Resolution 15470CITY OF ALAMEDA RESOLUTION NO. 15470
COMMENDING TRISH HERRERA SPENCER FOR FOUR YEARS OF SERVICE
TO THE CITY OF ALAMEDA AS MAYOR
WHEREAS, Trish Herrera Spencer began serving residents of the great City of
Alameda twenty years ago as a PTA member and PTA Council President, while raising
her four children in Alameda, then served as Trustee to the Alameda Unified School
District Board of Education for two terms from 2008-2014, and most recently as the first
Hispanic Mayor of Alameda, from 2014-2018; and
WHEREAS, as Mayor, Trish Herrera Spencer represented the City on many
important regional agency boards, including the Alameda County Transportation
Commission (ACTC), the East Bay Economic Development Alliance, the Alameda County
Mayors' Conference, the East Bay Regional Park District Subcommittee, the Alameda
Health Systems Subcommittee, the Alameda Unified School District Subcommittee, the
Alameda Collaborative for Children, Youth, and their Families, the Airport Noise
Management Forum, and previously on the Alameda County Lead Abatement Joint
Powers Authority Board and Waste Management Authority Board; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer represented the City on many important national
initiatives, including the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the Play Ball program, the Mayor's
Climate Protection Agreement, the Mayor's Against LGBT Discrimination, and signed the
Amicus Brief in Masterpiece Cakeshop joining Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and
other cities across the country in support of LGBTQ rights; and
WHEREAS, under Mayor Spencer's leadership as Alameda's representative on
ACTC, ACTC awarded the City approximately $35 million toward Alameda's major priority
transportation projects as part of ACTC's 2018 Comprehensive Investment Plan, which
was more than any other city in the County with the exception of Oakland.
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer was instrumental in setting policy to improve the
quality of life in Alameda, including enacting a rent-increase and eviction notice
moratorium before the winter holidays in 2015 (calming protestors so the meeting could
proceed and Council could take action rather than adjourn) and then subsequently
implementing legislation to stabilize rents, authorizing contracts for the Friends of the
Alameda Animal Shelter, Jim's on the Course, and Corica Park, initiating the Straws on
Request Ordinance, prioritizing efforts to increase safety and reduce crime, authorizing
convenient and safe Cannabis businesses, increasing pay for waste sorters, protecting
heritage trees, and promoting outdoor lighting regulations and bird safe buildings
standards; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer worked to ensure resources were directed to
community members with the most need. When Alameda was not allocated resources in
a Countywide program providing transit services, Mayor Spencer worked with staff to
create a free bus program at Island High School, increasing monthly attendance by 5%
and making it easier for students to get to and from school and around the island.
Recently, through her strong advocacy efforts, funding for this program was not only
approved by ACTC, funding throughout the County was redirected to those most in need,
greatly expanding the benefit to forty new schools; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer has been the only Alameda elected official to graduate
from the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program, which she
continually promoted to Alameda residents and businesses as the best way to increase
self-sufficiency in a disaster; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer has been a strong supporter of Alameda schools and
local organizations including the Alameda Island Poets, Alameda Legacy Home Tour,
Alameda Museum, Alameda Naval Air Museum, Bohol Circle, Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls
Club, Building Futures, Eagle Scouts, Friends of the Library, Island City Opera, Kiwanis,
Mastick Senior Center, Meals on Wheels, Midway Shelter, Oakland Gay Men's Chorus,
Rotary, Rythmix, and Wild Oyster Project; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer presided over weddings, attended funerals, and
presented 245 proclamations, more than ever before and increasing every year of her
tenure, and has been instrumental in recognizing national heritage months with banners
displayed on City Hall and throughout the City; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer was instrumental in growing existing businesses and
attracting new businesses to Alameda, such as Admiral Malting, Blue Endeavors, Cost
Plus, Exelixis, Saildrone, and West Marine; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer was an avid supporter of local businesses,
participating in monthly mixers with the business community and hundreds of ribbon
cutting ceremonies during her tenure, including Bank of Marin, Big Discount Tire Pros,
Extreme Pizza, the Fab Lab, Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que, Grocery Outlet, Optimized
Wellness, Rita's Italian Ice, Speed Pro, and welcoming The Ocean Cleanup project; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer made it a priority for the City to work more closely with
AUSD and Peralta Colleges, which led to the creation of the annual Career Pathways
Youth Job Fair at Encinal High School, now in its 4th year, a healthcare internship and
leadership development program for high school students, and a nursing training program
at College of Alameda; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer made it a priority to celebrate Alameda's artist
community and offer more seNices to those who brighten up our Island's canvas. Under
her tenure, the City Council revised the public art ordinance and approved over $300,000
in grant funding for public art in Alameda, and her idea of bringing Alameda artists to City
Hall was realized through the popular Art in City Hall program; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer approved three new Sister Cities during her tenure,
Dumaguete, Philippines, Yeongdong-gun, South Korea, and Verazze, Italy, and
represented the City of Alameda internationally, taking multiple trips to the China, Korea,
and the Philippines, and hosted Sister City delegations here in Alameda; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer renewed Alameda's designation as a Coast Guard
City and spent countless hours serving as an ambassador for our City on Coast Guard
Island, making sure Coast Guard families are welcomed and celebrated; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer attended the annual Mayor's 4th of July Parade twice
each year, first by participating in the Alameda Mayor's July 4th Parade R.A.C.E, a 5k run
on the parade route benefiting Midway Shelter, then by participating as a lead car in the
parade, ending her day at the Coast Guard Festival, which was established during her
tenure as Mayor; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer can be seen at nearly every City, community, and
business event, supporting the efforts of all Alamedans and raising awareness for key
programs, such as the Alameda Bike for the Parks, Alameda Maker Faire, Alameda
Running Festival, Animate Dance Festival, Concerts at the Cove, Lighted Yacht Parade,
Mastick Senior Center, Midway Shelter, Relay for Life, The Ocean Cleanup, and many,
many more; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Spencer worked tirelessly to ensure Alameda City Hall served
all residents, and spent countless hours listening to community members and working
with them to solve their problems.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of
Alameda does hereby express its sincere appreciation to Trish Herrera Spencer for her
decades of service to the Alameda community, most recently as Mayor of the great City
of Alameda; and
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City Council of the
City of Alameda does hereby thank Trish Herrera Spencer for her many contributions,
many more than the ones listed here, toward continuing to ensure Alameda is a wonderful
community to live, work, attend school, raise a family, and retire.
*******
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and
regularly adopted and passed by the Council of the City of Alameda in a regular meeting
assembled on the 18th day of December, 2018, by the following vote to wit:
AYES: Councilmembers Ezzy Ashcraft, Matarrese, Oddie, Vella and
Mayor Spencer-5.
NOES: None.
ABSENT: None.
ABSTENTIONS: None.
IN WITNESS, WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of
said City this 19th day of December, 2018.
Approved as to Form:
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Michael H. Roush
Interim City Attorney
Lara Weisiger, CitYGi
City of Alameda