[0:07] Yep.
[0:10] Good evening. We're going to call our
[0:11] city council meeting to order for August
[0:14] 11th, 2026.
[0:16] The time right now is 6:01 and we want
[0:18] to welcome everyone here in our audience
[0:21] and viewing from their homes. So, we
[0:24] want to say welcome. Thank you for
[0:26] participating and taking an interest in
[0:28] your city.
[0:29] Um our first order of business, we will
[0:32] do an invocation and that is going to be
[0:34] led by our Pastor Willie Hicks and our
[0:37] pledge will be led by Council Member
[0:39] John Timmer.
[0:43] » Let us pray.
[0:45] Our heavenly Father, we come before you
[0:47] today asking you to bless these
[0:49] proceedings today. God, I pray as always
[0:52] that you would grant wisdom to our
[0:53] councilors and even our city residents,
[0:56] Lord. And also, Lord, give us tolerance
[0:58] and peace so that we can deal with each
[1:00] other in an
[1:01] amicable way. And also, God, I just pray
[1:04] that everything would run smoothly.
[1:06] Thank you for the resources you brought
[1:08] to this beautiful city and we don't take
[1:10] for granted the wonderful things you've
[1:12] done for us. Keep us
[1:14] safe from harm and danger and especially
[1:17] fires during this time. In Jesus' name
[1:19] and for Christ's sake. Amen.
[1:22] » Please join with me as we honor the flag
[1:25] of our great nation. Ready? Begin.
[1:28] >> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
[1:30] United States of America and to the
[1:32] republic for which it stands, one nation
[1:36] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[1:38] justice for all.
[1:42] » Thank you all. Pastor, thank you for
[1:44] coming and praying over us and for our
[1:46] city. We certainly appreciate you coming
[1:48] down.
[1:50] Okay, we'll do a roll call.
[1:53] Council Member Hogan.
[1:55] >> Here.
[1:55] >> Council Member Lilburn.
[1:56] >> Here.
[1:57] >> Council member McAllen? Here. Council
[1:59] member Saldana? Here. And Council member
[2:01] Timmer?
[2:03] Well, that's her He's here.
[2:04] >> He's here.
[2:05] >> Yes. I would appreciate
[2:07] >> Okay. We'll move on to our special
[2:10] presentations this evening. We are
[2:12] welcoming San Bernardino Council of
[2:14] Governments program.
[2:16] Monique
[2:18] um
[2:19] for she's the director of Council of
[2:21] Governments and we want to say welcome.
[2:23] Thank you for coming and giving us a
[2:26] update on what's going on out there.
[2:28] >> Well, Mayor, if I might first
[2:30] >> Please.
[2:30] >> I invited Monique to come and and talk
[2:33] to us about
[2:35] all the activities going on at Council
[2:37] of Governments uh [clears throat] so that uh the
[2:40] Council and the staff are aware of what
[2:43] the resources are available
[2:45] uh to us. So, I'm
[2:48] glad we were able to do that.
[2:51] >> Thank you, Larry.
[2:53] >> Good evening. I appreciate the
[2:54] invitation to address the Council and
[2:56] provide an update on this work. Um most
[2:59] people are familiar with our sister
[3:00] agency SBCTA and they are the builder of
[3:03] roads and transit projects and we're
[3:05] largely intertwined with SBCTA as SBCTA
[3:08] SBCOG share staff. So, the Council of
[3:10] Governments um just to give a little
[3:12] background for those of you that are not
[3:13] familiar with who we are, is a joint
[3:15] powers authority and it consists of all
[3:17] 24 cities and towns in the region and
[3:19] the county of uh San Bernardino as the
[3:21] government entity as well. The board is
[3:23] made up of one representative from each
[3:25] jurisdiction and typically it's the
[3:26] mayor, but there are other um
[3:29] representatives that participate and all
[3:31] five county supervisors are on our
[3:32] board. The purpose of the COG is
[3:34] twofold. We work with agencies like
[3:36] SCAG, the Southern California
[3:37] Association of Governments to that
[3:39] assure that state mandates are enacted
[3:42] fairly within our region. An example of
[3:44] this would be SCAG um working with SCAG
[3:46] on the arena methodology and
[3:48] implementation in our region. Our
[3:50] planning department takes the lead on
[3:51] that and works with SCAG and all of our
[3:53] members.
[3:54] The other side of the cog works to meet
[3:56] the needs of the member agencies, which
[3:57] is where most of our work comes in.
[4:00] Though through the Board of Directors uh
[4:02] direction has been uh provided through
[4:05] our SCAG 5-year work plan, which is
[4:07] funded through the dues the members pay,
[4:09] and it's supplemented with funds um as
[4:11] we find them either through grants or
[4:13] with partners depending on what kind of
[4:14] project we're working on. So, with that
[4:15] context, I'll go ahead and go ahead and
[4:17] get started.
[4:24] Thank you.
[4:26] Uh the San Bernardino Regional Housing
[4:27] Trust is a uh it was a 5-year process to
[4:31] form this trust, and we just got it up
[4:32] and running. Uh the purpose of this
[4:34] program is to find and bring housing
[4:36] funds to this region for affordable and
[4:37] attainable housing. To date, 15 agencies
[4:40] have adopted the Joint Powers Authority
[4:42] Agreement, and our first board meeting
[4:44] was held on May 13th. Um our board has
[4:47] $1.85 million in REAP funds to allocate
[4:50] on a
[4:53] so we're excited about that moving
[4:55] forward.
[4:58] I think I'm going to need your help.
[4:59] >> [laughter]
[4:59] >> Can you move it? Thank you. Um SCAG is
[5:02] also leading a collaborative strategy
[5:04] for the region in coordination with
[5:06] member jurisdictions
[5:07] um on the regional homeless strategic
[5:09] plan. Uh the plan will provide a
[5:11] regional strategy to address the
[5:13] population of persons experiencing
[5:15] homelessness within the region with
[5:16] prioritized programs and targeted
[5:18] strategies. Uh when we put our work plan
[5:20] together, we work with 25 agencies, and
[5:24] this project was the at the top of the
[5:26] list. 21 of our 25 member agencies
[5:28] decided that this was the the number one
[5:30] priority in the region. Um the plan
[5:32] includes an inventory of existing
[5:34] resources that we may not know exist, uh
[5:37] law enforcement options that are
[5:38] currently underway, uh nonprofit
[5:40] organization support, which is currently
[5:42] in place, and really creating strategies
[5:45] around what the existing resources are
[5:47] and finding ways to connect the dots
[5:48] that don't necessarily exist yet.
