CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MINUTES
April 7, 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 5:30 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.
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
Devin T. Murphy, Mayor Pro Tem*
Norma Martinez-Rubin, Council Member
Cameron Sasai, Council Member **
Maureen Toms, Council Member
*Arrived at 8:34 p.m. and Remote Attendance@140 E. Shaw Avenue, Fresno, CA 93710 **Arrived after Roll Call
B. STAFF PRESENT
Garrett Evans, Interim City Manager
Melissa Klawuhn, Police Chief
Eric Casher, City Attorney
Lilly Whalen, Community Development Director
Heba El-Guindy, Public Works Director
Kapil Amin, Sustainability Project Manager
Roxane Stone, Deputy City Clerk
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Deputy City Clerk Roxane Stone announced the agenda had been posted on April 2, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. with all legally required written notices. Staff requested the continuance of Consent Calendar Item 9C to a future date. 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.
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 LABOR NEGOTIATORS
Gov. Code §54957.6
Agency designated representatives: Interim City Manager Garrett Evans, City Attorney Eric Casher, Human Resources Director Stacy Shell and Gregory Ramirez, IEDA
Employee organizations: AFSCME Local 1
B. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - ANTICIPATED LITIGATION Gov. Code §54956.9(d) (2) or (d) (3)
Number of potential cases: 1
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Deputy City Clerk Stone reported there were no comments from the public.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
5. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION TO ANNOUNCE RESULTS OF CLOSED SESSION At 6:16 p.m., Mayor Tave reconvened the meeting into open session. There was no report from the Closed Session.
Mayor Tave moved to Item 7, Reports & Communications at this time.
7. REPORTS & COMMUNICATIONS
A. Mayor Report: None
Announcements: None
B. Mayoral & Council Appointments: None
C. City Council Committee Reports & Communications
Council member Toms reported she attended I the East Bay Wildfire Government Coalition meeting and would serve as the Vice-Chair with Janani Ramachandran, Council member from the City of Oakland to serve as Chair.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Upcoming meetings would include discussions about a public information campaign, as related to the City of Berkeley having initiated a Zone Zero Policy, prior to what the State planned to propose, and what that meant to homeowners in the High Fire Severity Zone.
Council member Toms attended a meeting of the East Bay Regional Communication System Authority (EBRCSA), which considered adoption of a resolution authorizing the Board Chair to sign a Letter of Support for the Federal Community Project Funding Application to acquire two new Radio Sites on Wheels, to be used in the event of a major emergency where a site was taken out of commission and which could be deployed to an area of concern. She also served as the Alternate to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), that recently approved the Final Plan Bay Area 2050+, an overview of the regional plan for transportation, housing, economic development and environmental resilience, which had been under development since mid-2023, and authorized a $2.3 million contract for restoring Wildcat Creek on behalf of the San Francisco Estuary Partnership. She also attended the Contra Costa Mayors Conference.
Council member Sasai reported he attended the League of California Cities Environmental Quality Policy Committee, with an overview of the California Global Biodiversity Alliance, and legislation with committee recommended positions on Assembly Bill (AB) 1642, Senate Bill (SB) 1417, AB 2013, AB 1138 and AB 2266, with information on all legislation available online. He also attended the West Contra Costa Transportation Commission (WCCT) meeting, with a discussion of the election of a secondary alternate representative to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) when Cesar Zepeda, Council member from the City of Richmond had been appointed; received an update on the Richmond Ferry Service with a six percent fare increase proposed for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 for the Richmond route; and additional updates. At the same meeting, the Pinole Public Works Director provided a project update on the Bay Trail Gap Closure Project and the San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement Project.
Council member Sasai was pleased to see the San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement Project include Class IV Protected Bicycle Lanes as part of the project, and he hoped the City Council would have input on the design at some point to ensure bicycle lanes included physical barriers to protect bicyclists and pedestrians on the bridge. As someone who frequently bicycled the trail, he was pleased to see the Bay Trail Gap Closure Project move forward, particularly since the gravel was currently unsafe for bicyclists.
Council member Martinez-Rubin reported she attended a Statewide Annual Conference hosted by Water Education for Latino Leaders, with a number of researchers, advocates, representatives from water districts and others, to provide a number of presentations informing and building awareness of issues in the way water was used, issues facing infrastructure and how aging infrastructure throughout the state was at a point of needing a number of repairs, which would affect overall water rates and which particularly impacted those living in urban areas. Of the total water used in the State of California, 10 percent was used by urbanized areas and up to 80 percent in agricultural fields. She added that land subsidence may affect some of the City's buildings and may have been considered by Public Works Department staff and staff at the Pinole- Hercules Wastewater Treatment Plant, since the area was prone to flooding. She would share the information she received with the Public Works Department.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Council member Martinez-Rubin added she attended the Contra Costa Mayors Conference, hosted by the City of Concord, with a presentation from the Director from the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking and who detailed responses to a request for assistance from the government and members of the public to end human trafficking, not only sexual abuse but labor abuses as well. There were concerns that the upcoming Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in the Santa Clara area in June and the venues for the events may present an opportunity for an increase in trafficking. She displayed stickers that would be part of a campaign offered by the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking which could be posted in restrooms and public locations, and which included a QR code, so that persons who may need help may contact the resources near them. The information was available in multiple languages.
D. Council Requests for Future Agenda Items
ACTION: Motion by Council member Sasai/Mayor Tave to direct staff to return with a resolution and Letter of Support for Senate Bill 1216, which established a housing leadership designation to recognize and reward cities and counties that had achieved measurable success in building new homes, and that staff note in the resolution and Letter of Support the fact the City of Pinole was among the first few cities in the State of California to earn the Prohousing Designation.
Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: Murphy
Aroma tinto by Council mama piao ane or a come to present a Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: Murphy
ACTION: Motion by Council members Martinez-Rubin/Sasai to direct staff to research the vailability of the stickers from the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking, so the ould possibly be applied to the public restrooms in the City of Pinole and other location:
to allow the City to support the campaign regarding the prevention and resource Vote: Passed 4-0-1
yes Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
bes None
Abstain: None
Absent: Murphy
E. City Manager Report / Department Staff
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7 2026
Interim City Manager Garrett Evans reiterated as the Deputy City Clerk reported, that staff requested Consent Calendar Item 9C be pulled from the agenda to be considered at a future F. City Attorney Report: None
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED (Items 7A through 7F)
Deputy City Clerk Stone reported there were no comments from the public.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
The City Council returned to Item 6.
