Thank you, everyone.

We have reconvened from close session.

And I would like to make the following disclosure.

By a five to zero vote, the city council authorized and directed the city attorney's office to defend the cases of Umapeg versus the City of Elk Grove and Nixon versus the city of Elk Grove as identified by the case numbers on the city council agenda.

And then also by a five to zero vote, the city council authorized the city attorney's office to initiate litigation in one matter.

The name of the defendants and details are not subject to disclosure at this time.

Once litigation is filed, this information will be disclosed to any person upon inquiry.

So we will adjourn the special meeting at 604 p.m.

And at this time, I will go ahead and call to order the Elk Grove City Council regular meeting.

Today is Wednesday, September the 10th, 2025.

And the time is 6.04 p.m.

Clerk.

Thank you, Mayor.

This meeting of the Elkgrove City Council is recorded with a closed captioning.

The recording will be cable cast on Metro Cable Channel 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and Direct TV Uverse Cable Systems.

The recording will also be video streamed at Metro14 Live.gov.

Tonight's meeting replays will be on Friday, September 12th at 1 p.m.

and Sunday, September 14th at 6 p.m.

on Metro Channel 14.

Once posted, the recordings of this and previous meetings can be viewed on demand at the 3W's Elkgrove.gov or YouTube.com/slash Metro Cable 14.

For members of the participating audience who may have personal electronic devices, please place them on silent mode during the meeting or on mute when you are not speaking.

The Elgrove City Council welcomes, appreciates, and encourages participation in the city council meeting.

City Council requests that you limit your presentation to three minutes per person, so at all present will have time to participate.

City Council reserves the right to reasonably limit the total time for public comment on any particular notice agenda item as it may deem necessary.

Pursuant to resolution number 210-24, no individual speaker concerning public comment may address the city council for more than three minutes.

If you wish to address the council during the meeting, please complete a blue speaker card, which can be found at the back of the chamber and provide it to Assistant City Clerk Brenda Haggard prior to consideration of the agenda item.

With that, Mayor, I will be moving into our roll call.

And for the roll call, I will be starting with Councilmember Spees.

Present.

Councilmember Brewer.

Present.

Councilmember Sewen.

Vice Mayor Robles.

Present.

And Mayor Singh Allen.

All right.

Next up is our land acknowledgement.

Assisting with that will be our vice mayor.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

We honor, respect, and acknowledge Elkgrove's first inhabitants, the Plain Miwalks, who've lived as sovereign caretakers of this land, these waterways since time memorial.

We commemorate and advocate for their descendants to Woolton Rancheria, the only federalized recognized tribe in Sacramento County who endured because of their brevity, resilience, determination of their ancestors, tribal members, and leaders.

All right, thank you.

Next up is our Pledge of Allegiance.

If you can, please rise.

And I would like to call forward Mr.

Carlos Garcia to help lead us this evening.

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

Thank you.

At this time, please join us for a brief moment of silence.

Thank you.

All right.

Next up is our approval of the agenda.

May I get a motion?

So moved.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next item.

Under section three or closed session, there are no closed session items on the regular agenda, which will advance us to section four presentations and announcements.

And I am going to say for our first item, our recipients were not able to make it for the meeting this evening.

That was a proclamation recognizing September 2025 as prostate cancer awareness month.

And they asked if they could see if we could reschedule that for our next meeting in September.

With that, we will move on to item 4.2, which is a proclamation recognizing September 18th, 2025 as junior league's find the good day.

All right.

And assisting us this evening will be Councilmember Kevin Spees.

I would like to call forward Stephanie Van Winkle with the Junior League of Sacramento.

Or representatives.

Or representative of local Elk Grove branch.

Come on up.

Thank you.

Councilmember Speeds.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, and welcome.

Um, so uh we have a proclamation today for Find the Good Day, September 18th, 2025, recognizing the Junior League of Sacramento Incorporated.

Whereas the Junior League of Sacramento was founded in 1942, through the efforts of a group of women working together to better their community, honing a vision to enhance the well-being and future of the Sacramento community through the dedicated action of trained volunteers.

And whereas the Junior League of Sacramento is part of the Association of Junior Leagues International, a woman's volunteer organization focused on developing women as leaders and making a real impact in our communities.

And every year, leagues across the county celebrate find the good day, find the good day on September 18th.

Whereas the Junior League of Sacramento is dedicated to tackling food insecurity in the region, partnering with a number of organizations throughout the Greater Sacramento area to improve access to food and support families in need.

Whereas the Junior Leagues invite all passionate individuals, experienced advocates, or budding philanthropists to participate in this impactful movement, inviting everyone to join hands on Find the Good Day, creating a legacy of compassion and positivity that will resonate for generations.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Elk Grove hereby proclaim September 18th, 2025, as Find the Good Day, thanking the Junior League of Sacramento for their efforts in promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving regional communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Together, we can find the good in every day and make a real difference in the lives of others.

All right.

The mic is yours.

And I just want to say, on behalf of us and also the Association of Junior Community International, which has close to 200 uh leagues all throughout the nation.

Thank you all so much for recognizing such an important day, not only for us, but also for our community members.

We have a lot of people from Elk Grove, and we really appreciate your your recognition here.

Awesome.

Thank you.

We will come down.

Yep.

Perfect.

Thank you.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

And I'll actually do this.

Yeah.

Hi.

Hi.

Great to meet you.

Thank you.

All right.

All right.

So we're going to shoot the two phones.

So, three.

One, two, three.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Always the most positive part.

All right.

Next up is item 4.3, proclamation recognizing September 2025 as diversity awareness month.

Assisting will be Councilmember Darren Soon.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Are there representatives from our diversity equity and inclusion commission here?

All right.

Hello, hello.

Nice to see you all.

But it's really my honor to present this proclamation and a few of us were talking about before the meeting started, after the horrific tragic event today in Utah.

It makes you really appreciate what we have here in Elk Grove.

The fact that we do appreciate and raise awareness about each other's diversity and our inclusive of each other to um and accepting of each other's differences.

And I want to commend all of you for your work on our diversity equity and inclusion commission because you help us promote that and exude that out in the community.

It really means a lot to all this council and all everyone here at the city of Elk Grove, and you are making a great difference.

So thank you very much.

So I want to uh read the proclamation now, whereas the City of Elk Grove and its diversity and inclusion commission will celebrate the city's diversity through various events and activities during the month of September.

And whereas by providing information, education, and communication to facilitate better understanding and appreciation for our differences, and whereas by organizing events, activities, and forums in collaboration with various organizations to promote peace and unity within our community.

And whereas the city and its diversity inclusion commission strive to create a more equitable, accessible, safe, welcoming, and inclusive government and community in Elk Grove.

And whereas the city and its diversity inclusion commission invite residents to attend the many events throughout Diversity Month, celebrating our city's diversity.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Elk Grove hereby proclaim September 2025 as diversity awareness month in the city of Elk Grove.

We encourage all Elk Grove citizens, business entities, and news media to participate in activities and programs during this designated month, to take the city's diversity pledge as no place for hate and to take time to appreciate the diversity that exists within the city of Elkgrove.

Thank you very much again for being here.

So good evening.

My name is Tina Lee Vot, and I have the pleasure of serving as the chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Commission.

As always, we want to thank this mayor and council for your support in terms of encouraging and your death hat commitment to diversity.

We know that it's very important.

I think that one of the things that really makes Elk Grove such a wonderful city to live in is just how much this council and this city embraces and encourages the diversity and having people explore different things.

We were able to kick off diversity month.

Uh council member Rod Brewer and I were able to rock it with Medalachi Madness.

And if you haven't heard Sweet Child of Mine with a Mariachi band, you haven't listened to it was a wonderful event and an amazing way to kick it off.

Um I'd be remiss if I didn't thank your amazing staff.

There's so much commitment and dedication from the staff that works on all of the events and working with us to make them happen.

We definitely encourage folks to come out and sample all the different things we have from our global feast that we have coming up later this month.

This weekend we have Dancing Around the World NC by myself and the wonderful Carlise here.

So it'll be a little fun.

But we are always grateful.

I want to recognize both Teresa and Carlise.

There are two of our newest members, and they have been so completely engaged and committed in their commitment to diversity and inclusion.

So as always, the work we do couldn't be done without your ongoing support and recognition.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Let somebody need to see you.

Yes.

So sweet child of mine.

I just can't even imagine what that was.

That's all of it.

We'll give it to you.

Okay.

Hi, hi.

Okay.

Okay.

One, two, three, one more disengage.

One, two, three.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I conflated the Saint Cog race equity we need to make.

Okay.

All right.

Next up.

Is proclamations recognizing September 15th through October 15th, 2025, as Hispanic Heritage Month.

We have two wonderful recipients today.

You want to call them up one by one?

Yeah.

Okay.

So we have two.

So we will start with uh one of our favorite teachers, Mr.

Carlos Garcia, the technical education teacher at Florence High School.

An assistant is our vice mayor.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Now, before I begin in the proclamation, I just want to say thank you for the time and the effort that you've been pouring into every student.

Elk Grove is better because of it.

We know that when they go up to college and when they come back, we're gonna have better citizens because of it.

And I assume that a lot of them will be mentors to the future generation.

And that's all because of your hard work.

And we are super appreciative of that.

We would not be here without you.

So thank you.

Thank you.

And I'm gonna read this first uh beginning.

It's for both proclamations, kind of giving a little background on Hispanic Heritage Month.

So, whereas Hispanic Heritage Month is the official celebration of Hispanic and Latino Americans whose ancestries can be tracked back to Spain, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbeans.

Whereas otherwise, this is um object is to recognize the generation of Hispanic and Latinos Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our society by celebrating the history, cultures, and customs that illustrate the diversity of those communities.

Whereas the city of Elk Grove is honored to recognize Garlos Garcia as a career technical education teacher at Florin High School.

Born and raised in Elk Grove, he's seen the city transformation firsthand, remembering at a time when the population was just 16,000.

This personal experience of his community growth and voting for Elk Grove Cityhood is just as he turned 18, inspired his civic engagement.

Carlos found founded the American, I'm sorry, founded Elk Grove Citizen uh Elkrove Civic Summer Internship Program in 2015 as an opportunity to increase civic engagement amongst young youth.

Familiarize students with new career paths and teach them with Elkrove's rich history.

Over 350 students have participated in this program, with many going to pursue careers in public service.

Carlos Garcia volunteered in youth service programs and is a board member of the California League Pathway Collaborative from 2023 to present, representing 23 high schools in the law academies.

He is a mentor and a new academic coordinator at his high school around the state.

His dedication for youth and his community, Carlos is numerous of accolades throughout the state of California.

Now, therefore, let it be resolved that the city of Elk Grove hereby proclaims September 15th to October 15th, 2025, Hispanic Heritage Month in the city of El Grove.

Thank you, Carlos Garcia, for your selflessness and dedication and tireless effort and enriching the lives of many students.

Signed the 10th day of September 2025.

Mr.

Garcia, the floor is yours.

Well, thank you, Madam Mayor and Council members.

When we began Elk Grove Civic Summer back in 2015, I knew that the work was important, but I really didn't know how important it would come to be over time.

And now as so many students have matriculated through the program and have come back to talk about their experience and have gone on to college and careers beyond that, it really puts things in perspective for the value of the work that we do.

