OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - August 26, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, August 26, 2026
BodySouth San Francisco, California
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, August 26, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 55:54

Transcript — Verbatim
0:20

Recording in progress so let's go ahead and call this regular meeting of the South San Francisco City Council to order for this Wednesday, August the 26th, and we'll begin with a roll call.

0:32

Councilmember Coleman here.

0:34

Councilmember Flores.

0:35

Present.

0:36

Councilmember Nicholas.

0:37

Present.

0:37

Vice Mayor Nogales.

0:39

Here.

0:39

Mayor Adieco.

0:41

Here.

0:42

And after much negotiation, I have settled on a member of the public that would like to step up and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:53

And it's none other than uh Meredith Baxter from Sunshine Gardens, my down the hill neighbor, who will normally waves at me at the time I drive by, normally waves.

1:05

So we'll stand and you'll begin.

1:10

I pled allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, which it now stands.

1:18

One nation under God with Liberty and Justice for all.

1:23

Thank you very much.

1:26

Thank you for being here.

1:31

We'll move along to Levine Act Disclosures.

1:33

Does the council have any reporting tonight?

1:37

It would appear not.

1:38

No reporting, so we'll now move along to announcements from staff.

1:42

Thank you.

1:43

We would like to um invite the community to come uh to uh one of our tree lightings um on Monday, August the 31st at 7 p.m.

1:54

Uh we will be getting ready to do the tree lighting, um which is going to be lit up in gold for childhood cancer awareness month.

2:01

The event is going to actually take place at in this building, uh LPR, um, in the community room on the second floor.

2:09

So we hope that folks can join us for that event.

2:12

Okay.

2:13

Thank you.

2:14

That completes the reports.

2:16

Announcements.

2:17

Great.

2:18

And move along to council comments and requests.

2:22

Okay, who would like to go first this evening?

2:26

I think I don't have much to share.

2:29

Um you've been busy with things you can't comment on.

2:34

Uh yes.

2:35

Um the United Methodist Church uh in Daily City actually had a a uh prayer pray prayer service at Altaloma Park, and uh I was invited to come and welcome the individuals there.

2:50

So uh thank you uh for the invite.

2:53

I appreciate also um the comments that were received that they really loved our parks uh and our facilities, so I wanted to make sure I share that.

3:02

And just recently we we had a board and commission meeting where we uh appointed several um great individuals as several of our commissions, and I know in the past, Mr.

3:12

Mayor, we've done some sort of board and commission uh year at the end dinner, and I I hope we get to do that again.

3:20

Um, because I love hearing about just the accomplishments that they achieved and how we partner with them.

3:25

So if that's something we can do at the end of the year, I really appreciate it.

3:29

So I'll I have Mr.

3:30

Mayor, thank you.

3:33

Like to go next, yes, you may thank you, Mayor.

3:39

So congratulations to our newly promoted police officers and staff, and welcome to those who have just joined our South San Francisco family.

3:47

It was great to see all of their family and those who love them at the last uh badge and swearing in ceremony held here at the council chambers.

3:57

And like Mark, I'm impressed with the people who came forward to join our commissions.

4:02

Thank you uh to everybody who came and spent some time with us.

4:06

Uh to those who were not appointed, please um stay engaged and ensure that we continue the work that needs to be done.

4:15

And last Friday we had our first Indor movie night at the Terra Bay Gym, hosted by our parks and rec.

4:23

I thought there will be more families who will come because you know they will be protected from the cold and the wind.

4:29

But I was a little uh disappointed that there's less than what we were expecting, but maybe it's the first, so maybe hopefully next time it will be a better attendance for the terra bay gym.

4:42

And I would like to request that our meeting be adjoined today um in memory of two individuals.

4:50

One is Dr.

4:51

Jose, I mean Jesus Abayan, who died on August 6th.

5:00

He worked at Stanford Medical Center and Veterans Affairs for 20 years after a 20-year successful practice in the Philippines.

5:04

And another one is uh Sunshine Garden resident for a long time, Lucille Casey.

