City Council - Regular Meeting

It is now 6.02 p.m., and I wanted to call the meeting to order. City Clerk Coffey, could we get a roll call, please?

Council Member Espinosa? Here. Council Member Beer? Here. Council Member Beckmeyer?

Present.

Vice Mayor Wright?

Present.

Mayor Bowles? Here. Thank you. So for anyone new in the meeting tonight, I want to remind you that if you're parked in the lot out here, you need to have a parking pass on your car, and those can be found downstairs. And for anyone who's new to public commenting at the meeting, there are yellow cards in the back. So there's an opportunity to comment on each item on the agenda, plus an opportunity to comment on anything not on the agenda. So you'll just need to write the topic there. And I'm going to start by reading just a statement about commenting at meetings. And this is partly because of our previous Zoom bombing, just to get ahead of what can and can't be discussed at our meetings. So public meetings are a limited public forum, meaning that 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 and identifying comments not related to the agenda item or not within the subject matter of jurisdiction of the city. Thank you. And then I'll start by reading the land acknowledgement. The City of Pacifica acknowledges that we occupy the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramatushaloni peoples, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. We honor the Ramatushaloni peoples for their enduring commitment to Mother Earth, As the indigenous protectors of this land, and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramaytush Ohlone 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 Ramaytush Ohlone peoples. Councilmember Muir, could I get you to lead us in the salute to the flag?

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. And I see the city attorney making her way back just in time. Do we have a closed session report? No reportable action? Okay, thank you so much. And then just before we start with our special presentations, I'd like to suggest we make one change to the agenda, and that's to move staff communications to right after the special presentations before the consent agenda. Do I need a vote on that, Sarah?

Yes.

Okay. So moved. Okay.

Second.

Okay, please vote.

Great. Thank you. That motion to move staff communications after special presentations before consent made by Councilmember Beer and seconded by Councilmember Wright passes unanimously. Great.

Thank you. We get to start our meeting today with two beautiful proclamations. The first one is in honor of an artist and distinguished resident in our community, Roland Peterson, in honor of his 100th birthday. If you're willing, Roland, if you feel comfortable, you can sit where you are or if you'd like to go to the podium and you can bring your wife and your granddaughter with you. Or you can stay right there. We'll read it and then we'll let you come up. Sarah's bringing him a microphone. Oh, awesome. Thank you so much, Sarah.

Don't we have a good city clerk?

Okay. So this is a proclamation of the City of Pacifica in recognition of Roland Peterson's 100th birthday. Whereas Roland Peterson, United States Navy veteran, acclaimed painter associated with the Bay Area figurative movement, UC Davis Professor Emeritus, cultural philanthropist, and longtime Pacifica resident celebrated 100 years of life and artistic contribution on March 31st, 2026. And whereas Roland Peterson was born in Denmark in 1926 and emigrated to the United States as a young adult serving in the U.S. Navy during the Battle of Iwo Jima, he then studied at UC Berkeley, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the California College of Arts and Crafts, and was a founding member of the UC Davis Art Department, where he taught painting, photography, printmaking, and art history for 40 years until his retirement in 1996. And whereas Peterson met his wife, photographer and artist Carol Ritter Peterson, at Dillon Beach in 1985, The couple has resided in their Pacifica home studio since 2002, where Peterson still spends time painting each morning and afternoon. Whereas Peterson's use of saturated colors, thick layered pigment, and strong geometric forms integrate still life figures and landscapes, into beautiful compositions with an aura of timelessness, described by the artist as an almost nostalgic loneliness, where the figures are being separated by space, but still relate to one another. And whereas Peterson's masterful synthesis of abstract expressionism, painterly realism, and advanced color theory inspires institutional and private collectors across the country, including the Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. And whereas Peterson has generously donated multiple works to the Jan Schramm and Maria Manetti Schramm Museum of Art at UC Davis, the El Verhooy Museum of History and Art in Solvang, California, and the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in South San Francisco. And whereas Roland Peterson's distinguished academic career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1963 and a Fulbright Fellowship in 1970, and decades-long contributions to American fine art, inspires all who encounter his unique, energetic, figurative works. Now, therefore, I, Christine Bowles, Mayor of the City and on behalf of the City Council and the City of Pacifica, and all its citizens do hereby recognize the outstanding contributions of Roland Peterson and extend our sincere congratulations and best wishes for many more happy and productive years.

Thank you very much.

Would you like to say a few words to us and the audience and everyone tuning in remotely today, Mr. Peterson?

I love Pacifica.

Well, I'll take comments from the council and then the public, and then we can come up and take a picture with you and your family, if you're willing, and present you with the proclamation.

So, council members? Hi. Hi, I'm Mary. Sir, it's very nice to meet you. I'm really happy that you're here, and happy birthday. What a beautiful way to start your day by painting. You know, I think I should probably do that every morning now. Because I know what it does for my soul, and I see what it has done for yours. So thank you for your contributions, this beautiful art, and for being with us. And I feel emotional, but I'm really happy to meet you. Thank you so much for being here, and happy birthday.

Thank you.

Hi, my name is Greg Wright. And I was fortunate enough to go down to your opening, and I remember walking in and being mesmerized by one of your pieces and the feeling that it gave me. It just uplifted my whole spirit. And from piece to piece to piece, by the end I left there, I was almost like high. And I just wanted to say that what... What you put on paper has a huge effect on everyone out there, and I want to thank you very much for that. Thank you for being part of Pacifica, and I look forward to many more editions. Thank you.

Happy birthday, Roland. My name is Mayra Espinosa. I love your painting. They're beautiful. And actually, my grandfather lived until 105. But he wasn't painting like you are. So happy birthday.

Thank you.

I'm so pleased to have the opportunity for our community who's here and our community who's viewing to get to know you just a tiny bit. And I feel like that's what I've had the pleasure and the grace to be able to do over the last few weeks and months. Let me tell you, there are hundreds, thousands of paintings that are out in the public realm. And Sue Vaterlass, former mayor and council member, thank you for giving me the heads up about the Kaiser painting. South San Francisco Kaiser, and also I understand San Francisco Kaiser. So local, so close by. And the gallery studio shop gallery in Burlingame, right over the hill. I was very excited to learn that there's also presently an exhibit in Solvang. Christine, did you memorize how to say that name? In Solvang?

No.

Elverhoy Museum of History and Art. Thank you. And it's happening right now. And there will be a permanent installation, I understand, because of contributions that you've made to that museum and to so many others. So thank you for all that you've given to us, to the world, and to Pacifica. Thank you.

And I just want to start by thanking Burlingame Council Member Donna Colson for bringing your wonderful art to our attention, to Sue Beckmeyer for coordinating with Donna and bringing forth this proclamation. these beautiful art pieces of yours that we're seeing before us today. I understand you were in a motorcade too with our police escorting you here. So you'll have to tell us a little bit about that because that's pretty special. And I'm sure because of your honorable service to our country and the Navy as well. These pictures are moving pretty quickly, but I want to make sure everybody saw the handsome young guy in one of them. And that was a photo taken by Ansel Adams, which is quite impressive. So I'm sorry, but you're going to need the microphone again because we need to know a little bit more about this background here in these stories. We're so honored to have you with us. Thank you for sharing your life here in Pacifica and our community. I do have a few cards of public comments, but would you like to say anything else or would your family members like to before we take public comment?

Ansel Adams was taking photographs of the faculty at the University of California, Davis. And I happened to be on that day that he was photographing, so that's the photograph that he took of me.

And did you like your police escort? I want to get it all out of you.

I liked that very much. That was quite an honor.

Thank you. Thank you, police, Pacifica police. Okay, I have two cards. And, again, if anybody else would like to make a comment tonight, there are yellow cards in the back of the room. So we'll start with Erin Macias, who I understand is your neighbor, and then Sue Bauerloss. All right.

I am Erin Macias. I have the privilege of living next door to Roland and Carol. We were completely blessed by the neighbor lottery, let me tell you. I want to tell you, as the police motorcade left, I got a text, a frantic text message from Jen, who said, why are the police taking Roland away? But I just wanted to say thank you. We are so blessed to have you in our lives, and I know this community is very grateful. I just wanted to read a short poem that I thought you might appreciate. This is by Ansel Adams. Art is both love and friendship and understanding, the desire to give. It is not charity, which is the giving of things, but It is more than kindness. It is more than a passing gesture. It is the true communication of our deepest insights, of our recognition of the beauty of the universe. Thank you, Roland.

Thank you, Erin. Sue Valderlas.

Hi. My name is Sue Valderlas, and I had the pleasure of meeting Carol and Roland in 2002, when they first moved here, and they're both such wonderful people. And there was a picture of Roland up there, which is how I see him all the time, which is that big, laughing, smiling, grinning happiness. I was in Sacramento at the convention center and I looked up on the wall and I went, oh my God, that's a Roland Peterson. It was as big as the wall, a huge giant painting, and I had to go find out, and of course it was. And now I go to Kaiser so much that I walk down those halls, and first I was shocked, and then I walked, and I walked more halls so I could see more paintings. there's a secret that Carol is in almost all of those paintings. He's painted her in them. So they're just special, special people, special art, wonderful. And thank you for loving Pacifica.

Thank you, Sue. So that's the last card I have, and there are no comments online. Okay, well, we'll come up and take a picture if you're willing to Stand up for just a couple minutes with us.

Or we can stand behind you. Yeah? Okay. No, just stay there.

Just stay there. They'll come behind.

I forgot it's a birthday. Thank you. Ready? One, two, three. One, two, three. One more. One more.

Thank you.

I'll just wait a second for two council members to come back. Okay, we have one more special presentation for tonight if I could get everyone's attention again, and oh look I see a big one beautiful crowd coming to the podium So this is a proclamation for the City of Pacifica and recognition of Parks and Recreation Month Thank you for being here Scott with your beautiful staff and

Give them a minute.

