City Council - Regular Meeting

All right, I call to order the closed session meeting of the Mayor's City Council at 3.02 p.m. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome, thank you for being here, and thank you to those viewing remotely. Madam City Clerk, please call the roll. Council Member Sanchez.

Here.

Council Member Barra.

Present. Council Member Figueroa.

Here.

Council Member Charette.

Here.

Mayor Pro Tem has not yet arrived. Council Member Flores.

Present.

Council Member Ortiz has not yet arrived. Mayor Tran. Here.

Thank you. Moving on to public comments for closed session. Madam City Clerk, do we have any public comments? We have no public comments. Okay. Are any comments from Mr. City Attorney? None?

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Good evening, everyone. Welcome and thank you for being here. And thank you to those viewing remotely. I call to order this joint regular meeting of the Mayor and City Council and the Mayor and City Council acting as the successor agency to the redevelopment agency of the City of San Bernardino, the San Bernardino City Housing Authority, and as the San Bernardino Joint Powers Finance Authority at 5.04 p.m. Madam City Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Sanchez. Here. Council Member Ibarra.

Present.

Council Member Figueroa.

Here.

Council Member Charette. I'm here. Is here. Mayor Pro Tem Canoss.

Here.

Council Member Flores.

Present.

Council Member Ortiz. Here. And Mayor Tran.

Here. Thank you. We now move on to invocation and pledge. We have Bishop Wallace Herbert from Servant Branch Ministries will lead tonight's invocation. Please approach the podium at this time. And Selena Carlos from Parkside Elementary School will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Please all rise.

your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven gracious father we come before you in the multitude of thy mercies first of all to say thank you lord god thank you for your goodness your mercy and your grace thank you for the your love and kindness that you showed forth at the rising of the sun thank you for giving us another chance to get right the things that we may have gotten wrong yesterday Now we come boldly to the throne of grace. Father God, first of all, forgive us for anything that we may have done, said, or thought that was unpleasing in your sight that would hinder our prayers from being heard on high. And now, Father God, we come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain your mercy and to find grace to help us in this time of need. Lord, you said destiny in times of great need sends forth leaders that are equal to the tasks in time. So we come here to pray for this meeting and pray for our leaders, Lord God. The mayor and every member. We ask that you, you said pray for them. So we lift them up before you right now. Mayor Helen Tran and Theodore Sanchez and Sandra Ybarra and Juan Figueroa and Fred Charette and Kim Noss and Mario Flores and Dr. Treasurer Ortiz and Eric Levitt and Albert Maldonado and Talisha Lopez. Father God, we ask that you would bless them, that you would give them a mind to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before thee. Let them become your agents, Father God. Know that they work for you and they Represent you as well as their different wards in this city, Father God. We pray now that as this meeting goes forth, that there will be synergy and energy in this meeting. Synergy and energy, but most of all, unity. For where there's unity, there's strength. Let everything be done in decency and in order. Done and said in decency and in order. For we know that you are God of order. So let things be done, we pray, in decency and in order. Let every agenda on this, everything that's on this agenda, let it be met. Let the people be heard. And let there be communication, Father God. For you said that wisdom is the principal thing. So get wisdom, but with all thy getting, get understanding. So help us. us to be slow to speak and quick to listen and slow to anger so that we can speak without being offensive and listen without being defensive. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you, Bishop Wallace-Herbert, and thank you, Selina, for the pledge of allegiance. We will now move on to closed session report. Mr. City Attorney, is there anything to report from closed session?

Thank you, Mayor Tran. The Council met in closed session to discuss all the items listed on the agenda. There is only one reportable action from closed session. It is related to Item B, Romanette 3, Notice of Claim of Treasurer Ortiz, dated August 24, 2026. By a unanimous vote, the City Council has voted to deny the claim as untimely under the Government Claims Act, with some claims being premature and others submitted too late. and as being barred by the litigation privilege. That concludes my report. Thank you.

Thank you. We'll move on to presentations. We have one. It's the Proclamation for the National Library Cards Sign Up and Literacy Month in the City of San Bernardino, September 2026. Present to Library Director Ed Erjovic and Library Program Coordinator Nikki Villalobos. Council, would you like to join me to the front stage? All right. So we have the proclamation of the Mayor and City Council observing September 2026 as National Library Card Sign Up and Literacy Month in the city of San Bernardino. Whereas an observance of September being National Library Card Sign Up and Literacy Month celebrated nationally as a library card hits all the right notes by the American Library Association. Patrons are encouraged to visit one or more of the four San Bernardino Public Libraries either in person to sign up for a regular library card or virtually at www.sbpl.org to sign up for a digital library card to utilize online resources and whereas whether people visit in person or virtually libraries offer endless opportunities to transform lives through education and lifelong learning serving people of every age education level ethnicity and physical ability And whereas, in addition to checking out books and doing research, our libraries offer free activities such as preschool story time, crafts, workshops, author visits, entertainment programs, literacy services, and online resources, including e-books. and e-audiobooks, helping people improve their lives at no cost. And whereas San Bernardino Public Library offers literacy tutoring through the Jack L. Hill Lifelong Learning Center, providing services to adults, children, and families, including free computer classes, and is scheduled to add an animaker space area, giving patrons of all ages opportunities to build, design, and create and using technology. And whereas in fiscal year 2025-2026, San Bernardino Public Libraries had more than 22,000 library card holders, checked out almost 75,000 items, including more than 22,000 OverDrive eBooks and eAudiobooks via the Libby app, and had almost 125,000 patron visits and more than 11,000 people of all ages participated in library programs and more than 50,000 visits to the library website. And whereas our city, our San Bernardino Public Library has served our community for 135 years. Again, 135 years. And if there's any city that can benefit from a free public library, it is here. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino do hereby proclaim September 2026 as National Library Card Sign-Up and Literacy Month, presented this second day of September 2026.

Thank you. And you mentioned the Animaker space. We are super excited about that. It's going to have a lot of opportunities for community members of all ages to come in and learn to use different technology items like 3D printers and the machine embroidery, laser cutters, all kinds like that, plus an animatronics aspect to learn to program robots. So keep an eye out for that. It is going to be really exciting.

Thank you so much. Do you have any free words?

And thank you, of course, to the mayor and council for your support and our city manager and deputy city manager and all the department heads and your assistance with our projects. And just for Councilman Sanchez, the Overdrive Collection just sent a new monthly record. It's been setting a record almost every month the past few months, but in August, its number of titles checked out exploded to more than 3,600 titles in one month, which is a new record to break. 3,000 for the first time. And then Nikki and our staff at the three branch libraries and the staff at Feldheim do a great job in planning the programs that were cited as 11,000 participants in programs for all ages at all four locations. We have a calendar on our website that lists what programs are happening by day at each library so the people in the community can take advantage. of the programs and the best thing of all programs and everything is free. So thank you very much for your support as always.

We love our libraries.

Big round of applause for our public libraries.

We will now move on to public hearing. At this time, public comments will be heard for the public hearing, item number two only. If you wish to speak on other items on the agenda or not on the agenda, please wait until the regular open session public comment period begins later in the meeting. To address the city council, each individual must complete a speaker card. The speaker card must be completed and turned into the city clerk at this time. Only those speaker cards given to the city clerk may address the city council. Late cards will not be accepted. Each person should state their name for the record before beginning their comment. As your name is called, please approach the podium at this time. We have two podiums available for your convenience. Please proceed to either one as your name is called. If you need Spanish interpretation, we have an interpreter present. Please raise your hand at this time to indicate that you require services. We also have devices available to listen to the meeting in Spanish.

En este momento, solo se escucharan comentarios públicos para la audiencia pública número dos de la agenda. Si desea hablar sobre estos otros puntos de la agenda o no están en la agenda, por favor espere para que comience el periodo regular de comentarios públicos de la sesión abierta más adelante en la reunión. Para dirigirse al Consejo Municipal, cada persona debe completar una tarjeta de oradores. La tarjeta de orador debe completarse y entregarse a la Secretaria Municipal en este momento. Solo las tarjetas de orador entregadas a la Secretaria Municipal pueden dirigirse al Consejo Municipal. No se aceptarán tarjetas tardías. Cada persona debe declarar su nombre para registro antes de comenzar su comentario. Cuando llamen su nombre, por favor, formen fila en el orden anunciado. Thank you, gracias.

Number two, appeal 26-10 of the Planning Commission's approval of subdivision 25-01 tentative tract map number 20707 and mitigated negative declaration for the 105 lot Vertamont Heights residential project in board five. Item number two, quasi-judicial public hearing, appeal 26-10 of the Planning Commission's approval of subdivision 25-01, tentative tract map number 20707, and mitigated negative declaration for the 105-lot Vermont Heights residential project. in Ward 5 is a quasi-judicial hearing, and we will follow the procedural rules in accordance with resolution number 2018-088. I am opening the hearing at 518 p.m. If any council members have had any ex parte communications outside of this public hearing with city staff, the appellate, or members of the public related to this public hearing, please disclose them at this time and share the substance of the information received. Any members of the public wishing to address this body on this item, please stand and raise your hand to have the seated clerk administer the oath.

Do you solemnly swear, affirm that the testimony you're about to give before this body will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? If so, please say I do. Thank you.

Thank you. City staff provided presentation on this item. Staff will have 15 minutes for your presentation.

Mayor, may I give the oath also to the person who's appearing? Oh, yes.

I'm sorry. Thank you.

Haley, do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give before this body will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? If so, please say I do.

I do.

Thank you. Thank you.

Staff? Good evening, Honorable Mayor and members of the City Council. For your consideration, this evening is Appeal 26-10, and as noted, it is an appeal. The request from the appellant is to uphold this Appeal 26-10, thereby denying the Planning Commission's approval of Subdivision 25-1 for a tentative track map 2707. And before I go further, I did want to note just several items might have been brought before you because we just received them either just a day or two after the packet was provided. One is we received via email August 31st, 2026 is a letter from Lizal Drury providing additional information on the appeal. And I believe you should have received a copy of that. And then we also have a letter that should have been placed before you today from Lilburn Corporation. It's the environmental consultant for the applicant and on behalf of the city that prepared the environmental document for a response. So we have those two items that relate to this particular item. To continue on, the project is located north of Vertamont Drive. It's at the terminus of Antique Street. It's 107 acres, and it is zoned for residential low. And let me get a map here. So this is the location. And the zoning residential low gives you a little bit better idea in proximity to the other residential designations. Here's some visuals of the site. OK. For this particular project, just to give you a little history, it was approved by the Planning Commission. It is a subdivision dividing six parcels into 105 single-family lots. Those lots are going to range in size from 10,000 square feet to 24,891 square feet. We have reviewed the access and site design, and I'll show you a slide of the tentative map shortly. Their main ingress and egress will be and access will be from Vertamont Avenue and we'll have six new streets created. I'm going to come back to that slide. This is the tentative track map so you can see the layout where we come up from Vertamont. And I also have Senior Planner Chantelle Choice here that worked on the project. And since this is my first meeting back, I want to see if I should add any more information or we've kind of covered the highlights.

So this, so the main entrances will be from Vertamont Drive. Six new lots will be, six new streets will be created. Right now they're labeled as Street A through E. There will be, right now it's just for the subdivision of the 105 lots. The applicant will come back at a later date for the development of the residential single family homes. There will be two basins on site as well.

Thank you. And then coming back, so the Planning Commission did adopt a resolution on July 14th approving the project and adopting the mitigated negative declaration, the appeal Was received was filed. I believe on July 26. I think we have a typo there And for this evening staff is recommending that the City Council adopt resolution number 20 26 dash 144 of the Marin City Council the city of San Bernardino, California Denying the appeal so staff is recommending that we uphold the Planning Commission action thereby upholding the Planning Commission's approval to adopt the mitigated negative declaration mitigation monitoring program under the California Environmental Quality Act and approving the subdivision 25-01 for tentative track map 20707 allowing the subdivision of a project site comprised of the six parcels containing a total of approximately 107.7 acres into 105 single family lots ranging in size from 10,000 square feet to 24,891 square feet, and located at the terminus of Antique Street and north of Vertamont Drive within the residential low zone. And I should note, we do have the applicant here to provide some additional information and respond as needed on the environmental. This project did have a mitigated negative declaration, which does meet the requirements of CEQA. And with that, I do not have any other information. We're happy to answer questions, and then if we need to bring up the developer team as well, they can respond. Thank you. Thank you.

Council, any comments from the council? Seeing none, at this time, I invite the appellate to provide their evidence or testimony on the item. You will have 15 minutes to provide your presentation. Council members, please hold any questions until the testimony has concluded. Is the appellant here?

Yes. Haley, you can go ahead and start your presentation.

Thank you. Good evening. My name is Haley Uno. I'm a law clerk from Lozo Drury LLP here on behalf of the Appellant Supporters Alliance for Environmental Responsibility, or SAFER. SAFER respectfully requests that the City Council grant the appeal and refrain from approving the Verdamont Heights project at this time because the Mitigated Negative Declaration, or MND, fails to comply with CEQA. CEQA requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report, or EIR, rather than an MND when there is a fair argument supported by substantial evidence that a project may have significant adverse impacts on the environment. Safer's expert biologist, Dr. Sean Smallwood, concluded the project may result in significant impacts on special status species utilizing the project site, including monarch butterflies, which he observed roosting in a pine tree on the site. Safer's expert air quality and noise expert, Mr. Sutton, concluded the project may result in significant air quality, greenhouse gas, and noise impacts. First, Mr. Sutton found that the project's construction emissions of nitrogen oxide were likely underestimated due to an assumption that the project would take 16 years to build. The MND fails to account for how much nitrogen oxide emissions the project would emit under a shorter and more realistic construction schedule. Second, Mr. Sutton found that the MND fails to support its conclusion that the project will result in less-sensitive health risks due to the project's emissions of diesel particulate matter, a known human carcinogen. The M&D relies on an analysis of criteria air pollutants to support its conclusion, but diesel particulate matter is not a criteria air pollutant. Instead, it is a toxic air contaminant that requires a different analysis, a health risk assessment, which should have been prepared for this project. Third, Mr. Sutton found that the project is inconsistent with the goals set out in the California Air Resources Board's 2022 scoping plan for achieving carbon neutrality. As a result of these inconsistencies, Mr. Sutton concluded that the project may have significant greenhouse gas impacts. Lastly, Mr. Sutton found that the project's construction noise analysis has misrepresented the project's actual construction noise impacts. When Mr. Sutton prepared his own construction noise impact analysis, he found that the project would result in potentially significant noise impacts. Based on these findings from SAFER's experts, there is substantial evidence of a fair argument that the project may result in significant biological, air quality, greenhouse gas, and noise impacts, requiring the preparation of an EIR to sufficiently analyze and mitigate these potentially significant impacts. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Thank you. Do any members of the council have questions for the appellant? Seeing none, at this time I invite members of the public to comment, provide evidence, or testimony on this item. Please indicate whether you have been sworn in. You will have three minutes each to address the council. Madam City Clerk, do we have any requests to speak?

Yes, we've received nine. Brent? Mick Monigal, Claudia Cuevas, Valerie Perez, Oscar Huerta, Ivan Garcia, Viviana Perez, Luis Ojeda, Xarelis Hernandez, and Alejandra Gonzalez.

Please state your name. We have three minutes.

