[3:56] I'd like to officially call to order the
[3:57] regularly scheduled traffic and parking
[3:59] commission meeting of January 5th, 2026.
[4:02] Let the record show that all
[4:03] commissioners are present tonight. Vice
[4:06] Chair Arando will lead us in the pledge
[4:08] of
[4:08] >> allegiance.
[4:15] to the flag of the United States of
[4:17] America.
[4:33] We have one ceremonial item this
[4:35] evening. I will hand it over to
[4:36] Commission Secretary to present the
[4:39] item.
[4:44] Yes. Uh, thank you, Cher. We open
[4:47] nominations tonight for the position of
[4:50] uh, chair of the traffic and park
[4:52] commission.
[4:56] Nominations.
[5:00] » I nominate Commissioner Riker.
[5:06] » I'd like to nominate Vice Chair Armando
[5:08] to chair position.
[5:12] Any others?
[5:17] Okay, we'll vote first for uh
[5:21] Is there a second on any of these?
[5:27] » Can I second for me?
[5:31] » Second for Mark. Commissioner Mondo,
[5:34] >> a second.
[5:37] » a second.
[5:37] Is there a second for
[5:40] Commissioner Rickert?
[5:43] » I'll second that motion.
[5:48] » Vote for
[5:50] Commissioner Rickert.
[6:11] That motion passes for commission record
[6:13] as uh chair of the traffic commission
[6:17] meeting
[6:19] three to two. Three yes's three nos.
[6:24] Commissioner record, you are the new
[6:26] chair for 2026.
[6:34] not used to this. I'm very honored.
[6:36] Thank you folks very much. Uh
[6:39] nominations. Go ahead. Vice chairman.
[6:43] >> Open nominations now for the position of
[6:48] » Open nominations now for the position of
[6:48] vice chair for the traffic and parking
[6:50] commission.
[6:52] >> I'd like to nominate Commissioner Patel.
[6:58] » I'll second.
[7:06] Uh, please vote.
[7:21] The nomination for vice chair for
[7:25] Anil Patil passes 5-0.
[7:29] Cong congratulations, Commissioner
[7:31] Patel.
[7:33] >> Thank you, Madam Secretary. Thank you,
[7:34] » Thank you, Madam Secretary. Thank you,
[7:34] commissioners.
[7:37] » Okay, next we'll move on to public
[7:39] comments. Public comments are restricted
[7:41] to three minutes per person. Do we have
[7:44] any public comments, Madam Secretary?
[7:50] » Uh, not at this time.
[7:52] >> No public comments. Then we'll move on
[7:54] » No public comments. Then we'll move on
[7:54] to the consent calendar. Does anybody
[7:56] want to pull any item from the consent
[7:59] calendar?
[8:03] I'd like to pull item three, ask lake
[8:05] forest summary report. Just have a
[8:07] question on one.
[8:10] And I'll make a motion to approve item
[8:12] two, which is the minutes.
[8:15] >> I'll second that motion.
[8:17] » I'll second that motion.
[8:17] >> Motion made in second to approve the
[8:18] » Motion made in second to approve the
[8:18] minutes.
[8:32] Vote to approve minutes.
[8:43] Minutes for the November 23rd meeting
[8:46] are pass unanimously.
[8:50] Okay. Thank you.
[8:52] In regarding uh the aslakes forest
[8:56] summary report number three, there's a
[8:58] comment at the beginning about the
[9:03] calrans
[9:05] controlled light on the five freeway
[9:07] north on Lake Forest Drive always being
[9:10] read at the wrong time and not and I
[9:13] know we've talked about this before and
[9:15] I I personally have asked Al Calrans
[9:17] about about it and didn't get an answer.
[9:20] Is there any suggestions you have? Can
[9:22] we should the commission maybe write
[9:25] them a letter and say, "Hey guys, can
[9:26] you do something or is there any ideas
[9:30] or suggestions?"
