The IBEW 1245 Labor Union brought smoke and fire to a Tuesday night Vallejo City Council meeting.
The rest of the meeting focused on the council trying to regulate smoke.
A regularly scheduled Vallejo City Council meeting spent more than four hours focusing on two main topics — the renewing of a labor union contract and tobacco retail licensing with small business owners in the community.
The council debated the adoption of a possible smoking ordinance that aims “to protect the public health, safety and general welfare and to guarantee the right of nonsmokers, especially children, to breathe smoke-free air and to recognize that the need to breathe smoke-free air has priority over the desire to smoke; and to reduce addiction to tobacco products by children and teenagers.”
But small business owners in Vallejo — a large number of them with language barrier — said that they weren’t notified or were notified only in the last week and resent being targeted with selling tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.
In the end, the council decided to table discussions on the subject until the second meeting in September. Vallejo Vice-Mayor Mina Loera Diaz, believing the sides were close to an agreement, urged the small business owners at the meeting to not only return in three months, but to tell as many people as possible about the event.
“You have to go,” Loera-Diaz said. “If you don’t go, someone else is going to voice your concerns and it might not be what you need … It’s a matter of communication, communication that didn’t happen until now,” Loera-Diaz said. “We have to go forward in a way that we not only protect our children but our businesses … you are our community.”
Vallejo City Attorney Veronica Nebb said the effort of outreach was a “failure,” noting that “I can apologize for it and say we need to offer the notice in more languages.”
The night featured 26 in-person speakers and another eight virtual. The two sides went back and forth, with one constant theme: Small business owners should make it in the community, but at what cost?
Calyn Kelley, a Project Director with Bay Area Community Resources who lives in Hayward, passionately urged the council to “be brave.”
“You know it kills people but you still sell it, but you wouldn’t give it your children,” she said. “We’re not here because the problem exists but because it disproportionately exists in Vallejo.”
Brian Davis of LGBTQ Minus Tobacco says that tobacco business will still exist and do fine but it’s about “controlling it and helping protect the communities youth.”
Vallejo Project Founder Adjoa McDonald, who was making her first appearance since she was attacked by a 20-year-old with a boxcutter, was also in favor of the ordinance. She said that she often sees tobacco and vaping materials in her classrooms.
Others, however, noted that small business owners had to go through a new process with transferring ownership.
According to a slide presentation, the density limitations on number of retailers based on city population is one per 2,500. With the last census listing 125,886 people in Vallejo, this means about 51 licenses will be allowed in city.
However, Nebb said in her slide presentation that existing retailers are exempt from proximity/density requirements, and can receive a license regardless of location or density limits. The slide presentation also said that a new owner can obtain a license for a location that does not comply with the ordinance if the number of retailers exceed density requirements.
One business owner and public speaker said he wishes notices were given and that “he doesn’t sell illegally because it’s too much risk.”
Another small business owner said that the same under-age customers he refuses to sell to promptly step outside and throw rocks at the venue.
Councilmember JR Matulac said he didn’t want to unfairly judge the estimated 75 percent of business owners that were falling in compliance with the law and said the 25 percent that were breaking the law were likely not at the Tuesday meeting. Matulac said the problem was likely not with the business owners selling illegally but instead people over 21 buying the products and then giving it to their younger family members and friends.
The chamber was also filled with employees of IBEW 1245, the majority of them wearing red T-shirts saying, “I’m in with 1245.” With its contract set to expire on Saturday, employees were adamant that they get “Fair pay now” as expressed on their numerous signs.
Earlier this week IBEW 1245 said that weeks of negotiations with the City of Vallejo had gone nowhere. IBEW 1245 said that “notwithstanding significant proposals by the Union, the City has yet to offer any substantive proposals on wages.”
“It’s not tenable. We’ve been underpaid and short-staffed for years. It’s time to make us whole, for ourselves, our families, and our city,” declared James Olson, a Senior Landscape Inspector who has worked at the City of Vallejo for more than 25 years.
The first community forum heard from about half a dozen employees urging the city to do the right thing with a new contract.
“Look at these people standing behind me all dressed in red and blue. They are coming before council today to show they have a voice and that this city matters to them. And if you want the truth, this is Vallejo,” IBEW 1245’s Bob Dean said, pointing at his colleagues.
“These men and women have served the city and its residents through the good times and the bad,” Dean continued. “No matter what the challenge or obstacle they showed up to work and did what was needed to be done. Now it’s time for the council, the Mayor and the City Manager to do the same.”
Kim Camatti read off a list of letters from throughout the community backing IBEW 1245.
No action item was on the agenda for the IBEW 1245 employees and the majority of the 100 or so employees left the meeting after the first community forum.
The other three action items on the agenda were heard after midnight early Wednesday morning.
The last item of the night — adopting a resolution authorizing City Manager Andrew Murray to execute agreement with Flock Safety for the renewal of automated license plate readers and security cameras (Flock Condors) in an amount not to exceed $1,492,500 over a term of 60 months — was passed 7-0.
Flock Safety cameras were first implemented in Vallejo during 2020 with an initial installation of 10 Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras and expanding over the course of 3 years to total 101 Flock ALPR cameras and 15 Flock security cameras.
The cameras are designed to scan only license plates and vehicles. They can’t recognize people’s faces, and the sheriff’s office will provide written authorization before sharing any collected data.
The possible cameras come as Vallejo’s Police Department has suffered staffing issues, prompting the city council to declare a local emergency in a July 25 meeting last year. Council members voted unanimously to give Interim Police Chief Jason Ta and then City Manager Mike Malone the power to make unilateral decisions regarding Vallejo’s public safety.
Another action item — adopting a resolution approving a First Amendment to the Consultant and Professional Services Agreement for on call tree pruning and removal services with EZ Tree Inc. to increase the maximum not-to exceed amount of the contract to $2,137,500 — was passed 6-1 with Councilmember Peter Bregenzer as the lone no vote.