I'm sorry, Mayor, if I can. So this is the attorney for the developer, and so we're going to go ahead and give him 15 minutes to speak. Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Mayor, members of the council, city staff. My name is Brent McManigle with Fenimore Law Land Use Council for the applicant. We're here tonight because of an appeal by a group represented out of the Bay Area. I've submitted a letter both to the Planning Commission. I sent a letter to the city council that's in your package from their first appeal letter. And then I also submitted one late this afternoon. It should be on the dais in response to their last minute letter delivered on the 31st. And the appellant brought up a point that she said, you should deny and require an EIR is required if they present a fair argument based on substantial evidence. And based on our review and my comments in the record, there is no substantial evidence that this appellant has provided. They reference a monarch butterfly that we're not even in the habitat area. That's clearly in my letter. And then on some of the other items, the appellant has also provided a lot of information in their reports or identified what they think are significant impacts, but that's based on conjecture on their point. The appellant's consultants have had flawed analysis They're based on other jurisdictional improvements and limitations. And they call this natural land, but this property has been disked routinely. There is open space on the northern end of the property that will remain open space. And it's in a residential area. But to some of the comments that the appellant mentioned tonight, the construction schedule, they're claiming 16 years. ISMND and the air quality provided in that used the CaliMod default settings. They weren't manipulated. They were default settings that are normal for a CEQA analysis. They mentioned diesel particulate matter, but they did not provide any analysis or substantial evidence to justify their claims. They mentioned the GHG CARB scoping plan. That's a policy document that is not part of CEQA. They mentioned noise. But the noise that they reference is they're using City of LA noise standards. And the standard for CEQA and around this area and the projects that I've done in the city and the area, we represent and use the Federal Transportation Administration. That's what's commonly used, not the City of LA, especially here in City of San Bernardino. And that goes for the noise controls. On the noise, city staff has mitigation measures. that provide us that we have to comply with city standards in the ISMND. There's no need to recirculate. There's no need to prepare an EIR. This is a very sound document prepared by professionals, reviewed by your staff, and reviewed by the Planning Commission. So we ask that you deny the appeal and allow us to go forward. I'm available to answer any questions. We also have our engineers, representatives of the environmental consultant here, and the owner. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker. Please state your name, you have three minutes.

Good evening, my name is Claudia. And I'm here tonight as a mother of a San Bernardino resident. When I think about the Vermont project, I just don't think about the houses or new construction. I think about the kind of city I want my daughter to grow in. As a parent, I want my kid to have more opportunities closer to home. I want her to grow up in a community that is changing, improving, and creating new possibilities for the next generation. I would love to see more businesses, restaurants, services, and activities come into our area. I want my daughter to be able to experience those things here. and I want them to see San Bernardino as a place where they could build their future. Of course, I understand that this project involves a lot of, sorry. involves a lot of needs to be planned carefully, but I think it's important to listen to the residents and address concerns along the way. I also feel that we have to think beyond today. We have to think about the kind of opportunities our children will have. I want my daughter to be proud of where they come from, and I want them to see San Bernardino as a city with potential, not a city that has been being left behind. This is why I support the Venmo project. I believe our children deserve a community that continues to grow and gives them something to look forward to. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Good evening, my name is Valerie, and I'm here as a San Bernardino resident to express my support for the Vermont project. When I look at the proposal, I don't only see new housing. I see an opportunity to bring additional investment into our city. One of the things that happens when a community grows is that it creates demand. More families living in the area means more customers for restaurants, grocery stores, shops, childcare providers, professional services, and other local businesses. It can create an environment where entrepreneurs see San Bernardino as a place where they can open a business and actually build something suitable. That matters because economic development doesn't happen in isolation. Housing, businesses, jobs, and services are all connected. I also think about the people who already live here. We shouldn't have to drive to other cities every time we want to access every time we want access to certain services, entertainment, or shopping options. I would like to see more of those opportunities right here in San Bernardino. I understand that growth comes with challenges, and I believe that those challenges should be addressed thoughtfully, but I don't believe the answer is to stop development altogether. We have to find ways to grow while being responsible about in fracture and the needs of existing residents. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Good afternoon. My name is Alejandra and I am a resident of San Bernardino. I want to express my support for the Verdemun project because I believe that our community needs more than just housing. We need a community where families can have access to more services, businesses, y actividades sin tener que salir de nuestra propia ciudad. Como mamá, esto es algo que vivo constantemente. Muchas veces tengo que manejar a otras ciudades para comprar el mandado o para llevar a mi hija a hacer algunas actividades, o simplemente para buscar algo diferente para entretenerla. No parece algo tan importante hasta que uno piensa cuánto tiempo pasamos manejando. el tráfico que enfrentamos y lo difícil que puede ser para las familias que no tienen esa misma facilidad de transporte. Por eso, para mí, Verdemund representa una oportunidad de acercar esas opciones a nuestra comunidad. Más familias significa también más clientes para los negocios. Eso puede ayudar a los restaurantes, tiendas, servicios y otros negocios que quieran invertir en San Bernardino. Yo quiero que mi hija crezca viviendo en una ciudad donde tiene oportunidades. Quiero poder hacer más cosas aquí, apoyar a negocios locales y sentir nuestra comunidad que esté avanzando. Creo que podemos tener crecimiento de una manera responsable y pensando en los residentes, pero también necesitamos estar dispuestos a crecer. Para mí, este proyecto representa una oportunidad para construir un futuro con más opciones para nuestra familia y por eso considero importante que siga adelante. Muchísimas gracias.

Good afternoon, my name is Alejandra and I'm a resident of El Serpenadino. I'd like to express my support for the project of Bergamot because I think that our community needs more than just housing. We need a community where families could have access for services, businesses, and activities without having to leave the city. As a mother, this is something that I live constantly. Sometimes I have to leave the city just to go to the market or take my daughter for some kind of activity instead of just something to look to entertain her here. It doesn't seem very important, but sometimes I have to think how much time I have to spend driving the traffic and how hard it is for some families that don't have access to transportation. For that reason, for me, Bergamot represents an opportunity to bring closer to people to different options in the community. More families mean also more clients for businesses. This can help restaurants, stores, services, and other businesses that could also invest in San Bernardino. I like for my daughter to grow up looking at a city that has a lot of opportunities. I would also like more things here to support local businesses and to have our community grow. I believe that we could keep on growing with a responsible way and think about the residents. I also believe we need to think We also need to be able to grow. For me, this project represents an opportunity to build something for the future, more options for our families, and I also think that it's important to keep moving forward. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Gracias. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Good evening, my name is Oscar and I'm speaking today because I support moving forward with the Vermont project. I want to focus on something that affects people across our region, housing. We continue to hear about how difficult it is for working families, young adults, and people who want to stay close to their jobs and families to find housing that works for them. We cannot say that housing is a problem and then oppose every opportunity to add more homes. San Bernardino needs housing, but I also believe we need to think about what the housing can bring with it. A new community means people putting down roots. Those residents will need places to shop, eat, work, and spend time with their families. That creates opportunities for businesses and that can contribute to the city's economy activity. I would rather see San Bernardino to fully plan for growth that continue having people leave the city because they cannot find the housing or amenities that they need. I also think we have to look at the bigger picture and ask for ourselves what our community needs 10, 15, or 20 years from now. We have an opportunity to add housing and encourage investment at the same time. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name.

momentos cuando se construyen cosas nuevas y personas que quieren invertir en ella. Por eso estoy a favor del proyecto Verdemor continúe. Creo que San Bernardino tiene mucha potencia y necesidades a seguir buscando oportunidades para mejorar nuestra ciudad. Un proyecto de este tamaño puede traer más actividades económicas y hacer que otras empresas vengan a la ciudad como... con ganas de invertir. Yo quiero que nuestras próximas generaciones tengan una ciudad con oportunidades, lugares donde puedan trabajar y desarrollar su vida. Creo que es importante que San Bernardino también siga creciendo como se han desarrollado muchas otras ciudades. Entiendo que todo proyecto grande debe hacerse con cuidado y que hay cosas que se tienen que revisar y pero tambien debemos darnos una oportunidad al crecimiento. Me da gusto ver que hayan personas que quieren invertir en San Bernardino. Yo quiero ver como una ciudad con futuro y creo que Barbermo puede ser una parte de ese futuro. Muchas gracias por escuchar mi opinion. Gracias.

My name is Sorelle and I'm a resident of San Bernardino. I want to talk about my experience as somebody that has lived in this community. I like when a city has some growing, when the city is growing and when they build things, new things and and people that want to invest in the city. That's why I am in favor of the project Bergamot to continue here in San Bernardino. I believe that San Bernardino has a lot of potential and we need to continue looking for opportunities to make the best of our city. This project is This project of this size has a lot of economical growth to bring and a lot of businesses to bring to the city. And people to come and invest in the city. I want our next generations to have a city with opportunities and places where they could work and develop. I believe that it's important that San Bernardino keep on growing and develop as other cities are growing. I believe that this project is big and it could be done because there's lots of things Oh, we need to check. And it also needs to be done growing opportunity. I'm very happy that there are people that want to invest in San Bernardino. I want to see this city. I believe that this city has a future, and I believe that Bergamot could be we could be part of the future. Thank you so much for listening to my opinion. I'm very grateful for you guys for listening to me. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Gracias. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Hello, good evening. My name is Viviana and I am a San Bernardino resident. I support the Vertamont project because I believe our community deserves investment. Sometimes when we talk about development, the conversation becomes focused only on what is being built. I think we should also ask what kind of community we want to have once that development is here. I want a San Bernardino where families have more options close to home. I want neighborhoods where people can access businesses and services without having to leave the city. I want local entrepreneurs to see opportunities here and I want our community to have the population and economic activity necessary to support those things. Vertamont has the potential to contribute to that kind of growth. I also think about the people who already live here. We should not look at new development as something that only benefits new residents. If done properly, new investment can create benefits for the broader community as well. More people can mean more customers. New businesses can mean new jobs. Increased activity can create opportunities for entrepreneurs and bring additional attention to an area that deserves it. Of course, development needs to be planned carefully, but I don't think we should let concerns about growth prevent us from addressing the very real needs our city has today. I'm not asking for growth just for the sake of growth. I'm asking us to consider what San Bernardino could become if we welcome responsible investment. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Hello, my name is Luis Ojeda. And this is a clear example of why we have a shortage of housing in the state of California. Because unfortunately, many groups and special interests have hide themselves in the environment, that they care about the environment. We all know that what they care is their bottom line. Let's give you guys an example, right? This attorney was so concerned about the environment that she couldn't make it to be here, present. It's like, I'm making time to be here because I feel that this is a very important issue, that it's a great concern for the residents of this city, especially when we have so many needs. in this community. For me, it's very unfair for outside groups to try to meddle into our growth, into our economic advancement. And it's time for the residents of the city to understand the game, because this is a game. That's all it is, a game. It's a distortion game. It's a blackmail game that I've seen it time and time again with some so-called environmentalist groups are supposedly against the projects for whatever reason that they make up. And after, you know, the developer gave him a few dollars, all of a sudden, they approved the project. The project is wonderful, it's good. So look, I feel that we all care about the environment. But now when it's politicized, and now when people tries to capitalize on it, I think that's a great dishonesty to the people that really have a concern for the environment. I really enjoy caring for the environment, and I have shown that not today, but for years. And I want to tell you this. I remember for almost four years we picked up trash on the alleys and streets of the city of San Bernardino. And I invited many of those so-called environmentalist groups to come and join us. Because picking up trash that possibly can end up in the ocean and killing the sea, the ocean life, they never want to join us. Not once, because they told me that they didn't do that. And this is the hypocrisy, okay? That when somebody says that you care about the environment, of course, you have to be part of that change. And you don't have to do it just by talking. but by getting your hands dirty and put your labor where your mouth is. Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam City Clerk, is that all the speakers? That's all the speakers. And we also received written public hearing comments, which have been distributed to the mayor and members of the city council for their review. The comments can also be found on our website attached to the agenda packet.

Thank you. At this time, I invite the appellant to provide any rebuttal evidence and testimony. You will have five minutes to address the counsel.

Good evening. My name is Haley Uno, appearing for the appellant. Regarding any challenge to the expert findings that SAFER has provided based under CEQA, where there is any disagreement among experts, between SAFER's experts or the city's and the developer's experts, an environmental impact report is required to resolve those disagreements. Additionally, regarding SAFER's findings on diesel particulate matter, the MND analyzed particulate matter 2.5, which is a fine particulate matter, whereas DPM, or diesel particulate matter, is particulate matter containing over 40 cancer-causing chemicals, which requires a different analysis, and that duty falls on the city to prepare that analysis, not the appellant. That concludes my comments. Thank you so much for your time consideration Thank you.

I will now turn over to the council for any comments.

I do have customer Ibarra Thank You mayor this is for the appellants attorney You had mentioned that there's a significant impact or the monarch butterflies, but there was no presentation Do you have something you can present to the public about the? how the monarch butterflies are being affected in that area throughout history and

Yes, our expert wildlife biologist, Dr. Sean Smallwood, conducted a wildlife survey of the project site where he saw monarch butterflies roosting in a pine tree on the site. And his comments and findings were provided in a couple previous comment letters that SAFER has submitted to the city. We are happy to provide those to you after the hearing.

Thank you for that response. But I do believe safer has come before us. And this is not the first time that we get a complaint from them very last minute presented to the council. Is there a reason why we just barely got your report?

It takes time for our expert consultants to review the copious amounts of pages and environmental documents, technical studies reports prepared by the city for each project. And so oftentimes we won't receive those studies until close to the hearing deadlines, unfortunately. So we have to make do and make make do with the time that we have available. We apologize for the last minute submittal of our most recent comment letter.

This project, from what I'm seeing here, was approved two years ago. Is that how long it takes to do studies?

I'm sorry, is that a question for the appellant?

Yes, I'm still asking questions to the appellant's attorney. This project was approved two years ago. Is that how long it takes to do these studies for those areas?

To my knowledge, this project is in the process of being approved currently at this hearing. And just to clarify, I am not an attorney. I am a law clerk from the law firm that represents the appellant.

Thank you. Thank you. Any further comments by Councillor Charette?

Yes, I want to move approval.

I have to close the hearing first.

Well, I want to be the one to move the approval when you close it. Because this is...

Okay, Council, let me...

I'll make my comments. This needs to pass. We need housing, and this is extortion by these organizations. Clear and simple. And we've got to get our housing back on track. And to do that... I saw a monarch butterfly in a tree next to my house today, too, and I thought it was very beautiful.

Thank you so much for the comments. Seeing no further comments, I do see motions out there. I'm closing the public hearing at 5.55 p.m. There's a motion by Council Member Charette, seconded by Council Member Ortiz. Madam City Clerk?

Council Member Sanchez?

Yes.

Councilmember Barra, yes Councilmember Figueroa. Yes. Councilmember Charette. Yes Mayor Pro Tem Connors. Yes Councilmember Flores. Yes. Councilmember Ortiz. Yes motion passes unanimously Thank you.

Thank you council. Madam City Clerk, please read the motion into the record followed by the vote. I

A motion by council member Charette, second by council member Ortiz to conduct a public hearing on appeal 26-010 and adopt resolution number 2026-144 of the mayor and city council of the city of San Bernardino, California, denying appeal 26-10, thereby upholding the planning commission's approval. to adopt the mitigated negative declaration and mitigation monitoring and reporting program under the California Environmental Quality Act. Approving subdivision 25-01, tentative track map number 20707, allowing the subdivision of a project site comprised of six parcels containing a total of approximately 107.7 acres into 105 single family lots ranging in size from 10,000 square feet to 24,891 square feet, located on the terminus of Antique Street, north of Vertama Avenue, APN 0261-011-0203 and 10 and 0348-121-14727 and 28 within the residential low zone, attachment one. Thank you, thank you council, thank you staff.

And thank you for more housing in our city. Moving on to City Manager Update. Mr. City Manager, please proceed with the City Manager's report.

