{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 1, "text": "MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING\nTUESDAY - - MAY 5, 2020- 7:00 - P.M.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft convened the meeting at 7:10 p.m. and led the Pledge of\nAllegiance.\nROLL CALL -\nPresent:\nCouncilmembers Daysog, Knox White, Oddie, Vella,\nand Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft - 5. [Note: The meeting was\nconducted via Zoom.]\nAbsent:\nNone.\nAGENDA CHANGES\n(20-277) Vice Mayor Knox White stated that he would like to hear the 7:01 pm special\nmeeting before the regular meeting.\nIn response to Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquiry about public comment on items, the City\nClerk outlined the items with public comments.\nVice Mayor Knox White moved approval of recessing the current regular meeting and to\ncall the special meeting.\nCouncilmember Oddie seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\n***\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft recessed the regular meeting at 7:15 p.m. and reconvened the\nmeeting at 7:18 p.m.\n***\nPROCLAMATIONS, SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY AND ANNOUNCEMENTS\n(20-278) Proclamation Declaring May 2020 as Affordable Housing Month.\nORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA\nThe following public comments were read into the record:\n(20-279) Debi Ryan, Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda (CASA), discussed\nletters sent related to a student Earth Week writing campaign and noted the campaign\nhighlights.\n(20-280) Jim Strehlow, Alameda, discussed his experience riding his bicycle on Encinal\nAvenue; stated pedestrians can behave badly; questioned when the City Council\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n1", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 2, "text": "authorized slow streets.\nCONSENT CALENDAR\nThe Fourth of July parade [paragraph no. 20-283], the Webster Street Assessment\n[paragraph no. 20-284], the ordinance amending Municipal Code Chapter 30 [paragraph\nno. 20-286 and the Pinball lease ordinance [paragraph no. 20-287 were removed from\nthe Consent Calendar for discussion.\nVice Mayor Knox White moved approval of the remainder of the Consent Calendar.\nCouncilmember Vella seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5. [Items so enacted or adopted are indicated by an asterisk\npreceding the paragraph number.]\n(*20-281) Minutes of the Special and Regular City Council Meetings Held on April 7,\n2020. Approved.\n(*20-282) Ratified bills in the amount of $6,014,956.70.\n(20-283) Recommendation to Cancel the 2020 Fourth of July Parade to Avoid Mass\nGatherings Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.\nCouncilmember Oddie moved approval of the staff recommendation with direction to\nstaff to find a possible alternative later in the year at a potentially cheaper cost, which\ncould be easily cancelled if needed.\nThe Recreation and Parks Director made brief comments.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated the event is popular; noted there is no desire to increase\nthe rate of COVID-19.\nCouncilmember Daysog seconded the motion.\nUnder discussion, Councilmember Daysog stated the cancellation of a cherished event\nonly underscores the dire situation everyone is in with COVID-19; expressed support for\nthe staff recommendation.\nCouncilmember Vella stated the Recreation and Parks Director has been finding\ndifferent alternatives; expressed support for a porch contest and responsible\ncelebrations.\nOn the call for the question, the motion carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n2\nMay 5, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 3, "text": "(20-284) Recommendation to Approve the Webster Street Business Improvement Area\n(BIA) Annual Assessment Report; and\n(20-284A) Resolution No. 15649, \"Intention to Levy an Annual Assessment on the\nWebster Street BIA for Fiscal Year 2020-21 and to Set a Public Hearing for May 19,\n2020.\" Adopted.\nCouncilmember Daysog recused himself from the item.\nCouncilmember Vella moved approval of the staff recommendation [including adoption\nof the resolution].\nVice Mayor Knox White seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call\nvote: Councilmembers Daysog: Absent; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 4; Absent: 1.\n(*20-285) Recommendation to Approve the Park Street Business Improvement Area\nAnnual Assessment Report; and\n(*20-285A) Resolution No. 15650, \"Intention to Levy an Annual Assessment on the Park\nStreet BIA for Fiscal Year 2020-21 and to Set a Public Hearing for May 19, 2020.'\nAdopted.\n(20-286) Ordinance No. 3277, \"Amending Alameda Municipal Code Chapter 30\n(Development Regulations) to Modify Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations to Comply\nwith State Law and Make Other Administrative, Technical, and Clarifying Amendments\nPertaining to Appeals and Youth Centers Definition, as Recommended by the Planning\nBoard.\" Finally passed.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated that he would continue not to support the item.\nVice Mayor Knox White moved final passage of the ordinance.\nCouncilmember Oddie seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: No; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 4; Noes: 1.\n(20-287) Ordinance No. 3278, \"Authorizing the City Manager, or Designee, to Execute a\nTwelve Month Amendment to the Lease with Pacific Pinball Museum, a 501(c)(3) Non\nProfit Organization, with the Option of Four One Year Extensions, for Building 169,\nSuite 101 Located at 1680 Viking Street at Alameda Point.\" Finally passed.\nCouncilmember Daysog recused himself and left the meeting.\nCouncilmember Vella moved final passage of the ordinance.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n3", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 4, "text": "Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft expressed support for combining the items.\nThe City Attorney stated due to the items being on two separate meetings, he\nrecommends not combining the items.\nOn the call for the question, the motion carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft recessed the meeting at 7:36 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at\n8:34 p.m.\n***\nREGULAR AGENDA ITEMS\n(20-290) Public Hearing to Consider Introduction of Ordinance Amending Alameda\nMunicipal Code Chapter XII (Designated Parking) to Improve Procedures for\nManagement of Public Parking on City Streets and in City Lots. Introduced; and\n(20-290A) Recommendation to Approve a Policy for the Use of License Plate\nRecognition Technology for the Purpose of Parking Enforcement.\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director gave a presentation.\nVice Mayor Knox White inquired why the policy has the Public Works Director enforce\nparking; stated pricing and parking should be housed within the Transportation\nDepartment.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n4\nMay 5, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 5, "text": "The Planning, Building, and Transportation Director responded the City Manager could\nbe authorized to oversee enforcement; stated Council sets policy direction; provided an\nexample of Council setting the parking meter pricing policy at 85%; stated the\nmanagement of the parking meters and parking lots falls under the purview of the Public\nWorks Department; changing from Public Works Director to the City Manager, or\ndesignee, would be a fair adjustment.\nThe City Attorney stated there is existing language in previous ordinances that\ndesignates the Public Works Director as the manager for various parking endeavors;\nshould Council wish to make changes, the ordinance changes will need to be very clear.\nCouncilmember Daysog expressed support for Cesar Chavez Day being celebrated\nCitywide; noted the holiday is not included under Section 9.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft outlined the draft policy and read the section related to where data\nis stored; inquired whether the policy that governs the License Plate Reader (LPR) data\nfor mounted patrol vehicles has a one-year retention policy; inquired the reason to make\nthe data retention period longer.\nThe City Attorney responded the policy stores data for less time in all regards; stated\nthe policy proposed 24 hours of storage for \"no hit\" and 2 years of storage for a \"hit;\" the\nPolice Department storage is 6 months of storage with \"no hit\" and potentially unlimited\nstorage with a \"hit.