City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Uh we're going to go ahead and get started with the successor agency of the Norvok Redevelopment Agency meeting of May 5th, 2026. Teresa, can we have a roll call, please? Agency members Ayella here, Romelo here, Valencia here, Vice Chair Rios, and Chair Perez here. Uh going on to the consent calendar, we have two items. So I'll move it. Can I get a second? Second from Margarita. Roll call, please. Agent member Ayella. Hi. Romero. Hi. Valencia. Vice Chair Rios and Chair Perez. I do. We have an executive director's report this evening. Not today. Chair.

Thank you. And do we have any oral communications for the successor? Wonderful. With that, we are adjourned. Moving next to the Norwok City Council meeting of May 5th, 2026. Officially call this meeting to order. Good evening everyone. Thank you for being here with us this evening. We are honored to welcome Pastor Jacqueline of the Norwok United Methodist Church. Pastor Jaclyn has served as a senior pastor for the past seven years and has been a dedicated member of the Norvok community since 1996. Holding a doctor of medicine degree, she brings a unique and compassionate perspective to her service. She has a strong commitment to supporting individuals and families here in the city of Norwok. And her mission is to foster a safe and inclusive environment for all. We are also pleased to welcome tonight Joshua Martinez, a homeschooled fifth grader and a proud fifth generation Norwok resident. Joshua enjoys participating in Norwok's recreational programs, including Artastics and our summer concerts. as an aspiring artist. He recently earned first place in the painting category at this year's artastic. Pastor Jacqueline and Joshua, please come to the podium. If everybody could stand and we will begin. We are

good evening because today we celebrating team. So I would like to start my invocation with first to honor this day and after that. So let us pray. of God. Shalom. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Consider Oh God, we thank you this

for allowing us to gather in these places to seek seek well the sh of our city of God. are growing to bless the leader of city as they gather and discuss important matters related to the wellbeing of the community and residents relationship. 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. Awesome.

What did All right, ready deal. with me. One, two, three. We'll do one more. One, two, three.

Wonderful. Thank you again. [applause]

Nice. I was just informed that Joshua is a big golfer, so keep working hard on the course out there. Okay. Thank you both so much. All right, Teresa, can we have a roll call, please? Council member Zella here. Ramirez, here. Valencia here. Vice Mayor Rios here. Mayor Perez here and Arnold, can we have a close session report, please?

Thank you very much, Madame Mayor. Members of the city council, uh the record should reflect the city council convened into close session for the items that are listed on the agenda. Uh there was one additional item that was added, which was uh the Murray versus Norwok Housing Authority item that was added by a vote and a unanimous consent by the city council. Uh with respect to the uh all the four items that were listed on the agenda, there was no uh direction or action that was taken that is required to be reported at this time. That is my report from close session.

Thank you Arnold. Uh again once everybody once again thank you for joining us here tonight. Um we are going to go through our meeting tonight get our our community engagement here. We have our TAP kids and our TAP program. So, we're very excited to see all of you here with us today. And moving through our agenda, we'll go ahead and start with our city council comments. And Vice Mayor Rios, if you could please start this. Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, everyone, and welcome uh to our council meeting today. And um Pis Cinco de Mayo. I just wanted to uh share a couple of things about uh the Cinco de Mayo for those of you that maybe would be interested in just a couple of facts. Here we go. Okay. The Cinco de Mayo, Spanish for 5th of May, commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862. It symbolizes courage, resistance against foreign intervention and Mexican-American culture. It's often mistaken for Mexican independence day, which which is actually Does anybody know when what date? Yes. September 16th. That's right, Mayor. You got that. So, um, it it's a celebration of culture, tradition, history. Um, and, um, I was born here in the in the States. I was born in Bo Heights. However, my familia is from Mexico. So any opportunity um that I get or that I can participate in kind of you know

wearing something that means something to me like this shaw that that was my mom's this uh jewelry that was a gift to me. Um I always have fun uh enjoy those moments. The other thing that I wanted to also share is um we recently attended a a summit by the California League of Cities and there was a a lot of really great information during this summit. We had the opportunity to break out in tabletop discussions. I was able to participate in one of those which was pretty significant to me. Um it was um regarding just mental health, mental wellness, physical wellness, overall well-being. That's important to all of us. Doesn't matter what role you play. Like you know was it was specific to elected officials and just the the stresses and the pressures that that we may experience. But of course that's applicable to anybody and in any any and every day type of activity that someone may be involved in. the importance of just really making an effort and working hard at your mental, physical, uh, emotional wellness. Um there was an an opportunity for me to uh choose one of theformational sessions that uh during that um summit and um one of them that I just wanted to share with you about was local government and immigration enforcement policy practice and community impact. That was actually a very um nice nicely presented um informational session. It actually the panel consisted of the chief of police from the um Riverside PD. There was a

director from the community uh the California immigration policy center and it was moderated by a local elected official. I took a couple of there was definitely some takeaways from that presentation. um especially the one that it's a very it's been a re very relevant and um important topic in many of our communities, our cities, our neighbors. And um for me at least, it's not necessarily something that we have to um be labor on it being a political issue necessarily, but I know I've said this before, it's a human issue. bottom line, that's how I feel about it. And so I I would like to ask our staff to look at a couple of the suggestions that were made and shared during that moment when I sat during that presentation um on how other cities have actually addressed the concerns from our community and residents when it pertains to immigration and ICE. and they shared how some of their successful strategies have been um ordinances that the city council has adopted um no ice or free ice free zones throughout the community. So, it's understood the community the city's stance on um any violation of anyone's rights is unacceptable. I think we all can agree that the treatment of individuals really requires a human touch. Doesn't matter what color you are, where you're from, what language you speak. At least I'd like that to be the message in the city of Norwok. And so I will be forwarding some information

to our city manager to hopefully discuss with our mayor and my colleagues here on something that we can actually take some action on. I understand that some of it may be ceremonial um so to speak. However, I think it's time that we make a stance. For me personally, it's been long overdue and and I think that as a city team, as a city council leadership, um it's something that we need to discuss and consider and move forward, however it is that we decide to move forward. So, um city manager, I'll be sharing some information on you on what I learned during thatformational session and how other communities are dealing with immigration. And that's all I have. Thank you.