[9:32] >> Yeah, at this point it is up to Cow
[9:34] » Yeah, at this point it is up to Cow
[9:34] Trans to obviously do their own signal
[9:37] timing for their facilities. We do have
[9:39] a cooperative agreement uh for the Lake
[9:42] Forest TSSP that has come and gone at
[9:46] this point. Uh so if uh you would like
[9:49] uh I could certainly take the request
[9:51] and then bring it up to their higherups
[9:52] as well, but we could reach out again to
[9:55] let them know that we would like to have
[9:57] them cooperate in regards to that signal
[9:59] timing at that intersection.
[10:01] >> Okay. Is that something we need to vote
[10:02] » Okay. Is that something we need to vote
[10:02] on or something you can just do or
[10:04] >> No, I could go ahead and do that on
[10:05] » No, I could go ahead and do that on
[10:06] behalf of the commission. I think it
[10:07] would help. I what you fellow
[10:09] commissioners think, but that light's
[10:11] been a mess for a long time. And uh
[10:13] people cross Rockfield and they get
[10:16] greens and a hundred cars stop at that
[10:18] light and it's it's just always red. So
[10:23] yeah, I think that would help. Thank
[10:24] you. I make a motion to approve item
[10:26] three, which is the
[10:29] uh Aslake Forest report.
[10:32] >> Uh that's a receive and file item.
[10:34] » Uh that's a receive and file item.
[10:34] >> Oh, sorry.
[10:38] Okay, next item on the agenda
[10:44] is a ceremonial or is the uh discussion
[10:46] of traffic and parking commission roles
[10:48] and responsibilities.
[10:51] I don't know who has that.
[10:53] >> Good evening. Hi.
[10:55] » Good evening. Hi.
[10:55] >> Um my name is uh Michael Irvin. I'm from
[10:57] » Um my name is uh Michael Irvin. I'm from
[10:58] the city attorney's office from Best and
[10:59] Creger. uh just invited tonight to give
[11:03] a brief uh overview of the you know
[11:06] legal boundaries of being a
[11:07] commissioner, some of the roles and
[11:09] responsibilities as well as just a a
[11:11] general overview of the you know common
[11:13] uh ethics and obligations. So uh have a
[11:17] little bit of a presentation. I can turn
[11:20] this on. Okay,
[11:25] there we go. Okay. Uh so some of this
[11:29] you may be familiar for however long
[11:31] you've served uh on the commission. If
[11:33] not it's a refresher. Uh but before
[11:35] jumping in uh you know just a basic
[11:37] overview uh between you know a the legal
[11:40] framework of the city and the commission
[11:43] uh Lake Forest is a general law city
[11:45] which operates different from a charter
[11:47] city. What this means in the context of
[11:49] a commission uh is that there are
[11:52] different rules for how commissions are
[11:53] appointed and that in addition the
[11:55] commission's duties uh are not just
[11:58] found within the city's code but there
[11:59] are also state limitations which uh I'll
[12:02] go into
[12:04] uh now you know why this uh is important
[12:07] uh you know is uh the way that uh the
[12:10] city has been set up with the city
[12:11] manager form of government is that while
[12:14] commission may interact with staff
[12:16] operational authority rests with the
[12:17] city manager and staff acts under that
[12:20] oversight.
[12:24] Now, uh I won't read off the qualities
[12:27] of a great commissioner. I'm sure
[12:29] everyone is doing a wonderful job. uh
[12:31] but uh I will just make a general
[12:33] observation that you know since we're
[12:35] all here as uh in a public service
[12:37] capacity that uh my primary focus is
[12:41] maintaining uh and reducing conflicts of
[12:43] interest uh and understanding
[12:46] uh you know how to identify those and uh
[12:50] making that clear when necessary to uh
[12:52] the commission.
[12:59] And what is important uh as I've noted
[13:01] like I said commissioners are public
[13:03] officials. We're bound by standards of
[13:04] conduct, ethics and transparency that
[13:07] ensures fairness. Uh so as you know as
[13:10] you're representing the city's
[13:11] interests, not your own personal views.
[13:13] Uh this requires maintaining an
[13:15] objective stance, encouraging public
[13:17] trust, demonstrating commitment to the
[13:18] community, really about impartiality.
