South San Francisco City Council Meeting - March 11, 2026
South San Francisco City Council Meeting - March 11, 2026
The South San Francisco City Council met on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at 2:30 PM. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Adiego, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Deputy City Clerk Jasmine Miranda. The agenda was reviewed with no changes. Council members made Levine Act disclosures, and staff made announcements.
Consent Calendar
- The council unanimously approved the minutes of January 24, 2026, and February 25, 2026.
- A resolution authorizing application for and receipt of state Pro-Housing Incentive Program funds (up to nearly $900,000) was approved. Councilmember Coleman noted the funds reward policies that create affordable homes. The consent calendar was approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Annie questioned the city's practice of only recording speaker names in meeting minutes, not the topics of public comments, and asked the council to reinstate a full record of past comments. The mayor noted a special meeting on the council handbook is scheduled for March 18, 2026.
- Cynthia opposed limiting public comment to three minutes and criticized plans to delete archived video records. She highlighted the importance of preserving records, citing the history of the Municipal Services Building.
- Sam Kekuti criticized the council for past moments of silence for an immigrant while not honoring U.S. citizens killed by undocumented immigrants. He opposed non-cooperation with ICE and questioned council members' oaths.
- Leslie Fong expressed disappointment that no council member attended a local Holi festival, urging the council to attend events of other cultures to demonstrate genuine commitment to diversity.
- Fionola asserted that the city clerk has failed to perform her duties by not adequately recording public comments, calling it a serious offense to the public record.
Discussion Items
Centennial Trail Access Improvements Senior Engineer Johnny Wilson presented a minor construction project to formalize existing pedestrian and bicycle desire paths near First Street with ADA-compliant improvements. The contract was competitively bid with eight responses; Eye Drill Engineering was the lowest bidder. The total construction contract authority requested was $170,000. Councilmember Flores asked about the In-N-Out Burger project timeline. Wilson reported construction is expected to start in early April, but the traffic signal reimbursement agreement is still under review with Caltrans. Some council members expressed frustration with delays. The council also discussed the informal bidding process used for this low-value project. The contract was unanimously approved.
America 250 Celebration Deputy City Manager Megan Woolley Osdall presented a work plan for the U.S. semiquincentennial celebration. Staff recommended a parade around City Hall with a picnic on Grand Avenue, $15,000 for commemorative giveaways, $15,000 for signage, painting Sign Hill red, white, and blue, and other decorations for a total cost of $72,000. Mayor Adiego suggested adding banners on downtown light poles and a sponsorship program. Councilmembers debated parade routes and the painting of Sign Hill, with some concerned about encouraging vandalism. It was noted that Genentech may volunteer to paint Sign Hill in early June. The council reached consensus to move forward with the staff recommendation, with the addition of a sponsorship program and inclusion of faith and service organizations.
Key Outcomes
- The consent calendar and Centennial Trail contract were unanimously approved.
- The council directed staff to proceed with the America 250 celebration plan as recommended, plus develop a sponsorship program and involve community organizations for the parade.
- The council received committee reports on Sister Cities, including two youth selected for a leadership summit in Washington, D.C., and a planned soccer match with South San Francisco's sister city on April 25, 2026.
- The council adjourned to closed session for negotiations on properties (1051 Mission Road) and anticipated litigation.
Meeting Transcript
Recording in progress city council, thank you, Ms. McClores. Um, for Wednesday, March 11th to order, and we'll begin with a roll call. Councilmember Coleman. Here. Councilmember Flores. Present. Councilmember Nicholas Present. Vice Mayor Nogales. Here. Mayor Adiego. Here. And tonight I would like to um ask our deputy city clerk, Jasmine Miranda, to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Hi, Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Ms. Miranda. Next item. We'll move along to agenda review. There are no recommended changes to the agenda. We'll move along to Levine Act disclosures. Does the council have any reporting? Reporting. And we can move along to announcements from staff. Mayor, this evening we have two announcements. It highlights former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and her lifetime support for and the advocacy of the U.S. Constitution and demand democratic values. She was a trailblazing American. She had was a powerful voice for civil rights and constitutional principles, particularly notably during the 1974 Watergate impeachment hearing. So that's another part of history that we don't want to lose sight of. She broke racial and gender barriers and inspired future generations by expanding voting rights. So we would like to welcome people this Saturday, March the 14th at 3 p.m. In particular, because we are also excited to welcome Councilmember Nicholas. She's going to prove a special introduction, including the story of her own path to local politics. So I think that's going to be a great event here in this room, the city council chambers, again Saturday at 3. I also would like to uh formally welcome our uh new finance director. Uh Christy Donnelly has joined us and has started her term. She sent out a release a while ago. Um and she is particularly qualified to help provide key leadership as we continue on our path to longer term fiscal sustainability. She brings over a decade of she's bringing decades of experience and over a decade of experience in local government, including most recently as the management services director in the city of Lompoke, where she actually had increasingly um responsible increasing responsibility over a number of years. She also has her master's degree in accounting and is currently a candidate for the Certified Public Finance Officer, a key designation in the world of government finance officers. So I'd like to specially welcome Ms. Donnelly. You could come and say hello. I haven't met you yet. Hi, so good to meet you all. Thank you for having me, both to tonight and to this great city of South San Francisco. I am excited to be here. I am um working with some fantastic leadership in the city manager, the executive staff, and then some really superb staff that I have met over the last three weeks in working working here.
openpublica.com