City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. The closed session meeting of the city council has been canceled this evening. Regular session of the city council will convene at 6 PM. Thank you very much.

Good evening, everyone. We are going to be calling to order the regular meeting of the City Council. It is 6.01 PM, and the number is 3102. City Clerk, roll call, please.

The record will reflect that all members are present this evening, with the exception of Mayor Lombard, who is absent.

Great. Thank you very much. This evening's invocation is going to be by Pastor Kyle Bleeker at the Friends Church. Pastor?

Good evening, everybody. My name is Kyle Bleeker. I'm pastor of Friends Church Tustin and just considered it a great privilege to be able to pray for all of you and for the city. And so thank you for this opportunity. I'd like to do that now if we're ready. God above, during these summer months, we ask for your blessing upon our city. May our neighborhoods be places of peace where families and friends and neighbors can gather and they can grow in their understanding and care for one another. And God, as people gather in our parks and public spaces for movie nights and concerts and all the other great things that are hosted here, like farmers markets and everything else, God, may these settings be places that foster community and connection and that there would be no threat and no division that shows up in these spots. God, we pray that you would use all the things that are going on in the city to strengthen bonds within people. so that long-term residents and people who are just coming to visit and newcomers who are moving to the city alike all can really enjoy and be grateful for their hometown. God, we ask that you would watch over all those who are serving and protecting our city. We pray for everyone who is on the Parks and Rec Department and the teams who are getting so many different programs up and running. We pray for all those who are working outdoors in the summer heat. We pray for everyone, God, who's doing construction projects, which we see all around to make our city better and better. God, keep people safe. Keep them healthy and make them mindful of one another. And God, lastly, we just pray that you would guide this meeting with a spirit of collaboration. with integrity and hope so that this place can be more and more just a strong city, a place of peace, a place of love, and also a place where people can truly enjoy themselves. We are so grateful for the city of Tustin, God. We pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you, Pastor. Appreciate it. Tonight's Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Council Member Fink.

and under God. So as we go through it, remember that. Right hand over your heart.

Ready? Begin.

SO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION THIS SO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION THIS EVENING. EVENING. IT IS RECOGNITION OF JULY 2026 IT IS RECOGNITION OF JULY 2026 AS PARKS MAKE LIFE BETTER AS PARKS MAKE LIFE BETTER MONTH. MONTH. I'M GOING TO PRESENT A I'M GOING TO PRESENT A PROCLAMATION TO THE COMMUNITY WHEREAS PARKS AND RECREATION SUPPORTS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTES PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS THROUGH ORGANIZED AND SELF-DIRECTED OPPORTUNITIES THAT FOSTER SOCIAL, INTELLECTUAL, PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL GROWTH, And whereas parks and recreation creates memorable experiences and supports the economic vitality of communities by partnering with local businesses and nonprofits to offer events, programs, and activities that bring people together. And whereas parks and recreation supports safe, vibrant, attractive, progressive communities that foster social cohesiveness by providing spaces to gather peacefully, celebrating diversity, modeling compassion, connecting social networks, and ensuring all people have access to its benefits. And whereas parks and recreation strengthens community identity and stewards our natural resources by connecting people to parks, facilities, and events that reflect and celebrate community character, heritage, landscape, culture, and history, And whereas the California Park and Recreation Society has released a statewide public awareness campaign, Parks Make Life Better, to inform citizens of the many benefits of utilizing parks, facilities, programs, and services. And now, therefore, be it resolved that all citizens of California recognize the importance of access to local parks, trails, and open spaces and facilities for health, wellness, development, inspiration, and safety of all Californians, and be it further resolved that we declare the month of July 2026 as Parks Make Life Better Month. Thank you very much, and I invite Chairperson Henderson to come up and say a few words.

Thank you. Good evening, Mayor Pro Tem and members of the City Council. Appreciate your time tonight. On behalf of the Community Service Commission, I would like to thank you for your proclamation and for your recognition of July as Parks Makes Life Better Month. The Commission would also like to take this opportunity to thank the City Council for your support of parks and recreation in the Tustin community. It is this support that enables the City to offer top-notch parks, programs, and events to all Tustin residents. More specifically, I'd like to highlight that the City Council's support has resulted in several recent planned park improvements. Earlier this year, we finished upgrades to the Tustin Sports Park, ball field number three, and currently almost completed the new picnic shelter at Camino Real Park to complement the brand-new playground that hopefully we've seen driving by. In addition, we also You get construction on the grant-funded Heidelman School Park, and soon we'll start the next phase of Tustin Legacy Linear Park and re-imagined playground area in the Tustin Family and Youth Center. July is Parks Make Life Better Month, and we still got a couple more concerts this month. Tomorrow we got the trip, that's Classic Rock. And then we do also have movies in the park at Peppertree again, it's Elemental. And we also wanted to appreciate the staff of Park and Rec. So Pro Tem Amy Nakamoto and Commissioner Wesson today, they gave cookies to the staff. And they went to the City Hall, CT, Tustin Family Youth Center, and Senior Center. So if you're in any of those places today, you may have got a cookie. As you all know, access to parks, open space, and facilities are vitally important to the health and safety of our community. So the City Council commitment TO PARKS, IT'S MUCH APPRECIATED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. APPRECIATE IT.

SO BEFORE WE END UP DOING A HANDING YOUR PROCLAMATION AND TAKING SOME PICTURES, DOES ANYONE ON THE DIAS LIKE TO SAY ANYTHING? ANY FELLOW COUNCILMEMBERS? COUNCILMEMBER FINK?

I JUST WANT TO SAY SOMETHING. I'M GOING TO DIRECT IT AT THE COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION AND I APPRECIATE CHAIR HENDERSON'S COMMENTATION OF THE CITY STAFF AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT WHICH REALLY IS EXCELLENT AND THEY DO A TREMENDOUS JOB BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO RECOGNIZE THE COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION THAT IS ALSO EXCELLENT AND DOES A VERY GOOD JOB. more than that is a working commission. You guys don't just sit up here and pontificate like we tend to do up here. But you guys go out and are at the events, are staffing these things, are working with the department, are promoting these. It is very impressive to see what you do. And beyond that, I mean, I've worked several years with Ken when he was driving beer all around the chili cook-off. And he still does that. And it's things like that. that you guys do that's a lot of hard work. So I want to recognize not just our Parks Department and staff, but also the Community Services Commission for what you guys do as well. So thank you for that.

Thank you very much. Council Member Nielsen?

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Appreciate it. I just want to say thank you to the entire staff community services and the commission and also the staff. It's done such a great job. I mean, all the city events we do, and we do a ton. I mean, that's just a ton. And some of that stuff is tough work, particularly in the summertime. So thank you very much for all you do. And Commissioner, so Ken, I do have a question for you, though. Yes, sir. Yes, what's your favorite park now? Okay, good answer, good answer. That's an inside joke that Ken and I have when he first interviewed, how long ago, 14 years ago? Yeah, that a council member asked him, and so that's been an inside joke going forward. But anyway, great service from everybody. You too, Ken. So thank you for everything you do.

Great, thank you. Council Member Gallagher?

