26.

As a reminder, if you are joining this meeting via Zoom, you can still make public comment.

During any public comment portions, attendees may use the raise your hand feature and will be called upon and unmuted when it is their turn to speak.

If joining by phone, use star nine to raise your hand, and star six to mute and unmute.

We also have Spanish interpretation services available in person and via Zoom.

Uh one point on point language solutions is in the back left corner.

If anyone needs assistance with interpretation services, on point will now provide information on how to receive interpretation services if you are in need of them.

So could we hear from our translation servers?

Thank you, madam mayor, council members, uh city staff, members of the public, Victor Hernandez, Spanish interpreter.

We buenas noches.

Could we now have a roll call of the council, please?

Yes.

Commissioner Councilmember Nagingast.

Here.

Councilmember Brownstone.

Here.

Vice Mayor Penrose here.

And Mayor Ruddick.

Here.

All council members are present this evening.

Thank you.

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I Pledge of Allegiance to the Bag of the United States of America.

And to very public for which it stands.

One nation under God in the visible with liberty and justice or all.

I'm going to ask for a motion to approve the agenda.

So moved.

May I have a second?

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Okay, we're moving on to item three, which is proclamations and presentations.

Uh, there are no proclamations this evening.

We do welcome John Hutar with the San Francisco Peninsula Tourism Marketing District for a presentation.

At the end of the presentation, we will ask for any comments from council and the public.

Are a number of our board members and advisory council members, uh Kevin Kretsch, our board chair, Hyatt Regency SFO, Nova Maldonado, recording in progress.

Our chief advocacy officer.

Blanca Rivera, General Manager of the Half Moon Bay Lodge.

Uh as uh CEO of Visit Coastide and the Coast Side Chamber.

Uh Cameron Palmer, I think you know him quite well, uh, from Cameron's pub and a number of other uh investments in Half Moon Bay, uh Pumpkin Festival, and Matthew Revere, General Manager of the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay, who serves on our advisory council.

Uh so uh just a little recap.

Uh we were very honored to bring to Halfman Bay and the Ritz Carlton, the Ritz, the Michelin reveal of Michelin restaurants for California.

You see a number of our board members here and staff.

Uh as far as uh engagements and and our social media, uh our recent campaigns have attracted 186,000 viewers on Instagram, five thousand five hundred interactions, 2,000 shares, and interaction is when someone likes or loves or puts those uh emojis behind it.

Getting behind the pumpkin festival, things to do in downtown Halfman Bay, local features, and and highlighting various businesses like Half Moon Bay Brewing.

A number of uh print media uh placements, featuring uh the chef at the Ritz Carlton in Forbes magazine, Silicon Valley magazine, things to do in San Mateo County, a big national story that was assistance of the historical society going back to the artichoke wars in the late 1800s, early 1900s that were prevalent here on Coastide.

We do our best to reinvest in the community, supporting the Coastal Repertory Theater, the Pumpkin Festival, and other events throughout the year.

Our board of directors, uh, we have representation from each of the 14 cities there that are that our district represents, and our advisory council, which was stood up just about a year ago.

Uh, we proudly uh have uh Kristaline and Matthew, who I already introduced, and City Manager Chittister, who has been uh very engaging in this effort.

Uh we have representatives from education uh with Dr.

Moreno from the community college system, uh, in government, in business and tech, folks like Roseanne Faust from Samseda, the hospitality sector, labor attractions, parks, venues, and community at large, and uh we're very fortunate that these 25 individuals uh give us great counsel and advice.

Uh we have uh they have developed a strategic plan, which we're here to share with you tonight.

Uh the first pillar is support destination asset development, and that breaks down to three pillars, advocating for some level improvement to the San Mateo County Event Center, look throughout the county uh for an appropriate venue that could carry tournament grade sports or music.

Uh we feel that would be key to enhancing weekend business, and to do that to develop a tourism master plan so each of our cities, as you decide to make investments would have some uh a North Star and some options on how to further invest in tourism for the future.

Our second pillar uh endeavor to maximize the destination experience.

Uh we are leaning into uh bringing uh destination and world-class events around food and beverage.

And we're looking at a number of sites.

One of them will be Co-Side, which I'll share with you in a moment.

We feel there is an opportunity to do some work on the bay trail.

There are pockets of that that are incomplete or in disrepair, and uh we feel we can help amplify all that our communities have to offer to the visitors, especially in the nightlife sector.

Uh, the third pillar is just to make our organization stronger, working with our advisory council to be our ambassadors in the community and to continue to educate and and share with the community uh all that we do to promote tourism and its impact on jobs and the overall community.

Uh we have a seminar coming up on the 18th of February for FIFA preparedness.

We we felt we had to get Super Bowl behind us and then focus in on the six events, and we encourage all members of the community uh to come.

There'll be a talk on human trafficking and a refresher training.

The police and fire will do a segment on public safety.

We'll do a high-level training uh for shopkeepers, restaurateurs, etc., on how to improve their service and get ready for this influx of visitors.

No charge for that event.

We have our annual tourism luncheon where we will uh launch our annual report and produce to the community the economic impact of tourism and the number of jobs it affects.

That will be on March 18th.

I'm sorry, March 19th, and the sign-up information is there.

We have some expert speakers coming to talk about the future of groups and conventions and where the hospitality industry is headed.

And then back to the big events, Heritage Fire at Coyote Point on July 26th.

This is a food-centric event with uh celebrity chefs, and and the idea is to draw visitors into our community.

Whiskeys of the world, the uh we're that close to announcing a venue that'll be co-side, and that is a uh high-end whiskey tasting and food, again uh uh organized in a way to bring folks into our community, and then bookending that in uh April 23rd through May 3rd of this year, and and then repeating and starting to own the last two weeks of January a countywide restaurant festival.

Uh think of uh a restaurant week that goes countywide that will celebrate, and the goal there is to bring visitors into the community, to get locals into the community, to get locals from neighboring communities to to share and go back and forth uh to celebrate the tastes and the chefs and the culinary delights that our region has to offer.

In addition to promoting tourism and booking conventions, uh, our organization markets the counties as fresh as it gets program, the farm to table program.

Obviously, the farms are mostly co-side here, connecting them to the restaurants.

Uh, and I'll also add that we uh serve as the liaison for the film commission and uh we are uh congratulations to all involved who uh on city staff who recently uh landed some very good news in that arena and and work hard to uh attract extra commerce uh in that fashion.

Uh so with that uh we wanted to be mindful of the time allotted, but uh the experts are behind me if you have any questions in their specific businesses or sectors, and we appreciate your support and the community of Half Moon Bay at large supporting tourism in such a big way, and we appreciate the opportunity this evening.

Thank you so much.

It looks like a plan that's worthy of the area, you know.

I haven't seen anything like that for all the time I've been on the council, so congratulations.

Are there questions or comments from council members?

Paul.

Thank you.

And it's great.

Thank you for coming here and sharing what you do.

I I have a question.

How do you decide if you go to the coast or on the bay?

Is that dependent on what the event is and what they're looking for?

Is that something that you or so do we politic you if we want something here, or is it more whoever, so in in the uh advisory council meeting uh City Manager Chittister, uh encouraged us uh to be balanced.

And that's how we got to uh having one event co-side, one event baside.

Uh when we are pitching uh clients' groups conventions, uh we ask what the client prefers.

Uh some wish to be in a resort setting, so the Ritz-Carlton becomes a natural referral.

Uh some want to be no further than 10 minutes from SFO, and we play to the customers' needs.

Uh I will say this, we never only offer just one option.

We always offer an array and let the client pick.

Yeah, this may be really off the wall, but I'm gonna say it anyway.

I'm wondering if you have thought about uh about the coast being um populated largely by farmers and fishermen.

And if there is would be some sort of an event that would involve them.

I know we haven't done a whole lot as a city to promote that part of our history and that part of our economy, but it's important here.

So just curious.

Yes, and and that is through our as fresh as it gets program.

We're and we just had an event uh two weeks ago.

We brought the farmers from the coast, the restaurant tours for an all-day workshop, and uh City Clerk was uh with us, and uh we we do that annually, and we feel with these events the the four signature events, there's even more of an opportunity uh to lean into that, and we we do have a good cooperation with the farm bureau uh when we execute those events.

Thank you.

Councilmember Johnson, do you have a comment or question?

Is there any chance that we could or utilize the Carter Park for music or anything, engagement of that?

Because I definitely want to try to get that more on the rector scale of having events there, and maybe having some foods and things down there because we have a the whole court on the left side there could have some kind of food prepping.

Yes, congratulations for redoing the park and and renovating it to its high level now.

Uh I know the the city manager's office is uh there there is some conversation perhaps to have a FIFA viewing party, and with the capacity being less than a thousand, it requires no special license.

Uh so in that 600 range uh it can be organized uh as long as the TV has a valid uh subscription to Comcast or whatever uh it doesn't break any rules, so there definitely is potential there.

We agree and uh I was fortunate enough to attend the ribbon cutting and we have it in our on our website and and certainly show it to uh prospective clients when we bring them through.

Councilmember Brownstone?

No, okay.

Um I just want to say that I really appreciate that you touched on the Bay Ridge Trail.

I think uh it's important to have a rec outdoor recreational component in your plan.

We have a lot of beautiful open spaces and and trails.

Uh the county manages a lot of properties, mid-peninsula regional open space district.

There's plans for future trails.

We have the coastal trail.

So I'd like to just keep that on your radar to talk about, you know, outdoor recreation.

Um a lot of people come here just for that purpose.

So when you're talking about the coast, outdoor recreation needs to be a pillar, I think, of your planning.

