Council Creates Employee Benefits Committee to Oversee $60M in Retirement Plans

San Ramon's City Council unanimously established a new seven-member committee to manage fiduciary oversight of roughly $60 million in employee retirement assets — a structural shift that removes day-to-day legal exposure from individual council members. The Sept. 8 meeting also featured pointed public demands for e-bike enforcement near schools and a call to create rebuilding protocols for homes damaged by electric vehicle fires.

• New benefits committee takes over fiduciary oversight of $60M in employee retirement plans, passing 5-0 after extensive debate over council reporting and committee composition

• Cal High freshman demands 30-day e-bike crackdown on Iron Horse Trail near schools; city manager cites recent 45-officer sting that yielded 56 citations

• Resident asks city to develop post-fire rebuilding protocol after elderly couple's EV garage fire left home contaminated with no hazmat oversight

• Three high school students win $5,000 each for tourism event concepts Discover San Ramon plans to actually launch

• Council proclaims Constitution Week, marking the 239th anniversary of the founding document and the nation's 250th year

New Committee Takes the Wheel on $60M in Employee Retirement Plans

The basics: Resolution 2026-117 creates a seven-member Defined Contribution and Retirement Health Savings Committee to oversee the city's 457B deferred compensation plan — a voluntary retirement savings vehicle similar to a 401(k) — and its Retirement Health Savings plan. The committee will be chaired by the city manager and include the directors of finance and human resources, the city clerk, a Police Officers Association representative, a Service Employees International Union representative, and an executive assistant.

Why it matters: Without the committee, every council member personally carried fiduciary responsibility for how those retirement dollars are invested and managed. The resolution formalizes governance that cities like Livermore and Lafayette have already adopted, reducing legal risk while creating a dedicated body to monitor investment performance and fees.

Where things stand: Assistant City Manager Scott Cole explained the move grew out of the city's 2024 reorganization that split Administrative Services into separate Finance and HR departments. "We conducted research into how peer agencies govern their defined contribution and RHS plans and found that many agencies are moving toward this structured benefits committee," he said.

Dylan Rudolph of Morgan Lewis, serving as the city's ERISA counsel, walked the council through the legal framework rooted in the California Constitution and federal ERISA principles. He emphasized duties of prudence, loyalty, diversification, and fee reasonableness. "Without the committee in place, these fiduciary obligations rest with the council. So what we're talking and discussing are the best practices to reduce your fiduciary risk," Rudolph said.

He described how an investment consultant would benchmark the plans against the market: "That investment consultant is going to benchmark investment performance and fees against the market. So you will know how your options are stacking up. That is prudent. This is all process based."

Rubio Pushes for More Frequent Reports

Vice Mayor Marisol Rubio asked the most extensive questions of the evening, pressing on reporting frequency, council oversight authority, and why the Finance Committee chair was not included on the new body. City Manager Mike Spadowski explained that because the council serves as the appeal body for committee decisions, including a council member could create a conflict of interest.

Rubio was not satisfied with the charter's minimum of one annual written report, pushing for updates after every committee meeting. "I almost would feel better if those reports, regular reports, were made available to the entire council because at the end of the day we're all responsible," she said. Staff agreed to provide more frequent reporting.

Councilmember Sridhar Verose emphasized the importance of FPPC Form 700 financial disclosures by committee members as a transparency safeguard. He also noted the council retains the power to dissolve the committee if it is not serving the city well. "If council thinks that this is not right for our city, then we can always resign this committee. We can remove this committee eventually," Verose said.

Councilmember Richard Adler asked about the range of investment options available to employees along the risk-reward spectrum. Spadowski confirmed the plans contain approximately $60 million in employee-contributed assets and that committee meetings would be open to the public and agendized.

The other side: One public commenter opposed the resolution, arguing that fiduciary duty belongs to the council by law and cannot be delegated to staff. The commenter questioned how Morgan Lewis was selected without competitive bidding and raised concerns about the city manager having voting power on the committee, calling it a potential conflict of interest.

Decisions: The motion, made by Councilmember Verose and seconded by Councilmember Adler, passed 5-0 (For: Armstrong, Adler, Jweinat, Rubio, Verose; Against: none; Absent: none).

What's next: The committee will begin meeting to establish investment oversight protocols. Staff committed to providing council with reports after each committee meeting rather than only the annual minimum specified in the charter.

Student Calls for 30-Day E-Bike Enforcement Near Schools

Why it matters: The Iron Horse Trail is a primary commute corridor for students heading to California High School and other nearby campuses. Unregulated e-bikes traveling at what one student described as motorcycle speeds create daily hazards for cyclists, pedestrians, and children.

Where things stand: Darren Wong, a California High School freshman, delivered a detailed request with three specific asks: "Police checkpoints at major trail crossings during peak hours. Secondly, officers coordinating with school resource officers during morning drop-off and afternoon pickup. And lastly, I also want these enforcements to be a regular, ongoing practice, not a one-off event." He asked for a commitment within 30 days and a council update at a future meeting.

