Baldwin Park committee approves speed-hump package for Walnut Creek and postpones vote on three electric pickup purchases

Baldwin Park — At a meeting of the city—s SOC committee on a Measure BP funding request, members approved a multi-element traffic-calming package for Fraser and Ledford near Walnut Creek Park and postponed a separate decision on buying three full-electric pickup trucks for the Public Works fleet.

Anthony Vasquez, Public Works operations manager, told the committee the traffic-calming proposal combines speed humps, pavement markings and a flashing LED warning sign to improve safety at the site. "The main objective for traffic calming devices is to improve safety and efficiency in the roadways," Vasquez said.

The committee voted in favor of the Walnut Creek traffic-calming package on a roll call: Member Hernandez (yes), Member Martha Carcamo (yes), Member Orozco (yes), Member Rodriguez (yes), Member Wynn (yes) and Vice Chair Jackson (yes). The motion passed; the staff estimate for the traffic-calming package was reported as $15,000.

Public Works staff also presented a request to use Measure BP funding to acquire three full-electric Ford Lightning pickup trucks to begin replacing aging vehicles in the department's fleet. Lina Abdullah, management analyst for Public Works, said the department's light-vehicle fleet totals 26 units; 11 of those are more than 17 years old — about 44% of the fleet — and many vehicles are increasingly costly to maintain.

The electric-truck request prompted detailed questions about vehicle roles, procurement timing, upfitting and charging infrastructure. Staff said the three trucks would be medium-duty replacements and that the city already has one electric vehicle in service. Anthony Vasquez said the city is pursuing a modest, staged approach to electrification: the three vehicles are meant to keep Baldwin Park on a transition pathway the department has chosen, and staff said meeting certain state or CARB-related criteria makes a set of three appropriate for this year.

Staff estimated charging infrastructure costs of roughly $30,000 to install chargers to serve the three vehicles and about $10,000 per vehicle for aftermarket upfits (lights, racks and similar equipment). The committee pressed staff for cost comparisons and for evidence that the replacement pace is the best use of Measure BP funds; some members said the city has up to 2035 to transition and urged a careful staged plan.

Committee members and staff also described equipment-availability and maintenance constraints. Joe, the lead city mechanic, described the operational impact when specialized vehicles fail: "If a truck is down, it could be a delay of a couple days. It could be more. It could be up to a week," he said, noting that some breakdowns require outside repairs and that specialized units (for example, a chipper or graffiti truck) cannot easily be replaced by a different vehicle without adding manpower and time to complete work.

Because committee members requested further detail on lifecycle costs, charging plans and how the vehicles would be used across divisions, the SOC agreed to postpone the substantive vote on the three electric pickups and asked staff to return with a more detailed cost and deployment plan. Staff said they would pursue potential grants for charging infrastructure and coordinate with the school district to explore shared charging facilities.

Finance staff provided an update on Measure BP finances. Ross, the finance staff presenter, said the fund had received $735,000 in May and reported a total receipts-and-interest figure of about $15.74 million through May 31, 2025; of that, $4.595 million has been committed to 11 projects, leaving a projected fund balance of about $11.152 million available for future projects.

The committee directed staff to return with additional detail on the electric-vehicle request (cost comparisons, charging plan, projected timeline and how the replacements would be prioritized) and approved the Walnut Creek traffic-calming package to proceed to implementation.

The meeting also included a policy update from staff: the City Council will consider a proposal to cap the SOC's annual review jurisdiction at $6 million of Measure BP revenues each fiscal year; revenues above that amount would fall under city council oversight. Staff said the policy would be discussed with the council at an upcoming meeting tied to budget adoption.