1.1 CALL TO ORDER - The regular meeting of the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association Board of Directors was held Thursday, October 15, 2009. President Kathy Martins called the meeting to order at 7:32 p.m.

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

1.3 ROLL CALL - Directors, Kathy Martins, Margaret Wright, Richard Ogg and Mel Medeiros, were present.

2.O MINUTES FROM THE PREVIOUS MEETING -- Director Wright made a motion to approve the Minutes from meetings No 1207 of September 17, 2009, and work sessions #1208 on September 28, 2009 and October 8, 2009. Director Medeiros seconds, the motion carried unanimously.

3.0 COMMITTEE REPORTS

3.1 Neighborhood Advisory Group -- Director Wright reported that they met last week and reviewed the proposed Marijuana Ordinance. The committee felt the wording on the dispensary moratorium was ready to go before the Board Of Supervisors (BOS). They would have the county attorney review it. Currently there are three permits in available for the unincorporated area. One is used by "We Are Hemp". One application is pending and one is still outstanding. The group wants to get the moratorium implemented as soon as possible. They will continue to work on the Ordinance and its wording.

3.2 Community Engagement Committee -- Director Wright reported that they met last night and they discussed the Women's Resource night which was very successful. There were 15 vendors and approximately 50 people that came to the event. The group plans to do another event in January.

Director Wright stated that the next big event is the Children's Halloween Parade and Game Extravaganza. Volunteers are needed the morning of the event, October 31, 2009. We will be meeting at 7:30 am and hope to get lots of volunteers to help set up. The parade will start at 10 am at the San Lorenzo Community church before it moves down to the Association parking lot and games begin at 10:30 am. Bring your children and your friends, this will be an even bigger event than last year.

Director Wright announced that the Winter Fest will be held on December 8, 2009 with our annual tree lighting ceremony. All residents should come and participate. Director Medeiros stated that the Arroyo marching band will be participating in both the Halloween as well as the Winter Fest event.

3.3 Hayward Area Recreational District (HARD) Advisory Committee -- Director Medeiros reported that he and fellow member Betty Moose from San Lorenzo did inspections on all the parks in our area. Committee members who inspected Ashland and Cherryland parks gave very positive reports. Medieros and Moose were very disappointed with the upkeep at the San Lorenzo parks and facilities run by HARD. Then HARD reported on where they had spent their money in the past years and there has been very little effort and funds concentrated in San Lorenzo. Medeiros stated that with Measure WW, San Lorenzo would get some funding for its parks and facilities, however they have not sold the bonds to release funds as of yet and thus everything is on "hold" in San Lorenzo.

Resident Kathie Ready asked if Medeiros ever attends the Board of Director meetings for HARD. She stated that more residents need to attend this meeting and raise their concerns for the parks and the facilities owned by HARD in our area. She urged both residents and Medeiros to attend these meetings as well and let the directors know of their concerns.

3.4 Redevelopment Committee -- Director Martins stated that the Bohannon Organization would be coming back to the Committee on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 to submit their plan for the Village Square Area. All residents are encouraged to attend.

The Castro Valley Chamber of Commerce has expanded and now includes the San Lorenzo Eden Area. This has been developed with the help of the Redevelopment Agency.

Resident Keith Barros stated he is concerned with the sidewalk repair that has been done with the help of the Redevelopment Agency. It seems that the work done is "patchwork" leaving different colors of sidewalk and gutters in front of resident's houses. He thinks that the work looks horrible. Director Martins stated that this issue has been brought up at the Redevelopment meeting and they have invited Public Works to their next meeting to discuss this further. A resident asked what the turn around time was once a resident puts in a request through the Redevelopment Agency for this sidewalk repair. Kathy Ready stated that it could take up to a year.

Martins noted that the Redevelopment Agency is in negotiations to purchase the Lorenzo Theater from the owner Dr. Salwan. Bill Lambert, from Redevelopment, brought people into the Theater to see what can be done and will presenting this to the committee at an upcoming meeting.

