City Council - Regular Meeting

the city to do the same. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we'll hear from Paula Brunell and then we will hear from Peggy Walker. Paula Brunell, Paula Brunell. Okay, we will now hear from Peggy Walker. Peggy Walker.

Thank you. Good evening, council. Your purpose is to protect constituents, but as a public health educator and youth mentor, I want to share research showing that the city's marijuana policies and widespread commercialization are harmful, especially to those under 26. The Journal of Adolescent Health just published a comprehensive study of nearly 400,000 California high school teens conducted by the University of California Public Health Institute and Kaiser Health. Results showed that when marijuana becomes more visible and accessible, youth use increases and along with it the health challenges of high potency THC. Communities that ban retail marijuana sales and deliveries, however, consistently have lower rates of youth use. Youth marijuana related health issues and adolescent psychosis. Restrictive policies make a real difference in protecting teens. The UC study concluded, "We've only to look at county marijuana related ER admissions rates to see that the public health challenges of current policy data shows that since Prop 64, ER admission rates and hospitalization rates for those aged 10 to 24 were higher compared to other ages for marijuana issues. There was also a 145% increase in poison control center cases related to marijuana. UC researchers recommend adapting retail bans to limit access and reduce normalization of marijuana use and to restrict cannabis marketing to protect youth. I urge you to consider both of

those. Adopting bans and limiting access to prevent youth addiction and the health challenging consequences of unprecedented THC potency. Thank you so much for hearing me. Thank you. Uh we'll try again with Paula Brunell. Is she still requesting to speak? Paula Brunell. Yes. Can you hear me? Please go ahead. Yes, we can.

Hi. Okay. Uh, my name is Paula Brunell. I oversee licensing and compliance for Trade Craft Farms, one of Vista's licensed cannabis retailers. I am speaking on behalf of our management team to express our opposition to Vista's proposed forthcoming cannabis license application round in February, wherein the city plans to accept applications for its 11th cannabis retail license. While it may be the city's intention to foster economic growth, we believe this approach is misguided and risks undermining both the existing operators and the city's own revenue goals. Opening an 11th store won't increase the aggregate tax revenues collected by the city, but simply spread those revenues across a greater number of operators. Rather than expanding the number of legal cannabis storefronts, we urge the city of Vista to allocate greater resources to enforcement against illicit operators, both storefront and delivery. These unlicensed businesses represent the largest existential threat to legal operators and siphon significant tax revenues away from the city. Thank you.

Okay, that'll conclude the opportunity for public comment during today's meeting uh during our oral communications opportunity and it'll bring us to our consent calendar. The recommendations on the following consent calendar will be enacted in one motion unless an item is removed from the calendar. Any member of the public may remove an item by submitting a request to speak card to the clerk secretary by using the raise their hand feature on Zoom or pressing star 9. Items removed from the consent calendar will be considered immediately following the adoption of the calendar. We have 17 consent items tonight. We have a few that have been removed from the public. We will start with item C6 which has been removed followed by item C8. Deputy Mayor Mendes,

I move to approve the balance of the consent calendar. Okay. Uh, council member O'Donnell. Second. The motion is second. Please cast your votes. That item is approved unanimously. That'll bring us to consideration of item C6, commission recommendations. And we have uh several public speakers who are here tonight, starting with Travis Kra, followed by Janice Jones. Please come forward.

Good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Travis Crayle, lifelong North County nearly decade Vista and I serve on the city of Vista Environmental Commission, specifically part of subcommittee number six, the plastic bottle reduction ban. Uh over the past several months, our subcommittee has reviewed single-use plastic bottle ordinances from surrounding cities, Carlsbad, Salana Beach, Ansenas, and Coronado. All four cities have already taken meaningful action to reduce single-use plastic waste at city facilities and events. Vista now has an opportunity to join our regional partners and take a practical achievable step that aligns with our own substance sustainability values. Our proposed ordinance focuses on reducing singleuse plastic bottled beverages one liter or smaller at city facilities, city affiliated events, and through city purchasing. It includes reasonable exemptions for emergencies, for hydration needs of outdoor workers, and for individuals bringing their own beverages. Most importantly, this ordinance directly supports the goals in Vista's CAP clim climate action plan and is modeled after ordinances that are already working successfully in neighboring cities. This is a small step with a big upside. Lower waste, cleaner parks, and public spaces and visible leadership in sustainability. I ask that you please add it to the future agenda and thank you. Have a good evening. Janice Jones. [clears throat]

I brought some more uh handouts and visuals for you. Um, good evening, Mayor Franklin, Deputy Mayor, Council Members, Janice Jones, longtime Vista resident and environmental commissioner. I first want to thank you for what has previously been done to reduce single-use plastics in our city. The polystyrene foam, styrofoam ban, and the skip the stuff ordinance were important steps forward, and we've seen noticeable reduction of these products in our community. These reductions, these successes show what's possible when the city takes proactive action, and there's always more we can do. The Environmental Commission is currently exploring several single-use plastic reduction options. And tonight, I'm here and very happy to support our recommendation to phase out single-use plastic beverage bottles at city facilities and for city events. As Travis outlined, the commission has considered several key points regarding this recommendation, and more details will be discussed obviously when this item is agendaized. Fingers crossed.

[snorts]

I do want to share one thing. The photo you've been given, and I also have here in this jar is a fragment of a singleuse plastic water bottle that was removed from the esophagus of a San Diego sea lion. It sadly died despite SeaWorld Rescue Center's efforts to save it. We often think of these kind of tragedies as happening someplace else, far away. it. These things don't happen here, but they occur right off of our coastline with plastic carried to the ocean by our storm drains and our creeks that flow through our community. And it's not just wildlife that's affected. It seems like almost every day new research highlights how microplastics are impacting human health. On the back of that photo, there's a whole bunch of uh headlines that I can share the links with you and an email. So, I respectfully request that single-use plastic beverage bottles be added to an upcoming agenda so city staff or environmental commission representatives can provide a full presentation for your consideration that will inform a council discussion about options for VISTA. Advancing this recommendation will show that Vista is serious about sustainability, which I know I know you already are. Um, and just thank you for your time, for everything you do, for your leadership, and for your ongoing support of environmental initiatives in our city. Thank you.

Thank you. Now, we'll close the opportunity for public comment on this item. We'll hear from Council Member Contrarus. Yeah. Thank you so much to our environmental commission. I know that you all um have various subcommittees that you've created. You've been really hands-on. Um, I appreciate this recommendation. I'll go ahead and um make a motion to accept this item. City attorney, just a quick question. So, I want to be able to accept this item, but I also want to provide um direction uh for a future discussion. Can I just do that in the same motion and that'll be fine?

Yes. Um, and I would also like to uh move uh this for a future discussion where we're going to look at phasing out singleuse plastic bottles at city facilities and events and for staff to provide a plan to do so with a project timeline. And that will be my motion. Thank you, Council Member O'Donnell.

I'll second. you know, and I uh you know, that's fine. Uh okay, we have a motion in a second. Please cast your votes. That item is uh that motion is approved unanimously. That'll bring us to consideration of item C8, the hallway stop intersection uh at the intersection of always stop at the intersection of Pumosa Avenue and Lynn Way. And um we'll hear from two public speakers on this. First, we'll hear from Dr. Derek Morris and then from Doug Heftlin.

Good evening, Mayor, City Council. This is indeed an honor to be here. I stand before you today in opposition of this uh proposal for several reasons, but the most important reason I understand from my presence here on November 5th last month before Vista Traffic Commission, they said this this has gone before the city council and it was voted in favor of no allway stop. And I say uh the reason why there's no need for always stop is because of all that information that was presented before me on uh November 5th. I have pictures and I know I can't enter into enter the record but I believe in empirical evidence and forensic evidence and I know you can't see the pictures but I've taken the pictures standing in the middle of the street myself. I'm in the street once a week cleaning the street keeping the sidewalks clean and I've never been hit by a vehicle. these vehicles, these car, this picture right here is standing in the middle of the street, broad daylight, and there's pictures of cars in the street and no car has hit me. When I saw the cars in the street, the car didn't hit a parked car. The car didn't hit a car in motion, hit another car in motion, there's not been an animal, a bird, or a fish hit. So, I just don't see any reason why you would have a stop sign. selfishly and on my behalf. I looked at you can't see the presentation that was up last last month and it might be before your your your information today, but uh if you're going to put a stop sign there, we have stop signs at Marissa Court, which is the dead end street. We have stop signs at Lenway, which is deadend streets. Both those streets are lower and they have to come up to Pamosa to see it. And uh there's a sign at Lenway, which is dead end street, Marissa Court, which is a dead end street. says, not a through street. So, the presentation that was presented last week is kind of deceptive because it looks like these streets are

going all the way through and they're not. Selfishly, I look at the stop signs that are on Marissa Court and Lin Way. They're on private property and I just don't want to have the government encroaching on my private property. I can't see any other place to put that stop sign on my private property. selfishly. That's reciprocity, a win-win. If you want government property on my property, then I believe I should be paid for it. $4,000 a month for 25 years paid upfront. I thank you for your time and attention. It's been an honor to address the city council. Thank you.

