOR QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. FROM FROM BOARD MEMBERS, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS ON THOSE CONSENT? YES. GO AHEAD. I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS. FOR NUMBER 5. OKAY. AND I DO TOO, SO THAT THAT'S THAT'S FINE. WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND ASK YOUR QUESTIONS FOR NUMBER FIVE? HI. COULD I PLEASE SPEAK WITH CHIEF PHILLIPS? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. HI. GOOD AFTERNOON. SO I DID HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. AND MY FIRST QUESTION WAS, DOES A PARK DISTRICT HAVE SIMILAR AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER AGENCIES? SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. AND MADAM PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. YES, WE DO HAVE SIMILAR AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER ENTITIES. FOR INSTANCE, WE ARE PART OF THE ALAMEDA COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE MOBILE FIELD FORCE. SO WE GET ACTIVATED LIKE WE'VE DONE. WE MOVE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE STATE AS REQUIRED. WE HAVE SIMILAR AGREEMENTS WITH THE EAST BAY MUD. AND WE ALSO HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH CAL FIRE FOR RESPONSES. SO WE DO HAVE SIMILAR AGREEMENTS. OKAY. AND DOES OUR STAFFING MODEL CHANGE FOR THE PARK DISTRICT WHEN WE PROVIDE STAFFING TO THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA? SO IT DOES NOT. SO OUR STAFFING REMAINS THE SAME IN THE FORM OF THE PARK DISTRICT IS OUR NUMBER 1 PRIORITY. SO EVERYBODY ELSE IS GOING TO BE WORKING. THAT TYPE OF ASSIGNMENT WILL BE ON AN OVERTIME ASSIGNMENT, AND DEPENDING ON HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HAVE AVAILABLE, WE CAN HELP OR DECLINE TO HELP. BUT WE DO NOT CHANGE OUR STAFFING MODEL FOR THE PARK. OKAY. AND WHAT TYPE OF PERIODIC EVENTS WOULD WE BE STAFFING? SO THIS PARTICULAR AGREEMENT IS FOR A MYRIAD OF DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT MIGHT TAKE PLACE. THIS PARTICULAR 1 IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR THE SUPER BOWL AND FOR THE WORLD CUP. BUT IN THE FUTURE THEY MIGHT HAVE LARGE EVENTS IN THE FORM OF CONCERTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THESE AGREEMENTS WILL ENABLE US TO ACTUALLY BUILD THE SANTA CLARA POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE. OKAY. AND THEN JUST MY LAST QUESTION. DO WE HAVE THE OPTION TO PULL BACK STAFF IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY AT THE PARK? WE DO. EVERY AGREEMENT HAS A CAVEAT IN IT. HEY, IF SOMETHING HAPPENS IN THE PARK, THAT'S OUR 1ST PRIORITY. JUST KIND OF LIKE WE DO WITH OUR HELICOPTER PROGRAM. WE'RE UP THERE HELPING OTHER CITIES, BUT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS IN OUR DISTRICT, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT WE'RE GOING TO PULL BACK IMMEDIATELY. BECAUSE THAT'S MY NUMBER 1 PRIORITY IS TO TAKE CARE OF OUR PARKS. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS. [00:25:01] AND THEN I DO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, BUT MAYBE BEFORE I GO, DO OTHERS HAVE QUESTIONS ON THIS AGENDA ITEM CONSENT CALENDAR NUMBER 5. GO AHEAD. ARE THERE. AND I WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER TO RIDE ALONG THAT DAY IF YOU HAVE ANY OFFICERS. OUTSTANDING. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS WHILE WE HAVE THE CHIEF? OTHERWISE I'LL ASK MY QUESTION. I KNOW THERE ARE SOME CONCERNS WITH THE SUPER BOWL AND THE WORLD CUP AND YOU KNOW, FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS ALSO BEING PRESENT. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PROPER TRAINING AND PROPER CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR POLICE OFFICERS WHO MAY, THROUGH THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING AGREEMENT, BE PRESENT AT SOME OF THESE LARGER EVENTS. SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, BECAUSE IT'S AN IMPORTANT TOPIC THAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED NATIONWIDE. AS I STATED BEFORE, THE BOARD. I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, AND I CONTINUE TO SAY WE DO NOT. AND I UNDERLINE WE DO NOT SUPPORT ANY ICE OPERATIONS OR DHS OPERATION THAT INVOLVES CHALLENGING UNDOCUMENTED, UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE. NUMBER 1, WE DON'T EVEN KNOW UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE BECAUSE WE DON'T ASK. IT IS NOT OUR PRIORITY. WE DON'T CARE. THAT'S NOT WHAT WE DO. THERE IS A COMPONENT OF DHS, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY THAT WE DO COOPERATE WITH AND THAT'S HSI. SO HSI IS ACTUALLY THE INVESTIGATION UNIT THAT DEALS WITH THE FIGHTING DRUG CARTELS AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING DURING EVENTS SUCH AS THE SUPER BOWL, WORLD CUP OR ANY LARGE EVENTS. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE SEX WORKERS THAT GET FLOWN INTO THE AREA FOR THE SPECIFIC SERVICES THAT THEY PROVIDE. SO WE WOULD COOPERATE WITH THEM IF NEEDED. THE ONLY TIME, AND I DON'T WANT TO GIVE YOU THE FALSE EXPECTATION THAT WE'RE NEVER GOING TO HELP THEM. EXCUSE ME. HELP! THE ONLY TIME THAT WE WILL HELP ICE, JUST LIKE WE WOULD WITH ANY AGENCY, IS IF AN OFFICER CALLS FOR HELP BECAUSE HIS OR HER LIFE IS IN JEOPARDY. WE WILL STEP IN TO ASSIST, AND THEN WE PULL BACK. WE DO NOT HELP WITH THE OPERATION. WE JUST HELP WITH THE SAFETY OF THE OFFICER AND OR OFFICERS. AND LAST THING I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IS THAT IF I MAY, SINCE WE JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE MORE TIME TODAY THAN NORMAL IT'S REALLY IMPERATIVE THAT THE BOARD UNDERSTANDS AT LEAST THE PHILOSOPHY OF MYSELF AS THE CHIEF OF POLICE FOR THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT. AS I SHARED WITH YOU BEFORE, THE NUMBER, THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCUMENT THAT I EXPECT MY OFFICERS TO LIVE BY IS THE US CONSTITUTION THAT COMES FIRST BEFORE ANY PENAL CODES FEDERAL LAWS? IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITHIN THE US CONSTITUTION. 1 ARTICLE THAT'S VERY ONE AMENDMENT THAT'S VERY DEAR TO MY HEART IS THE 14TH AMENDMENT. THE SPECIFICALLY SAYS EQUAL PROTECTION. SO ALL OF MY OFFICERS UNDERSTAND THAT THE LEARNING THAT THE ACADEMY AND REINFORCED THROUGH THE TRAINING THAT EVERYBODY WHO'S IN THIS COUNTRY. I DON'T CARE HOW THEY GOT HERE, THEY WILL BE TREATED UNDER THE 14TH AMENDMENT WITH EQUAL PROTECTION. SO EVERYBODY GETS TREATED THE SAME. THEREFORE, WE DON'T ASK, WE DON'T CARE. THE ONLY THING WE ASK IS HOW CAN WE HELP? THAT'S THE ONLY QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE WILL GET FROM MY OFFICERS. I HOPE THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION. YES. THANK YOU. YOU'RE VERY WELCOME. I DON'T BELIEVE THERE WERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE SPECIFIC ITEM. REAL QUICK, ANY. SO THANK YOU. I THINK YOU CAN SIT DOWN IF YOU WANT TO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. AND SO RIGHT NOW, JUST REAL QUICK, JUST TO MAKE SURE THERE AREN'T ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ON ITEMS 1, 02, 3,6, 7 OR 8 BEFORE I OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. GO AHEAD. DIRECTOR DESCHAMBAULT. QUESTION I'VE BEEN QUITE BUSY HANDING OUT CALENDARS AND TRAIL CHALLENGES, AND SO THE PRINTING AND DELIVERY OF BROCHURES IS THE ITEM THERE. AND IT WASN'T MENTIONED, BUT I WANT TO ASK IF IT'S A SMALL BUSINESS, IF IT'S A UNION SHOP, IF IT'S RECYCLED MATERIAL OR ENVIRONMENTALLY SOY INK IN OUR PRINTING. ARE WE FOLLOWING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PREFERENTIAL PURCHASING PLAN? GOOD QUESTION. GOOD AFTERNOON, KENDRA STRAY. THANK YOU. KENDRA STRAY, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER. THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS YES. WE WORK WITH VENDORS THAT USE SOY INK AND RECYCLED PAPER WHEN APPROPRIATE FOR THE JOB. THEY'RE NOT UNION SHOP, THOUGH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THE ITEMS ON THE CONSENT CALENDAR? GO FOR IT. FOR THE NOTES. FOR THE MEETINGS ON PAGE 71. IT GOES LIKE WITH DIRECTOR ECHOLS ON. CAN YOU USE YOUR MICROPHONE? SORRY. AS FAR AS. [00:30:04] FOR THE MEETING NOTES, LIKE ON PAGE 71 IN MY SECTION WHERE IT GOES WITH DIRECTOR ECHOLS ON NOVEMBER 6TH AND THEN WITH ACTING GENERAL MANAGER, COULD YOU JUST ADD MEETING WITH BECAUSE IT JUST SAYS WITH. SO AS FAR AS YOU COULD ADD MEETING TO THAT MEETING. YEAH, WE'LL DO THOSE. THANKS. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ON THE REMAINING CONSENT CALENDAR? OKAY. SO LET'S OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT FOR CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS 1, 02, 3, 5,6, 7 AND 8. THERE IS NO PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. THEN WE WILL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THOSE ITEMS. WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR NOW IS A MOTION INCLUDING THE 2 CORRECTIONS TO NUMBER 7 AND 8 IN REGARDS TO THE MEETING MINUTES. THE FIRST 1 MENTIONED BY DIRECTOR DESCHAMBAULT AND THE 2ND ONE MENTIONED BY DIRECTOR ESPAÑA. DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR CONSENT? CALENDAR ITEMS 1235678 WITH THOSE 2 CORRECTIONS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR MERCURIO MAKES A MOTION A SECOND. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR DESCHAMBAULT. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? OKAY, SO THAT IS THAT PORTION. [4. Adopt a Resolution to Approve the Amended and Restated Flexible Benefits Plan (§125 Cafeteria) Plan Document  ] NOW WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK TO CONSENT CALENDAR AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 4 FOR A SEPARATE VOTE. I DON'T BELIEVE WE NEED TO. WELL, DOES ANYONE WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION OR ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ITEM, OR ARE WE OKAY MOVING FORWARD WITH MAKING A MOTION TO VOTE ON CONSENT CALENDAR? AGENDA ITEM 4. AND I'M HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION, IF THAT'S THE CASE. OH, YES. PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA. THANK YOU. LYNDA. THERE IS NO PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY, SO PUBLIC COMMENT OPEN AND CLOSE ON AGENDA ITEM 4 UNDER THE CONSENT CALENDAR. OKAY. NOW WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS AND OR MAKE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF CONSENT? CALENDAR AGENDA ITEM 4. MOVE APPROVAL. OKAY. