South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - August 12, 2026

The South San Francisco City Council held its regular meeting on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the Library Parks & Recreation Building Council Chambers. The agenda included a community recognition presentation, a consent calendar, a progress update on the 2026 City Council Priorities Action Plan, a police technology contract, a grade separation project amendment, and a city manager employment agreement amendment. No minutes were available; the following summary is based on the agenda and raw transcript.

Announcements & Community Recognition

• Staff announced that Cool and the Gang will headline the annual Concert in the Park on Saturday, September 12, 2026, with sponsorship from Genentech. Mayor Addiego raised the possibility of allowing pop-up tents for shade; Parks and Recreation Director Greg Mediati said the event footprint is still being finalized.
• Councilmember Buenaflor Nicolas presented a Certificate of Recognition to Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco for earning Magnet Recognition with Distinction. She noted that only nine hospitals in California have achieved this elite designation. Kaiser executives and nurses accepted the award; Councilmember James Coleman shared that his family has worked at Kaiser.

Council Comments, Honors, and Adjournments

• Councilmembers reported on National Night Out, the Peninsula Pines EV charging retrofit, the Pistahan parade, a new little free library at Orange Park, the San Francisco Marathon sister-city visit, and other community events.
• Councilmember Nicolas requested an adjournment in memory of Rudy Senador Bakilar.
• Vice Mayor Mark Nagales requested an adjournment in memory of Maria Martin, former CEO of the Chamber.
• Mayor Addiego asked staff to explore local restrictions on immigration detention facilities, noting that San Mateo County is considering similar action. He acknowledged that local jurisdictions cannot outright prohibit detention centers but can impose safety conditions.

Public Comments & Testimony

• The City Clerk reported that no e-comments were received.
• Corey David opposed Assembly Bill 1821, which he said would make public records requests prohibitively expensive. He also criticized the city's transparency, citing a records request about the DNA Way sale to Genentech that returned "no responsive records."
• Leslie Fong praised a free dental event at the G. Mullen Community Center and recommended Rose Avenue Coffee at the Ceremonte Farmers Market.

Consent Calendar

All consent calendar items were enacted by a single motion, with the exception of Items 8, 10, and 12, which were pulled by Councilmember Eddie Flores for discussion. The approved items included:

• Approval of minutes from July 8, 13, and 20, 2026.
• Acceptance of the Local Agency Biennial Notice for 2026.
• Acceptance of a Spectrum Light Lab table valued at $2,300.
• Authorizing an ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan agreement with Bureau Veritas Technical Assessments LLC, not to exceed $281,127.58.
• Acceptance of $250,398.57 from the California Highway Patrol Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program and Budget Amendment No. 27.003.
• Updated MOU with San Mateo County for Crisis Response Clinician funding (July 1–December 31, 2026).
• Fifth Amendment to the Fire Department’s contract with West Coast Code Consultants, increasing the limit from $1,000,000 to $1,500,000 and extending the term one year.
• AARP Community Challenge Microgrant of $2,500 and Budget Amendment No. 27.006.
• Genentech donation of $49,614.66 and Budget Amendment No. 27.008.
• Sale of the city-owned Below Market Rate unit at 2210 Gellert Boulevard, Unit 5107.
• Authorizing execution of CDBG documents for HUD.
• Summary vacation of a public storm drain easement at 100 Produce Avenue.
• Second reading and adoption of an ordinance revising Title 20 beekeeping regulations (not read aloud in the transcript; no action on it was separately recorded).

Items 8, 10, and 12 were approved separately:

• Item 8: Revised School Liaison Officer MOU with the South San Francisco Unified School District, changing the review period to triennial for school years 2026–2029. Councilmember Flores clarified that the MOU’s other provisions are unchanged and that annual reports to both bodies remain.
• Item 10: Five-year ambulance billing agreement with Digitech Computer LLC, compensation at 3.75% of collected revenue, with options to extend up to three additional two-year terms. EMS Chief Richard Walls noted the negotiated rate and exit opportunities.
• Item 12: Landscape maintenance agreement with Gothic Landscaping for common greens ($794,262.32) and right-of-way ($752,017.32), total not to exceed $1,546,279.64 for 24 months. Councilmember Coleman expressed disappointment about the condition of medians in District 1 and asked about long-term plans; Director Mediati cited a future state law limiting watering of non-recreational turf.

The consent calendar motion carried 5-0, and the three pulled items were approved 5-0 on a single motion.

Administrative Business

• 2026 City Council Priorities Action Plan Update (Item 18): Assistant City Manager Rich Lee provided a detailed progress report. Highlights: Habitat for Humanity was selected for the 905 Linden ownership project (8–10 units); an AHSC grant application for 1051 Mission met the threshold, with preliminary scoring expected in September; the relocation ordinance was completed; two tenant-landlord workshops were held; the VLF shortfall is $3.4 million for South San Francisco for FY 2024-25, with a cumulative shortfall of $13.2 million, potentially affecting fire stations, police officers, childcare, pools, and libraries. ERP implementation remains on track for October/November go-live. Councilmember Nagales requested an anti-displacement resources web page, exploration of climate bond funding, and a parking plan for the Linden Park area. The update was received.
• Axon Enterprise Agreement (Item 19): Police Lieutenant Amy Sariotti presented the Axon Officer Safety Plan 10 Plus, which would add body cameras, in-car cameras, fixed ALPR cameras, Tasers, a real-time operations platform, AI translation, and VR training. The requested amendment would increase the contract by $1,937,507.88, bringing the total not-to-exceed to $2,737,507.88 over five years. Several councilmembers raised concerns about long-term funding, data privacy, and comparisons with Flock and Genetec ALPR systems. The item was continued to a future meeting, with staff directed to provide additional financial details, including a comparison with the current contract’s cost and projected public safety impact fees. The contract does not expire until the end of September.
• South Linden Avenue/Scott Street Grade Separation Project (Item 20): Principal Engineer Matt Ruble and Caltrain’s Lynn Guan presented updated designs and funding. The project cost is estimated to have been reduced from $450 million to $320 million, and construction time from seven years to three years. The requested second amendment to the MOU with SMCTA, PCJPB, and San Bruno would increase the city’s local match by $804,408, funded by transportation impact fees rather than general fund. The resolution was approved unanimously.
• City Manager Employment Agreement Amendment (Item 21): HR Director Leah Lockhart presented Amendment No. 1 to City Manager Laura Snideman’s employment agreement, extending the term to June 30, 2029, and increasing vacation accrual from 20 to 30 days per year, with no salary change. The resolution was approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the consent calendar (including Items 8, 10, and 12) by unanimous votes.
• Received the 2026 Priorities Action Plan update and directed staff on follow-up actions.
• Continued the Axon Enterprise agreement for additional financial analysis; it will return at a future council meeting.
• Approved the grade separation MOU amendment and the city manager contract amendment by 5-0 votes.
• Entered closed session for three workers’ compensation cases: John Grimaldi, Jason James, and Michael Massoni v. City of South San Francisco. No action was reported.