1 00:03:26,350 --> 00:03:39,070 The Santa Cruz City Council having completed its business and closed session is back in session. Clerk, would you call the roll to reestablish the quorum? Thank you, Mayor. Council member of Tregera. Present. Present. Present. Newstone. Present. 2 00:03:39,370 --> 00:03:54,730 Older. O'Hara. Yeah. Vice Mayor Kalentori Johnson. Present. Mayor Kiley. Present. The court haven't been established. We will proceed. We're on oral communication. This is the opportunity for anyone to address the council on a matter under our jurisdiction. 3 00:03:54,730 --> 00:03:59,730 but not on today's agenda for period, not to exceed two minutes. 4 00:04:00,350 --> 00:04:02,130 Anyone with us wish to do that? 5 00:04:02,250 --> 00:04:03,650 Mr. Ewing, good afternoon, welcome. 6 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:08,240 No, my goodness. 7 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:13,460 Would ever happen to you. 8 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:14,340 I hope you get better soon. 9 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:17,480 Mr. Keely, I totally appreciate that. 10 00:04:18,280 --> 00:04:19,480 I need two. 11 00:04:19,820 --> 00:04:20,540 Couchers are great. 12 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:22,420 I've been on couchers many times in my life. 13 00:04:23,300 --> 00:04:23,540 Yeah. 14 00:04:23,980 --> 00:04:24,420 Oh, hi. 15 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:28,480 I mean, James Ewing with minutes March 24th, 2026. 16 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:34,720 It's interesting, you know, six years ago in one day I walked in to get a piece of paper 17 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:40,980 about the itinerary for the next meeting on March 24th, 2020, and meeting was closed 18 00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:41,380 down. 19 00:04:41,660 --> 00:04:46,860 I got to witness public figure behaving like a panic child. 20 00:04:47,900 --> 00:04:51,720 So here we are six years later, and wow, so many different things are going on. 21 00:04:51,720 --> 00:05:02,720 if that situation reciprocated a bunch of regulations and control methods and a lot 22 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:07,860 of people losing their freedom, their jobs that they've had for years and years. 23 00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:14,720 What happened about three weeks ago isn't that kind of similarly orchestrated and 24 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:22,520 it might we not be having fuel shortages and food shortages and when I'm at so 25 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:26,800 only 20% of the oil that goes through there but the larger percentage of the 26 00:05:26,800 --> 00:05:34,860 chemical fertilizers so we are headed for a natural cold spell so I was 27 00:05:34,860 --> 00:05:40,980 changing the subject slightly to solutions as much as I loved to my things like 28 00:05:40,980 --> 00:05:44,200 tomatoes and stuff that goes through the season and stuff there was a 29 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:49,380 presentation on 10 perennial plants. Only one I can remember of the 10 of the 30 00:05:49,380 --> 00:05:55,420 Sparigus, but once they get established and take six months to two years, that's 31 00:05:55,420 --> 00:06:00,200 food for 20 to 50 years. So I'm certainly looking forward to being in a 32 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:04,440 position to do a lot of guerrilla gardening. One of the plants in particular 33 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:12,820 puts nitrogen back in the soil. So to be solutions oriented, why not? You can't 34 00:06:12,820 --> 00:06:16,140 always have so much fun being a killjoy. Thank you. 35 00:06:16,460 --> 00:06:19,520 Thank you, Mr. Ewing. Anyone on 36 00:06:21,990 --> 00:06:23,610 line? Good afternoon. 37 00:06:23,870 --> 00:06:26,190 Welcome to the city council member meeting. 38 00:06:27,030 --> 00:06:29,430 Yes, finally, yeah. Hey, thank you. 39 00:06:29,890 --> 00:06:34,730 outrageous utility taxes in Santa Cruz started with measure X in 2005 40 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,250 for your information, partly courtesy of the co-signer, 41 00:06:38,430 --> 00:06:40,130 Fred, the tax maestro, O'Keeley, 42 00:06:40,490 --> 00:06:43,190 where the city fearmonger and public safety service cuts 43 00:06:43,190 --> 00:06:47,990 said no rate increases, said it would only cost two and a half million type tactics to 44 00:06:47,990 --> 00:06:53,850 get approved extra 3% water sewer, extra 12% refuse franchise tax to replace illegal 45 00:06:53,850 --> 00:06:58,790 franchise fees. Illegal franchise fees were made illegal because various abusive bus 46 00:06:58,790 --> 00:07:04,790 hogged backwater by you cities lack the leadership fairness principles of the PUC or other cities. 47 00:07:05,210 --> 00:07:10,790 Huntington Beach has a 4.9% utility tax and ours is 11 and a half and they have a zero tax 48 00:07:10,790 --> 00:07:16,410 on refugees and ours is 20 and a half tax, which makes SC the most excessively taxed anywhere. 49 00:07:16,850 --> 00:07:21,970 Yes, the fees were made legal taxes, but a name change doesn't remove the abuse of an essential 50 00:07:21,970 --> 00:07:27,890 health service monopoly. The racquet worsens, borrow hundreds of millions more and tax that too. 51 00:07:28,330 --> 00:07:32,590 Users will be paying one and a half million more tax on top of the about 14 million a year, 52 00:07:32,750 --> 00:07:37,850 just on utility debt payments alone for the next 40 years. Recent changes to the budget, 53 00:07:37,850 --> 00:07:47,710 reporting documents since 2024 now conveniently omit and hide the detailed budget fund balance projection tables and replace them with high level combined figures. 54 00:07:48,290 --> 00:07:52,810 So a public examination of any dirty laundry enterprise fund is no longer possible. 55 00:07:53,270 --> 00:08:00,110 Bring back those detailed fund balances and projections. Consider the now balanced invisible water rate stabilization fund. 56 00:08:00,110 --> 00:08:05,890 our rates sure aren't stable or that constant and they are taxed it's every year 57 00:08:05,890 --> 00:08:09,970 three plus million collected and then taxed and that fund reached its 10 million 58 00:08:09,970 --> 00:08:15,910 presumed reserve fund balance way back in 2023. I see no fund transfers out. What's 59 00:08:15,910 --> 00:08:23,330 going on got me only some people know and they ain't talking. Thanks. Thank you. 60 00:08:23,770 --> 00:08:27,790 Anyone else with us in chambers wish to make comments under or 61 00:08:27,790 --> 00:08:31,770 communication. Do we have anyone else online? We'll take the next person online. 62 00:08:32,250 --> 00:08:35,390 First online, good afternoon. Welcome to the City Council meeting. 63 00:08:37,070 --> 00:08:41,030 Good afternoon, Fred. Good afternoon, Council. Good afternoon. 64 00:08:41,570 --> 00:08:48,110 This is Rayleigh Snyder. I was downtown last Wednesday. 65 00:08:48,450 --> 00:08:52,290 I was in the mornings. I was over at Jaxx on Cedar Street. 66 00:08:52,790 --> 00:08:54,710 This is quite a bit of construction going on. 67 00:08:54,710 --> 00:09:02,070 And one thing I found kind of nowhere, I also am on crutches, I had a recent mishap where 68 00:09:02,070 --> 00:09:09,590 I've got a broken ankle and I'm in a cast and what I noticed which is kind of strange 69 00:09:09,590 --> 00:09:14,190 is just, you know, from that vantage on the diagonal across from all the construction, 70 00:09:15,070 --> 00:09:20,230 there are all these officers that were patrolling that area and they seem like they were just 71 00:09:20,230 --> 00:09:25,070 kind of reason through. But as soon as they saw me, like they stopped and they were like 72 00:09:25,070 --> 00:09:29,990 kind of suddenly startled that there was actually somebody there to witness what's going 73 00:09:29,990 --> 00:09:34,610 on there. So that happened twice. And then there was a group of other first responders. 74 00:09:34,610 --> 00:09:38,550 They seemed to be the fire department and they were across the street. And somehow I got 75 00:09:38,550 --> 00:09:43,630 the same exact reaction from them. And so I don't know. I don't know what it is about, 76 00:09:43,870 --> 00:09:47,750 you know, people are nervous about how much development is going on. And I'm one of the 77 00:09:47,750 --> 00:09:54,410 vocal critics of it as you know but for me it was just very off-putting that I 78 00:09:54,410 --> 00:09:57,810 was being treated in this way it kind of felt like they were considering 79 00:09:57,810 --> 00:10:03,870 scrutinizing me considering you know the idea of I don't know confronting me for 80 00:10:03,870 --> 00:10:11,270 the sake of confronting me I you know I had a unpleasant interaction with 81 00:10:11,270 --> 00:10:19,370 Chief Escalani because he felt like my opposition to the flock cameras was, you know, perhaps, 82 00:10:20,130 --> 00:10:22,830 you know, cursory or superficial. 83 00:10:23,530 --> 00:10:29,850 Well, I had the misfortune of meeting Palantir founder Peter Teal back in the 1990s. 84 00:10:30,370 --> 00:10:35,450 And I really am not a fan of the technology and the six-year price tag in the sort of 85 00:10:35,450 --> 00:10:37,210 name that's being over with that. 86 00:10:37,730 --> 00:10:38,290 Thanks. 87 00:10:41,300 --> 00:10:41,740 Thank you. 88 00:10:41,740 --> 00:10:43,600 Do we have anyone else online? 89 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:45,460 We'll take the next person online. 90 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:46,660 Good afternoon. 91 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:48,460 Welcome to the City Council meeting. 92 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:50,740 Good afternoon, Mayor and Council members. 93 00:10:51,060 --> 00:10:52,280 This is Rafa Sanemfeld. 94 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:57,700 I think you all know me as a passionate housing advocate here in the county. 95 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:07,120 I just wanted to bring to your attention concerning political development in the state of California 96 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:17,640 regarding the Howard-Gervis Tax Payer Associations, potentially successful November voter initiative 97 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:25,340 to, quote, unquote, save Prop 13, which would roll back transfer taxes and parcel taxes 98 00:11:25,780 --> 00:11:29,200 that have not been passed by a two-thirds majority. 99 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:37,380 I was part of the campaign to help pass measure C in the city of Santa Cruz, which we're 100 00:11:37,380 --> 00:11:40,760 hoping is going to raise millions of dollars for affordable housing here in the city. 101 00:11:41,540 --> 00:11:51,180 And if this November measure is the pass, it would retroactively cancel the measure 102 00:11:51,180 --> 00:11:55,960 C and we would be stuck with where we were prior to the passage of that measure. 103 00:11:55,960 --> 00:12:03,960 So, I would urge the City Council to use everything in its power to get the word out, to educate voters about the 104 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:10,940 problematic nature of this Howard-Jervis Taxpayer Association measure, and how it would cost the city 105 00:12:11,560 --> 00:12:15,980 especially for the housing and homeless services that we're hoping to provide with the passage of 106 00:12:15,980 --> 00:12:20,340 measure. Thank you very much. Thank you, Rafa. Anyone else? 107 00:12:21,540 --> 00:12:25,260 Okay. Last call for oral communication for folks here in council chambers. 108 00:12:28,650 --> 00:12:32,910 We are now on item, excuse me, we are now on item number four. 109 00:12:33,310 --> 00:12:41,710 Mr. Elliott will be making a presentation regarding the clam chowder cook-off and an update thereof and four. 110 00:12:42,550 --> 00:12:55,330 And I see Mr. Reyes lurking in the front row, the all-time favorite of ours from the boardwalk. 111 00:12:55,650 --> 00:12:56,490 Good to see you, sir. 112 00:12:56,490 --> 00:12:58,730 Mr. Elliott, what do we got to say? 113 00:12:59,430 --> 00:12:59,870 Thank you, Mayor. 114 00:13:00,510 --> 00:13:03,230 I'm here just to introduce this amazing team. 115 00:13:03,630 --> 00:13:05,150 Behind me, Tremaine, Head and Jones, 116 00:13:05,350 --> 00:13:08,070 are Superintendent of Recreation and Honolary Sprient, 117 00:13:08,610 --> 00:13:11,210 our supervisor for events and classes to lead, 118 00:13:11,350 --> 00:13:14,330 a presentation on this year's clam shout-out 119 00:13:14,330 --> 00:13:16,370 or cook-off another year of great success, 120 00:13:17,150 --> 00:13:19,350 and please be joined by Chris Reyes 121 00:13:19,350 --> 00:13:20,450 from the boardwalk as well. 122 00:13:20,630 --> 00:13:20,830 Thank you. 123 00:13:22,530 --> 00:13:23,670 Good afternoon, sir. 124 00:13:23,970 --> 00:13:24,550 Thank you, Mayor. 125 00:13:24,790 --> 00:13:25,230 Thank you, Council. 126 00:13:25,230 --> 00:13:27,630 I'm Mr. Archimane-Henjun, Superintendent of Recreation. 127 00:13:28,030 --> 00:13:30,230 I'm joined the Honolese Bryant Recreation Supervisor 128 00:13:30,230 --> 00:13:32,010 for the Department of Parks Recreation. 129 00:13:32,790 --> 00:13:34,930 And we're here to present our up-to-unclam chatter. 130 00:13:35,250 --> 00:13:37,710 I would be remiss if I didn't start this presentation 131 00:13:37,710 --> 00:13:38,410 with the jingle. 132 00:13:39,170 --> 00:13:43,430 So, chowder, clam chowder, chowder is a soup. 133 00:13:43,610 --> 00:13:44,330 We love the best. 134 00:13:49,490 --> 00:13:52,370 This has been, I'm not sure if we want to encourage a lot of that. 135 00:13:54,130 --> 00:13:56,430 Well, thank you. 136 00:13:56,990 --> 00:14:00,030 This is the long sending tradition in the city of Santa Cruz. 137 00:14:00,250 --> 00:14:02,470 And it is the longest running and continuously running 138 00:14:02,470 --> 00:14:04,630 climb charter event in all of North America. 139 00:14:05,190 --> 00:14:06,050 Just pretty amazing. 140 00:14:07,130 --> 00:14:09,550 We owe our sorry. 141 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:16,940 So we owe a lot of respect to the net she maker, 142 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:18,560 former Parks and Recreation Director. 143 00:14:19,100 --> 00:14:24,240 But then superintendents, sorry, supervisor of recreation back in 1982. 144 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:29,580 to. She founded the Commissar to Cook Off in 1982, but it was based off an idea from 145 00:14:29,580 --> 00:14:34,640 the prior year on how to generate revenue for the department. She looked at a number 146 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:40,860 of different events. In that year in 1981, she implemented a Chile Cook Off at Harvey West 147 00:14:40,860 --> 00:14:46,940 Park. While it was successful in some ends, it was not successful financially. She decided 148 00:14:46,940 --> 00:14:53,200 to pivot. She got this brilliant idea to pivot towards Commissar to do that event more 149 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:59,540 the winter months. She reached out to the boardwalk and she's struck a partnership up with the boardwalk. 150 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:10,420 I host the event, but at that time, the city would take on full responsibility for implementing event, including all the logistics, scouting out the chefs and working event itself. 151 00:15:12,630 --> 00:15:30,230 I'd like to say that there's a little bit of trivia here. So, clam chatter and myself are both the same age, but I will not let you know who's older. So back in 1985, the cook off a grown, an outgrown, nipped in kingdom. That was with the original space and location where the cook off took place. 152 00:15:30,230 --> 00:15:35,050 It grew outdoors. We had 30 teams that joined. It was a single day at that point in time. 153 00:15:35,710 --> 00:15:43,710 In 2015, we decided to split the event into two days, but the Saturday and the Sunday, because we had over 80 chef entries. 154 00:15:44,430 --> 00:15:52,730 Predominantly, those were amateur chefs, but we also had a serious number of professional chefs, because it's a very good competition for them to promote local business activity. 155 00:15:52,730 --> 00:16:02,810 During the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of skipping even altogether, we imagined the events and we continued to do more innovations as the years go forward. 156 00:16:05,330 --> 00:16:12,130 So in the suite of collaboration over the years, our roles and responsibilities between the CSI Company and the boardwalk and ourselves have shifted. 157 00:16:12,710 --> 00:16:22,610 But we've been nonetheless committed to producing the event because it is such a success, not just for Santa Cruz in terms of our revenue, but just for the community and the regional around. 158 00:16:23,250 --> 00:16:26,630 The boardwalk continues to offer general operations, 159 00:16:27,090 --> 00:16:29,270 booth assignments for the various 160 00:16:29,270 --> 00:16:31,670 tasting and shifts and entries. 161 00:16:32,170 --> 00:16:33,610 They offer security sponsorships, 162 00:16:34,010 --> 00:16:35,370 the recruit and manage judges, 163 00:16:35,650 --> 00:16:38,590 as well as handle the general marketing and promotions, 164 00:16:39,370 --> 00:16:40,990 and the chef contest movement. 165 00:16:41,830 --> 00:16:44,610 On the city side, we do overall event logistics. 166 00:16:45,310 --> 00:16:47,270 We also assemble all the tasting kits. 167 00:16:47,530 --> 00:16:50,150 We assemble over 12,000 kits every year, 168 00:16:50,190 --> 00:16:51,730 and it's a single person that does that. 169 00:16:53,790 --> 00:16:57,790 Judy Cobb is her name. She's amazing. She's also one of our seniors and at the senior center. 170 00:16:58,690 --> 00:17:04,330 We also handle the merchandise design, so that's including the event logo itself, 171 00:17:05,010 --> 00:17:11,210 price packages, sales in terms of day-of-sales as well as pre-sales, general promotions, 172 00:17:11,210 --> 00:17:13,090 and we also assist with chef recruitment. 173 00:17:16,490 --> 00:17:18,970 This past year alone, I already mentioned the 12,000 kits, 174 00:17:18,970 --> 00:17:23,290 That's including over 100 hours of event time just for that preparation. 175 00:17:24,050 --> 00:17:29,490 We had over 600 pre-orders that we both process assembled and then delivered on-site. 176 00:17:30,370 --> 00:17:36,190 We have 16 volunteers that contributed a total of 64 hours for the day for two days, I 177 00:17:36,190 --> 00:17:36,490 should say. 178 00:17:37,170 --> 00:17:42,090 And over 20 parts of recreation employees including our full-time and temporary staff contributed 179 00:17:42,090 --> 00:17:42,730 to the event. 180 00:17:43,230 --> 00:17:46,190 And total, they had over 215 hours of work hours. 181 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,680 This is a significant event because it's a million dollar event in many ways. 182 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,980 For the last 10 years, we generated over a million dollars in revenue, and in total 183 00:17:56,980 --> 00:18:01,880 lifetime, we have an estimate of over $3 million, that's 44 plus years. 184 00:18:04,140 --> 00:18:07,360 And it just continues to contribute to the local economy. 185 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:13,140 This year, we did partner with a couple of hotels to increase the hotel stays, to promote 186 00:18:13,140 --> 00:18:17,360 the event as a multi-day event so that folks stay here for the entire weekend. 187 00:18:19,620 --> 00:18:24,240 Some of the visitation data from 2023 to 2026, you'll see that there's been some spikes and 188 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:31,440 some jumps. There was definitely that post-COVID bump that we saw in 2024 and 2025, in terms of revenue 189 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:38,280 raised. We've seen some market increases over the last four to five years. It used to be that on 190 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:44,500 average we had about sales between $50 to $80,000, but the last few years have seen a market increase 191 00:18:44,500 --> 00:18:48,200 and that was partly in response to pre-sales and aggressive promotions. 192 00:18:51,230 --> 00:18:52,650 These are the 2026 winners 193 00:18:52,650 --> 00:18:58,510 for the amateur competition. I'll do a quick shout out to the people's twice. That was the match 194 00:18:58,510 --> 00:19:05,550 about Chowder for Boston and for Manhattan, it's four men in a clam. The best Boston overall was 195 00:19:05,550 --> 00:19:10,270 bloody brain chowder, the best Manhattan was also bloody brain chowder. On the most 196 00:19:10,270 --> 00:19:15,810 taste it was the silence of the clams and there are awards and prizes for those who come up with 197 00:19:15,810 --> 00:19:21,430 clever ideas for their names and their booths and Rosie the Riveter was that for the amateur. 198 00:19:22,550 --> 00:19:28,170 For the professionals, the point kitchen and bar took home for the Boston and the East Side 199 00:19:28,170 --> 00:19:35,330 eatery took it home for Manhattan. Best Boston overall was UCSE dining and to best Manhattan overall 200 00:19:35,330 --> 00:19:39,610 was the Dominican Oaks retirement community. So if you planted your retire, that's a good place. 201 00:19:40,650 --> 00:19:44,890 The most tasted was I feel bar and grill, a great partner as well with the wharf, 202 00:19:45,350 --> 00:19:49,130 and the best booth for the professional was Hick but Shatter. 203 00:19:51,730 --> 00:19:53,330 We thank all of our partners. 204 00:19:53,330 --> 00:19:57,930 I also would be remiss if I didn't give a great shout out to Julie Graf and Rita Dombana, 205 00:19:58,370 --> 00:20:02,410 our Recreation Coordinators in Events and Classes, as well as to Gladys Rodriguez and Cardi Pope, 206 00:20:02,410 --> 00:20:05,810 our wonderful partners over at the CSI company. 207 00:20:06,390 --> 00:20:08,010 And I believe Chris also had some words 208 00:20:08,010 --> 00:20:09,190 that he'd like to share with us today. 209 00:20:11,050 --> 00:20:13,570 Mr. Reyes, good afternoon, welcome to the council. 210 00:20:13,690 --> 00:20:14,670 Hi everybody, good to see you. 211 00:20:14,710 --> 00:20:16,630 It's nice to be here under such pleasant terms. 212 00:20:17,490 --> 00:20:20,010 I am Chris Reyes from the San Chris Beach Boardwalk, 213 00:20:20,110 --> 00:20:21,050 San Chris CSI company. 214 00:20:21,490 --> 00:20:24,110 I just want to say how much we love being part of this, 215 00:20:24,230 --> 00:20:25,510 how honored we are to be part of this. 216 00:20:25,610 --> 00:20:28,390 I know you get sort of the heat all the time 217 00:20:28,390 --> 00:20:31,110 and the city gets yelled at all the time for all kinds of things. 218 00:20:31,110 --> 00:20:36,410 This is one of the great positive examples of a public private partnership between our organization and the city. 219 00:20:36,770 --> 00:20:40,650 We're really grateful to the parks and rec staff and all the volunteers they bring. 220 00:20:40,970 --> 00:20:44,930 I think it works out perfectly because they kind of take on the pieces that we don't want to do. 221 00:20:45,130 --> 00:20:47,630 And I think we take on the pieces of maybe they don't want to do. 222 00:20:48,150 --> 00:20:53,990 And it's also the first weekend of the year where the boardwalk really comes to a life after a busy winter. 223 00:20:54,490 --> 00:20:57,170 When we're preparing new things and bringing new stuff online. 224 00:20:57,390 --> 00:21:00,450 So for us, it always feels like the first big fun weekend of the year. 225 00:21:00,450 --> 00:21:02,010 We wouldn't have it any other way. 226 00:21:02,130 --> 00:21:03,650 We were really grateful for this partnership 227 00:21:03,650 --> 00:21:05,930 and happy to continue it for many, many more years. 