Fairview MAC Meeting Discusses Crime Technology and Office of Unincorporated Communities – April 8, 2026
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Fairview Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) Meeting – April 8, 2026
The Fairview Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) met on April 8, 2026, at 5:00 PM. The meeting covered a presentation from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office on crime technology (informational) and a presentation and vote on recommendations to establish an Office of Unincorporated Communities (OOUC). Public comments were heard on both items and on the Orinda redistricting process.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of March 3, 2026, meeting minutes: The minutes were approved unanimously. Roll call: Councilmember Philbin (aye), Councilmember Rhodes (aye), Chair Englin (aye). (Councilmember Farmer and Higgins were excused.)
Public Comments & Testimony
- Officer Popst (CHP): Reported on March traffic enforcement in Fairview: 35 traffic citations, 5 non-injury crashes, 3 injury crashes, 1 DUI arrest, zero stolen vehicles recovered. Announced upcoming speed enforcement period (April 28–29) and new CHP officers arriving April 20.
- Matt Turner and Rita Duncan: Spoke in support of community participation in the Orinda Sanitary District’s redistricting process (shifting from at-large to by-district elections). Encouraged residents to use youmapit.com and attend the April 14 board meeting.
- Peter Rosen: Criticized the complexity of county government structures and urged residents to understand the actual org chart rather than make assumptions.
- Keith Barrows: Raised concern that some proposed redistricting maps for Orinda split San Lorenzo in half; urged community input.
- On Item 1 (crime technology):
- Keith Barrows: Expressed strong support for continuing license plate reader (LPR) technology, calling it a “no-brainer” and warning that losing it would make Fairview a “Mecca for car thefts.”
- Mimi Dean: Expressed support for technology but raised questions about 24/7 staffing, use for red-light enforcement, and drone flight restrictions near airports.
- Rita Duncan: Voiced support for the technology, asking about data baseline, incident categories, camera locations, human trafficking use, drone hijacking risks, and cost.
- Peter Rosen: Had questions about projected staff growth and noted that “San Leandro Hill” is actually Castro Valley (Fairmont Terrace/Fairmont Ridge).
- On Item 2 (Office of Unincorporated Communities):
- Peter Rosen: Lauded the report, expressed initial skepticism but became supportive. Emphasized need for measurable outcomes, transparency in county budget spending, and ensuring the OOUC doesn’t bypass MACs.
- Chuck Meadows: Called for the office to be independent, with direct regular meetings with the Board of Supervisors (BOS) and authority to enforce action. Cited the sidewalk vending ordinance as an example of cross-agency failure.
- Mimi Dean: Highlighted a five-year unresolved issue (Bachman Road sidewalks) and stressed accountability. Asserted that unincorporated residents deserve same services as cities and that funding is available (citing discretionary funds).
- Rita Duncan: Emphasized need for the office to have real authority over entrenched department heads, and suggested staff live in the unincorporated area.
- Matt Turner: Praised the report for taking a systemic view, but warned that past county initiatives (e.g., Baker Tilly report) gathered dust; hoped this time would be different.
- Keith Barrows: Recalled that the OOUC idea dates back to the Eden Area Livability Initiative and now is the right time; supported moving forward with amendments discussed.
- Brenda Clark: Expressed frustration with lack of clear contact points for county services; endorsed a centralized hub/brochure.
- Charles: Supported a single entry point for county services, especially for non-English speakers; favored Option 2 (approve with amendments).
Discussion Items
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Item 1: Alameda County Sheriff’s Office Use of Crime Technology (Informational) Sergeant Cully presented the Real-Time Information Center (ARTIC) which integrates automated license plate readers (Flock LPRs), pan-tilt-zoom Condor cameras, and a drone first responder program. Emphasized that data is not shared with ICE or federal agencies and is used only for law enforcement. Reported that since implementing LPRs, auto theft in unincorporated areas dropped from over 1,000 (2022) to under 200 annually. The drone program (since November 2025) has responded to 149 calls, located 77 people, and cleared 16 calls without patrol. Stressed that the Board of Supervisors will vote on the LPR program on April 21 and that opposition came from outside the unincorporated area. Council members asked about staff capacity (three people, not 24/7), integration with schools, use for fireworks enforcement, and security concerns. Sergeant Cully confirmed that Castro Valley drones will cover Fairview and that the D Street camera was vandalized and will be relocated.
