1
00:14:05,820 --> 00:14:06,380
All

2
00:14:09,330 --> 00:14:17,850
right, we'll call this meeting to order. Good evening. Thank you for joining us. Not call the regular City Council

3
00:14:17,850 --> 00:14:27,890
meeting February 3rd, 2026 to order. The next item on the agenda is the Pledge of Allegiance. So if you can join me with that.

4
00:14:27,890 --> 00:14:40,210
What do we do to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation unto God in the visible with liberty and justice for all?

5
00:14:42,380 --> 00:14:46,120
Okay moving down to item two of the agenda we have our land acknowledgement.

6
00:14:47,740 --> 00:14:53,480
Before we begin we would like to acknowledge the alony people who are the traditional custodians of this land.

7
00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:59,660
We pay our respects to the Eloni Elders, past, present, and future who call this place Eloni Land.

8
00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:16,060
The land that panels sits upon their home. We are proud to continue their tradition of coming together and growing as a community. We thank the alony community for their stewardship and support. And we look forward to strengthening our ties as we continue our relationship of mutual respect and understanding.

9
00:15:18,180 --> 00:15:24,960
Thank you everyone. We are now on the item three of the agenda roll call and the city clerk's report. Madam city clerk, if you will.

10
00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,140
Good evening, Mayor TAVE.

11
00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:28,740
Mayor Pro Tem Murphy.

12
00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:30,600
Councilmember Sessai.

13
00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:32,800
Councilmember Martinez Ruben.

14
00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:34,260
Councilmember Tom.

15
00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:37,180
Acting City Manager Chief Cluhoon.

16
00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:38,880
City Attorney Cacher.

17
00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:43,180
Mayor the agenda was posted on Thursday, January 29th,

18
00:15:43,240 --> 00:15:46,060
at 340 PM with all legally required notices.

19
00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:48,860
Written comments were received in advance of the meeting.

20
00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:52,000
They have been distributed to Council posted on the website

21
00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:56,440
in our available for the public to view in the back of the chambers. Does the council have any

22
00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:01,380
conflicts to report on our agenda items tonight? Seeing none, that concludes my report.

23
00:16:01,700 --> 00:16:02,500
Thank you.

24
00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:15,000
Sorry. Next on the agenda is close session. Do we have public comment for any items

25
00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:18,420
close session? Just one second.

26
00:16:20,700 --> 00:16:24,600
No. Mayor, there are no public comments. Okay. We will be

27
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:30,800
The meeting in close session talked about item A conference with real property negotiators,

28
00:16:30,960 --> 00:16:40,880
government code 54956.8, that's the property assessor's parcel for 1123016.

29
00:16:42,500 --> 00:16:47,840
Negotiators are a community development director, Lily Whalen, and city attorney Eric

30
00:16:49,940 --> 00:16:58,080
We'll also be convening is that item B, conference with labor negotiators, agency, designator

31
00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:03,180
representative, city attorney, Eric Kassher, and Human Resources Director, Stacey Shell.

32
00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:10,180
And then item C, conference with legal counsel, anticipated litigation, government code 54956.9,

33
00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:11,440
initiation of litigation.

34
00:17:12,340 --> 00:17:16,380
Okay, so we'll be resuming the meeting at approximately 6 p.m.

35
00:17:16,380 --> 00:17:18,280
and welcome me in the closed session. Thank you.

36
01:18:33,900 --> 01:18:58,240
So we'll go ahead and reconvene back to open session. So on items A and B, there was no reportable action. However, on item C, direction was given to initiate litigation has been given to council. So that direction has been given to initiate legal action.

37
01:18:59,120 --> 01:19:05,880
The name of the defendants and other particulars will be disclosed to anyone who inquires

38
01:19:05,880 --> 01:19:11,700
once the action is formally commenced so that takes us through our closed session items.

39
01:19:13,000 --> 01:19:18,860
So moving on to, oh, I'm sorry, then I have to reconvene open session or is that, I don't

40
01:19:18,860 --> 01:19:20,080
okay, got it.

41
01:19:20,500 --> 01:19:24,960
Okay, so we'll move on to item six citizens to be heard.

42
01:19:24,960 --> 01:19:34,120
Citizens may speak under any item not listed on the agenda, time limit is three minutes, and the subject to modification by the mayor.

43
01:19:34,800 --> 01:19:36,920
We've got to read that whole thing.

44
01:19:37,240 --> 01:19:38,640
City Clerk, read the whole thing.

45
01:19:39,620 --> 01:19:44,060
Individuals may not share or offer time to another speaker pursuant to provisions of the Brown Act.

46
01:19:44,080 --> 01:19:51,420
No action may be taken on matters unless it is listed on the agenda or unless certain emergency or special circumstances exist.

47
01:19:51,420 --> 01:19:58,580
The City Council made direct staff to investigate and or schedule certain matters for consideration at a future council meeting.

48
01:19:59,040 --> 01:20:04,180
Please see, please see the cover sheet of the agenda for instructions on how to submit public comment.

49
01:20:05,180 --> 01:20:08,900
Okay, so we'll take public comment for our citizens to be here.

50
01:20:10,830 --> 01:20:12,030
Ann Moriarty.

51
01:20:16,350 --> 01:20:16,530
I'm sorry.

52
01:20:16,890 --> 01:20:18,030
And Jody Ingles.

53
01:20:27,430 --> 01:20:28,170
Can we see it?

54
01:20:28,210 --> 01:20:28,750
There we go.

55
01:20:29,470 --> 01:20:29,990
All right.

56
01:20:29,990 --> 01:20:37,850
So, the Penal Polynator Pathway is a collaboration between friends of Penal Creek Watershed,

57
01:20:38,110 --> 01:20:45,510
who I represent, and the Penal Garden Club, who Jody represents, and the City of Penal,

58
01:20:45,830 --> 01:20:47,650
via community services.

59
01:20:48,750 --> 01:20:54,450
We are linking together a pathway of gardens in Penal that are planted with majority,

60
01:20:54,450 --> 01:21:01,990
California natives and that commit to being pesticide-free. These gardens, both public and private,

61
01:21:02,430 --> 01:21:09,030
welcome pollinators such as birds, butterflies, bumblebees, and other native bees and other insects.

62
01:21:09,990 --> 01:21:16,610
Public gardens that already exist include the garden in Bayfront Park at the base of the Bay

63
01:21:16,610 --> 01:21:23,190
Trail Pedestrian Bridge, our model garden in Fernandez Park, which we will introduce you to,

64
01:21:23,190 --> 01:21:31,670
The Penal Library Native Garden, the Blue Star Garden at I-80, and the Palinator Garden in the Upper Watershed.

65
01:21:33,070 --> 01:21:41,710
So this Saturday morning at 10 a.m., we will celebrate the installation of the Native Palinator Garden Plot in Fernandez Park.

66
01:21:41,710 --> 01:21:50,010
This is a public garden that is sponsored by the City of Penal and is being planted with

67
01:21:50,010 --> 01:21:57,690
Keystone Species and with native plants. This will be right by the children's place

68
01:21:57,690 --> 01:22:03,570
structure and there will be a seedling giveaway, a raffle for larger California natives and

69
01:22:03,570 --> 01:22:10,390
an introduction to how citizens can participate. You will be encouraged to sign up to discuss

70
01:22:10,390 --> 01:22:12,950
how your garden can become pollinator-friendly.

71
01:22:13,890 --> 01:22:16,670
And the medallions that we have like this,

72
01:22:17,330 --> 01:22:21,470
we have them in this size and also in six-inch size.

73
01:22:23,450 --> 01:22:26,490
And we'll be offering those for sale

74
01:22:26,490 --> 01:22:29,510
to those gardens that can participate.

75
01:22:29,510 --> 01:22:29,690
8.

76
01:22:30,020 --> 01:22:40,820
So, we welcome you and we're really glad to be sharing this with you and hopefully we'll be seeing you on Saturday morning. Thanks.

77
01:22:41,860 --> 01:22:46,000
Great. Thank you for public comment. City Clerk, do we have any other public comment?

78
01:22:46,220 --> 01:22:47,840
No, we're citizens to be here.

79
01:22:48,400 --> 01:22:49,680
There are no more public comments.

80
01:22:50,420 --> 01:22:56,720
Okay. Okay. The next item on the agenda is reports and communications. First we have the Mayor's report.

81
01:22:56,720 --> 01:23:04,020
So, I have no announcements, so we'll move on to Mayor and Council appointments,

82
01:23:06,920 --> 01:23:13,660
doesn't look like we have any of those in the city council committee reports and communications. So we'll start to my left.

83
01:23:14,300 --> 01:23:15,960
Council member, Tom.

84
01:23:16,600 --> 01:23:17,860
Sure, thank you.

85
01:23:17,860 --> 01:23:26,280
I have a number of events that I attended and one was two weeks ago I attended the East Bay

86
01:23:26,280 --> 01:23:34,460
Leadership Council wastewater testing webinar and that's where East Bay leadership kicked off

87
01:23:34,460 --> 01:23:41,760
the 2026 with a special joint task force meeting co-hosted by the health and water energy and

88
01:23:41,760 --> 01:23:49,980
environment, task forces, the group welcomed Stephanie Birch with the California Department

89
01:23:49,980 --> 01:23:56,260
of Public Health to share how the state uses wastewater surveillance to track disease outbreaks

90
01:23:56,880 --> 01:24:02,120
and guide public health decisions. I did ask because we had a member of the public that

91
01:24:02,120 --> 01:24:07,600
asked how component doesn't participate. And at this point, they feel like they have a good

92
01:24:07,600 --> 01:24:13,620
sampling throughout Contra Costa County of participants, they have three wastewater facilities

93
01:24:13,620 --> 01:24:19,480
that participate in the program and they don't know where funding is coming from but if

94
01:24:19,480 --> 01:24:27,560
or they don't know if they'll have enough funding to continue let alone expand but in the event

95
01:24:27,560 --> 01:24:34,540
I told them that you know we would be happy to talk to them about participating if the opportunity

96
01:24:34,540 --> 01:24:42,560
came up. The next thing I attended the road maintenance town hall and I want to thank our mayor

97
01:24:42,560 --> 01:24:51,500
and staff for doing a great job in presenting the issues and then on the East Bay wildfire

98
01:24:52,220 --> 01:24:58,900
government coalition we have not met we don't have a meeting set and that's mainly because

99
01:24:58,900 --> 01:25:05,540
the meeting place is undergoing renovation and that's El Serito City Hall. However, we did

100
01:25:05,540 --> 01:25:14,240
get notification that a report called spur report on Bay Area Fire Mitigation Strategies

101
01:25:14,240 --> 01:25:24,380
has been posted. It was posted a couple of weeks ago on the website and the report identifies

102
01:25:24,380 --> 01:25:33,120
how communities can come together to both prepare for wildfire and also recover.

103
01:25:34,120 --> 01:25:41,900
And they did use our government coalition as a good example, and also the Marine example,

104
01:25:42,780 --> 01:25:44,460
as a good example.

105
01:25:45,000 --> 01:25:49,180
They discuss statewide issues, including the LA fires.

106
01:25:49,180 --> 01:26:17,740
So I also attended the Policy Committee for Housing, there was a presentation from the City of Humboldt and I think it was Arcadia if those two were adjacent to each other on their seventh cycle housing element and their rena numbers are much higher than they were in the sixth cycle.

107
01:26:17,740 --> 01:26:22,980
so the numbers keep going up and up and up and there's some new legislation that will make it

108
01:26:22,980 --> 01:26:29,700
challenging but we'll be able to see how the North northern part of California is working on

109
01:26:29,700 --> 01:26:35,980
their seventh cycle so that our staff can prepare for when it's our turn and that's the end of my

110
01:26:35,980 --> 01:26:43,660
report. Thank you Councillor Member Tombs. Councillor Member Sassai. Thank you Mayor. I'll start with

111
01:26:43,660 --> 01:26:46,500
Committee items, currently served on the West Country

112
01:26:46,500 --> 01:26:49,220
Cossets Transportation Commission, where

113
01:26:49,220 --> 01:26:50,940
it had the honor of serving as chair.

114
01:26:51,220 --> 01:26:54,160
At our last meeting, I nominated Vice Chair, Rebecca Saltsman,

115
01:26:54,300 --> 01:26:56,760
who's a council member from El Serito, as chair.

116
01:26:57,260 --> 01:26:58,560
And Cisters Epita, who is a council member

117
01:26:58,560 --> 01:27:00,900
from Richmond, as a Vice Chair, and the motion passing

118
01:27:00,900 --> 01:27:01,340
unanimously.

119
01:27:02,200 --> 01:27:03,980
So wishing that the best of luck in this next year,

120
01:27:04,080 --> 01:27:06,600
they're both really excellent knowledgeable leaders

121
01:27:06,600 --> 01:27:07,500
in transportation.

122
01:27:08,680 --> 01:27:10,860
Also on the agenda, we re-pointed Chris Kelly

123
01:27:10,860 --> 01:27:12,780
of the Hercules City Council to serve

124
01:27:12,780 --> 01:27:17,780
Another term on the counter-costage transit authority board, and we'll be voting in our next

125
01:27:17,780 --> 01:27:24,780
meeting to prove some by-law changes for WICTAC that allow for two alternate seats.

126
01:27:25,240 --> 01:27:30,580
Currently we have two delegates from WICTAC to CCTA, and we discuss it and makes a lot

127
01:27:30,580 --> 01:27:34,120
of sense to have two alternate ones for each delegate spot.

128
01:27:34,680 --> 01:27:40,120
So with that, we'll also be appointing an extra alternate to CCTA in our next meeting.

129
01:27:41,440 --> 01:27:46,760
Lastly, we are a commission receiving overview of the Hercules Hub project, and for those

130
01:27:46,760 --> 01:27:52,000
who don't know that is a regional transit development on the waterfront of Hercules by

131
01:27:52,000 --> 01:27:56,680
all the new housing that's built there. It will provide a train station for a terminal,

132
01:27:57,380 --> 01:28:01,300
a pedestrian pathways and bus service residents who live around the area, and that includes

133
01:28:01,300 --> 01:28:06,380
all of us in Penal as well. So the bottom line is that it's a pretty huge project, but Hercules

134
01:28:06,380 --> 01:28:11,120
has been able to secure some funding for it, but it's going to take quite a while some years

135
01:28:11,120 --> 01:28:16,080
to complete each phase of that project. So, as someone who takes capital quarter to work,

136
01:28:16,240 --> 01:28:21,320
I can't wait to have another Amtrax station that's closer to Dippinol. So, looking forward to seeing

137
01:28:21,320 --> 01:28:27,940
progress on that. Other than that committee, I wanted to announce that I've been recently appointed

138
01:28:27,940 --> 01:28:32,480
to the Cal City's Policy Committee on Environmental Quality. So, really excited to learn

139
01:28:32,480 --> 01:28:35,420
about the state legislation and that affects that issue area.

140
01:28:36,180 --> 01:28:37,460
But also to ensure the great initiatives

141
01:28:37,460 --> 01:28:38,960
that we've been championing here in Penole

142
01:28:38,960 --> 01:28:41,660
with the rest of our colleagues and the policy committee,

143
01:28:42,240 --> 01:28:45,500
including our gas station ban and all the things

144
01:28:45,500 --> 01:28:47,160
that we've been doing here, and ensuring

145
01:28:47,160 --> 01:28:50,820
that would other leaders across California who are in that committee.

146
01:28:52,280 --> 01:28:55,180
I attended the Contracost Immigrant Rights Alliance

147
01:28:55,180 --> 01:28:57,000
convening here in our county last week.

148
01:28:57,320 --> 01:28:58,000
It was in Concord.

149
01:28:58,180 --> 01:29:00,760
It was great to see all the good folks who were part of that

150
01:29:00,760 --> 01:29:03,340
work in our county to protect immigrant families.

151
01:29:03,600 --> 01:29:07,260
There are some folks from stand together to contrast the, a lot of us know Ali Saidi, who

152
01:29:07,260 --> 01:29:11,820
is a resident of Penal, but also works at the contrasts of public defenders office and helps

153
01:29:11,820 --> 01:29:12,640
lead that initiative.

154
01:29:13,440 --> 01:29:18,540
So, Nibus Tmante, who I think we all kind of work with, who previously serve as Chief of

155
01:29:18,540 --> 01:29:21,600
Staff to Supervisor Joya and now leads to safe center.

156
01:29:22,040 --> 01:29:23,360
So, really great developments there.

157
01:29:23,480 --> 01:29:28,240
I think one really significant update that was mentioned in that convening was a fact that

158
01:29:28,240 --> 01:29:45,000
There's going to be a closure of the immigration courts in San Francisco, so we're going to see a lot of influx of people who go to the nearest immigration court, which is encountered here in contrast to county. So a lot of great things that we discussed there, and I think this is a really big shift that we should all be aware of.

159
01:29:45,000 --> 01:29:49,960
With that being said, I wanted to thank City Attorney Casher, Chief Clivoon, and the entire

160
01:29:49,960 --> 01:29:55,120
council for supporting Rice Free's own policy, or in its back in December, since then

161
01:29:55,120 --> 01:29:59,800
I've been made aware that several cities in California have actually used the language.

162
01:30:00,000 --> 01:30:29,660
We developed here and proposed our own similar ordinance that includes a city of Culver City in southern California, city of Delano, and a lot of interest from cities in Santa Clara County, on that same exact ordinance. So it was really important that we were, I think not only the first to adopt a kind of ordinance and a municipality, but the fact that it actually goes above and beyond what other jurisdictions have done. So a lot of jurisdictions that I've seen have implemented a ice-free zone policy that prohibits staging,

163
01:30:31,340 --> 01:30:36,720
operating on on vacant properties, but I think ours goes a lot further in the fact that we

164
01:30:36,720 --> 01:30:42,860
really restrict immigration enforcement on all public property unless there is a court order

165
01:30:42,860 --> 01:30:49,080
or judicial warrant. Lastly, I want to thank Chief for help on this issue, but over time we've

166
01:30:49,080 --> 01:30:54,360
gotten some complaints about, excuse me, the traffic signals on Penal Value Road in I-80.

167
01:30:58,720 --> 01:30:59,640
If you're

168
01:30:59,640 --> 01:31:09,660
The Kaiser Clinic is Starbucks on Penal Value Road right before the overpass there, but the traffic signals there.

169
01:31:10,480 --> 01:31:17,400
A lot of folks have noticed that there is quite a, it's not a lot of delay between when when one signal turns red and other turns green.

170
01:31:18,160 --> 01:31:22,520
And the result of that is a lot of close misses.

171
01:31:23,600 --> 01:31:27,200
So, I got into some folks who are reaching out and saying, you know, once that Travis

172
01:31:27,200 --> 01:31:30,220
will turn his green, some folks who are trying to beat their bed light.

173
01:31:31,080 --> 01:31:35,860
So some folks have been almost been tea-bone at that intersection and happened to, if I

174
01:31:35,860 --> 01:31:36,900
remember, very recently.

175
01:31:37,340 --> 01:31:42,260
And so, thank you for checking on them that, so confirm that college trans actually operates

176
01:31:42,260 --> 01:31:43,040
those traffic signals.

177
01:31:43,240 --> 01:31:45,400
But also, the county has a real big part in that as well.

178
01:31:45,580 --> 01:31:49,320
So, once we able to get word back in the county, we can hopefully send notice to college

179
01:31:49,320 --> 01:31:53,180
make sure we actually adjust the timing for those lights.

180
01:31:53,840 --> 01:31:55,160
So that's my report. Thanks, Mayor.

181
01:31:55,460 --> 01:31:58,600
Thank you. Council member, Susiah, beer pro tip Murphy.

182
01:31:59,440 --> 01:32:02,140
Yes, good evening everybody and happy Black History Month.

183
01:32:02,720 --> 01:32:05,500
This year marks 100 years of Black History Month observance.

184
01:32:05,660 --> 01:32:07,380
I'm excited about our proclamation today.

185
01:32:07,920 --> 01:32:10,340
But I do want us all to take a moment of reflection.

186
01:32:10,820 --> 01:32:14,060
It's important to remember that Black History Month is not just something

187
01:32:14,060 --> 01:32:17,760
to think about of the future, but also to consider how might we

188
01:32:17,760 --> 01:32:23,840
develop a brighter future, excuse me, a brighter current state. Of course, as we reflect,

189
01:32:24,100 --> 01:32:29,460
it's also important to remember that on this day, February 3, 1870, black man for the first

190
01:32:29,460 --> 01:32:34,220
time were granted the right to vote through the ratification of the 15th Amendment. So you are

191
01:32:34,220 --> 01:32:39,340
truly a part of history today, and it is a great moment to reflect. The history in the present

192
01:32:39,340 --> 01:32:46,220
state of our country reminds us that systemic barriers did not end there, 156 years later, the fight

193
01:32:46,220 --> 01:32:51,820
for voting rights continues. Black History Month is both a celebration of resilience and achievement

194
01:32:51,820 --> 01:32:56,700
and a call to remain vigilant in protecting civil rights and democratic participation for all.

195
01:32:57,380 --> 01:33:02,880
I want to remind folks that the library is anticipated to close and will be closing on March 1st

196
01:33:03,600 --> 01:33:10,720
to accommodate important construction improvements. They are already starting closing out and they will,

197
01:33:10,720 --> 01:33:15,020
of course, you are more than welcome to go to other libraries outside of Penol.

198
01:33:15,020 --> 01:33:26,020
But they will continue to provide updates and of course I will continue to share updates to ensure our residents can plan accordingly and stay informed about alternative library services during this period so

199
01:33:27,100 --> 01:33:38,340
That'll be in my next report. I also wanted to thank City staff and Mayor TAVE for the town hall wasn't able to attend but it's seen we got a great report back from our interim city manager.

200
01:33:38,340 --> 01:33:43,320
The meeting did provide residents with an important opportunity to share direct feedback about local

201
01:33:43,320 --> 01:33:46,720
road conditions, safety concerns, and of course our infrastructure priorities.

202
01:33:47,820 --> 01:33:51,860
Again, thank you to our community partners and how much participation we had.

203
01:33:52,080 --> 01:33:58,160
It was really strong, and our public input remains really a critical part of how we shape responsive and equitable

204
01:33:58,160 --> 01:33:59,460
transportation improvements.

205
01:34:00,060 --> 01:34:02,560
And I heard that we had a great host and Mayor Tave as well.

206
01:34:02,760 --> 01:34:06,920
So thank you again for doing that in for your leadership on the road's town hall.

207
01:34:06,920 --> 01:34:08,320
I think it was a great opportunity.

208
01:34:10,300 --> 01:34:13,300
I additionally have received emails from residents

209
01:34:13,300 --> 01:34:14,980
about some of our sidewalk vendors,

210
01:34:15,100 --> 01:34:19,340
and there has been greater interest about whether or not

211
01:34:19,340 --> 01:34:21,300
it is legal to have sidewalk vendors.

212
01:34:21,780 --> 01:34:25,100
The truth is that it is, but I did want to encourage residents

213
01:34:25,100 --> 01:34:27,700
to reach out to the city's community development department

214
01:34:27,700 --> 01:34:29,000
and walk-in city hall.

215
01:34:29,160 --> 01:34:30,960
The department has developed and distributed

216
01:34:30,960 --> 01:34:33,300
informational resources for sidewalk vendors.

217
01:34:33,840 --> 01:34:36,220
The materials help clarify permitting requirements,

218
01:34:36,220 --> 01:34:42,000
operational guidelines and available resources supporting compliance while promoting small business

219
01:34:42,000 --> 01:34:47,320
success and economic inclusion. So just wanted to encourage residents to if you have any questions

220
01:34:47,320 --> 01:34:53,020
reach out to our community development staff or come walk into City Hall. Again, they provide

221
01:34:53,020 --> 01:34:58,520
some amazing resources and actually from this question that I received from a few residents. I was

222
01:34:58,520 --> 01:35:04,100
largely more informed about our current procedures and permitting. So I just wanted to note that

223
01:35:05,660 --> 01:35:08,880
In terms of local community schools,

224
01:35:09,080 --> 01:35:12,120
wanted to give just a brief update about our West Country

225
01:35:12,120 --> 01:35:15,420
Costa Unified School District Systems Change Collaborative

226
01:35:15,420 --> 01:35:18,420
on January 29th community partners, educators,

227
01:35:18,720 --> 01:35:22,100
and local leaders, both city staff and elected leaders

228
01:35:22,100 --> 01:35:24,340
from West County came together for a joint meeting

229
01:35:24,340 --> 01:35:27,380
of the West Country Costa Unified School District Community

230
01:35:27,380 --> 01:35:30,440
Schools Support Collaborative and the West Country

231
01:35:30,440 --> 01:35:32,300
Costa Systems Change Collaborative.

232
01:35:32,300 --> 01:35:37,040
The meeting focused on strengthening partnerships and elevating youth leadership, including

233
01:35:37,040 --> 01:35:41,460
learning from the city of Richmond's collaboration with West County schools through the

234
01:35:41,460 --> 01:35:47,040
wide plan. Participants affirm that that community schools are central to supporting the

235
01:35:47,040 --> 01:35:52,540
whole child in serving as hubs of connection for families and neighborhoods. The discussion highlighted

236
01:35:52,540 --> 01:35:59,280
strong alignment across city district and county efforts with youth voice identified as a key

237
01:35:59,280 --> 01:36:00,760
a positive change.

238
01:36:01,220 --> 01:36:05,680
Insights from this meeting will continue to help us guide on next steps and inform future updates

239
01:36:05,680 --> 01:36:10,380
to the West Contra Costa Board of Trustees as partners continue working together to better

240
01:36:10,380 --> 01:36:12,560
serve our students and of course our broader community.

241
01:36:13,160 --> 01:36:18,360
If folks are interested, the first meeting of the first meeting of March, there will be

242
01:36:18,360 --> 01:36:22,060
a larger report back at the West Contra Costa Unified Board of Trustees meeting.

243
01:36:22,460 --> 01:36:26,820
If you are interested in learning a little bit more outside of my communication reports on

244
01:36:26,820 --> 01:36:29,820
the system's change collaborative has done over the past year.

245
01:36:30,460 --> 01:36:37,480
Last but not least, I just wanted to note that as a member, as the city of Pano as a member

246
01:36:37,480 --> 01:36:42,020
of the National League of Cities, I'm proud to be appointed to serve on the Finance Administration

247
01:36:42,020 --> 01:36:47,740
and Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the National League of Cities for 2026.

248
01:36:48,160 --> 01:36:53,000
This committee plays a critical role in protecting how cities fund essential services and infrastructure,

249
01:36:53,000 --> 01:36:56,620
and I'm proud to be appointed by the president of the National League of Cities.

250
01:36:57,060 --> 01:37:01,580
So serving on this committee places penol on the front line of National Advocacy to safeguard

251
01:37:01,580 --> 01:37:05,840
federal funding, streams, and preserve key tool cities rely on.

252
01:37:06,040 --> 01:37:11,300
Most importantly, tax exempt municipal bonds, which I've spoken about on this dias before.

253
01:37:11,700 --> 01:37:16,260
These bonds help keep the cost of building and maintaining roads, public safety facilities,

254
01:37:16,560 --> 01:37:21,780
and infrastructure affordable for all of our residents and federal proposals that weaken and

255
01:37:21,780 --> 01:37:27,320
eliminate tax exempt municipal bonds would directly increase borrow and cost for cities like ours

256
01:37:27,320 --> 01:37:29,880
shifting greater financial burdens on to local.

257
01:37:30,000 --> 01:37:42,980
So, through this appointment, Penol has a direct voice in these national discussions, and this allows us to advocate for policies that protect local investment, fiscal stability, and of course, long-term community needs.

258
01:37:43,380 --> 01:37:49,080
This role also ensures that decisions made in Washington, D.C., consider the real world impact on communities like Penol.

259
01:37:49,420 --> 01:37:56,800
And, of course, we are really committed to securing resources for our safe streets, reliable infrastructure and essential public services.

260
01:37:56,800 --> 01:38:06,800
So, very honored to represent Pinot on this way and looking forward to bringing all of the issues around roads and for structure and community safety back to the National League of Cities.

261
01:38:07,480 --> 01:38:09,060
And that concludes my report, Mayor. Thank you.

262
01:38:10,100 --> 01:38:10,520
Thank you, Mayor.

263
01:38:10,520 --> 01:38:10,720
Thank you, Mayor.

264
01:38:10,880 --> 01:38:14,080
Pro Tem Murphy, Council Member Martinez Rubin.

265
01:38:14,340 --> 01:38:14,980
No, very important.

266
01:38:15,740 --> 01:38:16,120
Okay.

267
01:38:17,140 --> 01:38:21,700
So, we'll be moving on to item D. Council requests for future agenda items.

268
01:38:22,740 --> 01:38:25,720
Okay, looks like we have a few Council Member Tombs.

269
01:38:25,720 --> 01:38:28,880
Council members, thanks Mayor.

270
01:38:30,700 --> 01:38:36,520
I've been speaking with city attorney casher about this issue since last year and I know we had

271
01:38:36,520 --> 01:38:41,040
representative from the Northern California Carpenter's Union come here to a council meeting

272
01:38:41,040 --> 01:38:46,700
on an issue of wage theft and some violations there if you're in our city.

273
01:38:47,360 --> 01:38:52,100
So I wanted to move that city council direct staff to add to a future agenda, a new business item

274
01:38:52,100 --> 01:38:55,460
to provide an overview of a wage theft ordinance and discuss

275
01:38:55,460 --> 01:38:58,440
options, simple amount, such an ordinance here for a

276
01:38:58,440 --> 01:39:03,000
panel. And just a quick comment on the motion as well for

277
01:39:03,000 --> 01:39:05,520
those who don't know what that ordinance means, it would

278
01:39:05,520 --> 01:39:09,060
basically empower our city to enforce labor standards by

279
01:39:09,060 --> 01:39:11,380
withholding building permits or certificates of

280
01:39:11,380 --> 01:39:14,680
occupancy from contractors with unresolved wage

281
01:39:14,680 --> 01:39:19,100
debt judgments. Okay, second that mayor. All right, we have a

282
01:39:19,100 --> 01:39:23,170
Can't say the clerk?

283
01:39:23,590 --> 01:39:25,070
Just a question.

284
01:39:25,750 --> 01:39:28,590
Okay, Councilmember Tom's go ahead.

285
01:39:28,990 --> 01:39:36,330
Yeah, do we need an ordinance or is there a state law that we can just rely on and not spend money on an ordinance?

286
01:39:37,830 --> 01:39:39,010
Through the chair if I may.

287
01:39:39,810 --> 01:39:47,710
There are some state laws, but this would be somewhat unique because this would be the city with holding or refusing to issue a building permit.

288
01:39:47,710 --> 01:39:53,570
a certificate of occupancy or final close out of a project a local project based on prevailing

289
01:39:53,570 --> 01:39:58,510
wage violations or certain, you know, if the contractor on a project, for example, didn't comply

290
01:39:58,510 --> 01:40:02,670
with certain labor laws. This would be a local enforcement. So I'm not aware of anything that

291
01:40:02,670 --> 01:40:07,210
exists at the state level. We'll certainly look into that if we are directed to come back with a

292
01:40:07,210 --> 01:40:12,200
presentation and if there's something that we can rely on, we'll obviously do that. Some cities have

293
01:40:12,200 --> 01:40:14,500
adopted ordinances though for that reason.

294
01:40:14,500 --> 01:40:16,320
Thank you.

295
01:40:17,560 --> 01:40:18,520
City Clerk.

296
01:40:18,620 --> 01:40:19,840
Mayor TAVE.

297
01:40:20,260 --> 01:40:20,360
Aye.

298
01:40:20,820 --> 01:40:21,720
Mayor Pro Tem Murphy.

299
01:40:22,640 --> 01:40:23,480
Council Member Sessai.

300
01:40:24,160 --> 01:40:24,200
Yes.

301
01:40:24,200 --> 01:40:25,680
Council Member Martinez Ruben.

302
01:40:26,000 --> 01:40:26,020
Yes.

303
01:40:26,480 --> 01:40:27,000
Council Member Tom.

304
01:40:27,180 --> 01:40:27,420
Yes.

305
01:40:27,660 --> 01:40:28,140
Motion carries.

306
01:40:28,380 --> 01:40:29,340
Thank you.

307
01:40:29,600 --> 01:40:29,960
Okay.

308
01:40:31,860 --> 01:40:32,780
Council Member Sessai.

309
01:40:32,940 --> 01:40:33,840
Are there any other items?

310
01:40:35,360 --> 01:40:36,120
Mayor Pro Tem Murphy.

311
01:40:36,800 --> 01:40:37,040
Yes.

312
01:40:37,540 --> 01:40:37,640
Mayor.

313
01:40:37,760 --> 01:40:38,700
Thank you so much.

314
01:40:38,700 --> 01:40:42,580
As you probably know, fire chief Louis Prashard has announced his retirement from the

315
01:40:42,580 --> 01:40:46,900
Contra Costa County Fire Protection District after more than 18 years of service.

316
01:40:47,360 --> 01:40:53,360
I know that we worked very well with him to open fire station reopen fire station 74.

317
01:40:54,260 --> 01:40:58,540
So, of course, this announcement marks the conclusion of a very distinguished career.

318
01:40:58,740 --> 01:41:04,300
I was hoping that we can present a proclamation to him recognizing and honoring his retirement.

319
01:41:06,080 --> 01:41:07,240
Okay, I'll second that.

320
01:41:07,240 --> 01:41:12,240
Okay. Motion by Mayor Protem, second by Tom's.

321
01:41:13,100 --> 01:41:14,060
City Clerk.

322
01:41:14,480 --> 01:41:15,640
Mayor TAVE.

323
01:41:16,060 --> 01:41:17,160
Mayor Protem Murphy.

324
01:41:17,980 --> 01:41:18,840
Council Member Sessai.

325
01:41:19,360 --> 01:41:22,060
Yes. Council Member Martinez Rubin. Yes. Council Member Tom.

326
01:41:22,200 --> 01:41:23,740
Yes. Motion carries. Thank you.

327
01:41:23,860 --> 01:41:24,620
Wonderful. Okay.

328
01:41:24,920 --> 01:41:37,220
And my last item for future agenda is to, as folks know, we've received a great, we've had a great partnership with MCE over the last couple of years and we also have funding that we receive from them.

329
01:41:37,220 --> 01:41:41,620
as well. So I am working with the MCE staff and our staff, but I would like to bring this

330
01:41:41,620 --> 01:41:46,780
to Council to receive a presentation from MCE and provide direction as appropriate.

331
01:41:48,300 --> 01:41:49,260
I'll second.

332
01:41:50,120 --> 01:41:50,320
Okay.

333
01:41:51,420 --> 01:41:51,960
So do you clerk?

334
01:41:56,850 --> 01:42:02,330
Through the chair, it sounds like we have an item already scheduled for June for MCE to come.

335
01:42:02,530 --> 01:42:06,530
This is the same item. I just want to get sure on the diet. I was actually supposed to mention

336
01:42:06,530 --> 01:42:10,030
this last council meeting, so just for formality, I think it's probably just appropriate

337
01:42:10,030 --> 01:42:15,210
that we that we have this. Sure. There was a second. There was a council

338
01:42:15,210 --> 01:42:20,530
months. Okay. Mayor TAVE. Aye. Mayor Protein Murphy. Aye. Council

339
01:42:20,530 --> 01:42:24,650
members the size. Yes. Council member Martinez Ruben. Yes. Council member Tom. Yes.

340
01:42:24,810 --> 01:42:32,890
Motion carry. Thank you. Okay. No agenda items. Great. Okay. So we'll move on to item E

341
01:42:32,890 --> 01:42:39,290
city manager report. Jepal. Thank you. I have just a couple items to report.

342
01:42:39,290 --> 01:42:48,170
First of all, Bob Hall and Associates has been selected by the city to conduct the nationwide

343
01:42:48,170 --> 01:42:50,950
executive search for Pinnon's next city manager.

344
01:42:51,350 --> 01:42:54,030
So we're moving forward with that contract now.

345
01:42:55,150 --> 01:43:02,930
Secondly, a consultant named Probolski Research has been selected to pull for public sentiment

346
01:43:02,930 --> 01:43:07,890
around ballot measures and community priorities, and we're anticipating not moving forward

347
01:43:07,890 --> 01:43:09,970
in the next several weeks.

348
01:43:10,950 --> 01:43:16,090
The public work department has been very busy submitting applications for grants and funding opportunities.

349
01:43:16,850 --> 01:43:22,650
A request was submitted for the TDA3 Funding request for traffic control improvements on

350
01:43:22,650 --> 01:43:27,490
San Pablo Avenue that Council saw on January 20th.

351
01:43:27,510 --> 01:43:33,810
An application to the Office of Traffic Safety OTS was submitted for traffic data analytics

352
01:43:33,810 --> 01:43:36,330
and community outreach and engagement.

353
01:43:36,330 --> 01:43:55,450
And lastly, Public Works recently submitted a grant application to the Federal Railroad Administration's Federal State Partnership for Intercity passenger rail program to assist with the right away and construction of the tenant avenue at grade railroad crossing improvements project.

354
01:43:56,150 --> 01:44:00,110
So they're working very hard on these grants and funding opportunities.

355
01:44:00,110 --> 01:44:08,210
And then lastly, the Penal Police Department was invited to the Special Olympics Luncheon on February 12th in Pleasant Hill.

356
01:44:08,770 --> 01:44:15,030
And this invitation came about as from Penal being one of the top revenue collectors for the special Olympics,

357
01:44:15,110 --> 01:44:18,250
from the Bikes to Bridges events and the Torture on Event.

358
01:44:18,770 --> 01:44:23,930
So, officers, Lewis and Officer Witchy will be representing the Department at that luncheon.

359
01:44:24,690 --> 01:44:25,370
Thank you.

360
01:44:25,690 --> 01:44:25,930
Awesome.

361
01:44:26,210 --> 01:44:27,350
Thank you, City Manager.

362
01:44:29,010 --> 01:44:34,610
We'll move on to item F city attorney report, attorney casher.

363
01:44:34,910 --> 01:44:35,270
Thank you, Mayor.

364
01:44:35,350 --> 01:44:35,950
Nothing to report.

365
01:44:38,210 --> 01:44:42,250
So that takes us to item number eight.

366
01:44:43,430 --> 01:44:44,790
Presentations, community events.

367
01:44:44,910 --> 01:44:46,690
We have proclamations as item A.

368
01:44:47,130 --> 01:44:50,470
So first up is our proclamation for Black History Month.

369
01:44:51,170 --> 01:44:55,190
So we'll go ahead and read the proclamation.

370
01:44:56,890 --> 01:44:59,250
Like it should be my February 2026.

371
01:45:00,000 --> 01:45:13,160
Whereas Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, is an annual celebration and recognition of achievements by Black Americans, and a time for acknowledging their important role in U.S. history.

372
01:45:13,840 --> 01:45:29,160
And whereas Carter Goodwin will send a Black historian, recognized the accomplishments of Black American citizens and a February 7th, on February 7th, 1926, created one of the cultural landmarks

373
01:45:29,160 --> 01:45:35,820
of contemporary America. Negro history, Negro history week, and whereas the second week of

374
01:45:35,820 --> 01:45:42,040
February was chosen for the event because it coincided with the birthday of Abraham Lincoln

375
01:45:42,040 --> 01:45:48,920
and on February 12th and Frederick Douglass on February 14th. In the 1960s during the height

376
01:45:48,920 --> 01:45:53,460
of the civil rights movement, Negro history week was changed the black history week and

377
01:45:54,240 --> 01:46:00,480
Whereas as part of the national bicentennial celebration, President Gerald Ford officially recognized,

378
01:46:00,900 --> 01:46:07,560
Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to seize the opportunity to honor the two

379
01:46:07,560 --> 01:46:13,680
often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans and every area of endeavor throughout our history.

380
01:46:14,100 --> 01:46:20,580
And whereas the theme of Black History Month for 2026 is a century of Black History commemorations,

381
01:46:20,580 --> 01:46:27,100
Celebrating a hundred years of organized observances of black history, and whereas in

382
01:46:27,100 --> 01:46:33,160
new marble black residents of Penal have contributed to the advancement of the city, state, and country

383
01:46:33,160 --> 01:46:38,940
throughout this city's history, such as the late James Andrew Harris, who was a Penal resident

384
01:46:38,940 --> 01:46:46,220
and groundbreaking nuclear chemist who helped discover to previously unknown elements while working

385
01:46:46,220 --> 01:46:48,820
at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab.

386
01:46:49,700 --> 01:46:53,720
And whereas Black leaders representing Penal have broken many barriers,

387
01:46:54,120 --> 01:47:00,800
including Dina Bechtin, who is the first black individual to serve as

388
01:47:00,800 --> 01:47:07,460
Contracostic County District Attorney, a century of black history commemoration,

389
01:47:07,960 --> 01:47:12,980
celebrating 100 years of organized observances of black history,

390
01:47:12,980 --> 01:47:21,160
The late federal governor, who was the first black individual to serve on the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors,

391
01:47:21,700 --> 01:47:31,060
and Jamila Smith Folds, who is the first black individual to represent district 1 of the West Contra Costa Unified School District Board of Trustees.