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.
Peter Murray urged everyone to vote no on Measure D. He otherwise commented he received a telephone call from a resident who had to travel around the City on a scooter and who reported the bridge between Trader Joe's that connected to Sarah Drive was in such bad shape he thought he would be injured and his scooter damaged. He hoped the Public Works Department could review the situation. He also asked the City Attorney if a Council member puts out something detrimental to a citizen whether the citizen had the right to sue a sitting Council member. He welcomed a response from the City Attorney after the meeting. He also saw glimpses of things which happened in the past, such as in 2008, being repeated, like the firing of the City Manager and creating chaos in the community. He cited the upcoming ballot measure for Measure D and the firing of last two City Managers, as having created chaos which was inappropriate.
Debbie Long reported during the March 24, 2026 Special City Council meeting during the discussion of Commercial Cannabis, the Mayor Pro Tem stated "We need to educate people who have held power in the City before." Based on those comments, she was of the opinion the Mayor Pro Tem was referring to the former Mayors who had been present in the audience during the meeting, which he had confirmed. She found what the Mayor Pro Tem meant by his statement was "let me educate you because I'm right." She also commented on the Mayor Pro Tem's use of the word "power" and commented because of his role as a Council member he was of the opinion he had power over the people. This was sad, because the primary role of Council members was to serve the community, not act like the all-powerful Wizard of Oz. She suggested a no vote on Measure D because the Mayor Pro Tem claimed this was a choice, Measure D, an Elected Mayor and democracy was at play, when it was really about being more powerful in a greater leadership role in the City.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Ms. Long commented the Mayor Pro Tem never quantified how an Elected Mayor would serve the community better than the current system of a Rotating Mayor, other than to declare there would be more accountability to the public and the Elected Mayor would be directly responsible for projects. She asked how that could be when the Mayor Pro Tem had declared on Nextdoor, that he would have no more power than any other Council member. She asked that people not be fooled, this was a power grab, and while it may be whitewashed going in, all responsibilities and salary could be given over and increased with a majority vote of the City Council, just like what had taken place in wasting $55,000 plus staff time by putting Measure D on the ballot. She urged a no vote on Measure D.
William Horton opposed Measure D for a directly Elected Mayor as a waste of $55,000, which money would not enhance police, fire, parks or streets. Measure D would not guarantee any new budget funds, or new ideas, would not limit the future costs of the Mayor's salary or specify term limits, which Council members had already discussed at 12-years. While he opposed term limits in 2018, he was in favor of Council and Mayor term limits having learned at the March 31, 2026 City Council meeting that the City had a deficit of over $3 million. Through the Mayor, he asked the City Attorney to clarify whether a directly Elected Mayor would be subject to term limits.
Jennifer Horn also referenced Measure D, to be considered on the June 2, 2026 ballot. She reported the public would soon see No on Measure D signs throughout the City. She would vote no on Measure D because it changed the government structure of the City from a Rotating Mayor to an Elected Mayor. She saw no need for the change, or heard anything that would persuade her to vote yes. She responded to comments that the current structure was archaic, but based on comments from a Nextdoor poster, labeling something archaic did not make it true. She also heard it was not about replacing the voters voice but she was unsure about that rationale.
Ms. Horn stated that three Council members voted to place the measure on the ballot despite the unanimous opinion of Pinole voters who had raised their voices to oppose the expenditure of $57,000 to place the measure on the ballot. She suggested they were replacing the voice of the voters. Pinole voters were also told they would have an expanded voice with an Elected Mayor as opposed to a Rotating Mayor, since an Elected Mayor stemmed from an election rather than an appointment; however, it was pointed out Pinole voters elected City Council members who were eventually appointed Mayor. Under the current structure, Mayors had greater authority, both elected and appointed. Those arguments in support of an Elected Mayor made no sense, did not justify a wholesale change in a government structure that had been in place for 100-years and which a vast majority of California cities employed and that Pinole voters knew and had no problem with.
Ms. Horn emphasized that had been brought home to her by the results of a recent survey of Pinole voters where the current government structure was not mentioned as an area of concern.
There was unanimity of Pinole voters that no change to the current government structure was warranted and that taxpayer funds would be better spent on issues of concern like road conditions, parks and public safety. She found no argument could be made that the voters of Pinole were clamoring for this, because they were not, and there was no reason to vote yes on Measure D She encouraged all Pinole voters to look at the June 25, 2024, December 2, 2025 and January 20, 2026 meeting minutes of the City Council meetings, and review comments from their neighbors as contained in the agenda packets, and see if they could find a good reason for this wholesale change.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Ms. Horn added that those in support of Measure D had provided no argument in support, which was the most telling evidence of all.
RECOGNITIONS / PRESENTATIONS / COMMUNITY EVENTS
A. Proclamations
1. Parkinson's Awareness Month
The City Council read into the record a proclamation recognizing the month of April as Parkinson's Awareness Month.
2. Autism Acceptance Month
The City Council read into the record a proclamation recognizing the month of April as Autism Acceptance Month.
3. Arab American Heritage Month
The City Council read into the record a proclamation recognizing the month of April as Arab American Heritage Month.
4. National Pet Day
The City Council read into the record a proclamation recognizing April 11, 2026 as National Pet Council member Sasai reported the website for Contra Costa County at contracosta.ca.gov, included a link to the Contra Costa County Animal Shelter, which provided a list of available animals for adoption. He urged people to adopt, not shop.
At this time a member of the public wanted to speak under Citizens to be Heard, which had been closed.
In response to an inquiry from the Mayor, City Attorney Eric Casher confirmed public comment could be reopened.
Mayor Tave reopened the public comment to allow for comments not on the meeting agenda and since he had reported prior to going into Closed Session, the City Council would return at 7:00 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Richard Cossel, asked why the City had a Sustainability Project Manager, which he understood was a new position. Given the City's budget issues and since the position was unusual for a city the size of Pinole, he asked the interim City Manager to review the need or necessity of the Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Mage tes - April 7, 2026
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
B. Presentations
Clean California Community Designation Sign Unveiling and Installation Suggestions
Interim City Manager Evans introduced Sustainability Project Manager Kapil Amin. He clarified the position of Sustainability Project Manager was a growing field where cities of all sizes needed to address this topic. He stated the City of Pinole was lucky to have Sustainability Project Manager Amin.