[13:24] Uh now when it comes to the relationship
[13:27] with city staff, as I mentioned before,
[13:29] staff has accountability to the city
[13:31] manager. Staff is here. They're going to
[13:33] provide support to the commission for
[13:35] its initiatives and directives as a
[13:37] whole. The way I like to say it, staff
[13:39] supports the commission but not the
[13:41] commissioner. So uh while uh you know
[13:44] there's a structure that you know
[13:46] there's a essentially a chain of
[13:48] command. While the commission as a whole
[13:49] can provide direction on a specific
[13:51] issue uh within its purview uh staff
[13:54] does not respond to an individual
[13:55] commissioner's uh uh request. We have to
[13:58] act collectively as a body for staff to
[14:00] respond. This includes you know agenda
[14:02] requests through commissioner uh
[14:04] commission consensus and uh yeah making
[14:09] sure that you know if you want to
[14:11] discuss an item collectively during a
[14:13] public meeting that that's done as a
[14:14] body not individually.
[14:20] Now as I mentioned before uh you know
[14:22] commissions are an advisory capacity uh
[14:26] or they can be either a decision maker
[14:28] in advisory capacity. What this means
[14:30] depending on the specific commission or
[14:32] the agenda item. Oftentimes uh we're
[14:35] acting in the capacity of making a
[14:38] recommendation to the city council. Uh
[14:41] and sometimes it may be your duty to
[14:43] implement city council policy that has
[14:45] already been uh enacted.
[14:55] I think this one is pretty
[14:56] straightforward but you know as it helps
[15:00] you know what I like to always recommend
[15:02] is that we just focus on the process uh
[15:04] ra you know and try to demonstrate
[15:06] impartiality and reduce even the
[15:09] appearance of uh bias or prejudice.
[15:21] So, and when it comes to some of the
[15:22] best practices, number one, knowing
[15:25] council priorities. This can involve
[15:27] reviewing council agendas, even
[15:28] attending meetings periodically. Staff
[15:30] can also provide guidance on annual
[15:32] objectives.
[15:33] Um, navigating council and commission
[15:36] disagreements. That is going to happen
[15:38] from time to time where there's going to
[15:40] be a disagreement between the commission
[15:41] and the council on the decision. And
[15:45] really all that's required is that as
[15:47] respect of the process and recognizing
[15:48] that differing viewpoints lead to
[15:50] different outcomes. U like an appeal
[15:53] court council has final authority and so
[15:56] sometimes you know there may be
[15:58] differences with the commission but we
[15:59] respect that that's council policy.
[16:06] Okay.
[16:09] Yes. Uh when it comes to best practices
[16:11] in decision-m, like I said, if you can't
[16:13] be fair, don't participate. Avoid
[16:16] statements before the close of a
[16:18] hearing. Uh especially ones that might
[16:20] be signed to signal bias, uh impacting
[16:24] perceived fairness.
[16:27] It's all just about keeping an open mind
[16:28] so that it aligns with due process,
[16:30] which you know, I'll cover a little bit
[16:32] more.
[16:34] Uh also, you know, making decisions
[16:36] based on the administrative record. When
[16:38] a decision is before the commission, uh
[16:40] the facts of what is in the report have
[16:43] to make up 100% of what is going to be
[16:45] based off of what the count uh
[16:47] commission recommends. Uh and so if
[16:49] there is extraneous information or facts
[16:51] that are not contained and not disclosed
[16:54] to the commission, then that is not
[16:56] something that can be a part of the
[16:57] decision-m that is something that you
[16:59] know could include the appearance of
[17:01] bias or conflict.
[17:04] Now going into uh what some of those
[17:07] conflicts are. The most general one is
[17:11] uh the common law conflict of interest.
[17:14] Uh this one is not there's no specific
[17:17] statute. Uh it is just about trying to
[17:21] it's a doctrine against the conflict of
[17:23] interest of public officials that
[17:24] prevent you from replacing yourself uh
[17:26] where your personal interests might have
[17:28] a conflict with your duty to the public.
