City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. I'm going to call this meeting to order. It is 603. Mr. City Clerk, can you please take role? Council member Pala present. Council member Melendez here. Council member Alonzo here. Mayor Pen Romero present. Mayor Tomayo here. And with that, uh, Mr. City attorney, if you can announce, uh, close session items. Yes. Thank you very much, Madame Mayor, members of the city council. Uh, this is the opportunity for members of the public to address the city council only on matters of close session. Uh do we h anyone who wishes to speak to the city council would have to fill out a card. Do we have any close session cards?

We have no cards indicating no. At this time we have one item to discuss with the city council with respect to close session. That's a matter of anticipated litigation significant exposure to one case. It would be appropriate to recess into close session.

One second. Okay, great. Good evening everybody. We're back from close session. Um, we'll move on to our regular session. Mr. City Attorney, can you provide a report on close session, please? Yes. Thank you very much, Madam Mayor. Members of the city council, the record, excuse me, should reflect that the city council convened in close session for the one item that was listed under anticipated litigation. A presentation was made to the city council on those legal issues. Um, there was no action taken and nothing required to be reported at this time.

Thank you, Mr. City Attorney. We'll go forward with our invocation. Please, Mr. Lord, we are here meeting here today to conduct matters of business. Guide our hearts and our minds in the spirit of fairness. Bright our thoughts and speech. Impart your supreme wisdom upon our activities so that our affairs may reach a successful conclusion. Thank you for being our source of guidance today. Amen.

Okay, we'll move on to our pledge of allegiance. And um for the pledge of allegiance, what we have started is bringing on board um future Montabelloo uh leaders. Um and we have Lucia Ramirez with us today. So, I'll read a little bit about Lucia and then she's going to come on up and help us uh do the pledge of allegiance. Lucia is a dedicated third grade student with a strong passion for science. She has been accepted into the MUSD gifted and talented education, the gate program, and was recently recognized as student of the month, reflecting her commitment to academic excellence. In addition to her achievements in the classroom, Lucia is an active softball player who proudly represents Montabelloo in various cities and countries as part of the Allstars and the Little Wooligans. Her hard work and demonstration were recently highlighted when she hit a home run. Congratulations, Lucia. Lucia dreams of becoming a teacher and she serves as at the wonderful example of leadership, dedication and community pride. Please Lucia, come up and join us. Remove all hoodies and caps. Face the flag. Put your right hand over your heart. Ready, begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic

for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Thank you. And Lucia's representing today with her soft bug gear. Stay here. We're gonna do a Hold on. There's one more picture for the little

one. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good job. Okay, if I could have my colleagues join me uh down at the bottom to do the citizen of the month, please.

Good morning. How are you? Good. Good evening. Citizen of the month. Today we have Pablo Castorena. Please come up, Pablo, and I'll read a little bit about you. Yay. Congratulations. Welld deserved.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Stand right here and I'll I'll read a little bit about you. Tonight we are proud to recognize a dedicated dedicated coach and mentor who is making a lasting impact on the youth of our community. Pablo Castor. Pablo has called Montabella home for the past 12 years. And during that time, he has committed himself to serving our community through youth sports, helping shape not just athletes, but confident, resilient young people. He currently coaches both baseball and softball, leading a pony division baseball team of 14y olds and 14 U division softball. Through his leadership, Here we go. Through his leadership, Pablo creates a positive and supportive environment where young athletes can grow, learn, and develop both on and off the field. Pablo's impact extends across many local organizations and partnerships. He has worked alongside the Montabelloo Indians Organization, Montabelloo Recreation and Community Services, the Montabelloo Police Department, Athletics Club, the Montabelloo Baseball Association and Softball Association, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, and the RBI Dodgers Baseball Program. Through this collaboration, he continues to expand opportunities for youth throughout Montabelloo and beyond. But truly, what defines Paulo service is his coaching philosophy. He believes that serving the community means protecting the joy of the game. In his words, if winning becomes more important than a child's experience, then we have lost sight of what truly matters. Yes. His goal is simple but powerful to

ensure that every child wants to come back the next day excited to learn, grow, and be part of something positive. It is individuals like Pablo Casorena who embody the spirit of Montabelloo, giving their time, sharing their passion, and investing in our youth. On behalf of the city council and the residents here in Montabelloo, it's my great honor to on to recognize Pablo Castor as the March 2026 citizen of the month. Congratulations.

No, no, no. Thanks. Thank you to all my baseball my family and my baseball family that is here. Um here at the park and enjoy the park have some fun. Thank you.

Yeah. Thank you. recognition. Thank you for joining your service.

Thank you.

They want to do one more picture. Go ahead. Everybody,

thank you. What?

It's real out there.

Yes. And we'll go back up. Yes. Is that too long? Yeah. Okay. Okay, we will continue proclamation for the uh national Vietnam war veterans on March 29th, 2026 marks national Vietnam War Veterans Day, a day of remembrance and reflection as we honor the brave men and women who served in the Vietnam War. We recognize their courage, sacrifice, and dedication in service to our country during a challenging chapter in our nation's history. We pay tribute not only to those who served, but also to those who never returned home. On this somber day, we remember the individuals from Montabelloo and from communities across the nation who gave their lives to defend our nation's freedom. Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Here in Montabelloo, we are reminded of this sacrifice through our veterans memorial located at city hall, which stands as a lasting tribute to the courage and commitment of our local heroes. It serves as a place for reflection, gratitude, and remembrance for all who have served and sacrificed. The National Vietnam War Veterans Day is also an opportunity to thank and recognize our Vietnam veterans who did not return home and continue to be an important part of our community. Their resilience and service deserves our deepest respect and appreciation. The city of Montabelloo is proud to honor our veterans and their families. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing National Vietnam War Veterans Day and expressing our gratitude to those who served, those we lost, and those who continue to carry the legacy forward. The proclamation for Women's History Month. This month is Women's History Month. Take center stage as we honor the remarkable achievements and enduring legacy of women. From commemorating trailblazers who defined so social socio norms to celebrating contemporary leaders who continue to inspire, the city comes together to recognize the profound impact of women across all spheres of society. This year's women's history month theme is leading the change. Women shaping a substantial future, highlighting the powerful role women play in driving progress, innovation, and long-term solutions for a better world. This theme celebrates the leadership,

resilience, and vision of women who are creating lasting change in their communities. Through their efforts, women continue to inspire action and pave the way towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all. Through a series of events, discussions, and initiatives organized by local institutions and community groups, Montabelloo provides a platform to amplify women's voices and highlight their contributions. Residents and visitors are invited to engage with exhibitors, lecturers, and cultural performances that devolve into the stories of remarkable women and reflect on the ongoing journey toward gender equality. As Montabelloo pays homage to this past and celebrates the present, it reaffirms its dedication to fostering an inclusive and equitable community where women can thrive and succeed. To learn more about Women's History Month, you can visit women's historymonth.gov. And our next proclamation is the National Development Disabilities Awareness Month. Also in March, the city of Montabelloo proudly recognizes National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Each March, the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities and its partners collaborate to lead developmental disabilities awareness month. The annual campaign highlights how people with and without disabilities come together to form strong communities. This year's theme, we are here then, now and always, highlights the ongoing presence, contributions, and resilience of people with development disabilities. It emphasizes that their inclusion, access to opportunities, and recognition are

important every day, past, present, and future, and not during just the month of March. This recognition serves as a platform to raise awareness about developmental disabilities and the challenges individuals with such conditions may face through education and advocacy efforts. The Monabello Monabello aims to promote understanding, empathy, and acceptance by shedding light on this unique on their unique abilities and contributions of people with developmental disabilities. The city strives to build a more inclusive society where everybody can thrive and participate fully in community life. To learn more about National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, you can visit nacdd.org. Okay, we will um go to corrections on the agenda. Mr. City Manager.

Yes, Mayor. Council members, I do have one correction. Item number 11 will be pulled for further review and will be brought back at a future council meeting. Thank you. 11. That moves us to public. Yes.

A non-aggenda item. Non-aggenda items. Yeah. This takes us then, madame mayor, to uh public comment on non-aggenda items for a 30 minute period. Anyone who wishes to speak to the city council on non-aggenda items. I know there's a number of speakers on item number six, but that is not at this time. This is for non-aggenda items. Uh you would have had to fill out a card and submit it to the city clerk. Mr. City Clerk, have we do we have cards? Yes, we do. How many cards? We have a total of 13 for non-aggenda.

13 for non. Okay. So, let note that we start the public comment this evening at 7:28. We read the first card. First speaker is Lorraine De La followed by Randy K. Please step forward. and the person that's uh due to speak next can step forward. We have a seat right here in the front row. Okay. Um I have some flyers for the city council. Just we'll have somebody get those from you.

Good evening, mayor, city council, staff, and community. My name is Lorraine Delo and I am a resident of Montabello. I uh joined a nonprofit organization. It's called Avanzadar. Avanzad was formed by uh a Marine veteran by the name of Monica Rea. um after her I guess her civil started she went to East LA College and became aware that there was student I'm sorry I have this cough drop um she became aware of students that are in need low income even um no homes. So um she wanted to do something. So create she by on her own she created a a breakfast. She started serving breakfast to the students um of fruit of packaged uh packaged food and of um power bars gave oatmeal nutritious food. And then as I guess her her friends found out about it, they would join her. And um so now I'm part of this. I found out about it about two years ago. And uh I I told her we got to form a nonprofit. We've got to do a nonprofit in order to She was buying the food on her own. And uh so we have our nonprofit. We had our first nonprofit event last November and it was very successful. So what I passed out to you are the flyers for our next event for

April the 12th and it's going to be a dinner dance at the sage. Um there is an increased student students that are in need and veterans. Uh we so I guess it was around last year we were feeding about 430 450 students students and veterans. This last month we fed an it increased to five over 500 students and we're we're thinking that with the increase of the Cal State the university levels it's going to increase tuition is going to increase. So we're going to we need to be prepared to feed these students. So that is our mission. That is Monica. Monica a veteran Marine veteran. This is her mission. Her goals are to now in the future is to continue doing this and continue with increase. Oh, is that it?

Yes. Thank you for your comment. Okay. Anyway, the council's invited and thank you the community. Okay. Thank you. Next speaker is Randy K followed by Bill Piso.

Good evening. I'm an Amber resident. Um, but we're all here arm- arm across the St. Gabriel Valley. So, I'm here tonight with updates regarding the AI data center proposal in Mterrey Park. At the April 15th city council meeting, city council members agreed to vote to pass a full ban on AI data centers within city limits. Thank you. This is partly in response to the overwhelming opposition to the proposal. You really don't want to experience here what has happened in that city over the last few months. In June, there will be a ballot measure where Montterrey Park residents will vote to reszone the site to build housing instead. In city of industry, there's a proposal for a large lithium-ion battery storage facility that can morph into a data center that presents health and safety concerns for city residents and those in surrounding residential areas like Hosianda Heights, Roland Heights, Avocado Heights, and other areas. The proposed site is the Pointy Hills Mall. This kind of facility has a potential to cause thermal runaway fires should the batteries overheat, explode, and catch on fire. These fires cannot be extinguished with water due to the chemicals and toxins released into the air. Should water be used, the chemicals leech into the soil, contaminating both the soil and groundwater. In Montterrey County, there were fires at the Vistra battery facility in 2021 and 2022. And in January 2025, there was a large thermal runaway fire um necessitating the evacuation of over 1,200 people. As you can see, there are significant risks with these kind of facilities. A few meetings ago, I asked you to take preemptive action by banning data centers in the city. And I was so happy to see you did just that. I'm here

today asking you to extend that moratorum for another 10 months and 15 days which I think is the maximum while you consider what can be done to enact a permanent moratorum. I appreciate your time tonight. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comment.

Next speaker is Bill Piso followed by Rosa Tomo. Good evening. At the last council meeting, I sat over there and I watched four business owners of this city get up here and speak about issues that they had with their business and the new construction on Monabella Boulevard. And I purposely waited until two days ago to reach out to those people and ask them if anybody on this council has reached out to them to address any of their concerns. And I think we know what the answer is going to be. I find that very disrespectful to a business owner in this city. Shame on you. Shame on you. And then we promote what a businessfriendly city we are.

We get an award. And mayor, I got to tell you, I'm very disappointed in you that you did not reach out because I know you're better than that. But I got a good idea why you didn't. And I will address this. Miss Romero did reach out, but we know why she did. And that was nothing but an information gathering for Miss Christina Cortez, her campaign manager. That's all that was. Oh my god.

Okay. So, let's be more business friendly to those businesses that got up here and had concerns. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Next speaker is Rosa Tomo followed by Rosemary Torres.

Rosa Tomayo followed by Rosemary Torres. So hard hearing. Thank you. Um, medic toilet or sink. Um, seniors. Um, No corruption.

Thank Much gracias.