392
01:47:31,060 --> 01:47:39,780
and whereas in the fall of 2003, Michelle Layman's referred, assumed sponsorship of Penal

393
01:47:39,780 --> 01:47:45,680
Valley High School's African-American Student Union, AASU, an organization where students

394
01:47:45,680 --> 01:47:52,080
are able to better their knowledge of African-American history, culture, community, and pride.

395
01:47:52,700 --> 01:48:00,080
And whereas in June 2017, Eric Casher was appointed by the Penal City Council, becoming the

396
01:48:00,080 --> 01:48:07,900
First Black City Attorney since the City of Penal was founded in 1903 and we're as in

397
01:48:07,900 --> 01:48:12,520
November 2018, Anthony T. was elected to serve on the Penal City Council becoming the

398
01:48:12,520 --> 01:48:17,800
first Black Council member since the city's founding and we're as in November 2021, Roxanne

399
01:48:17,800 --> 01:48:24,480
Stone, who served as a management analyst since 2018, was promoted becoming the first Black

400
01:48:24,480 --> 01:48:28,220
deputy city clerk of record. And we're as in December 2022,

401
01:48:28,580 --> 01:48:30,940
Deventy Murphy was appointed by the Pino City Council,

402
01:48:31,280 --> 01:48:34,880
becoming the first black mayor since the city of Pinole was founded in 1903.

403
01:48:35,620 --> 01:48:39,180
And we're as the city of Pinole is proud to honor the contributions of black residents

404
01:48:39,180 --> 01:48:43,320
who have enriched our community to the leadership, service, and cultural contributions.

405
01:48:43,780 --> 01:48:47,380
Now, therefore, I, Anthony Tafe, mayor of the city of Pinole,

406
01:48:47,500 --> 01:48:53,020
county of Contra Costa, state of California. On behalf of the city council and the entire city of Pinole,

407
01:48:53,020 --> 01:48:58,780
do here by proclaim the month of February, 2026 as Black History Month in the city of Panoa

408
01:48:58,780 --> 01:49:03,740
and encourage all citizens to observe, observe this month with relevant programs and activities.

409
01:49:10,630 --> 01:49:14,930
All right, and I believe we have the President and Vice President of the African-American

410
01:49:14,930 --> 01:49:18,870
Student Union at Panoa Valley High to say a few words.

411
01:49:32,810 --> 01:49:35,270
Good evening, everyone. My name is Sinai McCockeren.

412
01:49:35,530 --> 01:49:39,310
I am the President of Panoa Valley's African-American Student Union.

413
01:49:40,090 --> 01:49:47,530
I am my co-member, Gerald Davis, I'm here on behalf of Ms. Lamus, to show our appreciation and

414
01:49:47,530 --> 01:49:49,210
thank all of you for the proclamation.

415
01:49:49,790 --> 01:49:50,810
Thank you.

416
01:49:51,130 --> 01:49:51,470
That's awesome.

417
01:49:54,730 --> 01:49:55,310
Did you want to speak?

418
01:49:55,870 --> 01:49:56,050
No.

419
01:49:56,410 --> 01:49:56,450
Okay.

420
01:49:56,650 --> 01:49:56,930
All right.

421
01:49:57,130 --> 01:49:59,450
So we have a picture in the proclamation.

422
01:50:49,740 --> 01:50:53,840
Yeah, so we'll take it to you any comments from Council members.

423
01:50:54,160 --> 01:50:55,940
Council members to the side please go ahead.

424
01:50:56,180 --> 01:50:59,820
Thanks Mayor and it's one of our student leaders for being here.

425
01:50:59,940 --> 01:51:04,560
Thank you for taking the time and your patience and family as well.

426
01:51:04,560 --> 01:51:08,460
thank you so much for your time. I just want to quickly acknowledge that there's

427
01:51:08,460 --> 01:51:14,780
so much profound black history to be celebrating our city. A lot of here listed, but we also

428
01:51:15,420 --> 01:51:21,460
have nuclear chemist James Harris, who was a resident of Pinole and helped discover elements

429
01:51:21,460 --> 01:51:29,500
of 104 and 105 on the periodic table. He's also the grandfather of Pinole artist, I am Sue,

430
01:51:29,500 --> 01:51:31,820
who was out here making waves as well.

431
01:51:32,900 --> 01:51:36,980
And I also just want to say it's an honor to serve with all those who are mentioned in this

432
01:51:36,980 --> 01:51:39,900
population as city officials.

433
01:51:40,900 --> 01:51:43,600
And so I just want to end with an invited a public.

434
01:51:44,520 --> 01:51:48,300
So I'm going to be there at the Pinal Valley High School, Black History Month, Jubilee

435
01:51:48,300 --> 01:51:52,300
this month, our educators, students, put in so much work into the program.

436
01:51:52,660 --> 01:51:58,600
And so I look for you all to join me on Saturday, February 28th, from 1 to 230 PM at the

437
01:51:59,080 --> 01:52:03,760
school, Ms. Layman's rate of food is usually in charge of the tickets, but if you need

438
01:52:03,760 --> 01:52:10,800
her a contact info, feel free to email me at ccssai.ca.i.i. at penold.gov for more information

439
01:52:10,800 --> 01:52:11,780
and hope to see you there.

440
01:52:12,800 --> 01:52:12,860
Thanks.

441
01:52:13,460 --> 01:52:15,680
Any other words from council members?

442
01:52:19,300 --> 01:52:19,700
Okay.

443
01:52:19,700 --> 01:52:19,840
Okay.

444
01:52:20,140 --> 01:52:20,420
All right.

445
01:52:20,560 --> 01:52:21,080
Thank you.

446
01:52:21,200 --> 01:52:28,580
Everybody for coming out and for the, just being here in the presence, you know, a blackish

447
01:52:28,580 --> 01:52:29,800
this hundred years

448
01:52:30,000 --> 01:52:59,980
I think it's something to be celebrated. So everyone's excited and the jublies fantastic. I went last year. I recommended it's full of entertainment from start to finish, just celebrating African and diaspora. And yeah, no, I would say come out if you can. All right. So we'll move on to presentations item B, eight B, the state of artificial intelligence in the city.

449
01:53:00,000 --> 01:53:03,000
I'm sorry, do we have any public comment?

450
01:53:04,120 --> 01:53:05,620
I don't know, public comment on that item?

451
01:53:06,020 --> 01:53:10,480
No. All right. So we'll move on to item 8B,

452
01:53:10,620 --> 01:53:14,000
presentation, state of Artificial Intelligence in the City of Penal,

453
01:53:14,660 --> 01:53:16,900
a communications director, Fiona Feeffs.

454
01:53:16,900 --> 01:53:17,660
If you are, please.

455
01:53:27,140 --> 01:53:30,620
Hi, good evening, mayor, council members, staff and neighbors.

456
01:53:31,160 --> 01:53:34,820
My name is Fiona Feeffs, and I am the communications director.

457
01:53:34,820 --> 01:53:37,800
I'll be presenting the State of Artificial Intelligence

458
01:53:37,800 --> 01:53:39,060
in the City of Penal.

459
01:53:39,940 --> 01:53:43,520
And give me one moment while I share my screen.

460
01:54:08,030 --> 01:54:08,470
OK, Doki.

461
01:54:09,450 --> 01:54:10,590
Thank you for your patience.

462
01:54:11,730 --> 01:54:13,330
The State of Artificial Intelligence,

463
01:54:13,370 --> 01:54:15,890
otherwise known as AI in the City of Penal.

464
01:54:18,350 --> 01:54:21,270
So today I'm going to be doing a overview

465
01:54:21,270 --> 01:54:24,990
of the background ethics, policy, communication,

466
01:54:24,990 --> 01:54:29,910
and the current state and future of AI in the city of Penel.

467
01:54:34,880 --> 01:54:42,500
So what is AI? Artificial intelligence is a software system,

468
01:54:43,000 --> 01:54:47,040
capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence,

469
01:54:47,760 --> 01:54:51,820
such as pattern recognition, decision-making or language understanding,

470
01:54:52,620 --> 01:54:57,400
and it often uses algorithms and neural networks to compute them.

471
01:54:57,400 --> 01:55:01,180
There's three main types of AI.

472
01:55:01,480 --> 01:55:03,900
You may have heard of some of these.

473
01:55:04,400 --> 01:55:07,020
Machine learning, this is a subset of AI

474
01:55:07,020 --> 01:55:09,200
where systems learn from data sets

475
01:55:09,200 --> 01:55:11,500
and they predict, you know, they make patterns

476
01:55:11,500 --> 01:55:15,200
and they predict outcomes and can make decisions.

477
01:55:16,260 --> 01:55:19,640
A common example that you might know of this is,

478
01:55:20,700 --> 01:55:22,020
or, you know, in the city,

479
01:55:22,460 --> 01:55:24,080
we are email system and outlook.

480
01:55:24,340 --> 01:55:26,880
We use a program that's attached to the email system

481
01:55:26,880 --> 01:55:33,580
that will detect spam emails, and it quarantines them into a place where we can then review

482
01:55:33,580 --> 01:55:34,160
them safely.

483
01:55:34,400 --> 01:55:37,220
So that's an example of a machine learning type of AI.

484
01:55:38,160 --> 01:55:43,760
Generative AI, this is a very fast trending type of AI.

485
01:55:44,260 --> 01:55:51,040
It creates new content such as text images, videos, or sounds, common types of generative

486
01:55:51,040 --> 01:55:54,500
AI are chatGPT and Bing AI.

487
01:55:54,500 --> 01:55:58,960
And then we have artificial general intelligence or AGI.

488
01:55:59,420 --> 01:56:07,500
And this is the concept of an AI system that has the capability to perform any task that a human can do.

489
01:56:08,000 --> 01:56:13,560
So a good example of that would be our self-driving cars or chatbots.

490
01:56:17,570 --> 01:56:21,190
So basically AI is like a smart computer helper.

491
01:56:21,910 --> 01:56:24,850
It can help us look at information, learn from it,

492
01:56:24,850 --> 01:56:31,130
then make predictions or give advice to help people make decisions. AI uses things that

493
01:56:31,130 --> 01:56:37,410
seize or hears and other data to understand the world create patterns from that information

494
01:56:37,410 --> 01:56:39,310
and then make suggestions.

495
01:56:46,640 --> 01:56:51,760
So there are federal and state AI frameworks in place.

496
01:56:52,260 --> 01:56:58,920
The US and California are actively developing policies for safe and responsible AI use

497
01:56:58,920 --> 01:57:01,820
and along with many other states across the country.

498
01:57:04,300 --> 01:57:11,780
Governor Newsom's September 2023 order focuses on ethical, economic and policy impacts within state operations,

499
01:57:12,640 --> 01:57:23,460
and President Trump's recent December 2025 executive order directs federal agencies to preempt or challenge state AI laws that conflict with the federal standard.

500
01:57:23,460 --> 01:57:32,700
The California AI Accountability Act, also known as SP-896, this requires state agencies to assess

501
01:57:32,700 --> 01:57:39,160
generative AI risks and benefits, disclosed its use in communication, so it's big

502
01:57:39,160 --> 01:57:45,200
untransparency and evaluate automated decision-making systems for potential harm.

503
01:57:51,920 --> 01:57:59,340
So, the City of Penels approach involves, you know, we do two the evolving regulations

504
01:57:59,340 --> 01:58:05,120
that are happening rather quickly, and the municipal complexity of it all.

505
01:58:05,720 --> 01:58:11,460
We monitor federal and state efforts before the implementation of detailed AI policies.

506
01:58:12,040 --> 01:58:19,600
And that is the phase of where we've completed that phase to produce this policy draft.

507
01:58:20,420 --> 01:58:28,060
There are many generative AI opportunities and risks, tools like chatGPT have

508
01:58:28,060 --> 01:58:33,680
served to mass adoption in under a year, offering efficiency games, but also

509
01:58:33,680 --> 01:58:39,320
posing risks such as bias, privacy breaches, and cybersecurity threats, such as

510
01:58:39,320 --> 01:58:45,140
fishing or fake news, and the city's approach really aims for a controlled and

511
01:58:45,140 --> 01:58:52,300
possible adoption to both safeguard risks and to leverage the opportunities that AI brings.

512
01:58:57,550 --> 01:59:03,530
So there are many ethical considerations for AI for the use of AI.

513
01:59:04,950 --> 01:59:09,390
So there are general ethics such as algorithmic bias.

514
01:59:09,950 --> 01:59:17,210
What that is is that is ensures that AI systems don't perpetuate the biases that they were trained on.

515
01:59:18,250 --> 01:59:23,550
Fairness, which addresses the potential for AI systems to discriminate based on certain

516
01:59:23,550 --> 01:59:31,850
groups' characteristics, accountability, transparency, privacy and data protection, and

517
01:59:31,850 --> 01:59:36,350
regulation, which is like what we are doing now, which is developing a governance framework

518
01:59:36,350 --> 01:59:38,910
for how to safely use AI.

519
01:59:39,670 --> 01:59:44,230
So the City of Penal has come up with guiding principles.

520
01:59:44,230 --> 01:59:49,070
Many of these were adapted from the Gavei Coalition's recommendations.

521
01:59:49,070 --> 01:59:59,070
This is a group of cities who have essentially shared a lot of information and helping develop frameworks and templates and tools to use for AI.

522
02:00:00,000 --> 02:00:05,560
Our first guiding principle, and these can also be considered our values when using AI.

523
02:00:06,920 --> 02:00:14,540
So the first principle is human-centered design, and this is people reviewing AI-powered services

524
02:00:14,540 --> 02:00:20,600
and products for their impact on the public. Privacy and security, this means protecting

525
02:00:20,600 --> 02:00:28,580
data. Accuracy and transparency helps us maintain trust and promote fact checking. Equity

526
02:00:28,580 --> 02:00:33,560
is being aware of biases in generative and predictive AI output.

527
02:00:36,210 --> 02:00:41,590
Accountability and responsibility means that the person using AI is responsible for the

528
02:00:41,590 --> 02:00:46,490
content that is created and should use caution and risk assessment in every case.

529
02:00:47,750 --> 02:00:54,330
Workforce empowerment means to see AI as a powerful efficiency tool, not a substitute for

530
02:00:55,650 --> 02:01:02,270
public purpose. All efforts staff put forward are for the overall benefit of the community

531
02:01:02,270 --> 02:01:08,150
in the City of Penal as a public entity. We also acknowledge that AI generated output falls

532
02:01:08,150 --> 02:01:09,750
under the Public Records Act.

533
02:01:14,500 --> 02:01:20,420
So the City has developed an AI usage policy draft. The purpose

534
02:01:20,420 --> 02:01:28,280
of this policy is to establish a comprehensive yet flexible governance structure for AI systems used

535
02:01:28,280 --> 02:01:30,980
by or on behalf of the City of Penel.

536
02:01:31,520 --> 02:01:34,820
And this policy enables the City of Penel to use AI systems

537
02:01:34,820 --> 02:01:37,800
responsibly for the benefit of the community

538
02:01:37,800 --> 02:01:40,300
while safeguarding against potential harms.

539
02:01:45,780 --> 02:01:48,640
So when we first set out to write this policy,

540
02:01:48,880 --> 02:01:50,960
it was like 20 pages long.

541
02:01:51,060 --> 02:01:52,020
It was really long.

542
02:01:52,160 --> 02:01:55,060
And so what we decided to do is to break it down

543
02:01:55,060 --> 02:02:00,560
into a set of documents that can be more swiftly applied,

544
02:02:00,560 --> 02:02:04,260
depending on the, you know, the use that was needed.

545
02:02:05,040 --> 02:02:08,960
So these documents, this is kind of like the package of our AI policy.

546
02:02:09,220 --> 02:02:12,620
So we have the City of Penal AI usage policy.

547
02:02:13,340 --> 02:02:17,040
We have an addendum to that, which is AI terms and definitions.

548
02:02:18,160 --> 02:02:20,180
There's many more of them that you would think.

549
02:02:20,880 --> 02:02:27,160
We have a quick reference guide developed, which contains user rules for generative AI.

550
02:02:27,160 --> 02:02:33,100
So that's intended to be used as kind of like a quick desk tool, you know, it's a one

551
02:02:33,100 --> 02:02:37,660
pageer that staff can reference if they have, you know, they're ever in a kind of an unknown

552
02:02:37,660 --> 02:02:41,680
territory when faced with an AI tool.

553
02:02:42,540 --> 02:02:49,100
Vendor AI requirements, that's for vendors, of course, an AI fact sheet is kind of a, it's

554
02:02:49,100 --> 02:02:54,400
a questionnaire that we would present to vendors to document, it has a series of questions

555
02:02:54,400 --> 02:03:00,560
we can help evaluate the risks, document that, and have that as part of our procurement practices.

556
02:03:01,780 --> 02:03:06,940
And then we also have an AI incident response plan on that is housed in the IT Department.

557
02:03:16,410 --> 02:03:22,790
So the City of Penal has established a comprehensive yet flexible, oops, did I read this already?

558
02:03:23,390 --> 02:03:23,630
Sorry.

559
02:03:26,570 --> 02:03:32,330
I'm sorry. So the key objectives of our policy is to provide clear guidance

560
02:03:32,330 --> 02:03:35,510
to ensure adherence to guiding principles.

561
02:03:37,130 --> 02:03:38,230
And that is our values.

562
02:03:39,110 --> 02:03:41,690
It aims to define roles and responsibilities.

563
02:03:42,950 --> 02:03:44,850
Establish risk assessment procedures.

564
02:03:46,170 --> 02:03:48,770
Align data privacy and security standards.

565
02:03:49,930 --> 02:03:53,370
And it lists prohibited uses of AI systems.

566
02:03:54,250 --> 02:03:58,750
And it also defines how we can use AI systems in the city of Penel.

567
02:03:58,750 --> 02:04:14,390
And so our policy document, it really combines the best practices from other cities and recommendations from the GoVAI Coalition and the Municipal Information System Association of California.

568
02:04:15,570 --> 02:04:27,350
These departments were also given the opportunity to review the policy and weigh in and the IT division manages the IT, I'm sorry, the AI policy and it's related protocols.

569
02:04:27,350 --> 02:04:28,470
So,

570
02:04:32,050 --> 02:04:35,470
our policy basically states that when purchasing,

571
02:04:35,850 --> 02:04:40,810
configuring, developing, operating, or maintaining AI systems,

572
02:04:41,230 --> 02:04:44,630
the city of Penal will uphold the guiding principles,

573
02:04:45,510 --> 02:04:47,890
conduct an AI review to assess potential risk,

574
02:04:49,710 --> 02:04:53,110
a technical documentation about AI systems,

575
02:04:53,470 --> 02:04:56,410
require vendors to comply with the city's AI policy,

576
02:04:57,430 --> 02:04:59,670
follow an incident response plan in the event

577
02:04:59,670 --> 02:05:09,170
of a security incident involving AI systems and do not use AI for the prohibited uses in the policy.

578
02:05:10,490 --> 02:05:16,810
So this applies to all staff in terms and volunteers with the City of Penal and compared

579
02:05:16,810 --> 02:05:22,610
to other organizations I just wanted to point out is that cities actually face higher exposure

580
02:05:22,610 --> 02:05:26,830
for privacy violations, bias and public trust failures.

581
02:05:26,830 --> 02:05:32,830
and we believe that this policy safely addresses this while balancing the need to allow

582
02:05:33,770 --> 02:05:40,390
you know employees to explore AI to use it and use it to enhance productivity.

583
02:05:45,650 --> 02:05:49,790
So we've included a set of user-specific rules and reminders,

584
02:05:50,310 --> 02:05:54,090
and these are found in the quick reference guide that I had mentioned earlier.

585
02:05:54,770 --> 02:05:59,530
So these are usage of generative AI, maybe subject to the public records act.

586
02:05:59,530 --> 02:06:09,610
Do not use personal accounts for generative AI usage, read and understand the terms and conditions, opt out of data collection when possible.

587
02:06:13,630 --> 02:06:29,250
Verify the copyright of AI-generated content, be mindful of content ownership, cite the use of generative AI for substantial content, review, revise, and fact check AI-generated content.

588
02:06:30,560 --> 02:06:38,120
So, at a baseline, our employees should follow these rules when using generative AI.

589
02:06:42,380 --> 02:06:48,520
So, when engaging in high risk generative AI use cases, we ask employees to review

590
02:06:48,520 --> 02:06:55,900
tone and language in their AI output, confirm verifiable sources for facts and figures

591
02:06:55,900 --> 02:07:02,260
in the output, and do not input private and sensitive data into generative AI systems.

592
02:07:03,260 --> 02:07:13,200
And some examples of high-risk generative AI use cases include writing an official document

593
02:07:13,200 --> 02:07:16,820
or using public ready information for communications.

594
02:07:24,020 --> 02:07:28,720
And the prohibited uses that we have outlined in the policy are.

595
02:07:30,000 --> 02:07:46,480
Things that we cannot use AI for. Real-time and covert biometric identification. Emotion analysis or the use of computer vision techniques to classify human facial and body movements into certain emotions or sentiment.

596
02:07:46,480 --> 02:07:54,380
fully automated decisions that do not require any meaningful human oversight but substantially impact individuals.

597
02:07:55,580 --> 02:08:01,160
Social scoring or the use of AI systems to track and classify individuals based on their behaviors,

598
02:08:01,700 --> 02:08:11,300
socioeconomic status or personal characteristics, and cognitive behavioral manipulation of people or specific vulnerable groups.

599
02:08:16,640 --> 02:08:22,820
So, I'm going to go over what our departments currently use AI4.

600
02:08:23,340 --> 02:08:29,540
We surveyed across the departments to ask what they're using it for and we are using

601
02:08:29,540 --> 02:08:36,580
it for, marketing and program ideas, report writing and presentations, survey question

602
02:08:36,580 --> 02:08:45,220
development, research and note taking, social media captions, report summaries, data analysis,

603
02:08:45,220 --> 02:08:51,900
such as identifying themes and data, graphic design, camera systems.

604
02:08:52,940 --> 02:08:57,840
And this doesn't mean that we always use AI for all of these things.

605
02:08:58,100 --> 02:09:04,260
This just means that we use some AI doing these actions in our work.

606
02:09:06,040 --> 02:09:09,960
And this list is really ever-changing and ever-growing,

607
02:09:09,960 --> 02:09:17,600
You know, on a almost a weekly basis, sometimes it's just the technology of AI is changing so rapidly.

608
02:09:18,980 --> 02:09:26,300
But, you know, we are exploring new ways of using AI to improve efficiency and work quality to better serve the community.

609
02:09:28,020 --> 02:09:31,080
And here you see a list of approved AI applications.

610
02:09:31,080 --> 02:09:38,760
The City of Penal, we have chosen applications with an established government reputation and

611
02:09:38,760 --> 02:09:43,500
we lean into recommendations from the Gov AI coalition on vendors that have already been

612
02:09:43,500 --> 02:09:44,160
vetted.

613
02:09:45,020 --> 02:09:50,380
So additionally, many existing applications are coming out with new AI features built in.

614
02:09:51,020 --> 02:09:57,340
So like for example, Microsoft Co-Pilot is really mainly generative AI.

615
02:09:57,340 --> 02:10:04,180
Ring Central is our phone system, it's not only an AI program, but it has some AI features built

616
02:10:04,180 --> 02:10:12,300
into it. And, for example, like DocuSign, that's an electronic signature software program

617
02:10:12,300 --> 02:10:17,780
that we use. We just got a notice from them that they have now added a new AI feature they

618
02:10:17,780 --> 02:10:23,340
want us to explore. And so that's just an example of how these things are kind of popping up

619
02:10:23,340 --> 02:10:25,100
every day.

620
02:10:27,880 --> 02:10:29,480
So what is next with AI?

621
02:10:37,040 --> 02:10:41,800
So training and communication. We will be training our

622
02:10:41,800 --> 02:10:48,840
employees on the foundations of AI. We'd like to do a bioannual staff training and review.

623
02:10:50,180 --> 02:10:56,980
There will be internal communication about the AI policy and distribute the quick reference guide to all users.

624
02:10:56,980 --> 02:11:16,180
We will notify vendors, AI vendors, through RFPs and contracts about our AI guidelines and the requirements we have for vendors and we will publish information on the IT webpage and create mechanisms for public feedback around AI.

625
02:11:16,180 --> 02:11:27,620
So public transparency, this is really important for us to foster trust in our decisions to use AI tools in the city.

626
02:11:28,080 --> 02:11:32,720
And this is why we'll be posting the city's AI inventory on the IT website.

627
02:11:33,820 --> 02:11:39,220
And we'll implement the mechanisms for the public to provide feedback probably in the IT website.

628
02:11:39,300 --> 02:11:43,520
We haven't decided on the perfect place for that but it'll probably go there.

629
02:11:43,520 --> 02:11:57,020
And then we're also in the process of developing notices for affected individuals who may be encountering AI when they're interacting with us and both internally and externally.

630
02:12:03,900 --> 02:12:14,300
So AI and the information technology or IT plan, so AI is considered to really be enabling capability in the IT plan.

631
02:12:14,300 --> 02:12:22,480
It's not a standalone project, but it's because it cuts across all areas of the IT plan.

632
02:12:23,140 --> 02:12:31,180
So it cuts across areas like governance, security, service delivery, workforce capacity, and data management.

633
02:12:32,100 --> 02:12:35,240
It can be found in any one of those areas or more, right?

634
02:12:35,800 --> 02:12:41,500
And so we recognize that effective AI really depends on the reliability of other systems.

635
02:12:41,500 --> 02:12:45,200
So for example, AI relies on data.

636
02:12:45,920 --> 02:12:48,980
It relies on good quality data to work properly.

637
02:12:49,900 --> 02:12:54,760
And so, you know, we are looking at how to address a lot of our siloed databases

638
02:12:55,560 --> 02:13:02,680
and systems first so that any AI systems that we do introduce will work better for us

639
02:13:02,680 --> 02:13:06,580
with reliable data so that they can work properly.

640
02:13:06,580 --> 02:13:14,980
And when the IT division assesses AI systems for risk, we prioritize low-risk, high-return

641
02:13:14,980 --> 02:13:17,080
administrative uses of AI.

642
02:13:17,640 --> 02:13:22,980
These are systems that will make our employees' lives easier without exposing internal

643
02:13:22,980 --> 02:13:27,140
data or automating decision-making without human oversight.

644
02:13:28,020 --> 02:13:34,480
We are actively working on budget forecasting to include AI systems and related projects and

645
02:13:34,480 --> 02:13:40,220
Council will see this in the upcoming IT 2026 to 2031 IT plan.

646
02:13:45,190 --> 02:13:46,070
So next step.

647
02:13:46,430 --> 02:13:52,710
So we are going to be doing a final review and approval of the AI policy collection.

648
02:13:53,830 --> 02:14:00,910
This will require us to send the draft to the unions for review because they're given

649
02:14:00,910 --> 02:14:05,370
the opportunity to weigh in, to comment, to provide their feedback and make recommendations

650
02:14:05,370 --> 02:14:06,570
for us to consider.

651
02:14:06,570 --> 02:14:18,210
After that, and we have a final draft of the policy, then that is presented to the city manager for approval, because it's an administrative policy.

652
02:14:19,410 --> 02:14:26,370
Then after that comes implementation, so that's where the training and internal and external communication come into play.

653
02:14:26,370 --> 02:14:36,610
And then we will monitor, so we'll start with a quarterly revision of the AI policy again because this technology is changing very rapidly.

654
02:14:36,610 --> 02:14:44,350
We want to make sure we stay on top of it and that our policy reflects the current outlook of AI.

655
02:14:45,450 --> 02:14:53,490
Monitoring state and federal policies continuing to do that and continuing to participate in the AI activities and meetings.

656
02:14:55,950 --> 02:14:59,870
So that's the end of my presentation. Thank you.

657
02:15:00,000 --> 02:15:02,100
And I'll take questions now.

658
02:15:02,600 --> 02:15:06,560
Okay, so council members, questions, council members, aside.

659
02:15:08,420 --> 02:15:11,400
Thanks, Mayor, and thank you, Director Abs, for your presentation.

660
02:15:11,640 --> 02:15:14,160
Just want to acknowledge that this is such a huge issue area.

661
02:15:15,440 --> 02:15:20,900
Technology is advancing so quickly that it's hard to even wrap our brains around with this all means.

662
02:15:21,200 --> 02:15:26,080
I'm still taking time to educate myself, but I don't think I'll ever get to the point where I fully comprehend it.

663
02:15:26,080 --> 02:15:28,860
So thank you for your work on this in developing this policy.

664
02:15:29,100 --> 02:15:33,300
Thank you to Mayor Tafe for, I think you requested this last year.

665
02:15:33,480 --> 02:15:36,540
And you kept it kind of open-ended, but I think that was good,

666
02:15:36,780 --> 02:15:39,900
because I think this is a policy that covers all departments here in the end of the year.

667
02:15:41,060 --> 02:15:46,400
So I just want to start off with a question on, I think, the development of these policies so far.

668
02:15:46,580 --> 02:15:51,760
Are there any particular stakeholders or policy experts that you've,

669
02:15:51,760 --> 02:15:57,280
you that they've met with in preparation for this or had there been any particular cities or

670
02:15:57,280 --> 02:16:01,560
counties that have existing AA policies that you've looked to for a model as model for this.

671
02:16:02,380 --> 02:16:09,840
Yes, we so we've used quite a few bless you. We've we've looked towards quite a few policy resources

672
02:16:09,840 --> 02:16:17,380
in the development of it. So we have looked at examples from other cities, Walnut Creek,

673
02:16:17,380 --> 02:16:26,380
city of Concord, Lafayette, a number of Bay Area policies.

674
02:16:27,180 --> 02:16:29,900
We have a group that we communicate with.

675
02:16:30,020 --> 02:16:31,340
We have the Public Management Association.

676
02:16:31,840 --> 02:16:34,900
We share policies and send examples to each other.

677
02:16:35,020 --> 02:16:38,180
And so we have a collection of those that we have referenced.

678
02:16:38,180 --> 02:17:04,520
In addition to that, we, you know, I attended the Gov AI Coalition Conference and learned quite a bit over there and connected with a lot of other cities and communications and IT folks, just like me who are also facing the same things and some who have already, you know, approved policies and have put those policies in place.

679
02:17:04,520 --> 02:17:11,740
So getting ideas and networking, collaborating with those folks in that forum.

680
02:17:12,580 --> 02:17:18,380
We also have referenced templates that have been vetted both by the Gavei Coalition, which

681
02:17:18,380 --> 02:17:25,880
is an excellent resource for AI governance frameworks in a municipal setting.

682
02:17:25,880 --> 02:17:40,740
And we also have, we use the municipal information, it's myzac, it's I'm sorry it's a long acronym municipal information system association of California.

683
02:17:41,780 --> 02:17:55,860
We have used their, we reference their template. So what we did was we really laid all of these things out and then we took bits and pieces that could be applied in our specific situation to come up with a policy that worked for us.

684
02:17:55,860 --> 02:18:06,360
Thank you so much for that. I'd love to ask about existing policies on AI that we have right now.

685
02:18:07,320 --> 02:18:11,140
That's been already administratively approved before the drafting of this policy.

686
02:18:11,400 --> 02:18:15,780
Can you outline what those are, what it sort of gives guidelines about?

687
02:18:18,180 --> 02:18:25,060
To my knowledge, we do not have any approved AI policies within the city of Penel.

688
02:18:25,060 --> 02:18:31,560
I don't know if the police department could speak to their department.

689
02:18:32,020 --> 02:18:36,940
Yes, so the police department does have an AI policy that's specific to the department.

690
02:18:38,660 --> 02:18:46,440
And there was recent legislation that was passed that speaks specifically to reports,

691
02:18:46,660 --> 02:18:50,800
criminal reports that are generated by law enforcement that went into effect in January,

692
02:18:50,800 --> 02:18:56,320
January 1st of this year. So the company that we use for our policies,

693
02:18:56,540 --> 02:19:01,120
Luxipol, rules out updates, legislative updates, to make sure that we're

694
02:19:01,120 --> 02:19:06,520
complying with those new laws. So our policy that we have right now, we are

695
02:19:06,520 --> 02:19:11,260
working to make sure that it is in compliance with the new law. There's a

696
02:19:11,260 --> 02:19:17,100
couple of small items that are specific to the new law that we do have in

697
02:19:17,100 --> 02:19:19,900
place, but we need to add to our policy as well.

698
02:19:20,260 --> 02:19:24,020
Actually, the majority on the PDS sign has been state and federal mandated.

699
02:19:24,480 --> 02:19:24,860
Correct.

700
02:19:25,180 --> 02:19:25,740
That's right.

701
02:19:25,780 --> 02:19:32,660
And then very, very little policy that's been crafted without state and federal mandates.

702
02:19:33,120 --> 02:19:33,840
That's correct.

703
02:19:34,880 --> 02:19:37,220
Thank you.

704
02:19:37,940 --> 02:19:42,540
One of that is about policies for AI generation that address

705
02:19:42,540 --> 02:19:44,720
cultural competency in appropriateness.

706
02:19:44,880 --> 02:19:49,760
Is there any, do you foresee any policies within this big,

707
02:19:49,760 --> 02:19:54,500
over comprehensive policy that has guidelines around those things?

708
02:19:57,400 --> 02:20:05,680
You know what, we have addressed the issue of bias, equity, and human-centered approach

709
02:20:05,680 --> 02:20:11,500
in our guiding principles of the AI policy, that is where it can be applied.

710
02:20:13,320 --> 02:20:19,460
There are a lot of, well, we know that there's a lot of predictive analytics out there.

711
02:20:19,520 --> 02:20:22,040
That can produce erroneous results.

712
02:20:22,600 --> 02:20:27,140
AI, it doesn't always, it's not always correct.

713
02:20:27,460 --> 02:20:29,940
There's a lot of AI failure out there.

714
02:20:31,080 --> 02:20:33,520
And, you know, this is because these machine learning algorithms.

715
02:20:34,000 --> 02:20:39,100
They rely on protected information such as race, gender, and disability status.

716
02:20:39,100 --> 02:20:45,360
and can lead to adverse outcomes because of this societal and structural inequities kind of built

717
02:20:45,360 --> 02:20:51,520
into that system. The city does not have any machine learning technologies that rely on this type

718
02:20:51,520 --> 02:20:59,680
of data, but the key themes in our policy have really been human oversight and data safeguards.

719
02:20:59,680 --> 02:21:10,980
And I believe that these, these guiding principles in our policy can help us to prevent any adverse outcomes.

720
02:21:12,060 --> 02:21:17,480
And it also comes with bias awareness training for staff that's going to be really important.

721
02:21:18,380 --> 02:21:24,260
In this, it can help prevent misrepresentation and AI-generated imagery.

722
02:21:24,260 --> 02:21:30,160
And we recommend using, so with our branding guidelines, we recommend using stock images.

723
02:21:30,620 --> 02:21:37,760
Well, first we like using authentic PCTV photos for our communications, but after that stock images,

724
02:21:38,540 --> 02:21:44,480
you know, but where we I am exploring the possibility of revising the branding guidelines

725
02:21:44,480 --> 02:21:51,140
or adding an addendum to it that restricts the use of AI generated imagery in our communications.

726
02:21:51,140 --> 02:21:55,940
And so that's another area where we could potentially, you know, prevent that from happening.

727
02:21:56,440 --> 02:22:01,500
Thank you for that. And what it sounds like is that we're really depending on staff to review all AI output,

728
02:22:01,540 --> 02:22:07,340
and then depending on separate policies around biases and all different factors.

729
02:22:08,980 --> 02:22:13,740
I know on, because one of the pages here says on user-specific rules.

730
02:22:14,440 --> 02:22:18,060
It says usage of a generative AI may be subject to public records act.

731
02:22:18,060 --> 02:22:20,680
So I wanted a display of education from you,

732
02:22:20,760 --> 02:22:22,380
maybe city attorney as well,

733
02:22:23,540 --> 02:22:25,800
what are some examples of AI usage

734
02:22:25,800 --> 02:22:29,680
that would be subject to PRA and not be subject to PRA.

735
02:22:29,960 --> 02:22:29,980
And...

736
02:22:30,000 --> 02:22:35,720
What this re-challenges around data retention and access to data, as well?

737
02:22:36,300 --> 02:22:45,620
Yes, so this is still something that we have yet to define better. In our current records retention

738
02:22:47,220 --> 02:22:55,300
guidelines or policies, it doesn't have AI clearly defined in there. However, what we put in AI

739
02:22:55,300 --> 02:22:58,660
can be categorized according to the record's retention schedule.

740
02:22:58,900 --> 02:23:02,280
So this could be correspondence, you know,

741
02:23:02,320 --> 02:23:05,980
we might be using it for drafts, it could be data,

742
02:23:06,160 --> 02:23:09,540
could be reports that we're dropping into generative AI.

743
02:23:10,120 --> 02:23:13,220
But mostly, it would apply to the output.

744
02:23:14,060 --> 02:23:18,260
So, you know, when we're put dropping in information

745
02:23:19,200 --> 02:23:22,060
into, you know, a copilot, for example,

746
02:23:22,060 --> 02:23:28,760
We want to remind users that what they're writing in there, what prompts, what data they're

747
02:23:28,760 --> 02:23:37,100
putting in there, that could be requested by the public to see that workflow.

748
02:23:37,420 --> 02:23:47,520
I don't know if the exact content that would be able to apply to our records retention

749
02:23:47,520 --> 02:23:52,340
policies, but it's just kind of like generative AI is a catch all.

750
02:23:52,720 --> 02:23:57,300
There are many things in our records retention policies that we might put in there that could apply.

751
02:23:57,880 --> 02:24:04,380
But it's just a safe approach to tell people that whatever you put in generative AI,

752
02:24:04,780 --> 02:24:06,480
this could be subject to the public.

753
02:24:06,480 --> 02:24:16,620
And what it sounds like too is that there are going to be some requirements here around folks not using personal logins for AI.

754
02:24:16,620 --> 02:24:23,000
So, when AI is used, are we requiring city email accounts to be used for those different programs?

755
02:24:23,800 --> 02:24:33,260
Yes, we prefer and strongly encourage, and this is outline in the policy, we want people to use city-approved AI applications.

756
02:24:33,960 --> 02:24:43,820
It's safer, they've been vetted, AIT has assessed those applications for risk, but we do understand that AI is everywhere,

757
02:24:43,820 --> 02:24:50,120
and you could just open up Google and search something and right there next to Google is an AI button that somebody could use.

758
02:24:50,860 --> 02:24:57,680
So we're asking that they use their city email addresses, city accounts for that.

759
02:24:58,260 --> 02:25:03,860
But when they do, if they do choose to go into a generative AI territory like that,

760
02:25:03,860 --> 02:25:12,160
that they need to review the terms and conditions, and they are required to comply with or to understand those terms and conditions.

761
02:25:12,160 --> 02:25:12,880
Thanks,

762
02:25:15,280 --> 02:25:23,060
there is one bill mentioned in a presentation that was Senate Bill 86, the Accountability Act, and also just a question to Chief as well.

763
02:25:23,660 --> 02:25:32,500
What have been the significant legislation at the state level that has required policy changes?

764
02:25:33,700 --> 02:25:38,840
Has it been around PRA or has it been around any other regulations?

765
02:25:41,590 --> 02:25:43,270
around SBA-96?

766
02:25:43,330 --> 02:25:46,950
E96 or any other relevant AI bills?

767
02:25:48,410 --> 02:25:53,410
SBA-96, I'm not aware, there's no recent changes in the regulation.

768
02:25:54,070 --> 02:25:58,350
There was the federal executive order that came out in December of 2025.

769
02:25:59,770 --> 02:26:06,150
You know, that has to do with the White House's their filings.

770
02:26:06,150 --> 02:26:14,970
they emphasize like in consistent state, if there's in consistent state regulations that

771
02:26:14,970 --> 02:26:22,310
can create, you know, costly compliance burdens for economic growth, that slow or hinder

772
02:26:22,310 --> 02:26:29,190
economic growth is more of what that executive order is focused on. And so because S. B.

773
02:26:29,190 --> 02:26:38,050
96 is really more of, it focuses on government transparency, not so much on private entity regulation.

774
02:26:39,330 --> 02:26:42,810
So that's, that's what I know to, of recent policy.

775
02:26:43,390 --> 02:26:47,370
I could, you know, impact California's regulations.

776
02:26:47,850 --> 02:26:51,670
And then, just last question here, I want to talk about next up.

777
02:26:51,730 --> 02:26:52,390
I'm sorry, did you have to?

778
02:26:52,850 --> 02:26:53,310
Sure.

779
02:26:53,470 --> 02:26:59,050
If you don't mind, I can, I can speak to the legislation that relates specifically to law enforcement.

