OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Half Moon Bay City Council Meeting – February 17, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 17, 2026
BodyHalf Moon Bay, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:35:02
Transcript — Verbatim
2:54

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

2:59

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.

3:07

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

3:12

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

4:32

Councilmember Brownstone.

4:34

Here.

4:35

Councilmember Johnson.

4:36

Here.

4:37

Councilmember Nagginast.

4:39

Vice Mayor Penrose.

4:40

Here, Mayor Ruddick.

4:42

Here, we have a quorum.

4:43

I'll rise for Pledge of Allegiance.

5:14

Um, so the first item of business is to approve the agenda.

5:21

However, I'd like to make a recommendation that we move up item 10D, which is the item on rent stabilization and the rent rental registry, uh, and put that in front of item 10a.

5:33

So it would be um the first item under our regular non-consent agenda business.

5:40

And that would be my motion to move that.

5:44

Second.

5:46

Second.

5:47

All in favor say aye.

5:49

Aye.

5:49

Any opposed?

5:50

Motion carries.

5:51

So the agenda is approved with that item moved forward to the first item of business.

5:58

Thank you.

5:59

Um proclamations and presentations.

6:05

Um looks like we don't have any this evening.

6:09

Madam Mayor, we do have one presentation tonight, but unfortunately it didn't end up on the agenda, so we're gonna be taking that just as public comment later on.

6:18

Yes, I just wanted to make sure that uh there was nothing else.

6:21

Okay.

6:21

Thank you for that.

6:23

Um, so the next item of business is item four, mayor's announcements of community activities and community service.

6:32

And I don't have any announcements this evening.

6:36

Item five is report out from recent closed session meetings, and I would ask um our city attorney Denise Basano to report.

6:44

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

6:45

This evening the council met in closed session to discuss the case of uh City of Half Moon Bay versus Granada Community Services District and Montero and Sanitary District at the conclusion of the closed session, the council voted unanimously to refrain from seeking appellate review in the case.

7:07

Um this case involves uh the city of Hap Moon Bay, the Monterra Water and Sanitary District, and Granada Community Services Districts are all parties.

7:16

And um the litigation arises relates to disputes regarding cost of to reconstruct the pipeline system.

7:26

That concludes the report.

7:28

Uh thank you for that.

7:29

So I'll just summarize the city has decided not to appeal the judgment on half moon bay's litigation with Granada and Community Services District and Montero water and sanitary district.

7:41

Um next, we have city manager updates to council.

7:46

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

7:47

We have several updates tonight.

7:49

Um we'll begin with the one listed on the agenda, which is an update on the Frenchman's Creek Park project, and that will be given by our interim public works director.

8:04

Good evening, Madam Mayor, Vice Mayor, and uh Council.

8:07

My name's Todd Seeley.

8:08

I am the interim public works director, and I'm here to talk to you tonight about Frenchman's Creek Park and kind of give you guys an overlay of the final uh design that we have for the project.

8:19

This was based on some discussions that we had with council about a month ago.

8:23

Uh the engineering team did a great job re uh refining the design and coming up with an engineer's estimate that we uh that is gonna put us way under budget, so we're excited about that and incorporate all the features that we uh we took from the feedback that we got from you guys last time.

8:39

So let's just jump right into it.

8:42

Uh the only um the the existing area as we mentioned last time is the brown area with the play structure.

8:50

So we were able to add uh benches, a significant number of benches based on the feedback last time.

8:59

There's three or four, there's three benches plus two seat walls and an accessible table.

9:06

Um, I can kind of give you a better idea of what it looks like here.

9:10

This is a slightly bigger picture.

9:12

So there's an ADA picnic table, a seat wall to the south of the of the park, a seat wall to the east of the park, and three benches kind of interspersed uh throughout the rest of the area.

9:23

Also adding a drinking fountain and the accessible parking area that we mentioned earlier.

9:28

We are going to put the a little those two accessible parking spaces are off the street, and um we are gonna add a new speed table that we uh we received some concerns from some community members the last time we brought this item to council about the speeding on the street.

9:45

It is a very narrow street and uh a quiet street, so we are gonna be adding a speed table.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████53%
Transportation Safety██████████12%
Economic Development████████10%
Procedural██████7%
Parks and Recreation███4%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Arts And Culture███3%
Active Transportation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Half Moon Bay City Council Meeting – February 17, 2026

The Half Moon Bay City Council met on February 17, 2026, to discuss a wide range of topics including a closed session litigation update, city manager reports on park improvements, Highway 1 safety, e-bike safety, a public hearing on rental stabilization and registry alternatives, a sister city commemorative garden, and a downtown banner program. The meeting featured extensive public comment and council deliberation.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of February 1, 3, and 3, 2026 meetings.
  • Adopted a resolution opposing offshore oil drilling tracts west of Half Moon Bay.
  • Approved updated records retention schedule for the city attorney department.
  • All consent items were passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Highway 1 North / Terrace Avenue Safety: Multiple residents (Marie Garnier, Fred Garnier, Jim Kurkowski) described the dangerous intersection at Terrace Avenue and Highway 1, noting seven conflicting traffic movements and no safe pedestrian/bike route. They urged immediate short‑term fixes (e.g., concrete barriers for cyclists, sheriff presence) and expressed support for the long‑term project.
  • E‑Bike Safety: Michael Ferrera (public comment) cited a Mineta Transportation Institute study; noted U.S. limits e‑bikes to 750W vs. EU 250W; supported Assembly Bill to license/register e‑bikes. Several council members and the public emphasized education, enforcement, and state‑level regulation.
  • Food Trucks: Eric Hollister requested the city update its “archaic” food truck/trailer ordinance to allow local entrepreneurs while limiting out‑of‑town vendors near schools and beaches.
  • Flock License Plate Readers: Paul Grigoriev submitted written concerns about data security and ICE access, urging careful review before expanding the system.
  • Homelessness: Anita Reese (Unhoused on the Coast Outreach, Pacifica Resource Center) reported 55 unhoused individuals in Half Moon Bay (up ~19% from prior count), with five encampments (one inactive). She advocated for regional solutions like Pacifica’s Safe Parking Program (38% housed since 2022).
  • Peninsula Clean Energy: Mark Hirschman invited the community to a March 4 workshop on battery backup options.