And so it's been a pleasure as someone born and raised in Elk Grove.

And you know, I'd like to say that ever since I walked in to the gates of Elk Grove Elementary as a kindergarten student back in 1984, that uh this community has fostered all of my ambitions and supported me every step along the way.

And so this council in particular, there's been many variations of council since the program started, but I would like to particularly thank this version of the council for the way that you've been able to connect and inspire our students.

You know, every year at Elk Grove Civic Summer, uh you're there at answering questions, you're there taking selfies, TikTok dances, talking about Jordans, or whatever they want to ask Sergio when they've got so many questions or or soapbox uh derbies when when Rod's there, the first follower when Kevin's there, okay, and Darren, all the way from the beginning.

We've got so many students that want to be engineers, and it's just such a natural uh opportunity for them to be able to connect with you, Madam Mayor, we look forward to every year your birthday and having you come in and and the ability we had Ishan Singh this year who brought his grandparents from India and had the uh opportunity to be able to meet you, and so that you know made their trip and meant the world to them.

And so the work that we've done has been so impactful, and I want to thank everybody at the Dais for their continued support.

Want to thank Jason, Kara, Mr.

Hobbs, um, for continuing to work with our students and um, you know, to continue to make the program a success now and in many years in the future.

Also want to introduce uh a few of my students that are here tonight.

So looking out at the audience, we have Mariana, Vanessa, Jonathan, Fernando, and Giselle.

And sitting all the way at the end is my sister Cindy, who does our leadership development with Elk Rove Civic Summer?

Before we come down, I just want to say, you know, there's a saying that teachers teach eternity, your reach is eternal.

With all of the students that have come through the program that you have inspired, they will then go out and inspire and have that ripple effect to eternity.

So thank you for your passion and uplifting the lives of the students in our school district and all the program that you do.

I know that you reach them in such a profound way.

When hearing, you know, I followed up with some of the students afterwards, and that program changed them.

And that's because of your commitment and dedication to our students.

So thank you and congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you for this.

I guess the best elevator.

I don't forget that part.

I just case one, two, three.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

Yes, you want to, come on, students.

And your sister?

Yeah.

For the law academy, we get stopped.

All right, here.

Let's all squeeze in.

I'll let you see in.

How are you?

Okay.

Okay.

I hide in the back.

This is where I'm on the back.

Here we have it.

Ready?

One, two, three.

Four, one, two, three, second, five.

Hold on.

All right.

Thank you.

All right.

At this time, I would like to call up Manuel Berber.

Did I say it right?

Please come to the podium.

All right, Vice Mayor.

Mr.

Berber, how are you doing?

Good, Sergio.

I am so I'm honored to be able to present this to you.

Um, I think from the first moment we've met, we we hit it off.

And uh, if anything more inspired, um, to see the work that you've done in and out of the community and how you've been able to employ so many employees.

Um, and and I'll continue to read, but for those folks who don't know, um Mr.

Berber just retired um passing on the baton.

And uh thank you.

Yes, truly an inspiration and and like it's a um un orgullo hispano.

I see that's that's one of the, you know, it's um it's uh pride of being a Latino.

Um, so thank you for all the work you've been doing and all of the work you're gonna do.

I see a lot of golf in your future from now.

Um but truly thank you for what you've done for Elk Grove.

I don't think many folks actually know a little bit of it, but you you we know here in the city and and even bringing a business of that uh magnitude.

Um so thank you for that.

And I'll continue to go into uh what we have for you here.

All right, so the objective of this recognition is for the generation of Hispanics and Latino Americans who have positively influenced and enrich our society by celebrating the histories, cultures, customs that illustrate the diversity of our community.

Whereas 86 years, Mirranchito has been a pillar of our communities, providing fresh handmade tortillas and other goods with the third and fourth generation of the Barber family carrying on the legacy, whereas the visionary leadership of Manuel Barber and the company expanded in its reach and a local presence to a national and international one while maintaining the steadfast commitment and food safety, product innovation, and sustainable practice.

Manuel Barber dedicated to excellency, continuance and improvement, and the collaboration has not only been driven by success of Mirancho, but also made him a respectable leader in the food manufacturing industry, embodying the spirit of Hispanic innovation and entrepreneurship.

The city of El Grove is proud to be the home of Mirancho and appreciates the contribution to the local economy as well as strong partnership forged with the company's relocation to Elk Grove, led by Mr.

Barber.

We congratulate Manuel and his retirement, knowing uh that he will continue to support this community.

Thereas, let it be resolved that the city of Elk Grove hereby affirms and proclaims September 15, 2025 through October 15th, 2025, Hispanic Heritage Month for the City of El Grove.

Thank you, Manuel Barber, and Miranchito for enriching our community and economic development landscape and encourages all residents to join in recognizing and celebrating Mirranchito or Mirancho, sorry, and the Hispanic Latino community's remarkable contributions to our city.

Signed this day, the 10th of September 2025.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Well, thank you, Mayor, City Councilman, uh, and the city of El Grove.

Um, for not for my mom nomination and also uh recognizing me Rancho for all these years, truly appreciate that, especially during Hispanic um uh Heritage Month.

So it does mean a lot to us.

You know, I've always been so proud of what we've done here at Mirancho.

Uh it's meant a lot to a lot of people as we employ so many people here at our business here, which has been really enriching to us and to the family and to everybody that's participated in the growth of the company.

Mirantu is uh 86 years young, obviously, and has grown into us from a small Hispanic grocery store into Oakland from a small little store to a hundred and fifty thousand square foot facility here in Elk Grove, and a shout out to Daryl over here who strong armed me to come to Elk Grove, which was great.

So, you know, making approximately eight to ten million tortillas per day, which is pretty outstanding.

So it's it's it's it's amazing.

And if you enjoy Mexican food, I'm pretty sure you've consumed some of our product through all the the vendors and restaurants around this area, not only here in the city of Elkrove, but nationally and internationally.

So it's it's it's pretty amazing what we've done.

I am passing out the torch to my sons, Andrew's right here, and my wife is right here, Carol.

So they will continue uh the legacy of the company uh and hopefully uh they don't screw it up.

So, uh, so they'll continue to make the world's best tortillas as much as we can.

So again, thank you, gracias to you guys for recognizing for this nomination.

I'm so proud and for recognizing us during this time of Hispanic.

So it means a lot to us.

So adios and gracias.

Congratulations, thank you, John.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming to El Cro.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Congratulations.

What an a tremendous accomplishment?

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

You got a lot of work to do.

Are you sir?

Thank you.

You look there, 86 years of a great shirt.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Eighty six years of business.

Okay, I'm like, there's no way are any more tortillas in my life.

Oh absolutely.

Thank you again.

At this time I will go ahead and open up the public comment opportunity for non-present items.

The first person is Barbara Washburn, followed by Ellen Morales.

Madam Mayor, Council members, my name is Barbara Washburn.

I'm here representing Third Act.

Not sure you're familiar with that organization.

It's an organization of people over 60 addressing the climate and democracy crisis in our country.

And I'm here to address the unlawful abuse of immigrants in our country and our community and in the Sacramento region in particular.

This is a personal issue for me.

My grandparents were immigrants fleeing religious persecution in Eastern Europe many years ago.

And I'm guessing that most people sitting here in the audience are people who have an immigrant heritage of recent nature.

And so I feel that the City of Elk Grove should take as strong a stand as possible to address the unfair, unlawful, and unamerican activities and actions that are happening in our country and in our community.

One, I know you've supported the fuel program in the past, but I would encourage you to increase your support of that program because they provide such valuable services to immigrants.

And that's really a low-hanging fruit, a way that the city could step up.

Excuse me, California Values Act, which restricts what our local police can and cannot do, such as they must have identifying badges.

They cannot cover their face except in very defined circumstances.

They cannot be involved in immigration enforcement activities.

This is in state law, but I don't think most people know that that is what this, how this what the rules of the road are and how the city is operating.

So what I would encourage you is through newsletters, through your website, through other mechanisms, to popularize so everybody in the community is aware of what the rules that the Elkgrove Police department operate under.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

And if you can reach out to me, I'd love to follow up with you.

I will do that.

My email and cell phone are publicly available.

Very good.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you, Barbara.

Next up is Ellen Morales, followed by Trina Lee.

Hello.

My name is Ellen Morales.

I've lived in Elk Grove for 10 years, and along with my husband, I'm raising my five-year-old son here.

We decided to move to Elk Grove because of the racial and cultural diversity and the very high level of public safety.

I commend the city council for the proclamations of Diversity Month and Hispanic Heritage Month.

And I asked the council to do more to protect the people and families recognized through these proclamations.

Recently, the cultural diversity and public safety of our community have been put at serious risk around the US and in our own county.

People are being taken off the streets and disappeared by masked men at gunpoint.

Men who claim to be federal agents, but who are operating illegally when they refuse to show identification badges or provide judicial warrants.

And we know that some of these men are not federal agents, but are impersonating officers, as accounts have come out about women being detained and then raped by these impostors.

We also have accounts of agents arresting and detaining U.S.

citizens who are simply speaking up, asking questions, and documenting events, which are constitutionally protected rights.

As these things happen more and more, it puts the safety of all members of our community at risk.

Civilians and law enforcement officers, people of all racial ethnic groups, and regardless of whether someone is an immigrant or not.

We should all care about this.

As residents, we need to know that the city and the Elk Grove Police Department will stand up for the constitutionally protected legal rights of all individuals within Elk Grove.

We need to know that we can count on the Elk Grove PD to enforce the law and protect our constitutional rights.

If we call to report masked men kidnapping someone, we need to know that these calls will be taken seriously.

And PD will get to the scene quickly.

We need to know what they will do when they arrive.

Will they protect us, the residents of Elk Grove?

Will they require the supposed agents to provide identification and a badge and a judicial warrant to the police department?

Will they confirm the agents' ID and badge are real and listed in a legitimate law enforcement database?

And what if there is no judicial warrant?

What will they do then?

Will they protect the people that they have sworn to serve and protect and prevent them from being taken?

The bottom line is will the Elk Grove PD uphold the laws of our country and state?

Or will they look the other way as our community gets torn apart as families get torn apart?

I urge you to consider the role of the city council in this situation and the power that you do have.

And I know it's not all-encompassing, but there's some to help keep our community safe.

And then I encourage you to take urgent action to do so.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Morales.

And if uh if you could also follow up with me, I'd like to follow up on your items.

Next up is Trina Lee, followed by Linda Vallas.

Yes, that.

Thank you.

Hello, I'm Trina Lee, and from 2001 to 2024, I taught English at Elkgrove High School.

During that time, I worked with students and families from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Eritrea, Kenya, India, Laos, Vietnam, China, Tonga, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

The students had various schools, wanting to go to cosmetology or sports, business, technology, agriculture, healthcare, education, some even politics.

What they all shared wherever they were from, whatever they wanted to do, was an absolute faith in the American dream.

They believed without question that if they worked hard enough, they could succeed and add their own talents to their new country.

These students and families came from around the world and landed here in Elk Grove and have not only made Elk Grove their home, but have also helped make the city economically and culturally dynamic, vibrant, and strong.

