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Record of Proceedings

Alameda County Reparations Commission Meeting February 17, 2026: Russell City Tree Removal and Action Plan Timeline

Board of Supervisors — Tuesday, February 17, 2026
BodyAlameda County, California
SessionBoard of Supervisors
DateTuesday, February 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:10:08
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

So wait for a minute here.

0:05

Okay, good evening, happy new year.

0:07

Welcome to the uh Alameda County Reparations Commission meeting.

0:14

We'll jump right into the agenda here.

0:17

We have the uh health order and roll call.

0:22

Commissioner Commissioner Bazil.

0:28

Commissioner Barry excused.

0:30

Commissioner Burleson, excused, Commissioner Jones excused.

0:34

Commissioner.

0:35

I'm here.

0:36

Alan's here.

0:38

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

0:46

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

0:53

My apology, okay.

0:58

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

1:01

Commissioner Knowles, Commissioner McClendon, Commissioner Sass, excuse.

1:06

Commissioner Small, excuse, Commissioner Varlack, excused.

1:10

We do not have quorum.

1:11

We do not have that this time.

1:14

Are there any public comments?

1:19

The agenda items.

1:21

Any public home.

1:25

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.

1:56

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

2:02

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

2:10

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

2:17

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

2:21

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

2:25

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

2:37

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.

2:49

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

2:54

Okay.

2:56

Hello, my name is Marion Johnson.

2:58

I'm member of Russell City.

3:02

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.

3:21

Um so since the museum went into the exhibit stage.

3:27

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.

3:43

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

3:53

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.

4:20

Um, why did they cut it down?

4:23

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

4:29

Uh uh passed out uh information about the tree.

4:34

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.

4:47

That's what we have to find out.

4:49

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

4:55

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

4:59

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

5:08

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

5:14

Uh, but that didn't happen.

5:16

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.

5:29

What was the point?

5:33

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

5:40

When did you when did we find out about this?

5:43

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

5:48

And I'm like, what do you mean?

5:50

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

6:00

So it had to occur way before then.

6:04

Yeah.

6:05

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

6:10

That takes months.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████61%
Historic Preservation█████████12%
Racial Equity███████10%
Procedural██████8%
Fiscal Sustainability███4%
Youth Programs█2%
Affordable Housing█1%
Economic Development█1%
Arts And Culture█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Alameda County Reparations Commission Meeting - February 17, 2026

The Alameda County Reparations Commission held a regular meeting on February 17, 2026. The meeting initially lacked a quorum but later achieved it after additional commissioners arrived. Key topics included the unauthorized removal of a historic tree in Russell City, updates on community pop-up sessions, and a proposed timeline for completing the action plan report to the Board of Supervisors by June 23, 2026.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of November 2025 Minutes: Motion by Commissioner Bazil, seconded. Approved with abstentions from commissioners not present in November (Barry, Burleson, etc.).
  • Approval of December 2025 Minutes: Motion and second. Approved with a correction (first name spelling). Abstentions as noted.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Marion Johnson (Russell City family member): Expressed deep distress over the tree being cut down and ground out. The tree was planted by her great-grandfather in 1963 as a marker. She questioned why it was removed despite being healthy and protected by city ordinances. Noted the land was taken via eminent domain but later sold to private owner Cabot & Forbes.
  • Carolyn Johnson (sister): Described the tree as the last living vestige of Russell City, used by her mother for decades. She alleged the tree was intentionally targeted due to its historical significance. Demanded investigation into policy violations and memorialization. Criticized the use of eminent domain proceeds to expand Santa Rita Prison.
  • Michael Johnson (brother): Stated the tree was cut to erase history; noted fences went up after the city apology in 2022. Emphasized ongoing harm to the community.
  • Kristen Johnson (great-grandchild): Mentioned media coverage by ABC's Julian Glover.
  • CJ (Carolyn’s daughter): Created a petition (262 signatures) corrected to blame private owners. Shared personal frustration as a renter in Hayward.

Discussion Items

  • Russell City Tree Removal (Item 5):

    • Commissioner Barry reported that the city of Hayward did not cut the tree; it was on private property. City inquiries to the owner are outstanding. Tree removal ordinance was updated in August 2025, but applicability unclear.
    • Commissioner Gore proposed a special meeting dedicated to this issue, a letter to the Board of Supervisors, and leveraging public pressure. Supervisor Marquez’s office (Rodney LaShea) offered support and confirmed a petition with corrected facts.
    • Commissioners discussed potential remedies: memorial plaque, replanting, or creating a public easement. Family requested land back and permanent memorial.

  • Pop-Up Session Updates and Cutoff (Action Item):

    • Commissioners reported multiple pop-ups in planning: black history month event (Feb 14), Black Joy parade (Feb 22), EOYDC (Jan 28), juvenile hall/Camp Sweeney, Chabot College, and others.
    • Discussion on setting a hard cutoff for new pop-ups to begin report writing. Proposed dates ranged from March 15 to end of March. No motion passed; deferred to retreat.
    • Informing Change presented a timeline: draft recommendations due Feb 18 (commissioners) and Feb 27 (final to team), rough draft report by March 18, final report approved May 27, board letter June 2, presentation June 23.
    • Commissioners expressed concerns about sample size (approx. 120 surveys from listening sessions) and representativeness. Decided to include context of limited resources in the report.

  • Website Update (Commissioner Barry):

    • Collective action page completed. Pending commissioner bios and headshots; decision deferred due to lack of interest.

  • Budget Update (Larry & Aaron):

    • Food vendor process requires a quote, then separate invoice; cap of $3,000 per vendor per year complicates catering. New vendor for Feb listening session needed. Overall budget healthy ($288K remaining). Swag bags available.

  • Retreat Planning (January 31, 2026):

    • Facilitator Amy Coppola-Sickles will lead closed session on group dynamics; three hours dedicated to drafting commissioner recommendations.

Key Outcomes

  • Tree Removal: Directed staff to draft a letter to the Board of Supervisors and city of Hayward requesting investigation, owner identification, policy review, and memorial options. Special meeting to be scheduled.
  • Pop-Up Cutoff: No formal vote; will be finalized at the retreat on January 31.
  • Action Plan Timeline: Endorsed in principle; commissioners to submit draft recommendations by Feb 18 using template with UN principles.
  • Minutes Approved: November and December 2025 minutes approved as amended.
  • Upcoming Events:
    • EOYDC pop-up: Jan 28, 5-7 PM (pizza provided).
    • Newark listening session: Feb 14 (Black History Month event).
    • Black Joy parade: Feb 22 (tentative booth).
    • Chabot College pop-up: March 14 or 21 (pending).

Meeting Transcript

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.

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