\"\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the language is available, to which the City\nAttorney responded that he does not have the language; stated the \"hit\" is different for\nthe Police Department needing to keep data for a case.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she does not recall the previous Council vote reflecting\nthe retention schedule; outlined ongoing instances when data collected has not been\ndestroyed; stated all other instances should have the same retention period as the\nPolice Department LPR schedule.\nCouncilmember Vella stated that she recalls a conversation related to fixed LPR's; she\nbelieves Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft's recollection of the retention period is correct; inquired\nthe type of photograph technology to be used and what would be photographed;\nwhether there is a way to crop the image to only include the license plate or back of the\nvehicle.\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director responded the privacy impact\nanalysis ensures the camera is pointed down, focusing just on the license plate.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired whether there would be an instance where something\noutside of the license plate would be captured and whether the image would be cropped\nin that instance.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n5", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 6, "text": "The Planning, Building and Transportation Director responded the parking management\nprogram does not keep any data should information return clean; stated photos can be\ncropped in the event the image is too broad; only photos being kept in the event a \"hit\"\noccurs would be cropped.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired whether there will be a mechanism in place to ensure\nitems outside the license plate image can be limited.\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director responded in the affirmative; stated\nan annual program review can include the types of photographs being kept and cleaned\nup.\nThe City Attorney stated that he has been able to obtain the Police Department LPR\npolicy language, which says: \"all LPR data downloaded to the server will be stored for a\nperiod of six months and thereafter shall be purged, unless it has become or it is\nreasonable to believe to become evidence in a criminal or civil action or subject to a\nlawful action to produce records. In such instances, the applicable data shall be\ndownloaded from the server onto portable media and stored into evidence;' noted the\npolicy for parking management 24 hours parallels the Police Department LPR six\nmonths and the parking management two year retention is parallel to the Police\nDepartment LPR policy of the less definite time frame.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft requested the language be provided to her; stated there are not\nmany times that she disagrees with the Police Chief; noted that she remembers a one\nyear limitation; stated that she does not remember the policy returning to Council for\nmodification.\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director stated the photograph cropping\nprovision is already in the privacy impact; stated any photograph would be kept due to a\n\"hit\" or non-payment.\nCouncilmember Vella expressed concern about the language of the privacy impact\nstating: \"personal identity information collected that cannot be technically obfuscated will\nbe\nused only for the purpose. inquired about the meaning behind the language.\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director responded that he does not know;\nstated that he will research the passage.\nPublic Comment Read Into Record:\nDiscussed paid parking at Alameda Ferry parking lots being a high source of revenue;\nurged separation of permanent and daily parking revenue; listed two projects for funding\nconsideration: 1) Prioritize smart city parking management system; 2) Alameda shuttle\nfunding: Karen Bey, Alameda.\nDiscussed flaws in the parking proposal; stated the major overlooked flaw is with\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n6\nMay 5, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 7, "text": "management of non-City parking spaces; noted parking is not watched at Alameda\nPoint businesses; urged Council to authorize the security monitoring service to report\npotential parking violations: Jim Strehlow, Alameda.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft outlined the Police Department LPR data retention, which states:\n\"all ALPR data downloaded to the server will be stored for a period of 6 months and\nthereafter shall be purged, unless it has become or it is reasonable to believe it will\nbecome evidence in a criminal or civil action, or is subject to a lawful action to produce\nrecords, in those circumstances, the applicable data should be downloaded from the\nserver onto portable media and booked into evidence;\" stated it is reasonable to have\nthe parking policy also be retained for six months.\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director stated under the Police\nDepartment's current program, all data is kept for six months and deleted unless there\nis some reason to keep it as evidence; the parking policy proposes the data be\neliminated after 24 hours if there is no reason to keep it; keeping the data for six months\nwould extend the parking policy time.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated license plates collected, but not cited are not retained,\nwhich differs from the Police Department policy; that she does not understand why there\nis a need to keep data for two years to pursue someone with a parking ticket; inquired\nthe reason parking citations need to be kept for two years.\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director responded people need to be given\ntime to appeal parking tickets; stated the process might be drawn out; noted a\nclarification can be made to the language to state: \"until is resolved or two years,\nwhichever is first;\" the time can be shortened if desired.\nCouncilmember Oddie expressed support for data collected and not cited, not being\nretained, and for the retention timing breakdown; inquired whether the City is proposing\ngetting rid of parking meters and slips.\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director responded license plate readers will\nbe introduced first at Alameda Point due to two ferry terminal operations; unmarked,\nunmetered parking will be along Main Street and the Seaplane Lagoon; stated parking\ncan be paid at a kiosk or via cellular phone; staff eventually will propose use of the\nparking program Citywide and with street sweeping; old meters will be replaced by pay-\nby-plate multi-space booths; outlined the potential parking policy roll-out.\nCouncilmember Oddie stated the item is forward-thinking; expressed support for the\nitem and a better retention schedule other than two years.\nVice Mayor Knox White expressed support for the item and for staff working with Secure\nJustice on the privacy community; noted roles have changed in the City over time;\nexpressed support for the City Manager, or his designee, to be responsible for\nenforcement; stated the pricing is not based on public infrastructure decision making.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n7", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 8, "text": "In response to Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft's inquiry, the Planning, Building and Transportation\nDirector stated staff has been working with a very good consultant; noted staff is\namenable to a one year retention schedule; stated a vendor must still be selected.\nCouncilmember Daysog expressed support for the ordinance; stated the program\nimproves the way residents pay parking fees; the program will fund certain\ntransportation projects; that he is not a fan of the LPR policy; noted that he prefers the\nold way of assessing parking fees and tickets; stated the process is less efficient and\ngenerates less revenue, but using LPR for parking tickets runs the risk of a parking\nregime on steroids; expressed support for separating the policy from the ordinance;\nstated the ordinance is silent on the LPR aspect of the discussion.