[5:51] Additionally, the program will identify
[5:52] and prioritize funding opportunities to
[5:54] support the identified strategies that
[5:55] we would be recommending to our board.
[6:01] San Bernardino Council of Governments
[6:03] has partnered with the Randall Lewis
[6:04] Center of Entrepreneurship at Cal State
[6:06] San Bernardino for an efficient and
[6:07] impactful approach to work that we're
[6:09] doing with small businesses. The small
[6:11] business initiatives are result of
[6:12] recommendations from a study to
[6:15] understand what barriers they were
[6:16] dealing with in gaining local government
[6:19] contracts and successfully completing
[6:21] them. There are three components to the
[6:23] initiatives. The first one is small
[6:25] business vendor fairs, and the goal here
[6:27] is to connect vendors with procurement
[6:28] and purchasing staff at the cities and
[6:31] the county to allow for networking to
[6:32] occur. The biggest barrier that they saw
[6:34] here, especially for those small
[6:36] businesses that don't necessarily meet
[6:38] the requirements for a formal bid
[6:40] process, identified relationships as
[6:43] being their their number one barrier.
[6:45] They just don't have them. So, the
[6:46] vendor fairs would help to
[6:48] be a solution to that. The first event
[6:50] is going to take place in the high
[6:51] desert this September.
[6:53] The small business is to help small
[6:55] businesses be contract ready and to help
[6:58] them understand and navigate procurement
[6:59] processes across the region. We have 25
[7:01] member agencies and it's likely there
[7:03] are 25 different procurement processes
[7:05] that these small agencies, I'm sorry,
[7:07] these small businesses need to figure
[7:08] out how to navigate. So, we're hoping
[7:10] that the academy will help that.
[7:12] And then we are also implementing a
[7:14] vendor registration dashboard to support
[7:16] member agencies in finding local vendors
[7:19] and give local vendors an opportunity to
[7:21] work with cities and the county. So,
[7:22] hopefully this will be a dashboard where
[7:24] small businesses are vetted and are
[7:27] aware of how to work with cities and
[7:29] hopefully we'll be able to make those
[7:30] connections a little bit easier for
[7:32] them.
[7:33] Yes.
[7:35] The small The street vendor toolkit,
[7:37] this project will be finalized by the
[7:39] fall with a webpage for access to model
[7:41] ordinances and interagency protocols
[7:43] available. The goal of this effort was
[7:45] to address street vendors from a
[7:46] regional perspective that provided a bit
[7:49] of consistency in the approach by the
[7:50] jurisdictions. So, the purpose of this
[7:52] was to address the challenge that the
[7:54] jurisdictions identified, the biggest
[7:56] one being that as soon as enforcement
[7:57] occurs, the small the vendors typically
[8:00] just pick up and move to the next
[8:01] jurisdiction. So, by
[8:03] looking at this from a regional
[8:04] approach, we were hoping to create a bit
[8:05] of consistency in how the jurisdictions
[8:07] approached it together.
[8:09] So, through this effort we work closely
[8:11] with the planning and code enforcement
[8:12] staff across the region, and we recently
[8:15] provided the toolkit link to your
[8:16] planning and community development
[8:17] directors and shared an update with the
[8:19] city managers. The toolkit includes a
[8:21] frequently asked questions page, a
[8:23] summary of recent state vending
[8:25] legislation, model ordinances, um
[8:27] guidance and links related to health
[8:29] permits from San Bernardino County
[8:31] Environmental Services.
[8:33] Um all these components were informed by
[8:34] staff surveys and helped identify
[8:36] jurisdictional needs and priorities.
[8:39] Completion with this project will be in
[8:40] about 2 months.
[8:46] The evacuation and resiliency center
[8:48] design study. This project is made
[8:50] possible through funding received from a
[8:52] Caltrans planning grant, and the study
[8:54] examines locations that could serve as
[8:56] resilience centers. And these are
[8:58] facilities that operate with their own
[8:59] year-round programming, but during an
[9:01] emergency can provide things like power,
[9:03] water, and access to information and
[9:05] essential resources. So, thinking
[9:07] community centers, libraries, things
[9:09] that already are up and running, but can
[9:11] be a a place a point of contact during
[9:13] an emergency.
[9:15] So, over the last 9 9 months, I'm sorry,
[9:17] over the last 9 months we have been
[9:19] working with emergency services and
[9:20] emergency response expert experts, as
[9:23] well as an ad hoc committee of our board
[9:25] members to guide specific components of
[9:27] the study.
[9:28] The ad hoc provided direction and
[9:29] feedback on the five subregions to study
[9:32] based on an analysis that included
[9:33] climate hazards, geo hazards,
[9:36] transportation infrastructure
[9:37] vulnerability, and social vulnerability.
[9:39] And the subregions selected are the the
[9:41] mountains, the high desert, the Morongo
[9:43] Basin, the San Bernardino Valley, and
[9:45] the East Valley.
[9:46] Based on the ad hoc's input in this
[9:48] current phase, we are identifying
[9:49] potential candidate locations for the
[9:51] centers to analyze for the study. And
[9:53] this includes a site in the city of
[9:54] Highland, and we'll be working with city
[9:56] staff to verify the analysis is
[9:58] appropriate and gains and gain details
[10:00] on the facility information for the
[10:01] study.
[10:02] In the immediate future, we'll be
[10:04] providing survey for public input to
[10:06] rank sites and to identify what types of
[10:07] services are most valuable to
[10:09] incorporate into resiliency centers.
[10:12] Okay.
[10:15] REAP, uh Regional Early Action Planning
[10:17] 2.0 Grant. Uh it was a huge funding pot
[10:20] that is administered by SCAG through
[10:22] SBCOG and SBCTA.