[17:30] It doesn't even require a specific
[17:32] financial gain. There just has to be a
[17:34] reasonable perception of conflict. Now
[17:36] you know I'm probably doesn't come up
[17:38] often ideally uh but you know when it
[17:42] does uh oftentimes the common law
[17:44] conflict of interest will come up if
[17:46] there is a personal relationship or
[17:48] affiliation say with a club organization
[17:50] that would influence your judgment on a
[17:52] matter. So even if there's no direct
[17:54] impact in such cases you would recuse
[17:57] yourself uh in order to avoid you know
[17:59] any appearance of partiality.
[18:06] the
[18:07] change. There we go. This one is
[18:09] statutory. The Political Reform Act,
[18:11] which is uh the state's primary conflict
[18:15] of interest law as a commission. This is
[18:18] for the most part what this commission
[18:20] would be uh dealing with if we were
[18:22] going to be looking at public interest
[18:24] and avoiding situations where your
[18:26] financial interest could appear to or
[18:29] could influence or appear to influence
[18:31] your decisions. Uh because yes, even in
[18:33] a court law, even if there isn't a
[18:35] direct financial interest, uh if it
[18:38] could be seen that there is even
[18:39] indirectly a financial interest in a
[18:41] decision, that can be enough to violate
[18:44] the political reform act. So for your
[18:47] purposes, it's critical just for
[18:49] maintaining transparency and public
[18:50] confidence. If you're aware of a
[18:53] financial interest in a matter that
[18:55] comes up before this commission, all
[18:57] that the Political Reform Act requires
[18:59] is that you disclose it and you recuse
[19:01] yourself from the vote.
[19:12] We're missing the text on this one. Uh
[19:14] but
[19:19] » interesting. Okay. Well, the general
[19:21] rule is you shall not make or
[19:25] participate in making or attempt to
[19:26] influence any governmental decision in
[19:28] which you have a financial interest.
[19:30] That's the essential rule.
[19:39] Okay.
[19:42] Where did that go?
[19:45] Yes. Okay.
[19:47] The next one I think the title is cut
[19:50] off but this is ref reference to
[19:52] contracts. Uh now this is entire only
[19:55] apply everything else applies when
[19:56] there's not a contract if and when the
[19:58] commission is approving or entering into
[20:00] a contract which um you know for TPC
[20:04] purposes uh may not occur often. Uh but
[20:06] this is what we would call se this is
[20:08] section 1090. This is if a public
[20:10] official who has a financial interest
[20:12] participates in making a contract. Now
[20:15] unlike the political reform act recusal
[20:18] is not enough. If uh you have a
[20:20] financial interest in a contract then
[20:22] the city cannot enter into the contract
[20:24] as a whole. This one is uh the stakes
[20:26] are much higher. Uh in fact we would
[20:29] probably you know want to know about
[20:31] this far in advance in order to avoid
[20:33] that kind of situation because in that
[20:36] instance the contract is void penalties
[20:38] can apply. uh the penalties are even
[20:40] high enough to bar someone from holding
[20:42] any public office in California. Uh so
[20:44] it's one of the strictest conflict of
[20:46] interest laws because it wants to ensure
[20:47] that public resources are used
[20:49] responsibly without self-interest.
[20:52] So um that instance
[20:55] uh yeah in the decision- making for a
[20:57] contract you would uh we would avoid
[21:01] uh participating in the making of a
[21:03] contract.
[21:05] Okay.
[21:14] the per personal advantages and perks.
[21:17] So, some bullet points uh might be
[21:19] missing off of this one, but just as a
[21:22] general overview, public officials have
[21:23] strict rules around the personal
[21:25] benefits that you receive when you're in
[21:26] office in order to kind of prevent the
[21:28] misuse of your position. This includes,
[21:31] as you would see on I hope maybe it's on
[21:33] your screen. I'm not sure, but I can't.