All right, I definitely have to say something because you guys are all there in your blue shirts, and I really liked what Council Member Fink said about WORKING COMMISSION AND WORKING COUNCIL. IT IS THAT COLLABORATION, THE ENERGY THAT comes from both the staff and these commissions and elected officials, all of us working together. And where we're at right now as a community across the different commissions, the council, the staff, it's phenomenal. And you see it in the results. All the new parks. I mean, just tonight, we are going to be approving going out to bid on a new park. And there's more in the works. And so that doesn't happen unless all of us are pulling together in the same direction. And that's happening right now. So thank you for being part of this. And thank you for being here tonight.

And I will just say, from Chad down through the entire staff, I mean, you are the Department of Fun. I mean, the amount of work, effort, events. I mean, if anyone went to the 250th Celebration of America, I mean, all the details, all the effort that goes into all these events, it's amazing. I actually had the honor to say the Pledge of Allegiance at the last two concerts in the park for both the Journey cover band and you two, just the participation. Everyone was so happy, all the food trucks. I mean, you really just knock it out of the park every single time. So thank you so much for all the hard work that you do and for bringing community together. So with that, let's go down. We'll take some pictures.

It's all good. It's all good.

Thanks, guys, very much. Thank you. Nice work.

Good seeing you. Take care. All right.

So we're at public input. So at this time, any member of the public may address the Council on matters which are not on this evening's agenda, provided the matter is within the subject matter jurisdiction of the City Council. If any members of the public who are participating through Zoom wish to address the Council, please raise your hand. If you're calling in, please press star nine to raise your hand. And please remember that. Try to keep your comments to three minutes or less. Madam City Clerk, do we have anybody in person or online who would like to speak?

Yes, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. We've received four requests to speak in person. And I will call the first two. Leslie H. And then Susan will be after Leslie.

Hello, City Council. My name is Leslie and I'm a resident of Tustin and I'm here to continue my opposition of the flock security system usage in our city. There's a continuing momentum in both the subject of flock and what they actually do for the public. News broke on July 10th when the Los Angeles PD had confirmed to end their contracts with flock due to civilian concerns about privacy and data collection. Many express their dislike and worries about the powerful mechanisms of this overreach. And not only are they enroaching the streets, they are also gaining traction in neighborhoods and bike trails and school grounds. So I recently went to a grassroots movement on July 14th called Sunrise Movement in Costa Mesa, where concerned citizens went to discuss about this invasive software. The Costa Mesa City Council is having their meeting today, just as we are. Their flock contracts are ending, and 20-plus people are ready to enter that chamber to fight for their city, as I have done for mine for the past couple of months. On paper, Costa Mesa agreed to 30 ALPR cameras, but when Sunrise advocates drove around the city to find them, they found 47 total instead. So let me clarify, I'm not against technology. I'm not against public safety. I'm not against my neighbors in Tustin. But there is a responsibility to be sitting where you are right now. There is a manner of etiquette that you must carry for us. If an anonymous ex-police officer from LAPD said to me, the flock system is not great for anyone with a face and a name, it should be obvious on how damaging it would be continued to support the flock system usage. We must address this collectively. We must address this deeply. This is not the time to act with blunt behavior in the hopes that it doesn't affect you. The machines don't know better than we do. Flock is not the city's ideology. Do not let this technology determine whether you remain in that seat or not, because I know you are better than that. Do not let it taint the rest of the successes you have made for Tustin, for your home, and for your place of belonging. We need to rescue one another from this. We are each other's best hope.

And I will come every day to tell you that. I will fight for my residents here in my city. These are not tears of fear.

I will come.

I will keep coming. Thank you.

Thank you.

Susan?

I didn't write this one. Yeah, I have your name down. You're Larry, correct? I'm Larry. Yeah, I got you down. So yeah, I'll call you in just a moment. Thank you.

Next speaker?

This is Susan. Good evening, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem and city council members. My name is Susan Burgess, and I live in Tustin. I taught for Tustin Unified School District for 35 years, and my daughter attended Tustin schools. On Friday morning, July 17, a targeted ICE raid took place in which one young man was taken violently into ICE custody. ICE rammed his car, broke his windows, and forcefully pulled him out of his car. This raid took place on San Juan Street, directly behind Tustin High School. A person I know witnessed the event, and a video of it is also on Facebook if you want to see it. There were about six federal agents, all wearing masks and heavily armed with long guns, handguns, and bear spray. Mind you, there are two other schools on San Juan Street, Tustin Connect and Hillview High School. According to California state law, the California Values Act, or SB 54, schools, health facilities, libraries, and courthouses will remain safe and accessible to all California residents, regardless of immigration status. What happened on Friday morning was dangerous and irresponsible. When police and sheriff are conducting an operation, they notify and lock down schools. Tustin police are very professional. These agents were brandishing their weapons as kids were jogging on the Tustin High field. People were walking or driving down the street. Staff were working at all three campuses. As a former Tustin High School teacher and parent, I am calling on the Tustin City Council to condemn this action and make sure that Tustin residents are safe and can function without this sort of terror. Please consider a resolution restricting or condemning ICE operations. Several other city councils nationwide have done so, and it has made those cities safer. Thank you for your time and your consideration. Ms. Rima?

Good evening, Mayor Pro Tem, Chanel, and members of the City Council meeting of the City Council. My name is Rima Neshishibi. I'm a commissioner on the Orange County Commission of the Status of Women and Girls. I'm also the founder and president of Global Hope 365. It's a 501c3 nonprofit to end harmful practices towards women and girls, such as child marriage, human trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence. We're right here across the street. at 335 Centennial. As a personal point of privilege, I wanted to thank you for passing our resolution to end child marriage under 18, no exception, here at City Council on May 18, 2021. Thank you for that support. But as a commissioner, I have a copy of our inaugural report that must have been presented to each one of you by now. And I wanted just to go over a few highlights. Orange County women make $3,492 more on average than California women. 4% of Orange County women are unemployed compared to 5.5% of California women. 87% of OC men's wages are earned by OC women. And 88% of CA men's wages are earned by California women. So we make 87%. $0.87 on the dollar that men make. 44% of OC women have at least a bachelor's degree compared to 39% of CA women. And 82% of Orange County girls enroll in college within 12 months of graduation compared to 74.4% in California. Also, 18.6 of OC women reported ever seriously thought of committing suicide, which is less than 2023. And as far as mental health, memory loss, anxiety, and depression are the top three reported behavioral health concerns for OC women over 55. Although trending down in past year, OC girls reported higher chronic sadness, and suicide ideation compared to bullies. So I wanted to thank you so much for this time, for your support. And hopefully you'll go over the report, and I can send it to the clerk in a digital manner. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Mr. Mayor Pro Tem, that concludes public input for this portion. We do have one request to speak for item number four, which we'll take at the consent calendar.

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Larry? I apologize.

That's OK. I didn't register with you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. We want to hear what you have to say. So I want to thank Councilman Fink for reminding me about the meeting. I'm here because my son, Eli, is right there. We take him to St. John's Lutheran during the school year every morning. And we drive down Irvine Boulevard just past the intersection of Newport and Irvine. And there's a building, 18410 Irvine Boulevard. This has an address now. It's been under construction for years. And it's been a blight, really, on the community. And my son asked me about it, in particular because in 2023, we went to Africa, went to Tanzania, and did the Serengeti, tour of the Serengeti. And one thing that caught our attention on Russia are all the unfinished buildings. You know, they start construction, they get one story done, and then they just stop. And they're sitting there, and they're a blight, and there's not a lot in construction in Tanzania. So my wife and I, when we went to Peru and Brazil, we saw a lot in Argentina. You see a lot of that in third world countries, but not here in the United States. But that building, the construction started, I think, Council Member Gallagher, you said it was 2019? If that's your recollection. And then in August of 2022, a permit was given to the new owner to start reconstruction, right? And that's been two years and they still haven't finished it. And it's just been sitting there in a dormant state now for at least five months that made no progress on it. I don't know, did Edison hook the power up to it? I know you guys were pushing to try and get that done. But I just don't understand. At some point, you need to do a notice of violation on this property owner and motivate them through the threat or actual imposition of fines. And let's get that street corner cleared up. And just out of curiosity, too, I was looking at it today. I took pictures. I circulated them. Council Member Fink has one. Did you guys get another one? The photos that I took today?

