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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

South San Francisco City Council Meeting - June 10, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, June 10, 2026

BodySouth San Francisco, California

SessionCity Council

DateWednesday, June 10, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:11:20

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:14

I don't even realize the next May, aren't we?

0:20

Okay, yeah.

0:34

Yeah.

0:42

So I'd like to call this meeting of the South San Francisco.

0:45

Of the South San Francisco City Council for Wednesday, June the 10th to order, and we'll begin with a roll call.

0:52

Councilmember Coleman.

0:53

Here.

0:54

Council Member Flores.

0:55

Present.

0:55

Councilmember Nicholas.

0:56

Present.

0:57

Vice Mayor Nogales.

0:58

Mayor Adiego.

1:00

Here.

1:00

Thank you.

1:01

And I've invited Nels D.

1:06

Lander, who is with the Northern California Carpenters Union, the local rep here in San Mateo County, to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance this evening.

1:24

The United States of America and to the Republic.

1:29

One nation undergo indivisible.

1:38

And you know, South San Francisco is a very tight town, and um if you go back a few years, uh Mr.

1:45

D.

1:46

Lander's grandmother was working in City Hall, and um they remain involved in South San Francisco.

1:52

So we like to celebrate that in South San Francisco.

1:55

So let's move ahead with um Rosa, the next item.

2:00

Thank you, Mayor.

2:01

We're moving on to Living Act Disclosures.

2:03

Does the council have any conflicts to report tonight?

2:06

It would appear not.

2:07

Thank you.

2:08

Moving on to announcements from staff.

2:15

So we're gonna invite Devin Stenhouse, who has a couple of announcements tonight.

2:19

I do.

2:20

I do.

2:21

Uh good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council Members, and the public.

2:25

My name is Devin Stenhouse, and I am the management analyst too for the city manager's office of the city of South San Francisco.

2:32

I have two announcements this evening.

2:36

To celebrate the country's semi-quincentennial, the city of South San Francisco is hosting a community-wide parade and picnic on the 4th of July.

2:46

We encourage the entire South City community to come view the parade, which will begin at 10 a.m.

2:52

at Orange Memorial Park, go up Orange Avenue and end on Grand Avenue at City Hall.

2:59

Nonprofits, organizations, and businesses are welcome to join council members and other electeds and the Padrinos and Golden State Rods Car Clubs in the parade.

3:10

Please scan the QR or visit SSFCA.gov to submit a request to uh join the parade by Friday, June 19th.

3:19

After the parade, the celebration will continue on Grand Avenue, which will be kicked off by the U.S.

3:25

Air Force's Civil Air Patrol Color Guard and followed by a fun community picnic which will include live music, a pet costume contest, car show, free hot dogs, family fun activities including a jump house, opportunities to support downtown businesses, and so much more.

3:45

Again, please scan the QR or go to SSFA.gov for more information and tell us you're coming via Event Bright.

3:54

Also, in celebration of the country's 250th anniversary, South City is looking for artists of all ages to design two new stickers for the November election.

4:07

We're looking for artists 18 years and older to design an I voted in SSF sticker as well as artists 17 years and younger to design a future SSF voter sticker.

4:24

The deadline to submit is going to be July 24th.

4:28

And later this year, the public will vote on their favorite entry from each category, and winners will see their stickers distributed throughout the month of October until the November election.

4:39

Again, please go to SSFCA.gov or scan the QR for more information.

4:45

Thank you so much.

4:47

Devin, uh thank you for the update on those events, especially the July 4th event in South San Francisco Grand Avenue.

4:55

Um I learned some uh that is coming along.

5:01

Better than we had hoped.

4:58

And um, you know, we are we are joining um other communities like Redwood City that have had Fourth of July parades for decades.

5:10

So um I'm glad to see we're getting a nice response from the community and from uh some other entities.

5:16

So and uh next item.

5:19

Thank you, Mayor.

5:20

Moving on to presentations, item number one is a presentation celebrating June as LGBTQIA plus Pride Month.

5:28

So on June the first, um I was joined by um Councilman James Coleman, and uh on that day, I think Floor Nicholas was there with us, and uh collectively we raised the Pride flag, and we went a little bit retro because I'm I'm the old mayor, and um I remember the original Pride flag, which I found to be um more colorful and festive and uh I like the way that looks.

