Title
Minutes of the Special and Regular City Council Meetings Held on May 20, 2025. (City Clerk)
Body
UNAPPROVED
MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY- -MAY 20, 2025- -5:00 P.M.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft convened the meeting at 5:00 p.m.
Roll Call - Present: Councilmembers Daysog, Boller, Jensen, Pryor and Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft - 5. [Note: Councilmember Jensen arrived at 5:02 p.m.]
Absent: None.
The meeting was adjourned to Closed Session to consider:
(25- ) Conference with Real Property Negotiators Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.8) Property: Building 530, 390 West Oriskany Avenue, Area Bounded By West Pacific Avenue, Orion Street And Viking Street, West Ticonderoga Avenue, and Central Avenue; City Negotiators: City Manager Jennifer Ott, Base Reuse and Economic Development Director Abigail Thorne-Lyman, Base Reuse Manager Alesia Strauch, Assistant City Attorney Len Aslanian; Negotiating Parties: City Of Alameda, Pacific Fusion Corporation and Hines Interests Limited Partnership; Under Negotiation: Price and Terms of Sale
(25- ) Conference with Labor Negotiators (Government Code Section 54957.6); City Negotiators: Jennifer Ott, City Manager, Noelle White, Acting Human Resources Director, Tim Haines, General Manager - Amp, And Doug McManaway, Deputy City Attorney; Employee Organizations: Alameda City Employees Association (ACEA), Alameda Police Management Association (APMA), Alameda Police Officers Association (APOA, Alameda Police Officers Association - Non-Sworn (PANS), Electric Utility Professionals Association (EUPA) International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers (IBEW), And Management And Confidential Employees Association (MCEA); Under Negotiation: Salaries, Employee Benefits and Terms of Employment
Following the Closed Session, the meeting was reconvened and the City Clerk announced that regarding the Real Property, staff provided information and the City Council provided direction with no vote taken; and regarding Labor, staff provided information and the City Council provided direction by the following voice votes: Vote 1: unanimous voice vote - 5; Vote 2: Ayes: Councilmembers Boller, Jensen, Pryor and Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft - 4; Noes: Councilmember Daysog - 1.
Adjournment
There being no further business, Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft adjourned the meeting at 6:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lara Weisiger, City Clerk
The agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Sunshine Ordinance.
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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY- -MAY 20, 2025- -7:00 P.M.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft convened the meeting at 7:08 p.m.
ROLL CALL - Present: Councilmembers Boller, Daysog, Jensen, Pryor, and Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft - 5.
Absent: None.
AGENDA CHANGES
None.
PROCLAMATIONS, SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
None.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA
(25- ) Brian Kennedy, Alameda, expressed concern about Alameda being a Sanctuary City and showed an image.
(25- ) Leslie Shubin, Alameda, expressed concern about citations she received from the City related to her rental property.
(25- ) William Morrison, Fernside Homeowners Association, expressed concern about a proposed Gibbons Drive project.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Councilmember Boller moved approval of the Consent Calendar.
Vice Mayor Pryor seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 5. [Items so enacted or adopted are indicated by an asterisk preceding the paragraph number.]
(*25- ) Minutes of the Special and Regular City Council Meetings Held on April 15, 2025, and the Special Meeting Held on May 5, 2025. Approved.
(*25- ) Ratified bills in the amount of $6,959,888.78.
(*25- ) Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Construction Agreement with Silverado Contractors, Inc., for the Demolition of Building 116, 2501 Todd Street, Alameda, in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $281,160, Including Contingency. Accepted.
(*25- ) Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Four-Year Agreement with RK Roofing & Construction for On-Call Residential Roofing Maintenance Services for Alameda Point Main Street Neighborhood in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $800,000. Accepted.
(*25- ) Recommendation to Receive an Update on the City’s Joint Application with MidPen Housing for a State of California Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Program Loan and Grants to Fund Phase One of the Rebuilding Existing Supportive Housing at Alameda Point Housing Development. Accepted.
(*25- ) Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a First Amendment with Terraphase Engineering Inc. in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $305,000, Including Contingencies, for a Total Contract Amount Not-To-Exceed $505,000, to Provide Additional Environmental Support Services Related to the Clement Avenue/Tilden Way Project. Accepted.
