THE WEEK OF JULY 7-13
The extended Fourth of July weekend is behind us, although many East Bay politicos and government workers are likely looking ahead to the annual August Recess, which shuts down local government for a month and forces yours truly to scramble for something to write about.
Meanwhile another busy week in East Bay government returns and one Oakland politician was certainly not taking the holiday break sitting down. On Tuesday, Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan has not one, but three quite significant pieces of legislation to unveil in committee. That kind of political panache might make some people suspect she’s running for something next year.
Here’s your weekly highlights:
➤Big week in Oakland: Trump border wall ordinance, gender-neutral bathrooms at City Hall, revoking its ICE agreement and owner-occupancy rules.
➤Alameda County Supervisors look to expand the controversial mental health law from pilot to full implementation.
➤Supervisor Richard Valle wants to convene a surveillance workgroup and cultivation and dispensaries in unincorporated Alameda County come closer to expansion.
➤Hayward works on its Downtown Specific Plan
➤Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin hold his first state of the city on Monday night.
OAKLAND — City Council Committee meetings, Tuesday, July 11, starts at 9 a.m..
Finance and Management Committee, 9 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–BORDER WALL ORDINANCE– Councilmember Abel Guillen‘s ordinance to exclude contractors who perform work on President Donald Trump‘s proposed southern border wall from Oakland city contracts comes to committee Tuesday morning. The Oakland City Council approved a resolution in March denouncing the border wall.
Public Works Committee, 11 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–GENDER-NEUTRAL BATHROOMS– Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan is calling for all city-owned buildings to provide options for gender-neutral restrooms. The process she hopes will start with Oakland City Hall.
Community and Economic Development Committee, 1 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–OWNER OCCUPANCY RULES– Kaplan also has a proposal to ask the city Rent Board to consider regulations to establish whether an owner of duplexes and triplexes who evicts a tenant t to move in themselves should prove owner occupancy of the unit.
–“We have heard increasing incidents of the use of claims of ‘.’owner occupancy” to get away with evictions which would be illegal. Concerns about false claims of owner occupancy are rising, and we lack a good system to ensure that owner occupancy claims being used for evictions are legitimate,” wrote Kaplan.
Public Safety Committee, 6 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–REVOKING ICE AGREEMENT– Kaplan is at it again. “In 2016, City Council approved Resolution 86156, which allowed the Oakland Police Department (“OPD”) to enter a memorandum of understanding with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) agency, for the purpose of allowing particular Oakland Police Department (OPD) Officers to be designated as United States Customs Title 19 Task Force Officers.”
–The city’s Privacy Advisory Commission, however, believes the policy conflicts with Oakland being a sanctuary city. Kaplan is asking to rescind the resolution for fear its weakens cooperation between immigrants in Oakland and law enforcement.
Life Enrichment Committee, 4 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
ALAMEDA COUNTY — Regular board meeting, Tuesday, July 11, 10:30 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–LAURA’S LAW– The county sidestepped a push for fully implementing Laura’s Law going back to 2015. The law allows courts to order severe mental health patients to undergo involuntary intensive outpatient services when they are a risk to themselves and others. However, some supervisors were leery of the plan and instead authorized a five-person pilot program in December 2015. Tuesday’s actions would fully expand the pilot to the entire county.
–SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY WORKGROUP– Supervisor Richard Valle wants to convene a workgroup to study the rights and impacts of surveillance and gain a greater understanding of the technology in order to inform the Board of Supervisors. The proposed group would include the Alameda County District Attorney’s office, the sheriffs department, ACLU, public defender’s office, probation and the Oakland Privacy group, among other members.
–SLUSH FUND– Last month, the Alameda County grand jury highlighted Supervisor Keith Carson and the entire board’s extensive use of so-called Fiscal Management Rewards funds. The grand jury criticized Carson for using $710,000 of these funds, which require no vetting and no contracts, for his staffer’s non-profit. This week Carson is hoping to allocate $350,000 of these funds to four local community-based organizations.
