Special Meeting for Interviews of Board of Port Commissioners and Arts Commission Applicants - July 13, 2026

Interviews of applicants for the Arts Commission and the Board of Court Commissioners.

We hold meetings in a hybrid format with both in-person and virtual participation available.

And the city welcomes public comment on topics within the city's subject matter jurisdiction and members of the public may provide comments as follows.

In-person speakers will be called first.

Speaker cards are located at the back table in the council chambers and must be turned into the city clerk here at the Dais.

Please be sure to indicate the agenda item number you wish to speak on.

Attendees who have joined us by Zoom will be called to speak after the in-person comments have been given.

Detailed instructions for public comment will be provided on the screen when the time for public comment begins.

And with that, I'll now turn it over to our city clerk to call the roll.

Good evening.

Councilmember Chu.

Here.

Councilmember G.

Present.

Council Member Howard.

Here.

Councilmember Padilla.

Present.

Councilmember Sturkin.

Here.

Vice Mayor Aiken.

Here.

Mayor Martinez Avayos.

Here.

Thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

With that, we'll go to the Vice Mayor for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Please join me in saluting our flag.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it says one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

We have all council members participating in person, so we'll skip over item number four and move to item number five, which is public comment.

We'll now take public comment on items both on and off the agenda.

We welcome speakers providing public comment, but please be advised that this is a limited public forum.

And as such, speakers must address matters within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city.

And if speakers do not, they'll be warned.

And if they continue to disregard city rules, their opportunity to speak will be limited.

If you're attending in person, please fill out a speaker card and submit it to the city clerk here at the Dais.

And if you're attending virtually, feel free to raise your hand on Zoom at this time or press star nine if you've joined by phone.

Once we've gathered all speaker cards and raised hands and have begun public comment, no additional speakers will be allowed to queue up to speak.

I will now turn it over to our city clerk to facilitate public comment.

Thank you, Mayor.

I don't have any speaker cards at this time.

So last call to the audience if anyone would like to give public comment this evening, or if you've joined us on Zoom, go ahead and raise your hand to be recognized.

Seeing none, Mayor, that concludes public comment.

Great, thank you, City Clerk.

With that, we'll move to item six and now begin the interviews for Board of Port Commissioners and Arts Commission.

The city clerk has provided all applicants with the same interview questions in advance, and the questions will also be shown on the screen for your reference.

The process for tonight's interviews will be as follows.

We'll begin with the interviews for the board of port commissioners, followed by the art commission.

Each of you will be called to the podium one at a time based on the order published on the agenda.

Applicants will be given three uninterrupted minutes to address the city council by presenting your responses to the three interview questions.

The timer will begin as soon as you start speaking.

Candidates are excused after your interview has concluded, but may remain in the chambers for the rest of the meeting if desired.

And the city council will make its elections for the port commission and the arts commission at the regular city council meeting on Monday, July 27th at 6 o'clock.

You do not need to be in attendance at that council meeting in order to be selected.

The city clerk will follow up with all of you with the results after that meeting.

And before we begin calling up applicants, I'd like to ask my city council colleagues to introduce themselves to the candidates.

Hello, my name is Isabella Chu.

I'm the city council member for District 3.

Um, and I'm just so grateful for all of the people who've put their names in the hat.

Um, you know, I've often said we have an embarrassment of riches.

Uh, so grateful for every single one of you and really looking forward to hear what you have to say tonight.

Thank you, Councilmember.

We'll go to Councilmember Howard.

Hi, my name is Diane Howard.

I represent District 6, and I'd just like to say thank you so much for having the courage to step up.

I mean, we need help.

We need volunteers, we have so much work, good work to do in Redwood City, and we're happy to have you here.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember, and we'll go to Councilmember G.

Good evening and a thank you.

I'm Jeff G, uh Councilmember from District 1, Redwood Shores.

And again, I just want to share, as my colleagues said, thank you.

Thank you to those that have served and want to continue to serve, and thank you for those that are new applicants, and that want to serve and give back to our community.

I think all of us here at the Dais have served on a board commissioner committee.

And it's a great way to learn about how the city operates, what we our role in the region, and to contribute.

So again, thank you for being here.

Thank you for continuing to wanting to serve, and for everyone else, thank you for raising your hand and saying I want to appreciate it.

Thank you, Councilmember.

