CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES
March 17, 2026
CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IN HONOR OF THE US MILITARY TROOPS
The City Council Meeting was held in a hybrid format (in-person and via Zoom videoconference and broadcast) from the Pinole Council Chambers, 2131 Pear Street, Pinole, California. Mayor Tave called the Regular Meeting of the City Council to order at 5:00 p.m. and led the Pledge of
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Before we begin, we would like to acknowledge the Ohlone people, who are the traditional custodians of this land. We pay our respects to the Ohlone elders, past, present and future, who call this place, Ohlone Land, the land that Pinole sits upon, their home. We are proud to continue their tradition of coming together and growing as a community. We thank the Ohlone community for their stewardship and support, and we look forward to strengthening our ties as we continue our relationship of mutual respect and understanding.
3. ROLL CALL, CITY CLERK'S REPORT & STATEMENT OF CONFLICT An official who has a conflict must, prior to consideration of the decision; (1) publicly identify in detail the financial interest that causes the conflict; (2) recuse himself/herself from discussing and voting on the matter; and (3) leave the room until after the decision has been made, Cal. Gov.
Code § 87105.
A. COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT
Anthony Tave, Mayor
Norma Martinez-Rubin, Council Member
Maureen Toms, Council Member
Cameron Sasai, Council Member*
*Remote Attendance
COUNCIL MEMBERS ABSENT
Devin Murphy, Mayor Pro Tem
B. STAFF PRESENT
Garrett Evans, Interim City Manager
Heather Bell-Spears, City Clerk
Melissa Klawuhn, Police Chief
Eric Casher, City Attorney
Markisha Guillory, Finance Director
Heba El-Guindy, Public Works Director
Justin Rogers, Pinole Police Commander
Franco Dalao, Pinole Police Officer
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
Roxane Stone, Deputy City Clerk
City Clerk Heather Bell-Stone announced the agenda had been posted on March 12, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. with all legally required written notices. Written comments had been received in advance of the meeting, distributed to the City Council and staff, posted to the City website and made available to the public to view in the Council Chambers. She added that Council member Sasai was joining the meeting remotely per the provisions of Assembly Bill (AB) 2449.
Following an inquiry, the Council reported there were no conflicts with any items on the agenda.
4. CONVENE TO A CLOSED SESSION:
A. CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATORS
Gov. Code §54956.8
Property: 2100 San Pablo Avenue
Agency Negotiators: Interim City Manager Garrett Evans and City Attorney Eric Casher
Negotiating party: Art Pakpour
Under negotiation: Price and Terms
B. CONFERENCE WITH LABOR NEGOTIATORS
Gov. Code §54957.6
Agency designated representatives: Human Resources Director Stacy Shell, Finance Director Markisha Guillory and Gregory Ramirez, IEDA Employee organizations: The Pinole Police Employees Association (PPEA)
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Cathy McFarland, suggested the City needed to have transparency moving forward on any and all matters which affected the City and suggested residents had the right to know who was or was not supporting the City during Closed Sessions. The City of Pinole had approximately 20,000 residents, four Council members and a Mayor, three of whom had questionable judgment and alternative agendas. Providing that transparency allowed the public to make informed decisions on who to support during the November election. She welcomed the Interim City Manager and hoped he was strong-willed and would do his best to protect Pinole residents. She stated that questions from the public related to the prior two City Managers, who had left the City and their associated compensations when they departed, had not been answered. Residents should not have to pay for anyone leaving a position or pay for anyone who had not performed the job they were hired to do. Moving forward, the City should identify any and all contract terms for this type of work.
Ms. McFarland added the City needed the long overdue contract approved for the Pinole Police Department (PPD), to support hard-working police officers and emergency response teams. The City Council had postponed and ignored the PPD long enough. She suggested if Council member Sasai was the lone person opposed to the PPD contract, he needed to remove himself due to his past ideology of defunding the police since residents needed to remain safe and protected Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
Rafael Menis, referenced Item 4B and reported he recently received a survey, which he was unsure was from the City, which highlighted several potential tax measures, including a potential special sales tax increase dedicated to public safety. He asked whether the City or the Pinole Police Employees Association (PPEA) had the results of the survey at this time.
City Attorney Eric Casher advised the question could be taken under submission.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
5. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION TO ANNOUNCE RESULTS OF CLOSED SESSION:
At 6:41 p.m., Mayor Tave reconvened the meeting into open session. There was no report from the Closed Session.
CITIZENS TO BE HEARD (Public Comments)
Citizens may speak under any item not listed on the Agenda. The time limit is 3 minutes and is subject to modification by the Mayor. Individuals may not share or offer time to another speaker.
Pursuant to provisions of the Brown Act, no action may be taken on a matter unless it is listed on the agenda, or unless certain emergency or special circumstances exist. The City Council may direct staff to investigate and/or schedule certain matters for consideration at a future Council meeting.
