South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting (August 28, 2024)

The South San Francisco City Council held a regular meeting on August 28, 2024 at 6:30 PM at the Library Parks & Recreation Building. The meeting began with proclamations recognizing National Water Quality Month, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and National Preparedness Month, followed by a presentation on the status of the city's 2024 priorities. After council comments and a public comment period (including criticism of the council and staff regarding the Municipal Services Building), the council unanimously approved the consent calendar. The main discussion items included a pilot program to provide free Wi-Fi at the Housing Authority (eventually tabled to explore grants), a controversial proposal to spend $79,920 on facilitation services for community discussions on decommissioned city facilities (not approved, with council instead directing staff to explore feasibility and a housing element amendment), and two ordinances—one introducing mooring regulations (unanimously approved on first reading) and one expanding the polystyrene ban to retail sales (unanimously adopted).

Proclamations and Presentations

• Mayor James Coleman presented a proclamation declaring August 2024 as National Water Quality Month, thanking staff for their work on clean water.
• A proclamation recognizing September 2024 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month was presented, with emotional remarks from Jesus Peña. Key statistics: Approximately 1 in 285 children in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer before age 20; 15,780 children per year are expected to be diagnosed; childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children worldwide (300,000 deaths per year); over 95% of survivors have significant health issues by age 45.
• A proclamation recognizing September 2024 as National Preparedness Month was presented to the CERT team. The city responds to over 9,000 calls for service annually, provides over 18,000 hours of training, hosts 300 hours of regional technical rescue training, and facilitates 5,000 hours of CERT training each year.
• Assistant City Manager Rich Lee provided a detailed status update on 2024 City Council priorities across categories including age-friendly, budget (business license ballot measure), child care (Westborough Child Care expansion), communications (updated website and new chatbot), community development and housing (wage theft ordinance, labor standards), diversity/equity/inclusion (completed pride event and equity plan), finance (developer fee alternatives, pension update), health and wellness (mental health and crisis response team), housing (anti-displacement roadmap, right to counsel), land use (objective design standards), public safety (expansion of ALPR cameras), transportation (South City shuttle upgrades), and B-list priorities (vacant city properties, school district parcels, health and safety, tobacco ordinance, lighting study, etc.). Many items are in progress with expected completion by end of 2024.

Consent Calendar

The council approved the consent calendar by a 5-0 vote, which included:

• Approval of the August 14, 2024 meeting minutes.
• A resolution authorizing the City Manager to purchase several remnant parcels with delinquent taxes subject to County tax sale (APNs 091022010, 091022020, 091022030, 091025010, 091034080, 015031090).
• A resolution accepting a $1,666,279 Community Project Funding grant from HUD for the South San Francisco Centennial Way Trail and Outdoor Learning Center project (Budget Amendment 25.012).

Public Comments & Testimony

Non-agendized public comments (5 speakers):

• Corey David accused city officials of concealment of expenditures and criticized the proposed facilitator contract, calling it a "marketing group."
• Cynthia Markopoulis recounted a past incident regarding Robert's Rules and criticized the city attorney's involvement in ballot measures (Measure W and Measure AA), alleging deception and budget deficits.
• Charlene Roospill (South San Francisco Citizens Coalition) demanded removal of the Municipal Services Building (MSB) from the housing element, opposed the facilitator contract, and criticized the city over the Ramada Inn homeless housing project, labeling South San Francisco a "dumping ground" for county projects.
• Annie Lowe raised concerns about incumbents having unfair advantages in elections (e.g., use of city email lists) and thanked Councilmember Adiego for addressing the issue at a prior meeting.
• Leslie Fong expressed support for the council, stating they are doing their best, and emphasized the need for affordable housing, mentioning her personal housing struggles.

Public comments on agendized items:

• Item 8 (Wi-Fi pilot): Leah Taylor (Housing Authority Executive Director) and resident Claudia spoke in favor, explaining that residents pay over $100/month for inadequate internet and need connectivity for work, school, and telehealth. Board chair Avan Sharma noted the project's benefits and potential for grants, and supported the pilot.
• Item 9 (Facilitator contract): Cynthia Markopoulis, Bonnie Morgan, Annie Lowe, and Charlene Roospill opposed the $79,920 contract, arguing it was too expensive, that the consultant's methods were questionable (e.g., weighted voting at a previous general plan event), and that the community has already clearly expressed a desire to keep the MSB as a community center. They urged the council to remove the MSB from the housing element and hold direct community meetings without a consultant.

