South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - December 11, 2024
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South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - December 11, 2024
The South San Francisco City Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chambers at the Library Parks & Recreation Building. All five councilmembers were present: Mayor Eddie Flores, Vice Mayor Mark Addiego, and Councilmembers James Coleman, Mark Nagales, and Buenaflor Nicolas. The agenda included a brief Successor Agency meeting, staff announcements, three presentations, public comments, a consent calendar, a public hearing on the CDBG Annual Action Plan amendment, administrative business items, and council committee discussions. The meeting also included a closed session for labor and real property negotiations.
Staff Announcements
- Police Chief Scott Campbell introduced mental health clinician Charlie Peretti from Star Vista, who joined in April 2024 and works with the police department; she gave brief remarks.
- Angel Torres announced night work on crack seal and pothole repairs east of 101 and installation of new Smart Corridor overhead signs.
- Katie Donner announced the annual Letters to Santa program and holiday decorations across the city.
- Marie Patea announced that 650 families received food at the Thanksgiving distribution on November 26, an upcoming event on December 23 with toys, Mayor Flores's District 5 holiday event on December 21, and city holiday closures from December 24 through January 2 (with essential services operating 24/7).
Successor Agency
- The City Council, acting as the Successor Agency to the Redevelopment Agency, approved the Recognized Obligation Payment Schedule (ROPS) and administrative budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 unanimously.
Presentations
- Colma Creek Trash Capture Project: Jim Porter, representing the Town of Colma, presented a multi-jurisdictional project to install trash capture devices in Colma Creek. The project is funded by a Caltrans grant of over $7 million and will treat more than 4,170 acres of watershed, including portions of South San Francisco. The device location is east of the Costco parking lot and north of McClellan Drive. The project is currently in conceptual design with Black & Veatch; design is expected to be complete by the end of 2025, with construction in spring 2026. Although the June 2025 regulatory deadline for 100% trash capture will not be met, regional board staff have indicated they will look favorably on the project's progress.
- Parking Place Commission and Traffic Safety Commission: Dana Abarca, Chair of the Parking Place Commission, and Justin Ewan, Vice Chair of the Traffic Safety Commission, provided overviews of their commissions' work. The Parking Place Commission reviews parking usage, enforcement, maintenance, and policy; future goals include developing a parking master plan. The Traffic Safety Commission advises on traffic safety policies and projects, including Vision Zero; both commissions welcome public input.
- Commission on Equity and Public Safety: Chair Arnell Junio presented the commission's focus areas, including childcare, senior services, and increased visibility. The commission plans to make recommendations to the City Council on these topics in the coming year.
Consent Calendar
The City Council approved the following consent items unanimously (items 4-15):
- Approved meeting minutes for November 13, 2024.
- Reappointed advisory body members to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission, Cultural Arts Commission, and Youth Commission.
- Accepted the East of 101 Transit Expansion Project as complete (Total Construction Cost $639,906.44).
- Authorized the City Manager to execute the First Amendment to the Public Art Agreement with Ride Art, LLC for extended storage fees and risk insurance for the Caltrain Public Art Installation, not to exceed $6,250.
- Accepted $2,575.20 reimbursement from Caltrain for costs related to the Karyl Matsumoto Plaza ribbon cutting and Caltrain Electrified Service Launch Party events.
- Authorized a Project Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Department of the Army for the Water Quality Control Plant Sea Level Rise Project (projected cost $5,652,138) and approved Budget Amendment 25.029.
- Approved the Second Revised San Mateo County Operational Area Emergency Services Council Joint Powers Agreement.
- Approved the Annual Impact Fee and Sewer Capacity Charge Report for Fiscal Year 2023-24.
- Authorized filing of an application for a $300,000 MTC Active Transportation Capital Design Technical Assistance Grant for the Colma-South San Francisco El Camino Real Bike and Pedestrian Improvements Project.
- Accepted $30,000 from Genentech, Inc. to support the Library's Summer Learning Challenge 2025 and approved Budget Amendment 25.028.
- Adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 2.85 of the Municipal Code to clarify vacancy appointment protocol for the Equity and Public Safety Commission.
- Approved a lease agreement with Bar Antz, LLC (Bitters & Bottles) for the commercial space, kitchen, and rear garage at 240 Grand Avenue.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Michael Harris: Expressed grievances against DEI Officer Devin Stenhouse and the Commission on Equity and Public Safety, citing a 2009 incident involving a light pole damaging his family's home and alleged stonewalling on navigation rights. He also requested support for John Baker's candidacy for the SamTrans board.
- Cynthia Markopoul: Congratulated Mayor Flores and Vice Mayor Addiego, urged equitable representation, and advocated for reopening the Municipal Services Building (MSB) for community use, including allowing a nonprofit to rent space for free sanitized medical equipment.
- Corey David: Criticized city spending on travel, legal fees, and non-competitive property negotiations, and suggested the need for a forensic audit.
- A representative of Parkway Heights Middle School PTSA: Thanked the Council for supporting a recent fundraiser and promoted the PTSA membership and online ordering opportunities.