City Manager Mike Spadowski responded that the city had already participated in a major operation. "San Ramon recently participated in an enforcement action on the Iron Horse Trail for e-bikes. This was 45 different enforcement officers along the Iron Horse Trail. I believe it was coordinated from Concord all the way to Dublin. And it resulted in 194 total contacts, 56 citations, 137 warnings, one arrest, and also one vehicle towed," he said. Mayor Mark Armstrong added that the operation took place on Aug. 18, with another scheduled for Sept. 17 and more to follow. The Iron Horse Trail is managed by the East Bay Regional Park District, though the city retains jurisdiction over intersections and areas near schools.

What's next: Another multi-agency enforcement action is planned for Sept. 17. Wong's request for routine, ongoing enforcement and a 30-day council update remains on the table.

Resident Seeks Post-Fire Rebuilding Rules After EV Garage Blaze

David Coleman spoke on behalf of the Navid family, longtime San Ramon residents in the Cedar Bridge community whose home suffered a garage fire involving a Toyota Prius in November 2024. Coleman explained that EV and battery fires produce extremely toxic, corrosive particulates that penetrate framing, windows, and concealed surfaces, essentially rendering the structure unusable.

"The concern is the city of San Ramon's apparent absence of a residential fire disaster rebuild recovery plan and protocol for residents," Coleman said.

He noted the HOA contractor did not disclose on permits that the fire involved hazardous materials, and the chief building official reportedly asked the Navids to fund independent testing at an estimated $5,000. Coleman referenced a 2020 Tesla garage fire in Vista San Ramon where the homeowner was allowed to begin reconstruction without hazmat awareness. He asked the city to develop a post-fire disaster framework within the municipal code. The Navid family's reconstruction remains on hold, and they face foreclosure risk.

Three Students Win $15,000 for Tourism Event Concepts

Sean Milburn, general manager of the San Ramon Marriott and representative of Discover San Ramon — the city's destination marketing organization — presented the second annual Event Innovator Competition awards. "We challenged San Ramon high school students to develop creative, tourism-friendly event concepts that could add something new and exciting to our city's event calendar," Milburn said.

Three students each received $5,000: Neil Karumbath (ninth grade, California High School) for the San Ramon Skytrack Grand Prix, Aditi Runjan (now a senior, Dougherty Valley High School) for San Ramon Robofest, and Chloe Fisher (now 10th grade, Dougherty Valley High School) for the San Ramon Cherry Blossom Festival. Milburn indicated Discover San Ramon intends to develop and launch all three concepts. California High School Principal Demetrius Ball was also acknowledged.

Minor Items

• Consent calendar approved 5-0 (motion by Councilmember Verose, second by Vice Mayor Rubio) with no items pulled. One public commenter alleged item 5.3, which reclassifies a structural engineer position to civil engineer, should have been discussed openly rather than placed on consent.

• Constitution Week proclamation presented to representatives of the Jose Maria Amador Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Chapter Regent Heather Brillhart described DAR's plans for library displays at the San Ramon Library, Constitution copies for high school civics classes, and a poster contest. Mayor Armstrong noted this year marks the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding.

• Gary Alpert, board president of the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation, invited the community to the 43rd annual Run for Education on Oct. 11 at Iron Horse Middle School.

• Swayam Kanikar of Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh reported that volunteers donated 115 backpacks filled with school supplies to SRVUSD and surrounding Contra Costa County schools through the Backpack Seva initiative.

• Mandy Walia of Tri Valley Weekly invited candidates and residents to a candidate forum on Sept. 30 in Dublin.

• City Manager Spadowski announced upcoming events: apple pressing at Crow Canyon Gardens (Sept. 12), the Live Well Senior Resource Fair at Alcasta Senior Community Center (Sept. 17), and the Fall Mega Book Sale at San Ramon Library (Sept. 18-19). He also noted progress on the MUDS building demolition.

• Vice Mayor Rubio reported that County Connection paratransit rider satisfaction scores came in strong — "between 4 and 5 out of 5 max in terms of satisfaction" — and noted Ed Carranza's appointment as liaison to CCTA. She wished the community a happy National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15).

• Councilmember Adler attended the San Ramon Historic Foundation's speaker series at the Walnut Barn at Forest Home Farms and the School of Rock ribbon cutting at the Marketplace.

• The meeting was adjourned in honor of Thomas E. Burnett Jr., a San Ramon resident who was among the passengers who fought back against the hijackers of United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. Mayor Armstrong recounted Burnett's final moments: "His last known words heard on the cockpit voice recorder were, 'We're going in.' Flight 93 tragically crashed in a Pennsylvania field, killing all 44 on board. But the actions of Tom and the other passengers likely prevented a crash of that plane into the White House or Capitol Building."