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Record of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Special Meeting – December 7, 2020: Swearing-In, Elections, and Opposition to County COVID-19 Fines

City Council — Monday, December 7, 2020
BodyFolsom, California
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, December 7, 2020
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:03

Good evening.

0:04

We will call to order the special meeting of the Folsom City Council on Monday, December 7th, 2020.

0:09

Would the clerk please call the role?

0:11

Councilmember Aquino?

0:13

Here.

0:14

Howl?

0:14

Here.

0:15

Kozlowski.

0:16

Here.

0:16

Morin.

0:17

Here.

0:17

And the record will reflect that Councilmember Alex Chalam Cherlett and Rod Rodriguez are in attendance.

0:23

Okay, and if you'd all please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:28

My Pledge of Allegiance is the United States of America.

0:46

Thank you.

0:46

And thank you all for being here tonight.

0:49

This is a very um happy occasion where we're going to uh welcome two new colleagues to the city council.

0:55

And also a bittersweet occasion when we bid uh farewell to a longtime council member who um helped us out for a couple months, and we greatly appreciate that.

1:04

Um, thank you all for wearing a mask while you're here in the chamber.

1:07

Please make sure it does cover your nose and your chin.

1:10

Believe me, nobody wants to get the coronavirus.

1:13

If you need a mask, we do have a box of them back there.

1:16

Um before we get going with the rest of the meeting, I do want to take just a moment of silence for our beloved vice mayor Ernie Sheldon, who passed away on November 13th and who was laid to rest last week.

1:31

So if you please join me in a moment of silence, thank you for that.

1:47

Um Madam Clerk, do we have any agenda updates?

1:50

You have no agenda updates this evening.

1:52

Okay.

1:53

Then that brings us to business from the floor.

1:55

This is an opportunity for members of the public to address the council on items that are not on the agenda.

2:00

But please understand that because they are not on the agenda, state law prohibits us from deliberating or taking any action.

2:07

Uh, do we have anybody who would like to address the council on business from the floor?

2:12

You're not aware of anybody, and nobody seems to be coming forward.

2:16

Okay, we'll move on to the next item then, please.

2:18

Your next item this evening is the consent calendar.

2:21

You have one item, which is reciting the effect of the general municipal election.

2:26

I'll move consent.

2:27

Okay.

2:28

Anybody assume nobody has any questions?

2:30

We have a motion.

2:30

Do we have a second?

2:31

Second.

2:32

Okay, we have a motion and a second.

2:34

Please call the roll.

2:35

Councilmember Aquino.

2:36

Yes.

2:37

Hal?

2:37

Yes.

2:38

Kozlowski?

2:38

Yes.

2:39

And Morin.

2:40

Yes.

2:40

Okay.

2:41

Um, at this time, I'm gonna go ahead and turn things over to our city manager Elaine Anderson.

2:46

Thank you, Mayor.

2:47

Um, I really just wanted to uh recognize and acknowledge our outgoing city council members this evening.

2:54

Um, Councilmember Morin, I'll start with you.

2:57

Uh, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your service to all of us.

3:01

Uh you thought you were finally done with us, and then we drew you back in, or we drug you back in.

3:07

Uh, with very little notice and with an amazingly positive attitude, you willingly and ablely stepped up in and filled the council's vacant seat during a particularly challenging, tumultuous time to govern and lead.

3:20

It felt like the council never missed a beat thanks to your expertise, experience, sense of calm, and rye sense of humor.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health█████████████████████████████29%
Public Safety█████████████████████████25%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Community Engagement█████████████13%
Economic Development█████████9%
Community Facilities Districts██2%
City Manager Reports██2%
Public Transportation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Special Meeting – December 7, 2020

