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Okay, I'd like to call this meeting in order at 2.21pm. Clerk, please call the roll.

roll. Councilmember Kaplan. Aye. Councilmember Dickinson. Vice Mayor Talamontes. Here. Councilmember

Pluckybaum. Councilmember Maple. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Guerra. Here. Councilmember Jennings. Here.

Councilmember Vang?

Here.

Mayor McCarty?

All right.

Vice Mayor, we have a quorum.

Councilmember Kaplan, can you please lead us in the lay

acknowledgement and pledge of allegiance?

If you are able, please stand.

Someone stole my...

There we go.

Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's indigenous peoples and tribal lands.

To the original people of this land, the Nisanon people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Meadwalk,

the Putwin-Wintoon peoples, and the people of Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's 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 Sacramento's indigenous peoples' histories, contributions, and lives.

Please remain standing.

Pledge.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God,

indisible, with liberty and justice for all, Sunday.

Clerk, do you have something to read into the record?

Yes.

So the 1.30 special meeting for today is being canceled, and the item will come back at a later date.

Okay.

And were there any members of the public signed up to speak for this 1.30?

We had one speaker.

1.30.

Okay.

Would it be appropriate to take that one speaker for the 2 p.m. meeting?

Is that okay?

For the not on the agenda?

Yes.

Okay.

Wonderful.

Okay, so we're going to roll right into our 2 p.m. meeting.

Report out from closed session.

Oh, do we have a report out from closed session?

Thank you.

Wonderful.

We're going to continue on to the 2 p.m. meeting.

Are there any members of my colleagues want to sign up to speak for consent calendar?

Anyone want to comment on consent calendar?

Any items?

Roger.

Lisa?

I have a question.

Anyone else?

Seeing none.

All right, go ahead.

Council Member Dickinson.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

I just wanted to make a quick comment on item three,

which the community is very, very pleased to see reaching us

for approval of the contract.

And I can tell you, having talked with folks as recently

as this Saturday about this item,

that they are anxious to have this quick build project done.

It is the realization of the policy

that we adopted last year to move more quickly,

and I thank the other council members for supporting that

and the leadership on that.

So looking to increase safety for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians,

just as a start on Marysville Boulevard,

but it's an important start.

So thanks to the staff for keeping this moving and I look forward to seeing some shovels in the ground.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council Member Kaplan.

How fast can our fingers move?

Just a quick question on item 14.

If Yaa Yin or Brian Pedro are here.

This is the encampment resolution funding the ERF grant for street to housing pilot program.

I read the write-up.

I'm just wanting to understand this is specifically what we approved for working in District 2,

and that's where the money can only be used, or is the money going to be used elsewhere in the city?

So when we wrote the ERF, it's for a specific geographical area, so it is for District 2.

Okay, so the money can't be used elsewhere.

Correct.

Okay.

That's all.

That was all my question.

Thank you.

Okay.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Do we need a motion in a second?

Oh, yeah.

I'll second.

Sorry, guys.

Actually, is there public comment on this item?

There is one public comment on item number four.

Okay.

Welcome.

John, let me see if I can say that.

Vianyoki?

Good afternoon, Vice Mayor and members of the Council.

Just, yeah, on item number four, I just wanted to publicly thank city staff.

We had a little concern about the socialization of costs,

and we were a little sensitive about regulation.

I think we have an affordability crisis in the state because of some regulatory issues,

so we're always a little sensitive about it.

But our bias is always that the city of Sacramento staff are really great at making sure

that we have balanced legislation that is for the betterment of our community

and appreciate the engagement with Erin Treadway and John and Matt Ironman and Ryan Moore to address our concerns and the Apartments Association.

So just wanted to say thank you. Have a good day.

Thank you.

No more speakers.

All right. So all in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Noes.

Abstentions.

Seeing one absent.

Okay. Moving along public hearings. Item number 15.

Welcome, Ms. Dillians.

Item number 15 is the Housing and Dangerous Buildings Case Fees, Findings of Fact for Special Assessment.

Good afternoon. I'm Mayor McCarty and members of City Council.

I'm Peter Lemos. I'm your Code and Housing Enforcement Chief for the Community Development Department.

The items before you are the Neighborhood Code Compliance and Housing and Dangerous Buildings Case Fees and Penalties for Special Assessments

and or personal obligations.

I would like to present items 15 and 16 concurrently,

but for a separate vote of the council.

Item 15, the housing and dangerous building case fees staff report

lists an amended total of 182 properties with a total of $183,326.10

of unpaid fees schedules for liens against the properties.

Eight properties listed in Exhibit A of the staff report

have been removed from the report and are identified as line numbers 9, 21,

25, 59, 86, 125, 207 through 209, 295 and 296.

For item 16, the community developed

apartment administrative penalties

and neighborhood code compliance fees,

staff report lists an amended total of 488 properties

with a sum of $1,254,405.09 of unpaid fees

and or penalties scheduled for special assessment

and or personal obligations against the properties.

Seven of those properties in Exhibit A of the staff report

have been removed from the report

and are identified as line numbers 30,

149 through 150, 187, 480 through 481,

596, 706 through 709, and 791.

