City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Council Member Carr? Here. Council Member Panduro? Here. Council Member Sandhu, are you online? Hello?

Yes.

Okay, thank you. Council Member Tonneson? Here. Council Member Williams? Here. Vice Mayor Bertani? Here. And Mayor Vaccaro. Thank you.

The invocation will be provided by Pastor John Reed of Fairfield Church of Christ.

So this community, please join me in prayer. Dear God, we come this day, this evening, Lord, thanking you so much for giving us another day. But Lord, we just have to recognize the many, many blessings that you continue to send our way, and we're so thankful for that. Lord, we ask your presence tonight and your blessings tonight in the administration of this meeting. We ask for your wisdom. We ask for your knowledge and your understanding and direction, Lord. Help us to accomplish the agenda that is set before us, Lord, and Help us to do it in a way that will be pleasing and acceptable to you, Lord. And at the end, Father, may we all leave as we come. Servants that want to do the best for this community, we thank you so much for those who have been so willing to serve and do it, Father, in such a way that's so wonderful. And we ask you, Lord, as always, that you would continue to watch over us, protect us in our health, And just give us this evening of time together to consider the things that are necessary. In Jesus' holy name we pray. Amen.

Council Member Carr, can you lead us in the pledge?

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

individual with liberty and justice for all they return now to council reports councilwoman Williams Thank You mayor good evening everyone

Tonight, I wanted to use my city council report to simply say thank you. I especially wanted to thank you to my, I was thinking about the community at large, but then thinking about tonight, I began to think about my community, my support system. As everyone is aware, there's been a barrage of hostile attacks online. And to be able to lean on my community in times like this, I can't even tell you what that means to me. And I wanted to say in person thank you to BWAPA, the Solano Napa chapter particularly. its leadership and its members. Thank you to Emerge. Thank you to other fellow elected officials all throughout Solano County that have reached out to me. Thank you to the neighbors. Thank you to Labor and Trade that have called me. over and over again over the last few weeks. Your support has meant everything to me. It also got me to thinking about, as strange as this may sound, love. Because with community, There is love. I feel love surrounding us. We know that those that are committing these social media acts and acts here in person, we know that that is what they need. We know that there's a degradation of mental health. We know it. And so what we should do is surround thinking about them with love. Because public service has reminded me that we don't always agree. We can have different opinions. We can have different experiences and visions for how we move forward, fairfield forward. And that is what democracy is. And this agreement does not have to become disrespect. I've been thinking about this and our love for our city, our love for our neighbors, and our families, love that allows us to disagree without dehumanizing each other. So I was talking to a sweet little girl about this. Her grandmother was telling her about all what was going on online. And this sweet little girl wrote hearts everywhere on the whiteboard. And that reinforces that our youth are thinking about love too. And then she showed me this. So this is a heart. You're pinching your fingers together. It's a heart. And it reminded me from this sweet little girl that this is what we can do to show how we feel about each other and the community, even in face of it being hard. So I wanted to share that tonight. And thank you, Mayor, for allowing me to speak.

Thank you. Councilman Tonneson.

Thank you, Mayor. Busy couple of weeks again. A lot of backpack giveaways this time of year. We had one at Mount Calvary, and they also did another one at the Sheldon Academy. Laurel Creek Park had their 707 10-year anniversary. Bay North hosted a car wash. St. Mark's, that backpack giveaway was huge. I'm told over 700 hot dogs were, or up to 700 hot dogs. St. Mark's is always a big event. The Tomato Fest was this weekend again, and it's always a well-attended event. The fire and police had a little tomato-eating contest that didn't look tasty, but that was fun. And then one of the, what was an eyesore downtown, and again, I always encourage everyone to go downtown, but the building at 701 Texas Street has finally been renovated. I want to thank the county for that. The exterior looks great. It's a great addition to the downtown, and thank you, Solano County, for getting that done. And that's all from me, Mr. Mayor.

Okay, thank you. Councilman Carr?

Yes, thank you, Mayor. I'll keep it real brief. A lot of us here attended the same thing, St. Mark's Tomato Festival. It's always wonderful. Personally, I would like the Tomato Festival, Mayor, to maybe expand a little bit and we get a little more involved, make it even more of an event. I'm going to talk with the city manager. I just think that that's our big summertime thing. I would just like to see it blow up and just really be all that it can be. um also as far as announcements uh next homeless outreach partnership event hope event will be on the september 30th 10 to 2 over at willow hall and that's all i got for today thank you mayor okay thank you councilwoman pandora thank you mayor good evening everyone so um

The Fairfield City Council and the Susan City Council sit together and make up the board of directors for the Fairfield-Susun Sewer District. And so every year we get to go to several conferences. And so just last week, myself and other members of the board attended what's called CASA, which is interesting because I also work for CASA, but it's for youth and then this is for sanitation. So CASA stands for the California Association of Sanitation Agencies. So we got to go and we received updates with regards to wastewater around at the state and federal level. We also learned about all kinds of interesting things including what types of paper towels and wipes can go down the toilet but shouldn't go down the toilet because it can cause a lot of issues. We also got to celebrate other agencies doing great work in the region around sanitation. And last but not least, we got to celebrate scholarship students. So students that were awarded scholarships who have an interest in going into either the wastewater, water, or environmental services. So it was a really great conference. I learned a lot. And I always appreciate going because you're able to appreciate the things that we take for granted, like flushing the toilet. And so it's really interesting. And I also attended the back to school resource fair over at St. Mark's. I just love going. It's so great to see all the kids walking away, walking around with their new backpacks and walking away ready for school. And I just want to wish all the students a happy and successful new school year, including my two nephews. So I have one entering first grade and then the other one entering as a sophomore over at Sonoma State. I really appreciated the new layout for the Tomato Festival. I liked that the car show was on at one end, and then we took full advantage of the grass area, and that's where the music was. I liked the way that it got expanded that way, and it was just really fun to see the community out. So thank you to Parks and Rec, Public Works, PD, Fire, everyone who was there to make sure that our community had a fun and safe time at the event. And then lastly, for the record, and because it is important, I do want to publicly condemn the personal attacks that my colleague, Councilmember Williams, and other local women leaders have been enduring. The hateful rhetoric and intimidation have no place in our community or our democracy. I stand in solidarity with them and against anyone who may try to undermine their hard work, commitment, and integrity. And Councilmember Williams, thank you.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Bertani.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, everyone, for coming out this evening, for watching from home. It's always great to see you here in the chamber. I just have a few things. I attended an event called Leaders of Men last Saturday over at St. Stephen's CME, and it's a great program that's run by Anthony McDonald, They just finished an entire summer school program on training young African American men in various areas in life. The mayor was there and addressed the crowd as well. And they received certificates for going to school for the entire summer, basically, to receive life skills training. and job training and interviewing skills and how to respond to public safety and how to talk to a police officer. I mean skills that you know just help our youth understand what their capacity is and what their futures can look like with the appropriate kind of training. So I just wanted to The Fairfield-Sassoon Unified School District was there as well, and it was a really well-attended event to celebrate these young men and the programming that's going on over at St. Stephen's CME. So I just wanted to give a big shout-out for youth who voluntarily went to this program for the entire summer. And they received their Rewards Plus on Saturday, so that was fantastic. And then I did go to the Tomato and Vine Festival as well, and it felt good out there. It felt really good, just community, you know, walking around, listening to the music, seeing people you haven't seen in a while. I thought the vendors did a great job. And I'm just going to say it like this. In the words of my kids, it was lit. So I enjoyed it, and I'll always enjoy that. And I want to say also that I recently attended a meeting of the Travis Regional Armed Forces Committee. This was at the Vacaville Veterans Hall. and it was, in a word, fantastic. The veterans prepared a home-cooked meal for us, and it was delicious. It's something that I couldn't prepare as well. It was a great One of the fundraisers that the Travis Regional Armed Forces Committee is hosting is called a Be Grateful for Your Support B4 event. B4, four B's. Anybody want to guess what those four B's are? They stand for beer. Bourbon bubbles and barbecue. Yeah, and this event is going to be held on Saturday September 12th at the Roland Freedom Center Which is at 300 County Airport Road in Vacaville and all of the funding goes to support our the families of our Air Force men and women at Travis Air Force Base. One of the people who presented at the meeting gave kind of a testimonial and read some of the thank yous that they received from Air Force families from prior events. And the thank you was this. Because we received your help from these fundraisers, when we had our baby born I was able to take the time and have our baby and the baby had some health challenges and so to be present instead of worrying about money and that just made me remember that our Air Force men and women, they're families just like ours. And when they need help, they need help. And so it just dawned on me, you know, because we always think of our Air Force men and women as heroes. their families just like ours. And it is a worthy cause to participate in these kinds of fundraisers so that when a family needs help, they can get it. No questions asked. So I was very pleased about that. So remember this. The B4 event, Saturday, September 12. And then finally, I just want to say that the next Clergy Action Network or Fairfield CAN meeting is going to be on Tuesday, August 25th, and it's going to be at the Vista Conference Room over at the Civic Center, 1000 Kentucky Street, 3 to 430. Believe it or not, we are beginning to plan for our annual Thanksgiving meal. That's how fast this year has gone. So feel free to attend, once again, Clergy Action Network, August 25th, this coming Tuesday, 3 to 430 at Vista Conference Room, Willow Hall. And that's all I have, Mr. Mayor. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I just have a couple of things. I also attended the backpack giveaway, and it's always great. Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry, man. Vera, I skipped you. Go ahead. You go next.

