Okay, good evening everyone.

I've called the unincorporated services meeting to order for the board of supervisors.

Clerk want to take the role.

Supervisor Chand.

Present.

Supervisor Miley.

Present.

Okay, if we could have this instructions for Spanish translation.

Yes.

Brittany will give the instructions for Spanish interpretation.

Yes, I will.

Hi everyone.

Good evening.

My name is Brittany.

I'm one of your Spanish interpreters.

Along with my colleague, Miss Noemi, we will be providing Spanish interpretation services.

And we do encourage everyone to please choose the channel in case anyone that's monolingual decides to participate, you will be able to hear the interpretation in real time.

Seleccionalo y por favor busque language interpretation.

Busque Spanish or Espanyol.

I am done with the instructions.

Thank you very much, and back to you.

So we have any other instructions this evening.

For remote participation, you can follow the teleconferencing guidelines posted at www.acgov.org and use the raise your hand function to speak.

All right, thank you.

So it's been requested that we move item three to the beginning.

So we'll take that information item first, proposed fireworks ordinance update.

Thank you for uh having me again tonight.

Uh my name's Curtis Imperial.

I'm a sergeant with our Alameda County Sheriff's Office property crimes unit uh at the Eden Township substation, and I'm here to give uh the committee an update on uh the ordinance draft that I presented to you on March 25th, uh specifically uh with some modifications to the appeals process, uh which would include uh using a neutral hearing officer uh rather than the board of zoning adjustments.

Uh that was presented in in the previous draft.

This came about when County Council was doing some research in regards to one of your questions if the BCA could use uh testimony under oath uh during the appeals process, and while they were reviewing Title 17 of the Alameda County Municipal Code, uh determined that uh the BZA actually lacked the jurisdiction and authority to act as the appeals uh body for our proposed fireworks ordinance.

Um they further determine that the BCA only has jurisdiction over land use issues.

So for example, where the county issues conditional use of uh permits.

So therefore the BCA uh will not be utilized in this ordinance uh for the appeals process.

So as a result of not using the BZA, uh the appeals process again will uh now utilize a neutral hearing officer, uh, which will be contracted or appointed by the county of Alameda.

Um, but the same appeal timelines previously presented will apply.

Since we're using a neutral hearing officer, uh a neutral hearing officer was added to the definitions to the draft ordinance, uh, in which it states pursuant to the authority granted to the board of supervisors by government code section 25845 subvision I, the Alameda County Administrator's Office may contract for the services of a neutral hearing officer as appropriate, who may be compensated for their services.

The uh steps in appealing, uh, we change those up a little bit.

Um so any person aggrieved by an administrative decision by a hearing officer may obtain review of the administrative decision by filing a petition for review with the Alameda County Superior Court in accordance with the timelines and provisions as set forth in California Government Code section 530 69.4.

Um a person may appeal the decision of a neutral hearing officer in writing within 20 calendar days after service of the final decision issued by the neutral hearing officer pursuant uh to California government code section.

Uh it's the same one, 530 69.4, but subdivision B of uh with the Alameda County Superior Court.

So basically it's the same process, however, uh instead of uh appealing the BZA's uh decision, they'll be appealing a neutral hearing officer's decision, and they would skip the process, the prior process we had of appealing uh with the clerk of the board of supervisors.

So they would skip that uh portion and just uh file an appeal directly with the Alameda County Superior Court.

County council also determined uh due to some statutory limitations of uh administrative fines, the maximum amount of a third or subsequent violation uh of the ordinance shall result in a $2,000 fine rather than a $2,500 fine.

Um and as far as uh how many times somebody could be cited uh within a certain period, uh I think previously we stated there would be no grace period.

County council determined that there has to be a grace period.

So no person can be cited for a violation of this chapter more than once in a 24-hour period.

So the next steps uh ACSO uh is taking a board letter from ACSO addressing the intent to adopt this ordinance uh along with the responses uh to your committees to to your questions from the previous meeting uh and modifications uh of the original draft ordinance has been sent to the board of supervisors to be placed on their agenda for May 12th, 2026.

ACSO is again requesting the support of the unincorporated services committee to consider uh this proposed ordinance with the modifications I discussed, provide direction and advance the ordinance to the full board for adoption.

Uh this pushes back uh our previous timeline.

So uh we will uh request ACSO will request CA the CAO's office for special consideration for the ordinance to be placed on the Board of Supervisors May agenda with the first uh target reading to be again May 12th 2026 and the second reading to be on June 2nd, 2026, and we hope that the fireworks and social host ordinance to be in effect by July 2nd of 2026, just before 4th of July.

And that concludes my uh my update that I have for you.

Thank you.

Supervisor Jamie have any questions or comments?

Um, thank you.

I just have a couple of questions.

Um this came to the unincorporated services committee after having gone through some of the other bodies as well.

And do we need to take it back to those bodies in light of some of these changes?

And the second question is this is still considered a civil violation, right?

Uh, under the Alameda County administrative code, it's not a criminal violation, and the appeals just goes after the hearing officer if that if the appeal is denied, then a secondary appeal just goes directly to the superior court.