Thank you. All right. Next, council member Ramirez. Rick, happy future birthday. Rick's birthday is coming up in the next couple weeks. Happy birthday, sir.

Number 21. Um, thank you, Madame Mayor. Um, I just have just uh just something to report. As you guys know, the walk is under construction right here on the uh right in front of us, right? You guys noticed it. They're making great progress. I'm I'm very happy that they're moving quite quickly and I think they're going to meet their their goal and their deadline of two years. It looks like it's going to probably be on time. So, however, as you guys know, that project has displaced a lot of the events that typically were held on that lawn, including the summer concert series, you know, Easter egg hunt, the Halloween hunt, um you name it, right? Even the Lions Club carnival. Um, so we anticipated um losing the site for the annual Lions Club fundraising carnival and so we went to work diligently trying to find many locations throughout the city to continue the tradition over the Memorial weekend uh because it is a great public service organization that contributes 100% of the proceeds right back into our our Norwalk community. So we didn't want to lose that funding opportunity. So, we put on our thinking hats. We went to various locations throughout the city trying to find a perfect venue. Um, we struck out. So, but I'm happy to report um the city has uh has graciously helped us find a new location. Um, and that's um I want to give them kudos because um getting together with with all the decision makers to make it happen, we were able to um find the location annual Lions Club fundraising carnival and I'm happy to report that we're going to move it to Norwok Park and it's been uh uh um a short notice. As you know,

Memorial Weekend is is um coming up on well actually the dates we have for the carnival May 21st through the 25th. So, we didn't really have time to market this event as we would normally do a year in advance because we did we lost the lawn. So, if you guys can help us spread the word to our community because all these proceeds go right back into the programs, the TAP program, the cadet program, scholarships throughout the high schools and and elementary schools. I mean, 100% goes right back. So, if we can promote it and try to make this another another successful event, it's May 21st to the 25th at Norwok Park. And I'd like to thank the council and staff for making it happen this year. Um, and if you want more information, you can go to the Instagram account for the Norwok Alliance and I'm sure they'll be posting uh more information of the event, the time frames, etc. as um as the week progressed. So again, I want to thank um the support of this council for not um letting it go this year and giving us the green light to host it. So all I have, Madame Mayor, thank you. Thank you. Next, Councilwoman Valencia. Anna,

thank you. I have a question for um Council Member Rick Ridz. Um who is the president of the Norwok Lions Club this Oh, that'll be me. Sorry. So, yeah, I I I've I've kind of been an absent president because of work schedule and and demand of um a lot of things that I'm doing. But I I I've been making things happen behind the scenes and I have really good spoken ill of you at Absolutely. No, I just wanted to to make sure that you said it.

Yeah. And uh you know, I give it all to them because they're picking up my slack and they knew this when I was taking on this presidency that I would be absent from the get-go. So, um kudos to all those Lion Club members that are out there, including my colleague Anna Valencia. And I'm sure some members out here in the audience. And um they made it happen.

We Lions, we stick together and we help each other. And international. Well, okay. Uh, my activities, not a whole lot on my plate right now. Um, had a lot in the past. Um, but, um, Saturday, April 18th, I'm going to report on the Southeast Japanese School Community Awards Night. They always put whole event together. The cultural um, aspect of it is amazing. You know, I took Japanese for three years in high school and I loved it. and I was always in Little Tokyo and always trying to practice and writing and reading and talking to some of the Japanese over there. It was awesome. And I've been to Japan twice, so I I love it. Um and and just giving the awards to such deserving people uh that keep that tradition, the culture, the education within that center, but also opening up. So I love that's one of my favorite events now. Um and Commissioner Marcel um Greenwich went with me and and she loved it as well. Um Friday, May 1st, um this past Friday, we went to the Teen Alliance program awards and scholarship event as always. Also one of my favorites. I have a lot of favorite events. Um but that one is just amazing. And thank you to um Alan, your staff, recreation, park services, and everybody involved. And of course, our wonderful TAP volunteers. Let's give them a hand, please. They are just amazing. [applause] And our staff and it was great to be with you there and to honor you. And you know, you may not always hear it from us, but we do appreciate what you do because you do it out of love, you do it out of care, and you do it with community in mind. And so we really do

appreciate that. So it was your night and I was I loved being there um to celebrate. And then I wanted to also wish um the happy teachers week and happy nurses week because it's also teacher and nurses week appreciation week this week along with some other ones that we're going to say. Um I myself I'm a teacher so at our school we're getting all these little treats and everything and um it's always you know it's great. I got a little note from um one of my students. You are a cool teacher. Oh my god those little things they know they just warm your heart and um and I keep them. I keep them and I I treasure them. Um I also want to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Excuse [clears throat] me. And to those who step into that role and um of motherhood and and do that uh it can be the aunts, the grandmas, the you know the nenas, ninos. Uh I know I step into those roles into those shoes as a teacher and as a thea also. But it's it's wonderful to to celebrate those mother figures and those mothers. So happy mother's day. Um, oh my god, I'm blanking out. Nurses. Thank you, Mayor. [laughter]

All right. Thank you. And council member Ayala Tony.