That's okay, man. Can you hear me okay in there?

Oh, yeah.

Sorry. Do you have my audio?

Yep.

We can hear you.

Okay. Yeah.

I just want to start off by saying I just want to thank the work that Visit Fairfield has been doing alongside the Suisun Valley Vintners and Growers Association. Myself and a few of my colleagues have the privilege of attending their annual dinner and just want to say that they truly make our region special with the work that they're doing in supporting our ag ecosystem. Alongside that, I just want to take a moment to highlight the event councilwoman torres and i attended for a papa at their annual celebration of young leaders and the work that they're doing to encourage civic engagement among among young folks and i just wanted to highlight those two key things alongside attending the tomato festival alongside most of the council here and just want to thank the city and the city staff and all the vendors who came out to support that because that was truly a wonderful event that's it mayor thank you

Okay, thank you, Councilman Sandu. Sorry about that, I skipped you. So yeah, the backpack giveaway I attended, and that's always a great For someone who's been involved in education for years and years, to me, this is my favorite time of the year for me, watching the kids go back to school. Not only my grandkids, but all the kids. So that was always fun. The Tomato Festival, as always, it was great. Widely attended. I do agree with Councilman Carr. It would be nice if we could even expand it if we had the funding for it. The other thing too, Vice Mayor Bertani talked about leaders of men and I attended that event too and it was really inspiring because people, the work that Anthony McDonald does with these young men, it was just, Hard work does pay off there. And it was really a nice event to go to and attend. And those are the events I attended. But I want to reiterate what I said earlier about school beginnings. Please be careful out there if you're driving. Those little kids are on the street now. They're crossing. I know people are in a hurry. And sometimes you're late to go to work or late to go to school. you know, just take your time when you see kids out there because it's, you know, you always hear about things and I hate to hear anymore. So anyway, that would be my report and now I will turn to Mr. City Manager, your report.

Thank you, Mayor. Just one item. We will be pulling item L1 on their new business and pushing it to the first meeting in September. We're continuing to work with FPFA on that item, so we'll be back in September to present on it.

Okay, Mr. City Attorney, your report.

Thank you. I have one item to report out of closed session. Back on August 4th, 2026, in closed session, the City Council approved a compromise and release in the workers' compensation matter of Kevin Correa, claim number FFL190080, in the amount of $150,000. There was a motion by Carr, seconded by Tonneson, and the motion carried 6-0 with Council Member Sandhu absent. The settlement was approved by the Workers Compensations Appeal Board in Workers Comp Appeal Board number ADJ12273535. And that final order and specifics can be found on the Workers Comp Appeal website in its public record.

that's it thank you okay thank you um city miss madame city clerk your report yes um angela brought us from hr she asked me to let everyone know that we have several career opportunities available we encourage our talented community members to come build their careers with us Here are some of the high impact positions that are currently available. Building Inspector Supervisor, Building Engineering Plans Examiner, Land Development Civil Engineer, Police Officers including Trainees, Dispatchers, Fire Inspector III, and Park Ranger. We're also hiring for a wide variety of part-time positions in Parks and Rec, including lifeguards. So you can visit the website fairfield.ca.gov slash jobs, J-O-B-S. Thank you. And then just one other item. Our Landscape Oversight Committee now has two openings, one for District 2 and one for District 4. You can email the city clerk at Fairfield.ca.gov for an application for either of those and we'll be releasing some information on social media tomorrow on the website. Thank you.

Councilman Carr, you wanted to add something?

Yes, Mayor. I was wondering if I could ask your permission if I can close the meeting tonight in the honor of Lynn Pyle, my mother-in-law who passed away last week.

Absolutely.

Thank you.

Okay, now we will turn to presentations. Madam Clerk?

Yes. Presentation L1, or sorry, I1, legislative update presented by Assistant to the City Manager, Liz Aptekar.

Does the, does it come, oh it doesn't, it has to stay on, got it, okay. I will brief through this. Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, and members of the council. Tonight, I'll provide a brief update on the city's 2026 legislative efforts before turning it over to our advocate, Jason Gonzalez. Each year, the council's legislative platform gives us a framework. It helps us focus our resources on policies, funding opportunities, and partnerships that advance Fairfield's priorities and partnerships while allowing us to respond when proposals could affect our fiscal health, our local authority, our ability to deliver on services. We are now in the final weeks of the state legislative session. The legislature has until August 31 to pass bills and send them to the governor. Then the governor has until September 30 to sign or veto legislation. Staff will continue monitoring activity and advocating for Fairfield's priorities through the end of the session. This year, our advocacy has gone beyond simply monitoring legislation. To date, Fairfield has taken 26 legislative and policy advocacy actions, submitted eight federal funding requests and grant support letters, and engaged three congressional offices and advanced priorities across seven areas of our council's legislative platform. and strengthened five major regional partnerships. At the state level, we advocated directly with representatives during the Cal Cities Leaders Summit and established a working relationship with the Governor's Offices of External Affairs and Business and Economic Development. Our work has addressed important issues including housing, transportation, public safety, water reliability, local control, infrastructure, and military resilience. At the federal level, we submitted congressional directed spending requests to Senator Schiff and Padilla and Congressman Garamendi and have established working relationships with the offices of both senators. We also supported the city's grant applications for the new Cannon Road over crossing. These applications remain pending with decisions anticipated from late fall into early spring. While several of this year's direct funding requests were not awarded, the advocacy itself has helped us build relationships, elevate Fairfield's priorities, and position the city for future opportunities. So if there are three things to take away tonight, Fairfield is more engaged, Our relationships are stronger, and we are increasingly positioning ourselves to influence decisions rather than simply react to them. At this time, I turn the floor over to our advocate, Jason Gonsalves, who will provide his expert insight into this year's session. Jason, the floor is yours. Thank you.

Thank you, Liz, and thank you, honorable mayor, members of the council, Jason Gonsalves. It's a pleasure to be back before you this evening. As Liz mentioned, the legislature is in the final month, final two weeks now of the legislative session. They reconvened on August 3rd with 1,600 plus bills remaining with less than a month to vet those bills. The deadline for the fiscal committee, all bills that were on suspense, was last Friday. Of those 1,600, about 600 of them failed passage or were held under submission. So that leaves about 1,000 bills still remaining for Governor Newsom's final legislative session. There's a couple of, in addition to the thousand bills, as if that wasn't enough, there's a couple of outstanding items the governor and legislative leadership still has yet to resolve. Carrying over from the June budget is the cap and invest, cap and trade, the auctions and what to do with that funding beyond high-speed rail, which is already taking a programmed piece of the funding. So that still is yet to be resolved. The governor also has proposed a wildfire resiliency plan, which is being met with a considerable amount of resistance as part of that wildfire resiliency. The main question is, how much are the investor-owned utilities for this region, using PG&E as an example, off the hook? what will the liability cap look like and what what impacts will that have on your constituents and their homeowners insurance and and rates which obviously are not going down anytime soon so there's a number of local governments and also the ability for local agencies cities and counties to recoup costs for infrastructure rebuilding as part as a result of wildfires so a big issue yet to be resolved We may or may not see it in the next less than two weeks with the governor and legislative leadership and again the opposition that is growing. Another one as it relates to the local agencies is counties and the liability counties are facing from most notably child abuse. lawsuits and as you all likely know LA County for the last couple years has resolved some youth authority litigation to the tune of several billion dollars with a number of plaintiffs still remaining and and the concern and the obvious impact that has on the county's budget and their ability to provide social services and the like is generating a considerable amount of attention LA County and others have advocating for some type of guardrails around that liability where the balance is is yet to be seen but also an outstanding issue for the governor and legislature again racing up against August 31st at midnight and then as we look ahead to obviously it's an election year that's not lost on anyone in this room we will have a new governor I was hearkening back to the fact that, I guess I feel old, I will be starting under my sixth governor, and we haven't had six mayors of Fairfield since I started lobbying, so again, I guess I feel old. but we will have a new governor and new constitutional officers and about 30 of the 120 members of the legislature 25 of the legislature will turn over and take office in december and kick off the 2027 legislative session in january So it will create a change in leadership positions, committee assignments. Your legislators obviously will not be new. Senator Cabaldon and Assemblymember Wilson are fantastic. They're great leaders, and their rank will likely only go up within the legislature, which creates opportunities for continued education and advocacy. But we will see quite a bit of change, and again, from the governor on down. With that it's a never a dull moment in Sacramento and very much appreciate your time I would be remissed if I didn't thank obviously the mayor and council and your management team for your leadership It enables us to advocate and be effective in Sacramento and the partnership is very much appreciated So with that I'm happy to answer any questions you may have Council

No questions? Okay.

