[0:00] Or participate in the meeting may do so in person or by joining the Zoom meeting. Public comments will be accepted both in person and be a Zoom. Any email sent to public comment at fostercity.org have been provided to the council prior to the meeting.

[0:18] I hear what call is December 2nd meeting to order. And if I could have Chief Alivar lead us in the pledge allegiance, I'd appreciate that.

[0:52] Item 3, roll call. Council member XX, if you see any

[0:56] She made director, is John Frooman, here.

[0:59] Ciam Hendi, here.

[1:00] Stacey Hemenaz, I'm here.

[1:02] Art Kiesel, here.

[1:03] And Mayor, President Patrick Sullivan.

[1:06] Here.

[1:06] Item 4, special presentations.

[1:09] 4.1, a proclamation honoring police chief Tracey Avallar for her service to the Foster City

[1:15] Police Department.

[1:17] Just a friendly reminder, I've got my cell phone off, and we're trying to concentrate

[1:22] here, and we'll have our cell phones off so that we will not disturb anybody.

[1:26] And also our dedication here is to the service of the public too.

[1:31] So in honor of the chief, I've got a proclamation I'm going to read, honoring police chief Tracey Abelar for the service to the city of Foster City Police Department.

[1:40] Whereas chief Abelar has served the Foster City Police Department for 22 years and was selected as the department's first ever female police chief in 2019.

[1:50] And whereas Chief Avallar has served in every rank in Foster City Police Department since she was hired to the police recruit in 2002.

[2:00] And whereas Chief Avallar also served as Foster City's Acting City Manager 2021, and whereas under Chief Avallar's guidance and direction the Foster City Police Department continues to set the standards of integrity, professionalism in community service and law enforcement.

[2:19] We're as over the last five years, Chief Avalar has brought calm through the chaos of some of the most challenging years in police history.

[2:28] And we're as Chief Avalar's steady leadership was critical in successfully leading the Foster Cities Police Department through the mirrored challenges and obstacles posed by COVID-19 pandemic, and we're as through a willingness to leverage technology, innovative law enforcement practices.

[2:46] Chief Avalar helped make Foster City a safer environment for residents, businesses, and other community members, and whereas under the leadership of Chief Avalar, the Foster City Police Department prioritized mindfulness and enhanced social equity through the participation in the act of bystandership for law enforcement able and police two piece programs, and whereas the city of Foster City expresses immense appreciation gratitude to police chiefs.

[3:16] favelar for the many years of dedicated community service.

[3:19] Now therefore, I, Patrick Sullivan, may or the city of Foster City, on behalf of the City Council do hereby recognize and commend police chief favelar on our exemplary service and commitment to the community and offer a sincere appreciation for service in the Foster City Police Department.

[3:39] Thank you.

[3:40] I

[3:48] did not prepare anything because typically when I do a speech I start crying and I'm not going to do that tonight.

[3:54] I just want to say thank you so much. This city is the cream of the crop.

[4:02] Everything from the police department to the city staff to our city councils through all the years, some twice.

[4:13] And so I just want to say thank you all so much for your continued support of the police department.

[4:19] We felt nothing but support, and it matters a lot when you're going through the challenges that we have gone through, and we continue to go through.

[4:31] And I have never brought anything forward in this city that was not supported wholly.

[4:37] And so I appreciate City Manager and the City Council for all you do for us as well.

[4:41] Thank you.

[4:42] And if you take a moment, I think a few council members would like to say a few words of

[4:47] appreciation for you.

[4:48] I think Vice Mayor Menace, did you?

[4:53] So Chief Alley, there really are not words to properly thank you for your years of service

[4:59] to our community.

[5:01] I had to prepare a speech because I would stop crying and then not be able to finish.

[5:05] So your leadership and dedication to creating an opening and welcoming police force, one committed

[5:12] to positive interactions within our community.

[5:15] Your integrity, your compassion, have all worked to set the bar for what has been the very

[5:20] best in public service to our community.

[5:23] You have built trust across our community.

[5:26] You have served as a mentor to many.

[5:29] And because of your leadership, you leave a department that is safer, stronger, and I believe

[5:34] because of your leadership, they will carry on and honor your legacy and continue to do so

[5:39] many of the things that you have put in place and they will do them well.

[5:44] As you move forward in the next chapter of your career, I hope you know how grateful

[5:49] we are, not just to you, but to your family also, because they have really lent us to you

[5:55] and you have become such an integral part of our community from being a part of the rotary

[6:01] to volunteering at events on the weekends and just being around even when you don't have

[6:06] to be.

[6:08] So with that, I wish you all the best, and I really hope your new city really knows what a gem they are getting in you.

[6:14] They are so incredibly lucky, and we have been even more so to have you in our lives for all these many years.

[6:19] So thank you.

[6:20] Thank you.

[6:23] Thank you, Chief Avalard.

[6:25] It's been a pleasure to have not just worked with you as a council member, but

[6:29] worked with you side by side in the police department for a number of years.

[6:33] I think I might have been in hiring when you got hired within the police department.

[6:38] You were in a group of five, if I remember correctly.

[6:40] Four.

[6:41] Four?

[6:41] I knew it was a large group.

[6:43] We've always been in need of hiring police officers.

[6:46] You've done a lot of different things within the police department.

[6:49] The things that really stick out for me is when you were the youth services corporal.

[6:53] You did great training and you had great interaction with the youth and foster city.

[6:58] I remember we had some discussions about your future.

[7:00] And you took a lot of that information to heart.

[7:03] You went back to school, you not only got one degree, you got two degrees on your way to becoming the chief of police.

[7:11] And then as the chief, you decided to continue to give, and not just here in Foster City, but throughout the state of California.

[7:18] Not on committees at Cal chiefs, and then going through the ranks and the chairs at Cal chiefs now being the president of Cal chiefs.

[7:26] Only two female presidents of Calcheese, both from San Mateo County, and both from neighboring agencies.

[7:32] So if you want to be a female head of Calcheese, you got to come to Foster City or San Mateo.

[7:38] So I do appreciate what you've done for us and with us, and wish you the greatest success in Pleasanton.

[7:45] Thank you, and I just want to say you have been a significant impact on my, not on my career, my life.

[7:53] If you really started the ball rolling for me in a lot of ways and I really appreciate

[7:59] all you've done for me as well.

[8:04] Tracy, yeah, I was trying to think about when I first met you but it had to be when I was

[8:09] on the council so it's been over 15 years and everything I've watched of you is the professionalism.

[8:19] I mean, you and I have joked and joined Barb's back and forth but over the years but I really

[8:24] appreciate the warmth that you've professed as well as what you've represented for this city is becoming what was your president of it, right?

[8:40] But just to make a smile a little bit, I see three badges over here, I see four badges over here and I'm going to make an assumption that's to keep you from leaving.

[8:50] three. And two retired chiefs are here. I saw three chiefs. I only saw two. All we need

[8:58] is Sun and Bergen and Courtney. I wish you all the best of luck really. We're going

[9:06] to be missed. Thank you so much. Thank you. Chief, I've been a pleasure working with you

[9:14] from here on the city council but I want to thank you for your leadership and

[9:19] the way you carried this police department. We are really blessed and

[9:24] foster city to have such a great police department not only just with the

[9:28] personnel and the leadership but also with the way policing is being done and

[9:36] foster city. It is a really 100% community policing. It is about building the

[9:42] relationship between the PD and the community.

[9:46] And that's, I think, the most impact,

[9:51] really, that your leadership has continued to do.

[9:54] And you inherited from Matt and Joe great PD,

[9:57] but also you took it to another level.

[9:59] Your embrace of technology and making sure

[10:02] that your officers are always ready and prepared.

[10:05] But you balanced that also with privacy.

[10:07] I remember us working together on many initiatives

[10:10] that you brought forward.

[10:11] you wanted to be at the cutting edge of technology,

[10:14] so your officers are able to serve this community

[10:17] the best they can.

[10:19] But also, again, you were very cognizant

[10:22] of the impact of privacy on the citizen.

[10:24] So I want to thank you.

[10:25] We're definitely going to miss you,

[10:27] but I'm glad for you that you have found

[10:29] the PD department that's closer to your house.

[10:32] So that let that be a lesson for all of us.

[10:34] You know, we talk always about housing and how probably,

[10:38] I don't know, but I'm going to venture and say

[10:39] That's a major part of your decision.

[10:42] So anyway, best of luck to you.

[10:45] I know you're going to be successful wherever you go.

[10:47] Thank you so much.

[10:48] And before we take a few pictures, I want to say thank you very much

[10:54] because I remember when you took the position as chief

[10:56] and I was instrumental in working with Councilman Prum and it

[11:00] to meet in your office just to see the landscape

[11:04] of what was happening in the town.

[11:06] Obviously, we've gone through COVID and stuff.

[11:08] I think your leadership comes through, if you just take a look at the new officers that we have, the diversity of officers, it's outstanding, and we're recruiting, and we're continuing to recruit, and I think we're looking forward to seeing that continue on.

[11:22] I think it's important that people realize that you had a very quiet general approach to law enforcement.

[11:28] and I had other chiefs that are a little bit different

[11:32] than your approach and I admire your style of leadership

[11:36] because you're always there thinking.

[11:38] You're not necessarily saying that I agree with you

[11:41] but I'm gonna think about what you said.

[11:42] So that's true leadership is thinking

[11:45] and thinking through the process.

[11:46] So we're gonna miss you.

[11:48] I think we'll all go up there and get a picture.

[11:50] Perfect.

[11:50] Thank you so much.

[11:59] Okay, all right. I overstepped myself. If we have any public comment, do we have anyone?

[12:06] Speaker slips.

[12:09] Facility we have any speaker slip. Do we have anyone on zoom? We do not. Okay, so I was fast but

[13:54] Item five, public.

[13:56] This is an opportunity for members of the public to speak on items not listed on the agenda.

[14:01] As a reminder, we're taking comments in live meeting format.

[14:05] Government Code Section 54954.2E3 precludes the Council from discussing or acting upon any topic initially presented during the public portion of the agenda.

[14:15] Anyone who wants to provide public comment in person, please fill out a list speaker and hand it to me.

[14:21] Any anyone who wants to provide public comment on Zoom, please raise your hand during this time.

[14:26] We'll take in-person speakers first, followed by those on Zoom.

[14:32] Do we have any speaker slips?

[14:34] I do not have any speaker slips for this item.

[14:38] We have anyone on Zoom?

[14:40] We do not.

[14:46] Item 6, City E-Mid consent calendar, all matters listed under consent calendar are considered to be

[14:52] by the council and Board of Directors and it will be enacted by one motion unless removed if I a member of the council board staff or public

[15:00] Anyone who wants to provide public comment, please provide a speaker slip or raise your hand on Zoom.

[15:07] Okay, I have from Councilman Fruiman to pull item 6.5, is that correct? Okay. Could I have an approval of the consent calendar 6? Or do we have anyone for public comment on this?

[15:23] We do not. And no one on Zoom? No. Okay. Could I have a motion to pass the consent calendar 6.5?

[15:33] 6.1 through 6.8 exempts, 6.5.

[15:38] So moved.

[15:39] Do I have a second?

[15:41] All those in favor say aye.

[15:43] All right,

[15:48] so on item 6.5, I don't need a staff report or anything.

[15:51] I've had an opportunity to speak with Derek about this.

[15:56] Our current vendors out the business about kite surfing, the kite surfing vendor, RFP out at the Baywen's Park.

[16:04] And I know that our current vendors have provided the city with safety plans but there's nothing in the RFP that requires that to be done based on the nature of the type of activity that goes on out there, I think it would be important for us to note in the RFP or in some other way that's appropriate that the vendors vendor or vendors who are selected need to supply the city with a safety plan. That's my only request.

[16:26] if there's enough support from the council.

[16:29] I would support that. Do I have any other member on?

[16:34] Yeah, no question.

[16:36] So, can we add that to the report?

[16:41] We'll leave it to staff as to whether it's at the RFP level or later on.

[16:45] Yeah, we'll have no problem with adding it in.

[16:46] We just want to have that action included today noted in the record.

[16:52] All right, then, John, you want to make a motion in that regard?

[16:54] And with that, I'll make a motion to approve item 6.5 with additional direction to staff to require any selected vendor

[17:00] vendors that are selected from this RFP to require them to provide the city with a safety plan prior to starting business.

[17:08] And we'll want public comment before vote.

[17:11] Okay.

[17:11] We're going to need a public comment on that.

[17:13] We do not have any public comment.

[17:15] And do we have anyone to do?

[17:16] No.

[17:17] We have a motion, do I have a second?

[17:20] Do we need a second on that or is that the review?

[17:22] I have a second.

[17:25] Stacey, or you're going to be in second one.

[17:27] Okay, all those in favor say aye.

[17:31] Aye.

[17:37] Motion passes 5-0, item 7 public hearings, 7.1,

[17:42] a public hearing to hear and receive comments regarding the Integrative Adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan,

[17:49] an initial study mitigated negative declaration, ISM and D,

[17:53] for the Foster City Integrative Adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan.

[17:58] S-C-H number 2024-9-0125.

[18:03] Anyone who wants to provide public comment,

[18:05] please provide a speaker slip or raise your hand on Zoom.

[18:56] Hey, good evening, Mayor Sullivan and members of the City Council.

[18:59] I'm Frank Finnar, the Parks Maintenance Manager.

[19:02] Tonight's staff presents the draft Integrated Adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan

[19:07] alongside the Associated Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration,

[19:12] ISMND for consideration.

[19:14] The City Council is being asked to approve the environmental review findings under SEQUA and the proposed plan which outlines the non-leafable strategies to address the increasing challenges posed by the Canada Geese and Foster City.

[19:26] A little background. As the City Council is aware, Foster City has long struggled to manage its resident Canada goose population.

[19:33] These highly adaptable birds are drawn to the city's lagoon system in parks, where the combination of water access, abundant grassy areas, and a lack of natural predators creates the ideal habitat.

[19:45] Despite numerous efforts, none have effectively curved the growing population leading to significant challenges in public parks and other spaces.

[19:53] The presence of Canada geese have caused several major issues.