Willian Horton expressed his opposition to Measure D, which would be on the June 2, 2026 ballot for a directly Elected Mayor, which he found to be a waste of $55,000. He would vote no on Measure D since it did not guarantee any new funds or new ideas but it would still result in five people voting for the budget as they did now. It would not increase the Pinole quality of life, or improve police, fire, parks and streets. It would solve a problem that did not exist, and he had only heard about the issue from the Council majority who put the issue on the ballot.
Debbie Long asked where the two Council members attending remotely were located.
City Clerk Bell-Spears reported Council member Sasai was attending remotely and was at a work conference out of state and Mayor Pro Tem Murphy was absent.
Ms. Long read into the record excerpts from comments made by community members who had posted on NextDoor, and which had been written shortly after the City Council's decision to put an Elected Mayor on the ballot, as follows:
Last night was very hard and sad to see. This was preplanned and how they were going to vote.
I appreciate Norma Rubin-Martinez and Maureen Toms for their questions and their vocal noes to this proposed expense. The speakers all asked to not accept the expense and stop what has worked for a hundred years. Everything how it was going was already in place. The Pinole citizens weren't heard but were actually unheard. They have already determined that they want to end a rotating Mayor and pay to have an election of close to $60,000 of taxpayer money. They determined that the Mayor can be two-or-four year terms. The City Attorney presented us with city comparisons, several cities like Union City, Newark comparing city size. We are small 20,000 people compared to Newark's whose population is approximately 46,000. They way they came up with comparisons is not correct.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
The City Attorney's didn't have a lot of answers to our questions. Three of the Council members who pushed for this Special Election were Devin Murphy, Cameron Sasai and Anthony Tave. / worked on the campaign for Cameron and Devin, but have been out of the loop for 18 months. / see what I've missed, as citizens of Pinole, I or we, lay complacent this is what happens behind the closed doors. Do we want this for our City? Pinole residents you need to call, email, visit City Hall, whatever it takes to get your message out there. If we all just lay down just like last night, they Devin, Anthony and Cameron walked all over the citizens of Pinole. We need our roads fixed, we need our City to be ADA compliant.
So far I have not read one good reason to change the system to an Elected Mayor. I like the current arrangement. Council members meet as equals and must work with cooperation and compromise in the best interests of the community. Each Council member serves a term as Mayor knowing any pet agenda will not gain much traction.
Jennifer Horn read into the record written comments/emails that had been received two weeks ago related to the topic of an Elected Mayor, as follows:
Jacqulin Nostaja, Dear City Council Members, Please VOTE NO on this item number, 10.A currently listed on the City Council Agenda scheduled for February 3, 2026. The City of Pinole does not need a full time and fully paid mayor to manage our City. I don't see how a dedicated mayor will improve the safety and lives of Pinole's citizens. In fact, it could hurt more people, depending on the authoritarian nature of this individual, the increased budget and more staff hours required to establish a mayor. There will be less funding to take care of infrastructure needs. / don't appreciate that the City wants to spend money to fund a ballot measure before all of the details are known (mostly budget and level of control and power) and what the impact there will be on City and its citizens. It is frivolous to spend tens of thousands of dollars to "see" if the citizens want a dedicated mayor. There are a number of less expensive ways to ask residents about their opinion on this topic. If a majority of people like the idea, then reconsider including it on the November 2026 ballot, since some of you may be running for re-lection. In the future, / will vote no to re-elect any Council member who votes yes to establish a special election for the June Jonathan B. Jarvis, I am writing in opposition to the proposed ballot measure to change the Pinole mayor position to elected vs a rotation of elected city council members. Having worked in government for more than 40 years, / can offer a few insights on soft power vs hard power. An old adage of the government is "if it's not broken, don't try to fix it". I have seen nothing "broken" about the current system. The city functions efficiently through elected city council, the professional staff, guided by the input of citizens. A rotating mayor is the height of democracy, as power is shared among the city council and no one council member can rule over the others. just wait till the next election or seek an expensive and ugly recall. The question really is about soft power vs hard power. As we are witnessing in the federal government, hard power, unchecked, can have serious consequences to the public. Hard power generally serves only the individual and a selected few. Successful soft power leaders work to build their skills of collaboration, communication, team work, active listening, and consensus building.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
The question is really "what will serve the people of Pinole the best?": In my opinion that is a consensus-based city council with a rotating mayor, the system we currently have. Jonathan B Jarvis.
