San Leandro City Council Meeting - April 8, 2025
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San Leandro City Council Meeting - April 8, 2025
This meeting of the San Leandro City Council on April 8, 2025 (originally convened April 7, 2025) included the proclamation of April 2025 as Autism Awareness Month, the appointment of Nikki Washington to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, approval of the consent calendar with discussion on two items, a public comment period covering business signage, councilmember conduct, and community concerns, action items on district-based elections and the city council handbook, and scheduling of future agenda items. All votes were unanimous except for the motion to continue the handbook update.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously (7-0) with items 5b and 5c pulled for discussion. Items included:
- 5a: Second reading of Ordinance No. 2025-001 reauthorizing the Military Equipment Policy (AB 481).
- 5d: Amendment No. 1 with ANI Private Security for city facility security services, not to exceed $180,000.
- 5e: Lease agreement with Fluence Corporation for pilot testing of a Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactor (MABR) system, not to exceed $195,000.
- 5f: Consulting services agreement with KDC Accounting & Consulting for the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), not to exceed $125,000.
- 5g: Minutes from the March 26, 2025 Rules Committee meeting.
- 5h: Draft minutes of the March 17, 2025 City Council meeting.
- Item 5b (privacy pods for Main Library) was approved after discussion, with the original $294,109.03 including a 9% contingency. Mayor González expressed concern about contingencies and proposed striking it, but later withdrew the motion; the item passed as written 7-0.
- Item 5c (911 call transfer agreement with Alameda County Sheriff’s Office) was approved after clarifying that the total spent was $351,472.92, under the originally authorized $500,000. The item was necessary to correct a discrepancy between the contract and prior staff report.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Six speakers addressed the council on non-agenda items:
- Leslie Garcia, a business owner, requested the city revisit the sign ordinance, stating enforcement has forced removal of promotional signage, hurting local businesses.
- Mike Katz-Lacabe expressed support for Councilmember Bowen after she reported an assault and raised concerns about immigration detainers, asking how San Leandro police would handle them.
- Leo T. West criticized Councilmember Bowen’s travel expenses and mentioned upcoming elections.
- Douglas Spaulding (via Zoom) condemned recent racist graffiti incidents and linked them to national rhetoric, urging stronger condemnation.
- Tina Mihaiescu (via Zoom) praised Councilmember Bowen for her bravery and criticized Councilmember Aguilar’s response at the prior meeting as lacking empathy.
- Emily Greco, President & CEO of the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce, supported the business owner’s request for more flexible signage codes, suggesting a balanced approach that maintains aesthetics while allowing business promotion.
Discussion Items
- Proclamation – Autism Awareness Month (Item 4a): The council declared April 2025 as Autism Awareness Month. Diana Greenlee, a San Leandro elementary school teacher, accepted the proclamation and spoke about the importance of inclusion and support for students with autism.
- Appointment to Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (Item 10a): Nikki Washington was unanimously appointed (7-0) to fill the at-large vacancy. She was sworn in after the vote.
- District-Based Elections Transition (Item 10b): The council adopted a resolution to execute a written agreement with prospective plaintiff Robert Bulatao, extending the safe harbor period under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) by 90 days until July 5, 2025. The agreement requires the city to adopt an ordinance establishing district-based elections by July 5, with voter approval of a charter amendment in the June 2026 primary election. The cap on plaintiff’s legal fees remains $30,000 plus inflation. The resolution was amended to clarify the current hybrid election system. Councilmembers discussed concerns about the compressed timeline, outreach to multilingual communities, and the need for voter education. The motion passed 7-0.
- City Council Handbook Updates (Item 10c): Deputy City Clerk Sarah Bunting presented proposed updates to the handbook, including a code of ethics, vice mayor selection based on seniority, travel and training budget clarifications, and an acknowledgement form. Councilmember Simon moved to continue the item to the May 5, 2025 meeting, citing insufficient time to review the 70-page document and concerns about language in the code of ethics (e.g., potential impact on off-duty activities). The motion to continue passed 6-1, with Vice Mayor Bowen voting against.
Key Outcomes
- Proclamation for Autism Awareness Month declared.
- Nikki Washington appointed to Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (7-0).
- Consent calendar approved (7-0), with items 5b and 5c discussed and passed individually (both 7-0).
- Resolution adopted to extend safe harbor period for district-based elections transition (7-0).
- City Council handbook update continued to May 5, 2025 meeting (6-1).
- Councilmember Azevedo requested future agenda items: revisiting the sign ordinance and a Good Neighbor (noise) ordinance. Mayor González asked that requests be submitted via the standard process.
- Councilmember Viveros-Walton and Councilmember Boldt publicly apologized to Vice Mayor Bowen for their silence after her statement at the March 17 meeting regarding an assault. Councilmember Aguilar also apologized for the impact of his remarks. Vice Mayor Bowen accepted the apologies and emphasized the importance of supporting women and girls.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, it is seven oh one. Let's go ahead and get started. I'm calling to order the meeting of the San Leando City Council today. It's Monday, April 7th. And I would appreciate it. Madam Clerk, if you would take roll. Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Aguilar. President. Councilmember Azevedo. Present. Councilmember Bolt. Present. Councilmember Simon. Present. Councilmember Vivero Swalton. Present. Vice Mayor Bowen present. And Mayor Gonzalez. Present. Thank you. If you are able to join me by rising, please do so as we pledge allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. We have the appointment and swearing in of a bicycle and pedestrian advisory commissioner under item 10A. I'd love to move that up here to write uh in section four recognitions if everybody is fine with that. Looking down, Council Rowe, see no objections, so we will do that. Um as the public has heard before, the City of San Leandro conducts orderly meetings to fulfill its mandate. Discriminatory statements or 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 four or three or four fifteen, are per se disruptive to a meeting and will not be tolerated. Madam Clerk, your message, 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. And then we will follow that by our uh minute order regarding our council, our uh commissioner uh nomination and vote. So let's begin with our proclamation. There you go. So that sounds so clear. So I'm gonna hand this to you. You're taking pictures. I love it. There we go. So you're welcome to read along with us and say a few words. Here we have Autism Awareness Month in the City of San Leandro. It's something that we've talked about before at various meetings and particular how a variety of community organizations support both youth and adults with autism. I think before we've called out East Bay Innovations as an organization that works with adults and in particular and celebrated Tirani for the work that they're doing and other organizations. But you're here representing the city of the San Leandro Unified School District, right? And so we're very grateful for all the work that SLUSD and San Lorenzo Unified School District does in supporting children in San Leandro with autism. So I'm going to read this proclamation, then I'm going to give you a chance to say a few words in recognition. And by the way, for those that don't know, this is Diana Greenley, did I get that right? Diana Greenley and James from James Monroe Elementary. Welcome to City Hall. So whereas autism is a developmental disability characterized by atypical development in socialization, communication, and behavior, and whereas children typically display autism symptoms before turning three years old, and often exhibit abnormalities in cognitive functioning, learning, attention, and sensory processing.
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