I have never felt more proud to be an Elkrovian and an American than when working with these remarkable young people.

That's why I've watched the current actions of our government against immigrants with horror and heartbreak.

Massed agents tearing families apart, detaining beloved members of communities, accusing people of crimes without due process, building unconscionable detention facilities, arresting those who are following the laws.

They make the required court appearances, capriciously changing the legal status of immigrants under programs like TPS, DACA, and student visas.

It seems that our federal government has transformed the dream of our immigrant neighbors into a nightmare.

So that's why I'm here tonight to thank you, city council members, for the actions you've taken this evening to recognize our diversity and our Hispanic heritage for the actions you've already taken to support fuel, but also to ask you to do more.

We're witnessing an unprecedented assault on people who make our lives better in so many ways.

We need to work to make them feel safe, welcome, and valued.

And I, for one, look forward to working with the city to explore ways to strengthen our support of our immigrant neighbors.

Thanks.

Thanks for joining us.

Linda, you're next.

Good evening.

My name is Linda Vias, and uh first I want to apologize for my casual attire.

A bit of a family issue come up, and I didn't have time to get home.

Otherwise, I would show more respect and be here dressed properly.

But uh the reason I'm here is because of my family.

Um we live on Sorrentino, and it is a street that is butts up against two schools.

And the problem is that, and I know you're aware of this because there are signs up posted about people doing drop-offs and pickups of school students, and the streets are very narrow.

Um, it's a very serious situation.

I am surprised at this point that there hasn't been a fatality.

You have large cars and trucks making U-turns.

Um, there's horn honking, there's uh the noise level is unbelievable.

You have kids on bikes, children on scooters, and you have um, you know, kids walking and not paying attention because they're on their phones.

It is a hazard, and also it is a problem for the residents there because we do have a noise issue, and you put all this together, and it's um something that I think can be solved.

Um, it takes basically the city and the school and the police.

Now I have to say that the police department has done an excellent job so far.

They um, under Sergeant Glazer and his team, which is Officer Kabir, and then Officer Scott.

And when they're out there, their presence is made, it makes a big difference, and they are ticketing, and but when their presence isn't there, when they are not there, all the cars come back again.

We do have signs that are posted there that have been posted, but what happens is there's certain times, people get there early, and it's a problem because they do not move, residents cannot park there, and it says no parking at these certain times.

So residents have to go out twice a day and move their cars.

That's unreasonable.

Now, the schools I've talked to, they are not really helping at all.

They say we send out a letter at the beginning of the year, and that's it.

So that doesn't help.

A lot of people don't even read texts or letters, and you have a lot, the school has opened up because Elk Grove is such a good area.

People are bringing their kids here to the schools from other areas.

They don't really have any skin in the game.

They don't care if they're making noise or there's problems.

It's just they're not helping.

As anything, it's sad to say in the our culture, that you're not going to get people to do the right thing unless you hit them in the pocketbook.

Plain and simple.

That's the only way you're going to do it.

Because signs don't help.

They don't even read them.

And so I think the first step should be we change the $63 to 250 a pop.

Pretty much like you do with parking in a handicap.

That would I think be a really good deterrent because people are not going to fork out $250 or take the chance of that.

As far as the signs go, they don't help what it should say.

Because right now they get, oh, I'm out of time.

Yes, thank you though.

Is it possible to um you can send us uh an email?

You can direct an email to me, and I'll follow up with requisite staff.

Okay, thank you very much.

Of course.

Thank you.

So I think that is our final speaker for public comment.

So I will go ahead and close public comment.

And our next item is our city manager's report.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the city council, Jason Barryman, your city manager.

First, I want to give a big shout out to our team, our economic development team, Sarah Rodriguez and Daryl Doan and the rest of the team in a successful pitch outgrove event.

Last week we had the biggest turnout ever.

Approximately 500 people were there.

Appreciate the council being there and supporting that.

Big congratulations to all the winners of the event and thanks to our sponsors that helped make that successful.

So great uh great evening.

Looking forward to continued growth and progress in that event.

Um, city continues to have community meetings regarding uh the future homeless shelter.

We've had two so far, one in person, one online.

We have another one coming up on September 17th at 5 30 p.m.

at District 56.

It's gonna be another in-person meeting.

It's gonna be focused on some visioning.

The project team is gonna share some early concepts and kind of mood boards based on some information we received from the members of the public.

Um so there's still an opportunity for that.

And the next city council meeting in a couple weeks.

We're gonna come back and summarize some of the things we've heard.

We'll get some direction from council, and we're also going to outline the next phase of the project.

We're starting to start talking about sites, site criteria and things, and what that process is going to look like.

We're not gonna identify any sites at that meeting, but we'll start talking to the council and the community about what that's going to look like and how that's gonna unfold over the course of the next several months.

So stay tuned.

Um, if you want to follow the work that's going on there, go to our website, you can sign up, and we'll continue to provide updates on on how that's progressing.

Um, we're continuing Elk Grove's month-long celebration of diversity with events that bring the community together.

So you already heard our commission members talk about a couple of these events, but we have Dancing with Dancing the Globe, which is an event coming up this next Saturday uh from 10 a.m.

to 3 p.m.

at District 56.

We have about a dozen local performance performance performers that are gonna be doing various um dance acts, and then on Thursday, September 18th.

Also at District 56, there will be the Global Feast Fest, where we'll have about 20 local food vendors representing different cuisine and food and drinks from all around the world.

So it's gonna be a great event, a live DJ.

So come on out and celebrate that.

Um, there's more, there's more things that are available that you can look at on our website.

Um, this diversity month is being sponsored by the city of El Grove, but also by Kaiser Permanente as well as other sponsors.

So we appreciate their support, um, lots of great things.

Big shout out to the staff involved in putting that on for council's ongoing support of that.

The city in partnership with SAC RT is seeking input as we develop the Blue Line, bus rapid transit feasibility study, alternatives are being evaluated for extending the blue line, the light rail, um, or providing buzz rapid transit line in Elk Grove, visit Elk Grove.gov slash transit plan to learn more about the four alternatives being considered and provide feedback online.

There's also an upcoming Zoom meeting on September 11th at 6 p.m.

for residents wanting to engage and ask questions about the project.

Historic Main Street Special Planning Area, also known as the Old Town specific planning area is getting a refresh.

We are asking community input to help guide the way.

Originally created by Sacramento County in 1985.

It was last updated by the city in 2014.

So planning document is being updated to reflect today's community values and vision.

The project team has created six different personas inspired by downtowns across the state.

You can view the personas, provide input, and sign up for project updates on the city's website.

Also, we continue to celebrate the city's 25th anniversary.

The thing we're we're doing now is a photo contest.

So we're encouraging people to submit their favorite images, things they might have taken over the years or the past 25 years, and submit those snapshots by Monday, September 22nd for a chance to win prizes and be featured in city publications.

You can go to Elkgrove.gov/slash photo contest to enter.

And then I'm gonna the final one I'm gonna talk about is um the Terra Terra Madre Americas, which is coming up pretty soon.

The city will be represented there.

The city in partnership with Explore Elk Grove will have a booth.

It's at the Safe Credit Union Convention Center September 26th through the 28th.

Food traditions, opportunities to explore the great cuisine here in El Grove, but all throughout the region.

So the City of Elk Grove will be well represented by several local restaurants, including Interlude, which is the new restaurant that's going to be coming in shortly, Boulevard Bistro, Toto and Poco, Roscotted Coffee, and Christopher Sellos.

So if you want to know more about this amazing event, you can go to TerraMadre USA.com.

And that concludes my report.

Happy to answer any questions the council might have.

Alright, thank you for that great update.

Any questions?

Looking to my right.

Look, Vice Mayor, you have a question for.

All right.

Seeing none.

Thank you.

We'll move on to our next item.

All right.

Um I will open up the uh public comment opportunity for consent items.

I do not have anyone signed up for consent.

I'll go ahead and close public comment opportunity and look for a motion to approve our consent calendar.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

All right.

Next item 8.1.

And 8.1 is a public hearing in relation to the milestone two project and actions, various actions for approving an initial study mitigated negative declaration and mitigation monitoring and reporting program, amending the zoning map for the project and approving general plan amendment, community plan amendment map, tentative subdivision map, subdivision design review, determination of consistency in the general plan, and abandonment as staff will describe in the staff report.

Good evening, Council.

Sarah Kurtz Kessner, Planning Department.

As mentioned, the project consists of a general plan amendment, community plan amendment, a rezoned tentative subdivision map, subdivision design review, as well as a determination of consistency with a general plan for the abandonment of existing right-of-way.

The project site, which is a little over 10 acres, is located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Wayne Hein Street and Wyland Drive.

The project is bounded by Wyland Drive to the east, Wayne Hyatt Street to the south.

Surrounding land uses include existing single-family residential to the north, east, and west, and a planned unity park, single-family residences, and a trail to the south across Wayne Heights Street.

The project site was first identified for a school site with the adoption of the East Elkgrove specific plan, which is adopted by the County of Sacramento in 1996.

The City Council has since repealed the East Elk Grove specific plan and incorporated the prior specific plan into the Eastern Elk Grove Community Plan with the adoption of the 2019 general plan.

The planning commission reviewed the item on August 21st and recommended City Council approval of the project.

One resident spoke in opposition to the project due to the loss of the school site, as well as the concerns about potential two-story homes being constructed behind his house.

In response, I want to note that the Elk Grove Unified School District determined that the site is no longer needed for a school site, and they released their reservation on the property in 2022.

Additionally, the applicant notes that the development will likely include both one story and two-story homes, but no parcel specific house plans have been determined as of yet.

Because the school district determined that the site was no longer needed for a school, the applicant submitted the current application for the development of single unit residential development of the site, which requires the general plan amendment and community plan amendments because the existing land use designation is public services.

The applicant is requesting to amend the general plan and community plan designation from public services to low density residential.

The project site had an underlying zoning district of RD5, and the applicant is proposing to rezone that to RD6.

The project would result in a residential density of approximately 5.8 dwelling units per acre, which is consistent with the RD6 zoning district.

The proposed project is also consistent with general plan policies, specifically policies LU 2-3 and LU 2-4, as it proposes low density residential development within an infill site identified in the general plan, and it is compatible with the surrounding area and increases housing diversity.

Here is the proposed tentative subdivision map for 56 56 single family lots.

The project also includes a LID stormwater facility located in the southwest corner of the site, as well as pedestrian connectivity from the development to Wayne Heint Street through lot A.

There would be a future crosswalk to the south, providing for access to the future park and the trail system to the south of the project site.

The map is consistent with the general plan, the municipal code, and the design guidelines.

And I want to note that while the project is proposing a rezone to RD6, the proposed lots are consistent with the RD5 lot sizes of 5,200 square feet, so larger than a typical RD6 site.

The project includes existing right-of-way that was previously dedicated for both Wayne Heint Street and Wyland Drive as the site was previously identified for a school site, and due to the change of land use, that right of way that existing right of way has is different than what the proposed right-of-way is needed.

So there is an abandonment proposed as part of the project, which requires a determination of consistency with the general plan.

The proposed abandonment has been reviewed by the public works department, and it was determined that that excess right-of-way is not needed and it will not affect pedestrian bicycle or vehicular circulation, and it is consistent with the general plan.

