City Council Meeting
May 19, 2026
Award an Agreement for Unleaded Fuel Services
to Merrimac Petroleum, Inc.
2 Background
• Public Works maintains a total of twelve (12) storage tanks for fuel, lubricants, and hazardous waste at the following locations:
Fire Station Nos. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Police Department
Emergency Communications Center
City Hall
City’s Corporation Yard
• The City also has ten (10) emergency generators located at various sites and one (1) portable emergency generator that require fuel. • Current agreement for fuel delivery services utilizing a cooperative agreement expires on June 30, 2026 and is non-renewable. 3 • The City will utilize the County of Orange’s
Cooperative Agreement with Merrimac Petroleum,
Inc., for the procurement of unleaded fuel.
• The County’s Cooperative Agreement has proven
to be an effective means of purchasing fuel and
ensures that the City receives the best possible
prices.
Procurement Process
4 Staff Recommendations
• Approve Agreement with Merrimac Petroleum, Inc. for the purchase and delivery of unleaded fuel in an annual amount of $700,000, based upon pricing provided through a Cooperative Agreement with the County of Orange for a term of five (5) years commencing on July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2031, unless otherwise terminated by the County of Orange.
• Authorize the City Manager and the City Clerk to execute the agreement and future authorized amendments to the agreement.
City Council Meeting
May 19, 2026
Agreement With Volunteers of America
Los Angeles For Shelter Operations at
The Bridge Shelter
2 Background
April 2021 – The Bridge Shelter opened with Mercy House as the Shelter Operator. On-site services include:
• Housing navigation
• Document readiness (i.e., Birth Certificate, Social Security, Driver’s License) • Financial assistance for housing deposits and furniture • Primary, dental, and behavioral health care (including indv. & group therapy) • Connection to detox and residential rehab facilities
• Workforce development & employment readiness
• Benefit assistance
June 30, 2026 – The Shelter Operator Agreement with Mercy House expires. 3 Request for Proposals
• February 2026 – The City released RFP 26-14 seeking proposals for Shelter Operations at the Bridge Shelter.
• The City received proposals from three (3) vendors:
o Volunteers of America Los Angeles (VOALA)
o Mercy House Living Centers (Mercy House)
o Homeless Intervention Services Orange County (HIS-OC) • A panel of three raters scored the proposals, as follows:
Proposers Proposal Scores Interview Scores Combined Scores Rank VOALA 1200 1500 2700 1st
Mercy House 1083.25 1230 2313.25 2nd
HIS-OC 1206.5 1104.85 2311.35 3rd
4 Scope of Work
The City provides all case management services. The Shelter Operator is responsible for:
1. Logistics – Laundry, kitchen assistance, guest intakes/exits, concierge desk, etc.
2. Janitorial – Daily, ongoing cleaning of the entire campus, and nightly deep cleaning of the bathrooms and high-traffic areas.
3. Security – 24/7 on-site supervision of guests including a post at the main entrance and roving patrols of the entire campus.
4. Transportation – A shuttle service that provides daily drop-off and pick-up locations around Costa Mesa.
5 Proposer Highlights - Operations
• VOALA utilizes a universal training model where staff are trained to perform all duties listed in the Scope of Work.
MH and HIS-OC assign staff to specific roles
• VOALA is authorized to provide Community Supports (CS) and Enhanced Care Management (ECM).
MH does not offer CS or ECM. HIS-OC offers CS
• VOALA currently serves unhoused Costa Mesa residents who are disabled (HDAP Program) and/or veterans.
MH and HIS-OC do not offer HDAP or veteran services
• VOALA provides regular program oversight via their Evaluation and Quality Assurance Department.
MH and HIS-OC do not provide this additional benefit
6 Budget
The City’s current cost to operate the Bridge Shelter is $2,383,180. The budgets submitted by the proposers are as follows:
Proposer Staffing Cost Program Cost Indirect Cost Total Cost HIS-OC $ 1,724,144 $ 251,008 $ - $ 1,975,152 VOALA $ 1,613,214 $ 232,200 $ 221,450 $ 2,066,864 Mercy House $ 1,512,909 $ 574,650 $ 313,134 $ 2,400,693 • VOALA’s proposed budget is $316,316 less than the current contract.
o HIS-OC’s budget is $408,028 less than the current contract but does not include admin or indirect costs.
o MH’s budget is $17,513 more than our current contract and $333,829 more than VOALA’s proposed budget.
7 Experience & Capacity
Mercy House
• Founded in 1990
• Over 800 employees
• Annual gross receipts of
approx. $66M
• Currently operates 7
shelters across
Central/Southern CA
• Currently operates the 164-
bed Huntington Beach
Shelter and 150-bed Buena
Park Shelter
VOALA
• Founded in 1896
• Over 2,000 employees
• Annual gross receipts of
approx. $1.4B
• Currently operates 17
shelters across LA and OC
• Currently operates the 85-
bed Central Cities
Navigation Center (CCNC)
in Garden Grove
HIS-OC
• Founded in 1989
• Roughly 50 employees
• Annual gross receipts of
approx. $1.5M
• Currently operates 1
shelter and several
transitional housing
projects
• Currently operates the 50-
bed Family Care Center
(FCC) in Orange
8 Cost Flexibility
VOALA has the ability to reduce their staffing and certain programmatic costs should the Council decide to reduce the maximum capacity of the Shelter. However, the Shelter requires staffing and programmatic expenditure minimums to operate 24 hours per day, 7 days a week.
