So wait for a minute here.

Okay, good evening, happy new year.

Welcome to the uh Alameda County Reparations Commission meeting.

We'll jump right into the agenda here.

We have the uh health order and roll call.

Commissioner Commissioner Bazil.

Commissioner Barry excused.

Commissioner Burleson, excused, Commissioner Jones excused.

Commissioner.

I'm here.

Alan's here.

So I let me remind the commissioners that you can be counted once we establish a physical quorum in the room.

So until there's a quorum in the room, Commissioner Jones, uh we can't count you yet.

My apology, okay.

It might be a new commissioner Gardner here, Commissioner Hursken here.

Commissioner Knowles, Commissioner McClendon, Commissioner Sass, excuse.

Commissioner Small, excuse, Commissioner Varlack, excused.

We do not have quorum.

We do not have that this time.

Are there any public comments?

The agenda items.

Any public home.

Okay, since we have a lack of quorum, we will skip over the uh approval of the minutes for the months of November and December, and we will get to item number five, which is uh a discussion item regarding the uh Russell City, uh Willow Tree, and um the commissioner um was gonna be here to brief us, but would welcome the community to provide us with updates and information on what's happening.

I will remind the commission that uh, you know, Russell City has been an integral part in the work that we've been doing.

We had a listening session, our first listening session was um at the uh the name of the church.

Uh and we have also um have their members from Russell City who are impacted speak.

I think at all four of our our listening sessions eight.

Uh so there's been an active engagement with um with this community.

Uh so I would open up the floor to any public comments to help inform the the commission five.

I have speaker cards, or is it just for the commission, or you want to hear from the I want to hear from the uh first the public because I don't think the commission is up to speed on what's happening in the community.

We do want to hear what's going on in the first speaker Marion Johnson.

Okay.

Hello, my name is Marion Johnson.

I'm member of Russell City.

Um, I am also a member of the Johnson and Patterson family, and we have been doing lots of work in terms of the museum exhibit, uh and exhibit, the tree that we are talking about today is featured at the museum.

Um so since the museum went into the exhibit stage.

Um since then the tree, which is integral to our family because my great grandfather, my mother's grandfather, specifically planted that tree for her, and she has gone there year after year after year.

I still have not told her that they chopped down the family tree, her tree.

Um, this is very emotional for me because I know how much it's going to hurt her to find out that even though she's still alive, the tree is no longer there, and it was cut down intentionally, and they ground down the root of the tree so that it could whatever can grow over, so it was never there.

Um, why did they cut it down?

We have not found out the tree was not was not uh sick, the two was very healthy.

Uh uh passed out uh information about the tree.

Um, to see that it was a healthy tree, and I know there are ordinances in place for um trees that oh, that tree was planted in 1963.

That's what we have to find out.

Just someone just called us and I went over there and I was like, oh my.

So I I have to figure out who owned the land, and that's the whole piece of it.

It's like the way they took Russell City from the residents was through the use of imminent domain.

And imminent domain, to my understanding, was so you can make the land public, right?

Uh, but that didn't happen.

They sold it to um cabin and forbes privately, and now if I go on that land, I can be arrested because it belongs is in private hands.

What was the point?

To take the land to get more money, then now you have a right to chop down a tree that you didn't plant.

When did you when did we find out about this?

Last Monday of last week, someone gave me a call and asked me what's going on with the tree.

And I'm like, what do you mean?

Uh, and they told me I went over there, both work fortunately, drove over, turned that corner, it was both.

So it had to occur way before then.

Yeah.

If you look at the pictures, there's stuff growing over where the roots were.

That takes months.

Oh, it was after July, because that's when the exhibit started in July.

It was there in July.

Okay.

So from July to January, I'm going to chop down the tree.

Thank you.

And he didn't do it.

I'm sorry.

Can we do the public comments?

Um, next speaker, Carolyn Johnson.

Okay.

Thank you so much.

And to you, fellow former commissioners.

Um, thank you for the work that you're doing.

So I hold a picture today of my great-great-grandfather, who is the father of Bernice Patterson.

Ernice Patterson is my great-grandfather who who actually planted the tree when he was forced out of Russell City.

He planted that tree anyway.

He planted it as a marker so our family could always know where our land was.

And as my sister said, my mom regularly went to that tree as a kid when she was sad or just wanted to remember, and that was her tree.

That tree has been featured in films, been featured in the museum, and I believe the tree was specifically targeted because there were many people coming to that tree.

The reason we found out was that a UC Berkeley student who's doing their dissertation about Russell City and the tree, went there to just do some more work and it was gone.

So I know that to take down a tree of such historical value and length is a process that the city should have to approve, right?

So the city should have been aware of it.

Um it's not something that can just happen.

I am a developer, I know I can't take any trees.

So people knew about this.

I think more importantly, it was a tree that um really was the last vestige of Russell City, at least that was still living.

The stories are there.

One of the things that I think that I would like for the commission to consider is how to make um the Russell City memory memory stay alive.

That tree is historic.

How can we get something placed there so folks can always remember what was there?

They can remember that the kinds of harms that people still do happen today.

There was no reason to cut that tree down and grind it down to the root.

They were making a point.

Um, and so I think it's important that for my family that we asked support to give direction to understand who did it and why, what policies were in process that were violated, but more importantly, how to memorialize that tree forever, so that children and adults will always be able to go to that place, and specifically to ask for an evening around where that tree was that makes it an actual public easy, um, so that folks can always go there and know what's going on.

We can have chips in there to tell the story of Russell City, and our family has been really clear, along with the nose families and others that we are we have one simple request.

We put our land back.

My grandfather was forced to sell the land for less than what he bought it for.

He had to leave.

He had enough land for his two grandchildren, my mother and my uncle.

And so he there was a reason that he was there.

He was forced off of it.

He left one tree, just one symbol for our family to go back to.

And we talked about it and stories, and they ground it to the ground.

So people have to remember that it's not the 1800s, it's not slavery, it's not 1600.

It happens today.

And so we can use this moment as a way to let people know to always remember that tree and remember Russell City as an example of in 2025.

But people will still do take our history.

One last thing I will say, my sister mentioned how the land was taken as imminent domain and it was sold to Cabinet Forbes, very wealthy industrialist who took the land, which is an illegal uh it violates all the all the tenants of eminent domain.

What she didn't mention, and something my brother found in his research is that that land that was sold, the money that the city of other county of Alameda got was used to expand San Quentin Sanquin, Santa Rita Prison.

It never stops.

And so we ask you to help us stop it now by making sure that we can memorialize that tree, not just for our family, it's never been about just our family, but for folks to always remember when we're all long gone, what that tree stood for.

Thank you all.

Michael Johnson.

I'm Michael Johnson.

Um, informed me about the news of the tree.

Yes, yes.

Okay, go ahead, sir.

Yes, I haven't.

So last Monday my sister called me to inform me about the tree.

Um, and told me she was going to confirm whether or not what they said had happened, had happened.

She got there and she sent me a video of what you see in the handout, and it took me about a week, even want to look at the video.

That's how um distressed I was.

I was like, I don't want to be in my spirit at this moment, um, not being surprised at all that something like this was done in 2025.

Um asked, why did they chop down the tree?

They chop down the tree in their attempt to erase history, the history of our family, the history of Russell City.

Um, this is not something new.

This is something that has been repeated over and over again, and sometimes people ask, why don't you all just get over it?

Um this happened so long ago.

But it didn't happen so long ago.

It happened within the last three months.

Every Saturday, most every Saturday, my sister and I um we ride bikes.

Um, and some of our trips that we've made have been to Russell City, and we'll drive from our ride from um, if you know, a place called Fifth Wheel, all the way from Fifth Wheel all the way out to where Russell on November 17th when they apologized, um, prior to us to the apology by the city of Hayward, um to go over there immediately following in less than two weeks, fences went up around where we where we used to ride.

Now you can't even go to the area because they put up fences since then.

Um, so this action for us and for me is not atypical, it's only a reflection of what we know our society to be and what we've been through, uh, and it continues to this very day.

And so for us, uh, it is a reminder that the more things um change, the more they say the same.

And the question becomes for us, what are we going to do, given that we know that they're not going to change?

When did you guys again?

When did you last see it?

Um prior to the exhibit opening up in November.

Oh, the exhibit opened in July.

In July, yes, in July.

And then when did the films go up?

A couple of years ago.

Yeah, no, in 2022, about 202.

About two?

When they apologized.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

2022 for the winter is when they put up the fences where before we could ride back there, and now you can't at all.

Um and we noticed that immediately after the apology.

Madam Chair, we have no other speakers for item five.

Okay.

So now we could have some conclusion then the commission and the um the public comments.

Um, I want to go to Commissioner uh uh Barry, who also brought it uh to my attention immediately.

We were why we put it on the first thing as our agenda, if you wanted to share with some remarks.

Uh thank you, Commissioner Gore.

Uh welcome to the Johnson family.

And I stand just, I mean, I'm apologizing even though I didn't do it per se, but um I was very surprised and um just want to extend my heartfelt just uh empathy about what's going on here.

Um as a resident of Hayward, when I learned about this, I myself took the time to go out and see because I do remember back in 2020, 2021, touring Russell City with your family and others from the communities to learn about the history, and that tree was just a part of the culture history, a part of the fabric of the black community in Hayward.

It meant something to all of us, and I know it wasn't my family directly, but it meant something to have that symbol there.

And so when I did learn about it, again, I I left home and drove out there and just was like, I can't, I I just don't believe it.

Is it really really gone?

Not that I didn't believe it, but you know, when you have to just go for yourself.

Um, so during that visit there, I did um very very unofficially speak to some of the businesses and folks that were around in the community to ask.

Did you all see anything?

What happened?

Um, and again, this is so unofficial.

I have to say that because I do have some official things to say unofficially what was shared with me that day was um that they thought the roots may have been damaged and that they had removed it back in, I want to say August, the owner for that property over there.

Uh subsequent to my private visit, I did officially contact the city as Commissioner Barry and say, hey, are you all aware of this?

What's going on?

Uh tagged in our RD2 office to say, hey, are you able to look into this and tell us what's going on?

Um so far, what I have learned is that the city of Hayward did not cut the tree down.

Um the tree sat on private property.

The city has been following up with the owner to ask why was the tree cut down?

What's going on?

Um those inquiries are outstanding today, learn that oftentimes it does take a while for owners to actually respond.

So though there these inquiries have gone out, there hasn't been a response back from that owner to share any information on you know what happened here.

Um so that is this.

Well, we know the name of the owner.

I do not have the name of the owner, but I can certainly ask.

