Agenda
Transcript
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[26:21]
The 330 p. m. meeting of the Bakersfield City Council
[26:24]
is now in session. Good afternoon. It's my pleasure to
[26:32]
call to order the 330 Regular City Council meeting of
[26:35]
July 15th, 2026. Madam Clerk, please call the Raw. Mayor
[26:40]
Go Here. Vice Mayor Core. Here. Council Member Aryas. Here.
[26:46]
Council Member Gonzalez. Council Member Weir. Here. Council Member Smith.
[26:52]
I am here. Council Member Coman. Here. And Council Member
[26:55]
Bashar Tash. Here. Thank you. In keeping with Council's Resolution,
[27:00]
the Public Statements portion is divided into two periods. There's
[27:04]
a period for items listed on the meeting agenda and
[27:07]
items not on the meeting agenda. Additionally, pursuant to changes
[27:12]
in state law, the City Council will now accept public
[27:15]
statements via phone access and in person. And to all
[27:19]
of you who are here today, thank you so much
[27:21]
for your willingness to be flexible. We know anytime there's
[27:25]
a new system, but we will all agree, I hope,
[27:30]
to give each other grace as we work through this
[27:33]
system that ultimately we hope will be better for all
[27:37]
involved. So thank you all for navigating whatever you had
[27:40]
to do out there. Unexpectedly, and we'll just move forward
[27:43]
together. Does that sound good? Nod your head. Hopefully, yes.
[27:48]
Statements for items listed on this afternoon's agenda are given
[27:51]
a two - minute time limit, 10 minutes for participants
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by phone in 10 minutes for persons in - person
[27:57]
participants. 20 minutes total. Statements regarding.
[28:10]
Items not listed on the agenda are also given a
[28:13]
two - minute time lap, 10 minutes for participants by
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phone, and 10 minutes for in - person participants. If
[28:18]
you have written comments that are longer than your verbal
[28:20]
statement, give them to the clerk who will give copies
[28:22]
to the council. If you're here to make a public
[28:25]
statement, please register using the kiosk at the back of
[28:29]
the chambers where you entered staff will be there to
[28:32]
help if you're needing that. And yes, that you select
[28:36]
whether you're here to speak on an item listed on
[28:39]
this afternoon's agenda or in a matter not on the
[28:42]
agenda. Speakers who do not identify specific agenda item will
[28:47]
be presumed speakers for the non - agenda portion. Those
[28:51]
speakers will be called during their non - agenda portion
[28:53]
of the meeting. Everyone in attendance is in person or
[28:56]
by phone is expected to adhere to the rules of
[28:59]
decorum established by Resolution of the City Council. They'll uto
[29:03]
to abide by the city's Robicorum, including any disruptive behavior
[29:07]
that interferes with our ability to have an orderly and
[29:11]
efficient meeting prevents the City Council from conducting the business
[29:14]
of the city. Consider this a first warning to everyone
[29:17]
participating that conduct that Disrupts the meeting may result in
[29:21]
expulsion and or the Chambers being cleared. Behavioral Disrupts a
[29:25]
meeting includes repetitive statements shouting, hate speech, interrupting staff or
[29:30]
presenters during the meeting speaking out of turn outbursts from
[29:33]
the audience. In telephonic participants are expected to adhere to
[29:37]
the same rules of decorum as those attending here in
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person. Madam Clerk, do we have any public speakers regarding
[29:43]
items not listed on the agenda? We'll start with the
[29:47]
phone comments if you, any of those. We have. Not
[29:51]
ready to see any. Requests to speak by phone. We
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do have two speakers in person. The first speaker is
[29:58]
Eddie Lane. Thank you. Good
[30:08]
afternoon. I'm Eddie Lane with the CR Club. Thank you
[30:11]
for committing 500, 000 dollars. To purchase and plant trees.
[30:16]
You listened to the voices of the community. This was
[30:20]
not a staff recommendation. Unlike the over 1 million dollars
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is in current contracts for tree trimming and removal. Up
[30:27]
to 725 trees removed. Our July 6th recommendations endorsed by
[30:33]
Belting Healthy Communities and Leadership Council for Accountability and Justice
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and their emails attached. Um, are one. For accountability and
[30:43]
public confidence. That the dollars are well spent that this
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500, 000 dollars be designated in a separate account, an
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urban greening capital expenditure account with monthly reporting of funds
[30:55]
spent. Two, a community - based plan be developed through
[30:58]
special meetings of the city safe and healthy neighborhoods committee,
[31:02]
preferably in community settings such as friendship house. Uh, we
[31:06]
need you, sorry to say this, please understand. We need
[31:10]
you horses. This is an analogy to listen directly to
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the public regarding the use of these funds. The initial
[31:17]
staff idea presented last week was to purchase in Plant
[31:21]
900 Trees using this 500, 000 dollars That's over 500
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dollars per tree. Bakersfield can do better. That's putting the
[31:30]
cart before the horse. The public needs to be offering
[31:33]
suggestions directly to you. Then you can provide the size
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and color and structure of the cart for city -
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staff to best use this 500, 000 dollars. We have
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a model. The model is the current River Parkway. Decades
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ago, volunteers planted hundreds of trees along the parkway, which
[31:51]
are being enjoyed today. We have time. Today's July 15th.
