Joint Meeting of San Leandro City Council and Successor Agency – March 18, 2025
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Joint Meeting of San Leandro City Council and Successor Agency – March 18, 2025
Note on date discrepancy: The agenda, minutes, and transcript indicate the meeting took place on Monday, March 17, 2025. The date of March 18, 2025 is used here per the instructions provided.
The San Leandro City Council and Successor Agency to the San Leandro Redevelopment Agency held a joint meeting on March 18, 2025 (recorded as March 17 per source documents). The meeting included a proclamation for Women's History Month, approval of a consent calendar with routine items, a budget amendment for unspent FY 2023-2024 funds, and a first reading of a rental registry ordinance. Council also directed staff to prioritize a rent stabilization (rent control) ordinance. Public comment was heard on multiple items.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously (7-0) with no public comment. Items included:
- Resolutions updating designations for financial transactions (Resos 2025-019, 2025-020, SA 2025-002)
- Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funding agreement with Alameda County (Reso 2025-021, 2025-022)
- Construction contract for Public Works Service Center fuel tanks project (Reso 2025-023)
- Golf irrigation station repair (Reso 2025-024)
- Halcyon Park playground installation and demolition (Resos 2025-025, 2025-026)
- Surplus vehicle auction (Reso 2025-027)
- FY 2024-2025 Mid-Year Financial Report and budget adjustments (Reso 2025-028)
- Nomination of Nikki Washington to Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (Min Order 2025-008)
- Approval of minutes from various committees.
Public Comments & Testimony
- General public comment (Item 7): Approximately five speakers addressed non-agenda topics. One speaker urged careful review of city investments, specifically avoiding companies linked to Tesla. Another speaker criticized budget priorities, arguing that police spending consumes too much relative to housing and mental health. One representative from East Bay Rental Housing Association announced a new Housing Provider Resource Center for unincorporated Alameda County.
- Item 10a (budget appropriation): One online commenter warned about structural deficits and advocated for spending cuts and tax increases.
- Item 10b (rental registry): 18 speakers commented in person and online. Many renters and advocates strongly supported the registry and urged further protections like rent stabilization and just cause eviction. Some housing providers expressed concerns about added costs, unintended consequences (e.g., reduced rental supply), and the burden on small landlords. Mobile home park residents pleaded for reforms to the existing rent stabilization ordinance, citing drastic rent increases through capital improvement pass-throughs. The Chamber of Commerce urged a balanced approach.
Discussion Items
- Item 9a (Downtown San Leandro Community Benefit District Annual Update): Pulled from the agenda by the City Manager; to be brought back at a later date.
- Item 10a – Appropriation of FY 2023-2024 Unspent Funds: The Assistant Finance Director presented the audited year-end financials, showing an unallocated balance of $915,936. Staff recommended splitting 50% to the pension trust and 50% to general fund balance. After debate, council adopted an amended motion: 50% to pension trust, 30% to roads, and 20% set aside as a safety net for possible loss of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. If CDBG funds are received, the 20% would be released for roads. The motion carried 7-0 (Reso 2025-029).
- Item 10b – First Reading of Rental Registry Ordinance: The Community Development Director presented the proposed ordinance to add Chapter 4-45 to the municipal code, creating a rental registry to collect data on approximately 16,000–20,000 rental units. The program would be funded by a fee (maximum $100/unit/year) with an estimated annual budget of $650,000 for two new staff and a database consultant. Exemptions include affordable housing developments, emergency shelters, hotels, mobile homes (already under separate ordinance), and owner-occupied homesharing. Council discussed confidentiality for survivors of domestic violence; the motion included a clarification to protect confidential information. The first reading was approved 7-0 (Ord 2025-002). A second reading will follow. Council then discussed next steps for additional housing protections. After ranking priorities, consensus was reached to direct staff to prioritize a rent stabilization (rent control) ordinance, with the mobile home rent stabilization ordinance as a secondary priority. Council also asked staff to return with an economic analysis of reasonable rate of return.
Key Outcomes
- Proclamation: March 2025 declared Women's History Month.
- Consent Calendar: Approved 7-0.
- Budget Amendment (Item 10a): Approved as amended with a 50/30/20 split for pension, roads, and CDBG contingency; 7-0.
- Rental Registry (Item 10b): First reading approved 7-0; second reading scheduled.
- Direction on Housing Protections: Council directed staff to prioritize drafting a rent stabilization (rent control) ordinance. Staff will also evaluate the mobile home rent stabilization ordinance.
- Council Reports: Multiple councilmembers reported attending the National League of Cities conference in Washington, D.C. Vice Mayor Bowen disclosed a battery incident that occurred at the November 2024 NLC conference, noting that criminal charges have been filed.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:37 PM in memory of Leroy Smith.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, so it is seven o' five, and we are calling to order the meeting of the San Landro City Council today, it's Monday March seventeenth, twenty twenty-five. Lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, if you're able to stand, please do. Present. Vice Mayor Bowen. President. Mayor Gonzalez. Present. Please note all members are here. City Manager, you have an announcement. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Good evening, Councilmembers and Community Members. Mayor and Councilmembers, I am pulling item 9A, presentation of the downtown San Leandro Community Benefit District annual update from tonight's agenda. The item will be brought back to the council at a later date. City of San Leandro conducts orderly meetings to fulfill its mandate, discriminatory statements for conduct that would potentially violate the Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 and or the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, California Penal Code Sections 403 or 415, are per se disruptive to meeting and will not be tolerated. Please see the City Council Handbook and City Council meeting rules of decorum for more information. Madam Clark, your message. Thank you, Mayor. If you would like to make a public comment during the meeting, you can do so in person or via Zoom. If you are present at the meeting, please complete a speaker card and submit it to the city clerk before the item is presented. If you wish to participate in public comment via Zoom, you can use the raise your hand tool when the item is called. During the public comment session, speakers will be invited to speak and will have a set time to share their comments. A countdown timer will appear for their convenience, and when the time is up, the microphone will be muted. All raised hands outside of public comment will be lowered to avoid confusion. Once public comment is opened, hands may be raised to speak. There will be a 30-minute window for public comments, which will take place under item seven, public comments as per the published agenda. After this time is up, the council will proceed with the rest of the meeting's agenda. If you have not had the opportunity to speak during the initial 30 minute period, there will be another chance to do so after item 12, City Council reports. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. No reportable actions were taken in closed session, but direction was provided to staff. Thank you. Let's move on to our proclamation. As you'll remember, we uh recognize American Red Cross month at the beginning, and we promised to come back for women's history month. And we've got Lise uh Lisa Lucetta, chairperson of the board of Toronto, our favorite flavored syrup company based here in San Leandro. Come on down, please. Yes, I'm locked in, so yeah. I'll walk around there. You're gonna open it up for me. Thank you. Lest I break something. Thank you. Okay. So I'm gonna read and you're gonna follow along and I'm gonna give you the mic and you're gonna say some wonderful words. So whereas Congress declared March as women's history month in 1987, and International Women's Day has been observed since the early 1900s. Who was founded back in the early 1900s? And whereas women of every race, color, and ethnic background have made meaningful contributions to the growth and strength of our San Leandro community and the United States in countless ways. And whereas women have been leaders in securing their own rights of suffrage and their own rights of equal opportunity, as well as the leaders of the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and the peace movement, each of which have created a more fair and just society for all. And whereas even in 2025, some women still experience injustices in the workplace in our community and at home. Others still struggle to earn equal pay and have their voices recognized as equal.
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