Sustainability Project Manager Kapil Amin provided a PowerPoint presentation on Clean California Community Designation Sign Unveiling and Installation Suggestions, which included an overview of the background of the Clean California Community Designation and with the City of Pinole one of the first 30 communities statewide to earn that designation. He clarified for the record that the City recently received confirmation from Caltrans that the signage could not be placed on freeway on-or off-ramps, so the PowerPoint presentation was modified with suggested locations for signage at this time to include the cross section of San Pablo Avenue and Oak Ridge (between Appian Way and Tennant Avenue) and Bayfront Park (past the railroad tracks). Staff was open to suggestions where the signage could be placed and feedback from the City Council was sought. The sign was also unveiled to the City Council at this time.
Responding to questions from the City Council, Sustainability Project Manager Amin, Community Development Director Lilly Whalen and Public Works Director Heba El-Guindy clarified the following:
• Only one sign would be installed. Acknowledged recommendations to consider placement at the entrance to the creek trail on Henry Avenue at the creek crossing, behind Sprouts or behind the crossing of the railroad tracks, Pinole Valley Road at Henry Avenue if feasible, on the triangular area in front of Collins Elementary School and the split at Tennent Avenue and Pinole Valley Road where the City posted events or anywhere where vehicles and a trail intersected. (Toms)
• Where litter was more prevalent was identified as hot spots in the City's commercial shopping areas and near the 1-80 ramps, which was being addressed by code enforcement. (Sasai)
• The intent was that the sign be installed within the City's right-of-way (ROW) with the surrounding area to be maintained and to ensure the City would not have to obtain an encroachment permit. No action was being requested for the placement of the sign other than feedback from the City Council at this time. (Sasai) • Acknowledged a request for greater effort from drivers and passersby to not litter the area, specifically at the off-ramp traveling east at Appian Way, and acknowledged appreciation for the City Council and Friends of Pinole Creek Watershed for its work with staff on this designation, which met one of the City's goals as a thriving city. (Martinez-Rubin) Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Deputy City Clerk Stone reported there were no comments from the public.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Mayor Tave commented on the volume of trash from the freeway that collected along Pinole Valley Road. He asked if there was some type of fencing or capture device that could be provided along the ramp, which could be relatively inexpensive and make it easier to clean the litter and ensure it was not scattered on the off- and on-ramps. He asked if there had been any effort between staff and Caltrans on this issue.
Public Works Director El-Guindy reported staff had been in communication with Caltrans and had placed multiple work orders for cleanup. Caltrans was a large organization and responses were not that fast. She suggested fencing was a good idea that could be pursued if that was the direction of the City Council.
Mayor Tave did not want to install the sign and still have the same issues.
Council member Toms reported a year and a half ago, the City submitted a letter to Caltrans, copied to state legislators but there had been no response from Caltrans staff. The City of Pinole requested permanent trash capture fencing over the creek on the on- and off-ramps of Pinole Valley Road and she had brought this up when speaking with Senator Jesse Arreguín. She provided a copy of the letter sent to Caltrans to Senator Arreguín's staff and did the same when she had recently met with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks in December. To date, there had been no concrete response from Caltrans other than the area would be cleaned up when the City submitted a work order. She emphasized a permanent solution was needed.
Mayor Tave suggested they may have to consider reviving that effort, which had been discussed for years with no traction.
Council member Sasai thanked Council member Toms for her advocacy on this issue. He would support another letter to Caltrans, and it would be good for Supervisor John Gioia's Office to chime in to elevate the issue. In terms of suggested placement, he suggested placing the signage in a visible area with a double purpose as a welcome sign, and possibly before or after the Burlington Northern Santa-Fe (BNSF) bridge coming in from the City of Hercules, which could be a good place in either direction, or from the City of Richmond in unincorporated Contra Costa County on the west side of Pinole on Pinole Shores or the Fitzgerald Drive area next to commercial development, if feasible. He thanked the Community Development and Public Works Directors and Sustainability Project Manager Amin for their work on the Climate Action Plan (CAP) and for securing the Clean California Community designation.
Mayor Tave asked what other resources would come from the Clean California Community designation.
Community Development Director Whalen reported the City had been offered some clean-up kits and garbage bags and may have priority access to more.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Also, the Clean California Community designation provided the City an advantage on potential grants from the Department of Transportation (DOT).
2. Coordinated Outreach Referral and Engagement (CORE): Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Update
Chief of Police Melissa Klawuhn provided the background of Coordinated Outreach Referral and Engagement (CORE), a new program for the City, which started this current fiscal year, a great partnership for the City of Pinole and the Pinole Police Department (PPD), with a lot of communication back and forth about specific individuals and concerns in the community. The City Council would be provided an update for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26 from Jennifer Robbins, CORE Community Response Director and Shelby Ferguson, CORE Program Director.
Jennifer Robbins, CORE Community Response Director and Shelby Ferguson, CORE Program Director, provided a PowerPoint presentation on the CORE: Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Update, which included an overview of CORE; background of the City's partnerships; a table of the housing needs in Pinole 2024/25; Community Partnership and Impact; business outreach efforts; Pinole community outreach activities; Pinole outcomes and impacts for the period of July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025; services provided in Pinole for the period of July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025; accomplishments for FY 2025/26 and an overview of a success story in Pinole for a formerly chronic unhoused individual.
Responding to questions from the City Council, Ms. Robbins and Ms. Ferguson clarified the following:
• The success story in Pinole for a formerly chronic unhoused individual was clarified Since 2017, CORE periodically engaged the individual in Pinole, who brietly entered housing but returned to homelessness since the home that individual was in was not permanent supportive housing, which was imperative when moving into housing after being unhoused for years. CORE worked to help the individual maintain the housing through building life skills, which were highlighted. (Martinez-Rubin) • CORE would come in prior to tagging an encampment for abatement and worked with local jurisdictions to mitigate any of the impacts for someone being abated and getting their items removed and having them move to a new location. (Martinez-Rubin) • CORE could be reached through telephoning 211, with Option 3 to connect with CORE, and with options for community members, law enforcement and hospitals. CORE was available seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to Midnight or community members may call the City of Pinole's non-emergency police dispatch number for a way to reach CORE, either through the direct CORE Team or through 211. The Quad City CORE Team was not the only team working in the City since other teams were leveraged, those that were dedicated to families, the reentry population and people with high health needs. (Martinez- Rubin)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
• As related to the homeless gathering under freeway overpasses, which was Caltrans property, CORE had a great relationship with Caltrans and had received state encampment resolution grants which opened up communication channels with Caltrans.