228 00:21:06,170 --> 00:21:06,690 So thank you all. 229 00:21:07,270 --> 00:21:09,890 Thank you and please pass on our thanks 230 00:21:09,890 --> 00:21:11,850 and appreciation to all of your colleagues 231 00:21:11,850 --> 00:21:14,230 at Bolton Boardwalk and this side company. 232 00:21:15,570 --> 00:21:15,830 Good. 233 00:21:16,410 --> 00:21:16,810 All right. 234 00:21:17,290 --> 00:21:19,950 Mr. Elliott, do you wish to anyone 235 00:21:19,950 --> 00:21:22,030 wish to make a final remarks here? 236 00:21:22,150 --> 00:21:23,010 We, we good to go. 237 00:21:24,230 --> 00:21:24,670 Wonderful. 238 00:21:24,870 --> 00:21:26,370 Well, thank you very, very much. 239 00:21:26,470 --> 00:21:27,910 We really appreciate all the good work. 240 00:21:28,690 --> 00:21:29,390 All right. 241 00:21:29,390 --> 00:21:31,670 How about a round of applause for this slide? 242 00:21:38,500 --> 00:21:42,100 And keep staying in the spirit of good things happening. 243 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:53,840 Item 5 is a proclamation declaring February 13th, 2026 as meals on wheels in Santa Cruz County, which is a 50th anniversary. 244 00:21:54,140 --> 00:22:01,780 And it is a pleasure to acknowledge councilmember Gabriela Tregaro to make a presentation in that regard. 245 00:22:02,020 --> 00:22:02,440 Good afternoon. 246 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:10,860 Thank you, Mayor, and I'd also like to welcome up Dana Wagner, who serves as a senior program director for Meals on Wheels. 247 00:22:12,380 --> 00:22:29,780 So I'll read it off. Whereas Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County provides approximately 164,000 home-delivered meals and 32,000 meals at four community dining sites each year through the support of nearby. 248 00:22:29,780 --> 00:22:33,720 by nearly 75 dedicated volunteers. 249 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,040 And whereas meals on wheels for Santa Cruz County, 250 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:40,460 dining sites located in Ben Lomond, live oak, Santa Cruz, 251 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:43,040 and Watsonville offer more than meals 252 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:45,220 by fostering community and connection 253 00:22:45,220 --> 00:22:49,260 while providing the daily meals to adults aged 60 and older. 254 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:51,820 And whereas within the city of Santa Cruz, 255 00:22:52,060 --> 00:22:57,210 meals on wheels delivers approximately 62,000 256 00:22:57,210 --> 00:23:02,850 1000 home-delivered meals and 9,000 meals at the London Nelson Center annually, ensuring 257 00:23:02,850 --> 00:23:08,830 that 566 older adults receive nutritious meals in the city of Santa Cruz, as well as 258 00:23:08,830 --> 00:23:11,170 the meaningful human connection and critical support. 259 00:23:12,250 --> 00:23:18,410 Whereas meals on wheels has never missed a meal, continuing uninterrupted service throughout 260 00:23:18,410 --> 00:23:29,030 the floods of 1982, the 1989 Loma preta earthquake, the CZU fire complex in complex fire of 2020, 261 00:23:29,330 --> 00:23:36,730 the COVID pandemic, and beyond, while providing emergency supplies, wellness checks, and information 262 00:23:36,730 --> 00:23:44,910 coordination as well. Whereas Mielsen Wiel serves some of our most vulnerable community members, 263 00:23:44,910 --> 00:23:49,570 supporting their ability to live independently in their own homes and helping 264 00:23:49,570 --> 00:23:54,890 prevent costly nursing care and hospitalization. And whereas this year, as 265 00:23:54,890 --> 00:24:00,670 the Armer said, Males and Wheels reaches its 50th year anniversary of serving 266 00:24:00,670 --> 00:24:06,190 older adults and is also celebrating the milestone with its 13th annual food 267 00:24:06,190 --> 00:24:12,350 from the Heart Luncheon, which is a fundraiser for their wellness programs, as 268 00:24:12,350 --> 00:24:20,710 As well as the achievement of delivering its 10 millionth meal, an extraordinary achievement 269 00:24:21,430 --> 00:24:27,670 reflecting five decades of compassion, service, commitment to ensuring that no senior goes hungry. 270 00:24:28,610 --> 00:24:32,990 Now, therefore, I, Gabriella Tregero, along with Marifred Keely and my colleagues on council, 271 00:24:33,470 --> 00:24:41,550 do hereby proclaim February 13th, 2026, as meal zone wheels for Santa Cruz County 50th anniversary day in the city of Santa Cruz. 272 00:24:41,550 --> 00:24:54,890 We encourage all citizens to join in honoring meals on wheels for enhancing the lives of older adults by providing nourishing meals, meaningful human connection, and dedicated service for 50 years. 273 00:24:55,150 --> 00:24:56,950 Thank you, Deena, to you and your volunteers. 274 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:26,160 Mr. Wagner, the floor is yours. 275 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:26,780 Thank you. 276 00:25:26,960 --> 00:25:29,020 Thank you so much, Mayor Keely, City Council. 277 00:25:29,420 --> 00:25:37,960 It is just an honor to accept this proclamation on behalf of the tens and thousands of older vulnerable adults that we have served over the last decade. 278 00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:44,820 last 50 years, and as Council member said, we can't believe we have delivered 10 million 279 00:25:44,820 --> 00:25:49,880 meals during this time, and so we're just so grateful for the partnership with the city 280 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:55,040 and the county to be able to continue to serve our vulnerable populations and to provide 281 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:59,240 them not only with food but with meaningful connection and wellness checks to ensure that 282 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:00,160 they live with dignity. 283 00:26:00,540 --> 00:26:01,620 I'm honored to accept this. 284 00:26:01,720 --> 00:26:02,520 Thank you so much. 285 00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:03,960 Well, thank you very much, Chair. 286 00:26:09,070 --> 00:26:09,410 Wonderful. 287 00:26:09,410 --> 00:26:21,530 We are on item number six, rather than this a mayoral proclamation regarding arts, culture, and creativity, and Councilmember Bruner will be making this presentation. 288 00:26:21,690 --> 00:26:30,370 Thank you. I'd like to invite anybody who is here for this arts, culture, and creativity proclamation to please step forward. 289 00:26:31,210 --> 00:26:32,330 Thank you. 290 00:26:32,330 --> 00:26:33,390 so 291 00:26:38,730 --> 00:26:48,030 welcome. Whereas in April 2019 the California legislature established the 292 00:26:48,030 --> 00:26:55,450 first arts culture and creativity month and April 2026 will be the 8th annual 293 00:26:55,450 --> 00:27:05,750 statewide celebration. Add and this year's theme is joy action and power. Whereas 294 00:27:05,750 --> 00:27:12,150 As the city of Santa Cruz, California recognizes that arts, culture, and creativity are essential 295 00:27:12,150 --> 00:27:17,850 public goods, vital for the health and growth of thriving communities. 296 00:27:18,690 --> 00:27:26,450 And whereas arts, culture, and creativity brings joy by uniting communities, inspiring 297 00:27:26,450 --> 00:27:31,590 individuals, and celebrating the richness of our city's diversity. 298 00:27:31,590 --> 00:27:37,550 and whereas arts, culture, and creativity inspires action. 299 00:27:38,210 --> 00:27:43,750 Action that drives positive change and strengthens the social fabric of our communities. 300 00:27:44,770 --> 00:27:48,970 And whereas arts, culture, and creativity powers our city's capacity 301 00:27:48,970 --> 00:27:55,670 to address community challenges, including advancing equity, inclusion, and access. 302 00:27:55,670 --> 00:28:23,950 And whereas the City's Office of Economic Development, the City Arts Commission and the City Council in collaboration with Arts Council, Santa Cruz County, lead efforts to advance the arts that drive economic growth, stimulate business activity, attracts tourism, foster civic pride, and contribute to public safety and overall social well-being. 303 00:28:24,770 --> 00:28:31,070 Now, therefore, I, Sonia Brenner, on behalf of Fred Killie Mayor of the City of Santa Cruz 304 00:28:31,070 --> 00:28:39,390 and the entire City Council, do hereby proclaim the month of April 2026 as arts, culture, and 305 00:28:39,390 --> 00:28:45,310 creativity month in the City of Santa Cruz, and I encourage all citizens to support the arts 306 00:28:45,310 --> 00:28:47,370 and join in this celebration. 307 00:28:47,990 --> 00:28:48,570 Thank you. 308 00:28:53,420 --> 00:28:58,100 And then I will present this and then please will give you a couple minutes if you want 309 00:28:58,100 --> 00:29:01,000 to introduce yourself and say any few words. 310 00:29:25,270 --> 00:29:26,630 Good afternoon and welcome. 311 00:29:26,830 --> 00:29:28,430 Thank you for all your wonderful work. 312 00:29:28,970 --> 00:29:29,930 Please do hear it from you. 313 00:29:30,370 --> 00:29:30,750 Thank you. 314 00:29:30,890 --> 00:29:31,470 Thank you. 315 00:29:31,670 --> 00:29:35,910 Council Member Brunner and thank you Mayor Keiley and the rest of the council. 316 00:29:36,210 --> 00:29:37,490 My name is Anna Elizabeth. 317 00:29:37,830 --> 00:29:42,050 I'm the board chair of the Arts Council of Santa Cruz County. 318 00:29:42,050 --> 00:29:49,290 And I want to thank you today for this honor, we're appreciative of being 319 00:29:49,290 --> 00:29:53,530 acknowledged for the work we've been doing for so many years, especially around 320 00:29:53,530 --> 00:29:59,970 equity in the county and the arts. And we look forward to further- 321 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:29,840 The reading and really celebrating this year, this month in April. Thank you. Well, thank you very much. Either of you wish to make any remarks, please feel free to do so. Thank you, everybody. Yes, I'm Peter Wang, board member of the Arts Council. And again, thank you for the recognition and the support of the arts. And I just wanted to just call out also in the times that we're at right now. The arts are a form of allowing us to have 322 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:37,240 hope and resist and enjoy our lives and think about ways to move forward so thank you again 323 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:37,840 for all the support. 324 00:30:38,260 --> 00:30:38,800 Thank you, Mr. Wang. 325 00:30:39,620 --> 00:30:40,140 Good afternoon. 326 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:41,260 Good afternoon. 327 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:43,100 My name is Rebecca Escovedo. 328 00:30:43,300 --> 00:30:46,960 I am the Vice Chair for the Arts Commission here, the City of Santa Cruz. 329 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:51,760 And I just want to say thank you all so much, Councilman Bruner, Mayor Healey. 330 00:30:52,020 --> 00:30:56,900 This is, Santa Cruz is very beautiful, it's very rich, and one of the things that makes 331 00:30:56,900 --> 00:31:03,220 so special is the arts, whether that be culinary arts, our murals, our exhibitions, our live 332 00:31:03,220 --> 00:31:08,460 music, everything. So it means a lot that you all are investing in them and investing in artists. 333 00:31:08,900 --> 00:31:16,780 So thank you. Thank you very much. Best wishes to you. Thank you. We are on presiding officer 334 00:31:16,780 --> 00:31:25,180 announcements. I will announce that March 31st in the city of Santa Cruz will be 335 00:31:26,580 --> 00:31:33,440 entitled Farm Worker Recognition Day, and that will be the case on enhanced fourth 336 00:31:33,440 --> 00:31:39,720 basis as well. Statement of Disqualifications, anybody on Disqualifications? All right, 337 00:31:40,260 --> 00:31:41,580 additions or deletions? 338 00:31:44,020 --> 00:31:46,820 Madam City Attorney. No. Thank you so much. 339 00:31:47,700 --> 00:31:49,440 City Attorney Report on Closed Session. 340 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:56,520 Our council met in close session and discussed the liability claims as noted on your agenda. 341 00:31:56,720 --> 00:32:02,240 Those are the claims of Wayne Jose Shaffer, Adam Britewell, Deborah Kathleen Courier, 342 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:04,040 and James Patrick Shea. 343 00:32:04,060 --> 00:32:10,120 The council also met to discuss real property negotiations, including an item concerning 344 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:17,740 121 SoCal Avenue and 1316 through 1320 Pacific Avenue, and I'll note that council member 345 00:32:17,740 --> 00:32:19,980 or Bruno recused herself during those discussions. 346 00:32:21,120 --> 00:32:24,340 The council also meant to discuss a real property item, 347 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:27,720 concerning a property at 13.05 Eastcliff Drive. 348 00:32:28,700 --> 00:32:32,220 And last, the council met to discuss an item of existing litigation, 349 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:33,580 and that was the case, 350 00:32:33,920 --> 00:32:37,240 Catherine Capaldo and Gabrielle de Koch versus the city of Santa Cruz. 351 00:32:37,740 --> 00:32:38,560 That includes my report. 352 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:39,960 Thank you. 353 00:32:42,040 --> 00:32:43,960 That's a city clerk. 354 00:32:44,260 --> 00:32:46,080 If you would like to draw attention to anything, 355 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:49,380 Thank you very much. 356 00:32:50,700 --> 00:32:56,980 We are on the consent agenda for those of you that might be unfamiliar with it. 357 00:32:57,120 --> 00:33:02,380 We will be taking up items 8 through 16 inclusive on one motion. 358 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:09,940 Prior to doing that, we will, I will give the opportunity to council members to ask a question 359 00:33:09,940 --> 00:33:15,420 or pull an item or ask a question on it, and I'll give you that opportunity as well. 360 00:33:15,420 --> 00:33:28,960 If you wish to value yourself with the opportunity to come in on the Consent Agenda, comment on as many items as you wish, but you'll have a total of three minutes to do so on all items inclusive. 361 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:35,000 I'm going to start on my left with the Council Member Golder on the Consent Agenda. 362 00:33:35,460 --> 00:33:41,500 Council Member O'Hara, Madam Vice Mayor, Council Member Newsom, Council Member Bruner. 363 00:33:43,580 --> 00:33:47,380 I have a comment on item 11. 364 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:48,260 Please proceed. 365 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:49,080 Thank you. 366 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:55,460 Item 11 is the approval of an option agreement for site lease to support direct current 367 00:33:55,460 --> 00:33:57,420 fast charging infrastructure. 368 00:33:58,340 --> 00:34:09,820 And there are three public parking sites identified in this and I just wanted to add that one 369 00:34:09,820 --> 00:34:13,440 One of those sites is in district two, my district, 370 00:34:13,720 --> 00:34:18,700 and I've received positive feedback from that location. 371 00:34:19,420 --> 00:34:22,040 And I think that would be a great asset 372 00:34:22,040 --> 00:34:23,800 into the neighborhood, so thank you. 373 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:27,760 Thank you, your councilmember to go on the consent agenda. 374 00:34:28,640 --> 00:34:30,500 All right. Anyone who is with us, 375 00:34:30,660 --> 00:34:32,280 we should come in on the consent agenda. 376 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:34,180 This would be your opportunity to do so 377 00:34:34,180 --> 00:34:36,860 in the event that we have folks online and with us. 378 00:34:36,860 --> 00:34:43,080 because we'll talk about it back and forth and I'm going to recognize our city attorney prior to taking any further testimony. 379 00:34:43,620 --> 00:34:56,260 Thank you so much. I believe before we go to public comment, it may make sense for Bonnie Lipscomb to comment on one item on the consent agenda that has a slightly modified recommendation. 380 00:34:56,780 --> 00:35:02,100 Very good. We'll take that. Thank you, Mr. York. We'll take her first and we'll be right with you. 381 00:35:02,100 --> 00:35:04,060 That's why you get to sit down for a second. 382 00:35:04,740 --> 00:35:05,220 There you go. 383 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:07,980 Ms. Lips, good afternoon. 384 00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:09,840 Good afternoon, Mayor. 385 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:11,800 Good afternoon, Mayor, members of the council. 386 00:35:12,980 --> 00:35:20,960 We could, I could present and have the city clerk pull up the item with a recommendation coming out of closed session for your- 387 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:21,480 I'm 15. 388 00:35:22,100 --> 00:35:26,160 Yes, for item 15 related to the Natural History Museum, at least. 389 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:32,180 And coming out of closed session, we had resolved with a tenant, the maintenance issue 390 00:35:32,180 --> 00:35:36,820 prior to closed session, so we had recommended that change, and then in closed session, you 391 00:35:36,820 --> 00:35:43,760 directed us based on an overview of insurance options with the language that's before 392 00:35:43,760 --> 00:35:45,480 you now for your consideration. 393 00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:47,760 Thank you. 394 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:55,660 And you're providing that to us, so when we get to making a motion, this would be the motion. 395 00:35:55,660 --> 00:35:56,320 Is that correct? 396 00:35:56,820 --> 00:35:57,620 That's right. 397 00:35:57,940 --> 00:35:58,240 Thank you. 398 00:35:58,660 --> 00:36:01,300 Now, further on the consent agenda, Mr. Ewing? 399 00:36:13,060 --> 00:36:13,580 Yeah. 400 00:36:13,720 --> 00:36:14,080 Thank you. 401 00:36:14,340 --> 00:36:15,520 My name is James Ewing. 402 00:36:15,660 --> 00:36:16,920 We've been on the consent agenda. 403 00:36:18,180 --> 00:36:24,600 Last meeting, the end of March, the minutes, the number 14, the e-bikes, and then on the bridges. 404 00:36:26,220 --> 00:36:30,080 This time, number 14, the two police motorcycles. 405 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:39,520 vehicles. And I guess that's it for now. So starting with the police motorcycles, you 406 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:44,860 certainly get what you pay for. And I know if they're like the city of Capitola, there's 407 00:36:44,860 --> 00:36:51,080 some pretty nice machines. Now going back to the minutes of the previous meeting with the 408 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:58,660 e-bikes, I think there's a lot of slippery slope situations going on. I think that the 409 00:36:59,540 --> 00:37:05,540 I think people of all ages are extremely rude on their bicycles and their e-bikes, and 410 00:37:05,540 --> 00:37:12,380 it makes me glad I don't have a samurai sword with me to be blunt. 411 00:37:13,060 --> 00:37:14,740 People really need to be respectful. 412 00:37:15,960 --> 00:37:22,580 I have found that now that I'm on a e-bike a lot, it's really one of the most joyous experiences 413 00:37:22,580 --> 00:37:27,280 I've been able to do because you're dealing with eye contact with people, and it's really 414 00:37:27,280 --> 00:37:28,060 a lot of fun. 415 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:35,840 So I think they're the big education thing that's necessary. I've engaged with a lot 416 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:41,340 of youth about like three different ways. You can invalidate three different tickets, but 417 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:47,580 three different ways you can invalidate 90% of tickets. But the bottom line is you're being stopped 418 00:37:47,580 --> 00:37:54,140 to get that ticket probably because you were rude. So don't just be respectful. So enough on that, 419 00:37:54,140 --> 00:38:00,320 Going to the Murray Street Bridge, I think it's amazing that one way traffic was open for a while. 420 00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:05,520 I think it was even more amazing that it was open for both directions. 421 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:15,740 Now, everything is defaulting to artificial intelligence, which is no match for natural stupidity, 422 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:20,020 except that a lot of the artificial intelligence is being trained by our 423 00:38:20,020 --> 00:38:22,980 at Dick Ostercy, which makes it kind of scary. 424 00:38:23,720 --> 00:38:26,080 So I do hope that the two-way traffic opens again, 425 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:28,460 because I think that was quite useful. 426 00:38:28,660 --> 00:38:31,320 I know I found it useful, even though I take the gravel 427 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:33,080 and the tracks a couple times a day, 428 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:35,620 because I'm to live dangerously, I guess, 429 00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:41,320 and along the lines of being able to program things, 430 00:38:41,480 --> 00:38:45,260 we just really need to be careful about what we are assigning, 431 00:38:46,700 --> 00:38:49,640 supposed machine intelligence to make decisions for us 432 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:54,500 because it is not doing a lot of positive things worldwide to stay on topic. 433 00:38:55,900 --> 00:38:57,700 So now for now, thank you very much. 434 00:38:58,040 --> 00:38:58,760 Thank you, sir. 435 00:39:00,260 --> 00:39:01,680 Do we have anyone online? 436 00:39:02,540 --> 00:39:06,560 We're going to take this person in line and then we'll take the first person online. 437 00:39:07,040 --> 00:39:08,180 Good afternoon and welcome. 438 00:39:11,210 --> 00:39:11,710 Hello again. 439 00:39:11,970 --> 00:39:17,130 Thank you so much for your consideration and direction on the Sanctuary Museum of Natural 440 00:39:17,130 --> 00:39:17,650 Histories. 441 00:39:18,530 --> 00:39:31,930 I have a few board members here in the audience with me today, and I really look forward to sharing your direction with our Board of Directors tomorrow night so that we can continue to celebrate our partnership with the city of Santa Cruz. 442 00:39:31,930 --> 00:39:40,850 And I wanted to kick off that celebration with the first public announcement of our accreditation, which means that we are now the only accredited museum in the county. 443 00:39:40,850 --> 00:39:49,470 and we as partners, historic partners with the city get to share in that accolade and we are so grateful for your continued support. 444 00:39:49,870 --> 00:39:50,030 Thanks. 445 00:39:50,790 --> 00:39:53,730 Well, thank you and congratulations on the accreditation. 446 00:39:54,030 --> 00:39:57,470 Thank you for being such good partners with the city. 447 00:39:58,310 --> 00:40:02,430 Anyone else with us will take the next person online? 448 00:40:06,770 --> 00:40:13,970 Yes, as regards item 11, my gut feeling is you will use this EV charging as a way to increase revenue. 