SPECIAL JOINT CITY
COUNCIL MEETING
APRIL 15, 2025
DOCUMENTS
RECEIVED AFTER
PUBLISHED AGENDA
Item #10
WS 25-019
Hayward's
Strategic
Roadmap
From: Collin Thormoto
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: WS 25-019 Hayward"s Strategic Roadmap Comment
Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 12:45:03 PM
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Hello Councilmembers and Mayor,
My name is Collin Thormoto and I’m a longtime resident and homeowner in the City of Hayward. The City’s Strategic Plan for 2026 has a lot in it--most of which I support--but there are two items I’d like to comment on.
Rental Registry
I noticed that the Rental Registry was removed from the 2026 Strategic Plan, citing issues around Staff capacity. As was discussed during the last Housing Policy and Resource Committee meeting, the Registry would be entirely self-funded through fees and a massive benefit to both residents and City Staff. Not only would it provide a robust database of rental properties in the City, the data collected would save Staff resources.
Gathering contact information for renters and landlords will allow staff to perform targeted outreach to them. It would also allow Staff to have direct contact with landlords to prevent situations where absentee landlords are unable to be contacted--like what happened with the Green Shutter Hotel’s former owner.
It would also help Code Enforcement to resolve issues around substandard living conditions, unlawful rent increases, and other behaviors of bad-faith landlords that require the City's intervention. Having accurate contact and rent information will ensure that the laws already on the books are followed and that any infractions can be resolved in a timely fashion.
It would also doubtless help staff in a number of ways I can’t think of, though I’m sure both Ms. Morales and Mr. Patel already have ideas in mind.
School Resource Officers
The second item is the intent to “swiftly reinstate School Resource Officers” at HUSD. As a parent of a child in HUSD--I may be unable to speak at the meeting due to my child's Open House--I understand that safety is a priority for our children. Bullying and violence and weapons are a reality that needs to be addressed. They were issues during my time at Hayward High School when we had SROs and they are still problems today. I want to encourage the City Council and City Staff, however, to think deeply about the problems you are looking to solve and whether an armed police officer is the right answer.
An article from Education Week on SROs highlights the disconnect between what Police Officers do and what is needed at schools. Most SROs identified with law enforcement and only a quarter with being a mentor, despite almost half of their time being spent on mentoring activities. Police officers also do not prevent things from happening--fights and bullying will still occur, but the consequences will be more severe and will fall disproportionately on students of color.
Research on the effectiveness of SROs is limited--despite the hundreds of millions spent on it- -and what evidence exists is concerning. Research shows that Black students and students of color are arrested by SROs at a disproportionate rate. SROs are also correlated with an increase in suspensions, expulsions, police referrals, and arrests. There’s even evidence to suggest that SROs increase the odds of firearm related incidents on sites--firearms and handcuffs do not tend to calm people down.
A way to increase student safety could come from supporting the existing Campus Safety Officer program. The School Board, students, parents, and staff are supportive of CSOs, who are unarmed security staff who work for the School District. Despite the support, they are at risk of being cut due to HUSD’s continually-decreasing budget. These unarmed security personnel have deep relationships with the students--a CSO who went by Robo was well- known by all the students at Hayward High while I was there--and improve safety without the need for guns or arrests.
Conclusion
I encourage the City Council to both pursue the rental registry for the data benefits it could provide City Staff and also to think beyond armed police when it comes to student safety.
Thank you,
Collin Thormoto
Resident
Downtown Hayward
From: HAYWARD CONCERNED CITIZENS
To: List-Mayor-Council
Cc: Ana Alvarez
Subject: WS 25-019, Strategic Roadmap Work Session Part 2, 4-15-25 City Council Meeting Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 12:22:09 PM
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City Manager Alvarez, Mayor Salinas, and Council:
I am long overdue in writing but since Part 2 of the
Strategic Roadmap is being discussed during the council meeting this evening I wanted to respond on the 3/8/25
Part 1 discussion. I appreciated the clear and transparent reports from all represented departments. The meeting
was well-structured and your team did a wonderful job of providing a depth of understanding about current goals and challenges. I also appreciated Dr. Alvarez’s summaries and key takeaways from each presentation, acknowledging the work that has gone into balancing Hayward’s needs
while staying grounded in reality about budget and
resource constraints. I am impressed with how all of the strategic priorities have been compacted into a digestible document.
As strong advocates for ongoing public safety
enhancements in our neighborhoods, HAYWARD
CONCERNED CITIZENS is pleased to see a renewed
emphasis on addressing police and fire staffing escalators to match the current needs of our growing population. We remain positive that a new state-of-the-art Public Safety Building will ultimately come to fruition to better support the growth and needs of police, dispatch, and animal services.