I can certainly ask.

Is there a uh a city coordinates or anything that covers tree removal?

What I've learned uh from a public hearing or something, well, no, not exactly.

Um in August, the city of Hayward did um sort of extend and revise its tree protections and tree ordinances, but I'm unclear if this removal violated that new protection or not.

So we just don't have enough information, but I do know that that ordinance has been updated, it's on the city of Hayward's website um for public consumption, and I have gone to try to understand.

This is all new to me, so I'm learning as I go.

Um, but I also did learn that there may be opportunity for uh commemoration, some other thing.

There may be other things we can do to protect that site, perhaps have another tree planted, which is not the same, but still a possibility, have some protections put in place for that location, perhaps a bench or something else, whatever the family would deem appropriate in this instance.

There's an application, like there's a process for all this stuff.

And again, this is all new learning for me, and we would have to further uh investigate and understand that process.

Privately owned.

And go ahead.

Go ahead.

Privately owned.

I have a question of already asked about is there a tree ordinance?

And if there's a tree removal ordinance, does it require a public hearing before some permit is issued either by the authorizing authority?

And if if uh if the private owner has removed the tree, we have no idea why they were removed it.

So my question is there any application before any Hayward agency for construction there?

In other words, are you gonna build something in the tree's in the way?

And then my third question would be is that the only tree that was cut down along that that street, and for what reason was that particular tree cut down if there's no plans to build anything.

Yeah, I think those are questions we should further investigate.

The location of the tree, just so you all understand, it's not somewhere where you can build something.

There's the parking lot, uh but is that Allison Street.

It's a it's a it's like a triangle there.

It's on the front of that on the corner.

It's sitting right on the corner.

Then you can't build anything there.

The parking lot's already developed there.

You cross the street, there's another parking lot.

There's uh roadways on either side, so there's really nothing you can like.

There's no good uh nothing we can visually observe to say that this is a site that would require anything to be built.

It's a perfect site for a tree, frankly.

Um, from what and so the uh again, not to speak definitively, but from our research, it appears that private owners would need to notify the city if they want to take a tree out.

Not if it's private, that's why I asked.

Not if it's private.

It does say I have an ordinance up right here.

I can please thank you.

It just um it says trees on undeveloped lots may not be relocated or heavily pruned without a permit.

Is there any lot in the city of Hayward?

It will be will not be issued for tree removal on an undeveloped lot until there's approved site planning construction plans are in the city for reviewing a proper.

I don't know if that's considered an undeveloped lot.

I mean it looks like that developed lot.

Say anything about developed pots, yeah.

I will look okay, yeah.

Like single family homes.

It's a business.

I am a Hayward resident, have been a Hayward resident since they kicked us out of Russell City.

It took me 11 years before I went back to Russell City.

So they kicked us out in 63.

I didn't start driving until 66, 67.

I still did not go back there.

Okay.

What's been done is just typical of the evil that exists in that community.

It's been there, it exists today, and it'll be there tomorrow.

Um, I have friends that work with the city of Hayward and their planning commission, and the city works department.

They do not need a permit to cut down that tree.

We're gonna give you a song and dance about this and that.

It was disease, this disease, that it was a hazard here, has it?

It's all a bunch of bulls.

There's a reason why they cut that tree.

We can find out the name of the owner of the property.

And he's going to give you a song and dance.

That's fine, but let's get the name first.

Let's get through.

We're gonna expose it.

Go ahead.

Well, no, um, this is a classic example of it in the 20th century, as you folks have pointed it out.

And my first my first question was have you gone to the Board of Supervisors discussion?

Because we just work for the board of supervisors, but you should definitely the same thing you just did here, you should do there.

Secondly, and if um you um Commissioner Barry, we can find out who owns it.

That should be simple, it's on record.

Right.

We find out we have we we first thing we don't want to come down directly because then that's where the trash comes in, but then we put the big sign up in the op ed that so and so cut this down, cash that ticket.

Um with the city, hey, with board supervisors, little impact on that or no impact.

Yeah, no, we have to find out who owns the bad boy.

Why don't we be here for just to touch on something that um commissioner Brazil said?

If there is, in fact, the intention of building something there, maybe uh a plaza, you know, then I think that might compromise the excuse to be in a developed lot because the fact that you're trying to build something.

If it's something that requires a city permit, then could be that it might be then subject to the scrutiny of whether dropping down that tree is approved.

That sometimes what happens on projects that we do here in Oakland.

I don't know if the laws are still there, but we make a um could we make a recommendation to the board?

The board of supervisors, yeah.

I I was gonna be ideas.

Uh so what I I did look into what is where do we have jurisdiction and what is our protocol?

And we have the ability to uh write a letter and send to the commission uh to the board of supervisors and ask the same questions, but also um, you know, create some public urgency um get it get some publicity on it, and I get it on the agenda.

It's on the agenda so they can speak to it.

We have some jurisdiction, right?

Because it's a city, but we can leverage what influence we have from that's and that's your supervisor is Marquez, right?

That's right, he's he's our ad hoc chair.

So we could align and help put that pressure and then list out the questions, you know, that we we seek answers to through and you know, kind of go up and then back down, and we could make recommendations of a monument, some kind of memorial, some kind of you know, uh just so they have a good sense of what we're thinking about, and I think we have the you know the court of public opinion.

Okay, we could we could create quite you know you need our voices to help uplift it so you're not by yourself.

So I think we can those are areas that we can influence.

Yes, uh Commissioner Barry.

Thank you.

Thank you, Chair Gore.

Um, as a note, uh, I think if we do pin a letter uh to uh the county, we should also send one to the city of Hayward directly.

Uh council member Angela Andrews has been the person digging through the records files, working, you know, uncover what's going on here.

She's working to figure out the name of the owner for us, and she has also uh again looped in Supervisor Marquez, which was our supervisor to help support this effort.

So um, you know, there are folks who are in the city who are also upset and are willing to do what they can to help research uh and figure out what's an appropriate solution that we can offer.

Um, oh, go ahead, yeah.

And just me regarding maybe you can introduce right till action.

Yes, absolutely.

My name is Rodney LaShea, I'm district director for Super Reservoir Kids.

And um, quickly, I first I want to acknowledge Commissioner Barry.

She's the one who brought this to our attention.

We had no idea, um, and just extremely upsetting.

And I'm just sorry for everybody who's having to be hurt by this situation.

I myself and the supervisor, the folks in our office, we had a meeting to discuss this.

Just very upsetting, and I can't imagine how the folks who um meant had this mean a lot more to than us, um, felt about it.

So I'm just really sorry that you had to deal with this.

Um I can't say this.

Marquez was definitely interested in being a part of figuring out how best to move forward.

Um, there was a petition that went out that she was looking at, but it had some incorrect information.

She was she was hesitant to sign on because it it said that the city had cut it down, and she was hoping that you know, once it's corrected, maybe we can help to push that out more, but she wanted to make sure that the actual information was accurate before um being a part of it.

Uh, but with that being said, we we also reached out to the city of Hayward just to make sure um that we had the most accurate information.

And when we reached out at that time, they were still kind of figuring out themselves.

So um we said we'd give it a little more time.

But um Commissioner Barry, I appreciate because information she has is far more updated than what we've got to this point.

So thank you for that.

I have a public comment.

Oh yes, my name's Kristen Johnson.

I'm uh Doug Patterson's great uh grandchild.

Uh but just want to mention that like since this all has happened, we've had a lot of like press and like you know, things coming our way to like highlight this and um want to mention that, or just that Julian Glover, he's like a lead anchor for ABC, he's already done a story and interviewed me and my other family members, some of our family members about this story, and um is working on a project about reparations in um in the US.

So that's just somewhere and like an outlet that we could use to like help shine light on this once we get to that point, but is one to comment.

I say that um as it relates to reparations, they're they always tell us, get over it.

And then you dig in, do something like this poor vinegar and salt in the wind.

This did I was born in Russell City, so um and I didn't realize that until we got the apology.

I looked at my birth certificate and I thought that's Papa Dyke's address.

Oh, you know, um and that tree is just a signal to let you know that you got this this country has not done enough to take care of what needs to be taken care of as it relates to apology words.

What you did physically hurt people.

My grandfather, the man who planted that tree had moved to California from Oklahoma.

He had to go back because he couldn't afford to buy anything with the money they gave.

So he got to come and visit us in the summertime.

We had a great time.

I remember my grandfather.

He died in 1970.

After he left, he had just left from taking care of us in the summertime.

He didn't even make it home.

He died on the world.

I went home.

These are the things that that that when you do something like this, it brings up all those memories for our family of the heart and pain.

Now we have nothing.

I I think uh, you know, just that's what has elevated our further reparations that people are trying to say it's in the past and more than that anymore.

Um, but in fact, it's so systemic and bred that that they can still just take these liberties and keep harming people.

So it's really uh I think it makes our work that much more important.

And it's not just some historical thing we're trying to correct, but we're also trying to for the future generations for you all to not have to live the things that we can do.

Yes, go ahead.

Just to say two quick things.

Um, my name is CJ.

I'm Carolyn's daughter, and um made the petition.

So I did think the city of but I just edited the petition so that it says the private owners were the ones that cut it down for that action.

It has 262 signatures already.

Um and then to go back to what my auntie and what you were saying about it not being in the past.

I live in Hayward.

I paid two thousand dollars a month for rent, and they just raised my rent a hundred dollars, like the day after we found out about the three.

And I think that that is like I felt like really, really angry in that moment, but I realized that that was just a fraction of what my ancestors felt in terms of rage.

And I'm very grateful to everybody for being here and and wanting to support you for working three jobs.

Working three jobs to live in a place where my family once owned land is frustrating.

Well, we're here for you.

We appreciate y'all.

Thank you, everyone.

Okay, um, so I think we should call a special meeting.

We'll have special public meeting just for this one topic because it's that so we can get some more information and we can figure out um some ways that we think might be remedies.

So they might want to do something here, you know, quality or something.

But we we could put something substantial together and again present it to the board of supervisors because that's our our only venue.

Um but we could we could request you know the meeting with the city officials.

I I try so there's some jurisdiction issues with us doing that, but at a minimum we can provide a letter of support and add in all the things that that people have shared here.

We should raise this directly with the board of board of supervisors, put this on their agenda, yeah.

We could yeah, I think we should have a special meeting, so then we could look at all the way.

Go ahead, please.

I think that's possible.

Also for those of us who live there, right?

I'm a resident there too, so uh, you know, I can go as a resident to make those requests and also just want to say out loud we should be hearing uh recommendations from the family for what you want to see happen.