449 00:40:14,250 --> 00:40:19,890 You didn't say how much parking is going to be in the garage, but I'm guessing your take from this item is going to be more. 450 00:40:20,450 --> 00:40:27,250 While simultaneously denying most people who will also be paying for the garage access to it, except for the privileged owners of pricey EVs. 451 00:40:27,250 --> 00:40:32,930 Who? Yes, we'll also get charged. No pun intended. The rest that I mentioned here is just a rant 452 00:40:32,930 --> 00:40:40,790 It seems you and perhaps other government entities didn't get the memo that subsidizing EVs is becoming an ineffective loser proposition 453 00:40:40,790 --> 00:40:48,690 The reality now is that AI alone is gobbling up electrical energy far faster than solar wind could ever make a dent into some estimate 454 00:40:48,690 --> 00:40:55,770 100 gigawatt electric power plants will need to be built perhaps nuclear perhaps natural gas filled fire 455 00:40:55,770 --> 00:41:01,090 excuse me but definitely not so or when will be the solution finally to making this forever subsidy at joke 456 00:41:01,090 --> 00:41:06,110 It might be nice to have a few fast-charging locations, but if it made any economic sense 457 00:41:06,110 --> 00:41:10,930 We'd already see them in private parking lots all over by now. This won't make a 458 00:41:11,450 --> 00:41:19,330 Dent or excuse me. This won't make a dang lot or any environmental difference considering where the country on the world is going and the little 459 00:41:19,890 --> 00:41:24,790 Unreported into Nile facts like how actually not green EVs are from mining to disposal 460 00:41:24,790 --> 00:41:30,650 So the other affordable cost and there are power grids grinding to a halt, more power 461 00:41:30,650 --> 00:41:31,410 are ignored. 462 00:41:31,890 --> 00:41:37,990 How long exactly do you figure to promote EV subsidy, solar subsidy before economic and 463 00:41:37,990 --> 00:41:39,610 practical reality gives it a spanking? 464 00:41:40,310 --> 00:41:45,170 Is the lease payment going 100% to debt reduction in its fair share? 465 00:41:45,470 --> 00:41:49,590 I consider parking as a slush fund that pays for everything besides parking downtown. 466 00:41:49,590 --> 00:41:56,930 I suspect maybe the money will go elsewhere except debt, although it really should sense this garage is where the debt comes from 467 00:41:58,330 --> 00:42:04,670 While you're at it and come through the public again with another million dollar EV garbage truck that costs three times more than normal ones 468 00:42:04,670 --> 00:42:12,530 And then tax that cost and some more at 20 plus 5% refuse, right? The public will really appreciate that that 469 00:42:13,970 --> 00:42:19,310 We indicate no idea what the operator will well, excuse me. You're not indicating what idea of the opera 470 00:42:19,310 --> 00:42:26,490 Well, you're not indicating what the operator will charge what you will charge where the money goes, but of course you'll approve it anyway. Thanks. 471 00:42:28,540 --> 00:42:35,520 Thank you, sir. Anyone else online? We'll take the next person online. Good afternoon. Welcome. 472 00:42:36,560 --> 00:42:47,920 Good afternoon. Rafa Simon-Feldigan speaking on behalf of myself as a housing advocate. I'm commenting on a consent agenda item number nine, 473 00:42:47,920 --> 00:42:54,720 which is the city's acceptance of the regional housing needs allocation annual progress report. 474 00:42:55,560 --> 00:43:06,760 First I wanted to amend the city for its significant progress in getting low income and very low income housing 475 00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:17,100 across the finish line and under construction, but as you'll know in the report, the city has not made the climate 476 00:43:17,100 --> 00:43:25,000 to produce market market rate and moderate income housing feasible, and we're not on track 477 00:43:25,000 --> 00:43:32,020 to meet our moderate income and above moderate income housing goals that are assigned to us 478 00:43:32,020 --> 00:43:35,940 by the state and the association of moderate Bay Area governments. 479 00:43:36,580 --> 00:43:45,380 So, I would just take this opportunity to encourage the council to be thinking about what needs to happen in the city 480 00:43:45,380 --> 00:43:51,060 to reduce the barriers to moderate income and above moderate income housing 481 00:43:51,060 --> 00:43:56,360 construction. And that means reducing the costs and making it easier to build 482 00:43:56,360 --> 00:44:07,460 things like reducing fees and streamline those sort of housing. The state 483 00:44:07,460 --> 00:44:12,020 actually if we still are not on track to meet our housing needs for these 484 00:44:12,020 --> 00:44:21,120 categories will automatically allow the city of projects that have a minimal amount of affordable 485 00:44:21,120 --> 00:44:27,840 housing in them to be proposed and approved by right in the city of Santa Cruz. Starting, 486 00:44:27,840 --> 00:44:34,360 I believe in 2027, if we keep on the pace that we're going. So I'd actually encourage the city to 487 00:44:34,360 --> 00:44:41,900 jump start, get ahead of the curve and be thinking about some of the streamlining efforts that 488 00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:47,860 we'll be coming up in your discussion later this afternoon with regards to the object of 489 00:44:47,860 --> 00:44:54,020 standards and density bonus item that is coming before you. We really need to figure out what we can 490 00:44:54,020 --> 00:44:59,460 do to make housing at all levels of income feasible. 491 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:18,560 And buildable in our community. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Anyone else? We have, we do have one more. We'll take that person online. Good afternoon. Welcome to the city council meeting. Hello, again. It's brother Snyder. Thank you, Fred. Thank you, council. 492 00:45:20,900 --> 00:45:23,040 Yeah. Looking over the. 493 00:45:25,240 --> 00:45:31,020 One thing I wanted to mention a bit of dissent because these things are kind of lashed together. 494 00:45:31,120 --> 00:45:34,140 Most people don't really understand the procedural way. 495 00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:44,740 They can send a gender work, but the dismissing the lawsuit by Wayne Schaeffer to me after having heard what it's about. 496 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:48,420 I'm in support of it just to put that out there. 497 00:45:53,080 --> 00:46:00,200 The issue, let's see, the police motorcycle issue, I think that's what Gavin Newsom did 498 00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:09,440 in Oakland when they were having kind of a rash of embarrassing criminal events. 499 00:46:09,800 --> 00:46:15,100 They sent in the CHP, they sent in just a great number of CHP officers, many of them, of 500 00:46:15,100 --> 00:46:21,660 course on motorcycles. Everybody remembers that TV show. You know, it's it it is actually a very 501 00:46:22,880 --> 00:46:31,760 efficient way to patrol. Capitol of course, you know, you know, that's you know, any beach 502 00:46:31,760 --> 00:46:39,020 community officers that back when they did predicted policing, I think it was right in front of or 503 00:46:39,020 --> 00:46:44,380 between the casino and the Boeing alley, which was the corner, the corner was, you know, considered 504 00:46:44,380 --> 00:46:49,140 to back then by the rudimentary, you know, artificial intelligence at that time, 505 00:46:49,240 --> 00:46:55,240 statistical processing, you know, that that was considered a hotspot and maybe it still is. But, 506 00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:04,980 you know, someone else touched on the electric garbage truck and that kind of relates to 507 00:47:05,660 --> 00:47:12,520 what the parking spaces that, with the charging stations, sort of illustrate, is that the pretty 508 00:47:12,520 --> 00:47:16,900 Maybe high maintenance, electric vehicles, like you have one, you want to go to LA, you're 509 00:47:16,900 --> 00:47:21,220 going to have to charge at least once to get down there on most TVs. 510 00:47:21,540 --> 00:47:21,840 I don't know. 511 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:33,060 It'd take you all day instead of maybe half of a day if you were proceeding efficiently. 512 00:47:34,440 --> 00:47:40,020 Kind of unlike the way I speak at these meetings with lots of ums and pauses and whatnot. 513 00:47:40,020 --> 00:47:50,500 I'll tell you what, yeah, I feel like the electric vehicle stuff and the climate stuff kind 514 00:47:50,500 --> 00:47:57,040 of has intrinsic flaws in the logic so and it's very obviously a very partisan issue. 515 00:47:57,340 --> 00:48:01,640 So coming up in the next election there's going to be a lot of talk about exactly how much 516 00:48:01,640 --> 00:48:09,200 do we need to leverage ourselves to the hill with renewables and with electric vehicles 517 00:48:09,200 --> 00:48:12,700 and what not. I do think it's an important issue that Californians should be talking about, 518 00:48:12,940 --> 00:48:17,620 because right now gasoline is extremely, I think everybody moves. 519 00:48:20,900 --> 00:48:24,100 Thank you. Thank you. We have anyone else online? 520 00:48:25,260 --> 00:48:32,480 Last call. Matters back before the body, pleasure the body. I want to make sure before we make 521 00:48:32,480 --> 00:48:41,180 this motion that we are Madam City Attorney, I need your advice on this, that the slide that was 522 00:48:41,180 --> 00:48:49,300 presented earlier as it relates to the item on the agenda, that that is now the motion 523 00:48:49,300 --> 00:48:53,240 on the consent agenda relative to that item is that correct? 524 00:48:54,060 --> 00:48:58,700 Yes, and to even make it even more clear, you could make a motion to approve the consent 525 00:48:58,700 --> 00:49:04,300 agenda with the modifications as shown on the slide presented by Ms. Lipscomb. 526 00:49:04,840 --> 00:49:05,240 Thank you. 527 00:49:06,020 --> 00:49:07,120 It's going to move. 528 00:49:07,620 --> 00:49:13,360 Device Mayor Moves, Council Member Tugaro, seconds that motion under debate or discussion. 529 00:49:14,300 --> 00:49:21,100 A couple of very quick comments with regard to item 9, the annual housing element, general 530 00:49:21,100 --> 00:49:23,740 plan progress report, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 531 00:49:24,540 --> 00:49:32,060 Mr. Van Waugh, thank you, as I understand it, this may be your last city council member, 532 00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:33,920 city council meeting, rather. 533 00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:43,740 And that you have been recognized and detected by the city of Sunnyvale that they need your services over there very badly. 534 00:49:44,460 --> 00:49:52,180 And we are very proud of you that you're going to go over there and help Sunnyvale become an even better place than it is now. 535 00:49:52,580 --> 00:49:54,880 But you have made Santa Cruz a better place. 536 00:49:54,880 --> 00:50:04,500 Your staff work is consistently exemplary, well thought out, well-reasoned, very well presented to us. 537 00:50:05,020 --> 00:50:13,080 Your accessibility, our ability to contact you, get thoughtful, advising council, we really appreciate it. 538 00:50:13,340 --> 00:50:15,280 Thank you for your service to this community. 539 00:50:15,760 --> 00:50:20,220 Very best wishes to you and a continued successful career. 540 00:50:21,400 --> 00:50:21,900 Thank you, sir. 541 00:50:21,900 --> 00:50:21,960 there. 542 00:50:28,430 --> 00:50:35,770 Slightly more not as happy perhaps, but I think this report is wonderful. It's a very 543 00:50:35,770 --> 00:50:42,750 thoughtful, serious report. I think it does in all of its complexity, which is plenty 544 00:50:42,750 --> 00:50:53,150 of complexity, it gives a very comprehensive picture of how this city has pivoted from one 545 00:50:53,150 --> 00:50:58,890 policy architecture to another motivated by and directed by the state legislature and 546 00:50:58,890 --> 00:51:00,070 the governor to do so. 547 00:51:00,810 --> 00:51:09,130 I do have my continuing question on this item and it is not about how we report to the 548 00:51:09,130 --> 00:51:09,550 state. 549 00:51:10,050 --> 00:51:17,710 This is more about how the state which doesn't show any signs of wanting to slow down its 550 00:51:17,710 --> 00:51:24,170 effort to, as they characterize it, tear down barriers to development. I have asked every 551 00:51:24,170 --> 00:51:30,030 single year and I get the same response from the state every single year, which is, could 552 00:51:30,030 --> 00:51:39,510 they quantify since their basic argument for, since 2017 has been, we need to tear down 553 00:51:39,510 --> 00:51:44,930 these barriers to development because they are two things. One, they are an impediment to 554 00:51:44,930 --> 00:51:50,170 development because of just the sheer presence of them and the other one is they are an 555 00:51:50,170 --> 00:51:55,650 impediment because of the time involved and therefore the legislature has sometimes 556 00:51:55,650 --> 00:52:01,750 with a scalpel and sometimes with a sledgehammer pass legislation to try to reduce those. 557 00:52:02,350 --> 00:52:08,530 Underline all of that is the assumption that if you do that, it will reduce the cost of 558 00:52:08,530 --> 00:52:09,090 the product. 559 00:52:09,870 --> 00:52:14,170 There's no other purpose in doing what they've been doing if it doesn't reduce the cost 560 00:52:14,170 --> 00:52:21,290 of the product, in my estimation, and I will ask again that when we send this to the state 561 00:52:21,290 --> 00:52:27,470 of California, I would appreciate it if we would ask them if they can quantify what 562 00:52:27,470 --> 00:52:36,550 these 125 to 150 bills have done to reduce the cost of construction of housing in California. 563 00:52:37,250 --> 00:52:39,470 Mr. Van Waugh, welcome to the microphone. 564 00:52:46,980 --> 00:52:49,200 Thanks again, Mayor, and thanks for your kind words. 565 00:52:49,200 --> 00:52:50,420 I really appreciate it. 566 00:52:50,420 --> 00:52:51,480 We will be a user. 567 00:52:52,160 --> 00:52:53,920 And I'll just speak to that point first. 568 00:52:54,380 --> 00:53:00,400 Thank you also, Council, for being such incredible partners and working with my team and planning 569 00:53:00,400 --> 00:53:04,580 and throughout the city to bring forward a number of just really incredible projects. 570 00:53:05,460 --> 00:53:10,700 And that the work we do isn't focused on immediate gratification. 571 00:53:10,700 --> 00:53:19,960 It's thinking 5, 10, 20, 50, hundreds of years from now, you know, generations and I think that's really commendable that we're always thinking in that way. 572 00:53:20,580 --> 00:53:21,460 So thank you again. 573 00:53:21,900 --> 00:53:22,380 Thank you, sir. 574 00:53:23,120 --> 00:53:23,260 Oh. 575 00:53:24,000 --> 00:53:33,720 As to back to your point, there are very few objective standards when it comes to this as far as the stakeholders. 576 00:53:34,440 --> 00:53:36,560 One of them is inclusionary housing. 577 00:53:37,560 --> 00:53:54,380 anything above 15% of the state deems as a potential impediment, and we do have to make additional findings in our annual progress report that speak to why ours, you know, the city of Santa Cruz can be higher than that and why it still works. 578 00:53:54,380 --> 00:53:57,760 Aside from that, I can't think of any other objective standards. 579 00:53:57,760 --> 00:54:05,780 It really depends a lot on how the state's feeling about a given impediment that's notified, 580 00:54:06,160 --> 00:54:12,700 you know, that's mentioned in the report, and also based on how an individual city is producing 581 00:54:12,700 --> 00:54:15,700 housing and moving their policy objectives forward. 582 00:54:16,840 --> 00:54:23,180 So on that standing, Santa Cruz is very strong, and we have a good relationship with HCD, which 583 00:54:23,180 --> 00:54:33,840 is great. And Mr. Van Waal, I want to make sure we're clear on this. I'm not opposing these, 584 00:54:33,860 --> 00:54:41,300 but when we've gone from 100% local authority to something around 15% local authority and all 585 00:54:41,300 --> 00:54:48,920 of that has been premised on the state arguing that because when we had 100% authority, what we did 586 00:54:48,920 --> 00:54:55,900 or didn't do, drove the price of housing up because of the time uncertainties, regulatory 587 00:54:55,900 --> 00:54:58,540 issues, report issues, whatever it may be. 588 00:54:58,980 --> 00:55:04,540 They pass, like I say, 140 bills in this regard and they apparently want to keep doing that. 589 00:55:05,180 --> 00:55:10,500 My objection isn't that they're doing that, is that their premise has always been, if 590 00:55:10,500 --> 00:55:17,520 you do this, the cost of housing and the pricing of the product will go down or at a minimum 591 00:55:18,320 --> 00:55:24,120 By having all of that in place before, it pushed the cost of housing up. 592 00:55:24,980 --> 00:55:31,020 So there is such a thing as the Joint Legislative Audit Committee in Sacramento, the bicameral 593 00:55:31,760 --> 00:55:39,680 body of the state legislature, which any legislator can ask for a programmatic audit on any 594 00:55:39,680 --> 00:55:40,640 topic they want. 595 00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:48,040 And the State Auditor allocates a number of person hours to those legislative requests. 596 00:55:48,040 --> 00:55:53,300 I happen to chair that body on two different tours of duty in Sacramento and I was in the 597 00:55:53,300 --> 00:55:53,760 legislature. 598 00:55:54,260 --> 00:55:56,360 They are very serious operation. 599 00:55:57,000 --> 00:56:00,960 I don't think it would be a bad idea at all for the city of Santa Cruz or the League of 600 00:56:00,960 --> 00:56:06,260 California cities or some other entity to simply ask them to do what they ask us to do. 601 00:56:06,260 --> 00:56:11,440 And that is to quantify the work that we're doing and provide results to them. 602 00:56:11,900 --> 00:56:20,520 I hope that's an unfair request back to the state because if they've done all of this required us to do all of this. 603 00:56:20,840 --> 00:56:33,120 And taken away 85% of our authority under the claim that by doing so we're going to get less expensive housing in the state of California, prove it. 604 00:56:33,120 --> 00:56:35,960 That's all a mask and prove it. 605 00:56:36,480 --> 00:56:41,440 We're nine years into this, we're going to keep going through it. 606 00:56:41,560 --> 00:56:46,300 You can tell by the dynamics of the legislature they're not finished with this. 607 00:56:47,000 --> 00:56:49,600 And again, my issue isn't that we shouldn't be doing it. 608 00:56:51,160 --> 00:56:56,440 It's we can't get away with making assertions without backing it up with data. 609 00:56:56,940 --> 00:56:59,480 And I simply would like them to do the same thing. 610 00:56:59,760 --> 00:57:01,260 They're not going to do it voluntarily. 611 00:57:01,260 --> 00:57:26,420 I would like to see if what we can do is request that when we send this that we also send a request to our legislative delegation asking them to examine the question of whether a request to the joint legislative audit committee to quantify the savings of these dozens and dozens and dozens and dozens of bills. 612 00:57:26,420 --> 00:57:31,640 It may be that they can't or it may be that it's very difficult or it may be that it's inaccurate 613 00:57:32,440 --> 00:57:34,120 That's better than what we're hearing now 614 00:57:34,120 --> 00:57:38,080 Which is that we have to keep putting up with this and they don't have to quantify anything 615 00:57:38,080 --> 00:57:44,440 So again, none of that is directed to you all of what I'm directing you is a thanks for your good work 616 00:57:44,440 --> 00:57:47,820 Best wishes in the future. Thank you, sir. Thank you 617 00:57:47,820 --> 00:57:51,040 Further on the consent agenda 618 00:57:53,750 --> 00:57:57,470 Call the roll. Oh, I'm sorry. Excuse me. That's a member gold. Oh 619 00:58:01,120 --> 00:58:01,340 I'm sorry. 620 00:58:01,580 --> 00:58:02,400 I call the motion. 621 00:58:02,560 --> 00:58:03,020 What's the need? 622 00:58:03,200 --> 00:58:04,720 We do have a motion. 623 00:58:04,960 --> 00:58:05,200 A second. 624 00:58:05,340 --> 00:58:06,000 I believe we do. 625 00:58:06,320 --> 00:58:06,980 We do. 626 00:58:07,640 --> 00:58:08,120 Yes. 627 00:58:08,440 --> 00:58:09,860 Here and here, I believe. 628 00:58:11,060 --> 00:58:12,780 I believe it's here and here. 629 00:58:13,140 --> 00:58:13,840 Very good. 630 00:58:14,100 --> 00:58:14,560 Thank you. 631 00:58:14,880 --> 00:58:15,780 Clerk will call the roll. 632 00:58:17,990 --> 00:58:18,950 Councilmember Tregaro. 633 00:58:19,330 --> 00:58:19,490 Aye. 634 00:58:19,790 --> 00:58:19,970 Runner. 635 00:58:20,510 --> 00:58:20,710 Aye. 636 00:58:20,890 --> 00:58:22,230 With a no vote on 15. 637 00:58:23,850 --> 00:58:24,330 Newsom. 638 00:58:24,450 --> 00:58:24,670 Aye. 639 00:58:25,770 --> 00:58:26,250 Boulder. 640 00:58:26,930 --> 00:58:27,190 Aye. 641 00:58:27,630 --> 00:58:27,910 O'Hara. 642 00:58:28,290 --> 00:58:28,490 Aye. 643 00:58:28,490 --> 00:58:30,490 by Smaire Kellentore Johnson. 644 00:58:31,030 --> 00:58:31,130 Aye. 645 00:58:31,710 --> 00:58:32,770 And Mary Keeley. 646 00:58:33,050 --> 00:58:33,170 Aye. 647 00:58:34,310 --> 00:58:37,750 Consent Gen is approved and so ordered. 648 00:58:37,930 --> 00:58:40,690 We are on items 17 through 20. 649 00:58:40,690 --> 00:58:42,730 This is a consent public hearing. 650 00:58:43,150 --> 00:58:49,810 What we will be doing is we will do one public hearing on item 17 through 20. 651 00:58:50,070 --> 00:58:54,430 So if you wish to make a comment on any of those items under the public hearing, 652 00:58:54,430 --> 00:58:58,270 and this will be the opportunity for you to do so. 653 00:58:58,810 --> 00:59:01,510 Let me start with the council members again. 654 00:59:01,650 --> 00:59:03,210 This time, council member Tragera, 655 00:59:03,230 --> 00:59:07,030 I'm gonna start over here and go this away on the consent. 656 00:59:07,350 --> 00:59:08,110 Nothing, thank you. 657 00:59:08,170 --> 00:59:08,870 Council member Renner. 658 00:59:09,610 --> 00:59:09,710 No. 659 00:59:09,990 --> 00:59:12,970 Council member, madam vice mayor, council member. 660 00:59:13,570 --> 00:59:14,750 Okay, very good. 661 00:59:15,670 --> 00:59:18,350 All right, this will be the opportunity for anyone. 662 00:59:18,670 --> 00:59:23,490 I am opening the public hearing at this point on items 17 through 20. 663 00:59:23,490 --> 00:59:28,870 This would be the opportunity for a comment on any of those items. 664 00:59:28,930 --> 00:59:30,630 Mr. Ewing was at your hand up. 665 00:59:31,450 --> 00:59:31,690 Okay. 666 00:59:32,410 --> 00:59:38,150 Good as you, if there's anyone else who wishes to testify on this item, please come forward, 667 00:59:38,310 --> 00:59:38,410 sir. 668 00:59:39,970 --> 00:59:45,410 And then Mr. Ewing, you'll be right after this gentleman, please come on now. 669 00:59:45,950 --> 00:59:46,490 Here we go. 670 00:59:47,690 --> 00:59:48,550 Good afternoon. 671 00:59:48,730 --> 00:59:49,290 Welcome again. 672 00:59:49,410 --> 00:59:50,230 Good to see you again, sir. 673 00:59:50,350 --> 00:59:51,770 Good afternoon. 674 00:59:51,770 --> 00:59:56,510 Thank you Mayor, City Councilmembers and staff. 675 00:59:57,430 --> 00:59:59,970 First of all, thank you Mayor for meeting with me last week. 676 01:00:00,000 --> 01:00:26,560 I want to speak to discuss the zoning overlay in the coral street area, and I appreciate that the additional language that was added into 24.10.440, that is kind of a disclaimer, notifying any potential renters or buyers in an area that is industrially zoned, that you might be subject to industry type elements. 677 01:00:26,560 --> 01:00:35,100 I do want to kind of call out some of the inconsistencies at least that I saw in some of 678 01:00:35,100 --> 01:00:41,520 the language between the industrial land preservation policy and the 2030 general 679 01:00:41,520 --> 01:00:53,740 plan language as it relates to inconsistent uses of industry and housing within the resolution 680 01:00:53,740 --> 01:00:58,020 that you guys have in front of you for the Industrial Land Preservation Policy. 