City Council - Regular Meeting

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, if you require a disability-related modification or accommodation to attend or participate in this meeting, including auxiliary aids or services, please contact the City Clerk's Office at 310-952-1720 at least 72 hours prior to the meeting. government code section five four nine five four point two public information the public may address the members of the city council on any matters within the jurisdiction of the city council or on any items on the agenda of the city council during the designated public comment periods there will be two oral communication sessions one for agendized items comments about items on the agenda and the other for non-agendized items comments about items not on the agenda the oral communication portion of the agenda is limited to a duration of one hour unless otherwise approved by the city council comment time is normally three minutes depending on the number of speakers Public viewing available by live stream on the city's website. The meeting will be streamed live over the internet via www.carsonca.gov. YouTube, www.youtube.com slash at City of Carson, California. Cable TV, Spectrum Channel 35 and AT&T Channel 99. carson tv app you may also download the carson tv app to stream the meeting app availability the carson tv app is available in the apple app store google play store roku and amazon platforms if you're not able to attend the meeting in person public comment can be submitted before the meeting via email the city clerk at carsonca.gov the cutoff time to submit any email communication is 3 p.m on the day of the meeting written comments can be dropped off at the city clerk's office at city hall the cutoff time to submit any written communication is 3 p.m on the day of the meeting written comments dropped off at the city clerk's office or any email received will not be read aloud at the city council meeting but will be circulated to the city council and incorporated into the record Public comments can be made live during all communications portion of the agenda. Pursuant to Senate Bill 707 and our commitment to public accessibility, we offer three ways for you to participate in person. If you're with us, please submit a public comment card to the city clerk. virtual two-way audio-visual platform Zoom. You may access the Zoom meeting information at carsonca.gov slash government slash live broadcast. To join us via phone, you may call 1-669-900-6833 and enter the meeting ID 846-366-3031-3POUND.

CALLING THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO ORDER SUCCESSOR AGENCY AND HOUSING AUTHORITY. ROLL CALL, CITY CLERK.

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR POTEM. COUNCIL MEMBER ROJAS. PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER DEAR APPEARS TO BE ABSENT.

I DON'T KNOW.

COUNCIL MEMBER HILTON. PRESENT. MAYOR POTEM HICKS.

PRESENT.

AND THE MAYOR IS ABSENT.

THE MAYOR IS ABSENT. EXCUSE. FLAG SALUTED BY COUNCILWOMAN ROJAS.

PLEASE RISE.

Is Pastor Jimmy Oriana here? Oh, come on up to do our invocation. Welcome.

As always, thank you very much for having us here tonight. Let's pray. Dear Lord, we come before you tonight thanking you once again for the opportunity of allowing the city council, the city employees to come together tonight with the residents. And Lord, right now, we want to ask for your guidance. We want to ask that you would give them the guidance from above. God, as your word says in the book of Numbers, The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. That is my prayer for the city council meeting tonight. That a spirit of unity and a spirit of peace would be here as they talk about business. Lord, as they talk about where our city is to go in the near future. Lord, we thank you for the many blessings that you have blessed this city with. God and Lord, we thank you for the ups and downs. And God, we thank you for the unity that you are showing tonight. God, so again, we pray for every council member here, every city employee, that you would shine your face upon them. Bless their families. God, we also pray for safety tonight upon this place. Lord, again, thank you for this opportunity of allowing this meeting to be. We ask that as these people go home tonight, they would thank you for how you're going to get them through this night. And it's in the name of Jesus we pray.

Amen. Amen. Thank you for that. Thank you so much. Closed session items. Madam City Attorney, please report close.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. The council will meet in closed session pursuant to government code section 54956.9 D2 or D3 and E1 because there's a significant exposure to litigation in one case.

Thank you. Madam City Clerk, any comments from closed session items?

No, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem.

Thank you so much. Madam City Attorney, about how long? It's 10 after five.

Less than half an hour.

So we'll be back by 5.40? 5.30, 5.40. If not sooner.

If not sooner. Let's say, yeah, if not sooner.

If not sooner. All right. We are now in recess.

Thank you. you you Thank you. Thank you.

Rules of Decorum No person attending a public meeting shall engage in disorderly or boisterous conduct, including but not limited to applause, whistling, stamping of feet, booing, or making any loud, threatening, profane, abusive, personal, or slanderous utterance that disturbs, disrupts, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting. all remarks by members of the public shall be addressed to the mayor or the chair and not to any other member of the public or any other single council board or commission member unless in response to a question from the member Signs, placards, banners, or other similar items shall not be permitted in the audience during a public meeting if the presence of such item disturbs, disrupts, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting. All persons attending a public meeting shall remain seated in the seats provided unless addressing the body at the podium or entering or leaving the meeting. All persons attending a public meeting shall obey any lawful order of the proceeding officer to enforce the rules of decorum. Treat everyone courteously, listen to others respectfully, exercise self-control, give open-minded considerations to all viewpoints, focus on issues and avoid personalizing debate embrace respectful disagreement and dissent as democratic rights that are inherent components of an inclusive public process and roles for forging sound decisions reconvening our city council meeting from closed session madam city attorney please report out

Thank you, Mayor Pertem. The council met in closed session pursuant to government code section 54956.92 or D3 and E1. Because there is a potential exposure to litigation in one case, no reportable action was taken.

Thank you. Mr. City Manager, are we ready for the update from animal control activities? You ready, Nora?

Okay.

I know you didn't hear what I said. We're ready for now the animal control activities.

Oh, thank you. Sorry, Mayor Pro Tem. Yes, thank you. We'll have a brief presentation by our Animal Control Public Safety Department. Okay, Director Nora Garcia is here, so I'll allow her to introduce her team and provide a brief presentation.

So good evening. Again, my name is Nora Garcia. I am the Director of Public Safety and Emergency Management here for the City of Carson. This evening, we are here to provide you all with an update on the Animal Control Program. Presenting this evening is also going to be Ms. Caitlin Sanchez, our Public Safety Services Manager. And we also are here to present our Animal Control Officer, Mr. Cesar Vargas.

Caitlin? Good evening, Mayor Pro Tem and members of City Council. Thank you, Nora, for that delightful introduction. My name's Katelyn Sanchez, Public Safety Manager, and it's my delight to provide this quick overview of the Public Safety and Emergency Management Department's Animal Control Program. Up on the screen, we have some high-level overview information of our amazing Animal Control Program. Of course, our Animal Control Officer, Cesar Vargas, who is over here, Cesar. He is our sole animal control officer that works Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., responding to all calls for service, which the community calls into us directly at Public Safety. This allows us to deliver top-notch customer service and decreases our response time to get to individuals who are experiencing a variety of types of situations involving animals or animals that need help. And then of course we also work with the animal control from LA County on items such as animal licensing and vaccines. Cesar joins us with a variety of exceptional accreditations from multiple different agencies. That made him an all-star in our recruitment process, and we knew that we needed top-notch service, and Cesar brings that level of experience to us, as well as the personality as well. And, of course, he is an animal lover. So all three sections doing amazing. Up on the screen, we have a brief overview of the calls for service from last fiscal year. The yellow represents the calls for service that came directly into the city during the city's business hours, which are Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Compared to the blue, the blue represents the calls going into the Animal Care and Control Center run by Los Angeles County. And as you can see, CSER has far surpassed responding to a variety of calls for service as compared to our partners at LA County who service us after hours and on weekends. So looking ahead, we do only have our one animal control officer right now. Our department is desirous of growing this program so that we can deliver even more services to our community and build on the different type of variety of services that we wish to deliver to our community to be on par and surpass the level of service that is provided by Los Angeles County. Just to highlight, some quick clips in the day of a life for Officer Vargas. He responds to calls involving wild animals. It's a little difficult to see, but that first picture on the left is an owl that Cesar rescued. He also responds to domestic calls for animals and helping animals get back home if they become lost. And of course, it comes with a great amount of paperwork, which he is happy to handle to help reunite animals with their owners. OK. And that actually concludes our presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Caitlin, for that information. Vargas, welcome. Welcome to the city of Carson. You're out there by yourself, lonely, dealing with all these animals. The city of Carson have a lot of animal lovers here in our community, and we have all kind of pets. I mean, exotic to those that we may not supposed to have. we have a lot of animals here in the city one of the key things i've been pushing for is to get us a pet store which we don't have in the city but one is coming but we need to make sure we have a pit store in our community um myself an avid dog lover i had three dogs at a rockwaller pit bull and a dash hound so the odyssey of seeing the three of them together. People were kind of shocked to see those three dogs together. But glad that you're on board and being with the city. The hours of operation are only Monday through Thursday, so who do we call on the weekends?

Those are considered after hours, and that is a joint contract with Los Angeles County Animal Control. So they service the city any time that Cesar is not here.

