Merced City Council Town Hall Meeting - January 13, 2026
Merced City Council Town Hall Meeting - January 13, 2026
This town hall was held at Luther Burbank Elementary School Gym from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. It was the second in a series of three town halls. Mayor Cerrado presided, with all council members present (DuPont, Tao, Harris, Smith, Zhang, Boyle). City staff including the city manager, police chief, and deputy city attorney attended. The meeting featured public comments on blighted properties, a PG&E rate reduction update, and discussion of the proposed relocation of the high-speed rail station. No formal votes were taken.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Blighted Properties (Beautify the Block Coalition): Several residents (Danielle Modinsky, Scott Moore, Mary Newman, Esther, Jamie Ellison, Lupe Gonzalez) spoke about three properties at 409 and 415 West 25th Street and 2521 K Street. They described broken windows, four fires at 415 in just over a year, garbage accumulation, trespassing, and children entering the structures. They requested the city escalate enforcement, potentially through the city attorney, and ultimately create community amenities like a playground or community garden. Scott Moore noted increased alley traffic since December 2024, including theft and discarded bedding. Mary Newman also raised concerns about trees along K Street planted by the city that died due to lack of watering by the school. Speakers provided QR codes with photos of the properties' deterioration.
- PG&E Rate Reduction: Nathan Alonso, PG&E's local government affairs representative, announced that for the fourth time in two years customer rates were being reduced by 3-5%, part of broader efforts to improve affordability.
- Transit and Sprawl Concerns: Curtis Thomas argued the city cannot sprawl its way out of deficits and recommended using community facilities districts and maintenance districts to fund transit. He urged the city to establish its own transit authority to plan for the future, noting that UC Merced students often feel "sent into exile" due to limited connectivity. He also mentioned that Merced transit is currently handled by the county at low cost to the city.
- High-Speed Rail Station Relocation: Councilmember Harris summarized the proposal to move the planned high-speed rail station from downtown to Southeast Merced (near Mission Avenue west of Highway 99), citing lower cost and faster timeline. He invited public feedback. Curtis Thomas later added that while the new site is closer to his home, there are concerns about the MITSI rail connector and the need to manage three city centers (downtown, UC Merced, and the station).
- Law Enforcement Operations: Laura Sandoval asked about dark-tinted windows on vehicles seen during a law enforcement operation earlier that day. Chief Stanfield clarified the Merced Police Department does not use front-tinted windows, and the operation involved CDCR and county partners, not the city police.
- First-Time Attendee: Rosie Company expressed gratitude for the council's commitment and the community turnout.
Discussion Items
- Code Enforcement Response: Chief Stanfield and Deputy City Attorney Rhonda Lucas acknowledged the blighted properties and outlined the process: code enforcement complaints lead to voluntary compliance, then escalation to the city attorney for court-ordered cleanup or receivership. Lucas confirmed these properties have been discussed in monthly meetings with code enforcement and that a revised nuisance ordinance and an anti-slumlord ordinance are in development to give stronger tools.
- City Manager Scott McBride cited past successes (e.g., St. Vincent de Paul site, Northwood Drive, 21st and G Street) and pledged diligence on the three properties.
- Councilmember Tao noted similar issues arise across districts and called code enforcement an urgent priority.
- Councilmember Harris raised the high-speed rail station relocation proposal and urged public comment.
Key Outcomes
- No votes were taken. The council and staff committed to follow up on the three blighted properties, with Deputy City Attorney Lucas taking notes and pledging continued coordination.
- The city manager and police chief promised to identify owners and develop a plan of action.
- Residents were encouraged to contact council members directly throughout the year.
- The next town hall was announced for January 14, 2026, at 6:00 PM at L Cap.
Meeting Transcript
Jennifer. Okay, agenda item C, roll call. Councilmember DuPont. Present. Tao? Present. Harris. Present. Smith. Present. Zhang? Here. Mayor Pro Tem Boyle. Here. And Mayor Cerrado. Here. Okay, agenda item D, opening comments. Okay. Thank you everybody again for being here. This is the second of our series of three town halls. Every year around this time of year, uh January, February. We do a series of town hall. It's one of the many outreach and engagement uh tools that we use uh to speak with you, to learn from our community, also to communicate what we're doing as well. So this is a really good opportunity uh to do two things tonight. I see a lot of people who've been to town halls before, so you guys all obviously know uh how everything works, but um folks will line up at the podium, three minutes each. Uh you have an opportunity to ask us questions to get information. That's also the purpose of having all our city departments in back as well. Uh for the first half an hour, offering more of an open house format. Also, too. Um you can uh you say say what matters to you, say what's on your mind, say what's important about the city. So you have um us up here, our council, and then also a number of department heads as well. So we'll start by having our council members introduce ourselves. So start here on my left uh with Councilmember Tao. Um Councilmember uh District 2 Yang Pao Tao and uh thank you for coming out tonight and uh look forward to hearing your comments. Good evening, everybody. Shane Smith representing District 4. It's good to be back. I was a Burbank dad for many, many years and I saw a lot of school plays up here. Looking forward to your comments tonight. Good evening, everyone, Mike Harris, Councilman for District Three. Uh welcome. We're glad to have you here tonight. We want to listen to you and remember this isn't your only opportunity. We all have voicemails, emails, and are available to you throughout the year. Thank you, Council Mayor. Councilman. Good evening, everyone. Uh Councilmember Fujiong representing District 6. Um as always excited to hear uh folks and their feedback. Good evening, everyone, Darren DuPont, Councilmember for District 1, Southeast Merced.
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