What do you want us to advocate for and support um even if it's a list of options?

Here's what we think is appropriate, um, so that your voices are in whatever position papers we produce.

We'll do thank you all so much.

Okay, thank you.

Thanks for your comments and elevating this issue to do our work.

Okay, uh let can I go um I see we'll call again for quorum.

I can know that uh you noted it.

Commissioner Barry has arrived, Commissioner Downs has arrived, small has arrived, and Commissioner Snass and Commissioner Barlack are online.

Okay, so um so we have quorum.

Oh, cops.

Okay.

I know.

You almost like that's a little bit you.

Your tree grows up.

Yeah, I mean, yeah, but you cannot move on your tree of lost somebody.

No, I'm not really that one.

I don't know.

Okay, so um before we um take a vote on the approval of the right, like to introduce our newest petitioner, uh Jennifer Gayton, who comes to us from uh D four.

Oh yeah, Discord.

Um and uh would like for her say have a word share just a little bit about her background and welcome her to the thank you so much for welcoming me.

Sorry that I was a little late today.

Um so yes, my name is Jennifer Gaden, um resident of District Board in Oakland.

Um I am the director of operations for the San Francisco African American Arts and Cultural District um San Francisco has several different districts and so this particular one is in Bayview 94124 um is designated as the African American Cultural District um I also am a real estate agent um so different things like I was I wish I had my computer on me today but looking up who owners are of properties are things that I have access to be able to do um part of my passion is helping people buy property not just because you know everybody wants a home a nice thing to live in but um for the investment purposes to be able to throw wealth build generational wealth so my passion lies in helping people understand that and learn different ways on how to do that um navigating that process and just preaching the importance of us owning assets um and helping people that look like me be able to do that as well well welcome welcome welcome okay if we can have approval of the november minute uh well first are there any uh edits or comments that people have for the minutes any typos or and uh as you recall if you are not here you have to abstain uh if you're not here for the november meeting you will need to abstain um the members are listed as a reminder on the minutes you can see that I can hardly remember um who was here in November or not so we're just a reminder that abstain if you you were not here the roll call on the November minute oh november so I need a motion and that's right make a motion to approve November minutes of a motion and second and seconded by commissioner Commissioner Bazil for approval of November minutes abstain Commissioner Barry aye commissioner burnerson excused commissioner dones abstain uh commissioner gore aye commissioner charter commissioner herskin aye commissioner no commissioner commissioner fast aye these coming out of that or commissioner commissioner for approval of november minutes aye commissioner yep we got you thank you sir uh nay and commissioner varnatics for approval of november minutes yes sorry that's aye thank you minutes approved thank you uh now we'll move on to the December minutes um if there are any comments or corrections uh oh on the december or the november uh well both but the summer minutes has the same mistake in the minutes which was my first name is not children correction okay I've been here two years uh the approval of the minutes that's corrected or which one we're in December no we already voted in me I moved the second I moved the motion uh motion moved seconds for December approval of the minutes commissioner Brazil Commissioner Barry aye commissioner burns and excuse commissioner dove abstainer gardener commissioner gore.

Commissioner Herc and Commissioner Noel.

Commissioner McClendon.

Commissioner Sass.

Aye.

Commissioner small.

Commissioner Triplett.

Excuse commissioner varnott aye silver minutes approved okay thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

So we are now on to item number six.

And what we uh sort of good of go to the order here, because you know the Brown Act, all the different subcommittees have different meetings on the upcoming um pop-up sessions.

Now for the record, we have two listening formal listening sessions.

That we said we had agendized, we've done four, uh, and one pop-up.

And now we want to get on the record and talk about a process for how to know when the pop-up sessions are uh have a calendar board.

Well, we need a process so that folks know what folks are working on and where you couldn't put it up.

And in particular, we're letting um our consultant, ECC and the library staff also know when uh a property is happening, if a commissioner is organizing it and if they need their support.

Um this is really you know to help us create visibility on what we need to see.

So I I want to open it up to the floor and let's get you know, uh basically a roll call of the pop-ups that different commissioners are working on.

So we have visibility, and then if we could even share if you will need uh support from the library staff and the ECC.

Who wants to hear what they're working on?

Well, I can uh chime in on this one.

It's not a pop-up specifically, it's a um just an informational session.

The Tri-City African American Cultural and Historical Society is going to have their 50th anniversary black history month celebration on the 14th of February.

Uh they've asked me to MC, and part of that is we can have a table there for the reparations commission.

Um the library has already um uh said they can you know bring all the stuff, the swag and the the um uh tablecloths and things like that.

And uh Dr.

Gardner said he will be there.

I'd like to have at least two, probably three commissioners just to talk to people.

And one of the reasons it should be very strong there, it's usually a very strongly attended uh event, but also the next week is the listening session in District One in Newark, and the location is just a few miles away from where the um from where the event is for the uh black history month celebration.

So you you uh thank you for sharing the event, and you're still looking for um volunteers to help you yourself and Dr.

No, you're MC so you can't.

Yes, I'm insane, so I'll be able to be at the table off and on.

But having someone else there too, if we have um surveys there, the QR code, and people just ask what is the reparations commission, someone who could talk about it.

Yes, we have we have you yeah, February 14th, Valentine's Day.

Very 14th, yes, from 11:30 to 20.

11 30 to 2.

Uh and it's in Newark at the Cinnamon Center, Newark Saleman Center, so um, how do commissioners would like to support and you can always just reach out to me directly?

Yes, you are.

Do you are you requesting any support from the ECC or the library?

I mean the library.

The library I've already talked to, they're going to uh we can pick up the stuff they need because it's at the Fremont Library anyway.

Yeah, perfect.

So you're gonna pick it up and then but I'm asking if you need any staffing help, no.

Um, no, not necessarily, no, as long as we got uh a couple of people there from us from the commission, that should be uh that should be uh that should do it.

Okay, so go ahead.

Um question for Commissioner Sass.

Would you like um promotional support vis-a-vis the website or our social media?

Uh that'd be great to talk about the uh the event, yes.

I can I I'm supposed to be meeting with them sometime next week, but yes, the event is usually published in the uh Tri-city voice, uh Argus, the Mercury news, but any additional information uh for it would be fabulous.

If you could when you have content on the event, you would email both Commissioner Verlack and I so that we can make sure it makes the website and the social media channels.

All right, I will definitely reach out to you.

That's fine.

Uh underneath there's Commissioner Verlex on the line she should do her event.

Or um but that's in March so I wasn't sure if we wanted to hear about it today.

So it's up to the commission.

I can give an update if necessary or we can defer it so um our February meeting whatever the commission prefers well taken why did you why don't you sit tight?

Let's go over some of this stuff.

Okay, thank you, Chair Gordon.

Yeah sure.

Um no date yet but uh uh in the next week and a half uh we'll be meeting with uh Chief Ford's team uh they're very interested in holding sessions at both uh juvenile hall and Camp Sweeney and have offered their support to make that happen so we give voices of young people who are just as involved um I don't know what support will be needed because I also don't know the clearance protocols just yet so I just want to reserve that I may be able to come back and ask for support.

And so though those two I'm working on those are two separate you're not combining the they're two separate.

Separate and um still trying to um understand our opportunity for uh Centerita as well as uh chirk or um the coup opportunity there's a meeting coming up with Ku as well.

With the um king makers.

King makers of Oakland yeah so those are the four updates for me.

And then what resources do you need?

I don't know yet.

Okay.

Yeah.

So just again just just I want to put them out there that I am helping in one way or the other on four different opportunities and as I learned more this month I'll I may come back and say hey here's what I think I support with.

Okay.

Just keep in mind there's if it's food and stuff it it needs a two week runway and then um and then it would be good to know sooner than later so we can formally request any of the vendors you need to get it on their calendar.

Got it.

Okay.

And our TV just so you know there's eight kids at Sweeney right now so it's gonna be super it's something like that.

It's a it's usually around seven or eight.

Good news it's great news.

Yeah less than 50 in June hall and they also have access to food service.

So you may not even need any outside vendor to yeah they won't it's they won't let you bring in right yeah.

Okay.

But I'm hearing the question not being asked is if there's eight young people there, do we still want to have an event for the eight?

That's why they have to keep those populations separate.

Yeah.

Yeah even if you were to go up to Hall I think I was on the I I'm at I'm asking the specific no it's two events.

I'm saying do you know um I would love to hear input from the commission my opinion is yes especially if they're gonna um allow us to speak with all eight in group setting I think it's valuable to hear from them so often um you know they're just locked out and I think what we learned at the Kwanzaa session from the gentleman that was helping to vent in the back was how do we get ourselves in front of folks who don't have access to the table.

And so I see this as a way that we could potentially do that if in fact they can set us up and get the clearances for us I'm willing to be present for yeah Commissioner Verlack is a hand.

Yes.

Commissioner Barn does yes I have um a connection my one of my colleagues is a county counsel she works in the building and Paul Marshall, who's a commissioner, he wanted to share his information.

So I was thinking maybe in conjunction with um a listening session for the eight youth that are there, maybe we can also invite some of the staff who happen to be um either of African American descent or just want or just an ally or of interest to the program because I think there's a lot of other people who are in that building every day who may also want to share their story.

Um so just putting it out there that we do have that connection if necessary.

Yeah, right.

And again, very open to other commissioner input here.

Thank you, uh Commissioner Verlack.

I'll follow up with you on that for sure.

Commissioner Hurst can I I support that and agree that you know although it's you know small, small is mighty, um, and to be able to give that feedback and engage, you know, the youth I think is important, especially you know, those who are marginalized and typically don't have a seat at the table in a voice.

So I I do support it.

Uh okay, then we have Dr.

Parade, DOIDC.

I can I can just give a brief update on Black Joy.

Uh right now we're negotiating uh a booth um space with them at the actual parade that has not been finalized yet.

Uh we plan on um sending an email.

I was hoping to do it today or tonight, but tomorrow, uh requesting uh our support uh commissioner was able to uh find a couple different touch points for Black Joy.

So we're hoping to have three separate touch points.

One is at the actual parade with the booth.

This is a request that we're making to the organizers, uh a booth at the parade in partnership with the library.

Uh the second is that they're doing a uh vendorslash business orientation at Everton Jones.

So we're hoping to partner with them on that.

And they're also doing a volunteer orientation that we're hoping to partner with them on too.

So that's three touch points.

The dates.

What's the dates?

So the dates for um the dates for the volunteer is February 21st, which is a Saturday.

We're hoping to host it here in this actual building.

So that's the ideal.

That's our contribution as a partnership is saying, hey, we can book the space for your volunteers.