Okay, how do you interact with our LA County? Because one time I had an incident that took place at my home where a pit bull that was loose got into my front yard and wouldn't allow me to get into my house. Contacted LA County. And it took them almost, I called them at about four o'clock that afternoon. They didn't come to my home until 10 p.m. And then at that time, he was afraid to get the dog himself. But I mean, it was an issue that had to come up. But I'm just trying to figure out, how do you interact? Because I know, I think there's only one car for the area, for L.A. County, I think, or is it two?

During the swing shift, they have only one officer.

Okay. All the way from the valley to all the way

Starting from West Hollywood to Rancho Palos Verdes.

One car, okay. That's unreal. So we need to look at possibly, Mr. City Manager, at some point in time, bring it back. We need more than just one officer. We don't want to follow that same type of setup.

Absolutely. That's definitely a priority on our list to come back. Mr. Vargas has been doing an outstanding job for us, considering we've had a high turnover, but he's been great as far as response time, dealing with animals, and then even having to care to the coyotes that have been around. So he's dealt with it all. And so we're appreciative, but he shouldn't be doing it by himself. So we definitely want to have more staff. So we'll be looking to you all to help approve that here in the upcoming months. Thank you. Any of my colleagues have any comments?

Yes, Mayor Portem. Welcome, Mr. Vargas. Thank you. As Mayor Pro Tem mentioned, pets are very important to the residents of Carson. Almost every house has some type of a pet, it seems like. And so you are entering into a city that has a tremendous need for your services. And we're really glad we have some of your capability on hand here. And hopefully we'll hire more employees as our budgeting expands. there's no doubt that the need exists. So have you had a chance to visit the new ASPCA location in Carson?

Yes, yes, I did.

I think it's the first one of its kind in this area. So that would be a great agency. It's a nonprofit group to coordinate efforts with. We're fortunate to have it in Carson. I think it has a Gardena mailing address, but it's in the city limits of Carson. Correct. Yeah. And... So I'm looking forward to the work you're gonna do and you've been doing and at a certain point in the near future, I hope, we can add it to our budget to expand so you'll have more of a team. It's not just one person going out there. What if you catch a cold and you're not there and then no service available? So you might want to start today and writing up little notes about how you're gonna convince us. It won't be hard to convince, but it's a good idea to do that along with these two ladies next year. So I'm really happy that we're moving in the right direction on this major issue and I appreciate the city manager and his great staff to bring this item to the public tonight in this presentation period. Thank you.

Thank you.

Any other comments from any of my colleagues? Councilwoman Rojas?

Did you, oh, go ahead, Councilwoman. Thank you so much. I'm really excited that you're here. You listened. I kept asking. I wanted to learn. I wanted us to learn everything about animal regulation. So for coyote sightings, do we have, a number for that for the people? Can we put that out for coyote sightings?

So for coyote, reporting coyotes should be reported to the California Department of Wildlife. So we do have that number listed on our website. And we can share that again. I don't currently have my phone on me to pull it up.

Okay, so that's California? Department of Wildlife. Mm-hmm. Sorry. Oh, go ahead. Yeah. And then, sir, I did meet you at, we met at the ASPCA, like the council member said. So, again, that is a great location. They have a mobile. unit for neuter, to get your cats neutered and spayed, and it's free, still free. So that is great, and I have visited there recently, so thank you for that. So I wanted to put that address, it's 16300 South Figueroa, and that's ASPCA, so you could bring any of your furry friends there to get neutered or spayed for free. That's one of their special, that's what they do there because they want to save a lot of these furry friends that are out that are, they're stray, but then we also don't want even more. So we want to take care of them, get them adopted. That number is 844-692-7722. And again, thank you for being here and thank you for sharing all your information. Good to see you. Thank you for being here.

Thank you, Councilwoman. I also wanted to comment in a shameless plug here is that we also will have the Carriage Crest Dog Park opening soon in October, I believe, if I'm not mistaken. Dr. Rogers just stepped out. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. And so we're already anticipating challenges with that and obviously only having one animal control officer It's going to be a challenge, but we're public safety, so we'll respond as needed. But thank you very much for the invitation to come and present, and if there are no further questions, then we'll wish you all a good evening.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Well, the next item is one that I'm very proud of. Draylon Dre-Johnson, NCAA Championship Track and Field Qualifier. I have known this young man since he was really young. And knowing the things that he has done over the years, I am so proud of him as if he's one of my own. And just saying that congratulations and continued success. I know his mother and father are always beaming and talking about him all the time. Sometimes he gets a little embarrassed because they keep talking to everybody under the sun. If you're walking about, because you know the mom is out there, used to be with our sophisticated dance organization that did outstanding work in our community and actually trained a lot of young ladies and some young men into the art of dance. And I just want to say thank you for your tenacity in making that happen and the showcase that we had at different locations were outstanding, stellar, best of none to no compare to what you guys put out there. And then to the backbone has been Mr. Andre in the back behind, always making sure that everything was in place. But you know, when you're quiet, you better watch out, because that's a quiet storm coming for you. But I get both of them, that group is always an outstanding group, and I want my colleagues to help me to come downstairs and just present to him a certificate of recognition for his outstanding from Draylon Dre Johnson. Well, as stated earlier, but I want to make it official that certificate of recognition presented to Draylon Dray Johnson in recognition of your outstanding accomplishment in the NCAA track and field, including helping to lead the Long Beach State men's four by 100 meter relay race at the 2026 Big West Conference Championship. The city of Carson proudly recognizes your dedication, perseverance, athletic excellence, and commitment to community services. Your achievement brings great pride to Carson and serves as an inspiration to young people throughout our community. Dated today, September the 1st, signed by Mary Lou Davis Holmes, who could not be here, she's actually on vacation, along with the entire city council here, and yours truly, myself, and just wanna say to you, congratulations on this accomplishment. you know, you always been fast. I always saw you running all over the place. So now you put it to work. So now you put it to work. But again, I want to say thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You want to say a few words?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He got it. He got it.

Good evening, Mayor and members of Carson City Council. First, I want to say thank you for recognizing me tonight. I especially want to thank Mayor Pro Tem Cedric Hicks Sr. for advocating for me and bringing awareness to my accomplishments. I truly appreciate this recognition and the certificate being presented to me. Growing up in Carson, this community has always been a big part of who I am today. from my early years of sophisticated dance, now to competing as a student athlete at Cal State Long Beach. I've always been proud to represent Carson. This year, I was blessed to help my team win gold at Big West Championship in the four by one relay. Last season, we broke the school record and qualified for the NCAA National Championship. The championship is like the Super Bowl for D1 track and field. I always want to thank I also want to thank my Long Beach State coaching staff, specifically Coach Latonya Sheffield, for giving me the opportunity, and my teammates. TRAC is a team effort, and I wouldn't have been able to accomplish these things without their hard work, support, and dedication. It means a lot to have my family, hometown City of Carson, recognize that journey. Thank you for supporting me, and I'll continue to work hard and make the City of Carson proud. Thank you.

All right.

Look at you. Look at you.

Okay, mom and daddy, come up too.

I forgot to leave a part out. I want to thank these three people that's coming up right now. My mom, my dad, and my sister. I want to thank them also.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now, I forgot the other reason why he's so fast, because he always had to run away from his sister when he was running and make sure he didn't get caught.

All right. Thank you.

All communications for matters listed on the agenda. Madam City Clerk, do we have anyone for speaking?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. There is no one logged in on Zoom at this time in accordance with SB 707. I have 11 comment cards for item number 22, which is a public hearing item, so technically you could take them now or during the public hearing. And then I have three comment cards for non-agenda.

Okay, we'll wait till we get to the end. Next item is approval of the minutes.

Will the mayor approach him? Second.

If you're in property, move to second. Please cast your vote.

Motion carries. Just for the record, that was like five minutes. I don't know if you guys noticed that.

That was five minutes?

All of them and then the three specials, just so you know.

You keeping track of that one?

Oh, yeah.

Okay. Consent items six through 21.

Mayor Portima, I move the consent calendar tonight.

Been properly moved and seconded. Anybody want to pull an item? Well, I have one I want to pull, item number 17. Informational item only, just to let the residents know.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. We can provide a brief update by our Director of Public Work.

Excuse me. Mr. City Manager, we need the vote for the consent.

Approving consent items except for item number 17. Please cast your vote.

Motion carries. Sorry, David.

Thank you. Now back to item number 17.

Thank you. Mayor Pro Tem, item number 17 is a amendment for the contract services agreement with CJ Concrete Construction for annual sidewalk and concrete maintenance services for districts ones and two. Considering approval amendment to number two to the contract services with CJ Concrete Construction for annual sidewalk and concrete maintenance services as well for districts three and four. Our Director of Public Works, Dr. Arlington-Rogers will give a brief update.