This special meeting of the Folsom City Council was held on Monday, December 7, 2020, at 5:30 PM in the City Council Chambers. The meeting included the swearing-in of two newly elected council members (YK Chalamcherla and Rosario Rodriguez), the election of the mayor and vice mayor for 2021, and a unanimous vote to oppose a proposed Sacramento County urgency ordinance that would impose monetary penalties for violations of COVID-19 public health orders. Public comments overwhelmingly opposed the county ordinance, with many small business owners and residents speaking.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution No. 10574 – A resolution reciting the fact of the General Municipal Election held on November 3, 2020, and declaring the result. Passed unanimously (4-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Multiple members of the public addressed the council during Item 5 (county ordinance), all expressing opposition to the proposed fines:
    • Tiffany Ayala (family-owned business since 1994, Gold Miner Cafe): Described the struggle of small businesses, questioned the inconsistency between allowing big box stores and restricting restaurants, and warned that fines would put them out of business.
    • Jackie Siletti (hair salon owner, 24 years): Cited 1600 hours of sanitation training for stylists, argued that small businesses are safer than big box stores, called the lockdowns unconstitutional, and implored the council not to support the fines.
    • Frank Bisconti (restaurant owner, 28 years): Said his business spent $25,000 on COVID safety updates, noted restaurant ventilation systems, and urged that businesses be allowed to operate safely without fear of fines.
    • Bruce Klein (30+ year resident): Raised six objections, including charter city authority, lack of warning provisions, overbroad enforcement officer discretion, and the county already having enforcement tools. Urged the council to send a strong letter opposing the ordinance and demand that incorporated cities be excluded.
    • Mike Bowden (small construction business owner): Asked if any council members had owned a small business, expressed concern over the inability to pay employees, and called the ordinance senseless.
    • Joe Galliarty (Chamber of Commerce): Noted the county received $184 million in federal grants with none flowing to Folsom, supported a strong opposition letter, and urged using incentives rather than penalties.
    • Colleen Shannon (essential business owner): Said she would not shut down if ordered, called the ordinance tyranny, and urged the council to stand against it.
    • Camille Shannon (age 12): Opposed fines, arguing they would force small businesses to close, hurt children, and increase suicide rates; asked where the fine money goes (city attorney confirmed it goes to the county).

Discussion Items

  • Review of Proposed Sacramento County Urgency Ordinance (Item 5): City Attorney Stephen Wong presented the proposed ordinance, which would impose fines of $25–$500 for non-commercial violations and $250–$10,000 for commercial violations. The ordinance would be enforceable countywide, including incorporated cities. Council members discussed:
    • Existing enforcement mechanisms (criminal misdemeanor prosecutions) but acknowledged a lack of political will.
    • Folsom's current approach of coaching to compliance through education, with no fines issued to date.
    • Concerns about charter city autonomy, overreach, and harm to struggling small businesses.
    • Councilmember Rodriguez (newly sworn) expressed empathy as a small business owner. Councilmember Chalamcherla noted Folsom has only 9 COVID-19 deaths. Councilmember Kozlowski highlighted the erosion of local control. Councilmember Howell questioned the county's handling of funds and the inconsistency of closures.
  • Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor for 2021: By ballot, Councilmember Mike Kozlowski was elected Mayor (unanimous, 5-0). Councilmember Sarah Aquino was elected Vice Mayor (3-2 over Councilmember Howell).

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar: Unanimously approved Resolution No. 10574.
  • Mayor/Vice Mayor: Mike Kozlowski elected Mayor for 2021; Sarah Aquino elected Vice Mayor for 2021.
  • County Ordinance: City Council voted unanimously (5-0) to oppose the proposed Sacramento County urgency ordinance. The motion directed staff to send a letter expressing opposition and to lobby county supervisors ahead of the December 8, 2020 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. We will call to order the special meeting of the Folsom City Council on Monday, December 7th, 2020. Would the clerk please call the role? Councilmember Aquino? Here. Howl? Here. Kozlowski. Here. Morin. Here. And the record will reflect that Councilmember Alex Chalam Cherlett and Rod Rodriguez are in attendance. Okay, and if you'd all please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. My Pledge of Allegiance is the United States of America. Thank you. And thank you all for being here tonight. This is a very um happy occasion where we're going to uh welcome two new colleagues to the city council. And also a bittersweet occasion when we bid uh farewell to a longtime council member who um helped us out for a couple months, and we greatly appreciate that. Um, thank you all for wearing a mask while you're here in the chamber. Please make sure it does cover your nose and your chin. Believe me, nobody wants to get the coronavirus. If you need a mask, we do have a box of them back there. Um before we get going with the rest of the meeting, I do want to take just a moment of silence for our beloved vice mayor Ernie Sheldon, who passed away on November 13th and who was laid to rest last week. So if you please join me in a moment of silence, thank you for that. Um Madam Clerk, do we have any agenda updates? You have no agenda updates this evening. Okay. Then that brings us to business from the floor. This is an opportunity for members of the public to address the council on items that are not on the agenda. But please understand that because they are not on the agenda, state law prohibits us from deliberating or taking any action. Uh, do we have anybody who would like to address the council on business from the floor? You're not aware of anybody, and nobody seems to be coming forward. Okay, we'll move on to the next item then, please. Your next item this evening is the consent calendar. You have one item, which is reciting the effect of the general municipal election. I'll move consent. Okay. Anybody assume nobody has any questions? We have a motion. Do we have a second? Second. Okay, we have a motion and a second. Please call the roll. Councilmember Aquino. Yes. Hal? Yes. Kozlowski? Yes. And Morin.

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