CORE coordinated with Caltrans when there was an area to be abated and offered services and engaged with individuals. While some homeless under the overpasses had been resistant to services, through CORE's persistence they were now open to speaking with and working with CORE, and through consistent engagement CORE had been able to make inroads. CORE also worked with people with high mental health and substance abuse needs and CORE's Mobile Crisis Team may be called in, if needed. Caltrans did not provide services for those individuals, and CORE was the first call for assistance in relocating to more habitable and safe locations. (Martinez-Rubin) • CORE had 26 participants served through 46 contacts, as shown in the PowerPoint presentation for FY 2025/26 for the period of July 1, 2025 through December 31, 2025 Multiple contacts at the start built engagement and trust with the unhoused, particularly those who had lived outside for years. Those repeated contacts may include taking someone to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to get identification, a local apartment complex to fill out an application or doctor's appointment, as examples. CORE collected data on all contact provided and services given, which helped to ensure the contacts helped the individual ultimately gets into housing. (Toms) • Of the total number of people contacted in Pinole who did not ultimately become housed, it was difficult to track, because the individual must be open to providing their demographic information in order to collect data on them, and CORE did not collect information on anyone who refused services. More times than not, through repeated engagement, an individual would open up over time. If someone did not want to provide information, an alias may be used to collect information to track the services being provided. (Sasai) • Low income, loss of a job and disabilities were the leading causes of homelessness, and disabilities being the reason for the job loss, and therefore being homeless was not necessarily connected, since those were two separate questions on CORE's intake form.
When asked what led to their homelessness, an individual could check a number of boxes.
It was noted that the disabled homeless community had a much higher service need. (Sasai)
• The Quad City CORE Team was in daily communication with PPD dispatch to inform the PPD they were in the City, and if the non-emergency line was getting calls for the unhoused and there was no issue related to a criminal matter, the PPD would contact the Quad City CORE Team directly. This was used as an alternative response, diverting the PPD away from community issues that did not involve law enforcement and those referrals were taken directly from the PPD dispatch. CORE would continue to build on its work to ensure all PPD officers were aware of CORE services and CORE would continue its ongoing outreach efforts with the PPD. (Sasai)
• CORE was only within its first six months working in the City of Pinole and had no comparison point, but compared to other cities like the City of El Cerrito, CORE had similar numbers for its first six months of services. (Mayor Tave) Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
• Providing resources and support allowed CORE to move people inside, reducing the number of people who continued to live outside. Hopefully, in the next six months CORE would have a better data set to review year over year. As to whether there was a point when operations should be scaled up, and more help needed, it was noted the cities of Hercules and Pinole shared a third of the Quad City CORE Team. The Quad City CORE Team worked 40-hours a week, El Cerrito had 33 percent of those hours, San Pablo 33 percent and Pinole and Hercules sharing those days, so the more boots on the ground the better they were to address the need when it was coming up, with calls based on the needs coming in. Once CORE closed out the year, they could look back at 2025/26 and identify any increases. (Mayor Tave)
• When compared to other cities, the first-time homeless in Pinole was very high at 68 percent. Up to 70 percent of those contacted in the City of Pinole were first-time homeless, and it offered a great opportunity to support people to move into housing since the longer they were outside the more difficult it would be to get out of that situation. (Mayor Tave) • The City of EL Cerrito had a Housing Security Fund, a flexible fund around $15,000 a year which supported flex-funding, short-term needs and different interventions to support the first-time homeless. A data point had shown an increase between 2024 and 2025 of homeless children, families and seniors. There was no specific data point for the first-time homeless in Pinole but information could be provided through monthly and semi-annual reports. (Mayor Tave).
• As to what resources were available to those who could potentially be homeless, CORE would like to prevent those individuals from losing housing altogether and would encourage those persons to contact 211 and request prevention resources that may help.
If prevention resources were unavailable, CORE could be contacted to provide assistance in possibly preventing someone from losing their housing. (Mayor Tave)
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Rafael Menis asked whether there were any cases in Pinole where rent being raised was the cause of the individual being homeless, or the loss of a job being the cause of becoming homeless more directly. He was unsure how to match up all of the numbers as shown, specifically on Page 13 of 234 of the agenda packet for Housing Needs in Pinole. He asked for clarification on the information provided and how much of an overlap occurred between years 2024 and 2025 for the amount of lost housing in Pinole, and whether there was any data to track people in that way.
Mr. Menis also commented on the number of people CORE served, as shown on Page 20 of 31 of the presentation packet, as compared to the information shown on Page 19 of 234 of the agenda packet for FY 2025/26, for the period of July 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025. He asked whether CORE served 44 or 26 people in the reported period. As to the success story, as described on Page 20 of 234 of the agenda packet, he assumed the individual was still in supportive housing and asked for clarification since the information read as if it ended in 2025 with the person entering supportive housing. He would like assurance the individual was still in supportive housing at this time.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Ms. Robbins clarified CORE served 44 unduplicated participants, who were touched by all 23 CORE Teams in Pinole. In terms of the Quad City CORE Team, they touched 26 participants through 46 contacts. She also clarified the Quad City CORE Team made half of the contacts in the City of Pinole. As to the success story outlined in the PowerPoint presentation, that individual was still housed in deeply subsidized housing, units intended for people with some type of disability or chronic condition.
Anthony Vossbrink asked whether CORE was comprised of professionally trained people or those with special expertise who worked out in the field; whether CORE services were provided 24/7 or whether just the switchboard was operable 24/7. He commented on the problem with panhandling in the shopping centers in Pinole. He also asked whether CORE tracked the homeless who came into Pinole from outside of Pinole and asked how the public should interact with those who panhandled or people he described as nomads.