Redevelopment has been working with the sheriffs department to get new neighborhood watch signs that will be graffiti repellant. They have already set aside money for this program, so neighborhoods should be getting new signs in the very near future.

President Martins stated that Redevelopment is also involved with helping the Association sponsor another Earth Day in April 2010 that will be even bigger and better.

4.0 COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC AGENCIES

4.1 CHP -- Sergeant Steve Perea reported that they will be down-sizing due to the budget constraints and are currently short staffed. There are only four patrols -- one officer in the four sectors. CHP does have 17 senior volunteers that are helping with the radar channels in the unincorporated area. These volunteers are also currently helping his department with a traffic surveys in the area. Once his department can prove that there is a need for more officers in a specific area, they will be positioned in that area.

Perea warned people not to warm up their vehicles without being inside of them in the early morning hours because many vehicles have been stolen this way. Thieves know your routine better than you do. Perea stated that there have been no major collisions or fatalities in the area.

Perea said that he will be the new Administrative Sergeant and will be dealing with traffic complaints or situations in the area as of November 1, 2009. He also stated that they will do their best to help with the Association's annual Halloween party on October 31, 2009.

Resident Steve Daly said that intersection on Via Manzanas and Via Alamitos has a lot of motorists ignoring the stop sign and rolling through this intersection. They are traveling very fast and he is worried about a collision in that area. There are a lot of school children that use the area to walk to and from school. Perea asked that residents get a license plate number. They can do a search and send the registered owner a letter noting what was seen and warning them of a citation.

4.2 Sheriff's Department -- Sgt Scheuller left crime statistics for the month of September. He reported that his department was very busy this past month. He attended the Castro Valley Festival and the Cherryland Community Festival this past month. St John's also had a church festival which his department attended.

The Cop Shop fundraiser was very successful this year and he thanked those San Lorenzo residents who participated. His department will also be helping with the Association's Annual Children's Parade and Game Extravaganza.

A resident asked what should be done about youth they have seen in their neighborhood squatting near vehicles wearing dark outfits. Scheuller encouraged all residents to call the Sheriff immediately if they see "any" suspicious activity in or around their neighborhoods.

4.3 Supervisor Lai-Bitker -- Staff member, Gene Calderon said that he brought flyers for a community meeting about the property that Redevelopment is considering purchasing on Via Toledo and Hacienda. He urged residents to attend and let the county know what they would like to see done to this property. They need community input. Supervisor Lai-Bitker's staff and Association Board members will be canvassing the surrounding neighborhoods inviting the residents in and around the area to attend. There will be a sign posted in front of the property. The meeting will be held Saturday, November 7, 2009 from 12pm to 2pm.

Calderon noted that their office has been inundated with calls regarding the new flood insurance requirements for the area. His office worked with the county and FEMA and was able to pull over 450 parcels from the new flood zone area. This issue will be further discussed at the unincorporated meeting on October 28, 2009. A representative from FEMA will be present and they will have a map showing the new flood zone in the area.

4.4 Zoning Enforcement Report - Lora Hogan was in attendance. She left a report on the status of referrals for the month of September 2009. She also reported that the property on the corner of Via Arriba and Via Poudre would be brought to hearing on November 4, 2009 if they do not clear all the code violations.

4.5 Public Comment - Items Not on the Agenda

Kathie Ready was concerned about the status of the billboards with the proposed new billboard ordinance. She also said that she agrees with residents about the sidewalk repair, it is very poor and does not improve the neighborhoods.

Resident Keith Barros stated that he hopes the redevelopment agency and the CAC committee does not allow Dr. Salwan to delay the negotiations with the purchase of the Theater. He said that he would also like to see the street sweeping signs noting that from 12-1 there is no sweeping, in order to give residents time to move their vehicles. Barros said that Director Mellon from East Bay MUD has still not responded to any of his emails regarding San Lorenzo and its water.

Resident Howard Beckman said that for three months he has been asking for "dead and dry" lawns to be put on the agenda. He stated that he has never had a response. The Administrator noted that this issue was on the agenda two months ago.