Staff recommends that City Council

adopts the two resolutions separately as amended

to allow the city to collect the unpaid fees

by placing special assessments, levies,

and or personal obligations upon the properties.

And this concludes the presentation.

Mayor, I'd like to open and close the public hearing and move the item.

I move.

Second.

Motion is second.

Councilor Kaplan.

Hey, Peter, before you go, just for those reading it who may not understand code sections, 15 is really clear for this is dangerous buildings.

But on code compliance, case and fee penalties, does this include, like, failure for sidewalk repairs or driveway issues?

Or what is actually being cited?

So item 15 is the dangerous building case fees only, not any of the penalties.

Item 16 is neighborhood code compliance, both penalties and case fees and other fees that are associated with properties.

This would not include any sidewalks as we don't hear or we don't enforce

sidewalk violations in neighborhood code compliance or code enforcement overall.

That would be a different presentation or a different assessment from Public

Works. For driveways if there was a driveway penalty such as expansion of a

driveway over the required amount that could be here and it would be itemized

as a zoning case in this report. At current time we have a hold on those

types of violations moving forward so there's none in this report. Okay and so

what typically are people noticed for in violation? A lot of these are going to be

our vacant lot weed abatement so our fire cases where we're doing weed abatement

those fees are dangerous building of course for any of our dangerous building

cases so all the ones in item 15 are actually the cost is the fee for

producing the notice in order to the property for their property being in

violation. Number 16 could be a picture of vacant properties not being registered. It can be

code compliance notice and orders for the property being violation after the warning notices have

went out. We've done abatements on properties so if the properties did not comply and it's actually

city step forward and did the abatement and that's our recovery of our cost to pay our contractors

and our fees. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you. No public comment. Okay. We have

a motion a second. All those in favor

please say aye. Aye.

Any nosed or abstentions? Hearing none.

Item passive 90. So that's item

15 and 16.

Both public hearings and we close the public

hearing on that one? Yep.

The next public hearing that we have is

item 17 compliance with assembly bill

Oh do you want to do them separate?

Okay sorry. I'll move to open and

close the public hearing and move item

16 as well. Okay.

We have a motion a second and a second

piece of that item. All in favor please say aye. Aye. He knows your pretensions. Hearing none.

Item passes. All right. Now item 17. Compliance with the Assembly Bill 2561

Government Code 3502.3 regarding vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts.

Opening the public hearing.

Good afternoon. My name is Ebony Heaven, Human Resources Manager for Employment Services

Division of the Human Resources Department. In accordance with Assembly Bill 2561, I'm

here to present on the city's recruitment, retention, and vacancy efforts. Today's presentation

will offer a comprehensive overview of the legislative requirements, a data-driven analysis

of the city's vacancy trends, an in-depth look at our recruitment and retention strategies

and factors influencing our ability to attract and retain talent.

Assembly Bill 2561 signed into law in 2024 requires public agencies to publicly report

on staffing vacancies, recruitment efforts, and retention strategies prior to adopting

their annual budget. The legislation aims to increase transparency and accountability

and the public sector hiring. If a bargaining unit's vacancy rate meets or exceeds 20% for

full time position, the agency must upon request of the employee organization provide additional

details such as the number of vacancies, applicant volume, hiring timelines and steps taken to

improve working conditions or compensation. The law also ensures that employee organizations

have the opportunity to present their perspective during the public hearing should they make

a request to do so. As such, upon conclusion of my presentation today, you will hear from

bargaining unit Sacramento area firefighters local 522. While I will provide data on the

city's vacancy rates, it's equally important to understand underlying factors contributing

to those vacancies. Persistent recruitment challenges across both the public and private

sectors, especially for technical, specialized, or high demand roles, have limited applicant

pools despite repeated and sustained efforts, recruitment efforts. It is also important to

note that a vacant position does not mean it is unnecessary. Departments regularly assess

during the budget process to determine whether positions remain relevant, should be reclassified,

or should be eliminated based on evolving operational needs. While vacancy sweeping

is a consideration with each budget cycle, doing so broadly could have unintended consequences

including reduced service levels, increased work loads and diminished flexibility to respond

to community needs. Vacancy should be evaluated individually to ensure decisions support both

current operations and future readiness. Vacancy data by bargaining unit is displayed

for your review. Auto Marine and Specialty Painters Local 1176, Western Council of Engineers

WCE, Station Engineers Local 39, Plant Operators Unit, and International Association of Machinists

and Aerospace Workers IAMAW were the bargaining units with a vacancy rate at or above 20%

for 2025. In accordance with AB 2561, representatives from all bargaining units were notified of

today's public hearing on January 13, 2026. And they would have the ability to ask additional

questions specific to vacancy efforts and recruitment efforts.

This slide provides citywide recruitment data as well as recruitment data for IAMAW, Local

1176, WCE, and Local 39.

The information is pulled from the city's applicant tracking system, NeoGov.

As shown, average time to hire varies and is influenced by several factors including

but not limited to lengthy or continuous recruitment, performance examinations, department

interview timelines, the offer process, and the completion of pre-employment requires

for which candidates are allowed up to 30 days to complete.