I also wanted to share my perspective in the ongoing
discussions around sidewalk vendors and code
enforcement issues that was again raised during the March 8th meeting. I realize council’s emphasis is on being data- driven, but I don’t feel the presented data of few reported complaints of vendor issues and the interpretation that nobody is bothered by these instances is representing an accurate snapshot of the situation. I don’t think residents are fully aware of the options available to report violations of the current ordinance, nor do I feel the options are widely publicized.
Some factors to take into consideration:
Code enforcement presence and consistency is
limited. There is rarely the availability to provide a real- time response. The reports I made were all related to
safety concerns of vendors on the freeway off-ramp
median, one of which took months for a response.
Overall, residents give up reporting and feel the city
doesn’t make this issue a priority.
Police has minimal bandwidth to assist with consistent
code enforcement.
Sensitivity to citizenship
Lack of understanding on how to report. There is no
“sidewalk vendor” option on ACCESS HAYWARD app.
The city tends to use euphemistic phrases not
understood by the general public, such as “community
preservation development” and “particular condition
governed by Hayward’s Municipal Code”. Where does
one report? It’s actually under the heading,
“Miscellaneous Private Property or City Code Issues”.
There is little public-facing information on this topic and the Sidewalk Vending Ordinance Update Webpage
appears to be outdated, including existence of any
monthly workshops on how to obtain permits (which
leads one to question how much follow-through is truly
being done to educate the vendors rather than just
move them along). I found one PDF in a random
websearch which included an email and a general
phone number to address concerns or complaints
regarding the ordinance.
I thank you for considering this matter further as
discussions continue,
TJ
HAYWARD CONCERNED CITIZENS
501(c)(4) nonprofit, public benefit organization
(#5924297)
Public Comment
From: Crissy Mello
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 11:59 AM
To: Miriam Lens
Subject: City Council Public Comment: 4/15/25, C. Mello, Resident & Staff Member CAUTION:This is an external email. Do not click on links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.
Good evening. I speak to you as a resident and staff member for the City and ask that you please reconsider revoking our remote work policy. Staff has proven that balancing work life is achievable and increases productivity.
Remote work has allowed us to be more available to the Public and staff on days we feel slightly ill but are still well enough to work. It also gives us the time to focus on our duties with minimal interruptions. Remote work has allowed us to continue serving the City when a typical pre-COVID day would have required us to take leave or come into the office sick. Most staff can't afford to exhaust their leave when first feeling symptoms because of commitments to the residents and our families. By working remotely at first symptoms, we avoid exposing other staff and the Public. When staff were out pre-COVID work would be delayed, phone calls unreturned, emails unread, duties incompleted, only to have additional work pile up and leave the Public and our vendors waiting longer for services when it could have been completed remotely with the proper set up. The set up we now have.
Revoking or placing harsh restrictions on remote work will hurt the Public leaving them to wait longer for services.
Instead of revoking the remote work policy or placing harsh restrictions, I urge you to focus on what departments have accomplished to make remote work achievable. Some department directors have instructed a weekly collaboration day and require remote days to blend with an AWS schedule. Staff has proven this works and have been more than willing to step in for those working remotely on the rare occasion of a needed onsite task. Departments directly working with the Public have carefully organized their schedules to always be available for the Public. Staff stagger schedules and have a supervisor or manager onsite every day. We did this to continue serving the Public to the best of our abilities. We also do this because we love our families and wish to be more available to them while maintaining work life balance. I have a 9-year old special needs child with autism. Being present as soon as the work day ends for as little as two days a week gives me the opportunity to be involved in his therapy sessions. Therapy sessions that are crucial to his development. Therapy sessions that run much more smoothly for him simply because of my presence. Taking leave takes away time from City duties and deadlines many of us could be completing if remote work is revoked.
Progression for society is often started by a small group of individuals but often wanted by the larger. Let's lead the way for this progression, not move backwards. I have been in the workforce for roughly 30 years. Long enough to have experienced both the private and public sector. By far, working for the City of Hayward and incorporating remote work has led to the most productive and satisfied work experiences in my life. We can lead the way for others to see that work life balance is possible, leading to higher productivity, more time with families, less environmental impact and overall improved health and mental wellness.
Thank you for your consideration.
Crissy Mello
From: John Varga
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: City Managers"s announcement to end Remote Work at City of Hayward Date: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 12:50:46 PM
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Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
As the IFPTE Local 21 Representative for our Local 21 Represented Bargaining
Unit at the City
of Hayward, which includes employees in every facet of Hayward government service, I am writing to express disappointment in the manner in which City has handled its announced wind down of remote work at the City.
