OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/San Ramon, California/City Council
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Ramon City Council Regular Meeting - September 8, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, September 8, 2026
BodySan Ramon, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Original source
Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:07

Call to order the regular meeting of San Ramon City Council for September 8th, 2026.

0:12

Please call the roll.

Speaker 2

0:14

Councilmember Adler.

0:16

Councilmember Duanat?

Speaker 1

0:17

President.

Speaker 2

0:17

Councilmember Verose?

Speaker 1

0:19

Here.

Speaker 2

0:19

Vice Mayor Rubio?

0:20

Yeah.

0:20

And Mayor Armstrong.

Speaker 1

0:22

Here.

Unassigned speaker

0:22

All

Speaker 1

0:23

right.

0:23

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Unassigned speaker

0:27

My Pledge

Speaker 3

0:28

of

Unassigned speaker

0:28

Allegiance by United States of America.

Unassigned speaker

0:31

Thank you.

Speaker 1

0:40

All right.

0:40

Thank you.

0:41

Please be seated.

0:44

All right.

0:45

Uh item three announcements.

0:47

Do we have any announcements?

Speaker 2

0:48

Item 3.1 changes and additions to the agenda.

0:52

There are none.

0:53

If you are attending in person and wish to speak during public comment or on an agenda item, please complete a speaker card located in the back of the room and submit it to the city clerk.

1:03

If you are attending remotely via Zoom and wish to speak during public comment or on an agenda item, please use the raise hand feature on your computer or dial star nine on your telephone to request to speak when public comment is open for that agenda item.

1:22

When it is your turn, you will be unmuted and may provide comments for up to three minutes.

1:28

After your allotted time expired, you will be muted again.

1:32

Written public comment was not received this evening on any item.

Speaker 1

1:39

Okay.

1:39

Thank you.

2:22

Please be reminded that while the city ensures the First Amendment rights of its citizens, we do not accept nor endorse any offensive or hateful comments made during our meetings.

2:32

The city celebrates the diversity of our community,

Unassigned speaker

2:34

and

Speaker 1

2:34

we strive to be a welcoming and open community for all.

2:38

While we encourage your comments, unfortunately, state law prevents the city council from discussing items that are not on the meeting agenda.

2:53

So public comment is open.

2:55

Do we have any speaker cards?

Speaker 2

2:57

We do.

2:58

We did receive three speaker cards from one speaker.

3:02

They are requesting to speak not only under public comment, but on item 5.3 and 6.1, which on the consent calendar or on public comment does state they must speak under item number four.

3:16

So I will call the one speaker for item number four only.

3:21

We the people

Speaker 4

3:28

mayor and council members.

5:09

The taxpayers will be paying somebody who is not properly trained to read building plants at $10,000 more.

5:17

Do you dare to live in that building?

5:20

Who's plan which plan is read by a civil engineer when it is supposed to be read by a structural engineer?

5:28

This item should have been agendized as open session discussion item only, not consent agenda.

5:34

These people outrageously violate the Brown Act rules repeatedly, thinking you guys are dumb and you won't be able to catch

Unassigned speaker

5:43

it.

Speaker 4

5:44

In addition, I have asked the city to please spell out what is SEIU and POA in your labor negotiation because POA concerns police officers.

5:56

SEIU concerns foreign employees.

6:00

They should not be lumped together.

6:01

So then, therefore, when you vote, you can vote as separate items.

6:05

Now our police officers' dignity is reduced to as foreign employees.

6:12

Shame on you guys for not correcting these people.

6:15

That's why we hire you to not echo their faults, but to correct their faults.

6:21

And with eight seconds, I wish to give thanks to 6.1 whose families are true Americans, and without them, I would not, my family and I will not be able to live in this wonderful country who holds government transparent.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Employee Benefits████████████████████████24%
Public Engagement██████████████████18%
Personnel Matters██████████████14%
Procedural███████████11%
Historic Preservation███████████11%
Youth Programs████████8%
Public Safety██████6%
Economic Development█████5%
Environmental Protection█1%
Summary of Proceedings

San Ramon City Council Regular Meeting - September 8, 2026

The San Ramon City Council held a regular meeting on September 8, 2026 at 6:30 PM. The agenda included public comments on various safety and community issues, a consent calendar approved unanimously, special presentations recognizing Constitution Week and student "Event Innovator" winners, and a resolution to delegate fiduciary responsibilities for employee benefit plans to a newly created committee. The meeting was adjourned in memory of 9/11 hero Thomas E. Burnett Jr.

Consent Calendar

  • Routine items approved unanimously, including approval of minutes for the August 24 Special and August 25 Regular meetings, reclassification of a Plans Examiner position to an Associate Engineer (Resolution 2026-114), vehicle purchases and surplus declarations (Resolution 2026-115), and the purchase of a street sweeper (Resolution 2026-116).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • "We the People" Speaker: Criticized the consent calendar placement of Item 5.3 (position reclassification), alleging Brown Act violations and a lack of transparency. Objected to combining police and general employee groups in labor negotiations. Urged the DAR to detail activities for Constitution Week.
  • David Coleman (representing the Navid family): Argued the city lacks a residential post-fire disaster recovery framework after a November 2024 EV fire. Stated the Chief Building Official declined to intervene in hazardous material remediation. Requested the city develop a formal rebuilding protocol.
  • Gary Opper (Board President, SRV Education Foundation): Invited the community to the 43rd annual Run for Education on October 11 at Iron Horse Middle School.
  • Darren Wong (Cal High student): Expressed safety concerns about e-bike speeds on the Iron Horse Trail. Requested police checkpoints, SRO coordination, and sustained enforcement within 30 days.
  • Swayam Minkar (HSS volunteer): Reported the donation of 115 backpacks filled with school supplies to SRVUSD students.
  • Mandy Walia (Tri-Valley Weekly): Invited candidates and council members to a nonpartisan candidate forum on September 30.
  • City Manager Response: Noted a recent multi-agency enforcement action on the Iron Horse Trail (Aug 18) resulted in 194 contacts, 56 citations, and 137 warnings. Announced another operation on Sep 17.

