Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – February 27, 2024
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Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – February 27, 2024
The Santa Rosa City Council met on February 27, 2024, in a regular session that began with a closed session at 1:30 p.m. and reconvened in open session at 4:00 p.m. The meeting included a staff briefing on FEMA flood risk mapping, approval of consent items, and extensive public comment on non-agenda matters, primarily calling for a ceasefire resolution regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict. The previously scheduled public hearing on the Bunya Bunya tree removal appeal was continued to a date uncertain.
Consent Calendar
- 13.1 – Approved a second amendment to Blanket Purchase Order with Coordinated Project Installations, Inc. for office furniture services, extending the term one year with an 11.47% unit cost increase and adding $75,000 for a total not-to-exceed $174,000. (Vote: 5-0-1, with Councilmember Okrepkie recused and Councilmember MacDonald absent.)
- 13.2 – Adopted a resolution delegating authority to staff to execute Project Work Orders under existing Master Professional Services Agreements, up to $500,000 per order and a cumulative $18 million for FY 2023-2024. (Vote: 6-0-1, MacDonald absent.)
- 13.3 – Approved a waiver of competitive bidding and issuance of a blanket purchase order to Hansel Ford for up to $3.5 million for replacement Ford Police Interceptor Utility vehicles. Two public speakers opposed the expenditure. (Vote: 6-0-1, MacDonald absent.)
- 13.4 – Adopted on second reading an ordinance correcting a clerical error by renumbering the Hazardous Vegetation and Fuels Management chapter as Chapter 9-32. (Vote: 6-0-1, MacDonald absent.)
- 13.5 – Adopted on second reading an ordinance repealing outdated COVID-19 public health order regulations and establishing a new framework for unmaintained vacant lots and abandoned buildings, and amending the definition of “weeds.” (Vote: 6-0-1, MacDonald absent.)
- 13.6 – Adopted on second reading a zoning code text amendment exempting senior care facilities from community care facility overconcentration and spacing requirements, and allowing palliative and end-of-life care. (Vote: 6-0-1, MacDonald absent.)
Public Comments & Testimony
- Closed Session Public Comment: James Duncan spoke in favor of the Jennings Avenue pedestrian/bicycle rail crossing, urging the Council to direct staff to secure CPUC approval.
- Consent Items (13.3): Tess Caldwell and Alyn Wolves spoke in opposition to the $3.5 million police vehicle purchase, arguing the funds could be better used for community programs and that waiving competitive bidding was not prudent.
- Non-Agenda Matters (Item 18): Approximately 30 speakers addressed the Council, with the overwhelming majority (estimated 27 speakers) urging the Council to adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Speakers included Jewish community members, Palestinian Americans, veterans, and other residents, many citing the humanitarian crisis, death tolls (e.g., over 30,000 Palestinians killed, including 10,000+ children), and the use of U.S. tax dollars. A minority of three speakers (Stan Roodman, Roberta, Mark Rudow) opposed a ceasefire resolution, arguing that Hamas bears responsibility for civilian deaths, that a ceasefire would allow Hamas to regroup, and that the resolution could make Jewish residents feel unsafe. Council members did not respond or take action on the ceasefire request.
Discussion Items
- 8.1 – FEMA Flood Risk Mapping Project: Claire Myers (Stormwater and Creeks Manager), Gabe Osburn (Planning Director), and Lon Peterson (Communications Director) presented an update on FEMA’s multi-year project to update flood risk maps for the Santa Rosa Creek watershed. The project will identify special flood hazard areas (1% annual chance of flooding) and affect development standards and insurance requirements. The timeline includes preliminary map release, a 90-day appeal period, and final map adoption expected spring 2026–spring 2027. Outreach includes a website (SRCity.org/FEMAfloodmapping), bilingual brochures, and future workshops with FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Program. Councilmember Okrepkie asked about including NFIP in outreach; staff confirmed they plan to do so. No public comment was received. No action taken; briefing only.
- Council Reports: Councilmembers reported on various subcommittee and liaison activities, including SMART ridership exceeding 2018 pre-pandemic levels, a community meeting on illicit massage businesses (to be agendized at the April 23 Public Safety Subcommittee), and updates from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, and the Russian River Watershed Association.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Items Approved: All 6 consent items (13.1–13.6) were approved, with 13.1 voted separately due to a recusal.
- Public Hearing Continued: The Bunya Bunya tree removal appeal (Item 16.1) was continued to a date uncertain.
- No Action on Ceasefire Resolution: Despite extensive public testimony, the Council did not place a ceasefire resolution on the agenda or take any formal action.
- Meeting Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned at 6:18 p.m. in honor of former Sonoma County Supervisor Janet Nicholas.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Yes, we can hear you. Gonna get more great relief to my park. I'd like to ask the interpreter currently in the Spanish channel to commence translation of the meeting. For those just joining the meeting, live translation of the meeting or live translation of 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 globe. Once you join the Spanish channel, we recommend you shut off the main audio so you only hear the Spanish translation. Interpreter, will you please restate this in Spanish? So that I can't see it. Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Rogers. Councilmember Okrepke. Councilmember McDonald. Councilmember Alvarez. Vice Mayor Stapp. Mayor Rogers present. Let the record reflect all council members are present with the exception of Councilmember McDonald and Alvarez. Thank you. We will now proceed to item three point one conference with legal counsel about existing legitic litigation. Item three point two, conference with legal counsel about existing litigation and item three point three, conference with labor negotiators. Madam Deputy City Clerk, can you please facilitate public comment on these items? We are now taking public comment on closed session items three point one, three point two, and three point three. If you are in the council chamber and would like to comment but have not provided a speaker card or your name, please make your way to the podium. You will have two minutes and a countdown timer will alert at the end of the period. As you approach the podium, please state your name for the record if you choose to do so. Please go ahead when you're ready. He said he knew a family that lived a short walk from the crossing. When the son and daughter went to the JC, they rode their blanks and walked through the Jennings Crossing on their way to their classes and their student jobs at the JC. The mom in the family was a bookkeeper and started c taking classes at the JC to learn about computerized bookkeeping. She went on at the JC to go from being a student to being full-time faculty at the school. She also rode her bike or walked through the Jennings Crossing to her job at the JC for years. That man told the council then that keeping the Jennings Crossing open was important, that it was the only link between the two sides of our neighborhood which is otherwise split by the smart rail one. And the council got it and directed staff to move forward on getting the approval from the California Public Utilities Commission. That man was me. That family is mine. But the crossing has been closed to all the families in our neighborhood for years now. This council must direct staff to do whatever is necessary so as to get the CPU C approved Judd's crossing built and reopened. Thank you so much. Thank you. I'm seeing no additional speakers on this item. Thank you. And with that, we will recess into closed session. Okay. Welcome everyone to our February twenty-seventh, twenty twenty-four, Santa Rosa City Council meeting. It is now four. Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Rogers. Councilmember O'Krepke. Here. Councilmember McDonald.
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