Thank you Mr. City Manager. This amendment is to the current contract to continue some of the sidewalk work that we've been doing throughout the city. It will allow Public Works to pay all of the remaining incoming invoices to continue the work that has already been started.

Thank you, I just want the residents to know that we are out there doing the sidewalk repairs. Things are being done and we're continuing to make sure that we keep our word and that we are going to make sure our infrastructure is being overhauled to its glory days back from 2008 when we had economic downturn. So this is just one piece of what's being done versus our streets, trees trimming, curb and gutter, now the sidewalk. So I just wanted to make sure that was put out there for everybody to know. With that, I approve staff's recommendation. Been properly moved and seconded. Any discussion? Please cast your vote.

Motion carries.

Thank you. Now we're at the item number 22, our public hearing. Calling to order the public hearing to consider adoption of resolution number 26-102, approving the development of a site plan number 00015-26, CEQA guidelines for 151568, consistency with memo and reading of the ordinance number 26612 between the City of Carson and the Carson Goulds LLC for the development of five industrial buildings on this 96 acre portion of the 157 acre site located at 20400 Main Street, City of Carson. Madam City Clerk, was the affidavit notice made?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. The notice of public hearing to consider the vesting tentative tract map with all the numbers you just said for the specific amendment and all of those numbers, it was properly, the proof of timely publication was received by me and the notice of application via phone was confirmed by staff. The agenda posting requirements were met for the individuals and the organizations. The posting affidavits are on file in my office and we did receive one written communication and that was probably forwarded to council staff and I have a copy of it here.

Thank you for that. Mr. City Manager, staff report.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. At this particular time for item number 22 for special orders of the day, we'll have a presentation by our economic development and planning manager here in this particular city, Ms. McKenna Alexander. She'll give a brief presentation for the first reading. Thank you.

Thank you, city manager. I appreciate the introduction and good evening. Honorable Council, MPT Hicks. Again, my name is Makena Alexander. I'm the city's planning manager. And we're here this evening to discuss some of the modifications being proposed to the district at South Bay, located at 20400 Main Street. This is the first reading. On August 11th, the Planning Commission recommended City Council approval of various applications entitlements. That includes the DOR, the amended vesting tentative track map, the CEQA guideline consistency memo, excuse me, the specific plan amendment, as well as the amended and restated development agreement. As a brief, I'm going to share with you the project site. It's located in the northwest area of the city. It's a former cow compact landfill. It's about 157 acres. The operations of the landfill began in the late 1950s and ended in 1965. That makes the closing about 61 years ago. In 1959, the landfill site was broken up to five cells. Since that timing, there has been ongoing monitoring and cleanup of the soil, soil vapor and groundwater. At a high level overview, the site has, as you know, the site has been identified for various projects over the years. We've had the Carson Marketplace at one point, the Boulevards. Then in about 2015, CRA acquired the site. And in 2019, there were outlets proposed. And let's see, in about 2022, the site was proposed for the outlets as well as other industrial and retail uses. What we have this evening is the current 2026 project, which is based off of 2022 that allowed the site to be developed with not only industrial, but also the country marked that provided commercial uses. Specifically, the portion of the site is the 96 acres portion of the 157 acre site. The 96 acres consist of cells three, four, and five, which you'll see being referenced as planning area three throughout the rest of the presentation. At the southwest portion of the site, there's the torrents lateral, which is about 75 feet wide. One of the applications mentioned earlier is a specific plan amendment, and basically the amendment request is to allow the permitted uses to continue with some changes to the design features and to, aligned with the proposed project. The land use changes is restoring the planning area three into one versus having sub areas PA3A and B. The light industrial that's being proposed will have ancillary office and enhanced parkway. Please keep in mind that the square footage of the proposed changes remains the same as was approved before. And the industrial uses also remain the same. The number of the buildings are reduced from six to five. And again, the Country Mart is a part of the amendment that's being removed from the project. This is a comparison of the site plan changes. You'll see in 2022 the planning area three was broken up into two parts and right now the request is to make it into one. This is illustrating the number of buildings being reduced from six to five. And again, the square footage is remaining the same. Most of the building's layout and orientation is staying the same. And then we're going to lead into the other application, the development and site plan review. The site plan review is showing, again, the light industrial campus. And again, the overall gist of the project is modifying it for the proposed industrial campus, reducing the number of buildings, showing that there's no increase of overall impact to the project that was previously approved, and still being consistent with not only the prior review, but as well as the environmental. I want to point out again that at the southwest portion of the parcel or the project site, there's a torrents lateral that provides about 75 foot buffer to the adjacency residential uses. And then on site, there's additional setbacks, meaning there's buffer space ranging from about 70 feet through about 115 feet. The proposed parking spaces will be in compliance. The required number of parking spaces are 778 and what's being proposed are 1,368. That's approximately a 44% increase over the required parking. One of the things that we want to make sure is that the protection measures are remaining intact, which they are. So you have the buffers, you have the fence providing the sound acoustic, and then the various other, the fulfillment buildings, again, will be pushed back so it won't impact the homes, as well as the height is being maintained and will comply with the specific plan amendment. Another thing to notice, the loading areas are being screened by the orientation of the building. And again, the mitigation measures are staying in place. In terms of truck traffic restrictions, this is staying the same, no changes. We want to make sure that these measures stay. So the trucks will stay out of the neighborhoods by not having access to Avalon. There won't be any queuing on public roads, which I'm sure public safety will be happy about. No right turns from the access of the driveways, no right turns from stamps to Delamo Boulevard and no trucks entering the site from the westbound Delamo Boulevard. So the idea is keeping the trucks away from the residential. And then if there's any sort of outdoor industrial activities, those are actually restricted between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. The elevation shows the design of the building as a modern architecture with blue glass, various windows to break up the wall mass, as well as scored lines, vertical and horizontal, to help break up the mass. The other application that's a part of this evening's presentation is the Vesting Tentative Track Map, and basically is showing that there's going to be seven parcels a part of the project. These seven parcels will accommodate the proposed development. The other item is the Amended and Restated Development Agreement. And again, the idea is that all these applications are aligning and keeping the project consistent throughout. So the amended restated development agreement, the purpose is to update the current DA to reflect the proposed project and establish updated obligations, standards, and conditions for future development of PA3. And again, align with the other applications, including the specific planned amendment. Some of the key changes are not to be repetitive, but again, reducing the number of buildings. Buildings A through D will remain in their approved locations and layout. The sizes and so forth will stay consistent and will align with the specific plan amendment and incorporate changes that were approved a couple years ago through the minor modification. So we're cleaning up the DA to make sure, again, that lines and includes some modifications that occurred a couple years ago. At a high level, a couple of the public benefits are the carry costs, the developer reimbursed CRA for its proportional share, and in terms of insurance, the developer contribute its fair share, and the insurance offers protections during the construction phase. So this is pretty exciting. This is an opportunity to redevelop a significant portion of the 157 acre site, 96 acres that we're talking about. A part of it is remediation and to support the continued remediation at the remaining sales. One of the things I didn't mention is sales one and two of the overall site is not a part of this project and they stay in place. There's no increase to the approved overall development and it's consistent with prior approvals, the review, including CEQA, and will be consistent with the specific plan amendment. And with that, we have to make sure that what's being proposed is consistent and in compliance with the zoning code and the general plan. So, it does. The district at South Bay's specific plan permits industrial uses already. That's exactly what's being proposed. No changes there. The general plan identifies as specific plans as a key implementation tool. And then also the proposed modification is consistent with the general plan 2040 general plan goals, policies and implementation measures related to land use, circulation and community health and environmental justice. With that, again, we have to make sure that we're complying with the state CEQA, and there was a memo that was prepared relating to section 15168, as well as referring to section 15162. Both the findings are that this project is in compliance with CEQA. There is no additional environmental review that's required. The project remains in scope. Industrial uses are permitted. There is no additional environmental analysis that's needed because the scope remains the same. Therefore, the prior analysis during 2022, the supplemental EIR stays in place. Again, no new information of substantial importance. None of the conditions require a supplemental environmental impact report. And again, I want to reiterate that the prior CEQA analysis remains valid. This concludes my presentation. If you have any questions, I'm available as well as the applicant. Thank you.

Thank you for that information and updated on what's happening on that site. Couple of questions. One being the removal of the country mart. So I know that was something that was a stickler in the beginning of the process of making sure that we have this in place. You showed a slide that showed how many different variations has been at that site and we keep changing it and it doesn't seem to come to fruition. My question being, with the removal of the country mark, at some time in the future, can that be brought back?

The applicant is here and they can respond to that specific question. I want to make sure that the information shared comes from the applicant.

Okay. Okay. So he's walking up now.