681 01:00:58,440 --> 01:01:02,040 It calls out that the conversion of industrial land to non-employment uses 682 01:01:02,590 --> 01:01:06,380 can result in permanent loss of employment capacity, incompatibility of use, 683 01:01:06,660 --> 01:01:11,360 quality of life, impacts of for residents, limitations of industrial business viability, 684 01:01:11,820 --> 01:01:17,900 and a quote domino effect of additional conversions occurring all as further 685 01:01:17,900 --> 01:01:22,520 articulated in the associated September 10, 2024 City Council staff report. 686 01:01:23,680 --> 01:01:31,560 And then it also talks about the 2030 general plan industrial land use designation discourages 687 01:01:31,560 --> 01:01:32,720 residential development. 688 01:01:33,580 --> 01:01:38,260 So I just want to bring up some of these issues because when you really look at the face 689 01:01:38,260 --> 01:01:48,880 value of zoning laws, the idea of having zoning laws is so you don't have inconsistent uses 690 01:01:48,880 --> 01:01:50,520 immediately adjacent to each other. 691 01:01:50,520 --> 01:01:59,180 And whether there's impacts now or impacts later, eventually these things will surface. 692 01:02:00,520 --> 01:02:02,920 Grant Rock is an industrial user. 693 01:02:03,640 --> 01:02:05,940 We've been at that location for 60 plus years. 694 01:02:06,580 --> 01:02:08,880 We've been in business for 126 years. 695 01:02:09,480 --> 01:02:14,320 We look at our horizon in generations, not in decades. 696 01:02:17,200 --> 01:02:23,880 and being in a location that is situated so that we can easily access Highway 1, Highway 9, 697 01:02:24,620 --> 01:02:30,480 and be able to serve this community is critical. The product that we produce primarily at that 698 01:02:30,480 --> 01:02:37,440 location currently is concrete. Concrete actually has a life, meaning that once you put it in a truck, 699 01:02:37,440 --> 01:02:46,200 If you can't deliver it within about a 20-mile radius, it's going to set up in your truck and then you won't be able to serve the customer. 700 01:02:47,860 --> 01:02:56,760 So as we mentioned, when we talk mayor, you know, future things like traffic, regulation, or need. 701 01:02:58,120 --> 01:03:00,400 A couple extra seconds if you want to finish up there. 702 01:03:00,400 --> 01:03:06,220 Yeah, as we develop housing in that area, that doesn't accommodate parking. 703 01:03:06,860 --> 01:03:09,220 That means more people are going to be walking on the streets. 704 01:03:09,660 --> 01:03:12,280 All of our services are truck driven. 705 01:03:13,120 --> 01:03:16,400 They're mixer trucks, they're aggregate trucks, they're flatbed trucks. 706 01:03:16,860 --> 01:03:22,620 We need to be able to maneuver in and out of that area in a timely manner so that we don't 707 01:03:22,620 --> 01:03:24,400 have product that sets up in a truck. 708 01:03:24,600 --> 01:03:30,160 So I just want future impacts to be thought about as you're making that decision on this 709 01:03:30,160 --> 01:03:33,980 overlay. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Mr. Young. 710 01:03:43,850 --> 01:03:46,550 Times like Grimmis, I meet 711 01:03:46,550 --> 01:03:50,550 other things. Hey, my name is James Ewing-Witman. I'd like to comment on 712 01:03:51,950 --> 01:03:58,090 for 17 the second and final adoption of ordinance number 2605 sidewalk 713 01:03:58,090 --> 01:04:03,170 vending ordinance updates and number 19 second reading and final adoption of 714 01:04:03,170 --> 01:04:11,550 ordinance number 26-08 to amend municipal co-trapper 24-16 related to affordable housing incentives 715 01:04:11,550 --> 01:04:18,470 and fees and adopt separate council policies related to development review fees, the furls, 716 01:04:18,470 --> 01:04:27,590 and waivers. So I suppose to start on the sidewalk vending. You know, most of these rules are here 717 01:04:27,590 --> 01:04:33,330 for public safety and I think they're important and I highly recommend walking down Pacific 718 01:04:33,330 --> 01:04:36,550 and getting some sidewalk vending food because it's really quite delicious. 719 01:04:37,810 --> 01:04:44,890 Now I'm moving to 19 as far as housing incentives. 720 01:04:47,750 --> 01:04:55,590 Yeah I'm reminded of I believe Michael Shaw put a presentation out in 2011 and as far as the agenda 721 01:04:55,590 --> 01:05:02,130 to 2030 stuff and how that relates to the affordable housing and the housing and such 722 01:05:02,130 --> 01:05:09,530 as there are guidelines as I recall that indemnify from liability for various construction 723 01:05:09,530 --> 01:05:10,070 defects. 724 01:05:11,250 --> 01:05:15,850 And I find myself spending some time in a pretty much a brand new building that was put into 725 01:05:15,850 --> 01:05:23,330 operation in final less than a year ago that has a tremendously huge amount of minor but 726 01:05:23,330 --> 01:05:28,190 But consistent defects, it's like, hey, every single toilet you install it, it doesn't 727 01:05:28,190 --> 01:05:28,670 mean code. 728 01:05:28,990 --> 01:05:31,310 How the heck did you guys get away with that? 729 01:05:32,330 --> 01:05:39,530 And easement stuff, which is beyond ridiculous as far as some stuff is going on. 730 01:05:40,990 --> 01:05:47,850 So I suppose I kind of, where this subject should be important to all of us, look at how this 731 01:05:47,850 --> 01:05:54,490 city has being changed with all of these, I don't know, stack them in pack them. I mean, to me, 732 01:05:54,610 --> 01:05:59,590 they're, they're, they're coffins. I mean, they're like that some of these units you get in with 733 01:05:59,590 --> 01:06:04,250 the key fob. You don't have a key to get in the door if the power's off. Not only can you not get in 734 01:06:04,250 --> 01:06:10,710 the door, but none of your utilities work. That could be a problem if we have some kind of a energy 735 01:06:11,470 --> 01:06:16,630 restructuring or something, which is currently what's going on. I don't think it's valid at all. 736 01:06:18,450 --> 01:06:27,210 But as far as, like, let's say low income housing, I believe this unit is, well, 314 Jesse Street, 737 01:06:27,870 --> 01:06:29,210 that's 53 units. 738 01:06:29,930 --> 01:06:34,170 And I think that the corporation that's worth hundreds of millions of dollars. 739 01:06:35,110 --> 01:06:38,270 I don't know why I'm not remembering the name of it right now. 740 01:06:39,030 --> 01:06:43,250 But Megan, at least $150,000 a week off. 741 01:06:43,250 --> 01:06:43,610 All 742 01:06:48,960 --> 01:06:51,860 right, those incentives are going to end at the end of 2026. 743 01:06:53,160 --> 01:06:55,180 Anyway, thank you very much for your time. 744 01:06:55,900 --> 01:06:56,500 Thank you, sir. 745 01:06:57,120 --> 01:06:58,260 Do you have anyone online? 746 01:06:59,120 --> 01:07:03,520 We'll take first person online regarding the consent public hearing. 747 01:07:04,220 --> 01:07:06,420 Good afternoon, welcome to the council meeting. 748 01:07:07,060 --> 01:07:07,500 Thank you, Fred. 749 01:07:07,900 --> 01:07:09,260 I'm Riley Snyder again. 750 01:07:10,800 --> 01:07:16,220 The sidewalk vending ordinance updates are very interested in seeing some flexibility 751 01:07:16,220 --> 01:07:30,240 with regards to the phenomenon that it maybe got a little bit out of hand because there are a lot of these vendors that make the bacon wrapped hot dogs, but happens to be kind of a favorite treat of mine. 752 01:07:30,900 --> 01:07:38,460 It's a great alternative to, you know, a fast food combo of a burger and fries in a soda. 753 01:07:40,000 --> 01:07:46,580 And yeah, I don't know why they kind of, because of the, I guess, the density of the 754 01:07:46,580 --> 01:07:50,080 vendors on Beach Street, they just had to exclude everybody. 755 01:07:50,380 --> 01:07:56,380 And it's a shame when the Warriors won the championship there in San Francisco, that 756 01:07:56,380 --> 01:08:00,560 was actually one of the things when I took a bunch of photos of that celebration. 757 01:08:00,780 --> 01:08:06,480 It was one of the kind of cherish memories from the celebration was simply these portable 758 01:08:07,000 --> 01:08:14,560 cards with the with odd dogs and your farmer's market they offer the pressed 759 01:08:14,560 --> 01:08:18,780 watermelon juice which you know you have to pay about ten bucks for if you go 760 01:08:18,780 --> 01:08:22,980 play poker in Vegas at the area and and there it is right on the right on the 761 01:08:22,980 --> 01:08:28,580 street I love it I mean I I'm fortunate to live up in unincorporated areas of the 762 01:08:28,580 --> 01:08:32,740 county where there's very few restrictions on doing that sort of thing when we 763 01:08:32,740 --> 01:08:41,200 had that heat wave in 2024. I just went out with a giant, a big, big giant, 764 01:08:42,160 --> 01:08:46,780 clueless full of ice cold gatorade and helped a lot of people out. You know, 765 01:08:46,780 --> 01:08:50,040 it's kind of fun to do it, but you know, asking a little bit of money for it to 766 01:08:50,040 --> 01:08:54,880 defray the costs would have been great. I'm looking at the overlay issue with the 767 01:08:54,880 --> 01:09:04,940 the area by the shelter. The general one I spoke before is absolutely correct. One of my, 768 01:09:04,940 --> 01:09:14,760 I guess, main points that makes it so glaringly obvious that there's motives involved beyond 769 01:09:14,760 --> 01:09:23,640 altruism with some of these developments is that parking is just absolutely almost completely 770 01:09:23,640 --> 01:09:28,960 and utterly neglected. Like the planning for the parking is, you know, what's going to happen 771 01:09:28,960 --> 01:09:34,320 when those people have no place to park? Well, they're going to eat up every other option available. 772 01:09:35,080 --> 01:09:42,060 It's a phenomenon that you see, you know, they've studied it, you know, academically, and there 773 01:09:42,060 --> 01:09:48,240 have been articles about it how the university does that. The university tends to eat up people's, 774 01:09:48,320 --> 01:09:52,800 you know, financial options. Their financial health suffers because they live near an institution 775 01:09:52,800 --> 01:10:01,760 like UCS, the real glaringly, you know, like the worst egregious example I think in the article 776 01:10:01,760 --> 01:10:06,740 was UCSB, but I definitely have experienced that with UCS. Thank you so much. 777 01:10:09,740 --> 01:10:17,140 Anyone else? Next person online? Good afternoon. Welcome to the City Council meeting. 778 01:10:17,140 --> 01:10:23,960 Yes, good afternoon. This was Robison and Feligan. This time I'm commenting on agenda item 779 01:10:23,960 --> 01:10:32,700 18 on behalf of Santa Cruz MB. We previously sent in a letter of support for the staff recommendation to move this item forward. 780 01:10:33,400 --> 01:10:41,860 And we're happy to see that the city council did adopt most of those recommendations, 781 01:10:41,860 --> 01:10:51,220 conditions, except for the height limits and parking increases that the city council 782 01:10:51,220 --> 01:10:55,240 imposed or imposed that we're not consistent with the staff recommendation. 783 01:10:55,880 --> 01:11:04,880 But regardless, we're happy to see that this policy is moving forward and glad that it's 784 01:11:04,880 --> 01:11:06,320 coming up for a second vote. 785 01:11:06,320 --> 01:11:15,280 So I did want to comment on the comment that Councilmember O'Hara made at the last hearing 786 01:11:15,280 --> 01:11:23,880 regarding the quote-unquote ghettoization of the Coral Street area by allowing increased 787 01:11:23,880 --> 01:11:28,460 development of affordable housing and homeless services. 788 01:11:28,620 --> 01:11:33,300 I think it's important for this policy to move forward regardless. 789 01:11:33,300 --> 01:11:47,980 but I understand the interest in having other areas of the city be available to buy right development of shelter services. 790 01:11:48,340 --> 01:12:01,200 So I would encourage the council to in addition to moving the item forward, also bringing back a consideration of expanding this program to include other areas of the city. 791 01:12:01,200 --> 01:12:29,180 I think that would be a good way of potentially reducing the impact of any one particular area like Coral Street if there are multiple areas for almost service providers to consider establishing themselves, but I don't think it's appropriate to limit that in the meantime in the Coral Street area because we do need to move these services going forward. 792 01:12:29,180 --> 01:12:34,360 also wanted to mention that the city already has the power to regulate on-street 793 01:12:34,360 --> 01:12:40,760 parking that can come in the form of meters or parking permits and the city 794 01:12:40,760 --> 01:12:44,640 should use that power more often in order to regulate that on-street parking 795 01:12:44,640 --> 01:12:54,060 because that's the one of the major points of public advocacy that people make 796 01:12:54,060 --> 01:12:59,040 against having housing or other services and it is important to 797 01:12:59,040 --> 01:13:04,720 regulate the commons and charge for parking or regulate parking when it's 798 01:13:04,720 --> 01:13:11,320 appropriate. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Anyone else? Anyone else 799 01:13:11,320 --> 01:13:15,640 with us? Public hearing is closed matters back before the body pleasure of the 800 01:13:15,640 --> 01:13:18,680 body. Councilmember O'Hara. Thank you. I'd like to move the consent 801 01:13:18,680 --> 01:13:25,560 public hearing. As a motion is there a second? Second by Councilmember Newsom. Do you 802 01:13:25,560 --> 01:13:28,260 wish to open on your motion? Yeah, just a couple comments. Please do. 803 01:13:29,120 --> 01:13:33,520 I'm happy to move forward with all of the items in consent public hearing. 804 01:13:33,660 --> 01:13:38,920 I did want to stop for just a second and reflect on a couple of things with regards to item 18, 805 01:13:38,920 --> 01:13:43,520 which has largely been what's talked about in addition to the sidewalk vending ordinance. 806 01:13:44,160 --> 01:13:50,800 You know, I did struggle with the first reading to approve the first reading, 807 01:13:50,800 --> 01:13:54,180 and I'm happy to move forward with the second reading and move this forward. 808 01:13:54,180 --> 01:14:07,820 what has happened over the last couple of weeks since the first hearing on this and I think is really well characterized by the fellow who spoke from granite rock. 809 01:14:08,400 --> 01:14:17,140 We are really in IC is quite a pickle with Harvey West. It's an area where there's a tremendous amount of opportunity. 810 01:14:17,140 --> 01:14:22,340 It's an area where we have a confluence of many different types of uses. 811 01:14:22,880 --> 01:14:26,560 It's adjacent to a public, a huge public open space. 812 01:14:26,980 --> 01:14:33,320 We have our Harvey West Park, which is accessed by hundreds, if not thousands, of families 813 01:14:33,320 --> 01:14:38,860 a year, homeless services obviously, is very well concentrated there. 814 01:14:38,860 --> 01:14:48,880 And then all of the industrial and workforce, you know, zoning and the associated use is all 815 01:14:48,880 --> 01:14:55,940 concentrated in this area where there is very little access, one access basically out to highway one. 816 01:14:55,940 --> 01:14:59,980 So, I very much empathize with the consideration of the 817 01:15:28,000 --> 01:15:28,420 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 818 01:15:28,420 --> 01:15:35,100 thought about the far west side. And so while I have, you know, I'm not interested in adding 819 01:15:35,100 --> 01:15:40,020 anything to the motion at this point, I just want to raise to our attention, our collective 820 01:15:40,020 --> 01:15:45,900 attention that I think Harvey West does need some focus over the next few years to make sure 821 01:15:45,900 --> 01:15:51,940 that we are not one and two in kind of these big development considerations and not thinking about 822 01:15:51,940 --> 01:15:58,200 about the impacts to the industrial use who are public spaces because housing is not 823 01:15:58,200 --> 01:16:02,220 going to slow down, I suspect, and I want to make sure that we're thinking about that. 824 01:16:02,400 --> 01:16:02,840 Thank you, Mayor. 825 01:16:03,560 --> 01:16:04,220 Thank you. 826 01:16:05,960 --> 01:16:10,900 Further on this, we have a motion and a second, all debate having ceased, the clerk will 827 01:16:10,900 --> 01:16:11,440 call the roll. 828 01:16:11,440 --> 01:16:11,580 Okay. 829 01:16:13,320 --> 01:16:14,800 Council Member Tregero? 830 01:16:15,080 --> 01:16:15,240 Aye. 831 01:16:19,580 --> 01:16:21,540 Vice Mayor Kellentore Johnson? 832 01:16:21,840 --> 01:16:22,020 Aye. 833 01:16:22,700 --> 01:16:23,220 Mayor Keeley? 834 01:16:23,600 --> 01:16:23,760 Aye. 835 01:16:24,080 --> 01:16:24,660 Motion passes. 836 01:16:25,020 --> 01:16:29,180 Thank all of you who staff these items, appreciate you, good work on that. 837 01:16:29,900 --> 01:16:32,380 We are on item 21. 838 01:16:37,950 --> 01:16:40,390 Hold on for just one second for me please. 839 01:16:41,430 --> 01:16:41,710 Thank you. 840 01:16:41,710 --> 01:16:45,250 Yes, we are an item. Hello, Miss Lecunbach. How are you? 841 01:16:45,890 --> 01:16:54,070 We are on item 21 in ordinance, pertaining to cross-connection control and backflow prevention. We have materials in our packet and we have our 842 01:16:54,070 --> 01:16:58,130 excellent water director in front of us. Good afternoon. 843 01:16:58,510 --> 01:17:01,150 afternoon mayor city council. Howdy looking back water director. 844 01:17:02,030 --> 01:17:11,610 This item it would amend the municipal code as it relates to cross-connection control and backflow protection, and I know we're all wondering what that is. 845 01:17:11,710 --> 01:17:16,030 in the city of Santa Cruz. I have just a few slides to show you what that is and kind of describe 846 01:17:16,030 --> 01:17:24,170 the importance and value and impact to staff in implementing this new regulation. So the 847 01:17:24,170 --> 01:17:29,510 device you see on the right hand side of this green is a backflow device and we put those in to 848 01:17:29,510 --> 01:17:37,170 protect our public water system from whatever happens private side. This particular one is a 849 01:17:37,170 --> 01:17:40,790 fire service, and I think you're going to recognize almost all of these as they're situated 850 01:17:40,790 --> 01:17:45,570 around City Hall and those surrounding blocks, and I suspect as you drive around, you're 851 01:17:45,570 --> 01:17:48,690 going to be seeing these all over the place now because they're going to be top of mine. 852 01:17:49,810 --> 01:17:56,750 They come in red, which are fire ones protecting, again, the city's water system from anything 853 01:17:56,750 --> 01:18:03,750 that happens on site, the main green, which protects us from irrigation kerfuffles that happen 854 01:18:03,750 --> 01:18:08,890 on the property side. They come in red and green on the left hand side and that was a little bit 855 01:18:08,890 --> 01:18:13,870 curious because it's for irrigation but I don't see anything to be irrigated in that particular 856 01:18:13,870 --> 01:18:20,210 property. And they come in blue which is for drinking water. And again, if you have a high rice 857 01:18:20,210 --> 01:18:25,510 building, we're going to put a blue one in so that nothing inside the building comes back into the 858 01:18:25,510 --> 01:18:32,650 water system. The water department like every water agency meets state and federal regulations with 859 01:18:33,370 --> 01:18:39,110 Managing back, we do on-site surveillance to understand what the use is, we put in the 860 01:18:39,110 --> 01:18:44,370 backflow device as required, we manage and test over 3,000 of them every year. 861 01:18:45,310 --> 01:18:51,030 We are in complete compliance until the new regulation came out, which gives us 10 years 862 01:18:51,030 --> 01:18:55,030 to address these, you will see these in the sidewalk. 863 01:18:56,490 --> 01:19:01,090 What this is is a fire service to a private residence, but the backflow device is about 864 01:19:01,090 --> 01:19:07,150 two feet underground. Based on risk assessment by the state, this was a standard practice for 865 01:19:07,150 --> 01:19:13,390 protecting the water system from private side. Contamination during a fire and now the state has 866 01:19:13,390 --> 01:19:19,470 decided that this does pose a risk. So within the next 10 years, we have to dig all of these out, 867 01:19:19,570 --> 01:19:24,690 which most of them are in sidewalks in our neighborhoods and replace them with an above-ground 868 01:19:24,690 --> 01:19:30,230 testable device. So going forward, the water department would be testing more than 6,000 of these 869 01:19:30,230 --> 01:19:35,050 devices. We're still trying to figure out where to put them because we can't have these 870 01:19:35,050 --> 01:19:39,970 all on the sidewalk so they likely be up at the building and we're trying to figure out 871 01:19:39,970 --> 01:19:46,310 how to fund them and resource them from a staff perspective. So what may come before you 872 01:19:46,310 --> 01:19:52,070 next is a request for a new position in the water department simply to address this new issue. 873 01:19:52,450 --> 01:19:57,650 But in the meantime we're outwearing compliance. We've been in compliance since 1983 and we have 874 01:19:57,650 --> 01:20:01,310 a very safe and secure water system because of devices like this. 875 01:20:04,020 --> 01:20:05,460 Happy with the recommendation. 876 01:20:08,310 --> 01:20:09,150 Questions or comments? 877 01:20:11,370 --> 01:20:12,710 Not everybody at once though. 878 01:20:13,250 --> 01:20:13,910 That is gripping. 879 01:20:14,210 --> 01:20:15,890 All right, here's, thank you. 880 01:20:16,210 --> 01:20:20,320 I'm going to, are there questions coming? 881 01:20:20,800 --> 01:20:22,940 Anybody who's with us have questions or comments? 882 01:20:24,460 --> 01:20:26,440 Matters back for the body, pleasure of the body. 883 01:20:27,400 --> 01:20:27,820 Excuse me. 884 01:20:27,920 --> 01:20:28,960 Oh, I'm sorry. 885 01:20:29,160 --> 01:20:30,520 Thank you for bringing that to my attention. 886 01:20:30,520 --> 01:20:31,980 which in person online, good afternoon. 887 01:20:32,240 --> 01:20:34,020 Welcome, comment on item 21. 888 01:20:35,680 --> 01:20:40,140 Well, I think that this item is not well explained 889 01:20:40,140 --> 01:20:42,280 because if you read the text of the item, 890 01:20:42,700 --> 01:20:46,140 it says the city intends to perform a system wide hazard 891 01:20:46,140 --> 01:20:48,740 assessment of every single water customer's property 892 01:20:49,160 --> 01:20:51,400 over 24,000 service connections. 893 01:20:52,320 --> 01:20:54,860 And it's my understanding this is not a requirement 894 01:20:54,860 --> 01:20:56,760 of the new CDCPH regulations. 895 01:20:56,760 --> 01:20:58,500 It's just your idea. 896 01:20:58,500 --> 01:21:00,920 if I understand those stated intentions. 897 01:21:01,520 --> 01:21:03,460 I would mention requiring physical inspection 898 01:21:03,460 --> 01:21:05,700 of every single connection manually or even once, 899 01:21:05,980 --> 01:21:07,940 is logistically impractical. 900 01:21:07,940 --> 01:21:10,140 And as far as I can tell, not mandated. 901 01:21:11,200 --> 01:21:14,180 I mean, I understand about the fire in big buildings 902 01:21:14,180 --> 01:21:16,280 and like that, but when you're talking residents, 903 01:21:16,280 --> 01:21:17,820 those are very low risk. 904 01:21:18,400 --> 01:21:19,720 And instead of what you propose, 905 01:21:19,720 --> 01:21:21,700 many public water systems use surveys, 906 01:21:22,100 --> 01:21:24,940 customer self-reporting, change of ownership triggers, 907 01:21:25,200 --> 01:21:28,300 high hazard prioritization, and random spot checks 908 01:21:28,300 --> 01:21:34,320 to manage the program efficiently. Again, local public water systems could adopt more stringent 909 01:21:34,320 --> 01:21:39,500 rules, but the statewide CCCPH standard, as far as I know, doesn't impose universal inspections 910 01:21:39,500 --> 01:21:44,720 of every single connection. If you're talking garden hoses, I mean, for the last time, a residential 911 01:21:45,660 --> 01:21:50,540 residence poisoned the water system for lack of a garden hose backlog device, specifics please. 