[10:24] Um we have been working on
[10:25] implementation of several programs. One
[10:27] is the Housing Infill and on public and
[10:30] private lands pilot program.
[10:32] We need acronyms in government, so I
[10:35] apologize, there's so many of them.
[10:37] Um but HIP is a is to support public
[10:39] agencies in navigating the process of
[10:41] developing public lands for housing.
[10:44] Currently, they we are developing an
[10:45] implementation guide for member agencies
[10:47] to be able to navigate the Surplus Lands
[10:49] Act that will include two implementation
[10:52] tracks, one that utilizes the act, and
[10:54] another that is um an exempt process for
[10:57] the act.
[10:58] Through the local sites assessment, we
[11:00] are finding many sites that are owned by
[11:02] school districts, and we are developing
[11:04] an implementation memo for these
[11:05] district-owned properties. Uh we are
[11:08] coordinating with the county
[11:09] superintendent of schools through the
[11:10] convenings with the school districts
[11:11] countywide.
[11:15] Another REAP program is the Subregional
[11:17] Partnership Program or SRP, and this
[11:19] program provides technical assistance to
[11:21] support the 6th Cycle Housing Element
[11:23] implementation. We're working on
[11:25] projects with 11 member agencies, which
[11:28] includes all jurisdictions who requested
[11:29] assistance during our initial outreach.
[11:32] There are a variety of projects listed
[11:33] on the slide, but they range from
[11:35] housing element rezoning to pre-approved
[11:37] ADU plans and guidebooks. Most of the
[11:39] projects also include streamlining
[11:41] development standards. All of these
[11:42] projects must be completed by December
[11:44] 31st, um most with most of them
[11:47] scheduled to be completed by this fall.
[11:51] All right.
[11:52] CAD to CAD, uh computer-aided dispatch.
[11:55] Um CAD to CAD is a project
[11:57] the project is a comprehensive
[11:59] assessment that includes reviewing
[12:00] operational requirements, surveying
[12:03] uh current agencies, identifying gaps,
[12:05] and providing recommendations on
[12:06] management of the CAD system. So, the
[12:09] problem that was brought to our
[12:10] attention, uh with the request for help
[12:12] from Confire, Confire is the county's
[12:15] largest 911 dispatch agency, um they
[12:18] cover 80% of the geography within the
[12:20] county.
[12:21] Um there is no unified communication
[12:23] system for individual units that have
[12:25] been dispatched. So, once a unit is
[12:27] dispatched, whether it's ambulance,
[12:28] fire, law enforcement, they have no way
[12:30] to talk to each other. The communication
[12:32] does not exist. The technology does not
[12:33] exist. So, what our study here is
[12:36] looking at is how to get them all on the
[12:38] same system. Confire has bought a
[12:41] system, and he's they're trying to get
[12:43] all of the jurisdictions to buy into it.
[12:45] They have to there's a cost-share
[12:48] element, and there's also an
[12:50] understanding of ongoing maintenance to
[12:52] make sure that it continues operation.
[12:53] So, the study is going to identify
[12:55] governance of this, how it's going to
[12:57] proceed, and what it looks like in the
[12:59] future at full capacity.
[13:02] So, the landscape is rapidly changing,
[13:04] um and it's
[13:05] that has expanded sections and
[13:07] recommendations. We had anticipated the
[13:08] study to be done in June, but it now is
[13:10] going to be a couple of months delayed
[13:12] as we provided an update to the city
[13:14] managers, and there were some comments
[13:16] and feedback that are going to be
[13:17] implemented into the the final report.
[13:18] So, it's pushing our our uh
[13:21] end date back
[13:23] uh just 2 months.
[13:28] IRWIN is the Inland Regional Energy
[13:30] Network. It's a partnership with Western
[13:31] Riverside Council of Governments and the
[13:33] Coachella Valley Association of
[13:34] Governments. And the goal of this
[13:36] program is to use friend funds from the
[13:38] Public Utilities Commission to implement
[13:40] public agency building improvements to
[13:42] make them energy efficient as well as
[13:45] implementing workforce training and
[13:46] public code updates. With I Run's public
[13:48] sector projects, San Bernardino's region
[13:50] currently has 20 public agencies at some
[13:53] phase of the process with 34 projects in
[13:55] motion that add up to approximately $3.6
[13:58] million in incentives and $8.5 million
[14:01] in energy savings. I Run has issued the
[14:04] first incentive checks to San Bernardino
[14:05] County agencies to the tune of nearly
[14:07] 314,000
[14:09] and Colton Unified School District
[14:11] received their entire incentive as well
[14:12] as San Bernardino Community College
[14:14] District. They have received their first
[14:16] installment. The workforce education and
[14:18] training sector has seen exponential
[14:20] growth over the last 2 years. There's a
[14:22] fellowship program that has doubled in
[14:25] the recent cycle with 32 fellows being
[14:27] hosted in the last 11 months. 11 of
[14:29] those fellows were hosted at San
[14:31] Bernardino County sites and the program
[14:33] is expected to host around 40 fellows in
[14:35] the next cycle which will begin in
[14:36] October with about 16 of those fellows
[14:38] in San Bernardino County sites for the
[14:40] year.
[14:41] I Run's partnership in San Bernardino
[14:43] County Workforce Development Department
[14:45] has been able to put 58 participants in
[14:47] energy career training pathways so far.
[14:49] All of those have been have received the
[14:51] train I'm sorry. All of those who have
[14:54] received the trainings and completed
[14:55] their programming have been placed with
[14:57] employers in the region. So it's a it's
[14:58] a pretty successful program.
[15:00] The Echo Hero the Eco Hero program has
[15:03] been able to provide energy awareness
[15:04] presentations to 14 elementary schools
[15:06] within San Bernardino County and five of
[15:08] those schools are within districts that
[15:10] have an energy career technical
[15:11] education program.
[15:13] So.
[15:14] Okay, the last program we're going to
[15:16] talk about is grant administration.
[15:18] We have been successful in securing more
[15:20] than $46 million in grant funding for
[15:22] the region in the last year and a half
[15:24] since we've implemented our grant
[15:25] administration program.