\nCouncilmember Vella moved approval of the staff recommendation [including\nintroduction of the ordinance], taking into account only retaining information for one year\ninstead of two years.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated staff believes the policy could be shortened to one year, but\nbureaucracy takes time.\nCouncilmember Vella noted the retention is based on evidentiary need; stated that she\ndoes not see how bureaucracy would require the City to send out a ticket two years\nafter the incident.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated it would be the court case pursuing the ticket.\nCouncilmember Vella stated it would then be an evidentiary file.\nThe City Attorney stated should there be a judicial proceeding, the exiting policy would\nallow staff to download the image into evidentiary file and keep for the duration of the\njudicial proceeding, which will likely go beyond two years.\nIn response to Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft's inquiry, the City Attorney stated the statute of\nlimitations requires the retention.\nCouncilmember Daysog requested a substitute motion to have the item bifurcate the\nordinance from the policy.\nCouncilmember Vella moved introduction of the ordinance.\nCouncilmember Daysog seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call\nvote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nVice Mayor Knox White moved approval of the policy, taking into account only retaining\ninformation for one year instead of two years.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n8\nMay 5, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 9, "text": "Councilmember Vella seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: No; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 4; Noes: 1.\n(20-291) Public Hearing to Consider Accepting: 1) an Annual Report on the Status of\nthe General Plan and Housing Element, 2) an Annual Report on the Status of the\nTransportation Choices Plan and Associated Work Program Priorities, and 3) an Annual\nReport for the West Alameda Transportation Management Association (TMA).\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director gave a presentation.\nCouncilmember Oddie inquired whether Rosefield Village is allowed to replace the 80\nunits.\nThe Planning, Building and Transportation Director responded the project is an\nexpansion of Rosefield Village; stated the City does not get credit for existing units, just\nnew units.\nPublic Comment Read Into Record:\nExpressed support for safe alternatives for Alamedans to get out of their cars and\nreduce greenhouse gas emissions and the active transportation plan; noted that CASA\nis a partner with the City outreach program for Line 19 shuttle; expressed gratitude\ntoward City staff: Ruth Abbe, Community Action for Sustainable Alameda (CASA).\nCouncilmember Oddie moved approval of accepting all three items; expressed concern\nfor public transportation.\nCouncilmember Daysog seconded the motion.\nUnder discussion, Vice Mayor Knox White stated transit is in trouble; noted\ntransportation is funded by sales tax, which is being lost; expressed support for the\nitem; stated that he would like to ensure support of transportation returning, as well as\nsupporting things the City does have control over and ensuring the transportation\nmoney is being placed in priority areas to drive decisions as there is less money moving\nforward than hoped.\nOn the call for the question, the motion carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nVice Mayor Knox White moved approval of directing staff to bring slow streets back to\nCouncil at the next meeting as an oral report for discussion.\nCouncilmember Vella seconded the motion.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n9", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 10, "text": "Under discussion, the City Manager stated it will be difficult to place a report on for the\nnext Council meeting; noted items are due for review tomorrow.\nVice Mayor Knox White stated that the item can be addressed in June; noted that he\nhad planned to bring the item as a Council Referral.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired whether only a discussion is being requested; noted the\nBrown Act causes difficulty in discussing the item without notice; stated a staff report is\nnot needed.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated waiting an additional two weeks for the topic has benefits;\nexpressed support for more than just Council discussion; stated staff is looking at\nadditional streets.\nCouncilmember Oddie inquired whether he can be included in the discussion based on\nhis residence location being within 500 feet of a discussion location.\nThe City Attorney responded recusal is recommended.\nCouncilmember Oddie recused himself and left the meeting.\nVice Mayor Knox White stated that he would like to have a Citywide discussion versus a\ndiscussion specific to Pacific Avenue.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft requested the motion be restated.\nVice Mayor Knox White moved approval of bringing back, as soon as possible, before\nfuture streets are rolled out, a conversation about how the slow streets program is\nmoving forward.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether it is reasonable to request the item be placed on\nthe first meeting in June.\nThe City Manager responded in the affirmative.\nCouncilmember Vella seconded the motion.\nUnder discussion, Councilmember Vella inquired whether there will be any changes or\nelimination of streets prior to the first meeting in June.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated the item is not agendized; inquired the breadth of\ndiscussion allowed.\nThe City Attorney responded brief direction to staff to bring back anything the Council\nwishes to hear is recommended.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n10\nMay 5, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 11, "text": "On the call for the question, the motion carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Absent; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 4; Absent: 1.\n(20-292) Recommendation to Accept 2020 Annual Report on the Climate Action and\nResiliency Plan (CARP).\nThe Assistant City Manager gave a brief presentation.\nPublic Comment Read Into Record:\nDiscussed the significant achievements the annual report shows; urged Council to\ncontinue to prioritize efforts in mitigation and adaptation, prioritizing the hiring of the\nSustainability and Resilience Manager, and keeping Alameda on the climate-safe path:\nRuth Abbe, CASA.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated fewer cars on the road has yielded cleaner air and\nimproved air quality.\nCouncilmember Vella moved approval of the S.\nCouncilmember Oddie seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\n(20-293) Recommendation to Provide Direction on Potential Measures Amending the\nCity Charter.\nVice Mayor Knox White gave a brief presentation.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether Council is voting on providing a raise in Council\npay.\nVice Mayor Knox White responded in the negative; stated the proposal will allow a\nfuture Council to vote on a raise after January 1, 2023, which is after current\nCouncilmember finishes their current terms.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the item goes to the voters, to which Vice Mayor\nKnox White responded voters will set the maximum; stated the result will not go into\neffect until January 1, 2023.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the items are proposed ballot measures.\nVice Mayor Knox White responded in the affirmative; stated Council would be directing\nstaff to draft ballot proposals to come back in June or July for further Council discussion\nand determination about whether or not to place a measure on the ballot; then, the\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n11", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 12, "text": "voters will vote to determine whether or not the Council should have the flexibility to give\nthemselves a raise in the future; noted there has been strong support for the proposal;\nstated Council pay could be a limiting factor in attracting candidates who may not have\nthe wherewithal to self-fund being a volunteer for the City.