I have copies received from Council Member Fink that we'll distribute to the council. Thank you.

But I was just curious about the ingress and egress off of that property, too. That's going to be a little tricky. You know, here it sits. The fence is dilapidated and it's still sitting there and it's not done. Is there any update on that property?

We can have staff actually follow up with you after the council meeting.

And maybe a thought of a notice of violation if they don't get it going?

Again, we're not allowed to actually comment, but again, I'll make sure that staff, you can leave your information. We'll make sure that staff actually. All right.

My main reason for being here is to show my son that if you take civic action, that you can't get things done and that the city of Tustin doesn't have to look like that. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comments. Appreciate it.

And Mayor Pro Tem, as a point of parliamentary inquiry, we can comment on these things during our council reports later on, right? Correct. And I'll do that on a couple of items.

Actually, the council member comments is not the opportunity to comment on city topics. It's an opportunity to comment briefly on items that are your own actions, your own activities.

Thanks for the clarification. Any other speakers in person or online?

No, that concludes this portion. That concludes. Great.

Thank you very much. That closes public input. And we're going to move on to the closed session report. Do we have another speaker?

Yes, it appears we have one more speaker. Israel? This is for item number four. We could take it now or take it during consent calendar.

That's fine. We can take it now. Good evening, Mayor Pro Tem, City Council. I'm Israel, a Tustin resident. Tonight marks 16 consecutive months of uninterrupted attendance in these chambers. I SUPPORT THE AUTHORIZATION TO PREPARE AND RELEASE A COMPETITIVE OFFERING FOR THE SOUTH HANGAR. I ASK THE CITY TO PROPOSE DEDICATING A PORTION TO A REGIONAL VETERAN MUSEUM, MEMORIAL OR A PUBLIC EVENT SPACE HONORING THE HISTORY OF THE MARINE CORPS IN TUSTON. THANK YOU.

Okay, that concludes public input. I'm going to close that. And I'm just going to go to our city attorney, David Kendig, and see if he has a closed session report.

Just note for the record that the closed session today was canceled.

All right, thank you so much. Appreciate it. Moving on to the consent calendar, items one through 10, all matters listed under the consent calendar are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion without discussion. Public input for the consent calendar, if any members of the public wish to address the council, please submit a request to speak form if you haven't already. If any members of the public who are participating through Zoom wish to address the council on items one through 10, please raise your hand. Madam City Clerk, do we have anybody to speak in person or online?

Yes, we have one request to speak so far, and that is Paul.

Okay, great, thank you.

And he is speaking regarding item number four.

Need your business card when you get the chance. Hi, I'm Paul Wigboldy. Greetings, Mayor Pro Tem and City Council members. I founded a company over 20 years ago in Anaheim, right near Disneyland. It's a high-end attraction called Flight Deck Rogue Racing. And I'm still proud to say it's the only place like it in the world. I tell you that because I have assembled a team that is creating, if you remember, Mayor Lombard in, I think it was early June, city council meeting. He's not here tonight. I wanted to confirm that he said something like this, but maybe you remember. His conclusion after seeing all the options of demolition or doing this and that with hanger number two was to basically the city's going to need a unicorn. Well, I'm here to tell the city I'm your unicorn. I'm not your unicorn, but I have the unicorn. And we look forward to when the memorandum of offering is issued because we will be filling that out. And I see myself being in this room many, many times in the future. That's all. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

And to the clerk, anyone else that wants to speak online or in person on the same calendar?

No, Mr. Mayor, but we do need to note for the record that correspondence was distributed for item number seven to the city council from the city manager after the agenda packet distribution and was made available to the public on the city's website.

Okay, thanks very much. Do any members of the council wish to push items? I think Councilman Fink would like to pull item four and seven. Councilman Nielsen, I think, is pulling item number six, is that correct? Councilmember Gallagher?

I'll move the ballots.

Okay, do I have a second?

Second.

City Clerk, the roll.

Councilmember Nielsen? Yes. Councilmember Fink? Aye. Councilmember Gallagher?

Aye.

Mayor Pro Tem Schnell?

Aye.

Motion passes 4-0.

Thank you. Councilman Fink.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. First of all, just because of the public comment on this, I would love to talk to Paul more about the unicorn that is coming. And I think all of us are interested in that and very excited about that. No, all of us are excited about that. And I I would like to add to that my comment is and I just want to comment is and I just want to get this out there so that in get this out there so that in hope to hear similar thoughts from hope to hear similar thoughts from folks on the council here this is a folks on the council here this is a process in a way that we've been process in a way that we've been through several times while I've been through several times while I've been on the council with different pieces of on the council with different pieces of property out of the legacy it's also a property out of the legacy it's also a process that's completely unique a process that's completely unique a unicorn if you will and I do think unicorn if you will and I do think the mayor said that in June and as we go the mayor said that in June and as we go forward I think it's very important. I think taking this step is a first step to seeing what's out there, seeing what unicorn may be out there, whether it's a flight deck road racing in Tustin or whatever else might be coming, whether it's veterans ideas, history, museums, film production. I think it's very important to get this out so that we get that information in. The difficulty is that this is not like our usual offerings because There's a whole lot of variables we won't have control, necessarily, for a period from 10 to 40 years. And our plans and ideas may develop in different ways over that time. And so it's very important that we talk about, in that offering, those and make sure that we're open to different ideas. And I've talked to staff about this. The offering won't come back to the council at this point. We will have an agreement with the broker, and I know that the council will be involved in dealing with that. But the ultimate offering that I want to see makes sure that we talk about that. Also, the offering will talk about costs, and I've expressed some concern about the costs that we have estimated, and I'm going back and doing more research at the Page and Turnbull report But we know there's going to be costs associated with keeping the hangar, refurbishing the hangar. But there would also be costs in not keeping the hangar. And we need assistance from other sources, whether it's the private sector or the federal government being a prime possibility. And so I don't want those costs to be an inhibition to any ideas that might come forward. And it's important that our offering reflect that. And the last point I want to make is it's important that our offering reflect the possibility of both short or medium term uses as well as long term uses. I'm curious what you're thinking of. I'm looking forward to that. But some folks may have ideas for short term uses, whether it's staging one time events or productions in or using the areas around the hangar, if the hangar itself is not proper, to see how things develop. You could have a community market around the hangar. You could have a return of the hangar half marathon that might not go through the hangar but for which the hangar is a backdrop. And those ideas may well develop into that medium or long-term use. So it's very important that our offering reflect those. So I want to make sure I'm putting out in public what I've talked to staff about in private, but have the public make sure that you tell us your ideas. And I'm sure that other council members have thoughts and comments on that. But it is a first step. It's an important first step to see what's out there. It's also not the last step. If we don't have good returns from that, It doesn't mean that's the final decision. It means we have to keep looking and exploring. So I'm supportive of moving forward on this front, and I hope we continue to move forward thoughtfully and effectively in those ways. Thank you very much.

