The Davis City Council met on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 6:30 PM in Community Chambers. The meeting featured ceremonial proclamations, routine consent items, public comments on a range of topics, appointments to advisory commissions, formation of a General Plan Committee, adoption of the 2025 Omnibus Zoning Ordinance and Municipal Code Amendments, and an informational discussion on affordable housing production. Key actions included unanimous approval of most consent items, several resolutions related to commission appointments, and council direction on clarifying questions about the affordable housing ordinance.
The consent calendar (Items A–H) was approved unanimously 5–0, with Item G removed for separate discussion.
Item G – Human Relations Commission Action Item Councilmember Partida pulled Item G. Staff proposed two parts: (1) approve HRC's task to review its webpage, and (2) pause the proposal to develop an action plan for the Civil Rights Ordinance until the City Attorney completes a review of Chapter 10 (which includes investigation/mediation duties). Council asked clarifying questions about the scope of HRC's investigatory powers and legal constraints. After public comment, council voted unanimously 5–0 to approve the first recommendation (webpage review). For the second recommendation, council also voted 5–0 to pause the action plan. Additionally, council passed a separate motion (5–0) directing the HRC to establish a subcommittee to study how comparable HRCs in California address discrimination, including the source of authority for investigations.
Item 5A – Appointments to Fiscal Commission and Police Accountability Commission Council appointed two regular members to the Fiscal Commission and two regular members to the Police Accountability Commission from a pool of five candidates recommended by the Council Subcommittee on Commissions (Neville & Partida). All appointments were approved unanimously after a brief public comment supporting increased membership.
Item 5B – Formation of General Plan Committee Council approved (5–0) a resolution forming a General Plan Committee (GPC) with 13 members drawn from six commissions to reconcile conflicting policy recommendations from different general plan elements. Council discussed Brown Act considerations and confirmed that commissioners would represent their respective commissions' positions. Public comment supported the committee but suggested including non-commissioners in future housing element committees.
Item 6 – 2025 Omnibus Zoning Ordinance and Municipal Code Amendments Staff presented amendments including updated definitions, removal of minimum parking requirements per AB 2097 (with alternative covered parking options to reduce urban heat island effect), and administrative approval of parcel mergers/lot line adjustments for four or fewer parcels. Council clarified questions about tree shading requirements and public facility exemptions from downtown form-based code. After public comment, council voted unanimously 5–0 to adopt both ordinances (first reading).
Item 7 – Affordable Housing Production: Implementation of Article 18.05 This was an informational item to prepare for a November 4 workshop on specific development proposals. Staff presented an overview of the inclusionary housing ordinance, a hypothetical 700-unit development showing required 130 affordable units (18.5%), and outlined two clarifying questions: (1) should staff conduct a financial review even when a developer does not request city assistance? (2) should the evaluation of Project Individualized Plans (PIPs) be objective or subjective? Council provided extensive feedback:
Second Davis, second by Councilmember Chapman. Is there any discussion? All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Nay. Abstain. Motion passes five zero. We'll start with our ceremonial presentations and proclamations. Uh, we'll take a brief break after all of the presentations to do some photos, and then we'll return to the regular meeting. Let's start with me. As uh October 24th as United Nations Day. So, Edgar Trujillo, are you here to come on up? I'll read the proclamation and then uh give you a chance to say a few words. 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations since the Charter came into force on October 24th, 1945. Our collective resolve expressed in the United Nations Charter remains to uphold our faith in fundamental human rights and the dignity and worth of the human person and the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small. On this 80th United Nations Day, we strongly reaffirm the inherent humanity that unites us. And renew our continued continued commitment to creating a future that ever more effectively advances peace, dignity, and security for all humanity, with a strong emphasis on youth participation. The United Nations is remaining an indispensable partner for the United States in promoting our nation's historic shared values as well as to protect our national security, economic, environmental, and foreign policy interests. The citizens of Davis young and old have traditionally recognized the importance of undertaking efforts on the local, national, and international level to promote collaborative initiatives and generous humanitarian efforts toward a peaceful and more just world. Now, therefore, we, the Davis City Council, on behalf of the citizens of Davis do hereby proclaim that October 24th, 2025 be celebrated as United Nations Day in Davis, and that the UN flag be flown at City Hall in recognition of the occasion. Thank you so much. Good evening, Council members. And thank you for this proclamation recognizing United Nations Day. My name is Edgar Truchillo, and I serve as a president of the United Nations Association of the USA, Davis Chapter, or just UNA Davis. We're a volunteer-run community organization made up of local residents, students, and educators who believe in the values of the United Nations. Peace, human rights, and global cooperation. Our mission is to connect local action to global impact, to show that even here in Davis, we can help advance the ideals on which uh United Nations was founded 80 years ago. Through community events, education, and advocacy, we aim to remind people that global change begins right here at the local devil. This Sunday, October 26th, from 2 to 4 p.m. at International House Davis, we'll be hosting United Nations State 2025, bringing our future, building our future together. This event will feature acrylic artwork from Willett Elementary Sixth Graders inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals. It will also include presentations by uh UC Davis, Global Affairs Interns. And lastly, it'll have a keynote address by Jarrett James Lesh, the recently elected UNA USA youth observer to the United Nations. It's an opportunity for our community to reflect on how far international cooperation has come, but also how much we still must do together. We're also looking for new members, future board leaders to join our chapter as we grow into the next year. And so if you're passionate about global issues and want to make an impact here in Davis, we'd love to have you join us. Thank you again to the City Davis Council for helping us recognize the importance of United Nations year after year and for supporting the spirit of global cooperation right here in our community. Thank you. Thank you, Edgar. Our next proclamation is World Polio Day. That is me. Thank you, Mayor Vitla. So if Kay Ressler and Alan Telford would like to come forward. Welcome. So October 24th is recognized as World Polio Day, honoring the global effort to eradicate a disease that once paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children each year. Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of five. Most know it as polio virus. The virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system and in some cases lead to paralysis.