At the February 24th Hayward City Council meeting, cycling and mobility advocates with Bike Hayward and Bike East Bay called on the City Council to take action after a series of pedestrian deaths. Between February 7th and 17th, three people were struck by cars and killed while crossing the street. City Manager Jennifer Ott committed to creating a Fatal Crash Response Program and implement "quick build solutions" to address safety until more permanent fixes could be built.

Three Pedestrians Killed Within Two Weeks

According to Press Releases from the Hayward Police Department, the City of Hayward has experienced its third pedestrian fatality in two weeks. All of the pedestrians were crossing major thoroughfares in low light when they were struck, and all three were pronounced dead shortly after being transported to local hospitals. Drugs or alcohol are not believed to have been involved in any of the incidents.

The first death occurred on February 7th at 6:40 a.m. near the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and B Street. The woman, aged between 30-40, was struck by a 56 year-old man.

The second death occurred on February 14th at 6:21 p.m. near the intersection of Tennyson Road and Baldwin Street and involved two victims. One was a 59 year-old woman and the other was a 6 year-old child. They were struck by a 60 year-old man. The boy suffered facial fractures, but was expected to survive and was reunited with his family, according to the report.

The third death occurred on February 17th at 9:21 p.m. near the 23000 Block of Mission Blvd, by the REGIS Village supportive housing complex, Favorite Indian Restaurant, Wendy's, and Mission Hand Car Wash. The victim was a 59 year-old woman who was struck by a 27 year-old woman.

All three deaths occurred while people were crossing major thoroughfares which the City is planning to redesign to be more accommodating to pedestrians and cyclists. Both Foothill and Mission Boulevards are a part of the Safe Streets Downtown plan, and Tennyson Road is a part of the Safe Streets Hayward initiative, along with A and B Streets.

We reached out to the City of Hayward for comment, but did not receive a response.

Demands For Change

"All of these tragedies were completely preventable," said Robert Prinze of Bike East Bay during public comment. He and other commenters pointed out that all three deaths were on the High Injury Network, the 18% of the roads where 75% of serious injuries and fatalities occur. The issue, according to Prinz, is vehicle speed which is enabled by design.

"Three community members were killed in a stretch of 10 days," said Ahmed Shorab with Bike Hayward. "It's completely unacceptable. Lives are being lost every day." Alejandro Jasso, also with Bike Hayward, agreed. "These were grandmothers, mothers that were just getting around the city and they got hit by cars," he said. The speakers advocated for quick-build solutions while the more systemic redesign takes place.

In the past, residents have often spoken against changes that don't prioritize automobile traffic, despite concerns about speeding, collisions, and pedestrian deaths. This may be a misunderstanding of how to address these concerns. Alejandro Jasso said that people will complain regardless of the changes. "Do you want people to complain about traffic and parking or that they lost someone, a loved one, because the City didn't move quickly enough?"

Commitment To Action

Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas then addressed the public. "What has happened over the last couple of weeks has, of course, been tragic," he said. "All three incidences are still under investigation and we're still moving through the process. On behalf of the City, I wanted to send our condolences and assure the [families] that we will be producing the reports in due time."

City Manager Jennifer Ott offered more concrete action. "Each of these deaths are tragic," she said, "and I want to extend our condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed." She committed to creating a Fatal Crash Response Program, composed of multiple City departments including Public Works and the Police Department, to review the incidents and recommend quick-build solutions where appropriate. For example, installing high visibility crosswalks on the intersection of Baldwin and Tennyson, where one of the fatalities occurred.

City Manager Ott also said that there would be a Work Session in March focused on street safety and committed the City to reaching out to "our vulnerable populations" through service providers to raise awareness of street safety concerns.

Plans Failing To Align

The routine approval of a new repaving plan faced extra scrutiny due to the recent pedestrian deaths. Advocates with Bike Hayward pointed out that the proposed repaving did very little to improve pedestrian safety, despite including sections that are a part of the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan.

Tyler Dragoni, from Bike Hayward, said, "The contract before you is not good enough. It's not even close." He criticized the City for expressing "sincere feelings" about the pedestrian deaths, "but then we don't have the discipline to actually find ways to make our streets safer." The proposal only included adding new bike lanes and safety improvements in certain sections of road totaling only a few miles.

Councilmember George Syrop asked Public Works Director Alex Ameri about the contract, and he said that bike lanes already exist in some sections and are either being connected or extended in the plan. Director Ameri also said that Class II bike lanes, composed of painted lanes, are all that the City can do without engaging in outreach with the affected neighborhood. "We'll have to discuss it with the neighborhood, with the community, hear from Bike East Bay, and implement something that is reasonable and works for everyone," Director Ameri said.

Councilmember Angela Andrews asked if the safety measures would be implemented later, and Director Ameri said that there are separate funds in County Measure BB for pavement improvement and pedestrian safety. Councilmember Andrews then pressed for Public Works to revisit the Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan and how it aligns with the proposed projects.

Councilmember Syrop agreed with the idea, highlighting an area near Eden Shores that could use bike lanes to increase accessibility and safety for the residents there. "The two miles that are suggested on just four specific strips feels really lacking for places where I think there are places to include additional bike lanes." Mayor Salinas also supported the idea, as well. "The central issue tat we have been talking about is speeding," he said.

High Vacancies May Be New Normal At City Hall

During a mandatory Vacancy, Recruitment, and Retention update, the City Council saw a presentation that showed the extent of the staffing reduction the City has faced due to the budget. When looking at vacancies by bargaining group, the highest percentage of vacancies are in bargaining units which have not historically contributed to excessive overtime costs--one of the large drivers of the budget deficit.

SEIU 1021 Clerical has one of the highest vacancy rates at 18%, followed by the Hayward Association of Management Employees (HAME) at 16%. Meanwhile, IAFF Local 1909 has a vacancy rate of only 6% and the Hayward Police Officers' Association is at just under 13%. The total vacancy rate across the entire City is 13.82%.

According to the Separation Data provided, only 14 positions were affected by the recent round of Layoffs while 12 positions were freed up because of a Voluntary Separation Incentive Package (VSIP)--67 positions are vacant for other reasons like retirement or voluntary separations. However, many City Staff have publicly stated that they either left or have explored leaving voluntarily due to budget concerns and the actions of former City Manager Ana Alvarez.

During the same time period, 26 employees were hired, mostly in Public Safety (due to long hiring timelines) and other non-General Fund positions.

IFPTE Local 21 Highlights Loss of Services

Representatives from IFPTE Local 21 spoke in detail about the loss of services, especially in the Library Department, due to decreased staffing. One speaker said that librarians spend up to 50% more time on the desk due to cuts to Part Time and Full-Time workers. Emily Wallace, a representative of IFPTE Local 21, said that the Library Department and Community Services Division had been hit especially hard by the staff reductions.

The New Normal

Councilmember Dan Goldstein asked if the cost of these reductions was included in the future budget. City Manager Jennifer Ott said that the FY 27 Budget is assuming that the cuts will continue through the coming year. "We're capturing significant savings in our budget," she said. "Our 'new normal' may be a reduced workforce." She said that a 15% reduced workforce may be the new normal, but that the vacancy rate will be adjusted as positions are completely eliminated from the budget going forward.