I'll hear from Derek uh Doug Heaplin. I'll just say good evening everyone. Um, my name is Doug Heftlin. I live at 753 Plumosa Avenue where I've lived for 29 years. And I kind of represent uh the preserve Pumosa little neighborhood group that we have for communication of lost animals or developments we don't want wide range. Um, Pamosa Avenue, if you're not familiar with it, is mostly county road, but there is a small stretch of city street. The city streets are wide, have sidewalks and street lights. The county portions which are o me talk opposite ends of the city is are narrow, winding, dark and don't have sidewalks. They're lined with driveways, some serving multiple homes. Many walkers are go up and down the street with and without dogs and some young children. Pedestrians crossing the street do cross the street during their walks. Traffic has grown worse as Sycamore Avenue has become much busier between Highway 78 and the large industrial park areas to the south. [snorts] The number of cars on Plumosa is significant during the morning and afternoon rush hours which start earlier these days. The so-called Pamosa shortcut is actually longer but without the parking lot type of traffic and the traffic signals. We have lots of speeders and drivers looking at their cell phones. Fewer cars are are during the off hours, but they still often

speed. Um, when I signal for them to slow down, the international symbol to slow down, often they gun it right in front of me, you know. Um, there have been numerous wrecks, not necessarily on the city section, but on the winding sections just off off the city section. Um, one neighbor has had multiple cars run into their front yard because somebody missed the turn. And also across the street, someone took out a power line and the power lines or a power pole rather. the lines went into the trees. A major mess. Um, we've had a dramatic one where a car hit a boulder in somebody's front yard, uh, flipped over onto its top and did some break dancing in the middle of the road. Amazingly, the driver was not injured trying to go fast. Uh we started off asking for speed humps or bumps um or other calming methods rather than the stop signs, but we were also always vetoed by the former fire chief. Now we have a new fire chief, more friendly city, more fire chief and more friendly.

Thank you very much. Apologize. That's Yep. Okay. And now we hear from council member Contrus. Um yes, this this uh question is for either city attorney or city manager regarding a comment made about right of way and the stop sign. Uh is this is this private property or is this considered where the stop sign would be? Is this considered part of the city's right of way?

We would install a stop sign within our right of way. We would not be stalling installing a stop sign in on private property. Okay. Um and just looking at, you know, the the broad support um for this hallway stop, I'll go ahead and make a motion to approve. Thank you, Council Member O'Donnell. Yeah, I'll second it. I appreciate your comments. I'm I am very familiar with that area. It's in my district. I I know neighbors that live up that way, and it can be quite dicey and dangerous, especially even coming up through Plumosa to get up to that area. Um so, I I appreciate all the comments from the speakers. I know there's support from the general community in that area. So, I'm going to go ahead and second and be in support of the stop sign.

Well, I I will just say, and I've said this before, uh our process allows a very small number of residents to come forward, and in this case, we have a very small number of residents. Uh and they may well represent others. They're certainly the ones greatest affected. How many uh notices did we send about this or did we mail? Good evening, Mayor and Council. So, we typically notify within 500 feet of the proposed um stop sign, and there's a map in the agenda report that shows all the properties. I don't have the exact number, but it's covers an area that um is surrounding the stop sign.

Okay. I I see the diagram of all the parcels that were notified. That's a pretty good number. Uh so, those people that are affected did have an opportunity to know about it and to come forward and speak. Obviously, we've got folks on both sides. Uh I'm going to side with the majority of the residents that um are in favor of it and signified by their signature. And but I do appreciate Dr. Morris's comments and thank you for uh sharing your your input with us. We do appreciate you being here to speak and sharing that. So with that, we have a motion and a second. Please cast your votes. Okay, that motion is approved unanimously. That will bring us to our first discussion item this evening regarding our parks and recreation master plan final draft. If any members of the public wish to speak on this item, they may indicate so by using the raise their hand feature, pressing star 9 request to speak card here at the dis. Speakers will be called upon after the presentation. Assistant city manager Aldo Huerta will introduce this item. Thank you. Good evening, mayor, deputy mayor, members of the city council. Tonight, I will be presenting the parks and recreation master plan. Presenting with me today is our consultants, Neil Lelaybot, founder and CEA of Next Practice Partners LLC, and Dove Grove. Doug Grove, president of RHA Landscape Architects Planners, Inc. As a brief background, in 2023, the city selected NE next practice partners to develop a comprehensive citywide parks and recreation master plan. Included in the plan are conceptual sight specific plans for a park site on Breeze Hill Road near the courthouse, a park site on Madawal Drive with a park site phase 2, also known as Pa Buenov Vista, and Bringing Terrace Park improvements. After several community meetings and

outreach on June 23rd of this year, the Parks and Recreation Commission received an update on the master plan and approved conceptual designs for the above noted site plans. The following day on June 24th, city council received an update about key findings from the community meetings and assessments from the parks and recreation master plan and accepted the conceptual plans for the noted sight specific plans. Additionally, the following prioritizations were accepted. Number one, new pickle ball courts at Breeze Hill Breeze Hill Park Site. Two, Bringing Terrace Park improvements. Three, Park Site on Madag Drive. And four, future parks. The June 24th, 2025 city council gender report regarding the parks and recreation master plan is included as exhibit 4 for reference. On October 27th, 2025th, the Parks and Recreation Commission received the final parks and recreation master plan report update, which included the final elements of the plan. This included key findings from community meetings, assessments, level of service analysis, and equity mapping, and recommended it to move forward to city council. The final comprehensive draft plan was posted for public review and comment on November 18th. A total of 24 public comments were received through December 1st and are attached as exhibit 3. The draft was also sent to commissioners and posted on plan vista parks.com. Residents expressed strong overall support for new and upgraded recreational amenities including expanded playgrounds, splash paths, walking paths, picnic areas, fitness equipment, bathrooms, and dog parks. Many families emphasize that these improvements are long overdue and will greatly enhance community use. Common requests from the from the comments received included better lighting especially for early evening

play. Improved ADA accessibility throughout facilities and trails. Increased maintenance including trash removal, habitat restoration and weed management. Enhanced trails including clearing overgrowth. adding benches, repairing railings, and adding encampments, addressing encampments, excuse me. Additional features um include included tennis courts, pump tracks, basketball or or pickle ball options, and more off leash dog areas, as well as clear strategies to manage homeless activity, including locking restrooms after hours, secure fencing, lighting, and gating of parking areas. Several residents stressed the importance of considering impacts on nearby neighborhoods, including noise, parking, traffic, and overall park intensity. Some requested scaleown designs, sound studies, and additional engagement with adjacent communities. Additionally, a public comment was submitted regarding concerns and petition regarding the Breezel Park concept, which will return to the parks and recreation commission for further discussion and review as the plan is developed. As an introduction to key findings, it is important to note that the parks and recreation master plan is more than just a document. It is a roadmap to a healthier, more connected and more vibrant Vista. Additionally, as noted previously, the plan includes sight specific design concepts for four different sites that serve a broad group of community members in Vista. Through visionary leadership and community collaboration, the city is poised to elevate recreation, strengthen neighborhoods, and create meaningful opportunities for generations to come. It is important to note that this is a living document that will evolve over time as projects progress. The plan is intended to be used for park for park project and capital improvement budgeting and planning purposes and should be updated every 5 years.

