HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 2002-04-02SRCC Minutes (Regular) 04/02/2002 Page 1
IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2002 AT 8:00 P.M.
Regular Meeting: Present: Albert J. Boro, Mayor
San Rafael City Council Paul M. Cohen, Vice -Mayor
Cyr N. Miller, Councilmember
Absent: Barbara Heller, Councilmember
Gary O. Phillips, Councilmember
Also Present: Rod Gould, City Manager
Gus Guinan, Assistant City Attorney
Jeanne M. Leoncini, City Clerk
OPEN SESSION — COUNCIL CHAMBER — 6:30 PM
Mayor Boro announced Closed Session items.
CLOSED SESSION — CONFERENCE ROOM 201 — 6:30 PM:
Conference with Legal Counsel - Existing Litigation
Government Code Section 54956.9(a)
Case Name:
a) MHC Financing, et al. v. City of San Rafael, et al.
U.S. District Court, Northern Dist. of Calif., Case No. C003785
b) Novato Professional Firefighters' Association, et al. v. Marin County Employees
Retirement Association, Board of Retirement of the County of Marin, et al.
Marin County Superior Court, Case No. CV995951
Assistant City Attorney Gus Guinan announced that no reportable action was taken.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS OF AN URGENCY NATURE:
None.
8:05 PM
Councilmember Cohen moved and Councilmember Miller seconded, to approve the Consent Calendar,
as follows:
ITEM
2. Approval of Minutes of Special and Regular
Meetings of Monday, March 18, 2002 and Special
Meeting of Tuesday, March 26, 2002 (CC)
3. Summary of Legislation Affecting San Rafael (CM) —
RIP 116 x 9-1
4. Resolution of Appreciation to Jeannette Sotomayor
as the 2002 "Woman of the Year" for California
State Assembly District 6 (CM) — File 102
Monthly Investment Report for Month Ending
February, 2002 (MS) — File 8-18 x 8-9
6. SECOND READING AND FINAL ADOPTION OF
ORDINANCE NO. 1777 — An Ordinance of the City
of San Rafael Repealing Section 2.16.028(27) of the
San Rafael Municipal Code and Adopting a New
Section 2.16.028(27) Establishing Penalties for
Violations of the Park Rules and Regulations
Contained in Section 2.16.028 of the San Rafael
Municipal Code (PD) — File 13-8 x 9-3-30 x 9-3-66
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Minutes approved as submitted.
ADDroved staff recommendation:
AB 2292 General Plans. Residential
Density. Assembly Member Dutra —
OPPOSE
AB 1866 Housing Density Bonuses.
Assembly Member Wright — OPPOSE
RESOLUTION NO. 11050 —
RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO
JEANNETTE SOTOMAYOR AS
WOMAN OF THE YEAR FOR
CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY
DISTRICT SIX
Accepted Monthly Investment Report
for month ending February, 2002, as
presented.
Approved final adoption of Ordinance
No. 1777.
SRCC Minutes (Regular) 04/02/2002 Page 1
7. Resolution of Appreciation to Peacock Garden Club
to Commemorate Arbor Day 2002 Re Tree Planting,
City Hall Parking Lot (PW) — File 102
8. Resolution Authorizing Street Closure for the Grand
Opening of the Canal Welcome Center on Alto
Street Between Belvedere Street and Larkspur
Street, From 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April
12, 2002 (RA) — File 11-19 x 140
SRCC Minutes (Regular) 04/02/2002 Page 2
RESOLUTION NO. 11051 —
RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO
PEACOCK GARDEN CLUB TO
COMMEMORATE ARBOR DAY 2002
RE TREE PLANTING, CITY HALL
PARKING LOT (on Monday, 4/15/02)
RESOLUTION NO. 11052 —
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE
TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF A CITY
STREET FOR THE GRAND OPENING
CEREMONY OF THE CANAL
WELCOME CENTER ON FRIDAY,
APRIL 12, 2002 (on Alto St., between
Belvedere St. and Larkspur St.)
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Miller and Mayor Boro
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: Heller, Phillips
SPECIAL PRESENTATION:
9. PRESENTATION OF RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION TO JEANNETTE SOTOMAYOR AS
THE 2002 "WOMAN OF THE YEAR" FOR CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 6 (CM) —
FILE 102
Mayor Boro stated that Jeannette Sotomayor was being honored this evening for having recently
been acknowledged by Assemblyman Nation as the "Woman of the Year" for District 6, in
recognition of all her work in her community. He noted the Resolution of Appreciation from the San
Rafael City Council identifies some of her work, particularly, being instrumental in initiating childcare
for children at home, teaching CPR and First Aid in Spanish, volunteering endlessly on the
Pickleweed Park Advisory Board, the Canal Healthy Neighborhood Program, and being the
recipient of the San Francisco Foundation's Koshland Civic Unity Award.
Mayor Boro noted Ms. Sotomayor came to the United States to escape persecution in her
homeland of Nicaragua and she certainly had made a statement. He expressed appreciation for
her being with the City of San Rafael, congratulating her for all the wonderful things she has done
on behalf of the community and for the recognition from State Assemblymember Joe Nation, which
was worthwhile and very well earned.
Expressing thanks, Ms. Sotomayor stated she did not believe anything she has done could have
been achieved without the support of the City, which indicates to her how much she is loved and
trusted. In recognizing those accompanying her this evening, she explained they had been with her
and supported her for eighteen years. She thanked Mayor Boro and Councilmembers Cohen and
Miller.
Mayor Boro thanked those in attendance for their encouragement and for their participation in the
celebration.
OLD BUSINESS:
10. DISCUSSION OF RESOLUTION AMENDING THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CM) — FILE 261 x 9-2-55
Assistant to the City Manager Lydia Romero announced that she and Richard Landis, Public Works
Administration Supervisor, co -staff to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, would both
present the report.
Ms. Romero reported that in 1998, the City Council adopted a Resolution establishing the Bicycle
and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), with a three-year life span, and having as its primary
goal the creation of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Plan. She indicated that the Master Plan
was approved on February 4, 2002, fulfilling the committee's original responsibility. Ms. Romero
indicated that the issue before Council this evening is the continuation and future role of the
committee.