We'll go to Councilmember Padilla.

Hello.

Uh I want to echo everyone.

Thank you.

My name is uh Marcella Padilla.

I serve District 7, and I I want to echo everyone, but it's it's showing up.

You know, serving half the battle is showing up in being in this room here today, really is a testament to that.

I mean, it's a Monday evening.

I know that all of you had some of you had to move mountains, everything you had to do for you all to be so poised sitting here in your chairs.

It's appreciated.

We know how much had to happen for you to be here, and we value and we appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember, and we'll go to Councilmember Sturkin.

Good evening, everyone, Councilmember Chris Turkin, pronouncy him.

I have um been on council for four years and started on a commission in the committee.

First on the transportation advisory committee, then planning commission.

So, been in your shoes before many times.

I applied more than once, uh, didn't get it the first time every time.

So if you don't get it, it's okay, try again.

And um good luck, and remember to breathe.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Go to the vice mayor.

Hello, my name is Kaya Aiken.

I represent District 5.

It's wonderful to see all of you, and and just I want to remember there are more of you than there are positions.

So, um, but you will, as the clerk will tell you, you will remain on the list, and if for whatever reason, which does happen with frequency, someone has to resign or is absent or for whatever reason can no longer serve, uh, then you may be called.

So that's number one, and number two, come back.

We it's lonely sometimes up here.

We we like having people and we do interesting things, so come again, and good luck to all of you.

Thank you, Vice Mayor, and good evening, everybody.

I'm Elmer Martinez Saballos.

I have the honor of being the Mayor of Redwood City.

I represent District 4 and also got my start on a planning commission.

I did not get the the first seat that I applied to, but um learned so much through my service on BCC and know that our time is the most valuable thing we all have, so thank you for raising your hand and and offering to serve your city, your community.

Um we want everybody to be a part of this team, and there are many ways to serve.

So I know like the vice mayor mentioned, we don't have enough seats for everybody, but there are so many different ways for you all to give back and to be uh active member of this community, and so we hope that we'll we'll see you in many different capacities.

But thank you for the time tonight.

And with that, I will turn things over to our city clerk to call up our applicants.

Thank you, Mayor, and welcome everyone.

Um, as the mayor mentioned, we'll begin with the Board of Port Commissioner applicants, and then we will proceed with the arts commission.

And the order that we'll be calling applicants today will be the order that's listed on the agenda.

As the mayor also mentioned, you have three minutes at the podium uninterrupted.

There is a timer that will give you subtle hints on your timing.

Um 30-second warning is the orange light with the beep, and then the red light with the beep means your time is up.

If you're mid-sentence when the timer goes off, you can wrap up your your sentence.

Um, but you must conclude shortly after that.

With that, I will call up our first applicant for the Board of Port Commissioners, Stan Moppen.

Welcome, Stan.

Mayor Martinez Sabayos, Vice Mayor Aiken, and the members of the city council.

I want to thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight for your consideration of my reappointment to the port commission.

As an international gateway for the city, the port's goals align with the city's strategic initiatives, including economic development, transportation, community building, community for all ages, and government operations.

The port advances these goals through many opportunities, such as through the alignment with the state public trust doctrine, the port's commerce and navigation are a central part of the nation's freight transportation system, facilitating the movement of international cargo and people in addition to creating economic benefits for the region, state, and nation.

Launching the first regional nature-based living shoreline to establish future policy for nature-based infrastructure solutions and beneficial reuse of dredge materials, securing grants and public private partnerships to provide home basing for both fire and police marine units, strengthening our FEMA federal staging area to respond during catastrophic events, further facilitation of first responder training pursuant to Marsec regulations, developing future commuter commuter water-based transportation in partnership with SF Bay Ferry and successfully deploying the voter-approved regional measure three funding.

The responsibilities of our port commissioner are primarily policy-driven and include man uh control and management, fiduciary oversight of the port through adoption of ordinances, regulations, and administrative practices for the management and governance of the port.

My goals will be to continue the work I've been involved with during my first term as commissioner, to continue the annual upward trajectory of our record-breaking revenue and tonnage tied with diversification of our real estate assets and cargo to weather economic downturns, create a new partnership with SF Bay Ferry, the U.S.

Coast Guard, and San Francisco Marine Exchange to deploy drones for a first of its kind marine mammal tracking and safe vessel navigation in the bay to reduce marine mammal collisions.

