COUNCIL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES – September 5, 2024
CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Salinas called the regular meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
ATTENDANCE: (September 2024-July 2025)
Meeting Attendees
Present
9/5/24
All Meetings
Year to Date
Meetings Mandated
By Resolution
Present Absent Present Absent
Mayor Salinas 1 0 1 0
Council Member Andrews 1 0 1 0
Council Member Bonilla 1 0 1 0
OTHERS IN ATTENDANCE:
Dustin Claussen, Interim City Manager; Regina Youngblood, Assistant City Manager; Paul Nguyen, Chief Economic Development Officer; Daniel Mao, Economic Development Specialist; Amber Green, Economic Development Specialist; Sara Buizer, Director of Development Services; Rodney Affonso Jr, Deputy Director of Maintenance Services; John Sanders, Streets Maintenance Manager; Colleen Kamai, Administrative Supervisor; Armando Quintero, Street Maintenance Supervisor; Will iam Deplitch, Police Captain; Roland Hull, Code Enforcement Inspector I; Phillip Nichols, Code Enforcement Manager; Lucas Woodward, Senior Transportation Engineer; Lucy Lopez, CEO of Hayward Chamber of Commerce; Nicholas Yoo
PUBLIC COMMENTS
There were none.
1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING June 3, 2024
A motion to approve the minutes from the June 3, 2024, Regular Meeting was made by Council Member Andrews and seconded by Mayor Salinas. The minutes were approved.
2. Downtown Action Plan Working Group Update (Oral Report Only)
Mayor Salinas introduced Economic Development Specialist Dr. Amber Green , who then gave the presentation.
Hayward Council Economic Development Committee
Special Meeting Minutes
September 5, 2024
Council Member Bonilla thanked the staff for the presentation and the work that was done. He then asked how we can tell what projects are completed and what projects are ongoing. Chief Economic Development Officer Nguyen replied that the Downtown Action Plan Working Group will be creating a memo to send to the Mayor and City Council in the coming weeks to provide this information.
Council Member Bonilla asked how the projects were funded. Chief Economic Development Officer Nguyen stated each department used existing funds and staff resources to complete the projects.
Council Member Bonilla asked if the memo that will be sent out can include the frequency of ongoing projects like pressure washing. Director of Development Services Sara Buizer stated she will information on the Downtown Hayward Improvement Association ’s (DHIA) vendor’s schedule for pressure washing as it is included in their service contract.
Council Member Bonilla asked how the DHIA works and how the City funds these projects. Director Buizer explained the DHIA is a separate nonprofit entity , which is funded by property tax assessments paid by the City and property owners in the district. These funds are used for projects inside the district boundaries.
Deputy Director of Maintenance Services Rodney Affonso, JR. added that Maintenance Services routinely cleans the municipal parking lots in Downtown Hayward up to three times a week. He also added it is unsustainable for Maintenance Services to pressure wash the entire Downtown on a routine basis as it is too big of an area.
Council Member Andrews thanked DHIA and the participating property owners for paying into the assessment district and for their commitment to community events.
Council Member Andrews asked if there is any conversation on activating Heritage Plaza more than what has already been done , and to investigate partnering with other groups or doing an event monthly.
Council Member Andrews thanked Maintenance Services for their work and wanted to put on their radar that A and B Street traffic lights' timing and sensors need to be recalibrated.
Council Member Andrews requested an interim plan to activate Cinema Plaza.
Council Member Andrews asked if Economic Development could provide information to report street vendors on the Business Resource Guide Magnet.
Council Member Andrews asked if the valet parking program would only be on Foothill Blvd. or can B Street businesses participate. Senior Transportation Engineer Lucas Woodward stated the focus on the valet parking is on B Street and he will follow up with Public Works Deputy Director Hugh Louch, who has been leading the program.
Council Mem ber Andrews requested staff to educate business owners on available window replacements or treatments to prevent window breaking. She added that DHIA or the Hayward Chamber of Commerce could also lead these education programs for their members and can create a fund that said businesses can pull from to replace broken windows. Council Member Andrews asked if roll-up metal doors are allowed in front of businesses.
Hayward Council Economic Development Committee
Special Meeting Minutes
September 5, 2024
Council Member Andrews asked if we could have ambassadors to roam around Downtown Hayward.