Yeah. You have a way of making everybody smile, Anthony. You just can't help yourself. I love it. Okay, well, I'm going to start by reading the proclamation, and then I'll invite you to speak, Scott, and introduce your staff. Okay, if I could please have quiet in the room. Thank you. Okay, whereas parks, beaches, and recreation services are an essential part of the City of Pacifica, supporting the health, well-being, and quality of life for residents and visitors alike. And whereas the National Recreation and Park Association, NRPA, has designated July 2026 as Park and Recreation Month with the theme, The Power of... Celebrating the Impact of Parks and Recreation. Whereas, the City of Pacifica's Parks, Beaches, and Recreation Department provides a wide range of inclusive and enriching programs including youth and senior services, licensed child care, summer camps, enrichment classes, cultural events, and community celebrations. And whereas Pacifica's parks, facilities, beaches, and trails provide opportunities for residents and visitors to stay active, connect with nature, and experience the unique character of our coastal community. And whereas parks and recreation in Pacifica reflect the power of connection and community by creating spaces where relationships grow, cultures meet, and people gather to celebrate and support one another. Whereas PB&R programs demonstrate the power of play and well-being by fostering creativity, lifelong learning, physical activity, and overall health for people of all ages. And whereas Pacifica's natural spaces highlight the power of nature and belonging by preserving ecological beauty, supporting environmental sustainability, and providing welcoming spaces where all feel valued and connected. And whereas the City of Pacifica proudly recognizes the power of the people, including the dedicated parks, beaches, and recreation staff, and volunteers whose commitment, creativity, and service bring programs to life, care for public spaces, and strengthen the health, connection, and well-being of the community. Now, therefore, I, Christine Bowles, on behalf of the City Council of the City of Pacifica and all its citizens, hereby recognize July 26 as Parks and Recreation Month, and all residents are encouraged to experience and celebrate the power of parks and recreation throughout the community. Hey.

THANK YOU, HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, FOR RECOGNIZING JULY AS PARK AND RECREATION MONTH AND FOR CELEBRATING THIS YEAR'S THEME, THE POWER OF PARKS AND RECREATION. ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE PB&R DEPARTMENT, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING THE ROLE PARKS AND RECREATION PLAYS IN HEALTH, CONNECTION, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR COMMUNITY. THIS PAST YEAR, NEARLY 23,000 MEALS ON WHEELS WERE DELIVERED VERY FAST TO A BUNCH OF WONDERFUL FOLKS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, OVER 120 HOMEBOUND OLDER ADULTS. along eight routes with 65 dedicated volunteers. Our licensed child care program served over 417 families, an increase over last year, showing the continued importance of dedicated child care for our Pacifica families. The Gene E. Brink Pool hosted over 580 swim lesson enrollments this past year, along with serving recreation lap swimmers, water aerobics, and competitive teams. Our wonderful and dedicated special events team brought thousands of people together through our epic adventure, our fun fest, the Boo Bash, Polar Palooza, Junior Olympics, and most recently our 4th of July celebration. I want to thank the PB&R staff, some of whom are behind me, for their creativity, flexibility, and care for which they bring their work. much of which happens behind the scenes, but the impact is felt throughout Pacifica every day, thanks to our many volunteer and community partners who deliver meals, support events, coach and teach, and give their time to strengthen our programs and services, and of course to our Parks, Beach, and Recreation Commission for their leadership, advocacy, and their feedback and community support. the community outreach to the whole city. I just thought very quickly, I'd take a moment. It is July now. Often we do this in June before July, but today is actually in July. And I thought, why not just take a snapshot of what a director gets to see in the city of all the wonderful things that the department does and the community does. And here are just a few things in my lovely day. I got to talk about priority parks. We're redoing four parks within the community. Got to talk about a wedding that happened this weekend over at our wonderful beach. And then the reception came over our community center. The thought that there was over 400 children being served by our child care services just today alone, another 100 children who are either at our Wet and Wild or our Adventure Camp program, seeing a whole bunch of ping pong playing seniors who I run into every single day with super enthusiasm, which are then followed at some point by our dance classes. I got a chance to talk to lifeguards. I got to talk to the PBR commissioner about trees today. There was a Lego camp right down from my office, and boy, were they enthusiastic. Talk about a bunch of happy kids. There's a skate park camp right outside my window. I get to see them put on their helmets and pads and roll around. And all the surfers who get to wave at my window as they go off and to enjoy the ocean. And it just showcases the true power of parks and recreation in our community, and I'm proud to be part of it. I'm proud to be part of this great team.

Thank you, Scott. Do you want to take a moment to introduce your team that made it out here today, or just quickly?

As always, since I will never mess up their names on TV or for digital recording, I'd like them to maybe introduce who they are and maybe what their jobs are.

Okay, that sounds good. That's very smart. Brilliant.

Stephanie Douglas, Deputy Director.

Hi, Stephanie.

Sabrina Crenn, Administrative Assistant.

Hello, Anthony Shriver, Recreation Supervisor.

Susanna Crook, Administrative Assistant. Mindy Thien, Recreation Supervisor.

Eva Tong, Child Care Assistance Supervisor.

Robert Mills, Recreation Coordinator, Meals on Wheels.

Amber Chong, Recreation Supervisor.

Mitchell Klassen, Recreation Coordinator, Aquatics.

JARED HARDEN, RECREATION COORDINATOR, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SCOTT'S LEARNED MY NAME.

AND, OF COURSE, SCOTT LESSEE, DIRECTOR OF PARK, BEACH, AND RIDGE.

YEAH. AND, OF COURSE, THERE ARE MANY MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE PROBABLY WORKING OR HOME AFTER A LONG, HARD DAY OF LEADING CAMPS AND DOING OTHER WORK FOR THE CITY HERE TODAY. thank you all so much for being here with us as we celebrate this month.

Council members?

I just want to say something. Well, out of everything we do for the city, I think Your job is the most fun. And I'm so happy for what you guys do. When we talk about engaging the community, that's what you guys do. Because this is the only time that we know the city is here when we do those city events. especially we have done so far two for the Fairmont Park and Everybody was there having a good time.

So thank you so much Every time I talk about parks beaches recreation I I Refer to it. It's like the Human Services Department of our city because really it is preschool to seniors and It's homebound. It's meals. I talk about how proud I am and we should all be so proud of our food program and how we have scratch cooking and we have a chef and we use organic food and real cooking every day. We have programming that happens Every time I go to lunch, there's something. There's DJ Ray, or there's a hula thing, or there's some kind of music being played. It's just so uplifting. And then, of course, there's the rummage sales that I somehow managed to just hit the timing perfectly. My husband will say, yay, not. But it's OK. OK. I really thank you all for your dedication and you're always smiling. You're always upbeat. It's really heartwarming. Thank you.

Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for all the work that you do. I've been so fortunate over the past seven and a half years to really get to know a lot of you personally and then to really understand the breadth of the work that happens in Park and Rec. I think that started when I was on the Park and Rec Commission and you really get to know how much work your department does. So thank you, all of you, for so many things. And also for supporting our young people with the Youth Advisory Board. It's really important. And with lights, right, they get a chance to understand, you know, work ethic and be leaders. And then a lot of them get hired. So that is awesome. And of course, everything you do for our seniors. I mean, I can go on and on, but I just really want you to understand how much we appreciate you. Mm-hmm.

It's hard to follow all those great statements. There is so much that you do. My first interaction with your staff was with Anthony, of all people, many, many years ago, trying to arrange fields for a soccer tournament. And just the way that he worked with us is representative of the way all your staff seems to work with our community. whether it's trying to get your swerve on, get a little glide in your stride, or literally having a slide to slide on. You guys have just been amazing. From those preschool-aged people to our seniors, you cover the gambit. And I just want to tell you, your leadership and what has happened with your staff is so admirable. Our community is lucky to have you. Thank you.

Yeah. And while your job looks really fun on the outside, because we see the product of what you're doing, we know how much hard work that goes behind. We just recently learned how good you are with spreadsheets and finances, Scott, which none of this would happen without. So it really takes a whole team with various skills to pull this off and make it look easy and all look fun. So I really, really want to thank you. And it was very obvious in our recent council meetings, you know, as we're talking about some hard budget cuts and perhaps closing the pool and perhaps not having lights for pickleball courts, how important these things are to our community and, you know, the pool especially, the variety of ages it serves and, you know, for a coastal community where our kids had really better learn to swim because it's, you know, it's got to protect their lives, right, as well. So just want to thank you for all you do. I had the best time at the 4th of July. Usually I come alone because my kids are grown up, but I got to come with some family from Philadelphia that had an eight-year-old. Oh my God, to see all of that from the eyes of a child who's just excited to go do the sack races and things like that, it was really a delight. So thank you for all of that. So we'd really love to take a picture with you. I also want to thank Sue for bringing this up. I see some PB&R commissioners in the room too who who also provide the input and oversight, you know, from the public point of view into all these programs and what the community really needs. So I want to invite all of you up for a picture with us. Thank you. No public comment, right? Oh, public comment. Well, I'll do that after.

Okay. Okay. I just didn't know. I didn't remember. Thank you so much.

I love you, too.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So I don't have any cards on this item. If anyone would like to speak to PB&R and all the wonderful work they do, you can come up to the microphone and fill out a card afterwards. And we don't have anyone online. I don't see anyone coming up maybe. Okay, we'll close public comment. So we'll move on to staff communications.

Thank you very much. Good evening. Sean Sherpent here, city manager. And I'd like to give an update on... We're not hearing you very well. You're not hearing? Is that better?

Yes. Better? Thank you.

Okay. I'd like to give an update on both the pier and also the beach parking lot.

So I'm going to ask everyone, we have a rule that we kind of let it go with the proclamations, but we're trying not to have people clap. If you agree with something that's being said by staff or by each other, we'll ask you to raise your hands and do the silent way for affirmation, and we can see you better that way too. So thank you.

