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Record of Proceedings

South San Francisco City Council Meeting: September 27, 2023

City Council — Wednesday, September 27, 2023
BodySouth San Francisco, California
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, September 27, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:28:35

Original source
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0:02

Should I give them one more minute?

0:09

Good evening, everyone.

0:12

I call to order the regular recording in progress.

0:15

The city of South San Francisco today, the 27th of September, 2023.

0:24

Roll call, please.

0:26

Councilmember Adiego.

0:28

Here.

0:30

Councilmember Flores.

0:32

Present.

0:33

Vice Mayor Nogales.

0:34

Here.

0:35

Mayor Nicholas.

0:36

Present.

0:38

And the record will reflect that Councilmember Coleman is absent tonight.

0:42

Thank you.

0:44

I have requested uh Cultural Commission Member Lydia Pomposa to lead us on the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:57

The mic.

1:00

Okay.

1:02

I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

1:10

One nation under God in the visible with liberty and justice for all.

1:27

Thank you, Mayor Nicholas.

1:29

I do have one agenda change I'd like to um with your permission move item number 17 uh to be the first administrative item.

1:38

Thank you.

1:43

I will temporarily recess this meeting to call to order the uh joint special meeting of the city council and successor agency.

1:57

Roll call, please.

2:00

Board member Adiego here.

2:05

Board member Flores.

2:06

Present.

2:07

Vice Chair Nogales here.

2:10

And Chair Nicholas.

2:11

Present.

2:13

Agenda recording.

2:14

Records don't reflect that board member Coleman is absent.

2:17

Thank you.

2:20

No changes to that uh agenda.

2:22

Thank you.

2:23

Do we have any public comments?

2:26

No public comments, Madam Mayor.

2:28

Please proceed, Madam Clerk.

2:33

Moving on to consent calendar is item number one, a report regarding a resolution approving the transfer of certain former redevelopment agency real property from the successor agency to the city consistent with the long-range property management plan and in furtherance of the civic campus library parks recreation project.

2:54

Item 1A is the resolution approving the transfer.

2:58

Item one B is a resolution of successor agency to the City of South San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.

3:19

Okay, I will recess this joint special meeting and resume our regular city council meeting.

3:25

Thank you.

3:26

Thank you.

3:30

Madam City Clerk.

3:32

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

3:33

Moving on to announcements from staff.

3:37

Good evening, Madam Mayor and members of the council.

3:39

Uh Richley, your assistant city manager.

3:41

A couple of announcements from staff this evening.

3:43

Uh first is uh an invitation to the public to join Mayor Nicholas and Councilmember Flores.

3:49

This is uh thanking Assemblymember Papin for supporting the Every Kid Deserves a Bike program.

3:54

There will be a Czech presentation ceremony uh this Friday, September 29th at 1 o'clock p.m.

4:00

This will be at the Gene Mullen Community Learning Center, which is located at 520 Tamarack Lane in South San Francisco.

4:06

The second event which will be held uh this Saturday, September 30th at 10 o'clock a.m.

4:12

will be uh joining Mayor Nicholas for the reopening of the Roberta Cerritalia Senior Center.

4:19

Uh we'll have coffee, refreshments, there'll be activities for seniors, including billiards, open gym, uh tech assistance, yoga, and Zumba Gold.

4:29

Uh also on Saturday uh at 12 o'clock noon, we'll have the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition.

4:34

They'll be testing out uh a new bicycle demonstration project on El Camino Real.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████14%
Land Use Planning████████████12%
Public Engagement████████8%
Arts And Culture████████8%
Transportation Safety███████7%
Public Safety██████6%
Community Engagement█████5%
Public Works Recognition█████5%
Public Health Awareness████4%
Summary of Proceedings

South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - September 27, 2023

This meeting covered proclamations, a public hearing on the Lindenville Specific Plan, and several administrative items including acceptance of state funds for the Utah Avenue Overcrossing, a contract for preschool design services, adoption of the Public Art Master Plan, and authorization for police equipment purchases. Councilmember Coleman was absent.

Presentations

  • Proclamation condemning antisemitism: Vice Mayor Nagales presented a proclamation condemning antisemitism and hate speech, following hateful comments at a prior meeting. Karen Stiller (Senior Director of Jewish Affairs, JCRC) accepted and thanked the council for their stand.
  • Proclamation recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month: Presented by Mayor Nicolas; accepted by representatives of ALICE (Alliance for Community Empowerment), including Jen Jimenez Wong, Betina Yap, Edna Murray, and Lydia Pomposa.
  • Proclamation celebrating Filipino American History Month: Presented by Mayor Nicolas; accepted by Nika Mariano, a youth commissioner, who spoke about the Filipino American community's contributions.
  • Proclamation recognizing September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month: Presented by Councilmember Addiego; accepted by Dr. Barry Chaucer of Seton Hospital, who urged men to get PSA screenings.
  • Proclamation celebrating the Every Kid Deserves a Bike Program: Presented by Councilmember Flores; to be presented to Assemblywoman Diane Papan on September 29, 2023. The program has delivered bikes to over 500 students.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 6: Minutes of September 13, 2023 approved with clarification that Councilmember Addiego's vote against holiday decorations was due to cost concerns, not opposition to holidays.
  • Item 7: Removal of Commissioner Jose Zelaya from Cultural Arts Commission due to unexcused absences approved.
  • Item 8: Resolution approving response to San Mateo County Grand Jury Report on Bike Safety approved.
  • Items 9-10: Acceptance of state library grants for literacy programs ($24,502 for Family Literacy, $59,720 for Adult Literacy) approved.
  • Item 11: Lease agreement with Bandwidth IG, LLC for fiber optic cable in submerged Bay lands approved after discussion on environmental review (CEQA mitigated negative declaration, $1.5M project).
  • Item 12: Resolution amending Master Fee Schedule for fire inspection and permit fees approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • General Public Comments: None.
  • Public Hearing Item 13 (CDBG CAPER): Alec Raffin (COO, Samaritan House) thanked the city for supporting Safe Harbor shelter.
  • Public Hearing Item 14 (Lindenville Specific Plan): No public speakers.