\nIn response to Councilmember Oddie's inquiry regarding clarifying health benefits, Vice\nMayor Knox White stated there is currently no language related to health benefits; the\nCharter strictly states members make $50 per meeting and does include health benefits,\ntechnology, or car allowances; previous Councilmembers have funded their family\nhealth coverage; the proposal clarifies that Councilmembers would be able to collect\nhealth benefits, but not as family coverage.\nCouncilmember Oddie inquired whether the only people being removed from eligibility\nare family members of the Councilmember.\nVice Mayor Knox White responded in the affirmative; stated language can be changed;\nnoted previous versions discussed the City Auditor and Treasurer compensation being\nset by Council; the proposal does not change said provision.\nCouncilmember Daysog provided Alameda County Council pay data from transparent\nCalifornia; stated there is a considerable discrepancy in the way Council is paid relative\nto nearby cities; noted members of the public have expressed concern about Council\npay related to the COVID-19 environment; expressed support for Council discussion of\nthe item at the current meeting; stated a decision does not need to be made, but the\ndiscussion can begin to inform the public about the direction of Council pay; the\ndiscussion is occurring in a vacuum and other Charter discussion items will be had in\nthe coming days; each Councilmember should place the item in the context of\ndiscussions of related Charter items.\nVice Mayor Knox White stated some Council comments may also relate to the proposed\nMeasure 2; completed the presentation.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated Council should consider having Councilmembers\nrepresent districts; more and more cities are being pressured by legal challenges and\nare turning to district elections; district elections can also be a form of campaign finance\nreform; noted campaigning in a district election could cost less depending on the\nformation of districts; stated San Leandro holds district elections, but candidates must\nbe voted on citywide.\nCouncilmember Oddie inquired whether the last two items will be considered.\nVice Mayor Knox White responded that he did not intend for Council to consider the\nitems at this meeting; stated Council can decide.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated the direction provided at the previous Council meeting\nresulted in whittling down the list for discussion.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n12\nMay 5, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 13, "text": "Public Comment Read Into Record:\nUrged Council to postpone discussion until after shelter in place order; stated letters\nreceived represent hundreds of Alameda citizens; discussed living conditions under the\npandemic; noted citizens cannot engage in important issues: Janet Gibson, Alameda.\nStated that she has submitted a letter; urged Council to postpone discussion of the item\nuntil after social distancing for a discussion in an open setting: Patricia Gannon,\nAlameda.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated the data shows Council as being underpaid; a\nreasonable resident will come to the same conclusion; political football occurs anytime a\npay increase is requested; expressed concern about other items to be discussed as an\nunwelcome distraction while tackling other Charter related items; expressed support for\npostponing the discussion until the special meetings have occurred.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated the Council is not voting to amend the Charter; Council will\nvote on whether or not to allow the voters to amend the Charter; government still needs\nto move forward and function; people are adjusting and adapting to a new reality; social\ndistancing will still need to be practiced for some time; the Governor's order list items\nsuch as the ability to participate via internet in Council meetings from home and allows\ncomments to be heard; new ways to connect are learned and adapted; noted the United\nStates Supreme Court has started to live-stream meetings for the first time; stated\npeople have more time on their hands; more young people are politically active; noted\nthere will be a presidential election in November; stated there have been more\nopportunities for connection; that she hopes to continue some of the new interactions;\nthe City Prosecutor language is important for residents; City Prosecutor cases are\nrelated to quality of life; expressed support for clean-up language and for waiting to form\na community task forces.\nCouncilmember Vella stated the shelter in place has impacted a variety of people\ndifferently.\n***\nCouncilmember Daysog moved approval of hearing the remaining agenda items, with\ncontinuing the meeting until 11:45 p.m.\nVice Mayor Knox White seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call\nvote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nCouncilmember Vella stated some people might have more time due to unfortunately\nbeing unemployed; expressed concern for considering an increase in Council pay,\nregardless of data, when many are out work; stated many have less time on their\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n13", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 14, "text": "hands; outlined her schedule changes due to COVID-19; stated individuals are\nbalancing work, home and childcare and do not have the ability to pay attention or\nparticipate in Council meetings; many are unaware of Council meetings; expressed\nsupport for cleanup language related to meeting access and absences; noted some\nmembers of Council are Kaiser participants and would have to travel to another city for\nemergency hospital treatments potentially jeopardizing their Council seat based on\nCharter provisions; expressed concern about the digital divide; stated meaningful\nparticipation may not occur online; a lot of people are not online; the City's system has\nhad glitches; Charter conversations should be published well in advance in newspapers\nwith information on how to access meetings digitally; the meeting should be published\nacross multiple platforms; Council needs to be thoughtful about connecting with people\nto ensure knowledge about meeting topics; noted the Council can move forward at any\ntime to recommend a review of Council pay; expressed concern about the timing of the\ndiscussion; stated the conversation should occur in the future; that she agrees Council\nis underpaid; she has had to pay for childcare to attend meetings; stated the\nconversation should occur in a year or two; not providing healthcare to families seems\nto be discriminatory; healthcare may be the only benefit for Councilmembers; better\nclarification of publicized parameters needs to happen for Measure 2; Measure 2 is an\nimportant change that needs to happen, but the item needs to be better articulated to\nthe general public; expressed support for changing the language related to remote\naccess and absences; stated the language is outdated; expressed support for waiting\nuntil Census results are calculated to discuss district elections; stated the Census can\nbetter inform the conversation; noted that she will not be able to participate in\nThursday's meeting.\nCouncilmember Oddie stated Councilmembers are focused on the agenda items\nbecause it is part of their job; the public is not focused on agenda items; the public is\nfocused on health, safety, children, education, and financials; Council should pay close\nattention to what the public is focused on; expressed concern about the perception of\nCouncil jamming items through; stated Council is not amending the Charter, but is\nnarrowing the focus; Council is setting up the framework of what type of Charter\namendments to direct staff to bring back; Council is voting on a process or parameters\nfor the future; expressed concern about asking the public to change something that has\nbeen around for 50 years; stated Councilmembers do not perform for the pay or\nhealthcare, instead they perform for love of the City; noted some businesses in\nAlameda are going to have to close; businesses are worried about financial stress;\nthere are valid reasons to consider increasing Council pay at a later time; expressed\nconcern about the increase in pay causing further CalPERS and pension costs issues;\nstated the optics of Council asking for parameters of more money are not good; stated\nthere are other City staff more deserving of a raise; the healthcare aspect for Council is\ndiscriminatory against women and families; there needs to be more parameters around\nthe City Prosecutor item; expressed concern about the abuse of power related to the\nCity Prosecutor; stated political conflicts can manifest into something bad; expressed\nsupport for Councilmember Vella's comments related to meeting access and absences;\nstated the cleanup language is broad; expressed support for gender neutral language;\nexpressed concern about unintended consequences and fractionalization.