Good evening, Honorable Mayor Pro Tem and council members. I prepared some comments tonight, so I appreciate the opportunity to address the council. No one likes to hear concerning the Mayor Pro Tem's question about the removal of the country park. No one likes to hear that it's economics. It's no one's favorite answer, but it's the truth. The market for industrial and warehouse spaces is nowhere near where it was when we originally proposed this project back in 2021. Today's economic conditions of higher interest rates, increased construction costs, the ongoing operations and maintenance that we continue to fund every month. have simply made it infeasible to bring the country market forward as part of this revised project. But I want to point out that even without those specific elements, it remains a project that will be a major source for jobs, union jobs, as you'll hear from our friends here tonight, as well as to finally clean up, remake and beautify the long languishing landfill site. Likely the cleanup and the remediation of that is probably the most expensive community benefit ever provided to Carson, at least to date. At the same time, we do remember the promises made to the mayor, who's not with us tonight, and the city council and the community, the expectations set. And there will be a future sell-to process, there will be a future project there, and we will continue to work with city staff and decision makers on the best mix of uses, and hopefully to include a significant public benefit As we originally envisioned. I hope that answers your question, sir.

Part of it.

Okay.

All right. I guess whatever happens tonight, my concern is with cell two being the other caveat, could that be the spot that we can revisit maybe something different? in a variation of a country mark to some degree at that location.

Absolutely, and we'll continue to work with you all and senior staff and figure out what's gonna be the best mix of uses at that site, but we're sure. Again, we remember what we've said, we like to be people of our word and so we're absolutely considering and we'll continue to work with city on that matter.

Thank you, any comments from my colleagues? Councilman Deer.

Yeah, I just, it's really the same question. So there's a possibility we could get the country mart built, but not on the cell three, four, or five, maybe cell two, not likely in one, but maybe two. Is that right? Yes, sir. Okay, so the proposed pedestrian bridge from the the beautiful development that's going on in Avalon to the Cal Compact Landfill, is that then also removed or is that still a possibility?

It's been taken out of the new development agreement. And the reason being that when we had civil engineers actually look at the feasibility If you go out there, there's a 20-foot grade change over a very short distance, and it just, we and the city decided that it would, staff decided that it would be much better to address pedestrian access over the bridge that's there now. Just a little bit of a longer walk, but every bit is beautiful.

But that might be enhanced to make it more pedestrian-friendly? Yes, yes, sir. Okay, because it is just kind of a... It's kind of wide now, but maybe some railings might make people feel more comfortable with the cars coming fairly fast off the freeway. Okay. All right. Well, those are my questions as well. Same as Mayor Pro Tem.

Thank you. Thank you. Councilwoman Rojas.

Thank you. I'm happy that we're getting this going. It's a long time coming. So that is great for the city of Carson. We came up with the District of South Bay. I like it. It's very Hunger Games type energy. The District. So I'm just curious with that.

The name?

Yes.

That name, we can't really claim that at all. It's been I think since 2019 maybe that that was the name of the specific plan area after the boulevards.

I like it. Okay. Again. Fantastic. So, and thank you. Thank you for everyone being here. With that said, I'd like to waive further reading and adopt resolution number two.

Public hearing is still open. It's still open. We haven't closed yet. I'm sorry. We haven't closed the public hearing yet.

Oh, I'm very sorry.

Thank you.

Too excited?

Too excited.

Getting ready for the Hunger Games. I'm ready.

Dr. Hilton wanted to speak. Councilman Hilton.

Yeah, I think I have to say something since it's in the Mighty District 1, right? Please, please. I recognize that economics have changed and I want to commend our partners at Faring for, I've been around where this development has changed hands a number of times and I want to commend commend you all for bringing another project, but not taking the project away and not saying that you guys can't do a project there. This has been a long time coming and I'm super excited to see something finally happening. We see dirt moving, we see things going up, we see our brothers and sisters in the audience that are gonna be working on these projects. So I'm incredibly excited to see this move forward and as it progresses and as things go forward, hopeful that the cell two will jump on board. So I just wanted to say thank you to, you know, nobody could be more, could have been more excited about the country mark than me and the mighty District One, $8 billion worth of infrastructure going on in the ground, just to toot our own horn in District One, but Now we know that it's really happening. It's not going to be a blighted site, and it's been blighted for a long time. So I want to just commend you on that.

Thank you, sir. Well, like you all, we're still here. We're still working this together. So thank you.

Thank you for that. Madam Clerk, how many speaker cards do we have for public comment?

Eleven.

I guess start with the first one.

Okay, and I think we have one on Zoom. Okay. So we'll see. No, just kidding, he logged off. Oh. Okay. Crystal Lewis.

Madam Clerk, two minutes.

Got it. 11. Good evening, you have two minutes.

Good evening, my name is Crystal Lewis. I am a business agent for Pipefitters and Steamfitter Local 250 in Gardena. And I'm here to support this project and we're asking for your yes vote tonight. This project will provide a lot to the city and will do so while having supported the local skilled and trained workforce. This developer's commitments will bring fair pay, benefits, and support blue collar middle class workers who give so much to the local economy. We support this developer and this project and ask for your yes votes tonight. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Ray Lawson.

Good evening, Mayor Pro Tem Hicks, Carson City Council, long time no see. My name is Ray Lawson, as everybody knows. Yeah, we know you. We, Carpenters Union, we're here to speak in support and favor of this project, but we did this again in 21. In 2021, we went through this again. And we're just asking for some accountability. We in the trades, you know, we know in 2021 it was a different atmosphere than it is now politically, economically, and everything else. And we would like to be able to feed our families, take work. We want to see this built. We see a project right off the 405 in Avalon, Imperial in Avalon project that was – associated with this developer and a lot of Carson residents didn't go to work. A lot of union trades didn't go to work. The people that own that job, our honorable mayor went and walked that job with us like a month ago and she can tell you it's nobody that looks like her on that job. None. Zero. So once again, we just ask for accountability. We're asking that if they say they're going to do something to do it, if they say they're going to be providing livable wage jobs, health care for the workers that are working there, because they're going to get hurt. Their family members are going to need health care also. So if they're going to do all these things, we just ask that they hire a responsible contractor that ensures that this happens. and that the city of Carson be able to check and monitor this. We, as the trades, we go out there and check it all the time, even that project, and even if this one happens, we'll check it all the time to see if they say they wanna do what they said they're gonna do. So we just ask that council considers that, accountability and transparency. So thank you. Thank you.

Mayor Portimao, I have a question for Ray Lawson. Brother Ray.

Go ahead, Council Member.

So you mentioned in your presentation just now that the housing being built on Avalon Boulevard doesn't have a project labor agreement and doesn't have union workers there, or can you tell us what's going on there?

Well, if it does, we, any trades in here that are on that job? No. Maybe it was a misunderstanding or misinterpretation, but a lot of the housing that's done on here, it doesn't have... residential, local residents hiring. If you can find a Carson resident that worked on that job, bring them in here to the next city council member.

So the missing link is there's no local hires.

Yes, there's no local hires. And as far as the trades are going, it may be some union trades on there, but for the most part, it's not.

Okay, we will definitely be looking into that.

But the project on our agenda tonight is gonna have local hire agreement.

Yes, the district has that included in it, but we just ask that they follow through on that, that we have some accountability and that we'll be able to know that this is happening and be able to report it back to someone in city government or Carson to ensure that this is happening. We know a lot of times it gets lost in city government and no accountability. That's what we ask as trades.

Okay, I get the picture of what's going on, so we'll talk offline. All right, thank you. Thank you, council member. Good to see you tonight. Thank you. Next.

Rihanna Dorsey.

Good evening, everyone. I am an eighth stage apprentice, carpenter apprentice out of Local 91, and I, as well as all of my brothers and sisters, we support this project. And to kind of piggyback off of what Ray said, it's very important for us to, for us as workers who live, shop, our children go to school in this area, to be able to work in the area. To funnel that money back into where we live, where our children grow up and go to school. So me being a carpenter apprentice, I'm still out there in the boots, shoulder to shoulder with other brothers and sisters. And I just would like to say we support it as long as we are also supported. And that's it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Michael. You need guys.

OK.

Good evening, council members, Mayor Pro Tem Hicks. My name is Mike Iniguez. I'm a business representative with IBW Local 11, and a proud member of the IBW for 20 years. I'm here tonight in support of the District of South Bay project to ask support for your vote. From my perspective, the reason I'm supporting projects like this is we need to continue creating opportunities to build and invest in our communities, and when we do, I believe it's important that we do it union. After 20 years in the trade, I've seen firsthand the value of having highly skilled and properly trained workforce on these projects. Our members spend years training and learning their craft through the apprenticeship and the on-the-job training. They take pride in their work and they understand the responsibility that comes with building it right. Building union also creates good jobs and creates real opportunities. It gives people the chance to earn a good living, provide for their families, have healthcare, retirement benefits, and build a career they can be proud of. A project of this size represents a significant investment in Carson and means construction opportunities today and potential long-term economic benefits for the city. As someone who has spent 20 years in this trade, I want to see projects like this move forward and I want to see them built by highly skilled men and women of the union building trades. That's why the IBW Local 11 supports this project. I respectfully ask for your support in this vote. Thank you for your time. Have a good evening. Thank you.

