Pinole City Council
June 2, 2026

CITY COUNCIL MEETING

MINUTES
June 2, 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. Mayo ave called the Regular Meeting of the City Council to order at 5:30 p.m. and led the Pledge o

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 tor 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
Norma Martinez-Rubin, Council Member
Cameron Sasai, Council Member*
Maureen Toms, Council Member
*Remote Attendance, 2964 E Ravenswood Drive, Gilbert, AZ 85298

COUNCILMEMBERS ABSENT
Devin T. Murphy, Mayor Pro Tem
B. STAFF PRESENT
Garrett Evans, Interim City Manager
Heather Bell-Spears, City Clerk
Eric Casher, City Attorney
Stacy Shell, Human Resources Director
Charlene Davis, Human Resources Analyst
Fiona Epps, Communications Director
Heba El-Guindy. Public Works Director
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026
Andrea Dwyer, Community Services Director
Roxane Stone, Deputy City Clerk
City Clerk Heather Bell-Spears announced the agenda had been posted on May 29, 2026 at 2:30 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.

Following an inquiry, the Council reported there were no conflicts with any items on the agenda.

4. CONVENE TO A CLOSED SESSION: None

5. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION TO ANNOUNCE RESULTS OF CLOSED SESSION:

None
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.

Richard Cossel commented that roads were in disrepair, infrastructure was failing, the budget was not balanced, money had been wasted, certain City Council members treated the City as their own personal travel agency and a recent Civil Grand Jury Report found the City was mismanaged and gave the City an "F" rating. The Civil Grand Jury Report also found the City of Pinole had the worst financial rating of the 19 cities in Contra Costa County and the highest sales taxes in the County. Three Council members appeared to be colluding and voting in a block and voted to place Measure D on the June 2, 2026 ballot, since it would normally have a low turnout in the hopes it would pass. This same trio would not commit to not running for Mayor if Measure D passed. The City funded activities opening itself up to lawsuits based on viewpoint, sex and gender discrimination and now the City may potentially hire a new City Manager who was the wife of a former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PUC) official who had been convicted of wire and bank fraud and bribery. The potential new City Manager could be considered a co- conspirator since she would have signed $1.3 million in fraudulent loan documents, partook in the benefits of the conspiracy and resigned her job as City Administrator for the City of San Francisco in disgrace.

Mr. Cossel read into the record the trial jury verdict for Harlan Kelly Jr., dated July 14, 2023, who was found guilty on all charges and the statement made by the judge about the defendant. He found there was a pattern for some City of Pinole officials who were not concerned about the will of the people and welfare of the City, and rather were putting their own ideological driven projects above the basic needs of citizens. He hoped to see better in the future.

Debbie Long was not surprised the Mayor Pro Tem was absent for this meeting. She commented that since the last City Council meeting, the Civil Grand Jury had issued a report about the City's financial viability and which detailed why the City had been rated "F," the lowest in the County.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Ms. Long would have expected that would have been an item on the meeting agenda, for no other reason than to schedule Town Hall meetings where the public was not limited to three minutes, and which would allow a real discussion in order to promote transparency. Instead, the City Council was going to proceed with the 2026/27 budget, which only allowed three minutes to discuss the entire document. She suggested the City Council should be embarrassed by the Civil Grand Jury rating and have the humility to say they had screwed up rather than continue with business as usual. She requested the Civil Grand Jury Report be brought back on a future meeting agenda in order to establish dates for at least two Town Hall meetings to discuss and fully vet the conclusions of the report.

As the City Council moved onto agenda Item 11A, Ms. Long asked that the City Council keep in mind the budget cuts intended to be made were not in the public nor staff's best interests. Any cuts to staff should be done at the highest levels, not at the expense of the rank and file.

Irma Ruport thanked Mayor Tave, Mayor Pro Tem Murphy and Council member Sasai for giving taxpayers the opportunity to vote on Measure D. Whether the measure passed or not, was not the reason to hold back and prevent citizens from being a part of the voice and the vote, which was what democracy was about. Referring to the cost of the ballot measure, she referenced some Council member's special interests, such as the costs for a potential Faria Museum, as an example. She also referenced the 2025/26 Civil Grand Jury Report, which she read last week and which report included six recommendations. She suggested the City had not been doing well over the past year. There had been lousy City Managers, one left for the City of Vallejo and she understood recently left that position, and the most recent City Manager only stayed for a year and looked for a job in four different states, and this information was available on Google and YouTube. She questioned why the City was making these mistakes and suggested starting over and cleaning house.

Ms. Ruport stated she was a 50-year resident and she had received a lot of flak from Council members over the years, suggesting she should leave town if she didn't like it, and one even told her he hated her. As a resident of Pinole, she had a right to be here, the right to vote and no one had the right to scare her away. She emphasized it was time to come together. She had also been a member of the union, was a Chief Steward, and had experience in government and had experienced job loss. She noted the City had been through the ringer before and almost went through bankruptcy. She was well aware of the City's history as a long-time resident and she had spoken to the former City Manager about needing a budget, but they never had time.

Allison Carrillo also referenced the conclusions of the Civil Grand Jury Report and highlighted the purpose of the Civil Grand Jury, which investigated local government and operations when a city struggled to manage its own affairs. She found the conclusions not surprising in that underlying information had long been publicly available. She looked forward to reading the formal responses from both the City Council and City staff to the report which found the City faced serious structural budget challenges that had built up over years of relying on one-time funding and reserve withdrawals, roadway deterioration and deferred infrastructure. Acknowledging those challenges was not a reason for despair, but a call for action. She otherwise disagreed with the findings of the Civil Grand Jury in that Measure I was a General Fund tax maintaining the City's fiscal responsibility across a broad range of needs. It was not a special revenue tax. Filling a pothole was not treatment, but a reactive safety measure and necessary, although not a solution, with full resurfacing and rehabilitation required at a far greater cost than people anticipated.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Ms. Carrillo stated she had voted for Measure I since she found the City was dangerously relying on reserves to pay for structural deficits. She recognized that significant pavement rehabilitation would remain out of reach but getting the City's house in order must start now. She had raised similar concerns in 2024, at the time sewer rates had been discussed, and her position had not changed. Raising fees to among the highest in the Bay Area must be matched by a genuine commitment for results, through fiscal discipline, strategic planning and clearing the bottleneck preventing staff from building and delivering real capital programs; rather than have staff time consumed by special City Council projects and deferring core work the City desperately needed at the cost to residents. Political infighting and prioritization of special interests needed to end.

City staff were capable and deserved the direction and space to do their job and deliver the infrastructure residents depended on. She highlighted the responsibilities of the City Council and City staff, and suggested Pinole was worth fighting for, the community was resilient and believed in their future, but needed leadership with long-term well-being over short-term politics.

Peter Herman also referenced the Civil Grand Jury Report and commented the financial state of the City being the last in all of Contra Costa County, with the highest sales taxes, roads that could not be repaired and the potential for bankruptcy, could not be a recent problem. He did not hold the three Council members blameless, but could not believe the tenured Council members did not see this coming. He asked where the warning was for the conclusions in the Civil Grand Jury Report, where the leadership was to address this in a thoughtful and thorough manner, and whether a comprehensive plan could be offered to forestall something like this. He questioned how this was a surprise to those who were engaged citizens since it was part of the public record, but the public did not understand all of the financial details, which was what the City Council was for. As a retired homeowner and citizen relying on the City for the preservation of his property value and well-being, he found the situation to be outrageous. He was very angry with every single member of leadership for the City of Pinole.

REPORTS & COMMUNICATIONS
A. Mayor Report
There was no report.

Announcements: None
B. Mayoral & Council Appointments: None
City Council Committee Reports & Communications
Council member Toms reported she attended an all-day class, training exercise and introduction to land use planning for wildfires in the State of California, which was highlighted in depth. She also attended the East Bay Wildfire Coalition of Governments meeting, with the Coalition working as a region in the East Bay to address the massive amounts of fuel in the East Bay Hills, with the discussion of how the Board of Forestry was considering drafting rules for Zone Zero, for non- combustible items next to homes. There had also been a discussion about public information that needed to be communicated to homeowners in the area related to reducing their risk for fire, and the Coalition also discussed opening up CAL FIRE Grants.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Council member Toms reported she had also spoken with the Interim City Manager and the Public Works Director about projects in the City of Pinole that could be considered to reduce wildfire risk in the Pinole Valley.

Council member Martinez-Rubin reported she responded to invitations to represent the City of Pinole or support activities in partnership with the Bay Front Chamber of Commerce or local schools including a ribbon cutting ceremony at Togo's at 1471 Fitzgerald Drive, Suite 105; 75th. anniversary of Collins Elementary School; webinar sponsored and conducted by the League of California Cities as part of Senate Bill (SB) 827, which required new Councilmembers and other electeds to participate in a very basic and fundamental overview of municipal finances and financial management; and the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) first annual celebration of graduates of Latino/Latinx students throughout the WCCUSD at the Richmond Auditorium.

Council member Sasai reported he attended a meeting of the West Contra Costa Transportation Commission (WCCTC), with a presentation on budget allocations for projects and had voted on a $7.1 million budget allocation towards a regional project in West County, which included $700,000 in a budget allocation for a project in the City of Pinole to improve a section of Tennent Avenue to facilitate safer movements for bicyclists and pedestrians. He thanked the Public Works Director and City staff for making the project possible.

Council member Sasai also wished everyone a restful and deserved Memorial Day, having come from a family of veterans who served the country. He reported his Great-Grandfather, Tadashi Takeuchi served in the early 20t Century and had been posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge and Bronze Star, after dying in combat on October 30, 1944. He recognized the sacrifices all veterans made, particularly those who paid the ultimate price.

Mayor Tave also reported there had been a ribbon cutting ceremony for Travis Credit Union in late-May and he welcomed the business to the City of Pinole.