Yeah, I'm going to repeat a couple things that Anna had brought up. Usually, I go before Anna, so I wasn't really worried about this happening. Okay. And uh teachers appreciation day is actually today in addition to Cinco de Mayo. Teacher appreciation day is a day dedicated honoring and thanking teachers for their hard work and dedication. It is observed on the Tuesday during the first full week of May with National Teacher Day falling on May 5th, 2026. So thank you to all the teachers out there. Thank you to my colleague Anna who's been a longtime teacher and advocate for children and students and everything else. We appreciate what all you teach. Uh want to do a shout out to uh the public services uh for the Arbor Day program that they had here recently. Um I I I like Arbor Day. It's really a lot of fun because we get to go out there and pretend we're digging holes and planting trees and all that kind of stuff. and uh um and the and you know staff does a s such a good job you know shout out to you know Damian Rosales and Juan and Gabby Garcia and then they had Athens out there and it was a group effort and and you know we we really take this urban forest seriously and what was I think important is they weren't just planning to or we weren't just planting trees in Glacier Park, but they were also going out into the neighborhood, which apparently it's a neighborhood that doesn't have very many Parkway trees. So, they're going out reaching out to the different homes and stuff to get some trees planted out there. And this has been an ongoing effort since I worked for the city before I was on council. I mean, it's

it's always been a top priority to do that. So, um once again, it was another step moving in that direction. So, thanks public services. Um, also, yeah, I I would like to to wish all the moms out there a happy Mother's Day. Um, you do a lot of work. Uh, you know, you you're juggling all kinds of things and honestly, most of the time it's easier for the husband than the mom. And, uh, I know I appreciate my wife Karen. I mean, she was, you know, she's a great mom to our kids. And so anyway, to all the moms out there, thank you. You know, maybe we don't make it seem like it all the time, but we really appreciate all that you do for our families, for our households, and everything else. So, have a great Mother's Day. That's it, Mayor.

Thanks, Tony. All right, just a few things for myself. Um, I attended the same conference that Margarita did, the League of California Cities in Sacramento. Um, some of the workshops that I attended was an IIA workshop in regards to how a AI is working for cities and municipalities, how not to be afraid of it and how to utilize it more for your benefit. So, it was actually a great workshop. Um, we talked about partnerships with youth and how that really makes a lasting impact. And in during that workshop, a lot of people came up to me afterwards saying, "Oh, you're from Norwok. You have that awardwinning teen alliance program." So, it was it was great that to hear, you know, to be in the room and hear what everybody was talking about and the new ideas in other cities, but that they remember and continue to thank and congratulate our teen alliance program. So, thank you for the team for that. Um and we also attended a session called budget uncertainty within the state and how it trickles down to cities, municipalities. And that is the topic of conversation right now it seems like for everybody. And I was very honored um to sit on a panel um with our city manager, Mr. Jesus Gomez. Um we were asked to speak on the success of our veterans housing project and our um veterans housing uh v the veterans villas with Mercy Housing our partnership where we came with the funding how long it took from start to finish um the success that we had saying that it is 100% full and occupied um how the community accepted it through time. Um, but it was great to be able to sit on that panel and really highlight a project that we are extremely proud of here in the city of

Norwok. Um, so thank you Jesus for joining me on that panel. Um, we we had a great day at Arbor Day. It was early morning. We were putting on gloves, digging in the dirt. We named a tree. Um, I don't have a green thumb, per se. Not like vice mayor. She talks about um planting all the time. I admit I do not have a green thumb. So, Albert, please make sure those trees get watered that I touched. Um, also, I want to once again just thank our um our teens and the entire um community that wraps their arms around them each and every day. Um at the recognition dinner on Friday, we did hear from two of our teens um their challenges that they were facing um when they joined the program and what they learned and how they have evolved into the amazing young adults that they are today. And every single teen that we spoke to had a similar story. So for those underclassmen that are here with us tonight, um when we bring you up, please remember that we are always here for you. And you may not like getting up at 5:30 in the morning to set up for the Easter egg extravaganza or the upcoming Fourth of July celebration. Um but in the long run, what you walk away with far outweighs. So, thank you for that and thank you for the team for putting it on. Our bulletins are out. They are pretty thick this month. That just means that there's a lot going on at our social services center and our senior center. So, please make sure you grab a bulletin. Um, and the Narbach now did get out into our mailboxes. It is out there. There's a lot of great information. It talks about

city hall remaining open, our memorial day ceremony, the Norwok community link. It talks about the upcoming 5K program, but on the inside um there is there is a a small column here and I want to want to pay attention to that and it says what it means for you to understand measure ER. So, there is a tax measure on the ballot in June um that is being put out by the county and so there's some information in the Norwok now about that tax measure. It is not a tax coming from the city of Norwok. This is coming from the county. So, please do your homework and please read up on that um so you're aware when you turn in your balance. Um all right, moving next to our special presentations. We have two this evening and at this time we are proud to recognize the month of May as military appreciation month here in the city of Norwok. This proclamation honors the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces, past and present. We are thankful for their service and dedication to protecting our nation's freedoms. Throughout the entire month of May, please remember it is military appreciation month and we acknowledge the families who stand alongside our service members. Together they show unwavering support and strength. On behalf of the city council, we extend our sincere appreciation to all active duty service members, veterans, and military families in our community. Tonight, we have American Legion Post 359 to join us in accepting the proclamation. If you all can please join us up in front. Council colleagues, please join join me for a photo.

Perfect. with your indulgent. With your indulgence. Very cool.

And without it. Happy

sparkle. You're right. Three, two, one.

No, not yet. All right, here we go. Two down first. There we go.

It's growing. There we go. All right, here we go. Three, two, one.

All right, [applause] [applause]

I know. Hang in there. Hang in there. [laughter] All right. Our next presentation. We are proud to proclaim May 4th through May 8th as city clerk's week here in the city of Norvok. City Clerk's Week is an opportunity to recognize the essential role that the city clerks play in ensuring transparency and the integrity of local government. City clerks serve as the official records keepers, election administers, and trusted resources for both city council and the community. On behalf of the Norbach City Council, we extend our appreciation to our city clerk team for your professionalism, your dedication, and your continued service to the Norwok community. Your work supports open government, preserves vital records, and it helps ensure that residents stay informed and engaged in the civic process. At this time, if our Norwok city clerk team can join us up in front to be recognized. Council [applause] Everyone

All right. Everybody [laughter] left. All right. [applause] Thank you. It was [laughter]

All right. Thank you again everybody for joining us on those special presentations and being able to recognize our team. Moving now to our city manager comments. We will go right to Jesus.