Councilman Gallagher, any comments?

So this was on, just for those of you that are THIS WAS ON CONSENT CALENDAR BECAUSE THIS IS A PRETTY ROUTINE ACTION. THIS IS BASICALLY JUST US PUTTING OUT THE OFFERING. IF YOU WANT TO UNDERSTAND MORE, THIS IS A STEP IN A VERY LONG PROCESS THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS. REALLY, IT IS A BIG TURNING POINT, BUT REALLY IT OCCURRED ON JUNE 2ND. SO IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK AND WATCH THAT PRESENTATION, There was a ton of information presented really covering what Lee was talking about tonight. And that's really that the information that's going to come from this offering is just more options. What are the private sector possibilities for this hanger? because we already in the previous presentation laid out what the other alternatives are. We know roughly what it's going to cost to rehab if that's a city-driven activity. We know what it costs to secure right now every year, which is $1 million. And we know what it costs to take it down. And so this step allows us to get all the information together. And as a community, as we have been doing, we'll make that decision together. MANY OF YOU PARTICIPATED ON THE DIUS, OUR STAFF IN THE PUBLIC TONIGHT, HAVE PARTICIPATED OVER THE PAST 18 MONTHS AS WE'VE GONE THROUGH MULTIPLE WORKSHOP SURVEYS. WE'VE BEEN OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. OUR CONSULTANT JPW HAS BEEN AT MANY OF THE CITY EVENTS ASKING FOR FEEDBACK. SO EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED TO US TODAY IS ALREADY BAKED INTO THIS PLAN. BUT AS COUNCILMEMBER FINK MENTIONED, THIS DOESN'T END TODAY. BUT AS I SAID, THIS IS A ROUTINE ITEM JUST TO START THE PROCESS WITH THE BROKER.

Thank you very much. Councilman Nielsen.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. I don't know, sitting in that seat, I'm used to you here, so it's, I don't know. I'm out here in the suburbs, I guess. Anyway, just a couple of things on the hangar. The hangar is part of our city identity. We see it as part of some of the logos we use. When the base was open, I know probably None of you were around at that time, but I certainly was. My kids played Little League with some of the Marine Corps kids, and, you know, it was a great relationship, and it was tough to see them go. But just a little history. In 2015, we did, I believe it was 2015, we did something similar. And we got a lot of interest for different parties, including the NFL, including major motocross, and things of that sort. So at that time, nothing came about, obviously. And it continues. But we shot a lot of good commercials over the years in that hangar, and made some good rent on that, and did several things there. The point I'm trying to make is it's very, very important to me, and I know to everyone else here, that we take special care with the hangar, because it is a symbol of our city. And it is a symbol of our military past. So we are going to take great care with it. And this is kind of the first step to see what's available out there. So with that, I'll move the item.

Do we have a second? Second. Thank you. Call call.

Council Member Nielsen? Yes. Council Member Fink?

Aye.

Council Member Gallagher?

Aye.

Mayor Pro Tem Schnell?

Aye.

Motion passes 4-0. Great.

Thank you very much. Council Member Nielsen, you wanted to pull Item 6, which is the Second Amendment to All City Management Services Incorporated Contract?

Yes, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. Thank you very much. This is basically, for lack of better words, the school crossing guard contract. So I just have some quick questions for staff. Number one is that I'm assuming that TUSD was consulted and had conversations regarding this item. Mr. City Manager?

Yes, Council Member Nelson, that's correct. They were consulted, conversations did occur.

OK. So they had a lot of input in regards to this?

They did have input, sir.

OK. At any time during those conversations, did they offer to at least partially fund the security guards that are, or I'm sorry, the crossing guards that are working with their schools?

Inquiry was made by staff. They declined.

OK. That's all I wanted to know. Thank you very much. I'll move the item.

THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER FINK, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I'LL SECOND.

OKAY. SO, ACTUALLY, I HAVE A QUESTION AND A COMMENT. AND THE QUESTION I KNOW THE ANSWER TO, BUT I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE IT'S ON THE RECORD. AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THIS ADDRESSES schools within the city limits of Tustin. But I also understand that staff has run down that there's contracts to cover schools that may not be in the city, but certainly are servicing kids in the city, including Loma Vista and Gwynn Foss. Is that right?

That's correct, Councilmember.

Okay. Thank you. And so just a lot of folks might live in the city and want to make sure their kids are crossing into this, you know, and when they cross into the county, there's still protection and coverage there. And I think it's an important function as a public safety entity. And I think the county is doing the same in the county area. So I think it's very important. So I'm happy to support it. Great. Thank you.

Councilman Gabbard, any comments? Okay. I'll just make one comment. It's This contract went into effect in 2021. It shows the city's commitment to public safety, but more importantly, school safety. I'm very happy to see that we're collaborating with the Tustin Unified School District. Also very happy to see that when we go to the next contracts, I think these contracts have actually been negotiated outside of any input from the city. Is that correct? ALDO?

I'M SORRY.

HAVE THESE CONTRACTS BEEN NEGOTIATED OUTSIDE OF ANY PARTICIPATION BY THE CITY? HAS IT BEEN LED BY TUSSEN UNIFIED, THESE CROSSING GARDEN CONTRACTS?

NO, THE CONTRACTS HAVE BEEN NEGOTIATED WITH THE CITY.

THEY HAVE BEEN. OKAY. I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE THESE EFFORTS TO ENSURE CHILDREN'S SAFETY, YOU KNOW, WALKING TO AND FROM SCHOOL. SO AGAIN, I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT WE'RE ALL IN SUPPORT OF THAT. SO WE'VE GOT A FIRST. WE HAVE A SECOND. CALL THE ROLL, PLEASE.

Councilmember Nielsen? Yes. Councilmember Feene?

Aye.

Councilmember Gallagher?

Aye.

Mayor Pro Tem Chenault? Aye. Motion passes 4-0.

Are you okay, Councilmember Nielsen? I'll survive. Okay, just wanted to make sure. Okay. Councilmember Fink wanted to pull item number seven, which is approved plans and specifications and authorized advertisement for bids for the Armstrong Avenue Pedestrian Bridge and Tustin Legacy Neighborhood D South Phase 2 Package 2 projects. Councilmember Fink?

Thank you Mayor Pro Tem and this is it's a question I had for staff and I think staff may have been running it down but I wanted to just highlight we sort of had an exercise a couple of months ago where the pedestrian bridge for Armstrong came in it was sort of re-looked at and re-engineered and we got a cost estimate that went down and the question that I had that we weren't certain of yesterday and maybe we have a little bit more clarity it looks like the cost when we did our most recent engineering estimate, was even lower than we were anticipating. I think we were looking at something like $7 million, and this brings it down to $5.5 to $6 on the pedestrian bridge. I'm just wondering if the city manager or the public works director have any more clarity on that issue.

Sure. Thank you, Council Member Fink. I'd like to call our public works director, Mike Rizzo, up to the podium to respond.

