City Council - Regular Meeting

Conduct in the city council chambers. Rules of decorum for the public. Members of the audience shall not engage in disorderly or boisterous conduct, including the utterance of loud, threatening, or abusive language, clapping, whistling, stamping of feet, or other acts which disturb, disrupt, impede, or otherwise render the orderly conduct of the city meeting infeasible. A member of the audience engaging in any such conduct shall, at the discretion of the presiding officer or a majority of the City Council, be subject to ejection from the meeting per Government Code Section 54954.3c. Removal from the Council Chambers. Any person who commits the following acts in respect to a meeting of the City shall be removed from the Council Chambers per Government Code Section 54954.3c. A disorderly, contemptuous, or insolent behavior towards the City Council or any member thereof, tending to interrupt the due and orderly course of said meeting. A breach of peace, boisterous conduct, or violence disturbance, tending to interrupt the due and orderly course of said meeting. Disobedience of any lawful order from the mayor, which shall include an order to be seated or to refrain from addressing the City Council, and any other unlawful interference with the due and orderly course of said meeting. Good evening, everybody. Welcome to the Taft City Council Successor Agency Joint Regularly Scheduled Meeting for Tuesday, August the 18th, 2026. City of Taft Council meetings are being held in person with full capacity seating or may be joined remotely through the Zoom using the meeting ID number and passcode on the link. Well, no, I'm going to read that. I'm sorry. The meeting ID is 822-2370-7823. pass code 613-564 and then use the link on the agenda meetings are also live streamed at www.youtube.com forward slash user forward slash city of tap public comment may be made in person or remotely through zoom and can be received per the following written comments may be dropped off in the drop box in front of city hall Comments may be emailed to the city clerk at cityclerk at cityoftaft.org.ca.gov, made by phone to the city clerk's office at 661-763-1222. Public comments will be accepted up until 5 p.m. the day of the meeting, and any comments received shall be read into the records. We're going to begin this evening's meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilman Chavarra, followed by an invocation from Pastor John Getty. If you'll join us, please.

Hand over heart. Pledge.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation,

Good evening. Heavenly Father, we do thank you, God, for this evening. We thank you for your goodness. We thank you for Mayor Knorr and council members that just serve selflessly to the city and this community.

We pray that you would guide and direct them, give them wisdom and guidance as they tend to the business of the city, God. May they seek you in all the decisions they make, asking this in the name of Jesus. Amen? Amen. Thank you very much, John.

Madam Clerk, may we have a roll call, please?

Mayor Knorr?

Here.

Mayor Pro Tem Bryant?

Here.

Council Member Cryer?

Here.

Council Member Waldrop?

Here.

Council Member Shavira?

Here. All right, first item on this evening's agenda is citizen request public comments. Okay, then let me read this if we have somebody in the queue. Citizens request public comments. Comments are to be received as stated in the above policy. This is the time and place for the general public to address the City Council on matters within its jurisdiction. State law prohibits the Council from addressing any issues not previously included on the agenda. Council may receive comment and set the matter for a subsequent meeting. Please limit comments to five minutes. They left. They left. Okay. Well, doggone it. Anyway, that would have been our first one. Well, perhaps next time. Okay. Then we'll move on to item number two, council statements, non-action. I know something for sure. The councilman didn't leave. So I'm gonna begin with council members. Yeah.

So I'll be brief. Um, it's been exciting. We just returned back to school. So it's nice to see all of our local high schoolers and, um, excited to learn. But I want to remind everybody that there is the phone policy is now mandated by the state, which states that there is no phones during instructional time. So I would encourage you parents to be aware of it. And not only that is have the conversation with your child, whatever that looks like, no phones during instructional time, because I definitely don't want to have to tell high school kid to go take their phone up to the office so their parents can come pick it up. So in addition, you know, it is imperative that we do our responsibility in helping our law enforcement. If you observe or witness a crime being committed or you're questioning if it's a crime, please help our local law enforcement, contact the law enforcement, and let them know what's going on. That's all I have, sir.

All right. Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate that. All right, next up, Councilman Cryer.

Thank you, Mayor. I have to ditto what Councilman Chabert had to say about the school and reporting on any crimes and stuff coming out. What's amazing is school started, but I couldn't tell. It's so quiet. You know, like nothing's going on, no traffic a whole lot, and it's amazing how all the students are going to school and studying them. And then I think, too, we've got the elections coming up in November. I think there's, what, one more day. Anybody interested in pulling up to run for city council? I believe tomorrow at 5 o'clock is the last day to do. And right now we have five people running. And I think that's the most that we ever had. I can remember in a long time that we had five people run for city council. Generally, it's usually... Three openings or two openings, it's either two run or three run or nobody runs. But anyway, this is the time and place in order to interject any ideas or concerns you have and run for office. And I think, too, people need to come to our city council meetings, go to the school board meetings, go to the college trustee meetings, go to all those meetings and partake in our local government and have a voice in it and they see something, state your opinions or your concerns. That's all I have to say, Mayor.

