SEIU Calls Out Library Staff Cuts

During the February 3rd Hayward City Council meeting, current and former members of SEIU 1021 called out the cuts to Library staff and services due to the City's budget deficit. Despite much of the $30,000,000 deficit being driven by unbudgeted overtime in the Fire and Police Departments, Union members have alleged that City leadership requested 3% cuts to every department. One of the most visible victims of the budget cuts has been the Hayward Public Library.

According speakers, 10 positions have been eliminated from the FY 26 adopted 40.8 Full-Time Equivalent employees. For comparison, the Police Department has 333.5 FTE and the Fire Department has 157.5 FTE. Looking at impact on the General Fund, the Police Department accounts for 42.3% of the budget, the Fire Department 28.4%, and the Library 3.8%. As of this writing, there have been no public announcements around any cuts made to the Police Department.

The cuts to Library staffing have resulted in reduced Library hours--the Library is now closed on Mondays, reduced services--both Curby and Moby are out of service, and increased workloads for those remaining. One Library worker, Reina Escovedo, pointed out that she had been reduced from Full-Time to Part-Time. She described being expected to work more desk shifts for half the salary while also paying for half of her medical benefits out of pocket. "As a single woman living on my own," she said while holding back tears, "I can no longer afford basic necessities."

Another former Library worker wondered why Mayor Mark Salinas was not living up to the values he expressed when he was her professor. "He encouraged students to be included, volunteer, and make a positive impact," she said. "Mark inspired me to pursue a career in serving the community." She then highlighted the cuts to English literacy and tutoring services at the Library. "I believed in the morals and principles you taught and it pains me to wonder where did that mentor go who taught those morals and values? Your words and your actions are not aligned."

Ms. Escovedo pointed to potential excess in Deputy Director positions within the City, pointing to how the Library operated while Director Jayanti Addleman was Acting City Manager. "The Library operated just fine with one Director," she said, "and other library staff will attest to that." SEIU's Chief Negotiator Ron Collins said that plans to balance the budget without cuts were submitted on January 8th, but received "no response, no engagement, no serious discussion."

Consultants Make State/National Politics Local

Two consultancy groups are contracted by the City of Hayward to advocate on their behalf at the State and National levels, and on the February 3rd Hayward City Council meeting they shared how the larger political landscape impacts Hayward. The most direct benefit the consultants offer is helping to position the City to take advantage of State and Federal grants.

Federal Government Causes Local Problems

Capitol Advocacy Partners, the Federal advocates, said they've helped the City acquire over $34,000,000 in grants--most recently a $381,000 grant for Flock Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras. When it came to the political landscape, they pointed out that the end of Affordable Care Act subsidies will likely put strain on local hospitals, like St. Rose, and drive higher demand for housing, health, and homelessness services. "Federal cost-cutting and policy shifts are increasing local administrative burden and service demand," the presenter said.

Despite having a Sanctuary City Policy, the consultants said that Hayward has not been in the cross-hairs of the Trump administration. However, it's possible that future grant applications may be jeopardized due to DEI language. For example the WIFIA loan the City applied for to pay for the Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) has been delayed due to the Federal government "ensuring alignment with executive orders."

State Priorities Vs. Local Issues

Townsend Public Affairs, the State advocates, said they've helped the City secure $14,000,000 in grants and helped engage representatives in over 158 pieces of legislation. They highlighted the legislative priorities in the coming year in Sacramento:

• Transportation safety reforms
• Affordable housing/homelessness funding stability
• Illegal dumping prevention and mitigation
• SB 79 clean-up
• Statewide Bond Proposals, including housing and transportation bonds
• New leadership and Administration changes at the State level

The consultant reported that no new money is coming for housing and homelessness, saying that Governor Newsom uses it as "a negotiation tool." They are also hoping to target La Vista Park so that it can take advantage of some upcoming climate bond money, though no details were given around how.

Councilmember Julie Roche asked if there was any discussion in Sacramento about street vendors. Restaurant owners from around the City have spoken at multiple City Council meetings about their financial troubles and tied them directly to unlicensed street vendors. The consultant said that the pendulum is swinging on that issue in Sacramento and that legislators may look at reforms in the coming year. She also expressed interest in facilitating a conversation to see what kind of reforms are actually needed.

