[GAVEL POUNDS]
We now call to order the regular meeting of the city council,
the successor agency to the former redevelopment
agency and the public financing authority,
and special meeting of the Azusa city utility
board of the city of Azusa.
Today is Monday, August 17, 2026.
It is now 6:30 PM.
City clerk roll call, please.
Council Member Sabrina Bow.
Here.
Council Member Andrew N. Mendez?
Present.
Council Member Robert Gonzalez?
Here.
Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Avila Jr.
Here.
Mayor Edward J. Alvarez?
Here.
Thank you all.
This is now the--
we do have three items in closed session.
Item 1, conference with real property negotiators
pursuant to California Government Code section 54956.8,
property address 729 North Azusa Avenue, city negotiator Sergio
González, city manager, negotiating parties
at Patel ANS management and investment
incorporated under negotiation price in terms of payment.
Item 2, conference with legal counsel existing litigation
pursuant to Government Code section 54956.1(d)(1),
name of case Whittier versus Los Angeles County Superior Court,
LASC case number 23STCP03579.
Item 3, conference with legal counsel anticipated litigation,
significant exposure to litigation pursuant
to Government Code section 54956.9(d)(2) one potential
case.
This is now the public's opportunity
to address the Council on closed session items only.
Each person, a representative of a group,
shall be allowed to speak without interruption
for up to five continuous minutes, subject to compliance
with applicable meeting rules.
If you are joining remotely and wish
to address the council at this time,
please raise your digital hand now
or dial star 5 to indicate you wish to speak.
Once you are called, please unmute yourself
or press star 6 to speak.
In-person participants will be called first, followed
by remote participants.
City clerk, are there any in-person speakers?
No, mayor and council.
There are none.
City clerk, are there any remote participants?
No, mayor and council.
There are none.
Seeing none, the public comment period is now closed and we will
recess to close session and reconvene at approximately 7:30
PM.
[GAVEL POUNDS]
We now call to order the regular meeting of the city council,
the successor agency to the former redevelopment
agency and the public financing authority
and special meeting of the utility
board of the city of Azusa.
Today is Monday, August 17, 2026,
and it is approximately 7:37 PM.
City clerk, roll call please.
I will be doing roll call for both city council and utility
board.
Yes.
Board member Edward J. Alvarez?
Here.
Board member Robert Gonzalez?
Here.
Board member Sabrina Bow.
Here.
Vice Chairman Andrew N. Mendez?
Present.
Chairman Jesse Avila Jr.
Here.
Council Member Sabrina Bow.
Here.
Council Member Andrew N. Mendez?
Present.
Council Member Robert Gonzalez?
Here.
Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Avila Jr?
Mayor Edward J. Alvarez?
Here.
Thank you.
We now ask that you please stand for the flag salute
and it will be led today by Debbie Gutierrez.
Stand up if you can.
Right hand over your heart.
Those in military uniform are free to salute instead
of the hand over the heart.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
And to the Republic for which it stands
One nation under God
Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you.
Please remain standing for the invocation from Reverend Alvin
Miranda, police chaplain.
Please join me in prayer.
Bow your heads with me.
Lord, we are very thankful that you
have given us this city that's affectionately
known as a Canyon City.
Those 50,000 people this council represents,
those 10 square miles that they watch over.
We pray, Lord, that you would give our city manager, Sergio
González, our mayor Alvarez and the council members
Mendez, Avila, Bow and Gonzalez, all the wisdom, all
the discernment and everything they
need to make good choices that are
the ones that are be blessing for every citizen in the city--
the city of Azusa.
We also are thinking of those--
I think of our police chief Wenrick, Lord.
I pray that you would-- along with their staff,
bring protection to each and every officer that's
out there tonight representing this city.
They would go home safe and be blessed.
I also think of fire chief Anthony Marrone and his command
staff.
I pray that the people of station 97
and those at 32 that you'd keep them safe, watch over them.
But at the end of the day, we come here today
that you would bless this meeting
and that every choice and decision that is made
would be a blessing to every citizen in the city of Azusa.
And we ask your blessing upon us tonight in your holy name.
And all God's people say amen.
Amen.
Earlier we had met in closed session.
City attorney, is there anything to report?
Yes, we did conduct three items on closed session
and there was no reportable action taken.
Thank you.
We will now move to public comment.
This is now the public's opportunity
to address the council on items listed or not listed
on this agenda.
Comments related to the public hearing
will be taken at the time of the public hearing is held,
each person or representative of a group
shall be allowed to speak without interruption
for up to five continuous minutes, subject to compliance
with applicable meeting rules.
Individuals may only speak once during this public comment
period.
This council meeting is a limited public forum.
Speaker comments during public comment
must be limited to matters within the council's authority.
If you are joining remotely and wish
to address the council at this time,
please raise your digital hand now
or dial star 5 to indicate you wish to speak.
Once you are called, please unmute yourself or press
star 6 to speak in person.
Participants will be called first, followed
by remote participants.
City clerk, are there any in-person speakers?
Yes, Mayor and council, there is the first card BG Casas.
Welcome BG.
[APPLAUSE]
All right.
Good evening, mayor, council members, city manager,
city clerk and staff.
My name is BG Casas, and I am the President
of Canyon City Runners.
Azusa, formerly known as Dog Hause Running Club Azusa.
And although our name has changed,
our heart and our mission has not.
Three years ago, we started as a small run club
founded by Debi Ramos with one simple goal in mind
to bring people together through movement.
What began with just 12 runners has
grown into a thriving community, built on three values that
continue to guide everything that we do; fitness, fun
and philanthropy.
Over the three years, something amazing has happened.
We didn't just grow as a run club.
We became part of the fabric of the city of Azusa.
That's why we chose to rebrand as Canyon City Runners Azusa.
Our identity is tied to the city we love, the people we serve,
and the community we've built together.
And now that Dog Haus beer garden is back.
We're excited to continue supporting the place where
our story began, while using our broader reach
to bring even more people into Dog Haus and downtown Azusa.
Every Thursday at 6:00 PM, we meet at the Orchard in downtown,
welcoming runners and walkers of all paces and abilities.
They support our local restaurants and businesses,
meet new people, improve their health,
and discover what makes this city so special.
But our impact goes beyond movement.
We've partnered with Azusa PD to raise
funds for the K9 unit and Baker to Vegas relay, supported breast
Cancer Awareness through the Azusa PD Pink Patch Project,
partnered with Azusa Connects for the Autism Acceptance
and Awareness Walk, collecting toys for the neighborhood
homework House of Azusa, built an ongoing partnership
with the Azusa library through our community game nights,
and participated in the city's golden days celebration,
supported and spotlighted local businesses
and continue to look for ways to give back whenever we can.
We are not just a run club, we're
a community that believes in making
Azusa healthier, stronger while giving back to the city we love.
Tonight, we simply wanted to introduce ourselves
under our new name and let you know that our mission hasn't
changed.
We remain committed to fitness, fun, and philanthropy, and we
proudly and proudly representing the city of Azusa
wherever we go.
We're also very excited to invite our city to join us
on Thursday, October 15 at 6:00 PM at the Orchard for the Route
66 Centennial 5K run walk, celebrating 100 years of Route
66 as part of Azusa golden days.
Runners and walkers of all paces are welcome,
and every registered participant will
receive a beautiful commemorative finisher
medal celebrating this historic milestone.
Before I close, I want to sincerely thank the city council
and leadership for embracing our club
and believing in what we're building.
Your support has meant more than you know.
As a small token of our appreciation,
we'd like to present each of you with a Canyon city runner shirt
that reads "Building a healthier Azusa Together."
We hope you will wear it proudly.
Thank you for welcoming us.
We are proud to be Canyon City Runners Azusa,
and we look forward to serving this incredible city
for many years to come.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you.
Ladies, ladies, ladies--
With us, I have Angie Vargas, who's part of our leadership.
