Commission on Persons with Disabilities Meeting - November 12, 2025
Commission on Persons with Disabilities Meeting - November 12, 2025
The Commission on Persons with Disabilities met on November 12, 2025, with Chair Mullins presiding and Commissioners Lipp, Lyons, Canadler, Schmitz, Bond Smith, and Bieler present (quorum achieved). The meeting included public comments, consent calendar approvals, presentations on the emergency operations plan and building codes, election of officers, and commission communications.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes from July 9, 2025 and September 10, 2025, and the 2026 meeting dates for the commission, all by unanimous vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Former Commissioner Lisa Hall shared her 15-year journey on the commission, highlighting advocacy work on housing accessibility, voting rights, and disability stigma. She thanked mayors, staff, and fellow commissioners and received a certificate of appreciation from the commission.
Discussion Items
- Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Revision – Captain Dallas Andrews (Fire Department) presented the ongoing revision of the city’s EOP, last updated March 2019. The revision includes new incident-specific annexes (e.g., earthquake, tsunami), a major expansion of ADA compliance content (from one paragraph to three pages), and updated organizational structure. He discussed the existing Access and Functional Needs database (annual survey for residents with disabilities) and the CERT program. Commissioners raised concerns about low awareness of the survey and outreach gaps; staff committed to including the survey link in the accessibility newsletter. Discussion also covered coordination with Alameda Unified School District, other cities, and service animal accommodations.
- Building Codes and Accessibility – Chief Building Official Oscar Davulos presented on the enforcement of California building codes, which are adopted every three years (most recently in October 2025). He emphasized the role of plan check, inspections, and code enforcement in ensuring barrier-free access, including for mobility, hearing, and vision disabilities. He explained unreasonable hardship exceptions and experience with historic buildings (e.g., City Hall elevator, USS Hornet accommodations). Commissioners thanked him for his dedication and discussed reporting issues via Click Fix and pathways for future collaboration.
Key Outcomes
- Elections: Chair Mullins was re-elected as chair for 2026, and Commissioner Bond Smith was elected as vice chair for 2026, both by acclamation.
- Staff Actions: Lillian will include the EOP access survey link in the accessibility newsletter. Staff will explore inviting East Bay Regional Parks to present on pathway accessibility. The accessible event checklist and portable wheelchair lift for city events were noted as new resources.
- Public Comments: The commission thanked former Commissioner Hall and welcomed new Commissioner Canadler.
- Next Meeting: Scheduled for January 14, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
How do we give us a h do we give us a hug Yme of the Commission on Persons with Disabilities. It is November twelfth, and we'll start with roll call. Chair Mullins. Commissioner Lipp. Here. Commissioner Lyons. Here. Commissioner Canadler. Commissioner Schmitz. And Commissioner Bond Smith. Here. Commissioner Bieler. Okay, thank you. We're going to go immediately into non-agenda public comments. Our member of the public here tonight is former Commissioner Lisa Hall, if she'd like to share with us. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve on this commission over the years. About fifteen years ago, I was in an accident that left me disabled. My life was changed forever. I learned firsthand the many obstacles one faces, whether physical, mental, financial, or emotional, when navigating the world we live in. Through this commission, I learned that we can be a powerful advocates for persons with disabilities in our community. During my time here, we addressed many important issues. We worked on implementing the UDO to bring more accessibility to housing for people with disabilities. Housing, health care, and food insecurity are just some of the challenges we've worked to address. I've had the privilege of marching with the disability contingent to raise awareness for voting rights, and I joined the RevUp team with the AAPD to continue fighting the stigma surrounding disability. I also attended many Pacific ADA conferences where we gained valid valuable knowledge on topics like employment rights under the ADA, fair housing, and accessibility, legal aid as well as emergency preparedness. We're so fortunate to have the Pacific ADA Center right here in Oakland. I want to thank Mayor Trish Spencer who appointed me for my first term, and Mayor Marilyn Ashcraft for my second. I also want to thank Sarah Henry, who guided us so well since 2019, and now Lily and Jewel. Most of all, I want to thank my fellow commission members, past and present, who have shown such empathy, kindness, and dedication. I learned so much from wonderful people like Beth Kenny, Jenny Linton, Leslie Morrison, and Arnold Brillinger. It has been a true privilege to serve alongside you all. Thank you. And may God bless this commission. Thank you. Oh, and former Commissioner Hall, we have a lovely certificate that I believe Lillian helped prepare. So, if you don't mind, or yeah, no problem. No, I'm happy to. So thank you. Yeah, a very intensive nine years. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So, this is wonderful time. Oh, we love them. Okay, thank you, former commissioner Lisa Hall. Um, we'd also like to take a moment to just welcome uh new commissioner Michelle Canadler to the commission. Thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. Um and then I don't see any other public comment. Uh so we'll go to the consent calendar, which is um uh a vote all at once to approve minutes from July 9th, 2025 and September 10th, 2025, as well as the 2026 meeting dates for this commission. Are there any comments or questions about anything on the consent calendar?
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