City Government
City of San Leandro Hosted Annual Planning Session
San Leandro, CA: On Feb 25, 2023, the San Leandro City Council conducted their Annual Planning Session. The daylong public meeting focused on a cohesion exercise, a City financial forecast led by Finance Director Michael Yuen, a “Dot Voting” exercise of City Council community priorities, and a financial presentation on a bond and revenue discussion.

2023 Annual Public Event Highlighted City Council Priorities, Team Building, and Financial Forecasts
San Leandro, CA: On Feb 25, 2023, the San Leandro City Council conducted their Annual Planning Session. The daylong public meeting focused on a cohesion exercise, a City financial forecast led by Finance Director Michael Yuen, a “Dot Voting” exercise of City Council community priorities, and a financial presentation on a bond and revenue discussion. Accomplishments and challenges were discussed during the meeting.
Since March 2022, major City accomplishments include the following:
- Prioritization Unfunded Liability Liquidation (PULL) – City Council approved an updated strategy for unfunded liabilities (PULL Plan)
- Completed Equity Plan – Completed a comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion plan
- Vision Zero Adopted – Guiding policy for traffic safety and roadway design
- Housing Element Approved – 2023 Housing Element completed without exception, placing San Leandro among a small group of cities with that distinction
- Climate Action: Trees – $1.49 million grant obtained and work began to reduce urban temperatures
As a result of the “Dot Voting,” the City Council agreed to move forward with the following Community Priorities:
Housing and Homelessness
- Establish and Implement Policies to Prevent Homelessness
- Build more of all types of housing, including affordable housing, that keep people housed, increase supply, and find a pipeline to get people off the streets
- Establish the Nimitz Motel in Partnership with a non-profit partner to provide a Navigation Center and long-term for low and very low-income community members
Public Safety
- Staff Increase to 90% strength for all allocated Police Department positions
- Deploy Mental Health Unit
- Reduce property crime and increase public safety with non-police alternatives
- Increase Emergency Response Capacity infrastructure
Infrastructure
- Community Clean-Up Beautification
- Fully Fund Capital Improvement Plan
- Capital Improvement Plan Implementation (Road)
The City Council will partner with the City Manager Fran Robustelli and City staff to implement the community priorities.
Paul Sanftner
Public Information Officer
City Manager’s Office
City of San Leandro
835 East 14th Street
San Leandro, CA 94577
P: 510.577.3372
C: 510.969.6355
E: psanftner@sanleandro.org
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Bay Area
Gov. Newsom Requests Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Counties Impacted By Storms
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a request Tuesday for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for nine California counties, including Monterey County. If approved, the move will pave the way for federal aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be provided to local governments and individuals impacted by storms in February and March.

By Thomas Hughes
Bay City News
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a request Tuesday for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for nine California counties, including Monterey County.
If approved, the move will pave the way for federal aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be provided to local governments and individuals impacted by storms in February and March.
In addition to Monterey County, the request included Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, along with Calaveras, Kern, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Tulare and Tuolumne counties.
Four other counties were added to a previous emergency declaration from the governor, including Alameda, Marin, Modoc and Shasta counties.
“Over these past months, state, local and federal partners have worked around the clock to protect our communities from devastating storms that have ravaged every part of our state. We will continue to deploy every tool we have to help Californians rebuild and recover from these storms,” Newsom said.
If approved, aid from FEMA can be used for individual housing assistance, food aid, counseling, medical and legal services. It will also cover some storm-related costs like debris removal.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors has requested additional state aid to help undocumented residents receive direct assistance that they aren’t eligible for from FEMA.
The governor said in a press release that funding from the state’s Rapid Response Fund would be made available to those residents and will ensure that families with mixed immigration status can access federal aid.
A local resources center opened Wednesday at the Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building at 215 E. Beach St. The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through April 7. The center is staffed with personnel from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Monterey County emergency staff who will help guide Monterey County residents through the recovery process.
An eviction moratorium was passed by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will provide limited eviction protection for residents who lost income because of the storms. If the Presidential Disaster Declaration is approved, FEMA assistance could help some eligible residents receive money to help pay rent, which will not be forgiven during the moratorium.
Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of March 29 – April 4, 2023
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 29 – April 4, 2023

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
City Government
Fremont: City Appoints First Female Fire Chief
Fremont has appointed a new fire chief who will be the department’s first woman in that role, City Manager Karena Shackelford announced this week. Former Deputy Fire Chief of Operations Zoraida Diaz will be the next fire chief in the Bay Area’s fourth largest city beginning April 7. Women make up only 5.8% of fire chiefs in the U.S., according to Zippia.com, a site that gathers career data.

By Bay City News
Fremont has appointed a new fire chief who will be the department’s first woman in that role, City Manager Karena Shackelford announced this week.
Former Deputy Fire Chief of Operations Zoraida Diaz will be the next fire chief in the Bay Area’s fourth largest city beginning April 7.
Women make up only 5.8% of fire chiefs in the U.S., according to Zippia.com, a site that gathers career data.
Her previous work with the department has included partnering with police and other first responders in Fremont to enhance service to the community, Shackelford said in a statement. She has also created incident action plans for civil unrest, public safety power shutoff events, COVID-19 protocols, and organizing response around the area’s recent weather events.
Before coming to Fremont, Diaz worked in the Oakland Fire Department, rising to the rank of assistant fire chief.
Diaz is fluent in Spanish and worked for 15 years as a social worker before becoming a firefighter.
“I am honored to be named Fremont’s next Fire Chief and my mission will be to cultivate a professional environment where civic and employee pride promotes excellence and a workforce that values transparency, equity, inclusiveness and belonging,” said Diaz.
Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
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