All right, thank you very much, sir. Councilman Waldrop.

I went to the League of Cities representing the city of Taft, which this league represents Kings County, Tulare County, Kings County, and Kern County, and we had about roughly 150 people there. It was really well attended, and everybody was doing real good, and one guy told me to tell you to say hi. Rob, I think he's on the college board. Rob Duco. Yeah, said to tell you hi. Anyway, it went real good. We had a lot of input, whatnot, but the main thing was we had a couple people there from Sacramento trying to change what we could do, which nobody agreed on, about raising money to offset other things, and anyway, the whole 150 people was negative on that, and that's the way it turned out, and we had a very good meal. 102 miles later, I come home. Okay. Thank you.

All right, thanks for the report. Thanks for getting home safe, dude. Mayor Pro Tem, Josh Bryant.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm going to piggyback on Councilman Shavira and give a shout out to the PD in particular, but also it's kind of an anecdote or an example to the folks out there who may have issues that they want to have taken care of. I think the chief has said it a number of times, but without a victim, there is no crime. Until you report it and are willing to stand and wait and go through the process, there's not a lot that these guys can do. And I understand even when they do things, it can be discouraging knowing, hey, I'm going to go through this, but there really isn't a lot of penalties on the backside. That's nothing that they can handle, nothing that they can actually do, but they still go through the motions when we ask them to. A couple weeks back, I had a resident or a local come to my restaurant, cause a little bit of a ruckus, and ultimately I said, you know what, you're no longer welcome here. We're going to trespass you. I'm going to call the police department and have it on file. So you never come back. I don't want you back here because it's not worth the hassle. They did it. Two officers showed up, took the report, made sure everything was done. No problem. But I had to be the victim there. Last week, individual shows back up and I said to her, you're no longer welcome here. You've been trespassed. If you don't leave now, I'm going to call the police. Looked at me, decided he was going to stay. And then he decided real quickly when the cruiser pulled up, he wasn't going to stay any longer. But at that point, they were already there. I was the victim as the business. The PD did their job. And granted, that person yesterday morning walking right down in front of my business, Right? Wasn't violating the law there. And there's nothing the PD can do to make sure he stays and gets the help that he may or may not need. I believe it leans to the may need. But that's out of their purview and control. But they did their job as long as we meet them halfway and be a victim. So please, know that they will do it if you're willing to do your part. I understand it's easy to complain about these things. I really, really do. I understand there's frustration with how it actually ends up. There's no reason I wanted to see that guy again. But at the end of the day, the law in California is what the law is. And all the police can do is what you can lead them to. I'm thankful that the local officers are doing the best they can within the confines and restrictions of their job as long as I'll meet them halfway. So please, for the love of God, if you have an issue, you see a crime, report it. But stop and be ready to be a victim or be a reporter. Do that, and I promise you some of your problems will stop happening. Or at least you didn't have an avenue to pursue if they continue. Okay? That's all I have, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. All right.

