We're ready when you are.

Okay. Good evening. We will call this meeting to order of the sacrament of City Council.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Thank you. Councilmember Kaplan. Councilmember Dickinson. Mayor Pro Tem Telemontes.

Councilmember Pluckybaum. Vice Mayor Maple. Councilmember Gatta. Councilmember Jennings.

Councilmember Vang. Mayor McCarty.

Here. Thank you. We'll begin tonight's meeting with the land acknowledgement from Councilmember Pluckybaum.

All right.

For the original people of this land, the Nisanan people, the southern Maidu Valley Plains,

and Plains, Miwok, Patwyn, Wintu, peoples and the people of the Wilton Rancheria Sacromanos

only federally recognized tribe. May we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before

us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather today in the

active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacromanos and Indigenous peoples history.

contributions and lives. Thank you. Thank you. Are we still standing? Councilmember Dickinson,

please leave us on the pledge. Please join me in the pledge.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which

stands why our nation have regard the Indigenous people and the liberty and justice strong.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, please call item number one.

Thank you, Mayor. Item number one is approval of an amendment to the City

Management Employment Agreement. Thank you, staff. Please proceed.

Hi, Shelley Robinson, your human resources director. As you know, we're before you with our

recommendation to approve an amendment to the employment agreement for the City Manager for an

extension through December 31st, 2025. Okay. Thank you. No questions. Public comment?

Yes, we'll go to public comment on this item before we get to council members, questions,

and comments on this item. So please call the list this evening.

Thank you, Mayor. And I do have quite a few speakers, so feel free to line up in the aisle.

The first speaker is Michael Alt, Karen Corbs, Lambert, Kristen Rogers, or Christina Rogers,

Ben Clay, or Clayton. Good evening, Mayor. Members of the City Council,

Michael Alt. I was excited to be here last Tuesday when we welcomed a new wave of leadership

into the City of Sacramento. And I think as we welcome a new mayor and council, we must also

acknowledge the broader political landscape at play, including the impending changes at the

federal level that will come on January 20th. These shifts will undoubtedly influence our local

governance, funding, including significant impact to California budgets. In the face of these

uncertainties, it's crucial we feel to embrace stability within our city organization.

Extending the City Manager's contract is a strategic decision that gives us the stability

we need as we transition. It helps us in our ongoing projects and ensures we're responding to

new challenges in a cohesive way. This is a moment for Sacramento to demonstrate what thoughtful

intentional leadership looks like. It's not just about the policies that we pass, but about how we

manage the City, how we plan, how we execute, and how we adapt as an organization. We want to

thank Howard for his leadership and partnership under his guidance. We have seen our City and

downtown make significant strides, and we hope to see his continued support in advancing our city

forward. Change is inevitable, and we can choose how we navigate it no matter what. We will move

forward with this entire council together. We firmly believe that Howard is the best person for

this job, and that the City is better off with him at the helm. We urge you to prioritize Sacramento's

long-term success by supporting this renewal. Thank you. Karen Corbs?

Good evening.

I fully support City Manager Howard Chan and believe it is crucial to extend his contract.

Howard serves in one of the most challenging City management roles in the country,

navigating the highly political landscape of Sacramento. Despite facing significant opposition

from members of the community, advocating for policies such as defunding the police,

Howard has consistently championed public safety. Under Howard Chan's leadership, the City has made

strides of balancing complex issues while maintaining essential services, all amidst a volatile

political environment. The challenges he faces daily from managing divergent political interest

to implementing policies that serve the greater good cannot be overstated. A decision not to

extend his contract would create an unnecessary instability and disruption at a time when strong

effective leadership is critical. Howard has demonstrated unwavering commitment to our city's

well-being, and we cannot afford to lose his expertise. I urge you to do the right thing and

extend his contract for the continued prosperity and safety of Sacramento. Thank you.

Thank you. Next figure is Lambert.

Yes, Lambert Davis, a native of Sacramento. I've studied Howard Chan, and I personally do not

think he should give an extension, and this is why. In the discussion here on your agenda, it says

an oral presentation. I haven't heard an oral presentation. That was something from human resources.

What I would like to see, I've never seen a person get a raise or an amendment without speaking

to the public. I think the city manager should have to speak to the rostrum and the people who

can fire him with a two-thirds vote. He needs to speak to the public. I think he should come down

here and use this technology to tell us exactly why he should get an extension. Now, I can confirm

why. Now, this doesn't work anymore. I think that's a freedom of speech thing. You need to correct that.

This overhead projector, I can fix that myself. Now, this is a memorandum, and since I can't show

it here, I'll show it to the crowd. This is a memo that was sent out on my family. It was sent to

Mayor Steinberg and the city council, but it wasn't sent to me. I'm the one that filled out the

paperwork, not the mayor, not the city council, and everything on here is slanderous. Very cruel to

my family, and also in the city manager's office, there was a $100,000 contract given to wide open

walls, and they didn't have any no written agreement, nothing. And here I am submitted all this

paperwork and only got $4,000. And I asked when I found this out, can I get in that line and get

a no written agreement, or is it just for whites only? Christina Rogers.

Following Christina is Clay, and then Dustin Smith. Hi, first of all, I'd like to say congratulations

to our new city council. Okay, so you have to move us forward with a city's in debt, and that

will mean saying no to things you really want to do, but don't have the funds for. It means focusing

on your core financial duties as city council by funding our city parks, maintenance, public safety,

or streets. These are your foundational duties and keep a city going. Please extend Howard Chan's

contract. You need him right now. He served the city well, even at the expense of his own family

safety, because he's been the financial gatekeeper for some really bad ideas, being pushed by those

with personal agendas who have no concern how it would impact the city and quality of life of

others. I know you will prove to us tonight how you will lead, be wise, be thoughtful, be practical

and consistent. Please extend Howard Chan's contract and put Sacramento on the right path as of

tonight. Thank you very much. Thank you, next speaker please.

Please.

Thank you.

Good afternoon. My name is Clay. You can't. I'm the vice president for the Sacramento City

Exempt Employees Association. I would first like to congratulate the new mayor, the new council

members, and the elected council members. We are excited for the future of Sacramento. Our

association represents over 850 exempt employees throughout the city. We are not centric to one

department, but we have members who work in every department of the city. You recently received

a letter endorsed by S.P.O.A. Local 522 in SCA. These three associations represent nearly one

half of all city employees. The letter addresses our concern about stability in the city manager

position and the support of extending city manager Chan's contract. I would like to point out

that it is uncommon that you see the alignment of management and line level associations.

The concern is for our members who work tirelessly every day to make our city function.

Sacramento is fortunate to have an immense amount of talent in its workforce. I'm afraid we will

lose that talent without stability in the top management position. That is why we support

extending city manager Chan's contract. City manager Chan has proven to be a firm but

fair leader that is consistent and experienced. We believe that this extension will provide stability

for our employees, our business partners, our residents, and the overall well-being of our city.

The budget season is upon us and we are all aware that we will be facing some difficult challenges

this year. We need to ensure that we have an experienced city manager that understands the city's

budget process and who works collaboratively with its workforce. We ask you to consider the

recommendation from the Labor leaders that represent approximately half the city's workforce to

pass a vote on extending city manager Chan's contract tonight. This will relieve anxiety in the

workplace and amongst our members. Thank you. Next speaker please. Next speaker is Dustin Smith.

John Freys. Thank you. John Freys Morales.

Following John is Jeffrey Tardigia. I support Howard Chan because he helped clear

the homeless camps near my home in East Sacramento. Howard saw a need for the city to comply with

measure O. Howard set up the homeless dashboard for measure O and this year his team closed 36,000

tickets for 311. Last year, highway business 80 underpasses from Planned Parenthood to the natural

foods co-op were full of homeless. At Stanford Park, the girls coach even stopped the soccer game to

pick up needles. But my former council member was against the homeless sweeps. The former council member

even called us toxic nimi constituents. Howard's measure O data is promising but only 5% of the

homeless except shelter, most are service resistant. In my neighborhood last year DCR cleared 143

homeless camps and picked up 813 needles. Every night, addicts would come into McKinley Village

to steal packages and break car windows. This year the city found 58,000 drug needles at homeless

camps around the city. Now the corner is reporting 1100 fentanyl deaths and 1200 homeless deaths.

If the city can't fix the homeless, return my property taxes just like prop 312 in Arizona.

We can't wait our futures on the line. Every day, wherever you go, we see the results of

crime, light and homelessness. Rather than be hopeless, we can work together with the city manager

and make decisions now to make Sacramento a better place to live and work. Let's listen to each other now.

Let's solve problems now. Let's have a better Sacramento now. Thank you. Thank you, next speaker,

please. Thank you. I have about 28 speakers. Our next is Jeffrey Turteguia, then John

Vinoski, then James Allison.

Kevin, Old Council, New Council. I will say for the Old Council, why it took so long to address

this issue. I think that's a failure. New Council, I will say to you is we still haven't seen

what says on here a closed session report. I was disappointed at last meeting when you just

because of this, you stopped and you did not tell public comment. I do not know and hope that someone

on the council will address is why there wasn't more discussion about what happens in the future

and when the last time a performance evaluation was performed on the city manager. This reminds me

of some 30 years ago, what we call boulder dash, when Inglewood had a manager that was

the highest paid in the state. So Kevin, half of your community is not supporting you. Please do

a better job of making sure the public is informed of issues at hand. This should have had something

more brought back as a report about one. Where is he can at right now? What hasn't happened

under his leadership and what his accomplishments were and for the future? What is the assessment of

what needs to happen for the next manager or the manager in training? What is going on? Thank you

very much. That's my public comment, you guys. James Finjowski, James Allison or John Finjowski, sorry,

James Allison, PJ Andrews, Dylan Hoy Bianchi. James is a nice name too. Good evening, council.

Congratulations, Saldeny faces. Here to speak in first, my name is John Finjowski. Here to speak in

favor of Howard Chan's extension. I think the city of Sacramento is the best run large city in

California, better than San Francisco, San Jose, LA. You can laugh all you want but I've lived in

those cities and it's a disaster dealing with staff. There's a mess. We have fantastic staff here.

Some of them are in the room. I start naming some of my favorite names and faces but I'll spare you

all. I think the two are related. Howard's been in the job for eight years. Culture is set at the top.

If something's not broke, don't fix it. Howard enjoys the support and confidence of labor,

of staff and of the business community because he just does a fantastic job leading the city through

a difficult time. If you look at a lot of other large California cities have been uninvestable.

I build what I do, build affordable housing and urban infill, transit oriented development projects.

You can't build what we're building here in many other cities in California, unfortunately.

A large part of that is because the staff is just not well run. We have a huge asset and Howard

I'd highly recommend not just extending them for the next year but for the next multiple years.