An initial study mitigated negative declaration was prepared for the project, which was circulated for public review, and it was determined that there would not be significant environmental impacts that could not be mitigated, and mitigation measures were incorporated as part of the project, as well as a mitigation monitoring and reporting program.

Four comment letters were received during the public review period, and the comments do not alter the conclusions as described in the staff report for the project.

Staff recommends that the city council adopt the initial study, mitigated negative declaration and MMRP prepare for the project.

Introduce an ordinance amending the Elk Grove zoning map from RD5 to RD6, and an adopting a resolution approving the project.

This concludes my presentation.

I'm available for questions.

The applicant team is also available to answer any questions.

All right.

Thank you for your presentation.

At this time, I will declare that the public hearing is now open.

Would the applicant like to speak?

Good evening, Mayor, members of the council.

My name is Scott Johnson.

My planning consultant for Taylor Morrison.

On behalf of Taylor Warson, we do appreciate the opportunity to be before you this evening.

We also wanted to thank staff and the planning commission for their support of the project.

We are in agreement with all the conditions of approval presented this evening.

And we do have the consultant team available should you have any technical questions.

And with that, we hope to have your support tonight.

Thank you, sir.

At this time, I will open up public comment opportunity.

Nobody has signed up to speak.

I will go ahead and close public comment and declare that the public hearing is now closed.

And any questions or comments looking to the right?

Looking to the left.

None.

With that, I look for a motion one through three.

So move.

Second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Next item.

Take us on to section nine, a regular agenda action items and recommendations, starting with item 9.1, which is to receive information about the inaugural City of Elk Grove Mural Festival and consider authorizing staff to negotiate a contract with Talking Walls LLC to serve as the city's event production partner.

Okay.

Okay.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council members.

Thank you for the opportunity to come speak with you tonight.

My name is Sarah Rodriguez.

I serve as one of your economic development analysts here at the City of Elk Grove.

And today I am excited to share with you an initiative that has the potential to bring both cultural and economic vibrancy to our community, the future Elk Grove Mural Festival.

There we go.

This evening, I am recommending that council receive information about the Elk Grove Mural Festival and ultimately authorize staff to begin negotiating a contract with Talking Wells LLC to serve as the city's event producing partner, production partner.

That contract would of course come back to council for your final review and approval.

So the idea of hosting a mural festival in Elk Grove has been on the table for some time now, but that formation of the Arts and Creative Economy Commission that you all helped form really gave us the momentum to kickstart it and bring it forward.

So why do a mural festival?

Well, there are many reasons why a city should consider doing a mural festival, eight in which I have here.

At its core, a mural festival transforms blank walls into vibrant works of art.

But beyond that, it draws visitation, supports local businesses, celebrates the community's identity, and just creates a cultural and economic legacy that lasts years and years.

With the shared vision that we have with the commission, the city and the commission, we need to start somewhere with this mural festival.

So we are looking at doing the first at Main Street, and this is uh the strip between 99 and Waterman.

Um, and this does include the historic district, as you can see there.

At this stage, we don't know yet if this festival would be an annual celebration if we'll do it every other year.

Um, but our long-term vision is that we rotate the festival to different parts of the city.

So this year, perhaps being in Main Street, other years, maybe the mural um festival will be at the rural area or the laguna side of town.

The goal is to beautify the entire city and build on the tradition year after year.

So before diving into the commission's recommendation, I'd like to share a little about the process that we underwent.

So in May of 2025, we consulted with the Arts and Creative Economy Commission about the festival idea, and then shortly after getting their resounding let's do it, we issued a call for interest.

So you could see there, that's one of the images that I used when encouraging uh organizations to submit their requests for qualification.

So we asked organizations to submit presentations, kind of outlining why they are qualified to put on a mural festival.

We did receive five submissions across the country as far as Florida, actually.

Um the submitters were Artners, National Mural Awards, Pinot's palette, Talking walls, and wide open walls, and all five organizations presented at the commission's June 26th meeting.

Working with staff, the commission narrowed their search to the two top organizations after those presentations, and that was wide open walls and talking walls.

Both were invited to respond to a written request for proposals to just get more detail about their vision and their qualifications to put on a top-notch Elk Grove Mural Festival.

Each did submit a proposal, which was provided to the commissioners at the end of the due date.

And on August 6th, the commissioners had a meeting, voted, and they voted 6-0 in favor of recommending Talking Walls LLC as the city's event production partner.

The seventh commissioner was absent, but did submit written comments also in support of Talking Walls.

Staff concurs with the commission's recommendation.

Talking Walls describes themselves as a studio without walls dedicated to transforming cities into vibrant works of art.

Their mission aligns seamlessly with both the city's goals and the commission's vision for the first Elk Grove Mural Festival.

Talking Walls, I love to tell you a little bit about them.

They are based in San Francisco, California, and they are led by husband and wife, Team Crystal and Cameron Mober.

Crystal serves as the co-owner and project manager, while Cameron serves as the co-owner and lead muraless.

So together they bring more than 20 years of experience with painting walls and nearly a decade curating mural festivals.

Combining their experience, we have both an understanding of the artist's perspective and experience with strong event management.

And the caliber of work Talking Walls delivers really speaks for itself.

They have partnered with municipalities as varied as Great Falls, Montana, Lafayette, Indiana, and San Francisco, California to put on mural festivals, and they've commissioned work in places like Los Altos, Lito, San Jose, Oakland, San Ramon, just to name a few.

Their approach is deeply, their approach is to deeply engage with the community.

I said they've worked with variety of different groups, so they really want to tailor their festival to the local needs.

They're really interested in fostering collaboration, creating experiences that leave a lasting impression.

And you can see from their track record, they're asked to come back time and time again with these cities.

Based on Talking Walls' proposal, staff recommends moving forward with a nearly all-inclusive mural festival at an estimated cost of 85,000.

This investment covers Talking Walls' part and leadership, so they would work closely with the city on these key elements, but they would be the lead.

So that includes artist selection of international, national, and local artists.

This would both draw externally and then also help with community pride.

They would cover artists' hospitality, the travel, the meals, and compensation.

They would work really closely with the city on a wall selection.

They'd steamhead on the building owner permissions, wall preparations, they would manage the supplies and materials.

They would produce a minimum of two special events at this cost, coordinate the conceptual themes, and get a minimum of five murals painted on walls with the potential of up to eight.

So when I say potential of up to eight and minimum of two, we are under the saying the more collaboration that we secure, the more we can stretch out our resources so we can paint more walls, do more events, that sort of thing.

So the city will take the lead on aspects of the festival as well, including marketing communication.

So we'll take the lead on that, but we'll work really closely with Talking Walls.

So they'll help us do curate content behind the scenes and reposting and making sure our press releases are amplified, things of that sort.

The city will the city, as far as economic development and public affairs.

They'll work together to oversee things like advertising, sponsorship, and other special events to go along with the two that we're paying Talking Walls to manage.

We're already brainstorming on how we can make this a community-wide celebration, encouraging our businesses to also host their art related events in coordination with us so we can amplify those and really make it an enhanced experience.

We're also working with public works already, talking about how we can maintain this artwork and really um make sure our investment in this project sustains for years to come.

So in addition to the 85 that I mentioned, 85,000 that I mentioned, staff proposes an additional 40,000 to cover the city-led responsibilities that I just mentioned.

So namely the events, the advertising, the maintenance, things of that sort.

This brings the total to no more than 125,000.

We don't anticipate needing this full amount, but since this is our first mural festival, we recommend setting aside that amount to ensure flexibility and the ability to deliver a first class event.

We are aiming to launch the Elk Grove Mural Festival from June 1st to the 6th of next year.

In the coming weeks, we will issue what we like to call a call for walls to building owners along Main Street.

Our hope was to generate strong interest from our building owners to invest in the project.

So in exchange for receiving a mural at no cost, they would hopefully be up for paying for the prepping of their walls.

We would give priority to the building owners that are kind of up for that, and also building owners that are that are open to a wide range of artistic styles that may go on their walls.

Ultimately, we want to build on an ongoing list of interested property owners to help sustain the festival for years to come.

We see this again as a true community celebration.

So businesses can obviously sponsor financially, but we hope that businesses may consider sponsoring meals for our artists or covering lodging or providing equipment like our lifts or the spray painting, perhaps hosting an event that the artists can enjoy.

And so they're beautifying our city, but they're enjoying our city as well.

So these partnerships would not only enhance the artist's experience but also showcase Elk Grove and our businesses and help us stretch the dollar, as I mentioned earlier.

So another key aspect that we want to focus on is education.

So we envision at least one of our events centering on a learning opportunity.

And we already are in discussions with a teacher at Franklin High School to involve students in real-world projects connected to the festival.

I've spoken to groups like Animation Intern who are also interested in providing youth with hands-on opportunities.

So lots of avenues to explore there.

And while we don't yet know how frequently the festival will occur, we see each festival building on the last, ultimately creating a citywide mural portfolio that can be mapped and celebrated for years to come.

In conclusion, staff is recommending that council select talking walls as the city's production partner for the Elk Grove Mural Festival.

Staff will return to council with a negotiated contract for approval, and at this time, we'll also request a budget adjustment of 75,000 to supplement the 50,000 that is currently budgeted from the Measure E funds for a total that I mentioned earlier of 125,000.

So staff anticipates including also an option to extend that contract of up to two additional years.

Alternatively, council may choose to not select talking walls and instead select wide open walls or direct staff to solicit additional proposals.

As noted, the anticipated fiscal impact of 85,000 for talking walls as services plus the 40,000 for city-led contributions, such as advertising, events, and mural maintenance, will total and not to exceed of 125,000.

We anticipate the actual costs as I mentioned to be lower given the level of community interests and support that we've already seen demonstrated.

Thanks everybody for coming to our commission meetings.

Like we've had a lot of public people come, so it's been great.

That concludes my presentation.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

We also have Cameron online here.

He is actually painting a wall out of state, but we're happy to have him virtually.

And then Crystal is here from Talking Walls as well in person.

We also have members from our Arts and Creative Economy Commission here.

So if you have any questions for them, thank you.

Would you like to introduce here?

Sure, Crystal Over.

So that she can be part of your presentation.

Hi, everyone.

Thanks for having us.

Really excited about this possible venture.

From what I've observed so far, this is such a beautiful, diverse, just really caring city, and I feel really honored that we've been selected to contribute art and I think it's a thinking call.

Why do you want to come to Elk Grove?

Sorry.

Why Elk Grow for you?

We answered the call.

And we do have friends and family who that who really just love this community a lot.

But the work brought us here.

And so far, what we've seen, we want to stay and stick around and get to know Elk Grove more.

So, Councilmember Sewing, you had a question?

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

Well, welcome to Elk Grove.

Um, and I was just curious.

I saw the welcome to Great Falls, Montana.

My wife will kill me if I don't ask.

Will you do a welcome to Elk Grove mural?

Have your people call my people.

We are thank you.

So okay.

Well, before we ask any more questions, if there are any, I'm gonna go ahead and turn it to public comment.

But thank you.

I just wanted to put a face to the name.

Um, all right.

At this time, I will go ahead and open up public comment.

First up is Brian Rickle, followed by David Sobon.

