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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-18-2023 ATC Agenda PacketCity of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Planning Commission Agenda ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE May 18, 2023 6:00 p.m. REGULAR MEETING Council Hearing Room City Hall 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo CA The City has returned to in-person meetings. Virtual participation will not be supported. For those in attendance, masks are strongly recommended. PUBLIC COMMENT: Public Comment during the meeting: If you would like to provide public comment during the meeting, you must attend in person. Public Comment prior to the meeting can be submitted in the following ways: • Mail or Email Public Comment  Received by 3pm on the day of meeting - Can be submitted via email to advisorybodies@slocity.org or U.S. Mail to City Clerk at: 990 Palm St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401.  Emails sent after 3pm on the day of meeting – Can be submitted via email to advisorybodies@slocity.org and will be archived/distributed to members of the committee the day after the meeting. Emails will not be read aloud at the meeting. • Verbal Public Comment  Received by 3pm on the day of the meeting - Call (805) 781-7164; state and spell your name, the agenda item number you are calling about and leave your comment. The verbal comments must be limited to 3 minutes. All voicemails will be forwarded to committee members and saved as Agenda Correspondence. Voicemails will not be played during the meeting.  During the meeting – You must attend the meeting in person All comments submitted will be placed into the administrative record of the meeting. If you have questions, contact the office of the City Clerk at cityclerk@slocity.org or (805) 781- 7100. MISSION: The purpose of the Active Transportation Committee (ATC) is to provide oversight and policy direction on matters related to bicycle and pedestrian transportation in San Luis Active Transportation Committee Agenda May 18, 2023 Page 2 Obispo and its relationship to bicycling and walking outside the City. CALL TO ORDER: Chair Russell Mills ROLL CALL: Committee Members Lea Brooks (vice chair), Jill Caggiano, Francine Levin, Russell Mills (chair), Kimmie Nguyen, Garrett Otto and Jonathan Roberts PUBLIC COMMENT: At this time, people may address the Committee about items not on the agenda. Persons wishing to speak should come forward and state their name and address. Comments are limited to three minutes per person. Items raised at this time are generally referred to staff and, if action by the Committee is necessary, may be scheduled for a future meeting. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES 1. Minutes of the April 20, 2023 Rescheduled Meeting DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. CALIFORNIA – FOOTHILL RAILROAD CROSSING IMPROVEMENTS (WHEELER – 30 MINUTES) Recommendation: Receive an update on the California – Foothill Railroad Crossing Improvements Project and provide comments to guide completion of the project 3. NORTH CHORRO NEIGHBORHOOD GREENWAY ROADWAY SEALING ADDITIONS (RICE – 30 MINUTES) Recommendation: Receive an update on a change order to the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway project and provide comments to guide completion of the project ACTION ITEMS 4. OFFICER ELECTIONS (FUKUSHIMA - 20 MINUTES) Recommendation: Select a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson to preside for the next year. Active Transportation Committee Agenda May 18, 2023 Page 3 PROJECT UPDATE 5. Committee Updates (10 time) 6. Staff updates (10 time) a. Fatality on Grand Ave b. Sinsheimer Park Connections c. Bike Month Activities d. Higuera Complete Streets Public Workshop, June 8th e. New Times Poll ADJOURNMENT The next Regular Meeting of the Active Transportation Committee is scheduled for Thursday, July 20, 2023 , at 6:00 p.m. The City of San Luis Obispo wishes to make all of its public meetings accessible to the public. Upon request, this agenda will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with disabilities. Any person with a disability who requires a modification or accommodation in order to participate in a meeting should direct such request to the City Clerk’s Office at (805) 781-7100 at least 48 hours before the meeting, if possible. Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (805) 781-7107. Agenda related writings and documents are available online or for public inspection at the Public Works Department, 919 Palm Street, SLO. Meeting audio recordings can be found at the following web address: https://opengov.slocity.org/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=60965&dbid=0&repo=CityClerk Minutes – Active Transportation Committee Meeting of April, 20, 2023 Page 1 Minutes - DRAFT ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Thursday, April 20, 2023 1 Rescheduled Meeting of the Active Transportation Committee 2 3 CALL TO ORDER 4 5 A Rescheduled Meeting of the San Luis Obispo Active Transportation Committee was called to 6 order on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Hearing Room located at 990 Palm 7 Street, San Luis Obispo, California, by Chair Mills. 