South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - May 10, 2023
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South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - May 10, 2023
The South San Francisco City Council met on May 10, 2023, at 6:00 PM in the Municipal Services Building Council Chambers. The meeting included proclamations, presentations, a public hearing, and several administrative items. Key topics included the Promotores Program anniversary, the Sister to Sister Leadership Conference, the Guaranteed Income Pilot Program final report, the CDBG Consolidated Plan, and multiple grant and infrastructure projects. The council also heard public comments from students advocating for Bay Area Reach Codes.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes: Approved minutes of the April 26, 2023 meeting.
- Construction Acceptance: Accepted the 2022 West of 101 Pavement Rehabilitation Projects and the Water Quality Control Plant (WQCP) Secondary Clarifiers No. 1 and No. 2 Rehabilitation Project (total construction cost $4,154,104.56).
- Library Donations: Accepted $14,255 from the South San Francisco Friends of the Library for programs, collections, and supplies (Budget Amendment 23.068).
- Woodlawn Foundation Grant: Accepted $25,000 from the Woodlawn Foundation to support the Gene Mullin Community Learning Center’s after-school and summer homework program (Budget Amendment 23.069).
All consent calendar items were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Three students from South San Francisco High School Earth Club spoke in support of adopting Bay Area Reach Codes:
- Charity Fan urged the council to take action on climate change, citing benefits of electrification, reduced fire risk, and improved public safety.
- Kylie Situ emphasized the impacts of extreme weather on students and called for progress in phasing out fossil fuels.
- Zoe Kuang argued that the current generation has missed a carefree childhood due to climate change and urged the council to be the generation that moves toward change.
Presentations
- Proclamation – Mental Health Awareness Month: Mayor Nicolas presented a proclamation recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Carrie Kirby, Executive Director of Citike, accepted, noting that Citike has tripled in size since the pandemic and now serves about 1,500 clients per week.
- Proclamation – Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Mayor Nicolas presented a proclamation, accepted by Rosit Sid, board secretary of Moonstar Charitable Organization (MCO), who highlighted their food delivery program for seniors in South San Francisco.
- Promotores Program One-Year Anniversary: Tamiko Huey reported that the program has served 168 unique clients with over 225 cases, dedicating 2,300 service hours. The top service requests are food, health, and legal aid (surpassing housing), driven by an influx of asylum seekers from Nicaragua (40% of clients). The program has partnered with the county to offer services at the Economic Advancement Center every Friday.
- Sister to Sister Leadership Conference: Marcel Valdez reported on the first annual conference held March 14, 2023, at the same venue. 130 individuals attended (66 youth, 64 adults). 80% of youth participants identified as Asian or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Evaluations showed over 80% satisfaction, with 82% expressing interest in attending next year.
Discussion Items
- Public Hearing – 2023-2027 Five-Year Consolidated Plan and 2023-2024 Annual Action Plan (CDBG): Staff presented the plan, which includes $556,000 in available funds. The CDBG subcommittee recommended funding for four organizations ($68,557 total) and additional housing trust fund allocations for six nonprofits ($101,050). The public hearing was opened; one speaker, Daniel Barrera of HIP Housing, thanked the council for funding support. The council adopted the resolution unanimously.
- Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Final Report: Nell Selander presented the report. The program had a $1.2 million budget ($1M ARPA, $100K County Measure K, $100K Silicon Valley Community Foundation). 160 participants received $500/month for 12 months (Nov 2021 – Oct 2022). 275 children benefited. Participants reported increased self-sufficiency in health care, community involvement, mental health, and income. Most did not have a plan to replace the $500. No funding has been identified for a future cohort. Councilmembers discussed lessons learned and potential improvements.
- Single Audit Report for FY2021-22: Finance Director Karen Chang and auditor Amy presented the report. The city expended over $6.4 million in federal awards; two programs tested (CDBG and ARPA). Six findings were identified, including issues with subrecipient monitoring and reporting. A corrective action plan is in place. The resolution accepting the audit was approved unanimously.
- OBAG 3 Grant – School Street/Spruce Avenue/Hillside Boulevard Safety Improvements: Angel Torres presented a resolution to apply for $3,128,000 in MTC funding for safety and access improvements. The project stems from a Safe Routes to School walk audit at Martin Elementary. Proposed improvements include high-visibility crosswalks, a signalized intersection, and bike/pedestrian enhancements. Two resolutions (13a and 13b) were approved unanimously.