As was evident from the staff report, Richard Landis stated that staff recommends the committee
meet twice yearly to hear reports from City staff as to progress in implementing the Plan, and deal
with issues as the City Council may see fit. He indicated that staff would also send special
notification of public meetings to committee members regarding those transportation projects
impacting the short, medium and long-term projects described in the Master Plan.
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Mr. Landis stated he would describe staff's role in the implementation of the Master Plan, which is
the goal shared with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the bicycle community,
and while there may be disagreement regarding the means, there is a desire to implement the Plan.
He indicated that over the next six to nine months, staff would concentrate on the short-term signing
and striping projects, which are relatively easy to implement and are not expensive or intensive
capital projects. These projects amount to forty-four of the ninety-nine routes in the Plan; therefore,
it will be a significant undertaking for Public Works.
Mr. Landis stated that staff would like to initiate discussions with Caltrans to establish a Class II or
Class III bike lane on Grand Avenue. He indicated that Lincoln Avenue has been one of the major
points of contention, being an important North/South route segment, because of the physical
condition of the roadway, road width and parking situation. In view of this, staff believes it would be
unsafe to stripe such a lane; therefore, Grand Avenue is proposed as an alternative. Mr. Landis
stated that staff wishes to undertake discussions with Caltrans, particularly regarding the under -
crossing, subsequently evaluating Grand Avenue in terms of a Class II or Class III. This is deemed
to be an obvious component; however, staff disagrees regarding Lincoln Avenue versus Grand
Avenue, and it is hoped the BPAC can get behind this recommendation.
Regarding the work to be done by the City in connection with "Safe Routes to Schools", Mr. Landis
reported that a total of $460,000 is now available to implement this important educational project:
• $310,000 from Caltrans, secured in a collaborative effort with the Marin County Public Works
Department; and
• $150,000 from the Marin Community Foundation
Mr. Landis indicated this amount is being managed by transportation consultants, Nelson\Nygaard,
and implemented through the efforts of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.
Reporting that all of the proposed ninety-nine bicycle and pedestrian routes in the Plan are in the
City of San Rafael's GIS system, Mr. Landis stated that while this may not sound important, it is
extremely important as when initiating a resurfacing and overlay project, it cues staff to consider
those road segments for bicycle and pedestrian improvements.
Mr. Landis reported that staff would work with the Marin County Congestion Management Agency
staff on the possibility of building a bicycle and pedestrian link from the Canal neighborhood to
Andersen Drive, as part of a proposed Highway 101/580 connector. This, he indicated, would be a
very big deal for the infrastructure in the City, as it is difficult to get from the Canal neighborhood
and Francisco Boulevard East to other parts of the City; therefore, a connector to Andersen Drive
would help enormously.
Reiterating the shared common goal, Mr. Landis stated staff wishes to implement the plan as
instructed by the City Council, and the BPAC, having worked three years on this project, also
desires implementation of the Plan. He considered that perhaps the issue is not "the what", rather
"the how". He indicated staff believes two meetings per year to be sufficient, and should there be a
need to call the committee together for specific issues, this could certainly be accommodated, as
the proposed structure would not limit meetings to two per year.
As could be gleaned from the staff report, Mr. Landis noted that many of the issues the committee
chair is proposing for the committee's role, staff believes to be duplicative, and explained:
• There presently is staff interaction with Caltrans and County staff on a number of projects;
• Staff is involved in securing grants for infrastructure improvements.
Mr. Landis stated that in its proposal for a future role, the committee recommends assisting with
prioritization of capital projects. In this respect, Mr. Landis stated that the Master Plan already
prioritizes capital projects through the short, medium and long-term segments described in Chapter
5, and within each of those categories, there are prioritizations a), b) and c); therefore, staff believes
the Master Plan already assists with the prioritization of capital projects.
Given the lack of infinite resources and what appears on occasion to be infinite demand for capital
projects, Mr. Landis indicated that staff believes these projects need to be considered within the
context of other projects the City needs to build to maintain its infrastructure.
He stated staff's recommendation is for the committee to meet twice yearly and indicated that he,
Lydia Romero and Dave Bernardi would be happy to answer questions.
Noting that Mr. Landis stated the committee could meet more frequently as needed,
Councilmember Cohen inquired how he envisioned this working. Responding, Mr. Landis stated
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that should there be a project with significant questions regarding its design or implementation
schedule, staff would entertain questions, as would be the case from any member of the public.
He indicated his reluctance to be rigid concerning twice -yearly meetings and would favor staff
having the opportunity to implement the Plan as far as possible over the next six to nine months
and evaluate the situation at that time.
Public Works Director Dave Bernardi stated that in addition, Mr. Landis mentioned the potential of
having a pedestrian and bicycle connection between the Canal neighborhood and Andersen Drive,
which would be part of a much larger project that Caltrans and the Congestion Management
Agency are considering. He indicated that staff would ensure the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory
Committee would play a very strong role in looking at alternatives and options as that project is
being developed over the next number of years.
Councilmember Cohen stated that the key to Grand Avenue being workable is the design of the
tunnel and inquired how staff perceives this moving forward and the role envisioned for BPAC
members in the process.
Mr. Bernardi stated staff would make the initial contact with Caltrans as the tunnel is within their
jurisdiction, and Nader Mansourian, Traffic Engineer, indicated it will be necessary to carry out
some traffic modeling in that area to ascertain the result if, in fact, there is a reduction in lanes
going towards Villa Avenue from Lincoln Avenue. Further, it will be necessary to discuss with
Caltrans the question of a K Rail to separate bicycles and pedestrians from the traffic going either to
north 101 or south down Villa Avenue. This, he indicated, would take place in the next nine
months, at which time, should the go-ahead be forthcoming from Caltrans, the remainder of Grand
Avenue would be reviewed to identify the location of a Class II striped bike lane and a Class III,
signs only, bike lane on different sections of these varying widths of roadway. Mr. Bernardi stated
staff envisions a combination of Class II and Class III bike lanes going up Grand Avenue, and
ultimately up Villa Avenue, and the BPAC's input would be sought in that part of the process.
Regarding the inference of meeting in nine months, Councilmember Cohen inquired if the
suggestion was that the BPAC would not meet again for this period. Responding, Mr. Landis stated
staff would like to concentrate initially on the short-term segments, those only requiring signing and
striping, which would take place over the next six to nine months, and would not affect the schedule
proposed for the committee. Mr. Bernardi further explained that in six months, staff could meet with
the committee to provide a status report.