Hi, everybody, thank you for having me tonight.

Uh, my name is Brian Rickle.

I am the chair of the Arts and Creative Economies Commission in the city of Elk Grove, and I'm also very, very proud and lucky to serve as the Dean of Arts Media and Entertainment at Coseminus River College.

Um, this was a really, really fantastic process to hear from everybody and to get to know everybody.

And uh I'd like to share some of the reasons that I chose and voted for Talking Walls.

When we met Cameron and Crystal, um, one of the things at first uh I was drawn to immediately was their community-centered ethos.

Uh, these are people who have a project share model that is explicitly collaborative with the community of Elk Grove.

Um, we recognize that they are not from the community of Elk Grove, but they are from the Bay Area, and there's a lot of connectivity between our two communities, and it was really important to me to find out that they were explicitly collaborative.

They want to invite Elk Grove residents to the conversation, building owners to the conversation.

They didn't want to just choose walls, they wanted to have the input from the community and other local organizations to contribute time, material, care of their their art.

Their artists are personally selected, not only for their talent, but also for their character, ensuring positive interactions within the community.

And I think that's a really important thing as an artist.

I think when you insert artists into communities, it's important that we feel welcome.

And we don't just feel like we're here to work for you, but we're here to be a part of what we are creating.

Uh I thought their proposal was very scalable, very tailored, it can grow into the future.

Um, they offered multiple budget tiers with clear expectations, a lot of flexibility built into that.

They have a proven track record in small towns, and that was really attractive to me.

I moved back up here from Southern California, so I was very impressed with their track record, their ongoing and years-long track record in small communities across the United States.

As an artist, their approach to artist care and authenticity was really, really important.

Their artists are treated like community guests.

Artists do not like being trotted out to community events just to shake hands.

We need a break from the work we're doing, and they were very protective of that.

And that was really, really important to me.

Um, I've worked for theater companies where you were trotted out to the news and to dinners and to events, and it's exhausting after you work all day long.

So they believe in wellness breaks, group activities that are thoughtfully integrated into their programs and the creative freedom is respected.

Um I just really appreciated the tone they spoke with.

I thought they aligned with the values we have as a community.

They are humble, they're honest, they are grateful, and they are very passionate about the inclusion of all people in their work.

Um, and I'll finish up by saying the art department at Casseminus River College would also very much like to take part in the education part of their work, and and I'd like to talk to them more about that.

Uh, just to wrap it up real quick with my remaining seconds.

I think they are likely to leave a very lasting positive impact on this city that we can build upon year after year after year, and that is critical in a small community like ours that is ready to launch itself into something that I think we've never seen before.

So thank you for taking the time to hear me tonight.

Thank you, Mr.

Rickles.

Next up is uh, next up is uh David Sobon.

Hello, Council, Mayor.

How are you guys doing?

Uh, my name is David Soban.

I I am the founder and producer of the Sacramento nonprofit Wide Open Walls.

This is our ninth year of producing a mural festival for the greater Sacramento area.

In that period of time, we have produced over 450 projects for the community, and we've witnessed the huge impact that it has made.

We have worked with some of the biggest artists in the world, and we've helped develop the careers of over 30 local artists that had never painted a mural before.

Our organization was really looking forward to working with the city and producing a 10-day mural festival in the city of Elk Grove.

Well, we are disappointed we were not the organization that was chosen to produce this event.

A very qualified outside organization was chosen, talking wells.

I've congratulated them for being awarded this opportunity and have offered our assistance in any way that they might need it.

Wide Open Walls will take continue to bring public art to the community and to the community of Elk Grove in the meantime.

We are currently producing a 25th anniversary city of Elk Grove.

Welcome to Elk Grove Mural.

Um currently on the uh historic Bartholomew Barn at Elk Grove in Bradshaw.

It's a colorful elk representing the city, and we are also uh having an event to do that mural unveiling on Saturday night from six to nine.

It is open to the public, and we'd like you all to be there.

Meet the artist Jen Poncey, live music, uh, food and a food truck.

Um that uh mural will be finished this weekend, and also that we had going on with two other local nonprofits in Elk Grove, X Hope, that you're probably familiar with at the and the Elk Grove Food Food Bank.

Monday we start a project at X-Hope, the girl in the swing on their beautiful building for a grand opening they're gonna do.

And we'll cover the front of the Elk Grove Food Bank with a beautiful mural that will start at the end of the month.

Um, we uh are always encouraged about producing art for a community that we are very well centered and have a lot of commitment to.

Um, I hope that we have an opportunity to work with the city and use some of the public funding in the future, and I appreciate your time.

Thank you, sir.

Um, either Sarah or Mr.

Rickles, either whoever, I'm gonna keep you as a sort of an expert if you want, since you're the chair.

Um, can you tell me a little bit about the selection?

Um, because what we don't what we weren't privy to is the vetting process, and then you know, I believe I heard it was unanimous, but I don't want to assume so.

Can you you can put it on the record because we don't have a meeting to go look back to.

So if you could just for the record now, give us some you know clarity as to how you know what you all were thinking about and how you came to this decision.

Yeah, we had a fairly robust conversation after hearing from everybody.

And again, after I think just sharing some of my thoughts and listening to the other partners on the commission, it really came down to, I mean, it's a very close conversation.

I mean, the work out of both organizations is fantastic.

I think what really came down to was that ethos I was talking about.

Um, and I think opportunity also, um, I love the work that White Open Walls does.

I think the commission was all uh amenable to that.

But they've got some really strong work in the area, and it would be really nice to have another opportunity to do that uh with another outside organization.

I think that just spoke to the small town feel.

You know, Elk Grove's in an odd place right now.

We're we're about to become a fairly large city, but we still have this really amazing small feel and the work that they do in places like Indiana and you know Great Falls.

And it's it's wild to me how communities of our size are opened up and inspired by the work they do that doesn't take over the city, it complements what it is and then allows for this room to grow.

So I think that was really the conversation we had that led us to our decision.

Um, yeah, do you want to?

Was it unanimous?

I believe it was unanimous.

Okay, because I just want that on the record.

We had one, we had one council, we had one commissioner who could not be here but did send public comment through us, and that was right into the record, and they also supported that thing.

So yeah, yeah.

Okay, I'm gonna turn to my left here for questions or comments from my colleagues, council members.

Thank you, Mayor.

So I I had a question, just uh help me understand the this procurement process.

Like what role does um, it was Carlos and Miss Um Cameron and Crystal?

Can't think of what role does Cameron and Crystal play in, I mean, do they do they do the vision and then hire artists, or do they hire the artist and the artist develops the vision?

I mean, how are they more like brokers for artists?

I just so it's a collaborative.

So, what we'll first do when when I mention the call for walls, there will be an intake form that we send to the folks that own buildings in that area.

Um, in that, we'll be asking questions like, how open are you to having anything on your wall?

Do you have a specific vision for what goes on your wall?

Are you open to um financially paying for the prepping of the wall?

Um, those kinds of questions.

And what they are great at is that they have this whole portfolio of artists that they've worked with on all of these great projects, and they can pair building owners with artists based on their knowledge, right?

And so we anticipate there will be building owners that have a concept in mind, and there are artists who love telling a good story, and so those are better suited for one another than say somebody who, you know, there will be they'll be hopefully building owners that are very open to just having people be more attracted to their business and that that's in their building, and that might be paired better with um a group with uh an artist with more notoriety that maybe is very niche and just does that one thing wherever they go.

And so they have that expertise that they will pair those two together, and we'll really lean on them about that.

But they'll work with us to um on those concepts.

So we're gonna be working with the Arts and Creative Economy Commission on themes and things like that.

They're a well-rounded group, they represent all of Elk Grove, all the different districts, all different types of art.

Um, you guys did a great job in and and formulating them.

I'll say that I'm biased on the staff liaison, right?

Um, and I think they're just gonna be a great group to guide us in the right direction.

Part of that process is that they're gonna have an artist's agreement that they help draft, but with the city's help, and in that agreement, we'll have things like you know, you can't do profanity, you can't do obscure, you know, you can't do um something that's um, you know, gonna turn heads in a negative direction, right?

And so uh that will be written out, and and again, building owners are opting in, they're seeing what the agreement is, and they're saying, yes, that's something I want I want to move forward with.

Importantly, though, they also do that in a way that protects the artist's right and freedom of being an artist and having their own voice.

And so I think that's what really is important with the work that they do is pairing building owners with the right artists, the right thematic approach, the right, you know, all of those things that gives the artist the freedom to work and protect that freedom, but also letting the building owner have something that I think ultimately stands on their building and something they're really proud to have.

So I see.

And if you look at their work, you can see, I mean, it's it's their work is phenomenal.

Yeah, thank you.

No questions.

That's what it worked.

No, I thank you for the presentation and walking us through the methodology of how we came to this point, um, but I wanted to ask you about the the aspect of storytelling, because as an artist and as art lovers, there's a there's a degree of storytelling, especially based on where you're doing the storytelling at.

And with Elk Grove, is like you hit the nail on the head, Brian.

You hit the Elk Grove is in this precarious moment where we are becoming a larger town, but we still have agricultural roots at its very core.

So, as part of the storytelling and finding artists, identifying artists, and I'm hoping that either yourself or Crystal can answer this question.

When you do the storytelling, how do you go about and finding artists?

Do you go local?

Do we stay, or do we pick people from outside of Elk Grove, outside the Sacramento area, because when people see art in the Sacramento area, they want to have a specific tie-in.

And with our diverse cultures that we have in the Sacramento area and in Elk Grove, people want to see how that ties into the story of the town they live in, but also has some has a as a heartstring that pulls to them as well.

Yeah, part of the agreement that we had in, well, part of what we said in the RFP that we put out was that there would be at least one local artist represented.

So we anticipate, I mean, we want it to be painting painting a wall is very different than just you know watercolor or something like that.

So a large scale, it's very particular.

And so definitely we're going to do a call for artists that is looking for what's in our area in Elk Grove.

Um, but we do also see that there's a lot of benefit in having these international national artists that people have a big, you know, they have a lot of big following, people come just for their artwork.

So we want a balance of those.

So part of the agreement will be have at least one local artist.

So we'll have to see if that's in Elk Grove, that would be our preference, but that may be Sacramento region.

There's plenty of obviously great artists in the region.

Um, and then we want to have national and international as well.

So, yeah, the reason why, and the reason why I bring that up is because Sacramento's rich in heritage, obviously.

The Gold Rush, Sutter's Fort, uh, William Leadersdorf.

Um, you have the Bear Flag Revolt, you have the legacy of the Wilton Rancheria.

You have so many things that tie into Elk Grove itself as being at the seat of California becoming a state, in addition to the township that existed before, and then you have the old Lincoln Highway that runs through.

It's like you have so many stories that tie in, and that's why I ask, because we can put a lot of things in there, but if people don't see or feel that identification of, okay, now you're telling the story of my home.

That's that's what I'm trying to drive at.

I'd love to speak to just the storytelling aspect I think of artistry for a moment.

Um, storytelling uh is the thing that we pass down generation to generation that makes sense of the world we live in, and we've been doing it for years, and as a community in Elk Grove, when I moved back here, this community did not look anything like it did when I left.