D. Council Requests for Future Agenda Items
Council member Martinez-Rubin requested a presentation from Republic Services to review and emphasize the importance of sorting recyclables, with residents having received information a few months ago that sorting would be closely monitored as of July 1, 2026, to comply with Senate Bill (SB) 1383. She asked for a presentation to be made during the month of July.

ACTION: Motion by Council members Martinez-Rubin/Sasai for a presentation from Republic Services to review and emphasize the importance of sorting recyclables, in compliance with SB 1383, during a City Council meeting in July.

Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026
portman to route to Cobers Marinary inTo, in for sat in pres Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
ACTION: Motion by Mayor Tave/Council member Martinez-Rubin to agendize a presentation of the Civil Grand Jury Report and findings.

Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy

PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Irma Ruport referenced the Civil Grand Jury Report and asked that it be posted on the City website as soon as possible for public review. She referenced Page 17 of the report, which read:

Consider developing methods to engage Pinole residents regarding options to address ongoing fiscal challenges, which was due by December 31, 2026. She stated she had repeatedly requested a fiscal budget and status report, and although past City Managers informed her the budget was balanced, the City had now received an "F" rating from the Civil Grand Jury. She agreed with the need that the Civil Grand Jury Report be agendized.

PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
City Manager Report / Department Staff
of Pinole, from previous operating deficits, one-time fund transfers, rising pension and retiree health costs, to unfunded capital improvement projects including roads and City facilities. The City Council and the community would see presentations during this meeting for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 budget and Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), with significant adjustments and reductions in both from what had been entertained in March 2026. He commended the City Council for being consistent with him since he came on board in March 2026, to see how to balance the budget for FY 2026/27 and beyond, using the "Yellow Brick Road" method and consideration of seeing some road projects now.

A $3 million request for bids would close on Monday, June 8, 2026 for the first phase of road improvements and staff anticipated another $3 million request for bids in late July for an additional number of roads to be done.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Interim City Manager Evans thanked City staff for being creative and problem solving to reduce the expenditures in the upcoming fiscal budget in a meaningful manner, with staff having been collaborative to put forth a budget that was balanced, spread the pain, with the least-worst in expenditure reductions. If the City Council concurred with the staff recommendation, there would be a $50,000 shortfall in the budget where the deficit had originally been $4.2 million. This meeting offered an excellent opportunity to address many of the items in the Civil Grand Jury Report before they were due and present them in an open forum. The response to the Civil Grand Jury Report was due by August 14, 2026.

Mayor Tave also expressed his appreciation to City staff for the effort to cover the deficit gap.

F. City Attorney Report: None

8. RECOGNITIONS / PRESENTATIONS / COMMUNITY EVENTS
A. Proclamations: None
B. Presentations: None

9. 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 May 19, 2026.

B. Receive the May 16, 2026 - May 29, 2026 List of Warrants in the Amount of $941,280.34 and the May 22, 2026 Payroll in the Amount of $583,557.21.

Adopt a Resolution Approving a Memorandum of Understanding Between the City of Pinole and the Pinole Police Employees' Association (PPEA) for the Period of July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026. Action: Adopt Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Stacy Shell)
Approve and Authorize the Mayor to Execute the Employment Agreement for Naomi Kelly to Become the City Manager. Action: Adopt Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Stacy Shell)

PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Debbie Long referenced Item 9D, and commented much had already been said about the potential hire of Naomi Kelly as the new City Manager, and the background of her husband, Harlan Kelly. Jr. If someone did not know, they could Google their names, which would give one great pause and concern that this City Council was bringing in Ms. Kelly as the next City Manager at an elevated salary not seen in the City before, all at a time when the City was fiscally insolvent.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026
Ms. Long heard comments that Ms. Kelly should be given the chance since oftentimes women were judged harsher than men, but she did not believe this was the case. She suggested Ms.

Kelly should not be judged less harshly simply because she was a woman. She was concerned the City was hiring someone as a leader, with a questionable financial background and who may bring drama to the City. Because of that background, she did not see Ms. Kelly would be qualified to take on the City's looming financial deficit and instill confidence and respect in her leadership She also questioned how the City's consultant, Joe Gorton, could bring forward a candidate with Ms. Kelly's background given her departure as a City of San Francisco Administrator. She asked why it was necessary to increase the new City Manager's contract $50,000, close to an additional $100,000 with benefits, from what the City paid previous City Managers, again at a time when the City was decreasing the budgets of the rank and file. She was sure not one City Council member would have the guts or the tenacity to change their votes. She was not only angry, but extremely angry and mystified by the City Council's utter stupidity and suggested they be proud as they continued to run the City into the ground.

Cathy McFarland read into the record, a portion of written comments submitted on June 1, 2026, as follows: The Council's choice for a new City Manager is Naomi Kelly. This choice just shows and confirms the sordid, self-servicing and egotistical ways of our Mayor and the two male council members who have been on their continued journey to slowly destroy our city. Naomi Kelly was San Francisco's City Administrator until she resigned in 1-12-2021. Her husband is Harlan Kelly who was San Francisco's Public Utilities General Manager and who was convicted of 6 counts of federal fraud and conspiracy crimes - wire fraud, bank fraud and bribes from construction contractors. The KELLY FAMILY took a trip to Hong Kong and China in 2016 which was paid for by Walter Wong a construction contractor. According to multiple sources it was stated that during the time of the raid on their home there was "suspected cocaine" on the premises. Naomi Kelly resigned saying she wanted the city to "function without distraction." Is this a situation we need to read in between the lines that she may have been given an ultimatum by the city to resign or was it really her personal choice? The City of Pinole wants to pay her a base annual salary of $305,000.00 which is $79,00.00 more a year (equals an additional $6,580.00 a month) than our previous City Manager was paid in 2024. What is she going to be the council's back door plan for when measure D for an elected mayor fails? NO TO THIS CITY MANAGER APPOINTMENT.

Tonight you are not voting behind closed doors. The city and the residents will see exactly how each one of you votes! We will see who is representing and protecting our city and who is using and abusing it for their self-serving agendas.

Managers alto wide and corin, to 2p Recruited he average salady was 5115,000. The Gily of San Jose paid its City Manager $135,000 with the highest recorded salary $261,000. He was uncertain how the City could pay the proposed salary for Naomi Kelly with the City having just been given an "F" rating from the Civil Grand Jury. He questioned how the City could continue down this road and he asked that the City Council reconsider this hire.

Sheila Grist, suggested the prior speakers said about all she wanted to say. She read into the record a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. about his children that they would one day live in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Allison Carrillo, welcomed the new City Manager and commented she was stepping into a City with real challenges, as documented in the Civil Grand Jury Report, which report was not a critique, but a road map identifying where the City was and points to where it needed to be. The new City Manager was stepping into an organization that had been worn down by staff turnover, exhausted by years of navigating disparate interests, political, personal and organizational and which instability had a cost which they were hearing in the challenges of the City to maintain staff and hire new staff, including salaries that must be paid to bring people in. Those challenges had shown up in deferred maintenance, infrastructure, strained services and a community which had grown skeptical of promises. Pinole had cycled through too many City Managers and Directors of Public Works in too few years, and every transition reset momentum, fractured institutional knowledge and signaled to staff and the community alike that stability was not something the City could hold on to, which must change. She hoped it would start with the new City Manager.

The City needed a City Manager and City Council who were committed to the long game, a genuine partnership built on aligned priorities, mutual accountability and respect and the discipline to put the long-term health of the City above short-term politics. She hoped the new City Manager would use the Civil Grand Jury Report, study the staff and coordinate with the City Council and build a plan and stay to see if through, with Pinole counting on her to meet the moment, the mandate, and where they needed her to be.

Irma Ruport speaking to Item 9C, congratulated the Pinole Police Department (PPD) for the approval of the contract. She emphasized public safety officers deserved better than the contract that was given with such late notice and having been the last to be approved. She respected Police Officers, she had family in law enforcement, and she recognized law enforcement was underpaid. She hoped the City Council would do better the next time.

As to Item 9D, Ms. Ruport asked the City Council to continue the item. She reported she had a Human Resources background and suggested the City had failed with the two former City Managers, with one having left the City for the City of Vallejo and who left that community recently, and the most recent City Manager who was a job hopper had left for something else. She again asked that Item 9D be continued and reported the guidelines for the recruitment of a City Manager were available on the City website.

Ms. Ruport added she had applied for a job with the City of Pinole at one time, years ago, and had a lie detector test, clearance check and security. She asked whether the Human Resources Department followed those methods. The City had retained a recruiter for the City Manager position and she questioned whether Ms. Kelly was the best candidate. She again asked that the item be continued, the City Council go back and start over and if the City had to use an existing Director temporarily as City Manager that should be done.

Peter Murray stated he had been a member of the Interview Board for the City Manager, which also included Ms. Ruport, and he agreed with her 100 percent. He was not happy with the interview process in that he had prepared questions for the interview and was told he could not use his questions and had to use a strict sheet of questions leading to concerns he was being scripted. He reiterated his concerns with the process that had been followed for the recruitment of the new City Manager, particularly since the Interview Board had been told Ms. Kelly had been thoroughly vetted; but if that were true, he wondered how the City Council had made its decision.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Mr. Murray suggested the community deserved an answer and agreed the City Council hold off making a decision for Item 9D.

Rafael Menis speaking to Item 9C, understood the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be approved with the Pinole Police Employees' Association (PPEA) would cover through the end of June 2026, with a new MOU to be negotiated. He asked whether the City had a plan to negotiate the next MOU in a more rapid fashion. He also understood the total cost of revisions for the MOU was $214,000, of which $202,600 was from the General Fund per Page 51 of 268 of the agenda packet. He asked if that would be tracked as a budget adjustment to the current year's budget or carried forward as a cost to be added on to the budget to be discussed for FY 2026/27.

PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Council member Toms spoke to Item 9C and understood the three percent increase for the PPEA had been budgeted for the current fiscal year budget, which was confirmed by the Interim City Manager.

Council member Martinez-Rubin referenced Item 9D and recalled part of the recruiter's tasks included making a presentation prior to a new City Manager being on board. She asked if that could be done at the next City Council meeting to allow the public to understand and review the process. There had been a lengthy process from the beginning which the consulting firm provided, with opportunities for members of the public to speak to the recruitment process in a number of instances, but she recognized not everyone may have participated. Between now and the next meeting, she would like the recruiter invited back to provide a presentation for Item 9D.

Interim City Manager Evans was uncertain of the full contract language for the City Manager recruiting consultant, but if that was the direction of the City Council that could be done.

Council member Martinez-Rubin offered a motion, seconded by Council member Toms to defer Item 9D to the June 16, 2026 City Council meeting, and at the same meeting request the consultant, Mr. Gorton, review the City Manager recruitment process that included the opportunities for input from members of the public.

Mayor Tave asked what the presentation would look like.

Council member Martinez-Rubin suggested that was to be determined, but among the points wrap up the recruitment process. She recognized the contract with the consultant would have to be revisited
City Attorney Eric Casher did not recall that, although the consultant may have offered that beyond the scope of the contract. He confirmed with the Human Resources Director that such a presentation was not within the scope of the contract for the consultant and an additional cost could be involved.

Council member Martinez-Rubin understood the importance for the public to understand that everything incurred a cost since it was the consulting firm's time.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Council member Martinez-Rubin again asked that the possibility be explored and that staff come back with a response. She repeated her motion, seconded by Council member Toms to defer Item 9D to the next meeting of the City Council.

ACTION: Motion by Council members Martinez-Rubin/Toms to defer Consent Calendar Item 9D, to the June 16, 2026 City Council meeting.

Vote: Passed 3-1-1
Ayes: Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: Tave
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
ACTION: Motion by Council member Toms/Mayor Tave to approve Consent Calendar Items 9A, 9B and 9C, as shown.

Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes:

Noes: NaNa Marioz Ruin, Saal, Toms
Abstain:

Absent: Murphy

10. PUBLIC HEARINGS
Assembly Bill 2561/Government Code Section 3502.3 (Vacancies, Recruitment and Retention Efforts) Compliance. Action: Conduct Public Hearing (Stacy Shell, Charlene Davis)
Human Resources Analyst Charlene Davis provided a PowerPoint presentation for Assembly Bill (AB) 2561, Status of Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Efforts in Calendar Year 2025, which included an overview of AB 2561; workforce overview; vacancy information and recruitment and retention efforts.

Responding to questions from the City Council, Human Resources Director Stacy Shell and Human Resources Analyst Davis clarified the following:
• Confirmed AB 2561 was a new requirement with the first presentation provided to the City Council in 2025. (Toms)
• The vacancy rate this time last year was 13.65 percent. (Sasai) • Vacancies involved three police officers, one dispatcher, Community Safety Specialist, Associate Civil Engineer, Building Inspector, Capital Improvement Program Manager, Community Services Officer and City Manager. (Sasai)
• The vacancy rate for bargaining group AFSCME Local 512 was 14.29 percent, and included two vacant positions in the Public Works Department and one vacancy in the Community Development Department. (Sasai)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

• Some of the positions that were hard to fill were in the 12 months or more period of the recruitment process and had been positions that were certified. As an example, the Associate Civil Engineer required a professional engineering certificate and it had been a challenge to find qualified applicants. Recruitment for this position had been open for a year or more. Recruitment for the Building Inspector was also a challenge given the City's environmental component was removed with a focus on the capital improvement piece.

That recruitment effort had been ongoing just over a year. Law enforcement positions were a continuous recruitment effort and open until filled. Staff could follow up with more information, if needed. (Martinez-Rubin)
• Acknowledged West County neighboring cities and throughout the greater Bay Area had experienced similar challenges recruiting for some of the positions, such as the Associate Civil Engineer, Building Inspector and Capital Improvement Program Manager positions.

Staff also reported while conditional offers had been extended to individuals in the Associate Civil Engineer and Building Inspector positions, there had been challenges related to certification requirements and since the City was competing with other agencies, candidates had a choice to either join Pinole or consider another agency. Some candidates had shared with staff why they chose not to come to Pinole and consider another agency, but not all. Given the positions were also available throughout the county and the state, qualified candidates had a choice. (Martinez-Rubin).

PUBLIC HEARING OPENED
Irma Ruport asked what a 9/80 work schedule and hybrid remote option meant. She suggested the hybrid option should no longer be available since the pandemic was over, and employees should be brought back to the office. She appreciated the work of City staff, but the City needed better service. She asked why Pinole Community Television (PCTV) was under the Community Services Department on the chart and suggested it should be under the City Manager's Office.

She referenced the vacancy information that had shown six positions currently open, and suggested all positions should be frozen with the exception of the PPD since the public would not buy-in.

Ms. Ruport commented that in 2025, the then City Manager created the position of Communications Director under the City Manager's Office, and the then Assistant to the City Manager got the job at a higher salary not including benefits. She asked whether the position was properly vetted and open to others to apply, and if not, that should be reviewed.

Interim City Manager Evans clarified the 9/80 work schedule was nine days over the course of a 10-day work period condensing the 80 hours into that schedule. The hybrid remote option was an enticement to try and either retain or attract employees with some cities considering bonuses for certain positions, while recognizing the intent for employees to be in the office with certain positions eligible for the hybrid option. Freezing positions was something that would be worked out with the City Council, as appropriate, through the budget cycle and as part of addressing other issues identified in the Civil Grand Jury Report
Ms. Ruport made other comments from the audience that were not captured by the microphone.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Rafael Menis understood the challenges the City had in recruiting for some positions, as previously detailed, and with AFSCME Local 512 currently at a 14.29 percent vacancy rate, with three vacant positions. If the positions were frozen, he asked about the impact on the City's ability to implement the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and the desire by the City Council and the community as a whole, for the goal of increased roadway development. As to the modified hybrid/remote employment, he suggested if an employee had one or two days in a 14-day cycle, allowing a remote option would be a good way to attract employees and would help the planet and commute costs. He understood some Pinole staff commuted from outside of Pinole and remote opportunities would have climate gains and would not have any additional costs, as other incentives could. Referencing the retention statistics, he commented in the unfortunate event an employee passed away, how would that be categorized, as a voluntary separation, a retirement or some other category.

Interim City Manager Evans reiterated in terms of employee freezing, staff would work with the City Council since certain positions were needed to accomplish the goals of the City Council.

Allison Carrillo a resident of Pinole and a CIP Manager for another city, commented she made it a rule she would not work for the City she lived in. When choosing a position she applied for she looked at salary, benefits, financial reports, watched city meetings to see how well people worked together, watched the community to see how people interacted, liked to see strategic goals, people who were working together trying to build trust together in all ways, looked at the budget she had for the department and the Council priorities versus those staff recommended, all of which had been addressed in the Civil Grand Jury Report. She commented that people who were engineers, CIP Managers and Directors kept on eye out and paid attention to the cities around them, and the behavior of a city, city manager, city council members and residents in general, which went a long way in making a welcome environment for new staff coming in to share their expertise and ability to lead and communicate.

Debbie Long asked whether the Human Resources Department groomed employees to have the opportunity to advance from within, rather than going out for new Department Heads. She did not want to see missed opportunities for existing employees. She suggested there be a specific policy so no one was overlooked. She also asked whether the City had an existing Assistant City Manager, whether the City had a written policy for recruiting Department Heads, since they were not covered by unions, and whether the City had an ethics clause in any contracts. If not, it should, and if it did, she wanted to know what it was. She also asked that all answers to the public's questions be submitted publicly and possibly brought back on the next Consent Calendar for everyone to see.

Interim City Manager Evans explained cities actively tried to groom internally with a base Knowse the ate a on to and eve A stage ud prepare a me orange nat cond be posted online or addressed during the City Manager's Report portion of the meeting agenda with answers to questions. He also clarified the City Manager had the discretion to hire through the Pinole Municipal Code (PMC).

Human Resources Director Shell clarified the City did not currently have an Assistant City Manager.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

For recruiting Department Heads, Ms. Shell stated the City generally followed personnel rules for a majority of vacancies, but they were unrepresented positions and technically excluded from the competitive process. There was the ability to make appointments outside of a competitive selection process; although during her tenure with the City of Pinole, a majority of the Department Heads had been selected through a competitive process. She added the City did have an ethics clause that could be made available.

In response to the Mayor, City Attorney Casher clarified the public hearing process with public comment received, with the public hearing opened but which should be closed before the City Council had a discussion and vote.

Council member Martinez-Rubin moved the item, seconded by Council member Toms. She looked forward to a report from staff in response to the questions from the public.

PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED
ACTION: Motion by Council members Martinez-Rubin/Toms to adopt a resolution approving the adoption of the Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Public Hearing Requirement in Compliance with Assembly Bill 2561.

Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
B. Adopt a Resolution Ordering and Receiving the Engineer's Report Containing the Annual Assessments for the Pinole Valley Road Landscape and Lighting Assessment District for Fiscal Year 2026/27 and Ordering a July 21st Public Hearing to Approve and Levy the Assessments. Action: Conduct Public Hearing and Adopt a Resolution per Staff Recommendation (Heba El-Guindy) Public Works Director Heba El-Guindy provided a PowerPoint presentation for Pinole Valley Road Landscape and Lighting Assessment District (LLAD) - Assessments for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27, which included an overview of the background; Zone A: North of I-80; Zone B: South of 1-80 and the assessment summary for FY 2026/27.

The City Council was asked to conduct a public hearing concerning the Pinole Valley Road Landscape and Lighting Assessment District and consider any and all objections; order preparation of the Annual Assessment Report; receive the Assessment Report; and set a Public Hearing on July 21, 2026, for the City Council's approval of Fiscal Year 2026/27 assessments per the Assessment Report and the levy of assessments.