Discussion Items

• Item 8 – SmartWave Technologies Wi-Fi Pilot at Housing Authority: IT Director Tony Barrera proposed a two-year pilot to install Wi-Fi at the Housing Authority (80 units, 200 residents) for $102,750, plus $16,800 for an internet circuit, funded from infrastructure reserves. Councilmembers discussed the merits: Vice Mayor Flores noted the project would help seniors and children; Councilmember Nagales supported it as a necessary service; but Councilmember Adiego opposed, citing an $8 million budget deficit and suggesting it would be cheaper to subsidize individual internet plans ($10-25/month). Councilmember Nicolas was torn. During the debate, City Manager Sharon Ranals clarified that the budget deficit is not $20 million, contrary to some claims. After public testimony from Housing Authority officials and residents, councilmembers suggested tabling to allow staff to explore grant funding (e.g., BEAD program, Comcast partnership) and possibly a reduced scope (e.g., one-year pilot). The city attorney clarified that no motion was needed to table; the council gave direction to staff to bring back options after exploring alternative funding.
• Item 9 – Facilitation Services for Decommissioned City Facilities (Plan to Place, LLC): Staff recommended a $79,920 contract for community engagement on the future of the MSB and West Orange Library. The scope included tours, open houses, focus groups, surveys, and a final report. Councilmembers Adiego, Nagales, and Nicolas expressed concern about the high cost, with Councilmember Adiego noting that the scope had expanded from an original ~$40,000 estimate. Vice Mayor Flores argued that a feasibility study would be more productive than pure engagement. After public comments opposing the contract, the council did not approve it. Instead, they directed staff to: (1) begin exploring a process to remove the MSB from the housing element (identifying alternative sites and consulting HCD); (2) conduct a feasibility study to determine the cost and options for repurposing the building; and (3) possibly integrate community engagement into the feasibility study, with a report back at the mid-year budget review. Staff emphasized that they lack bandwidth for internal outreach and that a feasibility study would be costly.
• Item 10 – Introduction of Mooring Regulations: Assistant City Manager Rich Lee presented the ordinance to address anchor-out vessels in Oyster Point, citing blight, fire hazards (three vessels caught fire in November 2023), and environmental concerns. The ordinance defines city waters, prohibits mooring for more than 10 hours without police chief authorization, allows removal after 72 consecutive hours, and classifies substandard vessels as marine debris and public nuisance. Penalties include a misdemeanor with up to $500 fine and 30 days imprisonment. Councilmember Adiego praised the partnership with the Harbor District. The council voted 5-0 to introduce the ordinance (first reading).
• Item 11 – Polystyrene Retail Sale Prohibition: Deputy City Manager Christina Fernandez presented a proposed expansion of Chapter 8.72 to prohibit retail sale of polystyrene foam products, citing environmental persistence (500 years to decompose), health concerns (carcinogen when heated), and strain on landfills. The city conducted outreach to 130 businesses, most of which no longer sell polystyrene. The ordinance includes a four-month sell-down period, effective January 1, 2025, with education-first enforcement. Councilmember Nagales questioned the cost burden on small businesses, but Fernandez noted a county toolkit would help. The council voted 5-0 to adopt the ordinance.

Council Comments and Reports

• Vice Mayor Flores reported on community outreach for the Linden Avenue park project, including a Saturday event with 50-60 participants, mainly Spanish-speaking. Deputy Director Philip Vitale confirmed that the site is safe after soil remediation (440 tons of contaminated soil removed) and that designs are being vetted with fire and emergency services. The project webpage is ssf.net/parkprojects.
• Councilmember Adiego thanked staff for fixing safety issues on Baden Avenue, reported on the Biocom speaker series, and noted the passing of Ed Mazzolo (100-year-old WWII veteran and accordionist). He also raised concerns about unpermitted tables and chairs on Grand Avenue and requested a temporary parking solution for Sundial Apartments residents.
• Councilmember Nagales suggested a bike bus collaboration with the school district.
• Councilmember Nicolas requested traffic calming near Orange Park Pool after a parking lot closure.
• Mayor Coleman announced a future Harbor District walking tour and updates on dock repair cost increases (from $5 million to $18 million).

Key Outcomes

1. Consent Calendar approved 5-0.
2. Item 8 (Wi-Fi pilot): Tabled; council directed staff to explore grant funding and public-private partnerships and return with updates.
3. Item 9 (Facilitation contract): Not approved; council directed staff to initiate a feasibility study for the MSB and begin the process to remove it from the housing element, with a report at mid-year budget review.
4. Item 10 (Mooring regulations): Ordinance introduced (first reading) on a 5-0 vote.
5. Item 11 (Polystyrene ban): Ordinance adopted on a 5-0 vote, effective January 1, 2025.
6. Item 12 (Eastern Neighborhoods CFD): Moved to a future meeting to allow more time.
7. Several committee reports and updates were presented, including the Harbor District liaison committee meeting.