780
02:26:59,050 --> 02:27:05,250
So, Senate Bill 524, and that is specific for law enforcement reports.

781
02:27:06,090 --> 02:27:14,370
One of the items that's mentioned in that legislation is regarding draft retention to the

782
02:27:14,370 --> 02:27:20,650
question that you had earlier, that in law enforcement reports that are drafted through

783
02:27:20,650 --> 02:27:26,230
AI, the first draft must also be retained with the final draft of that crime report.

784
02:27:26,230 --> 02:27:32,170
So it will be subject to our retention period of our crime reports and subjected to the same

785
02:27:33,990 --> 02:27:37,250
PRA requirements of those crime reports as well.

786
02:27:37,570 --> 02:27:40,090
So that's primarily what that legislation was.

787
02:27:40,210 --> 02:27:46,150
There was also some additional requirements to that there is a disclaimer that the report

788
02:27:46,150 --> 02:27:50,410
was generated through AI that it had been reviewed by an officer as well.

789
02:27:50,510 --> 02:27:55,230
So there's a couple other things, but one of the main things is to your point about retention

790
02:27:55,230 --> 02:27:56,910
up the initial draft.

791
02:27:58,490 --> 02:28:03,330
Last question I have here is on the next steps in the presentation, meeting confer and

792
02:28:03,330 --> 02:28:04,590
city manager approval.

793
02:28:05,070 --> 02:28:13,530
So we'll be seeing the final policy come back to council for feedback or approval of any

794
02:28:13,530 --> 02:28:19,290
part of that policy or this will be the last time we'll be able to chime in about the

795
02:28:19,290 --> 02:28:20,050
drafting of this policy.

796
02:28:20,050 --> 02:28:26,190
Well, today is a presentation on the current state of AI in the City of Penal.

797
02:28:26,430 --> 02:28:33,010
It is an administrative policy, so the typical process for that would be to, and it's

798
02:28:33,010 --> 02:28:38,310
an administrative policy that impacts employees, so typical process would be to run it through

799
02:28:38,310 --> 02:28:43,850
the unions, let them provide comment, and then move it to the City Manager for approval.

800
02:28:44,330 --> 02:28:46,110
And then we do our own internal review.

801
02:28:46,110 --> 02:29:00,070
However, if Council would like us to bring it back as, you know, on the consent calendar or as a discussion item where you have the ability to weigh in, you can do that.

802
02:29:00,070 --> 02:29:02,310
That's it. Thank you.

803
02:29:02,570 --> 02:29:10,330
Okay. Any other questions from council members? Okay, so we'll go Mayor Proto Murphy and then council member Martin's room.

804
02:29:10,570 --> 02:29:12,110
Absolutely. Thank you so much Mayor.

805
02:29:12,590 --> 02:29:18,070
And thank you Director Abs for the wonderful presentation. I really appreciate it. Also the one of my biggest questions.

806
02:29:19,230 --> 02:29:25,070
Also questions that come up from members of the public is really about the AI use in compliance with state and federal law.

807
02:29:25,070 --> 02:29:27,190
So I think we nailed that down.

808
02:29:27,230 --> 02:29:29,650
So I appreciate also the additional question

809
02:29:29,650 --> 02:29:31,910
from Councilmember Versusai about that.

810
02:29:32,410 --> 02:29:37,810
I do want to ask about how AI, at this point,

811
02:29:37,950 --> 02:29:41,150
given some of the use cases you've identified,

812
02:29:41,630 --> 02:29:43,270
have improved services for residents.

813
02:29:44,110 --> 02:29:46,850
I'm also, I guess I'm throwing you one in a good way

814
02:29:46,850 --> 02:29:48,890
because I've heard some good news about public input

815
02:29:48,890 --> 02:29:50,170
in our roads town hall.

816
02:29:50,290 --> 02:29:52,150
But I wanted to just ask a broader question

817
02:29:52,150 --> 02:29:58,290
about how my AI has, how has it improved services for our residents, and specifically what metrics

818
02:29:58,290 --> 02:29:59,970
it, what metrics will be used to it.

819
02:30:00,000 --> 02:30:03,660
Valueate the effectiveness of those tools. Moving forward.

820
02:30:05,120 --> 02:30:11,780
That's a good question. Right now, we're really in the beginning stages of exploring and using

821
02:30:11,780 --> 02:30:21,640
AI. Recent example I can think of is the Rhodes Town Hall. So we used public input as kind

822
02:30:21,640 --> 02:30:27,100
of a hybrid meeting. We were testing it out to test out the transcription capabilities

823
02:30:27,100 --> 02:30:35,260
of it, which helped us to produce a report on it, you know, took all everyone's comments

824
02:30:35,260 --> 02:30:43,360
and listed it out very accurately into a report. We then use Microsoft Co-Pilot to take

825
02:30:43,360 --> 02:30:50,720
that data and organize that into a report that City Manager, or Acting City Manager,

826
02:30:50,720 --> 02:30:52,740
Clavoon sent to you on Friday.

827
02:30:54,240 --> 02:30:56,120
And so that's a recent example.

828
02:30:56,320 --> 02:30:59,480
Another example where AI is of a great benefit

829
02:30:59,480 --> 02:31:00,440
to the public.

830
02:31:01,000 --> 02:31:06,600
Also used in that Rhodes town hall meeting was that we

831
02:31:06,600 --> 02:31:10,720
are able to, so the streaming is able to be transcribed

832
02:31:10,720 --> 02:31:11,860
in live time.

833
02:31:12,480 --> 02:31:15,620
But public input has AI built into it.

834
02:31:16,100 --> 02:31:18,940
We're a user can, a member of the public,

835
02:31:18,940 --> 02:31:22,220
can have that translated in their language in any Google

836
02:31:22,220 --> 02:31:26,300
language live while they're watching the Rhodes Town Hall.

837
02:31:27,020 --> 02:31:31,400
So that's, I would call that a really impactful benefit

838
02:31:31,400 --> 02:31:35,580
to the public of AI that we have in our toolbox

839
02:31:35,580 --> 02:31:36,400
to use.

840
02:31:37,020 --> 02:31:38,660
And to the second question about metrics,

841
02:31:38,760 --> 02:31:41,460
how are we going to measure success moving forward?

842
02:31:42,160 --> 02:31:44,840
I mean, I acknowledged that from a conversation

843
02:31:44,840 --> 02:31:47,240
at the city manager that that could have, well,

844
02:31:47,240 --> 02:31:51,640
But for me, it was very beneficial as a council member who did not attend the Road Town Hall to learn

845
02:31:51,640 --> 02:31:56,780
what was said, how those decisions were made and kind of, again, it was generative, right.

846
02:31:58,620 --> 02:32:00,600
My metric was not being there.

847
02:32:00,640 --> 02:32:06,240
I wanted to hear how it went, for staff moving forward, essentially, because you identified

848
02:32:06,240 --> 02:32:09,820
use cases that staff has used AI tools.

849
02:32:10,200 --> 02:32:16,280
How are we measuring the effectiveness in equity of these tools and programs moving forward?

850
02:32:16,280 --> 02:32:18,140
or how would you envision it if we're not?

851
02:32:18,540 --> 02:32:22,580
Well, we have not established specific KPIs

852
02:32:22,580 --> 02:32:27,160
for the use of RAI tools in how they impact the public.

853
02:32:27,960 --> 02:32:33,840
As part of this policy, we do wish to implement a way

854
02:32:33,840 --> 02:32:36,920
for people to give us feedback and suggestions

855
02:32:36,920 --> 02:32:44,020
and comments around AI because we're still learning how the public,

856
02:32:44,020 --> 02:32:50,300
How, you know, what services can we use in apply AI to provide better services to the public?

857
02:32:50,920 --> 02:32:57,920
We have already discovered applications of AI internally that help staff tremendously saving

858
02:32:57,920 --> 02:33:03,760
time, you know, and it improves productivity, and it makes, you know, you know, you can

859
02:33:03,760 --> 02:33:08,260
really, this was a common thing of the Gov AI coalition, as you can do more with less.

860
02:33:08,260 --> 02:33:21,460
But when it comes to measuring success with our AI applications in the public, I think that will really depend upon specific projects or applications that we're using AI with.

861
02:33:21,620 --> 02:33:35,800
And we can compare, for example, if we want to see the level of engagement of our non-English speakers versus what we had before, we're able to measure that after using the AI translation tool for that.

862
02:33:38,340 --> 02:33:48,640
So that's one way, but we're still really defining and exploring those frameworks for measuring outcomes.

863
02:33:49,340 --> 02:33:54,100
Okay, so I would say I do have more questions, but I would say if we are going to adopt a plan,

864
02:33:54,260 --> 02:33:59,180
we need to identify the KPIs before the plan is adopted, whether it's happening by the city manager or the council.

865
02:33:59,660 --> 02:34:01,100
I think that would be important.

866
02:34:01,100 --> 02:34:08,360
So I would ask that, you know, to my next question, what, I guess, what is the, how to

867
02:34:08,360 --> 02:34:13,120
staff determine what's in a administrative policy versus a policy that the council should

868
02:34:13,120 --> 02:34:14,520
or should not pass?

869
02:34:15,180 --> 02:34:20,320
Well, this AI policy applies to employees, interns, and volunteers.

870
02:34:20,520 --> 02:34:26,640
So that makes it an administrative policy, because it's impacting our employees, it's the

871
02:34:26,640 --> 02:34:35,120
impacts our operations, so operational policies are typically an administrative policy when it comes to being applied to employees.

872
02:34:35,480 --> 02:34:36,640
And who determines that?

873
02:34:37,980 --> 02:34:40,040
The City Manager would determine that.

874
02:34:40,040 --> 02:34:40,260
Okay.

875
02:34:40,480 --> 02:34:41,100
Thank you.

876
02:34:41,540 --> 02:34:51,160
And so what issues to staff foresee and supporting a requirement for AI plans or IT plans to be brought back to the council for approval?

877
02:34:52,300 --> 02:34:53,560
Can you repeat your question please?

878
02:34:53,560 --> 02:35:00,080
what issues the staff for C and determining or supporting a requirement that the AI policy

879
02:35:00,080 --> 02:35:05,380
in this case, we brought to Council for review prior to the approval.

880
02:35:06,640 --> 02:35:11,820
Oh, if Council requests that we bring back the policy, we're very happy to bring back the policy.

881
02:35:12,060 --> 02:35:13,900
If that is what Council wishes us to do.

882
02:35:14,100 --> 02:35:21,100
So, and then the last question I was just going to have is, to you or to our in terms of

883
02:35:21,100 --> 02:35:27,820
managers. Any of the, can you all confirm whether any of the current or for or propose

884
02:35:28,820 --> 02:35:34,000
department, police department technologies would fall under prohibited uses outlined in the

885
02:35:34,000 --> 02:35:40,800
draft AI policy? Currently, none of our police department technologies fall under those prohibited

886
02:35:40,800 --> 02:35:48,160
uses. I can let Chief us speak to that as well. Yeah, I agree. I mean, primarily the, the system

887
02:35:48,160 --> 02:35:55,880
that we're using is our peach safety report writing program, which does comply with not only

888
02:35:55,880 --> 02:36:02,460
those policies, it's also, it's also class compliant, which is a requirement of the Department

889
02:36:02,460 --> 02:36:03,000
of Justice.

890
02:36:03,400 --> 02:36:08,720
So we've definitely vetted that program through and have spent quite a bit of time working

891
02:36:08,720 --> 02:36:13,680
with the District Attorney's Office to make sure that the reports that are generated through

892
02:36:13,680 --> 02:36:18,140
that program will stand up in court and not present any problems in that regard as well.

893
02:36:18,140 --> 02:36:23,100
That's great to hear. And thank you again to our staff for this presentation. It's great to see this.

894
02:36:23,680 --> 02:36:26,500
Okay. Thank you for that.

895
02:36:26,500 --> 02:36:27,720
Councilman, what you use really?

896
02:36:27,980 --> 02:36:34,500
Thank you. Quick question. On the slide that reads AI policy,

897
02:36:34,540 --> 02:36:40,200
user-specific rules, there's an item that reads opt-out of data collection when possible.

898
02:36:40,860 --> 02:36:43,180
So seeing that and hearing you mention it,

899
02:36:43,180 --> 02:36:47,420
to make me think that staff gets requests to enter data

900
02:36:47,420 --> 02:36:51,680
for organizations or agencies outside of the city.

901
02:36:52,480 --> 02:36:58,740
And then staff might feel compelled to comply and provide

902
02:36:58,740 --> 02:36:59,420
information.

903
02:36:59,820 --> 02:37:05,620
So question is, is what data is being requested typically

904
02:37:05,960 --> 02:37:08,940
by whom that might violate the policy?

905
02:37:08,940 --> 02:37:18,980
And therefore have staff particularly become alert about not about having the option to not to to not provide such data

906
02:37:19,580 --> 02:37:28,720
That's a good question. So our user guidelines are our user rules. So that applies to staff's usage of generative AI

907
02:37:28,720 --> 02:37:29,980
So when we say

908
02:37:30,000 --> 02:37:46,420
They opt out of data collection when possible. That means that if there's an option to opt out of data collection, they should select that before they're entering and they're dropping in data into the generative AI platform.

909
02:37:46,420 --> 02:37:54,800
And the reason for that is because many of these AI-generative platforms like chatGPT, their open source platforms,

910
02:37:55,460 --> 02:38:05,640
and our data will just go into the AI-abyss, if you will, I have my IT manager here who can explain that better than I can.

911
02:38:06,860 --> 02:38:13,340
But, you know, so opting out of data would just keep our data that we drop into AI in a little box,

912
02:38:13,340 --> 02:38:16,500
and not be shared with the whole entire world.

913
02:38:17,540 --> 02:38:22,440
So that's not always an option, but when there is an option to opt out of data,

914
02:38:22,620 --> 02:38:24,840
we would ask for them to check that box.

915
02:38:25,300 --> 02:38:25,760
Thank you.

916
02:38:25,900 --> 02:38:27,220
So thank you for the presentation.

917
02:38:27,660 --> 02:38:33,620
I think having thought through what to present to Council also has posed an opportunity to staff

918
02:38:33,620 --> 02:38:39,860
to begin asking questions about the applications of the AI for a number of different

919
02:38:39,860 --> 02:38:48,180
intended audiences, and in that process, I know in my work as an evaluator that it makes

920
02:38:48,180 --> 02:38:54,420
sense to first post questions before thinking about KPIs or key performance indicators.

921
02:38:55,300 --> 02:39:02,420
That's the usual route of doing something or undertaking a process that would then yield

922
02:39:02,420 --> 02:39:08,580
if at all any potential measures of any process or outcomes.

923
02:39:08,580 --> 02:39:21,220
And so thank you for thinking along those lines and I don't find it necessary to come back to council on an administrative policy.

924
02:39:21,440 --> 02:39:35,440
It is the role of council to develop legislative policy policies related to not to not the operations of a city, so as far as I'm concerned as a bonus if we get back the information.

925
02:39:35,440 --> 02:39:44,560
But not essential to have operations proceed per the knowledge and also the consultation that

926
02:39:44,560 --> 02:39:50,700
staff do with other peers and colleagues to perform the work that you have to do.

927
02:39:50,960 --> 02:39:52,100
Thank you so much.

928
02:39:53,740 --> 02:39:54,740
So I'll see.

929
02:39:55,380 --> 02:39:57,300
I have more comments than anything.

930
02:39:57,680 --> 02:40:00,480
So what we'll do is we'll go to public comment for this item.

931
02:40:01,100 --> 02:40:02,620
Is it a clerk if we have public comment?

932
02:40:03,200 --> 02:40:03,360
Yes.

933
02:40:03,480 --> 02:40:04,300
Rafael Minis.

934
02:40:16,560 --> 02:40:18,960
Good evening Mayor, Council, staff,

935
02:40:19,160 --> 02:40:20,500
there's a lot of panacea coffee on this.

936
02:40:20,680 --> 02:40:25,860
I'm risen up in all, and I have several comments to make on this side.

937
02:40:26,000 --> 02:40:28,200
I probably won't be able to make all of them in three minutes

938
02:40:28,200 --> 02:40:29,680
by apologies for that.

939
02:40:31,000 --> 02:40:37,180
First off, I would start by arguing that if the city is considering the use of AI

940
02:40:37,180 --> 02:40:45,460
or large language models, that it consider the substantial harms caused by the creation

941
02:40:45,460 --> 02:40:48,260
and ongoing renovation of those models,

942
02:40:48,660 --> 02:40:51,060
both in terms of the raw computational resources

943
02:40:51,060 --> 02:40:52,800
for our term run those models.

944
02:40:53,260 --> 02:40:54,960
The fiscal land that it takes up,

945
02:40:54,960 --> 02:40:56,100
the water that it consumes,

946
02:40:56,300 --> 02:40:57,400
the power that it consumes,

947
02:40:57,560 --> 02:41:01,080
and the carbon dioxide emissions created with that power.

948
02:41:01,740 --> 02:41:06,780
The colossal theft of basically all knowledge,

949
02:41:07,000 --> 02:41:12,220
and it's reassembly into pseudo-valid statements.

950
02:41:15,680 --> 02:41:24,600
The inherent and unavoidable risk of confabulations, or hallucinations, or lies, or bullshit,

951
02:41:24,860 --> 02:41:30,340
depending on how polite you want to be about it, where large language models fundamentally

952
02:41:30,340 --> 02:41:36,300
can run into issues with things as simple as how many R's are in the word strawberry,

953
02:41:36,300 --> 02:41:44,480
or does 2 plus 2 equal 4. Our default assumption about computers is that they'll always do

954
02:41:44,480 --> 02:41:50,400
the same thing in the same way, but they're deterministic. Large language models are probabilistic.

955
02:41:50,560 --> 02:41:55,200
They're not deterministic. They can make errors and the errors that they can make are subtle.

956
02:41:56,140 --> 02:42:01,600
They're designed to tell you things that you want to hear, even when they're not true,

957
02:42:01,600 --> 02:42:08,040
even when there's no evidence for them ever having existed and to use the things that it makes

958
02:42:08,040 --> 02:42:16,560
up in a matter and a style such that you don't want to question it. Even in those narrow areas

959
02:42:16,560 --> 02:42:24,840
where large language models or pattern matching models or generative AI can do tasks that generate

960
02:42:24,840 --> 02:42:31,700
benefit, it still erodes the fundamental capability of the humans that use it to undertake

961
02:42:31,700 --> 02:42:37,780
the tasks they are outsourcing to AI, even relative to be skill professionals like doctors

962
02:42:37,780 --> 02:42:39,320
as blueberg notes.

963
02:42:43,100 --> 02:42:57,700
There are also numerous harmful uses of AI as addressed in some of the

964
02:42:57,700 --> 02:43:05,220
A.I. causes just fundamentally in what it takes to exist and the output that it generates

965
02:43:06,000 --> 02:43:10,380
is officially a conflict with the city of Pinole's values and the climate action adaptation

966
02:43:10,380 --> 02:43:14,500
plan, but the city of Pinole shouldn't use A.I. for any purpose.

967
02:43:15,460 --> 02:43:16,320
Thank you.

968
02:43:17,770 --> 02:43:19,470
Thank you, Mr. Manis.

969
02:43:21,010 --> 02:43:26,730
I'm going to say that I think in the seven years and two months doing council, I don't

970
02:43:26,730 --> 02:43:36,850
Mr. Menaces ever cussed at that podium, and I was just taking back like, well, but we don't want to make that a standard, but thank you for your comment, Mr. Menaces.

971
02:43:38,190 --> 02:43:39,970
We'll go ahead and go to the next speaker.

972
02:43:40,830 --> 02:43:42,830
Mayor, there are no more public comments.

973
02:43:43,550 --> 02:43:47,570
Thank you, and we'll bring it back to Council for any comments.

974
02:43:48,350 --> 02:43:49,230
Councilmember Tom's.

975
02:43:49,230 --> 02:43:53,590
Yeah, I just want to mention that at the last league of California cities,

976
02:43:53,590 --> 02:44:18,550
conference, there was in a live demonstration of AI, and, you know, it's a great tool, but it's only a tool. It doesn't replace humans as far as editing and checking, so I think the most important policy that you had there was review and revise.

977
02:44:18,550 --> 02:44:25,370
That's necessary. And I also don't think that the policy being administrative needs to come back for our approval.

978
02:44:25,550 --> 02:44:31,270
I think we need to, you know, keep the administrative side of things with staff.

979
02:44:31,890 --> 02:44:33,470
So, thank you.

980
02:44:34,390 --> 02:44:35,370
Council member, sir, please.

981
02:44:38,150 --> 02:44:39,110
Thank you.

982
02:44:39,430 --> 02:44:44,710
I started by saying that I think there's a lot of really productive uses of AI that I've seen.

983
02:44:44,710 --> 02:44:58,390
and you mentioned a few of them. I think language access is a big one. I know in San Jose City Council meetings, they will actually have a live AI translations for different languages and anything that's really useful.

984
02:44:59,030 --> 02:44:59,970
I think AI can do.

985
02:45:01,250 --> 02:45:08,110
I think many of us have been reached out to different firms and different initiatives that use

986
02:45:08,110 --> 02:45:15,530
the I and I know one of them was around community outreach. And a lot of the community outreach can be

987
02:45:15,530 --> 02:45:23,230
be made more efficient with the I. I know Google has quite a few applications that can help output that that's geared more towards

988
02:45:23,230 --> 02:45:31,150
cities and towns, but also, I'll just say this too, I mean, I think a lot of lawmakers are

989
02:45:33,760 --> 02:45:41,980
really embracing the new technology, and I think personally for me, I am, I don't really want

990
02:45:41,980 --> 02:45:45,380
embracing AI, but I want to embrace the fact that it's going to happen and it's going to be

991
02:45:45,380 --> 02:45:49,200
reality for all of us. It's going to be a part of everyone's individual lives.

992
02:45:50,640 --> 02:45:54,700
I think it was really important that you said or alluded to the fact that AI ought to be

993
02:45:54,700 --> 02:45:58,000
used as a tool to assist in not a replacement for jobs.

994
02:45:58,780 --> 02:46:04,460
I've had the opportunity to speak with local one, the president of local one here in

995
02:46:04,460 --> 02:46:04,920
Penel.

996
02:46:06,020 --> 02:46:11,780
I have not been able to speak with local five, 12, or PPA, but I've spoken to folks from the

997
02:46:11,780 --> 02:46:15,180
controversial labor council and some of the things I've taken away from those conversations

998
02:46:15,180 --> 02:46:21,680
run AI is number one, I don't think they're even also grasping all of it as well as as this

999
02:46:21,680 --> 02:46:26,980
is really new technology but if you take a ways here it was that they're really concerned

1000
02:46:27,720 --> 02:46:33,720
about any use of AI that takes a significant portion of the work away from staff and any use

1001
02:46:33,720 --> 02:46:40,620
of AI that takes away people's jobs and I think most of us can agree on that and another thing

1002
02:46:40,620 --> 02:46:43,340
that they're really concerned about is privacy.

1003
02:46:44,240 --> 02:46:47,760
And I know that on page 12 you mentioned there

1004
02:46:49,020 --> 02:46:51,860
that opt out of data collection when possible,

1005
02:46:53,300 --> 02:46:56,740
I would suggest tightening that a bit to be a requirement.

1006
02:46:56,940 --> 02:46:58,960
They'll be opt out of data in one reason why

1007
02:46:58,960 --> 02:47:02,360
is because folks are concerned that as employees staff

1008
02:47:02,360 --> 02:47:07,800
use AI more and more that data will be used by those companies

1009
02:47:07,800 --> 02:47:09,500
to learn how to do their jobs.

1010
02:47:10,100 --> 02:47:16,560
And it might be a reality in three, five, 10 years that jobs we have in front of house.

1011
02:47:17,980 --> 02:47:23,360
Or that initiative coordinator positions all across different apartments, community outreach positions.

1012
02:47:23,440 --> 02:47:25,320
That might be replaced by AI at some point.

1013
02:47:25,440 --> 02:47:27,940
And we don't really want to contribute to that danger.

1014
02:47:28,580 --> 02:47:30,220
So just want to put it out there.

1015
02:47:32,040 --> 02:47:34,540
And wishing you all the best as you keep developing this.

1016
02:47:34,740 --> 02:47:39,380
And I'll always encourage you to reach out to staff and different unions that we have here for there.

1017
02:47:39,380 --> 02:47:42,740
and they'll feel comfortable with this policy.

1018
02:47:43,260 --> 02:47:43,980
And that's all I have, thanks.

1019
02:47:44,440 --> 02:47:47,340
Thank you, Kelts, members, aside, any comments?

1020
02:47:48,920 --> 02:47:50,540
Council Member Martinez Rubin?

1021
02:47:52,880 --> 02:47:53,540
We are pro temp.

1022
02:47:54,020 --> 02:47:55,820
Yep, thank you so much, and again,

1023
02:47:55,900 --> 02:47:57,300
I'm thank you so much for this presentation.

1024
02:47:58,000 --> 02:48:00,040
I feel like this is one of those issues

1025
02:48:00,040 --> 02:48:02,400
that so many of us are still learning about,

1026
02:48:02,920 --> 02:48:04,840
whereas I think some of the things that I've come up

1027
02:48:04,840 --> 02:48:07,540
have traditionally, as a council and even our staff

1028
02:48:07,540 --> 02:48:10,400
have a deep level of experience in you.

1029
02:48:10,700 --> 02:48:13,020
So I just want to acknowledge that director

1030
02:48:13,020 --> 02:48:15,860
F.U. really have dug in with your team on this presentation.

1031
02:48:16,560 --> 02:48:17,960
And I think it was incredibly informative.

1032
02:48:18,660 --> 02:48:21,620
I also really appreciate the transparency

1033
02:48:21,620 --> 02:48:24,600
on the process as to how staff is recommending

1034
02:48:25,100 --> 02:48:27,260
kind of moving forward from this moment.

1035
02:48:27,940 --> 02:48:30,740
I was on this council when we did not have an IT plan.

1036
02:48:31,000 --> 02:48:32,880
I was on this council when we really struggle

1037
02:48:32,880 --> 02:48:35,680
to actually have conversations about what it means

1038
02:48:35,680 --> 02:48:42,780
to bring our city into the 21st century in terms of technology and what type of use cases when we

1039
02:48:42,780 --> 02:48:47,700
saw other cities move forward, we could actually move forward with. So again, I know this

1040
02:48:47,700 --> 02:48:52,680
work is not easy and I really appreciate you all moving forward with it. A couple of things

1041
02:48:52,680 --> 02:48:57,080
that really stick out to me, the guiding principles, as you noted them as values, I really,

1042
02:48:57,080 --> 02:49:03,420
I actually really admire and love that. I think that's what I know a lot of residents who talk

1043
02:49:03,420 --> 02:49:05,200
to me about this issue are looking for.

1044
02:49:05,300 --> 02:49:08,420
They're looking for, when we talk about AI as an agency

1045
02:49:08,420 --> 02:49:11,080
and certainly when we use artificial intelligence

1046
02:49:11,080 --> 02:49:14,080
as an agency, how are we leading with guiding principles?

1047
02:49:15,400 --> 02:49:17,940
You know, we have wonderful values as a city

1048
02:49:17,940 --> 02:49:21,040
in our strategic plan, but I don't think our strategic plan,

1049
02:49:21,160 --> 02:49:24,100
which also has obviously concluded this year,

1050
02:49:25,000 --> 02:49:28,640
has talked enough about IT and enough about artificial intelligence.

1051
02:49:29,080 --> 02:49:32,520
And so I really just appreciate starting there.

1052
02:49:32,520 --> 02:49:39,380
As you all have, again, also enforcing and emphasizing that AI has been used as a tool.

1053
02:49:40,180 --> 02:49:47,760
I think there is, I think there's still questions that I have around, and you mentioned a statement that I think you heard at GoVAI,

1054
02:49:48,260 --> 02:49:55,120
which is, I don't want to mischaracterize what you said, but you said people are improving their productivity through AI.

1055
02:49:55,120 --> 02:49:59,480
And so of course as a council member who makes budget decisions,

1056
02:49:59,760 --> 02:50:03,000
I wonder how much more productivity are we getting.

1057
02:50:04,260 --> 02:50:06,160
And then also on the other side of this, right,

1058
02:50:06,160 --> 02:50:10,220
is that we have organized labor and workers

1059
02:50:10,220 --> 02:50:13,980
who are also fearful of losing their job due to AI.

1060
02:50:14,420 --> 02:50:16,280
I'm not saying that you have that answer.

1061
02:50:16,580 --> 02:50:18,640
And navigating that, I think that's what the state

1062
02:50:18,640 --> 02:50:20,060
and federal government are also doing.

1063
02:50:20,160 --> 02:50:21,280
We are all doing that together.

1064
02:50:21,280 --> 02:50:24,360
but it's certainly questions that I have.

1065
02:50:25,320 --> 02:50:27,880
I want to be honest to you and to our staff

1066
02:50:27,880 --> 02:50:31,480
that I do that think that this process deserves a public review,

1067
02:50:32,360 --> 02:50:34,620
not because you all are not doing the work

1068
02:50:34,620 --> 02:50:36,960
that's needed to integrate your perspective,

1069
02:50:37,420 --> 02:50:39,500
but because there are so many unanswered questions

1070
02:50:39,500 --> 02:50:42,060
that I actually think, particularly with this issue,

1071
02:50:42,140 --> 02:50:46,680
the public can be a huge advocate at giving us new ideas

1072
02:50:46,680 --> 02:50:50,020
or even understanding while it appeared

1073
02:50:50,020 --> 02:50:54,960
that you made a comment that said that this was more so internal to staff, everything our staff

1074
02:50:54,960 --> 02:50:57,020
does is really going to impact the public.

1075
02:50:57,780 --> 02:51:01,720
I'll use an example that, you know, I know, again, I remember there was a time where there

1076
02:51:01,720 --> 02:51:05,180
was no, in 2020, there was no Facebook page for the City of Phenol.

1077
02:51:05,540 --> 02:51:10,840
Now we're seeing wonderful posts from the City of Phenol pretty often, but I had a resident

1078
02:51:10,840 --> 02:51:15,560
asking me one time, why is the City of Phenol using all of these emojis and who's doing

1079
02:51:15,560 --> 02:51:21,740
all that. And to be quite frank, as somebody who uses AI a lot, I imagine that those emojis

1080
02:51:21,740 --> 02:51:27,400
are actually AI-generated. Those are not emojis that a person is actually pushing. I use

1081
02:51:27,400 --> 02:51:32,500
that as a kind example because I had to go back to that resident say, yeah, we are using AI

1082
02:51:32,500 --> 02:51:37,880
to develop captions and they're not hurting anybody. But we know that artificial intelligence

1083
02:51:37,880 --> 02:51:42,780
is actually deeper than caption making. We know that our departments, including our police

1084
02:51:42,780 --> 02:51:48,140
department. We are trying to be ahead of the game and we're trying to really move our city forward

1085
02:51:48,140 --> 02:51:53,340
and in order to do that we also need to bring our residents along with us. And so I will

1086
02:51:53,340 --> 02:52:02,660
be making a motion to ask for a public review of that. Of this AI policy. I'm really doing that

1087
02:52:02,660 --> 02:52:09,400
because I do believe that personally and I hope the council would agree to this is we do have a

1088
02:52:09,400 --> 02:52:15,180
there's a lot of distress when it comes to AI and I know because I remember a

1089
02:52:15,180 --> 02:52:18,760
time where there was a lot of trust in the city around our direct services as

1090
02:52:18,760 --> 02:52:23,960
well. I really feel like this is a great opportunity for us to merge in

1091
02:52:23,960 --> 02:52:29,180
catalyze this opportunity really to create more trust with each other. You know

1092
02:52:29,180 --> 02:52:29,840
as a council.

1093
02:52:30,000 --> 02:52:37,880
As a staff, and of course with the public as well, who is definitely going to be impacted by the use of

1094
02:52:37,880 --> 02:52:46,480
staff time with AI. And again, I use the nice example of course, you know, the caption on our social media pages.

1095
02:52:46,960 --> 02:52:54,600
But we also can think of more severe examples, including again, tech new technologies that perhaps keep more people safe.

1096
02:52:54,600 --> 02:52:59,420
within our police department. We also have other parties that we should also consider.

1097
02:52:59,780 --> 02:53:04,800
I'm thinking our fire department as well. I'm not sure if this policy has integrated or been

1098
02:53:04,800 --> 02:53:11,200
on a much sure of our fire chief or fire department has been consulted on this policy.

1099
02:53:11,900 --> 02:53:15,740
I'm assuming so because you've set the departments, but I'm just not sure about that because it wasn't

1100
02:53:15,740 --> 02:53:21,140
set or explicitly written out. And so I just want to mention that. But I do appreciate the process

1101
02:53:21,140 --> 02:53:22,480
that has been developed thus far.

1102
02:53:22,560 --> 02:53:25,160
There was a lot of unanswered questions last year when

1103
02:53:25,160 --> 02:53:29,380
mayor table, notably asked for this to be an agenda item.

1104
02:53:29,400 --> 02:53:31,460
And I, too, is like, what is the item?

1105
02:53:32,420 --> 02:53:35,120
But I think that we have to answer more and more questions.

1106
02:53:35,180 --> 02:53:36,480
And I think that that's the way to do that

1107
02:53:36,480 --> 02:53:38,540
is through public engagement and public review,

1108
02:53:39,340 --> 02:53:40,880
especially because we have the time

1109
02:53:40,880 --> 02:53:43,900
and we have the availability to do it right now, mostly

1110
02:53:43,900 --> 02:53:46,360
because it seems like, at least from the council perspective,

1111
02:53:46,380 --> 02:53:50,460
there's an appetite to discuss and engage in this item.

1112
02:53:50,460 --> 02:54:19,900
So I didn't want to just say that, but again, I'm so grateful for this as a I'm glad that your department is really taking on this we have not had that happen in the past so thank you and I look forward to us engaging stakeholders across the city of Penal in this conversation because I know that our business owners that are residents that are seniors that people with disabilities are thinking about AI.

1113
02:54:20,460 --> 02:54:26,660
and some fear it and I hope that we reach a point where we overcome that fear into a world of

1114
02:54:26,660 --> 02:54:31,540
opportunity and hope I don't think we're there yet but I do appreciate the work that your team

1115
02:54:31,540 --> 02:54:38,480
has put into this so thank you director apps. Thank you Mayor Pro Temp I'll keep my comments short

1116
02:54:38,480 --> 02:54:45,300
I first want to say thank you I think it's important to note that when we had typewriter computers

1117
02:54:45,300 --> 02:54:50,600
come on the scene and typewriter everybody thought we're going to lose jobs right when the email came out

1118
02:54:50,600 --> 02:54:53,080
Postal Workers thought, oh my god, we're gonna lose jobs.

1119
02:54:53,720 --> 02:54:58,240
Technology is always going to influence our community.

1120
02:54:59,680 --> 02:55:03,480
The difference between email and I know that there is

1121
02:55:03,480 --> 02:55:07,600
lawsuit after lawsuit that came out when email first came out

1122
02:55:07,600 --> 02:55:11,600
and the things that were said, the issue was that there was

1123
02:55:11,600 --> 02:55:13,620
an apology for email, it was just implemented.

1124
02:55:14,220 --> 02:55:17,840
Which is why last year when we saw AI starting to come into

1125
02:55:17,840 --> 02:55:23,600
the public sector. I called for this item and you've done great work to get to get us to this

1126
02:55:23,600 --> 02:55:29,240
point to where we're having the conversation and it's in a public forum. I think that's important.

1127
02:55:29,760 --> 02:55:34,440
I also want to say that you know I think that the public or the outline that you gave as far as

1128
02:55:34,440 --> 02:55:41,760
AI policy keeps human intuition and the human element in there. The presentation I also want to thank

1129
02:55:41,760 --> 02:55:47,600
you for putting a staff into it. I thought that was a nice touch for some of the pictures that everybody saw

1130
02:55:48,580 --> 02:55:56,560
I think that fundamentally, these items, especially if service is changing, right, if somebody

1131
02:55:56,560 --> 02:56:02,120
is not speaking to an actual human, they're talking to an AI bot, or I don't know how most

1132
02:56:02,120 --> 02:56:07,720
of that works, but I think it's important for this public engagement, this public presentation,

1133
02:56:08,200 --> 02:56:13,560
so that the public is informed of what exactly is happening and how AI is being used, and

1134
02:56:13,560 --> 02:56:15,600
I think you did that perfectly with this presentation.

1135
02:56:16,360 --> 02:56:23,460
And I think that as we decide how to use it, there's a term called, I think it's called

1136
02:56:23,460 --> 02:56:29,580
Fencing, when you use AI, where you put parameters within the results that you're looking

1137
02:56:29,580 --> 02:56:29,900
for.

1138
02:56:30,300 --> 02:56:36,080
So I could see this policy doing that for our usage and making sure that there are some boundaries.

1139
02:56:36,220 --> 02:56:40,180
And it sounds like you guys covered a lot of that while highlighting the human element

1140
02:56:40,180 --> 02:56:45,580
that I think Penal Citizens expect, so I would be in favor of this coming back.

1141
02:56:45,580 --> 02:56:56,880
to council, so that this policy is at a minimum on consent, for anyone to comment on or to participate in the discussion about.

1142
02:56:57,440 --> 02:57:02,940
I think that it's also important that consent item is now part of public record.

1143
02:57:03,360 --> 02:57:10,220
Meaning that if we do have an issue or something that we did miss, we can go back and try to retrace our steps from public records.

1144
02:57:10,220 --> 02:57:14,860
So that's the most important part as to why I wanted this, you know, in our community and

1145
02:57:14,860 --> 02:57:15,260
discussion.

1146
02:57:15,780 --> 02:57:20,100
There may be citizens that say, hey, you know what, I don't think AI should be part of our

1147
02:57:20,100 --> 02:57:20,360
city.

1148
02:57:20,560 --> 02:57:23,660
That's important for us to get on record and these are the reasons why.

1149
02:57:24,600 --> 02:57:31,300
So I think it's just good government to come back, make sure that it's on consent and and

1150
02:57:31,300 --> 02:57:34,640
and then there if there is a discussion, there's there but most importantly that it's

1151
02:57:34,640 --> 02:57:36,640
record and that we can move forward.

1152
02:57:37,760 --> 02:57:42,780
So I did hear that there was a, or in your comments, Mayor

1153
02:57:42,780 --> 02:57:46,320
Pro Temp, there was a potential for a motion to bring the

1154
02:57:46,320 --> 02:57:46,880
side and back.

1155
02:57:46,960 --> 02:57:49,100
I would just ask that it be on consent.

1156
02:57:49,560 --> 02:57:49,900
Sure.

1157
02:57:50,120 --> 02:57:52,400
I mean, I can make the motion now, or I don't know.

1158
02:57:52,620 --> 02:57:54,260
Was there any more teams who have been to you have a comment?

1159
02:57:55,180 --> 02:57:56,320
Oh, oh, Councillor.

1160
02:57:57,680 --> 02:58:01,280
Definitely agree that it'd be a benefit to have this come back.

1161
02:58:01,280 --> 02:58:07,900
at least on the consent calendar so that the public has an opportunity to weigh in on this full

1162
02:58:07,900 --> 02:58:11,180
policy when sits in this final draft form.

1163
02:58:12,460 --> 02:58:15,380
And I'll but I'll still want to respect the fact that this is in the administrative policy

1164
02:58:15,380 --> 02:58:20,260
so it's approved by the city manager but I just want to make sure that the completed

1165
02:58:20,260 --> 02:58:25,380
policy is something that's accessible to the public as well as the council if there's any

1166
02:58:25,380 --> 02:58:27,880
comments or questions around the final product.

1167
02:58:27,880 --> 02:58:55,960
So, and if I could also say that director, your communications director, so there is that intersection with public with the public, and because this item is so public facing, I think that that's also another reason why being on consent allows for us to say, this is how the public can expect engagement, and if there is a change to that, this is the policy that kind of fences in what we're doing and why, right?

1168
02:58:55,960 --> 02:58:59,300
And then if there's ever a change, that could be something that we discussed later.

1169
02:58:59,960 --> 02:59:03,780
But I think it's important that that's in the public.

1170
02:59:04,540 --> 02:59:05,440
Mayor Pro Tem?

1171
02:59:05,700 --> 02:59:06,680
Absolutely, thank you, Mayor.

1172
02:59:07,200 --> 02:59:12,540
I wanted to move to direct staff to release the draft API Artificial Intelligence Policy

1173
02:59:12,540 --> 02:59:18,840
for Public Review, return with a final policy for Council consideration and establish an annual reporting

1174
02:59:18,840 --> 02:59:23,680
process on the city's use of artificial intelligence, including some of the things that we're

1175
02:59:23,680 --> 02:59:33,820
I mean your presentation, which are approved applications, compliance with artificial intelligence policy, any incidents and upcoming regulatory changes.