Brenda Campos.

Good evening, everyone. My name is Brenda Campos. And I know that this large of the project, we create job. And that means more families being support and more money going back into the area. That's really great to hear. I think that new development means new jobs, good jobs, and that's so very important to me and my family. I support this project, and I hope you always do. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Thank you. Sylvia Cos. No Sylvia.

Bella Gonzalez.

All right, she left too.

Victor Glenn Najjar. Oh, Valerie? Oh.

Oh, is that Bella?

Oh, she wasn't. You're Bella? Yep. OK, go ahead. Hold on.

There you go. Good evening, everyone. I'm Bella Gonzalez, and I'm here because I support this project. I want to speak up about this project and mainly how I feel about it and what it will bring to the community. I feel like developing an old landfill site into something new and fresh is a really good idea. And this could create a positive area for change. And I really think this project is good for everyone involved and seems to be a great idea overall. Thank you.

Thank you.

Victor and SM14.

Oh, okay. Okay.

That young lady did a great job speaking. Very good, young lady. You're welcome.

When you're ready, Victor.

Good evening.

Raise the mic. You can raise the mic.

All right.

Can you hear me? All the way up.

There you go. All right. Good evening. My name is Glenn with Anchor Church. Our ministry is so happy to support projects like this one with clear community benefits for people in our congregation who live and work in Carson and the surrounding areas. We ask today for your support of it as well to give those in need of a second chance and opportunity to improve their lives. Thank you. Thank you.

All right, thank you, Victor. Miro Flores.

Good evening. My name is Myro Flores and I am here on behalf of Ironworkers Local 433 and its 5,000 plus members to express support of the District at South Bay project. We are excited about this project because it will provide good paying jobs, hire local residents, and use responsible contractors. The applicant has made sound development choices and we praise them for it. We are proud to support this project and ask for your approval and support of it too. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you, Juan Morales.

Good evening, hi, my name is Juan Morales and I'm here on behalf of 2,000 UA members of Local 78 Plumbers. We respectfully express our strong support for this district at South Bay project and ask that you vote yes on this evening. This project has our full support because of the commitment made by the developer to our local and to the city of Carson. The project will increase quality, good paying union jobs while utilizing skilled union labor. We commend that developer for working collaboratively with unionized labor to ensure that this project is built to the highest standards and provide a long lasting benefit to the community. Investments such as this project help strengthen the local economy, create meaningful employment opportunities, and contribute to a strong future for the city of Carson. When we work together to build a better and more equitable city, we create opportunities that, I'm sorry, that benefit working families and to broader communities, creating a future we can all be proud of. Once again, UA Local 78 strongly supports this project and respectfully ask for your yes vote today. Thank you for your consideration and support. Sincerely, my name is Juan Morales, UA Local 78. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Tony Hernandez.

Hello and good evening. My name is Tony Hernandez. I am a representative on behalf of Ironworkers Local 416. I proudly support this project and seek your support today. The applicant has made a commitment to local hire. Because of this, the project will allow our hardworking men and women to advance their careers while earning middle class wages and benefits. Most importantly, this commitment to the local skilled construction workforce members will ensure a high quality project and that the community's basic economic needs are supported. Please support us and this project by saying yes tonight. Thank you. Thank you.

Amy Smith.

Good evening, Council. Wow, that's tall. Good evening, Council. My name is Amy Smith. I'm a representative of Creek LA, and we would like to voice our continued support of this project and this developer and ask for you to say yes to it tonight. The City of Carson deserves and needs projects like this that are going to transform an old, honestly, a blight property of a landfill that's empty and not generating any revenue for the city and just sitting there and hoping for something and it's gonna create new modern industrial and mixed use space. This project is truly something that's an amazing step and the right direction for the city and here we have a developer and a project that's gonna create good paying jobs and develop a beautiful space that will turn into a contributor to a healthy economy and the growth of the city for decades to come. Again, we support this project, this developer, and ask for you to see that and say yes tonight. Thank you.

Thank you.

Jason Baez.

Honorable Counsel, thank you so much for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Jason Baez, and I'm a proud member of Labor's International Union of North America. And we are here in full support of all the proposed amendments that have been presented so that the beginning process of cleaning up this extensive lot will begin. The long overdue conversion of its full potential will be implemented into the a massive well of opportunity for our community with extensive jobs and consistent revenue into our community. We have a very honorable developer who has committed to spending the top dollar for the world's most greatest construction force, the American Union Tradesmen and Women, which will ensure that this project provides living wages, Excellent benefits, opportunities for certifications off-site, and opportunities for stellar careers in union construction for local youth. and as my brother said, for those seeking second chances. And I just want to conclude with this. I spent some years as the evangelist leader of Victory Outreach Carson. I combed these streets from the Scottsdales to the mobile parks to the sides of the freeways, here, there, and everywhere. And I can tell you with 100% sureness that there is a need in this community for jobs. This project will provide that. everything from management, accounting, service technicians, administration, all the way down to logistics and maintenance, and of course, union careers. Thank you so much. Blessings.

Thank you.

Mr. Mayor Potem, that concludes the comment cards that I received for item 22, public hearing.

Thank you. We now declare the public hearing closed. Council, any further comments? I have a question for staff. Okay. Council Madeira.

So to the staff, through the city manager, there is some type of a labor agreement. I don't believe it's a PLA, but it is a written agreement. Is that correct? And has the city staff seen it?

Okay, so the applicant will come up, and yes, there's been coordination between staff and the applicant, and he'll provide more details regarding that.

So, yeah, section 4.12, if I can just go ahead and speak to this, and as well as, I mean, the developer's able to speak to this as well, but the employment outreach provides for local employment outreach and the developer will notify the city of jobs at the project. So there is language that's listed for this as you're making reference, Councilmember.

I see, okay, well, that's good to hear that. I'm very happy to hear that. So since that is the case, I move we waive further reading and adopt resolution number 26-102, a resolution of the City Council of the City of Carson. One, finding no further environmental review under CEQA is required pursuant to CEQA guidelines 15168 for approval of a development and site plan review numbers DOR00015-26 and the amended vesting tentative track map, also known as the VTTM number 83481, subject to conditions of approval and to approving a development and site plan review. DR0015-26 and the amending vesting tentative track map, the TTM number 83481, subject to conditions of approval. And introduce and conduct a first reading by title only and with full reading waived of ordinance number 26-2612, an ordinance of the City of Carson, California, finding one. No further environmental review under CEQA is required for the district at South Bay specific plan amendment SP00004-2026 pursuant to CEQA guidelines section 15168 and approving the district at South Bay specific plan amendment SP00004-2026 subject to conditions of approval and introducing conducted first reading by title only. with full reading waived of ordinance number 26-2613, an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Carson, California. One, finding no further environmental review under CEQA is required for approval of amended and restated development agreement number DA0001-26, pursuant to CEQA guidelines section 15168 and 15168. to approving amended and restated development agreement number DA-0001-26 between the City of Carson and Carson Goose Owner LLC for 1,567,090 square feet of light industrial uses on Planning Area 3 of the District of South Bay specific plan project. and direct the city clerk or designate to prepare a summary of ordinance number 26-2612 and ordinance number 26-2613 for publication or in accordance with charter section 314 and direct the city manager to work with the city clerk to determine who's gonna make this presentation. But either one is approved through this ordinance if it passes tonight, thank you.

Spend property. Move that second. Please cast your vote.

Motion carries.

All right.

I'd say congratulations to the mighty District 1, Councilman Juwan Hilton. Congratulations to you right in the heart of your district.

He's a billion-dollar councilman. Thanks. Congratulations to all of us.

Who are we?

Who are we? Where are my guys? There they are. Who are we?

Thank you guys for coming out. Thank you. Next item, we're going to consider an update on city projects. Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem.

We still have a meeting going on. Continue. So project updates for director of public works will be presented by our public works director, Dr. Arlington Rogers. If we could please have quiet in the chambers.

We don't have quorum. Oh, wait a minute. We lost the quorum. We lost quorum. We lost quorum.

We lost quorum. We lost quorum. We lost quorum. We have corn back. We're back. Now that we're back, we will have a brief project update by Dr. Arlington-Rogers.

Thank you, Mr. City Manager. Thank you for this opportunity, Mayor Pro Tem and city council members. This is just an update on a few of the projects that we have going on currently in the city of Carson to update not only yourself, but the residents of Carson.