GOOD EVENING, AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. YOU ARE CORRECT. BUT THERE IS A LITTLE CAVEAT IN THAT. WE ALWAYS HAVE PLANNED TO ROUGHLY SPEND ABOUT $7 MILLION TO CONSTRUCT THIS BRIDGE. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ENGINEER'S ESTIMATE, IT'S SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE CONSTRUCTION COST AND CONTINGENCY WITH THAT. WE HAVE SOFT COST, WE CALL THEM SOFT COST, THEY'RE HARD COST, THEY'RE REAL COST. but they go into helping us facilitate construction. That includes construction management, geotechnical, other pieces that we need to ensure it's built to all of our standards. So we do anticipate falling in line with the approved budget. Once we receive these bids, we'll be back with an action recommending award of this project.

Thank you. And I'll wait to give the big congratulations on bringing that cost down as much as I thought when we have that final bid. But that clarifies it. I appreciate the staff's work and getting it capped into the budget. And I think as people have seen the plans for these two projects, really, they'll be excited about that and even more excited when they're built. Thank you. Thank you.

I'll move the item. Any other comments before we get a second? No? We have a second from Councilman Nielsen. Adam City Clerk, the roll, please.

Councilmember Nielsen? Yes. Councilmember Pink?

Aye.

Councilmember Gallagher? Aye. Mayor Pro Temsha? Aye. Motion passes 4-0. Great.

Thank you very much. OK, we have a public hearing item, which is the Code Amendment 2026001, Ordinance Number 1578, Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units. We have Assistant Planner Jose Jara, who will provide a PowerPoint presentation. Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor Pro Tem, members of the City Council. I'm Jose Jara, system planner with Community Development Department. I am pleased tonight to present Code Amendment 2026-001, which updates the city's regulations for accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units, commonly known as ADUs and JDUs. This code amendment brings our city code into compliance with recent state law changes from the past two years. To sum up the new laws, they increase the number of ADUs that can be built on residential properties. They simplify the review for what we call state-exempt ADUs. And lastly, they limit development standards cities can impose, like parking. And just before I kind of go in through some of the major changes, I did want to quickly walk through the four types of ADUs that you see here on the screen, since they'll help explain some of the ordinance changes. Starting on the left, detached ADUs are freestanding structures, which are separate from the main home. Moving on to attached ADUs, they share at least one wall with the primary residence. Conversion, or what we call converted ADUs, are created from existing space, like a garage, rather than new construction. And lastly, we have JDUs, or junior ADUs, which are built within the walls of the home itself. They're capped at 500 square feet and share a bathroom with the main house. With those in mind, let's look at the key changes. So one significant change is the number of ADUs allowed on a single-family property. Currently, a property is limited to one ADU and one JDU. The proposed amendment would increase that to three, comprising of one attached or converted ADU, one detached ADU, and one JDU. It's a maximum of three ADUs per lot, in addition to the main home. For ADUs on multifamily properties, most of the code is staying the same. The main change is the number of detached ADUs allowed on existing multifamily developments. Under the current code, these properties are limited to two detached ADUs. The proposed amendment would increase that to a maximum of eight, provided that the number of detached ADUs doesn't exceed the number of existing units on the property. So for example, if there's a fourplex, they could add up to four detached ADUs, and only properties with eight or more units could reach that full eight. And also, just to end that point, new multi-family projects, again, would continue to be limited to two detached ADUs. Moving on to parking-related changes, for JADUs, the proposed amendment removes the city's current requirement to replace parking when an attached garage is converted into a JADU. For ADUs, the current code already exempts replacement parking when a garage, carport, or other covered structure is demolished or converted. The proposed amendment simply extends that exemption to uncovered parking spaces as well. And beyond the major changes we've discussed, the ordinance includes several additional updates. These are revisions to development standard, owner occupancy requirements, application procedures, and review timelines, along with also updates to definitions and state code references. Together, again, these keep the city's ADUs regulations consistent with current state law. On June 9th, the Planning Commission voted to recommend that the City Council adopt the proposed ordinance before you tonight. Notice of tonight's hearing was published in the Tustin News on July 9th, satisfying public noticing requirements under state law. Also add that the proposed amendment is statutorily exempt from CEQA because it implements state ADU law. With that, staff recommends that city council introduce a introduce and hold a first reading by title only of ordinance number one, 5, 7, 8, amending article 9 of the Tustin city code to provide for the development of accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units in compliance with state law. And set the second reading for the next regularly scheduled city council meeting. Also want to note that Once adopted, staff will submit the ordinance to the State Department of Housing and Community Development, also known as HCD, for its review within 60 days as required by the state. And with that, that concludes staff's presentation. We are available to answer any questions. Thank you very much.

So before we bring it back to the council for comments or questions, I want to see if any members of the public wish to address the council, submit a request form on this particular item. Madam City Clerk, is there anyone?

Mr. Mayor, can you formally open the public hearing, please?

Sure. I'm going to open the public hearing. So again, public input. We need to... Thank you. Didn't realize that we officially had to wrap. So there we go. Public input. So if any members of the public wish to address the council on this particular topic, please submit a request to speak for them. If you're participating through Zoom, please raise your hand. Madam City Clerk, do we have anyone in person or on the line who'd like to comment? No, Mr. Mayor. We do not. Thank you. I will bring it back to the city council. So I'll close public hearing. I just want to see if any of my council members. Yes, sir. Larry. Why don't you come on up to the dais so we can all hear you.

I'm Vice President of the Alicante Board for Community Association of 91 Homes in the corner of Irvine Boulevard and Tustin Ranch Road. And we're talking about street parking regulation within our community. Did I understand right, you're going to allow, what do they call the JADUs, up to three on one property, including conversion of space within an existing home? So you could have three JADUs in a home? That we can have.

Jose, just clarify or confirm. Thank you for your question. Yeah, I can go back to the table, hopefully. Yeah, if you could bring the presentation up.

And garage conversions?

And just know that we're actually adhering to the state mandated changes. So we're just aligning our code and our ordinances with the state's mandating.

To answer the question, so as you see on the table, you are allowed a total of three ADUs. That includes two ADUs, which could be either attached or converted, one detached, and then one JDU. So to answer your question, it would just be one JDU.

And what about the garage conversion? Is that a JDU also?

So I can answer your question. I don't know if it's pertaining to a specific, but.

I'm just curious.

Yes, sir.

We can actually have. From a parking perspective. I guess we don't have a choice as a city to test them because you're complying with the state mandate.

We are. We are. But, sir, to wrap up your comments, we can have staff actually follow up with you directly to answer any questions.

I can pass you my information. Thank you very much. I appreciate your time.

You're very welcome. Thank you very much. Madam City Clerk, do we have anyone in person or online who would like to also speak?

Not that I'm aware of, Mr. Mayor.

Great. Thank you. So that... Closes public hearing I'll bring back to council and see if any of my fellow colleagues would have any questions or comments Mayor Pro Tem yes have some questions all right councilmember Nielsen.

Thank you very much Just some questions as far as What we have as far as flexibility in the new ordinance and that is Do we have any control over design standards, setbacks, total square footage as far as the lot itself? Do we have anything there that we have any control over, or is all of this ministerial?

Sorry, I just caught the tail end of your question there. But yes, all the changes we have here are ministerial. would need to be ministerial as required by state law for ADUs.

Okay. So we have no control over design review, I mean design, or setbacks, or what percentage of square footage the lot is allowed to have on ADUs?

Council Member, if I may. In part. So we can apply objective design standards in certain conditions. We cannot apply subjective design standards. In terms of setbacks, generally speaking, setbacks apply unless the lot cannot accommodate an ADU and adhere to the setbacks. we have to provide the flexibility to allow for the ADU. So to some degree, it is kind of a site-by-site analysis as to how an ADU could fit. Generally speaking, in intestine, our lots are large enough to accommodate an ADU, but our hands are very much tied in most ways.