8 9 ROLL CALL 10 11 Present: Committee Members Lea Brooks (vice chair), Jill Caggiano, Francine Levin 12 (arrived at 6:04), Russell Mills (chair), Kimmie Nguyen, Garrett Otto, and Jonathan 13 Roberts 14 15 Absent: 16 17 Staff: Adam Fukushima and Luke Schwartz 18 19 Others: Damien Mavis (CoVelope), Esau Blanco (Wallace group), and Chris Bersbach (Rincon 20 Consultants) 21 22 OATH OF OFFICE: Garrett Otto 23 24 PUBLIC COMMENT ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA 25 Myron Amerine 26 Rick Ellison 27 Helene Finger 28 29 --End of Public Comment-- 30 31 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 32 33 1. Review Minutes of the Active Transportation Committee Meeting of February 28, 2023: 34 35 ACTION: UPON MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER BROOKS, SECONDED BY 36 COMMITTEE MEMBER LEVIN, CARRIED 6-1 (OTTO ABSTAINED), to approve the 37 Minutes of the Active Transportation Committee Meeting of February 28, 2023, as presented. 38 39 Public Comment 40 None. 41 42 --End of Public Comment-- 43 Minutes – Active Transportation Committee Meeting of April 20, 2023 Page 2 44 BUSINESS ITEMS 45 46 2. Tank Farm Road Shared-use Path Concepts 47 Schwartz provided a presentation and responded to Committee inquiries. 48 49 ACTION: UPON MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER BROOKS, SECONDED BY 50 COMMITTEE MEMBER OTTO, CARRIED 7-0, to recommend the North Side development 51 with consideration of committee input. 52 53 Public Comment 54 Helene Finger 55 Myron Amerine 56 Rick Ellison 57 58 --End of Public Comment-- 59 60 3. Minor Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Funding 61 Fukushima provided a presentation and responded to Committee inquiries. 62 63 ACTION: UPON MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER ROBERTS to move forward the 64 recommendations from the subcommittee for the three items in the prioritized order, namely: 65 1) Santa Barbara St catch basins improvement; 2) Sinsheimer Park bridge improvement; 3) 66 buying advertising time on local media for bike/ped education. MOTION FAILED DUE TO 67 LACK OF SECOND. 68 69 ACTION: UPON MOTION BY COMMITTEE MEMBER BROOKS, SECONDED BY 70 COMMITTEE MEMBER LEVIN, CARRIED 6-1 (OTTO OPPOSED), to support the 71 subcommittees recommendation in the prioritized order, namely: 1) Santa Barbara St catch 72 basins improvement; 2) Sinsheimer Park bridge improvement; 3) buying advertising time on 73 local media for bike/ped education. 74 75 Public Comment 76 Helene Finger 77 Myron Amerine 78 79 --End of Public Comment-- 80 81 82 COMMENT AND DISCUSSION 83 84 Active Transportation Manager Fukushima provided an agenda forecast. 85 86 4. Committee Member Updates 87 5. Staff Updates 88 a. Augusta Curb Ramps Project 89 Minutes – Active Transportation Committee Meeting of April 20, 2023 Page 3 b. FY 2023-25 Financial Plan Update 90 c. North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway Construction 91 92 93 ADJOURNMENT 94 95 The meeting was adjourned at 8:54 p.m. The next Regular Active Transportation Committee 96 meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Hearing Room, 97 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California. 98 99 100 101 APPROVED BY THE ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: XX/XX/2023 102 103 104 Item 2 Tank Farm Road Multi-Use Path Options Notes ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Thursday, April 20, 2023 Notes on Tank Farm Road Multi Use Path Options 1. Questions about what the speeds will be at full buildout, width of the lanes. 2. Why is bike lane in EB direction narrower on Option 1 since it's the only way to get east? Public comment 1. Helene Finger – Request to ensure connectivity to Damon Garcia with either option 2. Skip Amerine – Prefers option 1. Concern that bike lane is not meeting city widths due to vehicular speeds. Recommend build project asap. 3. Rick Ellison - Recommends bike phase at signal at Innovation Way. Recommends ramps mid-block. Recommends as much bike lane width as possible. On Option 2 recommends more distance between path and vehicular lane. Committee Formal Motion Motion approved to recommend Option 1. Committee Comments to Staff Questions 1. Does the committee have a strong preference to prioritize Option 1 (Path on North Side) or Option 2 (Path on South Side) for further development? Comment: Unanimously in favor of Option 1 2. Is there need/desire to include mid-block bike ramps allowing cyclists to enter/exit the off- street path from the on-street bike lanes mid-block on Tank Farm outside of the intersection crossings at the east or west end? Comment: Committee prefers mid-block bike ramps if possible 3. How important is it to the committee to consider other incremental enhancements to Tank Farm Road itself as part of the shared-use path project (i.e., minor shoulder widening to increase on-street bike lane width, centerline and/or edge line rumble strips, minor widening to provide a striped center median, etc.)