Monterey City Council Meeting Summary: December 2, 2025
Monterey City Council Meeting Summary: December 2, 2025
The Monterey City Council convened on December 2, 2025, to honor retiring City Manager Hans Uslar after 28 years of service and recognize five city employees with milestone anniversaries. The session featured presentations on employee achievements, public comments supporting the retirement and criticizing specific policies, and a detailed briefing on polling data regarding potential tax measures to address a $10 million structural budget deficit.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the purchase of four forward police interceptors for $235,571.04 from Folsom Lake Ford, noting a recommendation to consider staggering future vehicle acquisitions.
- Received the Ocean View Community Services District quarterly report with no new items or action required at this time.
Public Comments & Testimony
On Employee Milestones:
- Esther: Expressed gratitude for the caliber of city employees, specifically congratulating the incoming Fire Chief Andrew Miller and stating high confidence in the future leadership.
- Esther (Re-entry): Congratulated Hans Uslar on his retirement, noting his responsiveness and sense of humor.
On Hans Uslar's Retirement:
- Executive Staff & Department Heads: Councilmembers Barber, Rash, Smith, Garcia, Mayor Williamson, and Chief Robert Hober, along with Navy representatives, expressed deep appreciation for Uslar's leadership, humor, analytical skills during the pandemic, and dedication. They unanimously supported his legacy, with Chief Hober presenting the Public Service Commendation Medal from the Army. Uslar accepted the gifts and offered remarks on his commitment to the city as his home.
- Lori Walga: Expressed full support, citing Uslar's positive impact, confidence in her, and leadership during crises like the pandemic and active shooter scares.
- Lou Bauman: Offered congratulations and noted Uslar's calm and decisive strategic thinking.
- PKDF & Boss Superintendent MPSD: Expressed full support for the collaborative relationship, specifically highlighting responsiveness to school district needs.
- Haley: Expressed full support, noting Uslar's straightforwardness, high expectations, and focus on employee engagement.
- Citizen (Unidentified): Expressed support for Uslar's professionalism and unvarnished communication style.
- First Night Director: Expressed full support, noting Uslar's invaluable aid during the 2020-2021 difficult period and praising his integrity and kindness.
- Mark Ackerman: Expressed full support, thanking Uslar for mentorship and opportunity.
- Rick Aldinger (Hospitality Association): Expressed full support for Uslar's partnership with the hospitality industry.
- Councilmember Garcia: Expressed full support and respect for Uslar's role in mentorship.
- Rob Keefe (C Monterey): Expressed full support for the stewardship of tourism investment.
- Sunka (Neighborhood Association): Expressed full support and respect for mentorship.
- Adam: Expressed full support for Uslar's public service and steady leadership.
- Chiny: Expressed full support and respect for the willingness to engage in difficult conversations.
- Rich Quelson: Expressed strong opposition to a specific provision of the residential parking permit program, arguing it creates inequity by revoking eligibility for new tenants in the Canary Row neighborhood upon change of ownership or tenancy, which would impact affordability and safety.
- Street Vendors (Unidentified): Expressed concern regarding street vendor regulations, requesting a reduction in minimum distance requirements and challenging the lack of formal voting on their placement.
- Ed (Unidentified): Expressed opposition to dropping a motion to allow 10 feet of space in San Carlos Beach Park for vendors, arguing the decision was made via opinion rather than a vote.
- Esther (Re-entry): Expressed mixed feelings; while an ally to staff, noted that Uslar was always responsive and appreciated his humor.
- Nina Beattie: Expressed strong opposition to the appointment of Lou Bauman as Interim City Manager due to past administrative failures at the county level, citing lack of environmental reviews, mishandling of PGE hazards, and poor labor negotiations.
- RVP Polling Public Commenters:
- Citizen (Harbor): Expressed support for the 15% parking tax but suggested a 16% rate would have a bigger impact; suggested tapping the Aquarium's revenues and clarifying the sales tax increase language to be non-deceptive.
- Laurie: Expressed concern regarding the polling methodology, specifically the sales tax language framing 0.875% as the existing rate rather than a new 0.375% increase; suggested the Aquarium should bear a larger share of the tax burden.