The traffic engineering unit represented by local 1176 is our smallest unit in the city.

The unit includes only 16 budgeted positions and four classifications traffic worker trainee,

traffic worker one, two, and three.

with small units, it's easy to meet or exceed the 20% vacancy rate with just a few vacancies.

The classifications in this unit are currently only used in the Public Works Department and are

often staffed through flexible staffing practices. Flexible staffing allows current employees to

promote within the series without having to go through the competitive recruitment process

provided they meet the established policy requirements. While the data presented reflects

the status as of November 3, 2025, as of today there are only three current vacancies in this

unit making their vacancy rate 19% down 6% since the data was initially pulled. There are currently

two job opens posted for traffic worker one and traffic worker two and requisition submitted to

human resources to initiate filling those vacancies. The automotive and equipment mechanics unit

represented by IAMAW is our second smallest unit in the city with only 69 budgeted positions.

The unit consists of nine classifications used across multiple departments citywide.

Similarly, the data provided is based on figures for 2025. As of today, there are 13 vacancies in

this unit making their current vacancy rate 19%, down 1% since it was initially pulled.

There are currently no job postings or requisitions submitted to human resources to fill those vacancies.

The engineering unit, represented by WCE, consists of 76 budgeted positions. The unit

consists of 15 classifications across multiple departments citywide. Although the data provided

is based on figures for 2025, as of today there are currently 24 vacancies in this unit

making their vacancy rate up 9% at 32%. There are currently three job postings for assistant

and associate civil engineer and several requisitions submitted to human resources to fill those

vacancies. The plant operators unit, represented by local 39, consists of 83 budgeted positions.

The unit consists of seven classifications used in the utility and public works department.

Although the data provided is based on 2025 figures, as of today there remain 17 vacancies

in the unit making their current vacancy rate still 20%. There is one job posting and several

requisitions submitted to human resources to fill those vacancies. Current labor market

trends have negatively impacted recruitment and retention for trade and technical classifications

driven by heightened demand, shrinking candidate pipelines and increased competition for specialized

and licensed skill sets across both the public and private sectors. This chart represents

vacancy data for full time, non-career and unrepresented employees. The vacancy rate

for local 39 part-time and non-career positions remain high in part because many of these

roles are seasonal and filled on an as needed basis to support youth parks and community

enrichment programs and convention and cultural services events.

This slide highlights the city's vacancy rates for 2025 across different employee groups.

The citywide vacancy rate for all positions is 22%.

The vacancy rate for full-time represented position is relatively low at 13%, reflecting

a strong staffing stability in our core workforce.

Displayed here, you will see the life cycle for the recruitment process to better understand

the many complexities of the city's recruitment process and that it can vary depending on

the need for a civil service examination and the type of examination administered by classification.

Now let's take a look at the other side of retention and explore departures as well.

The data presented reflects a breakdown of the 1,397 employee departures from city positions

in 2025 down by 14% from the prior year. Internal promotions and transfers resulted in 32% of

departures illustrating a strong internal ability within the organization. A strong commitment

to career growth and continued service within the organization. Voluntary separations accounted

for 786 departures, of which 618 were for part-time non-career positions, which as discussed

earlier are hired for seasonal needs followed by 95 retirements.

This snapshot offers insight to the various reasons our workforce transitions and highlights

the importance of retention efforts of the city's overall workforce strategy.

The city's retention rate for 2025 is 99.82%.

The retention rate is calculated by dividing the number of employees who remained employed

at the end of a period by the number of employees at the beginning of a period and then multiplying

by 100 to express a result as a percentage.

This metric helps us to assess our ability to retain staff and can be a useful indicator

of the workforce stability, employee engagement and overall organizational health.

Human resources continues to review and update outdated policies while strengthening resources

at the city departments to support city departments and improve both the applicant and employee

experience. This work includes collaborating with union partners to memorialize agreed

upon decisions, develop clear outward facing guidings and tools to promote consistency,

transparency and accountability across the organization.

In today's highly competitive labor market, retention has become just as critical as recruitment.

While diversity, equity, and inclusion may not be the primary focus of today's presentation,

they remain foundational for our ability to attract and retain talent.

Retention is increasingly driven by whether individuals feel valued, supported, and able

to grow.

The city has responded by modernizing recruitment practices, reducing barriers at entry, expanding

outreach, and investing in onboarding and access information to ensure employees experience

connection and purpose through their tenure.

These efforts are designed not to only fill vacancies but to create long-term workforce

value by strengthening engagement and belonging.

At this time we have taken deliberate steps to strengthen retention within a unionized

environment by partnering with labor to implement targeted recruitment and retention incentives

for hard to build classifications, offering flexible work arrangements where operationally

feasible and promoting fair, consistent and transparent hiring practices.

We continue to use exit feedback, onboarding data, and applicant decision insights to better

understand why employees stay or leave and to inform improvements in workplace culture,

communication, and employee experience.

Together these efforts support a stable, engaged workforce and help ensure we are converting

vacancies into long-term organizational value rather than short-term hires.