Continue collaborative role on major regional transportation initiatives, including the future ferry, which is currently going through the EIR process and the 84101 interchange.

Expand our successful association with the San Mateo County Office of Education through a recently executed MOU to bring high school students increased exposure to high-paying careers that don't necessarily require a college degree.

Continuing in leadership roles representing the port with various national and international port associations, including being a charter member of the National Port Partners Emergency Response Group.

Offer and expand the many community benefits at the port, including the successful Fourth of July fireworks show in conjunction with the city.

Federal investment occurs annually with the Army Corps of Engineers dredging the channel, elevated by the leadership of Senators Padia and Shift towards those appropriations.

Additionally, in partnership with Congressman Mullen, the Port is a key sponsor for National Water Resources Development Act language being pursued at the federal level.

The port's role in the National Marine Highway System is focused on removing thousands of trucks off roadways and moving cargo via the water, resulting in increased safety on the roadways and decreased emissions.

We have been working with the National Maritime Administration on the expansion of a new West Coast Marine Highway in relation to the port of Redwood City.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Stan.

Our next candidate for the Board of Port Commissioners is Noah Gaspar.

Welcome.

Thank you, Council members, for the opportunity to apply for this role.

My name is Noah Gaspar.

Lived in Redwood City for five years, my family and two young children.

And uh after attending the community of building academy last year, I've been searching for a place to volunteer and contribute to the city.

I found the port because it's really just this fascinating version of the city in miniature.

It's a regional employer and economic driver, the source of so much of our building materials that used across the bay.

It's part of our public safety strategy, one of our FEMA staging areas, and part of our climate change and sea level rise strategy.

It's also just a destination for community members, the host of fireworks shows, uh, great green space, nature programs, and more.

It's something that I can really relate to as a father here again, a place I want to bring my kids, watching the ships come in and then attending these programs.

As a commissioner, my primary responsibilities would be setting strategy and policy, as well as driving oversight with execution left to the uh port staff.

Really, my first goal would be learning.

This would be my first time serving on a commission in Redwood City.

I know there's a lot for me to learn here, as you've all have said, and I believe that the very experienced commissioners I'd be serving alongside would be really welcome, teachers and mentors in this process.

My second goal, though, and I think the place where I could contribute the most off the bat is oversight.

As a product manager and a tech company in the Bay Area, I work constantly on large, complicated projects.

Right now, working at Meta focused on user safety.

The work I do is complicated, big and it matters, and I believe that's the same about the port.

I I can bring that lens to the work here as well.

So taking the ferry uh the ferry project, for example.

This is something it's not just about shipping it, it's not just about uh managing the costs and the execution, but it's asking the hard questions like how many cars is this taking off the road?

Is this displacing people from Caltrain?

But also, is it bringing in more employees?

And is it allowing more residents to remain here when they can commute elsewhere?

So bringing this lens, not just the execution, but these higher level strategic questions is something I do daily and something I can bring to this role.

And my third goal though would be increasing community involvement.

Again, as a parent here, I want to sit on that shore.

I want to bring my daughters to these programs.

This is something I I think uh would be a beautiful way for me to contribute and represent other voices here.

The best way for the port to attract funding is to lean into its roles as a regional uh uh lean into its regional and multimodal strengths.

So the 10184 interchange is a great example of this.

It has transit benefits, it has public health benefits, it gets federal funding as well as local funding across all these levels, across all these areas.

It's able to you uh unite these causes and get more.

As well as it's a great area again for driving private investment, supporting the 2020 vision.

That stands a hard act to follow.

He knows a lot more, but again, I'd love this opportunity.

Thank you.

Thank you, Noah.

Our next candidate is Joseph Muscat.

Welcome.

Good evening.

Thank you for the time and the opportunity to apply for this position.

Um, as Noah uh mentioned, I've not previously served on a commission for the city.

Um, I'm a long uh term resident.

I actually was born here in 1968.

Um, I've lived a couple different places, and um when I told people where I was going on Monday night, uh, when I needed to move a couple things around on my schedule, they said the port of Redwood City, there's a port there.

I said, yeah, it's the, as I've come to learn, the seventh largest port in California, extraordinarily important as an economic driver.

I think the commission has done an extraordinary job as in reviewing kind of the actions taken thus far.

