City Council - Regular Meeting

It is now 6.04 p.m. I'm going to call the meeting to order. Could we have roll call, please, Sarah?

Council Member Espinosa? Here. Council Member Beer? Here. Council Member Beckmeyer? Present. Vice Mayor Wright?

Present.

Mayor Bowles? Here.

Okay. I just want to remind everyone to put a parking pass on your car if you're parked here. The passes are downstairs. And I will start with a comment just about commenting in our meetings in general. So this will apply to all the different times that we take public comment. So public meetings are a limited public forum, meaning there are rules for commenting at these meetings. Comments on non-agendized items must address matters within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city, and comments on agendized items must relate to that specific item. If comments do not fall into one of these categories, the city will provide you with an initial warning to stay within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city or on topic. If the warning is not followed, I will direct the city clerk to cut off the microphone and throughout this warning system, I'll seek the assistance of the city attorney in identifying comments not related to the agenda item or within the subject matter jurisdiction of the city. So with that, I'll read our land acknowledgement. The City of Pacifica acknowledges that we occupy the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramatishaloni peoples who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. We honor the Ramatishaloni peoples for their enduring commitment to Mother Earth. As the indigenous protectors of this land, and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatishaloni have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. We affirm their sovereign rights as First Peoples and wish to pay our respects to the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramayana Shaloni peoples. Council Member Beckmire, would you lead us in the salute of the flag?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic

Okay, city attorney, is there a closed session report? No reportable action. Okay, thank you. Sorry, finding my notes. And then that brings us to the consent calendar. Is there any council member that would like to pull something off consent? I will pull item two, the peer emergency, off consent so that we can get an update from our city manager and that will allow us to take public comment on the peer separately from everything else. Okay, do I have any cards on consent? No, Greg? Okay, I don't have any cards on consent. If anybody wants to make a comment now or at other times in the meeting, there are yellow cards in the back that you can fill out. And if you can just write on what agenda item you'd like to speak to, that'd be super helpful. Is there anyone online? Emily?

There are no raised hands. Okay.

All right. Well, with that, I will close public comment on consent. Are there any other questions, comments from council other than item two?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion. I move to approve the consent agenda minus item two.

Second.

Okay, please vote.

And for the consent calendar minus item number two, the motion was made by Council Member Beer, seconded by Vice Mayor Wright. The consent calendar minus item number two passes unanimously. Great. Thank you.

And so City Manager Charpentier, I'll hand it over to you for our update on the pier.

Yes, so this is for part of item number two, continuation of a proclamation of local emergency at the Pacifica Municipal Pier and the order of Director of Emergency Services, relating to the temporary closure of the pier and the request is to accept the report and make a determination that the conditions of local emergency continue to exist at the Pacifica Municipal Pier. And I'll give an update on our activities since the last report. Our priority has been to stabilize the abutment and the first span. For the last 10 days, we've been working on temporarily stabilizing the damage to the abutment by placing about 300 large boulders around the abutment, approximately 900,000 pounds of support to prevent or to slow the damage to the abutment. We've been simultaneously analyzing the options to stabilize the first span of the pier by bracing it from below with new piles. The challenge we're facing in this task is the constructability of this potential fix. This would be a temporary stabilization method and in particular how it can be implemented and constructed given the severe tidal influence and the distance from shore. We are still working with our engineering firm, GHD, and several experienced maritime contractors to determine what the feasible options are that can be constructed in this challenging environment to erase the first span of the pier. And we'll continue to update the council and the community on our progress. In terms of assistance from other governmental entities, we have requested that the state proclaim an emergency and provide technical and financial assistance to prevent the pier from further deterioration and to repair it to its original uses. This damage that we're seeing is the continuation of damage from the two 2023 storms which were part of the governor's declared state of emergency of high surf event that those declared in 2024 as part of this request to the governor We submitted an initial damage estimate or IDE for approximately 64 million which includes about 3 million in emergency repairs and then another 60 plus million to bring the pier back to its original uses and And that 60 million figure is based on our existing 2023 estimate of approximately $20 million in repairs which were needed before this episode. And then the remainder is related to reconnecting the pier to the shore and either repairing or replacing the abutment and then replacing the restrooms that were lost as well as the cafe structure. just to manage expectations. We don't envision any scenario where those would be replaced back on the pier, but they were destroyed and we are seeking damages for those. Our estimate on this in the IDE is preliminary and is partially based on the best information we have at the time and is modified as we gather more information about the exact cost. At the staff level, we've begun meeting with Cal OES staff as they review our request for a governor's proclamation of emergency and to provide assistance. And then at the governor's level, last Wednesday, Mayor Bowles and I were in Sacramento and we did visit with governor's staff to discuss the need and the event and the impact it's having on Pacifica and surrounding communities. Other important news to note are that on Thursday, June 18th, Mike Callagy, the San Mateo County Executive, proclaimed a state of emergency for the Pacific up here damage, and the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is being asked to ratify that declaration at the Board of Supervisors meeting tomorrow on June 23rd. And that concludes my update, and we are available if there are questions.

