Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026
Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – May 12, 2026
The Santa Rosa City Council convened on May 12, 2026, at 3:01 PM for a regular meeting that included closed session, multiple proclamations, public hearings, and action on key items including wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire map updates, a senior housing expansion, and compliance with new Brown Act amendments (SB 707). The meeting lasted until approximately 7:35 PM with a brief recess.
Consent Calendar
- Items 13.1 through 13.4 were approved unanimously (6-0) without discussion or pull.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Dwayne DeWitt (Roseland resident) spoke during closed session public comment, urging a wage freeze for the city manager and referencing economic uncertainty and inflation (3.8% in the area).
- During non-agenda public comment, Major Marcos Marquez (Salvation Army) thanked the council for a proclamation making May 2026 Salvation Army Week and highlighted the organization's 135 years in Santa Rosa.
- Robert Maddock (Teamsters 856 representative) praised public works employees and urged the council to support them.
- Dwayne DeWitt also spoke about renaming Roseland Creek Community Park to Pomo Park and Preserve, criticizing the onerous petition requirement (1,000 signatures, 500 from within half a mile, within six months).
- On the WUI fire map item, numerous Creekside residents (Don Nauman, Jennifer McNeil, Patrice Doyle, John Papison, Maylee Purvis, Dr. Lauren Raymond, Gail Seymour, Chris Smith) expressed opposition, arguing the mapping was flawed, based on faulty satellite modeling, and would unfairly burden homeowners with insurance hikes and hardening costs while the city neglected creek fuel maintenance. They requested a postponement and ground-level reassessment. One speaker (Fred Olabach) supported the map, citing the need to balance fire risk and housing policy.
- No public comments were made on the Spring Lake Village, Marsh Road pre-zoning, vacant positions, or SB 707 items.
Discussion Items
- Proclamations (Items 7.1–7.5): The council issued proclamations for Water Awareness Month, Affordable Housing Month, National Public Works Week, and National Police Memorial Day. Awards were presented to water efficiency winners and recognition was given to public works and police staff.
- Item 16.1 – Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fire Area Map Update: Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal and Assistant Fire Marshal Jared McDaniel presented proposed changes to align local WUI boundaries with state-mandated CAL FIRE hazard severity zones. The update would add 3,882 properties (primarily in the Creekside/Bennett Valley area) and remove 811. Key points: the state maps were adopted in March 2025 and cannot be made less restrictive; the local WUI overlay applies defensible space inspections and mulch requirements but does not create new building code mandates for existing homes; the insurance commissioner has stated these maps are not to be used for rate setting. Mayor Stapp recused himself due to his home being within the mapped area. Public comment was heavily opposed to the Creekside inclusion. After discussion, the council approved the first reading of the ordinance 6-0.
- Item 16.3 – Spring Lake Village East Grove Expansion: The project adds 32 living units to the existing continuing care retirement community, requiring a minor conditional use permit, hillside development permit, and rezoning. The EIR identified Alternative 2 (modified after tribal consultation) as the environmentally superior alternative with no significant unavoidable impacts. After presentations from staff and applicant, the council certified the EIR (6-0), introduced the rezoning and PD amendments (6-0, Councilmember Alvarez voting no on all three motions expressing respect for tribal concerns), and approved the permits (6-0).
- Item 16.2 – 1977 Marsh Road Pre-Zoning: A request to pre-zone a 1.05-acre property to RR-20 to facilitate annexation for city sewer service for an ADU. The council unanimously approved the ordinance (6-0).
- Item 16.4 – Vacant Positions & Recruitment Report (AB 2561): HR Director presented a citywide vacancy rate of 9.2% (117 vacancies as of March 2026). Robert Maddock (Teamsters) highlighted staffing shortages in technical and administrative units, payroll policy issues, and urged filling enterprise fund positions. Council received and filed the report (6-0) and directed review of outdated personnel policies.
- Item 15.1 – SB 707 Brown Act Amendments: City Clerk Dina Manis presented required updates to council procedures, including amendments to the City Council Manual, adoption of an internet/telephonic service disruption policy, and modernization of city code sections on public access and minutes. Council adopted three resolutions and introduced the ordinance (6-0).
Key Outcomes
- WUI Fire Map Update: Approved first reading (6-0) to amend Chapter 18-46 to update the local WUI area, effective upon second reading.
- Spring Lake Village: Certified Final EIR, adopted CEQA findings, introduced rezoning and PD amendments, and approved conditional use and hillside permits (all 6-0, one nay on each by Councilmember Alvarez).
- Marsh Road Pre-Zoning: Introduced ordinance to pre-zone to RR-20 (6-0).
- Vacant Positions Report: Received and filed (6-0). Council directed staff to review payroll and personnel policies.
- SB 707 Compliance: Adopted three resolutions (Council Manual amendments, internet disruption policy, citizen participation policy update) and introduced ordinance to amend Chapter 1-10 (6-0).
- Council Appointments: Appointed Georgia Meissler to the Board of Public Utilities (announced by Councilmember McDonald).
Meeting Transcript
I'd like to ask the interpreter currently on the Spanish channel to commence interpretation of the meeting. For those just joining the meeting, live interpretation 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 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 channel, we recommend you shut off the main audio so you only hear the Spanish interpretation. Francisco, will you please restate this in Spanish? See, bienvenidos a todos para quienes deseen escuchar esta reunion in Espanyol através de Zoom. See you still in the telephone or tabletops puntos que dice more or mass you luego selection language interpretation. Thank you. The time is 3 01 and we'll call this meeting to order. Madam City Clerk, would you please call the roll? Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Rogers. Councilmember McDonald. Here. Council Member Fleming. Councilmember Ben Wellos. Here. Councilmember Alvarez. Vice Mayor Krepki? Here. Mayor Stapp. Here. Let the record show that all council members are present with the exception of Councilmembers Alvarez and Fleming. Thank you very much. We'll move on to our closed session items. We have two this evening. Item 3.1, our conference with legal counsel regarding existing litigation, and item 3.2, our conference with a labor negotiator. We'll open it up to public comment. Duane, did you wish to comment on any of our closed session items tonight? Yes, sir. My name is Duane DeWitt. I'm from Roseland. I'd like to comment on item number two, 3.2. Thank you. I'll wait till the clock begins so we do everything official. All right. With that in mind, I'd like to stress that I'm supportive of the current city manager being here. And if she stays, that's a good thing. I know you won't base it upon my opinion, but I will talk about wages today. We are in a wartime period that probably is going to worsen for our nation. We're having economic difficulties that are increasing. Latest reports show that inflation in our area is up 3.8% at a minimum. This will continue to occur. I'm going to ask that you folks ask for a freeze on wages. That you basically also in the negotiations for the city manager state that you're going to keep one wage for at least two years. The main thing on all this is economic uncertainty faces us. So please don't base your decisions on what other cities are doing and this comparative wage race that goes on and creates millionaires out of bureaucrats within a few short years. This is not what the taxpayers need to be happening.
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