And uh no one wants to relive COVID.

There was a silver lining for us when we couldn't talk, people weren't meeting, having conventions and and groups.

That's really when we started talking about our nature component, and it was uh the this bolt of lightning.

Like, oh my gosh, people like hearing about that.

So we kept that after COVID.

I'll also uh point out that we we handed out a hard copy.

This uh was just released from uh Forbes, the the travel business rating agency, uh features the Ritz-Carlton uh as one of the best uh properties in the Bay Area, and uh the the article leans towards not all the action uh for Super Bowl is only in San Francisco and in South Bay.

So uh congratulations to Matthew and his team.

We appreciate them.

Thank you, and we appreciate you.

Thanks for all the good works.

Um Paul's comment, and I just wanted to give a big kudos to the SFP and their staff because John's being very, very gracious and making it sound like we twist their arm or ear to get them to do things here, and it's not their staff, Maggie, Nova, Carol, the whole team.

They're on the coast side all the time, they're popping in, they're meeting us for lunch, they're getting a pulse for what's happening.

Um they come to our round table once a month.

Um, so they are super engaged in the coastide, and they look out for us without uh us having to beg and scratch um like it has been in the past.

So we just really appreciate the SFP.

We love San Mateo County.

Thanks for promoting it.

Yeah, all right.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

Okay.

All right.

Um we're moving on to item four, which is the mayor's announcements of community activities and community service.

I don't have anything specifically to report, but if other council members do, we can entertain that.

Or if staff does.

I think we're just starting to get into the whole event season and all that stuff.

Anybody have anything?

Seems not.

Okay.

So we'll move to item five, which is report out from recent closed session meetings.

Um council.

Would you like to report?

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

This evening the council met in closed session on two items, and there's no reportable action from the closed session.

Thank you very much for that.

We're moving on to item six.

Uh city manager updates to council.

Thank you, madam mayor.

Um, we we had one uh item listed on the agenda, which you will receive from Todd Seeley, our interim public works director.

But throughout the weekend and and today we've we've identified several other items we wanted to provide updates on, so there will be several updates tonight, but we'll start with Todd.

Thank you, Matthew, and good evening, uh, Madam Mayor, Madam Vice Mayor, and Council members.

Uh Todd Seely, interim public works director.

I am here with you this evening to just kind of encapsulate uh an interesting and kind of cool pilot program that's going on in town right now.

Um it is.

It is a pilot run by DoorDash.

Some of y'all are familiar with Doordash.

It's a home delivery service.

They bring you food and sundries and good stuff like that.

Um what the name of the pilot is is called Dash Loop, and what it is, it's a reusable container pilot program.

Uh, it's a three-month pilot that started on February 1st.

There was kind of a soft launch a couple days before that.

It's available in select uh restaurants in Half Moon Bay and also throughout the coastide.

Um, some of the restaurants that you guys probably have frequented, India Beach, uh, the cantina at San Benito, San Benito House Delhi, you know, uh Mavericks Crapery.

So there's a wide selection of restaurants that are participating in this program, and it's it's it's it's pretty interesting that they they got that much support from the from the local community.

Um there is no additional cost to customers, and it's a unique approach to reducing waste uh generated by the delivery services.

Most of you, if you guys have ever participated or partaked in delivery before, they obviously deliver napkins and and on all that stuff, along with the packaging that you're just gonna end up throwing away.

Uh this pro this pilot is aimed to kind of get around that.

So, what it is is customers receive their food in reusable containers.

Uh, this is from the press release uh slash soft launch that was about 10 days ago, uh, some food from the canteen at San Benito House.

Uh, the mayor and vice mayor there and saw firsthand uh what what exactly it is that's going on.

Uh customers enjoy their food.

They wash the containers out and then they can return the packaging uh to restaurants that are participating.

Um it's basically a 32 gallon trash can with a wide opening so that you can just kind of slide the stuff right in there.

Um and the containers are collected and cleaned by a third party called dispatch goods.

They're in the East Bay um think of like a large industrial laundry operation except for foodware.

So it's just a big processing plant that takes these containers in, washes them and returns them back to the restaurant so they can get them back out for the for the next round.

Some of the benefits of the pilot are um it addresses the environmental impact of single use packaging uh reusable containers can reduce CO2 emissions by over 60% and reduce waste by up to 98% and it's designed to give businesses and customers access to more sustainable alternatives.

We met with them early on in the process we were trying to see if there would be any like where they're gonna place the containers.

Are they gonna put them in our right of way?

Are they gonna put them outside?

Like are our pests gonna be getting into this but all of the restaurants that are participating have willingly agreed to keep them inside their facilities so there's really no impact to the city.

Minimal staff time was spent on this and we think it's actually a pretty interesting project it's it's a unique one of a kind thing and we're kind of getting in on the ground floor and we just wanted to bring this to all of you this evening and kind of give you a heads up and with that I'll turn it over to the council if there's any questions about it.

Council members Todd I think I saw one on Main Street outside are they supposed to be inside or outside?

They are supposed to be inside do you remember where you saw it?

Um I just I glanced on it over the weekend I thought I saw it right away and I it was on it was on Main Street if I remember right.

So I'd have to I'll report back to you well I'll cruise down Main Street tomorrow and take a look too because they are supposed to be all housed inside the actual restaurants.

That was part of the agreement that we didn't want it encroaching on any of our right away so that was part of it.

I'll we'll we'll we'll do some further investigation I think it was over by C, if I'm not mistaken in that area.

I'll just I'll just add um it's pretty exciting this this is a pilot that's just not like this is the coast side pilot.

This is the pilot like they are trying this for the first time in this country here in Hapmo Bay and they chose Happen Bay for a variety of reasons but one of them that they cited was they believe that our community this is something that is of value to us that we care about the environment we're looking for ways to do better and and that we'd embrace it.

So we're really excited about it and beyond the the bins that are being placed in the businesses that are participating they're also looking for other locations I think eventually there'll be one in the library post offices those types of places they want to make it as convenient as possible for people to to be able to drop these off at their convenience and and take advantage of it and we hope people uh you know give it a try it what's what's the harm right maybe there's still a possibility we become a hotbed of innovation that would be good.

What a concept thank you so much Todd.

Thank you guys have a nice appreciate it thanks Todd okay um we we have several more on that same slideshow sorry so I think the next one is um yeah it is uh Leslie if you could come up and talk about the housing element very exciting update here.

Uh yeah we received a letter from HCD after their 60 day review and they have found that the housing element that you adopted in November is it meets the statutory requirements of the state housing element law.

So that is however they also found that um because of the time lapse between when it was supposed to be adopted and when it um finally was or certified and finally and finally they did approve it.

They are finding that we are still not in some substantial conformance until we complete zoning updates um so that we can show that we can meet our arena numbers.

So the way I see that, it's kind of like a conditional certification.

So we're gonna certify you, but first you have to do this thing.

And looking at the zoning requirements, uh we've really laid them out already in our certified LUP, our land use plan.

Uh so it's really a matter of uh putting that into the code that was anticipated as part of the implementation plan update, but we have now pulled that out and we're starting on it right away.

So we will make that the first um LCP amendment for the implementation plan update and start work right away.

And specifically, we would start work right away on the zoning um updates.

Um we will probably include the measure D uh code amendments that are in the housing element as well.

They're relatively easy to do too.

And it shows HCD that we're trying to move forward.

I think the public will will like to hear about that, yeah.

Okay.

Good news.

Thank you.

Yeah, great.

Thank you, Leslie.

Council Member Brownstone has a question.

We've got some questions, Leslie.

Yeah, Leslie, just a quick question.

Um, how long do you anticipate that that would take to get all the ordinances?

I think the work can be done in a couple of months.

Uh the Coastal Commission requires six weeks review time for any local coastal program amendment.

Um, so that adds six weeks right there.

Uh but so I would say the soonest would be four or five months.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And as usual, again, just let us know if there's any resource issues that you need to stay on top of it because I know other things may come on to your plate.

So let us know if there's any ways we can help you.

Yeah, we are working with Mgroup on this.

So um, yeah, we do not have the staff resources, but we do have a contract with M group, and so great.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Any other questions?

Let's let's see.

I think when we first talked about this, you were seeing potentially some issues with the measure D and how they were gonna, but that went through that went through.

Yeah.

Wow, okay.

Thank you.

Leslie, thank you.

Yeah, a lot of hard work.

Good job.

And thank you to Burker, city attorney firm, too.

Okay, the next item, and you can go to the next slide, is um around automated license plate readers.

Um this is a topic that has um really um gotten a lot of attention recently, and and we just thought it'd be worthy of sharing some updates with the community.

So automated license plate readers just by background are our cameras that are placed strategically throughout a community, and um they capture just the license plates of vehicles that pass by, and it's a tool the law enforcement can use in solving crimes, uh, especially crimes that involve vehicles, whether it's a theft or or consistent break-ins, those types of things.

And it's something that this community we've talked about for a few years, but in um in early 2024, we we took another look at it and ultimately the council approved a pilot program uh in Half Moon Bay that uh in in late 2024, and it consists of 16 of these units in on at seven intersections here in Half Boom Bay.

And like many things, it took some time to deploy those, so they were deployed throughout 2025, and um full deployment happened in late 2025.

Um the sheriff administers this program for us, they have access to the data and um the policies surrounding it and enforce those policies, and um one of the things that uh flock the vendor will be providing now that they're up and running is a transparency portal with certain information for the community.

Um with the current things happening in our country right now, there's a lot of concern about surveillance and data and tracking.

And so a lot of questions have come up.

A lot of communities are questioning the use of this.