We also have Mara Amador, part of our leadership,
and Eddie [? Barrera, ?] who was not able to make it.
And of course, your Canyon City runners.
[APPLAUSE]
Can we open one?
Shall we open one?
Yeah, can we open one.
All right.
This is for-- oh, Sergio González.
Sergio.
Here you go.
Canyon City Runners our logo in the back.
This is our monogram.
And Building a Healthier Azusa together.
Thank you.
So ladies and gentlemen, I hate to tell you,
but we do not allow clapping.
If we allow clapping, we have to allow booing.
I'm sorry about that.
So we do not allow clapping.
Thank you.
OK.
See.
Thank You.
You shouldn't be booing Jessie.
Jessie.
[LAUGHTER]
Next card please.
The next card is Adam [? Raph. ?]
Welcome.
Hello.
Hello, everyone.
My name is Adam [? Raph. ?] I'm a 30-plus year resident
of Azusa.
I'm a long-time activist and also
an independent news reporter.
And I'm here today to talk about a disturbing trend
in government-- in general, from federal to state, even to local.
So what I'm observing and what I think
the general population of the United States is observing
is that government is no longer behaving as our servants,
and they're no longer acting in our interests.
They seem to be acting in their own interests.
And for example, at the federal level,
they're sending a great deal of our tax money to Israel.
And there's no vote involved.
The people have no say in how their money is spent,
and the whole system appears to be
set up so that the people really have no substantial access
to reign in their government and to control them,
because this is the land--
this government is of the people, by the people,
and for the people.
So the people are in charge of this government
according to our Constitution.
But the federal government has infringed
on our constitutional rights in a myriad of ways.
And I'm not going to get into that because we're here
at the local level today.
But the state government has done the same many attempts
to take away our Second Amendment rights.
For example, every attempt to write a gun law
to restrict our ability to keep and bear arms
is an infringement on the Constitution.
So at the local level, it's unfortunate
that I have to be here today to talk about the flock mass
surveillance system that has been installed all around Azusa.
Now, for people that don't know, these
are automatic license plate reader cameras that
are set up throughout the city.
They're strategically set up at all the entrances and exits
of the freeways and all the major roads
entering and leaving Azusa.
So the argument is that these are for public safety.
Well, the problem is mass surveillance
does not comport with the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution,
and the Supreme Court has ruled that way on several occasions.
And just as a reminder, the Fourth Amendment
reads the right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches
and seizures shall not be violated
and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported
by oath or affirmation, and particularly
describing the place to be searched
and the persons or things to be seized.
So mass surveillance basically tracks us everywhere we go.
So this system has led to abuse by a lot of police.
There are police that have been caught
all around the country surveilling
their ex wives, an ex-girlfriend, boyfriend
and so on.
So the system is already being abused,
but it's automatically an abuse of the Constitution
and therefore it's illegal.
So as a result of this, many municipalities
throughout the country are removing the flock cameras.
And I'm here to ask you to do that in Azusa to remove these.
So one of the municipalities that just recently canceled
their flock contract was the city of Los Angeles.
So that's about as big a city municipality as you can get.
And along with Los Angeles, Denver
and many, many other large cities.
In Florida, there is a candidate running
on a platform of removing flock cameras from the whole state
of Florida.
So I'm here to ask you today to please remove these privacy
infringing cameras.
Thank you.
We have no further in-person calls.
We just have a caller on line, Mayor.
All right.
So, city clerk.
So we'll go ahead and go to the remote participants.
Caller, please identify your name and address for the record,
please.
Hear me?
Yes, can you please identify yourself, name and address.
My name is Scott Robinson, and I'm not giving out
my address for nothing.
I just want to say raise an issue of public safety
in this city.
And I want to thank the chaplain for saying, like, mentioning
to keep our police safe.
I'm a big supporter of the police,
no matter where they may be.
Anyway, I want to bring up this public safety issue.
I hate trannies.
I hate them so much.
These transgenders are invading our cities.
They used to be stuck in these big cities like Los
Angeles and San Francisco, but now they're
raiding Azusa and all other cities in the Foothill
and all over California.
They beat our girls in sports.
They rape our women in restrooms.
They also rape our women in county jail.
And I don't want any more trannies in this city.
They need to be institutionalized.
California needs to get rid of all these special rocks laws,
especially since all these trannies are getting off
welfare benefits.
I hate them so freaking much, and I hope that on item 2
when you consider a resolution appointing candidates
to the Office of City Treasurer and Office
of city clerk and cancelation of at large, whatever.
I think that there should be no trannies considered
for that post.
I believe men are men and women are women.
As he sang on Law and Order and you knew who you were then.
Girls were girls and men were men.
And that's something we all need to believe in.
And also, I really think that we need to cut government waste
and stop giving free handouts to transexuals, especially
transsexual homeless people come here from other states
and cause all sorts of problems, and they rape our women
and they rape our kids, and they need
to be sent up to camp somewhere out in the wilderness
and gotten rid of.
And they're a waste of taxpayer dollars,
and I'm sick and tired of cities coddling these people.
And of course, we need to kick them out
of our library, low-voltage cabling.
How about high-voltage treatment for these transsexuals?
And also, I'm sick and tired of all this crap, all this DEI crap
and all this stuff.
And I know you're all sick of it, too.
This is a majority Hispanic community,
and I know you Hispanics don't like no trannies.
I mean, I live up in Murdock County.
I live like on California route 139,
and we don't do that crap up there.
I'm sick and tired of this crap invading various cities
across the California.
And that's why I'm calling it to every city council in California
to tell them how much trannies do not
belong in our civil society.
They do not belong here.
They need to-- they need to go away
and consideration of purchase and installation
of furniture for the [INAUDIBLE] city library.
No furniture because all the homeless people
will feed on it and stuff.
And also electrical vehicle charging.
Electrical vehicle charging is for liberals in LA and Santa
Monica and West Hollywood and San Francisco.
Yeah, we don't want no trannies in this city.
And God bless America and God bless our eternal President
Donald Trump.
And God bless Israel and God bless you all, if you--
I want to see a commitment from this city council
that they will not enable the transgender agenda.
And I just-- and God bless Israel and God
bless our hopeful governor [INAUDIBLE] who
we hope to get installed instead of Xavier Becerra
because he's Democrats have done nothing
but ruin California and ruin our way of life.
OK.
With that Mayor, there are no further public card
participants.
And with that, I'll say that's what happens when state mandates
we have to go remote.
Anyways, we now move to reports, updates and announcements
from staff and council.
And we'll start with our city clerk.
Yes, Mayor and council.
It is again that time of the year
when we have our culture-- our commission and board
applications.
So it was closed this last week on August 13.
We got 20 applicants.
There are 10 commission openings, multiple applicants
applied for multiple positions.
So with that being said, we're asking
if you would possibly the dais would be available for Monday,
August 31 or Monday, September 14
for our traditional interviews at the Azusa Light and Water
department.
I'm sorry, city clerk, can you give us
those dates one more time, please?
August 31 or September 14.
And just for the record, we are interviewing
for two positions on the arts and cultural,
two positions on the library, two positions
on parks and recreation, two positions on planning.
And there are two positions open for the personnel board,
but those will not be interviewed
for they are city employee and personnel board elected.
So I'm available both days so I'll open it up to others.
I'm not available on the 31, Mayor.
So only on the 14th?
I'm only available on the August date.
I'm not available on September 14.
Both dates are available.
They're good for me.
Well, three.
And if you guys needed to go ahead and do that,
the four of you can do that.
And I trust your judgment regarding those interviews.
So don't let me stop you from--
So the 31, 31, 31--
31.
So you're OK with that?
Yeah.
I won't be able to make it, but you guys
can do those interviews.
And I apologize to the interviewees.
I won't be able to make the 31.