[15:27] Highland Highland Redlands Regional
[15:29] Connector project received 3 million
[15:31] from MSRC awards and 2 million from a
[15:33] community project funding through
[15:35] Representative Pete Aguilar's office.
[15:37] We've supported additionally Safe
[15:40] Streets for All applications for the
[15:42] town of Apple Valley and San Bernardino
[15:44] County
[15:45] Superintendent of Schools.
[15:47] These awards demonstrate the program's
[15:48] impact building on these successes the
[15:50] team continues to pursue new funding
[15:52] opportunities.
[15:55] We've also submitted SBCTA applications
[15:58] for Safe Streets for All and Active
[15:59] Transportation programs for Cycle 8 and
[16:01] we've supported several applications for
[16:03] multiple member agencies as well. And we
[16:05] will continue implementing the grant
[16:07] support framework which was approved by
[16:08] the Board of Directors. We encourage our
[16:10] member agencies to visit the member
[16:12] agency grant webpage where they can
[16:14] access current funding opportunities,
[16:16] grant resources, and submit requests for
[16:18] grant assistance. I know I just gave you
[16:22] so much information.
[16:23] >> [laughter]
[16:23] >> If there's anything that stuck or you
[16:25] have a question, I'm happy to answer it.
[16:27] I'm Monique Arena, the Director of
[16:28] Council Governments.
[16:31] » Thank you very much for that
[16:33] presentation. We know of your agency. We
[16:36] don't see you a lot, but we know that we
[16:38] receive grants and
[16:40] stuff. So we appreciate you coming in
[16:43] just giving us a little bit more
[16:46] information.
[16:47] There is a lot of acronyms out there
[16:49] between the SBCTA and between you guys.
[16:52] Um
[16:53] They have a literally a page of acronyms
[16:55] that spells everything out. So thank you
[16:58] for that. Larry, any questions?
[17:00] >> No, I'm good.
[17:01] >> Comments?
[17:02] Well, we appreciate you coming in.
[17:03] Anyone have any questions for Monique?
[17:06] Okay.
[17:07] >> I'm always available.
[17:08] >> Okay, thank you so much.
[17:10] >> Thanks a lot, Monique.
[17:13] » All right, at this time we're going to
[17:14] do public comment and I'm going to look
[17:16] to our city clerk to read us into the
[17:18] public comment portion.
[17:20] >> Thank you, Mayor. At this time, we will
[17:22] open the public comment period. Members
[17:24] of the public may address the city
[17:25] council on matters that are within the
[17:27] city's jurisdiction and are not listed
[17:29] on the agenda. If you wish to speak on
[17:31] an agenda item, please wait until the
[17:33] item is called. If you're attending in
[17:35] person and wish to speak, please
[17:36] complete a speaker card. The city
[17:38] council will first hear comments from
[17:39] in-person speakers, followed by those
[17:41] participating remotely. For those
[17:43] participating remotely, please use the
[17:45] Zoom raise hand feature or press star
[17:47] nine if participating by phone. When it
[17:49] is your turn to speak, you'll be
[17:51] recognized by name.
[17:52] Participants joining by telephone will
[17:54] be called using using the last four
[17:56] digits of their phone number. Once
[17:58] recognized, you will be unmuted, and you
[18:00] may state your name for the record
[18:01] before beginning your comments. Please
[18:04] limit your remarks to 3 minutes, and for
[18:06] the record, the city did not receive any
[18:08] emailed public comments.
[18:10] >> Thank you very much, and then make sure
[18:12] when their 3 minutes is up, we we notice
[18:15] that to them.
[18:16] >> Yes, Mayor.
[18:17] >> Thank you. Marsha Lewis.
[18:21] Haven't seen you in a minute.
[18:24] >> Two days, yeah.
[18:25] Um thank you all for being for being
[18:28] here and leading us, and I just want to
[18:30] take a few minutes, and Mr. Duran came
[18:33] and talked to our East Highlands Ranch
[18:35] Landscape Committee about this
[18:36] particular issue, and it's about the
[18:38] removal of a very old, very large
[18:42] uh tree that run that is right next to
[18:45] the street on Baseline, which we feel is
[18:47] one of the prettiest streets Highland
[18:49] has to offer in East Highlands Ranch,
[18:52] and it's at the crosswalk area that is
[18:55] not indicated in any other way than
[18:58] stripes on the ground.
[18:59] And so, one of our board members
[19:01] requested that a lighted system be put
[19:04] in for safety, cuz people tend to fly
[19:07] down Baseline, and the safety issue is
[19:10] definitely needed. There's no question
[19:12] about that. Our concern is the removal
[19:15] of the very old tree that is also host
[19:18] to a hawk's nest. Anybody that's been
[19:21] following following Jackie
[19:23] >> Of course.
[19:24] >> Um
[19:26] hawks are the same. They come back and
[19:28] roost in the same nest every year, year
[19:30] over year. So, to take that tree out
[19:32] takes out that that hawk's home.
[19:35] But that that's one only one of the
[19:37] reasons why I don't want that tree
[19:38] removed or any tree in that area.
[19:41] Um we feel that there are other options.
[19:44] Right now there are posts that were put
[19:45] in place to handle the system.
[19:48] And
[19:49] the location of the post makes no sense
[19:51] for several reasons. One is it's right
[19:53] up next to the tree that's supposed to
[19:55] be removed. And if it were moved to the
[19:57] other side of that tree, it wouldn't be
[19:59] an issue. Better yet, move to the center
[20:01] of the street and there's nothing there.
[20:05] The big tree that used to be there has
[20:06] been gone now for months. So, that those
[20:09] are two options. Another is to move it
[20:11] to the back side of the crosswalk.
[20:13] Which would also then move the whole
[20:16] system to the right side, which people
[20:18] walk that pathway. I do it every day. Um
[20:20] walk that pathway counterclockwise for
[20:22] the most part. So, it would actually put
[20:24] the buttons on the right side. Right now
[20:26] they're on the opposite side.
[20:28] Um
[20:31] let's see.
