THE WEEK OF JUNE 16-22
It’s so early in the process of whether Oakland and more likely a consortium of East Bay cities go into the banking and lending business that we’ve heard a peep from Big Bank. Richmond and Berkeley reported are interested in joining the public bank group. Based on recent progressive actions, Alameda and San Leandro might have interest. Of course, the more, the merrier, and each city have distinct interests in squaring the circle when it comes to their burgeoning cannabis industrial scenes to have options when it comes to banking.
Meanwhile, it’s a very busy week in East Bay government, particularly Oakland, where a few notable agenda items, including the public bank feasibility study, are featured. Here’s your highlights for the week:
➤San Leandro’s housing market is slowly heating up and tenant relocation payments there might be a short-term answer.
➤Step right up! The runner-up for the Alameda County treasurer’s post wins a consolation prize.
➤Pot industry gets a look in San Leandro and possibly Alameda.
➤Town hall Saturday: Events featuring Assemblymembers Rob Bonta, Tony Thurmond, State Sen. Nancy Skinner and Rep. Ro Khanna.
OAKLAND — Regular council meeting, Tuesday, June 20, 5 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–PUBLIC BANK STUDY– Is Oakland and/or the region ready for a public bank? The council gets to weigh-in on whether they should spend $100,000 from the general purpose fund on a feasibility study for a bank that supporters in the community and cannabis industry believe will unmoor the city and residents from the poor financial practices of the Big Banks. The city administration, however, believes the outlays should come from the next fiscal year budget.
–DEPT OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION– A winding, two-month push for the new city department meets its conclusion Tuesday. The proposed department would be put under the control of the city administrator. Last week, its tenuous future was defended by Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney who unleashed a highly emotional call for its creation amid a proposal by some of her colleagues for a blue-ribbon commission.
–$4.6M, ZERO INTEREST LOAN FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING– “Urban Core and the City were co-applicants for Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities funds to support the development of Coliseum Connections. The project is located at 801-844 71st Avenue (at Snell Street) near the Coliseum BART station. Rents for 55 housing units will be restricted to provide housing affordable to households at or below 60% of area median income.”
–SWEET COMMISSION O’ MINE– Mayor Libby Schaaf stocks the Sugar Sweetened Beverages Community Advisory Board required by the voter-approved Measure HH soda tax initiative, passed last November. The appointments include, Gema Cardenas, Donna Carey, Jared Fine, Julia Liou, Tonya Love, Kim Martinez, Esperanza Pallana, Renia Webb, and Priscilla Wilson.
SAN LEANDRO — Regular council meeting, Monday, June 19, 7 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–TENANT RELOCATION FEES– ‘An impetus for the City Council to create a tenant relocation assistance program was to protect San Leandro renters, particularly long-term renters, from eviction based on factors beyond their control such as substantial rent increases and landlords moving their families into rental units.”
–The proposed payment schedule is the greater of three times the tenant’s rent or the Fair Market Rents for the Oakland/Fremont Bay Area. A cap on the amount landlords are required to pay is proposed to be $10,000 and special cirmcumstances such as the owner-initiated eviction of tenant with children or seniors are capped at an additional $1,000.
–PILOT PROGRAM FOR POT MANUFACTURING/LABS– “The pilot program will be a ‘first-come, first-served’ system for interested applicants, who will be required to comply with specific application submittal and processing timeframe requirements. Staff proposes to limit the total number of conditionally permitted Cannabis Product Manufacturing facilities to five permits.”
ALAMEDA COUNTY — Regular board meeting, Tuesday, June 20, 10:45 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–RETIREMENT HEALTH CARE TAB– The board will approve $34 million to be allocated to the Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association (ACERA) for health care benefits during fiscal year 2017-18. Also on the agenda, the Alameda Fire Department will also transfer $1 million in savings from its previous budget to the California Employees’ Retiree Benefit Trust fund.
–HOME CONSORTIUM RE-UP– The Alameda County HOME consortium created to coordinate the afforadable housing efforts between the county and cities will renew its agreements. They cities included on Tuesday’s agenda item are Alameda, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton, San Leandro and Union City. The agreement covers 2018 through 2020.
–CONSOLATION PRIZE– Former Mayor Bill Harrison wasn’t chosen to be the county’s next treasurer a few months back. But free tickets to the county fair is likely his. Supervisor Scott Haggerty is appointing Harrison to the Alameda County Fair Association Board of Directors. The term ends in 2021.
HAYWARD — Regular council meeting, Tuesday, June 20, 7 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–HOMELESSNESS COUNT– At last week’s council meeting, Hayward City Manager Kelly McAdoo said one agenda item Tuesday will focus on the recent Alameda County homelessness count and what the city and county propose for funding and implementing ideas for decreasing the number.
ALAMEDA — Regular council meeting, Tuesday, June 20, 7 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–ISLAND POT– Although not guaranteed to be heard Tuesday night, a referral by Mayor Trish Herrera Spencer asking city staff to study the introduction of various cannabis-related industries to Alameda is again on the agenda. A group of Alameda cannabis entrepreneurs have attended the last two council meetings to speak on the subject only to be turned away late at night without doing so. The proposed referral includes references to favoring Alameda residents in the possible permitting of dispensaries, factories and grow facilities.
–NEW SISTER CITY– Alameda appears set to add another sister city affiliation with an Asian municipality, this time with the South Korean county of Yeongdong-gun. According to the proclamation, Alameda and Yeongdong-gun share another common sister city, Dumaguete in the Philippines. This was the city immortalized in Alameda’s White Rice Gate controversy.
GATHERINGS — TOWN HALL with Assemblymembers Rob Bonta, Tony Thurmond; State Sen. Nancy Skinner; Saturday, June 17, 1-3 p.m., Cesar Chavez Education Center, 2825 International Blvd, Oakland.
–REP. ERIC SWALWELL BREAKFAST, PHONE-BANKING for GA-06 Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff, Saturday, June 17, 9:30 a.m., IBEW Local 595, 6250 Village Parkway, Dublin.
–REP. RO KHANNA TOWN HALL– Saturday, June 17, 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Milpitas High School, 1285 Escuela Parkway, Milpitas.
EDEN HEALTH DISTRICT— Regular board meeting, Wednesday, June 21, 5 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–ST. ROSE COMMITTEE– The ad hoc committee the district created at the behest of Supervisor Richard Valle to help with securing a brighter financial future for Hayward’s St. Rose Hospital offers it first report.
BART— Regular board meeting, Thursday, June 22, 9 a.m. [AGENDA NOT YET POSTED]
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