The Council made appointments to the Arts, Senior, and Library Advisory Committees, the Teen Council, and the Contra Costa County Commission on Aging. The Council appointed Penny Prater to the County Library Commission to replace Pauline Chew Nolte, who is stepping down after two decades representing San Ramon on the Commission. Openings still exist on the Arts and Library Committees and will be re-advertised.

Brooke Littman, Housing Program Manager, gave a presentation on an award from the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) for the City's Housing Rehabilitation Program, which has helped almost 150 individuals improve their homes. San Ramon was one of only five cities in the bay area to receive an award. Littman showed a video featuring Mayor Wilson and 91 year old Catherine Kahler, whose roof was replaced on her home in the Sunny Glen senior neighborhood. To read more about the award and view the video go to the ABAG website at http://www.abag.ca.gov/smarter.html.

A couple of items in the Consent Calendar deserve some attention. One authorized a loan modification agreement between Sunset Building Company LLC and the City of San Ramon for a promissory note for $7,285,000 secured by the 7 acre property on the South side of Bollinger Canyon Road reserved for City Offices and three office towers in the planned City Center. The maturity date of the note was extended from June 30, 2009 to December 31, 2012.

Another item in the Consent Calendar established an appropriations limit in the 2009-2010 budget for dealing with the recessionary economy. The plan would defer $1.5M for the pavement management program until the middle of the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year, and eliminate funding for 11 frozen vacant positions bringing the total frozen positions to 28 and continuing the hiring freeze. Two million dollars of reserves set aside during the 2008-2009 mid-year review will be used to cover potential revenue shortfalls from the State "borrowing" from City property taxes.

The Council held a Public Hearing on the Landscape and Lighting District assessments. Annual assessments citywide will increase $1.64 per unit for landscaping and lighting. The assessment for West Branch will increase by $30 per unit and Old Ranch Summit by $600 per unit. There were no speakers in the hearing and the Council approved all assessments.

The Council also held a Public Hearing to update San Ramon's Local Environmental Review procedures for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The procedures have not been updated since 1993. There were no speakers and the Council approved the update.