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Item 2: Recommendations for Establishing an Office of Unincorporated Communities (Action Item) Brianne Gialla presented findings from interviews, research, and case studies from other counties. Key findings: fragmented governance, coordination challenges, communication breakdowns, organizational culture focused on compliance rather than outcomes, and disconnect between policy and budgeting. Recommended a three-year pilot office within the County Administrator’s Office with five core functions: representing unincorporated communities, leading cross-agency initiatives (starting with development permit reform), serving as a communications hub, administering the MACs, and engaging in budget processes. Emphasized need for BOS-granted convening authority and a lean three-person staff. Council and public comments raised concerns about authority, independence, and accountability. After discussion, the MAC voted to recommend the office to the Board of Supervisors with specific amendments.
Key Outcomes
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Vote on Office of Unincorporated Communities: The MAC voted to recommend (motion by Councilmember Rhodes, second by Councilmember Philbin) that the BOS approve the proposed OOUC and move to Phase 2 planning with amendments:
- The office should be independent (not embedded in the CAO’s office) with its own budget line item.
- The office must provide at least quarterly status reports to the Board of Supervisors.
- The coordinator/administrator should reside in the unincorporated area of Alameda County.
- The current consultant, Brianne Gialla, should be retained as coordinator during the pilot period. Roll call: Councilmember Philbin (aye), Councilmember Rhodes (aye), Chair Englin (aye). (Councilmember Farmer and Higgins were excused.) Motion passed 3-0.
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Chair’s report: Noted that the fireworks ordinance roadshow is complete and will go to BOS in April. CHP speed enforcement days April 28–29. Weed abatement notices coming soon in Fairview.
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Councilmember Philbin: Announced annual Veterans Day event at Lone Tree Cemetery on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 1:00 PM.
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Staff update: Sidewalk work on 2nd Street ongoing; HARD (Housing and Community Development) and parking lot update not yet ready for presentation.
Meeting adjourned at 8:56 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everybody. Welcome to the April 7th Fair Review Mac meeting. First item, Pledge of Allegiance. Ms. Philbin, will you lead us in that? Thank you. And can we get a member roll call, please? Council Councilmember Farmer, excused Councilmember Higgins. Councilmember Philbin here. Councilmember Rhodes. Chair England. Here. We have a quorum. Thank you. We'll move on to opening public comments. You have three minutes to speak on anything not on the agenda tonight. If you wish to speak, please turn in a card over here to Ashley. First speaker is Officer Popst. Can you guys hear me okay? All right. Do I need to get closer or a little bit? All right. Yes, my command presence. All right. Well, it's nice to see you all. I hope you're enjoying this beautiful weather and say staying safe out there. In March, we were pretty proactive in the Fairview area. We issued 35 traffic citations. There were five non-injury crashes and three injury crashes. We had one DUI arrest. There were no stolen vehicles recovered in the community, but uh the sheriff's office also reports on those stats as well. So we didn't have any. Uh, I just wanted to point out that Officer Barcini has a trainee right now, so he's a field training officer. So he is showing the trainee, the community of Fairview and explaining him the importance of community policing. However, he can't spend as much time in Fairview due to the fact that he has to uh show the trainee the different areas of the entire community that we patrol. Let's see, today is uh Golden Gate Division's distract distracted driving enforcement day. So hopefully you didn't see us or get stopped by us today. Um but maybe you did see us out on patrol, and there's a lot of us out there, so that's what we're doing. We're focusing on distracted driving when it comes to cell phones, eating, doing your makeup. Uh, there's a plethora of things that people do while driving, and we want you to focus on driving so that you don't get into a vehicle crash. Uh can ongoing enforcement that we have. We went out to 2nd Street. Um, we're patrolling that area more often. And I've also sent our senior volunteers through the area to report back to us if uh Officer Barceni is busy at the time or the beat unit is busy as well. And as always, D Street and Fairview at Oaks, the main thoroughfares through Fairview. We're continuing to monitor. Upcoming events, April 28th and 29th. We have the first uh maximum enforcement period for our entire department, and that focus is going to be on speed. So this is your warning. You shouldn't speed at all, but definitely not on that day.
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