Next MAC Meeting… January?
Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) might not have a full agenda meeting until January 2023, unless it passes an authorization next Monday.
At issue is the format of teleconference or Zoom meetings, which have been used since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several Castro Valley MAC members argue that virtual meetings exclude those who have bad or no internet connections. The members also balk that the county would not allow in-person meetings even though COVID restrictions have eased up. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has a plan to convert all its unincorporated MAC meetings to hybrid—some people in person; others online—starting in January.
Since COVID, Alameda County turned to Zoom meetings or similar video software to keep the wheels of government turning. California Assembly Bill 361 allows government agencies to legally conduct meetings online, but compliance requires monthly approval.
But the effect of Zoom fatigue seems to have taken its toll. On September 12, the Castro Valley MAC voted 3-2 with one abstention to not continue teleconferencing its meetings. The vote suspended all further General and Land Use meetings until another vote for authorization could be made.
"We first debated it in a MAC meeting in March or April, and each member, regardless of how that member voted on the issue in September, has strong feelings about the impacts to Castro Valley and our community members regarding the continuance of teleconferencing only meetings," Mulgrew told the Forum.
Mulgrew has called for a teleconference MAC meeting on Monday, October 24. The only item on the docket is to potentially agree to have future virtual meetings in the next 30 days. If the MAC does not pass the Remote Teleconference agreement before the holiday season, it might not be until January when they meet again.
Despite not having a full General or Land Use Meeting in over a month, those seeking permits for projects in Castro Valley can still get a review process with public scrutiny by the County Planning Department or the Board of Zoning Adjustments.
"The main principle is that we are not denying the process either to the project applicant or the public," Planning Commission Director Albert Lopez told the Forum. "We're not going to shorten those comment periods, but currently projects that would normally go to the MAC would be reviewed by the seven-member Planning Commission or the five-member BZA."
Lopez did warn that delaying MAC meetings longer than January could have chilling effects on pending Land Use projects such as a café proposed on the former site of a piano store on A Street and a proposed youth camp on Cull Canyon by The Mosaic Project.
Hybrid Meetings are Coming
Meanwhile, an October 4 vote by the Supervisors resulted in establishing hybrid-style meetings—some in person, some online—for all unincorporated MAC meetings starting in January 2023. This would include the newly formed Eden Area and Fairview MACs. The projected meeting dates for 2023 mean that the earliest hybrid meetings would take place on January 9 and 10.
The plan would see future Castro Valley and Fairview MACs meeting at the Castro Valley Library. The Eden Area MAC would meet at the San Lorenzo Library. The county would supply both sites with about $5,000 worth of mobile teleconferencing equipment and staff to ensure residents could participate in MAC meetings in person and online, similar to how County Supervisors have held their meetings since April 2022.
While the technology has been in place since late summer, Supervisor Nate Miley's office noted the delay in launching hybrid meetings for the unincorporated MAC groups is due to staffing issues. The hybrid meetings require both technical and security staff.
Supervisor Miley says he shares the CV MAC's frustration over online meetings but noted that he is working with the advisory committee to ensure the transition to hybrid is smooth.
"The complications of doing these hybrid meetings are real. I recently attended a training session with the other Supervisors where I was the one online. I was frustrated too," Miley told the Forum. But beyond the equipment and setup, we must ensure there is proper procedures for these meetings including security."
Except for holidays, the Castro Valley MAC meets on the second, third, and fourth Mondays of each month. The Fairview MAC meets on the first Tuesday of each month and the Eden Area MAC meets on the second Tuesday of each month.
The Castro Valley MAC schedule can be found here: http://www.acgov.org/bc/cvmac/