That stability and certainty is really critical when you're planning millions of dollars investment

and you're putting millions of dollars of personal assets on the line. It's really helpful to have

certainty and stability and leadership. Your job, I think primarily, is to attract as much

capital into your neighborhoods as possible because that's what leads to jobs, housing,

opportunity, economic opportunity. That's what's going to lift all of your constituents and

rising title of all ships. Take supporter of Howard Chan and his staff and I think you should do

the right thing and extend his contract for more than a year. Thank you. Next speaker please.

Good evening, Mayor, Council members and staff. My name is James Allison, Executive Director of

the Power and Alliance, a property business improvement district representing Sacramento's

manufacturing and industrial core and the 1300 businesses within it. I'm here today to offer

our support for the extension of city manager Howard Chan's contract. Sacramento has faced

Maria challenges over the last several years, least of which are ongoing structural deficit that

we're facing here as a city. Last year under the city manager's leadership we were able to navigate

the deficit delivering a balanced budget without cuts to critical city services and more importantly

no layoffs to city staff. Sacramento has entered into a period of new leadership but not just

limited to our local government that has been seen at county, state and federal government.

With so much uncertainty coming from various leadership groups it is critical that we do maintain

this level of consistency that we are able to hear in Sacramento. We believe that the decision

to extend the city manager's contract will aid in ensuring forward momentum in addressing the

challenges that we are facing as a community. When we need only look at power in, speaking with the

stakeholders that we have in our district, it's often said that if we look back at the past decades

in power in, we see even worse than the cleanliness and safety issues that we've experienced in our

district. Many of the stakeholders that we have credit the amazing partnerships that have been

formed with the city and really fostered by the staff that we have across Sacramento in ensuring

a clean and safe environment for power in and its visitors. We believe that the decision today

to extend the contract will help aid in that forward momentum both with addressing our city's

financial concerns but also in bringing some real positive change to many of the challenges that we

see on the streets of Sacramento on a day-to-day basis. Thank you all for the time and we appreciate it.

Thank you next speaker please.

I have PJ Andrews following PJ's Dylan Hoy Bianchi then Dan Allison.

So Howard will continue the status quo of not solving problems, superficially addressing them so

they keep popping up. He doesn't understand people's circumstances and so can never address

actual solutions. He will continue destroying the trust between those that need the city's help

and the city and he will keep utilizing his position to keep the council under his thumb and

doing his bidding and we have added more status quo superstars to the council. District 4 didn't

go to run off because of 116 votes after the incumbent was outspent 3-1 by a developer-backed candidate.

The ownership would have gone differently if half a percent of ballots had gone to Dr. Flow.

After she was outspent 10-1 by a developer-backed candidate. After the winter spent 20 years in

an electric office in Sacramento and Dr. Flow came within half a percent of beating him.

Neither of you knew people are here because you had popular support because you were able to

manipulate a system that has prone to manipulation. What a cynical way to live.

You'll fit right in with Howard as you capitulate your vote to him today.

The mayor candidate had to lie about Dr. Flow's plans in order to win.

Had to have those spending on his behalf rely on half-truths, lies,

manipulation of the voting populace and with all that just barely eaked out of victory.

So watch yourselves. Because we're planning on coming after each and every one of you who

employ status quo tactics. Coming after your positions on this council, coming after your

employees to play the fears of neighbors and communities rather than speaking to the potential

that exists. It's tired. It's lazy. I'd say you're above it, but that clearly is in the case.

But you should be. And it's sad that you aren't. Planning has already begun.

So I enjoy your seats while you have them. Glean those developer dollars that keep people

in house and harassed and traumatized by police. Keep lying to your constituents about what is

happening and drawing on their fear. And we will consistently outspend you in the truth of the matter

and not on status quo thinking because people recognize that your status quo ain't solvent shit.

Best of luck.

Next speaker is Dylan. Boy Bianchi. Dan Allison. And then sunrise.

Hello, my name is Dylan. I'm a resident of district three. Specifically the Northgate neighborhood,

which the mayor in his speech last week mentioned he wanted to shine a spotlight on.

I want to just, you know, I'm going to reference some of the stuff that happened last week because

I meant to make this comment last week, but unfortunately it was delayed. The mayor,

Kevin McCarty, has had decades in politics and massive name recognition and still just barely

managed an embarrassingly close win against a no name candidate who's never held office before.

An alienated a huge portion of the city in the process by spending several hundred thousand

dollars to send out mailers filled with racist lies. In his remarks last week, the mayor did

briefly shout out his opposition saying, I'm your mayor too. Well, no, not yet. You're not. You have

to earn that honor. Instead of a mandate to govern, you have an obligation to mend fences and take

Dr. Flos coalition and are concerned seriously if you want to actually serve the city and make

Sacramento better. And this must start with rejecting Howard Chan's contract extension.

Howard Chan's tenure as city manager has been disastrous for the city. He is responsible for

the deaths of numerous unhoused individuals due to his callous response to inclement weather.

He regularly ignores direction from the city council. He has stood in the way of progress on many

issues and homelessness in particular and done all of this with a compensation package bigger than

any other government official in the state. If you want to continue the status quo of a broken city,

by all means extend Howard's contract. But if you want to prove that you were worthy of the

title you've just been sworn into, Mayor McCarty, if you want to show people that this run for mayor

was about more than just your ego and political career, if you truly want to represent the entire city,

don't be a coward. Get rid of Howard. And to the other members of this council, I encourage you to

look at the election results and see how well Dr. Flos performed in your district and weigh how much

you are eager to be challenged by that coalition in your next election as you consider how you vote

tonight. Thank you for your time. Speaker's Dan Allison and Sunrise.

Good evening council, Dan Allison. District 4. I oppose the extension of the contract for Howard

Chan. The city manager is not working for the citizens of Sacramento. The council manager

government's model only works if the council holds the city manager accountable. It has not.

The city manager has routinely ignored the direction of the council, most

egregiously on homeless issues. The SACB has reported a number of dishonest, if not illegal actions.

The city manager has a false view of public safety. Thinking that increases in the police budget

solve the public safety challenge. They do not. Most important to me is a transportation advocate.

The city manager has refused to allocate significant funding to traffic safety and the reduction

of traffic violence. You're going to consider an emergency declaration in part due to the failure

of the city manager to pay attention to the most important public safety issue, which is traffic

safety. If Howard Chan had been paying attention, we probably wouldn't have an emergency.

Several leaders have expressed that at the extension would provide stability. My question is stability

towards what end? We have a dysfunctional governance and management model. Do we want to continue

that? I hope not. Thank you. Next speaker is Sunrise, then Andrew Bianchi, then Flo Cofur.

I'm going to move to the next speaker.

Breathe with me. Under new management, a question, a poem. Open your ears to these streets on May.

I'm pleading to this podium to remind the council that a person died here just a week before right

outside of that door. These streets whisper the names of more dead than one can hold. We hold space.

To remember them right outside of that door, every winter is solstice, December 21st, the night

most cold. The city manager has made decisions with fatal consequences for our neighbors who live

outside. He has said publicly that he would make those decisions again. Maybe that's a question of

direction given. And yes, tonight can be a new direction. And yes, Sacramento desperately needs

a new direction. And I challenge you to do better than the direction that you campaigned on, Mayor.

The one that invites punishment for poverty rather than solutions for the problems causing us pain.

Our communities are in pain. Listen and open your ears to the streets, huddled in this room,

this warm room of the people's hall. Can you hear the pleas for life-saving warmth in this cold

weather? Do you hear the desperation? Do you hear a mine? Do you hear the people that were swept by

the city manager, the people who were dying outside that door? There is a body count. We have a

police department that recently announced the death and custody of a woman. They were sweeping

sweeps, keel. Sweeps, keel in this city. We say no camping band because sweeps, displacement,

keels. Welcome to day one. You are responsible for a city and people are dying on these streets,

open your ears to what is happening on these streets. Welcome. A better world is possible.

I'm Andrew Bianchi, then flow co-fer, then Kiambles.

Hello, my name is Andrea Bianchi and I'm a resident of district three. I'm not sure what I can say

about Howard Tannet hasn't been said and that you will have not heard time and time again. I

wonder if you all ever think seriously and critically about why we keep showing up,

meeting after meeting, to demand action from this council when it comes to Howard Tannet.

Howard Tannet is the highest paid city manager in the state of California with his 2023 pay and

benefits totaling over $700,000. I find it strange, then, that when the decision of whether or not to

defer this contract decision until after the new council mayor was sworn into office, members of

this council made pleased to consider chance family saying that we need to think about his family

when making decisions about his job so close to the holidays. Howard Tannet is a no danger of not

being able to pay his bills and I wonder why maintaining his excess of wealth is more important than

for example the lives that we have lost due to his refusal to open emergency shelters

during extreme weather events. It honestly feels disgusting to use that language in an attempt to

paint Howard Tannet is somehow underpaid and overburdened. How you all manage to gaslight and

lie through your teeth to the people living in the city about our city managers pay, behavior,

and effectiveness is almost impressive. Howard Tann works for you although in practice it doesn't

operate that way, does it. The thing is though you work for us, we elected you, we do not elect

Howard Tann. So what do we do when you won't listen to us and Howard Tannet won't listen to you?

Well, you could refuse to extend his contract so that we don't all forget only the city council

has the power to fire our city manager. If this new council actually cares to prioritize

accountability to the community refusing to extend Howard Tann's contract would be the perfect

place to start. Thank you. Next speaker is Flo Coulford and Keon Bliss.

Good evening Mayor and Council. This is difficult to do and my leg is shaking because it is difficult to

speak truth to power and at the same time if you lie about your pain and people will kill you and

say you enjoyed it. And so I want to be really clear here my you know my time here in Sacramento,

I've seen the best of Sacramento. We've had conversations where we disagreed, listened and learned

from each other and we've been able to talk about the best of what Sacramento has to offer. I've

also seen the worst of what Sacramento has to offer and the absolute worst is this. In late September

I was told that I would be given a campaign contribution in exchange for agreeing to extend

the city manager's contract by one year and I was told that this had to happen because the city

required stability. I want to make it very clear that to my knowledge Howard Chan was not aware of

and did not condone what was offered to me on his behalf but that it happened at all gives me

serious concerns about who is pulling the strings and what they're willing to do or have already

done. Needless to say I was shocked that I was offered this. Before I launched my campaign I decided

not to take corporate pack money because of the influence of money in politics and I was

particularly concerned that the influence often works against the interests of the people who live

here and naively I always assumed that the influence was implied. I never expected a blatant

offer of a campaign contribution to take a political action but given the casual ease with which

it was offered I can't help but wonder if I'm the only one in town who has had this experience.

It makes me worry about business as usual in Sacramento. I worry why at least two political donors

in Sacramento are willing to commit crimes to try to keep the unelected city manager in his job

and I'm sharing my experience because I think Sacramento's should be aware. I've seen the best

of Sacramento and this is not it and I just want to remind us that I want to make sure that our

city decisions are not made with undue influence and I also want to add that I have absolutely no

reason to lie about this. Thank you. I feel your comments. Your time is complete. Our next speaker is

Keon Bliss. I'm going to read a few names that were here last week but I don't believe they turn

into slip this week. Mike Testa, Emily Baimi, Gabriel Morningstar and Billy Baker. Please proceed.