Kent Moritarty, continued reading into the record written comments/emails as follows:
Jodie Ingalls, Council, / voice my opposition to Agenda Item 10A Resolution Calling For Special Election And Submitting Questions Regarding Office Of Elected Mayor To Voters. * It is not a question of whether or not the citizens of Pinole want an elected Mayor; the question first is whether or not they want to spend $37k-$55k estimated to find out if they want an elected Mayor, especially when this question could be included in the already scheduled poll and not cost them anything.* It is financially irresponsible to spend taxpayers money in this manner. You are not actually listening to the residents of Pinole if you think they want to spend their money on this.* / worry about how this will shape the future of Pinole government into the future; will the Mayor position attract up and coming politicians to serve one or two terms on their way to higher positions. Individuals who have no real ties to the city and do not plan to make Pinole their permanent home.* / could go on but / know I will only echo what others have said or will say on this matter. I have not encountered one person who is in favor of this. As an example there are 15 houses on my small street, each with two potential voters; of those 30 people 12 people (including myself) that I have spoken with are opposed to this. All 12 Pinole voters that / am in a book club with are opposed to this, most of which attended the January 20th council meeting and will be attending tonight or sending in their opposition. I urge you not to put the question on the June ballot nor any ballot. Please spend your energy and Pinole taxpayer's money on more pressing matters that will ACTUALLY make a difference in the lives of the people who live here.
Sincerely, Jodie Ingalls Pinole resident.
Ann Moriarty, concluded continued reading into the record written comments/emails as follows:
Janet Wilks, Council - I am urging you all to vote against placing the mayor question on the ballot. $56,000 to just ask the question. Take a look at social media. One - a single voice in favor - and that person lives in Hercules! Several thousand hits on posts on this topic. Your constituents are watching. Stop the unending parade of increasing the cost of living in Pinole. Have you noticed that 'affordability' is the national outcry? Have you noticed that the fight against the consolidation of executive power is at the heart of every protest on the streets of our country? Pay heed to the voice of the people you represent. Janet Wilks.
Unidentified, / would like to voice my strong opposition to the City Council's move to establish an Elected Mayor for the City of Pinole, which allows for a concentration on of power in one individual.
I have seen the negative impact that one individual council member, during their turn as mayor, can have on the operations of the city and the city staff. With our current system, such a negative impact is not able to grow roots, and no single individual can make a power grab, as the mayoral title shifts each year. With a rotating mayor, we benefit from a diverse representation bringing fresh ideas and perspectives each year. The added expense of putting this to a vote in a special election is spending money we should be putting toward city priorities.
Melanie Norton, / vote no on Agenda item 10a. Melanie Norton Resident of Pinole Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
Nancy Andrina, To whom it may concern, Please VOTE NO on 10 a, no need for a direct Mayor Election. Thank you. Nancy Andrina.
Noreen Buller, Dear City Council please mark my objection to the idea of changing how we elect a mayor. Keep mayor rotation as it is! thank you, Noreen Buller- Realtor, Security Pacific Real Estate Brokerage.
Paula Jarvis, / would like to express my opposition to the proposal that we, the citizens of Pinole, begin the process to have an Elected Mayor system for Pinole. Please enter my attached comments into the public record. Thank you, Paula Jarvis citizen of Pinole.
Pierrette Johnston, 1 have been a Pinole resident for over 25 years and have found that the governing system we have has worked fine. It makes no sense to have a paid position for mayor! We are not a large city, other cities our size do not have a paid mayor, why do we need one? With the belt tightening going on in the economy, including in the city finances why would the council think this is a good idea?! Please do not move forward with this plan, I do not support it. Pierrette Johnston
Cathy McFarland commented she had an informative meeting with the Directors of Finance and Public Works to go over a long list of questions about finances and projects. She reported the adopted budget for 2024/25 had authorized revenues totaling $49.7 million and expenditures totaling $96.1 million. A budget projection had assumed the net use of fund balance of $46.3 million for all funds combined, which was not a balanced budget, but a financial disaster plan.
She commented that retained fund balances at that rate were depleted and gone. informed the expenditures were for a five-year plan, but the adopted budget stated it was for 2024.
She would like to know the truth and asked for accuracy about the figures being represented.
She also detailed the original road maintenance budget for 2024/25 through many different funds, which was over $11.7 million, although only $1.6 million was actually spent.
The 2025/26 budget had over $8 million and at six months, the total spent was only $769,000, which added to over $17 million not currently spent in the last year and a half. Although the Public Works Director stated there were limited funds currently to fix roads as planned, she could not answer questions where the money went.
Ms. McFarland added the reason the Finance Director gave during a recent City Council meeting about not wanting to put an Elected Mayor item on the November ballot, was deceptive and an unfounded excuse. The Finance Director had stated "Adding another measure would make the survey much longer, could cause survey fatigue and skew the survey results and four measures would push the limits and change the scope of work." She emphasized residents were tax fatigued and the wasted money for the self-serving June survey was appalling. She also found the consistent 3-2 majority was clearly sending red flags that the community and the City needed to pay attention to address. She suggested each and every resident needed to come together, scrutinize and question each and every action and item being presented, and preserve the City and stop the mind set taxpayers were the open financial wallets for whatever the City Council wanted.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
Richard Cossel described his theory of pothole government, with potholes not repaired, because if they were, the City could not ask for more money. He also reported he received a rebate form/card in the mail and asked how the City was able to pay for rebates given his understanding the City was broke. After review, he found the source for the rebate was related to $250,000 in Public Works weatherization, $65,000 in professional services for strategic energy institute partnerships and Measure S 2014 funds, which were intended to be used for general purposes in Pinole, such as police, fire and maintenance of parks and streets. He suggested the City Council gets taxpayers to provide money for pothole repair which was in turn used for special projects. He questioned what other things the City Council was using taxpayer funds for that were not related to police, fire and maintenance of parks and streets. He also highlighted the following expenditures: $40,000 for a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Consultant, $25,000 for a Safety Update, $50,000 for an Inclusionary Housing Nexus Study, $14,000 for Pride Event, $5,000 for Earth Day and $3,000 for United Against Hate Week (UAHW). He found the City Council was wasting money and he urged the City Council to vote no on an Elected Mayor.