1176
02:59:34,420 --> 02:59:52,480
Furthermore, I want to move to direct staff to finalize and implement artificial intelligence requirements for vendors, including, as was mentioned in the presentation, disclosure, compliance with the city's artificial intelligence policy and incident reporting for inclusion and future RFPs and contracts.

1177
02:59:54,920 --> 02:59:59,780
Okay, I'll second that, city clerk, okay.

1178
03:00:01,420 --> 03:00:14,780
Mayor Tave, Mayor Pro Tim Murphy, council member Sessai, council member Martinez Rubin, no, council member Tom's, no, motion carries, thank you.

1179
03:00:15,040 --> 03:00:25,360
Thank you for that direct drafts. Appreciate it. All right, so we'll move on to the second presentation, the 360 public assistance portal.

1180
03:00:26,420 --> 03:00:34,360
Acting City Manager Chief Kalo and Communications Director Fiona, thank you.

1181
03:00:40,770 --> 03:00:41,250
Thank you.

1182
03:00:43,320 --> 03:00:48,880
We are going to jump into our 360 public assistance portal.

1183
03:00:49,840 --> 03:00:52,720
Also known as the Citizen Request Portal.

1184
03:01:03,760 --> 03:01:17,780
So we had two council priorities for fiscal year 2526 of a series of priorities, but the ones

1185
03:01:17,780 --> 03:01:24,560
that will be addressing in this presentation and with this solution are the 360 public assistance portal.

1186
03:01:25,180 --> 03:01:30,920
This was the request for a digital platform that enables residents to submit service requests,

1187
03:01:30,920 --> 03:01:37,740
track issues and access city support resources in a streamline and transparent manner.

1188
03:01:39,240 --> 03:01:45,560
And the police commendation and complaint form and that was to implement a commendation

1189
03:01:45,560 --> 03:01:52,640
and complaint portal and multi-lingual translation would be a plus in that solution.

1190
03:01:52,640 --> 03:02:02,240
tracking is currently limited to software-specific applications, website, or through manual

1191
03:02:02,240 --> 03:02:02,900
process.

1192
03:02:03,200 --> 03:02:11,060
And when I say tracking, I'm speaking of the citizen requests that are coming in, requests

1193
03:02:11,060 --> 03:02:15,840
complaints, service requests, that type of thing.

1194
03:02:16,160 --> 03:02:20,400
And then transparency is limited to software-specific.

1195
03:02:20,400 --> 03:02:28,020
So, for example, Gov QA is a software that we use for public records requests.

1196
03:02:28,580 --> 03:02:29,340
It has a portal.

1197
03:02:29,540 --> 03:02:34,200
The user can go in and log in and see and track their requests that they made.

1198
03:02:34,600 --> 03:02:39,780
So, some of the transparency is limited to software-specific manual processes or they

1199
03:02:39,780 --> 03:02:41,360
might be citizen-initiated.

1200
03:02:41,480 --> 03:02:46,080
And what I mean by that is that somebody will call or email us and say, hey, what happened

1201
03:02:46,080 --> 03:02:52,340
to, you know, that pot hole that I reported, you know, two weeks ago, that sort of thing.

1202
03:02:54,810 --> 03:03:02,050
So I wanted to kind of show you what the current, I'm sorry about the formatting, I must

1203
03:03:02,050 --> 03:03:08,450
have changed when I download it this. But anyways, I wanted to show you the current state

1204
03:03:08,450 --> 03:03:15,670
of our digital service requests. So the way that it looks right now and these are digital

1205
03:03:15,670 --> 03:03:23,110
service requests. So the public has, they can reach us in many, many different ways.

1206
03:03:24,150 --> 03:03:30,230
That list of E-Tracket, OpenGov, Gov QA, Citizen Rims, Tolemmy,

1207
03:03:30,370 --> 03:03:37,130
Selectron, Rectask, Symbium, Microsoft Bookings, and the mobile app. Those are all separate

1208
03:03:37,130 --> 03:03:43,470
software applications that we use, where they can contact us for any number of reasons.

1209
03:03:43,470 --> 03:03:49,230
Each one of those software programs has a different reason, why they would go in there and

1210
03:03:49,230 --> 03:03:50,370
reach us that way.

1211
03:03:50,790 --> 03:03:54,550
Then on our website, we have 39 website forms.

1212
03:03:55,310 --> 03:03:57,710
So these are a number of different forms.

1213
03:03:58,190 --> 03:04:03,430
You can see here, people are contacting us for just a general inquiry to report a problem,

1214
03:04:03,890 --> 03:04:11,170
to schedule an appointment, to make a payment, to look up crime records, request records,

1215
03:04:11,170 --> 03:04:13,350
a lot of the number of things.

1216
03:04:13,990 --> 03:04:18,990
So we've got almost 50 ways people can get in touch with us, digitally only.

1217
03:04:21,570 --> 03:04:25,030
So there are different categories of web forms that we use.

1218
03:04:25,390 --> 03:04:31,050
Some are very department specific, so this would be like submitting an event for the community

1219
03:04:31,050 --> 03:04:38,210
services department, event vendor application, an equipment rental request through PCTV.

1220
03:04:38,210 --> 03:04:44,250
we have the police commendation and complaint form on the website, or reporting in a band

1221
03:04:44,250 --> 03:04:49,410
and vehicle. Those are examples of very specific web forms. It goes right to that department

1222
03:04:49,410 --> 03:04:55,730
and they process those. Then there's, we have a general form. It's under the contact us page

1223
03:04:55,730 --> 03:05:00,450
where they can just send us a message, any message, and it comes into the city manager's office.

1224
03:05:00,710 --> 03:05:06,230
We triage that to the appropriate department of where it needs to go. Then there are project

1225
03:05:06,230 --> 03:05:13,150
an event-based, we call them short-term forms that will build on the website for a short-term

1226
03:05:13,150 --> 03:05:19,050
project. So that's like the Art and the City Hall, Earth Walk Registration, or Pal Ambassador

1227
03:05:19,050 --> 03:05:23,730
sign up for them. So those are the three kind of categories of forms that we have right now

1228
03:05:23,730 --> 03:05:32,450
on the website. So this is just showing you some examples of the different kinds of forms of

1229
03:05:32,450 --> 03:05:39,490
that we receive through the website and how they come in to different, or how they are intended for different departments.

1230
03:05:40,370 --> 03:05:46,910
So, City Manager's office, we get the general inquiries, you know, when's the next scheduled date for dumpster day.

1231
03:05:47,610 --> 03:05:52,210
I'm trying to renew my license online, but I can't seem to get out of starting a new license.

1232
03:05:52,670 --> 03:05:58,310
How do I renew? Thanks. You know, I'm considering having a earthquake retrofit of my house.

1233
03:05:58,310 --> 03:06:05,110
is a permit required so those are, you know, we're kind of like the catch-all in the city manager's office and we'll

1234
03:06:05,110 --> 03:06:11,990
triage and distribute those appropriately. And public work, some service requests types or examples are, you know,

1235
03:06:12,010 --> 03:06:16,430
stop sign down, westbound, they'll give some details about the location,

1236
03:06:18,230 --> 03:06:23,970
leaky ceiling, they found a puddle in the stall. Those are common ones we get tons and tons of

1237
03:06:23,970 --> 03:06:31,110
room requests through service requests. And then there's the police. So here's some examples reporting in a abandoned vehicle.

1238
03:06:32,790 --> 03:06:41,650
And a commendation complaint form. You know, so we will receive various requests through online for each of the departments.

1239
03:06:42,770 --> 03:06:55,690
And so what we want to accomplish with the 360 public assistance portal, so we want to streamline the way that people getting contact us, a contact with us.

1240
03:06:56,050 --> 03:07:02,190
And so the 360 public assistance portal slash where we're now kind of be calling it the citizen request portal.

1241
03:07:02,890 --> 03:07:14,270
But it will give the public a way to submit through the website, and then it will, they could submit a number of requests using one form.

1242
03:07:14,670 --> 03:07:28,750
It goes into our dashboard, if you will, where all staff, all departments have eyes on that, as, as entries, and then we can configure it on the back end to then route to the various departments.

1243
03:07:28,750 --> 03:07:29,890
and with...

1244
03:07:30,000 --> 03:07:44,580
Some magic from our website vendors building that platform on the back end. So like the main ones that we have that we receive the most submissions for on the website are general inquiry and report a problem.

1245
03:07:45,620 --> 03:07:57,440
And so we'll be incorporating those into one form or merging those into one form along with the police commendation and complaint form and a number of other web forms merging into one.

1246
03:08:00,220 --> 03:08:16,980
So if you can kind of imagine these would be all requests that are coming through one portal and then the portal will be set up to automatically route those requests to the correct department.

1247
03:08:17,520 --> 03:08:23,060
And so that's what this diagram or illustration is trying to convey.

1248
03:08:29,720 --> 03:08:36,000
And this is the workflow once it hits the back end, once it comes in to the portal.

1249
03:08:36,780 --> 03:08:41,940
We've got the example of Susie 1, 2, 3, 4, and these are made up emails.

1250
03:08:42,680 --> 03:08:47,260
I'm considering having an earthquake retrofit of my house is a permit required.

1251
03:08:48,120 --> 03:08:54,580
It will be assigned automatically to the building department and the mark does request and progress

1252
03:08:54,580 --> 03:09:00,780
when somebody from the building department opens up that entry and receives it and they can

1253
03:09:00,780 --> 03:09:08,480
mark it as in progress. And that information can be automatically notified to the person who's

1254
03:09:08,480 --> 03:09:16,400
submitted that request. Or they can log in to the portal and see that their request is in progress.

1255
03:09:17,180 --> 03:09:23,020
So, and then one of our employees would email back Susie 1, 2, 3, 4.

1256
03:09:23,740 --> 03:09:28,560
Once it's finished, hello Susan. Yes, you will need a permit for the earthquake retrofit.

1257
03:09:28,700 --> 03:09:33,560
This is a seismic upgrade permit type. You can find more details on our website

1258
03:09:33,560 --> 03:09:37,800
and they're providing the information that now that request is closed.

1259
03:09:38,080 --> 03:09:43,580
And that would also be notified to the citizen who submitted that request.

1260
03:09:45,820 --> 03:09:50,360
So, this is just the further illustrates how this looks.

1261
03:09:51,380 --> 03:09:53,900
So, here's a resident, she says,

1262
03:09:53,920 --> 03:09:57,040
hello, no one has called me back about the weeds on Maple Street.

1263
03:09:57,720 --> 03:10:02,100
Whoever answers the phone, now what the beauty of this portal is that,

1264
03:10:02,340 --> 03:10:08,120
any person who answers the phone can have access into this dashboard

1265
03:10:08,120 --> 03:10:14,400
and look up this person's name

1266
03:10:14,400 --> 03:10:20,560
and see what they called for so that they can see if there's any notes written by other employees

1267
03:10:20,560 --> 03:10:25,460
who are working on that and can and provide that information to them in real time, you know,

1268
03:10:25,600 --> 03:10:31,720
without having to transfer them to different voicemails or write an email or anything like that.

1269
03:10:33,380 --> 03:10:39,260
Or if there's no complaint they will of SAF member can log the complaint in the portal.

1270
03:10:39,260 --> 03:10:45,620
So now it's automatically being tracked and that would take the replace that would take the place of our current

1271
03:10:45,620 --> 03:10:46,440
process.

1272
03:10:46,440 --> 03:10:49,600
We have an administrative policy called the

1273
03:10:50,920 --> 03:10:58,700
citizen request slash complaint procedure and that is a paper form that somebody would fill out

1274
03:10:58,700 --> 03:11:02,620
if they had a complaint or a request and then it's routed to the different departments.

1275
03:11:03,100 --> 03:11:08,320
So picture of that form being replaced by this process here.

1276
03:11:08,320 --> 03:11:14,340
And so she's logging the complaint, and she gets the person's information.

1277
03:11:15,780 --> 03:11:21,680
Now she is now that request has been routed to the correct department on the back end.

1278
03:11:21,820 --> 03:11:31,080
Because she got Mrs. Smith's information, as that request is being updated with the

1279
03:11:31,740 --> 03:11:38,800
or of staff wrote a response to her or if she goes in and logs in and creates decides to create an account.

1280
03:11:39,120 --> 03:11:42,860
She can then see what the status of her request is.

1281
03:11:43,620 --> 03:11:49,200
But here's a situation where, you know, hey, public works took a look at it.

1282
03:11:49,400 --> 03:11:54,620
They found out that this maple street empty lot on the overgrown weeds is actually private property.

1283
03:11:55,100 --> 03:11:58,140
Now this request would be transferred over to code enforcement.

1284
03:11:58,140 --> 03:12:15,160
And so that's what all be tracked with timestamps with, you know, record documentation on the back end. So that we staff will be able to clearly see where this request is, what the status is, and they'll be able to provide that information to people.

1285
03:12:16,180 --> 03:12:18,800
And so let's say the request is resolved.

1286
03:12:20,280 --> 03:12:26,280
staff will send a message out to that resident letting them know that, you know, thank you for your concern.

1287
03:12:27,040 --> 03:12:33,260
The case number is this, I will be at the property tomorrow and we'll follow up and then the request is closed at that point.

1288
03:12:33,620 --> 03:12:39,820
So this is the 360 process that was requested by City Council.

1289
03:12:41,520 --> 03:12:47,720
So, the key features of a citizen request portal, a citizen account registration and login,

1290
03:12:48,200 --> 03:12:50,420
so it enables residents to track requests.

1291
03:12:51,280 --> 03:12:53,440
It won't be a full custom profile system.

1292
03:12:53,760 --> 03:12:55,700
It's kept intentionally simple.

1293
03:12:56,340 --> 03:13:01,540
And we're looking at making it an optional option.

1294
03:13:02,620 --> 03:13:07,100
Take its submission form, so this would include selecting a specific category.

1295
03:13:07,100 --> 03:13:15,620
You'll be able to attach photos and enter in location fields and guided instructions.

1296
03:13:16,200 --> 03:13:19,380
They'll be guided instructions on the ticket submission forms.

1297
03:13:20,060 --> 03:13:24,060
They'll be automated routing to departments where the requests are automatically assigned

1298
03:13:24,060 --> 03:13:27,820
based on category, department mapping, or predefined rules.

1299
03:13:29,000 --> 03:13:30,880
And then they'll be email notifications.

1300
03:13:31,320 --> 03:13:35,860
So citizens will receive alerts when their request is created, updated, or closed.

1301
03:13:35,860 --> 03:13:44,160
If they don't, if we don't have email or the email gets bounce back or something, they'll be a field for the phone number.

1302
03:13:45,160 --> 03:13:50,120
So, you know, as part of good customer service, we would encourage our staff to call the person and let them know.

1303
03:13:50,760 --> 03:13:53,960
I would say our staff does that majority of the time.

1304
03:13:55,960 --> 03:14:04,940
And then our request history dashboard is where users and that means staff can log in at any time to view the status of a request.

1305
03:14:04,940 --> 03:14:10,000
so if it's in progress, if it's been closed, if it's sitting in the department who hasn't

1306
03:14:10,000 --> 03:14:15,060
seen it yet, we can say, hey, there's something in your inbox, go check it. So that's what

1307
03:14:15,060 --> 03:14:17,120
the purpose of the dashboard is.

1308
03:14:19,380 --> 03:14:22,560
So the benefits of a citizen request portal are a streamlined

1309
03:14:22,560 --> 03:14:29,320
request process. Public and staff have greater visibility. There's automated routing of requests,

1310
03:14:29,860 --> 03:14:35,360
the email notification to staff. So when a resident submit something, we'll get notified.

1311
03:14:37,000 --> 03:14:44,360
They'll be automated resident notification as these things move through the process, status updates and that sort of thing.

1312
03:14:44,980 --> 03:14:49,440
The staff dashboard is a benefit because it can be general and department specific.

1313
03:14:50,760 --> 03:14:56,360
They'll be a single sign on for staff so we don't need to have another log in to use the dashboard.

1314
03:14:57,200 --> 03:14:59,960
It will enable better cross-departmental collection.

1315
03:15:00,000 --> 03:15:07,760
Buration and centralized documentation. And this will help us to provide better services to our residents.

1316
03:15:08,980 --> 03:15:14,900
Centralized tracking for staff and in turn, hopefully improved residents satisfaction.

1317
03:15:19,340 --> 03:15:25,400
So this is the implementation timeline. And again, I apologize for the formatting here.

1318
03:15:26,020 --> 03:15:29,240
But the first phase would be to build it.

1319
03:15:29,480 --> 03:15:31,320
This thing we had a discovery call,

1320
03:15:31,940 --> 03:15:33,700
Planetaria, who is our website vendor,

1321
03:15:33,920 --> 03:15:37,320
is going to be building the citizen request portal for us.

1322
03:15:37,620 --> 03:15:39,580
So we had our kickoff this morning.

1323
03:15:40,260 --> 03:15:43,060
This is when we'll be building the work flows,

1324
03:15:43,500 --> 03:15:47,340
starting to develop the staff dashboard,

1325
03:15:48,780 --> 03:15:49,560
building in the automations,

1326
03:15:50,260 --> 03:15:53,080
doing testing, wire framing, that sort of thing.

1327
03:15:53,080 --> 03:16:03,600
And then next, we'll be training, so we'll provide staff training, user guides, and that will likely be, you know, department specific.

1328
03:16:04,760 --> 03:16:10,540
Then we'll do a go live, we'll inform the public, and be adopted across staff.

1329
03:16:10,840 --> 03:16:19,300
We're expecting that in about, after speaking with Planetaria this morning, it's going to be more like fall of 2026, not so much summer.

1330
03:16:19,460 --> 03:16:21,380
Maybe late summer to fall.

1331
03:16:22,360 --> 03:16:29,520
And then monitoring, monitoring will be important, that's when we do a lot of our bug fixing like we did with the website we had this phase as well.

1332
03:16:31,080 --> 03:16:41,300
And evaluate will be the last phase where we get citizen feedback on how well this is going, staff feedback on how well it's going for them.

1333
03:16:41,680 --> 03:16:49,360
Process improvement, identifying additional integrations with some of our many softwares that we use will be exploring that as well.

1334
03:16:49,360 --> 03:16:54,340
So that will happen through winter 2027,

1335
03:16:57,130 --> 03:16:59,950
and I will let Chief take it from here.

1336
03:17:00,970 --> 03:17:07,210
Great, thank you, and so as Dr. F's mentioned, not only is this a council priority

1337
03:17:07,210 --> 03:17:15,090
for the 360 portal, but also it will help meet the council priority for the police

1338
03:17:15,090 --> 03:17:23,270
accommodation and complaint portals. So we will be going through the same process to add that

1339
03:17:23,270 --> 03:17:30,810
portal into the the citywide portal for police, accommodations and complaints that will also

1340
03:17:30,810 --> 03:17:40,290
be tracked in that 360 way that that director apps diagrammed for you. So citizens when they submit a

1341
03:17:40,290 --> 03:17:46,770
or accommodation. They are able to track the progress of that. And internally, we can track and

1342
03:17:46,770 --> 03:17:53,070
route that to in the police department to the appropriate bureau, whether it's an operations bureau

1343
03:17:53,070 --> 03:17:59,410
or support services bureau and manage it from there. But because there is a period of time for

1344
03:17:59,410 --> 03:18:07,970
this to roll out, we have also tried to provide better access for the public to submit complaints

1345
03:18:07,970 --> 03:18:10,170
and accommodations now.

1346
03:18:10,810 --> 03:18:15,950
So back in November, we were able to update our website.

1347
03:18:16,090 --> 03:18:19,070
So our website is posted on their Penal.gov

1348
03:18:19,070 --> 03:18:21,450
forward slash departments, forward slash police.

1349
03:18:21,950 --> 03:18:24,610
And on that main page of the police department,

1350
03:18:24,810 --> 03:18:27,590
there's an icon that says accommodations and complaints.

1351
03:18:27,590 --> 03:18:30,570
And you can see the icon there on the left side of the screen.

1352
03:18:32,150 --> 03:18:35,070
That the complaints and accommodations

1353
03:18:35,070 --> 03:18:41,230
use to be a PDF that the public would then have to download, fill out and then either email

1354
03:18:41,230 --> 03:18:46,690
in or bring it into the police department. Now it's an available form, so it's the same form

1355
03:18:46,690 --> 03:18:54,510
whether somebody wants to submit a accommodation or complaint. And there's a lot of boxes of information

1356
03:18:54,510 --> 03:19:03,270
that we ask for. However, none of it is mandatory except for there's an acknowledgement at the end,

1357
03:19:04,090 --> 03:19:08,930
acknowledging that it is a crime to file a false complaint against officers.

1358
03:19:09,270 --> 03:19:10,210
There is a log inside.

1359
03:19:10,430 --> 03:19:16,410
But other than that, it is the discretion of the person filling out the form on what information

1360
03:19:16,410 --> 03:19:17,530
they want to provide.

1361
03:19:18,290 --> 03:19:23,570
And currently, when those commendations or complaints are submitted to the police department,

1362
03:19:23,750 --> 03:19:27,470
then we are notified through our email system that that exists.

1363
03:19:27,470 --> 03:19:36,190
So, it's not as seamless as what the new portal will be, but it is an improvement to what the old system was.

1364
03:19:36,870 --> 03:19:37,590
Next slide, please.

1365
03:19:38,570 --> 03:19:46,690
And then I also wanted to share another way for the community to provide feedback that some folks may not be aware that this exists.

1366
03:19:46,910 --> 03:19:52,530
And this is a system called QHIT that the police department has had since 2021.

1367
03:19:52,530 --> 03:20:03,530
And it is a satisfaction survey that is sent to community members who call dispatch or interact with our officers.

1368
03:20:04,670 --> 03:20:12,530
Excuse me, there's a couple of conditions that apply for when that satisfaction survey is sent out, but it sent via text message.

1369
03:20:13,050 --> 03:20:17,750
And it's only sent when a community member's phone number is collected during the interactions.

1370
03:20:17,750 --> 03:20:25,830
So, if you, if you call into our dispatch, but do not provide a phone number, then there's no way for the system to send the surveys.

1371
03:20:26,350 --> 03:20:32,090
So, some folks have asked, why am I getting a text survey this time, but not the other time,

1372
03:20:32,090 --> 03:20:39,110
and it's, it's really dependent on if, if your phone number is entered in during that particular interaction.

1373
03:20:39,110 --> 03:20:52,450
And so the surveys ask for experiences with dispatchers, so if you're calling in and you're interacting with dispatch only, you'll get a survey about the dispatchers.

1374
03:20:52,570 --> 03:21:04,370
If you call in and officers do respond to your location, it also gives you an opportunity to provide feedback about the field officers, if that is part of your interaction.

1375
03:21:04,370 --> 03:21:11,210
The negative feedback we track all the feedback, the negative feedback is then sent, most of

1376
03:21:11,210 --> 03:21:16,470
the time is just sent to our supervisors who will make contact with the community member

1377
03:21:16,470 --> 03:21:20,250
and attempt to find some satisfactory resolution.

1378
03:21:20,610 --> 03:21:27,410
If needed, then we can escalate that and bring it to an appropriate level if it's not

1379
03:21:27,410 --> 03:21:32,330
something that a supervisor can resolve at that time.

1380
03:21:32,330 --> 03:21:34,410
And then next slide, please.

1381
03:21:35,770 --> 03:21:38,890
So on RN, I just gave a quick little snapshot

1382
03:21:38,890 --> 03:21:42,690
of some of the information that we receive from QHIT

1383
03:21:42,690 --> 03:21:44,630
to be able to monitor the satisfaction

1384
03:21:45,890 --> 03:21:49,070
that we receive from the community.

1385
03:21:49,550 --> 03:21:52,390
And this was, I think I pulled this screenshot

1386
03:21:52,390 --> 03:21:53,570
about a week ago.

1387
03:21:54,410 --> 03:21:56,850
So, for example, in the yellow fields,

1388
03:21:57,310 --> 03:22:00,930
it says, how many total surveys were sent

1389
03:22:00,930 --> 03:22:12,050
Over a particular period of time and 209 surveys were sent by text message, we received 78 responses which is about 37%.

1390
03:22:12,050 --> 03:22:17,090
So 37% response rate to those text messages is what we received.

1391
03:22:18,210 --> 03:22:24,770
Then the blue talks about the total number of answers and how many of those answers were positive.

1392
03:22:25,770 --> 03:22:29,690
So we received from those surveys that were returned to us.

1393
03:22:29,690 --> 03:22:29,970
Thank you very much.

1394
03:22:30,980 --> 03:22:43,700
We received a hundred and eight answers, and during this particular snapshot, we received a hundred positive responses, so our positive rate was 92.59%, which makes me very happy.

1395
03:22:44,980 --> 03:22:59,580
And then in the green, it's just showing the trends over the course of the week period. And basically there was an 11% deviation over the course of a week when this particular snapshot of data was collected.

1396
03:22:59,580 --> 03:23:24,700
So it's and we get additional detail on that, but it does give us a good, a good quick view of what the overall satisfaction is from those surveys that that we receive. So I would just encourage our residents. If you do receive a survey, we are reading them. We're looking at them. It really does mean a lot to us whether you provide a positive feedback or negative feedback.

1397
03:23:24,700 --> 03:23:34,920
But I just want to do to take the opportunity to share this particular survey feedback that we also have with the police department.

1398
03:23:37,640 --> 03:23:38,520
And next slide.

1399
03:23:42,230 --> 03:23:43,790
That concludes our presentation.

1400
03:23:44,170 --> 03:23:45,490
We'll now take questions.

1401
03:23:45,770 --> 03:23:46,190
Awesome.

1402
03:23:46,550 --> 03:23:46,590
Okay.

1403
03:23:46,790 --> 03:23:48,710
So we'll take questions from council.

1404
03:23:49,210 --> 03:23:49,850
Any questions?

1405
03:23:50,650 --> 03:23:50,890
Okay.

1406
03:23:51,630 --> 03:23:52,030
All right.

1407
03:23:52,310 --> 03:23:55,150
Council members, society, and then council member, Martin is really.

1408
03:23:56,030 --> 03:23:57,590
Thank you for the presentation.

1409
03:23:58,490 --> 03:24:03,450
very excited about this. Thank you probably work on this and this feel like we're in

1410
03:24:03,450 --> 03:24:10,490
206 now and with that being said you know with us being in 206 I think we all get

1411
03:24:10,490 --> 03:24:20,150
increased not just on our city email but we're also accessible on phone text across social media

1412
03:24:20,150 --> 03:24:29,570
platforms even, so was that include, gosh, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, some folks are

1413
03:24:29,570 --> 03:24:36,130
in next door, but I know that as a social community manager is part of your job, you're

1414
03:24:36,130 --> 03:24:43,390
also facilitating that for this city, and so it's idea here that when folks do reach out

1415
03:24:43,390 --> 03:24:51,390
to official city platforms through DM or through message that they would be referred to the 360

1416
03:24:51,390 --> 03:24:57,810
portal, or will he slowly be taking, every time I minimize the amount of conversation

1417
03:24:57,810 --> 03:25:00,190
and goes on in those mediums.

1418
03:25:00,470 --> 03:25:05,550
Yes, that's going to be part of the conversation because we, you made a very good, you brought

1419
03:25:05,550 --> 03:25:11,310
up a really good point, is that we receive requests and questions through many different channels.

1420
03:25:11,990 --> 03:25:25,230
And so what this form, what this form will do a good job of, of doing is, you know, it'll be a central place where we can put in a request and track it.

1421
03:25:25,570 --> 03:25:32,810
Now, there are different kinds of questions that we get, whether it be on social media, on the phone, email or anywhere else.

1422
03:25:32,810 --> 03:25:38,470
And sometimes those questions are very simply answered with one response.

1423
03:25:39,070 --> 03:25:42,670
That's the majority of what we might see on like social media.

1424
03:25:43,890 --> 03:25:48,650
And then there are questions or requests that require more work from staff.

1425
03:25:48,790 --> 03:25:50,290
It might need to go to another department.

1426
03:25:50,790 --> 03:25:57,930
Those are the type of requests that would need to be input and would be best service to be putting into the portal.

1427
03:25:58,690 --> 03:26:03,310
So, I don't, that probably doesn't answer your question about the social media, but, you

1428
03:26:03,310 --> 03:26:09,590
know, we need to explore and talk across the departments about what kinds of requests

1429
03:26:09,590 --> 03:26:15,370
are we going to want to track in here and, you know, if it is social media, because right

1430
03:26:15,370 --> 03:26:19,490
now what I do for social media is if it's something for a department, I'll put it in an email.

1431
03:26:20,130 --> 03:26:25,170
This citizen request portal is going to be replacing the email instead of us jotting it

1432
03:26:25,170 --> 03:26:31,610
on a post it, or writing an email, we would enter it into this portal, even if the person

1433
03:26:32,450 --> 03:26:39,330
didn't, is not either the citizen can enter it in themselves in the portal, or we would

1434
03:26:39,330 --> 03:26:44,970
do it based on where that information is coming from, so we still need to talk about how

1435
03:26:44,970 --> 03:26:50,870
that would look, but that's kind of where, that's my idea of where it's going to go, is that

1436
03:26:50,870 --> 03:26:56,010
question easily answered in one shot or is it going to require more work between departments

1437
03:26:56,010 --> 03:26:57,330
to resolve it?

1438
03:26:57,370 --> 03:26:58,270
That makes sense.

1439
03:26:58,570 --> 03:27:00,030
Thank you.

1440
03:27:00,270 --> 03:27:04,410
Way that we're coming into this presentation out of the AI presentation, so privacy is always

1441
03:27:04,410 --> 03:27:04,930
concerned.

1442
03:27:05,390 --> 03:27:10,030
I know you have a screen shot here of what a service request might look like.

1443
03:27:11,530 --> 03:27:17,790
I know that there's a part of you're asking for street address, city, state, all those

1444
03:27:17,790 --> 03:27:22,890
different things, I also want to acknowledge to you that there might be residents or folks

1445
03:27:22,890 --> 03:27:28,870
in a community who might feel unsafe, folks in the Messic Violence situations, for example,

1446
03:27:29,030 --> 03:27:32,490
who might not want to make the request known, or might be folks with varying immigration

1447
03:27:32,490 --> 03:27:37,070
statuses who might not want their information with the city.

1448
03:27:38,910 --> 03:27:44,570
Is information on residents' address, demographics, are all those things collected or required,

1449
03:27:44,570 --> 03:27:48,530
or is it more of an optional thing when putting in a surface request or a accommodation

1450
03:27:48,530 --> 03:27:48,950
complaint?

1451
03:27:49,390 --> 03:27:49,870
Any of those things?

1452
03:27:50,010 --> 03:27:51,510
Those things are optional.

1453
03:27:52,010 --> 03:27:57,950
We're still need to determine what required fields we need to serve that person better,

1454
03:27:58,270 --> 03:28:04,570
so we'll probably be requiring some sort of an email, phone number, contact information, first

1455
03:28:04,570 --> 03:28:05,630
name at the least.

1456
03:28:06,230 --> 03:28:07,730
But then it will depend on the form.

1457
03:28:08,270 --> 03:28:13,610
So, the beauty of this is that within each department, they can customize their workflow

1458
03:28:13,610 --> 03:28:17,630
and some departments do require a first-in-a-last name.

1459
03:28:18,390 --> 03:28:22,170
But our website is completely secure,

1460
03:28:22,970 --> 03:28:26,010
and so all of this data is held in a secure place,

1461
03:28:26,190 --> 03:28:29,630
and then on top of that we have our network security

1462
03:28:29,630 --> 03:28:31,570
that we have within the city as well.

1463
03:28:32,770 --> 03:28:36,550
So, you know, yeah, I hope that people feel comfortable

1464
03:28:36,550 --> 03:28:38,230
and sharing their information.

1465
03:28:38,650 --> 03:28:41,870
If they don't feel comfortable using the electronic form,

1466
03:28:41,870 --> 03:28:48,150
people can always still call us and we're happy to help them in that way too.

1467
03:28:48,250 --> 03:28:53,110
We're visiting person. Exactly. I think there is a last question here at Fiscal Impact.

1468
03:28:54,050 --> 03:28:57,250
It's all sounds great. How much is it in cost to implement this fully?

1469
03:28:58,370 --> 03:29:05,290
Yeah, so we looked at a few different solutions. Gathered some quotes. This is going to be built

1470
03:29:05,290 --> 03:29:11,330
by Planetaria or existing website vendor and it's going to cost $10,000.

1471
03:29:11,870 --> 03:29:18,870
And we have that already in the budget for this fiscal year and website improvements under professional services.

1472
03:29:19,470 --> 03:29:20,870
Thank you.

1473
03:29:21,510 --> 03:29:21,710
Okay.

1474
03:29:22,330 --> 03:29:23,450
Council member Martinez Rubin.

1475
03:29:23,710 --> 03:29:24,030
Thank you.

1476
03:29:24,130 --> 03:29:25,190
Thanks for the presentation.

1477
03:29:26,430 --> 03:29:34,450
Having worked in the public sector and almost expecting that we were often behind the private sector with regard to technology.

1478
03:29:34,450 --> 03:29:41,650
it is your presentation, at least for me being on Councils in 2018, shows that it takes

1479
03:29:41,650 --> 03:29:46,230
some time to get to this point and I'm glad to be present for this moment.

1480
03:29:47,410 --> 03:29:53,990
Now, having said that and lived with the advances within the private sector, I'm reminded

1481
03:29:53,990 --> 03:29:59,850
of why I appreciate Amazon's system as a consumer.

1482
03:30:00,000 --> 03:30:14,460
Of products, and I'm going to make a request to speak to Planetaria about an added feature for the public sector as a consumer of services, and that's for the public's benefit.

1483
03:30:14,460 --> 03:30:29,260
And that is to also include an indication of when their request or their complaint or their request for service is going to be met.

1484
03:30:30,740 --> 03:30:41,960
So internally, as departments are acquainted and increasingly become familiar with the workflows required to address certain requests of service.

1485
03:30:41,960 --> 03:30:56,560
with that then is information that leads to being able to indicate where the different steps are with regard to a request of service having been submitted.

1486
03:30:57,440 --> 03:31:10,300
So I'll go back to my Amazon example and why I love to get notices that let me know how I can manage my time and the expectation that I might have

1487
03:31:10,300 --> 03:31:16,980
that might be different from what is realistic when people are involved, and people will continually

1488
03:31:16,980 --> 03:31:21,920
be involved in delivering services within the city, even in spite of the AI discussion that we

1489
03:31:21,920 --> 03:31:27,420
had earlier or because of the AI discussion that earlier. So what I am envisioning is the

1490
03:31:27,420 --> 03:31:33,740
feature that will let me know not only that my request for service is in progress, but an estimate

1491
03:31:33,740 --> 03:31:41,500
of when that request will be met or where in the float workflow that request can be is found.

1492
03:31:41,920 --> 03:31:45,800
And the example that I can think of is if I order something to be shipped to me,

1493
03:31:45,900 --> 03:31:49,860
I know that it has been shipped. Most of us are acquainted with that. It has been shipped.

1494
03:31:50,240 --> 03:31:55,100
It's in process of delivery and it has been delivered. So those key three key steps

1495
03:31:55,100 --> 03:31:59,760
and I might be missing some in between that ordinarily are presented to us as consumers of products.

1496
03:31:59,760 --> 03:32:08,760
I imagine there's something similar for a consumer of services that can be identified on the portal as well.

1497
03:32:09,080 --> 03:32:17,380
I'll give an example of a personal example of when I requested a permit or needed to obtain a permit to update my windows.

1498
03:32:18,800 --> 03:32:25,080
And I of course wanted that permit to be ready in no more than a month. I thought that was reasonable.

1499
03:32:25,080 --> 03:32:32,040
Well, it turns out that when I would call it was still not, I was still not seeing that permit.

1500
03:32:32,960 --> 03:32:38,760
And so I could easily have gotten anxious, frustrated, all of those negative emotions.

1501
03:32:39,800 --> 03:32:44,700
As opposed to if I had the piece of information that gave me an estimate of how much time it would take,

1502
03:32:45,400 --> 03:32:48,060
I knew that it could take approximately six months.

1503
03:32:48,720 --> 03:32:51,520
In fact, it did take about six months.

1504
03:32:51,520 --> 03:32:56,860
It helped me to be able to plan my life, had made the request for the permit.

1505
03:32:57,580 --> 03:33:03,000
My contractor had an idea of when it would be obtained, I did too, and I could move on.

1506
03:33:03,440 --> 03:33:09,900
I think similarly, consumers of public services would find it helpful and advantageous

1507
03:33:09,900 --> 03:33:14,400
in their lives once a request is made or a complaint file, et cetera.

1508
03:33:14,920 --> 03:33:20,600
The progress on that, or addressing that request is being made, per the workflow that is known.

1509
03:33:20,600 --> 03:33:23,020
So, my request is this,

1510
03:33:25,120 --> 03:33:37,180
for you, as our please, on with Planetaria, ask about if it's possible to have a feature that identifies as well where in workflows.

1511
03:33:37,740 --> 03:33:43,080
And they can be general because I know we're talking about different departments, but more than just in progress.

1512
03:33:43,080 --> 03:33:52,060
So that it'll be a means, the citizen request portal can offer a means also to manage expectations.

1513
03:33:52,760 --> 03:33:57,980
Because part of the frustration that the public finds is not knowing that.

1514
03:33:58,800 --> 03:34:02,240
It's going to be a delight to see that a request is in progress.

1515
03:34:03,100 --> 03:34:04,020
Happy, good news.

1516
03:34:04,740 --> 03:34:09,640
Now, how much more do I have to wait as a resident asking for a service?

1517
03:34:09,640 --> 03:34:15,660
And it would be helpful, again, to manage expectations and have people manage their own time.

1518
03:34:16,000 --> 03:34:17,200
It's either money or time.

1519
03:34:17,540 --> 03:34:21,700
And if it costs now estimated 10,000, but it's going to cost us an additional 2,000,

1520
03:34:22,400 --> 03:34:30,040
it's very much worth it to also benefit or to recognize that it's people's time,

1521
03:34:30,180 --> 03:34:31,960
also that it's being consumed here.

1522
03:34:32,140 --> 03:34:33,500
And we want to respect that.

1523
03:34:33,700 --> 03:34:34,960
Thank you.

1524
03:34:35,620 --> 03:34:38,840
Okay, questions, council member Tombs.

1525
03:34:38,840 --> 03:34:47,360
Yeah, I just have a question regarding some requests that might be confidential like a code enforcement complaint.

1526
03:34:48,660 --> 03:35:03,040
I want to make sure that if we got a public records request for this data, that kind of information could be unavailable on that public records request.

1527
03:35:05,910 --> 03:35:14,730
So, our code enforcement cases are, will not be entered in this, because citizen complaint

1528
03:35:14,730 --> 03:35:15,230
portal.

1529
03:35:15,930 --> 03:35:22,050
In the case of a code, because we have a separate system, we use the track it for managing

1530
03:35:22,050 --> 03:35:23,870
our code enforcement complaints.

1531
03:35:24,510 --> 03:35:30,670
Where this citizen request portal would come into play there, would it be more of a way

1532
03:35:30,670 --> 03:35:37,890
to notify the person about their request and track it internally, like, you know, if somebody's

1533
03:35:37,890 --> 03:35:43,370
complaining about something comes in a city manager's office, we have a record that I sent

1534
03:35:43,370 --> 03:35:49,150
this to code enforcement on a certain date and they have marked it as in progress. They've written

1535
03:35:49,150 --> 03:35:55,410
a case number into that ticket so that if that person calls me back at some point I can let them

1536
03:35:55,410 --> 03:35:58,470
You know, oh, it looks like code enforcement is working on it.

1537
03:35:58,490 --> 03:35:59,530
Here's your case number.

1538
03:35:59,950 --> 03:36:04,270
You can log in to e-track it to see the details of your request type of thing.

1539
03:36:04,330 --> 03:36:09,870
Or code enforcement at that time would give them a call and request additional details and information.

1540
03:36:10,710 --> 03:36:16,110
Another feature we have asked for in the portal, which there'll be building in for us,

1541
03:36:16,330 --> 03:36:20,050
is staff will have the ability to mark a request as confidential,

1542
03:36:20,050 --> 03:36:24,730
or that would hide information that would mark it as confidential and it would

1543
03:36:24,730 --> 03:36:28,590
hide sensitive information that would be hidden from the rest of that.

1544
03:36:28,910 --> 03:36:29,670
Thank you.

1545
03:36:29,870 --> 03:36:30,330
Thank you.

1546
03:36:30,370 --> 03:36:30,830
To the chair.

1547
03:36:31,030 --> 03:36:31,310
Two more.

1548
03:36:31,510 --> 03:36:31,950
Quick questions.

1549
03:36:33,210 --> 03:36:33,330
Okay.

1550
03:36:33,830 --> 03:36:36,990
Was there any questions, Mayor Perth, Tim?

1551
03:36:38,130 --> 03:36:38,390
I don't like that.

1552
03:36:39,310 --> 03:36:39,590
Okay.