My background is accounting and consulting.

I've been working with high growth companies my entire career, and I'm now at kind of a give back phase in my career.

I've been the managing partner of our office.

I have 150 people that have been working for me for a period of time.

And now what I'm looking to do is sort of give back to that community that has given me so much.

Um, I think the port is an extraordinary asset uh that we have relative to the inbound uh materials that's used to build Silicon Valley and returning some materials from Silicon Valley to make us more effective.

You know, some important initiatives from an environmental standpoint.

Um I've come to learn about the Living Shoreline project, which is fantastic.

I actually built the climate change and sustainability program at Ernst and Young and founded that nationally, and so that has a natural um sustainability connection to my background.

But but I think what's particularly interesting and where I think there's an opportunity to build is really making sure that the port is well understood amongst stakeholders, without a doubt, federal, state, and other regional stakeholders are very aware of the port, and I think the partnerships are a good example of that.

But I think there's another opportunity relative to bringing private sector partners into this conversation.

The role that it plays in construction and the role that those parties play in supporting the growth of the port, I think is a unique opportunity.

The port also has an extraordinary real estate asset that it's a part of, and so evaluating that is an important aspect of what I think the commission has an opportunity to look into.

And you know, I see my role as being one of advising as opposed to doing.

I've been doing for 35 years in my career.

Now it's an opportunity to take those skills and turn it into an advisory capacity.

So thank you very much.

Appreciate the opportunity to serve.

Thank you very much.

Our final candidate for the Board of Port Commissioners, Nancy Radcliffe could not be with us this evening, but she did submit written responses, which should be in your binders.

So that concludes for, that concludes the port commission interviews.

We'll move now to the arts commission applicants.

We have a total of 15 applicants.

And we will start with Oceana Anderson.

Welcome.

Good evening, everyone.

My name is Oceana Anderson.

I've lived in Emerald Hills for nearly six years now, and I love it.

I have four degrees in art history, two British to American.

I've lived and worked in the Bay Area for the last 20 years, predominantly as a director of operations.

While art is my passion, I'm also accustomed to being fiscally responsible with a budget.

And in regards to advancing diversity, equality, and inclusion, I do want to take a moment to say I think it's wonderful that Redwood City has made it such a mission to invest in beautifying the city, such as painting the public utility boxes, the racial equity mural, and other sculptures around the downtown area.

I believe a wealth of the city's best public art ideas probably aren't sitting in a city hall inbox.

They're in the sketchbooks of high schoolers who are already making art and haven't been asked what they want to see on their city's walls.

A grassroots push to reach them directly through school art programs, and students with a genuine passion for it could surface ideas the usual channels miss entirely.

Another avenue is I volunteer at the St.

Francis Center, and it's exactly the type of place this outreach should include.

Flyers in multiple languages posted there and at other community hubs across the city, inviting people to weigh in on what artists and what kind of art they'd like to see.

The goal is to cast a wide enough net to pull in residents who wouldn't normally think a city arts initiative has anything to do with them.

I'm sure Redwood City has already done this, but I would also continue to reach out to the Ramay Tush Olone descendants to ask for their continued input on how they would like to be represented.

I think local galleries are another great component of this.

Sitting down with working artists to share the city's vision and actually listen to theirs, is how you turn public input into real relationships, and how you find out what the community wants.

Sitting down with working artists, students, and residents to understand what they want to see before decisions get made.

So the resulting murals, installations, and events feel like they belong to the people who live alongside them.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Oceana.

Our next candidate is Kelly Boyett.

Welcome.

Hello, everyone.

I wanted to echo what you all offered to us earlier and say thank you for showing up and giving us a space and an opportunity to be involved in our local community.

My name is Kelly.

Um I live in Redwood City, and I absolutely love it here.

The city represents arts and culture in a way that I have not seen a city do in a very long time, and definitely not where I grew up in Nevada.

I work as the director of programs at a nonprofit in Palo Alto, where we create opportunities for sustainable and active transportation for communities that are often overlooked.

We create educational programs for our youth, and we do this all through sustainable efforts.

I'm applying to join the board because I love art, obviously.

Art is everything.

It's history, it's people, it's hope.

It's a community, and it is what makes a city a home.

And Redwood City has already done an amazing job of that.

Advancing DEI efforts through art always starts with connecting with our local communities, as Oceana pointed out.