[21:34] Okay. Interesting. Um but this would
[21:37] include the receipt of uh gifts uh
[21:41] travel and lodging, loans,
[21:42] reimbursement,
[21:44] you know, mass mailing, nepotism,
[21:47] charity funding disclosures, you know,
[21:50] things that are uh that signal undue
[21:52] influence. Uh there there there are
[21:55] strict rules around uh things that might
[21:57] convey a personal benefit to you.
[21:59] particularly if the person I'll give an
[22:01] example with the gifts if they have
[22:04] business before the city and you were
[22:05] receipt of a gift the law requires you
[22:08] actually to disclose that if it's over
[22:10] $50. Um
[22:15] yeah, there we go. At least that one's
[22:17] on there. Yes, disclose over $50
[22:20] disqualified if it's more than $590 uh
[22:23] in any 12-month period or within any
[22:25] count or f within any calendar year. uh
[22:28] if you receive that amount uh from one
[22:31] single source, one single person, then
[22:33] you're disqualified from participating
[22:35] in any decisions that could impact that
[22:37] source. Uh the limit is, you know, kind
[22:40] of discourage officials from being
[22:41] influenced by large gifts,
[22:44] uh golf, tickets to Disneyland, anything
[22:48] like that, which I think a single ticket
[22:50] probably would be over 590 these days.
[22:55] Uh the options by the way if you are to
[22:57] receive a gift and you probably con
[22:59] consult with the city attorney's offices
[23:00] you can uh refuse it uh return it donate
[23:04] it there are some other options uh which
[23:06] can also be used as an exception if you
[23:09] are to gifts uh that you know the strict
[23:11] rules that generally apply to gifts or
[23:13] public benefits for officials. There are
[23:14] certain exceptions uh that that we the
[23:17] state law allows uh flexibility without
[23:20] compromising ethics. Some of these would
[23:22] be like if it was the if the gift wasn't
[23:24] to the commission but it was to the city
[23:25] uh in that instance you know you're not
[23:28] impacted it wouldn't require disclosure
[23:30] wouldn't require recusal. Now if it had
[23:34] uh you know say uh chair Riker's name on
[23:37] it uh on those tickets when they donated
[23:40] it then now it is a personal gift rather
[23:41] than a gift to the agency but you know
[23:43] so long as it's a name as an individual
[23:46] it's not earmarked for them then we
[23:47] could say it's a gift to the agency. Um,
[23:50] other exceptions, like I said, are gifts
[23:51] that you refuse or reimburse the donor
[23:53] within 30 days, uh, gifts from family
[23:56] members, gifts of hospitality, you know,
[23:58] a housewarming party and someone gives
[24:00] you baked goods or something, it's not
[24:02] going to count as a gift,
[24:04] and certain tickets and passes to
[24:06] certain fundraisers like for charity
[24:08] events.
[24:11] Okay. Uh next moving is that I'm not
[24:15] sure what happened why the so much text
[24:17] is removed but uh what you should be
[24:20] seeing on your screen is governing
[24:21] transparency laws i.e. the Brown Act uh
[24:24] which I'm sure uh the commission is
[24:26] already familiar with. Uh the Brown Act
[24:28] requires transparency for all meetings
[24:30] that involve a quorum of the legislative
[24:32] body ensures public access. So the Brown
[24:34] Act is why we have to have public
[24:36] comment uh before approving any action
[24:39] item before the commission and why we
[24:41] have to have a general public comment
[24:42] and allow the public to come and address
[24:44] the body. Uh this happens any regularly
[24:47] scheduled meeting anytime that there's a
[24:48] quorum of commissioners that happen to
[24:50] run into each other. So if there's three
[24:51] of you that happen to meet in an event
[24:53] and you're discussing city business
[24:55] qualifies as a meeting and that needs to
[24:57] be properly noticed and agendaized. So,
[25:00] in the event that you're running into
[25:01] each other socially, try not to discuss
[25:03] city business.