Okay, that's where it's kind of getting at. Okay. All righty. Thank you.

Great, thank you. Council Member Gallagher? Go ahead, Council Member Gallagher. Go ahead, Councilman Gallagher.

You tell us. All right.

Wow. OK. I just have a couple of questions. How many ADUs or junior ADUs, just ballpark, do you think we had in 2025? Yeah, I guess applications, however you want to define it.

2025, we actually had a total of 17 permits issued. OK. Yeah.

Now, the changes we're making are due to laws passed in 2024 and 2025. And so I imagine some of the changes we were making, even though it wasn't reflected in our ordinance, it was still state law. So someone could have submitted utilizing the ordinance we're about to prove today, and they just would have had to get in a legal conflict with us, right?

That's correct. We are required to adhere to state law. Even if our ordinance isn't up to date, we have to apply the standards of state law.

So just because we're passing this, really us passing this protects us legally such that we are not drawn into a lawsuit that we cannot win because it is state law and that trumps our local ordinance. So this now brings us in line, but we wouldn't necessarily anticipate a flood of new applications because technically this law already existed.

I think that's a reasonable perspective, yes.

Okay. That's it.

Thank you. Thank you, Council Member.

Council Member Fink.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Could you put the slide back up? Because I think I understand the question, and I'm going to phrase a statement and see if you agree, just in terms of the ADUs and the JADUs. So the old rule was you could have one ADU and one JADU, and the new rule is you can have two ADUs, and those can be either attached or converted, and an additional detached one, and you can have that one JADU on a single-family lot. That's right? Correct. Okay. I have two other questions, which are kind of picking up on questions that were at the Planning Commission that I think it's useful now, and I think Mr. Summerfield has stepped out, but one of them is about HOAs. And it came up at the Planning Commission. As I understand it, whatever the state law is, as Councilmember Gallagher pointed out, our city code, property that's in an HOA is still going to be enforced by the HOA. So the HOAs, if the HOA agreements allow that or don't allow that, that's a situation for the HOA and isn't affected by the code, per se. I would defer to Mr. . Yeah.

That's currently correct, but it's my understanding that there is legislation pending that might obviate even the HOA's authority to control that.

Okay, fair enough. Appreciate that. My second question, and it came up at the Planning Commission, is about historic neighborhoods, and I think I saw that staff mentioned that a community development department is working on, I'm assuming it's objective standards for historic neighborhoods. But maybe you could just clarify and shed a little bit of light on that. And that question came up at Planning Commission. I see Jay waiting, too.

Thank you, Councilmember. Jay Eastman, Assistant Director. As you may recall, we adopted citywide objective design standards last year as really a phase one of an effort. It's a high-level review of objective standards. Our intent is to go back out and get a consultant to drill down in specific neighborhoods and prepare objective design standards that are really relevant to different neighborhoods that would include our historic preservation areas. So that is a pending effort on our part.

All right. Thank you. That's all I've got. Any other comments? All right.

Is there a motion to approve staff's recommendation to introduce and hold a first reading by title only of Ordinance Number 1578, in ordinance of the City Council of the City of Tustin, California, amending Article 9, land use of the Tustin City Code, Code Amendment 20260001, to provide for the development of accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units in compliance with new state laws. Do we have a motion?

I'll move the item.

A second? Second. Thank you. Madam City Clerk, the roll, please.

Councilmember Nielsen?

Yes.

Councilmember Feene?

Aye.

Councilmember Gallagher? Aye. Mayor Pro Tem Smith?

Aye.

Motion passes 4-0.

Thank you very much. Appreciate it. So other business. City Manager, do you have any reports for this evening?

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. Yes, I do have some updates. As mentioned by Community Services Commissioner Ken Henderson, and to further celebrate Parks Make Life Better Month, regarding communal rail park renovations, the improvements are coming to a close with the completion of the new picnic shelter next week, followed by a few site improvements, including a new barbecue, drinking fountain, and picnic tables. The improvements are directly adjacent to the new playground, which was completed this past April. And a ribbon-cutting event is tentatively scheduled for August 25th to celebrate the new park amenities. Also, an update on our Old Town Improvement Project. The last major phase of construction starts this Monday, July 27th. The city's contract will be working to reconstruct all four crosswalks within the intersection of El Camino Real and Main Street. Daily impacts include single-direction road closure at the intersection with the remaining three lanes open to through traffic. We should expect delays in detour routes from Monday, July 27th through August 21st. Construction will continue along Main Street corridor into October as that's the planned completion for the project. And that concludes my updates. Thank you very much.

So, Attorney, any report? No further report this evening. Thank you. I appreciate that. I'll bring it back. For Council comments, I'm going to start with Council Member Nielsen, since he feels that he's so far away from you right now on the dais. I'm in the burbs. You do. So, you go first.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor Pro Tem. Appreciate it. It's been a long time since we didn't have a regular meeting last, so I have a few things to go through. So, you know... had a great time at the Tustin Effect and Apartment Managers luncheon meeting on June 17th. It was great, as usual, seeing all the apartment managers there and getting their input on everything going on in South Southwest Tustin. It was good to hear what's the situation and getting a really good report on our police department, which is always positive. That was great and also great to hear the speaker George Murdock who's president of the East Orange County Water District who's our wholesale water supplier kind of where water is coming from and the challenges for the future so he did a great job and The water board I used to serve on so it was good to see him again on June 18th myself and the mayor Pro Tem were locked in a hermetically sealed room to judge the essay and artwork contest for the 250th anniversary. It was a great, great experience. I'm always amazed at the creativity and the artistic capacity of grade school and middle school kids. So it was a good time, and it was great to see some patriotic essays and artwork. So that was a lot of fun. And then, of course, on June 25th was the dedication of the Field of Honor. And that was, if you're not aware, that was a full-size flag of 250 flags flying at the Veterans Sports Park in the field. And those field flags were dedicated. And I dedicated this one. Give you an example. It was nice that after it was flown, it was dedicated to my mother, Margo Katie Nielsen, who served as a corporal in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. So I've got her flag right there. So it was great. I thought it was a great event. People are talking about it all over town. And it's a great way to show our appreciation to our nation's 250th anniversary.

Let's see.