Yes, mayor, members of the city council. Um, tonight it is my great honor to uh introduce the president of the California Parks and Recreation Society, Jenny Warsham, who is here to present the Teen Alliance with the recognition of the award. [applause] Good evening. Uh my name is Jenny Worsham and I am the community services manager with the city of Fountain Valley and also the current California Parks and Recreation Society state board president. It is my honor to be here with you tonight. The CPR's annual awards program celebrates outstanding examples of quality facility and park design, programming accomplishments, effective communications, community leadership, and professional successes that that take place every day in our profession. Throughout our five award categories, we highlight the people, the places, spaces, programs, and stories that make communities like Norwok so special. This year, the CPRS Awards of Excellence program included a record-breaking 186 applications received across all five categories with 52 awardees total. In the community impact award of excellence category, there were 16 awardees in five subcategories and the city of Norwok came out victorious in the resilient system subcategory for the teen alliance program. You should all be so proud. While rooted in the While rooted in community well-being and connected communities, the Teen Alliance program

stands apart as a resilient systems model, strengthening agency capacity by transforming youth engagement into long-term civic leadership pipeline. For 30 years, the city of Norwok's Teen Alliance program, or TAP, as you all know it, has intentionally developed youth into volunteers, interns, mentors, and future city employees, serving 250 to 300 teens annually. Participants contribute more than 10,000 community service hours each year while gaining leadership, workforce, and life skills. Alumni now serve Norwok and neighboring cities as recreation coordinators, public safety officers, analysts, supervisors, and civic leaders, demonstrating a measurable return on investment and workforce sustainability. That is amazing. Strategic partnerships with Helpline Youth Counseling, Cerritos College, and city departments expand mental health, career readiness, and educational support without increasing municipal costs. recipient of the 2025 Cal City's Helen Putnham Award for Excellence. TAP is a proven scalable model securing Norwok's civ city leadership civic leadership pipeline for generations to come. Congratulations to the city of Norwok and your outstanding recreation and park services department, specifically Rosa Lazoy, Rosie Lzoya, Patty Santana, and James Pedrosa, the TAP team, who were instrumental in the program. We want to congratulate you on being awarded the 2025 CRS Community Impact Award of Excellence. Please come forward to receive your award.

[applause] [applause]

on the top and hiding. I'll see you tomorrow. Have you actually

with me? Three, two, one. We'll do one more. Three, two, one. [applause] Right. [laughter] And again, congratulations on award-winning TAP program for the city of Norwok. And next, I'd like to personally also say happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in our um community. um hope they have a great Sunday celebrating with their loved ones. Um the other item that I have is uh we have begun to um uh let the community know of construction projects that are not necessarily the city's uh projects, but they do impact our uh traffic, our roads. And so we will continue to do that to let you know what the projects

um that are uh outside agencies are having uh on our on our in our city and affecting our roads. And you'll see those on social media and also in the Norwok now. Uh we'll continue to produce those. And some of these are long-term projects, meaning like six months to nine months. and we just want to make sure that you're aware and know that you have options in terms of um taking a detour. Um next uh we have the mayor's prayer breakfast recap video. [music] The city of Norwok gathered again for the annual mayor's prayer breakfast on April 15th. a beloved tradition that brings together community leaders, faith-based organizations, students, and residents in reflection, connection, and hope. This year, the focus was the Teen Alliance program, better known as TAP, [music] and the impact it continues to have on shaping young leaders across Norwok. Mayor Jennifer Perez welcomed attendees, [music] offering opening remarks that spoke to unity, gratitude, and the importance of coming together as a community. [music]

Today is a great day in the city of Norwok. It truly is an honor to stand before [music] you today as the Norwok Mayor. A moment where we can come together for breakfast. We can [music] pray and we can be grounded in whatever faith you are together in service and with a [music] shared purpose. We're truly going to walk away today feeling [music] inspired and really feeling like a community. A special highlight of the morning was the presentation of the community spirit award recognizing [music] outstanding dedication to service and community impact.

The mayor's community spirit award recognizes an individual who reflects [music] the values that strengthen and uplift the Normach community. This year's recipient [music] of the mayor's community spirit award, Mr. Jason. [applause]

This year's keynote speaker, Irvy Rodriguez, a former TAP volunteer and now a recreation supervisor, delivered a powerful message on growth, opportunity, and giving back to the community that helped shape his journey. [music]

I'd like to thank the city of Norwok for helping me discover my passion for recreation, introducing me to lifelong [music] uh friends and mentors, and taking a chance on a 15-year-old teenager that was just trying to figure it all out. The Teen Alliance program, also known as TAP, is more than just your average volunteer for school hours, do it because your parents said so program. It is an opportunity to build everlasting friendships, connections with professionals, leadership and social skills, great work ethic, and a positive mental health. The event concluded with uplifting music [music] and a renewed call to carry forward a spirit of kindness, service, and unity. Thank you to our sponsors, speakers, community partners, and city staff who made this event possible. Together, we continue to [music] lift up Norwok and carry this spirit forward throughout the year. That is one of my favorite events here in the city. It's great to to pray together and break bread. Um, next event we have the Arbor Day event video. [music] This Arbor Day, the city of Norwalk came together to invest in a greener, healthier future for our community. At Glazier Park, families and city staff [music] gathered for our annual Arbor Day tree planting event. Working side by side, volunteers planted new trees throughout the park alongside [music] our public services team. Norwok has proudly held the title of Tree City USA [music] for over a decade. and even the smallest actions like planting a single tree helps strengthen our commitment [music] to a more vibrant city. This work also supports the city council's strategic

plan. Goal 4, strengthening [music] sustainability and climate resilience across our community. It is Arbor Day in our city and we are here at the Glacier Green Belt. [music] We are planting 20 trees here in the green belt and about 50 more in the neighboring community. Our [music] theme this year is rooted in service powered by community. Arbor [music] Day, city of Norwok, planting trees. We're having fun and the community is doing it together. Later that morning at Gerta Park, residents came together for a community cleanup event. Volunteers rolled up their sleeves to help keep our park clean and welcoming [music] while families enjoyed refreshments and hands-on activities for kids, including creating take-home bird feeders. We thank our public services team, recreation staff, and all the volunteers who make these events possible. From planting trees to caring for our parks, [music] Norwok continues to grow stronger, greener, and more connected, one effort at a time. A great great event. And next we have the bi-weekly review video and that compiles all of the events that we've had in the recent past. Please enjoy. In celebration of Earth Day, Norwok brought the community together through creativity and hands-on activities. On April 21st, the Social Services Center hosted a plant terrarium workshop where residents painted pots and created their own succulent [music] terrariums to take home. Then on April 22nd, the senior center continued [music] the celebration with a Let's Craft Earth Day event where seniors built birdhouses [music] to help their flying friends.

