City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Testing, testing. Okay, let me just make sure they're all loaded correctly. June 23rd. June 23rd.

June 23rd, okay.

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This should be good.

My glasses are really dirty. Okay, good evening everybody. We are going to get this meeting started. If you can please take your seats. Good evening and welcome. Welcome, welcome. Before we begin the regular city council meeting open session, I would like to remind members of the audience that anyone wishing to speak during public comment must obtain a number card from the city clerk. Number cards should not be exchanged with other meeting attendees. If you decide not to speak after taking a number or decide to leave, you must return the number card to city staff. If you didn't obtain a number card and wish to speak, please proceed to the back of the room and city staff will issue you a number card. Lining up during public comment will not be permitted and each speaker should remain in their seat until their number is called. The time clock will begin when you begin your comments. Per the city's council meeting rules and for the safety regulations, all persons shall remain seated unless addressing the council or entering or leaving the chambers. Standing in the aisles or along the walls is prohibited. And we do have overflow seating in the lobby in case we get more people and we run out of space. I will now call this meeting to order. Open session. The time is 6.35. City Clerk Duarte, would you please take roll?

Yes, Mayor. Council Member Pemberton? Present. Council Member Sosa?

Present.

Council Member Trujillo. Here. Mayor Procter-Mortiz.

Present.

And Mayor Frometa. Present.

At this time, I will ask Pastor Michael Gutierrez from Redeemer Covenant Church to lead us in the invocation. If you can please stand.

Good evening, Council. Would you pray with me? Dear God, we thank you for this great city of Downey, and we thank you for all the parts that make it up, all the vital people who play vital roles in our community to make it what it is today, Lord. God, I pray for our city council as they meet together tonight to discuss and plan and vision and strategize. for how to make our community better. I pray that you would give them a spirit of unity, a spirit of openness, God, openness to what you want to do in our community, God, that you may move in our city. And I pray for our first responders also, Lord, always. I pray that you would just lift them up and give them strength, Lord, and keep them safe as they go out into our community to keep all of us safe. And I thank you, God, for what you are doing. And I pray that you continue to remind us of all that we have to be grateful for in this great community. In Jesus' name, amen.

Thank you, Pastor Gutierrez. We appreciate you. And at this time, I would like to welcome and invite the Girl Scouts, 7273, to lead us in the flag salute. We always enjoy having Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts. They are just so precious and a reminder that we got to start them young to be involved in civic duty. There we go. We're going to get them a step stool next time.

Everyone in uniform, please salute everyone else. Place your right hand over your heart. Ready, begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Can we give them a round of applause? Girl Scouts. Thank you, ladies, for coming this evening. Thank you, thank you, thank you, and good evening, everybody. Thank you for joining us tonight. I want to recognize, we have a couple of important, well, all of you are important, but I want to recognize we'll be having, celebrating our Army's 251st birthday, and we have representatives from the Army here. Thank you for joining us tonight. And I also want to welcome My favorite former mayor of the city of Downey, Rick Rodriguez, thank you for joining us tonight. And whether you're watching us via YouTube or you're present here in our council chambers, we want to extend a warm welcome. First, I would like to recognize and celebrate the tremendous success of Downey's official FIFA World Cup 2026 fan zone. This was a historic moment for our city and an event that showcased Downey on a global stage. Events of this magnitude that bring thousands and thousands of people to our city do not happen by accident. They are the results of months of planning, coordination, and dedication from an extraordinary team of professionals. I want to extend my sincere gratitude And I know later during our council comments, the rest of my colleagues will join. But I do want to extend my sincere gratitude to the team, to our Assistant City Manager, Vania de Rojas, our Director of Parks and Rec, Jason Chacon, Associate Director of Parks and Rec, Monica Ortiz, and every member of the team who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make Saturday's event a success. I also want to recognize our Public Works Department, Planning department, again, Parks and Rec staff, the communications team, the administrative staff, and all city employees who contributed their expertise and countless hours to ensure a seamless experience for our residents and visitors. Special thanks to our Downey Police Department and our Downey Fire Department for their professionalism, preparedness, and commitment to public safety throughout the event. My council colleagues and I were delighted to have been there from the very beginning, 8.30 until the end after the drone show. Together, You demonstrated what is possible when Team Downey comes together with a shared vision and purpose. Tonight, we also take another significant step forward as we consider the Costco Development Agreement. I am thrilled to finally see it come to fruition. This project represents a major investment in our community, bringing new revenue opportunities, quality jobs, and long-term economic benefits to the tune of potentially over $3 million in annual revenue. That will strengthen our city's financial future. This is the type of strategic economic development opportunity that helps us maintain essential services while continuing to invest in the quality of life our residents expect and deserve. Additionally, I am proud that we are once again advancing a balanced budget for our city and that is, this council will be taking action on that as we get to our, tonight's business. Tonight we will be adopting, voting and adopting our 15th consecutive balanced budget. A remarkable achievement that reflects disciplined fiscal stewardship, thoughtful planning and a commitment to responsible governance. while other cities are embroiled in fiscal mismanagement, investigations, and even corruption, this council in this city is focused on ethical governance. Having the opportunity to be mayor for the third time, I recognize the significance of this milestone. Balanced budgets are more than numbers on a page. They represent stability, they represent accountability, and a promise to our future generations that we will manage our resources wisely. This consistency has helped position our beautiful city of Downey to maintain its strong AA bond rating, providing confidence to investors, protecting taxpayers, and ensuring we remain financially resilient in the face of future challenges and opportunities. These accomplishments, the success of our FIFA Fan Zone, strategic investments like Costco, and another balanced budget demonstrate that Downey continues to move forward with strength, with vision, and with fiscal responsibility. Finally, as we look ahead, we join our nation in commemorating America's 250th birthday. This is a historic milestone celebrating the enduring ideals of freedom, democracy, and opportunity that have defined our country since its founding. We also proudly recognize the 251st birthday of the United States Army, honoring the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed to defend our nation for more than two and a half centuries. May we continue to honor their legacy through service, leadership, and our commitment to building a stronger future for our community in our country. As a reminder, we will be celebrating our nation's 250th birthday next week on Wednesday during our concert in the park. Come early. Programming begins at 6 p.m. And with that, we have three presentations this evening. The Mayor's Legacy Award, the proclamation for the commemoration of our America's 250th birthday, and proclamation in honor of the United States Army. So I'm going to go downstairs and get that going. Tonight's Legacy Award goes to someone very special that I've had the pleasure of knowing for several years now. She is the Chief Executive Officer of The Whole Child, a leading nonprofit serving children and families across Southeast Los Angeles County through mental health, housing, parenting, and family support services. Since joining the organization in 2018, she has led a period of transformational growth, increasing annual revenue from 9 million to more than 30 million, expanding the organization's geographic reach, including opening a comprehensive family access center in the city of Downey, and launching innovative initiatives addressing youth mental health and family homelessness. With more than 20 years of executive leadership experience, this individual has built and scaled mission-driven organizations focused on social and economic impact. Prior to the whole child, she served as president and chief operating officer of a nationally recognized technology and Technology and Innovation Accelerator, where she led significant organizational growth and expanded the organization's national and international influence. She has also advised the Inter-American Development Bank, the whole bank, and the United Nations on initiatives advancing entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic opportunity. Constanza Pachon holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and a bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from Pontifica Universidad Javeriana from her native Colombia. And I want us to give her a huge round of applause as she comes up to receive the Mayor's Legacy Award.

I have to take off these.

Every month I have an opportunity to celebrate and recognize an individual that is making tremendous contributions to not just our community but is leaving an impact and as this Award reads a legacy, a legacy of service, a legacy of protecting and continuing to be a vessel for families, families experiencing homelessness. The Mayor's Legacy Award is hereby presented to Constanza Pachon on behalf of the citizens of Downey in grateful recognition of your exceptional leadership, dedication, and commitment to improving the lives of children and families throughout Southeast Los Angeles County. Through your vision, Constanza, in service as Chief Executive Officer of The Whole Child, you have expanded access to vital mental health, housing, parenting, and family support services, creating lasting positive impact in our communities. Your leadership, innovation, and unwavering commitment to strengthening families are sincerely appreciated and have positively impacted countless residents and families throughout the community of Downey. Given this 23rd day of June, 2026. Another round of applause, please.

Well, what an honor to be here standing in front of you. Thank you so much, Mayor, for this recognition. I'm truly humbled. But the recognition doesn't belong to me alone. It belongs to the team at The Whole Child. They are the heart and soul of this mission. I am only a vessel through their dreams. And we cannot do everything we do for the community without the support of this council and councils before this one. This dais has always been very supportive of the whole child and the community that we serve. So thank you so much. And we are extremely proud and happy to be part of this community and continue to support its residents and the residents of all of Southeast LA County. Thank you so much again for this honor.

Thank you again, Constanza. We appreciate you. And right now, we're going to have a proclamation for the commemoration of America's 250th anniversary. And if we can... Accepting on behalf of the United States, America's 250th anniversary is Lieutenant Colonel Victor Shen and Lieutenant Colonel, let's see, yes. Victor Shen graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2008 and was commissioned in the U.S. Army Finance Corps. He currently serves with a strategic officer recruiting detachment, SORD, in Norwalk, where he promotes Army officer opportunities, scholarships, and educational pathways while advancing diversity and inclusion within the profession. During his military career, Lieutenant Colonel Shen has served in Iraq, in Afghanistan, commanded the Long Beach Recruiting Company, and held leadership assignments with the White House Joining Forces Initiative, joined Task Force Bravo in Honduras, U.S. European Command, and the Pentagon. He earned a master's degree in business for veterans for the University of Southern California, USC, go, fight on. And he has completed the academic requirements for a master's of science in strategic intelligence from National Intelligence University. Beyond his military career, Lieutenant Colonel Shin is fluent in Mandarin and has volunteered for more than 20 years with a committee of 100, promoting greater civic engagement and understanding. His distinguished service has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious, Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. Let's recognize Lieutenant Colonel. Yes. So America's 250th birthday, whereas on July 4, 2026, the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary, making the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our nation, and whereas our founders established a nation based on equality, unalienable rights, and the pursuit of happiness, principles that have guided America's enduring legacy of freedom and achievement. and whereas schools and local governments play a vital role in teaching civic values, honoring our history, and posturing patriotism and unity among new generations. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the city of Downey proudly commemorates America's 250th anniversary by presenting a commemorative semi-equisitential lapel pin and encourages the Downey community to celebrate our nation's history and future through meaningful activities. Given this day, Mayor Claudia Fermenta.

Thank you.

And we have one more, and that is the commemoration of the United States Army 251st birthday, June 14, 2026. On June 14, 1775, our nation's leaders established the Continental Army, laying the foundation for what would become the world's premier land force. Today, 251 years later, the United States Army serves as the strategic land power of the joint force, ready to deter aggression, shape the security environment, and decisively defeat our nation's adversaries. Each year on June 14, we celebrate the Army's birthday and honor the total Army force, active duty, Army Reserve, Army National Guard soldiers, and Department of the Army civilians for their unwavering dedication and contributions to our national defense. American soldiers train, deploy, and serve around the globe, standing ready to protect the United States, defend our freedoms, and support our allies. As they have for more than two and a half centuries, in fact, the Army is a year older than America, Army soldiers remain the cornerstone of the Army profession, exemplifying duty, honor, courage, and selfless service. Today we celebrate their achievements, we recognize their sacrifices, and honor a proud legacy of service that has remained strong for 251 years. I will not read all the whereas. I just read why we're here, and we want to thank you for accepting this proclamation. I will read the last part. I, Claudia Frometa, Mayor of the City of Downey, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2026, to be the United States Army's 251st birthday, expressing appreciation on behalf of the people of Downey to the United States Army and to the dedicated soldiers who have served in it for over the last 251 years. Thank you.

OK. So good afternoon, everybody. Today we gathered, and thanks to the mayor, we're celebrating the 251st birthday of the United States Army. So for 251 years, our Army has stood ready to defend this nation through times of war and peace. Uncertainty and triumph, generations of soldiers have answered the call to serve something greater than ourselves. They have carried forward a legacy built on duty, honor, and sacrifice. As we celebrate this milestone, I find myself reflecting not only on the history of our Army, but on my Army story also. Like many soldiers, my journey has not always been easy, but the Army has been there through some of the highest moments of my life and some of the most difficult. And so as a mother, I've experienced challenges in balancing service to my nation. while caring for my son. There are times when life has tested my resilience and determination, but what I'll leave with you is, through every challenge, I've learned one of the greatest lessons that the Army teaches all of us. We are stronger together than we are alone. The Army develops leaders and the Army creates opportunity and transforms lives. Today, we also remember those who came before us. We honor the soldiers who made this ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. We recognize the veterans, which Downey has quite a few, whose service have built the foundation upon which we stand today as a nation. And we thank the families of those who have supported our sacrifice. Happy 251st birthday, United States Army. Thank you.

Jordan, we have a cake.

We have a cake that we're going to cut. You want it?

Thank you.

