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Pinole Mayor Cameron Cesai announces restaurants, housing openings, leadership appointments and Measure I details
Summary
Mayor Cameron Cesai announced two new restaurants at the Pinole Vista Shopping Center, new affordable housing options for seniors and veterans, new public-safety and public-works appointments, an upgrade to PCTV, and details on Measure I’s projected revenue and timing.
Mayor Cameron Cesai announced a series of community updates in a brief video message, highlighting business openings, new affordable housing availability for seniors and veterans, leadership appointments, a modernization of the city’s public-access channel, and an overview of Measure I revenue projections and timeline.
Cesai said two new restaurants have opened at the Pinole Vista Shopping Center. “Mexachi and Popeye's Chicken are officially open at the Pinole Vista Shopping Center,” he said, and encouraged residents to visit.
The mayor described two affordable-housing opportunities now available in the city. He said Vista Wood Senior Apartments is leasing studios and one- and two-bedroom units for independent senior living and that Valor Village by Saha is accepting applications for about 33 one- and two-bedroom apartments targeted to veterans. Cesai said residents will be selected through a lottery process “with preference for veterans who live or work in Contra Costa County.”
Cesai also announced staff changes in city leadership, welcoming Melissa Cleavon as the new police chief and Hiba Elwendi as the new public works director. “We’re confident that her leadership will help strengthen the safety and security of our community,” he said about the police chief, and added the new public works director is already working to keep the city’s infrastructure on a good path.
On city communications, Cesai said PCTV is getting a new master control system that will make it easier for residents to search for content, including autogenerated captions for council meetings to improve accessibility.
The mayor summarized a recent Measure I workshop and the purpose of the measure. He described Measure I as a voter-approved half-cent sales tax intended to improve the city’s long-term fiscal sustainability and said the city projects it will “generate around $2.5 million annually,” a figure he noted will depend on sales tax receipts. Cesai said most Measure I funds will be used to balance the budget and to eliminate a budget deficit he estimated at $1.6 million, along with maintaining essential city services and staffing. He urged residents to provide input through the Measure I survey on pinolespeaks.com and said the city will begin collecting Measure I next month, with receipts expected starting in July 2025.
Finally, Cesai said bookings for the senior center and the youth center are open and encouraged residents to follow updates on the city website and PCTV.
The mayor closed the message by thanking viewers and directing them to city channels for ongoing updates.
