15-G
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
ATTENTION: Ryan Smoot, City Manager
FROM: Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk
SUBJECT: Consideration and possible action to approve the Minutes of the August 10, 2026, Special Meeting of the City Council.
DATE: September 14, 2026
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
None
RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL
1) Approve the August 10, 2026, Special Meeting Minutes; or
2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item.
FISCAL IMPACT
None
ATTACHMENT
Minutes of the August 10, 2026, Special Meeting of the City Council …………..…… 2
1 MINUTES
CITY OF BELLFLOWER
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE BELLFLOWER CITY COUNCIL
MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2026 – 4:00 P.M.
BELLFLOWER CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS
TELECONFERENCE – ZOOM WEBINAR
MEETING ID: 883 0182 2002 / TOLL FREE (669) 444-9171
1 Call to Order
Mayor Santa Ines called the Special Meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Bellflower City Hall, 16600 Civic Center Drive, Bellflower.
2 Roll Call
For the record, the following Members of the City Council were present:
Mayor Sonny R. Santa Ines
Mayor Pro Tem Victor A. Sanchez
Council Member Ray Dunton
Council Member Dan Koops
Council Member Wendi Morse
Staff Participants:
Ryan Smoot, City Manager
Karl H. Berger, City Attorney
Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk
Len Gorecki, Assistant City Manager/Director of Public Works Jim DellaLonga, Director of Economic Development
Wangsu Lee, Assistant to the City Manager
Jennifer Russell, Management Assistant
3 REQUEST TO APPEAR REMOTELY
None
4 PUBLIC COMMENTS
None
2 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 5-A August 10, 2026 Page 2 of 3
5 STUDY SESSION
A Consideration and possible action to conduct a follow-up study session to discuss and provide further direction regarding the City’s economic development priorities.
Director of Economic Development DellaLonga 1) provided a PowerPoint presentation of the Staff Report; and 2) responded to Council Members’ questions along with City Manager Smoot and City Attorney Berger.
Following the presentation, City Manager Smoot noted the two options Director DellaLonga proposed – a Community Development Corporation (CDC) or an Economic Development Corporation (EDC) – and recommended staff work with a subcommittee of the City Council to carry one of those options forward.
At the request of Mayor Santa Ines, City Manager Smoot 1) explained that it is difficult to identify EDCs that are specifically comparable to a smaller agency like Bellflower, as most of the examples identified were regional in scope, while the East Los Angeles example appeared to be smaller-scale and neighborhood-based; and 2) confirmed that staff would research Glendale’s EDC to identify accomplishments and lessons learned.
At the request of Council Member Dunton, City Manager Smoot 1) confirmed that the City has had recent discussions regarding efforts to supplement the City’s economic development activities, including the establishment of a business improvement district in the downtown area; and 2) stated that City-led efforts can sometimes be met with resistance due to perceptions of government involvement, so a third-party entity working in partnership with the City could potentially be more effective in engaging the business community.
At the request of the Mayor Pro Tem Sanchez, City Attorney Berger stated that 1) the composition and governance of the entity’s board of directors would be determined by the City Council; 2) initially, the City Council often serves as the board of directors when such entities are established; 3) the number of directors and individuals who serve on the board are policy decisions for the City Council to determine; 4) the proposed entity would be a completely independent corporation and separate legal entity from the City, and there would be no risk to the City even though City Council Members may serve as directors of the corporation; and 5) an operating agreement between the City and the corporation would establish and reflect the corporation’s independence, as well as include provisions to provide defense and indemnification to the City.
In response to the questions posed by Mayor Pro Tem Sanchez, City Manager Smoot stated that 1) the questions regarding the structure and governance of the proposed corporation were among the reasons for recommending the establishment of a City Council subcommittee; 2) staff could guide the Council through the process, but cannot make those policy decisions on the Council’s behalf; 3) a subcommittee would assist staff in working through the organizational structure and related matters before bringing forward the articles of incorporation, operating agreement, and other necessary documents for consideration by the City Council; and 4) he would explore whether an EDC could join the COG’s [Gateway Cities Council of Governments] Housing Trust.
3 Bellflower City Council Special Meeting Minutes Item No. 5-A August 10, 2026 Page 3 of 3
5 STUDY SESSION – Continued
A Consideration and possible action to conduct a follow-up study session to discuss and provide further direction regarding the City’s economic development priorities – Continued
For the record, Mayor Pro Tem Sanchez stated that of the two options identified, he was leaning towards establishing an EDC.
At the request of Mayor Santa Ines, City Manager Smoot confirmed that staff would return with a staff report to provide specific examples of the successes of an EDC, and then the City Council could establish a subcommittee to further discuss and develop ideas for the corporation’s potential role and focus, if they choose to move forward.
At the request of Council Member Dunton, Director DellaLonga 1) clarified that staff identified a group of firms who are prepared to receive the Request for Proposals (RFP) and submit proposals for consideration; 2) explained that the study would focus on the three major thoroughfares of Artesia Boulevard, Lakewood Boulevard, and Alondra Boulevard, as well as other identified intersections; and 3) clarified that Rosecrans Avenue as a whole would not be included in the study, but certain intersections along Rosecrans Avenue would be.
Following lengthy discussion, it was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to 1) research Economic Development Corporations, including but not limited to successful examples and potential applications for Bellflower, and bring the matter back to a future agenda for additional consideration; and 2) proceed with the corridor studies RFP beginning with Artesia Boulevard from the Paramount border to Bellflower Boulevard, with future studies to follow for Lakewood Boulevard and Alondra Boulevard, and evaluate the West Artesia Specific Plan in conjunction with the corridor study.
6 Adjournment
Without objection, Mayor Santa Ines adjourned the meeting at 5:04 p.m.
Sonny R. Santa Ines, Mayor
City of Bellflower
ATTEST:
Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk
Approved: September 14, 2026
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