In the face of uncertainty related to the city's budget deficit, we remain committed

to supporting recruitment and retention through balanced, transparent, and people-centered

approaches. We are focused on clear and timely communication, consistent application of workforce

practices, and careful prioritization of critical roles to ensure service continuity while maintaining

fiscal responsibility. By strengthening onboarding, supporting employee well-being, and using

workforce data to continue to guide decisions, the city works to preserve trust, morale, and

institutional knowledge during periods of uncertainty.

Even during challenging periods,

this approach supports workforce stability,

preserves critical institutional knowledge,

and ensures the city is positioned to meet

ongoing service and operational needs.

In closing, AB 2561 reinforces the importance

of transparency, accountability, and collaboration

in addressing workforce challenges.

By analyzing our data, identifying obstacles,

and implementing targeted strategies, the city remains committed to building a strong

sustainable workforce that can constitute and meet the needs of our community.

Next, I'll introduce Ryan Henry, Vice President for Sacramento Area's Firefighters, Local 522,

and I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have either before or after Ryan's presentation.

Thank you.

Welcome Ryan. Thank you. Thank you Ebony.

Oh it's coming. All right. Well while that's loading good afternoon everybody.

My name is Ryan Henry. I'm a fire captain with the Sacramento Fire

department a 23-year city employee and the city vice president of sacramento area firefighters

local 522 thank you for the opportunity to speak on this important topic and i'd like to start by

saying this presentation was created in collaboration with the fire chief and his executive

team any questions you may have can be directed either to myself or the fire chief and his staff

beginning with some positive news,

as you will see throughout this presentation,

the programs and efficiencies we have implemented in the fire department are working.

With your direction and support,

we have reduced brownouts and decreased the use of mandatory overtime.

What you will also see, while we are moving in the right direction,

these improvements are small in comparison to the scope of the problem.

And the programs and efficiencies that have provided these results must be expanded to create a sustainable workload for the firefighters protecting this city.

Vacancies within the fire department are unique because the fire department responds to emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

if a vacancy goes unfilled the ability of the fire company to perform its job is reduced

we fill vacancies in three ways by hiring new firefighters a process that takes up to 13 months

we have a detailed pool of firefighters then voluntary overtime and finally mandatory overtime

which is forcing firefighters to work under the threat of potential discipline

we have two types of vacancies in the fire department

vacant FTEs which are ongoing and currently in the active recruitment process

these are caused by retirement separation and promotion we also have daily vacancies

caused by vacation sick leave and injury regardless of the type and duration of the

vacancy it has to be filled every day a quick review of fire department staffing each fire

engine or truck is staffed with four personnel we have 34 fire companies operating out of 24 fire

stations and 15 ambulances staffed with two firefighters our total daily staffing needs for

suppression and ambulance companies is 166 personnel. On any given day a fire company can

experience one or more vacancies for a variety of reasons. Vacation, retirement, injury, and sick

leave all create an open seat on the fire company that must be filled in order for the company to

perform at the expected level of service.

we can only force a firefighter to work so much before the threat of discipline is outweighed by

the need for rest or to spend time with their family working 72 hours straight in a system

as busy as we are takes its toll on firefighters mind and bodies often vacancies go unfilled

resulting in company closures called brownouts in 2024 we had to close companies 152 times

with the implementation implementation of the single role ambulance program which is moving

firefighters from ambulances to fire companies brownouts were reduced to 128 in 2025 as many as

four fire companies in a single day have been closed resulting in a significant decrease in

the fire department's response capability when you consider that six companies are dispatched

to a house fire. It becomes clear just how detrimental these brownouts can be.

The mandatory callback of firefighters is a long-standing industry practice to ensure adequate

staffing in times of disaster or extenuating circumstances. This practice has never been

designed to be utilized as an ongoing staffing model. Over the past 10 years, you can see the

significant rise in mandatory overtime hours as our detail pool has shrunk to unacceptable levels.

For 2025 we saw a slight reduction in mandatory overtime hours which is encouraging as for the

past 10 years mandatory overtime has steadily increased year over year.

Before overtime is used to fill vacancies the fire department utilizes a detailed pool of

firefighters who on regular duty and moved around the city daily when open spots occur.

These are additional firefighter FTEs above the daily staffing requirements.

The detail pool fills daily and ongoing vacancies without using overtime.

Currently, the fire department averages 24 vacancies per day.

We have just over 26 detail pool firefighters per shift for a total of 80 across all three shifts.

The total number of firefighters needed in the detail pool to significantly reduce or eliminate mandatory overtime is 125.

Over the past 10 years, the fire department has seen a 27% increase in calls for service.

With no new fire engines or trucks, the rise in call volume represents a direct workload increase to firefighters.

The equation is simple.

Increased call volume equals increased workload.

Increased workload equals increased injury rates.

As of February 1st, we have 43 firefighters off work due to injury.

When you couple the workload increase with the constant use of mandatory overtime, it is no surprise that the fire department, roughly 10% of the city's workforce, accounts for 34% of the city's work comp injuries.

So how do we fix this?

Obviously, given the current budget situation, adding the needed FTEs and hiring more firefighters is not feasible.