And it's something that's on our radar.

So we just wanted to let the community know we're aware of those concerns, and we've taken steps to start addressing those concerns.

The sheriff's office had a meeting with Flock, the vendor who also provides cameras for the sheriff's office and many of the cities within the county to ask a lot of questions about the concerns we're hearing, both in California and outside of the state.

And I had a meeting with our under-sheriff and assistant sheriff yesterday about this, and we're gonna be doing a follow-up meeting that will include some of our elected officials, some of the county supervisors, and uh attorneys to really make sure we understand all the risks and all the steps being taken to mitigate those risks, and I expect that following that meeting, we'll be working with council to schedule a session here to talk through the issue and determine if this continues to be the right thing for our community or if it's something we want to change directions on.

So uh, you know, we have heard the concerns loud and clear.

We we express the same concerns, and you know, we're reading the articles and hearing about it, and we're taking proactive steps right now to um ensure that the community's information is protected, and ultimately, if this is not the right fit for the community, it's something that we can change.

So, wanted to make sure people are aware of that.

Thank you for that.

I think that's a very timely report.

Yeah, thank you.

Uh, our next update, um, this is kind of exciting news, and it was alluded to in the first item tonight.

Um, many people may have seen recently some social media about uh a new job opportunity coming up, which is to be extras in a movie that's gonna be filmed in Half Moon Bay.

Um, so uh starting uh in the middle of February, there is a feature film that is gonna be filmed here on the coast, and um it's it's pretty exciting.

It will actually take place in Half Moon Bay, it's part of the plot, which is kind of cool, and um it'll be a great opportunity for us to showcase our community to the world and um and and maybe bring some additional opportunities for tourism and and a new industry in our community.

So, city staff has been working very hard.

Um, the county is also involved because some of the filming will take care of place in the unincorporated community.

Um, they're gonna be supporting local businesses, our hotels, our restaurants, and some of our vendors here in Half Moon Bay.

Uh there will be some impacts, so we want to make sure people know about that.

And the the filming company, the production company is gonna is doing direct outreach to impacted businesses.

Some of the filming will take place on Main Street and around Main Street, and then on some of the coastal areas of Half Moon Bay.

Um, and so uh we're working really hard to get this right, make sure it's a positive for the community and and a benefit for the community, but also show that we're a community that can handle this type of uh endeavor and and maybe bring more of these opportunities in the future.

So please, if if concerns arise, please let us know.

If uh if you're interested in uh being in a movie, uh let us know we can get you connected with the production company as they they want to hire locals to be extras, so it's really authentic, which is which is pretty cool.

And you know, at some point we'll get more information about when and how to watch it, and you'll get to see our beautiful downtown featured in a in a major film.

So it's a very exciting, right?

A vampire movie, not that I'm aware of now.

Um fortunately, we're not allowed to talk about the specifics.

Um at some point they'll release it, but you know, there's a I'm sure that the name they're using with us is totally made up and um top secret and all that, but but I can say it's it's a very exciting uh cast, and and um we're we're really excited to see it move forward.

So thanks to the team.

It's this is a new thing for us, so we're we're managing it.

Thank goodness we updated our fee schedule last year, and we're gonna get a little extra revenue through that.

And uh, more than anything, we're excited because it really should be a big boon to some of our local businesses and our hotels and those midweek rentals that we've been uh pursuing all these years.

Those hotels are some of our hotels are gonna be packed during the midweek, so very very exciting.

Uh, I think my last item tonight, or maybe I have two more.

Okay.

Last item is just an update on our listening sessions, as folks know.

Uh we're already preparing for our next fiscal year budget.

Uh, we had a couple of listening sessions over the last week, and uh we just want to let people know those who were unable to attend the listening sessions.

We still want your feedback on on what's important to you, what you think the city should be focusing on.

Um so if you just go to our website, it's in the top banner.

You can click on it, and we have an online feedback form.

We'll be collecting responses through March 10th, and then on March 14th, which is a Saturday, we have our priority setting workshop, which is where the city council sits together and works together to identify what our priorities are gonna be for the year and and the foreseeable future, and there will be opportunity to provide feedback then.

So please go to our website, provide some of that feedback and participate.

It's important we hear from all parts of our community.

Thank you.

Yes, I meant to do this previously, but uh now I would entertain public comment on item three, which was the presentation from um the chamber related organization, and then the city manager updates to council.

So if anyone in the room would like to comment about those items or anyone online, you can raise your hand online and uh we'll take your comments.

Come to the podium if you do.

Yeah, we do have to have a timer on it, and then fill out a form, maybe.

I didn't realize that the ALPR issue was gonna be discussed.

I thought I was it wasn't on the agenda, but as long as we're here, I have a lot to say about it.

Um I'd like to start with a quote from the uh American Civil Liberties Union lawyer.

Quote, there are talking about uh the automated license plate readers, they're a mass surveillance dragnet system that captures information from anyone who goes by them, regardless of whether they are accused of any crime.

Once that data is collected, it's really hard to control.

As you probably know from the news, the Mountain View City Council has decided that they would like to, they are going to disable their flock cameras, a system essentially the same as what um uh Half Moon Bay has in its pilot program.

Um, this is a quote from the chief of police of uh Mountain View.

I personally no longer have confidence in this particular vendor, talking about flock.

I was deeply disappointed to learn that flock safety did not meet the city's requirements regarding our data access control and transparency.

Despite repeated assurances of strict protocols and privacy safeguards, the Mountain View Police Department disclosed this week that it had inadvertently violated its own policies and allowed hundreds of unauthorized law enforcement agencies to search information captured by the city's license plate for more than a year.

Uh when I was on the council, we saw the presentations about the pilot program.

We were assured that the data would be kept uh available only to the allowed uh law enforcement agencies.

That was not what happened in Mountain View, and Mountain View is not an exception, I don't think.

So I urge the council to consider not enabling these devices, which can have potential real privacy invasion questions, particularly regarding to immigration enforcement, which I'm very worried about.

Thank you.

Um excuse me, Harvey, could you fill out a form and identify it?

I already filled out a form, I didn't know that.

But you filled it out for public forum.

Yes.

So could you well we'll we'll change it to item six.

We'll do that here.

Okay, thank you.

Don't worry about it.

Okay.

Anyone else who would like to address the presentation or the city manager updates to council?

I do see one uh hand raised.

Yes.

We have Carolina.

Go ahead and unmute.

There you go.

Go ahead.

You can go now, Carolina.

Hola, buenas noches.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Welcome.

Lamentablemente no me siento muy bien de salud.

Unfortunately, I don't feel very well.

But through this platform I am present.

So I want to really uh talk about my support for uh public housing, please.

This is that's not the agenda we're discussing at the moment.

She'll have to wait till public forum.

Okay.

Yes.

I think next meeting is.

Thank you.

Gracias, Carolina.

I think for the next meeting, we need to have tweak the process, maybe say at the beginning of the meeting that you will be able to comment on each of these things and not have to wait till public forum.

But yeah.

If you can help me with that for the next meeting, that would be.

Yeah, I'll report that back to the clerk for sure.

Okay.

Great.

So now we're moving on to uh public forum.

Item seven.

And uh, I think we will uh, we already did that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I why don't we start with uh Carolina?

Sorry, I you're back on Victor.

Yes, yes, that's right.

Yeah.

Yeah, right, yeah.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Sorry about that, Carolina.

Start over.

No problem.

No worries.

Go ahead.

Okay.

So as you know, our community is really suffering from a lot of harassment, with all of everything that's going on in the country.

And unfortunately everything that we're seeing on the news.

And how people are actually living and how people here in Hackman Bay are actually living.

And to see how we really help this country, not just with our labor but with our taxes.

It's tristeverka on existence dignos de tener un oras possibilities de pago.

And it's really sad to think that there's some people that we shouldn't have like dignified housing in regards to our situation.

And it really makes me sad to hear other people saying that rent here isn't really expensive.

I would really like to see some people that are making these comments to go out there and kind of live it and then finally be able to say either yes it's expensive or it's not expensive.

So we're paying forty-five hundred dollars in this town for rent, and we only have access to one bathroom and a kitchen, and there's might be some like eight people living in the house.

And to have all of the excuses to build uh dignified housing for them.

Not to build a housing for them.

If you want you can go visit them, they're over on the side where the trailer park is on the side of the airport.

So apartament.

And these apartments are for sale.

But you can really see the power that money really has in that situation.

If we were legal people asking for 555 Kelly to be built, then it probably would have been done a long time ago.

And if we had money, we can also influence to get it done as well.

Sorry if my words are too harsh for you.

So if there's people saying that we love Latinos, then that would be the best way to show us your love.

With acts.

Better rent control and accessible housing.

Controlando la renta para que no se eleve el precio conforme se eleva el mercado, eleven el precio también.

Rent control.

So when the market goes up, not really have rents go up as well.

Those are my humble remarks.

Thank you very much for your time.

You can raise your hand now.

I see none.

Okay then.

So we'll move back to folks in the room.

And we'll start with Rocío Avala Garcia.

Rocio is going to provide her comment, and after she's finished, I'll provide you with a site translation.

Buenas noches, members of Consilio y personnel presenters.

Good evening, members of the Council and all people present here.

Place to live for other people to decide for them if they need it or not.

This is inhumane.

To always look at people from lower incomes and see them in their and the status that they're in.

I also want to emphasize that we will keep fighting for rent control.

It is injust that people work uh overtime or double turns, two turns to pay for their rent, and now you want to eliminate rent control so that way the rents uh can go up and the owners can um increase oh because the owners don't have insurance or able to maintain their property.

