The November 2024 BPAC Policy and Legislative Committee is on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 5:30-7:10pm in-person at Hearing Room 4 at Oakland City Hall. The agenda is below and available for download here [6.8mb PDF].

Item	Time	Topic
1	5:30 pm	Introductions & Updates on Previous Agenda Items (5 minutes)
2	5:35	Public Comment (10 minutes) Members of the public may comment on any issue within BPAC Infrastructure Committee’s subject matter jurisdiction. Comments on a scheduled agenda item will be heard with that item. To request City services, please contact the City of Oakland Call Center (311).
3	5:45	Goals for Policy and Legislative Committee (15 minutes) Determine and review the goals for the Policy and Legislative Committee.
4	6:00	General Plan Update Overview (30 minutes) The City of Oakland is currently updating its General Plan and wants to hear from community members. The Oakland General Plan Update will set forth a vision for Oakland’s future development that reflects community priorities and values. We aim to create livable and connected neighborhoods where people have access to everything they need, such as grocery stores, entertainment, stores, libraries, parks, and safe transportation. Once adopted in 2026, the General Plan will guide the city’s development for the next 20 years. The Oakland General Plan Update process has two phases. Phase 1 began in November 2021 and concluded in October 2023. We adopted the Housing, Environmental Justice, and Safety Elements. Phase 2, initiated in Fall 2024, focuses on the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE), Open Space, Conservation, and Recreation (OSCAR) Element, Noise Element, and the Infrastructure and Capital Facilities Element. The LUTE designates the kinds, location, and intensity of land uses, as well as appropriate zoning controls to achieve development policies. It also sets the policy foundation for a safe and reliable transportation system that facilitates the efficient movement of goods and people. Planning Bureau staff will provide an overview of the General Plan Update, with a focused discussion on the LUTE’s role in promoting active transportation and welcomes feedback from the BPAC.
5	6:30	Pedestrian Plan Update (30 minutes) Staff from the Oakland Department of Transportation, Bicyclist & Pedestrian Program, Safe Streets Division, will present and request input on updating the City of Oakland Pedestrian Plan. Oakland’s first Pedestrian Plan was adopted in 2002 and was updated in 2017.
6	7:00	Future Agenda Item Suggestions Determine agenda items for next few meetings: February 10 and May 12, 2025, and beyond.

The City of Oakland Bicyclist and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) Policy and Legislative Committee is composed of BPAC Commissioners and other volunteer members of the public. This Committee examines Oakland’s streets through the lens of safety and movement challenges faced by pedestrians and bicyclists, and makes policy suggestions that city agencies can implement to these issues.

These meetings are held in public once per quarter, at which topics for subcommittees, which meet ad-hoc for specified periods of time to develop policy recommendations to be presented at the full committee, are decided upon. The quarterly meeting will follow all the requirements for a commissioner meeting, including proper noticing and minutes, and will be held in person.

During the quarterly meeting, the committee will discuss which topics to pursue, continue or close. Ad-hoc working groups will have the freedom to choose how and when they meet in the interim.

Agenda materials, presentations and schematics are distributed in advance of meetings when possible, to assist committee members with formulating questions and ideas. All presentation items used will be linked from the individual meeting notes documents, for public information purposes and as a historical record of the committee meetings, along with the written notes provided.

Topics are prioritized and selected for review by the committee using a number of factors. These factors include but are not limited to:

• Urgency: The risk a situation presents;
• Policy Relevance: Whether the issue can be solved with a change to city agency policy;
• Public interest: As expressed at BPAC meetings or via requests from the public to Commissioners, staff, or elected officials;
• Safety: Whether there is a history of injuries from the policy failure, or significant risk presented.