7. REPORTS & COMMUNICATIONS
A. Mayor Report
There was no report.
Announcements: None
B. Mayoral & Council Appointments: None
C. City Council Committee Reports & Communications
Council member Martinez-Rubin reported she attended the Contra Costa Mayors Conference with a representative from the State Hospital Council who provided a presentation on the State of Hospitals in California, with many issues intractable at this time given federal cuts and unknowns.
She found the presentation to be disheartening given when there was a reduction in hospital and clinic services, if funded by the state, it affected the population, which had already been disproportionally represented or affected with greater health disparities. She hoped the Contra Costa Mayors would continue to raise this issue whether hospitals were public or private.
Council member Martinez-Rubin also reported she had participated in reading The Wild Robot, to the third-grade class at Stewart Elementary School; joined Pinole Police Officers to honor 2025 Officer of the Year, Andre Roberts; attended the State of the City Address which she highlighted and attended a recent WestCat Board meeting. She commented on the impacts on transportation given the increased expense of fuel and the fact taxpayers would be asked to consider an upcoming tax measure related to transportation on the November 2026 ballot. She urged taxpayers to be informed on the regional and local tax measures that were planned for the November ballot.
Council member Toms wished everyone a Happy Irish Heritage Month and Happy St. Patrick's Day. She too attended the Contra Costa Mayors Conference, with one of the highlights the hospital desert West County had experienced, which was likely to move to Central and East Counties and other parts of the State and which highlighted the dire need given the federal budget.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
Council member Toms also attended the dinner honoring Andre Roberts as the City of Pinole's Officer of the Year, which event had been sponsored by the Elks Club, who also honored officers throughout the cities in West County and the Sheriff's Department. She also attended the State of the City Breakfast sponsored by the Bay Front Chamber of Commerce which included updates from the Mayors of the cities of Hercules, Pinole and Rodeo, and an update from Contra Costa County Supervisor Shanelle Scales-Preston on County budget issues.
In addition, Council member Toms attended a Bay Front Chamber of Commerce meeting with upcoming events including Bottles & Bites, a fundraiser for education at the Hercules Community Center, March 22, 2026 from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m.; Spring Mega-Mixer for Chamber of Commerce members and non-members at the Berkeley Country Club, April 21, 2026 and the Polar Plunge at the Hercules Sport Center on March 18, 2026, with more information for sponsoring any of the participants to take the plunge on social media. She also planned to attend the March 19, 2026 Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Committee meeting; March 20, 2026 East Bay Regional Communication System Authority (EBRCSA) meeting and the East Bay Wildfire Government Coalition meeting on March 25, 2026.
Council member Sasai reported he attended the WestCAT Board meeting and highlighted the agenda items including the extension of the Employment Agreement for the General Manager, who had been highly engaged, responsive and effective in his role, and he looked forward to continuing to work with him in the future. The WestCAT Board also reviewed and approved an increase to the WestCat Procurement Policy.
Council member Sasai also reported he was attending the National League of Cities Conference in Washington D.C. representing the City of Pinole, to stay informed on federal funding opportunities and evolving requirements as policies shifted at the national level. He found the discussions around Opioid Settlement funds very impactful and he hoped to bring best practices and information back to the community for future conversations with staff about the funding. He also planned to meet with Congressman John Garamendi and his staff to advocate for federal funding on behalf of the City of Pinole. He planned to request support for the acquisition of Rapid Deploy Crash Resistant Barricades in partnership with the City of Hercules, which would significantly enhance safety at community events, such as the Annual Car Show and any events where there were road closures so as to prevent unauthorized vehicle access into pedestrian areas. The barricades would reduce the need for extensive staffing during road closures, lower operational costs and improve event readiness and safety for the community. He thanked staff for preparing the request and prioritizing the safety of residents.
D. Council Requests for Future Agenda Items: None
City Manager Report / Department Staff
Interim City Manager Garrett Evans thanked the Mayor, City Council, staff and the community for appointed a new City Manager.
F. City Attorney Report: None
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED (Items 7A through 7F)
Deputy City Clerk Stone reported there were no comments from the public.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
8. RECOGNITIONS / PRESENTATIONS / COMMUNITY EVENTS
A. Proclamations
1. Nowruz
The City Council read into the record a proclamation recognizing March 20, 2026 as Nowruz, which was presented to Ushain Pakpour, who thanked the City Council for the proclamation on behalf of the Iranian community.