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR. VICE PRESIDENT COFFEY. MOTION TO APPROVE. DO I HAVE A SECOND? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR ESPAÑA. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. I BELIEVE THAT'S 5. AND THEN ANYONE OPPOSED? 0. ANY ABSTENTIONS? 1 ABSTENTION FROM DIRECTOR DESCHAMBAULT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT CONCLUDES OUR CONSENT CALENDAR. [ACTION ITEMS] ALL RIGHT. SO NOW WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR PUBLIC HEARING WHERE WE DO HAVE ONE ACTION ITEM. SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND LOOK AT THE RESOLUTION TO ENTER A ONE YEAR CONTRACT WITH FIRST STUDENT INC.. GOOD AFTERNOON, PRESIDENT SANWONG. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. MY NAME IS KEVIN DAMSTRA. I'M THE REGIONAL INTERPRETIVE AND RECREATION SERVICES MANAGER WHO OVERSEES, AMONGST OTHER UNITS, OUR PARKS TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. I'M HERE TODAY TO SEEK AUTHORIZATION TO ENTER INTO A 1 YEAR CONTRACT WITH FIRST STUDENT, INC., WITH THREE OPTIONAL 1 YEAR EXTENSIONS FOR A TOTAL AGGREGATE NOT TO EXCEED $800,000. THE PARKS TRANSPORTATION WORKGROUP IS A WORKGROUP THAT SEEKS TO REDUCE TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS TO PARK ACCESS BY PROVIDING SERVICE TO ELIGIBLE SCHOOLS, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND PUBLIC AGENCIES IN ALAMEDA AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTIES THAT SUPPORT LOW INCOME POPULATIONS, SENIORS, AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES, WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING A VARIETY OF DISTRICT INTERPRETIVE AND RECREATION AND AQUATIC SERVICES PROGRAMS. THE GROUP DIRECTLY SUPPORTS THE EQUITY GOALS THAT THE BOARD HAS RECENTLY ADOPTED. THIS IS A SERVICE THAT CONTINUES TO INCREASE YEAR AFTER YEAR. IN 2025, WE HIRED ALANA PETERSON, WHO IS OUR FIRST DEDICATED PARKS TRANSPORTATION SUPERVISOR. THIS HAS ALLOWED THE WORK GROUP TO FOCUS ON INCREASING ACCESS, SERVICE AND EFFICIENCY, AS SHOWN BY THE NUMBERS HERE BETWEEN 2024 AND 2025. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH CONTRACTS WITH A TOTAL OF 14 DIFFERENT BUS COMPANIES. THESE COMPANIES HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH LOCAL SCHOOLS TO TRANSPORT STUDENTS TO AND FROM THOSE INDIVIDUAL LOCATIONS. OUR CONTRACTS RANGE FROM 1 TO 5 YEARS WITH THESE COMPANIES, AND WE HAVE BOARD AUTHORIZATION TO SPEND APPROXIMATELY $2 MILLION OVER THE LENGTH OF THOSE [00:35:02] CONTRACTS. FIRST STUDENT, INC. IS THE ONLY 1 OF THE 4 PROFIT COMPANIES THAT REQUESTED A 1 YEAR CONTRACT. THIS SPENDING AUTHORIZATION WILL ALLOW US TO BRING 1ST STUDENTS AGREEMENT IN LINE WITH THE OTHER CONTRACTED COMPANIES, AND WE ARE NOT REQUESTING ANY NEW FUNDS AT THIS TIME. THE TRANSPORTATION FUNDS CURRENTLY COME FROM A COMBINATION OF BOTH OUR GENERAL FUND AND FROM GENEROUS GRANTS FROM THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION. IN 2026, 49% OF ALL FUNDS SPENT FOR THE PARKS TRANSPORTATION COMES FROM REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION, WITH 51% COMING FROM OUR GENERAL FUND. WHERE FIRST STUDENT FITS INTO THIS CONTEXT. FIRST STUDENT IS USED TO PROVIDE FIELD TRIPS FOR STUDENTS ACROSS BOTH COUNTIES. ALSO, THEY SUPPORT COMMUNITY PROGRAMS SUCH AS OUR TEEN ECO ACTION PROGRAM, OUR ADVENTURE CRUISE BASED IN OAKLAND, RICHMOND AND PITTSBURGH. THE PARKING AT DAY CAMP PROGRAM WHERE WE WE BRING STUDENTS FROM THE SUMMER CAMP TO FIELD TRIPS AT OTHER REGIONAL PARKS THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, AS WELL AS OUR PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM WITH CHILDREN'S BENIOFF HOSPITAL, KNOWN AS STAY HEALTHY IN NATURE EVERY DAY OR COMMONLY CALLED SIGN. IN ADDITION TO THIS, FIRST STUDENT ALSO SUPPORTS LIFEGUARD CAMP PROGRAMS IN THE SUMMER AS WELL. AS IS TRUE FOR ALL OF PARKS, TRANSPORTATION, THE SERVICE AGREEMENTS AND THE NUMBER OF SERVICE HAS INCREASED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND IN 2026, WE ESTIMATE A TOTAL OF 91 TRIPS THAT WILL UTILIZE FOR STUDENT BUSSES FOR APPROXIMATELY 5500 PASSENGERS. BY AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF THIS RESOLUTION, WE ARE ALIGNING FIRST STUDENT WITH THE REST OF OUR EXISTING 5 YEAR CONTRACTS FROM THE OTHER BUS COMPANY PROVIDERS. ALL OF THESE CONTRACTS ARE EXPECTED TO END IN 2029. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE PARKS TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM OVER THE YEARS AS WE SEEK TO TO DECREASE ACCESSIBILITY BARRIERS WHILE INCREASING SERVICE TO PEOPLE VISITING OUR PARKS. THANK YOU AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. GREAT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. YES. GO FOR IT. DIRECTOR MERCURIO. