OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Meeting: Proclamations, Election Measures, and Historic District Ordinance on July 14, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, July 14, 2026
BodyFolsom, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:01:18

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Special meeting, and now we'll move to the uh July 14th City Council meeting of July 14, 2026.

0:07

Call the order.

0:07

Council members Aquino here, Kozlowski, Leary, Rohrbach, here, and Rafel is absent.

0:16

Pledge of allegiance, please stand.

0:36

Any agenda updates?

0:39

Yes, we have several uh tonight.

0:41

So, first, agenda item number six.

0:44

Staff is is requesting to continue this item to the next meeting of the council, which will be August 11th.

0:51

Um, and then we have additional material on a number of agenda items.

0:56

I'll just list them off.

0:57

And um, I believe all of the material have been provided to the council, but we also have copies on the back table for the public.

1:04

And those are agenda items number 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, and 18.

1:11

Thank you.

1:12

Um now we go to the section business from the floor, and these are for the public to address anything that's not on the agenda, and you have up to three minutes to speak.

1:22

And go ahead, Krista.

1:24

Cool.

1:24

Okay, we have a few speakers tonight, so I'm gonna call your name and then I'm also gonna let you know who's next to speak.

1:30

So if you hear your name as next on deck, you can be ready.

1:33

Our first speaker tonight will be Robert Slater, who will then be followed by Sherry Richter.

1:39

And I understand this is material to pass out.

1:42

It is, thank you very much.

1:44

Thanks.

1:46

Thank you for the opportunity to address the Folsom City Council.

1:50

I am Dr.

1:51

Bob Slater, and I'm here to raise awareness about one of the greatest accomplishments in human history, which has direct ties to the city of Folsom.

1:59

And I urge the Folsom City Council to issue a proclamation that will create a new day of recognition here in this city to honor the first time humans walked on the moon.

2:11

Next week it will be the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, July 20th, 1969.

2:18

And there are meaningful and crucial ties between the historic Apollo 11 mission and Folsom specifically.

2:27

For example, all of the rocket engines used on all of the stages of the Saturn V rocket that took the astronauts to the moon and brought them safely home again, were designed, built, and tested right here in our area.

2:40

Many of the people who did that crucial work lived in and around Folsom.

2:44

That includes people at every level from the shuttle bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, scientists.

2:53

As just one specific example, consider Larry Basham, who just passed away two years ago.

2:59

Larry was an engineer whose entire career was at Aerojet starting in 1959.

3:06

He has a wife Donna lived here on Folsom Lake.

3:09

He rose through the ranks at Aerojet and became a senior vice president.

3:13

He met with the NASA astronauts and teams planning the Apollo missions.

3:18

And fortunately for them, Larry got to them to revise the plan so it would work properly based on the dynamics of the rocket engines built here.

3:27

Many of the other engineers who also lived in Folsom.

3:31

And so it's safe to say that without Folsom, there would have been no landing on the moon.

3:36

It's as simple as that.

3:38

Lunar landing day is something all of us can celebrate together since it marked the only time in history that we all pulled together as a species to watch such an extraordinary accomplishment.

3:49

And it can serve to pique the interest of the next generation promoting STEM education in our Folsom schools.

3:56

The time to do this is now.

4:54

You're at you.

4:55

Thank you.

4:56

Appreciate it.

4:57

Thank you.

4:57

Okay, our next speaker.

5:00

Okay, our next speaker is Sherry Richter, who will be followed by Michael Bowling.

5:06

Good evening.

5:07

I am so happy that the City Council is recognizing the zoo keepers tonight.

5:11

They are the backbone of the zoo, and they the love and exemplary care that they provide is the reason that our animals routinely live longer than animals do in captivity.

5:21

As you all know, our animals have all have a story to tell.

5:25

If they could be in the wild, they would be, and most of them have had very difficult lives before coming here.

5:31

But once here they thrive and blossom.

5:34

That is also true of many of the guests that we interact with.

5:37

For instance, every summer we host a group from Mustard Seed.