OK. I do hope everybody had a great July 4th, I'm sure. I'm sure, unfortunately, I was out of town, couldn't see our great fireworks display, which we always have at Tessin High School, so I'm sure it went very, very well. And then on July 9, I came back from vacation and was filled in for our mayor pro tem at the TCA meeting, which is Transportation Corridor Agencies, or as most people know it, the toll roads. So it was a board meeting of both toll road boards. And it went about almost three hours. So thank you very much for that. But just some of the things that were covered. Went through investment reports for April and May. We also did a cooperative agreement. They called the Green River Cooperative Agreement for the 241-91 Express Corridor. And it's a commitment that having multiple agencies working together and fund what's going to happen for the Green River Road, Foothill Parkway Corridor, and State Route 91, and Interstate 15 in the city of Corona. So it's a cooperative agreement there. Also, we approved the annual mitigation and monitoring report regarding the implementation of mitigation measures adopted as a part of the original environmental impact report for State Routes 133 and 261 and a portion of State Route 241. We also approved, again, an open market bond buyback program, which saves the TCA millions and millions of dollars. Last time the buyback program was enacted, they saved, looks like, $151 million on bond interest. So they're doing that again. It looks like it'll be, where is it? It's going to pay down $432 million. a bond principal. So it's very, very impressive there. So saving money, saving money, saving money. So it's all good. Also, the contract for the 241-91 Express Connector Public Outreach Marketing Services Agreement was approved. And that went through Communications Lab. I won't go through the state and legislative update, because there's a lot. And I won't go through the changeable message signs, which I don't think is overly relevant to what we're talking about here. So we had a lot to talk about while you were gone. So you might want to talk to your colleagues and catch up a little bit. On July 14, I attended as a member of the Senior Advisory Board for the Tustin Senior Center. And it started out with a recognition of a Segal family donation. And if you haven't been to the senior center, you need to go, because their donation was for all the new flooring that's in the senior center and the new reception desk there. So if you haven't been there, you need to go. Just kind of turns the thing around, makes it bright and cheery. It looks good, really, really good. We also talked with the transportation coordinator Ms. Serrano, and she gave an overview of the program on transportation, which is great. I didn't realize it was that extensive. It's kind of nice to see seniors can get to their medical appointments. They can get for groceries and everything else that we supply through the senior center. So that's wonderful. We talked a little bit about the Tustin Area Senior Center Fund, that they're going to donate some funds to help with the gift shop remodel, which is in vast need of doing that. So that's going to be going on. And if you get a chance, attend the Senior Center Bingo Night. It's a good thing. And that's it for the Senior Center.

So what else we got?

busy couple of weeks.

It has been busy, John.

You know, while you've been gone, while you've been lounging around, you know, the pool with a Mai Tai. So, okay. That's all I have for this evening. Mr. Mayor Pro Tem.

Great. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you, Council Member Nielsen. Council Member Fink.

Thank you, Mayor Pro Tem. And it has been a while, so I've got a few things. to sort of report out on. I've been actually to Sunset Market since our last council meeting, just because of the timing of those and our adjournment. And I've had a booth there and have had many people come up and talk to me about all sorts of issues. in the city um and i appreciate the opportunity as people come and talk to me um to to talk about what's what their concerns are what they're thinking about in the city um and it informs what i uh do and and try to find out about and i'll be there at the next couple of sunset markets absence absent anything else i've also had a community meeting this last weekend at badass coffee and uh I have no idea what that center is called on 17th. It used to be the Ralph Center when I was growing up. And yes, I was around when the Marine base was open. I was just a kid, but I was around back then. And those community meetings, I try to have those monthly or every other month in the summer while the sunset market's going on. So I'll have another in September. But please feel free to come to that as well. A couple of other things of note I got. I think we've had significant calls and have tried to make some outreach because of the Old Town construction and a number of the businesses in Old Town have been concerned about that. There were a couple of sort of unexpected street closures and I appreciate that staff has stepped up its outreach efforts. I know there's a social media post seems to be like weekly going out about this week in Old Town construction and I think that's really helpful to the old town businesses themselves working with our community economic development department working with the chamber of commerce have also come up with old town tuesdays so i'd encourage folks to go and there's a little flyer that it's out there it's printed it's going to be around it's on social media as well but about the various deals and opportunities at at stores in old town tustin on tuesday so take advantage of that for the summer while this construction is going on and support those businesses who are having a bit of a tough time as as we go through this and when we see the end of that project they're going to be the core of really what's going to be very exciting in Old Town. They're also, I think, working with the Chamber on an Old Town Business Association. So if you are interested and if you haven't heard about that, connect with the Chamber of Commerce, connect with Katie Falcon at La Colina Living about that association, because hopefully it'll help unify some of the Old Town businesses. Speaking of the Chamber of Commerce, I've been to a couple of Chamber events since our last meeting, the Top of the Morning Tustin event with Jeff Ball from the Orange County Business Council, which was very interesting. as the orange county business council is is in a way the chamber of commerce for the county and they were talking about really committing to economic development and how much orange county is an opportunity throughout the country with new development centers coming hospitals coming healthcare coming and technology coming and certainly our development and testing legacy is going to be a big part of that also this last Sunday, the Chamber of Commerce hosted the World Cup final. So I was able to attend that, watched the entire match. And as expected, the team my wife was rooting for ended up losing because she's lost everything in the knockout rounds. So when the Women's World Cup comes next year, hopefully she has a little better luck. I also want to make a pitch for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. I had a stand up at the Sunset Market with Dolly Parton. We're going to be launching that in Tustin. It's a pilot program where it's eligible for, and I know you see the heads nod from the educators in the audience, but it sends out books for kids age zero to five. And Tustin is going to be the first city in Southern California to have the pilot program. The city has funded that through the community grants that the community foundation put out. the state has put in some money. Supervisor Sarmiento has put in some money. Supervisor Wagner has put in some money. And we'll need some more private donations because the foundation in Tennessee organizes and does all this, but it's still about $225 a book for each month, which the local partner raises, which is Arvida Book Company Foundation, the nonprofit arm. The state is matching half of that, so we still need to raise funds. But also, if you've got kids who are eligible, sign them up. I've been looking into for a while, as I know Leslie has been talking about the flock cameras and I've been following what's been going on with LAPD and I'm curious to see what the Costa Mesa City Council does. I know at our last council meeting, she gave us sort of a survey about the reports that she's doing. And I sent my responses to that survey because I want to understand that a little bit more. I've talked to our police chief about it. But I'm continuing to look into this issue. And you'll see some questions when you'll read my response. It's something that we ought to be thinking about and make sure we understand what's going on there. Also, I've been harassed. I think it's close to getting power from Southern California Edison I think it's close as council member Gallagher noted it's been a long time coming and there's a dental office across the street that has been in development a lot less time and is racing to catch up and But I think it brings attention to not just that project, but other projects around the city and how we can make sure we're filling up those spaces. And I know there's a lot of ideas, a lot of push, but having those spaces filled, bringing people to those spaces, bringing businesses to those spaces and bringing people to those spaces. We have those opportunities in Tustin. So I appreciate the comments from the public on this point. I'm looking into that, but that lot in particular is closing in on it. there's two other there's two other events I wanted to take note of not last weekend but the weekend before I attended the deployment slash farewell event for and I forget the unit I apologize for that but the army reserve unit that's based out of Tustin and there was a event for that at Saddleback Church down in Lake Forest so I was honored to to go to that to represent the city of Tustin and wish those troops who are shipping off in a lot of support and logistics operations in two different missions, both in the Middle East. And I was listening to the commanders and the mayor of Lake Forest who were giving them the charge as they were going forward and how they'll serve while they're over there. and the importance of what they're doing. And it sort of reminded me that for 250 years, our country, politicians like us have been sending soldiers like that into harm's way. And what they do is so critical. But the flip side of that is what we end up doing is critical, because we have an obligation, especially those of us in local government, as Those troops who are reserves, who are often from the local area, they go off and they leave behind their family, their spouses, their children. It's our responsibility to make sure that their kids are being educated, their kids are staying safe, their families are employed, that they have jobs, that they have communities to come home to. And so that's our responsibility. as those soldiers go into those deployments, they take a critical effort to protect the country. It is critical that we just as strongly protect them as their overseas. So it's a reminder of that obligation. And of course, I attended a bunch of events around the 250th celebration of the country's independence, the Tustin Meadows Parade on July 4th. Excuse me, the Tustin Meadows Parade on July 4th, the fireworks show at Tustin High School on July 4th, and before that, with the rest of the council at the 250th anniversary Field of Honor event. And it was celebrating in particular the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which is It's easy to say, of course, that it's a revolutionary document. That's self-evident, to use the words of Jefferson's words. But it's a radical document because it stood for, for the first time, that government exists based on the consent of the government. And we take that for granted today, but 250 years ago, that was such a novel approach that nobody had bothered to write it down before. And we have to live that today. And it reminds me, as we live that, of the events that one of our speakers spoke about, about the ICE activity on San Juan Street in Tustin last Friday. And is that... The consent of the governed and I've seen the videos and I've talked to some people about that and the ICE actions there are deeply concerning to me. We have community members who are scared throughout the city. Certainly, those events, when they transpire, can be very dangerous if they're near schools, but if they're in public places. And I've messaged the city manager and the chief of police to make sure that we know about coordination with the schools and make sure they're safe. I'm very confident that our police are going to address that. And I think they actually are addressing a lot of those things already, but making sure that we have good protocols. I'm confident about that. It was also noted how different the ICE activity was from when, and there was a collision, a very serious collision. I haven't seen the events, but I saw the aftermath.