Madam Mayor and City Council, thank you for the opportunity to give you a brief update. First, I want to say that we're moving along as we've been trying to tell you on the general plan. The review and approval process of the city's general plan continues to move forward. This week, the General Plan Advisory Committee, the GPAC, met to review and provide feedback to staff. The plan commission is currently scheduled and it's on their schedule to discuss the plan at their meeting on October 13th. And I want to thank Angelina Mary Lanier and the planning staff for keeping this, trying to move this forward to get this to the city council by November of this year. Second, last week code enforcement conducted a educational operation on Highland Avenue in response to complaints regarding unlicensed vendors operating on private property. Staff provided approximately 20 vendors with information on the business license process with communication tailored to the vendor's language needs. The operation received positive feedback from the vendors, including comments thanking staff for the information and for being polite regarding the communications. Repaving of Fifth Street. A major paving project on a three-quarter mile section of Fifth Street between E Street and Waterman Avenue is currently underway to improve the roadway and provide a smoother, safer driving surface. Work began on Monday and weather permitting will continue for the next two weeks. Most grinding and paving will take place at night to minimize impacts to the traffic. This past Saturday, the Animal Shelter, in partnership with NBC Universal LA, held its annual Clear the Shelter event. We are pleased to report that San Bernardino residents showed up in mass and 48 dogs and cats were adopted in one day. Love Your Block Route 66 style. Two Route 66 themed Love Your Block community-led improvement projects were completed this weekend. Girl Scout Troop 1134 showed off San Bernardino's newest little free library and rock garden at Ann Shirell's Park. And the community mural by artist Hal Lacey was unveiled at the Amapula Restaurant on Mount Vernon. And with that, that's my report for tonight. Thank you.

Amapola. Just correcting you. I believe there's some comments.

Yes, thank you, Mayor. Real quick with the vendors, are you tracking them around? Because now I see people coming up on 40th. Is it working or is it moving people, I guess, is my question.

I can look into that, but you're saying you're seeing vendors, illegal vendors on 40th, is that where you said?

Yeah, in the evenings. And then, oh, are we tracking for 5th Street the wear and tear? Because it is a truck route, and I think it would be, I don't know how engineering works, for us to track how deteriorated it becomes over time with the amount of impact. So I don't know if we've ever done that, but if something we're thinking about, maybe that helps us think in the future.

All right, thank you. I do have a comment about the vendors. Could you reach out to City of Highland? The mayor of Highland approached me at a board meeting on Omnitrans regarding about street vendors at the border of the city and Highland. It's really on the city's jurisdiction, so could you reach out to them just to ask what the concerns are? And also the vendor in front of the consulate. We want to make sure the Mexican consulate is staying here in her city, not being deterred or wanting to leave our city because of an issue there. Thank you. Any further comments from council? Yes, Council Member Ibarra.

I want to thank our code enforcement with addressing the street vendors. I know I have received several complaints on the ones off of Eucalyptus towards Highland Highland. And I know those vendors have been contacted before by our code enforcement. And I'm not sure if those are the ones who were recently approached. But the way they're leaving our sidewalk in that area, it's unacceptable and sticky. The local businesses have continuously complained about it. And it's been years. It's been years that we've been trying to address this issue. And I would hope those vendors practice better ways to dispose of their oil in Greece instead of dumping it on our Sidewalks, thank you.

Thank you, Council Member. Any further comments? Seeing none, we will move on to public comments. We have about 27 speakers tonight, and each speaker will have three minutes. Madam City Clerk, please call up the speakers.

Frank Becerra, Ron Alvarado, Carolina Garcia, Andy Fuentes, Al Palazzo, Christian Shaughnessy, Kim Calvin, Luis Ojeda, Dolores Armstead, Jim Smith, Amelia Becerra, Marlena Carbajal, Lydia Savala, Jim Mulvihill, Lynn Ware, James Smith, Jeffrey DeFilippes, Virginia Marquez, David Freedman, Sandra Ibarra, Melina Enriquez, Jesse Guzman, Lilia Gamulco, Hector Loera, Ivan Garcia, and Sharon Negrete.

Thank you. You may state your name. I have three minutes.

My name is Al Palazzo. Mayor, council members, Richard Quest, a journalist for CNN who reports on global economic issues, this weekend on his show, Wonders of the World, reported on Route 66 in San Bernardino County. He mentioned Albert Okora, who bought Amboy. Of course, he founded Juan Poyl, and his flagship restaurant is at the corner of Route 66, Fifth and Mount Vernon. Then Mr. Quest mentioned Peggy Sue Diner in Yermo, and then jumped to Santa Monica. From Yermo to Santa Monica. bypassing San Bernardino. What an opportunity missed for San Bernardino to be on the world stage telling how rich our history is and trying to bring economic development to this city in a positive way. Who dropped the ball? There's somebody on staff. We could have shared stories of movie stars stopping at Meatless Restaurant. I know because my mother worked there and she would talk about the movie stars. And Meatless has been there for almost 100 years. Last night, ET mentioned Miami Vice and Philip Michael Thomas, our classmate, Fred, from the west side, Mount Vernon, Route 66. Richard Quest was talking about architecture, about motels. We had beautiful mission, early California architecture at Baseline and Mount Vernon, at Goodlett, and of course there's, just as you came down from Home Pass, We could have mentioned the tea piece, where we also have the Camino Real, which I and a few members of the Native Southern put up last year. And he talked about neon signs. Well, we have those motels still that could be renovated and preserved, but we have vacant parcels that we could build for the future and outdo Rancho Cucamonga, making our Route 66 the original. I would like to see a banner. Well, you're going to have to wait because I don't have time.

Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Good evening, Mayor, members of the City Council, Mr. City Manager. My name is Christian Shaughnessy, and I am a candidate for San Bernardino City Council in Ward 2. I'm running for office because after I lost a friend to gun violence three blocks from the home I grew up in, I knew San Bernardino needed change. I dedicated my life to making that change happen. I work full time in the second ward as a housing specialist, helping homeless youth and victims of crime find shelter and rebuild their lives. This work is immensely personal to me. I see residents struggling with it every single day. And like too many of our residents in the city, and especially in the second ward, I wake up every morning next to a vacant lot where human beings sleep in. Ward two faces immense challenges. Housing families cannot afford, putting the American dream out of reach. Homelessness that overwhelms our systems and the staff who run them. Violence that breaks mothers' hearts and makes parents bury their own children. Potholes that cost money to people who are barely making ends meet as it is. Working families who are stolen from by predatory slumlords and the epidemic of wage theft. A city that has spent a decade claiming back from bankruptcy and one that cannot afford to slide backward. Our challenges are many, but they are not insurmountable. What Ward 2 needs is stability, sound judgment, and discernment. Leaders who pay attention who listen before they act, and who make careful decisions with the public's trust in mind. That's the kind of leadership I've worked to earn. I hold four countywide leadership positions on homelessness, and I'm honored to be endorsed by the Inland Empire Labor Council, representing over 90 unions and 400,000 working families across the region, along recently with the California Working Families Party. That's the kind of representation I intend to bring. I am running to be a stable, discerning and attentive voice for the second ward. I look forward to working with our mayor and our colleagues in the council, no matter who wins the election in November, because our people deserve better. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

My name is Delores Armstead. I'm going to change my mode tonight. First, I want to thank you for the lights on Highland Bridge. We've been asking for lights for years. That's a major road. It should never be dark, especially as we're trying to attract businesses to our city. Thank you for hearing our plea. It is great to be able to ride drive, and see at night. Thank you. We want to say thank you to the Parks and Rec and San Gregorio Girl Scout Council, Acoma Troops 1419 and 1134. Congratulations to Troop 1134 in receiving a Love Your Block grant, which was used to put in a small library at Anne Shirell Park. Thank you. Our tax dollars are doing good things. The Love Your Block is a good thing. We like that. Thank you. Thank you for doing something positive. And we also thank you for supporting everyone that came out to support our Girl Scout troops. Thank you. A shout out to St. Paul's AME Church Pastor Stephen Shepherd for providing fresh fruit and vegetables to our communities twice a month. This free fruit and vegetables twice a month. Give them praise as they celebrate their 122nd anniversary and a special thanks to our Golden Agers that meet every Tuesday at Acoma Unity Center. You are so appreciated. Now, Route 66 is celebrating 100 years. Can you update the community on what the city is doing to celebrate Route 66, especially through Mount Vernon? That's a major route, and we're not hearing anything, we're not seeing anything, we haven't seen any signage, nothing. We're San Bernardino, we should be proud about it, and we're seeing nothing. We citizens are proud, but is the city, you guys. We will be willing to work with you. You won't be by yourself. Ask us. We all want to do it together to celebrate Route 66, and you're not reaching out. I got one shout out to Council Member Flores. Item 15 is about stop signs. There's none needed in the sixth ward. Sixth ward wasn't listed at all. I know we need a stop sign somewhere in the sixth ward. There weren't any on there. Housing. I saw the presentation on housing. Yes, we need housing. But more than just housing, we need affordable housing. Housing from the 600s, from the 800s, from the 1 million. There aren't that many people west of the 15 freeway that make 160 plus to afford any of that housing. I don't know how to do it. We gotta get grants, et cetera, but we need affordable housing because from the 600s, from the 800s, from the one millions, that's not for the people on the west. Thank you, from the east. Thank you.

Next speaker, please state your name.

You have three minutes.

Good evening, mayor and council. My name is Melina Enriquez and I am the president of the San Bernardino City Young Dems. This is getting dangerous. I said it once and I'll say it again. Benito Barrios is a Democrat with Republican beliefs. Let me take you back to 2015, the year then-Councilman Benito Barrios put San Bernardino on national news. Barrios, in the middle of the public comment portion, made a post to Facebook in an attempt to sell a gun. Eleven years later, as a War II City Council candidate, he continues to post disqualifying and unstable things on Facebook. On July 20th at 7.09 AM, Barrios shared a video on Facebook claiming that members of the US government were working on mind control devices that could put thoughts into people's brains, including making them commit suicide. This video also claimed that this was part of a satanic conspiracy theory to take over the world. A question I have for Barrios that only he can answer is, why are you running for a government position when posting a conspiracy theory that is against the government? He kept this video up for 15 days, 15 days before the public outcry finally made him take that video down with no explanation or apology. This would not be his last unstable post. August 24th, he went on Facebook yet again and shared an anti-LGBTQ video of a rapper claiming that pink-haired devils were brainwashing children into being LGBTQ and that they were being used by Satan to do this. The rapper later stated that God would punish these supporters of the LGBTQ community. LGBTQ youth are a disproportionate part of the homeless population and people leaving the homeless population. LGBTQ people are victims of violent hate crimes in our own city, including people I know, and conspiracy theories are one of the motivators for that. Anybody this unstable and out of touch with the values of the community, especially when he claims a Democratic Party registration in a hypermajority Democratic ward should not be elected. He should not have a vote on a city budget with homelessness and youth funding. And frankly, as someone who sits on the County Continuum of Care on homelessness, he does not deserve to be my colleague. The permanently archived link to Barrios' mind control post has been sent to the council in a written public comment and is on the Democratic Luncheon Club website. The anti-LGBTQ video link has also been sent to the council. We don't need mental instability and mind control conspiracy theories in the War II seat. A Democrat with Republican mindset. That's what Benito Barrios is.

Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Hi, my name is Marlena Carbajal and I'm a mother. My son attends Whitney Young Early Head Start Preschool. I'd like to talk about preschool security or the lack thereof. An incident occurred on August 20th wherein my child was released to unauthorized individuals. I didn't find out about this incident until the following day. This situation, with myself and my co-parent is highly contentious, and there was a new court order put on file with the preschool on August 3rd. All staff were made aware of this insensitive situation since my son was enrolled there three months ago, and only my son's father should have been picking him up since then, since August 3rd. But on August 20th, this teacher allowed some other relatives to take him without his father being present. These people were not on any court order and not on the approved list of people that are allowed to take him. So I've provided a copy of the incident report that I have filed with the preschool department for you guys to have. It should look like this. So I'm urging for stricter policies regarding people coming into preschool grounds, such as security guards, cameras, and ID checks, because as of now, there are no security guards. People can just walk in when somebody exits. There's a sign on the security gates that say visitors must sign in, but I've never had to sign in. No visitors have ever had to sign in, and no ID checks have ever had to be made. And when I reported this incident, they admitted that protocols were breached. And they said, okay, IDs will be checked from now on. But it's been two weeks and no IDs have been checked. They haven't checked my ID. And other parents I've seen getting their kids, no IDs have been checked since. So I would just like somebody to please do something to protect our children. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes. Lydia Savala. So here's the latest. I received a phone call from a neighbor asking for assistance on two Belgian Malinois puppies And I said, well, you know, I try to help her. I post them on my website. And then she mentioned to me just a couple days ago that she got a phone call from a woman by the name of Ashley Hurley who said she would take both animals and charge her $100 per animal or $150. And I said, well, you know, that doesn't sound right to me. Don't release them to her. Allow me to vet this woman, and I'll talk to her on the phone. So she gives me the phone number, and I enter. I do a very simple search on Google. I enter the woman's phone number, and up comes two articles, one from the Los Angeles Times and another from the Fullerton newspaper, stating that this woman has been, just last month, actually in July, was convicted on three counts of animal cruelty. and there is a court order prohibiting her from possessing any animals, but she is poaching animals off of our community local next door website. So I have contacted the Orange County Assistant District Attorney Office, and I don't know if anything can be done to stop her from poaching in our community, but This is problematic because this individual who called me is not the only individual who's been approached by this woman. There have been two other people that have been approached by her. So, you know, we have people on Nextdoor that are looking out for this sort of thing, but it is... Bottom line is we really need to reduce the pet overpopulation because every other post on Nextdoor is... is someone trying to give up an animal. The other reason I'm here today is to encourage a long-term plan. You know, when Chris Watson was here, for all I did not like about her programs or policies, I will tell you that she created one hell of a dynamite, fantastic, long-term plan that has never been implemented. And if it doesn't get implemented, the pet population is not going to be reduced. A cost saving measure that I observed just a week ago was at a church where the county rented several huge bins and allowed the public to drive through and dump their large items, and that is truly a cost-effective measure because that's less expensive than going around town picking up items.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name.

Yes, my name is James Smith. I'm a lifetime resident of the city of San Bernardino. I'm also a commissioner of the Arts and Historical Preservation Commission. I wanted to indicate some very positive things. Unfortunately, the city manager's not here, but he brought today about the general plan. I think that's great. We're moving forward to make San Bernardino another vital city of San Bernardino. That's the important thing. That is gonna help the image of San Bernardino and encourage people to move here and get involved. I think that's very important. One other thing I wanted to mention is that we're very fortunate to have a state senator by the name of Eloise Reyes, who is 100% behind the future of the city of San Bernardino. She's a very good personal friend of mine, and she and her husband Frank are tremendous supporters of the future of this area. I wanted to indicate that to you. Also, I wanted to give a, on Tuesday of last week, at my Rotary Club, we heard from Jamie Rios, who received a very important recognition. The Miss San Bernardino, Mr. and Miss San Bernardino pageant are later this month from San Bernardino High School. who I, my alma mater, and I think Jamie is doing a tremendous job to help the image of San Bernardino. We need to support people like that. I wanted to indicate, and I'm really glad to see that the second situation is not on the agenda again this month, as it wasn't in our last city council meeting. However, I did receive a message that there is a, this is James Otis Lecture Series on September the 15th, Lopez versus Secum. That concerns me as for students, teachers, and educators. This is where the whole misguided effort started the luncheon I mentioned at the Mitla Cafe banquet room. The court and attorneys wanted to educate the public on how San Bernardino helped shape civil rights history. They needed students, teachers, and educators. I'm pretty sure And I wanted to indicate that that's important. I hope this doesn't come back to the city council.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Hi, everyone. My name is David Friedman. I want to start off by saying that I am in full support of extending the Love Your Block grant. I think a lot of good has come from it. It's beautified our city, and it's a good example of a program that has encouraged pride of ownership in the city. I also want to commend Stephanie who leads it and her team. I can tell she's super proud of it. She got the shirt on. She's doing a lot with it and she's a great asset to our city. I also want to ask that we support and bring back programs like the paintbrush program. I can give you two examples of where it was really successful. My neighbor who owns a law firm, he restored his historic sign on his building. And then a nail salon in downtown put in a brand new sign, and I've never seen them busier. It helps improve the look of the buildings here in downtown. So it's kind of like a mix of Love Your Block and economic development together. And so I hope we can bring that program back. In that same vein, something that I've been working on with my partner here who will speak on it, We want to come to the city with a system on getting more CDBG funding, specifically through Section 108. We are working on building a pipeline and a funnel to put those funds into small businesses who want to start up here. Whether they're starting, you know, they started in Ontario, they want to open a second location here, or they're already here in San Bernardino and they just don't have that full capital stack to be able to invest and open a business here. So there is a capacity of almost $14 million and we, the city, are only getting close to 2.8. So there's a huge amount of funding that we can help to create a system and a pipeline to invest in these small businesses here that is being totally missed. I'll give you an example. The city of Ontario is giving out funding to small businesses. They have revolving loans, like $30,000 that's payable back to the city so a new small business can use it once it's used up. The city of Yucaipa just started a program where they give out revolving loans. Banning gives $50,000 to new restaurants. I know a lot, like people were talking here about they want to spend their money here with local business. They want to spend time here. They want to have activities for their families and kids to do. And so we're just here to help keep pushing that forward. We have a plan. I handed it to Luis with Economic Development, who I also think is a great addition to your guys' team. And so I hope you guys will consider that we're missing out on a lot of funds and we can help get those funds and bring them to our city. So thank you for your time.