(*25- ) Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Cooperative Agreement with Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) to Provide for Use of AUSD Facilities as Emergency Shelters. Accepted.
(*25- ) Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute an Agreement with ImageTrend LLC, for Two Years, with the Option to Extend for Up to Three Additional Years, for the Purchase and Implementation of Fire Records Management System for a Total Amount Not-to-Exceed $179,396. Accepted.
(*25- ) Resolution No. 16273, “Authorizing the City Manager to Execute Required Documents with the Office of Justice Programs to Accept $963,000 for the 2024 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program Funding for Operational Costs of the City of Alameda Community Assessment Response and Engagement (CARE) Team and to Amend the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Fire Grants Fund (Fund 220) Operating Budget by Increasing Appropriations by $963,000.” Adopted.
(*25- ) Resolution No. 16274, “Amending the Salary Schedule for Part-Time Classifications Effective June 1, 2025 to Reflect Changes to the City of Alameda Minimum Wage and to Maintain Adequate Differentials Between Part-Time Job Categories.” Adopted.
(*25- ) Resolution No. 16275, “Approving Final Map and Accepting Dedications and Public Easements for Tract 8696, West Midway Large Lot, for the Rebuilding Existing Supportive Housing at Alameda Point (RESHAP) and West Midway Development Projects.” Adopted.
(*25- ) Resolution No. 16276, “Appointing Michael Roush as a Qualified Examiner to Conduct Administrative Hearings for Parking Violations in Accordance with the California Vehicle Code.” Adopted.
(*25- ) Ordinance No. 3384, “Re-Adopting Alameda Municipal Code Section 6-62 (Third-Party Food Delivery Services) of Article XVIII (Fair Housing and Tenant Protections) of Chapter VI (Businesses, Occupations and Industries) to Continue Placing Limits on Charges Imposed by Third-Party Delivery Services; Define Core Product Offering to Mean a Service; and Other Amendments.” Finally passed.
CONTINUED AGENDA ITEMS
None.
REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS
(25- ) Recommendation to Receive an Informational Report on the Status of City of Alameda Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Efforts as Mandated by Assembly Bill 2561.
The Acting Human Resources Director gave a Power Point presentation.
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(25- ) Councilmember Daysog moved approval of allowing 3 more minutes for the presentation.
Councilmember Boller seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 5.
***
The Acting Human Resources Director completed the presentation.
The Alameda Police Officers Association (APOA) President gave a brief presentation.
Councilmember Jensen inquired whether Officers are recruited to come in as Patrol Officers, Community Resource Officers, or as Investigators.
The APOA President responded an academy graduate will go right to Patrol; stated after spending time on Patrol and getting experience being a Police Officer, they can apply to different positions such as Traffic, Investigations, or Community Resource Officer; a new employee would not go directly from the academy to a specialized assignment.
Councilmember Jensen inquired whether it is possible for a lateral employee to come in at one of the specialized assignments; to which the APOA President responded in the negative; stated that he would argue it would not be fair; it is also uncharted territory; Alameda has not had a lateral who tried to immediately go to a specialized assignment.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired why it would not be fair to let a lateral employee a specialized assignment, to which the APOA President responded even though the employee has law enforcement experience, it is from a different agency; stated there are plenty of members who have put in time, blood, sweat and tears working for Alameda; he feels a person who have given their time to the City should get first crack at specialized assignments.
In response to Councilmember Jensen’s inquiry staffing levels, the APOA President stated it is due to the attrition; 37 Officers on Patrol are the backbone and the first positions the Department will try to completely fill; any lack of staffing ultimately affects specialized assignments.
Councilmember Jensen inquired whether the decisions about the allocation of existing staff to the different assignments are made by command; to which the APOA President responded in the affirmative.
In response to Councilmember Jensen’s inquiry about whether Patrol Officers fill some spots in an acting role, the APOA President stated lack of staffing has caused openings in overtime positions for Traffic and for assisting and learning the Investigations role; it helps, but it is just a band-aid for a bigger problem.
Vice Mayor Pryor inquired how burnout impacts the quality of work, public safety, and an Officer's ability to take a vacation or needed break.