2. International Women's History Day and Women's History Month The City Council read into the record a proclamation recognizing March 8, 2026 as International Women's History Day and the month of March as Women's History Month.
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Deputy City Clerk Stone reported there were no comments from the public.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
B. Presentations
HdL Market Analytics Report
Finance Director Markisha Guillory introduced Principal Managing Director Barry Foster, HdL EconSolutions, who provided a PowerPoint presentation on Insight Market Analytics for the City of Pinole, and which included an overview of the consumer demographic profile, consumer demand & market supply assessment, VOID Retail Opportunities and community profile.
Responding to questions from the City Council, Interim City Manager Evans, Finance Director Guillory and Mr. Foster clarified the following:
VOID Retail Opportunities was again clarified, as were the big box retailers that preferred to go through the city processes easily and have cities work and welcome those retailers with site opportunities. Reported the International Council of Shopping Centers would hold an event in Monterey this month, with Mr. Foster planning to attend to represent a number of cities as part of an opportunity to match cities and locations with possible utilitarian restaurant users. (Martinez-Rubin)
HdL worked with the City of Hercules on a program which offered up to $50,000 in grants to help with startup costs for small businesses. (Martinez-Rubin) Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
• HdL also worked on a digital gift card program for small businesses throughout the State of California, which programs were important for the small business Mom and Pops and not intended for the big box retailers. Such programs may be a good fit for Pinole. (Martinez-Rubin)
• In terms of middle-sized retailers, the focus would be to find opportunities (physical locations) for those businesses in Pinole, which would take the right kind of footprint and market. Those retailers also sought an easy permitting/entitlement process. The City of Hercules' program for small businesses was identified as a successful example and that could be applied to mid-sized businesses. (Martinez-Rubin) • The VOID Retail Opportunities used a specific software system where a location could be picked for a specific business to determine whether there was a void in Pinole and identify the nearest location of the business, and where in the Pinole marketplace there could be a good fit for the business. The data in the VOID Retail Opportunities showed significant dollars Pinole residents were spending outside of the community. As an example, while Pinole had a Big 5, the business had recently been purchased by another company, was not currently growing and involved a much smaller footprint than Dick's Sporting Goods. (Toms)
• The demographics for the City of Pinole, racial diversity and economic diversity and those trends had been part of the market analysis. HdL encouraged the City Council to read the full VOID Analysis which had more information than the PowerPoint presentation, and which would show the footprint of the business, potential for sales tax revenue, contact information for the business and what kind of location the business desired to locate.
While there were duplicates in the VOID Analysis in terms of the businesses, businesses that were thought to be a good fit for Pinole were identified and there was a lot of leakage in those categories. (Sasai)
• The category of lawn garden and equipment supply store, as an example, had shown 100 percent leaving Pinole in the VOID Analysis. (Mayor Tave) • For the category of clothing, a total of $17.8 million had been shown leaving Pinole and for some of the categories that were 90 percent and above, they had looked at the categories and how many dollars were being spent, and how much was leaking out. (Mayor Tave)
• The Interim City Manager working with the Community Development Director would review the available spaces in Pinole, looking at the leakage and comparing that data, while also looking at the businesses looking to come into Pinole, time to market, balanced with incentive programs, particularly for the smaller businesses where prevailing wages had been a challenge. All factors would be weighed while looking at ways as to how the City could capture some of the leakage, some of which was caused by Amazon and Walmart. (Mayor Tave)
• The full report from HdL would be posted on the City website. (Mayor Tave) Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
• The opportunity gap and listing of retail shops by type was again clarified. The full report had taken into account online sales by category and product, which would be in the opportunity number and whatever was not being spent physically within the City of Pinole was leaking out, and included Internet online sales. (Martinez-Rubin)
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Deputy City Clerk Stone reported there were no comments from the public.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Pinole Traffic Related Incidents - Police Chief Melissa Klawuhn Interim City Manager Evans thanked Police Chief Melissa Klawuhn and her team for pulling the report together.
Police Chief Klawuhn introduced Commander Justin Rogers, who oversaw the Operations Bureau and Officer Franco Dalao, the newest Traffic Officer. A PowerPoint presentation was provided on Pinole Related Traffic Incidents, July 1 - December 31, 2025, which included an overview of traffic collisions from July to December 2025; a six month comparison of traffic collisions for the period of January-June 2025 and July-December 2025, and primary collision factors and collisions at intersections with a six month comparison for the same period; Collision Map: 6 Month Comparison for the same time period and a comparison of Driving under the Influence (DUI) offenses and citations, all for the same time period, with all vehicle collision data available on Citizen RIMS at pinole.citizenrims.com.
The following grants were also highlighted: Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) Grant - the City was awarded $50,000 from a total request of $266,000 in September 2025, to be used for DUl checkpoints, impaired driving training and extra enforcement patrols, DUl saturation patrols, distracted driving and pedestrian operations; and a Cannabis Tax Fund Grant through the California Highway Patrol (CHP) - the City was awarded $99,000 of a total request of $174,000 in June 2025, to be used for traffic motorcycle officer training for impaired driving and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and signage for DUl and impaired driving checkpoints.