Ms. Robbins explained that the CORE outreach staff were not mental health clinicians and did not have an educational background, but were those who were compassionate and wanted to do the work. Eighty percent of the CORE Team had lived experience. CORE was not a 24-hour operation. As previously noted, CORE operated seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to Midnight, with the majority of the CORE Teams operational Monday through Friday with limited operations on weekends. People may contact CORE by calling 211 and pressing Option 3.
As to how to handle loitering and panhandling, Ms. Robbins suggested that was a personal decision how to respond, but she would recommend services be provided and informing people how to access services. The closest multi-service center was located in the City of Richmond at the Greater Interfaith Program, where meals and light case management was available and the Bay Area Rescue Mission was also available in the City of Richmond. Additionally, CORE worked closely with local law enforcement, anything criminal in nature was not for CORE to address, but CORE did address social needs. Further, all CORE services were voluntary, no one was forced to accept CORE's services, with CORE very familiar with all unhoused community members While CORE was persistent, if someone refused services CORE would cool off, but try again with continued engagement and where experience had found that individuals opened up over time.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Council member Sasai referenced the $15,000 annual Housing Security Flex-Fund offered by the City of El Cerrito and asked for more details on the program. He asked whether El Cerrito used all of the funds in the program by the end of the fiscal year.
Ms. Robbins advised the program was part of the CORE contract with the City of El Cerrito, which contracted with CORE for a service provision as a line item in its budget for the Housing Security Flex-Fund. CORE worked with El Cerrito on the approval of requests for the funds, which could be used for hotel costs or security deposits as examples, and they were able to track all checks cut to understand the funding provided. For FY 2025, there may have been some funds left. She clarified the total of $15,000 was for the first year of a pilot program. For this year, El Cerrito had increased the fund to $25,000, which she understood has been halfway spent for the year.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Council member Sasai found the PPD did a great job humanizing individuals when working with the unhoused, which was important during a time when many cities were trying to be more punitive by criminalizing the homeless and forcing treatment. He found CORE to be an essential service.
He was very concerned about cuts to Medicaid, the impacts from the economy over the years and was curious to see whether or not there was a need for CORE services to be increased in the future. He looked forward to the City Council providing support where possible.
Mayor Tave thanked CORE for the presentation and he looked forward to the data from the next six-month period
3. Update of the 2008 Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy Public Works Director El-Guindy sincerely thanked the City Council for the proclamation recognizing Arab American Heritage Month. She provided a PowerPoint presentation on the Update of the 2008 Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy, which included an overview of Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Project #RO 2506, Traffic Calming Program; the review elements including the consultation, petition process, consideration and input by the affected community, review by the Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Committee (TAPS), and consideration by the City Council; analysis and measures of the review elements, with the project to fund the installation of physical traffic calming devices to reduce or eliminate the negative effects of auto traffic on residential streets, to be achieved by causing drivers to reduce their driving speeds or to use alternative major corridors through the use of engineering solutions and the installation of physical devices. Those devices could include driver feedback signs, curb extensions, speed cushions, and roundabouts. Traffic calming plans had been developed based on data collection and analysis, as well as community outreach and consultation to alleviate neighborhood traffic concerns and community safety issues.
Responding to comments from the City Council, Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified the following:
• The 2008 Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy would provide guidance and more flexibility in what would be considered for the corridors for both San Pablo Avenue and Appian Way, which were arterial corridors and with some segments abutting single-family homes or a commercial facility that acted as traffic generators for pedestrians/cyclists. By updating the policy, it would allow for more flexibility. The San Pablo Avenue Corridor had multiple considerations, including the San Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement Project which affected the timing if implementing traffic calming along San Pablo Avenue, since the construction of the bridge would generate truck traffic that could potentially damage the roadway during the construction period. Staff was currently working with the County on a study for bicycle and pedestrian improvements along San Pablo Avenue, with a consultant selected to prepare the study, to be funded by a grant with the City's local match of $25,000. A request for funding would be presented to the City Council as part of the upcoming budget. The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) was also evaluating a vision of Complete Streets corridors, one of which was San Pablo Avenue in Pinole with a consultant doing the work. Staff had already received feedback, with the study to include additional details based on associated analyses, including a multimodal segment and intersection level of service (LOS). When actual traffic calming devices were recommended they would be based on supporting analyses. (Sasai) Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
• $150,000 to $200,000 had been appropriated for Project #RO 2506, Traffic Calming had a list of requests that were mainly on a first-come first-served basis, in terms of the analysis and when traffic calming was warranted they would proceed with the process including the approval process. (Sasai)
• For this year, because staff wanted to allocate additional funding to the overall Pavement Rehabilitation Project, staff prioritized those devices since they were also part of the plan to grind and overlay Shea Drive, which had a number of humps to be removed and replaced, with a number of traffic calming elements contained in the Pavement Rehabilitation Project prioritized to add funding. (Sasai) • Staff sought feedback from the City Council on whether or not to receive the details for approval, whether as a Consent Calendar item or as a New Business item, with staff to proceed as directed. This was an informational item. The Active Transportation Plan (ATP) would come to the City Council at its next meeting. (Sasai) • Clarified the review elements analysis for the 2008 Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy, as shown in the PowerPoint presentation with clarification of the timeline when activities would occur, with staff proceeding with the Pavement Rehabilitation Project including traffic calming devices. Staff could bring forward at the next City Council meeting the actual track change document for review, with the City Council to opine whether to present in detail or approve as a Consent Calendar item. It was clarified the petition was a form attached to the policy for the community members to follow as a specific process and to use that form, to be applied consistently.
As to the status of a citizen request related to concerns with a slope on Henry Avenue, the request was under review. A speed report related to the request was from 2016, and did not show speeding in the area, with no collisions within a five-year span. While the data did not support traffic calming in the area, staff would review other elements before providing a response to the request. (Martinez-Rubin)
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Rafael Menis referenced Page 25 of 234 of the agenda packet, Review Elements - Analysis, which had noted that 67 percent of motorists exceeded the 25 miles per hour (MPH) speed limit with the 85th percentile speed higher than the speed limit. He asked for clarification what that meant in terms of the traffic calming.
Public Works Director El-Guindy explained the speed criteria was not just taking into account the percentage, changing the percentage would facilitate the calculation so that they could utilize the numbers from the speed survey into the City's analysis. There were other ways to go about it, as an example, the criterion now, simply said that 67 percent exceeded the speed limit of 25 MPH, and it would be more flexible since the speed limit could potentially be 30 MPH, and they were comparing to the speed limit.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Ms. El-Guindy stated there was also the possibility of having to say, exceed the speed limit by 5 MPH, with other provisions that could assist in how the speed criterion was utilized, not just the percentages.
