City Council to Recognize Pride Month, Juneteenth, Gun Violence Awareness Day at Wednesday's Meeting, Plus Name Fifth Grader 'Mayor for a Day'

Also, city says $520,000 in budget cuts won't impact core services, but belt tightening is necessary as reserves fall near 20% minimum requirement

Wednesday will be a big night for City Council proclamations as council members recognize Pride Month, Juneteenth and Gun Violence Awareness Day, which all fall during June.

Each proclamation signed by Mayor Brianne Zorn can be viewed on the City Council agenda at the following link: https://granicus_production_attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/martinez/7fda459eff2ac4033d8f52dc1138350a0.pdf

The city also has events and activities planned throughout the month focused on Pride Month, including a Community Pride Wall, a Zumba Pride Party and a Pups for Pride event at the Dog Park (the big Martinez Pride festival is scheduled for Sept. 21). Details on the June events can be found in the city’s latest newsletter at the following link: https://mailchi.mp/97cc562abe89/city-of-martinez-news-and-updates-13763352?e=8b145d37ff

In addition, the Progress Pride flag will fly at City Hall throughout the month, as it will at the Martinez Unified School District office. The flag is also flying at all MUSD school sites this week as the school year comes to a close.

The Progress Pride flag flies at City Hall

The city’s second annual Juneteenth celebration (which marks the end of slavery following the Civil War) will be held Saturday, June 29, at 245 N. Court St. More information is available by emailing change@twsrevolution.org

Continuing its diversity- and equity-related efforts in the city, the City Council will also take up the plan to create a permanent Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Commission at Wednesday’s council meeting, following a study session on the topic last month. The council will further iron out details of the proposed commission ahead of a public hearing scheduled for July 17 when a draft ordinance will be introduced for its creation. More details can be found in the following staff report: https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2656653/Staff_Report_-_DEIB_Commission.pdf

On the topic of gun violence awareness, Martinez Unified School District Superintendent Helen Rossi shared the following information with me concerning the school district’s partnership with the Sandy Hook Promise nonprofit, which provides a number of programs to MUSD free of charge to help identify and prevent threats of violence and foster a more inclusive environment.

• Since February 2019, 567 reports have been made through Sandy Hook Promise’s “Say Something” web or app by MUSD students and parents about potential violence threats.

• In March 2024, MUSD piloted a new program called Navigate360 Detect as part of “Say Something” that continuously scans all email addresses belonging to MUSD, looking for key phrases that will pick up indications of the following topics: threats or violent ideas; possession of weapons; suicidal ideation; NSSI (non-suicidal self-injury) — cutting, burning, punching oneself; child abuse; inappropriate teacher/student relationships; fighting; sexual abuse/assault; substance use on campus; substance abuse/sale/purchase; and idolization of mass shooters.

“It is our hope that Navigate360’s Detect software will keep us ahead of potentially dangerous incidents with alerts of concern in near-real-time that we would not otherwise be privy to, positioning us to intervene and get help to those who need it while keeping the school safe,” Rossi said in an email.

Another proclamation that will be presented on Wednesday will be the naming of John Muir Elementary School fifth-grade student Rayann Marazzani as “Mayor for a Day.” According to the proclamation, Rayann “joins neighbors every few months to do a coastal cleanup along our Martinez shoreline and takes pride in our downtown neighborhood”; “is active in her school community, including participation in the school’s Green Team to help keep the cafeteria clean and the trash properly sorted”; and as a fifth grader “acted as an Antibullying Committee chairperson, a branch of the student council, to help combat some of the negative behaviors happening at school.”

The proclamations will all be presented at the beginning of Wednesday’s regular council meeting, which starts at 7 p.m.

Prior to Wednesday’s regular council meeting, there will be a study session starting at 5:30 p.m. on a proposed Development Incentives and Community Benefits Program designed to spur housing growth in the city as envisioned in Martinez’s 2023-31 Housing Element, which is still awaiting final approval from the state. City staff researched incentive programs in Emeryville and Concord as examples of what Martinez could try to accomplish. A detailed staff report explaining the goals of such a program and how it may be structured can be found at the following link: https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/2656831/Staff_Report_Development_Incentives_20240605.pdf

Budget workshop highlights

City officials discussed the budget heading into the 2024-25 fiscal year at a May 29 workshop, dismissing any concerns about a “doom and gloom” situation with the city’s finances but noting the need for belt tightening as expenses continue to outpace revenues, eating into the city’s reserves. Among the highlights:

• The city’s unassigned reserves are projected to be slightly more than $1 million after meeting its requirement to maintain a minimum reserve of 20% of operating expenses. “This means going forward we will need to be cautious on when we use unassigned reserves to pick up the tab for unanticipated expenses,” Assistant City Manager Lauren Sugayan told the council.

• The city anticipates making $520,000 in cuts across all departments to balance the 2024-25 budget, but none of them will “impact our ability to maintain core services,” Sugayan said.

• The primary cost drivers weighing on the city’s budget are labor, insurance and pension expenses

• Higher interest income earnings are a bright spot in the city’s revenue picture, which is otherwise suffering from declining sales tax income, cannabis dispensary community benefit contributions, and licensing and permitting fees.

• The city’s success in filling vacant positions and increasing staffing levels means that it has less savings from staff vacancies to help balance the budget. Labor costs are also rising because of contractually obligated cost-of-living adjustments.

• The city has roughly $172,000 left in funds from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that have not already been allocated. The city has leaned heavily on more than $9 million in ARPA funds in recent years to buttress the budget and pay for top priorities. Of the funds still left, the city is looking to use them to pay for crack repairs to the basketball court at Mountain View Park (a previously planned resurfacing project for the court was scrapped); a public art program; a historical walking tour; and public engagement for an Environmental Protection Agency grant. All ARPA funds need to be allocated by the end of 2024 and spent by the end of 2026.

• One of the events ARPA has funded is the city’s annual Fourth of July fireworks show at the waterfront. Next month’s show is funded, but as now, there is no budget allocation to pay for fireworks in 2025, meaning that private funding may be required to avoid cancellation of next year’s show.

• Sugayan emphasized that the city is in better fiscal health than many surrounding cities, noting that San Ramon, for instance, is facing a $14.1 million deficit. “This is not a doom and gloom budget,” she said. “This is actually really good because we’re trying to look ahead to see where the potholes are in the future, and try to create preventive or pro-active measures to address these.”

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