[20:33] Uh
[20:34] oh, and we were told that the big tree
[20:38] would be replaced with two or three
[20:39] smaller trees that we could put wherever
[20:42] in East Highlands, which that's
[20:45] fine. I would love to have two or three
[20:47] trees,
[20:49] but they will in no way cover the same
[20:52] area that this tree does. It's been
[20:53] there for probably 50 years. And to take
[20:56] it out seems crazy if there are other
[20:58] options.
[20:59] Um
[21:00] and when we did when I spoke with Mr.
[21:03] Duran, who has been very kind with with
[21:05] time
[21:06] uh
[21:07] both by email, by phone, and he came to
[21:09] our meeting. Um
[21:12] he had said at one point that they were
[21:14] going to remove six trees.
[21:16] And
[21:17] that really jolted me cuz that says to
[21:19] me there was absolutely no planning done
[21:21] at that point. You don't remove six
[21:23] trees to put in a light.
[21:25] So, I really hope that this can be
[21:27] looked at some more.
[21:29] And um
[21:33] it is time sensitive because of that
[21:35] hawks they're going to come in and take
[21:37] it as soon as the hawks leave. Thank you
[21:38] very much.
[21:39] >> Thank you. Thank you very much. And so,
[21:41] I think we'll just make sure that we
[21:43] refer this to I I think this went to a
[21:46] committee. Um
[21:51] Okay, maybe we should send it to uh
[21:54] re-look at, you know,
[21:56] before I don't I don't know what the We
[21:58] can't talk about items to you that are
[22:00] not on the agenda. So, all I can do is
[22:03] refer it back to our city manager and
[22:05] that's we can re-address or address
[22:07] what's going on. I'm not sure of that
[22:10] particular project. Larry McCallon's the
[22:12] council member in that district. So,
[22:14] we'll have him uh meet with Carlos and
[22:17] see what's going on and the residents.
[22:19] >> Yeah, if you wanted to go back committee
[22:21] it is
[22:24] » Okay.
[22:24] >> That's where we're
[22:26] before.
[22:27] >> Okay.
[22:28] >> All right. Thank you. Thank you for
[22:30] coming in.
[22:31] Uh
[22:33] Curtis Tovey?
[22:41] » Um I'm also a member of the landscape
[22:43] committee for East Highlands Ranch. I'm
[22:45] Kurt Tovey. Um
[22:48] claim to fame is that I spent five five
[22:51] decades as an ISA certified arborist.
[22:54] So, instead of looking at this as simply
[22:56] the removal of a single tree,
[23:00] as Marsha was saying, it's not just a
[23:01] single tree. This is a decades-old
[23:04] uh tree, a native sycamore. Uh
[23:07] nurserymen now replace them with London
[23:09] plane trees cuz they're easier to
[23:11] propagate and they don't have the same
[23:14] form and function as the native sycamore
[23:16] even though they're related. Um
[23:21] The issue that Mar- Mar- Marsha already
[23:23] brought up having to do with the
[23:25] placement of the post before our
[23:27] committee ever became aware of how the
[23:30] project was going to go about. And it is
[23:32] a necessary project. Of course, senior
[23:34] citizens having a crosswalk there with
[23:37] lights is going to be a benefit to
[23:39] everybody. But the placement of those
[23:42] lights, this is a really big concern for
[23:45] us.
[23:46] Um as an arborist, I look at this a
[23:48] little bit differently. When we're
[23:50] looking at the uniqueness of this
[23:53] particular area,
[23:54] this is a swale coming down from the
[23:56] mountains
[23:57] in which we have an entire grove of
[24:00] sycamore trees.
[24:01] When you have a grove of like trees,
[24:03] they start to work and function together
[24:05] as a unit. That means you have
[24:07] interlacing of roots,
[24:09] sharing of nutrients and water, one tree
[24:12] supporting another. The tree we're
[24:14] talking about is probably the biggest
[24:17] tree. It's right in the middle of this
[24:19] grove.
[24:21] It has the biggest spread of canopy.
[24:23] And the removal of that is going to have
[24:25] a real negative
[24:27] impact to that entire grove of trees.
[24:31] Once again, like Marsha said, we're
[24:33] looking at what's arguably one of the
[24:35] prettiest streets, beautifully designed,
[24:37] beautifully landscaped
[24:39] um in the city.
[24:41] And if we can rectify the problem simply
[24:45] by moving the post out away from the
[24:47] crosswalk itself to where you're not
[24:50] going to have a conflict between tree
[24:52] and
[24:53] emergency equipment, it would be best
[24:57] for all and hoping that we can get your
[25:00] support to have public works take
[25:02] another look at this and so that we can
[25:04] brainstorm a couple of more ideas of how
[25:06] to make it all work. Thanks.
[25:08] >> Thank you. Thank you very much for
[25:10] coming in.
[25:11] Jane Bausch.
[25:21] Good evening, Mayor and Council.
[25:25] I just want to make a few announcements
[25:27] for the Highland Area Chamber of
[25:28] Commerce. First, our um next lunch is
[25:32] August the 25th at Spring Lake Club
[25:35] Spring Lake Clubhouse. Um the um
[25:41] sign-in starts at 11:30 and the program
[25:44] begins at noon.
[25:46] Our last mixer of this year will be at
[25:49] Mi Casa Inn's and that will be on
[25:52] Wednesday, September the 16th
[25:55] and they are celebrating their 35th
[25:58] anniversary there. So, we are off
[26:01] actually having a ribbon cutting at
[26:03] 5:30, but the mixer is from 5:00 to
[26:05] 7:00. So, I hope that you'll come out
[26:08] and um welcome them and thank them for
[26:11] being in the community for 35 years.
[26:15] Also, uh the Y has Beyond the Books
[26:18] Highland YMCA Back to School Bash is on
[26:22] Saturday, August the 15th and it's from
[26:25] 10:00 to noon. Start the school year
[26:27] strong at the Highland Family YMCA.
[26:30] There's also a couple other things on
[26:32] our calendar on
[26:34] I if you want to mark ahead of time, we
[26:37] have our monthly luncheon in September
[26:40] will be on the 22nd
[26:42] and we have our last breakfast of the
[26:45] year will be on October 7th and that
[26:48] will be hosted at Brightwater Senior
[26:50] Living. And the check-in will start at
[26:53] 7:30 in the morning and we will start
[26:55] the program at 8:00 a.m.
