In a marathon City Council meeting beginning on March 18 and ending in the wee hours of March 19, an item that wasn’t on the Regular Agenda dominated discussion for well over three hours. Fifty public speakers expressed strong opinions on whether the City should form a sister city relationship with the village of Wadi Foquin in the Palestinian Territories. In a split decision, Council voted to extend the decision process to allow time for more formal engagement with the Alameda community and Wadi Foquin’s Council.
Twenty-two speakers also waited past midnight to express their opinions on the Fernside Traffic Calming and Bikeways Project. Many objected to eliminating left turns off Gibbons Drive onto the High Street Bridge. Council voted to endorse overall design concepts for the Fernside corridor but require completion of a traffic study before approving Gibbons Drive intersection changes.
Finally, City Council approved a Settlement Agreement between the Port of Oakland, the City, and the Citizen’s League for Airport Safety and Serenity (CLASS), a Harbor Bay Isle community organization, regarding the Oakland Airport Terminal Modernization and Development Project. The Agreement addresses community concerns about noise, air pollution, and North Field flights over Bay Farm Island.
Proposed sister city relationship with Wadi Foquin
The Alameda Sister City Association (ASCA) recommendation that the City implement sister city relations between Alameda and the Village of Wadi Foquin in the Palestinian Territories appeared on the Council’s Consent Calendar, which is intended for routine items such as meeting minutes and financial reports. Consent Calendar items receive less time for debate than Regular Agenda items. Not surprisingly, given ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, the issue proved controversial, garnering 50 public speakers and 292 pages of correspondence.
At the heart of the debate was Wadi Foquin, an agricultural village of about 1,300 people, approximately five miles southwest of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. Alameda’s connection began in 2009. When activists reported damage inflicted on agricultural life by the nearby Israeli settlement of Betar Illit, Alameda’s Buena Vista United Methodist Church (BVUMC), under Reverend Michael Yoshii’s leadership, began a ministry to help. BVUMC remains committed to a long-term relationship.
In 2015, Wadi Foquin’s mayor visited Alameda, expressing his interest in developing a sister city relationship. In 2017, Alameda appeared ready to add Wadi Foquin to its list of sister city partnerships when Councilmembers pulled support after an Israeli Consulate representative emailed a strongly worded protest questioning the relationship’s legality. Communications Director Sarah Henry said that the City Attorney’s Office researched the issue to determine if the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) violated state law and concluded that it did not.
The new draft MOU (link downloads document) proposes friendly exchanges of “culture, education, and the development of people-to-people relationships.” Karen Fong, ASCA President, suggested that a possible first event could be a soccer summit involving students from Alameda, Wadi Faquin, and Varazze, Italy, which is already an Alameda sister city.
Public and council comment
Thirty-seven of 50 public speakers voiced support for the proposal. However, approximately 75% of letter writers were opposed. Approximately 82% of the opposition letters were associated with Christians United for Israel, the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States. Arguments in favor included the opportunity to foster peace and understanding, develop people-to-people diplomacy, counter misconceptions, and expand cultural connections. Those opposed expressed concerns about antisemitism, fear of community division, incompatibility with Sister City Guidelines, and proponents’ ties to the BDS Movement to Boycott, Divest, and Sanction Israel. Note: Updated March 21, 7:15 p.m. to correct the percentage of letter writers from 72% and to include clarification of who submitted letters.
Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft and Vice Mayor Michele Pryor, who identify as Arab American and Jewish American, respectively, supported the proposal. Vice Mayor Pryor said, “My hope is not only to learn from one another but to teach the next generation to be brave and find joy in the pursuit of peace and fellowship.” Mayor Ashcraft added, “This is not a binary issue. If we support a people-to-people relationship with the village of Wadi Foquin, we’re not supporting anti-Jewish hate.”
Councilmembers Tony Daysog and Tracy Jensen were opposed. Councilmember Daysog said, “I … don’t have enough information about the town council of Wadi Foquin to support the proposal before us. Are they open to bridge-building that accepts a two-state solution?”
Councilmember Jensen acknowledged many residents’ discomfort and the proposal’s divisiveness: “There is no evidence that it would improve the lives of either community.”
Councilmember Greg Boller focused on due diligence. “The question is, should the City take formal action without having all of the information before it?” He was concerned that there hadn’t been formal outreach to Alamedans nor recent conversations with the highest-ranking officials in Wadi Foquin, at least not with the City.