So I'm asking uh members of this council to reconsider your previous decision.

We all so some of us don't have the same opportunities uh to have our own house.

Thank you for listening.

The next speaker is Joaquin Jimenez, good evening, honorable mayor, council members, uh, city staff, members of the public, my name is staff, Joaquin Jimenez.

If you get a chance, please take a look at this uh magazine.

It was placed on uh with you.

Uh Vice Mayor, thank you for the comment.

You know, earlier when about the presentation uh we was done about let's not forget about our heritage of the coast, you know, farming and ranching.

I know it was talked about, you know, the farmers were invited to the uh to the event, but not the farm workers.

You know, that's one of the things that we forget about who's actually doing the work.

You know, the form the farmers do for uh do on the land and they do some of the work, but it without the farm workers, it would not happen.

One of the best things that City of May has actually done, it was the uh economic recovery initiative that it was approved by City Council a few years back.

That in relation to uh economic mobility.

That's why uh this uh this magazine gives you an idea about what economic mobility is.

I don't know if you know that you don't need to be to have a social security to run a business.

You can run a business with an IT number, or you have to just pay your taxes to work legally in the United States, you have to have a social security number or IT number.

But a lot of the employers they don't want an IT number, they want a social security.

So part of the economic mobility, job train, is one of the organizations that focus on that economic mobility, and you have it here in Half Home Bay.

I had the opportunity to work with them for a while and I learned about what they do, and we need it, vocational training.

That is a major step into economic mobility.

We also have the Renaissance Center to provide education for community members to learn how to run a business.

But it's happening.

We are losing our farmland.

I'm not against open space.

I hike almost every day.

Either my bike, on foot, or my horse.

Every trail on the coast, I probably walked it at least once.

I don't think we need more open space.

We need to make sure that we use the land to farm and to ranch.

That's what feeds the people.

How many more miles do you need of open space?

Uh to actually to enjoy the coast, not that many.

There's one more organization in Hafoon Bay that focuses on economic mobility, and that's Rancho San Benito.

Rancho San Benito is in the process to partner up with the Renaissance Center for them to provide education and training for farm workers to become farmers.

That's what I mentioned last time.

Samateo County, the coast, the coastline, we are the largest farming community in the Bay Area.

If we lose it, there's no way we're gonna get it back.

But to make sure that we keep it, we have to give the opportunity to new ranchers and to new farmers and continue to support our present farmers because many of them are going out of business.

Farmer John just saw this property.

Not too long ago.

How many more uh farmers or ranchers are gonna be losing the property?

I don't want I don't want to see Half May without farming and ranching because that is our heritage, and we have to take care of that.

And to do that, we need our essential workers.

We need our farm workers to be present to have dignified housing, something that we're not doing.

And uh congratulations for uh getting the uh uh the housing element approved.

Great job, thank you.

Thank you, Joaquin.

Lisette Solis from Renaissance Center.

Don't forget to set the timer.

Good evening, uh Honorable Mayor and Council members and city staff.

Thank you for your time and for the opportunity to be here this evening.

My name is Lizette Soliz, and I am the program manager for the Samateo County Coastside Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center.

I'm very pleased to share that our services continue to thrive here on the coast.

We have partnered with Coastide Hope and are now proudly operating from their location alongside the job train job train team.

This partnership has been incredibly meaningful, and we are excited about the many positive opportunities it will bring for our community moving forward.

I invite you to review our flyer for upcoming open house event.

We would be honored for you to join us and help us share the special occasion with the community.

I also want to share that we have just released the first edition of the Coastside Thrive magazine, which you guys have in your hands.

Thank you.

This publication highlights the work being done throughout our community and celebrates the incredible entrepreneurs and small businesses that make the coastside so special.

It is truly an honor to see familiar faces featured, our neighbors, friends, and families reflected in these pages.

Additionally, one of our featured clients stories will be celebrating, celebrating a very special milestone this coming month on Valentine's Day, February 14th, Bay Area Orchids, one of our longtime Renaissance clients will be marking their five-year anniversary.

We invite you to come learn and more about learn more about their inspiring journey and help us celebrate this exciting achievement.

This celebration will include music, food, raffle, and special discounts, and it promises to be a wonderful event.

We hope to see you there.

Thank you again for your time and continued support.

Have a wonderful evening.

Thank you, Lisette.

Thank you.

Up with the microphone.

Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council members, and staff.

My name's Barry Hathaway, and I'm the CEO at Job Train.

So I want to echo what Lisette said about we're here, we're gonna stay for a while longer.

I'm gonna tell you a little bit about that, and really just reinforce our commitment to this community.

It would have been very easy for job train and renaissance to just say, oh, no more money, okay, we're out, we gotta go do other things.

But what we we came here with the intention to help this community, and we intend to stay for as long as we are delivering on good service and as long as we can continue to receive funding to do it.

I am very happy to tell you that we've received funding to stay here for another 18 months, and that is a lot of runway to continue to deliver on our promise and secure other funding to be able to stay as long as we can deliver on our promise.

You helped with that by allowing us to stay here a little bit longer while we were navigating the shift from the OCC to um to Coastside Hope.

You helped by allowing us to take some of the equipment that we got when we started here to continue to use it in the new facility.

So thank you for that.

It actually turns out that Coesite Hope is an ideal location for us because the men and women that are served by Coast Site Hope are the men and women we want to serve as well.

So Renaissance and job training being in that building means of somebody coming to Co-Site Hope for the many amazing things they do for the community are instantly in our place as well.

And we can continue to serve them in these other ways.

It breaks my heart to hear people say we can't afford rent here.

We have eight people living in a one-bedroom, one bathroom apartment because that's all we can afford.

And I don't want to be glib about it.

But the reality is that if they made enough money, they could afford that.

And so we have to be thinking about how to make investments in people's earning power.

These are men and women who want to earn their way out of poverty.

They want their own agency.

They want to be able to do this for themselves and have the dignity of housing and the dignity of work.

We have to continue to invest in those kinds of opportunities here as well.

So we're so happy that we can stay, and we're so grateful for the support you've offered to get us situated here and help us make this transition.

Thank you for that.

Please come to our open house.

If you if you haven't been to Coesite Hope, you must come to the open house because they have built such a beautiful place.

Very warm and welcoming, and our team tells us that now that we're there, it's really starting to pick up.

The enrollments and the people knowing we're there is starting to pick up.

We had a little bit of a slump in November and December and January as we were repositioning and the newspaper said we had left, and so there was a lot of miscommunications going on, but we're here and things are picking up.

So thank you very much for your support.

Looking forward to continuing to keep you updated on how things are going.

Thank you so much for the report.

Do we need to take public comment on public comment?

No, I'm joking.

Okay.

Um, that appears to be it for public comment.

So, um, sorry.

We just did public form.

Yeah.

Um, moving on to item eight, which is the consent calendar.

Uh, does any council member wish to pull any com consent item?

Paul, yes, uh, E.

That's the old meetings.

Right.

And um 8 F.

8.

Okay.

All right.

So could we have a motion to approve the consent calendar minus uh items 8E and 8 F.

Yes.

Um, you can also for all consent items.

So take that now.

Okay.

Um, so we need a new script next meeting.

Explanations of all of these subjects and new instructions, please.

Thank you.

Um, is there anyone who would like to address the council on um items eight, which is consent calendar.

So usually when we say you can come in a public forum, it can be on consent items and items not on the regular agenda, correct?

Right, so um the script that was prepared for you this evening has it separated out so that you would take public comment on the consent agenda and then public comment on the public forum.

And the public forum is just for items not on the agenda, so allows people to speak about things that aren't on the agenda, but for consent, we're taking public comment on the consent items, so it's very specific.

Okay, I don't think I have that on my script.

Um, sure that at the next meeting.

Yeah, just make it really I don't know why there's any.

I think it's public comment on the I think.

Oh no, no, that's a yeah.

Well um, yeah, is there any so I've already asked if somebody wants to pull stuff.

We know what needs to be pulled.

So before we actually make a motion, we take the public comment on the consent.

Yes, yes, okay.

So is there anyone who would like to specifically address any items on the consent calendar?

That would be item eight, and those items are 8A, wave reading of resolutions and ordinances, 8B, approved minutes of the January 20th, 2026 special meeting.

Item 8C, approved minutes of the January 20th, 2026 regular meeting.

8D, approved minutes of the January 29th, 2026 special meeting.

Item 8E, approve certain past city council regular and special meeting minutes.

Item 8F, approve agreement with the County of San Mateo for 9-11 dispatch services.

Item 8G, approve amendment to retainer for legal services with a shoot Mahalian Weinberger LLP effective January 1, 2026 for continuation of litigation services and transition services.

Now, if you'd like to address any of those items, you can uh fill out a card and hand it to our person who's clerking tonight, and you can go to the the uh dias, excuse me, go to the podium and comment.

You can also comment online by raising your hand.

Seeing no one in the audience and no hands raised online, um, we will move on to entertaining a motion for those items that I've read minus 8E and 8F.

Yes, I move that we waive reading of resolutions and ordinances that we have let me make a recommendation.

Just give the uh the item numbers.

Since you've already read them out, okay.

I move that we um accept 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8G.

Second.

Could I have a roll call, please?

Yes.

Commissioner Nangast.

I'm sorry, Councilmember.

Yes, Council Member Council Member Johnson.

Yes.

Councilmember Brownstone, yes, Vice Mayor Penrose, yes, and Mayor Ruddick.

Yes, approved.

Okay, so we are going to do item 8E and Councilmember Nagengast, and I believe Councilmember Johnson will need to um abstain because they were not on the council at that time, so um I'll ask uh all in favor say aye of item eight item eight eye, aye, uh any oppose?