Police Chief Klawuhn also reported that Officer Dalao had completed two grants for this year, including another OTS Grant and Cannabis Tax Fund Grant, to be used for more equipment and training. In addition, a motorcycle had been purchased with the use of Cannabis Tax Fund Grant funds which was in the process of being outfitted.
Responding to questions from the City Council, Police Chief Klawuhn, Commander Rogers and Officer Dalao clarified the following:
The primary factor for collisions were unsafe turning movements. Whenever someone directed off the course of travel in an unsafe way, it was determined to be an unsafe turning movement and not necessarily due to an unsafe lane selection, which was a separate section that was tracked. (Toms)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
• The trend in pedestrian and vehicle collisions typically occurred in shopping center parking lots due to people walking to and from the businesses and not paying attention. The Fitzgerald Drive and Appian Way intersection was a common area for pedestrian/vehicle collisions. l With the passage of AB 2147 in 2022, the Freedom to Walk Act, limited enforcement capabilities for jaywalking unless it was determined to put someone in immediate hazard of a collision where enforcement could be done. This could affect the statistical information being provided. (Toms)
• Acknowledged concerns with traffic movements off of 1-80 coming from the City of Hercules and getting off on the westbound off-ramp onto Pinole Valley Road. Pursuant to Section 22100 of the Vehicle Code for an Improper Lane Position, if there was a left-turn only and an arrow on the ground, it was only a left turn and if someone were to go from the right lane into the left lane, that was considered an improper turn, and the driver could be cited since that movement could cause a collision. People were urged to be aware of the roadway markings and roadway positions and know which way to go. (Martinez- Rubin)
• Red-light violations occurred mostly along Fitzgerald Drive and Appian Way, Tennent Avenue, Estates Avenue and Pinole Valley Road and near the I-80 on- and off-ramps.
City cameras were located at Appian Way and Fitzgerald Drive that could be reviewed by the PPD, but there was no red-light camera/photo system in the area. (Martinez-Rubin) In the event someone was the victim of a hit and run accident, they were encouraged to be a good witness by keeping in mind the make, model, vehicle, license number, description of the driver and direction of travel. The PPD conducted significant follow-up for hit and run incidents or any collisions based on the information available and with internal systems able to be used to secure personal information, such as access to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) registration. The PPD would exhaust all resources in the hopes of a successful outcome of finding the person at fault. (Martinez-Rubin) • The most recent DUl checkpoint in Pinole resulted in no arrests. Statistically, DUl checkpoints did not necessarily have a very strong outcome of DUl arrests but served as a deterrent from drinking and driving and was used as an educational tool for drivers who came through the checkpoint. Oftentimes, law enforcement partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and provided written materials on MADD, information on the Cannabis Grant and other materials that could be distributed at the checkpoint about DUl and impaired driving. (Sasai)
• Two PPD officers were trained in the use of Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR). In the new grant cycle, there had been a request for additional LIDAR and radar training and a request for funds to buy additional LIDAR units to outfit officers in each shift so they coul utilize that resource while on patrol. (Sasai)
• Minor citations were clarified, with lights and registration a large share of the citations and the data also reflected parking enforcement with many citations for improperly parked vehicles or other equipment violations for parked vehicles. That information could be separated out but currently the information reflected all of the citations and those that officers had moved during traffic stops. (Sasai)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
• Acknowledged concerns there was a section of the roadway near the senior and veterans housing on San Pablo Avenue that had no lane striping and with residents reaching out about close calls regarding vehicles getting close in the left and right lanes. As to the number of collisions that had occurred in that corridor, staff did not currently have that information but it could be provided via email. (Sasai) • Acknowledged there were certain areas of the City that should have improved street markings, although the PPD was good at communicating that need with Public Works, with the knowledge it took time to get things done. In the meantime, the PPD would be proactive and maintain a visible presence. Hopefully, that would slow people down, with enforcement a deterrent and option to slow the speed of traffic until all markings were completed. (Mayor Tave)
• Clarified again the six-month data and comparisons for traffic citations as part of the PowerPoint presentation, with the data having identified all citations that had been issued for that period for moving or non-moving citations or other infraction. When enforcement stops were made by the PPD, the PPD had the discretion whether or not to issue a citation.
