OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Leandro Human Services Commission Meeting - July 23, 2026

City Council — Thursday, July 23, 2026
BodySan Leandro, California
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, July 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 39:53

Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

The recording has started.

0:04

Okay.

0:07

We're gonna call the meeting to order at 6 59 p.m.

0:12

Wednesday, May 27th, 2026.

0:17

Um the political reasons.

0:25

I put to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which stands one nation in the visible liberty interest.

0:40

For all okay, roll call.

0:46

Chair Auberg.

0:48

Here.

0:48

Vice Chair Fry?

0:50

Here.

0:51

Commissioner Bailey is excused.

0:53

Commissioner Reed?

0:54

Here.

0:55

Commissioner Lem.

0:56

Yeah.

0:57

Commissioner O'Brien.

0:58

Here.

0:58

Commissioner Roby?

0:59

Here.

1:00

Commissioner Mason.

1:01

Here.

1:02

Thank you.

1:04

Okay.

1:05

And then I need a motion to move our section item six, six A and six B presentations.

1:13

So motioned.

1:14

Second.

1:17

So we will have those right now.

1:20

Following just to help with the recording.

1:23

That was uh Commissioner Roby and Commissioner Lum.

1:26

Yes.

1:26

Okay, thank you.

1:29

Okay.

1:31

So 6A is our community assistance program partner.

1:35

Mercy Belback.

1:36

Okay, you have the floor.

1:38

I will just go.

1:42

This is our musical chair.

1:45

Shall I shall I take myself down here or over there?

1:49

Wherever you're comfortable.

1:52

I want you to not have to crane your neck out.

1:59

Thank you for the presentation.

2:01

Yes.

2:02

Thank you all for being here for supporting Hercy Brown bag.

2:07

I'm Janice Roberts.

2:08

I'm the executive director of Mercy Brown bag.

2:12

And we are very pleased to continue to serve San Leandro Seniors and provide them with fresh groceries twice a month.

2:27

Are all of you familiar with Mercy Brown bag?

2:30

Okay.

2:31

Yeah.

2:32

All right.

2:33

Well, great.

2:34

Let's I'll give you a little bit of a broad overview.

2:38

Um because I think you might be surprised by some of these new statistics.

2:43

It's sometimes it's a little shocking to me, frankly, as uh as I go through them, if we could.

2:52

Uh we've been around a while.

2:55

Uh we were started by residents of uh Mercy Retirement and Care Center in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, and that was 44 years ago now.

3:06

Um we are in fact focused and we only do fresh groceries twice a month uh across Alameda County.

3:15

So we started in Oakland and now we are serving 14 cities in Alameda County.

3:26

We started uh with the help of seniors or actually by seniors and we continue to thrive today because of seniors as we serve our neighbors as you can see.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Outreach█████████████████████████████████████████████65%
Procedural████████12%
Community Engagement████████11%
Parks and Recreation███5%
Homelessness███4%
Budget██3%
Summary of Proceedings

San Leandro Human Services Commission Meeting - July 23, 2026

The San Leandro Human Services Commission met on July 23, 2026, at 6:59 PM. The meeting featured presentations from Mercy Brown Bag and a human services department reorganization update, followed by consent calendar approval, staff reports, and commission announcements.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of March Minutes: Commissioner Roby motioned to approve the March meeting minutes, seconded by Commissioner Lum. The motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public were present, and no e-comments were submitted.

Discussion Items

  • Presentation – Mercy Brown Bag (Community Assistance Program Partner): Executive Director Janice Roberts presented an overview of Mercy Brown Bag, a nonprofit serving seniors across Alameda County. Key statistics for San Leandro (last 12 months): 962 households served (1,250 individuals), 177 new registrants (17% increase), average monthly income of $1,229, 85% people of color, and 100% of surveyed participants reported improved nutrition and health. The program distributes fresh groceries (56% produce, 18% protein) at eight sites, including the San Leandro Senior Center. Roberts emphasized that the groceries help keep seniors housed, noting that a $100 monthly income gap separates housed seniors from unhoused seniors.
  • Human Services Department Update: Director Jessica Lobanon announced a reorganization effective July 1, 2026: senior services will move to the Parks and Recreation Department, and Human Services will report to the City Manager’s Office. Lobanon will become Deputy City Manager. The change is expected to generate $350,000 in annual savings by consolidating leadership positions, part of the city’s response to a $13 million structural deficit. The Senior Commission will continue to exist. Commissioner O’Brien (District 3) expressed concern about maintaining services for seniors, and Lobanon assured that the reorganization is “back-end” and will not reduce services.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar Approved: The March minutes were approved.
  • Cherry Festival Participation: Staff announced opportunities for commissioners to ride in the parade (two spots) and judge the parade or pie contest. The parade theme is the 250th anniversary of the United States.
  • April Showers Program Hours Change: Starting July 5, 2026, the shower program will operate from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM (previously 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM) on first, third, and fifth Sundays, due to a city swimming program using the pool in the morning.
  • Next Meeting: Commissioner O’Brien will be absent for the June meeting; the commission adjourned at 7:38 PM.

Meeting Transcript

The recording has started. Okay. We're gonna call the meeting to order at 6 59 p.m. Wednesday, May 27th, 2026. Um the political reasons. I put to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which stands one nation in the visible liberty interest. For all okay, roll call. Chair Auberg. Here. Vice Chair Fry? Here. Commissioner Bailey is excused. Commissioner Reed? Here. Commissioner Lem. Yeah. Commissioner O'Brien. Here. Commissioner Roby? Here. Commissioner Mason. Here. Thank you. Okay. And then I need a motion to move our section item six, six A and six B presentations. So motioned. Second. So we will have those right now. Following just to help with the recording. That was uh Commissioner Roby and Commissioner Lum. Yes. Okay, thank you. Okay. So 6A is our community assistance program partner. Mercy Belback. Okay, you have the floor. I will just go. This is our musical chair. Shall I shall I take myself down here or over there? Wherever you're comfortable. I want you to not have to crane your neck out. Thank you for the presentation. Yes. Thank you all for being here for supporting Hercy Brown bag. I'm Janice Roberts. I'm the executive director of Mercy Brown bag. And we are very pleased to continue to serve San Leandro Seniors and provide them with fresh groceries twice a month. Are all of you familiar with Mercy Brown bag? Okay. Yeah.

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