Any abstain.

I did.

Okay.

So we have two abstentions there.

All right.

So now we're moving on to item eight F, which is approve agreement with the County of San Mateo for dispatch services.

So I I guess we'll need a uh staff report on that.

Yeah, and the reason why I pull it's a big number, and I just want the community to know that this is separate than the law enforcement sheriff contract, even though it says it's sheriff contract is a big number.

This is not what you see the day to day police services is what you see behind the scenes.

So I just uh the when I read the report, 2022, 2023, somewhere around there is where there was an analysis done, and the counties uh requested a full cost recovery and a numbers jumped.

I don't know how much they jumped by, but it sounded like it was significant, and a four million dollar for five year, you know, four and some uh well four.

I don't have a four point three million five years, is a big number, but we still have the sheriff's law enforcement contract, and we're still going to uh I guess quote unquote negotiate, but that's still coming forward, and I just want to make it clear, this is totally separate from that, and and what's provided is essentially this is your 911 calls.

So this is something that the community we we need this, and we've been uh since even with the price increases, it sounds it's been reasonable.

It provides the service that's necessary for the community, and we anticipated this in our budget.

This is not a new uh item in the budget.

I think it's important to point out that these services are delivered 24-7.

Thank you.

Yeah, and and um, you know, just a little bit of history.

Um, when we had our own police department, we actually had our own dispatch services here on the coast as well, and part of the reason the city went away from that, both of those services being in-house was the cost to deliver those services, and um we do uh pretty regular analysis of what it would cost to bring these services in-house if that was something we want to consider in the future.

And in and in both cases, uh, we we believe we derive considerable uh economies of scale and cost savings by working with the county and receiving their services, and um in this case, just talking about dispatch.

Um, we believe, and and as does the sheriff that we receive really great services from the county, and and although the the rates went up significantly a few years ago, um it is the cost of doing business, and as we can see by only a two percent increase over last fiscal year, um they are doing everything they can to keep costs low and affordable as affordable as possible for us.

So um I I appreciate um having this item pulled and having that conversation and anticipated that might happen and uh hopefully the the community recognizes the value here as well.

I think so.

I know that when I want to call, I want somebody on the other end of the line for sure.

Day or night.

Thank you for that.

So um, but let's take a roll call on that because of the size of the expenditures.

Can we just call it 8F?

Well, I think we have to do uh public comment on this as well.

Yes, we do.

So anyone who would like to address item eight F, which is the agreement with the county for 9-11 dispatch services.

Um you can come to the the podium and then fill out a card for that.

That's item 8F, or if you'd like to address it, folks online.

You can raise your hand.

I don't see any raised hands online, and no one coming forward.

So um I think we can move to um a roll call vote.

You have a motion.

We need a motion.

Oh, yeah, we need a motion to approve it.

I'll make the motion to approve and uh approve the agreement to county San Mateo for 911 dispatch services for the period of July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2030, at a total of four million three hundred and twelve dollars and five hundred and sixty-four cents.

Second.

Okay, all right.

Council council member.

Oh, I'm sorry, go ahead.

We already did 80.

I didn't get them.

I don't I didn't recall a motion for that one, but okay.

Okay, that was the uh okay.

Um that was the two abstentions.

Oh, I'm sorry.

You're right, it was the minutes.

So I said no, it's a motion.

I got the vote.

Um okay, roll call is um council member negangast.

Yes, council member Johnson, yes.

Councilmember Brownstone, yes.

Vice Mayor Penrose, yes, and Mayor Reddick, yes, motion approved.

Okay, so we're moving on to item nine, which is ordinances and public hearings, and we have no ordinances or public hearings this evening.

Uh, item 10 resolutions and staff reports.

Uh the next item is item 10a, the architectural advisory committee appointments.

Um, Madam Mayor, um, the item before you tonight is um simply to um reappoint the three existing members of our architectural advisory committee.

As you know, this committee is advisory to our planning commission.

And they're all professionals in the field of architecture and provide a really really valuable service to the community by looking at projects that are being proposed and evaluating them based on standards here in the community and really working with applicants to hone in their projects to make them fit the character and the balance of the community here.

And I think that really benefits us as we get to the public hearings for the planning commission for permitting because that piece of it has really been addressed well and through a really thoughtful eye.

So we're really really grateful for the three members that have served for many years, and we simply just need to uh re-up their appointments.

So with that, unless there's any questions, we'd love to do public comment and then and then move forward with the motion.

Are there any clarifying questions from council members?

Okay.

Um I don't have any uh speaker slips, but if anyone would like to address uh the architectural advisory committee appointments, you can come to the podium, fill out a form, and then raise your hand if you're online.

I see no one online raising their hand, and uh no one coming forward from the audience.

So we'll we'll bring it back for comments from council members.

Motion and a second.

They've done a great job.

I can make a motion, and uh Madam Mayor, if I could just remind the council there are three seats, but there are different terms to the different seats.

Right.

So there is a four-year for the architect seat, there is a four year for the at-large seat, and there is a two-year uh term for the landscape architect.

So the motion should include the name of the appointee and the seat that they're you're suggesting that they fill.

So you want to distinguish between the four-year term and the two-year term.

So I can take a step.

Sorry?

Who's the two-year term?

The two-year term is uh Steve Kikucci.

Okay, and the at-large is who?

I believe one.

Chad Hooker's the he's the at large.

Yeah, he is.

He's the at-large, I believe.

Um Steve Kikucci is the landscape architect, and Linda Ponzini is the architect.

Okay, so I move that we approve appointments to the architectural advisory committee as follows.

Um, Linda Poncini and Chad Hooker for the four-year terms.

Correct.

And Steve Kakucci for the two-year term.

Correct.

Is that sufficient?

Yeah.

Okay.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries unanimously.

Glad you're still gonna be around.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You do good work.

All right.

Discussion on extending health benefits eligibility to elected officials.

So we will hear a presentation, and then the council can ask clarifying questions.

All right.

Good evening, madam mayor, council members, and members of the public.

Uh so today I'm gonna be presenting on the topic of possibly extending health benefits to elected officials.

A little background on this subject.

So the city currently offers health benefits for our full-time employees.

Um, the main provider is CalPERS.

They do our retirement, but they also do our health benefits.

Uh currently, council members are not eligible for this, uh, but recently in the past few months, council has expressed the interest in what it could look like extending it to elected officials.

So tonight I'm here to share what staff has learned about it and to highlight some of the policy points for council to discuss over.

Is one, how would benefits be provided?

Will we be working with if council were to go this route?

Would it be using a in our existing provider or a separate plan?

And then additionally, how will those costs be shared between the city and between any enrollees?

So addressing the first question, there's generally two pathways to look at this.

So as I mentioned, our existing providers CalPERS, and we could extend this to electeds.

This is probably the easiest to do administratively.

CalPERS already provides this to council members and other jurisdictions.

Additionally, CalPERS is a statewide program for a lot of different jurisdictions, a bigger risk pool.

They offer a lot of different plans, HMO and PPO plans.

When staff looked around at other agencies, we're doing CalPERS being the provider was the consensus.

Alternatively, the city could explore a separate health plan, one that is just for uh elected officials.

The downside is that it would add a layer of complexity.

Theoretically, you would have the employees with their own group plan and then the electives with their separate.

That's just another layer of complexity.

And additionally, uh potentially could have different coverage levels when you get into deductibles and and what's covered, what's not, it can get sticky pretty fast.

So, thinking that in mind, staff had has not retained quotes on this.

Um, if council uh directed to for our staff to go out to do such, we could.

One thing that um uh stopped us initially from going out is that uh because the group plan would be uh five members, uh there's a high likelihood that the rates are going to be high and lower flexibility.

Thus, at this moment it's not recommended, but the option still remains.

Another thing to think about as far as structure is whether or not to include dental and vision.

City could also provide that to electives.

This is a bit of an easier um thing for us to do.

Our current provider is MetLife.

Um, but again, kind of the same thoughts.

Um, should we stick with the current provider or should we look and see what else is out there?

Moving on to costs.

Um, here I have the health planner rates.

If the city were to go with CalPERS, and these rates are the same that are offered to employees, so it's equitable as far as the rates.

By law, uh the city would have to contribute a minimum amount.

Um is currently 162 dollars a month, and the city has the option to contribute more if it if council were to decide that.

But really is more of a policy call from here.

Um, the minimum is 162, and anything else is a policy call.

After the city uh contributes any amount that's left that is owed, would be deducted during the payroll process.

Um now for employees, there's always enough to cover what's left to to um cover the rate.

But for officials, the stipend is um is it's only about a thousand dollars.

So uh there's a chance that even after the city's contribution and then the payroll deduction, there is a chance that um the role would have we the city will have to build an enrollee and they would have to pay the city.

When staff looked around at other agencies, the strategies differed greatly.

Um agencies they paid full cost um the rate plan, some did a fixed amount, some did a percentage.

Um, for example, 90% of the city pays, 10% of the enrollee.

Uh all is an option of uh for council, of course, but I think the uh more of the viable options are either the the minimum or a fixed amount.

That's because our employees received a fixed amount.

Between the two, I professionally will recommend uh the legal minimum at this time.

Uh the reason being is that we're in uh starting to begin contract negotiations, so there's going to be discussions about the broader benefit plans organizational-wide, so it might be um a little too early to piece out electeds.

Um but of course that is a council decision.

On the dental vision side is a bit more straightforward.

Uh these are our current rates.

Uh this may change uh when we flush out um the adding what it does to add to elected.

Uh currently the city pays a hundred percent of cost uh for dental and vision to our full-time employees.