And at this time we are going to take a brief recess of about four minutes so we can

pass the cake out and we're gonna pass it out in the lobby and then we will continue with the business of the people thank you let's take a four minute recess We have, we definitely have a business meeting to run and after we've had cake, can we please take our seats so we can continue the business of the people of Downey. And if we can have the back doors closed please. Thank you everybody. Thank you. We have four public hearings this evening. Number one, ordinances amending chapter five, fireworks of article three, public safety, of the Downey Municipal Code to hold property owners and responsible persons accountable for unlawful fireworks used or found on their property and to provide for the recovery of emergency response costs. Again, that the City Council adopt an urgency ordinance, number 26-1545, amending Chapter 5 of Article 3. In number 2, introduce an ordinance amending Chapter 5 of Article 3 of the Downey Municipal Code. The hour having arrived, the public hearing is now open. The time is 7.13. City Clerk Duarte, do you have proof of publication? Yes, Mayor. I'll make a motion. Can I have a second to receive and file?

Second. Please vote.

Oops. City Manager Bradley, is there a staff report?

Yes, Mayor. Jim Eckert, our city prosecutor, will provide the report. Thank you.

Thank you.

Honorable Mayor and council members, staff, GOOD EVENING. WE WERE HERE A COUPLE OF WE WERE HERE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO TO DO A REPORT WEEKS AGO TO DO A REPORT WEEKS AGO TO DO A REPORT FOR THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE CITY COUNCIL REGARDING SOME POSSIBLE REGARDING SOME POSSIBLE REGARDING SOME POSSIBLE ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS AND CHANGES TO ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS AND CHANGES TO ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS AND CHANGES TO THE MUNICIPAL CODE THAT WOULD THE MUNICIPAL CODE THAT WOULD THE MUNICIPAL CODE THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ALLOW FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ALLOW FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OUR FIRE DEP AND THE OTHER IS A REGULAR AND THE OTHER IS A REGULAR NON-URGENCY ORDINANCE. NON-URGENCY ORDINANCE. THE REASON THEY'RE BOTH BEING THE REASON THEY'RE BOTH BEING PRESENTED OBVIOUSLY IS FOURTH OF PRESENTED OBVIOUSLY IS FOURTH OF JULY IS FORTHCOMING VERY JULY IS FORTHCOMING VERY SHORTLY, RIGHT? SHORTLY, RIGHT? BEFORE WE COME BACK FOR THE NEXT BEFORE WE COME BACK FOR THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING AND BEFORE WE COULD COUNCIL MEETING AND BEFORE WE COULD GET A REGULAR ORDINANCE IN But the goal of both of these ordinances are identical. That is, one, it would impose strict liability upon social hosts for the illegal discharge, possession, storage, sale of fireworks that occur on property under their control or possession. Two, it would prohibit persons from acting as spectators at illegal discharge events. And three, it would provide authorization for the city to recover emergency response costs when they're responding to these types of incidents. More specifically, the ordinance does the following, or both ordinances do the following. One is it defines what a social host is. A social host is defined as any property owner, other persons who have care, custody, or control over real property, and persons who actually organize or supervise gatherings on public or private property. And so that's who's defined as a social host. And again, what the ordinance does is it provides for a strict liability upon these social hosts to, in essence, be responsible for things that are under their control. It does not include governmental entities, which would include school districts or the city itself. So obviously, we're not responsible for everything that goes on, but we do have an enforcement authority that we go through. Although I say that these ordinances provide for strict liability upon property owners, we also are cognizant of the fact that sometimes property owners have no control over what's actually going on on their property or little ability to correct what's going on. And so what we have done is in order to still promote responsible property ownership, and responsible hosting of gatherings. We have provided for some exemptions within the code that would allow for social hosts to not be deemed responsible. One is social hosts who actually proactively report illegal fireworks activities that are occurring at their property to local law enforcement, and who then subsequently assist in stopping that illegal activity at their property. And lastly, if they do so, if they make that report prior to anybody else reporting that illegal activity at the property, that would allow for them to be exempt from the strict liability. Inclusive of that is obviously they would have to demonstrate that they weren't present at the site and they weren't overseeing what was going on. Two, it provides for property owners who also affirmatively can demonstrate to the city that one, the property's rented out to another person. Two, that they were not present and aware of the illegal activity that was going on. And three, they provide information to local law enforcement as to who the lessee of that property is, along with their contact information, so we can go after those individuals. Again, the purpose behind all of this is to protect the health and safety of not only the occupants of that property from the illegal discharge, but also neighboring properties that suffer potential fire and health safety risks as a result of these illegal discharges. Three, the third exemption that this code, that the two ordinances provide for would be persons who reside at multi-family complexes where illegal discharges are occurring within common areas. And so obviously in those locations we would not be holding persons who reside at those properties to be responsible for things that occur unless they are actually hosting those events. So obviously you don't get out of the exemption by being the supervisor of one of those events or hosting those gatherings. The other thing that this ordinance does is it prohibits persons from being spectators at these events. And very similar to how the city looked at these issues with respect to spectators at illegal speed contests, where we know that a lot of times when we have spectators, more of this activity occurs, right? It entices people to kind of prolong these activities and therefore prolong the dangers that people are confronting here. This ordinance takes the same idea. And it says if you're going to be a spectator at one of these illegal discharge events, then we're going to hold you responsible as well. And that's prohibited by the code. Now, what constitutes a spectator is anybody who's actually within 200 feet of that illegal discharge and is there for the purpose of watching or observing the illegal discharge. So we're not talking about people who are just driving past an illegal discharge. We're not talking about everybody that happens to reside within the area of an illegal discharge. We're talking about people who are spectating, right? Those people that are within a certain geographical distance and are there for the purpose of observing what is going on. So that would be prohibited under the ordinances as well. We can talk about the penalties a little bit. So under the municipal code, every violation of the code is subject to a misdemeanor criminal prosecution. However, primarily the city for the last several years, almost a decade now, has been enforcing fireworks related issues through the issuance of administrative fines or the imposition of administrative fines which are done through an administrative citation. And the way that this ordinance sets out is that in those events where the city does enforce these new provisions against social hosts and spectators by means of an administrative fine, that is where they issue an administrative citation, the penalty, the monetary penalty, would be the same as it is for those persons who are doing the illegal discharge. OKAY? AND UNLESS THE COUNCIL PASSES A DIFFERENT RESOLUTION AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE TO SET A DIFFERENT FINE AMOUNT FOR THESE PARTICULAR VIOLATIONS, THEY WOULD BE THE SAME AS THE UNDERLYING VIOLATION THAT THEY'RE OBSERVING OR ALLOWING TO OCCUR ON THEIR PROPERTY. COST RECOVERY. THE ORDINANCE ALSO ALLOWS FOR AUTHORIZING THE CITY TO RECOVER FOR EMERGENCY SERVICE COSTS. EMERGENCY RESPONSE COSTS. AND OBVIOUSLY AS THE COUNCIL IS AWARE WE EXPEND A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF RESOURCES IN RESPONDING TO ILLEGAL FIREWORKS. NOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AT THE LAST COUNCIL SESSION WAS THE ABILITY TO USE DRONES. and that the law enforcement will be utilizing drones this year as well as in future years in order to observe these things and hopefully diminish the amount of response costs that we have to do with respect to kind of the boots on the ground officers responding to every single incident, allowing them to preserve those resources to respond to other emergencies and issues that are occurring within the city. That being said, in many instances we have to respond to these incidents where there are medical issues, injuries that occur, fires that occur, things of that nature where we do have to respond. And it's only appropriate for the city to be able to recover the cost that we're expending on these types of incidents. So we do have a set thing within the municipal code through these ordinances that would specify what the emergency response costs are. And those would include things like the fully burdened rate of the officers who are responding. That would include our emergency service personnel as well. cost of medical treatment to anybody that's injured at the location from our law enforcement or emergency service responders, cost of city equipment usage, as well as obviously if there's any type of city property or equipment that is damaged during the response to these types of incidents. So all of that would be recoverable. Now, what the code does, or the proposed ordinances does, is to provide authorization for us to seek that recovery. What it also does is it provides the city manager with the ability to specify out rules and regulations pertaining to giving people the ability to challenge this, right? We want to provide for due process. So, if what would typically end up happening would be a bill would be sent to the responsible party for the emergency response costs. And there would be a procedure that would be set forth in a separate document that would set forth what that procedure is, how they could challenge that. Whether they want to argue that they're not responsible for it or that all of the costs were not appropriate for this, they would have that opportunity to challenge that. And that would be set forth in a subsequent rule and regulation or policy that would be created and approved by the city manager. AS I INDICATED THE LAST TIME, THERE ARE SEVERAL JURISDICTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY, WE'RE ACTUALLY MISSING A COUPLE OF CITIES UP HERE, BUT THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE ENACTED VERY SIMILAR ORDINANCES, PRIMARILY WITH RESPECT TO THE SOCIAL HOST ORDINANCE. THIS IS BECOMING KIND OF THE NEW WAY OF DOING ENFORCEMENT WITH RESPECT TO FIREWORKS BECAUSE AGAIN, A, IT PRESERVES CITY RESOURCES, ALLOWS US TO ACTUALLY RESPOND QUICKER AND MORE COMPREHENSIVELY, PRIMARILY BY UTILIZING THE DRONES. It saves resources as far as personnel on the ground because we don't have to go out there and respond to every single incident and catch the person who's actually out there doing the discharge. And four, it promotes responsible property ownership. It promotes responsible hosting of these types of events. We're not trying to diminish people's ability to go out there and celebrate events like our Independence Day. I mean, you know, we're just talking about the 250th anniversary. So these are big events, and we understand that. But it has to be done responsibly. It can't be done in such a way where we're putting other people's property and lives at risk. And so all of this is really being done in order to try and promote a safe way to balance the ability for people to celebrate these events while doing so in a way that's not going to have adverse impacts, not only on their neighbors, their neighboring properties, but as well as city resources. So that's what these ordinances do, of course.

Which other two cities are missing from this list?

There's actually three that are missing. And if you'll give me just one sec for some reason, I don't know why it's not appearing up there on the screen. But the other cities that are also, or the other two are Anaheim and Gardena. Maybe I just messed up. So it's Bellflower, Pico, Paramount, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Hawaiian Gardens, Fullerton, and Buena Park. So those are the three that are missing. And then, of course, Anaheim and Gardena. And there are many more. I was just picking some of the closer ones that do it. But there are many more. This is being done all throughout the state and actually in other parts of our country as well.

Thank you, Jim.

And with that, obviously, I'm happy to answer any questions that the council may have.

I appreciate the presentation. Colleagues, comments?

I'M STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF DOING MORE TO TRY AND REGULATE THE ILLEGAL FIREWORKS. IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND THEM IN ACTION WHEN THEY'RE DISCHARGING. OUR RESIDENTS ARE ASKING FOR HELP FOR DECADES AND IT'S GETTING WORSE. AND WE HAVE SURROUNDING CITIES THAT ARE BANNING FIREWORKS. I BELIEVE BILL GARDEN HAS BANNED IT AND THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE FIREWORKS WERE COMING IN PRIOR YEARS. SO I'VE TALKED TO POLICE CHIEFS, FIRE CHIEFS, EVEN IN CITIES THAT THEY LIVE IN, THEY'RE BANNED. IT DOESN'T ALWAYS WORK. So I think the drone use and capability that we're able to do will help send that strong message, make sure that we have the signage out there, also social media, that they're going to do that. I'm glad we've increased the fines and fees. You know, it affects military, PTSD, seniors, animals, but it also supports our nonprofits. So we have a balancing act right there. How do we try and combat the illegal while making the safe and sane or whatever they're using for their backyard parties? Okay, so thank you for this and also for giving an out, as I called it, a way to let responsible landlords or responsible owner social whores know that they can you know try to reach and contact pd to say i'm trying to stop this or this is happening so that they are not 100 percent you know liable that they are trying to cooperate and give information later the good faith effort as you said so thank you very much of course

Thank you, Council Member Pemberton. If I may add, again, hopefully tonight's approval of this ordinance reflects our commitment to, as you've indicated, Jim, responsible governance and responsible homeownership, public safety, and fiscal accountability. We are not trying to be punitive, but we also want to, as a City Council, we have a duty to protect our residents and to now utilize this newer technology to make sure that we have better enforcement. And I am very supportive of this for all of the things that have been said. But thank you. I appreciate your presentation. Anyone else? If not, I will open this item for public comment. Now... Let's see. Thank you. City Clerk, did we receive any written correspondence to be adopted into the record regarding this public hearing? We did not, Mayor. OK, thank you. Members of the audience wishing to address the City Council on this particular item may come forward. I will be calling purple number cards. And City Clerk, do we have anybody wishing to speak on this item?

We don't have any speakers for this item.

Okay, I will make a motion. Can I get a second to close the public comment, the public hearing? Second. Okay, so ordered by the mayor. And if we don't have a comments again, I will, unless there are any comments from the council, I will entertain a motion in a second to adopt this urgency ordinance number 26-1545 and introduce the proposed ordinance.