Thank you. Next speaker for state name, you have three minutes.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. I just wanted to encourage you to renew the Love Your Block program. It's been so wonderful. Shanae and Josiah and Stephanie have done such an amazing job and created so many beautiful projects around the city, so I just really wanna encourage you to continue with that. And I also wanted to announce the third annual Nat Community Pickleball Tournament, and just encourage everyone up there to play, sign up and play, and anyone in the audience to sign up and play. That will be October 3rd. I am giving lessons September 14th, six o'clock at Parris Hill Park. If anybody doesn't know how to play and would like to learn how to play, come on out, bring a paddle. And I just wanted to quickly thank last year's sponsors that were so generous to us and just encourage them to maybe sponsor us again. The professional firefighters, 935, Burr Tech, Mayor Tran, Chief Goodman, Arrowhead Country Club, Alta Vista Credit Union, Council Member Kim Knoss, Parris Hill Pickleball, Arrowhead United Way, SoCal Superwash and Joe Salas. So if you guys could support us again this year, we would really appreciate you so much and I hope to see all of you out there on the courts. Thanks.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. We have three minutes.

Hello, my name is Jesse Guzman with OneDev. I'm partnering up with David. We're a restaurant developer in Southern California. We've developed over 30 restaurants from L.A., San Diego, West Covina Plaza, Montclair Plaza. We've been trying to bring restaurants to San Bernardino, and we consistently have... Just we're just struggling with filling in those spaces me and David and his spaces or any other spaces I'm finding that there's a lot of missing incentives and the city of San Bernardino doesn't offer that other cities offer whether that's either development funding or just Thriving districts that'll want a concept to be want to move here. I We brought operators to these spaces. They like the buildings, they like the opportunity, but when they see the empty 4th Street, 3rd Street, 5th Street, they get cold feet at the end. None of them are signed. Like I said, we built over 30 restaurants all throughout. We've utilized development funds, tenant improvement funds with landlords or cities. City of San Bernardino has none. I think the consensus is unanimous that we need economic development, restaurants, and retail here, and there's no defined space here in San Bernardino. I think there's a way to change that. Every city, including the city of San Bernardino, receives CDBG funding, California Development Block Grant funding. We receive $2.7 million right now. There's a loan program, which is Section 108, which allows us to borrow up to 5x of that, which is $13 million. So we have a program kind of copying Ontario, which would cap that at $10 million, where we would have a $3.5 million tranche to utilize to create a new downtown San Bernardino. just to backtrack a little bit. The problem isn't residential development. The city of San Bernardino hasn't grown in 10 years 0%. It's at the same population number, even though housing has increased. The problem is economic development. On my deck, we have, in comparison to locals, we are well below the city of Ontario. We beat the city of Ontario with population. They beat us in food and hospitality and retail, so did the city of Riverside. So I think the focus is to shift toward building street level economy that give larger developers not trickle down, start with economic development. Section 108 allows us, eligible city, to leverage its CDBG allocation to much larger economic development impact. San Bernardino is also approaching the end. We borrowed it before for different buildings, sectioned off throughout the city. We're paying our final payment this fiscal year. What I'm proposing is that we borrow again, but focus it onto one street, which is 4th Street. And to have an impact instead of reacting to City Hall, to Carousel Mall, no developer wants to come to something if there's no action being taken. So we gotta take action immediately in order to entice for developers. So we have a full deck available with plans that's in. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Good evening, Mayor and City Council. My name is Lynn Ware. I'm a lifelong resident of San Bernardino and the Neighborhood Association Council President. I appreciate this chance to celebrate our organization and the collaborative efforts we have made with our community partners. NAC is looking to the future by exploring ways to expand our reach, improve communication, and think creatively about providing opportunities for community engagement. And we're growing. We are excited to announce that NAC has welcomed four newly activated neighborhood associations already this year. Ramona Alessandro, under the lead of Michael Knight University, under the leadership of Melissa Mylander. Vertamont, under the lead of Tom Vogel. And just this week, officially, Mount Vernon, under the lead of Vianney Galvez. And we are having conversations about activating international and Terrace West neighborhood associations as well. It's especially exciting that we are gradually rebuilding the presence and potential of neighborhood associations on the west side of our community. Over the past two years, we have participated in the Love Your Block program. There is now an incredible mural facing the Campos Santos Park, thanks to Arrowview Neighborhood Association. The Bond Street cul-de-sac was cleaned up and re-landscaped, thanks to the Blair Park Neighborhood Association. At North Park and Electric, there is now a drought-tolerant garden and a creative welcome sign, thanks to North Park Neighborhood Association. Blair Park and Sherrill's Park now proudly share books with the community at their little free libraries thanks to Blair Park Neighborhood Association and the Girl Scouts. Court Street Square boasts a freshly painted Route 66 mural thanks to the Downtown Neighborhood Association. And coming up on September 26th, a Route 66 sign celebrating the centennial will be unveiled at the corner of Mount Vernon and Fifth Street thanks to Ramona Alessandro Neighborhood Association. And soon there will be a community garden completed near Mount Vernon and Highland thanks in part to the newly activated Mount Vernon Neighborhood Association. These impactful Love Your Block projects are community-led creations, transforming ordinary spaces into inspiration and reflection. Let's embrace the value of beautification and public art. It brings vibrancy, color, and joy, and it fosters a sense of pride. These projects serve as a catalyst for unexpected conversation and connection, building relationships and building community. This is important for San Bernardino. So we strongly encourage you to make a favorable decision tonight to fund the third year of Love Your Block. It is an amazing program, and it's facilitated by our amazing economic development staff, Stephanie Chenet and Nancy.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Hello. My name is Luis Ojeda, once again. Well, I want to talk about Love Your Block. I apply for their grant, and I don't know how you guys decide who gets what, and they were penny-pinching me. Oh, that they can give me gloves, that they can give me this, that they can give me that. I said, you know what? Never mind. You keep it. I don't need it. So this is the problem, what I see with this. First, I don't see the transparency. I don't know who is judging or who's deciding who's going to get what. And it seems that some people, for whatever reason, they're chosen. I mean, I know the doers and the talkers, okay? So this is the thing. If you guys really care about beautifying San Bernardino, you can start your house right there. Because you drive around, you can see plenty of old cars parked on the street full of trash. You can see their front yards dirty with dead grass. So we can start there. Why do we need to spend the money that we don't have to do what we're supposed to do in the first place? I'll give you an example. We've been talking about street sweepers, right? For like eight years, we need signs to get the people to move their cars because the sweepers, they just go around, right? And eight years later, we haven't done anything about it. I mean, that could be a revenue for the city, the people is, unresponsive to move their cars. So we can start there. I think we can apply the funding to get signs on the street for the street sweepers to do a good job, and for the people to move to one side and then move to the other, and that way we can keep our street clean, right? So the homeless issue is forever. I think it's never going to end. And the government news and administration The problem has gotten worse. This has been over $20,000 million, and we haven't done anything, okay? But everybody talks about being so compassionate. Let's face it, people. This November, we're going to have elections. And the ones that we have to blame for this issue is Sacramento. the Assembly people and the Senate people, okay? And I don't need to tell you. You see who has the super majority in the Assembly and who has the super majority in the Senate and who is the governor. And right there, you put the blame. So after November, if you elect the same inept people that you guys have been electing for the past 30 years, Don't blame no one by yourself for the homeless issue. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Yes, my name is Jeffrey D. Phillips, and I'm talking about how the streets in San Bernardino need to be repaved because of all the holes in the streets. You know, I really think a lot of cars don't need to get

their transmission, and a lot of other things. And even in San Bernardino, I'd like to see the city sidewalks get redone, like on 8th Street, going all the way 8th and D, going all the way up. I'd like to see that done because I go down that street quite often where I live up there on 13th. But I'd like to see a lot of people get the people that are doing motorcycles on the street. I mean... mopeds, okay, that are on the sidewalk. I walk a dog, and my dog almost got hit by a scooter, which they should have license on them. They should wear helmets. The police should be more alert to them, you know, so they can get taken care of, so they can get their license for the bicycles and the scooters. And I think the city of San Bernardino should do something about that and even ban fireworks and illegal fireworks right here in the city of San Bernardino. Next year, I'd like to see that done. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Hello, Mayor and Council. My name is Amalie Becerra, and this is my sister, Lisa Becerra. We have been participants of Love Your Block. We are from Girl Scout Troop 1134. We want to thank everyone who supported our Love Your Block projects, our Little Free Library at Blair Park, and Andrew Ells. On behalf of our troop, we want to advocate for another year of Love Your Block in San Bernardino to build more young leaders and San Bernardino pride. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Yes, good evening, honorable mayor, council members, city staff, and community members. My name is Virginia Marcus, and I'm a lifelong resident of the First Ward. City of San Bernardino, I'm very proud of that. I'm here to discuss items four and 16. Item four is to direct the elected official compensation advisory commission to meet and evaluate options for adjusting the mayor's salary. To our city residents who have been appointed to this very important commission, Please consider reinstating the mayor's full-time salary, which is an amount equal to 50% of the annual salary of a San Bernardino County Superior Court judge. Per our city charter, the mayor of the city is a full-time job conducting council meetings such as today, attending community events, attending regional board meetings, and being a good steward of our city. The job of the mayor is more than 40 hours weekly. Commissioners, please do the right thing. Item number 16 is my favorite, Love Your Block Round 3 funding. I am pleased to have attended the unveiling of the mural behind Amapola's administrative offices on Mount Vernon Avenue and Orange Street located in the first ward. Despite the heat and humidity last Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m., we had a large crowd celebrating this milestone on the West Side. We are proud of this beautiful mural because it depicts life on the West Side, the Santa Fe Whistle, the Depot, classic cars. It brings a sense of pride, love, and respect to our community. A special thank you to the highly talented muralist Hal Lacey and his team for their beautiful work showcasing the way we live on the West Side. And a special thank you to Stephanie Castro and her amazing staff, Chantel, Nancy, for their work and commitment to these projects. Can you please stand, ladies? Let's give you ladies a round of applause. You deserve it. I want the whole world to know who you are. You guys really, I mean, you're so passionate about it. Council members, please consider funding for next year as these projects will live on forever for generations to come. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. We have three minutes.

Hi there. Frank Becerra from Blair Park Neighborhood Association. And again, thank you very much, Nancy, Sine, Stephanie, and your team. Fantastic job, and I hope that... the council approves another year. The projects that you supported, a few of you mentioned the Bond Street project, the Little Free Libraries at Anne Shirell's and at Blair Park have been great. Not only do they increase literacy or bring community together, and the Bond Street project actually beautifies the area, decreases the fire risk, but I think it's created a buzz. Community's gotten together. Several of you on the council have come out there and done some work, got to work closer with Councilmember Canas, Councilmember Flores, the mayor came out there. So it is a great return on investment to sponsor this for one more year It's increasing community pride. It's increasing community engagement. It exposed us to the Acoma Center and another Girl Scout troop, and so, and increased our exposure to Ward 6, so there's cross-ward collaboration. There's engagement and more in other areas of the city. It's just bringing us closer together. It's beautifying it. It's creating this energy, and please support it for another year. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes. Sandra Barra, currently an elected official, won't be after December. I want to give a big warning to the second ward. They're having major strides done in our city since I came into office. Our city was bankrupt when me, Theodore, and Juan came into office. And that's something that the public is not aware, apparently, because they let the smear campaign dictate how they voted in June. We want to talk about puppets, pay to plays. I want people to look at the first vote we did on McDonald's and look how Treasurer voted the first time around and how she voted the last time on McDonald's. And why is that? Her biggest financial supporter, who did the smear campaign on me and my colleagues, was in favor of that McDonald's. We had people from that neighborhood who came up and said nobody knocked at their doors. We have a housing specialist running for my ward who's been running for different seats every two years. We talk about stability or instability, look at his record. A housing specialist is what he calls himself, yet we still have the highest number of homelessness in our city. Maybe you should ask him when he knocks at your door what his salary is, how much these social workers get paid, and how many actual homeless they've kept off the streets in our city. If we have the highest number of homelessness, it's not our fault. As a city and an elected official, we have approved as much funding as possible to address homelessness. We had no homeless division when I came into office. We have built that department. We only had 100 beds to account for. Now we have 900 without including the Central Lutheran Services, without including the U.S. Vets Project, and more to come. But yet, We have here these candidates who obviously do not know the whole history of the city and the improvements we've made throughout the years. Having a private investor, financial supporter of council members trying to talk bad about people who have made positive impacts in our community. And I want the second ward residents and voters to please do your due diligence. Ask these questions to the candidates when they knock at your door. and also look at the progress as we have done. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Mayor Tran, member of the councils, Jim Mulvihill. An interesting visitor arrived in San Bernardino recently. Many of you, I'm sure, were aware of it. Mr. Rip Remsen, president and CEO of the Kresge Foundation, gave a talk at the Inland Empire Community Foundation Summit and toured part of San Bernardino. his visit with Northworthy. First, the impact of the Kresge Foundation on development in cities across America can't be ignored. The Kresge Foundation was one of the major fiscal participants in solving Detroit's bankruptcy a decade ago. Their grant of $100 million was crucial in the negotiations leading to the exit from bankruptcy of Detroit. And beyond immediate financial aid, Kresge is committed to ongoing investments focusing on sustainable development and community revitalization. As part of a published interview, he challenged San Bernardino civic leaders to consider projects not in isolation, but also consider how a project connects with and benefits the lives of residents. He described local challenges of transit, water, reducing heat, but a specific challenge was the development projects that identified connections that such projects can make within a community. Connections with local neighborhoods and connections with subsequent projects. Specifically recurring to San Bernardino, he looked at the 42 acres formerly occupied by our downtown mall and saw it as an opportunity to create development having connections with neighborhoods and with subsequent development. He asked, wouldn't it be tremendous if the future development of that site would be one generally connected with the community and community needs and not just another one-off corporate development? There was more, but my point is this. Here is the CEO of an important foundation whose focus is on assisting cities with major challenges He toured San Bernardino and saw potential for improvements. Of course, his goals are not necessarily match ours, but given the interest he did show, this civic leader appears to be a good potential contact for San Bernardino. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Hector Loero. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. First off, respectfully, I would like to take a moment of silence for Raelynn, who had passed away on Highland Avenue. All right, I'll begin now. OK, thank you. And then also I would like to address that street, something that we could do to prevent this issue again. Maybe we could put some dips or speed bumps or stop signs, stop lights, so that we know that this is an issue for the future. And then also these are concerns from the community, the members, residents of San Bernardino, for the members of council. These are for all the parks. So first, we'll go with Grandparents' Day, actually. There's gonna be Grandparents' Day coming up in September 12th, I believe it is, for all the grandparents. Also for Paris Hill Park, There was residents who were requesting maintenance. They said that there was some trees that were hanging low and the trash disposables. They would like to see more so that people could maybe throw more trash in the disposables rather than on the floor. And also for Parrish Hill Park, I heard that 21st Street, the lights are out. if we could maybe find something for solutions that we could do for that. And for parks, I would like if we could maybe put the park hours in the website for San Bernardino so that the residents could see all the park hours. Also for Bryce Haynes Park, I heard that there was bird poop, an issue with bird poop. This was addressed on the online website, but it never got fixed. Also, for Wagoneer, Wagon Wheel Park, Al, I'm sorry, I can't say that, Al Gahin, or Hudson, people would like to see ballparks, if we could invest maybe into a ballpark over there in that area. And for Baseline and Highland, if we could just keep making improvements for the environment, cleanliness, all the potholes, we could do something about the potholes. I don't know what your budget is, but maybe we could do something about that. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name.