We need to step into our cities and learn who it is that we are representing.

A art board cannot pretend to accurately represent the community, the entire community and their lived experiences.

We need to be working with our libraries.

We need to be working with our other commission boards, our community centers, our nonprofits and coalitions to continue to represent them and to showcase who they are in our city.

I think it is vital that we take a collaborative approach that directly involves the people and the culture that the effort aims to celebrate.

This approach also helps to distribute the workload and helps us to stay fiscally smart when it comes to uh building trust within our community.

I think Redwood City, as I mentioned, has already done an amazing job.

We have so many festivals and art exhibits.

We have the Palestinian Cultural Festival, we have Dia de los Muertos, we have murals all around the city.

It is colorful, and I want to be a part of continuing the work that we're doing, but I want to involve more of the people that are being overlooked.

One of my visions as I work with youth already as uh director of programs in uh the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is to involve our youth in our arts by asking what they what they want to see and making sure that they have a say, creating programs and coalitions for them to be a part of.

Anyways, thank you so much.

Obviously, I'm a little bit nervous, but I really appreciate everyone here, um, and I'm really looking forward to potentially being a part of it and thank you.

Thank you very much, Kelly.

Our next candidate Sophia Constantini could not join us in person.

She did provide written responses that are in your binders.

So we'll move to our next candidate, Georgina Corbett.

Let me check.

She may be online.

Georgina Corbett, if you're online, would you mind raising your hand?

Okay.

I don't think she's online.

We'll move to our next candidate, Anthony DeQattro.

Welcome.

Good evening.

My name is uh Anthony DeQuattro.

You can call me Tony.

Uh I'm a lifelong resident of the Bay Area.

I uh work as a spacecraft operations engineer.

I'm also a music musician and uh concert goer.

I've been in a handful of bands over the last uh 20 years, and currently I'm the host of the jam night Tuesdays at the hub on Broadway.

Uh my vision for the arts and culture in Redwood City is reflective as well as aspirational.

To honor the history of art and culture in the city, we must strive to foster an environment to incubate and celebrate innovative and unique artists.

I believe music, visual and literary arts are sacred and should be accessible to everyone, regardless of background.

As a city, we're proud to uh hold historical ties to artists like Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, the Mars Volta, and Spaz.

I want to be able to say the same thing in the future about current artists like uh Combo Tazetta, Glowing Brain, Bolero, and Gumbies Junk.

To advance diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the city.

I recommend the following.

To work with existing businesses and venues to produce and promote events for all ages audiences, to draw from the will of original artists around the Bay Area and reduce the number of events use utilizing uh cover bands to promote the visual artists in this in city-sponsored events and uh installations, and to ban the use of AI and promotional and promotion or performance for city-sponsored events.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you, Tony.

Our next candidate, Mark Facet could not be with us this evening.

And our next candidate will be Jeffrey Goodkind.

Welcome.

Hi City Council, Mayor, Vice Mayor.

Thank you for the opportunity to allow me to apply for this position.

I've been a Redwood City resident for the last five years here.

I'm a musician and a piano teacher, as well as a founder and producer of the all original concert series, Little Green Live, which is just down the street.

I'm also the musical director at Redwood City's Second Baptist Church.

And I'm a husband and a new father as well.

In my experience with all those uh uh activities that I do here.

Um I've gained an idea of uh an idea of what to do to advance diversity, equity, inclusion.

Um I've noticed in our concert series that we've uh represented many different many different kinds of people uh from all different demographics.

Um we often have each performer uh offer an opener as well uh and and bringing in which ties it into uh the greater community so uh there's um uh there's a there's a network that expands from there, and it's been been wonderful to see that.

Um, we've also used these performers um to uh help out with uh a blood drive that we've put on the last two years here uh on that street on Maple Street right outside Little Green.

Um, and it's been an absolute joy to see the diversity of that.

Um also my wife and I have been performing at uh Little Green every Saturday.

So um I I see that the the having a consistent uh uh venue and and opportunity for people uh at entry-level venue for people to express themselves creates uh creates a wonderful opportunity for everybody.

Um my vision for arts and culture in Redwood City.

Um it would be amazing to see this city um have its own artistic identity, which I think would require that's the long-term vision, the short-term vision would be to collaborate with a lot of local businesses to create um with a subsidy.

Uh is that the end?