- Reimbursement Agreement with Town of Colma – Hillside Boulevard Improvements: Jeff Chou presented a resolution to approve a $322,966 reimbursement agreement with Colma for extending slurry seal and striping along Hillside Boulevard. The work is part of the Road Diet Improvements Project. The resolution was approved unanimously.
- Junipero Serra Blvd and Westborough Blvd Pedestrian/Bicycle Connectivity Feasibility Study: Lawrence Henriquez presented a resolution accepting a $450,000 grant from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, with a $655,000 total budget. The study will develop improvement plans for the corridor, including pedestrian and bicycle facilities. The resolution was approved unanimously.
- Extended Learning Summer Program at Spruce Elementary: Angela Duldulao presented a $28,710 budget request (split across FY2022-23 and FY2023-24) to add an extended day program (3:30-6:00 PM) for families in the Big Lift Inspiring Summers (BLIS) program. The district will reimburse direct costs. Councilmember Adiego voted no, expressing concern about charging nothing for late pickups. The resolution passed 4-1.
- Economic Advancement Center Grant – $1 Million: Ernesto Lucero presented a resolution accepting a $1 million grant from the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBiz) for the EAC. The grant will support small business services, workforce development, and operations. The resolution was approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- All consent calendar items passed unanimously.
- The public hearing resolution for the CDBG Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan passed unanimously.
- The Single Audit Report resolution passed unanimously.
- The OBAG 3 grant resolutions (13a and 13b) passed unanimously.
- The reimbursement agreement with Colma passed unanimously.
- The Junipero Serra/Westborough feasibility study resolution passed unanimously.
- The extended learning summer program budget resolution passed 4-1 (Councilmember Adiego dissenting).
- The EAC $1 million grant resolution passed unanimously.
- Council authorized Vice Mayor Nagales to serve as proxy designee for the May 25, 2023 City Selection Committee meeting.
- Councilmember Coleman announced the formation of a Child Care Subcommittee with 12 members, to begin meeting May 15.
- The meeting was adjourned in memory of Anna Maria Uccelli and Noel Talan.
Meeting Transcript
The regular city council meeting of the city of South San Francisco is called to order. Roll call, please. Councilmember Adiego. Here. Councilmember Coleman. Here. Councilmember Flores. Present. Thanks, Mayor Nagales. Here. Mayor Nicholas. Present. Thank you. May I request Junior Flores to lead us on the Pledge of Allegiance over by the podium. Pledge of allegiance. And to the Republic. Perhaps in the future we should have a script in the Madam City Manager, agenda review. No changes to the agenda, Mayor. Do we have announcements from staff? Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Councilmember. Again. Can you hear me now? Yes. Thank you. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Councilmembers, Tamiko Huey and the City Manager's Office. Here to share two upcoming events with the public. Their first one is our AAPI Community Conversations event, and this will be held on Friday at 5 30 p.m. here in the council chambers. We have five panelists from our AAPI community that will share their experiences, history, and their AAPI heritage. You will hear stories of true resilience and inspiration. It's also an opportunity for those to attend to share their own stories. And after the panel discussion, we will have several AAPI focused vendors who will attend to learn about resources available to the public. The second event that I want to share with the public is the reopening of our South San Francisco Farmers Market, which will now be open year-round every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is the same place as our previous farmers market, which is at the Orange Memorial Park in the back of the Fernices building in the parking lot. This new and approved farmers market will have dozens of vendors ranging from fruits and vegetables to baked goods, rotisserie chicken, honey, hummus, and lots of other food options. And I would encourage the public to come out, do their shopping, and then sit down and enjoy a very delicious hot lunch. This week we will have the ribbon cutting event to symbolize the reopening of the farmers market at 9 a.m. And the first 50 people who attend will receive a City of South San Francisco tote bag that they can use for all the food that they purchase. Lastly, we will have live music provided by the El Camino High School of Jazz Band. For more information on the vendors participating in this year's farmers market, you can visit www.ssf.net slash farmers market. Thank you. Madam Assistant City Clerk, I'll turn it over to you. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Moving along to presentations. Item number one is a proclamation recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health Awareness Month is observed every year during the month of May, and it was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness to celebrate recovery from mental illness and addiction. It is time again to reduce the stick the ste uh to reduce the stigma surrounding behavioral health issues and acknowledge that mental health or mental illness and addiction affect all of us. We are reminded that um that every for everyone to be reminded that if you know of someone or you yourself need mental health related crisis support, call our text 988. Here to receive the proclamation is Carrie Kirby, the executive director of Citike, a local local counseling center located at 306 Spruce Avenue.
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