Hey, Aaron Council, do you have the opportunity to really start fresh?

I love to give you all the benefit of doubt, especially those of you who are just starting on,

but frankly the past eight years that I have seen of this council gives me a reason to believe

nothing is going to change. Largely because a lot of you are controlled by money. I mean,

they're literally in the office, the audience right here. Look, like that have been giving you tens of

thousands of dollars to make decisions on his behalf. I know from experience having been on my

first city commission and can tell you 100% that Howard Chan has no integrity. He is not a man

of integrity. He doesn't respect you. He has literally broken the law twice for his pay raises.

He has broken state law to undermine and water down racial equity initiative. And he is literally

added things on your agenda that you didn't ask for, even when you were asking for things like a

middle housing income ordinance to be put on there. And if he doesn't respect you, I know he

doesn't respect you all, but everybody here in this room can tell you that he doesn't respect you

all. That's why he is oftentimes confused for the mayor, at least the last time.

There's a lot that could be said about what kind of character that really represents within this city.

But I'm here to point out that we as community members, you represent all of us.

Not just the wealthy interests that give you to the tune of $95,000 like from the firefighters

local 522 to this council or $94,000 from the Sacramento Police Office Association or $38,000

from the Sacramento Metro Chamber. We have serious issues that we need.

Thank you for your comments. Your time is complete. Our next speaker is Mary Tappel.

Your time is complete. Please take your seats. Mary Tappel.

And I'm going to read Mary if you'll give me a moment. Mike Testa, I don't believe it's here.

Emily Baime, Gabriel Morningstar, and Billy Baker. So Ms. Tappel, and following Ms. Tappel is Michael Andrew Barnbaum.

Just a moment.

I'm going to read you a moment.

Give me a moment. Let me restart your time, please.

Okay. And particularly welcome to Roger Dickinson, one of the many who helped clean up our bike trail.

And I was so impressed with how well the city management and staff worked with our community groups.

I've been working with the Safe Clean and Beautiful Bike Trail Group for a long time now.

I've ever since it formed. And this has been the most amazing experience in my life and all the

clean ups I've been involved over about three decades and lots of thousands of hours of clean ups.

This one went the best and we had the support of the park safety rangers. We had the support

of the city police. And we had the council members support. And this was a unique in my experience,

but it people are trying to move back to the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail and in campments.

And some of them are bringing aggressive dogs. And they are dumping a large amount of stuff that

when it gets to be dry again will be a fire hazard. And before when they were in the camp

resolution area, they not only had a homicide in that small area. In each of 2023, that one was

by machete. A horrible mean way to die. And the next one was by stabbing in 2024 in a very small

number, among a very small number group. And that would represent a huge of concentration of

homicides in the general Sacramento city. And they are ones that are not out of a clear blue sky.

They are regularly our violent people. And they also were doing things like disabling our fire

hydrants. When we needed them in the summer or hot period, we had all sorts of fire hazards.

And so we received support from all the city staff, including our city manager,

please extend this contract. We need the consistency and we need to stay safe. Thank you very much.

Next speaker is Michael Barnbaum, then Tiffany Clark.

Good evening mayor and city council members. Michael Barnbaum and I reside in district two.

I want to go on record seconding the comments of Dylan Hoy Bianchi, Andy Bianchi, and Dr.

Flo Cofur. And I want to elaborate on what they have said in second their motion.

In that the timing of this given the city's $77 million budget deficit is not appropriate.

I do believe in getting things done with heart and hustle, but I don't believe in rushing to

a formal decision. When I feel that I'm being rushed into something and need more time, I vote no on the matter.

And I hope that 94,495 people will be able to come together and work closely with the other 96,000

433. Yes, I kept the stats when the county released them and was the one responsible on the campaign

to report every and any update the county made. And I will keep these records.

What happened was very hard for me and it's something I still take and it's hard today.

So please when you get to this item, please vote no. I think there's an alternative way to make sure

that more is possible for the people of Sacramento. Thank you.

Next speaker's Tiffany Clark, then Patrick Clark, then Zion Tattas.

Good evening, Mayor McCarty, Council members, staff and congratulations to those new and reelected to the council.

My name is Tiffany Clark. I was in the news earlier this year sounding the alarm about

measure season equities. I'm the Sacramento attorney who's in the news. And who push back during

this year's budget negotiations against two dramatic and inequitable fee hikes targeting often

socio economically disadvantaged home business owners. This time, or again, urging the council to take

a stand for fairness and equity in the budget this time by voting no on extending this city managers

contract as drafted. Regardless of what you may think of his performance because with large and

growing budget deficits and no easy budget cuts left, every dollar spent on above market compensation,

the highest in the state for city manager according to the B is a dollar taken effectively from

a relatively under compensated employee in this year's contract negotiations or an underserved

resident in the form of more fee hikes, more service cuts. If the city manager is unwilling to

negotiate, renegotiate even the most questionable salary and severance portions of his contract,

then so be it. The city council need not sacrifice equity and fairness for the sake of stability

because it's common practice for city managers to come and go especially after an election and for

an interim city manager or assistant city manager serving as interim to provide the needed

stability while a new city manager is recruited. So please take a stand for equity and fairness

with this first vote of your new session and vote no on this extension. Thank you.

Patrick? Patrick, Benzion?

Good evening. Mr. Mayor, members of the city council. My name is Patrick Clark. I'm a labor

relations consultant. I represent more than 50 different cities, counties and special districts as a

labor negotiator. I'm here to remind you that you're about to enter into labor negotiations with

virtually all of your employees this spring. And this is going to be particularly difficult because

you're facing a $77 million deficit. And approving this agreement tonight will be problematic.

You have already the highest paid city manager in the state of California. I submit the

city of Sacramento is not the wealthiest city in the state nor is Mr. Chan the most experienced

city manager. Notwithstanding their support this evening, when you go to the bargaining table,

they're going to have high expectations. Expectations that I submit are going to be very difficult

for you to meet with a $77 million deficit. These employees know that they are below average

in compensation. Their surrounding agencies I negotiate for many of them have been giving out

large salary increases and you're not going to be in a position to match them. I suggest that you

either renegotiate even modest concessions for Mr. Chan's contract so that you can look these

employees in the eye when you offer them less compensation than the surrounding agencies.

Or if he's unwilling to negotiate or renegotiate, I would say let the contract expire. He will

receive another year's compensation. You can move forward with an assistant city manager serving

as interim. Many of my clients do this as several are doing it at this moment. Or you can hire

an outside interim city manager while you conduct a state countrywide national recruitment.

And select a city manager that all nine of you can support. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment. Zion, Patis. And then, Jay King.

Hi everyone. Thank you for having me. Welcome, Kevin. So for me,

I'm definitely against how Chan, because I feel like you really don't serve the community that

you said yourself, which is the underrepresented community. So for me, you have been affecting me

through my businesses because I did fight for a great play program. But you wrote me a letter saying

that my food was not healthy. And I have the witness right there who's Kevin, my customer,

and everybody, my customer, that who really believe my food was healthy. And you pulled that plug on

me. And I suffered because of that. And the cannabis equity right now is out of control.

We fought for black community to get involved into the cannabis industry. 80% of it spent

somewhere else, not in our community that fought for it from the beginning. So I feel like,

I don't even know why we are, we have to extend your staying when you are actually now working for

the under-served underrepresented community, which government was supposed to be working for the

businesses who underserved the people, the youth are in our community killing each other,

or thus community violence. It is your responsibility, all of you, to make sure our youth are not killing

each other. Our businesses, more businesses, are suffering right now in Sacramento. The homeless

is out of control. At my restaurant, I see the same homelessness again and again. What is

they have for them? What is it? I don't see it. Do you see it? We don't see any change. I've been

around in Sacramento for a long time. I don't see any change. So we need some big change. We need

some big policy to change our community, especially, put them money back.

Thank you for your comments. Your time is complete. Our next speaker is Jay King, then Mac Worthy.

Good evening, everyone. Congratulations, Mayor and Councilmember. My name is Jay King.

I am the President and CEO of the California Black Chamber of Commerce and 97.5 FMKDE.

It is an honor to stand here today to express our full support for Howard Chan's one-year

contract extension as city manager of Sacramento. Howard has dedicated 22 years of service to the city,

and his leadership has been nothing short of exceptional. Through challenges and opportunity

to like, he has consistently demonstrated the quality of a true leader, dedication, integrity,

innovation, and a commitment to problem solving. His efforts have fostered partnerships,

supported economic growth, and strengthened the very fabric of our community.

As we know, leadership is about consistency and vision, and Howard has embodied

both throughout his tenure. His proven track record and ability to address the unique needs

of the Sacramento and have earned him the trust and respect of not just the city, but the business

community as well. The California Black Chamber of Commerce is proud to stand with him because we

know his priorities align with fostering economic opportunity and ensuring that all residents have

a voice in the future of the city. Howard's experience and proven commitment make him the right

choice to continue leading Sacramento forward. On behalf of our members and the business community,

we urge the council to move forward with his one-year extension. Let's continue this progress and

build upon the strong foundation that has been established under his guidance. Thank you,

and let's support a leader who has proved in time and time again that he is dedicated to the

success of Sacramento. Thank you. Thank you for your comments, Mack Worthy and Vito Scrolo.

Good afternoon.

My name is

A lot have been said that I could have said if you had to just open up.

I have documentation where I put them here is 40 one year old. Same thing you were doing,

Kevin got my records when he first came here. You can't change this city, young man. First,

you told us you were part black. Wow. You don't have to do that. See, these are the things that we

don't see. Change the charter. Change the charter of this city and you will get rid of this garbage

because it's a whole house government. Change it. Get it and change it. It needs to be changed.

Well, that no mayor can put a motion on the floor and no mayor can vote unless it's a

typo. The politicians will change the garbage in Sacramento. Are you going to go down to

two because I'm going to do my utmost to work with Donald Trump to shorten your money.

People we see the most people that spoke here tonight get a check from the city. Why are you

bringing these people out here? Because you lie. There's no safe city in America and you

will never have a safe city. But when on the Chicago can happen here. When on in Madison,

to the girl killer, it can happen here because people like you have a lie to those folks,

they and they out. Tell them the truth. Tell what the truth and we'll go places. I was in the

beginning for 59 years here in this city. I came here 19 years old. I have an oldest member in

this household tonight, 83 years old and still coming. Wake up people. Wake up America. Can do better

and don't go to make some egg buys. The police department. Clean up your trash because I'm coming.

Thank you for your comments. Fido Scromo, Alyssa Lee and Marbella Salah.