April 28th, the Public Safety Department hosted a clergy meeting at the Social Services Center, bringing together local faith leaders for a meaningful discussion. The gathering provided an opportunity for the social services and public safety director to share important updates with those in attendance. On April 30th, the Norwok Senior Center brought creativity to life with a paint and sip workshop. Guided by an instructor, seniors enjoyed a fun social atmosphere, sipping refreshing drinks and creating their own unique works of art. [clears throat] Lots of activities and more to come here as summer begins. [clears throat] The uh my last item would be the immigration update. Um and we have had no inquiries or concerns have been reported through the city's community preparedness resource hotline or dur during in-person interactions. Although the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights, Chidla, provided resources to around 20 residents at both social services and senior center during the month of April. Chila is scheduled to continue to provide on-site assistance again in the social services center on Tuesday, May 19th and at the senior center on Wednesday, May 20th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Additionally, community legal aid of Southern California continues to support residents interested in initiating the naturalization process, offering guidance and assistance throughout the process. At this time, five residents are scheduled to resolve services related to their immigration applications. Thank you. That concludes my comments.

Thank you, Jesus. Moving on to our consent calendar. We have 16 items. Mayor, I'd like to uh pull two items. Yes. Which items? Continue. Number 12 and number 20. 12. We're pulling 12 out of consent and we're pulling 20 from the reports. Correct. Move with those changes. Um I have one more change. Item number nine was originally listed as amendment number one. It is actually amendment number two. That's want to make you aware of that. Yes. Move with those changes.

We'll have a second. Can we have a [snorts] roll call, please? Who was the second? Oh, thank you. Yes. Council member Zyella. Hi. RmIrez. Hi. Valencia. I. Vice Mayor RmIre Rio, sorry. And Mayor Perez. I. And I will give a list of items. I'm abstaining to the city clerk for commercial demands. All right. Moving on to appointments. Does anybody have appointments this evening? All right. Seeing none, we'll go into our public hearing. Uh Teresa, can we have the public notice report, please?

Uh yes, mayor, members of the city council. Notice that this item was um posted and published on the same date, which is April 17th, uh on the city's official website and uh three posting locations. And uh it was also published in our adjudicated newspaper. No communications have been received. Thank you. And with that, Jesus, can we have the staff report, please? Yes. This evening, um, we'll have Miss Bethany Cardinus present. Um, this has been presented a few times to the city council for study sessions, and we we're happy to present, um, those uh, changes that you've requested tonight, Miss Bethany.

Thank you, Mr. Gomez.

Good evening, honorable mayor and city council. We are here for the second and final public hearing for the adoption of our proposed community development block grant and home investment partnership annual action plan for fiscal year 2026 and 27. The CDBG and home annual action plan is a required yearly document submitted to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. The action plan details the specific activities that will be carried out to address community needs and priorities of the five-year consolidated plan. It demonstrates how these activities align with federal priorities and national objectives. It provides funding amounts for each activity and it summarizes the anticipated outcome of each activity. The city will receive funding from HUD through the CDBG and home programs. CDBG totals $1,78,352 consisting of $950,000 in entitlement funds and we estimate $125,000 in program income and carryover. The home funding amounts to $1.2 million with an entitlement of $263,000 and a little over $1 million in program income and carryover. CDBG funds will be allocated to capital improvement projects, economic development, public services, and administrative costs. Home funds are more restricted and may only be allocated to affordable housing activities and administrative costs. Federal regulations cap CDBG public services to 15% of the entitlement, while program administration is capped at 20% for CDBG and 10% for home. If you recall, these are the funding recommendations. $75,000 for the emergency services program and $20,000

each for community legal aid, Hovveness, and Lacata. This slide is a breakdown detailing the CDBG projects and activities along with their respective funding amounts to be reported in the annual action plan. We have 20,000 20% of our entitlement allocated to program administration totaling 177,000 and 13,000 to fair housing. And once again, $75,000 is allocated to social services and 20,000 each is given to community legal aid, Hovveness, and Lacata. $632,000 is allocated to a capital improvement project. $100,000 to business incentive loan. and $20,000 to upwards from the economic development project. For home projects and activities, the breakdown is as follows. Program administration is $26,000. Security deposit assistance in the amount of $30,000. Affordable housing rehab $219,000 and a little over a million for an affordable housing project. The activity amounts in the annual the draft annual action plan reflects the final entitlement funding announced by HUD on April 3rd, 2026. The CDBG entitlement is $950,000 and $352 and the home entitlement is $263,328. The council may modify or withdraw funding to activities but cannot add activities without another 30-day review period. The deadline to submit to HUD is May 15, 2026. Substantial amendments can be considered for future resi revisions to approved activities. There is no fiscal impact to the city's general fund. CDBG and home programs are funded by HUD.

Staff recommends the following actions. First, adopt resolution 2619 to approve the CDBG and home programs annual action plan for fiscal year 2627. This resolution authorizes the city manager to execute and submit all required documents to HUD. Second, authorize the city manager to sign agreements and amendments with social service agencies for services outlined in the annual action plan in a form approved by the city attorney. And lastly, authorize the director of community development to execute anou with city departments and homeless referral agencies for the services included in the annual action plan. Thank you. This concludes my report.

Thank you, Bethany. Bringing it back. Um Teresa, do we have anybody wishing to speak for against this item? No, we do not. Great. Thank you. We'll go ahead and close the public hearing hearing and bring it back to council for questions. Yeah, Madame Mayor, I have a question. Um, this is directed to staff on one of the categories. I saw a business incentive loan of about 100,000. Um, do we have data on on how many applicants historically apply for that loan and what is it used for?

We don't have it with us today, but we can get that information. But it's used for business instead of say facade um helping them open businesses. Anything related that would give us a full-time equivalent of employee. So that's a qualification.

