The regular meeting of the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association Board of Directors was held Thursday, March 20, 2003.

1.1 CALL TO ORDER -- President Kathie Ready called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m.

1.2 SALUTE TO THE FLAG -- President Ready led the Board and the audience in the pledge of allegiance.

1.3 ROLL CALL -- Directors Kathie Ready, Jim Sherman, Pat Pebelier, Enrique Barboza and Peggy Sheridan were present.

1.4 Special Presentation -- President Kathie Ready announced that the Board would be presenting special commendations honoring the Arroyo High School Men's Varsity soccer Team for its championship season. The coaches, managers and players received certificates of appreciation.

2.O MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING -- Director Sherman moved to approve the minutes from the February 20, 2003, meetings Numbers 1075, 1076 and 1077. Director Pebelier seconds the motion. The minutes are approved unanimously.

3.0 COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC AGENCIES

3.1 Alameda County Sheriff's Dept. -- Deputy Kevin Lewis reported the following statistics for February-March 2003:

Crime                            Number    Change        Affected Street

Stolen vehicles                    5         +4          Hesperian(2), Via Arriba, Via Arroyo, Via Paro
Attempted Stolen Vehicle           1         +1          Via Vista
Recovered Stolen Vehicles          4         +2          Hacienda Ave, Hesperian, Via Honda, Via Vista/Channel
Residential Burglary               2         -2          Via Primero, Via San Ardo
Commercial Burglary                1         +1          Channel St
Attempted Burglary                 6         +1          Bockman, Lorenzo Ave (2), Via Del Rey, Via Enrico, Via Nueva
Grand Theft                        3        None         Via Alamo, Via Del Rey, Via Escondido
Graffiti                           2        None         Grant Ave, Via Barrett
Robbery                            2         +2          Paseo Grande/Paseo Del Campo, Via Murietta

Deputy Lewis gave an update on the Washington Apartments. He stated that the new owners have redone the parking and towed away a lot of the vehicles that were inoperative vehicles that were parked in the street. His department also caught a graffiti tagger in the area and his case has been submitted to the District Attorney's office for prosecution.

Director Ready asked about sales people/vendors who are pedaling their wares in Albertson's parking lot and in other neighborhood streets in San Lorenzo, without a permit. Lewis stated that there are county ordinances that will take care of these issues and encouraged anyone who sees this type of activity to contact his office.

Technician Freda Lewis stated that they had their Community Policing meeting for residents at Bay School earlier this month. The topic was Disaster Preparedness and they had a good attendance. She announced that next month on April 10th they would be having another meeting at Bay Elementary on drug awareness and recognition. Deputy Peterson is tentatively scheduled to speak. On March 25th there will be another Citizens Police Academy. Anyone interested in signing up should contact her at the Cop Shop or pick up one of the flyers she had left at the back table.

3.2 CHP -- Lt Joe Filleta with Hayward CHP presented the statistics (see the attached graph, attachment A).

3.3 Supervisor Alice Lai Bitker -- Supervisor Lai Bitker reported on the County Tree Preservation Ordinance. She said that she had met with staff and county counsel and they are trying to tighten the language in the ordinance in order to enforce it more effectively and forcefully.

She also reported that her office is working with PGE to secure the $25, 000 that they offered to restore the San Lorenzo trees. They are working with PGE to give this amount to the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association for the damage of trees by Davy Tree. She also asked that the residents identify areas where the damage is most prevalent in San Lorenzo.

She stated that her office also explored the law as to whether median signs for businesses were legal or not. She reported that signs in the median are against county ordinance and encouraged residents to contact her if they see any more signs like these in the median.

Lai-Bitker announced that she is arranging a meeting with Lorenzo Manor Shopping Center owner, Lisa Lowe, her staff, county zoning staff, Tona Henninger and the Homes Association's Administrator to discuss the landscaping Lowe had promised to complete for the center. She also announced that the owner of Hobbies Unlimited is also re-negotiating with Lowe so that his business can remain the center.

