REGULAR MEETING OF THE
CONCORD CITY COUNCIL
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER
1950 PARKSIDE DRIVE
CONCORD, CALIFORNIA AND VARIOUS
TELEPHONIC/ELECTRONIC LOCATIONS AND
THE BLACKSTONE AUTOGRAPH
COLLECTION, 636 SOUTH MICHIGAN
AVENUE, LOBBY, CHICAGO, IL
TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2026
The Concord City Council met in a regular meeting in the Council Chamber, located at 1950 Parkside Drive and via various telephonic/electronic locations at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 28, 2026, with Mayor Nakamura presiding. The pledge of allegiance was led by Councilmember Hoffmeister.
Minutes follow in abbreviated form per Resolution 3361 and Council Minutes of September 26, 1966.
ROLL CALL
COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Dominic Aliano, Pablo Benavente (via Zoom), Laura Hoffmeister Carlyn Obringer, Laura Nakamura
STAFF PRESENT: Justin Ezell, Assistant City Manager; Susanne Brown, City Attorney; Joelle Fockler, City Clerk; Monique Robinson, Deputy City Clerk; Jeffrey Lara, Administrative Secretary; Greg Taylor, Director of Information Technology; Mindy Gentry, Director of Community Development; Kit Jory, Director of Public Works, Margaret O’Brien, Director of Finance; James Nakayama, Police Captain; Robert Garcia, Police Lieutenant; Aaron Sage, Planning Manager; Frank Abejo, Principal Planner
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
WHO ADDRESSED THE COUNCIL: Vanessa Chena, Monument Impact/CIPN; Raul Araua, United Latino Voices; Glenda Navarro, Todos Santos Tenants United; Amy Acceola, CIPN; Gwynne Gilson, Concord; Kathryn Durham- Hammer, Concord; Robyn Kuslits, Concord
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
Vanessa Chena, Monument Impact/CIPN, requested agendizing a discussion to include community input on City of Concord implementation regarding SB 580.
Raul Araua, United Latino Voices, requested that the City Council make Concord an ICE-free city.
Glenda Navarro, Todos Santos Tenants United, spoke about lack of street repairs on Eureka Lane and issues with submitting requests via Concord Connect Amy Acceola, CIPN, requested that the City Council establish a framework for responding to ICE activity.
Gwynne Gilson, Concord, requested the City to agendize a discussion to evaluate whether City policies and procedures meet the standards of SB 580.
Kathryn Durham-Hammer, Concord, asked the City for implementation of the requirements of SB 580.
City Council Minutes July 28, 2026
2 CITY COUNCIL CONSENT CALENDAR
No public comment was received.
APPROVE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT – FCS International, Inc. dba FirstCarbon Solutions
This item was pulled from consideration on the Consent Calendar by Councilmember Obringer.
A motion was made by Obringer and seconded by Hoffmeister to approve a professional services agreement with FCS International, Inc. dba FirstCarbon Solutions in an amount not-to-exceed $356,164 to prepare an environmental impact report for the Concord Townsquare Project on the former Coast Guard property at 3295 Haleakala Street and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement in a form acceptable to the City Attorney. The motion passed by unanimous vote of the Council.
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-51 – Accepting and Appropriating Grant Funding for Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program
A motion was made by Hoffmeister and seconded by Aliano to adopt Resolution No. 26-51 entitled, “A Resolution Accepting and Appropriating Grant Funding to Fund 402 from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) in the Amount of $296,197 for the Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program (CTFGP) to Assist with Reducing and Mitigating the Impacts of Impaired Driving in the City of Concord.” The motion passed by unanimous vote of the Council.
CITY COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ITEM
ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 26-52 – Calling for and Giving Notice on Proposed Business License Tax Simplification Ballot Measure
Public comment provided by Robyn Kuslits
A motion was made by Aliano and seconded by Benavente to adopt Resolution No. 26-52 entitled, “A Resolution Calling for and Giving Notice of a November 3, 2026, Election on a Proposed Business License Tax Simplification Ballot Measure; and Establishing the Policies and Procedures for Such an Election and Requesting that the County of Contra Costa Conduct Such an Election.” The motion passed by unanimous vote of the Council.
CORRESPONDENCE
a. Letter to Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco re: Assembly Bill 1821 – California Public Records Act: Methods of Submission, Fees, and Agency Response Time – Support (as amended June 10, 2026) – June 17, 2026
b. Agenda Item No. 3.a – Benched Correspondence
c. Agenda Item No. 4.a. – Business License Simplification Ballot Measure PowerPoint Presentation
COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember Obringer provided an update on the Green Empowerment Zone Board.
Mayor Nakamura provided an update on Marin Clean Energy Councilmembers shared information on events and activities in which they had participated since the last meeting and commented on items of interest.
City Council Minutes July 28, 2026
3 ADJOURNMENT
By order of the Mayor, the meeting was adjourned on July 28, 2026, at 8:11 p.m. in memory of former Director of Public Works William Tarbox.
/s/
LAURA M. NAKAMURA
MAYOR
/s/
JOELLE FOCKLER, MMC
CITY CLERK