Yeah, and we apologize for being at the expiration
of the terms of September 30.
And it is an extremely busy calendar for all of you.
We're trying to find what would work best, but those
are the two dates that were--
[INAUDIBLE]
So August 31 it is.
And I'll just so you know, we have quite a few applicants.
So I don't know if you're open to maybe starting
a little earlier.
That would be up to 5:30--
Are you available at 5:00?
5:00 or 5:30.
Either is fine.
OK.
5:00 PM.
5 o'clock.
OK.
Yeah, we have found in the past that the later it is-- it's
harder for the applicants.
So we appreciate that and we will keep it as according.
So on Monday, August 31, 5:00 PM at Azusa Light and Water
department.
OK.
Thank you, city clerk.
We now move to city manager, communications.
Mayor and council, those in the audience and at home,
I don't have any announcements this evening.
Thank you.
Real quick, before we get to council member announcements.
Chief, did you want--
do you have any comments on the flock camera?
No.
OK.
That's fine.
So we now move to council member announcements
and we'll start with Mayor Pro Tem Avila.
Thank you.
Mayor, I have a couple announcements.
Let's not all forget that this Thursday from 5:00 PM to 9:00
PM, we have the Downtown Azusa night market rocking
and Espanyol night August 20, 2026 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
right in our downtown.
Next announcement, we have a community survey local hazard
mitigation plan to reduce community risk
to natural hazards, the city of Azusa
will be updating the local hazard mitigation plan.
The survey should take approximately 10 minutes
and responses will remain anonymous.
Results from the survey will be inform the LHMP plan.
The survey deadline will be Wednesday, September the 9.
Complete the survey by visiting www.azusaca.gov.
Also, we have youth volleyball coming up from ages 4--
from grade 4 to grade 7. $35 season starts September 9
and the registration will be at Memorial Park.
Youth flag football from grades 4 to grade 7.
Also, registration will be at Memorial Park.
It'd be $35 and the season starts on September 10.
Then also really quick, I'd just like
to congratulate staff on some events
that we had since the last meeting.
The box fam barbecue on July 18 and the national night
Out on August 4.
Kathy's Cool Cuts again was another great event on August 9.
The reopening of Dog Haus.
Make sure that you go and visit Dog Haus.
We got new management.
At the Dog Haus a ribbon cutting on August the 12th.
I'd like to thank the Canyon City Running
Club for attending today's meeting and for our shirts.
And lastly, as being the liaison for the golden days committee.
Our next meeting, we're going to have a lot of announcements
regarding golden days.
We have a lot of fun events coming up.
I just want to remind everyone that the parade will
be October 17 and this year to celebrate route 66,
the parade will be on Foothill starting East, coming West
on Foothill Avenue, just like it used to be during the old days.
Once again, the parade will be August 17
and look out for more announcements regarding
golden days.
That's it, Mayor.
Thank you.
We now go to council member Mendez.
Thank you, Mayor.
And of course, it'd give me feedback.
I knew I was trying to bust out my Spanish here.
[SPEAKING SPANISH] got to work on my Spanish.
[SPEAKING SPANISH] This is in La Biblioteca in Escuela Slauson
at 340 West 5 Street.
Thank you, thank you.
That's all I got.
I hope my grandparents, who are both English second language,
are not watching tonight and they probably are.
And I'm going to get a text message right now saying
you disappointed me, Andrew.
Upcoming dates for yard sales.
Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6
are yard sales in the city of Azusa.
They are free and require no city permit,
but you must adhere to the rules and regulations listed
on the website.
Please, we've got a dream big kids community career day
at the library.
This is on Tuesday, September 8, 4:30 to 6 o'clock at the city
library, which of course, at Slauson Middle School.
And then we've got animal explorer storytime,
axolotl edition, this is Wednesday, September 9, 5
to 6 o'clock also at the Azusa library
at Slauson Middle School.
Moving on to my announcements here.
I've got a big congratulations to Council Gonzalez.
A incredible 19th annual Kathy's Cool Cuts events.
I'll let you tell that story, but congratulations on that.
I too wanted to thank the Canyon City runners
with Dog Haus back open.
I think everyone's there I had the opportunity of swinging
by three times last week.
Don't judge me a lot of energy.
I stopped by there Thursday night as well.
They had a DJ.
I had 100 and plus of my closest running friends.
There is a lot of fun.
So congratulations to them.
And then lastly, I would like to request of this council that we
do adjourn this meeting in memory of [? Johnny ?]
[? Ceniceros, ?] US Army veteran and life-long Azusa resident.
Cisneros?
Cisneros.
Thank you.
Sorry my apologies.
Thank you.
OK.
Council member Bow.
Thank you, Mayor.
Several city announcements and a couple
of updates on activity in the city.
So beginning with the Here for Azusa FeedLA free produce
distribution, it will be held at Memorial Park.
It's being held throughout the year on Wednesdays.
The upcoming dates are Wednesday,
August 19 and September 2, 16th and 30th.
Again, it's a FeedLA free produce distribution at Memorial
Park from 9:30 to 12 PM, free and open to all.
Then through the Azusa city library on August 26,
enjoy snacks from around the world.
A taste testing adventure part two.
Enjoy a trip around the world from the comfort
of your library.
Taste test and assortment of international candies, desserts,
chips and drinks from different countries.
All ages are welcome and registration is required.
Please call the library to register at (626)-812-5232.
Continuing with activities at the library on Thursday,
September 3 from 11:30 to 12:30 PM, toddler craft hour.
It's play-doh fun.
Ages 4 and under, no registration required.
Again, for more information, call the Azusa city library
(626)-812-5268.
And then rounding out the month of September.
On Tuesday, September 29 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM,
author storytime.
Its bilingual English and Spanish
storytime and meet and greet with author Katherine Trejo.
The first 100 families will receive
a free copy of her book, Yefferson, actually,
and this is author Katherine Trejo.
I wanted to report out some of the activities
and events I attended in the past couple of weeks.
On Friday, August 7, I was able to attend the teen festival
at Memorial Park.
Over 300 Azusa youth middle school and high schoolers
attended.
There was in and out a rock climbing wall and ax
throwing contest, and it was a great way
for our youth to spend a safe evening in Azusa.
And they even had a parents lounge
for parents who wanted to let their kids have fun,
but also stay close.
So that was fun to take a sneak peak.
The DJ was only 15 years old, so when
we talk about a teen festival, it really
was a teen-led and teen-inspired festival.
Then of course, Kathy's Cool Cuts on the 9, a fantastic
event, and I wanted to also thank my colleagues
for their support in being able to provide
a certificate of recognition to the San Gabriel Valley Business
Association.
SGV Business Association will be celebrating its 10th anniversary
tomorrow at Marie Callender's breakfast at 7:30 AM.
I'm planning to be there and hope to see you there as well.
And then city manager, I just have one question
about the general plan survey.
Has the survey period closed and do
we have any indication of the number of responses?
And was it only done online?
Council Member, let me have our director
provide some information on that survey.
Good evening.
Council Member Bow, we advertised online.
Last time I checked, which was last week,
we had about a little bit over 300.
Outreach included us being at public events, trying
to help people to send them to the QR code
to fill out the survey.
So it was a web-based survey.
So we were asking folks to use the web page to input
that information.
And so has the survey period close?
It closed, I believe last week either Thursday or Friday
or the 13th, I'm sorry.
I forget what day that is.
Just to offer my feedback only because the general plan
is about every 20 years that we do this.
I think it's such an important time to invest a little as
much as we can to encourage as broad-based community support
and participation as possible.
I am wondering again, not being on the committee,
but being part of council, I'm wondering
if we might consider opening up the survey response time,
the window a little bit longer, and perhaps now that school
has started, use our school district
partner to be able to get these surveys out into families
through the district flyer.