On the pier, we are still in the emergency stabilization phase. We finished the placement of approximately 300 boulders weighing 90 tons around the abutment. These boulders were removed from south of the pier, and we are planning to replace them with new boulders south of the pier before the winter storms. The boulders slowed down the destabilization of the pier, but we need a more robust emergency solution to stabilize the abutment and the first span to conduct the necessary investigation and analysis needed to determine an ultimate solution to the destabilization of the pier. A more robust emergency solution is exceedingly challenging in this environment because of the need to perform construction right at the surf line. To assist in that analysis, last week we brought out specialized drone and radar operators to help us to investigate the abutment and the structure and to give us a better picture of what's there. Another issue that is paramount is also the protection of the street behind the abutment and we are looking at analysis that will help us determine if there is risk to the street behind the abutment. We're working with our engineer, GHD, to employ a maritime construction firm to continue the emergency investigation and stabilization of the abutment in the first span and hope to be able to update the community and council within a few weeks in regards to that effort. In terms of the emergency proclamations and a request for state assistance, on June 12th, we submitted a request to the governor to declare a state of emergency and technical and financial assistance. In late June, we had two meetings with Cal OES, including a site visit, and we've been responding to their questions and are waiting to hear from them. We are continuing to renew our emergency proclamation, and the County Board of Supervisors will renew their emergency proclamation, I believe, on August 11th. In terms of other issues, we know that the loss of chit-chat and the restrooms is a significant loss to the community. We are looking at finding temporary replacements for the restrooms. So we are working on a contract with a firm called Throne to add a restroom in the vicinity. That's their corporate name. This will not be available until September. So in the meantime, we're also working on procuring and siting porta potties in the vicinity to bridge the gap. During the budget process, I'll just note we did include budget for two thrones, one for the pier and one for Fairmont. Because they'll be using different funding sources, the one for the Fairmont Park will move forward to Council for Council adoption in August, we believe. We are working on expanding our communication efforts and recently added the pier as a specific box under Connect to Pacifica. I know it's a little bit complicated to describe verbally, but we do have a webpage where we ask people to provide their email and then indicate what topics they'd like to receive updates on. And we've recently added the peer, and we'll be distributing that new method. And because of that, we will reach out to people who sign up for those updates whenever we update the peer website. And we'll be distributing that new method information channel over email and social media this week and That concludes my update on the pier My next update has to do with the beach parking lot at Linda Mar and as a little bit of background in November of 2025 the city pursued an emergency closure of the overnight parking at the beach parking lot and due to access and vandalism concerns and issues. We received communication from the Coastal Commission that objected to that closure, so we reversed course in November. At the time, the Coastal Commission advised us to pursue a regular permit, CDP permit, for the amendment of those hours to introduce an overnight closure. We are working on that permit application, the CDP permit, to move forward with an overnight closure of those lots and plan to submit that to the Coastal Commission by the end of this month. In addition, recently, the Coastal Commission staff have been communicating with city staff and members of the community about the viability of or the desirability of also applying for an emergency permit that would allow us to, if approved, allow us to close the parking lot on an overnight basis during the period when the Coastal Commission is reviewing our formal permit. And we are also, based on that guidance from the Coastal Commission, we also plan to submit a separate emergency permit for the overnight closure at the time when we submit the the permanent, sorry, the regular application for that overnight closure.

Thank you so much. That's super helpful. And I'll just say, I know we have a lot of public comments on this issue, and because this item is not on the agenda, we're not really allowed to discuss it today, but we're happy to take your comments and appreciate the update. Did you have one more?

JUST FOR THE RECORD, WHAT I MENTIONED ON THE BEACH PERMIT IS ALSO RECENTLY BEEN POSTED FOR THE RECORD, SO IT IS PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD AND THE DIALOGUE NOW ON THE CITY OF PACIFICA'S WEBSITE.

SO IF YOU SEARCH PACIFICA FOR THE RECORD, YOU'LL FIND THAT DOCUMENT ONLINE. THANK YOU. WE HAVE ONE MORE ITEM BEFORE WE GO TO GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT, AND THAT IS OUR CONSENT CALENDAR. There are 13 items on that. Would any council members like to pull anything off consent?

I didn't want to pull anything. I just had a comment on one item.

Okay.

Do you want to do that now? Sure. Item 13, I just wanted to say how grateful I am and happy I am that Ray Dominguez is coming to back as a retired annuitant working with Public Works. I think his institutional knowledge in the many years he worked here before he retired will be really helpful to the staff, and I appreciate that that's possible.

Yeah, thank you. Okay, seeing no one wanting to pull, again, I don't have any cards. If anybody wants to comment on the 13 items on consent, you can come up now, fill out a card later. Are there any online? Seeing none, I'll close that. If there are no other questions, comments, I'll entertain a motion. I move to approve the consent calendar.

Second.

The motion to approve the consent calendar made by Council Member Beer and seconded by Vice Mayor Wright. The vote passes unanimously.

All right. Well, thank you all for being here tonight. I currently have 19 cards in my hand. Sometimes when we have a long agenda, we might cut those comments short, but we have a pretty short agenda tonight, so I'm inclined to give everyone their three minutes, unless I see any objection. I don't see any. Okay. So we'll start with Elizna Van Zyl, followed by Todd Ewell, and then Cindy Abbott. And I'm just going to ask people, because we have so many of this, it'll take us at least an hour to get through. When I'm calling your name, if you can start to line up so we don't lose time in between. So Elizna, Todd, and then Cindy.

Good evening, council and neighbors. My name is Liz Van Zyl, and my husband and I have been living in Pacifica for the last six years. Our family has loved living here in Pacifica, as I'm sure you all do as well. And I associate happiness when I'm driving down Sharp Park after work, perhaps because I'm leaving the stress of my job as an emergency department pharmacist behind me. I happily anticipate the feeling of arriving home, but as I begin to drive down Fassler, I pass by an ALPR, or automated license plate reader, and my mind imagines the algorithms in the background connecting all my electronics and biometrics together in a digital fingerprint, which will be used to identify me wherever I go. The public street right by one of my favorite local restaurants has another camera. Driving to work the next day, I pass by three more each way. This September, our Pacifica City Council has the opportunity to cancel or renew our city's flock contract, and that's why I urge you, council and police department, to reconsider the intended and unintended implications and consequences of collecting and sharing our data in this manner. Although it's a common flock PR talking point, neither the city of Pacifica nor the police department can fully control who has access to the data that these cameras and microphones continuously collect. ALPRs do not only read license plates, they use AI to map your face, mannerisms, and distinguishing features, as well as the electronics you frequently have together, such as watches, earphones, and laptops. Many have microphones that listen. No individual is an exception to the surveillance, even if your movements are not yet of interest to anyone. Flock cameras have resulted in the wrongful arrest of persons incorrectly identified by AI. They have been used to identify and follow folks without a warrant, stalk partners, and record and stream video of swimming pool and kids' gyms. Live camera and audio access credentials have been reported to be available on the dark web, and according to those that report to know, they are uncomplicated to hack in less than a minute. I remind us that we all have the right from warrantless search, as is guaranteed by the Fourth Amendment. You, our city council, have the regulatory, procurement, and legislative powers to protect our privacy, and you must use them. I implore you to cancel our contract with flock safety when it is up for renewal. Stop this warrantless, indiscriminate, and unconstitutional surveillance of our community. Thank you so much. Thank you. Yeah.

No clapping, please, or I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Okay. Thank you. Todd and Cindy and then Deirdre Martin.

Good evening, Council, Mayor. My name is Todd Ewell, Crespi Drive. I'm encouraged by the report that staff just gave about the Linnemar parking. So... Without going too far off my notes here, I just wanted to share that ever since we had parking permits instated here, I was on PB&R when we did that, great stuff, but I just had to renew my parking permit after, what, 10 some odd years, dropped $80, and I go down and I can't find anywhere to park. So I know there's a much larger issue than parking. There's social, economic, other issues here. So again, I'm encouraged. I don't mean to malign what you were just talking about about the work that's being done there, so I really appreciate that. But we really need to have some equity here. We talk here a lot about equity these days. I go to go surfing at 6 a.m. I can't find anywhere to park. Or I step in something or things like that. So I really, really support you guys in doing something about this. There's environmental issues as well. I've had physical altercations, but... I've walked the other way several times down at the beach when people have been staying there. This is called unstable for whatever reason. I have a 13-year-old daughter. We ride e-bikes down around down there, and sometimes I worry about her. And just other folks in our community, whether they're just folks like myself or kids or whoever it might be, I know a lot of different neighbors of ours here in our community, they don't walk there anymore because they're concerned. And we shouldn't have to live like that. So I really applaud what you guys are doing. I really appreciate that. I would just state as well, a concern I have is that when I go to Rockaway early, there's a lot of people there sometimes, or even the Crespi lot. So maybe, and I know the Coastal Commission has jurisdiction there too, if I don't like that word, talking about Coastal Commission and our town. So I get concerned that people are going to start moving to Rockaway or Crespi. So just something to consider there. I just applaud you guys' efforts. I really appreciate it. We're one community here, and please work diligently on that. And any help you need from the community, please let us know. We're here to help each other, okay? Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. Cindy Deirdre and then Nancy Tierney.

Hello, Cindy Abbott and I'm speaking tonight as the Executive Director at Sanchez Arts Center. Even though I want to say shout out to our Pacifica community who always comes out and lets us know what's important and speaks for the community that we all love so much and that's why we're all here tonight. And one of the things that we're talking about now is that at Sanchez Art Center, we just opened some new shows this past Friday. And one of them in our East Gallery is in partnership with the Pacifica Land Trust. And the Land Trust has a remarkable grant project that they're working on right now with regard to delineating possible locations for nature-based solutions along our coast. We can look outside the window here and see that hard armoring and cement and the ocean don't really get along well. But something that does get along well is working with nature to provide resilience, habitat, and to maintain our beautiful beaches that a lot of folks are here tonight to talk about. So this coming Sunday, July 19th, from 2.30 to 4.30, we're having an open house with the exhibition that's called Balancing Act at the Water's Edge. And representatives from the Land Trust will be there to share out about areas that they've identified for possible nature-based solutions. And they're looking for feedback from the community. So we thought we would help out with a different engagement means for them. with some of the renderings that was done by local landscape architect Scott Shoemaker, showing what some areas could look like versus how they are today, kind of crumbling and eroding and what they could be. And so we're excited to show that along with beautiful artwork that shares about our coast and our coastal inhabitants. So I hope folks can join us this coming Sunday, July 19th, from 2.30 to 4.30. at Sanchez Arts Center on Lindemore Boulevard. The following weekend, we have the wonderful Handmade Pacifica. So on Sunday, July 26, from 1 to 5, outside on the campus, we'll also be having the work of lots over two dozen local vendors sharing what they make each year. Lots of wonderful, beautiful, creative ideas. And the exhibitions will be open then, too. So hope to see you the next two Sundays at Sanchez Art Center. Thanks.

Thank you, Cindy. Deirdre, Nancy, and then Stephanie Phillips.