912 01:21:52,180 --> 01:21:56,280 You know, oh, man, this is not too relevant, but I do note that the final 913 01:21:56,280 --> 01:22:01,100 clean ordinance document tax isn't the same as the black text remaining in the 914 01:22:01,100 --> 01:22:04,740 red light version for possibly the reason my understanding of the wise and 915 01:22:04,740 --> 01:22:08,880 logic of how the government works is insufficient. This all sounds costly 916 01:22:08,880 --> 01:22:12,900 versus actual benefit and I sure hope you aren't planning another unjustified 917 01:22:12,900 --> 01:22:17,540 useless fee windfall somehow with working into it as nobody needs that 918 01:22:17,540 --> 01:22:22,760 aggravation. Anyway I'll skip the rest of this said that's why I have to say thanks 919 01:22:23,500 --> 01:22:24,180 Well, thank you. 920 01:22:24,480 --> 01:22:30,300 Just looking back, if I could ask you to, on one of the core comments are sort of a 921 01:22:30,300 --> 01:22:32,820 requirement versus whether this was your idea. 922 01:22:34,160 --> 01:22:36,920 Maybe you could enlighten us in that regard. 923 01:22:37,400 --> 01:22:37,580 Yeah. 924 01:22:37,780 --> 01:22:45,320 The state developed a new handbook and they are addressing what they perceive to be the 925 01:22:45,320 --> 01:22:49,360 risk, which is the two-inch fire service for largely single-family homes. 926 01:22:49,360 --> 01:22:55,300 It is a requirement, a straight requirement, so we will have to go out in the next 10 years 927 01:22:55,300 --> 01:23:00,180 and demonstrate, and it's not even 10 years, I think it's 2034 at this point, and demonstrate 928 01:23:00,180 --> 01:23:02,360 that we have addressed all of those. 929 01:23:03,260 --> 01:23:09,060 And furthermore, with respect to the property by property surveillance, today we typically 930 01:23:09,060 --> 01:23:16,080 do that with change of occupancy and use for a property, and we can evaluate through 931 01:23:16,080 --> 01:23:19,940 their building permits what the activity is going to be and then assess the risk. 932 01:23:20,540 --> 01:23:24,460 And this new requirement is that we have to go property by property. 933 01:23:24,900 --> 01:23:29,700 I suspect it will be something a little bit more routine that all single family homes are 934 01:23:29,700 --> 01:23:36,400 chunked out and dismissed, but when you get to commercial and industrial, those will be 935 01:23:36,400 --> 01:23:40,240 a larger lift and a requirement of the state, the new sewer legislation. 936 01:23:40,560 --> 01:23:41,360 Thank you so much. 937 01:23:41,980 --> 01:23:43,260 So for the comment, 938 01:23:46,200 --> 01:23:47,120 we'll call the roll. 939 01:23:52,700 --> 01:23:57,780 I'm sorry, excuse me, I thought that we had that motion, but I'm happy to move the item, 940 01:23:57,780 --> 01:23:58,060 please. 941 01:23:58,480 --> 01:24:00,620 Motion is second by the vice mayor. 942 01:24:03,040 --> 01:24:04,060 Look, we'll call the roll. 943 01:24:06,160 --> 01:24:06,720 No, some members. 944 01:24:06,900 --> 01:24:07,220 Trigaro. 945 01:24:07,540 --> 01:24:07,700 Aye. 946 01:24:08,120 --> 01:24:08,260 Runner. 947 01:24:08,660 --> 01:24:08,820 Aye. 948 01:24:09,620 --> 01:24:09,960 Newsom. 949 01:24:10,120 --> 01:24:10,320 Aye. 950 01:24:10,840 --> 01:24:11,180 Holder. 951 01:24:11,360 --> 01:24:11,560 Aye. 952 01:24:12,200 --> 01:24:12,480 O'Hara. 953 01:24:12,740 --> 01:24:12,860 Aye. 954 01:24:13,140 --> 01:24:14,420 Vice Mayor Kellan Tarjonson. 955 01:24:14,580 --> 01:24:14,740 Aye. 956 01:24:15,080 --> 01:24:15,540 Mayor Kaylee. 957 01:24:16,040 --> 01:24:16,200 Aye. 958 01:24:16,860 --> 01:24:18,020 Motion passes ensorted. 959 01:24:19,640 --> 01:24:36,700 We are an item 22. This is Lighthouse Point Hazard and Engineering Analysis. We have our very talented public works department director and assistant public works director to present on this item and more than a little bit of paperwork in our agenda packets. 960 01:24:36,700 --> 01:24:39,760 I'm starting to win. Good afternoon. Thank you for your good work. 961 01:24:40,460 --> 01:24:43,800 Good afternoon, Mayor, City Council, Nathan Wynn, Director of Public Works. 962 01:24:44,660 --> 01:24:49,600 I just wanted to start off by thanking Council and the community for their patience as we've 963 01:24:49,600 --> 01:24:55,840 worked to bring forth a light house point study. It's taken some time to develop the scope of work 964 01:24:55,840 --> 01:25:03,920 as well as select a consultant team that we are excited with. Environmental Science Associates, 965 01:25:03,920 --> 01:25:09,200 specific cross-engineering as well as integral consulting, all with extensive local knowledge. 966 01:25:09,560 --> 01:25:13,120 They've done great work for us in the past and so we're happy to try to move them forward with 967 01:25:13,120 --> 01:25:19,540 this work. With the completion of the 50-year Westcliffe vision as well as the five-year road map, 968 01:25:20,140 --> 01:25:27,380 as well as the restoration of the 900 and 1000 block, we're moving now from a reactive process 969 01:25:27,380 --> 01:25:33,800 to a proactive effort on managing our coastline and so while studies have been performed in the 970 01:25:33,800 --> 01:25:37,000 pass, which will be utilized in this study. 971 01:25:37,740 --> 01:25:39,580 It's important that we collect current data. 972 01:25:40,400 --> 01:25:43,540 Again, we want to be able to utilize modernized tools 973 01:25:43,540 --> 01:25:45,240 on evaluating our coastline. 974 01:25:45,800 --> 01:25:47,860 And really ultimately, this study will allow us to work 975 01:25:47,860 --> 01:25:50,520 with our regulators, with our funding partners, 976 01:25:51,060 --> 01:25:52,420 and having that current information 977 01:25:52,420 --> 01:25:55,000 and so that we can seek regulatory permits 978 01:25:55,000 --> 01:25:57,000 as well as grant funding in the future. 979 01:25:57,560 --> 01:25:59,380 And so kind of with that, I'm going to hand it off 980 01:25:59,380 --> 01:26:00,680 to Kevin Cross, the city engineer, 981 01:26:00,980 --> 01:26:02,220 to dive more into the study. 982 01:26:02,860 --> 01:26:03,460 Thank you. 983 01:26:05,960 --> 01:26:07,140 Mr. Crossley, good afternoon. 984 01:26:07,260 --> 01:26:08,480 Thank you for your good work. 985 01:26:09,540 --> 01:26:10,340 Thank you. 986 01:26:10,460 --> 01:26:13,740 With the Mayor's blessing, I'd like to share a little personal anecdote before I get 987 01:26:13,740 --> 01:26:17,980 into the technical pieces of this, but again, it's given. 988 01:26:18,820 --> 01:26:21,400 So excuse me, got a frog in my throat. 989 01:26:22,900 --> 01:26:26,660 I had the rare opportunity a few months ago to go on a hike about myself. 990 01:26:26,660 --> 01:26:32,200 I have two kids, so that's a unique thing, and I was in San Luis Obispo, which is a 991 01:26:32,200 --> 01:26:38,400 beautiful community and so I found myself at the top of this this mountain with a 360 panoramic view 992 01:26:38,400 --> 01:26:44,420 the you know the area that San Luis of Israel sits in and I thought to myself what a boring place 993 01:26:44,420 --> 01:26:50,460 to be the city engineer there's no coastline there's no rivers there's no there's no landslides to deal 994 01:26:50,460 --> 01:26:56,720 with and not to be critical of them I'm sure they do lots of interesting work as well but I just want 995 01:26:56,720 --> 01:27:01,300 to say on a personal level this is the type of kind of work that it keeps me up at night but it also keeps 996 01:27:01,300 --> 01:27:04,980 to continue working and doing great things for our community. 997 01:27:05,280 --> 01:27:05,640 Thank you. 998 01:27:05,840 --> 01:27:06,900 Thank you for sharing that. 999 01:27:09,380 --> 01:27:14,040 So I think the modern story of Lighthouse Point for the purposes of this study, 1000 01:27:14,380 --> 01:27:16,920 discussion today starts in the early 80s. 1001 01:27:17,460 --> 01:27:20,460 These black and white photos, hard to tell when they were taken, 1002 01:27:20,520 --> 01:27:25,380 but it was right after the large on the EU events that happened in the 82 and 83 winters 1003 01:27:25,380 --> 01:27:28,020 that created a lot of damage at that area. 1004 01:27:28,020 --> 01:27:28,120 Yeah. 1005 01:27:28,460 --> 01:27:33,760 And so that precipitated the study that Nathan alluded to earlier put together by Rogers 1006 01:27:33,760 --> 01:27:34,920 Johnson Associates. 1007 01:27:35,280 --> 01:27:39,560 So that was the first sort of modern cut it, you know, what to do about erosion in this 1008 01:27:39,560 --> 01:27:41,320 area and what are the options. 1009 01:27:41,620 --> 01:27:46,040 And ultimately what the city elected to do was build the biggest seawall that we have 1010 01:27:46,040 --> 01:27:51,540 along Westcliffe, which runs from its beach around the KVC in the second photo. 1011 01:27:52,480 --> 01:27:55,600 That wasn't the end of our sort of investigation of this area. 1012 01:27:55,600 --> 01:28:00,460 There's been a couple surveys that were completed over the years in response to ongoing erosion 1013 01:28:00,460 --> 01:28:05,780 in the C-caves. And then, fast forward, this is a photo from late last year in the lower right corner, 1014 01:28:05,780 --> 01:28:12,620 which gives a nice perspective of the ongoing C-cave erosion that looks like it's aimed right at 1015 01:28:12,620 --> 01:28:19,560 the lighthouse, which is an obvious concern for us. And so, about a week ago, we did an open house 1016 01:28:19,560 --> 01:28:25,100 for the public works department to talk about all the projects with the community. And I got to answer 1017 01:28:25,100 --> 01:28:30,680 some questions about this study. And the number one question is, is this CKV going to swallow 1018 01:28:30,680 --> 01:28:38,600 up that lighthouse? And the answer is not anytime soon. We resurveyed the area in 2026, 1019 01:28:39,220 --> 01:28:45,240 beginning of the year. And key findings there were that the two caves were calling them the West 1020 01:28:45,240 --> 01:28:52,140 Cave and the East Cave very creative. They are about 20 feet of separation bedrock material between 1021 01:28:52,140 --> 01:28:57,720 them. So the caves are not going to connect in the immediate near term. We're going to investigate 1022 01:28:57,720 --> 01:29:02,900 what that array of erosion looks like and when that potentially could happen. Most notably, 1023 01:29:03,200 --> 01:29:10,000 the West C cave, which is shown on the left of this image, is about 40 feet away from the lighthouse 1024 01:29:10,000 --> 01:29:17,160 foundation. So what that says to us is that while there is very evident erosion happening in this 1025 01:29:17,160 --> 01:29:22,380 location, it's not going to present a near-term risk to the 1026 01:29:22,380 --> 01:29:26,360 circuit museum, the lighthouse or the paths. So, that's the key findings there. 1027 01:29:28,720 --> 01:29:34,700 The next, oh, this is my opportunity to dork out on the technology we used, which was 1028 01:29:34,700 --> 01:29:39,780 a newer drone technology that allowed us to do a lot of really cool scanning of this area, 1029 01:29:40,380 --> 01:29:44,780 create a 3D model that we'll be using as an input to this study. Incredible amount of 1030 01:29:44,780 --> 01:29:46,680 data was collected in like a four-hour period. 1031 01:29:46,980 --> 01:29:49,540 So just between the intervals of surveys, 1032 01:29:50,060 --> 01:29:53,260 technology is advanced in really significant ways 1033 01:29:53,260 --> 01:29:55,180 that's gonna help us leverage these tools 1034 01:29:55,180 --> 01:29:56,740 for some additional modeling 1035 01:29:56,740 --> 01:29:58,540 that I'll talk about a little bit later. 1036 01:30:02,260 --> 01:30:09,040 So, the second set of questions I get started with a statement usually, which is, please install 1037 01:30:09,040 --> 01:30:18,200 armoring, what's the plan? Or please don't install armoring, what's the plan? And so, my response 1038 01:30:18,200 --> 01:30:23,120 to that was, I don't know what we're doing, that's the point of the study. And so, we're 1039 01:30:23,120 --> 01:30:28,360 going to be looking at the different safety risks that are out there. We're going to talk 1040 01:30:28,360 --> 01:30:34,560 focus on the bluffs and their dynamic failure modes and then help us figure 1041 01:30:34,560 --> 01:30:37,920 out what some short-term long-term strategies could be for this area. 1042 01:30:41,500 --> 01:30:42,040 The scope 1043 01:30:42,040 --> 01:30:47,000 of work summarized is gather existing information, do some data collection 1044 01:30:47,000 --> 01:30:51,480 through additional field collection with Pacific press engineering and other 1045 01:30:51,480 --> 01:30:56,920 sub-consultants, define all the conditions and risk in an updated profile and 1046 01:30:56,920 --> 01:31:00,940 then we'll get into the alternatives. What are we going to do? We think the 1047 01:31:00,940 --> 01:31:04,600 The alternative step after we've sort of brainstormed and gotten those all written down 1048 01:31:04,600 --> 01:31:09,120 would be an excellent touch point for the community to run an open house in the late summer 1049 01:31:09,120 --> 01:31:14,500 early fall, share that information, gather some input, and then help use that to shortlist 1050 01:31:14,500 --> 01:31:18,260 our alternatives that we would analyze for feasibility and potential recommendation. 1051 01:31:18,960 --> 01:31:22,380 And that all gets buttoned up in a nice report that we would bring back to you in about 1052 01:31:22,380 --> 01:31:22,600 a year. 1053 01:31:25,420 --> 01:31:28,220 So these are the hope outcomes of this process. 1054 01:31:28,220 --> 01:31:33,660 We want to identify some alternatives, figure out what those advantages, constraints and 1055 01:31:33,660 --> 01:31:39,540 feasibilities are, help communicate what our thinking is to the public, provide a technical 1056 01:31:39,540 --> 01:31:41,620 basis for potential actions. 1057 01:31:43,100 --> 01:31:48,100 I think this graphic that I pulled out of the 50-year vision really speaks to the need to operate 1058 01:31:48,100 --> 01:31:52,400 within the real-world constraints of the jurisdictional regulatory, financial, and environmental 1059 01:31:52,400 --> 01:31:54,420 standards that we have to operate in. 1060 01:31:54,420 --> 01:31:58,720 We don't get to do projects in a vacuum here, so there are these real world boundaries 1061 01:31:58,720 --> 01:32:00,220 that we have to work with in. 1062 01:32:01,060 --> 01:32:04,840 And then finally, that final report is intended to help inform our decision-making. 1063 01:32:05,420 --> 01:32:07,820 So I went through that pretty quick. 1064 01:32:08,540 --> 01:32:11,040 Here's the recommendation in front of you, and we have to take any questions. 1065 01:32:13,290 --> 01:32:15,290 Comps, remember, goalers, recognize. 1066 01:32:16,310 --> 01:32:17,430 Thank you so much. 1067 01:32:17,530 --> 01:32:23,690 I appreciate the complexity around this issue, and I know Jebra and I have been out there several 1068 01:32:23,690 --> 01:32:24,010 times. 1069 01:32:24,010 --> 01:32:30,090 we've met with a number of community members. And so just to reiterate, do you know how many regulatory 1070 01:32:30,090 --> 01:32:36,990 agencies we would have to go through in order to, if we got the finances, build a cave or do 1071 01:32:36,990 --> 01:32:39,890 something with the cave? That's one that I've been trying to make clear. 1072 01:32:41,290 --> 01:32:44,130 Oh, that's hard to answer off the shop on my head, but all of them. 1073 01:32:45,610 --> 01:32:49,690 Thank you. Thank you. That is one that I just want everyone in the public to hear. And then I just 1074 01:32:49,690 --> 01:32:54,130 just want to reiterate my gratitude for you bringing this forward and I think looking 1075 01:32:54,130 --> 01:32:56,450 at this issue, I know it's an important place to everybody. 1076 01:32:56,810 --> 01:32:58,390 We hear it wherever we go. 1077 01:32:59,170 --> 01:33:03,950 So you know, I'm excited to see what comes up the study and what we decided to do next. 1078 01:33:04,130 --> 01:33:04,330 Thank you. 1079 01:33:05,030 --> 01:33:05,550 Thank you. 1080 01:33:06,030 --> 01:33:07,270 Device mayors recognized. 1081 01:33:08,290 --> 01:33:08,590 Yes. 1082 01:33:08,750 --> 01:33:10,610 Thank you so much for the work so far. 1083 01:33:12,790 --> 01:33:18,630 This has been, the community has been long time waiting and anticipation of what will come 1084 01:33:18,630 --> 01:33:18,970 next. 1085 01:33:18,970 --> 01:33:22,330 So I appreciate this action that's before us today. 1086 01:33:23,150 --> 01:33:27,550 A couple of questions in the staff report. 1087 01:33:27,930 --> 01:33:30,170 There's mentioned that there would be community engagement. 1088 01:33:32,910 --> 01:33:36,650 Along with, I think the shoreline adaptation community engagement. 1089 01:33:36,650 --> 01:33:40,790 Can you just say more about what that community engagement looks like? 1090 01:33:40,970 --> 01:33:41,950 Do we have specific dates? 1091 01:33:42,250 --> 01:33:44,210 How will that be communicated to the public? 1092 01:33:44,930 --> 01:33:48,810 We don't have specific dates that I'm aware for the shoreline adaptation management plans. 1093 01:33:48,810 --> 01:33:53,030 which is a parallel effort happening, being led by Dr. Tiffany Wise West. 1094 01:33:53,270 --> 01:33:57,890 We're in regular coordination on the timing of the two efforts, and our hope is if the schedules 1095 01:33:57,890 --> 01:34:05,310 will sync up in a way that provides for a common touch point. It's a little bit hard to say exactly 1096 01:34:05,310 --> 01:34:10,750 if we'll make that happen, but our plan is to have something to share when she brings that information 1097 01:34:10,750 --> 01:34:15,450 out for the shoreline adaptation and management plans, and then potentially a more focused 1098 01:34:15,450 --> 01:34:19,910 open-house style setting for this particular set of work. 1099 01:34:20,510 --> 01:34:20,690 Okay. 1100 01:34:22,350 --> 01:34:27,510 What is our plan for outreach and communication to members of the community? 1101 01:34:27,710 --> 01:34:31,950 In particular, there's Council Member Golder said, specific groups that have reached out 1102 01:34:31,950 --> 01:34:33,670 to us and been in touch with us. 1103 01:34:33,790 --> 01:34:34,970 Do we have a plan? 1104 01:34:35,070 --> 01:34:36,850 Are we going to work with our communications team? 1105 01:34:37,590 --> 01:34:37,730 Yes. 1106 01:34:37,930 --> 01:34:43,490 We have an in coordination with our communications team, and for example, before this item was 1107 01:34:43,490 --> 01:34:48,230 place on the agenda we sent out an email to the Westcliffe contact list that our communication 1108 01:34:48,230 --> 01:34:48,770 teams have. 1109 01:34:48,770 --> 01:34:48,990 Okay. 1110 01:34:49,190 --> 01:34:53,510 Is the way to elevate awareness, the item was coming before you today? 1111 01:34:54,010 --> 01:34:54,110 Okay. 1112 01:34:54,430 --> 01:34:54,650 Great. 1113 01:34:55,450 --> 01:34:58,930 So you'll come back to Council in about a year's time. 1114 01:35:00,050 --> 01:35:06,530 Will there be other touch points with the Council before that final report is complete? 1115 01:35:07,890 --> 01:35:09,270 That you know of right now? 1116 01:35:09,650 --> 01:35:13,210 Other than the open house, no, we haven't identified any at this point. 1117 01:35:13,210 --> 01:35:20,930 Then maybe myself and Councilmember Golder who have been working on this, we can not form 1118 01:35:20,930 --> 01:35:24,710 an ad hoc committee as someone I'm saying, but we can stay in touch on a regular basis 1119 01:35:24,710 --> 01:35:31,130 so that we're not hearing back about the progress and what the analysis shows in a year. 1120 01:35:32,070 --> 01:35:35,390 So will reach out to you, you'll reach out to us, we'll stay connected that way. 1121 01:35:35,390 --> 01:35:42,730 Okay. As part of the analysis, I know you said they will, the consultants will be looking 1122 01:35:42,730 --> 01:35:50,750 at costs. As they're looking at costs, will they be providing any financial sort of modeling 1123 01:35:50,750 --> 01:35:59,570 options for us or financing, not financial modeling, financing modeling options for us to consider 1124 01:35:59,570 --> 01:36:04,990 as we look at what the solutions that were my question making sense? 1125 01:36:05,630 --> 01:36:10,010 Yes. We're going to be looking at pretty high-level concepts. 1126 01:36:10,530 --> 01:36:15,070 With that comes limitations on how specific and detailed you can get into the cost estimating. 1127 01:36:15,250 --> 01:36:22,290 But our intention was to integrate costs in a way that helped us provide a meaningful comparison against different alternatives. 1128 01:36:22,690 --> 01:36:25,090 So that became part of the decision process. 1129 01:36:25,530 --> 01:36:28,290 and then we've been working with the city manager's office. 1130 01:36:28,550 --> 01:36:32,010 They're currently working on a financing study for Westcliffe. 1131 01:36:32,150 --> 01:36:34,390 And so the hope was that we would be far enough along 1132 01:36:34,390 --> 01:36:37,430 in this study to use the information from this work 1133 01:36:37,430 --> 01:36:40,510 as an input to their overall financial planning process. 1134 01:36:41,210 --> 01:36:41,310 Great. 1135 01:36:43,270 --> 01:36:45,450 And when we, when you come back to this 1136 01:36:45,450 --> 01:36:48,390 in about a year's time, it's at that point 1137 01:36:48,390 --> 01:36:50,370 that we will be given some options around 1138 01:36:50,370 --> 01:36:52,390 like house point in the CKs, 1139 01:36:52,530 --> 01:36:54,310 and we will be making some kind of a decision 1140 01:36:54,310 --> 01:36:57,930 about what to move forward, how to move forward, okay, just want to be clear. 1141 01:36:58,430 --> 01:37:02,250 And then I know you already said this, but I want to just have you say it again, 1142 01:37:03,170 --> 01:37:08,730 because some members of the community groups that we've talked to have talked about how urgent 1143 01:37:08,730 --> 01:37:15,270 this issue is, and it is an urgent issue. Part of the concern is that the lighthouse itself is 1144 01:37:15,270 --> 01:37:20,290 going to fall into the ocean because there's so much erosion happening so quickly. I would like to hear 1145 01:37:20,290 --> 01:37:25,070 from you again, that that is not the case in this moment. It is eroding, but we don't 1146 01:37:25,070 --> 01:37:33,450 see an immediate threat, excuse me, of the lighthouse collapsing anytime in the next 12 1147 01:37:33,450 --> 01:37:33,910 months. 1148 01:37:34,630 --> 01:37:38,830 No, we don't foresee any risk to the lighthouse in the next 12 months, or even five or 1149 01:37:38,830 --> 01:37:39,230 ten years. 1150 01:37:39,770 --> 01:37:44,750 Okay. Okay. Those are my questions. Thank you so much for the work, and I look forward to 1151 01:37:44,750 --> 01:37:48,210 keeping the conversation going over the next 12 months. 1152 01:37:49,830 --> 01:37:51,470 Councilmember here is recognized. 1153 01:37:51,850 --> 01:37:52,330 Thank you, Mayor. 1154 01:37:52,690 --> 01:37:53,490 Thank you, Kevin. 1155 01:37:53,590 --> 01:37:58,590 I really appreciate the work on this, and I am in support of the direction. 1156 01:37:58,730 --> 01:38:03,150 I do have one observation, and then probably very inarticulate question. 1157 01:38:04,530 --> 01:38:09,910 I think what the Vice Mayor is getting to is an important thing to reiterate about the 1158 01:38:09,910 --> 01:38:13,170 the risks associated with erosion right now, 1159 01:38:13,170 --> 01:38:15,430 but I don't think we would have said 10 years ago 1160 01:38:15,430 --> 01:38:17,910 that we would have seen West Cliff fall into the ocean. 1161 01:38:18,670 --> 01:38:18,770 Right? 