We'll update from the Pleasant Health Library. So please come on down, Mr. Patrick Greenberg, the senior
community library manager, provided presentation, and I say senior only because of your rank,
not your age. It's a bit of a mouthful. Yes. So we're cueing up some slides here for you guys.
May I? Is it on? All right, I'll just make a short question here. All right. All right. Good evening, Mr. Mayer.
The council, city staff, and members of the public. My name is Patrick Greenberg. I'm the,
let's just call it the library manager. I run the Pleasant Hill Library, and it's a treat to be back here
with you in the beginning of 2026 to look back at some of the great successes and accomplishments
of the Pleasant Hill Library, which is a thriving partnership between the county and the city.
I never get tired of looking at these, these glam shots of our beautiful building, but I'm going to share some
numbers and some stories to give you a picture of what happened in 2025. Here we go.
Cool. So we had a very busy year. It was bigger than last year, and last year was bigger than the year
before, and we just keep growing and getting busier in busier. We had 310,000 plus visitors,
which was an increase from 2024. And I really like to highlight this, because the only way that we're
able to manage this capacity is with the tremendous support and engagement of the city staff,
the public works folks, who really keep our building going and looking great. And it's a big job. Every
single day, Jason comes to work. He's usually there before me, and we're talking and checking in on things,
and making sure the building is humming and ready for the public. So I just want to give a shout out
to the great staff under Anne and, yeah, Mr. Carr, and all the folks who show up every day, Gerald,
our gentleman who keeps track of all the landscaping and the custodial staff that do their best to keep up
with over a thousand visitors a day. It is really a herculean task, and I appreciate it so deeply.
We signed up a ton of new library cards. So 16% more new library cards than we signed up the previous year.
We still have work to do. Believe it or not. I mean, the numbers are spectacular, but we actually
have a lot more to do. And we have this dream that every kid in plus in Hill is going to have a library
card of their own. And yet, we probably only have about 50% of youth that are enrolled in an elementary
middle or high school that have their own card. Either they got one in an expired or maybe, you know,
their mom or dad handles their card. But we are really pushing to try to get into schools and make sure
that whoever doesn't have a card has one. And so it takes a big team, but I really appreciate
the work that we're able to do in partnership with the Education Commission and even folks here on the
Dias who have facilitated connections with the schools. It's super helpful for everybody to be on board with
this mission to make sure that all of our kids have public libraries across the United States use to purchase
books to build our amazing collections so we can lend them to the public. Well, they imploded last year
are coming from all over to enjoy story times and all these special events. And that's what I'd like
to highlight next, which is some of the fun activities that happen in the library where we are fostering
literacy and lifelong learning. So story times to me are the heart of this library. When you look at
our gate count, the busiest days are the story time days. And that's every Wednesday and Thursday at 11 a.m.
We have play full musical storytelling that happens. If you have never happened to be in a library during
one of those times, you should come down and play with us. It's super wonderful to see all the generations
enjoying a story time together. And we had a very special story time this last year with Rebecca Walker,
the daughter of Alice Walker, who read from her picture book and we gave away hundreds of copies of
her book, which is called Time for Us. And it was really beautiful to see everybody enjoying that story
and her connecting with young people in our town. Yeah, it was really really a special event that we had
in celebration of Black children's picture book week. And we did of course do a lot of after school
enrichment. So at 235 every day, you will see those doors are open. And they will not close again and
for another half an hour because it just gets walking through it. Obviously being right next to plus
and home middle school, we get a lot of traffic every day. And it's really fun to see how these young
people decide to use the library. Some of them are doing their homework. Believe or not, they're actually
popping open their Chromebooks and doing schoolwork. It's incredible. And some of them are playing games and
just socializing. And of course, we have a lot of enrichment for them. So, you know, whether it's steam-based
stuff or it's craft. We work with the teams that are in our building to, you know, sort of curate
and experience after school to make it special for them to be there. So, we love our after school time.
And, of course, our maker space is hopping. It is for libraries, a cultural hub,
that reflects the diversity of the community, not just in the collections, but the books that we have,
or the staff that we have, but especially in the programs that we have. So in addition to things that
Korean drumming, we also had Arabic calligraphy. We had a Ramadan story time. The list goes on.
And, of course, Lunar New Year is one of our biggest batches of the year. And I'm really excited that
the land answer is coming back to us on February 17. So, that one always draws hundreds of folks.