Hi. Hey, everyone. Hey, honorable council folk. Thanks for having me this evening. I'm here for two reasons. First thing, I will put my Pacific Beach Coalition hat on. It is July 5th report. We had cleanups. Thank you to the city staff and everyone who was out helping us. We had a ton of folks on July 5th, 127 to be exact, at all of our local beaches. We got 4,980 pounds of trash. I'm a site captain here at Sharp Park. for the last 17 years. It was an interesting cleanup. One of the fireworks that we got exploded mylar. And we haven't pinned it down that it actually came from our vendor. So we're going to do a little bit more investigation on that. And if it does turn that out, that it was, I think it's TNT, we're going to probably come back to council on that. The Boy Scouts specifically said, we want to start a petition because they spent two hours picking up tiny pieces of mylar. A couple other things. There was a report from Lindemar, not enough trash cans, they were overflowing. Some of them were melted because they were plastic, so recommendation of them being metal. Also, I'm just a messenger, along San Pedro Creek Terrace Road, hundreds of pounds of illegally lit fireworks were actually delivered to our cleanup, which, awesome, it didn't go in the creek. but we should probably schedule an actual cleanup over there next year and maybe do a little bit more regulation over there. So I'll have a little bit more information as we continue on. We still have another cleanup. I had 66 people again over here this weekend. So the July 5th post cleanups still continue. A ton of kids came this year. I was so stoked. So that's awesome. I will put my resident hat on now. taking off my Beach Coalition hat. This is Deirdre Martin, a resident of the city of Pacifica. I just want to talk a little bit about the Safe Parking Program. This isn't a new issue, and I know it has come up because we don't have the money, but I just don't kind of understand. I do feel like it comes hand in hand with what's going on at the beach right now. I just want to talk a little bit about empathy as a superpower. I know it's been a hot topic lately, but it takes work, right? It's an active effort to understand how other people think, behave, or feel rather than a passive emotional reflex. So I'm going to quote Deepak Chopra. Many of you have heard of this writer. But this writer wants you to imagine sitting in a place and watching the entire life story of someone that you disagree with completely. But the idea is that once you see the full context of their circumstances, just try and shift from judgment to understanding. And then go into the ocean and go for a swim. Thanks.

Thank you, Terita. Nancy, Stephanie, and then Greg Gahagan. I'm sorry if I'm mispronouncing it.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name's Nancy Tierney, and I live in Lower Manor District. I'd like to comment on the predicament regarding those in Pacific who are unhoused. I appreciated the recent Coastside News article by Catherine Wheeler about the conflicts involving vehicle dwellers in the Lindemar Beach parking lot. While disheartening to read the harsh comments by some residents and learn about the petition to ban long-term parking, I appreciated the overview of the situation, in particular the stories of vehicle dwellers. One of the things I take away from this piece is the need to address housing availability of all kinds and the need for renter protections. I recognize that Council has debated the continuation of the Safe Parking Program, an effective and by large, safe program for those living in their vehicles. And I recognize that residents in other neighborhoods, including near Oceana High School and Esplanade, have conveyed to council their concerns with vehicle dwellers in their neighborhoods. Of course, we know that this problem of inadequate affordable housing is widespread in the Bay Area, yet it's important to acknowledge the particular burdens on our coastal community notably the lack of affordable housing options and limited transit options. And as many of you know, now that we in Pacifica have the highest number of unhoused residents in San Mateo County, I understand that Mayor and City Manager have communicated with other coastal communities, county staff, and the Coastal Commission about housing options. To state the obvious, there is no single solution, a safe parking program and interim housing should be part of any solution. And to underscore the importance of exploring options with other agencies and communities, some of the best solutions may be regional. Certainly, I hope that the council and city manager can make headway in a multifaceted package of housing solutions for our community. At the same time, I would encourage members of the community to consider why people are living in their vehicles. The answer for many is that there is no other option at the moment. Rather than hurl insults or threaten people living in their vehicles, let's explore alternatives to the current situation. In fact, the situation may call for a bit of humility. Any one of us could land in similar circumstances. Thank you.

Thank you, Nancy. Stephanie, Greg, and then Lorena .

Good evening. Thank you all. I know you don't have an easy job all the time, so I appreciate that. My name's Stephanie Phillips. I'm a resident of Pacifica, a surfer, who's been using the Lindemar Beach since the 80s. I have been in communication with city staff and city council members for over three years on this subject. So I want to just preface that. This has not been something that just reared up last week. And so there's a lot of frustration in this room, as you could imagine. On Friday, I had yet another conversation with the Coastal Commission. And this was after having one back in February and providing the city with a path forward. and nothing's been done. So as you shared, Sean, that there was a path forward to amend the contract or the permit, I don't understand why nothing's getting done. So on Friday, I was given from the Coastal Commission an email that went out to staff a few weeks ago that said, hello all, since our meeting on June 8th, we have increasingly been receiving complaints from folks who are upset about the situation at the Lindemar parking lots, as I'm sure you have as well. I understand you have been working on submitting a CDP amendment, which is the permit for the beach, to the 2019 permit to allow an overnight closure. But that seems to be taking longer than anticipated. So even the Coastal Commission is like, what is going on? As the situation seems to be escalating, if the city considers this to be an emergency, an emergency permit can be appropriate to the temporary closure of the lots overnight while we continue to work on your other amendment. I'm gonna stop there for brevity, but they also noted that you're not exercising your rights on violations that could be being cited in the lots. So that's also frustrating. I feel like my city's failed me. You know, I have empathy. I spent many years building affordable housing. I'm not somebody who's doesn't, you know, I'm not trying to kick the can down the curb, but the can can't live in that parking lot. That's the problem. They're not getting their RVs serviced. It's not like they have somebody come by and take the sewage and things out of the... All right. Thank you.

Thank you, Stephanie. No, that was a... Please no clapping. I'm sorry. I'm going to really have to enforce this.

Yeah. And before you say anything, we really can see you better. Like when you hold up your hands, I can see each and every one of you. So it might seem weird, but it works. Okay.

Greg, Lorena, and then April Schneider.

Thank you so much for letting government happen and letting us all talk. I want to thank you first for all that you do. I know as city council members, you don't make a ton of money, yet the demands that are placed on you are pretty heavy. So I don't think that most people know that you get probably less than 20 grand apiece, and you probably work close to a full-time job. So thank you for all that you do. I'm going to apologize in advance. I spent today crafting the most magical speech, one that would motivate you, uplift you, feel happiness and pride in your town. But I have to admit, Sean, I'm disheartened. I'm disheartened that, and I'm just going to kind of vent. I'm sorry it's not structured and it's not that motivational speech. I am disheartened that it takes people getting really, really upset and it comes to right before they get up to the mic to say something that something is done. This place is magical. It is a gift that we all get to live here. Mother nature, I mean, I drove up here, I took a photo of what's right out that window today. I live here. I do that quite often because it is magical, it is beautiful. And personally, I feel like a steward. That's how I live my life. And I kind of feel that all of us in this room, myself included, Sean, and everybody else here, on the city council and everybody here to kind of raise the bar a little bit. Maybe we can be leaders. Maybe we can look a little bit forward down the road and maybe not let it come up to the citizens screaming to see something. It is a magical place. I want to raise the bar. One example of raising that bar is not having a campground. If you want to have a campground, that's fine. Make it so. Put in the amenities. Put in whatever you need to make it safe and proper because it's disrespectful to the environment, It's disrespectful to the tourists, to the locals, and it's also disrespectful to the people that are living there. What do they do at 2 a.m. to go use the restroom? It's not there. So it's disrespectful to everybody. Is that a minute? You have one more minute. One more minute. That's exciting. And I'd also, maybe I want to get back to positivity. This place is magical. And I really want us to kind of step it up a little bit. And I appreciate you now making efforts to change things. I don't appreciate that it's taken since November. You tried. Good job. You tried to get things done. Oh, you got a rejection, and now it's July. And we're just now saying at the end of July, we're going to do this thing. When I'm pretty sure you could probably pass an emergency amendment and get a stay for a little bit while you continue to work on the other program if you need that time. Because you've been working on it months and months and months. What are the odds it actually gets done by the end of July? So... I think that's all I want to say, but it is a really magical place. I love everybody here. I love this place so much, and I look forward to raising the bar and having all of you step up and kind of make the bar. Thank you. Thank you.

Lorena, April, and then Janine Dubois.

Good evening. My name is Lorena Melgarejo, and I'm the Executive Director of Faith in Action Bay Area. Many of you may have heard about Faith in Action Bay Area because of the rapid response network that we manage here for San Mateo County. We answer the hotline that supports family members when somebody is detained by ICE. Actually, here in Pacifica, we have A bit over 100 volunteers were U.S.-born citizens from Pacifica who have been trained to support and verify reports and rumors, and it's just been a real big pleasure to be part of this and to visit your city. I do not live here. So with that, we are an organization that is committed to supporting regular, everyday people, especially low-income people, in having their voice heard and organizing to... for the common good, to make their locations better. And I think it's wonderful that you're engaging in conversations about how to best address the situation on the coast side, which is unique around affordable housing being scarce here, which is not that unique in the whole county. I work in many cities with many committees, and this is an issue. Transportation, which is necessary to get back and forth from places, is scarce. And the reality is that all of our economies are dependent on low-income workers. So At the same time, I want to commend the work that Pacifica has done around the safe parking program that has been successful. It is planned. It is a place that is supporting people and helping them to find a forever home. I understand this is a Pacifica issue and at the same time is something that impacts all of San Mateo County and the solution should involve all of us. So I was just here to support you in this process as you move forward. And please reach out to Faith in Action Bay Area with anything that you need in terms of getting the county to also support Pacifica in whatever decision you make to support our community and the Unhoused brothers and sisters. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Lorena. April Schmider, followed by Janine Dubois, and then Asi Gyasi. Mm-hmm.

Good evening, my name is April Schneider. Thank you guys for giving us this opportunity to speak tonight. I know we're not on the agenda. My background here is I've been a real estate broker and developer for over four years. I've worked with the council, the planning commission, I sat on the open space committee for four years. I ran on the board of directors with the Music Foundation and I'm deeply in love with Pacifica. I also had a ranch some of you may have encountered in the back of the valley. We had kids programs, we had programs for the city children. And the thing about Pacifica is it is gracious and it is generous. And the first thing anyone will tell you is if you're in need, any one of these people here will step up. They don't need to know your background. They don't need to know much other than if you're on the side of the road or you're sitting out in front of the grocery store or you're on the beach and you're looking like you're a little confused or lost. The first thing that we're going to do is we're going to ask you if you need help. That's what Pacifica is. It always has been. It's a community of big hearts. Having said that, the beach is where my heart is. And I have spent so much time on all of these beaches, cleaning up, picking up. I don't necessarily go with the organization. Sometimes I do. I think each and every surfer, each and every person who hits the sand in the morning, board in hand when we come out or on our way in or on our way out, we're tucking trash in our wetsuits. We do everything we can. And it is definitely broken our hearts to see the degradation of the lots and the plight of the people. I agree. Greg said it beautifully. It's a disservice to those people. I've talked to some of them. try to engage and find out a bit of their story. But we can't solve everybody's problems. We do what we can. But there has to be a better way for them to live and for us to live with our beautiful beaches and lots and to honor that. Every picture in here, everything about Pacifica is about it. We are Pacifica because of this ocean. So I just thank you again for allowing us to speak tonight. Thank you, April.

So Janine Asty and then Ellen Haig.