Oh, sorry.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Jeffrey.

Our next candidate is Gregory Harrington.

Gregory Harrington.

Might you be online with us?

Okay, we'll move on to our next candidate, Megan La Sara.

Welcome, Megan.

Good evening, everyone.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you today.

I think a lot of us are on the same wavelength.

So uh my name is Megan La Sara.

I'm an award-winning author for young people, a speaker and founder of Studio La Sara, a creative studio focused on storytelling, books, art, and entertainment.

I moved to Redwood City a year ago, and I live in Redwood Shores.

I've been inspired by the creative energy in this city, from music in the parks and free arts events to the vibrant murals downtown and the smaller public artworks that make everyday places feel more alive.

Before moving here, I lived in Montreal, Quebec.

For six years, an international city that embraces public art in a major way.

Parts of Redwood City already give me that same feeling, and I would love to help build on that.

To me, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through arts starts with access and authentic reflection.

That's something I've come to understand both personally and professionally.

I'm part of a multicultural family.

I'm white.

Surprise, and I was raised in the Midwest, and my husband is Colombian American and was raised in Miami.

My books feature multicultural characters and families.

And one thing I've learned through writing for young people is that representation shapes whether a young person feels invited into reading, creativity, community, and ultimately into civic life.

I work very hard to create characters who remind young readers that their unique selves, their families, their backgrounds, their questions, and their ways of seeing the world belong in a story.

They belong in our world.

City arts can do the same at a community level.

Kofi Annan once said literacy is a bridge from misery to hope.

We are living through a literacy crisis in the United States, especially for youth.

But I believe art and culture can be a big part of the solution.

When young people don't see themselves reflected with honesty and joy, they may begin to feel that reading and creativity in arts aren't meant for them.

Redwood City can help change that by continuing to invest in public art across neighborhoods and by fostering more ways for youth, immigrant families, multilingual communities, and underrepresented artists can be a part of what gets made.

I'd love to see Redwood City explore a book and arts festival that brings together authors, illustrators, visual artists, musicians, schools, libraries, and local businesses.

If appointed, I would bring my experience as a working creator, my love of storytelling, and a commitment to listening and collaborating.

It would be an honor to help build a city where every resident experiences art and culture that makes them feel seen, connected, and proud to belong.

Thank you.

Thank you, Megan.

Our next candidate is Anthony Lazarus.

Welcome.

Distinguished council members, good evening.

My name is Anthony Lazarus.

I have a media background, and I'm a 15-year resident of this great community.

My daughter has gone through our public schools since kindergarten and is about to begin her senior year at Sequoia High School.

I'm so proud.

For years, I've been an advocate of improving policies and our thinking around housing and development.

And I've served right here in this chamber as an intern planning commissioner.

I'm proud of the work that has been done here and how Redwood City has been a standout exemplar for progress in this region on the things that matter most.

And these are really important things.

Good governance, community supported events, as we've heard, and a focus on building a better future.

To this end, I believe we can raise the profile of our city as a public art destination.

We have amazing public spaces.

We've great events, and we create experiences and memories around them.

But we can also create these with ideas and installations.

And I have some slides that I've taken the liberty to send to the clerk, so I'd like to see slide number one, please.

We can have that on screen.

Sorry.

Oops.

I could show you on my phone, but I don't think it's as compelling.

There.

Wonderful.

Can we get full screen, please?

If that's if that works, okay.

If not, that's fine.

As we can see, uh, this is the embarkader in San Francisco.

And when some people think public art, they think we'll go big.

This is 70 feet tall.

Next slide, please.

Open the emails.

Click there.

I use a Mac.

It's easier.

Ah, so this is the Chahuli Flowers, very evocative, right next to the Chihuli, you know, museum in Seattle.

And you can see it's a very typically sunny day.

Next slide, please.

That was a joke.

Seattle is not usually that sunny.

Um, this is now Vancouver Canada.

As you can see, there's no big piece here, but what we have is beautiful painted pavement.

Look at the planners, and it's a space that people want to congregate.

Last slide, please.

And that's the last one.

Thank you.

Notice this heart-shaped bench that people wanted, like my beautiful wife who did not put me up to this.

We sit here and we smile, and it creates a nice little space.

And people share it and they meet here.

Uh it's a great congregation kind of, you know, magnet.