Over,200 voices informed the priorities, investments, and next practices that shaped this vision for Vista's future, which included several surveys, interviews, focus groups, and public input meetings. And now, um, it is my pleasure to hand it off to our consultants, Neil Bot and Doug Grove, to report on additional key findings and overview of the final draft elements. I guess one final time. Good evening. Happy to be with everyone here as well. And as Emla beautifully laid out just the overall process. Not going to introduce the firms. You know us hopefully by now as well. Uh and you know between etc institute RHA and our company this has been you know 18 to 20 months of really intensive community input with the website with all the other processes. But in a nutshell here's the timeline. So in the next 18 minutes I'm going to try to summarize 18 months of work from this initial meeting with so many of you one-on-one virtually in person to now this final plan presentation as well that's included [clears throat] sight specific plans PRC overarching community input and in addition to as Alda said a living document has also been a very iterative process where public input has been used to reflect and update some of the recommendations we have and will continue to do so as part of the living document itself. Some of the key inputs as you can see as well, you know, we've had uh from high school students to people who've lived in the community for decades as well all engage and be part of the process. And it was particularly nice to see how many of the youth were involved in planning for the future. Something I don't see in too many cities. Um, in addition to all the in-person input as well, there was a hugely important only your constituents participating in the statistically

reliable process. The goal was 350. We exceeded that by nearly 18% which just speaks to how engaged your community has been. And [clears throat] while I could say for the public meetings, the taco trucks definitely helped with attendance. In this case, there were no tacos. It was simply them wanting to be part of the plan for the future. And uh because we have to ensure this is valid and reliable. The very last one as you remember we've talked about documents that the responses we've seen are in a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8%. This includes virtually all ages in the household. So it truly has been representative just of your constituents and Vista as a whole. uh some of the key barriers obviously one of the big areas we've recommended in the plan for investment is increased marketing awareness etc I mean I saw even as you took the pictures and then you were all waving for that 5-second reel that you know is going to go online because that is how people get to hear and know more these days and that's going to be an important element going forward as you target those that are here in Vista today and those that are going to come in the future so just two key areas in terms of prioritization and This was really important as we looked at the site specific plans is to understand what the community's wants, needs, importance, unmet needs are. And you see a number of these from trails and connectivity, pickle ball, dog park, splash pad, etc. And then programming for all ages from youth to active adults to, as I said, I refuse to call them seniors, but very active older adults. So all of those elements have thus using the public input process shaped what we've recommended going forward to drive the levels of service as well. And I started with initially the assessment of individual sites that I'm going to have Doug speak to and then we'll talk the level of service for each of them.

Great. Thanks Neil. Um we've seen this before so I'll just go through it quickly but just to remind you we looked at all the parks all 280 uh some acres of the parks. um looked at it from two different areas. One for park rating categories uh great through poor as well as through the four areas of access and connectivity, condition, functionality, safety and comfort and maintenance. Um so these are the scores we had for each park uh at the time these are assessed which has been about a year. Um so some of those some improvements have been made but this is the snapshot in time which helps us establish the level of service that we get into as nele talks about this. This will test your eyesight especially those sitting in the back as well. Uh but the idea is this is very much the part of the living document too where all the inventory has been documented and I want to give a special shout out to Rob and Alda who have really gone through this with a fine tooth comb nailing down every element of the inventory for what we have based on the current and future populations. We've then provided recommended levels of service. There is no state or national standards. So everything is customized just to Vista and what you can see is in the 2025 standards the needs you have currently but again because you already have a number of things in place or being worked upon you can see several of those items that go from need exist to meet standards in the next 5 to 10 years. And that's just a testament to you all being responsive and recognizing what the community needs are and working to implement that. As you go forward in the next 5 to 10 years, the more items get implemented, the more in this living version they will get checked off and a lot of the needs exist will continue to change to meet standards. This is obviously quantity. So the element was also access and this is where every one of the amenities you saw in the matrix has also been mapped. So you can see in a very transparent defensible way like the samples I've

shown you all at the very beginning of the process where there are gaps or in this case overlaps and again these will continue to evolve as new amenities come about. You can see with rectangular fields there are overlaps in certain areas but gaps in the other. Neighborhood parkland certainly some areas could use more as well. Community parks have some overlaps and other areas neighborhood parks fill the gaps. Dog parks the dotted lines indicate where future planned development is. So you can also understand while today there may be gaps in the future those gaps will be addressed. And so the lack of access that those community members have currently will no longer exist in the future. Indoor fitness and recreation spaces, the different colors indicate the other service providers. So again, the city doesn't have to duplicate spending or offering if others already exist where the community has access to them as well in a fairly comparable way. And then as you see across other amenities, tennis courts, pickle ball courts with what's being developed and planned too as well, picnic shelters, playgrounds, you have a lot of them as well and significant overlaps too, but some areas where future ones would be developed, skate parks, splash pads, and all of that then translates into the CIP to say what's this actually going to cost and how does this weave into the larger citywide in the plan that's already in place. And I'll let Doc speak to that.

Sorry, Winnie. Um, so we we looked at the CIP in in three different ways. Projects that are planned and have secured funding. So things that you have already approved for funding, projects that are planned that are not yet funded, and projects that have been completed in the last several years. So you can see where your money has been spent. So this is just an overview. This is about a seven tab Excel spreadsheet that we'll go over with the with staff as as as this moves forward, but it it has your planned and funded projects at 400,000. You can see the plan not funded um 33 million. And this is just the most of this is from the four parks we designed uh as part of this process. And then we don't haven't filled in the completed those. We'll be filling those in as we wrap up the CIP as we get this this thing going. But this can be updated on a regular basis and we'll go through that with Alda and John uh so that they can update this on a regular basis as things are improved and you'll see those numbers change automatically and ultimately all this leads to the visioning itself in terms of what is the road map for the future. So looking at the core values, safety was a huge element as well. Ensuring you're both financially and environmentally sustainable and continue to be forward thinking in how you implement the plan and its action items as well. The idea was as a mission and why the department exists to build a vibrant, inclusive, safe, timeless, and active community. And this is me getting my Disney hat on with the hidden Mickeys if anyone knows about that. If you look at the five words, vibrant, inclusive, safe, timeless, and active, the acronym of each of the first letter spells Vista. So, this isn't something that could be done for anybody. This is very uniquely just you. And it's one of those that if you know, you know, and now you're not going to unknow this anymore, right? But that's very much the idea going forward as well, that this is what staff believes in. This is what you all embody

as well. And if you do what you do every single day with implementing the plan, you will build a community that is vibrant, inclusive, safe, timeless, and active as well. So here you go. [laughter] Um, and so again, this is a sample. Uh, every one of the main areas have dozens of recommended action items. This will take every bit of the next 5 years and then some to implement as well. and they've been built based on timelines for what's ongoing, short-term, midterm, as well as tied to the values. So, this is how staff hold themselves accountable to implement the plan. You can hold the team accountable for implementing it. But across the areas from parks, trails, connectivity, programs, events, maintenance, operations, funding, and marketing, these 10 are just some sample snapshots of what are the recommended action items that we've talked through in the plan as well. And you'll see a number of these from, you know, obviously updating and developing the parks we talked about to acquiring land and serving underserved areas, more shade and tree canopy trails and connectivity, but also loop trails within the parks for increased walking as well. Uh senior and youth and teen programming too. uh building on Wave and the water-based activities, lap swimming, water fitness programs, continue to replace what you already have and upgrading existing amenities, but ensuring you also are building maintenance standards that ensure you can take care of what you have and the new things that you're going to build as well. One of the other pieces we've talked about as implementation would be a fee study to ensure that from a cost recovery standpoint, from a financial sustainability standpoint, are you pricing based on the value of the experience and what the market would bear and then you saw lack of awareness was one of the large reasons why people didn't participate. So in terms of a

lowerhanging fruit, continue to increase the multilingual marketing as well and where possible have some dedicated social media and outreach that's tied to recreation itself so that they can continue to better tell the story too. These, you know, bubble up to what we would call the top five big moves that if you look back in the next 5 years, what might be the major outcomes from this plan? And that's where it's just continuing to ensure that as the community changes, ages, diversifies, has different interest, your offerings are aligning with them as well. I know from the very first meeting we talked about funding too. Mayor I haven't forgotten that as you'd mentioned financials and funding too. So we've ensured that in terms of existing but also new and creative funding sources uh signature spaces you know for you know we talked about said you need to come back to get to moonlight amphitheater and see the kind of offerings we have but those are the signature spaces for a city your size that very few places have. So continue to invest in them and growing them as well while ensuring all the other aging infrastructure is taken care of going forward. And then you know while we focus on serving people it's also ensuring the technology is woven into the operations as you look at an innovative forward-looking community and what would that look like to help support operations and efficiencies going forward. So 18 months 18 minutes and with that I'll turn it to you for the final question.