If I may. The council member comments is an opportunity to make a brief announcement.

Well, this is about my work, Mr. City Attorney. This is about the work that I am doing for the people of the city. Would you like to cut me off on that?

No, I'm trying to bring to your attention the Brown Act restriction on statements.

Let's use some decorum up here.

I don't appreciate being cut off by the city attorney. When I'm talking about representing the people of this city in my district and the work that I'm doing to make sure that they are safe, So can I continue? Do I have your permission to continue, Mr. City Attorney?

Council Member Fink, please be respectful of our City Attorney, please.

I will be respectful. I ask the same thing from the City Attorney.

I am attempting to be respectful in bringing to the council's attention the Brown Act restriction that generally prohibits the discussion of non-agendized items with certain specific exceptions. And the specific exceptions are to make a brief announcement, to make a brief report on the council members' own activities. And for a while there, that's what I thought you were doing. And then briefly responding to statements made or questions posed under public comment, briefly. Those are the restrictions. And with that, I'll return it to you.

All right. Well, let me talk about what I'm doing and responding briefly to those comments. Because I have asked the city manager and the city attorney, excuse me, and the city police chief to make sure that they're addressing protocols to make sure that the streets are safe, the schools are safe. I'm also noting the work of our city police department, because I think, frankly, it's a notable contrast, because when the city, the videos that I've seen, when the police showed up, I want to commend the police department, because They were trying to deal with a lot of upset citizens, a lot of upset residents. And they were acting in an incredibly professional manner. And I know they were getting some callbacks from the residents who were upset. And it's very important that our police keep doing what they're doing, because I think they're doing a good job. But it creates a difficulty for our law enforcement when we've got ICE activity. that is not acting in the same way, that is scaring the citizens, where we have our police who are trying to serve the citizens. So it's very important. And I've opened up to make outreach with them and hope that they, and one of the things I've asked them to do is make sure they're working on the outreach so that residents and communities affected by ICE activity understand that our city police are there to serve them. I know that you guys are are trying to do that, and your actions speak to that, you just have a difficulty in dealing with circumstances beyond your control. So I think that's very important to keep working on. So thank you for that. With that, that's my report.

Thank you. Council Member Fink? I mean, Council Member Gallagher, please.

All right. I'll keep this brief. I attended several OC San board and committee meetings. It actually marked the end of my two-year role as the chair of that board. And so I'm looking forward to less meetings there. But it was a good time in reporting out on the theme of saving money for our residents. OC San is embarking on a multi-year effort looking at an innovative technology called deep well injection. And we'd be one of just a handful in the nation that are doing this. But once successful, it will reduce the cost or ensure that our rates continue to be one of the lowest in the state. And so that's a big deal for all of our residents. We all pay water, wastewater. OCSAN is the organization that collects and treats that wastewater. And so it has been an honor to be part of that organization as the chair and to see the rates to maintain some of the lowest in the state. And then I wanted to comment on a few events. I attended the 4th of July. I thought Parks and Rec did a great job. It was a slightly different configuration, so looking forward to hearing the feedback on how that went. But it definitely seemed very lively with everyone there with that band and the mustaches and high kicks. That was a fun choice. Field of Honor, I thought that was very cool. We didn't have a chance. We were out of town, my family, for the actual dedication. But I just wanted to commend the staff for doing That's something out of the box. It's something that really pays tribute to our military heritage here in Tustin, but also commemorates this really important moment. And it was just so cool to see all those flags lined up. My kid, I have videos of my eight-year-old son running through them. And he'll probably never forget that. And so I'm sure a lot of other kids and adults got to have that opportunity and have that long-term memory and have that impact. So I thought that was really cool. And then last is attended. A number of other events, but I wanted to comment on the watch party. This was the Chamber of Commerce. I was so excited to see this. And I know this was a chamber event, but I also know that staff supported this a lot. And again, going out and trying something different to try to serve our community with these events, really, it's all part of it. We talked about parks earlier. It's all part about quality of life, having these local community events where we can come together It was a lot of fun. It was so hot. And so thank you to all the police. You guys were out there, and it was so hot. So thank you for keeping us safe and being out there so that we can enjoy ourselves. and feel protected. But I just want to, it's very exciting to see the Chamber of Commerce coming back in this way. Years ago, they were doing some really fun, engaging events, and they kind of fell off for a while. And so I just appreciate everything we're doing as a council and staff to help bring them back up. Because if they're firing on all cylinders, creating more of these events, it's just better for everyone. And so just wanted to extend my gratitude to the staff to support that. And that's it.

Thank you. So I'll kind of cut to the quick. So 624 attended the concert in the park. It was Journey. Absolutely fantastic. Had the opportunity to say the Pledge of Allegiance, which is always an honor. 625, not to belabor it, but it was a wonderful, the flag dedication ceremony celebrating 250 years of freedom. Chad, Parks and Rec did a really wonderful job. And the flag that I dedicated was from my father, General John J. Schnell, who passed a couple of years ago. But again, to see those flags waving, Like, God could not have actually put a better day, you know, for that particular event. The winds were blowing gently. The flags were waving. It really was just magnificent. It really honored, I think, the military legacy and history of Tustin. Proud to be there. 714 attended the Orange County Cemetery District meeting. Just to let you know, we're making great progress on building the Gypsum Canyon, which will be for first responders and veterans. and then obviously for the general public. 715, also attend another concert in the park is for you too. I actually looked for you. I didn't see you back there. I was gonna get some KFC and some good guacamole. But unbelievable, said the pledge as well. And upcoming events, we've got the next concert in the park on Wednesday, July 22nd, which will be Classic Rock at 6 to 8 p.m. in Peppertree Park. We've got a movie in the park, which is Friday, July 24th, which is Elemental at 6 p.m. at Peppertree Park again. We have a national night out, which is Tuesday, August 4th from 5 to 8 p.m. in Veterans Sports Park. And very important, save the date, we have our annual City Land Reuse Authority meeting. and open house and film showing. It's going to be on Tuesday, August 18th at 5.30 PM at the AMC Tustin 14 at the District Theater 2. There'll be popcorn, treats, lots of great information. So I hope people can carve out time to join us. And that concludes my report. So the next meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026. The closed session meeting will be at 4.30 and the regular business meeting will begin at 6 p.m. And that adjourns our city council meeting. Thank you.