It's like one block off from the actual parade uh route, which is one of the requirements for the volunteers.

Um, and then the second date is uh February 17th at Everton Jones.

Um those weekdays.

Uh that I think that is a weekday.

And that's the vendor businesses who participate somewhere between 50 to 60 different.

We have to do we have a listenership on February 21st.

We do.

What time is this a bit you're talking about?

Uh for February 21st is at noon.

Right when we start the listing, yeah.

So it'd be split.

I mean, the idea is that uh, you know, especially for the volunteer.

If someone's volunteering for Black Joy, they're they're already 80% investing in what we're doing.

So uh the goal is to promote our survey, encourage them to fill out the survey and also push the survey while they're there at the actual parade.

So we're gonna have to split that day.

Um and we would need one or two commissioners to present to the or uh volunteers that the other uh fascinating thing, which um uh if you recall we wanted to have a booth so that we could do service that day.

I was here.

So we do surveys that day, and I think there was an expressed concern that yes, there's thousands of people who come, but they may not take the survey.

Well, Alicia said uh you will probably get somewhere between three to four hundred responses that day.

And she gave example of Kaiser, uh, does a whole bunch of community outreach, and they get over two to three hundred people to measure their blood pressure and do their part rate.

So she, you know, I thought that I thought that was fascinating because I was like, wow, we could get three, four hundred that day.

So that's why we've been really focused on getting a tent uh or getting a booth.

Now, then the partnership is with the Oakland Library.

So thank you for the distinction.

It's with the Alameda Library, which our friends uh who uh support us, sponsor us.

Um so we're still working on doing that partnership so that we have the leverage of the staffing, but we'll that would really capture so much data that we're looking to capture.

Uh so so showing up there, uh being able to um all the different touch points of reaching out to folks to Commissioner Clinton's point who are receptive to the work are more likely to fill out the survey.

Uh so she she was just out of it.

She's like, you'll be done in a couple hours.

I was like, okay.

It's a great idea.

It's however, you gotta attract people there, and then it has to be like what's in it for them.

But to your point, some want to volunteer or get that information, but I don't want to say offer incentives, but swag or something to attract them to the table.

Um, and then she so she did say that Kaiser and with they don't they just are they're Kaiser is Kaiser.

Well, I'm just I'm just saying because you know that that's to me it's just a data point that says if you're there asking, you will get engagement.

Yeah, and even if we got a couple hundred, that's more than we absolutely seven.

No, I I agree.

It's important.

I'm I'm I'm just adding that.

I think it'd be great to have that pop up and then you know something to interact them to the table.

And they'll definitely volunteer to do the yeah, absolutely.

Well, I'm counting on my looks too.

Yeah, that'll bring them there.

That will help.

I'm hoping that will help.

Yeah, something appealing.

Okay.

In all fairness, Derber, you may not get four or five hundred thirty-nine question survey.

Might get half of that.

Now Larry might bump that, but yeah, I I think it's a matter of the in uh the number of volunteers that we have working, and Tiger did some research on if um now we're not gonna use it because they're so expensive, but if we have um an organization that we can pay to help staff, be in front of the tent there in front of the booth, you know.

So it's it's as much the outreach and the number of people over there who are like do it with the cure code or do it with somebody physically standing but with you, um, and just a thousand people how many tens of thousands people go to?

That's a lot.

Yeah, so we're we're talking less than two, three percent.

I get to remember, yeah, something like that.

So all the okay.

So uh one other question.

With what's the date of the actual parade?

22nd, Sunday or 22nd.

Okay, what uh other events?

Uh you want to see can we get an update on the box?

With the difference from views now with the Sunday, Saturday.

Sunday is the actual parade, Sunday is the volunteer day.

Saturday, or sorry, Saturday is volunteer day where they do it the day right the day before.

150 150 volunteers.

And and Deborah, if they want to use this, they have to work with TEC.

Yeah, online.

If Tisa helped me, you know, and it's a the fee, it's actually quite affordable.

You can have this space all day for $500 on a weekday, a little bit more on the weekly, eight hours.

I don't know any place in the nowhere.

Okay.

So okay.

Uh EOIDC.

Can we just get out?

No, you guys are posting it, right?

For January.

January 29th.

Yeah, yeah.

Who's the lead?

Yeah.

Uh Brendan, are you lead on here?

Yeah, apparently I am.

Um, yeah, it's the uh the EYODC is uh Wednesday that's January 28th at five from five to seven.

Um as far as uh, you know, we are going to um uh uh we're gonna abbreviate uh some of the presentation so we can do more conversation with the youth.

Also, as far as food, um we had planned to use the credit card to get just pizza and wings and stuff like that.

Okay, so because it's you know it's it's gonna be low key, so we don't have to worry about trying to get a theaterer and things like that, and kids love pizza.

Um that was apparently what uh Mandela said that would be a great idea.

Mountain Mike's is close by.

Um if other commissioners would like to attend, that would be fabulous.

Uh Tracy uh Webb has adjusted the prompts so they are more um interactive so we can uh keep the attention span.

So it should be a great event.

Do you need any staffing support or well I got the consultant, the consultants uh the any staffing requests?

Um, no, because we have um the presenters, so it's uh me, Artavia.

Are you able to be at that one?

I'm checking right now, Brandy.

Give me one moment.

Uh I'm asking about library or ECC.

You know, Brandon, I'm I'm gonna be there, right?

Yeah, you're going to be there.

And uh James is supposed to be there.

Um, Commissioner Sass, I think Sean, I think Sean from ECC is going to be there.

Yes, I believe he's gonna be there.

I didn't wanna I I didn't wanna, you know, that throw his name out and he wasn't gonna be there, but yeah.

Um, but it would be good to have uh some additional flyers and stuff for some of the other events that are coming out, um, just to have our you know, just have our name out there.

Brenda confirming I'll be there, but what's our start time?

Is it 5 30?

It's five to seven.

We had to move it a half an hour earlier because that's their normal time.

Um and we don't wanna we don't wanna keep them longer since they've already been at school a full day, they do some other things there.

So I want to make sure that we have uh respect their time because they usually get out of there by seven o'clock.

Okay, got it.

I'll be there.

Yeah, we should also you can count me to be there as well.

Got the card for whoever can take it.

Yeah.

Uh Shanita was planning on that.

He's gonna order, but she won't.

You don't give it back.

Okay.

Order what is it, Pizza Hut?

Yeah, the Lamite.

Just give you the card back and you yeah.

Well, um Shanita, when you call, find out if they'll deliver over there.

If not, I'm pretty sure we can figure out a way to get it over there because it's only a couple of blocks away, right?

That's what he said, yeah.

Okay, so the people who are gonna be there is Dr.

Dr.

G, um, Artavia.

Um, and uh C.

James, you said you would be there, correct?

No.

See, and he's doing the wavering hand signal.

I can't I can't see him right there.

And Alan, were you gonna be there?

Yes.

Excellent.

And our new commissioner um Jigan also can make it.

Yeah, uh, can I just say for good of the order?

If you guys registered through the portal, your name pops up, and then when they run it that day, you're registered.

Is it on is it on the website?

I'm looking right now.

It's on the website.

It's on the website.

So if commissioners could register the uh boys registered so you can get the head count or the pop-up.

The pop-up or yeah, that no, the e it's yeah.

The EOIT register.

Yeah, it is there.

Yeah, that helps with the head count.

That's what I was asking.

So let's all just register.

So I and then I'll go.

I'll um I don't know if I have access to this list.

Oh, Brendan, uh, I'll export it.

Okay, get Artavia exports it whenever you yeah, I'll it your event or this event, our event is on Wednesday the 28th.

So we'll export it Monday evening and email it to you.

Okay, perfect.

Um, all right, excellent.

Ottavia gives us an Arctavia ticket to win.

She all that and a bag of chips, I guess.

But yeah, that's all right.

Is there a way to cap what we learned from the Kwanzaa is people could register 10 12 different individuals?

Is there a way to cap just a plus one?

I think we want to.

We thought we saw the list where it was like one for a 10 reservations locked up, and then it was like two people showed up.

Sure.

So is there a way to cap it just a plus one and then it makes a register?

I think so.

We can do that.

We can cap it.

You can please get the sign in sheet to us too.

I know that that's that's an easily for at the EYODC.

It's got a sign in.

That's the requirement for all food.

I have to have a program flyer and a sign-in sheet.

Those are the two like the three things receipt, program flyer, and sign in sheet.

Food is very restrictive.

Okay.

We need somebody sitting at a table.

The devil's in the detail.

Somebody has to take responsibility.

Yeah.

So who's going to take the responsibility?

This is what happens.

One of the teachers.

Okay, well, so um we have our speakers.

So the speakers are Dr.

Gardner, Dr.

James Knowles, me, and um our Tavia and Shad.

Are you will you be there?

Yep.

Okay.

So if uh Jaden since you're going to be there new, would you be able to pitch in and be at the table if we don't have someone else so we can do the sign in sheet?

Done.

Like a good business manual.

I know there we go.

We got it done.

We don't need a we don't need the biocracy.

Okay.

And it's really not that difficult.

You'll be able to be in there and join and be part of the uh understand and be part of the event also.

It's just making and the best part about being signed, and you get to say hi and meet everybody.

And you can you're the one that sets the tone with a smile and welcoming, you know, welcoming demeanor.

That sets the tone for how we're gonna be doing this.

Okay.

I should go back to the black joy piece.

Yes.

Uh, Commissioner McClint, the same question for you in terms of um website promotion, social media promotion.

If there's things we want um to promote, um perhaps we could just touch space as you get those materials, we can make sure that social media has that stuff and we represent it on the website as well.

Absolutely.

So when it comes to Black Joy, um our next step is sending an email and then them accepting um our requests because our initial reach out uh resulted in them treating us as if we were a um county department, and that that falls into a different tier.

Um, and so we had to kind of let them know we're not a county department, right?

We're a commission, and we're asking to be treated as a nonprofit partner versus a county.

So there's a little bit of nuance to this, but as soon as we approve, I definitely want to promote on the website and social media.

Gotcha.

Just want to add another point to uh clarity first.

If you need library staffing at Blackjoy, we need it to know by Friday.

I mean Friday because we've got to change the mobile and outreach schedule, we've got to notify our staff based on different union rules and things.

So we need to know by Friday.

It's a it's a huge production for us to get staffing arranged.

Like I gotta make sure everybody takes breaks.

I gotta do a a lot of work on that.

And so um yeah, I think it's it's helpful for us by Friday if you can.

Yeah, because I gotta start doing it next week.