I'll make a motion.

I'll second that motion for the recommendation.

Please vote. Mayor and council, just as a brief reminder before the vote is taken, this ordinance is being proposed on an urgency basis this evening. That means that four votes are required under our charter for it to be adopted as an urgency ordinance. It's also being presented to you for regular adoption and three votes are necessary for that. But I just wanted to point out that it's a four-fifth vote required for it to be adopted on an urgency basis, for it to take effect right away, that is.

Thank you, City Attorney Funk. Let's vote. We have a motion and a second.

The motion is approved unanimously.

Thank you for that. Now we move on to the public hearing item number two. The adoption of the proposed budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year that the city council conduct a public hearing considering the adoption of the city's fiscal year annual budget and appropriations limit. And number two, adoption resolution number 26-8362, adopting the fiscal year 26-27 budget and annual appropriations limit. The hour having arrived, the public hearing is now open. the time is 7 29. city clerk duarte do we have proof of publication we do mayor i make a motion can i get a second to receive and file the publication second please vote the motion is approved unanimously CITY MANAGER BRADLEY, DO WE HAVE A STAFF REPORT?

YES, MAYOR. PROUD TO PRESENT THE FISCAL YEAR 26-27 BUDGET TO YOU. I'M GOING TO ASK OUR ASSISTANT INTERIM ASSISTANT FINANCE DIRECTOR MR. RAMIREZ TO DO THE PRESENTATION THIS EVENING. THANK YOU.

THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 26-27 ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET. But before we start the budget presentation, we did want to play a video for you that was put together by our Public Information Office, just showing the current year accomplishments.

say thank you so much for bringing the World Cup to my city, the city of Downey, the best city on earth. Honestly, I'm so blessed. I am thankful. Thank you, city of Downey.

Oh, that's a great video.

We have a great city. We have a great city. Yes.

And a big special thank you to the Public Information Office, specifically Axel Perez and Kitsia Gomez for putting together that great video. The preparation of this year's proposed budget involves hundreds of staff hours and efforts of all city departments. We would like to take this time to thank all the department heads, their involvement in this year's budget, along with their budget coordinators and the finance budget team that is here tonight. Finance Manager Francesca Navarro, we have Management Analyst Chante Duren. I also wanted to give a special thank you to our Management Analyst Sandra Luna, who is watching from her home for her contributions to the development of this budget. This slide highlights the key budget goals for the upcoming fiscal year. I wanted to highlight that over 94 goals between all the departments were developed this year. And of those, 19 were identified as key budget goals as they represent some of the highest priority initiatives and major projects for the upcoming fiscal year. And under fiscal responsibilities, tonight the City Council will be adopting a structurally balanced budget. once the budget is adopted then staff will begin ramping up its efforts to develop the budget book which will then be submitted for the GFOA and CSMFO awards and these awards are important to the city as they show the city's commitment to budget and financial reporting excellence and transparency I also did want to highlight that we have made an adjustment to these goals as of the City Council budget workshop. Under the quality of life, safety and infrastructure section, the installation of security cameras was updated to include all parks, which we will cover in more detail later in this presentation. And before we begin the budget overview, I just wanted to briefly review the budget process. Each year, the process begins with the City Council goal setting retreat, where Council discusses ongoing programs, community needs, and priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Staff then develops a proposed budget based on those priorities, ongoing operations and capital improvement projects. The proposed budget is then reviewed in detail by the budget subcommittee. I want to thank the budget subcommittee again for their time, their questions and feedback throughout this process. Following that review, the city holds a public budget workshop where staff presents the proposed budget and departments highlight current year accomplishments and goals for the upcoming year. Tonight is a formal adoption of the proposed fiscal year 26-27 budget. Since the budget workshop, the proposed general fund budget remains unchanged. Later in the presentation, we will cover adjustments made to the special revenue and capital project funds. Overall, Downey remains financially stable. The general fund budget is structurally balanced and the city continues to benefit from a diversified revenue base, which helps reduce reliance on any one revenue source. At the same time, we are budgeting in a more cautious economic environment. Revenues are still growing. but at a more moderate pace than in recent years. Inflation has come down from historic levels but remains above pre-pandemic levels, and households continue to manage higher costs for housing, food, fuel, utilities, and insurance. This can affect consumer spending and sales tax activity. We are also monitoring elevated interest rates, which continue to impact housing turnover, development activity, permitting and borrowing costs, which ultimately impact the city's property tax revenues. Given these conditions, staffs develop the budget using a conservative approach. The proposed general fund budget remains structurally balanced. Revenue projections are conservative and new ongoing commitments are limited unless supported by ongoing revenues. Expenditures were prioritized based on city council goals and community needs while continuing to maintain the high level of services residents of the city of Downey expect. This slide shows the total proposed appropriations for all city funds for fiscal year 26-27 of $335 million. This is an increase of about $10 million, or 3%, compared to the prior year. Since the budget workshop, the total appropriations increased from $327 million to $335 million. This adjustment is mainly due to carryover of capital project budgets for work that will continue into the next year. grant-funded appropriations for the second building at the Columbia Memorial Space Center, and an additional $500,000 from Measure D to expand the security camera project to all city parks. These adjustments only impact capital projects and special revenue funds. Capital projects total 99.4 million or 30% of the total budget. And this reflects the city's continued investment in infrastructure and long-term capital needs. The general fund totals 122.1 million or 36% of total appropriations. And we'll cover the general fund budget in more detail in the following slides. The remaining $113.6 billion, or 34%, is made up of other funds, including special revenue funds, enterprise funds such as water, golf, grant funds, Measure S, Measure D, and other restricted or dedicated funding sources. And just to note, Measure S and Measure D are accounted for outside of the general fund and tracked separately for transparency and accountability. Here we have the General Fund Executive Summary. The City is expected to end the current fiscal year with the fund balance estimated at $42.2 million. When you add $922,000 of ERP project resources carried over from the current fiscal year, the beginning fund balance on July 1, 2026 is estimated at $43.1 million. The proposed budget includes estimated revenues of 122.14 million and proposed expenditures of 122.07 million. This results in a surplus of approximately $73,000. The budget also reflects planned use of fund balance, as was mentioned earlier, $922 for the ERP implementation and $333,000 related to the YMCA donation, which this would be the third and final payment for the YMCA. After accounting for these revenues, expenditures, and planned uses of general fund balance, the projected general fund balance at June 30, 2027 is approximately $41.9 million. This slide also identifies non-spendable fund balance at 8.5 million. And for clarity, the non-spendable fund balance includes items such as prepaid items, notes, loans, and other amounts that are not available for general operating purposes. These non-spendable monies are also identified in the most recent ACFER. After removing these non-spendable amounts, the projected available fund balance is approximately 33.5 million. This slide outlines the general fund reserve requirements. The city's reserve policy has two components, a 20% stability reserve and a 15% emergency reserve for a total reserve target of 35%. The emergency reserve is intended to help sustain city operations during a major event such as an earthquake or other emergency. The stability reserve provides a financial bridge in the event of an unexpected revenue loss or major unplanned expenditure. The reserve target is based on the most recent three-year average of audited general fund operating revenues. As revenues grow, the dollar amount needed to meet the reserve requirement also increases. As shown on this slide, the three-year average of audited general fund revenue is 107.2 million. Based on that amount, the total reserve requirement is 37.5 million, including 21.4 million for the stability reserve and 16.1 million for the emergency reserve. Based on current projections, the city has estimated a reserve balance of 33.5 million. The reserve level has decreased primarily because of one-time uses of fund balance, including recent settlements and claims. This is not unique to Downey. Cities throughout the region are also experiencing increases in claims, settlements, and other related cost pressures. General fund reserves may be used for one-time projects and strategic investments when approved by the city council. Tonight, the council will consider approval of a master development funding agreement between the city, Costco, Downey Nissan, and their property owners to support a two-phase redevelopment project along Firestone Boulevard. If approved, the city's projected reserve balance would decrease to approximately $22.9 million or 21%. While this is below the city's 35% reserve target, it would remain above the GFOA's recommended minimum reserve level of approximately 16.7% or $17.9 million. The reserve allocation is expected to be replenished over time through new sales tax revenue generated by Costco, which is estimated to increase city sales tax revenue by more than $3 million annually. And moving on to estimated revenues for all funds. This slide shows estimated revenues at $284.7 million. This represents an increase of approximately 4% compared to last year. This amount was adjusted from 277 million after the city council budget workshop to reflect grant revenues tied to the recently approved construction contract for the second building at the Columbia Memorial Space Center. The associated grant revenue will be recognized next fiscal year when the related appropriations will be utilized. This revenue is adjusted only in the capital grant funds and has no impact on the general fund. Of the total revenues you see on the chart, general fund represents approximately 121.1 million or 43% of total estimated revenues. All other funds represent $162.6 million or 57%. Again, these funds include restricted or dedicated revenues such as enterprise funds, revenues, special revenue funds, grant funds, Measure S, Measure D, and other funds that are outside of the general fund. While the slide shows a full citywide revenue picture, it's important to remember that many of these revenues are restricted and cannot be used for general operating purposes. The following slide breaks down the general fund estimated revenues for fiscal year 26-27. General fund revenues are projected at approximately $122.1 million. This represents an increase of $2.85 million or 2% compared to the fiscal year 25-26 adjusted budget. For this slide, I'll focus on the city's two largest general fund revenue sources, property tax and sales tax. For property tax, property tax remains the city's largest general fund revenue source at 40.5 million or 33% of the general fund revenues. The increase is primarily tied to the normal assessed value growth allowed under Prop 13. Sales and use tax is projected at 29.5 million or 24% of total fund revenues. This is an increase of 1% reflecting mixed performance across different sales tax sectors. Overall, the city is budgeting revenues conservatively for the upcoming fiscal year. This approach reflects the current economic environment where revenues are still growing, but at a more moderate pace than in prior years. And this next slide is a visual representation of the general fund revenue categories we just discussed and to show the trends year over year. Next, we're showing the general fund proposed expenditures by type. General fund proposed expenditures $122.1 million, which is up 2% compared to the current adjusted budget. Looking at the general fund expenditure budget by type, the largest category is salaries and benefits, which totals $81 million, or 66% of the general fund budget. This allocation is consistent with what we would expect for a full-service city. And for clarity, the general fund does not include Measure S and Measure D. They both are listed as special revenue funds and have their own reporting that is done annually, audited by an outside auditor and presented to the Citizens Oversight Committee and to the council at the end of the year. Next, we have the general fund proposed expenditure by department. Again, the proposed expenditures increase approximately 2% year over year. Together, police and fire represent 58% of the city's general fund budget, and this reflects the city's continued commitment to public safety as its top priority. The non-departmental category is 11.7 million, or 10%, and this includes citywide costs, including pension obligations and other certain transfers to other funds. And I also wanted to note that Fund 24, the Columbia Memorial Space Center, and Fund 39, the Downey Theater, are outside of the general fund, and you will see that there are transfers out to these different funds for their operations. Next, we'll cover full-time staffing. The proposed budget for next year includes 470 full-time positions. We began the current year with 470 positions, and we are proposing the same number for next year. The budget includes several staffing changes. There are four new positions being proposed, a plan check inspect in the fire department, an administrative assistant at the Columbia Memorial Space Center, and in public works, a maintenance lead worker and a new senior civil engineer. Staffing changes also include two position eliminations and two additional reclassifications in Public Works and one reclassification in Parks and Recreation. Earlier in the year, two IT positions were also eliminated due to restructuring within that division. Even with all these changes and new positions, the eliminations and the reclassifications, the result is a net zero change in the total number of full-time positions compared to the current fiscal year. As you can see, the three largest employment centers remain the same, police with 190 full-time employees, fire with 112 employees, and public works with 77. So this gives you a clear snapshot of how each department is staffed. And finally, we have AB2561, which took effect January 1st, 2025, and it amends the Myers-Millius Brown Act by adding government code section 3502.3. This new requirement obligates public agencies to publicly address the status of their job vacancies during a notice public hearing. In addition, if any bargaining unit has a vacancy rate that exceeds 20% of its authorized full-time positions, the agency must provide additional information as part of the presentation. At this time, none of the city's bargaining units have vacancy rates above 20%, so that expanded reporting is not required for today's hearing. The Human Resources Department continues to take steps to support recruitment and hiring, including expanded outreach through Neo Gov Attract, targeted advertising for specialized positions, and more frequent testing for sworn police officer recruitments. And this concludes my presentation of the proposed fiscal year 26-27 budget. I'm available to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.

Thank you, Marlon. We appreciate the thorough presentation. And if you can go back to the slide where the five overarching priority goals that that we have, I want to make sure our residents understand what our city council priorities are and the fact that again, cities that are that are well run, we have all of the goals that we have have to be within those five priorities. And while we want to help everyone and do as much as we can, we are we have to be good stewards of the resources that our residents expect us to do and again I will once again say that hopefully the adoption of this budget is is a huge achievement for our city because it allows us to continue to at the top of it of all have fiscal responsibility and our community deserves that. By your presentation, you've been thorough, transparent. We know exactly what is going out and what is coming in and with uncertain economic times, we have to ensure that we manage what we have responsibly. Colleagues, do you have any additional comments, thoughts?