Mayor City Council. I've known Mr. Chan for the past 14 years and worked with him on many

major community issues. I've also worked with many estate employees at his level or higher

and rarely have I met such a dedicated, hardworking and professional employee who has the interest

of the city and the public. I encourage you to extend his contract. Thank you. Thank you for your

comments. Alyssa Lee and Marbella Salah. Then Henry Harry. Hello council. My name is Alyssa Lee.

I live in District 4 and welcome to the new council to this wonderful challenge of making Sacramento

prosperous and livable city for everyone. I've tried to put myself in all of your shoes and to

imagine how difficult this choice would be and what kind of consequences you might fear facing

if you vote not to extend how a chance contract. But I'm asking you to please not extend this

contract because right now his leadership has continued to let so many of Sacramento's down.

As a transportation advocate I can speak specifically to how much our city is failing on public

safety when it comes to keeping people who are trying to navigate the city at any point and

outside of a car walking biking as youth as elderly. We are doing worse ever since we declared

vision zero. I've met so many amazing staff in the transportation engineering department. They

talked to me. They listened to us. They are doing amazing things and yet over and over we're not

making the progress we need and the reason why is because over and over the budget continues to

not allocate any funding toward the recommendations of staff and of our commissions. So we have this

challenge that we need everyone in Sacramento to work together to solve our problems. We have

people ready to work with you. Our commissions, our advocacy groups, our staff, they are amazing

people and yet they're not what's holding us back. It is the leadership here that is continuing to

not allow us to do what we want to do to make the city better. We have plans. We have research. We

have people. What we need is the funding and the resources and lastly on public safety the people

who are dying because we are the number one city for pedestrian debts for people under the age of

15 people are dying because of not having emergency shelters. They are sacraments. You leave them as

well. Thank you for your comments and next speaker is Marbella Salah. Following Marbella's Henry

Harry, then Moe Kessier me. Good evening and I want to welcome it's so exciting to see the new

council. It's good to see you. Councilman Dickinson, councilman Pleckinbaum. He stepped out but to

see him sit here but I'm very happy to be addressing you, Mayor McCarty and sitting up there and

also I want to thank you for coming to our first you coming to your first community event at

Garland, Northgate community dinner. It was the community was so appreciative that you were there so

thank you. I also want to say that it's regrettable that all of you are here having to make this very

difficult decision. The last council should have made the decision and the reason they didn't make

the decision is because they were not clear about the what all of them saying you know having

the new manager the Howard Chan continue will provide stability because we're having all this crisis,

we have this budget. If they were clear that that was a problem they would have voted to extend

the contract and not put it on your shoulders. So it's very unfair that they're doing it all

to all of you and you're having to make a very difficult decision in a short period of time

without all the information. But I'm here to say I have faith in all of you. You have four

assistant city managers that have been in those positions for several years. You have a budget

and audit committee that are very familiar with the budget and finance. You have a very competent

financial budget department. I worked with them. They're competent knowledgeable and you have all

of you who are very knowledgeable and competent and are leaders that will not this this city will

not fall apart because one person is gone. I can guarantee you that it will not fall apart and

with you all in your leadership position and mayor in your leadership position and the amazing

staff and city assistant city managers you will accomplish. Thank you for your comments your time

is complete. Thank you Marbella Henry Harry and then Mo Kashmiri. Is Henry here? Oh there we are.

Falling Henry is Mo than Rachel? Good evening members of the council. I have nothing personal

against Mr. Chan. It's the position and the amount of money he's getting put at position is what

I've objected to for years. And so you have people like this office over here and the other ones

working here. These guys go out and they risk their lives, jump and fence is chasing bad guys and

they put something on the line and they get I'm going to say under $100,000 I don't know what the

exact amount is for a new officer. But you take a guy that's not putting himself on the line and

you're giving him $400,000 again it's nothing personal. You got to draw the line somewhere. If you

extend this contract make it's the last one let him be on his way and the next guy comes in

shouldn't get that amount of money. Now if you're going to vote for him I hope that you

make sure that he's going to be more transparent and presenting this budget that's coming up.

Make more opportunities for people to participate. I hope that whatever deal that you've made with

him if you're going to extend his contract doesn't involve any increases and benefits or money.

I'm expecting that not to be there. And then I hope that if you extend his contract you

require him to I already said be transparent but hopefully explain this. As we approach a $77

million budget deficit the city is saying that it's primarily due to an expansion into new

city service areas and I hope somebody in the city will explain to us what these new

city service areas are so we can make some intelligent comments about the budget. Thank you.

If you're comments Mo Kashmiri and then Rachel. Hello Mo Kashmiri district four resident.

You know we are facing a massive budget deficit and you know I recently was part of the recent

elections and I knocked on hundreds of doors and overwhelmingly the sense we got was that people

were unsatisfied by the direction of Sacramento as a city they feel like we need to be do much more

on homelessness and that's affecting then it's dragging our city and our businesses down as well.

And I know one candidate ran on more as possible and Mayor McCarty I received a

mailer from you that said we need a change in leadership and if that's what you met I would ask

you to help us turn the page. We're a working class city the last thing we need in a budget deficit

is overpaid civil servants. These serve us we don't serve them and we do not need that much money

going to the city manager right now we need that money for services for our community for all the

things that we want in our our city to make it make it amazing and to say one person that

they should get paid more than the governor for his job is just patently ridiculous you know if

there is a budget deficit we need to chop from the top that's what our voters want they want to

chop from the top they want us to have change in Sacramento and turn a new page and we ask this

council to reject Howard Chan's contract thank you. Thank you for your comments I have three more

speakers Rachel Drew than Nikolai the Rachel Drew than Nikolai.

Sacramento is the sixth largest city in California by population there's no reason that the

city manager should be making five times more than our mayor and three times more than our governor

this year Howard proposed a 30 sorry a 28 million increased to the police budget to a record high

of 250 million even with a 66 million budget deficit when we had a 66 million budget deficit

we have no civilian oversight for police Howard has never fired a single officer for killing

unarmed black men like step on Clark even with sat speedy consistently targeting targeting black

and brown residents for stops arrests and use of force at higher rates than everyone else Howard

goes out of his way to protect them Howard Chan has cost Sacramento's community we've had numerous

deaths from refusing to open emergency shelters during severe weather when he isn't strong

arming the mayor and council council to pass anti homeless ordinances like measure O Howard

allows sack PD to relentlessly sweep our unhoused neighbors even during the worst weather conditions

at a cost of 4.6 million we also have rather than make cuts to police or fire that now make up

73% of the city's discretionary spending Howard consistently proposes increasing fees to city

parking and community services in addition to cutting the popular programs like the youth

ride free regional transit community museums language access public works and over 40 positions

to youth and parks please do not renew this contract

I have two more speakers Drew than Nikolai Eatner

Drew

in his inaugural speech as councilmember last week Phil quoted Dr. Deming the famous business

theorist electrical engineer and management consultant and saying every system is perfectly

designed to get the results it gets I think that's a fitting aphorism especially for Sacramento

however as we consider the extension of the city manager contract I'd like for us to consider

another quote from Dr. Deming that is defects are not free somebody makes them and gets paid

for making them I like this one because not only does it consider the existence of an issue but

also the inevitable opportunity cost that hides in its shadow and reappointing Howard Chan

and opting for the uninspired definition of continuity present in y'all's recent sound bites

there's incredible opportunity cost that is the lost opportunity to appoint someone who doesn't

require the highest total wages of any California city manager and the second highest of any

California official just under Gavin Newsom to perform their duties the opportunity to appoint

someone whose interest is in serving not dispersing themselves retroactive raises we move into the

new year with the looming 70 something million dollar deficit too many dead pedestrians and an

utterly subverted unhoused population in need of real solutions who has paid to create these

defects and if we can answer that question Dr. Deming would then want us to ask should we pay

them three or six or 800 thousand or whatever future multitude of the average take home that they

may come up with to do so it shouldn't take an economist theorist or engineer to answer this

since last Tuesday after watching Kevin Consumet his newly bestowed job by opting to do it the

next time i must admit that my faith in the council to correct the course applauded by how

its compliance juke's city charter called to ventions and brown act violations is diminished

still as evidenced by the crowd gathered here around this issue it needs to be said at the very

least please make the guy complete his mandatory diversity training before giving him another year

of complacency thank you

nickel i will be our final speaker on this item

good evening i also remember being excited on my first day as a public servant one could even say

celebratory i don't recall telling my supervisor an hour into my first official day that there's

a longest of issues that list of issues that we need to address but that today is a day for

celebration i was optimistically expecting a mediocre city government that might cooperate

with city residents instead i was greeted by a city council that ended their first day early

ignoring the city business on the agenda and declining to hear from the public present

i went back to the records that are on the city clerk's website back to 2008 that is the first

time that the city council has decided not to take public comment or the agenda items on the first

day in session congratulations what a start to the tenure of the mayor with real experience

if i'm ruffling your feathers or i feel antagonistic today on my first appearance before you

consider proving me wrong work with the community to make better decisions to follow new trajectories

rather than the status quo trajectories that don't leave sacramento and a deficit while funneling

greater funds to the police while the city struggles with deteriorating infrastructure while the

city struggles with traffic violence and is one of the worst regions and most dangerous in the

nation while the community struggle while the community struggles with homelessness and the city

instead prioritizes sweeps and criminalization sweeps kill traffic violence kills your decisions kill

or your decisions have the ability to make this city a better place the people of this community

the people of every city everywhere deserve better than this prove me wrong and choose a new

trajectory for the city have no more speakers thank you back to the council no more public comment

questions or comments from council members we'll start with council member gare thank you

mr mayor i'll keep this short i think it was said today that we had a fantastic staff here in our

city from a rank and file and many of them came and spoke here and how it has led that staff for

a long time and even to the tough most toughest times but the conversation we're having today is about

the condition of the contract and in reviewing the contract and seeing the condition of the contract

i can't support this condition of this contract and so mr mayor i'm going to move to reject the item

and if the city manager executes section nine of his contract which is his right

then i want to provide direction with this motion to the city clerk and the HR director

to bring back to the council the next steps for the search process for the position of city manager

thank you mr mayor thank you council member i'll second council member gare as motion

we have an emotion we have a motion a second on the floor we'll go back and repeat that if we

have to dispense with that council member vang thanks mayor i'll also support that motion as well

and echo mayor pro tem tolamantes first i just really want to take this moment to say thank you to

those who came today to speak i know it is the holiday season and this is at the forefront

of our city so really appreciate y'all coming out those who came to speak in support of the

contract and those who came to share their insights of why we should not extend the contract so i

really just wanted to say thank you just to the public and tonight i will be supporting the motion

on the table but i think it's really important for me just to say the reasons why i think that's

really important first i just want to acknowledge the many years that our chant has worked in the city

i think it's important to acknowledge you know he started from the ranks working in our parking

division and really appreciate all the hard work that he's done hi r and i may not always agree