Okay, thank you. Are there some council questions before we open it up to the public? Just one. I know we've been talking about getting at some point an evaluation from our engineers, GHD. Is that something that's still in process, and is that something that we'll be able to share with the public at some point?

It is still in process. We've asked them to continue working on it, but also not to divert any resources away from the temporary stabilization efforts as we're still in emergency mode. So we hope to have one within the next couple of weeks.

Okay. Oh, and then I think I heard you say, not here today, but the rocks that were put in front of the abutment were taken away from the seawall?

That's correct.

Locations, right. So That's additional work that we'll need to do before the storms?

That is correct. That is on our to-do list is to replace those rocks. They were mined from the southern wall.

Okay.

All right. Thank you.

Have you been noticing any movement of the rocks that were placed there? In other words, were they of sufficient size? Are the waves moving them around at all, or is there not really a report on that? It's too early.

I don't know, I would defer to Roland Yip. I'm not, I can't tell because the sand builds around them, so I'm not sure if there's a technical answer to that question.

Okay. Well, if there are no other questions. Roland's here. Oh, Roland, oh, sorry. Oh, yeah, please, sorry.

Good evening, I'm Roland Mayer, Vice Mayor of City Council Members. Roland Yip, Deputy Director of Public Works slash the Engineer. The rocks, they vary in size. They range up to like three to four tons. So there are smaller ones. I'm sure the waves have been pretty intense in the past few days. It does have some movement. We're not interlocking them, but the larger stones that are three ton plus are pretty sufficient. They hold pretty well. Thank you. Thank you.

Okay. Well, with that, I will open public comment. I only have one card right now. So again, if anybody wants to ask a question... about the Peer Please Fill Out card. And for anybody who wants to make a comment online, if you could raise your hand now and we'll take a count after this first comment. So we'll start by inviting Ron Makel.

I really would, excuse me,

Really wasn't sure that I should have waited until this public comment or speaking on the consideration item.

This is about the pier.