Mayor Boro stated he would address the issue of the tunnel later.
Preston McCoy, BPAC member, stated he appreciated the opportunity to address Council. He
explained that Rocky Birdsey, BPAC member, and he approached several Councilmembers
individually approximately six months ago indicating it was their opinion there was a bicycle and
pedestrian crisis in San Rafael. This was to the effect that while the Bicycle Plan was being
developed on the one hand, there were some really bicycle -unfriendly projects taking place
simultaneously. He indicated that the committee's frustration stemmed from the fact that they
seemed to be completely unable to apply any meaningful input to the process, noting that one of
the projects is North San Pedro Road.
Mr. McCoy stated his reason for alluding to this is that it is an example of the type of situation
where a group of citizens sensitive to non -motorized travel can have meaningful input. He
indicated the committee was informed at the time that the Charter of the BPAC did not include this
type of input, rather on completion and implementation of the Plan, things would be different. He
expressed the hope this would be true and believed the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan could only be
as good as the implementation, the implementation only as good as the intentions and so far, there
was not too much reason to be encouraged. Conversely, Mr. McCoy stated he believed the Plan to
be a good one and staff is sincere in its desire to implement it.
Noting staff's recommendation for the BPAC to meet twice yearly to review progress and the fact
that the BPAC would receive special notice of any public meetings, Mr. McCoy stated that the staff
report implies the alternative is full commission status, similar to the Planning or Parks
Commission, etc., and he did not believe the BPAC was interested in this.
He recalled being present at a very informal 7:30 a.m. meeting of the Marin County Bicycle
Coalition, attended by the Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, where the Public Works
representative addressed some ongoing projects, questions were addressed, comments made and
the meeting was concluded. In this respect, Mr. McCoy suggested that perhaps there could be a
middle ground, which could be helpful to the City and satisfying to the bicycle community, which
falls between these two extremes. While recognizing it was not possible to legislate cooperation
and collaboration, he anticipated that perhaps a situation could be initiated where this is likely to
occur.
Mr. McCoy stated he was not personally advocating monthly meetings and believed "as needed" to
be good. He anticipated there could possibly be situations with certain Public Works' projects
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where the BPAC could be consulted for input with regard to the inclusion of bike lanes. He noted
that car drivers have the Traffic Committee; however, non -motorized users do not have any regular
representation.
Mr. McCoy indicated that on the last occasion he addressed the City Council, he suggested there
be a Study Session to evaluate the situation and obtain information, as he believed Council was in
a position of having to make a decision without receiving much input from other jurisdictions. He
indicated Palo Alto has a very active committee, which collaborates with City staff, as do San
Francisco, Petaluma, Davis, Marin County and Novato. Mr. McCoy stated it was his understanding
Corte Madera had abolished its BPAC; however, had combined it with the Traffic Committee, which
appeared to be a good solution.
Concluding, Mr. McCoy encouraged Council to work out an arrangement by which input from
knowledgeable, concerned and involved citizens could be part of the process, other than just simply
receiving notice of public meetings on individual projects.
Mayor Boro confirmed with Mr. Bernardi and Mr. McCoy that the San Rafael Traffic Committee
consisted solely of staff. Being aware of this fact, Mr. McCoy suggested that perhaps there could
be citizen representatives on this committee to address issues other than cars.
Richard Schneider stated he had been a member of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory
Committee since its inception. He thanked the City Council for the opportunity to serve,
commenting that it had been a valuable lesson in citizen participation, and he trusted his
contribution had been useful. Mr. Schneider also thanked Lydia Romero and Richard Landis for
their time in assisting the committee, noting they and he had missed a number of "Monday Night
Football" games.
Mr. Schneider stated that adoption of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan by the City Council in
February was the culmination of three years of arduous effort by the BPAC members. The
implementation stage of the Plan has now been reached and this phase calls out for continual
citizen input and oversight. He indicated that because transportation, traffic and pedestrian safety
issues are so vital to the residents of San Rafael, it appears incumbent on the City Council to
encourage and maximize citizen participation, and to have the BPAC meet only once every six
months discourages such citizen involvement. He, therefore, urged the City Council to adopt a
resolution authorizing the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee to meet on a monthly basis.
Abby Minot stated she represented those who do not bike in the City of San Rafael because it is
really scary. She expressed her pleasure that the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan was adopted
and believed that by reducing the meetings to once every six months, developments would occur a
lot more slowly. Being forty-seven, Ms. Minot stated she would like to ride her bike on the streets of
San Rafael while still young enough to do so and she did not believe this would happen rapidly
enough should the issues only be addressed once every six months. She made reference to those
children who could ride their bicycles to school, resulting in a simultaneous reduction in traffic, and
stated there appeared to be so much to gain by swift implementation that it did not seem wise in the
vision of the future to slow the process down.
Noble "Rocky" Birdsey stated this resolution basically decides the fate of the BPAC, and having
read the staff report, it appeared the only role suggested is that the San Rafael Bicycle and
Pedestrian Advisory Committee meet twice per year with Public Works staff to review the City's
progress in building a bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. He commented that he did not really
see any input there.
Mr. Birdsey stated that as the resolution presently reads, the committee would have no true
advisory role, rather would simply listen and recap what Public Works had done, which he indicated
he could read in the newspaper. He noted that staff reported the BPAC members would receive
special notice of all public meetings which focus on roadway projects within the scope of the Master
Plan and therefore, contends that a separate committee is not warranted; this, Mr. Birdsey stated
he strongly disagrees with and explained:
Regarding roadway resurfacing projects - Freitas Parkway — this roadway was resurfaced on the
north side last year and will be resurfaced on the southern side this year; however, he had gleaned
it would not be striped with bike lanes. He indicated to Public Works Director Bernardi that this was
his information currently; therefore, meeting only once every six months would not keep him
apprised of developments.
Mr. Birdsey indicated that other communities meet monthly. These are nationally recognized as
being bicycle friendly cities, and according to the Office of Traffic Safety, their accident rates are
reduced, while out of 84 cities, San Rafael ranks between 15 and 17, in the bottom 20%, which is
another reason for meeting monthly. Also, a better understanding needs to be created with bicycles
in the planning process and while it appears to be getting through, Mr. Birdsey believed work
remains to be done, which again, involves input. He further explained that according to the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission, a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee is needed
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for anything over 10,000 residents and further states that in order to obtain TDA Article 3 funds, the
BPAC should participate in the development and review of comprehensive bicycle plans.