Like I say, be a good witness. I'm gonna piggyback on the back to school part, just one of those things that drive me nuts, but it bears repeating. If you're gonna cross Kern Street, There are these signs, and they have these wonderful lights on them. But you've got to push the button. If you come to the crosswalk, do your own body a favor. Push the button. Please. It takes but a moment, and it alerts the drivers. So push the button, and then still, it's a roadway. So take it upon yourself to safely get across the highway as quickly as you can. But we put them there. to make things safer, so push the button. Appreciate it. Okay, now then, something new I wanted to bring to everybody's attention. I was surprised to learn this, but the state of California and California's commissions are always taking care of us, always there to help you out. And yesterday was no different. So yesterday, California regulators approved new rules that will restrict What tires you can buy when it's time to replace your tires. Just when you think you're smart enough to know what kind of tires to put on your vehicle, here comes the California Energy Commission, and they're going to help you out. In a unanimous vote, the California Energy Commission voted to adopt new rules that will phase out the sale of replacement tires that don't meet certain energy efficiency standards. This is California Energy Commission. And they said, this is one of the commissioners, This ultimately is about protecting consumers, says the chairman. I see this as sheltering the public from higher costs in the long run. Tire Manufacturing Commission staff are at odds over whether it will add to the cost of living in the state. Of course, what the CEC says is, no, we're going to force you to buy tires that have a lower rolling resistance. So you'll get better mileage or you'll get more miles on a charge of a battery-powered car, and you're actually going to save a little bit of money. Now, this is your California Energy Commission telling you you're going to save money. The tire manufacturers say, well, the fact of the matter is that you're going to outlaw about 70% of the tires that are currently available for purchase in the state of California. So the net effect is going to be an increase in costs for the average consumer car. hundreds of dollars. One of the commissioners, Nancy Skinner, said these regulations are a tool within our authority that can save money for every Californian. So whether or not you agree with her, she has the authority to impose her will on you. So you will be buying the tires that they want you to buy. And then in a letter to the CEC, representatives from the industry, including Goodyear, they questioned the data from the CEC and said that, well, no, actually, it's going to cost substantially more. So that's coming. Now, the California Energy Commission has five commissioners on it. All of them were either reappointed or appointed by Gavin Newsom. And I looked into their resumes, and they all have names. Vast experience in climate change, activism, and all that kind of stuff, which you could have guessed that. And then there's another one. This one's called the CPUC, California Public Utilities Commission. And this announcement came from their public advocate's office. the ratepayers lawyer in the room, okay? Supposed to watch out for us, right? Ratepayers lawyer in a room. And of course, we've been told the more solar and the more wind and the more batteries we installed, intermittent energy and backups, the cheaper energy is going to get. This is those folks watching out for you at CPUC. And the ratepayers lawyer estimates a typical PG&E household will pay roughly $840 more per year by 2030 based on current projections. And that's on top of a 69% increase over the past 10 years. So, man, we're putting up a lot of solar panels and a lot of windmills and a lot of batteries. I drive through the desert, I see them all the time, but just haven't seen that economic benefit just yet. And it's interesting because the CEOs of the three public utilities in the state of California are some of the highest paid CEOs in the entire United States, with their annual compensation being $13, $15, and $19 million for their year's work. So I don't think those public utilities are starving by any means. either. And lastly, in that regard, I did the math because I got my bills the other day. I get the utility bill for TAP. I get the utility bill for my house in Arizona. And I actually divide the total cost, including all the surcharges and delivery costs and all that, by the number of kilowatts, kilowatt hours, to be fair. So last month, the reality was that electricity and Taft only cost 333% of what it costs on the other side of the Colorado river. So we've got the CPUC that they, oh, by the way, there are five commissioners on the CPUC as well. Who do you think appointed all five of them? Absolutely right, Gavin Newsom. So anyway, your government action, watching out for you, making sure that you don't make a silly mistake by doing something that makes sense. All right, that's all I have. Next up, item number three, planning commission reports. We have a planning commissioner.

Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, city council members. had a regular planning commission meeting on august 5th 2026 right here in this location at 4 p.m and not many items of business but the the one big one to report to you all on is that we had a resolution of the planning commission of the city of taft approving conditional use permit and site plan review number 2026-04 to construct a new 15,000 square foot church facility located on the south side of Kern Street, west of Hillard Street, within the industrial zone, APN numbers 198-330-03-04. And so the planning consultant, Luke Reisner, presented on the project, Pastor Joey Pittman, because this is a project, of course, of New Hope Church here in town. And so Pastor Joey Pitman was here to talk about that and presented a little bit on the project. Public hearing was open at 415 for public comment. There being none, it was closed. And a motion by Commissioner McDaniel was presented and then seconded by Vice Chairman Schertz and adopted with a 5-0 vote to pass that on to you all. And so we bring that to you. Then our meeting concluded at 418. And it's an honor to bring this to you. And I hope I did a good job. You did a fine job. It's my first one. And so I'm very nervous.

You raised the bar for Jerry. Dashing. Dashing. Svelte. How about that? Is that a good word? Very good. Jerry, you've got to step up your wardrobe game for sure.

Well done. Indeed. Very formative. Thank you all so much. Thank you all. And thanks for being a part of it. All right. Department reports. Any department reports this evening? Seeing none. Okay. We'll move on. City Manager's statements. City Manager Jones. Thank you, Mayor. No statements. All right. City Attorney's statements.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. No statements.

All right. Future agenda requests this evening. Gentlemen?

I have nothing.