For example, decreasing capacity from 100 beds to 85 beds would reduce the Shelter Operator contract by approximately $134,000/yr. 9 Staff recommends the City Council:
1. Approve the Professional Services Agreement with Volunteers of America Los Angeles to provide Shelter Operations at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter for a period of three (3) years, with the option for two (2) additional one (1) year periods upon mutual written agreement of both parties in amount not to exceed $2,066,864.
2. Authorize the City Manager and City Clerk to execute all agreements and any amendments to the agreements including any potential increase to the annual compensation that is based on an increase to Volunteers of America Los Angeles employee salaries. This increase shall not exceed 5%.
Recommendations
City Council Meeting
May 19, 2026
Update On SB 707 And Adopt The Council
Policy For Disruption of Telephonic or Internet
Service During City Council Meetings
OVERVIEW OF SB 707
• Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB 707) on October 3, 2025.
• SB 707 amends the Brown Act to expand public participation and accessibility.
• Most significant changes will become effective on July 1, 2026. • Updates provisions related to teleconferencing, including requirements for remote participation, accessibility, and procedures for addressing disruptions to meeting access for City Council meetings.
• SB 707 requires City Council to adopt a Technology Disruption Policy by July 1, 2026.
3 City Council must provide hybrid meetings through a two-way telephonic or audiovisual platform. The policy must address procedures for responding to disruptions of telephonic or internet service during a meeting and the efforts the City Council is making to restore service.
Proposed Technology Disruption Procedures
• Recess open session for a minimum of one hour
• Make good faith efforts to restore public access
• Closed session may continue if permitted by law
Reconvening Requirements
• At least one hour has passed or service has been restored, whichever occurs first.
If service remains unavailable:
• City Council must make findings by roll call vote confirming good faith efforts, or • Adjourn the meeting.
Disruptive Conduct
• Disruptive participants may be removed or limited, whether attending remotely or in person.
TECHNOLOGY DISRUPTION POLICY
4 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION & OUTREACH
SB 707 requires outreach to increase participation, including underrepresented and non-English-speaking communities.
SB 707 Requirements:
• Maintain electronic systems for agenda/document requests • Provide public meeting webpage with participation instructions • Improve outreach to local organizations, including non-English- language groups
The City has actively been engaging community groups and accessibility practices for several years prior to having this effort mandated, including:
• Community partnerships established prior to SB 707
• Language requests managed and coordinated through City Clerk’s Office • Dedicated Spanish language webpage launched in January 2024 • Accessible participation information for public meetings • Public comment instructions included in all City Council agendas • Spanish language meetings and workshops conducted citywide 5 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION & OUTREACH CONT.
Community Groups
• Resilience Orange County
• Promotoras de Salud de Orange County
• Costa Mesa Unidos
• CHAMOY
The City has actively engaged community organizations and groups for several years prior to SB 707 requirements.
Spanish Language Meetings/Workshops
• City Council Meetings
• Senior Outreach Transportation Meetings
• Fair Housing Workshops
• Climate Action & Adaptation Plan Workshop
• Neighborhoods Where We All Belong Meetings
The City will continue expanding outreach and accessible public participation opportunities citywide. 6 LANGUAGE ACCESS & INTERPRETATION
• SB 707 requires translation of agendas and public meetings information webpage into "applicable languages" under American Community Survey (ACS) criteria.
• The City must reasonably accommodate public for interpretation services, so long as the interpretation does not disrupt the meeting.
• Reasonable assistance may include:
• Arranging space for interpreters
• Allowing additional interpretation time, or
• Ensuring participants may use personal equipment or
reasonably accessible interpretation services.
• Additionally, the City must provide space for the public near the official agenda postings for additional translated agendas.
TELECONFERENCING UPDATES
SB 707 revises and expands the teleconferencing options available under the Brown Act. The teleconferencing options applies to City Council and the Commissions.
• Traditional Teleconferencing (Gov. Code Section 54953) rules remain in place.
• Expanded remote participation for Council Members with disabilities (Gov. Code Section 54953 (c))
• Teleconference meetings permissible during proclaimed Emergencies (Gov. Code Section 54953.8.2)
• ‘Just Cause’ Teleconferencing (Gov. Code Section 54953.8.3) provisions added.
8 ADA & ACCESSIBILITY COMPLIANCE
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
(WCAG) accessibility standards
implemented.
- All content posted to the City’s website
- Images must include concise and descriptive alternative text. - Meeting agendas and minutes must be indexed to allow users to navigate directly to specific sections.
- Video content must include closed captioning.
To ensure compliance, the City procured new equipment essential to operate CMTV and livestreaming of City meetings.
New equipment includes software for Spanish translation capability.
WCAG compliance deadline extended to April 26, 2027, but the requirements under SB 707 remain in effect as of July 1, 2026.
9 ADDITIONAL SB 707 UPDATES
Social Media
Removed Sunset date for AB
992’s Social Media restrictions
– law will remain in effect.
• Prohibits a majority of
members from using social
media to discuss official
business, including making
posts, commenting, sharing
and using emojis.
• Prohibits members from
directly responding to another
member’s posts on matters
within the body’s jurisdiction.
Executive Compensation
Reporting
Brown Act previously required
oral reports before taking
action on compensation for
“local agency executives.”
Expands to include department
heads and similar
administrative officers.
Copies of Brown Act
Require agencies to provide a
copy of the Brown Act to any
person elected or appointed as
a member of the City Council.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council receive and file the
informational update regarding SB 707 and Adopt the Council Policy for Disruption of Telephonic or Internet Service During City Council Meetings.