OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – June 16, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, June 16, 2026
BodySanta Rosa, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 6:56:38
Transcript — Verbatim
2:31

I'd like to ask the interpreter currently on the Spanish channel to commence interpretation of the meeting.

2:36

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.

2:48

It looks like a globe.

2:50

If you're on your cell phone or tablet, locate the three dots, top down lightly, and put a check mark on your preferred language.

2:56

Click done to activate and begin the interpretation.

2:59

Once you join the Spanish channel, we recommend that you shut off the main audio so you only hear the Spanish interpretation.

3:58

Thank you, Mayor.

3:59

Councilmember Rogers.

4:04

Councilmember Ben Wellows here.

4:06

Councilmember Alvarez.

4:09

Thank you from afar.

4:10

Vice Mayor Krepke.

4:13

Let the record show that all council members are here with the exception of Council Member Fleming.

4:18

Excellent.

4:28

I must confess, I was hoping for a bit more of a crowd.

4:31

This item deserves to have a packed council chamber.

4:35

So thank you.

4:34

Thank you for being here today.

4:38

And all of us have all of us on the day, so looking forward to the presentation.

4:42

Ms.

4:41

Scott.

4:45

Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council members.

4:47

I'm Jill Scott.

4:48

I'm the city's real estate manager, and I'm here today with the whole team.

4:47

Gabe Osborne, our economic our planning and economic development director, Scott Wagner, our chief financial officer, and Scott Adair, who is our chief economic development officer.

5:02

And we are very excited to be here today to talk to you about the downtown economic development strategy and how this strategy really supports Santa Rosa's long-term prosperity.

5:16

So let's roadmap our conversation today because it's a bit of a long presentation.

5:20

We have a lot of information to bring to council and to the community today.

5:25

So we're going to start with Director Osborne, who's going to go over where we are today, our strategies that we have in place, our policies, and the progress that we've made towards those.

5:34

Then he's going to turn it back over to me, and I'm going to talk about our challenges that we're facing in the city, our infrastructure, our deferred maintenance, and the costs that we have along with that.

5:44

Then we're going to turn it over to our chief economic development officer, Scott Adair, to talk about the opportunity that we're going to talk about today, the exciting opportunity to bring housing, jobs, and revenue back into the city.

5:57

And then we're going to come back to me.

5:59

In fairness, we do have housing jobs and revenue in the city now.

6:02

We do.

6:03

We're going to just have more.

6:04

More housing jobs and revenue.

6:07

And then we're going to bring it back to me for the approach.

6:09

How do we get there?

6:10

What do we do?

6:11

What's our approach?

6:12

And then our chief financial officer is gonna talk to us about the financing of it, the fiscal uh, the fiscal impact of the whole program, and then back to council for feedback and some decisions.

6:27

Um, so we're excited to get started.

6:33

So we all know the five council goals that our city council has put into place to um bring Santa Rosa into prosperity, um, and for us to get better over time.

6:45

Those are fiscal sustainability and budgeting, infrastructure investment, economic development, community health and safety, and housing and homelessness.

6:54

Why we bring this up today is because there's a lot of us here in the audience and at this table that have been with Santa Rosa for a very long time.

7:02

And it's not very often in our careers that we get the opportunity to bring one single strategy forward to council that meets or exceeds every single council goal for this community, and that's what this strategy is, and that's why, as staff we're very excited to bring it forward.

7:20

So I'm gonna turn it over now to Director Osborne to talk about policies and the economics of downtowns.

7:26

Thank you, Ms.

7:27

Scott, and good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the council.

7:30

As Ms.

7:31

Scott mentioned, an important strategy in really developing an overall comprehensive plan is a vision, and that vision is often memorialized in goals.

7:39

They're broad categories that give direction to staff.

7:42

The evolution of those goals takes the place of policies that get into more defined strategies and actually implementation steps.

7:49

So we'll take an opportunity here in the next few slides to talk about the policies that the city has been putting in place to support economic development, to support housing in the community, and to specifically support that in the downtown.

8:02

And it's really important how all those come together from an economic development strategy standpoint.

8:06

One of the most important documents that a city can adopt from a long-range planning is a general plan.

