Monterey City Council Meeting Summary - September 1, 2026
Monterey City Council Meeting - September 1, 2026
The Monterey City Council held an afternoon session on September 1, 2026, covering a proclamation, general public comments, consent agenda, and major discussion items on sidewalk repairs and the climate action plan. The meeting lasted several hours and included public testimony on a variety of issues.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda was approved unanimously, with the exception of Item 4 (Cass and El Dorado Street Curb Ramp and Road Rehabilitation Project), which was pulled by Councilmember Smith for discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Hispanic Heritage Month Proclamation: Esther (public comment via Zoom) thanked the city for acknowledging the Hispanic community and noted recent ICE activity at Monterey Airport.
- General Public Comment:
- A former cybersecurity professional raised concerns about Flock cameras, citing privacy risks, officer misuse, and lack of independent effectiveness studies. He urged suspending the program pending a full review.
- Josh Stratton (California American Water) presented the updated Emergency Response Plan and offered coordination with the city.
- Richard Lynn (Del Monte Beach) complained about driveway and sidewalk ticketing and called for a committee to review the issue.
- Kathy Chamanko (El Estero Boating) reported that invasive weeds forced her business to close, causing financial losses, and criticized the city's handling of the lake.
- Rick Aldinger (Measure P/S Citizens Oversight Committee) supported renewal of Measure S, noting it transformed street conditions from a PCI of 54 to 79.
- Carol Churbajan (resident and business owner) echoed support for Measure S, emphasizing that visitors pay the sales tax.
- Tom Raleigh (neighborhood president) raised concerns about open government, citing an unpermitted ADU and lack of neighbor notification.
- A contractor criticized recent 500% permit fee increases, stating that inspections take far less than the two hours billed.
- Nina Beattie (via Zoom) argued that 5G and microwave radiation from the Navy and NPS harm public health, and called on the city to oppose this exposure.
- Esther (via Zoom, second time) criticized a mayoral candidate, Vince Mosfitano, citing his business practices and a requested compensated position, urging voters to consider the contrast with the incumbent.
Discussion Items
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Item 4: Cass and El Dorado Street Curb Ramp and Road Rehabilitation Project
- Sean (Public Works) presented the project to rehabilitate Cass Street, a key corridor. The engineer's estimate was $2.1 million, but the low bid from Mission Construction Inc. came in at $1.61 million. Utility coordination with Cal Am for water main replacement was noted. Councilmember Smith highlighted the project's importance and asked about future resurfacing plans. The council approved the project and appropriation of $374,525.11 from the Measure P/S fund.
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Item 8: First Reading – Amending Measure S Expenditure Plan
- Andrea Rennie (Public Works Director) presented an updated expenditure plan to replace fixed dollar amounts with minimum percentages: streets (35% minimum), senior/disabled access (20% minimum), sidewalks (7% minimum), storm drains (7% minimum), and 31% flexible. Councilmember Barber requested adding the word "approximate" to the minimums to provide flexibility. The ordinance passed unanimously on first reading, with a second reading scheduled for September 15, 2026.
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Item 9: Pilot Sidewalk Repair Program Using Measure S Funds
- Staff proposed two alternatives: (1) a minor repair program (grinding/slicing) only, or (2) minor repairs plus a 50-50 cost-sharing program for major repairs with a cap of $2,500 per property. Public comment strongly favored the cost-sharing option (Option 2). Council debated: Councilmember Garcia favored Option 2, while others preferred Option 1 due to lack of detailed cost information. After a substitute motion, the council voted 3-1-1 (one abstention) to direct staff to proceed with Option 1 (minor repair pilot) for a three-year pilot, with a plan to revisit Option 2 after six months. The motion also included a commitment to consider waiving encroachment fees in a separate item on September 15.
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Item 10: Update on Climate Action Plan (CAP) – Qualified vs. Non-Qualified
- Levi Hill (Planning Manager) presented the status of the CAP update. A qualified CAP (CEQA-qualified) would allow streamlining for private development but would require implementing 66 actions by 2030 at an estimated cost of $3.1–$5 million. A non-qualified CAP would still set targets but with a more flexible timeline. Staff recommended the non-qualified path due to the city's $11.7 million structural deficit. Public comment included support for the non-qualified approach from Tom Raleigh, and criticism from Nina Beattie about contradictions in climate goals. Councilmember Garcia moved to proceed with a qualified CAP, arguing for bold action and regional partnerships. The motion passed (with one opposed, no abstentions). The council directed staff to continue developing the CAP as a qualified plan, with a final decision expected in early 2027.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved with Item 4 pulled.