[19:56] Starting with health risks, the goose droppings carry pathogens like E. coli, cryptospiridium which can cause illnesses such as swimmer's itch and gastrointestinal problems.

[20:07] Environmental impacts such as goose feces contributing to nitrogen pollution, fueling algae blooms and degrading lagoon water quality which harms ecosystems and limits recreational use of the water.

[20:20] Public disruption from the droppings on the pathways, sports fields, and

[20:24] create an unsightly and unpleasant conditions, especially during the summer,

[20:27] molting months when the geese gather in large numbers.

[20:31] So in September of 2022, the City Council directed staff to issue a request for proposal

[20:36] to find a consultant to develop a comprehensive management plan.

[20:40] Following a competitive selection process, wildlife innovations was chosen to prepare

[20:45] the plan to conduct the required environmental review.

[20:47] The result is a draft integrated adaptive Canada Goose Management Plan, which proposes adaptive non-lethal strategies tailored to foster city's unique challenges.

[20:59] No, we'll start.

[21:01] No, the problem.

[21:02] Canada geese in foster city parks are causing significant issues, including damage to lawns, pathways, likely contributing to eco-line ill-gun and threatened parkgoers.

[21:12] This is a regional problem requiring a comprehensive solution and a comprehensive plan was needed.

[21:20] The current slide shows the cost and how they have escalated over the years for

[21:24] how the city has paid to deal with the geese, mainly with power washing, but

[21:30] also includes such expenses as eggaddling and implementing various deterrent techniques that we've taken upon ourselves to try.

[21:37] And then as you could see in 2022, 23 also includes the cost for the plan development itself.

[21:43] And

[21:47] for a timeline of events of brief recap, in September of 2022, again, City Council

[21:52] directed the staff to issue the RFP for a consultant to develop the Goose Management Plan.

[21:57] In February of 2023, Council approved the contract with wildlife innovations to create

[22:02] the integrated Canada Goose Population Management Plan.

[22:06] In August, the contract was amended to include the secret review process.

[22:10] In August 23 through June of 24, surveys were conducted, camera surveillance, and public input informed the plan's development, the CEQA initial study, mitigated negative declaration, and mitigation, monitoring, and reporting program were prepared.

[22:27] In June 2024 through August of 2024, the IMD was posted to the city website and notices were mail to interested parties.

[22:35] a notice of intent was filed with the City Clerk and the Foster City Islander initiating the public review period.

[22:41] In August of 2024, the notice of intent was submitted to the State Claring House with one comment which was received from California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Habitat modification to the and deterrence, which were addressed by wildlife innovations in the plan.

[22:56] And with that, I will turn it over to Dan Biteman of Wildlife Innovations to take the presentation.

[23:02] Good evening,

[23:07] all the innovations.

[23:09] Thank you for the opportunity to build your Canada Goose management green button.

[23:18] Can you hear me now?

[23:20] All right, juggle that and reading my slides here.

[23:24] Just going to be a little bit of a challenge so bear with me.

[23:27] But again, thank you for the opportunity to help you to try to mitigate this conflict with Canada Geese by building a management plan.

[23:34] And invite me to come here to tell you a little bit about it tonight.

[23:37] I have an awful lot of information kind of in my brain and I'm going to try to, you know, streamline it and target the information that we thought you'd most be the most interested in and with a lot of direction from Derek and Frank there, so but feel free to stop me, slow me down or anything like that or you can just wait till the end and ask me questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

[24:01] So to build you, to build Foster City a Canada Goose Management Plan, we reviewed scientific literature to learn all we could about Canada Goose Biology, needs, and conflicts, internationally and nationally.

[24:17] We reviewed other Canada Goose Management plans, developed for other properties, cities, or states to identify all management methods that have been used as a part of other programs.

[24:27] I reached out to other managers that have managed Canada Geese as a part of their properties in other states and we pulled all that information together to begin building a plan for you.

[24:40] We assessed the areas where conflicts have occurred and began gathering information regarding a spatial and temporal nature of the conflicts with Canada Geese.

[24:50] We identified which hazing and deterrence methods are likely to be most effective within the areas where conflicts exist.

[25:00] After evaluation of the extent and nature of the conflict, we recommended concentrating initial efforts for hazing and

[25:07] habitat modification within a subset of priority parks and then later expanding to additional parks as methods and

[25:16] And strategies were proven successful within Foster City, because many times methods that were successful in other properties, other states, other areas, may not be successful within the actual study area.

[25:30] The priority parts were selected during conversations with city staff,

[25:38] skipped a couple slides, bear with me.

[25:44] And those seven priority parts were prioritized that were on the lagoon, because some of what Frank mentioned about the habitat needs for

[25:52] Canada use they really like to be need have food sources next to water sources water provides an escape from predators.

[26:01] Excuse me.

[26:02] Yeah,

[26:14] we're also I'm advancing slides here and he's advancing slides over there so.

[26:20] Canada goose biology, so let's step back for a minute so and Frank touched on some of this I'm going to try to kind of go be brief through this but increase resource

[26:30] Of course, availability and mild temperatures have resulted in unnatural, non-migratory candidate

[26:36] goose populations, residential resident candidate goose populations within many cities across

[26:42] the US and in Canada.

[26:45] As a result of those factors, candidate goose have increased almost 11% per year between

[26:50] the early 1990s and 2015 in North America and now be more numerous than they have at any

[26:59] any other time during the last 100 years, that's trend has also been echoed within the San Francisco Bay Area and then in Foster City as identified through Foster City's own point counts of Canada Geese, next slide.

[27:14] So what can be done to mitigate conflicts with Canada Geese, between kind of Geese and people?

[27:19] The primary strategies used to mitigate, these are the primary strategies used to mitigate conflicts.

[27:24] An important piece is to educate people not to feed geese because food provided by humans

[27:30] is an attractant and will keep geese coming back.

[27:33] Litho removal was pulled off the table due to public response to discussions about that

[27:37] method and then we're going to talk more in depth about habitat modification, exclusion

[27:43] and non-lathal hazing and deterrence.

[27:47] So first, habitat modification.

[27:49] Next slide.

[27:52] An important part of mitigating conflict with problem wildlife is to identify the root

[27:56] of the behaviors or presence within areas where conflicts exist.

[28:01] And if managers can identify and remove or exclude problem wildlife from those

[28:05] attractants through habitat modification, this is often most effective and

[28:11] the most effective and cost efficient long term solution.

[28:16] In this case, foster city parks are attractive because of the things that we identify.

[28:20] They have presence of manicured lawns that provide food sources.

[28:24] They have safe areas to low for rest for Canada geese, and then the proximity to water is important for Canada geese to evade predators.

[28:33] And those characteristics are most important during the mullth, Frank talked about that a little bit.

[28:39] During a period of the year, when Canada geese mullth their flight feathers and their flight lists, they are most vulnerable to predators at that time.

[28:46] And so that's why you are seeing them most prominently in those parks that have direct access to water, where they can walk.

[28:55] They can hide in the water from potential predators and then walk out of the water to forage within

[29:03] manicured lawns.

[29:06] So if the food cannot be removed, or

[29:10] exclusions may be placed to make it harder from the geese to transition between those areas where they forage and

[29:16] the areas where they're safe within the water.

[29:22] Next slide.

[29:25] So we surveyed and evaluated the seven priority parts within Foster City for attractants for Canada

[29:30] the geese and made recommendations, because manicured lawns within foster city are used as recreation for

[29:36] for recreation by people, completely removing those lawns may not be feasible.

[29:42] Replacing manicured lawns with artificial turf may also be problematic.

[29:46] Letting grass grow too long or replacing the current grass with less palatable grasses would also change the aesthetic and function of those areas for humans.

[29:56] So, scientific literature identifies that can't-

[30:00] Senator Goose are less likely to use areas where they cannot see potential predators coming from distances. Therefore, one of the most feasible habitat modifications we identified and subsequently recommended within the plan was to create islands of tall and thick vegetation or rock piles within the large, expansive areas of manicured lawns to break up the sight lines for candidate geese. Those islands or visual obstructions should be tall and wide enough to provide the

[30:29] illusion that a coyote or wolf size predator could be hiding within them.

[30:34] So we map priority parks and identified areas where hedge rows or islands could be

[30:39] created to begin to deter candidate use use.

[30:42] An important factor is that when hazing is applied in those areas where

[30:47] islands and visibility have been reduced, that is likely the hazing will be even more effective,

[30:53] especially when hazing is done to mimic a predator.

[30:56] Basically, a predator can come around a corner and be really close and make a goose really uncomfortable really quickly.

[31:03] And after that happens a few times, they'll be less likely to use the area next slide.

[31:09] So when thinking about building hedge rows or habitat islands, we recommend an important factor.

[31:15] Could be to prioritize native vegetation whenever possible because native vegetation also provides habitat for

[31:23] for native small birds and butterflies and things like that as well as water-wise plants

[31:30] that will reduce the cost and maintenance necessary.

[31:35] Next slide.

[31:37] Hazing and deterrence methods.

[31:38] I'm going to go pretty quickly through these.

[31:40] I think you may be already familiar with these.

[31:42] I'll be happy to answer more questions later on.

[31:47] Hazing and deterrence methods are often placed into two categories.

[31:51] And those are static and dynamic, while life become desensitized to methods that are static and not moved around, not varied, and so oftentimes you need to have many methods and apply them in different ways.

[32:03] And literature and our experience support that if you're hazing in combination with habitat modifications within those problem areas where conflict occurs, that the effects are likely to be amplified and that the deterrence is likely to be longer term and prolonged.

[32:22] It's important to note that there are many methods out there, but many of those methods were not suitable for use within Foster City upon reviewing and discussing, discussing with Park staff and city staff as well as spending more time in your parks and a lot of those reasons come down to safety factors, some methods can cause fire or make loud noises that may be bad for people's hair.

[32:48] varying or that may just take away from people's use of those park areas and take away from the experience.

[32:55] So list was, and then many of those factors contribute to CEQA approval.

[33:00] Review of those potential methods through the California Environmental Quality Act process.

[33:05] Because if they are going to disturb non-target wildlife or if they are going to potentially take away,

[33:11] and impact people's use of those areas, then those trigger issues with CEQA.

[33:16] So, so we reduced what was a pretty big list of all items and hazing methods that could be used

[33:21] down to some that we thought could be used within foster city parks and that we're likely to be

[33:26] able to push, be pushed through the CEQA process and be approved. Next slide.

[33:34] Quickly exclusion. One of the most common methods there is fencing. You're already using this

[33:39] by the edges of some of your waters. Next slide. Visual deterrence, balloons,

[33:46] stones, kites, mylar strips, these things to be placed in areas where you don't want geese,

[33:50] most often nesting or resting.

[33:53] But they're inexpensive, while I've become habituated to them quickly so they don't last

[33:58] long.

[33:59] Next slide, vehicles.

[34:01] This is an example, the last slide was an example of dynamic hazing deterrents methods.

[34:07] This is, or sorry, static, and this is an example of dynamic.

[34:11] And this is because, especially if you have a human operator out there observing how the wildlife react to your method, and then adapting how you apply the method that's dynamic more likely to have a longer kind of effect and an overall more effective program.

[34:31] Next slide, lasers, long discs, you know, can be used from long distance, birds don't

[34:38] like them, especially during low light levels.

[34:41] Again, it could be, it could be desensitized to them pretty quickly.

[34:47] There are some safety hazards, would need to be applied by a qualified person.

[34:52] Next slide, please, lights could be used in a variety of manners in both dynamic and

[34:58] static applications, static application could be just illuminating an area where they may

[35:04] want to nest so that at night, it's illuminated and all of a sudden they don't like it or

[35:08] it changes kind of the characteristics of a site that they otherwise thought was safe

[35:12] to nest within. Dynamic use of lights would be a person holding a spotlight. Next slide please.

[35:19] Scarecrow's are decoys, these things are very static even if you move them daily or something

[35:25] like that, they can, wildlife can be de-sensitized to them pretty quickly, next slide please.

[35:33] And now this is, these are some examples of methods that were pulled off the table.

[35:37] So we'll go through those even faster,

[35:41] overhead lines netting, bird ball spikes.

[35:43] These are used to exclude wildlife from areas, bodies of water, rooftops.

[35:47] You could use it to keep the wildlife or birds from landing in an area.

[35:52] These were all deemed not feasible for use in Foster City because they would negatively

[35:56] effectively affect human use of those areas.

[35:58] Next slide please.

[36:01] Pyrotechnics, propane canons have hazard to them.

[36:04] They make a loud noise, they could start a fire if they were not used in the correct way.

[36:10] They were going to be very problematic from a sequel approval perspective, so we pull those off the table.

[36:15] Next slide please.

[36:17] Audio broadcast, large speakers like this unlikely to be used would you get complaints from the neighbors basically.

[36:25] However, a short focus noise associated with like a physical deterrent can prolong the effectiveness of that because if they, while I start to associate the noise with the scary predator looking thing that chased them, you know, where there's a real control device or a boat or a vehicle or a person, they may, you may be able to play that noise alone and they might start to associate that and just leave the area.

[36:52] Go ahead, next slide, please.

[36:57] Come on up here.

[36:58] So, Sequa.

[37:01] So, we began to look at all of these methods from a

[37:04] California Environmental Quality Act review process

[37:10] and

[37:12] the first steps of that were a database search.

[37:15] So, IPAC is the federal version.

[37:17] CNDDB is a California state version.

[37:20] You draw a polygon around an area.

[37:22] It spits out a list of potential species that may be there.

[37:25] and that's plants and wildlife, and we reviewed a whole lot of foster city documents and county documents

[37:32] and state documents really to kind of get a better idea of what the regulatory landscape looked like.

[37:38] Next slide, please. And so that database search returned a whole lot of potential species that could exist here,

[37:45] and that's based on data, known data in the database. So in total 22 listed species, 42 of which are

[37:53] are migratory birds protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

[37:57] That's what's most important there, the initial review recommendations were that those impacts and

[38:04] potential impacts to those listed species needed to be investigated more.

[38:10] And so the next step was sequence that you design and conduct an initial study to better evaluate

[38:15] whether those species that could be impacted by the proposed actions are actually there.

