Sacramento Personnel and Public Employees Committee Meeting - February 13, 2024
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Sacramento Personnel and Public Employees Committee Meeting - February 13, 2024
The Personnel and Public Employees Committee met on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at 11:01 a.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber. The meeting was called to order by Chair Lisa Kaplan and adjourned at 12:35 p.m. Members present included Caity Maple, Karina Talamantes, Katie Valenzuela, and Chair Kaplan. The committee voted on a consent calendar, selected a vice chair, interviewed applicants for several commissions, and reviewed annual reports from three commissions.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1 - Approval of Meeting Minutes (January 9, 2024): Passed unanimously. The minutes were approved as presented.
Selection of Vice Chair
- Item 2 - Selection of Vice Chair for Calendar Year 2024: Chair Kaplan nominated Caity Maple to continue as Vice Chair. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Valenzuela and passed unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Item 3 - Review of Applicants for Compensation Commission (Seat B): Two applicants, Elizabeth Pray and Daniel Rubinstein, were interviewed. The committee voted to recommend Elizabeth Pray to the Mayor and Council. Motion by Chair Kaplan, second by Councilmember Talamantes, passed unanimously.
- Item 4 - Review of Applicants for Planning and Design Commission (Seat L): Three applicants were interviewed: David Carlson, David Guerrero, and Erin Reschke. Vice Chair Maple nominated Erin Reschke; seconded by Chair Kaplan. The vote was 3-0-1, with Councilmember Talamantes abstaining (she expressed support for David Guerrero from her district). The recommendation was forwarded to the Mayor and Council.
- Item 5 - Review of Applicants for Sacramento Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Commission (Seat L - youth seat): Eight applicants were considered; four were present. Councilmember Talamantes nominated America Lomeli, seconded by Vice Chair Maple. The motion passed unanimously.
- Item 6 - Active Transportation Commission 2023 Annual Report: Presenters Jennifer Donlon Wyant, Chair Arlett Hodell, and past chair Ally Dore Westbrook outlined 10 recommendations, including increased funding for active transportation, a safe routes to school program, speed management, e-bike libraries, and quick-build bikeways. The committee voted to forward the report to the City Council on consent. Motion by Councilmember Valenzuela, second by Councilmember Talamantes, passed unanimously.
- Item 7 - Planning and Design Commission Annual Report: Stacia Cosgrove presented the 2023 report, noting the commission held 20 meetings and handled roughly 50 projects (about 7% of all planning applications). The committee voted to forward the report to the City Council on consent. Motion by Councilmember Talamantes, second by Vice Chair Maple, passed unanimously.
- Item 8 - Sacramento Disabilities Advisory Commission Annual Report (2022-2023): Chair Roland McMillan and staff liaison Jesse Gothan presented key recommendations: reinstating a citywide ADA coordinator, ensuring ADA-accessible public meetings, adding inclusion to diversity/equity initiatives, and addressing access issues at the Golden 1 Center. Public commenters, including Terry Preston and Commissioner Alice Mercer, highlighted ongoing problems with the drop-off location for people with disabilities at the arena. The committee voted to forward the report to the City Council on consent. Motion by Vice Chair Maple, second by Councilmember Talamantes, passed unanimously. During discussion, committee members directed staff to expedite improvements at Golden 1 Center and to ensure the city’s website is ADA-compliant.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 6 (Active Transportation): No public comments.
- Item 8 (Disabilities Advisory Commission): Several commissioners and community members testified. Terry Preston, a former advocate for community benefits at Golden 1 Center, described being denied accessible drop-off after his stroke. Commissioner Alice Mercer noted that a change in meeting times to 5:30 p.m. caused the loss of two commissioners. Commissioner Brandy Boyd urged the city to include disability in diversity/equity discussions and to reinstate the ADA coordinator.
- Public Comments - Matters Not on the Agenda: Corinna Crowley thanked the committee for extending the crosswalk signal time at Florin and 24th Street. Ryan Masano made off-topic remarks and was cut off after exceeding the time limit; the meeting was briefly paused but continued.
Key Outcomes
- Vice Chair: Caity Maple was re-elected as Vice Chair for 2024.
- Appointments Recommended: Elizabeth Pray (Compensation Commission), Erin Reschke (Planning and Design Commission), and America Lomeli (Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Commission) were recommended to the Mayor and Council.
- Annual Reports Forwarded: The Active Transportation Commission, Planning and Design Commission, and Disabilities Advisory Commission annual reports were all forwarded to the City Council on consent.
- Directives: Staff were directed to prioritize resolution of the Golden 1 Center accessibility issues, including an interim solution for the drop-off location, and to ensure the city’s website redesign is fully ADA-compliant by its planned April 2024 launch.
- Future Action: Councilmember Valenzuela requested an update on the ethics commission recommendations at the next PMPE meeting; the City Clerk indicated it would be on the agenda after March.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning, everyone. I want to call uh the personnel and public employee committee meeting to order. Uh will the clerk please uh call the roll to establish a quorum. Thank you, Chair. Councilmember Talamantes. Councilmember Valenzuela. Here. Councilmember Maple. Here. And Chair Kaplan. Here. Um for the members of the public who were not having come up to uh interview if you'd like to make public comment. There are speaker slips up front. So please make sure you fill them out so we can call on you when we get to the either on agenda or off agenda item. But moving into it, um, Ms. Valenzuela, can you do the land acknowledgement and pledge, please? Yes, please stand if you are able to rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands to the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains, Mewak, Putwin Wentune peoples, and the people of the 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 History, contributions, and lives. Thank you. Now please salute and pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic from which it stands. Undergone individual with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Thank you, everyone. And I'd also like to give a uh hearty welcome to Miss Karina Talamantes, who is new to this committee representing District Three. So my neighbor, welcome to your first meeting. Um so now moving uh to our first business of the day. It is our consent calendar. Do you have any questions, comments, any um somebody on uh speakers for consent? No public comment. All right. Do I have a motion for item one? So moved. Moved by Vice Chair Maple. Second by Miss Valenzuela, Jacob or all in favor, aye. Aye. All right. Got that one out of the way. Um it would be my privilege on item two, which is selection of a vice chair for calendar 2024 to have my fellow colleague uh vice mayor uh Katie Maple serve as my vice chair and continue on in that role. Um so I'd like to make a motion for that. Second by uh Councilman Valenzuela. All in favor, aye. Aye. Aye. Thank you, colleagues. I like our our monthly chats on these things. All right, now getting on to the order of business. We are now at uh section three, which is or item three, which is review of applicants for the compensation commission. Jacob, I'm turning it over to you. Thank you, Chair.
openpublica.com