Next speaker is Rosemary Torres followed by Leavon Pthero. Good evening, city council and staff and residents. I'm so happy to see everyone. This place is full. I haven't been here in a while because I don't want to be saying anything negative up here. So, I want to say something positive. I had the honor of going to one of the Sher High School girls basketball games. They won the CA CIF tournament. My neighbor, she plays and they asked me to go and I thought it was so beautiful. These girls are little and they played against these tall tall girls and they won. Yes, they were very good and shooting threepointers. I saw no one from the district, no one from city council, your area. This is at Shure High School and I'm down south, but one of my neighbors, she's a very good basketball player and she goes to school up there. So, they went to CIF, but they didn't make it at the end. But I'm wondering, I'd like to give the girls a proclamation, but I did get Angelica's card and I'm going to email her, you know, so that they can honor the girls. They did real well on that point. And another point I want to say thank you to Mr. Piso and Mr. Ertado and some other few people who come up here and and give their opinions and they're telling me where am I and I said I don't want to do anything negative. You do it for me. So, you know, my husband always comes with me, but at the one of the last meetings that we came to, he did an outburst and one of the officers came and said to him, "Excuse me, Mr. Torres.

One more outburst and you're out." And I won't tell you what I did, but he said to me, "I'm not coming here anymore." And I says, "But I will. I don't care if I embarrass myself or embarrass my son." So anyway, do your best, please. And I I'm looking forward to that proclamation. Oh, one more thing, and I know it's I should have put in another card. Don't build any homes at the Bella Ver Verde or QC's. We I can't I can't differentiate the name, you know, that was given to us by the Bicknell family and I think it should stay that way. We have other places we could build homes. Thank you. Oh, good. I got

Thank you for your comment.

Next speaker is Lavan Pthero, followed by Rosie Vosquez. This damn bag I haul around with me. It's got padlocks in there that I have to put on my house and garage and then cut them off just to keep the damn drug dealers out out of the house, which it doesn't. Uh anyway, about the time two months ago I showed up here just before that the LA district attorney uh said he wanted to give the death penalty to people making fentanyl. Well, I know my neighbors at 8:49 and 8:48 qualify for that. And and about the time, not too much longer, I felt like I had a needle in my arm. Well, when they get in my house, they plant chloroform in the wall and I'm put to sleep. Next door neighbor's an RN. It used to be at Beverly Hospital and all figures. Anyway, u I figure what I was going to say. Yes. since Oh, well, it says here they're making more drugs than ever. So, you're all getting your $100 bills in the envelopes. Normally, you'd go to the chief police department. I did that with two chief police back in command. He gave me a bunch of And I then I said to him, "You don't know where the FBI offices located, do you?" And he said, "No." I said, "You're a policeman and you don't know where the FBI office is at." Well, I went there and that night I they put electric shock in me and I felt it about 1:00 in the morning and I thought they did they did that three times to me. Anyway, that's probably how they killed my damn neighbor at 8:49 cuz she genuinely had heart trouble and that's how they probably murdered her. Anyway, since I've been since since the t the time

where the district attorney, he ought to send somebody here at every damn s city council meeting undercover just to see what's going on if you had any brains. Uh, let's see here. I'm too old for this Yeah. Any anyway, I thought I got a shot. Since then, I can't eat. I got back pain. I've probably lost at least 30 pounds. So, that's how they're killing me. And they're doing a good job of it, too. The way I feel anyway. Yeah. Too too much And I know you're all getting your $100 bills. By by the way, do they still b Hey, park manager, do they still play baseball with high school at the at the park over here?

Oh, okay. And Grant Ray Park, too, huh? Okay. Thank you for your comment. Next speaker. Next speaker is Rosie Vosquez followed by Raul Ort.

Next speaker is Rosie Vosquez followed by Raul Ort. Good evening, mayor uh of our beautiful city of Montabelloo Tomo and all of you council people. I don't come here very often, but I saw something that was really dear and special in my heart. And that is item number six, and I think you know what item I'm talking about. So, I'm not going to go into anything like this, but I'd like just to ask you because I've lived here over 50 years that we have to concentrate as council as what's good not just for us now but in the future. And this item is really an important item because it means that there's going to be more population in our city. And are we ready for that? I don't know because as you know, we're already overcrowded. Okay. Number two, I just want to say to you, if you could um do something about it and just move it to the next meeting or the next meeting and have your town hall meetings that you have, which I think it's great, by the way, to have the community more input. This is a major major change to our to our community. So, I'm just asking if you could just table the item for tonight and bring us back together and you have more input. This is a major change. Okay? And I think you all know that of course, but if you could just do that, I would appreciate it. I love my city. I thank you all for serving also. It's not easy. I've been there, done

that. But I just just want to ask you, there's no rush, I'm sure, to all of this. So, just if we could just do that for our community, it would be great because we need to have the community's input in input. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comment.

Next speaker is Raort followed by Denise Sigopian. I'm going to speak in regards to what happened at the last city council meeting when you went into close session. The police chief put on his parking lot attendant hat and he went out to the uh parking lot checking on my vehicle that was parked in Alonso's parking spot. He had my license ran and told the officer at the meeting that I had to move my vehicle which I did. I am like I in the past like that day I checked to see if the alleged council member Alonso is here before I park in that spot. I know and the alleged chief knows that he parks under the building and he does not need two parking spots. But I guess I should consider myself lucky because now I see they got new signs up there that I could have been cited, my vehicle towed and maybe even thrown in jail. Who knows, you know? I mean, this is really serious business that they have to send the chief out there. Uh, if the police chief had done it properly, like I'm sure Captain Sharp would have done. I've dealt with him in the past on situations like this, he would have checked all the license plates and he would have found that I was not the only one parked in a city council's parking spot. But he didn't. He singled me out. That's all right. I'm a big boy. I can take it. Uh, I came today with the intentions of parking in the veterans parking spot. But then I thought to myself, you know, I'm not one that likes to do things like that because although I'm a veteran and my feet hurt, I'm 83 years old. I can hardly walk. But there may come another veteran maybe that doesn't have any feet and he needs a parking spot more than I do. The same as with the handicap parking today. We have Denise here, Rosemary here. A lot of

people that need handicapped parking and you only have two handicap parking spots out there. I think you as a city council should move your cars, relocate to a different spot and have more handicap parking for the people. You don't know how many people are going to attend. Uh anyway, like I said, I was going to park in the veterans parking spot. So, I came was going to come prepared. I uh was going to bring my DD214 my honorable discharge and show Louie Lopez so he wouldn't have to call the Pentagon and verify that I'm a veteran. Uh you know I really firmly believe like my father God rest his soul would ask him sometime they would people would ask him how are you Mr. Herertado and he would always say better than others and that's the way I feel too better than others that's why I won't park in a parking handicapped or veterans because there's always somebody else that probably needs it more than I do. Uh and in closing, I would like to say that uh maybe uh

thank you for your comment. Well, your three minutes maybe you should announce maybe you should announce that Louis Roas is going to run the race again. Thank you for your comment. Our next speaker Our next speaker is our next speaker.

Our next speaker is Denise Gopian followed by Anto. Good evening, mayor, council, citizens of Montabelloo. My name is Denise Hagopian, a 42-year business owner in Montabelloo on Monabello Boulevard. The emotional and financial impact of the Bonabello Boulevard center divider is growing, not getting worse. The problem is getting larger. The traffic is getting worse. All the left turn lanes are stopped. We have had in the past 30 days two head-on collisions, one crash, three rear ends, and that's the ones that I hear of and that I can look out my door and see directly related to cars coming and exiting from the mart of Montabelloo. These accidents are coming because of people don't know that there's a center divider there now. And one person actually crashed into the center divider, popped his tires, and blocked the whole street. So now, here is my response. We need to rip it out. Can I hear it? Rip it out in the middle. It was put there illegally. You did not look at the ramifications, the long-term problems. I went out there and uh Councilwoman Romero kindly came out to my store to look and directly speak to me and I appreciate that. Thank you. But guess what? She got lost getting to my store. She's a council woman and she couldn't navigate the streets to go around and around in a circle. So is that what every customer comes to my store? That's all they talk about is I had to go around and around and around. Who did that? and you did that. My city

council and my city administrator built something that was illegal and wrong. So after I spoke the last meeting and Miss Romero was there, she said, "What can I do?" And I said, "Rip it out." Well, guess what? The next day, they took out 8 to 10 more parking spaces. The curb is now painted red on the uh west side of the street. The whole side. Now, there is no reason for that. There is no reason to paint all these green lines for bikes. When was the last time you saw a bike on Montabella Boulevard? One a day. Well, who's more important, the bikers or the citizens or the traffic or the businesses or the people who have to go to work? So, when are you going to figure out that this problem is not going to get any better? And as more houses on the Metro Heights have people moving in, it's actually going to keep getting worse. And every time the person walks in the store, they only have negative things to say about Montabelloo. Montabelloo is not businessfriendly. So I have more. I don't have enough time. Um,

so you spent more time talking about dog parks and the city has gone to the dogs. Thank you. Our next speaker is Anto. Next speaker is Anto followed by James Santana.

Madame Mayor, city councilman, staff, my name is Anto. I'm a 45 years I've been living here on Lincoln and uh I have some concerns. One of them is Montabelloo and Beverly, the intersection. Obviously, we've impacted all the business owners. I've known my whole life here and I don't see anybody really concerned about doing anything. If you're traveling down, if you're traveling south on Montabella Boulevard to make a left turn on Beverly, maybe max three to four cars. You have a line of cars going all the way back. Who's in charge of of the timing on these on these lights? We need this thing adjusted. Four cars go by and then the the last person stops and somebody rerends the other car. then you have major traffic going on in here. So I I just don't understand why we're not Nobody's concerned about this. Nobody's concerned about all our people that have businesses over here on Monabel Boulevard which are family members of mine and they're all losing money, but nobody's concerned about this problem. I have another problem too besides all that. So I'm hoping somebody resolves this at least the light issues. Can we get somebody out there to look at how how quick these lights turn from green to red? I'm not understanding what what that problem is. My second issue is I live right here on Lincoln, the dog park that you guys built. So now every day I have to come out and clean all the poop on the sidewalk on my grass because now the traffic because they brought you guys brought a dog park here. It's horrendous. I'm tired of picking up everybody's poop. So it's becoming a problem for me. If somebody was pooping in front of your house, you wouldn't like it either. And it's it's come to a point where like I'm trying to figure out which dog it is so I can talk to the owner. It's only normal for you to pick up your dog's trash or poop or whatever it is, but every day I have poop. I live on the corner of Lincoln and Mon Lincoln

and Maple right by the park. Every I've been there for 45 years. Every day I got to pick up poop in front of my house. Why? Before it wasn't like that. People would walk by. But now that we have the dog park, it's traffic like no other with dogs right in front of my house, pooping everywhere. You guys have these people doing cleaning up concrete, right? Or shaving the concrete on the sidewalks. They threw all the mess, all the concrete on my grass. Why would they do that?

Why would they do that? Now I got to pick up the trash. I came over here today and showed them pictures. They're apparently going to do something. 1615 West Lincoln Avenue, Madame Mayor. Okay. All the concrete, they threw it on my grass. So now my my uh my whatever gardener comes, he's like, "What's all this stuff? You want you expect me to pick it up? It's it's ridiculous." I think you guys need to be more concerned about what's going on in this city. Let's strain everything out, please. Thank you. Thank you for your comment.

Next speaker is James Santana, followed by Mike Reyes. Yay. All right. Uh, good evening, Mayor Tamayo, council members, staff, and residents. My name is James Santana, and I'm speaking on behalf of Montabella United. I want to start by thanking the three residents who spoke on the last meeting about the proposed zone or the zone ordinance change. Will Will Sea, Denise Gopian, and Joseph Sanchez from district 5. Because of their voices, this conversation is continued. I believe that without them speaking that this council would have unanimously approved this decision. So because of their courage, it's a powerful reminder that residents could make a difference. Look at everybody that's here today. They wouldn't have known. I especially want to thank council member Salvador Melendez and Mayor Prom Danielle Romero for listening and engaging with the community concerns. This is the kind of transparency that matters. I want to remind my neighbors that this was not an attempt for fear tactics or for misinformation as maybe some council members have posted online. This is actually people that have come up chose to speak and have done it courageously. The only fear that's being perpetuated right now is the uncertainty that grows when our city council falls short of clear communication and real connection with constituents. When changes that will shape our neighborhood for years to come are discussed without full transparency and straightforward dialogue, it leaves people feeling disconnected and anxious. Better communication, stronger connections, and greater clarity from our council is what builds trust. This is an election year, so people need to pay attention and follow these votes this evening, especially when it comes to important land use decisions that are going to affect green spaces, our homes, and our future. Mayor, I urge you and the council to prioritize clear and timely and honest communication moving forward. Please listen to the ve the residents voices uh especially those that care

enough to speak and that's how we build a united Montabelloo. Thank you. Thank you for your comment.