[38:21] and actually to really document whether the habitat that the database said was there and could be suitable is actually suitable.

[38:30] So, and as part of that, next review stage should include habitat mapping, identifying species of special interest and biological resources,

[38:41] and including wetlands and a long list of other things. Next slide, please.

[38:46] So, for a step of the initial study to find the project, what are you asking to do?

[38:50] What were the methods where, when, and begin conducting in-person surveys to confirm or

[38:57] deny what the database searches said?

[39:01] Complete a sequel checklist, which is a bunch of categories.

[39:03] You guys have probably heard this with a lot of other projects, but biological resources,

[39:08] you know, cultural resources, air quality, long list of things.

[39:12] And then if any of those, within any of those categories, if the proposed project is was likely to have some impacts,

[39:21] then you review and come up with ways to mitigate those potential impacts.

[39:28] And then the end of the initial study was going to be an author of a Board of findings with recommendations.

[39:32] Please look next slide.

[39:35] So, the where, the what, the when, seven parks to really boil the proposed like mitigation or the proposed, you know, hazing in a turns down, it was halvedop modification and hazing to encourage Canada used to go elsewhere to more natural habitats, including the state and federal wildlife areas that are not very far away just in the Bay.

[39:58] And then the year round, the timing was going to be potentially year round.

[40:04] Although we really don't know, we did some surveys, we looked at some short time periods.

[40:10] I think once you and your Canada Goose point accounts that you've been doing for years are conducted during a certain time period.

[40:18] But we don't really know, or I don't know based on data that was available.

[40:22] how the geese, what it looks like over the course of a 12 month period, basically, so that is additional information that will help inform and continue to adapt management and management begins next life, please.

[40:40] So in person surveys, we surveyed all seven parks for three days, totaling 90 acres.

[40:46] years.

[40:49] And we surveyed all accessible areas of the parks and a buffer around each park

[40:54] by walking me and during transects. Next slide, please.

[40:59] We made a long list of plants

[41:01] and birds that were there. And a bunch of recommendations stem from that. Here you see

[41:08] some habitat maps where we identified different habitat types, beach sand, sand, ornamental plants,

[41:14] Woodland, those are just examples, and then how those habitat types were laid out within just a few of your parks.

[41:24] Next slide please, long list of plants.

[41:28] Basically, primarily identified that your parks are full of ornamental shrubs and denied that any of the potentially state or federally protected plants exist within your parks.

[41:40] So that's good from a habitat management perspective, because if those plants were there,

[41:44] you'd have to mitigate for avoid those areas with your habitat modifications.

[41:50] But those ornamental shrubs, even though many of them are non-native species,

[41:54] they do provide habitat for protected bird species.

[42:00] And of special notes, a protected bird species, I think I'll introduce this here.

[42:05] The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is the most widespread federal regulation

[42:09] that protects pretty much every bird that you see out there.

[42:12] There are a few exceptions, but generally almost every bird out there, and that says that you cannot inflict take and take is take lethal impacts to individuals or

[42:25] nests for the most part, to really boil it down to a simple way.

[42:28] If you disturb a nesting bird repeatedly, and their nests fails, that's take of that nest.

[42:35] Also, special note, Western Snowy Clover on California Least Turn, the database search said they could be there.

[42:41] The habitat is potentially suitable with the caveat that the parks are heavily used by people and heavily used by dogs, too.

[42:51] And both those species don't like either of those.

[42:53] So unlikely to be there, although the habitat was still suitable for them.

[42:58] For a complete list of the species, please see our habitat report.

[43:03] Next slide, please.

[43:06] Another step of this equal evaluation was to get a better idea of how many

[43:12] Canada geese wear when. So we put nine cameras up in 70 of the priority

[43:18] parks. We start to take photos every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day and seven days a

[43:23] week. You see a pretty good example of Booth Bay Park there with a whole lot of

[43:27] Canada geese on the edge of the soccer field. The cameras really give us a lot

[43:31] information. So that was helpful. Next slide please. These are just some summary slides of data

[43:36] and information we collected through those cameras. During 111 days of surveillance, 64,000

[43:44] geese were counted. So now that doesn't mean you have 64,000 geese in your parks. That's 64,000

[43:51] observations of candidates. So many of those observations will repeat observations of the same

[43:56] individuals. And there's some trends there that, you know, Booth Bay had kind of the largest groups

[44:01] and up to about 80 Canada geese at a time in Booth Bay, whereas some of the smaller parks like

[44:06] Gold Park and Marlin Park more typically have like six to ten geese. But and then you see that they

[44:13] were most active during and most present in those parks during the middle of the day, although they

[44:17] were present in almost all time periods. I think that's all for that slide. Next slide, please.

[44:26] For example, the checklist, a few of the categories, we went through all the categories for the sequel checklist, and the really the only ones that came up as kind of noteworthy were the biological and cultural components.

[44:39] So biological, that's the migratory bird treaty act that's nesting birds, that's the potential for Western snowy clovers.

[44:47] So, if hazing or habitat modification is to occur during the nesting season for either

[44:54] the migratory bird treaty act any of those birds, which is the nesting season is about

[44:58] six months of the year.

[45:00] So it's a pretty long time period, then there would need to be mitigation measures put in place and considerations for those nesting birds regarding the methods applied. Culture resources were just if culture resources were found, then appropriate methods, and measures would need to be taken. Again, a lot more details in the documents just kind of go on brief overview here. So mitigation measures were identified to reduce or prevent impacts in both those areas.

[45:32] So generally, the hazing and deterrence methods were assessed as low potential to result

[45:40] in both short and long-term impacts to biological resources, not findings were less than significant

[45:49] with mitigation measures, so requiring mitigation measures.

[45:55] And that is, I already introduced some of that, if work must be conducted between the

[46:00] nesting season and that a qualified biologist should be present or conduct surveys ahead

[46:06] of that work.

[46:08] And that's a pretty common mitigation measure that is included in almost every construction

[46:15] and development project anywhere.

[46:17] I mean, the first recommendation coming from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the federal

[46:21] a level which is echoed by California Fish and Wildlife on the state level is just that if you are proposing any project like that, you would avoid the breeding season as the first recommendation, but if you can't avoid, then you need to have qualified personnel to identify the bird species, assess what they are, whether they are nesting or not, and then in some cases, assess their behavior as you're applying or doing whatever your proposed activity.

[46:50] whether it's a bulldozer or whether it's, you know, somebody, you know, firing an air horn

[46:57] to scare Canada geese, something like that. So, and then stemming from those mitigation

[47:03] measures, a mitigative negative declaration was completed, and then a mitigation monitoring

[47:10] and reporting program developed. And the mitigation monitoring and reporting program just says

[47:14] how we're going to comply with kind of the findings of CEQA and the mitigated negative

[47:20] declaration.

[47:21] Next slide, please.

[47:23] So recommendations from the plan.

[47:26] Collecting data and information is a very important part to support the adaptive portion

[47:32] of an adaptive management plan.

[47:35] And if you don't understand or I'm not explaining that clearly, please ask questions.

[47:40] But really, you need to apply some things, you need to understand what the conditions were before you apply some

[47:46] some management methods or some hazing methods.

[47:49] And then you need to evaluate what the response of your wildlife that you're on conflict with are.

[47:55] And collecting information and statistically evaluating the effect is the best way you get to what is the most effective methods.

[48:04] And the most effective, most efficient, most cost efficient over time.

[48:09] But you have to, again, test what works in your parks, identify what doesn't work, continue

[48:15] with what works, get rid of what doesn't work.

[48:19] So biologists is recommended for those steps and to help you collect data in a very regimented

[48:27] way, analyze the data, write all the reports that you need to effectively assess.

[48:32] And if anybody ever asked you to report what you did under CEQA, then you would have kind

[48:37] of all that information we'll document it.

[48:40] So, and develop a strategy to begin hazing,

[48:44] to begin hazing in a regimented way,

[48:46] collecting information on what's working,

[48:48] what's not, and doing the same

[48:49] with the habitat modifications.

[48:54] Next slide, questions.

[48:57] Sorry if I went too fast, please ask.

[48:59] Phil, are you finished?

[49:02] Yes, sir. Okay.

[49:03] I think I'm going to open it up for public comment,

[49:06] and I can't do that.

[49:08] Let's do questions first and then we'll the public might have questions do we want to just open it to the public for questions first

[49:14] Usually ask questions of our consultant first and then the members the public can come forward and ask there make their comments and questions

[49:23] I'll then I'll direct the council of specifically to questions. Are there any questions that we councilman through me?

[49:30] Do you have any questions just a few I just want to confirm I think you said it just a few minutes ago, but I just wanted to make sure

[49:38] The fact that other untargeted species are present doesn't mean we can't do the hazing

[49:44] or the modifications.

[49:46] We just have to figure, we just have to be cognizant of that to understand if we're having

[49:50] an impact on them or not.

[49:51] What we're doing it.

[49:52] What we're doing it, potentially select and tailor the way that you apply them if you

[49:57] notice that there are impacts or if you know there's a bird nest on the west side of

[50:01] the park, then you may avoid the west side of the park kind of thing to put it kind of

[50:06] simply.

[50:06] In a construction project, depending on the species of bird, if you had an active nest,

[50:12] some species of birds are more tolerant than others, and they're basically recommended buffer zones.

[50:17] So in a construction project, you create a buffer zone, you'd say this is a no-work zone, however,

[50:22] if you need to do work in there, you know, recommended have a biologist watching the bird so that the

[50:27] biologist can say, hey, that you got too close, that's bad, or they've been offered 10 minutes,

[50:33] that's they're not incubating their eggs, you need to stop what you're doing.

[50:36] That kind of thing to prevent, take, which is illegal.

[50:40] All right, and then with the havitat modification, is there a prohibition from,

[50:45] you had mentioned that some of the landscaping that we have in our parks is conducive to other protected species that might be impacted by what we're trying to accomplish.

[50:55] I thought I heard you say that we can't necessarily do havitat modification during the nesting period of

[51:02] those types of protected birds, I thought?

[51:04] I would just recommend that you avoid the nesting season if you can.

[51:08] However, if you can't, you should just have a biologist survey the area that you have proposed to do your mitigation project.

[51:15] Most notably, if you're going to cut down a bunch of vegetation, you want to make sure there are no nests in there.

[51:22] That kind of thing, but there's not that you don't have a part note I skipped over there.

[51:26] where there was no designated critical habitat identified within your parks and

[51:30] designated critical habitat for like federally listed species is protected as a habitat.

[51:36] You have no habitats that meet those qualifications, so not prevented from doing anything.

[51:41] So we can change the habit, we can do habitat modification to avoid or

[51:45] remove landscaping that might even be favorable to some, another protected species.

[51:52] So there can make it easier for us to deal with the greater problem dealing with the geese.

[51:56] Just long enough during nesting season.

[51:59] Well, so the Migratory Bird Treaty Act species is almost every bird out there.

[52:03] So they're going to nest in every shrub you have, basically.

[52:07] The protected species, most protected, is the federally threatened western snowy plover,

[52:12] and to a lesser extent, the federally endangered California lease turn.

[52:16] Your sandy beaches are attractive to them.

[52:19] They're not attracted to the shrubs.

[52:21] They could potentially be attracted to sandy beaches, and I don't think you want to get it.

[52:25] right in your sandy beaches.

[52:27] All right.

[52:28] And then there was one other comment you had made.

[52:30] So there was a question that goes with it.

[52:31] You had mentioned about trying to cause the geese

[52:34] to go to more favorable habitats,

[52:37] such as a wildlife area, which is right nearby.

[52:40] Yep.

[52:41] Kind of hard to send geese there.

[52:43] Do you think that the feds or the state

[52:44] will prohibit hunting in those areas

[52:46] that is currently permitted?

[52:49] That would make it a little bit more desirable

[52:50] for a bird to go there.

[52:53] When you start hazing, you're going to push geese somewhere.

[52:57] It's hard to tell where they're going to go.

[53:00] They're going to go to your neighbors, they're going to go to those, hopefully they go to those wildlife areas.

[53:06] But in other wildlife examples and without going into too much detail, that's been difficult to do.

[53:13] The state and the feds have been trying to attract, figure out why the geese are going to some areas,

[53:18] is figure out what food sources they're targeting and then promote those food sources basically grow the same things on the state and federal areas and it's met with varying success.

[53:29] So it's imperfect.

[53:33] The hunting thing, so I also think that this is the only wildlife management plan I know about in this area, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

[53:42] I know there are many conflicts with other cities, you're just the first city that I know

[53:48] have to really take this on in a structured manner, build a plan and try to follow it in a scientific way.

[53:55] I think in many ways when you start implementing this, you're going to start a conversation with

[54:00] the state and federal regulatory folks in the area. And during that conversation or those conversations,

[54:07] that could be broached, you know, let's say, well, why are they not, you know, our idea was that they would go to those state and federal properties, but they're not, and why are they not, you know, is it because there's something there?

[54:21] Those questions could be asked of, you know, state and federal property managers and the regulatory personnel in the area, and I see nothing but good things coming from those conversations.

[54:32] and I think that foster city would be starting that conversation, but I think many of your neighbors would probably join and be willing to discuss that and want to discuss that as well.

[54:42] In a very positive way, absolutely, thank you, sure.

[54:49] You mentioned sort of rolling out additional studies, so are you saying that we're not going to be, we can't maybe start tomorrow with some of these methods.

[55:00] I mean, I know that we've tried some half-hazardly, but not in a realistic, like, full way.

[55:10] So, what is the timeline and how is this going to roll out?

[55:13] I mean, and this may be a question for you.

[55:15] Timeline is kind of on, it's on you guys, the city, you know, and Frank.

[55:19] I think the question, if I may ask Vice Mayor Jimenez, is that we can do these methods.

[55:24] I think we can implement that our plan for council in terms of our next steps is that

[55:30] that we plan to bring this back sometime around February, we're going to bring back a proposal for the council with costs that will allow us to implement.

[55:43] So our implementation plan we're going to bring to you and we're probably going to we're going to call it a pilot, but we're going to probably focus on on those specific, some specific parks in the city that we're going to haze.