Really fun time. Tinkers and thinkers. In 2025, we moved the event to the spring time, which is a big
shift for us. We've been doing it in September for a long, long time. So, when we pivoted to the spring,
we just did a really fun sort of launch party doing rockets. And this year, April 18th, of 2026,
it's going to be our 10th year. We've been doing this event for 10 years, with robots and rockets,
and all kinds of hands-on learning, getting kids excited about science and tech. And it's going to be
bigger than ever. We're taking over not just the senior center in the park, but also the teen center.
And I'm really pumped about some of the really stellar exhibits that we're going to bring in.
We're also really trying to focus on getting our youth to be exhibitors, not just to be participants,
and enjoying the event. This year, we want them to also be showing off the science and the learning that
they've been doing. So, it's always been a dream of mine. And we've seen some of that, but we're going to
really be leaning into that more this time around. So, yeah, 10 years of tinkers, it's pretty
pretty exciting. I'm looking forward to that. Free comic today is another wonderful annual event. We had it in
May giving away thousands of comic books and having wonderful live draw experiences with professional
comic artists. And that one will be actually all ages. Kids, teens, adults, everybody gets to do
summer reading, everybody gets prizes. And we'll be doing that again this summer, of course.
So, all of this isn't just a brag. It's something that I'm just so thrilled that I have an amazing
community to work with. I have an amazing city to work with. I have an amazing army of volunteers who
make it happen. And some of the most special volunteers are those who work in the friends of the
library. I even brought a few tonight. They're out here. Katherine, I'm Lisa. So, the friends run
three different bookstores, converting donated books into the gold that I make into magic at the
library. So, over $140,000 that they donated to the library for books and equipment and all the programs that
I just outlined and more. It's really astounding and unparalleled across the county with friends groups.
They also were not really just a fundraising arm. They really are an extension of our mission. So,
I just really wanted to highlight that having all these book shops in town is a way for us to continue
to boost literacy and learning. So, they are really an extension of our library. So, not only are they
putting tens of thousands of more books into the hands of readers, but they're giving away books at events
like the Halloween fashion, the park and things like that. It really is important that we have these
sort of satellite libraries that can connect all over town and beyond the immediate neighborhood of the
library. So, those are the highlights from 2025. Thank you so much for having me and let me know if I can
answer any questions for you. Good questions from the dyes. I can't remember soccer.
Thank you so much for all the great work that you do, the plus and whole library. I had a question
you said you were trying to raise the number of students that have library cards and I was just wondering
how you're going about doing that. Are you visiting schools? Are you putting a display out at the library?
Farrowx has even busted kids to the library for a visit. And again, they've got the application
filled out. We get in the card and we introduce them to the library and they get to run around before
the library opens and borrow some books, which is super fun. That said, it doesn't have to just be second
great. We'll do it with everyone. We love it when we get invitations out to any grades. In fact,
we've had a pretty good thing going at college park, though they've had some changes with their
administration. We'll be getting back in there this spring. We're during their
forget the acronym, but they're their study period, right? And we've definitely been working our
county librarian, Allison Eki, has been working closely with the county ed to try to figure out
how you could scale this, where every student just automatically gets a card. It's a tricky one to do,
but in the meantime, we're just open to any invitations to get out and visit and we've recently
set up a page on ccclib.org or library website that's just a landing page for educators and they can
fill out a forum and say, I've got a class of third graders and we want you to come and visit us and
we'd like to learn about databases you have or we want you to read this a story, whatever they can
just specify what kind of a visit they'd like and then we respond to those those go straight into our inbox.
So yeah, we're continuing to try to innovate and how we can connect more deeply, but ultimately
it comes down to the humans, right? It's the teachers and the school librarians and our staff
to facilitate those things. So great question. We're just going to keep looking away.
I'm just going to make a statement on my Patrick. And I just, you know, I saw the email that I got that
the revenues for the friends, like kid a record of $440,000, which is just amazing numbers.
And I just wanted to mention to the public as well that the friends had been instrumental in raising
1.5 million to put all the furniture and fixtures into the library and the first place. And so
while their programs continue and their contribution is massive, they really wrote a big
thanks for getting the library to where it is today. Absolutely. Just wanted to add that, no.
No, I appreciate that. That's absolutely true. It's so important because, you know,
you need these bond measures to build the library. It's the building. It's not the furniture.
It's not the furnishings. So that's why that's such a huge, huge thing for the city and for your
programs as well. I have a council member. Well, thank you Patrick. I mean, my kids basically grew up at
the library, right? And even before it was renovated to the day of what it looks like, right?
We attended all of your story times. Love them. I wish my kids were still little, so keep going.