Council member O'Donnell. Oh wait a second. Excuse me. One public speaker that wanted to be heard. [clears throat and cough] Sorry about that. I just wanted to take a quick moment. Um the recommendation is to receive and file and I wanted to take a moment to thank the city council and the staff at the different departments u for all their support during this process. Thank you.

Great. Thank you very much. Okay. And now we do have one member of the public that wanted to be heard on this. Sid Rothenberg. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, council members, and city manager. In general, I believe the parks master plan report to be fairly good, especially the recommendation that the city's entities have their own dedicated social media page or website. Something I have advocated to for over the past two and a half years that has fallen on deaf ears rejected outright. I have several issues with the process and the consultants which is reflected in on my emails in your packet. I was told in person by city personnel at the start that the senior center would be included as part of the Bringle Terrace review to include recommendations for future budgeting needs by the city. This was also reflected in a citywide Zoom meeting. This proved not to be the case. The page, the only page the McGloria Mlen Senior Center was mentioned by name was projected was a projected CIP to replace patio guard rails two years from now. The most the park's master plan has to say is that the community wants more senior programs. The consultant pointed out in a graph that the city's senior population is projected to increase in numbers while the youth population

numbers will decrease by 2038 only 13 years from now. such a disappointment. It still emphasized that the youth and early child development programs. I do want the city manager and the city staff to know that I am appreciative of the improvements that have recently been made and are projected to be made around the senior center in the near future. However, what I find to be the most egregious is the lack of acknowledgement of the ranch of Bueno Vista Adobe. I recently had the chance to tour it. It looks devastating. Nowhere near its former glory. It's an 1845 building. The city has shown no interest in it. The parks and wreck master plan acknowledges that the city has a historical park and that the friends of the Rancho Buenova Vista Adobe are managing it. We all know that's not the case. They haven't been around since pre- pandemic. So, in 15 seconds, you know, I feel that the city has neglected its obligation, and if you're not interested in this park, you should sell it to a party that does want to re renovate it and have it function as it's meant to. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Now, I hear from Council Member O'Donnell.

Thank you, Mayor. Uh Mela, thank you for the great report. NeA team, awesome job. Uh I know it's I remember when this first came before us. I'm like god that's such a long time and yet here we are uh all completed and done. So um I don't really have any questions. Just want to go over a few housekeeping things for Madagall. Uh I noticed that uh section 16 there is a block wall that's going up. I just want to make sure it's at least 6 foot in height for privacy reasons because that's a perimeter around all the residential areas. Uh at gate 17 on the map uh there that's an area near a stop sign that's had a lot of people roll through it. So, there needs to be protection outside that gate to ensure that no cars can access or run into it and damage the fence. Um, the gates, and I cannot emphasize this enough, must be self-closing uh on areas of access because we had an issue at Paula Vista the day it opened and thank God my wife and I were right there, but we watched about a three or four-year-old kid try and walk across the street by themselves to go use the bathroom and it was because the gates were not self-closing. So, I just want to make sure that we are keeping community safety in mind when we're uh when we're doing that. Uh and no matter not just for Madagal, but for all of our parks, we need to have constant monitoring that goes on, especially in new locations. And so if that means we have to hire additional park rangers or whatever that looks like for ongoing maintenance and surveillance, I hate to use the word surveillance, but just overwatch and oversight on these park spaces, especially in some of the locations that they're at, I think is very important moving forward, especially because it's going to be a huge investment in our community, and we want to make sure they maintain themselves, look nice, and are open to the public. Um, beyond that, uh, I I know that we haven't chatted a whole lot about community gardens. I also know that there is a struggle in finding a space for them, but I don't think that we should give up on them yet. Uh here in the city of Vista, I've actually had a lot of people reach out to me even recently uh asking about community gardens and where we might be able to put them. I know Carl'sb has a program. I've talked to our city manager about it. It's very difficult to match and mirror what they're doing, but if we can find some area in the city to where our residents can go and and utilize a community garden. I think it'd be fantastic and I know that's already been

talked about by other members of this council in the in the past. Uh the final thing I would ask for and I hope there's consensus among the council uh is to someway incorporate a memorial wall for our fallen firefighters and deputies into the city of Vista. Whether it's local or a broader thing for all of North County, I think it's important uh currently our firefighters go all the way to Colorado or Sacramento to honor their fallen uh brothers and sisters. And so I think it'd be really important to have something regional for them to be recognized. Uh beyond that, uh I think section 11 at Madagal Park would be an excellent location for it. But I'm open to other suggestions from the council. Uh even at Brangle Terrace where we have a lot of space where we could incorporate something like this, where there is plenty of parking, we could if we did a regional thing, we can have people from out north county or all of San Diego come to the city of Vista and and celebrate the lives of those who have uh honorably served and protected us uh here in our city. And as as a community that's always stood by the the brave men and women that have protected us, uh this would give them an opportunity to not just recognize uh for their families, for our residents, for for the firefighters and deputies that serve us. Uh it would give an opportunity for them to honor those individuals that have that have kept our city safe. So that would be my one suggestion or two other suggestions on top of the Madagal Park one. Uh really interested in hearing from the council, but I would like to see that at some point brought forward to the council so we can have that discussion. Thank you again for all your hard work on this,

Deputy Mayor.

Thank you for those comments. Thank you uh for so much work, many months of work, um many rounds of community input and um I think that this has been a level of engagement we haven't seen from the community uh with this parks master plan and I'm really proud of what we've been able to provide for the community in this. I think it's a great plan. There's definitely some um you know continued um adaptations. I think you you said it very well um that this is a living document, right? It's something that we can go back to, but it sets a foundation for uh what we would like to accomplish. Recently um in the news, I've been seeing uh a little bit of uh kind of a different take on our recreational services. For months and months, we've had such a push for pickle ball. Um, and some recent articles I've read have maybe indicated the opposite, right? That maybe the trends are changing. And so we have to be open to that. Um, but as we're looking to um, you know, spend capital improvement dollars, we really do have some concrete survey data that's going to help us to make um, really prudent decisions as a city as to what those priorities are. Bless you. I'm also really excited about um, the Breeze Hill Park site. Um there's of course um a lot of improvements that are needed in that area, but to see how that site design evolved from being, you know, very robust development to being something that's a little bit more natural, a little bit more carved in by the community. I think it's really special the way that it was designed. Um and I'm committed and and working with my council to identify funding for all of these projects, right? um all the way down the list making sure that these um community priorit uh priorities are um seen to come to fruition. So thank you once again uh Neilie and the whole team and thank you Alda and to all the staff

for u making this happen for us and helping us provide such a great planning document to our residents. Council member Conurus. Yes, I'll just go ahead and echo the thanks. Um thank you. Thank you to our staff and to the especially to the public for your broad participation on this. Um we had a lot of different workshops. Um and I know that we weren't able to put everything into the parks master plan. Uh what's the I'm curious about the comment about the senior center. uh is that going to be a separate initiative or

in term in [clears throat] terms of uh the we we're doing a number of improvements out there right now. Um but in terms of a more thorough evaluation of the senior center uh we'd have to undertake that. Okay. Yeah. Because I know we didn't look at um the park space that we uh recently purchased off of Boier. Correct. late in the process. Yeah. So, we do have money set aside to start the design for that. Okay. Fantastic. Um and [snorts] I think maybe there are a lot of changes happening at the senior center. I think it might be just good to even have anformational discussion.