And the reason for that is is migration and immigration, and we are a community of stories that come from all over California and the United States, and we have our roots and we have our heritage, and most of that heritage is fantastic, some of it's not.

We have to admit to that.

But I think the beauty about telling stories through paint and through theater and to any any form of art is that we encapsulate stories that that speak to everybody who lives here, not just our history, but to our future and to our present.

And I think if you were to follow Talking Walls, at least on their Instagram and read about the artists that they work with, you will find I don't know how many of you, I mean, I I learned a lot in this process.

I don't know how many of you know anything about world-renowned muralists, but they're crazy good, and they're very well known in the art world.

And I would encourage you to kind of go look some of those people up.

Um, we would we would have artists here that people flock to come see their work, you know, and and again, we we had that we we had that with a couple of organizations, but this was the one that really spoke to us.

So no, I and that's that's why that's why I selected you, Brian.

And that and that's part of the thing because it's it's the story of us because we've evolved so much over these.

California is 175 years old, just celebrated its anniversary yesterday.

Elk Grove celebrating its 25th anniversary as a city, even though we're in our infancy, Elk Grove as an area as a township, has been so ingrained in California and California's history that it's it's like a stealth, and not and if people actually dived in and learned a little bit about it, it'll you'll see the the story that we've talked about on various occasions.

And where you have it's all married in with various ranchers, and now we're doing wine and grape in the winery families.

But it's part of that reinvestment, and it's and that's the that's what I'm trying to trying to think, what I'm trying to drive at is that as we as we go into this um this endeavor, we want to make sure that whoever we select has their finger on the pulse of not just California history, American history, but also they they know enough about Sacramento Region and Elk Grove's history just enough to be dangerous.

So when people see that, they're they feel they feel that they could feel that they are living at a place that is rich in history and culture, whereas otherwise people just moved here and just have no idea since that Elk Grove is rich in this and steep in this culture and history.

I think it was that curiosity of their community centered ethos that brought us to them.

There's a real curiosity with both Crystal and Cameron, I think, and their organization to get into a city and spend time here and get to know it.

Um they've done it and done it all over the US.

And I really believe that they would do us an exact service by doing that here as well.

And they're close, they're very close to us.

So it's it we talked about the community, like it's not that bad, we do it all the time.

So, you know, I do believe that they would give us that and learn about the city.

And we're sharing ourselves with a group of artists from the Bay Area who are right here, and I think we get to share that.

So, yeah.

Okay.

No, thank oh, thank you for for sharing that with me.

It's just I know I've seen the work of wide open walls and what they do and stuff, and they they definitely have artists that come in internationally and tell that story as well.

So I'm just interested in seeing as we as we go into this mural festival and select and an artist and art service to do this, that we're looking at it with uh with a full lens.

Great.

Councilmember Speeze.

Okay, thank you, madam mayor.

Um, so the duration of this contract is intended to be a year.

So it'll be a year contract with the option to extend for two.

Okay.

So I don't often get like a lot of questions relative to RFP, but I did get some questions on this one.

And so without without um highlighting the negative, can you help me understand or can you help the public understand why local artists were removed or local the local applicants were removed early, right?

There was something that give and if you can frame it maybe as they ought to try to do this better or try to do that better, right?

I don't want to pick on them and say, oh, they didn't do this, that, or the other.

But uh there's been some concern that there that there are local artists who could have done this, and so can you help me understand how they'd be more competitive?

Yeah, absolutely.

So I think what made those two groups we move toward with wide open walls and talking walls stand out in the group was really just that they've had that track record of festival, and it's very specific, right?

It comes with a lot of components.

It isn't just about the connections that you have with art, but it's also that you have an understanding of um reaching out to those.

It was really important that we have international, national, uh, local artist representation because we are trying to create that that um creative footprint.

Um, it was also important for the commission that um they have that they understand like the organization of a festival, marketing, um, sponsorship, um, events, um, doing the artwork itself, just like organized the whole organization part, I think is what really stood out with the two is that the other two have already done festivals to the caliber that we're hoping to have the Elk Grove Festival at.

Others have done events, great events that have brought a lot to the city.

Um, but we're just really trying to hit it with a home run in the first swing.

I agree.

It it for me, it came down to scale.

I have been producing large-scale theatrical events for most of my life.

We just produced uh a play in at at town town hall or town center.

Um, and it was really difficult for us to navigate just from the college to there.

And so I think about scale a lot and scalability.

We're trying to, we're trying to throw an entire arts festival in a week's time with only one year of preparation.

Elizabeth Rowan from CSD and I worked on that for three years, and it was still a heavy lift to get the department that's been producing for years to do that in an outdoor space that we've never been in.

So I think about scale a lot and these two organizations that made it to the top, they have that scale.

There was a third that had the scalability, but they were out in Florida, and there were just some things missing.

Um, but but wide open walls and talking wells have been scaling these things for well over a decade.

And it takes a lot to put on a festival of this size.

Um, and I I just, as Sarah said, I think that this first time out, we want to hit this out of the park.

We want it to be something the community has a desire to come back because we're looking at longevity and long game.

The commission needs to have a lot of long game thinking.

And I think having organizations of this size and the conversation off the bat, you know, and and who knows?

Spitballing off the top of my head, maybe this grows into the large festival and smaller festivals are out.

Who knows?

There's always going to be opportunity for those other local organizations that didn't make it to the top two to be involved in this in the future.

But for now, we really want to get this scale out there that from people that know how to do it because it's not easy.

It's gonna be a really big undertaking.

Um, and one I think that we'll walk away really proud of.

Yeah, and I mentioned it being really a community-based.

So we don't anticipate that they're out of the festival completely, right?

There's other opportunities for us to collaborate and to have amplify their events that they want to put on, or maybe there's an opportunity to do a collaborative mural.

Like we're still in the works of like what kind of events we're putting on and what partners we really need to bridge with talking walls.

Um, but we don't see like, oh, they're just gonna be doing all the art stuff.

Like, and contrary, they don't even want that.

They already in are in talks with groups that have applied and and are looking for ways to.

We did have a conversation in that in our last meeting where we voted on this, that there was a hope that the other organizations would want to somehow be involved in the festival also.

So it's not it's it's it's not a giant organization running the festival and like manning the ship with the smaller organizations hopefully wanting to be involved, and so maybe in a couple of years they've learned that scale and how to scale up to this big of a thing.

I mean, this is a big big festival.

Okay, so I guess so.

Out of that, two requests one that you go back to them and and help them understand that you know the issue is about scalability.

This the issue was about, you know, these these folks have done it on a larger scale before, right?

Um, you know, the other the second ask is to, you know, continue to invite them to be part of the process.

I think the good thing about this is that we are getting artists from outside of Elk Road.

We want to have a diverse group of of them, but at the same point in time, I want to be certain that we have um local um local artists, local, I mean, whomever, right?

The some of the other app or the uh some of the other applicants that they have an opportunity to participate as well.

I have to throw this back to the Metalacci conversation.

When I heard the other night that Metalacci was going to be in this city about diet, I've seen them in Los Angeles in gigantic.

I was like, what do you mean they're playing District 56?

Like that is a major organization that came, you know what I mean?

Like that's a huge artist that a lot of people don't know about.

You missed a show.

I well, football was on, Rod.

I don't know what to tell you, man.

The Packers were playing, I'm so sorry.

But yeah, but you know what I mean?

Like that's and I think that's the experience we want to have with this first time out.

And I was so proud that we had that here because I hadn't heard that name outside of LA.

And so that was a really big deal, I thought for us.

I think that's the the shot we're trying to take here.

Absolutely.

Cool.

If you could just do those two things, I'd certainly appreciate it and just you know, continue to find ways to have uh local artists participate as much as they can, right?

So, and what I will you're done?

Sorry.

Yeah, so I mean, I'll make a motion to oh, yeah, there's no motion, it's just direction, but I just said as in terms of follow up, I do want to thank and recognize our arts and creative economy commission um to you, sir, and then those that are here.

Hello.

Uh, I think that you know what I what I believe in is honoring the work that you're doing we appointed you all for a reason and so we are going to trust you in your judgment and the vetting process of how you got here and so I firmly believe in supporting and honoring what the work of our commission does otherwise you know we would be doing it ourselves we have them we have their expertise and so I trust your judgment when it comes to the um the contract itself I'll certainly want to have conversations of what triggers an extension um what benchmarks are we looking at the strengths the weaknesses what do we need to change modify um and what that looks like so I imagine that will be a conversation that will happen through our um economic development department you know so that we all have a better understanding and then the public does as well but we definitely want to see those benchmarks and we absolutely believe in the work that you're all doing we were very excited about creating this new commission and so with that this is be your first major major project so best of luck to you and I know all of the other great programs that you're involved in this is going to be you have more to do and you have a Sarah so I certainly am very very supportive so with that we don't need a motion here this is just direction and I think we're seeing pretty much unanimous support for talking walls yes so congratulations to you congratulations yeah thank you.

And what I will say like when it comes to artists I don't like you know I trust the artists vision you got to give them that space that creativity and be more than Elkrove it doesn't have to be you know our history and the same you know because we we already have those fun things so this is about pushing the boundaries what artists typically do and elevate what that uh what that project would look like what that mural looks like you want it to be a great conversation piece and so I trust the artists and of course minus being anything you know profane and right and and obscene following you're a community.

Yeah following those sort of check boxes I you know just similar to what we saw at the library the installation with the lights we didn't sort of you know um micromanage what we think it should be it it you know it was selected because it was the best best idea and it's it's a thought piece it's something gonna you know that the community will love to go and see and so I imagine these murals will be not just something that the city of Elkrove will celebrate the region and then elsewhere so thank you all and I can't wait to see what comes out of there.

Thank you for your trust.

Appreciate it what's going on oh okay all right next up is uh 9.2 and item 9.2 is to consider appointment of two voting members to the diversity and inclusion commission good evening mayor vice mayor and council members I'm Jason Lindgren your city clerk this was a adventure we've seen a lot of movement and activity on diversity and inclusion commission in 2025 this recent process started on July 23rd as we moved along some scheduling pushed us ahead which actually became quite fortuitous before a second seat opened up so through that process with both an initial deadline that we had and then reaching out to our candidate our uh our prior candidates who had um submitted before when we found out about the second resignation that came up making the two seats available we now moved forward to tonight's uh appointment consideration where you have 15 applications that have been submitted for this cycle two vacant seats you have members of the audience who are applicants and I will let them speak for themselves and if they wish to sign up to speak to this item all right excellent um at this time I will go ahead and open up the public comment opportunity we have several folks signed up to speak just as a reminder you have three minutes we will start with Naman Sherma, followed by Mark Freeman.

Hi, good evening, Madam Mayor and council members.

My name is Noman Sharma, and I am honored to be here as an applicant for Diversity and Inclusion commission.

So, just a little bit about myself.

I immigrated to the United States from India at the age of 11.

That transition was challenging.

I had to adapt to a new language, school system, and culture while holding on to my family values and traditions.

Those experiences gave me resilience and a deep understanding of what it feels like to adjust, belong, and sometimes feel like an outsider.

Growing up between two worlds also shaped how I see diversity.

It made me more empathetic towards people with different backgrounds and more aware of the barriers underrepresented groups face in our community.

