South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - April 24, 2024
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South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - April 24, 2024
The South San Francisco City Council held a regular meeting on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at 6:30 PM. The meeting included presentations, proclamations, council comments, public testimony, consent calendar approval, and discussions on the 2024 priorities update and the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Charter for the Anti-Displacement Roadmap. The meeting drew a large number of public speakers, primarily calling for a ceasefire resolution regarding Gaza and advocating for the Municipal Services Building (MSB).
Consent Calendar
- Minutes of April 10, 2024 – Approved unanimously.
- Resolution authorizing First Amendment to Services Agreement with Kimley-Horn – Increased agreement amount by $90,455 to a total not-to-exceed $240,115 for IT services. Approved unanimously.
- Resolution accepting the Single Audit Report for Fiscal Year 2022-23 – Approved unanimously. All consent items were approved via a single motion without discussion.
Public Comments & Testimony
Approximately 25 speakers addressed the council, with each limited to two minutes (reduced from three minutes due to the large number). Speakers represented a mix of residents, advocacy group members, and organizational representatives. Key themes:
- Ceasefire in Gaza: Many speakers, including those who identified as Palestinian, Muslim, and Jewish community members, urged the council to pass a ceasefire resolution. They cited the ongoing conflict in Gaza, local hate crime incidents, and the psychological impact on local youth. Speakers argued that local tax dollars fund the conflict and called for a symbolic but meaningful declaration. Some referenced the recent ICJ ruling and the deaths of over 34,000 Palestinians, including over 14,000 children.
- Municipal Services Building (MSB): Several senior residents and community members spoke in favor of preserving the MSB as a community/senior center, citing parking issues at the new Library Parks & Recreation Building and the need for dedicated senior space. They criticized the city manager and council for perceived lack of engagement and demanded a transparent process.
- Assault and Hate Crime: A resident who was physically assaulted in April due to being visibly Palestinian spoke about feeling unsafe and called on the council to take a stand.
- Other: Leadership Council San Mateo County representatives announced their leadership programs. A disabled veteran raised housing repair issues.
Discussion Items
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Update on City Council 2024 Priorities (Q1 ending March 31, 2024) – Assistant City Manager Rich Lee presented a detailed status report on A-list, B-list, and C-list priorities. Highlights:
- A-list: Age-friendly action plan, Westboro Preschool design (target 2027), text messaging expansion, wage theft ordinance (target Q3), Pride event June 1, DEI goals implemented, budget deep dive and potential business license tax measure (analysis due May 22), pension study session, mental health/community wellness (opioid funds used), anti-displacement roadmap, right to counsel, SRO/mobile home protections, labor standards for development, land use ornamentation (RFP issued), license plate reader expansion (12 additional cameras, total 40), free shuttle app upgrade.
- B-list: Vacant city building use (West Orange Library RFP – one respondent so far), Fox Ridge parcels (city-owned, engaging school district), illegal dumping cleanup events (District 5 cleanup collected over 4 truckloads of garbage; sustainability discussion needed).
- C-list: Tobacco ordinance alignment with county, commercial linkage fee for housing, long-range planning, farmers market relocation (council requested move to summer sooner than September), polystyrene enforcement (council leaning toward banning retail sale). Council members provided feedback on timeline adjustments (e.g., farmers market, illegal dumping enforcement, QR stickers for shuttles) and requested a quarterly update format.
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Resolution Approving Community Advisory Committee Charter for the Residential and Commercial Anti-Displacement Roadmap – Housing Fellow Nori Dubon presented the proposed CAC structure: 11 members (10 community representatives + council chair), with categories including tenants, housing providers, business owners, and subject matter experts. The selection process originally proposed using city staff to review applications and recommend members, with council only receiving updates. Discussion revealed several concerns:
- Councilmember Addiego asked which staff would serve on the selection committee and requested the evaluation matrix.
- Vice Mayor Flores raised barriers to entry: the standard city clerk application may disenfranchise undocumented or non-English speaking residents; suggested a simplified, mobile-friendly application.