It's a captive audience that we might capture,
as well as maybe taking paper copies
or taking iPads or tablets over to the senior center
to help our seniors participate in the survey,
just so that we're getting--
I don't want to quantify it, but get a significantly more
robust response rate only because this general plan comes
around only every 20 years, and it
seems like 300 might not be as representative
as we would want it to be for such an important planning
period.
Yeah, that's good direction.
We do have the ability to go back and open it up for a few
more weeks.
I will have to talk to the staff, the team,
because it may require an adjustment to our timelines,
but I'm sure we can go on ahead and accommodate.
Thank you.
Is there a first meeting of the committee scheduled?
We were interested in taking the information of the survey
to share that with our general plan steering committee,
to share our initial findings.
So at this point, we're looking probably
into the fall, maybe late October,
November to share that information.
But we can definitely look to maybe holding the timeline.
It's looking at the consultant's bandwidth
to see if they can accommodate an extended comment period,
and hoping that it doesn't necessarily
impact our deliverable of having a meeting in the fall.
Thank you.
That's my feedback around the survey response
for the general plan survey.
Well, I think we should probably leave it up to staff
if they can do that or not.
I can tell you, though.
I mean, we do have a new school superintendent,
but I can tell you that schools stopped distributing flyers
a few years ago.
That was an issue we had brought up many times,
but they don't distribute our flyers anymore.
And they don't-- basically they don't distribute paper.
It's even for them a lot of it is online or school
announcement.
I really don't know.
The flyers are electronic.
And we've taken opportunities at recently at national night
out there was the running group at one of their previous events.
I actually was there personally taking surveys myself.
So we're trying to do our best, but this feedback is definitely
welcome and we can revisit.
Just try to bump up our numbers-- our numbers.
Thank you.
Anything else?
So now we go to council member Gonzalez.
Thank you, Mayor Alvarez.
I have a handful of announcements.
One, I have from the library.
It is our teen do-it-yourself crafts,
and we have anime paint night, and that will be held Thursday,
September 17 from 4:00 to 5:00 PM at our own city library.
It is our pre-drawn canvases featuring characters
from one piece and demon slayer, and then add
your own creative touches open to ages 12 to 18.
And that once again will be Thursday, September 17
at our library.
We do have on Tuesday, September 15 is a decorate a mini pinata
and that's also held at our city library.
And if we have-- for more information,
you would like to call area code 626-812-5268.
And both those events will be at our library.
And from our parks and rec division,
we have Mighty Mite flag football
and will be co-ed grade grades kindergarten through second.
The price is $50 and you want to register in person at Memorial
Park at 320 North Orange place, or online
at azusaca.gov/civicrec and the season starts September 15.
And lastly, we have our pet of the month,
and I would like to thank our colleagues once again
for adopting this program for our community,
where we advertise an adoptable pets that need to be cared for
and have a forever home.
And so this month's pet of the month.
And I would like staff to strongly ask our new partners
to see if we can actually get the pet here.
I think that worked very well when we had our pets here
in the audience, and it had great success
getting these pets adopted.
But this month's pet is a black cat named Daffy.
And I think we have--
I think she's coming up here.
Let me see here.
Nope.
Some technical difficulties here.
It's a domestic short hair, age two years old.
It's a neutered male.
It's affectionate, cuddly, friendly, gentle and playful.
So if you're into cats, there's Daffy.
Daffy guys.
So Daffy needs a forever home.
So if you're in the cats, this is definitely your cat for you.
So please contact Inland Valley to see
if we can get Daffy adopted.
So, Council Mendez, I know this is for you right up your alley.
So please--
What size?
What type of dog do I have?
We're a Frenchie type of house.
Thank you.
We'll go very well together.
So please consider giving Daffy or any of these animals
a forever home.
Please adopt at your first choice.
I get it, but these animals need forever homes,
so please consider that.
And lastly, my colleagues had mentioned regarding Kathy's Cool
Cuts.
This has been a program that's been in this city for 19 years.
And with my colleagues blessing, traditionally our next council
meeting, I would like to acknowledge the hairstylists
and barbers and all the donors that helped make this event very
successful.
So, colleagues, if it's OK, I will work with the city clerks
to get those folks recognized.
And I will give you the magic number,
amount of haircuts and kids that we touched and helped
their first day of school, 309 students that we
cut hair and gave school supplies for last Sunday
or previous Sunday.
309 kids that we got ready for school.
So I want to thank all the individuals from the council
helping picking up hair.
We had a planning commissioner, Chris Dodson,
thank you very much for giving your time.
Talent City manager Sergio González.
You didn't get your nails done, but thank you anyway.
And I would like to thank Marty [INAUDIBLE]
for actually getting the media out here to cover this event.
We had, I believe, Channel 11 and Channel 7 cover this,
and that's the first time ever.
So I want to thank those news outlets for making that happen.
So with that, we look forward to recognizing the time and talent
on our next meeting on September 21.
So with that, that's all I have.
Mayor, thank you.
All right.
Thank you.
I also have some announcements.
Adult game night, Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
join us for an exciting evening at [INAUDIBLE] Hosted
by Canyon City Runners Azusa and Azusa city library
for a fun packed, competitive Super Smash Brothers game
night on the Nintendo Switch.
September 24, 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM at [INAUDIBLE] 100 West Foothill
Boulevard.
For more information, call the city library (626)-812-5232.
City of Azusa community resources.
Pony League Baseball, for the 2026 fall season.
Ages 12 to 14.
The cost is $50.
Registration is open August 10 to September--
through September 16.
All games and practices played at Gladstone Park, 414 South
Pasadena Avenue, and the first practice
will be the week of September 21.
You can also register online at Azusaca.gov/civicrec.
For more information, please call (626)-812-5280.
Next, we have presented by the city of Azusa,
the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments,
the California Department of Fish and Wildlife,
and the Indian Valley Humane Society Neighborhood Coyote
Informational workshop.
Join the Azusa community for discussion
on Coyote awareness, education and safety.
Hear from local agencies, learn important tips for safety living
alongside local wildlife and have an opportunity
for question and answer.
That's Thursday, September 3 at 5:00 PM at the Azusa city
library at the Slauson auditorium, 340 West 5 Street.
Event is free and open to the public.
Registration is not required and for questions,
please email neighborhoodserv ices@azusaca.gov.
That's neighborhoodserv ices@azusaca.gov.
Also, on Wednesday evening meditation workshops.
August 12 and September 16, 5:30 to 6:30 PM at the Azusa city
library at Slauson, 340 West 5 Street.
Registration is not required and for more info,
call the Azusa city library at (626)-812-5232.
With that, as I believe was mentioned,
the Dog Haus is now reopened.
We did have a new dental studio open ribbon cutting.
Thank you, chief to police department
and your staff for the National Night Out.
Everything went very well.
I think Council Member Gonzalez talked about coolcutttz,
and I also attended the [? Dharmakaya ?] ceremony
for either getting ready to build their meditation hall,
and they did have a period of meditation.
I didn't know what I was doing, but I just closed my eyes
and put my head down.
But they do have meditation classes to teach you.
And funny, the city library, you just
mentioned meditation classes there too,
so you're competing with dharmakaya there.
But anyways, I also spent a couple of days in Las Vegas
to tour bus manufacturers.
The Foothill Transit is going to build some double-decker buses,
and Las Vegas already has double-decker buses
on their streets on the strip and other various parts of Las
Vegas.
So we went to go check out that manufacturer,
and I believe that's all I have.
So with that, we will move to scheduled items.
The first scheduled item is designation
of voting delegate and alternate for the League of California
Cities 2026 annual conference and consideration
of proposed resolution packet.
And I'll turn it over to staff.
Good evening, Mayor, city council, Nico De Anda-Scaia,
deputy city manager.
This is a standard item that goes before councils every year
in anticipation of the League of California Cities
annual conference, which is being
held at the end of next month in the city of Anaheim.