A COMMENT, I'D LIKE A QUESTION ON A REQUEST, ADDITIONAL CITY COUNCIL REQUEST THAT WE HAD. AND EXPLAIN TO ME, IT WAS STATED I THINK BY TWO OF OUR COLLEAGUES, ABOUT THE ALL-AMERICAN AWARD PROCESS. IT'S A TWO-YEAR PROCESS. AND IT'S A COST OF $40,000. WHAT IS THE BENEFIT FOR THAT FOR OUR CITY? EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS OR WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO GO THROUGH THAT.

Yeah, the All America City Award is just that. It's an award that you receive for excellence from a national organization. It's something that many cities compete for, can compete to get. It's similar to the Helen Putnam Award that we got last year, but it's just more of a national scale rather than specific to California. In order to get that award, there usually is various steps that require consultant work to achieve that award. I'd say it's about a two-year process to complete that.

So it's mostly consultant fee that's built in there? It just seems very exorbitant to have a recognition of what we have already done. And then does it allow us to see a benefit? Is it just in name only?

Well, it's just like any award. It's just the award. It's just prestige.

That's why I have a little difficulty. I'm struggling with maybe... PUTTING EXPENDING THAT AMOUNT TO GET THIS AWARD TO ME I DON'T SEE THE BENEFIT FOR THE CITY WHEN OTHER AREAS MIGHT NEED IT LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO PUT CAMERAS IN PARKS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE OR OPEN THE LIBRARY THAT'S JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION ON THAT SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT COMMENT OR GET CLARIFICATION WHAT IT IS THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER PEMBERTON COUNCIL MEMBER SOSAN

Thank you, Madam Mayor. Just want to say, you know, Marlin, your whole team in the finance department and all the executive staff members, just congratulations. Thank you. I know a lot of work went on behind the scenes, a lot of number crunching, a lot of, you know, just creative planning to stay within the numbers and, you know, hear some of the goals and priorities of this legislative body here. I think it's commendable. We're looking at a 14th balanced budget in a row. A lot of cities, municipalities, school districts are having some financial challenges at this time, and I think it's an amazing thing. It's awesome just to be a part of this, and I want to commend you and all of the staff members who took part of this. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Council Member Sosa. Again, I will not repeat myself, but I just want our community to clearly understand that this consistency, the consistency of a balanced budget, it's what has continued to help the City of Downey maintain its strong AA rating, bond rating, and that is... you know, that provides confidence to investors. And that shows, again, our commitment to prudence fiscal management. Again, we see our state. We see other cities. A lot of our community members may come here and ask, because they see a robust reserves. But I want to remind you that this reserve policy was actually put in place in 2008 after the housing bust. And prior to that, this city did not have a city reserve policy. And because of that, we had to cut services. We had to let go of some positions. And so again, as much as this legislative body want to help do all, we can't. We have to make tough decisions, and that's why any and every goal we have has to fit within those overarching goals. Does it meet fiscal responsibility? Is this going to improve public safety or quality of life? It has to be within that. And so I hope the residents see this and understand that, again, we've made tough decisions over the last year and hopefully future councils. But the way this city has been ran over the last many years is because people in these seats make decisions that are tough and we don't overspend. And so thank you, Marlon, for this presentation. And anybody else before we open it up to public comment?

I do want to give Thanks to the staff and you, Marlon, for such an amazing job. I am too in the belief that we need to focus on public safety, quality of life initiatives, and of course, infrastructure. So I'm pretty happy with where the budget is at. Thank you so much for all your hard work. Thank you.

Thank you. Hearing none, I will go ahead and open it up for public comment. Did we receive any written public comment that needs to be incorporated into the record regarding this item? City Clerk?

We did not, Mayor.

OK. Do we have individuals wanting to speak on this?

We don't have anyone for this item, Mayor. Okay.

I will make a motion. Can I get a second to close this public hearing?

Second.

So ordered by the Mayor. And unless there are any additional comments from this Council, I will make a motion. Can I get a second to adopt the resolution?

Second.

Please vote.

The motion is approved unanimously.

Thank you. Moving on to public hearing number three, we're moving right along, is the adoption of resolution adjusting the citywide user fees schedule for fiscal year 26-27. The city council conduct a public hearing and number two, adopt resolution number 26-8363, adjusting the citywide uniform schedule of fees for fiscal year 26-27. The hour having arrived, the public hearing is now open. The time is... 759. City Clerk Duarte, do we have proof of publication? Can I get a motion and a second to receive and file? So moved. Second. Please vote.

The motion is approved unanimously.

City Manager Bradley.

We'll keep Mr. Ramirez at the podium, and he'll do this presentation as well. Thank you.

Thank you, Marlon. You are a popular guy tonight.

Good evening again, Mayor and members.

And very appreciated, by the way. Thank you for all the hard work on the budget.

Appreciate it. So before you tonight are the proposed adjustments to the citywide user fee schedule for 26-27. Local government services ranging from public safety to building and planning are funded through a combination of tax revenues and user fees. Services benefiting the community as a whole are generally tax supported, while services that benefit specific individuals are typically funded through user fees. Under Proposition 26, user fees in California must not exceed the actual cost of providing the service. In February 2022, the City engaged Revenue and Cost Specialist LLC to conduct a comprehensive cost allocation and cost of services study. Completed in October 2023, the study provided recommended cost recovery targets and supported the City Council's adoption of the 2425 user fees under resolution number 248246. In 2019, the City Council approved automatic annual fee adjustments based on CPI for the Los Angeles Orange Riverside region, except for fees set by state statute or those already at full cost recovery. This gradual adjustment helps ensure the general fund does not subsidize specialized services and prevents the need for large catch-up increases in the future. The proposed fiscal year 2627 user fee schedule is provided as Exhibit A of Resolution 268363. City staff is proposing 963 fee adjustments summarized as follows. 466 fees increased by 3.4% based on the March 2026 CPI for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area, highlighted in orange. And 35 fees are adjusted to reflect current market rates. 60 fees are proposed, 60 new fees are proposed. 70 fees are updated based on the fire department's recent cost recovery survey. 237 fees show no change due to rounding or consistent market rates. 45 fees are set by outside agencies and 50 fees are proposed for removal. Most of the fee changes are rounded up or down by 50 cents to simplify payment processing, except for building and safety fees, which are based on project valuation and therefore adjusted to the exact calculated amount. As in prior years, some facility rental, admission, and theater staffing fees have been updated to match market rates. New fees introduced to recover staff time for previously untracked services are highlighted in yellow, while fees proposed for removal are highlighted in red. Beginning July 2026, the Downey Fire Department will transition to a risk-based inspection system aligning inspections with occupancy type and risk level rather than business license applications. High-hazard operational permits will be issued with occupancy permits consistent with national standards. The changes in Attachment A, Section 4, Fire, reflect the additional staff time required under this new system. This concludes my report. I'm available to answer any questions Council may have. Thank you.

Thank you, Marlon. Colleagues, questions, comments? Hearing none, I will now open this item. Thank you, Marlon. I will open it up for public comment. Did we receive any written correspondence to be incorporated into the record? We did not, Mayor. Okay. Do we have anybody wanting to comment on this public hearing? We do not. Okay, I will entertain a motion in a second to close this public hearing.

So moved.

Second. Please vote. Actually, so ordered by the mayor. The time is now 8.03. Unless there are any comments from this council, I will entertain a motion in a second to adopt resolution number 26-8363. I'll make that motion. Okay, so we've got a first, we've got a second. Please vote. The motion is approved unanimously. Thank you. Now the last public hearing of the evening is number four, adoption of a resolution for the placement of delinquent solid waste charges on the Los Angeles County property tax roll. That the city council conduct a public hearing CONFIRMING AND ADOPTING THE ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PLACEMENT OF DELINQUENT SOLID WASTE CHARGES ON THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY TAX ROLL AND NUMBER TWO, ADOPT RESOLUTION NUMBER 26-8364 WHICH DIRECTS THE CITY CLERK TO FILE THE ANNUAL REPORT PRIOR TO AUGUST 10, 2026 with the Los Angeles County Register Recorder and request that the Los Angeles County Tax Collector record a lien against the parcels as a special assessment of the property tax bill. The hour having arrived, the public hearing is now open. The time is 8.05. City Clerk Duarte, do you have proof of publication?

Yes, I do, Mayor. Can I have a motion and a second to receive and file the publication?

So moved. Second. Please vote.

The motion is approved unanimously.

City Manager, I see Director Bob Gardner.

Yes, Mayor, he will do the presentation tonight. Thank you.

Hello, Matt. Good evening.

Thank you, Mayor Fermenta and Council. The item before you this evening is for the adoption of a resolution to add solid waste delinquent charges to the property tax rolls. Just to give you some background for this item, the City Council adopted Ordinance 25-1526 last year, which authorizes the placement of solid waste accounts that are more than 90 days in arrears as of March 31st of each year. Each year we are required to bring this resolution forward at a public hearing along with a list of all the parcels that are considered to be delinquent. As a refresher, the reason why cities hold property owners responsible for these delinquent charges is that we cannot allow trash service to be stopped because an account holder refuses to pay. The reason for that is that it would create a public health hazard through the spread of vectors. State law through section 38790-1 of the California government code explicitly authorizes cities to do this to protect public health. The mechanism that the state allows cities to do this is through the special assessment on property tax rolls. Property owners have until the time of uploading the delinquent amount with the county tax assessor to settle their accounts, and Athens provides a final listing to staff of all these accounts that still remain in arrears at that time. Athens also continues to reach out to the property owners as part of their own collections process throughout this time to try to settle all accounts. On adoption of this resolution, staff works with the County Assessor's Office to set up the annual upload. As I was saying before, staff requests a final list from Athens a couple of days before the August 10th deadline to upload the updated delinquent account amounts for each parcel on the list. We have three members of Athens here, if there are any questions from Council. But with that, I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

Thank you, Matt. I see the report in front of me. How many delinquent accounts do we currently have? I see the list.

Yeah, I believe we have 665 total delinquent accounts.

And with this, again, prior to the August 10th, 2026 deadline to file a copy, have we notified all these accounts about it?

Athens handles that and they do quite regular throughout the year quite regular collections process but they send a notice out on I believe it was April 22nd to all of the ones that are currently on the list as of March 31st and as I was saying they continue after after this meeting they continue to work with those try to reach them and see if they can settle those accounts so that they don't go on to the the property tax rolls

OK. Thank you. Colleagues, questions, comments?

Yes, I remember when this came about last year. And I know many landlords were concerned because if the tenants had paid the utility bills directly, they would not be notified. But we have now this notification. It kicks in at 90 days. I had a friend that notified me that the commercial business, his tenant was leasing, left 60 days before the lease was up, and then received the letter. So the system is working. They received the letter. It was delinquent, and there wasn't much that he could withhold, but at least he's going to try to work with it so it's not a lien on the property. So we appreciate that respect. They have until when to kind of cure the debt?

I mean, typically we would try a couple of days before the August. If we wait until August 10th. August 10th is the final time you can upload. But everybody in the world is on there trying to upload their assessments on August 10th. So usually we're trying on the 7th or the 8th.

If Athens is here, I might ask a question. Is there a percentage that they kind of cure the debt before they post, or do they feel like 90% of what's listed here, the delinquent accounts, actually are levied on the properties?

I'll have them answer that question. Veronica answers.

Okay.

Thanks, BK. Good evening. My name is Veronica Sanchez, the Counselor of the Manager with Athens Services. I'd like to let you know that as of this morning, the number has gone down to 504. Oh, great. So as the time passes down, the numbers do tend to go down. So that is the expectancy after they do receive a notification, they do start making payments, and we do work with everyone up until the last minute, as Matthew mentioned.

Yeah, and the debt was almost $350,000.

Yes, as of this morning, it's $275,000. $275,000, okay. Thank you for the update.

Thank you for that.

You're welcome.

Colleagues, anyone else? Council Member Trujillo. Yes.

I'm just curious if, for example, we were to find that it's an elderly person, it's a residential location, and they're just having problems, make ends meet, do we try to work with individuals like that?

Sorry, yes, we do.

Okay. And in terms of the 504 delinquent accounts, what's the split? Are those divided between commercial and residential?

Yes, they are. I don't have the list, unfortunately, in front of me right now, but the split is roughly about a, I want to say, 70-30 split. Most of it is under the residential.

Okay. So 70, 70. Residential 30 commercial. Residential 30 commercial.

Yes, yes. Mr. City Manager, do we have any way of not renewing people's licenses if they're not paying their trash bills?

Generally with the residential customers, I believe they begin to stop services at some point to kind of get them to deal with the issues, is that correct? Or is it a straight everybody gets to maintain services?

Yes, at the moment everybody does get to maintain services.

