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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Merced City Council Regular Meeting - August 17, 2026

City Council & Commissions — Monday, August 17, 2026

BodyMerced, California

SessionCity Council & Commissions

DateMonday, August 17, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:43:54

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:14

Here, and Maris Radio.

0:16

Okay, council will go into closed session and discuss items V1 through B4, and just for the record, there are audience members to leave a public comment.

1:00:45

All right, good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

1:00:47

I want to welcome everybody to the August 17th, 2026 meeting of the Merced City Council.

1:00:52

We're going to begin with an invitation.

1:00:54

Miss Monica Gracie's graciously agreed to pinch hit tonight.

1:00:57

Uh Monica from Lifeline CDC here said, Thank you, Monica, for uh leaving us an invitation.

1:01:02

If ever we could please stand, and then after that, Councilmember Tao will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:01:06

Monica.

1:01:10

Let's pray.

1:01:11

Lord, we are so grateful to be in a country where we can assemble like this, where we can come with different voices, different opinions, different ideas, different dreams, and talk about it and see what better world we can create.

1:01:28

We're thankful for council that allows us to stand up for our opinions and our voices.

1:01:35

We're grateful for community members that are interested in learning on how to function in a world that's so often divided.

1:01:50

People that are deeply loved by our creator God.

1:01:54

And we get to express it in many different ways.

1:01:56

So I'm just asking for this evening for the meeting that you give wisdom to the council, as they are making decisions, that you give wisdom to us as community members to hear each other out, to hear each other's voices, and to care not for each other to live with indifference, with differences.

1:02:18

We ask that this evening will be insightful for all of us and that we learn from it in Christ's name.

1:02:24

Amen.

1:02:52

Okay, agenda item D, roll call, Councilmember DuPont.

1:02:55

Present.

1:02:56

Tao.

1:02:56

Present.

1:02:57

Harris.

1:02:58

Present.

1:02:58

Smith.

1:02:59

Present.

1:02:59

Zhang?

1:03:00

Here.

1:03:00

Mayor Pro Tim Boyle.

1:03:01

Here.

1:03:02

And Mayor Cerato.

1:03:03

Here.

1:03:03

Mayor, I'd like to remind the audience that if they wish to address the city council, they may submit a request of speak in one of the following ways.

1:03:11

Complete a green request of speak card available at the back of the council chamber and submit it to the deputy city clerk before the item is called, preferably before the meeting begins.gov.

1:03:35

And individuals participating virtually by phone must provide a valid phone number so staff can identify the caller during the meeting.

1:03:42

Please be patient as this is a new process and there may be some disruptions or issues.

1:03:46

Staff will do their best to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to speak.gov and any correspondence received after 1 p.m.

1:04:13

will be distributed to the city council and retained for the official record.

1:04:17

Also for the audience members who wish to have Spanish among translation services, please let our interpreters know.

1:04:22

And if you are participating virtually by phone, please indicate that as you register to speak.

1:05:00

It is hereby announced that the city council sits either simultaneously or serially as the public financing and economic development authority, parking authority, and or successor agency to the redevelopment agency.

1:05:06

City Council members receive a monthly stipend of $500 by charter for sitting as a city council.

1:05:12

And the mayor receives an additional $100 each month as part of the adopted budget and resolution 2024-78.

1:05:18

The public financing and economic development authority, parking authority, and successor agency to the redevelopment agency receive no compensation.

1:05:26

Agenda item E, report out of closed session.

1:05:28

There is no report out of closed session.

1:05:30

Okay, agenda item F, ceremonial matters, F1 proclamation, National Breastfeeding Month.

1:05:36

Okay.

1:05:36

Thank you, Jennifer.

1:05:37

Alright, if we could welcome Miranda Griswold and your team if you if ladies want to come on up, I'll give them a big round of applause and make them feel welcome, ladies and gentlemen.

1:05:55

Okay, welcome ladies.

1:05:58

We're here to recognize National Breastfeeding Month.

1:06:00

Uh I'll give you a second to tell us all uh how important this is and and uh why you guys uh care about this issue and work on this important issue.

1:06:10

Awesome.

1:06:11

Thank you.

1:06:11

So we're part of the MERSAD Breastfeeding Network, so we're a coalition of community advocates that are all about support, education, and advocacy for breastfeeding families.

1:06:23

Um I've been a member since 2018.

1:06:26

Do you remember when you started?

1:06:28

Many years.