Planning meeting, Tuesday, July 11, 1 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–CANNABIS DISPENSARY/CULTIVATION RESO– A plan to greatly expand the number of cannabis dispensaries and cultivation sites in unincorporated Alameda County nears approval by the full board possibly in September. The resolution would increases the number of dispensaries from three to five (with no more than three in West County and no more than two in East County.) It also allows up to six sites for cultivation in “certain zoning districts and the Agriculture zoning district.”
Note: dispensaries in “good standing” in unincorporated Alameda County can begin cultivation with being subjected to a competitive selection process…” Furthermore, the nexus of the cannabis industry and unincorporated Alameda County is Supervisor Nate Miley.
Health Committee meeting, Monday, July 10, 9 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
HAYWARD — Special council meeting, Tuesday, July 11, 7 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–DOWNTOWN SPECIFIC PLAN– A design charrette covering Hayward’s Downtown Specific Plan suggested a number of significant changes to the moribund area of town, although the findings have not yet been vetted by staff. “For example, conversion of some travel lanes within the Downtown Loop to protected bike lanes and amenity-enhanced wider sidewalks to provide a more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly environment would increase vehicular travel times through Downtown for regional and local traffic. However, such conversions would also provide benefits in terms of movement through and around Downtown for other modes of mobility.”
–Perhaps most tellingly, interviews with college students yielded a number of potentially practical changes including enticing a large coffee shop that opens late to facilitate students studying at night, in addition, affordable restaurants that also have late hours. Homelessness in the downtown areas and parking garage safety also made the list.
–E.V. CHARGING STATIONS– “By the passage of Assembly Bill No. 1236 (AB 1236) on October 8, 2015, the State Legislature amended Section 65850.7 of the California Government Code to require every city, county, or city and county with a population of less than 200,000 residents to adopt an ordinance on or before September 30, 2017 that creates an expedited, streamlined permitting process for “electric vehicle charging stations” and to provide checklists electronically.”
–Hayward, though, is way ahead of the legislation, according to a staff report. Permits for Level 1-2 E.V. recharging station both commercial and multi-family residences can be approved at the city’s Permit Center and received the same day.
GATHERINGS — SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL TOWN HALL with District 3 Councilmember Lee Thomas, District 4 Councilmember Benny Lee, and District 6 Councilmember Pete Ballew; Monday, July 10, 7 p.m.; Marina Community Center, 15301 Wicks Boulevard, San Leandro.
–BERKELEY STATE OF THE CITY– Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin delivers his first State of the City address, Monday, July 10, 6 p.m., Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St, Berkeley.
EAST BAY MUD— Regular board meeting, Tuesday, July 11, 1:15 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–WATER RATES– A single-family home in the East Bay may see a 4.8 percent increases in water services starting this week, if a plan is approved by the board Tuesday afternoon.
AC TRANSIT— Regular board meeting, Wednesday, July 12, 5 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–ALT TELEGRAPH BRT PLAN– In June 2016, the District eliminated Line IR, shortened Line 99 and split localservice — Line l–into three lines: Line 10 from Hayward BART to San Leandro BART via E. 14″‘ Street, Line I from San Leandro BART to downtown Oakland via International Boulevard and Line 6 from downtown Oakland to downtown Berkeley via Telegraph Avenue. This change was a necessary construction mitigation for the East Bay Bus Rapid Transit Project (BRT) along International Bou[evard. As expected, this change impacted ridership…”
BART— Regular board meeting, Thursday, July 13, 9 a.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
–POWELL STREET STATION MEETING– Bart Board President Rebecca Saltzman is conducting Thursday’s meeting at the Powell Street BART station in San Francisco to highlight its importance as a downtown hub for commerce and problems with homelessness.
PORT OF OAKLAND— Regular board meeting, Thursday, July 13, 3:30 p.m. [ENTIRE AGENDA HERE]
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