Councilmember Roche said she wanted the ability to regulate where vendors can operate, while also supporting the County Health Department, which is widely seen as a bottleneck to becoming licensed. "I think that local restaurant owners need to know what the State's impact is on this," she said.

Big Bike Project Coming To Whitman And Tennyson Neighborhoods

The East Bay Greenway Project is bringing top-tier bike improvements to some of the roads most dangerous to cyclists and pedestrians. Although the project won't break ground until 2030 at the earliest, Staff presented a broad plan for the project at the January 27th City Council meeting. While the project will remove some parking, Staff took pains to remove it only where it would have the least impact on local residents. Past projects have been derailed by parking concerns, like on Patrick Avenue where the final design was scrapped in favor of a design largely disliked by both residents and cyclists.

Connecting The Community Between BART Stations

The East Bay Greenway Project seeks to create a continuous cycle path from Lake Merritt to South Hayward BART stations. Initially hoping to use disused Union Pacific rails that parallel the BART tracks, the plan shifted to mostly parallel Mission Blvd/E 14th Street. However, the final section in Hayward was re-routed from B Street, to Grand, to Silva, to Whitman, to Tennyson, as seen in the map below.

The proposed improvements vary depending on the road conditions ranging from as little as a Bike Boulevard with some traffic calming, to a fully separated Class IV bike lane.

Staff pointed out that Silva Avenue posed a particular problem, because while it is heavily trafficked, the street is also narrow with parking already only allowed on one side. The existing street parking is also heavily used by the apartments and homes on the street.

For those concerned about parking, Staff said that parking would only be removed partially along certain sections of Whitman that see the least use.

But Staff stressed that the improvements would be a benefit, sharing the graphic below to give an idea of how the new bike lanes could improve the feel of the neighborhood.

Making Things Even Better

Public speakers, primarily members of Bike Hayward, pointed out that the plan involves cyclists switching sides of the road in multiple locations which could be dangerous. They urged solutions to improve safety at those points like automated bike crossing signals and other traffic calming measures.

Members of the City Council generally supported the plan, highlighting the additional benefits it could bring a historically underserved neighborhood. "Hopefully with what is being included it will be cleaner more often," said Councilmember Francisco Zermeno.

Councilmember George Syrop agreed. "When we talk about equity, this is a massive investment in a neighborhood that doesn't see a lot of investment," he said. "I really think that this project is going to transform the Whitman neighborhood into one of the most distinct in the entire city." He also urged Staff to streamline the process however possible, bemoaning the long timeline.

Turn Off The Main Road

Some public speakers and Councilmembers complained that the alignment hadn't stuck to Mission Blvd or other arterial roads like Hesperian. Councilmember Ray Bonilla, who lives just East of Mission Blvd, also wished the project had been kept to Mission Blvd. He worried about the existing traffic on Whitman. "There's just so much traffic on that street," he said, saying he was concerned about people getting frustrated on school runs about the bike crossings.

Councilmember Andrews said she only supports bike lanes on major corridors. "I do have concerns about in front of homes that have been there for decades," she said. But studies suggest that bike infrastructure generally increases property value of homes, regardless of type. Other research complicates the issue however, since variables include the type of infrastructure, the extent of the cycling network, and whether the paths are on or off-street.

Councilmember Dan Goldstein supported the Whitman alignment. "I don't think you could do enough work on Mission Blvd to make me comfortable riding my bike on Mission Blvd," he said. And supported a large project like this in a residential neighborhood. "We generally don't really consider big projects in neighborhoods," he said.

Mayor Mark Salinas suggested that adding bike lanes to Mission would have been even more controversial than on Whitman, but added, "We really need to figure out what we're going to do on Mission Blvd between Fletcher and Tennyson." He said he was concerned about the Whitman corridor, but also supported the changes, urging for more trees and lights to be added in the design. "We really need to make that corridor a beautiful thoroughfare," he said.