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n14\nMay 5, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 15, "text": "Vice Mayor Knox White stated it is important to recognize all items on the agenda have\ngone through public hearings which were well attended and informational; expressed\nconcern about the suggestion that the topics are being held late at night in a rush;\nstated Council is not approving the Council pay increase for themselves; should current\nCouncilmembers be re-elected at the same time Charter amendments pass, then, a\nfuture raise may be obtained; noted that he is neutral on the topic of healthcare; stated\nCouncil should consider the cost; there are City staff members that work more hours\nand do not receive healthcare.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she agrees with the comments related to healthcare;\nthe cost for certain health premiums may be the same for one to two members; noted\nthe option to add family members is possible; stated Council is not voting to raise their\nown current pay; the raise in pay will help level the playing field for future\nCouncilmembers; Council does need to consider succession planning; noted the start\ntimes of upcoming Special Meetings; stated the last conversations will not be the last on\nthese topics.\nCouncilmember Daysog proposed approval of postponing a decision on the Council pay\nitem until the first meeting in June; stated that he needs more information from the\nmeeting Thursday.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether Councilmember Daysog is proposing a motion, to\nwhich Councilmember Daysog responded in the affirmative.\nCouncilmember Daysog moved approval of postponing a decision on the Council pay\nitem until the first meeting in June; stated public testimony has been taken; noted the\ndiscussion scheduled for Thursday will get in the way of the decision.\nCouncilmember Vella stated Council needs to make a separate decision about when\nitems will go on the ballot; expressed support for moving certain items forward for\ndiscussion without necessarily determining what is to be placed on the ballot and for a\nconversation related to political strategy of timelines for ballot consideration at a\nseparate meeting; stated that she finds attending multiple evening meetings in one\nweek difficult; expressed support for alternate meeting times.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated the night of the two special meetings had previously been\nheld for budget sessions; inquired whether Councilmember Vella is requesting to have\nfurther discussion related to the sequencing of putting items on the ballot.\nCouncilmember Vella responded in the affirmative; stated Council needs to have a\nthoughtful conversation around combinations, timing and what is desired for voter\nconsideration; there could be a number of different items on a ballot; expressed concern\nabout giving voters too much to consume on one ballot; expressed support for\nconsideration being given to which items are placed on which ballot.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n15", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 16, "text": "Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether a discussion on timing should be included on the\nfirst meeting in June or whether a special meeting would be preferred.\nCouncilmember Vella responded the first meeting in June if there is room on the\nagenda; expressed support for understanding what is being moved forward; stated that\nshe would like Census information prior to district election discussions.\n***\n(20-294) Councilmember Vella moved approval of providing an additional 3 minutes for\nCouncil discussion.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that an extension to October for the Census has been\nrequested by Congresswoman Lee, but the result of the request is unknown; stated the\nCensus data may not be known this calendar year.\nCouncilmember Vella expressed support for narrowing the conversation down to ensure\npeople understand what is being considered when.\nVice Mayor Knox White seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call\nvote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\n***\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the items can be placed on the first meeting in\nJune.\nThe City Manager responded that he does not know what is set for the first June\nmeeting.\nVice Mayor Knox White stated the first meeting in June is going to occur around\npossible changes; the second meeting in June will allow for a month to provide further\ndirection for items to be brought back in July and allow for the community to understand\nwhat is happening with shelter-in-place.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft proposed placeholders for both June Council meetings; stated it is\nhelpful to break up topics to not cover too much at one time and allows for discussions\nto finish earlier.\nCouncilmember Vella expressed support for a further discussion on the items that are to\nbe brought forward, with a second discussion on timing; noted there are a number of\ndifferent elections between now and 2023; expressed support for determining the\nelections and timelines; expressed concern about staff time needed to place five\nCharter items on a ballot; stated the second Council meeting in June should consider\nwhen regular elections would occur, plus the cost and details of a special election,\nshould it be needed.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n16\nMay 5, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 17, "text": "Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated there is an advantage to having more significant items on\nthe November election to assure a good voter turnout; inquired what would be heard at\nthe first Council meeting in June.\nCouncilmember Daysog responded that he proposes Council postpone the decision\nuntil June, generally; stated by postponing the decision, no decision should occur at the\ncurrent meeting regarding Council pay.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired whether consideration of items can be dropped;\nproposed elimination of considering family health care.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft expressed support.\nVice Mayor Knox White expressed support.\nCouncilmember Vella stated that she would like clarification made that the topic of\ndistrict elections would drop until the Census results are confirmed.\nVice Mayor Knox White stated there is no proposal to move forward with district\nelections at this time.\nCouncilmember Vella stated that she would like to direct the delay of a task force until\nafter the Census.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated both task forces are off the table; stated Measures 1 and 2\nare only being considered.\nCouncilmember Vella stated that she would like to eliminate the family health care\nconversation from Measure 1; expressed support for clarifying the parameters around\nthe City Prosecutor; noted the conversation at the meeting tomorrow can inform\nparameters, if needed.\nVice Mayor Knox White stated the first meeting in June should discuss which topics will\nmove forward; the second meeting will discuss how to package the items moving\nforward.\nVice Mayor Knox White moved approval of moving forward future discussion of\nMeasure 1 without health benefits and Measure 2; recommended Councilmembers who\nwish to clarify the language around the City Prosecutor provide language and input to\nthe City Attorney to have conversation in June; and bringing those back for further\nconversation in June along with whatever moves forward on Wednesday and Thursday.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the motion includes the addition of any other\nclarifying language that staff identifies, to which Vice Mayor Knox White responded in\nthe affirmative.