on everything as many of you know the racial equity resolution we've bumped heads a lot right but

that doesn't mean that we still can't work together and so i really just want to hold this moment

and say thank you depending on how the votes play out tonight but really thank you for your service

even though we we may not agree on everything but for me the reason why i'm also voting no

and i really want to put it on record is because for me this is really about

um our system our system that's not working and i say that because um

while um you know it could be Howard it could be anyone sitting in that position but i also want

to acknowledge that um a big part of where we're at today is also because of the mayor and the council

and i say that because i when i came in as a city council member we really didn't have a transparent

process of how we evaluated our charter officers um and i'll give an example especially this year

on July 30th i believe around July 30th i'm looking at council in the capitol and we had a special

meeting to discuss our charter officers evaluation and annual reports they would come to P&P

make their annual reports and then it would go to the council for consideration and closed session

and uh during the P&P committee we attempted to do this in July i'm not on the P&P committee

um but all our city officers submitted their annual reports except for the city manager um

all the annual reports were on consent and my understanding is that that process was

and followed and none of the evaluation was taken up um the only evaluation that we've done

this year is our city auditor um and i think it's really important that because we have a new mayor

and new council is that we need to set clear expectations to the city manager whomever they may be

whether it's the current one depending on the vote or the new city manager but all of our charter

officers um as mayor and council we actually have not evaluated benchmarks or performance on our

city manager um and we shouldn't be approving this contract or any further salary raises unless we

actually complete annual reports and benchmark evaluation and the city manager should not be the

exception um i also just want to say for our new mayor mccardi you know as we move forward um you

actually have the power to put these evaluation uh in closed session agenda it's actually not the

council even though it goes to P&P and so moving forward um i just want to say on record that it's

going to be really important that under your leadership um that we um assess benchmarks of our

charter officers and we do that on a timely matter and so i just wanted to make sure i um share that

with our new mayor as well um i also want to share that last year we conducted a priority setting

for our council um at the city's managers request actually um because i know he worked for nine

bosses and he has to figure out um how to serve nine bosses and so he did request that um and to date

we actually have not acted upon those priorities um so i also hope to our new mayor that under your

leadership we are going to have a priority workshop given the new council um and so that we can

all be in line um and then lastly um this city is bigger than one council member it's bigger than

one city manager it's bigger than one mayor right and like what i heard from um our our public

residents and even even um council member gara mentioned too um we have incredibly competent city

staff that runs the city every single day picking up the trash cleaning the drain uh running management

right um mayor council members city managers if you look at the pictures outside if you look at the

history they come and go but the people that remain in the city are the workers are the residents right

and so i also feel like for those that are concerned that if we don't accept the contract and this

is for folks who came in support talking about stability and it's concern about that i hear you on

that piece as a elected we have to govern we have to address this deficit but i also have full

faith in my city staff that even if we don't extend this contract our city will still run because

i believe in our competent city hardworking city staff um and lastly i i believe we owe it to the

people of the city to be open to be honest to be transparent and we need to do this before extending

the contract and that means actually doing an evaluation and so for that um i'll be supporting

the motion on the table and rejecting extending the contract thank you council member caplin

thank you mayor um you know i think it's important as we look uh what our job is to also understand

the history of sacramino's city manager form of governments what it means and what my job as an

elected councilwoman is as i weigh the future of our city um in doing some research i found an

article from 1887 written by woodrow wilson prior to him becoming president where he advocated

for the separation of politics and administration proposing the development of a professional bureaucracy

guided by technical expertise and objective criteria emphasizing the need to insulate

bureaucracy from political interference those words written 137 years ago are still true to this day

it is the job of our city manager to run the day-to-day functions of our city and for the elected

mayor and council to set the apology set the policy for the city manager to implement and to hold

him accountable to that implementation too often in today's environment politics is at play

which overshadows what is best for our city i have confidence and our city manager Howard

Chan to run the day-to-day functions of our city and the best interest of all sacramentans

despite disagreements above our council members i want to thank council member maivang because two

years ago when i was elected it was to michael grin that we had no benchmarks no accountability no

evaluation process for any of our charter members or direct appointees that has never been my experience

in running a business or being on a serving on a school board any non-profit board of directors

there is a process we started it we created something we did fairly good in 23 and then it kind of

went to chaos this year and that chaos is not where we should we should be as sacrameno faces an

approximate 77 million dollar budget deficit and continuing deficit three years out i truly believe

in hearing from my constituents that it is in the best interest of sacramento to acknowledge

the 22 years of experience of our city manager and where he has guided us through the pandemic

and the use of funds and trying to save as many jobs as possible and change the direction of our

city but i would also not be true in saying that we are throwing stones in a glass house we all play

a part in this dysfunction we all play a part in doing better we all can do better and that's

where i've said before in the hiring of our city auditor who i support but didn't support the

process and where i've said before when some of our charter officers have gotten raises we need to

go back to creating a process where it removes the the politics where we have objective standards

where we whether it's all nine of us or subcommittee finds a way that we not only hold our city

manager accountable to implementing the policy of a majority of the city council but all of our

charter members because i think we have to change the direction of what's going on and we're hearing

from the public change the direction but it's also how do we look at a city manager who has risen

through the ranks and has spent 22 years in this city who is homegrown who has dedicated his life

to what he's done it we've got to move forward we have to make a decision tonight it is no longer

like why it's taken us this long has been a source of frustration for myself and everybody else

and that's where i do support our new mayor the rules clearly state it is only the mayor that can

put evaluations on in closed session and so how we do that and direct that you know there's a small

provision and ppne but that means going public it doesn't mean evaluation so we need to hold our

city manager accountable for following council direction we need to follow have all of our charter

members follow council direction because in subordination is not okay no matter in what form it

takes and we have to be grownups and have that conversation and so you know nothing is perfect

but i do see that it is time to move forward in addressing the court issues facing Sacramento

or unhoused the high cost of housing safety the unbelievable youth violence that we are seeing

and more importantly our our structural budget deficit and move on from discussing politics

and disagreements between elected officials and the city manager without the historical context

of how a city runs and understanding that the day-to-day is not with us we set policy of where the

city manager runs but also realize city manager has done a lot of things that nobody sees behind

the scenes which is his job in pulling together and making sure we have the Aggie Square agreement

Howard was essential in the middle of that we just approved a new MLS deal that wasn't just one

person but it was our amazing city staff under the leadership of Howard Chan and Howard working

endlessly with our mayor to come to the terms and agreements so for me i also look at the balance

in the way of how do we respect the 22 years of our city manager how do we respect the employees

who are sitting out there watching how we treat a 22-year employee and have honest conversations

when we ourselves have not been able to sit down and create benchmarks because it's the job of we

politics is not the job of i if we were to do it correctly we have to move forward and i believe

it is understanding that that Howard has done amazing and and sometimes you see an ending in sight

but how do you do it the right way while still moving our city forward i would like to make a

substitute motion that we extend the contract of the city manager for a year and immediately

come February March start the process of looking for a new city manager

okay we have a motion in a second on the substitute motion or comments or questions from committee members

council members

Mr. Pluggy-Bong

last week i spoke about the need to set clear goals and measures which i got a lot of feedback about

the importance of attracting entertaining top talent and how we can create a supportive and

inclusive environment to cultivate a dedicated team i've known Howard a long time

and i think he has done a truly remarkable things for the city i think if i think his record

stands on it's i don't think you need to we don't need to go over it all and like everyone i don't

think he's perfect you know i think he's he's definitely made mistakes were any of those mistakes

career limiting or you know college for non-renewal of a contract i disagree so i'll be supporting

the substitute motion

back to council member telemantez how do i get back to my thing thank you mayor

thank council member being said it well that it's the holidays and we're here at the sun plan

meeting and i don't think our city manager wants to be here i don't think our new mayor wants

to be here our new council members want to be here and it was the decision of the pire council

that have enough forces to be here during the holidays and i said this last time um i wanted to say

it again like throughout the months last seven months at least my one year of being in leadership

as mayor pro tem with our former mayor in derl steinberg i think i've had conversations about our

city manager's contract at least ten times a week i know i have spent countless hours discussing

uh the city manager's contract and countless texts calls voicemails conversations i and i said

this last time like i ran for office to to address homelessness and public safety and transportation

and all the other issues and growing our revenue as a region and supporting business or small

business owners and large to grow our revenues to address our budget deficits and this conversation

dominates the conversation of all those other important things and uh today i was prepared to

to do a one year extension and start the search immediately for a new city manager

but one thing that our now new mayor mccardi did today was agendaize three hours for us to spend

time together in closed session to discuss the performance evaluation of our city manager

and during those conversations um and i told many of you what i would do one year extension and

start the search and during those conversations i realized that i i would second the motion to just

not to reject the approval of a one year contract and give direction to the city clerk to start the

search for a new city manager like council member vanc said we're one council member one mayor

one city manager and thousands and thousands of people out in sacrameno are frustrated with us

because of our inability to move on things because we're caught up in this drama of our city manager

and um and i'm just tired and uh it's time to move on i think it's time for a new era of sacrameno

and like i hope that people understand that like we ran for office because we love sacrameno too

and i work hard day in and day out to make a difference in my community and make sure that people

feel like they're listened to and like the work doesn't stop with one person not being in the seat

we have hundreds and thousand five thousand city employees that care about sacrameno just as much as

i do and to everyone that's concerned like we're gonna continue as a city we've been around since 1849

and we're gonna continue on regardless of who's in these seats and your seats all of us are replaceable

and that's one thing in leadership your worst mistake as a leader to think you're irreplaceable

and i and i fully just i mean that's something that just resonate and that's something i stood on

as well like to official for myself um so um i will be voting no on the substitute motion on the

floor today because of the conversations that we had in close session where we spent three hours

of heartfelt conversation that really just made me um think a different way and so for everybody

that i told what i would do this is my explanation to you thank you council member gara and council

member maple uh thank you mr mayor um you know i think i mentioned earlier there's the condition

of the contract that um that's a concern and um i'm gonna vote against the substitute motion

particularly because um this the moving forward the way the contract is drafted actually creates

a two-year employment guarantee and not necessarily a uh a one-year scenario here so again this is

why i think the unfortunate part is is the haste the condition of what we're voting at today

but i can't support some to motion for again it's the condition of the contract we're discussing

thank you council member maple vice mayor maple thank you mayor um i want to start by saying uh i want to

thank you however for over twenty years i'm coming out and i say that from my heart um because i've

had the opportunity to work with you and your incredible team and seeing what has happened even before

my time coming here working through the pandemic economic uncertainty and a lot of really complex

policy decisions that comes from this body that you are your task with implementing and so

you know you have been a stable force um for this city but there have also been challenges i

i want to make sure that i hear the community i hear and see from my my own community members

and constituents and those who contact me and um today i was um prepared also along with

the mayor pro-tem to to vote to do a one-year with an immediate search but close session

conversation really did help uh impact my thinking and one of the things that did actually

impact my thinking the most was what council member gary just brought up which is when we look at

the contract language itself it's not just the year extension at the current pay rate it's also

the option to exercise an additional year at the assistance city managerate which could be you

know almost a million dollars for the city and so for me this is a this is a financial decision

as well for the city um and you know my preference would be to have that continued leadership but

and i can't go into the details of negotiations but you know i want to make sure that the decision

that we're making today is something that would be accepted by the city manager or something

that's able to move forward and i don't have that confidence right now so for that reason i'm

going to be supporting the original motion on the floor thank you

sir do you want to go again? Eric did you punch up again? Did you punch up again?