The fire chief and his team, in collaboration with the workers' compensation division, have drafted a comprehensive health and wellness initiative designed to reduce costs due to injuries by focusing on injury prevention and faster treatment times.

This program, if implemented, will also reduce vacancies on fire suppression equipment due to injured members.

the fire department also has a number of non-budgeted positions that firefighters

are filling in ongoing support roles such as the academy training cadre ems officers and the pio

when personnel are placed in these positions that are non-budgeted their seat on the fire

engine remains vacant and their spot must be filled daily because of this there is minimal

cost savings by not budgeting for these positions when these positions become budgeted the fire

department can then permanently fill the vacant engine seat and the use of

overtime is no longer needed. And last with your direction and support the fire

department has entered into contract with City Gate Associates to conduct an

assessment of the fire department's ability to respond to the needs of the

citizens. This will show as it did when first completed in 2016 the fire

department is in need of additional stations and first responder companies

to catch up with the city's population growth and demand for service.

The price tag to meet these needs will be huge.

And assuming the city had the money to address these needs,

the timeline for completion would be so long that the fire department would continue to fall further behind

in its ability to serve its citizens.

The fastest and most cost-effective way to immediately address the call volume and workload

the firefighters are facing is by implementing a squad program.

These light-duty resources cost a fraction of a fire engine.

They are staffed with two firefighters and can respond to lower-acuity emergencies

that don't require the staffing of a full fire company to mitigate.

As the single-role program expands and ambulances are converted from being staffed with firefighters to EMTs and paramedics,

we can utilize these firefighters to implement a squad program without the need to hire additional firefighters.

implementing a squad program will spread the call volume across more first responder resources

which will reduce the workload on firefighters which will reduce the vacancies and costs

associated with injuries and will then reduce or eliminate mandatory overtime due to unfilled

vacancies that concludes my presentation thank you all very much

I'm in on this item no public comments okay

I open and closed it and move the item yes comments or questions from council members

motion is second councilor Kaplan thank you mayor I just want to thank city staff in bringing this

up. And I think it also highlights, and I want to thank our partners in the fire department,

but also when you look at the technical expertise that we're having difficulty hiring, plant

managers, you know, when you look at this is more like our engineers, you know, the technical

expertise needed. I know as we discuss with our labor partners and sometimes you've offered

solutions of what we can look at for incentive hiring but I really think we

need to push a little bit more because if you look at same or similar titles in

other industries they are getting paid significantly more which is making

recruitment difficult or the quality of what we're getting is maybe not up to

the standard that we need so I hope that specifically with the industries that

we're seeing the most vacancies needed, that we have separate sit-downs on look at and explore

how can we really dig in and address this, because I appreciate this report. I don't want this report

just to come to us without a direction of how do we solve this, because I don't want to keep

seeing it every year, because we have to have these positions filled. They're critical. I mean,

they're water, they're sewer, they're DOU. This is something we just need to get filled, so

thank you for that but I am looking forward of just ideas that we can hear from our labor

partners on these how to solve it. Thank you. Council Member Dickinson.

Thanks Mayor. I just want to make a quicker underscoring of the health and wellness

this aspect of Ryan's presentation

because I really think this is,

we have lots of issues with respect

to filling vacancies to be sure,

but regardless of that,

doing everything we can to promote

and advance the health and wellness of the workforce

I think is really important to recognize.

And so that may have been the final part of his presentation,

but in many respects to me,

it's the core of part of what we want to be about

as an employer.

Because when our employees are doing better

from the standpoint of their health and wellness,

the organization is doing better.

And we're delivering better services

to our constituents and residents.

and we're enhancing the lives of our employees.

So there are multiple benefits to that.

It's being presented in the context

of this vacancy report this afternoon,

and I appreciate hearing it,

but I think we should recognize it

for its larger implications and its larger importance

in what we do as an employer and as an organization.

Thanks.

Okay, thank you.

No further comments or questions from council members.

We have a motion and a second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

We have one absent, so ayes eight.

No, zero, one absent.

All right, we'll close the public hearing on that one.

Thank you.

Our next public hearing is the La Mancha Project,

item number 18.

It's a public hearing and authorization

to close out community development block grant,

the coronavirus CDBG-CV funds allocated to the project

from the State of California Department of Housing

and Community Development.

Good afternoon.

Christine Weikert with SHRA.

In 2020, SHRA was awarded Home Key Funds

from the State Department of Housing

and Community Development, or HCD,

for the La Mancha Permanent Supportive Housing Project,

now known as Los Molinos. Mercy Housing rehabilitated the former motel into 100 studio

units for formerly homeless. In 2021, HCD invited Homekey recipients the opportunity

to apply for community development block grant coronavirus funds to support the projects.

SHRA received a total of $2.1 million. The funds were used to expand the community room,

create a covered outdoor gathering space, upgrade the front gate, paint the exterior of the building,

and install heat pumps to reduce operating costs.

Improvements were completed in December.

HCD requires that a grant closeout process take place, which includes this public hearing,

and staff is recommending approval of the closeout and is available to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you.