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n17", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 18, "text": "Councilmember Oddie stated that he could second the motion; inquired whether Council\nis providing direction on Measure 2 language coming back.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft responded in the affirmative.\nCouncilmember Oddie stated that he is flexible between the first and second meeting in\nJune.\nCouncilmember Oddie seconded the motion, with the caveat that the Council meets\nback in Chambers, but the provision is not mandatory.\nCouncilmember Vella stated that she supports the motion.\nCouncilmember Vella requested clarification that the second meeting in June will also\ninclude a conversation related to the cost and timing of having various measures at off-\nelections.\nVice Mayor Knox White responded in the affirmative.\nOn the call for the question, the motion carried by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\n(20-295) Recommendation to Provide Direction to the City Attorney to Consent, Modify\nor Reject Law Firm Goldfarb Lipman's Request to Waive Conflicts of Interest In\nConnection with Goldfarb's Legal Representation of the City of Alameda and the\nHousing Authority of the City of Alameda.\nVice Mayor Knox White moved approval of the staff recommendation.\nCouncilmember Daysog seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call\nvote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: No; Vella: No; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 3, Noes: 2.\nCITY MANAGER COMMUNICATIONS\n(20-296) The City Manager encouraged everyone to complete the Census; announced\nSmall Business Grant applications are due May 7th. stated staff is preparing a plan to\nresume City operations.\nORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA\nNone.\nCOUNCIL REFERRALS\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n18\nMay 5, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 19, "text": "(20-297) Consider Directing Staff to Explore Creating a Tax-Exempt Special Fund to\nProvide Gap Resources for Local Small Business, Renters and Local Organizations\nSignificantly Impacted by the COVID-19 State of Emergency. (Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft)\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft gave a brief presentation.\nThe City Manager discussed an option to partner with a foundation to create more\nopportunities for business grants and reaching out for donations.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated staff is working on the item and will come back to Council\nMay 19th; inquired whether Council would consider directing staff to explore creating a\ntax-exempt special fund to provide gap resources for local small business.\nVice Mayor Knox White inquired whether the direction had been provided at the\nprevious Council meeting.\nCouncilmember Oddie moved approval of the referral.\nVice Mayor Knox White seconded the motion, which carried by the following roll call\nvote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nCOUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS\nNone.\nADJOURNMENT\nThere being no further business, Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft adjourned the meeting at 11:46\np.m.\nRespectfully submitted,\nLara Weisiger\nCity Clerk\nThe agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Sunshine Ordinance.\nRegular Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 5, 2020\n19", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 20, "text": "MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING\nTUESDAY - MAY 5, 2020- -6:00 P.M.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft convened the meeting at 6:03 p.m.\nRoll Call - Present:\nCouncilmembers Daysog, Knox White, Oddie, Vella and\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft - 5. [Note: The meeting was held via\nWebEx.]\nAbsent:\nNone.\nThe meeting was adjourned to Closed Session to consider:\n(20-274) Conference with Real Property Negotiators (Pursuant to Government Code\nSection 54956.8) Property: Building 14, approximately 31,194 rentable square feet of\nbuilding area, located at 1800 Ferry Point at Alameda Point; City Negotiators: Eric\nLevitt, City Manager, Lisa Maxwell, Assistant City Attorney, Debbie Potter, Community\nDevelopment Director, and Nanette Mocanu, Assistant Community Development\nDirector; Negotiating Parties: City of Alameda and Navigator Systems; Under\nNegotiation: Price and terms\n(20-275) Conference with Legal Counsel - Existing Litigation; Case Name: Cramer V\nCity of Oakland, et al., Court: United States District Court for the Northern District Case\nNumber: CV19-7922\n(20-276) Conference With Labor Negotiators (Government Code Section 54957.6) City\nNegotiators: Eric Levitt, City Manager; Gerry Beaudin, Assistant City Manager; Nancy\nBronstein, Human Resources Director; and Alan Cohen, Assistant City Attorney;\nEmployee Organizations: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1245\n(IBEW), Electric Utility Professional Association of Alameda (EUPA), Alameda City\nEmployees Association (ACEA), Alameda Police Officers Association Non-Sworn Unit\n(PANS), and Alameda Management and Confidential Employees Association (MCEA),\nInternational Association of Firefighter, Local 689 (IAFF) Alameda Fire Managers\nAssociation (AFMA), Alameda Police Officers Association (APOA) and Alameda Police\nManagers Association (APMA), Executive Management Employees (EXME) and\nAlameda Municipal Power Unrepresented Management Employees (AMPU) Under\nNegotiation: Salaries, Employee Benefits and Terms of Employment. Not heard.\nFollowing the Closed Session, the meeting was reconvened and the City Clerk\nannounced that regarding Building 14, staff provided information, Council provided\ndirection and no vote was taken; and regarding Existing Litigation, staff provided\ninformation and Council gave direction to staff by the following roll call vote:\nCouncilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and Mayor\nEzzy Ashcraft: Aye; Ayes: 5.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 05, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 21, "text": "Adjournment\nThere being no further business, Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft adjourned the meeting at 6:52\np.m.\nRespectfully submitted,\nLara Weisiger\nCity Clerk\nThe agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Sunshine Ordinance.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\nMay 05, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 22, "text": "MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY COUNCIL\nTUESDAY- - MAY 5, 2020- 7:01 P.M.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft convened the meeting at 7:16 p.m.\nROLL CALL -\nPresent:\nCouncilmember Daysog, Knox White, Oddie, Vella\nand Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft - 5. [Note: The meeting was\nconducted via Zoom.]\nAbsent:\nNone.\nAGENDA ITEMS\n(20-298) Recommendation to Receive an Update on the $600,000 COVID-19 Small\nBusiness Relief Grant Program to Help Mitigate Barriers to Capital for the Most\nVulnerable Alameda Small Businesses and Restaurants; and Provide Direction to Staff\nRegarding Additional Funding or Other Program Modifications.\nThe Community Development Director noted the presentation for the item is with the\nEconomic Development Manager who is unable to join the meeting due to technical\ndifficulties; inquired whether another item may be considered prior to the current item.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft responded in the affirmative.\nThe City Manager stated the current meeting will need to be recessed.\n***\nCouncilmember Vella moved approval of recessing the special meeting to consider the\nregular agenda.\nVice Mayor Knox White seconded the motion which carried by the following roll call\nvote: Councilmembers Daysog: Aye; Knox White: Aye; Oddie: Aye; Vella: Aye; and\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft: Aye. Ayes: 5.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft recessed the meeting at: 7:18 p.m. and reconvened at: 7:36 p.m.\nThe Community Development Director gave a brief presentation.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the award announcement will be made May 21st\nThe Economic Development Manager responded in the affirmative; stated staff will be\naccepting applications through the end of the day on May 7th. grant winners will be\nannounced May 21st\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired how the decision will be made.