Uh so we already have beautiful public artwork in the city, which I've taken a tour of by bike.

I love our big hubcap sphere, but all these gems are not necessarily where people are congregating.

We have key spaces like Courthouse Square, our pedestrian streets, you know, right nearby, everything walking distance.

And these could serve as showcases for art that people want to be around and want to be seen there and share with others.

How we curate these spaces, and uh how we know do our work of having public art, obviously has to reflect uh our community, it has to reflect the same spirit that we curate our events.

We have such a great history and demographics, particularly the Latino and Latina, Asian and Black folks that make up the city.

We are fortunate to have local partners like the Center for Creativity, the CATA project, the County Arts Office, and others that can all guide us.

We've already heard of some of them.

It's really gratifying to hear.

So not only do we have all this great expertise and all these great spaces and advantages, we have the best climate.

It's our key strengths, and it's what we can leverage to inspire artists, officials like you, and all the community to bring art into being that is about the bounty of our special place.

I look forward to furthering our evolution of our public arts master vision to working with other arts commissioners and stakeholders and to the emergence of Redwood City as a CNBC cultural destination.

Thank you.

Thank you, Anthony.

Our next candidate is Jose Maciel, Jose Maciel, in person or online.

All right, not seeing Jose, so we'll move on to Roberta Newhousler.

Welcome.

Okay, good evening, everyone.

Mayor, vice mayor, city council members, members of the public, fellow candidates.

It is an honor to be here with you tonight.

Thank you.

My name is Roberta Newhausler, and my work is about bringing people together, creating moments that build connection, deepen understanding, and advance a mission.

I'm a proud new Redwood City resident and a longtime fan, as my parents have called the city home for over a decade.

I'm an organized doer, and while not an artist through to traditional means, my creativity and skill set shines when navigating complexity, managing projects, and getting things done collaboratively.

And I love art.

I deeply believe in the intrinsic value of human expression.

And it would be a true privilege to learn everything I can about our community, and then roll up my sleeves and do what I can to further the mission of the commission and contribute to the vibrancy of Redwood City.

With regard to advancing DEI, building on the commission's strong work on this already, which is reflected in the recommendations on the docket later tonight.

The way we advance DEI through art is by continuing outreach and engagement.

Sharing information in as many languages and modes of communications as possible.

Partnering with community-based organizations, having champions for this work in the many communities who are from the community, so that the city's art opportunities are more accessible.

Art is a dialogue, and we want to make sure all communities are part of this conversation.

With regard to my vision for arts and culture in Redwood City, it's continuing the uh public arts master plan with intention and collaboration.

It's strengthening a thriving accessible grant ecosystem that funds a wide range of community-based art projects and engagement.

It's co-creating a vibrant art scene that is both a cultural gift and an economic asset.

It is our residents feeling a sense of belonging.

This is my home.

And it's the visitors who return to our city again and again because we are the arts and entertainment destination on the peninsula.

I would be honored to serve, learn, and comp uh continue building with you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Roberta.

Our next candidate is Leah Nonis.

Okay, sorry about that.

She will not be making it this evening.

Our next candidate is Aravic Roy.

Welcome.

Good evening.

Thank you, Council members, for the opportunity to apply for this role.

Hello, my name is Arvik Roy, and I'm a rising junior at Woodside High School.

Having grown up in Revic City, I have experienced and I've seen firsthand through years of community involvement, how culture shapes our city and belonging.

As a member of the Teen Advisory Board, I serve as a voice for the City's U, and I hope to use that on the board.

We're alongside people from every walk of life to strengthen our community.

I also serve as an official photographer for the Tina Advisory Board, Redwood City Fire Department, and Parks and Recreations.

And through my camera, I strive to tell the city that has its diversity, resilience, and struggles alike.

Additionally, I work at the library as a public as a project read tutor since seventh grade, helping students strengthen their reading and mathematics skills, and I lead a monthly reading circle for younger children.

To truly advance cyber city equity and inclusion through art, we must ask who gets to create it and who gets to experience it.

Too often, gifted artists are not held back by lack of vision, but by social or economic barriers.

That is why investing in community-driven public art murals at the city's own stories, so this is the one outside or exhibits in our city squares matter so much.

This kind of art lets us celebrate the people who keep Redwood City running, our first responders, teachers, sanitation workers, and more, while also tying in our local artists.