1162 01:38:18,970 --> 01:38:22,090 So it's hard to know, you know? 1163 01:38:22,310 --> 01:38:26,830 So I think we have a good sense of where the caves are 1164 01:38:26,830 --> 01:38:30,790 and how much bedrock is between the two caves, 1165 01:38:31,110 --> 01:38:33,450 I think it is hard to fully predict, 1166 01:38:33,510 --> 01:38:36,250 just given where we're at with climate change 1167 01:38:36,250 --> 01:38:42,530 and storm surges, what erosion is going to look like for the next five or 10 years, but I appreciate 1168 01:38:43,410 --> 01:38:50,970 the comments on that. The alternative analysis or the assessment, I think you had in the slides 1169 01:38:50,970 --> 01:38:55,730 wave dynamics, and I just wanted to kind of put on record, or at least maybe ask a question, 1170 01:38:56,910 --> 01:39:05,110 how will the engineers be contemplating the quality of the wave at the lane? Because I imagine 1171 01:39:05,110 --> 01:39:07,830 in that these alternatives that come forward 1172 01:39:08,190 --> 01:39:11,290 will potentially impact the wave dynamics, 1173 01:39:12,530 --> 01:39:15,370 but the subjective objective, 1174 01:39:15,490 --> 01:39:17,530 whatever it falls within that spectrum, 1175 01:39:18,010 --> 01:39:20,430 quality of this role-class wave, 1176 01:39:21,110 --> 01:39:24,590 is also, I think, necessary to be part of the discussion. 1177 01:39:24,890 --> 01:39:27,290 So how would that happen work? 1178 01:39:28,670 --> 01:39:30,670 That's a really hard question to answer. 1179 01:39:32,070 --> 01:39:32,770 I'll say this. 1180 01:39:32,770 --> 01:39:36,510 Yes, we have quite a bit of our scope devoted to modeling. 1181 01:39:37,110 --> 01:39:42,270 What happens if you change X, what happens to Y over here with the wave breaks, how the 1182 01:39:42,270 --> 01:39:47,090 wave breaks, what the peel angle will be, accounting for a lot of other variables that don't 1183 01:39:47,090 --> 01:39:50,510 have that much to do with erosion like sea level rise, for example. 1184 01:39:51,310 --> 01:39:57,150 And so that's not an easy question to ask and answer, but I feel that we've assembled the 1185 01:39:57,150 --> 01:39:59,450 best team possible to dig into that question. 1186 01:40:00,550 --> 01:40:05,570 We were lucky enough with the USA to find that their project manager is a surfer from 1187 01:40:05,570 --> 01:40:10,690 Half Moon Bay, so I feel like he's got a personal stake and investment in this project. 1188 01:40:11,890 --> 01:40:17,150 So that's my best kind of non-answer to your question, but I do think that we're trying 1189 01:40:17,150 --> 01:40:22,590 to really dig into those hard questions so that we bring forward a defensible and data-driven 1190 01:40:23,210 --> 01:40:23,770 recommendation. 1191 01:40:24,410 --> 01:40:30,890 Yeah, thanks. And I expected your answer to be exactly like that. And it's nearly an 1192 01:40:30,890 --> 01:40:35,730 impossible consideration, but I just really want to make sure that we are keeping it top 1193 01:40:35,730 --> 01:40:39,790 of mind. And I know that we are, but I wanted the community to understand that we understand 1194 01:40:39,790 --> 01:40:45,450 we have a world-class surf break here. We understand that this erosion potentially could be impacting 1195 01:40:46,010 --> 01:40:52,110 that surf break. I mean, it is a huge driver for our local economy. It is the cultural, one 1196 01:40:52,110 --> 01:40:57,190 of the most important cultural aspects of our community, and so a lot rides on this work 1197 01:40:57,190 --> 01:41:04,290 that we're doing, no pun intended on their surfboards. So I really appreciate the direction 1198 01:41:04,290 --> 01:41:12,670 that we're going. I understand where we're at in terms of just the complexity of even if we have 1199 01:41:12,670 --> 01:41:18,450 concepts of what we can do and we have funding to do it, the amount of bureaucratic hurdles that 1200 01:41:18,450 --> 01:41:21,630 are going to be required to do this work is significant. 1201 01:41:22,450 --> 01:41:24,010 So this is the first step, and I really 1202 01:41:24,010 --> 01:41:25,970 look forward to the work that's coming forward. 1203 01:41:26,110 --> 01:41:26,510 Thank you. 1204 01:41:26,810 --> 01:41:27,110 Any 1205 01:41:30,530 --> 01:41:31,130 comments from members? 1206 01:41:32,670 --> 01:41:33,590 Anybody else on this? 1207 01:41:34,170 --> 01:41:35,010 We'll go out to the public. 1208 01:41:35,130 --> 01:41:35,990 Anybody out in public? 1209 01:41:36,170 --> 01:41:37,330 Wish a comment on this item. 1210 01:41:37,850 --> 01:41:39,670 Please come forward if you wish to do so. 1211 01:41:39,810 --> 01:41:40,770 Do we have anyone online? 1212 01:41:41,330 --> 01:41:42,150 We'll take you, sir. 1213 01:41:42,290 --> 01:41:43,230 Good afternoon and welcome. 1214 01:41:44,970 --> 01:41:47,310 We'll free up the microphone in just a moment. 1215 01:41:47,530 --> 01:41:49,190 Did you wish to add to your answer, sir? 1216 01:41:50,770 --> 01:41:56,830 Mr. Crossway. No, but maybe now's the time to point out that the slide that I showed you with 1217 01:41:56,830 --> 01:42:01,710 the recommendation, I clipped out the key piece, but there was more language in the staff report. 1218 01:42:01,970 --> 01:42:06,790 So just for the record, we would like you to approve the full recommendation, not just the version 1219 01:42:06,790 --> 01:42:11,590 that was on screen. We'll get back to that. Thank you. Good afternoon, sir. Welcome to City Council. 1220 01:42:11,590 --> 01:42:12,030 from meeting. 1221 01:42:15,200 --> 01:42:18,540 Hi, Mayor Keeling, Councilmembers and public works. 1222 01:42:18,700 --> 01:42:19,380 Thank you very much. 1223 01:42:19,380 --> 01:42:24,040 I'm Sean Burns with Save the Waves and here just to say my support for this project 1224 01:42:24,040 --> 01:42:28,040 and thank you for the city for investing in a community epicenter. 1225 01:42:29,280 --> 01:42:34,780 Steam relaying as a world class wave, I love the question about the way of quality. 1226 01:42:34,940 --> 01:42:39,500 So I was excited to see with integral consulting during some wave quality modeling with this 1227 01:42:39,500 --> 01:42:41,240 project, which I think is very important. 1228 01:42:43,160 --> 01:42:47,580 It's a community epicenter, it's not like the hill in San Luis Obispo, but it's a beautiful 1229 01:42:47,580 --> 01:42:49,880 view that people come to check out. 1230 01:42:50,060 --> 01:42:52,740 It's not just the surfers that go there, but it's the grass. 1231 01:42:52,740 --> 01:42:53,540 It's the lighthouse. 1232 01:42:53,580 --> 01:42:58,680 It's got all the surfing memorabilia in the lighthouse, so it's very cultural to our town. 1233 01:42:59,040 --> 01:43:04,460 So, it's really appreciative of the city investing into a community epicenter like this. 1234 01:43:06,440 --> 01:43:10,260 And yeah, just the wave modeling, I think, is a really important component to it. 1235 01:43:10,260 --> 01:43:11,560 So thank you for adding that in. 1236 01:43:12,340 --> 01:43:15,160 And then the last part is I'm sure everyone's kind of aware 1237 01:43:15,160 --> 01:43:20,120 of like the Godzilla El Niño coming into the near future. 1238 01:43:20,220 --> 01:43:23,060 It's good to hear that we're not in immediate danger 1239 01:43:23,060 --> 01:43:26,160 with the erosion, but it's something to take into consideration 1240 01:43:26,160 --> 01:43:30,480 and maybe looking forward to somehow modeling 1241 01:43:30,480 --> 01:43:34,160 or looking at ways to just, I guess, with the erosion, 1242 01:43:34,300 --> 01:43:36,520 like not managing, but managing it. 1243 01:43:36,520 --> 01:43:39,200 I guess I don't know what I'm trying to say here, but making sure 1244 01:43:39,200 --> 01:43:46,060 with El Nino and the Godzilla El Nino and all the effects of erosion make sure we're really looking 1245 01:43:46,060 --> 01:43:50,260 into what's happening with erosion and so I think this project is a good step in the right 1246 01:43:50,260 --> 01:43:55,660 direction. Thank you. Thank you and thanks for all the good work that Safe the Wave does not 1247 01:43:55,660 --> 01:44:00,360 only hear but throughout the world. Thank you very much for that. Anyone else wish to come in? 1248 01:44:00,800 --> 01:44:05,480 We have anybody online? We'll take person online. Good afternoon. Welcome to the City Council meeting. 1249 01:44:05,480 --> 01:44:06,520 Thank 1250 01:44:08,530 --> 01:44:14,870 you, Fred. Hi, Bradley Snyder. So, one of my required classes for my first degree 1251 01:44:14,870 --> 01:44:22,510 was a laboratory geology class. And Sandstone's got a generally considered to have a most 1252 01:44:22,510 --> 01:44:31,670 hardness rating of about 6.5. But the fact of the matter is that it's a silicacious rock that 1253 01:44:31,670 --> 01:44:37,330 It has a kind of a glue component that holds it all together, which is calcium carbonate. 1254 01:44:37,830 --> 01:44:40,970 So it's like limestone, and it's hardness is about three and a half. 1255 01:44:41,690 --> 01:44:50,070 So what you have is a very hard matrix of silicate rock with a very soft, relatively soft, 1256 01:44:50,150 --> 01:44:52,590 I should say limestone holding it together. 1257 01:44:52,590 --> 01:44:55,970 And, you know, it's prone to erosion. 1258 01:44:56,530 --> 01:44:59,970 Purisma sandstone, which, you know, you... 1259 01:45:00,000 --> 01:45:29,980 We see it natural bridges, there used to be multiple bridges, and that's why it's called natural bridges. However, now there's a single bridge remaining. And with nature, I think often, the best course of action is if it's not broken, don't fix it. Maybe even if it is broken, don't fix it. The suggestion that it be armored is, I guess, the true point where, you know, maybe Mrs. County Johnson has to speak to. 1260 01:45:29,980 --> 01:45:36,680 You hear constituents about how long it could last without armor, clothing it with armor. 1261 01:45:36,960 --> 01:45:42,020 I don't know, a brake water, like they have at the lighthouse near the harbor or something 1262 01:45:42,020 --> 01:45:44,180 like that, could perhaps preserve it for longer. 1263 01:45:45,180 --> 01:45:57,120 I think a lot of surfers know that the frequency of waves and the amplitude of the wave and the 1264 01:45:57,120 --> 01:46:03,560 the frequency of higher amplitude waves is a logarithmic calculation. And there are only so many 1265 01:46:04,880 --> 01:46:11,620 huge waves, Godzilla waves, I guess, I don't know. But for me, I just think like this is kind 1266 01:46:11,620 --> 01:46:18,060 of a really large expense. Kind of on the scale of the amount of money that I was complaining about 1267 01:46:18,060 --> 01:46:23,520 the issue about the flock. Cameras are earlier that you spend about twice as much on something that 1268 01:46:23,520 --> 01:46:29,560 later you just simply decided it wasn't worth having spent that money on and you know that's 1269 01:46:29,560 --> 01:46:39,740 alarming to citizens. When the accounting comes down to, well okay we have to decide if or if not 1270 01:46:41,500 --> 01:46:48,420 this purported problem is a problem. Well obviously with the flood cameras the police would have 1271 01:46:48,420 --> 01:46:55,880 like to have their job be easier and obviously we'd like to believe that you know 50 years 1272 01:46:55,880 --> 01:47:00,100 after we're gone that the lighthouse point is still there for people to enjoy it the fact 1273 01:47:00,100 --> 01:47:05,860 is it's part of the landscape it's part of the scenery and I don't think we should mess with it 1274 01:47:05,860 --> 01:47:07,240 I honestly don't thank you 1275 01:47:10,980 --> 01:47:16,480 okay matters back before the body pleasure of the body council 1276 01:47:16,480 --> 01:47:18,400 So the vice mayor is recognized. 1277 01:47:19,060 --> 01:47:20,480 I'd like to move staff recommendation. 1278 01:47:21,080 --> 01:47:22,580 There is a motion, is there a second? 1279 01:47:23,440 --> 01:47:25,060 Second by council member Tregaro. 1280 01:47:25,840 --> 01:47:26,920 You may open on your motion. 1281 01:47:27,800 --> 01:47:30,280 I made my comments and no further your comments. 1282 01:47:30,740 --> 01:47:31,380 Looking forward to the work. 1283 01:47:32,020 --> 01:47:33,480 For the debate or discussion, 1284 01:47:33,740 --> 01:47:36,020 seen here and none, the clerk will call the roll. 1285 01:47:37,020 --> 01:47:37,960 Member Tregaro. 1286 01:47:38,300 --> 01:47:38,460 Aye. 1287 01:47:38,900 --> 01:47:39,100 Trudor. 1288 01:47:39,500 --> 01:47:39,840 Aye. 1289 01:47:40,600 --> 01:47:41,080 Newsom. 1290 01:47:41,280 --> 01:47:41,480 Aye. 1291 01:47:41,720 --> 01:47:41,940 Boulder. 1292 01:47:42,600 --> 01:47:42,760 Aye. 1293 01:47:43,100 --> 01:47:44,780 Vice Mayor Colin Targonson. 1294 01:47:44,960 --> 01:47:45,140 Aye. 1295 01:47:47,640 --> 01:47:54,350 Thank you very much. I hope you don't mind, Mr. Crosley, that you will never be the public 1296 01:47:54,350 --> 01:47:56,970 works director of St. Louis Bisfield. 1297 01:47:59,030 --> 01:48:07,890 We are item 23. This is a, I'm sorry, excuse me. Yes, 1298 01:48:08,030 --> 01:48:13,590 it is. We are going to be taking, at this time, excuse me, we're going to take a 10 minute afternoon 1299 01:48:13,590 --> 01:48:16,670 and break, we'll be back here at 2.35. 1300 01:48:20,540 --> 01:48:21,200 Excuse me. 1301 01:48:22,400 --> 01:48:22,900 Make sense. 1302 01:48:25,240 --> 01:48:25,640 There we go. 1303 01:48:26,440 --> 01:48:27,740 Thank you. 1304 01:48:34,730 --> 01:48:36,050 Yeah, yeah. 1305 01:50:42,500 --> 01:50:43,100 Senator 1306 01:59:16,980 --> 01:59:21,080 Cruz City Council is back in session following our afternoon recess. 1307 01:59:21,340 --> 01:59:23,880 A quorum continues to be present. 1308 01:59:24,480 --> 01:59:26,660 We will be taking up item 23. 1309 01:59:26,660 --> 01:59:33,160 This is a Council direction on objective design standards, expanding the concept of the 1310 01:59:33,160 --> 01:59:37,760 downtown density bonuses and regulations for the removal of heritage trees. 1311 01:59:37,760 --> 01:59:46,200 There is material in our packet and Ms. J. Wardina is going to be opening on this and 1312 01:59:46,200 --> 01:59:48,220 there are other staff members as well. 1313 01:59:48,380 --> 01:59:50,100 Good afternoon and welcome to the Council meeting. 1314 01:59:50,100 --> 01:59:50,880 I'm 1315 01:59:53,000 --> 01:59:58,520 Akanna Jarwadna, Senior Planet, with the Advanced Planning Team, and I'm here with my colleague Laras Dangan. 1316 02:00:01,520 --> 02:00:28,220 We had to respond to council direction, we received in 2025 on three topics. Objective design standards, the downtown density bonus, expansion to other parts of the city, and objective standards for heritage tree removals. In response to this direction, we're here to present several approaches, and we'll talk through those in sync. I will begin with the staff approach direction on objective design. 1317 02:00:30,460 --> 02:00:34,240 In 2025, the city updated its objective design standards. 1318 02:00:34,240 --> 02:00:37,540 that were first adopted by the City Council, and two. 1319 02:00:39,100 --> 02:00:45,240 In May of 2025, City Council directed staff to develop an objective design standards 1320 02:00:45,240 --> 02:00:50,400 toolkit that ensures that the standards are readily accessible to developers and members 1321 02:00:50,400 --> 02:00:51,100 of the public. 1322 02:00:53,140 --> 02:00:57,820 When talking about objective design standards, a critical component to consider is that the 1323 02:00:57,820 --> 02:01:02,760 state density bonus law grants incentives or concessions and waivers to developments 1324 02:01:02,760 --> 02:01:04,500 that provide affordable housing. 1325 02:01:05,660 --> 02:01:08,480 I'm going to ask you, thank you so much, move it even closer. 1326 02:01:09,300 --> 02:01:09,820 Is that better? 1327 02:01:10,660 --> 02:01:12,960 Close as possible. There you go. 1328 02:01:13,540 --> 02:01:14,620 Now here's what you're doing. 1329 02:01:14,900 --> 02:01:16,340 You're moving it and then you go like this. 1330 02:01:17,480 --> 02:01:19,140 Nice and close, there you go. 1331 02:01:19,640 --> 02:01:20,460 I'll get used to it. 1332 02:01:20,960 --> 02:01:21,300 Thank you. 1333 02:01:22,260 --> 02:01:24,560 When talking about objective design standards, 1334 02:01:25,000 --> 02:01:28,600 a critical component to consider is that the state density bonus law 1335 02:01:28,600 --> 02:01:33,760 grant incentives or concessions and waivers to developments that provide affordable housing. 1336 02:01:34,900 --> 02:01:39,540 Developers use these provisions to deviate from local development and design standards. 1337 02:01:40,720 --> 02:01:45,640 State and case law have determined that the city's inclusionary housing units count towards 1338 02:01:45,640 --> 02:01:51,720 the state and city bonus requirements. Inclusionary housing is housing that is affordable to lower 1339 02:01:51,720 --> 02:01:56,880 income households and is required to be provided within multifamily housing developments. 1340 02:01:57,720 --> 02:02:04,540 The city has a 20% inclusionary housing requirement, and because of this, nearly all multi-family 1341 02:02:04,540 --> 02:02:08,680 housing projects in Santa Cruz use the state density bonus in some form. 1342 02:02:09,320 --> 02:02:14,500 Not always to add density, but sometimes just for the incentives, or concessions, and 1343 02:02:14,500 --> 02:02:18,160 waivers that allow for deviation from design and development standards. 1344 02:02:20,770 --> 02:02:25,250 The state density bonus allows deviation from these standards, which mean that, for example, 1345 02:02:25,250 --> 02:02:33,910 projects can deviate from height limits, setback requirements, floor area ratio requirements and even architectural design requirements. 1346 02:02:35,250 --> 02:02:40,650 In response, some dues sections are utilizing voluntary design guidelines. 1347 02:02:41,550 --> 02:02:50,330 These are non-binding principles and recommendations that supplement objective standards and communicate design values and development goals. 1348 02:02:51,710 --> 02:02:56,890 The current planning team has been developing and using a handout like document to communicate 1349 02:02:56,890 --> 02:03:02,090 design priorities and desirable architectural examples with the development community. 1350 02:03:02,610 --> 02:03:06,990 In some instances, this has led to productive conversations with developers. 1351 02:03:08,010 --> 02:03:13,130 In response to console direction, staff proposed to further develop the handout that the current 1352 02:03:13,130 --> 02:03:19,530 planning team has been using and developing and use this to better communicate the 1353 02:03:19,530 --> 02:03:22,230 councils and communities design values. 1354 02:03:23,270 --> 02:03:25,830 The document attached in your agenda report 1355 02:03:25,830 --> 02:03:28,130 and the extracted pages you see here 1356 02:03:28,130 --> 02:03:29,810 before you are purely a draft 1357 02:03:29,810 --> 02:03:32,710 to provide a sense of what this document could look like. 1358 02:03:33,510 --> 02:03:35,690 The objective today is to understand 1359 02:03:35,690 --> 02:03:38,790 if this is an approach that council would like staff to pursue. 1360 02:03:39,570 --> 02:03:41,930 And if so, staff would work with the council 1361 02:03:41,930 --> 02:03:44,270 and the community to further develop this document. 1362 02:03:46,190 --> 02:03:48,450 Specifically, staff will work with the council 1363 02:03:48,450 --> 02:03:53,790 to develop a set of priorities and with design professionals in the community to create design 1364 02:03:53,790 --> 02:03:59,950 guidelines. The intention is that these priorities and guidelines would reach developers 1365 02:03:59,950 --> 02:04:05,270 before they begin designing a project to provide meaningful input in the development process. 1366 02:04:06,750 --> 02:04:12,970 A handout will also include examples of encouraged and discouraged architecture intended to showcase 1367 02:04:12,970 --> 02:04:17,890 the types of developments that the city might want to promote and to inspire creativity 1368 02:04:17,890 --> 02:04:20,150 and variety in architectural design. 1369 02:04:22,870 --> 02:04:24,850 As part of developing this document further, 1370 02:04:25,270 --> 02:04:27,110 staff recommend creating incentives 1371 02:04:27,110 --> 02:04:30,810 to further support achieving these design guidelines 1372 02:04:30,810 --> 02:04:31,590 and priorities. 1373 02:04:32,570 --> 02:04:35,370 Based on initial conversations with other jurisdictions, 1374 02:04:36,290 --> 02:04:39,430 incentives would increase the efficacy of such a document. 1375 02:04:40,670 --> 02:04:43,810 Incentives could include ministerial approvals, 1376 02:04:44,370 --> 02:04:47,450 faster overall processing timelines, or reduced fees. 1377 02:04:48,850 --> 02:04:54,230 Following the guidance of a document such as this could also provide indirect benefits 1378 02:04:54,230 --> 02:04:59,610 to the development community, such as a smoother community engagement process, or greater 1379 02:04:59,610 --> 02:05:02,970 decision-maker and community support for development projects. 1380 02:05:06,470 --> 02:05:09,850 Switching gears now to the Downtown Density Bonus Expansion concept. 1381 02:05:11,310 --> 02:05:18,010 In 2025, City Council directed staff to evaluate expanding the Downtown Density bonus to other 1382 02:05:18,010 --> 02:05:18,870 parts of the city. 1383 02:05:20,310 --> 02:05:25,550 Discussions with the Housing Subcommittee informed a hypothetical scenario with 1384 02:05:25,550 --> 02:05:30,030 development with specific development priorities and potential incentives for 1385 02:05:30,030 --> 02:05:35,010 complying with these priorities. The development priorities arrived at were 1386 02:05:35,010 --> 02:05:41,250 regulated building heights and real property line setbacks. Potential incentives 1387 02:05:41,250 --> 02:05:45,830 included a modified inclusionary housing requirement both in terms of changing 1388 02:05:45,830 --> 02:05:50,770 the amount and the depth of the affordability provided and allowing off-site 1389 02:05:50,770 --> 02:05:55,570 inclusionary housing. So this second incentive was ultimately determined to 1390 02:05:55,570 --> 02:06:01,190 not be in line with the city's overall housing values and goals. When we 1391 02:06:01,190 --> 02:06:05,510 presented this hypothetical scenario to the development community, we heard that 1392 02:06:05,510 --> 02:06:10,370 it would not be an attractive alternative to the state density bonus and so 1393 02:06:10,370 --> 02:06:11,570 ultimately infeasible. 1394 02:06:14,020 --> 02:06:17,380 An expanded downtown density bonus must out-compete the 1395 02:06:17,380 --> 02:06:23,220 state density bonus, which allows for up to 100% increase in density and a broad range 1396 02:06:23,220 --> 02:06:28,360 of deviations from development and design standards as discussed previously in this presentation. 1397 02:06:30,940 --> 02:06:35,820 So I have to not recommend further studying expanding the downtown density bonus to other 1398 02:06:35,820 --> 02:06:41,320 parts of the city because avenues to possibly outcompete the state density bonus, such as 1399 02:06:41,320 --> 02:06:46,920 allowing for inclusionary housing off site or reducing the inclusionary housing requirement 1400 02:06:46,920 --> 02:06:50,720 all together would come at too high a cost to the city's values. 1401 02:06:52,340 --> 02:06:57,520 Additionally, seeking to expand the downtown density bonus would require a costly environmental 1402 02:06:57,520 --> 02:07:05,000 impact report. Further exploration of this potentially infeasible proposal would also redirect 1403 02:07:05,000 --> 02:07:08,660 soft resources away from time sensitive work plan items. 1404 02:07:11,050 --> 02:07:13,670 Instead, staff recommend further exploring 1405 02:07:13,670 --> 02:07:18,910 an alternative approach which leverages the state density bonus and utilizes the design 1406 02:07:18,910 --> 02:07:22,950 guidelines and priorities hand out to achieve similar council objectives. 