Next speaker is Mike Reyes followed by Michelle Reyes. Hello, Madame Mayor and City Council and residents of Montabalo. Uh my name is Mike Reyes. I have a business here uh OneTop Graphics on the north side of Montabalo near uh Denise uh Heavenly Choice and Annie's Chicken. We're across from Real's Pizza where they you guys uh did all the construction on Monabalo Boulevard. And just to reiterate, yes, it's a big pain for the businesses. All the businesses on my side of the street are losing money because people cannot turn left. They have to go all the way to Madison Boulevard. There's no Uturn or you got to make a left on Beverly and try to make another turn around by Jack in the Box. And uh it really affected a lot of the businesses on that side and um hopefully we could do something about it. Uh also uh these you guys just painted the red the curbs red across the street. um where um I believe we used to be be able to park there. A lot of the employees used to park there. My customers park there. Uh then now they're parking by the dairy to walk down because it's just too hard to get to the shop. So um uh my question is why can't we have street parking there? Uh the more there there is parking on the blocks above and below. and we just asking for the city to be businessfriendly and help to support the small business in that area. I wish the planner had reached out to the property owners so some kind of compromise could have been made because right now the situation is bad for business and uh it's just it's just not good for business and I know you guys been hearing this for the last few weeks. I was here two weeks ago. I did get visited. appreciate uh Daniela coming down and uh asking what we could what she could do, but you know, I don't know

what could be done. So, hopefully something could be done. And uh that's that's it. And I'm going to speak up on the the Cub Scout hut up in Montabalo uh if my car gets pulled for that. So, thank you. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker is Michael Reyes. Do we have Michael Reyes?

Okay. My name is Michael Reyes. Okay. For item number six. Is this for item number six? Cub Scout. The scout hub. Scout hub. Yeah. That's a That's not a new consideration right now. It'll be in a little bit. Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you, mayor. Then that concludes all speaker requests for non-aggenda items. Okay, great. Okay, that concludes then our public comment. Um, so we'll move on now to item number six. Mr. City Manager, do we have a presentation?

Yes, mayor. We have a presentation on item number six by uh Vanna Sparsa, who's our planning manager. Thank you. Madam Mayor, may you step proceed.

Good evening, Madame Mayor, members of the council. The item before you tonight is a continuation from the March 11th city council meeting. This is a city initiated request to amend various provisions of the city's zoning code, specifically title 17 of the Montabella municipal code related to mixeduse development standards, objective design standards for residential and mixeduse developments, site plan review standards, and corresponding amendments to the zoning map. Collectively, the proposed text amendments are intended to implement the goals and policies of the city's general plan and housing element in accordance with state housing law. to provide some background on why these proposed amendments are before you. On June 22nd, 2022, the city council adopted the city's six cycle housing element. On April 10th, 2024, the city council adopted the Montabella 2040 general plan and the downtown Montabella specific plan and certified a final environmental impact report in compliance with SQA guidelines. Prior to the adoption of the general plan, the city conducted extensive community engagement from October 2020 through February 2024, and over 30 public outreach activities were held in connection with the 2040 general plan, bike plan, downtown specific plan, and housing element. Through this community-based and collaborative approach, the general plan was designed to represent the interests and feedback of the community. On February February 10th of this year, the planning commission held a duly noticed public hearing and unanimously voted to approve a resolution recommending that the city council adopt ordinances approving the proposed text amendment and zoning map amendments. On February 25th, the city council held a duly noticed public hearing to consider the proposed amendments and unanimously voted to introduce and wave

the first reading of the ordinances and adopt a resolution that approved amendments to the zoning code. On March 11th, the city council held a second reading for the proposed amendments and unanimously voted to table the item to tonight's meeting to allow staff time to address comments raised by members of the public. The table on the screen depicts community outreach activities or meetings conducted related to the adoption of the general plan and housing element. The table shows that in 2021 18 meetings, workshops and/or surveys were conducted. In 2022, four meetings were held and 2023, eight meetings. And in 2024, three meetings and/or workshops were conducted prior to city council adopting the general plan. So, the reason staff's here before you tonight is requesting that the proposed amendments be considered and approved. As part of the six cycle housing element and general plan, the city is committed to reszoning certain sites throughout the city to accommodate the state's regional housing needs allocation or assessment, also known as reena, which is a state which is what the state has determined that for Montabelloo 5,186 units must be provided. As part of the housing element, we are required to implement the resoning and also implement objective design standards within a time frame established by state housing law. For Montabelloo, the deadline to accomplish these goals was February 2025. However, the city made the necessary findings to obtain a one-time one-year extension from HCD, which pushed our deadline back to February 2026. I'd like to reiterate that all of these amendments that are being considered tonight are intended to implement the goals and policies of the city's general

plan and housing element in accordance with state housing law. Council's adoption of these amendments will not result in the approval of any development project within the city of Montabelloo. So now there are consequences I'm sorry imposed by HCD for cities and counties whose housing elements are considered not to be in compliance. Council's denial of the proposed amendments can lead to HCD's determination that the city's housing element is not in substantial compliance. And if this happens, HCD will initiate litigation and refer our case to the California Office of the Attorney General for enforcement action. similar to cities such as Norwok, Fullerton, and Artisia who are in this position. Now, if HCD determines that the city is not in substantial compliance, they have the authority to descertify our housing element. If our housing element is descertified, the city the city will be subject to builder's remedy, which is a legal provision under the Housing Accountability Act that allows developers to bypass the city zoning code and general plan standards on certain housing development. This would enable developer developers to build much larger and higher de or taller developments that would normally be denied by the city. Descertification of the housing element will also result in the city immediately losing eligibility for various housing, transportation, and infrastructure grants provided by the state. This includes funding sources such as the permanent local housing allocation program, regional early action planning grant, community development block grant, and affordable housing and sustainable communities grant. These are just a few of the many grants that the city can access and currently benefits from when it remains in good standing with the state. Loss of these funds would directly impact

essential programs such as the Montabelloo Community Assistance Program, also known as the MCAP, Operation Stay Safety, and other critical services that support the community. In addition to the other consequences mentioned, the state may also impose fines of up to $600,000 per month for non-compliance pursuant to Senate Bill 1037. And as part of this effort, covenant agreements have been drafted to further protect the preservation of the Scout House and the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument that are located within the Montabelloo Golf Course. These covenants will run with the land in perpetuity to ensure that the structures remain undisturbed. In addition to the covenant agreement, as of February 7th, 2025, the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument has been listed in the California Register of Historical Resources, which triggers additional review, including SQA, for any alteration to the monument. And lastly, with the city's adoption of the viewshed overlay protection ordinance, there are provisions in place to specifically protect and preserve views of landmarks and culturally important sites, including the Armenian genocide martyrs monument. The proposed amendments to title 17 and the zoning map are consistent with the city's general plan and fall within the scope of the final environmental impact report certified by the council on April 10th, 2024. Therefore, no further action or environmental review action would be required. And as someone who is who was raised in Montabello, I am proud to see how far our city has come to ensure it remains in good standing with the state and at a federal level as well. The proposed amendments we're presenting tonight serve as a critical implementation tool

for the city's sixth cycle housing element and the Montabella 2040 general plan, ensuring that the adopted goals and policies are carried out through these regulatory updates. staff is proposing several code amendments to the zoning code which are consistent with the adopted general plan and the housing element in accordance with state housing law. Again, council's adoption of these amendments will not result in the approval of any development project within the city of Montabelloo. And for these reasons, staff strongly recommends that the city council approve recommendations 1 through 7, waving the second reading and adopting ordinance numbers 2487, 2488, 2489, and 2490, amending provisions of title 17 of the city of Montabelloo Municipal Code related to mixeduse development standards, objective design standards for residential and mixeduse developments, site plan review standards as well as approve and authorize the city manager to execute a covenant agreement for the preservation of the Armenian genocide martis monument and the Montabella Scout House and to determine and find that the proposed amendments are consistent with the final environmental impact report certified by the city council on April 10th, 2024. And council, that concludes my presentation and director Palumbi and I are here available for any questions you may have. Thank you very much. Uh

Mayor, before you hand it off for public comment, just uh just a point of clarification. We want to be as exact as possible. And in the slide, um for the state impost fines for Senate Bill 1037, um it was mentioned it could be up to $600,000 per month. It it's 50 up to $50,000 per month for a total for a maximum amount of $600,000 in state and post funds. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. At this point, I'll do questions uh from council. Questions? Well, mayor, I would suggest that we go right to public comment with your permission. Okay. Then we can bring that back up after the public comment's been has occurred, then you can bring back up to the council level for questions and comments.

Yeah. Okay. So, public comment. Yes. Yeah. At this time, um, we do have how many speaker cards, Mr. We have a total of 19. 19. Yes. Um, at this time, madame mayor and councel, it'd be appropriate to hear from the public. I should note this is not a public hearing. You conducted your public hearing at your previous meeting and that meeting and that hearing was closed, but the public does have a right to provide uh comments for up to three minutes. And uh with that, Madame Mayor, it would be appropriate to unless there's uh any questions to have the city clerk start reading the public comment.

Mr. City clerk, please read the first uh speaker and then this next speaker or two can uh step forward and sit in the front row so we can Yes. Thank you. First speaker is going to be Will Seo followed by Bill Piso.

Good evening, council. Um thank you for pushing this off. I would like to say that you guys are really good at your staff of presenting scare tactics on what could happen, fear-mongering. You know, if you looked at the lines, they say 40 plus or 30 plus meetings. It was only 22. And on June 22nd on the council meeting, Joe Palumbi specifically said there was only eight public housing meetings. This is why we were arguing on it. Even in your um six element planning, you have the the Paul Center still marked there where it's complete. You can't even build there. But in the element, it's still on your sixth housing element. Second, you're right. you're not going to be approving to uh go out to RFP tonight. It's going to trigger for this to go to RFP. And then from that trigger, what we would like to see if you have to build there, but let me back up because we're not opposed to advancing the city development in the city. What we're opposed to is closing our green spaces. So if you were to go to nine stories on Greenwood, you were to go to nine stories on Washington and go to nine stories on Whittier, which you have the capability of doing, we should be able to read our arena numbers. That's why I asked Mr. Palumbi and Raul to have a meeting, but they canceled it. Thank you, Danielle, for reaching out to the residents. It's really appreciated. S, thank you very much. Mayor, you wouldn't even respond back. But it's funny because when we're around a big crowd and it's not your people, you go out of your way to tell people hi. outside, you wouldn't even acknowledge me when I was trying to tell you hi. But that kind of shows where you're at. If you're not in your district, then you're really just full of and you just plate people. Besides that, though, you also have in the HCD, you have uh exemptions. One of your exemptions is deeds. You have a deed and I can hand it to you guys. Scard it, Rick. I don't send it to you cuz I'm worried about the cops coming after me. You don't even respond back. I would don't have your number. I can't send it to you. I can give it to you. Maybe they can give it to everybody. We

have restrictions. It used to be lot number 907. It got changed to 9008. This is not the exact same process that we had. The addresses was from like 8:45 to like 901 and now it's 801 to 901. The housing was 800. Now it's 1,240. That's a big difference. That's why we were asking to have discussion. You have a deed restriction. It's an ex it's a loophole. You have the clearance. If you guys build five stories there, the Armenian monument is 60 feet. How tall isif five stories? 50 feet. You take away the vantage point because of those. Now, you're also going to make a covenant for the club scout. When you make the covenant for the cub scout, you're removing that. When you remove the viewshed, you're removing the automatic uh buildings from 1270. So, you're not going to be in compliance anyways. You are restricting it by approving those covenants. So, work with us so we can do something. You can approve it now without going out to RFP. give us some council, some actual meetings so we can discuss with you because we want to see something like if we have to build which we do not want. We want it to be like the um Glendel Galleria. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you for your comment. Next speaker. Next speaker is Bill Piso followed by Ani Minaian. Why now? I've lived in this city for 32 years. Patricia's been here for 45 years. I have yet to see one new development of any kind in South Montello. Why always at the golf course? That's my question. Nowhere else. Somebody tell me that I'm wrong.

It's always the golf course because the Pope's up there. And it's really it's really getting disgusting. It really is. And then we have a council member who's posting stuff online scaring everybody that we're going to do this. The state of California can't get out of its own way. And how many how many lawsuits do we have monthly daily that we pay out? $50,000. Shoot. That's nothing. I'll pay that. Why always at the golf course? That's my question. I'd really like to know that. Why always there?

So, please consider this. And if I were you, I would not mess with the Armenian community. That's play with fire. Okay, thank you. Thank you for your comments. Next speaker is Ani Minaian followed by Linda Nicholas.

Good evening. My name is Ani Minasan. I am a Montabelloo resident, born and raised in this city, former Montabelloo business owner and former CEO of the Montabelloo Chamber of Commerce, serving our community through the worst of the CO 19 pandemic. Today, I am here as a member of Montabelloo's Armenian community. My late father was one of the founders of the Armenian Monument Council, which was responsible for the construction of the Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument in Biknell Park with the city's gracious permission and support and with donations collected from Armenian communities worldwide. Armenian immigrants came to the United States seeking safety from intolerance, war, and violence. And many found a welcoming home here in Montabelloo. For 58 years now, the monument has assured them and their descendants that not only is their culture accepted here, but their deeprooted pain is given a voice and a place to grieve and remember. It's been 111 years since the 1915 genocide, and the perpetrating Turkish government has yet to acknowledge or apologize for the atrocities that robbed our grandparents of their homeland and the lives of one and a half million innocent civilians. To this day, people in Turkey are unable to mention the genocide for fear of facing criminal charges. For them and for Armenians all over the world, this monument is incredibly significant. In fact, there is only one other monument of the stature dedicated to Armenian genocide victims as and it exists in the Republic of Armenia. According to its plaque, this monument is dedicated to all victims of crimes against humanity. Because by remembering our hope and commitment is that this does not happen ever again to anyone. The proposed zoning changes have the potential to impact the site of this singular structure. I am very appreciative and encouraged to read the covenant which proposes to protect the monument from being damaged or diminished in any way should the

property around it be developed. I do have some questions and concerns. Number one, what protocols and measures will be put in place to deliver on the covenant's promises? Number two, with housing developments receiving streamlined site plan reviews and approvals, how does the city plan to balance this with the vigilance and oversight necessary to protect this site? Number three, with any large project, there are so many potential risks for problems. Should the unthinkable happen and despite its best efforts, should the city be unable to deliver on the covenant's promise, how will any issues be resolved? And finally, given what is at stake, how can the Armenian community support and participate in the process of future proposed developments around this site to ensure all is being done to adhere to the covenant. I would like to thank the city for recognizing the importance of the monument which is now a California state historical landmark and for being so mindful of preserving its integrity and visibility. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment. Next speaker is Linda Nicholas followed by Jackinian.