You have three minutes. Sharon Negrete, good evening, Mayor, Council, and City Manager. According to resolution number 2018-45, the Animal Control Commission is responsible for recommending shelter strategies, policies, and programs, promoting quality animal care and adoptions, and educating the community. So where does that work? That's not happening. What recommendations has this commission made? What programs has it developed? What has it done to increase adoptions, educate the public, or address animal overpopulation? From what I've seen, absolutely nothing. I have never seen commissioners come before the City Council to present their work or explain what they have accomplished. That's never happened. At the last commission meeting I attended, commissioners complained that the shelter was not sending them information about what was happening there. I almost jumped out of my seat. Why would busy shelter employees have to chase after commissioners and educate them? Commissioners should be should visit the shelter ask questions learn how it operates identify problems and bring meaningful Recommendations back to City Council yet. I've never seen them here That is their responsibility council members Appoint these commissioners why are people being appointed that have little to no experience with animals and even the ones that do have experience have done nothing to These positions should not be ceremonial. Filling a seat is not the same as doing the work. Taxpayer funded employees should not have to leave shelter operations to attend unproductive meetings and educate commissioners. That's a waste of our tax dollars. Okay, so that is why I am proposing PACT, P-A-C-T, Partnership for Animal Care and Transparency. PACT would consist of carefully selected, qualified volunteers who would visit the shelter, understand its operations, develop practical solutions involving spay and neuter, and educate the community. They would work alongside the shelter management and not interfere with it, but just work alongside. They could bridge between the citizens and the shelter. So I'm formally asking the mayor and city manager to meet with me so I can explain how PACT would operate and why San Bernardino needs it. We do not need another commission that merely occupies seats. We need people willing to get out of those seats and do the work. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Hello, my name is Ivan Garcia. Just wanted to talk about some past events that I recently attended. I attended the Parks and Recreation Community Service Commission on the 20th. It would be nice to see more residents there, more items to discuss about parks, because I see a lot of unsafe conditions in parks. I also attended the Sunday Social Verdamont Community Center, 5 p.m. That was a good turnout. Thanks, Kim Knoss, for attending that, and other city staff members for hosting that event. I also attended an event with Mario Flores, We Are the Change SP. We had about 20 to 40 attendees. And I learned that a lot of residents are very passionate about Route 66. So our city staff, our team needs to put some time and effort into making improvements to that. And our Route 66 100th anniversary is coming. We have car shows every year. That should be a top priority for some of our council and city staff. We also had Ms. Kim Canoss, Ms. Helen Tran there. VNA mr. Luis Ojeda and then community residents that spoke about we spoke about spoke about homelessness Kind of what's happening in the city and Thank You Mario for For kindly hosting that event and answering residents for our questions from our residents I would highly encourage other city council members to please do the same and get involved in more events residents likes to like to see their their councilmen and councilwomen at these events and I just wanted to mention some upcoming events. The Mount Vernon Bridge first year anniversary block party that's coming up on the 26th of this month, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. I attended last year. That was a huge win. Great turnout. Hope to see more classic cars there, more SB residents. Hopefully the population is doubled this year. I did see a fire floating around for small business summit coming up on October and in October the 22nd And then we have October 23rd at 6 p.m. There's going to be a route 66 Main Street of America at the California Theatre I Wanted to mention item number two. Thank you for approving that tonight We do have a shortage of housing in our city and I know all the efforts that go into planning development programming and getting projects and to our city staff and encourage more economic development here. And thank you for approving the Arden and Girthian panorama development at our last city council meeting. And then I'll just end it with hopefully we can bring a Porto's Bakery, a Rubio's, or higher end restaurants to the city. And just to close it off, I wanted to mention the CDBG grant It would be nice to see more rehab projects for SF parks. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Good evening. My name is Ron Alvarado. I'm a lifelong resident of San Bernardino, a county fraud investigator. I've served as chair of our parks commission, and I'm a candidate for city council, ward one. Tonight, I'm going to comment on several agenda items that directly impact our city's fiscal stewardship and neighborhood quality of life. First, regarding item four. on evaluating options for adjusting the mayor's salary. As a fraud investigator, I believe in total transparency and fiscal discipline. At a time when our working families across San Bernardino are struggling with rising housing costs and inflation, any discussion about increasing executive compensation must be approached with extreme caution and public accountability. Public service is about stewardship, and setting compensation must reflect the real economic conditions of our residents, while staying anchored to clear performance and fiscal transparency. Second, on item five, regarding nuisance abatement items, I strongly support holding negligent property owners and corporate slumlords accountable for cleanup costs. For too long, our working class neighborhoods on the west side and downtown have suffered from persistent blight while local taxpayers get stuck with the bill. Code enforcement must be proactive, aggressive, and fair so that our families can enjoy clean, safe streets. Third, regarding item 14 and the $250,000 Measure S budget increase for the animal shelter improvements. While our shelter infrastructure urgently needs attention, residents deserve absolute oversight. Whenever public funds are adjusted, every measure S dollar belongs to the taxpayers, and we must guarantee that capital projects are executed efficiently, without cost overrun or administrative waste. Finally, I want to voice my support for item 16, the continuation of the Love Your Block program. Empowering residents through grassroots beautification, park equity, and neighborhood cleanup projects gives our community generic ownership over our city's future. When City Hall enforces code fairly, protects public resources with strict technical oversight, and puts residents first, we restore trust and move San Bernardino forward. It's time to move San Bernardino forward, not backwards. Vote Ronald Alvarado this November 3rd. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Next speaker, please state your name. You have three minutes.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. I'll try to keep my comment quick. So, Councilmember Barr, you just came up here and said how you're warning the second ward about the candidates, but you only talked about one candidate, which I find really weird because you just had a community member come up here and say how... Benito Barrios was posting homophobic stuff and literally posting stuff that's saying the government is controlling people with radio waves. I don't see you talking about that when that's a serious problem. That's someone who represents the ward. When you have someone posting homophobic videos on their Facebook and Instagram, that's a problem when they are going to represent LGBTQ members in their community and in this ward. You should be also warning people about that because That's a serious issue because I know in my school, San Marino High School, that is in your ward, there is a community of LGBTQ students at our school who were informed about this video and who were shocked that this person was trying to represent this ward. So I don't understand how we can... try to bring awareness to one issue, and we should also bring awareness to another candidate who has done terrible things in our city before, like try to sell a gun while at a city council meeting, was a fugitive at one point and threatened to sue a minor. So I just would want you to bring these things up too. Thank you.

Thank you. Madam State Clerk, any further comments? There are no more speakers. Okay, thank you. Council Member Ortiz? Thank you, Mayor.

I just wanted to address the public comment of... I'm so sorry. We actually do have one speaker on Zoom. Georgia, you have three minutes.

Thank you.

Good evening, council.

I would like to speak on items four and 14. On item four, I understand the mayor's position is largely ceremonial, but it still comes with visibility and influence. And I just don't think enough has been done in that role, especially things that could help build a stronger sense of community here. Mayor Tran, I offer these recommendations and would like to see the restart of the community newsletter. and make sure it's delivered to every single household. Push for more outreach through neighborhood associations, appoint competent commissioners, not simply campaign supporters to bridge the connection between the community and council, or even considering welcome packets for new residents. These are simple things that help people feel connected to where they live and give us an actual sense of community, which also would encourage citizens to get involved. We have also missed opportunities with Route 66 celebration at America's 250th anniversary. I haven't really seen much done with that either, especially in my community here. Even simple things like banners on the light poles, displays of patriotism or recognition of our law enforcement, our local veterans and first responders would help create some pride in our city and for our country. I don't like how the salary increase is presented either. It says 50% of a San Bernardino County Superior Court judge's salary, but most taxpayers have no idea what that means. I found that it comes out to about 122,000 a year. Why not just say that? Put the salary, benefits, allowances, and total costs right there for us to see. And on item 14, I'm not opposing the additional $250,000 for the animal shelter modular project, but it is another reminder of how expensive incompetent leadership can become. We raised concerns for years, and too often the former director's word was trusted over the information we were bringing to you. That should never happen again in animal services or any other department in this city. Respect professionals, of course, but ask questions. Verify that what you're being told and just don't assume the title means someone knows what they're doing. The best way to keep a community updated, I believe, is with a newsletter. It could cover projects, animal services, homelessness resources, events, neighborhood issues, maybe streets, Street sweeping schedules, community dump days, all of it. Not everyone is on social media and residents shouldn't have to chase down information about what their city is doing. And lastly, thank you so much for rejecting Treasurer Ortiz's baseless claim. I believe that was the right decision for the taxpayer and for the city. Thank you.

That includes public comments.

Thank you. Council Member Ortiz? Yes, Mayor, thank you. I just want to address the public comment of Councilwoman Ibarra because as she walks down, always the first thought that crosses my mind is what am I getting blamed for today? And so I just want to make sure we all understand the facts that it was brought back to us because Councilman Mario Flores asked to reconsider his vote. We were originally told that only 10 to 15 people had ever been noticed when actually over 632 residents had actually been noticed, only one came and dissented. I was able to walk that neighborhood for the two weeks in between and talk to residents who told me, don't tell me what to feed my children, don't take something away from me when we have nothing. And so in doing my due diligence, I was able to change my vote. I get that people don't like her, that like me, but that's not how governance works. And so no one has to lie about you to remove you from office, Sandra. All they had to do was look around. Thank you.

Thank you. We will now move on to consent calendar items three to 15. Mr. City Manager, do you have any items that needs to be pulled at this time?

Madam Mayor, I'd like to pull number eight, and it's going to come back on a future agenda.

Okay, number eight's pulled. Council Member Ibarra, any polls? Number 15. 15. Mayor Pro Temp? I can come back to you. Customer Sanchez for customer T's none customer Figueroa, none customer Flores, none customer Charette.

I'm here. Uh, both mine have been pulled. I'll be speaking on four and 15.

Okay, Mayor Pro Tem. None. Thank you. Move to approve the balance. Thank you. There's a motion to for the remaining balance. And second, yes.

I just want to acknowledge on item number 13, there is a typo in the amount. There is a zero missing on the amount, but it did appear in the recommendation portion.

Okay, thank you. There's a motion second for the remaining balance.

Council Member Sanchez? Yes. Council Member Ibarra? Yes. Council Member Figueroa?

Yes.

Council Member Charette?

Yes.

Mayor Pro Tem Canas? Yes. Council Member Flores? Yes. Council Member Ortiz? Yes. Consent calendar balance passes unanimously.

Thank you. Council Member Sanchez, item number four.

I have a commissioner appointment that's going through the process and I'd like for that to be approved before the commission convenes to make a recommendation. So that's the first part. The second part is that it seems like it's a very specific ask that the mayor's salary be equal to 50% of the annual salary of a superior court judge. Who made that request, and is there a dollar amount that we can base that off of?

Staff would like to answer.

Sure. The mayor asked for this to be agendized for, for this commission to, to reconvene. And I believe that that was the salary that was in the previous. How much is that right now? I think it's around 120, between 120, 125,000. I don't have the specific amount.

That would be 50% of the superior court judge. Yes. Okay. So that would be, okay. So that's, that's what the request is for 125,000. And then that would be adjusted according to, to our, the salary of the, uh, the Superior Court judge.

I believe that's the way it was set up before.

So I would like it to be open-ended. I'd like for the Commission to consider various options. My colleague Figueroa had presented a novel idea of tying elected compensation to these household median income in the city of San Bernardino so that the city's increased wealth is a reflection of the elected's performance in their elected leadership positions. So that as well, so I guess the third and final would be that the last time that the Commission considered compensation for any of the elected officials was for counsel five years ago. And I think that they should look at that as well, unprompted, so that they can take a look as to whether the compensation should be increased, remain the same, or decreased. because this is a commission that is tasked not just with the mayor's compensation, but all electeds. So I think that's pretty clear as to what I want. So I'll make a motion to that effect.

I'll second. Council Member Figueroa, did you have a question?

Well, I didn't, but since you said, I was just trying to read what the recommendation is And it looks as though that's pretty much what Council Member Sanchez is saying, is that in addition to considering the 50%, it's also being tasked with evaluating other options for adjusting the salary. And so I'm not seeing a distinction between what's being recommended and what your motion is.

So right here, there's direction to the elected official compensation advisory commission to meet and evaluate options and specifically tasked with the option of or their judgment of the mayor's salary at an amount equal to 50% of the annual salary for the Superior Court judge in the county of San Bernardino. So I want that along with other options presented. And the second prompt there is to provide a recommendation by 5 p.m. September 18th. That won't allow for the commissioner that I have going through the process to be appointed by this council, by this elected body before that appointment. So the prompt would be to have the commission make a recommendation that would be presented to council by the first meeting in October as opposed to September 18th. As a courtesy, I mean, this is out of a courtesy to the council who appoints these positions. So I have a commissioner who's going through the process now, is qualified, but isn't on that board because it hasn't been approved by council. She will be on the next agenda, September 16th, for council approval. And at that point, we'll have, I think, a mostly completed commission that can then take on these questions.

Thank you, Council Member. We just have to be mindful because in order to consider reinstatement of a full-time mayor salary and assessment of the council, salaries, you have to be mindful of the timeline. So there is a quorum on the elected committee to start reviewing it. I'm not sure how long your vacancy was left vacant and now you're appointing. I just would like to counsel to have allowed the committee to start meeting to meet the deadline in order for it to be stated for the next upcoming general election. And I want council to understand when this action was taken by the council in 2022, it was directly a personal decision on the former mayor. It's a full-time mayor's position and it needs to be assessed fairly and justly for a full-time mayor position. The other thing is this formula that was pulled by staff, if you look at the backup, can I ask staff, how long has that formula in place been for the full-time mayor position? Mayor and council that dates back to 2002 So it's 50% that was established in 2002 in the former charter So that formula was in place to establish the full-time air salary for over 25 years That'd be accurate 22 2002 2004 years to February of 2018 that's when the

I'm sorry. That's right. Yes. In February of 2018, with the new charter, the committee had the commission had to convene and they reestablished the same salary, which remained the same. But it had to follow the protocols in the new charter.

Thank you. And then along the ways, council salary went from 600 a year to 14,000 a year to 37,500 a year. So it would be only appropriate for the committee to look at all of the elected official salaries. So that could be assessed. And again, I wouldn't want to hold off for the committee to start meeting. And when your vacancy is filled, that person can join in as they continue to meet because They're part of charter. I believe it should be assessed on the annual best base or on a reoccurring basis So it's just being able to make sure that we start the due diligence the last time was 2022 so it's been four years and So that's just something for council to consider customer Charette Thank You mayor a lot of what's being set up here is not accurate I'm afraid

First of all, when we're talking about from 2002 to 2026 or close to 2027, we didn't have an elected compensation commission during most of that period of time. That was established, I think, under the new charter. The former mayors... had nothing to do with the decision made we gave a lot of discussion on uh... the mayor's salary and it was done generally because of the kind of mean salary or median salary within the city of San Bernardino based on a full-time position and though the charter does call for the mayor to be a full-time position In my view and in my opinion, that was an oversight by the Charter Committee, because there was a full-time mayor, and it was a strong mayor, and the mayor's salary was established in 2018 or 19, whatever that was, due to Pat Morris being on, he had been a Superior Court judge and had stepped away from a higher paying job to be the mayor of the city of San Bernardino as a strong mayor, essentially the CEO of this corporation, of this company. He hired and fired city managers on his own, I was here. He did get input from the council, but he had the authority and the mayors prior to that had the authority as a strong mayor to essentially hire and fire police chiefs, department heads, city managers. He was the CEO of the organization, a strong mayor. And when we changed our charter, we determined that because so many of the responsibilities that we were going from a strong mayor to a city manager, council form of government, that the mayor's responsibilities, though important, were much less than what they had been in years past. And so we arrived at that. Now, I believe that the charter, and we tried to get a charter committee some charter changes on the ballot and were unsuccessful at that and that's a shame because there are a number of things that that charter needs to be looking at and I don't have complete confidence in the current charter committee that they're going to be looking in the right areas. One area I believe is that the mayor ought to be able to have another job and I think that, am I

I think we just need to focus on the item at hand.