8:12

The general plan sets the framework and the blueprint for the city's growth.

8:16

It determines where certain growth and use types should occur, it controls land use, and then it also controls infrastructure that's put in place to support that land use.

8:25

The city adopted the current general plan in June of 2025, and that extends the vision out to 2050.

8:32

An important document that works in conjunction with the general plan is a specific plan.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development███████████████████████████27%
Public Safety███████████████████19%
Fiscal Sustainability████████████████16%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Procedural███████7%
Animal Welfare█████5%
Personnel Matters████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting – June 16, 2026

The Santa Rosa City Council held a regular meeting on June 16, 2026, beginning at 2:00 PM with a study session and reconvening at 4:00 PM for the regular session, adjourning at 9:02 PM. The meeting included a study session on the Downtown Economic Development Strategy, a proclamation for LGBTQ+ Pride Month, approval of a 21-item consent calendar, adoption of the FY 2026-27 budget and capital improvement program, and receipt of the Independent Police Auditor’s annual report. The council also approved revised fees for Sonoma County Animal Services and made appointments to the Library Commission and the RED Housing Fund Board.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved 21 consent items (13.1-13.21) by a 7-0 vote. Key approvals included:
    • Purchase of video wall communication system components for the Emergency Operations Center from Coda Technology Group for $253,465.88 (Item 13.1).
    • First Amendment to professional services agreement with The Lew Edwards Group, increasing compensation by $40,750 to a total not to exceed $133,500, extending term to December 31, 2026 (Item 13.2).
    • Second Amendment to blanket purchase order with Canyon Rock Co., Inc. (dba River Ready Mix) for $100,000 increase, total not to exceed $172,000 (Item 13.3).
    • Five-year professional services agreement with WorkCare, Inc. for police wellness services, not to exceed $985,000 (Item 13.4).
    • Third Amendment with Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc. for real estate brokerage services, increasing compensation by $200,000 to $498,000, extending term to December 31, 2028 (Item 13.5).
    • Professional services agreement with Conger Moss Guillard (CMG) Landscape Architects for the Santa Rosa Southeast Greenway master planning and design, total $2,671,409 (Item 13.6).
    • Fifth Amendment with Woolpert, Inc. for software license extension and purchase of Trimble “Unity” platform for $191,400, total not to exceed $2,514,867 (Item 13.7).
    • Second Amendment with Woolpert, Inc. for expanded services and Unity upgrade, total $401,000 (Item 13.8).
    • Adoption of the 2025 Urban Water Management Plan and 2025 Water Shortage Contingency Plan via Resolution RES-026-063 (Item 13.9).
    • Approval of nine administrative cost recovery liens for code enforcement violations via Resolution RES-026-064 (Item 13.10).
    • Professional services agreement with BKF Engineers for the North Santa Rosa Station Area Specific Plan Update and Subsequent Environmental Impact Report, appropriating $443,685 (including $300,000 MTC grant) via Resolution RES-026-065 (Item 13.11).
    • Adoption of the Article XIIIB appropriations limit for FY 2026-27 at $375,054,000 via Resolution RES-026-066 (Item 13.12).
    • Approval of acquisition of 2908 Santa Rosa Avenue for Fire Station No. 9, with $1,650,000 from Measure H reserves, via Resolution RES-026-067 (Item 13.13).
    • Extension of the local homeless emergency proclamation via Resolution RES-026-068 (Item 13.14).
    • Authorization to amend the Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) Plan to receive Round 5 funding via Resolution RES-026-069 (Item 13.15).
    • Approval of funding and operating agreements for the Safe Parking Program for FY 2026-27, accepting $979,040 from County of Sonoma (Measure O and HHAP funds) with total program cost not to exceed $1,000,000, via Resolution RES-026-070 (Item 13.16).
    • First Amendment to grant agreement for Keep People Housed (KPH) – Sonoma with COTS, extending term to June 30, 2027 and increasing compensation by $250,000 to $1,550,000, via Resolution RES-026-071 (Item 13.17).
    • Approval of FY 2026/2027 grant agreements for public services (Living Room, Catholic Charities) and fair housing (Fair Housing Advocates) totaling $3,177,647, with $100,000 from Homeless Reserves for Caritas Drop-In Center, via Resolution RES-026-072 (Item 13.18).
    • Adoption of classification and compensation study implementation, including new classifications, salary ranges, and updated Salary Plan, via Resolution RES-026-073 (Item 13.19).
    • Second reading adoption of ordinance establishing monthly salary of $28,452.33 ($341,428 annually) for the Interim City Manager (ORD-2026-012) (Item 13.20).
    • Second reading adoption of ordinance establishing monthly salary of $25,480.00 ($305,760 annually) for the City Attorney (ORD-2026-013) (Item 13.21).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Study Session on Downtown Economic Development Strategy: Several speakers expressed support for Option 3 (property exchange). Omar Lopez (Generation Housing) and Jenni Klose (Generation Housing) spoke in support. Ananda Sweet (Santa Rosa Metro Chamber) supported the item. Duane DeWitt and Fred Allebach raised skepticism, with Allebach cautioning against gentrification and displacement.
  • Consent Calendar: Duane DeWitt commented on items 13.6, 13.11, 13.15, and 13.18, urging authentic community engagement. Michael Hilber opposed items 13.16 (Safe Parking) and 13.17 (Keep People Housed), calling them wasteful.
  • Public Comment on Non-Agenda Matters (Item 14): Multiple speakers from the North Bay Organizing Project and community members raised concerns about the city’s contract with Flock Safety for automated license plate readers, citing data breaches, privacy risks, and potential violation of state laws. Speakers included Cameron Miller, Syrah Schween, Camille Escovedo, Jenny Gilpin, Noa Lewin, Joy Ayodele, and Sophia Norton.
  • Public Hearing on Budget: Jenni Gilpin spoke in support of funding for public safety but opposed Flock Safety. Duane DeWitt suggested wage freezes. Michael Hilber supported using roller compacted concrete for street resurfacing.
  • Independent Police Auditor Report: Michael Hilber criticized the police response to an incident near St. Rose Church.