- Esther: Expressed support for the survey generally but suggested re-wording the Aquarium admission tax question to focus solely on the Aquarium and allowing for local exemptions.
Discussion Items
Recognition of City Employees:
- Angie Blake (CIO): Recognized for 25 years of service; promoted from network specialist to CIO, modernizing IT and leading security migrations.
- Chris Cortez: Recognized for 20 years of service; promoted from custodian to streets maintenance worker.
- Daniel Diaz: Recognized for 25 years of service; promoted from street maintenance to senior parking controls technician; received Public Works Collaboration Award.
- Ramon: Recognized for 20 years of service; promoted from custodian to senior locksmith at the Presidio; received Public Works Adaptability Award.
- Rafela King: Recognized for 25 years of service; Finance Director who moved from revenue to accounts payable; her supervisor, Melanie, praised her supportive nature.
- Pat Moore: Recognized for 25 years of service; promoted to Assistant Fire Chief in 2024 after starting as a part-time fire inspector in 1997; scheduled to become Fire Chief in January 2026.
- Andrea Rennie (Public Works Director): Recognized for 25 years of service; promoted from engineer to the city's first female Public Works Director; praised for technical skill and leadership.
- Hans Uslar (City Manager): Recognized for 28 years of service (retiring Dec 30); praised for humor, analytical skills during the pandemic and deficit management, and dedication. Received a framed check for $10 million (symbolic) and a bench.
Interim City Manager Appointment:
- Council Debate: Council unanimously approved the employment contract for Lou Bauman as Interim City Manager, effective January 26, 2026.
- Conflict Note: Councilmember Garcia and others expressed strong support for Bauman's experience, while Nina Beattie publicly opposed the appointment citing specific administrative failures under his previous tenure at the county. Despite the opposition, the motion passed unanimously.
Community Center Project (205 Montecito Ave):
- Council Debate: Council voted to continue the item regarding the Boys & Girls Club partnership. Councilmembers Garcia, Rash, and Smith expressed that the item was premature without a broader district-wide recreation strategy and more community input (specifically a town hall). Councilmember Smith noted the item felt "handled backwards" by tabling it before hearing the staff report. The motion passed 3-2.
Monterey County Tourism Improvement District (MCTID):
- Discussion: Council received a report on modifying the management plan to include the City of San Carlos (San Carlos) as a member of the TID. The move is supported by the owners' association and San Carlos, allowing collection of assessments for the new Marriott hotel opening in January 2026.
- Action: No immediate vote; the City of Monterey (as lead agency) received the report. Final action is scheduled for January 20, 2026.
Open Session - Tax Measure Polling:
- Sales Tax Polling: FM3 Research presented survey results. Initial support for a 0.375% new sales tax was 52%, while support for extending the existing tax to a total of 0.875% was 63%. Councilmembers Rash, Williamson, and others strongly criticized the survey language for framing the extension as the existing tax, calling it misleading and inaccurate. Staff agreed to conduct a follow-up survey using clearer language focusing on the 0.375% increase.
- Parking Tax Polling: Initial support was low (47% for 10%, 33% for 15%) but rose significantly (to 61% and 56% respectively) after educational messaging about visitor contribution and accountability. Council noted confusion between private vs. public parking lots in the questions.
- Other Measures: High support (66%) for a tax on vacant residential parcels. Low support for an admissions tax when applied broadly to multiple venues (37%). Staff noted the need to research legal viability for an Aquarium-only admissions tax.
- Action: Staff instructed to re-test sales tax language and explore the feasibility of an Aquarium-specific admissions tax.
Measure P&S Special Sales Tax Report:
- Discussion: Receipt of the annual report showing significant improvement in pavement condition index (from ~51% to 80%). Councilmembers raised concerns about bumpy conditions on North Fremont and the mixing of concrete and asphalt; staff confirmed a future full-depth reclamation project is planned. Council also discussed the timing of project updates on the public GIS map and the need to better coordinate with utility providers to prevent road damage.
Key Outcomes
- Retirement Recognition: Hans Uslar officially recognized for 28 years of service; received a Public Service Commendation Medal from the Army and a symbolic $10 million check.