Anthony Vossbrink asked for clarification when and how the different programs would be evaluated or actually approved and initiated, and whether they would be funded via grants or City funds. Nothing had been brought up or presented with respect to traffic enforcement with the assistance of the PPD, including the use of speed trailers as done in other cities. He understood the City had a speed trailer and would get another via a grant, but he had not seen any use of speed trailers in Pinole other than along Pinole Valley Road, which speed trailer was not functioning right with the current speed limit or followed up with enforcement. The speed trailer was also not protected with cones or lights during the evening. He asked why the PPD and the City could not provide more enforcement via citations with respect to traffic issues, people breaking the law, speeding, running through stop signs and red lights throughout the City, which could bring revenue to the City. He urged the City to be more aggressive with citations to help the City budget and make people aware there would be enforcement of traffic laws.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Council member Toms commented she was fine with receiving an update in the future on the Consent Calendar, and if there were questions, the item could always be pulled for discussion.
Council member Sasai agreed the item could return on the Consent Calendar as long as it came to the City Council for review. He noted that AB 43, Friedman, Traffic Safety, increased local control over traffic speed management, and through that legislation the City could lower many corridors and streets to 10 MPH or more. Also, two years ago a bill that failed but passed in 2025, was AB 382, Berman. Pedestrian safety school zones: speed limits, authorized local authorities to reduce school zone speed limits to 20 MPH rather than 25 MPH. He stated it would be great to have a discussion down the line where that could be possible and which applied to many spots in Pinole where there had been casualties, particularly around St. Joseph School and downtown Pinole. He thanked staff for the presentation, commented that this was a matter of life and death for many, with the rate of speed impacting the rate of survivability. He was pleased the City was focusing on this and he looked forward to this coming back in the future when there were actual projects.
Mayor Tave also favored the item coming back on the Consent Calendar as long as it came back to the City Council.
Mayor Pro Tem Murphy joined the meeting at 8:34 p.m.
Mayor Pro Tem Murphy expressed his gratitude for the staff report, which was great to hear about the projects. He commented a couple of years ago there had been a concern at Prune Street and Tennent Avenue, and a request for a pedestrian crosswalk but a study needed to happen.
He asked about the status of that study.
Public Works Director El-Guindy could not recall the location and would like to check on it and get back to the City Council.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Mayor Pro Tem Murphy recalled it was part of a larger CIP project to consider crosswalks at multiple locations in the City and there had been a discussion about Prune Street and Tennent Avenue to be considered for a crosswalk but a study was needed before that could be done. He asked staff to provide an update to the City Council. He also commented if it had not already been said that the report was incredibly important, and suggested the City had not done enough justice as having it as an item on the agenda.
Mayor Pro Tem Murphy thanked the Public Works Director for prioritizing the item, but asked that the Communications Department staff work with the Public Works Department to think about how to integrate those projects into the Communications Strategy, whether through the Mayor's Report to ensure a consistent update for those projects or through The Pulse, with at least one of the projects to be highlighted once a week on social media. He found the Public Works Director had done a wonderful job moving the projects forward and her Department was doing a lot, and the City needed to support the Public Works Department to ensure the progress of the projects was being communicated and synthesized in an easy and consistent way through communications.
He asked staff to work on that.
Interim City Manager Evans agreed with the comments and would speak with the Communications Team on how to start promoting the items noted Mayor Tave thanked Public Works Director El-Guindy for her work.
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 17, 2026 and the Minutes of the Special City Council Meeting on March 24, 2026.
B.
Adopt a Resolution Authorizing Acceptance of $299,495 from the Caltrans Clean California Local Grant Program and Designating the City Manager as the City's Authorized Signatory for Grant Agreement Execution. Action: Adopt Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Lilly Whalen, Kapil Amin)
PULLED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR TO BE CONSIDERED AT A
FUTURE DATE
Adopt a Resolution Approving Side Letter Agreement to the Memorandum of nderstanding Between the City of Pinole and Pinole Police Employee Associatio , Establish a Filling of Vacant Shifts Program. Action: Adopt Resolution p Staff Recommendation (Stacy Shell)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Adopt a Resolution Approving a Side Letter Agreement to the Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Pinole and the Pinole Police Employee Association to Amend Health Plan Premium Contributions. Action: Adopt Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Stacy Shell)
Stormwater Utility Area Assessment for Fiscal Year 2026/2027. Action: Adopt Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Heba El--Guindy)
G. Adopt a Resolution Approving Contra Costa County Regional Alternative Compliance (RAC) Joint Powers Authority Participation; Approval of Joint Powers Agreement; Authorizing the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) to Establish One or More Community Facilities Districts; and Approving a Joint Community Facilities Agreement. Action: Adopt Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Heba EI- Guindy)
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Rafael Menis provided the following comments on the Consent Calendar:
Item 9F, noted that the staff report stated the County kept the maximum rate of charge per equivalent runoff unit at $35 since 2002, and based on inflation that would be worth $64.19 now, with the City having lost about 86 percent of the value of the assessment to inflation.
He asked whether the County planned to raise the limit again, whether the County could raise the limit, whether that was limited by an outside rule or whether it was politically inconvenient to raise the rate.
Interim City Manager Evans referenced Item 9G, and explained the County was trying to come up with creative ways to raise revenues to address storm water challenges.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
ACTION: Motion by Council members Toms/Martinez-Rubin to approve Consent Calendar Items 9A, 9B, 9D, 9E, 9F and 9G, as shown.
Vote: Passed 5-0
Ayes: Tave, Murphy, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
10. PUBLIC HEARINGS: None
11. OLD BUSINESS: None
12. NEW BUSINESS
Receive Update on Capital Projects, Inspection and Permitting and Maintenance Operations. Action: Receive Report (Heba El-Guindy)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Mage tes - April 7,2026
Public Works Director El-Guindy provided a PowerPoint presentation and provided an Update on CIP Projects, Inspection and Permitting, and Maintenance Operations, which included an overview of CIP projects for roads, facilities and parks, and the Pinole-Hercules Wastewater Treatment Plant related improvements.