Referring to the Resolution which created the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Mr.
Birdsey stated the first sentence directed the development of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan,
and the second related to participation in the development of the Bicycle and Pedestrian sub -
element of the City's General Plan Update. Explaining, Mr. Birdsey stated that the General Plan is
still being worked on, the circulation element has not gone to the Steering Committee as yet and the
BPAC would like to have input.
Returning to the Resolution, Mr. Birdsey stated that the third sentence is a direction to seek grant
funding for Bicycle and Pedestrian projects from Federal, State and County resources. This, he
indicated, should be ongoing. The final paragraph directs the promotion of bicycling and walking as
alternative modes of transportation to the general public, and this, he stated, should also be
ongoing.
Finally, referring to the model Charter for local Bicycle Advisory Committees, Mr. Birdsey explained
that this is a four-page document; however, the only direction taken from it was to review the
projects every six months. He was, therefore, somewhat discouraged, but believed staff had good
intentions. Alluding to the staff report's indication that certain members of the committee disagree
with the recommendation, Mr. Birdsey explained:
• A letter had been received from Andy O'Neill;
• He, Richard Schneider and Preston McCoy were in attendance this evening;
• He spoke with Shawn Curtain today, who is also opposed;
• Having spoken with Will Matthews briefly months ago in this connection, Mr. Matthews was not
entirely in favor of the recommendation; however, not having spoken with him recently, Mr.
Birdsey did not wish to comment on his behalf;
• The youth members had not been contacted as last month's meeting was cancelled due to the
lack of a quorum.
Mr. Birdsey respectfully requested Council to reconsider staff's recommendation and create a better
alternative.
Debbie Hubsmith, Executive Director, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, acknowledged the successes
achieved in San Rafael over the past several years, identifying
• Mahon Creek Path as a great bicycle and pedestrian pathway;
• Las Gallinas Avenue having bicycle lanes;
• The work underway on Shoreline Park for the Bay Trail project;
• The "Safe Routes to School" project.
She noted that what is happening is a difficult balancing act, in that staff has many projects to deal
with and it appears from the staff report that a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee which
meets monthly may become a burden on their time. On the other hand, however, there is a whole
group of dedicated, intelligent, enthusiastic bicycle riders and advocates in San Rafael who wish to
assist staff in implementing the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and assist San Rafael in
achieving the goal of having 20% of trips made by walking or bicycling. Ms. Hubsmith pondered
how this balance could be realized to satisfy everyone.
Ms. Hubsmith suggested that by having the committee meet monthly, in the long term it would save
staff time and money for the City. The committee could be attending to such issues as marketing
the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, conducting outreach to communities, obtaining answers to
questions as a group, and creating a public forum for questions to be answered to preclude the
need for individual contact with staff. She indicated that when the funding proposal for the Mahon
Creek path came from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the vice -chair of the Bicycle
and Pedestrian Advisory Committee at the time was approached for his perspective on the project,
and the fact that there was a Citizens Advisory Committee for bicycles and pedestrians in San
Rafael, helped to garner funding. She therefore believed that having this type of Citizen Advisory
Committee would assist in bringing more money into the City in the long term.
Ms. Hubsmith commended the City for the smart growth approach to solving the housing and
transportation problems. She reported having moved to Marin County ten years ago and residing in
San Rafael, which had gone through tremendous, wonderful changes providing affordable housing
and new business space. She noted that many of those spaces lack room for people to park their
cars; therefore, there is an increasing amount of people relying on walking and bicycling for
transportation. As mentioned by Mr. Birdsey, the safety record is something which could definitely
be improved upon, and she believed the BPAC would help with that.
On behalf of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Ms. Hubsmith encouraged the City Council to
establish an active Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee which would meet monthly, or at
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least bi-monthly, to be in a position to assist staff with moving the implementation of the Plan
forward, and not generating new issues.
Kim Baenisch, Marin County Bicycle Coalition Board member and San Rafael resident, stated she
was present to add her vote in favor of the continuation of the BPAC, which she believed is
essentially a statement of support for proactive and intelligent government. She noted that the
three-year process to develop and adopt the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan was entirely due
to the BPAC's coordination of an open public forum which uncovered infrastructure problems and
now offers safety, education and transportation improvements. She believed to disband the BPAC
or minimize its presence to twice yearly at this time of transition into implementation of public
improvements appears to be a foolish consideration. Ms. Baenisch stated the BPAC is meant to be
a help, not a hindrance, and can keep staff abreast of public concerns, thereby alleviating their
becoming bureaucratic issues. It would provide a means for public process to resolve community
issues positively, minimize staff having to correct design problems which somehow overlooked
considering the user, and keep the City focused on its intention to safeguard its walking and
bicycling citizens to the extent it safeguards its drivers presently.
Ms. Baenisch indicated that by supporting the BPAC's monthly meetings, the City Council would, in
fact, be supporting City staff.
Ashley Bettini, 15, BPAC Youth member, stated she believed meetings should be held more often
than bi-annually to ensure up-to-date communication and the smooth running of the Master Plan.
Roger Marquis, San Rafael resident, stated he is a daily bicyclist and has been a member of
several other BPAC's, most notably Palo Alto for several years. He was aware of how much is
contained in the San Rafael Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan recently approved, and believed it
to be clear there is no way that bi-annual meetings could touch on a fraction of the issues in the
Plan. Noting staff's busy schedule, he believed it to be apparent that the proposed bi-annual
meetings are a means to condense issues; however, it is also a way to table items which staff does
not wish to receive bicyclists' input on. Mr. Marquis stated it is important that cyclists' input be put
on the table in the form of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and monthly meetings.
He reported that each City where he attended BPAC meetings and each County he has worked
with has monthly meetings, not necessarily throughout the year, as some take some months off
when a quorum is not available; however, everyone else he is aware of has monthly meetings. Mr.
Marquis added that he was not aware of any city's BPAC meeting where the committee was in a
position to touch on all of the items on the agenda. He believed bi-annual meetings would simply
be a means of removing items from the agenda and was not a good idea.
