After Midnight
Happy Tuesday Daly Citizens!
Last week was my first time at a Daly City, City Council meeting. It was a marathon. I must say I have a new found respect for the endurance and stamana of the city employees to be doing business for nearly 5 hours, past 1am. They got a lot done. a new fire chief, a pool hall on Mission Street and a housing ordinance that puts people who already live here first. But I do wonder if these meetings could be more efficiently run. There was a lot of talking in circles.
What's next for the park
The Olympic Club's withdrawal is on the record now. Assistant City Manager Timothy Nevin read the timeline into the meeting, from the club's first approach in January 2025 through the two community meetings in July, ending with "on September 4th, 2026, the Olympic Club withdrew from the MOU." The council took no vote on any of it that night, and the club's letter is not in the meeting packet. (Meeting page, video). But for now, I think we are in the clear.
About 10 of us showed up for the meeting, but we were not given time to talk until about three hours in. Our numbers dwindeled a bit, but a group of us stayed to say thank you and "let's discuss the future". Emily Stoops told the council we "came together to protect Westlake Park, but we are staying together to care for our green spaces," and listed what this group can bring: civil engineering, fundraising, gardening, volunteer management. Daven Chan grew up here and learned to ride his bike at Westlake Park. He said we came "to show that we're still here, that we still care, and that we still want improvements," for Westlake and for all of our parks. Tatum King thanked the city staff at the park and the Doelger Center who run the after-school and senior programs, and asked that they get more resources.
So what is next for the park? I dug into the budget a bit (with some scraping help), and it is confusing.
There is a project called "Westlake Park Master Plan" number 33158900, in the FY2026-27 capital budget (pages G-75 to G-76). It is $150,000, all of it study and design money, with no construction line at all. The justification is two sentences: "The Mayor and City Council have expressed interest in revitalizing Westlake Park and Doelger Senior Center. To better understand the potential and opportunity for this space, a feasibility study and assessment are needed."
The city already wants to know what Westlake Park could be. And it pairs the park with the Doelger Center, which is the pairing we spent all summer arguing about. But none of this was brought up in the discussions about the Olympic Club. What was this money used for?
There is more. The 2020 Parks and Open Space Master Plan priced out improvements to park in the city, and Westlake Park, 13.5 acres, came to $4,089,800 of work with routine maintenance included. It is a 2020 number, the plan escalated its own estimates at 3.85% a year, and nobody has repriced it since given the inflation in the last few years. In 2026 dollars that would be about 5.2 million.
This is what the city says it would cost to update and maintain the park.
How other cities are paying for parks
We are not the only city short of money for parks. Los Angeles to the south carries a budget decficit ratio similar to Daly City, albeit 100 times large in raw value.
In November, Los Angeles residents vote on Charter Amendment PRK. It would roughly double the share of assessed property value that the city's charter guarantees to its parks department, from 0.0325% to 0.065%, phased in through the 2036-37 fiscal year. It raises no new tax. It redirects money the city already collects, and it writes the floor into the charter so a future council cannot quietly lower it. The coverage is honest about the cost of that: parks get more and something else gets less. (LAist)
We could not put that on our ballot if we wanted to. A charter is a city's own constitution and only charter cities have one. Daly City is a general law city, incorporated in 1911 and operating under the state Government Code. There is no charter to amend.
South San Francisco went another way and bought park land with developer impact fees. We have impact fees too. They apply to new development, so they can add parkland as the city grows and do nothing about the gap we are already carrying.
So what is available to a city built like ours? I don't know. I have not found anywhere that the question was asked, let alone answered. It is one sentence for the City Attorney: what can a general law city do to guarantee a floor for parks funding? I would like to hear that answer, at a meeting, on the record.
City Council, September 14
Chief Gracia
The council moved the fire chief item to the front of the agenda, and it took the first hour and a half of the night.
Nicholas Gracia is Daly City's ninth fire chief. The appointment itself happened in a closed session earlier that evening. City Manager Tom Piccolotti walked through the hiring first: a nationwide recruitment through an outside firm, six candidates, then two, then finalist interviews. The man they landed on has worked here 25 years. He was hired in the fall of 2001, and the chief who hired him told him he was his last hire. (Daily Journal)
Gracia spent most of his time at the microphone on his family, with his parents, his in-laws and his daughters in the room and the firefighters lined up behind him. He called himself "a child of our community, someone who grew up in our streets, in our parks, paper routes on our streets." On what the city is getting: "leadership is accessible because I am."
Councilmember Daus-Magbual said the cheer when Gracia's name was read was the loudest he had heard in his years on the council. Councilmember DiGiovanni, who is a firefighter's daughter, remembered watching him fight for Engine 95 back when she was still a resident in the audience. Then Gracia asked the mayor to administer the oath. His wife pinned the badge on him, the families came up for photos and the council recessed for cake.
Congratulations, Chief.
