OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting - November 14, 2023

City Council — Tuesday, November 14, 2023
BodySanta Rosa, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, November 14, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
3:39

I'd like to ask the interpreter currently on the Spanish channel to commence translation of the meeting.

3:46

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 Zoom toolbar.

5:04

Councilmember Chris Rogers.

5:07

Council Member Krepke.

11:39

All right.

11:40

Welcome back, everyone.

11:41

Seeing a quorum, Madam City Clerk, can you please call the roll?

11:47

Thank you, Member.

11:47

Councilmember Stapp.

11:50

Councilmember Rogers.

11:51

Here.

11:52

Councilmember O'Krepke.

11:53

Here.

11:54

Councilmember Fleming?

11:55

Here.

11:55

Councilmember Alvarez.

11:57

President.

11:57

Vice Mayor McDonald?

11:58

Here.

11:58

Mayor Rogers.

11:59

President.

12:00

Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Councilmember Stepp.

12:05

Moving on to item three point one, which is interviews for the public financing authority.

12:11

Uh the council will be able to interview applicants to fill one vacancy for the joint city of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County representative for the public financing authority.

12:28

Uh for a public member um to the public financing authority for the downtown infrastructure financing district, which from now on I will refer to as PFA.

12:40

Um and we will make that determination on eleven point two point one.

14:08

So anyhow, um I'll answer any questions.

15:01

So thank you, sir.

15:03

Okay, thank you.

15:04

Is there?

15:07

All right.

15:09

There are no more questions or comments.

15:11

Thank you so much for your time today.

15:17

Mr.

15:17

Hogan.

15:31

I can pretty much echo what Art said.

15:35

Well, and we got to meet Carmen here a little bit and talk to her, and she's very enthusiastic and really has the um kind of experience that would be good for this position.

15:46

And I appreciate the consideration, but I think that when there's a better candidate, then that's then I would like to bow to her.

15:55

Thank you so much.

15:58

Seeing no comments, we would like to thank you for your time to come and see this process through.

16:04

You bet.

16:23

This is unprecedented.

16:24

I just made two new friends.

16:28

For the moment.

16:28

That graciousness, gentlemen, I I thank you.

16:31

I really do thank you.

16:32

Uh my name is Carmen Gonzalez.

16:34

And your question, Ms.

16:36

Mayor, was why do I want to be on this board and why do I think I'd make a good fit?

16:42

Uh number one, I it all comes back to, I think, obligation and responsibility.

16:47

Any community I've been a part of, it I think it's always been uh I think an onus on me to get involved civically.

16:56

Not just voting, but getting involved with the nuts and bolts of civic engagement, and this board would offer that opportunity.

17:03

Secondly, it tickles both sides of my brain.

17:06

The left part of my brain, that's very analytical, and there's definitely plenty of analysis that would be involved here.

17:13

But beyond that, there's an artistic part too, because the potential with infrastructure is also make it beautiful to allow in a Balhausan sort of view form to follow function.

17:25

And that potential, and I think even Councilmember Fleming spoke to it at the last meeting where she said this should have vision.

17:33

This should be a destination.

17:34

And if we can make it so, that to me is very, very exciting.

17:38

So for both of those reasons I would like to serve.

17:41

Thank you so much.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Tobacco Regulation██████████████████18%
Parks and Recreation█████████████████17%
Procedural████████████████16%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Public Health Awareness████████8%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Public Safety███3%
Public Works███3%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – November 14, 2023