So are you we have to build a volunteering?

Yeah, volunteer.

Sorry.

Not yeah.

Weren't you?

You're not supporting the oldest library.

No, no, Oakland, we thought you were supporting Oakland.

No, no, no.

Oakland Public Library reserved two spaces.

They offered to us because we asked if how they got their booth spaces when it cost six thousand dollars.

They said they got two booth spaces and they're willing to offer a little less than half to the us, a table and a chair for the libraries to do our library booth.

We're happy to promote the survey there.

We would love to have our staff do a booth for the reparations commission.

Okay, I with it back and forth like that.

I just need to know.

I have to have a commitment of this so that I can start staffing my we can do the survey at the shared Alameda County Oakland public space, but all of the our the swag and all that stuff, it's gonna be mostly the library, mostly Oakland Publix and then our side bit of Alameda County Library.

Got it.

Okay.

Do you know how much they paid for that?

That's two.

No, they didn't, they didn't tell.

I know they had curious now.

I know they said they had partnered with a nonprofit in the past year.

Um so I I six thousand is the low.

I don't know.

We started out at where 13,000.

Okay.

This is some state.

Those are placeholders.

Those are placeholders.

Okay, um, okay.

So I I have then uh commissioner.

So here so Jesse and I have been working on the criminal justice pop-up.

Um we're working with UC Berkeley, L SPC, Underground Scholars, and Cal State East Bay.

It looks like it's gonna be two events as well.

Um don't have a date yet.

The BDC knows don't have a date yet, don't have staffing yet.

Don't have staffing.

We may not need staffing because these groups have so many folks staff available.

So um we don't we have a lot of people doing this, the criminal justice fund.

Um we'll need a flyer for sure.

Uh could give you the organization so we could do a mock-up and then have everything done except the date.

Okay.

So that would be great.

So I'll send you the names of the organization, logos, and then we can do everything but the date.

Okay, okay, that'd be great.

Um, and then um if you recall Randolph Bell who spoke at the um Taylor Memorial, we're doing the 980 project where they're trying to tear down 980.

He um he does a lot of work with creative artists.

The create in the cultural uh cultural creative art is a cultural space.

So he wants to do a pop-up, um, probably in one of the artist studios, so it'll be fairly intimate and small.

So that that literally just happened this weekend.

Um we could probably do a flyer on that.

I'll send you the logo uh for that one.

And then the last one is um unified school district.

They did it, they have their task force, the reparations task force, and we're partnering with the remember um the assistant professor, um Erica Weisinger who came like one of the first speakers of the game.

They came from Northeastern and the Mills, Ashley and Spald.

So um Ashley was one of the chairs on the uh BUSD Berkeley Unified, yeah, the Unified School District, and so they want to partner on education one, 8 through 12.

So those are the three um that I will need flyer.

Do you do you have dates?

No, no dates on any of them.

No dates on any date.

But that's why I was like, okay, I can share it, but there's no date.

Yeah, no date.

Soon as we uh, as we can narrow it down.

Those are the things.

So again, so now we have all of all the stuff that commissioners are working on, right?

I think Commissioner Burlek is working on something at Shabo.

Oh yeah, do you um thank you?

What you want to put on till next month.

She we should we did prompt her earlier, she said she doesn't have an arch.

She doesn't have any.

Yeah, it's gonna be um hello commissioners.

It'll be March 14th or the 21st.

We have both of those dates um in consideration by the facilities at Shabot.

And um uh Supervisor Marquez says she would be available on both of those dates between 12 and two.

So those are the dates we're aiming for, and that will be a Saturday.

Um, and I'm hoping to partner with some some community partner, such as the hundred black men, 100 black women, um, maybe some of the divine eye.

So Commissioner Barry, I'll definitely need to tap in with you as well as the Chabot students and some other legal people.

So that's um the Shabot of it.

But hopefully I'll know something before our next commission meeting since it'll only be about a month out by then.

Yeah, okay.

So this this does bring us to um the reason that the pop was the act pop-up is an action item is because we have to create a stop date from not doing any more um pop-ups, survey is separate, right?

Because we're gonna do a lot of the survey digitally.

But if we were to because we're gonna have a presentation here.

Oh my gosh, this took a 20.

Um from informing change, we've got to get to our report writing and going all the way to the 21st might be we might not be able to capture that information in the reporting.

Is there a way you commissioner Barlack that you could do it any sooner?

So then we could use like March if you if March 14th is your last date, we could say March 14th is the cutoff or doing any other.

Um we can try to make I mean I can revise, I'm getting ready to go out of town, which is why I'm not there in person, but I can try to revise the uh I can try to get in touch with the lady at Shabo.

Actually, we were playing phone tag, so she just told me to put in the dates, but I can try to get in touch with her and just see if we can really push for the 14th.

That way we can get a hard cutoff, and then hopefully by the time we have committee for DAR at the very least on the 21st, I should be able um to know one way or the other.

Yeah.

But you could you recall when we set up the six listening sessions, we said February was the cutoff.

That's why we don't have any listening sessions in March, because we went we said we'll do six, and we went six months.

So uh I want to motion that um the cutoff will be March 15th for any pop-ups or any other community engagement.

This is not the survey, this is just doing any physical uh events, or other people call it that, or the commission comfortable with that.

We need to draw some lines here so we can move on to next stages.

I would say February, but it's March 15th is not very well.

And then this can help us.

Make a motion.

Um, more conversation.

Go ahead.

Um I'm I'm s you know, I'm slightly nervous about that given we have what I heard today was four by six, seven events that don't have dates just yet.

Right.

And so if we cut this off right now, either I just I'm very nervous that that's too soon.

Um, and would ask that if we're gonna put a hard stop, at least give us the full month of March.

I have no idea how long the clearances for juvenile hall and Cap Swinney are gonna take.

Um, so I'm a little anxious about having you know a hard cutoff before I've even had my meeting with those guys.

If I could chime in um uh the commissioner Barry, this commissioner Sass.

I would say if we could do it twofold, make it the hard cutoff for scheduling is the 15th, then the other ones can happen after that, but they have to be scheduled by the 15th.

That does not work in time.

Okay, uh hold on, okay.

So we have some more comment in the room.

Um just just a point of reference.

The three four that I'm working on, they know we're trying to do between now and February 28th.

So I'm already like we can't go by the 28th.

So I I am not going past that.

So that's four right there that are not, and then we know this not going past it.

So I think it is uh maybe some of the juvenile justice stuff.

Yeah, I do think it's important to capture.

But okay, so let me go to other comments in the room.

Yeah, I just wanted to present.

I do have a slide for our report out that I share.

You got it.

Okay, that captures a time frame, it's just craft that I wanted to get in front of you all to think about what's coming up for the next uh from January to June that might inform this discussion.

Um what I'll offer is that um you may continue, consider continuing having the community engagement sessions pop up conversations, what have you, but maybe consider pivoting the objective of those forums.

It may be worth having the because the discussion center around your recommendations and what you've heard from your fall data collection sessions, right?

Informing change and Michael will elaborate on their findings that they've gathered based on the four listening sessions you've conducted in which we have preliminary findings that was presented before the ad hoc committee um that included things like the black tax credit and scholarships these are things that folks are saying from across Alameda County per your listening sessions they are interested in in terms of a form of reparations and repair your conversations can continue to happen you're just not going back to how you've been affected by racism in Alameda County you're shifting to this is what we've heard what are your thoughts do is there anything additional right because you're really pivoting towards the recommendations that you all soon will make to drive the report right so that's just something for you to consider um and not jumping ahead in the timeline planning but that's kind of the rationale or another option besides having a cutoff date continue the engagement but shift the conversation.

It's the shift that's exactly and the other part though which is equally as important is we've got to start surfacing people's recommendations the the commission's recommendations what are because that is what we want to pressure test in the community because we don't you know I'm going off of the Hayward experience you know they they put out these recommendations that were not vetted not even by the task force it was just it's just a disaster so we could the intent was at the retreat to us have everybody as homework so you have now till the uh the 31st to start to think about the recommendations and then we can curate the recommendations at the retreat and we and we have the template that is there gonna be a presentation at the um I know that's next on the agenda button on the data at the retreat.

Well we can include that yeah so well look okay so okay a whole getting a motion on the pop-ups and let's let's uh let's move item 10 up now informing change do it do you want me to just share this is it just that timeline was there another document no oh I thought there was another no not from me from Michael but we spoke and we kind of this is what okay so maybe if you could I mean this I'll walk you through it yeah and like probably backwards you know go from deliverable backward and then we'll like we could see where the what we can do end of the month.

Gotcha.

Happy New Year's because that's a good year.

Yeah exactly all right so everybody real quick loud sample to chest June 23rd June 23rd in the Baptist church I can't hear you come into your night and direct your report submitted to the subvisor okay wanted to invite you all to consider that you've done a tremendous job in the fall first of all give it up for yourselves because you have some people got a budget a new subcommittee structure how many listening sessions did you all complete about three four four I'm checking I know the number how many people have been engaged so far at the listening sessions roughly what do we say a hundred and forty plus um how many uh social media followers do you not have you have a website there is a there to this Alameda County reparations kind of shit and it's because of your collective efforts working together forming stormy normie let me go back and say stormy because I've been there I'm in all the music but in the labor of love we do this for the culture we do this for our community we're making history but now is you know it's it's it's time.

Showtime.

Showtime.

Not at the Apollo at the Paramount.

So we absolutely are gonna get there.

Why?

Because you all did it in the fall.

We worked with you all this time last year just on simply developing a work plan.

You all not only develop the work plan, you executed listening sessions.

You have people completing surveys and and you know sharing their aspirations and hopes for actual realizing a form of reparations in Alameda County.

So I'm gonna start backwards all the way up to invite you all to consider this timeline.

You don't have to decide on it, love it, vote on it tonight, unless you want to, we will continue this conversation.

But by January 31st, we absolutely so that we can help help us help you, team ECC, land on a timeline that is gonna get you there by January 31st.

By January 31st.

To just arrive at a timeline that you all feel comfortable with, okay?

Alright.

So I'm gonna go backwards and up, right?

So starting at June 23rd, right?

Imagine you all are in the board chambers, and the room is packed, is hot, standing room only, and all the folks in the room, the majority look like us, right?

And they are waiting excited, cheering, because one, they've already read the report, they know y'all, they interacted with you all.

They're just waiting for the formal presentation of your recommendation via included in this action plan report to the Allegheny County Board of Supervisors, right?

Done in order to do that.

Now, some say it takes two weeks, some say it says it takes three, three.

And a board letter for my clerks, my county staff, and the right.