1:06:28

Many, many years.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural███████████████████████████████████████39%

Affordable Housing████████████████16%

Public Safety█████████████13%

Animal Welfare███████7%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%

Economic Development████4%

Public Engagement███3%

Transportation Safety███3%

Community Engagement███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Merced City Council Regular Meeting - August 17, 2026

On Monday, August 17, 2026, the Merced City Council held a regular meeting beginning at 6:00 PM in the City Council Chamber. The meeting included ceremonial recognitions, extensive public comments on animal cruelty and high-speed rail, approval of a $5 million grant application, adoption of updated inspection procedures for multi-unit buildings, and a discussion on tenant protections that resulted in no action. The council also made commission appointments and designated a voting delegate for the League of California Cities conference.

Consent Calendar

Approved by unanimous vote: (I.1) reading of ordinances waived; (I.2) Planning Commission minutes accepted; (I.3) cooperative purchase with AMS.NET not to exceed $160,000 for FY 2026-2027; (I.4) professional services agreement with Black Water Consulting Engineers, Inc. for up to $97,268 through July 31, 2030 for Urban Water Use Objective reporting; (I.5) early site access agreement with Merced County Regional Waste Management Authority for $51,000 through June 30, 2027.

Public Comments & Testimony

Animal Cruelty (Sweetie): Over a dozen speakers, including Tammy Lyons, Cindy Kelly (Merced SPCA), Desiree Sullivan (retired animal control officer), and others, expressed deep concern over the case of a husky named Sweetie. They demanded transparency, accountability, and faster response from law enforcement. Several speakers noted that they had repeatedly called police without callback, and urged the council to improve protocols. Lee Barney reported calling since April 2025 and described witnessing the dog being dragged behind a bicycle on July 11 in 98°F heat.
High-Speed Rail Station Location: Multiple speakers (Blanca Ojeda, Chelsea Ramirez, Trinidad Argeniga Lopez, Eric Ham from Downtown Merced Partnership, Vic Sarabia, Latonia Richard, and others) strongly opposed moving the planned downtown Merced station to a reduced site in Southeast Merced. They cited SB 198, which specifies a downtown station, and argued the relocation would undermine economic opportunity, accessibility, and prior community engagement. Eric Ham requested a joint public meeting of City Council and County Board of Supervisors before any changes to the law. One speaker also requested the recusal of Councilmember Sarah Boyle due to her employment with the Building Industry Association.
Other Topics: Anissa Fergoso (downtown business owner) asked for public bathrooms for homeless individuals. Tamara Cooksie raised bullying of special needs students after a recent attack. Michael and Christy Locke complained about a trailer placed by the Merced County Office of Education that reduced their privacy. Patricia Pratt (artist) argued that public art RFPs are underfunded ($7.90/sq ft vs. standard $50/sq ft). Supervisor Josh Pedroza thanked the council for city-county collaboration.

Discussion Items

J1 - Urban Greening Grant (Merced Regional Sports Complex): Senior Management Analyst Jennifer Flackman presented a resolution to apply for up to $5 million from the California Natural Resources Agency's Urban Greening Grant Program. She noted that 400 applicants applied, 40 were selected to move forward, and the grant would fund pedestrian pathways, landscaping, shade trees, an additional sports field, and other amenities to improve climate resilience. The council approved the resolution unanimously.
J2 - Multi-Unit Substandard Buildings Policy: City Attorney Craig Cornwell presented Resolution 2026-53, which updates the inspection policy required by AB 548. Key amendments change the word 'may' to 'shall' in several sections, making consideration of factors and inclusion of notice items mandatory. Public speakers Ashley Suarez (Leadership Council on Faith in the Valley) and Latonia Richard requested stronger criteria, specific notice timelines (within 3-10 business days), and broader tenant notification. Chief Stanfield noted that code enforcement received 505 complaints in July and 2,388 since August 2025, and stated the department could aim for a 14-day turnaround for notices of violation but preferred flexible language. After discussion, the council approved the policy as presented, with a commitment from the chief to report back in six months on compliance with a 14-day target.
K1 - Tenant Protection Discussion: Councilmember Zhang presented a proposal to expand local tenant protections beyond state law, listing potential ordinances such as a rental registry, rent stabilization, relocation assistance, right of first refusal, and others. He clarified he was not asking for the large programs but for incremental provisions like anti-retaliation expansion and relocation payments. Multiple public speakers opposed the proposal, including small landlords who argued it would increase costs, reduce housing supply, and duplicate existing state laws (AB 1482, Costa-Hawkins). Speakers John Bliss, Douglas Reed, Patrick Ross, Ernie Ochoa, Aaron Hamm, and Aggie Freeman urged the council to reject the proposal. Supporters like Blanca Ojeda and Ashley Suarez argued that nearly 53% of renter households are cost-burdened and stronger protections are needed. Councilmembers Harris, DuPont, Smith, and Boyle expressed concerns about overreach, lack of data, and the need to first evaluate the recently adopted repeat housing code violators program. Councilmember Zhang's motion to direct staff to research tenant protections failed for lack of a second.
K2 & K3 - Commission Appointments: Lynn Staff was appointed to the Tax Transparency Commission (District 4) on a motion by Councilmember Smith. Patricia Lewis was appointed to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (District 6) on a motion by Councilmember Zhang. Both appointments passed unanimously.
K4 - Voting Delegate: Councilmember Mike Harris was designated as the city's voting delegate for the League of California Cities Annual Conference (September 23-25, 2026, Anaheim) by unanimous vote.