5:55

So it's uh flying with all the red, white, and blue bunting on City Hall, and I don't think City Hall has ever looked more colorful.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural███████████████████19%

Youth Programs██████████████14%

Water And Wastewater Management█████████████13%

Economic Development██████████10%

Public Safety████████8%

Community Engagement███████7%

Parks and Recreation███████7%

Fiscal Sustainability███████7%

Engineering And Infrastructure█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

South San Francisco City Council Meeting - June 10, 2026

The South San Francisco City Council met on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at approximately 2:30 PM (evening session) to conduct routine business, adopt the FY2026-27 budget, approve the Capital Improvement Program, and review the School Liaison Officer MOU. The meeting included proclamations, public comments, and unanimous approval of most agenda items.

Proclamations & Presentations

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month (June): Councilmember Coleman presented a proclamation to Jim McGuire, recognizing the LGBTQIA+ community and highlighting the importance of inclusivity. He noted that 50% of trans youth contemplate suicide, emphasizing the need for support.
Parks and Recreation Month (July): Vice Mayor Nogales presented a proclamation to Christy Camacho (Parks and Recreation Commissioner) celebrating parks and recreation’s role in community life. The proclamation was given early because Camacho is term-limited and will be away in July.

Council Comments & Reports

Councilmember Flores: Reported on a gun buyback event that collected nearly 200 firearms, the groundbreaking of a new preschool at Westboro Park (100 spaces), and receiving a Distinguished Public Service Award from the Bay Area Latino Elected and Appointed Officials organization.
Councilmember Nicholas: Highlighted the Police Officers Association Pancake Breakfast, the Pride flag raising, a farewell to longtime Parks Commissioner Betty Batalia, the Dundee Park ribbon cutting, and requested the council join in memory of Pat Gakoscos, a Filipino American public servant.
Vice Mayor Nogales: Expressed pride in the Dundee Park opening and the Westboro preschool groundbreaking, noting the eight-year effort to bring the project to fruition.
Councilmember Coleman: Congratulated Hector Camacho (library board trustee) for leading in the race for San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools, praised the community-driven Dundee Park design and quick construction, and highlighted that the new preschool will nearly double available spots.
Mayor Adiego: Shared a visit to Stripe, a fintech company in South San Francisco, noting its valuation has grown from $98 billion to $159 billion in four years, underscoring the city's business-friendly environment.

Consent Calendar

Item 9 (Resolution for Active Transportation Program Grant): Pulled by Councilmember Flores for discussion. Staff explained that the local match increased from $3.8M to $7.5M to gain two extra points on a $35M grant application, funded by East of 101 traffic impact fees (balance ~$10-16M). Council accepted the explanation and approved the consent calendar unanimously (5-0).

Public Comments & Testimony

Sam Kikuti: Criticized California’s vote-counting system, alleging delays and fraud, and proposed placing drop boxes in cemeteries. No specific agenda item referenced.
Cynthia Markopolis: Accused the city clerk and contracted city attorney Skye Woodruff of overreach and lack of transparency in public records requests. Questioned the accounting of Proposition P (1978) property tax for the Municipal Services Building.
Corey David: Criticized the city’s budget messaging, warning of future revenue requests and urging operational cuts instead of tax increases. Alleged wasteful spending on conferences and contractor fees.
Nels D. Lander (Northern California Carpenters Union): Supported adopting pre-qualification language for construction contractors to ensure skilled workforce and fairness. He is a lifelong South San Francisco resident.
Harvey McCurren (North Coast States Carpenters Union): Urged adding stronger healthcare and apprenticeship requirements to prevailing wage standards for public works projects, emphasizing simplicity and inclusivity. Both union speakers requested city council engagement.

