San Leandro City Council Meeting (Dec. 8, 2025)

The San Leandro City Council met in regular session on Monday, December 8, 2025, beginning at 7:05 PM and adjourning at 8:56 PM. Actions included unanimous approval of the Consent Calendar, unanimous approval of an 18-month extension of animal shelter services with the East Bay SPCA (with significant budget impacts discussed), and extensive public and council discussion about the proper procedure for scheduling disciplinary hearings requested by the Vice Mayor—resulting in votes to schedule both the disciplinary hearing date and a separate meeting to consider waiving attorney-client privilege regarding an investigative report.

Consent Calendar

• Approved unanimously (motion by Councilmember Viveros-Walton, second by Councilmember Azevedo).
• Closed session report: No reportable action, though staff received direction.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Lucas (Zoom) (Consent Calendar): urged that if travel funds were found to have been improperly spent, responsible parties should reimburse the City; suggested adding such consequences to the handbook/conduct policy.
• Douglas Spaulding (Zoom) (Consent Calendar): raised concerns about board/commission vacancies and participation, including an at-large appointee to the Community Police Review Board who “practically never goes,” and suggested adding San Lorenzo USD representation to the Recreation & Parks board.

Discussion Items

5A — East Bay SPCA Animal Control/Shelter Services Contract Extension (Police Department)

Presenter: Police Captain Ali Khan (with Animal Control Supervisor Ed Bell available for technical questions)

• Background/need: San Leandro has relied on East Bay SPCA for shelter services since 2021. Staff conducted a multi-county survey (began March 2025, concluded September 2025) and found East Bay SPCA was the only viable provider due to capacity/staffing constraints elsewhere.
• Service data presented:
  • Average intake reported for July–October: about 34 animals/month, including an average of 16 intakes by animal control officers and 14 brought in by the public.
  • Animal-related calls for service (through October): 1,972.
  • Shelter outcome metric stated: 93% live release rate.
  • Staff stated East Bay SPCA has taken 300–400 neonatal kittens that are not counted against San Leandro’s contract cap.
• Cost/budget discussion (key figures stated):
  • Anticipated cost for FY 2026 and FY 2027 stated as $398,500 per year.
  • For FY 2026: funded via adopted appropriation of $217,500 plus $181,000 in salary savings (as presented).
  • For FY 2027: adopted appropriation of $217,500 plus an additional $181,000 appropriation to be considered in the mid-cycle update.
• Action requested: Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 2, extending the agreement 18 months through June 30, 2027, and increasing the agreement by $579,000, not to exceed $1,517,000.
• Pricing/threshold clarification raised by the public:
  • Lucas (Zoom) asserted the proposed agreement lowered a base threshold to 250 animals, increasing step charges earlier; staff responded that the 250 figure reflected a six-month period and that, combined, it aligned with the annualized volume (staff stated it “does bring it up to…500”).

Council questions/discussion highlights:

• Council clarified statistics (e.g., “dog vs people” as dog bites to humans; separate reporting for health department).
• Discussion that San Leandro has no leash law for cats, contributing to a practice of generally avoiding “catnapping”/unnecessary impounds.
• Public education concerns: Councilmember Bolt described constituent confusion about why some strays cannot be dropped directly at SPCA without going through Animal Control; staff described “checks and balance” on intake and efforts to increase reunification.

Public comment on 5A:

• Douglas Spaulding (Zoom): questioned why the additional $181,000 required for FY 2026 and FY 2027 seemed disproportionate compared to intake increases; asked whether cost increases were inflationary or service-related.
• Susan (Zoom): requested a more “balanced approach,” expressing concern about lack of support for community members addressing feral cat issues; referenced Hayward’s relationship with Animal Fix Clinic.
• Lucas (Zoom): questioned the stepped fee schedule and asked why thresholds/charges appeared to change; urged greater transparency and fiscal prudence.

5B — Disciplinary Hearing Scheduling (Councilmembers Aguilar and Simon)

Introduced by: City Attorney Rich Piarrotta

• Procedural reset explained: The City Attorney stated that a prior action at the Nov. 3, 2025 meeting related to discipline was not properly agendized, rendering the entire motion null and void under Robert’s Rules of Order (as adopted by the Council).
• Legal/process framework discussed:
  • Discipline requests must be handled in open session; City Attorney cited Brown Act limitations and related case law.
  • The investigative report discussed was described as attorney-client privileged; releasing it would require a separate, properly noticed action to waive privilege.
  • Council discussed the disciplinary options described as A–D (discipline short of censure) and whether training could be required (training could be urged/asked for; enforceability and “due process” implications were discussed if conditioning restoration of privileges).

Public comments on 5B (positions and themes):

• Sarah Bailey (in person): urged release of a redacted investigative report; argued the public cannot meaningfully participate without facts; expressed a position that alleged misconduct should be addressed transparently.
• Leo T. West (in person): criticized the lack of public facts; characterized the dispute as a “soap opera” and urged new elections.
• Mike McGuire (in person): requested seeing the report and facts; expressed a preference for resolving differences through elections and civil discussion rather than escalating conflict.
• Douglas Spaulding (Zoom): urged release of the report; stated scheduling discipline without details was frustrating; expressed support for moving forward after the rent stabilization meeting.
• Deborah Acosta, League of San Leandro Voters (Zoom): urged a public vote on waiving privilege and releasing a redacted report; argued discipline should not proceed without public facts; requested additional transparency measures (including publishing emailed agenda comments).
• Rob Rich (Zoom): urged named councilmembers to listen with empathy and consider unconscious misogyny; asked the council to return focus to governance.
• Lucas (Zoom): argued delays undermined accountability; urged release of relevant materials.
• Melissa Wong (Zoom): criticized process confusion; urged training for council and residents; cautioned delays allow speculation.
• Laura Blumenthal, League of San Leandro Voters (Zoom): thanked the City Attorney for clarifying procedural errors; urged moving to completion and releasing the report.
• Whitney Walker (Zoom): asked for transparency and accountability; urged release of the investigation results.

Vice Mayor Bowen statement (selected factual points stated):

• Said she filed an HR complaint on Jan. 6, 2025, after approximately eight months of what she described as ongoing misconduct.
• Stated that “nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men” have reported some form of sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime (as part of her remarks about reporting and accountability).
• Expressed a position that her goal was restorative and to “course correct” behavior through accountability, potentially including training and other measures.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
• Item 5A (East Bay SPCA contract extension): Approved unanimously.
  • Outcome: Authorized an 18-month extension through June 30, 2027 and an increased not-to-exceed amount of $1,517,000 (as presented).
• Item 5B (disciplinary scheduling):
  • Disciplinary hearing date set (including up to censure): Council voted 4–3 to schedule disciplinary hearings applying to both Councilmember Aguilar and Councilmember Simon on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
    • Vote tally stated: Yes (4) = Vice Mayor Bowen, Mayor Gonzalez, Councilmember Bolt, Councilmember Viveros-Walton; No (3) = Councilmembers Simon, Aguilar, Azevedo.
  • Waiver-of-privilege item scheduled: Council voted 5–2 to agendize Jan. 5, 2026 for discussion and possible action on whether to waive attorney-client privilege regarding the Oct. 31, 2025 investigative report (as referenced during discussion) to support the censure-capable process.

Closing / Adjournment

• The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 8:56 PM, honoring the late Stephen Cassidy and citing his civic contributions, including work related to school funding “to the tune of half a billion dollars,” support for Lit San Leandro, advocacy for 1% for the arts, the Truth is Beauty statue, and Measure VV. Flags were stated to be lowered to half-staff for one week in his recognition.