[26:57] Thank you.
[27:02] » Thank you, Jane. Appreciate that.
[27:04] Um
[27:05] also um I'll announce that at the end of our public comments. And that
[27:10] is all the public speaking I have. Do we
[27:12] have anyone online?
[27:14] >> We don't, Mayor.
[27:15] >> Okay.
[27:16] Uh we'll
[27:17] move along then and we'll move on to our
[27:20] consent calendar.
[27:24] » I'll move the consent.
[27:25] >> I'll second.
[27:26] >> We have a motion and a second. We'll
[27:28] have a roll call.
[27:30] >> Council member Hogan?
[27:32] >> Yes.
[27:32] >> Council member Lilburn?
[27:33] >> Yes.
[27:34] >> Council member McCallion?
[27:35] >> Yes.
[27:36] >> Council member Saldana?
[27:37] >> Yes.
[27:38] >> And Council member Timmer?
[27:39] >> Yes.
[27:41] >> Thank you.
[27:41] >> We'll move on to our legislative and
[27:43] item 10 is our city manager's report.
[27:47] >> Yes, thank you, Mayor. Uh members of the
[27:49] city council, I have a few updates for
[27:51] you this evening. To begin with, the
[27:53] Highland Police Department for the month
[27:55] of July received 3,802 calls, made 354
[28:00] reports, 138 arrests, 153 citations,
[28:06] 408 traffic enforcement stops, 51
[28:09] traffic collisions, which included
[28:11] hidden runs,
[28:12] 47 towed vehicles,
[28:15] and 43 transient-related calls. This was
[28:18] actually one of their busiest months
[28:19] this year just to point out.
[28:20] >> Very nice.
[28:21] >> The um Highland Fire Department for the
[28:24] month of July responded to 610 calls for
[28:26] service, some of which included 469
[28:29] medical aids, 26 traffic collisions, 12
[28:33] structure fires, 24 vegetation fires, 22
[28:37] other fires, three vehicle fires, and 16
[28:40] public service assistance that were not
[28:43] life-threatening.
[28:44] Following stats are provided by the
[28:46] administrative services department for
[28:48] the month of July. 41 new business
[28:50] licenses license applications were
[28:53] received. 74 businesses renewed their
[28:55] licenses.
[28:57] 100 net 108 dog licenses were issued to
[29:01] residents. 51 yard sale permits were
[29:04] issued. And 80 payable check account
[29:08] accounts checks were issued.
[29:10] Uh
[29:11] the public works department has the
[29:13] following update. Construction of a new
[29:15] 113 unit residential development located
[29:19] at Alta Vista and Greenspot Road is
[29:20] underway by the builder Lennar Homes. We
[29:23] are excited to share that the developer
[29:25] anticipates beginning construction of
[29:27] the new of a new 42-in storm drain
[29:30] facility along Greenspot Road.
[29:32] A key component of the city's master
[29:34] drainage plan. The new storm drain
[29:36] system will span approximately 2,500
[29:39] linear feet extending from Alta Vista
[29:42] Street to Weaver Street. Construction is
[29:44] expected to begin on August 17th and
[29:47] will take approximately 6 to 8 weeks to
[29:49] complete.
[29:50] Uh due to the nature of this work
[29:52] 24-hour traffic control measures will
[29:56] be in place throughout the duration of
[29:58] the project. Full access to and from
[30:00] Alta Vista will be allowed during most
[30:02] of the project. However, a detour will
[30:04] be needed in the last 2 weeks of the
[30:07] work for the installation of the lateral
[30:08] connections.
[30:10] Motorists should expect traffic delays
[30:12] and are encouraged to use alternate
[30:14] routes whenever possible like for
[30:16] example.
[30:18] Uh to keep the community informed the
[30:19] city and the developer will provide
[30:22] advanced notice through changeable
[30:24] message signs. These are the ones that
[30:26] are blinking in the roadway.
[30:28] Along Greenspot Road mailers and door
[30:30] hangers delivered to impacted
[30:33] properties, city social media channels,
[30:36] and articles in the city newsletter.
[30:40] Uh following completion of the storm
[30:42] drain installation, the trenches will be
[30:44] repaired with a temporary asphalt in
[30:46] preparation for construction of a raised
[30:49] median along the frontage of the green
[30:50] spot along Green Spot Road. Um, full
[30:54] width uh,
[30:55] permanent paving, uh, paving between
[30:58] Weaver Street and Alta Vista is expected
[31:00] to be completed by the summer of 2027.
[31:04] Uh, we appreciate the public's patience
[31:05] and cooperation as these um, important
[31:08] infrastructure improvements are
[31:10] completed to support the community.
[31:12] Uh, volunteer and public services have
[31:15] the following upcoming events. Uh,
[31:17] there's a couple here. Uh, Highland
[31:19] Improvement uh, team cleanup on
[31:20] Saturday, September 14th from 8:00 a.m.
[31:23] to 12:00 p.m. The check-in at uh, will
[31:26] be at 7:00 a.m. at City Hall located at
[31:29] 27215 Baseline.
[31:31] And the second is a Highland oil change
[31:33] exchange.
[31:34] Um, Highland oil filter exchange, excuse
[31:37] me, on Saturday, September 12th from
[31:39] 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the AutoZone
[31:42] located at 27292
[31:44] Baseline.
[31:45] Uh, for the month of of July, Bert Day
[31:47] completed 303 illegal uh, dumping work
[31:51] orders. So, been busy again.
[31:53] >> Uh, the Community Development Department
[31:55] has two updates to provide. On August
[31:59] the 4th, the Planning Commission Appeals
[32:01] Board conducted two public hearings to
[32:03] declare existing nuisance, existence of
[32:06] public nuisance of the following two
[32:08] properties.
[32:09] The first is NDP Appliances located at
[32:13] 25414
[32:15] Baseline for continuing to operate their
[32:18] existing business without first
[32:20] obtaining necessary building permits to
[32:22] rehab fire damaged structures on the
[32:24] property.
[32:25] NDP Appliance was given 90 days to
[32:28] submit plans and obtain the necessary
[32:30] permits to rehab the damaged fire uh,
[32:33] structure and remove all junk, trash,
[32:35] debris from the property.
