Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting - April 11, 2023
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Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting - April 11, 2023
The Santa Rosa City Council held a regular meeting on April 11, 2023, beginning at 4:02 PM and adjourning at 5:33 PM. All seven council members were present. The meeting included proclamations, staff briefings, reports, committee appointments, approval of minutes, and a consent calendar covering 11 items, all of which were unanimously approved. Public comments addressed mobile home park concerns, a proposed pickleball stadium, and rental rate issues.
Proclamations & Presentations
- Week of the Young Child: Council Member Fleming presented the proclamation to Laura Magnusdottir of the Community Child Care Council, who thanked the Council for supporting child care initiatives.
- Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Mayor Rogers presented the proclamation to Metzli Perez Flores of Verity, who highlighted Verity’s 24/7 crisis line and services for survivors.
Staff Briefings
- Community Empowerment Plan Update: Danielle Garduno, Interim Violence Prevention Program Manager, announced the launch of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Spaces Mini-Grant program ($5,000 per eligible application, due June 30). She also noted community concerns about rising violence and outlined efforts to update the five-year strategic plan, seek funding for street/school intervention programs, and expand crisis response. Public commenter Duane DeWitt urged community engagement on graffiti removal and infrastructure issues in Roseland.
- 2023 Earth Day Event: Alicia Quilici presented details on the 14th annual Earth Day on Stage festival, scheduled for April 22 from 12-4 PM at Courthouse Square. The free event will feature workshops, live performances, a kids’ section, and zero-waste practices. Duane DeWitt spoke in support and invited the Council to a concurrent Roseland Creek cleanup starting at 10 AM.
City Manager’s Report
City Manager Maraskeshia Smith announced:
- Assistant City Manager Daryel Dunston’s selection as a North Bay Business Journal 40 Under 40 recipient.
- Certification of the Santa Rosa 2023-2031 Housing Element by the state on April 7.
- Merit Award nominations are open.
- Finley Aquatic Center’s 30th birthday celebration on April 17 with free programming and cake.
Mayor’s & Council Members’ Reports
Council members provided updates on meetings and community events. Highlights included:
- Council Member Stapp reported on water advisory committee meetings, noting a healthy groundwater basin and a well-attended Sonoma County Alliance water infrastructure discussion.
- Council Member Rogers reported on Sonoma Clean Power’s approved budget, noting a 5% savings over PG&E bundled service despite the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment; and flagged PG&E delays in energizing new developments as a concern.
- Council Member Fleming reported on the Renewal Enterprise District (RED), noting that $10 million in city and county funds helped leverage approximately $400 million to fund over 600 housing units, with an estimated multiplier effect up to 7x. She also announced RED Executive Director Michelle Whitman’s departure and upcoming steps.
Committee Appointments (Item 10.2)
The Council voted unanimously (7-0) to support the following appointments for the Sonoma County Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association / City Selection Committee:
- ABAG Executive Board: Susan Adams (primary), Stephen Zollman (alternate)
- Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District Citizens Advisory Committee: John Shribbs and Kevin McDonnell
- Metropolitan Transportation Commission: Victoria Fleming (Santa Rosa)
- Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District: Gerard Giudice
- For two seats with no letters, Council authorized the Mayor to vote in case of late nominations.
Consent Calendar
All consent items were approved unanimously (7-0) by a single motion:
- 12.1: Awarded Contract No. C01620, Santa Rosa Avenue Corridor Improvements, to Granite Construction Company (Watsonville, CA) for $2,179,030.68, plus a 15% contingency for a total not-to-exceed $2,505,885.28. Vice Mayor MacDonald questioned the 43% overage vs. engineer’s estimate; staff explained volatile pricing and that all three bids were competitive.
- 12.2: Received and approved the 2022 General Plan, Inclusionary Housing, and Growth Management Annual Review Report.
- 12.3: Appointed Hugh Futrell (Hotel E) and Janelle Meyers (Visit Santa Rosa) to the Tourism Business Improvement Area Advisory Board.
- 12.4: Authorized entering into National Opioid Settlements with Teva, Allergan, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart; authorized the City Manager to execute agreements and direct settlement proceeds for permissible uses.
- 12.5: Approved a $100,000 increase to General Services Agreement with California Patrol Operations Inc. (total not-to-exceed $195,000).
- 12.6: Approved a two-year concession license agreement with Pony Express Equine Assisted Skills for Youth to operate pony rides at Howarth Park (total not-to-exceed $500,000).
- 12.7: Approved a change order for CityBus electric fleet electrification, adding two chargers and a contingency for a total not-to-exceed $1,100,733.50.
- 12.8: Authorized applications for One Bay Area Grant 3 (OBAG 3) funding: $1,321,000 for Highway 101 Hearn Avenue Multi-Use Pathway and Pavement Rehabilitation, and $2,588,000 for Downtown Connectivity to Support Housing Density Intensification; committed local non-general funds for matching.