Thank you. Glad to see you enjoying retirement, Mayor.

Thank you. So now we go, we now turn to public comments. Madam Clerk, if you please.

Persons wishing to address the city council on subjects not on the agenda but within the jurisdiction of the council may do so at this time. The council cannot discuss or take action on matters not on the agenda for this meeting, but council members may briefly respond to statements made or questions raised by the public, ask for clarification from staff, refer the matter to staff, request staff to report back to the council at a subsequent meeting, or place the matter on a future agenda. If you're online to speak on an agenda item, please use the raise your hand feature or press star nine on your phone. Speakers are limited to three minutes per item as determined by the mayor. And our first speaker is Ryan Massano to be followed by EJ Johnson.

good evening um i wanted to first begin by thanking vice mayor bertani and councilman santu and mr vaccaro for upholding the spirit of the first amendment which was that even if someone strongly disagrees with you as voltaire's biographer said i may strongly disagree with you but i will defend your right to say what you believe to the death So I think that's a good sentiment that we all should have. Gandhi said that many people, especially ignorant people, will persecute you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. But don't stop being correct. And if you're years ahead of your time, don't worry about it. Because if you're right, speak your mind. Even if you're a minority of one, the truth is still the truth. And so, you know... i appreciate that mister tony and uh... mister sandu for actually taking the time to talk to mister macaro volunteers number i did leave messages and uh... smear voicemails were full i never received return calls from a few of you so uh... i think The tomato festival, which I also attended on Saturday, was great. It's just the problem is, this community, we need to have community discussions on a far greater level. Because right now, our political discussions are, let's all go to Facebook and let Facebook censor us and tell us what we need to know. and you can't tell me a single comment section in america on social media where there's not bots so when we're going on there we're going on to bot dominated forums we need to do like here there's no bots controlling what i say there's no bots restricting what you're hearing this is authentic and i think we need to restore that as fast as possible um so One other thing I want to talk about is, and it's very important, is our media. I mean, Facebook is controlled by Mark Zuckerberg. Oracle is owned by Larry Ellison. Wikipedia was started by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Google is owned by Sergey Brin and Larry Page. When you start looking, the New York Times has been owned by the Sulzberger family for 150 years. The Washington Post has been owned for over a century by the Graham family just transferred to Bezos. He's a friend. Reuters, AP, they're all controlled by the same group. And if you say who that group is, wild outrage starts, and you get called the terrible names. Thirty seconds. And so the average person doesn't really want to be called a lot of these names, so they kind of timidly back away. But if we're going to tackle something that's a big topic, we need to be men about it, and we need to put on our big boy pants and tell the truth and stop being afraid. Because the problem's not going to be fixed, and it's larger than Fairfield. This is national. This is international. My time is limited, but again, thank you for those who did speak, and I look forward to what the future holds.

Next is E.J. Johnson to be followed by Dr. Latresa Wilson-Alford. Good evening, mayor, council, city staff, and members of the community.

I'm here tonight on behalf of the Downtown Theater Foundation of the Arts with a quick update of what's happening at the Downtown Theater. We have a great weekend of live music coming up with two national touring tribute shows back to back. This Friday, August 21st at 7.30 p.m., Jack Wright brings his Neil Diamond superstar show, Downtown Theater. celebrating the music of Neil Diamond and some songs that have become a part of the soundtrack of American popular music. Then, on Saturday, August 22nd at 7 p.m., James Garner returns with his acclaimed tribute to Johnny Cash. James and his band bring the music of Johnny Cash to life in concert that celebrates not only Cash's music, but the American experience behind so many of those songs. So if you're looking for something to do this weekend, spend both Friday and Saturday night right at the Downtown Fairfield. And we are quickly heading into our fall theater season. In September, Missouri Street Theater opens Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It is one of Stephen Sondheim's most celebrated musicals, and we have an incredibly strong cast and production team putting this show together. We also want to invite young performers in the community to get involved. Children 7 through 18 can now sign up for Missouri Street Theater's production of Shrek the Musical Junior, performing this November. It is a wonderful opportunity for these young people to get on stage, build confidence, make friends, and experiences in live theater from inside Solano County's premier musical theater. Tickets will also be going on sale for the remainder of Missouri Street Theater's season, There is a lot to look forward to. We have our annual production of the Rocky Horror Show in October, followed by Disney's Frozen in September, Come From Away in the spring, and then the summer of 2027, we are very excited to bring Les Miserables back into the downtown theater. It is going to be a very busy year of concerts, theater, young performers, professional artists, and hundreds of people coming into the downtown Fairfield experience to live entertainment. As always, we appreciate the continued support from the City Council, our audiences, volunteers, and everyone who helps keep the arts thriving in our community. Thank you, and we hope to see you at the theater. Thank you.

Dr. Latresa Wilson-Alford, to be followed by Caroline Kelleher.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, and good evening to the city council. My name is Latresa Wilson-Alford. I'm president of the Solano-Napa chapter of Biwapa. Two weeks ago, in these very chambers, I watched two men attack my sister, Councilwoman K. Patrice Williams. Since then, she's been doxxed, criminally threatened, and harassed for doing the right thing to protect the integrity of our government. I thank the No Kings movement for refusing to take the bait and attack a black councilwoman. That movement fights for justice, not against black women. What happened here was appalling. One of the men attacked Kay Patrice and our mayor's wife. Mr. Mayor, you are rightfully spoke up to protect your wife. We need you and ask you to do the same for your council. and say clearly that attacks on members will not be tolerated in this chamber, as did former Mayor Richmond Mayor Tom Butt and former Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis. Children are watching, including a Girl Scout in this audience and others online. I wonder what they thought watching men who look like their fathers and their grandfathers behave this way. Men who should be leading. Tonight I asked them, is there someone behind the scenes discouraging you from doing the same? One of these men claimed to speak for black women. You do not have that right. I do. And I can tell you that Kay Patrice is our charter president of BeWAPA, a businesswoman, a nonprofit leader who cares for women of all races, and a leader who keeps showing up under pressure. Since 2022, her record on this council speaks volumes. She fights for major street repairs, supports funding for public safety, champion high wage jobs, and organized labor in small businesses. She reads every agenda, and refuses to rubber stamp convenience. She ensures that working families, youth, and seniors have a seat at the table. She stays connected through town halls and direct outreach with Fairfield residents. She does not deserve to be doxxed, threatened, or attacked in this chamber while our children watch.

30 seconds, ma'am.

Hate cannot hide behind processes. It is not freedom of speech. These are mere political disagreements, no. They represent a calculated effort to silence and marginalize. Hate is not Fairfield, a proud city, a city of diverse people and interests. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is Caroline Kelleher to be followed by Rita Urshaw.

good evening my name is Caroline Kelleher and I am a lifelong Fairfield resident I'm speaking to you today to urge you to oppose the proposed construction of a data center at the northeastern edge of our city the center will be 150 megawatts which will use as much energy annually as over a hundred and ten thousand homes which is essentially doubling our city's energy usage and driving up our utility prices Six years ago this week, the LNU complex fires burned over 40,000 acres and destroyed 854 structures within Solano County alone. Thanks to the efforts of firefighters who utilized our local water resources, these numbers were not higher. Data centers have not only contributed to the environmental conditions that create wildfires, but are also a massive consumer of water resources, which will continue to impact firefighting efforts. The city of Fairfield has agreed to provide water to the project, which could use over a million gallons of water per day. In a county that has dealt with extreme droughts as long as I can remember, power fluctuations and pressures from climate change, it's imperative that our elected officials remember that they need to serve their constituents, including ensuring that we have maintained access to utilities like clean water at a fair price and not serve these big data corporations. Also, this proposal will not bring permanent jobs to our city. Construction is the bulk of the labor needed for data centers, as we've seen in projects across the country. And once this work is finished, these workers will be out of a job, as data centers require very low full-time staffing. Revenue only lines to pockets of tech giants, not the residents that have to suffer through the multitude of associated issues, including continuous ambient noise that is up to 85 decibels. People living near these compare it to a vacuum cleaner running permanently in our home. In addition, I find it highly insulting that the company behind the plan specifically chose Fairfield as their site due to our low real estate prices. This continues to have really strong negative implications about our community and is illustrated of a company preying on what they perceive to be a community that might be less likely to fight back. Do we really want to buy into that notion? As somebody who studied environmental science in college and works in the environmental sector, I'm concerned about data centers. But as somebody that was born and raised in Fairfield, I'm very, very saddened that this might be coming to our community and affect the environment like the hills that I used to grow up walking on with my mom and dad ever since I was born. ask you to put the people who elected you and our hometowns environment first and not take the wishes and not the wishes of a firm based far away in Kansas City please reconsider the development agreement that was established and take steps to prohibit data centers in our city please let the citizens of Fairfield vote on and against this idea thank you

Next is Rita Urshaw to be followed by M. O'Malley. Mary, I'm sorry. Did you say you are not going to speak?