Can we quiet in the back? We still have a meeting going on. Thank you guys, everybody.

The first one that is widely talked about project is our Mills Park project. Staff has a copy of the executed construction contract from our selected vendor, Pub Construction. We are going to be recommending our construction managers, Z&K consultants at the September 15th meeting. We are estimating construction to start this month, September 2026. The estimated completion date for the first phase is March 27th, March 2027. And the estimated completion date of the second phase of the Mills Park project is September of 2027.

You said September?

For the second phase, yes, sir. 2027. 2027, yes.

Okay, you missed the deadline date, okay.

The first phase we're expecting to be completed in March of 2027. So the first phase is just outside? First phase is just outside and the second phase is inside. Okay, okay.

I'm just trying to make sure. With Juneteenth, that's what I'm working towards. Continue on.

Yes, sir. The citywide streetscape, this is the first phase of implementing some changes and some improvements to our city medians and streetscape. The evaluation of the bids is complete. We're recommending to award the contract to an organization, Earthscapes, at the September 15th council meeting and target groundbreaking in October. This year, not 2027. That is a typo on my part. I was moving too fast, so please forgive me.

You sure that was a typo?

That is a typo, yes. Okay. Some updates at Carriage Crest Park, which is another widely talked about. Some of the work that's already been completed is the outfield netting, sod installation at ball field one and the volleyball court. decomposed granite installation, removal of trees interfering with SCE gear, the erection of the gable shade structures, the CMU work at the concession building, the entrance stairs at the Moneta side, and the playground rubberized surface is substantially complete. Restroom building plumbing is done. The work currently under construction now is the fescue sod installation, the Bermuda turf establishment in the ball field and volleyball areas, the asphalt concrete paving at the Figueroa parking lot, the storage building roof work, court resurfacing, and the SCE transformer pad and retaining wall preparation. the CMU block installation at the trash enclosure, dugout fencing, mesh installation, the playground shade cells, and splash pad area, which is reported as nearing completion. The Calis Park stormwater is required revised agreement for the final permit. We're recommending for the city council to approve for the use and maintenance agreement, which will be presented at the September 15th council meeting. The construction bidding will commence once the permit is issued. Target groundbreaking for this project is January of 2027. University Drive Rehabilitation. The bids closed on August 24th of this year. Notice to intent to award was sent to RJ Noble on Wednesday, August 26th of this year. We'll be recommending the award to award a construction contract to RJ Noble October of this year. The estimated construction start date is October, November, late October, early November. And the estimated construction completion date is March 2027. And per a suggestion, we will be starting this particular project on the furthest east end, which is Wilmington, and working our way back west towards Avalon. So that way we don't interfere with the Jazz Festival.

You've missed that deadline when you said October 6th.

Okay, then we will be working after that.

Yes.

All right.

You missed that one.

Martin Luther King Street rehabilitation. That contract has been awarded to R.J. Noble. It's being executed at this time. Our expected start construction is November of this year. Estimated completion is March of next year, 2027. Our Sepulveda Bridge Widening Project, SE is currently relocating lines for the Shoe Fly, which is a temporary road build to route traffic around the blockage. And construction is underway and will be ongoing until March of 2028. Traffic signal upgrades at four intersections. This is one project that got approved. Locations are Avalon Boulevard at Victoria, Main Street at 223rd, Main Street at Sepulveda, and Figueroa Street at Torrance. The traffic signal poles were ordered in August. Conduit work anticipated to begin in September. Expected completion date of this project is July 2027 for these four intersections. Traffic signal upgrades at six additional intersections, a different project. Those locations are Figueroa Street at Victoria, Main Street at 220th, Main Street at Victoria, Main Street at Albertoni, Figueroa at 223rd, Figueroa at 234th. The upgrades aim to improve the signal coordination and traffic progression to alleviate arterial congestion by installing and replacing and or updating traffic signal poles, mast arms, signal heads and controllers, cabinets, CCTVs, et cetera. Contract are nearly complete with conduit and subsurface work working to relocate these traffic poles. The upgrade designed to include a protected left turn phasing for north and south traffic. The signal pull order anticipated for delivery in December of this year and construction work to resume prior to that. Expected completion in July of 2027. Traffic signal modification project kickoff meeting has been completed. The contractor is mobilizing to provide materials and obtain the encroachment permit for potholing. Groundbreaking is expected January of 2027, and expected completion date is October of 2027. And I'm available for any questions.

Thank you for that information. Quick question. Whatever happened to Central and University?

The traffic signal for Central and University, the material has been ordered. We're waiting on delivery of the materials, and then construction will begin. Okay. Any questions for my colleagues?

I do have a question, Dr. Rogers. You said in the beginning slides you had a start date, October, early November, but the finalized date is March, so that is not in question. That's pretty accurate. Which project, Council Member? I think it was the first slide. Mills Park? No, the second one after the park. Keep going. Yeah, there it is. That's it. This one? Yeah. Okay. University Drive rehabilitation. So is it going to be rehabilitated from Wilmington Avenue, which is a city limit of Carson, all the way to Avalon?

Yes, sir.

Okay. That was my question. Thank you very much. And it should be done by March. That's our expectation, yes, sir. Very good. Because, you know, we have Sprouts opening, and we don't want to inhibit customers from going to Sprouts.

Understood. Thank you. We want them to have a smooth surface to drive into and get all their groceries. That's right, by the holidays, all right. Healthy groceries.

Thank you for that report, receiving file. Next item is consideration for uncontested appointments. Anybody have any new appointments?

Mine are complete, MPT. Thank you.

Madam Clerk, we spoke about one that we need to move.

Correct. We're still within that 10-day window, but the vacancy was posted.

The vacancy was posted already?

The mobile home review board that we discussed. Yes, that vacancy was posted. However, I have several things to bring to you all's attention regarding CCBs. First, let's get this out of the way. It is that time of year to affirm by minute order your delegation for the League of California Cities and the League of California Cities LA County Division. Currently the delegates are set as Councilwoman Rojas, Dr. Hilton is alternate one, Mayor Davis-Holmes is alternate two. That's for the League of California Cities. For the League of California Cities LA County Division, the delegate is Dr. Hilton. Alternate one is Councilwoman Rojas. Alternate two is Mayor Davis Holmes. It doesn't necessarily need to, I mean, obviously you can discuss it or do what you like, but I do need to get back to them ASAP.

My concerns would be not to change anything unless my colleagues want to do something different.

Great.

Okay.

And this is just established by minute order. So there's nothing to do.

Nothing to do. Unless you're going to do something. We just approved. We just said we are in agreement that status quo as is.

Thank you. You're welcome. So that's one. The next thing is for the mobile home review board, Susie Hernandez needs to be moved to at-large because of the location of her home. So as we discussed before, there needs to be more diversity among park locations of the board members. So all of the board members cannot reside in Colony Cove and Carson Harbor Village because those two locations are owned by the same developer. So if an issue comes, to the board for review, they have to recuse themselves and then there's no one left to vote. So we wanna avoid having too many resident representatives from Colony Cove and Carson Harbor Village because both parks share the same owner, as I just said. However, with the recent resignation that we have, which we're still in the 10-day window for, the board would only have two of four residents of those representative positions filled. So the recommendation from staff on that committee is that Susie Hernandez who is from Colony Cove, I guess, and William Davis are in those two positions. So as long as the two remaining resident representative vacancies are filled by residents from other parks, hopefully in the near future, then there shouldn't be an issue with moving Susie into the resident representative position, which is the recommendation of staff. I know that sounds really confusing, but.

So you're saying Susie currently on here is in a, and at large?

Yes, well, Susie.

But she lives in a mobile home park? How can she be a resident at large?

It says at large.

That's not possible.

Yeah, they want to move her from the position that she's currently in.

Into a resident homeowner.

Correct. Okay. Because she is a resident homeowner.

Well, she does not live in a mobile home park.

She does.

She does.

So they want to move her into that spot.

Okay. The at-large are individuals that don't live in a mobile home park and they're not affiliated with the owner of a mobile home park.

I'm not debating that necessarily, Councilman Deer. I'm just stating what the report was that was given to me from the staff that supports this. I don't have the bylaws in front of me. So if that's what it says, then I guess it's a good thing that we're moving her, because then I guess they're out of compliance. So.

Well, I think it's in violation of the law, our law to do that. Well, we better call the city attorney's office. Maybe the city attorney could look into it and get back to you, and you can get back to us, I guess. You got that?

I have a question. Madam City Clerk, were you saying Susie Forbath?

No, Hernandez.

And I'm happy to email Ben tomorrow and get it, but the recommendation from the staff is that Susie be moved from an at-large position to a resident homeowner position. And I think they'd like that done today.