Uh council could um we could extend that to our elected officials, um, but ultimately the the same question arises um how much should the city pay versus how much should the enrollee again?

Some of the the director direction that I'm looking to hear from council tonight is um should the city extend medical benefits, and if so, CalPORs or someone else and two how much should a city contribute um more than a minimum, and if so, how much with that I would uh take your questions or feedback, council members with questions.

Can I put a clarifier there?

Because that you know it's good to see the uh and I'm gonna speak for myself because I don't want to where this where this is going, I don't want to assume anything, but uh CalPERS also has breakdown if you have Medicare.

So you buy a rate, and I don't I didn't see it on there on that example because I I use CalPERS, and I have a Medicare, they have a separate column if you're on Medicare, probably yeah, or through CalPERS, what you pay, and then um it's a whole different there's different numbers on that, and then whether you have uh a family member one or two, either on Medicare two or not.

So I have a complicated family, and we have cover three different pieces in there.

So there's much more to that CalPERS um chart he was showing than just the basic that you've shown the basic plan, those costs, but there are not the Medicare plan.

No, those weren't included in there.

It's still a cost.

Yeah, no, it's still a cost.

That's not as much because there's you have to pay some of the Medicare, you do that through I've learned through uh the feds, you know, covering your Medicare.

Yeah, any other questions?

Council members clarifying questions, comments, then we can go to the public if you're not ready.

So Ken, you can actually break it up like into different categories, just medical and then vision and then dental.

You don't have to do like a whole the whole thing.

That's correct.

Um look at other agencies.

They did medical and um dental envision, but you can break it up.

The minimum the buy-in then would be for the just talking the medical would be one sixty-two would be what the city would pay.

Is that correct?

Yes, that's the legal minimum.

Was there any numbers that we could get considering the stipend and then versus like basically not receiving a stipend and putting the stipend towards a medical reimbursement versus being you know paid?

So unfortunately, it's us all over the map when we took a look at agencies, um, because our benefit plans are just different.

Um I will share kind of a I guess a framework or fencing in that um uh city contribution extending that's more than the stipend is uh a little awkward because then it's no longer a benefit, it could be seen as compensation.

Um it's still doable, but it's a thing to consider, then of course the the harder uh limit would be um if it's more than what our but if our employees receive.

So let's just say the the one sixty two um because that's just your buy-in just to get in, right?

Is that how I read that?

The one sixty two or the city's the city's right minimum.

Yeah, and then the person that would want to get the medical would pay the difference between, but they were able to buy the medical.

Is that correct?

That's correct.

Okay.

And do we have the the table that you showed us would be example table?

Is that what we're looking at?

Yes, these are the rates for 2026.

Okay, thank you.

Any other clarifying questions?

Um I don't have any speaker slips on this item, but there's if there's anyone who would like to to comment or ask questions in the public, you can come to the the podium uh or raise your hand online.

I see no hands raised online.

And apparently no one in the audience has comments or questions.

So I'll bring it back to council.

Um I will say that uh I I think uh our finance director had a good point in that we're about to enter negotiations in the labor MOU, and we'll be talking about employees um compensation, including base salaries and benefits.

And given you know the cost of benefits these days, conceivably the discussion on benefits, um could be quite profound because people are everywhere swimming in medical debt, and the cost as you can see are very high.

So, um I think it's good that we have a discussion, but I think I personally would recommend that we postpone any direction until we conclude negotiations on the MOU or at least deep into them and have a draft MOU for everyone's consideration.

I'll leave it there.

Please, okay.

So if someone um just wanted the dental and the vision, which would only be less than, I don't know, $80 or something a month, right?

So either they could pay for that or the city could pay out of that minimum.

Is that right?

If that's what we elected to do that as an option, yeah.

Uh the council could decide to piece off just dental and dental envision, and um either city pays zero or city pays a hundred percent is a council policy decision.

I just bring that up because I know Medicare doesn't cover some of that stuff, right?

Especially dental.

So if someone just wanted that piece, that'll be great.

That's pretty cheap.

Okay.

Um great.

So we'll wait and figure out.

Give it some time.

Thank you, Ken.

Like we're we're going to defer on this one for the time being.

Yeah, I I think you know, Councilmember Nagangas raised a point that we definitely want to research related to uh Medicare and any impacts that could have on this, and we can bring that back when we when we circle back.

Um and we'll continue to re do research.

Our city attorney represents other cities that offer this benefit.

And so we'll we'll continue to to look into it and understand it better, and certainly it'll be in our minds as we go through labor negotiations because it could impact where we ultimately land on this.

But I think the most important thing we've discovered is that it is something we can easily do from a you know logistically, it can happen.

And really the question is is it something the council wants to move forward with and it and at what degree?

But from a staff standpoint, this is something that could could easily be incorporated in the future.

I think it would be uh helpful to have a comparison of what other cities are doing, you know, so that we can see the you know, is it big cities, you know, what kind of cities are able to accomplish this.

Sure, and and show the actual rates that they're paying towards, yeah.

Yeah, we actually had that information some many years ago, and um, you know, it showed which cities offer, you know, the stipend, which offer stipended and insurance, which ones offer just insurance, the various rates.

I think that would be helpful to understand.

And my understanding is we're actually getting comparison information for the purposes of the MOU on some things.

So maybe we just throw that in there.

If we do that, let's include what the council members in these cities are being paid, what their actual salary is as well.

Yeah, I I agree with that.

I I think it's important for us to be um to be responsible, you know, in our our decision making here.

Um so I think the more information we have, yeah, the more accountable decisions we can make.

So I would agree with that.

Great.

So I would I would expect us to return with an update, hopefully, you know, by late spring.

Um, you know, before we get to budget hearings and all that, we should be far enough along in our labor negotiations to kind of know where that's probably headed and and start talking about this again.

So um, and it seemed that um council wanted to jump in here.

I thought I detected okay.

Okay, trying to pay attention there.

Thank you for that.

Okay.

Um so the next item is item 10 C, which is approve agreement with Matrix Consulting Group to conduct an organizational and staffing assessments.

Okay, thank you, Madam Mayor.

I will make a brief inner uh presentation on this item, and um we have uh the founder of Matrix Consulting who um happens to be a coastside resident, which is a pretty cool connection.

Um he's on the line here and available for questions as well.

Um see if I can use this clicker to yep, it's working.

Great.

Um, so just a little bit of background.

Um, as as we all know, uh since uh 2023, the city has been grappling with a uh structural deficit, and I'll just explain what that is.

The structural deficit is when your ongoing revenues are less than your ongoing expenses.

So you don't include big projects or one time, you know, charges or or one-time revenue sources.

We're really just talking about our tax revenue and then what it costs us to provide our services to the community.

And and so we've really worked hard over the last couple of years and continue to work hard to address that deficit to get the city into a sustainable place.

And um, through um, you know, the wisdom of my predecessor and the work with the with the council, we have really, really strong reserves, and those reserves have been utilized to kind of carry us through.

We have cut some programs and some services, um, but I think to for the most part, the community hasn't really felt a lot of pain from this path that we've been going down.

Of course, our voters in November of 2024 approved a half cent sales tax increase, which is really really helpful to the city in managing our finances going forward.

And you know, as we we heard from San Francisco Peninsula and our chamber, a lot of effort goes into supporting our number one industry, which is tourism.

Tourism drives our transient occupancy tax, it drives our sales tax, and those have struggled since you know during and since the pandemic, but they've been coming back and we've had a lot of positivity the last couple of years.

And we'll be doing our mid-year budget in March, and we're excited to share, you know, improvements that we've had in our addressing of the deficit and uh you know our our financial position.

That being said, one of the strategies that we employed over the last couple of years is we've held some really important vacancies open as high-level positions have been vacated here in the city rather than just going back and filling them.

Um staff has really kind of girded up their loins and worked really hard to fill those gaps while we evaluate the future of the city.

And one of the things that we thought would be important is to really look at our organization and how we're staffed and how we're structured to make sure that we're really in a sustainable position for the future.

And so last year uh the council created an ad hoc committee, which includes Councilmember Nagengast and Councilmember Brownstone, and we've met many, many times over the last several months to talk about how we address those issues, and at the same time, the council directed us to explore an outside consultant that could give us kind of that arm's length expert view on tactics we could employ to improve our structure and in into the future.

So we did a request for qualifications last year.

We had some good response, a variety of costs uh ranging from about $20,000, which probably wasn't gonna be feasible for the scope that we really needed, up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Um, working with this ad hoc committee and these consultants, we've landed on matrix consulting as uh our preferred firm and uh worked on revising that scope and those costs to what we have presented here tonight.

Um so as I shared, um, matrix consulting is a preferred consultant.

Um they're a very large consulting firm that serves cities of all sizes across the country and similar um endeavors that we're pursuing right now, but with a really great local connection that the founder of the company uh lives here on the coast and will be our primary project manager working with us day to day on this project if we move it forward, which is really exciting.

Uh one of the things they've done is they've really worked with us on the scope to fit a timeline that allows us to uh obtain recommendations that could actually be incorporated into the next fiscal year budget, which will allow us to move forward on making changes and filling positions and as I've shared before, we're we're very, very understaffed right now.

We're at a 30% vacancy rate, which is significant, and staff are definitely feeling the burn, but I I really want to recognize them and appreciate them because that's a lot to carry, but they've done it willingly and with positivity and hope for the future, and I think the community has seen that and appreciates that, and and and the council appreciates it and I appreciate it.

Um, so under the scope, we're looking at two phases.