I'm not going to.

Oh, you're not. OK, sorry.

Good evening to the mayor and the council. I'm a long time Fairfield resident. I've lived in Travis Acres for 37 years. This is an issue that I've been going back and forth with the city about the police department and public works about a particularly dangerous situation that involves traffic. in my area. It's the cross streets that merge onto Orchid to go to North Texas Street. There is a curve. I don't know if you know the area, but Dahlia Street, it's very unusual. Dahlia Street transitions to Orchid Street on a curve, a blind curve. And it's always been tricky making left-hand turns from the cross streets, which are Camellia, Begonia, and Jasmine streets. It's been that way since I've lived there, but it's particularly, in the last couple of years, it's downright dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. You absolutely cannot see to turn left unless you're out in the middle of the street, while other cars are coming around a blind curve. And the problem is, and I have pictures, residents i believe i don't know who the residents are but they park on the right hand side right between curb to curb where the curve is and you absolutely there's one little tiny crack where you can see somebody going around the curve but when the person's tree grows you're absolutely blind i can't tell you how many times i've heard horns screeching breaks People yelling. So to make a long story short, this has been going on for two years. I've been writing to the city and the public works department. I've spoken with Cassidy Uber, the police officer, who agrees with me. It's a dangerous situation. Submitted her report to the city. Mr. Wong, Garland Wong, they won't do a simple thing like paint the curb red. Somebody is going to get hurt and basically. You know, I just want it noted that this was reported also to the wonderful City Council, but I've been trying for two years with no help. So thank you. Thank you for listening.

Chief is someone she could talk to in the back about. OK, one of the officers. OK.

um anna peteros next to be followed by patrick williams good evening mr mayor members of city council

Ana Patera, Fairfield District Unified School District Governing Board Trustee, Area 6. I'm speaking as an individual. As you all know, school started last week. And in many of those classrooms, I'm reminded of little children who aspire to be police officers when they grow up and firefighters when they grow up. So I'd like to thank our police force and the direction of Chief Marshall and all of our firefighters. for being role models for those young people. They're one of our school's PSA, whose actually students are training to be in the positions that you're in now. Many of those students also aspire to be in elected office, as many of us are, and many of you were born and raised and graduated from Fairfield-Disney Unified School District and what is so important about what we do as Madam Vice Mayor and Mayor did last Saturday was to show up for our children so they see you and they see you just like us and we can be you when we grow up so I'd like to thank you for showing up I'd like to thank Councilmember Tonneson, you represent my district and you always show up for us. And I want to thank you for all you do. I especially want to thank Councilmember Williams. I'm from the South Pacific. I'm an immigrant to this country. What you and your organization have done for me and my people in the diaspora in Solano County. There's so few of us. You gave us a space to heal, to talk about our trauma as children, and you were a role model to me. And I want to thank you for being there, for showing up, for your stoicism, for your fierce, silent leadership. And I want to thank you for your heart because you continue to help heal me so that I can be a better representative for our children. Thank you all so much for your service. Mr. Gassaway isn't here, but I want to encourage him and thank him for everything that he's doing for our city and for the children and for our future.

mahalo next is patrick williams to be filed followed by michael jefferson all right well that's a load of uh race beating bs um it's great that people are am i on Hello? Okay, well, it's great that people are talking about anti-bullying, but that being said, it's being brought by one of the biggest bullies you have right up here. You know, she's in there playing the victim, crime victim. She has a track record of going after people who simply disagree with her on policy. There's been complaints put in about her from other people where she's called them mentally ill. And doing other slanderous things. Mind you, she's actually doxxed people who simply disagree with her. Doxxed people. A sitting councilwoman doxxing people. She's listing full legal names, vehicles they drive, people they associate with. No one did that to her. I don't know where you all got that from, but she's full of it. she sits there and states she's fine with disagreement about policy then why do you why do you get into it with people and slander people and smear people and get nasty with people who disagree with policy with you see my beef with you didn't start with any of this other garbage it started with that very thing All the way back when you were active in Vallejo, you were slandering people, pulling the race shit. Sorry, someone else said it last week, I'm gonna say it now too, right? One of her people actually said it.

Please try not to.

Sure. It started with you and your race beating, trying to turn people against each other based on race to where you can move up in power. It all started with you. And now you're playing the victim? Cry me a river. what would you do if people were targeting your family members over simple disagreement listing their names cars they drive people they associate with which she did i have screenshots of it excuse me mr williams can you address the dice sure by the way your wife was actually paid by california forever i'm not going to let that go um so this whole playing the victim playing the good guy thing it's bs you're running for office again you're power hungry you're an authoritarian pig and you do not care about the people you care about your own power and trying to rewrite history to make yourself out to be the victim when the reality is you have a long track record of bashing people and slandering them by the way what's up with those pictures you took of me when you're up here on the dice same with you by the way That's enough. You all need to probably get out of office. And what's with the silence about her mishandling of situations or standing up for her with doxing residents? Do you think that's appropriate for someone who's in a position of power to do it?

That's sick. Time's up.

Next is Michael Jefferson.

Hi, good evening, guys. So I've got to say that you can't criticize power enough, so this needs to be reminded about Kay Patrice Williams. As the last speaker said, she has committed crimes, genuine crimes. I've listed them out last time. It was doxing. You have not been a victim of doxing. No one knows where you live, and that's even an open question as well. You tried to put that on Kat Moy when that's an open question for you. The thing is, is that you cannot criticize power enough. You have a position of power that is over everyone else. You have a platform. We citizens do not. We have the absolute right to criticize you, to call you out, to say the things you're doing that are wrong, especially to hold you accountable. This is absolute in America. This isn't some hate campaign. And I love that you guys love to cloak yourself in righteousness. That's happened so much. Do not pit us with this race garbage because everyone's sick of it. We're sick of it in America. Everyone's fine with everyone. We are criticizing you as a person. Do not hide behind race or gender. I'm a Native American. I'm 0.1% here. I am not someone who's hating anybody. And particularly, I have the right to say these things because everyone is on stolen land. That is the fun fact. So we have the right to criticize positions of power. You do not have the right to silence us or tell us we're hateful. We're holding power accountable because power has oppressed us historically and you know that for a fact. And one other topic is data centers. I originally came here to talk about the data center being built in Northeast Fairfield. This was run by the city planning commission that was given ministerial right before anyone else. Someone tried to make some hit piece online about Kat Moy talking about how many jobs this is going to create. Well, oh, that's the hit job is that she asked, did her due diligence and asked how many jobs this would create. And she got the answer. It's 40. So a massive data center of 150 megawatts which is just a hundred and ten thousand homes is not worth it it is not a job creator it is a net negative to all of Fairfield and I highly suggest putting a moratorium or some sort of ban on data centers because this is how they do it this is how they backdoor it none of you guys approved it nobody on the council approved it nobody democratically voted it in And it's because they utilize old industrial standards. They try to say, oh, well, you approved a warehouse. Well, data centers kind of look like warehouses, so therefore we can do it. Because there's no code inside MuniCode right now that states data centers can be used in specific manners. So you have to outline it. You have to be very specific.

30 seconds.

Because they will preemptively come in and sneak in, and this is how they come in and backdoor this constantly. So you've got to be very vigilant. This is why moratoriums and bans on data centers are absolutely essential, because they will come in and they will backdoor everything through old language, through vague zoning laws, and they will absolutely do that. And I can consult with anybody, any one of you, and I can tell you exactly how they do it. Thank you so much for your time. God bless.

Next is Gian McDougald to be followed by Elise Cheek.