Public Hearing
- CDBG Annual Action Plan Amendment (Item 16): Staff presented a resolution to amend the FY 2024-25 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan to address a HUD timeliness compliance issue. The city was informed that its CDBG balance exceeded the statutory limit (cannot exceed $650,000) and must be spent down by June 2025. The amendment reallocates more than $800,000 to fund approximately 65 curb ramps and an accessible pathway at Cypress and Pine Park, primarily in low/moderate-income census block groups. It also adjusts public services funding to $66,000 to comply with the 15% cap and reduces the minor home repair program from $100,000 to $90,000. Councilmembers discussed the geographic distribution of funds and whether census area classifications could be re-evaluated. The resolution passed unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Community Wellness Crisis Response Team (CWCRT) MOU (Item 17): Captain Adam Plank presented a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with San Mateo County to continue the CWCRT program through July 2025. The program pairs police with mental health clinicians and has demonstrated reductions in involuntary psychiatric detentions: 16% in 2021-22, 23% in 2022-23, and an on-track additional reduction of 20-24% in 2024. The total city funding for the program is $249,432 for FY 2024-25. Councilmembers discussed the use of opioid settlement funds to offset costs and questioned the 25% administrative/operational component. It was noted that Redwood City is continuing similarly, while San Mateo and Daly City have taken different approaches. The resolution passed unanimously.
- Below Market Rate (BMR) Unit Sale (Item 18): Elia Moreno, Management Analyst I, presented a resolution approving the sale of a city-owned BMR unit at 2230 Gellert Boulevard, Unit 3209, to a qualified buyer earning up to 100% of area median income. The city purchased the unit for $676,781 in November 2024 to prevent its sale at market rate. The unit is 1,026 square feet, 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms, with an estimated sale price of approximately $507,490. Councilmembers expressed support for the affordability impact and clarified income verification processes. The resolution passed unanimously.
- South Linden Avenue/Scott Street Grade Separation Project Update (Item 19): Angel Torres provided an informational update on the preliminary engineering and environmental phase of the grade separation project, a joint effort with Caltrain and the City of San Bruno. The project aims to eliminate at-grade crossings and improve safety and traffic flow. Outreach results and value engineering outcomes will be presented to the City Council on January 22, 2025.
Items from Council
- C/CAG Vacancies and OneShoreline Recruitment (Item 20): Mayor Flores discussed appointments to C/CAG committees and the OneShoreline seat. He received Council direction to support the legislative committee appointments (Mayor Flores and Gina Papen, and Desiree Thayer for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee). For the OneShoreline vacancy, the Council directed him to vote for Cecilia Taylor of Menlo Park.
- City Selection Committee Candidates (Item 21): The Council discussed candidates for the City Selection Committee and city appointments. Mayor Flores was directed to seek the chair position, and the Council supported Julia Mates for reappointment to the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, along with other reappointments.
Key Outcomes
- Approved all consent calendar items (4-15) unanimously.
- Approved the CDBG Annual Action Plan amendment (Item 16) unanimously.
- Approved the CWCRT MOU resolution (Item 17) unanimously.
- Approved the BMR unit sale resolution (Item 18) unanimously.
- Received the grade separation project update (Item 19) as information.
- Provided direction on C/CAG, OneShoreline, and City Selection Committee appointments.
- Adjourned to closed session under Government Code sections 54957.6 and 54956.8; no reportable action was taken.
Meeting Transcript
Here. Councilmember Nicholas. Present. Vice Mayor Adiego. Here. Mayor Flores. Present. Now I would like to call Charlie Peretti, who is our uh clinician, uh, to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance this evening. Charlie, please uh approach the podium. May we all please stand and follow the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which stands under God with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. Moving on, uh agenda review. We have no changes to the agenda, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Next uh item. Are there any living act disclosures the council has to report? Thank you. We'll move along to announcements from staff. Good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Councilmember Scott Campbell, Chief of Police. I'm honored this evening to introduce and welcome our mental health clinician, Charlie Prette to our South San Francisco community. Charlie joined our department with the nonprofit Star Vista in April of 2024. She discovered she had a passion for helping people navigate crisis and decided to pursue education and social work and therapy. She holds an AA in communication from Chabot College, a BA in sociology from Mills College, and a master's in social work from the University of Southern California. Graduating with honors from all our programs. We are very excited to have Charlie working with our city, as she has already proven time and time again to be an asset to our community members as well as our department. As you're all aware, through this partnership, we have seen a significant decrease in mental health commitments. And we continue to see an additional decrease this past year. However, we understand that this reduction doesn't necessarily mean there are less people dealing with mental health crisis. But what it tells us is the good work that Charlie's doing, the behind the scenes work, uh doing the follow-up that didn't exist previously, where she's helping these individuals to step on a path forward, whether it be short-term or long-term solution. And on behalf of our personnel, we um want to thank Charlie for her unwavering support of our South San Francisco community, and she is really truly making a difference out there. So here is Charlie. Thank you. Welcome. I'm not that tall. I loved it so much that I actually moved here. And so I am now a resident as well. Beautiful. Yeah. Um I've had such a wonderful collaboration between the police and I. We go out together. It's so respectful. It's just, it's like a family, and yet we get so much done because we can collaborate together and understand what mental health is and how it affects the community and at large. Um I mean, some days I go, what am I doing? And I'll be honest, because it's hard work. Um yesterday it was busy, and I seen some clients that have been in the past, but I hadn't seen them in a while. So that was kind of nice to see that they are not so frequent as they used to be. Um, but it is the holiday season, and that does trigger a lot of mental health issues. But um, I also like doing the follow-ups.
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