The regular meeting of the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association Board of Directors was held Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 8:05 p.m. in the auditorium with President Jim Spears presiding over the meeting.

1.1 CALL TO ORDER - President Jim Spears called the meeting to order.

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

1.3 ROLL CALL - Directors Jim Spears, Dorothy Partridge, Jim Sherman, Millie Arleta and David Sloan were present.

2.0 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

2.1 Approval of Minutes of Meeting No. 1029, Thursday, November 19, 1999 - Director Arieta made motion to approve minutes, with a second by Director Sherman, motion passes unanimously.

3.0 COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC AGENCIES

3.1 Alameda County Sheriff's Department - Deputy Terry Bartholomew stated that he is speaking for both he and Deputy Shindelus who has been temporarily reassigned until January 2000. Bartholomew stated that both he and Shindelus are very sorry to inform the community that they will be pulled out of the community policing program as of January 9, 2000. The Sheriff's department is reorganizing the station where he and Shindelus work out of and as a result of this the department is taking on a generalist approach to community policing. There will no longer be specific officers who will be "community police" for this area. Now all officers will be "community police officers" who are patrolling the area.

Director Arleta asked if it would help if residents called the station and let the captain know how concerned the residents are with this change, and how beneficial both Bartholomew and Shindelus were to the community. Bartholomew stated that if residents wanted, they could call. He stated that there would be officers continuing to community police the area. Director Arleta asked how the new officers would be patrolling the area, would these officers be specific to the area as Shindelus and Bartholomew had been or would they be officers who policed not onlv San Lorenzo, but the other unincorporated areas as well as in San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland and Castro Valley? Bartholomew stated that he could not answer that question. He was fairly certain that there would be no specific officers assigned to San Lorenzo. He stated that the officers are changing to 12-hour shifts, which would allow for more officers in the beat at one time.

Director Partridge asked who the community should call if they are concerned about these changes to the community policing problem. Bartholomew stated that Captain Peterson at the Eden Patrol station could be contacted at 510-667-3646. Director Sherman thanked both Bartholomew and Shindelus for all the work they have done for the community and all the help they have been to the community during their community policing meetings. Sherman stated that the Board of Directors should protest this change.

The Administrator stated that she would suggest the Board meet with the Captain to discuss its concerns regarding this change and to question why this issue was not brought to the community prior to it being instituted.

Director Sherman made a motion that the Board forward a letter to the Sheriff noting its concerns regarding this change as well as request a meeting with the Captain to discuss why the Board and the community was not informed about this change for its input. Director Sloan seconds the motion, it passes unanimously.

Director Partridge questioned how this change would affect the graffiti abatement program that the deputies are involved with. Bartholomew stated that he was unclear as to whether this would continue and who would be running it. Partridge continued to state that she had seen something in the newspaper which stated that the Sheriff is going to be sending out a survey as part of their accreditation process? One of the questions was with respect to the community policing program. The Administrator stated that Association staff brought this question up at the Sheriff's Advisory meeting the other night and has promised to publish the survey in its next newsletter. The Administrator stated that information about the change in the community policing could be added in the newsletter.

3.2 CHP Department - Sergeant Bridget Lott stated that the CHP is also putting a survey together for the community to fill out. This survey should be ready sometime in January and will be a simple, with just a few questions. She stated that the goal of her department is to help improve the service in the area. Lott stated that the sheriff s department is putting together a crime suppression unit wherein the CHP will be working very closely with the COPS unit. Four CHP officers will be sent over to the Sheriff s unit after the new year and their department is hoping to partner more with the sheriff s department in the new year. Lott said that the CHP will have more officers out with Y2K and they are hoping to have more drunk driving check points for New Years eve. She stated that the department will have more officers out for this new year's.

Officer Tuazon went on to state that the sheriff s department has worked well with his department with the "Avoid the 21 " campaign which aimed at DUI arrests. He stated that Bartholomew and Shindelus were very helpful in assisting with this campaign and thanked them for their support. Tuazon stated that the CHP has tubs for toys in several business and agencies. All donations will go to children in the area.

Tuazon reported that there were 126 traffic citations for the area, and no fatalities within the last month for the whole entire area. There were 14 traffic collisions in the Village area and II 3 DUI arrests for the last month.

Resident Barry Weiss questioned what the CHP and the Sheriff's department was planning for any Y2K problems. Deputy Bartholomew stated that the Sheriffs will have more police in the area during this time to prevent any violent activities and to respond to various calls. Sergeant Lott stated that the CHP is mainly concerned with San Francisco and Oakland, and doesn't anticipate San Lorenzo as a problem area for the New Year.

3.3 Supervisor Gail Steele - The Administrator stated that the Supervisor was out of town.

4.0 FINANCIAL REPORT

4.1 Approval of November 1999 Expenditures - Director Sherman moved with a second by Director Sloan, that the Board approve the expenditures for November 1999. The motion was passed unanimously.

4.2 Discussion of Significant Variances - The Administrator said that there were no significant variances to report.

5.0 LIEN AND VIOLATION REPORT - The Administrator reported that there have been no liens released, and currently there are 243 cases open.