5:10

Um she was a parishioner at Madre de la Rosa for a long time.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Accessory Dwelling Units█████████████████████21%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Public Safety█████████████████17%
Parks and Recreation███████████11%
Zoning████████8%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Land Use Planning█████5%
Housing████4%
Industrial Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

South San Francisco City Council Regular Meeting - August 26, 2026

The South San Francisco City Council held a regular meeting on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the Council Chambers at 901 Civic Campus Way. Mayor Mark Addiego presided, with Vice Mayor Mark Nagales and Councilmembers Buenaflor Nicolas, James Coleman, and Eddie Flores present. The meeting included a consent calendar, two public hearings, and a closed session. Key actions included approval of an Axon Enterprise contract amendment, updates to the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance, and an extension of residential entitlement timelines.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes: Approved the minutes from the meetings of August 12, 2026, and August 19, 2026.
  • Reappointments: Approved the reappointment of three Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee members, one Conference Center Authority member, one Housing Authority member, and one Library Board member.
  • Orange Memorial Park Aquatic Center: Approved amendments to consulting agreements with Swinerton Management and Consulting (additional $483,945, new total $2,879,335) and ELS Architecture + Urban Design (additional $211,429, new total $4,412,680).
  • Bridge Preventive Maintenance: Approved Program Supplemental Agreement No. F028 Revision 3 with the State of California for $1,268,527 and a local match of $682,327 from the Infrastructure Reserve Fund.
  • Library Funding: Accepted $4,387.14 from San Mateo County for an early vote center; $4,829.95 from Friends of the Library; $58,000 from California State Library for Adult Literacy Services; and $34,048 from California State Library for Family Literacy Services, along with corresponding budget amendments.
  • Axon Enterprise Contract (Item 9): Initially removed from consent for discussion by Mayor Addiego, then approved on consent after discussion. Details below.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public provided oral comments during the public comment period or during public hearings.

Discussion Items

Item 9: First Amendment to Axon Enterprise Agreement

  • Staff Presentation: Police Lieutenant Amy Sariotti presented the proposed first amendment to the product and services agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for body-worn cameras, mobile audio/video equipment, Tasers, video software, and cloud storage. The amendment adds $1,937,507.88, for a new not-to-exceed total of $2,737,507.88 over five years. The package is the Officer Safety Plan 10+ (mid-tier), which includes AI translation, community evidence upload, and upgraded Tasers.
  • Council Discussion: Mayor Addiego expressed initial concerns about cost and negotiated savings. Lieutenant Sariotti confirmed she negotiated the contract and achieved annual savings averaging $273,989 through bundling. She noted that the AI translation service was vetted with nearby agencies and the District Attorney's office. The plan aims to improve officer safety, equipment reliability, evidence management, transparency, operational effectiveness, and community trust. Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about integration with drones, security levels, and whether a basic plan was considered. Staff stated the basic plan lacked desired features, making the mid-tier more cost-effective.
  • Outcome: The item was then approved as part of the consent calendar via a 5-0 roll call vote (all present voting yes).

Item 10: Zoning Text Amendments for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU)

  • Public Hearing: Senior Planner Stephanie Skangos presented proposed updates to Title 20 to comply with state law changes effective since June 2024. Key changes include: (1) increasing maximum ADUs on single-unit lots from two to four; (2) increasing allowed ADUs on multi-unit lots by one additional ADU; (3) clarifying floor area calculations to interior livable space; (4) no parking replacement required for demolished garages if demo permits coincide with ADU building permits; (5) removing owner-occupancy requirements for junior ADUs with separate sanitation facilities; and (6) prohibiting fire sprinkler requirements for ADUs if not required for the primary dwelling or as a trigger for existing units.
  • Council Questions: Councilmembers asked about the complexity of ADU rules and the city's partnership with Hello Housing and the 21 Elements ADU Resource Center. Staff confirmed these resources help residents navigate regulations. A letter from the California Housing Defense Fund was addressed: staff provided written responses stating the letter misstated law and misrepresented HCD guidance; the city's deed restriction requirements comply with state law.
  • Outcome: The council unanimously approved the ordinance (5-0 roll call vote) and determined the amendments are statutorily exempt from CEQA.

