OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting Summary - July 28, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, July 28, 2026
BodySanta Rosa, California
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 28, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:20:20

Transcript — Verbatim
0:44

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

0:49

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.

1:01

It looks like a globe.

1:02

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.

1:09

Click done to activate and begin the interpretation.

1:12

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

1:18

Claudia, will you please restate this in Spanish?

1:21

Yes.

2:22

Back to you.

2:24

All right, welcome everyone.

2:25

The time is two oh two.

2:27

We'll call this meeting to order.

2:28

Madam City Clerk, would you please call the role?

2:30

Thank you, Mayor.

2:31

Councilmember Rogers.

2:33

Councilmember McDonald here.

2:34

Council Member Fleming.

2:36

Councilmember Ben Wellos.

2:38

Here.

2:38

Councilmember Alvarez.

2:40

Vice Mayor Krepki?

2:41

Here.

2:42

Mayor Stepp.

2:43

Here.

2:43

Let the record show that all Council members are present with the exceptions of Councilmembers Alvarez and Fleming.

2:50

Wonderful.

2:51

All right.

2:51

Let's get in right into our transit-oriented study sessions.

2:55

Thank you all for coming today.

2:56

We'll start with item 4.1, Transit Oriented Communities Policy.

3:01

Is it Mr.

3:02

Hennessy or Mr.

3:02

Osborne?

3:04

Welcome.

3:06

Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of the Council, uh Gabe Osber and Director of Planning and Economic Development.

3:12

Joining me today is Danis Hennessey, Director of Transportation and Public Works, Amy Nicholson, Supervising Planning Planner, and Christian Condelaria, City Planner.

3:21

Before I hand this over to the team to go through the slides, I'd like to just provide a very brief overview of today's conversation.

3:27

The item before the council at this point in time is a study session associated with transit-oriented communities policy.

3:33

That is commonly referred to as TOC.

3:35

The TOC policy is a regional planning framework that was developed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission that focuses on increasing housing density and commercial activity around transit hubs.

3:54

TOC policy includes a set of recommended policies, guidelines, and procedures that cities can incorporate.

4:16

So that's a critical aspect.

4:39

We'll go through that fairly quickly.

5:00

Nicholson.

5:03

Thank you, and good afternoon, Mayor and Council members.

5:06

As Director Osburn mentioned, the transit-oriented communities policy was adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to help implement the region's long-range plan, which is called Plan Bay Area 2050.

5:22

And it provides guidance for jurisdictions to opt-in or adopt those policies to further regional housing and transit goals while also helping to reduce impacts on the climate.

5:35

Much of this work is in alignment with adopted city policy, including the general plan and the active transportation plan that were adopted by this council last year.

5:47

But beyond meeting regional and city goals, as Director Osburn mentioned, compliance with this policy would position the city to receive an additional two to four million dollars in the next OBAG funding cycle.

6:04

Because this incentive money is tied to a funding cycle, the scoring has a set date, which means any of the work that needs to be verified or adopted must be done by July 1 of next year.

6:19

So that gives us just about 11 months to complete this effort.

6:27

So transit-oriented communities are defined as the one half mile radius around fixed railway stations or stops.

6:34

So in the case of Santa Rosa, we are looking at the radius around both of our smart stations.

6:41

The incentive funding is tied to not only the city's population size, but also the number of TOCs.

6:49

So Santa Rosa qualifies for the lowest tier of incentive funding that's available based on those two metrics.

6:57

And the requirements to actually get points under this policy are sort of scaled based on the size of our community and the number of TOCs.

7:10

This slide graphically depicts the two TOC areas.

7:15

The stars indicate the smart stations, and so for the purposes of this policy, we're looking at just what's within the circle at a minimum.

7:23

You'll also see the larger boundary, which indicates where we have our adopted station area specific plans for both the North Station and the downtown station areas.