Lai-Biker announced two upcoming events. Sunday, April 6, there is a barbeque-fundraiser for the proposed San Lorenzo skate park and on Saturday, April 12, 2003 at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Ashland Community Center there is a community clean up day. She encouraged all residents to come out and participate at both of these events.

President Ready announced that residents in San Lorenzo who want to participate in the clean-up day, do not have to stay with the core group, but can come back to San Lorenzo and clean up an area they think is in need of attending to in San Lorenzo. The Administrator announced that the Association is in the process of identifying some areas in San Lorenzo that would be good for this project.

3.4 Public Comment -- Items not on the Agenda

The Administrator asked that the San Lorenzo Rotary have a chance to present their idea for a summer festival. This was accidentally left off the agenda for the meeting. There were no objections from the Board. Judie Huie spoke on behalf of the Rotary. She stated that the Rotary will once again be putting on another wine and flower festival. She stated that another organization had said that it would be putting on this festival, however the Rotary will continue to sponsor and run this festival. The event will be held on July 19th and 20th. They will hold the event in the same area as last year, near the Little League field at Mervyn Morris Park. The Administrator asked what provisions will be made to take down signs announcing the festival, after the event is over. Huie stated that each individual who posts the signs will be kept track of and will be responsible for taking the signs down after the event is over.

The Administrator stated that she had spoken with the person who organized the festival last year, who had already spoken with Little League Officials about the use of its field for another festival the following weekend. President Ready stated that the board would not approve two (2) festivals on two consecutive weekends. The Board would need to talk with Little League about this other event.

8.1 Final approval of Hesperian Corridor (timed agenda item 8:00 p.m.) -- There was a presentation by Callander and Associates of the final proposal of the street scape master plan for the Hesperian Corridor from A street to Highway 880. It was pointed out that there are four different categories that they looked at in creating this master plan. These categories include, how to improve pedestrian circulation through Hesperian Blvd, bike circulation, vehicular circulation and how to improve mass transit in the area. The process in developing this plan took over a year, with three workshops which solicited community input.. The master plan is just phase one of many phases. It is the blueprint for what the community wants to see in the area and will help to identify funding sources for the project. New landscaping, expanded sidewalks in retail areas, striped bike lanes and the removal of street parking that is not being utilized were all in the plan. New bus shelters were also included in the plan. A gateway feature that would identify that a traveler had entered San Lorenzo was also included in the plan. A smaller gateway feature would also be featured to identify the downtown core of the Village.

Stamped paving for crosswalk areas were suggested to add vibrancy to the area. It was pointed out that this is just phase one in a multi-phased project. This initial phase will help the county and the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association to identify funding. Once funding sources have been identified then the project can begin its many phases. If for example there is funding through the transportation department for bike lanes, the project should begin with those. It is important that the funding be identified prior to the implementation of any of the proposed plan.

It was asked how much funding had been identified. There had been none so far. The Administrator stated that due to the state cuts there is no money available at this time, however this is a good vision and something to look towards for the future and a good tool to use to try and acquire funding that does become available. Dowling asked about the stamped paving and its durability. It was pointed out that stamped concrete is very durable if done properly and with the correct thickness.

Director Sherman made a motion to approve the Hesperian Corridor Master Plan as presented by Callander and Associates, Director Sheridan seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

8.2 Presentation of Proposal for Planning and Zoning -- Jim Sorenson -- President Ready said that the Board had reviewed the proposals and felt first that the county should retain the Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) as is, with the possibility of looking at expanding the West county BZA to a seven (7) member board, with more representation for Castro Valley.

With respect to the Planning Commission, the board would like to see the commission increase its members, and that as each current member's term expires, that consideration of appointments be given to residents from the unincorporated area. The Board believes that the commission does not have enough representation from the unincorporated area of the county and that local control is needed on the Planning Commission.

