Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – March 24, 2026
Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – March 24, 2026
The Santa Rosa City Council met on March 24, 2026, for a regular meeting that began with a closed session at 1:00 PM, followed by a study session at 3:00 PM, and the regular session at 4:00 PM, adjourning at 11:07 PM. The meeting included a public hearing on the Pura Vida Recovery Services appeal, introduction of an ordinance restricting immigration enforcement on city property, approval of a water rate increase, and acceptance of the General Plan Annual Review.
Consent Calendar
- Approved 13 items (motion carried 6-0, with Council Member Fleming voting no and two recusals: Council Member MacDonald on Item 13.1 (Animal Damage Management) and Vice Mayor Okrepkie on Item 13.5 (Westcoast Solar Energy)). Notable items include:
- Third Amendment to Blanket Purchase Order with Animal Damage Management ($35,000 increase, total $135,000).
- 2025 Annual Public Records Requests Report accepted.
- Second Amendment with California Public Policy Group ($60,000 increase, total $208,800).
- Waiver of competitive bid for Turnstone Data Inc. ($163,985) for parking data analytics.
- Second Amendment with Westcoast Solar Energy ($44,000, total $124,030) for eGauge monitoring.
- Contract award to Argonaut Constructors for Calistoga Road Pavement Rehabilitation ($10,592,049) and Galvin Courts Renovation ($4,239,254.55).
- Second Amendment with Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation ($250,000 increase, total $350,000) for workplace investigations.
- Appropriation of $7,592,405.31 in Regional Enterprise Funds for Laguna Treatment Plant Disinfection Improvements.
- Service Contract with Santa Rosa City School District ($72,019) for summer youth programs.
- Extension of Proclamation of Local Homeless Emergency.
- Adoption of ordinance implementing 2023-2031 Housing Element (second reading).
- Adoption of ordinance amending Massage Regulation (second reading).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Study Session (South Santa Rosa Specific Plan): Multiple speakers from the Moorland neighborhood and advocacy groups expressed support for including Moorland in future annexation discussions and emphasized anti-displacement policies. Fred Allebach urged focus on equity. Ken MacNab (KMAC Advising) supported Alternative 2. Others requested translation improvements and cautioned against cherry-picking annexation.
- Public Hearing (Pura Vida Recovery Services): Approximately 60 speakers. Supporters (including former clients, family members, recovery advocates) highlighted the need for treatment and positive impact. Opponents (Skyhawk United, residents) cited fire evacuation risks, zoning incompatibility, parking, and concerns about intensity. Dr. David Chen (appellant) and Kelsey Maynard/Erin Carlstrom presented arguments against the project. Applicant Alex Wignall and staff responded.
- Ordinance on Immigration Enforcement: Approximately 20 speakers, all supporting the ordinance but urging stronger non-collaboration language. Speakers included members of Sanctuary Coalition, Indivisible, and community members. Scott Johnson requested data-sharing restrictions. Maryanne Michaels asked for ICE-free zones near schools.
- Water Rate Increase: No public comments.
- General Plan Annual Review: No public comments.
- Non-Agenda Public Comments: Gregory Fearon suggested watching Board of Supervisors meeting. Duane De Witt discussed veteran homelessness. Jason Sweeney and others spoke on Gaza and immigration. Lindsey Kurjecki spoke about personal challenges seeking help.
Discussion Items
- Study Session – South Santa Rosa Specific Plan (Item 4.1): Staff presented three land use alternatives (Mixed Use Corridor, City Centered Growth, Centers). Council discussed annexation feasibility, fiscal impacts, and displacement risks. Council leaned toward Alternative 2 or hybrid. Staff directed to incorporate community feedback and return with preferred alternative.
- Immigration Enforcement Ordinance (Item 15.3): Assistant City Manager Jason Nutt and City Attorney Teresa Stricker presented the proposed Chapter 13-40, modeled on San Francisco's ordinance. It establishes that civil immigration enforcement is not a city purpose and prohibits use of city property that disrupts operations or discourages access to services. Council debated adding non-collaboration language; staff recommended passing now and returning with amendments. Motion to introduce on first reading passed 7-0.
- Sonoma Water Rate Increase (Item 15.1): Sonoma Water proposed an 8.21% wholesale rate increase for FY 2026-27 ($1,400.86 to $1,515.87 per acre foot). Santa Rosa Water estimated a net 6.4% increase (approx. $5.33/month for average household). Council directed its Water Advisory Committee representative to vote yes at the April 6, 2026 WAC meeting. Motion passed 6-1 (Fleming absent).