Good evening. My name is Linda Nicholas, co-founder of Match 90640. Trust me when I tell you no one in this room trust any of you four to keep your word. You're waving the reading of the second. Why? Number two, that property was bequeathed to the city by the big nail family for the pleasure of the community. I don't think anybody has going to take any pleasure in having sevenstory buildings up there. I'm not going to have any. The only one that's going to benefit is the man that controls well the lady your puppet master and the man that controls her that has you for up there. But understand something very clearly if you vote to pass this and I wouldn't trust anything you say as far as protecting the monument cuz your words are worthless. We've you've proven it over and over. As far as you started with your scare tactics, 50,000 a day is chum change with the millions of dollars you've paid out in lawsuits. Please, that's chum change to us. Go ahead, don't pass it. And we'll pay those 50,000. No problem. It's cheaper than the lawsuits you've caused us. You at the end, you're an embarrassment. A member of the community that had never been here said, "Who's that up there chewing like a cow?" Yeah. I said, "That's a council member supposedly." Now the big no family if you do this there is an error and trust me we know where that person is. If you do something to take away the pleasure of the community this property re reverts back to that family. It's in the in that will that they gave the city. It's to the pleasure of the community. It's for our that's our green space. There's a lot of places in this city that you can use that property to do that resoning. Also, if you vote on passing this, shame

on any of you. If you show up on April 24th next month, cuz if you disrespect the Armenians of this community, which we've all grown up with, you have no business and no right to be there. Thank you for your comment.

Next speaker is Jackinian followed by Morad Mina. Good evening, uh, mayor and council members. Um, first off, it's my first time here since I got off the council, and, uh, uh, I want to thank you, uh, for, uh, this evening's, uh, reception on the mayor's wall. That's very touching and very special. Um, mayor, I I'm here to suggest that this item you don't take action on this item this evening. Uh, only because I would be dishonest if I told you that I was 100% for the item or 100% against the item. There's a lot of variables that I want clarity on. one being the viewshed agreement, the ordinance and the covenant because I want to make sure that these items are not um able to be challenged or or or be invalidated um if a developer was to apply for a variance or if they had the ability to be um undone with the variance. Um I'm the chairman of the Armenian Cultural Foundation. Uh we operate out of the Armenian Center on Washington Boulevard which you since being mayor have made a very good effort to uh make yourself available and to make our community feel that you are representing our community here in Montabelloo. However, what I'd like to do is I'd like this item to be continued. I'm suggesting that uh I'd like you to come to the Armenian Center and talk to our community and assure our community that the monument is going to be protected. I also think that the council person who represents that district could do a better job at assuring

her neighborhood, her district, that that landmark is going to be protected. Both the monument and the scout house. Uh there's a lot of history there. And I also think that if you did continue this item this evening, the city wouldn't fall out of compliance with HCD because there is still an effort being made here to address this issue. So my question or my question to you is would you be willing to continue this item? Let's have a conversation. Assure my community that I represent that the protections are in place. Just like previous speaker spoke about, we're not sure what are the guarantees and how do we make sure that if and when a development was to be considered at that site adjacent to the monument that its visibility is protected, its significance is protected and that it's not disrespected. Um, so again, I kindly ask that, you know, the city council con consider continuing this item until we have a conversation with our community. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comment. Next speaker is Marat Managian followed by Marila Desma.

Good evening, mayor, members of the council. Uh, I am actually here as a representative of the Armenian Monument Council. We've been basically the organization that's basically been the shepherd of the monument. I I do want to say we we thank the city for welcoming us. We thank the city for making what is now a historical landmark a reality. And I am thankful for staff spending time to explain the many questions we've had in regards to the Covenant uh as well as the viewership. And I'm hoping that when staff gets their opportunity to explain, they explain the way it was explained to me, which is if you're looking at the monument today, you'll still be able to see it like you do today. If you're looking from the monument down below, you'll have the same view. And if you look at the packet that was turned into the state, it's pretty clear about what you can and can't do. I I'll let staff speak to Bicknell Park, but my understanding is Bickndale Park is not part of any kind of surplus property being that the historical landmark sits on Bndale Park and has a state covenants that protects it from any kind of development on or near the site. So, I know there's been a lot of conversations about this. I want to make sure that everyone has an educated opinion both on the dis and more importantly in the audience that as an Armenian community member, as someone whose responsibility is to report back to other organizations within the community abroad, that those are the only areas of clarity that I'm seeking. I I understand that you're not passing a development and I think we've made our position very clear. we would not be willing to accept the development that was to impair the monument and we've made it clear that that is not an option. I believe the covenant as well

as the state mandate for the landmark as well as a viewhip gives us adequate protection. There's only a couple of areas that our legal team had reviewed and one was and maybe Arnold can add some clear to that city willing to impose restrictions and obligations to ensure maybe that could be written a little bit more clearly as to what those things are. Otherwise, I did not see anything sto stand out to uh our group in terms of being a major issue. Assuming my understanding from staff is correct, which is Biknell Park is not part of the equation because a historical landmark sits on it and the community understands that the zoning required by the city to comply with a housing element doesn't mean housing is going to be put on site. And our understanding from the viewship, you couldn't even put it on the driving range because it would block the viewership of the monument. So, if we can get some clarity on that, I think it might help solve some of the angst that we're feeling probably in the room today. Thank you guys.

Thank you for your comment. Next speaker is Mara Desma followed by Victoria Castro.

Good evening, council, mayor, council, staff. My name is Marie Leiddesma. I am a resident of Montabelloo and Oh, sorry. and listening to the young lady explain everything, the whole process that took place as to how we got here was very disheartening. I was just like throwing my hands up in the air then why even speak, right? But I got to remain hopeful and hopefully um you guys can really consider and hear all our voices. And echoing on what they were saying regarding the monument, I fully support that. In addition to that, I'm here to advocate for protecting of our precious green space located on the Garfield Avenue, which is being called the frontage portion of the golf course, and urge you to please, please um do not reszone that green space. That green space was initially listed as we know on the six cycle housing element that the city adopted in June 22nd 2022 ident identifying it as possible location of housing for low income low very low income and moderate housing and potentially building it as a mixeduse. Um which I understand that we need h affordable housing element. I'm for that. I just don't think that we need to sacrifice our green space that was donated for us to build that low housing income mixed use. So most of you up there actually weren't there when this was approved. So Danielle, I really appreciate you taking the time to to like review the resoning and really what it entails and sell to both of you guys reached out and Georgina, you did as well. Um so thank you for allowing us to speak tableabling it for today. But more importantly, um, what I want to point out is that since the housing element in 2022, a lot has changed in our city. We have the Top Golf. We have the Metro Heights community. We have a lot of new other new Mountain Bella residents that unfortunately didn't participate when

this was going on and they didn't have a say as to how this was going to plan out. So more importantly also since 2022 the parcels listed the depal center which we all know that as of September 24th it's now protestic historical site also the housing element um mentioned the Costco building and now that's housed to Tesla. So my point is this that the six housing um element is not set in stone. When these sites when these sites change or become unavailable, state law would require that we um file a formal amendment explaining the changes and propose alternative options. So I'm asking this, can we meet a full housing um the reena housing requirements without reszoning the green space parcel listed on the proposed ordinance? Is there any room for negotiation? Anything? Any just anything? Any amendments? For example, instead of reszoning the whole green space frontage, maybe can we do the northern part, which makes sense, closer to the freeway.

Thank you so much. Next speaker is Victoria Castro, followed by Corey Chapel.

Mayor, city council members, my name is Victoria Castro. I'm a longtime resident of Montabelloo. I live in district 2. I am here to oppose the resoning of the golf course. I often walk at the golf course bes because it is such a beautiful green space and it would be great for residents if the unused green space could be used for a walking path. If you reszone that area, you open up the area to more traffic congestion. As it is, residents in that area already have to take many detours to get to and from home. I say no to reszoning. There are many other areas in the city that are available and in need of development. Please do not touch our last green space.

Thank you for your comment. Next speaker is Corey Chapel followed by Mo Managian. I'd like to enter this in the public record.

Good evening, mayor and city council members. My name is Corey Chapel and I'm a resident of the fifth uh district 5. Tonight you're being asked to balance state housing mandates, staff recommendations, and the long-term vision for our city. And I sincerely appreciate the weight of that responsibility, and I thank you for taking the time to listen to the voices of your community, um the community you serve before making that final decision. Many residents, including myself, understand that Montabelloo must plan for housing, and we are not asking you to stop progress or reject the broader strategy to meet state requirements. What we are respectfully and urgently asking is that you pause before reszoning four specific parcels of green space adjacent to the golf course. These parcels are different. I would like to formally enter into the public record the 1941 Bicknull conveyance through which approximately 16 acres of this land were guaranteed to the city with the clear understanding that it must be used for park and recreational purposes. The four parcels currently proposed for resoning represent roughly 15 1.5 acres which is nearly the same size as the land that was entrusted to our city for recreation with written condition that if it ever ceased to be used for that purpose it could revert back to the original granting family. This is not simply vacant land waiting for future use. It's a promise. It's a legacy of community trust. And it's part of one of the few remaining stretches of open green space in a city that has already been formally identified as deficient in parks, trails, and accessible recreational areas. Once land like this is reszoned and positioned for development, the opportunity to preserve it becomes significantly more difficult to reclaim. Now, I'm no expert in state compliance with the housing element, but my understanding is that as long as our city is able to demonstrate adequate housing capacity, we are not required to reszone every listed parcel exactly as written. Cities across California have shifted density towards commercial corridors. Revitalized areas already developed and uh removed environmentally or historically sensitive parcels while

still meeting overall housing obligations. Tonight, you're not simply voting on zoning languages. You are shaping what kind of city Montabelloo will become for our next generation. Will you prioritize thoughtful redevelopment of underutilized areas like the south side of Montabelloo or will you choose to sacrifice irreplaceable green space donated to our community for recreational purposes? We are asking you to allow the broader housing element to move forward if necessary. Please remove or defer these four parcels while the city conducts a deeper evaluation into their historical significance, preservation options, and alternative compliant housing strategies. By choosing to remove them tonight, you preserve options. You preserve community trust, and you preserve a meaningful piece of Montabella's history. Once this land is resoned, your decision becomes much harder to undo. Tonight, you have the rare opportunity to protect this land before that chance is gone. Thank you for your time and I hope tonight you choose to stand with your community.

Thank you for your comment. Next speaker is Mo Managian followed by Vivian Romero. Moes.

Our next speaker is Vivian Romero. Hello. Good evening. Um, first of all, Madame Mayor, I want to say thank you. I said it to you privately today and thank you, Mr. Ro Alvarez, for recommending that the mayor's uh photographs be put back up as part of our history. I'm here tonight regarding the proposed inclusion of the Montabelloo Golf Course as part of the sites being reszoned and considered to meet our Reena housing requirements. Reena compliance should not come at the cost of losing more green space and land at Montabelloo's most important community space, the golf course. And there are plenty of other viable um Scarlet, is there something more interesting on your phone? uh um uh more important um than community uh spaces, especially when other viable options might exist. Just look at Whittier Boulevard. Look at our industrial area. Um there's plenty of work live spaces in downtown in the arts district. Um and there are definitely other viable options. So, I am respectfully asking that you exclude the Montabello Golf Course from this motion to reszone and any consideration. I want to add that when the staff member uh made a comment about the presentations, uh I don't recall ever hearing that the golf course at that time uh was included with those hearings and it lacked a lot of sufficient detail. It was very vague when it talked about mixed use at the golf course. I understand the pressure

the city's under to comply with state mandates. However, considering a reasonzoning of the golf course tonight carries significant and lasting impacts. Decisions like you are making tonight are not minor. They become very difficult to reverse course. Just look at cannabis. The Montabelloo Golf Course is not just vacant land. It's a vital community asset and it contributes to everybody's well-being, their exercise, and this process is putting those benefits of the community at risk. The act of identifying and reszoning the property signals intent and creates momentum toward development just like it did with marijuana. And the longterm character of our city will be jeopardized. That's a big green space. There's important planning questions that remain. Have all the alternative sites been fully evaluated? Has the traffic, the infrastructure, the environmental impacts been studied meaningfully. Reena compliance is important, but it should be done thoughtfully and it should be done transparently, not during an election year when you're going to get contributions from developers and from the golf course people. So excluding the So excluding the golf course tonight does not delay compliance. It ensures that decisions are made responsibly with full trust and participation of the community. I urge you to remove the golf course. Thank you for your time. Next speaker. Next speaker is Denise Segopian followed by Anto B. Denise Segopian followed by Anto.