Could we charge one for that? They're not really our services to hold, I guess, in abeyance if we were to look at something like a utility bill. Generally speaking, I think public health is kind of impacted. And so we really could continue with services to make sure that they have water and sewer for sure. And of course, garbage is part of that. Thank you. No further questions.

I know a few HOA property managers from condo associations that were struggling last year because of the new mandated recycling bins and things like that. Do you find that many of those HOA associations are being billed to the management company versus say an individual unit or APN number? I just want to make sure that if they, none of the HOAs, I can't say none, are there few HOAs that are delinquent?

Yes, most of them are in a bin service, so it is one specific account versus all of the accounts within that HOA.

Okay, so they'll properly bill that way, okay.

Thank you, no further questions.

Thank you Veronica. Just one last thought. I'm a paper guy, so I haven't gone paperless and I get your bill, your nice bill, and there's inserts. Is there any way you could put in that insert to remind the Downey residents that their trash cans should not be visible from the street? Just to help us out, encouraging people to put their cans away, if you could.

Yes, I will actually let Vicki and Allison know that you guys want to include that in your message.

Yeah, it is an ordinance. We can follow up with them on that one. Thank you.

After the barrels are already serviced?

I'm sorry?

After the barrels are already serviced?

Yes. Yes. Barrels, the blue, black, and green cans should not be visible from the street. Is that right?

We'll be happy. Yeah, that is city code. I think within 24 hours they have to be put away. We're happy to follow up with them and see if we can work on a way to put that out.

Yeah, that sounds like a code enforcement issue, but if you guys get us some proper language, we can see if we could include that in a newsletter or something. Thank you.

Thank you, I appreciate that.

Yes, appreciate that.

Thank you. If there's no additional comments from my colleagues, I will open this item for public comment. City Clerk, did we receive any written correspondence regarding this particular item? We did not, Mayor. Do we have any speakers wanting to speak on this public hearing? No speakers. Okay. I will make a motion. Can I get a second to close the public hearing?

Second.

So ordered by the Mayor. The time is 8.14. And unless there are any additional comments from the Council, I will entertain a motion in a second to adopt the annual report and adopt resolution number 26-8364. I'll make a motion. Second. Please vote.

The motion is approved unanimously.

OK, I have good news, everybody. This is now the time for public comment regarding agenda, consent calendar, and non-agenda items. This is the time for public comment. And city clerk, would you please play the recording?

now take public comment on agenda, consent calendar, and non-agenda items. If you did not receive a number card and wish to speak, please proceed to the back of the room to be issued a number card by city staff. We will be calling blue number cards for the public comment period. Before we begin the public comment period, we would like to remind members of the audience that the city's meeting rules contained in the Downey Municipal Code prohibit any conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting. Copies of the meeting rules are located in the back of the chambers. Members of the audience and speakers who violate these rules and cause a disruption will receive one warning and then may be removed from the meeting. Violations of the rules of decorum for council meetings may also result in an administrative fine under the municipal code or citation for a misdemeanor under penal code section 403. The City Council acknowledges the right of the public to address issues that are within the City's jurisdiction and invites the public to do so during the City Council meeting. However, this right must be balanced with the need of the City Council to conduct the public business in a fair and efficient manner, free from disruption or disturbance. We expect that everyone who participates in today's meeting, from the members of the Council here on the dais, to staff, to the members of the public in attendance, do so with respect and dignity. Please refrain from using profanity, name-calling, or behaving in a way that disrupts this meeting. This includes yelling, whistling, booing, screaming, and any other outburst that disrupts or disturbs the meeting. Any conduct that interferes with or disrupts persons who are addressing the City Council. Any conduct that interferes with or disrupts council members while they are speaking. Any other conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or interferes with the orderly conduct of the meeting. And attacks of a personal nature on city staff or city council members that have no connection to agenda items or non-agenda items. We remind speakers that your comments must be addressed to the mayor and not to any other council member, city staff, or the audience.

Okay, City Clerk, did we receive written correspondence that needs to be incorporated into the record?

Yes, Mayor, we have one written public comment from Drea Powers against the banning of Curtome. And that is all.

Okay, thank you. Can I get a motion and a second to receive and file the written public comment?

So moved.

Second. Please vote.

The motion is approved unanimously.

Great. City Clerk, how many speakers do we have? We have nine speakers, Mayor. Okay, based on the number of speakers, each speaker will have three minutes to address the City Council. I will be calling blue number cards for this public comment period. And I remind all speakers that you must remain seated until your number is called. Speaker number one, please come forward.

good evening good evening mayor and council members my name is jerson lopez representative with the carpenters union i'm here to speak about item number 14. I would like to speak in support of strong labor standards for the proposed Costco project in the city of Downey. I understand it's still in the early stages, but as this project moves forward, it is important that the jobs created both during construction and after opening provides fair wages, safe working conditions, and opportunity for local workers. Costco has a long history of maintaining labor policies that emphasize worker protections, compliance with labor laws, and competitive compensations. The company also conducts compliance reviews related to labor standards and workplace practices. For a project of this size, labor standards should ensure that workers are properly trained, pay prevailing wages where applicable, and protected by strong safety requirements. These standards help deliver quality construction, reduce workplace injuries, and create economic benefits that stay within our community. As Downey considers this significant economic development opportunity, I encourage the City to continue prioritizing responsible labor compliance practices that support skilled workers, local families, and long-term community investments. By doing so, the Costco project can become not only a successful development, but also a model for quality jobs and workforce standards in our city. Thank you for your time.

Thank you, absolutely. Thank you. Thank you for coming. Thank you for coming. Speaker number two may come up. Oh, oh, that's too bad. Okay. Thank you. Speaker number three. Good evening.

Good evening, Councils. My name is Jorge Marisco. I'm here to support Wesley Clinic in the city of Downey. I've been living for the last 25 years in the city of Downey. And I've been going to this clinic for the last 13 years. And the only thing I just barely hear, you know, a big corporation, you know, PAH, they want to shut down, you know, the clinic. As the clinic, they're serving all these members, you know, like myself. I'm a disabled man. And by my experience, you know, with this clinic, they be helping me a lot. Not just me. I'm here to speak for myself and speak for thousands of people, you know. Maybe you guys cannot hear their voices, you know. And it's very sad, you know, when I got this notice, you know, because for me, All this team, you know, for the Wesley Clinic, you know, it's right here in the city, down in Firestone. It's like a family for me. Hopefully, you know, my words, they get through you guys and to support, keep supporting this community clinic. That's the only thing I can say. Because if you guys allow like a big corporation like that, you know, they put a finger to a small community clinic, it's going to be terrific. It's going to be very, very, very terrific for not just for myself, for thousands of people. Thank you very much to hear me.

Thank you for coming. Madam Mayor, will you inquire what was the clinic? It's Wesley. Wesley.

It's right here.

Where is it located?

It's at Brookshire and Firestone. It's 8530 Firestone Boulevard.

Across from PIH?

No. It's just right there across from the... Next to the chipotle, something like that.

Got it, thank you, thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Speaker number four may come up.

Good evening Madam Mayor and City Council. My name is Danielle and I'm here on behalf of Western States Carpenters Local 91. I'm fortunate right now to be in a training program with the Carpenters and I wanted to speak with you regarding the Costco project in item 14. I'm fortunate enough to be part of this training program in a career field that's non-traditional for women. I'm very honored and very proud that the Carpenters are one of the few places where wages and training for women are 100% equal to the wages and training for men. by approving this project and using high-quality, skilled union labor, you can be sure that this project will be done safely, that it will be done according to current building standards, and will be done utilizing professional tradesmen and women. Using high-quality skilled labor and also making sure that we ensure a prevailing wage will allow some of our country's hardest-working men and women the opportunity to provide for their families. It will allow pre-apprentices like myself to continue training and receive crucial on-the-job training. And it will help us to reinvest and give back to the community. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight.

Thank you. Thank you for coming. Speaker number five may come up. Good evening.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name is John English. I've been a Downey homeowner for over 45 years now and run a wholesale business out of my home office. It involves pizza parlors, restaurants, hotels, bars, and we provide equipment, gaming equipment for family amusement. Due to COVID, we had 66 locations where we had our equipment. And due to COVID, two-thirds of them went out of business. But I was able to buy three of them to save them. And one of them was Lakewood Family Billiards, which we've since changed to Good Times Billiards. And we have a youth program. We have a church before the service on Sunday. We do have beer, but we'll talk about that another time. So I'm here to tell you that I've applied for a license in the city of Downey because we have, as a businessman, a big problem in Lakewood. We are turning away about 200 customers on Friday, Saturday nights because we only have 26 pool tables and arcades and games. And we want to bring that to Downey where I've lived. I've been in business here since... five decades. And so we've applied for a city license for a family amusement center. We want to put it next to McDonald's on Florence and Lakewood in the showroom for the Pep Boys. It's about 8,000 square feet. And we're going to have retail, gaming retail and billiards. We have tournaments, leagues, And of course, anything imaginable as far as the accessories, pool sticks and all that. And we're looking forward to bringing this fun, this family entertainment center to Downey. And I'm really excited because I started my first business on Telegraph. And now 50 years later, I'm... right downtown next to the oldest McDonald's. I think it's really cool. I go to Calvary Chapel Downey. I was married there by Pastor Jeff Johnson 45 years ago. So I'm in the same house for 45 years, same woman for 45 years. And so I want to continue here and finish here. We had a remodel in our house. He says, what's this house? I says, feet first. Yes, the only way I'm leaving is feet first. So that's my application, and I wanted to come here tonight to meet y'all and get to know you and see how I can help Downey and see if we can have some fun. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. English. May I have another?

I'm sorry. I have one more thing. Okay, you've got 26 seconds, go ahead. So I have it in my hand so I wouldn't forget and I still do. So Gospel Trick Shots is a international organization of which I was just elected as the vice president of the International Association. We're in 39 countries. President is Wayne Parker of South Africa. I'm going next month to Idaho to the Youth National Championships, sponsoring that through our billiards. So I just want to get that. That's wonderful.

Thank you. City Manager Bradley is telling me our Director of Community Development, Mr. English, will follow up with you.

Oh, thank you.

Okay, speaker number six may come up. Hello, Mr. Squire.

Good evening. Nice. Nice patriotic shoes, Mayor.

Thank you.

Lee Squire, Vietnam Air veteran, U.S. Army, son, nephew, World War II, nephew, Korean War. Mayor and City Council. First, happy 250th anniversary to America and to the U.S. military, defenders of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution and all amendments to this present day. Happy 250th birthday to the U.S. Army to active duty to the reserves and the National Guard. Third, the Costco development agreement item number 14 says $10.5 million of general fund reserves as to contributions, but it omits $5 million of future general fund tax revenues, sales tax revenues, $3 million to Costco and $2 million to Nissan. In the future, we would appreciate the full disclosure of any current and future financial obligations tied to a development agreement. God bless America. God bless the nation of Israel. God bless the U.S. military, veterans and their families, and God bless law enforcement and their families. Thank you.

Thank you. God bless you, Mr. Squire, and thank you for your service.

We'll bring those development agreements actually to council for future consideration, including discussion and more detail on the sales tax agreements at appropriate time. But that is mentioned in the report.

Thank you. Thank you, Senator Bradley. Appreciate that. Speaker number seven may come up.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, Council, community. My name is Kyle Patterson. I'm a representative with the Western States Regional Council of Carpenters. I'm glad to be here today. Shout out to all the vets, America. Man, a lot of good stuff happened for this country right here. And to be a part of something like this, I grew up not too far from here on the west side of Los Angeles. And I can remember the first time I came to Downey. Downey was Los Padrinos. That was my first experience with it. And, you know, it's one of those things that we're growing up in the 80s and 90s for myself in South L.A., looking for mentorship, guidance. And I had to bump my head along the way, finding my way, and I realize in my life now where I'm at, God has a purpose for us. And, you know, it was 1994. 10th grade, going to Dorsey, I was 17, and I got tried as an adult. Went away for six years, three months, and I came back knowing that moving forward, if there was a decision to be made about my life, it was gonna be because I made it. I went through a program called the Century Freeway Program. It was based in Lenox, and it was a pre-apprenticeship program to introduce you into any trade. I found my first job site two weeks into that program on the corner exposition in Vermont, USC Dorms. I'm giving you this story right here because I was able to raise a family getting into the carpenters. Purchase a house, life is good. I got two youngsters that's in the military now, Navy. My other two youngsters, they're in school, doing well for themselves. But again, it's projects like this Costco and this Nissan. that would potentially give somebody else looking for an opportunity that lives here in Downey. We gotta get them young. When a single mom's raising nine of us in a two bedroom, my story isn't unique. It's like a lot of us out here. And I think now in my life I realize that my job is to come out and advocate for other young folks and let's capture them now and raise them up and give them some guidance and lead them to a career. And so that's what I'm urging today, to ensure that projects like this it does have some type of labor standards in place with apprenticeship programs, some healthcare, and just a little bit of money so we can put some food on the table to feed every belly button in the household. That's what it's about right there. So thank you again. We trust your judgment and we know that the developers that's behind this project, they'll do right by the community as well. Thank you.

Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you, Kyle. And thank you for sharing your inspiring story. Appreciate that. Speaker number eight may come up.

Hi, Mary, I just wanted to request interpreter for the next speaker.

Spanish, we usually do have interpreters available, but those need to be requested in advance. We don't have one here at the moment.

Okay. I can try. Okay. Okay. Sure. Okay.

Good evening. My name is Janet Rocha.

Good evening, my name is Janet Rocha.

Good evening. I have lived here in Downey for over 16 years with family living over 40 years.

I'm here to support Wesley Health Centers located at Downey at 8530 Firestone Boulevard.

I have been attending the clinic for over eight years.

My mother and other friends have been referred to Wesley Health Centers for medical services. They provide good quality health care services, behavioral health care, podiatry and chiropractic care, as well as laboratory services, and they are well located in the city of Downey.

To have this location removed would create issues for myself, and it's a place where I go to receive services. Yo quisiera pedir al alcalde y a la alcaldesa y a todos los miembros del consejo que por favor que nos ayuden a la clínica para que el PIH, el hospital, que por favor que cese el pedir la cancelación de la clínica porque sería...

I would like to ask the support of the mayor and the city council to support Wesley Health Centers from being removed in conjunction from the notice received from PIH Health.

Okay. I know I have more time, but...

I know I have more time, but I'm thankful to provide this comment and thank you for your time.

Thank you for coming. God bless you. Speaker number nine may come up.

Hello, good evening, Mayor Formetta. I'm here with the Western States Carpenters Union. My name is Asus Lemus. I was born and raised in South L.A. I am also a part, I would like to think, of the community here in Downey. I have, through my teenage years and adult life, I've been coming and going from both cities. I would like to eventually own a house out here, and with a Home Depot wage, you can guess that that's not very possible. But with the Western Union carpenters, we're able to make a livable wage, and we are able to keep up standards. So with that, that's all I really have to say.

Thank you. Thank you for coming. Appreciate that. Do we have any additional speakers? No, I will make a motion to close public comment. Can I get a second? Oh, do we have?

May I?

Oh, yes. Mr. Lacy. Good evening, Mr. Lacy.

Good evening. Excuse me. Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of the City Council, Mr. Bradley, and staff. Excuse me. First of all, I wish you a happy and healthy Fourth of July. Secondly, I have two items on my agenda. The first of all, the first one is sports. And watching the World Cup soccer games, I saw the enthusiasm of a multitude of people of various backgrounds, nationalities, and whatever. And when they all shouted, USA, USA, USA, USA, It gave me chills to hear that, watching that. What a wonderful thing sports can do for all our communities. Secondly, I want to talk about housing, and in particular, the association between the fact that the state, Sacramento, has dictated they're looking for density in housing. And what the state has decided to do is to enact legislation with cities. And any good relationship between two parties should be if both parties accept each other as equals and not have one side be the overriding issue. So the state came up with legislation which basically mandates to cities many requirements which the cities must provide in order to allow for further housing. And if the cities do not provide that, excuse me, the state has the right to provide lawsuits or use the builder's remedy situation, which basically allows developers to come into a city and possibly override many of the local requirements. So in my opinion, there was no fair exchange of equalities between the state and the cities. The state, in my opinion, decided to force the issue upon the cities. And with that, I end my comments, Madam Mayor. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Good night. Good night. Is there another speaker?

Mayor, could I just make a quick comment before we close? Absolutely. I want to take the time to address just the Western States Carpenters Union. I appreciate you coming out and you're here as a team rather than coming in force. And just to say that maybe all of us have been. I've been to the Whittier location facility. Richard Burns had reached out to me years ago. And then I also went to your grand opening, is it Carson? Carson Compton? And what an impressive facility it is. In a world where we're getting too far into AI, we need that technical training. We need that hands-on. There's nothing that can replicate building of a home or a facility. And it's, I put down here, it's high standards. It's impressive. And thank you for coming in and sharing your thoughts. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Council Member. Thank you. And I echo the sentiments. Thank you for coming and thank you for sharing with us. At this time, I will close public comment. Can I get a second?

Second.

Okay, so ordered by the mayor. And at this time, we have the consent calendar items before us. Are there any council members that would like to remove or abstain from an item?

Yes, Mayor. I need to abstain from Item number 12 as I own real estate near that location.

Anyone else. Can I have a motion in a second to approve the consent calendar with Councilmember Trujillo abstaining from item number 12?

Actually, and is number 20 part of the consent calendar? It is yes, then I also need to declare a conflict on number 20 as well as I own real estate near that your mayor.

Okay, thank you customer that he can I have it a motion in a second to it. To approve this consent calendar with a council member to heal abstaining from number 12 and number 20 so move second please vote. God bless you guys. Thank you again for coming.

The motion is approved with Council Member Trujillo abstaining from items numbers 12 and 20.

Okay, great. We have... administrative reports before us. And there are four administrative reports this evening. Item number 21 is the compensation adjustment for City Manager that the City Council approve a compensation adjustment for City Manager Roger Bradley in accordance with the employment agreement adopted December 10, 2024. City Manager, I see James McQueen, Director of HR, is here to present a report.

Yes, Mayor. Thank you.

all right thank you good evening mayor and council the item before you this evening is a proposed compensation adjustment for the city manager in accordance with the current employment agreement adopted on december 10th of 2024. the current employment agreement adopted between the city and the city manager establishes the intent to maintain a five percent differential between the city manager and the next highest paid employee currently the chief of police With approval of the Chief's salary increase that coincides with the Downey Police Management Association's new Memorandum of Understanding, the City Manager's salary will drop below this established 5% differential. As part of Council's approval, Senate Bill 1436 mandates that local agencies make a verbal report of a summary of the recommended changes in salary or benefits for employees classified as executives in the open session portion of the meeting prior to voting. The City Manager's current salary is $26,650.61 per month, effective July 1st of 2026 to coincide with the Chief of Police salary increase. The new proposed salary for the City Manager will be $28,093.51 per month. Approval of this action will increase the personnel costs by approximately $22,134 in the upcoming fiscal year and sufficient funding is included in this year's budget. This concludes my presentation and I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, James, for the report. Colleagues, anybody have comments, questions? Okay, thank you for that. can I have a motion in a second to approve the compensation adjustment for the city manager?

So moved. Second.

Please vote.

The motion is approved unanimously.

Thank you, James. Now, item number 22 is the adoption of salary and benefits resolution for executive management, middle management, and confidential exempt positions. That the City Council adopt resolution number 26-8371, establishing the salary and benefits payable to employees in classifications designated as executive management, middle management, and confidential exempt. I see James is going to provide us with our report.

Yes, thank you. Next up, we have a proposed resolution to establish pay and benefits for employees classified as executive management, middle management, and confidential exempt. The city recently completed labor negotiations for successor memorandums of understanding with all the city's labor groups. And in accordance with the management performance compensation plan, it establishes that cost of living increases will be no less than those granted to rank and file employees for the unrepresented employees in their respective departments. As with the last item, as part of council's approval of this item, Senate Bill 1436 requires local agencies to make a verbal report of a summary of the changes of salary and benefits for executive employees in the open session portion of the meeting prior to voting. This resolution applies to approximately 42 employees in the classifications that are designated as executive, middle management, and confidential exempt. This resolution contains the following economic provisions which are consistent to those granted in the negotiated agreements with the city's labor groups. A 4% across the board salary increase effective in April of 26, a 4% increase effective in April of 27, a 4% across board increase effective in April of 28, and a 4% across board increase in April of 29. For the classifications of the chief of police and the fire chief, they will receive a five and a quarter percent increase in year one and a five percent increase in year two, five percent increase in year three, and another five percent increase in year four that coincides with that granted to the subordinate employees. Also, this provision, this resolution contains a one-time lump sum payment of $1,750 to all employees, excluding the police chief and the fire chief. It also includes the addition of water operator certificate pay for Public Works employees that is consistent with that provided to their subordinate employees. A quarterly payment of $100 to each active employee's retirement health savings account. an increase in the number of holiday hours provided to match the employee's scheduled hours, which is consistent to the subordinate employee labor agreements. And it also includes an internal equity adjustment to the executive positions of the Director of Finance and Information Technology, the Director of Parks and Recreation, the executive director of the Columbia Memorial Space Science Center, and the economic development director's salary, assigning them to the same existing pay rates of the other existing executive department head positions for internal alignment. This also includes a one-time market rate adjustment for the position of senior accountant in accordance with the labor market study of 6%. It also includes an internal equity adjustment to the position of assistant city manager of 6.87% to establish a 2% differential between this position and that of the next highest paid executive employee. which is the chief of police. Thereafter, this position will not receive the same cost of living increase as the other positions, but it will receive an amount necessary to maintain that established 2% differential. Approval of these actions will result in an increased personal cost of approximately $542,000 in year one, $512,000 in year two, $528,000 in year three, and $515,000 in year four. And this concludes my presentation. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, James. Colleagues, comments, questions regarding this item? No comments. I will entertain a motion in a second to adopt this resolution and establish the salary and benefits payable to employees in classifications designated as executive management, middle management, and confidential exempt.

I'll make a motion.

Please vote. Item number 23 in our agenda tonight is, the approval of talent fees and fee waiver request for rental and labor costs for the El Grito de Independencia show at the Downey Theater. But the City Council approved fee waivers up to $12,000 for rental and labor costs for the El Grito de Independencia show at the Downey Theater and up to $10,000 for talent fees for Performance Group. City Manager Bradley.

We have Director Chacon, Parks and Recreation here this evening to do the presentation. Thank you.

Thank you. Hello, Director Chacon.

Good evening, Mayor, members of the City Council. Before you today, I'm here to consider the request that we received for the approval of waivers of rental and labor costs for an event at the Downey Theater. The name of the event is El Grito de Independencia. It is presented and requested by , which is a local . This is an event that is put on in different cities, as well as the city of Downey in the past. It is talent and dance from local Southern California agencies as well, or I'm sorry, dance groups as well as a dance group and different talent from Mexico. They are requesting rental and labor costs to be waived of up to $12,000 for the use of the theater on September 11th. AND ALSO THE PROVISION OF TALENT FEES FOR UP TO $10,000 FOR GROUPS AND THEIR PERFORMANCES THROUGHOUT THE DAY. THE FESTIVAL IS A VIBRANT CELEBRATION THAT COMMEMORATES MEXICO'S HISTORIC INDEPENDENCE ORIGINALLY DECLARED IN THE 1800S. IT FEATURES A HIGH TAPESTRY OF MEXICAN CULTURE AND HERITAGE INCLUDING LIVE PERFORMANCES SUCH AS MARIACHI GROUPS, FOLKLORICO DANCES AND REGIONAL ARTISTS THROUGHOUT THE AREA. The theater is available on the date that has been requested. And today we bring this before you for discussion and for staff direction. I can help answer any questions that you might have.

Thank you, Jason. I appreciate it. Can you tell us, do we have the information as to what was our contribution last year? I think last year was the first time we hosted that show.

Last year, it was the waiving of the rental and labor fees up to $12,000, but not the $10,000 talent fees.

Yes, it's a beautiful show. And we really enjoyed it. And I know the community appreciated that. But I really do think that the additional contribution is excessive. We can certainly look at having our theater utilized. But here, the staff report. The festival is tentatively scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 11, from 5 to 9. I do have a problem with that particular date, considering September 11, it is the 25th anniversary of that. And I know that we plan to commemorate 25 years since the attacks of September 11. But so we did approve the waivers last year of up to 12,000, and we didn't contribute anything additional to the talent. Colleagues, questions, comments?

Thank you, Jason. Were there any alternative dates proposed?

There were quite a few. The theater happens to be booked during that time of year, especially as we approach our Dia de los Muertos festival later on in the fall. This was the one date within like a six-week stretch that we could find available.

And do we indeed have something scheduled to commemorate the 25th anniversary of September 11th? And at what time?

I think it's we're in the early stages of talking about that. So there hasn't been anything formally planned, but I know that there has been some talk about that. So there is room to discuss. But we have heard a request to do something that day.

Just for clarification, Madam Mayor, so September 13th, the Sunday, the theater is booked? IT'S SEPTEMBER 11TH. YES, I'M WONDERING IF THE SUNDAY IS AVAILABLE. LAST YEAR THEY HAD ON A SUNDAY.

THE ENTIRE WEEKEND WAS BOOKED FOR THAT. THIS WAS THE ONE DAY WE FOUND THREE WEEKS BEFORE AND THREE WEEKS AFTER THEIR ORIGINAL REQUESTED DATE THAT WOULD STILL BE AVAILABLE.

Last year, I recall that they came to us because, was it the city of Pico Rivera? They were remodeling where they normally go. It was unavailable, and they were trying to find a place. So we had come in and offered to give them a credit on the fees. Has something changed? Are they not going where they used to perform?