Beckman stated that the first priority of the staff should be to respond to its members. He has a great interest in non profit organizations and how they succeed. The reason the Association has not been able to get a large response in running for Board of Directors is because there is too much expected of these positions. Directors should not be expected to turn half of their life over for the Association. He said that there should be less time concentrated on items that do not deal directly with the Association. The Association is not the only voice of the community. Directors need to have fewer expectations on issues not related directly to the association and its members.

5.0 FINANCIAL REPORT

5.1 Approval of September 2009 Expenditures, including payroll -- Director Wright made a motion to approve the expenditures for September 2009 including payroll, Director Ogg seconds, and the motion carries unanimously.

6.0 ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT

6.1 Grissom's Mortuary -- The Administrator noted that personnel from the Bay Area Air Quality Control District will be at the next unincorporated meeting on 10/28/09 to discuss this issue and get community input. She encouraged residents to attend this meeting.

6.2 KIPP Community Meeting -- The Administrator stated that there will be a community meeting held here in the community hall on October 20, 2009 from 6-7:30 to further discuss this issue and hear about the county's traffic study on the area. She invited all residents or interested parties to attend.

6.3 Other Informational Items -- The Administrator announced that there is are three seats up for election this year - two for the incumbents and one that was vacated by Director Bieschke. Candidates can pick up papers in the Association office by October 16, 2009.

7.0 OTHER BUSINESS (motions may be required)

7.1 Presentation from Planning Department on the proposed Billboard Ordinance -- The Planner Sonia Urzua reported on the revisions to the ordinance. She noted that the Community Development Agency wanted to see if there were ways to reduce the amount of billboards in the area. The original ordinance was passed in 2008 by the BOS which said that billboards would be prohibited categorically with four exemptions. One of these exemptions dealt with the relocation process of these billboards. The complication with revising this ordinance is that staff has to go back and revise the existing language in the ordinance and the Specific Plan that do not coincide with the language needed to implement the relocation of these billboards.

Resident Kathy Ready said that she was concerned with the revisions in this billboard ordinance which would in turn create changes to the wording in the Specific Plan. She did not believe that the county has exhausted all efforts to approach these billboard owners and offer them funds to remove or relocate. Her fear was that in this relocation process, billboards will be removed from one area and placed within San Lorenzo's borders. Ready noted that our community is already inundated with billboards on Hesperian Blvd. The revisions to this ordinance do not seem to restrict where the billboards are allowed, but in fact seem to allow for more exceptions which include residential districts.

Marita Hawryluk, from County Redevelopment, stated that many other agencies have been involved in the ordinance prior to redevelopment. The proposal to limit or remove billboards has been in the process with several county agencies for the past seven (7) years. It has been a collaborative process. Redevelopment has been involved only within the past year. Their role in the process was to help identify billboards in specific areas that were not appealing to the community and report these back to the county.

Hawryluk said that there is a possibility of buying out the billboard companies, however it is very expensive and can be as high as $200 thousand dollars per billboard. The billboard contracts are also very difficult to get out of and the time frames prohibit many by-outs. She stated that the one of the reasons the Redevelopment Agency has become involved is because they have the money to purchase these billboards. It was thought that with Redevelopment's help, the county would have more success in helping to reduce the number of billboard sites.

Hawryluk stated that you cannot reduce or remove billboards from the one area unless you reduce billboards in other areas. She noted that both the Board of Supervisors (BOS) and the Planning Commission have to approve a billboard's relocation. There is also room for appeal. The BOS is aware that this is a very sensitive issue.

Ready stated that this ordinance allows billboards in any district, residential or business. It will allow billboards in areas that were previously restricted. If the ordinance limited the location of where a billboard can be placed such as freeway frontage or commercial only it would be beneficial, however she did not believe that the way it is currently worded is in the best interest of the residents of San Lorenzo. Hawryluk stated that the very last clause of the ordinance speaks to these concerns that articulate restrictions of billboard locations.