1553
03:36:39,590 --> 03:36:39,990
Thank you.

1554
03:36:40,350 --> 03:36:41,410
I didn't see this.

1555
03:36:41,530 --> 03:36:47,810
I just want to make sure that there is a space for the actual text about a

1556
03:36:47,810 --> 03:36:50,830
a complaint or commendation on the police form.

1557
03:36:51,210 --> 03:36:54,350
What appears on the slide, only shows the top section,

1558
03:36:54,530 --> 03:36:55,730
which is the identifying section?

1559
03:36:57,250 --> 03:37:01,030
Yes, yeah, I just took a snippet of what the top of the form

1560
03:37:01,030 --> 03:37:01,470
looks like.

1561
03:37:01,570 --> 03:37:05,590
It definitely extends below with some open field area

1562
03:37:05,590 --> 03:37:07,070
to put information in.

1563
03:37:07,750 --> 03:37:12,530
And to the question earlier about the required information

1564
03:37:12,530 --> 03:37:16,490
on the police complaint and commendation form,

1565
03:37:16,490 --> 03:37:24,110
as I mentioned, there's no mandatory field other than the acknowledgment at the end to check

1566
03:37:24,110 --> 03:37:24,670
the box.

1567
03:37:25,170 --> 03:37:29,910
So it can be an entirely anonymous complaint that we will...

1568
03:37:30,000 --> 03:37:46,200
We will investigate without the requirements of the complaint and putting in their name, their contact information. The only thing with that is if they don't supply contact information, then we can't follow up with them after. But we will accept it.

1569
03:37:46,200 --> 03:37:58,300
Okay. Is it necessary to have or maybe it also will be a required, be back in, on the

1570
03:37:58,300 --> 03:38:04,100
back end of either the police accommodation, complaint formal or the citizen request portal.

1571
03:38:04,980 --> 03:38:12,640
You are not a bot for those complaints that just might be created by someone other than

1572
03:38:12,640 --> 03:38:18,720
something other than the human? Yeah, we can include that. When we build our forms now,

1573
03:38:18,820 --> 03:38:23,620
we can put a little recapture option down there where we can make sure it's not a robot,

1574
03:38:23,620 --> 03:38:30,520
yeah, entering netted. Thank you. Okay, I only had one question regarding the $10,000 you mentioned

1575
03:38:30,520 --> 03:38:36,720
for the cost. Well, this software replace any of the other softwares in is there an opportunity for

1576
03:38:36,720 --> 03:38:44,000
post-nutrol. You listed several other softwares. I'm just wondering if this would be replacing

1577
03:38:44,000 --> 03:38:48,760
any of those softwares and those subscriptions be going to the 10,000.

1578
03:38:49,280 --> 03:38:52,580
Not yet. Okay, so that analysis hasn't been.

1579
03:38:52,820 --> 03:38:57,760
Yeah, so it's 10,000 to build it and then I forgot to mention it would be, it would add on

1580
03:38:57,760 --> 03:39:05,400
an additional 1,500 annually in our website subscription for to maintain this portal. That

1581
03:39:05,400 --> 03:39:10,840
is much cheaper than the quotes that we got for outside applications, which were like in the

1582
03:39:10,840 --> 03:39:19,080
12,000 range annual cost. And so, but we are doing a software evaluation right now where we're

1583
03:39:20,260 --> 03:39:26,960
really scrutinizing the softwares that we're using, the renewal dates, we're really mapping that

1584
03:39:26,960 --> 03:39:33,300
out in our five-year plan to try and phase out some softwares. And I think as we build this

1585
03:39:33,300 --> 03:39:38,380
begin to use that. I think it's going to really, we want, we want staff to feel comfortable.

1586
03:39:39,120 --> 03:39:45,140
And we want to make sure that this citizen request portal can do the same things that any

1587
03:39:45,140 --> 03:39:51,120
software that we're going to be replacing it can do, right? So at this time we don't have this

1588
03:39:51,120 --> 03:39:59,060
is not going to be replacing any software. It is going to be merging website forms so we won't

1589
03:39:59,060 --> 03:40:02,920
have 39, maybe we'll have like, you know, 30 or hopefully

1590
03:40:02,920 --> 03:40:07,260
less than that number, but so that's, yeah, I hope

1591
03:40:07,260 --> 03:40:11,260
you got answers here. Question. Two more questions and one was the

1592
03:40:11,260 --> 03:40:15,140
app, the panel app, is this going to be included in

1593
03:40:15,140 --> 03:40:18,680
some way, because I know that we tried this effort before where we had the

1594
03:40:18,680 --> 03:40:22,380
request coming in and it was a little bit rudimentary. This seems like a lot more

1595
03:40:22,380 --> 03:40:25,060
advanced than where we were, so I just want to say thanks for

1596
03:40:25,060 --> 03:40:27,920
for putting that working to modernize this.

1597
03:40:27,960 --> 03:40:32,020
I'm just trying to understand, well, the app also have a box

1598
03:40:32,020 --> 03:40:35,520
to click for request, you know,

1599
03:40:35,640 --> 03:40:38,640
make a request through the app or is it something

1600
03:40:38,640 --> 03:40:40,160
that's going to be strictly on the website?

1601
03:40:41,080 --> 03:40:44,640
No, the app right now is basically like a remote control

1602
03:40:44,640 --> 03:40:45,700
to our website.

1603
03:40:46,140 --> 03:40:48,700
So if we have a link on the website,

1604
03:40:48,780 --> 03:40:51,400
we can put that into the app as a button.

1605
03:40:51,580 --> 03:40:54,060
So it would like replace the report.

1606
03:40:54,060 --> 03:40:59,160
I think it's a report of problem button on the app that if when they push that, it would

1607
03:40:59,160 --> 03:41:01,140
then send them to the portal to fill out.

1608
03:41:01,160 --> 03:41:01,420
Great.

1609
03:41:01,600 --> 03:41:03,240
And is there a mobile friendly format?

1610
03:41:03,620 --> 03:41:08,460
I guess another question would be, is there going to be some type of community engagement

1611
03:41:09,080 --> 03:41:11,720
like, you know, report a problem day or something?

1612
03:41:11,880 --> 03:41:12,380
I don't know.

1613
03:41:12,540 --> 03:41:13,640
I'm just making that up.

1614
03:41:13,840 --> 03:41:19,960
But is what type of engagement would there be for the community or do you see that when

1615
03:41:19,960 --> 03:41:20,700
we roll this out?

1616
03:41:20,800 --> 03:41:21,060
Yeah.

1617
03:41:21,060 --> 03:41:27,000
would we roll this out? We will be notifying the community, we'll notify them via social media,

1618
03:41:27,220 --> 03:41:34,200
the polls, through the website. We have a featured programs section on our front page of our

1619
03:41:34,200 --> 03:41:39,780
website where we put, you know, kind of the latest initiative. So I picture this as being there.

1620
03:41:39,860 --> 03:41:44,940
We also want to make it super easy. So like right now on our website, we have the report a problem

1621
03:41:44,940 --> 03:41:50,140
button, this would replace that, you know, I just mentioned that and it would go.

1622
03:41:50,160 --> 03:41:55,220
Probably need a fresh enough how that rolls out and then maybe there could be a fun community,

1623
03:41:55,220 --> 03:41:59,920
it activity, I'm that sure, but and I know this is just getting off the ground.

1624
03:42:00,060 --> 03:42:02,060
We have plenty of time before roll out.

1625
03:42:02,880 --> 03:42:07,300
So if there was some type of way, I would just, it feels better.

1626
03:42:07,480 --> 03:42:12,060
I think you just answered the question that, yeah, there will be something we just have to figure out what that is.

1627
03:42:12,060 --> 03:42:16,540
Yeah and if we have volunteers again because like what we did over the summer we were at the

1628
03:42:16,540 --> 03:42:22,700
farmers market and we were it was an opportunity for us to tell you know the community about

1629
03:42:22,700 --> 03:42:27,820
our services all different services across the city we were handing out the sidewalk vendor

1630
03:42:27,820 --> 03:42:33,760
pamphlets and talking about PCTV and community warning system and so you know that would be a

1631
03:42:33,760 --> 03:42:41,220
great forum for us to go and do outreach but you know that is we'll have to see if this portal is

1632
03:42:41,220 --> 03:42:50,840
ready for the summer farmers market or maybe next summer or spring or that's another way that we can do what community outreach around the portal.

1633
03:42:51,040 --> 03:42:55,420
Understood. Thank you, Director. So we'll go to public comment.

1634
03:42:56,880 --> 03:42:57,560
City Clerk.

1635
03:42:58,520 --> 03:42:59,680
There are no public comments.

1636
03:43:00,100 --> 03:43:02,080
Okay. Back to Council for any comments.

1637
03:43:03,220 --> 03:43:03,960
Mayor, protect Murphy.

1638
03:43:04,540 --> 03:43:07,300
I actually don't have any motions about this. This is wonderful.

1639
03:43:07,300 --> 03:43:13,380
And I just want to like commend you again goes back to 2020 when we were all living in a different time.

1640
03:43:13,940 --> 03:43:18,820
And I think we had maybe just a spreadsheet to contact staff at that time.

1641
03:43:18,900 --> 03:43:20,240
We didn't even have the report of problem.

1642
03:43:20,460 --> 03:43:24,280
And I remember director F's when you came in and really helped bridge that.

1643
03:43:24,400 --> 03:43:28,180
For me, that was enough. Just to be clear, that was, it's still amazing.

1644
03:43:28,340 --> 03:43:31,940
Every time I communicate with residents, I do ask them to email me.

1645
03:43:31,940 --> 03:43:36,700
I also say, you know, a quicker way of getting your problem solved is just going to

1646
03:43:36,700 --> 03:43:43,400
peno.gov, which also we didn't have by the way in 2020, and asked them to just submit

1647
03:43:43,400 --> 03:43:47,200
the report a problem, and it has been amazing just so we're clear.

1648
03:43:47,340 --> 03:43:50,540
So I just want to thank you again for getting us to that point.

1649
03:43:51,240 --> 03:43:56,840
I do, you know, I do think it's important just context wise for folks to know that in 2025,

1650
03:43:56,840 --> 03:44:02,980
I've actually, excuse me, in 2025, the County City Council, this current composition had a retreat

1651
03:44:02,980 --> 03:44:07,600
with a number of priorities. I think you said earlier that we had only two priorities. We

1652
03:44:07,600 --> 03:44:13,880
definitely gave staff more priorities than two. I think it was about 10 to 10 to 15 on there.

1653
03:44:14,780 --> 03:44:24,160
One of them was the 360 response portal. I remember the conversation of we do have a great

1654
03:44:24,160 --> 03:44:28,040
website. We do have a way, but there's also, it just seemed like there was some disconnect

1655
03:44:28,040 --> 03:44:33,040
in certain departments, as you mentioned, still needing additional support or just some

1656
03:44:33,040 --> 03:44:39,320
coordination to solve some of the more complex problems. And again, loving the report of

1657
03:44:39,320 --> 03:44:46,160
problem, subsection of our website, I do truly see this as an important step in credible

1658
03:44:46,160 --> 03:44:51,020
step. So I just want to say thank you, because this is huge, and this is such a positive

1659
03:44:51,020 --> 03:44:55,840
step for our city. I also want to think the council because we really did, this was one of those

1660
03:44:55,840 --> 03:44:59,780
that was like, if one of those retreats that was really hard to decide on our priorities.

1661
03:45:00,000 --> 03:45:26,140
And I feel like this is one of them that we really all said, like, this is a priority. And you've done such a great job as, you know, the communications director as our PIO of integrating our feedback. And it sounds like you've been talking to a lot of folks about making this happen. So thank you so much. I just want to say, I am so grateful for this. I know the residents that I talked to who are still, you know, people while we have done so many improvements in the city around communications.

1662
03:45:26,640 --> 03:45:34,340
There are still folks who are challenged in navigating city government and I think you've done such a great job at ensuring that those who are challenged

1663
03:45:34,340 --> 03:45:36,560
We call them in and we support them

1664
03:45:36,560 --> 03:45:44,820
And so many different ways and so I just again just want to say thank you. I don't have any additions or changes or revisions

1665
03:45:44,820 --> 03:45:51,340
I'm excited to see this through and would certainly love to be an ambassador to encourage residents to use it

1666
03:45:51,340 --> 03:45:54,140
And then the other thing I wanted to know it sounds like

1667
03:45:56,980 --> 03:46:03,120
Councilmember Martinez Rubin mentioned, like the Amazon kind of thing, where you know when something's coming, that is AI.

1668
03:46:03,900 --> 03:46:11,340
So that would be great to kind of, yeah, to for us at some point to leverage the data that we're receiving in the process.

1669
03:46:12,200 --> 03:46:23,060
I'm assuming the processing of completed service deliveries will eventually inform, at least the vendor, how things are being done in what department, time-wise.

1670
03:46:23,060 --> 03:46:25,200
I don't know if we have that access now.

1671
03:46:25,820 --> 03:46:29,760
I can say that certainly when I was in 2020,

1672
03:46:30,560 --> 03:46:33,460
most of our permitting requests were being done

1673
03:46:33,460 --> 03:46:34,500
via email and spreadsheet.

1674
03:46:34,660 --> 03:46:37,440
I know each packet really tracked it, right?

1675
03:46:37,440 --> 03:46:39,780
And they really created a way for folks to be able

1676
03:46:39,780 --> 03:46:43,260
to understand the turnover of when they walk

1677
03:46:43,260 --> 03:46:45,080
in City Hall or not walk in City Hall

1678
03:46:45,080 --> 03:46:46,100
and submit their requests.

1679
03:46:46,680 --> 03:46:48,160
How quickly that turns around.

1680
03:46:49,240 --> 03:46:51,060
This is why in the last presentation,

1681
03:46:51,060 --> 03:46:57,000
not also enforce kind of the importance of KPIs is those KPIs allow us to be able to track

1682
03:46:57,000 --> 03:47:03,760
and reinforce how our policies and how our operations are moving with people or not moving

1683
03:47:03,760 --> 03:47:09,260
with people, considering different departments. So I just want to reinforce that those service

1684
03:47:09,260 --> 03:47:13,320
completion times can be a huge great opportunity to explore. I think that's kind of what was

1685
03:47:13,320 --> 03:47:18,460
discussed, although I'm not sure fully the comment, but I do see that being kind of the future

1686
03:47:18,460 --> 03:47:23,440
right a city government similar to how we see that in the private sector, typically you

1687
03:47:23,440 --> 03:47:27,060
know when something is going to come back to you or be mail to you and when you when it

1688
03:47:27,060 --> 03:47:32,560
doesn't or when something changes you get a report back about that. Hey this is actually going

1689
03:47:32,560 --> 03:47:37,200
to take I just ordered some like hair stuff and I was supposed to get it yesterday and it actually

1690
03:47:37,200 --> 03:47:41,420
is not going to come into the next week right but I know that and I'm communicated with about that

1691
03:47:41,420 --> 03:47:47,720
service change and so I just I say that I'm excited to see if that's a possibility of data and

1692
03:47:47,720 --> 03:47:55,140
And I also am excited to see how staff might consider how we meet those KPIs through the use

1693
03:47:55,140 --> 03:47:57,020
of this 360-degree portal.

1694
03:47:57,580 --> 03:48:02,560
So for me, that's not going to come now that would be after a couple of years of using

1695
03:48:02,560 --> 03:48:09,180
the system, but eventually it'd be great to see if we can really identify the service delivery

1696
03:48:09,180 --> 03:48:14,660
times of how we're delivering or solving individuals' crises, because that's how we're

1697
03:48:14,660 --> 03:48:21,400
residents see them. So just very excited about this. Just want to say thank you again and this is excellent

1698
03:48:21,400 --> 03:48:26,200
excellent work and I just want to thank you so much for adhering to our council priority and really

1699
03:48:26,200 --> 03:48:32,620
making this real. Thank you for the feedback and you're welcome. We had one more comment,

1700
03:48:32,860 --> 03:48:37,520
Council Member Sisai. Thanks, Mayor. Just quickly equating the comments here and saying thank you for

1701
03:48:37,520 --> 03:48:45,220
work on this and I think feedback I've got from residents years ago was maybe I've been a request

1702
03:48:45,220 --> 03:48:49,660
or sent an email and things kind of fell through to cracks but I think this is really going

1703
03:48:49,660 --> 03:48:55,500
to strengthen the constituent case management being sure that everything is closed out and things

1704
03:48:55,500 --> 03:48:59,240
are taking care of. So I just want to thank you and looking forward to seeing this fully implemented

1705
03:48:59,240 --> 03:49:01,640
So folks, since I'm using this program.

1706
03:49:03,200 --> 03:49:04,000
Thank you for that.

1707
03:49:04,280 --> 03:49:08,600
And so we'll move on to item nine consent calendar.

1708
03:49:09,700 --> 03:49:15,460
So we just would like to ask if any council members like to pull any items.

1709
03:49:16,720 --> 03:49:16,740
No.

1710
03:49:16,840 --> 03:49:19,800
9A and 9C.

1711
03:49:20,660 --> 03:49:20,700
Okay.

1712
03:49:21,200 --> 03:49:21,760
We'll pull those.

1713
03:49:21,960 --> 03:49:25,060
And then are there any public comments?

1714
03:49:25,920 --> 03:49:26,120
City.

1715
03:49:27,040 --> 03:49:27,100
Clerk.

1716
03:49:27,500 --> 03:49:27,860
Yes.

1717
03:49:27,860 --> 03:49:31,300
We have Raphael Minis on 9c.

1718
03:49:42,020 --> 03:49:46,100
Good evening again, Raphael Minis was an opponent and I've got a relatively simple question

1719
03:49:46,100 --> 03:49:51,800
on 9c. I noted what I was looking over a list of the codes that were being served

1720
03:49:51,800 --> 03:49:59,020
plus. That one of them was a trailer that was made in 2018 and I was curious as to if the

1721
03:49:59,020 --> 03:50:04,700
sake could give more detail as to why it was being scrapped since it seems like a relatively

1722
03:50:04,700 --> 03:50:12,240
recent item and secondarily what sort of the expected usable life of a given police vehicle is

1723
03:50:12,240 --> 03:50:17,180
just to see expected to get five years, ten years, fifteen years out of a vehicle. Thank you.

1724
03:50:22,120 --> 03:50:26,640
Mayor, there are no more public comments on the consent calendar. Okay, we'll just like to

1725
03:50:26,640 --> 03:50:32,500
give an opportunity for staff to call me if possible, if not, maybe get back to you.

1726
03:50:32,700 --> 03:50:38,400
Absolutely, I can comment on the item that the trailer that is listed in the surplus vehicles

1727
03:50:38,400 --> 03:50:46,600
is the Electronic Sign Trailer that often you see that's informing you of a road closure or something

1728
03:50:46,600 --> 03:50:53,020
like that. I can't speak to the longevity of those trailers. I'm not, I'm not familiar with

1729
03:50:53,020 --> 03:51:00,580
what their general lifespan is. However, we did receive grant funding for replacement of that

1730
03:51:00,580 --> 03:51:05,840
trailer. And we are also going to be seeking grant funding for a second trailer as well.

1731
03:51:07,120 --> 03:51:14,760
Thank you. And then we had two items pulled council members to say you mentioned A and C.

1732
03:51:15,240 --> 03:51:20,180
Yes, for 9 A, which are the minutes for two of our meetings and discuss this with Deputy

1733
03:51:20,180 --> 03:51:25,660
City Clerk in advance. I wanted to make a correction on the minutes for the special city council meeting

1734
03:51:25,660 --> 03:51:30,600
from January 27th. I'm going to request that we correct the minutes to reflect that I was present and

1735
03:51:30,600 --> 03:51:35,600
participated in that special meeting arriving at approximately 60 p.m.

1736
03:51:36,740 --> 03:51:37,940
And that's my direction.

1737
03:51:39,760 --> 03:51:42,860
I'm not aware of which it probably the first page of the.

1738
03:51:42,860 --> 03:51:47,640
It would be on the first page of the special meeting minutes on January 27th,

1739
03:51:48,600 --> 03:51:51,300
where Council Member Sassai is marked absent.

1740
03:51:51,880 --> 03:51:53,840
Thank you.

1741
03:51:53,840 --> 03:51:58,940
9c and a fast forward to that and apologies I just just came up

1742
03:51:58,940 --> 03:52:03,460
But I wanted to ask about clarification on the process of

1743
03:52:04,180 --> 03:52:10,820
But the surplus process is like how those funds are then used to go into I think there is a replacement of vehicle fun

1744
03:52:11,980 --> 03:52:17,400
The most vehicles go to auction some are just complete the spos or what's the processor?

1745
03:52:17,580 --> 03:52:23,160
Yes, for for the most part with these vehicles then they will go to auction and then whatever

1746
03:52:23,160 --> 03:52:29,980
money is generated from that auction goes into our replacement fund. So anything any time of

1747
03:52:30,000 --> 03:52:40,820
Call is either at the end of service or the cost of the repairs outweigh the maintenance of the vehicle

1748
03:52:40,820 --> 03:52:51,780
then we will submit these requests to council to be approved to surplus the items so that we can take that money and put it towards replacements.

1749
03:52:51,780 --> 03:52:58,820
Yes. Got it. And how much do you anticipate for the garnering for six vehicles listed?

1750
03:52:59,380 --> 03:53:02,320
You have a ballpark of how much do you usually go for auction?

1751
03:53:03,040 --> 03:53:08,760
I don't have a ballpark. I can see if I can get one and get back.

1752
03:53:08,980 --> 03:53:16,140
But it really just depends on the auction and the auction companies also take a percentage of that as well.

1753
03:53:16,140 --> 03:53:32,560
Okay, and are there any other vehicles that we have PD, but also across all departments that might be already qualifying as beyond serviceable life or getting close to that?

1754
03:53:32,940 --> 03:53:45,740
So I don't know the status of all the vehicle, the fleet of other departments, that's certainly something that I could find out and bring back to Council, but for the police department, this is a comprehensive list of what we have right now.

1755
03:53:45,740 --> 03:53:57,240
We are taking a really strong look at our fleet because we have a lot of vehicles that are reaching a sort of a maximum life as a as a patrol vehicle.

1756
03:53:58,320 --> 03:54:10,620
So these, this list is comprehensive for us at this time. Now, obviously, with vehicles, those things can change, but this is probably what you're going to see for a period of time for surplus.

1757
03:54:10,620 --> 03:54:13,740
I think it's been a while since the department

1758
03:54:13,740 --> 03:54:17,220
last submitted a surplus request to the council.

1759
03:54:17,480 --> 03:54:18,000
Got it.

1760
03:54:18,100 --> 03:54:19,500
And the six vehicles mentioned here,

1761
03:54:19,980 --> 03:54:23,420
those are currently stored in the public parking lot

1762
03:54:23,420 --> 03:54:24,900
by the Per Street.

1763
03:54:26,260 --> 03:54:31,640
So most of them are being stored across the street

1764
03:54:31,640 --> 03:54:33,400
from the police departments.

1765
03:54:34,580 --> 03:54:38,940
But for example, the Harley Davidson and the sign trailer

1766
03:54:38,940 --> 03:54:45,120
are within the secured parking lot of the of the police department. Those are smaller items.

1767
03:54:45,280 --> 03:54:50,000
Gotcha. And this does not have the same parking lot that's by the same Joseph.

1768
03:54:50,640 --> 03:54:54,820
It is good. It is. Okay. It's got it. Yes. There's all my questions. I just want to ask

1769
03:54:54,820 --> 03:54:59,220
for public. Thank you. Mayor Pro Tem Murphy. Yeah. Mayor I just wanted to move the approval of the

1770
03:54:59,220 --> 03:55:03,720
consent calendar with the amendments by Council Member Sessai. I'll second. Okay.

1771
03:55:03,720 --> 03:55:11,180
city clerk. You take roll. Mayor Tave. Yes. Mayor Pro Tim Murphy. Council member

1772
03:55:11,180 --> 03:55:15,520
Sessai. Yes. Council member Martinez Rubin. Yes. Council member Tom's. Yes.

1773
03:55:15,600 --> 03:55:23,560
Thank you. Okay. So next is item 10A for public hearings. So we'll

1774
03:55:23,560 --> 03:55:27,580
turn it over to city attorney casher for report.

1775
03:55:29,710 --> 03:55:31,450
Thank you. Mayor Tave. Good evening.

1776
03:55:32,030 --> 03:55:34,850
Mayor city council. Staff members of the public.

1777
03:55:34,850 --> 03:55:41,270
aircatcher. I am the city attorney and I will be presenting this evening on a resolution calling

1778
03:55:41,270 --> 03:55:47,490
for a special election in the establishment of an elected mayor ballot measure here in the

1779
03:55:47,490 --> 03:55:56,860
city of Penal. There is a PowerPoint that hopefully Dave is uploading. Thank you. We could go to the next slide.

1780
03:55:58,890 --> 03:56:04,650
Great. So the staff recommendation is that the city council consider adoption of the proposed

1781
03:56:04,650 --> 03:56:11,090
resolution, calling for a special election and submitting to the voters, the question of creating

1782
03:56:11,090 --> 03:56:17,270
the office of an elected mayor. I should add, there's just one other item that we also

1783
03:56:17,270 --> 03:56:21,570
will need direction from the council on if there's, if the council majority votes in favor

1784
03:56:21,570 --> 03:56:28,730
of moving forward with a special election, we'd also like some direction on the compensation for an

1785
03:56:28,730 --> 03:56:31,390
but I'll talk more about that in later slides.

1786
03:56:32,270 --> 03:56:32,930
Next slide.

1787
03:56:34,630 --> 03:56:38,890
So just by way of background on December 2nd of 2025,

1788
03:56:39,190 --> 03:56:41,810
the City Council voted to direct staff

1789
03:56:41,810 --> 03:56:45,570
to prepare the necessary materials to submit to the voters,

1790
03:56:45,890 --> 03:56:48,910
the question of whether the office of elected mayor

1791
03:56:48,910 --> 03:56:50,870
shall be established in the city of Penal,

1792
03:56:51,250 --> 03:56:54,630
pursuant to government code section 34900.

1793
03:56:55,710 --> 03:56:57,870
As most of the members of the public know at present,

1794
03:56:57,870 --> 03:57:03,530
the city council has comprised of five members elected at large, and the position of Mayor

1795
03:57:03,530 --> 03:57:09,890
annually rotates annually based on a number of votes, the number of votes that the candidates

1796
03:57:09,890 --> 03:57:17,230
received in the previous election. Next slide. So the procedural requirements for this particular

1797
03:57:17,230 --> 03:57:24,670
ballot measure. Again, this is governed by government code section 34900, and that contains

1798
03:57:24,670 --> 03:57:30,290
the requirements for establishing an elected mayor in any city here in California through a ballot

1799
03:57:30,290 --> 03:57:35,570
measure process. So the statute provides that the city council may submit to the electors,

1800
03:57:35,790 --> 03:57:41,290
the following questions, shall the electors elect a mayor and for council members? So, you know,

1801
03:57:41,290 --> 03:57:45,770
if they answer in the affirmative, that would establish an elected mayor. And then shall the term

1802
03:57:45,770 --> 03:57:51,530
of office be two years, or shall the term of office be four years. So the state of California

1803
03:57:51,530 --> 03:57:56,930
under state law allows for the voters to select a two or four year term for an elected mayor.

1804
03:57:58,070 --> 03:58:04,290
There is not the ability to select a one or three year term, the statute requires a P2 or four.

1805
03:58:05,070 --> 03:58:10,350
If a majority of the voters cast a majority of the votes cast are in favor of an elected

1806
03:58:10,350 --> 03:58:16,470
office, one seat on the council will be designated as the office of the mayor at the next general

1807
03:58:16,470 --> 03:58:23,910
municipal election held in the city. So if the special election occurs on June 2nd, then

1808
03:58:23,910 --> 03:58:29,350
the next regular election, which would be November of this year, one of the open positions

1809
03:58:29,350 --> 03:58:34,810
would be set as a position for the elected mayor. Next slide.

1810
03:58:36,940 --> 03:58:38,960
So the proposed resolution that's

1811
03:58:38,960 --> 03:58:45,420
included in the staff report, it essentially calls for a special election to be held on June 2nd,

1812
03:58:45,420 --> 03:58:55,200
2026 and request an elected mayor ballot measure be consolidated with the statewide primary election that is also held on that same date.

1813
03:58:55,680 --> 03:59:03,140
The resolution also includes a language of the ballot measure. Again, it's very it's identical to the language that I'd read just read.

1814
03:59:03,500 --> 03:59:06,300
That's prescriptive and is required by the government code.

1815
03:59:06,300 --> 03:59:11,580
The text to be added to the municipal code, so also within the staff report is an ordinance.

1816
03:59:12,180 --> 03:59:18,860
The ordinance is essentially the chapter of the municipal code that would need to be added to establish the elected mayor.

1817
03:59:19,120 --> 03:59:28,660
And there's language in the ordinance that describes the essentially the powers of the elected mayor and how they differ from the existing situation.

1818
03:59:29,960 --> 03:59:35,260
And the resolution also includes deadlines for the primary and

1819
03:59:35,260 --> 03:59:36,160
rebuttal arguments.

1820
03:59:38,020 --> 03:59:41,060
As the members of the public and council may recall for any ballot

1821
03:59:41,060 --> 03:59:44,360
measure, there's a city attorney impartial analysis that's

1822
03:59:44,360 --> 03:59:45,580
included in the ballot measure.

1823
03:59:47,240 --> 03:59:49,880
There's a statement in favor, a statement of pose.

1824
03:59:49,900 --> 03:59:51,020
So this is a ballot measure.

1825
03:59:51,180 --> 03:59:54,620
It would be similar to a sales tax ballot measure or any other ballot

1826
03:59:54,620 --> 03:59:57,080
measure that appears on an election ballot.

1827
03:59:57,080 --> 03:59:58,660
Next slide.

1828
04:00:00,940 --> 04:00:10,020
So, the powers of the mayor. So, an elected mayor is a member of the city council and has all of the powers and duties of a member of the city council.

1829
04:00:10,620 --> 04:00:14,560
For the most part, an elected mayor has the same powers as an appointed mayor.

1830
04:00:15,400 --> 04:00:26,880
The ordinance that's included in the staff report describes the very specific powers of an elected mayor, which includes presiding over the city council meetings, which is the case currently for the mayor.

1831
04:00:28,640 --> 04:00:32,380
The elected mayor can request the governor proclaim a state of emergency.

1832
04:00:33,780 --> 04:00:38,980
The elected mayor can certify Appadavits in acknowledging documents, which are executed

1833
04:00:38,980 --> 04:00:39,500
by the city.

1834
04:00:40,100 --> 04:00:42,140
That's pretty much the case right now.

1835
04:00:42,780 --> 04:00:46,060
Make appointments to committees with approval of the city council.

1836
04:00:47,200 --> 04:00:51,760
So typically the elected mayor has the ability to make appointments, but those appointments

1837
04:00:51,760 --> 04:00:54,520
still do need to be approved by the full city council.

1838
04:00:54,520 --> 04:01:03,080
So if an elected mayor decides to appoint an individual to a committee or a commission and the majority of the council is not supportive, then that appointment would not occur.

1839
04:01:04,900 --> 04:01:05,380
Next slide.

1840
04:01:07,370 --> 04:01:07,610
Okay.

1841
04:01:07,890 --> 04:01:08,130
Salary.

1842
04:01:08,930 --> 04:01:21,650
So government code section 361-36516.1 provides that an elected mayor collect may collect the salary in addition to the salary established for council members.

1843
04:01:21,650 --> 04:01:25,630
if approved by ordinance of the city council or the voters.

1844
04:01:26,130 --> 04:01:30,810
So currently the municipal code provides for a salary for council members.

1845
04:01:31,010 --> 04:01:33,050
It's $950 a month.

1846
04:01:34,070 --> 04:01:38,050
There is no restriction on the salary that can be established for an elected mayor.

1847
04:01:39,310 --> 04:01:45,610
I provide here a few examples of other cities in the region that have an elected mayor

1848
04:01:45,610 --> 04:01:50,350
and the compensation that is set for those particular elected mayors.

1849
04:01:50,350 --> 04:01:59,270
The staff report and the resolution includes a compensation or a salary of $100 more per month than council members.

1850
04:01:59,930 --> 04:02:03,310
That is not a staff recommendation. It's really just a placeholder.

1851
04:02:03,870 --> 04:02:06,510
So that's the question really for the council.

1852
04:02:07,730 --> 04:02:14,010
If there's the interest in moving forward, staff would like some direction on what that amount should be.

1853
04:02:14,010 --> 04:02:22,570
I should note that the city council can just set the elected mayor salary to be consistent with all the other council members.

1854
04:02:23,450 --> 04:02:24,590
It could certainly do that.

1855
04:02:25,270 --> 04:02:31,210
The other thing to note is that the salary set for the elected mayor is codified in the ordinance.

1856
04:02:32,070 --> 04:02:38,310
So if the council decides three months from now or a year from now to change that salary,

1857
04:02:38,310 --> 04:02:46,850
You can do so through the ordinance process, you wouldn't need to go out on a new ballot measure to establish a change in the compensation for the elected mayor.

1858
04:02:47,190 --> 04:03:01,090
So the voters decide on whether or not to establish the elected mayor and then the kind of powers, if you will, the salary that's all set by ordinance and that's just first and second read, it's a public hearing and there would be a public process for that.

1859
04:03:01,670 --> 04:03:02,690
Next slide.

1860
04:03:02,690 --> 04:03:11,810
So, fiscal impact. So, the estimated cost to place one ballot measure on the 2026 primary

1861
04:03:11,810 --> 04:03:23,490
election ballot is approximately 37,000 to 36. Between 37,000 and 55,000. That's information

1862
04:03:23,490 --> 04:03:28,950
provided from the county, who administered the election. It's basically a formula based

1863
04:03:28,950 --> 04:03:35,150
the number of voters and there's a dollar amount of sign to each voter, so that's just the

1864
04:03:35,150 --> 04:03:39,270
cost of the ballot measure. There are also additional costs associated with staff time

1865
04:03:40,070 --> 04:03:48,550
for preparing the actual ballot measure city attorney impartial analysis in that as well.

1866
04:03:49,070 --> 04:03:56,130
I should note that moving forward, obviously an elected mayor, that will then be on later election

1867
04:03:56,130 --> 04:04:03,550
ballots. Those would be consistent with the council member elections. So having a second question

1868
04:04:03,550 --> 04:04:09,190
of, you know, the candidates for mayor and then a question for council members, that would be a kind

1869
04:04:09,190 --> 04:04:14,630
of negligible cost, as confirmed by the county. It's not like adding a ballot measure, which is a very

1870
04:04:14,630 --> 04:04:19,670
separate question where you have a full analysis that needs to be included. It's really just an additional

1871
04:04:19,670 --> 04:04:25,710
question on the ballot. So the cost associated with that would be negligible moving forward.

1872
04:04:27,450 --> 04:04:33,910
next slide. So that concludes my presentation. I'm happy to answer questions and as mentioned there's

1873
04:04:33,910 --> 04:04:38,470
really two questions for the council should we move forward with this particular measure

1874
04:04:38,470 --> 04:04:43,090
and then any direction on the salary to set for an elected mayor if that's the direction.

1875
04:04:43,870 --> 04:04:50,010
Okay. Thank you. So council mayor. So I'm usually looking this way. I mean the report stands. So I'll start on

1876
04:04:50,010 --> 04:04:55,790
this side. Council member Martinez Rubin. If you could. Sure. Thank you. Just clarification city attorney

1877
04:04:55,790 --> 04:05:03,550
casher you mentioned, the current salary for council members at 9.50 per month. That is not all council

1878
04:05:03,550 --> 04:05:10,910
members at this point. Yes. Is that correct? That's correct. So the ordinance went into effect.

1879
04:05:10,910 --> 04:05:18,530
I think in August of 2024, and it went into effect for, it was, it's basically when you get in,

1880
04:05:18,630 --> 04:05:24,110
you know, newly elected council members receive that salary. But council members who were in

1881
04:05:24,110 --> 04:05:27,370
office of the time are not, they didn't receive the new salary adjustment.

1882
04:05:27,770 --> 04:05:34,950
So currently two of the council members on the day is would be the ones that have that salary.

1883
04:05:36,130 --> 04:05:39,030
I don't know that for certain, but that sounds right.

1884
04:05:39,730 --> 04:05:39,910
Yes.

1885
04:05:41,250 --> 04:05:41,890
That is so.

1886
04:05:42,510 --> 04:05:42,670
Okay.

1887
04:05:42,730 --> 04:05:43,090
Thank you.

1888
04:05:43,210 --> 04:05:51,430
The questions I have in reading the material, which is the same that everyone received on Thursday

1889
04:05:51,430 --> 04:05:53,090
and is your presentation today.

1890
04:05:53,090 --> 04:05:55,730
I've got three questions.

1891
04:05:57,330 --> 04:06:02,270
We're general lossity, so council manager, formal government, not an elected mayor in our mayor's

1892
04:06:02,270 --> 04:06:03,410
rotate, annually.

1893
04:06:04,170 --> 04:06:09,410
May a general lossity with an elected mayor become a charter city?

1894
04:06:10,770 --> 04:06:15,670
Yes, so a general loss city with an elected mayor can become a charter city.

1895
04:06:16,150 --> 04:06:22,210
The process for doing that would require kind of similar to what we've presented on this

1896
04:06:22,210 --> 04:06:27,910
before, but it's the council would essentially need to direct staff to prepare a resolution to

1897
04:06:27,910 --> 04:06:33,670
place a ballot measure for the city becoming a charter city. So, an elected mayor cannot

1898
04:06:34,530 --> 04:06:40,350
unilaterally create a charter city situation. There would still need to be council direction,

1899
04:06:40,350 --> 04:06:45,530
a resolution approving that and then a ballot measure where the voters would decide whether or not

1900
04:06:45,530 --> 04:06:47,390
the city would become a charter city.

1901
04:06:47,810 --> 04:06:51,630
And that could possibly happen in 2020, eight.

1902
04:06:53,990 --> 04:06:56,910
Yeah, I believe the requirement is that a charter city ballot

1903
04:06:56,910 --> 04:07:00,910
measure needs to be on a general election ballot.

1904
04:07:02,470 --> 04:07:04,550
So there's, well, I think there's a general election in November

1905
04:07:04,550 --> 04:07:05,770
in 2020, yeah.

1906
04:07:06,170 --> 04:07:06,790
OK, thank you.

1907
04:07:07,090 --> 04:07:07,670
Another question.

1908
04:07:07,970 --> 04:07:12,250
Could that charter contain terms or provisions such

1909
04:07:12,250 --> 04:07:15,630
that if we were to have the penal city,

1910
04:07:15,630 --> 04:07:18,490
city of Pino would have to have would have an elected mayor.

1911
04:07:18,790 --> 04:07:21,210
The mayor could become a quote strong mayor.

1912
04:07:21,270 --> 04:07:23,410
There's language of that in your presentation.

1913
04:07:24,470 --> 04:07:28,730
Yeah, so typically charter cities do have the ability

1914
04:07:28,730 --> 04:07:29,970
to establish a strong...

1915
04:07:30,760 --> 04:07:44,720
Mayer. That would, but that's the case currently, if the city council were to establish and become, you know, direct the ballot measure and the voters decided to become a charter city, even if there was a rotating mayor.

1916
04:07:45,400 --> 04:07:49,740
The council could still establish that appointed mayor to be a strong mayor.

1917
04:07:50,920 --> 04:07:55,460
But the same would be true for an elected mayor. So it's, it could go either way.

1918
04:07:55,460 --> 04:08:11,540
Thank you. And compensation in the city examples that you provide. Is that compensation based on the population of the respective cities and is that population eligibility or requirement based on statute?

1919
04:08:12,480 --> 04:08:18,460
Good question. So it was hard it was hard to know. So I part of the reason I included the

1920
04:08:19,580 --> 04:08:26,380
$100 more than council members, so that was what I think that was San Ramone who had that which seemed like the closest comparable.

1921
04:08:27,780 --> 04:08:33,580
But the thing that I'm not aware of is what responsibilities the elected mayor has in each of these cities.

1922
04:08:33,760 --> 04:08:36,680
So it may be the case that it's not an apples to apples comparison.

1923
04:08:36,900 --> 04:08:45,800
Some of those elected mayors might have greater responsibilities due to these time commitments than other cities, so they have a higher kind of compensation as a result of that.

1924
04:08:45,800 --> 04:08:50,280
I wasn't able to drill down to know exactly the differences between each of those.

1925
04:08:50,720 --> 04:08:56,200
Okay, but with regard to population size, is that a statute built in to California statute?

1926
04:08:56,420 --> 04:09:03,760
As to smaller cities will have a amount of compensation for their elected larger cities,

1927
04:09:03,880 --> 04:09:11,600
like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, have higher salaries and staff because they can't support that

1928
04:09:11,600 --> 04:09:14,100
because of the higher population and businesses, et cetera.