As a daily cyclist, Mr. Marquis stated he had ridden in many cities in Alameda, Santa Clara and San
Mateo counties; however, he had not ridden in a city more dangerous than San Rafael and believed
there is not a city close to San Rafael in terms of bicycle safety. He indicated that leaving from City
Hall or anywhere in the City, it is not possible to find a safe route virtually anywhere. He stated it
was not possible to get to the Civic Center, San Anselmo or China Camp safely and most of the
cyclists who come to San Rafael to go to China Camp drive their cars. He noted that people who
ride through the County do not go through this part of San Rafael, rather go through San Anselmo
and over the connector to Las Gallinas.
Mr. Marquis believed this to be a serious problem for bicyclists, noting that San Rafael has the
largest number of accidents in the County and the largest number of accidents of any similar sized
city in California. He indicated that at issue are:
• Grand Avenue;
• Lincoln Avenue;
• Third Street;
• Fifth Avenue; and
• Mission Avenue.
all of which are places where bicyclists ride and will continue to ride, whether or not there are bike
lanes or shoulders.
He noted that North San Pedro Road and Fourth Street to Greenfield are places where bicyclists
ride in large numbers and where they will continue to ride. Presently, these cyclists are involved in
and will continue to be involved in accidents in these areas. He believed City Manager Gould
summed it up at a BPAC meeting he attended some months ago when he stated that, "Council
gives me direction on a lot of things, including parks, traffic, construction; however, Council does
not give a lot of direction on bicycle related matters". Therefore, Mr. Marquis stated they would like
to see direction coming from Council as staff takes action on such orders. He indicated that for
anything to happen it has got to come from Council, therefore, he looked to them to:
a) Continue the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee;
b) Continue it monthly; and
c) Get some bike lanes, or at least shoulders, to make the arterials that connect various parts of
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San Rafael a little safer
He noted that one such arterial being worked on presently is Bellam. It had sections which were
safe to ride; however, these are now under construction and Mr. Marquis stated he would be
interested in ascertaining whether the section from Andersen will have bike lanes.
Ken Eichstaedt, President, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, stated he appreciated Council hearing
the discussion on this item this evening and believed the Master Plan to be a wonderful opportunity.
As an engineer, he stated that the implementation of this Plan is critical; therefore, the juncture has
now been reached where it can either be put on the shelf, or a concerted effort made at
implementation. He suggested that for a period of a year, monthly meetings of the BPAC should
take place involving City staff, which would result in implementation.
Mr. Eichsteadt reported having come from a County of Marin meeting for the update of the General
Plan, and stated Alex Hinds is evaluating sustainability as the vision for Marin County. He stated
that San Rafael is in a key area with many transit centers and needs to provide better access for
walking and biking. This Plan will accomplish this; however, Public Works needs to implement it.
He suggested a trial period of a year with monthly meetings, at which time a decision on the future
could be made. He reported having worked for Sausalito for three and one half years, where they
garnered $1.3 -million in State and Federal funds because they had a BPAC. Noting Mayor Paul
Albritton was very forward -thinking, he encouraged Council to have monthly meetings of the San
Rafael BPAC.
Regarding North San Pedro Road, Mr. Eichstaedt stated he hoped the City Council would take an
interest in this project. He reported having met with Dave Bernardi, Public Works Director, Andy
Preston, Deputy Public Works Director and Nader Mansourian, Traffic Engineer, and appreciated
the staff time expended on evaluating this. He looked forward to the momentum from the
discussions being carried forward into the project.
City Manager Gould stated there appeared to be two underlying issues; one was the question of
whether or not staff would implement the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan approved by the City
Council, and secondly, whether the City would benefit from having a standing committee which
gave input on other matters having application to the bicycling community.
In connection with the former, City Manager Gould pointed to the record and asserted that staff had
diligently effected and implemented a number of major plans approved by Council in recent years,
i.e., the Downtown Vision, North San Rafael Vision, Economic Vision, Pump Station Renovation
Plan, Information Systems Strategic Plan and the Volunteer Program, and now that Council had
approved the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, staff intends to execute it. He agreed with Mr.
Marquis that Council's adoption of the Plan gives staff direction to so do, along with seventy-four
other Capital Improvement Projects adopted by Council in the last two-year budget, representing a
total of $52 -million. Mr. Gould stated it was a major effort to coordinate these various projects.
Noting that Mr. Eichstaedt mentioned the General Plan process, as did Mr. Birdsey, Mr. Gould
stated this is separate and will involve several thousand people before completion. He indicated
that members of the BPAC, Marin County Bicycle Coalition members, and anyone not a member of
these two groups who is interested is welcome to participate in developing the policies and
programs which will eventually be deliberated by the Planning Commission and subsequently, the
City Council.
With regard to the issue of how much additional input should be necessary on an ongoing basis on
a wide variety of concerns, Mr. Gould stated this is a policy matter for Council. He noted the
question was raised that should there be a traffic coordinating committee, there ought to be a
standing bicycle committee. As pointed out by Mayor Boro, Mr. Gould stated there is a Traffic
Coordinating Committee in existence with representatives from six departments of the City of San
Rafael; however, it is not open to the public. It receives numerous requests from the public every
month, investigates and analyzes them and responds accordingly. He commented that the City
does not have a special Traffic Committee for the public to meet monthly to discuss traffic concerns.
Mr. Gould reported that Vice -Mayor Cohen recently addressed the management team relaying the
fact that having walked fifty-five miles and knocking on doors, the number one issue in the area is
traffic, and he indicated that every effort is being made to address it.
On the issue of notification, Mr. Gould commented that Mr. McCoy alluded to the Civic Center
project. He believed 5,000 postcards were mailed to residents in the area informing them of that
project; however, evidently, the BPAC was not aware and did not attend the public meetings held to
garner public input. Mr. Gould stated this was not beneficial to staff who would be the first to
acknowledge the importance of obtaining the BPAC and bicycle communities' input early in the
process, rather than at the final hour. He reported that Vice -Mayor Cohen attended the meeting
alluded to by Mr. Eichstaedt, the City Engineer spoke with members of the bicycle community
comparing notes, etc., and it was apparent at the close of the meeting that staff had done
everything possible to accommodate bicycles in this intersection, and the design stands.