- Councilmember Nicolas emphasized that tenants may fear retaliation if their identity is known.
- Mayor Coleman noted interest in having the council approve the final selections rather than staff.
- Council also clarified that the three business owner slots should be for commercial renters (not owners), but a representative from a business organization (e.g., Chamber of Commerce) could also apply. The item was not voted on; council directed staff to return with an amended charter specifying the selection committee membership, evaluation matrix, and a simplified application process. The item is expected to be agendized for the May 22 meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar – Approved unanimously (all items).
- 2024 Priorities Update – Received and filed; staff to provide quarterly updates. Council gave specific direction on moving the farmers market relocation timeline to before summer, considering enforcement/retail ban on polystyrene, and exploring federal funding for microgrids.
- Anti-Displacement Roadmap CAC Charter – Deferred to May 22, 2024. Council directed staff to:
- Identify specific staff members for the selection committee.
- Develop a clear evaluation matrix for selecting CAC members.
- Simplify the application process (e.g., mobile-friendly, translated, anonymous options).
- Allow council to review and approve selected members.
- Adjournments – The meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:00 PM in memory of several community members: Juliana Dominguez, Lillian Rosia, Aurora Salamat, Dolores Picado, Mia Valentina Isla (6-year-old daughter of a police dispatch supervisor and deputy sheriff).
- Upcoming Events – Councilmember Flores announced a second District 5 cleanup on April 27 (10 AM-2 PM) and the grand opening of Starber restaurant on April 26 at 10:30 AM. Arbor Day tree planting at Westboro Park on April 27 at 11 AM.
- Ceasefire Resolution – Councilmember Flores expressed support for agendizing a discussion on a ceasefire resolution. Mayor Coleman and others acknowledged the public comments but no formal action was taken that evening; the item is expected to be agendized in a future meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Evening, everyone. The meeting of the South Aaron Studio Cisco City Council for Wednesday, April 24th, will come to order. Madam Clerk, Rural Call, please. Councilmember Adiego? Here. Councilmember Nogales. Here. Councilmember Nicholas Present. Vice Mayor Flores. President. And Mayor Coleman. Here. All right, please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. The United States. One nation. Indivisible would liberate the end of justice. All right. Madam City Manager, uh, agenda review. Uh, we have no changes to the agenda. Mr. Mayor. And on to announcements from staff. Uh, we do not have any announcements this evening. Great. And on to presentations. Thank you. Presentation number one is a presentation by South San Francisco's youth poet in residence. Hi. Um, good evening, Mayor Coleman, Vice Mayor Flores, and Council members. My name is Tan Shing Wong, Library Program Manager in the Library Department. I'd like to introduce our current and outgoing South San Francisco poet and resident, Elizabeth Wong, who will be reading three of her original poems. Elizabeth is currently a junior at Al Camino High School. She looks forward to life after high school with excitement and a bit of trepidation. She hopes to pursue a STEM-related career like her siblings in the future. Her immediate plans involve passing her AP exams and applying for more poetry programs. Elizabeth wants to try new things and have a fulfilling high school experience. She would not have made it here without all of her wonderful family, friends, teachers that support her. Elizabeth is a passion is passionate about drawing and writing poetry, as the current art club president at her school, she places great value on the arts in all forms. Her love for poetry came from her sophomore creative writing class. Her teacher, Mr. Padilla, encouraged a class to branch out and try new things, leading to Elizabeth's switch from short stories to poetry. Mr. Padilla is an incredibly encouraging teacher that pushed Elizabeth to use her talents in poetry. Poetry to Elizabeth is a form of expression that goes beyond what a story could say. She finds it to be a way to break from the mold of traditional writing and express her innermost parts of her feelings in life. Poetry is Elizabeth's bridge to connect with other people through a mix of emotions, experiences, and identities. Before Elizabeth comes onto the stage, I'd like to thank the South San Francisco friends of the library for generously supporting this program and many other library programs and services. And I present to you, Elizabeth. Hi, uh, I want to thank you so much for having me first. Um and the first poem I'm going to read you is called The Perfect Pot.
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