San Leandro City Council Meeting - June 15, 2026
San Leandro City Council Meeting - June 15, 2026
What Happened
The San Leandro City Council met on Monday, June 15, 2026, at 7:07 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers, adjourning at 8:44 PM. The meeting included approval of a ten-item consent calendar, public comments on non-agenda topics, a presentation on city branding, and unanimous approval of an amendment to the city-wide master salary schedule. The council also received a referral for an ordinance to ban data centers.
Consent Calendar
- Items 5a–5j were approved unanimously (7-0) with no discussion. Key items included:
- Resolution 26-273: Gann Appropriation Limit for FY 2027 (Reso 2026-078).
- Resolution 26-262: Amendment to contract with Robberson Schroedter LLP for bankruptcy litigation related to the Shoreline Project, not-to-exceed $225,000 for FY 2026 (Reso 2026-079).
- Resolution 26-266: Amendment No. 2 with Alex Greenwood Group for economic development consulting, not-to-exceed $200,000 (Reso 2026-080).
- Ordinance 26-254 (Second Reading): Renewal of Military Equipment, Funding, Acquisition and Use Policy per AB 481 (Ord 2026-006).
- Resolution 26-248: Amendments to three on-call civil engineering and surveying agreements, extending term by one year and increasing total by $450,000 ($150,000 per contract) (Reso 2026-081).
- Resolution 26-217: Amendment No. 2 with Larry Walker Associates for stormwater permit compliance, increasing contract by $160,800 to a new total of $380,300 (Res 2026-082).
- Resolution 26-278: Cumulative change orders up to 25% or $79,625 for wall repair at Marina Community Center, original contract $318,498 (Reso 2026-083).
- Resolution 26-182 and Ordinance 26-008: Calling and consolidating the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election with the statewide election (Reso 2026-084, Ord 2026-008).
- Approval of minutes from May 14, 2026 Facilities & Transportation Committee and June 8, 2026 City Council meetings.
City Manager and City Attorney Reports
- City Manager Cameron reported approval of an emergency purchase of $156,481 under Municipal Code Section 1-6-310 to repair the failing HVAC system at the Water Pollution Control Plant, citing threat to public health and safety. She also welcomed Interim Police Chief Joseph Kreins, who brings over 45 years of public safety experience.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Non-agenda public comments (six speakers):
- Sarah Bailey urged the city to ban data centers, citing environmental harm (water, energy, noise) and noting that other cities are imposing moratoriums. She asked the council to commit to the climate action plan and San Leandro 2050 goals.
- Mason Rashid and Noel Rashid (husband and wife) opposed the city’s plan to paint curbs red on Tudor Road and Cascade, arguing that speeders cause damage to their property and that the solution should be stop signs or speed bumps, not removal of parking. Mr. Rashid stated he is a disabled veteran.
- Paulo Campana (neighbor) supported the Rashids’ concerns, noting limited parking and theft issues in the area.
- Douglas Spaulding (online) asked the city to convene a meeting with neighbors to find solutions. He also welcomed Interim Chief Kreins, expressed support for Chief Averett, and criticized the Police Officers Association for what he characterized as a pattern of targeting Black command staff.
- Emily Grego (San Leandro Chamber of Commerce) thanked the council for not rushing a business license tax proposal, urging them to pause it to ensure protections for manufacturing and retail sectors.
- Public comment on consent calendar:
- Douglas Spaulding (online) commented on item 5d (military equipment policy), stating there is no need to replace the command vehicle and that the city lacks crowd control policies, which could expose it to liability like in Oakland.
- Public comment on presentation (branding):
- Ginny Madsen (online) expressed cautious optimism about the branding project, warning against focusing solely on revenue. She noted difficulty finding the community survey online.
- Douglas Spaulding (online) suggested the brand should lean into history, including rematriated land and reconciliation, and proposed the tagline “San Leandro reconciles.”
