MINUTES OF THE
REGULAR MEETING – CITY COUNCIL
April 6, 2026
City Council Meeting Minutes Page 1 March 16, 2026
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Shess called a Regular Meeting of the City Council to order at 7:02 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 April 2, 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
Mayor Shess reported that there was no closed session and nothing to report.
5. PRESENTATIONS
5.1 Proclamation Designating the Month of April as Autism Acceptance Month Mayor Shess issued a proclamation designating April as Autism Acceptance Month to Sunny Pannu, on behalf of the Diversity commission.
Sunny offered remarks encouraging further Autism awareness and acceptance for community.
5.2 Presentation from the County Behavioral Health Project (Sherman House) Supervisor Ken Carlson presented the conceptual plans for the anticipated Sherman Project.
Supervisor Carlson also introduced Dr. Suzanne Tavano Director of Behavior Health for Contra Costa Health, who responded to questions from Council.
6. CITY MANAGER COMMENTS
Ethan Bindernagel, City Manager, reported that:
• Off the Grid returned for another season on Thursdays at City Hall. • The second annual Earth Day celebration is scheduled for April 23, 2026.
City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 April 6, 2026
• The East Bay Las Juntas Art Guild will display and sell their Spring Art work on April 25, 2026.
• The Police Department will host a community engagement meeting on April 28, 2026 to report on AB 481 Military Equipment, in accordance with the law. • The Education and Diversity Commissions will host a community Neighbor Nights event on April 29, 2026.
7. COUNCIL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REPORTS
7.1 Reports from Councilmembers on Meetings or Conferences Attended at City Expense
Mayor Shess reported that he along with Councilmembers La and Noack attended the Mayors Conference.
Councilmember Szakats reported her attendance at the Cal Cities Environmental Policy Committee meeting on March 27, 2026.
Councilmember La reported her attendance at the Cal Cities Housing, Community, and Economic Development Policy Committee meeting.
7.2 Announcements from Councilmembers
Councilmember La announced the second annual Night Market with a celebration of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities. She also announced the expansion of the Night Market model in neighboring cities.
Councilmember Szakats reported her attendance at the Recreation and Park District Eggstravaganza, the No Kings Rally, a tour of CCTV with Supervisor Carlson, the East Bay Innovation Awards, and at the Power Association of California webinar on environmental justice.
Councilmember Noack reported her attendance at the No Kings Rally and at the Capital through MTC, where she spoke about the RHNA process.
Vice Mayor Obolenskiy reported his attendance with Councilmember La at the Economic Development meeting and the College Park Every 15 Minutes Program. Vice Mayor Obolenskiy also reported his attendance at the Chamber of Commerce Joint Mixer, the Women’s Networking Group, the East Bay Innovation Awards, the 4th Friday Coffee through the Chamber of Commerce, and at the Delphi Norwuz event.
Mayor Shess reported his attendance at the Delphi Norwuz celebration, where he issued a proclamation, the East Bay Innovation Awards, the No Kings Rally, and at the retirement celebration for long-time City Employee Doug Conant.
City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 April 6, 2026
8. PUBLIC COMMENT
The following member of the public provided a comment:
• Gail Egbert
9. CONSENT CALENDAR
Motion (La/Szakats) to Approve consent items 9.1 – 9.5, carried unanimously as follows:
AYES: La, Noack, Obolenskiy, Szakats, Shess
9.1 Approve Minutes for the Regular City Council Meeting of March 16, 2026
9.2 Approve Minutes for the Special City Council Meeting of February 9, 2026
9.3 Approve Checks Dated: March 13, 2026; March 20, 2026; March 27, 2026
9.4 Approve Letter of Support for AB2517 (Calderon) Fire Zone Process Improvements
9.5 Reintroduce Ordinance No. 954 Readopting the Special or Military Equipment Use Policy Pursuant to AB 481 and Accepting the Annual Report for all Specialized or Military Equipment Available for use by the Pleasant Hill Police Department.
10. ACTION CALENDAR
10.1 Adopt Resolution No. 19-26 Approving the Pleasant Hill Recreation and Park District Event Sponsorship Proposal for Calendar Year 2026.
Bret Sweet, Economic Development Manager, invited Jen Thoits, Marketing, Communications, and Events Manager, and Stephanie Herriman from the Recreation and Park District, to provide a presentation on the sponsorship proposal.
No members of the public provided comments.
Motion (Noack/La) to Approve item 10.1, carried unanimously as follows:
AYES: La, Noack, Obolenskiy, Szakats, Shess
10.2 Adopt Resolution No. 20-26 Adopting the City of Pleasant Hill's Climate Action Plan
Haley Croffoot, Senior Planner, introduced Kristin Cushman, consultant with Blue Strike Environmental, who provided a presentation on the background and next steps for the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). Kristin also responded to questions.
Mayor Shess called the meeting to recess at 8:48 p.m.
City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 April 6, 2026
Mayor Shess called the meeting back to order at 8:58 p.m.
Troy Fujimoto, City Planner, was available and responded to questions from Council, along with the following CAP consultants:
• Michael Adams, Glumac
• Jim Dankowich, DKS
• Alex Haag, DKS
Mayor Shess opened public comment, and the following members provided a comment:
• Courtney Coon
• Yehudit Lieberman
Mayor Shess closed public comment and invited additional discussion from Council.
Motion (La/Szakats) to Approve item 10.2, carried unanimously as follows:
AYES: La, Noack, Obolenskiy, Szakats, Shess
10.3 Public Hearing and Introduce Ordinance No. , Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance (ADU & JADU) Amendment
Andrew Shiflett, Associate Planner, introduced Kristin Cushman, consultant with Blue Strike Environmental, who provided a presentation on the background and next steps for the City’s Climate Action Plan (CAP). Kristin also responded to questions.
Troy Fujimoto, City Planner, was available and responded to questions from Council.
The following member of the public provided a comment: Chris Verdugo Motion (Noack/Obolenskiy) to Approve item 10.3, carried unanimously as follows:
AYES: La, Noack, Obolenskiy, Szakats, Shess
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Shess adjourned the meeting at 10:16 p.m. The next Regular City Council meeting will be held on Monday, April 20, 2026, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
______________________________
LYONE P. CONNER, CITY CLERK