The APOA President responded burnout is experienced by all ranks of Police Officers regardless of staffing issues, especially in Investigations; he works closely with Investigation Officers in his current role and sees the caseload and stress when they have to drop what they are doing if a more severe incident comes up; they are still producing really good work and trying to keep the community safe, but at some point there is obvious burnout; since Patrol is fully staffed now, vacations are not as difficult as before when the Department was greatly understaffed and there was mandatory overtime; regarding the impact on public safety, the crime numbers are trending down; crime is not skyrocketing because of staffing levels; the summer months are also coming up, which are typically busier with crime.
In response to Councilmember Daysog’s inquiry regarding the reduction of 16 sworn Officer positions, the Acting Human Resources Director stated the number is specific to APOA Police Officer classifications; the Sergeant classifications are fully staffed.
Councilmember Daysog inquired whether the budget workshop decision to reduce the Police by 16 positions would mean only six of the 22 vacant positions would be vacant, to which the Acting Human Resources Director responded in the affirmative; stated the Department is allocated a certain amount; even if there is a hiring delay after a certain amount, the vacancy will still exist.
Councilmember Daysog stated his point is the reduction in vacancies comes at the high cost of reductions in positions.
The Acting Human Resources Director stated that she does not see the positions as eliminated; the positions are still there, however, they are vacant.
In response to Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft’s request for clarification about the positions, the City Manager stated the City is still actively hiring a number of people; there has been a double digit reduction in crime with the current staffing; staff will still be added to get up to 72 Officers; ideally, the City will continue to hire as quickly as possible and try to be fully staffed; with reductions in revenues and increases in costs, and given the economic situation, revenues do not fully cover operating expenses; excess fund balance will be used to cover the deficit; as part of the budget work session, a decision was made to essentially pause hiring until revenue comes back and focus on existing employees and continuing current service levels.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated Alameda is operating in a very cautious manner and can always make changes if the financial outlook changes; the Los Angeles fires and tax extensions will have some impact on the State budget.
In response to Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft’s inquiry regarding losing staff because of work restrictions, the APOA President stated it is just a situation where an employee might not always agree with their boss or decisions that are made; he is not saying whether the employee or the boss is right or wrong, but there are differences in opinion on what can and cannot be done while working; some people take it so strongly that they decide Alameda is not the place for them; on the opposite side, there are employees who feel like it is not the fight to have, and they are happy here.
In response to Councilmember Jensen’s inquiry regarding new hires only being 2% of the total applications received, the Acting Human Resources Director stated even though 695 applications were received, it does not mean the candidates pass the oral boards; quite a few applications are received every month; between 10 to 13 candidates are interviewed bi-monthly; on average, five may pass the oral board to be placed on an eligible list; next, they are provided with a personal history form to complete; of the five, the City may receive three back; once the three candidates are entered into backgrounds, only be one or two may actually pass background and enter the academy; while the Department does receive a very large pool of applications, it does get whittled down at each step of the process, and does cause the rate of successfully passing and getting to academy to be smaller; on the flip side, the volume of applications, which was significantly increased since the implementation of the $75,000 sign-on bonus, has increased from 200 to 700 applications in a year, which has allowed Alameda to be okay with narrowing down the pool and selecting the most highly qualified candidates.
In response to Councilmember Jensen’s inquiry regarding cost barriers, the Acting Human Resources Director stated of the 695 applications, candidates cannot move forward until they take and complete the POST Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery (PELLETB); some candidates do not ever test and do not move forward in the process; others might test, but not receive a high enough score; the City implemented assessments centers to eliminate cost barriers and allow everything to be completed within one day, instead of having a piecemeal process; an assessment center is a heavy lift on staff; the whole day event is one of the ways to tackle the challenges of moving the candidates through the process, reduce costs for them, and complete all steps within one day.
In response to Councilmember Jensen’s inquiry, the Acting Human Resources Director stated 84 days to fill positions does not apply to APOA, which has a longer process; backgrounds can take a significant amount of time; the process is pretty intensive and requires reviewing a personal history form; the background process has a variety of different elements, such as psychological and medical examinations; general City staff does not have the same level of background completed; 84 days is having the requisition in place, opening the recruitment, completing the competitive recruitment, placing candidates on an eligible list, and referring candidates to the hiring manager for selection.