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n1\nMay 05, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 23, "text": "The Economic Development Manager responded staff will be checking business\nlicenses and the Business Improvement Assessments (BIA) to ensure applicants paid\nlast year; stated if eligible, participants will be entered into a lottery; applications will be\nreviewed to ensure the 20% loss of income qualification threshold has been met.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft outlined a portion of the staff report; stated Council is directing\nstaff to look into supporting the assistance of small businesses; however, the direction is\nnot exclusive to small businesses; noted Council is also including renters.\nCouncilmember Oddie noted there are 470 members of the Downtown Alameda\nBusiness Association (DABA); inquired the amount for the West Alameda Business\nAssociation (WABA).\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft requested clarification that the inquiry only includes qualifying\nmembers.\nCouncilmember Oddie stated that he would like to understand whether the ratio is the\nsame.\nThe Economic Development Manager responded the ratio is not the same; stated there\nare 212 WABA members on the list.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft noted WABA includes Target, Safeway and some of the Alameda\nLanding businesses that could not apply for the small business grant.\nThe Community Development Director stated staff has received 10 applications from\nAlameda Landing.\nCouncilmember Oddie inquired whether additional funding could be provided for the\nprogram; inquired the options available for consideration; noted should all applicants be\nawarded, the cost will be $1.485 million.\nThe Economic Development Manager responded the City has allocated $502,500 and\n$97,500 from Alameda Point.\nThe City Manager stated three approaches to funding the grant program could be: 1)\nrequesting support through a foundation or contributions to leverage the funds, 2)\nreviewing current budgeted expenditures that could be reduced and reallocated, and 3)\nallowing spending from the reserves; noted a revolving loan program is a good option\nbut has a time restriction; stated there are ways to expand the current $600,000 by\nallowing businesses to take less than the $7,500 maximum award.\nCouncilmember Oddie stated that he recommends a loan program through the City to\nbusinesses; the City can loan money to the fund; should a non-profit move forward, the\nmoney can be repaid to the General Fund.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n2\nApril 21, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 24, "text": "The City Manager stated staff can look into the strategy.\nCouncilmember Oddie stated 49 of the applicants are restaurants; noted all residents\ncan apply for the Great Plates State project; expressed support for City restaurants\nbenefitting from the program and putting more money into the program.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether applicants are being asked about other forms of\nassistance they have applied for; inquired whether applicants are solely relying on City\ngrant funds; noted some restaurants have stayed open for take-out and delivery;\ninquired whether the businesses open status could be a funding consideration; stated\nsome consideration should be given to businesses trying to keep employees on staff\nand serve the community; inquired whether said considerations can be factored into the\nprocess.\nThe Economic Development Manager responded staff is requesting applicants apply for\nloans, grants and other program information as part of their application; staff is not\nfactoring whether a restaurant is open; noted there are many considerations for a\nrestaurant to open or not open; stated applicants are being requested to certify under\npenalty of perjury that they plan to open after the shelter in place order; staff is factoring\nwhether the business projects a closure within six months after reopening.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired the enforcement for such assurances.\nThe Economic Development Manager responded a lien could be placed.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft questioned whether the process has been approved by the City\nAttorney's office, to which the Economic Development Manager responded in the\nnegative.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired whether it is possible to weigh a restaurant considering\nclosure or bankruptcy to ensure funds are put toward keeping businesses afloat;\ninquired the application contents to ensure accurate information.\nThe Economic Development Manager responded in the negative; stated staff is not\nasking whether additional businesses are owned; noted staff is asking whether or not\nthe applicant has been in business for longer than one year.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired whether businesses younger than one year are ineligible.\nThe Economic Development Manager responded the businesses are eligible, but staff\nwill know the age of the business.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired how the 20% loss will be calculated.\nThe Economic Development Manager responded the applicants will use the month of\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n3\nMay 05, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 25, "text": "February financials.\nCouncilmember Vella inquired whether the month prior will be used, to which the\nEconomic Development Manager responded in the affirmative.\nPublic Comment Read Into Record:\nDiscussed issues on the policy and implementation of the program; stated not allowing\npublicly traded companies is a good step at limiting large businesses; urged the\nallowance of sole proprietors; stated a ranking system should be developed; urged\ndiscussion to ensure a simple and safe guarded program: Ronald Mooney, Alameda.\nUrged Council consider raising the loss level from 20% to a higher amount to target\nbusinesses most at-risk; stated those with a 50% or higher loss are more at risk: Text\nMessage Submittal.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether a ranking system will be used.\nThe Economic Development Manager responded a lottery system will be used.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft expressed support for finding the businesses which have been\nimpacted most.\nThe Community Development Director stated there is a lottery program; the minimum\ncriteria must be met in order for applicants to be eligible; the criteria includes a minimum\nloss of income of 20%; sole proprietorships with one employee are not eligible for\nfunding; noted staff has balanced ensuring expediency as well as reaching vulnerable\nbusinesses; stated Council approved the eligibility criteria at the previous meeting.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated more is known as time goes by; noted nuances should be\nconsidered due to businesses relying on the funds to survive; the requirement to include\nbusinesses with at least one employee came from the intention of helping more people;\nthere is no easy way to say yes to some businesses and no to others; expressed\nconcern about the survival of small businesses; inquired whether there is more the City\ncould do.\nVice Mayor Knox White stated that he is uncomfortable changing the criteria after it was\napproved at the previous meeting; applications close tomorrow; there is never a perfect\nway to move forward; $7,500 may not save a business which has lost 50%; expressed\nsupport for working with the State program; other money sources could be explored; the\nprogram is currently over-subscribed; expressed support for discussing increasing\nfunding by $200,000 to $300,000; there are options for quick funding such as\ngofundme.com expressed concern about a delay in setting up a community fund;\nstated Council must act now; expressed support for the use of a gofundme.com\ncampaign, and directing staff to look into the use of gofundme.com; expressed concern\nabout the materials for the funding applications not being in multiple languages; inquired\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n4\nApril 21, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 26, "text": "whether a grant program can be opened for those in the three highest language\ncategories; stated the outreach will be very useful; the grant application process does\nnot work when applicants are submitting via Microsoft Edge; expressed support for\nadding language stating: \"please do not use Microsoft Edge;\" stated the response to the\nprogram has been tremendous.