Sure. and for the council to review um because I know we also appropriated in our uh year-end fund balance um of $9.5 million uh that I'm really thankful that you know the council has been very prudent financially uh because we are able to reinvest that into our community. Uh so you know I want to make sure that we're just keeping track of the senior center. Uh it's just an older building and it it has some additional needs, but I know that we are making some vast improvements there. Um I just want to say um completely yes. Thank you, Council Member O'Donnell, for bringing up uh the need to incorporate a memorial wall for our first responders. Uh I I'm 100% in support of that. Um I would I I am in support of the master plan being updated every five years. I think that's just like when we look across the board at different cities, a 5-year update uh is usually in line with what other cities do. But I would, you know, request a byianual review for progress updates. It's not an overhaul of the master plan, but just ensuring that we do have um more touch points to make sure that it's unfolding and that the progress is moving how the council would want it to move. And if we run into issues when it comes to funding or not receiving grants or wanting to apply for other grants and be more competitive, we can have those discussions at that time. If staff thinks that they're able to do it on an annual basis, I'm all for that. But I'll leave that up to um staff capacity, but I think at least by annually um every two years we should we should do it. Um I just want to underscore um some of the comments about lighting. This is something that I hear a lot from my constituents and I hear from folks across the city that there should be more lighting. Um I would say, you know, I've said this publicly for some time,

um that we need lighting along North Santa Fe on the very dark stretch going to Linda Roads. Um as we have, uh opened up this facility uh for more community use. uh when it gets dark, especially quickly um in the winter, uh you cannot it's there's no visibility there. So, I would love to see, you know, like four solar lights or whatever it would take um in order to light up that section just to make it safe for people to enter um to figure out where they're going and where the entrance is for uh Linda Roads Community um center. But there's so many other places in our parks that I think could uh could really be improved with some of our solar lights. So, I would love to have a further discussion on that. And outside of those comments, I I just think we have a treasure trove of community response and engagement that we can continue to fall back on. Um, and I'm really appreciative of this effort. I know it costs a significant amount of money and so I do think that keeping our pulse on it is critical and giving um more potentially even update workshops um in the future to the community. Uh but thank you so much,

Council Member Fox.

Thank you. I just want to uh echo the gratitude from the rest of the council. I know that you've been working with our city for it sounds like 18 months now and although I haven't been here for 18 months so um I haven't been here the whole time for that. Uh I have seen the amount of effort that you've put in. I mean this is a 580 page presentation. So um that's that's a you know quite a bit of work that must have went into this. So um the great news is it sounds like we've already kind of started working through a lot of this. I know a lot a few of our last meetings, our wave conversation, our CIP, a lot of those things. We referenced this document already and have already started implementing things. Um, on the park assessment, uh there's only two parks on here that have under a three that are in the twos on the overall assessment score. And one of them was the Linder Roads Recreation Center, which we just, you know, uh I think was it a million dollars that we

That was for the Lose Durant. Lose Durant. Okay. So, lose that was lose Durant. Oh, my bad. Um, oh that's actually good. We got a pretty good rating. Um, is there any I was going to bring up S Optimist anyway is the other one that was below a three. Um, are there any plans for those those two facilities in particular? Um, as they're the the lowest two ranking ones, not that I'm aware at this time. Um, we could bring that back for future discussion and as grant opportunities come up, staff can definitely look at that.

I think council member Contreras might have a have a note on that. Yeah, I just want to check with city manager because I think um one of the things uh the seropimus park definitely needs some upgrades and that's like part of the lighting issue as well. I want to say that it's potentially on hold because of the grade separation which may or may not happen anytime soon. So I would love for city staff to just get some clarification on when we can move forward with that. the seropimist um park was affected by the inland rail trail design. So, we're waiting for that to be completed before we move forward. That should be done in the next six to nine months, we're hoping.

Okay. And are there any uh any plans on the Linda Roads Rec rec center that are um in terms of improvements on the site? Any any updates? We're looking at putting lighting in the parking lot as council member Contrarus mentioned, but beyond that, we haven't looked at any other improvements. Okay. Um well, I'll definitely keep an ear out, maybe talk to the the parks um commission and see if there's anything if they have any recommendations for that because if they're if you know, if they're lowhanging fruit, if they're the two lowest rating ranked ranking parks, then maybe we or amenities, then maybe we should take a look at them. So, um other than that, uh thank you for the great job and the great work and uh it sounds like we have some more parks coming, more properties as well. So, looks like we got a lot of work to do.

Well, I'd echo all of that. Thanks for your hard work. Uh we've got a lot of ideas on paper here. Uh I think uh I want to agree with Council Member O'Donnell. Uh love to move forward with finding a place to honor our fallen first responders. That'd be a tremendous thing for us to do. Uh also like to see us have a place to honor our veterans. Uh and I'd like to to think more about that. We have some spots, but other cities have uh and maybe we could do this with our our first responders as well, actually have banners incorporated for all those who have served in their city. Some other cities have done it to great effect. Beautiful. Uh but I like both ideas and I'd like to move forward with both of them. Um, I would note that we have uh it's not uh it's it's on county property, but uh in the city we have the community gardens at the um at the antique gas and steam engine museum uh which is the intergenerational community garden. Uh I was there when we cut the ribbon on that. So we've got something going, but always love to have more of that. And I know there's a lot of agreement here for splash pads. Uh we need to build at least one splash pad. I think that would really be a benefit to a lot of families in our city to have a a free place to go splash and get wet for the little ones. So, I'm strongly in favor of that. I think we should work together to get that done as soon as possible. Um, so, thank you very much. I see some more comments here from Council Member Contress. Yeah, I just want to say I completely agree with you, mayor, and just wanted to check um the uh small park um for I think is Benito Huarees. Is that the name? Did we are we for sure what that name? [laughter] [gasps] Um but that's going to have a splash pad, right?

Yes. And I believe I know that's being led by our engineering department. Um I don't think they've chose formalized the name yet is my understanding. Okay. Just curious. Okay, awesome. And what's the project timeline for that? Because I know it's there's not too much movement on there right now except for a Prop 68 sign that has all our names on it. Yeah. [laughter] Mr. Mayor, do you know the timeline for the park at Bonita Wararez? [snorts] Okay. So, 12 months we'll start construction approximately. Six to nine months for design, 12 months to start construction. So, sometime next year. Awesome. Thanks. Okay, Council Member Fox,

do we need a motion or anything on this one to accept? Okay, accept the report or anything. Okay, good to go. Do we not need a motion? No, we're good. Okay, we're going to receive and file. Very good. Well, thank you. And that will take us to our next discussion. Yes,

Ron. Just again to echo what what our team said as well. Just thank you to all of you, mayor, council, city manager as well with the planning hat on. It's been a great help to have you there. Um, also want to just note Mike Pekco who kicked this off and Alda who stepped in and has been masterfully pulling this together and then just the rest of your team, you know, Mike, Sylvia, Juan, uh, everyone who's just been very, very responsive. It's a reflection of the leadership and uh I think the community is blessed to have you and you're blessed to certainly have a very engaged community. So wish you all the best for the holidays uh and a healthy and impactful 2026. Thank you.

Very good. Thank you and we wish the same to you and everyone. Okay, that'll bring us to item D2, appointment of the deputy mayor for a term of one year beginning January 1st, 2026. that any members of the public wish to speak in this item, they may indicate so by using the raise their hand feature by pressing star9 or by submitting a request to speak card. Deputy Mayor Melendez.

Thank you, Mayor. Well, uh this is uh another year uh that I've been able to serve as deputy mayor. Um it's been a great joy to serve as deputy mayor. Um the past two years there have been a number of projects that I've enjoyed working on. Um we were able to launch a shoe drive um with several community partners. We're going on its third year of that project. Um we had a lot of different focuses. I think uh my goal as deputy mayor was really to build consensus amongst our council um and uh continue to further those city council goals. Um, you know, we have regular meetings with our city manager. Um, but it's, you know, only every two years really that our council gets to come together and set up our specific goals of what we're looking to accomplish. And so, as deputy mayor, I've hoped to um focus on uh issues of um of safety, right, of livability, um really improving the quality of life for folks here in Vista. Um, but ultimately I really also enjoy being a council member and um now that I'm into my second term um I'm continuing to work with those constituents that I represent in my district um and I I really do want to hone into those district needs. So I have had my fun as deputy mayor and I think that another council member should take on the responsibility. I think it's a great opportunity for Council Member Dan O'Donnell uh to uh step in. I would make a motion that you, sir, would be our next deputy mayor. I see you representing the city broadly, right? Not just as a district representative and a district council member. Um your town halls, I think, have really impressed everyone. I think that you've

uh facilitated discussions on topics that um appeal to not only your district but to the broader community. And so I think that we need that uh energy to continue. I think that you have the energy for it to be deputy mayor. And I would love to see you step in for that. Any other comments from the council? Any other speakers? Council member O'Donnell. Second.