Resident Howard Beckman. said that history is important because it tells us how we got here and what is really going on. Beckman said that until last summer billboards were restricted, and that were legally non-conforming and should have disappeared. At some point the Redevelopment Agency was brought into the mix to speak to community organizations and groups to ask which billboards they thought were the most offensive. Beckman said that Kathy Ready is right when she states that the "clean-up" ordinance now gives even more property rights to these billboard companies. We have gone from a ban, to even more property rights in this new "clean-up" ordinance. Hawryluk stated that Beckman is correct that the county was lax in its enforcement and now the current billboards cannot be removed because of the time that has lapsed.

The next review of this clean up ordinance will be at the Planning Commission in November. The Administrator said that she has 10 copies of this ordinance and can get more if residents request. She asked Hawryluk if the ordinance limits the amount of billboards to 66, which is the amount currently in the unincorporated area. Hawryluk stated that the object of the new ordinance is to reduce the number of billboards, however she will review the wording to make sure it specifically limits the number.

7.2 Accept the Resignation of Wulf Bieschke -- Director Medeiros moved to accept the resignation of Director Bieschke, Director Wright seconded. The motion carries.

President Martins noted that Bieschke was an asset to the Board of Directors and the Association. He will be missed.

7.2 Elect a Board Vice President -- Director Wright moved to elect Director Medeiros as the new Board Vice President, Director Ogg seconds, the motion carries unanimously.

7.4 Recommend person to replace Mr. Bieschke's position on the Redevelopment committee -- President Martins moves to appoint Director Wright to replace Bieschke on the County Redevelopment Committee, Director Ogg seconds, the motion carries as follows:

Ayes: Martin, Ogg, Wright
Abstain: Medeiros

7.5 Discussion and action on Outbuilding, Shed and Work Shed policy

Director Medeiros noted that the Board has been working on this policy with input from residents for almost a full year. They conducted a survey, had community meetings and have posted the draft policy in the newsletter.

Director Medeiros makes a motion to approve the Outbuilding, Shed and Work Shed Policy, Director Wright seconds.

Discussion: Resident Keith Barros noted that this new policy will allow a 200 square foot shed for a standard lot. He had an issue with the survey which gave what he feels was an inaccurate reading on what residents wanted. The survey never allowed for residents to consider the status quo shed that was approved up until this new policy was considered. He asked if the height would still be only 10 ft. The Administrator noted that anything higher than 10 ft would need a variance to be approved. All plans for any back yard or front yard structure(s) must still be submitted to the Association prior to approval.

The Motion carries. Ayes: Martins, Medeiros, Wright; No: Ogg

7.6 Discussion and Action on the Garage Policy

Director Medeiros makes a motion to accept the proposed garage policy, Director Wright seconds.

Discussion: Mr. Williams from Via Del Sol asked about the highlighted areas in red that the attorney had noted in the initial draft. Why was some of this language not included? The Administrator noted that the wording was not necessary due to the fact that residents already have the right to bring suit against their neighbor and the wording was not necessary in the policy, but is included by law in the Davis Sterling Act.

Resident Pat Barker asked about a double car garage, can a homeowner do this in tandem. The Administrator noted that yes as long as it complies with requirement number 4 which states "The garage is unobtrusive from the street and from sightlines of neighboring homes and back yards."

The motion is voted upon as requested above and approved unanimously.

7.7 Approval of New Logo of the Homes Assoc. -- The Administrator noted that the Association reviewed the new logo last month and it was met with approval by the residents in attendance at the board meeting.

Director Medeiros moves to approve the new logo, and Director Ogg seconds, the motion carries unanimously.

8.0 LIENS AND VIOLATIONS REPORT

The Administrator reported that there have been no liens from Sept 2009 board meeting.