I can't speak to that. The organization didn't let us know about any of their other festivals or plans that they have, but we can look into it.

Can I also ask, we have our own legacy group, the Downey Symphony. Do we waive the rental fee for them when they play or not?

They're a part of the legacy group and the organizations of the Downey Theater in which we budget $40,000 a year that's set aside to waive fees at the theater. The Downey Symphony as well as the Rose Float Association. So there's a $40,000 built-in fee waiver there for them and their rental fees.

So we help them as well?

Multiple organizations, correct. Okay.

I just want to clarify, here in the staff report, it says it's scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 11th. That's Sunday, September 13th. So are we looking at Friday the 11th or Sunday the 13th?

Sorry, it is Friday the 11th.

You want to inquire, Mayor?

Originally, it was Sunday, which was not available, and the Friday was what was available.

A Thursday night? Friday. I know, but would a Thursday night be available, and would they be amenable to that?

We can look at availability. Originally, they asked for a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, but we could definitely check.

Council Member Trujillo, you have a question.

I'm just curious, how much is the Havana night stage with the lights, with the sound? Do you have an idea? Because I'm thinking if we could get that stage, sound, lights, and maybe people could bring chairs, we could do it outside where you set up the stage for Dia de los Muertos, and we could possibly offer that as an alternative on a Sunday, but I'm curious what the cost would be.

I don't have that number off the top of my head for the exact cost of just that part of that event, but we can get back to you on the number.

Madam Mayor, what if we authorize staff, I mean, approve whatever we're going to approve today and then authorize staff to go and work on a date with them?

I think to my understanding, originally they said, okay, there was no going to be dates available. And then this was the only date that they were available to.

During the fall, it is very impacted with a lot of rentals that we have from a lot of our local dance groups and also the Downey Unified School Districts and some of their plays. So it was definitely very difficult this time around to find a date that worked.

Well, I mean, I'd like to, because I know last year we did allow for the, because they're providing a free show, which is pretty entertaining. We did allow for the waiver of fees since they were providing that. We didn't pay for any talent, which is, you know, would be kind of unusual. And we also stipulated that at least we needed to make, there was a stipulation that at least half the tickets were open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. Is that correct? There was a provision.

I'd have to go back and look at the exact number. I believe it was at least 50%.

Yeah, I seem to recall that.

So what I'd like to do is, I mean, I'd like to see if indeed, I'm sure we're going to do something for September 11th, but that usually takes place in the morning. So this is at night. I mean, would this interfere with...

No, certainly if we do in the morning or late afternoon.

Because, yeah, the September 11th ceremony usually takes place in the morning. I'm okay with the same setup we had last year, the same agreement we had last year.

I would prefer to move the date, if it was possible, instead of September 11th, for their celebration.

It's kind of a mixed emotion. I understand that, but it seems like there's limited, there's really no other dates that are available, right?

Correct. The Mexican independence is usually celebrated in September 16th or somewhere around the second week of the month. So I think that's why they were looking in that time frame. But in our looking at their original date, like I said, three weeks before into August and three weeks after into October were booked on Friday, Saturdays and Sundays already.

OK. What we can do is approve the waiving of fees, but we can come up with what date other than September 11. I don't know if they would be amenable to a Thursday evening event. Those seem to be very popular as well. And the rental and labor fee, not the talent fee. No, not the talent fee.

Yes. Mayor, what if we offered a Tardeada setting and use our concerts in the park set up with our beautiful stage, what's it called, the mobile? What if we offer that and maybe they would consider doing a Tardeada setting at our beautiful Furman Park? And we already know the setup for the concerts in the park.

I think we already have some events already.

I would only say the biggest difference is using the theater is using contracted employees through venue tech opposed to using city staff that are currently already scheduled for city events. This request doesn't take into account using any of our city staff for this event as much as it does the contracted venue tech staff.

I think I hear from council, and if this is what you're all comfortable with, we understand the waiver of the fees is okay, the talent fee was not, and then we can just work with them to see if there's an alternative date other than September 11th and September 13th. Correct.

And we'll have a live music in the neighborhood until 9 p.m. Maybe it might not be well-received. You know, it's better to keep it in a theater, I would think, or an area that is used to having maybe loud music that low. Maybe it's, I don't know, they can rent real high, but it's not real high. Yeah.

Hold on, so if the council agrees, I make a motion to allow for the waiving of fees, not the additional request for talent. And we will come back with hopefully another date.

Do you want us just to proceed or do you want us to come back with that? If we find the date. No, proceed. Just go ahead and proceed. Proceed.

Yeah, just proceed. I mean, really, Mexican independence usually it's on the 16th. And if we have a September 11th ceremony in the morning, how would that actually interfere with this show going forward?

I think at this point we're still trying to figure out what that might exactly be. There might be a problem, but there may not be two as well. So it's kind of 50-50, I guess, at this point. Okay.

All right. Thank you.

I made a motion.

Do we have a question?

So if they elect for the 11th, are we okay with that?

Sorry, repeat that again?

If they elect the 11th, which is currently available in the evening or after we do... Well, it is in the evening. So are we okay with that?

Are you all okay with that?

I'm okay with that as long as our September 11th is no later than like noon when we usually do it and then there's a break and there a bank can start maybe like at four. Okay. I'm okay with that. Is everybody in agreement with that? As long as they don't conflict. Okay.

As long as they don't conflict then. So I made a motion. Can I have a second?

Second.

Please vote. The motion is approved unanimously.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jason. And the last item on our agenda tonight is item number 24, the discussion regarding amending the city's hotel users tax, the transient occupancy tax, and discuss amending that. City Manager Bradley, I see Vania de Rojas, our assistant city manager, with a report.

Yes, thank you, Mayor.

Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of the City Council. As mentioned tonight, I'll be providing information regarding the city's hotel user tax. And to begin the presentation, I'll start with some background regarding the current hotel tax rate in the city. According to Revenue and Taxation Code Section 7280, it allows government agencies to assess a hotel tax, also known as a hotel bed or room tax. A hotel tax assessment is charged to travelers when they rent accommodations in a hotel, in motel or other lodging for less than 90 days. A hotel tax is calculated as a percentage of the rent for the occupancy of a structure or any portion of a structure. The law requires that operators collect the tax from hotel users and remit them to the local jurisdiction. The City of Downey assessed a hotel tax in 1965 through Ordinance Number 255 and last amended its hotel tax in October 1998 through Ordinance Number 1057. Ordinance 1057 increased the city's hotel tax rate to 9% after voter approval. In July 2022, the City Council passed Resolution Number 22-8091, which placed a general tax measure on the November 8, 2022 general municipal election for the proposed ordinance amending the city's hotel tax code by increasing the maximum rate from 9% to 13%, and also addressing online travel company and other third-party bookings and making other changes. The measure did not pass. According to feedback from residents, the measure was not clear on its purpose, and many believe it to be a transient opposite tense related to transients in the community. If the measure did pass, it would have resulted in approximately $950,000 annually a year. In January, Council Member Trujillo asked that the City Council discuss placing an adjustment of the City's hotel tax rate on November election at a future Council meeting, and that's why I'm here before you. Since then, in a follow-up to that request from the City Council, staff had done a survey of 12 jurisdictions that you can see in the staff report. An average, when putting those 12 jurisdictions together, the average hotel user tax rate is 11% in the region. If the city were to increase its hotel tax rate from 9% to 13%, it is expected to generate an additional $1,066,700. Just to further clarify on that, with the current hotel makeup right now, there's about 15 hotels. That number is about 312,000 additional. But the anticipation of a future hotel, as we've been communicating on some future properties, the actual number gets closer to 1,066,700. BEFORE CONCLUDING THIS REPORT, BEFORE CONCLUDING THIS REPORT, BEFORE CONCLUDING THIS REPORT, I JUST WANTED TO NOTE TWO OTHER I JUST WANTED TO NOTE TWO OTHER I JUST WANTED TO NOTE TWO OTHER ITEMS IN RELATION TO THIS ITEMS IN RELATION TO THIS ITEMS IN RELATION TO THIS TOPIC. TOPIC. TOPIC. ONE IS WHILE IT'S ON A HOTEL ONE IS WHILE IT'S ON A HOTEL ONE IS WHILE IT'S ON A HOTEL MEASURE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED MEASURE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED MEASURE, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY THAT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY THAT THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY PLACED BALLOT MEASURE ER, ALSO PLACED BALLOT MEASURE ER The measure temporarily increases the countywide sales tax by a half cent to fund local public Los Angeles County health care services for the next five years. The action was in response to HR1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and anticipated federal funding cuts that would be affecting the county's health care system. The measure passed by 50.61% of Los Angeles County voters. And beginning October 1, 2026, Downey's sales tax rate will go from 10.5% to 11%. The ballot measure did spark some significant debate as many Los Angeles County residents expressed concern about affordability and additional tax burdens that could further strain family budgets. In addition to that, the City Council, if they are desirous to place the hotel tax ballot measure on the November election, staff would need to prepare a resolution by the July 28-26 meeting. This is for, in order to meet the deadline for, to have items placed on the ballot in November. The anticipated cost to place this ballot measure on the November ballot is approximately $315,000. In addition to that, I would note there will probably be some additional costs related to educational items for the public to explain the ballot measure. And with that, that concludes staff's report. Happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Thank you, Assistant City Manager DeRopas. Appreciate that. One of the things that I think as a council, we have supported this hotel tax before. And unfortunately, in 2022, it wasn't awarded, as you've indicated, correctly. And people were confused, wording it transient occupancy. That sent the wrong message. But as much as I want to support this, I do have to... mention the current environment and particularly the passage of Measure ER is really putting a snag into this. People are feeling it in their wallets and my concern would be that our city would seem a little too eager to continue taxing our residents. In 22, we put this measure on the ballot. It was rejected by 64%. Granted, the education materials weren't right, et cetera. But we also, in 2024, we put Measure D on the ballot. That did pass. I under the current environment my sense is I would like us to hold off because the community really would resent it. They're weary of the taxes. I think looking at $300,000 as a cost and seeing how overwhelmingly it was defeated a couple of years ago, I think we are better off waiting until 2028 when we have more education materials. Otherwise, this doesn't seem to me. Yes, we're low looking at this list. The average is 11%. We're at 9%. And it would be definitely needed. But I'm concerned this is not the appropriate time to put this on the ballot. Colleagues?

Yeah, I'll just say thank you, Madam Mayor. Simply, I just want to clarify for the public that this wouldn't be an additional tax on the residents. It would be a tax on the hotel occupiers who stay in the hotels or maybe families of residents who visit them. You know, I think... especially with this not passing previously. I think there is a consensus sense of tax fatigue. And I'd like to revisit this later on when the spread between our expenditures and revenues is much larger. The $315,000 gamble is to me too much to risk right now. So I'm going to be opposed to this.

I DO AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES. I THINK HAVING THIS IN OUR BALLOT WHEN THE MEASURE FAILED IN 2022, I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS 64%. IT WAS PRETTY OVERWHELMING. I THINK I WOULD SUPPORT THIS LATER DOWN THE LINE. WITH ALL THESE TAX INCREASES AND MEASURES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT ON THE BALLOT THESE LAST FEW YEARS, I THINK THE RESIDENTS ARE GOING TO FEEL I do agree, resentful for putting another measure on us. I think it's something that we should revisit later down the line, and I think we should just hold off on to it.

Perhaps we can table it for a later time. I don't know what the rest of the council...

I echo the sentiments of my other colleagues as well. I can see that we are below the mean, the average rather, but sometimes it's not necessary to be in the average, especially with our recent passage of Measure D. We've also passed the Measure S. Those were specific areas for public safety, for our parks, for renovations. And You know, Buena Park at 14% on their tax. Well, they're a city that brings a lot of tourists in with the amusement park. The sales tax now with, as you mentioned, in Measure S going from 10.5 to 11. I've had a resident contact me. Is it really going to be 11%? And this is just another burden. We've approved school bonds, and the bonds have improved the school, which helps the quality of life even for Downey. that I want our hotels to thrive. And I think people do shop around. I mean, I've heard a lot with Las Vegas hotels and the taxes at the edge of their hotels. I believe they're feeling the reap right now with people not going there because of all the added taxes and excesses and room rates. So I want to keep it where we are now so that we can keep our hotels attracting people to come to Downey, be it the hotel or our events. And so I think the timing right now is not IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THIS ALONG WITH IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THIS ALONG WITH IT'S NOT GOOD FOR THIS ALONG WITH THE BALLOT MEASURE. THE BALLOT MEASURE. THE BALLOT MEASURE. PERHAPS IT CAN BE REVISITED DOWN PERHAPS IT CAN BE REVISITED DOWN PERHAPS IT CAN BE REVISITED DOWN THE ROAD WHEN IT'S A BETTER TIME TO THE ROAD WHEN IT'S A BETTER TIME TO THE ROAD WHEN IT'S A BETTER TIME TO DO THAT.

