Category: Newsletter

Minimum Wage Campaign Update 

The ECDC’s lobbying and organizing efforts on increasing the minimum wage in El Cerrito persuaded the City Council on Tuesday, August 18, 2015,  to hold a  study session to discuss creating an ordinance to increase the minimum wage. They directed City staff to draft an ordinance that would set the minimum wage at $15 per hour for all workers employed in El Cerrito by either 2018 or 2020.

The Club’s efforts are NOT finished. We still need to make sure this ordinance get enacted by January 1, 2016. Stay tuned for more opportunities to stay involved on this issue.

Meeting Recap

The August meeting featured a discussion of “high” policy importance. Sean Donahoe, co-founder of the California Cannabis Industry Association presented on what’s happened and what the future looks like for cannabis policy reform. Sean provided an in-depth background on how Washington and Colorado are doing after legalizing recreational and medical use of marijuana. He spoke about the 2016 election and the anticipated ballot measure. Sean answered a multitude of questions from Club members.

The meeting was also covered in the Contra Costa Times.

 

Tuesday, September 22 6:00 p.m

Zion Presbyterian Church 545 Ashbury Ave.

Saturday, October 10 is around the corner. Be sure to purchase your annual dinner tickets!

BART Director Rebecca Saltzman and BART Director Zakhary Mallett will present Better BART, Better Bay Area to the Club.  BART has a nine member elected Board of Directors, and El Cerrito is represented by both Directors.  They will present an update on current BART ridership numbers, projects and conditions, and a look at upcoming and potential projects and funding.  They will also discuss the challenges ahead and will ask  for your ideas and comments, with plenty of time for your questions.

More about our speakers:

Rebecca Saltzman was elected to the BART Board on November 6, 2012. Director Saltzman represents District 3, which includes Albany (partial), Berkeley (partial), Oakland (partial), Piedmont, San Leandro (partial), Unincorporated Alameda County (partial), El Cerrito (partial), Lafayette (partial), Moraga, Orinda and Unincorporated Contra Costa County (partial).

Before she was elected, Director Saltzman spent years as a public transit and policy advocate, coalition builder, grassroots organizer, and manager with local, state, and national issue-based organizations.

In addition to her service on the BART Board, Saltzman also works as the government affairs manager for a statewide environmental organization.

Saltzman graduated with a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley. She lives in Oakland, and relies on BART, buses, and walking to get around.

Zakhary Mallett was first elected to represent the residents of BART’s Seventh District during the November, 2012 General Election. The Seventh District includes Albany (partial), Berkeley (partial), Emeryville, Oakland (partial), El Cerrito (partial), Hercules, Pinole, Richmond, San Pablo, Unincorporated Contra Costa County (partial) and San Francisco (partial).

A Bay Area native, Director Mallett took a quite-fascination in transit at a young age. Before being elected to the BART Board, Mallett participated civically in several transportation and regional planning study initiatives for more than ten years.

Consistent with his passion, Director Mallett is trained as a City/Transportation Planner by profession.  He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Stanford University and has a Master of City Planning (MCP) degree with a Transportation Planning emphasis from the University of California, Berkeley.