Upcoming July 24, 2018 Meeting Preview – ECDC Leadership
Meeting will be held on July 24, 2018 at the Presbyterian Church at 545 Ashbury Ave, El Cerrito 94530. Meeting begins at 6:30 PM.
AGENDA FOR THE BUSINESS MEETING – JANET ABELSON
- 6:00 Doors Open: Pizza available ($5)
- 6:30 Call to Order
- 6:30 Approval of Minutes of June 26, 2018 Meeting
- 6:35 Treasurer’s Report
- 6:40 Summary of EBoard Actions of June 4, 2018 – Janet Abelson
- 6:45 Committee Reports
- 6:55 ECDC Board for next year – Peter Chau
- 7:00 Upcoming Endorsement Meetings – Peter Chau, Mister Phillips
- 7:05 October 20 Dinner – Mark your calendar
- 7:10 Fall Precinct Walking Volunteers
- 7:15 Announcements
PROGRAM
The following are articles and speakers for the Program
7:25 El Cerrito Council Members Greg Lyman and Paul Fadelli
El Cerrito is presently a “General Law City” but is considering becoming a “Charter City.” Residents will have to allow such a change by voting in the general election this November. As a Charter City, El Cerrito would have more options for funding important local services or important capital projects. Potentially, the biggest impact for El Cerrito would be the ability to implement a Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT). A RPTT could generate approximately $2.7 million annually and would be levied whenever a property is sold and changes ownership.
The City held public hearings on May 1 and June 18th to discuss becoming a Charter City and to hear community input. The City Council was scheduled to formally consider placing the city charter decision and implementing a RPTT on the November ballot at the July 17, 2018 regular meeting at City Hall. If the Council agrees to put such an option on the November ballot, Councilmembers Greg Lyman and Paul Fadelli will discuss the background and advantages of becoming a Charter City and review the ballot language and the ramifications of a yes or no vote.
Hon. Greg Lyman has been a City Councilmember since 2008 and was Mayor of El Cerrito for two terms. He is a civil engineer employed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). Lyman received Civil and Environmental Engineering degrees from Cornell University. He was a member of El Cerrito’s special Charter City Committee.
Hon. Paul Fadelli was elected to the City Council in 2016. Before that he was the Manager of State and Federal Legislation for the SF Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). Fadelli has worked for several elected officials in the state and federal capitals. He holds Political Science and History degrees from UC Davis and a graduate degree in Journalism from UCLA. He was a member of El Cerrito’s special Charter City Committee.
7:55 Robert Cheasty, Executive Director, Citizens for East Shore Parks
Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) focuses on the acquisition and preservation of parkland in the San Francisco Bay Area. CESP works to protect open space along the East Bay Shoreline for natural habitat and recreational purposes through advocacy, education, and outreach. The mission of CESP is to preserve and enhance the natural resources and recreational and educational opportunities of the east shore of San Francisco Bay, creating a necklace of shoreline parks from the Oakland Estuary to the Carquinez Strait. Since its founding in 1985, CESP has worked to secure approximately 1,800 acres (730 ha) of public land, primarily through the creation of the 8.5-mile (13.7 km) long Eastshore State Park in 2002. Increasingly, CESP has been focusing on raising awareness of the issues involved with climate change and the resulting rising tides which will impact the Bay Area shorelines and parks.
Robert Cheasty, Executive Director of CESP, will discuss the impacts of climate change and global warming on our EastShore coastline and parks and what can be done about it. He is the former President and a founding member of the organization. For the past ten years he has served as President of the Bay Dredging Action Coalition, an organization dedicated to ecologically sound and efficient dredging solutions in San Francisco Bay. Cheasty has also served as Mayor of Albany and held numerous public positions with the Albany Redevelopment Board, Albany Pension Board, Albany Earthquake Preparedness Program, Solano Avenue Association, and League of California Cities. Cheasty also heads a Berkeley law firm specializing in civil litigation located on Solano Avenue.
8:25 Adjourn