1929
04:09:14,560 --> 04:09:14,580
Yes.

1930
04:09:14,580 --> 04:09:20,780
So under California law, council member salaries are set by statute and they're

1931
04:09:20,780 --> 04:09:23,940
capped based on the population of a particular city.

1932
04:09:24,340 --> 04:09:30,380
So there's a maximum amount that a city, the size of Penol, can compensate council members.

1933
04:09:30,640 --> 04:09:35,620
Under state law, there is no restriction or limitation on the amount of salary that an elected

1934
04:09:35,620 --> 04:09:38,180
mayor may be the side.

1935
04:09:38,880 --> 04:09:43,620
So that same restriction for council members does not apply to compensation for an elected

1936
04:09:43,620 --> 04:09:50,240
Mayor. Thank you. Yeah. Okay, I think we had council member, sorry. I had a question.

1937
04:09:50,340 --> 04:09:55,140
Oh, sorry. Yeah. Okay. All right. I didn't see the question, but. Okay. Mayor,

1938
04:09:55,300 --> 04:09:59,020
I'm going. Okay. Thank you so much, Mayor. I just had a couple of questions. First of all,

1939
04:09:59,100 --> 04:10:03,840
City Attorney Castro. Thank you for getting us to this point. I know we directed staff around this

1940
04:10:03,840 --> 04:10:06,820
in November. Maybe December of last year. So thank you for bringing this presentation

1941
04:10:06,820 --> 04:10:14,940
back. I think that the same question I had around what is SB 329, I think that's the Senator

1942
04:10:14,940 --> 04:10:19,320
Doz Bill who's retired now, is that the reference of standards that you're referring to

1943
04:10:19,320 --> 04:10:25,840
as a really compensation for elected? For city council members? For city council members?

1944
04:10:27,220 --> 04:10:32,200
I'm not sure the legislative bill. It's in the government code though, but yeah.

1945
04:10:33,180 --> 04:10:42,480
So, what I'm hearing from you in terms of direction tonight is that the, I'm so sorry.

1946
04:10:43,020 --> 04:10:50,140
So, you said for SB, you're not familiar with the bill, but the government code is integrated into that.

1947
04:10:50,140 --> 04:10:53,340
That's what you're referring more to as opposed to the bill.

1948
04:10:54,300 --> 04:10:56,760
So, for the compensation of the elected mayor,

1949
04:10:56,760 --> 04:11:01,100
There really is no kind of state law restriction.

1950
04:11:01,580 --> 04:11:02,400
It's open.

1951
04:11:03,140 --> 04:11:06,020
In the sample, the example cities that I have here,

1952
04:11:06,340 --> 04:11:07,680
you see there's quite a range.

1953
04:11:08,480 --> 04:11:11,720
There's some that are as high as $3,000 a month

1954
04:11:12,580 --> 04:11:16,720
and, or $66 or $7,000 a month, so there's a range.

1955
04:11:17,920 --> 04:11:21,140
And then of these cities, do you know which ones have council manager

1956
04:11:21,140 --> 04:11:22,080
forms of government?

1957
04:11:22,980 --> 04:11:26,220
I assume rich man, for example, has the council manager

1958
04:11:26,220 --> 04:11:29,220
for my government, but I was to my question too.

1959
04:11:29,520 --> 04:11:31,300
Yeah, I think, I mean, I definitely know Union City

1960
04:11:31,300 --> 04:11:36,040
and Newark and Sandley Andrew, those I know for sure,

1961
04:11:36,960 --> 04:11:39,800
but you know for sure, our city manager council forms

1962
04:11:39,800 --> 04:11:40,280
of government.

1963
04:11:40,820 --> 04:11:45,540
Okay, yeah, I know Martinez has an elected mayor.

1964
04:11:47,300 --> 04:11:49,060
I know that's not mentioned here.

1965
04:11:49,200 --> 04:11:52,020
I'm just wondering, is that a council manager form of government?

1966
04:11:53,620 --> 04:11:55,040
I'm not sure about marketing as yet.

1967
04:11:55,040 --> 04:11:55,940
I could look that up though.

1968
04:11:56,460 --> 04:11:56,740
Yeah.

1969
04:11:56,880 --> 04:11:58,700
Would you know, it's the city of Petaluma.

1970
04:11:58,920 --> 04:12:01,740
They're about our same size as well, do what they have council manager?

1971
04:12:02,540 --> 04:12:03,400
I believe they do.

1972
04:12:03,900 --> 04:12:06,080
But they have an elected mayor as well.

1973
04:12:06,960 --> 04:12:07,480
I'm not sure.

1974
04:12:07,820 --> 04:12:12,560
I haven't done one of my other staff reports may have had every single city that has elected

1975
04:12:12,560 --> 04:12:12,820
mayor.

1976
04:12:13,160 --> 04:12:13,560
Okay.

1977
04:12:13,940 --> 04:12:14,020
Yeah.

1978
04:12:14,020 --> 04:12:16,540
There are a couple of cities from this last staff report that was listed.

1979
04:12:16,580 --> 04:12:18,100
So I just was wondering about that.

1980
04:12:18,420 --> 04:12:22,360
I know these are this particular slide is talking about salary, but you know,

1981
04:12:22,360 --> 04:12:32,380
One of the concerns that some residents have been having has been the notion that having an elected mayor might not create an environment where there is a council manager for a government.

1982
04:12:33,420 --> 04:12:38,920
And I just was wondering whether or not the city attorney's office had looked into some of that because I wanted to close.

1983
04:12:39,360 --> 04:12:45,420
I really want to ensure that residents understand that there are cities that could have both systems.

1984
04:12:45,820 --> 04:12:47,440
And so I just want clarity on that.

1985
04:12:47,440 --> 04:12:55,180
Yeah, so the vast majority of cities in the region have a council member city manager form of government.

1986
04:12:55,760 --> 04:13:07,800
The strong mayor is a different way of referring to it and that is essentially where the mayor has more or less the authority of the city manager and access kind of the city administrator if you will.

1987
04:13:08,400 --> 04:13:16,900
Those are pretty rare situations, but there are several cities that have elected mayors that are still council member city manager forms a government.

1988
04:13:16,900 --> 04:13:19,300
it's not, they're not the same thing.

1989
04:13:19,560 --> 04:13:19,640
Gotcha.

1990
04:13:19,900 --> 04:13:28,400
And then there was a comment made that the reason why the state has standards around matching

1991
04:13:28,400 --> 04:13:34,900
councilmember compensation to population size is the reason why we have that is because of

1992
04:13:36,080 --> 04:13:39,440
city's capacity to handle that compensation.

1993
04:13:39,940 --> 04:13:42,160
Is that the reason why that law was created?

1994
04:13:43,620 --> 04:13:50,120
I'd have to dig into the legislative history of that particular, that bill, that it's been

1995
04:13:50,120 --> 04:13:56,580
amended over the years, so it has been adjusted, obviously, for inflation and other things.

1996
04:13:57,760 --> 04:14:01,160
I'm not exactly sure why it was set in that way.

1997
04:14:01,640 --> 04:14:05,120
I think it's probably not the first to assume that then.

1998
04:14:05,640 --> 04:14:06,160
I don't know.

1999
04:14:06,220 --> 04:14:06,480
I don't know.

2000
04:14:06,860 --> 04:14:07,720
Yeah, I don't know.

2001
04:14:07,800 --> 04:14:07,980
Okay.

2002
04:14:08,100 --> 04:14:08,720
I just want to make sure.

2003
04:14:08,880 --> 04:14:09,260
Thank you.

2004
04:14:09,260 --> 04:14:09,540
Yeah.

2005
04:14:10,980 --> 04:14:11,260
Okay.

2006
04:14:11,820 --> 04:14:16,500
Keeping with the rotation, council member, society, and then council member Tombs.

2007
04:14:16,900 --> 04:14:17,620
Thank you, Mayor.

2008
04:14:17,820 --> 04:14:19,540
And thank you, City Attorney, for their presentation.

2009
04:14:20,480 --> 04:14:27,400
Followed question to council member Martinez Rubin's question on whether a city with an elected mayor could become a charter city.

2010
04:14:27,700 --> 04:14:30,340
Could a city with an appointed mayor become a charter city?

2011
04:14:31,060 --> 04:14:31,540
Yes.

2012
04:14:32,020 --> 04:14:32,160
Okay.

2013
04:14:32,360 --> 04:14:35,960
And is the measure in the front of us today going to turn panel into a charter city?

2014
04:14:37,120 --> 04:14:44,540
If this were approved, the ballot measure would simply ask the question of whether or not to establish an elected mayor would not create a charter city.

2015
04:14:44,900 --> 04:14:45,540
Okay, thank you.

2016
04:14:45,860 --> 04:14:51,920
I want to go over some of the things I've heard over the past few weeks in the public around this issue.

2017
04:14:53,040 --> 04:14:59,980
Most on social media, some three email, but yes, some statements in terms that have been used to describe that.

2018
04:15:00,000 --> 04:15:05,300
I'll come to this measure and I'll just go one by one if that's okay. I've heard this measure would

2019
04:15:05,300 --> 04:15:11,080
approve of full-time salary mayor. So city attorney, if pass, will this measure approve of full-time

2020
04:15:11,080 --> 04:15:18,500
salary for the elected mayor? And when I say full-time salary, I'm referring to $50,000 plus or minus,

2021
04:15:18,940 --> 04:15:26,860
or even beyond that. No, so this, the council will set the salary for the elected mayor as part of

2022
04:15:26,860 --> 04:15:33,340
discussion, but the roles and responsibilities of the elect mayor and they're described in the

2023
04:15:33,340 --> 04:15:37,040
ordinance and the staff report, it wouldn't be a full-time position. It's going to be very

2024
04:15:37,040 --> 04:15:42,300
consistent with the current mayor. Okay. Thank you. And then I know Councillor Miller,

2025
04:15:42,480 --> 04:15:46,340
please remove and ask this question as well. The current compensation for Councillor

2026
04:15:46,340 --> 04:15:52,000
member in the mayor right now is it was the 1950? The municipal code is set at 950.

2027
04:15:52,000 --> 04:15:57,340
$950 annually that's $11,400 and I think I think what you're referring to, you

2028
04:15:57,340 --> 04:16:02,020
Councilmember Tennis Rubin is that, for folks who were elected, I think, before that,

2029
04:16:02,120 --> 04:16:09,940
before 2024, I think 2022, we don't receive that updated compensation, it's a lower

2030
04:16:09,940 --> 04:16:12,620
rate and you don't have it on hand right now.

2031
04:16:13,240 --> 04:16:18,240
Yeah, I forgot what it was adjusted from, and the idea there is that Councilmember

2032
04:16:18,240 --> 04:16:25,440
whose office should kind of increase their own compensation while they're there, so it's

2033
04:16:25,440 --> 04:16:28,220
basically for newly elected council members.

2034
04:16:29,420 --> 04:16:34,240
I've heard the term authoritarian used to describe this initiative and then an elected mayor

2035
04:16:34,240 --> 04:16:38,200
would diminish the powers and authorities of individual members of this council.

2036
04:16:39,380 --> 04:16:45,540
So if pass, will this measure provide the elected mayor with veto power?

2037
04:16:47,420 --> 04:16:52,840
individual power to appoint staff or appoint commissioners,

2038
04:16:52,920 --> 04:16:55,940
you know, laterally, without council's consensus.

2039
04:16:57,020 --> 04:17:01,600
So this ordinance would not create a, you know, authority or power for the mayor,

2040
04:17:01,740 --> 04:17:07,300
and it would not allow an elected mayor to unilaterally appoint a commissioner,

2041
04:17:07,800 --> 04:17:12,020
the kind of powers, if you will, of the elected mayor are in the ordinance,

2042
04:17:12,040 --> 04:17:14,480
and it's very similar to what we currently have.

2043
04:17:14,480 --> 04:17:16,900
Okay, and so are there no additional authorities?

2044
04:17:18,260 --> 04:17:24,000
No, so, yeah, what's in the ordinance is really what we are essentially

2045
04:17:24,000 --> 04:17:26,680
designating for that role for that position.

2046
04:17:27,140 --> 04:17:28,260
Thank you.

2047
04:17:28,280 --> 04:17:28,540
Okay.

2048
04:17:29,160 --> 04:17:30,020
Councilmember Tom, please.

2049
04:17:30,440 --> 04:17:30,720
Yes.

2050
04:17:30,740 --> 04:17:31,320
Thank you.

2051
04:17:31,700 --> 04:17:41,020
The way this, it's currently written, if this were approved, you could have say three candidates

2052
04:17:41,020 --> 04:17:48,080
It's running for the position of mayor three or four, but let's say you had three.

2053
04:17:49,060 --> 04:17:57,100
You could have a mayor with less than 50% of the vote that gets that wins the election.

2054
04:18:00,240 --> 04:18:02,400
In other words, we're not doing a primary.

2055
04:18:02,560 --> 04:18:06,400
This doesn't anticipate doing a primary or a runoff.

2056
04:18:07,000 --> 04:18:07,560
Is that accurate?

2057
04:18:08,280 --> 04:18:15,280
This does not. The council can, if there's an interest in having a primary, that that

2058
04:18:15,280 --> 04:18:20,520
can be, we could establish that. We could set that up as the process, but as it reads,

2059
04:18:20,580 --> 04:18:24,040
no, it's just an election for the mayor position.

2060
04:18:24,760 --> 04:18:30,660
Okay, so I know the city of Richmond just recently changed their process so that they do have

2061
04:18:30,660 --> 04:18:38,320
primary which adds cost to the election process. So in June they're going to narrow it down

2062
04:18:38,320 --> 04:18:46,080
to two candidates and then in November they will select because the way their previous process

2063
04:18:46,080 --> 04:18:55,860
was the current mayor had less than 50% of the vote and one. So that's a point that I just want

2064
04:18:55,860 --> 04:19:02,400
to bring up. I don't have any other questions. So on that note, I mean, you're bringing up a good

2065
04:19:02,400 --> 04:19:09,500
point, Councilmember Tombs. In the event that you had two people run for three, well, I guess

2066
04:19:09,500 --> 04:19:16,340
three people, no, yeah, would be one person and everybody else ran for mayor and there was one person

2067
04:19:16,340 --> 04:19:22,620
in two councilmember seats. What would happen in the event that obviously one person gets selected as mayor,

2068
04:19:22,620 --> 04:19:27,720
one person gets a council and then you have a vacancy. What happens to that scenario?

2069
04:19:28,940 --> 04:19:34,000
Yeah, so the municipal code provides for the specific, but essentially the council would

2070
04:19:34,000 --> 04:19:40,620
appoint to fill the vacancy. It would be an appointment at that point. So if people all decided to

2071
04:19:40,620 --> 04:19:46,660
run for mayor, then he would still have to have a full council appear and the council would act

2072
04:19:46,660 --> 04:19:53,440
exactly the way it's acting now and have the same powers as it is now. Okay. Thanks.

2073
04:19:54,500 --> 04:19:59,660
Any other questions from Council? Okay. We'll open it up to public comment.

2074
04:20:01,360 --> 04:20:05,840
I want to thank everybody for hanging with us with these two last two items.

2075
04:20:07,040 --> 04:20:10,820
And if we could city clerk, we could start public comment.

2076
04:20:10,820 --> 04:20:12,500
Thank you, Mayor.

2077
04:20:12,740 --> 04:20:14,060
Ann Moriarty.

2078
04:20:25,180 --> 04:20:26,480
Good evening, Mayor.

2079
04:20:27,100 --> 04:20:29,320
Council, staff, citizens.

2080
04:20:30,580 --> 04:20:40,880
So Council, let's just give you the benefit of the doubt and say that you really, really want the temperature of the room.

2081
04:20:41,080 --> 04:20:45,860
Regarding if the voters of Penal want to elect the mayor.

2082
04:20:46,640 --> 04:20:47,200
Fair enough,

2083
04:20:49,560 --> 04:20:52,880
but it seems to me that there's two ways to do that right now.

2084
04:20:52,880 --> 04:21:00,000
There's two ways for the council to understand where the citizens of Penal stand.

2085
04:21:01,400 --> 04:21:21,120
One is you could be fiscally irresponsible and commit political suicide by voting to spend up to $58,000 plus of taxpayer funds

2086
04:21:21,120 --> 04:21:31,740
To place the question on a ballot measure in June, or two, you could vote no on authorizing

2087
04:21:31,740 --> 04:21:40,280
this ballot measure, and instead submit a well thought out question to the voters on

2088
04:21:40,280 --> 04:21:44,740
the citywide poll, which is already scheduled for the spring.

2089
04:21:45,920 --> 04:21:52,920
In speaking with the city attorney, this would not cost the city a dime.

2090
04:21:54,220 --> 04:21:55,880
And it gets you the same information.

2091
04:21:56,660 --> 04:22:00,580
The only thing it does is it slows the process down.

2092
04:22:01,680 --> 04:22:10,740
However, if your thought is to understand where the citizens of Penolar,

2093
04:22:12,250 --> 04:22:15,550
I assume you're wise enough to make the right choice.

2094
04:22:16,890 --> 04:22:18,170
Thank you.

2095
04:22:18,750 --> 04:22:20,330
Thank you for coming.

2096
04:22:20,910 --> 04:22:21,730
Next speaker, please.

2097
04:22:22,390 --> 04:22:23,350
Kent Moriarty.

2098
04:22:31,330 --> 04:22:46,070
Good evening. I'm not clear why members of council have been pushing so hard to change by no system of government to that elected mayor.

2099
04:22:47,530 --> 04:22:58,710
The residents have an ass for it and appear to be opposed to it. I'm opposed to it because I think they consolidate in more power in one person will create problems for the city.

2100
04:22:59,710 --> 04:23:06,210
And I feel that the current system of rotating the mayor is more democratic because eventually

2101
04:23:06,210 --> 04:23:12,930
the council member that a voter feels most represented by rotates into the mayor position.

2102
04:23:15,640 --> 04:23:21,400
If there's really no agenda behind this, and the council simply wants to take the temperature

2103
04:23:21,400 --> 04:23:28,220
of the room and know what the community wants, then add the question to the poll that's

2104
04:23:28,220 --> 04:23:34,540
been planned for free. You'll find out how the community stands on this. Rushing right into

2105
04:23:34,540 --> 04:23:41,500
an expensive special election is simply not justified and I seriously question why anybody

2106
04:23:41,500 --> 04:23:44,520
would support doing so. Thank you.

2107
04:23:46,570 --> 04:23:50,830
Thank you for a comment. Next speaker please. Richard

2108
04:23:50,830 --> 04:23:52,150
Kaffell

2109
04:23:59,930 --> 04:24:01,950
followed by Peter Murray.

2110
04:24:07,310 --> 04:24:10,810
Hi, my name is Richard Kaffell. First off, I want to say thank you

2111
04:24:10,810 --> 04:24:17,450
much for your service. I mean, you're here doing work for the city, work for the people,

2112
04:24:17,710 --> 04:24:24,070
and we appreciate it. And you get compensation, but honestly, it'd be nice to be able to give

2113
04:24:24,070 --> 04:24:32,830
you more. But on this, I'm kind of confused. I've heard several things, but what I haven't heard

2114
04:24:32,830 --> 04:24:39,650
is why? What's the purpose? I mean, what's underlying? What brought this up?

2115
04:24:40,470 --> 04:24:46,410
Well, you know, there is there a particular problem that we can't fix with the council of the

2116
04:24:46,410 --> 04:24:55,470
way it is now. It sounds like the mayor is going to have the same tasks and authority.

2117
04:24:56,630 --> 04:25:02,070
Nothing special about it. So why are we doing this? I don't understand. And then on top of that,

2118
04:25:02,070 --> 04:25:10,190
Why the timing, I don't actually say why we are doing it on the special election as opposed to a general election?

2119
04:25:11,110 --> 04:25:20,870
I don't see a reason and that's what I keep on hearing people saying things and they're all dancing around the whole thing of why?

2120
04:25:21,410 --> 04:25:23,610
Why do this and why do it now?

2121
04:25:23,610 --> 04:25:30,550
So, but maybe someone can answer that, I'll give you the opportunity to do that.

2122
04:25:30,890 --> 04:25:40,770
But on top of that, 90% or more, I think if I did some research in the cities of this

2123
04:25:40,770 --> 04:25:47,790
size, don't have an elected mayor, and again, why if everybody else doesn't have, why do

2124
04:25:47,790 --> 04:25:57,170
need it. But on top of that, just to give you an idea what Penal doesn't like, it seems

2125
04:25:57,170 --> 04:26:07,930
to be, is changing the way elections are done. And if you remember in, was it 2018, almost

2126
04:26:07,930 --> 04:26:17,450
80% of the people voted no on Proposition P. Proposition P was to change the term limits.

2127
04:26:17,450 --> 04:26:21,230
If you remember, 80% of the people voted no.

2128
04:26:22,050 --> 04:26:26,490
Do you think you're going to get 80% to vote for a mayor?

2129
04:26:27,150 --> 04:26:32,630
Something tells me that 120 years history of doing the way we're doing, and you're going

2130
04:26:32,630 --> 04:26:37,550
to get the same people who voted 80% no on terminoins to go for a mayor?

2131
04:26:37,950 --> 04:26:39,090
I just don't see it.

2132
04:26:39,630 --> 04:26:44,270
Again, you know, maybe you can tell us why, because the people are going to want to know

2133
04:26:44,270 --> 04:26:46,210
why are you putting this on the ballot?

2134
04:26:46,210 --> 04:26:48,850
No one had been able to explain that.

2135
04:26:49,310 --> 04:26:54,670
So, okay, let's just say, we don't know why.

2136
04:26:55,190 --> 04:26:57,170
We don't know what the good things are,

2137
04:26:57,570 --> 04:27:00,170
or the reasons for it, but there are reasons why we went.

2138
04:27:00,850 --> 04:27:02,950
I mean, there are, let's see,

2139
04:27:05,110 --> 04:27:06,790
it could cause animosity.

2140
04:27:09,830 --> 04:27:11,510
Sorry, yeah, we had three minutes.

2141
04:27:11,510 --> 04:27:18,910
state. Sorry about that. I'll make the announcement. We do have three minutes per speaker for

2142
04:27:18,910 --> 04:27:25,690
public comment. But thank you for your comments. Next speaker. Peter Murray.

2143
04:27:30,830 --> 04:27:31,930
Good evening. Good evening.

2144
04:27:32,250 --> 04:27:33,750
Good evening. Congratulations, Mr. Mayor.

2145
04:27:36,120 --> 04:27:41,740
I know it's belated, but thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yeah.

2146
04:27:41,740 --> 04:27:47,920
That's a former, a former, a former, yeah, once upon a time, like a fairy tale, almost.

2147
04:27:50,720 --> 04:27:58,620
Yeah, I wanted to bring up, I saw something on next door and then I had to question it myself.

2148
04:28:00,360 --> 04:28:01,920
And so I wrote this up.

2149
04:28:02,140 --> 04:28:06,280
I asked myself, why do we need this now or ever?

2150
04:28:06,280 --> 04:28:12,140
We're a small California city, we've been incorporated for a city over 100 years, and we

2151
04:28:12,140 --> 04:28:16,020
have self-governed ourselves extremely well by all standards.

2152
04:28:16,740 --> 04:28:22,380
And we operate under the state, and exist under the state's general law umbrella, the

2153
04:28:22,380 --> 04:28:25,760
tenets by which we operate are steadfast and honorable.

2154
04:28:26,780 --> 04:28:31,900
We are being told that our governance system is antiquated, that's the word I saw.

2155
04:28:31,900 --> 04:28:38,920
And I'm asking, who's perpetrating this falsehood and why to go along with the question

2156
04:28:38,920 --> 04:28:50,050
asked, a question for you and that you should know is that the vast majority of California

2157
04:28:50,050 --> 04:28:59,190
cities use this methodology today fast, not one here and one there, the vast, the majority.

2158
04:29:00,290 --> 04:29:03,630
So that's a fact check for you if you want to do it, I did.

2159
04:29:04,470 --> 04:29:09,710
So what we have here is an opinion, and nothing more than an opinion, but it's an aggressive

2160
04:29:09,710 --> 04:29:10,630
one.

2161
04:29:11,030 --> 04:29:14,930
It's an attack on the proven and fair-minded system that we haven't placed today.

2162
04:29:15,990 --> 04:29:17,630
So what's the hustle here?

2163
04:29:17,970 --> 04:29:26,630
I'm asking because this has been heard and discussed before at the council level.

2164
04:29:26,630 --> 04:29:40,630
We talked about a prior, what back in the fall, and I think that you understood that the people in the community were not in favor of it.

2165
04:29:42,010 --> 04:29:46,390
But here we are again. I wrote this because I thought it was confusing.

2166
04:29:46,390 --> 04:29:50,550
It seems like we have a dog with a proverbial bone that won't let go.

2167
04:29:51,210 --> 04:29:54,490
And I asked the council here to see it just for that.

2168
04:29:54,690 --> 04:29:56,890
Reject the idea and move on.

2169
04:30:00,000 --> 04:30:10,000
I'm hoping that this evening that at least three of you or more council members will step up and nicks this idea and leap and all alone and let Penelope be Penelope.

2170
04:30:11,120 --> 04:30:25,640
For the public please understand this council has far more serious matters to handle than this, seriously. It is almost criminal to put out taxpayers money for this proposal. The numbers could reach over $50,000.

2171
04:30:26,320 --> 04:30:29,040
Money that could be spent on more pressing matters.

2172
04:30:29,500 --> 04:30:34,360
We have to account for the PERS and OPEB reserve money that were siphoned off.

2173
04:30:34,720 --> 04:30:36,980
We have contracts with the police.

2174
04:30:37,220 --> 04:30:37,340
Please.

2175
04:30:40,700 --> 04:30:40,960
Thank you.

2176
04:30:43,260 --> 04:30:44,260
Thank you.

2177
04:30:44,260 --> 04:30:44,520
Thank you.

2178
04:30:44,600 --> 04:30:45,020
Thank you for your comment.

2179
04:30:46,040 --> 04:30:46,120
Okay.

2180
04:30:46,440 --> 04:30:47,560
Next speaker, please.

2181
04:30:49,240 --> 04:30:49,880
Debbie Long.

2182
04:30:54,070 --> 04:30:55,450
Followed by William Horton.

2183
04:31:03,270 --> 04:31:04,330
Good evening council.

2184
04:31:04,570 --> 04:31:06,090
I'm going to be a little bit more direct.

2185
04:31:06,810 --> 04:31:10,690
As you know, I'm here tonight to voice my opposition to having an elected mayor

2186
04:31:10,690 --> 04:31:12,430
in our small city of Peno.

2187
04:31:12,690 --> 04:31:15,310
However, tonight, I would also like to respond specifically

2188
04:31:15,310 --> 04:31:17,690
to Devin Murphy's post on next door,

2189
04:31:18,010 --> 04:31:19,630
which likely has broken the Brown Act

2190
04:31:19,630 --> 04:31:21,290
in the form of a serial meeting.

2191
04:31:22,050 --> 04:31:24,650
He was clarifying the item regarding the elected mayor

2192
04:31:24,650 --> 04:31:26,770
and his perception of misinformation,

2193
04:31:27,330 --> 04:31:29,330
yet he isn't specific.

2194
04:31:29,830 --> 04:31:32,650
He states that the city cannot make this choice on their own.

2195
04:31:32,830 --> 04:31:33,470
We know that.

2196
04:31:33,730 --> 04:31:35,850
It appears he isn't listening to us,

2197
04:31:36,150 --> 04:31:38,610
because our arguments are that we have established

2198
04:31:38,610 --> 04:31:43,990
that an election is not appropriate given that there has not been any public outcry.

2199
04:31:44,510 --> 04:31:48,870
The council isn't testing the water through polling as with the other ballot measures and

2200
04:31:48,870 --> 04:31:55,230
the cost of putting this on a ballot up to $57,000 plus staff time as well as the cost

2201
04:31:55,230 --> 04:32:00,370
of the November ballot is not financially set on decision given the budgeting constraints of the

2202
04:32:00,370 --> 04:32:00,650
city.

2203
04:32:01,270 --> 04:32:04,250
He also states that this ballot does not change the form of government.

2204
04:32:04,250 --> 04:32:10,390
Yet he continues to point out that his new structure would directly impact leadership, accountability, and stability.

2205
04:32:11,330 --> 04:32:14,510
Currently, all council members have demonstrated that the health these qualities.

2206
04:32:14,970 --> 04:32:17,370
Is he diminishing the current council's qualifications?

2207
04:32:18,170 --> 04:32:22,630
Is he saying only he, because at this time he's the one to be a full-time mayor,

2208
04:32:22,910 --> 04:32:28,290
and this is his third attempt to try and push this through, is the only one that can successfully lead the city?

2209
04:32:28,710 --> 04:32:31,430
Sounds like he is intending to change the form of government,

2210
04:32:31,430 --> 04:32:39,630
And if he is not elected as a strong mayor, the council majority could vote to give him more power, as well as more financial compensation.

2211
04:32:42,620 --> 04:32:49,420
His he expresses that the opposition to this measure is due to personal grievances and political grudges, nothing could be further from the truth.

2212
04:32:49,900 --> 04:32:54,660
I wish I had the time to state the names of the 44 plus individuals that posted on next door.

2213
04:32:55,580 --> 04:32:58,120
All denouncing and election and need for an elected mayor.

2214
04:32:58,120 --> 04:33:02,420
According to him, Penal has frequent turnovers and inconsistency and leadership.

2215
04:33:03,060 --> 04:33:09,080
If he is referring to losing two city managers in his many years, then he is part of that, as well.

2216
04:33:09,840 --> 04:33:14,560
No wherein his posting did he articulate how the city would be better served under elected mayor.

2217
04:33:14,940 --> 04:33:16,840
Instead, he just scripts a lot of buzzwords.

2218
04:33:17,340 --> 04:33:21,180
And lastly, he's added language as to how specifically someone should come to the podium

2219
04:33:21,180 --> 04:33:26,180
and articulate why it's a good idea to have an elected mayor on the ballot.

2220
04:33:26,180 --> 04:33:32,480
Something about directing language scripted by him is like telling people they can't think for the set themselves.

2221
04:33:33,380 --> 04:33:37,360
But as you remember, I started my comments with a Brown Act and a serial meeting.

2222
04:33:37,840 --> 04:33:41,220
Devin has made a public post for all of the council to read.

2223
04:33:41,580 --> 04:33:46,780
Since only two members can have any discussion on the comment on the topic coming on in a June day,

2224
04:33:47,100 --> 04:33:50,640
he is clearly in violation of the Brown Act through serial meeting.

2225
04:33:51,220 --> 04:33:54,040
As I've stated before, no kings in Penel.

2226
04:33:54,040 --> 04:33:58,740
And the bottom line tonight, this is not about Devon, it is about the rest of the council

2227
04:33:58,740 --> 04:34:05,140
and hoping your vote reflects the citizens of Penal and not the alliances on the council.

2228
04:34:06,500 --> 04:34:09,060
Thank you for your comment.

2229
04:34:09,620 --> 04:34:16,240
I would just ask the public, you know, as part of a decorum to direct comments through the mayor

2230
04:34:16,240 --> 04:34:19,980
and not any direct comments to any of the council members or staff.

2231
04:34:19,980 --> 04:34:23,820
So I would just like to ask that of public comment.

2232
04:34:24,160 --> 04:34:25,020
Thank you.

2233
04:34:25,260 --> 04:34:26,000
Next speaker, please.

2234
04:34:26,520 --> 04:34:27,740
Good evening, Mayor and Council.

2235
04:34:28,280 --> 04:34:29,820
My name is William B. Horton.

2236
04:34:30,280 --> 04:34:35,380
I am a Peno voter and I speak in opposition to item number 10A

2237
04:34:35,380 --> 04:34:37,580
for a separately elected mayor.

2238
04:34:38,360 --> 04:34:42,400
First, the election would cost would be unnecessary spending

2239
04:34:42,400 --> 04:34:46,680
that takes funding away from police, fire, parks, and streets.

2240
04:34:47,420 --> 04:34:54,140
Second, the existing mayor of Rotation works fine and gives four people one year each

2241
04:34:54,140 --> 04:34:54,820
is mayor.

2242
04:34:56,040 --> 04:35:01,240
Third, there has been no public outreach such as polling, communication is highly

2243
04:35:01,240 --> 04:35:01,840
important.

2244
04:35:02,920 --> 04:35:08,200
Therefore, I will not be voting in June to waste money on having elected mayor.

2245
04:35:08,600 --> 04:35:10,560
Thank you.

2246
04:35:10,920 --> 04:35:13,160
Thank you for comment next speaker, please.

2247
04:35:13,160 --> 04:35:17,140
Mark Zimmerman, followed by Marsha Jothwick.

2248
04:35:30,840 --> 04:35:36,520
In the city manager's report, City Attorney's report, he lists six neighboring elected

2249
04:35:36,520 --> 04:35:40,480
mayor cities to support panels need to have an elected mayor.

2250
04:35:41,160 --> 04:35:43,980
The cities are three to six times as large as a panel.

2251
04:35:44,580 --> 04:35:48,460
Our small city should not really be compared to those larger cities.

2252
04:35:49,300 --> 04:35:54,480
Further, all the cities listed pay the mayor more for their council members and some provide

2253
04:35:54,480 --> 04:35:58,300
the same benefit package as city employees, including a pension.

2254
04:35:59,460 --> 04:36:06,140
Richmond, our nearest city, pays $84,000, which is $73,000 or so, more than our current

2255
04:36:06,140 --> 04:36:07,080
council receives.

2256
04:36:08,040 --> 04:36:12,260
The assertion is that this ballot major is about democracy, let the people decide.

2257
04:36:12,680 --> 04:36:18,600
But it seems, it was this word, there, seems, that it is a move by one or more to advance

2258
04:36:18,600 --> 04:36:24,120
political ambitions and to satisfy a desire to have a full-time job with benefits courtesy

2259
04:36:24,120 --> 04:36:29,720
the panel taxpayers. As we heard tonight, the Council can set that salary and benefits.

2260
04:36:31,040 --> 04:36:35,800
Anyway, the City Attorney's report also estimates the fiscal impact of the ballot major.

2261
04:36:37,020 --> 04:36:41,240
The estimate to place the ballot major on the June ballot has doubled from the December

2262
04:36:41,240 --> 04:36:49,040
second council meeting to as much as $56,000 with the additional unidentified costs for

2263
04:36:49,040 --> 04:36:51,560
half-time consultants and legal experts.

2264
04:36:52,880 --> 04:36:55,260
Anyway, adding this to the potential salary

2265
04:36:55,260 --> 04:36:57,640
increase of, say, if we took that 73,000,

2266
04:36:57,700 --> 04:37:00,500
and we put a 30% benefit cost on it.

2267
04:37:00,600 --> 04:37:02,360
So you have $25,000 there.

2268
04:37:02,800 --> 04:37:04,100
If you put that plus the ballot major,

2269
04:37:04,200 --> 04:37:07,460
that adds up to $154,000, not counting

2270
04:37:07,460 --> 04:37:09,080
under-dentified costs again.

2271
04:37:10,040 --> 04:37:13,020
The ongoing salary, we think ahead, perhaps,

2272
04:37:13,400 --> 04:37:17,320
could start off at $100,000 a year for both the salary

2273
04:37:17,320 --> 04:37:22,320
benefits if you think of the additional cost. And over 10 years, thinking even further out,

2274
04:37:22,420 --> 04:37:27,620
I'd be another million dollars without inflation even. There's really absolutely no need for

2275
04:37:27,620 --> 04:37:29,820
this ballot measure at this time, as others have said.

2276
04:37:30,000 --> 04:37:44,920
If you must proceed, do polling before a ballot measure. City staff has already issued an RFP for polling on three upcoming proposed tax increases, so you could simply add this question to the poll at no additional cost.

2277
04:37:45,520 --> 04:37:49,340
Thank you. Thank you for comment. We'll go to next speaker.

2278
04:37:50,970 --> 04:37:52,730
Marcia the Josswick.

2279
04:37:56,700 --> 04:38:02,000
So good evening. Thank you. I am Marcia Josswick and I'm a resident of

2280
04:38:02,000 --> 04:38:09,600
Pinnon. I'm seeking tonight with regard to item 10 A of the agenda and I ask the City Council

2281
04:38:09,600 --> 04:38:16,340
to do the right thing and vote no on this resolution. Why? Because the estimated cost to place

2282
04:38:16,340 --> 04:38:25,400
One ballot measure on the June 2nd, 2026 ballot is estimated at being possibly more than $55,000.

2283
04:38:26,260 --> 04:38:31,740
Additional costs will also be added such that the fiscal impact is unknown.

2284
04:38:33,120 --> 04:38:44,180
Why would you want to spend all that tax payer's money to find out if the voters want an elected mayor when a poll would answer the same question as a fraction of the cost?

2285
04:38:44,180 --> 04:38:49,180
There is already a poll in the planning stages, add this item to it.

2286
04:38:50,620 --> 04:38:55,380
U.S. Council members have the duty to spend taxpayers money in ways that are

2287
04:38:55,380 --> 04:39:02,900
fiscal irresponsible. That's why your constituents voted for you. That's why I voted for

2288
04:39:02,900 --> 04:39:09,640
you. This measure is not fiscal, responsible. It is a waste of money, especially when so

2289
04:39:09,640 --> 04:39:15,500
any other essential needs are not being met due to the off-to-off and repaided excuse.

2290
04:39:16,000 --> 04:39:18,200
We don't have the money to pay for that.

2291
04:39:18,960 --> 04:39:22,900
So again, I ask the City Council to do the right thing.

2292
04:39:23,240 --> 04:39:27,120
The fiscal e-responsible thing and vote no on this resolution.

2293
04:39:27,700 --> 04:39:28,700
Thank you.

2294
04:39:28,880 --> 04:39:30,100
Thank you for coming.

2295
04:39:30,860 --> 04:39:31,960
Next speaker, please.

2296
04:39:32,560 --> 04:39:33,620
Jennifer Horne.

2297
04:39:37,700 --> 04:39:42,580
Mr. Mayor, can we request that we have the next speaker's lined up?

2298
04:39:42,580 --> 04:39:50,480
as well. I think that's probably or if we had, yeah like at two or three at a time

2299
04:39:50,480 --> 04:39:55,200
that would be helpful. Next would be Kathy McFarland followed by Raphael

2300
04:39:55,200 --> 04:40:01,680
Minis. Great. Thank you speaker. Go ahead. Good evening. My name is Jennifer Horne and I'm here

2301
04:40:01,680 --> 04:40:07,300
to speak on agenda item 10A. I was prepared to urge a no vote on the resolution and issue

2302
04:40:07,300 --> 04:40:13,580
until I became aware of and read Mayor Protem Devin Murphy's mid-December post on next door,

2303
04:40:13,840 --> 04:40:18,500
which I've submitted along with my comments for the record. In light of this post I believe that

2304
04:40:18,500 --> 04:40:24,600
a vote on the current resolution is premature. In his mid-December next door post Mayor Protem Murphy

2305
04:40:24,600 --> 04:40:29,880
announced that he would soon be sworn in as Mayor Protem. In response a person posted the following

2306
04:40:29,880 --> 04:40:36,500
question, what happened to the current mayor? Here in relevant part is Mayor Protem Murphy's response.

2307
04:40:36,500 --> 04:40:41,680
I'm pleased to share that we are advancing a ballot measure that would establish a directly

2308
04:40:41,680 --> 04:40:46,780
elected mayor putting the choice of leadership in the hands of Penal Residence, not the

2309
04:40:46,780 --> 04:40:52,940
Council. This change would modernize our system and provide consistency and accountability

2310
04:40:52,940 --> 04:41:01,360
in leadership. The measure will go before voters in June 2026. Why is this response so concerning?

2311
04:41:01,360 --> 04:41:08,680
Because, at the time of this post, the requisite process to bring this measure to a ballot had not been followed.

2312
04:41:09,640 --> 04:41:14,880
Staff still had to prepare all applicable documents, a public meeting still needed to be scheduled.

2313
04:41:15,420 --> 04:41:22,100
The people of Penal still had to be heard, and the council still had to vote to place the measure on the ballot.

2314
04:41:22,720 --> 04:41:28,520
Mayor Pro Tem Murphy did not communicate this process in his post, and the public was left with the impression that

2315
04:41:28,520 --> 04:41:35,200
sole opportunity to speak regarding this measure was to revote on a ballot measure in June.

2316
04:41:36,040 --> 04:41:41,320
2026. Mayor of Protem Murphy's statement that the measure will go before voters in June,

2317
04:41:41,360 --> 04:41:48,200
2026 also made me wonder how he could be so definite about that. Had a majority of this council

2318
04:41:48,200 --> 04:41:56,080
already decided to vote yes on this measure after discussing or deliberating on it outside of a public meeting?

2319
04:41:56,080 --> 04:42:05,860
I don't know, but the post certainly raises that possibility and casts a long shadow both over this proceeding and the propriety of a vote tonight.

