Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting - June 2, 2026
Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting - June 2, 2026
The Santa Rosa City Council held a regular meeting on June 2, 2026, beginning with a closed session at 2:01 PM and a study session at 3:00 PM, followed by the regular session at 4:00 PM. The meeting included a housing strategy study session, a public hearing on water management, reports on community engagement and pension liability, and adoption of consent items. A key focus was direction on optional state housing policies and a major pension reform action.
Housing Strategy Study Session (Item 4.1)
- Planning staff presented the city’s housing strategy, highlighting compliance with state law, community needs, and the use of specific plans and incentive programs to promote housing production, particularly downtown and near transit.
- Council discussed two optional state policies: Senate Bill 10 (SB 10), which allows rezoning for up to 10 units per parcel near transit or infill sites, and Assembly Bill 1033 (AB 1033), which permits separate sale of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) via a condominium model to boost homeownership.
Public Comments on Housing Strategy
- Duane De Witt (Sonoma County Housing Advocacy Group) and Adrian Covert (Santa Rosa YIMBY) expressed full support for adopting SB 10 and AB 1033 to increase housing supply and address affordability.
- Paul Schwartz (Generation Housing/Corcoran Icon Properties) supported both policies, emphasizing housing as foundational for the economy.
- John Contreras (Providence Foundation) urged support for housing options to retain families and support healthcare access.
- Stephanie (Generation Housing) supported both policies, noting SB 10 enables desirable housing types like duplexes and triplexes.
- Ananda Sweet (Santa Rosa Metro Chamber) supported exploring innovative housing approaches.
- Nic Passarell and Rachel Jeffries (Habitat for Humanity) supported SB 10 and AB 1033 for creating affordable homeownership.
- Paul Shawl (Santa Rosa Mobile Home Owners Association) supported affordable housing.
- Valerie Schlafke supported senior communities and a senior overlay on senior parks.
- Janice Karmann discussed 55-year mortgages and creative funding.
Key Outcomes on Housing Strategy
- Council gave staff direction to move forward with exploring adoption of AB 1033 within existing staff capacity and without impacting current projects.
- Council directed staff to schedule a future study session on SB 10 with analysis of options, impacts, and timelines, also without affecting ongoing projects.
Public Hearing: 2025 Urban Water Management Plan & Water Shortage Contingency Plan (Item 16.1)
- The hearing was held to receive public comments on the draft plans, which assess long-term water supply reliability and shortage response. Staff confirmed projected supplies meet demand through 2050, even with new planned developments. No public comments were made; adoption will be considered at the June 16, 2026 meeting.
Let’s Talk, Santa Rosa Report (Item 15.1)
- Staff presented results from a community survey (over 2,200 responses) ranking city service priorities: maintaining 9-1-1 emergency medical/fire response ranked highest, followed by ties for second. Qualitative feedback highlighted concerns about public safety, street conditions, homelessness, and affordability. Council unanimously voted to receive the report.
CalPERS “Fresh Start” Pension Reform (Item 15.3)
- Chief Financial Officer Scott Wagner presented a resolution to authorize a re-amortization of the city’s $482 million unfunded accrued liability (UAL) through CalPERS’ Fresh Start program, combined with a strategic drawdown of $26 million in restricted pension funds. The strategy is projected to save $28 million over five years, $37 million overall, and retire the UAL six years earlier than scheduled.
Key Outcomes on Pension Reform
- Council unanimously (6-0) adopted Resolution RES-2026-054, authorizing the city manager to execute the amendment and approving the strategic use of $26 million in restricted pension funds.
Consent Calendar
- All consent items were approved in a single motion (6-0) with the following specifics:
- Item 13.9 (FY 2026/2027 Grant Agreements) continued to June 16, 2026.
- Item 13.14 (Wildland Urban Interface Code update) passed 5-0-1 (Mayor Stapp recused, Councilmember Fleming absent).
- Approved consent items (13.1–13.18) include:
- Abandoned vehicle abatement services agreement ($300,000).
- Amendment to records management agreement with Sonoma County ($700,000 total).
- Amendment for environmental logistics services ($449,000 total).
- Pavement maintenance contract award ($708,400).
- Purchase of six vocational trucks ($1,644,781.13).
- Cooperative agreement with Caltrans ($170,000).
- Construction/funding agreement with SMART ($1,181,887.50).
- Utility easement grant for Hearn Community Hub.
- Six administrative hearing officer service agreements ($300,000 aggregate).
- Election resolutions for November 3, 2026 municipal election.
- Appointment of Jason Nutt as Interim City Manager (salary $341,428/year).
- Appointment of Ashle Crocker as City Attorney (salary $305,760/year).
- Second reading adoption of Wildland Urban Interface Code update.
- Second reading adoption of Open Government Code update (SB 707).
- Pre-zoning of 1977 Marsh Road to Rural Residential.
- Text amendment to Spring Lake Village Planned Development.
- Rezoning for Spring Lake Village East Grove Project.
Proclamations and Presentations
- Council proclaimed May 2026 as Foster Care Awareness Month and recognized May 24, 2026 as Eritrean Independence Day.
Staff Briefings and Reports
- Community Empowerment Plan update presented (Item 8.1).
- Independent Police Auditor Annual Report continued to June 16, 2026.
- City Manager reported on Calistoga Road pavement project, new HAWK signal at Fulton Road, and Live at Juilliard concert series.
Public Comments on Non-Agenda Matters
- Diane Ballard opposed a community garden at Westgate Park, preferring children’s play space.
- Duane De Witt raised concerns about transient activity and fire risk at Roseland Creek.
- Patrice Doyle requested road repavement in the Creekside neighborhood.
Public Comments on Consent Items (Item 13.14 - Wildland Urban Interface Map)
- Multiple speakers (Jennifer McNeil, Don Nauman, Patrice Doyle, Susan Lamont, Gail Seymour) opposed the updated Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) map, arguing it would cause insurance premium increases/cancellations and that Creekside neighborhood is not high fire risk. They requested a 90-day stay and equal presentation time. Several incorporated formal objections into the record.
Meeting Transcript
Oui, les musiques. 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. Move on to our closed session items. We have two today, items 3.1 and 3.2, both conferences with labor negotiators. Are there any members of the public that would like to make a comment on either of these items? Mr. DeWitt, go ahead. If you have a screen right now, that's what we've got. It should remember because she went to all of the meetings. And we can hold on to it and make sure that's what we do all the time every time. Thank you, Duane. Are there any other any of the members of the public that would like to comment on the closed session items? Ms. Carmen. Thank you. It's already down. I can see the two. And I also thought Jay said he was the interim manager. I've learned a lot more than just sitting here at meetings. And many committees have a lot of things to make. So it's a very interesting time. What is it? This is about the closed session items. What does this have to do with the two conferences with the labor negotiators? Janice, this sounds like a comment that we'd better wait. Are there any other members of the public who would like to make comment? Yeah, I mean I'm only doing like four slides. You guys are doing the majority of it. Yes, he's supposed to. Yeah, he's coming. Lorian's gonna. Were you gonna message, Dave, Gabe, or do you want to adjust it? Okay. Right now. Run faster. Right. There's a call must be on for you. Hi. Oh two, and we will uh reconvene in open session. Madam City Clerk. Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Rogers. Councilmember McDonald? Here. Councilmember Fleming is absent. Councilmember Ben Wellos? Here. Councilmember Alvarez.
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