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT. VERY ENCOURAGING THING TO SEE THAT THE NUMBERS IS IS GROWING IS I THINK IT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE HOPING FOR AND IT'S WHAT WE NEED. BUT I REMEMBER WHEN I FIRST CAME ON THE BOARD 3 YEARS AGO, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS GENERAL TOPIC. AND THE OVERRIDING CONCERN SEEMS TO BE, YEAH, WE WANT TO GET PEOPLE UP TO THE PARKS, BUT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH BUS DRIVERS. AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS REALLY I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT AT ALL. THAT WAS REALLY KIND OF A STRANGE THING. SO I'M ASSUMING NOW THAT THAT BARRIER HAS BEEN SORT OF BREACHED AND SOLVED, AND NOW WE HAVE ENOUGH DRIVERS TO DRIVE ALL THESE BUSSES. THE WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO. A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO, COMING OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, THERE WAS A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DRIVERS THAT MANY OF THE COMPANIES HAD. THERE HAS BEEN A REBOUND IN THE NUMBER OF DRIVERS, AND THAT'S NOT AS MUCH OF A CONCERN THAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THE COMPANIES. IT IS A VERY DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT THAT WE ARE IN. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE AGREEMENTS WITH 14 DIFFERENT COMPANIES. AND WHEN THESE CONTRACTS EXPIRE, WE'LL BE LOOKING TO MAKE SURE THE COMPANIES THAT WE WORK WITH ALSO ALIGN WITH THE ONES THAT ARE ALLOWED TO BE USED AT THE SCHOOLS, BECAUSE OUR LIST AND THE SCHOOLS LIST, WE TRY TO HAVE MATCH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO HAVE AS MANY DIFFERENT TOOLS AT OUR DISPOSAL TO BE ABLE TO SERVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. GOOD. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE BOARD? GO FOR IT. I CAN'T HELP MYSELF. SO I'M PRETTY SURE IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THE BUSSES ARE BEING PHASED OUT AND THEY'RE ALL GOING TO DIESEL. I'M SURE WE DON'T HAVE ANY DIRECT CONTROL OVER WHO WE CONTRACT WITH, BUT TYPICALLY UNDER AN ENVIRONMENTAL PREFERENTIAL PURCHASING POLICY, YOU WOULD GO WITH A COMPANY THAT IS MEETING THE LAW, PHASING OUT, REDUCING THE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. GOING WITH A CLEAN, CLEAN DIESEL. I THINK OUR EPP IS FROM 2009. BUT JUST CURIOUS. YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE STUDENTS WERE TRYING TO GET THEM OUT OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY ARE BEING EXPOSED TO TOXICS. SO I JUST WAS CURIOUS. I DON'T WANT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT. I AM PUTTING YOU ON THE SPOT. BUT IF YOU IF YOU SAY, I DON'T KNOW, THAT'S AN OKAY ANSWER ALSO. BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THIS PROJECT WITH ALL THESE CONTRACTS SINCE AND I CERTAINLY WE'RE OFFSETTING IT BY GETTING ALL THESE FUTURE ECO [00:40:06] WARRIORS OUT INTO OUR PARKS. I MEAN, THAT'S THE GOOD PART. I'M REALLY IMPRESSED SEEING THE NUMBERS GO UP. I TALKED TO SOME TEACHERS IN GIRL SCOUTS RECENTLY, AND THEY REALLY APPRECIATE THE BUSSES, SO THANK YOU. I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES TO KNOW THEIR SPECIFICS. I CAN SAY THAT THAT IN OUR CONTRACTING PROCESSES, AS WE HAVE GONE THROUGH AND SELECTED THE COMPANIES THAT WE'VE WORKED FOR, FOLLOWING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PREFERENCES AND NEEDS HAS BEEN WORKED INTO THOSE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN THE FUTURE. I APPRECIATE THAT, AND THANK YOU FOR GETTING ALL THESE KIDS OUT IN NATURE. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER BOARD MEMBER QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME? I DON'T SEE ANY. OH YEAH. GO FOR IT, KEVIN. IF A SCHOOL DISTRICT DOES NOT SHOW UP ON THIS LIST OF 9 DISTRICT FLEETS WITH DISTRICT FLEET, THAT MEAN THE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS DON'T HAVE FLEETS, MANY OF THE OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS DON'T HAVE FLEETS. THEY INSTEAD CONTRACT WITH MANY DIFFERENT COMPANIES, INCLUDING THE 5 THAT WE HAVE ON OUR LIST. SO IF THEY'RE NOT ON THIS LIST, DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE NOT DOING PROGRAMING. CORRECT? ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? I DON'T SEE ANY. SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. DO WE HAVE ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ACTION ITEM? THERE IS NO PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM. ALL RIGHT. SO THEN WE WILL CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. AND I'M LOOKING FOR ANY FINAL COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS AND OR TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THIS ACTION ITEM. AND WE DO HAVE THE RESOLUTION IN OUR PACKET. I MOVE TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ONE YEAR CONTRACT WITH FIRST STUDENT, INC.. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR DESCHAMBAULT MAKES THE MOTION. DO I HAVE A SECOND ON THE. ALL RIGHT, DIRECTOR WAESPI. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ANYONE OPPOSED? OKAY, SO THAT'S 6-0. ANY ABSTENTIONS? NO, ABSTENTIONS. ALL RIGHT, THERE WE GO. WE'RE MOVING ON. ON THE AGENDA. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. SO I DO ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE AGENDA. SO WE DID AGENDIZE THAT WE WILL BE MOVING BACK INTO CLOSED SESSION AT THE AT THE END OF THIS REGULAR MEETING. SO WITH THAT, I BELIEVE WE DON'T HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM CLOSED SESSION EARLIER THIS MORNING, BUT FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, WE ACTUALLY CAN'T ADJOURN THIS MEETING UNTIL WE'RE DONE WITH CLOSED SESSION. SO WE DO HAVE TO COME BACK OUT HERE FOR ADJOURNMENT. SO FOR THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM CLOSED SESSION, DO WE JUST CONTINUE THAT ITEM ALSO? YEAH THAT'S FINE. YOU CAN CONTINUE THAT ITEM OKAY. SO WE WILL CONTINUE AGENDA. AGENDA ITEM J ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM CLOSED SESSION. AND SO THEN NOW WE MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM K PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. [PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] DO ANY BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANY PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. SO I'LL SHARE ONE. AND I SHARED THIS EARLIER IN PREPARATION FOR OUR UPCOMING LAND ACQUISITION WORKSHOP. WITH THE WORKSHOP BEING PREDOMINANTLY FOCUSED ON MEASURE WW, THAT DOES LEAVE OUT A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF OUR PARK DISTRICT. IN FACT, WHEN I LOOKED UP THE SQUARE MILEAGE, I BELIEVE IT'S ABOUT 25% OF THE SQUARE MILEAGE OF EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT. AND THAT'S THE LIVERMORE AREA. AND SO I DO THINK FOR A PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEM, IT WOULD BE GOOD TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT LAND ACQUISITION IN THE LIVERMORE AREA AND IN SPECIFIC IN REGARDS TO FUNDING THE ALTAMONT LANDFILL OPEN SPACE FUND. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT COME BACK WITH SOME INFORMATION FOR THE ENTIRE BOARD TO BE ABLE TO SEE. I KNOW THAT THAT HASN'T BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE REVIEWED IN THE RECENT PAST. SO THAT WOULD BE A FUTURE BOARD AGENDA ITEM THAT I WOULD RECOMMEND, THE ALTAMONT LANDFILL OPEN SPACE FUND. AND THEN WE WILL IF THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. YES. GO AHEAD. YEAH. I WAS WONDERING IF THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY WE COULD GET A UPDATE. OR MAYBE I'M INTERESTED IN THE DISTRICT'S RESIDENCE POLICY. I NOTICED IT'S CHANGED RECENTLY, AND I'M WONDERING IF WE CAN GET TOGETHER AS A GROUP AND TALK ABOUT THE WHOLE PHILOSOPHY AND DIRECTION OF THE DISTRICT'S RESIDENCE PROGRAM. OKAY. NOTED. AND GOT THOSE WRITTEN DOWN. AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE LAND STUDY SESSION IS ABOUT THE WHOLE DISTRICT. ONE PART OF IT'S ABOUT WW. WE'RE TRYING TO FOLLOW UP TO LOOK AT WW AND SORT OF LIKE HELP TO ENGAGE YOUR BOARD AND START ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT IT. BUT THE LAND ACQUISITION STUDY SESSION AS A WHOLE IS ABOUT INCLUDES THE ENTIRE DISTRICT, AND MOST OF IT WILL BE ABOUT THE ENTIRE DISTRICT. OKAY. THAT WASN'T CLEAR TO ME WHEN I LOOKED AT IT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. THAT'S HELPFUL. ALTHOUGH WE WON'T WE DON'T HAVE THE ALTAMONT LANDFILL OPEN SPACE FUND ON THE AGENDA FOR FRIDAY, AND I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE THAT AT A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM. [BOARD REPORTS ON MEETINGS ATTENDED] OKAY. SO NOW WE ARE GOING TO TURN TO AGENDA ITEM L BOARD REPORTS ON MEETINGS ATTENDED. [00:45:06] GO FOR IT. ALL RIGHT LET'S SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON HERE. ON THE JANUARY 13TH, I ATTENDED THE BOARD MEETING ON THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING. AND THAT LATER THAT DAY WITH DIRECTOR COFFEY, WE DID OUR CONTRA COSTA WATER DISTRICT LIAISON MEETING AN EXCELLENT MEETING. THAT WAS A NUMBER OF OUR STAFF WAS THERE, INCLUDING OUR GENERAL MANAGER. AND WE COVERED A NUMBER OF VERY IMPORTANT ITEMS. AND ON THE 15TH I MET WITH OUR FACILITATOR, MEGAN, REGARDING THE RETREAT, THE BOARD RETREAT ON JANUARY 19TH. I PARTICIPATED IN THE MARTIN LUTHER KING SHORELINE CLEANUP, AND THAT WAS I'M NOT SURE I EVER DID A CLEANUP THERE. BUT THEY TELL ME THERE WERE 310 PEOPLE THAT ATTENDED THAT, AND THERE WERE OTHERS AT THAT SAME SHORELINE. SO THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A THOUSAND PEOPLE OUT THERE WORKING, WHICH IS SO GREAT. I MEAN, IT'S TO SEE THE ENGAGEMENT. AND I THINK MOST OF THE FOLKS THERE WERE NOT ADULTS. A LOT OF SCOUTS WERE THERE, TOO. AND THE BURNING QUESTION IS, WHAT DID WHAT DID WE PICK UP? WHAT DID WE FIND? A LOT OF STRAWS VALIDATING THE NO STRAW THING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IN CALIFORNIA. AND CIGARETTE BUTTS AND JUST TOO MANY PIECES OF TINY STYROFOAM. AND THAT'S JUST A THAT'S THAT'S A DEPRESSING THING TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT. HOW ARE WE GOING TO CLEAN THIS STUFF UP UNTIL WE OUTLAW IT ENTIRELY? BUT ANYWAY, I THINK THEY THEY THERE'S SEVERAL TONS OF OF MATERIAL WAS GATHERED TOGETHER AND HAULED AWAY AT THE END OF THAT EVENT, SO IT WAS A GOOD THING TO DO. I MEAN, I THINK IT MAKES IT MAKES IT I THINK IT MAKES A PRETTY GOOD IMPACT LOCALLY. ON THE 21ST I WENT TO, I HAD THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ON THE 22ND I MET WITH CHRIS WYCKOFF, WHO'S THE DIVISION LEAD FOR MAINTENANCE AND SKILLED TRADES, AND WE TALKED ABOUT HE TOLD ME ABOUT HOW THEY SCHEDULED THE MAINTENANCE ON LIKE, THE, THE THE HEAVY MAINTENANCE ON THE TRAILS, SUCH AS THE HEAVY EQUIPMENT