[55:57] we're going to do habitat modification, the whole gamut, and use that as a test to then apply

[56:03] to other parks as well. So that's going to be coming to the council early next year. But what

[56:08] I understood your question was, is that with this plan, we will be able to do the things that are

[56:15] listed in this plan.

[56:22] Thank you, Dan, for your report, which is pretty long. A lot of information that

[56:28] We're not going to be using it in falsissity, but I appreciate the thornist for somebody who's reading it

[56:33] Basically covered all the options whether they applicable or not

[56:37] And your presentation you were able to bring it back to

[56:41] What could be used in falsissity? What could not because as I was reading their point

[56:46] You know, I don't want to propane cannon and falsissity. I don't want to bullhorn and all that kind of stuff

[56:52] but

[56:55] just following up

[56:57] But whatever the council approves and will be brought back in February for specific tasks, if you will, that will be used.

[57:08] Are we talking concurrently having habitat modification as well as hazing at the same time?

[57:15] I would recommend that but so the Frank and Derrick have talked about the parks master plan in integrating some of these recommendations to kind of make the area less suitable to Canada geese into the master plan so I think it just comes down to how feasible that is I wouldn't necessarily recommend holding off on hazing until you can implement some some habitat modifications but I would recommend that you move towards habitat modification as fast as possible.

[57:44] One thing that I didn't really point a finger at, the seven parks, an important part of that was not just that the parks were on the water, but it's a feasible amount of terrain that you could begin to haze and begin to plan habitat modification within you have 24 city parks, it's kind of it's definitely possible but the personnel level to do it and the cost would be really high and that I think an important step is testing, evaluating what works well.

[58:14] what doesn't work, you know, so you don't waste your time

[58:16] and money, so.

[58:18] Thank you.

[58:19] Well, I'm glad to see it seems like

[58:20] from your presentation, at least you started really,

[58:23] from what I believe is the main thing,

[58:26] which is habitat modification,

[58:29] because the end of the day, these animals come in

[58:34] to eat, if they have food,

[58:37] and that's what they do all day grazing

[58:39] and, you know, doing their thing.

[58:41] So until that has been done, and it's going to take some time, and it's going to be also very thoughtful approach how to do it.

[58:50] I don't think you're going to get anywhere. The hazing is a supplemental step.

[58:58] But question probably for staff, you know there, I know you're doing a pilot on those few parts that you have identified.

[59:05] Would you be expanding this eventually find out from the lessons learned and what works?

[59:12] Would you be recommending some to private property like I'll give you a case on point?

[59:18] Fossil's landing on fossil city boulevard unboundary. They attract as much Canada geese as you would get in Llorion and

[59:26] Like 30 40 at some points

[59:30] The reason I raised this is because if you are successful in some parts of the city and they still have a place that they think this is a great place.

[59:39] So you really, in a way, you're not getting rid of them to the expectation that you want, because they just moved from one section of the city to another section of the city.

[59:52] You know what I'm talking about, passes on a huge open space.

[59:55] I could add two tidbits to that. Sorry, were you done?

[59:58] No, no, please, go ahead.

[1:00:00] That if you're prioritizing based on what's feasible cost wise, you know, that figuring out what your highest priority area is. And we assume that some of the highest priority areas were the, were the parks that are on the water, where E. coli is being found in the water. And it's thought to be because of candidates primarily. And that because of the E. coli presence, you're making recommendations to not use the water. And that's, you know, not use the beaches. And if that is, is a very high priority, then I would target the,

[1:00:29] the parks on the water, and I would target keeping the geese out of the lagoon as much as possible.

[1:00:35] And then maybe behind that, I would target sports fields that are used by kids, especially,

[1:00:41] because of the goose species that presidents could be a disease concern.

[1:00:46] So I would start with those things and however you guys prioritize within those kind of areas and

[1:00:53] Okay. So I just want to make sure I understand because Council Member Frueman asking questions

[1:01:00] from what I understood as far as habitat modification is the idea to modify the open space

[1:01:12] and give that line of sight to the geese rather than going on the existing bushes and different

[1:01:19] and plans that we have getting rid of them and be doing something else.

[1:01:25] Are you thinking about modifying that open space rather than the planted space?

[1:01:34] It depends on where your current planners are positioned.

[1:01:38] It's definitely an option to replace planners that have very short shrubs and

[1:01:43] sparse shrubs with gaps in between them with something taller.

[1:01:46] You know, depending on the positioning of the specific planners.

[1:01:50] And we went kind of fast through one of those slides.

[1:01:52] There's a map, though, where we had some purple circles and we had some yellow lines that were just kind of examples for a few of the parks.

[1:02:00] The purple circles are examples of where islands could be placed.

[1:02:04] And then, if it seemed feasible, put like a head row along the edge of a walkway or

[1:02:11] something where it seems to be, it wouldn't impede human uses of the park.

[1:02:17] Another one that may work is the back of your beaches, several of the beaches have like a four foot chain link fence at the back of those beaches.

[1:02:26] And so just creating that fence, the geese can see through it.

[1:02:30] If you create a visual obstruction along there and it may be as simple as like cloth, like privacy fence type material attached to that fence.

[1:02:40] and that wouldn't look awesome, but you could replace that with vegetation over the long

[1:02:44] term, but vegetation may take a little while to get tall enough and thick enough.

[1:02:48] So I think that that will make geese coming ashore onto that beach if they can only see

[1:02:55] 30 feet and they don't know what's on the other side of that visual obstruction that may

[1:03:00] have an impact right there.

[1:03:01] But again, what I recommend is applying some of these things, coming up with a structured

[1:03:06] way and a feasible way to apply some of these things and then continue to monitor which is watching the geese and what they do and then, you know, improving, evaluating the success and then improving on it wherever you can.

[1:03:21] And then this question to staff, I think, and the spirit of efficiency and cost effectiveness that you mentioned down.

[1:03:29] I think if you're looking at type of that modification which we are and we should.

[1:03:33] But I think it behooves us to have that part of your master, park master plan as you are working on it.

[1:03:42] Is that a plan or what?

[1:03:44] Yeah, Councilmember Hindi, thank you for that question, I appreciate that.

[1:03:47] One of the things that we've been very methodical about with all of these plans is that they inform one another.

[1:03:54] And we, at the very beginning of establishing this work, we knew that the park's master plan.

[1:03:59] And so we're working with the consultants as well, with all of the future modifications of if we do a renovation of the parts how can we improve the landscape, I'll give you a perfect example, the landscaping, the new landscaping for the new Foster City Community Center takes into account mitigation for geese that reduces the food sources as well as provides the proper plants as described by Daniel here of what we want to do with that.

[1:04:28] And so we're already starting to incorporate that.

[1:04:30] But you realize with Habitat, we're here for the long term.

[1:04:33] This is not a short term solution, it could be potentially an expensive solution.

[1:04:38] But over a period of time, as part of our normal maintenance as well as our capital projects and so forth,

[1:04:44] we can begin to make those changes.

[1:04:47] I don't have photos with you today, but if you've ever been out to Katamaran Park,

[1:04:51] good example there was, we have the fence line and we have the field where the geese can see.

[1:04:58] Staff, when we were replacing shrubs or replacing plants, we replaced it with tall grass.

[1:05:05] And it's very attractive, looking, it looks perfectly, it's native.

[1:05:09] And that will be an opportunity for us to create these habitat modifications, but

[1:05:16] be thoughtful every time we do that.

[1:05:18] So that's the plan.

[1:05:18] Wonderful. Thank you. I'm going to continue because these are important for me at least and I know members of the public

[1:05:27] You talked about malting season. How how long is it about a month about a month so

[1:05:36] Obviously during malting season the birds cannot fly so

[1:05:42] let's say we do in hazing

[1:05:44] Who hazing them from the field where they are feeding and they go to the water because

[1:05:50] That's where they hide from their predators, as you mentioned.

[1:05:54] How do you move them out at town during that month?

[1:05:57] That's really tough because they're going to, I mean, you could follow them all the way down the lagoon until your lagoon meets

[1:06:05] a levy and push them over into the bay, but that's extremely difficult.

[1:06:11] A better strategy in what I'd recommend would be to, if you have, you know, staff monitoring the

[1:06:20] And as it gets closer to the mold, I would really try to keep them from getting into your parks before they mold.

[1:06:27] While they can still fly, push them elsewhere until they mold so that you don't end up.

[1:06:32] And you may again have to prioritize certain parks, you may prioritize where the conflict has been greatest.

[1:06:39] And from what I've been told, Leo Ryan was a really big conflict during the mold season.

[1:06:43] So, yeah, prioritizing the areas, depending on, you know, your hazing capabilities, how much, you know, staffing capability you have.

[1:06:51] I think that's the best strategy.

[1:06:54] Okay. In your report, you didn't get too much into it in your presentation, but in your report, you do mention what you believe, correct me if I'm wrong, but that's what I understood.

[1:07:05] That's one of the most effective hazing method is kind of remote devices, such as maybe drones or something similar to that effect.

[1:07:14] Is that kind of thing on that?

[1:07:14] Yes.

[1:07:15] So that simulates a predator, right?

[1:07:18] And there are actually some remote control devices that are built to, they look a little cheesy, but look like a predator.

[1:07:25] And what that remote control device can allow you to do is close the gap and get close to them and invade their space,

[1:07:32] which is different than other methods that are applied from a distance.

[1:07:37] So you really increase the threat to them very quickly, as well as some of the remote control devices that are amphibious.

[1:07:44] An important part of goose ecology is moving from the land into the water to get away from the predator, whatever.

[1:07:52] And one of the examples of a hazing method are trained dogs.

[1:07:56] dogs, and dogs, for instance, if they pursue Canada geese into the water, the geese have the upper hand, and they've actually attacked dogs, so you need to take away both the land and the water as a safe space so that they don't just go from the land to the water, and then when you leave, they come back to the land.

[1:08:14] You want the whole area to be unsafe, in addition to, you don't want them in the water anyways, if, you know, they are the source of the E. coli.

[1:08:22] So, I mean, it appears to me, and I'm asking you, I don't know, that if you are using

[1:08:30] your remote devices, such as drone, to haze them from the open field, and they go to

[1:08:36] water, continue with the same devices, again, and the water, follow them, basically, right?

[1:08:43] I mean, these are remote devices, you have to have camera on your device for your drones.

[1:08:50] And I've seen pictures and I've seen I think somebody sent us to council some drones with

[1:08:56] these like eagle, eagle, basically what appears to be something as a predator, right?

[1:09:06] And I think those would seem to be affected because you basically put them on top of them and

[1:09:11] like the dog, but you are really somebody with a remote and seen it live and what they need

[1:09:17] to do. But so you did cover I think what I think the most two of the most important thing

[1:09:24] habitat modification and hazing but I didn't hear a lot from you about what I believe is another

[1:09:31] component in there because I believe this is a really three-pronged approach should be which is

[1:09:36] addling so that's a long-term solution that you're not going to see the fruits of it in a year or two

[1:09:42] Yeah, but I think if you don't if we don't do that

[1:09:46] We're really this is going to be an ongoing process with now with real

[1:09:54] Not that I'm not gonna say not effective, but you're really not getting to the root of the issue

[1:09:58] Which is reducing that population somehow, right?

[1:10:01] He's just moving it. Yeah, and if you

[1:10:05] Slug off a little bit and you're hazing on any other stuff. They will be back

[1:10:09] They based at the end of the day

[1:10:10] They're looking for some food and some place to do their population to the good girl

[1:10:14] You're 100% correct and I just didn't talk about that a lot, it was all one of my slides and definitely in the report.

[1:10:22] One of the reasons I was trying to move kind of quickly and talk to you about what you wanted to talk about or I thought you want to talk about.

[1:10:29] Another piece of that is that from the information I have right now, there aren't many geese nesting in the city.

[1:10:35] You would want to keep monitoring for that because an important part of kind of breaking the cycle,

[1:10:41] Canada geese that are born in this, wherever they're born, they imprint on that location.

[1:10:45] They will come back there and when they are breeding age, they are going to lay a nest there

[1:10:49] and try to raise their young there. And so one of the important pieces of like your hazing

[1:10:56] and laptop modification and just overall conflict mitigation is to try to break that cycle so that

[1:11:01] you no longer have geese that are definitely that are born in the city. But in addition to that,

[1:11:07] But I think that because we don't think many of them are hatched within the city instead they're hatched nearby probably most likely at Bear Island because it's so close and it's just really good habitat.

[1:11:19] And I know that you're already doing egg outling and oiling and reproductive control there and absolutely recommend keep doing that as well as to continue to be vigilant for nesting geese and put the word out to your citizens as well as have your staff watching for that.

[1:11:35] And then, you know, any contracted hazing staff or whatever you end up doing, watching for geese,

[1:11:41] addling, or you can either addle so you can dip them in oil so they don't hatch, which means

[1:11:46] that the goose will sit on those eggs until they think that they're not going to hatch.

[1:11:51] That's one strategy, or you just take them away.

[1:11:53] If you just take the eggs away, they may re-nest in that area.

[1:11:57] And so if they were trying to go back into the same area, that's where you could apply the lights

[1:12:01] or some of the Mylar, a balloon, you just make that area not look safe anymore.

[1:12:07] You could move along, or make it change the vegetation structure so it doesn't seem safe to them, but yeah, absolutely keep up with that.

[1:12:15] Thank you. Well, thank you for that information.

[1:12:17] How would you go about looking for a nest, or how would you recommend to the city, look for a nest, is it going to be drones?

[1:12:28] You're absolutely right, Bear Island is where most of them are happening now, but there have been some nest found in

[1:12:35] Fossil City, the gentlemen who have been working on Adling eggs for us. We have currently a

[1:12:42] Team of one. Yeah, and that he wanted to retire. I

[1:12:47] Would think I would love to hear your professional opinion that yeah, that number should be

[1:12:53] At least five times bigger if not more during that season to

[1:12:57] to be a little bit more effective, but the other thing that I think would like to know

[1:13:06] what method do we have other than someone calling, hey, I see an egg, a nest,

[1:13:12] how do you even know it's, you know, let's we see the goose sitting on it, how it's a goose nest.