5:40

These children are unhoused on the very day that they come.

5:44

So many of them start the tour quiet and withdrawn.

5:46

As they learn about our animals, you can really see the transformation that occurs.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████████32%
Parks and Recreation██████████████████████████26%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Campaign Finance███████████11%
Pending Litigation███████7%
Public Safety████4%
Budget and Finance█1%
Community Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Folsom City Council Meeting: Proclamations, Election Measures, and Historic District Ordinance on July 14, 2026

The Folsom City Council held a special meeting on July 14, 2026, at 14:30 UTC. Council members Aquino, Kozlowski, Leary, and Rohrbach were present; Rafel was absent. The meeting featured proclamations, public comments on the zoo sanctuary and a voting rights lawsuit, election-related ballot measures, and a public hearing on historic district amendments. Several items were approved, and item 6 was continued to the next meeting.

Consent Calendar

  • Agenda item 6 was continued to the August 11, 2026 meeting. The remaining consent calendar items were adopted unanimously (4-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Dr. Bob Slater urged the council to issue a proclamation recognizing July 20 as Lunar Landing Day, citing Folsom's role in building Saturn V rocket engines.
  • Sherry Richter expressed full support for zoo keepers and docents, reporting that docents hosted 6,500 guests on 127 tours, generating over $68,000 in revenue (a 53% increase).
  • Michael Bowling encouraged continued support for the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, calling it an investment in education and tourism.
  • Robert Dresser and Scott Rafferty (attorney for plaintiffs) urged the council to settle the CVRA lawsuit and pay reasonable attorney fees, noting the city has spent over $1 million on defense and that the Asian community has not elected a representative in six years due to map issues.
  • Muriel Bronstein also urged prompt settlement.
  • Martha Dorin, a new resident and docent, praised the zoo sanctuary as a community jewel.
  • Shauna Garrett provided statistics: docents logged 11,000 hours, community volunteers 3,500 hours (equivalent to 15 part-time employees), with labor value of $300,000 and revenue of $170,000, totaling nearly $500,000 in contribution.
  • Sid Bailey reported his wife was attacked by e-bike vandals and criticized the police response, urging more accountability for teen e-bike riders.
  • Randy Crohn, a frequent zoo visitor, advocated for continued funding.
  • Catherine O'Morda encouraged settlement of the CVRA lawsuit.
  • Steve James, a retired professor, highlighted the zoo's educational value for community college students.

City Manager Brian added comments on e-bike enforcement: 19 riders contacted, 8 citations issued, 2 illegal e-motorcycles towed. He also noted the zoo and CVRA case as priorities.

Discussion Items

  • Proclamation: Parks Make Life Better Month (July 2026) – Presented by Councilmember Kozlowski. Staff and volunteers highlighted Castle Park reopening and youth program impacts. Adopted.
  • Proclamation: National Zookeeper Week (July 19–25, 2026) – Presented by Councilmember Leary. Zoo manager Jocelyn Smeltzer and Friends of the Zoo president accepted. Adopted.
  • Election-Related Items:
    • Item 13 (Resolution 11675) – Consolidation of municipal election with November 3, 2026 statewide election and candidate statement policies. Approved 4-0.
    • Item 14 (Resolution 11665 & Ordinance 1371) – Ballot measure to amend charter Section 4.03, changing city attorney appointment from city manager to city council. Approved 3-1 (Aquino dissenting).
    • Item 15 (Resolution 11666 & Ordinance 1372) – Ballot measure to confirm council authority to grant decision-making power to boards/commissions. Approved 3-1 (Aquino dissenting).
    • Item 16 (Resolution 11667 & Ordinance 1373) – Ballot measure to increase campaign contribution limits from $150 to $500 per donor per election. Approved 3-1 (Aquino dissenting). Discussion included arguments about leveling the playing field against independent expenditures.
  • Public Hearing: Delinquent Utilities (Item 17, Resolution 11662) – Annual transfer of delinquent utility charges to Sacramento County for collection. Revised report included 242 accounts totaling $360,217. Approved 4-0.
  • Public Hearing: Historic District Ordinance (Item 18, Ordinance 1375) – Readoption of Ordinance 1353 to amend Chapter 17.52, delegating minor design reviews (fences, windows, signs) to staff level while adding noticing requirements. Staff Desmond Perrington explained the changes aim to reduce delays and costs. The Planning Commission recommended excluding all fencing types from design review and revisiting the entire chapter; the Historic District Commission disagreed. Public comment from Loretta Hedinger opposed specific exemptions, arguing details matter. After discussion, the council approved the ordinance 4-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar approved except item 6 (continued).
  • Proclamations for Parks Make Life Better Month and National Zookeeper Week adopted.
  • Resolution 11675 (election consolidation) approved.
  • Ballot measures for city attorney appointment, boards/commissions authority, and campaign contribution limits approved to appear on November 2026 ballot; all passed 3-1.
  • Resolution 11662 (delinquent utilities) approved.
  • Ordinance 1375 (historic district amendments) readopted 4-0.
  • Council acknowledged public safety efforts for July 4th (32% call increase, 227 calls on July 4th) and upcoming events: East Bidwell workshop (July 16) and National Night Out (August 4).