But I do really like the fact that you had reached out to educators. You've given them the opportunity
to actually have the library come to the school. So I think that's fantastic. To Amanda's point about
reaching out on library cards. Maybe there's a possible way to have a waiver or a form for parents to
fill out for the educators, right? And say, okay, my child would like a library card. You know,
we can fill out a library card while they come to the school of visit. So for example, if I'm having a
lunar, new year's story time, we can actually have some documents available. And the parents can
fill it out beforehand. And then that way you'll have people registered for library cards. Just an example
of opportunity. Yeah, and that's sort of what the, we have a special application for the schools.
And it is just a matter of sort of coordinating with the teachers to get that into the hands of the
parents at the right time. And then the teachers can authenticate the address and the things that we need
as a representative of the school. But yeah, it takes a few pieces, right? If there are places where we don't
have a community library in place and trying to fill some of those gaps. But yeah, I've been grateful we've
been able to have it out to a couple of schools over the years to pop up. You know, have a
bunch of hands-on learning available. It does geared towards the early learning side of things. So,
you know, great for kindergarten or pre-K. There's a little bit less there for those older elementary
school students simply because it's not a full bookmobile that you can walk into for those of you who
maybe may have grown up in a rural area where there's like a bookmobile that's like a bus. This isn't
quite that. But it is another way for us to connect with schools when those kids may not be able to walk
to us or we may not be able to bus to us. Yeah, I think that's great because I've learned that some of
the schools had budget cuts and so they didn't have library hours for the early ages as you had mentioned.
So, thank you for doing that and all the work that you know. No, I appreciate you mentioning that. It's
wild to think, you know, that the youngest students at our school little resources. If you click on that,
you will see an amazing menu of things that you may currently be paying for that are actually free to you.
So, yeah, lots of the periodicals, you know, things that we used to get, you know, thrown onto our doorstep.
You can now pull up, you know, on your mobile device. So, yeah, pretty much every newspaper you
can think of. We have digital access to and then a lot of the super popular magazines. So,
the New Yorker, the economist, all that kind of stuff, you can access to either through one of
apps we have like, like press reader, Libby or Flipster or just through your browser if you want to do it that way.
So, just go to the website and sign up. Yeah, actually if you've already got a card, all you'll do is when
you click on the service you want to access, it'll basically give you a login link. You put in your library
card number and your pen and then you're in. Different, different periodicals will have different rules.
Like it'll give you like unlimited access for three days and then you just sign in again to keep using it.
That's how I read my New York Times. Awesome. That's good. Yeah, exactly. And thank you so much in the second quick question.
I had, as I know, as you said, you had a, you're looking at doing cultural performances and having different
if, if there's organizations out there, do they just reach out to you directly? Do they go to, there's their special site in the website that they couldn't.
They're actually, yes. So if you go to the website and scroll down to contact us, there's actually a program proposal form.
So anybody who, you know, has a, a performance or a presentation that they would like the library to consider, can go through there.
If you have special ideas, please then I'm straight to my inbox. I'm happy to, to look at those myself.
Sure. I'd love, you know, we're always, we, we love to discuss with our community like on a Tuesday night. We've got family nights every Tuesday night, right? So people come in.
I'll be like, what do you want to do next week? What do you want? You know, like, we're, you know, we got 52 weeks to fill and we'd love to have a variety, right? Something that everybody can see themselves in and, and something that'll surprise everybody. So if you've got ideas, I'd love to hear.
Perfect. Thank you so much for all you do.
Appreciate it.
Patrick, thank you very much for you and your staff for, you know, really setting the standard for library services in our county. Really appreciate it.
Thank you.
Are we still number one by like 30% or something?
It's more than 30%.
Even more than that? Just, just wanted to point that out.
Yeah. So, well, let me put it this way.
In the three years that we've been open, we've put about seven years of mileage on our building.
So, yeah, we're, we're kind of, we're traveling at a different speed.
But, um, but yeah, you know, this is, this is, like, we've had everything going for us. You know, we have this amazing partnership with the city,
incredible friends, you know, community that just loves, loves, loves libraries.
And so we've had just strong wind in our back the whole way.
And so it should be nothing less.
Yeah.
Yeah. But without Patrick, we probably went on that library built.
I'm just, I've said that many times.
Yeah.
And a lot of people in this room that made it.
Yeah.
Well, okay. But really, without your energy and your enthusiasm,
that brings every bit of library, this, this library would not have been.
Oh, the privilege.
But privilege not to be here.
Thank you so much.
All right.
Take care.
Thank you.
All right. Well, we'll move on to item five point two on our agenda tonight,
which is a proclamation recognizing the lunar new year.
And so with that, I'd like to invite Dr. Andrew Medina from DVC's A-A-A-N-H-P-I organization.
And a member of the lunar new year committee to receive the Proclamation,
which I will read and then I'll bring it down.