The Santa Rosa City Council met on November 14, 2023, in a full-day session that included a closed session, board interviews, study sessions, and a regular session. Key actions included the extension of the Resilient City Development Measures, adoption of a consent calendar with multiple resolutions, and appointment of a public member to the Public Financing Authority. Study sessions focused on parks capital improvements and a proposed tobacco retail license ordinance.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution 13.1 (RES-2023-183): Approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of Sonoma for a reciprocal unlimited rides pilot program for employees on Santa Rosa CityBus and Sonoma County Transit. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 13.2 (RES-2023-184): Approved a first amendment to a professional services agreement with MuniServices, LLC/Avenu Insights & Analytics, LLC for revenue audit and consulting services, extending the term by two years and increasing compensation by $853,020 for a total not-to-exceed $1,453,020. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 13.3 (RES-2023-185): Approved a fourth amendment to a general services agreement with BrightView Landscape Services, Inc. for a one-year extension and increased scope of services, cumulative value not to exceed $6,899,691.10 plus ratification of $138,155.05 and a contingency of $4,000.16. Passed 6-0 with Vice Mayor MacDonald abstaining due to a personal relationship.
  • Resolution 13.4 (RES-2023-186): Accepted a revised Infill Infrastructure Grant award from the State of California Department of Housing and Community Development in the amount of $19,652,636 (reduced from $20,651,354) and approved a budget revision transferring $7,407,551 to the Recreation and Parks Department for Martin Luther King Jr. Park improvements. Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 13.5 (RES-2023-187): Approved an operating agreement for the Safe Parking Program with Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa in the amount of $1,949,739 for an eighteen-month period (January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025). Passed unanimously.
  • Resolution 13.6 (RES-2023-188): Extended the proclamation of a local homeless emergency within Santa Rosa. Passed unanimously.
  • Ordinance 13.7 (ORD-2023-014): Adopted on second reading an ordinance amending Chapter 14-21 of the Santa Rosa City Code (Water Waste Regulations) to include administrative fines and clarify enforcement and appeals processes. Passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Item 4.1 (Parks Capital Improvements): Duane De Witt spoke about the historical southwest area plan parks development impact fees that were ended, and requested more community involvement in park planning and naming.
  • Item 4.2 (Tobacco Retail License): Several speakers expressed support for a strong tobacco retail license ordinance, including Courtney Scott (Zero Waste Sonoma), Gary Damron, Samuel Damron (who recounted participating in undercover purchase surveys and being sold to 60 times), Jennie Bard, Greg Damron, and Pam Granger (Tobacco-Free Sonoma County Community Coalition). Michelle McGarry submitted a comment card in support.
  • Item 11.1 (Council Reports): Thomas Els spoke on water topics and the SMART train multi-use path.
  • Item 14 (Non-Agenda Matters): Topics included: Thomas Els on the Hearn Avenue overcrossing; Duane De Witt on the Sonoma County Community Development Commission history; JoAnne Jones (SRMOA) requesting additional protections for mobile home residents; Sidnee Cox (Safe Tech for Santa Rosa) requesting stronger small cell tower placement ordinance; Tom LaPenna (SRMOA president) requesting a senior zoning overlay for mobile home parks; Mary Dahl on small cell tower concerns; and Kim Schroeder requesting stronger small cell tower ordinance.
  • Item 15.1 (Resilient City Extension): Alethea Larson (The Living Room) spoke in support; Duane De Witt spoke in opposition, advocating for more Design Review Board involvement; Josh Shipper (Generation Housing) spoke in support; Thomas Els spoke in favor of allowing ADUs to be built ahead of the main house.