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We can develop a time, a plan by October 15th,
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one additional request today. I would request a report from
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2025 - 26 of funds used for tree planting. Thank
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you for this opportunity. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Lane.
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Madam Clerk, next speaker please. The next speaker is
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Raw Contrarius.
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Welcome. Please introduce yourself a moment. Oh sure. I'm having
[32:40]
a hard time hearing, but I have two minutes to
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say something. That's okay. We're just, uh, we just need
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one minute. If you just want to sit down right
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there, we need our City Clerk to come back. Just
[32:49]
sit right in the front seat. Oh. You can just
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sit there just one minute. Please, thank you. That's not
[33:00]
a problem. We understand.
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The next Speaker is Ral Contreras. Mr. Contreras. You may
[33:36]
speak now. Go ahead. Yes, welcome. Yeah, I'm calling
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about, I'm here for. What the police call classify as
[33:51]
a two day stage live band event. It happens every
[33:55]
Friday and Saturday night starting at 2. 30 in the
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morning and going till 6 a. m. for the past
[34:03]
year. I have. My complaints. They have fireworks. There's no
[34:10]
license for the bar. There's no, I really basically just
[34:14]
coming in front of you trying to bring it to
[34:16]
your attention. I don't know how to stop it other
[34:18]
than I know they're applying for a conditional use from
[34:21]
it. Possibly a zone variance to do this legal party
[34:25]
that starts. Every Friday and Saturday for the past year.
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I've lived there for eight months. Every time I called,
[34:32]
they show up. And they, uh, do nothing. They just
[34:38]
say, take it up with the City Council. And like
[34:40]
I said, here's my list of all the days for
[34:43]
years where they will not do nothing to fire department.
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Won't respond. They have no business permit. They have no
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ABC license. It's got a bar with bar stools right
[34:53]
in the front window. And it starts every Friday and
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Saturday night. Thank you, Mr. Contreras. Uh, Mr. Clegg, is
[35:00]
there someone who can assist him and just getting the
[35:02]
information and then we'll follow up with you. So if
[35:06]
you, where would you like him to go to get
[35:08]
connected with somebody? Oh, it's pretty good. Please take his
[35:11]
gentleman. Mr. Contreras, that young man right there will help
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you and will take your information. Thank you. Madam Senator
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Clerk, do we have any other speakers.
[35:39]
Welcome. Please introduce yourself. Thank you so much. Um, good
[35:42]
afternoon, Council and Mayor. My name is Abby Power. I'm
[35:45]
a policy advocate with leadership council for Justice and Accountability.
[35:48]
Um, we're in support of the request in the Sierra
[35:50]
Club to conduct community listening sessions and include community input
[35:54]
in the creation of a plan to allocate the 500,
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000 dollars, which is available for tree planting. Members should
[36:00]
be involved as a tree canopy is something that impacts
[36:02]
the everyday life and wellbeing of maker sale residence. We
[36:05]
suggest that multiple meetings be held to gather community input
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during times which are accessible for many residents. For example,
[36:11]
a 12 p. m. meeting in a 6 p. m.
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meeting and that the location of these meetings, um, be
[36:15]
held in community centers or schools near the communities that
[36:18]
are lacking tree canopy. And the options to participate virtually
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should also be available. Um, secondly, I would like to
[36:24]
comment on the, um, availability of the general plan. And
[36:27]
we would like to request that the city extend the
[36:29]
comment deadline for the general plan, the general plan was
[36:32]
released on, um, July 7th without notification until this past
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Monday, July 13th. So we would like to ask that
[36:40]
the city extend the common deadline so that residents are
[36:42]
able to participate in commenting on the general plan and
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also release translations of the general plan in both Spanish
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and Punjabi to ensure that all Baker said residents have
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the opportunity to comment on and rebuilt the plan. And
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thank you so much. I appreciate your time. Thank you,
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Ms. Power. And. Do we have any other speakers. Marigo,
[37:05]
that was the final speaker for non - agenda items.
[37:07]
Thank you. Next item, please. Agenda item public statements. Do
[37:16]
we have any agenda item public statements? Madam Clerk. Margot,
[37:22]
we have not received any requests to speak by phone
[37:24]
or in person for agenda items. Thank you. Next item,
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please. Closed session item 5A public employee performance evaluation, City
[37:37]
Manager. Motion closer close motion to adjourn to close session.
[37:44]
We're juntoclistician. And for the record Council Member Gonzalez is
[37:49]
here, he arrived at 337.
[2:09:25]
Reconvening the 330 City Council meeting, Vice Mayor, Action on
[2:09:29]
closed session item, City Managers evaluation is not concluded and
[2:09:35]
will be continued to the August 5th meeting. Thank you.
[2:09:37]
Thank you. And with that, we stand a journ at
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513. Thank you all for being here. We have a
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five o'clock meeting that's gonna take just a few minutes,
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but we're gonna do a technology switch out. We'll do
[2:09:49]
the five o'clock meeting, we'll do the 515 meeting. But
[2:09:52]
five is very fast.