The first is really kind of getting a lay of the land, what our current situation is, interviews with staff and talking with the council, and looking at best practices for an organization of our size and the services that we need to provide.

Uh, one of the things we've talked about is core services, and that would be part of that analysis.

Phase two would be really looking then at how do we adjust the workload staffing and organization and making recommendations.

And through our work with them, they've revised the budget to a sixty-six thousand dollar budget, which is we think a fair and reasonable amount to do this work in this amount of time.

And so that's why we're recommending moving forward with this at this time.

Does that conclude your that concludes my presentation and the recommendations on the board?

Yeah.

So does anybody have any clarifying questions?

First of all, for the subcommittee or staff.

The subcommittee was um council members uh Brownstone and Neg and Gast.

And um they worked very diligently on this, so questions can be directed to them as well.

Seeing none, um, I have no speaker slips.

Um, are there any folks in the audience or online who would like to comment or ask questions about item um 10 C, which we just had a presentation about.

I see no hands raised online, and nobody in the audience, so I'll bring it back to the council, and maybe ask the subcommittee first to just weigh in a little bit and what you considered and how you arrived at your recommendation.

Just a couple of things to add.

Um the city has actually worked with matrix in the past, so the experience with us.

Um Mayor Ruddick actually had a lot of good references and recommendations about their work and had suggested that we uh um originally, and so it was great that they applied.

Um, interactions with them was great.

Richard Brady uh being right here, and they have an enormous amount of expertise because it is pretty complicated being one of the few cities totally in the coastal zone in California, and having that expertise and how that impacts our ability, you know, to get the work done, having the right people, the right experience.

Um it's not simple.

And I think that where we do uh want to have some recommendations for doing things differently, that this will be a great firm to work with.

So um yeah, I feel really fortunate actually to have them working on this.

Yeah, thank you.

And I I it's important, you know, and I want you know, I think staff, this is a tool to help the city manager so he can you know do the priorities we're expecting him to do, and that's why it was great working with uh the matrix.

I don't know if Richard wants to say something you know tonight, too, but it was uh I felt comfortable being able to work with them and focus on what actually our needs are, not just uh here's a broad brush of your whole city, and we know there's certain areas we want to be more focused on, and that's what this uh assessment will do.

So, and it again it's uh I think it's a positive for us, especially at this time to um make sure we're we're moving forward, you know, with you know, like Matthew said, the staff is doing a uh a great job just holding us afloat.

I kind of see the ship ship is right, and how do we keep sailing it, you know, you know, continue to sail.

So, yeah, I'm uh I'm happy what was submitted, and I'm comfortable with matrix, Johnson or the vice mayor.

Do you have any questions or comments you'd like to make?

I would just like to say that um uh a shout out to staff.

Uh they've been patient, they've been hard working, and this is being done as much for them as it is for the city manager.

It's it's all about um they're taking responsibility and and grabbing the reins and going for it, despite the fact that they have to do much more than they should be doing, or that they're doing different jobs than they should be doing and uh job sharing.

Um so shout out to staff and and thank you for being so patient and staying with us and just let us get through this, and things are going to get better.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

Councilmember Johnson.

Um I was really pleased when I read this report, Richard Brady, which uh apparently lives local, right?

And I saw that in there, and I'm looking at their relevant clients on each one of their items, and then Aaron Baggerly, I guess his name is, identified technology improvements to streamlining customers portal internal workflows and roles to permit review process, which is one of the issues that people are bringing forward.

And then Alison's talking here, her expertise, strategic planning, capital plan updates, budget workshop, long range planning efforts for environmental protection, which is all we need, and Chaz Jordan, parks and recreation operations, staffing, maintenance, and programming analysis.

So all these people are bringing forward things here.

And then Amy Sue administrated all city operations, including budgeting development, engineering, finance, justice courts, planning, police, public works, recreation alignment with directors of mayors and city councils.

Every one of these people in this group here is bringing something forward that we need.

So I'm totally excited when I read this.

One of the things I liked about this process was I I think it showed that we can have a council subcommittee working with staff in a very effective way.

Um taking on the work of doing the research and thinking through alternatives and discussing, you know, impacts.

Um I think it showed the subcommittee approach can be, you know, successful.

So I I think all three of you, City Manager, um, Councilmember Nagakast, and um Brownstone did an excellent job.

It was diligent, it was thoughtful.

They didn't rush into anything.

I think the the um the budget is appropriate for the scope, and I think it's a generous scope for the for the money actually.

Um, so I'm I'm happy with the outcome.

And um one of the things I really like about it is that it engages staff in the process.

You know, there's a there's it's a very heavy staff participation component, and that's because part of this process is like, you know, kind of reinventing the workplace a little bit, right?

It's a chance to see what's not working so well, and to think about what would work better for you as employees.

So I wouldn't be fearful of this process.

I'd embrace it and say, you know, how can I make this process work better for me and for us, right?

So it's a team effort, and I like that a lot.

Um, so I think it's a I think we've landed in a good place.

And I'd like to ask uh Richard Brady, I see that he's online if he would like to introduce himself and or comment.

Um Mr.

Brady, we'd like to hear from you if you want to.

Uh thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to uh be here this evening.

We're really looking forward to working with you again.

Uh among the 2,000 communities we've worked with uh around the country, about half of them in California, including uh many of them uh coastal communities, as you mentioned earlier, but including Halfland Bay.

We worked with you 12 years ago in a study that was at a very important time for you then because you were coming out of the the Great Recession.

There were a lot of unmet needs.

And I think it it um this phasing of the project will work well for you because it'll allow us to focus on focus on priority items for the city and uh and to focus on uh not just uh staffing, as important it is as it is, but also transparency, business processes, uh proactivity, uh online services and things like that.

So lots of things that will benefit staff in terms of managing their workload, but also have an impact on the community expectations of service delivery.

So we're really looking forward to working with you in a large number of ways.

We're excited, thank you so much.

Thank you.

Um the recommendation would be to uh adopt a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a professional services agreement with matrix consulting group to conduct an organizational and staffing assessment for a term ending no later than June 30, 2026, at a cost not to exceed 66,500.

Second, did you make a motion?

Um I was setting up a motion, but I can count that as a motion, and you made a second.

Okay.

So uh could I have a roll call, please?

Yes, Councilmember Nagingas?

Yes.

Councilmember Johnson?

Yes, Councilmember Brownstone?

Yes, Vice Mayor Penrose, yes, and Mayor Reddick?

Yes, motion approved.

Thank you, everyone.

Okay, the um next item is commission and committee updates.

Are there any department heads who have updates?

Um, I unless Leslie is uh feeling compelled, I can just share.

We did have a planning commission meeting last week, and there was one important item, and it was approved.

It's a project on Pristmas Street, downtown a mixed use project, um, which will uh we think benefit the downtown with additional commercial space and residential space.

Um we also had a rec commission meeting uh this week this past week where they selected a new chair and vice chair.

Uh the chair for this year will be Hilary Stamper, who's been on the commission for many many years, and our vice chair will be Tito Hernandez, who's been on the commission for a couple of years and has been a really really great addition.

So we're excited for his first turn having a leadership role with the commission.

And and I'll just share uh the addition of youth commissioners has been really, really beneficial, really, really positive.

They provide great feedback.

But the only thing that we're upset about is they're both seniors that are graduating this year, so we're gonna lose them.

Um so there will be a process in the next couple of months to to find two new great youth to participate in that commission and and support it.

Uh the other thing the commission did is talk about priorities for the next year, and um they're very much in line with work we're doing, so uh very excited to finalize those and keep the work moving forward.

Great.

Yes, the kids grow up so fast, don't they?

It's just oh dear.

Okay, so the next item.

Well, I guess I should probably um ask if there's any public comment on this item.

Okay, all right.

Items of business, great.

Um so uh item 12, uh future discussion possible agenda items.

Uh does anybody have one?

I have one that I'll talk about, but I I was thinking, I think Matthew already brought it up about uh license plate reader, so but it's it looks like it's already being gonna be brought forward to us.

So, yeah, I I think a discussion on e-bikes.

Um, I think we should probably be waiting a little while because the county's working on it, the state's working on it.

But I want to keep it at the front of our radar so that we can jump on it as soon as we get as much information from the state and the county as as we can.

Priority setting is coming, March 14.

Yeah, and a lot of inform.

There's a lot of churn out there over this subject, right?

Seems like all kinds of groups and legislators are working on stuff.

We're gonna get snowed like we did on housing, you know, by all kinds of stuff.

Um, so uh what I would like to uh uh ask be put on a future agenda is a discussion about how staff might respond in the event of um ice coming to city hall, whether it's you know, to be in the public space or to be in the non-public spaces, is it talk to staff looking for data?

I think it's important to have at least um policies that the city manager and staff can use.

I think my understanding if you're talking to the city attorney is that such policies can be developed and adopted between the the city attorney and the city manager, but I think we also want to have a public discussion about that, about what that might you know look like, and then you know, get out of the way.

But I think it's good to surface the the issue so that the public knows you know that we're attending to this very important matter, and we've been living in a bubble so far, but who knows if that could change overnight.

So the city attorney's been very helpful.

She's provided policies for other cities on the peninsula, and um I'd like to you know I'm okay on the timing of that.

I think staff might like to have something sooner rather than later, but I'll let you figure out when that you know should come forward.

But I think it's something important to work on.

Do I have uh cooperation from another council member?

Okay, thank you for that.

I can't believe we have to have a policy for that.

It's yeah, but yes, I agree, yes, and then city council reports.

Um that's things that we might want to report out from our participation on you know, regional committees or boards, um, or sewer authority.

