Personnel & Public Employees Committee Meeting – November 10, 2016: Interviews and Appointments for City Boards and Commissions
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Personnel & Public Employees Committee Meeting – November 10, 2016
The Personnel & Public Employees Committee of the Sacramento City Council met on Thursday, November 10, 2016, at 1:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber. Chair Carr presided, with Councilmembers Ashby, Hansen, and Carr present. The committee conducted interviews for multiple city boards and commissions, made several appointments, and continued some items for further discussion.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The committee unanimously approved the meeting minutes from September 13, 2016.
Discussion Items
2. Civil Service Board (Seats B and D)
The committee interviewed two applicants for two open seats requiring a citizen with no connection to city government. Brian Weathersby expressed interest in community service, highlighting his MBA in technology management and experience on a planning committee. Ryan Gronsky, an attorney with the California Department of Housing and Community Development who previously worked at Legal Services of Northern California, emphasized his personnel law experience and familiarity with civil service rules. Both were deemed highly qualified. Councilmember Ashby moved to appoint both, seconded by Councilmember Hansen. The motion passed unanimously.
3. Compensation Commission (Seats C and D)
Two seats were available for public-at-large representatives. David Kawada, an incumbent seeking a second term, cited his four years of experience benchmarking salaries and analyzing expense allowances. The second applicant, Kathleen McNichol, was absent due to illness. Councilmember Ashby moved to reappoint Mr. Kawada, which was seconded and passed. Councilmember Hansen then moved to appoint Ms. McNichol based on her qualifications and staff review, seconded by Councilmember Ashby; that motion also passed unanimously, fully staffing the commission.
4. Sacramento Disabilities Advisory Commission (Seat B)
Five candidates interviewed for one seat representing a disability group with ADA knowledge. The candidates were Alex San Martin, Carol Aragon, James Belotti, Ray Daryabigi, and Will Cannady. Staff ADA Coordinator Neal Albritton recommended Ray Daryabigi, citing his strong knowledge of accessibility codes and his work ensuring the Golden 1 Center’s VIP entrance also serves as the disability entrance. Councilmember Hansen seconded the motion, noting the commission would have another vacancy in January; other applicants’ applications would be held over. The motion passed unanimously, appointing Mr. Daryabigi.
5. Sacramento Environmental Commission (Seats A and B)
Five candidates interviewed: Adrian Rodriguez, Brian Whalen, incumbent Diane Kindermann, incumbent Mark Barry, and Roland Brady. Staff representative Kelly McCoy recommended reappointing Ms. Kindermann and Mr. Barry, praising their expertise in environmental law and transportation planning. However, Councilmember Hansen raised concerns about attendance records and a persistent issue with inconsistent enforcement of state environmental regulations for restaurant patios, urging that new commissioners help champion that issue. The committee decided to continue the item to the next meeting for further discussion and nomination, allowing time to identify which candidate could best address the city’s needs. The incumbents remain in place until a decision is made.
6. Sacramento Heritage, Inc. Board of Directors (Seat C)
The sole applicant, Jose Esparza, presented his MA in history and research on the California Gold Rush and Chilean miners. Incumbent Bill Berg was absent but had served since 2013 with excellent attendance and authored several books on Sacramento history. Planning Director Kate Gillespie noted that both were strong candidates and that there were additional board vacancies. Councilmember Hansen moved to reappoint Mr. Berg, and the committee also voted to hold over Mr. Esparza’s application for future openings. The motion passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Civil Service Board: Brian Weathersby and Ryan Gronsky appointed. (Vote: unanimous)
- Compensation Commission: David Kawada (reappointed) and Kathleen McNichol (appointed in absentia). (Votes: unanimous)
- Sacramento Disabilities Advisory Commission: Ray Daryabigi appointed; remaining applicants held over for a January vacancy. (Vote: unanimous)
- Sacramento Environmental Commission: Item continued to next meeting; no appointments made. Incumbents remain in place.
- Sacramento Heritage, Inc. Board: Bill Berg reappointed; Jose Esparza’s application held over for future openings. (Vote: unanimous)
Public Comments & Committee Comments
No members of the public spoke on matters not on the agenda, and committee members had no additional comments. The meeting was adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
We call this meeting of the uh personnel and public employees commission to order, committee to order. Councilmember Ashby here. Councilmember Warren. Member Hanson? Here. And Chair Carr. We have a quorum. If you're here to speak to the committee and are not a candidate, please complete a speaker slip that can be found in the back window and turn into the assistant clerk. If you need an assisted listening or speaking device, you would also see the assistant clerk. And this is the appropriate time to please turn your cell phones and devices to silent. Okay, first order will be approval of the uh minutes for the meeting of September 13th. Those opposed, no. Motion passes. Okay. First uh interview would be for the civil service board. Um item two is yes, civil service board. We have um two candidates applying for positions B and D. They are both described as members of the city excuse me, a member who's a citizen of the city but has no connection with the city. So we're going to call you up and ask you to come answer, come to the podium, answer the questions that are behind us. And when your interviews completed, if you'll step to your right and see Phoebe, say hi Phoebe, and she'll take your picture, which we'll include in the package going forward. Our first candidate is Brian Weathersby. So shall I just answer the questions? Yeah, you have two minutes to answer these questions. All right. So uh why am I interested in serving the commission? I um I just always like serving my community, serving my city. Uh being that Sacramento has been my uh new adopted city. I just moved to uh the actual city itself a year ago. Uh I looked through the bookland, found things that um ways I can serve a city and decided to pick that this this commission. So what qualifies me? Um I have vast experience in so many different areas from healthcare to manufacturing to um IT, which is my current field. Uh I have an MBA in technology management, so I uh understand business and the way things should run inside of it. Um I'm struggling to finish two minutes of this interview. So you don't have to take the whole two minutes if you don't mind. Excuse me. You don't have to take the whole two minutes. I do not okay. Um, I'll I'll end it by saying that uh I've served on the Analoge Planning Committee before, so I understand the way the committees work and uh I look forward to serving this committee as well and serving the city of Sacramento. What'd you do in the Air Force? I was a communication technician. Or uh on the intelligence side or the comms. Okay. Yes. All right. Any questions? Thank you. If you would have Phoebe taking the Ryan Gronsky. All right, well, good afternoon. My name's Ryan Gronsky. Thank you for the invitation to uh speak about my interest and qualifications for this.
openpublica.com