[1:13:17] Well, that is a good indicator, the goose, their head is usually up and then the females typically

[1:13:22] Typically on the nest, the male will be standing guard not too far away and very vigilant, they call them sentinels, you know, they'll be watching.

[1:13:29] So, that should be, look like next to wetland or next to water and should be thickly vegetated, like weed looking stuff, you know.

[1:13:39] And the only, I haven't been everywhere in your city, I've been a lot of places.

[1:13:43] There aren't a lot of areas that meet those criteria, I mean, it could be, it's less likely to be but in just like overgrown lawn.

[1:13:51] but I've seen over next to sea cloud park closer to the levee, there's like a flood control area, that definitely could be goose nesting.

[1:14:01] So maybe identify some of those areas and then check them regularly.

[1:14:05] Whether that's feasible to do with your staff, or if you have somebody contracted to do that.

[1:14:11] Another way, and I mean, you could contract somebody to do everything.

[1:14:15] It just depends on how much personnel time you want to pay for, basically.

[1:14:20] But you could try to do citizen science stuff, get your citizens involved, if you know that they're citizens that are particularly vocal about having a problem with geese, or you know that there's an area that has potential for goose nesting this over where somebody lives, and they can walk their dog there, whatever, ask them to look regularly and potentially report.

[1:14:44] You know that was we kind of that's one section in our management plan is to engage the public, you know and do so appropriately

[1:14:51] And it depends on how involved they want to be, you know, but you could in keep involved with social media posts you could have meetings

[1:15:00] Whatever, and talk to them and teach them what to look for, you know, is one option, or you can contract it, or you can have your staff. But looking pretty frequently during the time of, you know, the time of when you expect them to lay eggs, you know, is an important part of that. There is a depredation order allowed that allows for all of that. So you don't even need your separate depredation permit for that. And that's how well documented the conflicts of Kennedy Geesar. And I think that

[1:15:29] And that is part of a bigger regional, Southern San Francisco Bay conversation that I kind of pointed the finger at with the regulatory and the land managers for the same federal side.

[1:15:41] I really think that there needs to be more effort kind of in the region, to collectively control Canada geese to prevent these conflicts before they start.

[1:15:55] So that would be I think my suggestion to staff is part of your public outreach and education is perhaps to produce a video informing the public how to identify and how to look for a nest and with samples and something that people could really see.

[1:16:15] And I know a lot of member of the public really are interested in being a part of that solution of what we are trying to do.

[1:16:24] And I'm sure they will at least volunteer when they see something like that to report the staff and so forth.

[1:16:33] But then you would have to have staff ready to go take it probably.

[1:16:36] I wouldn't recommend you have the-

[1:16:38] Correct, just to identify them and report the location.

[1:16:46] But I think, for staff, I think really we need to, I don't know how you can survey, and I would imagine from there would be the best way to survey if there are anyness and how to look for them, but I don't know.

[1:17:02] I mean, I don't know what you're taking on that.

[1:17:04] I mean, in addition to the residents telling you, but you want to have a more professional way of doing it rather than just depending on volunteers calling A, we found a nest.

[1:17:15] Yeah, I'd recommend that and creating a schedule and identify areas you're going to search, you know, and if we were to do the Bear Island nest searching, we would try to do it with a drone.

[1:17:27] I think you have a city ordinance against flying drones, and then San Francisco International Airport is nearby,

[1:17:35] so there's some things you've got to work through there, but I don't think anything is really preventative.

[1:17:41] But-

[1:17:41] Well, here's an idea.

[1:17:43] I think our PD and other PDs in the county as well as fire department are using drones.

[1:17:49] Why don't we bring them here to do their training and you know, do that surveillance for us?

[1:17:54] I don't know.

[1:17:54] I mean, that might be something they get to be their training and you get what you're actually looking for something, right?

[1:18:03] If I may, I just want to point out, we're still on clarifying questions for the consultants before we go to deliberations or.

[1:18:09] Okay. All right, no problem. All right, well, I'm all done anyways. Thank you.

[1:18:18] I mean, are we shooting for a reduction in the number of keys to 10% say or zero?

[1:18:29] The answer to that comes from you and your citizens.

[1:18:35] What level is the conflict tolerable or acceptable?

[1:18:40] You know, but zero is taut, it is attainable.

[1:18:45] Yeah, it would, it's going to be a lot of multi-pronged effort and it's going to take

[1:18:51] a while, you know, but I'm not going to say it's impossible, it would be tough.

[1:18:58] Some of that depends on the other properties around you.

[1:19:02] All you have to do, so when you haze the geese repeatedly, that becomes energetically

[1:19:09] expensive to them. And so if life is better over there, they'll go over there, you know.

[1:19:15] And there are a lot of city parks, sports fields, properties all around you plus, you know,

[1:19:23] the wildlife areas. So hopefully they'll go to the wildlife areas and not to their neighbors,

[1:19:27] but so I absolutely think, you know, because there are so many areas for them to go that if

[1:19:33] If you create, you know, your parks and especially your priority parks as scary places to be from the hazing perspective that they should leave.

[1:19:43] And then even more so, if successful habitat modifications are implemented and some of the habitat modifications are going to be more feasible in some parks than others.

[1:19:53] your sports fields, if they're grass sports fields, that's a

[1:19:56] you can't modify those, you know, unless you you go to

[1:19:59] something like turf, you know, and the geese may still land

[1:20:04] there, but at least it's not food for them. So you have

[1:20:07] more potential to modify habitat in some of especially the

[1:20:10] smaller parks. So if you identify successful methods in those

[1:20:15] parks, you might just take a whole bunch of them off the list

[1:20:18] and they're just no longer desirable for candidate geese and

[1:20:21] more that you take off the list, and then the more hazing you apply on the other areas,

[1:20:25] it becomes more and more feasible to reduce their presence.

[1:20:29] Thank you.

[1:20:30] Okay, another one is I want to support what Sam has said about fosters landing.

[1:20:39] There's a long strip of grass between Polynesia and Bounty.

[1:20:45] And as you just said, they'll find some other place.

[1:20:49] And that is a place but it doesn't have water, you know, it's not, they don't have the access to the water, but it's quite open.

[1:20:58] So I want to echo that we make sure that that gets somehow on the list of something to observe.

[1:21:09] Is the staff report itself, we asked him questions or just the staff report itself?

[1:21:16] Both? Both?

[1:21:18] Both?

[1:21:18] Sultans or staff are available to answer questions.

[1:21:20] Because in the staff report talks about where the lead agency.

[1:21:24] What is that in tail?

[1:21:26] It's a formality for the Sequa, for the California Environmental Quality Act.

[1:21:31] You are the representative, you know?

[1:21:34] Does that?

[1:21:35] When you say lead agency, though, of like agencies, or where the P.O.C.

[1:21:41] Agency for this project, and through sequence a proposed project with the project description, and then all the identified kind of environmental variables and mitigation measures that came along with that proposed project.

[1:21:57] So you, the city, are the lead agency saying we're going to start this project, we're initiating the California Environmental Quality Act review, and then it goes through a public review period.

[1:22:09] And then-

[1:22:09] Oh, the secret process, yeah.

[1:22:11] And then they, so it's short answer, I guess,

[1:22:13] it's completely related to the secret process.

[1:22:15] Okay, I just want to make, because they're definition really wasn't in the staff report, but that's staff report.

[1:22:25] Did you meant, and I recall that, did you mention that you'd had talked to other agencies?

[1:22:31] I agency, other municipalities?

[1:22:35] I reached out to several that had management plans that were available on the internet.

[1:22:40] And so, and a big one is, um, band Oregon, um, and then there was another one in Ohio and I talked to them just to ask.

[1:22:48] But when in the Bay Area?

[1:22:51] Oh, yes.

[1:22:52] Yeah, you're not talking about the words you mean.

[1:22:54] I could not find, no, I didn't, didn't have, um, couldn't find contact information basically for specific people that it was obvious that they had a management plan and program.

[1:23:05] I know of some more if you're interested, but I've kind of just come across that information sense, but there are some other city parks elsewhere in the Bay that are doing some management, just none of them that I know of have a management plan.

[1:23:20] Yeah, because I know, I mean, firsthand, I'm a golfer.

[1:23:23] Yep.

[1:23:23] And every golf course that is on the bay and in fact I think they fly, they follow me from the foster city to the east bay, to the south bay.

[1:23:37] I mean, I'm being facetious but so if we get rid of the grease, they don't come here anymore.

[1:23:47] So they pick up the homestead and move.

[1:23:49] move, that's going to take them over to somewhere else,

[1:23:56] the population is going to grow somewhere

[1:23:59] else. And aren't we, without a regional plan, are we just barking up the tree of chasing

[1:24:09] our tail, going around and around?

[1:24:12] Immediately you're solving your conflicts with Canada geese, but I absolutely recommend

[1:24:17] the regional, you know, approach and discussion, I think a good way to start that is, you know,

[1:24:23] you have a plan now is to start implementing the plan and I think every, you know, you're

[1:24:27] going to have more people contacting and asking questions. How's it working, you know, you know,

[1:24:32] what's working, what's not working, you know, and if more of those entities say, oh, look

[1:24:38] a foster city's doing, this is great, you know, we also have a problem. They either are going to

[1:24:44] to complain to those agency folks, or they're gonna pursue their own plan.

[1:24:49] And as both of those things happen more in more areas with more cities or people with conflict,

[1:24:55] I think then the agencies, it'll become, it will kind of force a regional conversation is what I expect to happen.

[1:25:03] How far, I guess leaves, we end up pushing them out, how large is their habitat?

[1:25:12] Could the East Bay be part of their habitat?

[1:25:16] Yes, they definitely can fly that way.

[1:25:18] They fly, you know, to Canada to breed.

[1:25:21] No, I don't mean the migration, I'm talking about that.

[1:25:23] Right.

[1:25:24] So it depends.

[1:25:25] It's home range, the area that wildlife use depends on resource availability.

[1:25:30] And sometimes it varies by different times of the year.

[1:25:32] If they have to go farther to find food or they have to go farther to find cover,

[1:25:36] they have a larger home range or at least a temporarily a larger home range.

[1:25:41] So that's absolutely possible.

[1:25:44] I just don't know enough about how geese move around this area right now.

[1:25:49] And one of the things we added in your plan is, you know,

[1:25:52] that GPS and satellite transmitters put on wildlife now are really like providing a lot of information

[1:25:59] that we didn't know as wildlife biologists and scientists, you know.

[1:26:03] And so learning and being able to specifically answer questions like that, you know,

[1:26:08] put a GPS tracker on an animal and watch it on your phone, you know, where it goes

[1:26:12] here and there. And that would be advantageous, even in your city, you know, where you could

[1:26:18] say, okay, well, what happens when we disperse geese from Goal Park? Where do they go, you

[1:26:23] know? And unfortunately, if they're not marked, if they're not wearing, so geese, you put

[1:26:29] like a neck collar with like a letter and a number on it, or maybe a leg band that can

[1:26:34] be readable from a distance.

[1:26:35] So number 12 was at Goal Park and then somebody says, oh, I saw number 12 over at Birken

[1:26:41] Brack, like 20 minutes after you were there, that helps to provide more information.

[1:26:47] And GPS transfer would do that without somebody reciting it, it just tracks that individual.

[1:26:53] Okay, another one is how much education would we have to do for staff to become proficient

[1:27:02] enough to identify habitat, identify eggs, identify nests, and I'm whatever the list entails.

[1:27:12] For Canada geese, to identify nests, it's a Canada goose nest, it's a little simpler.

[1:27:21] There are fewer other species that would have an egg that size in the area.

[1:27:27] I still wouldn't, it gets a little sticky.

[1:27:30] You know, if you're talking about the Canada goose, it's a little bit simpler and straight forward than the other migratory bird treaty act protected species that I mentioned that could have, you know, it takes a lot of training to really be able to identify those and to assess their behavior and specifically from a construction and development perspective.

[1:27:51] There's usually an agency that kind of oversees like a proposed project through this equal process or something similar.

[1:27:58] And, you know, California Fish and Wildlife is often the agency that's kind of reviewing the project and they may review resumes of the people that are doing the surveys and typically they want a biological sciences are related four year degree and some number of hours of experience doing that exact survey type with those species.

[1:28:22] So, it'd be difficult to train your staff to that level of kind of nesting bird surveys.

[1:28:30] Canada Goose nests may be a little bit easier.

[1:28:37] Good, thank you.

[1:28:39] Okay, I have a series of questions.

[1:28:41] First of all, I appreciate Frank and Dan, your first opening comments were real first shout out into things.

[1:28:47] It's a regional.

[1:28:48] And when I kind of appreciate the report and all the options that we had.

[1:28:55] And I kind of almost think we could be a poster child to helping solve the Bay Area, Canadian Geese.

[1:29:01] But with that said, I want to stick focused with your report and your recommendations.

[1:29:07] I had some concern, Councilman, our product point of what do we want to lessen the population.

[1:29:16] I noticed from 2020 to present, it appeared to me in a report kind of predicts that the population tripled.

[1:29:25] So I was wondering, there would have to be some kind of study to understand why that population tripled or so.

[1:29:35] But when we talk regional, we have San Mateo, we have Redwood Shores, and we have Redwood City.

[1:29:41] So whatever criteria we'd work with and I'm looking at your recommendations and the parks recommendation with working with the seven parks

[1:29:51] It would appear that we could solve some of the problems only by pushing them out and if we push them out

[1:29:59] That's going to mean

[1:30:00] I mean, it's going to have a little bit more out there at Coyote Point call, of course, more Redwood shores. So in essence, we could solve our problem possibly. And then I was looking because one of my questions was the criteria that you had on page 317 on how do we establish that we did something. And by God, you know, if you look at the criteria, yeah, we did something for foster city, didn't we? So I mean, but again,

[1:30:28] And is it just Foster City?

[1:30:31] So you guys are the experts, I'm kind of getting a feeling that we need to look big picture

[1:30:38] if we're going to solve it because we could solve it in this little city and push the

[1:30:42] birds out.