My my concern I mean I'm all about pro business helping small businesses and we work very closely with the chamber. I'm not sure if if um until I find out what what that money obviously you said it's how it's used. I want to know how many participants and applicants actually apply because I I would love to see um that money allocated to more more viable projects like um for instance you had capital improvement project and and and can you explain to us what that category is specifically? So currently our capital improvement project would be the ADA ramps on the sidewalks. So um we could do parks, we can do streets. Um and currently uh recently I just had a conversation with the chamber regarding the business incentive fund to see if there would be any businesses interested in maybe facade in the CDBG census tracks. So that's something we have opened up conversation about, but um that would have to be more further discussion with the city manager. And I'd also like to see how many applicants and how much is that money being used historically because I know I' I've worked closely with community development and a lot of um residents are applying for grant assistance for ADA improvements um basic home renovation improvements, roofing, etc. And I want to make sure that I know I know in talking to Allan um a couple weeks ago there was a waiting list because I would think there was no funding or um there was a process. So, I want to make sure that there is enough funding to a program that's actually being used than than one that's not. And maybe Allan can tell me um I'm sorry, Alex. Allan, Alex, you guys should separate. Go sit in that corner. Um if Alex can tell me more about um the applicants and how is that program being used today and because we did talk about some potential applicants on a waiting list.

Sure. Uh the the program council member Romero you're speaking about is the rehabilitation program. Um and that is one that we do have more applicants than funding for. Um and I am pleased to announce and working with the city manager that there's a potential HCD grant that we're going to be programming soon to assist with ADUs. So uh that's a program that we're going to launch separate and apart from what you're seeing in this document this evening. Uh but we're looking at any and all available resources. To your point about the economic development grant, uh to Beth's point, we are working with the chamber on that. It's something that we'll have to be very careful about how we program that money. It's not a not a lot of money in the overall scheme of things and we want to maximize its impact. You know, whether I mean, unfortunately, you can't do a lot of facades with just $100,000, but we're looking at ways to maximize that, too. Uh but on the rehab program, uh we're always looking for money to to bolster that program. Right now it's general fund. We are hopeful that this HCD grant can help us certainly uh on ADUs and and affordable ADUs as well.

And the reason why I'm bringing that up is because I know some of the construction costs at a retail center is quite costly because of the requirements that to improve their facade. And I'm not sure if that falls on the responsibility of that property owner or that retail shopping center owner. And and 100,000 is doesn't go a long way, but it does go a long way for ADA ADA compliant ramps. Um, you know, basic home improvement, which I think if we in reinvest in our community, I think it's it's a better bang for our buck rather than 100,000 being being utilized in a retail center that we don't own. And some of these businesses, they they uh they're only up and they and they fail. And unfortunately, it's the way the economy is. And we were talking about budget crunching and and and the lack of retail um revenues coming in to support what we are program on a day-to-day. And I don't I'm not sure if 100,000 um a business side, right? Um, but I think it probably better use for, you know, a senior um that can't make doesn't make enough money but needs ADA or or whatever it is, you know, air conditioning. And I know there's there's a program we have with um medical equipment, battery backup. I think that's uh being discussed and and you know I don't know if that that money could qualify to help you know boost the budget on that but that's my thought and I don't know where my colleagues are on this but it's something I like to maybe revisit before it gets approved.

So Bethany before we further go down that rabbit hole can you remind me is this the second or third time that we've seen this? This is the third time but the second public hearing in the final public hearing. Okay. So this is the final public hearing. So we've had the opportunity to give that input at previous meetings. So we have to it has to go in before May 15th. What what's the timeline? And I apologize. I don't know how I missed it. It's been on been on my radar and I know we got a lot of it's on the same radar as mine.

So I want to make sure that we don't miss that opportunity. And I don't know if there's a, you know, CD, I know CDBG funding has a timeline. Um, and I don't know if this is something that can be amended prior to that or if it has to go through another Well, and that was going to be my question because I think Bethany, you covered that that we we can make some changes, but we're very limited to what we can do, but we cannot add to what we currently have. Correct. No, we can't add um because it's due to HUD on the 15th, which is next week. Cuz I know in the past we've shifted and I and I know we've done we've we've shifted at the you know the at the at what's the term I want to use? Um at the last moment.

There you go. Well, not that term, but at the end of the wire, but yeah, you know what I'm saying. Yes. You know. Yes, you did. And this would be this was the wire. So, so let me ask you this, Rick. We we have a h 100,000 in the business incentive loan program. It's been seen. This is the third time. Second time third time we've seen it. Second time in a public hearing. We have to make a decision tonight because it has to be submitted by May 15th and that's next week. Well, so do we keep it there and see how it's used and then move it if we see it's not being utilized? Can we move it that way? Yes, we can.

Okay. So, yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine. Let's keep it, but the data will show if you know the the the interest of it, but I think it'd be best utilized elsewhere. That's my opinion. Okay. Um based with just interacting with residents and and just driving around the community and and we get a lot of emails and inquires of, you know, ADA ramps and what have you. So, um if we could easily shift it after that, I'm fine. I mean, I don't have to make the decision tonight, but um that's where I'm headed. Okay. So I'd say maybe provide a sixmonth update as to the utilization of that particular okay course and we can kind of go from there. Margarita, you said you had a question.

Yes, thank you. I actually um had some questions along the same line. Those were answered. Um thank you Rick. But just um that one did catch my attention as well because um specifically in looking at um more of the information that was provided by staff, it mentions when it um a benefit or who the beneficiary would be, it says one business.

Yes. And so that's where I kind of paused a little bit because I'm like, okay, well, I I understand um first of all, I understand the importance of businesses. We need more successful businesses in the city of Norwok, especially as we know that um our sales, you know, business sales and tax collection could definitely be improved. So I agree we need to do as much as we can to benefit you know benefit the businesses. I I just don't know what the vision or plan is for that 100k for just one business. And so I think that that maybe as you know staff maybe has an idea I don't know if you can share that today but like what is the vision for this use for one business just briefly. You don't have to go full depth into it. You can always, you know, give us more. But what can you share now?