Good, okay. Either way. It's a real shame, as we all know. It's a terrible thing. I enjoy going out on the pier. I've never cast a fishing pole off the pier, I have to say, but I've walked out there many, many times. with my kids and my wife and stuff. We like to walk out there and look in the buckets and see what people are catching. Or even sometimes it's great when whales are coming by. You get out, get much closer to see the whales. But there's a lot of, for all the right reasons, it was a great place. I just want to make some quick little recommendations and maybe in the future, maybe form a committee or subcommittee off one of our commissions or committees and consider a... informational kiosk, you know, and we get that area right now that's, of course, it's all fenced off, but consider an informational kiosk and even maybe, like they have on the Devil's Slide Trail, a couple of those telescopes, spotting scopes, you know, right? That's a good spot for that. And then, of course, all of those columns that support that, the deck of the pier, those are all, each column, there's approximately 50 of them. Each column is really a marine wildlife world in itself. they got so much stuff growing on those columns. You know, you got mussels and barnacles, starfish, crabs, and various marine plants and algaes that grow on those. So, you know, you want to, I'm just concerned about any destruction of those things. I just wanted to bring it to your attention that those columns are very important as a sea life preservation or conservation issue. Then of course the deck right now, the birds have taken over the deck, which is kind of neat too because we had the farther part of the pier where the birds have been out there for quite some time when we had the fence there. We might want to consider removing that distant fence and just let the birds take it over for a while until we get all the money, however much it's going to take to do what we like to do. And I hope it happens. The sooner the better. But anyway, I just want to bring those things to your attention. So at any rate, thank you very much.

Thank you, Ron. You, Ron. So I'll call it Kimberly Finale and Cindy Abbott are the only two other cards. How many hands do we have raised?

There are no raised hands. Okay. All right.

Good evening, council members. Nice to see everyone. Thank you for your service and your continued dedication. Quick question on the pier. I'm wondering if there's a plan for the section that looks like it may just be falling in any minute. I'm sure you're all aware that with the super El Nino that's probably very likely. They're predicting six inches of temporary sea level rise to accompany that, and I'm just super concerned about the sections that look like they're imminently going to fall in, and I'm curious to hear what the plan is for that. Thanks.

Thanks, Kimberly. Cindy Abbott?

Hello, Cindy Abbott, West Sharp Park resident. And I'm wondering about something, too. You may not know this as yet, but look forward to how it will be communicated. As far as opening maybe the other side of the street, not the promenade itself, or being able to actually walk down Beach Boulevard again and to have that access, Lots of people going up and down other parts of West Sharp Park, which is great. They're getting to see the rest of the community, but and as well as the stores on Palmetto. But that is a very popular walkway. And I know that we needed to get all of the big equipment off the street and do the work that was being done for the past couple of weeks, but it would be really good to keep on the top of the list of things to share with the public when the sidewalk and parts of the actual street will be reopened again, too. Thank you. Thank you, Cindy.

I'll check one more time. Is there anyone? Okay, so I'll close public comment. Well, just to answer Kimberly's question, I believe our city manager was talking about that. That's the next stage of the emergency of trying to figure out what to do with that one span. That hasn't quite been decided yet. And then do you want to comment at all about opening the street?

We do hear that concern, and we recognize it. We'll keep it in mind, but we're still looking at options to brace the first span that was mentioned and that I mentioned, and we would like to preserve all access for potential construction equipment and staging until we figure out that next stage. So we're still not in a sort of steady state of fencing at this point. It's still construction fencing. But when we get further along, we'll give that some thought about if that's safe.

Could I ask a follow-up? Could you consider, in the meantime, perhaps opening, putting a separate section of fence so the sidewalk was just accessible when the time comes to make the decisions?

Yes, we could consider that. We just don't want to move people and things out of the way when we figure out what we can do there. It's just more complicated if we have to create more public space. So we're being a little proactively greedy with the space because we may need it for staging.

I don't think it's greedy. I think it's safe, yeah. I did have a comment, maybe a question, too. And it was about communication. So I know you see all the posts out there on social media. Actually, there was one about this meeting where it said, There's going to be a critical meeting about the pier tonight. And so I would much rather have the community understand how the information is going to get out to them and that when there is going to be a critical meeting about the pier that they will definitely know and we will all do our very best to get the information out to them. So if you have any comments about communication, that would be great.

We do have a pier. peer webpage and it's I will admit probably a little bit behind on the postings and we'll update it with everything we have tomorrow and then I think that we would I'll include it in my city managers connect that this is going to be a regular item on the agenda and if there is obviously this is an update not a decision making meeting but if there is a larger item then then we'll be sure to highlight that And I'll talk to staff and see what some other ideas are about so people can get automatic updates if possible.

