Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – August 22, 2023
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Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – August 22, 2023
The Santa Rosa City Council met in regular session on August 22, 2023, at 4:20 p.m. after a closed session on labor negotiations (no reportable action). The meeting included a proclamation, approval of a consent calendar, a public hearing, and reports on investment policy, firefighter staffing, golf course irrigation, board diversity, and the appointment of a new city attorney. The Council also received reports from the Mayor and Council Members, including updates on homelessness counts and city initiatives.
Proclamations & Presentations
- Women’s Equality Day, August 26, 2023 – Vice Mayor MacDonald read the proclamation. Jan Blalock, past Chair of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women, accepted and spoke about ongoing equity issues. Public comment by Eric Fraser offered a different perspective through the lens of freedom and free will.
Consent Calendar
- 12.1 – Resolution approving a third amendment to the professional services agreement with Best Best & Krieger LLP for real estate legal services, extending compensation by $100,000 (total not to exceed $400,000). Adopted unanimously.
- 12.2 – Resolution accepting the 2023 Annual Report and adopting the 2024 Work Plan for the Santa Rosa Tourism Business Improvement Area (TBIA), including continuation of the annual assessment on lodging businesses. Adopted unanimously. (Public comment in opposition by Eric Fraser, who called the TBIA a "rent-seeking organization" and cited concerns about representation of residential property owners.)
- 12.3 – Resolution ratifying grant application and acceptance of $1,333,334 from the California Office of Emergency Services for seismic retrofit and renovation of 55 Stony Point Road as an Emergency Operations Center, with $333,334 in local matching funds. Adopted unanimously.
- 12.4 – Ordinance (second reading) repealing and replacing Chapter 11.22 of the Municipal Code on camping on public streets and public property to align with Martin v. City of Boise and establish health/safety standards. Adopted unanimously.
- Public comments: Multiple speakers urged adoption (Joe Dietzen, Cadance Hinkle Allinson, Natalie Balfour, Argo T, Pauline Block, Danielle N., Britt C.) citing fire risks (23% of fire responses were encampment-related) and business impacts. Some speakers (Gig Hitao, Michael Titone, Victoria Yanez, Duane DeWitt, Butterfly) requested pulling the item for amendments, arguing it could still violate the Boise decision or lacked sufficient shelter alternatives.
Public Comments & Testimony (Non-Agenda Matters)
- Item 13 – Duane DeWitt thanked Council Member Alvarez for work in District 1 and supported naming Pomo Park and Preserve along Roseland Creek. Cynthia Lozano reported a glitch in the short-term rental renewal system and requested assistance. City staff said they would help.
- Item 17 – Shelby Pryor recommended establishing a cultural center for African American residents in Santa Rosa.
Discussion Items
- 14.1 – Investment Policy Update – Budget Manager Veronica Connor and PFM Managing Director Monique Spyke presented proposed changes to Council Policy No. 000-26, including: lowering minimum credit quality on municipal obligations from AA to A; increasing commercial paper limit from 25% to 40% of the portfolio; adding fossil fuel restriction language; and clarifying collateralization and policy review procedures. No public comment. Adopted unanimously.
- 14.2 – FEMA SAFER Grant Application for 12 Firefighters – Fire Chief Scott Westrope presented: request for $7,084,440 to hire 12 firefighter-paramedics to staff two advanced life support squads, addressing NFPA 1710 compliance (full assembly at structure fires) and declining day-to-day response time compliance (from ~77% in 2010 to under 60% in 2022). The grant covers three years with no local match; after the grant, the city may continue funding, find alternative sources, or absorb positions through attrition. Public comment: Adina Flores requested a citizen action group for contract oversight; Shelby Pryor expressed concerns about funding priorities and questioned data. Adopted 6-0-1 (Vice Mayor MacDonald absent).
- 14.3 – Bennett Valley Golf Course (BVGC) Irrigation Supply System – Jen Santos, Acting Recreation and Parks Director, presented a request for $2,000,000 from unassigned General Fund reserves for environmental review, design, and construction of a modern irrigation system, plus delegation to the City Manager to use design-build procurement if beneficial. The golf course (150 acres, built 1969) has a 50-year-old critical irrigation system. National Golf Foundation recommended this as the top priority. Public comment: Richard Carlile (support, civil engineer), Shelby Pryor (oppose, citing water use and homelessness), Jim Gurke (support, diversity of users), Adina Flores (oppose, re: priorities), Sheila Bell (support, youth programs). Touchstone management presented junior golf and outreach programs. Adopted unanimously.
- 14.4 – Diversity of City Council Boards, Commissions, and Committees – 2022 Annual Report – City Clerk Dina Manis presented data: 66 total applications, 46 unique applicants; 23 appointments made. Gender: 74% male appointees, 26% female. Ethnicity: 78% Caucasian non-Hispanic, 13% African American, 5% Asian/Pacific Islander, 4% Hispanic (Hispanic applicants were 13% of applicants). Council Member Fleming requested age data in future reports. Council Member Okrepkie asked about recruitment efforts (advertising in Press Democrat, La Voz, social media, and future community event booths). Public comment: Shelby Pryor and Adina Flores criticized the report for lack of genuine equity and representation. Adopted unanimously.