I'll take a picture.
Madam Clerk, you got to.
Okay.
Top.
All right.
So whereas on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the lunar new year will commence.
And families in the Pleasant, California and around the world will join together
and welcoming the year of the horse.
And whereas the lunar new year is an important holiday for many Asian communities.
And Americans of Asian origin, including those of Chinese Korean,
Vietnamese, Tibetan, Mongolian, Singaporean, Malaysian, and Filipino heritage.
And whereas the lunar new year Spring Festival is based on the lunar calendar,
which includes the Chinese Zodiac or Shang Chao, a repeating 12-year cycle of animal science,
and they're ascribed attributes.
Through the animal science, though the animal science can vary across cultures,
the lunar new year marks the transition from one animal to the next,
with February 16th, 2026 ending, the year of the snake and February 17th,
starting the year of the horse.
Those born in the year of the horse are often seen as enthusiastic,
confident, sociable, and characterized by vitality, independence, and a love of freedom.
And whereas we recognize the discriminatory laws, xenophobic policies and
treatment suffered by Californians of Asian descent are a blight on our state's history.
We must continue to stand against the anti-Asian rhetoric and violence that increase
during the COVID-19 pandemic and reject past and present prejudice and embrace all people.
And whereas we look forward to a joyous new year and probably reflect on the contributions
of Californians of Asian descent for their significant developments from America's first
trans-continental railroad to the farms and small businesses foundational to our state's economy.
Therefore, eyes, access, mayor of the city of Pleasanton, on behalf of the city council,
do proclaim February 17th, 2026 as a lunar new year.
In the city of Pleasanton Hill, in which everyone celebrating the holiday,
a happy new year, good fortune, health and happiness.
We encourage everyone in Pleasanton Hill and the surrounding areas to join
in the spirit of celebration and reaffirm our communities commitment to family,
diversity, each all respect and creating an inclusive environment of belongings,
belonging for all of our residents.
So, doctor, come in.
Thank you so much.
Good evening, Mr. Mayor.
Members of the council and community partners.
My name is Dr. Andrea Medina, proud coordinator of a nopi.
I'm deeply honored to accept this recognition on behalf of Diablo Valley College.
And our learning community recognizing Asian-American,
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders.
This award is not about one person or one program.
It reflects the collective commitment to visibility, to equity,
and to the belief that a nopi students deserve to be seen and to be heard.
We are growing vibrant diverse community with distinct histories, cultures,
and needs, proud to boast over 1300 students identify as AAPI at DBC.
And we're growing vibrant.
And at Diablo Valley College, we work with students who are first generation,
multilingual, working multiple jobs, and navigating through this sometimes complicated
higher education system.
There I have every day with resilience, passion.
I also want to thank our community partners from Contra Costa, Chinese School.
And of course, you lovely members here at Pleasant Hill.
I want to thank you most importantly, our students since they are our voice,
and they continue to teach us what courage, persistence, and hope truly means.
So on behalf of the DBC is a nopi, we thank you for recognizing our importance of work.
It strengthens that only our college, but our entire city.
Except this honor with immense gratitude.
And it's sincerely thank you for this honor.
Thank you, Dr. Medina, from right down there.
It is a free event.
So please, everybody here, show up at DBC.
What time does this start?
It starts at 9.30 a.m. and it ends at 1.30.
And then right across the street, we're having a day market.
So yummy food, lion dancing, all the bells and whistles.
All right, we'll move on to the next question.
All right, we'll move on to item 6 of tonight's agenda, which is city comments.
City manager comments.
And these in Bender Nail are a team city manager.
Thank you, Mayor.
She has a lot to say.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mayor.
Jessica, David and Council members, members of the public for announcements for you.
And I'll start with a reminder that we have the city of pleasant hills taking a major step towards enhancing our roadway safety through the development of the pleasant hills safety action plan.
The goal of the studies to analyze collision data and incorporate community input to inform projects and strategies that reduce safety risks and eliminate traffic related fatalities and severe injuries.
The public's input is vital to achieving a safer transportation network for all road users.
We encourage you to take the survey.
You can visit us online phillca.gov slash SS the number four A as in safe streets for all.
Moving on to climate action plan, a reminder that the public reviewed draft of the pleasant hills 2025 climate action plan or cap is available for review on the city's website.
The cap includes goals and strategies and actions to meet targets set by state law to reduce GHG admissions emissions and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
The planning commission is going to hold a public hearing next Tuesday February 10th here in the council chamber at 7 p.m.
If you'd like to review the cap, you can visit it online on the city's website phillca.gov.
On Tuesday February 24th at the end of this month from 10.