As a young person, I believe I also bring a perspective that is often missing in decision-making spaces.

Representation matters, and I want to be the voice for others who are looking for a role models that reflect their experiences.

The Diversity and Inclusion Commission is an opportunity to ensure every resident feels valued in shaping Algro's future.

With my immigrant background, my lived experiences, and my commitment to service, I am ready to listen, contribute, and work together.

I also want to point out that I have a letter of recommendation from our parks and recreation administrator, who serves as a liaison to Parks Advisory Committee at CSG, where I am an active member.

Their support reflects my dedication to community service and reinforces the readiness to serve on this commission.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you.

Next up is Mark Freeman, followed by Kevin Mantia.

Welcome, Council.

My name is Mark Freeman, and I would like to have you consider me to serve on the Diversity and Inclusion Commission.

I've been a homeowner and a business owner in the Elk Grove for over 15 years.

I believe I can represent the residents of Elk Grove as an effective commissioner due to my professional experience working in diversity, equity, and inclusion field, and the personal life experiences I will bring to this position.

I currently work for the Sacramento Observer, which has been focused on the African American community for the past 60 years.

But as a consultant, I have worked for my sister's house, MLK 365, Artners, the Washington Neighborhood Center, Everyday Impact Consulting, and the Neumai Emerging Leaders Program.

Last year I developed a DEI online training series for the employees of the Sacramento County Department of Public Health.

I have served on boards of the Nehemiah Corporation, Access Sacramento.

I'm currently serving on the board of the Center for Applied Research Solutions.

I'm also an alumnus of the American Leadership Forum, Class 14.

I'm very proud of my diverse background and what I've learned and witnessed from my family.

My father is African American and my stepmother is Japanese American, who was a survivor of the Japanese internment camps.

My father battled racism as he rose to become one of the first black judges in this region and the founding member of the Wally Manual Bar Association.

Both of my parents have been recognized by JACL and the Center Lions Club.

My older brother, who was living with AIDS during the 90s, was successful in suing the state of California DMV to provide inclusive work environment for state workers.

These are just a few of my examples of my experiences that I will bring to the role of the diversity and inclusion commission.

I will always listen first, avoid jumping to conclusions, and provide recommendations to the council that includes facts and empathy.

Thank you for that consideration.

Thank you.

Next up is Katie Houston, followed by Dr.

Tristan Bazzini.

Oh, Kevin Mantia, you are actually next.

I skipped down on my, then Katie.

Thank you.

All righty.

Good evening, City Council Mayors.

Let me go ahead and take this off.

Uh, and City Council members and Mayor Bobby Singh Allen.

Uh, my name is Kevin Mentia.

I'm a passionate mentor, an educator, a community advocate, and I'm excited for the chance to bring my experience to the diversity and inclusion commission.

In my professional experience, I've been an engineer in the tech industry with a bachelor of science degree in the electrical and computer engineering fields.

In this industry, I develop strong project management skills, interacting with both technical and lay persons the world over.

Despite the technology focus, I have always been an advocate for diversity and inclusion.

I was a member of the Employee Resource Group tasked with creating a safe and welcoming environment for LGBT employees, and I've also marched in the Sacramento and San Francisco Pride Parades, being a visible ally and promoting a message of unity.

I've been a part of support groups at the Sacramento LGBT Center, helping create a safe space for people of all identities to freely participate.

I am a passionate educator at university.

I was chairman of my school's chapter of IEEE, where I facilitate facilitated educational events for the student body.

Most recently, I began working at the Sacramento LGBT center as part of their emergency housing program.

Please allow me to share some words from a letter of recommendation given to me by my by the Director of Housing Services, my second level manager.

As housing advocate at our 90-day emergency youth shelter, Kevin works daily with underserved youth, exemplifying our center's approach of client-centered trauma-informed care.

We serve homeless youth age 18 through 24.

Our shelter's residents reflect the inequities in housing and in so many other systems.

About 70 to 80% of our clients are from BIPOC communities, and about half are from the LGBTQ community.

Kevin's passion for making a difference, creating a safe and affirming environment, and transforming systemic racism and anti-LGBT discrimination is on display every day at work.

I feel Kevin's experience, passion, and solution oriented focus would be a great addition to the commission, signed Richard Barton, Director of Housing Services of the Sacramento LGBT Center.

I want to serve on this commission to be an ambassador and educator here in Elk Grove and to help make it the best it can be and help its goal of being a city welcome to all.

Thank you, City Council members and mayor for your consideration.

All right, now it's Katie Houston.

Then Dr.

Tristan Busini.

Good evening, Mayor Sing Allen and Council members.

My name is Katie Houston, and I'm honored to be here again this evening to stand firmly in support of Dr.

Tristan Buzzini.

Over the past months, I've had the privilege of watching Tristan step further into his call as a leader in this community.

What stands out the most is not just his expertise but his consistency.

I've witnessed his energy deepen as he continues to stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

As he explores and plans pathways where his experience, passion, and expertise can do the most good in meeting this moment.

His growth has been inspiring, not only in the ways he serves, but in the vision he holds for what true inclusion can look like in our city.

You now have the opportunity to appoint an ambassador who not only understands inclusion in principle, but who lives in it in practice every single day.

Tristan brings both the heart and the skill to help guide our city forward in ways that honor and uplift every resident.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up is Dr.

Tristan Busini, followed by Erlen Gardhenas Jackson.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, City Council members, and neighbors of Elk Grove.

My name is Dr.

Tristan Buzzini, and I am proud to stand before you today as a third time applicant to our city's diversity and inclusion commission.

When asked why I've chosen to return, the answer is simple.

This city, our city, and every person who resides here truly matters to me.

I trust that the council can recall my extensive professional experience and expertise as a doctor who has dedicated his life's work to being a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

As a state recognized DEI subject matter expert and California distinguished service medal recipient, I take seriously the trust that has been put in me to represent persons across spectrums of DEI and equity.

I remain committed and unyielding in my voice for all those who face harm and discrimination when disparity exists.

Last I stood before you, I also offered with great personal vulnerability my lived experience of discrimination, marginalization, and adverse circumstances.

I have persevered through experiences of poverty, homelessness, and abuse, overcome adversity to pursue education as the proud son of a first generation Asian American immigrant and continue to face fear and choose service as my rights to exist safely as a transgender man and member of the LGBTQ community are abolished across our country.

You have in your possession several letters of support for my appointment from mothers in our city, teachers and therapists in our community, and local, county, and state leaders who have entrusted me to care for their families and communities.

By extension, I bring with me an extensive network, excuse me, extensive network of support that I believe will amplify the service I am able to provide to our city.

I am not here today for myself.

I am here today for the transgender children.

I mentor in our city who struggle with self-harm and suicidal notions because they believe they do not belong here.

I am here for my 80-year-old neighbor who lost her husband and grieves alone in isolation because occasional visits from neighbors and mail delivery are not enough.

I'm here for the young adults on my block who live alongside autism and severe disability who seek to be understood by their community.

I am here for all of my neighbors who deserve a seat at the table.

This year, Elk Grove celebrates its 25th year as a city, ever growing and recognized nationwide as a predominant hub of expanding diversity.

Mayor Singh Allen's comment in her state of commit uh state of the city address that every resident deserves to be seen and heard rings true now more than ever.

I implore you to allow me to join you in that vision and mission to allow me to dedicate my time, energy, and experience to making that vision a reality alongside the other members of our diversity and inclusion commission.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up is Erlin Erlen Cardenas Jackson, and our final speaker is Cliff Tillman.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, City Council.

I am answering a call to volunteerism.

My name is Erlin Cardenas Jackson, and everyone just calls me Earl.

As a resident of Elk Grove since the 80s, I have witnessed our community grow and evolve into a vibrant tapestry of cultures and backgrounds.

My commitment to fostering inclusivity and promoting diversity within our city is deeply rooted in my experiences and my relationships developed over years.

I am the proud child of a uh I'm the first generation immigrant of immigrant parents that have immigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii.

Um.

Much of the infrastructure of the island is built on the backs of my immigrant grandfather, and watching that state grow and seeing their struggles has really helped to inform why I'm here.

Throughout my time in Elk Grove, I have actively engaged with various community organizations and initiatives aimed at enhancing social equity and representation.

My children, I am a proud mother of a transgendered son, and biracial twins who are now go who are all going on to be professionals in their own right and being um uh productive citizens of our country.

My professional background as a director of contracts and procurement at First Five California, a statewide commission dedicated to serving and ensuring children ages zero to five and their families thrive and succeed in life, has equipped me with the skills to effectively advocate for diverse uh voices and collaborate with various stakeholders.

I believe that my unique perspective as a long-term resident and a public servant, coupled with my passion to community service, positions me well to contribute meaning meaningfully to the community.

I would be more than happy to serve alongside any of the volunteers tonight.

I'm eager to work alongside fellow members to create and support initiatives that create our that celebrate our diversity and ensure that every resident feels valued and heard.

Together, we can build a more inclusive Elk Grove where all voices are acknowledged and celebrated.

Thank you for considering my application.

Thank you.

And our final speaker is Cliff Tillman.

My God.

Madam Mayor, members of the council, um, my name is Cliff Tillman.

Um I am a 20-year resident of El Grove.

I recently retired after 30 years of being executive director of uh an Asthme Union in the state of California.

Uh for the last 35 years, I represent a working people.

Um, and when I looked at the mission statement, it it reminded me of the three things that I have been empowered to do in my in my role that is diversity, that's to empower, that is to be a part of something.

Um, when I saw the commission opening, and after I retired, I realized, okay, Cliff, you're not done.

Um, and um, so I decided I need to step up.

But wow, after I saw all these candidates, I'm like going, wait, wait, wait, I don't know now.

These folks are good.

Um, so I guess I don't want to be on the council at this time uh in picking it, but let me just share.

Um, I believe we live now in a country where uh, and we heard all speakers before us talk about the challenges in our country.

Um, how their leaders now they're trying to change history, that want to get rid of certain words, that diversity doesn't mean anything, that we live in a one colored society.

Well, folks, that's not what we are about.

It's not.

And there's this O saying if you can't be a part of it, if you can't make a difference in your community, then you're not helping.

And so I offer my name to help and use my 30-year experience to be a part of this effort.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, that was our final uh Cliff was our final speaker, so I will go ahead and close the public comment opportunity.

I'm sorry, I didn't, I'm sorry, my apologies.

I didn't get a note in in time.

Okay, there's a blue slip.

If you want to, I'll allow it.

Um, but you need to, for the record, and right now you can just come here and identify yourself.

And but we will need to capture, but I'll allow it.

Go ahead.

Okay.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of the city council.

Uh, my name is Mason Kennan.

I'm currently a long-term substitute teacher with Consumeness Oaks and a middle school basketball coach at Joseph Kerr.

Um, I just want to talk briefly about my interest in joining the diversity and inclusion commission and some of the experience that might qualify me.

Um to start off, I just want to say I really admire the work that the Diversity and Inclusion Commission does.

I think that when we have a city and community and government that values inclusion and treats all people as equal, that we create citizens and people that want to be involved and that feel included and feel heard and it um, and it's just it creates a uh a better learning environment for not only like students but adults who want to know more about their neighbors.