Discussion Items

Public Hearing – Stormwater Fees (Item 16): Brian Schumacher presented the annual stormwater service charges. The current fee (1993) is insufficient, subsidized by the general fund. No rate increase was proposed; council approved the resolution (5-0).
Public Hearing – Sewer Rates (Item 17): The final year of a five-year rate plan, staff recommended a 3% increase (following previous 2-3% increases). Average monthly rate remains under $70, ranking favorably in San Mateo County. Vice Mayor Nagales inquired about the low-income sewer rebate program; staff confirmed it is undersubscribed. Council approved the resolution (5-0).
Conference Center Budget (Item 18): Jim McGuire presented the FY2026-27 budget with revenues of $5,748,773 and expenditures of $3,600,819, plus $455,000 in capital projects. The reserve fund reached a record high of nearly $5M. Council praised innovation (AI hologram ARIA) and sustainability efforts. Approved (5-0).
City Operating Budget (Item 20): Finance Director Christy Donnelly presented a $156.9M revenue, $162.4M expenditure budget with a $5.5M operating gap covered by reserves. Council expressed confidence in staff’s planning. Approved (5-0).
Capital Improvement Program (Item 21): Principal Engineer Matt Rubel outlined 150 projects ($19.3M in new appropriations), including 15 new and 135 continuing projects across six categories. Also approved closure of 31 projects freeing $12.3M. Council approved both resolutions (5-0 each).
School Liaison Officer MOU (Item 22): Lieutenant Fromita Murphy presented the annual report: 194 police contacts at schools (60% school-initiated), only one arrest on campus (domestic violence). Mental health contacts: 12, with 10 resulting in commitments. Staff survey showed 85% feeling safe (up from 70%). Council requested multi-year MOU and year-over-year trend data. Approved (5-0).

Key Outcomes

Unanimous approvals on all consent calendar items, stormwater fees, sewer rates, conference center budget, city operating budget, CIP, and school liaison MOU.
Direction to staff: Explore multi-year MOU with school district and improve data collection consistency between police and school district.
No formal action taken on public comments regarding election integrity or records requests; matters referred to staff.
Closed session: Council adjourned for discussions on labor negotiations, city manager and city attorney performance evaluations, and existing litigation (County of San Mateo vs. State of California). No report back during the public session.
Next meeting: Not specified; council encouraged continued dialogue with carpenters union on worker standards.

Meeting Transcript

I don't even realize the next May, aren't we? Okay, yeah. Yeah. So I'd like to call this meeting of the South San Francisco. Of the South San Francisco City Council for Wednesday, June the 10th to order, and we'll begin with a roll call. Councilmember Coleman. Here. Council Member Flores. Present. Councilmember Nicholas. Present. Vice Mayor Nogales. Mayor Adiego. Here. Thank you. And I've invited Nels D. Lander, who is with the Northern California Carpenters Union, the local rep here in San Mateo County, to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance this evening. The United States of America and to the Republic. One nation undergo indivisible. And you know, South San Francisco is a very tight town, and um if you go back a few years, uh Mr. D. Lander's grandmother was working in City Hall, and um they remain involved in South San Francisco. So we like to celebrate that in South San Francisco. So let's move ahead with um Rosa, the next item. Thank you, Mayor. We're moving on to Living Act Disclosures. Does the council have any conflicts to report tonight? It would appear not. Thank you. Moving on to announcements from staff. So we're gonna invite Devin Stenhouse, who has a couple of announcements tonight. I do. I do. Uh good evening, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council Members, and the public. My name is Devin Stenhouse, and I am the management analyst too for the city manager's office of the city of South San Francisco. I have two announcements this evening. To celebrate the country's semi-quincentennial, the city of South San Francisco is hosting a community-wide parade and picnic on the 4th of July. We encourage the entire South City community to come view the parade, which will begin at 10 a.m. at Orange Memorial Park, go up Orange Avenue and end on Grand Avenue at City Hall. Nonprofits, organizations, and businesses are welcome to join council members and other electeds and the Padrinos and Golden State Rods Car Clubs in the parade. Please scan the QR or visit SSFCA.gov to submit a request to uh join the parade by Friday, June 19th. After the parade, the celebration will continue on Grand Avenue, which will be kicked off by the U.S. Air Force's Civil Air Patrol Color Guard and followed by a fun community picnic which will include live music, a pet costume contest, car show, free hot dogs, family fun activities including a jump house, opportunities to support downtown businesses, and so much more. Again, please scan the QR or go to SSFA.gov for more information and tell us you're coming via Event Bright. Also, in celebration of the country's 250th anniversary, South City is looking for artists of all ages to design two new stickers for the November election. We're looking for artists 18 years and older to design an I voted in SSF sticker as well as artists 17 years and younger to design a future SSF voter sticker. The deadline to submit is going to be July 24th. And later this year, the public will vote on their favorite entry from each category, and winners will see their stickers distributed throughout the month of October until the November election. Again, please go to SSFCA.gov or scan the QR for more information. Thank you so much.

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