- Employee Anniversaries: Five employees (Angie Blake, Chris Cortez, Daniel Diaz, Ramon, Rafela King, Pat Moore, Andrea Rennie) recognized for 20-25 years of service.
- Interim Appointment: Lou Bauman unanimously certified as Interim City Manager.
- Community Center: The proposal for a community center at 205 Montecito Avenue was continued (tabled) pending broader district-wide consultation and community input.
- Tax Strategy Direction: The Council directed staff to re-run the sales tax polling with accurate language reflecting the 0.375% increase and to further investigate the legal and polling viability of a visitor-focused admissions tax (Potentially Aquarium-only) and a vacant parcel tax.
- MCTID Expansion: The City of San Carlos has been approved to participate in the MCTID with a final vote scheduled for January 2026.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned in memory of Kay Russo, former Parks and Recreation Director.
Accuracy Note: A discrepancy was noted in the source material regarding the number of employees recognized for anniversaries (six individuals in the text, though one is the Fire Chief and another is the Public Works Director, plus the Manager, totaling 8 people honored with milestones including the Manager). The summary reflects all individuals honored. The sales tax language criticism by Councilmembers Rash and Williamson is explicitly attributed as a position of opposition to the methodology used in the polling description.
Meeting Transcript
Recording in progress. Perfect. Thank you. Um, so call the meeting to order. It's our afternoon session for today's council regular meeting, December 2nd, 2025. Um pass it to Clementine for roll call and share announcements with the public. Councilmember Barber present. Councilmember Garcia. Here. Councilmember Rash. Here. Councilmember Smith. Here. And Mayor Williamson. Here. And public comment and participation information is provided on this meeting's agenda, which is online at Monterey.gov slash agendas. In-person attendees, please keep your electronic devices muted to prevent audio interference. Consistent with the First Amendment and the Brown Act, individuals have the right to speak at public meetings, which includes the right to criticize or support city policies or actions. The city encourages your uninhibited and robust feedback on public issues affecting the city. Thank you for participating in your city government. Awesome. Thank you, Clementine. And with that, we'll go into our presentations. The first item on our agenda is to recognize city employees for milestone anniversaries in 2025. With that, I'll pass it to Hans. Thank you. And I was told by Ned not to worry about anything he would do at all. So I hand it over to Ned. Well, I know we we start off uh with uh recognizing city employees uh today. I know many of us are here to recognize not only employees, but of course the next agenda item, Hans as well. And of course, uh Hans is so humble he is the one who specifically requested to recognize employees first. So thank you, Hans, for that. Um it's my honor to recognize Angie Blake for her 25 years of dedicated service to the city of Monterey. She wasn't able to join us and isn't able to join us this afternoon, but truly appreciates city council's recognition for her years of service, as well as others who are reaching their milestone anniversaries today. Angie's journey with the city is one of career growth with the city of Monterey. She began her career with us in October 20 of October of 2000 as a network specialist, then as a systems analyst in 2005, information solutions manager in 2010, and assistant director of information resources in 2017. Today she leads our technology strategy and technology team as our chief information officer, a role she was promoted to in 2023. Angie's work in information technology touches every department in the city. We rely on technology for everything we do in today's modern government. And under Angie's leadership, we've modernized operations in every area. Her team ensures that our police and fire departments are connected when they're in the office, inside their vehicles, or out in the field. In infrastructure, she supports the critical technology that keeps our city moving, including parking automation and traffic signals. In operations, she ensures that the vast network of software systems, databases, and finance systems allows us to operate efficiently and effectively. And in security, she led the migration of the citywide IP security video solution, implementing the cameras that help protect our facilities and our community. In addition to her experience, she's has impressive professional credentials. She holds a master of business administration and technology management and is a certified government chief information officer through Wreckers University. Her experience not only has benefited us internally, but has garnered external recognition as well. Under her watch, the city is received the MESAC Excellent in IT Practices Award, validating that Monterey's technology infrastructure is top-notch. Beyond that, she's always approachable, positive, and forward-focused. She leads her team effectively and inspires those that she works with.
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