All right. Thank you, Mayor.

I'm happy to open and close the public hearing and move the item.

I just want to thank SHRA for all their work on this.

This is a great project in my district, and I think that these improvements are really necessary,

especially for folks who are living in affordable housing.

It may not always have access to some of these resources,

so I'm always glad at the ways that we can take grants,

find opportunities to get free money wherever we can to make these improvements.

So thank you very much.

Second.

Second.

Thank you.

We have a motion and a second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

And those are abstentions.

Hearing none, item passes.

Moving on to the discussion calendar, we have one item, the city attorney appointment and contract.

Good afternoon.

Before I read the required report, I want to acknowledge the Council's appointment of Mr. Martinez for the City Attorney and congratulate him on his appointment.

And so for my report, prior to taking final action, Government Code Section 54953 requires the City Council to orally report a summary of the recommendation for final action on salaries, salary schedules, or compensation paid in the form of fringe benefits for a local agency executive.

The item before Council appoints the city attorney and sets the city attorney's annual salary at $355,000 and approves an increase to the city attorney salary range to a maximum of $355,000 as reflected in the updated citywide salary schedule.

Additionally, Mr. Martinez would receive $4,700 per year for 457B deferred compensation and the option to cash out up to 40 hours of management leave each calendar year.

as well as the benefit package that is in the appointed officer's resolution.

The city attorney meets the definition of a local agency executive under government code section 3511.1D

because this position is not subject to the Myers-Emilius Brown Act.

And that is the end of my presentation.

If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer.

Do not, no public comment on this?

No public comment.

Okay, thank you.

Vice Mayor Talamantes?

I am happy to move this item.

Okay.

We have a motion and a second.

Council Member Guerra.

Already been seconded.

Thank you.

All thirded.

Okay.

Look forward to city attorney getting to work,

which you have been doing already anyway,

so just stay the course.

Thank you.

With that, we have a motion and a second.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any nose or abstentions?

Seeing none, hearing none, item passes 9-0.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Council comments?

Okay.

I just had three information items that were on there.

Yes.

No public comment.

No public comment on the three information items.

Council questions, comments, or AB123 reports?

Let me do it.

Okay.

Okay, I have one AB123 report.

So it's with great excitement that we have a new member of our family in the city of Sacramento.

We have a new sister.

Yes, we went down to Morelia, Mexico, the capital city of Michoacan,

and formalized our sister city agreement with the city of Morelia, Michoacan.

Great opportunities, great excitement, great friendship.

You know, we do have, I'm not sure the number, between 15 and 20 sister cities already.

You know, this is a great tradition in the city of Sacramento.

I think our oldest sister city, Matsuyama, Japan, is 46 years old.

So this is our newest sister city, our second sister city in the city of, in the country of Mexico.

This is a really important partner for us, and especially in a time of great division in our country.

We don't need to say what we've seen in our country as far as division and, you know, putting, you know, unfortunate directions to our neighbors to the south and what we're seeing across our country with our immigration raids that are just unfathomable to witness.

But at a time when we're seeing that great division, the city of Sacramento, the capital city, is focusing on building bridges and not division.

division. So we're building a new partnership with the capital city of Michoacan. And just

so folks would know that the state of Michoacan, believe it or not, has 4 million people. And there

are 4 million people of Michoacan descent in the United States of America, of which 2 million are

in California. So a tremendous partnership for decades beyond us. And a great number of our

Mexican-American immigrants here in Sacramento,

the city of Sacramento have Mitrocon descent.

So this is a really touching connection,

but it's more than just a symbolic effort.

It's focusing on how we can expand cultural education,

tourism and economic development

between our two capital cities.

And we led a delegation of 20 individuals,

including the vice mayor and the mayor pro tem

and our SMUD director and a few city officials,

as well as community members to celebrate this partnership

and we're greeted warmly by the host city

of Morelia and Mitra Khan.

And I know they came up here before the city council

several months ago, so this is the final act of that.

And we look forward to welcoming a delegation

in the months ahead.

So we are excited about this and thanks to the city council

for voting on this several weeks ago.

And we represented all of you there.

And we were again, well received and look forward

to this partnership in the years ahead.

Councilmember Garrett.

Thank you very much.

Did you want to go first vice, Mayor?

Well, I'll just say, you know,

I was happy to go on this delegation,

and I have never attended a Sister City delegation in my life

as being here at City Hall for over eight years,

and it was extremely special to be there.

I learned a lot, built really strong relationships,

and I'm just really grateful that I got the opportunity to go,

And thank you, Mayor Pro Tem Guerra, for leading this effort and all the work that you and Domingo and Cassandra and your team did to make this happen.

So thank you.

Thank you.

I just wanted to thank the vice mayor and our mayor for leading this delegation out there with us.

You know, as the mayor mentioned, Sacramento has a significant population of people from Michoacan.

And Morelia plays a significant part.

the capital of California, the capital of Michoacan, capital a capital.

And I just wanted to thank some of our delegation members who are from Michoacan.

We had a large number of them, beginning with one of our entrepreneurs here, Ernesto Delgado,

as well, who is there representing many of our businesses.