Responding to questions from the City Council, Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified the following:

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

• The Assessment Summary for FY 2026/27 was again clarified. As part of a presentation on the same item in September 2025, staff had identified some concerns about calculations and the need to revamp the assessment; but there was insufficient time to conduct the appropriate community consultation process and reset the analysis based on the facilities within the Assessment District, which was something staff planned for this fiscal year. It was important to approve the assessment rates before August 10, 2026 to pass the information to the county, to levy the assessments with the property taxes, although staff planned in future months to retain a consultant and allow multiple opportunities for the community to participate in the process of redeveloping the structure of the assessment. (Martinez-Rubin)

PUBLIC HEARING OPENED
City Clerk Bell-Spears reported there were no comments from the public.

PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED
ACTION: Motion by Council members Toms/Martinez-Rubin to adopt a resolution Ordering and Receiving the Engineer's Report Containing the Annual Assessments for the Pinole Valley Road Landscape and Lighting Assessment District, for Fiscal Year 2026/27 and Ordering a July 21st Public Hearing to Approve and Levy the Assessments.

Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy

11. OLD BUSINESS
Revised Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 Operating and Capital Budget.

Action: Receive a Report and Provide Direction (Markisha Guillory) Interim City Manager Evans thanked the City Council and the Finance Subcommittee for their eadership and guidance to see this item get very close to a balanced budget within the anticipate adoption two weeks from now. He also thanked management staff for the very hard and difficul recommendations to reach a more balanced budget than in years past, which came down to must haves, should haves and nice to have. Must haves included public safety, roads, accessible sidewalks and emergency preparedness. Should haves and nice to haves blended together at times, such as landscaped parks, senior programs, events, employee training, consuitant studies Interim City Manager Evans advised there were items staff recommended be shifted from subsidy mode to living within their budgets, from the storm drain category, and PCTV. It was not an elimination of either, but a living within their means. In the case of storm drains at approximately $240,000 a year and for PCTV $200,000 a year.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026
Even after the cuts being recommended, Interim City Manager Evans stated there remained looming changes with ongoing California Public Employees' Retirement System (CaPERS) costs and retiree medical costs, which would not go away, and would only continue to grow. It was an ongoing challenge for everyone. Finalizing the annexation discussions with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (CCCFPD) would also have a huge budgetary impact for the benefit of Pinole.

Interim City Manager Evans provided a PowerPoint presentation for the Revised Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 Operating and Capital Budget, which included the General Fund Revised Proposed Budget; General Fund Revised Proposed Budget - Potential Balancing Measures; Estimated Reserve Balances and six percent budget reductions for all City Departments, including the City Council, City Clerk, City Manager, City Attorney, Finance, Human Resources, Police, and Public Works. He highlighted the Recreation Fund, Building and Planning Fund, Community Development - Planning Division, Community Development - Code Enforcement and Economic Development, . Information Systems Fund, Information Systems, PCTV Fund, Long-Term Financial Forecast (LTFF) (Yellow Brick Road) - Revised Draft, Sewer Enterprise Fund and Revised Budget - All Funds.

As to the next steps, staff would receive recommendations from the City Council for incorporation into the next version of the Final Proposed Budget with the Final Proposed FY 2026/27 Operating and Capital Budget and the Five-Year CIP to be presented to the City Council for adoption on June 16, 2026.

Interim City Manager Evans recommended the City Council review the Revised Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 Operating and Capital Budget and provide direction to staff for changes to incorporate into the next draft of the document, the Final Proposed version.

Responding to questions from the City Council, Interim City Manager Evans, Community Services Director Andrea Dwyer and Communications Director Epps clarified the following:

The budget had been optimized to a six percent reduction and from a $4.2 million deficit to a $50,000 deficit, with that optimization coming from sacrifices from City staff, with the priority to keep services as high as possible, without a reduction in staffing and in the hopes of having a balanced budget as of July 1. (Mayor Tave) • Whether the budget had taken into account potential carryovers depended on where some projects were in the process and sometimes where the Finance Director may carry it over; although generally, they would try to stop and start over the reallocation as appropriate, but there could be certain projects that were close to completion that they may want to carryover. As an example, the travel budget for the three Council members at the dais and for the current fiscal year may not have been, and likely would not be exhausted for the fiscal year, and could be carried over. (Toms)
For the Public Works Department and the six percent reduction scenario, the reductions in maintenance, as outlined, were clarified with staff having looked at five-year spending patterns, with certain funds within Departments carried over year after year, but maybe not spent all the time. (Martinez-Rubin)
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

• In that case, there was a subconversation between the Interim City Manager and the Public Works Manager, as to what was anticipated next year given concerns with a larger number than trend, and who was of the opinion the reductions were sufficient for what would have to be maintained next year. (Martinez-Rubin) • The General Reserve Fund was again clarified. (Martinez-Rubin) • For Community Development - Code Enforcement and Economic Development, and for the six percent reduction scenario, clarified the Pinole Perks program still existed and there were cards as part of the program still in use. Pinole Perks had been reduced for the next year given "incomplete use as is, to match that." (Martinez-Rubin) • Acknowledged appreciation to all City staff on the proposed budget and the work of the Finance Subcommittee on the budget. (Sasai)
• General Fund Revised Proposed Budget - Potential Balancing Measures, and the recommendation for less 3 percent cost-of-living (COLA) wage increase, at $490,000 had been recommended to be applied to all City employees. (Sasai) • Recreation Fund, and the proposed reductions were again clarified. The recommendation to reduce the Senior Lunch Program of $15,000 was clarified. The program currently ran four days a week for eligible seniors and would be pulled back to three days a week. The reductions in City-sponsored events, as outlined, were also clarified, with the cost for each event identified. Staff also made an effort to weigh attendance versus costs for events to balance areas of service. As an example, for the events shown, the Tree Lighting would be reduced from a $10,000 to a $5,000 event. The City-sponsored events shown offered an opportunity for reductions at six percent, but would not fully eliminate the events, but reduce the costs for the services provided for the events. The reduction in costs was for the Community Service Department. As to the Car Show, the Community Services Department was responsible for the cost of $30,000 for the event, staffing and expenditures, with the other cost for events spread across different departments, if a line item existed. If there were reductions in savings in other City Departments, as it related to staff contributions to other City-sponsored events, acknowledged a request that be shown in the revised budget. As to the reduction for the Newsletter Guide at $20,000 for the Recreation Fund, it was clarified it would eliminate the Activity Guide and newsletter, but other print media was provided by the Communications Department. (Sasai) • For the Recreation Fund, clarified the notation of the Library Closure for half of the fiscal year at $94,000 related to renovations for the Pinole Library for the HVAC system and roof. (Sasai)
• For PCTV, and the proposed reduction in part time staff at $18,000, clarified there were approximately three part-time staff in PCTV. If the City Council were to direct staff to make the Enterprise Fund self-sufficient, they would go back and look at the scaling of the model for the Enterprise Fund. How this reduction would impact full time staff would require full time staff to adapt to a cost-neutral program and it may result in less coverage in a subcommittee or committee meetings or community events, as examples, and may result in a staff person having to use their telephones to video record a meeting. (Sasai) Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

• For PCTV, the reduction in professional services would impact plans to hire a consultant to come in and do an evaluation of the production control and master control in the Council Chambers to streamline and modernize the system; part-time staff would be reduced from a $30,000 to a $18,000 budget, which would not eliminate a part-time staff member but reduce the number of hours the part-time staff would be working for the year, which hours would vary. (Sasai)
• Recreation Fund, the reduction in the Senior Lunch Program was again clarified and while revenue was received for the program, expenditures outweighed that revenue. Clarified Fridays involved a more reduced lunch program and the volume of participation depended on the day and the month. During the summer more seniors came out and in the winter people tried to buy multiple meals since it took them through three to four days of need (Martinez-Rubin)
• Confirmed the initial budget deficit had been significantly reduced, but again the real challenge was CaPERS retirement and retiree medical, with staff working on a draft response for the City Council to look at options to manage those costs for new hires, which was an issue affecting most cities. (Mayor Tave)
• Funds for road repair were in separate funds in accounts waiting to be spent, and would be released to get roads improved, with Requests for Proposal (RFPs) due on June 8, 2026, to be brought to the City Council for approval as quickly as possible. (Mayor Tave) • The PPD and Public Works Department six percent reduction scenarios were again clarified. When considering the $500,000 in vacancy savings for the PPD, staff had incorporated the salary vacancy and overtime costs as an impact and evaluated them together, which resulted in the $500,000 in savings. A ten percent budget reduction would impact 21 percent of the overall staff. The Police Chief had made cuts where possible and strategically, but the cuts would be getting into officers or dispatch if going above a six percent reduction, which staff hoped to avoid. (Mayor Tave) • Acknowledged concern with the proposal to reduce the Senior Lunch Program, which was an essential program for many seniors, with staff confident they would be able to find the money in other types of cuts in certain areas, but cautioned if going much beyond needing to cover more than a $100,000 deficit, they could be looking at cuts to staff. (Mayor Tave)

PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Rafael Menis provided the following comments on the budget:
- Noted the PCTV fund cuts, as shown on Slide 22 of the PowerPoint presentation as compared to the Yellow Brick Road model, had shown significantly more cuts than had been shown on Slide 22. Asked whether it was equitable to expect one Department to face such substantial cuts, as compared to other City Departments and have those cuts separated out from the review of the rest of the process since it had been included in the six percent expenditure cuts and was its own line, and a big line.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Mage 183 - June 2, 2026
- Forthe cuts to the Building and Planning Fund and the removal of some of the items under the Housing Element, as shown, asked if the City removed all of the allocations for a Housing Element program whether that would cause problems with Housing Element compliance, or was the City allowed to cut a program if not fiscally viable. - For the cuts to the City Clerk's Office, it would reduce overview for the various subcommittees, which was a separate thing from the broadcast of the various subcommittees, and if the City wanted PCTV to operate as an Enterprise Fund, it would not help it operate as an Enterprise Fund if eliminating all support staff and capabilities since PCTV would not be able to go out and receive additional revenue.