? Note that adding these elements adds cost and may delay potential to advance shared-use path installation? Comment: consider widening bike lane in opposite direction but not at a high expense or if doing so would delay shared-use path. 4. Does the committee have any comments/recommendations for improving pedestrian and bicycle crossings and connectivity at each end of shared-use path? Comment: At signalized crossing please ensure there is a staging area for a bike / ped to cross and not block someone in the bike lane. Request at roundabout to consider extending shared use path up Santa Fe so that you can avoid crossing at roundabout. 5. Are there alternative design options not currently proposed that the committee would like to discuss further, such as pursuing a separate sidewalk and one-way protected bike lane in lieu of a two-way shared-use pedestrian/bicycle path (note this would deviate from the adopted ATP plans)? Comment: Committee concern about widening to 4 lanes. Prefer 2 lanes or some way to control speeds City of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Planning Commission Active Transportation Committee AGENDA REPORT ITEM 2 DATE: May 18, 2023 PREPARED BY: Bryan Wheeler, Transportation Planner-Engineer Adam Fukushima, Active Transportation Manager SUBJECT: CALIFORNIA – FOOTHILL RAILROAD CROSSING IMPROVEMENTS Recommendation: Receive an update on the California – Foothill Railroad Crossing Improvements Project and provide comments to guide completion of the project Background Following completion of the Railroad Safety Trail project connecting the Cal Poly campus south to Taft Street along California Boulevard roughly ten years ago, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) notified the City of San Luis Obispo that further upgrades would be required to the at-grade Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) crossing adjacent to the Foothill Boulevard/California Boulevard intersection. Specifically, the CPUC requested that the City upgrade the antiquated railroad gate arm systems to new compliant gating and warning systems for vehicles, as well as bicycles and pedestrians. As part of the City's 2015-17 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) work program, the City allocated funding to begin preliminary engineering for an upgraded crossing system. Following the tragic death of a 22-year-old Cal Poly student in early 2016, who was killed after being struck by a train at this rail crossing, the Foothill & California Railroad Crossing Improvements Project was selected for participation in the Section 130 Program by Caltrans’ Division of Local Assistance, providing reimbursable grant funds for all remaining phases of the project, from design through construction. Since 2019, City staff has been coordinating with Caltrans and UPRR to confirm project details and scope of work. City staff has hired a design consultant and is progressing through the plans and specification preparation phase, along with utility relocation and purchase of right of way. The grant has provided an initial $400,000 to fund the preliminary engineering phase of the project, with subsequent contract amendments to be administered for the construction phase. Discussion Active Transportation Committee Agenda Item 2, May 18, 2023 Page 2 Since the grant is intended to improve the safety of the rail crossing and adjacent intersection operations, staff is reviewing the operations of the crossing with the adjacent intersection at Foothill and California. Elements of the project that are mandated by CPUC and UPRR standards include: 1) 10’ wide separate bike/ped crossings of the rail tracks, with active warning gates 2) Upgraded vehicle warning gates 3) A pre-signal to queue traffic in advance of the rail crossing. This would move the stop limit line for all travel modes travelling eastbound to the west side of the railroad tracks. Additional elements of the project under consideration include: 1) Replacement of the existing loop detection for the bike only signal at the Railroad Safety Trail approaches to the intersection with a push button actuation placed at a location that is easy for bicyclists to easily access without dismounting. 2) New crosswalk for the north leg of the intersection including new ADA curb ramps at the northeast corner. 3) Hi-vis (ladder-style) crosswalks for all approaches. However, there are challenges with any possible improvements including right of way and most notably the CPUC’s requirement of railroad pre-emption timing at the intersection. Pre-emption is the mechanism for the traffic signal operations at Foothill/California to coordinate with the railroad crossing and stop traffic ahead of an approaching train. Any changes to the railroad pre-emption timing requires approval from the CPUC. Within these requirements, two possible ped/bike strategies are currently being weighed by city staff. Strategy 1: Coordinate bike and pedestrian crossing phases together but remove separate diagonal bike phase. Currently, the intersection provides for an exclusive bicycle-only phase for bicyclists traveling NB and SB on the Railroad Safety Trail, and EB bicyclists to cross diagonally to NB California Blvd. However, most bicyclists cross with the pedestrian phase instead of waiting for the