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether the deadline is May 7th, to which the Community\nDevelopment Director responded in the affirmative.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired how the City could work with a gofundme.com campaign;\ninquired whether the City should put money into WABA's gofundme.com campaign.\nVice Mayor Knox White responded in the negative; stated there is interest in starting an\nAlameda Business gofundme.com campaign; should the City promote the campaign,\nwith a list of 190 possible applicants, the following businesses would be considered to\nreceive funding after the grant fund cutoff; noted little staff time would be used; stated\nwork and fundraising would be from the private sector.\nCouncilmember Vella expressed concern about changing the criteria; expressed\nsupport for changing the criteria if a second round of applications are done, prioritizing\nbusinesses that have taken a harder hit in the potential second round, and conducting a\nlottery; noted many financial issues for businesses are related to cash flow; expressed\nsupport for the City loaning money to the program, and pursuing public/private funds,\nwhich look at grants, non-profits and different donors; stated a gofundme.com campaign\nwould be appropriate; she would like to consult with the City Attorney's office to further\nunderstand the legality of collecting and administering funds; expressed support for\npromoting the opportunity on social media and websites; noted individual\ngofundme.com campaigns have been successful; stated that she would like to get to\nbusinesses that may not have the same social media following as others; expressed\nsupport for looking at businesses with multiple locations in the criteria for the next\nround; stated there are daycare providers and preschool operators, which have multiple\nlocations and larger staff that should remain operational; expressed support for keeping\nbusinesses operational; stated daycare and preschool are important and should be\nincluded for eligibility.\nCouncilmember Daysog stated the $600,000 being invested by the City represents a\nsubstantial amount of taxpayer dollars; some entities might not survive; there is risk\ninvolved; the risk is worth taking; the times are not ordinary; Council is making a\nreasonable and prudent decision; expressed support for the item, and the City\nAttorney's office protecting Council from outstanding legal issues which may arise from\nthe use of gofundme.com; stated the amount of responses is a good indication that\nbusiness communities are struggling.\nCouncilmember Oddie expressed support for the item, finding more funding if possible\nand the exploration of gofundme.com campaigns; expressed concern about payments\nover $5,000; stated that he would support different criteria if there is another round of\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n5\nMay 05, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 27, "text": "funding; the issue is cash flow; expressed support for sole proprietors.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she would like more information provided on the Great\nPlates program.\nThe City Manager stated Great Plates is another way to help restaurants; staff supports\nlooking into the program.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft noted the program is for middle income seniors in need of meals.\nThe City Manager stated there are about four programs within the community which\nprovide meals to seniors; expressed concern about using the program and staff\nresources; noted the program requires an implementation plan; expressed support for\nusing gofundme.com; expressed concern about the lack of regulation with\ngofundme.com; stated that he would like to ensure those donating understand\ndonations will be used towards the cause; foundations and municipal trust options could\nbe funding sources as well.\nVice Mayor Knox White discussed the Meals on Wheels program; stated there is a huge\nneed for assistance; noted a partnership with Meals on Wheels could be explored.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired whether staff has received sufficient direction.\nThe City Attorney responded in the affirmative; stated Council can provide additional\ndirection, but is not required to do so; Council may take a vote on any specific action,\nbut a motion is not required.\nVice Mayor Knox White inquired whether the City Manager has received direction and\nplans to investigate and report back at the next meeting on steps that can be taken for\nthe Great Plates program and additional funding; expressed support for $300,000 and\nsupporting the public-private partnership with the City Attorney's input and the City\nManager's agreement.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated the City Manager is keeping a close eye on the City's\nfinances to come back with an amount; expressed support for all three approaches\nprovided by the City Manager.\nCouncilmember Vella stated Meals on Wheels and the senior meal delivery at Mastick\nSenior Center have increased delivery; the demand has gone up; expressed support for\nthe programs to be run through or coordinated with an existing program or partnership;\nexpressed concern about duplication of resources and staffing.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated the Great Plates program signs up participating restaurants;\nthe restaurants have criteria to meet from the Department of Agriculture and nutrition\nstandards; the restaurants provide delivery with staff that has been through a\nbackground check; the City is not involved in the delivery, but would be involved with\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n6\nApril 21, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}
{"body": "CityCouncil", "date": "2020-05-05", "page": 28, "text": "informing qualifying seniors.\nCouncilmember Vella stated many people have been contacted; noted Meals on\nWheels or the Mastick Senior Center may not be serving everyone; inquired whether\nthe City can work with the list of those unable to be served.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft noted there is no income limit for Meals on Wheels.\nThe Community Development Director stated neither Meals on Wheels nor the program\nat Mastick Senior Center are limited by income restrictions; noted there is a 6.2%\nadministrative fee that the City must pay for the Great Plates program; inquired whether\nor not the money paid toward the administrative fee could be augmented or used to\ngrow the grant fund, and whether staff can provide an update to the Great Plates\nprogram outside of a Council Meeting.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft noted the administrative fee is reimbursable through Housing and\nUrban Development (HUD); stated that she will reach out to Congresswoman Lee's\noffice for a proper HUD point of contact; the money is put out initially and then\nreimbursed.\nVice Mayor Knox White stated that he supports giving the option for the 80 selected\nbusinesses to receive less money; the option may not be taken by many businesses,\nbut could allow the assistance of an additional 2 to 5 businesses.\nCouncilmember Daysog expressed support for the proposal of using loans; outlined\nloaning Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funds in the 1990s; stated the\nCity can also look into working with HUD on waivers for income restrictions to loaning\nCDBG funds.\nCouncilmember Oddie expressed support for allowing awarded businesses to take less\nof the grant to help additional businesses.\nMayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated it is wise to consider.\nADJOURNMENT\nThere being no further business, Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft adjourned the meeting at 8:34\np.m.\nRespectfully submitted,\nLara Weisiger\nCity Clerk\nThe agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Sunshine Ordinance.\nSpecial Meeting\nAlameda City Council\n7\nMay 05, 2020", "path": "CityCouncil/2020-05-05.pdf"}