Tracy Walker asked the City Council to preserve the funding for PCTV, which for more than 40- years had been capturing the history, memories and stories of the community and documented City Council meetings, school events, youth sports, cultures and celebrations, veteran programs local businesses and moments that made the City of Pinole special. She recognized PCTV Coordinator Dave Snell and Cable Access Technician Erick Wilson who had dedicated years of service to PCTV and the City of Pinole, through their commitment, helping preserve the history and memories of the community for generations, and also recognized Communications Director Epps for her leadership, dedication and commitment to assist with PCTV and the community.

She stated they were more than employees; they were family.

After the loss of her father Robert Walker, Jr. and while navigating grief, work, families, responsibilities and running a small business, Ms. Epps, Messiers Snell and Wilson and the PCTV family showed up for the Walker Family, listened and encouraged and reminded Ms. Walker that life goes on and that she mattered, which compassion could not be measured on a budget spreadsheet. PCTV was also a vital resource for seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities and residents who relied on the broadcast to stay connected to local government and community events. A 2024 community survey had shown that 92 percent of the respondents believed it was important or vitally important to preserve the core services that PCTV provided Ms. Walker asked the City Council to remember the people behind the numbers, the employees, volunteers, interns and crew members who had dedicated years of service to keeping the community informed, connected and engaged, with PCTV more than a television station, it was history, community and connection to one another. She asked the City Council to preserve funding for PCTV and continue to invest in a service that had faithfully served the City of Pinole and neighboring communities for more than four decades.

PCTV Coordinator Dave Snell commented he had remained neutral and respected the problems the City was facing, but having studied the six percent reductions for PCTV, if taking nearly 70 percent of PCTV budget, he asked how that would not equate to eliminating staff. He had been working for the City of Pinole for 29 years, in the same position with PCTV, which had been established by the City Council 42-years ago, and was the first of its kind technology office, funded in part by Cable Franchise Fees. Over the years as other governments began broadcasting their meetings, which were now required, other cities started their own offices, or began Information Technology (IT) offices with staff to run their meetings, and some used Public Works personnel.

For PCTV, the expected six percent cuts were moved to roughly 69 percent citing the City subsidy and enterprise account on the second page of the June 2, 2026 staff report.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

There was no explanation of how PCTV was to operate with nearly a 70 percent budget reduction.

As for the enterprise account, PCTV had not been managed in an enterprise account system for decades, with the unused funds swept back into the General Fund, including funds provided by the cable company for capital equipment.

Mr. Snell commented as an enterprise, PCTV could only charge their clients a direct cost, and he asked how they were supposed to earn enough funding to offset the Pinole subsidy or the Pinole work. Matching external sources for funding meant PCTV only worked for the paying client. On

reductions totaling $35,821, and it made no sense leaving the two full-time staff, their families and friends unable to define what was intended by the staff report.

Mr. Snell noted most of the work must go on, as required by SB 707, open meetings: meeting and teleconference requirements, requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WAG). Following a 70 percent reduction, if PCTV staff was cut, ( he asked who would be left to meet those state and federal requirements. Further, if staff was reduced, it was clear it would be staff who were over 40 years old; but he left that to Human Resources and the City Attorney to advise on that matter. If a greater than six percent cut was considered for PCTV, he asked for a delay to allow a thorough review of what they were looking at and to figure out how operations could actually take place without simply throwing out a giant number.

Debbie Long explained her comments would be general since three minutes did not allow for detailed questions for something as important as the budget trying to recover from a $4 million deficit, and the topic of a Civil Grand Jury Report, which again should be heard in a Town Hall meeting. She found the City had got into this position by hiring too many Department Heads, with the title of Director. Since 2020, the City had doubled that title and with the doubling of that title came substantial salary increases. From 2020 to 2024, with the elevated titles, the City had increased the salaries for its Directors 71 percent, with total compensation increased by 83 percent, not taking into account years 2025 or 2026, which she was sure would conservatively account for another 20 percent increase to that number. She asked that everyone keep in mind, that those employees were unrepresented and not part of the union, where negotiation was not needed.

Ms. Long also commented the budget had made assumptions, including the county giving the City credit for fire protection from properties served in the county and there was a line item about the CCCFPD and annexation of which she was unclear. It had also been shown there would be no COLAs, and she was uncertain whether that had been negotiated with the unions. She asked if the budget included the higher contract costs for the new City Manager and noted the budget also called for severely reducing and in effect closing PCTV, which she suggested would be a huge mistake. PCTV kept citizens informed and ensured the City's history was documented Before any cuts were made in the rank and file, she suggested a cut or two should be made in the Director positions which may take care of the deficit.

Ms. Long emphasized that Mr. Snell had given his professional career to the City of Pinole and was now close to retirement. She questioned whether the City intended to lay him off, the only staff person to be laid off, who was close to retirement and likely over 50 years of age.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Ms. Long again asked for a Town Hall meeting, asked how much of Mr. Snell's expenses for PCTV had been attributed to other Department Heads, and how much the City Manager, Communications, Finance and Human Resources Directors had been included in those expenses, since those people rarely touched PCTV any more than the City Council. She added that years ago the City Council fired a beloved City Manager, which had resulted in a huge recall and which the current City Council should think about.

Irma Ruport commented the City had been through this road before, including the recession where half of the staff was gone and the City was going bankrupt. This scenario could be repeated in the next year and everyone needed to be serious. She had been a resident of Pinole when that reduction in staff occurred, she had worked for the federal government in the past and had experienced job reduction, and while it hurt, entities had to live within their means. She noted that 80 percent of City staff was new and came on board in the last three to four years, and the City was full at the top level. The City needed to look to the Department Heads who were overly staffed, including the City Clerk, Finance, Community Development and Human Resources Departments.

Ms. Ruport also agreed with the comments offered by Mr. Snell about PCTV. Mr. Snell was PCTV, that person who created and kept PCTV alive. She questioned why the City would transfer him to the City Manager's Office away from Recreation and then place the IT group with the City Manager at over a million dollars. They also had a Communications Director position open in the past year, with that person given a substantial raise and title, and that needed to be revisited, including revisiting some of the positions opened by prior City Managers. She reiterated the prior City Manager approved some of the positions, and while she had asked the former City Manager why she was doing it, she was told because she could. She asked the City Council to save PCTV and the Senior Center and consider the formation of a Citizen Oversight Committee that would meet once a month. She also agreed the City needed a Town Hall discussion on the budget since three minutes was not enough time to discuss the entire budget. She reiterated she was a long-time resident and this was not the first time the City had gone through a similar situation.

She wanted to see the City Council do something now and get some of the staffers out who did not want to do their job.

Anthony Vossbrink thanked the previous speakers who took the time to appear before the City Council and partake in the public comments, with the most interesting comments that could be and should be heard on a regular basis, such as the need for Town Hall meetings and other open forum opportunities to provide more transparency and open communication with the public. He echoed the comments made 100 percent. He also questioned some of the numbers provided, generally speaking in the different City Departments, and rather than cut and cut and have takeaways, he would like the community asked what ideas they may have to put forth and show the public some respect by entertaining their comments and/or agenda requests, rather than the Mayor being dismissive almost on an ongoing basis.

Mr. Vossbrink referenced the proposed reduction to the Senior Lunch Program, from four to three days. He pointed out in the past the program had been offered five days a week but had later been reduced to four days, and during COVID may have been reduced further, but seniors should not be forced to give up their lunch program. He questioned how much money would really be saved by reducing the program one day, and noted over the past several months, the Senior Lunch Program had already been reduced by the Community Services Director.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

There was also no mention of the fact that a staff person worked three to four days a week at the Senior Center. Mr. Vossbrink further commented the person who operated the Pinole Car Show put in a lot of his own time for the event.

Phoebe Polk expressed concern with the possible reductions to PCTV, as outlined in the PowerPoint presentation, since PCTV provided information to the public about City Council activities and other outreach. While the Interim City Manager had suggested PCTV could be replaced with some type of phone-based technology, and while that may be the case, it could be transitioned in overtime and not be part of one giant cut to the entire budget for PCTV. She found the proposed reductions to PCTV to be too much with the actual cuts totaling $480,000, two thirds of the PCTV budget which would basically shutter PCTV. It would also clearly come from the salaries of the staff for PCTV and the City would basically be firing all PCTV staff.

Ms. Polk commented that while the Mayor stated he was doing everything possible to preserve jobs, that was not being accomplished by eliminating PCTV. She suggested $100,000 could be saved and rather than pay $309,000 to the new City Manager, the City could pay $170,000 to a new City Manager and look for someone local who could do the job. There were 18,000 people in the City of Pinole, and there should be one person that could do the job of City Manager. She commented her grandmother moved to Pinole 60-years ago, recently passed away, and lived in the City for 50-years. She moved to Pinole since her grandmother told her how great the City was, the Senior Lunch Programs were where she would meet her friends and hang out in the Senior Center and be part of the senior community. Other family had come from out of town to attend the Car Show, which was a big draw for West County, and she asked whether the City had considered local dealerships to sponsor the Car Show to make the $30,000 expense more manageable.

Peter Murray commented this matter had become personal to a lot of people. He had been through several recessions with the City of Pinole and the topic of PCTV was always on the chopping block and the first thing that came up, although the community became concerned and there was a lot of discussion in the community about transparency. He commented the one thing the City had was a public access channel, where information got out to the public. If the City Council were to pursue that path, he cautioned it to be prepared. He recognized hard decisions had to be made but stated the City always found a way.