bicycle only phase. In addition, bicyclists have had difficulty understanding how to initiate the bicycle only phase, which is actuated by placing a bike over the bike loop detectors on the NW and SW corners. In addition, most bicycles proceed NB by crossing from one side of the Railroad Safety Trail to the other and not crossing the intersection diagonally. This strategy would integrate the north/south bike phase with the pedestrian phase since that is the most commonly observed bicycle user behavior but would also remove the diagonal bicycle movement as shown in Figure 1. Active Transportation Committee Agenda Item 2, May 18, 2023 Page 3 Figure 1: Concept Layout of Strategy 1 This strategy comes with pros and cons, including: Pros: 1) Decreases wait times for all travel modes by integrating the bike/ped phases together, which is already the most common crossing movement. 2) Emphasizes predictable crossing patterns that are already observed at intersection. Cons: 1) Does not offer a diagonal crossing movement for bicycling. Strategy 2: Pedestrian scramble phase, with bikes allowed to use the pedestrian phase. As shown in Figure 2, this option is similar to Strategy 1 but would add an exclusive phase for all bicycle and pedestrian movements, known as a scramble phase. A scramble phase would completely stop all vehicular movements so that pedestrian movements can proceed either across all legs of the intersection or diagonally from the SW corner to NE corner. It would also allow concurrent use by bicycles to cross all legs of the intersection or proceed from the NE corner to northbound on California avenue diagonally. This strategy comes with pros and cons, including: Pros: 1) Increases pedestrian visibility. 2) Reduces conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. 3) Reduces pedestrian crossing time and exposure for pedestrians crossing multiple legs of the intersection by allowing diagonal crossing. Cons: 1) Increase total delay for all road users as there are less shared phases of the signal. Active Transportation Committee Agenda Item 2, May 18, 2023 Page 4 2) Mixing of bicyclists and pedestrians diagonally. This may be significant since bicycles may be crossing diagonally in proximity (and in some instances across pedestrians in the crosswalk) to reach NB California. 3) The scramble operation will require additional approval of the railroad pre-emption timing at the intersection from the CPUC. Figure 2: Concept Layout for Strategy 2 While the ultimate strategy for the intersection improvements must be considered within the context of a comprehensive traffic operations analysis as well as the standards for railroad signal pre-emption by the CPUC, staff welcomes the ATC’s input on the two strategies to help guide further development of the project. Potential Questions and Focus Areas for ATC Review & Input Based on the above factors, City staff’s initial preference is to recommend advancing Strategy 1 for further refinement because it mirrors the desired crossing patterns already observed at the intersection. However, staff welcomes input from the ATC on the two strategies to guide further development of the project. The following suggested questions/focus areas are highlighted to help guide the committee’s review and discussion. 1) Does the committee have any input on the replacement of bike loop detectors with easily accessible push buttons for bikes? 2) Does the committee have a strong preference for one strategy over the other? In particular, is there concern with the interaction of bicycle and pedestrian modes using the diagonal crossing? 3) Are there any other concerns that the committee would like staff to explore as the design develops? Next Steps The design is currently in the 65% plan stage and will need to receive approval by UPRR and the CTC before construction. City staff plans to have the project ready for construction by summer of 2024. Active Transportation Committee Agenda Item 2, May 18, 2023 Page 5 Recommendation: Receive an update on the California – Foothill Railroad Crossing Improvements Project and provide comments to guide completion of the project Attachments 1- Draft Intersection Improvements U.P.R.R.100'CALIFORNIA BLVD.FOOTHILL BLVD.CITY SPECIFICATION NO.DATE:PROJECT TITLE: FOOTHILL BLVD GRADE CROSSING IMPROVEMENTS SHEET TITLE:ofSHEET NO.DESIGNED BY:DRAWN BY:CHECKED BY:APPROVED BY:SCALE:PLAN FILE NO. / LOCATIONSPEC NO 912932/10/20231(CITY USE)PRELIMINARY SUBMITTALNOT FOR CONSTRUCTION1" = 10'------BRWBRWLAYOUT1"=20'1L-1 City of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Planning Commission Active Transportation Committee AGENDA REPORT ITEM 3 DATE: May 18, 2023 PREPARED BY: Jennifer Rice, Transportation Planner-Engineer Adam Fukushima, Active Transportation Manager SUBJECT: NORTH CHORRO NEIGHBORHOOD GREENWAY ROADWAY SEALING ADDITIONS Recommendation: Receive an update on a change order to the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway project and provide comments to guide completion of the project Background The 2022 Paving Project included pavement maintenance and striping improvements to various locations within the City, in particular, Pavement Area 7 