Hello, City Council, Mayor Christine Bowles. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to speak. My name is Janine Dubois. I'm a 25-year resident. I came to my first council meeting last month because of the potential closure of the pool. Also last month, Pacifica made headlines because of the pier, the pool, and RV parking problem at Lindemar Beach. As a coastal community, we have a unique opportunity to protect our waterways. The beach has become unwelcoming because of unsanitary conditions, both from the creek and RV permanent parking. I don't want to have to think when was the last time I had a hepatitis B shot every time I get in the water or play poo-poo hopscotch in the sand. There are too many confrontational transients that are taking up beachfront property and and not allowing beachgoers to enjoy. Folks are using the beach for storage. Those folks should probably leave. Van lifers should leave. Who's left? How do we help them? How do we coordinate with the Coastal Commission and help with the common goal of protecting our coastline and remove an environmental blight of black water in our parking lot and beach? Do we have services available for people that are from Pacifica that need housing? I'm here to help. I used to work for the government. Don't let that scare you. But if you need me, I'm retired. I will dedicate my services to this effort. Thank you. Thank you, Janine.

So I see I have First, sorry, Ellen, you're next. And then Marsha Murphy.

Thank you, Mayor and City Council members, for allowing us to speak. I had a whole speech as well prepared, but what I think frustrated me most out of the past two years about the beach parking lot is having to call the police department and them telling me there's nothing we can do. I'm not an expert on police matters, but having read the past couple weeks about the ordinances, it seems that new ordinances were passed on top of other ordinances, and the police have their hands tied at any enforcement at all, whether it's drug use, panhandling, dumping of illegal matters. fecal matters that the Pacifica Surf Camp has had in front of their van this week. So I just would like the city to look over these ordinances and give some power to the police department so they can enforce these laws. When I spoke to the senior code enforcement officer, she advised me, I asked her, why didn't she enforce these laws? And she said, that is not my job. So I'm not really sure what her job would be and who would enforce these, but the police and the senior code enforcement officer. So I urge the city council to please look these over, revise them as needed, so you give some power to the police so they can enforce what's being done illegally in our parking lots. Thank you.

Thank you, Essie. So Ellen, Marsha, and then Sue Holland.

Good evening, Mayor Bowles, City Council, staff, and members of the community. I'm Ellen Haag, a longtime resident of Pacifica and an active leader in Coastside Faith in Action and a former board member of Faith in Action Bay Area. I'm joined with many other members and supporters here tonight. I'm here to make two urgent requests. It's my understanding that Mayor Bowles and Councilwoman Beckmeyer are members of an ad hoc committee working with San Mateo County and Half Moon Bay to continue and expand Pacifica's successful safe parking program, which expires in September 2026. I trust your vision and leadership to successfully meet the needs of all community members, including the unhoused and folks living in RVs. My second request is that you research the serious complaints that have been expressed here tonight about the Lindemar parking lot. I ask that you research fully, find solutions, and take action that addresses the problems, but also makes the needs of Pacifica residents who can only afford to live in an RV until a safe parking program continues or permanent housing is available. So this situation really illustrates the need for a temporary safe parking program and also affordable housing. So I've said here before, we all belong. Thank you. Thank you, Ellen.

Marsha, Sue, and then Joanne Rokowski.

Mm-hmm.

Good evening everybody and I too want to thank you for all your hard work. It's better thee than me. I just wanted to say that in support of the housing program that's maybe defunded, We're a great town. I mean, I've been here for 40 years, and I just love this town. It's great, and it's good-hearted, and all the wonderful things that have been said. And I know we're not a rich place. Lord knows I know that. We're not a wealthy community. But it seems to me we could find 15 parking spots. We could find 15 parking spots for people and support those 15. I know it's a massive problem all over the place and it just seems like such a small thing to do. Anyway, thank you again for all your help, all that stuff.

Thank you, Marcia. Sue, Joanne, and then James Howard.

Good evening, Madam Mayor and Honorable Council Members. I'm Pastor Sue Holland. I live and I serve in Half Moon Bay, and I'm a member of Coastside Faith in Action. As I know that you are painfully aware, especially after listening to all the comments tonight, homelessness and the lack of affordable housing are major issues here on the coast. I regularly have desperate people stop by my office asking me for help. asking me for help in finding a place to sleep that night, a place where they can park their RV or they can park their car. It is a really big problem. There are lots of people out there in need, and quite frankly, they don't have any options, and so they are forced to do things that irritate the rest of the community. I'm here tonight to encourage you to continue the safe parking program that the City of Pacifica has been running for the past three years. Pacifica's safe parking program, it provides wraparound services that help people move into permanent housing, and it addresses the issues of the waste removal, which is a real concern that has been raised tonight. This program has been very successful. It's rehoused 38% of its participants. It gives people a path to permanent housing, and it helps the community by addressing the waste issues and some of the other issues. Instead of letting this program come to an end, I really feel like it needs to be continued, but also refined and then used as a model for other communities up and down the coast. So thank you for all of your hard work, and I'm looking forward to seeing it continue. Thank you. Thank you, Sue.

Joanne, James, and then Kimberly Finale.

Good evening, city council members and city staff. The recent one-day homeless count identified Pacifica as having the highest unhoused population in the entire county. And we know, and it's been said already tonight, that some people turn to living in an RV when they either can't find or can't afford housing. So I applaud your recent efforts as city council members and staff to temporarily extend the successful Pacifica Safe Parking Program while you search for housing. long-term solutions. And I also understand the many challenges you are facing currently as you try to balance the needs of people who are struggling, who are unhoused, and of people who are long-term residents, and of the needs of our environment. I am a member of Coastside Faith in Action and a member of Faith in Action Bay Area. Our collective values call us to support our neighbors who struggle. That's the work we do as organizations. And much of the struggle revolves around housing. Most of the unhoused neighbors up and down the coast are long-term working or retired coastsiders. They're our neighbors. And there's not enough housing right now that is both safe and affordable. So where are people to go? Many of them turn to RVs. My brother is visiting me this week. He is intellectually disabled. And he thinks kind of like a third grader. Sometimes he thinks like a kindergartner. But last night, I told him I needed to go to a meeting tonight because some people were complaining about the people living near them who didn't have enough money to live in regular homes. His response was, that's terrible. People should be more kind and helpful. So that's what his faith taught my brother, whose mental capacities are very limited. I couldn't say it any better. Thank you.

Thank you, Joanne. James, Kimberly, and then Aaron Macias.

My name is James Haywood, Pacifica resident, former PB&R commissioner, council members, fellow surfers, and community members. I'm here to express my extreme frustration with the seeming lack of action by the city in addressing the growing problem of people taking permanent residence in a variety of often disheveled vehicles, their contents trash and at times gray and black water, spilling into the public areas of our beach parking lots. Further, some of these individuals at times are hostile, unreasonable, showing signs of substance abuse and or mental illness. This is public space to be shared by all, but these individuals refuse to leave, taking parking spots that residents and visitors are vying for, especially on busy holiday weekends. I've bought a parking pass for years now. Very often I cannot find a spot to park. I drive past people utilizing multiple spots with their RVs. One person in lot B has an enormous RV, illegally parked for several months, also has a personal vehicle and at times two taxi cabs. So are they operating a business on public property while storing company vehicles? I've looked. No permit, no stickers on those cabs. Another squatter has his jalopy RV and orange Subaru, left his vehicles for several months while he was out of country on a surf trip. Another spot squatter, who occupies one of three handicapped spots permanently at lot B, watched over his vehicles. She's been in the lot for two years, as has that individual. Another notable couple and their dog, who regularly panhandle at Linda Mar shopping center, these three examples inspired even more people to seek the limited spots available to everyone. None of this makes Pacifica look good, Think of the broken windows theory. I am concerned that too little is being done. Many of us here have been asking for action for quite a long time. We are concerned with the actions of some of these often unstable individuals. We are watching, and we are paying attention to what our local government leaders are doing or not doing. So make this a priority. It's way past time.

Thank you, James. Kimberly, Erin, and then Gloria Stofan.

Good evening, council members, Kimberly Finale, Pacifica resident, and I promise I had nothing to do with all of this. Thank you for your continued dedication to this democratic process. Nationwide, residents are feeling the impacts of lacking employment opportunities, health care, child care, and basic necessities such as housing, food, and clothing. The consequences of this are clear here, locally, in folks which occupy recreational vehicles along our coastline, a space that should be the jewel of Pacifica, but has become, by default, a place to house, without oversight, the unhoused. This poses a direct contradiction to the city's stated goals to attract more residents, more housing, more small businesses, and more tourists while maintaining access to our magical coastline. If we don't shore up our temporary safe parking program and update our oversized vehicle parking ordinance to no overnight parking, the situation we find ourselves in now will only continue to grow and become even more unmanageable. The July 9th Coastside News article titled, A Lindemar Vehicle Dweller Tells Her Story, is the story of one person. One person who has a job or two, yet chooses to live at Pacifica State Beach. Andrea, the vehicle dweller, says she falls into a financial category where she does not qualify for certain benefits, but does earn wages that can support low income living. She lives in a $25,000 van, but cannot afford market rate rent, so chooses to live rent free at the primary entrance to our finest asset, Pacifica State Beach. What the article doesn't mention is if Andrea is on the waiting list for the temporary safe parking program, is utilizing resources offered by Pacifica Resource Center, or why she chooses not to rent an affordable space at the San Francisco RV park. We've got to come up with a plan to not only preserve Pacifica's temporary safe parking program, but expand it so that an overnight, oversized vehicle parking ordinance can be established and enforced. Let's engage the churches, because without an expanded program, we will quickly be overburdened by even more RVs that stake out territory which residents and tourists alike are forced to confront on visits to a coastline that is intended for all. Currently, there are RVs from out of state that have been parked down on Esplanade for months, leaking fluid, reeking of human waste, overflowing public garbage cans, and blocking public right of way. Kindness and compassion can be taken advantage of. At some point, the reality of the situation must guide our decisions. Thank you.

Thank you, Kimberly. Please. No clapping. Sorry. Erin, followed by Gloria, and then Antoinette Cressy.

Good evening, Council and staff. I am Erin Macias of Lindemar. We have one of the most polluted beaches in the nation. This city has the most dedicated volunteers who act as stewards to the environment. There is a reason that this issue is met with sincere frustration. And I'm sorry for the elect and the staff who are on the receiving end of this. This area has tens of thousands of people waiting for housing. It's a lottery. And the harsh reality is very few will get drawn. So the question is, how long are we going to allow someone to camp out in our beach lot? A day? Or six years? Our homeless count has skyrocketed. Why? Because you can land here, get a parking pass and a gym membership, and live beachfront at one of the most scenic beaches in America. There should not be any concessions with the Coastal Commission. We already have a parking program. A city representative stated that 40% have moved to housing. 40% tells me that it's not working. It tells me that working towards housing also must include accountability. And for those who argue for more affordable housing, do you rent out a room in your house below market? Do they park in your driveway? Everyone has a story. Everyone has a story. Hardship is part of the human experience. It helps us to grow. It helps us to change. You can either be taken down or empowered by hardship. It's time for change to occur. Thank you for moving forward with the Coastal Development Permit. I want to know what I can do to help. We as residents want to inspire this change. It is time to close the beach at night.