Yes, we do. I I will second it. Uh I want to say thank you for your kind words. I appreciate the service. Let me reset all that. I will second that. Uh I I want to thank you for the kind words. I appreciate all your service to the city and our communities. Uh I I believe that there's a lot that we can work on. And I look forward to working alongside the mayor and the rest of this council over the next year trying to make sure that we can continue tackling things like homelessness and adding more parks and working together uh especially with [snorts] every every city or every community in our city is impacted by storefronts that are empty right now. And I think that needs to be a huge push over the next 12 months to make sure that we can fill those gaps and and strengthen our small business community. So I'd be honored to serve in this capacity. Yeah, I look forward to it so long as there's support and amongst the council and uh I will I will accept that nomination. Thank you very much.

Okay, any other comments? Seeing none, we have a motion to second. Please cast your votes. That's approved with four in favor and one opposed. That'll bring us to item D3, our appointments of officials to boards and committees. If any members of the public wish to speak on this item, they may indicate so by using the raise their hand feature, by pressing star9, or submitting a request to speak card. Speakers will be called upon after the presentation. City clerk Kathy Valdez will provide a staff report.

Thank you, mayor. In accordance with the joint exercise powers act, the city of Vista entered into agreements to form and or join a variety of organizations. The agreements each state that the Vista city council must appoint representative to the board of directors. The general report identifies the mayor's recommendations for appointment of representatives and alternates to outside organizations for the 2026 calendar year. In accordance with Vista Municipal Code 2.12, the full city council will recommend and appoint a representative and a first and second alternate to Sandag. Staff recommends adopting the resolutions appointing re representatives to each of the organizations with the exception of Sandag and confirming the recommend recommendations by the mayor of appointments to agencies not covered by the joint exercise powers act. Following that action, staff recommends discussing appointment of a representative and first and second alternate representatives to the board of directors of Sandag and adopting resolution making those appointments. Thank you.

Uh let's see. You're still deputy mayor until the end of the year, Deputy Mayor Melendez. I love it. Thank you, mayor. And I understand you voted against um the motion, and I I really hope that's because you wanted me to continue as your deputy mayor. [laughter] I'm just going to believe that's what it was. Um so, my understanding uh um Miss Valdez, thank you for that. Um is that we need uh essentially two motions. Is that correct? Yes. So you could do all of the recommendations to outside agencies both for joint powers as well as the others um except for SANDAG and then do Sandex separately so long as there's no other changes. Okay. But this is all under item D3 here.

That is correct.

Okay. So you know I think that we've been um continuing these appointments very well. um you know to just speak on the um you know kind of parsed out recommendation um my appointment that I want to um you know I'm highly motivated to continue uh that would be um the appointment to clean energy alliance um and then separately also to SAM SANDAG um and and there's kind of I want to I want to speak about both of those so clean energy alliance I've been able to serve as the board chair for the past year and we are now looking at um some uh cost relief to our CEA customers. Um the Coast News just did an article on that today and um I've been working with our uh CEO Greg Wade and we're trying to respond to raising uh prices while also making sure that we have um greater opportunities for our organization in the future. So, you know, I really want to stay where I'm at with CA. And then um additionally with clean energy um with uh SANDAG there's uh so many topics that I think are important for us to engage on as a city and there are topics that uh are highly relevant to me and my multiple roles. For example, um Mayor Rebecca Jones in San Marcos, she's um the chairperson for our um regional area and she appointed me to the borders committee for this past year and I believe that's a two-year appointment. Um and so I've really enjoyed serving on the borders committee. Um it is you know a unique opportunity for the city of Vista to be represented there. Um and recently uh the borders committee had a discussion about lithium valley which is really relevant um you know kind of regional energy opportunity. Um and that also intersects with the work that I'm doing with clean energy alliance. So, you know, whether it's um on what you know, based on the committee

appointments that I'm assigned to or many of the other topics that SANDAG is addressing, um I do want to continue to advocate there, but I also welcome uh you know, alternates on SANDAG to uh participate in the meetings as well. Um Council Member um O'Donnell, I know that you've participated in some this year, and Council Member Jeff Fox, if the appointments continue, I would love for you to to join me at some of those meetings as well. Um, but it really is uh an opportunity for us to have a regional impact on issues related to transportation, energy, affordability. Um, and so I would uh make a motion to approve the um recommendations right and maintain the um the list that's is presented in the agenda. Um and then I believe we would vote on Sandag separately.

Council member Contrarus. Yes, thank you. Thank you. Um I'm I'm good with that. Uh I'll go ahead and second. Um I appreciate staying on North County Transit District. Uh lot of work going on there. Uh and I wish I had just a little bit more time to uh jump on some of these other uh committees, but I know that my colleagues are doing wonderful work. Um, and I I'm completely supportive of all the comments uh that you made, Deputy Mayor. Thank you, Council Member O'Donnell.

I just want to clarify that League of Cities is correct. I don't know if there was any discussion beyond that, but is uh Council Member Fox, will you continue to serve as the alternate? Is that correct? Okay. Uh yeah, I'm good with all of these. Okay. Did we have a motion and a second? Very good. Please cast your votes. Okay, that motion is approved unanimously. Deputy Mayor,

I'll jump back in to make a motion to um continue the appointments uh from the previous year for Sandag, which would be um myself as the primary, Council Member O'Donnell as the um alternate, and then Council Member Jeff Fox as the second alternate. Any other speakers? Council member Contrarus. I'll go ahead and second.

Okay. Um, of course, I'm not going to support that because as mayor, uh, I think the people of Vista selected me to serve on Sande. So, I just make that point. We've had many hours of discussion about that here in this DAS. But, I'll explain to the public uh, now they can refer to previous discussions about why I'm going to vote no. We have a motion to second. Please cast your votes. That item is approved with four in favor and one opposed. That will bring us to item D4, our final item to consider the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act HR 2862 support resolution. If any members of the public wish to speak on this item, they may indicate so by using the raise their hand feature, by pressing star9, or submitting a request to speak card. Speakers will be called upon after the presentation. Our assistant city manager in Maldo Hererta will introduce the item.

Thank you, [clears throat] mayor. Good evening again, mayor, deputy mayor, members of the city council. Tonight, we will be providing a presentation on um the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act, HR2862 support resolution as requested by the office of Congressman Levven. It is my pleasure to introduce our management analyst and grant writer, Angie Bagot, who will be providing the report. Good evening, mayor and council members. I have a brief overview of the Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act, also known as HR2862. The bill was introduced on April 10th, 2025 by Congressman Levven and referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources. It is still in the early stages of the legislative process. This bill would prevent new leasing for exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas along the southern California coast from San Diego to the northern border of St. Louis Abyispo County. The Southern California Coast and Ocean Protection Act aligns with the city council goal of climate and environmental responsibility and the city's 2025 legislative platform portion that addresses a cleaner, more beautiful vista along with climate and environmental responsibility. As noted in that portion, it supports measures that serve to protect and enhance the city's natural resources, air quality, open space and parklands, and clean water, and attainment of resource efficiencies such as energy conservation, along with supporting legislation and funding that would help the city meet

its goals of the climate action plan, including greenhouse gas reductions. A support resolution endorsing the bill has been included in the agenda packet for the council's consideration. And with that, staff is available for any questions. We have one speaker on the item that requests to be heard. Kyle Crayel.

Honorable mayor, good evening, city council members. My name is Kyle Cra. I'm deputy chief of staff for Congressman Mike Leaven. As you may have heard, the Trump administration has recently announced that it is opening up our coastline to new offshore oil drilling. Offshore drilling puts our communities at direct risk of toxic spills that threaten public health, harm marine life, destroy habitat, and jeopardize an economy that generates tens of billions of dollars each year. Our coastal communities do not want this. Democrats do not want this. Republicans do not want this. And that is why Congressman Levan introduced the Southern California Coast and Oceans Protection Act to fully ban new offshore oil drilling off our coastline. Cities throughout our district have already stood together and endorsed this legislation because protecting our coast is common sense. and I strongly encourage the city of Vista to join this effort to protect our beaches and our community. Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member Contrus.