which includes the north Broad/Chorro/Foothill neighborhoods. During early project scoping, several street segments were deferred from the 2022 Paving Project due to overlapping or soon-coming utility work along those roads. The segments included: • Ramona Street (Broad to Verde) • Broad Street (Mission to Hwy 101 Ramps) • Murray (Chorro to Santa Rosa) • Meinecke (Chorro to Santa Rosa) • West (Chorro to West) • Chorro (Mission to Foothill) Currently, the utility work planned for these segments has either been complete or will no longer be occurring in the near future due to portions of the work within private easements. As the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway project includes the resealing of several streets within this same neighborhood, this is an opportunity to seal and complete the pavement maintenance for these previously deferred segments. As part of including these street segments, staff is proposing minor bicycle network improvements to some of these segments, consistent with the Active Transportation Plan (ATP) and Bishop Peak and Pacheco Elementary Safe Routes to School Plan. Discussion Active Transportation Committee Agenda Item 3, May 18, 2023 Page 2 The table below identifies bicycle facilities on these segments as included in the Active Transportation Plan, as well as a description of what is planned to be included with implementation. See Figure 1 for a map of the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway with proposed additions. Street Segment Bicycle Facility per ATP Planned Improvement Ramona Street (Broad to Verde) Existing Shared Bicycle Route (Class III) While a portion of Ramona (between Broad and just west of the California Fresh Driveway) will be constructed as a two-way protected bicycle lane as part of the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway, for the remainder of the segment, staff proposes to refresh shared lane markings with green backing as well as installation of speed tables to reduce vehicle speeds, consistent with the Bishop Peak and Pacheco Elementary Safe Routes to School Plan and the Neighborhood Traffic Management efforts for La/Entrada and Ramona. (Note that community engagement efforts for the 2022 Paving Project included these improvements prior to this section being deferred from that project scope.) Broad Street (Mission to Hwy 101 Ramps) Existing Shared Bicycle Route (Class III) Refresh shared lane markings with green-backed shared lane markings as well as restriping the center line as a dashed centerline rather than solid parallel lines. Murray (Chorro to Santa Rosa) Existing Shared Bicycle Route (Class III) Refresh shared lane markings with green backing green-backed shared lane markings. Meinecke (Chorro to Santa Rosa) N/A West (Chorro to West) N/A Chorro (Mission to Meinecke) Tier 2 ATP Project: Proposed Bike Lane (Class II)(Northbound Only) Consistent with the ATP, install a northbound Class II bike lane and green-backed shared lane markings for the southbound. The existing roadway width accommodates a northbound bike lane while still maintaining on-street parking on both sides of these segments. Notification to adjacent properties has been sent to inform residents and property owners of this change. Active Transportation Committee Agenda Item 3, May 18, 2023 Page 3 Figure 1: Map of North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway with Proposed Additions Sealing of these segments and striping improvements are proposed for completion as part of a contract change order to the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway project. Funding for this change order is proposed to come from remaining 2022 Paving project budget as necessary. Since the source of funding is only coming from the remaining funds in the 2022 paving project budget, it only requires approval by the city engineer. Next Steps Active Transportation Committee Agenda Item 3, May 18, 2023 Page 4 The proposed additions to the project will be incorporated into the project schedule of the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway. Roadway sealing and striping will most likely occur after all civil engineering improvements are complete, including concrete and utility work. While the final schedule will be determined once the contract change order is final, this additional work is not anticipated to have any significant impact on the current project schedule. Currently the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway is targeting completion in mid-2024. Recommendation: Receive an update on a change order to the North Chorro Neighborhood Greenway project and provide comments to guide completion of the project City of San Luis Obispo, Agenda, Planning Commission Active Transportation Committee AGENDA REPORT ITEM 4 DATE: May 18, 2023 FROM: Adam Fukushima, Active Transportation Manager SUBJECT: OFFICER ELECTIONS Recommendation: Select a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson to preside for the next year. Discussion The committee chairperson and vice-chairperson play an important role in committee meetings. The chairperson’s main role is to provide the advisory body with group direction and to