Jim Sorenson stated that the purpose of this effort is to address the issue of insufficient local control that many members of the unincorporated areas feel is in need of review. Sorenson outlined the current process of review and approval of issues and reviewed some of the scenarios that have been proposed to revise the planning and zoning process. He stated that one scenario included expanding the planning commission, adding new members that would represent unincorporated areas. Another similar scenario which would go along with what the Homes Association likes is to change how members get appointed to the planning commission, by changing how many appointments each Supervisor is allotted. Another scenario was to abolish the Planning Commission and appoint three area planning commissions. One for the Eden Area, which include San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland and Mt. Eden; one for Castro Valley-Fairfield areas and one for East County. However, due to the law, this scenario would still require a planning commission for the whole area, so there would be four (4) commissions involved in planning and zoning issues. Currently there are four bodies now, with the Planning Commission, two BZAs and a Municipal Advisory Council. Sorenson stated that he is aware that the San Lorenzo Village Board is against this proposal, but pointed out that at a town hall meeting in Castro Valley, sponsored by Supervisor Miley, the residents were in favor of this alternative. It is unclear where the Ashland community as a whole stands with respect to these proposals. He said that San Lorenzo and Castro Valley are at opposite ends of these reforms. Sorenson noted that the latter scenario would be more expensive, costing the county $100,000 more a year to implement . Additional staff time would be involved and some possible new hiring. The scenario that the San Lorenzo Board is in favor of would cost the county no more in funding. Sorenson stated that county staff would be reporting back to the Board of Supervisors next week. He expects one of these alternatives to go forward at some point in the near future.

President Ready stated that the Board supports its scenario because it believes that the unincorporated bodies need to unite as one body as it currently does on the BZAs. She pointed out that the numbers of residents in these unincorporated areas of Castro Valley, Ashland, Cherryland, San Lorenzo etc. is larger than many surrounding cities and the unity of the unincorporated areas is important to make an impact in the county. If the areas start breaking up into little groups, that unity and that strength against county bodies will be lost. Sorenson stated that he would pass this on to the Supervisors. He also noted that there were a variety of scenarios -- seven (7) to be exact -- that were suggested by a variety of individuals and groups.

The Administrator asked Sorenson if there was a scenario to appoint all unincorporated members to the Planning Commission would that be acceptable. Sorenson stated yes that could be possible. He stated that currently Board Members nominate an individual and it takes three (3) Supervisors to approve that nomination. Currently District 1 gets two (2) appointments , District 2-Supervisor Steele's gets two (2), District 3-Lai-Bitker gets one (1) appointment, District 4- Miley gets one (1) appointment and District 5 gets one (1) appointment. Those appointments don't necessarily have to come from their respective districts, but can come from anywhere.

Howard Beckman stated that this is a really complex issue that many people do not understand what is underneath it. He supports the idea that the unincorporated areas act in solidarity. He said that either the Planning Commission should be made of all unincorporated members or at the least a majority of its members should come from the unincorporated areas. The reason for this is that the issues that come to this body almost always deal with unincorporated zoning or planning issues. Although not his preferred scenario, he would also support the idea of area planning commissions. However, there is a trade off between a global/regional perspective and a local perspective. The issue could become so local that decisions would be made and based on a neighbor's approval.

Beckman stated that he wished Supervisor Miley was at the meeting to address questions. He said that if there are area planning commissions there should be one for the entire West County, with Castro Valley as well as other west county unincorporated communities involved. He said that all the neighborhoods deal with the same county entities and if we band together we would see more of the desired outcomes from these agencies. Beckman said that leaving Castro Valley with a separate planning commission and the Eden Area with another it is far too local. He stated that there has to be some sort of regional perspective for all the unincorporated areas.

Keith Barros stated that he supports the idea of the solidarity of the unincorporated areas. He is in favor of changing the number of representatives from the unincorporated areas to the Planning Commission. He stated that he agrees with Beckman, that if area Planning Commissions are instituted, there should be a west and an east county commission. Castro Valley should not have a commission all to itself. The bigger picture is that what we do in one community will affect all communities.

Director Ready stated that if we stay united as unincorporated areas in the BZA and in the Planning Commission this will help Castro Valley in the long run. If we separate our communities, we may have more local control, but in the long run, it will impact what happens to all communities in the future in a negative way.