[32:38] The second property here is the
[32:40] abandoned single-family house located at
[32:43] 7222,
[32:47] Church Avenue, generally uh northwest of
[32:50] Smart & Final, for failure [snorts] to
[32:52] uh board and secure the abandoned house
[32:54] and the accumulated junk, trash, and
[32:57] debris. The property owner was given 60
[32:59] days to obtain necessary building
[33:01] permits to rehab the house and remove
[33:03] all accumulated junk, trash, and debris.
[33:07] Uh in May 2026, the Community
[33:09] Development Director denied a land use
[33:11] application from Water Mill Express to
[33:14] install a freestanding water vending
[33:16] machine near the northeast corner of
[33:18] Baseline and Sterling Avenue.
[33:20] The project was denied based on the
[33:21] findings related to public health,
[33:24] safety, and general welfare, and
[33:26] objections from the surrounding
[33:27] businesses and residents.
[33:29] Water Mill Express submitted an appeal
[33:32] to the Community Development Director's
[33:33] denial, but with their appeal
[33:35] application on Monday, August the 10th,
[33:38] Water Mill Express advised staff that
[33:40] they would explore other potential
[33:42] locations, and that concludes my report.
[33:45] Be happy to answer any questions you may
[33:46] have.
[33:47] >> Very good. Thank you so much. Um busy month for police and fire. Thank
[33:52] you guys for your hard work out there,
[33:53] especially in this heat.
[33:55] Um
[33:57] Thank you, Carlos. Appreciate that. And
[33:59] I know you did send out a report to us
[34:02] today, so
[34:03] um we'll move on to city council
[34:05] comments, and Jimmy or Greg, Greg?
[34:12] » Okay. No, I don't have any comments
[34:14] right now.
[34:15] >> Thank you.
[34:17] >> Um I uh want to thank the San Bernardino
[34:20] Valley Municipal Water District, uh
[34:23] Milford Harrison, Gil Botello, Jose
[34:25] Velasquez, and the rest of the board for
[34:28] lowering their ad valorem tax uh
[34:31] for the following year. They lowered the
[34:32] tax from 11 cents to 4 cents for every
[34:36] $100 of assessed value, which for
[34:39] Highland families represents an average
[34:42] savings of about $300 per year. So, uh
[34:46] in a time when it's hard for families to
[34:48] make ends meet, I think this was a a
[34:51] really helpful move and I'm you know,
[34:52] I'm certainly grateful that we're able
[34:54] to
[34:55] uh get that done. So, thank you to San
[34:57] Bernardino Valley Water Municipal
[34:59] District. That's it for me, Mayor.
[35:01] >> Okay.
[35:02] >> I just want I just wanted to say I just wanted to
[35:06] say thank you to to all all the I've had
[35:09] I recently had a lost a brother and I
[35:11] just want to say thank you to the people
[35:13] within the council and around Highland
[35:15] that that, you know, actually send their
[35:18] support. Uh me and my younger brother
[35:19] were extremely close. I mean, he um I
[35:23] can't tell you how we we'd argue during
[35:25] the week about football. You know, he
[35:27] went off on a strange thing and became a
[35:29] Rams fan, right? And I've always liked
[35:31] the Raiders cuz Raiders were in San
[35:33] Diego and Marcus Allen was in So, we
[35:35] talk all the time and it was kind of
[35:37] shocking when somebody younger than you
[35:38] did, you know, passes away. So, I've
[35:40] kind of been in a funk, but I want to
[35:41] thank everybody from the bottom of my
[35:43] heart. I really appreciate all the
[35:45] support and calling and reaching out and
[35:46] all that good stuff. I'm you know, I'm
[35:48] coming out of it, but thank you guys so
[35:50] much. I can't say it enough.
[35:52] And that's that's I just want to say
[35:54] thanks, yeah.
[35:55] >> Thank you, Gregory.
[35:56] Uh John?
[35:57] >> Yeah, I'd like to take a few minutes
[36:00] more than normal.
[36:02] Um I have a a statement to make
[36:05] to the city council,
[36:07] to the staff, to the citizens of
[36:10] Highland and and I'll I'll I'll start
[36:12] with my statement.
[36:14] It's a something I need to do and I want
[36:16] to do and I feel obligated to do.
[36:19] On July 14th, 2026,
[36:22] a final map amendment for the tract
[36:25] number 20387
[36:28] was on the city council consent calendar
[36:31] for approval. I requested that item be
[36:34] pulled
[36:35] for discussion as it was my recollection
[36:38] that the developer of
[36:41] Crestwood Communities had committed to
[36:43] participate in the city-wide public
[36:46] safety CFD and I had been informed by
[36:49] staff that they would no longer being
[36:52] doing so. During the council meeting, I
[36:55] stated the developer had lied to the
[36:57] city council about agreeing to
[37:00] participate in the CFD. I would like to
[37:02] make it clear that Crestwood Communities
[37:06] was not conditioned to participate in
[37:08] the CFD.
[37:11] And I would like to make it clear that
[37:13] Crestwood Communities was not
[37:15] conditioned to participate in the city
[37:17] just saying it again.
[37:19] And
[37:20] I was bright brought to my attention
[37:22] that Crestwood Communities didn't in did
[37:25] not in fact uh commit to participate in
[37:28] the CFD but rather had stated that it
[37:31] would considered participating in the in
[37:34] the CFD. I would like to apologize to
[37:36] Crestwood Communities
[37:38] for stating that they lied and and it
[37:42] was based on my misremembering using a
[37:45] term
[37:46] I don't like to use that term but a
[37:48] misremembering what was transpired in
[37:51] the prior city council.
[37:53] Based on my comment and
[37:56] it was totally inappropriate so I would
[37:58] like to personally
[38:00] apologize to city council
[38:03] to city staff, to the citizens of
[38:06] Highland
[38:07] and to Terry Kent and the community and
[38:09] the
[38:10] Crestwood Communities. I used
[38:12] inappropriate language language and I'm
[38:14] truly sorry and apologize to all parties
[38:17] involved. Thank you.
