Minutes 2005 0222 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES Page 6 City of San Leandro City Council and San Leandro Redevelopment Agency Joint Meeting-February 22, 2005 Mayor Young noted that staff at the NLC and U.S. Conference of Mayors are urging the cities to call their U.S. Senators regarding the proposed funding cuts. She indicated that the Senate will have its next meeting in March and will be the first legislators to receive this proposal from the President. Councilmember Grant stated that she felt this was a good idea and suggested that the City's Human Service Commissioners can also make calls to the Senators. Councilmember Grant commented on the issue of Social Security, noting that each of the Congressional members representing this area will be holding town hall meetings on the subj ect. Councilmember Nardine commented on the community based-organizations (CBOs) which receive CDBG funding through City grants. She requested a fact sheet on the CBOs that receive CDBG funding and how they will be affected by the reductions, so the Council can address the issue with federal legislators when members go back to Washington, D.C. for the NLC Conference. Councilmember Nardine commented that while the Cherry Festival is an important community event, the community has other important needs which must be addressed. Councilmember Glaze commented on the wonderful State of the City Address presented by the Mayor. He pointed out that the City's economic situation appears to be worsening. He noted the importance of letting the community know that, even if the State ceases taking revenues from cities, the Federal Government will begin impacting cities' revenues. Councilmember Glaze suggested that the City should encourage local businesses to contribute to the planning and sponsorship of the Cherry Festival, and perhaps the event should be given back to the non-profit community to organize and operate. Councilmember Stephens added his compliments on the State of the City Address and PowerPoint presentation. He commented that the presentation brings to mind that we have a productive and capable City staff and that the tempo of operations has been strong over the past year. Councilmember Stephens expressed concern regarding the changing economic situation in our relationships with the State and Federal governments. He noted that the City will need to look at ways of doing business differently in the future, possibly by restructuring or by returning to ways we have done things in the past. He hoped the Council could encourage the community to help it determine how to structure the Cherry Festival to be a citywide celebration that is affordable. Councilmember Santos agreed with Councilmember Stephens' comments. He thanked Mayor Young and City staff for the excellent State of the City presentation and expressed interest in having it presented to the public at the library or community center. Councilmember Santos commented on the City's continuing budget problems due to State and Federal actions and noted that the Commission on Aging recently held a program on the subject of Social Security. Mayor Young thanked Councilmember Santos for his suggestion regarding the State of the City presentation. She commented that she will be presenting the State of the City Address to the Chamber of Commerce at its luncheon on March 3 and will be taping the presentation for airing on the Government Access Cable TV Channels 15 and 28. She will also ensure that