Referencing the budget for the Pinole Library, Mr. Murray asked the City Council to ask the County Library Commission whether the costs were spread out across the board in that while everyone called it the Pinole Library it was also West County's library. He would like the City to ask the County Library Commission if the City was getting a fair break on the library. He also understood the City found $1 million as part of the contract with the CCCFPD, but asked whether the City had spoken with the CCCFPD about what Pinole had given to the CCCFPD, and the ability to cover Carriage Hills and area out to the City of Martinez. He understood the CCCFPD got two free fire stations out of that deal, which may not have been equitably applied.

Mayor Tave declared a recess at 8:25 p.m. The City Council meeting reconvened at 8:33 p.m. with Council members Martinez-Rubin, Toms and Mayor Tave present in-person and Council member Sasai present remotely.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting

Kurt Pless, a pro advocate for PCTV and Mr. Snell explained he knew Mr. Snell for almost 15- years and he was excellent at what he did. He reported Ms. Long had provided the City Council with three pages of what Messiers Snell and Wilson went through each week, and who used to do all of the tasks with the help of 13 people, but were now down to two people. Based on his knowledge, both men did a great job.

Mr. Pless explained he had volunteered for PCTV and his son used to work for Mr. Snell and later attended U.S.C. and was able to attend the university thanks to Mr. Snell and his crew. He suggested three pages of their duties did not cover the job provided by Messiers Snell and Wilson.

He thanked Mr. Snell for all he had done and he begged the City Council to keep Messiers Snell and Wilson and PCTV. He pointed out this meeting would not take place if Messiers Snell and Wilson were not present and nothing was being done to keep them. Mr. Snell had gone above and beyond the call of duty for the City of Pinole, with nearly 30-years of dedication, and he again commended both for their work that benefitted the City.

Mari (no last name given) supported PCTV as a resident of Pinole for about 15-years and coach for several children within the community, most recently as a commentor and announcer working with PCTV, announcing one of the Pinole Valley High School (PVHS) football programs. He supported PCTV and if it were cut stated it would be a travesty to the community. PCTV was the voice of and to the people and in a time where there was so much noise out in the community and around the world, the City needed a way to amplify the voices and keep proper programming for Pinole residents. Eliminating PCTV would silence voices and should not be done. The City Council was asked to think about this decision and keep PCTV.

PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Council member Martinez-Rubin asked about the differences between the reductions for PCTV in the PowerPoint presentation and the $480,000 total reduction that had been quoted along with the assertion from the public that PCTV would be going away, which was not what they were talking about. She asked for clarification from staff on what programs would be affected by the proposed reductions to PCTV.

Interim City Manager Evans recognized PCTV was unique as compared to other cities in the County, a positive gem in the City and the proposed cuts had not been taken lightly; however, PCTV was something listed in the Civil Grand Jury Report as the elephant in the room, and as noted on Page 13 of the Civil Grand Jury Report had been listed in Finding 3 requesting a response from the City. The reason for the two different numbers was the City was originally considering the six percent reduction, which was why the smaller numbers were shown, but when looking at how much was going into the $480,000, it was either an A or B, and if PCTV were to act as a true Enterprise Fund, the expenditures should match the revenues or close to it, at $480,000. It was acknowledged that changed the model quite a bit and the focus would be on City Council and Planning Commission meetings, and that would be a change to PCTV as it existed today.

Communications Director Epps clarified the impacts if $480,000 was cut from the PCTV budget.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

It would include scaling back a lot of operations and result in the inability to operate a public access center, which provided the Public, Educational, and Governmental (PEG) programming, government meetings, inclusive access to the PEG media that helped viewers stay informed, free and low-cost video production services and related training. Audio Visual (AV) equipment available to the public would not be available, station and field equipment usage would have to be evaluated, administrative budgeting and oversight for station operations to run the two cable channels would be impacted, historical archiving, video management for the City including both community and City files as far back as the 1950s would not be able to be managed and would require an alternative or discontinuation, inability to provide audio and visual support to the City of Pinole Departments with those services to go back to staff to do their own meetings for public meetings and events, workshops, mayoral conferences and Public Address (PA) system requests for certain events and ribbon cuttings, which all required specialized knowledge and training.

There would also be impacts to AV operations, hybrid meetings, staff would have to be trained to do those things at a scaled down level, and they would not have the same City Council meeting production the City had been used to over the past few years. In addition, there would be an inability to support the residents' organizations and local businesses in sharing their stories Further, discontinuation of sponsored advertising for local businesses, event coverage, local news features, ribbon cuttings, public access programming, discontinuation of the Beat of Pinole series, sports broadcasts would also be impossible. Lastly, external contracts for services would have to be discontinued and end training and hands on media experiences for media and communications fellows in the areas of video production and journalism, and the channel programming for PCTV would change.

Council member Martinez-Rubin asked staff to clarify the ADA requirements Mr. Snell referenced for PCTV and any other requirements. While she understood things would have to be pared back or scaled down, she asked whether there were some requirements that were essential to be in place for PCTV. She asked whether the City would meet its public access broadcasting channel requirements with the budget reductions being proposed.

Interim City Manager Evans recognized PCTV was a platinum version as compared to other cities, and offered an excellent level of service. He noted other cities did what was required under $100,000 a year. It was a balance of nice to haves and must haves. He suggested possibly an emergency meeting with the Finance Subcommittee could be considered before the June 16, 2026 City Council meeting or the City could consider working down the reductions in phases, but he referenced the challenges of the Civil Grand Jury Report where there was no good choice.

Council member Martinez-Rubin acknowledged the comments from the public that this was not the first time PCTV had faced difficulties and encountered the need to reduce services. That had become more real and acute and the City must pay attention to the Civil Grand Jury Report when considering reductions to ensure there would not be a greater gap between expenses and revenue. It was disappointing that ways to reduce some of the City subsidies had to be considered given the efforts that had been made over the years to increase visibility to City Hall and accessibility to information, which staff had produced and delivered and the community had become used to, and it would be difficult to step back.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Council member Martinez-Rubin also referenced the County Animal Services contract and asked whether there were any possibilities for modifications and whether the City was getting what it was paying for in terms of the contract.

Interim City Manager Evans commented the same questions was being asked by other cities and the contract was a common challenge for the Public Managers Association (PMA) to control those costs.

Interim City Manager Evans stated the contract had gone through multiple rounds of evaluation at the PMA level and was a very expensive and necessary endeavor. Two years ago, the PMA offered a difference in the formula of the contract, which effort was ongoing and was being considered since certain communities had a higher call volume versus others, so a per capita cost was not equitable. He did not see a new contract would be in place for this coming fiscal year and that cost was part of the Community Services Department budget.

In response to Council member Toms, Interim City Manager Evans again clarified the proposed budget cuts for PCTV, which would be for the next fiscal year and again clarified the General Fund Revised Proposed Budget - Potential Balancing Measures, with a PCTV reduction to match revenue at $480,000.

Council member Toms referenced the service levels in other communities that broadcast their meetings and noted for many other committees where she served, they used Zoom with the Owl camera up front and broadcast through social media. She added the budget for PCTV had shown external charges at $29,651, she assumed was for coverage of meetings in other communities, and she asked if that covered costs.

Interim City Manager Evans advised it covered the costs.

Council member Toms found that was not necessarily a loss of Pinole services but if they were to reduce the staff the revenue would go away.

Council member Sasai referenced the reduction for the Recreation Fund for the Senior Lunch Program at $15,000 and suggested it was non-negotiable for him to make this reduction. He suggested that now was not the time to cut meal programs for seniors and older adults and for a demographic that was impacted by a lot of different cuts in services. The nation was going through an affordability crisis with cuts to Medical and food access, a direct result of House Resolution 1 (H.R.1), which would go into effect soon. He suggested that item should not be cut, for the reasons stated and it would be unconscionable to make that cut at this time.

Council member Sasai also referenced the proposed cuts to PCTV and asked why a full budget was not attached to the agenda packet and why the $480,000 in total cuts was not elaborated in the staff report.

Interim City Manager Evans clarified the presentation was not done in time for the agenda packet, and that was his fault.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Council member Sasai recognized PCTV had been an easy target for cuts. Before he was elected to the City Council, PCTV was not just a benefit and amenity to Pinole but a necessity, and unless residents were aware of what was going on in the City, it was not doing a service to the community and reduced democracy. He understood the need for a balanced budget and the need to avoid staff cuts at all costs. He was also aware of the potential impacts if $480,000 was reduced from the PCTV budget. He asked staff to elaborate what a $480,000 budget reduction to PCTV meant in actual cuts to staff, particularly to full time employees.

Interim City Manager Evans commented without having the salary schedule, it would be dramatic matching what was seen in levels in other cities that did not have full time staff for this work.

Council member Sasai recognized the public wanted to know the impacts to staff, and not understanding whether or not that was a complete elimination of the full-time positions, or a dramatic reduction to part time positions, he personally was of the opinion that PCTV had been understaffed for a long time. He was familiar with PCTV staff who had experienced cuts in the past. He could not support the $480,000 budget reduction to a level that would dramatically reduce PCTV and impact existing staff who had done a wonderful job. He was disappointed they may have to go back to the drawing board and figure this out. He was aware most cities did not have the same level of excellent production, which was one of the great parts of Pinole. During his four years on the City Council, he had never run into a constituent who wanted to cut or have fewer services from PCTV.

Interim City Manager Evans commented that if $480,000 went back into the budget, plus the $15,000 for the Senior Lunch Program, to balance that out cuts would have to be considered to three full-time employees somewhere.

Council member Martinez-Rubin offered an idea for the line item, Stipends for High School Students Internships, which had been a proposal from a couple of years ago. For the current year, there was an allocation of $8, 700, which was half of the cost of the Senior Lunch Program.

She suggested those funds be used for the Senior Lunch Program.