[25:11] Okay. Uh this goes on more to say about
[25:15] what happens uh how meetings are
[25:17] defined. Uh now a meeting doesn't happen
[25:20] when you are just physically meeting but
[25:22] could also happen say if you were to uh
[25:25] one was to talk to one was to talk to
[25:26] one was to talk to one. Soon as you hit
[25:28] a quorum, you've officially se, you
[25:31] know, if it's, if you're discussing
[25:33] something that's within the purview of
[25:34] the commission and its authority, you
[25:37] discuss city business, it becomes a
[25:39] meeting. That's what we would call a
[25:40] serial meeting or or a daisy chain
[25:42] meeting. Um, same thing can happen uh if
[25:45] you're, you know, bccing commissioner,
[25:48] you know, other commissioners on an
[25:49] item. Uh, just because, you know, you
[25:52] know, avoid replying all is what I would
[25:54] say. That's that's my big advice. you
[25:57] know take caution with all digital
[25:59] communication. Uh in fact even um
[26:02] publicly commenting on Instagram or
[26:04] Facebook on other posts. Uh in last year
[26:07] circuit court basically held that even
[26:09] that can count as a meeting as well. And
[26:11] so if you're replying to each other's uh
[26:13] you know Facebook messages and
[26:15] discussing uh city business within the
[26:17] purview of the commission then that
[26:19] could also potentially count as a
[26:20] meeting. Um you know just something to
[26:24] keep in mind.
[26:26] Okay. And
[26:32] there we go. Distribution of writings.
[26:36] Uh so
[26:38] for the most part, anything that's uh
[26:40] related to city business uh must be made
[26:42] available at the meeting. This is just
[26:43] all about public access. Uh you know,
[26:46] this is something that mostly staff will
[26:47] take care of. But uh yeah, just upon
[26:50] request things must be made available to
[26:53] the public. legislative body must be
[26:54] made publicly available at all times
[26:56] during you know public you know when a
[26:58] majority of the public majority of the
[27:00] legislative body is gathered
[27:04] and with that I've reached the end of my
[27:06] presentation and if there are any
[27:08] questions for me I welcome it but if not
[27:11] >> thank you for the excellent information
[27:12] » thank you for the excellent information
[27:12] appreciate it you have any questions
[27:14] from commissioners Mr.
[27:17] Now, I'm just making this up, but just
[27:18] as a as a for instance, let's say I have
[27:21] a friend that has a business, whatever,
[27:24] and he has a suite at Anaheim Stadium,
[27:27] let's say, and then so he invites me or
[27:31] invites, you know, somebody just as a
[27:33] friend, and you go to the suite and have
[27:36] a good time and whatever, whatever. No,
[27:38] no city business involved. He's not a
[27:41] business owner, anything in the city.
[27:43] Never would vote. That's not a that
[27:46] wouldn't be a problem. It as just making
[27:50] this up, but as an example,
[27:52] >> uh if the friend has no business before
[27:54] » uh if the friend has no business before
[27:54] the city, then I see no reason why
[27:55] there'd be a conflict.
[27:57] >> Okay? Because I know I know city of
[27:59] » Okay? Because I know I know city of
[27:59] Anaheim, it's a different thing. They I
[28:01] think the city owns a suite and you
[28:04] know, sometimes people will go go to
[28:06] that, but since the city owns it, that
[28:09] would be a different
[28:10] >> that would be different. Yeah. That'd be
[28:11] » that would be different. Yeah. That'd be
[28:11] qualitatively different. Yeah. Usually
[28:12] we're when we're talking about gifts or
[28:14] receiving remun better remunerative
[28:16] benefits money uh it would be from a
[28:19] private source from a governmental
[28:21] agency.
[28:22] >> Great. Okay. Thank
[28:24] » Great. Okay. Thank
[28:24] >> any other questions Commissioner Patel.
[28:28] » any other questions Commissioner Patel.
[28:28] >> Thank you sir. Uh Mr. Irwin thank you
[28:30] » Thank you sir. Uh Mr. Irwin thank you
[28:30] for the presentation very informative.