RELATED STUFF. AND HE TOLD ME HOW THEY PRIORITIZE IT. AND THEN WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT GOING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE, HOW ARE WE GOING TO LIKE, TIP THE BALANCE A LITTLE BIT TOWARD NOT JUST MAINTAINING WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE, BUT CHANGING THINGS A LITTLE BIT SO THEY'RE MORE SUSTAINABLE, YOU KNOW, AND IMPROVING THE DRAINAGE OF RANCH ROADS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THAT WAS VERY, VERY USEFUL, VERY GOOD. AND THEN ON THE 23RD, WE HAD THE ANNUAL BOARD RETREAT. THAT WAS GREAT. ON THE 28TH I MET WITH WILLIAM HOFF AND MEADOW D'ARCY FROM AFSCME 2428 ON THE 29TH. I TOOK A TOOK A VERY NICE HIKE ON PLEASANTON RIDGE WITH PAC CHAIR BRUCE HENRY. HE SHOWED ME SOME INTERESTING THINGS UP THERE. THAT'S KIND OF HIS HOME TURF. ON THE 20. ALSO ON THE 29TH, I ATTENDED AN INSTALLMENT OF EAST BAY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL'S LECTURE SERIES WHERE THE SPEAKER WAS STACY ABRAMS. THAT THAT GROUP. I'M ON THE BOARD OF THAT GROUP, AND WE ARE MEMBERS OF THAT GROUP, OUR DISTRICT. IT'S A VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL LECTURE SERIES. THEY ALSO HAVE A CAPITAL SERIES, WHICH WE ARE SPONSOR HELPING TO SPONSOR, WHERE WE WILL HAVE YOU KNOW, ELECTED FOLKS FROM OF STATEWIDE SIGNIFICANCE THAT COME AND SPEAK. LET'S SEE. AND THEN ON ON THE 30TH I ATTENDED THE HAYWARD AREA RECREATION DISTRICT ANNUAL VOLUNTEER AWARDS LUNCHEON WITH DIRECTOR WAESPI. AND THAT'S ALWAYS GREAT. THEY THEY HAVE A LOT OF GOOD VOLUNTEERS. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU GET TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT ALL THE STUFF THAT THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH. AND THAT'S A GREAT ORGANIZATION UP THERE. I, I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THEM MORE IN THE FUTURE. GREAT. THANK YOU. WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO NEXT? DIRECTOR DESCHAMBAULT, SURE. SO ON THE 13TH, A BOARD MEETING, BOTH OPEN AND CLOSED SESSION. AND ON THE 14TH, I ATTENDED MY 1ST OPERATIONS COMMITTEE AND ALSO MET WITH IT FOR SOME BACKGROUND IN SETUPS. [00:50:01] ALSO MET ON THE 14TH WITH MEGAN FOR SOME RETREAT PREP I REALLY ENJOYED. ON JANUARY 15TH, SOME STAFF FOLKS TOOK US OUT TO KARKINOS TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE RESTORATION PROJECT THEY HAD OUT THERE. ESPECIALLY AFTER A FEW FIRES HAD PASSED THROUGH. THE HISTORY IN ITSELF WAS INTERESTING AND INTERESTED IN HOW THAT WORK OUT THERE MIGHT APPLY FOR WHEN WE DO FUELS MANAGEMENT, REMOVAL BY OURSELVES AND HEAVY EQUIPMENT, HOW WE CAN RESTORE THESE LANDS AND PROTECT THEM FOR THE FUTURE. 15TH WAS A WONDERFUL BOARD RETREAT. THANK YOU, PRESIDENT, FOR A NICE GETAWAY. I DID A QUARTERLY WALK TALK AND BIRD WATCH AT ARROWHEAD WITH MY PAC. I'M KIND OF CURIOUS OFFLINE HOW HOW ALL THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS DEAL OR MEET WITH YOUR PAC, OR IF YOU DO. AND AS PART OF THAT, I DID A NUMBER OF INTERVIEWS THIS WEEK, AND YOU'LL SEE IT ON THE NEXT AGENDA. IT WAS A DIFFICULT CHOICE, BUT I'VE SELECTED A YOUTHFUL ECO ADVOCATE THAT SOME OF YOU MIGHT KNOW. STEVEN SO THAT'LL BE ON OUR CONSENT AGENDA NEXT WEEK. PHIL EXCITED TO HAVE HIM. YEAH. EXCITED TO HAVE THOSE TWO POSITIONS AND SOME YOUTHFUL VOICE ON ON THE ON THE PAC AND BUILDING THAT RELATIONSHIP TOO. AND SPEAKING OF, I DID ATTEND ON THE 29TH THE SAVE MOUNT DIABLO STATE OF THE MOUNTAIN EVENT. THEY JUST DO SUCH A BANG UP JOB OF TELLING THEIR STORY AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE. OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY AND ECO ECO REPAIR ON THE 29TH, A REALLY INTERESTING CITIZEN SCIENCE GROUP INVITED ME TO GO OUT AND DO SOME SAMPLING OUT AT LAKE MERRITT, WHERE THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY ARE ACTUALLY DOING WATER TESTING. THEY'VE BEEN DOING IT SINCE, LIKE THE 1500S. IT'S AN AMAZING DATABASE. AND THEY ARE PARTNERING POSSIBLY WITH FRIENDS OF LAKE TEMESCAL. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BODIES OF WATER ONE SALT ONES, FRESH ONES, STALKED ONES, NOT ONES SWIMS. ONE DOESN'T. ONE IS CYANOBACTERIA. THAT DOESN'T. BUT IT WAS STILL INTERESTING TO SEE. AND I'M A MEMBER OF THE LAKE MERRITT BREAKFAST CLUB TO GET OUT THERE AND DO THAT WITH THEM. AND THEN I DID MISS THE HARD VOLUNTEER MEETING, BUT I REALLY NEEDED A MENTAL HEALTH DAY. AND INSTEAD, I DID THIS CRAZY PLEASANTON RIDGE TRAILS CHALLENGE THAT NEARLY WIPED MY BUTT WITH SOME VOLUNTEER TRAIL SAFETY PATROL. AND OUR RESCUE TEAM AND I DID GO ON THE 31ST AND CHECKED OUT THE FABULOUS FUNGUS FAIRE. DIRECTOR ESPAÑA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO NEXT? YES. 114 ATTENDED THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE. 116 MEETING WITH RETREAT FACILITATOR MEGAN FLUKE. 119 I WAS NOT ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS. MLK JUNIOR DAY OF SERVICE BECAUSE EACH YEAR I HELP PRODUCE WITH NURTURE NATURE. THE WHOLE DAY OF SERVICE OVER AT MIDDLE HARBOR SHORELINE PARK. SO I WAS ON THE SHORELINE BUT JUST A LITTLE FARTHER UP NORTH. AS FAR AS 121. SORRY. 121 ATTENDED THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE. 123 ATTENDED THE ANNUAL RETREAT. 