Good evening City Council members and City staff. My name is Gloria Stofan, longtime resident and homeowner and member of Faith in Action Bay Area and Coastside Faith in Action. Once again, I want to thank you all for extending the Pacifica Safe Parking Program. It has certainly given more time to identify other solutions in hope that the program can be expanded or extended. Add the ad hoc committee and hopefully they can also add more information and solutions. Affordable housing and homelessness are very complex and complicated problems. And with the last county's one day homeless count of 200 plus, Pacifica was noted the highest in San Mateo County, 41% increase. Definitely there's a need in Pacifica. The high housing costs, low affordable vacancies and income inequality, where cost of living exceeds pay increase, all contribute to the housing crisis. Many of us in Pacifica have been advocating the need for low temporary housing with wraparound services. Pacifica Safe Parking Program has proven to be a successful solution for oversized vehicles and RVs. to the housing crisis, and to lose it will be a great loss, not only to our community, but to our coastside neighbors, especially the unincorporated areas of El Granada and Princeton. It's important to continue to think regionally on how to expand and or extend this program. A partnership needs to continue with our coastal communities and with the county on how important this safe parking program is to Pacifica and to San Mateo County. Don't let it in. Thank you.

Thank you, Gloria. Anita Reese, and then I have one more card by Monique. I'm sorry, Antoinette first. Thank you. Sorry about that.

Hi. City Council, thank you for having me. I apologize if my, what I have to say is disorganized because I wasn't planning on speaking. But after listening to everyone and listening to both sides, I'm a long time Pacifica resident. I've been here since 1989. And I've been surfing for the last 15 years at Lindemar. I raised my kids at Lindemar Beach. And I do feel compassion for these people. However, they don't belong there. I've listened to these wonderful people from this church organization, and my thought is, why are churches not opening their parking lots at night? They need to be relocated. Our city, our Chamber of Commerce has spent decades promoting Pacifica, building up our beaches, trying to get tourists to come to town, and they have finally come. The beaches are packed every weekend, but we have an encampment. These are not just a couple of homeless people that are staying at our beach. This is turned into an encampment. I have found a syringe on the beach. That is a problem. It's a big problem. So we need to find a way to be compassionate and help our homeless, but at the same time maintain public spaces so that it's safe for our families and for tourists and for surfers, for everyone to be at the beach. Thank you.

Thank you, Antoinette. Anita Reese? Monique? and then Peggy O'Grady.

Hi, Anita Reese with the Pacifica Resource Center. I just wanted to share a couple of updates. We continue to be open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, 9 to 5, Wednesdays 9 to 7, Fridays 9 to 1, and one Saturday a month from 9 to 1. We're closed for lunch, like the city, I think, Monday through Thursday, 1230 to 130. Our next Saturday open office hours are on August 1st. We usually do the second Saturday of the month, but... To get ready for our back-to-school program, we're going to be open on August 1st. We continue to provide groceries weekly at our pantry. We will continue that practice so folks who sign up for our grocery programs can come to the pantry and shop once a week. Through October, at that point, we'll have to see how we can continue that project. Our next grocery distribution, which is off-site, is on July 22nd at the American Legion Hall. That's at 555 Buell. If you haven't already signed up and need groceries, we ask folks to come to the American Legion Hall around 4 o'clock, and we'll provide service then and hopefully sign you up for the next time. Our Unhoused on the Coast outreach team responds to requests for outreach to unhoused folks in Pacifica through Pescadero every day, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., SATURDAY, SUNDAY, AND HOLIDAYS, 9 TO 5. SO IF YOU SEE SOMEONE LIVING OUTSIDE IN VEHICLES, PLEASE EMAIL US AT UCOUTREACH AT PACRESOURCECENTER.ORG, OR YOU CAN CALL US ANYTIME, 650-452-6279. I understand the challenges of having folks who are unhoused sleeping in vehicles. I know that folks are compassionate and have empathy for them, and I also understand the frustration that it causes, but I will continue to encourage compassion and empathy. The folks who are unhoused in Pacifica and along the coast are sons and daughters, they're sisters and brothers, and maybe even parents. And I do not truly believe that they would choose to live in a vehicle if they had another choice. Or a better choice. Or could afford it. But as I mentioned, our back-to-school program is going to... We're enrolling folks now. The soft deadline was July 11th. We will continue to sign folks up for the back-to-school program until... School starts as long as we have capacity. We are providing gift cards for backpacks and school supplies for Pacific youth We so far have a hundred and seven children signed up our goal is 200 as I mentioned we'll continue to provide this service as long as we have the resources to do so. I also wanted to mention our Pommapalooza fundraiser is on September 12th. It's going to be at the Farallon Room at Skyline. Invitations were mailed last month. The theme is homecoming, so I hope some of you can join us in your best homecoming game outfits. If you have any questions, give us a call, 650-738-7470, or go to our website at pacresourcecenter.org. Thanks.

Thank you, Anita. So Monique and then Peggy.

Hello, council members. Thank you. My name is Peggy O'Grady. I'm a long-time resident of Pacifica. And I wasn't going to speak either, so you gave me a little bravery there. And I guess I just want to underscore here... that there's some commonality in this room, even though there's a lot of frustrated feelings and there's a lot of upset, understandably. Nobody thinks what's happening now is the solution for everybody. It's just, it's not long term. And I love that the artist began this whole meeting with saying, I love Pacifica. And I heard that from everybody here, really. People love Pacifica. They appreciate the extraordinary coast and the people who are here. And there is no easy solution to the unhoused and to being marginally housed. I'm a social worker of 35 years. I've worked with unhoused. I volunteered a couple of shelters now. It's a complicated population and it requires complicated solutions. And it includes people, yes, with mental health issues. It includes people with medical debt because their child was in the hospital and had a horrific accident. I've known those families and those extremes. And I hear people on both sides being compassionate and saying, we can't just kick this down the road. That's not what you're calling for. It does require listening to the needs of all and I hear frustrations that need to be addressed. That's a beach that needs and requires access and the environment needs protection. So we can agree on those things and we can also agree people shouldn't have to live in their vans. And that's not a permanent solution to housing. And then it comes to government to look at what are the solutions that best meet the common good. And that is not easy. But I appreciate, I really do appreciate, and I hope that we can engage in this conversation with civility and compassion and try to assume the best solution. of other people, and that most people truly do not choose to be living in a van or unhoused or on the side of a road. And there are exceptions to everything, but let's at least engage with humanity on this and try to come up with creative solutions. And I'm hoping that you have some time to look at that and to expand within the whole county of how do we increase it? Because guess what? The unhoused population is not going down. So it requires all of us. Thank you.

Thank you, Peggy. And my last card is Monique. Sorry, you got out of order there a little bit.

Hi, my name is Monique Laliberte. I am not a resident of Pacifica. I live in El Granado. I, before that, lived in San Francisco. I'm a retired teacher of 20 years. I've taught inner-city youth at risk. And I want to thank you all for hearing all of our concerns. You too are under paid and doing a job that is well beyond what your means are. I have to say that we surfers, people that live in Pacifica and enjoy the beach, they want to be able to access the beach. What we're trying to say is we're not trying to get rid of homeless. It's allowing beach access. And closing the parking lots at night is your first, it has to happen. The spillover, the garbage, it's not safe. We're not trying to find housing for the homeless, but your parking doesn't have to be at beach access. You could do a parking program so many other places. There's empty lots so many places here in Pacifica even. Yes, right outside. There can be other opportunities for these people to have their RVs and be in a safe space than at a public beach. I mean, I think, you know, there is compassion. Surfers have a lot of compassion. Beach goers, people who love nature, we all have compassion. Thank you. Thank you, Monique.

We'll move now to the phone. How many raised hands?

We have three raised hands. The first raised hand is for Suzanne Moore.

Go ahead, Suzanne.

Good evening, city staff and honorable council members. Homelessness is one of our most difficult social issues of our time. And Pacific and our coast currently have the highest unhoused population in the county. I'm grateful for the efforts of both city Pacific staff and for council to facilitate collaboration among some very important concerned parties. Our unhoused and our housed community members, the city council, the county, the coastal commission, and neighboring coastal communities. We know our coast is unique. Essential workers with limited income are found in community-sustaining work, such as agriculture, childcare, home care, merchant support, and tourism. Our coastal community and economy sadly depends on these low-paid workers. Transportation is limited, so workers need to reside close to their employment, and housing is expensive, and affordable rental units are scarce. The two main causes of homelessness are poverty and the lack of affordable housing. Success in reducing homelessness and any environmental impacts of encampments requires temporary and interim housing. And it must be where the unhoused work, live among family and friends and their community and where they have established resources. Closing an encampment merely displaces folks and puts stress on those folks being displaced as well as the community and surrounding environs. The Safe Parking Program has a proven track record. It sounds like 38% success is not very high, but it is when there is such a scarcity of housing. The housing program has brought many vehicles off of neighborhood streets, and it's mitigated environmental concerns through tax pickups in RV gray and black water programs. I suggest the following, that we extend and expand the Safe Parking Program to meet the identified need on the coast, and we continue collaborative efforts with the coastal communities, the Coastal Commission, and the county for much needed support. It really encourages me tonight that the community wants to figure out options and revisit some of the options that had been discarded in the past. Housing is the only real solution to homelessness, but until it's available. We need to Resolve community concern and create a path to guide our unhoused neighbors Safely home.

Thank you Thank You Suzanne The next raise hand is for cliff Cliff Lawrence probably Go ahead Good evening Cliff Lawrence here West Fairmont

Sorry I couldn't be with you in person this evening, but it's been an interesting evening listening to our fellow citizens come forth and their outpouring. And I have so much sympathy for them and gratefulness for you listening to them. It's a time for us to listen to our better angels. We cannot look away from this need. But at the same time, we must also respect our community's rights to their access to what brought them here. And I'm going to jump off on a limb here. This is unprepared. It was suggested to me once before that an area that could be used as development. I'm going to suggest tonight that you look at the Archery Range as a place to be developed for a campground, an RV campground, where we can offer a place to go. If you have a place where you can offer these people to go, they cannot refuse you leaving that Kosovo place. But it should be safe and adequate and sanitary. And again, our better angels tell us we need to have compassion, but we also need to respect the right of our citizens. And I so thank you all for all that you do. And I hope you can find the solution to this because we so dearly need it. Thank you.