In advance of the conference, the league requests
that member cities designate a voting delegate,
and an alternate to represent the city position
on legislative matters that are voted on
during the conferences general assembly business meetings.
This year, one resolution has been
introduced for consideration by the league's membership.
The city of Murrieta and several [INAUDIBLE] cities
are sponsoring a resolution in response
to concerns over state laws that have increasingly
reduced city discretion over housing and land-use decisions.
As provided in the background information,
more than 500 housing related laws
have been enacted by the state since 2010 that
have expanded by right approvals for housing projects,
limited the application of locally-adopted standards
and review processes, and established enforcement
mechanisms against local governments.
Additionally, the city of Murietta
maintains that the state has continued
to prioritize increased development
capacity without adequately accounting
for the infrastructure, public services, economic realities,
and safety measures necessary to support housing growth.
While the resolution itself does not prescribe a specific policy
mechanism, it calls for the creation of a working group
or committee to evaluate potential approaches, including
legislative proposals, constitutional amendments
or ballot initiatives to restrain--
to restore and strengthen local authority over housing and land
use matters.
Further investigation would need to be
done by the committee, including what
specific legislative strategy should be taken.
These recommendations would then be brought back
for further consideration.
On its face, the proposed resolution
appears to be consistent with the city of Azusa's 2026
legislative platform, which prioritizes
local control and collaboration and decision making.
Therefore, staff recommends that the city council designate
a voting delegate, and an alternate for the league's
annual business meeting and authorize the council's delegate
to vote in support of the league's 2026 general assembly
resolutions packet.
Currently, the city council's representative to the league
is Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Avila, with Council Mendez
as an alternate.
Council may designate any member as voting delegates
or alternates to the general assembly.
That concludes staff's report unless there are any questions.
Thank you.
Questions?
None.
No questions of staff, Mayor.
But I am unfortunately unavailable during the time
slot, so would not be able to serve as the alternate.
Do we have anybody else attending?
I am signed up to go and I plan on being there
and so I'm already signed up to go.
But we do need an alternate just to make sure if something
happens and I can't make it.
And I support keeping Mayor Pro Tem Avila as the main source.
But the alternate, I will not be in attendance
as well, but Mayor or council member Bow
if you're available for an alternate.
I'm not able to serve as an alternate for that conference.
I don't even know if I'm attending that one.
Do we have to have an alternate?
No.
OK.
So then we'll leave.
Mayor Pro Tem Avila as the delegate with no alternate.
Everyone's OK with that?
Yes.
Do we need an informal vote or just a direction?
City attorney, do we need a formal vote?
If they request a vote, yeah.
OK.
So we do have--
do we have a motion?
There are two items to designate the voting
delegate and alternate and to concur with staff's position.
Do we have a motion to approve?
I'll make them--
I'll second Council Member Mendez' motion.
So motion by Council Member Mendez
and seconded by Council Member Gonzalez.
Let's light up the board.
It passes unanimously.
So we go to item 2, consideration of a resolution
appointing candidates to the Office
of City Treasurer and Office of the City Clerk,
and cancelation of the [INAUDIBLE] November 5, 2020
general municipal election as authorized by California
elections code section 10229.
And I'll turn that over to staff.
Mayor and council, at this time, I'm
going to turn it over to Annette Juarez, our city clerk service
manager, due to the uniqueness of this item.
There you go.
Mayor and council, before you, for your consideration,
is a resolution to appoint candidates
to the offices of city treasurer and city clerk.
And the cancelation of at large general municipal election.
Back on June 1, you adopted a resolution
to call for the election for the offices of city council member
district one, city council member district 3, city
treasurer and city clerk.
The candidate nomination period was held from July 13
through August 6, and at the close of that nomination period,
there was only one person that filed nomination papers
for each of those two offices city treasurer and city clerk.
Pursuant to California elections code section 10229,
if at the close of the nomination period,
the number of persons nominated does not
exceed the number of seats to be filled at that election,
the election officials shall submit a certificate of facts
to the city council, as well as publish that same certificate
of facts in the newspaper, and after the fifth day following
the publication, the city council
is authorized to either appoint the person or persons who
are nominated or vote to continue
to hold the election with just the one
individual for each office.
Should the city council decide to appoint,
the decision must be made by the 75th day before the election,
which is this Wednesday, August 20.
The persons appointed would take office and serve exactly
as if elected, with their term beginning in December 2026
and for the full four-year term.
The election for those two offices would then be canceled
and the two district city council member seat elections
would still continue.
Without the need for the citywide election services from
the registrar of voters, the city could realize an estimated
cost savings of $105,000.
So with that, staff recommends that the city council adopt
resolution number 2026-C48, appointing Arthur M. Vasquez Jr.
to the Office of City Treasurer, and Jeffrey Lawrence Cornejo Jr.
to the Office of city clerk, each for a full term of four
years in lieu of an election, and canceling at large general
municipal election for those two offices only,
or direct staff to continue preparation for at-large general
municipal election for city treasurer and city clerk,
with the one candidate that has been nominated for each office.
Do we have any questions?
Are there any questions?
I don't have a question, Mayor.
I think this is a position of where
there's a cost savings here.
I think my question is for future elections, every office,
every two years we have elections
and obviously council and city treasurer and city clerk
now are good for four.
But if this situation ever happened at a council level,
I'm not saying it won't ever happen.
But if it did, what would be our policy?
Would we allow an election or would
we, in essence make a policy of to be
consistent with this action if there's ever a council
position that doesn't have an opponent, an incumbent,
would we forego that and as a policy,
or is that going to be just determined
on what we feel at that time, city attorney?
Yes, that would be a determination at the time
for the council sitting.
I would as a policy, at least for discussion,
if we ever have that happen for the council would say, hey,
let's save the money and move it forward to the general fund.
But just my thought, Mayor.
I'm not going to lose sleep over either way, but just a thought.
City attorney, is that something we can actually
make a policy on, or is it something that we
have to vote on each time?
I think the law is going to want that to be acted on at the time.
OK.
All right.
Thank you.
So I guess that answers that.
So do we have a motion to approve either option A or B?
Do we have a motion?
I want to that motion, Mayor?
For option?
Yeah.
Option A.
OK.
So we have a motion to approve option A by Council Member
Gonzalez.
Do we have a second?
Second.
Second by Mayor Pro Tem Avila.
Let's light the board.
And that passes unanimously.
We now go to scheduled item 3, consideration
of a funding agreement between the city of Azusa
and the Azusa Chamber of Commerce.
And I turn it over to staff.
Our mayor, city council, good evening.
It's me again.
Nico De Anda-Scaia, deputy city manager.
The item before you this evening is a proposed funding agreement
with Azusa Chamber of Commerce.
You may recall that council considered this item initially
back in March of this year, deciding at the time
to table the chamber's funding request
until additional information could
be provided by the Chamber regarding
their overall fiscal, health and operational budget.
Since that time, the chamber has endeavored
to develop a full and accurate picture of their finances,
along with a clear vision for operations.
This information has been included in your packet
for your consideration.
Chamber leadership are also on hand
and will provide a brief presentation
as soon as I conclude here.
But to recap briefly, the city has traditionally
funded the chamber at various levels
in exchange for key business centered services that support
and promote the local economy.
The funding agreement that's before you
this evening represents council's direction
and expectations from prior discussions on this matter.
Key responsibilities of the chamber under this agreement
include business support and training through business
development workshops and resource fairs,
event coordination such as business ribbon cuttings
and the annual taste of the town event, business outreach
and marketing and promotion of city initiatives
and promotional shop local campaigns, community information
and engagement and city collaboration and transparency
through frequent and open communication with the city,
including quarterly public presentations to city council
and members of the public.
These expectations are further outlined in your agreement
under section 3.3, along with exhibit A,
which lists the chamber's full proposed scope of services.