Violation Report November 1999

Inoperable/Unlicensed vehicle in front or side yard area   21
Recreational vehicle in front or side yard area            10
General Maintenance of property                            50
Vehicle parked on lawn or other unpaved area                5
Others                                                      7
Total Number of Letters Sent in November 1999              93

6.0 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPORTS

6.1 Business Development Committee (BDC)/appointments - Chair, Kathie Ready, reported that Anne Brichacek was welcomed as the committee's newest member and a motion from the committee was made to appoint Anne Mrak as a member. Ready stated that Eileen Dalton of the county came to the meeting and reported on the status of redevelopment for the area. Dalton had stated that a final draft for redevelopment for the area was prepared and it indicated that redevelopment would be feasible for the unincorporated areas that they studied.

Ready further stated that the subcommittee for problem commercial areas hasn't had an opportunity to survey businesses and will report back at the next meeting. The subcommittee spotlighting neighborhood businesses reported that it would be further discussing the process used in choosing businesses at the next meeting.

Ready stated that BDC hosted speaker James Pacheco from the "Christmas in April" program in the unincorporated County area. He was very informative and subcommittee members Ann Marie Mrak and Harry Gin hope to start working with him on residence in San Lorenzo.

Director Arieta made a motion that nomination of Anne Marie Mrak by the Business Development Committee be accepted by the Board, Sloan seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

6.2 Task force for Village Square - Task force member Barry Weiss reported that the committee is currently going through the process of reviewing various plans for the village square. Weiss stated that there has been very good attendance by Task Force members and the public and he stated that the process for determining a Specific Plan is going well.

7.0 ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT

7.1 Financial Policy for CD's - The Administrator reported that as long as she has been working for the Association she has been very conservative and used banks that were located in San Lorenzo. Several years ago she asked the Board to change this policy and consider opening up accounts in Oakland and Hayward to get better interest rates which they approved. Recently a homeowner inquired why the Association was not using some banks advertised on the Internet which yield 1/2 to 1 point more in interest rates. These banks that are also insured through FDIC. The Administrator stated that she would insure that they are insured this way. She asked the Board whether they would extend its policy even further to consider putting funds into Internet advertised banks which yielded even better interest rates.

Sloan stated that he understood that many residents feel it is important to shop and bank in the area, however, in order to hold the assessment rates down, he felt that the Board should consider investing the money wisely and generating the most revenue from the funds. Director Arieta stated that since these funds are coming from the homeowners, she would like to hear residents opinions in the audience as to whether they had objections. There were no objections from the residents present.

Director Partridge stated that as long as the Administ rator checks out the banks to make sure they are reputable and insured properly, she did not object to looking at other banking institutions to invest assessment monies. Director Sherman suggested that the Administrator investigate the banks and come back with a report at the next Board meeting. The Administrator stated that she would need to deposit money into an account by the end of the month. She would like the board to consider this now, so that the Association could yield as much money as possible, without waiting for 3 to 4 more weeks.

Director Partridge made a motion to authorize the Administrator to invest the Homes Association dues in Financial institutions that could be outside the Bay Area which are FDIC insured and have a top bank rating. Director Arieta seconds the motion. The motion carries unanimously.

Resident Ann Mrak suggested that when the Administrator is investigating the banks, that she consider whether they are Y2K ready. The Administrator stated that she would insure that any banks the money would be deposited into would be Y2K ready.

A motion was made by Director Sloan and seconded by Director Sherman to approve the Administrator's Report. The motion carried unanimously.

8.0 OTHER BUSINESS

8.1 Update on Street Sweeping Activities - The Administrator stated that at the last meeting the Board asked her to check out the problems with the street sweeping signs. She had contacted the county and knows they are looking into it for her, but she has not back from on any further details. She stated that the Association office has had several complaints in the last month about the street sweeping activities. She stated that the leaves are the worst that she has seen them in the years that she has been Administrator. The county is suppose to assist the Association's street sweeper, and has done so in previous years providing us with two (2) trucks, however this has not occurred and the one sweeper they do have assisting us has been broken down on several occasions. The Administrator pointed out that the Association has contracted out with another sweeper service who has been working since October, but without the county's help it is impossible to get to the entire areas. She stated that she can appreciate homeowners frustrations and has once again encouraged them to put the leaves in their respective green cans as well as offered a staff member to pick up the leaves if a homeowner bags them.

The Administrator said that she had even asked the county whether the Association could rent a vacuum truck and was told that the county has been unable to do this and thus it would be even more difficult for the Association. Resident Anne Marie Mrak suggested that the Association rent some people to rake the leaves into the street from under the cars and in the gutters? The Administrator pointed out that this would not be very beneficial to our street sweeper, due to the fact that it is a different type of machine.

Mrak further suggested hiring temporary help to man another sweeper. Director Spears stated that the Administrator had done an estimate for the Board at a previous meeting regarding the monthly cost of purchasing and manning another street sweeper. The cost was estimated at $10,000 per month.