- Item 4: Construction contract awarded to Mission Construction Inc. for $1.61 million for Cass Street rehabilitation. Motion passed unanimously.
- Item 8: Ordinance amended to use approximate minimum percentages for Measure S expenditure plan. First reading passed unanimously. Second reading on September 15.
- Item 9: Council directed staff to develop a three-year pilot sidewalk repair program focusing on minor repairs (Option 1), with a report back in six months to consider adding a cost-sharing component. Vote: 3-1-1.
- Item 10: Council directed staff to proceed with a CEQA-qualified Climate Action Plan, despite staff recommendation for a non-qualified plan. The plan will be brought back for adoption in early 2027. Motion passed (one opposed).
Meeting Transcript
Chief. Do you feel lonely over there today, Clementine? I know. All right. We'll go ahead and call this meeting to order. Thanks for everybody that's here and present with us today. We're going to go ahead and start our afternoon session of today's council meeting, September first, twenty twenty six. And we'll pass it to Clementine to do roll call and to share nonsense with the public. Here, Councilmember Smith. And Mayor Williamson.gov slash agendas. In person attendees, please keep your electronic devices muted to prevent audio interference with our meeting. 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. And whereas the event was started as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 under President Lyndon B. Johnson, and was extended to a month in uh 1988 by President Ronald Reagan. And whereas an estimated 67 million people in the United States identify as either Hispanic or Latino. In California, citizens who are Hispanic or Latino identifying make up 41% of the state's population, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in five people identify as Hispanic or Latino. And whereas the city of Monterey has a long history with Spanish settlements. In December of 1602, Sebastian Biscaino named the Bay, Monterrey Bay, in honor of the Viceroy of New Spain. In the ninth in the 1770s, an expedition led by Captain Gaspar de Portola and joined by Father Juniper El Serra established the Royal Presidio and Mission, San Carlos de Borromeo de Monterey, which were Monterey's first buildings. In 1776, Spain named Monterey as the capital of Baja and Alta, California. And whereas the city of Monterey and the larger area of Monterey County are shaped by the contributions of the Hispanic Latino community. And whereas the theme of 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month is Unidos, somos más, together we are more, as designated by the National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers. And now therefore be it proclaimed that on behalf of our mayor Tyler Williamson in the city of Monterey, on behalf of the city council and citizens, hereby proclaim the month of September 2026 as is Hispanic Heritage Month. Awesome. If I may, while I have the microphone, I I also wanted to just take a moment to acknowledge and give uh um recognition to uh our population, not only here locally in our city, but also through the region of uh our Latin A communities that are part of the economic engine that um give us all of us uh a lot of um the uh the the beautiful uh community that we have here. So uh their contributions to our hospitality industry to agriculture to healthcare are invaluable. So I just wanted to take a moment and acknowledge all our community who is currently and has and and will be working in those industries. Thank you. Well said, thank you, Council Garcia. Um, counsel, any other comments, questions at this time on the presentation. Okay, we'll go ahead and open it up for public comment. So for folks that want to participate in public comment, it's for this item and any other item. Just gonna share with you how the process works. We identify those that want to speak for public comment at the beginning of the public comment period. Once those folks are identified, we'll do a cutoff, and then only those folks that were identified will be able to speak. So everybody gets the opportunity, but you have to identify yourself at the beginning of the public comment period. And this is specifically for the presentation. This isn't general public comment at this time. This is specifically for the Hispanic Heritage Month present uh proclamation that was just read. So I'm gonna start with folks on Zoom. For folks on Zoom, you can use the raise hand function while you're navigating your way there. I'll check in the chamber. Anybody in the chamber wishes to speak on the proclamation that was just read. Okay. This is for the Hispanic Heritage Month proclamation that was just read. Yes, sir. Okay, I'm not seeing any takers in the chamber, so I'll do a countdown for folks on Zoom to five, four, three, two, one. We have one on Zoom. Let's go ahead and take that caller.
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