San Leandro council approves library cafe lease for As Needed Bakery after public debate over RFP transparency

The San Leandro City Council voted 6-1 on Sept. 15, 2025, to award a lease for the vacant cafe at the San Leandro Public Library to As Needed Bakery, following more than two hours of public comment and a council discussion focused on transparency in the city's request-for-proposals (RFP) process. Councilmember Aguilar cast the lone “no” vote.

The decision followed a public comment period during which dozens of residents and business supporters spoke for and against the staff recommendation. Supporters of As Needed Bakery —including customers, employees and nonprofit lenders— described the business as community-oriented and ready to operate the cafe. Representatives of Zocalo Coffee, which also applied, urged the council to release scoring rubrics and proposal documents they say would show their bid offered higher rent and more revenue to the city.

Why it matters: The library cafe lease touches daily life for library patrons, affects two locally owned small businesses and has heightened public scrutiny of the city’s procurement practices. Councilmembers and staff said the discussion revealed a need for clearer public information about how some city proposal processes are run.

Library staff described the RFP timeline and evaluation process. Brian Simons, San Leandro’s library director, said the city issued the cafe RFP on March 10, 2025, closed it on April 10, 2025 and received eight proposals. “We had three…