Alameda City Council Meeting: Black History Month Proclamation & Reports – February 3, 2026
Alameda City Council Meeting: Black History Month Proclamation & Reports – February 3, 2026
The Alameda City Council met on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at 7:27 p.m. after a closed session. The meeting featured a proclamation for Black History Month, unanimous approval of the consent calendar, and updates from city staff and councilmembers on regional transportation, housing, and public safety matters.
Black History Month Proclamation
- Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft read a proclamation declaring February 2026 as Black History Month in Alameda, highlighting national and local Black leaders, scientists (e.g., Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan), athletes (e.g., Willie Stargell), and educators (e.g., Constance Moore). The library will host events including a children's book discussion on February 12, a Black banjo performance on February 27, and a fabric collage workshop on February 28.
Consent Calendar
- All routine items were approved by a unanimous voice vote (motion by Councilmember Daysag, seconded by Councilmember Bowler) without discussion or public comment.
City Manager Communications
- Interim City Manager Adam Pulitzer addressed recent news about Flock cameras, stating that Alameda has deliberately chosen not to share its data with any other agency or entity, and that data sharing can only be authorized at the command staff level (Lieutenant or higher). He affirmed that the police chief has received assurances from Flock that data is never sold, no security breaches have occurred, and Flock restricts federal agency access in California.
Council Communications
- Councilmember Desag reported attending the January 22nd Lead Base Joint Powers Authority meeting as an alternate, where Oakland Councilmember Noel Gayo was re-elected chair and Berkeley Councilmember Igor Trago was selected vice chair. Staff presented on a housing program.
- Councilmember Bowler attended a noise forum for Oakland–San Francisco Bay Airport on January 21st and a community meeting on immigration enforcement concerns in Alameda on January 22nd, assisted by the interim city manager.
- Vice Mayor Pryor participated in the Point-in-Time (PiT) count for unhoused residents on an unspecified date, noting it helps track the effectiveness of supports and engages with housed residents.
- Councilmember Jensen reported that the Stop Waste Board of Alameda County (which she chairs) enacted a new fee of approximately 30 cents per month for residential properties and varying amounts for commercial waste, effective later in 2026. The fee will appear on waste hauling bills (e.g., from Alameda County Industries).
- Mayor Ashcraft attended the League of California Cities policy committee meeting in Sacramento on January 23rd, discussing new legislation regarding preliminary applications (e.g., a withdrawn Harbor Bay Landing development). She then traveled to Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting, where Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke, and Senator Alyssa Slotkin stated that "the existential threat to America is not coming from abroad, it's from the inability to realize the American dream" and that the nation is down four million housing units. Bay Area mayors met with Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla to discuss ICE guardrails. Mayor Ashcraft also attended the Mayors Innovation Project meeting, which supports the Mayor's Institute on pedestrian safety and city design. She announced that Alameda received a League of American Bicyclists gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community Award, a distinction held by only 32 cities nationwide. She expressed hope for a future bicycle-pedestrian bridge from West Alameda to Oakland.
Key Outcomes
- The City Council voted unanimously to approve the consent calendar.
- Mayor Ashcraft announced her nomination of Rochelle Wheeler as a member and Lisa Foster as an alternate to the West Alameda Transportation Demand Management Association Board. The full council will vote on the nominations at the next meeting on February 17, 2026.
- The meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
It's amazing. Um, Tony might be running a little late. That's okay. All right. Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the City of Alameda City Council meeting. Tonight is February three, twenty twenty-six, and um, the city council is about to go into closed session, but I would like to ask the city clerk to please call the role. Councilmember Smaller. Jensen. Prior. For present, and hopefully, Councilmember Desag will be here shortly. All right, thank you. Madam Clerk, do we have any comment on the closed session? We do not. All right, with that, we will close public comment and we are about to adjourn to closed session to consider the following items that I will ask City Clerk Laura Weisinger to please introduce. The case numbers 22 C V011964. Three B is conference of real property negotiators pursuant to government code section five four nine five six point eight. Property is twenty ninety-nine Grand Street in Alameda, and the city negotiators are interim city manager, base for use and economic development director, base for use manager, community development manager, assistant city attorney, and negotiating parties are the city of Alameda and Grammarina under negotiation as price and terms. 3C is conference with labor negotiators pursuant to government code section five four nine five seven point six. The city negotiators are the interim city manager, human resources director, library director, and assistant city attorney. All right. Are we ready in the balcony? The balcony is always ready. And as I say, if the balcony is ready, we're all ready. But good evening, everyone, and welcome to the City Council meeting. This is the um Alameda City of Alameda City Council meeting. Today is Tuesday, February three, twenty twenty-six. The council has just returned from closed session. And I would um like to ask City Clerk Laura Weisinger to please report any actions taken in closed session. Staff of Reddit Information and Council Provided Direction by Five Eyes. Thank you, Madam Clerk. And with that, I will adjourn the special city council meeting in the closed session, and I will call to order the regular city council meeting. Council members. Well, I'll tell you. All right. Um, so February is National Black History Month. And Black History Month originated in 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a Harvard-trained historian and son of former slaves, established Black History Week to ensure that the profound and often overlooked achievements of Black Americans would be enshrined in American culture. In 1986, Congress passed a law designating February as National Black History Month. The 2026 theme, A Century of Black History Commemorations, recognizes that collective remembrance is both an act of resistance and a pathway to advancing equality. In Alameda, we celebrate the transformational leadership of national black leaders like former President Barack Obama and our own local champions, U.S. Congresswoman Latifa Simon, State Assembly Member Mia Bonta, former Alameda Mayor Marie Gilmore, and former Alameda City Councilmember Al DeWitt. We are enlightened by the pioneering work of black scientists, including Catherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, and Dr. Christine Darden. These hidden figures broke gender and racial barriers in STEM at NASA, played a critical role in the Apollo Moon landing and were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their scientific brilliance. In Alameda, we honored legendary athlete and major league baseball hall of famer and Ansonel High graduate Willie Stargil by naming local monuments and a street after him. Across the Bay, Bill Russell played college basketball for the USF Dons before being drafted by the NBA, where he secured 11 NBA championships and later broke barriers as the first black head coach in NBA history. Our community is enriched by the artistry and mentorship of Alameda Educator and Illustrator Constance Moore, whose work including Brown, The Many Shades of Love, teaches children to see and enhance the beauty of diversity. As we approach the 250th anniversary of America's independence, we must acknowledge that our nation's history is incomplete unless it is inclusive and accurate. By acknowledging the profound and often overlooked achievements of black Americans, we help tell our nation's story more accurately.
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