Alameda City Council Meeting - December 16, 2025: Closed Session, Referrals on Truck Study and Bike Speed Limits
Alameda City Council Meeting - December 16, 2025
The Alameda City Council held its final meeting of 2025 on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. The meeting began with a closed session covering labor negotiations, potential litigation, and three real property items (Building 525, Alameda Theater, Building 22). The regular meeting followed at approximately 7:10 PM, featuring two council referrals, oral communications, consent calendar approval, and council member reports. The council returned to closed session after the regular agenda to complete the remaining property items.
Consent Calendar
- The consent calendar, including a public hearing on amendments to the Community Development Block Grant action plans (FY 2019–20 through 2024–25), was approved unanimously by a voice vote of 5 ayes.
- Councilmember Jensen expressed support for items 5F and 5G authorizing construction for the relocation of the Alameda Day Center and item 5H extending an agreement with Village of Love for emergency shelter services.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Oral Communications (Non-Agenda):
- Brian Kennedy criticized the city’s sanctuary city policy and an anti-ICE webpage, claiming ICE has rescued 62,000 children from sex trafficking. He used graphic language and was asked to leave after interrupting the mayor.
- Matt Riley Mahaney (resident of Kaufman Parkway) urged immediate traffic calming measures near Tillman Park and Bay Farm Elementary, citing a recent crash (December 13, 2025) where a distracted driver flipped a car. He requested speed bumps, high-visibility crosswalks, and enforcement, noting no speed bumps or flashing school zone signs currently exist.
- Closed Session Public Comment (Building 525):
- Evan Philippi (Pacific Pinball Museum) expressed interest in the building, noting the museum’s 23-year history in Alameda and a $1 million war chest for expansion. He emphasized plans for a world-class museum.
- Sadia (owner of Swings and Wings Family of Services) described her six-and-a-half-year-old inclusive play space for children and caregivers, proposing a sensory museum. She highlighted steady revenue growth and community engagement.
- Miriam Sultan (volunteer and future occupational therapist) spoke in support of Swings and Wings, citing their impact on families.
- Public Comment on Council Referral 10B (Bike Speed Limit):
- One speaker opposed a 15 mph limit, arguing ebikes enable car-free commuting and that enforcement should focus on delivery vehicles and cars in bike lanes.
- Mitch Ball supported a 15 mph limit on shared-use paths but not on dedicated bike paths (e.g., Cross Alameda Trail), noting his natural speed on a pedal bike reaches 20–25 mph on such paths.
- Cindy Johnson (Bike Walk Alameda) reinforced the group’s letter: support for 15 mph on shared paths but opposition on dedicated bike paths. She cited 11 severe/fatal traffic injuries in Alameda last year, none involving bicycle speeding; the primary cause was motorist behavior. She encouraged supporting state legislation to distinguish ebikes from electric mopeds.
Discussion Items
- Council Referral 10A – I-580 Truck Access Safety Study: Councilmember Jensen presented a referral to expand the Caltrans study area to include Alameda’s northern waterfront, citing public health impacts from I-880 truck traffic. Mayor Ashcraft suggested discussing with Caltrans and deferring to the priority-setting workshop in early 2026 to avoid burdening staff. Councilmember Daysog cautioned against intervening in Oakland affairs. The council agreed to have the mayor and Councilmember Jensen work offline with Caltrans to clarify study boundaries.
- Council Referral 10B – 15 mph Speed Limit for Bikes and Ebikes on City Paths/Parks: Councilmember Daysog argued urgency, citing New York Times data showing ebike fatalities (11% chance of death vs. 0.3% for pedal bikes) and observed middle school children speeding on throttled class 2 ebikes at Cruzy Park. He proposed a 15 mph limit, noting East Bay Regional Park District’s similar rule and creating speed zones for enforcement. Councilmembers raised concerns about enforcement, consistency with bike path design, and data. A motion to refer the proposal to the early 2026 priority-setting workshop passed unanimously (5 ayes).
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously by voice vote.
- Closed Session Directions: Council provided unanimous direction on labor negotiators, potential litigation (Valley Investments matter), real property for Building 525, Alameda Theater, and Building 22 (all 5-0).
- Council Referral 10A: No formal vote; council consensus to discuss offline with Caltrans and consider at the priority-setting workshop.
- Council Referral 10B: Referred to the priority-setting workshop in early 2026 (unanimous 5-0).
- Nominations: Mayor Ashcraft nominated Adrian Sancho for the Public Art Commission and Kevin Scholes (Almanac Beer Company) for the Economic Development Advisory Panel; votes will occur at the next meeting.
- Memorial Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned in memory of victims of mass shootings on December 13, 2025 (Brown University) and December 14, 2025 (Sydney, Australia).
Meeting Transcript
How do we give us a hug As we say, if the balcony's ready, we're all ready. Um good evening, everyone, and welcome to the City of Alameda City Council meeting tonight is Tuesday, December 16, 2025, last council meeting of the year. And um we are um about to go into a closed session, but first I want to call this meeting to order. We're going to start with a special city council and successor agency to the community improvement commission that used to be known as a redevelopment agency meeting. And I would like to ask the city clerk, Lara Weisinger to please call the role. Council Member Smaller. Day Sag. Here. Jensen. Here. Prior. Here, Mayor Ezie Ashcraft. Here. Thank you. And then Madam Clerk, will you please introduce the um consent calendar for and this is just for the closed session? Yes, so you're just designating um negotiators for um the building five twenty-five and the um adding the interim city manager as a negotiator for the um labor negotiations. Do we perhaps have an item 2A? Yeah, that's that's what that was. Oh, it's okay. It's negotiators. Yes, yes, okay. In fact, so um before we take that vote, let me just make an introduction. Um there's a new face up here um for our last meeting of the year, but he'll be back in the new year. The city council recently selected unanimously selected Mr. Adam Pollitzer to be our interim city manager while we conduct the search for a permanent city manager, and he'll have a chance to make his comments later. He comes to us with lots of experience, and um I know you'll all enjoy getting to meet him. Um and so anyway, that's that new name that you might not have heard before. Okay, so we have the the um closed session, the consent calendar for the closed session. And uh this is a routine item that can be approved by one motion, so I'm looking for a motion and a second. It's moved by council member bowler, seconded by Vice Mayor Pryor. All those in favor, please signify by stating I. Aye, all right. That must motion passes unanimously. So Madam Clerk, do we have um public comment on closed session items? We do. Evan Philippi. Welcome, Speaker Philip. Philippi. Okay. Come on up when you hear your name called and just make that microphone the height you need it, gently. And um, welcome. Cool. Thank you so much for the time, uh, honored city council. I am here representing the Pacific Pinball Museum on item four C, which is regarding building five twenty-five out on the Naval Air Station. I just want to talk a little bit, uh, appreciate the time and opportunity even to be in contest for that building. Um we've been in Alameda for twenty-three years. We're rolling into our 23rd year as a successful nonprofit operating here in Alameda. And our museum, but truly is a museum of all ages, from kind of five and ten up to ninety and a hundred plus. So we're really excited to handle multiple generations of folks. Um we do have dreams of opening the largest pinball museum in the world.
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