No, I'm giving background to the compensation of the mayor's salary and how we got there and why it is what it is.

But we have an opportunity to bring it back because what's the request here at First Council is to have the election official compensation committee to meet. and bring forward to the council.

I understand that and I support the idea of getting a full complement of commissioners if we can and if there's some in the way that didn't make it to this agenda, I think they should be considered. I don't have a problem with that and I don't have a problem with the committee meeting. I do have a problem with giving them specific direction to do something specific and come back on a specific date, not only a date, but a time, five o'clock on the 18th, or whatever date that is. And I have a problem with that, because as was.

So we can explain that.

As what?

As far as the timeline, why there are specifics, and I believe Council Member Figueroa would like to chime in on that.

Mayor, with all due respect, I understand your explanation. I disagree with it.

Okay.

And let me, if I may, please, finish. Can we wrap it up, please, so we can move on? It's a, Elected's Compensation Commission, not the Mayor's Compensation Commission. And I believe that they should be, if we're going to convene them, that's fine.

But that is what the staff report calls for, is to convene to talk about election. It's not just for the Mayor.

That's not what that says at all.

If you read the backup, Councilmember. I've read it all.

I've got it all right here, in fact.

All the backups. There's all of the backups. It is to request election compensation committee to assess the elected official salary. So it's open to discuss the mayor and the council. I had started the request for the mayor's position just because the full-time mayor, per the charter, is a full-time mayor's salary. So I ignited that.

The salary is not mentioned in the charter.

Yes, it is.

No, it is not.

Full-time mayor's position.

It is. But that... It is done through ordinance. It is not mentioned in the charter. It does not set a salary for the council.

That's why I asked the committee to assess that.

Mayor, is this a debate between you and me? No, I just want us to focus. I'm trying to take my time at the dais to make my comments.

But I would like us to stay focused. Yes, Council Member Barrow, we are going to ask the attorney. Is this allowed?

What I'll do is I will yield my time right now to Barbara. Obviously, you'd like me to not be speaking any further.

I'll yield to Barbara. Let's hear from her.

I just want us to stay focused. I will second my colleague's motion. It was already seconded, I guess, was it?

No, it wasn't, so you seconded it. I will second it. So, Council Member Figueroa.

Mayor, it was a second. There was a motion by Sanchez and a second by Council Member Barra.

Okay, thank you. One moment, I have Figueroa, then Councillor Barra.

Okay, thank you. So I do agree that it shouldn't just, the commission shouldn't just look at the mayor's salary, it should look at, I mean, it's called the elected official compensation, right? So they should look at all the elected officials. And going back to what the charter says, the charter gives direction to, as far as what the salary should be, and it states, and it might not be verbatim, but it should be commensurate to that if a full-time position. I think that's the only directive the charter actually gives regarding the mayor's salary. I don't have any issue with the first part of the motion, or the recommendation. It is the second part. Why is there a need for there to be a recommendation by 5 p.m. on September 18th? It is my understanding that this wouldn't even go into effect, and I'm trying to remember how the ordinance is written, or I'm not sure where it's written, but that it goes into effect at the commencement of the elected officials for that year. So that would be mid-December, approximately. What is the need for it to be absolutely just done by September 18th? Does it require two readings? How does this play out? What is the timeline that's necessary when it doesn't really even go into effect until mid-December?

So, Council Member Figueroa and City Council, so I think it would have to be in effect before December 9th. So I think the 18th, there's definitely more flexibility than the 18th. So you can, not a lot more flexibility, but there is flexibility that could be later than the 18th.

And can you explain that process? Because when I look at the calendar just really briefly here.

With an ordinance, you have to have two, the public hearing, and then you have to have a second action. So you have to go, and then it's 30 days before it's in effect. So you would go December 9th and then you'd come back 30 days to the second reading and then you'd come back whatever 14 days to the public hearing. And then you have to have the I think 10 days to notice the public hearing.

Correct. But the newspaper will their cutoff date may not be just 10 days before. It could be two weeks before when the actual public hearing will be held. So it's taking all those things in mind.

Okay, and so all of this needs to be done by, I'm doing some quick math here, September 28th?

I would say September 25th as a drop dead to ensure that it could be noticed as the public hearing for the first meeting in October, which would be October the 7th at council.

Okay, no questions. Thank you.

Thank you. Council Member Ibarra?

Question for staff. I know I had a commissioner, and I don't know if she still took interest in still being a commissioner for that board, for the second ward.

Hi, Council Member Ibarra. We have not reached out yet.

Okay, can you please do that for our former commissioners? And out of everybody on the list, what wards are still missing their commissioners?

So if it's the direction of the council to convene a meeting of the commission, then that's when we will reach out and we'll be able to give you that feedback.

Will Council Member Sanchez amend his notion to also include this information?

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's to take into account that we have several commissioners or commission appointments set for September 16th. It does us no good. to have a recommendation or provide that the commission provide their feedback by September 18th, meaning that we'll appoint a commissioner that isn't going to be able to be a member on that advisory board. So out of consideration for myself and my colleagues who have their candidates or their commissioners set to be appointed on September 16th, if we could push back the September 18th deadline. It sounds like it still allows for time for this to go through and for that salary increase. I'm not opposed to it. I want full consideration from the commission.

It can move past. As we've looked at this, we can be a little later.

I'm asking for that courtesy for myself and my colleagues who have those those appointments set for September 16th.

And I appreciate that, Council. Given the fact that staff said it could be the 25th, that gives time for the next council meeting to appoint the commissioners at the council's request. Excellent. So I do appreciate that for the consideration. And with staff, you know, being mindful of the time frame and just so we could all be part of the process. Thank you. Any other comments, Council Member Charette? Do you have any further comments? Yes.

Could I be clear on the on the motion please. Could I help with clarification.

So the motion is to allow for the appointment of initially had the first word commissioner but it's all commissioners by the September 18th meeting the 16th meeting. and direct the elected officials compensation commission to consider the staff recommendation and to look into tying the salary to the San Bernardino area household income to review the compensation of the city council and then bring this item back the first meeting in October.

And I did second that in my second stands.

It was a second by council councilman. Okay. By it will come back to the first meeting in October. Council Member Sanchez?

Yes.

Council Member Ibarra?

Yes.

Council Member Figueroa?

Yes.

Council Member Charette?

Yes.

Mayor Pro Tem Canas? Yes. Council Member Flores? Yes. Council Member Ortiz? Yes. Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you. Thank you, Council. Moving on to the next item, item 15, Council Member Ibarra.

Thank you. I was looking at the list, and I agree with some of our speakers that we had, staff, of why not all the wards were presented for stop signs. I think when this came before us previously, I did mention about being equal amongst all the wards, and that is not what I'm seeing in today's report. So can you help address why that was, especially when the seventh ward has received a lot of stop signs recently?

Sure, counsel. Basically, there's three ways that you can submit a request for a stop sign. The first one is through the website on the CRM system. The second one, you can have residents show up to the Public Safety and Human Relations Commission on the second Monday of every month. to request a stop sign installation or request the stop sign installation through the city manager's office. I don't select these locations on my own. These are requests that forwarded to me through different means and methods.

Okay, and I think our mayor might remember there was a resident off of Sepulveda that was trying to collect signatures to get a stop sign in that area where a lot of students cross and I think her child was actually hit by a vehicle. Do you guys do those studies also or just take the request from people on CRMs because that was something off of Sepulveda. I mentioned a lot of the streets in the second ward are especially the north and southbound streets, don't have stop signs all across the second ward. And I'm seeing a small street like Kenwood getting two stop signs.

Yeah, any location you have concerns with, please, you can contact my office directly or have residents show up to the Public Safety and Human Relations Commission. But you mentioned Sepulveda. Sepulveda what?

And 13th and 14th Street, right? 13th and 14th. Yes, and that was done through a process with staff, so I'm surprised that that hasn't. come to fruition or at least looked at. So can we go backtrack? I'll have my staffers send some information because Kenesha could provide what we have done between Council Member Ibarra and I in the beginning. We were actually canvassing and getting signatures from residents. We were canvassing.

She's moved out since, but her child was hit in that area just trying to cross the street.

Sure, yeah. I'll look into it.

We'll send that up to you.

That's no problem.

Thank you, Council Member. So can we go back and look at other streets to be added or is this set in stone already?

No, this is set in stone already because we go through extensive stop warrant analysis to install these signs. So if you have a list, you can forward them through the different means and methods I mentioned and then we can look at them and I can bring them as a compiled list. You know, it's not counterproductive to bring one stop sign location for city council approval. So the first step of the process is to take it to public safety, and then the second step is to bring it to full adoption of city council.

Okay, because this was 2022, 21, when this was happening. So I don't know how far back you guys went on the CRMs, and I wanted to bring that to the attention. I would like to have Sepulveda with the stop sign, too.

Of course. That's fine.

We'll send that over to you.

Yeah, that's fine. Send it to Liz, and we'll look at every one of them. Yeah.

Thank you. But it won't be considered for this round, right?

Tonight, no, because specific warrants have to be met, and we have to conduct studies at those locations.

So that will probably come back the next proposed to the council. So it has to go through its process, public safety, a commission, and then to the council.

I would think it would when it was first the CRM. And especially with that accident that happened with that minor.

Right, because one of the things that I want to bring to council attention is it's not like we go and install stop signs. We have to go and field check the location to see if there's line of sight issues, if there's obstruction issues that we have to deal with. We have to look at the location if it has an all-way stop or is it two-way stop. Most of the intersections in the city, unfortunately, they don't have stops on all four legs of the intersection. And that's something I'm working on and addressing it in having that authority under the city engineer, but that's a discussion we'll have at a later stage to see how I can address those locations. Because sometimes you go through the intersection and say, oh, there's no stop signs and other traffic's not stopping. But we call those locations uncontrolled intersections. And that's something I'm still working on to develop a policy how I can move forward with that.

OK. Once again, Kenwood compared to Sepulveda is less trafficked. What I've noticed in my district, the streets that have been fixed, for example, Crestview, people, even with the stop sign, they're not stopping. And we know that for a fact. I witnessed it. My neighbors, well, I call them all my neighbors, but a resident was out there with me, and she told me, and shortly enough, within 10 minutes, somebody ran through that stop sign right next to Bradley Elementary. Maybe we can look at other options besides stop signs. But I just feel... Kenwood, Sepulveda. Sepulveda is actually more heavily trafficked than Kenwood. Kenwood's a smaller street, but, you know, you said there were CRMs done. I know Sepulveda had CRMs also conducted. There was a claim on us back way before Mayor Tran came into office. So I would like city staff to look at that and the urgency on Sepulveda.

Of course. Well, I'll provide information and any follow-up that needs necessary. Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilmember Charette, followed by Councilmember Ortiz.

Thank you, Mayor. Azam, has there ever been any stop signs put in that didn't go through a full study in this city? That because we were doing paving in a certain area and someone decided that we ought to put a couple of stop signs in, they got put in without going through safety or through a process by which you've been talking about?

There's a couple there are instances where we can put stop signs without going a full-blown traffic study Basically paving projects.

That's number one or a land development project when it comes into play Okay, so and and stop signs are generally Considered safety, right? I mean they have a lot to do with with safety on streets, right? Correct talking about traffic calming

It's safety on the streets to eliminate broadside collisions, yes.

We like people to have kind of control over how fast they're going through stop signs or intersections or what have you. I support all of this. I'm not against this at all. I believe that the process is way too cumbersome and long. I've got a list on here that has been on and on going and on going and on going. and it finally got approved. And it didn't take an engineer or somebody really experienced to go out and watch for an hour or consider the factors of this particular intersection of how it could be very dangerous to children getting out of school and crossing a street that is highly trafficked and frankly speeding all the time. Not for traffic calming, you can't do that, right? But it's pretty dangerous for children to be crossing a street where we know that there's a lot of speeders going on. So all I'm trying to make the point is, is that government in general makes things much too difficult to get done. That's why the housing in the state of California is in the mess that it's in, because of regulations, because of problems, because of studies, because of this committee and that committee and everybody else and all the regulations. And we need to stop that. We need to expedite, we need to accelerate approval processes for planning, for stop signs, for things that need to be done that we as common sense educated people that live in an area and see what's going on, we need to take care of that. You don't need to even respond. You're welcome to and I encourage you to, but I will make approval, I will approve this or make a motion to approve it, but I think I'm making my point that we need to make things happen faster and God forbid someone is killed in an intersection that we're going to put a stop sign in next week, this week. And that certainly can happen.

Yeah, absolutely. I totally agree with you, counsel. That's all you need to say? You should agree with me. The only reason we do stop sign warrants is from legalities. I have to defend this in court. We've got nothing but problems with lawyers. We know that. Yeah, yeah. It's something I would engage with the CM's office.

I'm being facetious, of course, with all due respect, Mr. City Attorney. I understand legalities, but we've just got to start doing some common sense things that get our city back on track. That's all. Shoot now and ask for permission later.

Thank you, Council Member. There's a motion. Second, Madam City. Yes, Council Member. Followed by Council Member Ibarra.

I just wanted to say thank you. You're welcome, Council. Really, the residence at the corner of D and Marshall, that is a high traffic coming off of that light because there are no sidewalks. So I just want to say thanks.

Thank you, Council Member. Council Member Ibarra?

Yes, I just want a clarification also. We're approving these streets or portions thereof designated as through highways?

Yes, that's the requirement of the California MUTCD. Anytime you approve a stop sign, it has to be designated through streets and highways, yes.

So Kenwood being a small residential street, that's considered a through highway?

That is the language in the California MUTCD. Typically, we've been using every time we install a stop sign.

Okay, but just my question, and if this is what we're trying to prove now for through highways, just want to make sure that these streets are considered through highways.

Based on the language, they're not highways, not designated highways. They're designated as local, residential, but in order to qualify, the installation have to be under the state highway code.

Just wanted to confirm, thank you. Thank you, there's a motion and second.

One more, real quick comment.

Real quick, okay.

Very quick, a suggestion. All the streets in San Bernardino need to be paved and you said you don't need to get approval from safety for stop signs when you're paving a street. So go out and find the ones that need it while you're paving them and put up stop signs.

Thank you, Madam City Clerk. Council Member Sanchez? Yes. Council Member Ibarra?

Yes.

Council Member Figueroa?

Yes.

Council Member Charette?

Yes.

Mayor Pro Tem Canas? Yes. Council Member Flores? Yes. Council Member Ortiz? Yes. Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you. Thank you, Council. Now we will move on to discussions. Item 16, Love Your Block Year 2 Update and Proposed $150,000 General Fund Continuation of the Love Your Block Act. Move to approve. Program for year three, all wards. I hear a motion. I made the motion to approve.

I want to waive the presentation.

But I just want to counsel, I think you guys should see the presentation because we have someone from outside of town coming through all the way here to really say some really great things about the program. So if we could just allow staff, and they worked really hard to present this to the council. If council could just... I'll take it back. Thank you. Go ahead.