Yes. Thank you so much to Congressman Mike Leaven. Uh he will be missed and I do appreciate uh that this is before us now because it is unacceptable to have more drilling offshore. We know that it's only a matter of time before there's some kind of a leak or a spill. And it's, you know, having here in San Diego County an economy that's really driven by tourism. Um, this would be uh just absolutely terrible for our region. Uh, and I know that there is a lot of support to ensure that there's no more drilling offshore. So, uh, I'll go ahead and move approval of this resolution for us to adopt it.

Council member O'Donnell, I I'll echo everything you just said. I mean, the the impacts from the environmental uh to our economic uh areas, especially along the coastline and inland. People don't understand that it's not just the coastline, it impacts us all the way inland uh throughout the region, throughout the state. So, I am supportive of this and I appreciate Congressman Leven for bringing it forward and I will second. Council member Fox.

Um I'm gonna say that I'm actually not supportive of this one um of a full blanket ban. Uh we have about 5 billion barrels of oil off of our coast and with gas prices as high as they are, having access to that would really help with affordability here in California where gas prices are super expensive. So, um I can't be supportive of this, but it sounds like it's got, you know, enough people to carry anyway. So, thanks. So, since staff brought this uh presentation on what is effectively a political item in violation of our standing policy uh to bring political items first by uh council member and then give direction from the uh council to staff to do a workup. Does council have uh information on the distance from the coast uh that the the outer continental shelf [snorts] uh southern California planning area, how far does that extend from the coastline? As I see online, it's up to 175 miles. In my research, um, it looked like there was going to be variations depending on the exact locations because the entire bill is looking at coastlines nationwide and then this bill is specifically looking at Southern California. So, I don't know that those have been established for every location yet. I don't know that they have exact locations designated at this time.

I appreciate that. I actually brought a resolution to our council which was adopted by the council in 2019 and uh it says that the city of Vista opposes drilling operations in coastal waters of California which may threaten our coastline, our natural ocean view, our ocean wildlife, our tourism, uh fishing and other sensitive industries. Uh now the definition of coastal waters I think uh and when we look at the specifically the definition of territorial waters clearly one thing I think we can all agree on nobody wants to see another oil platform uh off the shore when we go to the beach at Oceanside nobody wants to see an oil platform uh nobody wants to see an oil platform close enough to shore to threaten our coastline uh and that's the reason that I brought this resolution opposing uh nearshore uh drill ing. However, this bill until I get more information on it, the uh definitions that I find uh say that the prohibition could go as far as 175 mi uh or possibly the entire extent of the outer continental shelf. And I have to agree with Council Member Fox. uh this takes a massive area off of uh out of consideration uh which is a very very productive uh area and um I can't support that because you know energy costs are the number one impact on affordability challenges and we know that our constituents are demanding that we meet the affordability challenges in Southern California. Our gasoline costs $2 more a gallon than it does anywhere else in the country. It's totally outrageous because it's a choice that we are making as a state to put an enormous tax on poor and working families. It is wrong. We should be working to make it more affordable so people can live a better quality of life here. Now, where we can produce with new technologies

that are proven to be clean, many miles up to a 100 miles offshore and for hundreds of miles beyond. Those are the areas I think we should be looking to explore and produce new fuel uh for the future to do it uh economically, reliably, safely uh to provide for good quality of living. Deputy Mayor Melendez.

Thank you, Mayor. I believe it is wishful thinking to believe that this type of ecological risk is going to guarantee lower gas prices for people. I am opposed to making oil billionaires even richer. I want to protect our coastlines. I would support this item. Council member Conurus,

I'll just say that uh the argument that more drilling is going to happen is going to reduce affordability has not borne any fruit. Um, we have increased drilling and we're not seeing the relief that folks need. The relief for energy comes at holding the utilities, the investorowned utilities responsible for not passing a ton of stuff to consumers when it comes to wildfire and large transmission lines. So if you really want to stick it to the folks that are making our energy go higher, I would love to see a lot of advocate uh a lot of advocacy against the investorowned utilities that are having record profits and that are just making sure that customers foot the bill for years of neglect. So, I just have to say I I'm not buying I'm not buying it that uh drilling more is going to reduce prices and the oil industry itself is not committed to even drilling more because it's so expensive to create uh new platforms. So, that's all I have to say. I'm completely in support.

Council member O'Donnell.

Yeah, I'll agree. Uh the state of California produced over 100 million barrels of oil uh last year and we did not see gas drastically drop. Uh there's an issue with refinery capacity. When you talk about the high prices of gasoline, more drilling is not going to lower it. Uh we have the carb tax in the state of California. Uh whether you agree with it or not, and I I have some issues with it myself, but that adds to the cost of our fuel and our gasoline. And when we talk about utility companies, we just had before this body in 2023 that I introduced the hike in in the rates that our utility companies across the state of California wanted to impose on everybody without even asking us went before the California Public Utility Commission. They lowered it from, I think, $75 here, but it was going to be like $94 in Northern California. uh and and that's where you have to look because they need to pay for the infrastructure that they failed to produce over the last four decades that led to wildfires and a lot of other things. So when we talk about energy costs and production, those are directly contributing to high gasoline prices, those are the things directly contributing to the high cost of energy. Uh and you the roll back with NEM 3.0 on solar and the uh the inability for our our residents to get the the credits that they were getting and the support that they were getting by implementing solar onto their homes and throughout the community. So there is a multitude of reasons and I do not believe that drilling more oil uh even if it's 170 mi off the coast which could still lead to catastrophic events along the coastline in California and impact our entire state uh would be the response to it. So those are my reasons I will support it. Um but I do appreciate the comments from the council.

Council member Contrarus

and I just got to say one more thing. You know, for this facility that we're in right now, we've been able to reduce our energy costs. And it's not because there's more offshore drilling. It's because we really leaned into renewable energy. And we have photov voltaic. So, we're using the free energy of the sun to run this building over 60% of its needs. And I look forward to continue to to really lean into renewables because that is where we see a coste effective strategy that really reduces our operational costs and allows for us to one continue to maintain a surplus at the end of our budgeting and two reinvest in our community because we're not being uh charged exorbitant amounts for the energy that we use. and it's it's really the only way forward.

Well, I appreciate the discussion about the refinery capacity. I mean, we have two of our major refineries and we only have a few in California that have announced their closure uh imminently. And we've seen very little movement from uh the leading party in this state to step in and uh salvage uh those refinery businesses. and we're going to see massively negative impacts to consumers at the pump. Uh that will be self-evident when those refineries come offline. We have more seasonal blends than almost every other state uh in the country, which means we really can't import from other states. All we need to do is look to all of our neighboring states, whether it's Arizona, Nevada, it really doesn't matter. They all have energy prices, whether we're talking about electricity or gasoline, that are less than 50% what it costs to buy energy here in California. It is a war on the poor being conducted by the policy makers in this state. And I appreciate Council Member Fox uh you starting the conversation. I for one will not continue to approve policies that damage the economic interest and the affordability of families that are trying to make a quality life here in Southern California. With that, we have a motion to second. Please cast your votes.

That item is approved with three in favor and two opposed. That's our last item of the evening. That's going to bring us to comments from our staff. We have any comments from our city clerk's office? Happy holidays. Thank you very much, city attorney. Uh, I second that. Happy holidays and see you in 2026. Thank you, council general manager, city manager.

Thank you, mayor. Uh, as mentioned, uh, wishing you all the best over the holiday period. As a reminder, our facilities, uh, the city here will be closed from December 25th through January 4th. That includes the civic center, Vistics, and the Jim Porter Rec Center and the Mlen Senior Center. Public works will remain open except on December 25th and January 1st. All city parks will be open for normal hours, including both holidays, and Vista Fire, Rescue, and Sheriff's will obviously continue operating without any change. Uh, I'd like to thank Council Member Melendez for her service as deputy mayor and congratulate our newly appointed deputy mayor. I look forward to working with you in the future. Thank you for your service, Deputy Mayor. Uh, I'd also like to recognize Larry Vppel, our economic development director, who is retiring this month. Thank him for his dedicated years of service to the city. We appreciate the time that he worked for us and wish him the very best. I think he'll be traveling very soon, so wishing Larry the best. Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Council Member Fox.