Presentations
- 9a. City Branding Assessment and Plan by Resonance Consultancy
- Economic Development Manager Katie Bowman introduced the project, now in the discovery phase (18 weeks in). Consultant Jake Boganski outlined three goals: civic pride, destination appeal, and consistency. Community engagement included eight roundtables, a pop-up at the Cherry Festival and farmers market, and an online survey with 262 responses (still open). Key findings: residents describe San Leandro as a hidden gem, diverse, walkable, and family-friendly. The next phase (brand identity development) will culminate in a brand book and application strategy, expected by December 2026. Council members discussed the importance of art, youth outreach, regional perception, and using the brand to attract visitors and businesses.
Discussion Items
- 10a. Resolution to Amend the City-wide Master Salary Schedule (No Fiscal Impact)
- Tiffany Johnston (HR Manager) explained the resolution applies previously approved 3% salary increases for the City Manager and Police Chief effective July 1, 2026, along with negotiated adjustments for Police Management Association, Police Officers Association, and Management Organization. The schedule now complies with CalPERS requirements. Councilmember Fred Simon inquired about council salary increases; City Manager Cameron noted that council had directed staff not to proceed with an increase. The resolution passed unanimously (7-0).
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar approved 7-0 (all ten items).
- Master Salary Schedule approved 7-0 (Reso 2026-086).
- Councilmember Xouhoa Bowen submitted a referral for an ordinance to ban data centers, with a request to add it to the priority workshop. She indicated she may return with an urgent referral if needed.
- The council acknowledged neighborhood concerns about red curbs on Tudor Road and Cascade; Mayor González stated a neighborhood meeting would be scheduled in the coming weeks to balance legal obligations and resident needs.
- The city branding project will continue with a dashboard by July and a draft identity presentation to council in early October.
Meeting Transcript
Oh, oh, oh, oh. Oh. Do you want to do that? Okay, 707. I'm calling the City of San Diego. City Council meeting to order today is Monday, June 15th, 2026. I do apologize for the delay or closed session in about 702, and it just takes a while for us to get down here and assemble. Uh at this point in time, I'll let us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Join me if you're able to. I am present. Mayor Gonzalez. Present. Thank you. So the City of San Leno 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 Employment and Housing Act. Madam Clerk, your announcement. 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. Then wait for public comment on that item to be called. 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 count on timer will appear for their convenience. And when the time is up, all hands will be muted. The microphone will be muted. All hands raised 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 on items not on the agenda, 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. Okay, moving to item number three. There was no reportable action taken during closed session. And we don't have recognitions on today's agenda, but we do move on to the consent calendar. So my question first is does anyone have an item that they want to pull for them from the consent calendar? And if not, I'll go to public comment on this item. Seeing none, let's go to public comment on the consent calendar. Mayor, we do not have any comment cards, but we do have one hand raised online. Okay. So we have opened and closed public comment in person, and we're opening it up online. Our online speaker is Douglas Spaulding. Thank you and good evening, Council. Um item 5D of the consent calendar is the uh final vote on on uh your annual military equipment um item. And I want to just reiterate something that I that I said when I came before, which is again there there is no need to replace the uh um disrepaired command uh vehicle. We've been using the backup just fine. So that's a that's an item that we can save money on. And the other thing that concerns me that's a potential money loser is that uh some of the uh military equipment is is what our police department would would use uh in case of a um a big demonstration uh slash mob action slash uh riot kind of situation, and that's when other municipalities such as Oakland, for example, have been doling out uh settlements to the tune of millions and millions of dollars. Unfortunately, we don't have a much, if any uh policy uh of crowd control or what to do in that situation, and I think it would really uh benefit the city to really spell it out so that we protect ourselves in the long run. Hopefully, nothing like that will ever happen here. Uh but uh there have been things that have come close, like you know, when the Dodge dealership was uh was raided a few years back, you know, uh, or when the police department of Prophecy to a riotous mob coming to Bayfair. That that I think turned out to be uh poor intelligence. Um but uh you know we talk about this every year and um and I brought this up every year, and yet we seem to never quite get down to brass tax when it comes to the crowd control policies. Thank you.
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