Your name's still there council member Dickinson.

Thank you mayor. The first thing i want to mention is how grateful i am that this was the first

major issue that we got to address for those of us who've just joined the council but we take

what's on our plate and address it. I am I'm especially appreciative of all who have expressed

a view on this issue regardless of the position you've taken i think that i think that this

dialogue has has been both enlightening and meaningful because it has served to

articulate a number of the different considerations that are incumbent on us to take into it an

account and i am very mindful of the points that have been raised by those who would support and

extension of of the contract as is your points have been well taken and valid stability is something

that is meaningful continuity is a value that is meaningful at the same time i'm very mindful of

of those not just tonight but throughout conversations i've had over over many weeks preceding

tonight who believe that it's a time for transition in the leadership of the city

i was a circumspect during the course of the campaign i was recently involved in

not not to try to express my own opinion but to listen to those who i was talking to at their

doors and community meetings and in other venues the sentiment from the district i'm now privileged

to represent came through very clearly and it was it was a sentiment strongly in favor of a transition

at the same time i'm mindful that we have an outstanding workforce i feel very privileged over

the years i've been lucky enough to serve in public office with the county of sacriamento with the

state of california now with the city of sacriamento to be in a position where i can

without reservation talk about the tremendous terrific work of those who serve the public here in

the county of sacriamento throughout the county of sacriamento and certainly in the city of sacriamento

but our job ultimately is to determine what we believe is in the best interest of the city of

sacriamento and that's what each of you have expressed as what you believe is in the best interest

of the city the last four years clearly have not been easy others have have listed some of the

challenges that that the city of sacriamento specifically have faced in that we have all have

faced as a community the leadership both from those on the council and on the city staff including

the city manager have been critical to navigating those very difficult challenges i'm sure

everyone would say that it hasn't been done perfectly far from it but each person and the

council and i think the leadership of the city collectively has done the best that it could

under the circumstances as as it saw them so from my standpoint the the best interest of the city is

not served by going to an extreme i guess i would say in criticizing what has happened in that

period of time given the challenge at the same time it is clear to me that in my judgment the

best interest of the city is served by a transition at this point in time and

i have struggled with whether that transition was best addressed by an extension of this contract

for a limited period of time and a search instigated immediately instituted immediately

in conjunction with with that or by simply letting the contract terminate with regard to the

substitute motion i have the same concern that's been expressed by assembly excuse me wait and

assembly member maybe one of these days council member gara and others about the additional

financial obligation that it carries with it and by delaying the beginning of a search

so as i assess this in the moment it is not an easy call i know many of you feel it is one

we're the other but i would tell you i don't think it's an easy call i think it's a challenging

call but one where i come to the conclusion that i will not support the substitute motion and

support the original motion that's been made thank you thank you council member jennings thank you

mayor this is a very difficult decision i've heard my colleagues i will be supporting the substitute

motion i feel that we need the consistency that how it has given us for the last six years

and not just six years as the city manager but 22 years as a city employee and it's done excellent

in every single job that he's ever done in his career we're going to need that as we look at a

77 million dollar deficit of someone that can help us with our negotiations help us with everything

that we're doing in public safety with our housing has helped us with the city academy i'm sorry

not city academy but with the county and city partnership on homelessness has helped us in

citywide incident management team has helped us in every single thing that we've done especially

in the new patrol in district seven and the extension of of delta shores and the tomas and

if just been a pillar in working with us and i think that we need to continue that at least for

a period of time and and and then if in fact it's in the best interest for you to do something

different then that's a decision that you would make but for me i believe in the best interest of

the city that you remain as our city manager for a period of time if not for as long as you

continue to do the excellent job that you've always done so i believe that i will support substitute

motion and angle for that reason thank you any other questions or comments from council members

seeing none i also want to address the council the public and our city manager there's no perfect

options before us i will be supporting council member garras motion and and not supporting the

substitute motion but just some perspective as i think council member Dickinson just alluded to

a new day in sacrameno a new era for all of us a new mayor a third of us are brand new it's our first day

and we didn't expect this to be the first item i know you won't expect infrastructure in

nor sack and you know housing and bikeability in in district four but the time chooses us the

moments choose us and this is the issue before us here today so it is a new era for the city a

transition and also a new era for a transition of city management and i often say this and don't

get mad when i say it's down the road but two things can be true here we can focus on the new day

and you chapter in sacrameno eight years of a mayor new mayor and eight years as a city manager and

i wanted to to focus a few moments on our existing city manager and i think this is extremely

awkward moment and comfortable i wouldn't want to be in this position up here as our city manager

being judged in front of all of us we're judged at the ballot box but um you know uh he has served

with distinction like i said in our campaign for 22 years i met him 20 years ago

as a young parking manager come from the city of san francisco rose up to be the assistant city manager

and like our current mayor we talked a lot about his tenure and what he went through same exact dates

almost to our city manager going through a pandemic a huge impact on our public health our economy

unemployment many recession massive spike in homelessness you know the summer of 2020 and

racial reckoning and civil civic unrest in our city and we got through it we had some ups and

downs but what we're better off with the leadership of our city manager but we also focus on

the new day as well again two things can be true so i i don't want us tonight to walk away

and forget that piece because there are two sides to every coin and with that we do have amazing

city staff will figure out the next chapter how would that looks like and uh i'm grateful for

this opportunity to serve with all of you and we had a very pleasant three hour conversation

nobody rose their voice we had nine different opinions like i thought we would have and you know

public has right to share their opinions well but we will move forward

Mayor hold on. I will remove my substitute motion while I did go to law school. I can count

to ten and know that there are only three votes so I won't make us go through that exercise

and if the second there will agree to remove his second we can just vote on the original

motion.

Okay. Sub-sute motion has been withdrawn. We are back to the original motion from Councillor

member Gareth. Can you repeat the motion to make sure we have it all memorialized?

Point of order, Mr. Chair. The seconder has to give up.

I thought I heard that. I thought I heard that.

I always spent too much conversation. I will remove it.

Thank you. I thought I heard that. I apologize, Councillor

member Jennings. I thought I heard that we would draw the second of the substitute motion.

With that we have the main motion on the floor which was made by Councillor member Gareth

seconded by Mayor pro-tem tolemontes just to make sure we have it memorialized correctly.

Madam clerk, can you please repeat this motion on the floor?

Thank you. The motion on the floor is a motion to reject the amendment to the employment

agreement for the city manager extending its term to December 31, 2025 and authorizing

the mayor to execute the amended employment agreement for the city manager. The motion

was by Councillor member Gareth and seconded by Mayor pro-tem tolemontes.

Thank you. Please call the roll.

Councillor member Kaplan. Councillor member Dickinson.

Aye. Mayor pro-tem tolemontes. Yes.

Councillor member Plyckybom. Vice-mer-me-ple.

Aye. Councillor member Gareth. Aye.

Councillor member Jennings. No.

Councillor member Vang. Yes.

In Mayor McCarty. Aye.

That motion passes.

Thank you. We'll now proceed to public comment on matters not on the agenda.

We do have council comments ideas and questions.

We'll do that after matters.

Yes. Thank you. Do we have any public comment for items not on the agenda?

Do I have 15 speakers for items not on the agenda?

15.

Lamburt. I'm going to start calling up some names.

If you'll exit quietly, I'd be appreciated.

Lamburt. Then Michael Barnbaum. Then Jeffrey Tartigia. Then sunrise.

Lamburt here. Come on up to the lectern, please.

Tonight I would hope that everyone on this roster, including Mr. Chan, should pay attention.

The Grant High School Pacers football team has done something in this city that hasn't

been done. I don't think it's ever been done.

Grant High School's football team had to go on the road four times to win this city, which

was their three-peat. Then they had to go on the road to Stockton.

I know because I went with them.

And they won that game.

Last second shot.

This is what I think Grant High School Pacers should get.

And this includes the drum line and the cheerleaders.

Don't forget about them.

They should get summer jobs.

Nobody wants them to come down here and take photo ops.

Give them summer jobs like you do these other people who don't win anything.

Right now, Grant High School is the talk of California.

And you know who's right behind them.

To the bay and back cheesecakes has gone viral in Northern California and

Southern California.

And we haven't heard anything from the city manager's office.

We had to really hustle to get money to get there.

And I'm glad to see Mr. Dickerson there because my elders voted for him years ago.

Let's do something big, Mr. Dickerson.

And make sure you do something for these young folks.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Michael Barnbaum.

Then Jeffrey Tartiglia, then Sen.

Yes, councilman Dickerson.

The photo ops not bad either, you know.

It's okay.

Jobs first.

All right.

Thank you.

Madam City Clerk.

Welcome, Mr. Barnbaum.

Hello.

Thank you.

That's a tough one to follow on.

Thank you.

Congratulations to everyone in their election victory.

Like I said, it was a hard and emotional one for me to grasp, especially working over

the last few months with Dr. Flow and team flow volunteers.

And working to make sure that Sacramento becomes a city where more is possible for all

of its residents, regardless of what district they live in, what background they come from,

or regardless of their economic status.

Dr. Flow has been an inspiration to me the last several months.

And care, compassion, courage, character, kindness, and most importantly, love to every

one of the people on her team.

We continue to, as a team, discuss things in the chat.

And one of the inspirational things that I've been given is now the opportunity to be involved

in the city and become active on citizen boards and commissions of which three interested

me.

And I put in electronic applications to the clerk's office through my iPhone.

So I hope that these are going to be a good four years ahead.

And I hope for some of the best opportunities and be involved here in the city at the

citizen level.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Jeffrey Turdigia, then sunrise.

Would you prefer the handheld mic?

We'll see if these work.

Perfect.

Thank you.

Well, we'll start with if Ty is saying to you guys is the next thing when you have closed

sessions is report come out of them.

We said on there that was supposed to be a report come back from closed session.

To my knowledge like everything else, it's never brought to the public's attention.

It just sits there like so many other things on there.

Next thing I'm going to talk about is public comment.

Please, counsel, don't make it the last thing on the agenda.

Put it up there after, should we say, you have your start before you have your discussion.

This is what you have the example of knowing the RT board of what is done.

This board needs to make these changes.

They need to happen.

As you've heard and I've already brought up the discussion point that half of your community

here is not necessarily supporting the mayor.