Councilmember Jensen stated the report very helpful and informative to better understand the budgeted number of Officers and see staffing challenges, including retention of existing Officers, proper and extensive training, and reducing burnout; suggested perhaps having an outside consultant in the future; stated that she would like to take a deeper dive and think about how the Department, and Officers, especially in APOA, are deployed, and how the City can best support retention and reduce crime.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft noted the City Council does not direct the Police Chief, the City Manager does; stated that she appreciates Councilmember Jensen wanting an outside consultant but does not agree with it; inquired whether traffic enforcement is being done.
The APOA President responded in the affirmative; stated the Department is doing traffic enforcement and writing traffic citations; traffic citation numbers have increased from last year; when he started, six Officers in Traffic had the sole job of writing traffic tickets and investigating traffic collisions; now, the Department is mostly reliant on either overtime from a Patrol Officer or having a Patrol Officer write traffic citations during the course of their day; that is where the bulk of the traffic citations are coming from today.
The City Manager noted with 72 Officers, there would be four dedicated Traffic Officers and six in Investigation/Community Resources.
Councilmember Jensen stated that she appreciated Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft’s comments and understands the City will not be able to immediately staff up to 88 for all the reasons heard tonight; she would just like to know how deployment works, and whether having community services, traffic, investigations, and training is ideal.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft stated that she agrees with Councilmember Jensen that Alameda has amazing Officers; she does not want them to be burned out and would like them to stay; credited the Police Chief for being very innovative, forward thinking, and progressive; stated before looking to call in consultants, she would like to hear more from him about where he is headed, and what the next thing is; maybe a report could be brought back to Council through the City Manager.
Councilmember Daysog stated reducing the budgeted positions from 88 to 72 makes the issues of why Alameda loses Officers that much more pronounced, including lack of career growth and fewer opportunities in special assignments; he understands the budget concerns, but it seems odd that at the lowest point of global economic difficulty, Alameda had to cut the budget; the cuts in positions that are being contemplated seem out of proportion; whether the City can ever ramp up from 72 back to 88 is going to come down to numbers that were not shown in the two budget workshops; it is completely possible that reducing the sworn Officers from 88 to 72, what is really happening is dollars that would have been in the Police Department are being reprogrammed to other departments; once dollars are reprogrammed out of the Police Department, it will be difficult to get it back; if Council is going to make the decision to go from 88 to 72 sworn Officers, it is not a simple task and a conversation really needs to be had to understand the implications; the limited number of Officers today keep Alameda safe, but it is coming at a cost; the cost is bearing out in turnovers; if the City goes to 72 sworn Officers, the City is cementing itself in a state of constantly wearing out the Police Force.
Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft inquired specific examples of where dollars are being reprogrammed from the Police budget to other departments.
Councilmember Daysog responded the final numbers of departments were not presented in the two budget workshops; stated Council needs to see the final numbers.
In response to Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft’s inquiry regarding reprogramming funds, Councilmember Daysog stated his comment is a hypothetical and subject to seeing the final numbers, which was not part of the package in the two workshops; further stated the current Police budget is roughly $49 million for 125 positions, of which 88 are sworn Officers; he is questioning what the Departmental change will be when the 88 is cut down to 72.
In response to Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft’s further inquiry, Councilmember Daysog stated his statements are based on his understanding of the previous budget; there is a lack of departmental information; one can easily do the math; if money is given to other departments, and there is an increase in other departmental budget, then the math says the budget was reprogrammed; Council has not seen the departmental numbers like in past budget workshops.
