OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Redwood City Council Meeting - March 10, 2025: Housing, Legislative Platform, and Executive Compensation

City CouncilMonday, March 10, 2025
BodyRedwood City, California
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, March 10, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
2:25

Good evening, everybody.

2:27

It is six o'clock, so we'll go ahead and get started.

2:30

Thank you for joining our regular city council meeting of March 10th, twenty twenty five.

2:36

We continue to offer in-person and remote options for our city council meetings.

2:41

The city welcomes public comments on topics within the city's subject matter jurisdiction, and members of the public may provide comments in person during the meeting or by email to public comment at redwood city dot org as outlined in the agenda.

2:56

In-person speakers must turn in a speaker card to the city clerk.

3:00

The day is to be recognized to speak.

3:02

Please be sure to indicate the agenda item number which you wish to address.

3:07

In-person speakers will be called in the order in which speaker cards were turned in.

3:12

And comments that were received via email by five o'clock today may be read aloud, time permitting, and in any case will be made part of the final meeting record.

3:21

If there is a high volume of public comment this evening, we may decrease the time allotted for each comment or limit the total time for public comment.

3:29

But in the event that that happens, please feel free to send your full comment to the city council at public comment at road city dot org.

3:37

And I will now turn it over to the city clerk to call the roll.

4:40

Moving on to presentations and acknowledgments.

5:00

And raising awareness for MS is essential to fostering understanding and compassion within our communities.

5:04

I'll now read a few of the whereas from tonight's proclamation.

5:08

Whereas MS affects people of all ages, races, and backgrounds, and its exact cause remain remains unknown, with current research aiming to improve treatment options and find a cure for this debilitating disease.

5:23

And whereas MS Awareness Week provides an opportunity to bring attention to the struggles faced by those living with MS and to promote research efforts and to increase public awareness about the disease and the need for accessible treatments and resources for those impacted.

5:39

And whereas during MS Awareness Week, a key focus is on promoting early diagnosis of MS by educating people about the potential early symptoms, encouraging individuals to seek medical attention if they're experiencing concerning signs, and highlighting the importance of timely diagnosis to begin treatment for the best possible outcome.

6:02

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Elmer Martina Sabayos, Mayor of Redwood City, on behalf of the City Council and the people of the City of Redwood City do hereby proclaim proclaimed the week of March 9th through 15th, 2025 as multiple sclerosis awareness week in Redwood City, and urge all community members to stand in solidarity, collective action, and hope with those with MS to have greater access to the resources and support systems.

6:31

I'd now like to welcome community advocate and member of the Redwood City Arts Commission, Pamela Swint to give some remarks.

6:39

Thank you for being here, Pamela.

6:54

Thank you to the thank you for this this proclamation recognizing MS Awareness Week.

6:59

Thank you.

7:03

And thank you, Vice Mayor Eakin, for reaching out to me about this.

7:08

Also, thank you, Linda Glassle from the Northern California chapter of the MS Society for joining me today.

7:14

My name is Pam, and I'm on Redwood City Arts Commission.

7:18

I'm leading the effort to update the youth mural alley behind the Hotel Sequoia.

7:23

Recently, a mural that I facilitated at Kennedy Middle School by Jose Castro had a lovely section with a vignette of downtown Redwood City.

7:32

I really encourage you to check it out.

7:34

It's fantastic.

7:36

I think this proclamation is important for a couple of reasons.

7:39

Awareness of this disease and its early symptoms will help others get diagnosed earlier and on effective treatment faster.

7:46

This leads to a better outcome overall.

7:49

This month marks my five-year anniversary of being diagnosed with MS.

7:53

Looking back, I regret not taking my symptoms more seriously earlier on.

7:58

Like so many others, I brushed them off thinking they were just stress, fatigue, or something related to my hernated discs.

8:05

But I should have taken them been more proactive sooner.

8:09

Perhaps things could have been different.

8:11

Another reason is that symptoms of this disease are often invisible.

8:15

Having this proclamation and war and wearing orange all week lets others living with MS in Redwood City know that they are not alone.

8:23

Thank you.

8:28

Thank you, Commissioner Swintz.

8:30

And I have a proclamation here for you.