Item 11: Residential Entitlement Extension (Zoning Text Amendment)

  • Public Hearing: Chief Planner Adena Friedman presented a proposal to allow residential projects to extend discretionary entitlements by up to two years, for a total of four years to obtain building permits. Currently, approvals are valid for two years with a one-year extension. The change would apply to approved but unexpired projects, pending projects, and future residential entitlements. Staff noted that state extensions during and after the pandemic have expired, and residential projects often face financing delays, especially affordable housing. Specific at-risk projects mentioned: 1477 Huntington (260 units, expiring 2027), Bertolucci site (99 units, expiring end of 2026), 500 Linden (all-affordable, building permits applied), and 500 Railroad (approved 2025, not yet applied for permits). Economic and Community Development Director Nell Selander added that 1477 Huntington has a new owner actively working toward permits, and the Rotary Gardens Phase II project may need three to five years to assemble financing.
  • Council Questions: Councilmembers asked about the status and financial challenges of projects. Staff confirmed the ordinance would help avoid costly re-entitlement and development agreements.
  • Outcome: The council unanimously approved the ordinance (5-0 roll call vote) and determined it is categorically exempt from CEQA.

Item 12: General Plan Amendment for SB 1425 (Equitable Open Space, Climate Resilience, Rewilding)

  • Public Hearing: Staff requested to continue this item to a future date uncertain, as the city determined additional time was needed after noticing the agenda.
  • Outcome: The council voted 5-0 to continue the item to a future date uncertain.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent calendar items (including the Axon amendment after discussion) were approved unanimously.
  • ADU Ordinance (Item 10): Adopted 5-0, updating Title 20 for state compliance.
  • Residential Entitlement Extension (Item 11): Adopted 5-0, allowing up to two-year extensions for residential projects.
  • General Plan Amendment (Item 12): Continued to a future date uncertain.
  • Closed Session: The council entered closed session for real property negotiation (356 Grand Avenue) and anticipated litigation (one potential case). No reportable actions were taken during the open session.

Note: No minutes were available for the meeting; summary is based on agenda and transcript.

Meeting Transcript

Recording in progress so let's go ahead and call this regular meeting of the South San Francisco City Council to order for this Wednesday, August the 26th, and we'll begin with a roll call. Councilmember Coleman here. Councilmember Flores. Present. Councilmember Nicholas. Present. Vice Mayor Nogales. Here. Mayor Adieco. Here. And after much negotiation, I have settled on a member of the public that would like to step up and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. And it's none other than uh Meredith Baxter from Sunshine Gardens, my down the hill neighbor, who will normally waves at me at the time I drive by, normally waves. So we'll stand and you'll begin. I pled allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, which it now stands. One nation under God with Liberty and Justice for all. Thank you very much. Thank you for being here. We'll move along to Levine Act Disclosures. Does the council have any reporting tonight? It would appear not. No reporting, so we'll now move along to announcements from staff. Thank you. We would like to um invite the community to come uh to uh one of our tree lightings um on Monday, August the 31st at 7 p.m. Uh we will be getting ready to do the tree lighting, um which is going to be lit up in gold for childhood cancer awareness month. The event is going to actually take place at in this building, uh LPR, um, in the community room on the second floor. So we hope that folks can join us for that event. Okay. Thank you. That completes the reports. Announcements. Great. And move along to council comments and requests. Okay, who would like to go first this evening? I think I don't have much to share. Um you've been busy with things you can't comment on. Uh yes. Um the United Methodist Church uh in Daily City actually had a a uh prayer pray prayer service at Altaloma Park, and uh I was invited to come and welcome the individuals there. So uh thank you uh for the invite. I appreciate also um the comments that were received that they really loved our parks uh and our facilities, so I wanted to make sure I share that. And just recently we we had a board and commission meeting where we uh appointed several um great individuals as several of our commissions, and I know in the past, Mr. Mayor, we've done some sort of board and commission uh year at the end dinner, and I I hope we get to do that again. Um, because I love hearing about just the accomplishments that they achieved and how we partner with them. So if that's something we can do at the end of the year, I really appreciate it. So I'll I have Mr. Mayor, thank you. Like to go next, yes, you may thank you, Mayor. So congratulations to our newly promoted police officers and staff, and welcome to those who have just joined our South San Francisco family. It was great to see all of their family and those who love them at the last uh badge and swearing in ceremony held here at the council chambers. And like Mark, I'm impressed with the people who came forward to join our commissions. Thank you uh to everybody who came and spent some time with us.

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