Yeah, because she lives in a mobile home park. She does, sir. So she can't be in that large position. Okay, all right.

Okay.

So my question to the city attorney would be based upon the one Susie Hernandez is, I think is Rojas' appointee. The only resident homeowner vacancy that's in place is under me.

That is correct.

So my question, I have no problem so that they can have a quorum to relinquish mine and become an enlarged seat and allow Councilwoman Rojas to take that spot.

Yes, in the past, if the person on the commission, or in this case, this is a board, if the person on the commission is remaining on the commission and removing from one spot to another and it's not a alternate position, we have done that in the past.

Okay. Okay.

Is the question what happens to the vacancy that's created? I'm trying to understand the question.

No, I don't think it's vacancy. You're saying that it's been past practice that you move people within the actual purview of what's vacant.

Correct. If it's not an alternate position. Madam City Attorney, I think the question is the person that they want to move is Council Member Rojas' person. Got it. Can that be moved to Mayor Pro Tem's slot tonight?

Why is it being moved to Mayor Pro Tem's slot? Don't look at it that way, because do you have someone designated or no? No, I don't.

My person passed away.

okay, your person passed away, it's okay, then you get one person. Yours now, it's just that now, this is a unique board because of the requirements that you have to have at large. So now you have to sit down with the city clerk and look at, based on the configuration and who's on there, what kind of an appointment you can make to your uncontested. It may be that you have to do a resident appointment or a park owner appointment, depending.

So that's what we're doing now, knowing that we need to have a homeowner resident in place, which was mine, and the person that's in an at-large should not be in an at-large because that person is a resident homeowner.

They're going into a resident, which is good.

Yes.

Okay.

So that was all.

That's totally okay. That can happen.

That was the only question. Okay.

Thank you.

So I have a follow-up question. At the beginning, you were saying that because Colony Cove and Carson Harbor Village are owned by James Goldstein, that the staff didn't want two members living in a mobile home park, living in a park owned by the same corporation, the same company, in this case, James and Goldstein. So would that solve that problem? You said it was an issue, but then- No, that's only part of what I said.

Yeah, that's not quite exactly what I said. They don't want the entire board to be made up of residents from the same- But two could. Sure.

Okay, but not three?

I don't know, not the entire board.

There's no restrictions on that, but it's probably better practice not to do that. So I think they're trying to avoid having all of them be from.

When you say all, you mean all resident.

Resident appointed ones, yes.

Which there are basically, One, two, three, okay, all right. That makes sense, thank you. Yes. Thanks for the clarification.

So Madam City Attorney, is it a matter of an action item to move?

Dear Uncontested.

Okay, so we're just gonna paperwork?

Yes.

Thank you, so that handles that. What was the other one? There has been an uptick in youth commission applicants. They've all been submitted to, I don't know if someone did an e-blast at the high schools, but they've all been forwarded to your staff so that you all can consider that. They've also been sent to Mr. Whitaker's department, so I appreciate your staff on that. So just be mindful of that. The vacancy for the mobile home person who resigned from the position will be available to be filled at the September 15th meeting. And there was a recommendation for one of the public works commissioners who attends regularly as an alternate to be moved to a regular position. So I will be following up with council members regarding the people who are either not attending and there's been a recommendation that they be removed. So please be on the lookout for those emails and that's public works mobile home. Thank you.

You're complete?

I'm complete.

Thank you. Oral communication items not listed on the agenda. How many do we have? Crack them out. You ready? Yeah. Two minutes.

Sheila Richards.

good afternoon council i just wanted to first say um everything that this council has put together for the carson experience i think is a wonderful thing and on behalf of mayor not being here i spoke to her prior to to let her know the demise of my mother Olitha Parker in the Colony Cove, space 289 on the 26th. And Jawan, it is your district and I would like to cordially invite you to the services which are gonna be held at Cypress Forest Lawn. If you can attend, if your schedule permits, I understand. Mayor let me know that she would be back on the 6th or the 8th, something like that. She did text and give condolences as well. And I just want to say to each and every one of you, the lady that I am today, the intelligence that I have, and the wonderful communication that I'm having with this council has been wonderful. because I feel connected somewhat, because I see so many people that know me from years, years, years, and they are communicating with Mayor, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, from what I understand, is related to me. She and I got a chance to speak at length. Monica knows my very wonderful friend, Charles Queen, known in every judicial court in the state of California and out of just good people. And he and I go all the way back to elementary school, junior high. Never had a crossword. And I just wanted to say that everything has been wonderful in what I have communicated with you guys. And I hope that the pending RFP will be accepted on approval of council and mayor. There are other things that are coming. I did send an e-blast out to everyone for the Olympics, for the Zoom. That's going to be free registration. Everybody jump on whatever information that you want to discuss and making everything fit and everything be good.

Thank you. Time is up. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Joaquin Baptista. You have two cards, sir, so it'll be... Well, neither of them are marked for anything. Go ahead, sir, you have two minutes.

Good evening. My name is Dr. Jack Joaquin-Baptista. I reside at 21113 Grace Avenue. My purpose being here today is because the next time will be all the people in Grace Avenue coming in. It's the big project that you guys have proven the best. It's a done deal, so there's nothing can be done. But we're concerned about parking. Parking, there's one parking for each, one garage for each townhouse. It's not enough for all the park, all the buildings that they're building, stocking it up. And we told them this is a new city. And they told us what the new city was the city council approved it. And they want as much housing as... as possible. That's, that's, that's not, that's horrendous. What we get into, we get into, or this is the White House, or we get, what we get into, this is unbelievable. No respect for the people who live in the Grace Avenue. They, they, they didn't tell us what they did. I called the mayor in the past and no response. And, and they changed, they changed the project as nothing. So we want to know They told us there's gonna be more parking inside. There's no parking, because we check everything else. It's a place for the rich people, because the poor people cannot afford it, is number one. And if it is, we're gonna be here, before you, not me, just the whole community in Grace Avenue, including the other streets, addressing the parking. We do not want any parking from the project. They have to provide parking for their own people since it's a new project. So that's why I'm here today. I'm not going to talk about the environment. I'm not talking about the green space that's supposed to be provided. They took out 10 trees out of the street. What, they're going to put smaller trees now? It takes years to grow. You know, we're talking about. Mayor Pro Tem, it's time.

Thank you, sir. Your time is up. Okay.

Okay, thank you. Thank you. But you're going to get a letter from me, and I want to know why people like this, the mayor at least doesn't respond to me when I make a complaint. Thank you. Thank you.

You're welcome. Bruce Douglas. Yes.

Good evening, Carson, Honorable Mayor Lewis-Davis, home and city council. My name is Bruce Jim Douglas. I'm the president of the United Rangers of America. We are a group that's designed for motivation, ingenuity, to make it exciting to come to school. Councilman Jim Deere has worked with me on this program since 2002. We have 24 years of historic work in the city of Carson. We have packed that Carson Mall several times. We have done Carrolldale, Magnolia, and now our base school is Carson High, and we are working on motivating children how to read and The reading program has been directed by Fong, who has been honored here in City Council, and our main emphasis is on getting kids to come to school and learn how to read. Sponsors are Teamsters Local 572, and I'm also a member of the Council of the Chamber of Carson, and we are pushing, pushing, pushing to push Screen Actors Guild to get into this battle so we can motivate kids and we want to do a documentary called Operation American Dream which is designed to motivate children how to read. And also I have Rodney Allen Rippey who has been with me with several programs and we want to land Operation American Dream within the LA Unified School District and create more competition for children and pushes youth program. Once again, Councilman Deer is working with me, Pastor K.W. Toulouse is working with me, Bishop Juwan Hilton is working with me, and we all need to come together as one system and then to get and start projecting a goal. And we need to do fundraisers. I do have Flappers Club ready to go and Screen Actors Guild. I want to thank you all for your time, and we must come together and put this Operation American Dream together. It'll be a great program for the city of Carson and LA Unified School District. Thank you.

MPT, I have a question for B.J. Douglas. You were honored with a real special recognition as Hero of the Week by... KCLP. KCLP, yeah.

The only two-time winner, and don't forget, I'm also a power ranger, and a 2000 Kroger Community Servant of Year Award. We need to get a letter over to Kroger so we can get more product from them. And I want to thank you, Councilman Deer, for motivating and the great work you're doing with the youth. You're welcome.

Thank you. Thank you, MPT. Thank you.

Angie Blakes. No, I mean, you can make that a part of your comment. I didn't.