Therefore, at this time, staff is recommending approval
of an agreement with the Chamber of Commerce for fiscal year
26-27 at a funding level of $45,000,
retroactive to July one of this year,
to be paid out in equal monthly installments.
Additionally, staff recommends authorization for the city
manager to execute up to two additional one year term
renewals, provided that the chamber
is in good standing with its obligations under the agreement,
including providing transparent annual financial reporting.
This concludes staff's presentation.
Representatives from the chamber will now
give a brief presentation and are also
available to answer council member questions.
I'd like to hand the podium over to interim executive director
Andrea Batista.
Well, good afternoon, Mayor Eddie Alvarez and city council.
Some of you may know me.
My name is Andrea Batista.
I am the interim director for Azusa chamber of Commerce.
I also have Laura [INAUDIBLE] from Preston Flowers
and Angelica from--
Angelica [? Arteaga ?] from [? Max's. ?] And we're just here
to present a quick slideshow to tell you where we were and where
we're going.
So from where we were to where we're
going, as of end of April 2026, we had a change in leadership.
Immediately, we reviewed our financials,
renegotiated contracts to lower costs,
establish new vendors that matched our financial status,
canceled unnecessary bills, and established a debt agreement
with our past tenants.
Where we're going, a solid foundation taking it back
to basics, adhering to what gives us structure our bylaws,
financial clarity reports with no holes,
payroll that matches our revenue and contracts that
make sense for growth.
Trust and transparency.
Communication that is clear with materials that allow everyone
to understand the details.
Above all, our priority is to rebuild trust
with council, the city and our business partners
following the change in leadership.
So building for the long-term, budget and fiscal calendar,
a working annual budget built around the chamber's July, June
fiscal year.
Membership engagement, growing membership value
by giving memberships a place to showcase their business,
presenting at ribbon cuttings, introducing themselves
to new business owners, and rebuilding rapport
with fellow members for mutual support and networking.
We're committed to visiting, reaching out and inviting
members to all things chamber so they can see firsthand
that what they put into their membership,
they get back many times over.
Government and continuity.
Creating systems that are structured and aligned
with our bylaws with board development.
So the chamber's growth doesn't rely on any one person,
but on a group effort.
And build for the future.
Growing our financial reserves, creating new programs
that benefit members and building
a harmonious relationship with the city.
So our vision.
A chamber built on purpose, powered by people,
with Azusa at the heart of it all.
Stability.
I'm sorry I didn't change my slide.
Stability, sound finances and clear systems the city
and community can trust.
Growth, expanded programming that brings visible
benefit back to Azusa and partnership.
A multiyear relationship with the city
built on demonstrated results.
So I have our--
just a quick outline of our calendar of events.
There's just a few of them.
Unfortunately, we had to postpone our installation
dinner because of the leadership change.
But we will be getting that back on schedule.
Quarterly chamber mixers.
October we have our taste of town,
part of the Azusa golden days celebration,
ongoing educational workshops, ongoing monthly morning coffee.
And we're going to be introducing a new series called
Did You Know.
And then in January, we're looking
to have a chamber community calendar and promotions.
So a little bit about the Did You Know series.
A lot of times we hear individuals
asking a lot of questions, businesses
ask a lot of questions.
And so what we want to do is create a new quarterly program,
one installment per fiscal year quarter designed to inform,
educate and connect the community with the chamber
and its members--
and its member businesses.
It'll run quarterly, align with the chamber's fiscal calendar,
highlights chamber resources, member business
and community facts.
Built as an ongoing engagement touchpoint between mixers
and larger events.
The Taste of Town is our signature event.
This year, our theme is A to Z in the USA.
Your route to local flavor, part of Azusa golden days, this route
66 Centennial themed evening celebrates Azusa local flavor
and its A to Z in the USA spirit.
So that's going to be held Wednesday, October 14,
5:30 to 8:30 PM at Memorial Park.
We have about 25 to 30 vendors that we are signing off.
Tickets we have here at $45, but it
looks like we're going to go with $40.
So some of the featured items will
be desserts and auction, live music, spirits, kids corner,
sampling local flavors from Azusa restaurants,
informational booths, and vendor and sponsor and volunteer
opportunities are open.
So the partnership we're asking proposing a path out of--
I'm sorry, thank you proposing a path out of survival mode.
We're proposing a multiyear partnership
that lets the chamber plan, invest and deliver.
And thank you for your time.
Do we have any questions?
Questions?
Yes.
Council Member Bow?
Good evening, Chamber.
In the materials you shared, and also in this presentation,
you allude to new membership.
Do you have a board member directory?
Yes--
That's available to share with us.
So I'm interested to know who's on your board
and who's off your board and who are continuing board members
and if you have any new board members.
OK, so board members and executive board members.
Right now we have seven present executive board members.
Well, some board and some of those are board members as well.
So we have 7 as of right now.
We really just put a pause on everything,
just that way we could comb through what
we needed to clean up.
We're moving forward in September
as far as asking and nominating new members as
well to be part of our board.
So we do want to grow that.
But as of right now, just because of the change
and trying to figure out what can we do, where are we heading,
we didn't bring anybody else on board.
So right now we have seven.
Who are they?
OK.
So Laura [? Noia, ?] Angelica Arteaga, Anthony Gallegos, Eddie
Barrera, Elena Maldonado, Marissa Tucker and Adrian
Pastrano from Home2 Suites.
And prior to the leadership change between March
and now, how many board members left the board
or exited the board if you're at seven now?
I think half of them left.
From March?
From March-- no, April.
Are you referring to April with a leadership change?
Yeah.
OK.
So from leadership change--
well, it's a series of events that happen.
The reason for the leadership change.
And so with that, we started having members resign.
So since March, I'm going to say half have left.
I was just looking for a list of board members.
I'm sorry, I don't have that.
So you have seven board members.
You used to have roughly 15.
And the seven board members that you currently have--
I think I'm understanding you don't have any new board
members, but these are board members from--
these are continuing board members.
Yes.
And you're currently serving as the interim director?
I am.
Are you serving in a paid or consulting capacity?
I'm not paid.
No.
And what's your staffing plan?
What's your staffing plan?
Do you envision having the director
be a paid part-time person or serve as a consultant
or do you envision that the chamber will
be led by volunteer staff?
So right now we don't have our director yet,
so my name will be put in that hat
and yes, that individual will be paid.
But that's going to be we need to align our salary
along with the hours of that individual that
would align with our budget as well
as our goals to move forward.
So that is all-- everything is happening in our next September
board meeting.
So that's where we're at right now as far as
if we're going to add any other employees, not at this time.
OK.
Any other questions?
So I just had a few comments.
So I'm glad to see that you did make money on Taste of the Town,
et cetera, the last ones you had.
So you have monthly coffees, but you have not
started that, right?
No.
Everything, really-- I mean, we have been involved with mixers.
We've been involved in marketing with the current businesses,
but a lot of the items we needed to put a pause on it
just so that we can, like I said, do the cleanup,
understand what direction we're going to basically create
a foundation.
There wasn't a foundation.
And so I was trying to do the math.
So depending on the number of members
and how much money you raise, so it's $300.
Is that how much it is?
$300 is the basic of the base membership.
So do you still go by--
in the past, you used to go by number of employees.
If you had more employees, they would charge more?
No, we're not.
We don't go that way.
We're not basically structuring it that way.
Yeah.
So how are you structured?
Yeah.
It's tiers.
I don't know if I have my tiers here, but our basic is $300
and then the next would be $500.
So there's three tiers $300, $500 and then $1,500 with
different perks for each tier.
Oh, I see.
[INAUDIBLE] come up--
We revamp that because of the fact that--
sorry, because of the fact that some of the tiers
had some promises that were not made previously.
So we are going to go back and look at it
and possibly change the numbers, possibly make
a few more affordable for newer businesses,
just for the simple fact that a lot of us
have said when new businesses come in,
they can't afford to be marketed and promoted at certain cost.