Discussion Items

  • Rent Stabilization and Rental Registry (Item 10D):
    • Staff presented three alternatives: (1) align rent cap with AB 1482 (5%+CPI, not to exceed 10%) while keeping local enforcement and registry; (2) eliminate rent cap but retain registry and expand rental assistance/legal services; (3) eliminate both local ordinances and rely solely on state law.
    • Councilmember Brownstone favored option 1 or keeping the current system, citing the need to protect vulnerable tenants. Vice Mayor Penrose strongly supported retaining all current protections, calling them “a drop in the bucket” but essential. Councilmembers Nagengast and Johnson leaned toward option 3, citing privacy concerns with the registry, administrative burden, and the desire to better understand local data and legal aid resources. Councilmember Johnson suggested a town hall and more research.
    • The council voted to continue the item to a date uncertain, directing staff to return with additional details on option 1 (alignment with AB 1482), expanded rental assistance and legal services (including CLASPA), and data privacy safeguards.
  • Sister City Commemorative Garden (Item 10C):
    • The Kariwa Sister City Association proposed a low‑maintenance garden at the library to honor the 30‑year exchange program. All materials and maintenance would be donated; no city funds required. The council adopted a resolution authorizing an MOU with the Association (unanimous).
  • Downtown Banner Program (Item 10A):
    • Staff presented a plan to replace existing banner hardware on Main Street (42 poles), install standardized banners, and allow community‑event advertising. Estimated cost ~$23,000 from CIP funds; program would be self‑sustaining through user fees. Council directed staff to proceed, focusing first on city‑sponsored and nonprofit events, with future expansion possible.

Key Outcomes

  • Closed Session Litigation: Council voted unanimously not to appeal the judgment in City of Half Moon Bay v. Granada CSD & Montero Sanitary District (pipeline cost dispute).
  • Frenchman’s Creek Park: Staff reported final design includes benches, seat walls, drinking fountain, accessible parking, and a speed table. Project budget ~$400,000; engineer’s estimate ~$200,000. Council had no objections.
  • Highway 1 North Project: Caltrans 100% design comments expected soon; $10.8M funding allocation anticipated from California Transportation Commission in June; construction start targeted for September 2026, subject to funding approval and coordination with Caltrans SHOP project.
  • E‑Bike Safety: City launched an e‑bike safety webpage and partnered with county, sheriff, and school district on education. Staff will continue to pursue state legislative changes and consider countywide uniform ordinance.
  • CSFA Mid‑Year Update: Continued to March 3, 2026 meeting.
  • Items for Future Discussion: Council agreed to schedule a joint study session with the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee on e‑bike/e‑motorcycle regulation.

Meeting Transcript

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, star six to mute and unmute. We also have Spanish interpretation services available in person and via Zoom. Councilmember Brownstone. Here. Councilmember Johnson. Here. Councilmember Nagginast. Vice Mayor Penrose. Here, Mayor Ruddick. Here, we have a quorum. I'll rise for Pledge of Allegiance. Um, so the first item of business is to approve the agenda. However, I'd like to make a recommendation that we move up item 10D, which is the item on rent stabilization and the rent rental registry, uh, and put that in front of item 10a. So it would be um the first item under our regular non-consent agenda business. And that would be my motion to move that. Second. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. So the agenda is approved with that item moved forward to the first item of business. Thank you. Um proclamations and presentations. Um looks like we don't have any this evening. Madam Mayor, we do have one presentation tonight, but unfortunately it didn't end up on the agenda, so we're gonna be taking that just as public comment later on. Yes, I just wanted to make sure that uh there was nothing else. Okay. Thank you for that. Um, so the next item of business is item four, mayor's announcements of community activities and community service. And I don't have any announcements this evening. Item five is report out from recent closed session meetings, and I would ask um our city attorney Denise Basano to report. Thank you, Madam Mayor. This evening the council met in closed session to discuss the case of uh City of Half Moon Bay versus Granada Community Services District and Montero and Sanitary District at the conclusion of the closed session, the council voted unanimously to refrain from seeking appellate review in the case. Um this case involves uh the city of Hap Moon Bay, the Monterra Water and Sanitary District, and Granada Community Services Districts are all parties. And um the litigation arises relates to disputes regarding cost of to reconstruct the pipeline system. That concludes the report. Uh thank you for that. So I'll just summarize the city has decided not to appeal the judgment on half moon bay's litigation with Granada and Community Services District and Montero water and sanitary district. Um next, we have city manager updates to council. Thank you, Madam Mayor. We have several updates tonight. Um we'll begin with the one listed on the agenda, which is an update on the Frenchman's Creek Park project, and that will be given by our interim public works director. Good evening, Madam Mayor, Vice Mayor, and uh Council. My name's Todd Seeley. I am the interim public works director, and I'm here to talk to you tonight about Frenchman's Creek Park and kind of give you guys an overlay of the final uh design that we have for the project. This was based on some discussions that we had with council about a month ago. Uh the engineering team did a great job re uh refining the design and coming up with an engineer's estimate that we uh that is gonna put us way under budget, so we're excited about that and incorporate all the features that we uh we took from the feedback that we got from you guys last time.

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