1407 02:07:24,010 --> 02:07:29,810 This alternative would allow ministerial approvals for projects that comply with a set number of 1408 02:07:29,810 --> 02:07:30,770 council priorities. 1409 02:07:39,820 --> 02:07:43,960 Ministerial approvals are perhaps the only incentive powerful enough to provide 1410 02:07:45,000 --> 02:07:51,020 to encourage developers to comply with the development requirements, especially given the provisions 1411 02:07:51,020 --> 02:07:52,980 granted by the state density bonus. 1412 02:07:54,080 --> 02:07:58,460 Staff believe that this alternative approach will align with the city council's goals 1413 02:07:58,460 --> 02:08:02,500 and be a feasible option for both the city and the development community. 1414 02:08:09,060 --> 02:08:10,800 Shanger, good afternoon. Welcome. 1415 02:08:11,940 --> 02:08:13,620 Good afternoon, Mayor and council members. 1416 02:08:13,940 --> 02:08:15,440 I am going to talk about heritage trees. 1417 02:08:16,280 --> 02:08:23,120 So in 2025, the city council gave staff direction to review options for heritage tree regulations 1418 02:08:23,120 --> 02:08:28,620 related to multifamily housing projects that would align with state law from the city's 1419 02:08:28,620 --> 02:08:32,680 environmental values and potentially include the creation of objective standards. 1420 02:08:33,440 --> 02:08:38,640 The city's heritage tree ordinance currently allows removal of a heritage tree only under 1421 02:08:38,640 --> 02:08:44,280 a few specific circumstances, including if the tree is in poor condition, if it is causing 1422 02:08:44,280 --> 02:08:51,860 damage to a property, or if the construction project design cannot be altered to accommodate 1423 02:08:51,860 --> 02:08:57,120 existing heritage trees or shrubs, and this is the big finding related to development projects. 1424 02:08:58,080 --> 02:09:02,620 However, changes to state law over the last several years make this particular finding 1425 02:09:02,620 --> 02:09:06,320 unenforceable for more multifamily residential development. 1426 02:09:08,630 --> 02:09:10,570 When it comes to multifamily housing, 1427 02:09:10,950 --> 02:09:17,970 the development of two or more new units of housing, state law says that the city cannot apply 1428 02:09:17,970 --> 02:09:23,230 any subjective requirements. We can only apply objective standards to a proposed development. 1429 02:09:23,490 --> 02:09:30,570 We cannot vaguely require projects to redesign, and we cannot require a project to reduce its 1430 02:09:30,570 --> 02:09:34,850 residential density or impose a requirement that makes a project infeasible. 1431 02:09:35,450 --> 02:09:41,350 The current heritage tree ordinance binding is subjective and therefore is unenforceable 1432 02:09:41,350 --> 02:09:44,210 when it comes to multifamily housing development. 1433 02:09:44,790 --> 02:09:50,770 The question of whether a project design cannot be altered would result in a subjective and 1434 02:09:50,770 --> 02:09:54,070 very project specific conversation between a developer 1435 02:09:54,070 --> 02:09:56,390 and the city about the project design 1436 02:09:56,390 --> 02:09:58,290 and that's something that's just not allowed 1437 02:09:58,290 --> 02:10:00,370 under state law anymore, excuse me. 1438 02:10:01,230 --> 02:10:03,670 So what can we do to increase protections 1439 02:10:03,670 --> 02:10:05,810 for heritage trees for these kinds of projects? 1440 02:10:07,690 --> 02:10:10,850 Well, a couple things you can do is to create new objective 1441 02:10:10,850 --> 02:10:14,870 standards or create incentives that would apply 1442 02:10:14,870 --> 02:10:18,030 to heritage trees affected by multifamily housing projects. 1443 02:10:18,030 --> 02:10:25,870 We could create objective standards, for example, for tree removal criteria, like professional 1444 02:10:25,870 --> 02:10:32,770 arborist standards that would determine whether or not a tree would be able to survive construction 1445 02:10:32,770 --> 02:10:36,210 impacts given standard tree protection measures. 1446 02:10:37,970 --> 02:10:42,750 We could have objective standards for replacement trees, how many, what size, what species, etc. 1447 02:10:42,750 --> 02:11:00,010 If a replacement tree is not feasible, we could have objective standards for in lieu fees and then standards for protection of retained trees and even more creative things like productive lumber reuse when a heritage tree must be taken down. 1448 02:11:01,350 --> 02:11:11,130 So staff has already worked on all of these except for the lumber reuse in 2025 when drafting objective standards as they relate to affordable housing projects. 1449 02:11:11,130 --> 02:11:15,450 Those standards could also be utilized for all multifamily housing developments. 1450 02:11:16,890 --> 02:11:24,190 One note is that we cannot make objective standards that require projects to retain 1451 02:11:24,190 --> 02:11:26,410 all trees or even specific trees. 1452 02:11:26,850 --> 02:11:31,830 For example, we couldn't make an objective standard saying the project needs to retain any 1453 02:11:31,830 --> 02:11:33,950 tree with a trunk over two feet in diameter. 1454 02:11:34,630 --> 02:11:39,070 And the reason is because it could result in issues with the residential density of the 1455 02:11:39,070 --> 02:11:45,530 project or even the project feasibility and that could play out differently on different 1456 02:11:45,530 --> 02:11:50,770 projects in a very big project specific basis. And again, it would create that back-and-forth 1457 02:11:50,770 --> 02:11:56,290 conversation between the applicant and the city that would make the review process subjective 1458 02:11:56,290 --> 02:12:02,630 which is not allowed under state law. So while we can't objectively require the retention 1459 02:12:02,630 --> 02:12:08,150 of specific trees, we can try to incentivize their retention. Potential ways to do this 1460 02:12:08,150 --> 02:12:13,010 could be through deviation to development standards, such as reduced setbacks or increased 1461 02:12:13,010 --> 02:12:19,390 height, etc., or allowance of bonus units, although that could be a bit more complex and could 1462 02:12:19,390 --> 02:12:22,530 result in a more complicated environmental review under SEQUA. 1463 02:12:22,870 --> 02:12:23,170 So, 1464 02:12:28,290 --> 02:12:33,390 staff's proposed approach would lean on both objective standards and potential incentives 1465 02:12:33,390 --> 02:12:34,590 for tree retention. 1466 02:12:35,310 --> 02:12:40,150 Last year, staff completed work on developing draft objective standards related to heritage 1467 02:12:40,150 --> 02:12:46,230 trees and 100% affordable housing projects. And that could be a starting point for this work ahead. 1468 02:12:46,830 --> 02:12:51,890 In addition, staff would want to gather input from the community to further define the community's 1469 02:12:51,890 --> 02:12:55,770 priorities and incentives in creating this updated policy. 1470 02:13:00,760 --> 02:13:03,160 So wrapping up the presentation here, 1471 02:13:03,680 --> 02:13:08,860 if Council directs staff to proceed with the recommendations as provided in the agenda report, 1472 02:13:08,860 --> 02:13:38,840 We would proceed with the following next steps in response to Council direction on objective standards staff would conduct engagement with the community and industry professionals return to council in the fall to present updates and for a priority setting exercise and then update the handout to include these priorities and an incentive program in response to council direction on the downtown density bonus expansion staff would cease exploration of expanding the downtown density bonus to 1473 02:13:38,840 --> 02:13:42,280 to other parts of the city and instead explore an alternative 1474 02:13:42,280 --> 02:13:44,260 that leverages the state density bonus 1475 02:13:44,260 --> 02:13:47,300 and the design guidelines and priorities handout. 1476 02:13:48,040 --> 02:13:50,340 And finally, in response to council direction 1477 02:13:50,340 --> 02:13:53,240 on heritage trees, staff would conduct further analysis 1478 02:13:53,240 --> 02:13:56,240 and community outreach and develop a draft ordinance. 1479 02:13:58,620 --> 02:14:00,120 So here's the staff recommendation 1480 02:14:00,120 --> 02:14:02,020 as it appears in the agenda report. 1481 02:14:02,720 --> 02:14:04,100 That concludes our presentation 1482 02:14:04,100 --> 02:14:06,520 and staff is available to answer any questions. 1483 02:14:06,980 --> 02:14:07,140 Thank you. 1484 02:14:08,540 --> 02:14:09,240 Thank you. 1485 02:14:09,660 --> 02:14:17,420 Let me see if there are questions, comments, as we begin this, Council Member O'Hara. 1486 02:14:18,760 --> 02:14:19,480 Thank you, Mayor. 1487 02:14:19,660 --> 02:14:23,860 I have a couple of questions about the Heritage Tree Ordinance Recommendation, and I think 1488 02:14:23,860 --> 02:14:30,100 that the motion, the way it's currently drafted leaves it kind of wide open in terms of what 1489 02:14:30,100 --> 02:14:36,000 you might be bringing back, but in the presentation, it seems as if you're talking about updating 1490 02:14:36,000 --> 02:14:39,060 are ordinance to include objective standards. 1491 02:14:39,280 --> 02:14:42,440 Would you also be, you know, in large scale, 1492 02:14:42,660 --> 02:14:44,300 changing the ordinance, removing things 1493 02:14:44,300 --> 02:14:47,200 that could be subjective or perceived as subjective? 1494 02:14:50,020 --> 02:14:51,280 That's a good question. 1495 02:14:51,980 --> 02:14:56,440 So we're looking specifically at the removal of trees 1496 02:14:56,440 --> 02:14:58,520 as they relate to housing development projects, 1497 02:14:58,520 --> 02:14:59,960 whereas the heritage tree ordinance. 1498 02:15:00,000 --> 02:15:19,060 All different types of scenarios, all different types of development, including but beyond housing development, and then other types of scenarios as well, like two neighbors fighting over whether or not to keep a tree. There's no development going on at all. So we could, it could. 1499 02:15:21,650 --> 02:15:30,070 The way that it would amend the heritage regulations would be specific to those multifamily housing standards, and the standards created would be objective. 1500 02:15:30,890 --> 02:15:35,150 But there could be subjectivity remaining in the Heritage Reordinates given that it 1501 02:15:35,150 --> 02:15:36,930 applies to so many other different things as well. 1502 02:15:37,550 --> 02:15:37,810 Okay. 1503 02:15:38,070 --> 02:15:39,230 That's really helpful. 1504 02:15:39,550 --> 02:15:41,850 And I honestly wasn't even thinking about all of the other ones. 1505 02:15:41,850 --> 02:15:43,450 I was really stuck in the multi-family. 1506 02:15:44,210 --> 02:15:48,710 With regard to criteria one, C3, I think you had it up on the screen. 1507 02:15:49,790 --> 02:15:54,850 I think there's a fair amount of engagement, and maybe it's only coming from a select 1508 02:15:54,850 --> 02:16:01,790 few but I think that they, you know, are providing really good feedback on the spectrum 1509 02:16:01,790 --> 02:16:06,270 of how we are considering objectivity versus subjectivity. 1510 02:16:06,570 --> 02:16:16,370 And on that particular one, if you could go back a couple screens to that one, I would 1511 02:16:16,370 --> 02:16:27,650 just encourage us to be thinking about even though projects and developers can get waivers 1512 02:16:27,650 --> 02:16:34,490 and concessions granted, that doesn't mean that this could not be an objective criteria 1513 02:16:34,490 --> 02:16:38,910 as it relates to, some projects can be altered, right? 1514 02:16:38,910 --> 02:16:49,250 like in terms of if from my understanding the law, the state law requires these waivers 1515 02:16:49,250 --> 02:16:55,110 to be and concessions to be available for developers to ensure that they are meeting the the 1516 02:16:55,110 --> 02:17:01,150 density numbers or the unit, the number of units, right, at a cost, I think, you know, in 1517 02:17:01,150 --> 02:17:03,510 a way that they can afford or pencil out or whatever. 1518 02:17:05,210 --> 02:17:09,490 I would just want to make sure that whatever we're doing with regard to the ordinance that 1519 02:17:09,490 --> 02:17:14,810 we are building in a process for which maybe it's 10% of the time. 1520 02:17:14,990 --> 02:17:16,510 Maybe it's 5% of the time. 1521 02:17:17,250 --> 02:17:22,830 Those designs that can be altered to save a tree, we are encouraging people to do that and 1522 02:17:22,830 --> 02:17:26,390 not just completely foreclosing on that option, that makes sense. 1523 02:17:27,710 --> 02:17:29,290 I was wondering if you could respond to that. 1524 02:17:29,290 --> 02:17:30,190 I 1525 02:17:35,890 --> 02:17:40,790 can, I also see Matt Vannegut, I'll start in Mac and Adon. 1526 02:17:41,510 --> 02:17:45,090 So it is, that's a good question. 1527 02:17:45,290 --> 02:17:51,310 That's something that has also been circling in my mind, you know, as I've thought about 1528 02:17:51,310 --> 02:17:53,090 this over the months and talked to people. 1529 02:17:53,790 --> 02:17:59,690 And there are times when projects could maybe be redesigned, it's 1530 02:18:02,410 --> 02:18:03,570 still a very subjective 1531 02:18:03,570 --> 02:18:04,250 question. 1532 02:18:04,250 --> 02:18:12,070 And there's a lot of things that go into a project that, you know, a lot of things that 1533 02:18:12,070 --> 02:18:17,610 a developer puts into a project that we don't really have to consider from the planning 1534 02:18:17,610 --> 02:18:21,910 and the things and we're just looking at development standards because they have costs and they 1535 02:18:21,910 --> 02:18:26,630 have how they arrange all of their different pieces of the project to make it fit all together. 1536 02:18:27,350 --> 02:18:32,070 So there are times where it seems perfectly feasible from a planning perspective to move 1537 02:18:32,070 --> 02:18:38,670 things around, but from a development perspective it's not feasible, maybe there are times where 1538 02:18:38,670 --> 02:18:40,990 it is truly feasible to redesign. 1539 02:18:43,030 --> 02:18:48,610 How do you objectively require that? It's very, I haven't 1540 02:18:48,610 --> 02:18:53,030 thought of a way to do that. If it's possible, I'd love to hear about it. 1541 02:19:03,730 --> 02:19:11,350 That would ultimately still be a subjective standard, so we couldn't require it, but it 1542 02:19:11,350 --> 02:19:16,270 could potentially be your idea, and we already do this currently early in the development 1543 02:19:16,270 --> 02:19:24,350 process when Samantha's team is reviewing plans and seeing where the trees are and where 1544 02:19:24,350 --> 02:19:26,170 thinking about early in the development process 1545 02:19:26,170 --> 02:19:27,610 with those development proposals. 1546 02:19:28,470 --> 02:19:31,250 So that does happen, but it is kind of subjective, 1547 02:19:31,430 --> 02:19:32,350 and it's just a discussion, 1548 02:19:33,070 --> 02:19:35,250 and we provide guidance on that. 1549 02:19:35,930 --> 02:19:39,170 And to that end, that kind of idea 1550 02:19:39,170 --> 02:19:42,470 could be in our like our objective standards, 1551 02:19:42,610 --> 02:19:44,450 like guidelines document, for instance, 1552 02:19:44,510 --> 02:19:48,190 for development to get that early consideration 1553 02:19:48,770 --> 02:19:52,770 and to have that be prioritized in some way in that document. 1554 02:19:52,770 --> 02:20:08,330 but it's not something we could ultimately require of developers, and that could also be again kind of going to that incentive process as well, where we see incentives being the best way to get those outcomes that we desire. 1555 02:20:09,390 --> 02:20:10,250 Thank you. 1556 02:20:11,270 --> 02:20:12,070 Thank you. 1557 02:20:12,530 --> 02:20:13,090 Others? 1558 02:20:13,650 --> 02:20:14,450 Commissioner Cummings. 1559 02:20:15,190 --> 02:20:17,750 If I might on a couple of points. 1560 02:20:18,110 --> 02:20:22,730 Can we go to this issue for a moment of ministerial approvals? 1561 02:20:23,250 --> 02:20:25,990 That's the topic I would like to discuss here. 1562 02:20:28,870 --> 02:20:35,130 The proposal here would let's define the universe of ministerial approvals. 1563 02:20:35,270 --> 02:20:36,090 Let's do that first. 1564 02:20:36,090 --> 02:20:37,010 So 1565 02:20:48,530 --> 02:20:58,330 we would be proposing it as an option both for I am still having a hard time hearing you please sorry is that better. 1566 02:21:00,780 --> 02:21:07,640 We're proposing it as an incentive for pursuing the alternative to the density bonus expansion. 1567 02:21:13,250 --> 02:21:24,330 So this proposed alternative would leverage the state density bonus and allow for ministerial approvals for projects that comply with a set. 1568 02:21:24,330 --> 02:21:26,470 that number of council priorities. 1569 02:21:27,390 --> 02:21:31,070 This is an alternative to the direction 1570 02:21:31,070 --> 02:21:34,730 for exploring the density bonus expansion. 1571 02:21:37,420 --> 02:21:42,240 So we are, if we were to move forward, 1572 02:21:44,270 --> 02:21:49,220 in certain circumstances, a choice could be made 1573 02:21:50,130 --> 02:21:53,560 to go to a ministerial approval 1574 02:21:53,560 --> 02:21:57,240 as opposed to now finish that sentence for me. 1575 02:21:58,280 --> 02:22:02,600 As opposed to pursuing the state density bonus and waiving, 1576 02:22:03,500 --> 02:22:10,220 or using incentives and concessions to deviate from the city's objective design standards. 1577 02:22:13,510 --> 02:22:17,080 I appreciate your answer. 1578 02:22:17,440 --> 02:22:19,400 Let me try to rephrase my question. 1579 02:22:21,660 --> 02:22:22,720 Right now, 1580 02:22:22,720 --> 02:22:24,660 I'll hold 1581 02:22:28,630 --> 02:22:32,970 for a second. Mr. Butler, let's see what's you and I engaged in this. 1582 02:22:33,490 --> 02:22:36,590 Let me tell you what my concern is and then you can assuage it or not. 1583 02:22:37,050 --> 02:22:38,710 And I think I can answer the primary question. 1584 02:22:38,710 --> 02:22:39,210 Well, there we go. 1585 02:22:39,630 --> 02:22:45,010 Are you trying to understand the distinction between a ministerial process and what happens now? 1586 02:22:47,190 --> 02:22:50,830 I'll just say it in my words, so we're real clear about what it is. 1587 02:22:51,990 --> 02:23:02,480 My concern generally speaking is the way the public can participate in developments among 1588 02:23:02,480 --> 02:23:09,740 other things is that they have an opportunity either at one, two, or three different levels 1589 02:23:09,740 --> 02:23:20,860 of this city government to express their hopes, desires, objections, happiness, etc., in 1590 02:23:20,860 --> 02:23:28,460 assuming, and you can correct me on this, that by allowing ministerial approval, those 1591 02:23:28,460 --> 02:23:32,100 options are not available to the public. Am I right? 1592 02:23:33,180 --> 02:23:33,560 Partially. 1593 02:23:34,200 --> 02:23:34,280 Okay. 1594 02:23:34,440 --> 02:23:42,360 So, and potentially, that would be up to the discretion of the council. However, I will go 1595 02:23:42,360 --> 02:23:48,300 back to the 100% affordable ministerial proposals that have gone to the planning commission, but 1596 02:23:48,300 --> 02:23:56,060 not yet come to the council, for example, as part of that process, we were requiring that 1597 02:23:56,060 --> 02:24:02,120 a community meeting be held early in the process. So in order to qualify, you would have to go out 1598 02:24:02,120 --> 02:24:09,180 and engage with the community and get that feedback early in the process. So there wouldn't necessarily be 1599 02:24:09,980 --> 02:24:15,980 a hearing in front of the hearing bodies, but there would be an opportunity for community engagement. 1600 02:24:15,980 --> 02:24:23,580 And that same sort of framework could be established for an approach such as this should 1601 02:24:23,580 --> 02:24:26,260 the council want to pursue this path. 1602 02:24:28,590 --> 02:24:31,930 Does that, do you want me to rephrase that? 1603 02:24:32,250 --> 02:24:44,950 The reason I'm hesitating is it does seem that if we didn't do anything, and there is 1604 02:24:44,950 --> 02:24:50,690 a project proposed, and there's not a ministerial approval option. 1605 02:24:50,890 --> 02:24:58,910 What there is is a process where planning commission, city council, neighborhood comes 1606 02:24:58,910 --> 02:25:04,670 in, says at the planning commission, we're concerned about X, Y and Z. They hear at that 1607 02:25:04,670 --> 02:25:10,970 meeting what we can do and not do under the laws that have been passed in the last eight 1608 02:25:10,970 --> 02:25:17,350 nine years we can educate and inform them about what our jurisdiction is and 1609 02:25:17,350 --> 02:25:25,330 what it isn't. I view that as an opportunity for what I'll continue in 1610 02:25:25,330 --> 02:25:31,050 education of our public who may or may not understand the degree to which we 1611 02:25:31,050 --> 02:25:38,410 have lost virtually all of our discretionary authority under the state law and 1612 02:25:38,410 --> 02:25:47,190 And I am interested in focusing their concern, where they can get on the correct 1613 02:25:48,410 --> 02:25:54,450 individuals or individuals generally, if that's their state legislators, because they 1614 02:25:54,450 --> 02:26:01,130 don't like that they've lost the ability to come to the city council and get the kind of response 1615 02:26:01,130 --> 02:26:14,270 the answer hoping for by doing ministerial approval were further in my judgment, were further eroding the public's ability to understand what's going on here. 1616 02:26:14,930 --> 02:26:27,070 Whereas if we don't change that point and there are repeated opportunities, we then have the opportunity to have a more informed public project by project decision by decision. 1617 02:26:27,070 --> 02:26:39,070 that's of interest to me. So the degree to which this changes that and eliminates a more robust public participation, 1618 02:26:40,150 --> 02:26:52,310 I would need to be convinced that what we are getting for that is worth the offset of having less genuine public participation. 1619 02:26:54,170 --> 02:26:59,530 I would suggest that the community meeting process does offer genuine participation and 1620 02:26:59,530 --> 02:27:02,310 certainly that message is conveyed as part of that process. 1621 02:27:03,110 --> 02:27:10,070 And I think that there is an opportunity there still, you know, this is really a decision, 1622 02:27:10,230 --> 02:27:11,790 a policy level decision for the council. 1623 02:27:12,450 --> 02:27:19,010 This is an opportunity if you want to encourage developers to follow certain priorities that 1624 02:27:19,010 --> 02:27:27,350 you get to set, then this would be an option for you to do that. So this is a lever that you can use 1625 02:27:27,830 --> 02:27:36,870 to encourage certain following certain approaches. You identify these approaches. If the developer 1626 02:27:36,870 --> 02:27:42,770 follows those approaches, then they can pursue this path. We can still have that community meeting. 1627 02:27:42,770 --> 02:27:51,670 we can still convey that policy issue and the lack of discretion that the City Council 1628 02:27:51,670 --> 02:27:56,870 or the Planning Commission or the Zoning Administrator have, because there is very little discretion 1629 02:27:56,870 --> 02:28:03,150 in those decisions at this point. And so that certainly can be conveyed, but really what this 1630 02:28:03,150 --> 02:28:11,830 boils down to is whether as the Council, you want to make that trade off. And that's a policy. 1631 02:28:11,830 --> 02:28:14,870 It's also something that you don't necessarily have to decide today. 1632 02:28:15,510 --> 02:28:23,790 You could decide, let's say we go forward with those other recommendations, and after 1633 02:28:23,790 --> 02:28:31,250 you develop those policy priorities, you could say, hey, it would be great if we had a 1634 02:28:31,250 --> 02:28:38,710 little more leverage to encourage developers to proceed with one or more or all of those 1635 02:28:38,710 --> 02:28:42,770 priorities, and then you can decide to go down that path at that point. 