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.

In the words of the inspirational poet and author Maya Angelo, one must do the best you can until you know better.

Then when you know better, do better.

Now therefore, I'm Marilyn Ezie Ashcraft, Mayor of the City of Alameda, hereby proclaim February 2026 as Black History Month in the City of Alameda and encourage all residents to learn more about Black History in America by exploring the rich cultural programming available at the Alameda Free Library, including Thursday, February 12th at 4 p.m.

at the main library.

Here Janae Brown would discuss her newest children's book, This Hair Belongs.

Friday, February 27 at 1 p.m.

at the main library, discover black music history and enjoy a performance from Hannah Mayrie of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project.

On Saturday, February 28th, 1 p.m.

at the Bay Farm Island Library, join a fabric collage workshop led by Illustrator Constance Moore, inspired by her upcoming book, A Language of Stitches, The Radical Quilts of Rosie Lee Tompkins, on Saturday, February 28th, 3 p.m.

at the West End Library.

Enjoy a creative afternoon for children ages five and up, centered on the work of children's author and illustrator Vanessa Brantley Newton.

And don't worry, you don't have to have memorized all of these great events.

You can go to the library's website, which you can access from Alameda CA.gov.

Thank you, everyone.

Okay, and then we um move on to um oral communications non-agenda item.

Do we have um oral communications non-agenda item?

None.

Well then we will move on to item five, which is the consent calendar.

These are routine items um that will be approved by one motion unless council members remove items for discussions.

Removed items are called after agenda items, like after the full agenda if there was a regular agenda.

Um and council members may speak for up to three minutes on the consent calendar.

So, first off, are there any items on the consent calendar any council member wants to pull, bearing in mind that you can ask questions or comment about an item without pulling it?

Any polls?

Okay, doing the bobbleheads in, I see none.

Um so then any council questions on any consent calendar items.

Those are just your fingers tapping, but not raise your hand.

Okay, got it.

I'm eagle eyes tonight.

Madam Clerk, do we have speakers on the consent calendar?

There are also none.

Well, so any council comments, all right.

Do I have a motion and a second to approve the consent calendar?

It's been moved by council member Daysag, seconded by Councilmember Bowler.

All those in favor, please signify by stating aye.

Aye.

That was unanimous.

All right, so um for the audience in attendance, this is your lucky night because we have no regular agenda items.

So we're gonna go right on to item number eight, which is city manager communications and in this case our interim city manager Adam Pulitzer.

Welcome.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh I don't have um any uh formal um report from the city manager's office, but I do want to just address something that we've seen in the news, and that's uh some of the information regarding the flock cameras and the uh uh here in the Bay Area and concerns.

Sorry.

And I just want to re-emphasize um that Alameda, the City of Alameda made a conscious decision not to openly share our data with any other agency or any other entity.

Uh and uh that decision was made purposefully.

Uh, it doesn't mean that we wouldn't share information with other local police departments here um neighboring in in our butt those decisions can only be made at the command staff level, Lieutenant or higher.

Um, and so we purposely do not share our information, and we've been given assurances, and I can tell you our police chief has spoken directly with the CEO of Flock, and we've we've confirmed that our information is never sold.

Our data is not made available, and Alameda has full control over who has access to our information.

Uh furthermore, um Flock has not experienced any security breaches despite some misinformation that is circulated online, uh, and the chief in speaking with Flock uh reinforce their commitment to helping communities improve public safety while remaining compliant with local laws, agencies' technology policies and Alameda's community values.

Lastly, would just like to state that Flock restricts federal agencies' access to data in California.

These safeguards are not intended intended to hinder law enforcement, but rather to ensure that policies is conducted responsibly and in alignment with um with the the will of the community.

I just wanted to share that because I know it's in the news, and our chief has been adamant in our position that we do not share that information.

Thank you so much.

Um Madam Clerk, do we have any oral communication non-agenda items on number nine?

We don't.

We don't have any um council referrals this evening, so then we will just go to council communications.

Councilmember Desag, anything from you?

Uh just briefly, um, on behalf of uh councilmember Tracy Jensen on January 22nd as the alternate uh to the um joint powers agreement.

Um the lead board.

I attended the meeting, and it was a nice productive meeting at which um uh Oakland Councilmember Noel Gayo was um uh re-elected as the chair, and um uh as the vice chair, um, Berkeley council member Igor Trago was uh selected as the vice chair, and a presentation was given by um staff about um a housing program.

So it was nice and um I appreciated attending that meeting.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Bowler.

Uh just to report briefly that January 21st uh attended the noise forum for the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, and also did a community meeting with a few members of the community regarding um immigration enforcement concerns in Alameda the next day on January 22nd, and I was assisted by our interim city manager and appreciate his presence there.

Sure.

Um, uh Vice Mayor Pryor.

Oh, I was gonna say I did the pit count.

The mayor and I uh carpooled and uh we did the pit count and the pit count.

It is the point in time count.

Um there are volunteers all over California.

Uh we go into our communities and we go count um the number of unhoused people, uh, people that could be living um outside or camping outside also or in their cars, um and so it's just a good way to track if our um our supports work um and uh help keeps us accountable um and then also just getting people the support that they need.