Seeing none. We'll move on to the consent calendar, items 8 through 12. All items listed on the consent calendar shall be considered routine and will be enacted by one roll call vote. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a member of the city council requests specific items to be removed from the consent calendar for separate action. Any item removed from the consent calendar will be considered after regular business items. Are there any items on the consent calendar that any member of the public would like to comment on? Seeing no hands out there, Those items are item number eight, the minutes from the August 4th regularly scheduled meeting. Item number nine, the payment of bills, some $405,000 worth. Item number 10 is the treasurer's report. And staff has actually requested that we pull this due to a formatting error. We're doing some new formatting on that report, and there were some errors. So that will come back before the city council. Item number 11, agreement with California State Controller's Office to prepare the required annual street report. Recommendation is a motion to ratify the approved professional services agreement with California State Controller and find that the activity is not a project for the California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, as set forth in section 15060C3 and section 15378 of the CEQA guidelines. Item number 12, website and agenda platform upgrade for Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA compliance, WCAG 2.1 AA. The recommendation is a motion to approve the Municipal 1 agreement, the website upgrade, and the agenda platform to bring the City of Taft into full ADA compliance, enhance accessibility for residents with disabilities, and significantly improve internal agenda management workflows. Does any member of the council wish to remove any of these items? Oh, I'm sorry. At this time, I would entertain a motion to approve items 8, 9, 11, and 12 of the consent calendar.

Motion.

Second. I have a motion and a second. Madam Clerk, did you get that? All right. Does any councilman wish to remove any of these items from the consent calendar?

None here.

No. Madam Clerk, we have a motion and a second. May we have a roll call, please?

Council Member Cryer?

Yes.

Mayor Pro Tem Bryant?

Yes.

Council Member Waldrop? Yes. Council Member Shavira?

Yes.

Mayor Knorr?

Yes. And that passes on a 5-0 vote. Thank you very much, gentlemen. At this time, we'll adjourn this part of the City Council meeting to go into the TPFA meeting, and I will hand this over to Chairman Josh Bryant.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. At this time, we'll call to order the annual meeting of the Taft Public Financing Authority. GUIDELINES FOR ATTENDANCE AND PUBLIC COMMENT ARE THE SAME AS THOSE FOR THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD PRIOR TO THIS MEETING, SO UNLESS THERE'S AN OBJECTION, WE'LL DISPATCH WITH READING OF THAT. AT THIS TIME, MADAM CLERK, MAY WE HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE?

CHAIRMAN BRYANT?

HERE.

BOARD MEMBER NORD?

HERE.

BOARD MEMBER WALDROP?

HERE.

BOARD MEMBER SEVERA?

HERE.

BOARD MEMBER CRYER?

HERE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ITEM NUMBER ONE IS CITIZEN REQUEST AND PUBLIC COMMENT. IF WE HAVE NONE, WE'LL DISPATCH WITH THE READING OF THE DETAIL. That? Perfect. Good. None. We'll move on to the consent calendars, items two through four. All items listed on the consent calendar shall be considered routine and will be enacted by one roll call vote. There will be no separate action or discussion of these items unless a board member of the authority requests specific items to be removed from the consent calendar for separate action. Any item removed from the consent calendar will be considered after the regular business items. Those items are item number two, approval of the minutes from the August 19th, 2025 annual meeting. The recommended action there is to approve as submitted. Item number three, the comparative analysis of changes in fund balances, revenue bonds of 2019, police station, and redevelopment projects. The recommended action there is a motion to receive and file the Taft Public Financing Authority comparative analysis of changes in fund balances, revenue bonds of 2019, police station, and redevelopment projects. And finally, item number four is the ratification and authorization of actions by the officers of the Taft Public Financing Authority. The recommendation there is a motion to ratify officer actions on behalf of the Taft Public Financing Authority for the 2025-2026 fiscal year and to authorize the officers to perform these duties on behalf of the corporation for the upcoming 2026-2027 fiscal year. and find that the activity is not a project per California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, as set forth in section 15060C3 and section 15378 of the CEQA guidelines. At this time, would any member of the public like to remove any of the items on the consent calendar? Seeing none, gentlemen, anything from the dais as far as removing items from the consent calendar? Good. Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion to approve the consent calendar items two through four.

Motion. Second.

Perfect. We have a motion and a second. Madam Clerk, may we have a roll call, please? Chairman Bryant?

Yes. Board Member Nord?

Yes.

Board Member Waldrop?

Yes.

Board Member Shavira? Yes. Board Member Cryer?

Yes. Perfect. And that passes on a 5-0 vote. At this time, we'll call our... Do I need to ask for a motion to adjourn this? Please. Okay. I'd entertain a motion to adjourn this meeting of the Taft Public Financing Authority.

Motion.

Second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Great. This meeting is adjourned.

Thank you. I will call the city council meeting back to order. That ends the open session portion of our meeting this evening. I want to thank everybody for being here. This city council will go into closed session for two items. Item A, Conference with Labor Negotiator Craig Jones, City Manager, Government Code Section 54957.6, all units. Conference with Legal Counsel, Existing Litigation, Government Code Section 54956.9A, Taft Union High School versus the City of Taft, Kern County Superior Court Case S-1500-CB-283804. Thank you all for being a part of this evening's meeting. Be careful out there. We're adjourned.