Awesome. Thank you so much.

Okay. I'm not seeing any other questions. So, Sarah, do we need a motion to approve this item, too?

Yes, to continue the local emergency.

So moved.

I'll second. Okay. Please vote. And with the motion to approve item number two on the agenda made by Vice Mayor Wright, seconded by Council Member Beckmeyer, the motion passes unanimously.

Thank you. So that brings us to public comments on any items that are not on the agenda. And I currently have two cards here. So we'll start with Marjorie Ruiz, followed by Patrick Cavanaugh.

Honorable Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Council members and staff. Hello members of the public. I am Marjorie Ruiz. I remain your faithful PG&E senior government relations rep serving all of San Mateo County. I would love to talk to you tonight about helping keep your community safe. I am so sorry about the peer. I'm thankful that PG&E could respond as quickly as it did. But I'd like to talk to you about non-emergency safety issues and ways that we can invite the public into reporting these issues. I'm going to say this at the outset and I'll probably say it a couple of more times. Please hear me. What I'm about to introduce is not a replacement for 911. If you see it down the power line, please walk away. If you smell gas, please call 911. However, if you are a member of the public or anyone in general and you're walking down the street and you seem to think you see a pole, anything that might be PG&E related and it causes concern for you, PG&E would love to hear from you. So as you know, part of our safety toolkit at PG&E includes drones, inspections, cameras, helicopters, but we also have the Reported app. And what that Reported app does, it's available for Android and Apple. It's also available as a desktop version. It's incredibly easy to use. If you Google it, it'll be the first or the second result, PG&E Reported app. And what it does is you can snap a picture, submit it to the PG&E Public Safety Team, and the PG&E Public Safety Team will reach back out to you. And they will let you know the status of the issue, they'll let you know if anyone else in the area has reported the issue, and then they'll follow all the way through to conclusion. So it's incredibly easy to use. Please allow me to repeat myself. It's available for Android, it's available on the Apple Store, it's available on the computer for web desktop version. It's incredibly easy to use. It is not a replacement for 911. However, as we head into storms or as we get through this fire season, it doesn't quite feel like fire season here in Pacifica today. But as we traverse this season, it's incredibly useful. If anyone is concerned about a tree, a power line, anything PG&E related, I invite members of the public to use this. It's just another added layer of safety protection that everyone can use. Please reach back out if you have any questions. You all know how to find me. PG&E Report It app, first or second result in Google, incredibly easy to use. I cannot say enough about it. Thanks, everyone.

Thank you. So PG&E Report It is what I heard. And I'll just take a minute to, I know we're not supposed to respond, but thank you for all your work and PG&E's work in the midst of the pure emergency. You all were so very responsive. Thank you. Patrick, and then Kimberly Finale.

Good evening, honorable mayor, vice mayor, council. My name is Patrick James Cavanaugh, executive director of Pacific Beach Coalition. It's been two weeks since I've last seen you. We've been busy, not quite as busy as you all, but we've had a couple events, a couple cleanups. Just this past weekend, we had Esplanade. with some new teens joining our Pelican Squad Junior Teen Site Captain program, which is great. We have 10 graduating this year, and we're trying to replace them all and keep expanding that program. We were also at Lindemar with Surf Rider Foundation joined us for our cleanup. They had about 100 people joining our regular volunteers and finding all kinds of detritus. There's more coming, as you know. Pretty soon is July 4th. There is the Safe and Sane Fireworks Program that Pacific has run for a while that we partner with you all and the police department to coordinate the outside groups that have a responsibility to do cleanup after they do the sales. And we are encouraging everyone to join us on July 5th from 8 to 10 a.m. We'll be at three different sites to pick up all that garbage that people are blowing up into the sky to celebrate our country's 250th anniversary. It's going to be, I think, 12 groups this year. It's interesting. I did have a question. Maybe the council will know about this, but the Safe and Sane Fireworks Program does say it's legal to fire fireworks through July 5th, not up to July 5th. And the fact that July 5th is a Sunday this year means that we might have the rocket's red glare going over us as we're trying to pick it up. So a question about that. But in the meantime, please, everyone, while you're celebrating the 250th year of America, celebrate responsibly, celebrate safely, and may the spirit of our celebrations last longer than the detritus thereof. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you, Patrick. Thanks for all your work. Kimberly Finnelli is my last card from the room.