Um and it was um I I would do it again.

It was um, you know, it's just good to see what is really going on and to communicate with our residents that are currently in housed.

Um so it's yeah, one of the reasons I think we're all up here is to help everybody.

So it just felt nice to be part of that for a day.

Thank you for that.

Um yes, I picked up the vice mayor at about five in the morning.

Um council member Jensen.

Um thank you, madam chair.

At almost every public meeting, this council agenda includes this item, and um, I want to appreciate both the comments by my colleagues and also the call the comments by the city manager.

We've I have been getting input and um and concerns addressed by members of the community about the events that are happening throughout the country, and I appreciate the intentionality of the city manager and our chief and our city attorney and all staff who are looking to identify the options and the challenges that we may face if federal forces or agents do come into Alameda for any reason, especially with regard to immigration enforcement.

So, what I want to share tonight is this is the time when council members tell the public about community activities and things like meetings with state and federal legislators and participation in public events, and thank you to Councilmember Desag for attending the Lead Base Joint Powers Authority, and I also want to appreciate you for reporting out and sharing information with us, the council members and with the public about the board elections.

That's really important that we share information about these events, not just say on Monday I went here and Tuesday I went here.

So tonight I'm gonna take a little bit of time to share a policy that was enacted last week by the board that I chair, which is the stop waste board of Alameda County.

Last week the elected mayors, the 14 elected mayors, council members, and supervisors on the um on the stop waste board agreed to enact uh a new fee for everyone in Alameda County.

This fee will be part of the Holler bill, the bill that you get with that we get in Alameda from Alameda County Industries, other residents and commercial businesses receive it from waste management or another hauler, and these fees are minimal.

Our staff in um public works department agree that these fees are not going to be onerous.

It's about 30 cents at the most per month for a residential property, and um more depending on the amount of commercial waste that is generated by a business or a property.

So this these fees will be going into effect later this year, and if anyone wants more information, you can contact me directly, or you can look on the stop waste website, stopwise.org for more information.

And that's my report.

Thank you, Councilmember Jensen.

So since I last saw you, I was in Sacramento on January 23rd for the League of California Cities, the policy committee that I belong to, which is housing community economic development.

We went over new legislation, legislation that was being continued from the last legislative session.

And this was brought about by our experience with the developer who came in and submitted a preliminary application at Harbor Bay Landing that got the community up and up in arms to everyone who's listening that's been withdrawn, so don't, you know, don't uh don't get too startled now.

But we, you know, we called in our state senator.

In fact, Senator Oudigan came to Alameda and met with me, met with Alan Ty, our planning building transportation director, and we talked with the um the lobbying team at the League of California Cities.

And we're not the only city this is happening to, but this was just particularly egregious to essentially create a food desert.

So stay tuned, they're looking for some authors.

I have some some ideas for them.

Um, and then um then I moved on to the um federal level.

I, after three attempts, made it to Washington DC, a lot of canceled flights with the weather back there.

Um, but the U.S.

Conference of Mayors um annual winter meeting did open on schedule, and it was a great lineup of speakers.

I think our first speaker out of the box was Senator Elizabeth Warren.

There is um some exciting federal housing legislation that I think we've signed on to.

I have to double check, but it's bipartisan and could bring in some well-needed federal funds for um building uh building more housing, especially as um uh affordable housing.

Another panel, there's always concurrent sessions, and you just wish you had a clone because you often want to go to more.

There's like three on at any one um time slot, but I went to one where um U.S.

Senator Alyssa Slotkin, she's um a Michigan senator, but I mean she's just formerly in intelligence, and she's a former military officer, and she was um talking to us about the um the on metro economies and what our cities all need because we're all facing affordability issues all over the country, although California with our prices are kind of out there.

But um, one of the things, and I wrote this down um when she was speaking, is uh Senator Slotkin said the existential threat to America is not coming from abroad, it's from the inability to realize the American dream.

When people can't achieve, they start blaming people who don't look like them.

Middle class is a national security issue.

Um, and on housing, she said we're down four million units nationwide, um, because it's not profitable for builders.

The federal government needs to step in, um, and she's part of the problem solvers caucus in the Senate, which is to say the folks who reach across the aisle and Democrats work with um Republicans and she just gives her lots of lots of hope.

My mom was also from Michigan, so I think I felt a warm spot of my heart there.

Um we also um it was very gracious of our two California senators, um Adam Schiff and um Alex Padilla invited all the California mayors to come to them.

So we we met at the Capital Visitors Center, had a nice round table of discussion with our senators, but we had I don't know how it was done, but we um the Bay Area Mayors had a little carve out, so we met with um well, at least Senator Schiff, I think Senator Badia came a little late that day, but we got to just talk about some of our concerns, and this was just before the Senate voted on the budget bill, and that they weren't gonna vote to go forward until some uh guardrails were put in about ICE.

And um at that time they hadn't voted yet, but Senator Schiff said he had a good feeling about this, and he was right.