On proclamations
After the cake came the proclamations. Five of them: Chloe Chou, our 2022-2023 Youth Poet Laureate and 2024 county Poetry Out Loud champion, plus Sepsis Awareness Month, Suicide Prevention Month, National Preparedness Month and National Hispanic Heritage Month. Every one of them worth doing. The sepsis one turned into something real, with council members telling stories about family they had lost to it, and I learned the warning signs from listening to it.
My only complaint is a small one. Every proclamation goes all the way down the dais, one council member at a time, before the council reaches anything it can vote on. Five proclamations took about fifty-five minutes that way. Can we limit this to two voices on each, with the others saving their remarks for the ones they have a real connection to? It would carry the same warmth and get the people waiting in the back rows home earlier.
Affordable housing for people already here
When a developer builds in Daly City, a share of the units has to be set aside as affordable. The council voted 5-0 on first reading to give people who live or work in Daly City first pick of 70% of those units. Councilmember Manalo asked staff for it back in June.
It is 70% and not all of them because of federal fair housing law. The city's consultant found that reserving every unit for locals would have a disparate impact by race and that 70% would not. Mayor Sylvester asked whether the analysis looked at anything besides race, and the City Attorney pointed to the priority the ordinance already gives people who need an accessible unit. Staff report
A family of four can make $168k and still count as low income here.
A group of neighbors from Faith in Action spoke in favor, a couple of them through an interpreter. Wendy Cruz has lived here about 20 years and raised her kids here. She called it "the first step", and most of the speakers asked for the same second one: the anti-harassment ordinance for renters, which they said is still in process. Councilmember DiGiovanni brought up renter protections from the dais as well. I am for the preference.
Councilmember Manalo also gave an update on 493 Eastmoor Avenue: 72 apartments, 71 of them affordable at 20% to 50% of area median income, with construction due to finish by April 2028.
The other housing item repeals the city's own ADU chapter and defers to state law. Nobody spoke on it and it passed its first reading. Staff report
The pool hall is approved
The billiards hall at 6232 Mission Street, the old Dollar Tree, got its use permit from the council 5-0. It can stay open until 1 a.m. every night, which is the Planning Commission's number. Staff had started at midnight. Vice Mayor Proaño pointed out that Town and Country Billiards on San Pedro Road closes at 12, and asked the police chief whether that place causes any trouble. He said it has been "a long time" since officers were called there for anything.
On minors, the Police Department flagged during the meeting that Municipal Code 9.44 already requires anyone under 18 in a billiard hall to be with a parent or another responsible adult, at any hour. Mayor Sylvester had that written into the conditions, and suggested checking IDs at the door with wristbands for anyone old enough to drink.
George Khanouf told the council the family applied on June 25 and starts paying rent today, September 22. He thanked the city for moving the hearing up two weeks from September 28. They are hoping to open before the Top of the Hill Festival on October 17, and they have offered their parking lot to the festival. There is no kitchen, so Councilmember Manalo suggested partnering with a food truck. Staff report
Other business
The city's three-year contract with AFSCME Local 829 passed on consent without discussion. Raises of 4% dated back to last December, then 3.5% and 3.25%, plus new longevity pay and a bump in bilingual pay. Staff set aside $1.5 million for it this fiscal year. Staff report
Councilmember DiGiovanni pulled the design contract for the early learning and event center at 1401 Sullivan Avenue off the consent calendar. It adds $436k for geotechnical work, PG&E coordination and a second floor, paid from the General Fund. It passed unanimously.
Fire Station 93 has its solar panels, new HVAC and LED lighting. A $576k project, with a $126k tax credit expected early next year. Staff report
The History Guild and the city are teaming up on a fundraiser at Cafe Doelger on April 8, 2027.
Two candidate forums
Three of the five council seats are on the November ballot, and there are two chances to ask about them.
Saturday's is run by Faith in Action Bay Area, whose members spoke on September 14 for the housing preference and asked for renter protections next. It is at Pollicita Middle School, 5:30 to 7. English and Spanish, with Tagalog, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic offered. Childcare if you ask for it. You submit your questions for the candidates on the same form you RSVP with. RSVP
Next Wednesday, September 30th, is the League of Women Voters, 6 to 8, in the Council Chambers. The League runs it rather than the city. Details
In between the two: campaign finance statements are due Thursday, September 24, covering July 1 through September 19. That is the first look at who is paying for this race, and it lands two days before the first forum.
Everything else
Chromebooks for the library
Last Tuesday at the Library Board, DCPLA announced 22 new Chromebooks for checkout across all four branches, paid for by a $6k grant from the Town of Colma and $5k from Tri Counties Bank. Awesome work! More than 60 have dropped out of circulation over the last seven years and the library had only been able to replace 20.
The director also walked through ten years of usage numbers. We are below the state average per person on both checkouts and visits, with a dip in 2024-25 that other libraries didn't have. Her guess was the construction at the Serramonte branch. A resident asked the board to think about safe walking routes to the libraries, and staff agreed to take it to Public Works. (Meeting page)
Daly City tech support
The city's own on-demand video of the September 14 meeting runs about an hour shorter than the YouTube upload. YouTube has the whole thing. The Personnel Board approved its August 13 minutes on September 10. They still aren't on the portal, and neither are any of the board's other minutes from this year.
