City Council Set to Vote on Name of New Park at Pine Meadow on Wednesday
Karkin Park, honoring the language of a local tribe, is the recommended choice; Ballot argument for city clerk measure and new regulations for trees, bees and chickens also on Wednesday's agenda
Dec. 6 update: The City Council rejected the suggested name of Karkin Park at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, after lengthy public comment and discussion. The council sided with the majority of public comment that pushed for Pine Meadow Park to be the name, given that Pine Meadow is the name that the area has long been known as from the time that it housed Pine Meadow Golf Course. The council did say it will look for opportunities to honor the Karkin language and indigenous tribe elsewhere in the city and in consultation with local tribes.
The planned park at Pine Meadow Drive will be named after the Karkin language spoken by a local tribe that resided in the Carquinez Strait during the early 1800s, assuming that the City Council grants its blessing at Wednesday’s meeting.
Karkin Park was the name chosen in November by the Parks, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission (PRMCC) and submitted to the City Council for approval. If the council signs off on the recommendation on Wednesday, a resolution will be crafted to make the name official at the Dec. 20 meeting.
According to the staff report on the item for Wednesday’s meeting, Karkin represents a language spoken by only one local tribe, the Carquins. After rejecting several other proposed names, the PRMCC unanimously agreed to recommend Karkin Park for the 8.2-acre facility planned as part of the Traditions residential subdivision, north of Center Avenue, west of Morello Avenue, and south and east of Pine Meadow Drive. The subdivision is located on the former site of Pine Meadow Golf Course.
The proposed park will include an all-abilities playground area, picnic areas and tables, restroom, accessible parking, pathways, nature play trail and a new sport court.
The Pine Meadow master plan
The naming process for the park included citywide outreach to residents as well as local tribes, school districts and the Martinez Historical Society. The city received 29 responses from residents recommending names, with Pine Meadow Park/Pine Meadows Park receiving 15 nominations. The Martinez Historical Society also provided a list of recommended names and voted unanimously for Pine Meadow Park “as the most historically appropriate for the new park.”
The PRMCC, however, chose to go in a different direction at its Oct. 17 meeting. Motions were made to name it Karkin’s Volunteer Park, Volunteer Park and Pine Meadow Park, but all failed to garner the requisite number of votes, before the commission agreed on Karkin Park.
Some more information about the Carquins and their language can be found on the following attachment included with Wednesday’s council agenda item: https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2313342/Attachment_F_-_Study_Excerpt_Karkin_Costanoans.pdf
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the council will be asked to approve the design for the park and authorize purchasing restroom and play equipment. As part of the funding proposal, city staff is recommending that the council redirect $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds that had been earmarked for the repaving of the basketball court at Mt. View Park toward the Pine Meadow park project.
As a neighbor of Mt. View Park and longtime user of that basketball court, I know first hand how popular that court is to the residents of the Parkside and surrounding neighborhoods and how deteriorated the court surface has become. I’ve expressed my view to the City Council that these funds should be prioritized toward repairing facilities in already established communities before being spent on new facilities to benefit a subdivision that hasn’t even been built yet. This is also the only publicly accessible basketball court within walking distance of residents of the Parkside/Mt. View communities.
The staff report with details of that proposal can be found here: https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2313518/Staff_Report_-_Approval_of_Design_of_Park_at_Pine_Meadows.pdf
City clerk ballot measure argument
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the City Council will consider approving a draft argument to voters in favor of a March ballot measure to do away with elections for the city clerk position. The council already has approved placing the measure before voters; if it’s approved in March, the city manager will be responsible for hiring a city clerk to carry out the duties of the office. Currently, the elected city clerk plays a largely ceremonial role and is not involved in the daily functions of the office.
The draft ballot argument crafted by council members Mark Ross and Debbie McKillop reads as follows:
A “YES” vote on Measure __ ensures the selection of the City Clerk for the City of Martinez will be based on qualifications and experience, not the results of a political campaign. The public deserves the duties of the City Clerk to be performed efficiently and properly in accordance with standards of conduct. The current qualifications to serve as elected City Clerk require only that a candidate be of-age and a registered voter. There is no guarantee that an elected City Clerk will possess the necessary skills and expertise required; as a result, nearly 85% of California cities now appoint their City Clerks. This ensures the selection of City Clerk will be based on education, experience, and professional abilities. Furthermore, Measure __ will potentially save the City money by eliminating salary and benefits provided to an elected Clerk and removing the cost of the Clerk election every four years. Historically, elected City Clerks perform narrow statutory duties. However, as cities have become more complex, the duties of the Clerk have become more technical. Clerk responsibilities require professional skills and expertise in Elections, the Political Reform Act, the Brown Act, the Public Records Act, Records Retention, Conflict-of-Interest Regulations, the City’s Municipal Code, and the ability to serve as the Clerk of the Council, while remaining neutral. Your “YES” vote will convert the elected Martinez City Clerk position to a position appointed by the City Manager and ensure the City’s operations be run effectively by a qualified and trained individual. The Martinez City Council, elected City Clerk and City management support Measure __ and urge you to vote “YES.”
