San Leandro Culture & Library Commission Meeting - June 16, 2026
San Leandro Culture and Library Commission Meeting Summary – June 16, 2026
The San Leandro Culture and Library Commission met on June 16, 2026, at 2:30 PM. Chair Miller presided with seven commissioners present, achieving a quorum. The meeting covered a new library meeting room and facilities policy, updates on the grants program and several subcommittees, and a staff report on volunteer requirements for commissioners.
Consent Calendar
- The commission unanimously approved the minutes of the May 19, 2026 meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public were present, and no e-comments were submitted. The public comment period was closed.
Discussion Items
- Library Department Meeting Room and Facilities Policy (Item 6A): Library staff presented a comprehensive new policy for meeting room and facility use, replacing previous brief guidelines. Key elements include: a fee structure aligned with the Recreation Department to prevent "facility shopping"; free use for events that are free and open to the public (e.g., nonprofits offering free programs); paid rental for private, invitation-only events or for-profit events that charge attendance fees; and a limit of 18 rentals per group per calendar year to prevent any single group from dominating the rooms. The policy took effect July 1, 2026, after review by the city attorney. Commissioners asked about the Casa Peralta grounds (explained as falling under the library because of its historic component) and the lecture hall's performance capabilities (noted as seating 214 with a good sound system and wings). The policy will also help grantees under the commission's grants program, who can use the rooms for free during their grant period. No action was required.
- Commissioner Communication and the Brown Act: A discussion clarified that full-commission email chains could be considered an unagendized meeting under the Brown Act. Subcommittees (with fewer than five commissioners) may communicate via email about their specific topics without violation. New commissioners were invited to join existing subcommittees, provided the subcommittee stays under the quorum threshold of four members.
Subcommittee Reports
- Grants Committee (Item 8A): Staff reported that all FY25 grant payments have been issued. The committee is reviewing final reports from grantees to ensure funds were spent according to approved budget plans. A summary report on outcomes (including three funded murals visible around the city) will be presented at the July meeting. One commissioner noted they would be unavailable for two weeks starting the following Monday.
- 2026 Game of Shrooms Committee (Item 8B): A report highlighted a highly successful event on Saturday, June 13, 2026. Approximately 20 people came in the morning to hide art, and about 50 people participated in the hunt. The event drew attendees who were not typical library patrons, and one person reportedly got a library card even though they didn't find any mushrooms. The founder of Game of Shrooms ("Attaboy") featured video of the event in his annual thank-you message. An artist hid pieces using the card catalog and posted clues on Instagram; all pieces were found. Staff and volunteers praised the team effort, including two pre-event art-making gatherings that supplied enough art. Lessons included better tracking of hidden pieces to ensure nothing is left behind.
- Latinx Youth Writing Workshop Committee (Item 8C): The commissioner leading this effort reported that due to other commitments, they cannot execute the project at this time. They did not want to cancel the idea permanently, but will revisit it later. The commission agreed to remove the item from the agenda unless it is revived.
- Library Bike Tour Committee (Item 8D): The commissioner reported that the subcommittee has not yet met. A draft sponsorship list and template still need to be created. The event is tentatively planned for a Saturday in June 2027, avoiding conflicts with Game of Shrooms and the Cherry Festival. The timeline allows a full year for planning.
- Poetry Contest Committee (Item 8E): The subcommittee has not met since the previous meeting, so there is nothing to report.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes approved: Unanimously approved (7-0).
- New meeting room policy: Effective July 1, 2026; presented to the commission for information, no vote required.
- Latinx Youth Writing Workshop: Removed from the agenda; the commissioner will revisit later if interest and capacity align.
- Future meetings: The next regular meeting will be in July 2026 (date not specified).
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 3:11 PM (local time) following a unanimous vote.
Meeting Transcript
Culture and Library Commission meeting of June 16th, 2026 to order. Please take the roll call. Chair Miller. Present. Vice Chair Alvarez. Commissioner Acevedo. Present. Commissioner Alex. Present. Commissioner Bryant. Present. Commissioner Gillary. Present. Commissioner Ridsdale. Present. Commissioner Scotland. Present. Commissioner Belasquez. We have seven in attendance, so quorum is met. Okay. Item two, announcements. There are no announcements. So moving on to item three, consent calendar. Consent calendar. Can I get a motion to approve the minutes of May 19th, 2026? So is there a second? Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? All right. Seeing number uh motion carried. Moving on to item four, library service staff reports and announcements. All right, thank you. I I wanted to mention that you know we have these uh various committees that are working on uh the programs that uh are either in the planning stage or that we've just recently carried out, and um that includes uh members of the commission volunteering in uh the capacity of like a uh library program volunteer. Um and you know it's the interesting thing about this job is I'm always encountering something new, some new policy or rule from the city or how it applies in different uh situations, even after 20 plus years with the city. And so as we considered this, like well, if a commissioner volunteers at a program, um are they did we treat them like a volunteer that would come and volunteer at the library for a program shelving books are um uh we have volunteers that help uh people learn to have to use the computer, etc. etc. And because you're appointed, uh nominated by a council member appointed, you go through a vetting process, but it's not the same as a program volunteer because a program volunteer uh we have um a program volunteer fill out an application and I'm I'm gonna give uh you know uh a copy of the application at the end of my comments. Uh but we have the the volunteers sign a hold harmless agreement that's part of the application, it's just a standard thing. And also you get fingerprinted for obvious reasons because you're volunteering in a library, you know, you're around kids, uh that sort of thing. So it's just a it's just a uh background check, employee applicants go through the same thing. So where I'm going with this is that uh in order to serve in that capacity, you know, both as a commissioner and and then if you want to volunteer for a program, we really need people to fill out one of these applications and apply as a kind of like a separate volunteer, if you will. So um, so I was gonna pass these out there on the website. You can even complete them online. Um, and it's at your it's your choice, but I do think it would be wise as we're planning these programs going forward just to go ahead and do that so that uh this volunteer application and and the approved applications in place because the the uh uh depends on how fast I think the fingerprinting is done by the Department of Homeland Security, and it just depends on their backlog, and sometimes that can take a while. So we don't want to wait till the last minute to have that completed. So again, these are available on the city's website or library's website, and also there's an online form if you prefer to do that. But I just wanted to uh make you all aware of that again. Something I newly discovered, and I actually had to talk to the city attorney to say what do we do in this situation?
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