So, right now the priority was ADA ramps. So, we allocated 500 600,000 to that. When we're completed with that, our vision was to move to businesses and to do maybe accessible, ADA accessible, maybe the doors opening, making more counter space, facade. Those are discussions that we would have to have with city manager, but that is something that we're looking forward to once the ADA's ramps around the city are are fully completed. Okay. So, it's specific to ADA improvements. Yes. Out of business.

Yes. But we're going to work with the chamber to see if there's interest with business owners to work with us to make the ADA updates facade, but they would have to add employees. So that's in the past we've had that challenge because they have to have a full-time equivalent for a certain amount, right, for each 50,000. So that is something that's on our radar. We're almost completed with the ADA ramps around the city. Yes. So that's why we wanted to bring up the conversation with the chambers,

right? So yeah, no, that makes sense. But something that I would caution is um sometimes the business will not be as forthcoming because they don't want to run into other issues. you know, meaning the city's going to come, they're going to do an evaluation and what potentially uh increase, you know, some debt or obligation that I have. So, I would definitely navigate that sensitive to that, you know, information is, you know, they may not be as forthcoming because of the fear that it's probably going to incur them some debt because of other obligation, responsibilities they may have. So again, looking forward to maybe hearing a little bit more about that vision as you go back to the team and discuss that. Um so and and as far as other funding, um I to help residents with their home improvement projects. I I'm really proud of what the city has done, what this council approved. I mean, over $2 million, over $2 million that went to many, many homes, many, many residents to improve roofs, windows, ramps, fencing, paint. I mean, we made a significant investment. So, I'm com I'm good with that for now. And for now, I'm good with that. Uh I don't necessarily see an urge right now to okay, let's let's pump some more money into that because we invested over $2 million. So, I'm good for that with that. Now the other thing I wanted to ask is so boost is the upward uh if you can go back to the slide um upwards upwards and boost is that the same? Yes. Okay. Okay. Because then it it references boost in the explanation on the pro the services that would be

rendered and available under under this funding. I I really like that idea of what this potentially is going to be used for. The only question I have is because it's specific to um daycare and customer service and care of young children and families. What type of followup is there to ensure that these um home businesses are are maintaining everything, every legal obligation, every safety obligation that they have to do? What is there followup? We do a monitoring but we don't follow up into that specific unit into that business but we do monitoring the the business itself.

Okay. Well, I would really be interested in in seeing if that's something that's um available to the city or what options we'd be able to um we'd be able to to have to make sure that the services are being provided safely and that they're they're doing a good job handling our our child child care and families. And um the the last thing I'll mention is the reason that I like that is because um what they do is and let me read this. Um they actually help them to develop a business plan. Um, they help them to figure out marketing, manage finance, navigate l navigate licensing and insurance requirements, optimize enrollment, recruit and hire staff. I love that. And I'll tell you why. Because um I think we need to do more of that in our city, especially when it comes to our small businesses. Um because I've met many a business owner who has not been successful because they've entered into a lease they don't understand um and other issues. But uh it really revolves around the business member not really being very savvy about what it takes to start a business. And so I would ask that as we look at funds available under CDBG that we really look at that, you know, how can we help the mom and pop, the small businesses be more successful because we've we've had a few fold, you know, and and I know in my conversations with them because I like to follow up whether if I reach out to them or they

reach out to me, what happened? What went wrong? What can we do better? And a lot of them don't are not real, you know, savvy about understanding a lease and what's all what is involved in all of that or having a business plan or financing, etc. So, I really would like to see how we can support, you know, with this funding more of our small businesses so that they can be successful. Thank you. Great. I'll go ahead and move this item. Can we roll call, please? Council member Zella. Hi, Ramirez. Hi, Valencia. Hi, Vice Mayor Rios. Hi. And Mayor Perez.

I thank you. Uh, moving on to our next public hearing, and that's resolution number 2620, updating user and regulatory fees for the fiscal year. We'll officially open the public hearing. Uh, Teresa, can we have the public notice report? Yes. Yes. Thank you. Sorry. Notice that the public hearing regarding the adjusted fees and services was published in the Norwok Patriot on April 24th and was also posted at city hall. We've received no communication.

Thank you for that. Jesus, can we have the staff report, please? Yes. Mayor, members of city council, as you may recall, we had a u year-long study of fees. Um, and this is u whatever annually we're going to come to you to uh review the fees, and this is the time to uh to do that. Um, and Miss Jennifer Hernandez will present.

Thank you, Mr. Gomez. Good evening, honorable mayor, members of the city council. I'll be presenting on public hearing item number 19, uh, updating user and regulatory fees for fiscal year 26-27. So, a little bit of background on the item. In accordance to the city's municipal code, annually, we revisit the fees and provide to council an updated fee schedule for consideration. Last year with the adoption of the latest updates of the fee schedule, we also included in our resolution the method for which we provide such adjustments which we recommended to utilize the consumer price index. A quick overview of the timeline of the process. We completed the user fee study. From there we developed an updated fee schedule and again annually we revisit such fee schedule updated accordingly. The user fee study was actually completed in March of 2025. It was the first comprehensive update made to our fees since 2007. It reviewed the actual cost of providing services to individuals or businesses. But the true goal of any fee study is to align the true cost of service delivery. With the completion of the fee study, a recommended updated fee schedule was presented and ultimately adopted by the city council on April 1st of 2025 and the fees took effect as of July of 2025. So in this current fiscal year, the annual fee review um we utilize the March consumer price index for the Los Angeles or the and Long Beach Riverside areas as published by the US Department of Labor. The update utilizing the CPI is intended to avoid large infrequent fee increases. So rather than coming to you every 5 to 10 years, we are we are proposing to come every year utilizing the March CPI increase as an adjustment and it

ultimately does stabilize our existing fee structure. So the March CPI is 3.4%. So, it applies to services that are provided upon request or regulation such as permits, applications, plan reviews, inspection services, and administrative processing functions. It's designed to recover the direct cost only, and we're proposing the fees to take effect on July 6th of 2026. Although the majority of the fees on our current fee schedule are subject to the CPI, um some are not. Certain fees such as select building and plan check fees, pet license fees, fines and penalties, statemandated fees, pass through fees, and social services fees are not subject to the CPI increase and thus will remain unchanged for the fiscal year 27. Uh here's a sample of our some of the fee adjustments. Again, it is a 3.4% increase to those fees that are eligible. The fee schedule that is posted on our city's website currently will detail which fees are subject to CPI and which ones are not. So it is simply the 3.4% on the applicable fees. And with that, uh, staff recommends the city council adopt resolution 26-20, a resolution of the city council of the city of Norwok updating user and regulatory fees for fiscal year 2627. If adopted, it would result in a CPI increase to certain fees and take effect in July 6th next year. And that concludes my presentation.