Meeting Transcript

Special meeting, and now we'll move to the uh July 14th City Council meeting of July 14, 2026. Call the order. Council members Aquino here, Kozlowski, Leary, Rohrbach, here, and Rafel is absent. Pledge of allegiance, please stand. Any agenda updates? Yes, we have several uh tonight. So, first, agenda item number six. Staff is is requesting to continue this item to the next meeting of the council, which will be August 11th. Um, and then we have additional material on a number of agenda items. I'll just list them off. And um, I believe all of the material have been provided to the council, but we also have copies on the back table for the public. And those are agenda items number 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, and 18. Thank you. Um now we go to the section business from the floor, and these are for the public to address anything that's not on the agenda, and you have up to three minutes to speak. And go ahead, Krista. Cool. Okay, we have a few speakers tonight, so I'm gonna call your name and then I'm also gonna let you know who's next to speak. So if you hear your name as next on deck, you can be ready. Our first speaker tonight will be Robert Slater, who will then be followed by Sherry Richter. And I understand this is material to pass out. It is, thank you very much. Thanks. Thank you for the opportunity to address the Folsom City Council. I am Dr. Bob Slater, and I'm here to raise awareness about one of the greatest accomplishments in human history, which has direct ties to the city of Folsom. And I urge the Folsom City Council to issue a proclamation that will create a new day of recognition here in this city to honor the first time humans walked on the moon. Next week it will be the 57th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing on the moon, July 20th, 1969. And there are meaningful and crucial ties between the historic Apollo 11 mission and Folsom specifically. For example, all of the rocket engines used on all of the stages of the Saturn V rocket that took the astronauts to the moon and brought them safely home again, were designed, built, and tested right here in our area. Many of the people who did that crucial work lived in and around Folsom. That includes people at every level from the shuttle bus drivers, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers, scientists. As just one specific example, consider Larry Basham, who just passed away two years ago. Larry was an engineer whose entire career was at Aerojet starting in 1959. He has a wife Donna lived here on Folsom Lake. He rose through the ranks at Aerojet and became a senior vice president. He met with the NASA astronauts and teams planning the Apollo missions. And fortunately for them, Larry got to them to revise the plan so it would work properly based on the dynamics of the rocket engines built here. Many of the other engineers who also lived in Folsom. And so it's safe to say that without Folsom, there would have been no landing on the moon. It's as simple as that. Lunar landing day is something all of us can celebrate together since it marked the only time in history that we all pulled together as a species to watch such an extraordinary accomplishment. And it can serve to pique the interest of the next generation promoting STEM education in our Folsom schools. The time to do this is now. You're at you. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you. Okay, our next speaker. Okay, our next speaker is Sherry Richter, who will be followed by Michael Bowling. Good evening.

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