Oftentimes, the PPD took a humanistic approach when making enforcement stops and could provide a warning, where applicable and warranted. As to how many of the citations issued were for Pinole residents or people outside of Pinole, that information could be gleaned from Stop Data from the state. (Mayor Tave)
• The PPD provided a presentation about traffic safety to the Pinole Senior Center in December 2025, and those efforts would continue. The PPD also reached out to Vista Woods about a potential presentation. Staff also noted the DMV had a Priority Reexamine Form that could be used as a resource when there was a certain factor, whether medical, a disability or old age, where the PPD, could force the driver to retake the driver's exam through the DMV based on specific factors. The DMV would administer the test to determine whether the driver was still fit to drive. That resource was available to protect older drivers. (Martinez-Rubin)
• In terms of driverless vehicles, the Police Chief recently attended a session with a safety consultant from Tesla, who spoke about automated vehicles. There was a range of automated vehicles from non- to fully-automated, with the technology ever changing, and with the CHP the representative for that development for the State, since there would be enforcement actions that local police departments and the Sherrif's Department would have to take once those vehicles were more prevalent on the roads. Depending on the level of automation, the responsibility of the driver would also shift, with laws and legislation forthcoming. (Mayor Tave)
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Rafael Menis commented that recently there had been a major power outage in the City of San -rancisco with the external communication for many of the automated vehicles having broker lown and with the vehicles blocking city streets. He asked if the City had any plan for what to d if that situation occurred in Pinole. He also referenced the heat map density for collisions for the January-June 2025 period for the intersection of Appian Way and San Pablo Avenue, where Appian Way turned into Pinon Avenue, which had been marked as a collision point.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
While he recognized the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) had a left hand turn signal being installed as one of the proposed improvements, Mr. Menis was uncertain what timeline that improvement would occur. If someone was turning left on the green light and someone was going straight through the intersection, the person going straight had the right of way or a pedestrian had the right of way, but if someone turning right was to stay in the right lane, he asked if they could turn left and stay in the left lane, or whether they had to wait for all cars turning right to move through first and then turn left. He also asked the City Council to move forward on the ATP's implementation of having a properly signalized left hand turn intersection to ensure fewer collisions.
There was a brief conversation between Officer Dalao and Mr. Menis from the audience which was not captured for the record.
Officer Dalao explained the intersection had a left turn lane, a straight lane and a right onto San Pablo Avenue eastbound, and the opposite on Pinon Avenue had a straight lane and a left onto eastbound San Pablo Avenue. Both Pinon Avenue traffic turning left and Appian Way traffic turning left, could turn at the same time, as long as traffic was clear for the straight traffic and not impeding and safe to do so, they could turn. He added the Appian Way traffic had to stop for a red turn because for Pinon Avenue traffic to make a left turn in that area, they had to have a green light, and that would force Appian Way to have to stop to clear traffic.
Mayor Tave asked that the conversation between Officer Dalao and Mr. Menis be summarized since he wanted to ensure the questions were answered but comprehensively.
Interim City Manager Evans suggested the Public Works Director could provide more clarification offline and in more detail.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
CONSENT CALENDAR
All matters under the Consent Calendar are considered to be routine and noncontroversial. These items will be enacted by one motion and without discussion. If, however, any interested party or Council member(s) wishes to comment on an item, they may do so before action is taken on the Consent Calendar. Following comments, if a Council member wishes to discuss an item, it will be removed from the Consent Calendar and taken up in order after adoption of the Consent Calendar.
A. Approve the Minutes of the Regular City Council Meeting on March 3, 2026.
B. Receive the February 28, 2026 - March 13, 2026 List of Warrants in the Amount of $1,270,786.68 and the March 13, 2026 Payroll in the Amount of $546,837.01.
C. Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to Award a Contract to Energy Resources Integration, LLC for the Development of a Municipal Building Decarbonization Plan in the Amount of $72,300 Fully Funded by California Energy Commission Grant Funds. Action: Adopt Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Lilly Whalen, Kapil Amin)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Mine tes - March 17, 2026
D. Second Read and Adoption of a Pinole Municipal Code and Three Corridors Specific Plan Amendment to Prohibit New Service Stations, Establish Regulations for Existing Legal Nonconforming Service Stations, and Establish Regulations for Alternative Fuel Stations. Action: Adopt Ordinance on Second Reading (David Hanham, Justin Shiu)
E. Adopt a Resolution to Approve the Purchase of Two Blowers for the Wastewater Treatment Plan (CIP Project #SS2501). Action: Adopt Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Heba EI-Guindy)
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Rafael Menis provided the following comments on the Consent Calendar:
- Item 9B, Page 48 of 359 of the agenda packet, Vendor: PERO3, California Public Employees' Retirement System, noted several instances where there was interest assessed due to untimely payments which he did not recall seeing on prior lists of warrants. Was curious as to why this happened and whether there were ways for the City to prevent this from happening in the future.
- Item 9D, was glad to see the City was moving forward and supported the item. - Item 9E, commented on the semi-emergency purchase of new blowers and noted members of the public frequently issued criticism over expenditures in the $5,000 to $50,000 range. This expenditure would be $237,000 and he agreed this was an appropriate item to bring forward since the City would need to have the blowers before there no replacement available; but it was worthwhile to note, there were no members of the public to comment on the significant expenditure on the Consent Calendar.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Interim City Manager Evans advised he would do more research on Item B and provide that to the City Council. For Item 9E, he would work with the City Council to identify a preferred threshold for the placement of items on the regular business portion of the meeting agenda as opposed to the Consent Calendar.