So our goal is to help small businesses succeed.
Part of it is allowing non-members as well
to participate until they can become members.
For us, our goal is to help the small businesses, not hurt them.
Yeah, I appreciate that because it's
true it costs a tremendous amount of money just
to open a business.
So I mean, I see--
I'm glad to see you have actually a capital improvement
plan.
You do need a new roof.
I live not far from there.
Yes, you do need a new roof.
And all these look like legitimate expenses.
I was looking at your current bank balance.
It's pretty low.
These payments, are they at the first
of the month, end of the month?
How is that going to work?
Yeah, they vary.
They vary.
Most in the first and the 15th--
The payments from the city, you said
you wanted the payments from the city monthly-- divided monthly.
Is that how you're going to do it, Nico?
Yeah, we have some flexibility.
Typically we've done them towards the beginning
of the month.
We can set up whatever date we'd like.
Yeah, because looking at the balance, current balance,
if they really want to get things done,
I think we need to adjust the initial payment.
That's just my opinion.
I don't know if others would be in tune with that,
but it's my opinion that to give them a kick start,
they're going to need a little more than one
or two payments, monthly payments.
I think one of the options is to give it to them in a lump sum.
Is that correct, Nico?
Yeah, I listed that in the staff report.
Part of the challenge is this is a performance-based agreement.
We want to be able to help the chamber be successful,
but also track accountability over the various deliverables
that are outlined in the agreement.
But yes, one of the options that I listed in the staff report,
we could do it monthly equal payments.
We're a little into the fiscal year.
So it would be a higher monthly payment
that would have been originally because we're prorating it back
to the beginning of the fiscal year.
Another alternative, I suppose, could
have been quarterly or one larger payment at the beginning
and then tapering off.
So all those are valid options that we could work with.
In the past, didn't we not give a lump sum in the past?
No.
Since I've been here, the last five years,
they were always monthly payments.
It might have been something different prior to that time.
And you're correct, Mayor.
We used to years ago to do a lump sum
and annually pay make that.
But if I remember correctly, it wasn't exactly--
we weren't exactly getting the books straight.
So we ended up going to a month to month
so we can get some of these books straightened out
on some of the reporting.
And to your-- I don't want to punish
the new leadership of the Chamber for past discrepancies.
So I'm supportive of getting them some financial footing.
My whole thing with-- and the council member Bow to stop some
of the bleeding that you guys had with the previous leadership
and for whatever happened, I think,
for me is we were supposed to--you guys were supposed to be
self-sustained back in 2011.
And here we are in '26.
So [? Andrea, ?] and as you get your director, is there a plan,
in place and you don't have to answer that right today.
But I think the goal here for the council
would to have you guys self-sustainable.
So wean you off so you guys have money
and you can survive on your own.
I think that's the ultimate goal here is so we don't
have you continue coming to us.
And it's not a bad thing.
It's a partnership, but we should eventually
get you guys self-sustained.
And I would like to see something maybe in the future,
or this council would like to see what is that plan,
how does that look.
Not today because we know this is your first step,
but I think this council would like
to see what your future endeavors are
going to look like.
So I'm supportive of a lump sum or even six-month upfront
and come back in six months.
I'm supportive of your position, Mayor, on that.
Yeah, I would say a lump sum or I don't know what you prefer.
The problem sometimes with the lump sum
is you got to make sure it lasts all year
and you have a lump of money and then you say, oh,
let's go ahead and do the roof.
Let's go do this.
And before you know it, it's out.
So I'm willing to how you feel because looking at your balance,
you do need help, that's for sure.
I don't even know if a quarterly payment would help, but at least
the bi annual or--
would be the proper term semiannual, every six months
or something to start because it looks like you do
need a lot of-- you have to get a lot of things going,
and it's going to be very easy to spend that money.
That's just my opinion.
However, if you feel--
I'm not saying I don't trust you guys.
I'm just saying it's just--
it's only natural.
It's just a natural, something that
happens when you have this lump sum of money
and you try to do everything that you need to do at once.
But if you seem to have a better control over the monies.
And if you feel you need the lump sum,
I'm all for it this year.
So you could do things like the roof,
but I don't know how you feel.
That's just my suggestion.
But yes, we did the real plan, like he
mentioned was to get you self-sustainable.
But that looks like it's going to be a few years off.
I know that because you're starting over
and I'm not going to worry about that right now.
But in the end, we are here to help you
because you have to remember that the city also
gets a benefit from promoting the business.
Whatever it is, patronizing, increase
in the patronage, et cetera, increase in sales, tax, revenue,
et cetera.
So we have to get that partnership going.
And it'd be nice once you get everything going,
the monthly coffees, the quarterly breakfasts that
used to be that you actually maybe invite us, maybe.
Yes.
Of course.
Because sometimes that didn't always happen.
And I understand sometimes if--
I used to just to go.
Just to go.
Exactly.
We want to continue this relationship as well.
And so I know I had heard those complaints that there
weren't invitations in the past, but this is new leadership.
And so we do plan to make sure this partnership continues.
This relationship continues to build.
Also with the capital improvement,
we understand that we can't do it all at once.
So that's going to be something that we're building towards.
I listed it just because it's obvious
what needs to be taken care of.
I've already had vendors come by and give us quotes, give us
some idea.
And so that way, I can present that to the board
and we can figure out what is priority.
Good news.
The roof might not look that great,
but we have another two years is--
and I had a great honest roofer come and give me
that information.
I have other people coming to give us estimates as well.
So we're doing our research and our due diligence
to make sure that we're spending this money correctly
and that we're not in the same situation.
We just need to get ourselves out of survival mode.
And like I said, looking at your balance,
you're barely surviving.
So that's why I understand if you
feel you need one lump sum or--
but Nico is shaking his head.
He's saying lump sum.
Go ahead.
You're not only starting over, you're
starting-- you took a couple steps back.
And not because of anything of your doing.
As the questions that were stated by Council woman Bow.
As far as the board member, you had
mentioned, your interim executive director.
How long are we going to be able to keep you
as interim executive director, or what
is the plan on that position right now?
Well, that's going to be a part of our September meeting
as well as I did make a commitment of six months
to the board.
So they know that they have me for sure for six months.
But then we're going to need to start talking about where
that position is going to go.
OK.
I like what I've seen so far.
I really like what I've seen so far.
And these financial statements that you presented us today
were the best financial statements
I've received since I've been on council.
So thank you for that.
And I also would be an agreement to give them a lump sum as well.
Any other questions, comments.
Thank you.
Just one additional that my--
I don't think it's been asked yet have you guys--
and you may have alluded to this,
but have you identified a magic number
to achieve critical mass as Mayor Pro Tem Avila mentioned
I think it's very noble that you're doing this for free.
However, from a sustainability standpoint, I commend you.
I thank you, but it's not sustainable.
So is there a number of members that would be required,
or even if it's a guesstimate as to how many individuals need
to be a part of the chamber for that
to be a paid, at least from a part-time perspective.
S?
We're going based off of what we had as numbers.
We had 103, but really we had 88 members paid.
When we looked at the numbers, it was about $27,000.
So is it doable?
Yes.
Can we pay somebody?
We're not going to be paying somebody an outrageous salary.
We already learned that.
But we will be able to pay somebody,
either a part-time position or a decent full time, so.
Got it.
Thank you.
And to answer your question, I don't have an exact number yet.
OK.
Yeah, but based off of what we have
and what we already know as far as individuals
that we're already talking to about becoming
members and sponsors, we're at a good start, so.
Got it.
Thank you.
And the actual.
So in looking at the different events,
you guys have obviously been one of the biggest fundraisers,
the events not just to pay a salary from purely
the annual dues.
It's from all aspects including from what the city is providing.
Is that correct?
OK.
Thank you.
