The Half Moon Bay City Council held its regular meeting on December 2, 2025, addressing a range of topics including youth mental health services, commercial vitality ordinances, housing development phasing under Measure D, workers' compensation insurance, climate adaptation planning, and legal services.
everybody um welcome to the December 2nd 2025 City Council regular meeting as a reminder we have Spanish interpretation services available in person and via Zoom. On point language solutions is in the back left corner if anyone needs assistance with interpretation services they will give you a device so you could listen in in another language and uh I can't see who's back there either Victor or Nicholas will now provide information on how to receive interpretation services if you're in need of them. Thanks Nicholas Hello yes thank you at all those can necessarily interpretation in espanholic atrás está el booth con los servicios de auriculares para que puedan tenerlos y van a receber interpretación simultanea inmediata por internet uh mirar in la parte de abajo in la barra de abajo el globo terracco allí in ese globo you apparecer la función de lenguajes language and inglés you tienen la opción de English y espanoles clic in espanol you gonna receive those interpretation simultanea in espanol muchas gracias thank you so much thank you so much appreciate it can we please have a roll call councilmember Johnson Councilmember Nagangast here Councilmember Penrose here Vice Mayor Redick here Mayor Brownstone here we have a quorum thank you um I now ask that you all join me to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance thank you to the college thank you can I have a motion for approval of the agenda so move second all those in favor all those against motion approved we will now move on to we don't have any proclamations but we're very lucky this evening we have a presentation from the Alcove youth advisory group and there'll be a number of students here and I guess each person might have some chance to present a slide or two and uh we look forward to it so welcome and thanks for coming this evening appreciate it. Good evening Mr Mayor City Council and community my name is Ryan Lopez good evening city council my name is Adrian Vasquez Contreras good evening city council my name is Emma Ta. Good evening City Council my name is Scarlett Cortez good evening City Council my name is Isla Hackman. And we're gonna be talking to you guys about Alcove and more specifically the youth advisory council now you may be wondering what is Alcove Alcove is the third place for youth 12 to 25 years to find community support advice or even just a moment of pause every October center is guided by an active youth advisory group comprised of young people from the local community who represent diversity in race ethnicity gender identity expression, sexual orientation, lived experience, ability, and socioeconomic status. The goal is to ensure that youth that the that voice, that youth voice and experience is included in the development and service of each center. Alcome services, mental health, physical health, substance use, peer of support, family support, and education and employment. The youth advisory group is a group of young leaders ages twelve to twenty-five. Oh, yeah, no worries. The youth advisory group is a group of young leaders ages 12 to 25 dedicated to improving mental health services and advocating for the needs of youth on the coastside. Our mission is to empower young people to become leading voices in refining mental wellness, reducing stigma, and increasing access to youth mental health support. Our vision is to revolutionize mental health for young people. The youth advisory group's core values are giving the youth in the community a voice that is diverse, inclusive, and advocates for the needs of young people. We are accessible, we normalize conversations, promote social justice, and educate communities. We have a holistic and empathetic approach to mental wellness that is free of judgment. Now you may be wondering what is a third place? It's something that we keep throwing around. Well, it comes from uh one of Ray Oldenberg's works from nineteen eighty-nine, The Great Good Place, and we have a quote to describe it where it says the designation for a great variety of public places, a host of regularly voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work. Now, if we bring that back down the earth for a little bit, what that really means is that third places are social spots where we could socialize and unwind away from home and work. Or first and second places respectively. Third places allow us to forget about the stresses of the day, build new relationships, and strengthen pre-existing connections. Why is Alcove needed? Why third place is needed? Half Moon Bay lacks a third place, suitable and attractive to youth. Growing up on the coast side, the only option was really hanging out at round table or driving 40 minutes over the hill. And with as little opportunities as Halfman Bay has, communities like Pescadero, La Honda, San Gregorio, and even more have fewer places for youth to go. Youth loneliness, anxiety, and depression have all spiked since the pandemic. In addition, the COVID 19 pandemic resulted in higher costs and shorter hours for many businesses, further making these third places less accessible to youth after school or work. Alcove Halfman Bay Center. Frequent and recurring events to one of our sister locations in San Mateo. YAG event examples include game nights, arts and craft workshops, volunteer opportunities, nature repeats, and youth outreach workshops. The Alcove Center at Half Moon Bay will provide a free third place for youth that is easily accessible. We will offer things like a quiet area to study, a welcoming air space to hang out with friends, mental health services designed to be a one-stop shop for youth. Our location will be near the Stone Pine Shopping Center, which is close to both the high school and Cunha Middle School. Our center will have designated areas for services, leisure, and essential and vital resources. Thank you for listening to our presentation. If you have any questions or comments, please ask. So thanks. Thanks again. Any questions or from this? Is this a a place that's already open in Half Moon Bay or under planning? What's the stance? Um it's set to be open later next year, hopefully by April or depending on the weather, really. Is there a particular location? Yeah, we actually have a lease sign for 255 Main Street. It's next to the Harry Salon across from the Halfman Bay Coffee Shopping Center. Central location. Sounds great. Thank you.