[1:30:43] And I kind of regress when I think of the Canadian geese, I grew up in daily city.

[1:30:48] One of my field trips for my parents taking me was to see the migration of the Canadian geese.

[1:30:53] And where their habitat was, was crystal springs.

[1:30:55] So, before Foster City was even built, they were all going migrating back to Canada, you

[1:31:02] know.

[1:31:02] But, you know, they don't want to go back to Canada, so they're here, so we have to deal

[1:31:06] with it regionally.

[1:31:07] Right.

[1:31:08] So, I'm just kind of curious in your reports, you've given us an answer to what we could

[1:31:17] do to temporarily look at, but it's not really solving the problem.

[1:31:22] It might solve the problem for Foster City, and I don't think we want to alter our grass out and all that.

[1:31:28] Now, the other criteria, on the proposal that we have with Foster City, is this a six month or is this a year?

[1:31:38] Where would we really end up having that we can actually have results?

[1:31:45] How results, you know, a noticeable change, I mean, so what identify criteria, what's

[1:31:52] important to you?

[1:31:53] And I would begin applying methods, and so if we start with the seven parks, it would

[1:31:58] just be a reduction in presence of geese in those seven parks, and it would be what methods

[1:32:03] were successful in affecting that change.

[1:32:05] And that in a way could be used to create a blueprint for what can be used in other parks.

[1:32:11] Now, so regarding the regional thing, once you create a blueprint that worked in your

[1:32:17] parks, your fellow neighbors, if they begin having issues or they already had issues, they

[1:32:22] can take your blueprint test and evaluate whether that also works in their parks.

[1:32:30] I think the regional conversation, if you try to jump first to the regional conversation,

[1:32:35] it might not go anywhere and you're stuck with the problem.

[1:32:39] But one of the parts of really sort of catalyzing or starting that, that regional conversation is collecting, you already have some information you now have a plan, but as you begin testing things and identify what works, what doesn't work and especially if you identify more things that don't work, then there is a greater need for kind of a more regional conversation.

[1:33:04] Where I'm going with that before two council members were on that, we did have that discussion.

[1:33:11] And we did have some interest regionally from the county and from the federal government.

[1:33:16] So I think it's important when I was listening to your methods.

[1:33:19] I was quite impressed with the drones and all the things the innovation you could have there.

[1:33:25] Now we kind of learned a lesson in the city.

[1:33:27] If we don't go out and ask the money before we do it.

[1:33:31] So guess what, the federal government doesn't come in and help you and neither will the county.

[1:33:35] So I myself personally want to see the discussion on the regional thing.

[1:33:40] But what you guys had information was phenomenal.

[1:33:43] I mean, if we could allow for the drones and the drones could do it, we could be helping San Mateo,

[1:33:51] we could be helping Redwood shores.

[1:33:53] So I found the information you had.

[1:33:55] Of course, we have to look in our budget here.

[1:33:57] We don't want to spend too much money.

[1:33:58] But then again, do we want to push him down to Sam and Taylor Redwood's shores and we solve it our problem?

[1:34:03] Mayor, if I may, can we stick to questions?

[1:34:05] Yeah, so I'm okay, I appreciate it, sorry to go to it.

[1:34:08] So, do you think in the longer and the regional approach would probably be that much more?

[1:34:15] Definitely, okay.

[1:34:16] Definitely, and I don't see any other way to start it by kind of leading the way.

[1:34:22] And so that's what I recommend.

[1:34:24] And certainly if you decide to hire us to be a part of that,

[1:34:29] I will help you open those conversations and help you help as many people as we can.

[1:34:35] But we got to start somewhere, right now you have a plan.

[1:34:38] It has a lot of information, it's on paper, but

[1:34:41] I think starting to kind of prove and identify what works and what doesn't work moving forward on the ground is logical next steps.

[1:34:49] One of the criteria is that I'm a little more critical on this question, maybe it is the

[1:34:54] E. Coalite in the water.

[1:34:57] If you look at the reports, it doesn't distinguish between geese.

[1:35:01] It says birdfowl.

[1:35:03] So is there any way that we could necessarily, I guess you can analyze birdfowl and

[1:35:10] say whether it's geese or pigeon or pelican and stuff like that.

[1:35:13] But I see that, that's a major reason why a lot of people in this town are very upset

[1:35:18] set with the geese and the kids getting on their uniforms or whatever.

[1:35:24] So very upset and the strong indication that it looks like the water and the shoreline is polluted.

[1:35:32] Now, any part of the criteria or what they could maybe evaluate that a little bit differently?

[1:35:39] Frank was talking to the water quality folks.

[1:35:42] What did they tell you?

[1:35:43] I'm not a water quality testing expert.

[1:35:45] There are things called EDNA, you can test for DNA and in things like water sources now

[1:35:50] and even in streams, were they not able to narrow?

[1:35:53] I know the report said water birds are similar species.

[1:35:56] Yeah, I believe they did do some sort of DNA testing.

[1:35:59] I believe it was part of the looking management plan, but there was some DNA testing

[1:36:03] and they did identify geese dogs and one main thing they were looking

[1:36:08] for they did not identify any human, so there has been some testing done.

[1:36:11] So, is that a percentage, I mean, based on that, is that a percentage of geese or animals?

[1:36:17] So, I didn't give us any sort of number at basically just so that there were markers from that specific species found in the water.

[1:36:24] Okay.

[1:36:25] Well, it'd be an interesting food for thought.

[1:36:27] We'd hate to think it's always the geese that's caused the pollution in our water, and it's not totally them too.

[1:36:32] Just a side note, Canada geese can poop up to three pounds per day, that's an awful lot.

[1:36:37] But the little that I've been in your parks doing surveys, I don't see a lot of other birds out there that really match the number of birds that, you know, the number of candidates that are out there, as well as have the potential to put out that much excrement, you know, so that that's just kind of an anecdotal observation and thought.

[1:36:57] but.

[1:36:57] Is

[1:37:01] there any more questions to the council before they open it up to the public?

[1:37:05] Okay, I'm going to open it up to the public.

[1:37:09] Do we have any speaker slips in the chamber?

[1:37:12] Yes, we do.

[1:37:13] We have Brent Turner.

[1:37:28] Hello, City Council.

[1:37:29] My name is Brent Turner.

[1:37:30] I know many of you here.

[1:37:32] Normally I do civil rights work within the county and state and country, but now I'm taking

[1:37:37] talking my time to talk about Goosepoop, which I don't mind, but I wanted to open my comments by saying we appreciate the public, this particular city council, because you pay attention to the voters into the public that came forward to say in San Mateo County we're not going to be snapping the next of geese or putting them in little cremation ovens.

[1:38:04] So we're going to use some sense of appropriateness and messaging towards the kids that when we have something to deal with,

[1:38:16] we don't just result to killing animals, and from what I'm hearing from this plan, that's off the table.

[1:38:25] So I just wanted to come before you, I wasn't sure what was going to be happening here.

[1:38:30] Or if there would be an objection or a congratulations, but I think from what I'm hearing since the lethal methods are off the table and hopefully staying off the table, you'll be surrounded now by the community that will want to encourage the county and the state and the feds to participate in this so that you're just not shuffling them around, but there's some overall comprehensive plan.

[1:38:57] And I think that's a accomplishable after hearing the good style of your lead person here.

[1:39:04] So thank you for doing this work, and thank you for coming to a good conclusion.

[1:39:08] We know that when people are objecting and saying things like their kids are coming home covered in Gooseboop,

[1:39:15] that it's easy just to go to the extreme and say, well, this is what we were doing.

[1:39:20] but you considered the conversations with the animal protection people and with the general community.

[1:39:27] So thank you again for that, and thank you for your time.

[1:39:30] Thank you.

[1:39:34] Next we have Dan Hogan.

[1:39:39] Hi, I'm Dan Hogan, I live at 321 Grungian Court, I'm representing, I don't know, my family.

[1:39:49] So a couple of things, first with the report which I read through,

[1:39:54] One of my frustrations is there are no timelines or quantitative,

[1:40:00] quantitative goals.

[1:40:01] And that came up here, and then the question was asked what do we want?

[1:40:05] Well, I'll speak for myself.

[1:40:07] I would like water that's safe to swim in.

[1:40:09] I would like beaches that my kids can play on.

[1:40:12] And I would like the kids to be able to go to the park and

[1:40:15] not have the fear that they're going to, or parents fear,

[1:40:17] they're going to get salmonella or another infectious disease because they're laid in with goose poop.

[1:40:22] group. And I would like that now.

[1:40:28] And from what I, you know, the geese population seems

[1:40:32] to be rising exponentially. We don't have, we don't have numbers, but, you know, it's

[1:40:39] rising steadily. And it seems like the plan, although I wouldn't really call it a plan

[1:40:47] because, again, there aren't quantitative readouts or goals yet, is reasonable long-term, mid-term,

[1:40:56] way to slow down or mitigate some of the effects. But the ship sailed on this plan

[1:41:04] working for us immediately or perhaps on its own.

[1:41:12] And this is just my opinion, you can

[1:41:17] correctly. I know because of a 1918 treaty, we have to, we cannot call the geese invasive species,

[1:41:26] but while practical definitions are an invasive species. And it seems to me the most prudent

[1:41:34] thing to do for the people of Foster City is to kill most of the geese. And I say that as someone

[1:41:44] one who is vegetarian is someone who is working to overhaul the food system and remove animals from it.

[1:41:53] Okay, we're talking and I'm just going to say, you know, we're talking in the range of six to 800 geese.

[1:41:59] All right, and if we just step back, oh, we had Thanksgiving on Thursday.

[1:42:05] Foster City residents ate in the range of 3,000 turkeys.

[1:42:09] Okay, so 800 geese is nothing, right?

[1:42:12] My foster city residents eat in the range of a million chickens a year.

[1:42:17] Okay, so I think that's my perspective on that.

[1:42:23] So I saw also in the report, or a lead up to the report that was reference that lethal measures were off the table.

[1:42:33] That they had one point been approved for a hundred geese, but that didn't happen.

[1:42:37] And then it was decided that was too expensive or it wouldn't work.

[1:42:43] Can I get some commentary on why that would not be an effective methodology and more comments from you on what would it really take for this to improve quickly?

[1:43:00] I'll

[1:43:07] continue with public comment.

[1:43:09] We'll return to you at that time.

[1:43:12] Okay, is there any more speaker slips in the house?

[1:43:16] We do not have any more speaker slips in the chambers, but we have some raised hands on

[1:43:20] two.

[1:43:21] Okay.

[1:43:22] Why don't we move forward with the ones on two?

[1:43:24] We have Lindsay Ford.

[1:43:43] I'm not a speaker at all.

[1:43:44] I'm an observer.

[1:43:45] I'm with Cron for news.

[1:43:50] Okay.

[1:43:50] Next, we have Bill Fulsom.

[1:44:02] Can you hear me?

[1:44:06] Two years I'm voting for Dan.

[1:44:19] And then we have a gentleman here who would like to provide public comment.

[1:44:26] We have another raised hand, that is Eric Allen.

[1:44:35] I just want to say thank you, Council, for not talking about killing any animals.

[1:44:40] I really appreciate that you guys are letting the geese live.

[1:44:43] And for those that want to kill the geese, I would recommend to sure get your hands dirty,

[1:44:49] and maybe you can volunteer and add all some eggs

[1:44:52] because I see a big problem is that there's only one person

[1:44:55] who wants to retire during the egg addling.

[1:44:59] If you want to...

[1:45:00] Control the population, control them before they're born. Thank you.

[1:45:10] We have Gerald Moreno.

[1:45:18] I was thinking, why wouldn't we remove the males and can you relocate them like at the reservoir, give them another habitat?

[1:45:27] I never, I mean, there was no suggestion, is it possible to capture them and remove them.

[1:45:32] In Maui, we have a chicken, they have a chicken, a wild chicken problem, and they remove the roosters,

[1:45:37] take them somewhere else far away, I mean, where they're not, I guess, reproducing.

[1:45:44] And then there's also, I was looking up online, there's also a fertilization

[1:45:49] like, so they could, what do they give, there's certain FDA approved, or not FDA,

[1:45:55] but approved like a chemical, chemical, they feed them, right, or robotic.

[1:46:02] How about robotic looking like the predators, you're supposed to address the council.

[1:46:10] Oh, okay, I'm sorry.

[1:46:12] Anyway, so, or robotic predator looking, what would I say, like a wolf or a, you know, the predators are robotic looking to scare them away, but capture them and relocate them, maybe in a reservoir where the habitat is satisfying to them.

[1:46:30] I don't know if that would be a positive thing or not.

[1:46:34] But capturing and removing them or finding out the males and removing the males.

[1:46:40] Because they would take the roosters and take them somewhere else on the island to reduce the population.

[1:46:44] They have unfertilized eggs, so there's a lot of eggs in Maui where I work anyway sometimes.

[1:46:50] But that's the suggestion or a combination of when we rebuild or you guys rebuild the, what is it, the rec center?

[1:46:59] So, you know, to not make it as, I guess, you know, goose friendly or geese friendly, so, I don't know, that's the suggestion.

[1:47:11] What do you think? Any comments on that one?

[1:47:13] We can't comment on the public comments, so there's public comment only.

[1:47:17] Okay, and then if the council went and it's brought back to them.

[1:47:20] Okay, because I didn't hear any of these.

[1:47:22] Well, to address the council, I didn't hear any, you know, of removing capture and removing the geese,

[1:47:28] That's an on lethal and they have a problem in New Jersey also and I was looking there's there's other

[1:47:34] Okay, thank you.

[1:47:38] We do not have any more public comment

[1:47:52] Yeah, I

[1:47:58] have to remind me on all the pieces of that I generally sympathize and understand your frustrations

[1:48:05] You want to address the council here as well

[1:48:08] So, if you want to address his things, but address the Council with that.

[1:48:12] You just address the Council and the questions, you don't necessarily need to focus on the people that are in the audience.

[1:48:17] Questions were regarding the lethal removal and you, the Council, is better first to describe how that came

[1:48:23] to be and why that was taken off the table, but generally there was a lot of public pushback from that.