Gotta bag it on up to June 2nd and make sure a board letter is completed and submitted in order to get agenda, just to get the matter heard, okay?

That's June 2nd.

Now we're gonna bag it on up again.

Now we're jumping into May.

So May 29th, because what are we presenting?

When you submit this board letter, you all are saying we're ready.

You know, this baby has been born, and we want to show this baby off to the world.

So May 29th, there should be a final action plan slash report to the ad hoc committee and community partners and allies.

It should not be a surprise or a state secret, what you all will present before the board of supervisors, right?

We encourage it, support it because you all want the supervisors to know it's already been vetted in the committee.

Is it gonna go to the ad hoc committee before it goes to the board and do we make a presentation?

Great conversation.

Right there, uh-huh.

Thank you there, though.

So May 29th, the final action plan report.

We're jumping up to May 27th.

There is the final action plan report by approved by who?

You.

So you all will approve the final action plan report in this meeting, another meeting.

However, you guys are gonna do it, but the report needs to be approved by this body before it goes out to the ad hoc committee one final time and community partners and allies, okay?

Jumping up from that, May 15th.

There is a final draft action plan report and expenditures uh report to the ACRC ad hoc committee.

So this is kind of like we're testing it out.

We think this is the best, we think we got it right, and you may get feedback.

They may say, hey, we have some additional edits.

So that's why you got May 15th, giving the informing change team time to turn it around and incorporate whatever feedback they have and bring it to you all by May 27th.

You all are gonna finalize it, and then you're gonna send it right back to the ad hoc committee or my staffers in the room to ensure that your champions on the board of supervisors also have your latest cleaned draft going into the board of supervisors meeting, okay?

So now we're gonna jump back up to May 8th.

May 8th, this means there's other things that are gonna happen at this meeting, such as a presentation.

It's not just gonna be here's our reporting our recommendations.

There may be a PowerPoint.

There may be handouts.

So this week, by May 8th, whoever's gonna be on the committee of Help Us Look Good and Shine by way of putting together the board presentation and preparation, slide deck, what have you, that process starts May 8th.

Why?

So that by the time the board letter is ready for June 2nd, you already also have your board presentation materials underway.

And if not finalized by then, okay.

Now we're gonna jump up from then.

April.

So April 30th, everywhere you see red, it's for blood, and it means we gotta get it done.

That's the drop dead deadline.

Goal, right?

So April, I think that's 30th, because the arrow cursor is there and I can't see it, but I know there's only 31 days in the month.

So April 30th, there is the action plan report, budget expenditures report to the ad hoc committee.

And this is only a draft that's going to the ad hoc committee by April 30th.

So then we jump up April 15th.

There's the Action Plan report reviewed by the ACRC.

We're living in draft land now.

So this is just like the first draft that you all are reviewing.

Well, it's a slightly cleaned up draft that you all are reviewing from Informing Change.

So you all might rip it to shreds, pull out your red marker in this meeting or in another form of roof, but the point is to give our writing partners, our writing team at Informing Change, 15 days to turn around.

Actually, no, they will have a few weeks from April 15th to May 15th a month to clean up and get the draft ready for its final form.

Okay.

So then we're jumping up to March.

March 25th through the 31st.

The action plan report, draft, will be reviewed by community partners and allies, right?

So this is where if you still want to have touch points with the community, can be Ken Sweeney, it can be, you know, I don't know, any other hidden genius, all the people, kingmakers.

If you want to have those conversations with them between March 25th and March 21st, that can also happen.

But the conversation is about the rough draft, it's not the PowerPoint slide deck that you presented at Taylor Memorial EOY DC out of Tibet, right?

It's this one is the this is what we've heard slide deck that needs to be created, but that's the time to start the conversation early with the community partners about your thinking and about this report so that it's not new information, okay?

So then May 18th, March 18th, excuse me, you have the action plan review ACRC Rough Draft, rough draft land.

You all for the very first time will get a chance to look at it by March 18th.

So that means our writing team from Informing Change will give you all the first glance at the rough draft, okay?

So by March 18th.

So that means we're jumping up to February 27th.

Uh oh, we're getting close.

So February 27th, we need final recommendations from the ACRC, submitted to Informing Change.

Your final level best thinking.

Submit it to the writing team by informing change.

Why?

Because by March 18th, they need to turn around a rough draft for you all.

So then let's jump up to the week prior, February 21st to February 22nd.

Well, we know that Black Joy, my daughter's birthday party week, it's a lot of stuff.

It's like history month, right?

Let's get it done.

So we know that you all during this time period have other listening sessions and pop-ups.

So we're accounting for that, right?

Which is why we said your final recommendations are not, you know, will not be due until February 27th.

So that's giving time for the writing team for you all to incorporate any new feedback information that you've received from the listening sessions phase of your community engagement, right?

So that includes the describe harm to you and your family and you know Alameda County in terms of racism.

Those questions, we're still asking those during this time period in February.

Um we're gonna jump up to February 18th, and this is when the ACRCU all commissioners will submit your draft recommendations on the 18th of February.

On the 18th of February.

This is our level best thinking based on our lived experience, professional experience, what we've read, what we've heard, the presenters, this is what we got.

But before we get there, we got the retreat on January 31st, which is where you all will have an opportunity.

Why?

Because your ECC team will be there to help structure and facilitate and guide you through establishing your rough draft recommendations, okay?

So you have between January 31st and February 18th to finalize your draft recommendations to the writing team, and then the rest is you see the work plan, we need a new work plan.

This isn't a work plan, this is a timeline.

So we need to your subcommittees have crushed your goals for each of the subcommittee planning.

We need to establish new goals for the subcommittees, right?

New tasks.

Um, and then finally we have January 24th through the 30th, conducting the uh community listening sessions and pop-up as such.

Okay, so I just went from the bottom up.

Any questions?

Commissioner Hurstkin here.

So um I totally understand the timeline and follow that.

And the only question I have is once we have that rough draft or to your point where we start socializing of the uh recommendations, yes, and uh commissioner Barry already shared if we don't get into the you know juvenile hall till March sometime.

We're at that point we're socializing the report.

So we're not gathering any more feedback or you can, but it'll be additional information that I mean maybe the writing team.

I'll let Michael speak to how they can handle that additional data.

Okay, that was really the ask.

Like you know, we end up doing that last session in March, but we already have that draft.

How does that get incorporated?

Or do we even incorporate it as part of our data point?

There may be a way to still do it.

I'll let Michael and the informing change team share how they would handle that.

Okay, yeah.

I have a question.

Yeah.

Um, and I know we can't project into the future, so maybe as of today, how many completed surveys do we have from the community uh listening sessions?

Um, and then so that's sort of one question, like real time.

How many have we collected?

Right, and then our aspirations for that total number as well as the survey where people maybe have not attended uh but can make feedback.

I want to understand how much feedback we actually have.

That sounds great, and it's a valid question.

Um, I do believe also Michael and the informing change team that gathered that data because I think Zach shared and Michael, they presented, and he I think he's gonna present it again tonight.

Um, but I know it's a hundred and something.

I don't know how many as a result.

The last time Michael presented, and I feel bad at seven, the last time Michael presented, we were we were at 804 85.

We did Kwanzaa, we got another 38-ish, right?

Plus six additional, so so another 40, so 120 from listening sessions, and then we have what I'm calling the DAR 50 question survey.

That's where we're trying to get 400.

We we had said 400 collective, but we're gonna get 100 and something from listening sessions.

So there are two different surveys that are going out.

They're surveys, you also have actual notes because we've had note takers at every single session, taking verbatim notes.

So you have that as well for just like your rich, thicker description that the writing team will use.

So did the uh quantity event surveys get transition to the informing change thing?

They have them, okay.

So then, so they have okay.

So just progress.

Yeah, so just as a point of reference for us, we should keep an eye on that, right?

We can produce an action plan with these recommendations, but you know, we should consider just how much feedback did we really gather.

The county is really big.

Is that representing one percent of the population, a percentage of the like we should at least have the conversation as we're moving along?

Have we we're not gonna get 90% feedback?

We know that, but like what is that minimum benchmark that we as a commission want to make sure is represented?

Because I, you know, if we stopped it, it was just a hundred, that would feel kind of weird, and I'm not saying that's where we're gonna land, but but as a commissioner, just being aware, yeah, right, of how much feedback have we gathered, and the second layer to that is and where did that feedback come from?

Is it all from one section of the county?

Is it representative of you know all the locations we've been in?

So just cautioning us to actually look at that data and understand how much feedback and from who and where, so that we have good representation when we actually do the reports.

That should be part of our uh the criteria, you know how much because again, the information you've collected is it's wonderful.

It's perspective from across the county, but you all are the representatives and the ambassadors too for our county, so it really also is going to um before you all to determine do you have enough information coupled with your lived experience, professional experience, what you've heard since serving, you know, on the commission to offer up what you've read, what you know to be true to offer up recommendations, okay.

All right, I understand Commissioner Barry's point.

Is there a benchmark or statistically significant enough data?

We discussed that in the DAR group, and they landed at 400, um, about 400.

And so, you know, so there's that, but again, this is before you all to determine do you like this timeline?

Do you love it?

Do you want to do something else?

But this is my level best thinking.

So there's something with you all.

How to move I think that progress over perfection.

So here's what I think.

So here's what I would offer on context.

That we are making, we're making recommendations on our action plan.

We had this much money, this many people, this is the result.

This much time.

This much time, and this is what we're recommending.

You need a million dollar survey.

You need to pay for somebody to um canvas the community.

You need because we beta tested it, it's hard to do.

I don't, I feel like I don't need to say we have point one point percent.

We tried it.

We we lived it.

We're gonna give you an action plan how to do it right.

So I I'm I feel you on the numbers and justification, but I'm like, this is hard.

This is hard.

Well, because a deadline, I mean why and this is what we have.

We're not gonna, you know, this is what we have, this is how we did it, this is how we got here, and this is what we know to be true, and what we're going to recommend that you do.

Because so I I hear you on the numbers, not a lot, and I'm trying to get a lot of numbers, I think it would be good, but I think the fact that we're struggling to get numbers is information by itself.

So, right.

So, and if we wanted to, you know, and I am just staying really clear.

Um, not extend it because we need to put an action plan in the ground, and you know, like others, give me a three million dollar fund, give me a 10 million dollar fund so we can do it right, as opposed to just continually extend, extend, extend.

So I think it's context matters.

You know, how did we do the work?

Why was it hard?

Why was it easy?

What worked?

What didn't work?

I think all of that is what we need to put in that draft.