130 HAD A AS FAR AS A CALL WITH MAX AND 130 HAD A CALL WITH MATT GRELL. AS FAR AS LEARNING MORE ABOUT WATER RESOURCES WITHIN THE PARK I DID WANT TO ALSO MENTION I WASN'T ABLE TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, BUT I DID SEND US A MESSAGE, AND THAT WAS TO THE MLK RALLY COMMITTEE. AND EACH YEAR THEY HAVE A CELEBRATION HONORING THE LEGACY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING. THAT'S VERY WELL ATTENDED. AND I WANT TO THANK DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT SANWONG IS WE, AS A PARK DISTRICT, SPONSORED THAT EVENT, SO. THANK YOU. YES. AND REAL QUICK, I'LL JUST MENTION, I KNOW WE HAD A COUPLE SPONSORSHIP REQUESTS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. AND THANK YOU TO BOTH DIRECTORS, MERCURIO AND ESPAÑA FOR KEEPING ME ON MY TOES IN REGARDS TO THAT ASPECT OF THINGS. SO I HOPE TO REVIEW THAT AND HAVE SOME MORE INFORMATION FOR THE ENTIRE BOARD IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. ALL RIGHT. ARE YOU READY TO GO? SURE. COOL. DIRECTOR MERCURIO MENTIONED THE LIAISON COMMITTEE MEETING WITH CONTRA COSTA WATER ON THE 14TH, AND DIRECTOR DESCHAMBAULT MENTIONED THE SITE VISIT TO THE CARQUINEZ STRAIT REFORESTATION PROJECT ON THE 15TH. ON THE 21ST, I ATTENDED THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, THE LEDGE COMMITTEE, AND I HAD A MEETING WITH DAVE MASON ON BOARD. OPERATIONS ATTENDED THE BOARD RETREAT ON THE 23RD. ON THE 26TH, THE CONTRA COSTA COUNTY SPECIAL DISTRICT ASSOCIATION MEETING. THE LAST NOTE I HAVE IS ON THE 29TH. I ATTENDED THE ANNUAL JOHN MUIR LAND TRUST UPDATE TO MEMBERS OF THE TRUST. [00:55:06] DIRECTOR WAESPI. THANK YOU. ON THE 14TH, I ATTENDED THE BOARD FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING. ON THE 15TH, I ATTENDED A COMMITTEE MEETING IN WHICH WE MET WITH OUR NEW ADMINISTRATOR AND ELECTED NEW OFFICERS. ON THE 20TH, I SPOKE WITH ASHLEY STRASBURG AND A MEMBER OF THE PARKS REC AND HISTORICAL COMMISSION. ASHLEY WORKS FOR NATE MILEY'S OFFICE. THEY HAD SOME INTEREST IN OUR BARNS AND OUR HISTORIC SITES THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT. THE 21ST, I ATTENDED THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING AND ALSO THE ALAMEDA COUNTY SPECIAL DISTRICTS ASSOCIATION MEETING. ON THE 23RD, I ATTENDED THE BOARD RETREAT. AGAIN. IT WAS A GREAT EVENT. THANK YOU TO STAFF AND TO OLIVIA FOR ORGANIZING THAT. ON THE 30TH, I ATTENDED THE HARD AWARDS CELEBRATION WITH JOHN AND IT IS A GREAT GREAT TO SEE OTHER AGENCIES WORK AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE THE SAME IDEAS AS WE DO HARD SEEMINGLY GOING FORWARD WITH A BOND MEASURE IN NOVEMBER. THEY'RE GOING GREAT GUNS AND THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT PROCESS. THE YESTERDAY I MET WITH ACTING GENERAL MANAGER KORTEN. WE TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF ISSUES, AND THAT'S IT FOR ME. BUT I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT WE'VE BEEN GONE A LONG TIME. AND IN THAT TIME, WE LOST SOME REALLY GREAT PEOPLE. AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S APPROPRIATE. WERE YOU GOING TO DO THAT? ADJOURN THE MEETING. I MEAN, WE LOST BETTY REID SOSKIN, AND WE LOST DOUG MCCONNELL. SO I'M HOPING THAT WE'LL NOT ONLY JUST ADJOURN THE MEETING WITH THEM TONIGHT, BUT SEND SOMETHING TO THEIR ORGANIZATION OR TO THEIR, THEIR, THEIR FAMILIES, SUGGESTING WHAT A GREAT FRIENDSHIP AND COLLABORATION WE'VE HAD FOR YEARS WITH THOSE FOLKS. I CAN SHARE THAT WE'RE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH THE TWO. THERE'S 2 POTENTIAL REMEMBRANCES FOR BETTY REID. SOSKIN. AND SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON CONNECTING WITH BOTH OF THEM TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN BE SUPPORTIVE AND ALSO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO YOUR BOARD AND JUST SUPPORT THE EVENTS OVERALL. AND THEN IN TERMS OF DOUG MCCONNELL, WE'VE BEEN PARTNERS FOR A LONG TIME, AND I'VE KNOWN DOUG PERSONALLY FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. AND SO WE'LL ALSO BE IN TOUCH IF AS THINGS UNFOLD RELATED TO THAT. THANK YOU. AND YES, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE WILL COME BACK AFTER CLOSED SESSION TO OFFICIALLY ADJOURN TODAY'S MEETING. AND WE CAN ADJOURN IN MEMORY OF THOSE TWO PEOPLE WHO REALLY DID INCREDIBLE WORK. SO THANK YOU FOR REMINDING US ABOUT THEIR LOSS. AND DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? NO. OKAY. THANK YOU. YEAH. SO REAL QUICK, I'LL MENTION YOU SINCE THE LAST BOARD MEETING. CERTAINLY I DID A LOT OF PREP WORK. I'M LOOKING AT ALL MY MEETINGS WITH MEGAN. YOU KNOW, ON THE 14TH AND THE 15TH AND THEN AGAIN THE 22ND, RIGHT BEFORE THE BOARD RETREAT TO PREPARE FOR THE BOARD RETREAT, WHICH WE HAD ON THE 23RD. AND I I'M REALLY GLAD I, I'M REALLY GLAD THAT WE WERE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER FOR THE BOARD RETREAT. I FEEL LIKE IT WAS A VERY POSITIVE AND ENERGETIC DAY AND A GREAT WAY TO KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR. 2026, I AM I KNOW ONE OF OUR DIRECTORS, ECHOLS WASN'T ABLE TO JOIN US BECAUSE SHE WASN'T FEELING WELL THAT DAY. AND AGAIN TODAY, SHE'S STILL RECOVERING, AND I DID HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH DIRECTOR ECHOLS