And I know that uh council member Nagagas attended the Council of Cities Dinner, which was actually the the um League of Cities uh legislative uh event where they they talked with legislators about what's coming up in the next legislative session.

So I'll ask Councilmember Nagengast to give a little report on that.

So I have a couple of uh items I've been busy since the last meeting.

The first one, I'm on the uh League of Cities Transportation Communications and Public Works Policy Committee, and we went through a couple of what our agenda is gonna be.

We're gonna meet throughout the year, and we work on policy that uh leaked staff brings to us for potential for to adopt the laws to our representatives that might be working on a particular item.

Two big items for e-bikes, as uh every community in the state of California is having to grapple with that.

That is something we're gonna grapple, and I am also on a subcommittee of this committee because of uh the uniqueness of Half Moon Bay.

You look at the coastal trail, we go from land trust properties, city property, state parks property, and county.

And you're gonna have different so uh I will you were it's funny, um, uh Vice Mayor Penrose, you asked about knowing about eBI.

I'm gonna be be able to provide information back and forth on this.

Um our next meeting's in March, so um there's a lot of work on that, and the other item that's big in the state right now, and I didn't know Caltrans has actually been a lead on this, is to figure out a road charge program to change the way we get monies uh to cities to fix roads right now.

We use gas tax, which unfortunately that's never enough money.

But now that cars have become uh better gas mileage and electric.

The money's a really it's very noticeable, and so uh the state has taken the lead to figure out how do we do it by mileage.

It's actually it'll be a use tax, which probably makes more sense.

You know, that if you're using a road, uh whether you even use gas or not, you're using a road, and how do you pay for that?

So that's something that I'll have updates on that this year too.

And that was on uh January 22nd, and then on January 30th, what um Mayor Ruddick was talking about.

The county of San Mateo and the County of Santa Clara are part of the peninsula division of the League of Cities.

A very powerful group.

If you think about our two counties, and very in their act very effective working with our legislatures.

Uh ours is uh Berman and the Assemblyman and Senator Becker, but also Santa Clara's uh Papen Airns in Aisha Wehab, WAB, but yes.

Um, and they just brought forward uh some housing items, or and it talked about rent stabilization, some things that Sacramento is actually looking to uh use this word cautiously and improve upon some of the laws that have been past laws that were approved, but finding a lot of cities might have some issues with it or doesn't fit that particular city, so they're trying to granted it's more of a broad brush approach, but uh trying to fine-tune some of these laws that um currently are on the books, but maybe doesn't work.

Um Sam Licardo showed up, busy guy.

He had like five minutes, but he can take a conversation a long way.

You know, but he's talking about the troubles and challenges that they have.

I shouldn't say troubles, challenges in in Washington.

It's very difficult to get anything there done.

And uh fortunately, it looks like it the time when he spoke, it wasn't sure if there was going to be a shutdown or not.

But looks like they're gonna avert the shutdown.

Uh this time around, but still, you know, he's he's very busy.

He'll say, you know, if there's something he he wants to be accessible.

They have that office here locally, so that's something of you know we should always keep in mind if there's something we want to need.

So I wanted to learn how the sausage was made.

I hate using that statement, but I guess I did, and uh maybe I get to help be part of that sausage now, getting on some of these committees, which I think is great, and I want to represent Half Moon Bay, and that's something because I I think it's important we're we're unique in so many different ways.

I've heard probably five or six different ways showing our uniqueness, but also just trying to deal with uh, you know, e-bikes.

I mean, I you know, I was just thinking about the coastal trail, how that so many different agencies there, and we all have probably different ideas on how to do or not do something.

So I hope to bring some very positive updates to our council and the community this year.

Thank you for your hard work and your engagement in regional issues.

Um, sure.

Councilmember Brownstone.

Um conversations you're having there about e-bikes.

I would love to know how it came by historically that somehow the state decided to adopt legislation saying that basically overturning all local control of e-bikes.

Because remember, this council approves some controls of basically no in bike, no e-bikes, at least on the parts of the trails we controlled.

And um, and then all of a sudden it seemed like the state decided to take 100% away any local control.

I imagine there must have been some lobbying going on there, and would love to get a little bit if you could find out what's you know what that might look like.

We'll do that.

Yeah.

Any reports?

Uh nothing right now.

I had some really good ones, um, but uh I could share one real quick.

I think I brought it forward.

Did I bring the drone dropping that we're gonna be talking about airspace?

Yeah, cool.

Okay, we already talked about that's and uh it's gonna be this week.

I gotta do another meeting, but I thought that was the most important or actually exciting.

Other than that, I don't have anything really exciting.

Uh oh, PCE is going to be here for a meeting for battery backups.

They're gonna have a little seminar here.

I think they're gonna reach out, they're gonna do it at the senior center, and Matthew, you probably might know about it.

I don't have the dates, but it's next month or the following.

Um, and they were talking about having it at the senior center, but I said that's a little small and they wouldn't be able to do it via Zoom, and a lot of people want to be involved that were on the board, and then Ray Mueller was happened to be, he's in now in PCE also now.

So it's kind of cool.

Jackie left, he came in, and he brought up the same thing too, because you said we have a lot of problems here.

There's gonna be a lot of people at that meeting.

So I think Matthew, you should you're probably gonna get the dates.

I'm not putting you on the spot here, but it's gonna be coming around the corner, and and they weren't really anticipating it to be that like gonna pack the house.

I think it will.

So look for that.

So that's gonna be something I'm gonna make sure that I post on Facebook and all this up.

It's gonna be very supportive for Kenyatta Cove, Ocean Colony, and and I keep pushing Kenyatta Cove the their power outs, and I keep pushing, because they already know everything there on the on the north end, but on the south end of town, we constantly have our power outs, and we already have that microgrid system that we're gonna get in 10 years' time if that gets approved, which is the Ted Atcock Center and all this, but they're still pushing hard.

So PCE is doing really well with this.

A neighbor or Tom Roman um planning commissioner.

I went by his house, he just had solar and he's now retired, and uh certain income that he's at right now qualified for solar and battery backup with no out of pocket expense, sixty-six thousand dollars worth of stuff put on his house.

And I didn't talk to him personally, but as his wife I talked to, I thought that was pretty cool, and that's all through PCE.

So look for the rebates that are coming through.

You'd be surprised, depending on where you're at and your status and working or retired, um, that you can qualify for this.

And the battery thing is the new thing now.

That's the big wave now to have solar with battery.

So that's the only thing I can report if that's anything good.

Uh so as relates to the Sewer Authority Mid Coast side, um, we had originally decided to go back to just one meeting a month, but um that was stymied by the fact that we're entering budget season, and the the SAM budget really starts up, you know, in March.

So at least until the new fiscal year, we'll continue to have two meetings a month.

Um our city engineer Dale Lita and I um were interviewed by uh California League of Cities for one of their publications on e-bikes.

So they they heard and saw both of us and the vice mayor actually uh on this League of Cities round table about e-bikes a couple of weeks ago, and so we've been interviewed about the Half Moon Bay experience and and Dale's extensive knowledge about e-bikes and the industry, which was really helpful for them.

They really liked that.

So that'll be coming out.

Um, as for one shoreline, um, so one shoreline has been working the last year with Congressman Licardo on uh getting a budget of federal budget appropriation to um to the Army Corps to do what they call a new start study, um, which is the Army Corps of Engineer comes in and uh does a relatively inexpensive study about $50,000 to determine if there's a federal interest in um providing more money specifically to protect the SAM plant from flooding and sea level rise.

So the uh the Trump signed off on that appropriations bill.

Um so we'll be meeting with the core at some point this spring.

And then uh Congressman Licardo also managed to get in an appropriation bill, um, money for a project that CKEG was promoting to do um battery backups and some signalization tweaks on um highway One traffic signals for the purpose of speeding up evacuations as they occur.

Um that's quite a bit of engineering involved, and uh would also, the money would also cover a fairly exhaustive study on how to respond to these things as well.

This isn't core money.

This is going to be, I think directly to CKAG will have that money and they'll administer it.

And ending the partial shutdown, I don't know how it affects those.

There's multiple appropriations bills.

So they need to get out of the Senate and they have to go to Trump and Trump has to sign them.

So that that may skate through.

So Congressman Licardo has been hard working very hard for the co-side.

And it's gonna it's gonna pay off in a very difficult uh environment.

Madam Mayor, could I could I add to that?

Um kind of hot off the press as we were notified this evening from Townsend consulting who does our lobbying work and works on grants at the state and federal level.

Um for a couple of years, we've had out there an earmark request for uh $250,000 to go towards the development and the design of the East Side Parallel Trail segment two, which would run from South Main Street to Miramani's Point Road on the east side of the highway.

And uh that was signed today.

You know, what's cool about that is we now have funding at some level and work starting at some level on every segment that will connect from Miramani's Point Road to the section that the county finished at the city limits in Miramar.

Um so you know the the dream is to have connecting trails north and south up the up and down the entire coast on both sides of the highway, and we're we're there's a there's a path to the east side being completed in the city of Hapoom Bay, and that's I think a tribute to you know when we're consistent that that's been a priority for a very long time, and we've just kept hammering away, and ultimately in this case, um Congressman Licardo pushed to make sure this was included this year so that we could start moving on planning for that as well.

He's been very effective working across the aisle because that's what you have to do to get into these appropriations bills, right?

So bless his heart.

You know, and he comes back looking arrested and energetic.

I don't know how he how he does it in that environment.

Um and then the last thing on one shoreline is that um I was fortunate to be reelected as chair of one shoreline for the coming year.

So grateful for that.

Thank you.

Yeah, it's a good organization and great fun.

So and that's all I have tonight.