From the Visit Sacramento that does the work in communication, Lily Wyatt,

who actually went to school in Morelia, Michoacan as well.

Our new Crocker Art Museum director, Agustin, is also from Michoacan

and had gave us his own curation of all the education there.

And some amazing, amazing artists that have gone from the United States to Michoacan

to do some amazing frescoes and murals and learn from greats like Siquetos and others.

from our own city team, Jaime from Councilmember Vang's office,

who's a lot of deep roots and family from Michoacan,

and an amazing voice, by the way.

He knows how to sing Caminos de Michoacan very well.

And unfortunately, she couldn't join us,

but she's part of our organization committee,

but expecting here shortly, but Jasleen Escobar also from Michoacan,

as well. And then I'm very proud also to be from Michoacan, from our pueblo de Gerabro.

And all of those, I think everyone expressing their deep connection to Michoacan and Sacramento

and the similarities that all of us were facing. And it just reminded us how much we are when

people in the impetus was this new direct flight from Sacramento to Morelia, an opportunity that

the Visit Sacramento folks mentioned,

this is a great economic opportunity for all of us,

but more importantly, an opportunity for cultural exchange,

for humanity exchange, and for families

to reconnect themselves.

So we do want to thank also some of the folks

from the indigenous communities came

and brought us a bust of Morelos,

for those that's what the namesake of Morelia.

And why it is important, particularly now,

is that Morelos led the independence movement

to end slavery in the Americas.

So before we had a civil war in the United States,

the impetus of leaving the king of Spain was to end slavery.

And so how fortunate it was that when California also became a state

and Sacramento voted, they voted to join the North

because they did not want to continue what they saw 40 years prior,

the continuation of slavery.

So very much, you know, a value here as well.

And I just want to say some short words because in Spanish for our Michoacanos, our Moreliano friends,

Muchas gracias por las bienvenidas y muchas gracias por la hermanidad.

También nuestro alcalde habla el español mejor y lo dominó en el ayuntamiento.

Y tenemos una alegría de que tuvimos aquí el apoyo de todo nuestro ayuntamiento,

incluyendo la visita de nuestro vicealcalde y todos ahí.

Juntos podemos, amor a Morelia, que viva Sacramento y que viva Morelia.

And thank you very much.

and lo esperamos aquí en Sacramento.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

And I don't know if you want to say a few words

because they follow us online as well and they watch us.

It's a good opportunity to improve us,

the two cities, the capital of the two states.

And in this world, what is happening with our country,

and the struggle in the streets,

in the city of Sacramento,

in the United States,

on immigration,

what we're doing right now,

creando una fuente para los ciudades es muy importante.

Tenemos familias aquí del Descento de Sangre de México,

los dos miembros del concilio.

Es un buen día y mes para nosotros.

Gracias, alcalde.

We have six public comments for matters not on the agenda.

The first three speakers are Henry Harry, Leanna Hunt, and Joshua Macias.

Leanna?

I'm just waiting for attention because if I'm going to speak, I would like all eyes to be here because that's why you guys are here to serve us as constituents.

Now we can start my time.

Thank you.

On February 5th, Sacramento PD dragged sacred fire keepers, sacred drummer, and other practitioners from the TP of Peace and then failed to notify any of you guys of which they're supposed to.

So violating the Freedom of Religion Act of 1978, it's really nice to hear you guys put out all these sentiments about caring about immigration, caring about indigenous people in your community, caring about everything that's going on.

The sentiments are great.

But when you make a promise and don't follow through on it,

like making the area outside of the John Moss building a free speech zone,

you kind of look like fools.

You look like you do absolutely nothing,

that you just hear these presentations and you say,

thank you so much for all the numbers.

And I can see how much you all pay attention.

It's pretty obvious.

That's something there's actually a thing all over the Internet

about how little you guys pay attention,

and not just you, but every city council.

It's quite shocking.

So it'd be nice if you guys paid attention

and acted like you cared

because you ran so hard to be in these positions.

So if you're gonna say these sentiments

about giving any kind of care

about people in your community,

about your constituents,

about people who are being taken out of our community,

do something.

Don't just promise.

Don't just give empty promises.

Phil, you don't tend to look at us.

Hey, Mr. Phil?

Yeah.

See, that's what's disappointing is you can't even make eyes with someone.

You can't even look at the constituents that you represent.

You don't give a shit about us, and it's very clear.

And that's so freaking sad.

My time is up, but I hope you have the day you deserve.

Next speaker, please.

Our next speaker is Joshua Macias.

Joshua Messias, I'm a resident of California, Sacramento, born and raised.

And yeah, we need our teepee back now.

The teepee of peace was desecrated, assaulted by the Sacramento Police Department.

And to give you a little comparison, you might have heard on the news, Don Lemon and his associates were arrested for storming a church.

So let me read off what they were accused of.

Title 18, USC, Section 248.

Oh, I'm sorry.

241 is one of them.

Conspiracy against right of religious freedom at place of worship.

Also, USC 248, injure, intimidate, and interfere with exercise of right of religious freedom at place of worship.

