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Resident urges more outreach on Pinole's Safety and Environmental Justice elements
Summary
A resident told the commission the Safety and Environmental Justice workshop had poor public attendance and insufficient pre-distributed materials, and urged another workshop with better local outreach. Commissioners and staff discussed outreach options and timing; staff said the commission can request additional hearings when the item returns.
A Pinole resident told the Planning Commission on Sept. 8 that the public workshop for the Safety element and Environmental Justice element was poorly attended and rushed, and asked the city to hold another workshop with better advance materials and local promotion.
The resident said attendees at the library meeting saw a 33-page PowerPoint that was presented quickly on Zoom and that printed copies were not available at the meeting. "Please, please, please have another hearing on this, have another public hearing, public workshop, anything so you could actually have people there, asking questions and giving good answers," the commenter said.
Planning Manager David Hannum responded that the timeline for commission and council review limits options for an additional full workshop before the scheduled commission hearing, but that if the commission needs additional time it can ask staff to schedule another meeting. Commissioners and staff discussed additional promotion methods (library flyers, banners at high-visibility intersections, senior-center workshops and social media), and staff said the public review draft for the Safety and Environmental Justice elements will be posted on the city website for public comment.
Why it matters: The Safety and Environmental Justice elements will affect citywide policy and should include meaningful community input, commissioners said. Staff plans to post the public-review drafts for both elements and work on targeted outreach. The commission asked staff to include public feedback received before the next hearing when the elements come back for formal review.
Provenance: The comment began during public comment at the start of the meeting and extended into a short staff follow-up; staff asked the public to submit written comments to the planning manager by email if they preferred written input.
Next steps: Staff will publish the draft elements for public review and include public comments in the staff report when the commission considers the elements at the upcoming meeting. The commission and staff discussed possible additional workshops or special meetings if commissioners determine more community input is required.
