CITY COUNCIL
MEETING
OCTOBER 7, 2025
PRESENTATIONS
Item #9
WS 25-003
Review of
Campaign
Finance
Regulations
Review of Campaign Finance Regulations as
the City Converts to District Elections
City Council Work Session | October 7, 2025
Hayward Police Department Year-End Report
2 Background
In 2002, City Council enacted Muni Code Chapter 2, Article 13:
• Sets voluntary limits on campaign expenditures
• Incentivizes voluntary limits by allowing to higher amounts of campaign contributions
• Authorizes the City Clerk to increase the limits annually based on CPI
In 2024, the City converted its at-large elections for the six City Council Members to district elections (≈ 27,000/district) Hayward Police Department Year-End Report
3 Existing Limits
Candidates that Accept
Voluntary Limits
Candidates that Do Not Accept
Voluntary Limits
Expenditure
Limit
Contribution
Limit
Expenditure
Limit
Contribution
Limit
2002 $50,000 $1,000 No limit $250
2025 $91,096 $1,784 No limit $410
Hayward Police Department Year-End Report
4 Comparison Cities
City
2023
Population
Data
Districts Contribution
Limit
Voluntary
Expenditure
Limit
Expenditure
Limit per
Resident
Union
City 65,414
4 (average
of 16,103
ppl/district)
$800
$35,000 City
Council
$75,000 Mayor
≈ $2.17 for CC
≈ $4.65 for
Mayor
Redwood
City 80,996
7 (average
of 11,570
ppl/district)
$1,000 District population
x $2.45 $2.45
San
Mateo 101,327
5 (average
of 20,265
ppl/district)
$500/
individual
$1,000/
organization
District population
x $2.50, rounded
to nearest $100
$2.50
Hayward Police Department Year-End Report
5 Considerations
• There is some economy of scale when running a campaign • Based on comparison cities, staff suggests $45,000 to $50,000 as a voluntary limit on expenditures, and $900 to $1,000 on voluntary contributions
• Limits do not apply to independent expenditures
• Some candidates have already begun fundraising for the 2026 election
Hayward Police Department Year-End Report
6 Discussion Points
1. Should the expenditure and contribution limits be
reduced for district elections?
2. If so, what should the limits be?
3. If so, when should the limits take effect?
Item #10
LB 25-030
Maintenance and
Repair of
Sidewalks Ordinance
1 Item 10: Proposed Amendments to the Maintenance
and Repair of Sidewalks Ordinance
October 7, 2025
Director of Maintenance Services: Todd Rullman
Assistant City Attorney: Vadim Sidelnikov
2 Hayward Sidewalks
•City of Hayward has approximately 430 miles of sidewalks •Maintained in three primary ways:
1) Adjacent Property Owners
2) City of Hayward Maintenance Services Department – in response to complaints
3) City of Hayward Public Works Department – through Capital Improvement Projects
3 Current Ordinance re:
Maintenance and Repair of Sidewalks
•State Law requires property owners to maintain sidewalks adjoining to their property
•Hayward codified the same requirement 24 years ago in 2001 •Local Ordinance requires property owners to maintain
sidewalks adjoining to their property
•Where property owner fails to repair, Ordinance allows City to repair and recover costs through a special assessment against the property.
•If sidewalk conditions are not repaired, may cause a trip hazard 4 Need for Sidewalk Repairs
5 Proposed Ordinance Amendment
•Seeks to clarify the duty of property owners and to hold property owners liable should they fail to remedy dangerous sidewalk conditions:
“[An adjacent property owner] shall owe a duty to members of the public to keep and maintain the Sidewalk in a safe and non-dangerous condition. If, as a result a [property owner’s] failure to maintain a Sidewalk …, any person suffers injury or damage…, the Responsible Person shall be liable to such person for the resulting damages or injury.” 6 Impacts of Ordinance Amendment
•For Property Owners:
• Homeowner Insurance Rates should not be impacted
• No charge encroachment permits
• Hardship Program
•For the City:
• Status quo will result in significant and continued impacts to the General Fund, which may amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars per claim
7 Questions