Good evening. My apologies for not hearing your response to my question before I actually asked it. So I'm sorry I didn't actually hear that. But nonetheless, Kimberly Finale, Pacifica resident. And here we are again. unplanned and unmanaged retreat. The emergency destruction of the Chit Chat Cafe, another example of what happens when an elected body, and therefore the city, refuses to plan ahead for the imminent future. Mother Nature called, and she wants her coastline back. Like it or not, it's happening. And like it or not, she will continue. Like Father Time, the choices of Mother Nature are not ours. We can choose to work with or against her. But the outcome will be the same. She will win. How many millions of dollars have been spent by this city, I mean our taxpayers, on studies, planning, revising plans, more studies, more roundtables, more study sessions, more outreach? For what? A plan that can never come to be. For what? To silence the no managed retreat drumbeat? It's time not only to get with the times, but also save our taxpayer dollars by simply planning ahead for the inevitable. If there wasn't a sign before, it's glaring now. Begin the nature-based solution of pulling back infrastructure from the shoreline in preparation of returning the coast to its natural state, because it will continue to happen. She will continue to take it back, one emergency at a time. Thank you.

Thank you, Kimberly. Do we have any raised hands?

There are no raised hands. Okay.

With that, I'll close public comment. City Manager, I know you were planning to give an update on the July 4th, or someone from staff was at some point. I don't know if now is the time or you wanted to do that later, since we had a specific question about whether they were allowed on July 5th while the Beach Coalition is cleaning.

I am prepared to give an update. If Council would like it, we can do it now, and we'll also push it out through our social media.

Okay. Yeah, is counsel okay with that? It's helpful while we have the audience members here instead of late at the end of the meeting.

The more often the message is delivered, the more likely it is to spread.

Okay.

And, Sean, maybe it's just me, but if you could possibly move the mic closer to you. Yes. I appreciate that.

So we do have an update on 4th of July activities. Overview, illegal fireworks pose, oh, can you, could you raise the graphic? Illegal fireworks pose significant public safety, property and environmental risks in Pacifica and across California, particularly given our heightened fire danger. Ahead of the July 4th holiday, the Pacifica Police Department launched a comprehensive prevention and public awareness strategy to deter illegal fireworks activity. So that public awareness includes early repeated messaging. Safety information will be distributed across social media. police department city websites and local news outlets so residents receive the safe and sane message multiple times before July 4th. A lighted message board on State Route 1 to alert visitors and residents that illegal fireworks are prohibited and violators are subject to a $1,000 administrative fine. We also have posters at public locations. They look like this. and we have some here as well. And we will be having those posters posted at the community center, library, and other high traffic public sites, and they also include the, we also have posters that identify the distress that illegal fireworks cause to animals and to veterans living with PTSD, and host the show Pay the Dough, which is the one I just illustrated, to promote the a legal fireworks social host ordinance and consequences with its $1,000 fine. And then messaging is amplified through Connect with Pacifica weekly newsletter. And then the police department is actively engaging with schools, homeowners associations, and neighborhood groups to help spread this safety messaging ahead of the holiday. And that residents are being directed to public firework shows and community events as legal, safer options for celebrating. These measures demonstrate the city's commitment to public safety and wildfire prevention. Protecting Pacifica is a collective responsibility. Remain vigilant, report illegal fireworks promptly, and refrain from using them so we can all celebrate safely. And we'll continue to expand this message through all of our distribution channels.