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In closing, Mr. Gould stated staff is cognizant of the duty to carry out Council's direction, and is
interested in working with the community. Three years were spent in the development of the Plan
which is now Council policy, and staff anticipates moving forward with its implementation; the
recommendation is to have at least two meetings per year and probably more as needed. Mr. Gould
stated that the issue of Grand Avenue, which was debated by Council when considering the Bicycle
and Pedestrian Master Plan, was posed back to Mr. McCoy, questioning whether the Grand
Avenue alternative would be acceptable to the BPAC and perhaps, the Marin County Bicycle
Coalition, as an alternative to Lincoln Avenue, and Mr. McCoy indicated that it could be. Mr. Gould
stated that should Council wish staff to pursue this issue, it should be explored further before
spending modeling time and time with Caltrans, to receive bicyclists' input and ensure it is indeed
acceptable. As pointed out by Mr. Landis, Mr. Gould stated that with these four projects, and the
addition of the 580 connector, which could provide a breakthrough, staff believes significant
progress could be made with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan now that it has been adopted.
As a veteran of the Downtown Vision, Councilmember Miller reported that when it got to the
amendments stage, direction was given to staff and at the time of codification, the committee was
disbanded, as otherwise it would have just continued a process along the lines of the Planning
Commission. He noted the BPAC had worked for three years with Council and staff, arriving at the
stage of final adoption of a Master Plan, which is a working plan giving direction. He indicated he
now sees a continuation of engaging citizens as the plan is implemented, which is what community
based governance is all about, keeping them apprised and receiving input, at least twice yearly. He
indicated that with a project such as Grand Avenue, in terms of public policy and community based
governance, Council would expect staff to engage the Committee. Councilmember Miller indicated
he was comfortable with the staff recommendation, the way staff had operated in the past and the
way the City has governed.
Councilmember Cohen stated he, too, was very comfortable with the excellent staff and their track
record of carrying out Council's policy direction when set; however, he believed there could be
some improvements to be found in the recommendation before Council this evening which could
address some of the concerns expressed. He noted that some of the comments focused on the
issue of implementation and some touched on new and additional projects, identifying things to be
done. He believed a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan has just been adopted which laid out a whole list
of projects and there had been several strong and supportive comments in respect of this Plan this
evening. Councilmember Cohen stated the issue was not seeking additional projects, rather
figuring out how to implement the contents of the Plan just adopted. He commented that over time,
other items would come to light; however, a Plan has just been adopted which provides an action
plan and he believed the focus should be on beginning to implement that Plan.
Councilmember Cohen stated that the question now is to decide the most effective way to see
implementation of this Plan. He believed one comment made offers the hope for some
compromise. Explaining, he stated the resolution indicates the committee would meet twice per
year, and both staff and members of the committee had stated that at the very least, they could
meet "as needed", in addition to twice yearly; however, the resolution does not at all contemplate
this. Councilmember Cohen stated that as a minimum, he would like to see the language "or more
frequently as needed" inserted in the fifth WHEREAS; therefore, the resolution itself would
anticipate this.
Noting some specific issues, Councilmember Cohen stated he wished to respond to a comment
regarding the time and pace of making these improvements. He explained it was not his belief this
was the issue and hoped the argument was not that the City would slow down the pace of
implementation of the Plan adopted as a policy of the City of San Rafael. Should this be the
message being sent by changing the schedule of meetings of the BPAC, it was the wrong one, as it
was not his understanding or intent to slow down the pace of the implementation, rather to slow
down the pace of meetings in terms of their frequency. He noted one speaker commented that by
reducing the meetings, the implementation was also being slowed down and stated this was not the
commitment made to Council by staff and was something he would in no way support.
Councilmember Cohen noted that staff had acknowledged Council had adopted a policy and
charged them to commence implementation, offering at the beginning some specific ways to initiate
this implementation. He explained he was willing to give staff the benefit of the doubt in terms of
their sincerity in implementing the policy laid out by Council; however, suggested the following:
Noting a solid majority of the BPAC members had concerns, which was encouraging and
demonstrated ongoing interest, and assuming the resolution is adopted, he suggested staff have
an immediate meeting with the BPAC to lay out specifically, the implementation plan. Having
spoken with City Manager Gould late last week, Councilmember Cohen stated that perhaps, he had
somewhat more detail on some of the ideas staff had concerning the implementation this year of as
many near-term projects as could be identified, i.e., virtually all which involved painting and
striping. He believed these should be presented to the BPAC, together with a discussion of the
potential of approaching Caltrans and taking a serious look at Grand Avenue as an alternative to
Lincoln Avenue as a North/South connector. While recognizing it was somewhat out of the way,
Councilmember Cohen believed it to be more viable, as Lincoln is very congested and will continue
SRCC Minutes (Regular) 04/02/2002 Page 9
SRCC Minutes (Regular) 04/02/2002 Page 10
to be so, despite the City's best efforts. The only option would be to remove parking which would
meet with a tremendous amount of opposition from the neighbors who reside there.
Councilmember Cohen stated that Grand offers some potential should Caltrans cooperate in
dealing with some of the challenges. He would like to ascertain from the BPAC whether or not they
would be supportive, as he would be happy to direct staff to attempt to ascertain whether Caltrans
is even willing to discuss it; however, he did not wish to do this unless there was support for it.
Councilmember Cohen therefore requested there be another meeting with the BPAC to present
both the City's short-term implementation plans and some further information on one, or possibly
two, big ticket items which could be focused on and implemented. He recalled his comments
concerning the Plan to the effect he believed that perhaps, as a result of the way in which it was
drafted, it did not articulate a clear, large vision, and one way to overcome this, was to seize on a
couple of the big items and have them implemented. He stated that the possibility of opening up
Grand Avenue was very doable.
Councilmember Cohen stated he would like a report to come to Council, outlining a specific set of
implementation steps the City and staff would take over the next six months, which Council would
then challenge staff to have carried out. He indicated his willingness to allow six months to do this
and prove to Council and the members of the BPAC that this policy directive can be carried out on
behalf of the community.
Alluding to two other potential issues which could call for an "as needed" meeting, Councilmember
Cohen explained that while he was not aware of how soon the issue of Highway 580 could be
discussed, should this concept move forward and staff was not prepared to discuss it at this
immediate BPAC meeting, he believed it would justify an "as needed" meeting. He urged that as
soon as there is a sense this is a viable alternative, the BPAC should be convened to evaluate the
possibility of a connector.