Council member Toms commented that as much as it pained her to reduce the senior meals, during the three days meals were provided there was a possibility that people could get additional meals to take home. She had a side conversation with staff about other meal programs in other areas.

Mayor Tave stated that CalFresh was being reduced and due to H.R.1, there would be further reductions in available resources which would hit every community hard. The problem was usually legislation like this would not have an impact for another six months, and they were trying to curb that over time. He preferred to consider other items at this time and had some options to offer for PCTV. He supported the Senior Lunch Program going back to four days a week at $15,000 in preparation for a food need and which had been a critical service during COVID.

Mayor Tave offered a motion, seconded by Council member Sasai to keep the Senior Lunch Program in the budget with staff to find the $15,000 to make that happen.

ACTION: Motion by Mayor Tave/Council member Sasai to keep the Senior Lunch Program in the budget with staff to find the $15,000 to make that happen.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
Clarifying the existing intern program, City Clerk Bell-Spears reported there were currently zero paid interns for the City Council, but in the past there had been two interns for a period of time.

Council member Sasai stated he believed in the success and impact of the intern program as a great addition, but given the deticit, the priority had to be staff. He was not just looking at the City Council interns but those for PCTV and in different City Departments. He understood the Housing Element Interns were paid and he would like to dive deeper into seeing what the impacts may be if the paid internship programs were eliminated.

Mayor Tave found a reduction in interns was in order, but he asked to retain at least one intern for the City Council so that the program maintained some level of opportunity for students.

Council member Martinez-Rubin understood that required a Council member to be available to function as the intern's guide, and asked whether it was realistic to anticipate any Council member would be available to function that way and have a high school student be their intern since it had not been the case this year nor in the year prior, which was why she proposed to consider the program be suspended until such time as there was a need again and availability of Council members to do as intended, to guide the high school students.

Mayor Tave understood they were considering the removal of the program from the books and reintroducing the program when there was a discussion amongst the City Council to do so.

ACTION: Motion by Council members Martinez-Rubin/Toms that the Stipend for High School Students that was currently for this fiscal year in the City Council budget, be eliminated in Fiscal Year 2026/27.

Vote: Passed 3-1-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Toms
Noes: Sasai
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
Mayor Tave asked staff to clarify how PCTV could act as an Enterprise Fund. He asked whether an Enterprise Fund could fund itself, with all revenue generated by PCTV to go back to PCTV, with charges to the City to go back and different customers to come back to the program, generating around $200,000. He asked how the City would fund the Sewer Enterprise Fund, as an example, so that it could become self-sustainable.

Interim City Manager Evans explained ideally they would have reserve funds in a reserve program, around 30 percent in reserves to cover shortfalls.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026
Mayor Tave understood the City would need $180,000 for the next fiscal year to augment PCTV, and with the $200,000 in revenue and an additional $180,000 in reserves, it would get them to January 2027. He asked if that was enough for a program like PCTV to run on its own. He understood the Civil Grand Jury Report had identified PCTV as being subsidized year after year, which was not working, and he imagined grants and the freedom to start working as an enterprise with outreach. He asked if there was a strong business plan that could be developed for PCTV to allow it to continue.

Interim City Manager Evans explained the model currently was $200,000 and they were asking them to increase it three to four-fold, and the question was whether there were customers out there that PCTV could serve. A stretch would be doubling, tripling or quadrupling, which was a huge task in six months, and what would happen if the funding targets were not reached.

Mayor Tave commented the City had not operated PCTV as an enterprise for the past ten years or so and the City had been supplementing PCTV to the tune of around $4.8 million based on a straight-line match, and he acknowledged anyone on a Grand Jury would look at that cost. He asked how an organization could provide that level of service and generate that revenue, or whether the City should double its prices for PCTV.

Council member Martinez-Rubin noted that was provided customers wanted to pay. PCTV had attempted to find additional locations to record and perhaps those efforts should be revisited, since she could not recall how successful those efforts had been.

Mayor Tave commented to date he had never seen an actual revenue generating plan, and while it had been mentioned at the City Council level including grants and a member of the public suggested reaching out to local car dealerships for consideration of sponsorships of some events, and other businesses that may help support the program, he wanted to understand what steps had been taken to support PCTV.

Council member Martinez-Rubin reiterated there had been attempts, and whether or not that was feasible at this point was unknown since much of the expenses incurred by a city were affected by the economics of things and the higher cost of things, and if they were trying to be responsive to the Civil Grand Jury Report, part of the response would include mentioning that and the expectation of the public. She was uncertain whether a business model was applicable because if PCTV was a business it would not be active at all.

Mayor Tave asked whether there was a business plan for PCTV, to which Interim City Manager Evans understood there was no business model for PCTV.

Mayor Tave suggested they could take $200,000 being generated in revenue and go to a bank and provide a business model with the revenue anticipated and grow that business. Unsure that was the way they wanted to go, to date, he questioned the plan, if any, for PCTV. If there was no plan, the City could no longer afford it.

Council member Martinez-Rubin did not want to leave it up in the air, the City could not go to a bank and there were certain ways a City could accept revenues.

Interim City Manager Evans commented a bank would want to tie it back to the General Fund.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

The City Council continued to discuss the status of PCTV at length and it was recognized that the City would not be able to come up with a business plan in a few weeks.

Council member Toms commented if the City had to consider the worst-case scenario and eliminate the General Fund subsidy for PCTV, she was unclear what would be left of the program and what that would look like. She understood the City would not get the revenue for existing services with the budget cuts and was uncertain the internal department transfers would survive.

Council member Toms recognized this was a big issue that needed to be addressed, but wanted to know what PCTV would look like if a worst-case scenario was considered.

Mayor Tave agreed it was fair to understand that and he understood that the City Council meeting of June 16, 2026 was the turnaround to discuss this item, but it was a slippery slope once one thing was cut in that revenues were impacted, and the City may not have enough revenue to continue the program. The Civil Grand Jury suggested not using one-time funds to supplement ongoing costs, but it seemed like what they were pushing themselves into was to generate some type of revenue by taking from something else, which was not a good idea either.

Mayor Tave referenced the Vehicle Impact Fees (VIFs) and asked if they were tied to just roads, when they could be used and were they tied to the General Fund.

Public Works Director El-Guindy explained the VIFs could be used starting in July 2026. To date $1.2 million had been generated in VIFs, which were specific to roads, with the fees generated from the impacts from garbage trucks on the roads. As to whether Measure S funds were available, she could provide clarification as part of the presentation for Item 11B.

Mayor Tave asked the Interim City Manager if he saw a scenario where that could happen and was informed it was a long shot because there were certain Measure S types of activities for roads and other things that belonged to roads and the CIP needed it.

Council member Sasai wondered about the $480,000 PCTV number and the mention by the Interim City Manager if that was added to the shortfall, what that meant for the number of FTEs in the City and the potential dire impacts if the PCTV reductions were not made. The City Council needed to look into decreasing the $480,000 total to a point where it would not impact staff in PCTV. He suggested they could not take on that task at this hour, but recommended the Finance Subcommittee call a meeting between now and the next City Council meeting to investigate that issue and figure out with the Interim City Manager, Finance Director and City Treasurer how to reduce the $480,000 number without impacting the staff at PCTV.

Mayor Tave commented the hard part for him was there needed to be time for staff to digest the $480,000 number, and there was a short window to do that. Also, the Interim City Manager made it clear that number equated to cuts to three FTEs somewhere, and if not to PCTV, it could be the PPD, or Public Works and the City could not make the $480,000 disappear but they could try to spread it out and discuss possible scenarios. This was a very real issue, and very real deficiency in the budget and the question was whether PCTV could be supported. The Civil Grand Jury Report stated the City could not support PCTV and the scenario before the City Council showed it could not be supported. The question to the Interim City Manager and staff was whether there was some ability to reduce the $480,000 total for PCTV and could it be supplemented with one- time funds, but again that was not recommended by the Civil Grand Jury.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Mayor Tave recognized PCTV was one of the oldest public facing services in the City and the City Council had to consider whether there were any opportunities, but at this time it did not look like that was the case.

Council member Toms suggested a period of transition for three to six months for PCTV was worth considering. She clarified if the City Council did not consider reductions there would be a deficit of $557,000, equating to about three FTEs, but if considering cuts to PCTV, it would result in either two or one and a half FTE, and the Council needed all of that information in front of them.

Mayor Tave suggested enough runway to have a discussion. He also recognized there was $94,000 in savings from the library but that was one-time monies.

Interim City Manager Evans suggested another thought was to cut the reductions in half for PCTV and go into two years, and in the next year, the subsidy would be no more than $240,000 and they still would have the different contracts, and PCTV would have a year to figure it out and staff would have to find options for the City Council for that consideration. If the Finance Subcommittee could meet in the interim that would be great, but if not, the City Council must discuss this topic during the June 16, 2026 meeting and the City had to have an approved budget by June 30, 2026.

He pointed out the budget could be changed as many times as desired starting July 1, 2026. He suggested there was a way to lay out the plan, and staff could start in earnest to see how to reach the $240,000, possibly closer to $300,000 in cuts. There were a couple he had in mind, but would have to speak with a couple of City Departments.

Council member Toms referenced Council member Sasai's recommendation for another Finance Subcommittee meeting and suggested a couple of dates be held out in the event a decision was unable to be made during the June 16, 2026 City Council meeting. She recommended the date of June 23, 2026 be reserved for a Special City Council meeting. She added in the next two weeks before the next City Council meeting, there may be a better understanding of what the carryover may look like and having one-time funds for an ongoing budget was not the way to go, but may ease the hurt if that number was known.

Council member Martinez-Rubin noted that additional meetings to adopt the budget had been held in the past, and would provide some time. She supported the option for another meeting on June 23, 2026. She offered a motion to that effect.

Council member Toms offered a motion to reserve the date of June 23, 2026 for a subsequent City Council meeting if the City Council was unable to get everything done on June 16, 2026.