Discussion Items

  • Item 4.1 – Parks Capital Improvements Funding and Prioritization: Deputy Director Jen Santos presented a detailed overview of current and future capital projects across four city quadrants, funding sources (park development impact fees, Measure M, grants), and a $48 million project list with $21 million unfunded. Council discussed equity, accessibility (including inclusive playgrounds at Kawana Springs Park), budget structures, and the need for quarterly updates. Vice Mayor MacDonald requested a breakdown of funding and faster project delivery.
  • Item 4.2 – Tobacco Retail License Ordinance: Staff from the City Manager’s Office and Impact Sonoma presented data on youth tobacco use (11th grade e-cigarette use at 11% in Santa Rosa), decoy purchase survey results (48% buy rate in 2021), and a proposed framework including an annual fee, youth deterrence buffer (600 feet from youth-oriented areas), retail cap, and enforcement tiers. Council members expressed strong support for a comprehensive ordinance, including a cap on retailers (123 at present), a 1,000-foot buffer, a full flavor ban, minimum pack size, prohibition of online sales, and robust enforcement with escalating fines. Vice Mayor MacDonald suggested more frequent compliance checks for retailers near youth areas. Council directed staff to develop the ordinance further.
  • Item 11.1 – Mayor’s/Council Members’ Reports: Council members reported on various community events, including the 20th anniversary of the Geysers Project, SMART station groundbreaking, Veterans Day events, and the Violence Prevention Partnership seminar. Councilmember Rogers noted that the charter review committee’s recommendation to change “registered voter” to “resident” in council policies for board appointments had not yet been implemented and requested staff to bring it back.
  • Item 15.1 – Resilient City Development Measures Ordinance Extension: Staff presented a one-year extension (from December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2024) for the Resilient City Combining District and Development Measures, to allow time for a comprehensive update. Council discussion focused on the importance of the measures for rebuilding after wildfires and streamlining housing production. Councilmember Rogers noted that over 100% of lost homes have been approved for replacement. The ordinance was introduced.

Key Outcomes

  • Appointment to Public Financing Authority: Carmen Gonzalez was unanimously appointed as the Joint City of Santa Rosa/Sonoma County representative on the Public Financing Authority (motion by Councilmember Rogers, second by Councilmember Fleming).
  • Study Session Direction: Council directed staff to return with a detailed breakdown of park funding, consider quarterly updates on capital projects, and explore the history and flexibility of the quadrant funding system. For the tobacco retail license, Council directed staff to develop a draft ordinance incorporating a retail cap (at current number of 123), a 1,000-foot youth-sensitive buffer, flavor ban, minimum package size, prohibition of online sales, and a three-tier enforcement structure with escalating fines and potential license revocation.
  • Consent Calendar: All items (13.1–13.7) were approved as described above.
  • Ordinance Introduction: The Resilient City Development Measures extension was introduced on first reading (7-0 vote) and will return for second reading.
  • Minutes: The October 24, 2023 regular meeting minutes were approved as submitted, with Vice Mayor MacDonald abstaining due to absence.
  • Litigation Report: The City Attorney reported one settlement over $50,000 (Brown v. City of Santa Rosa, $100,000 settlement for a trip-and-fall on a sidewalk).
  • Next Meeting: The next regular meeting is scheduled for November 28, 2023, at a time set by the Mayor.

Meeting Transcript

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 Zoom toolbar. Councilmember Chris Rogers. Council Member Krepke. All right. Welcome back, everyone. Seeing a quorum, Madam City Clerk, can you please call the roll? Thank you, Member. Councilmember Stapp. Councilmember Rogers. Here. Councilmember O'Krepke. Here. Councilmember Fleming? Here. Councilmember Alvarez. President. Vice Mayor McDonald? Here. Mayor Rogers. President. Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Councilmember Stepp. Moving on to item three point one, which is interviews for the public financing authority. Uh the council will be able to interview applicants to fill one vacancy for the joint city of Santa Rosa and Sonoma County representative for the public financing authority. Uh for a public member um to the public financing authority for the downtown infrastructure financing district, which from now on I will refer to as PFA. Um and we will make that determination on eleven point two point one. So anyhow, um I'll answer any questions. So thank you, sir. Okay, thank you. Is there? All right. There are no more questions or comments. Thank you so much for your time today. Mr. Hogan. I can pretty much echo what Art said. Well, and we got to meet Carmen here a little bit and talk to her, and she's very enthusiastic and really has the um kind of experience that would be good for this position. And I appreciate the consideration, but I think that when there's a better candidate, then that's then I would like to bow to her. Thank you so much. Seeing no comments, we would like to thank you for your time to come and see this process through. You bet. This is unprecedented. I just made two new friends. For the moment. That graciousness, gentlemen, I I thank you. I really do thank you. Uh my name is Carmen Gonzalez. And your question, Ms. Mayor, was why do I want to be on this board and why do I think I'd make a good fit? Uh number one, I it all comes back to, I think, obligation and responsibility.

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