7:37

So the policy is broken out into four main elements or categories, including residential densities and commercial office intensities, affordable housing and commercial stabilization, parking management and station access and circulation.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety██████████████████████22%
Fiscal Sustainability███████████████15%
Affordable Housing███████████11%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Public Transportation████████8%
Procedural█████5%
Public Safety█████5%
Parking Management████4%
Planning And Zoning████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Santa Rosa City Council Regular Meeting Summary - July 28, 2026

The Santa Rosa City Council met on July 28, 2026, for a regular meeting that began at 2:00 p.m. with two study sessions and continued into the evening with a public hearing, a major report on a sales tax ballot measure, and consent items. The Council addressed transit-oriented development policies, the CityBus short-range transit plan, weed abatement, and authorization of a November 2026 ballot measure to reauthorize and increase the city’s sales tax. The meeting was adjourned at 6:37 p.m.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved a five-year agreement with West Publishing Corporation (Thomson Reuters) for Westlaw legal research and CoCounsel software, not to exceed $174,432. (Item 13.1)
  • Waived competitive bidding and issued a three-year sole-source blanket purchase order with Bigbelly Solar, LLC, for garbage/recycling/compost receptacles, not to exceed $1,000,000. (Item 13.2)
  • Rejected the bid of Mike Brown Electric Co. due to a bidding error; awarded Contract No. C02283 (Santa Rosa Avenue at Bellevue Avenue traffic signal installation) to St. Francis Electric, LLC for $1,026,700, plus a 15% contingency for a total of $1,180,705. (Item 13.3)
  • Accepted a $750,000 donation from the Sonoma Land Trust for the Southeast Greenway Master Plan. (Item 13.4)
  • Appropriated $4,442,100 in Expedited Drinking Water Grant funding from the State Water Resources Control Board for the Robin Way Water System Consolidation Project. (Item 13.5)
  • Authorized submission of a Homekey Plus grant application (co-applicant with Burbank Housing Development Corporation) for Caritas Homes Phase II, not to exceed $30 million, to fund 64 permanent supportive housing units including 10 for homeless veterans. (Item 13.6)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • TOC Policy (Item 4.1): Abby Arnold (Santa Rosa YIMBY) supported parking maximums to reduce housing costs; Duane De Witt urged a South Santa Rosa SMART station and higher inclusionary housing; Fred supported a ministerial ordinance to combat NIMBYism and align with fair housing laws.
  • CityBus Short-Range Transit Plan (Item 4.2): Gregory Fearon suggested linking parking fees to transit subsidies for students; Abby Arnold noted 30% of the population cannot drive; Duane De Witt recommended smaller buses and holding buses at transfer points.
  • Non-Agenda Matters (Item 14): Duane De Witt requested city action on Roseland Creek stormwater management and weed abatement on city property.
  • Weed Abatement Public Hearing (Item 16.1): Duane De Witt raised concerns about fire hazards at Roseland Community Park from transient camping.
  • Tax Ballot Measure (Item 15.1): Support expressed by Abby Arnold (Santa Rosa YIMBY—450 members), Bob Gamble (Citizens Budget Advisory Committee), Marc Beauchamp (Operating Engineers Local 3), Sara Roberts (Teamsters 856), and Stephan Dal Porto (Fire Fighters Local 1401). Duane De Witt opposed, citing regressive nature and lack of representation for low-income residents.
  • Consent Items: Abby Arnold and Jocelyn Linn (Burbank Housing) supported the Homekey Plus application; Roberta highlighted the Sonoma Land Trust’s role in the Southeast Greenway.
  • City Manager/City Attorney Reports: Duane De Witt asked for a report on pavement preservation in Roseland and thanked the legal team for reducing legal fees in a lawsuit.

Discussion Items

  • 4.1 Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) Policy (Study Session, 2:02–4:45 p.m.): Staff presented options to meet MTC’s TOC scoring threshold by July 1, 2027, to unlock $2–4 million in OBAG funding. Three policy options were discussed:
    • Parking maximums (worth 1–8 points): Council leaned toward partial consistency (e.g., 2 spaces per residential unit) rather than full consistency.
    • Transportation Demand Management (TDM, worth 1 point): Council supported expanding TDM requirements to all Priority Development Areas (PDAs), not just station areas.
    • Ministerial housing ordinance (worth 4 points): Several Council members expressed interest but deferred further action due to staff capacity and community engagement concerns; staff will bring back a future study session. Council direction: prioritize TDM expansion and a middle-ground parking maximum; ministerial housing to be revisited later.
  • 4.2 Santa Rosa CityBus Short-Range Transit Plan Update (Study Session, 4:45–6:37 p.m.): Staff highlighted a structural deficit, declining on-time performance (73% vs. 90% goal), and potential reserve depletion by FY 2030. Proposed immediate focus (next six months) on retiming routes, reinvesting in Route 1 to address overcrowding, and strategic interlining to improve connectivity to SMART. Three low-productivity routes were flagged for potential reallocation: Route 10 (North City Connector), Oakmont deviated fixed route (down 74% ridership), and Route 18 (East Circular). Council expressed confidence in staff’s productivity-focused approach, with emphasis on equity for transit-dependent populations and maintaining service to vulnerable communities.
  • 15.1 Transaction and Use Tax Ballot Measure: CFO Scott Wagner and Communication Officer Misti Wood presented the community engagement results and the proposed measure. After a 3-year budget process with 80 staff cuts and other efficiencies, the City faces a $14 million structural deficit growing to $23 million in 2031. The measure would reauthorize the existing 0.5% Measure Q at a 1.0% rate (generating ~$46 million annually) until ended by voters, with strict audit and disclosure requirements. Council introduced the ordinance (6-0) and adopted the election resolution (6-0) to place the measure on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
  • 9.1 Report of Settlements and Active Litigation: City Attorney reported on Johnson v. City of Santa Rosa: jury awarded $10,000 general damages (no punitive); court awarded $113,000 in fees/costs (reduced from $357,000 requested). Active litigation total: 34 matters as of July 7, 2026.
  • 11.2.1 Appointment to Design Review and Preservation Board: Council appointed Vincenzo Signoretti to the archaeologist/architectural historian/historian position (term ending December 31, 2028) by a 6-0 vote.

