RNCC Meeting Minutes, November 14, 2016

1.  The meeting was called to order at 7:04 pm by President Stanly Anderson. His report was about the holiday dinner and toy drive we will be having in December. More information to come.

2.  MSP approval of the Minutes from the October 17, 2016 meeting.

3.  Representatives from the following (19) neighborhoods introduced themselves and some gave reports: Belding/Woods, Castro Heights, Coronado, Fairmede/Hilltop, Greenbriar, Hilltop District, Hilltop Villages, Iron Triangle, Laurel Park, Marina Bay, North & East, Panhandle Annex, Parchester Village, Park Plaza, Pt. Richmond, Richmond Annex, Richmore Village/Metro Square, and Santa Fe neighborhood councils.

4. Announcements from RNCC PIO: Garland Ellis told us about a Republic Services Community meeting regarding the smells coming from their location.

5. City Department Heads/City Official Reports:

Engineering & Capital Improvements: Yader Bermudez told us the they would be spending a week working on potholes before the rain. The Richmond Auditorium new elevator is almost complete and the Nevin streetscape from City Hall to 19th Street should be open soon. The new entrance to BART from City Hall will be completed early Summer 2017. They are working on Unity Park and the Lilly Mae Jones Trail as well. They are also working on the Parkway interconnect traffic signals so traffic will run more smoothly. They are installing new lights at the Nichol Park tennis courts and the I-80 Central CCTA management will begin early 2017. It will take two phases and two years to complete.

City Manager/Community Services: Rochelle Monk her Community Services Survey is coming out this week and they have announced the Love Your Block winners and the Love Your Block Toolbox – resources for all neighborhoods. They are working on the youth programing and Service Works. The Community Services Department has 2 Vista interns for a year and they will be working on how to partner with the City organizations and Community Youth Engagement. They also looking into having Summer Love Your Block projects.

Mayor’s office: David Gray, Chief of Staff is leaving the Mayor’s Office and Alex Knox will become the Chief of Staff. Christopher Whitmore and Irene Perdomo will stay in their positions. They will be looking for an intern to replace Irene. On 11/15/16 the second reading of the zoning ordinance will go to City Council. Parks and Recreation is looking to rename part of the greenway as the Lilly Mae Jones trail and if your car is stolen and recovered in Richmond and you live in Richmond, the City will waive the towing and storage charges.

Police Department: Lt Felix Tan told us about an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) that is cost effective and will only be used in cases of emergency when public safety is at risk. It can be used for natural disasters and will be used in training for the time being. He is still writing the policy for the use of the UAS and it has to be certified by FAA. He also told use that RPD had reached out to the OJP and they will be sending out a survey to the entire City.

Dept of Infrastructure and Maintenance and Operations: Tim Higares told us that Republic Services is moving 500 tons of compost per day to take care of the smell that has been happening on their property. The City is demoing 3 houses and once they are gone, they will use the Social Impact bonds to build new houses. They also have 5 properties that they will start rehabbing soon. They are running sting operations to shut down some of the illegal transfer sites that dump illegally.

Planning Department: Hector Lopez came and passed out the PLN Project that was updated monthly just for our meetings.

Fire Department: Marcus Ram told us this is their busiest time of year with dried out trees and a lot of cooking by those that might not cook at that much. Now is the time of year to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. You can contact Admin at 307-8031 and they can get firefighters to help aid Seniors with their smoke detectors.

WCCUSD: Marcus Walton told us about the election of two new School Board members, Tom Panas and Mister Phillips. They also had Measure T pass, Prop 51 and Prop 55 passed as well. They will be having a hiring fair as well. He had two shout outs to the RSH Robotics Team and JFK Varsity Football Team for their great accomplishments this year.

6. Presentations:

1) NUSA 2016 report from Rochelle Monk and Stanly Anderson told us about what they saw and learned at NUSA. Next year it will be in Omaha, Nebraska May 24th through May 27th. One of the new and innovative workshops that Stanly attended was “You are invited to a Block Party and a Movie” presented by Arvada, Colorado. They raised and got a grant to purchase a trailer that held all the things you would need for a block party and a movie. The cost was between $8,000.00 and $9,000.00. It has tables, chairs, blow up movie screen and DVD player in it and whatever else your group decides it should have. You could add a cooler, portable bbq and whatever else might be needed. It is available for use through a calendar online or through the City. We thought about it being used and ordered like we order anything through the Special Events Permit process. We discussed ways to raise the funds by Crowdfunding, asking and looking for grants and we will put together a committee that will work on this. Rochelle talked about how this is a great way for the RNCC to dialog with other cities and find ways to grow. Please think about representing the RNCC in 2017.

2) None

7. Old Business:

Election of 2017/2018 Officers: The slate was accepted and the motion was called for by Bea Roberson and seconded by Madelyn Law. The vote was unanimous and the slate is as follows:

President – Stanly Anderson; Vice President – Naomi Williams; Treasurer – Bea Roberson; Recording Secretary – Jan Mignone; Corresponding Secretary – Margaret Jordan; Sergeant at Arms – Garland Ellis; Public Information Officer – Madelyn Law; Director at Large – Cesar Zepeda; Director at Large – Jerry Yoshida; and Director at Large – Roxie Stile.

8.  New Business: None

9.  Adjournment:   This meeting was adjourned by President Stanly Anderson at 9:04 pm.

Respectfully submitted by,

Jan Mignone
Recording Secretary