The mayor needs to work on something that gets rowing around the people to support him.

Whatever that should be, I see him down to 40 seconds.

What I will tell you also is I believe you need to realize that on the county side, public

health is about to be disbanded as a committee.

You need to understand what that means for your resources.

Like many other things, you need to understand that the whole Sacramento needs a speaker's

board to deal with the diversity.

Phil, you should start with the voters registration and I'm down to 10 seconds.

I'm here because that they didn't happen at the last meeting.

It made me miss a meeting tonight to be here.

I don't want to be in front of you guys.

Thank you for your comments.

Yes, you're welcome.

Thank you, Mr. Tarty.

Thank you for your comment.

Your time is coming.

Madam City Attorney, just a quick point of clarification.

So when we do report out of a closed session, that is when action is taken, correct?

That's correct.

Okay, so just to clarify for the audience, thank you.

Can you speak for a sunrise?

We made it.

We're here at the end of the meeting.

Public comment is really a process that is draining.

It's hard for y'all up there for us down here.

It doesn't have to be this way.

It could be a lot simpler.

It used to be a lot simpler.

We used to have remote public comment so that working families, that young people, so

that students across the city of Sacramento can make comment without having to drive to

the central city, especially if they live in the outlying districts.

Please bring back remote public comment.

We have the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

This is not a space where I see a single air purifier running in this room.

We could do a lot better.

We used to do a lot better.

There was a time when Zoom was used for public comment.

There was a time when phone calls were used for public comment.

I've called into the San Diego Port Commission and left a voicemail public comment that was

played during the meeting.

It's so easy to do.

We have so much technology available to us.

Making of technology.

I don't know when I'm on the list to give public comment.

Clearly there is a list.

Clearly there's a queue.

Could we make that maybe visible to everyone in the room of who's speaking when so we can

maybe take bathroom breaks and not worry about missing our time to give public comment?

So many simple changes that can make this process so much better for everyone.

Thank you.

Do you comment?

Flow cofer, Christina Rogers, Mac Worthy, then Keyon Bliss.

I'll keep going.

Keyon Bliss, Henry Harry, Jimmy Anderson.

Welcome, Dr. Cover.

Good evening.

This is a little awkward because I'd hope to do this last week during public comment

for items out in the agenda.

But I was able to find all of you after the meeting and share with you, Mug, this is

more as possible for Sacramento.

That is my, I think, transitions are important.

We did have a very spirited campaign for mayor and so I did not want to be like our president

elect and not acknowledge what had happened and also not wish well to the future because

I firmly believe that your success is our success.

And so I am excited about what you're going to do.

I am looking forward to being a partner and a resource to you in any way that I can be

because it is incredibly important that we work together in this city to make sure we

get the outcomes that we want.

And especially with the Looming Trump administration, I think it's incredibly important that we

are working together to guard Sacramento to make sure that the things that we enjoy here,

the love that we have for one another, is continued and that we're leading with love.

And so I did share these with most of you last week.

I unfortunately was not able to get to Councilmember Vang.

So I just wanted to publicly say I am wishing you all well.

I am here in partnership.

I am still in public health and epidemiologist.

I still retain all of the documents from measure you if there's anything that you want

to talk about, if there are things that your office is working on that you need help

with, my help is true and genuine because I care about this place, my love did not start

with my run for mayor and it does not end there.

And I'm excited and I'm wishing Mayor McCarty very well because like I said, your success

is our success.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Do you want to put this here?

Yes.

I want to give it to the clerk for buying it around.

Oh, that mine?

Yes, that's yours.

It's like out of the room.

So Christina, then Mac Worthy, then Keon Bliss?

Hi.

I want to talk about another subject that's going to be coming up for you guys and that's

the casino and the rail yards that you're talking about.

I just want to give my opinion on it.

Yes, the city needs to generate revenue but we also need to consider what kind of city

that we're going to be.

Under the clientele who keeps certain businesses going, vape shops, besage parlors, cannabis

dispensaries and large casinos, wondering if these are family friendly, if they actually

are open to everybody.

Businesses that feed add addictions, bring more addictions.

I know this personally because I grew up in Lake Tahoe, I worked in the casinos and it

certainly was exciting.

But during the slow periods, the people who keep those casinos going are the addicts.

They're the ones who really couldn't afford to gamble either.

Retired fixed income folks were bust up to spend their monthly checks on the slots,

addicts who get off work and spend their rent money.

So consent criminal, think of something better.

You have the X games you've just signed on which is great.

You got a soccer stadium coming.

I'm sure there's more conventions that you can consider.

Also how do other successful cities, our size look?

No, please consider what you want our city to look like 20 years from now.

Businesses that support addictive behavior tend to break their promises over time.

So are we going to have Biff's casino from back to the future or a clean, fun, welcoming

city for all ages and incomes?

That's it, thanks.

Thank you for your comments.

Mcworthy, then Keon Bliss, then Henry Harry.

Now you're a new citizen to file a complaint on this that costs you $600 some dollars.

Now if you go through in a law firm, it's not a business.

That's the entity.

That understood here.

Now when we look at business, my business for 59 years here, don't worry about the

subject six million dollar deficit.

On Washington DC here, the nonprofit organization, which is a parasite, keeps America going.

Understand that.

America's a parasite.

That's what don't Trump change those laws that you hide that money and when the people

come across the border, you house them.

That's what it's about.

Wake up.

Teach the people.

How many of you run a business that had a payroll?

None of you.

That's your problem.

Understand business.

Free enterprise.

You come here.

A leader you was not a selector, a leader you used to accept, bought it in as a representative.

That's all we do on DC.

Talk to people.

I come here because I experienced the 59 years enterprise.

The legal government of cities, who was the lobbyist for your past mayor and your mayor

here now, the legal government of cities?

We know that.

Now the legal government of cities may go down to two because some people here that affiliated

that with it.

That money or a house could have been from the people here instead of either better.

Your comments?

I have eight more speakers.

Keon Bliss, Henry Harry, Jimmy Anderson.

Wow.

I have to say thank you to you all city council for the vigorous debate as well as just the

honest follow through the authenticity that many of you displayed on here.

You heard me wrong.

And I really appreciate it when we see a council in our elected representatives.

I really hope that that trend continues.

There are a lot of big issues that we are dealing with.

Particularly the culture of impunity and anti-blackness and racism that we have been dealing with

in this city for far too long.

It is a culture that permeates from the top down.

I personally attest to that from my experiences on the police review commission.

And I think that's the most fundamental residents or particularly have experienced it.

We are living in a city that where black residents are three to four times more likely to be homeless.

And indigenous people are five to six times more likely despite being less than 14% of the

population together.

And we also live in a city where our police department uses force at least four and a half

times more often against black residents than every other demographic.

Six times more often for non-traffic stops.

Three times more often to make regular traffic stops.

And then nearly three times more likely to make searches on black residents.

This culture needs to be confronted.

And some of you have already begun that with mandatory diversity training.

But a lot more is needed.

You now have a racial equity initiative that has been put into place.

And that needs binding and consistent follow-through to really make sure that we can repair the damage.

Because right now we're starting in a deficit not just in money but also in trust.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Henry Harry, Jimmy Anderson and Ella Roberts.

Thank you, Council.

I'll share with you an old saying that politics is the art of the possible.

So I've communicated with this council a few times asking for a resolution on reparations.

On December 3rd, the audience was happy when you passed a resolution on that matter.

But it was nothing to celebrate.

The resolution only told the city manager to continue developing what marriage Steinberg

has started.

With no direction or mandates, blacks are being told again to hurry up and wait.

So it is unacceptable to have the fate of the black community sitting in limbo, hoping

that a man outside that community cares enough to do what's best for us.

So I'm asking this council to amend your resolution and direct city manager Chan to do

several things.

One, create an interactive website which will be a single well of information around the

concepts and challenges of reparations while fostering comments and discussions from

black sacramentans.

Established meeting spaces so non-paid African-Americans can hammer out proposals in a set time frame

around issues of cash payment, land and housing grants, and what qualified someone for

reparation.

Next, identify all city land and facilities and resources for use in reparations.

Lastly, you should create an envoy to coordinate all of this stuff.

Pick a citizen from the community to do that.

And in the spirit of cooperation, maybe, just maybe, Dr. Flow might be available to fill

that position for a while and transition.

So last eight seconds.

We have a lot of stuff on our plate.

A lot of people hoping that the city can pull us back together.

Thank you for your comments.

Our next speaker is Jimmy Anderson and Ella Roberts.

Hello and speaking to all you guys.

I was here on the last council of speaking on this policy of a transparency department

that can help to communicate from the public to you guys.

California only allows, and you guys only have to release video when someone dies under

the hands of the police.

I'm an activist.

I got through my film, Police.

I have been arrested.

And I beat the case, got thrown out on court.

And I'm going to be in a city attorney.

But I'm ready.

Because I need to show that the police cannot have all the power.

The city council cannot have all the power.

And going on other stuff around the city is over on the floor and road.

You guys just completed a project.

Speaking of how much money you guys are in debt.

You guys just redid the whole floor and road and you guys decided to add more lights,

creating more traffic.

I'm I leave at work for work at 4 a.m.

I start working for him.

Leave for about 3.

So I can be there on time to be a great worker.

But I have to sit at a traffic light that you guys just put in.

Hey, how about you guys stop talking?

Hey, hello?

It's a day.

Hello?

Hello?

New manager or new mayor?

You want to act like one?

Hello?

Hello?

Take talk.

Take.

See?

Look at this.

This is so.

I'm going to put this on.

Hello?

Hello?

All right.

Of course you guys are going to be new city managers kissing ass trying to put himself back

in this place.

He's got to pull down his pants first.

Maybe show us.

Where he's kissing ass.

So again, just creating a program where I can send a video to you guys and show how terrible

the city is doing.

How terrible the police department is doing and wanting to violate people's rights.

And just saying we're putting up crime scene tape just to push you guys back.

Our next speaker is Ella Roberts, then Carolina Flores, then Drew.

I have five more speakers this evening.

I'm Ella Roberts.

I'm here to support the Benito-Wara's agenda on homelessness.

I'm originally from Roswell, where our biggest city nearby was Wara's in Mexico.

I was a small business owner in a park where I did have a payroll.

The community dinner project has fed people every Tuesday since occupied.

Thanks to Katie Maple, my city council person.

We have stopped being hassled by staff people at the direction of a certain person.

Our city and county are over influenced by real big real estate interests.

I certainly front into that when I ran for district five city council.

Citizens are shocked when I tell them that homeless people's IDs are thrown away by cops.

But their birth certificates are thrown away.

Their medical records, their baby pictures, their clothes, their blankets, their tents.

Every time I tell somebody that story, they're absolutely shocked.

No matter what their position is on homeless, they're shocked by that.

Rants should not be skyrocketing.

Housing should not be owned by out of country corporations.

I am getting a letter every day and apparently friends of mine that I went to high school

with in Oklahoma are too.