Thank you so much. Staff, take it away. I promise it's a short presentation. Good evening, mayor and city council. My name is Stephanie Castro. I am the economic development project manager, but I also have the pleasure of serving as the Love Your Block program city lead. Thank you. Tonight for the presentation, I'm joined by Love Your Block fellows, Nancy Ruedas and Shanae Sampson, along with Renata Capante, our senior program advisor, joining us from Bloomberg Center, which funds the Love Your Block program. To start the presentation, I welcome Renata.

Thank you, Stephanie. Good evening, Mayor, Council. Thank you for having me tonight. It's truly a pleasure to be able to talk about the Love Your Block program. I'm Renata Campante. I'm a senior program associate with the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University. Our center, next slide, thank you. Our center, as part of the Johns Hopkins School of Government and Policy, partners with over 500 cities worldwide through more than a dozen programs, including funding the Lovell Block Grant to support public innovators and residents working together to improve lives in cities. Next slide, please. So the Level Block Program brings city leaders and residents together to build stronger neighborhoods one block at a time. The program allows cities to award mini-grants to residents and community partners to conduct revitalization projects in their own neighborhoods, serving as a catalyst for civic engagement in the city by engaging residents and stakeholders, designing and implementing community-led projects, elevating community voices, and creating an enduring citywide commitment to collaborative, sustainable, inclusive impact across local government and through partnerships. So these numbers you see here show the combined impact of the program since it started in 2009 with a network of over 50 alumni cities plus 16 cities in the current cohort of this program. And while the physical improvements shown in this slide are no doubt impressive, the program goes well beyond that as it activates and builds social networks between residents, their neighbors, and city hall, increases social capital and communities, and improves pride in their city and neighborhoods. As you can see here, the program has been around for a while, and it has really solidified itself as a proven delivery strategy for cities looking to engage their residents and create positive change. Okay, so before I turn it over to the Loveville Block San Bernardino team, I wanted to say one more thing. I had the privilege of working with over 30 cities in civic engagement programs as part of our center's work. And I can tell you with all conviction that what the city of San Bernardino has in this program with this team is truly special. This team has delivered on every aspect of this program and has emerged as one of the rock stars among the 16 cities in the current cohort. I'm extremely proud of the work they've done and have no doubt that funding this program beyond the grant will continue to show not only the city's commitment to resident engagement and neighborhood improvement, but also the true ability to deliver on it. Thank you.

Thank you, Renata. During the past two cycles of the program, a Love Your Block team has been able to accomplish so much within our community. To touch on our program's wins, I invite Shanae and Nancy to share our impact highlights.

Thank you Stephanie and good evening mayor and city council members. Please allow me to take a moment to show the to impart on you the invaluable impact that the Love Your Block program has had on residents community and the city of San Bernardino over the last two years. To date residents have led 19 revitalization projects throughout the city, totaling $67,000 in grant funding, 12 community cleanups, which includes parks, vacant lots, and neighborhood streets. Over 1,200 volunteers from the city of San Bernardino and other cities in California have been involved. More than 36,000 pounds of trash removed. Just imagine driving down the street on a bright Saturday afternoon or morning and getting a glimpse of volunteers of all ages coming together to improve the city spaces. That is what Love Your Block is all about. And lastly, 65 new features were added to beautify this city. Little Free Libraries, murals, tree planting are just a few examples. So the next time you're out enjoying San Bernardino, look around and you may see one of the amazing Love Your Block projects. And now I turn it over to Nancy.

Thank you, Shanae. I'd like to take a moment to share our new Love Your Block web page. We wanted to give the community a place where they can learn more about Love Your Block. We would like the community to explore projects, become a volunteer, and see the impact that community members are making throughout San Bernardino. One of our biggest goals when creating this website was to make it interactive. We wanted to give users a way to actively explore the projects rather than just reading about them. We wanted people to see the work happening throughout the neighborhoods and get a better sense of its impact. and the pride that goes into creating these projects. Throughout this website, you'll be able to explore photos for each individual project. These photos help tell the story of Love Your Block by highlighting the people, the places, and the ideas that went to creating these projects. The interactive map seen on the screen shows each project that's taken place year one. And you could actually click the heart and you'll be able to be taken to the exact location in case anyone would like to go see it. In year two, we will be updating as we finish up year two. And whether you're a community member, a potential volunteer, or someone who wants to learn more about Love Your Block, we hope this web page makes it easier and more exciting to get involved. And with that, I'll be turning it over to Stephanie.

Thank you, ladies. Now, as we look towards the third year, our efforts are now scheduled. funding resident-led neighborhood projects, which creates pride and ownership in projects within our communities, leveraging external funding to maximize our city investment. Our community partners are important and a crucial part of our program. Internal department collaboration and sharing in our community successes allows us to create positive experiences for the community and build trust with our residents. We've shown our measurable impact, we'll continue to build community partnerships, and most importantly, we'll focus on resident engagement. As you've seen tonight with the number of public comments in addition to letters of support that we've received through this process, the program has resonated with the community and made such an impact. All that being said, the reason we are here tonight is to respectfully ask Mayor and City Council to help us make year three happen by allocating funds to continue the program. The funding options shown here illustrate what a third year could look like. Option A, as outlined in the staff report, represents $150,000 investment in the program. Under this structure, approximately $35,000 would be dedicated directly to community projects, allowing us to fund an estimated 10 to 18 projects and engage approximately 500 residents. The overall allocation would also allow and provide a staffing necessary to administer and complete a third cycle of the program. We also have shown here option B, which simply illustrates the impact additional investment has into the program. More investment has the ability to fund more projects and reach more residents. Ultimately, allocating funds to continue the program for a third cycle will provide greater investment back into neighborhoods and opportunities for residents to participate and implement projects in their communities. So staff's recommendation, and before I go into that, you'll see three photos here on the screen on our recommendation page. All three of those projects have come out of the second cycle of Love Your Block. The top mural was provided by Hal Lacy on the back of Amapola. The second is a snapshot of the work that was done down at Court Street for the DNA mural. And the third is a Girl Scouts event where we had rock painting that then was added to the Little Free Library at Anchor Hills Park. So tonight the recommendation is to receive this report on the impacts of the Love Your Block program in year two, adopt a resolution allocating funds to the program to continue into year three, authorizing the director of finance to make amendments in the budget to receive those funds, and authorizing the director of human resources to add one more full-time position to economic development to see this project through. So staff is here for any questions you may have. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Council Member Ortiz followed by Mayor Potem.

Yes thank you. My apologies I didn't know anybody else was going to present so I was fine with kicking Stephanie over but thank you guys for a great job. So I guess my question is why don't we just rock on for another two years. What does that look like because this really is amazing.

So. Absolutely. We do have some figures prepared for council. Oh, shoot. That's actually not the updated slide, so I will just speak to it. So if we are looking at funding and mimicking the Bloomberg program and doing another two years, funding for that could range anywhere between 300 and 320,000. split over the two years. So it really depends on the amount allocated towards projects. So if we did two years at $300,000, we would have $65,000 towards projects. If we did $320,000, we would have $85,000 dedicated towards projects. And that would be over the span of two years. So essentially that $65,000 or $85,000 cut it in half half of that for year one, half of that for year two. But that's what it would look like if we were to look at funding two years tonight.

How many projects do you estimate?

So if we were to fund two years at $300,000, we're looking at anywhere between 24 and 40 projects. If we look at $320,000, we're looking at anywhere between 30 and 45 projects. Can I say that again? So under 300,000, we're looking at anywhere between 24 and 40 projects. At 320,000, we're looking at between 30 and 45. Oh, okay.

Awesome, awesome. Well, I appreciate it. And I would like to make a substitute motion that we go to a two-year program at the 300,000.

Thank you. Council Member Ibarra? I am sorry, Mayor Patel.

Thank you. And I first want to say thank you to all of the staff. I had the opportunity to attend two events on Saturday. I see the value, especially the first one that we went to with Anschuels Park, the Girl Scout troop, just seeing their smiles and what it did and boosting their confidence and seeing them come at our city council meetings. I mean, I still get nervous to speak, so kudos to them. Seeing just what it does in our communities It truly is valuable, so thank you. I am a little bit more on the conservative side when it comes to our city finances, so I do have to question, because I did get a call as well in regards to the allocation. I see that in the backup, it does not mirror what we have here presented. So on the backup, on page four, it specifies staffing at 123,000 for the 150, and then On the presentation, it says 115. So it's off by about 7,000. And then it also states 27,000 will be allocated towards the projects. Here in the presentation, it says 35,000. But either way, with going towards either 27 or 35,000 with the estimated project high amount being 18, it's only giving about 1,500 per project, 1,900 on the high end. So the allocations for year three would actually go down. What I'm looking at is for year two allocations for the projects were around $5,000. So we're allocating more towards staffing, not the actual projects themselves. And these are community led projects. So I do have some concerns in regards to the allocation distribution. We're also adding another staff member to our economic development team. We currently have 12, so we'd be at 13. I thought we were doing a hiring freeze due to us having to close a $45-plus million deficit. I know last year we had all departments cut 5% across the board, and so now we're talking about adding another staff to economic development, which is pretty largely staffed.

So we're doing, in order to balance the budget that the council did, well, we didn't balance the budget, but coming closer to balancing the budget, we did where we held positions open. We're holding positions open under a flexible system. So we aren't freezing all positions. Yes, this does add to the budget. So this does increase the budget. You are correct on that. But like in economic development, for instance, the deputy director, that's that position is not being filled right now. So that'd be like one position.

But we're using a consultant, so we're still paying. I'm sure you're getting paid though.

So we'll know the deputy director position itself is not...

It's not filled, but I thought we were utilizing Ms. Lanier for economic development.

No, Mary Lanier, she's our interim community development director.

Okay, so we don't have that filled. Okay, but still we have 12 current staffed. We have not closed the budget. I thought we had closed it. So you're saying as of today, we have not closed our fiscal deficit?

Yeah, during the budget process, we had a plan. Part of it was freezing capital improvements. And the council wanted to add some of those capital improvements back in. So that's where the imbalance came.

So we haven't closed it. And then this position was not even considered with the discussions that took place amongst the council for budgetary concerns in June.

That would be correct. This would be an addition to the budget that was passed.

So with the current amount of staffing that we have in economic development, which is pretty robust, would you not agree?

that it's a larger economic development department, correct?

Okay, so can we not allocate funding for these community led projects but utilize current staffing?

We can look at that. We can also look at other funding possibilities. And I think part of what they're trying to do is to, so currently the two staff people that would be filling in for that, for the current program for year three, are two staff people that are actually in the Economic Development Department currently, but they're paid through the foundation, not through city funds, but that foundation funding ends at the end of the year too. So that was part of what they were gonna do is use existing staffing that's currently implementing that program. I would recommend if you wanna look at two years, for instance, If we're just extending it one year, we can probably be able to do that for this year and then re-look at how we would fund it for the year two if you wanted to look at the two-year option.

I think that would be a wiser decision. I'd also like to not draw from our general funds. I would like for, we do have our grant team as well, to be able to continue to seek additional funding to be able to provide this. And again, I just, the allocation, majorly going to staff and not actually community-led projects, it is a concern of mine.

Thank you. Council Member Ibarra followed by Council Member Flores.

Thank you, Mayor. I just need clarification from staff because we have something on the online. There's staffing information on our packet that we don't have that's different from what we were provided here at the dais. And I want to confirm, it says for staffing, one full-time, one part-time position would be 115,000. And then option one would offer 35,000 towards 10 or 18 projects, 10 to 18 projects. And option B would offer 60,000 for 25 to 30 projects, which for me, option B would be more promising, but I want to make sure that the information we're being provided is accurate because the report that we have on our actual packet that's online versus what we got today, those numbers differ quite a bit.

Yes, counsel. The way that it's broken out did, we did some recalculations and we estimated too high on staffing in the staff report. Versus projects so we wanted to correct that in the presentation to give more accurate numbers on what that would look like so the 115 for staffing is Correct based off reports that we've worked with payroll and budget on Thank you for clarifying and I do want to make a motion that based on this information and we just clarified that we Make a motion to approve option B for the fund the third year funding of 175,000 Thank You councilmember customer Flores

Thank you, Mayor. First, I'll start with I've had the opportunity to be present at the majority of the Love Your Block initiatives, including the Shark Tank, which is incredible, and I've never seen community come together so far so much and so be passionate and we're able to deliver this. But fully supportive of this, Council Member Ortiz actually took the question that I had because I saw the numbers where compared to option A, to option B, you're getting what, about seven to 12 more projects and 200 more residents engaged at a difference of $25,000. But the question that she raised, which she already answered, was what would two years look like? But that's where, that's it for my comments.

Thank you. Council Member Charette?

Thank you. I have to, the program is great. There's no doubt about it. And what it's cut out to do, but what we're experiencing here is one of the problems we experience with grants. We get a grant, we gear up with it under free money, quote free money, then that grant goes away and now we've got this program that we have to fund. And that is the problem with a grant that that isn't in perpetuity or doesn't go on forever, and of course I've never heard of a grant that goes on forever. As I said, the program is great in bringing community together and getting these things done, but I agree with my colleague, Mayor Pro Tem, that we do have a pretty robust economic development department, and we've done this for two years now. Granted, it was paid by the grant, and now we're running out of grant money and now we have to fund it out of the general fund and I just don't agree with pulling money out of the general fund to do this. I'm in a real difficult position here because I believe in the program, I think it's great for us, but we're not in good financial shape and these kinds of things, You know, we need to be doing them, but we've got to be working on the bigger picture at the same time. And we're not doing that with our revenue streams. And our general fund is not going in the right direction. It's going in the wrong direction. And we're talking about compensation for electeds, which could increase the budget. We're talking about this, another employee and a half, which will increase the budget. I think it was President George W. Bush that called it fuzzy math, and I think a lot of times it is fuzzy math. We held positions, so now we've got a position. Well, the money's got to come from somewhere to pay that position. And we've just got to be more prudent and more conservative with the way we spend general fund money. We're going backwards. We just are going backwards with revenues in this community. So a lot of this really relates, you know, I have a hard time looking at a project that says the project's gonna get, like last year, or year one, staffing was $120,000 and the projects were $40,000. That was both year one and year two, but there was also a donation. I'm not sure how that plays in there. But now year three, the amount for the project is going down and the cost for the staffing is going up. That is the wrong direction. We are not trying to fill positions and employ people here. We're trying to provide services to our community. I will have a real hard time voting for this, but I'll have also a real hard time voting against it. So have we got a motion on the floor again? Yes, there's a motion with option B by Council Member Ibarra. Okay, but I've got a comment down there at the end. Okay, thank you.

Council Member Figueroa, followed by Council Member Ortiz, then Flores, then Mayor Putnam.

Yes, thank you. And again, just like everybody else, this is a great program. I love it. It's done such... It's amazing work throughout our city. It's something that I want to continue to be supportive of. Of course, I share the same concerns. We're adding positions. Are these going to be just for the next year? And then those positions are eliminated for the next two years if we decide to go two years? Are they then eliminated after that? What happens at that point? And then Part of this funding, I would like to know is how much is allocated toward maintenance of existing projects as well? We've done two years now, and over the course of time, there's sun damage, there's rain, water damage. What is the maintenance of some of those existing projects look like, and how much is being allocated to help fix those things, as opposed to just continuing to add on to the list that already exists? What's being done to preserve what already exists as well?

Thank you for that question. When we take in Love Your Block applications, part of the requirement is that the applicant submit a maintenance plan for their project. So whether it's a garden, a sign, a free little library, they let us know how they plan to maintain it as part of ownership of that project. So like with the free little libraries, the Girl Scouts will go out, check on the libraries, make sure that there's still books, check on the condition of those. With the North Park Garden and Sign, they work through the Neighborhood Association to maintain the garden, to pull the weeds, to clean up the area. So each group will take ownership of the maintenance of their projects. And that's part of the requirement of the application is to provide that to us.