[38:21] » Is that it?
[38:23] >> That's all. No other announcements.
[38:24] >> Okay. Thank you very much. Um appreciate
[38:27] your comments. Larry?
[38:29] >> Yes, uh on Thursday at SBCTA we will be
[38:34] uh issuing a uh
[38:37] invitation for bid for construction of
[38:39] the uh
[38:40] of the Redlands Highland Redlands gap
[38:43] closure project. So, that'll be uh for bid uh
[38:48] and we'll see who applies.
[38:51] Uh
[38:52] I also uh represented the city at the
[38:56] Santa Ana
[38:58] regional
[39:00] wastewater
[39:01] uh control board, whatever it's called.
[39:05] About a
[39:06] temporary order that that they're uh
[39:10] proposing that would uh
[39:13] cost the city of Highland about 445
[39:17] not 445
[39:19] million dollars over the next 20 years.
[39:22] That's
[39:24] 64%
[39:25] of our annual
[39:27] general fund.
[39:29] And if uh if that's implemented
[39:33] not only our city, but all of the cities
[39:36] in San Bernardino County would be
[39:37] affected.
[39:39] And uh
[39:40] I was there to uh
[39:44] testify in opposition of it along with
[39:46] the county and and many other cities.
[39:50] So, hopefully they're going to make a
[39:52] decision in on the 21st of August and
[39:55] hopefully they make the right decision.
[39:58] We'll see.
[40:00] Uh another unfunded mandate
[40:03] if it's passed.
[40:05] Uh also represented uh
[40:08] the city at the ribbon cutting for the
[40:10] American First Credit Union. That was a
[40:14] good event and uh
[40:16] John and I were there and uh of people
[40:19] from their corporation and everything.
[40:21] >> Filled up with them.
[40:23] >> So,
[40:24] that's all I have.
[40:25] >> Very good. Well, thank you for one
[40:27] representing the city
[40:29] at the ribbon cutting and two for
[40:31] representing the city to
[40:34] state in opposition.
[40:36] That's a very important issue to our
[40:38] city and and residents. So, thank you.
[40:41] Um I only have a couple.
[40:43] Uh I attended National Night Out last
[40:46] week and I want to say what a great job
[40:49] and what a great turnout we had.
[40:52] Uh it was a fantastic turnout. It was a steady
[40:55] stream of people all night long. I want
[40:58] to thank Marco's Pizza for donating the
[41:01] pizza and I want to say thanks to each
[41:04] group. We had public works. We had the
[41:06] different groups of the city. We had uh
[41:10] city clerk and
[41:12] everyone came up with such a clever
[41:14] game. Um
[41:16] the the talent that we have here and the
[41:18] minds that we have here. You guys did a
[41:20] really good job and so I want to say
[41:23] thank you. Our police was there in force
[41:25] and our firefighters were in force, but
[41:27] most importantly, our residents were
[41:29] there in force and there was a lot of
[41:32] them with their families and their kids
[41:34] and it was just a really good showing.
[41:36] So, thank you for hosting that, Chief.
[41:38] Um
[41:39] Captain, we appreciate that and um it
[41:43] was super well attended. So, again,
[41:45] thank you to the staff and the city for
[41:47] the It was I know a lot of work went
[41:49] behind that. So, we appreciate that.
[41:52] Uh just a reminder and I know I'm
[41:54] starting a little early, Melissa.
[41:58] State of the city is October 22nd and
[42:01] I'm thinking our East Valley Water
[42:04] probably wants to note this on their
[42:06] water bill or something like that when
[42:08] the state of the city is.
[42:11] And um and then I wanted to say
[42:13] congratulations to Council Member
[42:15] Santana that he will not have an
[42:17] election. Uh, he was unchallenged, so I
[42:20] want to say uh, it's great that we're
[42:22] going to see you back and that is all I
[42:25] have.
[42:27] So, with no other we aren't going to
[42:30] adjourn yet. We're going to recess to
[42:32] close session, but I do while everyone's
[42:34] still here, I want to make sure that we
[42:36] are adjourning. When we do adjourn,
[42:39] we're going to adjourn in memory of Al
[42:41] Lebron with Emmanuel Baptist. And for
[42:43] some reason I thought we had adjourned.
[42:46] Um, but he was an amazing man and he was
[42:49] so well liked over there. Uh, I I can't
[42:51] believe that he's no longer with us, so
[42:55] um, our prayers then to his family and
[42:57] to the church over there. He was very
[42:59] instrumental. So, with that we're going
[43:01] to recess to close session.
[43:03] >> And your honor, if I I'm sorry.
[43:05] Uh, honorable mayor, um, if we can uh,
[43:08] just make the announcement for close
[43:09] session. So, we'll be uh, recessing into
[43:12] close session regarding conference with
[43:14] legal counsel existing litigation under
[43:16] government code section 54956.9d1,
[43:21] uh, City of Highland versus Shahatit.
[43:24] Thank you.
[43:48] » And we're going to come back out right
[43:49] away.
[43:51] Maybe I'll leave.
[43:53] some of this stuff out
[43:54] of the camera.
[43:54] >> I know, I was thinking about lugging
[43:56] this around, but I think I'll just leave
[43:58] it here.
[44:08] » One.
[44:09] Two.
[44:52] » Spelling is correct then?
[44:53] >> It is, sir. Yes, I verified.
[45:07] » How are you doing?
[45:08] >> You're welcome, sir.
[45:12] » How are you?
[45:14] All right, I guess.
[45:25] Put your now feet where they shouldn't
[45:26] belong.
[46:02] » All right. right.
[46:07] Go get some rest for you.
[46:12] We got to do
[46:28] I'm walking.
[47:20] » Wait, but at what at what point did she
[47:21] drop?
[51:49] » Mhm.
[55:00] » All right, we are back uh from our
[55:02] recess from closed session and I'm going
[55:04] to have our attorney read us out of
[55:06] closed session.
[55:07] >> Uh the city council met in closed
[55:10] session on the city of Highland versus Shahateet case.
[55:14] Uh direction was provided by the council
[55:16] but no reportable action was taken.
[55:20] >> Thank you very much. With that, we will
[55:22] adjourn.