CONTRA COSTA COUNTY  
Committee Meeting Minutes - Final  
Advisory Council on Aging  
10:00 AM  
Wednesday, September 3, 2025  
500 Ellinwood Way, Pleasant Hill, CA  
Ice Breaker Room (1st Floor)  
Executive Committee  
https://cccounty-us.zoom.us/j/85300066691  
PUBLIC ACCESS AND PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS:  
The public may attend this meeting in person at the above location. The public may also attend this  
meeting remotely via webinar. Login information is provided above. ACOA members will also be  
participating from the following locations: 324 El Divisadero Ave., Walnut Creek, CA | 3014 Grey  
Eagle Dr., Walnut Creek, CA | 28 Orinda Wy., Orinda, CA | 150 S 45th St., Community Room,  
Richmond, CA  
10:00 Call to Order/Roll Call/Introductions – Lorna VanAckeren, ACOA President, called the meeting  
to order at 10:06 am.  
Roll call was conducted, and 7 out of 9 members qualified to be counted toward a quorum.  
Therefore, a quorum was established.  
Kevin Donovan, Michelle Hayes, Jill Kleiner, Steve Lipson, Lorna  
Van Ackeren, Candace Evans, and Michael Wener  
Present  
Terri Tobey  
Excused  
Absent  
Shirley Krohn  
10:05 Approval of August 2025 minutes  
Mike Wener made a motion to approve the minutes. Jill Kleiner seconded the motion.  
A roll call vote was conducted, and the minutes were approved.  
Motion:  
Second:  
Wener  
Kleiner  
Aye:  
Donovan, Hayes, Kleiner, Lipson, Van Ackeren, Evans, and  
Wener  
Absent:  
Result:  
Krohn  
Passed  
EX08.06.15DRAFTMinutes  
EX08.06.15DRAFTMinutes  
25-3469  
Attachments:  
10:10 Area Agency on Aging Report – Tracy Murray, AAA Director and/or Alicia Espinoza, AAA  
Program Manager  
West County Senior Nutrition RFP – The RFP was published on 8/7/2025. The Bids were due  
on 8/26/2025. Several bids were received and are being reviewed by Fiscal. Assuming more  
than one bid passes Fiscal Review, a Program Review Panel will meet Tuesday, 9/23 at 11:15 am  
(tentative). Recommendations will be forwarded to Tracy Murray, The Director of Aging and  
Adult Services, for a final decision.  
10:30 Committee Reports  
> Membership & Nominating Committee – Jill Kleiner  
- An Orientation for new ACOA members was held on 8/27/2025. Several excellent new  
members are eager to participate in the ACOA’s work.  
- Gerry LaLonde-Berg was interviewed and recommended to the Board of Supervisors as  
Alternate #3.  
- Holly Frates was recommended to be promoted from Alternate #3 to MAL #9.  
- Teresa Wright was recommended as Alternate #4.  
- Six city seats are currently vacant and Moraga will be vacant soon.  
- A Clayton member is being appointed.  
- Nominating Committee – Kathryn Monroy-Dexter is the chair. Some people have already  
expressed interest in the Officer roles.  
> Planning Committee – Jill Kleiner  
- A focus group revisitation presentation in Oakley is being scheduled.  
- Scheduling quarterly site visits to community agencies. The first one will be to Choice in  
Aging. Space is limited. Sign ups will occur at the General meeting.  
- The Committee reviewed a draft of their Annual Report. Committee Chairs will receive a  
full copy of last year’s report as reference. Drafts from each Committee are due back to the  
Planning Committee by November 15.  
- County Supervisors received $1 million in funding per District and are requesting feedback  
about the Funding. A survey is being conducted and several supervisors are holding  
in-person/webinar events to gather information. Discussion of steps ACOA members can take to  
advocate for senior services to receive funding. Alicia will send to the Committee a proposed  
summary of effects of HR 1 as resource material.  
> Housing Committee – Kevin Donovan  
- Center for Elders Independence opened 3 new PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the  
Elderly) centers in the East Bay (Livermore, El Sobrante, Oakland).  
- Assembly Member Wicks’ staff member, Steve Wertheim, discussed the Legislative  
package of bills to streamline the process to get affordable housing focused approved.  
- Oscar Wei, Deputy Chief Economist with the California Association of Realtors gave a  
presentation on the housing market.  