Resident Ready asked how long the street sweeping signs are not going to be enforced. The Administrator stated that the county stated that if we wanted to change or remove the signs we would have to do it at our own expense. Ready stated that many times the street sweeper cannot even get to the area due to the cars parked on the street during street sweeping days. She questioned whether the Association could write a letter to homeowners who continually ignore the signs. The Administrator stated that if a homeowner can give the address of the resident who is violating the signs the office could generate a letter asking them to pay attention to these signs.

Director Partridge questioned whether the Association can enforce the signs as they are now. The Administrator pointed out that last year the Board decided against enforcement because residents complained about the sweeper not getting to the area on a weekly basis. The Administrator stated that she has requested the county change the signs by placing something over the existing lettering to change the timing of the sweeper, however the county has not responded to her request.

Resident Harry Curlett stated that he still feels the signs are ridiculous and a waste of resources for the machine and Association staff. Resident Mary Ann McMillan stated that the Association should consider what Alameda does related to the enforcement of their signs. This city enforces the signs whether the sweeper is out in the area or not.

9.0 PUBLIC COMMENT

Jim Beglin, the KFC District Manager gave an update as to the status of the new store. He stated that the County Health Department is slowing the process down for their store, however once they start building it will take approximately three (3) months to finish. Most permits have been applied for and are in the process of being approved, however the Health Department permit is their biggest hurdle at this time.

Resident Ann Marie Mrak asked what would happen to the old store. Beglin stated that he was unsure, the new owners of the shopping center may not be in agreement of tearing down the building and expanding Taco Bell. Resident Keith Barros questioned the flyers that Arieta had distributed endorsing Board candidates Piras and Sloan. He asked the Board whether an employee of the Homes Association had been paid by the Association to distribute these. Director Arieta stated that she has a right to endorse any candidates as a resident of the community. She stated that she contributed to the distribution of the flyers, and the Homes Association in no way contributed any funds to the distribution of these flyers. Barros stated that it gives a bad appearance when a Homes Association employee is distributing flyers. Arieta pointed out that the she felt the flyer distributed by Board candidates Thoms and Beckman was offensive and did not feel that it was right for candidate Beckman to request no specific names be put on the sample ballot instructions printed in the newsletter, however print names on the sample ballots on their flyers.

Resident Ready stated that it was she who approached the Administrator with respect to the sample ballot and she did this with the idea that the no one candidate be artificially endorsed through the sample ballot.

Resident and Board Candidate Travis Thoms asked Sloan if the flyers he distributed were offensive to him. Sloan stated that he was not particularly offended. Thoms stated that the flyers were distributed prior to knowing who was running and that they were not intended to offend anyone.

The Administrator pointed out that the person employed by the Homes Association who helped distribute the flyers is a part time employee who works three days per week. She stated that she has no control over what he does on his days off. Director Sloan stated that he personally contributed funds to help distribute the flyers. He was unclear as to which employee helped, however he knew that some of his teenage neighbors had helped.

Rick Muto who owns a house in San Lorenzo questioned what the Association is doing about a house on the corner of Via Redondo and Bockman Rd. He also handed out some pictures to the board members noting the violations that have occurred on the property. The Administrator reviewed the letter process and timing and invited Mr. Muto to contact her in the morning so that she could check with staff on the status of this home with respect to violations/letters/etc.

Resident Harry Curlett read a letter that he distributed to the board - see attached letter. He asked the board to address his concerns in the letter. The Administrator stated that she would forward this letter to the Association's attorney and if he thought there were additional merits to add to the three previous letters that Mr. Curlett had delivered to the Board earlier this year, he would do so.

Resident Mrak questioned the wording of the candidate flyer Arieta had distributed. She stated that by claiming the years of residency for Arieta and the candidates it discounted the young people who have been in the area for a shorter amount of time. Arieta stated that she meant no offense and felt that she had a right to let people know how long she had been in the community and participated on the Board as part of her endorsement of these candidates.

10.0 COMMITTEE REPORTS

10.1 Youth Resources Committee - Dorothy Partridge encouraged homeowners to support the Youth Resources group by purchasing Valentines Day Dinner Dance Tickets for February 11, 2000. She stated that all proceeds would go to the youth in our community.

10.2 Airport Committees - Director Dave Sloan stated that at the last airport committee meeting there were not enough attendees to establish a quorum and thus the meeting was only informational. He thought that the statistics for the San Lorenzo area complaints were interesting. In September 1999 there were 91 complaints , in October of the same year there were only 9 complaints and in November there were none from the San Lorenzo area regarding Oakland airport noise. Sloan encouraged residents to utilize the complaint line if they have problems with any noise.

10.3 Council on the Prevention of Drinking and Driving - Director Spears reported that he has a print out of the latest costs associated with first time offenders for drinking and driving. He encouraged any homeowners who are interested in these statistics to contact him.

11.0 COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS

Director Sloan thanked everyone for coming and wished all a happy new year. Director Sherman, Spears, Arieta and Partridge wished homeowners the same.

12.0 ADJOURNMENT - President Spears adjourned the meeting at 9:45 p.m.

Respectfully Stibmitted,

Dorothy Partridge
Secretary-Treasurer

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