2320
04:42:06,520 --> 04:42:15,800
It is therefore incumbent on this council to slow this process down and postpone tonight's vote to ensure maximum transparency and full compliance with the law.

2321
04:42:15,800 --> 04:42:23,760
Take a poll, and or hold a town hall meeting, and listen to what the citizens of Peno really think about our current governance structure.

2322
04:42:24,340 --> 04:42:32,280
By doing either or both before you vote, you might just unearth an actual reason for this measure and gauge public sentiment.

2323
04:42:32,920 --> 04:42:41,140
This council would be then much better able to determine if an expenditure of $55,000 plus to place this measure on the ballot is justified.

2324
04:42:41,140 --> 04:42:46,180
In closing, I have to say that this measure brings to mind a sticker that I saw on a co-workers

2325
04:42:46,180 --> 04:42:47,080
office door.

2326
04:42:47,580 --> 04:42:50,300
If something ain't broke, fix it until it is.

2327
04:42:50,900 --> 04:42:55,260
Unless this council fully develops the need for this measure before voting to place it on

2328
04:42:55,260 --> 04:43:00,760
the ballot, you risk fixing our current governing structure until it and the city we love are both.

2329
04:43:01,680 --> 04:43:02,940
Thank you for coming.

2330
04:43:04,260 --> 04:43:05,240
Next speaker, please.

2331
04:43:10,310 --> 04:43:10,870
Good evening.

2332
04:43:11,110 --> 04:43:12,030
I'm Kathy McFarlane.

2333
04:43:12,690 --> 04:43:17,390
The mayor in the City Council are here to serve and protect our community and our city.

2334
04:43:17,850 --> 04:43:22,430
It is not here to systematically destroy the city by taking out the perfect protocol for

2335
04:43:22,430 --> 04:43:26,110
mayor that has been effective for most of the existence of our city.

2336
04:43:26,730 --> 04:43:31,350
The Council is too busy and focused on self-serving agenda for wanting a special election

2337
04:43:31,350 --> 04:43:32,430
and an elected mayor.

2338
04:43:32,990 --> 04:43:38,730
This would be just another added financial hit to us residents which seem to be constantly

2339
04:43:38,730 --> 04:43:42,250
and consistently occurring.

2340
04:43:43,750 --> 04:43:53,050
This item has already wasted a lot of everyone's time, effort and money while the most important items on our community and our city have been totally neglected.

2341
04:43:53,710 --> 04:43:57,490
The residents have lost confidence on who is representing us.

2342
04:43:57,970 --> 04:44:04,230
Not another moment or even a dime should be wasted to decide about this special election or an elected mayor.

2343
04:44:04,230 --> 04:44:09,490
we have much more prominent and pressing items that are addressing our city that you can't

2344
04:44:09,490 --> 04:44:15,190
seem to handle and get completed. A properly functioning city needs a good city manager,

2345
04:44:15,570 --> 04:44:21,130
a good contract for our police department, well-maintained roads, and be financially

2346
04:44:21,130 --> 04:44:26,590
sound for all of which we are currently lacking. Remember, we have the power to vote and also recall.

2347
04:44:28,230 --> 04:44:30,470
Thank you for coming. Next speaker, please.

2348
04:44:30,470 --> 04:44:31,530
Raphael Minis?

2349
04:44:40,410 --> 04:44:42,570
Good evening and Mayor Council Stabbers.

2350
04:44:42,770 --> 04:44:43,830
Plot, my name is Raphael Minis,

2351
04:44:43,950 --> 04:44:48,070
President of Penel. And I like most the speakers on this

2352
04:44:48,070 --> 04:44:50,910
item tonight. I'm not going to speak for or against the

2353
04:44:50,910 --> 04:44:53,370
resolution you're offering. I'm going to ask a series of

2354
04:44:53,370 --> 04:44:58,130
questions instead. My first question is, and this is through

2355
04:44:58,130 --> 04:44:59,690
the mayor to the city attorney.

2356
04:45:00,180 --> 04:45:11,900
Would the term limits mentioned by a prior commenter in measure P apply to the position of elected mayor if was created, or would that need to be established separately by ordinance?

2357
04:45:14,200 --> 04:45:30,220
Secondly, is the cost of the measure, based primarily on the fact that it would be on a June ballot with the cost be lesser if it was on a general election ballot in November, or is the cost just the flat cost for an item?

2358
04:45:31,440 --> 04:45:41,780
Thirdly, why is there a range of costs for the item given the fact that the text of the ballot measure is set?

2359
04:45:42,220 --> 04:45:55,300
I assume that's maybe more a question from the county clerk's office, but thirdly, in terms of public support for this measure.

2360
04:45:58,080 --> 04:46:04,620
While the people in this room tonight and the people who have commented online aren't necessarily

2361
04:46:04,620 --> 04:46:11,760
a representative sample of the population and voter-based panel as a whole, I do find it

2362
04:46:11,760 --> 04:46:17,780
notable that the vast majority of people who have spoken on this in chambers and whose comments

2363
04:46:17,780 --> 04:46:23,360
I have seen online are opposed to this measure.

2364
04:46:23,360 --> 04:46:47,360
I would think that just technically speaking in terms of like we political success for the measure that you would want to see more public support for the item in chambers before voting to put it before the public as a whole entirely separately from whether or not it could go as a polling item or not.

2365
04:46:48,340 --> 04:46:51,840
Fourthly, it was for guards to be timing of the measure.

2366
04:46:52,120 --> 04:46:57,340
Would it be correct to say that the reason why it's being timed for the June election

2367
04:46:57,340 --> 04:47:03,580
rather than an November election would be to allow for the first election for mayor to

2368
04:47:03,580 --> 04:47:08,240
occur in this cycle rather than in 2028?

2369
04:47:09,140 --> 04:47:10,820
So those are all that questions for the moment.

2370
04:47:11,240 --> 04:47:11,900
Thank you.

2371
04:47:12,240 --> 04:47:13,020
Thank you, Speaker.

2372
04:47:13,020 --> 04:47:21,010
and there were some questions. We'll bring it back to Council, but I think, oh, we have another

2373
04:47:21,010 --> 04:47:26,550
public comment. Yes, Mayor, that concludes in person comments. We do have one online, Christina

2374
04:47:27,350 --> 04:47:30,730
Green. Thank you. Go ahead, Speaker.

2375
04:47:32,950 --> 04:47:36,870
Absolutely. It's Christian Green. I appreciate that. I will say,

2376
04:47:36,970 --> 04:47:41,830
I'm good evening, Mayor, Council members and community members of Panoil. Tonight as we observe

2377
04:47:41,830 --> 04:47:43,890
Black case three month, have you Black case three month?

2378
04:47:44,310 --> 04:47:46,210
It's the time when we honor progress representation

2379
04:47:46,210 --> 04:47:48,170
and the ongoing expansion of democracy.

2380
04:47:48,970 --> 04:47:52,470
I want to voice my voice and strong support

2381
04:47:52,470 --> 04:47:54,830
of moving toward an elected mayor system.

2382
04:47:55,070 --> 04:47:58,710
Pano has always shown as I've been living here for a long time.

2383
04:47:58,890 --> 04:48:00,550
What progress looks like through leadership

2384
04:48:00,550 --> 04:48:03,850
that reflects our community, including Devon Murphy,

2385
04:48:04,230 --> 04:48:06,730
whom these women just keep attacking for some reason,

2386
04:48:07,610 --> 04:48:09,790
who became the first city's Black elected official.

2387
04:48:09,790 --> 04:48:14,510
that historic milestone reminds us that when we read when residents are empowered to choose their leaders,

2388
04:48:15,290 --> 04:48:20,350
our government becomes more inclusive, more accountable, and more representative of what the people are serves.

2389
04:48:20,890 --> 04:48:25,270
I want to understand that black history, since we're in this month, we're going to have a low lesson,

2390
04:48:25,610 --> 04:48:29,430
teaches us that democracy grows stronger when the voice of the people grows louder.

2391
04:48:29,930 --> 04:48:36,910
From the fight from voting rights to fear representation, progress has always come from expanding participation, not limiting it.

2392
04:48:36,910 --> 04:48:40,890
So an elected mayor gives residents a direct say in who leads our city.

2393
04:48:41,030 --> 04:48:45,870
Hello, it creates clearer accountability, stronger public engagement and leadership

2394
04:48:45,870 --> 04:48:52,250
that answers directly to the voters when people know exactly who is responsible for

2395
04:48:52,250 --> 04:48:58,210
setting the city's vision, trust increases and civic participation rises across the country's

2396
04:48:58,210 --> 04:49:02,650
cities and elected mayors often see higher voter turnout in local elections, clear

2397
04:49:02,650 --> 04:49:06,330
leadership during times of crisis and more transparent decision-making.

2398
04:49:06,810 --> 04:49:12,830
As a saying go, power conceits nothing without a demand, and Scripture reminds us in

2399
04:49:12,830 --> 04:49:15,930
power 29 and 2, when the righteous are an authority that people rejoice.

2400
04:49:16,390 --> 04:49:20,530
Giving the people the power to choose their mayor is how we ensure leadership that reflect

2401
04:49:20,530 --> 04:49:21,370
our shared values.

2402
04:49:21,910 --> 04:49:25,630
A vote for an elected mayor is a vote for accountability, it is a vote for transparency,

2403
04:49:25,890 --> 04:49:29,730
and is a vote for people having a stronger voice in the city's future.

2404
04:49:29,730 --> 04:49:34,790
So I urge the council to please to place this message before the voters and give our community the opportunity to

2405
04:49:34,790 --> 04:49:37,930
shape the next chapter up in those leadership. Thank you and have a great night.

2406
04:49:40,140 --> 04:49:43,280
Okay. Thank you, Speaker. Next public comment.

2407
04:49:44,800 --> 04:49:50,240
Mayor that concludes public comment. Okay. So we'll bring it back to council for comments.

2408
04:49:50,820 --> 04:49:56,780
Questions of staff? So it looks like council member Sessai, Mayor Pro Temp Murphy.

2409
04:49:58,320 --> 04:50:00,180
Okay, so we'll go in this order.

2410
04:50:01,020 --> 04:50:04,200
Mayor Prote Murphy, Councilmember Martinez Rubin,

2411
04:50:04,460 --> 04:50:05,780
and then Councilmember Tombs.

2412
04:50:07,900 --> 04:50:08,860
So, yeah.

2413
04:50:09,200 --> 04:50:12,780
First of all, I want to say that I am not the only one

2414
04:50:13,300 --> 04:50:15,920
who is encouraging conversation.

2415
04:50:16,180 --> 04:50:18,220
It seems like a lot of residents have come out to encourage

2416
04:50:18,220 --> 04:50:18,820
conversations.

2417
04:50:18,820 --> 04:50:21,920
So I want to thank residents who have come out on both sides,

2418
04:50:22,100 --> 04:50:24,180
whatever side you may consider yourself.

2419
04:50:24,180 --> 04:50:40,080
As folks know, I was elected to the City Council in 2020 and certainly, I'm sure made surprises for a lot of folks, including myself in terms of the turnout we received in numbers.

2420
04:50:41,480 --> 04:50:50,960
And because of that work and because of being elected, I have committed every day in this role as a council member to ensure that I'm serving the needs of panel voters,

2421
04:50:50,960 --> 04:51:00,040
which is why I decided to step into the second term and again reach numerous votes in the city to

2422
04:51:01,180 --> 04:51:04,300
set a mandate for the need for increasing civic engagement.

2423
04:51:05,300 --> 04:51:09,960
And I want to say that one of the items that I think is so important about this referendum,

2424
04:51:10,240 --> 04:51:15,820
the consideration of it from a council perspective is that this is truly increasing civic engagement.

2425
04:51:15,920 --> 04:51:20,200
Many folks in the audience, of course the former council members who are in audience know

2426
04:51:20,200 --> 04:51:22,740
that this room is not usually filled,

2427
04:51:22,740 --> 04:51:25,100
it's not that filled today, but it is filled with folks.

2428
04:51:25,700 --> 04:51:29,600
Unusually, we do not have a lot of folks

2429
04:51:29,600 --> 04:51:30,680
who come make public comments.

2430
04:51:30,840 --> 04:51:32,160
So I just want to again, thank you all

2431
04:51:32,160 --> 04:51:33,460
for making your voice heard.

2432
04:51:34,400 --> 04:51:36,340
I also want to note that this is a conversation

2433
04:51:36,340 --> 04:51:39,400
that has happened prior to me being here.

2434
04:51:39,480 --> 04:51:43,100
There have been residents and elected officials

2435
04:51:43,100 --> 04:51:44,940
who were elected before I was,

2436
04:51:45,740 --> 04:51:48,060
who have talked about this, who have made comments,

2437
04:51:48,060 --> 04:51:51,020
and maybe haven't put this forward as an agenda item,

2438
04:51:51,600 --> 04:51:54,220
but perhaps there was a different system that they had.

2439
04:51:54,700 --> 04:51:58,260
There are residents who have certainly talked in asked

2440
04:51:58,260 --> 04:51:59,320
for this to happen.

2441
04:52:01,040 --> 04:52:03,940
A former mayor insisted that I read his letter

2442
04:52:03,940 --> 04:52:05,740
to the council and to the public.

2443
04:52:06,840 --> 04:52:09,300
It says, hello Heather, who is our city clerk.

2444
04:52:09,480 --> 04:52:11,100
He was referred, I guess he was sending this letter

2445
04:52:11,100 --> 04:52:11,860
to our city clerk.

2446
04:52:12,180 --> 04:52:13,440
He said, I hope you are well.

2447
04:52:13,480 --> 04:52:15,560
I have a comment for item 10, A agenda.

2448
04:52:15,560 --> 04:52:18,160
I'm sorry I will be in Los Angeles for work.

2449
04:52:18,600 --> 04:52:23,000
I am writing and supportive of the Penol City Council's upcoming consideration of a resolution

2450
04:52:23,000 --> 04:52:27,820
to place before voters, the question of whether the city of Penol should transition to an elected

2451
04:52:27,820 --> 04:52:29,960
mayor form of government as often.

2452
04:52:30,000 --> 04:52:37,860
The rise under California government code section 3490. This action is not about pre-determining the outcome

2453
04:52:37,860 --> 04:52:43,200
of that question. Rather, it is about affirming transparency, civic engagement and participation

2454
04:52:43,200 --> 04:52:48,220
and the fundamental right of residents to decide how their government, how their city is governed,

2455
04:52:48,500 --> 04:52:53,220
not their city council. Allowing voters to weigh in strength and stress and local government

2456
04:52:53,220 --> 04:52:58,320
and reinforces an open and democratic process. I also want to share a personal perspective

2457
04:52:58,320 --> 04:53:05,340
as a former mayor. Under Penal's current system, a 12-month mayoral's term is simply not long enough

2458
04:53:05,340 --> 04:53:11,680
to meaningfully set priorities, build momentum, and see complex initiatives through through to completion.

2459
04:53:12,340 --> 04:53:16,760
Effective leadership, particularly in today's challenging municipal environment, requires

2460
04:53:16,760 --> 04:53:22,860
continuity, accountability, and sufficient time to deliver results. In addition, the city,

2461
04:53:22,860 --> 04:53:27,960
if the city is to expect strong leadership and effective governance, both the mayor and

2462
04:53:27,960 --> 04:53:31,540
Council members should be equipped with the tools necessary to do the job well.

2463
04:53:31,900 --> 04:53:36,240
This does include adequate staff support and compensation that allows elected officials

2464
04:53:36,240 --> 04:53:40,680
to serve in a serious, professional, and full-time capacity when needed.

2465
04:53:41,300 --> 04:53:44,780
These structural considerations are ultimately policy decisions.

2466
04:53:45,340 --> 04:53:50,040
For the community to evaluate, which is why it precisely why it matters that the council

2467
04:53:50,040 --> 04:53:52,100
placed this question before voters.

2468
04:53:52,740 --> 04:53:57,520
Regardless of individual views on the merits of an elected mayor system, I strongly support

2469
04:53:57,520 --> 04:54:08,860
giving Penal residents the opportunity to decide this question for themselves. I encourage the city council to move this item forward, so the community can have a clear voice in shaping the city's future governance.

2470
04:54:09,540 --> 04:54:16,780
Thank you for your continued support, can you leadership and for fostering a transparent and inclusive civic process?

2471
04:54:16,780 --> 04:54:29,460
Sign Vincent Salimi former former mayor of Penal. I wanted to share this letter because I've seen

2472
04:54:29,460 --> 04:54:37,480
I've seen a lot of folks blame me. I want to acknowledge that this is not about me. This is about the residents of Penal.

2473
04:54:38,420 --> 04:54:44,080
My job as a policy maker is to ensure that I am bringing new ideas to support residents.

2474
04:54:44,080 --> 04:54:48,460
I've brought numerous ideas around the environment.

2475
04:54:48,860 --> 04:54:51,640
I brought numerous ideas as a relates to economic development.

2476
04:54:51,840 --> 04:54:54,380
I brought numerous ideas as a relates to housing.

2477
04:54:55,120 --> 04:55:01,320
This is one of those areas that I have brought around governance because I do truly

2478
04:55:01,320 --> 04:55:05,760
believe that we have to do something about our current system because it's not working.

2479
04:55:06,720 --> 04:55:11,220
As was noted by the city attorney, there are things that this does not do.

2480
04:55:11,900 --> 04:55:15,920
And that's okay, that's something for us to consider in the future.

2481
04:55:16,800 --> 04:55:21,280
One of them is, you know, the, you know, changing the city into a charter city.

2482
04:55:21,440 --> 04:55:22,500
This is not do that.

2483
04:55:23,080 --> 04:55:24,420
I am not proposing that.

2484
04:55:24,760 --> 04:55:28,600
One of the things that this does not do is change the city from a council manager, formal

2485
04:55:28,600 --> 04:55:30,180
government to a different form of government.

2486
04:55:30,360 --> 04:55:31,360
This is not do that.

2487
04:55:31,620 --> 04:55:36,360
What this does is set a political mandate for residents to decide who they want their mayor

2488
04:55:36,360 --> 04:55:37,080
to be.

2489
04:55:37,080 --> 04:55:42,500
And again, whether you agree to it or not as an individual, especially if you live in

2490
04:55:42,500 --> 04:55:48,220
Penal and you're an eligible voter, you have a right to make that decision for yourself.

2491
04:55:48,960 --> 04:55:54,720
And as an agency, our goal is to educate you about the pros and cons if this passes, of course,

2492
04:55:55,040 --> 04:56:00,980
educate you about the pros and cons of that decision, and we will have what we have had in America

2493
04:56:00,980 --> 04:56:05,400
for 250 years, at least most of that time, we will have an election.

2494
04:56:05,400 --> 04:56:14,610
I want to say that I know Mayor that there are folks who continue to perhaps want to make personal, you know, attacks against me.

2495
04:56:15,280 --> 04:56:23,060
I'm used to that from that individual, but I also would hope that we know, and this is why I wanted to read the former Mayor's comment,

2496
04:56:23,080 --> 04:56:29,320
is that we have a responsibility to improve the quality of life of panolians and also to engage people in discussion.

2497
04:56:29,320 --> 04:56:39,560
Personal attacks don't bring us forward. The reason why this council is incredibly diverse is because we continue to open doors for conversations even against people who oppose us.

2498
04:56:40,260 --> 04:56:47,560
And so I will continue to do that whether or not a former mayor is going to attack me personally. That's not the first time that former mayor has done that.

2499
04:56:47,560 --> 04:56:54,260
But I also appreciate former mayors who have, who have engaged in this conversation whether they support the item or not,

2500
04:56:54,300 --> 04:57:02,180
and said, and also have a right to their own personal choice when it comes to voting if their eligible voters come to them.

2501
04:57:02,220 --> 04:57:07,760
I guess it's no surprise and I'll close out by saying this. I fully support the resolution.

2502
04:57:07,920 --> 04:57:15,560
I think we should move forward with it. Those who are opposed, you have a right to vote. Those who want to who are for it, you have a right to vote.

2503
04:57:15,560 --> 04:57:21,560
The reality is, with or without this, we will continue to make Panoil move forward.

2504
04:57:22,340 --> 04:57:30,640
And so, again, I'm going to close that out by saying no matter how you feel about me, this job is very difficult and very challenging.

2505
04:57:31,220 --> 04:57:36,060
But my responsibility is exactly to the 6,000 voters who voted for me in Panoil.

2506
04:57:36,060 --> 04:57:42,600
I will not stop until I continue to move this city forward, and that's my exact goal and mission.

2507
04:57:42,960 --> 04:57:43,660
So thank you, Mayor.

2508
04:57:44,760 --> 04:57:50,120
Okay, thank you for comment, Mayor Pro Tem, Council Member Martinez Rubin.

2509
04:57:50,440 --> 04:57:51,320
We have questions.

2510
04:57:51,520 --> 04:57:52,880
We can ask questions of staff.

2511
04:57:53,340 --> 04:57:54,680
I think that's in comments.

2512
04:57:54,900 --> 04:57:59,820
This time is our deliberation over the resolution, so yeah, question and comments.

2513
04:58:00,700 --> 04:58:01,720
If questions strike you, then.

2514
04:58:01,720 --> 04:58:08,600
Okay, I have some questions, so that we're left with some greater clarity based on some

2515
04:58:08,600 --> 04:58:12,400
comments that were made, if it are possible, and then I have my own comments.

2516
04:58:12,400 --> 04:58:18,720
So, a couple of things were made, a couple of comments were made that if we can verify

2517
04:58:19,400 --> 04:58:21,480
would be greatly helpful, I think.

2518
04:58:22,040 --> 04:58:29,780
And that's a matter of posting on a public online social media,

2519
04:58:32,740 --> 04:58:36,520
application, like next door.

2520
04:58:36,520 --> 04:58:42,000
When it comes to remember, post something, is it, indeed, a violation of the Brown Act?

2521
04:58:43,040 --> 04:58:50,780
And related to that is in making statements the tense present future.

2522
04:58:50,780 --> 04:58:52,420
What is the past present future?

2523
04:58:52,720 --> 04:59:02,200
Tens of something happening, which is a definitive verbiage makes it such that it is a violation.

2524
04:59:02,200 --> 04:59:10,000
So, that's one question with regard to the Brown Act, and then the other has to do with mention of polling.

2525
04:59:10,840 --> 04:59:18,260
And if you can clarify for me, the polling that's coming up in the spring is with regard to revenue generating strategy.

2526
04:59:21,420 --> 04:59:31,240
to say that adding an additional question about the public's interest in an elected mayor would

2527
04:59:31,240 --> 04:59:37,000
not be a cost or if it is costly, a negligible cost.

2528
04:59:37,720 --> 04:59:38,960
So that involves several staff members.

2529
04:59:39,540 --> 04:59:40,320
I understand that.

2530
04:59:40,340 --> 04:59:41,000
So maybe we should.

2531
04:59:41,640 --> 04:59:42,320
Councillor interjecting.

2532
04:59:42,320 --> 04:59:48,320
are just to facilitate the questions. I think we should, the city attorney for the post and then

2533
04:59:48,320 --> 04:59:54,180
Director Gailory for the financial aspect of that. So staff attorney cash please through the chair.

2534
04:59:55,500 --> 04:59:59,920
So I haven't seen the post, I don't know exactly the content of the post, what I can.

2535
05:00:00,000 --> 05:00:08,280
The Brown Act more broadly requires that any of the business of the city, the city's business be conducted in a public meeting.

2536
05:00:09,680 --> 05:00:15,280
A lot of members of the council elected throughout the state have social media accounts and post things.

2537
05:00:15,780 --> 05:00:24,260
I think this comment may have been on next door. I don't know the exact substance of the comments. I don't feel qualified to speak on whether or not this was a Brown Act violation or not.

2538
05:00:24,260 --> 05:00:29,300
certainly will look into that and I could advise the council on that, but generally speaking,

2539
05:00:29,980 --> 05:00:35,940
the Brown Act prohibits any discourse or dialogue or decisions being made by the council

2540
05:00:35,940 --> 05:00:41,460
outside of a public meeting. So if there's multiple council members who are discussing an item

2541
05:00:41,460 --> 05:00:46,580
and deciding on that outside of this space, that would be a Brown Act violation. That's the most

2542
05:00:46,580 --> 05:00:53,000
obvious example, but there's nuance obviously to that. I think the second question related to

2543
05:00:54,260 --> 05:00:59,600
what also sounded like part of the statement which was referring to like the decision had been

2544
05:00:59,600 --> 05:01:05,680
made or that it was kind of a past as reference. Again, I don't know. I heard the comment. I haven't

2545
05:01:05,680 --> 05:01:12,400
seen the exact language. I don't know exactly when the comment was posted. I do know that as per

2546
05:01:12,400 --> 05:01:18,120
the staff report, the city council did direct staff to bring this forward at the December second meeting.

2547
05:01:18,120 --> 05:01:24,000
So, there was direction by the council to staff to bring this item forward.

2548
05:01:24,680 --> 05:01:29,240
I don't know the date of the comments, so I can't really speak to anything beyond that.

2549
05:01:29,700 --> 05:01:29,980
Thank you.

2550
05:01:30,440 --> 05:01:32,480
Related to City Attorney's presentation.

2551
05:01:33,380 --> 05:01:36,800
There's a question about why the range of costs of estimated costs.

2552
05:01:37,140 --> 05:01:43,580
You place a measure, question on the measure, and then the timing of placing the ballot on the measure.

2553
05:01:44,220 --> 05:01:44,920
Why now?

2554
05:01:45,840 --> 05:01:50,900
Yeah, so I could speak to the cost, so the cost is set by the county in the administer

2555
05:01:50,900 --> 05:01:51,480
the election.

2556
05:01:51,740 --> 05:01:55,560
So I think at the time that we did the initial presentation, those were estimates.

2557
05:01:56,000 --> 05:01:59,960
And then we actually, you know, were able to verify because the county established and

2558
05:01:59,960 --> 05:02:02,840
posted what the cost would be for this cycle.

2559
05:02:03,480 --> 05:02:06,680
And I think it's three to four dollars per registered voter.

2560
05:02:06,800 --> 05:02:09,740
3 to 450 per registered voter.

2561
05:02:09,800 --> 05:02:12,260
So that's, it's a formula that they use.

2562
05:02:12,860 --> 05:02:18,160
to Mr. Menace's point, the primary elections are more expensive.

2563
05:02:18,560 --> 05:02:22,820
If you will, there's a higher cost associated with bringing a measure.

2564
05:02:23,940 --> 05:02:26,300
During the June primary versus the November election,

2565
05:02:26,740 --> 05:02:28,080
again, those costs are set by the county.

2566
05:02:28,260 --> 05:02:31,680
I'm not sure why that's the case, but that is true.

2567
05:02:33,220 --> 05:02:35,260
Okay, and then the timing of placing the ballot.

2568
05:02:36,600 --> 05:02:40,600
Why are the sense of, I don't know,

2569
05:02:40,600 --> 05:02:46,240
That's just necessity or urgency to have this measure on a June ballot.

2570
05:02:47,740 --> 05:02:49,080
I can't really speak to that.

2571
05:02:49,380 --> 05:02:50,400
I just follow the direction of the council.

2572
05:02:50,540 --> 05:02:52,960
So I was asked to bring this forward at this meeting.

2573
05:02:53,380 --> 05:02:58,640
I do this that we do need to submit if we are to move forward with a primary election.

2574
05:02:59,200 --> 05:03:03,700
This does need to go to the county by, I think, the first week or two of March.

2575
05:03:03,760 --> 05:03:04,100
March.

2576
05:03:04,600 --> 05:03:05,100
March six.

2577
05:03:05,420 --> 05:03:09,840
So that's why we wanted to schedule it for this meeting.

2578
05:03:09,840 --> 05:03:16,700
in February. So if we needed to make any changes, we had another meeting in February to bring

2579
05:03:16,700 --> 05:03:21,100
forward a final version. That was my plan just again, going off of the direction to bring

2580
05:03:21,100 --> 05:03:25,320
it forward for the June primary, making sure we had enough meetings for the council to

2581
05:03:25,320 --> 05:03:27,800
deliberate discuss and finalize the documents.

2582
05:03:28,000 --> 05:03:33,960
So perhaps in response to the wise that have been asked, it would be the council members who proposed

2583
05:03:33,960 --> 05:03:37,380
this or support it, who could possibly answer that?

2584
05:03:37,900 --> 05:03:39,000
It wouldn't be you.

2585
05:03:39,100 --> 05:03:39,280
I don't.

2586
05:03:40,460 --> 05:03:42,420
I think Council Member Parti is moving.

2587
05:03:43,780 --> 05:03:45,740
Let's go to Director Guestley.

2588
05:03:45,740 --> 05:03:45,940
Yes.

2589
05:03:46,120 --> 05:03:47,280
And there is a remaining question.

2590
05:03:49,700 --> 05:03:53,040
I think when we bring it back to Council, we can

2591
05:03:53,040 --> 05:03:53,480
get deliberate.

2592
05:03:53,660 --> 05:03:55,660
But I think these questions are good.

2593
05:03:56,280 --> 05:03:57,080
Director Gillley, please.

2594
05:03:58,300 --> 05:03:58,580
Yes.

2595
05:03:58,800 --> 05:04:03,300
So my response is, it's in response to the question of the current polling.

2596
05:04:03,300 --> 05:04:10,360
And that's happening now, possibly adding another question to that polling.

2597
05:04:10,900 --> 05:04:14,380
So one, the standard is usually about two measures.

2598
05:04:15,620 --> 05:04:23,140
We already have three to add four could really change the scope of work there, the polling

2599
05:04:23,140 --> 05:04:28,120
firms before that we work for the last round expressed even concern at that time with three

2600
05:04:28,120 --> 05:04:28,540
measures.

2601
05:04:29,060 --> 05:04:33,100
the current one likes to stick with remasures like I said, that's kind of the industry standard.

2602
05:04:33,960 --> 05:04:37,720
Because what happens is you add another one, it makes the survey much longer,

2603
05:04:38,760 --> 05:04:44,020
and could call survey fatigue, and also skew the results of surveys.

2604
05:04:44,320 --> 05:04:48,900
So, for would be really pushing the limit if we weren't to add that, and it would be changing the scope of work.

2605
05:04:49,140 --> 05:04:52,920
Can I ask a quick question, Council member Martinez room, and on this one?

2606
05:04:53,120 --> 05:04:57,440
Director Gillery, so what you're saying is, is if we were to add another question,

2607
05:04:57,440 --> 05:05:03,920
And there's a potential for us to diminish the quality of the survey and its reliability.

2608
05:05:05,000 --> 05:05:05,240
Understood.

2609
05:05:06,480 --> 05:05:07,240
Sorry about that.

2610
05:05:07,600 --> 05:05:08,240
Councilmember Martinez.

2611
05:05:08,720 --> 05:05:10,660
Did you get your question answered?

2612
05:05:11,060 --> 05:05:11,420
Thank you.

2613
05:05:11,940 --> 05:05:12,160
I did.

2614
05:05:12,800 --> 05:05:12,840
Okay.

2615
05:05:12,840 --> 05:05:12,880
Okay.

2616
05:05:12,880 --> 05:05:13,060
Thank you.

2617
05:05:17,280 --> 05:05:22,580
I do not support the proposal to the resolution calling for a special election.

2618
05:05:22,820 --> 05:05:26,200
And submitting the question regarding office of elected mayor.

2619
05:05:26,200 --> 05:05:34,560
An elected mayor in a small diversity, like Penal, is unnecessary, developing meaningful policy,

2620
05:05:34,920 --> 05:05:39,600
the role of a full council, is doable when council members have equal authority.

2621
05:05:40,260 --> 05:05:42,560
We currently have that with rotating mayors.

2622
05:05:43,360 --> 05:05:49,100
Democratic ideology centers on government by the people, where power is exercised through

2623
05:05:49,100 --> 05:05:51,440
free, fair, and regular elections.

2624
05:05:51,440 --> 05:05:58,040
In Penel, free speaks to voters having a choice as to who will be elected to City Council

2625
05:05:58,040 --> 05:05:59,600
and who becomes its mayor.

2626
05:06:00,380 --> 05:06:04,660
We have had free elections for council members in Penel every two years.

2627
05:06:05,420 --> 05:06:10,740
These have resulted in a City Council where often a majority, rather than rather than

2628
05:06:10,740 --> 05:06:16,940
unanimous agreement, takes ideas to reality of what the city ought to address, what's given

2629
05:06:16,940 --> 05:06:23,480
priority and who ends up on city commissions and committees. Regardless of whether the ways to address

2630
05:06:23,480 --> 05:06:28,080
issues are sensible, practical, or economically feasible.

2631
05:06:29,600 --> 05:06:34,380
Council members don't always agree on what makes Penel better, especially when there are

2632
05:06:34,380 --> 05:06:40,280
proposals where the intent appears to be self-serving or a precursor to policy that has

2633
05:06:40,280 --> 05:06:42,940
proven to benefit the citizenry.

2634
05:06:43,760 --> 05:06:48,460
On essential matters such as infrastructure, economic development, and safety, we generally

2635
05:06:48,460 --> 05:06:49,260
do agree.

2636
05:06:50,320 --> 05:06:55,000
It's how we get to that agreement that may cause tensions and differences among us.

2637
05:06:55,240 --> 05:07:01,560
However, ignoring those tensions and differences is idealistic because as diverse as

2638
05:07:01,560 --> 05:07:08,400
Penal is, we, council members and the city's voters, have varied opinions and values.

2639
05:07:08,400 --> 05:07:14,680
the likely result of very social, educational, and political backgrounds.

2640
05:07:15,720 --> 05:07:20,940
The majority of California's 482 cities employ a city manager,

2641
05:07:21,680 --> 05:07:24,700
where the mayor is often chosen by the council

2642
05:07:24,700 --> 05:07:28,220
or has limited direct, independent authority.

2643
05:07:29,180 --> 05:07:29,980
The council manager...

2644
05:07:30,000 --> 05:07:37,280
Former government separates political policy-making, elected council, from administrative operations,

2645
05:07:37,880 --> 05:07:39,480
the appointed professional manager.

2646
05:07:40,480 --> 05:07:47,300
He benefits include increased efficiency and expertise in city management, enhance professionalism

2647
05:07:47,300 --> 05:07:56,360
in staffing, reduce corruption, improved non-partisan service delivery, and increased accountability.

2648
05:07:56,360 --> 05:08:02,880
This, as the city manager, is accountable to the elected council.

2649
05:08:03,760 --> 05:08:09,420
The council manager form of government is a local government system, combining the political

2650
05:08:09,420 --> 05:08:15,560
leadership of an elected council with the administrative experience of an appointed professional

2651
05:08:15,560 --> 05:08:16,180
manager.

2652
05:08:17,020 --> 05:08:23,800
The council makes policy decisions while the manager oversees day-to-day operations and department

2653
05:08:23,800 --> 05:08:24,460
heads.

2654
05:08:24,460 --> 05:08:29,000
It promotes non-partisan professional management.

2655
05:08:30,140 --> 05:08:36,140
That's all well in good, when voters are informed about the intentions of their elected representatives.

2656
05:08:37,440 --> 05:08:47,640
In Pino, there's been a gradual transition to electing council members with charismatic eagerness to make Pino better.

2657
05:08:47,640 --> 05:08:56,400
Now, some council members support having an elected mayor to illustrate democracy.

2658
05:08:57,320 --> 05:09:03,340
It has been only even elected mayor who requires staff and a salary hired in other council members.

2659
05:09:04,040 --> 05:09:07,600
How any elected mayor in Penal would make this city better, is questionable.

2660
05:09:08,600 --> 05:09:16,720
In my opinion, it would be a precursor to proposing a charter where a strong mayor may be had,

2661
05:09:16,720 --> 05:09:26,280
Tilting further the authority of set mayor and placing executive power on one individual, the elected mayor.

2662
05:09:27,040 --> 05:09:33,060
That is a form of government that is not supported nor exists in most cities in California.

2663
05:09:34,660 --> 05:09:37,680
Okay, thank you, Councilmember Martinez Rubin.

2664
05:09:37,980 --> 05:09:41,520
We had Councilmembers to say, and then Councilmember Thompson.

2665
05:09:42,580 --> 05:09:47,780
All right, thank you, Mayor Tave, and, you know,

2666
05:09:47,860 --> 05:09:48,960
I was just ninth to the 6 p.m.

2667
05:09:48,960 --> 05:09:52,200
I want to thank everybody for coming out and sticking around.

2668
05:09:53,000 --> 05:09:54,520
I start work at 7 a.m. today.

2669
05:09:55,060 --> 05:09:56,860
Got the five, we're here in so 10.

2670
05:09:56,940 --> 05:09:59,960
And I think there's all of us, many of us in the audience too,

2671
05:10:00,160 --> 05:10:02,220
and definitely our staff, so I want to thank you for sticking

2672
05:10:02,220 --> 05:10:02,480
there.

2673
05:10:04,860 --> 05:10:09,040
You know, these seats are usually empty. So please to see what are your support

2674
05:10:09,040 --> 05:10:15,240
opposition, please to see you here today. We as a council make appropriations of this

2675
05:10:15,240 --> 05:10:19,880
sort of price range every time of a council meeting, I want to invite you to keep coming back,

2676
05:10:20,220 --> 05:10:24,940
especially in budget season where I think you should all have a voice in those expenditures too.

2677
05:10:27,760 --> 05:10:35,620
I don't think we'll all see full agreement on this issue, by any means, but I do hope that

2678
05:10:35,620 --> 05:10:42,360
we can achieve mutual understanding about what this measure is and have that based on fact.

2679
05:10:42,480 --> 05:10:46,040
And that's the reason why I asked those questions of city attorney and staff to start out

2680
05:10:47,380 --> 05:10:52,500
with, I think, definitely during this time, like we live in a world where we don't, we're

2681
05:10:52,500 --> 05:10:59,560
facts on matter, and I think a lot of times he build narratives to build echo chambers for ourselves.

2682
05:10:59,780 --> 05:11:07,840
And so it's important that we certainly start from a foundation of facts and thankful for everybody who is listening as well.

2683
05:11:09,440 --> 05:11:15,760
So I know that there were some members of the public who were sort of picking up part.

2684
05:11:15,920 --> 05:11:21,860
One of the council members comments around how they would characterize the current council

2685
05:11:21,860 --> 05:11:29,100
mere rotational system, I think the words are archaic, and I personally wouldn't use that

2686
05:11:29,100 --> 05:11:34,180
term to characterize our current rotational system. I would definitely say though that it's

2687
05:11:34,180 --> 05:11:42,000
a long-standing policy. That's been in place for quite some time. And this is not personal to

2688
05:11:42,000 --> 05:11:45,860
the person who said it, I think I've just heard this phrase not just in this conversation,

2689
05:11:45,860 --> 05:11:57,340
But I think many conversations around policy and if it ain't broke don't fix it and I personally think that's a really

2690
05:11:58,340 --> 05:12:00,800
terrible way to look at policy and law

2691
05:12:00,800 --> 05:12:08,580
Someone who's a public policy professional there's always room to refine policy and I think that

2692
05:12:09,360 --> 05:12:13,480
that statement, that concept, it assumes a few things.

2693
05:12:13,660 --> 05:12:16,180
I think it assumes that the system is working for everybody.

2694
05:12:16,940 --> 05:12:20,720
And I think it assumes that the harm is obvious and immediate.

2695
05:12:21,660 --> 05:12:26,400
And I think we have to go beyond, if they don't fix it into,

2696
05:12:26,440 --> 05:12:28,460
let's really peel and be investigated better policies,

2697
05:12:29,200 --> 05:12:31,220
and how we can refine them to make sure it works for everybody.

2698
05:12:32,820 --> 05:12:36,660
I think the main question for me, and I think my question for the public,

2699
05:12:36,660 --> 05:12:41,820
is what we're all expecting out of the person who serves as mayor for the city.

2700
05:12:42,920 --> 05:12:48,120
I didn't quite understand it when I had my first two years in council, but I definitely

2701
05:12:48,120 --> 05:12:54,300
did understand it when I became mayor last year and thank you for the honor of a community

2702
05:12:54,300 --> 05:12:58,180
that experience, tired council, thank you for that.

2703
05:12:59,520 --> 05:13:05,040
There's a public want a mayor who just shows up for the two council meetings a month and

2704
05:13:05,040 --> 05:13:09,400
to ask about, or they've looking for somebody who is more deeply engaged in the community.

2705
05:13:10,300 --> 05:13:14,380
When I say that I mean things like, do you want to mayor who goes to community events?

2706
05:13:14,540 --> 05:13:18,800
All of the community events, do you want to mayor who visits her high schools and middle schools

2707
05:13:18,800 --> 05:13:22,780
and talks with parents and student leaders and educators and families?

2708
05:13:22,920 --> 05:13:27,880
Do you want to mayor who shows up at the Picket Line for our educators?