Appreciating Mr. Birdsey's bringing the resolution which established the BPAC, Councilmember
Cohen stated he would like to see staff figure out a way to encourage the BPAC's participation in
the General Plan Update somewhat more than merely as members of the general public. He
indicated that as the Council's liaison to the General Plan Steering Committee, he would be happy
to work with Bob Brown, Community Development Director, and Linda Jackson, Principal Planner,
to ascertain the timing, together with the possibility of convening the BPAC for a "loop out".
Lydia Romero, Assistant to the City Manager, confirmed that the BPAC did receive a "loop out" from
the Community Development Department when the Task Groups completed their work, to garner
feedback on the circulation element, specifically, some of the Bike and Pedestrian policies.
Councilmember Cohen stated he would like to speak with Mr. Brown and Ms. Jackson concerning
the status, and to ascertain whether or not sometime in the next six months while Public Works'
staff is implementing the list of projects requested, he could work with the planning staff and have a
meeting with the BPAC to discuss their input to the General Plan Update, providing them with
feedback, thus ensuring input on the bicycle and pedestrian issues. He indicated that should this
be acceptable, he was willing to see the recommendation go forward without requiring monthly
meetings, operating on somewhat more of an ad hoc basic, focusing less on meetings and more on
getting issues implemented.
Mayor Boro agreed with Councilmember Cohen on including the wording "more frequently, as
needed". He indicated he was not necessarily concerned as to whether staff would do their job
over the next six months, rather his concern was that the committee stay focused on what has been
agreed. He confirmed that the issue was not discontinuing the BPAC, rather how often it meets.
Mayor Boro stated that the next question related to what happens when they do meet. He noted
that tonight, there had been a general approach as to what some of the issues could be and
agreed that the committee should meet sooner rather than later to discuss issues such as 580,
striping, and Grand Avenue, (which arose as a result of a Council discussion when the Plan was
adopted).
Addressing Ms. Hubsmith, Executive Director, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, with respect to 580,
Mayor Boro stated that over a year ago, when Congressman Oberstar was visiting, they attended a
dinner where "Safe Routes to School" in the Canal area was discussed and he pointed out to Ms.
Hubsmith that to him, this is the most significant area in the City of San Rafael as far as safety for
children getting to school is concerned. This is a community which does not have people who can
drive their children to school, rather they have either to walk or ride their bikes. Mayor Boro noted
that coming from east to west of the freeway can be very treacherous and difficult. He recalled that
Ms.Hubsmith indicated at the time she had some engineers who could work with the City, and this
is certainly welcome; however, he would like to add further wording to the resolution, primarily
because approximately a month ago, he, along with Councilmember Phillips, were dispatched to
meet with another advisory group which was attempting to branch into an area which Council was
not interested in. They were clear on the role of this group and wanted to ensure it was reinforced.
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Mayor Boro stated he shared the enthusiasm and also the fact that a lot needs to be done,
indicating the importance, when carrying out the mission of the Council, where specific goals and
objectives are set, tracked and measured, and available from the City Manager, that there is
agreement between the BPAC members, staff and Council as to what the issues to be worked on
are and the specific mission. He believed it could be reviewed on an annual basis and would be
good for the Council, the BPAC, and the community and would reveal results.
In addition to changing the wording in the resolution to read "or more frequently as needed", Mayor
Boro suggested adding the words "as agreed to by the City Council", to conclude the sentence. He
requested Lydia Romero and Richard Landis put together in a formal manner, the issues presented
this evening, discuss them with the BPAC and return them to Council as an information item. He
believed the main issue was tracking and the BPAC should meet at least twice per year minimum,
as a formality; however, should there be a need to meet more often this could be done. He
believed in this spirit the needs of staff, the bicycle community and the greater needs of the citizens
of San Rafael would be met.
Councilmember Cohen stated he was struck by a comment made by Mr. Birdsey and wished to
clarify that the intent of these meetings is to do more than could be accomplished by reading a
report in the newspaper or the City's newsletter. To further clarify the language in the resolution,
Councilmember Cohen stated he would like to also include the words "and comment" in the fifth
paragraph, which would then read:
"WHEREAS, staff recommends that the Committee meet twice per year or more frequently as
needed with Department of Public Works staff to review and comment on the City's progress in
building the infrastructure improvements set forth in the Master Plan and to discuss other related
issues, as agreed to by the City Council."
He explained that this is a citizens committee giving input to both staff and Council and he would be
interested in hearing their comments; therefore, he believed the words "review and comment"
addresses this more thoroughly.
Councilmember Cohen moved to adopt the Resolution defining the future role of the Bicycle and
Pedestrian Advisory Committee, as modified this evening, with the understanding that staff will
meet with the BPAC in the near future to lay out an implementation plan for the next six months and
endeavor to have another meeting as needed, further meeting with them in six months to present a
progress report, to be forwarded to Council, on the implementation plan presented.
Mr. Bernardi confirmed that a meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 8, 2002, with the BPAC.
Councilmember Cohen inquired whether staff was prepared to lay out specifically what will be done
over the next six months to begin to implement the City's Plan, to which Mr. Bernardi responded
affirmatively.
Mr. Bernardi stated that the Bellam-580 corridor project is probably three to four months away from
any meaningful discussion, as Caltrans is still developing the scope of the project.
Councilmember Cohen confirmed with Mr. Bernardi that staff was prepared to discuss the issue of
Grand Avenue, ideas concerning the Tunnel and the process and steps needed at the forthcoming
BPAC meeting.
Councilmember Miller seconded the motion, to adopt the resolution.
With respect to 580 and Caltrans, Mayor Boro stated it was great they are working on it; however,
should there be technical expertise available from people in the bicycle community which could
assist in the development of a strategy to work on with Caltrans, this would be very helpful.
With respect to the issue of Grand Avenue, Mayor Boro confirmed that currently, there are two
lanes of traffic which go from the west side of the freeway to the east side, either going down Grand
Avenue or on the freeway, and stated that he believed the ability for cars to come through to go
either way should be maintained; however, the trick was how to accommodate bicycles at the same
time.
RESOLUTION NO. 11053 — RESOLUTION DEFINING THE FUTURE ROLE OF THE SAN
RAFAEL BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
(as modified — last WHEREAS to read as follows:
"WHEREAS, staff recommends that the Committee meet twice per year or more frequently as
needed with Department of Public Works staff to review and comment on the City's
progress in building the infrastructure improvements set forth in the Master Plan and to
discuss other related issues, as agreed to by the City Council";)
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SRCC Minutes (Regular) 04/02/2002 Page 12
AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: Cohen, Miller and Mayor Boro
NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: None
ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: Heller, Phillips
NEW BUSINESS:
11. DISCUSSION RE DISTRIBUTION OF PROPOSITION 40 PER CAPITA FUNDS (CS) —
FILE 9-3-65 x 9-3-66 x 9-1
Councilmember Miller recused himself from action on this item due to a conflict of interest.