Um the ancient Greek philosopher Plato wrote politics is ethics writ large, which means we cannot think of our community as entirely separate from each individual that helps to make up our community.

If we want to grow and to build and succeed as a community, we have to focus on and protecting and celebrating all people within our community.

Um I grew up feeling this way.

This is not just something I got from my education.

I was raised knowing that all of us, not just me are products of our environment, our coaches, our teachers, our families, our friends, our communities who help us to be who we are and contribute to us.

And I feel the need to not only contribute back to that, but to help grow our inclusive community.

Um this drive for public involvement is what pushes me to teach and co excuse me, and coach and volunteer in our community.

As a coach, I have seen firsthand the importance that unconditional support and inclusion and participation can have on a kid's confidence, uh, not just on the court but off.

Um, and also as a student and as a teacher, I have seen just how important having diverse voices in the classroom is not only to those students but to the entire learning process that we have as a society.

Um yeah, I just I appreciate your time and your consideration.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, now I will officially close the public comment opportunity on this item, and I want to thank each and every applicant, those that are present, and those that applied.

And as a reminder that I do every time we do an appointment like this, is you don't have to be a voting member of the commission to participate, actively participate and provide input.

Uh, we have a number of first-time applicants and several repeat applicants.

One of the applicants did take my advice and has been actively participating in commission meetings.

And so the first nomination is Kevin Mantilla.

Thank you very much.

Is who I would like to recommend for the reasons I just stated.

And also a third-time applicant, by the way, for those of you who didn't know.

Kevin is a third-time applicant.

Um, and then looking at the makeup of the commission.

Currently, we have five women and three men from different different uh all different districts.

Um, but we do have a tradition, at least I have a tradition of honoring those that are tenacious and keep applying because they want to do the work.

And um, I've been very impressed with this person, and I think I I hope you all would agree.

But the second and final um name I would like to bring forward is Dr.

Tristan Bazzini for consideration.

Yeah.

Uh Madam Mayor, just a couple of thoughts.

So I I totally get where it's a hard decision no matter what.

So I think I think both those are are great and worthy suggestions.

Uh I think Dr.

Jasini represents District One, in which there's a shortage there.

Um, but I just want to give a shout out to Mark Freeman, who I think being uh a part of the American leadership forum.

I think he would a lot here too.

And it's not just a blob mark, but I mean that all the candidates, as you mentioned earlier, were fantastic.

But uh I I just wanted to give a shout out there.

No, and thank you for that shout out.

Of course, I would have done that as I was continuing to deliberate, but um, a lot of wonderful applicants.

But yes, of course, Mr.

Freeman, um, the work that you do is outstanding, and your commitment to not only our community, our city, but the region.

Um, but at this time, those two names uh stood out, you heard from them, and again, both were three-time applicants.

Um, and I know, uh, Mr.

Freeman, you were also uh an applicant before, too.

So, what I would recommend it for the all of those um take the advice when I when I say be an active member of the commission.

You don't have to be a voting member.

You can still show up and provide comments and help shape uh the decisions that are taking place there.

So I really recommend you know, really applaud you, sir, uh Mr.

Manthea for doing just that.

I that was wonderful, and I actually heard from see your soon to be uh colleagues uh who also reached out um to provide their input, or at least uh two of them provided input that you have been instrumental in some of those discussions.

So thank you.

So those are our two um names for this evening.

And um again, these decisions are not easy, but uh I thank everyone for applying for your tenacity and your contributions to making our city the best city.

So thank you again, and congratulations to both of you.

We'll give you a congratulations.

All right, with that, we will move on to our next item.

That's item 9.3.

Consider appointment of voting delegate and alternates to the 2025 League of California Cities Annual Conference, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council members.

Again, I'm Jason Lindgren, your city clerk.

This is an item where you decide amongst yourselves who will be voting when we come down to the business meeting, and I believe it is gonna be on October 10th.

It's on a Friday, they do it early in the morning, but it's for those that'll be attending the annual conference.

So we give the floor to you to um who is the um appointee who currently you would you like to continue?

I'll continue.

So without any uh objection, I'd like to reappoint Rod Brewer.

Okay, that was easy.

To denote any alternates just in the event that there's any elements that come up just in terms of scheduling and terms of that.

We can take up to two.

I'll be coming back Friday morning, so I won't be able to even be there for the vote.

Okay, and I'm only going for one and well, I'll be there Friday, but I don't necessarily want to be an alternate.

I think you I think you're the one that'll be there though.

Okay, well, I'll be the only one there, so it's me.

But if you're gonna be there, I won't need to do anything.

All right, well, that was easy.

That takes care of that.

All right, so next is uh council comments, reports, future agenda items.

Council member speeds.

I do actually, hopefully, can make it pretty quick here.

Um, it's that great time of year where uh school is back in session, and as a result, traffic sucks around the schools.

Um my hope uh or my question is um, there are, and I'm gonna I'm gonna sound like Captain Buzzkill here, so no.

Hang on, hang on to your hats for a second.

There, there are uh I have noticed myself several youth who are enjoying the electric scooters a lot, and I'm not here to you know say that it's bad.

I'm not I'm not making any value judgments relative to that, but I have seen some very dangerous behavior within traffic, and and uh there is there have been complaints and well observations from uh the trails committee and others that there has been um excessive speeds from some of these electric scooters on the trails.

So, what I'm asking is that we get a little bit um uh what would you call it get a little bit more forward thinking, I guess I suppose, in what we want to do relative to these scooters, right?

I know that there is a uh a state law which essentially is you know 16 years of age and and over, um, but I've seen students who are certainly not, and so I I understand our climate goals, I understand reasons for getting kids out of car or you know, not not driving them in you know to school in cars.

I get all that, but I I think we need to get ahead of of some of these um dangers that are coming about.

So there's my Captain Buzzkill for you.

So what I'm asking is can we um we don't have to come back tomorrow?

It doesn't have to be, you know, next week, but I think we need to come back with some recommendations on on what we can do to make those streets a little bit safer.

Would this be an appropriate discussion to have with uh EGUSD two by two?

Since we're are you we were including students here.

Is this yes, council member Speeds?

Is this around school sites?

It's a bigger problem than just the students.

Okay, it is about the the e-bikes and e-scooters that are that are making uh our streets a little bit less safer.

And so we really need to figure out what we're getting our hands around for these e-bikes and such.

Okay.

So that's different, yeah.

Mayor, and so in support of that, I I would maybe ask council with support to have staff look into a uh a safety program for you gotta you've got to have a you gotta do a safety course if you're you know underage or something like that, you get a little permit.

Yeah, my mind's open.

I'm I'm simply stating that we need to get a little bit more forward on it.

Let's hear from our chief.

So we have one of our motor officers who's actually working on uh uh e-bike ordinance or bicycle ordinance that are working with our our entire city team to make sure that we don't have any conflicts in that uh but it's early on.

Uh we have done enforcement with some of the um e-bike folks who are doing takeovers on our streets, and on top of that, Mr.

Berman has uh asked us to look into e-bikes for our officers to work on the trails.

Um we're in the process of doing that now.

Um so likely here soon we'll have uh another means of enforcement on the bike trails with our bike team or folks who are gonna get into that with the e-bike so that we can kind of get out there and cover more ground.

Uh but it's something that we are looking at, it is a concern for us as well.

We've gotten you know some calls and other things that uh we've been trying to address, uh, but we are working on some of that now.

We can bring that to you here uh relatively soon.

Perfect.

Yeah, that's and like I say, it doesn't have to be a tomorrow thing, but it's it's it's a growing problem as e-bikes, e-scooters are becoming um more um prevalent, right?

So okay, thank you.

Councilmember Brewer, anything to report?

Um on August 28th, the Sacramento Public Library Authority uh met.

Uh, we just did some light work on on um what we're doing and preparing for September for the school year um in our partnerships with the different school districts.

Uh on September 8th, the Sacramento RT board met, so we met on Monday.

Um, that was a quick meeting, but what we really talked about was um the integration of our new uh app for people to pay their fares going into uh next next spring when the tap to ride application will become fully installed, which also connects with uh a meeting that I'll be doing next Wednesday and so soon as part of the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority Board, um, where they also talk about the tap to ride and how that's gonna be integrated on the MTRAC trains as well.

Um and on the seven, that's so yes, those are the three things that I that I wanted to talk about, but also just wanted to reiterate what um was discussed earlier today of parking near the elementary schools, how and how that is being enforced, um, and just seeing if there's any numbers, data that we that we have that chronicles exactly was was being done around our elementary schools in terms of parking um and and safety because I know I've been getting a lot of calls from families and homeowners in district two about um parking in front of their homes and creating traffic issues as well, sorry.

Go ahead.

We can provide some statistics with number of citations and warnings and other enforcement efforts.

Okay.

Yeah, this time of year we typically um do significant enforcement.

Our motor team is uh and traffic unit has gotten larger.

Uh we have done um pretty significant work uh when it comes to the actual enforcement and education as well.

We're not just citing everybody.

A lot of times we have an opportunity just to share uh our concerns and educate them on you know places to be and where to go and how to drive them when it comes to this uh the schools and in our neighborhoods.

No, I greatly appreciate that.

So it's like some of the some of the families that live around Mark Hall for elementary school, for example, they've they've seen they they saw the improvement towards the end of the school year, and they've been seeing it over the last few weeks, but as was mentioned earlier in public comment, there's always the one instance where we're not around, and if people notice that we haven't been around for a couple of weeks or so, then the old habits start to start to filter back in.

So uh point of clarification.

I see there's a name on the listed under speaker, Mason Kuhnen.

That was the last one.

We just wanted to make sure it wasn't this young man over here.

No, I think that wanted to speak on something, and I I missed sorry about that.

If the system okay, no worries.

Yeah, he looked like it was there.

Okay, no worries.

Um, Councilmember Suen.

Uh, yeah, we uh Vice Mayor and I had the uh sex sewer meeting today.

Um, it was actually quite a um well six hundred million dollars over the next 10 years that we're gonna have to pay to remove biosolids that'll come out.

So that's you know, what did you say?

Your party pooper, whatever noise, I mean that's the this isn't good news either, but it's something that needed to be reported out.

Rates rates will get buzz kill, thank you, buzzkill, yeah.

Uh anyway, rates will have to go up over time, uh, modestly, but and nonetheless it's something we have to deal with.

So heads up, Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Madame Mayor.

Um, as councilman Suan said, we did have uh sewer district today.

Um, but I would be remiss if we and I'm pretty sure you're probably gonna be talking about it too, but just thoughts and prayers for our nation and just for everyone.

Um, there's a lot going on, and it's often good to check in on your neighbors and family just to see how everyone's doing.

Um, kind of leave it at that.

Thank you.

Yes, I uh I'm gonna waive my report, and so this is the eve of September 11th, one of the most heinous acts that was ever committed in the United States.

Thousands of lost lives.

Today, somebody was assassinated for just being who they were.

Whether we disagree or agree with somebody, hate is real.

As an immigrant woman, I see it.

I know a number of us see it in different forms, it manifests.

So, and then us somebody else also died in a school shooting today, too.

So just a bad day today, and also the eve of something that was just horrific, September 11th.

So never forget that we can all be better, do better, and just show more kindness in the world.

With that, we will adjourn.

Thank you.

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