I got a click in a barrel of functions to Zoom that is como un global terraqueo.

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

Councilmember O'Krepke.

Councilmember McDonald.

Council Member Fleming.

Welcome everyone to our May twenty first, twenty twenty-four Santa Rosa City Council meeting.

It is now four fifty and we will be uh resuming or starting our meeting.

Councilmember Chris Rogers.

Councilmember Krepki?

Councilmember McDonald?

Here.

Council Member Fleming.

Councilmember Alvarez.

Vice Mayor Stapp.

Your Mayor Rogers.

President.

Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Councilmembers Alvarez, Fleming, and Chris Rogers.

Thank you.

We have no study session today, so we will go on to item six, which is report if any on study and closed session.

So we did have a closed session, so I will hand it over to Madam City Attorney to report out on our closed session.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Council members, uh there was no reportable action taken in closed session.

We will now go on to our proclamations for today.

And moving on to 7.1, which is our first proclamation, which will be read by Vice Mayor Stapp.

Thank you, Madam Mayor, and thanks to everyone for making the time to come out today.

This is this is an honor.

Whereas Eritrea became independent on May 24th, 1991, after a brutal 30 years of war and the mobilization of an impressive national liberation movement, and whereas Eritrea is a country that lies on the west coast of the Red Sea in the Horn of Africa, inhabited by a mosaic of diverse of a mosaic of diverse nine ethnic communities, and whereas Eritrea is the first country in Africa to accept Christianity in the fourth century and Islam in the seventh century.

And whereas Eritrea's capital city Asmara is Africa's secret modernist city, recognized by the UN as the first World Heritage Site in Eritrea, and whereas, in addition to being the land of peace in the Horn of Africa, Eritrea also dominates in cycling and marathon runners.

And whereas the Eritrean community of Sonoma County was established in the late 1980s and has grown considerably, and whereas the Eritrean community in Santa Rosa strives to help alleviate some of the problems faced by Eritreans in Northern California by helping them overcome many of the cultural, language, and other barriers.

And whereas the members of the Eritrean community have provided Santa Rosa with a unique cultural influence and have fundamentally enriched the character of our city, and whereas Eritrean Americans bring with them their rich cultural cultural heritage, including traditions, cuisine, music, sports, and art.

Their presence adds to the vibrant tapestry of cultures, economic growth in Sonoma County, fostering cross-cultural understanding and appreciation among residents.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that Natalie Rogers, Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa, on behalf of the entire city council, does here block hereby proclaim May 24th, 2024 as Eritrean Independence Day.

I would like to take this time to invite the representatives that will be accepting this proclamation to the podium to say a few words.

And after he makes a few comments, Madam City Clerk, can you please facilitate public comment on this item?

Thank you.

First, I would like to thank uh Mayor Rogers and uh members of the City Council of Santa Rosa uh for this honorable fantastic for our first time to honor respect and celebrate the Eritrean Independence Day.

Uh I would also like to thank the elders here that made sure that our community stayed together.

Uh and the young as well to follow.

Um Santa Rosa has been good to us.

Uh been welcome with us for the last four years.

We've been uh I've been here uh four years.

Um from the weather to culture to the residents been good to us and uh simulated to the Santa Rosa Prue, and uh we're pretty productive citizen of the Santa Rosa.

And uh since I lost two brother and sister in a war, I feel how veterans and family and spouse are impacted.

And I appreciate that speech that you gave.

As you approach the podium, please state your name for the record if you choose to do so.

Mayor, I'm seeing no one approached the podiums, and we had no speaker cards submitted on this item.

Thank you.

So I see there's a lot of people in this section.

So I'm thinking if we can kinda come on the stairs on the side of you, and whoever is not in the section can come over, then we can take the picture and everyone can be seen in the picture.

Is that okay?

Anna, thank you.

For those of you that are standing in the back, we have plenty of seating now, so I encourage everyone to please take a seat if you would like to do so.

We will now be moving on to seven point two, which is our second proclamation for this afternoon.

Thank you, Mayor.

It's my pleasure to be able to read the resolutions for National Public Works Week.

Whereas public works are an essential part of our citizens' everyday lives, and whereas public works professionals focus on infrastructure, facilities and services that are vital that are of vital importance to the sustainability and resilient community, protecting public health and improving the quality of life and well-being of the people of Santa Rosa.

And whereas these infrastructure facilities and services could not be provided without the dedicated effort of the public works professionals, engineers, operators, technicians, and employees at all levels of government and in the private sector, and are the responsible for the community's transportation system, residential and arterial streets, lights and signals, water distribution and sewer collection systems, treatment and water use systems, parks and amenities, public buildings and other structures and facilities essentials for our citizens.

Um and the frequency with which um everything goes right often goes unnoticed.

Um the men and women who serve in the roles as described um do so without uh a lot of acknowledgement, without a lot of fanfare.

Um, but they are widely responsible for the livability of the city and making sure that we don't have to worry about things that we take for granted.