All the previous speakers spoke eloquently and with knowledge regarding government requirements. Now I'm going to tell you the reality. Try to get off the 60 freeway at the Finley exit. It's a mess. It's lines of people reduced impacted that community overwhelmingly. Get off at the Garfield exit. What is it? A mess. You can sit in that exit for two or three signals. The intersection of Garfield and Via Compo is an Frated intersection. Do you all know what that means? The same as Montabelloo and Beverly. It means that cars have accidents that people sit for two and three exits. Adding 1,270 condos or apartments or whatever structures you want to call them increases traffic by 5,000 trips per day. That will add further congestion. Now, how about those businesses that are along that route? How about miraculous metal? Uh yeah, how do they drop their kids off in the morning? How about when there's a funeral at the church right there? Where do all those cars, where are they going to go? Are they going to stop the intersection for the funeral procession? What about Kentwell High School? Is anybody thinking about them? And what about the thousands of apartments that are already on Garfield? They have no place to park and now you're adding more congestion. So, don't believe the paid consultants. Don't believe the presentations and the promises. No zone changes. No more development on Garfield. No more ga land giveaways to the golf course. The land was meant for the public. Additional

green space and lands for the youth of our city to have green space to walk and to play and to have a birthday party. Top Golf could have been a park, not another hotel, not another property for the condos, not another private business venture for the quiet canyon and its king. Piknell Park is home to the Armenian monument, a California historical monument. We don't want a fivestory building covering our monument. It's the pride of our community. transparency, illegal projects, spending taxpayers money frivolously, no public reviews of individual projects. Our leaders right now, I'm sorry, but you can't be trusted. You are giving away our community pride. You're giving away why people want to live in Montabelloo. They want to know their measures. They want to know their neighbors. They don't want to fight for parking in streets. Thank you for your comment.

Next speaker is Anto B followed by Tanaya Mtorena.

Madame Mayor, city council, staff, uh I mean Denise said it all. I after after what Denise said, I don't want to get into all the details, but I'm just going to give you a little history of what the monument means to us as Armenians. I'm sure you guys are aware of it and and stuff. And I mean we were blessed in 1965 when city council approved us to build our ancestors monument up here and we were very blessed that the city council accepted it and then in 2025 it became a historical land obviously again with city council was a blessing. So building all these you you know I drive down Garfield Boulevard and I always look at the monument and it it gives me a sense of relief just a little bit of of of happiness like they said you know till today the genocide is not accepted till today. So for our ancestors we're still waiting for that day to happen now. So if you guys put all these hotels or apartments or whatever you're going to put and I drive down Garfield Boulevard and I can't see my monument anymore. It's sad. It's depressing. Why Why give it to us and now take kind of take it away from? Sure, we can still drive around the corner and go up there and and look at our monument, but the fact that we're able to see it off the freeway, off of Garfield Boulevard, it's just, you know, like Murad was saying earlier, either don't either vote no on this or extend it to reach out to our community members and see, you know, exactly what is going to happen because everybody says something and, you know, it's never what It really is. So to us it's a very important monument. It's a very I mean our ancestors died for for what we are achieving today, you know, and so for us it's it would be a it I hate to say it, but it'd be like a disrespect to the Armenian community here that has that has done everything for the city. And

we're we've been very happy that the city has done a lot for us as well. It goes both ways, hands in hand. But if this decision happens today and you guys vote against us, it's it's it's not it's not going to be good. It isn't going to be good because we're going to be very upset. Things are going to, you know, it just it would make it a lot easier for us for you guys all to vote no today on this issue for the zoning. But if you're not going to vote no, then table it and let you know, let's come together again like Mo said at the Armenian Center and sit down and discuss every all the details that need to be hashed out because, you know, we don't believe anything anymore. We hear one thing and it's completely the opposite. It's not even close to being what it is. It's the complete opposite of what's really going on in this city, you know. So, please make the decision today to either vote no or extend it so we can sit down and discuss this again. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment. Next speaker is followed by Amelia.

Hello everybody. Um, it's my first time here, so I'm a little nervous. Um, I have been a longtime resident of Monavalo. I'm going on 43 years. I have five children and I have a granddaughter. I look to the future as do you as you are residents and I feel there are a lot of other areas that could have been recommended. Yes, I agree. Too much congestion along Garfield right there. You won't be able to see the monument. me. I was part of that scout house as a girl scout and as a scout leader for Cub Scouts. I have many memories there. So, I just feel that more transparency, more options, something something else cuz passing that area means something to all of us here in the community. And I just feel like maybe from past dealings, past council members, the hilltop along Montabella Boulevard would have been more sufficient for this. But it is what it is. So let's try again. Let's do better cuz we want what's best for our future, for our kids' future. As do I. Get more community involvement. Show us the other options. cuz it feels like this was the only one. Show us the other option. Show us why those couldn't be options and work with us. We voted you guys in. You guys are our voices. We come to you to represent us. And I just feel like

you're not hearing us. And if you are, you're dismissing us. I always try to look at both sides. I always try to see things positively. But what I keep seeing as others have said, you say one thing, you do another. I hear a lot of this but nothing done, nothing shown. So do better council, please. for the best of our community, for our f our children, for my granddaughter. I mean, please, I'm asking do better. Vote no. I don't want it. A lot of us don't want it. Show us other options. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment.

Next speaker is Amelia, followed by Avery A Costa. Good evening, madame mayor, city council, city staff, residents of Montabelloo. The Lions Club of Montabelloo has been in our community for over a hundred years. We have supported the community as well as the youth. The Lions Club has built five scout houses. Of those five, two are still standing and one is actively being used for our youth, which was the purpose of it. Unfortunately, we're back here again asking for your support. That scout hut that is still being actively used is 75 years old, built in 1951. Our kids still use it, our scouts, our Leos um throughout the week on the weekends. We're asking that you please continue to support us in keeping that house for our youth. And if possible, I don't know, um, create it as a historical. I think after all these years, it deserves to be saved and protected for our youth. So, it's been again, we've been in this

community for hundred years and we hope that you continue to support us and to keep that scoutthood would be a safe place and continue to be a safe place for our for our youth and our community so that we in turn can continue to support our city that we live in. Thank you. Next speaker is Avery A Costa followed by Clarisso. Hello, my name is Avery Costa. I have been attending meetings at the hut since 2018. I've joined Boy Scouts in 2022, I mean 2020. During the time, I've been I've made great memories and built lasting friends. The hat has been The hat has given us a place to gather, learn new skills, and grow together through scouts. I hope the hut will remain a place for the scouts to gather for to come. Thank you.

Thank you for your comment. Next. Next speaker is Clarissa, followed by Daniela Vasquez.

Uh, good evening, Mayor Tammy City Council members. My name is Clarissa Grigo and I'm one of the scout leaders for Troop 33. Tonight I'm speaking on behalf of all the youth organizations who utilize the Montabell Scout House or Scout Hut as we call it. Uh we are asking you all to support and pass the covenant for the preservation and legal protection of the Montabella Scout hut. The scout hood has been an absolute necessity for the youth organizations who would otherwise not have a place to meet. The covenant and agreement specifically calls out troop 330. But the youth orgs who meet there are much more than just one troop. They include Cub Scout packs, other Boy Scout troops, several Girl Scout troops, and the Monabella Leos. All of who provide youths a safe environment to have new experiences, take on leadership roles, and give back to this community. This is not the first time I've had to This is not the first time I've stood before city council asking for support to save the scout hut. And I would stand before you a hundred more times if that's what it takes to ensure our youth organizations have a place to meet. You all have the opportunity to make this the last time I have to plead with you to save the scout hut. The city of Montabelloo and its councils have supported the preservation of the scout hut several times over the years and tonight we ask you to legally protect the scout hut by passing the covenant. The scout hood has serviced the Montabelloo community for 75 years. It was built by the Lions Club for the use of the community and it should forever remain that way and should not be tied to any one specific troop. With so many other things to worry about these days, our youth organizations and participants should not have to worry about whether our meeting location is going to be destroyed. I encourage you all to amend the agreement to include all youth orgs and to pass the covenant as a continued commitment to supporting Montabella's youth organizations. Thank you.

Our next speaker is Daniela Vasquez, followed by Michael Reyes. Good evening, council members. My name is Della Vosquez. I am a I am a model and a seventh grader at Macy Intermediate. I am hoping that you are wait. I urge you to vote to legally protect the scout from any

I forgot the word. You're doing great. You're doing great. I forgot the word. It's okay. Take a minute. Evolvement project indefinitely. Thank you. Thank you. Next speaker is Michael Reyes.

Hello. Uh my name is Mike Reyes. I am the immediate past president of the Monabalo Alliance Club and I want to show support for the scouts. Uh one of our line members, Cindy Farber, brought to my attention that scout hut may be removed or torn down. I was I want to ask you please do not remove the clubhouse. The Lions built that hut and it is still being used by the scouts. I believe this land was donated for public use. I have been there for Eagle Scout awards ceremonies and the kids love that hut. If it is taken away, the scouts will be greatly affected because they will lose the place where they beat and hold their activities. So I respect respectively ask you to please reconsider this issue and preserve the scout hut for the scouts and for the community. Thank you madame mayor. That concludes all speaker course for agenda item number six.

Okay that's all speakers. Um, madame mayor would come up to the city council for questions and or comments. You want to go in order? Yes, sure. We'll go in order. Um, we'll start with Council Member Peralta.

Yeah, Mayor. Thank you so much. Good evening, everyone. I really appreciate everyone that has come out um to to speak on this item. um as folks have come out and really based on the research that I've also had to do these past few days because these are this is a layer of just different plans, different actions that councils before me and myself have taken um that has really gotten us to being here. And so I do have um quite a few questions. I've been trying my best to jot down what folks have been uh asking and sharing uh throughout this evening. So, I'll go ahead and go down the list. Um, and just please bear with me. Um, because our residents do deserve to know exactly what we're required to do by law, what is our local choice that we have today, and then really the consequences of either action either way. Um, our community has shown up and the least that we can do is really be honest and very clear about this process. So, please bear with me as I kind of go down these questions. Um, and I really appreciate um our staff in terms of doing their best to uh to provide responses and clarity. Um, first off, just to clarify for the record, tonight's zoning um doesn't approve or move forward any specific project at any specific site. Any development could would still need to come back through a full city council process at any of the sites throughout the city of Montabelloo that are looking to be reszoned. Good evening, Madame Mayor, members of the city council. Um, council member Peralta, I appreciate the question. Um, yes, that is correct. Uh, the action before the city council tonight is limited uh to zoning and policy uh changes and does not approve or advance any specific development project. As staff mentioned in the presentation, tonight's action will not uh approve any project anywhere in the city. Um and any future development uh on any affected property, including um city- owned

property, uh would still be required to submit a formal application and undergo a separate review process for consistency uh with state law as well as the Monogle Municipal Code. Um and uh it would need to uh adhere to the appropriate environmental review uh public noticing uh hearings before the planning commission andor the city council. Um so I hope that answers your question.

Thank you. Um does the city need to take or are we being forced to take any immediate steps um on this if this item was to be approved? would that in any way trigger um the city to move forward with any RFPs or force us into or bind us into any development? And do we have any do we have full discretion on what happens next specifically when we're talking about city-owned properties um that that are part of this item here today? So,

the city council maintains full discretion. Um they would um you know, anything that comes before the the council or the city um you you retain full discretion. Nothing changes if you um if if if tonight's item is approved. Um, in terms of I know folks have shared just their concerns regarding um, our scout local uh, scout hut as well as just our monument facing um, danger of being destroyed. I do want to clarify that there is two covenants in place tonight um that have been added to legally protect uh, both of these sites. Um my question is can you speak to the enforcement of these covenants as well as the viewshed ordinance that I know the city uh recently passed and how they protect these sites and can these covenants be legally challenged?

So the covenant and agreements run with the land. Um they would be recorded against the property. Any any proposals for any project in the future would have to adhere to the conditions of those covenants. um that that is a protection that is granted under those agreements um that will run in perpetuity with the land um and will be rec recorded with the county clerk's office. So if none of us are here in 10 years, those covenants will exist um meaning those protections and those covenants will be there um with the land regardless um in the future. Um to speak to the and your second question was regarding the um be legally challenged.

Could they be legally challenged? Yeah, I mean the answer to that is I mean anyone can challenge anything but but truthfully um the covenant and agreements are are a very strong tool that is used um across the state really in all in all jurisdictions city of Los Angeles um and these agreements I mean approved by the council would be full force and effect and I mean the conditions are very specific um and I believe that um that the city would have a strong standing and I'll maybe talk to the city attorney but um those condition the covenants uh are very enforceable um and and in addition to that I I would just like to speak a little bit to the to the viewshed um because uh with regard to the Armenian monument um there are layers of protections right um and and not only does the covenant provide protection but our viewshed overlay ordinance also uh protects views from and of uh landmarks and cultural sites. Right. It's specific in the ordinance that was approved by the council in 2025. Um and and this area is within the viewshed overlay. So those um restrictions in that ordinance would apply to the property at the golf course. Um and then in addition to that the the third layer would be the California Environmental Quality Act which in itself provides um protections um under SQUA uh where the city is required to evaluate whether a project would substantially degrade the visual character or harm a historic resource. Um this is further emphasized when a property is located within the city's viewshed ordinance. So, um, consistent with the SQL guidelines, any impact that would significantly impact the monument, uh, by obstructing important public views or diminishing its visual setting and prominence as a historic and cultural important site must be avoided or substantially reduced to a level of

insignificance. And that would all be analyzed if and when a project ever came forward. the city is is not obligated to build anything there, but we are obligated to meet our our our accommodation that we committed to, which is the the capacity. And I hope that answers your question.