set the tone for meetings. The Chair also balances making sure all committee points of view have been heard on an agenda topic yet also assertive enough to move the meeting along to reach decision within the time allotted. The vice-chair presides over meetings when the chair is unable to. Article 3 of the Active Transportation Committee Bylaws states: “The officers will consist of a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson who will be elected annually at a regular Committee meeting in each calendar year. The Chairperson will preside over all meetings of the Committee and perform such duties as directed by the Committee. The Vice-Chairperson will serve in the absence or incapacity of the Chairperson.” The Advisory Body Handbook provides additional information about the role and responsibilities of the chair and vice chair. See Attachment 1 from the Handbook for an excerpt of the traits of an effective chairperson. Additional officer duties include writing quarterly progress reports, representing the ATC at the Mayor’s quarterly luncheon, and representing the Committee at relevant Advisory Body and City Council meetings. The term of office is for one year. No person shall serve in the office of chairperson or vice chairperson for more than two consecutive terms. All committee members should consider serving as an officer at some point in their term as each individual brings their own experiences and points of view to the roles. Next Steps The newly selected chair and vice-chair will start their term at the next ATC meeting. Attachments: Attachment 1: Advisory Body Handbook Excerpt Advisory Body Handbook September 21, 2021 City of San Luis Obispo 27 | Page F. Communicate Effectively Advisory body members serve as a communications link between the community, staff, and City Council. You provide a channel for citizen expression. Not only is it important for you to listen carefully to others, but you also need to be able to communicate effectively what you are hearing and thinking. 1. Take notes to remind yourself of questions you want to ask or important comments you wish to make. 2. Be direct, open, and forthright. 3. Provide rationale for opinions or recommendations. 4. Stay on topic. 5. Take your charge seriously but maintain composure and keep your sense of humor. 6. When speaking to the public and/or press, be sure you are representing the majority views of your individual advisory body. Personal opinions should be clearly identified as such. 7. Speak clearly and be sure people can hear you. 8. If you wish to communicate using electronic mail (email), use the tool wisely. It is easy to unintentionally violate the Brown Act, so certain caution must be exercised when using email. (See Section 4 C, Common Questions about the Brown Act.) G. Special Tips for the Chairperson The chairperson’s main role is to provide the advisory body with group direction and to set the tone for meetings. The Chair must balance being strong enough to move the meeting along and democratic enough to involve all members in the meeting. The effective chairperson: Remembers to explain the public participation process to the audience. (For example: “The commission will hear first from staff who will present the staff report. Commission questions to staff will follow and then the floor will be open to the public, who may comment on the matter. Following public comment, the matter will come back to the commission for our deliberation and action.”) 1. Announces each item before discussion begins. 2. Is even-handed and fair to all participants. 3. Observes specified time limits. 4. Protects commissioners and staff from verbal attacks. 5. Solicits opinions, feelings, and positions from all members. 6. Encourages the generation of alternative solutions. Advisory Body Handbook September 21, 2021 City of San Luis Obispo 28 | Page 7. Protects new thoughts from being rejected prior to fair evaluation. 8. Discourages finger pointing and blame-orientated statements or questions. 9. Keeps the discussion focused on the issue. 10. Delays evaluation and analysis of alternatives until all are on the table. 11. Guides the process of screening alternatives and selecting the solution. 12. Attempts to obtain consensus. 13. Moves the meeting along and does not let the advisory body drift off the subject at hand. H. Managing Difficult Meetings Here are some additional tips for managing any meeting, but particularly the difficult ones: 1. Encourage the designation of a spokesperson for any groups. 2. Ask staff to make sure there are plenty of extra agendas and staff reports. 3. Establish and announce rules before the meeting begins. 4. Introduce each item and possible actions. 5. Try not to waste time on routine items. 6. Encourage speakers to address the advisory body and not the audience. 7. Discourage clapping and shouting. 8. Use recesses to help diffuse hostility. 9. Adhere to speaker time limits. 10. If you don’t already, use speaker slips/cards. 11. Make sure that all advisory body members are addressing each other, through you, and not the audience. 12. Consider continuing an item for further discussion if it appears consensus may not be reached.