Um, we heard from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who is doing amazing things in her city, Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson, um Anchorage uh Arizona Mayor, Suzanne Um La France, talking about how Anchorage is dealing with homelessness.

I mean, you just stop and think about Anchorage, Alaska and homelessness.

But they are, and they have it.

They're doing it and some pretty innovative ideas that we came away with.

And so in the my newspaper article, which I just submitted last night, I talk more about the um the conference of mayors and also the whole issue of what's going on in Minneapolis.

I mean, one of our speakers was Mayor Jacob Fry um of Minneapolis, and it's probably telling that I'm part of the Democratic Mayors Association, which is separate from the U.S.

Conference of Mayors because we are nonpartisan, but there is a Democratic Mayors Association, Republican Mayors Association, the Democratic Mayors Association has started a legal defense fund for Mayor Jacob Fry.

So anyway, the and the Bay Area mayors were well represented.

I think there were you know seven or eight of us that were there, which was which was nice to see, but always um such an opportunity and an honor to be out there with mayors across the country who you've met over the years, and then I tagged on a companion conference was happening.

We ended the mayor's conference at um one o'clock and then at three o'clock at another location.

Um, the mayor's innovation project was having their winter meeting, and I'm part of that, and that is what has allowed us to be part of the mayor's institute on pedestrian safety, which is bringing us some great ideas about making our streets safer for all users and also some grant funding, I believe, will be coming our way, and um, it's also how I got to participate in the mayor's institute for city design.

Anyway, lots of innovative ideas.

Um I was telling the city interim city manager yesterday that mayors joke that our staff wishes we wouldn't go to conferences because then we come back and we just have all these ideas, but ideas coupled with some great um grant funding opportunities that I want um Alameda to pursue.

So anyway, that is it for me, and then we move on to 11A, which is Madam Clerk, what is 11A?

It's a nomination.

I'm sorry, I put my agenda away too fast.

11A is the mayor's nomination for appointment to the West Alameda Transportation Demand Management Association Board, and so um we um have a board that is um the so the the TDM, the Transportation Demand Management Association, collects or they use the fees that are collected by new developments and new businesses that go to public transit and they make decisions and so there is one mayor who's uh one member who served for a long time, but he's um needing to step down and so um I um am nominating uh both um uh a member and an alternate to take the place of this individual.

And as I recall, it's just Madam Clerk, it's just the way we do with our board and commission nominations that I will today I'll announce nominations and at our next meeting on the 13th, 17th of um February, the full council will vote.

So anyway, my nomination for um the the um board is Rochelle Wheeler, who is Senior Transportation Coordinator with Planning Building and Transportation, and as an alternate uh Lisa Trans Lisa Foster, who's a senior transportation coordinator also with planning building and transportation, but that's all it is, it's just an announcement so you all know, and we'll vote on their um nominations at the next meeting.

And excuse me.

Could I have a point of order?

Um, you have um how much time you need for a point of order.

I just forgot to add something to my um council communication.

Uh certainly.

Thank you.

I wanted to just share that the City of Alameda recently received uh League of American bicyclists, gold level bicycle Friendly Community Award for Efforts to Build Better Places for People to Bike.

It's a distinction held by only 32 cities nationwide.

It's due to the hard work of staff and and all of our transportation staff as well as building bike walk alameda partnership and other other community agencies.

I think this is a tremendous, terrific it achievement for Alameda, one of thirty-two cities nationwide, and I look forward to seeing more such awards as we continue to expand our bikeways and our and our bike safety.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for reminding us of that.

And I'll take a little credit too as um a number one pom-pom waiver for the bicycle community.

We have done so much in Alameda, and I hear it all the time.

I hear it and I see it from people who are, you know, tell me that they really appreciate the the bikeways, the cycle tracks, what we've been doing.

I live on a street where a lot of the students from Wood Middle School ride up and down.

And when I was working at my desk, um this afternoon, my home office faces the street.

It was such a pleasure.

It was after school.

It was such a pleasure to see these kids riding.

I j just so many of them, all wearing helmets, yay on you kids, but you know, they got their backpacks on, but they're just they're getting around, it's it's giving them their independence, and then of course we have the families with the you know, towing the trailer with the kids, and eventually the kids learn to ride their bikes, and as they grow up, we're just gonna keep making our streets safer and more accessible, and not just for bicyclists but for all users.

And I want to say that part of this, and it will be the culmination of a dream, but very important, is we want to eventually do that bicycle pedestrian bridge from the west end of Alameda over to Oakland.

So in Alameda, we dream big, but we follow it up with plans.

So thank you.

And and as I often say, I may be the mayor, but I have one vote, and with one vote you get can do exactly nothing.

So thank you to my colleagues who have joined in um supporting and promoting these um these important projects.

And I'm gonna also appreciate Bikewalk Alameda if you're um listening.

I appreciate the gracious um communications we've had from you about this.

Yes, nice to end on a high note.

And so with that, council, it is 727 p.m.

We are adjourned.

If I used a gavel, I would bang it, but I don't, so I won't.

Anyway, go home, enjoy the rest of your night.

Okay.