- Alex Werth, Research Consultant with Bay Area Finance Authority will be at the September  
15 meeting to present findings from his study of Bay Area/Contra Costa evictions.  
- Hoping to have Continuum of Care report in future meeting.  
> Health Workgroup – Mike Wener  
- No meeting last month.  
- Denise Kalm will present at the next meeting.  
- Terri is on Leave through October.  
> Legislative Workgroup and California Senior Legislature Update – Steve Lipson for Shirley  
Krohn  
- SB 707 Legislation (to revise the Brown Act) has cleared the Suspense File and will be  
voted on before 9/12/2025. If it passes, it will be sent to the Governor’s desk. He has until  
10/30 to sign the bill. ACLU is still opposed. Supporters are working to get them to not oppose  
it.  
- California Senior Legislature session will be held at the end of October.  
> Technology Workgroup – Steve Lipson  
- At the next meeting, hoping to have a speaker from Contra Costa Public Health re proposal  
for older adult education through Public Health.  
- Alicia will provide a summary of the Access to Technology (ATT) program outcomes to the  
ACOA General meeting.  
- Her summary will also be presented at the California Senior Legislature session.  
> Senior Mobility Action Council (Transportation Workgroup) – Candace Evans  
- Special meeting called on 9/11/2025 from noon to 1:30 pm.  
- The Committee is organizing a Transportation workshop on Monday, November 17th 11-2  
at Don Tatkin Center in Lafayette. Speakers include – Congressman Mark DeSaulnier,  
Assembly Member Bauer-Kahan, and Mark Orcutt, East Bay Leadership Council.  
- Candace arranged free eggs, organic farm boxes, pumpkins, chickens, turkeys, and veggies  
for the participants.  
10:55 President's Report – Lorna VanAckeren  
- Leave of Absence Form – please use the LOA form going forward. Form to be distributed  
at October meeting.  
- Annual Report – Committee Draft Reports due by 11/15/2025.  
- Holiday Potluck – proposed for December meeting, sign up list will be available at the  
September meeting. Mike suggested asking for volunteer to organize the event.  
- Letter of support – working on draft for legislative letters of support.  
11:05 Break  
11:10 AB 474 update – Tracy/Alicia  
- AB 474 (bill regarding income from home-sharing ) is currently in Fiscal Committee with  
State Legislature. Alicia will give Kevin & Gerry LaLonde Berg a draft letter of support to be  
reviewed by the ACOA at a later date.  
11:20 Future ACOA General Meeting Presentations:  
- September: Family Justice Center  
- October: In Home Supportive Services  
- November: Hiatus  
- December: Presentations by City Reps / Potluck  
11:30 Consent Items  
> Leave of Absences:  
- Sarah Green – June 2025  
- Candace Evans – June 2025  
- Roger Boaz – June 2025  
- Nikki Lopez – June 2025  
- Richard Morisky – June 2025  
- Terri Tobey – October 2025  
- Steven Freshman – September 2025  
- Sam Sakai- Miller – September through December 2025  
> Appointments:  
- Michael Wener - Vice President 2025 (remainder of the year)  
- Teresa Wright – Alternate #4  
- Holly Frates – Member at Large #9 (promoting from Alternate #3)  
- Gerry La-Londe Berg – Alternate #3  
Jill Kleiner made a motion to approve the Consent items. Michelle Hayes seconded the motion.  
A roll call vote was conducted and the motion passed with a majority vote of 7.  
Motion:  
Second:  
Kleiner  
Hayes  
Aye:  
Donovan, Hayes, Kleiner, Lipson, Van Ackeren, Evans, and  
Wener  
Absent:  
Result:  
Krohn  
Passed  
11:35 Public comment:  
Candace suggested nominating Jim Donnelly as Emeritus member of the ACOA. The process to  
appoint an Emeritus Member per ACOA Bylaws (3.7), the Executive Committee suggests to  
General ACOA that the person be appointed as an Emeritus Member. We do not need a motion  
but we will put on September general meeting agenda under the Consent Items.  
Next Executive Committee Meeting: Wednesday, October 1st, 2025, 10a.m. – 12p.m.  
The meeting adjourned at 11:59 p.m.  
For Additional Information Contact: Alicia Espinoza at 925 655-0771 or aespinoza@ehsd.cccounty.us