Title
Adopt a Resolution to Accept and Authorize the City Manager to Execute All Documents for a Grant Award in the Amount of $375,000 from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) 2025-2026 Rubberized Pavement Grant Program and to Appropriate the Grant Funds to Current Capital Improvement Projects
Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITY
• Infrastructure
• Public Safety
SUMMARY
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) administers the Rubberized Pavement Grant Program to promote the use of recycled-content pavement materials derived from California-generated waste tires. CalRecycle offers this grant annually and the City has been selected to receive $375,000 under the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Program.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommend that the City Council adopt a resolution to accept and authorize the City Manager to execute a CalRecycle grant award for the FY 2025-2026 Rubberized Pavement Grant Program in the amount of $375,000 and appropriate the grant funds to current Capital Improvement Projects.
BACKGROUND
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) administers the Rubberized Pavement Grant Program, formerly known as the Rubberized Asphalt Concrete (RAC) Grant Program, to promote the use of recycled-content pavement materials derived from waste tires generated in California. The program aims to reduce the environmental impacts associated with unlawful disposal and stockpiling of waste tires.
Rubberized pavement (i.e., RAC) is produced by blending ground tire rubber with asphalt binder, which is then mixed with conventional paving materials. Rubberized pavement has been shown to perform comparably or better than conventional asphalt concrete pavement, with a service life that can be up to 50 percent longer.
The City of San Leandro has previously been successful in securing funding through the CalRecycle Rubberized Pavement Grant Program in multiple fiscal years. The most recent award was in 2022 in which the City received $250,000 in grant funding from CalRecycle as part of its FY 2021-22 Rubberized Pavement Grant Program.
Analysis
Approval of this authorization will allow the City of San Leandro to accept the grant funding from CalRecycle, as identified in the attached Notice to Proceed. The funds will be appropriated to the City’s Annual Street Sealing 2021-2024 Project and the Annual Street Overlay and Rehabilitation Project, which will utilize rubberized chip seal and RAC, respectively.
These projects will implement critical maintenance and rehabilitation improvements, including street sealing, street rehabilitation, curb and gutter improvements, and localized base repairs. Both projects have either recently been awarded or are in the process of being awarded for construction, with construction anticipated to commence in Summer 2026.
Acceptance of the grant funding will reduce the City’s reliance on local funding sources for routine pavement maintenance while enabling the use of recycled materials derived from waste tires. The incorporation of rubberized pavement treatments is consistent with State and local sustainability objectives, as it supports waste diversion and reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with material production and disposal.
Overall, the proposed action provides both fiscal and environmental benefits by leveraging external funding to deliver necessary infrastructure improvements while advancing the City’s Climate Action Plan goals related to emission reduction, resources conservation, and sustainable materials management.
Financial Impacts
There will be no impact to the General Fund. Grant-funded projects operate as reimbursements, requiring the City to pay the costs upfront but then seek reimbursement up to the grant award amount.
Budget Authority
$375,000 received from the CalRecycle 2025-2026 Rubberized Pavement Grant Program will be appropriated to the following accounts:
• 150-38-527 Annual Street Sealing 2021-2024
• 150-38-419 Annual Street Overlay and Rehabilitation
ATTACHMENTS
A: Resolution to Accept and Approve CalRecycle Grant Application
B: Notice to Proceed from CalRecycle
PREPARED BY: Bennett Sanderson, Assistant Engineer, Public Works Department