So I want to start off by saying how much I appreciate Thank you. Thank you for us, on behalf of us short people. I want to start off by thanking the city council, our police force, our firemen, and our others, and particularly our city clerk who doesn't always get the accolades that she really, really deserves. She takes a lot of stuff and she's there for everyone. And I want to thank each and every one of you. I want to start off by saying I want to start off by denouncing the misogynist, racist attack against the women of not only Fairfield, because some people have gone to other cities like Sissou as well, as our mayor's wife and so forth, and made those attacks. But I also want to attack, want to denounce the materials against our vice mayor. I want to denounce that. And I also want to tell people to please avoid the shiny objects. And the shiny objects are in the form of racism, California forever, as well as other things. Let's not get distracted. I want to thank the city council for doing regular things that the people have elected you for. by looking at the CDBG needs assessment survey and the responses that we got from the community about how they are interested in more services in terms of housing, transportation, seniors, and so forth. These are ordinary things that those who want to shine the little shiny objects of racism and other isms and everything else, they want to distract you. I want to thank you on behalf of looking at the legislative report that talked about housing, that talked about transportation. I want to thank you on behalf of those who showed up for the backpack giveaway. I've been doing that for as long as I've been in Fairfield. I've been volunteering for that. And all those people who denounce and attack our elected leaders, I never see you out there picking up trash. I never see you out there volunteering at schools. I never see you out there at churches or out there doing anything for the community. 30 seconds. come on people let's come together let's be a good example for our children and be good citizens and be kind to each other and be loving and thank you again for your service next is Elise Cheek to be followed by Ramel Stevenson excuse me let them speak please I don't want to warn you again

Good evening, Mayor, members of the city council, city staff. One interesting thing that came up tonight is it's not about racism, but I didn't hear all of these attacks on Councilmember Williams six months ago. So this is something that's just started recently, and it could be racially bound. But tonight I want to take a moment to give recognition where recognition is due. Councilmember Kay Patrice Williams, I want to publicly thank you for your service, your leadership, and your commitment to the people of Fairfield. Leadership is not simply about holding a title or occupying a seat on this dais. Leadership is about showing up. It's about asking difficult questions, and sometimes it means having the courage to stand firm when standing firm isn't easy. I've seen this council member who understands that the people of District 1 deserve to have a voice, the decisions that shape our neighborhoods and their future. I appreciate your commitment to community engagement and your willingness to meet residents where they are. I also recognize your broader commitment to creating opportunity, strength, and community and helping people find a path forward. In public life, criticism often travels faster than gratitude. So tonight, I don't want gratitude to remain silent. I want you to know that your work is seen, your service is appreciated, and your successes deserve to be acknowledged. None of us expect elected leaders to be perfect. We expect them to be present, accountable, courageous, and willing to serve. Councilmember Williams, please continue to listen, continue to ask difficult questions, continue to stand up for people you represent, and continue working towards a Fairfield where every resident believes their voice matters. Tonight, I simply want to say thank you. Thank you for showing up, thank you for serving, and thank you for believing in people and the future of Fairfield. May your continued service leave Fairfield stronger than you found it. Thank you.

Next is Ramel Stevenson to be followed by Andrea Lair.

Hello, everyone. My name is Ramel Stevenson. I'm Marisa's uncle. And I was doing a... I can't even find it, so we can just go off a whim here. All right, I'm going to just go on a limb. I ain't got my speech. Hello. So I was doing some research because I've really been sitting with this, and I really want to continue to show up just for continuity but also consistency. I really do feel like my nephew matters.

Not only does he matter, but any little boy, any little girl within the school system matters.

And so I was looking into things, and I had seen that I guess last year in 2025 you guys had something with the grand jury where you guys made an agreement to protect and implement things within the school system as it relates to resource officers. And the agreement is all over the internet. You can find it if you guys don't know what I'm talking about. But what I didn't find was any programs that really held some of the promises that you guys agreed to from the grand jury. And that's a little problematic for me, specifically given the situation, not only with my nephew, but with Jamario Baker. Both of those situations kind of went against these agreements that you guys made and went against the mission that the grand jury was looking for. And it dawned on me that I've been coming up here asking for you guys to reinvent the wheel, but it seems like there's already a wheel in motion. And so what I'm asking again is for it to be on the agenda, where are you guys at? What has been implemented since that promise you made to the grand jury? No remedy can be created if you're not listening to the voices of this city, and it damn sure can't be created if you're not listening to the grand jury. So all I'm asking is for you to put it on the agenda, take a look, you guys hold power to do that, and see what could be implemented, because Maurice and Jamario were supposed to be protected based on this agreement y'all made. So I'm asking you guys to use your power And do what needs to be done. The kids deserve it. Thank you.

Next is Andrea Lair.

good evening as a fairfield resident co-creator of the petition to ban flock cameras and protect measure p funds i am here to challenge the false narrative that if you aren't doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about we should not have to surrender our privacy and have our daily movements logged into a database just to live in our own town the truth is ai technology makes massive dangerous mistakes and despite the high tech promises it is not a cure-all For public safety right here in Fairfield, 36 year old Chantel Brooks has been missing for over a month. while Flock reported her car to Oakland weeks ago. The technology did not protect her, it hasn't found her, and it cannot replace real community-based safety. Furthermore, the same entities pushing these invasive tech structures are trying to build massive data centers in our community at the expense of our local resources. The community's trust is fragile. Let's not forget, just two months ago, our former mayor abruptly resigned under intense public pressure, proving that the residents are watching. And the pressure is real. We demand that you listen to your constituents who refused to use Measure P tax dollars to track the residents Sorry. We demand that you listen to your constituents. Refuse to use Measure P tax dollars to track law-abiding citizens and defund flock to put our privacy first. Thank you.

I do have two hands raised online, but did anyone else wish to speak? I don't have any other speaker cards.

Anyone else like to speak? Okay, then we'll go online.

Okay. Valeria, can you bring the first speaker on, please?

Yes, I actually had three people. Oh, okay. The first one is Andrea Shah. Thank you. Hello, can you hear me okay?

Yes. Hi, council members. Hi, Mr. Mayor. My name is Andrea Shaw. I am a resident of the One Lake neighborhood in Fairfield, and I'm just joining tonight because I wanted to echo some of the earlier sentiments from other community members regarding the potential data center that's being discussed on Vanden and Northgate. It's referred to as Project North Bay Solutions. The project may be presented as economic development, but the people who live with the consequences deserve more transparency and meaningful input. A data center is not an ordinary neighbor. It can bring persistent industrial scale noise from cooling systems and backup generators, heavy construction activity, diesel emissions during testing or outages, major electricity and water demands, and it changes the character and livability of neighborhoods. These impacts are especially troubling when families, I'm sorry, When the facility is proposed close to homes and families, I'm particularly concerned that Fairfield residents could be asked to absorb the noise, pollution, visual impacts, traffic, and strain on local infrastructure, while the primary benefits flow to a private company. Before this project moves forward, the city must clearly explain who benefits, what the full environmental and public health impacts will be, how noise and emissions will be monitored and enforced, and whether local residents will receive meaningful, lasting benefits in return. I urge the council not to treat public input as a procedural box to check after key decisions have already been made. Please require a thorough and independent environmental review. Publicly disclose projected electricity and water use, generator emissions, noise levels, construction impacts, and emergency plans. Hold accessible public meetings near the affected neighborhood and establish enforceable limits, monitoring, and consequences if the operator violates them. This development cannot demonstrate that it will protect the nearby residents' health, peace, and property values. It should not be approved in its current location. Fairfield's growth should not come at the expense of people who already call this city home. I ask each council member to listen closely to the affected residents, insist on full transparency, and put the community's well-being ahead of the private development's interests. Thank you for your time.

Next speaker is Alicia Minion. Thank you.

Alicia, could you repeat your name, please?

Hi, Alicia Minion. Thank you. Okay, so although I live in Vacaville, I'm just down the road from the proposed data center and PG&E substation. And so I have a request. Given the gravity of the project and the implications, I'm asking that council agendize uh... the data center and the substation proposal and that you can make it so that at least we just talk about data centers and substations just generally and to get the public's input because despite the fact that these projects uh... according to the city fall under a master of public uh... oh it's a PUD a planned unit development uh... without seeing that agreement It's difficult to know how did the city attorney ascertain that the developer can obtain a permit by right. I'm asking the city to hire an independent third party legal attorney to review the master plan unit development agreement to ensure that in fact this project can be built or the developer can obtain a permit by right. I don't believe the substation would fit at all because that's a utility. And my primary concern is that the substation is needed so that a massive lithium-ion battery project like the Corby project that's proposed in unincorporated Vacaville can tie in. And so now you could have data centers and lithium-ion battery projects. And that would be a travesty because those type of projects create disadvantaged communities. And that's just a fact. And so I'm asking for that. And it should be agendized as soon as possible. I also think you should have a separate workshop to address these issues. And I think the public should know that the city of Fairfield is a member of Marin's Lean Energy. They're supposed to be the good guys. They procure allegedly renewable energy, and they show up on everyone's PG&E bill in Fairfield. And you're actually paying more than if you were a customer of PG&E. I attended the technical committee for MCE last month. The staff disclosed that they anticipate a significant additional load.

You have 30 seconds.

Because of AI data centers that are going to be built within MCE's members, and you are a member, I'd like staff to call MCE and get a list of the proposed data centers that are in Solano County and the neighboring counties. Because even a neighboring county like Contra Costa County, like the city of Pittsburgh, they have a massive AI data center that's being proposed. The power company that's powering that, Pittsburgh Power Company, it powers Mare Island. This could affect our utility rates. We are facing, I mean, this could cause financial harm. Thank you.

Next speaker is Diana Solis. Thank you, Valeria. Go ahead.

Hello, can you guys hear me?

Yes. Awesome.