At that same Personnel Board meeting, a board member invited everyone to a groundbreaking for the Cormorant battery storage project "near the Cow Palace" on September 15. The only place that company, Arevon Energy, shows up in the council record I track is an $8k check to Recreation Services that the council accepted on July 27. I need to dig into where the project actually is.
Important dates
Tonight, Tuesday, September 22, 7 p.m. Recreation Commission, City Hall Council Chambers, 333 90th Street. A Certificate of Commendation for Señor Sisig and a Youth Recreation Program report. Meeting
Thursday, September 24. First pre-election campaign finance statements are due, covering July 1 through September 19.
Saturday, September 26, 5:30 to 7 p.m. Community candidate forum hosted by Faith in Action Bay Area, Thomas R. Pollicita Middle School, 550 E. Market Street.
Monday, September 28, 7 p.m. City Council, City Hall, 333 90th Street. A public hearing on changing the eligibility rules for the cannabis equity program. The agenda should post Thursday. Meeting
Wednesday, September 30, 6 to 8 p.m. League of Women Voters candidate forum for the City Council race, in the Council Chambers at 333 90th Street. Free.
Thursday, October 1. Business license taxes are due. The city's reminder notices are a courtesy, so the deadline applies even if yours never showed up. The next round of Legacy Business nominations opens the same day.
Monday, October 5. Early voting begins in San Mateo County. Voter registration closes October 19, and write-in candidate filing closes October 20.
Around town
Tuesday Fun Night Tuesdays, 6 to 7:30 p.m., through September 29. Westlake Library, 275 Southgate Ave. Drop-in, a different activity each week, kids and adults. Free.
Craft Corner Wednesday, September 23, 10:30 a.m. to noon. Bayshore Library, 460 Martin Street. Free, registration required.
Financial Literacy Workshop Thursday, September 24, 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. Peninsula Books, 441 Westlake Center. For youth and parents, on financial aid beyond the FAFSA. Registration requested.
Chamber membership mixer Thursday, September 24, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dave & Buster's, Serramonte Center. Free for Daly City Colma Chamber members, $15 ahead or $20 at the door for everyone else.
Family Night Thursdays, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Bayshore Library, 460 Martin Street. Right after the 6 p.m. storytime. Free.
Karaoke Fridays Friday, September 25, noon to 6 p.m. Kapwa Kultural Center & Café, 11b San Pedro Road. The last one of the month. Kapwa is also taking $2 off drinks through September 30 for anyone who adds a message to its Garden of Hope for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.
DCPLA Art & Lit Fest Saturday, September 26, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. 3 Serramonte Center. Local poets, authors, artists, musicians and crafters, raising money for our libraries. Free.
Audiobook Silent Book Club in the Parks Saturday, September 26, 10 a.m. to noon. San Pedro Valley Park, 600 Oddstad Blvd, Pacifica. Bring headphones and your own audiobook. Register ahead for free parking.
Pacifica Fogfest Saturday and Sunday, September 26 and 27, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Palmetto Avenue, Pacifica. Year 39. Free, all ages. (A festival for the fog. I approve.)
Teen art workshop Wednesday, September 30, 4 to 5:30 p.m. Serramonte Main Library, 40 Wembley Drive. Perler bead photo frames. Free, first come first served.
Crochet Workshop Saturday, October 3, 2 to 4 p.m. Peninsula Books, 441 Westlake Center. Good for kids.
Women of Rodeo Saturday, October 3, 5 to 8:30 p.m. Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave. Ticketed. The Grand National Rodeo opens the weekend after.
The library storytimes keep running weekly: Serramonte Tuesdays and Baby Bounce Wednesdays at 10:15 a.m., John Daly Wednesdays at 6 p.m., Westlake Thursdays at 10:15 a.m. and Bayshore Thursdays at 6 p.m., plus Play & Learn with Help Me Grow for ages 0 to 5 on Fridays at 10:30 a.m. at Serramonte.
Everything past two weeks out is on the events calendar.
Other alerts
Mission Street might finally get some attention. Councilmember Manalo said in her report on September 14 that there is "some headway" with Caltrans and that "hopefully by Thanksgiving weekend there would be some work done." Mission is a state road, so the city can't repave it on its own.
The Westlake slurry seal is still going street by street into January. Same rules: closed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on your street's day, anything still parked after 7 a.m. gets towed at your expense, signs go up 48 hours ahead. The schedule is on the construction projects page.
A neighbor reports that J & D Recycling in Westlake is closed because of construction and asked where else takes cans and bottles. If you know a good spot, the thread could use answers.
Another neighbor is turning a one-time cleanup into a monthly group, the Westlake Clean-Up Collaborative. Materials provided, no experience needed.
And a neighbor spotted a coyote walking up Ridgefield Avenue toward Higate around midday on September 17. One report so far, and the poster asked neighbors to be careful.
Until next time!