By all accounts, the remote work policy in the City of Hayward has been hugely successful. It has been an important tool in recruiting and retaining skilled employees. Indeed, recent hires accepting positions with hayward because of the remote work policy. It has allowed for a meaningful work-life balance which has translated into improved production and service to the community. It has allowed employees to see positive impact to their financial circumstances without adding cost to the City’s payroll. And the vast majority of our members have expressed their desire to maintain a remote work arrangement. Many have shared that without a remote work arrangement at the City of Hayward, they will be forced to find employment elsewhere.
This certainly cannot be the City’s intended result.
The City’s Manager seems to have ignored all of this in her unilateral announcement that remote work will be coming to an end. To be clear, Local 21 has not been approached for discussion on this topic. Not before the announcement, and not since. The City Manager makes a broad statement in her announcement that eliminating remote work will “restore in- office collaboration, strengthen staff responsiveness and enhance service to our community.” While Local 21 has made a request, the City has provided no evidence to support the notion that any of these were lacking or negatively impacted by the city-wide remote work policy. An overwhelming majority Local 21 members have expressed quite the opposite. Furthermore, nearly every one of our members who continue to work remotely have reported that they have not received any negative feedback as to their performance from their supervisors related to their working remotely.
As much as the manner in which the specific issue of remote work has been mishandled, it is an equal if not greater disappointment that the City Manager has not made any effort to introduce herself to Labor. In the past, we have found a solid working relationship with the City Manager’s office has benefited the City, the workforce, and the community the City serves. We hope to return to that positive working relationship with the City of Hayward and the City Manager.
We welcome the opportunity to work with the City to collaborate on a remote work policy that works. One that allows employees to continue to thrive and provide the services to the community that sets Hayward apart from other cities in the region.
Your consideration of this issue is greatly appreciated, John Varga
IFPTE Local 21 Representative / Organizer
--------------
John Varga (he/him)
IFPTE Local 21
Union Representative / Organizer
Mobile:
https://ifpte21.org/join/
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From: Jeffrey Aigbekaen
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 4:48 PM
To: Miriam Lens
Subject: For city council meeting today
Dear Mayor & Council Members:
We've recently been informed by the City Manager that the remote policy is soon to change.
This will poorly impact our lives, our families and most importantly, the public. When COVID hit, staff were the first to respond and take immediate action to continue serving the public in any way, even remotely. Many of us were juggling numerous tasks while adjusting to remote work. We were working, caring for children, other family and maintaining a home at an uncertain, concerning time of our lives. It happened, we responded, and we overcame.
We were one of the first cities in California to open a COVID testing center and act in serving the public to our best abilities. We are hard workers and take pride in the City that we work for and some of us live in. We are the busy bees that keep this City running.
Overcoming COVID and adjusting to remote work has shown us that work-life balance is achievable while maintaining productivity, even increasing productivity. We are happier and feel more fulfilled with our work. It has increased staff morale and pride for our City.
Satisfied workers are better able to serve the public and our families. Remote work has benefited the public in many ways.
- More parking available in the parking garage across from city hall. - Pre-covid we fielded daily complaints from business owners and residents about how COH employees take up a lot of parking spaces.
- The AWS and work from home days benefits the business and residents given how much foot traffic B street sees now and the library brings in the library brings over a lot of residents daily now.
- If all staff returns work all days, there won’t be enough parking spaces on the third floor where are cars are safe. It will force employees to park on the first and second floor risking car break-ins or direct attacks against employee vehicles which has happen numerous times before.
- More security would need to be hired, more staff would need to be fired to handle the increased resource consumption in the facilities. It increases the City’s spending on an already tight budget.
- More traffic backing up an already busy mission/foothill streets to enter the parking garage.
- Remote work has reduced commutes, increased accessibility to the public and our families, the list goes on. The cost of gas is now over $5 a gallon having to commute more days out of the weak impact cost on car insurance, gas, wear and tear of my vehicle.
We are also more accessible to the residents with use of modern technology. My department has spent several years migrating the public to utilizing a lot of key tools to reduce the need for them to physically walk into the office.
Working remotely reduces my carbon footprint in the world. The city of Hayward has long been an advocate for being environmentally conscious.
By discontinuing remote work, you are removing the work-life balance my colleagues and I have cherished, respected and earned.
The city is currently facing a financial burden. Having more ppl in office increases the cost of upkeep for the building, may require additional staff hiring for departments who keep the facility functional, safe, and clean.
We have the means to complete most of our duties remotely while maintaining a healthy, happy work-life balance. This is a progressive-minded City, instead of revoking remote work, the City should lead by example on how remote work increases productivity while improving staff lives, public lives, family lives, even pet lives.
Please reconsider revoking our current remote work policy and see the positive impact it has had on our staff and community.
Thank you,
Jeffrey Aigbekaen
SEIU 1021