Redwood City Council Regular Meeting - January 22, 2024
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Redwood City Council Regular Meeting - January 22, 2024
The Redwood City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, January 22, 2024, at 6:00 PM. The meeting opened with presentations and acknowledgments, including the annual Water Conservation Poster Contest awards, an update from the San Mateo County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission, and a feasibility study presentation from the Center for Creativity. Public comment was dominated by calls for a ceasefire resolution regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict, with nearly 30 speakers addressing the council. The consent calendar, containing 13 routine items, was approved unanimously, as were two staff reports on animal control ordinance updates and executive management classification and salary adjustments.
Presentations & Acknowledgments
- Water Conservation Poster Contest (Item 4A): The city recognized 12 winners of the 28th annual contest, themed "Rain Comes and Goes, Only Pearl Precipitation Knows." Awards were presented by Public Works Superintendent Justin Chapel and Mayor G. The program aims to teach youth about water conservation and has been ongoing for 28 years.
- Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention Commission (Item 4B): Chair Joanna Rasmussen presented an overview of juvenile justice trends in San Mateo County. Key data: from August 2022 to August 2023, there were 270 bookings at Hillcrest Juvenile Hall; 76 came from Redwood City. 95% of incarcerated youth in the county are youth of color. The average daily population is 21 youth, with an average length of stay of 25 days. The commission is advocating for a moratorium on transfers to adult court, improved conditions at the hall, inpatient substance abuse treatment for youth, and community-based prevention programs. Councilmembers expressed concern and asked about partnerships with youth groups and school districts.
- Center for Creativity (Item 4C): Representatives from the steering committee presented results of a feasibility study for a community arts center. The proposed center would offer classes, studio memberships, event rentals, and gallery space. Financial projections indicate an annual operating budget of approximately $1.37 million (excluding building costs), with a cost recovery rate of 76% and a need for $332,000 in annual fundraising. The committee seeks council support, partnerships with developers, and assistance in identifying a location. Councilmembers encouraged partnerships with the San Mateo County Community College District and local nonprofits.
Consent Calendar
The consent calendar included 13 items (6A through 6M) and was approved unanimously with a motion by Councilmember Getty and second by Councilmember Howard. Items highlighted during discussion:
- 6H – Police Recruitment Marketing Agreement: Councilmember Sterkin asked about the selection of All-Star Talent over a lower bidder (Census). The Chief of Police explained that All-Star had more current data and successful references. A representative from All-Star provided additional clarification on their metrics.
- 6J – Utility Rate Assistance Program (URAP): Councilmember Howard noted that the city is increasing the benefit amounts for low-income customers to offset planned water, sewer, and solid waste rate increases.
Public Comments & Testimony
During the public comment period (Item 5), 29 individuals spoke or submitted comments. The overwhelming majority (26 of 29) urged the council to pass a resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, citing the high number of civilian casualties, the humanitarian crisis, and the use of U.S. tax dollars. Several speakers identified themselves as Palestinian, Jewish, or community activists. One speaker (Wayne Regalia) raised a local traffic safety concern about double-parked vehicles on James Avenue and Brewster Avenue near school drop-off zones, requesting police enforcement. No public comments were received for items 8A or 8B.
Discussion Items
- 8A – Animal Control Ordinance Update: Deputy City Manager Jennifer Yamaguma and San Mateo County Animal Control Director Lori Morton Frizzell presented proposed amendments to adopt the County’s animal control ordinance by reference and update fee schedules (first increase since 2006). Key changes: raising the threshold for declaring a dog "vicious" to require severe injuries (muscle tears, broken bones, etc.), allowing removal of "dangerous" designation after 3 years of compliance, and adjusting fees (e.g., license fees increased by $5). Councilmembers asked about cost-of-service recovery and the frequency of fee updates. The item passed unanimously.
- 8B – Classification and Salary Plan Adjustments: Human Resources Director Michelle Katsuyoshi presented a package of changes, including reorganizing the Community Development Department into two separate departments (Community Development and Engineering/Transportation), updating job descriptions, and adjusting salary ranges to address compaction and internal equity. Changes affected positions such as Police Chief, Assistant City Manager, Library Director, and several management roles. Councilmembers discussed the rationale for maintaining minimum differentials between supervisors and direct reports, the challenge of recruiting in a tight labor market, and the potential fiscal impact given projected deficits. The motion to approve passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously (Motion by Getty, Second by Howard).
- Animal Control Ordinance (8A): Approved unanimously (Motion by Martinez-Sabayos, Second by Howard).