- 12.9: Authorized submittal of SB1 funding requests for FY 2023-24: $3,714,279 for Highway 101 Hearn Interchange and $1,174,065 for Highway 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing.
- 12.10: Approved a five-year Professional Services Agreement with GMV Syncromatics Corp. ($931,787) for a new Computer Aided Dispatch and Automated Vehicle Location system (continued from March 28).
- 12.11: Adopted Ordinance No. ORD-2023-004 (second reading) rezoning seven parcels on West Barham and Barham Avenues from Planned Development 96-002 to Light Industrial (IL) for General Plan consistency.
Public Comments on Non-Agenda Matters
- Tom LaPenna (Santa Rosa Manufactured Homeowners Association) requested adding language to the rent control ordinance to protect senior mobile home park designations, citing a Press Democrat article on Carriage Court.
- James Foley proposed a downtown pickleball stadium on the upper parking lot of the Santa Rosa Mall to revitalize the area and attract sports tourism.
- Duane DeWitt promoted an All-American Car Show on July 1 at the Vets Memorial Building and invited attendance at the Roseland Earth Day event.
- Yvonne Rawhouser expressed distress over a 10% rent increase at her mobile home park, urging Council protection for tenants.
- Sloane (high school journalist) thanked Council members and staff for interviews on local government for a school newspaper article.
Key Outcomes
- All consent items, minutes, and committee appointments passed unanimously (7-0) with Council Member Fleming abstaining from approval of the March 28 minutes.
- The Earth Day event was encouraged, and the violence prevention strategic plan update will continue with community engagement.
- The City will proceed with opioid settlement participation, grant applications, and infrastructure contracts as approved.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. I'd like to ask the interpreter currently on the Spanish channel to commence translation of the meeting. For those just joining the meeting, live translation in Spanish is available, and members of the public or staff wishing to listen in Spanish can join the Spanish channel by clicking on the interpretation icon in the Zoom toolbar. It looks like a glow. Once you join the Spanish channel, we recommend you shut off the main audio so you can only hear the Spanish translation. Marina, will you please restate this in Spanish? Okay. Thank you. Welcome to our April 11th, 2023, Santa Rosa City Council meeting. It is now 402, and we will begin our meeting. Seeing a quorum, Madam City Clerk, may you please call the roll. Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Stapp. Here. Councilmember Rogers. Here. Councilmember O'Krepke. Here. Councilmember Fleming? Here. Councilmember Alvarez. Present. Vice Mayor McDonald? Here. And Mayor Rogers. President. Let the record show all council members are present. We are no study sessions today. So we are gonna go to our first item, which would be uh item six, our proclamations. Um the first proclamation will be read by councilmember Fleming. Thank you, Mayor. Whereas the Child Care Planning Council of Sonoma County and other organized local organizations in conjunction with National Association for the Education of Young Children are celebrating the week of the young child, April 1st through 7th, 2023. And whereas these organizations are working to improve early care and education opportunities that provide a foundation of learning for all children in Santa Rosa, California, and whereas high quality early care and education can help ameliorate the effects of poverty, detect and remediate delays, identify and prevent child neglect, and lead to positive outcomes for individual children, helping them be better prepared for school and more likely to succeed in life, and whereas young children need developmentally appropriate, accessible and available early care and education settings, and whereas young children need access to an early childhood education workforce that reflects a rich diversity of linguistic, racial and cultural identities, and whereas child care provider providers, especially women of color who are skilled and valuable frontline professionals that risk their health to provide early care and education during a global pandemic deserve to be fairly compensated. And whereas early childhood education providers and other community members who make a difference in the lives of young children in Santa Rosa, California deserve thanks and recognition. Now let it be resolved that Natalie Rogers, Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa, on behalf of the entire city council do hereby proclaim April 1st through 2nd, 2023, week of the young child. If I may, through the mayor, make a couple of comments. Is that the work that you all do to make this possible is the single greatest factor to reducing the gender wage gap in our country? And by adding more child care and affordable child care slots, you are effectively increasing the equity and the ability of women to close this gap and be effective and bring home the bacon or eggs or whatever the case may be for their families. Thank you, Councilmember Fleming. Whomever is here to the representative that is here to accept the proclamation, if you would like to come to the podium and say a few words, now would be the time to do so. After that, Madam City Clerk, can you please facilitate public comment? Thank you. Hi, I'm Laura Magnus Dodger, uh Public Policy Director of Community Healthcare Council, and I want to thank the City Council for the support that you have shown in the past for child care. It really impacts everyone from the child care providers who are mostly low-income women of color, the families who are trying to improve their lot in life and go to work and go to go to school, many of them. And it it really has been an issue in the past few years where we have lost a lot of access to slots, and so your continued support is truly appreciated. Thank you. Thank you. We are now taking public comment on item 6.1. If you are in the council chamber and would like to make a comment, but have not provided a speaker card or your name, please make your way to the podium. If you are participating via Zoom, please raise your hand or dial star nine.
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