Special Presentations

  • 6.1 Constitution Week Proclamation: Mayor Armstrong presented a proclamation declaring September 17-23, 2026 as Constitution Week to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Councilmembers praised the DAR's role in historic preservation and civic education.
  • 6.2 Event Innovator Competition Awards: Discover San Ramon awarded $5,000 each to three students: Neil Carumb (Sky Track Grand Prix), Aditi Rungeon (RoboFest), and Chloe Fisher (Cherry Blossom Festival). Councilmembers congratulated the winners on their creativity.

Discussion Items

  • 9.1 Resolution 2026-117 - Employee Benefits Committee: The Council considered a resolution to delegate plan administration and fiduciary responsibilities for the city's 457(b) Deferred Compensation and Retirement Health Savings programs to a newly formed Defined Contribution and Retirement Health Savings Committee.
  • Presentation: Assistant City Manager Scott Cole and benefits counsel Dylan Rudolph (Morgan Lewis) presented the proposal as an industry best practice to reduce fiduciary risk following the 2024 reorganization. The 7-member committee would be chaired by the City Manager and include a POA and SEIU representative. The committee would report annually to the Council.
  • Council Deliberation: Councilmember Verose confirmed committee members would file FPPC Form 700 to disclose potential conflicts. Vice Mayor Rubio inquired about retained Council authority and costs; Scott Cole confirmed meetings would occur during normal work hours. City Manager Badowski stated the Council was excluded from the committee to preserve its role as the ultimate appeal authority.
  • Public Comment: A speaker opposed the resolution, criticizing the sole-source selection of legal counsel (Morgan Lewis) and arguing the City Manager should not hold voting power on the committee. The speaker raised concerns over the delegation of fiduciary duties away from the Council.
  • Outcome: Motion by Councilmember Verose, second by Councilmember Adler. The resolution passed unanimously.

Council Member Comments / Matters Initiated

  • Councilmember Jweinat: Remembered the anniversary of 9/11 and honored first responders.
  • Councilmember Verose: Announced the appointment of Ananya Boinini as Teen Council Vice Chair.
  • Councilmember Adler: Attended the San Ramon Historic Foundation speaker series and the School of Rock ribbon cutting.
  • Vice Mayor Rubio: Discussed Teen Council interviews, shared positive County Connection Paratransit survey results, and recognized National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sep 15 - Oct 15).
  • Mayor Armstrong: Participated in a mass care/sheltering exercise for National Preparedness Month, the Senior BBQ, a Police Oath of Office ceremony, and recognized city staff in Leadership San Ramon.
  • Public Comment: A speaker commended the council majority for transparency during Teen Council interviews but criticized Councilmember Jweinat. The speaker then asked Councilmember Jweinat to clarify his background and law license status.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar approved unanimously.
  • Constitution Week proclamation issued (Sep 17-23, 2026).
  • $5,000 awards granted to three Event Innovator Competition winners.
  • Resolution 2026-117 passed, creating the Defined Contribution and Retirement Health Savings Committee.
  • Ongoing and scheduled e-bike enforcement on the Iron Horse Trail confirmed (next on Sep 17).
  • Meeting adjourned in memory of Thomas E. Burnett Jr., San Ramon 9/11 hero.

Meeting Transcript

Call to order the regular meeting of San Ramon City Council for September 8th, 2026. Please call the roll. Councilmember Adler. Councilmember Duanat? President. Councilmember Verose? Here. Vice Mayor Rubio? Yeah. And Mayor Armstrong. Here. All right. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. My Pledge of Allegiance by United States of America. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Please be seated. All right. Uh item three announcements. Do we have any announcements? Item 3.1 changes and additions to the agenda. There are none. If you are attending in person and wish to speak during public comment or on an agenda item, please complete a speaker card located in the back of the room and submit it to the city clerk. If you are attending remotely via Zoom and wish to speak during public comment or on an agenda item, please use the raise hand feature on your computer or dial star nine on your telephone to request to speak when public comment is open for that agenda item. When it is your turn, you will be unmuted and may provide comments for up to three minutes. After your allotted time expired, you will be muted again. Written public comment was not received this evening on any item. Okay. Thank you. Please be reminded that while the city ensures the First Amendment rights of its citizens, we do not accept nor endorse any offensive or hateful comments made during our meetings. The city celebrates the diversity of our community, and we strive to be a welcoming and open community for all. While we encourage your comments, unfortunately, state law prevents the city council from discussing items that are not on the meeting agenda. So public comment is open. Do we have any speaker cards? We do. We did receive three speaker cards from one speaker. They are requesting to speak not only under public comment, but on item 5.3 and 6.1, which on the consent calendar or on public comment does state they must speak under item number four. So I will call the one speaker for item number four only. We the people mayor and council members. The taxpayers will be paying somebody who is not properly trained to read building plants at $10,000 more. Do you dare to live in that building? Who's plan which plan is read by a civil engineer when it is supposed to be read by a structural engineer? This item should have been agendized as open session discussion item only, not consent agenda.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com