Key Outcomes

  • TOC Policy Direction: Staff directed to pursue a transportation demand management program for all Priority Development Areas and partial parking maximums (2 spaces per residential unit) as the primary path to meet MTC eligibility by July 1, 2027. A future study session on a ministerial housing ordinance will be scheduled.
  • CityBus Plan Next Steps: Staff to conduct public engagement and return in early fall 2026 with recommendations for service changes to improve on-time performance, with initial changes targeted for January 2027. A longer-range plan including a potential 10% service cut scenario will be developed in 2027.
  • Weed Abatement Report Confirmed: Resolution RES-2026-085 adopted (6-0), confirming the Fire Department’s cost report for weed/rubbish abatement.
  • Sales Tax Ballot Measure Approved: Ordinance introduced (first reading) and Resolution RES-2026-086 adopted (6-0), ordering the submission of a measure to voters on November 3, 2026, to reauthorize the existing half-cent sales tax at one cent until ended by voters.
  • Consent Calendar Approved: All six items (13.1–13.6) approved as presented (6-0).
  • Minutes Approved: July 14, 2026, regular meeting minutes approved as submitted.

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. Claudia, will you please restate this in Spanish? Yes. Back to you. All right, welcome everyone. The time is two oh two. We'll call this meeting to order. Madam City Clerk, would you please call the role? Thank you, Mayor. Councilmember Rogers. Councilmember McDonald here. Council Member Fleming. Councilmember Ben Wellos. Here. Councilmember Alvarez. Vice Mayor Krepki? Here. Mayor Stepp. Here. Let the record show that all Council members are present with the exceptions of Councilmembers Alvarez and Fleming. Wonderful. All right. Let's get in right into our transit-oriented study sessions. Thank you all for coming today. We'll start with item 4.1, Transit Oriented Communities Policy. Is it Mr. Hennessy or Mr. Osborne? Welcome. Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of the Council, uh Gabe Osber and Director of Planning and Economic Development. Joining me today is Danis Hennessey, Director of Transportation and Public Works, Amy Nicholson, Supervising Planning Planner, and Christian Condelaria, City Planner. Before I hand this over to the team to go through the slides, I'd like to just provide a very brief overview of today's conversation. The item before the council at this point in time is a study session associated with transit-oriented communities policy. That is commonly referred to as TOC. The TOC policy is a regional planning framework that was developed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission that focuses on increasing housing density and commercial activity around transit hubs. TOC policy includes a set of recommended policies, guidelines, and procedures that cities can incorporate. So that's a critical aspect. We'll go through that fairly quickly. Nicholson. Thank you, and good afternoon, Mayor and Council members. As Director Osburn mentioned, the transit-oriented communities policy was adopted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to help implement the region's long-range plan, which is called Plan Bay Area 2050. And it provides guidance for jurisdictions to opt-in or adopt those policies to further regional housing and transit goals while also helping to reduce impacts on the climate. Much of this work is in alignment with adopted city policy, including the general plan and the active transportation plan that were adopted by this council last year. But beyond meeting regional and city goals, as Director Osburn mentioned, compliance with this policy would position the city to receive an additional two to four million dollars in the next OBAG funding cycle. Because this incentive money is tied to a funding cycle, the scoring has a set date, which means any of the work that needs to be verified or adopted must be done by July 1 of next year.

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