Thank you, Cliff. The last raised hand is for Jean Knight. Go ahead, Jean. Is she unmuted? She is not unmuted.

Jean, you'll have to...

I'm sorry.

Okay. Can you hear me now? We can. Go ahead. Okay. I apologize. All right. Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers, I'm Jean Knight, and I'm commenting on the Lindemar parking issue. I'm with Coastside Faith in Action and Faith in Action Bay Area, but tonight I'm actually speaking from my experience as a volunteer for Coastal Cat Rescue Group, which serves Pacifica through Pescadero. I want to relay a story that illustrates several points. Several years ago, we took in Bella, the beloved cat of a woman whose rent for a one-bedroom apartment had increased to $3,500 per month. She was on the wait list for senior housing, but none was available yet, and she could not afford the new rent, nor could she find a place that she could afford. For the next three years, she lived first in her car for a year and a half, and then in one of the transitional housing hotels purchased by the county, an experience that frightened her. Every week she would visit Bella with us, and she was thankful that Bella was safe, but each time she left heartbroken without her companion. I'm happy to report that after three plus years on the wait list, this woman finally got into senior housing and is reunited with Bella. The key points here are that one, the unhoused and vehicle dwellers are friends and family who have fallen on hard times. Some due to drug use, but often due to circumstances beyond their control. Rising rent and unexpected healthcare costs are two of the most common circumstances beyond their control. Two, they face very difficult decisions, often with no good options. Three, the wait list for affordable housing is years long, leaving them with no options other than their vehicles or, if available, potentially scary transitional housing. As the community addresses this very serious parking issue at Linda Marr, Please let us work together, both unhoused and vehicle dwellers, to find a solution that both restores parking for beach access and provides safe parking for those whose only home is a vehicle. It's important to include the voices of responsible vehicle dwellers to understand the complexities that are probably not obvious to the rest of us. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Jean. There are no other raised hands. With that, I'll close public comment and just thank everyone again for taking the time to come here tonight so that we could hear your concerns and ideas as we move forward on these issues. I'm going to suggest that we take a break for about 10 minutes. So we'll come back at 8.02. We can probably start without a city attorney. He needed some water because he was talking a lot to all of our community. That was a good break. So I'll reconvene us at 8.13 p.m. And we have two more items. So the next one on the agenda for consideration is the annual port and presentation from the Measure Y Oversight Committee. And I see Maricel Gomez, our Administrative Services and Finance Director there, along with Marge Davis, who's one of the committee members.

So I'll let you take it away. Thank you. So, yes, accompanying myself is Marjorie Davis. She is a member of the Oversight Committee. And I'm happy to report the Measure Y Citizens Oversight Committee has all five seats full. at this time, and the finance department met with the committee to go over the items such as the annual financial report earlier this year, provide an update on the midyear budget, as well as work with them to go over the annual report that is before you for receipt and filing. And Marge is going to go ahead and start the presentation.

Thank you, Mayor Sall. Good evening, Honorable Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and council members. Appreciate the time we're being given for the presentation. I have three minutes, right?

No. Just kidding.

I had to add some levity. Okay, so this is going to be an overview of the, oh, it doesn't change. These are not in sync. I'm sorry. I'm going to look over here. Okay. So the agenda, the Measure Y overview and committee responsibilities. That's really just a reminder for you all. Transactions and use tax generated by Measure Y, how it works, and what it enabled. So we did add a committee member since the last report out. The first four you see here on the list are, well, you aren't seeing them yet, are previous members, and then Carrie Shmezzi joined us back in May. So the Citizens Oversight Committee, our responsibilities are to review the annual audit that comes from the auditor, also review the annual committee report on audit accuracy from the city, We work with staff on that. They've always been very helpful and transparent with that process. Provide the public with information and education about Measure Y use. And really, this is pretty much the extent of that. So hopefully some people tune in and see where their money went. And to facilitate public education about the needs funded by Measure Y. And I do want to clarify this last bullet. ITALICIZED AND STRESSED. I THINK THERE ARE SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT THINK THAT THE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE HAS SOME INPUT INTO HOW THE REVENUE IS USED, AND IT IS NOT. WE ARE AN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY INPUT OR AUTHORITY IN THAT REGARD. THIS LITTLE GUY. OKAY. SO TRANSACTIONS AND USE TAX GENERATED. SO THIS STARTED, MEASURE Y WAS APPROVED, AS YOU KNOW, IN In April of 23, it went into effect. The number you see there of 558,000, that was just for that last quarter of that year. Since then, you can see the trend is 2.56 to 2.58 over the last three years, except for the third is projected based on the year-to-date. Because... I'm sorry I'm like having this thing is okay this is so same numbers in graph form because I don't know about you but I love how how easy it is to read a graph and really conveys the information so overall on target with the budgeted amount for this measure so without Measure Y funds there THERE WAS A POTENTIAL FOR 2.1 MILLION IN BUDGET CUTS, POTENTIALLY TO SOME OF THE THINGS LIKE CRITICAL ROAD REPAIR OR AGING EMERGENCY SERVICES EQUIPMENT, AND WE'RE GOING TO GO OVER NEXT THE POSITIVE PART WITH MEASURE Y FUNDS, THE DEFICIT IS COVERED, AND WE HAD SOME ADDITIONAL CRITICAL PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN FUNDED. And I'm going to do a review over these next couple slides of what has been enabled by Measure Y. If you look in the lower left-hand corner of the slide when it gets up there. So in 22 and 23, this is just an example of where some of the Measure Y funds were used and what it enabled. So that's Grand Avenue before and Grand Avenue after. And we know that road conditions, street conditions are a high profile item for a lot of citizen concern around that. So here is another 22, 23 example, Rockaway Beach Avenue before, which is visitor serving area. So really we're getting kind of double benefit here. This is Rockaway Beach Avenue after. In fiscal 23 and 24, We did, Measure Y, enable the purchase of vital safety equipment gear for our firefighters. And some of this, if it looks familiar, it's because this is a reminder and we just want to give the full picture. In fiscal year 23-24, a safe space for teens and citizens, so commuter and youth services, And in addition to that, it also helped with costs for a project manager, and that was in an effort to reduce consultancy costs. So fiscal year 24-25, as we know, this was a big accomplishment. Measure Y funds helped with the financial support on this, the completion of our local coastal land use plan, and the storm drain review. And as you all know, the California Coastal Commission approved our local coastal land use plan, and again, Measure Y helped to support those efforts, and then some storm drain work as well. Okay, so this originally came to us as a table, and we thought Okay, you guys can see it over here, because this is really bothering me that I'm talking to something that you guys can't see over there. So this came to us as a table, and really what this is telling you is ongoing service enhancements, and the important word here is ongoing, that are supported by Measure Y as budgeted into 2025-26. And as you can see, about half of it is strategic staffing. THERE ARE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPACTS, ORDINANCE IMPACTS, PUBLIC SAFETY, AND STRATEGIC STAFFING UPDATES. I APPRECIATE THAT, MARISOL. SHE DID THE GRAPH FOR ME. IN SUMMARY, FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025-26, IN ADDITION TO WHAT YOU SAW ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, THE ONGOING PROJECTS THAT WERE ALLOCATED PREVIOUSLY, due to the city's, and I'm going to read this, this is actually from the report we were given, due to the city's ongoing structural deficit, in fiscal year 25-26 budget was balanced using one-time policy actions including reduced allocations to the pension trust and use of the debt service fund to provide temporary general fund relief. These one-time adjustments also generated a modest surplus that allowed for targeted service enhancements and continuation of priority programs. As a result, the city did not specifically budget new expenditures using Measure Y funds in fiscal year 2025-26. However, because Measure Y revenues are pooled within the general fund, they continue to support ongoing commitments established in prior years, such as the annual police body camera software subscriptions, salaries, and benefits for previously added positions, and the continuation of existing programs. The graph on the previous slide SUMMARIZED THE ESTIMATED 2025 FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THESE ONGOING COMMITMENTS INITIATED IN PRIOR YEARS BY MEASURE Y. SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO NOTE. AND I BELIEVE, OKAY, IN SUMMARY, SO TO DATE, INCLUDED COLLECTED AND PROJECTED, AS WAS NOTED ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, WE HAVE 7.27 MILLION IN TRANSACTIONS AND USE TAX VIA THE HALF CENT TAX. It accounts for 8% of the general fund revenues. It has funded vital services. It may not have been funded otherwise. That's an important distinction, and you saw those examples we gave on the previous slides. This will expire in 2031, and of course, goes without saying, the Oversight Committee will continue to monitor usage and inform the public. Thank you for attending. As though you had a choice. No, seriously. And if there's any questions, Marisol will be happy to answer. I had to, you guys. I was almost asleep. It's past my bedtime.

We love you, Marge. Thank you. Likewise. Are there any questions from council before public comment? Okay. I don't have any cards. If anybody wants to speak to this, come up to the microphone and fill out a card afterwards. Do we have anybody online?

There are no raise hands.

Okay.

I don't see anybody getting up, so I will close public comment. And you're not, we're just acknowledging receipt of the report, right? We're not looking for action from us today. That's correct. It's accepting the report. Thank you for your service. Thank you, and you're welcome. I really enjoy it. You guys know that. Thank you for staying up with us, and thank you for the oversight. It is important when we pass these revenue measures to know that the city is not just in a black box, but there are citizens that are looking over to make sure we're doing it right. So I really appreciate your service.

And I appreciate your comments, Christine, and I think that this is a really important part of it, And I don't know if people can even find out the information that we present, you know, in summary. But happy to do it and always glad to be here. Thank you.

Okay. I think that's it. Thank you both. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

All right. And then our last item is consideration of canceling of our regularly scheduled council meetings on July 27th. and August 10th. So I'll leave that for City Manager Sharpe and Thiel.

Yes, this is a recommendation to cancel the regularly scheduled meetings on July 27th and August 10th. Local governments typically take a structured hiatus or break during the summer. There are 20 cities in San Mateo County. 50% of them take two meetings off as if a full month and then another 20% take one meeting off. And given the way the schedules wind up, we're recommending that the council approve the cancellation of both. And when issues, or if issues arise, we are always able to schedule a special meeting if absolutely necessary.

Okay. Are there any questions from council right now? I SEE VERY HAPPY FACES ON THE DIALS AS WELL AS WITH STAFF IN THE ROOM. OKAY. AGAIN, I DON'T HAVE ANY CARDS. DOES ANYONE WANT TO SPEAK TO THIS ITEM? IS THERE ANYONE ONLINE?