- 14.5 – Appointment of City Attorney and Employment Agreement – Dominique Blanquie, HR Director, introduced Teresa Stricker as the new City Attorney (nationwide search). Employment agreement includes: annual salary of $294,000 (effective Nov. 6, 2023), deferred compensation (5.5% of base), moving expenses up to $10,000, six months severance, auto allowance $350/month, wellness benefit $400/month, and other standard benefits. An ordinance setting the salary was introduced for first reading. Public comment: Eric Fraser raised concerns about corruption in code enforcement and a recent arrest; Adina Flores echoed concerns about transparency and a former code enforcement official. Resolution adopted unanimously; Ordinance introduced unanimously (7-0).
- 15.1 – Public Hearing: Placement of Storm Water Enterprise Charges on Sonoma County Property Tax Roll – Claire Myers, Storm Water and Creeks Manager, presented the proposal for FY 2023-2024 to continue collection of the $39.98 per ERU fee via the county tax roll, as done since 1996. No public comment. Adopted unanimously (7-0, 2/3 vote required).
- 16.1 – State Legislative Update – Information items: Support for ACA 1 (local government financing for affordable housing and public infrastructure); Opposition to AB 698 (gas stove bans); Support for SB 470 (urban and small community drought relief programs). Council Member Chris Rogers noted interest in ACA 13 (constitutional amendment, potential support). Received and filed.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar – All items (12.1–12.4) approved unanimously.
- Investment Policy Update – Approved (Resolution RES-2023-149).
- SAFER Grant – Application authorized (6-0-1); if awarded, the Fire Chief is authorized to accept.
- BVGC Irrigation – $2 million appropriated from General Fund reserves; City Manager authorized to use design-build process if beneficial; contract will return to Council for approval.
- Diversity Report – Accepted; staff directed to improve outreach and consider adding age data.
- City Attorney Appointment – Teresa Stricker appointed; employment agreement approved; salary ordinance introduced (second reading at next meeting).
- Storm Water Charges – Placement on tax roll approved.
- Closed Session – No reportable action.
Meeting adjourned at 8:17 p.m.
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. Looking good. It's looking good. All right, welcome everyone to the August twenty second, twenty twenty-three Santa Rosa City Council meeting. It is now four twenty, and we will be starting our meeting. Welcome, Madam City Manager, Madam City Attorney, and fellow council members. Seeing a quorum, Madam City Clerk, can you please call the roll? Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Stapp? Here. Councilmember Rogers? Here. Councilmember O'Krepke? Here. Councilmember Fleming? Councilmember Alvarez. Count Vice Mayor McDonald? Here. Mayor Rogers. Present. Let the record show all council members are present with the exception of Councilmember Alvarez. We have no study session today, so we'll continue to item five. Madam City Attorney, may you please report out on our closed session. Thank you, Madam Mayor. A closed session was held on the item on the agenda, and there was no reportable action. Moving to item six point one, our proclamation for the day will be read by Vice Mayor McDonald. Whereas in 1976, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors established one of the first commissions on the status of women in the state of California with a purpose of promoting equal rights and opportunities that enhance the quality of life for all women and girls, and addressing issues of discrimination and prejudice that negatively affect women in Sonoma County, and whereas women now constitute nearly 50% of our workforce, the majority of the students in our colleges and graduate schools, and an increasing number of primary bred women winners. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I would like to invite the representative that will be receiving this proclamation to make a comment at this time after comments are made by the representative. Madam City Clerk, can you please facilitate public comment? Hello. I'm Jan Blaylock. Um I've been on the Commission on the Status of Women for eight years, and for those as chair, and this is my last year on the commission, and it was really important to me to be able to come here and accept this proclamation. Um that is so meaningful to us, and it is so exciting to look at the faces of uh all of you on the city council, but especially the women. We have a female mayor and vice mayor, and it and two of the women on this um city council were commissioners, and um although we still have a long way to go for true equity, um, it is very exciting to see that seven of the mayors of cities in Sonoma County are female, and that's pretty amazing. It wasn't like that just a couple of years ago. So this is an area where we're seeing um a lot of growth, and I think it's fantastic. Where we still need to work on um true equity um will come when we have more personal safety and affordable housing. It's important for everyone, but especially given the fact that uh one in five households headed by single mothers with one to two minor children of their own live on income less than the federal poverty threshold. Um poverty is a real issue here, and um it's something that also uh affordable child care would be very, very helpful for women to be able to get back to work and um to be able to support their families, and comprehensive health care, including of course reproductive freedom and reproductive health care. Those are things that we really need to work towards and to protect in order to have true equity. But I appreciate you so much for this proclamation, and um thank you so much and best of luck to everyone here. I have also we have um commissioner uh Diaz here, Diaz Garcia here, so I'll have her join me if if that's all right. 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 provide comment, but have not provided a speaker card or your name.
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