On January 27, 2025, the Redwood City Council held a regular meeting covering presentations, public comments, a solid waste rate increase public hearing, and a housing initiatives update. The meeting was adjourned in memory of longtime resident and environmental activist Sandra Cooperman.
Thank you, Vice Mayor. Before we begin our presentations and acknowledgments, I want to announce that February is American Heart Month, a federally recognized event that encourages Americans to focus on their heart health and get their families, their friends, and their community involved. The Redwood City City Council issued a proclamation earlier this month to the American Heart Association, which happens to be celebrating its a hundred years of honoring their mission and working to save lives from heart disease and stroke. We encourage the Road City community to bring awareness to the importance of fighting heart disease. Moving on to item four A, recognition of our winners of water conservation poster contest. So this first presentation is uh a really fun one. Um we're recognizing the winners of our annual water conservation poster contest coordinated by the city's public works water division. It's a really wonderful opportunity to be able to teach our future generations about water conservation and experience it through their creative art. Tonight we present the awards for the twenty-ninth annual water conservation poster contest. Road City has many initiatives and programs that help our community conserve water year after year, making us one of the more water efficient communities in the Bay Area. Rebates for lawn replacement, rain barrels, irrigation equipment, and smart irrigation controller. So lots of equipment available, including the water wise gardening workshops, and of course, the last item here, why we're here tonight. One of our longest running and most successful programs is the poster contest. So I'd like to invite Nate Anderson, our public works utilities field supervisor to present the winners. The theme of this year's contest was follow H2O Joe's blueprint for reducing your water footprint. Our water footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use, such as growing food, making our clothes, cars, computers, and providing energy. You may not drink, feel, or see the virtual water, but it actually makes up the majority of your water footprint. Introducing the students to the concept of virtual water, the students can see how their actions will affect their water consumption. In our hope that this awareness will promote students to conserve water directly and indirectly, and will help out our mascot, H2O Joe. Outdoors, capture water and reuse it. Irrigate efficiently and prevent water waste, such as runoff, replace thirsty water lawn and water with water efficient and or native plants. And use less energy. From the hundreds of entries, 12 winners were selected to their exemplary artistic efforts and water conservation messaging. Each of them will receive a personalized certificate from the city council. The certificate says, upon the recommendation of the mayor and council of the city of Redwood City, these students are hereby awarded the certificate for raising community awareness of Redwood City's water. Conservation water conservation poster contest theme. Follow H2O Joe's blueprint for reducing your water footprint. As part of Redwood City's water conservation poster contest, with all the rights, honors, and privileges appartained thereto, and with the congratulations and great appreciation of the City Council of Redwood City on this 12 27th day of January 2025. At this time, I would like to invite Mayor Martinez Sabaios to the front of the dais to present the awards. All right, the winners for the K through first grade category are theme winner, Ethan Griffin, St. Pius School, Miss Brands class. Second first place winner, Keya Nakamori, Roosevelt School, Miss Suchiyama's class. Second place winner, Cruz de Leon, St. Pius School, Miss Brand's class. Third place winner, Lucia Vol Pendesta, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, Miss Malaspina's class. All right, the winners for the second through third grade category are theme winner, Sonia Chen, Henry Ford School, Miss Steves and Borg's class. First place winner, Penny Firth Eagle, Roy Cloud School, Miss Johnson's class. Second place winner, Fiona Hartnett, Roy Cloud School, Miss Johnson's class. Third place winner, Julian Scarfo Eero, Roy Cloud, Miss Garnado's class. Thank you. All right, the winners for the fourth through fifth grade are theme winner, Jane Lee, Andrea Lopez Cardona, Hoover School, Miss Michael Borgs, Mr. Michael Borg's class. Not present, but the first place winner, Mariella Guerrero, Hoover School, Miss Michael Borg's class. Second place winner, Alexandra Sadie, Henry Ford School, Miss Toupe's class. To pie, sorry. Not present, but the third place winner, Leah Chavez, Our Lady Martin Carmel School, Ms. Hussey's class. Now, kids, we have two very special guests in attendance. They're making a special appearance here tonight for a very special award ceremony. Please welcome H2O Joe and Violet.