8:32

So I know we have a not the full team here, but it'd be great if we could take a photo with the council members who are here.

8:39

Thank you.

9:39

Thank you again, Commissioner Swin, for being here.

9:42

We'll move on to item number five, public comment on the consent calendar, matters of council interests and items not on the agenda.

9:49

We'll now take public comment on the consent calendar, matters of council interest and items that are not on tonight's agenda.

9:56

And I'll turn it over to the city clerk to facilitate public comment.

10:00

Thank you, Mayor.

10:01

I don't have any speaker cards, so I'll do one last call to the audience for any public comment on items on the consent calendar, items on matters of council interest or items not on the agenda tonight.

10:14

Seeing none, I will move to our only one and only emailed comment.

10:19

The comment is from Clara Jekyll, and Clara writes.

10:31

However, I urge you to include support not only at the state level, but also regional and local anti-displacement efforts as well.

10:38

Thank you.

10:39

And that concludes public comment, Mayor.

10:44

Wonderful, thank you.

10:45

We'll move on to the consent calendar.

10:48

Items on the consent calendar are routine in nature and are approved by one motion.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████25%
Procedural████████████████████████24%
Community Engagement███████████████15%
Public Health████████████12%
Personnel Matters████████████12%
Arts and Culture██████6%
Public Safety███3%
Historic Preservation██2%
Engineering And Infrastructure1%
Summary of Proceedings

Redwood City Council Regular Meeting - March 10, 2025

The Redwood City Council held a regular meeting on March 10, 2025, at 6:00 PM. The meeting opened with a proclamation declaring March 9–15, 2025 as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week, presented by Mayor Martinez Sabayos and accepted by community advocate Pamela Swint. The council then addressed the consent calendar, pulled two items for discussion (2024 Housing Element Annual Progress Report and the 2025 Legislative Platform), and later approved executive management compensation changes. The meeting concluded with a closed session on anticipated litigation; no reportable action was taken.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved all consent items except 6A and 6D, which were pulled for discussion. Items included: emergency sewer repairs (6B), conflict of interest code update (6C), outdoor business activity program (6E), community wellness crisis response team MOU (6F), tentative agreements with SEIU (6G) and Police Supervisors Association (6H), purchase of vehicles and equipment (6K–6L), on-call concrete/asphalt repair (6M), planning services amendment (6N), approval of minutes (6O), and claims/checks (6P). All passed 6–0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • One emailed comment from Clara Jekyll urged the council to support anti-displacement efforts at regional and local levels, beyond state-level action.

Discussion Items

  • Item 6A – 2024 Housing Element Annual Progress Report (APR): Vice Mayor Aiken led discussion on challenges of moderate-income housing, noting that subsidized units can cost more than older market-rate units. Staff (Sue X-line and Ellen Lancaster) explained that most funding is targeted to low-income units, and moderate rents are tied to 120% of median income, making them less competitive. Vice Mayor also inquired about naturally occurring affordable housing and preservation programs. Councilmember Chu asked whether density bonuses and expedited approvals could lower costs for moderate housing. Councilmember Sterkin echoed concerns about meeting RHNA goals given construction cost increases and market uncertainty. The report was approved 6–0.
  • Item 6D – 2025 Legislative Platform: Councilmember Sterkin proposed adding two statements supporting LGBTQ+ rights and opposing discrimination. After debate, some members (Councilmember G, Vice Mayor Aiken) preferred a broader anti-discrimination statement rather than singling out one group. Staff noted the existing platform already includes an equity definition that covers all identities. The council approved the staff-recommended platform and referred the proposal for expanded language to the Governance Subcommittee. Motion passed 6–0.
  • Item 8A – Executive Management Compensation: Human Resources Director Michelle Katsuyoshi presented amendments to the compensation summary, including expanded sick leave use, bilingual pay for public safety executives, and a new compensation philosophy. Councilmember G spoke in favor of retention through competitive pay. The item was approved 6–0.