September 2009 Violation Report

Number  Violation                              No. of Letters

1/19    Inoperable Vehicles in driveway               2
2/22    Recreational veh/trailer in driveway          2
6       Lack of General Maintenance                   5
10      Lawn Height                                  25
11      Dead Trees                                   --
12      Overgrown Vegetation                         --
13      Holiday Lights                                0
14      No signs                                      0
15      Building Exterior                             4
16      Dirt Accumulation                            --
17      Attractive Nuisances                         -- 
18      Lean/miss fence                               0
20/7    Unpaved parking                               2
21      Working on vehicles                           1
23      Dogs/Cats more than 2                         0
24      Barking dogs                                  5
25      Prohibited animals                            0
26      Excessive noise                               4
27      No Home Business                              0
28/99   Other/ comments                               9
30      Multiple violations                          14
31      Plans needed                                  1

Total                                                74

9.0 COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS -- Director Medeiros thanked everyone for attending the meeting. Director Wright urged residents to help with the Children's Halloween Party, we need volunteers!

Director Martin urged residents to attend the Farmers Market. She noted that every Saturday you can find a current or past Board Member at the market.

10.1 HEARING DISPOSITIONS

10.2 Hearings

567 PASEO DEL RIO - Unpaved parking. All violations cleared, closing.
15970 VIA DEL SOL - Yard Maintenance/landscaping. Violation cleared, but items on the side of house need to be removed, asking owner to remove and will revisit if needed.
15881 VIA DEL SOL - Vehicle Parked on lawn. All violations cleared, closing.
855 VIA MARIPOSA - Trailer 36 hrs+. All violations cleared, closing.
16122 VIA ALAMITOS - Yard Maintenance/no lawn. Fine and revisit in 30.
15841 VIA ARROYO - Landscaping-driveway mold never filled in. Fine and revisit in 30.
15818 VIA ARROYO - Holiday lights and lack of front yard maint. Fine and revisit in 30.
751 HACIENDA - Holiday lights Fine and revisit in 30.
713 HACIENDA - Yard Maintenance/Revisit Status. All violations cleared, closing.
763 BOCKMAN ROAD - Yard Maintenance. Violation better but lawn needs to be trimmed free of weeds, will suggest to owner and revisit.
1214 VIA LOS TRANCOS - Inoperative Vehicle/Revisit Status. All violations cleared, closing.
17050 VIA ARROYO - Yard Maintenance/Revisit Ongoing Status. Owner promises to water more, will monitor for the next 90 days.
15933 VIA GRANADA - Yard Maintenance. All violations cleared, closing.
17329 VIA CHIQUITA - Multiple Violations/Lack of Front Yard Maint. Better, but will monitor for the next 60-90 days.
1436 VIA BUENA VISTA - Building Maintenance. All violations cleared, closing.
17336 VIA JULIA - Yard Maintenance/Revisit Status. Violation removed, but asking owner for landscape plans or will revisit.
17423 VIA JULIA - Trailer 36 hrs+. All violations cleared, closing.
17491 VIA MELINA - Yard Maintenance/Revisit Status. All violations cleared, closing.
848 VIA POUDRE - Yard Maintenance. All violations cleared, closing.
16178 VIA MILOS - Inop/Stored Vehicle/Revisit. Fine and send to collections.
963 VIA BREGANI - General Maintenance of Property/Revisit. Violations mostly cleared, revisit in 30 days to monitor.
17011 VIA MARGARITA - Lack of General Maint Front yard/debris stored in yard. Owner came in and has removed item from lawn, will be bringing lawn into compliance within the next 30 to 45 days.

10.2 Variances

536 Grant Ave. -- Revisit side yard fence with new plans. Continued, need to submit new plans with 10 ft set back and fence no higher than what county will approve for set back (maximum height per CCR is 3 ft).
15750 Via Corta -- Application to put bathroom in a garage. Denied, checking with county on requirements for garage conversions.
17872 Via Arroyo -- Shed with 3 ft set back from fence line. Approved.

Director Medeiros made a motion to approve the Hearings and Variances. Director Wright seconds, the motion carries unanimously.

12.0 ADJOURNMENT -- President Martins adjourns the meeting at 9:53 pm.

RESPECTFULLY Submitted,

Margaret Wright

Secretary-Treasurer

Recorded & Transcribed By: Kathleen Harrigan,
Reviewed By: Nancy Van Huffel, Administrator, Kathie Ready, Resident