Boller’s motion to extend the decision process to allow for more formal engagement with the Alameda community and with Wadi Foquin’s Council passed 4-1, with Councilmember Daysog opposed. Boller accepted Councilmember Jensen’s amendment, which included language to ensure the relationship would be non-political.
Fernside Boulevard Traffic Calming and Bikeways Project
Lisa Foster, Transportation Planning Manager and David Parisi from Parametrix shared design concepts for the Fernside Boulevard Traffic Calming and Bikeways Project.
The project focuses on a 1.3-mile corridor along Fernside Boulevard, aiming to reduce traffic speeds and improve safety and mobility for all users. It includes two phases: near-term improvements between Tilden and High Streets (expected by 2026) and a long-term corridor project (targeted for 2030, pending funding).
The near-term plan includes:
- Eliminating the center turn lane.
- Adding curb extensions and pedestrian refuge islands.
- Creating buffered bike lanes with protective elements.
- Reducing pedestrian crossing distances.
- Retaining most on-street parking with about a 25% reduction to improve safety features (peak parking occupancy is less than 50%).
- Possibly a larger paint-and-post bulbout to slow autos at the High Street/Gibbons Drive intersection.
Staff recommended integrating near-term improvements into the 2026 Fernside Boulevard pavement resurfacing project.
The long-term plan proposes:
- A separated two-way bicycle path on the water side of the street connecting to the Cross-Alameda Trail and Bay Farm Bicycle Bridge.
- Further reduction of pedestrian crossing lengths with new median islands and curb extensions.
- New marked crosswalks and flashing beacons.
- Narrower vehicle lanes to reduce speeds.
- Maintaining parking on both sides of the street while accommodating safety enhancements.
- Upgraded bus boarding islands.
- Pending further analysis, the removal of the northeast corner right-turn lane and left turns off Gibbons Drive onto the High Street Bridge.
Public comment and Council decision
The redesign of the complex Fernside/High/Gibbons intersection is intended to simplify traffic movements and improve pedestrian safety. However, this portion of the project was the main reason 22 members of the public waited past midnight to comment. Many argued that eliminating a left turn off Gibbons Drive would scatter drivers through narrow side streets such as Bayo Vista Avenue and Cornell Drive, creating new safety hazards. Side street residents also complained they had not been notified of this meeting and learned of it through hearsay.
Council unanimously endorsed both near- and long-term design concepts while requiring completion of a traffic study before approving Gibbons Drive intersection changes. The mayor additionally requested improved neighborhood outreach. Staff will proceed with the traffic study and pursue the final design and funding for the longer-term project.
Oakland Airport Terminal Modernization Project
Planning, Building, and Transportation Director Allen Tai presented a Settlement Agreement between the City of Alameda, the Port of Oakland, and the Citizens League for Airport Safety and Serenity (CLASS), a Harbor Bay Isle community organization, regarding the Oakland Airport Terminal Modernization and Development Project.
The project involves demolishing the 1960s-era Terminal 1 building and replacing it with a new terminal to meet current seismic, safety, and operational standards. The project will result in a net increase of 16 gates without adding new runways. The Port affirms that adding gates will not increase the number of flights.
For over a year, the community has expressed concerns about noise, air quality, traffic impacts, and the need for improved community outreach. Rather than pursuing litigation, the City, Port, and CLASS negotiated the Settlement Agreement.
Key benefits to Alameda include:
- A new, formalized airport noise abatement plan.
- Measures to address congestion on Taxiway Bravo to reduce aircraft overflights on Bay Farm Island.
- Construction noise mitigation.
- Clean-air vehicle requirements.
- Air quality monitoring at the airport fence line.
- Cleaner, quieter jets. The Port will work with cargo carriers and airlines to use sustainable jet fuel and quieter aircraft.
- A commitment to traffic management to reduce impacts on Alameda streets.
- Sustainable building design to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Enhanced community engagement, including meetings with residents and the City Council before and during key project phases.
- For the first time, acknowledgment of the impacts of San Francisco flights on central Alameda. The Port agrees to advocate addressing flights from SFO affecting Alameda with SFO and the FAA.
Council acknowledged the difficult negotiation process and praised the commitment shown by all parties. Councilmember Tony Daysog emphasized the need for ongoing oversight, invoking former President Ronald Reagan by saying, “Trust, but verify.” The motion to accept the Settlement Agreement passed unanimously.
Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen.