[1:48:29] I can add that lethal removal without successful habitat modification isn't really going to solve, it's a short

[1:48:38] term fix, you know, and so for the long term, I recommend getting at the root of the problem.

[1:48:44] Was there more question to that that I missed, can you say me to remind me?

[1:48:48] Removal of the mails are relocating.

[1:48:51] That was broke, guys, my answer.

[1:48:54] I can answer that, we looked into that earlier on in this process, and we made contact with CDFW, and that is not permitted.

[1:49:01] So we stopped pursuing that.

[1:49:03] But translocation of birds, they were, well our mammals actually worried about moving disease.

[1:49:10] And so generally that's, that's frowned upon as well as, you know, their candidates they

[1:49:14] could fly.

[1:49:15] They're probably going to come back.

[1:49:16] So it's not really a viable method from my knowledge and experience with other programs.

[1:49:24] And then the birth control option, birth control option, how he sees that today.

[1:49:28] Typically you have to get each bird every year, again and again.

[1:49:32] And so with most wildlife, that's not feasible from a labor and effort perspective.

[1:49:41] You have to find them first, and then you have to make sure that they get an adequate dose.

[1:49:47] And in most cases, with mammals, anyway, it's not an oral thing.

[1:49:53] It's like you have to dart them and give them a drug most often.

[1:49:57] or the long-term fix is doing surgery, but you have to get each one again and again because that

[1:50:04] without surgery to my knowledge, any of those treatments are not permanent. And so it's repeated

[1:50:10] and most cases that makes it infeasible.

[1:50:16] Can for a study or there was one in Penn Valley, Penn Valley has a natural habitat as a geese.

[1:50:23] Now, I'm not sure how they solve their geese problems, so I won't comment on that. Maybe that's

[1:50:28] something you could look into.

[1:50:29] Sure, but I appreciate your comments.

[1:50:31] Is there anyone else on that?

[1:50:39] Yeah, just a really quick comment based on some of the things that I've heard.

[1:50:44] Our purview is the city limits of foster city.

[1:50:48] And if we want to have an impact,

[1:50:52] our impact goal is within our city limits.

[1:50:56] If that causes them to go to San Mateo, or burling game, or Belmont,

[1:51:01] then those cities can come to us and get our plan and get some ideas on how to deal with this.

[1:51:08] If we wait for other cities to participate, we'll have this problem forever.

[1:51:12] So I don't, I don't, it sounds like maybe not so great a neighbor.

[1:51:17] A neighborly thing to do, but the bottom line is our residents have asked us to deal with this problem in our city.

[1:51:27] Further comment, I appreciate Councilman Fruman, your comments, but we're not necessarily

[1:51:35] asking those cities, we're asking the regional approach to an original approach is a little

[1:51:40] bit different.

[1:51:41] We're talking about the county and the federal government.

[1:51:43] If that impacts and prevents a problem with sistering cities, I think it is.

[1:51:49] I think the first thing we need to do is take a look at it, but even with this plan and

[1:51:54] And I know tonight the proposed plan resolution, we won't know even if we pass this, we don't know what the cost will be like.

[1:52:03] And I think that the voters and the people and the citizens of Foster City are going to be quite shocked when we find out what that remedy my cost.

[1:52:11] So I don't want to leave that off the table, but we're not asking San Mateo or Redwood Shores or Redwood City to cooperate with us.

[1:52:22] We're asking if we have some data that, as you know, last time when I was approached this before

[1:52:29] Stacey and Art were on the council.

[1:52:31] I had the county willing to propose some help with financing, and I was also working with Congressman Spears.

[1:52:38] So, please, let's not just limit our thought process, because this is going to still be very,

[1:52:44] very, very costly, even if we just do this seven parts of the thing, which I have no idea what it is.

[1:52:51] And I don't know if we can even talk to that.

[1:52:54] I think tonight we're here just to acknowledge the report and

[1:52:58] that we need to move forward and see what the cost is.

[1:53:00] I don't have a pro, I guess I'm looking at the regional concept differently than

[1:53:04] you, maybe you had anticipated, I have no problem going to the county,

[1:53:10] going to the state, going to the feds and asking for money to deal with geese.

[1:53:16] We couldn't get it for a levy system to save lives.

[1:53:19] I don't think the Federal Government or the State is going to give us money to deal

[1:53:22] with geese, but it can't hurt to ask.

[1:53:24] But we blew it.

[1:53:26] Let's look at, we blew it, because I think it's important.

[1:53:29] We blew it with the levy because we didn't ask for prior to starting the project.

[1:53:34] That's why when the Congressman Speer came to the council and gave us a check for a million

[1:53:39] dollars, we found out we couldn't use it for the levy.

[1:53:42] And the specific thing was as we had already started the levy.

[1:53:46] So this is a real important crucial thing for Foster City to be on target and that's all I'm saying now

[1:53:52] I didn't mean to catch you off Councilman from it, but I didn't want to be misleading the public

[1:53:57] It's like we thought we had a million dollars for the levy. We didn't have a million dollars for the levy

[1:54:01] I get it and I don't think there's any any problem with asking our state and local state and federal representatives

[1:54:07] If there's any any money available, we have been working with state and federal agencies on this plan

[1:54:13] and sufficient wildlife have been a part of this.

[1:54:16] And I would assume that if there was money to be had,

[1:54:19] not that it's, again, not that it's not worth asking.

[1:54:22] If there was money to be had, these agencies looking at what we're trying to accomplish in a humane way,

[1:54:27] would say, you know what, based on the way you're trying to accomplish this, I think that we might be able to find you some dollars.

[1:54:34] So we have contacts now, I'm assuming, we're state and federal efficient wildlife who participated in the preparation of this report.

[1:54:42] Or I think communication with them might be helpful to open or close that door so we can get moving.

[1:54:50] I don't want the delay getting started simply to try to find more money.

[1:54:57] I know that some of this activity that we're going to be looking at is naturally going to be done anyway.

[1:55:04] As we go through our parks and do renovations, we do modifications, and what not.

[1:55:08] But our staff, as Derek has mentioned here and mentioned to me during a meeting they are starting to look at these projects with a different lens or an additional lens of goose mitigation.

[1:55:21] So when they're looking at types of plants, they're putting where they're going to put them, how they're going to situate things, that's going to be part of the discussion.

[1:55:30] So I think these things are going to happen anyway, if the feds in the state want to give us some money, it'll be welcome, but I wouldn't hold our breath on it.

[1:55:40] Thanks, thanks, Councilman Fruman.

[1:55:42] Is there any other comments, Councilman in the Hindi?

[1:55:45] Thank you.

[1:55:47] So then to stop, I think my colleagues agree, I think it is really critical to have an ad link one and to make sure that you have enough

[1:55:59] professionals doing that, along just not just that one person, I'm sorry, I forgot his name,

[1:56:05] but we need to contact him before he retires, so he could train some people, share the knowledge

[1:56:10] that he has on Bear Island, but you have to have a meaningful and a part of this plan

[1:56:19] that Dan had been proposing and submitted to us.

[1:56:24] Question, I mean, I'm all for the plan, I'm all for mitigating this issue, but I think

[1:56:33] to staff, the water pollution, if you will, are we certain

[1:56:45] that this happens only near

[1:56:50] the beaches because the water does not kind of circulate much?

[1:56:53] We talked about this at a different time, and are we trying to do anything to kind of move the water as well?

[1:57:00] This is not the geese, but again addressing the water pollution.

[1:57:06] I mean, I'd like to possibly take that question because when we're Hindi, I know that our prior public works director

[1:57:14] looked into the possibility of trying to move the water with some sort of system.

[1:57:19] I think we explored it, it was unsuccessful.

[1:57:22] It does not mean that we can't revisit this idea.

[1:57:26] One of the things that we are going to propose as part of the Parks Master Plan,

[1:57:30] what we talk about habitat modification in various parks.

[1:57:35] Specifically, our three beach parks is the possibility of installing some types of water

[1:57:41] movement of fountain or something like that.

[1:57:43] That I heard some history in the past where there were some devices or things that were in the lagoon.

[1:57:51] I'm not sure exactly why those perhaps were removed, maybe people with longer history might know that.

[1:57:58] But it is something that we need to put on the table because the big thing is the water's not circulating.

[1:58:03] Those are the only beaches that get tested.

[1:58:05] We get on the beach bummer list all the time.

[1:58:07] If we can just address that aspect of it in the movement of the water, we would be off that list for that alone.

[1:58:15] And we don't want to go any deeper in that because it's not on the agenda, so we'll want to stick to the Eastmaster plan.

[1:58:22] Okay, and just a question of clarification on the SQL report and you both made comments on the SQL report.

[1:58:29] So even on the proposed project that we are proposing with the seven parks, we are going to be monitored by SQL on that.

[1:58:36] Or are we able to maneuver around CEQA because of the specifics or not in violation of CEQA?

[1:58:43] Because that has to do with environmental quality of the land.

[1:58:47] And with the only thing that we were specific about in the conversation was talking about Bear Island.

[1:58:54] So Bear Island is that something that we, I'm assuming since that probably is part of the habitat that that's going to come under CEQA?

[1:59:03] Well,

[1:59:05] we have specifically left the Bear Island and the egg outling there out of it.

[1:59:10] Bear Island is a complicated place because it also has other listed threat and endangered species.

[1:59:17] Sequel requires that new projects are vetted underneath Sequel.

[1:59:21] That's already been gone going.

[1:59:25] Okay, so that's any answers to questions?

[1:59:27] Say about that, I mean.

[1:59:30] Okay, we're going to close, if you have another comment, vice premier.

[1:59:35] I just wanted my direction to staff is let's be as aggressive as we can.

[1:59:41] We've already been at this for two years, and at this point, there's no question these birds are gorgeous, but they are becoming an absolute nuisance.

[1:59:52] They're eroding the quality of life in Foster City, they're eroding our landscape, they're dangerous to our pets, they're dangerous.

[2:00:00] It's to our kids. And at this point, it feels like it's gotten completely out of hand. And I know that staff has been great to do what they can. But now that we have some options in front of us, please let's take advantage of everything we have. And I want to be very quick to pivot. So if there's a way that we can give you the authority to do that, let's look into that. I want to make sure that if this plan, you know, in three months, we find that it's not working.

[2:00:29] then I want you to not be afraid to come back to us and say we had a plan, it's not working, let's move on.

[2:00:39] So that would be my direction and I just want to say thank you, the plan was, the report was great and Frank I really appreciated your presentation that was well done, so thank you.

[2:00:49] Thank you very much, I'm going to have a motion to adopt a resolution to seek out to the City of Foster City.

[2:00:57] One adopting the initial study of migration of negative foster city adopting the initial study of negative declaration with all findings, and standard conditions of approval and mitigation monitoring with reporting program, MMMRP pursuit to the California Environmental Quality Act, known as CEQA, for the integration adaptive of the Canada Goose Management Plan.

[2:01:20] plan and imprecise, and to approving the plan as it's implementation.

[2:01:25] Do I have a second

[2:01:30] on that?

[2:01:32] You have a second.

[2:01:34] Do we need to do a roll call vote on it?

[2:01:36] No.

[2:01:37] Okay, all those in favor say aye.

[2:01:39] Aye.

[2:01:42] Any abstentions?

[2:01:45] Motion passes 5-0, item 7.2.

[2:01:49] A public hearing to hear and receive community input on the selected final map, map B-2 live edits,

[2:01:55] and sequencing of elections and adopt the ordinance to provide for election of council members by five districts.

[2:02:03] Establish district boundaries and election order of districts.

[2:02:06] Anyone who wants to provide public comment, please provide a speaker slip or raise your hand on Zoom.

[2:02:12] And here we have presenting the report is Paul Mitchell representing redistricting partners.

[2:02:19] Thank you very much and thanks for having me tonight.

[2:02:22] I'm going to go real quickly through a presentation that you've seen before.

[2:02:34] Let me know if you can't see that. Is that okay?

[2:02:38] All righty. So last time I was with you in person was your very first meeting.

[2:02:44] This should be your very last meeting. In the intervening time you've had a lot of public input, public map drawing, and you did a live line drawing with Liz

[2:02:56] is where you came to a final map that you're now able to adopt.

[2:03:01] It's been public for seven days, which is the requirement.

[2:03:05] And I'm just going to kind of go through this presentation really quick.

[2:03:08] I'm going to cover real briefly, just in case anybody's checking in for the first time.

[2:03:13] What redistricting principles are, the redistricting principles that we're using for this process.

[2:03:18] Go over the public hearing schedule that we did.

[2:03:20] Go over the final map, and then it's time for you to be able to take a final vote.

[2:03:24] So, if somebody really wants to dive into how this process works, I gave a in-person,

[2:03:32] I think 45-minute presentation, plus about half an hour or so of question and answer.

[2:03:37] Going over things like, what does equally size mean when we're talking about populations

[2:03:41] of districts?

[2:03:43] The idea that districts need to be contiguous.

[2:03:46] The ideas of communities of interest, which is really an important part of this process,

[2:03:51] as you know from all the discussions that you've been having and then trying to create districts

[2:03:56] within all these kind of competing forces that are also easily understandable to voters make sense

[2:04:05] in following natural boundaries and man-made boundaries and then finally to keep districts compact

[2:04:11] which by California state law means it's not a district doesn't go get a far-away population

[2:04:17] and do so by bypassing some other nearby population.

[2:04:20] It's a real, worthy way of saying,

[2:04:23] let's keep districts kind of whole and together.

[2:04:28] We've had a total of seven hearings.

[2:04:33] We had the first public hearing

[2:04:34] that I spoke at followed by community workshop.

[2:04:37] And then we had other hearings in the chambers

[2:04:40] and another community workshop on November 13th.

[2:04:44] And this is the last hearing and it's an opportunity for the final vote.

[2:04:50] The map that you have agendas for this final vote was one that was live drawn for the

[2:04:57] you and the public to see at your at a prior hearing.

[2:05:02] And this is an edit of a map called B2, which is kind of a modification of one of our original

[2:05:08] drafts that we provided.

[2:05:09] The deviation, meaning the size difference from the larger size is 4.5%, so the guideline

[2:05:17] is that it has to be less than 10%, so you're well within that deviation.