It's really strange.

We're getting letters of postcards every day from these strange corporations wanting to buy our houses.

I'm not selling my house.

I have a black ranch that it's going to.

I'm not selling my house.

Why are these people constantly trying to buy up our houses?

There's a lack of access to mental health care.

There's many homeless people on my street until about three years ago I used to take them in

sometimes six at once.

And almost in every case there's a need of mental health care.

We're not spending money on that.

We're having shootings in Oak Park.

But it's not, I don't think it's homeless people.

We've had several shootings like a block from me, but it's not homeless people.

So that's not actually one of the problems.

So we've got to do something better than we're doing on the homeless issue.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Carolina Flores and then Drew and Samantha Stringer.

Get our phone city manager.

Maqueraz.

This is the bilingual message to me in Spanish to me to me in English.

I'm here representing the director of communication between the community of Benito Juarez.

Do you like that I'm talking in Spanish?

Well, what I want to say is that we already put a proposal and a letter of two.

It's more like insulting you two and not what I'm saying.

I want you to understand there's a solution for homeless programs,

for the homeless people, for the homeless people.

I sent a letter to the past week when people didn't have it.

And I explained, there are three national programs that have zero population,

veterans, zero homeless.

They have, well, 25,000 homeless people living in a permanent house,

no 30 days, no 3 months, permanent.

In Houston, Chekss,

I'm pretty out of the car that they don't care,

this homeless Evans.

In Salt Lake City.

I've also can have the last days,

the number of people who are in this house and we victims.

And in Los Angeles they did like the Attorney

And in Los Angeles they did like the ones who made its money.

no fue el gobierno o el Siricán son nada.

La gente de los ángeles pusieron casas para las hombres.

Y así quitaron a los hombres.

Y eso es con gente que tienen menos dinero

que nosotros, porque nosotros no hemos hecho nada

para los hombres.

Yo les quiero decir que cuando estamos dando algo

a la gente le dan a Sheriff's Office $30,000 dólares

para que él pide más que $200,000.

Yo le digo Howard Chan.

Muchas gracias cuando nos ayudó.

Tuvimos a talleres de desempleo de hispanos

que actino emplean en saclamento.

Pero en ese tiempo yo no siento que es bueno de darle tanto dinero.

¿Por qué?

Lo que necesitamos hacer es poner atención

en cómo otros programas han sido un éxito.

Otras programas han podido cuidar a la gente sin hogar.

Otras tienen familias enteras que ahora están en su porca

casa.

Nosotros podemos hacer.

La gente lo hizo sin ninguno de ustedes, sin ningún consilio.

Y eso es importante.

Inglés, ahorita.

Ya a dos minutos por el español.

OK.

Es eso de $138, ¿sí?

He went on to your next, that was for your next round, too.

No, yo debo tener dos minutos en inglés.

No, he's been out to his English.

He's Spanish.

You are violating my civil rights and not giving me two minutes.

You didn't tell me when that Spanish time was over.

Next time, what do you have?

Next time, what do you have?

There is no next time.

I will let the people know.

Mrs. Flores, I just put four minutes on your clock to start.

I just speak testimony.

I gave you all a letter from Benito Juarez Association.

I am director of communications of Benito Juarez Association

in District 2, which is 42% Latinos, family,

confesinos, indigenous people.

We call California resident immigrants.

And these people are very much involved

in wanting to be civic engagement.

Where's the speakers?

Where they translate on the headphones?

What's going on?

Where are the Latino?

How many Latino representatives do you have in your staff?

How many Spanish speakers do you have in your staff?

We are going to be 50% of the population pretty soon.

How are all of you preparing for that?

How are you putting in stilling measurable outcomes

that you're going to take care of the Latino population?

You're going to take care of the Spanish speaking

population.

Show me what you can do in 30 days.

Show me what you can do in six months in a year.

What are your measurable objectives

in taking care of the Latinos?

We have a homeless issue and a hunger issue.

In the Benito Juarez Association, every Thursday,

we give a food drive.

You know that food drive used to be from 4.30 until 8.

Now that food drive starts at 5.

And by 6 o'clock, all the food is gone.

And the compositional families are still lined up

on the driveway trying to.

And why did that happen?

Because they closed two food clauses in that area.

So thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Thank you, Ms. Flores.

Our next speaker is Drew, then Samantha Stringer,

then Wendell Brown.

Can I sit for a moment?

No, ma'am.

I'm sorry.

Your time is complete.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Drew, Samantha, then Wendell.

I'm not seeing Drew, Samantha Stringer,

and following Samantha's Wendell Brown.

Hello, everybody.

Thank you for your vote.

I'm Samantha Stringer, and I'm a resident of Sacramento.

I have lived here just about my entire life,

and I really enjoy the city.

But I would like to bring attention to you all,

just the same issue that's been discussed,

almost the whole meeting, but it's still that important.

And it is our homelessness crisis.

A lot of people have already brought up signatures

and graphs and figures, or brought up all sorts of statistics

to support why we're in a crisis.

All you have to do is go outside these doors.

I drove here, and just on pond driving

into the downtown Sacramento area,

I saw 15 to 20 homeless people.

And not only that, I think it's important to mention

that I am a mental health professional,

and I work with a lot of homeless clients,

and especially those who have schizophrenia

or other psychotic disorders,

as well as substance abuse disorders

and problems with drug use.

I think that it's so important going forward

that we treat these people with dignity and respect,

and we find solutions that both keep our community safe,

but also treat these people with the basic dignity

and respect they need,

and giving them their basic human rights.

I think it's important.

I am concerned about increasing the police budget

and that police are going to be used to treat homeless,

like basically punish people for being poor.

And that's a thing.

A lot of people can look at homeless people and say,

oh, well, they're addicted to drugs,

they're refusing to stay sober,

they've got all these problems going on.

But I think it's also important to look

at the systemic problems that are going on.

We have increasing rent prices,

as many people have pointed out.

We have a growing gap between the haves

and the have-nots in our country as a whole.

And I think we really need to really take these things

into consideration when we consider

this homeless crisis going forward.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your comments.

Wendell Brown.

My name is Wendell Brown.

I recently retired City employee

who was honored with a retirement acknowledgement here

in March.

While I left, I felt then in March very appreciated.

Then the proposed ERG draft policy has left me disheartened.

Estates that retired City employees

cannot participate undermining my 38 years of service.

As a founding member of the AALC resource,

our employee resource group, I have been deeply involved

in advancing diversity equity and inclusion efforts,

including the diversity equity audit,

recruitment of our for key leadership roles,

diversity manager chief of police,

restoring the Black History Appreciation event,

addressing inequities and job classification

and compensation, minority leadership promotions.

The ERD draft policy is troubling particularly

the contradiction between its stated benefits,

such as fostering inclusivity and building trust

and its restrictions, which stifles advocacy

and limits effectiveness.

This inconsistency undermised the mission of ERGs.

Despite feeling momentarily let down by the City,

I remain committed to supporting inclusive practices

while I cherish my connection to the City and its employees.

I would not hesitate to use media platforms

to advocate for inclusivity if barred from contributing

to the AALC.

And I'd like to speak to the racial equity resolution

that you guys passed.

There was a resolution pass called

it was the treatment of staff

and that was supposed to be disseminated through a-

Thank you for your comments.

Your time is complete.

Mary, I have no more speakers.

Thank you.

That concludes the public comment for tonight's council hearing

on the 17th of December.

We have now questions, announcements,

and AB1234 reports from council members

starting with council member Kaplan.

As we enter the holiday season,

I want to wish our employees and our staff

happy holidays, Mary Christmas,

happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, whatever you celebrate.

But I want to spend my time tonight thinking howard Chan.

You've given 22 years to the City.

I don't like it.

I don't like how tonight ended up.

I think you deserve better.

Sometimes politics gets in the way of doing what

is right by a human being and valuing their service

to our city.

valuing the enormous amount of time, energy

that you have contributed to the detriment of not going

to all of your kids' stuff while they were still in high school

and middle school because you put our city first.

You deserve a thank you.

You deserve a public thank you.

Now, right now.

I have known you for over 20 years.

Let me tell you, we were not on the same side

when we first met.

We were battling school to school in a lot of disagreement,

and it was probably over the Brown Act, too.

And how West Lake Charter was running.

But we have grown over the years.

I've watched you grow.

This has not been an easy time for you.

But I think in ending your time and what that looks like

with the city and whatever you decide is next,

it deserves a public thank you in front

of a majority of your staff who supports you, who work under you,

who you've hired, who you've brought up,

and you look at the diversity and equity

of who we have in our city leadership.

And that is under you because you do the day-to-day operations.

So I want to publicly thank you for putting Sacramento first.

No matter if we agree or disagree.

In your heart, you thought you were doing

and running the day-to-day what was good for Sacramento.

And that's the majority of your job

or is the day-to-day functioning that people do not see.

And so I felt it important that your staff here,

I thank him for that service.

And we could have done better.

This is not the graceful landing you deserved.

And so thank you, Howard.

Thank you for your service.

Thank you for 22 years.

And I want to start all as a council do better

for all of our other employees.

Thank you, Council Member Gara.

Thank you very much, Mayor.

I have a 1, 2, 3, 4 report.

I have it on the last Thursday and Friday of last week.

I traveled to the California Foundation

and on environment and the economy

to discuss the city's water policy.

I do want to thank all the city staff

who brought up all the great experience

and the work that's been done on water policy.

And also during that conference advocated

to the new crop of legislator's

about how the city of Sacramento has led on water policy.

And also how those prop $4 should be best allocated

if they came to the city of Sacramento.

So I wanted to put that as my 1, 2, 3, 4 report.

But also to, for the next year's law and legislation committee

to start looking at prop 4 early on

because the early budget allocations for prop 4

are going to start going through the budget process.

And between Sacramento Arc and the other water projects

that we have, we could definitely benefit from those.

So that's my 1, 2, 3, 4 report.

A, B, 1, 2, 3, 4 report.

Mr. Mayor.

Thank you.

Council member Dickinson.

I know we're on the midst of holiday parties and events.

But one in particular, I just wanted to take a moment

to mention what is coming up Saturday at 2, 30 to 4, 30

at Chondo's Tacos on Ardenway.

And what makes this special is it's a celebration of Chondo's

at that location in particular hosted by the North Sacramento

Chamber of Commerce and the Del Paso Boulevard Peabed.

But as some of you may know, it was the site of a robbery

a few weeks ago with one of the employees

they're injured seriously in the carrying out of that robbery.

And so the community is coming together,

wants to support not just Chondas, but make a statement

that it's not just a great place to eat for those of you

who have the joy of enjoying Chondas.

But it's an institution for us in North Sacramento.

So please come join us.

Thank you.

No further comments or questions from council members?

With that, this concludes the 2024 year.

The council have a happy holiday, everybody.

And we'll see you back in 2025.

We're adjourned.