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 reviewers score them as to initial qualifications,” Simons said. “Those initial scores were to identify of the eight … the three most qualified who gave fully responsive bids” and those finalists were interviewed in person.

Members of the public pushed for more disclosure of the proposals and the scoring rubric. “How were those proposals scored? If this process was fair and based on objective criteria … then I ask that you rescore them,” said Sarah Hubelhart, owner of Zocalo Coffee. She added, “Without transparency, trust in the public process disappears.”

City officials and the city attorney explained why some RFP materials remain confidential until a contract is awarded. The city attorney told the council that, under existing California law, a local agency may withhold competing proposals while negotiations are ongoing so as not to prejudice those negotiations, and that records are generally released after a contract is finalized. “Once a contract is awarded, then the documents are released,” the city attorney said during the discussion.

Several councilmembers disclosed ex parte contacts with applicants before the discussion. Councilmember Acevedo, Councilmember Bolt, Councilmember Simon, Vice Mayor Bowen and others each stated they had conversations with representatives of Zocalo and/or As Needed Bakery. The mayor directed members to disclose such contacts at the start of the discussion; the disclosures were read into the record before debate.

Public comment was strongly split. Supporters of As Needed Bakery—including owner Ileana Imbermann Berkowitz, employees and community organizations that have extended financing—described the business’ local roots, weekly donations to the San Leandro Food Pantry and readiness to operate the site. “We are excited to open the As Needed cafe, which will build upon our classic bakery staples and offer new breakfast, lunch and drink options,” Berkowitz said. A representative from the Hebrew Free Loan Association, which provided a business loan to Berkowitz, described her as “adaptable and resilient” and urged approval.

Zocalo Coffee representatives pressed for release of scoring details and application materials. Daniel (Dan) Grace and Hubelhart said they were told the city selected As Needed because of a more favorable guaranteed rent proposal, but that Zocalo’s published lease terms appeared to offer more revenue. “We haven’t seen scores. We haven’t seen applications that were submitted,” Grace said during public comment. Councilmembers and the city manager said staff had followed the city’s standard proposal process and that some disclosures must wait until after a formal award.

Council discussion ranged between calls for greater transparency in future solicitations and deference to the staff’s evaluation in this instance. Several councilmembers praised both applicants and said the RFP process produced multiple qualified proposals. Councilmember Bolt asked whether the two vendors might collaborate or whether other city locations could host additional vendors in the future. Councilmember Simon asked staff whether the lease opportunity could be re-opened; council discussion indicated the council could revisit the concession in roughly two years depending on contract terms and future action.

Final action: Councilmember Bolt moved to approve the staff recommendation to award the lease to As Needed Bakery; the motion passed 6-1 with Councilmember Aguilar voting no.

Votes at a glance: The council also took two other procedural votes earlier in the meeting: it unanimously appointed Malika Potter to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission and unanimously appointed a slate of youth members to the Youth Advisory Commission for terms ending Aug. 31, 2026. Those appointments were made as minute orders and sworn in during the meeting.

What’s next: Staff told the council that, consistent with the city’s RFP practice, finalized contract documents and proposal materials will be made public after a contract is fully executed. Several councilmembers said they want staff to review the RFP process to identify improvements for greater public clarity in future competitive proposal solicitations.

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(Reporting note: Direct quotes in this article are taken from the Sept. 15, 2025 San Leandro City Council meeting transcript.)