The San Leandro City Council met on July 8, 2026, at 7:06 PM in City Council Chambers (with teleconference participation). Mayor Juan González III presided. Five councilmembers were present (James Aguilar, Dylan Boldt, Xouhoa Bowen, Fred Simon, González); Victor Aguilar Jr. and Sbeydeh Viveros-Walton were absent. Key actions included approval of the consent calendar, a first reading of a zoning code amendment reducing parking minimums and establishing Transportation Demand Management (TDM) regulations, unanimous appointment of an interim police chief, and a decision to postpone a business license tax modernization measure to the November 2028 election. The meeting adjourned at 9:31 PM.
1. First Reading of Zoning Code Amendments – Parking and TDM (Item 8a)
Staff (Lourdes Suarez, Brian Kanepa, Alex McCurry) presented findings that current parking minimums exceed peak demand, increasing housing costs. Proposed two parking zones: a “blue” zone within ½‑mile of major transit stops (eliminating most minimums per AB 2097) and a “green” zone (outside) with reduced minimums (e.g., residential reduced by about 0.5 space/unit). TDM requirements apply to new developments of 25+ units or 50,000+ sq ft non-residential, including mandatory measures (mode share survey, education, bike repair station) and at least one optional measure (e.g., flexible work, transit benefits). Unbundled parking required for projects with 5+ units (expanding state law). Bicycle parking requirements decoupled from vehicle parking. Councilmember Bowen expressed support, noting alignment with housing element goals and regional trends. Councilmember Simon asked about enforcement for storefronts without parking. Mayor González voiced concern about potential spillover parking into neighborhoods and requested more time. The motion to approve (Bowen/Simon) passed 4-1 (González against; both absent). The ordinance will return for a second reading as a discussion item, not on consent.
Key speaker positions: Lourdes Suarez (staff) support; Brian Kanepa (consultant) support; Alex McCurry (consultant) support; Alvaro Ramos (public) supported broader reductions; Mayor González expressed concerns.
2. Appointment of Interim Police Chief (Item 10a)
3. Business License Tax Modernization (Item 10b)
All right. Alright. Well, Okay, so we are going to come to order. The time is seven oh six. Today is Monday, July sixth, and we are here at uh City Hall on East 14th. At this point in time, I will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Please rise if you're able to. So I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it's one of the school. Present. 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 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 on items not on the agenda, which will take place under item seven public comments as per the published agenda. After the 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. So for item three on our agenda, we did meet in closed session to discuss two items. No reportable action was taken, but direction was given for item four. We don't have recognitions today, but we do have our consent calendar. Do we have any amendments? I.e. council members, would you like to pull any item on our consent calendar? If not, I will go to public comment. Seeing none, let's initiate public comment on this item. Mayor, we have received one comment card. Uh apologies. That would be incorrect. One comment card. And there are two hands raised online. Please proceed in person. Our in-person commenter is Jenny Madsen. So hi, it's Jenny Madsen again, and I'm here tonight strictly to thank you and encourage you to vote the second reading through on the changes to the re rental stabilization ordinance, which gave tenants the freedom from having to pay the pass-through for the fee, the rental housing program fee. This is important, it's not just me. It's a lot of, in fact, it probably won't help me at all, but this is a big deal to most of the tenants in town. And it was smart, it was big spirited. It was forward linked thinking. And I thank you for doing it and hope you can come through again. Thank you. Thank you. There are no more comment cards received for this item. So we'll close public comment in person and we will open up public comment online. Our first online speaker is Douglas Spaulding. Thank you very much. Good evening, Council. Uh, I would like to comment briefly on three items on the consent agenda.