1636 02:28:45,210 --> 02:28:46,030 Thank you. 1637 02:28:46,130 --> 02:28:50,650 I think that's a serious answer to what I hope was a serious question. 1638 02:28:51,670 --> 02:29:01,870 The, see if I, from your answer, it sounds like using your word the leverage, you know, 1639 02:29:02,130 --> 02:29:07,030 creating the opportunity, giving a developer this opportunity. 1640 02:29:07,030 --> 02:29:16,490 The ministerial approval, the way I heard that, is listen developer, if you'll go do this, 1641 02:29:16,790 --> 02:29:25,690 which we want you to do, we will let you avoid City Council and Planning Commission meetings 1642 02:29:26,370 --> 02:29:30,710 where the public may show up and raise issues about you to go. 1643 02:29:30,870 --> 02:29:35,590 We will absolve you of that if you go over here and do something. 1644 02:29:35,590 --> 02:29:37,070 Am I right on that? 1645 02:29:37,290 --> 02:29:37,550 Correct. 1646 02:29:37,730 --> 02:29:43,550 Follow certain procedures, like the community meeting, as well as follow certain priorities, 1647 02:29:44,030 --> 02:29:47,810 say, you know, whether that's setbacks or heights or whatever it may be. 1648 02:29:48,250 --> 02:29:51,150 And that's sort of the balancing act that the council would have to make, you know, 1649 02:29:51,170 --> 02:29:54,450 put something out there that's more enticing than the state density bonus 1650 02:29:56,050 --> 02:29:59,410 with that carrot of a ministerial process. 1651 02:29:59,410 --> 02:29:59,970 you 1652 02:30:00,000 --> 02:30:29,980 I understand these are trade-offs. I would observe that unless we were pretty careful on what these community meetings are, if they are going to substitute for a planning commission meeting and a city council meeting, and we're going to consolidate all of that in a community meeting, my guess is that that's very different than a hearing before the planning commission. 1653 02:30:29,980 --> 02:30:38,860 are hearing before this body. That sounds to me as if that is much less formal. 1654 02:30:41,060 --> 02:30:42,120 The community 1655 02:30:42,120 --> 02:30:49,900 meeting can take a lot of forms. It can be a syrup. It can be a, here's four tables. Go around 1656 02:30:49,900 --> 02:30:55,900 and look at the various things and ask questions or write things down on a three by five card or here's 1657 02:30:57,940 --> 02:31:02,180 I'm going to show you how old I am, one of those things that squares with all the stuff 1658 02:31:02,180 --> 02:31:02,560 on it. 1659 02:31:02,660 --> 02:31:07,160 You know, do that and you know, you can provide your comments that way. 1660 02:31:07,320 --> 02:31:13,960 That's very different in showing up at a council meeting or a planning commission meeting 1661 02:31:13,960 --> 02:31:20,320 where especially a city council meeting where elected officials can be held responsible 1662 02:31:20,320 --> 02:31:25,680 and accountable for their votes and their comments, then a community meeting is where none 1663 02:31:25,680 --> 02:31:32,580 of that happens. And that's what it seems to me anyway. But I appreciate your response. 1664 02:31:32,580 --> 02:31:36,680 I appreciate your comment. Thank you for that. There are other comments. Vice mayors 1665 02:31:36,680 --> 02:31:44,060 recognize. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. And thank you for the work on this so far. I see this 1666 02:31:45,180 --> 02:31:52,840 direction and item as a step towards pushing back against development that our community 1667 02:31:52,840 --> 02:32:00,520 has communicated to us electives as not what they want to see in our community. 1668 02:32:01,180 --> 02:32:05,760 I understand that we may have to provide some trade-offs and some incentives 1669 02:32:05,760 --> 02:32:07,980 and I think we'll cross that bridge when we get there. 1670 02:32:08,600 --> 02:32:11,500 You've given us some potential options for incentives 1671 02:32:11,500 --> 02:32:16,140 and when you bring it back before us then we'll have some more deliberation. 1672 02:32:17,220 --> 02:32:21,960 But I'm excited about this item because this is our opportunity 1673 02:32:21,960 --> 02:32:29,560 as city leaders and city elected officials to respond to what I've been here and what 1674 02:32:29,560 --> 02:32:34,860 we've been hearing from the community around yes to housing that can we do it our way. 1675 02:32:35,420 --> 02:32:37,100 So those are my comments for now. 1676 02:32:38,640 --> 02:32:39,400 Thank you. 1677 02:32:41,530 --> 02:32:42,230 Thank you. 1678 02:32:42,670 --> 02:32:45,130 Really debate or discussion comments. 1679 02:32:45,350 --> 02:32:49,910 Let me go out to the public and see if there's anyone with us either in Chambers or on 1680 02:32:49,910 --> 02:32:56,350 line who would wish to comment. I see no one in chambers does it do so. And we will take the 1681 02:32:56,350 --> 02:33:02,830 first person online, person online. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Welcome to the council meeting. 1682 02:33:03,210 --> 02:33:08,370 Good afternoon. This is Rob is on the field again. I'm speaking on behalf of Santa Christian B in 1683 02:33:08,370 --> 02:33:15,010 strong support of the staff recommendations. I wanted to focus on one key point. The city should 1684 02:33:15,010 --> 02:33:23,910 move forward with a local ministerial approval pathway for projects that can compete with 1685 02:33:23,910 --> 02:33:29,530 the state density bonus that are tied to clear objective design priorities that the 1686 02:33:29,530 --> 02:33:35,730 city council chooses. There's a tendency to think that ministerial approval is a loss 1687 02:33:35,730 --> 02:33:41,010 of local control, but in this case, in this moment, the reality is the opposite is true. 1688 02:33:41,010 --> 02:33:52,750 If the city is not on track to meet its rena obligations and particularly it's above moderate income targets, state law will be imposing SB 35 streamlining already. 1689 02:33:53,310 --> 02:33:57,570 That process is fully ministerial but it comes with far less local flexibility. 1690 02:33:58,530 --> 02:34:05,650 The city would be limited to applying only existing objective standards and very little ability to shape the outcome beyond that. 1691 02:34:05,650 --> 02:34:13,490 and that includes not being able to modify projects that are proposed to use the state density bonus law. 1692 02:34:14,310 --> 02:34:19,210 So the choice isn't really between discretionary review and ministerial approval. 1693 02:34:19,750 --> 02:34:24,330 The choice should be between local structured ministerial approval designed by the city 1694 02:34:24,330 --> 02:34:31,330 or state imposed ministerial approval with minimal local tailoring beyond the existing objective standards. 1695 02:34:31,330 --> 02:34:36,910 The staff recommendation gives you more local control by incentivizing projects that use 1696 02:34:36,910 --> 02:34:40,890 the local process instead of the state streamline process. 1697 02:34:41,570 --> 02:34:46,690 By creating a local pathway where ministerial approval is tied to compliance with the city 1698 02:34:46,690 --> 02:34:51,110 defined design priorities, you actually retain more influence over project outcomes. 1699 02:34:51,770 --> 02:34:56,270 You can set those expectations early, align those incentives and guide design in a way that 1700 02:34:56,270 --> 02:34:57,570 reflects community values. 1701 02:34:58,090 --> 02:34:59,950 If we wait, we lose that opportunity. 1702 02:34:59,950 --> 02:35:04,310 projects will be approved ministerially, but under a framework, we didn't design. 1703 02:35:04,950 --> 02:35:09,570 Just as importantly, ministerial approval reduces delay on certainty and cost. 1704 02:35:09,950 --> 02:35:12,030 Those are some of the biggest barriers to housing production. 1705 02:35:12,710 --> 02:35:17,010 If we want more housing, especially at moderate income levels and above, we need faster and 1706 02:35:17,010 --> 02:35:19,030 more predictable approvals. 1707 02:35:19,650 --> 02:35:22,130 The staff report lays out a practical path forward. 1708 02:35:22,770 --> 02:35:27,270 Don't try to out-compete state law, but instead leverage it and shape it to achieve local goals. 1709 02:35:27,270 --> 02:35:32,010 This is about being proactive rather than reactive, and we strongly encourage you to 1710 02:35:32,010 --> 02:35:36,430 adopt the recommendations and begin implementing a ministerial pathways as soon as possible. 1711 02:35:36,890 --> 02:35:37,390 Thank you. 1712 02:35:38,450 --> 02:35:39,170 Thank you. 1713 02:35:39,390 --> 02:35:40,150 John Phil does. 1714 02:35:40,970 --> 02:35:41,810 Very helpful. 1715 02:35:42,190 --> 02:35:43,270 I appreciate your comments. 1716 02:35:43,510 --> 02:35:44,470 We have anyone else online? 1717 02:35:44,910 --> 02:35:46,150 We'll take the next person online. 1718 02:35:46,270 --> 02:35:46,710 Good afternoon. 1719 02:35:46,950 --> 02:35:48,230 Welcome to the Council meeting. 1720 02:35:51,240 --> 02:35:52,160 Hello, Council. 1721 02:35:52,480 --> 02:35:52,880 Hello, Mayor. 1722 02:35:53,220 --> 02:35:54,400 This is Bradley Snyder. 1723 02:35:55,780 --> 02:36:09,320 identity, development, a critic, and Sequoia climbing square. I think everybody has a really 1724 02:36:09,320 --> 02:36:13,420 diverse view of exactly what kinds of heritage trees you're talking about. There were 1725 02:36:13,420 --> 02:36:20,760 the heritage trees that Cynthia Matthews planted along one of the side streets downtown. 1726 02:36:20,760 --> 02:36:27,520 there are all kinds of issues with the magnolias that were taken out to build this new development, 1727 02:36:28,180 --> 02:36:36,020 the library, parking lot, retail, et cetera, or a building, certainly will be missed. But 1728 02:36:37,040 --> 02:36:43,860 I think the ministerial approval, I think one thing to really think about very clearly is that 1729 02:36:43,860 --> 02:36:55,220 But kind of almost predetermined candidate to be that head of this body, his family's 1730 02:36:56,040 --> 02:36:59,880 commercial interests are housed in a building that was one of the redevelopment buildings 1731 02:36:59,880 --> 02:37:06,720 that was built only by this process of heavily relying on public funding of these buildings. 1732 02:37:07,600 --> 02:37:13,700 And one thing that does to the local economy is it makes it kind of just like you can't 1733 02:37:13,700 --> 02:37:19,020 park in any buddy's backyard anymore because that purported backyard, which is public space, 1734 02:37:19,440 --> 02:37:25,440 which is being projected as their backyard. There's no longer any interstitial space, 1735 02:37:25,440 --> 02:37:33,240 and you have to take out trees to build anything new. And the money behind it, the motive behind it, 1736 02:37:33,680 --> 02:37:42,400 while altruistic motives for affordable housing are really what pushes it through often the 1737 02:37:43,700 --> 02:37:45,960 The amount of money that's being made is kind of obscene. 1738 02:37:46,060 --> 02:37:52,460 Down in L.A., they criticize some of the gubernatorial candidates are criticizing the fact 1739 02:37:52,460 --> 02:37:56,740 that they, you know, this is probably a huge exaggeration, but they're saying they spend 1740 02:37:56,740 --> 02:38:00,720 a million dollars per homeless person to deal with homelessness down there. 1741 02:38:00,860 --> 02:38:04,840 And in some ways, you know, this state is very interconnected and, you know, you're looking 1742 02:38:04,840 --> 02:38:10,500 at, well, okay, you're spending, you know, something on that scale to just help each individual 1743 02:38:10,500 --> 02:38:17,300 unit that ends up costing at market, you know, the market payment for those units are in 1744 02:38:17,300 --> 02:38:23,000 the thousands per month, whereas the low-income fraction, you know, that money is being 1745 02:38:23,000 --> 02:38:29,700 provided by taxes. And so it's a steam-rolling kind of effect, and I think ministerial approval, 1746 02:38:29,700 --> 02:38:35,560 which will be passed on to Ryan, I mean, almost inevitably, I mean, I'll buy anybody 1747 02:38:35,560 --> 02:38:42,600 lunch at Denny's who uh you know uh wants to bet you know that um yeah I mean you know I 1748 02:38:42,600 --> 02:38:48,060 just foregone conclusion we don't we don't have it we don't have anybody uh that uh you know 1749 02:38:48,060 --> 02:38:52,160 feasibly is gonna gonna win so you have four years of Ryan Coonerty who's gonna be 1750 02:38:52,680 --> 02:38:57,020 rubber stamping all kinds of stuff I suppose I don't know that's just what it seems like from the 1751 02:38:57,020 --> 02:39:04,660 public perspective thank you well thank you anyone else matters back before the money 1752 02:39:04,660 --> 02:39:07,660 pleasure of the body. Councilmember O'Hara is recognized. 1753 02:39:08,200 --> 02:39:11,900 Thank you. I have a motion mayor that I'm hoping the clerk will bring up. 1754 02:39:18,880 --> 02:39:21,560 Before I start reading through it, I'll note that it is 1755 02:39:22,340 --> 02:39:29,380 taken from staff's recommendation. What's in bold or I guess underlined is new and there's also 1756 02:39:29,380 --> 02:39:34,920 a strikeout. So motion to direct staff to proceed with a proposed direction for the design guidelines 1757 02:39:34,920 --> 02:39:40,400 and priorities handout. That remains the same. Further develop the handout for engagement with design 1758 02:39:40,400 --> 02:39:45,640 professionals, the community, and the architectural review committee, including guidance on preferred 1759 02:39:45,640 --> 02:39:51,600 design and architectural approaches, re-established a new housing ad hoc committee, comprised of 1760 02:39:51,600 --> 02:39:57,440 Vice Mayor Colin Tarar Johnson, Council Member O'Hara and Council Member Newsom for no more than 1761 02:39:58,240 --> 02:40:06,460 12 months, with a specific focus and the only focus serve as a council liaison to this effort and 1762 02:40:06,460 --> 02:40:36,240 and receive updates and help guide the development of recommendations related to the design guidelines and priorities and out for the county city council's consideration convene a council study session or regular city council meeting general business item and fall of 2026 to present the city that sorry to present council housing ad hoc committee recommendations and receive council policy direction on design priorities return to council following the fall 2026 council. 1763 02:40:36,240 --> 02:40:41,640 discussion with recommendations for council priority setting coupled with incentives for 1764 02:40:41,640 --> 02:40:46,820 complying with these priorities and with potential implementation options based on feedback 1765 02:40:46,820 --> 02:40:53,260 from that council housing ad hoc committee. Number six remains the same as staff. 1766 02:40:53,700 --> 02:41:00,140 It's a recommendation to not further explore the feasibility expanding the downtown density bonus 1767 02:41:00,140 --> 02:41:06,660 this concept and other areas of the city strike the next one from explore to concept. 1768 02:41:07,460 --> 02:41:12,660 And then the last one also remains the same prepared draft updates to the heritage tree 1769 02:41:12,660 --> 02:41:17,560 regulations for housing development projects and direct staff to return to council with 1770 02:41:17,560 --> 02:41:19,440 the proposed ordinance in fall of 2026. 1771 02:41:20,420 --> 02:41:22,140 There's a motion is there a second? 1772 02:41:22,240 --> 02:41:22,620 One second. 1773 02:41:22,900 --> 02:41:23,980 There's a motion now a second. 1774 02:41:24,100 --> 02:41:26,200 Councilmember Ohera, you may open on your motion. 1775 02:41:26,660 --> 02:41:27,040 Thank you. 1776 02:41:27,040 --> 02:41:32,360 And even though we've only had a couple people make comments today, I think Mayor, your 1777 02:41:34,580 --> 02:41:40,280 questions about this pathway for ministerial approvals are very much in line with the 1778 02:41:40,280 --> 02:41:42,240 catalyst of this recommendation. 1779 02:41:42,480 --> 02:41:50,100 And I also think the comments from our Vice Mayor and the comments from Rafa were in a very 1780 02:41:50,100 --> 02:41:59,640 interesting time here in terms of how do we continue to try to thread the needle of maintaining 1781 02:41:59,640 --> 02:42:07,240 some level of influence on how our built environment is going to look when we have had almost 1782 02:42:07,240 --> 02:42:09,060 everything stripped away, right? 1783 02:42:09,700 --> 02:42:16,180 I think everything, all the motions that were included in 2025 that ended up being reported 1784 02:42:16,180 --> 02:42:25,540 it on today came from me in some certain motion amendments and in large part what I have 1785 02:42:25,540 --> 02:42:32,760 been trying to do over the last year is figure out if there are approaches that we can 1786 02:42:32,760 --> 02:42:41,000 be taking to incentivize our local development community as well as others that are obviously 1787 02:42:41,000 --> 02:42:48,280 not based on Santa Cruz that are building here to build what we want to see, and I realize 1788 02:42:48,280 --> 02:42:55,140 we have very little influence, but is there a way for us to do a couple things? 1789 02:42:55,980 --> 02:43:00,520 So I'm going to go kind of through what we're trying to do with these ads. 1790 02:43:02,160 --> 02:43:08,940 One, be much more deliberate about this conversation and question about what is the character 1791 02:43:08,940 --> 02:43:14,680 of Santa Cruz. I mean every time we have these conversations with our community members 1792 02:43:14,680 --> 02:43:20,120 on singular development projects, the feedback that we got get is this is not in character 1793 02:43:20,120 --> 02:43:26,100 with Santa Cruz. What does that mean? I don't, I can't say what that means but I do think 1794 02:43:26,100 --> 02:43:31,740 we have subject matter experts in our community that can help us and that can guide that conversation. 1795 02:43:31,740 --> 02:43:39,420 So the first ad for number two is really tightening up the process, it's not much different 1796 02:43:39,420 --> 02:43:45,400 than what staff recommended, but leveraging the architectural review committee that was 1797 02:43:45,400 --> 02:43:51,560 appointed after the downtown plan expansion, urban designers, other professionals, and 1798 02:43:51,560 --> 02:43:57,660 working with the community to try to help take the next several months to get to this question 1799 02:43:57,660 --> 02:44:03,680 of what do we want Santa Cruz to look like but from an architectural perspective, from 1800 02:44:03,680 --> 02:44:07,820 an urban design perspective, from a built environment perspective. 1801 02:44:08,080 --> 02:44:09,680 So that's step number one. 1802 02:44:10,580 --> 02:44:16,860 Step number two really separates out what do we want to do in terms of our design priorities 1803 02:44:16,860 --> 02:44:20,760 with what's the right process to leverage that, right? 1804 02:44:21,220 --> 02:44:22,460 I don't think those should be coupled. 1805 02:44:22,460 --> 02:44:30,760 I think we need to have a conversation with a community about what will make us get as far as we 1806 02:44:30,760 --> 02:44:36,180 possibly can in the conversation around what our built environment should look like. And we should 1807 02:44:36,180 --> 02:44:41,360 talk about that and we should decouple that from how to get there. Because I think that that creates 1808 02:44:41,360 --> 02:44:46,680 a lot of the political challenges that we are experiencing. So that's that next step, that council 1809 02:44:46,680 --> 02:44:53,700 study session or a robust general business item to get to what did that architecture review 1810 02:44:53,700 --> 02:44:58,360 committee say, what did the community say, what did the urban design professionals say 1811 02:44:58,360 --> 02:44:59,980 about all of the different... 1812 02:45:02,080 --> 02:45:29,860 What should that built environment look like that preserves the character as much as we possibly can? So that's the study session. Then returned to council after that study session and staff has worked their magic to figure out and get to the point of what you're talking about mayor. Is the ministerial approach appropriate? Are there other approaches? What is the magic configuration that will get to what Rafa talked about? 1813 02:45:29,860 --> 02:45:33,060 which I think is a really important argument, right? 1814 02:45:33,940 --> 02:45:42,840 We have zero influence over these high density, you know, development projects. 1815 02:45:43,400 --> 02:45:45,240 Can we have 10% influence? 1816 02:45:45,620 --> 02:45:46,240 Can we have 20? 1817 02:45:46,680 --> 02:45:47,200 Can we have 50? 1818 02:45:47,740 --> 02:45:50,500 You know, I want to have that conversation and how do we get there? 1819 02:45:51,100 --> 02:45:56,140 So that's the next one and then the rest of it is either remaining the same and the strike 1820 02:45:56,140 --> 02:46:01,180 through is it's duplicative now because it's been replaced by a new one. Thank you. 1821 02:46:03,560 --> 02:46:11,160 I have a clarifying question for this motion on number three. 1822 02:46:13,620 --> 02:46:15,960 My understanding is that we 1823 02:46:15,960 --> 02:46:26,340 have a current council housing ad hoc committee. It says to establishing new council ad hoc housing 1824 02:46:26,340 --> 02:46:27,400 adding ad hoc committee. 1825 02:46:27,900 --> 02:46:30,880 That's correct, Council Member Bruner, I appreciate the question. 1826 02:46:31,040 --> 02:46:36,520 The intent here is to replace the existing ad hoc committee with this new ad hoc committee. 1827 02:46:37,480 --> 02:46:42,940 By state law, ad hoc committees have to be limited in duration and specific in terms of 1828 02:46:42,940 --> 02:46:43,280 scope. 1829 02:46:43,700 --> 02:46:48,780 So the original ad hoc committee's work has been completed and what's being proposed here 1830 02:46:48,780 --> 02:46:52,580 are the specific purposes that are outlined in the motion. 1831 02:46:53,600 --> 02:46:54,340 Thank you. 1832 02:46:54,340 --> 02:46:57,700 the questions comments 1833 02:47:01,190 --> 02:47:09,790 anybody yes we look at me well I can understand how that 1834 02:47:09,790 --> 02:47:14,990 would be a difficult thing to do I understand that we have a moment and a second 1835 02:47:14,990 --> 02:47:20,790 let me see if there's anybody wish to comment on the item all right matter for 1836 02:47:20,790 --> 02:47:24,990 the debate or discussion seen here and none clerk will call the bill. 1837 02:47:25,710 --> 02:47:26,670 Councilmember Tugaro. 1838 02:47:26,950 --> 02:47:27,090 Aye. 1839 02:47:27,670 --> 02:47:28,030 Reiner. 1840 02:47:28,670 --> 02:47:29,030 Aye. 1841 02:47:29,430 --> 02:47:29,690 Houston. 1842 02:47:29,870 --> 02:47:30,070 Aye. 1843 02:47:30,650 --> 02:47:30,950 Older. 1844 02:47:31,390 --> 02:47:31,870 Sahara. 1845 02:47:32,050 --> 02:47:32,230 Aye. 1846 02:47:32,450 --> 02:47:33,550 Vice Mayor Kalantar Johnson. 1847 02:47:33,750 --> 02:47:33,930 Aye. 1848 02:47:34,210 --> 02:47:34,690 Mary Peeley. 1849 02:47:34,890 --> 02:47:35,010 Aye. 1850 02:47:35,650 --> 02:47:35,770 Aye. 1851 02:47:36,090 --> 02:47:37,330 Motion passes and scored. 1852 02:47:38,910 --> 02:47:39,750 For the business. 1853 02:47:40,010 --> 02:47:40,110 No. 1854 02:47:40,570 --> 02:47:41,150 For the business. 1855 02:47:41,510 --> 02:47:41,670 No. 1856 02:47:42,610 --> 02:47:47,970 Motion adjourned by Councilmember Golder who is already out of her sheet and ready to leave. 1857 02:47:48,570 --> 02:47:49,050 Let me see. 1858 02:47:49,190 --> 02:47:51,330 Anybody else out of their seat and ready to leave? 1859 02:47:51,450 --> 02:47:54,430 Well, Mr. Newsom is almost out of his seat and ready to leave. 1860 02:47:54,430 --> 02:48:02,030 is the second non-debatable, those in favor signify by saying aye, opposed, motion carries, and so what do we stand adjourned? 1861 02:48:02,590 --> 02:48:03,110 Thank you. 1862 02:48:03,690 --> 02:48:04,230 Thank you. 1863 02:48:11,080 --> 02:48:13,080 We have such smart staff people. 1864 02:48:13,560 --> 02:48:13,720 Thank you. 1865 02:48:13,720 --> 02:48:18,380 Lord, their majestic Marty Banzos are so good for us.