Responding to questions from the City Council, Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified the following:
• The City had implemented curb ramps for FY 2024/25 and added six curb ramps as part of public improvements at the Appian Village Residential development, for a total of 28 curb ramps for the year. For FY 2025/26, staff accounted for the funding approved for the project, and added as part of the Pavement Rehabilitation Project, implementation of new programs along Pinole Valley Road and locations on Shea Drive and near the school, for a total of 26 additional curb ramps to maximize the use of funding by combining funding under a number of projects into one project, the Pavement Rehabilitation Project, which would increase the opportunity to get bids at reasonable prices due to the scale of the project. Prioritization of projects would be affected by a number of items including balancing out the different projects. Curb ramps in the downtown area were a priority and had been implemented earlier in the year. Staff had assessed various areas and just completed an assessment of Zone 1 and had a long list of locations that needed either new curb ramps since they were non-existent, or non-compliant curb ramps that needed to be replaced. (Mayor Pro Tem Murphy)
• The City's storm water compliance was clarified, with the staff report having identified two different approved storm water related projects, including annual upgrades, with this years' budget used for Project No. SW2501, Delores Court Stormwater Pipe Replacement, which project was performed under the CIP Stormwater Upgrade & Trash Capture Project (Project No. SW2501). A Request for Bids (RFB) was initiated on November 6, 2025, to replace the stormwater pipe that ran from Delores Court through the public easement within the front and backyards of the residence at 2341 Delores Court (about 90 linear feet). Bids were due by December 4, 2025. The bid process resulted in the selection of Michael Paul Company, Inc. as the lowest responsive bidder. In coordination with the abutting residents, the construction work was completed in March 2026. Damaged stone and wood fences were either repaired or replaced and the site was fully cleaned including minor landscape work. This proiect had been a priority, completed earlier in the year, with remaining funding that staff was looking to use for small scaled projects. The second project was the General Upgrades to the trash capture devices to the system.
The City was at 80 percent of storm water compliance; however, staff recently worked with a consulting firm and updated the Storm Water Map, correcting areas where it had skewed calculations not in the City's favor, and additional assessments had been done in early April/late March, and there would be a second round of assessments in May prior to reporting in June. The City was currently at 99.8 percent of compliance. Additional improvement was being considered in coordination with Caltrans, such as installation of additional trash capture devices along I-80, and depending on the location and how it fed, would serve both jurisdictions to receive credit, above and beyond the requirements. (Mayor Pro Tem Murphy)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
• Staff was also working with Caltrans to secure a grant for the establishment of a bioretention area on the west side of the San Pablo Avenue Bridge at a larger scale, to secure credits to be utilized for development and capital projects in Pinole or through a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) that could generate revenue for the City. (Mayor Pro Tem Murphy)
• Staff had been providing a significant amount of training for maintenance operations and for the engineering team, customer service relations in relation to storm water, safe practices and various aspects of the Public Works Department operations as it related to engineering and maintenance operations, to be up to date and effective in what staff did and to also reduce the level of liability to the City. Recently, the City had been put on notice by the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) to report more frequently.
The conclusion and completion of the assessment report would be shared with the RWQCB later on this week and staff was confident they would go back to the norm of reporting once a year. Public Works Department staff was a service department, serving various departments of the City and the community at-large, affecting people's lives daily, and worked under various requirements depending on the function within the Department. (Mayor Pro Tem Murphy)
• There were storm water requirements imposed by the RWQCB and requirements in terms of wastewater and waste, with one of the considerations that staff would like the City Council to review as part of the budget process; designation of an environmental compliance person to assist with the reporting requirements so that nothing would fall behind. Public Works staff went the extra mile with existing staff and would do what was needed to meet all requirements, but ideally there should be the expertise in that area as part of the Department. In addition, through the use of various tools, the City's Management Analyst had collected all requests from emails, phone calls, and through the City website into Beehive, which was time consuming to insert all of the requests received.
The time of the staff person performing those duties could be better used for other functions that would be more useful. Staff was also considering different software that was more adaptive on a Citywide basis, and while that was under review, it may not materialize this year due to costs. (Mayor Pro Tem Murphy) • Maintenance operations items were identified in the April 7, 2026 staff report. Of those maintenance operation items, staff was uncertain of the percentage that came from the citizen use of the City's app, but it could be 60/40. In the past, the Public Works Department team was responding to requests, but currently the City was divided into five zones and a proactive approach was taken to maintain the zones, with staff going above and beyond the requests received. Work in Zone 1 (the southeasterly part of the City of Pinole) would be complete by the end of the fiscal year in terms of potholes, signage, pavement markings, lighting repair and the like. The improvements within Zone 1 were added proactive staff-initiated improvements beyond the requests received. The map of the five zones had been posted on the City website, and a copy could be emailed to the City Council. (Martinez-Rubin)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
• Project No. PA1901, for Pinole Valley Park, and improvements to City Parks (Project No.
PA2501), funds were used to replace damaged sections of the fields and minor upgrades to the irrigation system. Public Works carried out two separate bid processes for the addition of prefabricated restrooms (gender neutral) along with construction of associated foundation and utility connections (water, sewer and electricity), an agreement had been established and a prefabricated Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant dual restroom building had been ordered in January of 2026, with the order placed through the lowest responsive bidder, CXT Inc., for a total amount of $116,405. Construction of the building foundation and utility connections (water, sewer, electricity) would be performed under a separate bid process and agreement. Given the lead time for receiving the prefabricated structure, all work was planned for completion by mid-June 2026. (Martinez-Rubin)
• As to whether staff had noticed an increase in ground squirrels near the south side of the Pinole-Hercules Wastewater Treatment Plant and in response to concerns damage could lead to wires, cables, PVC conduit and other pipes underground being affected, staff would be happy to look into that. Issues with damage from gophers had improved significantly through treatment and mitigations and the issue was currently not a concern in the soccer fields and parks; but staff acknowledged the problem could be seasonal and if necessary, further treatment may be necessary. (Martinez-Rubin) • Acknowledged a request for an update on the status of a pilot program using Bigbelly trash bins (in 2021 or 2022), two of which had been placed in Old Town Pinole; one next to Tina's Place at the corner of San Pablo and Tennent Avenues at the northwest corner and one along Tennent Avenue close to the pump house, which were meant to be part of a pilot project to determine their utility and effectiveness in mitigating litter. Staff acknowledged the request to determine whether there may be other locations to place similar types of trash bins where there were hot spots for litter, such as alongside the creek and behind King Valley Restaurant. Staff was unaware of the pilot program and suggested it was possible the locations for the Bigbelly trash bins may have been selected based on the level of litter at those locations but again staff would look into the status. Staff noted there were locations currently under evaluation for new trash receptacles. (Martinez- Rubin)
PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Rafael Menis referenced Page 228 of 234 of the agenda packet, the Youth Center Building HVAC System Replacement, and his understanding only three of seven units had been replaced, he assumed since they were the three units that had outright failed components. He asked about the condition of the other four remaining units, whether they were likely to fail in the near future and whether they had been evaluated during the process of replacement of the first three units.