Perfect. Uh, did have a North County Dispatch Joint Powers Authority meeting last week. Um, we're doing our uh negot salary negotiations with the union for the for the dispatchers and that's going pretty well. Um, we have Christmas events all across Vista the for the rest of the month. So, make sure you uh check some of those out. Uh, there's there's um too many to even even count and I'm sure that the that there's probably a bunch on our website and everything like that as well. But, uh, it's Taco Tuesday and I've already partake partaken myself. So, uh um make sure you jump on that as well. And it was tomorrow will be my oneyear anniversary on council. So,

um so that's it's been it's been quite quite the experience. I will say that. Um I love my wife very much and merry Christmas to everybody. Thank you, Council Member O'Donnell.

You can't read my chicken scratch, I'm sure, but the third bullet point is congratulating you on your one year uh here on the council. So, nice job. You've done a great job so far. Uh, I just want to say thank you to staff for a tremendous year. We have done so much in 2025. I look forward to 2026. I we continue to push you to your limits and you never disappoint in all the work that you've done. So, thank you very much for all that you continue to do and that you've done for the city. Um, I'm not going to touch on this very long, but there was an accident this morning at Sycamore and Brook Haven Pass. Uh, that took place at 12:45 this morning. Thank God nobody was injured or killed, but a car uh did not realize that Sycamore came to an end and uh they stopped in someone's garage door pushing their car into the home, bursting pipes in the kitchen or in the bathroom in the laundry room. Uh nearly took out their gas line which is right next to their electric box. And uh a lot of disaster was averted just by sheer luck. But when we talk about road improvements and infrastructure improvements, it is specifically for incidents like this that we continuously champion them. So, I'm going to continue to do that. I'm going to work with this council to make sure that we get something done there because this is the fourth accident in 30 years. It's the third one in the last six years. Uh, all of which this poor home has had damage done to its house. So, uh, just want to let them know I'm working on that. As I had on here, congratulations, Mr. Fox, on your one-year anniversary. Uh, Larry, thank you for your service. I don't believe you're here, but enjoy your retirement. I really appreciate everything you've done. Uh, Deputy Mayor Melendez, thank you for your two years of service in that capacity. I think you've done a very good job as well uh in serving this city and our residents. Uh I do have a very quick Cal's update and I apologize everybody. I know we're trying to get out of here for the the new year and the holidays, but um so as the second vice chair there, they asked what some of the priorities were. And the biggest thing I could think of uh based on some of the discussions we've had on this council is creating funds to to build shelters and housing and have a regional approach so that we're not all competing for the same

pile of money without being able to work together and collaborate as cities. Uh it was met with great reception. I think all the cities are kind of feeling the same uh pain that we are in trying to tackle this issue. So that was the the main thing that I had done. Um there is going to be $und00 million in uh encampment resolution funding for the year 2627. So uh city staff please be on top of that because that is uh much needed here in the city of Vista. Appreciate all your work that we've done on that so far. Just make sure that you're aware of it. Um went to all three events this past week. Jingle Terrace. Uh then the parade and then the tree lighting. So awesome job by the city of Vista uh for Jingle Terrace. Great job by the city and the chamber for the parade. Uh got a lot of good feedback, a lot of public uh comments on that. We're very positive and the tree lighting from Vista Unified School District every year. It's great to see so many people. There was a few hundred people there this time, I'm going to guess. And it's just a great way to bring the community together, especially around the holiday season. Uh to my wife, uh thank you for allowing me to serve now three years in this capacity. Uh I have enjoyed working with all of you. Uh I know that this year has been quite tumultuous at times, but uh I I appreciate the work we all do. It takes a lot to serve in this capacity for our community and our residents. So with that being said, I just want to wish everybody a merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a very very blessed 2026. I look forward to serving and working for all of you into the new year. And I really hope you enjoy the holidays. Have a great night.

Council member Contreras.

Yes. Congratulations, Council Member Fox, on a year. Um, and thank you very much, Deputy Mayor Melendez, for your incredible service and working with our mayor to find common sense solutions to some of the most pressing issues that our community faces. And uh, I look forward to um, Deputy Mayor uh, O'Donald. Yeah, it's, you know, it's always interesting because we have to rearrange the chairs and whatnot. So, you'll see us in different, you know, positions here. Um, I think Fox, uh, Council Member Fox, you're probably still over there. And then it'll be Council Member Melendez, me, Deputy Mayor O'Donnell, and the mayor if I'm correct. Um, and I also do want to say thank you so much to staff. You know, I think right now especially, it's so critical for us to really have a lot of different free events that are engaging and that families that are, you know, just wanting to have some kind of joy and celebration, but maybe for a lot of them, they just don't have the financial means to be able to, you know, have a big holiday Christmas celebration. Uh, and we're delivering that to not only our residents here in Vista, but I know that this is a a regional attraction now. And every single year, Jingle Terrace just gets bigger and better. And I look forward to it. And I I just, you know, seeing all the families just waiting at the gate for us to cut the ribbon and for them to run and they they go over to Santa Claus and, you know, there was a huge line just to sit with Santa. We had the cute little um uh mini cows and mini donkeys and the just our staff just incredible

production and using that LED you know screen and you know towards uh a few hours you know into the event um you just couldn't there was not even one seat open I mean it was a ton of folks there and and I think that just we need to continue to lean into that and I I do want to say I'm very thankful um for the the newer council majority which is now not so new but we've been able to navigate the city through very difficult times, a pandemic, you know, whatever we're in right now and still come out every single year with a budget uh that is just reflective of our values. and we've been able to reinvest in our community because we have millions of dollars left over. And so I'm really thankful that we've had very difficult discussions uh and that we have an incredible staff that helps us with that. But we've been able to bring more transparency to the budget process and more community engagement and at the end of the day a lot more return on investment for taxpayer dollars. And it's showing in the pride that people have for this city. And I hear it throughout the region. People are always saying, "What are you doing in Vista? It's amazing. I wish that I had X, Y, and Z, right?" And you all are doing it. So, um, thank you to our council and to staff and to all the residents for making our community that much better. Thank you.

And for the last time, Deputy Mayor Melendez.

Thank you, Mayor. And thank you to my council. It's been such a pleasure to serve you as deputy mayor and I'm really proud of the uh clear direction we've been able to give staff over the past year. Um and working with staff with John and with everyone um has been incredible. I agree with Deputy Mayor O'Donnell that uh it really is um incredible to see us um you know call our city higher and all of our staff they meet that call. Um I have just loved to see it. We've been able to break ground on new projects and cut ribbons on projects that have been long awaited. Um and so it's been a wonderful year. Uh I'm really looking forward to the holiday break. I hope everybody has a very merry Christmas if you celebrate and happy Hanukkah as I will be celebrating. And I just hope that we all get a little bit of time to rest and have some joy and enjoy some good food and and celebrate a year well done. Thank you.

Okay. I just want to thank everybody who came out for our big annual Christmas parade this past Saturday. Was a wonderful outing with lots of uh every street was packed and full. Uh, love to see the kids. Uh, as council member O'Donnell said, a huge turnout for the tree lighting on Sunday night. And, uh, as Council Member uh, Contras said, a really big turnout, the biggest we've ever seen for Jingle Terrace Live at the Moonlight Amphitheater every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 5:30 to 8:30. Uh, the miniature donkeys and the little Highland cows are super adorable. They love to be touched and pets. So, bring the kids out to see the light show, to meet Santa, uh, and to see the live performances on stage by our young people. It's a great time. We got hot cocoa and hot hot apple cider. Um, and, uh, check out our downtown. Downtown Vista is buzzing with holiday events all season long. Want to encourage everyone to head downtown, support our local businesses, and enjoy all the events happening throughout December. You can find the full lineup at downtown vista.org. And uh I want to echo uh the wishes for a very merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah and uh happy holidays to all of our uh Vista citizens and all those throughout uh San Diego County. And I want to thank my wife uh first I want to wish her a happy birthday and I want to say uh thank you very much uh sweetheart for allowing me to do this. Uh, and I want to I'll say uh to all of your families, thank you for allowing uh you to serve because it is a huge sacrifice that our families make. Uh, my wife certainly does make that sacrifice and I really appreciate her for that. So, I love you Shauna and I will see you hopefully in a few minutes.