2709
05:13:28,180 --> 05:13:33,220
Like last year I was doing a few of our council members out there in Picket Line to support

2710
05:13:33,220 --> 05:13:39,720
or educators at another high school, all these things take time and I want to think of

2711
05:13:39,720 --> 05:13:45,080
a computer who acknowledged that this rule is something that is really a passion for folks,

2712
05:13:45,340 --> 05:13:51,040
right? It doesn't compensate a lot, but it does take time and that's time away from family.

2713
05:13:51,860 --> 05:13:57,960
Those are weakens that you miss with family and other things that you could be doing,

2714
05:13:58,520 --> 05:14:03,060
But it's a responsibility and I think I think that I think this is a good question to

2715
05:14:03,060 --> 05:14:05,720
post to all of this is what are you expecting out of the mirror.

2716
05:14:06,920 --> 05:14:12,960
And one thing that I think about too is that all of us in the council have different

2717
05:14:13,500 --> 05:14:16,300
amounts of resources and time to commit to this role.

2718
05:14:17,360 --> 05:14:20,660
We also have different levels of privilege as well.

2719
05:14:20,660 --> 05:14:29,500
And so as we think about the mayors and the council members who served this city since 100 years, 100 years ago, plus,

2720
05:14:29,960 --> 05:14:36,520
at the very start it was mostly land-owning wealthy white men, and that's just a fact.

2721
05:14:36,680 --> 05:14:40,940
If you don't believe me, look at the staircase, it has the portraits of all the armors here.

2722
05:14:41,460 --> 05:14:47,320
But at a certain point that the kind of changed, it wasn't until recently where we had young people getting involved

2723
05:14:47,320 --> 05:14:53,300
in Penal and Community Service, and that changed especially with what we've been being elected, right?

2724
05:14:54,200 --> 05:14:59,980
But I think, and the reason why I really appreciate this conversation, this item, is that it actually highlights...

2725
05:15:00,000 --> 05:15:06,320
of the inequities of this former government. I think for this is the reason why we're not seeing

2726
05:15:06,320 --> 05:15:11,740
a lot of low-income people, be representatives of the city and because of that remissing

2727
05:15:11,740 --> 05:15:17,600
representation of a large part of the panel. And for a long time we haven't had people who have

2728
05:15:17,600 --> 05:15:22,560
been historically excluded from this process in these seats. And so when we think about the mayor's

2729
05:15:22,560 --> 05:15:30,380
Israel, again, is not just extra authority, it's not extra authority, but definitely is extra

2730
05:15:30,380 --> 05:15:30,820
responsibility.

2731
05:15:31,760 --> 05:15:36,220
And so I just want to keep that in mind in terms of when we think about the rotation system

2732
05:15:36,220 --> 05:15:42,020
that we have currently passing around the mayor's seat, like it's something to be sure,

2733
05:15:42,220 --> 05:15:42,600
like a toy.

2734
05:15:43,240 --> 05:15:45,060
It really is not that.

2735
05:15:46,020 --> 05:15:50,480
There is definitely an amount of regional power that comes to this, definitely being

2736
05:15:50,480 --> 05:15:56,760
Dr. Cossamir's conference and making these several appointments to these agencies, but also

2737
05:15:56,760 --> 05:16:00,740
how the mayor shifts culture within the city and beyond.

2738
05:16:02,060 --> 05:16:06,960
So that's really what I wanted to post to you all is what he wanted the mayor's position,

2739
05:16:07,060 --> 05:16:13,120
and I think that electing a mayor first off, it's giving more choice to the voters.

2740
05:16:14,700 --> 05:16:19,720
So, other than the price tag of it, I can't see anything that is wrong with that.

2741
05:16:19,720 --> 05:16:22,100
I think it's to benefit of all of us.

2742
05:16:22,380 --> 05:16:24,920
In terms of not having formal polling on the issue,

2743
05:16:25,760 --> 05:16:28,060
from the ballot measures I've seen in California

2744
05:16:28,600 --> 05:16:34,320
in the past that have transitioned from a pointed mayor

2745
05:16:34,320 --> 05:16:38,840
to an elected mayor overwhelmingly those measures have passed

2746
05:16:38,840 --> 05:16:40,540
more than 70% plus.

2747
05:16:41,360 --> 05:16:43,000
And so I know that those days aren't penal,

2748
05:16:43,620 --> 05:16:44,800
but I do know that it's track record

2749
05:16:44,800 --> 05:16:48,320
for those measures in California have ended up that way.

2750
05:16:48,320 --> 05:16:51,180
So, these are my comments, and I'll pass it back to you, Mayor.

2751
05:16:52,560 --> 05:16:53,820
Council Member Tombs.

2752
05:16:54,260 --> 05:16:55,480
Yes, thank you.

2753
05:16:55,500 --> 05:16:59,600
And I want to thank the folks that came to speak on this issue.

2754
05:17:00,280 --> 05:17:01,580
There were 12 speakers.

2755
05:17:02,160 --> 05:17:03,620
Only one was in support.

2756
05:17:04,100 --> 05:17:09,520
I also want to recognize the people that sent in comments earlier.

2757
05:17:10,160 --> 05:17:13,300
I received a PDF of 45 pages.

2758
05:17:13,300 --> 05:17:21,800
We all did, and only one of those letters was in support, and that's the one from former Mayor

2759
05:17:21,800 --> 05:17:30,940
Selimi. In his letter, he did say that 12 months is not long enough to set an implement

2760
05:17:30,940 --> 05:17:36,660
a priority of the mayor. Well, the mayor doesn't set the priorities. The council does.

2761
05:17:42,620 --> 05:17:43,280
That's

2762
05:17:43,280 --> 05:17:43,880
priorities.

2763
05:17:46,280 --> 05:17:52,980
I am opposed to this resolution because the existing rotation practice really works well.

2764
05:17:53,940 --> 05:18:06,180
There's four people, you know, not everybody gets a turn during their term, but the mayor always has at least two years experience.

2765
05:18:06,180 --> 05:18:12,460
If you go to a directly elected mayor, you could have somebody who has never served as mayor,

2766
05:18:13,140 --> 05:18:19,580
getting, if you have three people that run, somebody could be getting 34% of the vote,

2767
05:18:19,920 --> 05:18:23,480
and they are the mayor, without any experience.

2768
05:18:26,560 --> 05:18:34,720
So the staff report says that an elected mayor can collect a larger stipend or salary,

2769
05:18:34,720 --> 05:18:41,680
and that would just take the majority of the council to approve if a mid-term council member runs

2770
05:18:41,680 --> 05:18:48,000
and wins, a vacancy would be created on the council seat that they would leave behind,

2771
05:18:48,300 --> 05:18:54,380
which would require a costly special election to fill a vacancy, or the vacancy would be filled

2772
05:18:54,380 --> 05:19:01,700
by the council appointment. So the argument of, you know, democracy, that goes out the window

2773
05:19:01,700 --> 05:19:07,280
for filling that vacancy, if there was a direct appointment.

2774
05:19:09,560 --> 05:19:14,440
If a council member, at the end of their term, decides to run for mayor and doesn't

2775
05:19:14,440 --> 05:19:18,420
win, the city will have lost an experienced council member.

2776
05:19:19,440 --> 05:19:29,600
I am aware of a council member with a lot of experience in a nearby city where that happened.

2777
05:19:29,600 --> 05:19:36,560
and, you know, she has since, you know, is investing her time into non-profits, but it was

2778
05:19:36,560 --> 05:19:37,880
a loss for her city.

2779
05:19:41,850 --> 05:19:49,490
Residents of Penal supported an additional sales tax measure in 2024, and one, a member of

2780
05:19:49,490 --> 05:19:55,150
the public told me that they failed betrayed by the council for tripling their travel

2781
05:19:55,150 --> 05:20:01,290
budget, increasing the monthly stipend, and now this proposal for an unnecessary

2782
05:20:01,290 --> 05:20:08,150
election issue. These actions are making residents feel used. We need to show the

2783
05:20:08,150 --> 05:20:13,710
citizens that we are responsible with the extra funding that they're voting for,

2784
05:20:14,010 --> 05:20:20,130
you know, to support the city. We need to focus on what we told the taxpayers we

2785
05:20:20,130 --> 05:20:27,290
would be using those funds for. We need to focus on hiring a city manager, getting a

2786
05:20:27,290 --> 05:20:35,390
contract, maintaining our roads. We need to focus on that, not something that nobody's

2787
05:20:35,390 --> 05:20:41,430
asking for. The public has not weighed in on this. They're not asking for it. There's

2788
05:20:41,430 --> 05:20:48,470
been no petition asking for this to be on the council. In fact, there's been no polling.

2789
05:20:48,470 --> 05:20:58,130
We go to great extents to poll, use a budgeting tool for our residents when we work on the budget.

2790
05:20:58,710 --> 05:21:04,930
You know, it's important for us to have their input on expenditures for a whole fiscal year budget.

2791
05:21:05,210 --> 05:21:12,130
But somehow, $57,000 isn't, you know, we don't need a poll on that.

2792
05:21:12,130 --> 05:21:15,230
You know, I really have trouble with that.

2793
05:21:15,650 --> 05:21:18,670
That really is difficult.

2794
05:21:20,510 --> 05:21:24,970
And I want to state that the mayor position is largely ceremonial.

2795
05:21:25,370 --> 05:21:28,950
The mayor acts as the presiding officer for council meetings

2796
05:21:28,950 --> 05:21:32,910
and the city's official representation at public events

2797
05:21:32,910 --> 05:21:37,370
and holds no more executive power than other council members.

2798
05:21:38,150 --> 05:21:43,290
So, you know, council member society asked what do you want.

2799
05:21:43,570 --> 05:21:49,610
The each council member has, you know, their issues, whether it's going and visiting schools

2800
05:21:49,610 --> 05:21:56,190
or participating in youth sports programs or, you know, the friends of Penal Creek,

2801
05:21:56,430 --> 05:22:02,730
we all have our sort of our interests and that's not going to change.

2802
05:22:02,930 --> 05:22:05,290
Any council member can continue doing that.

2803
05:22:05,290 --> 05:22:08,490
And you can do that as mayor,

2804
05:22:12,960 --> 05:22:17,000
let's see, a couple of other, I also wanted to note, I think

2805
05:22:17,000 --> 05:22:21,860
it was mentioned, that rotating the mayor promotes equity and representation on the council.

2806
05:22:22,600 --> 05:22:29,980
And thereby, the community, rotating the role ensures that no single special interest group.

2807
05:22:30,210 --> 05:22:50,550
Can monopolize, you know, the bully pulpit. By limiting the mayor's individual authority and duration of service, the system diffuses political power across the entire council, making it harder for special interests to exert influence.

2808
05:22:51,960 --> 05:23:00,060
and let's see rotating the mayor. Rotating the mayor, system promotes clear

2809
05:23:00,060 --> 05:23:05,240
separation of powers. The council members can focus on the big-picture policy

2810
05:23:05,240 --> 05:23:09,940
planning without the distraction of administrative tasks or personal

2811
05:23:09,940 --> 05:23:14,660
management, which is handled by a professional city manager.

2812
05:23:18,220 --> 05:23:18,740
The current

2813
05:23:18,740 --> 05:23:27,380
system works. It works really well. Each of us have had a rotation on the mayor as the mayor.

2814
05:23:28,200 --> 05:23:34,820
I was able to, you know, set aside some of my own personal obligations for one year,

2815
05:23:35,280 --> 05:23:40,840
so that I could devote a lot of attention to when I was serving as mayor.

2816
05:23:42,180 --> 05:23:45,580
Not everybody is going to be able to do that for four years.

2817
05:23:45,580 --> 05:23:49,340
You're going to have a limited number of people.

2818
05:23:49,860 --> 05:23:56,800
So I just wanted to conclude that the proposal and the expense is a prime example of

2819
05:23:56,800 --> 05:24:01,000
misplaced priorities by the Council if this were to pass.

2820
05:24:02,200 --> 05:24:09,020
There are higher priorities for city funds and staff resources such as roads and public safety.

2821
05:24:09,020 --> 05:24:17,860
I think that our citizens deserve better than us, you know, approving this resolution without

2822
05:24:17,860 --> 05:24:22,640
them, without really their input other than coming to a council meeting.

2823
05:24:23,100 --> 05:24:24,600
We have not pulled them.

2824
05:24:25,160 --> 05:24:29,980
I would suggest that I would ask the council members to vote no on this resolution.

2825
05:24:30,760 --> 05:24:37,740
And if there is an outcry to bring it back, let's hear from the citizens that they want

2826
05:24:37,740 --> 05:24:43,080
to spend our time and our funds, our limited funds, on bringing it back.

2827
05:24:43,600 --> 05:24:44,400
So, thank you.

2828
05:24:44,640 --> 05:24:46,340
Thank you, Council Member Tombs.

2829
05:24:47,980 --> 05:24:53,340
I think, so I don't have a prepared statement.

2830
05:24:53,660 --> 05:24:54,980
I didn't write anything out.

2831
05:24:55,680 --> 05:24:59,720
I wanted to give a perspective because I think there was some public comment as to why.

2832
05:24:59,720 --> 05:25:13,700
Right, I think that in my opinion, having five council members, especially five very qualified, very well-seasoned, council members is a good thing for, for Penel.

2833
05:25:14,420 --> 05:25:19,720
One of the things that I've seen in my experience that's informing my decision is that

2834
05:25:19,720 --> 05:25:27,700
With the five and the rotating council member, you have a slightly different leadership every time you rotate.

2835
05:25:28,480 --> 05:25:33,340
The question becomes, I can bring back to a comment that was made earlier.

2836
05:25:34,180 --> 05:25:37,920
When we had our strategic planning session, I've been through two.

2837
05:25:38,320 --> 05:25:44,400
We've had almost 50 things that were very clearly outlined in that panel needs,

2838
05:25:49,380 --> 05:25:49,380
right?

2839
05:25:49,380 --> 05:25:58,380
I mean, there was a list that list was published in a memo from our previous city manager that was shared with everybody in the public.

2840
05:25:59,900 --> 05:26:12,240
When you have five individuals, we have had an end, my opinion, moving forward, a very hard time prioritizing, okay, we're obviously not going to get all 50 done.

2841
05:26:12,240 --> 05:26:15,620
My thing was, how do you prioritize those?

2842
05:26:15,940 --> 05:26:16,720
What comes first?

2843
05:26:16,780 --> 05:26:19,620
I've been saying roads since I got on council.

2844
05:26:20,280 --> 05:26:24,740
We're finally getting to a point where we can perform that work.

2845
05:26:25,960 --> 05:26:29,400
For me, I feel like during an election,

2846
05:26:30,840 --> 05:26:33,380
the governance portion of this is what matters.

2847
05:26:33,980 --> 05:26:37,620
The most powerful thing in the city and believe it or not,

2848
05:26:37,820 --> 05:26:40,040
it's not the council, it's not the mayor,

2849
05:26:40,040 --> 05:26:50,060
it's your voice and your vote, right? Key element, your vote, meaning you elected all of us.

2850
05:26:50,800 --> 05:26:59,000
I feel like this mayorship for me is to get the meetings through, have an agenda setting

2851
05:26:59,000 --> 05:27:05,820
and make sure we're moving forward. But you're going to get another mayor, the next rotation, right?

2852
05:27:05,820 --> 05:27:13,420
And with this going to the voters, there will be a decision made, whether you want to choose

2853
05:27:13,420 --> 05:27:21,160
for a mayor to help set priorities and that you elect citizens elected.

2854
05:27:21,940 --> 05:27:25,800
Very clearly, this is what they had wanted to see.

2855
05:27:26,700 --> 05:27:28,900
I believe in that kind of governance.

2856
05:27:29,140 --> 05:27:32,760
I believe in the public making the decision.

2857
05:27:32,760 --> 05:27:39,500
We're at a position now where that decision can be made on whether or not you believe you

2858
05:27:39,500 --> 05:27:45,140
want the city to keep rotating or whether you'd like to see some type of consistent leadership

2859
05:27:45,680 --> 05:27:47,640
over a two year or four year period.

2860
05:27:48,460 --> 05:27:51,480
We still haven't talked about the parameters of this.

2861
05:27:51,760 --> 05:28:01,620
What compensation looks like, what terms looks like, whether there's going to be term limits

2862
05:28:01,620 --> 05:28:06,780
on a mayor. All of these things are still things that this council needs to talk about.

2863
05:28:08,460 --> 05:28:14,220
In my opinion, I feel like those are the things we have to establish as part of this item.

2864
05:28:15,220 --> 05:28:21,680
And then we when we vote. But ultimately we're empowering our citizenry to make that decision.

2865
05:28:21,860 --> 05:28:29,040
At least in my opinion, that's what I feel is the right thing. But again, there are terms we

2866
05:28:29,040 --> 05:28:32,060
have to figure this out and then move forward accordingly.

2867
05:28:32,560 --> 05:28:34,600
So if it whether it passes or not,

2868
05:28:34,960 --> 05:28:37,840
I think that's up to this council to decide

2869
05:28:37,840 --> 05:28:40,580
whether or not it's even a decision to put up there.

2870
05:28:41,680 --> 05:28:43,020
And then ultimately make a decision,

2871
05:28:43,380 --> 05:28:45,740
our voters would choose.

2872
05:28:46,360 --> 05:28:49,560
So that's my why I think the consistent leadership.

2873
05:28:50,280 --> 05:28:53,580
I think us having a mayor move forward,

2874
05:28:53,960 --> 05:28:56,160
mayor slow down, mayor move forward,

2875
05:28:56,160 --> 05:29:02,420
Mayor Slowdown keeps this government reactive to state federal legislation.

2876
05:29:03,820 --> 05:29:08,980
I think that having consistent, consistent leadership sets a tone for for the citizens.

2877
05:29:09,180 --> 05:29:13,100
That's my wife and why I'm in support.

2878
05:29:14,040 --> 05:29:19,940
But again, we have to have this discussion as to whether the term and compensation and actual

2879
05:29:19,940 --> 05:29:24,060
what does it to councilmember size point, what does a mayor do?

2880
05:29:24,060 --> 05:29:26,060
is it the same role?

2881
05:29:26,940 --> 05:29:28,500
Does it deserve extra compensation?

2882
05:29:29,300 --> 05:29:31,960
Those are conversations we have to talk about.

2883
05:29:32,580 --> 05:29:38,340
So I'll bring it back to Council and try to establish whether there's an interest

2884
05:29:38,340 --> 05:29:40,140
at all to move this forward.

2885
05:29:41,540 --> 05:29:42,080
There's a motion.

2886
05:29:44,380 --> 05:29:44,580
Second.

2887
05:29:45,440 --> 05:29:46,740
I'm happy to make a motion mayor.

2888
05:29:46,960 --> 05:29:50,800
And I also want to acknowledge that some of these things, as I mentioned in my previous comments,

2889
05:29:50,800 --> 05:29:57,080
We, as many folks think that you have the answers, many of us don't have the answers,

2890
05:29:57,500 --> 05:29:59,960
but we do have to keep moving the city forward and we...

2891
05:30:00,000 --> 05:30:14,960
We are certainly as policy makers. I would say our mandate, our responsibility is to suggest ideas, particularly when we have an availability for residents to decide which of those ideas is codified, we should do that.

2892
05:30:15,540 --> 05:30:24,840
So I wanted to make a motion. And really, again, thank you so much to our staff and thank you to all the residents tonight's discussion.

2893
05:30:24,840 --> 05:30:32,440
excuse me, tonight's discussion, so based on the staff report in tonight's discussion, I

2894
05:30:32,440 --> 05:30:36,920
moved that the City Council would adopt the resolution calling for a special election

2895
05:30:36,920 --> 05:30:42,640
and submitting to the voters, the question regarding the office of an elected mayor.

2896
05:30:43,120 --> 05:30:47,660
And I further moved that the Council direct staff to work in coordination with the mayor

2897
05:30:47,660 --> 05:30:53,440
and mayor pretend to develop and implement a public education and communications plan as we've

2898
05:30:53,440 --> 05:30:58,180
the past, so residents have clear, accessible, and factual information well before ballots

2899
05:30:58,180 --> 05:30:59,340
are cast.

2900
05:30:59,980 --> 05:31:04,320
The plan should include at minimum a dedicated page on the city website with a full

2901
05:31:04,320 --> 05:31:09,220
text of the measure and impartial explanation of what changes and what does not change

2902
05:31:09,220 --> 05:31:13,840
including the council manager form of government, key dates and how to participate.

2903
05:31:14,560 --> 05:31:20,300
It should also, this plan should also include a plain language FAQ addressing common questions

2904
05:31:20,300 --> 05:31:26,320
about authority, accountability, and impacts, and also multiple outreach channels, including

2905
05:31:26,320 --> 05:31:32,020
mailers, if appropriate, social media, PCTV, email list, and community partners with

2906
05:31:32,020 --> 05:31:35,720
translations and accessibility accommodations consistent with city practices.

2907
05:31:36,400 --> 05:31:37,500
That's my motion.

2908
05:31:39,860 --> 05:31:49,320
Okay, so I'll second the motion, but I do have some amendments, I'd like to keep compensation

2909
05:31:50,080 --> 05:32:02,180
the same as our ordinance. The term I'd like to offer a two-year term to this. I mean,

2910
05:32:02,420 --> 05:32:09,020
is that something I could offer a amendment to? I'm just pleased. Well, I know that wouldn't

2911
05:32:09,020 --> 05:32:15,580
be included in the language, but we're discussing up here, but I'm proposing that there are

2912
05:32:15,580 --> 05:32:20,760
a two and four year I believe in the presentation because you couldn't have one or three,

2913
05:32:21,320 --> 05:32:26,320
but your motion didn't have that, particularly in there.

2914
05:32:26,860 --> 05:32:26,880
Please.

2915
05:32:27,300 --> 05:32:31,740
Well, first and foremost, I just want to say it's completely disrespectful for members of the public

2916
05:32:31,740 --> 05:32:33,740
to make comments during our session.

2917
05:32:34,040 --> 05:32:36,740
So let's hopefully clear that out.

2918
05:32:37,520 --> 05:32:42,260
Secondly, I'm happy for the, as you suggested, the friendly amendment around

2919
05:32:42,760 --> 05:32:47,160
change what I hear from that is changing the resolution as is

2920
05:32:47,660 --> 05:32:52,300
included with staff to zero for the extra $100 per month. Is that what you're

2921
05:32:52,300 --> 05:32:57,800
right? It would be zero or what it would be is just a council. Yeah, consistent with

2922
05:32:57,800 --> 05:33:03,860
the council. And then I guess the city to the question of the city attorney the

2923
05:33:03,860 --> 05:33:09,040
way I met the way I've seen this report is that the residents again are the

2924
05:33:09,040 --> 05:33:14,460
who get to decide whether or not we get to do two or four years, not the council. So I would, I would,

2925
05:33:14,860 --> 05:33:19,860
how, I guess, how was that written in to the city attorney, how, how does that written in?

2926
05:33:19,920 --> 05:33:27,940
Yes, so the, the voters will decide the term for the elected mayor. So two or four years.

2927
05:33:28,620 --> 05:33:35,960
The municipal code has term limits, which in it provides the council members cannot serve once you serve three terms.

2928
05:33:35,960 --> 05:33:43,200
So, if the voters elect a two term elected mayor, they could essentially serve if the council decides

2929
05:33:43,200 --> 05:33:47,760
three consecutive terms, which would be six years, and then you have to sit out.

2930
05:33:47,820 --> 05:33:50,700
You can't run again, and so you sit out a cycle.

2931
05:33:50,960 --> 05:33:51,780
So that's consistent.

2932
05:33:52,080 --> 05:33:55,220
That's how it's currently set up for the council members.

2933
05:33:55,360 --> 05:34:02,220
So if this city council would like, we could have that same term limit for the elected mayor position.

2934
05:34:02,740 --> 05:34:02,860
Okay.

2935
05:34:03,080 --> 05:34:05,580
And I could incorporate that language into the ordinance.

2936
05:34:05,580 --> 05:34:07,320
I'm just interested in. I'm misinterpreted.

2937
05:34:07,560 --> 05:34:10,560
The presentation. May I just a quick question?

2938
05:34:10,680 --> 05:34:10,980
Yeah, please.

2939
05:34:11,420 --> 05:34:12,320
Just a quick question.

2940
05:34:12,440 --> 05:34:14,320
What I'm seeing is there are going to be three questions

2941
05:34:14,320 --> 05:34:16,560
that voters, if this pass is today,

2942
05:34:16,840 --> 05:34:18,780
voters have a choice to vote on.

2943
05:34:18,920 --> 05:34:20,560
Of course, the choice, because they don't have to answer

2944
05:34:20,560 --> 05:34:21,540
a question either.

2945
05:34:22,320 --> 05:34:23,720
This is democracy at work.

2946
05:34:24,120 --> 05:34:26,140
My question to you is,

2947
05:34:26,880 --> 05:34:29,560
if there are, because the questions are asked,

2948
05:34:30,260 --> 05:34:31,860
there's two questions that are technically asked

2949
05:34:31,860 --> 05:34:33,160
that could come conflict.

2950
05:34:33,520 --> 05:34:34,560
How would that be decided?

2951
05:34:34,560 --> 05:34:42,520
So if there are more voters who say they want two-year versus four-year, for example, I'm sorry, if there are

2952
05:34:42,520 --> 05:34:43,360
What is my question?

2953
05:34:43,880 --> 05:34:49,880
Basically, yeah, so basically yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, they'll be three questions on the ballot. Sure.

2954
05:34:50,620 --> 05:34:57,400
And as it relates to the term, you know, assuming that it's not literally the same vote count,

2955
05:34:57,820 --> 05:35:04,020
whichever one has the highest vote count two years or four years that is what will will adopt.

2956
05:35:04,560 --> 05:35:06,360
as the term for the elected mayor.

2957
05:35:07,520 --> 05:35:10,440
Now, the issue of term limits, the state law does not

2958
05:35:10,440 --> 05:35:14,080
have a term limit that is set for elected mayors.

2959
05:35:14,200 --> 05:35:19,260
So the council through ordinance can determine whatever

2960
05:35:19,260 --> 05:35:21,240
that term is, and you can change that later on.

2961
05:35:21,680 --> 05:35:23,080
So it'd be good to know that.

2962
05:35:23,100 --> 05:35:26,560
We could incorporate that into the language of this ordinance

2963
05:35:26,560 --> 05:35:28,660
if I'm final approval, but you

2964
05:35:28,660 --> 05:35:35,740
could also change that after the ballot measure is, in effect, at any point.

2965
05:35:38,000 --> 05:35:38,300
Okay.

2966
05:35:38,300 --> 05:35:41,080
So there's a motion in second, any comment?

2967
05:35:42,320 --> 05:35:43,160
Council Member Sassai.

2968
05:35:43,320 --> 05:35:46,060
It was just a quick comment here.

2969
05:35:46,660 --> 05:35:49,900
And I also want to acknowledge to that

2970
05:35:49,900 --> 05:35:53,960
reform takes money and resources.

2971
05:35:56,820 --> 05:35:59,460
For my first term here in Council, I propose

2972
05:35:59,460 --> 05:36:02,640
ordinances around things like environment,

2973
05:36:03,840 --> 05:36:05,260
gun violence prevention,

2974
05:36:08,600 --> 05:36:09,500
even things like

2975
05:36:09,500 --> 05:36:10,380
prison public safety.

2976
05:36:11,340 --> 05:36:13,940
Tonight proposed an ordinance on on-wage

2977
05:36:13,940 --> 05:36:16,010
theft and protecting workers, being sure we

2978
05:36:16,800 --> 05:36:18,560
able to enforce labor standards.

2979
05:36:18,560 --> 05:36:24,420
And I remember the public also last meeting had proposed and awareness as well.

2980
05:36:25,920 --> 05:36:30,060
And I spoke with City Attorney about this, but every time that we proposed reforms like that,

2981
05:36:30,320 --> 05:36:33,540
the range of the cost is usually between $2 to $20,000.

2982
05:36:33,760 --> 05:36:34,500
Is that correct, City Attorney?

2983
05:36:36,340 --> 05:36:40,580
So I believe that was a question on the cost associated with bringing ordinance forward.

2984
05:36:41,180 --> 05:36:43,520
And so my comment, it depends on the complexity of the ordinance.

2985
05:36:43,540 --> 05:36:46,460
If it's a very simple straightforward, we're changing the meeting time.

2986
05:36:46,460 --> 05:36:50,480
like we have coming up. That's a very straightforward if we're doing a commercial cannabis ordinance.

2987
05:36:50,680 --> 05:36:55,380
That's very involved. It's very complex. So it's a lot more time. But the range can be, yeah, between

2988
05:36:55,380 --> 05:37:00,800
20,000 to 20,000 depending. Thank you. And so I think my point is reform reform takes money and resources.

2989
05:37:02,620 --> 05:37:08,540
And I encourage the public to also pick that apart. Any time the member of the council

2990
05:37:08,540 --> 05:37:14,360
proposed new ordinance or any new program initiative, that's an expenditure, and so I hope you can try

2991
05:37:14,360 --> 05:37:15,840
many of that process too.

2992
05:37:16,720 --> 05:37:20,900
Thank you for comment, city attorney, and a customer of the talk.

2993
05:37:21,480 --> 05:37:24,260
Okay, this is just a recommendation.

2994
05:37:24,920 --> 05:37:29,580
I'm changing the language that I've proposed on this ordinance, but there's a section seven.

2995
05:37:30,000 --> 05:37:47,820
Page 102, it provides that the mayor shall sign and it's the kind of categories of documents the mayor would sign. I was kind of using this to illustrate the types of things that other cities have done, but it does provide that the mayor will sign all written contracts and conveyance is made or entered into by the city.

2996
05:37:48,100 --> 05:37:58,940
I would recommend that we strike that language. We don't currently have the mayor sign all of the contracts. The contracts are already signed by the city manager, the city clerk and approved as to form by the city attorney.

2997
05:37:58,940 --> 05:38:05,160
So I would recommend just removing that language, but that's for the council's approval.

2998
05:38:05,760 --> 05:38:06,320
Okay.

2999
05:38:07,180 --> 05:38:08,880
Will we need to include that in the motion?

3000
05:38:09,460 --> 05:38:10,080
If you can, please.

3001
05:38:10,720 --> 05:38:16,620
So friendly amendment to strike that language about signing contracts to the current motion.

3002
05:38:19,060 --> 05:38:19,340
Sure.

3003
05:38:19,540 --> 05:38:21,140
I mean, yeah, that's fine.

3004
05:38:22,740 --> 05:38:22,940
Okay.

3005
05:38:23,200 --> 05:38:23,920
Councilmember Thompson?

3006
05:38:25,320 --> 05:38:25,560
Yeah.

3007
05:38:25,800 --> 05:38:30,140
I just want to note the second part of the motion that had to do with

3008
05:38:30,140 --> 05:38:37,080
public information and, you know, getting information out, I wanted just to put it out there

3009
05:38:38,280 --> 05:38:44,620
that staff already has a work program and this isn't on their priority, so that's going

3010
05:38:44,620 --> 05:38:50,120
to move some of the other priorities that we have further back because of the timing. I just

3011
05:38:50,120 --> 05:38:58,660
want to acknowledge that. I think. Mayor. Mayor. Yeah, I think councilmember

3012
05:38:58,660 --> 05:39:04,060
Sometimes, you're right about that, I mean, again, we've approved items in the past, including

3013
05:39:04,060 --> 05:39:08,700
your item from last meeting where staff said that they didn't have time or the work plan

3014
05:39:08,700 --> 05:39:10,440
to do something, but we still move that forward.

3015
05:39:10,920 --> 05:39:13,520
So I guess this would be consistent with what we've done in the past.

3016
05:39:15,140 --> 05:39:20,820
But I would say also that that's why my motion has included a subcommittee, where we can

3017
05:39:20,820 --> 05:39:23,940
also support staff as I have noted.

3018
05:39:24,520 --> 05:39:27,760
And so I just want to make sure that's clear that we have a subcommittee that would support

3019
05:39:27,760 --> 05:39:35,080
The development and implementation of that education plan, but as I said before it seems very consistent with what we've done in the past.

3020
05:39:36,320 --> 05:39:36,360
Yep.

3021
05:39:36,740 --> 05:39:37,040
Okay.

3022
05:39:37,560 --> 05:39:38,780
Is there any other comment?

3023
05:39:43,270 --> 05:39:44,450
Tell to member Martinez Rubin?

3024
05:39:45,370 --> 05:39:46,030
I am.

3025
05:39:46,230 --> 05:39:49,070
Doesn't strike by some of the comments made on the days.

3026
05:39:50,490 --> 05:40:00,570
It's incredible, incredible how actions by the Council can be made to appear that they favor

3027
05:40:02,250 --> 05:40:10,310
current situations when the context is different for situations in which we have to vote.

3028
05:40:12,620 --> 05:40:16,340
Okay, thank you for comment. Is there any other comment?

3029
05:40:18,020 --> 05:40:18,820
Okay, see none.

3030
05:40:19,160 --> 05:40:19,300
Secret.

3031
05:40:20,560 --> 05:40:21,700
Okay, Mayor Tafe.

3032
05:40:21,780 --> 05:40:22,140
Yes.

3033
05:40:22,540 --> 05:40:23,420
Mayor Protem Murphy.

3034
05:40:24,780 --> 05:40:25,530
Councilmember Sassai.

3035
05:40:26,860 --> 05:40:28,300
Councilmember Martinez Rubin.

3036
05:40:28,740 --> 05:40:28,780
No.

3037
05:40:29,360 --> 05:40:30,520
Councilmember Tombs.

3038
05:40:30,780 --> 05:40:30,900
No.

3039
05:40:30,900 --> 05:40:33,960
motion carries. Thank you. Thank you.

3040
05:40:36,310 --> 05:40:41,750
Okay, moving on to old business item 11.

3041
05:40:43,830 --> 05:40:44,110
Seeing

3042
05:40:44,110 --> 05:40:51,970
nine will move on to new business. We have nine seen on 13 citizens to be heard. Our second

3043
05:40:51,970 --> 05:40:58,390
third citizens to be heard. City clerk do we have any public comment or citizens of

3044
05:40:59,190 --> 05:41:05,070
Yes, we have Raphael Minis and Mark Zimmerman, oh, I'm sorry, Mayor.

3045
05:41:05,810 --> 05:41:06,590
Through the chair.

3046
05:41:06,710 --> 05:41:14,050
So for item 10B, because we are continuing the public hearing, we technically need to

3047
05:41:14,050 --> 05:41:19,050
call the item, open the public meeting, and then of the public hearing, and then continue

3048
05:41:19,050 --> 05:41:22,690
it to a date certain, which is February 17th, so if we could just call that item, open

3049
05:41:22,690 --> 05:41:26,610
the public hearing, and then we could take a motion to continue it to February 17th.

3050
05:41:26,610 --> 05:41:28,990
I think, absolutely, hold on.

3051
05:41:29,370 --> 05:41:32,330
So for citizens to be heard, we took an item out of order.

3052
05:41:32,470 --> 05:41:34,230
We're going to be going back to 10B.

3053
05:41:34,970 --> 05:41:38,830
So we'll conduct the public hearing and endop resolution

3054
05:41:38,830 --> 05:41:41,370
confirming the community service master fee schedule.

3055
05:41:42,470 --> 05:41:47,510
And so we'll open that up and then have a quick discussion

3056
05:41:47,510 --> 05:41:48,470
about continuing.

3057
05:41:49,110 --> 05:41:51,010
Yeah, so the staff would like to continue that item

3058
05:41:51,010 --> 05:41:52,250
to February 17.

3059
05:41:53,130 --> 05:41:54,970
So staff would welcome a motion by the council

3060
05:41:54,970 --> 05:41:56,130
to continue the item.

3061
05:41:56,130 --> 05:41:58,390
I move, we continue that item.

3062
05:41:58,470 --> 05:41:58,930
A second.

3063
05:42:00,010 --> 05:42:00,190
Okay.

3064
05:42:00,350 --> 05:42:02,690
Motion by Tom's, second by Murphy.

3065
05:42:03,930 --> 05:42:04,630
City Clerk.

3066
05:42:05,210 --> 05:42:05,630
May you take.

3067
05:42:06,290 --> 05:42:06,430
Aye.

3068
05:42:06,590 --> 05:42:07,510
Mayor Pro Tem Murphy.

3069
05:42:08,390 --> 05:42:09,410
Councilmember Sassai.

3070
05:42:09,750 --> 05:42:10,050
Yes.

3071
05:42:10,250 --> 05:42:11,690
Councilmember Martinez Rubin.

3072
05:42:11,910 --> 05:42:11,950
Yes.

3073
05:42:12,290 --> 05:42:13,170
Councilmember Tom's.

3074
05:42:13,170 --> 05:42:13,390
Yes.

3075
05:42:13,650 --> 05:42:14,110
Motion carries.

3076
05:42:14,310 --> 05:42:14,750
Thank you.

3077
05:42:15,330 --> 05:42:15,570
Okay.

3078
05:42:16,310 --> 05:42:16,510
All right.

3079
05:42:16,730 --> 05:42:20,510
So moving on to the second citizens to be heard.

3080
05:42:20,650 --> 05:42:21,950
Apologize for that.

3081
05:42:22,210 --> 05:42:23,090
Taking that out of order.

3082
05:42:23,090 --> 05:42:25,930
Rafael Minis, and Mark Zimmerman.

3083
05:42:34,410 --> 05:42:36,050
Good evening, Mayor, Council staff.

3084
05:42:36,230 --> 05:42:38,150
I was full of acquaintance, Rafael Mass, President of Penel.

3085
05:42:38,890 --> 05:42:41,630
And I have two topics I'd like to address tonight.

3086
05:42:41,790 --> 05:42:47,130
First off, COVID-19 rates, the University of Penel, or at least in the region of Contracost

3087
05:42:47,130 --> 05:42:52,230
is surrounding the city of Penel, so as we don't have direct assessment of wastewater data

3088
05:42:52,230 --> 05:42:54,030
as Council of Autosnoted earlier.

3089
05:42:54,930 --> 05:43:00,570
It's still at a very low level, there's still some moderate high and very high data

3090
05:43:00,570 --> 05:43:06,050
results in Alameda County, but they don't seem to have spread from Alameda County into

3091
05:43:06,050 --> 05:43:12,950
Contra Costa County at this time, and the overall trends still seem to indicate the

3092
05:43:12,950 --> 05:43:18,650
virulence level in Contra Costa County in California as a whole as relatively flat compared

3093
05:43:18,650 --> 05:43:21,190
to some other parts of the country where it's much higher.

3094
05:43:23,370 --> 05:43:24,990
So I would continue to urge people

3095
05:43:24,990 --> 05:43:29,410
to get vaccinated with the booster shot if they haven't or their original vaccines certainly

3096
05:43:29,410 --> 05:43:35,390
if they haven't by this point and to wear masks and credit indoor areas even with the current

3097
05:43:36,110 --> 05:43:42,230
very low transmission rate, because COVID's still not a pleasant illness to get and you

3098
05:43:42,230 --> 05:43:48,810
want to avoid it that if you possibly can. And secondly, I'd like to ask the Council to

3099
05:43:48,810 --> 05:43:55,250
adjourn tonight's meeting in the memory of Alex Prady, who, as I think we all know, is another

3100
05:43:55,250 --> 05:44:02,950
American citizen who was killed by Department of Homeland Security agents. I'm not sure whether it's

3101
05:44:02,950 --> 05:44:08,370
immigration's a custom enforcement or customs and border patrol in particular, but

3102
05:44:08,370 --> 05:44:14,430
the fact remains that she died and she didn't need to and to assess the tragedy.

3103
05:44:14,930 --> 05:44:19,490
So I'd appreciate his memory being recognized this evening. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker.

3104
05:44:20,830 --> 05:44:22,810
next public comment. Mark Zimmerman.

3105
05:44:25,630 --> 05:44:29,330
Hi, good evening again. I appreciate the time to speak to

3106
05:44:29,330 --> 05:44:34,870
an honor, but just like you know, I only have three minutes, but I do have a question for the city

3107
05:44:34,870 --> 05:44:39,190
attorney. I wanted to know if I had the ability to submit comments through a council member,

3108
05:44:40,530 --> 05:44:46,750
thereby giving myself, for potentially if they read my comments, they could potentially be read,

3109
05:44:47,050 --> 05:44:50,830
if they were longer than three minutes, they could be read such that I could give a five minute

3110
05:44:54,390 --> 05:44:59,970
There's no limit on council member statements or discussion, so the council members can...

3111
05:45:00,340 --> 05:45:06,220
Could read comments for they can take as long as they like. Okay. Okay. I can sit in my comments to them.

3112
05:45:07,720 --> 05:45:14,240
Okay. Very good. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for comment. Next public comment.

3113
05:45:14,680 --> 05:45:23,560
That concludes public comment. Okay. We are now ready to adjourn. I'd like to adjourn the meeting to the next regular city council meeting of February 17.

3114
05:45:23,560 --> 05:45:29,840
in remembrance of Alex Pretty and Amber Swartz. Thank you very much.