So hello, I am Diana Solis. I am currently a student at UC Davis, and I am studying marine and coastal science. And with this major, I learned a lot, obviously, about the environment, the marine ecosystem. And every time I go to class, it's honestly hard because I'm constantly learning that the planet that we are on is in severe threat of all the anthropogenic effects that we are doing we are damaging the earth so much so you know with learning all this and then coming back home and then learning that the city is possibly allowing a data center to be established here is heartbreaking not only because of the dangers and threats but also fairfield is still so new and fresh and the ecosystem here such as the marsh is already kind of facing a lot of problems and for us to put a data center here and use all these resources that already aren't stable is truly so heartbreaking and i'm honestly at a loss for words to how to describe this especially as a young person i'm looking at my home and i'm like is it really going to be here in a few years you know data centers pose a lot of threats they are also using a cooling system since you know it's a massive center with thousands of computers and obviously they overheat. They use a cooling system that is honestly one of the laziest methods that I've heard of, which is just using water as a cooling. And it makes you think like if we maybe put more funds into education and pushing STEM for our students, our kids, that maybe we could find a solution for an ethical data center if that's even possible. But that is way in the future and we are not there yet at all. So I honestly ask this council to please put this on the agenda. We are not ready for Ghana centers. We are not. It is way too... harmful for our community, is way too harmful for our technology. They're a bigger fish to fry than placing a data center here. And I don't want to keep repeating myself, but I'm just going to keep saying it is so dangerous to put that here, not only because of the effects on the environment, but also on the people. The radiation that it lets out is not going to be beneficial at all for us. And not just that, but the constant noise. You know, if we complain about people revving their engines down,

Thank you.

revving their engines down the street, I just want you to please imagine having this data center having a constant humming playing 24-7. They are never turned off. They're constantly playing and the watts that this sound emits is higher than, I don't want to say a plane, I'm not quite sure, it is enough to damage the ears of folks. So placing it near homes is just disastrous. Thank you so much for your time. I hope I was clear and yeah, thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Mr. Mayor, may I respond? Sure. There was a request from I think one of the speakers to have the city attorney take some action and I think there was a request to have the city council agendize this matter. Until today, I was not aware that there was a data center being built in the city of Fairfield. My staff does staff planning commission and assist the community development department with building and planning projects. What I can tell is it appears to have been an article in the Vallejo Sun yesterday discussing that the developer at the Northeast Fairfield that people have been talking about have pitched a project to build a data center, but that there is currently no entitlements granted by the city for said data center. It looks like this is an idea that the developer is seeking. And as this council is aware, individual property owners have a right to kind of dream up whatever they want to do on their property, but dreaming it and talking about it is far from getting permits and entitlements. So I don't know where all these comments came from. I don't pretend to be all knowing. So maybe there is something being built without the city's knowledge, in which case the city could seek an injunction. But as far as I know, having read the Vallejo Sun article, it was very clear in the article that they were talking about a concept. I will also note that two things that this council is very aware of, that there are California building codes, Title 24, Part 2, that deal with energy emissions, cooling requirements for any data center that would need to go through the permit and vetting process through the city before anything would take place. And I've had a chance to talk to Mr. Zeller, the community development director. There are no such applications pending. um and secondly and probably most important for this council and the public to understand is that every property owner whether you own a house or a building or a business you have a due process right to ask for permission to do what you want with a property and for this council to make a prejudgment and prejudge an issue before anything has come before the council would be a violation of any property owners due process rights so i would recommend that no uh item be agendized until we get some formal application from any property owner which is what we would do for any property owner in this city so again i do not completely staff planning that's my colleague christian petrangelo but we heard throughout the day about these protests for data centers and so I have done a little digging. It appears to come from this Vallejo Sun article and I will urge the council and the public to read it again. It does not say that it's being built. It says that you know, the developers are talking about it. Well, you know, I'd like to have a pool in my backyard, doesn't mean I'm going to have one. And I don't mean to make light of the situation, but I'm just saying there's a distinction between talking about something and scoping something out and submitting a formal application. So if somebody is aware of a formal application or ground being broken, I think they should let Mr. Zellers or someone in the city know because it didn't go through the permit process and it is not currently going through the permit process. So I just wanted to clear that because there seemed to be very strong feelings about it, and I think that the public has a right to know legally, you know, what I can figure out. So thank you.

Thank you, Mr. City Attorney. So any more online, Madam Clerk? No. Okay, so we're going to turn to the consent calendar.

yes all matters listed on the consent calendar are to be approved with one motion unless a member of the city council or the public requests that separate separate action be taken on a specific item and i do have three speaker speaker cards on item k2 so we do need to pull that first okay and also councilman williams

Yes, Mayor, can we pull K-4? Which one? K-4, that's with Lopes Road.

K-4, okay. So why don't we do the speakers first?

All right. I need to read the item K2. Resolution 2026-156, golf volunteer program, approving a volunteer program for city golf courses and adopting volunteer service benefit policy. I don't know if Christina is here today. She's not.

No, but Stacy Phillips is here. She is the acting director.

If there's any questions, okay. I'll just call the first speaker then. Charlie Stower.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, City Council. I am a volunteer at Rancho Solano Golf Course. I've been working there for four years. And I'm going to give you a run out of last month of what I did. I worked seven shifts, four and a half hours a shift, for a total of 31.5 hours for the month of July. Kemper wants to make us employees at a minimum wage of $16.90 per hour, and that would cost, my monthly paycheck would have been $532.35. I played four rounds of golf at Rancho. The asking price is $56 a round, at four it was $224. My cost was $5 a round because I'm a volunteer. So the loss for Kemper from my monthly pay was $204. If you take that $204, subtracted from the $532.35 that I would have been paid is a net savings for me being a volunteer of $328.35 a month. I want to let you know some of the things that we're responsible for, not only pace of play, which we have brought down from over five hours to below four and a half. We're responsible for repairing divots, we're responsible for picking up the trash, and we're also responsible for Taking care of the parking lot only clean but surveying for thieves break-ins and things like that That's basically all I have to say I think we're a very important Part of the golf course we've maintained it and we've kept it so people want to come and play here and My suggestion to the council before you make any decisions is take a ride down to Blue Rock or take a ride over to Route 4 and take a look at the other golf courses that they're maintaining, Kemper is, and compare it to ours. And then you'll see the value of us volunteers. Thank you, and if you have any questions, I'd be willing to answer. Thank you.

Next speaker is Chris Peterson. Yes, Ron can go first. Ron Collins.

Hello again. Thank you for the opportunity, mayor and city council members. Thank you, Mr. Reese, for passing out the information that each one of you should have now. This thing has been going on about volunteer marshal program since December 12, 2025. We've had multiple meetings with the Gulf Advisory Board, and this is the third city council meeting to talk about volunteer marshals. I was hoping, I thought we had put it to bed at the July 7th meeting, we talked about the proposals. And I understood that the city council liked the Golf Advisory Board recommendations. Councilwoman Fartini called me up and said, would the marshals be satisfied with the Golf Advisory Board recommendations? I said, yes, but there was two items missing. The two items, if you remember that form, that's what we were talking about. The two items were the scheduling procedure. It made more sense for the schedule to be developed at the golf course working with the head pros than it did to make the schedule in city hall and then send it back to the golf courses for implementation. The other recommendation was the 30 marshals at each course. That is in the resolution, so that did make it back. But the other recommendations of Monday through Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is after 1 PM. I might recommend you add the holidays in that too for after 1 PM. And then allowing to play with a paying golfer who has an advanced reservation. All those were golf advisory board recommendations. None of those made it to what you're looking at tonight in the proposal, except The top two, the one-for-one, one round equal one round of golf, the $5 flat rate fee, and the 50% discount for food and beverage. None of the others, which in my mind is the most important, is the opportunity to play. We all, marshals do not get free golf. We don't get complimentary golf. We earn our perks by what we do. We have, everyone is satisfied. I work six times every month, pretty much, seven sometimes. I play four times a month. I leave two on the table. I don't look to play six times a month or seven times. I can't play that way. Also, I can't go to the golf course as it is in proposal that you were looking at. I can't go to the golf course on a Monday morning and wait and hope Somebody shows up with a threesome and needs somebody. Well, that's the proposal that the city's put out. I'm not sure where that comes from because it did not adhere to the Gulf Advisory Board recommendations, which I think the majority, if not all, supported that. And my understanding was the direction was going to go back to the Gulf Advisory Board, update, tweak the proposal, and bring it back to city council. It didn't make it on the 4th when y'all met, and it's not here tonight. I'm not sure what the disconnect was, and I don't know what the why is, but what I understood the council saying that night did not make it to the proposal that you're looking at tonight. I would strongly urge or support any consideration to meet a fourth time if you have to to get this right. And thank you for your time.

NEXT IS CHRIS PETERSON.

