MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR MEETING – CITY COUNCIL
February 23, 2026
City Council Meeting Minutes Page 1 February 2, 2026
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Shess called a Regular Meeting of the City Council to order at 7:00 PM, in the Council Chambers, 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA, complete proceedings of which were electronically recorded. The meeting agenda was posted on the City Hall outdoor bulletin board at 100 Gregory Lane, Pleasant Hill, CA on February 20, 2026, by City Clerk Lyone Conner.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Shess invited the Council and Public to join him in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ROLL CALL
Attendee Name Title Status
Zac Shess Mayor Present
Andrei Obolenskiy Vice Mayor Present
Belle La District 1 Councilmember Present
Sue Noack District 2 Councilmember Present
Amanda Szakats District 5 Councilmember Present
4. CLOSED SESSION REPORT
None
5. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS
Ethan Bindernagel, City Manager, reported that:
• The City is developing a Safety Action Plan, and the community is invited to complete the survey on the website.
• There are vacancies on the Civic Action and Diversity Commissions. Applications are available on the City’s website.
• The Diversity Commission invites the public to recommend a member of the community to be spotlighted in the Outlook Newsletter.
• The Civic Action Commission is seeking sponsorship for the 2026 Summer Concerts • Three sandbag stations are available in Pleasant Hill for residents to prepare for winter storms
6. COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REPORTS
6.1 Reports from Councilmembers on Meetings or Conferences Attended at City Expense
Mayor Shess reported that he and his fellow Councilmembers attended the Mayors Conference hosted by the City of Richmond on February 5, 2026.
City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 February 23, 2026
6.2 Announcements from Councilmembers
Councilmember Szakats reported her attendance at the Lunar New Year celebration and Day Market at DVC.
Councilmember Szakats announced that as a member of the Board of MCE, they voted to lower generation rates and pledged additional funding for the CARES program. She cautioned increased back fees approved by PG&E and is making attempts to alert the public to this action, which is a result of undercharged fees by MCE.
Councilmember Noack reported her attendance at the Lunar New Year celebration, the State of the City, and a bill signing engagement with the Governor, where she spoke at a press release.
Councilmember La reported her attendance at the State of the City and the Lunar New Year Festival.
Vice Mayor Obolenskiy reported his attendance at the Lunar New Year Festival, the Government Affairs Committee meeting, the School of Economic Business Administration at Saint Mary’s College, the Chamber Business Mixer, and at the Farewell event for the 4th of July Commission Chair Chris Tipton.
Vice Mayor Obolenskiy announced a call for volunteers to the 4th of July Commission.
Mayor Shess reported his attendance at a town hall with Congressman DeSaulnier, the Library’s Lunar New Year Celebration, and at the State of the City.
7. PUBLIC COMMENT
The following members of the public provided a comment:
• George
• Jack Prosek
8. CONSENT CALENDAR
Motion (Noack/La) to Approve consent items 8.1 – 8.4, carried unanimously as follows:
AYES: La, Noack, Obolenskiy, Szakats, Shess
8.1 Approve Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of February 2, 2026
8.2 Approve Checks Dated: January 26, 2026; January 30, 2026; February 06, 2026; February 13, 2026
8.3 Adopt Resolution No. -26 Amending the Conflict of Interest Code and Rescinding Resolution No. 8-24
8.4 Accept Update on Contra Costa Transportation Authority and TRANSPAC
City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 February 23, 2026
9. ACTION CALENDAR
9.1 Adopt Ordinance No. Amending the Composition of the City of Pleasant Hill Civic Action Commission
Geoff Gillette, Community Relations Manager and Staff Liaison to the Civic Action Commission shared information regarding the services provided by the Commission and discussed future needs for increased membership.
Anthony Garcia, Vice Chair of the Civic Action Commission, was available to answer questions from the Council.
No members of the public provided comments.
Motion (Noack/Obolenskiy) to Approve item 9.1, carried as follows:
AYES: La, Noack, Obolenskiy, Szakats
NOES: Shess
9.2 Adopt Resolution No. -26 Adopting the Traffic Impact Fee Nexus Study and Introduce Ordinance No. Revising the Traffic Impact Fee Ordinance Laetitia Galeazzi, Senior Civil Engineer, provided a presentation to clarify what a Traffic Impact Study is and how it is utilized by the City.
Julie Morgan and Bruno Lertora, consultants from Fehr & Peers, as well as Ann James, Public Works Director, were available to respond to questions from Council.
No members of the public provided comments.
Motion (La/Noack) to Approve item 9.2, carried unanimously as follows:
AYES: La, Noack, Obolenskiy, Szakats, Shess
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Shess adjourned the meeting at 8:03 p.m. The next Regular City Council meeting will be held on Monday, March 2, 2026, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
______________________________
LYONE P. CONNER, CITY CLERK