Discussion Items

  • Study Session – Downtown Economic Development Strategy (4.1): Staff presented three options: (1) maintain status quo (costly, no economic growth), (2) build new city hall ($82 million+), (3) property exchange – exchanging the City Hall campus (7 acres) for a new building, unlocking the site for mixed-use development (hotel, apartments, condos, retail, office, civic space). Projected new annual recurring revenue of $1.6–$1.8 million, with $8.4–$9.3 million in new downtown spending. Councilmembers unanimously supported Option 3, citing fiscal necessity and economic catalyst potential. Council directed staff to pursue the property exchange.
  • City Manager’s Litigation Report (9.1): Acting City Attorney Autumn Luna reported two settlements finalized in May: Pearson v. City of Santa Rosa ($3.68 million – $1M city, $2.68M risk pool) and settlement with former City Attorney Teresa Stricker ($145,000). Active caseload of 27 litigation matters with trial dates on ~30%.
  • Council Reports: Councilmember Alvarez requested a future agenda item to develop an ordinance addressing unpermitted food vendors with a focus on environmental impact (grease disposal). Councilmember Rogers concurred. The request will be agendized for a future vote.
  • Appointments:
    • Sonoma County Library Commission (11.2.1): Appointed Sarah Laggos as City/County representative and Josh Hamzehee as City representative (6-0-1, Rogers absent).
    • RED Housing Fund Board (11.3.1): Appointed David Gouin to a second four-year term retroactive to March 15, 2026 (7-0).
  • Public Hearing on FY 2026-27 Budget (16.1): CFO Scott Wagner presented the proposed budget. The general fund budget has a deficit of $7.8 million (after adjustments), addressed through $9.5 million in expense reductions including elimination of 25 FTEs, strategic reserve use ($7.8 million), and pension savings. Year two (2027-28) projected deficit of $9.8 million, potentially requiring deeper cuts if no new revenue is found. Illustrative cuts presented: police (11 positions), fire (8 positions, one station closure), recreation, parks, public works, and other departments. Council adopted the budget via several resolutions. Also assigned $4.5 million from general fund reserves for critical facility needs (City Hall campus).
  • Independent Police Auditor Annual Report (15.1): Stephen Connolly (OIR Group) presented the report covering calendar year 2025. 55 misconduct allegations were processed; 17 were sustained. Highlights included real-time monitoring, participation in officer interviews, and system recommendations. Council received and filed the report.
  • Sonoma County Animal Services Revised Fees (15.2): Staff and SCAS representatives presented revised fee schedules effective July 1, 2026, with modest increases (mostly $1–$2) to improve cost recovery while maintaining access. Council approved Resolution RES-2026-080 (6-0, Fleming absent).