[2:05:22] This originally was drawn at the November 4th public hearing, and again, it's a real

[2:05:28] benefit to the public that they got to see live the drawing and got to hear themselves,

[2:05:33] the reasons for the trade-offs, and that's always great in a public district for it to

[2:05:39] to be something where literally some can go back and watch the recording of the actual

[2:05:44] mapping drawn in all the discussion that's happening at the time.

[2:05:47] The map was numbered in order for the sequencing of when each district is going to come up.

[2:05:54] And then it utilized public input, the HOA boundaries, which was one of the very first things

[2:05:59] that we talked about at that first hearing that I attended.

[2:06:02] The school attendance areas, kind of a logical balance of the streets and the waterway boundaries

[2:06:09] and those were what we're used to create this plan.

[2:06:13] When we look at this plan, we can see that these districts kind of follow the shape of the city

[2:06:20] with its waterways as being a central piece and then also major streets and so on.

[2:06:27] The sequencing that you've adopted in the creation of this plan, you will formally adopt with this vote,

[2:06:34] So we'll place districts 1 and 2 as coming up in 2026 and so on this map that's the yellow

[2:06:42] and the green and then districts 3, 4 and 5 coming up in 20, 28 and that's the brown,

[2:06:49] the red and the purple

[2:06:53] and with that I'm happy to answer any questions or leave it to you

[2:06:59] to make a final vote.

[2:07:01] We'll

[2:07:04] start with council. Any questions? No questions? Do we have any speaker slips?

[2:07:14] We have one speaker slip from Fred Bayer.

[2:07:28] Good evening, Mayor Sullivan, City Council, City Manager and staff. I'm Fred Bayer and I'm

[2:07:35] speaking as an individual tonight, because you know I'm on the Park and Rec Committee and

[2:07:39] serve on some other groups. So, these are individual comments, but it is from my background

[2:07:45] around serving as an appointed member of city committees over the past 45 years and understand the city and also on a school bond oversight committee.

[2:07:55] Foster City is not yet ready to move to district collections.

[2:07:59] We should join the city of Milbury in supporting pending legislation by state senator Josh Becker to modify the California Voting Rights Act.

[2:08:10] as a similar size city to Millbury.

[2:08:13] We're not suitable for district elections.

[2:08:16] Foster City in addition has another rationale, which I will address, and that has a bearing here.

[2:08:25] I understand that your consultant on district elections maintains the location if your high school is included in the rationale for determining the election district, and that makes sense because all the facilities and use of the high school in a city.

[2:08:40] The foster city, however, remains the largest city in the state, without a public high school, although a high school remains in our city's general master plan and always been there.

[2:08:54] It is not addressed, however, in your district-wing plans, we're the only city that has that situation because, as it pointed out, every other city that's been dealing with this has a high school.

[2:09:07] The San Mateo, I'm going to just make a couple of related comments here as moving forward.

[2:09:13] The San Mateo Union High School District has not yet distributed foster cities owed 150 million bond share that we're paying off to build a high school and recreation facilities in foster city, and we're dealing with budgets problems because of that.

[2:09:29] But I realize you do not have legal jurisdiction.

[2:09:34] You can only represent our interests and

[2:09:36] no chair in that regard to the high school district.

[2:09:41] And here's the paradox for dealing with the San Mateo Foster City School District.

[2:09:46] Maintains that bond money must be spent proportionately in member cities.

[2:09:50] And uses that formula to restrict the amount of bond money spent in foster city.

[2:09:55] As an example, that leaves us without a performing arts center report rebuild about each middle school because we have less money coming in, but they're spending money.

[2:10:04] The San Mateo foster city school district uses this formula that I mentioned and the high school district does not observe that.

[2:10:19] We have two opposites both penalizing us and leaving us with the situation I'm addressing tonight.

[2:10:25] Right, we cannot continue to have those two opposing bond policies.

[2:10:30] Let me finish here, let us first pursue owned and much needed facilities in our master plan and

[2:10:37] owned attack spares and residents before backing into a corner on district elections where we don't yet qualify as I pointed out.

[2:10:45] We must at least defer that until addressing our needed high school facilities that are included in the state's formula for designating districts.

[2:10:54] And that's my comments to you tonight to say we should be delaying at least because of these principles and partnering with Milbury.

[2:11:03] Thank you.

[2:11:05] We do not have any other public comment.

[2:11:10] No, we do not.

[2:11:12] We do not have anyone on Zoom.

[2:11:14] I have a motion to adopt an ordinance.

[2:11:16] So, Mr. Mayor, we want to close the public session on that.

[2:11:22] Okay.

[2:11:22] A motion to drop an ordinance to the City Council, the City of Foster City, a mending title to administration and personnel of the Foster City Municipal Code to add Section 2.56.025, district elections to provide for the election of members of the City Council by five districts, establish the district boundaries, election order of each district, do I have a second?

[2:11:49] Second.

[2:11:50] All those in favor say aye.

[2:11:53] I'd like to hear a roll call vote.

[2:11:55] You have a roll call vote on that.

[2:11:58] Councilmember Fruiman.

[2:11:59] Yes, under duress.

[2:12:01] Hindi.

[2:12:02] No.

[2:12:05] Jimenez.

[2:12:21] Oh, yes.

[2:12:23] Kiesel.

[2:12:25] Yes, under the threat of extortion.

[2:12:29] Mayor Sullivan.

[2:12:30] Yes.

[2:12:32] Motion passes, 4-1 with Council Member Hindi voting no.

[2:12:41] Item 8, communications 8.1, city district, warrants of demands are processed and issued

[2:12:46] on November 5th, 2024, and November 13th, 2024, an AC tour processed on November 5th, 2024.

[2:12:55] Anyone who wants to provide public comment, please provide a speaker slip or raise your hand

[2:13:00] on Zoom.

[2:13:00] This is an information item, only no action required.

[2:13:05] Item 9, city district manager reports, council board statements and requests, and council liaison reports.

[2:13:16] Mr. Mayor and members of the council, I'll leave my reports to your weekly updates that you received.

[2:13:23] There are some calendar items in there as you receive that I believe tomorrow, as of note,

[2:13:29] about tree lighting ceremony and some other things, the tree lighting ceremony I would remind the public will be at the amphitheater this year as the rec center is under construction, and that happens on Wednesday evening.

[2:13:43] And again, that information is available online and will be in your report.

[2:13:46] I

[2:13:56] have nothing to add other than, you know, we're going through the holiday season so, and perhaps some rain, so be careful when you're buying the wheel and have a hope to see you next year.

[2:14:17] Thank you. Just a couple things.

[2:14:20] We had a South Bayside waste management authority meeting a week or two ago.

[2:14:24] And one of the things I brought to counsel about a year ago that has taken all this time to get moving is a fee that the SBWMA pays to the city of St. Carlos for the ability to have our transfer station there.

[2:14:42] And it's an old agreement that transferred when we bought the facility and built it as an agency and entity.

[2:14:51] And it has been tied to gate fees there, which means all the times are trash hauling trucks.

[2:15:00] Come through there, they're paying a gate fee basically on our behalf. And despite in some cases a reduction in actual trash coming through there, our rates have been going, our cost to the citizen cost has been going up over the last 20 years. In the last two years it's gone up well over 30% because of a change in operator at the facility which meant gate fees had to go up. We've been struggling to get a meeting with the city of San Carlos.

[2:15:29] We came to the board at our last meeting and got approval from the board for a subcommittee to continue working on this, and to meet with the city of San Carlos to try to establish a better structure for the fee that's more reasonable for rate payers, and gave the board and the subcommittee approval to discuss with the city of San Carlos a change in funding methodology.

[2:15:59] Right now, all of our fees come through the gate fees, it's a tipping fees with the call-in.

[2:16:05] If we changed our funding methodology to a flat rate for each city, and

[2:16:11] then had a much smaller gate fee for the volume differences from city to city,

[2:16:18] that amount that the San Carlos fee is decided is formulated from would be much smaller.

[2:16:23] So if we changed our funding method, we could really 100% control how much of that money was going to the City of St. Carlos.

[2:16:32] We would prefer not to do that, we would prefer to work with the City of St. Carlos and come up with the fee foundation and base that's reasonable and an inflationary factor that is also reasonable.

[2:16:44] So we're hoping that that will come to fruition, it hasn't moved much in the last year, but it is something that's going to start moving in the next several months.

[2:16:53] So that's about the SBWMA and the other thing I wanted to mention was in my driving around town I noticed driving down Beach Park I was passing by bridge view park.

[2:17:06] And we've had some comments in our park semester plan about how underdeveloped that area is was really never meant to be a vibrant active park.

[2:17:14] But I started to notice new plantings going on on the driveway, going in some low maintenance, low drought tolerant landscaping of succulents that we're going in and met with a couple staff members out there and found that there's a resident in Foster City.

[2:17:33] I don't want to use my phone during the meeting.

[2:17:34] So, I think his name was Kevin, lives out in the Port Royal area of town, who's done a lot of planting along the

[2:17:43] PED way, the walkway between Port Royal and the San Mateo Lagoon with different succulents that is really impressive in the ability for

[2:17:51] people to see what opportunities are present.

[2:17:54] He has donated these clippings for us to use in our parks and other landscaping areas.

[2:18:00] So I just wanted to thank him and thank our staff for the work they're doing in that area.

[2:18:05] It makes it look a lot nicer while being drought tolerant.

[2:18:10] And with that, I'll just wish our community a happy holidays.

[2:18:13] Thank you.

[2:18:15] Vice mayor.

[2:18:18] Not too much to report this week.

[2:18:21] I did spend some time volunteering with several other vice mayors at this American house.

[2:18:27] And would definitely encourage anyone who's looking to volunteer.

[2:18:31] not just at the holidays, but all year round.

[2:18:34] This American House is an amazing place where people can go

[2:18:36] for just a little bit of help with food, clothing, housing,

[2:18:40] all kinds of things, and it's a great worthwhile cause.

[2:18:45] So I enjoyed my time there. I'll be back in December.

[2:18:48] I also attended a park and wreck meeting.

[2:18:54] We had a presentation on the community garden

[2:18:58] which will soon be coming online for folks to enjoy and be a part of, and I'm really excited about the work that was done there, I know our mayor started that process with a couple of our residents of Onreza, because one of them so thanks to her for being a vocal advocate for that.

[2:19:16] So I'm excited to see that happen next year.

[2:19:19] And that really, I guess, sums it up. Hope to see everyone at the tree lighting on Wednesday.

[2:19:24] Okay.

[2:19:30] Morning from my queue.

[2:19:31] Ready?

[2:19:32] Yeah.

[2:19:33] Okay.

[2:19:34] Thank you.

[2:19:35] I had a couple meetings.

[2:19:37] I had the Peninsula Clean Energy Board meeting and it was kind of short because we were

[2:19:45] celebrating the outgoing directors and specifically supervisor Dave Pine who was instrumental in

[2:19:53] bringing Peninsula Clean Energy to the county and he is turning out from the board of supervisors.

[2:19:58] So it was nice to kind of get a little bit perspective from board members who been there since the beginning with Dave and seeing what we see has become and the impact it has been doing on our county as far as reducing greenhouse gas.

[2:20:19] So it was nice and touching to see all those goodbyes.

[2:20:24] I also had the San Francisco around table technical working group right here in Foster City a couple of weeks ago.

[2:20:33] It wasn't right after the last meeting and I touched a little bit on that at the last meeting comments.

[2:20:41] It is really we started the communication with the FAA regarding specifically.

[2:20:52] I mean, we had two things, but open importance to the facility.

[2:20:57] We started the conversation about getting, we gathered a lot of information, and we presented

[2:21:05] that information to the FAA, and inquiring why an offset arrival to SFO, not being utilized

[2:21:17] as it should have in the night hours.

[2:21:19] So the focus has been really to reduce the noise during night time.

[2:21:25] And I think that the meeting was very productive, very fruitful because the FAA were responsive

[2:21:37] and they wanted specific requests so they could come back to us.

[2:21:44] So the engagement process is, I think, well on the way, and I just hope whomever the next

[2:21:52] mayor appoints to the roundtable to be active and specifically active on the technical working group,

[2:21:58] which I currently share, but that was my last meeting on it. So, whoever gets there, please be involved

[2:22:06] in the technical working group because you could have an impact might be slow process, but eventually

[2:22:12] things will happen.

[2:22:16] I attended the subcommittee for the CSAC, community citizens of sustainability.

[2:22:29] Nothing really, because as you know, we got the cap approved last meeting,

[2:22:35] it was just more evaluation and they put the plan forward to next year. I will be having a

[2:22:43] a couple more meetings this week, the SF4 roundtable meeting on Wednesday, as well as the hard board meeting on Wednesday.

[2:22:51] That is my report, and happy holidays everyone, thank you.

[2:22:56] Thank you very much, and we also attended in Christal's Springs, the Council of Cities and Hillsboro.

[2:23:05] We had a drone presentation by the police department.

[2:23:09] We also were addressed by our county manager, Mike Caligri, and that brings an important discussion to see how this council feels.

[2:23:21] As we all well know, we depend a little bit on the jails in the county and we support local law enforcement.

[2:23:27] We have a might, as you know if you've read the newspapers, you've kept up, we have a 400 page report with basically asking the county sheriff to resign with pretty severe allegations.

[2:23:44] I'm looking to see if maybe on this council we could also send a letter of recommendation to the current chief that seems to be kind of disruptive for the current running of the Sheriff's Department in the county.

[2:24:03] Do I have any interest in sending a letter to the county sheriff?

[2:24:10] Mayor, if I may, we can't make a decision on that tonight.

[2:24:14] You can request to agenda, is it?

[2:24:16] Okay, I see if there's any, do I have anybody that would be interested in agendizing that item?

[2:24:27] Okay, so you know, but at least I would spoke out for it in the benefit of law enforcement.

[2:24:32] I think that we do have a severe problem in the county, and we are part of the county, but thank you.

[2:24:37] And that ends my report, this meeting is adjourned.

[2:24:40] Thank you.

Dec 02, 2024 City Council Regular Meeting

Agenda

Transcript