- General Plan and Inclusionary Housing Annual Review (Item 15.2): Staff presented 2025 progress on housing, transportation, economic development, parks, safety, and environmental goals. Council waived joint study session requirement and accepted the report. Motion passed 6-1 (Fleming absent).
Key Outcomes
- Pura Vida Recovery Services Appeal (Item 16.1): Council denied both appeals and upheld the Planning Commission's approval of a Minor Conditional Use Permit for a 24-bed community care facility at 5761 Mountain Hawk Drive. Motion carried 6-0 (MacDonald recused). Resolution No. RES-2026-026.
- Immigration Enforcement Ordinance: Introduced on first reading (unanimous 7-0). A second reading and adoption will occur at a future meeting. Ordinance adding Chapter 13-40 to the Santa Rosa City Code.
- Water Rate Increase: Council directed its WAC representative to vote in favor of Sonoma Water's proposed FY 2026-27 budget and rate increase.
- General Plan Annual Review: Report accepted; Council Policy 200-01 waived for joint study session.
- Consent Calendar: Approved with noted recusals. Resolutions adopted: RES-2026-027 (Van Dermyden Makus), RES-2026-028 (Laguna Treatment Plant), RES-2026-029 (Summer Youth Programs), RES-2026-030 (Homeless Emergency extension). Ordinances adopted on second reading: ORD-2026-003 (Housing Element), ORD-2026-004 (Massage Regulation).
- Closed Session: No reportable action on City Manager employment.
- Proclamations: Women's History Month and American Red Cross Month proclaimed.
- Staff Briefing: "Let's Talk Santa Rosa" engagement tool received; survey to launch March 25.
Meeting Transcript
I'd like to ask the interpreters currently on the Spanish and Mandarin channels to commence interpretation of the meeting. For those just joining the meeting, live interpretation in Spanish and Mandarin is available, and members of the public or staff wishing to listen in Spanish or Mandarin can join those channels by clicking on the interpretation icon in the Zoom toolbar. It looks like a globe. If you're on your cell phone or tablet, locate the three dots, tap them lightly, and put a check mark on your preferred language. Click done to activate and begin the interpretation. Once you join the Spanish or Mandarin channels, we recommend you shut off the main audio so you only hear the Spanish or Mandarin interpretation. This message will be restated in Spanish and Mandarin. Thank you. Councilmember Rogers, present. Councilmember MacDonald, here Councilmember Fleming. Councilmember Ben Wellos? Here. Councilmember Alvarez. Vice Mayor O'Krepki? Here. Mayor Stopp. Here. Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Councilmember Alvarez and Councilmember Fleming. Thank you. All right, we'll move on to item three, our closed session item. And this one item 3.1 pertains to public employment. Thank you, Mayor. Public employment. Are they on the agenda who who you're looking at? I don't see it. Uh the budget. The budget coming up. I think that eight percent last year was too low to cut the salaries. I'm talking about the top salaries of the city. The city is overwhelming with people who are heading departments. And then there's not enough workers. And everybody's complaining about it. And the potholes still have not been fixed. There's been a promise for a long time. In September or August, I finally heard at the recreation and bicycle uh committee meeting that uh the area from Calistoga Road, which I got an unusual call on Sunday before I ran for city council in the November election. It was from a woman and her teenage son or her older son, and she called and she wanted to know what I thought about the uh apartment building on the corner of Highway Twelve and Calistoga Road. And I said, Don't get me started on that. That's when I was running for city council. She wouldn't identify herself. Okay, moving forward. I just want to make a notice about uh the uh meetings that are supposed to be boards and commissions. And coming back to the budget, I think there should be a twelve to a fifteen percent cut on the top executives throughout the city. It would be painful for a while, but it may help. And I think that there needs to be more uh sovereignty for the people to be able to make efforts and have them come to fruition with the city. And infrastructure is what I've been talking about all along, and we've not gotten it. But also Diana's appointment of Terry to the planning commission has now there that we have no Rose Parade and now we have no waterways meeting at all, unless there's an emergency and the waterways are really important. Terry showed up at the first meeting, and it was the first meeting in three months, and they had three years of minutes that hadn't been approved. So this is unacceptable government behavior, and I hope you can get it together, put the waterways back together, and not send people like Terry, a new member, to say, Well, come to my house. I've got beer. That wasn't very nice.
openpublica.com