Interim City Manager Dustin Claussen stated staff is currently researching that possibility and found it was difficult to find individuals and groups wanting to participate in the program.
Council Member Andrews stated she noticed the graffiti abatement. She asked if instead of painting over the graffiti , we could encourage business owners to place a mural at the cost of the business.
Code Enforcement Manager Phillip Nicholas stated they can work with the Mural Arts program coordinator and guide them to work with the business owners.
Mayor Salinas stated enforcement of bad behavior and bad conduct in Downtown Hayward is needed.
He added that the City of Hayward has invested millions of dollars in compassionate response strategies, healthcare treatment and housing, more than any other neighboring city. He stated that social media traffic and emails he received request more aggressive enforcement of laws. He added the city could do more enforcement while still being compassionate in responses.
Mayor Salinas added that he believes the Police Department and Maintenance Services Department have the support of the Council to enforce of the ordinances and policies that have been put forward.
He stated that the City has invested significant funding and resources to connect the unhoused population to health services, medical services, and food services.
3. Hayward Upward Economic Recovery Plan Update: Tuition Assistance
Chief Economic Development Officer Paul Nguyen introduced Economic Development Specialist Daniel Mao who then gave the presentation.
Council Member Andrews asked how many job fairs the Tuition Assistance program be able to collaborate on. Economic Development Specialist Mao stated under the current budget allocated to this program, our partners at Chabot College should be able to conduct one job fair each semester for the next two years.
Council Member Andrews asked if they could put the ages the job recruiters are looking for. Economic Development Specialist Mao stated the intent of these job fairs is for college students who are ready for a career. Council Member Andrews stated she would be interested in future job fairs for teenagers.
Council Member Andrews asked what the marketing plan for thes e job fairs was. Economic Development Specialist Mao stated when grants are issued emails are collected so the flyer is sent to them directly. He added that our partners are also sharing the flyer via their own social media accounts.
Council Member Bonilla asked if this is a one -time program or if this is ongoing. Economic Development Specialist Mao stated this is part of the suite of American Rescue Plan Act ( ARPA) programs meaning this is a one-time program.
Council Member Bonilla asked for clarification on the race and ethnicity data that was collected. Chief Economic Development Officer Nguyen stated the data collection was based on the same categories used by the US Census and relied on self -reporting. Council Member Bonilla asked to add gender to the data collection as well.
Mayor Salinas stated Hayward Unified School District (HUSD) and Hayward Area Recreation and Park Hayward Council Economic Development Committee
Special Meeting Minutes
September 5, 2024
District (HARD) had a job fair and HARD employed 65 youth and teens and HUSD employed over 100 teens.
4. FUTURE MEETING TOPICS
There were no comments.
COMMITTEE MEMBER/ STAFF ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REFERRALS
Council Member Andrews thanked everyone who participated in the Korean POP pop-up event in the Downtown Library.
Mayor Salinas thanked Maintenance Services for cleaning up the City of Hayward.
Chief Economic Development Officer Nguyen shared that East Bay Eats, a new food hall downtown, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The facility features 25 kitchen stalls.
Chief Economic Development Officer Nguyen shared Tea Villa, a boba milk tea shop, held a ribbon- cutting ceremony. This business is the first food and beverage store in the SoHay development.
Chief Economic Development Officer Nguyen shared that Khao Hom, a Thai fusion restaurant, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Foothill Blvd. He stated the restaurant has lines out the door on the weekends.
Chief Economic Development Officer Nguyen shared that El Pollo Loco on Whipple held a ribbon- cutting ceremony. This location is the second location in Hayward.
Chief Economic Development Officer Nguyen shared Raising Cane’s grand opening and the first store to be open in the former Kmart Site occurred in August.
Chief Economic Development Officer Nguyen shared that Blend It, a Latina-owned smoothie and Acai Bowl business on Foothill, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Economic Development Specialist Mao announced Osorio Training Center's grand opening on September 11th, 2024, at 6 pm. He stated the business is a business concierge program client and received permitting assistance. He stated that the center will be providing free classes to youth through the nonprofit side of the business.
Chief Economic Development Specialist Nguyen stated Sprouts Farmer’s Market, a new grocery store in South Hayward, will be hosting their grand opening celebration at 6:45 AM on Friday, September 27th.
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 6:00 p.m.