Key Outcomes

  • Downtown Economic Development: Council directed staff to pursue Option 3 (property exchange) to redevelop the City Hall campus and create a new city hub.
  • FY 2026-27 Budget Adopted: Approved five resolutions:
    • Transportation and Public Works budget and staffing changes (6-0, MacDonald recused).
    • Primary budget, full-time equivalent staffing changes, Storm Water Assessment, and Public Safety and Prevention Implementation Plan (7-0).
    • Assignment of $4.5 million in reserves for critical facility needs (affirmed by consensus).
  • Consent Agenda: All 21 items approved 7-0.
  • Appointments: Library Commission appointees (6-0-1) and RED Housing Fund Board appointee (7-0).
  • Animal Services Fees: Resolution adopted (6-0).
  • Police Auditor Report: Received and filed.
  • Food Vendor Ordinance: Councilmember Alvarez’s request to agendize a future discussion on unpermitted food vendors was seconded and will be placed on a future agenda.

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, top down 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 that you shut off the main audio so you only hear the Spanish interpretation. Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Rogers. Councilmember Ben Wellows here. Councilmember Alvarez. Thank you from afar. Vice Mayor Krepke. Let the record show that all council members are here with the exception of Council Member Fleming. Excellent. I must confess, I was hoping for a bit more of a crowd. This item deserves to have a packed council chamber. So thank you. Thank you for being here today. And all of us have all of us on the day, so looking forward to the presentation. Ms. Scott. Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council members. I'm Jill Scott. I'm the city's real estate manager, and I'm here today with the whole team. Gabe Osborne, our economic our planning and economic development director, Scott Wagner, our chief financial officer, and Scott Adair, who is our chief economic development officer. And we are very excited to be here today to talk to you about the downtown economic development strategy and how this strategy really supports Santa Rosa's long-term prosperity. So let's roadmap our conversation today because it's a bit of a long presentation. We have a lot of information to bring to council and to the community today. So we're going to start with Director Osborne, who's going to go over where we are today, our strategies that we have in place, our policies, and the progress that we've made towards those. Then he's going to turn it back over to me, and I'm going to talk about our challenges that we're facing in the city, our infrastructure, our deferred maintenance, and the costs that we have along with that. Then we're going to turn it over to our chief economic development officer, Scott Adair, to talk about the opportunity that we're going to talk about today, the exciting opportunity to bring housing, jobs, and revenue back into the city. And then we're going to come back to me. In fairness, we do have housing jobs and revenue in the city now. We do. We're going to just have more. More housing jobs and revenue. And then we're going to bring it back to me for the approach. How do we get there? What do we do? What's our approach? And then our chief financial officer is gonna talk to us about the financing of it, the fiscal uh, the fiscal impact of the whole program, and then back to council for feedback and some decisions. Um, so we're excited to get started. So we all know the five council goals that our city council has put into place to um bring Santa Rosa into prosperity, um, and for us to get better over time. Those are fiscal sustainability and budgeting, infrastructure investment, economic development, community health and safety, and housing and homelessness. Why we bring this up today is because there's a lot of us here in the audience and at this table that have been with Santa Rosa for a very long time. And it's not very often in our careers that we get the opportunity to bring one single strategy forward to council that meets or exceeds every single council goal for this community, and that's what this strategy is, and that's why, as staff we're very excited to bring it forward. So I'm gonna turn it over now to Director Osborne to talk about policies and the economics of downtowns. Thank you, Ms. Scott, and good afternoon, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the council. As Ms.

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