With that, I have no further questions.
Ladies, I really appreciate you coming up.
I would be in favor of the lump sum.
Any other questions, comments?
OK.
With that, I need a motion.
There are three items to approve and do we have a motion
to pay the funding level.
And if you can include how you want to pay that,
do we have a motion?
Make a motion, Mayor.
For all three and to one lump sum?
One lump sum.
Do we have-- so one lump sum of $45,000.
Motion by Council Member Gonzalez.
Do we have a second?
Second.
Second by Mayor Pro Tem Avila.
Let's light up the board.
And it passes unanimously.
Congratulations.
Thank you so much.
We appreciate it.
Thank you.
Thank you council.
And thank you on behalf of all the small businesses
and other businesses in the city as well.
Thank you.
Keep up the good work.
See you tomorrow.
Why not?
So we now move to item 4, consideration
of introducing an ordinance of the city
council of the city of Azusa, California,
making amendments to chapter 58, Article II related
to waste disposal and recycling, determining the ordinance
to be exempt from [INAUDIBLE].
I turn it over to staff.
Good evening, Mayor and members of the city council.
I'm Lisa [? Sagan, ?] acting environmental programs manager.
The item before you tonight is requesting
your consideration of amending ordinance chapter 58,
Article II relating to waste disposal and recycling.
SB1383 or the short-lived climate pollutants,
requires jurisdictions to implement programs
to comply with the state's organic waste reduction
and recycling requirements.
The law also requires cities to adopt and enforce an ordinance
to ensure that the organic waste generators comply
with these requirements through a mandatory waste disposal
and recycling ordinance.
As you may recall, the city adopted the waste disposal
and recycling ordinance effective January 2022
to support SB1383.
The city council recently approved contract amendment
with [INAUDIBLE] services for commercial and multifamily
to transition from two-stream to three-stream collection program.
Because of these changes, the current ordinance
needs to be amended to reflect changes to trash collection
services for these sectors and to update
other provisions needed to support the city's
enforcement of SB1383.
So the major changes in the ordinance is are the following;
establishing the requirements for three container collection
service, four commercial and multi-family sectors.
We also updated some definitions and administrative requirements
for organic waste collection and recycling services.
Another update is on the code enforcement procedure and code
references to ensure consistency with the current state
regulations.
With that, the staff recommends the following actions;
introduce an ordinance of the city council of the city
of Azusa, adopting the proposed amendments to chapter
58, Article II related to waste disposal, recycling and number
2, determined that the adoption of this ordinance
does not qualify as a project as defined
in California Environmental Quality Act section 15378.
I welcome your questions.
Any questions, comments?
Anybody?
No.
Seeing none, do we have a motion to approve the two items.
I'll make a motion, Mayor.
I'll second.
So we have a motion by Council Member Mendez and a second
by Council Member Gonzalez.
Let's take a vote.
It passes unanimously.
So we now move to the consent calendar.
There are 16 items on the consent calendar.
I will be abstaining from item 13 due to having
property in close proximity.
Is there any other member that would
like to pull any of these items, or have a question on any
of these items?
I have questions on E8.
Number eight?
Anybody else?
Seeing none, Council Member Mendez,
is that a motion to approve items 1 through 7 and 9
through 16 with myself abstaining from item 13?
It is so moved.
Thank you, Mayor.
Motion to approve by Council Member Mendez.
Do we have a second?
Second.
Second by Mayor Pro Tem Avila.
Let's light up the board.
Passes unanimously, and we will move to item 8.
Council Mendez.
Thank you.
Chief at our last special council meeting or Water Board
meeting, we had a conversation regarding
some updates to the systems potentially
go with different service providers.
So as we're looking at this, is this in collaboration with that?
Is this a totally separate?
How does this fit into the puzzle piece
or is it a totally different puzzle?
So this is like the foundation, our [INAUDIBLE]
and our miss pretty much is what the daily function of the police
department runs on.
And this system will allow us to then grow into the other systems
that we had discussed prior.
Thank you.
From a-- so this is purely technology.
This isn't changing anything necessarily internal.
The way we handle processes or anything like that.
No, this will not change anything.
And I do see that a significant portion from the asset seizure
fund, of course, our opiate settlement funds, which
is always appreciated.
So that's all-- that's all.
I have no further questions.
Any other questions, comments?
Seeing none, Council Member Mendez,
is that a motion to approve the three items for item 8?
So move, Mayor.
So we have a motion to approve by Council Mendez.
Do we have a second?
Second.
Second by Council Member Gonzalez.
Let's take a vote.
That passes unanimously.
So we now go to.
Scheduled item, successor agency related business.
Consideration of sale and acquisition of 975 West Foothill
Boulevard from the successor agency to the city of Azusa
and related fiscal year 26-27 budget amendments.
And I turn it over to staff.
Thank you, Mayor.
Talika Johnson, Director of Administrative Services.
So before you tonight is a multi-joint item
for the city council, the utility board, and the successor
agency.
This item is fairly straightforward.
It's a request to approve a purchase and sale agreement,
and two resolutions for the city to purchase 975 West Foothill.
975 West Foothill is one of two properties
that are held by the former redevelopment agency.
And the Oversight Board January during the adoption
of the annual [? ROPS, ?] did express interest in the city,
continuing its momentum to wind down the successor agency
business.
And so before you tonight is again,
the request for the city to purchase
975 West Foothill from the successor agency
at a 50% split funding between the general fund
and the electric utility.
And so the total proposed cost is the appraised--
the latest appraised value for the property, which
was about $3.58 million.
In addition to the purchase price,
some estimated closing costs of about $100,000.
Again, that's just estimated.
And so the request tonight is for the city to purchase 975
West Foothill for a not to exceed price,
including closing costs and fees of $3.68 million,
again with a 50/50 split between the general fund
and the electric utility.
Happy to answer any questions you have.
Any questions or comments?
No questions.
OK.
Seeing no questions, this is a public hearing.
We now open the public hearing.
City clerk, [? Cornejo, ?] do we have proof of publication?
Yes, Mayor and council.
I have before me proof of posting
at the Azusa City Clerk's Department, the Azusa Police
Department, the Azusa Light and Water Department, the Azusa
Civic Auditorium, and the Azusa City Website.
Thank you.
This is now the public's opportunity
to address the council regarding the public hearing.
Each person or representative of a group
shall be allowed to speak without interruption
for up to five continuous minutes, subject to compliance
with applicable meeting rules.
If you are joining remotely and wish
to address the council at this time,
please raise your digital hand now
or dial star 5 to indicate you wish to speak.
Once you are called, please unmute yourself
or press star 6 to speak.
In-person participants will be called first, followed
by remote participants.
City clerk, are there any in-person speakers?
No mayor and council.
There are none.
City clerk, are there any remote participants?
No, mayor and council.
There are none.
Seeing none, the public hearing is now closed.
Do we have a motion to close the public hearing?
Motion to close the public hearing.
Motion to close the public hearing
by Council Member Gonzalez.
Do we have a second?
Second.
Second by Council Mendez.
Let's light up the board.
And that passes unanimously.
So with that, if there are no further questions or comments,
city attorney, do we need to take successor agency and city
council utility board separate?
Yes, I do.
So for the successor agency, there
are three items to approve.
Do we have a motion to approve?
Make that motion, Mayor.
Motion to approve by Council Member Gonzalez.
Do we have a second?
Second.
Second By Mayor Pro Tem Avila.
Let's light up the board.
It passes unanimously for the city council and utility board,
there are four items.
Do we have a motion to approve these four items?
I'll make the motion, Mayor.
Motion is approved by Council Member Mendez.
Do we have a second?
Second.
Second by Council Member Bow.
Let's light up the board.
And it passes unanimously.
And we will adjourn tonight in memory of Johnny Cisneros.
And with that, we are adjourned.
[GAVEL POUNDS]