Therefore, due to lack of a quorum, this item was carried forward to City Council Meeting of April
15, 2002.
COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS:
12. a) Tobacco Ordinance: - File 10-1 x 10-2 x 13-1 x 9-3-16
Councilmember Cohen reported having this afternoon, attended a meeting of the Marin County
Board of Supervisors, wherein they adopted their Planning Commission's recommendation of a
Zoning Ordinance affecting significant tobacco retailers, and he requested a staff review and
report on this Ordinance, indicating he would be interested in again, considering whether or not
such an ordinance, or a variation thereof, could be appropriate for San Rafael. He noted that
the ordinance adopted included the 1,000 -foot limitation and he was aware from discussions
with the San Rafael Community Development Director that the geographic impacts in San
Rafael could render it infeasible. However, he suggested there could be smaller distances
which could be workable and viable locations for such businesses, while separating them
distinctly from youth oriented uses, which is the language the County Ordinance included.
City Manager Gould stated staff could certainly provide this report and had been tracking the
development of this County ordinance, noting it is significantly narrower than that advocated by
the group from the West End, which would prohibit such businesses from operating less than
1,000 -feet from residential areas.
Understanding this, Councilmember Cohen believed it to be very encouraging, noting that
members of the WENACC (West End Neighbors Against Cigarettes Cheaper) and others were
in attendance urging its adoption and would be interested in seeing San Rafael adopt a similar
ordinance, or one modified somewhat further to fit the City's particular geography. He believed
it to be a very good model ordinance for San Rafael to pursue and this is what he would like to
see.
b) City Manager's Report: - File 9-3-11
City Manager Gould stated that Council had seen some letters concerning foul balls being hit
into the Parkside Childcare Center, and Bill Scharf, Assistant Community Services Director
would provide a brief update on plans for improvements to prevent this from happening. Also,
Police Chief Cronin was present to report on discussion with the warden of San Quentin
concerning the use of the Rifle Range.
c) Foul Balls at Albert Field impacting Parkside Childcare Center: -
File 9-3-65 x 9-3-66 x 4-1-531
Bill Scharf, Assistant Community Services Director, stated that when foul balls began to be hit
over the fence from Albert Field toward Parkside Childcare Center, staff discontinued baseball
play while the Childcare program was in session. Having evaluated the fence, staff is
conducting the engineering work to raise it from the current 20 -feet to 40 -feet, bringing it to the
height of the grandstands. Mr. Scharf reported that a backstop had also been ordered for use
during batting practice times, as most of the play to date has been practice. He indicated that
the games scheduled by Marin Academy during the day have been rescheduled to evening and
the day games of a tournament scheduled for this week have been relocated to the high school,
with the night games being played at Albert Field, commencing at 6:30 p.m.
d) Pickleweed Park: - File 4-1-523 x 9-3-11 x (SRRA) R140 #8
Having observed the fields at Pickleweed, Mayor Boro suggested that perhaps at a future
meeting there could be a report regarding the type of management plan in place at this location.
City Manager Gould inquired whether the information concerning the Tobacco Ordinance and
the use policy at Pickleweed could be contained in the weekly report or as an agenda item.
Responding, Mayor Boro stated it could be at the City Manager's discretion.
e) San Quentin Rifle and Pistol Range: - File 9-3-30
Police Chief Michael Cronin reported that following a recent incident at the San Quentin Rifle
and Pistol Range where a number of rounds escaped and landed in the property in the general
area of ILM, an investigation was conducted, and it was determined the bullets all originated
from firearms used by the U.S. Park Police who were not regular users of the Range. This, he
stated, is significant, as fourteen years ago a similar incident took place in which a number of
rounds landed in the sewage treatment plant, and as a fix to that problem, the State Prison,
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SRCC Minutes (Regular) 04/02/2002 Page 13
which owns and operates the Ranges, implemented a number of rules including requiring user
agencies to submit their lesson plans for approval. Chief Cronin stated that this sufficed for the
intervening fourteen years with no further events; however, the U.S. Park Police used a course
of fire which had not previously been submitted to San Quentin for approval, which had it been,
would not have met with their approval.
Chief Cronin reported that following this incident, the Prison closed the Range and has now
reopened it only for its own use. They anticipate opening it for the use of other local State and
Federal Agencies in the near future, pursuant to all their instructors having gone through a
training class with the San Quentin Range Masters, re -submitting their courses of fire and
agreeing to submit to periodic inspection by San Quentin staff during their actual use of the
Range. This, he indicated is somewhat stricter than the policies enforced in the past.
Chief Cronin stated that San Quentin anticipated adding no more new users to the Range and
expects the outdoor Range to continue in operation probably for the next three to five years.
Mayor Boro commented he had not been aware rifles were also fired there
Confirming this, Police Chief Cronin stated when inspecting the Range, if it is used in the
manner prescribed by San Quentin, with the backstop/hill amounting to 300 -feet, it is perfectly
adequate for containing the projectiles, and it was only in this particular case they escaped the
Range.
There being no further business, the City Council meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m. to continue
Closed Session items.
CONTINUATION OF CLOSED SESSION — CONFERENCE ROOM 201
c) Conference with Labor Negotiator (Government Code Section 54957.6)
Negotiators' Names: Rod Gould, Ken Nordhoff, Lydia Romero, Daryl Chandler
Employee Organizations:
San Rafael Fire Chief Officers' Association
San Rafael Fire Association
San Rafael Police Mid -Management Association
San Rafael Police Association
Marin Association of Public Employees, Supervisor Unit, SEIU Local 949
Marin Association of Public Employees, Miscellaneous Unit, SEIU Local 949
Marin Association of Public Employees, Childcare Unit, SEIU Local 949
Mayor Boro announced that no reportable action was taken.
ADJOURNMENT: 10:50 PM
JEANNE M. LEONCINI, City Clerk
APPROVED THIS DAY OF 12002
MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SAN RAFAEL
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