[28:32] Uh my question is more towards uh let's
[28:35] say we've got a public comment uh from
[28:37] the audience uh about a concern within
[28:41] related to traffic and parking. Um I'd
[28:43] like to understand more about that
[28:45] situation. Uh can I meet with that
[28:47] individual and ask questions, visit, you
[28:50] know, a street for example where that
[28:52] traffic and parking issue is is
[28:54] occurring. Can I go uh on my own time
[28:56] and investigate that that concern? Uh
[28:59] and similarly also as a follow-up also
[29:02] um during meetings can I research um on
[29:04] the internet for information uh to
[29:07] better understand uh the agenda items
[29:09] also. Uh so in response to the first
[29:12] question absolutely you can meet with
[29:14] someone after public comment if they
[29:15] raise a complaint or a concern uh about
[29:18] you know some intersection that is of
[29:19] concern to them. I would say and in fact
[29:22] encourage that as a as as a wonderful
[29:24] function as your duty as a commissioner
[29:26] uh of public service to to meet with
[29:28] them. Uh the the conflict of interest
[29:31] rules just broadly speaking happens when
[29:34] you have someone who has business before
[29:36] the city. They're going to be there's
[29:38] going to be a vote before the city
[29:40] council. They're going to be receiving
[29:41] some kind of benefit. Maybe a contract,
[29:43] maybe a grant, maybe a a land use
[29:46] entitlement like a zoning change. I mean
[29:49] that's more for planning commission but
[29:50] just to give an example that is where we
[29:53] would have a concern about like you know
[29:55] meeting with them uh exparte as in out
[29:58] you've met with them outside of the the
[30:00] publicly available meeting but if you're
[30:03] meeting with a concerned citizen that is
[30:04] that is within your prerogative as a
[30:06] commissioner
[30:07] >> and and do I have to disclose those uh
[30:09] » and and do I have to disclose those uh
[30:09] at future meetings also who I've met
[30:11] with or
[30:11] >> if that person ends up having business
[30:13] » if that person ends up having business
[30:13] before the city then yeah uh and if it's
[30:15] related to that business but that's very
[30:16] fact specific I I couldn't you know,
[30:18] give 100% based off that hypothetical.
[30:21] And then your uh second question, remind
[30:23] me
[30:24] >> um there's an agenda item uh in the
[30:27] » um there's an agenda item uh in the
[30:27] meeting and during the meeting, I'd like
[30:29] to just better understand the situation.
[30:31] Can I use a tablet to research that item
[30:33] also?
[30:34] >> Absolutely. Yeah. Uh and you know, I'm
[30:37] » Absolutely. Yeah. Uh and you know, I'm
[30:37] sure it' be encouraged and that's part
[30:38] of the uh feedback that's given to staff
[30:41] as part of you make your recommendation.
[30:43] uh as a best practice anything you
[30:45] discover that's germanine or pertinent
[30:47] that you'd like to share I would
[30:49] encourage it for transparency
[30:50] >> and um the reason I as you mentioned
[30:52] » and um the reason I as you mentioned
[30:52] earlier in the presentation uh you have
[30:54] to rely on the the staff report only to
[30:57] make the decision
[30:58] >> you have to rely on every information
[31:00] » you have to rely on every information
[31:00] that is publicly available so this is
[31:03] I'll give the example if you were to
[31:05] meet exparte outside of the meeting and
[31:07] have private information and then to
[31:09] vote upon an item based off that private
[31:11] information you have bias appearance of
[31:13] prejudice something like that if if
[31:16] there's new information that's germanine
[31:18] ideally this would be known by staff I I
[31:20] think this is very rare hypothetical
[31:22] where you know the staff is because this
[31:24] is anything that's going to come before
[31:26] the commission has already been vetted
[31:28] very thoroughly by staff they've done a
[31:29] excellent job of uh refining it
[31:32] preparing it for the commission to be
[31:33] able to deliberate and make its
[31:34] recommendation but if there is something
[31:37] ideally you would probably bring it up
[31:38] with staff as they put it into their uh
[31:41] agenda reports Great. Thank you, Mr.
[31:43] Herman.
[31:44] >> Any other questions?
[31:48] » Any other questions?