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. AND I APPRECIATE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS YOU'VE BEEN ASKED. I THINK IT WAS COUNCILMAN TONNESEN I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS LAST TIME ABOUT WHAT THE EMPLOYEES WERE GETTING AND The fairness of that, I remember that question was asked. I was hoping that Ron was going to mention something that he told me he was going to mention. That's why I had him go first. But he was comparing the amount of money that it would cost under the original. And I'm going to back up a little bit. You'll recall a couple of meetings ago, they had three proposals up there. The proposal from Kemper was to pay employees, was to pay marshals. That would cost, I believe it was about $11,000, $12,000 a month. And who was it that came and said, we don't need to get paid? It was the marshals that said, we'll save all that money for the golf course. We'll volunteer and do it for free. We won't make you pay us. Just give us a fair playing opportunity. And that fair playing opportunity is less than what we have been under for the last, I've been doing this 15 years. What we agreed to was even less than that. And now we're told the only way you can play is show up in the morning, put your name on a list, and hope that nobody else comes. All we're asking for is what the golf advisory board recommended. You play with a paying customer, like I play with the SIRS, the retired guys, once a week, that's all. And like Ron, I worked six shifts last month and played three times. A great return on its money. And in all candor, there are a lot of people that are not going to be interested in continuing as marshals if this proposal is the only way you can play is to basically show up and hope you can get a get a time and not necessarily play with your friends. Again, it's so frustrating for us to see that what we have given to Kemper and to the golf course and then being told, well, we're going to give you this minor irrelevant gift, this opportunity to play that really isn't much of an opportunity. I also think it's a little, I have to put, I don't want this to be perceived as a personal attack because it's not, but the Parks and Rec director has told me twice to my face that in her opinion we don't deserve anything because other volunteers don't.

30 seconds, Chris.

She has said you don't deserve any benefit at all. And I think that when you're evaluating what's fair, keep that in mind. Again, it's not a personal attack on her character, her integrity, but it is an attack on her bias. It's her opinion that because we are, quote, volunteers, we don't deserve any benefit at all. so thank you and we'd ask again just to be fair and let us play occasionally the way we do and it's still a great net benefit for the city and for the golf course um we have one more speaker card carol haddock

Good evening. I think you all know I'm the Vice Chair of the Golf Advisory Board and we've been going back and forth and even had a special meeting about the marshals probably since February when we had our first meeting of the year. And we worked very hard on this, as did the city, as did HR, as did David Gassway, to really look at a 30-year-old program and say, you know, it's time to make this and cross all the T's and dots all the I's and actually have a program that's written up and a golf manual and the exact procedure for what does a marshal receive. When this finally came out in May, the city had an option, and Kemper had an option. The marshals did not like that. They were very far divided. At the next golf advisory board meeting, the board decided that, well, why don't we make a compromise? Because these guys have been doing a great job. They've been doing it a lot of years. There's a lot of them. And we as golf advisory board members have been put on by you to not only work with the golfers and communicate with the golf management company to make it a better experience, but also to look at the profitability of the golf courses. Because it's been made very clear that no more subsidies will be given. And I see a nod there. And what we did, and there was 20-odd items we discussed as a golf advisory board in public, in front of the marshals. And not every one of the 20-odd items was universally agreed on by all six board members, but we felt that we came with a pretty good middle ground. And when we came to the city council meeting a couple weeks ago, the marshals said, hey, yeah, we do agree with the golf advisory board's recommendation. and the only thing when Vice Mayor Bertani said we'll put the 30 marshals back on there and you know the scheduling thing and they did and it came out last Thursday and I had my copy and I believe we probably have some Kemper people on zoom that can corroborate this but everything they asked for is before you on consent calendar And paid with a paid golfer is on there, but that is only on an individual tee time. That is not on an organized group. There's like 10 organized groups, the men's clubs, the ladies' clubs.

30 seconds, Carol.

And various groups. And I was hoping you'd call me up and ask me these things. But when you play with organized groups, that's during prime time, and that's sometimes a 70-person group. There could be a whole lot of marshals. the marshals were never ever allowed to play in organized groups but a few have been sneaking through because they don't have the systems in place to catch it right now but they will and that's what's i think the big thing here that's not understood so i ask you to pass what's in front of you um we need this done and it's everything everyone agreed to thank you okay are there any other speaker cards does anyone else want to speak on this item

That's in here? Okay, you guys. Okay, hold on. All right. I'll bring it back to council. Questions from council? Anyone have any questions? Councilman Tonneson?

Yeah. All right. What we approved, is it, Stacy, is it different? It seems like we're at odds even in here.

Yeah, on the back page, I did add that they can play with a paying member who has an advance reservation day of. So on the first page, it says that they can't do it in advance, but day of they can pay with a paying member. They don't have to put their name on a list and then wait. If it is day of, they can book for that day. which is what was asked last council meeting, in addition to the 30 volunteers per course. And I also added that the schedule would be forwarded to the respective courses, golf staff and pro shop and lead volunteer as designated by Kemper Sports.

I guess I'm asking, is that different? Everybody's at odds here.

If it's the same day, that's no different than showing up and putting your name on the list if you can't plan in advance.

Stacy, was what we approved exactly what's on the list now? Is what everybody agreed to, is that what's on the list?

That is what was said last time at the council meeting. That's what we added.

that's correct council member that is actually what happened last time and that's what we put on the new policy for your consideration any other questions from council anyone okay um the other the other thing about this oh go ahead go ahead

Okay, as far as the scheduling goes, I know that's something I believe has been worked out where somebody from Kemper and Marshall will do that together. I think we talked about that. I think we did talk about that.

We talked about them being involved, but Kemper as the operator will provide the schedule.

Correct, but the...

It would be Parks and Recreation putting together that schedule.

Okay. Who's online from Kemper right now?

James.

James, can you hear me? Hello? James?

Hi, Councilmember Picardo. Yes, I'm muted. Can you hear me okay?

Okay, so I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that we talked about Kemper making the schedule, but also having the marshal or one person from each course look at it. Is that right?

We will be working with the city because the city is the ones that run the volunteer program. We will also work with the volunteer captains at each property who will help us communicate with the volunteers. But ultimately, us as the operator will help set the schedule and the city will be implementing the schedule and sending it out because it is a city volunteer program. So the city needs to have full... operations or responsibilities of hosting the schedule. We will look at the calendars for events that are upcoming and suggest that we need 10 volunteers on this day because it's a big fundraiser tournament and we may only need three volunteers on a day because it's a slow operating day. So that's what we're going to communicate between the city and us as Kemper managing the schedule. But we will have obviously communication with the volunteers as well.

Okay, thank you. Any other questions? Oh, good. I'm sorry, Vice Mayor Bertana, you had.

So I am still, despite Councilmember Tonneson's, the answer to your question, I'm still not clear on whether what is before us tonight is what the golf advisory board approved it is it is what the golf advisory board approved correct and that's why miss haddock mentioned and i think carol haddock you just said on behalf of the golf advisory board that what is before us tonight is what was approved by the golf advisory board Okay, that's a yes from Carol. And then there are gentlemen in the back saying this is not what the Golf Advisory Board agreed upon. So there's still, this is a split decision. I mean, we can all agree on one thing, that we agree that what the Golf Advisory Board approved is what should be before us tonight. can we all agree on that we agree we agree on that so now the question is a little more is a little finer in that we agree with we agree that what the golf advisory board recommends that's what that's what we will implement now the question is there's people saying this is not the golf advisory board's uh... proposal and some that are saying this is the golf advisory board's proposal how do we

With all disrespect to the gentleman in the back, Ms. Haddock is on the board. And so as the representative of the board, I think that she has a certain amount of credit. okay okay so let let him speak so uh so she's the representative of the board and we have been uh we have put before you what the board recommended for your consideration that is accurate i think mr city attorney has something to say sir

Well, Madam Vice Mayor, I was anticipating your question, but I want to make sure that you did ask the question. Were you about to ask what can we do to resolve the apparent discrepancy?

Yes, sir.

So, obviously, the council has a resolution before it. It can pass it. It can not pass it. It can continue it. You have a golf advisory board, which is a commission empowered by you to work on golf issues, you have draft minutes from that meeting, you also have a voice recording of the meeting. So rather than, you know, you have one side saying A happened, you have another side saying B happened, it is within your sound discretion to, as decision makers, to say I want to punt this for a little while and I'm going to go listen to the videotape, or not the videotape, the audio tape. It's it's the discretion of this body or you could make a motion to take action on this so that I just wanted to. I heard the question coming. I wanted to give you your options.

Thank you. Yeah, I think we're at that point right now where there's a resolution in front of us so we would need a motion if someone wants to make a motion to pass it. So I'll ask for a motion. There's no motion. OK. Is there a motion? Go ahead, Councilman Thomas. Hold on.

This has been in front of us now for three meetings, right?

So there's got to be some kind of resolve here sooner than later.

I am in conversations with the GAB. They have put many hours. There was many, many meetings when all of the golfers showed up. They said that they came to a resolution that basically this program was dead. and then the city is basically reviving it. And the golf advisory board said this is what we're going to do, and now you guys had agreed with it, and now they're not. So I'm at a, you know, do we do this a fourth time? Do we go back and listen to the notes? If we go back and listen to whatever date that video was on, and it says exactly what we're saying here then that's going to lead me to vote the way that we voted if everything's on there that we said was going to be on there but i i do you have that package i have the draft minutes here um we can get the audio recording let's set the mayor's request i mean just one just for clarification councilwoman williams you want to speak

So, were you there at the meeting? I was. So, at the meeting, was there just like a lot of disagreements? Was it, I mean...