Key Outcomes

  • Proclamation declared March 9–15, 2025 as MS Awareness Week.
  • Consent calendar approved in bulk; Items 6A and 6D individually approved.
  • Item 6A: 2024 Housing Element APR adopted.
  • Item 6D: 2025 Legislative Platform adopted; Governance Subcommittee to consider broader anti-discrimination language.
  • Item 8A: Executive management compensation and compensation philosophy approved.
  • Closed session on anticipated litigation; no reportable action.
  • Next regular meeting scheduled for March 24, 2025 (State of the City Address).

Councilmember Padilla was absent for all votes.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everybody. It is six o'clock, so we'll go ahead and get started. Thank you for joining our regular city council meeting of March 10th, twenty twenty five. We continue to offer in-person and remote options for our city council meetings. The city welcomes public comments on topics within the city's subject matter jurisdiction, and members of the public may provide comments in person during the meeting or by email to public comment at redwood city dot org as outlined in the agenda. In-person speakers must turn in a speaker card to the city clerk. The day is to be recognized to speak. Please be sure to indicate the agenda item number which you wish to address. In-person speakers will be called in the order in which speaker cards were turned in. And comments that were received via email by five o'clock today may be read aloud, time permitting, and in any case will be made part of the final meeting record. If there is a high volume of public comment this evening, we may decrease the time allotted for each comment or limit the total time for public comment. But in the event that that happens, please feel free to send your full comment to the city council at public comment at road city dot org. And I will now turn it over to the city clerk to call the roll. Moving on to presentations and acknowledgments. And raising awareness for MS is essential to fostering understanding and compassion within our communities. I'll now read a few of the whereas from tonight's proclamation. Whereas MS affects people of all ages, races, and backgrounds, and its exact cause remain remains unknown, with current research aiming to improve treatment options and find a cure for this debilitating disease. And whereas MS Awareness Week provides an opportunity to bring attention to the struggles faced by those living with MS and to promote research efforts and to increase public awareness about the disease and the need for accessible treatments and resources for those impacted. And whereas during MS Awareness Week, a key focus is on promoting early diagnosis of MS by educating people about the potential early symptoms, encouraging individuals to seek medical attention if they're experiencing concerning signs, and highlighting the importance of timely diagnosis to begin treatment for the best possible outcome. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Elmer Martina Sabayos, Mayor of Redwood City, on behalf of the City Council and the people of the City of Redwood City do hereby proclaim proclaimed the week of March 9th through 15th, 2025 as multiple sclerosis awareness week in Redwood City, and urge all community members to stand in solidarity, collective action, and hope with those with MS to have greater access to the resources and support systems. I'd now like to welcome community advocate and member of the Redwood City Arts Commission, Pamela Swint to give some remarks. Thank you for being here, Pamela. Thank you to the thank you for this this proclamation recognizing MS Awareness Week. Thank you. And thank you, Vice Mayor Eakin, for reaching out to me about this. Also, thank you, Linda Glassle from the Northern California chapter of the MS Society for joining me today. My name is Pam, and I'm on Redwood City Arts Commission. I'm leading the effort to update the youth mural alley behind the Hotel Sequoia. Recently, a mural that I facilitated at Kennedy Middle School by Jose Castro had a lovely section with a vignette of downtown Redwood City. I really encourage you to check it out. It's fantastic. I think this proclamation is important for a couple of reasons. Awareness of this disease and its early symptoms will help others get diagnosed earlier and on effective treatment faster. This leads to a better outcome overall. This month marks my five-year anniversary of being diagnosed with MS. Looking back, I regret not taking my symptoms more seriously earlier on. Like so many others, I brushed them off thinking they were just stress, fatigue, or something related to my hernated discs. But I should have taken them been more proactive sooner. Perhaps things could have been different. Another reason is that symptoms of this disease are often invisible. Having this proclamation and war and wearing orange all week lets others living with MS in Redwood City know that they are not alone. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Swintz. And I have a proclamation here for you. So I know we have a not the full team here, but it'd be great if we could take a photo with the council members who are here. Thank you. Thank you again, Commissioner Swin, for being here. We'll move on to item number five, public comment on the consent calendar, matters of council interests and items not on the agenda. We'll now take public comment on the consent calendar, matters of council interest and items that are not on tonight's agenda. And I'll turn it over to the city clerk to facilitate public comment.

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