[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.

City Council Regular Meeting

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