Key Outcomes

Resolution 2026-54 adopted, authorizing application for up to $5 million from the California Natural Resources Agency Urban Greening Grant Program for the Merced Regional Sports Complex (CP-42) project.
Resolution 2026-53 adopted, establishing inspection procedures for multi-unit substandard buildings with mandatory language ('shall') for consideration of factors, notice content, and reinspection timeline. The council will receive a six-month review of compliance with a 14-day target for notices of violation.
Tenant Protection Expansion: Motion to direct staff to research additional tenant protections failed for lack of a second; no further action.
Appointments: Lynn Staff (Tax Transparency Commission) and Patricia Lewis (Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission) appointed unanimously.
Voting Delegate: Mike Harris designated as the city's voting delegate for the League of California Cities Annual Conference.
The consent calendar was approved unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Here, and Maris Radio. Okay, council will go into closed session and discuss items V1 through B4, and just for the record, there are audience members to leave a public comment. All right, good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I want to welcome everybody to the August 17th, 2026 meeting of the Merced City Council. We're going to begin with an invitation. Miss Monica Gracie's graciously agreed to pinch hit tonight. Uh Monica from Lifeline CDC here said, Thank you, Monica, for uh leaving us an invitation. If ever we could please stand, and then after that, Councilmember Tao will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Monica. Let's pray. Lord, we are so grateful to be in a country where we can assemble like this, where we can come with different voices, different opinions, different ideas, different dreams, and talk about it and see what better world we can create. We're thankful for council that allows us to stand up for our opinions and our voices. We're grateful for community members that are interested in learning on how to function in a world that's so often divided. People that are deeply loved by our creator God. And we get to express it in many different ways. So I'm just asking for this evening for the meeting that you give wisdom to the council, as they are making decisions, that you give wisdom to us as community members to hear each other out, to hear each other's voices, and to care not for each other to live with indifference, with differences. We ask that this evening will be insightful for all of us and that we learn from it in Christ's name. Amen. Okay, agenda item D, roll call, Councilmember DuPont. Present. Tao. Present. Harris. Present. Smith. Present. Zhang? Here. Mayor Pro Tim Boyle. Here. And Mayor Cerato. Here. Mayor, I'd like to remind the audience that if they wish to address the city council, they may submit a request of speak in one of the following ways. Complete a green request of speak card available at the back of the council chamber and submit it to the deputy city clerk before the item is called, preferably before the meeting begins.gov. And individuals participating virtually by phone must provide a valid phone number so staff can identify the caller during the meeting. Please be patient as this is a new process and there may be some disruptions or issues. Staff will do their best to ensure everyone gets an opportunity to speak.gov and any correspondence received after 1 p.m. will be distributed to the city council and retained for the official record. Also for the audience members who wish to have Spanish among translation services, please let our interpreters know. And if you are participating virtually by phone, please indicate that as you register to speak. It is hereby announced that the city council sits either simultaneously or serially as the public financing and economic development authority, parking authority, and or successor agency to the redevelopment agency. City Council members receive a monthly stipend of $500 by charter for sitting as a city council. And the mayor receives an additional $100 each month as part of the adopted budget and resolution 2024-78. The public financing and economic development authority, parking authority, and successor agency to the redevelopment agency receive no compensation. Agenda item E, report out of closed session. There is no report out of closed session. Okay, agenda item F, ceremonial matters, F1 proclamation, National Breastfeeding Month. Okay. Thank you, Jennifer. Alright, if we could welcome Miranda Griswold and your team if you if ladies want to come on up, I'll give them a big round of applause and make them feel welcome, ladies and gentlemen.

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