The San Lorenzo Board of Directors made the following recommendations to the county for a change in appointments to the Planning Commission: One (1) appointment from District 1; One (1) appointment from District 2; Two (2) appointments from District 3; Four (4) appointments from District 4 and One (1) appointment from District 5.

The Administrator stated that the other alternative would be to appoint unincorporated members as commission's expire since there is only one member out of the seven members on the Planning Commission that is currently from the unincorporated area.

Director Ready stated that the Board was willing to consider this idea if for some reason, the county was unable to make the changes for Supervisor's appointments.

The Administrator also asked that Sorenson make sure his staff is directing homeowners from San Lorenzo to the Association office if they are showing plans to the county. She stated that there was one recent instance where plans were approved by the county which went against Association CC&R's. She stated that she would forward an informational sheet to Sorenson's staff to prevent this from happening in the future.

4.0 FINANCIAL REPORT

4.1 Approval of February 2003 Expenditures and discussion of significant variances -- Director Sherman moved with a second by Director Pebelier that the Board approve the expenditures for February 2003. The motion was passed unanimously.

5.0 LIEN AND VIOLATION REPORT -- The Administrator reported that there have been no liens released since the last February 2003 Board meeting.

                                           February  Violation Report


Number    Violation                            # of Letters

1/19      Inoperable Vehicles in driveway          33
2/22      Recreational veh/trailer in driveway     13
6         Lack of Gen Maintenance                   8
7/20      Unpaved Parking                          11
10        Lawn Height                               9
11        Dead Trees                                0
12        Overgrown Vegetation                      2
13        Holiday Lights                           18
15        Building Exterior                         9
16        Dirt Accumulation                        11
17        Attractive Nuisances                      6
18        Lean/miss fence                           3
21        Working on vehicles                       0
23        Dogs/Cats more than 2                     0
24        Barking dogs                              1
25        Prohibited animals                        0
26        Excess noise                              0
27        No Home Business                          0
28/99     Other comments                            1

Total                                             124

6.0 ZONING ISSUES (may require recommendation motions) -- The Administrator stated there are none at this time.

7.0 ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT

7.1 Informational items -- The Administrator encouraged all residents to get tickets for the BBQ to raise funds for the San Lorenzo skateboard park. She stated that both the Association Office and Kevin Dowling, staff to Supervisor Lai-Bitker are selling these tickets.

Ready asked how long it would take to put up a fence around the park and asked if this was going to be done. Dowling stated that HARD had said that if needed a fence could be put up in a very short period of time. The Administrator had asked Dowling to invite HARD to the Sheriffs Advisory meeting to discuss the skateboard park and this issue of fencing. The Administrator stated that she would report back at the next meeting regarding what the sheriff's had indicated about fencing and also speak with HARD to find out exactly how much time is involved in putting up this fencing.

8.0 OTHER BUSINESS

8.1 Final approval of Hesperian Corridor (timed agenda item, 8:00 p.m.)

8.2 Presentation of Proposal for Planning & Zoning -- James Sorensen (timed agenda item, 8:15 p.m.)

8.3 Presentation of change in traffic citation Sheriff's Department -- The Sheriff's department presented the proposal to the community that Supervisor Miley is supporting to add sheriff's enforcement in the unincorporated area to assist the CHP with traffic and parking infractions. This proposal has not as yet been approved, and may not be. With this new proposal, and additional 12 deputy sheriffs and two sergeants would patrol a total of 12 hours per day, 7 days per week. This would be the equivalent of adding one deputy sheriff in each of the five patrol sectors to enhance the activities of the CHP, not to replace them but to enhance the service that they are already doing a great job providing. They would not be taking over the traffic control at all, just adding an additional officer to each of the area for additional enhancements.

The Administrator asked how this would be financed. It was noted at a previous meeting, that the tickets generated by these additional officers would not cover the additional costs for the enforcement. It was noted that part of the funding would be from funds rolled over from the previous year which were given to the department for their outstanding enforcement, as well as part could come from grants and other resources that are available now. They are also hoping that the Supervisors will help fund this proposal.

