Redwood City Council Meeting - March 13, 2023
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Redwood City Council Meeting - March 13, 2023
The Redwood City Council held a regular meeting on March 13, 2023 at 6:00 PM in hybrid format. The meeting began with a closed session (no reportable action), followed by proclamations, consent calendar, public comment, discussion of pulled items, planning commission appointments, housing element report, and a study session on utility infrastructure. Key decisions included approval of consent calendar items (with two pulled for discussion), appointment of two planning commissioners, and acceptance of the housing element annual progress report.
Proclamations and Acknowledgements
- International Transgender Day of Visibility: Mayor presented a proclamation to Alex Golding of the San Mateo Pride Center, recognizing March 13, 2023 as Transgender Day of Visibility in Redwood City. Golding spoke about the importance of trans rights and services provided by the Pride Center.
- My New Red Shoes 17th Anniversary: Mayor presented a proclamation recognizing the organization's 17 years of service providing shoes and basic needs to children and families. Director of Operations (Erin) accepted and highlighted their work, including a guaranteed income pilot and distribution of 120,000 boots to Ukraine.
Consent Calendar
The consent calendar was approved unanimously except for items 8C and 8F, which were pulled for discussion. Items approved included:
- Agreement with WeHope for mobile hygiene services (Item 8A)
- Agreement with County of San Mateo for homeless outreach (8B)
- Final acceptance of 2021 pavement overlay, Middlefield Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements, Fair Oaks Community Center construction, and other routine items.
- Termination of local emergencies related to COVID-19 and winter storms (8I)
- Approval of minutes and claims (8J, 8K)
Public Comments
- Chris Robell and Rona Gundrum spoke during public comment, both requesting that Item 8F (furniture design services up to $1 million) be pulled for discussion. They expressed concerns about the cost given budget shortfalls.
- Clara Jackal spoke in support of the Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation.
- Rona Gundrum also thanked the council for supporting the Mickelson therapy pool and requested pulling 8F.
Discussion Items
- Item 8C – Final Acceptance of 2021 Pavement Overlay Project: Councilmember Howard asked to pull for clarity. City Manager explained that funding limitations forced spot repairs instead of full overlays, leading to resident complaints. The work was completed satisfactorily. Council approved unanimously.
- Item 8F – Amendment to Agreement with Pivot Interiors for Furniture Design Services: City Manager explained that furniture is replaced only when needed (ergonomic changes, new staff), not on a schedule. The city uses a single vendor (Herman Miller) to allow mixing and matching. Ergonomic investments help reduce workers' compensation costs. Council approved unanimously after discussion.
- Item 10A – Planning Commission Appointments: Nine applicants were interviewed; two positions were filled. After roll call voting, Naomi Alvarez was appointed to the seat expiring June 30, 2026 (6 votes), and Anthony Lazarus was appointed to the seat expiring June 30, 2024 (4 votes). Public comment supported Margaret Becker and Tom Hernandez.
- Item 10B – 2022 Housing Element Annual Progress Report: Staff presented data showing over 3,200 new homes permitted in the previous cycle, with nearly 900 affordable units. Discussion focused on missing middle housing, ADUs, and reporting of extremely low-income units. Council accepted the report and authorized submission to the state. Vote: unanimous.
- Item 11A – Study Session on Long-Term Planning for Water, Sewer, and Storm Drain Utilities: Public Works Director Terrence Jott presented an overview of the city's water, recycled water, sewer, and stormwater systems. Council discussed infrastructure needs, funding (enterprise funds vs. general fund), recycled water expansion, sewer conveyance project (Silicon Valley Clean Water), stormwater management, and financial assistance programs. No action taken; study session only.
Key Outcomes
- Consent calendar approved except items 8C and 8F, which were later approved unanimously.
- Planning Commission appointments: Naomi Alvarez (term 2026) and Anthony Lazarus (term 2024).
- Housing Element Annual Progress Report accepted and authorized for submission.
- No action on utility study session.
- Councilmember Gary reported on Silicon Valley Clean Water JPA.
- City Manager reported on storm preparedness, city investment portfolio (no SVB exposure), and active grant applications.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good evening, everyone. Welcome to March. It's here. I think it's March thirteenth, and so I'd like to call the meeting of March 13th for the Red City Council the order. Thank you for joining us at this early hour at six o'clock. We're holding our meetings in a hybrid format with both in-person and virtual participation. Items will be taken in order that they are listed on the agenda. Speaker cards are located at the back table in the council chambers and must be turned into the city clerk at the DS. Please be sure to indicate the agenda item number you wish to speak on. Certainly. Now is the time for public comment on the closed session item only. And Mayor G, I have not received any speaker cards for the closed session item. I'll turn now to our attendees on Zoom to see if there are any raised hands. If you would like to speak on the closed session item only, please raise your hand at this time. And there are no raised hands at this time, Mayor G, for public comment. Thank you very much. So the council will now adjourn to closed session, and we hopefully will be back in no more than forty five minutes. For everyone here in the odds, we'll start at six forty-five, good evening, council is back in regular session. Thank you for your patience. Council just finished closed session, and there's no reportable action this evening. So we're going to item number six presentations and acknowledgments, and we have two of them this evening. The first one, item six A, is International Transgender Day of Visibility. This evening, I had the pleasure of presenting a proclamation to Alex Golding of the San Mattel Pride Center to recognize that International Transgender Day of Visibility. Now there be for resolve that I, as mayor of Redwood City and on behalf of the City Council and the people of the City of Redwood City do hereby proclaim March 13th, 2023 as transgender day of visibility in Redwood City and urge all community members to join us in uplifting the worth and dignity of every transgender person to achieve full equality. Mr. Golding, on behalf of the San Mateo County Pride Center, I'd like to pass on this virtual proclamation to you and invite you to share a few words. Yes, thank you so much. Um good evening, everyone. My name is Alex Golding, and I use he, him pronouns. I serve as a health equity coordinator and clinical program analyst for the San Mateo County Pride Center. It is with great pride and privilege that we accept this proclamation, celebrating uh Transgender Day visibility. And I commend Redwood City for their support. Thank you, truly. I want to start by acknowledging that I myself am not trans. It is important to name that I am an ally and a much needed advocate. Trans people, especially queer trans people of color face overwhelming oppression, hate, and violence. The rise in transphobic and anti-LGBTQ laws and hate across this nation is heartbreaking, but unfortunately not a surprise to many of us. We cannot let our trans community stand alone while they are literally fighting for their rights and their lives. That is why it is essential, especially now, to uplift and recognize the unequivocal love, creativity, courage, and strength of all those in our community who are transgender, gender diverse, and non-binary. Trans people are healthy, normal, wonderful, precious, and sacred. Trans rights are human rights. It must not be forgotten that it was in fact trans women of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera who first led the fight for LGBTQ equality and the rights we have today. We owe it to them. At the Pride Center, we remain committed to empowering trans and gender diverse folks in our community. We provide a wide array of gender affirming services ranging from mental health counseling to case management, care support, and educational workshops. We also assist with the complicated legal name and gender change process and are proud to provide gender affirming materials like packers and chest binders to those in need free of charge. We also recently published our resource program for brochure collection, covering essential topics like housing, health care, and employment, these guides are specifically meant to help our trans, non-binary, and gender diverse community in identifying, navigating and accessing gender affirming care in San Mateo County. Please visit our website, San Mateo Pride.org to learn more. And our services are available to all LGBTQ folks, allies, and advocates alike, and those who are still questioning and still learning as well.
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