Yes, thank you. Um, so I know that there was an R RFP request for a proposal that was issued in 2022 for a golf course master plan. Can you please provide us an update on where that RFP stands? Um I know it I know as far as my recollection it never came back to council. Are we required to move forward with any of those proposals or can the council um move to actually cancel that that RFP?

Joe, if I may, I'll take this one because this one falls more on my plate. Um council me correct in in 2022 there was an RFP that was released for this um these 15 acre parcels that was um that we're talking about today. Um I started in 2023 um around 2024. I was informed of the RFP and just the process and and to be frank at that time I didn't feel comfortable with the the RFP or the process that was laid out. So um I work with staff that we did talk to HCD at that time is asked them for an additional time. So in in essence for the last couple of years we've been on standby with the state where we where we asked them to allow us to kind of figure out what we do. Now um when there is a pending RFP which it is technically right now we are limited in what we can say. I can tell you that we have not taken any action. There has not been any evaluation of proposals. So um it is more well within the the council's right at this point. um if you wanted to um it would it would require formal action separately from tonight, but you are well within your your right to um re reject the RFP all together and ask staff to to start a whole new RFP with other considerations that council wants to bring in at this point.

I appreciate uh your response. Um, my next one, I think you kind of answered it, but just to to put it out there. Um, so since those RFP responses, as you're saying, were never brought to council, council has full discretion in terms of not moving forward uh with that RFP, there wasn't a communitydriven vision process at the time um to to include in that RFP. Um it is correct to say that we still have the flexibility now to be able to do um that comprehensive uh community vision process to set new expect expectations and standards uh to be tied to any future proposals.

Uh council member, you you are correct. Now, um I I can't speak to how the the formulation or how that was brought up to council in terms of the the RFP in 22 that was before my time, but what what I can offer you is what I've demonstrated in my three years of tenure. Um is is that uh one of the the the core principles that at least uh I've been advocating for with the support of council and I think council has has brought this to my attention from the beginning is having a a fully developed community engagement process in everything that you do and that we do. Uh I always point to this example because probably we're talking about this very very important item, but what's also very very important for us is our budget, right? Um since we started in 2024, we've gone through this community engagement process. We're out there in the community. We're talking we're getting feedback. We're talking to you getting feedback about our budget. Michael's has an item in a little bit that he's going to talk to you about the end results, but but um you are correct. Uh and I I uh I would echo any sentiments in terms of if there were to be an RFP, if there was something to be done on these properties, um there should be a well-developed community engagement process, um with input from the council, from residents, stakeholders, and staff frankly, right, who also has a has a role in determining what happens in these on these properties. So yes, you are correct, Le,

thank you. And I and I do bring up um the RFP because the current six element um housing element plan required the city to issue an RFP which was already done as as we've just discussed um never brought brought back to council. Beyond issuing it, are there any other additional requirements like selecting a developer or moving a project forward um for this?

Um at this time the answer is no. Beyond issuing the RFP, there is no requirement uh for the city to select a developer or move forward with any project. Um the city retains full discretion uh over whether and how to proceed um consistent with the applicable um state law and municipal code.

Thank you. Um in understanding just um I know there's questions in terms of why now or why resoning um is is really being brought forth tonight. Um, can you speak to if whether the housing so the out the housing element has been certified? We're we're currently certified. We're in compliance. Does the resoning is resoning a an additional requirement to keep that compliance? Can you speak to kind of how the resoning relates back to the state's uh compliance and and and the actions that you know are are kind of here before us tonight. Excellent question. Um yes. So in 2022 when the housing element was approved by council and certified by the state of California, uh we made um commitments under state law. Um Montabelloo committed to reszoning certain properties which are listed in the site inventory. And those properties are spread out throughout the city. Um really our arena number was high 5,186 um units to accommodate for not to build. We're not required to build these units. All we have to do is show that we have the capacity for them. That's where the reasonzoning comes in. Right. Um so the capacity to meet the sixth cycle was done back in 2022. That's how we received certification. Now we had 3 years from that time frame which was from February of 2022 to February of 2025. This is a statutory time frame imposed by the state specifically HCD the housing community development department. We requested a one-time, as staff mentioned in the presentation, one-year extension because we could we met the findings. So, we were able to extend that one time only to February of 2026. Um, so so we're obligated to reszone.

Truthfully, we've passed that that that that date. But, um, we we have maintained an open line of communication with ACD and and we're letting them know that we're working through this. But, uh, we did receive a corrective action letter in October of 2025 along with other cities as me as was mentioned in the presentation. Um, and what they are keeping their eye on is whether or not we are following through on those commitments. Is it is it possible to I know we we passed the statutory deadline. Um, is it possible to in any way still amend that current six cycle element that we're we are in right now to remove the golf course site from the housing plan

at this time? No, we we would be unable to um to go back and amend the the six cycle. Kina,

I know that um obviously these housing elements are multi-year kind of planning processes and we are set to begin this new um process for the seventh cycle um which is the next one that we would have to essentially um develop and get certified to be in compliance. Um, do we have that opportunity to look at other locations like the Beverly Boulevard? I know the be the at Beverly now Adventist Health site is something that um, folks have brought up or even other uh, corridors like Whittier and Washington. um as a city um looks at alternatives, is there an opportunity to then I would say in the fifth h uh no the seventh housing element that we're going to enter, is there an opportunity to actually remove the golf course as a designated inventory for housing units?

Yes. As the city begins planning for the next housing element, I I'd like to ask you ask the audience. This is a very serious Matt. We're trying to address your concern. Allow staff to please.

I would let you know for the council, this is very technical. So, um it's we've worked very hard and I support staff and we we go based on the facts and everything we're presenting is factual. Um, so to answer your question, council member, yes, as the city begins planning for the next housing element, uh, which will be the seven cycle, they run an 8-year uh, period. So the the sixth cycle runs from 2021 of October through October of 2029. Um, the RENA numbers are SCAG, the Southern California Association of Governments uses a methodology working with the state to impose these numbers on cities and counties throughout the state of California. Um, typically it's based on population. Um, and and we use that number to to to review and come up with the um uh the zoning capacity to to meet that number, right? Um, so to answer your question, uh, when we follow up with the sixth cycle, the seventh cycle will begin late 2027. We will have a new number from SCAG that we will need to meet. We would be unable to use any of the arena from the sixth cycle. However, we could plan, for example, we are working on a transit oriented development specific plan for the Washington corridor. If if for example we reveal that we have housing capacity at that time, we could remove the golf course from the the arena numbers for the six cycle, but we would need to show that we have a realistic capacity to accommodate the 800 units that we identified for the capacity on that lo on that site. I hope that answers the question. Is that something that could be feasible or you think could be feas feasible? It

it's hard it's hard to say because we haven't completed and we don't know what our seven cycle number is going to be. But what I can say is that we would we will definitely look at that um and we will um work as we did with the sixth cycle. We I just want to remind we we had a housing element task force for the sixth cycle and out of the meetings that you saw on that on that slide, there were 31 public engagement um activities including meetings and there were five meetings specifically tailored to the housing element and those meetings were conducted to make sure that we did the appropriate engagement. So, I just want to re-emphasize that there there was a task force that was put together um at that time specifically for the housing element for the sixth cycle. We would do the same thing for the seventh cycle.

Thank you, council. I'm sorry. If I may just add to this specific question because I want to

I mean, we're talking about what could happen in the future, right? Or what what could be future considerations? Um I I I I also want to bring it back to what we need to what what are we required to do now, right? Uh what you're what is before the city council right now is is uh a zone amendment um zone changes which are basically conforming to our general plan and our housing element that has already been approved. It was approved in 20 the housing element was approved in 2022. Uh general plan was approved in 2024. Um, in essence, this is the final step that is being required by the state of California for us to be in compliance. Um, I would point you to that slide that staff uh took many many hours to put together and ask you to consider those as action items, right? Which included not only community meetings, surveys, workshops, uh, approvals by the planning commissions, approvals by the city council. All of these have to be publicly agendaized, noticed. We have to have public hearings and at every step of the way since 2020 to 2026, all of these items have been approved. So, I really appreciate and and these are all legitimate concerns, but and we we definitely want to be mindful of what happens with this with this land moving forward. But but but I want to also be mindful is that my staff has worked on this for many many years, even before I got here. what we're bringing to you is what we're required to do per the law in the state of California. So, uh again, yes, I I think we we definitely welcome these inquiries. We definitely welcome having thoughtful conversations about what do we do now, but we're really in a really tough situation where um we don't have options. And I'll I'll take it even a step further. Um you know, Joe mentioned that we got a corrective action letter. Um January I had a I had a Joe and I and a couple of the members of this council we had a meeting with

the representatives of HCD and they literally this is the first thing they brought to attention hey you have this deadline we're already this deadline very firmly asking us where are you with this and they're like there's no options you need to move forward or you're not going to be in compliance. So, um I understand council um has concerns. I have concerns as well, but um we also have a requirement or we are required to bring this to your attention and make the recommendations based on the facts that we have based on the findings that we have and and in reality the recommendations based over years of years of work. Um and this is literally the final step to make sure that we're in compliance with the state. Um, lastly, because um, I've taken a lot a lot of time here, but I did want to just be very thorough based on what I'm hearing and um, comments I've been made tonight as well as just questions. So, lastly, um, if council move forward, I know there was an idea brought up about um, reszoning um, reszoning the other sites because it's I think 20 21 properties as a whole. Just as a reminder, this is citywide resoning um for tonight in terms of the compliance that that um that we have um with HCD. If we were to resone the other sites but not resone or exclude the parcels of the golf course, I would like to understand um what does that legally mean for the city? Would HCD accept an action like this? And would there be risk to our housing element status? Yes. Uh excluding the golf course site from the resoning um at this time would create a significant risk to the city um specifically the city's housing element uh because we would not be in compliance um as the city must maintain adequate sites uh to meet the reena uh allocation that was given to us back in uh 2022. um and that's within the required statutory

deadline that is established by um the state and HCD. Uh failure to do so could expose the city um to potential uh legal and regulatory consequences um under state housing law. Thank you, mayor.

Okay. Yes. Um the council member Melendez. Thank you, mayor. And um first just want to just want to start off with uh acknowledging um our staff that has worked extremely hard for this uh for for this specific item and all the hard work that has been put into this. And um that's not taken lightly. And um you know there there has been a lot of community outreach. There's there has been a lot of um educating of the council and also um the residents. I also want to acknowledge uh some of the community members that came in as well as uh you know some of the um folks that spoke um regarding the um you know the Armenian genocide martyrs monument. I for us it was extremely important to put uh a covenant to protect that um as well as the scout hut. Um and I still see a lot of concerns here with a lot of community members. So, you know, I I don't want to take too much time here um because I know a lot of the questions and concerns have been addressed. Um, but I think, you know, I I wouldn't be doing my job here as a as a elected official, as a council member, if if I don't hear the concerns of of of the community members that are that are coming to us and speaking and addressing um a lot of concerns that they have. I I know this is at the final stage, but um we we still have to, you know, there's still part of us that has to hear the community. And um I know this is addressing overall the whole city, but clearly the issue here is is that piece of uh property on the golf course and by Garfield. And um at this time, you know, I can't I I just don't feel comfortable supporting this um unless that gets excluded. Um so and

again, it's it's a lot of you know, I'm not going to go back and forth on asking the questions. I think it's some of them have been addressed, but at this at this point, I just I just can't move forward um if um if we don't exclude that into those into this uh in this motion. So, thank you. Thank you, Council Member Alonzo.

Yeah, I also want to thank the staff for all the hard work that you've uh you know, put into making sure that this is actually where it needs to be. I also understand we're outside of compliance, but I also can't wonder or can't help but wonder if we could have done a different job at disseminating uh this information. Um I understand that this is not a process. This is new, which also makes me consider is this one of these situations where folks are just showing up today at the last minute. Uh and um you know, now we care about it. Um I understand that this is a process that did not start today. And so I have to wonder what we could have done better to get people to be encouraged a little earlier in the process. You know what I mean? Did we try everything? Is there something that we could improve on? Um I still want to say that I think thank you for putting everything together and thank the community for showing up there um making your concerns here be heard. I also want to say that um it's an interesting it's it's a challenging situation to be in for the city. um if you're not aware, there's there's certain penalties for not being compliant. And um it's another thing to consider as well. It's it's a matter of making sure that the protections that everybody is interested in here. We heard the arguments about the the the the scout house being protected, a place that I visited uh several occasions. I was at the at the Armenian um ceremony last year when it was considered a landmark. And so I understand those things as well. Um, I appreciate the the input from the community tonight and I appreciate the the hard work that the city has put in to put this together for the night.

Thank you, council member. Um, Mayor Prom Romero.