The Administrator noted that when Castro Valley was looking into cityhood, they were quoted $175,000 per police officer, including the car unit. The Officer said that the cost would not be $175,000 per officer. He stated that some of the funds could be covered by the tickets, depending on how many officers are out writing tickets. Funds are generated to the county by these tickets. Depending on the type of ticket, some fines can be quite costly and generate more money for their agency. Red light runners generate high fines versus other tickets. So if the deputies that are assigned to these units write a lot of these types of tickets, the revenue generated by these fines could potentially fund additional officers.

Lt. Joe Filleta from the CHP stated that his department is against this proposal. There is no legal authority for the sheriff's department to form this type of enforcement and no precedent in the State of California. They feel that they work well with the Sheriffs department in may areas and feel that the CHP's current enforcement is sufficient. He asked that any resident who feels there is a traffic issue that needs to be addressed contact the CHP office.

The Sheriff's department noted that this is not a way to undermine or usurp what the CHP is currently doing, it is only a way to get more law enforcement on the roads. If there is a call, with no CHP unit around, the additional sheriff's officer in that area would take the call. This proposal is not just about writing tickets, but to increase law enforcement in an area.

Keith Barros stated that more law enforcement on the streets can only enhance our community. If more people are getting tickets in an area then more people will drive more safely in an area.

8.4 Draft Budget for FY 2003-04 -- The Administrator stated that the budget will be introduced at the April Board meeting after it is published in the March/April 2003 newsletter which will go out next week. She stated that the operational budget is that the assessment will not increase but will remain at $65.00.

The Administrator stated that the Board had discussed with her about the possibility of the new development for the area in the upcoming years and how the Association might go about upgrading or remodeling its grounds and buildings. She stated there is an architect in the redevelopment agency who they will meet with in the next several weeks who can give them ideas of what they might consider and what the cost would be.

The Administrator stated that the redevelopment agency does have funds to help refurbish buildings in the Village Square area. Currently building facade program is on a two to one basis, i.e.; if the Association put in $30,000 the county would put in $60,000. She will be bringing this issue back for discussion and adoption at the April 2003 meeting.

There was a question as to whether the Lollipop Lane Rent had increased. The Administrator noted that it has increased approximately $2000 per year.

Howard Beckman questioned whether the Association would be qualified to get redevelopment funds. He also was concerned with whether the membership has been asked its opinion about keeping the Association property versus selling it as was the original plan.

Redevelopment staff Jeannie Bloebaum stated that anyone in the Village Square area can apply for these funds in the area. The committee makes the final determination about who gets the funding. She also introduced Merida Verrilick as a new staff person to the Redevelopment Agency.

8.5 Board appointment to Committees -- Consensus of the Board to postpone this item until April 2003 meeting.

8.6 President's Report -- Consensus of the Board to postpone this item until April 2003 meeting.

9.0 PUBLIC COMMENT -- Keith Barros asked that the Scott Bohannon take a look at the parking issues in the Hacienda Shopping Center. One of the businesses even painted its own curb a different color.

Nancy Shelvy invited all residents to come out and support the Lorenzo Theater at their fundraiser/dance on April 5th.

10.0 COMMITTEE REPORTS

10.1 Airport Committees -- The Administrator stated that since the last Board meeting a letter has been gone out to Representative Pete Stark to try and get the Hayward Airport staff to respond to some of San Lorenzo residents concerns about the plane noise and airport traffic.

10.2 Library Committee -- Director Sheridan reported that there had been some serious discussions about the method used to determine the percentage of folks that use the library and the committee finally reached consensus on the issue.

11.0 COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS -- President Ready thanked everyone for attending.

12.0 ADJOURNMENT -- Director Ready adjourned the meeting at 9:48 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Pat Pebelier
Secretary-Treasurer

Recorded & Transcribed By: Kathleen Harrigan, Sr. Admin. Assistant
Reviewed By: President Ready and Nancy Van Huffel, Administrator