On Page 228 of 234 of the agenda packet, and the Improvements to the Dog Park, under CIP Improvements to City Parks Project No. PA2501, Mr. Menis noted that planning was underway to add dog play areas and upgrade the landscaping following a community meeting to be led by the Community Services Department. He asked how the community would be informed of the meeting and who would be invited to attend. He expected there would be questions from other members of the public about this topic.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Mr. Menis also referenced Pages 229 and 230 of 234 of the agenda packet, the Storm Drain Master Plan, Project No. IN1703, which stated the expanded modeling work is near completion using revised land use data and future projections. The Plan was scheduled for completion and City Council consideration in October 2026. Given that, he questioned how it was known that work would ensure 99.65 percent compliance if there was as yet no complete Master Plan.
Mr. Menis also thanked Council member Martinez-Rubin for asking the question about the gender status of the restrooms since the City was building out new restrooms as part of Pinole Valley Park, Project No. PA1901, as shown on Page 228 of 234 of the agenda packet.
Public Works Director El-Guindy confirmed for the Youth Center Building HVAC System Replacement that three of the seven units would be replaced since they had failed. Some of the offices downstairs at the lower level had no HVAC operations and upstairs where Pinole Community Television (PCTV) was housed, there were issues with humidity, which was unsafe for the equipment. The reason all seven units had not been replaced at one time was because funding was insufficient; however, multiple assessments had been done. Staff had looked into changing the system into one system operating within the entire building or a dual system isolating the upstairs from the downstairs, but the least expensive way for the City to handle the emergency in a timely manner was to replace three of the defective units. This advice had been recommended from two suppliers. The maintenance contractor would replace the HVAC units for the City and was familiar with the City's various systems and different buildings.
As to the dog park, it was clarified that most of the improvements that could be done by Public Works staff in-house for now would be done and that would include removal of trees, branches and a stump that was a safety concern, painting the restrooms, replacing a rotted wall, cleaning and treating the roof for moss, and gutter replacement. In addition, the Public Works Team painted the waste receptacle, doggy bags post, and the flyers board.
There were plans to add furniture in the grass areas and some concepts had been developed for the Community Services Commission to consider, which would involve community consultation and feedback of what the community wanted in the park. The concept would include play areas for large and small dogs, shaded areas and furniture, to be decided by the community via a community meeting to be planned in the future by the Community Services Department.
In terms of Storm Drain Master Plan, Project No. IN1703 and in response to the question about compliance with the RWQCB, Public Works Director El-Guindy explained those were two different things. The Master Plan was being prepared for the overall system to include an analysis of capacity and the different lines, and what needed to be replaced. In some areas, the condition of the various access points and pipes would be analyzed. The reason staff had come before the City Council and requested additional time and budget was because the initial evaluation had identified additional locations that had not been taken into account initially, which would have been the best time for the City to evaluate once and for all. As a result, the difference in cost was worth it, to do the modeling work for the overall City and not miss areas within the system, and also because the land uses had changed since initially it had been based on existing land uses, with assumptions changed to accommodate projections, forecasted land uses and associated usage, that would impact the system.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
The modeling work was expanded as a result, to be able to develop the Master Plan, which effort was separate from the project whether to pursue trash capture devices at specific locations, sweeping and revisions to the map, which were all separate under the compliance requirements.
Anthony Vossbrink acknowledged the presentation had been very detailed, which was good; however, at the dog park staff had not repainted the floors or provided a refresh of the interior restrooms behind the baseball diamond by the children's playground, which area was in need of a refresh, with peeling paint, odors, missing toilet seats, etc., and there were missing toilet seats in the restrooms near the dog park. He commented that no one was checking the quality of the staff work, and reported the water fountain at the dog park was dirty with mud and was inoperable, as were other water fountains behind the tennis courts. No mention had been made to reopen the outdoor restrooms near the tennis courts; the new soccer field continued to have drainage issues and new trash receptacles around the dog park, which had been ordered years ago, had yet to be provided. Also the bridge on Pinole Valley Road by the fire station was damaged.
PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Interim City Manager Evans asked the City Council to accept the report.
ACTION: Motion by Mayor Tave/Council member Martinez-Rubin to Accept the Report on the Update on Capital Proiects, Inspections and Permitting, and Maintenance Operations.
Vote: Passed 5-0
Ayes: Tave, Murphy, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None
Absent: None
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, the state as a whole and wastewater sites around Pinole, the state and country, which remained low. He also commented that civilization was a good thing, and threatening to destroy civilizations because one was unhappy about how a war was going, was at the very least unworthy of what America should be, if not a war crime in its own right. He expressed concern with the threats to destroy civilian infrastructure en masse and blowing a country back to the Stone Age. As he was making this statement, it appeared the United States would consider a truce with Iran for two weeks, but he emphasized we were better than this as a country.
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026
Richard Cossel understood the public was to limit its comments to the particular subject at hand.
Mayor Tave explained the differences between public comment for agenda items and Citizens to be Heard, as written on the meeting agenda.
Mr. Cossel clarified he thought they were discussing the prior item on the agenda, which was why he thought this was not time for an open forum.
14. ADJOURN to the Regular City Council Meeting of April 21, 2026 in Remembrance of Amber Swartz.
At 9:38 p.m., Mayor Tave adjourned to a Regular City Council Meeting on April 21, 2026 in Remembrance of Amber Swartz.
Submitted by:
1RB-Semr
Heather Bell Spears CMC
City Clerk
Approved by City Council: April 21, 2026
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Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - April 7, 2026