Uh, yes. Thank you. Um, a lot of my questions have already been um answered by the colleagues asking all the questions. So, thank you again. Thank you to the staff. I know how much work went into this. Thank you to the city uh residents for reaching out to us and voicing your concerns. Um it's not easy being up here on council. I know this is what we chose to do and we recognize that. But any decision we make is difficult, right? There's there's um going to be somebody who's who's not happy with our decisions and that's that's just something that we have to live with. I do have a question regarding um the scout hut that um a number of residents um were concerned about. Does the covenant and the verbiage does the covenant um it protects the scout hut as it is now under um under the boy I'm sorry let me just uh there's one of those but it it protects it now under the boy scout troop that it is currently serving but if that um if that troop dissolves is it no longer protected is the verb bridge protecting it regardless of if the if the boy scouts still are there.

Yes. May I pretend that as written currently the the covenant it it only applies to scout house um scout group 330. So if it were to dissolve then the covenant is no longer valid. That is accurate.

Okay that's that's that's my only question. Thank you.

So um thank you. Thank you mayor prom. So, I'll speak to that uh on the covenant. Um I do want to speak to the covenants. The covenants was actually one of the tools that I had uh brought forward um and in conjunction with staff talk this through and I thought this was um a tool that could legally protect both the monument and the and the scout hut. So, I'll I'll speak to that. The Armenian monument. Um, I want to take a minute to also speak directly to the Armenian community, but that in particular has I see it as three layers of protection. The first layer of protection is that it's a state designated historic landmark. And this designation acknowledges its statewide historical and cultural significance and ensures that it's protected against any potential impacts. that in itself. The second layer is in September of 2025 as we talked about a viewshed uh preservation over overlay was adopted. The viewshed ordinance ensures that the uh monument is protected as a visual and cultural landmark as was um noted in in u the viewshed ordinance. And then the third layer is the covenant. The covenant is what um we tal what I wanted to bring up the covenant is actually a legally binding restriction that is placed on title. So that means if there is anything that is going to be developed you need to go to title like you do if you want to develop something you go and you check on title what are the restrictions what does it mean if we want to if we want to develop and those restrictions will be on title so they will know that those that uh what the covenant states those are the restrictions.

So a covenant um has been added to further protect the Armenian monument. What we're doing tonight is formally putting a place a legal document that gets recorded on title to preserve and safeguard the monument. On the scout hut, same thing. We talked about a covenant and I understand um since then that troop 330 is uh a troop um that a smaller troop that is probably not as active. So I am proposing this evening to change that scout hut from troop troop from troop 330 to the Montabell Alliance Club. So be tied to the Mon Mont Monabel Alliance Club. And the Monabel Alliance Club has been a long existing organization. So as long as it's tied to that, then it the scout hut would be protected. So when I first got on council, actually one of the first things I remember talking about is um saving the scout hut. So um that will save the scout hood. Um I I stand here to let you know that I'm still working toward um that goal of saving the scout hood. So that covenant will um do that. And uh for this reason, I think it's u appropriate for the proposed covenant to be amended. um with this action to assign it to the Montabella Alliance Club and not Troop 330. Um yes.

Um I would like to just for me it's important to really propose conditions in terms of how we move forward specifically with the golf course. Um I want to just have council really discuss and consider this. This is really the opportunity for us to figure out how to best move forward. Um and so in terms of just specific conditions that I believe are important um to our residents specifically with the issue um in terms of the RFP that was issued in the past. I would like to have council um direct staff to essentially suspend that RFP um so that no responses should be evaluated, scored, rank or brought forward in any form and that a new RFP may only be issued after a community visioning uh process is fully completed. And then what this uh community visioning process should be defined as is the city leading mandatory real community visioning um activities that in that include public meetings near the golf course, input from parks and recreation commission and a public comment period of at least 30 days. The community not the RFP will define what type of development if any belongs there. the process will be uh is to produce clear binding development standards that come back to council for formal adoption before any other uh proposal moves forward. So essentially giving the power to the community to develop those um community defined standards that would then be uh binded uh for any future RFP. I also do uh want to have a condition in terms of traffic and infrastructure. Um there have been a lot of um a lot of concerns raised in

terms of just this corridor. Um even before uh um this item here tonight, it is an area that is highly dangerous. I've always spoken about the Finley um exit and the issues that we we have faced there in the past. So, I do want to have a condition placed um in terms of any proposal moving forward must have um or the city must have an independent traffic study that does examine the impacts of North Garfield and surrounding streets including parking and nearby development and that no future project or that any future project has to incorporate the real solutions that come out um of that study. And then lastly is the um the um the protection of open space and ensuring that the community defines specifically what that open space looks like um in terms of recreational activities, any type of programming. Um I know that the general plan had designated at least at minimum 3 acres of publicly accessible open space. Um, I think that the community visioning has to uh essentially decide if it's that or more and that open space does need to be open and accessible to the public with no fees or restrictions if it is being designated as open space. Um, and then apologies lastly is that we also still need to look ahead in terms of the seventh um housing element. And so my goal is to remove the housing units currently assigned to the golf course parcels and to have staff begin identify uh identifying those sites that could absorb that capacity and uh essentially looking at um areas like um the Whittier Be Beverly Corridor, the Adventist Health um uh hospital area that is currently I would say lacking a lot of development or there's a lot of space

there in terms of empty property. so that the seventh housing element does not rely on this site to meet um our reno obligations. And so I think it's important that as we have a conversation about this that we actually to in whatever happens to in today's vote that these conditions are actually part of today's vote to ensure that as we move forward. Um, we do things right in terms of how the community has a voice when it comes to uh the vision of the golf course and ensuring that that voice and whatever comes of those community defined standards are actually binding in terms of what the city decides to do um or doesn't decide to do at the golf course. But that that the community defined standards essentially um will will define the future of the golf course. So, I do want to add those conditions and that direction um into this conversation because I think it's really important that we set that now and not wait for later.

Um yeah. Can I have a couple follow-up questions unless is there any other comments or questions? No. Well, mayor, just uh I know it's a mantic just so um we understand uh you are proposing an amendment on the scout house um covenant uh in essence uh removing the the scout troop 330 reference instrument and switching that over and and designating the covenant to the Lions Club of Montabelloo. Okay. All right. So, we'll record that for the the record. And then, uh, yeah, I duly noted. Uh, so, um, you're asking us, um, to add conditions that we come back with the suspension of the RFP and incorporate all the all the information that you mentioned, right, as part of this item, Council Member Praa.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, so we we'll have to come back as a separate item formally suspending the RFP and then we'll have to begin that process and obviously your your your concerns are duly noted and we'll incorporate that as well

and that includes the the um there was I think a few conditions which is the visioning uh community process uh the open space um and public access defined by the community visioning the traffic and infrastructure study and then um looking at the seventh housing cycle or seventh cycle housing element to designate um to look at designating and removing the units um at the golf course and having them be absorbed in other um designated sites.

Yes. Yes, council member. We we took the notes myself, Joe, and then we also review all the recordings too. We'll make sure um verbatim we'll include that. Okay. Thank you. Are there any other questions, clarifications? I know it's a lot a lot of information. Okay. So, I will call for um a mo. Yes, I was going to call for the motion.

Yes, I will call for the motion. Um just just to give it one just one more time for my colleagues, are there any other um proposals or just conditions to put in place just because I think again having an honest conversation about how we move forward. Just want to make sure that we give that opportunity.

Uh one of the conditions that I was concerned with was already um asked by cell and we were told that there couldn't be an amendment to removing the golf course. I don't have any further questions. So, I move to approve the item with all conditions in place, including the the covenant um being tied to the Lions Club, as well as conditions in place uh for a comprehensive community visioning process with defined community standards that get tied to any future RFP, a complete traffic and infrastructure study. um that also needs to provide a mitigation solutions that also are binded to any future RFP. the suspension of the previous RFP um and uh sorry the um guaranteed open space and public accessibility that is defined by uh the community visioning as well as just uh the designation of housing units uh to be removed from the golf course site in the process of the seventh cycle housing element. That is um I believe a full motion capturing everyone's

Yes. And in addition um the amendment to the covenant. Correct. Yes. Okay. All right. Is there a second? I'll second that. Can we call for a vote? Council member Palato. I. Council member Melendez. No. Council member Alonzo. No. Mayor Pat Romero. No. Mayor Deayo, I vote I. So the item does not pass. So seeing that the item hasn't passed, are there opportunities for substitute motions?

The answer to that is is yes. I mean that the motion that's on that was on the floor did not pass. So if someone wants to offer So I would like to make a substitute motion because I think it's really imperative. Yeah, a new motion really imperative that we have the covenants as part of this item. So I want to make sure that the scout hut as well as the Armenian monument the those items move forward. That's extremely critical. I also want to make sure yes

I have a question. We have a lot of commentary coming out up the audience and it's very disruptive for up here. They're disrupting the meeting and it's been continuing and you know I think the city managers uh voices displeasure. I'm going to voice my displeasure. It's hard to conduct business and listen to council members. So I'm going to with your permission ask members of the audience please. You're not to be commenting from the audience. This is a business meeting. It's now up to the council. Those of you in the audience that are are continuing to chatter out there have had your opportunity to speak and it is now going to stop stop. So if it's going to continue with mayor's permission I will give one more warning and then people will have to leave.

Yeah. So again I'm coming to my council and and trying to figure out how do we can move forward. there's critical items attached to this this specific item here that if we don't move forward um you know we don't move forward with the covenants that I think are extremely critical as well as just conditions that I think are very important uh for the future of the golf course. So I think that in terms of what we move forward with tonight, I would like those proposals to continue. Um, I also want to have another proposal put in place just because I understand the need and really the risk that we have in terms of the city not being compliant. Um, but I think that there is an opportunity to still move forward in a way that um I would say speaks to the concerns that residents have raised and hopefully HCD is willing to work with us. But I'm asking my colleagues, what other what other proposals do you have tonight that can be part of this for us to be able to move forward? Because just not voting for this, I don't think is acceptable, especially if we have critical items like the covenant as well as just conditions in place um for the future of the golf course. So want to make sure that we have an honest conversation about what our ideas are because this is the time and moment now to figure that out as a collective body. Mayor, if I may. Um, for one, I think I I get what you're saying, council member, and I and I and I want to see how, you know, for me, the only thing the only way this moves forward would be if um we pass um this item, but we exclude anything that's happening at the golf course and provide the opportunity for if we have to send a team or or a delegation or talk to um HCD and see if uh we can get some of that property into other parts of town, then we can explore for that

and I think they should see that in good faith. Um 90% of this or 95% of this we're approving and we want to support. Uh but I think the council has made their decision that they don't feel comfortable in approving this as long as that remains at the you know those those options remain at the golf course. So I would make a motion you know that we approve everything else. we exclude anything that's going to happen at the golf course and we do everything possible to talk to HCD and and you know and see how we can figure this out because I think we want to approve the majority of it. There's been a lot of work that's been done but the council just doesn't feel comfortable um moving forward with with the property in the golf course. You know, I think that's the honest truth.

Completely understand that and thank you for putting that proposal in place. Um again, I I want to work with our council and figuring out how to move forward. Are there any other ideas that you guys want to throw out there for consideration as we discuss this? So, there's a motion in place. Mayor, council members, I have a responsibility to advise you that what you're asking for is not allowed. So, I mean, the council is allowed to We already voted on this and we're trying to figure something out. We already voted on this. It was a no vote. What are we doing here? Like, let's

I know, but but I have responsibility. Advise you of what our responsibilities are as a municipality. the um I I have to advise you I mean council is allowed to make any motion they would like whether um HCD accept this or not this is they're not allow they don't allow you to approve 90% or 95% or 98% of a zoning map once again I will remind everybody

this is uh even before me this is something that began in 2020 been approved time after time this has been heavily discussed vetted it um with all due respect for the people that are here. I mean, to come here at this stage and put the city in such jeopardy. We already voted on this discussion. We already voted on this discussion. Discussion happened. Sure. We voted on this item. I don't know why we keep going and going and going.

Okay. Can can staff ask one question? um the resolution that was passed at the public hearing. I'm going to ask Arnold this question. Do we need to resend that resolution because it did adopt a zoning map the resolution? Well, I wouldn't I wouldn't want to we'll have to examine the exact language of that resolution. That resolution was adopted in stands and uh I I don't have the resolution in our agenda packet tonight. Just for the record, Arnold, it was executed and and transmitted to HCD and that's fine. Yeah.

But the issue here is whether or not the ordinances that are before the city council have received approval and they have not, at least based on the vote that we have right now. There's a new motion that hasn't been flushed out yet. Uh but uh Joe, we can take a look at that resolution. We may, you know, we're going to have to inform HCD of tonight's action and how that impacts the resolution. I don't have it in front of me. So, you know, even though it's been forwarded to HCD, we may we may have to resend it or we may have to just inform your HCD that the terms of that resolution because this ordinance has not passed these ordinances have not passed have has implications or impacts upon the resolution. So I I can't I'm not going to give you an off the cuff response.

Got it. But I we just have an incompatible Sony map now that's been approved. So all right. Yeah. So I don't know if council member Peralta you were framing a motion and then asking if there was any additional Well, I have my the conditions I've spoken about. I think u council me I mean mayor has as well. But again asking my colleagues to help develop that motion because I think this we're a collective body. So for those that um are proposing if you guys can just put it on the record. I mean we just we we took the vote already. I don't like what are we doing here?