[31:48] >> Thank you again. Appreciate it for
[31:49] » Thank you again. Appreciate it for
[31:49] coming. Of
[31:50] >> course.
[31:50] » course.
[31:50] >> Thank you.
[31:52] » Thank you.
[31:52] >> Next item on the agenda is director
[31:54] » Next item on the agenda is director
[31:54] comments. Mr. Erdman, have any comments
[31:57] tonight?
[31:57] >> Nothing to add. Happy New Year.
[31:59] » Nothing to add. Happy New Year.
[31:59] >> Thank you,
[32:01] » Thank you,
[32:01] Mr. Patel. Patel.
[32:05] Um, well, I just want to say thank you
[32:07] uh for a great 2025. Uh, Chair Falset,
[32:10] previous chair of last year. We will
[32:12] obviously uh do a uh recap of that, but
[32:17] uh just want to say thank you for your
[32:18] leadership. Uh also congratulations,
[32:21] Chair Riker, as well as Vice Chair
[32:23] Patel. Uh just looking forward to 2026.
[32:26] So that's all. Thank you.
[32:28] >> So I think next meeting is there
[32:30] » So I think next meeting is there
[32:30] anything on our meeting agenda exciting
[32:33] for next month?
[32:34] >> Yes. uh we will finally be able to bring
[32:37] » Yes. uh we will finally be able to bring
[32:37] forth uh to obtain some feedback from
[32:39] the traffic and parking commission
[32:41] regarding the traffic operational
[32:42] improvement study. So that will be uh in
[32:45] front of you and the commission uh to
[32:48] kind of provide us some feedback,
[32:50] discuss what's on there, some
[32:51] recommendations though, it will be in
[32:53] draft form, so it'll be more of a
[32:55] working type of uh discussion and so
[32:58] we're looking forward to that.
[32:59] >> Thank you. Thank you, Tren.
[33:02] » Thank you. Thank you, Tren.
[33:02] >> Commissioner comments, Mr. Camarina,
[33:06] » Commissioner comments, Mr. Camarina,
[33:06] Commissioner Patel.
[33:08] >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, I just want to
[33:10] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, I just want to
[33:10] thank staff and my fellow commissioners
[33:12] for uh continue to play a significant
[33:15] role with this traffic and parking
[33:16] commission for doing a wonderful job in
[33:18] 2025. I look forward to working with
[33:20] every one of you uh in this coming year.
[33:22] Uh for for the general public, I just
[33:24] wanted to make a announcement about uh
[33:26] Snowfest. Uh it's coming up this
[33:28] Saturday, January 10th at 10:30 at
[33:30] Pittsburgh Park. It's a it's a
[33:32] long-standing tradition with the the
[33:34] city of Lake Forest to celebrate our
[33:36] winter season. So, looking forward to
[33:38] seeing some of you at Snowfest on this
[33:40] Saturday. Thank you.
[33:42] >> Thank you, Commissioner Armando.
[33:43] » Thank you, Commissioner Armando.
[33:43] >> Uh, no comment. Thank you,
[33:45] » Uh, no comment. Thank you,
[33:45] >> Commissioner Fost.
[33:47] » Commissioner Fost.
[33:48] >> I kind of had a general comment as well.
[33:49] » I kind of had a general comment as well.
[33:50] Uh, the city of Lake Forest uh does
[33:53] passport services and my family utilized
[33:56] them. It was very convenient and I think
[33:58] most people don't know about it. I went
[34:00] to the local AAA office and they sent me
[34:02] somewhere else. They didn't know we did
[34:04] it here. So, uh, for the public in the
[34:08] audience and watching online, please
[34:10] come into city hall. You can make an
[34:12] appointment online. Very convenient.
[34:15] >> Okay. Well, thank you. We're going to
[34:17] » Okay. Well, thank you. We're going to
[34:17] adjourn the meeting and happy new year
[34:18] to all of you and thank you for all your
[34:20] support and look forward to having a
[34:22] really good year. Thank you everyone.
[34:24] Meeting is adjourned. Thank you.
[34:28] You have to sign with your