NO.

OKAY. VERY EMPHATIC NO. NO CLOSING PUBLIC COMMENT. I JUST HAD ONE QUESTION. SO IT IS A LONG TIME. I THINK WE'VE IN MY MEMORY WE'VE ONLY CANCELLED one meeting, and I know we've talked about the schedule, and I'm okay with what's coming up to be scheduled, but Vice Mayor Wright and I know. And there is discussion of potentially scheduling a special meeting in between those dates, but we'll know later. We don't know right now. Just in light of the public comment tonight, and the work that the city's going to be doing on some of the issues. Like if we have a special meeting, will there be an opportunity for public comment on items not on the agenda?

The ability to comment for items that are not on the agenda is a standard feature of all public agency agendas.

Okay. Well, not for special meetings. Oh, sorry.

So it is a requirement on all regular agendas, but not on special meetings. So if there's a need to schedule a special meeting, we could just voluntarily put a public comment section on there, but it's not legally required.

OK. I have just one quick question. I assume that staff has planned their vacations And when we do have these special meetings, are we taking away time that they've planned to be away with their family? Has there been consideration given to that? And how many staff are affected besides yourself and our city attorney and our two city clerks here?

I THINK WE'RE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE PROFESSIONAL AND COMMITTED STAFF, AND IF THERE'S A NEED FOR A SPECIAL MEETING DUE TO THE NECESSITY OF THE BUSINESS AT HAND, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ADEQUATE STAFFING.

WELL, I APPRECIATE THAT, AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM WITH EMERGENCIES. I GET IT, BUT I JUST WANT TO EXPRESS MY APPRECIATION TO STAFF'S WILLINGNESS TO YET AGAIN GO THE EXTRA MILE FOR OUR CITY. That's a big deal. I mean, Parks and Rec staff was there on the 4th of July. They weren't there with their families celebrating like everybody else. Here again, staff is going the extra mile, and it's appreciated.

I appreciate that. And besides vacations, I remember City Manager Woodhouse also saying it's a chance for staff to catch up, to not have to come and present, but to actually just do the work that they need to do for the items that will be coming up in the fall for us.

As a city, we often have more. We have a lot of council meetings in the year because there's a lot going on. And this won't affect that or slow it down.

OK. If there's no other discussion, would someone like to make a motion? I move we take a break.

I'm sorry. I don't have the agenda in front of me. I move we skip the last meeting in July and the first meeting in August. Cancellation of July 27th, 2026. Thank you.

And August 10th, 2026 regular city council meeting. So moved.

Second. Okay.

Please vote.

With the motion made by Council Member Beer, seconded by Council Member Espinosa, the vote passes unanimously.

I'm through the mayor. Yes. I have someone I would like to close the meeting in honor of, unless you had someone.

No, I think I want to make sure we do council communications. Oh, yeah. Okay. But then absolutely. Thank you. I'll bring it back to you. And Martinez, just so everyone knows. And Martinez? Mm-hmm. All right. Yeah, we haven't done council communications in a while, and it's 8.30, so we have time. Who would like to have some things to share?

Mm-hmm. I'll go first. Okay. It's been very quiet because most of the meetings, at least that I've been involved with in the last couple of weeks, have been canceled because of summer break. So I really don't have a report out. Okay. First time ever.

I will join you in that same sentiment, and I think this is going to be my first time ever getting out of a council meeting while the sun is still out.

Well, I haven't given my report yet, so...

Neither has Christine, yeah.

Okay, so I'll give my report, and I'll keep an eye on the sun.

Three minutes.

The Library Advisory Committee met on the 8th, and they're changing the focus, as I've mentioned before, a little bit, because it's been so long that that committee has been operating, and we don't have a plan at the moment for when we're going to be able to put a revenue measure on a ballot for a library. So they're taking a new tact about focusing on the mission, vision, and values of the Library Advisory Committee going forward. And as I mentioned before, the use of the book before the ballot, I think it's called, which really looks at what are the communications methods in advance of a ballot, whenever the ballot is going to happen. We don't have hard data. They haven't reported hard data because we don't really have it. But the sentiment is it's been a long time. And members of this council body were not seated when the design was approved. Many members of the community were not members of the community when the last bond vote went before the voters in 2016. So this is why, and we've talked about with goal setting having a planned, what do you call that, joint study session. And so the highest desire, I will say, I think among the members of the committee, would be that that meeting is not at a regular council meeting, if at all possible, but that it is a special meeting to really enable time, because otherwise it's like an hour and it's a rush kind of thing. What we want to have an opportunity to do is go over the history, have the committee talk about how we got to where we are, the history, the timelines, the conceptual designs, what library assessments were done all the way back in 2011. Building quality updates that kind of thing and so I was in my role as liaison Took a moment to go ahead and tally up How many nights a week are there that council members don't have some other obligation and anyone got a guess? five four four four so Lovely city clerk coffee who's dutiful dutifully the staff member for that committee took note of those dates and as working on helping to figure out when scheduling might happen, but the hope for Trajectory is toward October.

Okay.

All right, duh. Oh, is it still sunny?

Look there's it is still I'm done So I'm going to talk about The parking Safe parking I called today, there's two organizations that has been helping, Half Moon Bay, Millbrae, Redwood City, so I called We Hope. And what they said is, like, they do help, but we have to identify maybe a piece of land, or maybe I told them, how about if we don't have the land? They said that you could bring a lease, and they will partner up with us and help us. And her name is Alicia Garcia, and she told me, call us. We're open. We're here. And we already have help other cities, so we could help you. And I hope, I'm going to follow through myself because I know that we have an ad hoc committee, but I do want to also make sure that on my own, I don't know if it's possible, to reach out to people. And if I can maybe forward this information to you guys, then you can follow through, we'll be good. But I do want to make sure that I do my little research and share this information with you guys. So what they said is like, when they identify the location and they work with people, they do have an application. And what they ask them is like, if we find you a permanent place, would you be willing to leave your RV? And this is how they prioritize who is kind of serious about it and who is, who wanted to relocate. And that's something that I thought it was kind of, it was helpful for me to find out. So, and I have a sheet of paper with all the information if you guys need it.

I would suggest, just because of potential Brown Act issues, that you send it to Sean, and then he can decide how to best disseminate it. Thank you, Myra. Well, I have a few things. I'm not promising about the sun, sorry. We had a good Peninsula Clean Energy up. Now Westlight Energy as of July 1st. I still have to keep correcting myself on that. The new website is up and everyone should be seeing Westlight Energy on their PG&E bills as they're the PROVIDER OF ELECTRICITY FOR 98% OF PACIFICANS. AND A COUPLE OF NEW EXCITING THINGS FROM THEM. ONE, THERE'S A NEW PROGRAM FOR THEY'VE GIVEN GRANTS FOR HOMEOWNERS TO REPLACE gas appliances with electrical appliances for a long time, but now there are grants for businesses that they're going to be rolling out. So for any businesses in town, whether you're renting space or own your space, there's up to $50,000 per business. I'm looking at the PRC too. For simple upgrades, not like if you've got a complicated HVAC system, they're not getting involved with that. But if you're putting in a heat pump or heat pump water heater or changing a stove to an induction stove, easy, you know, an appliance in and appliance out, there's money coming for that. We also approved $2 million for TRG for consulting for cities for reach codes. So hoping that we get our budget issues sorted out that, you know, perhaps there's some money that our city attorney could start looking at those possibilities. I know that's not part of the work plan right now because of budget issues. But anyway, there's lots of money from PCE for those kinds of things. And then at the Climate Action Committee meeting last week, I'm excited. There have been a few electrification and induction cooking demonstrations. at the library, at the Pedro Point Firehouse. But the CART committee is planning one in Fairmont in the fall that will most likely be at Sunset Ridge Elementary. So again, this is sharing resources, a lot of which are free to homeowners that are struggling. But even if you're not struggling, there's services to help you do the electrification for anyone who's interested.

How do they get a hold of that?

It is not yet planned, but you can look at the Westlight Energy website. Anybody can call them now. There's a hotline, someone on the phone. You say you're looking to electrify or want to change your stove or your heater or water heater, and someone will walk you through that and show you where the resources are. But anyway, I'm really excited because this is a part of the community that hasn't been served as well. A lot of our lower-income homeowners are up in the Fairmont area. I've had a bunch of meetings about unhoused issues in our temporary safe parking program with Justin Mates from the county, with Debbie Ruddock, with Penny Nixon, trying to see how we can start these conversations with churches. So more to come on that. And then... Saturday I went to there were trail engagement for the expansion of the trails in Pedro Point. There was an event at Humble Sea on Friday and then at Lindemar Beach on Saturday and met Erin Gravely from the Coastal Conservancy there and she's just always very happy to be in Pacifica and and to see these exciting projects with actually new trails that we're, you know, looking to build with their funding and with collaboration with the RCC. So more coming on that, but there will be a lot more public engagement opportunities. And then I did go to the Sanchez Art Center. Cindy was talking about their exhibits, and they're all wonderful, so I highly recommend people going, especially for those of you who missed the nature-based solutions projects talk that they gave that event on the 19th is a good way to see some of those projects and kind of listen in to community discussions too. So that's it for me.

Thank you. Yeah, so I wanted to adjourn the meeting in honor of Ann Martinez. Ann Martinez is Dave Martinez's mother. and a very good friend of my mother's. There's a beautiful testament to her life that Dave wrote, and I can share it with all of you. I'll just read a tiny bit of it, if you don't mind. Of course. Annie Martinez lived a beautiful and full life, passing away peacefully at the age of 96 on June 20th in the Pacifica home that she had cherished for the past 67 years. In 1948, she met the love of her life, Jess Martinez. And Jess owned the barbershop in Adobe Plaza, which was next to my father's butcher shop. So we all grew up together. And my parents played pinochle with Dave's parents. And it was just this lovely family relationship. And I'm always so grateful. Every time I see Dave, I just feel You know, you don't lose those connections, those brotherly connections. And so I really wanted to make sure that we took a moment to honor Ann. They lived in Pacifica forever. They purchased a Linda Moore-style house, which she lived in for 67 years. And she was able to remain there, which is a beautiful thing. And she was just beloved, beloved by all of us, by my family, by our community. And so... to Ann. I just wanted to honor her and let my brother David know that I'm thinking of him tonight.

Thank you so much for sharing that, Mary. Okay. With that, we'll adjourn our meeting in the honor of Ann Martinez. And look at the sky. And it's 844 and it's not dark.

Let's go look at the sky. Everyone look at the sky. Look at the sky.