I want to hope to deepen our partnerships with schools and youth artists, building more classes and forums for our young voices will shape public art here, like the Alley besides the Renes, beautiful place if you haven't visited, and to keep our teen advisory board and the Arts Commission to work together to empower a youth artist council that prioritizes grants for underrepresented artists like those in their youth.

Art belongs to everyone in our city, and our policies should not reflect that.

And that is why Redwood City is more than a city but a crossroads, because situated at the very heart of the peninsula, it is a melting point where every culture, generation, and walk of life converges.

This is not just demographics, but the foundation of our beautiful city.

My vision starts into art that we can view and touch every day.

Like if you are commuting through Redwood City, you can go see into public art woven into downtown, our parks, our public transit corridors, like the California right there.

I believe that musical instruments should be mounted on street corners or digital murals that catch the wanderer's eye.

Art should not be confined to our galleries, but it should be interactive and part of our daily paths.

I also hope for festivals that run year-round, not just seasonally, with real platforms for our youth and teens to perform and create and lead such as plays at the theater or such as band performances at the square.

I believe that our energy should be more than just downtown, but into every single neighborhood, and that we should connect our local artists in every kind.

When we invest in art and in our community, we strengthen vote, and that is what builds a long sense of last and pride in our civic in our civic uh pride.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you, Aravic.

Our final candidate is Natalie Wills.

Welcome.

Good evening, Council.

Um, good evening, everybody who's here.

It's um a pleasure to be here and to hear everyone's stories about why they would be uh such great contributors to the city through art.

And um just a quick introduction to myself.

I was born and raised in San Mateo County, um, grew up in Foster City, and uh went to Burlingame High School where I hated science but loved to draw in class.

And um subsequently, because of the situation I was in as a child, I actually ran away from home.

Ended up getting sent away to one of those therapeutic boarding schools by my parents who um really thought it was the best thing for me at the time.

When I got back, I went to Kenyatta College, graduated Valedictorian and fundraise money through um writing my own songs and performing on campus.

Um during the time I was sent away from home, going through a really tough time.

I was able to go out and see the movie Sumdog Millionaire, which was uh probably the most inspiring movie to my heart.

Um has anyone here seen a piece of art or listened to a song that seriously changed their lives?

Anyone?

Okay.

So my vision and my goal for um being an arts commissioner here at Redwood City is to help be a part of that art where someone stops and they look at it or they read it and they say, wow, that really hits home for me.

Um I really like here's a feeling that I've been hiding for so long that I can finally feel because somehow this artwork is helping me feel that feeling.

Um, so continuing to tell my story, I was able to transfer to UC Berkeley.

Um I got my VA in sociology there, and um, upon returning home, I began a career in database and uh did that for about sales for about 10 years, building relationships.

It was one of the greatest things about uh that part of my career, but luckily I was able to leave it aside um once Paris Hilton came out and said that she had been sent to a boarding school as well.

That was considered therapeutic, um turned out being essentially benefits trafficking, and I've worked with her team to help pass uh state legislation to prevent child abuse in that space recently with SB 1043 and uh completely involved in that business.

What I want to say is uh Paris has actually brought me to light about um herself as an artist, but also as a politician, and that's why I'm so excited about um potentially working with the city council to do this, is because I do have a purpose here to help tell stories of those who are the underdogs of our community who have made it through somehow from a terrible situation like benefits trafficking as a child to going to the state and passing laws and um telling that story through art is um something that I really look forward to being able to do.

I also um actually was introduced to this position through connecting with a current art council member um Anna Westendorf.

Um I told her I wanted to do a mural next to my house and um really look forward to um continuing that project even though I may or may not get this role.

Um I connected with the Caltrans representative who is gonna help us get there, and I will continue to um help build relationships um for us to tell our story through art.

Thank you so much again.

My name is Natalie Wills.

I appreciate all of your time.

Thank you, Natalie.

That wraps up our applicants for the evening, mayor.

Thank you.

Great, thank you, City Clerk, and thank you, everybody, for making the time to be here in person, for taking the time to apply and for your interest in serving.

Um we appreciate everyone again uh looking to support and uplift our community here in Redwood City.

And with that, we will adjourn our special meeting and our next city council meeting.

We'll start in the blink of an eye.

So we will wish everyone a restful evening and see you in a moment.

Thank you.