Thank you, Jennifer. Teresa, do we have any u anybody wishing to speak on this item? Thank you. Okay, we'll bring it back and close the public hearing. Any questions, comments? Seeing none, I'll go ahead and move this item. Do we have a second? and a second and a second. Sorry, I didn't hear you. Thank you. Can we have a roll call, please? Council member Zella, I. Ramirez, Valencia, I. Vice Mayor Rios, Mayor Perez, I.

Thank you. We pulled item number 20. So, moving on to reports of item number 21, extension. Um, extend the 2026 fireworks sale from June 30th through July 4th. Jesus, can we have the staff report, please? Yes. Mayor, members of the city council, Miss Janna Stewart will present.

Thank you, Mr. Gomez. Mayor um Perez, members of the city council. Um, as you may know, the Norwalk Municipal Code section 5.36 authorizes uh up to 20 qualified nonprofit organizations to sell safe and sane fireworks with um, you know, obtaining the fireworks retail uh, permit. Fireworks uh, with within the municipal code are currently authorized from July 1st to July 4th. the sales of the fireworks uh is offer is authorized from 10:00 a.m. to 1000 p.m. during these days. Um as a timeline uh we the city uh already started the process of um um applications by uh organizing the mandatory orientation meeting that was held at the city hall on March 19, 2026. and all interested applicants um had attended um this meeting. Deadline to apply uh was um May 1st. We received in finance department 19 application uh from um nonprofit organizations and we are currently reviewing them and at the later time we will uh report to the city council in June uh uh names of nonprofit organizations and locations of the authorized events. And as you may know today, this year is a special year for these United States of America. It's our 250th anniversary and for that reason we are um uh requesting um and anticipating more celebrations and um and more interest in

um fireworks and therefore we are requesting an exceptional uh extension of the pay of the period of sales from June 30th rather than July 1st to to June July 4th. And as fireworks play an integral part of the celebration of Independence They 250th anniversary. That concludes my report. Thank you.

Thank you, Yana. I want to I I was trying to practice that. Semiquincential. Oh, yeah. Quincential. Richard Legsby is going to have to pronounce it perfectly as well. All right. Any questions, council? I move it. If there's no questions, we have a first and a second. Can I have a roll call, please? Council members Aella I. Ramirez, Valencia, I. Vice Mayor Rios, Mayor Perez,

I. Thank you. Moving on to oral communications. Um, just as a reminder, you do have three minutes. Please speak directly into the microphone so that you can be heard. Our first speaker is Mr. Jack Cornnejo. Mic check. Norwok City Council. I want to bring attention to a community safety and zoning decision which deserves a closer look. There is a Turner's gun retailer in our city and it is directly across the street from a church that includes a Christian school and a nursery. That proximity raises some concerns for our community. Recently, there was a burglary at that store which escalated into a law enforcement standoff. That kind of incident affects the entire surrounding area. Additionally, in 2018, there was a reported theft involving a large number of guns from that same location. Incidents like that raise broader concerns about security risk and what happens when firearms are taken and potentially circulated in the community. I've also come across reports suggesting Turners specifically may be disproportionately linked to firearms later used in crimes. According to a government uh database, our turners in Norwok is the number three on that list.

Are we doing everything we can to ensure that zoning decisions propriet proprietary prop priator safety? Can it be confirmed the zoning designations for both the gun retailer and the church property are in compliance? Was the church and Turners permitted under standard zoning or was a variance granted? If a variance was granted, what factors were considered? And finally, are there any current or future plans to review how these types of land uses are placed in proximity to one another? This is not about targeting any one business or organization. It's about ensuring our city policy, our city policies reflect a thoughtful balance between commerce, community institutions, and public safety. Thank you. Our next speaker is Andy. Hello. Um, so I want to, I guess, acknowledge Councilman Rios for finally saying something that we've been asking for, um, for almost a full year now, uh, with the immigration raids and the attacks that have happening in our community. Um, it's a shame it took so long. Um, and it's even greater shame that it's only coming from one member of a five member council. This is not something that these are things we have been asking for. Um, it shouldn't take a conference. It shouldn't take people with suits and badges to tell you and to get it through to you what the community members have been saying for you. All of

these months we've been coming to these meetings and asking for these exact same things. nothing, you know, radical, nothing crazy, just doing what other cities are doing, following through with um ordinances that other cities are using. Um you have a, you know, Arnold here has written one of those ordinances for PU Rivera. Um so these aren't things that aren't you have to pull out of the blue. These are things that already taken into effect. Things like making sure that everyone knows ICE is not welcome in Norwok. Making sure they cannot use city property. Um, I don't know what the status of of the parking structure is here. I know that it's used um, you know, by the city, but I don't know if the city has uh, can say who or who can't be on it, but it's very close to the courthouse and courthouse kidnappings have been on the rise recently. Most recently, Downey, there's been like one every week for the past couple months. So, that's something that Norwok can take action on. Um the these are things that we have been asking for and I'm glad that there's finally some type of motion and I hope there's more um for you know the rest of you um well actually more for the citizens of Norwok um there is an election coming up uh this November there are two council members that are up um if you want to know more information about how to run um if you're willing to take a stand for the residents of Norwok there are people that will support you um you need 20 signatures the information is on the Norwok city council um page. So, you can look that up as well on the internet um or ask the city click for more information.

All right. Thank you. With that, just have a happy Mother's Day to all of our moms, aunts, grandmas, friends, happy teachers, acquaintances, everybody. This meeting's adjourned. Have a good evening.

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