And they asked us for a draft action plan, it's not a final action plan, it's a draft.

I think that's an excellent suggestion that we actually frame it of what we had to do.

We had to do in the short period of time with a little amount of money and people who were doing it after work.

So I'll do that you have a benchmark.

So that's you'll know where you fell short and to your point, then you can add in the digital context as to why.

How to get that out of that how would you get it if you if we had a clean slate and said, okay, set up, you know, whatever agency, what would be that action?

Okay, let me tell you, this is how you reach the community, is how you do this.

Is it this anyway?

Okay, I'm off my soapbox.

But the timeline, so are people feeling comfortable with the timeline?

I really don't know.

Um, not right.

Go ahead.

Cause we we do have informing changes still on the line.

I know we're running short on time, but I would really um value hearing from Commissioner Small on this matter.

Just very quickly, I I think Commissioner Barry is getting at a very important point.

That just like you said, the context matters, and so we should not treat the information that we're gathering is completely dispositive of what the state of opinion is for the county.

Um, and that we should just be mindful of given who's showing up for listing sessions, given who we're doing outreach for for the getting particular kinds of information, and if if we can sort of infer what kind of voice is being left out, then what what gaps are there in our recommendations?

I think that's a fair um thing to keep in mind.

That's yeah, for sure.

Commissioner Sass.

Oh, Commissioner Sass or or one of the things that we need to impart is it has taken hundreds of years to get to this point of desperation and destitution, and you've given us three years and a few hundred dollars to try to figure it out, and that's if we start framing it with the this is what we did, and this is how that can be the overall context of hey, this is what we got because of the limited resources, and it's taken a long time to get here, and this is all we were given to move it forward.

Yeah, that's what we've got.

Okay, okay, so uh can we can I can we because we're just so short of time.

Can we bring up the informing change?

Are you there, Michael Arnold?

Yeah, um here, hello, everyone can hear me.

Okay, yes, yes, all right.

Um is it possible for me to share screen or no?

Yeah, you she's gonna promote you our um, thank you.

Um I just want to um follow up and thank you all for all these perspectives.

I I share a lot of these feelings, and especially also about who's joining as panelists.

That was yesterday.

Right now we don't have we don't have a choice around the timing much, but um it is what it is.

Uh and I I do want to say that the other thing I understand about statistical significance, the importance of that, and I also always try to um hit statistical significance with meaningfully significant.

So, what here is meaningfully significant.

I think the way that you talked about it here, and even if we don't have the numbers as high as as something would be important for statistical significance, the the breadth of uh communities that are engaging while wouldn't cover everyone would still be meaningfully significant.

Um, and I think the other thing I want to um second was what Latisa was bringing up too, was really about that third piece, um, in addition to where did the data come from and and who'd you get it from, but like how are you using it for your recommendations?

And I think that's really gonna be important to how the framing of this report goes as well.

Um I really I want to share really quickly a few things.

The first is can you all see the report outline?

Yeah, it's showing this.

Great.

So this is just an overview of where the outline is gonna go um or where the report is gonna go, the action report.

Um, so it'll be some introductory language.

And I also have another screen up that I could show of like the stuff we've already started writing.

But for the interest of time, I'll just sort of go through this a little quickly.

Some of the report overview, so what the reader can expect with board supervisors can expect.

So whatever the core recommendations are that come out of this group, whether it be more surveying and more outreach needs to be done, or specific recommendations that apply to specific um county areas.

I think that stuff is going to be, I want to like list it in bold up front.

And then this third piece under here, developing the recommendations.

This is where the language that you're all talking about, and um Commissioner Sasses had mentioned stuff of like, you know, what is this committee?

What is the commission process?

How is this process gone?

This is where we'd really we're putting in language right now and sort of talking about this in sort of broad strokes of what is being done.

But I think some of those um more in-depth pieces of like what has been some of the time constraints, or what have been some of the hurdles, or what have you really significantly um achieved or overcome from your perspective, putting your perspective and your voice into this.

Um, this is where I would love to see that feedback and that input come in.

I do think that we could jump into some of this earlier.

Um, so you you we don't have to wait till we get the whole draft report for you to get input on this.

Um, and so maybe if there's even a few people who really want to have a hand in like how you're sharing the narrative of what the commission's process has been, um, you could reach out to me, reach out through um Letitia and ECC, um, and maybe we can compile a smaller group to kind of just really focus on crafting that language.

And again, we can start that soon.

We can start that early.

That doesn't have to wait till the end um and get those things done.

Um we are my team is now also working on the context.

We're building that from some of the slides that have already been shared before, as well as the data and documents, um, and I'll show you in a second.

Um, we've compiled all the resources that have been put on SharePoint, added our own and tagged and developed this whole database of um resources.

And so we're doing sort of a general broad strokes of what is some of the background, um, both around reparations, around the harms, around some of the previous actions that have really worked, both in in black communities as well as outside of Black communities.

Um, and then um talking about some of the examples of reparative action and um, but the the big real piece that this is supposed to lead into are the recommendations.

I think because of the way that this approach is set up where we're not actually taking the surveys, we're not so much taking the surveys and then trying to respond to them.

It's almost like there's both developing the recommendations and using the surveys and using the listening sessions.

And so what we want to be able to do and what we're doing now as we code the data as we do the analyses is to fit those numbers, those responses into what those recommendations are.

So again, I think the question is how are you going to use that data to inform your recommendations?

Are we using it as a supplement to what you're recommending?

Or is this something that's going into your process and thinking of what your actual recommendations are?

Are you bringing these recommendations back to the community to stress test them with with communities, see what um different communities and groups want out of these recommendations?

Those types of things, um, again, we need to finesse that to so we can understand both how to write that up in part three and what goes into part five.

Um, and we can just include here are the survey numbers, the data and all of that under four, but I think it'll be more meaningful if we can attach them to the actual recommendations under five.

And so that's what we're trying to sort of like balance with you as we go through.

Um we the different uh sort of reparative or or reparations um actions and recommendations can come under these county domains as um Chair Gore has sort of set those up.

Those are the um appropriations areas.

Um, and then as Commissioner Swall is also listed from the California um task force, um, you have these different areas too.

And so we're we're sort of looking and holding to these sort of buckets in the way that we're organizing our information and the way that we'll be hopefully sharing them when we go up into those uh recommendations.

Um, I also want to emphasize that with these recommendations, there's broad recommendations, and then they're supposed to be attached to these an action plan.

So, what's the short, medium, and long term actions to achieve those recommendations?

So, this is a two-pronged area along with like the Do you have a copy of this, Michael?

Do we have a copy?

So it's all it's actually all on the SharePoint right now under the informing change folder.

I think in the report.

So if you're on SharePoint right now, you can actually follow this along right on your your computer phone.

Um, but you'll have this, and if you want to also um add comments to this and a note this, um, and then just ping me, let me know that something's in here.

Um, we can come back and see your own comments too if you want to take time to digest and sit with them.

Um, so this is this is sort of the framework that's going in currently into how you're thinking about recommendations.

Um, and I think this is part of what you'll be um doing at the end of the month and really thinking through what your recommendations are.

Um, this is just a quick note so you can see the some of Zach pulled together from the listening session surveys.

This is not the full listening sessions, like all the qualitative data.

This is just the open-ended question from the surveys around the types of recommendations that people are asking.

And again, um, Commissioner Barry's like this.

This is sort of the types of things that can inform where your recommendations are going if you are trying to base it on what the community members are saying.

Conversely, as you think of your recommendations, we are then able to pull this out and say, and this is supported by what the community says.

So just to clarify, there are two ways of approaching this, and I think you just need to settle on which way is really going to fit with um the timing and the mode of how you're thinking about uh developing these recommendations.

Um, I think with this, also having some of these nailed down, like some of these recommendations nailed down.

We as a team, as I said, we are we've built built this air table database of reports.

Um, we're adding to it, and every time we find new things, we have different document types, different geographies.

Um, we've tagged all of these according to all of these types of all these bullet point areas, and so hopefully we'll be able to sort of pull out um based on whatever your recommendations are.

Let's say it's an education, we'll be able to go to the documents that are all tagged with education, find the relevant documents related to the recommendations that you're exploring or the recommendations you're you're landing on, um, and hopefully pull out supporting information from the reports, and hopefully, depending on if there's also something in there that's like, oh, with education, something that's in education is also tagged as a solution or proposed intervention.

We can then substantiate some of your recommendations with additional thoughts on action steps that can help move you a little faster towards what would be that action plan to get to that recommendation.

I don't know, and of course, we don't know everything that's in here until we sort of start digging into some of these.

Um I can't say that like, oh, there is a solution intervention report under criminal justice.

Um, there might be and there might not be, but once we know which ones you're really focused on, we can pull out the specific reports.

But all of this now is a database that we have set up and we have at hand to pull this out and give to you.

And again, this is sort of just a visual of what Letitia had shared with you, pretty much this exactly the same timeline as she was uh sharing from the ECC end.

And just noting that we have actually the three rounds of uh review and feedback between March and May.

Um, it's a very short time.

We would need the recommendations.

We would it would be nice to have the recommendations in February and February and March kind of building into the action plan.

Um, so it'll be good to start with just broad recommendations, move towards an action plan.

In the meantime, you'll have time to sort of review, flesh out some of the report.

I think, especially in what is your process, what is the conditions process then?

Um kind of quickly getting to drafting and finalizing this with the reviews, um, and then submitting by June 30.

So it's it's it's a short timeline.

I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything about this.

Um, I don't think you need it sugarcoated, but um, just wanted to share um those highlights about the timing of things.

Any questions, um question?

Yeah, I would suggest I would just suggest that there be an integration of um both what we've heard and both what we think.

You suggest we can go one way or the other.

My sense is we could probably incorporate both.

I thank you so much for the outline, and um so um do we uh does anybody want to make a motion on especially the timeline, or we can table it and I'll definitely call for the action at the retreat on the 31st or commitment to a timeline, um, or we can approve what we saw here with the outlook outline provided by informing change.

It's an action item.

So pop-up session is an action item, which we're back to that, and then set the agenda for year and retreat because both action.

Yeah, we've got I'm trying to collapse the focus up because it's 802.

Can we can we do it at the retreat?

Can we?

Okay, so uh so that gets us to item then uh ECC.

I think you that update you did, thank you.

Data collection.

Oh, sorry to uh tell you to give your commissioner Vardak this 11th hour.

Do you want to share any information on what you're doing?

What what I'm now calling the larger survey from the DAR group.

You're still there.

Yeah, thank you.

All right, it was an information item, uh website update.

Commissioner Barry.