Discussion Items

  • Item 13: CDBG CAPER (Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report) for FY 2022-23. Housing Manager Danielle Thoe presented expenditures ($426,000 CDBG funds, $90,000 COVID relief) and challenges (staff turnover, contractor availability). Vice Mayor Nagales recused himself due to former employer Project Sentinel. Approved.
  • Item 14: Lindenville Specific Plan adoption. Principal Planner Billy Gross and Eric Yerkovich reviewed the plan, community engagement (35+ meetings, 460+ touchpoints), and key changes from public draft (e.g., reverted land designations, added 5% affordable housing requirement for height incentive, strengthened non-conforming use substitution). Council discussed flood control, contamination remediation, bicycle/pedestrian connectivity, and transition buffers. Three resolutions (14a, 14b, 14c) all approved.
  • Item 17: Utah Avenue Overcrossing project. Senior Civil Engineer Lawrence Henriquez presented the $5M STIP award (total project cost ~$130M). Councilmember Flores emphasized community engagement, VMT study, and protected bike lanes. Vice Mayor Nagales questioned financial feasibility. Council approved the resolution accepting funds.
  • Item 15: Architectural services for 840 West Orange Avenue and Westborough Preschool projects. Director of Capital Projects Jacob Gilchrist recommended Dorman Associates ($1.666M). Vice Mayor Nagales moved to reject the bid and reissue RFP as separate projects, citing concerns about the selection process. Motion passed 4-0.
  • Item 16: Public Art Master Plan adoption. Deputy Director Angela Duldulao presented the plan, developed from April 2022 to August 2023, with 14 recommendations. Council expressed strong support. Approved.
  • Item 18: Ordinance changing meeting locations to Library and Parks and Recreation Center; approved.
  • Item 19: Ordinance establishing rules of conduct for city property (Chapter 10.76); approved.
  • Item 20: Resolution authorizing use of $227,606.07 in Police Asset Forfeiture Funds to purchase 75 patrol rifles, suppressors, and accessories. Chief Campbell explained need for updated equipment. Approved.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: Consent Calendar items 6-12, CDBG CAPER (item 13), Lindenville Specific Plan (items 14a-c), Utah Avenue Overcrossing funding (item 17), Public Art Master Plan (item 16), meeting location change (item 18), rules of conduct (item 19), police equipment purchase (item 20).
  • Rejected/Reworked: Item 15 (Dorman contract) – council directed staff to reissue RFP for separate projects, with a 4-month delay anticipated.
  • Proclamations: Five proclamations accepted and presented.
  • Joint Special Meeting: A brief special meeting of the City Council and Successor Agency was held to approve a consent calendar item regarding transfer of redevelopment agency property for the Civic Campus Library Parks Recreation project.

Meeting Transcript

Should I give them one more minute? Good evening, everyone. I call to order the regular recording in progress. The city of South San Francisco today, the 27th of September, 2023. Roll call, please. Councilmember Adiego. Here. Councilmember Flores. Present. Vice Mayor Nogales. Here. Mayor Nicholas. Present. And the record will reflect that Councilmember Coleman is absent tonight. Thank you. I have requested uh Cultural Commission Member Lydia Pomposa to lead us on the Pledge of Allegiance. The mic. Okay. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God in the visible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Mayor Nicholas. I do have one agenda change I'd like to um with your permission move item number 17 uh to be the first administrative item. Thank you. I will temporarily recess this meeting to call to order the uh joint special meeting of the city council and successor agency. Roll call, please. Board member Adiego here. Board member Flores. Present. Vice Chair Nogales here. And Chair Nicholas. Present. Agenda recording. Records don't reflect that board member Coleman is absent. Thank you. No changes to that uh agenda. Thank you. Do we have any public comments? No public comments, Madam Mayor. Please proceed, Madam Clerk. Moving on to consent calendar is item number one, a report regarding a resolution approving the transfer of certain former redevelopment agency real property from the successor agency to the city consistent with the long-range property management plan and in furtherance of the civic campus library parks recreation project. Item 1A is the resolution approving the transfer. Item one B is a resolution of successor agency to the City of South San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Okay, I will recess this joint special meeting and resume our regular city council meeting. Thank you. Thank you. Madam City Clerk. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Moving on to announcements from staff. Good evening, Madam Mayor and members of the council. Uh Richley, your assistant city manager.

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