Trees, bees and chicken regulations
The City Council will also hold a public hearing at Wednesday’s meeting on proposed changes to the Municipal Code governing standards for trees and the keeping of chicken and bees.
The changes would, among other things, “revise the definition of protected trees, and institute new standards related to the removal and replacement of protected trees,” according to a staff report for the hearing.
The city currently has “minimal regulations and guidance on beekeeping and keeping of chickens,” according to the staff report, which has resulted in increased inquiries from the community and code enforcement activities. The proposed changes would set specific standards and guidance for beekeeping and keeping of chickens, as well as address “holes” in the current regulations.
Details of the proposed changes can be found in the staff report at the following link: https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2311630/Staff_Report_-_Chickens__Bees__and_Trees_Regulations.pdf
As the refinery world turns…
As usual, mainstream Bay Area media coverage of our fine town seems to begin and end these days with the never-ending Martinez Refining Co. soap opera. Here’s the latest for those interested.
Personally, I’m exhausted by the MRC topic and am planning to significantly scale back my coverage of it in this newsletter until and unless a truly major incident happens again or a significant development occurs. As far as whether we’ll ever get a real answer to the central unanswered question of why the Community Warning System failed to alert the public during the November 2022 release (apparently the first time that such a thing has ever occurred during a major refinery incident) and whether proper steps have been taken to make sure it doesn’t happen again, I’m not holding my breath. County officials have apparently decided the public doesn’t deserve a straight answer to that question because it’s not in their interest to provide it through the type of transparent, community-involved investigation we were promised a year ago. MRC’s explanation about why it failed to activate the system (that it didn’t know there was a release) and whether its corrective actions are sufficient to prevent a repeat have done little to restore public confidence in the months since, given other incidents and another failure to timely activate the CWS. The only hope I have left for true accountability on this issue is for the Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury to step in and investigate it in a manner that truly serves the public’s interest and safety, which the people of Martinez have deserved all along and, sadly, have failed to receive from all involved in this fiasco.
Help my fundraiser for school safety
Thanks to those of you who have already contributed to my fundraiser for Sandy Hook Promise Foundation’s 44-Mile Remembrance Challenge in December to support its school safety programs. Sandy Hook Promise, founded by families of the 2012 elementary school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, works with school districts across the country, including our own MUSD, on a range of programs to prevent violence and harm on school campuses and promote a climate of safety, kindness and inclusion. In 2018, Martinez Unified became the first school district in Contra Costa County to sign on with Sandy Hook Promise for its programs that are offered free of charge, and Superintendent Helen Rossi told me recently that it has made a significant impact on the district’s school-safety efforts. The school board recently approved a new Memorandum of Understanding with Sandy Hook Promise to use the foundation’s National Crisis Center during a nine-month pilot period to scan the district’s student email system and alert the district to potentially harmful language.
As part of the fundraiser, I am planning to walk 44 miles throughout the month of December in remembrance of the 44 children lost to gun violence each day in the United States. I logged 7.4 miles during the first two days of the challenge, including a Mt. Wanda hike with my dog Theo on Saturday (see picture below):
If anyone is interested in joining me on a walk, I would love the company (email me at craig.lazzeretti@gmail.com). If you’re interested in contributing to the fundraiser, you can do so through this Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1221588962138180/ or directly on the Sandy Hook Promise website: https://www.sandyhookpromise.org
As a bonus, I will match any new annual paid subscriptions to Martinez News & Views from now through the end of December with my own donations to the fundraiser.
Read more about Sandy Hook Promise and why this cause means so much to me on my personal Substack newsletter.
Thank you for the consideration and hope to see some of you on the trails of Martinez during my 44 miles of walking in December.
Dec. 6 update: The City Council rejected the suggested name of Karkin Park at Wednesday’s City Council meeting, after lengthy public comment and discussion. The council sided with the majority of public comment that pushed for Pine Meadow Park to be the name, given that Pine Meadow is the name that the area has long been known as from the time that it housed Pine Meadow Golf Course. The council did say it will look for opportunities to honor the Karkin language and indigenous tribe elsewhere in the city and in consultation with local tribes.