ACTION: Motion by Council members Sasai/Toms to approve Consent Calendar Items 9A through 9E, as shown.
Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: Murphy
10. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None
11. OLD BUSINESS: None
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Maze is - March 17, 2026
12. NEW BUSINESS
A. Adopt a Resolution to Accept the Safety Improvements at Appian Way and Marlesta Road (CIP Project #RO1714) as Complete and Approve Filing of Notice of Completion. Action: Adopt Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Heba El-Guindy)
Interim City Manager Evans introduced the item and reported the project came in approximately 16 percent below budget. He thanked staff for that result and the community for its investment through the use of Measure S funds.
Public Works Director Heba El-Guindy provided a PowerPoint presentation on the Safety Improvements at the Intersection of Appian Way and Marlesta Road (CIP Project #RO1714), which included an overview of the improvements: new traffic control signal, high visibility crosswalks across the intersection legs, Green bicycle lanes treatment on Appian Way, slurry seal of the intersection and advance warning signs; the project schedule and the construction Public Works Director El-Guindy recommended the City Council adopt a Resolution to Accept the Safety Improvements at Appian Way and Marlesta Road (CIP Project #RO1714) as Complete and Approve Filing of Notice of Completion.
Responding to questions from the City Council, Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified the following:
• Staff acknowledged a concern from a local resident on Marlesta Road that a WestCat bus traveling on Marlesta Road turning onto Appian Way had not been picked up by the sensors. While the sensors on Marlesta Road were in the position they were supposed to be, staff would follow-up and coordinate with the County. (Toms) • Staff acknowledged a concern of instances where from Marlesta Road onto Appian Way turning right towards the Bay, there was a lengthy period before the green light signal, which could be an issue with the timing and/or the detection, and staff would follow-up. (Martinez-Rubin)
• Acknowledged appreciation for the completion of the project and for the safety improvements provided, particularly for crossing pedestrians. (Martinez-Rubin) City Clerk Bell-Spears reported Council member Sasai had exited the meeting via his remote participation.
Mayor Tave thanked staff for the short-to-the-point presentation for a project that would ensure the intersection was safer and which he described as a celebrated win for the Public Works Department and the City of Pinole.
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
Rafael Menis was pleased the City got the project done on time, well under budget, around 19 percent under the contingency and 7 percent under the non-contingency costs. He asked the Public Works Director in her experience how often had she seen projects under budget by this amount.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Public Works Director El-Guindy stated it did happen that projects came in under budget and it depended on the type of project. In this case, the timing of when the signal equipment was ordered versus when the actual construction had taken place had worked in the City's favor. She also commended her predecessor, the former Public Works Director Sanjay Mishra, who had also worked on the project.
ACTION: Motion by Council members Toms/Martinez-Rubin to adopt a Resolution to Accept the Safety Improvements at Appian Way and Marlesta Road (CIP Project #RO1714) as Complete and Approve Filing of Notice of Completion.
Vote: Passed 3-0-2
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: Murphy, Sasai
13. CITIZENS TO BE HEARD (Continued from Item 6) (Public Comments) Only open to members of the public who did not speak under the first Citizens to be Heard, Agenda Item 6.
Citizens may speak under any item not listed on the Agenda. The time limit is 3 minutes and is subject to modification by the Mayor. Individuals may not share or offer time to another speaker.
Pursuant to provisions of the Brown Act, no action may be taken on a matter unless it is listed on the agenda, or unless certain emergency or special circumstances exist. The City Council may direct staff to investigate and/or schedule certain matters for consideration at a future Council meeting.
Rafael Menis reported on the overall rates of COVID-19 and Influenza Type A in the region of Contra Costa County and in the state as a whole, with COVID-19 rates significantly declining but with a site in Alameda County that was high. Nationally, the levels were low for COVID-19 with Influenza Type A at the low level in the state and very low for the country; however, and while it may be safe to be maskless in crowded areas, those who were immunocompromised or caring for elderly individuals should continue to maintain precautions.
Mr. Menis also reported that Indivisible North Bay would be holding a rally on March 28, 2026 at the Fernandez Park gazebo from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. with the community invited, although with space limited due to the City's permitting rules. People were asked to register in advance at mobilize.us/indivisiblenortheastbay/event/911746. Following that event, a protest was planned at the intersection of San Pablo and Tennent Avenues from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with the PPD notified of the event and with increased support to be provided. Interested persons may register for the event at mobilize. us/mobilize/event/902827.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026
ADJOURN to the Special City Council Meeting of March 24, 2026 in Remembrance of Amber Swartz.
At 8:46 p.m., Mayor Tave adjourned to a Special City Council Meeting on March 24, 2026 in Remembrance of Amber Swartz
Submitted by
Roxane(Stoné, CMC
Deputy City Clerk
Approved by City Council: April 7, 2026
PINOLE
1903
CITY
8061 ALIFORNIA
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - March 17, 2026