Oh, oh. Yes, hello City Council. I'm here to address the parking issues in Dominguez Hills Village. It's very similar to what the other guy earlier spoke about. And I wanna ask the council if they would consider creating a conflict resolution oversight committee that can be used for residents in these HOA communities because you shouldn't have to go to court and fight like that or sue the HOA because you are the HOA. So basically it's a form of suing yourself. So to avoid that, I think we need an alternative way to resolve inner conflicts with the towing because it's unnecessary. They're not operating in good faith. They actually use selective rule enforcement. They allow certain owners to park several cars that they own and leave them stored there for days on end. And we have a 72 hour rule, just like they're saying the city of Carson has. I saw just recently on Carson 411, somebody just posted that before I came here, complaining about getting a notice on her car for a 72 hour rule violation. And anyway, so obviously parking is gonna be a problem moving forward in the future because of the growth and everything and limited space. So with that said, even in our community, you have a two car garage. And then with any additional cars in your family, they seem to have no limits. So some people have three and four extra cars. So there has to be places to park those cars. But they can't be driven all at once. You see what I'm saying? So then that means they're sitting for days, taking up space where it's not coming and going, which is the original parking rules said that all the guest parking was for cars that come and go, not just parked there because they're extra or whatever. My car was recently towed. I sent the copies of what led to that to Ms. Graves, and I asked her to forward it to the mayor and to the council or any other interested parties to see if we can get this created for our community. We have many HOAs in Carson, over 30 actually, to my account.

Mayor Potem, that's time. Thank you. Angie, I'm going to talk to you offline. Oh, are you?

Next, any additional?

That concludes public comment.

Thank you for that, that concludes. Next item, any council member requests to add items on the future agenda? Oral Communications Council? There's one, Council, Hilton?

I just want to say thank you to everyone who came out to the Fan Fest. We had an incredible time. It was good. It was great. So thank you to all the sponsors and all the residents. We just had an incredible time. So thank you. Thank you. I want to thank KW. I want to thank the entire Parks and Recreation staff too. Mike Whitaker, your entire staff, they were stellar. Thanks to the entire city council for coming and sharing with us. It was just an incredible time. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. And look forward to just doing it again. Appreciate you guys.

Thank you, Councilman Deer.

Yeah, thank you, MPT. I also attended the FanFest. It was a great time, and you had really high-quality entertainment. The people attending were really happy with the choice. Did you select them yourself, Councilman? So it was a great event, the FAMFest. It was at Stevenson Park. Every year we do this, it's open to the entire community. And we do have people coming from outside of Carson, and that's good because then they will see how great our city is, and they'll buy some of the new housing that we're building. which we want that to happen as well. I want to announce my next town hall meeting will be on Wednesday, September 16th, 6.30 p.m. That's a regular start time. It's going to be at Veterans Park. It's open to the public. It is for District 2 issues and citywide issues as well. So that's my report. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Councilwoman Rojas.

Thank you, and congratulations again, FAMFest, great day. I did want to add something to our next council meeting. I know I submitted this already, but city manager, October, senior citizen awareness month, so I did submit my initiatives for that. The second one I've got, I just need an update from our code enforcement on our EV bicycle ordinance, where we are at on that. I think it's at legal. But I'd like an update on that. And the second part of that is I'm going to be partnering with LASO, Carson Station, on EV bicycle safety for teens. So I need those two things so we can collaborate with LASD, with the City of Carson, with our sheriffs so we could get that tour going. And my next town hall meeting, Fosilla Park, September 17th, and then Dalamo Park, September 24th. And that's all I have so far. Thank you so much.

Thank you, thank you. I want to report out, I went to Contract City's fall summit in San Diego, and one of the key things to bring back is they talked about Measure G. If you're not familiar with Measure G, that is the new expansion of the LA County supervisors from five to nine seats. They're working on also having an elected director that's going to be over that the CEO that's going to be over it, and they're working on the guidelines of what that may be. So there's a lot of changes getting ready to take place. But the first election will be not until 2032. And then the second election will be in 2037. I said, okay, thank you for that one. But... But to the staff, the medians on 223rd near Auto Row, I think I talked about it before, those yuccas, they're really requesting that they be cut down. They're causing some problems for not being able to be seen when people are buying cars or bringing in cars for service. So we can go out there and just kind of trim them back so they can be safer in the area. There's trees on Alvo near Del Lamo. I know that, I think someone said they looked like they were on private property. These are not on private property. They're actually in the sidewalk. They're the old FICA trees that you grow and they continue to grow until they get huge. Those are the ones that are on that street. The street lights are out on Del Lamo between Alvo and Tejada. Those are the ones that we own in the center median. I don't know what the problem is. They keep going out and coming on. Which one? On Delamo between Alvo and Tejada. And then on 220th and Wilmington, the southbound left-hand turning lane, I don't know how that could be repaired. There's deep ruts in there from those big trucks, and it's causing people to not, the trucks are fine in the ruts, but the cars cannot stay in control of their vehicles because of the ruts. So it's an issue with drivers and their cars trying to take that same roadway. Friendship Mini Park, we need to get it cleaned up. It looks bad. I asked for it before. I know that's part of Marathon's property, but we need to contact them and have them to go out there and clean it up on that corner of 220th and Wilmington. Mr. City Manager, your staff?

Friendship Mini Park actually is manicured very well. The park is. It's the site on the corner, but that's not Friendship Mini Park. That's the old ARCO where the old ARCO station is.

I'm just giving you a point of reference so you know where it's at.

Okay. You made me nervous. You said parks.

I'm just saying the corner part, not the park itself, but I'm talking about the corner that has overgrown bougainvillea and grass and all kinds of other things, so that location. You're saying when does the median start the project? Is that coming soon? Because there's no irrigation on the medians on Wilmington from Delamo all the way up to University Drive, and the plant material is struggling to stay alive because it's really dead. And then I have two upcoming town hall meetings. September 3rd, Anderson Park town hall meeting at 6.30. I have a town hall meeting coming up on September the 17th at Dominguez Park. And I wanna give a shout out to Venice Family Clinic. We just did a food giveaway. at Cowlitz Park with over 400 families receiving food this past Friday, no, past Thursday, and very well attended. I mean, it was a hot day, but they still showed up anyway, and everybody was pleased and happy that they were able to get some food on that day. And my last is on Friday, October the 16th, on behalf of the Women's Issues Commission and the Cultural Arts Foundation, Friday, October the 16th, At 7.30 to 3.30, it's All About Me Women's Conference. Early bird is $55. Now until 9.11, September the 11th. After that, it goes to $65 from September the 12th to October the 9th. Register early. This is always a sellout crowd. Please make sure you get your tickets early. It's going to be an outstanding event, as usual, as the mayor always puts together, along with all the different doctors that come in and get good information. I am complete with mine and the next item we have on the agenda is memorial adjournments.

I have one more thing to the staff. You mentioned Friendship Mini Park and the director mentioned it's well maintained, well manicured, well, Reflections Park is not. Lots of dead plants, disoriented landscaping. It's really getting worse and worse. I don't know why, but about six months ago, the maintenance seemed to diminish. So it's neglected for the past six months. And with this hot weather, even drought tolerant plants won't survive. So you get the city staff to pay attention to that. the people in the neighborhood would appreciate it. Thank you very much. Thank you, MPT.

Councilman Rojas.

Yes. Thank you. Can I add a street light to your list? It's Avalon Courtyard. And Avalon and 220th, so the senior citizens there said the lights out on the sidewalk so we want to make sure that they have proper lighting there in front of Avalon courtyard senior living and just I have one more today September 1st is my dad's 100th birthday in heaven today yes God bless them and thank you. So happy birthday, Pops.

Thank you. In heaven.

Thank you. 100.

You guys made me remember. I'm so busy. On September 30th, I'm doing an expungement. So individuals you know who have a criminal record and want to try to get it cleaned up so they can get them a job. get them a job, it's gonna be on September 30th at the Carson Community Center from nine until three. Me along with Assemblyman Mike Gibson are working towards doing this. This will be our third year having this, and we do have employers that will be there that will be hiring for those who already may have gotten it expunged, but if you need to get the process in place, we will start that process on September 30th at the community center at nine o'clock. With that, we go to our memorial adjournment.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor Potem. These are the names for Memorial Adjournment this evening. Michael Edmund Drinkard, Trenton J. Thompson, Reverend Wayman Lewis Baker, Lawrence Larry Donahue, Karen Forte, Cesar Soto, Aura Lee Moore, Faytota Dora Ulufanua, Dr. Willie E. Franklin, Thank you for that.

One of them listed was our employee, Janie Noah, her mother, who passed away as well. So, Bishop, we would love to...

Sure, let's bow our heads. Father, we bless you and we honor you tonight. We pray that you would bless these families whose names were written off. We pray that you would hold near and dear to your promise, never leave us comfortless. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

Well, to the staff, any outstanding items you want to add to the agenda or anything you need to say or comments? Counsel? Madam Clerk, Madam Treasurer, nothing here? With that, for the good of the order, we are adjourned.