OVER THE WEEKEND. JUST TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE RETREAT. AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF MY GOALS I ACTUALLY WANT TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY HELP INCORPORATE ONE OF THE EXERCISES THAT WE HAD AT THE RETREAT, THE. YES. AND EXERCISE WHERE WHEN SOMEONE SAYS SOMETHING, WE TRY TO FIND, YOU KNOW, THAT 10% THAT WE AGREE WITH AND USE SOME OF THAT PHRASING. YES. AND, AND SO I THINK YOU'LL SEE ME TRY TO INTEGRATE THAT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AS YOU KNOW, WE WORK TOGETHER AS A BOARD AND AS A TEAM WITH THE EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM, AND I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING TOGETHER THAT DAY. I HOPE EVERYONE REALLY ENJOYS YOU KNOW, THEIR SOIL COLLECTED FROM A FEW OF OUR PARKS. AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO ADD SOIL TO THEIR CONTAINER FROM OTHER PARKS. I KNOW I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADD SOME SOIL SINCE THE BOARD RETREAT FROM SHADOW CLIFFS AND DEL VALLE. AND SO I THINK IT'S REALLY ALSO A GREAT WAY TO GET OUT TO OUR PARKS AND, AND YOU KNOW, BE MINDFUL, THOUGH. SO I FOUND THAT THE GOPHER MOUNDS ARE MAYBE A GOOD ITEM TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR WHEN YOU'RE IN THE PARKS TO COLLECT SOME SOIL SO THAT WE'RE NOT DISTURBING THE PLANTS AND WILDLIFE. SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS A REALLY CLEVER ACTIVITY AND ONE THAT IS REALLY NICE. AND I LOVE I KNOW WE MENTIONED THIS AT THE RETREAT, BUT I REALLY LIKE HOW DIRECTOR COFFEY WAS ABLE TO GET US SOME POINT. PINOLE SOIL. EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN'T HAVE A CONTAINER THAT DAY. [01:00:03] WE ALSO, I ALSO HAD A MEETING WITH MAX ON THE 15TH OF JANUARY, 1 TO 1 MEETING, AND THEN ON THE 16TH, WE HAD OUR LAND STUDY SESSION PREP TO PREPARE FOR THIS UPCOMING WORKSHOP THIS FRIDAY. YES. COLIN DIRECTOR, VICE PRESIDENT COFFEY WAS A PART OF THAT LAND STUDY SESSION PREP. I KNOW I'M SURE I'M MISSING A FEW THINGS, BUT I'LL JUST MENTION, YOU KNOW, THERE'S EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING ON JANUARY 21ST. AND THEN I ALREADY MENTIONED MEGAN. THEN THE OTHER ONE THAT I WANTED TO MENTION. THE 1ST PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING WAS MONDAY, JANUARY 26TH, AND I ATTENDED THAT TO HELP KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR WITH OUR PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE. I DIDN'T REALLY PREPARE. I STARTED TO PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION, BUT I DIDN'T REALLY END UP GIVING IT OR PREPARE THAT BECAUSE I KNEW THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE GETTING A STATE OF THE DISTRICT PRESENTATION FROM OUR ACTING GENERAL MANAGER, MAX COURTIN, AND HE DID A GREAT JOB PRESENTING TO THE PACPAC AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS. AND WE HAD A REALLY HELPFUL CONVERSATION. AND THEN WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE WORK PLAN. I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF EFFORT FROM, YOU KNOW, ALISON BROOKS AND THE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TEAM TO REALLY PUT TOGETHER A WORK PLAN FOR 2026. AND I THINK THE PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS ALSO FEELING VERY ENERGIZED AND ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE WORK PLAN THAT'S COMING TOGETHER. SO I'M REALLY GLAD I WAS ABLE TO BE THERE WITH THEM FOR THEIR FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR. AND AND THEN THE NEXT MORNING, I THINK I MENTIONED MIGHT HAVE MENTIONED THIS TO SOME OF YOU. I DID HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AT THE PLEASANTON CHAMBER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS MEETING. SO THAT'S WHERE THEY REALLY LOOK AT THAT, YOU KNOW, OVERLAP BETWEEN BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT. AND I WAS ABLE TO PRESENT ON SOME OF THE WORK THAT I DID FOR OUR BOARD RETREAT IN REGARDS TO COMING UP WITH THE AVATAR OF FREDDIE, THE RED LEGGED FROG, AND ALSO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH THESE THESE TECHNOLOGY TOOLS. AND SO THAT WAS A REALLY GREAT CONVERSATION. AND I ALSO DID RECEIVE SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PARK DISTRICT AT THAT MEETING ON THE 27TH. AND I BELIEVE, I GUESS WE HAD THE BOARD MEETING PREP ON THE 29TH OF JANUARY. AND I THINK THAT THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO REPORT FOR TODAY. SO THANK YOU. OKAY. AND SO THEN WE WILL NOW MOVE ON TO SO I WILL SAY THAT WE HAVE A SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT NOW ON THE AGENDA. AND THIS IS FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK PREVIOUSLY. SO WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS OPEN UP THIS SECOND PUBLIC COMMENT FOR THOSE THAT HAVE NOT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK PREVIOUSLY AND SEE IF THERE ARE, THERE IS NO PUBLIC COMMENT. OKAY. SO THEN WE WILL CLOSE THAT. SO THANK YOU. AND SO THEN WE ARE NOT ADJOURNING. WE ARE ACTUALLY GOING BACK INTO CLOSED SESSION. AND WE WILL COME BACK OUT HERE TO ADJOURN AFTER CLOSED SESSION. SO THANK YOU EVERYONE. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.