ACTION: Motion by Council members Toms/Martinez-Rubin to reserve the date of June

23. 2026 for a subsequent City Council meeting if the City Council was unable to approve the budget on June 16, 2026.

Vote: Passed 4-0-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai, Toms
Noes: None
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

B. Revised Proposed FY 2026/27 Capital Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan. Action: Receive Report and Provide Direction (Heba El-Guindy) Public Works Director El-Guindy provided a PowerPoint presentation for the Revised Capital Improvement Plan for FY 2026/27 - FY 2030/31 and the Annual & Priority FY 2026/27 Capital Projects, which focused on changes made to the presentation since it had been presented to the City Council on May 19, 2026.

Sanitary Sewer, Stormwater, and Roads) and 7 infrastructure assessments and the FY 2026/27 16 Roads, in addition to 4 Infrastructure Assessments.

It was also clarified how the priority settings for the CIP projects had been based whether state or regional mandated targets and associated reporting and standard requirements, priority needs in review of existing deficiencies and potential impacts, funding sources and grant funding deadlines, project schedules and ongoing progress.

Public Works Director El-Guindy walked through the projects for facilities, parks, sanitary sewer, stormwater, and roads, highlighted any changes proposed to the projects since last presented to the City Council on May 19, 2026; priority rankings, and the seven infrastructure assessments She clarified for the facilities category, the Pinole Shores Corporation Yard project (FA2602) that was fully funded by Measure S for $400,000 had been postponed to the following fiscal year.

She also highlighted the review and approval process for the CIP and the Five-Year CIP Budget Summary.

Responding to questions from the City Council, Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified the following:
• Acknowledged appreciation for the priority rankings and funding source information for the CIP projects. Confirmed the Infrastructure and Transportation Ad Hoc Subcommittee had been provided information for all projects, including all of the consultants and contractors on board. (Martinez-Rubin)

PUBLIC COMMENTS OPENED
Rafael Menis asked when the VIFs would actually have numbers associated with the line item in FY 2026/27 though FY 2030-31, Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan as shown on Page 199 of 268 of the agenda packet, and for the City of Pinole, Capital Improvement Plan FY 2026-27 through FY 2030-31 Funding Summary as shown on Page 202 of 268 of the agenda packet, and whether that information would be provided in time for the June 8, 2026 Planning Commission meeting or the June 16, 2026 City Council meeting.

Interim City Manager Evans stated the information should be included in the June 16, 2026 version of the documents for the City Council meeting.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Public Works Director El-Guindy also clarified the $3.7 million for the pavement rehabilitation project, between the two projects would be in time for the second request for bids, in late July early August, with the $1.2 million added to that, which would increase the scope of the project.

PUBLIC COMMENTS CLOSED
Council member Sasai referenced Facilities & Real Estate Master Plan (IN2301), which was not something the City Council had requested, but he understood in speaking with staff there was some type of inventory of City properties.

Council member Sasai offered a motion to move the project to the unfunded category. He noted the document stated it was unfunded, but it was still in the CIP, which staff should clarify.

Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified Facilities & Real Estate Master Plan (IN2301) was an infrastructure project that had been planned for fiscal year 2027/28 for $200,000 out of Measure S funds. The project was not planned for fiscal year 2026/27, with the thought for the City Council to consider its priority in a future year, unless the Council wanted to change that.

Council member Sasai understood the project was not funded for this fiscal year. He was of the opinion there was an inventory of properties in Pinole, and $200,000 was a lot of money that could be a sales price for a City-owned property. The project was not something that originated from the City Council and was a staff recommendation. He suggested those funds could be used somewhere else to better benefit the residents of Pinole.

Council member Sasai offered a new motion, seconded by Mayor Tave, to eliminate Facilities & Real Estate Master Plan (IN2301) completely from the CIP.

Council member Martinez-Rubin commented if the City was not going to do anything with the funds and since those funds had not yet been allocated, it would not affect this year's budget and made no sense to reduce it altogether given that environments and conditions changed. The need may still be there and she would leave the project as is since it would not affect the City at this point.

Council member Sasai asked staff whether they foresaw any sort of outside or grant funding to fully fund a Master Plan such as that being proposed as part of IN2301.

Public Works Director El-Guindy reported there were planning types of grant funds staff could look into. She had not looked at the $200,000 number to assess given the existing information whether that much was needed or not, with that number on the books for a number of years. She could look into that as well and see what would be reasonable.

Council member Sasai commented that it took staff capacity to research the grants and apply for grants, and it may not happen in the first round, but could in subsequent rounds. He noted there was an inventory of properties already and the City did not need a Facilities & Real Estate Master Plan to tell them about properties already owned by the City. He suggested the project should not be kicked down the road for a future City Council and loom over their heads since it was not a priority for this City Council.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Interim City Manager Evans explained that Measure S funds were General Fund monies, and if potentially allocated that was taking away resources from something else, particularly given that there was no certainty that it would be needed in two years. Staff could create a general detail of properties and their annual maintenance without needing to spend $200,000.

ACTION: Motion by Council member Sasai/Mayor Tave to eliminate the Facilities & Real Estate Master Plan (IN2301) completely from the CIP.

Vote: Passed 3-1-1
Ayes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Sasai
Noes: Toms
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
Council member Sasai referenced Plum Street Parking Lot Improvements (FA2302), which had been the only project on the CIP that was marked as a low priority and had been discussed in the past. He offered a motion, seconded by Mayor Tave to move the project to the unfunded category.

Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified Plum Street Parking Lot Improvements (FA2302) had been scheduled for fiscal year 2027/28 for $220,000 out of Growth Impact Fees.

Council member Toms noted the City had an Infrastructure and Transportation Ad Hoc Subcommittee, the project was not planned for this fiscal year, and it would be helpful to forward any concerns to the Subcommittee to vet the project and consider changes to projects that were on the books for fiscal year 2027/28. She would like the Subcommittee to take a deeper look at that project.

Council member Sasai commented the Infrastructure and Transportation Ad Hoc Subcommittee was free to look at the projects on the unfunded list and in future years move it back to the funded category. He understood the road rehabilitation projects would take multiple years and would be done in phases, and suggested the City should not be losing focus in terms of capital projects.

They had to get to the root of what Pinole residents wanted and ensure roads were paved. He restated his motion to move the project to unfunded with the Infrastructure and Transportation Ad Hoc Subcommittee to take a look at unfunded projects and make a recommendation.

In response to Council member Martinez-Rubin, Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified Plum Street Parking Lot Improvements (FA2302), was intended to make the site more secure with appropriate fencing and the like.

ACTION: Motion by Council member Sasai/Mayor Tave to move Plum Street Parking Lot Improvements (FA2302) to the unfunded category.

Vote: Failed 2-2-1
Ayes: Tave, Sasai
Noes: Martinez-Rubin, Toms
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 202(
age 33
Council member Sasai explained he intended to bring FA2302 back for further discussion at the end of the budget cycle. Referencing Upgrade to City Pools, (FA2502), this was another project that had not been scored as a high priority, and he offered a motion to defer the project one fiscal year allowing staff capacity to prioritize roads.

Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified Upgrade to City Pools, (FA2502), was planned for fiscal year 2026/21 at $200,000 trom Growth Impact Fees, mainly for the lining of the pools, with quite a bit of equipment having already been replaced. She added the shed needed to be upgraded and benches and the locker room needed to be replaced.

Mayor Tave seconded the motion but clarified if the pool lining needed to be replaced that meant there was a leak and he asked for clarification.

Public Works Director El-Guindy confirmed there was damage, with the $200,000 mostly for repairs to damaged areas.

ACTION: Motion by Council member Sasai/Mayor Tave to defer Upgrade to City Pools (FA2502), to the next fiscal year allowing staff capacity to prioritize roads.

Vote: Failed 1-3-1
Ayes: Sasai
Noes: Tave, Martinez-Rubin, Toms
Abstain: None

Absent: Murphy
Council member Sasai explained he intended to also bring FA2502 back for further discussion at the end of the budget cycle.

Council member Sasai referenced Skate Park Rehabilitation (PA2202), which was fully funded for this year with Growth Impact Fees, and was not something most residents brought up as opposed to roads as a priority. Since the project would take away capacity for other projects of concern for Pinole residents, he offered a motion to defer the project to fiscal year 2027/28.

There was no second to the motion.

Council member Sasai stated he would also bring this item back for further discussion when the CIP came back since the City had to focus on roads this fiscal year.

Council member Toms noted there was currently damage to the Skate Park, which had uneven pavement and which was dangerous for children, and if it continued it would have to be closed and cordoned off and was, in her opinion, a high priority.

Council member Sasai noted the priority score for Skate Park Rehabilitation (PA2022) was Medium whereas there were other projects with a higher priority that were either in progress or phased.

Public Works Director El-Guindy noted the recommendations including the project to be removed from the CIP.

Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026

Public Works Director El-Guindy clarified the unfunded projects that had been included in the packet were not forgotten, they were applying for grants for implementation, they were not part of the CIP, but some of them, such as the signals project, would fall under the umbrella of the Signal Upgrades and for the Local Road Safety Plan. Staff was pursuing grants for multiple recommended improvements as part of the unfunded projects.

12. NEW BUSINESS: 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 there was a third airborne disease besides Influenza A and COVID-19, Report, Findings 1 through 16.

ADJOURN to the Regular City Council Meeting of June 16, 2026 in Remembrance of Amber Swartz.

At 10:24 p.m., Mayor Tave adjourned to a Regular City Council Meeting of June 16, 2026 in Remembrance of Amber Swartz
Submitted by:

Heather Bell-Spears CMC
City Clerk
Approved by City Council: June 16, 2026
OF

CITY PINOLE

CALIFORNIN
Pinole City Council Regular Meeting
Minutes - June 2, 2026