Councilmember Boller stated during the two budget workshops, there was consensus to expand to 72 Officers; it was very clear that staff was limiting to areas of public safety or public health issues and things that are absolutely essential; department budgets were not growing in other areas to any large degree; Council asked lots of questions in order to figure out ways to pay for more Officers and ways to come up with more savings; commended the City Manager and staff for coming up with creative solutions to the budget; stated Alameda will need to go into half of the excess reserves over the course of two years, which is pretty substantial; to do more would not be fiscally appropriate; there is much consensus on the Council to put the Police Department and its future staffing at a very high priority; it is very important to make sure the infrastructure is there and to enhance employee compensation; Council is completely in agreement with concerns about retention issues; he concurs with Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft that the Police Chief has done really effective programming over the last years, in terms of doing enhancements with technology, with database and evidence-based decisions, with geographic considerations and getting creative about bringing the Police Department up to state-of-the-art practices, which probably accounts for the greater reductions in crime than other communities, which is very impressive; Council completely feels for the sworn Officers; Alameda has a really diverse group of talented Officers; there is a real concerted effort on the City’s and Council’s part to not only get the recruitment phase process more effective, but also on the retention side; he is very optimistic.
Vice Mayor Pryor stated everyone has done such a wonderful job; although the City has experienced double digit reductions in crime, she appreciates the commitment to retain existing and recruit new Officers.
Councilmember Daysog moved approval of accepting the report.
Councilmember Boller seconded the motion, which carried by unanimous voice vote - 5.
CITY MANAGER COMMUNICATIONS
(25- ) The City Manager announced the Alameda Sister City Association is holding a community meeting at Mastic senior Center on May 28; Pacific Fusion is hosting a fun morning for residents of all ages at the Reap Climate Center on May 31; Alameda's award winning water shuttle will be celebrating its 1st birthday in July by extending hours and adding a sixth day of service; the Alameda Free Library is kicking off its summer reading program on June 1; the City started construction on the first phase of Grand Street from Shoreline to Otis last week; urged caution be used when driving in the area; stated when complete in August, there will be a two-lane bikeway, 88 curb ramps and parking, and a mid-block crosswalk near Wood School with a pedestrian island; lastly, the City will be launching mobile parking payments this summer, with payment stations installed at the Harbor Bay Ferry terminal and Park Street.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA
None.
COUNCIL REFERRALS
None.
COUNCIL COMMUNICATIONS
(25- ) Councilmember Daysog announced that he attended a number of events, including the Alameda Girls and Boys Club’s 75th Gala.
(25- ) Councilmember Boller announced he also attended the 75th Gala and the Mayor’s Conference on May 14; on May 17, he attended the community meeting for a potential surf park at Alameda Point as well as the Temple of Israel's 105th anniversary celebration; the Alameda Point Collaborative’s (APC) Farm to Table lunch was on May 18, along with the Asian Pacific Islander cultural festival; he attended the Citizens League for Airport Safety and Serenity (CLASS) meeting regarding airport noise on May 19.
(25- ) Vice Mayor Pryor announced that she also attended the Mayor Conference on May 14 and the Asian Pacific Islander cultural festival at Alameda Point on the 18, as well as the APC lunch.
(25- ) Councilmember Jensen announced that she attended most of the same events, as well as the Alameda Police Department (APD) swearing-in of new Officers; thanked Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft and staff for hosting a terrific Alameda County Mayor's Conference; stated it was great to see the recognition for Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft; there was support for domestic violence victims and other vulnerable Alameda residents from Assembly Member Bonta and Supervisor Tam; she also attended the APC lunch and was happy to recognize the partnership between the Collaborative and Stop Waste for the gardens and compost program; on May 19, she attended the Friends of the Park Foundation Golf Tournament and dinner at Lincoln Park; thanked the Recreation and Parks Director, volunteers, and staff for all they do to improve community spaces in Alameda.
(25- ) Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft announced that she gave opening remarks at the In Plain Sight Climate Photography display on May 9; attended the APD swearing-in ceremony on May 13; on May 14, Alameda hosted the Alameda County Mayor's Conference; on May 15, she was honored to receive an award from Building Futures; on May 16, she attended the newly renovated Islamic Center for Friday prayer; on May 17, she rode her bicycle to the Surf Park concept meeting and also attended the 105th Anniversary at Temple Israel; on May 18, she opened the Walk4Hearing and the APC luncheon.
ADJOURNMENT
(25- ) There being no further business, Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft adjourned the meeting at 8:38 p.m. in memory of former City Attorney Janet Kern.
Respectfully submitted,
Lara Weisiger, City Clerk
The agenda for this meeting was posted in accordance with the Sunshine Ordinance.