Over the course of how many years do they have to in their proposal, say that they're committed to that maintenance of that site?

Technically, once they have their project, it's really for the life of the project, unless there is some immeasurable damage to it where it would either have to be replaced or done away with. They take ownership of that. They maintain it for as long as the project is there.

And that comes out of their pocket, right? Not out of the $1,500 or $5,000 that they might be awarded from. I mean, I guess they can use that, I guess, to some extent. Or do they have to turn in receipts for the expenses for the $5,000 that was provided for them?

For the initial award, yes. There is a spending plan that they turn into us. And we match that up to the budget that they proposed within their application. Sometimes a project is structured to allow them to continue maintaining on the free little libraries. The Girl Scouts could have purchased or fundraised additional to continue providing books to be placed in those libraries if they run out or need to replace any. Other options are to continue fundraising after or work with other community partners to help maintain those projects. So it can serve as a catalyst to build relationships in the neighborhood and the community to help continue those projects and the maintenance. They could also work through other organizations or other means that they use to fundraise to continue the maintenance.

OK. And because there wasn't really a job description attached to this, is that going to be part of this physician's duties is to help them with some of those activities, whether it's the maintenance, the upkeep, I don't know how much they're going to get involved with fundraising and things like that, but how much of the job description is in helping assist with some of the upkeep and maintenance of the existing projects as well?

So as a team, we are always there to help any of our applicants, whether they have questions on how do I sustain or how do I maintain or is there somebody that I can reach out to or is there somebody you can introduce me to, create partnerships. It's not really part of, I'll say, the tasks to help physically maintain past the project date, but if there is an event that comes of it resulting from the Love Your Block project, we're happy to help advertise, draw volunteers, or even go back out. The positions that we currently have, both Nancy and Shanae are designated as grants assistants. their job descriptions will carry over into year three. The plan is to transition Nancy to a full-time and keep Shanae as a part-time, but they will continue in their duties as they're doing now. Going into year three, there's going to be a lot of community engagement, a lot of partnership building, a lot of conversations, a lot of effort in the community. So it is intensive within the job to help sustain and go into year three with very strong partnerships. But they will continue in their job scope that they have now.

Okay. And I want to be supportive of this because I think it's an absolutely great project and we should be creative as far as how we're going to be able to fund this. Mr. City Manager, or I'm not sure to whom, to give this question too, but I'm gonna assume, Eric, it's gonna be for you. Is this something that we could potentially, instead of general fund, could we tap into the cultural development fees to help cover the cost of, I don't know if we can do that with staffing, but for the projects. This is cultural in some fashion here. Can we tap into that fund to help cover the cost for this? And then how much do we receive yearly approximately in cultural development fees?

So, Council Member Figueroa, I think actually you hit on the key point. I think for the projects, it would make more sense to use the Cultural Development Fund for the projects themselves, not probably for the staffing, as I thought through that. Initially, I told you it could be used, but I think you're right on the staffing, probably not as likely as for the projects. And I don't know what the annual amount of revenue, I'd have to look back. Well, it's all dependent upon development projects, so it ranges from year to year because it's, essentially like a development impact fee. It's not technically a development impact fee, but essentially like that. But you could use that for the project themselves.

It's another reason to be friendly to development, I guess. But those are my questions for right now. I'm still debating in my mind what I want to do. I love this program, and I want to support it, but there are other aspects of it that are just difficult, much like Fred. It's It's difficult to say yes, and it's difficult to say no. So I'm still debating in my mind here.

Thank you. Good questions and comments. Council Member Flores, followed by Mayor Pro Tem. Wait. Oh, yes. It was Ortiz, then Mayor Pro Tem. Are you sure?

Thank you. I was going to ask, where are the current motions on the table? I think I heard.

Currently, Council Member Ibarra motioned to go to option B, one-year funding, which is $175,000, and it could be an annual assessment by the council.

And I actually wanted to do a substitute motion if that's an option.

There were some motions. Is there a second to Council Member Ibarra or?

I'll second Council Member Ibarra's motion.

Okay. So now there's a substitute motion by Mayor Potempo.

Yeah, so I would like to move forward with just only one year at $150,000, with $100,000 going to staffing, $50,000 going specifically to the community-led projects. That allows for about 10 to 20 projects, and I would like that range to be $2,500 to $5,000, as that's a typical range amount for year one and year two. I would like staff to come back with alternate funding sources, I appreciate council member Figueroa's suggestion in regards to the cultural fund. But if there's also any other grants that we could seek, I think that we should do that as well. And then I would also like for staff to come back with the guidelines for how projects are awarded. I know that has been some concerns that has been expressed over both years of how projects were awarded. So if we can come back with actual black and white stipulations for how projects are awarded. So it is very transparent for all of the community. I think that would be, optimal. So that's my motion.

Thank you. Council Member Ortiz? Second. Thank you for the second for the substitute.

Thank you. So I guess well my concern is in the staffing now. Okay so we're going to create a new position and it's going to be a full-time PERS position and then what happens if we stop funding this? We have an employee with no what are we doing with the employee is my question. Say that again?

This motion still accounts for staffing for the two employees at part-time? Oh, you're good.

Who's part-time? Can you turn on the mic?

So this motion accounts for staffing. So the staffing, again, that would be something you guys have to work out as far as salary compensation, but it accounts for $100,000. You said that currently, for year one and two, it was two part-time staff members, correct? Yes, okay. Okay, that makes sense. There's still staffing allocated. but only 100,000 for staffing. You as our city manager, I'll let you work that out with the team, but a more significant portion is going to the actual community-led projects, which would be 50,000.

Okay, so that makes sense. That makes a lot more sense. So when we were talking about allocations and funding and who's getting what, comments have been made that some are being picked and some aren't now. Girl Scouts, I don't know if they've got a special in, if they're giving you cookies or something, and we're not getting them. I don't know how that works. But I really think like it's a – I think there's value. I don't think everything that we spend money on in this city is valuable. I think we – and I say this a lot – is when something comes to the residents – and we have a lot of residents come out, it's always, I don't know if we have the money for that. But then when someone wants a raise, we find a way, especially those at the top. I think that If we can't jump in with all of our clothes on, then we do need to be more flexible in what that means. I like Mayor Pro Tem's idea about having two part-time positions, but I would like you guys to... I mean, honestly, I'd like to do that with $100,000 at the $175,000 and allocate towards more projects, but... I think really we need an assessment. I mean, this is good and we're kind of playing with numbers, but I think everything you're hearing, like between all options really come back with a, with a number that's feasible. In addition to what that works looks like at a part-time, um, part-time established, like time, hours, and so, because I know Stephanie, like, you know, runs herself ragged doing this, but what does that really look like? So, I mean, I support if you guys really want to move forward, but I think maybe we could give it two weeks and then see what staff really comes up with these options. So, that's just my suggestion.

Thank you, Council Member. Mayor Pro Tem?

I just want to note, you know, just for reference, our mayor, who is a full-time mayor, only makes $50,000. So put that in perspective.

Council Member Charette?

Yeah, I'm just going to say that I'm still not sure exactly where we are on the motions, but I am not going to support anything that includes hiring additional people. I'm a true believer that we are in a position where we have to do more with less. And I'm sorry, but that's just the world we're in, and I am not able to support hiring more people at this time. I just can't. So if it's hiring people, I'd rather find $150,000 and give it to the neighborhood associations and let them spend it and let them do the volunteer work. And I can't believe that we don't have someone within the organization that can administer that. I understand there's going to be some outreach and that, but we all do it, and I just can't support hiring more people right now. Thank you.

There's an already substitute motion by Mayor Pro Temp, seconded by Council Member Sanchez, and I think there's, was there some amendments to that, or are we good with that? Okay. Madam City Clerk.

Council Member Sanchez? Yes. Council Member Ibarra? Yes. Council Member Figueroa?

Yes.

Council Member Charette?

No.

Mayor Pro Tem Canas?

Yes.

Council Member Flores?

Yes.

Council Member Ortiz? Yes. Motion passes six to one with Council Member Charette voting in opposition.

Thank you. Thank you, Council. Thank you, staff, truly. And thank you, Renata, for coming out all the way from Bloomberg and showcasing our city and highlighting the great things that we're doing. Thank you so much. Moving on to the second discussion item. Move to approve. Yes. Let me just read the title. I see we're jumping to the motion. Okay, introduce for first reading ordinance number MC1669, amending chapter 19.28, landscaping standards of the development code to update water efficient landscaping, soil, compost, mulch, and turf requirements. And I believe there's a motion by Council Member Ortiz, seconded by Figueroa. Who wants it?

Okay, Figueroa, Madam City Clerk. Council Member Sanchez? Yes. Council Member Ibarra?

Yes.

Council Member Figueroa? Yes. Council Member Charette? Yes. Mayor Patim Canaz? Yes. Council Member Flores? Yes. Council Member Ortiz? Yes. Motion passes unanimously.

Thank you, Council. Thank you, staff, for the excellent presentation.

It's an ordinance. It needs to be read. We need to read the title into the record. Yes, Madam City Clerk.

An ordinance of the Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino, California, amending Title 19, land use subdivision regulations chapter 19.28 landscape standards section 19.28.120 of the city of san bernardino development code sbmc title 19 to update water efficient landscaping standards in accordance with the senate bill 1383 and the model water efficient landscape ordinance thank you moving on to mayor city council updates madam councilmember ibarra

Yes, just quickly, I'd like to give kudos, and our staff already left, but today they were able to provide a status update on the navigation center to the Central Valley Regional Steering Committee. It was very well taken. Our staff was able to answer all the concerns addressed by community members and other service providers that were in that meeting today. So I wanna give major kudos to our homeless department For our city we've come a long way like I mentioned earlier there was no division when I came into office We've been building on it, and we've made some good good progress for our city in addressing homelessness So thank you Gabby Leon and Cassandra for putting all together Thank You councilmember mayor full-time Yes councilmember Sanchez Once the mayor Pro Tem always a mayor Pro Tem I was mayor Pro Tem I think twice I

So our library director, Ed Urchevich, brought up that Overdrive set new monthly records of over 3,600 titles checked out in the month of maybe last month. That's incredible because I know there's a lot of emphasis on being educated, but I think there should be also an emphasis on the pleasure of being educated and being able to transport yourself into a different world Sometimes with residents, especially in the city of San Bernardino, little trips to Europe or winter skiing trips to the mountains is not possible, but books have an incredible ability to transport us to places that fill our world with new and incredible ideas. So I'm really, really proud of the fact that this city prioritizes this investment, and I hope that We continue to support this investment, and I'm glad that it's being well received by our community in San Bernardino. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member. Council Member Ortiz. Thank you, Mayor.

Just wanted to let the residents know that Lynn already announced it, but the paving on 5th Street has started. I've been able to attend a few of the little neighborhood community meetings, and so one of the issues we'll be discussing with the city manager is The freeway sides off of 30th, Waterman, the encampments have come back again, along the Caltrans sides. Right now it's very hot, and so people are looking for cool places to find shelter, and so that's the influx. But I wanted to let the residents know that the city manager is addressing it and looking into it. And that's all I have, Mayor. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilmember. Councilmember Figueroa.

Thank you. I don't really have any announcements, but I just want to say thank you to Councilmember Sanchez for, I think at the last council meeting, you had mentioned, made a comment, an announcement about the book sale, the library. I'm not sure if it was the Friends of the Library book sale. So I actually did go to that on a couple Saturdays ago and picked up a few books, and it was, I think it cost me like less than $2 for books. a pile of books, and so I'm currently enjoying that as well, and so great job to our library. There's so many resources available. Ed, you do a great job also. Thank you for your many, many years of service to the city as well. So that was all. No other things to announce. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member. Council Member Flores.

Thank you, Mayor. Briefly want to give thanks to those who came out and participated at my community meeting last week. Thank you, Mayor Pro Temp. Mayor Tran for for coming out and a lot of fruitful discussion and a lot of a lot of insight on some of the needs that the 6th Ward has going from the homelessness encampments to infrastructure needs to even talking about Route 66. So I appreciate that information and I appreciate staff for taking that taking that in and and starting to assess what can we start doing what the game plan is. And this past weekend, attended the Love Your Block events. It was great, incredible work. And that's it for me.

Thank you, Council Member. Council Member Charette.

Thank you, Mayor. I'm going to announce a couple of Neighborhood Association meetings coming up up in the North End and 4th Ward with the Wildwood Park Neighborhood Association on Thursday the 10th, 6 p.m. I think that's usually a... Ice cream social, and then the meeting usually starts around, I think, 7, 6.30 or 7. But they start gathering up there at 6 o'clock, and it's at the Lutheran Church up at 5050 North Sierra Way. Again, that's on Thursday, the 10th of September. And then also Belvedere Neighborhood Association on the 15th, Tuesday the 15th. That starts at 6 p.m. It's a general meeting at the First Christian Church, 2102 East Foothill. And there are more to be announced at a later date. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member. Yes, Mayor Patem.

Thank you. I wanted to give a huge shout out to our Parks and Rec. I was able to attend the Ice Cream Social at the Vertamont Community Center. Many residents and myself fought for that community center many years ago and to see the programming there, it really is heartwarming. I call it the little community center that could. Thank you Parks and Rec for all that you do to make sure that there is adequate programming and services for all of our community there. I also attended the Love Your Block with Mayor and Council Member Flores. They really are great projects. I want to make sure that I do reiterate that. They are very, they're assets to the community. So thanks to staff, I don't want them to feel that any of their efforts have been diminished. We do recognize the efforts and the community is extremely grateful and I believe the council is as well. We do have a collaborative cleanup coming up with Music Changing Lives, We Are the Change, University Hills and North Park Neighborhood Association, on September 19th. It will start at eight o'clock. Please come if you are available and ready to volunteer and help clean up our city. We are gonna start at the Uptown Garden on 40th and help clean the community garden and then some other various parts of that area. They're also the same day as a Blair Park Neighborhood Association. That will start at 10 o'clock. And then we will be having our next fifth ward community meeting on September 29th, thank you.

Thank you, Mayor Bertram. Quickly, for my update, August 22nd, I attended the 11 block mirror painting and cleanup at Court Street Square, as well as the cleanup on Mount Vernon Avenue and Baseline Avenue. I attended the anniversary celebration for our chief, Apostle Lionel Stanfield Sr., who celebrated 50 years of faithfully preaching the gospel at Kingdom Builders United Fellowship of Churches. Congratulations on that milestone. On August 28th, I joined the Cal City's Advancing Equity Advisory Committee meeting. So that was really impactful. On August 29th, I joined, again, just like Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member Flores, the Love Your Block grantees for the unveiling of the little library at Anne Cherelle's and the mural reveal at Ampola Rico Taco at Mount Vernon and Baseline. This morning I attended the Omnitrans Board and the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority Board of Directors. Before we close tonight's meeting, the city of San Bernardino would like to recognize a very special milestone. Efren Emiliano Herrera, a centenarian, will be turning 101 years old on September 11th. On behalf of myself and the entire city council, we want to extend our warmest wishes to Mr. Herrera on this incredible achievement. Reaching 101 years old is a true testament to a life well lived and the city of San Bernardino is proud to honor him as part of our community. Happy birthday, Mr. Herrera, and best wishes for continued health and happiness in years ahead. At the request of Council Member Ortiz, we would like to take a moment of silence for those lives impacted in Nepal for hundreds, I believe, thousands reached, and I noticed there were folks from the United States. Let's take a moment of silence to honor those lives lost. Thank you. The meeting is now adjourned at 8.29 p.m. The next joint regular meeting of the Mayor and City Council and the Mayor and City Council acting as the successor agency to the Redevelopment Agency and the Mayor and City Council acting as the San Bernardino City Housing Authority and Mayor and City Council of the City of San Bernardino acting as the San Bernardino Joint Powers Finance Authority will adjourn to the regular meeting to be held on September 16, 2026. at the Feldheim Central Library located at 555 West 6th Street, San Bernardino, California, 92410.