Commissioner Barry, website update.

There was a request that we do some headshots and bios, and you added that of us like months ago.

Yeah, you're and we still haven't done it for you, but what do you what do you think?

Yeah.

Very briefly, um, so the collective action page is done.

So if you go on the site, you'll see that that page is done.

The only there was um outstanding item.

Everyone asked about um, you know, being able to highlight and share a little about who we are.

I don't know if folks still want to do that or not, but it would require a headshot from all of us and um a three to five sentence, very short bio from all of us in order for the developer to work on it.

The only question there uh, I have them looking at the coding on the page, because we can't change the chart.

So I want to be really really clear that chart has to stay there, pulls directly from the county, but they're examining the coding to see if we can put content above and or beneath the chart.

So if it's your pleasure to have that information there, that's what they'll work on next.

Uh if we don't want to do that, that's fine too.

We could um, you know, just to decide we don't want to do that and and use the time elsewhere.

Couldn't just have its own page.

You instead of having it, you know, stack or embed with each other, you you know, because when it does say the commissioner, you could say commissioner X and then Commissioner BIOS, and then the BIOS could send us to a clean page.

Yeah, there's a number of ways we could we could create architecture.

Um, I'm saying laying it on top with that official poll seems like a nightmare.

Uh it depends on the coding, but but again, there's a number of ways.

I'm I wasn't asking about architecture, y'all.

Do we want this?

That's we want to spend their time doing this?

It's kind of late in the game, but it feels pretty late, but it was on the list, and I haven't gotten everything from everyone, not doing it.

So that's why I said, hey, do we still want this or not?

Well, hearing nothing, uh, let's just table it, right?

I mean, we we couldn't take a vote on it anyway, but the fact that you're not getting any feedback and people uh or the commission, just table that since we do have the the you know the official link.

Yep.

Sounds good.

Uh Chair Gore, are there so last round?

Any I think we've gone through the full list of what we did ask for in terms of our website.

Um so want to give everyone opportunity, go ahead and look at it if there's anything else you want to see or additional resources.

I've been asked for resources about 20 times.

Um please send that to me.

Otherwise, I won't I won't keep asking us, right?

I'll I'll say hey, we're done, and we'll be done.

Voting, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Thank you, Chair.

Okay.

Uh so that's the website and then budget updates, um, vendor approval process.

I know we've been, you know, a broken record on this, but Larry, do you want to emphasize the two weeks?

Yeah, so and then um Aaron, please um add more details if needed.

Uh when it comes to food, that was it it started off simple and it got very complicated.

Um we uh each and every food vendor needs to go through a particular process, which is quote separate.

They submit a quote, they send it to Aaron.

Aaron has to get that quote approved by the finance team.

Once it's approved, then that same vendor needs to send an invoice that says invoice and not quote.

And this is where our food vendors get mixed up a lot of times because they're like, I already sent it to you.

Nope, it has to say invoice only.

Sometimes they say quote in invoice on it, and and Aaron has to reject it.

So the second interaction is a just a pure invoice and then we can process payment.

When I was trying to look for Pleasanton vendors, and I was explaining to restaurant owners the process before they agreed to do it.

They just gave up.

They're like, no, like if you can't just go online and just order through Doordash or whatever, I don't want to deal with it, it's too complicated.

So I just want to bring that up.

Um different than Roderick's.

Like we had a relationship there, and he went through the process because of the connection.

So if we have a connection to a food operator, they're more willing to go through the process.

So if you have those type of connections, elevate them to me and then I can try to vet them for the process of being our food vendor.

Um, we can't use the same vendor over and over again.

It has to be a new vendor.

That's our cap is 3k per vendor for the year.

That's 3k, that's it.

We can't use them no more.

So we kind of went over whatever.

And then um on one of our vendors, uh, so we need new vendors all the time.

We have a um a handful of listening sessions left that we just want to uh get through for the 24th.

We're gonna do uh safe way using the cards for the 28th, we're gonna order pizza, and we got to figure out what food vendor we want for um the one in February.

So I mean we have enough time, so if we wanted to onboard someone, schedule them now, that would be incredible.

Aaron would love that if we had that food vendor locked in.

Yeah, I tried to uh explain the process.

Maybe you can you and I can get on three way.

But yeah, it's the administrative element that is kind of yeah, for only three thousand dollars to have to jump through all those hoops is crazy.

If they could be a vendor and you know, uh various events throughout the year and not have a cap, that'd be one thing.

But for 3,000, it's like why am I gonna go through that when I can get a catering job for 15?

So I understand reticence.

You got it, you got it.

You know, you know exactly the the pain point.

They're like not doing all of this stuff.

Um and they have things going on, and we want them to deliver all this other stuff, so um that's where we're at right now.

As far as uh vendors, our uh our vendor team is pretty awesome.

They've been showing up.

Uh I've started to just bulk request them for events so that's the that's my new strategy is instead of doing it the week before two weeks before hey can you come to all I just ask them if they can come all the events that's on there so if you let me know like hey I want our therapist I want this person just let me know and I can just continue to add it on my email thread um and then uh uh Aaron did you want to add anything?

I think we just wanted to check in on the upcoming listing session someone needs to go take the gift cards and purchase the food at Safeway and pick it up and bring it to the session.

I can do that I just need that I need a hair count like I'm with Safeway you have to still order trays in advance.

Yeah I can't order the day of that I ran into that before I need 48 hours.

I think the head count's pretty low for that one and we're 25 right now.

I don't think it's gonna get higher for Pleasanton yeah I don't think it's gonna get higher okay and that being said it does seem like that would probably be the best thing for the uh uh the Newark one also so if you yeah sadly so I'll talk to my friend who was going to be a service and she can show up anyway and be part of the listening session but I'll I'll uh yeah okay all right and will you take care of the 28th or we're gonna take the pizza it's a pizza order I mean like I can pull my card out and pre-order that we'll use this card we can use this card I need you had said you were gonna order pizza with this card there's 300 left that should get you the pizza and the safety we only have 150 left I think she needed to she'll take care of the pizza order and the safe way order that should be enough that 124th and the 28th yeah and she needed there's plenty of paper goods and everything so water paper goods all of those uh oh just really just one I'll just make it quick if we if we're gonna dive into the budget whatever uh so we're looking pretty good on the budget there's a couple different line items that we're gonna have to move money between one is our facilitator um been using it tapping into that budget that has a balance of 450 dollars so I have to move money up to make sure that we can have our facilitator to meet rest of our listening sessions and then um and I'm gonna work with the library to verify this but uh we ordered all our swag our tents our tables like that and I think we want over in that line item that's how I verify with the the uh library and so uh we would need to move money to make that that line item zero uh but for the most part uh we still have uh 288 thousand nine hundred and three dollars left to be spent between now and June like we're not for the overall budget we're nowhere near the red line and we still have plenty of money we have the online survey money that we haven't really uh dived into we still have a significant amount of money for pop-ups um and so uh the only other area that we don't we have 250 dollars left for the website but I think Commissioner Barry you settled all of that uh we don't need to pay them anymore okay so there's two fifty I might just move up to that negative line item but for the most part uh we're doing pretty good and the projections for our photographer videographer all of those we should have enough money including food we should have enough money to take us through March if that's when we're gonna stop yeah I just want to add one quick thing um so for if you're doing your pop-ups and you want to bring t-shirts or any that sort of stuff just send me an email I'll connect you with our administrative services folks you'll have to come down to the remont location but you can pick up any of that sort of stuff there so just let me know ahead of time we'll connect you with them you did it today so for the commissioners who came late there's a swag bag over there for you.

Uh it has your name on it and you and it has the items so it's a cup, it's the mighty, it's an umbrella.

The size you you need to tell me the size of the there's a sample of each size.

Uh tell me what size you want, and we'll bring the t sh at the uh year end the year end review retreat.

So go get your swipe and then you'll know what you, you know.

Hey, I want I want to I want to get a whole bunch of cups.

Whoops, okay.

So so you know what we have available by what's in the uh swag bags.

Okay.

Okay, uh let's see.

And then any subcommittee for the good of the order, I think we've covered every subcommittee.

Yeah, uh, we don't have anything else left to cover on listening.

Okay, uh, I just want to lift up so the um Oakland Asian um community center is sharing a reparation, a filming the film on reparations.

Um, it's by John Osaki.

I don't know if you guys know Don Tamaki, he served on the state task force, and then Pastor Mike, their hosting event, and maybe I can post a public comment on this or post a something public on January 25th, the Sunday from 2 to 4 at the 389th Street at their facility, of course.

Uh so if we could support that reparations filming, uh that would be great.

I just got it on my calendar.

Seven, huh?

Item seven.

The agenda for the year and retreat.

I think we I think we covered it when we were going to timeline.

Okay, the timeline's the uh retreat, the time.

Well, we're gonna bring for the retreat and oh the two big items.

I'm sorry, thank you.

The two big items for the retreat is uh there's the facilitator.

What's Amy's last name?

Amy's last name.

So we're gonna have two big coppola sickles, McDonald Coppola sickles.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So there's two big components for our retreat.

Um there's the uh the task side of it, which is what are the projects and what are the deadlines we're doing for the second half, and then there's a group dynamics part.

So Amy's gonna facilitate the group uh dynamics.

We're gonna go into a closed session, so it's not gonna be public.

Um, and then we're gonna also uh so that we can um be sure to have a uh good functioning group going into the last stretch here, and then we're gonna spend three hours on everybody's recommendations.

So please come with recommendations.

Look at Chad and template and look, and I laid on top of it the um UN principals, come with whatever recommendations you have because we're gonna source that during that time.

So that's what our okay, tell you, yes, or Commissioner Barley.

Yes, I was just wondering, will we get another reminder of it, or should we just put it in our books now?

Because I know we changed the time.

So you always put it in your book now.

Okay, know that you'll necessarily get a calendar invite.

I mean, we post, we have to post it's a public event.

So anything public gets posted, so you can always look at our website, or you could just, you know, search reparations, January 31st, and you're gonna see an agenda because we post everything.

So uh, but I don't think we have a process where you send us a calendar invite every time.

Do you yeah?

So we don't have that process.

Sorry.

Okay, just want to double check.

Thank you.

Yeah, but CC has been kind or the library, but anybody could set it up and send it out to tell you the truth.

Yes, Mr.

McClendon, you have your hand raised.

Oh no, I was I was gonna try to share a screen, but I'm not doing that.

Yeah, I'm gonna go to that.

Okay.

Thank you for the okay.

So for thank you.

Uh meeting your turn.

Bye, buddy.

I don't have your flag badge.