Like if if something doesn't go like our way then we're just going to continue until it goes. Like I'm just I'm asking like but the vote already happened. I know. I'm just clarifying that the motion is to exclude the parcels, to add the conditions that I added, to add the conditions that the the covenant um Lions Club language. I'm just making sure that that's the motion cuz you're proposing it. So, I'm just making sure that's the motion. I mean, my motion was to exclude it if you know. Okay. I second the motion. Okay.

Thank you. I just wanted clarity for the record because there's a lot of discussion and background. There is there is. But I just want you to understand that when there's a vote that takes place and we vote no on it, like it's never been done since I've been here 78 years that we keep going and going until we get a yes vote. Like I've never seen that. I um Council Member Melendez, we're having a discussion and that's what it means to be on this DAS. I know, but we already voted. That's what I'm saying. We already voted. It doesn't sound like he wants to discuss this any further. Council member, I know we haven't voted though. I'm just saying he's saying we did vote it. You vote council voted no. No, but we're voting. There's a new motion. I think you're council member. I think I think you're you're not hearing him. He he doesn't want to discuss this any further.

Apologies. I second the motion. There's a new there's a new motion. Correct. Council member. I have to I mean or I'll allow the city attorney to kind of figure out where we're at. I think we're forcing council member Mendes right now. I don't believe there's a new motion on the floor. Okay. I'm just Did it know if there was a new motion? Yep. There's not a new motion on the floor and well, mayor mayor in terms of procedure,

council member Peralta was framing a motion asked for um input from her colleagues to frame the motion in a manner that might be agreeable to all. Council member Melendez expressed his viewpoint but didn't agree did not incorporate those terms into your well there really was no motion because somebody has to say here's my motion here are the terms here's my conditions and please members of the audience I'm going to remind you one last time thank you and then once that motion is framed Then there needs a second and then mayor can recognize the motion. Ask the city clerk to call for the vote. But at this point I I unless the mayor feels otherwise it's because the mayor runs the meeting. Unless you feel there's a motion that's been framed.

Can I make a new motion then? And the that that is the process, right? The first one failed. We can make a new one. That is correct.

Okay, that's the clarity that I needed and so apologies for the back and forth. The new motion is that we adopt the resoning, we remove the parcels, which is the pro the proposal that my colleagues put in place, that we contact HCD to try to figure out a solution, that we add the conditions in place that I had in terms of just the community visioning and the different conditions I read through in terms of how to protect the golf course as well as the covenants that are very critical to the scouts that came here tonight to speak about as well as just the Armenian monument. That is the motion I'm putting forward tonight.

Is there a second? I'm sorry. I just want clarity before there's a second. So, we're being advised by our city manager that we're not able to remove the parcels as part of the reasoning. And then I believe from our director as well, he said that it wasn't able to happen. So I just want to clarify if you make this motion like is it able to pass? I mean we can pass it but is this something that can be done or are we just wasting a motion? I mean I don't know what else I mean I just want I just want to reiterate that that you're saying that it can't be done. Council member, I mean, I'm hearing you, Council Member, like I mean, I don't know what else we can say at this point. And

I mean, here's the other concern from a from a procedural standpoint. I'm not looking to get it all mucky, but you've you've adopted on a first reading a a certain ordinance with a certain map. You're changing that now. So, procedurally, that really would have to go back to first reading at your next meeting or actually, I'm sorry, tonight would be your first reading. It would have to come back at your next meeting for second reading. and adoption. So you you even if the motion passes tonight, it's your first reading. It has to come back because under California law, if you make a significant or substantial amendment to an ordinance at second reading, it then wipes clean the first reading and then you have to go back to tonight would be first reading and then it comes back for second reading. So I I know that's very technical in nature, but that doesn't mean you couldn't pass this tonight. Again, the consequences and the reaction of HCD. Now, I don't have a crystal ball. I think, you know, we've been expressing our perspective on what could happen, but um again, I those are decisions for the policy makers.

Okay, then I second. Okay. Can I call roll? So just so clarity this would be then for the introduction of the ordinance as amended to the as to exhibit uh well be actually exhibit A of all the parcels and also the proposed zoning map. So city attorney this would exclude um everything that's going on like the reasonzoning at the golf course. This would be there would be a second reading that would come in um at your next meeting.

At the next meeting. Okay. and also incorporate the request from council member Peralta as she articulated and also the mayor's request regarding the um covenant for the scout house and the Armenian monument and what I'm sorry the Armenian monument well that would be approving that also yes sorry there's a motion by council member I think it was Peralta second seconded by Mayor Prom Romero. Mayor, it would be appropriate to take a vote. Yes, let's take a vote. Council member Peralta, I. Council member Melendez, I. Council member Alonzo,

I. Mayor Pro Romero, I. Mayor Tamayo, I. Okay. So, that uh amended motion passes. And that it's first reading. This matter will come back to you at your next meeting for second reading and adoption. Okay. On to item number seven, the approval of the purchase and sale agreement for property located at 602 West Whittier Boulevard.

You have pres presentation by No. No. Okay. Do we have a presentation or Okay. Any questions? No questions. Okay. I'll uh call for a motion and a second. I'll make the motion. I'll second. Motion by Council Member Melendez. Uh second by Council Member Peralta. Please call the RO. Council member Palatoto. I. Council member Melendez I. Council member Alonzo. Hi. Mayor Pat Romero. I. Mayor Tamayo.

I. And that item passes. Um number eight. Um

presentation of budget uh forms and budget survey feedback.

Excellent. Thank Thank you, Mayor uh council. So t tonight what we have is a presentation of a summary of the results from the three community budget forms we had in February and the survey that ran from for four weeks between February and March. So, the purpose of the survey and and the forums was obviously to gather resident input on their needs, their desires, some of their their wants in the community, identify their top priorities, the concerns that residents have, uh help inform council's budget and policy decisions so that uh council is presented with this information early in the budget process so as we deliberate uh those uh priorities can be brought forth. and then also obviously to guide department heads when it comes to building their budgets. So just as an overview, we were in the community for three different meetings in February. Uh two of the places were new. Metro Heights had a great attendance like pushing almost 70 people was great attendance there. Senior Center, very good attendance. Chad Hollyfield Park, uh got to see the new the renovated space there. Uh so again going out into the community uh public works, fire, police, uh uh parks and recreation, community development were there as well to to uh interact with the residents. And then we did a survey that was live for about four weeks between February and March. And again, just trying to engage the community and bring some transparency to the budget process. So good news, the third consecutive year we've now done these budget forums. 120 residents attended. That's three times as many as last year. So, attendance is is up. Some great great um participation. Got 33 total comments over the three meetings.

And then for the survey, uh it's fourth year we've done it. Uh 361 submissions, almost five times as many as last year. So, again, it continually doing this. Residents expect it. um and and and they're responding which is very good very positive. So throughout the three meetings, the the the responses from the surveys, these five key themes were identified. Infrastructure and street maintenance, public safety, traffic enforcement, parks, recreation, youth programs, cleanliness and neighborhood quality, and economic development and business attraction. and um staff, we we we took the liberty of of of grabbing all the comments from the surveys and the budget forums and and and there were some of these broad themes that just really that emerged and it's easy to kind of classify all of the comments and responses into these five five key themes. So, infrastructure and streets, uh, strong demand for street resurfacing and repairs, improve traffic flow and signal timing, safer qu uh, uh, crosswalks and pedestrian infrastructure, and then want to improve walkability, accessibility, and safety. Now, what what what I've done here is I've also want to point out that there's a lot of stuff that we've been doing the last couple of years, we are doing, we're planning to do that that speak to these these priorities. Uh for example, $23 million in bonds to pave the streets that is ongoing and Caesar and his team have been working diligently to to pave streets throughout the city. Um next one speaks for itself. the uh new signal that's going in as sixth and and and wittier. Um again addresses pedestrian and traffic safety and again ongoing signal maintenance citywide. So a lot of things are already in process

uh that are helping to answer these these residents needs and and uh uh priorities. And then cleanliness and quality of life, illegal dumping, we hear a lot of about that on different parts of the street or city especially on Lincoln. homeless encampments, general street neighborhood cleanliness, and again increased code enforcement, and and just a desire for more well-maintained city. But but again, we staff have done things to address the these needs, and they're they're ongoing. Uh Joe and his team with their clean task force, uh David and and and the volunteer events over the last several years for cleanup throughout the city, uh volunteer cleanup events on Saturdays. We got a Cal Recycle grant that's been awarded for illegal disposal site abatement that'll be coming to council for approval. We just got a a grant for cleanup on Lincoln Avenue. There's the MCAP outreach to our homeless community and then citywide graffiti abatement. So again, a lot of things that are already being done to address these needs. Parks and community amenities. Uh number one, obviously park maintenance and the restroom uh uh upgrades. There have been a lot of comments about especially the park restroom uh maintenance, improved playgrounds and sports facilities, expanded youth and family programming, and then obviously for you know accessible and inclusive recreation community spaces and just at the last council meeting approved almost a half a million dollars towards citywide restroom improvements and maintenance. um City Park, baseball diamond, the senior center, Grant Ray Park, um City Park, the new playground there. So, lots of lots of ongoing upgrades to our parks and community centers. Obviously, there's yearround community events and then uh additional adaptive programs the last couple years that parks and recreation department has has offered public safety uh increased police

presence and patrols, traffic enforcement. Those are some of the comments, lighting and surveillance improvements. Um again, and and speaking towards kind of the police presence and patrols, establishment of the park service bureau, right? increasing the safety in our parks. Police department, you know, close to fully staffed and then police department does get lots of grant opportunities for for improving traffic safety and then economic development. Um, uh, residents really, you know, they want to see new businesses coming to the city, supporting our small businesses that that exist and and doing something with vacant storefronts. Um, and again, you know, hats off to Joe and and his team and community development to really kind of push for new businesses to come in town. Hobby Lobby just opened up recently. We have an Ace Hardware, the Tesla coming soon, round one and Yard House to uh the mall. Um, but you know, between public works and community development, they've streamlined their entitlement and and and permitting processes. um in public works you can now submit uh permit applications online and community development is working towards being able to do that so make it a lot easier to do business in the city and active outreach property owners so some of these vacant storefronts can get filled. So again community uh uh needs have been have been taken but we're also doing a lot of things to address these community priorities. So again, key key takeaways, infrastructure and street maintenance, citywide cleanliness, parks and recreation, both on the programming and the the infrastructure side, public safety remains a priority, and then economic development. So throughout the the the three forums, the surveys, those were the key themes that um kind of came through. I I have to point out what was what was nice to see was whether it was

the results from the survey or the results from the community forums, these key themes were were in both. So it wasn't like the survey said a completely different set of priorities. They they really intertwined and and and and mesh nicely. So that seems to be between the the the two outreach events efforts. These are the key takeaways. So again, just presenting this to council early in the budget process to help with deliberation, help with, you know, my my colleagues as they build their budgets and we move further into the budget process. So um at this point, if there's questions, comments, uh feedback from the council, uh we would appreciate that. So thank you.

Thank you, Director Solora. Any questions? No questions. Okay. Receive and file. Okay. Receive and file for this item. Uh yeah, it would be appropriate to enterain a motion to receive and file this matter. We'll call for a motion and a second. I'll make the motion. A second. Motion by council member Melendez and a second by Mayor. Council member Peralta I. Council member Melendez I. Council member Alonzo

I. Mayor Peter Romero I. Mayor Tomayo I. That item passes and consent calendar.

Yes madame mayor, members of the council. It's up. says, "We reached the time of the consent calendar. All matters listed on the consent calendar are considered to be routine. Any items a member wishes to discuss, including any item member of the public submitted a speaker card should be designated at this time. All other items may be approved in a single motion with the exception of item number 11 which was pulled from tonight's agenda. And uh such approval read, we'll wave any reading of a second uh second reading of any ordinance which we don't have any on consent." Mr. Mr. City Clerk, do we have any speaker cards? We do not. Thank Thank you. If I may pull council, Madame Mayor. Yes, please.

We'll start with Council Member Peralta. Items 9 through 16 with the exclusion of item 11. Do you have any items? None. Thank you. Thank you. Council member Melendez. No items. Thank you, Council Member Alonzo. No items. Thank you. Mayor Proam Romero, no items. And mayor, do you have any items? No items. It would be appropriate to entertain a motion to approve items 9 through 16 with the exception of item number 11. I motion. I'll second. So motion by council member Alonzo, second by council member um Melendez. Please call the role. Councelor Palalda I. Council member Melendez. I. Council member Malonzo I.

Mayor Pen Romero I. Mayor Tamayo

I. That item passes. So, we'll move on to AB um 1234. Any travel reports? I see none. Um and we have no council or it's Oh, sorry. Good evening. Sorry. Uh, we did recognize um National uh Vietnam Veterans Day. However, um I forgot to mention in my orals that today is actually National Medal of Honor Day. um honoring the extraordinary courage of those who have received our nation's highest award of valor. Since its establishment in 1861, more than 3,500 service members have been awarded the Medal of Honor. Each recipient represents a legacy of sacrifices, selfish selflessness, and unwavering commitment to others. We honor these heroes and remain grateful for their example they set for all those who have served. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Prom. And I believe that will adjourn our meeting. Thank you.