- Classification & Salary Plan (8B): Approved unanimously (Motion by Vice Mayor Espinoza Garnica, Second by Martinez-Sabayos).
- No action taken on ceasefire resolution: Public comments requesting a ceasefire were heard, but the item was not on the agenda. Several councilmembers acknowledged the speakers but did not commit to placing a resolution on a future agenda.
- Next Meeting: A special council offsite meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 3, 2024. The next regular meeting is on February 12, 2024, which will include a presentation from the new owners of Sequoia Station.
- In Memoriam: The council adjourned in memory of Barb Valley, a longtime volunteer on the Senior Affairs Commission and Library Board who passed away during the previous meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Well, good evening, everyone, and welcome to Redwood City. It's great to see a full chamber of participants and audience members. This is our meeting of Monday, January 22nd, 2024. And it's dry out there for at least a few hours. So we are continuing to offer in-person and remote options for our city council meetings. However, due to continued recent disruptions during public comment at open meetings throughout our region and state, we have modified our public comment procedures until further notice. The city welcomes public comment on topics within the city subject matter jurisdiction, and this can be provided in person during the meeting or by email ahead of the meeting. Our section four is for our presentations and acknowledgments. This is the celebratory part of our agenda. So we have three items this evening. Our first one, I always like this one, is a fun one. It's recognition of winners of the annual water conservation poster contest by the City of Redwood City's Public Works Water Division. We're recognizing the winners of the annual water conservation poster contest coordinated by the city's public works water division. It's a great opportunity to teach our future generations about water conservation and experience it through their creative art. Tonight we're presenting awards to the 12 winners of the 28th annual water conservation poster contests. Twenty-eight years in a row. That's great. That's wonderful. Our city has many initiatives and programs that help keep our community conserved water year after year, making us one of the most water efficient communities in the Bay Area. Some of these programs include the drop counter water use portal and flume smart home water monitor. God, that's a lot of words for monitoring your water use and getting usage alerts, water wise home conservation kits and residential self-audit tools, rebates for lawn replacement, rain barrels, irrigation equipment, and smart irrigation controller, water wise gardening workshops, and why we are all here tonight, one of our longest running and most successful programs, the water conservation poster contest. I'd like to turn the rest of the presentation over to Justin Chapel, our public works superintendent to present the winners. Justin, you look great for 28 plus. Thank you, Mary G. Although I haven't been doing the awards for 28 years personally, so this is maybe only my tenth or something like that. So uh the poster contest is a fun dynamic way for students to learn about water conservation and reaches hundreds of students each year in kindergarten through fifth grade. The kids love taking each year's theme, discussing how important it is to conserve water, and then letting their creativity shine in their artwork. We would also like to take a moment to thank all the teachers who'd participate in the program this year, because if not for their help and cooperation, our program would not be the success that it has it is today and for the past 28 years. So the um the theme of this year's contest was rain comes and goes, only pearl precipitation knows. So as we know, California's weather is unpredictable. It can go from drought conditions to heavy rains and flooding. With the return of wet winter season, we can water our gardens again. We asked the students to think about how our gardens could be more water efficient. We provided them with a few ideas for saving water and preventing water waste and landscape. And with the help of our mascot, Pearl Precipitation. So some of the ways would be that to capture water in the rainy season is to reuse the it in the garden during the dry season through rain barrels. Irrigate using water efficient practices such as drip irrigation, and don't let the water run off during irrigating and don't irrigate while Pearl is watering us for us. We can also replace our lawns with water efficient plants, and California natives are a great option. So from hundreds of entries, 12 winners were selected for their exemplary artistic efforts and water conservation messaging. Each of them will receive a personalized certificate from the City Council, and the certificate says, upon the recommendation of the mayor and this council of the city of Redwood City, these students are hereby awarded this certificate for raising community awareness of Redwood City's water conservation poster contest theme: rain comes and goes, only pearls precipitation knows. As part of Redwood City's water conservation poster contest, with all the rights, honors, and privileges apparent thereto, and with the congratulations and great appreciation of the City Council of Redwood City on this 22nd day of January 2024. At this time, I'd like to invite Mayor G to come up front to help present the awards. And for the first award tonight goes to Kali Monet from Our Lady of Mount Carmel School and Mrs. Mellespina's class. And Cowley won the theme award. Now for the winners for second and third grade. So the theme winner goes to Eleanor Sondag at Roy Cloud in Mrs. Johnson's class. Okay. So unfortunately, the next winner is uh for first place isn't here, and that goes to Renata Miranda or Tiaga from Henry Ford School in Mr.
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