DO THAT. DO THAT. BUT WE'VE RECENTLY PASSED A LOT BUT WE'VE RECENTLY PASSED A LOT BUT WE'VE RECENTLY PASSED A LOT OF INCREASED SALES TAX WHICH PEOPLE OF INCREASED SALES TAX WHICH PEOPLE OF INCREASED SALES TAX WHICH PEOPLE HAVE VOICED THEIR OPIN

Actually, the last couple of years, the numbers for the hotel tax have increased. They have increased? They have increased.

I thought they were going down.

I was hopeful that we would get on the ballot, have good education, maybe call it a hotel visitor's tax. instead of a hotel users tax. In anticipation of the 28 Olympics, I think our hotels are going to be used. So I was hoping we could capitalize on that. But I do concur with my colleagues on the concerns. Here's my question. If we wait till 2028, which is a presidential at-large election, will the 315 cost to put on the ballot go up?

I would refer that to the city clerk. My assumption would be yes, but I will refer to the city clerk because she works with the Los Angeles County Recorder's Office who provides that information to us.

We will need to request an estimate at that time so that we can see what the cost would be, but I probably stay about the same, maybe.

My recollection is that when you have a community-wide election, the costs go down a little bit. Is that not correct? But we could definitely check that because I think it's when the costs get to be high is when you don't have the full community on an election and you have to do extra ballots for those areas that aren't covered. So presidential then I think would cover pretty much the whole community. But anyway, we could figure that out.

And I'm wondering.

District 5, though, if it's no longer citywide, it does change, no? Because now it's no longer a whole city voting.

But it doesn't go into effect until 28.

28. Yeah.

So the measure would be printed in the booklet. that's where the cost increases for a measure usually when we have the city council seats election that amount is split amongst all the cities but because this is a specific measure for our city then the cost does because it's best because it's specifically local now one thing would we would this council be able to um there is the primary as well um

SUPPOSED TO WAITING UNTIL THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.

THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. IN JUNE OF 2028. IN JUNE OF 2028.

IN JUNE OF 2028. TO CAPITALIZE ON. TO CAPITALIZE ON. TO CAPITALIZE ON. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN REVISIT.

CAN REVISIT. CAN REVISIT. THAT PRIMARY WILL ACTUALLY BE THAT PRIMARY WILL ACTUALLY BE THAT PRIMARY WILL ACTUALLY BE HELD IN MARCH OF THAT YEAR. HELD IN MARCH OF THAT YEAR. HELD IN MARCH OF THAT YEAR. IN THE PRESIDENTIAL YEAR THE IN THE PRESIDENTIAL YEAR THE IN THE PRESIDENTIAL YEAR THE PRIMARY ADVANCES A CO

I remain positive that if worded correctly, we'll be able to be successful if people understand that this is money that would come, it's unrestricted money into our general fund, is that correct?

It would be a general fund revenue, yes. That's correct.

And we could easily promote the narrative, which may actually be true, that this could also benefit public safety, right? That this money, this almost million dollars a year, could go to more officers or more public safety. I'm hopeful that we'll be able to put together a good education plan. But yes, I do agree with Council Member Sosa on the tax fatigue thing. But sooner or later, we have to put this. I mean, this is money that.

I'll add. I'm sorry, Rita.

Yeah, I just think that it's missed opportunities and we learned. But I'm hopeful that it will pass if we word it correctly, like hotel visitors tax tax. to benefit public safety in Downey. I think it would resonate with our residents who don't seem to have a problem taxing ourselves when it comes particularly to public safety. So just want to put that out there.

Yeah, I just want to piggyback off that. I just want to add that I think we all agree that it would be a great source of revenue. It's not, it doesn't impact our residents directly unless they have family staying, but it just, you know, given that it didn't, it failed to pass in 2022. and the fact that um you know the 315 000 price tag plus if we're going to educate and promote this properly there's there's a price tag to that too so that's that's a risk i'm not willing to take and i think the council pretty much shares the same sentiments but i think we all agree it's a great source of revenue source i mean a opportunity but maybe we revisit that in a year and a half two years

So why don't we do this? Why don't we make a motion to table this item and bring it back at a future time?

I'll second that, sure.

Okay, please vote.

Motion is approved unanimously.

Okay, that takes us to the end of our meeting tonight. I would like to open it up for city council member announcements, requests for future agenda items, conference and meeting reports. And I will start to my far left with Mayor Pro Tem Ortiz.

Thank you, Mayor. I do want to wish everybody a happy Father's Day. I know it just passed, but to all the fathers here, just want to wish you a good, hopefully you spend it with your family. And I do want to take this opportunity to also thank our amazing team, Jason, Vanya, and the rest of the team who contributed to the fan zone. This really made me proud to be part of such an amazing team. This really showcased the very best of what our city is all about, everything about culture, community, and I just want to say thank you. It was an amazing time, and I can't wait for the next one. With that, I conclude my comments for today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Council Member Sosa.

Thank you, Madam Mayor. I'll just echo the same. You know what? The FIFA World Cup fan zone just was... I've been in this town for a long time since I was a kid, and it's one of the funnest events I've ever attended, seriously, in Downey. I've never watched so much soccer in one day, but it was fun. There was a sense of community. There was a sense of unity, you know, sport. and major events like that have a way of you know bringing people together and bringing the community together and and it was just a it was an amazing day so just all really just want to thank staff at all departments who participated really and I can see at the end of the day I was there. I was there from 9 AM to 1130 PM. I can see at the end of the day some of our staff members. You can tell they were fatigued, but they they did it with a smile and receive so much feedback from all kinds of different community members and I just wanted to say thank you for once again raising the bar for Downey and once again putting a shining light on our beautiful city. So thank you all. That concludes my comments.

Thank you, Councilmember Sosa. Councilmember Trujillo.

Yes, two big games coming up. Tomorrow, Mexico versus... I don't even know how to say it. And, of course, the USA versus Turkey on Thursday, June 25th. Hopefully, you could watch. Happy Father's Day. Downey Creek Festival was great. Happy Pride Month. Happy Flag Day. Happy Fourth of July. and congratulations to the team. What a great event. Really liked the relationship or the fact that we were working with the mall and I'm thinking just for future events, it'd be great. Hopefully the mall benefited and they got some good sales that day from the amount of people that were going into the mall. So thank you very much to the Stonewood Mall for hosting us and let's recreate that for our community in the future for other events. So congratulations team, thank you.

Thank you. Council Member Pepperton. Yes, thank you, Mayor Fremantle.

I attended and my colleague Councilman Sosa, we had worked with the Downey Symphony and we helped them host a Mad Hatter garden party, which was to raise funds for the Downey Symphonic Society. And it was a good success, very unique, and we had a good time. Their next upcoming concert will be at Concerts in the Park on the closing day, Wednesday, August 5th. So make sure you attend to hear that. And also mark in the future, October 24th, a Saturday night, for their first concert of the season at the Downey Theater. And a reminder, seats are free, so bring the family, let them see what an orchestra is. I'm also trustee for Downey for the Vector, the Mosquito Board, and just wanted to say that at our last meeting last week, there was a concern that we've had a few cases of the West Nile virus. It was detected in mosquitoes and some dead birds. A few cities close to us, such as Lakewood, Long Beach, Pico Rivera, had that testing. So please continue to treat your pools, your fountains with chlorine, and tip any standing water that you have. And also the Vector, they're located in Santa Fe Springs, they are hiring for seasonal employees. And if you have someone that's interested in a seasonal job, call them at 562-944-9656. I'd like to also announce that the beautification, the Downey Beautification Award nominees are still being accepted until June 30th, this allows you to nominate your neighbor or yourself that keeps your house pristine or does some new landscaping, even multifamily businesses. It's a good way to acknowledge those that take pride in their homes and their businesses, which keep Downey looking pristine. And... according to the flyer that you can fill out a form here at City Hall up at Public Works. Is that second floor that would be accepting the nominations? Yes, Matt's shaking his head. Or call 562-904-7102. I think you'll be getting a sign, home beautification winner. So look around and let's nominate some for end of the month. AND ALSO I HAVE AN UPDATE. I KNOW EVERYONE LAUGHS AT ME I KNOW EVERYONE LAUGHS AT ME I KNOW EVERYONE LAUGHS AT ME WITH MY CATS BUT FOR OUR WITH MY CATS BUT FOR OUR WITH MY CATS BUT FOR OUR DOWNY CAT SPAY AND NEUTER DOWNY CAT SPAY AND NEUTER DOWNY CAT SPAY AND NEUTER REIMBRACEMENT PROGRAM WE'VE HAD REIMBRACEMENT PROGRAM WE'VE HAD REIMBRACEMENT PROGRAM WE'VE HAD 25 APPLICATIONS IN JUST THE LAST 25 APPLICATIONS IN JUST THE LAST 25 APPLICATIONS IN JUST THE LAST THREE MONTHS AND WE'VE ALREADY THREE MONTHS AND WE'VE ALREADY THREE MONTHS AND WE'VE ALREADY HELPED OWNERS GET THEIR CATS HELPED OWNERS GET THEIR CATS HELPED So we are also in SIACA looking to increase their budget by a couple hundred thousand so that we can offer that to 17 cities that we serve to have more of the clinics come for the weekend. On a weekend, they do 200 pets Friday, Saturday, Sunday. That's a lot of animals. And I want to continue doing that. I'm advocating for that. You see, that's my passion. Concerts in the park. I see the mayor has her schedule out, so I won't take away from that. But I would like to announce something coming on Saturday. It's called FatherCon. My good friend Cecilia Góñez is in there, pastor. I'm not pastor, but... who's the organizer? Patrick. Patrick Erlandson. Patrick Erlandson. And it's June 27th. It's Saturday from 11 to 3 here at the Downey Library. I have a public library. It's free. It's about engaging fathers and reading and bringing the kids. So plan to come down to the Downey Library this Saturday. Again, FIFA, we've said it so many times that I have to say it as well. Amazing collaboration from our first responders, our police, our fire, everyone. My father's looking down and saying, you saw your first German soccer team win. And it's true. I wasn't alone and remiss in saying I haven't ever seen a soccer game. It was fantastic. The camaraderie, the people. I was rooting for countries I never even heard of just because they scored a goal. So it really brings countries together and people together in the music. So great job for everybody. And I think I have to watch them now to the end, which is going to be next month, right? SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND I HAD A NOTE HERE FOR OUR POLICE CHIEF OR SUCH WITH THE FIREWORKS. WE MENTIONED THERE WAS GOING TO BE A HOTLINE. I HAD A RESIDENT REACH OUT AND SAY WILL THERE BE A HOTLINE IF THEY WANT TO REPORT FIREWORKS OR WE CALL THE GENERAL NUMBER. WE'VE DISCUSSED IT BEFORE. WE CAN TALK LATER ON THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER PEMBERTON. I WILL NOT REPEAT ALL OF MY COMMENTS. I SPOKE AT THE BEGINNING. I WANT TO ONCE AGAIN REMIND OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS, OUR The summer concert series are here, and they begin tomorrow. Thank you to everybody. Music and soccer are the language that brings everybody together. And we've been experiencing it. I did want to mention the individuals that visited our VIP fan zone from Spain, and then I know we have from Japan. And these individuals were just so excited to be here and couldn't stop raving about what a beautiful city Downey is. Thank you, everybody. I do want to mention for the community, our first council meeting in July, scheduled for July 14, is dark, so we will not have a council meeting. We usually take a little bit of a summer recess. And the next time we will be back is July 28. With that, thank you, everybody again, and city manager, your comments.

I do have just one comment or maybe a request. I know Mexico is playing tomorrow. I don't know if it's too late. Maybe they could put a screen out there for the parents who want to watch the next game. So we have a good turnout. But I don't know if it's too late. But yeah, leaving that out there.

Some restrictions on how we do that. But thank you. I did want to, along those lines, give some extra shout-outs and kudos to Judy and Axel for their hard work as it relates to the FIFA Fan Zone event. They put a lot of effort into organizing and public information and other things, as well as Monica from Parks and Recreation too. And then also lastly just want to say thank you to council. Thank you for your leadership and support over the past year. It's been a great year. We're happy to close this one out but we're looking forward to great things even more in the next year too. So happy 4th of July. Everyone will see you after the 4th.

Thank you. Yes have a happy and safe 4th of July. And with that I will close us out. THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED IN MEMORY OF THE A CREW MEMBERS KILLED IN A B-52 CRASH AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE IN CALIFORNIA. COLONEL GREGORY WATSON, 53, AIR FORCE RESERVIST AND BOEING WEAPONS SYSTEMS OFFICER. LIEUTENANT COLONEL GABRIEL ESTRELLA, 40, WEAPONS SYSTEM OFFICER. MAJOR ALEXANDER DAVIS, AGE 34, WEAPONS SYSTEM OFFICER. pilot, Major Brad Hovey, 35, pilot, retired Lieutenant Colonel Miles Middleton, age 50, a Boeing pilot, Jeremy Smith, age 32, Department of Defense civilian flight test engineer, and Christopher Risher, age 41, flight test engineer. A moment of silence, please. Thank you. This