That's what the Sacramento PD did to us.

them being the protesters on lemon and them being described as entering the church in a

coordinated takeover style attack and engage in acts of oppression intimidation threats

interference and physical obstruction as a result the conduct the pastor and congregation were

forced to terminate the church's worship service congruence fled the church building out of fear

for their safety, other congregants took steps to implement an emergency plan.

That's what we had to do.

You're also violating what was previously mentioned, the American Indian Freedom of

Religious Act.

It was approved August 11, 1978.

Now be it resolved by the Senate and the House of Representatives that henceforth it

shall be the policy of the United States to protect and preserve for American Indians

their inherent right of freedom to believe, express, and exercise

the traditional religions of the American Indian, Eskimo, Alouette, Native Hawaiians,

including but not limited to the access to sites, use and possession of sacred objects,

and the freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites.

The President shall direct the various federal departments.

Thank you for your comment. Your time is complete.

Thank you for your comment. Your time is complete.

Native American religious...

Thank you. Next speaker, please.

Our next speaker is Marcelina.

TV back now.

TV back now.

Sacramento is violating numerous rights.

A long precedent.

Thank you.

Precedent.

Hi, I'm Marcelina.

I grew up in South Sac, born and raised, and I still stay on Franklin.

I'm part of the Sacramento Immigration Committee.

I'm a volunteer. I'm not a paid organizer.

and I'm here to demand the tipi back now.

It was sacred, indigenous items stolen.

Imagine us coming into your church

and in your place of worship,

messing things up,

dragging you out and arresting you.

That would be intolerable

and that's what happens on Thursday

when the tipi was taken

and you don't see indigenous people.

The police don't see indigenous people as people

which is why they don't care

and it's why they did it.

As part of the SAC Immigration Committee,

we're disappointed with the sanctuary city status

that we have in Sacramento,

and we have bigger demands.

And it's like a big old list.

I don't know who to give it to.

I'm new to the city council stuff,

but we want no collusion.

We don't just want no private property.

We want no crowd control.

We want no cover-ups,

and we want real consequences.

And I think these things are missing

from the work that you guys are doing.

sanctuary city stuff um so i'll just end there but yeah keep you back now keep you back now

our next speaker is graham falaco and then after that we have mac

I worked in a church for six years.

I could never imagine somebody coming into our church during December to get our Christmas tree.

To grab a Bible out of somebody's hand.

To grab their worship leader and tell them, no, you don't get this spot.

August 11th, 1978, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was signed.

And on February 5th, 2026, it was violated yet again.

I sat here for the first time in a city council meeting, hearing you guys recognize the native

land that you are on, but right now there is a native piece of religious equipment in

your police building, in your evidence locker.

You would never dream of going into a Christian church to get a Christmas tree in December.

They are protected.

I am protected.

I am a native Hawaiian.

I am sick of seeing this land being colonized over and over and over and over again.

And I can see how sad some of you are.

I can see it in your eyes, so do something.

I come from a military family.

Black Hawk operator.

Colonels.

Sergeant in the Air Force.

My uncle was one of the lead police officers in Napa.

What is being done is despicable.

I drive an hour every day to fight this.

And my religion, my practices, my brothers' and sisters' practices were violated.

Keep me back now.

Thank you for your comment.

Keep me back now.

Mac?

Actually, most of you didn't know this, but before I was Radical Mac, I was actually supposed to be Reverend Mac.

And so I actually have taught Sunday school, and I've gone up and down California giving sermon about nonviolent action and reminding people of the magic that every single one of you are.

so I stand here today to give you a little bit more context about what uh these folks and more

will come at five o'clock to tell you more about it especially those who who brought the TP they

were in the middle of a four-day religious ceremony it wasn't just some TP that popped up and people

were sleeping in it they were actually in the middle of a four-day religious ceremony that

is supposed to keep a sacred fire lit for four days,

where each of the days you are given a spiritual teaching

of the elements of life, fire, earth, water, and wind.

Zach PD came on the 5th and ripped people out of the tent

and arrested them, cited them for obstructing.

Because this is, again, these are these problems, right?

Like, what does a freedom of speech zone look like?

What does all of this look like?

So they arrested them, and they have now court

for obstruction of the road but we know that n street is a three-lane road and if you all have

actually come down there i've only seen a couple of you there um to look at it phil i wish that

you would come it's your district you see it's a three-lane road and there are um there is one lane

that has been blocked off by cones because there's so many people that they're they're still in the

street but traffic has been able to move freely amongst those other two lanes all day every day

it has not been stopped.

And Radcliffe and your bike patrol officers have come through

and been unnecessarily harassing the protesters.

I will say that this was his moment to get his lick back

because he's been kind of shamed out of the space many times.

And so now they're actually refusing to release the TP as evidence.

So we need some help to at least get the TP back, right?

This is a religious sacred.

Thank you for your comment.

Your time is complete.

Thank you for your comment.

Thank you for your comment.

Your time is complete.

Thank you.

Mayor, I have no more public comments.

Okay.

Thank you.

We will adjourn and come back for the 5 p.m. council meeting.

Thank you.

Thank you.