There was a few things, because I went through and highlighted tonight so I could be prepared. But there were a few things where there was conversation, no motions, conversation, then there would be a motion. Then there was, they summarized everything and then they took

motion chair Spiller called for a roll call vote they voted and the motion was passed I don't know how much more clear could get yeah it was unanimous I don't know how much more clear can get than that okay I'm making a motion to approve the recommendation okay so we have a motion on the floor

Second.

Mr. Mayor, just to be clear, because there seems to be confusion, Council Member Williams, you're making a motion to approve Resolution 2026-156PR, correct? Correct. Okay. And then, Mr. Mayor, because Council Member Sandu is appearing remotely, this needs to be a roll call vote. All the votes tonight need to be roll call.

Okay, roll call vote then.

But did we have a second?

We do. Yes. Councilman Sandu.

Oh, thank you. OK, roll call vote Councilmember car, yes. Councilmember Pandora, yes, Councilmember Sanju. Yes, Councilmember Tonison, no. Councilmember Williams, yes. Vice Mayor Bertani.

I'm gonna say no because I want to I believe we should continue it and so that we can independently confirm this and I don't feel comfortable voting yes at this time so my answer is no and Mayor Vaccaro yeah my answer is no too but motion passes 4-3

And then Councilmember Williams wanted to pull k4. Oh, yeah, go ahead resident Resolution 2026-178, authorizing Amendment 1 to the Engineering Design Services Agreement for the Lopes Road Emergency Storm Damage Repair Project, approving Amendment Number 1 to the Engineering Design Services Professional Services Agreement with Dewberry Engineers for the Lopes Road Emergency Storm Damage Repair Project, CPW 090069, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF FAIRFIELD AND AUTHORIZING AN UPDATE TO THE FISCAL YEAR 2026-2027 BUDGET. AND OUR PRESENTER IS MICHAEL HEATHERS, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR TO PUBLIC WORKS.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Madam Vice Mayor, council members. I'm here to answer any questions. Generally, I'll take questions. If we get over the tips of my skis on the funding, I'll pull in Jason, but I'm here to answer any general questions.

councilman williams thank you okay um michael this has been a long time coming um since this road uh was um there was uh this road has been in disrepair and so this was an opportunity for well let me back up a bit so i would say of all the questions the the just quantity of questions i'm asked about in my district It's about Lopes Road. So I just wanted you to give a quick summary of kind of background and a quick summary of how we've gotten here and really How far away are we from having a Lopes Road that we can drive on and thank you Jason. Thank you for all your work getting that grant appropriated and just all the things that you all do and if you could finalize with the website where people, if they're not catching what we're, everything that you're gonna say, I want that landing page that people can go and see what you're talking about.

All right, yeah, I am prepared to talk about a little bit of background. what's been happening, how far in the future, and what I'll call white glove services that we're gonna need as far as public relations to hit this out of the park. So let's first just talk about general timelines with FEMA projects. So once an emergency is declared locally, then at the state level, and then when it's approved by the feds, you can break down a FEMA process into two general categories. So the first category is the response. That's the response is the stuff that we all see. The good folks in PD and fire, they're responding to an emergency. We all see that, and that's tangible progress. Once that's done, which sometimes takes weeks or even months, then we move into the recovery phase. Now, the recovery phase in a FEMA project generally, in my experience, takes years. On average, two years. So what projects have I worked in in the past? Well, I spent a decade in Napa. So in Napa, we had the earthquakes in 2014. We had the fires, Atlas, Tubbs, and the Nunn fire. And then later in the year, we had floods. Each one of those took about two years to get through the recovery phase. With respect to agencies being involved to fund this, and there are efficiencies in carrying this out. There first had to be a meeting of the minds of who's paying for what. So those agencies are Benicia and Fairfield. And then at some point later, about halfway through the process, so usually it takes about a year to agree meeting of the minds between the local agency and the feds, right? You figure out what the scope is YOU GO BACK AND FORTH. SOMETIMES IT TAKES ABOUT A YEAR. THEN IT TAKES ABOUT ANOTHER YEAR TO GET THE FUNDS OBLIGATED. SO THROUGH ABOUT THE FIRST HALF, WE HAD A MEETING OF THE MINDS OF WHAT WAS GOING TO BE PAID FOR, HOW WERE WE GOING TO DO IT, AND THEN FEMA TURNED AROUND AND SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? Lopes Road is a different category of a road, so we're not going to pay for it. You now have to go to FHWA to get the funding, which is all the good work Jason and his group have been doing. So once you agree to that, then we went back and forth with FEMA on how to go through and get the thing paid for. I know the residents, they get frustrated with how long things take. Now, we could take the path to control the schedule and do it ourselves, but you're going to risk funding. and they won't pay for it, they being FEMA. So generally in a project, people want to know what the problem is, how are we going to fix it, and how long is it going to take? I think that's the essence of your question. So a couple weeks ago, we approved a contract finally with a contractor, Teichert. They're a big company. They know what they're doing. They're going to go out and handle the business. As far as how long in the future, I'm not going to lie to you. It's going to be another year, and here's why. We have to do utilities. That's going to take a few months. Then we're going to get in, depending on who you believe about the weather, it could be wet this year. So generally, you don't want to start repairing the hillside and do the soil mixing and then just have everything undone by rain. so that'll probably commence in the spring and then they'll go back and then start repairing the road so we're looking at probably summer of next year in reality so i don't want to paint a picture a rosy picture on how fast this is going to you know be executed now as far as the website update we need to reorient our web page because it's been ORIENTED AROUND UPDATING PEOPLE IN THE FEMA PROCESS FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, IT'S JUST BEEN, HEY, WE'RE FILLING OUT A BUNCH OF PAPERWORK AND THE PAPERWORK PROCESS IS MOVING FORWARD, BUT THAT'S NOT VERY EXCITING. SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS IN MY MIND IN THE NEXT YEAR, WE'VE GOT HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK AND REALLY ENGAGE THE FOLKS. SO OUR MOD FOLKS ARE GOING TO COME UP WITH A STRATEGIC PLAN ON HOW TO DO OUTREACH FROM THE START OF THE CONSTRUCTION. WE NEED TO REORIENT THE WEBSITE TO BE MORE CONSTRUCTION ORIENTED TO UPDATE THE FOLKS. We're going to have someone from MOD embedded with us. What I've asked for is a strike team to be able of not only the PIO folks, but just we need to be resourced properly between the different groups. We've got a CM on board. We've got an engineer. That's what's before you tonight to handle the geotech, the special services to monitor that. But I'm treating this as if... I DON'T EXPECT ANYBODY EVER BEEN IN A CALTRANS MEETING WHERE THEY'RE DOING BIG INTERCHANGE PROJECTS BUT GENERALLY IN THOSE MEETINGS THEY HAVE SOMEONE FROM THE PIO'S OFFICE AT CALTRANS BECAUSE THOSE FOLKS PICK UP WHAT THE RESIDENTS WANT TO HEAR AS FAR AS UPDATES.

That's really helpful. So if we point people to that page, if I remember right, you can get your name put on the list for updates. So if any changes to the website happens at all, people will automatically get a notification, yes?

That is my understanding. If you're subscribed to the web page and we put a new blurb up, the folks get notified that there's been an update. I don't know all the details on how that happens, but it's subscribers, I guess, through the website.

So thank you very much. I appreciate it.

OK. Any other questions? OK. So do we vote on this separate?

Yeah, you need public speakers.

Any public speakers on this item? Any online?

No hands raised online. I don't have any public speakers on this item, I believe.

OK. OK. So do it separate?

Yeah. We need a motion, second, and roll call vote.

Do we have a motion? I'll make a motion. Second. Second by Councilman Pandora. Roll call.

Sorry. Councilmember Carr? Yes. Councilmember Pandora? Yes. Councilmember Sandhu?

Yes.

Councilmember Tonneson?

Aye.

Councilmember Williams? Yes. Vice Mayor Bertani?

Yes.

And Mayor Viccaro?

Yes. Motion passes. Now we'll do the rest of the consent calendar.

Yes, and this would be for items K1, K3, and K5.

Do I have a motion? So moved by Councilman Tonneson. Second by Vice Mayor Bertani.

Roll call.

Council Member Carr. Yes. Council Member Panduro. Yes. Council Member Santu. Yes. Council Member Tonneson. Aye. Council Member Williams. Yes. Vice Mayor Bertani. Yes. And Mayor Vaccaro. Aye.

Yes, motion passes, and we're going to adjourn. That's all the business tonight in front of the council. We're going to adjourn tonight, and go ahead, Councilman Carr, I know, in honor of your mother-in-law.

Yeah, my wife's mother... Lynn Pyle, I've been married to my wife 34 years in August, and she's always been there for the family, had businesses in Vacaville, and she was a wonderful grandma and a wonderful mother, and she will be missed.

Okay, thank you, Doug. Okay, no business in front of the council. This meeting is adjourned until September 1st.